A Rough Start (Intro/Open)

“That went well…,” the figure said dryly as she wandered through the streets of the town known as Ace Of Spades. Her footsteps were ragged while her form was covered by an armour of copper covered dragons scales, shielding most of her face and body from view or they would’ve done if they hadn’t already taken a pounding. As it was, they were peeling off, leaving half of her face and body exposed to the elements, revealing a rather noticeably black eye among other bruises and cuts.. A brawl had not been her plan for the day but she just had that lovely combination of stubbornness and a temperamental nature which seemed to always result in fists flying, both towards and from her. She’d only been in Fiore for a month or so and already she’d fallen out with god knows how many people. It wasn’t her fault that they all seemed to know just how to bug her.

With her healing spell just about keeping her going, Brianna would continue her trudge through the town, heading for the large castle that was in the middle of it. She’d planned to visit it anyway and figured that even after her incident, she should still do so although the teenager had a nagging sensation that she was wasting her time. One look at her and she’d probably be turned away on the spot but still, she’d try regardless. Her father had encouraged her to try and join a guild and although it wasn’t the easiest pill to swallow, the amber eyed girl had reluctantly agreed to at least try and form some bonds with other mages. There had been a few guilds that she could’ve chosen but there was a gritty nature to Sabertooth that had attracted her. A never say die attitude that she admired.

Eventually. Brianna would come across an inn called, “The Red Dragon” and needing a short rest, the dragon slayer would enter and take a seat at the bar. The bartender seemed taken aback by her appearance and asked, “You look like you’ve seen better days, you alright?”

“I’ll be fine,” Brianna answered, as stubborn as ever, “I just need to rest a bit. Hand me something strong, will you? I don’t mind what.” As he walked away, the teenager would perk up again, “Do you happen to know where I can find the members of Sabertooth, by the way?”

“Oh, you’re looking for the guild? Well, just hang around here for a bit and I’m sure you’ll run into one of them. Try not to start a fight in my place though please.” With a slight chuckle, he’d walk off and fix her a drink, leaving the teenager slightly irritated by his attitude. Yet, she simply laid back slightly and tried to relax, her head feeling like she’d been hit by a sledgehammer. Which wasn’t too far from the truth as she’d been hit by a magical weapon of some kind although her memory was a little dodgy when it came to remembering just what.

(511 Words)

Wearing her white Steel Matron band t-shirt and black skirt with bike shorts on underneath it, Victoria walked into Red Dragon Inn to ask if Will needed a helping hand around the bar. People were probably going to think that a band t-shirt and black skirt was all that she owned, but Victoria did not care. The brunette was her own person and had her own sense of style, however informal or lazy it was. Besides, Victoria could always go to Gaia if the former wanted to find something more feminine or classier to wear. She might need to avail herself of that option sooner rather than later, but that could wait.

Victoria cleared the entrance to the inn and was thinking about ordering a Screwdriver or two. She paused when she spotted a young woman with chestnut brown hair coated in copper scales that were placed much like armor seated at the bar. She looked kind of familiar, but Victoria could not place where she had seen the newcomer before. Making herself move forward, the more Victoria saw of the young woman the more the brunette had to struggle to keep moving forward because she could hardly believe what she was seeing.

The girl seated at the bar looked a lot like Minerva Anderson, that knight from the Order of Lightbringers.

What was she doing here?

Did her younger sister Serena recently do something that was so stupid that it drove Minerva to drink?

Victoria finally got to the bar and took a look at the newcomer's face. The brunette was stunned and could not hide it.

The new person looked exactly like Minerva Anderson!

Her face, her eyes, even her hairstyle... all of it looked just like the Order Knight's! Just what was going on here? This was like something out of a B-grade sci-fi movie where someone was abducted and cloned by aliens and the clone was ordered to impersonate the original person to act as a spy for their alien overlords. Swallowing her surprise and getting her emotions back in check, Victoria took a seat to the young woman's left and greeted the newcomer.

"Hey there. I'm Victoria Sheridan and I'm a member of Sabertooth. How can I help you?" Victoria asked the newcomer. She looked at the young woman's face and was drawn to the black eye, but Victoria spotted an assortment of other bruises and cuts. She saw that the newcomer had taken quite a beating before getting here. Judging from the copper scales currently coating her body, the young woman had the ability to endure the attacks of her opponents in order to give out a beating or two in return, so her attackers did not get away unscathed.

"Are you OK?" Victoria asked the young woman without even waiting for a response to the first question.

[Post Word Count: 474]
[Victoria's Word Count: 474]

The brunette hadn’t expected the bartender’s hint about guild members hanging around the bar to be proven right quite so quickly. Watching the other brunette for a moment or two, she couldn’t help but notice that she was being stared at a little more closely than just a casual look. It was a little off putting but given the state of her face at the moment, maybe she shouldn’t have been surprised. As she was about to answer, the remainder of her scales would fade away, revealing Brianna’s full appearance. Her clothing would seem like a type of uniform but the reality was anything but. She created her own gear, as her father had taught her from a young age and even though it wasn’t in great shape right now, it’d seen its fair share of combat. It was made of tough stuff, just like its wearer.

“I’m alright, just a little worse for wear,” Brianna replied, a touch of tiredness in her voice, “I came across a group of muggers on the way here and they wouldn’t take no for an answer when I told them to get lost. I thought they were just your typical thugs but it turns out they were requip mages and before I knew it, they were attacking with magical blades. I have no idea who or where they came from but it’s going to be a while before they start hounding people again, that much I know.” Get lost wasn’t anywhere near her actual words but the meaning was the same but besides that, she was pretty much honest with what she said. Ok, she actually threw the first attack but details, details.

Her gaze would falter for a moment, not because she was trying to hide something but simply that she was finding it a little difficult to focus. Thankfully, her drink would arrive at that point and she’d take a sip of that, which helped both soothe her aches and pains, as well as her usual awkwardness.

She was sure that Victoria had asked her a previous question and after a moment of thought, she scrambled her thoughts together and came up with an answer, “I’m Brianna Tano, a blacksmith from Ca-elum and I was hoping that I could possibly join Sabertooth. I know that I’m not exactly painting a very good picture of myself sitting here right now, so I wouldn’t blame you guys if your guild said no. I heard about what happened to Sabertooth and how it was rebuilt from ashes and that’s what inspired me to come. I’m kind of in the same boat with my family.”

To drag her family name back to its former glory wasn’t going to be an easy task but Brianna knew that with enough hard work, she’d manage to do it. In order to do that, she’d have to increase her own skills, in both magic and smithing. Such was the way of Ca-elum. A person was judged based on their skill with metal. Prove yourself and the doors to the political elite would open. Fail and you’d just be another fledgling smith, struggling to make a living. The latter wasn’t an option for Brianna.

(535 Words)
(1046 Thread WC)

"Oh, so you ran into some of the local hoodlums, huh? And they had Requip Magic centered around knives?" Victoria asked Brianna. While working the inn's bar she had heard small talk of some local ruffians running the streets, but they had given Victoria a wide berth because she could wipe the asphalt with them without breaking a sweat. It seemed that Victoria would have to go street sweeping soon to teach the local ruffians their place in the order of things. In the meantime she focused on the newcomer, who had given her name as Brianna Tano.

Brianna looked so much like Minerva it was frightening.

"I couldn't help but notice that you looked like you had taken a few hits, Brianna. I'm glad to hear that the fight didn't go entirely in their favor and you were able to teach them a lesson. I'm also glad that you made it out all right. In my experience being ganged up on seldom ends well." Victoria told Brianna. The brunette was glad that the newcomer had not been beaten too badly and had actually managed to pull out a win despite the daunting odds. So many street fights where the person was outnumbered by the local hoodlums tended to end badly for the lone person. This time Brianna managed to win, but Victoria was not sure if she would win next time. Next time the ruffians might bring more of their friends to the fight and Brianna might not walk away from it.

