The Fiddler Off the Roof

Stepping into the town of Cedar, Odhran had taken lead of the situation, regardless of any protests that his companion may have had. Even from this far out, Odhran could hear the calls of the Town Crier all the way from the entrance to the quaint village.

"Even though such a man may be our quarry, it is far from something that should be mentioned that he is certainly impressive with his ability to speak loudly. Truly, he has been blessed with a great and powerful voice, to be heard from all corners of the town from his perch atop the highest roofs of the fair town of Cedar! While it would be truly magnificent to meet this
man and learn from him in the art of vocal projection, it is with great shame that we must cut him down." He turned to Silvia. "Dearest Silvia, if I may make a request? One such as myself should not be dragged into the shadows to be confused for a mere pauper that slinks through the dark, stealing for the mere prospect of food. I am a God, as you well know, and my glory must be well known. I say this, as the request that we have obtained to silence this man who would not otherwise be silenced offered the idea of 'subtlety.' Celestial Spirits are tools of combat, not of stealth, and I have seen fit to follow through on that mindset. Of course, far be it from me to simply leave all the work to you! Though I may be a God, I am not one of those too pompous so as to let his servants do all the work for him.  No, rather, I would assist those to whom I call my companions, my allies, my brothers and sisters in arms! Rest assured, I will bring glory to the guild, but what is a guild if not a collection of fellow glory-seekers? Even if I may become one of the fabled Warlords of Fiore, I will not forget those companions who are dear to me, and those whom have helped me along the way. Of course, it is of the utmost importance that I do likewise to others. To me, you are no different than one of the Spirits I command. You are a member of Errings Rising, like myself, and so I shall protect you and ensure that you come to no harm, as you are like family to myself. It is a warped family, to be certain, but a God must gain whatever allies he can!"

He laughed softly to himself before realizing that he never actually stated his request. "Ah, yes. My request. Of course. What I ask of you, Dearest Silvia, is that you be the one to slay him. I do not doubt your abilities to take on the town guard should the situation call for combat, but with my Celestial Spirits at your side, as well as my own talents, it should be considered a simple feat to eliminate those who would oppose us. I shall provide covering fire and destroy reinforcements while they come in, while you eliminate the target and whoever else may come. Of course, I am at the wills and whims of your requests, Dearest Silvia, and so if you wish for me to do elsewise, then I shall listen to your suggestion."

He bowed, already having his three primary keys tightly between the fingers of his right hand. Closest to his body was Lupa's, the middle bearing Scorpio's golden sheen, and the right having Arnaluuk and her irate nature. He was prepared for whatever task he would be set to.

---

WC: 613

As Freya was on the path to Cedar, she awkwardly stood away from the man she was assigned with, and made her own little path in the shrubbery next to the actual one. There was something off about Odhran, and it was in a way that she had never seen before on anyone else. He was way too confident in his own abilities, and she really didn't like him. His confidence exuded outward and made Silvia want to just...curl up into a ball.

She found confrontation with anyone to be scary, but with someone who was as out there as much as Odhran was made her feel very anxious. There were many times where he tried to communicate with her, but she instead backed away, talking to Selena. Throughout the entire journey there, she had talked to her, and tried her best to compose herself.

Although she was known for being the anxious type of person, she still wanted to prove that she was actually worth it. She wanted to show everyone that she was just as capable as the next guy. Though, she wasn't too sure how capable the one before her was. The way he spoke made it feel like he was very entitled. There must've been a reason why he wasn't with the family that he'd spoken off. As she thought of the multiple reasons that he could've gotten kicked out, she whispered them into Selena's ear and laughed very quietly.

Her laughs were soon interrupted as the two approached the town. Odhran, like he usually does, spouted out with many words. This made Silvia extremely anxious, as he kept droning on with what he was saying. She didn't want to try and stop him, but she wanted to so badly. Her mind was melting as she tried to figure out what to say, but there were no points where she could speak. So, she had to wait until the end of his monolgue before she had even said anything. It wasn't until he finished that she noticed the fidgeting of her hands. She had apparently grown more and more stressed as he was talking. This meant that she needed to try and recompose herself before she said anything more.

With a deep gulp, she said to him, "Uhm...okay I guess..." Her voice began to slowly decrease in volume as she dragged out her final word. She tried to find more things to say, but nothing came up. The only thing that had truly resonated from his speech, was how weird she thought he was. She didn't usually like to judge people, but there didn't seem to be an ounce of genuineness in his body. So, she just let him continue with what he was saying.

