The Legion of the Pentagonal Bench

Just as Thana or Trinity or whatever her name really was had said, Odhran saw the group of mages. He was expecting four at most, but seeing a group of upwards of fifty wizards crowding around in a small camp put a strange feel to the Elysium Ace's mind. How many of them were there initially? For once, Odhran had to put his thinking brain on. Elysium was depending on him to do stuff, these recruits could be immensely helpful! "Alright, no games now. We'll need to be entirely serious and put up a good impression. Atsuai, you are to remain atop this cliff and prepare to rain fire if they become hostile. Arnaluuk, you will travel with me for the initial way through, as will Scorpio. Make sure that you are in your female form, Scorpio. I trust that side of you more with serious matters. Amittai, I'll want you near enough by to be able to come in in a pinch. I'll keep a summon prepared as a last-case scenario if things go south."

Arnaluuk raised an eyebrow. "Who are you and what have you done with the dunce? Something seems off. You sure you're not some doppelganger?"

Odhran laughed at Arnaluuk. "Please. You know for certain that I have no idea what a doppelganger is. If you're suspecting that someone has copied my brilliance, well you are sorely mistaken! I am still my own wonderfully brilliant and unstoppable self!"

Arnaluuk dipped her head in shame. "Why do I even bother with you?"

"Because you appreciate how good a Keybearer I am? Because you know that I am the single best Celestial Spirit Wizard in the world? Because I am a god amongst gods? Honestly, I am certain there are many reasons for it."

Atsuai giggled. "Plus Od-chan is just too cute, don't you think, Arnaluuk?"

Arnaluuk seemed almost repulsed by the insinuation. "Cute? That dunce? I doubt it. You only see that because you're into everything. I've had the misfortune of being dragged to your little palace in the Celestial Spirit Realm. I'm somewhat disgusted to have the same Keybearer as you."

Amittai seemed to enjoy that, chuckling slightly. "Well, we all have our own quirks, cat. Just so happens that Atsu's is lovin' everything. Ain't nothin' wrong with that."

Arnaluuk sighed, turning to Odhran. "Let's just get this over with. I need to head back to my own palace and relax. All of you are too much to deal with."

"Well, it's not the worst thing in the world. Yeah, everyone's weird, but I think it just adds a bit of charm, right?"

Arnaluuk blinked at Scorpio for a moment before leaping off of her perch, not waiting for the others to be prepared.

"She's quite the headstrong Spirit. Well, I think the lot of you ought to be a bit kinder to her. She's the de facto captain of you lot. Sure, it's experience, but I trust her. That's why she is tasked with these important things. Now, Amittai, I trust that you'll be prepared and Scorpio, you'll be heading with me. Let's go!"

Odhran nodded, leaping off of the overlook, letting his Ark of Embodiment sprout him wings as he flew off towards the group of wizards. His scarf fluttered in the wind, whipped back and forth by the high speed he was charging as Arnaluuk and Scorpio dashed to keep pace. As expected, Odhran was the first to arrive to the camp, and was greeted with hostile glares, yet minimal action. As his fellow Ace had said, they all seemed to be Pergrandian, and from a wide array of walks of life. Now that he was in the camp proper, this seemed to be a much larger group of wizards than he had expected from the perch several miles away. It seemed to almost be a city of tents, with people bustling between them and all giving off magical signals.

"Who might you be?" a voice asked. Stepping up to Odhran was a handsome-looking man with a noticeably strong jaw and well-defined cheekbones. His hair was arranged in a small pompadour style, in a bright golden-blonde color, providing a well-suited pair with his small, dark metallic-gold eyes. His thin lips were curled into a courteous smile, though that smiling feeling was noticeably absent from his eyes. His outfit was formal, wearing a dull grey suit, with a golden tie neatly tied around his neck and a dull, slightly-golden tinted belt around his waist. His shoes were similarly dressy, in a purely black shade, and a silver watch sat around his right wrist.

Odhran smiled at the man, extending his arms. "I am Odhran Aegisbane, Ace of Creation of the guild Elyisum! As for yourself?"

The man examined Odhran further before nodding. "Lancel Monteppier. I'm one of the leaders of this band. I'm a bit unfamiliar with Elysium, but I suppose they are a group wizards here in Sin?"

Odhran nodded in response. "Indeed! We are here to build a new world and all that business! Anyways, point is, I think your men and women here would be a wonderful addition to our ranks! How many of you are there?"

Lancel looked skyward a moment, lost in thought. "Following the last attack, we're down to one hundred fifty six. When we left Pergrande, we were at just over three hundred."

"What need does three hundred people of Pergrande have to enter Sin?"

Lancel smiled. "We are, as I am sure you have recognized, all wizards. We are known as the Legion of the Pentagonal Bench, and we were those that fought for revolution, for the rights of those that have magic and for us to bring equality to our land. However, the army continues to press on and on, and they have hunted down many of us. Our group of rebels were banished from the realm, though we were already outlaws, and the duke that harbored us was sentenced to death for keeping us in his land. So, we've had to flee elsewhere, and it seems as if there is little else to go to other than here in Sin. So, we've nothing else to do other than hope that we can survive in this damned land."