"You're from Ca-Elum? Me, I'm from Capital Crocus. It's the largest city in Fiore and has a lot of places to visit. You can go to the three-floor mall, you can go to the movie theater, you can go shopping in other places... there's certainly plenty to do there." Victoria told Brianna where she was from since the latter had told her where she was from and added a positive thing or two about the city. Victoria kept her negative opinions of Capital Crocus to herself, though. Brianna did not need the brunette's jaundiced opinion souring her on the city before she even got to visit it. Having said that Victoria turned her attention to the subject of Brianna joining Sabertooth.

"You wanna join Sabertooth, right? Well, you're definitely in the right place. However, you're gonna need to talk to an Ace or the Guild Master about joining. I'm just an ordinary member of the guild, so I can't help you there." Victoria informed Brianna of what she would have to do to join the guild. The brunette turned to look at the bar in front of them and then turned back to Brianna. Victoria could go for a Screwdriver right about now.

It was so weird sitting next to someone who looked exactly like Minerva Anderson.

[Post Word Count: 470]
[Victoria's Word Count: 944]

“Mostly knives and short swords but I know that one of them was wielding something bigger,” Brianna replied as Victoria asked about her foes, “It was a lot heavier and blunt so I’m guessing it was some kind of hammer of a sort.” As her mind started to clear, it became easier to recall what had happened and she’d dropped her father’s blacksmith hammer on her foot enough times as a kid to know what being hit by one of those felt like that. “They didn’t wear any insignia or anything so I have no idea if they were part of a group or not. All I know is that they like to prey on those that they deem to be weaker than them or at least try to.”

Brianna smiled faintly as the Sabertooth went on to speak about her injuries but it wasn’t a look that truly showed joy, as though she was just pretending to smile. “They underestimated me and ended up paying for it. Every single one had that same smug look on their faces that I just can’t stand, as though they were looking down on me or that I wasn’t on their level. I’ve never been a fan of that kind of attitude and I suppose that’s a reason why I get into so many fights. I can’t sit by and let mine or someone else’s pride be hurt by someone else and so I end up fighting to protect it. I don’t plan on changing that either and I can't stand bullies.”

“I haven’t visited Capital Crocus yet,” she went on to say, “I’m not… very good at handling large places or groups, you see, so I’ve not really visited any of the largest cities yet. It was just my dad and me when I was growing up and he was gone a lot of the time too, leaving me to just work on our clients orders. This place is probably the biggest town that I’ve been to so far and I’ve already managed to get lost once or twice.” She wouldn’t normally admit that but her wounds were still affecting her and so the brunette was a little out of sorts.

Brianna sighed a little as Victoria spoke about the fact that she’d have to wait around for a higher up in order to join but there didn’t seem to be much she could do about it. She was eager to prove herself and waiting had never been her forte but she’d just have to deal with it. Taking a sip from her glass, appreciating the cold liquid as it made its way down her throat. There was still a part of her that thought she might be turned away but she forcefully pushed that aside. “I’d like to join the guild if I can and I’d appreciate the chance to prove my worth to Sabertooth. I don’t know a great deal about the rules of Sabertooth though, other than that they are a legal one. Could you maybe fill me in on a few details why we wait?”

There was something about the way that Victoria kept looking at her that put her on edge a little. It was almost like her new acquaintance had seen her before or something.

(550 Words)
(1596 Thread WC)

(1500/1500 for freeforms 1, 2 and 3)
(96 Words left over)

"Ah, so they thought they were moving in on easy prey, huh? Sounds like typical street hoodlums. And they didn't have any identifying insignia either? Again, that sounds like run-of-the-mill street hoodlums." Victoria commented on Brianna's encounter with the local riffraff. She might have sounded a little too cavalier about the matter, but Brianna had made it out all right and had taught the goons a lesson that they would not soon forget. Victoria was reminded of herself when Brianna spoke of a pride that would not let anyone insult her or treat her as an inferior and get away with it. Her attention was quickly focused when bullies were mentioned.

"I don't like bullies either, Brianna. I was bullied a lot when I was younger because I was a small and skinny kid who was easy to push around. I didn't like it, but when your bully has one hundred pounds and almost two feet on you, there isn't a whole lot you can do. Now that I'm older, taller, and have a lot of magic power, I don't tolerate bullies anymore 'cause now I can do something about them." Victoria said to Brianna. Brianna only knew the unmistakably feminine "Tall Victoria" and not the shorter "Normal Victoria" with a boyish look. If she could see the shorter Victoria, she could more easily see the height and weight gap that made the Sabertooth mage such an attractive target when she was just a street kid. Brianna mentioned that she had never been to Capital Crocus and that she was not fond of large crowds before adding that Ace of Spades was the largest city she had visited to date.

"Me, I was born in Capital Crocus and grew up there until I turned sixteen. I have a lot of stories about the place and not all of them are good." Victoria explained to the newcomer how the former knew about the capital city of Fiore. The Sabertooth mage held off on explaining her story so that her tale of woe did not turn Brianna off from Capital Crocus before the latter had had a chance to form her own opinion of the city. Besides, Victoria's opinion was a jaundiced one formed by growing up in the bad part of town and seeing the worst of human nature on a day-to-day basis.

Victoria turned to face Brianna when the latter asked for a few details about Sabertooth.

"OK, I'll give you what I can on the guild." Victoria said. She felt like she might be overstepping her boundaries, but she had not been told anything secret, so she should be safe in discussing the guild with a newcomer.

"For one thing, the guild's a Legal one, which means that the leadership follows the Magic Council's rules and regulations. We're supposed to take Dark mages and the like in alive to face justice at the hands of the legal system." Victoria started off simply. She had no idea why she had included that part when she herself had violated it several times before. She quickly moved on from that and to the guild's mission.

"Sabertooth's mission is to protect Earthland from all kinds of threats, especially threats from beyond this realm. I hate to sound so vague about it, but I haven't met any aliens yet, just lots of angry cultists trying to summon demons so that the demons can take over the world. If demons don't count as a threat from beyond this realm, I don't know what they count as." Victoria added a second bit of information about the guild. She had plenty of experience fighting demons and their misguided human helpers who thought that they would get to share power with demons after the latter took over Earthland. The cultists were delusional, but they believed in their cause enough to willingly give their lives for it. Why they were that devoted to a lost cause was a mystery to the brunette, a mystery that she was not totally sure that she wanted the answer to.

"Third, Ace of Spades is the guild's city, so if you choose to join Sabertooth, you'll be in safe territory... local hoodlums aside. And if they give you any more trouble I'll help you deal with them." Victoria said to Brianna before stopping so that the newcomer could have a chance to think about what had been said so far and to ask more questions if she had them.

[Post Word Count: 746]
[Victoria's Word Count: 1,690]

“Yeah, I don’t think they were anything special or had some kind of agenda either. Just a bunch of punks who were looking for trouble.” Brianna replied simply, taking another sip of her drink. She wondered if perhaps she was a little too eager when it came to get into scraps but the honest truth was that it was how she’d been taught to handle her problems. Words were great and all but she’d found that most people just wouldn’t listen unless they were knocked on their ass. Her father was the same way and Brianna was pretty sure that she’d inherited that from him.

“I know what it’s like to be on the receiving end of bullying too,” the brunette admitted when Victoria spoke of her own issues with the subject, “Female blacksmiths aren’t looked upon all that well where I come from and our works are judged a lot more harshly than a man’s. My father could produce a stunning piece of work and be given all the plaudits but if it was my work then they’d scrutinize it far more harshly, as though I’d stolen it from someone else or something. Some of them took it a bit further and tried to corner me on the rare occasions that I left my house and that’s where I learned to fight. I understand how you felt being mistreated by those thugs, Victoria, I really do.” Truthfully, Brianna has ended up becoming a hermit of sorts for the most part, focusing on her work and shutting everything else out.