Learning how to cope with how big he was, Freya took a moment to look down at Selena for comfort. At some points in time, Freya was almost like her support animal. She followed her around everywhere, was her greatest friend, and helped calm her down. As she looked back up from Selena, she said to Odhran, "That sounds like a great idea. I think it'd be best though if you, or you're summons went up first, so that I could rush towards the cryer." With this suggestion, she had hoped that she would be able to part from her partner without any fight. Awaiting his approval, she crossed her fingers, hoping to whatever gods there were out there, that they would bless her in this moment.

wc: 601
twc: 601/1500

Listening to his cohort's suggestion, he smiled. "As you wish, I shall entrust you with the glorious task of following through on our mission of excellence! Now, behold the power of the man, nay, the GOD you see before you!" He smirked, unveiling the three keys he would always resort to. "Key of the Scorpion, Scorpio! Key of the Winged Wolf, Lupa! Key of the Frozen Sea Spirit, Arnaluuk! Come forth!"

Arnaluuk and Lupa appeared next to Odhran, while Scorpio already had a clawed arm around Odhran's female companion. "So, you're the lucky girl who gets to off that loudmouth, right, baby? I know we're here in town for business and all, but nothing's saying that we can't still look around town to see a good place to eat. Maybe after this job is done and it all blows over, then we can go on a date? I'm always a fan of cute, shy girls like you. I mean, I like all kinds of girls, really, but there's just something about some that like to be a bit more...reserved, you know? Really lets you appreciate their natural beauty, right?"

Arnaluuk grabbed Scorpio by the tail, forcibly dragging him backwards. "No. Honestly, I wish Odhran had more sane spirits, but unfortunately, I'm stuck with the dunce, the dog, and the debaucher. Scorpio, get over there." She tossed Scorpio towards Odhran and investigated the girl further. "I hope you aren't harmed. Either physically or mentally, considering those two. Anyways, we'll set up in a position to create a chokepoint to make sure that he doesn't get away." Arnaluuk smiled as best as she could before walking back over to Odhran.

"Now, dearest Silvia! I shall arrange myself and my Spirits in such a way so that we will not allow a single foe that would dare to approach us escape, let alone that of our quarry! Come now! Scorpio, Arnaluuk! I trust you already know the positions? Lupa, bring me there yourself!"

Lupa barked, wagging her tail as Odhran mounted his wolf. The Pterolykos flew off, leaving Scorpio and Arnaluuk confused.

"Well, since the boss left-"

Arnaluuk slapped Scorpio upside the head. "Stop. Honestly. Anyways, do you know what the dunce is talking about?"

Scorpio rubbed the back of his head. "Not really. I was thinking you knew."

"Well, either way, we'll find something. Come on. I'm trusting you to do the deed. We're just the backup plan. Odhran couldn't assassinate a deaf, blind, mute cripple, and...well...Celestial Spirits are a bit...conspicuous. Good luck."

Arnaluuk and Scorpio rushed off, searching for a place to position themselves, leaving their companion in the dust.

---

WC: 439
TWC: 1052

As Odhran summoned one of his summons, she was harassed by him. He seemed to be Scorpio, one of the golden zodiac keys. Silvia had heard about them in her studies on magic. While Celestial magic was interesting, it wasn't something that she was interested in as much. Especially now that she knew how terrible they could be. As he wrapped his arms around her, he explicitly knew what he was doing. Though, she couldn't even speak, as her awkwardness overcame her. Looking at the man, she quaked, wondering what the hell she was going to do.

Then, a woman came through. As light glimmered off of her shiny outfit, Silvia had been mesmerized. It was odd, but as she pulled off Scorpio from Silvia, Silvia couldn't help but smile. She had never really been one to play a game of damsel in distress, but at this current moment, she wanted to throw herself at the woman. Know one had ever thought to do something as kind as that for her. Whenever she was still in school, she would get made fun of, and beat up at times. Though, no one would come rescue her, and she never expected anyone to. So, she would sit there, with a blank look on her face, holding onto Selena, thinking that she would be the only one to ever truly care for her. Now though, having a complete stranger due something nice for her was an odd feeling. One she didn't recognize.

As a pulse of energy went through her body, she snapped back to her senses, saying to the woman, "I'm fine thank you. Though, we have a job to do. So, it'd be nice to get through that before any formalities." However, before she had even started the sentence, the woman had left. Apparently, Silvia had seemed pretty shaken up, not even speaking. That must've been the reason why that glimmering woman had left, well, summon. So, as she looked back towards her, Odhran, and his other summons, she saw as he talked harshly to him. This made anger fill up within Silvia, because a summon like that woman didn't deserve to be talked to that way. Sure, he talked to Silvia that way too, but that was different. Sylvia had let it happen, but that summon probably didn't sign up to be stuck with a guy like him.