"Well, there it something else you can do! Why, I have told you of Elysium, so why not join? We are here to change the world, as I said, and we are taking all of those that have been chewed up and spit out by the world itself! We at Elysium have but one goal in mind: we are the harbingers of a new world! Perhaps you are not aware of our status due to you living in Pergrande while many of our actions are focused here in Sin as well as the land of the most powerful mages in Fiore, but we in Elysium are those with great power! Our glorious leader, Janet Cinderfeild, is one of the Warlords of Fiore! I myself am a Coming Storm, as is our glorious other Ace! We-"

"Sounds like you lot are a bit on the evil side. Warlords and Coming Storms are titles for those that are feared by people of Fiore, and we get news about them all over Earthland. Not as much as Wizard Saints and Rising Stars, but we still hear of you lot."

Odhran seemed genuinely offended by the very obvious problem. "We're not evil! We're...uh... well, how about this, we're here to make a new world in the image of those that side with us! So, if you so desire it, you can join us and not only have safety in the moment, but you can change Pergrande how you wish it! Should one of you desire to claim the throne of Pergrande, you may do as such! Why, I am generous enough to do what you desire, if you would only join us! We are admittedly low in numbers, but our community needs to live and thrive by the count of all! We are merely a small mining community at present, but we would wish to gather folks from all corners of the world for our new world! You can gain pride of place, dearest Lancel! Well, perhaps you won't be pride of place, but you will certainly be granted many boons for joining us with the entirety of your Legion of the Pentagonal Bench! In fact, I trust that you-"

Lancel raised a hand. "I don't need you to verbally convince me any more. I just want to see how you are in combat. Without your Spirits, Celestial Spirit Mage."

"How did you-"

Lancel pointed behind Odhran, where Scorpio and Arnaluuk were, Arnaluuk looking particularly irate. "I see. Well, I will duel you, Lancel. Come now, do not hesitate!"

Lancel smirked, getting himself into a fighting stance. Odhran slipped his left hand into his pocket, leaving his right to limply lay at his side. An eerie silence hung over the camp as members of the Legion of the Pentagonal Bench began to crowd around for the fight, Amittai somehow seamlessly melding with the group, while Arnaluuk and Scorpio watched from a few paces back. Odhran was certain that Atsuai was watching as well, and he prepared for the fight.

"I'm so gracious, I will let you make the first move, Lancel!"

Lancel raised an eyebrow, placing a hand on the ground. He slowly began chanting something to himself, no louder than a whisper, as a ring of light began to form at Odhran's feet. Within a moment, that ring of light burst forth in a pillar of jagged rocks, the hellish, igneous rock of Sin sending spurts of magma and lava in the air.

As this was happening, Odhran had things to say of his own. "Thorns of ye who master the very earth itself, ye who hold the highest places of those and guard the very life force of the world, rise forth! Rose of Xochiquetzal! Burst forth!" he called as the spires split the earth. The rocks subdued, revealing the Ace of Creation's newest creation, a shield of spiky thorns, with small violets in between each thorn, which slowly faded into a pixellated dust. "Now it is my turn!" Odhran sprouted wings forth from his back, quickly dashing some thirty feet into the sky before beginning another call of summon. "Now! Bend to my will, Mothers of the Earth! Bend your life force to my call! Sputter and splash, break and bustle! The land is your child, the heavings of earth your pains! Come forth, Honeypot of Hybla!"

He extended his arms as the earth began to quake. From behind Arnaluuk and Scorpio, a large, molten mountain began to rise, the earth giving way to Odhran's imagination. The volcano shuddered and quaked once more, firing out a round of meteoric eruption, before Odhran continued his display of power. "Bring forth the light of your power! Pierce the very heavens with your arrows! Let the world shudder at your might! Bow of Ildiko!" He removed his left hand from his pocket, the hand transforming into a bow at the wrist at his call. "End the world with the throes of your bidding! Arrows of Ochossi!" Manifesting in his right hand were arrows of green, electric light, aiming at the people below. "Now do you trust my power?"

Lancel smirked at this question. "Aye. We'll join you lot in Elysium. I honestly don't much care if you're evil or whatever. If you wanna build a world community around your guild, count us in. We're probably not as good as you or your other ace or your Warlord or really most else, but we've got numbers and we can help build your town or do whatever. Not like we really got much else to do."

Odhran smiled. "I am glad you could see reason. Otherwise I would've had to had kill you all. Isn't that right, Amittai and Atsuai?"

Amittai walked forth from the crowd, nodding, as an arrow grazed past Lancel's face. "Well, I must say to you all. Welcome to Elysium, Legion of the Pentagonal Bench! I welcome you to our humble abode and wish you all the best in fighting for your lives and for the lives of our new world that we shall shape in our image!"