As Victoria mentioned Capital Crocus a second time, Brianna frowned. Given what the tall brunette had just said about bullying, the dragon slayer was quick to jump to a conclusion, putting two and together or so she thought. “I tend to keep my eyes open wherever I go so I’ll make sure to stay away from the seedier parts. Wouldn’t want to get into a scrap and thrown out before I’d even got a chance to see the nice parts of the city.” A part of her did want to run into the bullies so she could put them in their place herself but Brianna was a little wary of doing so. Starting fights was probably not going to help her if she wanted to deal well in Sabertooth and she reluctantly admitted to herself that she’d probably have to try and learn to ease off, tempering her more aggressive instinct. Easier said than done.

She listened keenly as the elder brunette spoke about the roles of Sabertooth and had no issue with bringing in any dark mages alive. Brianna wasn’t a killer and didn’t suffer from blood lust. Yeah, she loved to fight but knew when to draw the line. Her father, in one of the few moments he was there, had been incredibly firm with her regarding that. Killing would stain their family name and so Brianna had swiftly learned to hold back her punches against wounded foes. Still, she was sceptical and knew that many dark mages would probably just go back to their wicked ways when released but that was just a sad fact of life, she guessed. She’d be ready for them if she met any of them a second time.

She remained quite stoic as Victoria talked for the most part but she almost choked on her drink as the topic of aliens came up, looking a little disbelieving. “Aliens? Seriously? I get that there are cultists out there trying to spawn beasts from other realms but I always thought that aliens were just fantasy.” She looked genuinely baffled and shook her head, “I guess I’ll have to be a little bit more open minded in future. I’ll do my best to help protect the innocent from whoever or whatever tries to cause them harm. You can count on that.” Somehow she had the feeling that she’d be spending a lot of time in the hospital but Brianna wasn’t too fussed about that. She could put up with pain, as it was just a side effect of doing what was right.

It was a relief to hear that the city that they were in was safe territory and it did put Brianna slightly at ease. She truly did want to put down some roots although that was only half of it. It was the isolation that had really started to eat away at her and the years of minimal contact with others had stunted her in some ways. Maybe she just wanted to start reaching out to people, even if she had to admit that the thought was a little frightening. It wasn’t like there was a switch that she could hit to suddenly make her more sociable.

“I’ll let you know if they start skulking around again,” she said sincerely, a small smile once again forming across her face. It was a slightly painful act given the state of her face and she hoped that it didn’t appear to be a grimace instead.

After a short period of silence, Brianna would go on to ask another question, “I was wondering if I’d be able to maybe create a space somewhere in the guild barracks where I could work on my smithing? I’d hate to have to give up my passion for it and I’m sure that I could provide the guild with weapons and tools, both magical and physical in nature. I’d like the chance to provide a service for the members, if I can. Metal work is the life blood of my family and one of my goals in life is to surpass my father by crafting something more powerful and beautiful than him.” She wasn’t sure if Victoria could answer as she wasn’t the boss but Brianna thought it was worth asking anyway.

(973 Words)
(1069 Spare WC)

(1000/1000 Freeform 4)
(69 WC left over.)

"It sucks when someone treats you as an inferior because you're a woman. They act like you can't do anything special or amazing without having to steal an idea or have someone helping you. I haven't been through that yet, but I'm sure that my number will come up eventually." Victoria commiserated with Brianna, sparing her the game of misery poker that the pair could have played if the Sabertooth mage really felt up to it. She would spare Brianna that ordeal because the Sabertooth mage was not interested in holding a pity party for her rather crummy start in life. However, Victoria could not deny that being a poor street kid really sucked. There was no adventure or glamor to it.

"I hate bullies because I dealt with them from the time I was six until I was sixteen. It's not easy when you have no one to turn to and no one to protect you from the worst of it. It didn't magically stop because they saw that what they were doing was wrong. It only stopped because when I turned sixteen I could finally do something about it." Victoria allowed some of her negativity to seep through that comment. She had seen the worst of humanity while living on the streets and not all of it came from her fellow street dwellers. People who should have stepped up to protect poor street kids from the various urban predators either could not or would not do anything about it. The police could have cared less what happened as long as the street kids stayed in the bad part of town and did not trouble the rich people. Victoria's faith in humanity had taken a beating over ten years of the hard life.

"They only stopped because I could apply enough force to make them stop. Once I could hit back they didn't bother me anymore. It's funny how people using you for a punching bag change their tune when one day they're on the receiving end. Even the really dumb or stubborn ones get the message after an ass-kicking or three." Victoria asserted. Brianna had that look of "don't screw with me" that one got after being pushed around for an extended period of time. The brunette knew exactly what it looked like and how it felt. The newcomer mentioned Capital Crocus and the Sabertooth mage had to bite her tongue when her least favorite place in Earthland was mentioned.

"Yeah, I suggest you stay out of the seedy parts of town. It gets ugly there, especially the really bad parts the police are afraid to go into. You're less likely to run into trouble in the nice parts of town, but there you'll run into garden-variety assholes who think they're better than you just because they were born into the right family and have more Jewels than you. They're a lot easier to deal with than the hoodlums in the bad part of town, though." Victoria seconded Brianna's idea that staying out of the bad part of town was a good idea. The Sabertooth mage had grown a lot stronger since she had left the streets of Capital Crocus. She had also grown up on the streets and had firsthand knowledge of the area. Despite those advantages she was wary of going there without a very good reason to do so. Her new body did not do her any favors; she was sure that human traffickers would be attracted to her and want to add her to their carts, so to speak.

Victoria watched the other brunette spit out her drink at the mention of aliens and suppressed the urge to laugh.

"By beings from other planes I don't mean exclusively aliens. I'm not educated enough in arcane lore to recall what all types of beings want to get to Earthland, but I've learned from experience that demons are one of them. They've got friends here and those friends think that the demons will share the world with them once they cross over and attain power, but the cultists are being played like cheap kazoos. The moment demons take over they'll dispose of their cultist pals." Victoria explained to Brianna. Then she realized that she had better explain how she got that knowledge before the newcomer concluded that Victoria had made a pact with demons.

"I've worked with a group of demon hunters at least three times before and they told me that demons really don't like to share power, especially not with humans. A year ago I also fought a demon underneath Hargeon Town and barely won. Demons aren't a joke. They don't see humanity as partners, only prey and playthings." Victoria told Brianna how the former had learned about them and warned her against taking them lightly. The Sabertooth mage had fought enough of them to know that even the "basic" demons could be a serious threat if left unchecked. There was no taking them alive. Killing demons was the only way to end the threat they posed and Victoria was not sure if killing them really stopped them or just dumped their essence back into a giant demon pool to make still more demons. She would kill them as often as it took to keep Earthland safe.

When Brianna brought up the subject of making a space in the guild barracks for her smithing tools, Victoria blinked. She had never had to answer a question like that before in her time with Sabertooth.

"That's definitely a question to ask an Ace or the Guild Master, Brianna. I understand that guild members are allowed to customize their rooms, but I don't know if the rules allow for something like that. I'd ask them first." Victoria told Brianna. She then turned to the bar and ordered a Screwdriver. The bartender on duty nodded and Victoria turned to Brianna while she waited for her drink. She would do her best to answer any more questions and to be an engaging conversation partner until either an Ace or the Guild Master arrived.

[Post Word Count: 1,014]
[Total Word Count: 2,704]

This marks the end of the first job I have turned in.

“If and when your number does come up, I hope you teach them a lesson in manners,” Brianna replied dryly, “Talking just doesn’t seem to work against them which is pretty sad really.” She didn’t know why her home was so male centric and perhaps that was something that she’d have to delve into one day. If she was going to regain her family's status then she would most certainly have too. Her father had always brushed the subject off whenever she spoke of it to him which only caused her to feel more frustration. It just wasn’t right in her eyes. In fact, there was a lot about her home that wasn’t right but she’d learned from a young age that not everyone cared about what was fair and just. “There’s a lot that needs to change where I come from and I feel as though I’m the only one who sees that. I don’t have the strength or the connections to make it happen but I know that if I train hard enough and broaden my horizons, I one day will be. Perhaps then I can return home and make a true difference there.”