She shook her head at the thoughts that were filling her mind, knowing that they were irrational. It would be unheard of for a guild member to attack another for no reason. So, she tried to shake the thoughts out of her head, and instead focus on the mission at hand. With Odhran going off towards the front lines, or wherever he was going...where was he going? Without any explanation of the plan, Silvia tilted her head, wondering if she should just go through the front lines, or sneak through from the sides. She tried her best to just pick a random option, but it got harder and harder as time went on. So, she thought it best to run in head first. Sylvia had grown strong, and she knew that. She wasn't scared to fight a few rune knights, if it meant showing her worth.

wc: 555
twc: 1156/1500

Nearing closer to the site where the town crier would be, Odhran truly felt the force of his sheer vocal strength, as it began to hurt even his ears a bit. Lupa seemed nonplussed by the yelling, merely wagging her tail as she landed at the spot Odhran had chosen. Unfortunately for the purposes of ensuring that no one could escape, the house the crier was on was surrounded on all sides by streets, leaving five open streets for reinforcements to arrive or those present to leave. Lupa dropped Odhran off before he sent Lupa off to cover another avenue. In the corner of his eye, he noticed Scorpio and Arnaluuk finally arriving to the top of one of the roofs, before Odhran pointed out that they needed to be on separate rooftops. They seemed to argue about who would take what rooftop for a moment before Arnaluuk shoved Scorpio off the roof, sending him crashing to the ground.

The sound of Scorpio impacting with the ground seemed to alert the nearby soldiers, who began to slowly investigate the sound of screaming and thudding against the ground. Rather than try to hide, Scorpio did his best to look menacing, standing firmly in the center of one of the streets.

"Seems like the plan's gonna change a bit, huh?"

The guards confusedly looked at Scorpio, lowering their spears ever so slightly. Scorpio took this as a confirmation of threat, firing off a Sand Blast, knocking them back. Despite the plan being to wait until Silvia struck down the crier, things were always subject to change, given the fluctuations of fate. Odhran called for Lupa and Arnaluuk to begin their attacks, to which they agreed. Lupa flew off without hesitation, while Arnaluuk seemed to be oddly irritated before obliging. She leaped off from the roof she was on top of, chanting, "Uanga Uqaalagit Uummaqqut Sermeq Anorersuaq.” A dark blue magic circle appeared on the ground around the Rune Knights as they began shivering from the cold. One of them looked up, only to be pelted in the face by a large ball of solid ice. He quickly collapsed to the ground, but the soldiers within the magic circle seemed incapable of fleeing. Arnaluuk landed beside Scorpio, who was impressed by the sudden display of power. Arnaluuk slowly walked towards the magic circle, stopping a few meters short of the shivering, blinded Knights. She slammed her trident onto the ground, and another magic circle appeared under her feet, sending a shockwave of rising icy spikes, which trapped the feet of the Knights before shattering, sending them collapsing to their knees. All of them were shivering from the cold, some of them being pelted in the back of the head with quail egg-sized balls of hail, sending them either to their deaths or to the realm of unconsciousness, if they were lucky. Lupa had already pawed away a number of soldiers that were coming in from a nearby street, before Odhran realized an issue.

"Where is the crier?" He frantically looked around before noticing the crier running off in the direction of Silvia. She would be certainly able to deal with him, though the approaching Knights from outside the town were of issue. He turned around, noticing a squad of Knights on his own street coming forth. "You fools believe that because I am a God of the Celestial Spirit Realm, I am incapable of fighting for myself? Oh, how wrong you fools are! I shall bring upon you the wrath of God!"

His boast complete, he opened his arms, taking a messianic pose. Surrounding his body came a ring of sharped icicles. He had been inspired by Arnaluuk's display of power, after all. He sent forth the icicles towards the knights. While they managed to strike down a few, it was far from enough to eliminate the entire group. "You dare to stand in the presence of a God? I command you to kneel!" Hands burst forth from the ground, grabbing those that still stood and forcing them to their knees. Odhran walked closer to them. "This right hand is the hand that judges the sinners that stand before me." As he said this, his right arm transformed into a monstrous, black-scaled arm with a blade at its edge. "You are sinners. You serve no place in the presence of a God. You are far from even worthy of bearing yourselves in this existence. The mortal realm is weak, and you are lower than even the dirt that my holy feet walk upon. This is a mandate from the God that stands before you! All who dare to oppose my divine commandments are subject to the fires of hell!" Having finished his monologue, he reached the men who were forced to kneel. A glint shone in his eyes as he cut through the helpless knights. The more they struggled as his beastly arm cut their comrades apart, the tighter the hands gripped. Screams of pain and despair rose from the men as Odhran slaughtered those that were his opposition. At this point, he had forgotten about the town crier. Silvia would take care of them. Now, all that mattered was the execution of the heretics. Another squad had emerged from an alleyway further down the street, but they fled as they saw Odhran's slaughter. Having finished his work, he made his leave towards the roof his quarry once was on to see the destruction caused.