“It seems that a smack across the mouth is the most effective way of getting rid of the bullies whether it’s the right thing to do or not,” she commented in response to Victoria’s handling of her own bullies. “I can’t count how many times I’ve been in the same situation as you and it was only when I showed them my magic that they ran off home. I guess that the language of violence is the only one that these brainless thugs know, no matter what land or country they come from. I suppose it makes us tougher for having to go through it but I for one wish there’d been an easier way of doing it.”

As Victoria spoke about the more elitist types who walked around the capital, Brianna briefly turned her battered face towards Victoria, noting the language that the brunette used. The slayer wasn’t an expert on body language or anything but she couldn’t help but hear a touch of perhaps bitterness in the way that the powerful mage spoke about the rich and famous. “Urgh, the idea of walking amongst the elite isn’t exactly my idea of fun either. Elitism is everywhere and I admit that I’ve cracked a Ca-elum ponce in the jaw once or twice. It didn’t really help as they just ran off to tell their friends in high places but the satisfaction of doing it made me smile. I bet they didn’t show off as much afterwards either. Just another type of bully.”

The teenager looked a little sheepish as Victoria explained her wording regarding aliens and Brianna felt just a tad foolish and embarrassed about her reaction. Still, it wasn’t something she heard about it every day and the thought of demons was rather eye opening too. “I got to say that I don’t know much about monsters and demons. My fights have always been against other people rather than otherworldly beings but I’ll be sure to be wary if I come across anything like that. There’s enough trouble makers around without them as well. I know I’m not exactly super strong like you are right now but if you ever need another mage to help out with your demon slaying, let me know. I want to be ready for anything and everything that a Sabertooth mage can come across.”

Victoria’s reaction to her question about her blacksmith tools actually brought a slight smile to Brianna’s face. Nodding her head, she’d reply after a moment’s thought, “That’s fair enough. I wouldn’t want to break any rules over something like that.” She hoped that she’d be able too though, as it would give her at least a small measure of comfort and help her with her adaptation to guild life.

Taking a sip from her drink, she’d fall silent as she pondered over the information that Victoria had given her for a moment before posing another question. “Are there any Dragon Slayers among the mages here, Victoria? I’ve not met another before and I admit that I’m kind of eager about running into another.”

(719 Words)
(788 Spare WC)

Victoria was skeptical about changing things anywhere, but she kept that skepticism to herself. Brianna was a good person and deserved to believe that she had a chance to do good in the world. However, the blacksmith had mentioned that she had run into the wall of not having the personal strength and the connections necessary to effect change. The ponytailed brunette knew that feeling all too well. Even though she had both personal strength and influence she could not change too much in Capital Crocus because she was not from "old money" and was thus shut out of that society.

Even if she settled down in Capital Crocus and tried to become a part of high society her humble origins would work against her. At best she would be regarded as noveau riche and at worst she would be regarded as a curiosity to be gawked at and then thrown aside once people got bored with her. She decided it was not worth the effort to even try to change that place and instead focused on punching slavers in the face, fighting demon lords and demon cults, serving drinks on the side, and trying to do the best she could with her life.

"I wish you well in your efforts to change your home. It's gonna be a long, uphill battle, so be ready to put in a lot of time and effort. Be ready to make a lot of enemies while you're at it." Victoria said to Brianna, who was undoubtedly aware of what it would take to get the ball rolling on meaningful change to her home society. The ponytailed brunette just wanted to remind the blacksmith of the potential consequences of a campaign for change and to be sure that she was ready to deal with them before embarking on said campaign. When the blacksmith mentioned how she dealt with bullies, the brunette smiled more than she should have.

"You're right, Brianna. Force tends to be the only language that people like that can understand. When I meet with a bully who tries to get physical with me I hit them right back. It hasn't failed me yet." Victoria agreed with the other brunette that force was the best approach. Victoria did not have to get physical too often because a lot of people realized how picking a fight with someone strong enough to go toe-to-toe with the Wizard Saints was a bad idea, but there were always a few who wanted to try their luck. A punch or two to the face was usually enough to send them packing.

"If I have to punch them, I don't worry too much about what happens afterward. If they were dumb enough to try and bully me they got what they had coming to them. If they try to get physical with me that goes double." Victoria said casually. She was not terribly concerned with using violence because she had come from a place where one had to stand ready to use violence in self-defense or become a victim of people who had no such reservations. Victoria chose not to be a victim and once she learned Merces Letifer magic she had few worries about becoming a victim unless she was badly outnumbered by enemies.

"I just stay away from rich people if I can, Brianna. As satisfying as punching them out would be, it's not worth it to me. They tend to be able to buy good lawyers and unless you can buy a good lawyer yourself you don't stand much of a chance of winning once they take you to court." Victoria gave a little advice on how the former dealt with rich people who liked to throw their weight around. In the past she would have punched them regardless of the consequences, but now that she was older and a little bit wiser she had decided that avoidance was the best policy. Avoiding them tended to keep the conflict to a minimum, which was why the brunette liked to drink at Red Dragon Inn and her room in the guild hall.

The brunette could speak with some authority on fighting demons. She had fought three separate battles against them and knew some of what they could do, but she was not as good as a full-fledged demon hunter who had trained to fight them for their entire lives. Still, Victoria was a good enough demon hunter to have the Order of Lightbringers keep her on speed dial.

"One tip for fighting demons is to never make a deal with them. If you make a deal they'll screw you over the moment it's convenient for them to do so. I don't care what they offer. I don't care if they offer to make you the ultimate blacksmith in existence, make you Queen of Ca-Elum, or promise you anything else... don't accept the offer!" Victoria gave one tip for fighting them. Infernal Lord Zupazu had tried to tempt her with the offer of helping her find her adoptive father in exchange for helping him manifest. She turned him down and had to fight one of the toughest battles of her life, but she won and banished Zupazu for one hundred years. Unfortunately the banishment did not stick for the full one hundred years. A cult dedicated to Zupazu tried to bring him back and nearly succeeded, so early resurrections were possible.

"Another bit of advice is pack a silver weapon or some kind of enchanted weapon. Some of them can laugh off ordinary weapons, but silver or enchanted weapons can ruin their day. If you can get a holy weapon, that's what they really hate, so use it. Holy Magic works too." Victoria gave another tip to the blacksmith. Victoria had managed to banish Zupazu with normal weapons only because he was in physical form on the physical plane. If he had been in another form all of her weapons would have been useless. It was a good thing that her Silver Dagger worked against Zupazu and other demons that could shrug off conventional weapons and spells. Fortunately the human cultists who served them were vulnerable to conventional weapons and spells.

"Oh, and about fighting demon cultists. They take prisoners only to sacrifice them to their demon patrons, so if you ever run into them be ready and willing to fight to the death. Unless your idea of fun is to be draped across a sacrificial altar and wait for your throat to be cut or a dagger to be plunged into your chest, don't take them lightly." Victoria dispensed a third tip to Brianna. She heard Brianna say that she would be glad to fight demons and demon cultists alongside the ponytailed brunette to gain knowledge of how to most effectively fight them. Victoria took a breath and turned to the newcomer.

"You're welcome to fight demons and demon cultists with me if you want. I can't stop you, but know this. Demons have long memories and so do their cultists. If you still want to fight them, be ready to be in it for the long haul." Victoria warned Brianna to be ready for a long-term commitment to fighting demons and their human servants. The brunette felt that she had made her point, so she turned to the lighter subject of Dragon Slayers within the guild. Then the brunette blushed.

"I'm not sure exactly how many Dragon Slayers Sabertooth is home to, Brianna. I know there's at least one. There might be two of them, possibly even more. However, I tend to work alone most of the time, so I don't know their names. They also might be hiding their status because sometimes the best weapon is the one your opponent doesn't see coming." Victoria admitted to Brianna. It was kind of sad that the brunette did not know how many Dragon Slayers were in the guild she was part of. She would start working on addressing that soon. Maybe. Being a loner was a hard habit to break, but maybe Brianna would be amenable to teaming up like Gaia and Itori were.

[Post Word Count: 1,358]
[Victoria's New Word Count: 1,358]

“Yeah, it’s going to be absolute hell to get anything changed but I’m going to try it anyway,” Brianna replied with a nod, agreeing with Victoria’s view on the subject. “There’s going to be a lot of the old families who aren’t going to like the idea of a young, mouthy brat telling them how to run to their country but that’s something that they’re going to have to deal with. If they don’t like it, they can say it to my face and I’ll show them precisely what they can do with their male centric beliefs.” The risk was going to be extreme, not just for her but perhaps for her father as well but it was one that she believed needed to be taken. If her family was ever to regain its former status then it was most likely her who was going to have to force the issue. Change would have to come for her to have any chance. Social status was all about the quality of a family's smithing work in Ca-elum and with the stigma around women in place, she’d never achieve what she strived for without making the people view both genders as equal. She sighed to herself, despising the fact that her own people could be so out of touch and stuck in their ways.

Brianna picked up on the smile that Victoria displayed as she spoke about her own way of handling bullies, one that was so similar to her own that she had to smile herself. “With the two of us on the warpath, the bullies don’t stand a chance. I know that violence is never supposed to be the answer and all that but what are we supposed to do? Stand there and let people insult and attack us? If I’d let those bandits on the road do that, I wouldn’t be sitting here now. My old man was always telling me that fighting should be a last resort but there’s so many people out there who pick on the weak that it’s kind of hard for me to believe him. I couldn’t go five minutes on the way here without walking into someone who fancied their chances.” It was what it was and the slayer was comfortable with her own way of handling things. Words weren’t her strong suit anyway so what was the point of trying to talk her way through her problems?

“You make a good point about the rich and snobby,” she admitted although it wasn’t something that she enjoyed admitting, “I just wish they’d shut the hell up and show a little humility for once. Not that there’s much chance of that happening.” There’d been a particular member of one of the high status families that Brianna had gotten on the wrong side of on more than one occasion had she ended up smacking him in the face, much to the chagrin of his peers but to her immense pleasure. He just had that holier than thou attitude that pissed her off so much and a smarmy grin that she just had to knock off. No doubt he probably had informed his family and it probably would bite her in the backside one day but that was nothing compared to the pain he’d no doubt felt at losing a few teeth.

She listened keenly as the brunette went on to speak more about demons and just what they were capable of, her expression turning more and more grim as she began to realise just what they were capable of. The warnings gave her pause for thought and she briefly pondered how she would react if faced by such a deal. Would she be able to turn down the opportunity of being able to regain her family's status if a demon offered it to her or perhaps a chance for her to become the great blacksmith alive? It wasn’t a question that she could truly answer at that point and one that perhaps could only be answered when facing the situation for real. Urgh, she was over thinking things and she shook her head, her eyes almost burning with determination as she finally answered, having thought it all through.

“If they want to sacrifice me then they’re going to have to beat me to a pulp to do it,” she replied gamely, “These cultists and their demonic friends are just another bunch of thugs, picking on the weak and I’ll treat them in exactly the same way as I do all the others. I’ll gladly help you and your demon hunting allies in getting rid of them and I’ll fight with everything I’ve got every time. If that means that I end up being targeted by them then that’s how it’ll be. I’ve got your back if you need me, Victoria.” She paused after saying that, having surprised herself with her own words. The idea of teaming up was so foreign to her and yet she’d so willingly jumped at the chance to hunt demons with the far stronger brunette. She’d become so lost in the moment that her awkwardness had been thrown aside but it wasn't a unhappy sensation, just confusing.

With that still in mind, she was slightly alarmed as Victoria's cheeks suddenly turned pink and Brianna wondered if perhaps she’d asked something silly in regards to Dragon Slayers. Thankfully though, that didn’t seem to be it and Brianna’s shoulders relaxed as her fellow mage spoke about the subject. She could understand Victoria’s habit of working alone and keeping to herself all too well. “Thanks for the information about the slayers, I appreciate it.”

Victoria’s words about her isolated nature kept ringing in Brianna’s ears though and after a short time, she spoke up again, “I’m sorry if I pushed the idea of my teaming up with you a little too much just now. I didn’t mean to be overbearing, I’m just awkward around people and I don’t always know where to draw the line. I’ve spent a lot of time alone too so I know all too well how it feels.”

(1019 Words)
(1807 Spare WC)

Victoria could not help but to have respect for the youth's determination to stand up for herself and tell the prejudiced elders of her home country where to shove their sexist beliefs. The brunette felt like she should have had the courage to stand up for the poor of Capital Crocus and work to actually help them instead of leaving Capital Crocus the moment she could and making snide remarks about the rich people who lived there, but she did not have the courage that Brianna had. That made Victoria a bit sad. However, it was not too late to change things. She could still go there and work for change... even though she would encounter a lot of opposition from established interests and meet with a lot of ridicule and perhaps even physical violence, Victoria could put her money where her mouth was and work for change instead of wishing and waiting for someone else to do it.

"I agree with you, Brianna. In theory violence isn't supposed to be the answer, but in practice sometimes it is the answer. Sometimes you deal with people who just won't listen to reason or back down. The demon cultists I mentioned earlier are one example." Victoria agreed with the newcomer on how sometimes violence was the answer to problems. The ponytailed brunette knew from personal experience that sometimes bloodshed was unavoidable and was the only way to permanently solve a problem. The rogue scientist Alexander Kerwes was one of those cases. Had she not killed him during their third and final encounter in Sin, he would have killed her and Abigail Windstrider and would have merrily continued working on Project Lacedaemon to perfect his super soldier formula by engaging in unethical and uncontrolled human experimentation. She did not know how many more lives he would have spent before he finally perfected Agent Lacedaemon.

Brianna mentioned that she agreed with Victoria's stance on avoiding the wealthy. The brunette laughed.

"Yeah, I'm with you. I just wish that they'd show some humility, but in their world that would be admitting weakness." Victoria mused. She then realized that the aversion to showing weakness was also a part of life on the streets. The streets of Capital Crocus were a place where only the strong survived and showing weakness was practically a death sentence. That was one of the very few similarities that the rich and poor of Capital Crocus shared.

Brianna expressed her wish to help Victoria fight demons and offered to have her back if the latter ever needed it. She had considered all the risks that fighting demons entailed and had still chosen to help Victoria. The latter was sure that Gaia or Itori would lend a hand if push came to shove, but the fact that the newcomer had offered to help despite her lack of experience had impressed Victoria with her resolve to fight evil.

"If I ever need your help fighting demons and demon cultists, I'll be sure to ask you, Brianna. I honestly appreciate it." Victoria said to the blacksmith with every intention of following through should the time come. She did not want to risk Brianna unnecessarily, but Brianna had expressly said that she would help Victoria no matter what. The ponytailed brunette would respect that wish... she would try and take Brianna on simple missions to gradually ease her into those kinds of battles, but with demons and demon cultists things could change in the blink of an eye. An "easy" mission could suddenly become very hard when a herd of Bull Demons or a gaggle of Maws of Hell entered the picture.

Victoria did not want to throw Brianna into the deep end right away, but that was out of her hands. The ponytailed brunette still remembered her very first fight with the Maws of Hell and how they had frightened her just by opening their mouths and preparing to fire a fireball. Doing so gave the impression she was staring into the mouth of Hell, an impression which was mostly likely how they had gotten their Order-given names to begin with. Turning to the lighter subject matter of the Dragon Slayers, the brunette felt bad that she could not have given Brianna more to go on.

"It's no problem, Brianna. I wish I knew more so that I could tell you who to look for." Victoria expressed regret for her inability to give her specific names to go on. First, she honestly did not know which members of Sabertooth were Dragon Slayers. Second, as a rank-and-file member, she did not know whether it was her place to give out such information. However, she still wanted to help Brianna the best she could with the subject, which was not much.