---

WC: 912
TWC: 1964

As Silvia had rushed into the fronts of the battlefield, she saw as Odhran's summons went off into the heights of the field. To clarify, the rooftops of the buildings in the area. She watched as Arnaluuk gracefully went from rooftop to rooftop. She could've easily watched her all day, but she felt a pulse of dark energy come from Selena. She knew that the doll was trying to tell her to focus on the mission. Selena had a requirement that Silvia needed to fulfill for her, and Silvia knew that. It's what made the two of them the bestest of friends. For whatever Silvia did for Selena was a thanks for helping her as a child. So, even though she was captivated by the summon of a truly terrible man, she had a longer history with Selena.

That was the point where she had begun running again, looking right towards the Town Crier. Though, it wasn't like she wasn't going to have a bit of fun while chasing after him. So, as she formed a thread of earth and fire, she threw it into the air, shouting aloud, "Weave Art: Meteor Shower!." As she did, it split into 5 seperate threads, as they rained down upon the field. She heard screams of pain as the impact of these threads hit shoulders, burning their skin as the earth threads within the meteors heavily dented the knights' armors. She felt a wave of the energy she had felt before, but this energy seemed to have a lighter sense to it, allowing Silvia to realize that this was a good thing

So, she didn't stop there. She looked towards the front of the field, and saw that the town crier had found several soldiers to help escort him towards. He seemed to be scared, but still spouting out his news from the town. He had dedication for his job, but he was one of the reasons why the world was the way it was. Without all the terrors of his news, people would be able to be kids again. They wouldn't need to worry about things like wars or anything else. All they'd actually worry about is sleeping and having fun the next morning.

As her face scrunched up from anger, she looked out towards the group of people in front of her, and created a ball of water threads in her right hand. With this ball, she focused extremely deeply on it, commanding how the threads would weave their way through the field. The one thing she wanted from them was to kill all the rune knights around the town crier. She wanted him to feel a sense of safety before she sunk her threads right into him.

With this thought in mind, she smiled as she sent the ball of threads forward, creating a massive tsunami heading right towards the knights. As it crashed into them, they were harshly thrown back and into the wall of one of the buildings behind them. Once the scene cleared, the town crier had his arms raised up in fear, wondering what the hell was happening. He must've thought that his job was safe, that there would be no consequences. Though, he was about to learn other wise.

He put down his arms, looking to see who had just cleared out a group of rune knights with one spell. Looking forward, he saw a teenage girl holding a doll in his hand. A look on his face seemed to form as he felt a mixture of emotions. Shock, relief, and so many other things. "Is this some sort of joke or something? There's no possible way a girl like you could do something like this." With that, she tilted her head sideways and did a cute little smile, saying to him, "I have a duty to accomplish to my guild, and to Selena. So, how about you stop asking these types of questions. You don't have a lot of time left, so you better make use of it." With this, her face turned cold, as she stared right at him. She would let him say a few words first before she actually did the deed.

The town crier then took in a deep gulp of air, as he started begging for his life, "Please don't do this. My job is important. The people need to be informed. I'm just trying to help these people." Silvia giggled a little bit, saying to him, "The people were the ones who posted up this job for us darkies. Now, they had asked for you're shouting to stop. You disturbed them, and you filled them up with worry. You are the problem, and I'm going to stop it." He reached out his arms, trying to plead with Silvia even more. Instead of stopping though, she formed six random elemental threads in her hand, as she shouted out, "Weave Art: Elemental Discharge." As she said that, the threads were unleashed forward and pierced right through the man's skin. He then put his hands on the wounds, shocked that he was actually about to breathe his last breath. With a cough of blood, he fell to the ground, dead.

With the deed done, Silvia was satisfied. She had felt pulses of magic come from Selena. These pulses were different than usual though. She couldn't tell what was happening, but she felt as though she was being rejuvenated by the doll. Instead of trying to understand, she just went off into the directions towards Odhran, ready to tell him that the job was successful.

wc: 950
twc: 2106/1500