When it came to the matter of them teaming up, Victoria was amused. She did not think that Brianna was being pushy. As a potential member of Sabertooth it was her right to ask to join forces with a more experienced member until she found her footing.

Victoria had worked alone because part of her felt that everyone was better than her. Ryo, Gaia, Itori, Imai, Luna, Velvet, Renji, Sybil... all of them were better-educated than she was. They also had a firmer grasp of the guild's ideals than she did. Victoria felt like she was being allowed to stay despite her weaknesses because Merces Letifer magic made her a good force multiplier able to engage a variety of armored and unarmored targets and Combat Medic magic let her be a fairly good healer, though not a healer up to the standard of Luna Mira.

Still, she would remain with Sabertooth for as long as the top brass decided she was useful to the guild. Victoria might be able to extend her service life by being less antisocial and more helpful to the guild's newcomers. Helping Brianna might be a good place to start.

"I don't mind teaming up, Brianna. I'm willing to help you out just like you're willing to help me out with my problems." Victoria assured the newcomer that she had not overstepped any boundaries by making the offer.

[Post Word Count: 1,027]
[Victoria's New Word Count: 2,385]

The more that Brianna spoke with Victoria, the more at ease she felt and the slayer truly was thankful that the brunette was being so open with her. The chestnut haired girl truly had feared that she’d be turned away because of her rather aggressive way of handling things but from what she was hearing, that didn’t seem to be the case. She definitely felt more relaxed now than she had at the start and the girl was beginning to feel that she’d be able to fit in after all. Sure, she was never going to be the life of the party or be Miss Popular but she could at least get out into the world and do some good by protecting others. There was much to do back home but that didn’t put her off. She’d never been afraid of hard work and would put her all into whatever needed to be done. Brianna wouldn’t be able to look at herself in the mirror otherwise.

Brianna couldn’t help but give a slight sigh of relief as Victoria assured her that she hadn’t been a little too eager in offering her support to Victoria’s cause. Truthfully, she was looking forward to getting her claws into the scum that would wish to summon demons and despite her lack of experience, she didn’t feel much fear. She’d learned long ago that anger was better than fear and it was a lesson that she learned the hard way. Whenever she’d run into someone who belittled her while buying supplies, she’d always found herself smithing with a little more venom for the next few hours afterwards and more often than not, her works benefited from the extra force. Her belief was to treat her enemies in the same way that she treated her metal work. Firmly. She was simply glad that Victoria seemed to agree with that viewpoint.

“I appreciate being given the chance to help out,” she said sincerely, a smile crossing her face that seemed to break through her anxiousness for a moment or two. “I know that I’m not going to be able to beat up any of the big and bad bosses that you’ve fought yet but I’ll do my damnedest to train hard enough to be able to one day.” No doubt she was going to get beat up a ton before she got to that stage but she wasn’t going to be a hindrance to Victoria or anyone else. Her pride wouldn’t ever allow that.

When Victoria offered to help out Brianna with her own issues, the chestnut haired girl paused for a moment, having a kind of internal battle with her own stubborn nature. A part of her was determined to sort out her own troubles by herself but the more rational part of her mind reminded her that one of main reasons she’d come to Sabertooth in the first place was to try and open up to others and form bonds with others. Victoria had been incredibly kind to her and Brianna eventually managed to push her more pig headed tendencies aside, “I’m not sure what’s going to happen when I start making waves back home but I have an idea that it’s going to turn messy pretty quick when I do. The families with the most political power have weapons made of the most destructive magical materials and they won’t have any issue with using them if they feel threatened. I’m going to need all the help I can get when that happens. I’ll happily accept your help.”

It was a pretty sombre thing to have to say but she didn’t see the point of sugar coating anything. Victoria had been perfectly honest with her regarding how difficult the demon hunting missions would be so it was only fair that Brianna be just as forthcoming. It seemed that her time in Sabertooth was going to be pretty rough in terms of combat but she had to be honest with herself and admit that it was the way she liked it. Balls to the wall and both feet forward, the only way for her.

Finishing her drink, she’d briefly turn to the bartender and ask for another, before turning back to Victoria, her curiosity well and truly piqued by this stage, fully engaged in the conversation. “I’d like to hear a little more about what I’m getting into when facing these demons and cultists. What’s the toughest one that you’ve come up against Victoria?” Again, she hoped she wasn’t treading into personal territory or anything like that but she truly was becoming more fascinated by the moment. As well as that, she wished to hopefully learn a little more about Victoria herself too.

(788 Words)
(2595 Spare WC)

Victoria paused for a moment when she heard that the wealthy families back in Brianna's home country had special weapons made of very powerful and very destructive magical materials that they would employ at the drop of a hat to hang onto their power. The wealthy families would go that far just to keep their influence? The brunette should not have been that surprised... she had heard rumors that the more unscrupulous of Capital Crocus' wealthy elite had personal goon squads to do their bidding, but she had never had a chance to confirm that. She never wanted to find out either.

Victoria briefly paused to think a little about what she would be getting herself into. If she went with Brianna to help the latter, she would be facing off against an elite that was desperate to hang onto its privileged position and would stop at nothing to keep it, even if it meant sending out war machines to stop the young upstart and her helper. Also, what would Sabertooth's top brass think about what the two would be doing? Would they disavow the two mages and cast them out?

Victoria thought about it and decided that despite the risks she was going to stick to her word. She had pledged to help Brianna and that was what she would do. If she went back on her word she would be no better that the Capital Crocus millionaires she detested so much, people who gave their word and went back on it as it suited them.

"When the powerful families bring out the big stuff, I'll be there to help you." Victoria assured Brianna that when the time came Victoria would have her back. The ponytailed brunette would be taking a big risk in supporting Brianna. If the elites made it look like the Sabertooth mages were trying to start a revolution, things could get very ugly for them. Sabertooth might disavow them and the pair would be on their own in a hostile country. If things got really bad they would be branded Dark mages and both the Rune Knights and Dies Irae would come after them with full intent to make the rest of their brief lives miserable.

Once called in the two guilds would be sending three Gods of Ishgar and a lot of high-ranking mages to punch their faces in. Victoria could not handle that much raw power, but doing the right thing was seldom easy. As long as Brianna kept her tactics to bring about change legal Victoria would stick by her side even if the Rune Knights and Dies Irae sent everyone they had after them.

Brianna had asked to know more about the ponytailed brunette's experience with demon hunting and what the blacksmith would be going up against. Victoria decided to tell her a little more about the subject.

"The main cult I've been going up against is named Zupazu's Executioners. Their patron is a demon named Infernal Lord Zupazu and the cult's working to bring him back so that he can take over the world and rid it of the weak and unworthy. That's anyone other then themselves, of course." Victoria started telling the blacksmith more about her experiences with fighting demons and demon cults.

"What they don't know is that Zupazu doesn't have a place for them in a world run by demons. Well, a place that isn't slave labor to demons, but they don't know that. They think they'll be put in charge of certain places as governors or something, but demons aren't going to share power with humans. Ever." Victoria gave Brianna a very good reason to never work with demons or make a pact with them. But that was not what the latter had come here for. She had wanted to hear about what she would be going up against.

"The cult's first line of defense is human members who either use melee weapons or magic. Melee weapons people tend to wear brown robes and magic users tend to wear black. They're not too much of a challenge, but their leaders are tough customers. Their leaders wear blood red robes and have powerful magic." Victoria started.

"Their real strength comes from being able to summon lesser demons to do their bidding. They can summon lesser demons and summon a lot of them. The type I've run into the most is the Bull Demon. They're pink demons who have horns and charge at their enemies exactly like the animal they're named after. They're tough as nails, can move surprisingly fast, and hit like a freight train, so you're gonna need a good weapon or powerful magic to take them down." Victoria told Brianna about the Bull Demon.

"Another demon type I've encountered is the Maw of Hell. They're giant floating brown demons with two curved horns, a single eye, two arms, and a giant mouth that they shoot fireballs from. I've found that firing an explosive into their mouth just before they shoot can kill them easily, but they tend to be summoned in packs, so while you're trying to kill one of them the others are shooting fireballs at you." Victoria told Brianna about the Maw of Hell, the demon that had frightened Victoria when she had first encountered them. The ponytailed brunette paused to give the blacksmith an opportunity to ask questions.

[Post Word Count: 896]
[Victoria's New Word Count: 3,281]

This marks the end of the second B-rank freeform job.

A part of Brianna had expected Victoria to say no when she’d asked her for help and honestly, the chestnut girl wouldn’t have been surprised nor would she have blamed her for declining. Here Brianna was, not even a member yet and already she was asking Victoria to help her with her personal problems. So, there was the slightest hint of surprise in the girl’s eyes when the pony tailed brunette agreed to help her, despite the risks and what could potentially happen. Yet, the surprise would only linger on her face for a few moments, as her expression would change to another smile. “Thank you, it means a lot to me,” she finally said, pleased that she hadn’t overstepped her boundaries once again and truly grateful that the far more powerful mage was willing to aid her. Brianna didn’t want to think of the kind of weapons and devices that the elder families wielded but knowing full well the skill level required to be considered as such, they weren’t just going to be simple knives and swords. There was no limit to the creativity of a Ca-elum smith or in some cases, cruelty.

Putting aside her own troubles for the time being, she’d listen keenly as Victoria opened up about her encounters with the demon race. The name of the cult was naturally unknown to her and she showed little in the way of recollection but just hearing it was enough to give her a pretty good picture as to their nature, which was only confirmed as the brunette went on to explain their motives. Brianna’s expression would turn rather dark as she listened and her hands clenched tightly against the edge of the bar. They were precisely the kind of people that she just couldn’t stand and the thought of giving them a thumping or two was more than enough motivation to get her adrenaline going. She felt little in the way of pity towards the cultists who had so easily fallen for the lies of demons and honestly believed that they deserved their fate. Why would a demon honestly share its power with a human, weakening themselves in the process? It was a question that seemed to cancel out her hesitation about whether she could turn a demon's offer down or not. She’d never believed in taking shortcuts up until now and that was precisely what these monsters seemed to be offering. She wouldn’t become a pawn.

Victoria was thorough with her information and Brianna tried her best to store all of the details given to her. The lower ranked goons didn’t sound like they’d be too much of a problem and she didn’t give them too much thought. If they wanted to fight up and personal then that was perfect for her and she’d gladly give them a taste of her own strength. Perhaps a smack or two around the head would wake them up and get them to turn away from their dark path. It was unlikely but if they didn’t then she’d be prepared to go a step further. Her future guild mate wasn’t pulling any punches with her descriptions and Brianna took Victoria’s words seriously.

The demon’s themselves though seemed to be a different kettle of fish in terms of power and the chestnut haired girl attempted to visualise the creatures in her mind's eye, coming up with something completely hideous. The bull ones actually sounded like something that would mesh well against her own style and Brianna thought that perhaps she’d have a chance against one of those. She had no idea how effective her dragon slayer would be against monsters of that kind but that wasn’t going to stop her swinging for them. Sometimes the only way to find out something was to just go for it.

The Maw Of Hell sounded like it was going to be more of a pain in the ass and the teenager figured that she'd definitely need her shields up to handle them. Long distance wasn’t as easy for her to deal with and the idea of being bombarded by fireballs wasn’t a pleasant thought either. Maybe bull rushing them wasn’t going to work so well but she’d cross that bridge when she came to it. For now, she’d prepare as best as she could.

One thing was for sure, the more Victoria spoke about the subject, the more interested Brianna became. Her fellow mage’s words had lit a fire under the slayer and she was more than willing to throw herself into the fray and help as best she could. The bartender appeared at this point and placed her order on the table, before walking off once more, flashing a smile at the chestnut haired girl.

After taking a sip of her drink, Brianna would think for a few moments before speaking her thoughts. “This Zupazu sounds like a real piece of shit,” she bluntly commented, “I can’t believe that there are actually people greedy and weak minded enough to actually fall for his lies. Only someone who’d taken a lot of blows to the head would agree to something like that.” Considering the elitists that she’d met in her life though, perhaps it wasn’t so difficult to imagine after all. “So, how are these cultists supposed to bring him into our world?” Brianna half expected a grizzly answer to her question but felt the need to ask anyway. If she was going to take part in this, she wanted to know it all.

(921 Words)
(3516 Spare WC)

"Yeah, those cultists are bad news for everyone. I don't get where they see themselves as the ones fit to remake society, but that's demon cultists for you. Their logic isn't exactly the best." Victoria commented to Brianna after the latter gave such caustic commentary on their mental state. Something had to have happened to make them think that serving a demon lord was a good idea. Something really, really bad like bad home lives or something else that could give them the sheer desperation needed to willingly serve a demon lord.

Victoria took a moment to think about the matter more before dispensing more snide commentary on the membership of Zupazu's Executioners and reached a grim conclusion.

If Lawrence Sheridan had not saved her from those slavers, she might have fallen prey to them and possibly not as a sacrifice.

Who was to say that if a high-ranking member of Zupazu's Executioners had been the one to save her instead of Lawrence Sheridan she would not have joined them just to escape the "life" she had as a poor street kid living in the back alleys of Capital Crocus? With her magic potential she might not have been destined for a sacrificial altar. She might have been spared and allowed to become a member of the cult. For a poor street kid like her, having an intact roof over her head, access to food and water that was guaranteed to be clean and safe, companionship in the form of fellow cult members, and a modicum of power after spending years as a powerless orphan at the mercy of others would have been a combination almost too good to resist. If it had not been for Lawrence Sheridan saving her that night Victoria might be the one kidnapping young female virgins and sacrificing them to Infernal Lord Zupazu.

Victoria would be the one staring down the business end of some hero's gun, sword, or magical spell.

Victoria then thought about the question that Brianna had posed. It asked how Infernal Lord Zupazu was supposed to be brought into this world.

"The cultists plan to bring Infernal Lord Zupazu back into this world by sacrificing a large number of young female virgins to him, people about our age. They seem to gather them in multiples of seven, but it's not like they can just swipe some random girls and have enough for a sacrifice. They have to grab large quantities of them, enough for large multiples of seven." Victoria began explaining what she knew of the cult's plans to bring their demonic patron into this world. She then explained how she had come into conflict with Zupazu and his so-called "Executioners" to begin with.

"I fought and banished Infernal Lord Zupazu a year and several months ago. I was told that he'd be banished from the physical plane for a full one hundred years. Unfortunately I learned that several months ago he could be resurrected early by offering young female virgins as as sacrifices. Presumably their life essence would empower him or something like that... I don't know how it works and I really don't want to know." Victoria explained how she knew about him and hopefully dispelled any nagging doubts that Brianna had about the ponytailed brunette and how she had acquired her knowledge of the cult. She was sure that the blacksmith had known that Victoria was not a cultist, but the ponytailed brunette did not want to bank on it.

"The last time I saw him was when I interrupted a ritual in the Haunted Guild. I saw him being offered thirty-five virgins... and he was somehow coming to collect them in person. Well, his arm and face had taken physical form and he was a giant version of himself, but the point remains that he was gonna eat them unless I stopped him. I managed to do so, but it was a really close call. If I had been just a few minutes too slow Infernal Lord Zupazu might have come back for real." Victoria told a condensed version of how she had learned about and thwarted a ritual to bring the demon lord back ninety-nine years and several months too early. The troubling part was that she did not know if the cultists could try to bring back their patron only during specific time periods or if they could trying to bring him back any time they wanted. Victoria gave voice to this concern.

"I don't know how many times a year Zupazu's Executioners can try to bring their patron into the world. I don't know whether they can only try at certain times like on special days or if they can try at any time. But I know that early resurrections are possible. I've bought a little time with my last fight against them, when I drove them out of their Silent Cemetery lair a couple of months ago. But I don't know how long... those guys are smarter than they sound." Victoria expressed her concerns about the cult's ability to revive their patron before adding a little more detail to explain why her first encounter was not her last with them.

"They've got backup bases scattered all across Earthland. I've driven them out of the Haunted Guild and Silent Cemetery, but I don't know where their third backup base is. I'll need to find out sooner rather than later." Victoria concluded her rundown of what Brianna could expect from Zupazu's Executioners. She then paused to give the blacksmith a chance to ask questions.

[Post Word Count: 930]
[Victoria's New Word Count: 930]

The chestnut haired girl found it hard to sympathise with the cultists at all and it honestly seemed like they were just trying to find a quick way to power in her eyes. Life was hard and it had certainly ground her down but she knew that it had helped her as well. It had given her the resolve she needed in order to push through with her plans and had set alight to the wells of determination that lay within. Strength came from overcoming tough situations and Brianna couldn’t help but feel a sense of loathing towards those who tried to gain it through other means. It was a cop out and one that would only lead to failure or worse. One that the cultists would no doubt experience one day, whether that be by the hands of their demon lord betraying them or by hunters such as Victoria or herself. They had already sealed their fate by making that deal and now had to live with their decision.

As Victoria answered her question about how the cultists planned to revive Zupazu, Brianna felt sick to her stomach, her hunch about them performing in grim rituals confirmed. To sacrifice innocent women for the sake of such a cruel being was simply unforgivable and the loathing that she felt for the cult festered even further. She didn’t want to think about the horror of the act itself and definitely agreed with Victoria about not wanting to know the details behind it. The whole ordeal sounded like a work of fiction but Brianna knew that the ponytailed brunette meant every word she said and didn’t doubt her at all. She could have been wrong but she felt as those that Victoria and her were similar in some ways and she didn’t think for a moment that the screwdriver drinking woman would ever take part in such a sickening thing.

The story of Victoria’s prevention of the demon’s summoning was truly disturbing and the thought of thirty five women being fed to that hideous thing caused Brianna to shake her head in disgust and take a long sip of her drink. The chestnut haired teenager did truly want to rip the demonic creatures head off at that point and it was almost as if she could feel the lacrima inside churning, fuelling her with its draconic influence. The Executioners would certainly be experiencing the wrath of this particular slayer soon enough and the thought only pushed her forwards. She wasn’t afraid of what was to come, simply angered by the audacity and cruelty of the group. Brianna didn’t know just how well she’d measure up against them as she was but that wasn’t going to stop her from having a go anyway.

It was troubling to hear that the cultists might try to summon their lord at any time and the lack of information was a massive issue. The idea of them sacrificing innocent people was unacceptable to the slayer and she believed that it was definitely a case of having to go out and gather the information rather than waiting for it to come to them. The only question was how and naturally, Brianna’s mind was drawn to the most forward approach.

“Maybe we have to go out there and make them tell us where their other bases are,” she suggested, the expression on her face rather serious. “I know it’s not the most tactful approach but if these cultists are going to try and summon the demon again soon then we’re going to have to move fast. I’m not saying that it’ll definitely work and if they’re that devout to Zupazu then they might not say anything but surely it’s worth a try. I for one can’t sit around her twiddling my thumbs when those maniacs are out there trying to sacrifice innocent people.”

She paused for a moment and then added, “It does seem that they have a fondness for places that are linked to the dead though and perhaps that’s a lead to go on. I’m not saying that we visit every graveyard on Earthland but it appears that’s where we’re most likely to find them.”It was more of a hunch than anything but one that she felt like it was worth saying anyway. She realised at that point that she’d suddenly started saying we an awful lot regarding the topic but she had to admit to herself that it was quite comforting.

As she thought over the topic more, she’d then pipe up again, “So, besides the cultists and the two types of demon that they summon, are there any other threats? I assume that if these bull and hell of maw demons are lesser ones then there are going to be greater ones as well?” No doubt the two types of demon that Victoria had already mentioned would be a tough task for the still developing slayer but there was no harm in being prepared for later challenges.

(833 Words)
(4349 Spare WC)

"I get where you're going with "asking" them where it is, but I'm not sure that we're gonna take very many of them alive, Brianna. Besides, we don't have to go that far because on the mission to Silent Cemetery I managed to capture some documents that the cultists had on them. They got away with a lot of stuff, but I killed a few before they could run off with all their books and scrolls. I'm having them decoded by some pals of mine who hate demons as much as I do, but it's gonna take awhile." Victoria revealed that while Brianna's idea was a good one, this time they would not need to take such a hands-on approach... she hoped. If the Order of Lightbringers came up with nothing after analyzing all the books and scrolls, then they might need to try and take a member of Zupazu's Executioners alive. That would be one time that the brunette would have to actually take an enemy alive instead of just killing them.

Victoria then thought over Brianna's second statement, which was used to point out the cult's propensity towards establishing their bases in areas associated with death. The ponytailed brunette began to make the connection. The Haunted Guild was associated with the mysterious disappearance of an entire guild many, many years ago and Silent Cemetery was... well, a cemetery. After making that connection she began to think a little harder. If Brianna listened closely she might be able to hear gears turning.

"I think you're right, Brianna. We don't need to poke around every cemetery, just places associated with death, places like Lycan Woods, Sombras Manor, or Abandoned Cabin. The Lycan Woods are filled with werewolves, Sombras Manor's had a lot of weird and violent stuff go on there, and Abandoned Cabin's had a lot of ghost sightings. If all else fails we can go to Fat Monsterland." Victoria agreed with the newcomer and named several possible locations for them to investigate. As soon as she had listed those places she then thought of another one.

"We could also try Haunted Village. There's a lot of weird stuff that goes on there, like scarecrows and pumpkins that terrorize the village. There's a dark temple that sits on the hill overlooking the town, so there's another place to look." Victoria suggested. She then realized that just listing locations did not help them narrow down the list enough to pick a site and sweep it thoroughly.  If the Order of Lightbringers did not come through, they would have to find a cultist and "convince" him to cough up the location of the cult's new base. At least she was trying to think critically and not just go charging off to the first place that seemed like the best option.

"As far as what other threats they pose, I'm thinking that now they know I'm after them, they'll start picking places with beings that serve as an additional layer of security. For example, when I went to Silent Cemetery, the cult had both roving herds of Bull Demons and the local zombies to protect them. While they didn't specifically use the zombies for security, it panned out in their favor because I was among the first living things the zombies saw, so they went for me and I had to waste time killing them before I could safely continue the search." Victoria warned Brianna about another thing to take into account when looking for Zupazu's Executioners. If they went to Lycan Woods, they could expect werewolves to serve as additional security. If they went to Abandoned Cabin, they could expect zombies and ghosts to oppose them.

"I'm also thinking that they've got some even nastier demons on tap that they haven't brought out yet. From what little I know about demons, higher-ranking demons don't work for free and they require payment before they show up. Besides the fact they need payment I'm not sure what kind of payment they take. It could be blood, it could be an oath of service, or it could even be the summoning cultist's life. I'm sure that they're getting desperate now that I've helped shut down two of their bases and reduce their membership." Victoria hypothesized about a second possible threat that Zupazu's Executioners had, which was the ability to call in even bigger demons. She was not sure what it took to call in the big guns, but she was pretty sure that it involved a hefty cost. Bigger demons required larger costs to summon and keep obedient to the summoner's will... as obedient as a demon could be, anyway. Demons were not going to share power with humans and they were definitely not going to serve humans for any longer than they had to.

[Post Word Count: 800]
[Victoria's New Word Count: 1,730]

It was tough for the chestnut haired teenager to remain patient but it was just something that she was going to have to struggle with, she supposed. Still, the knowledge that there were a group of hunters out there who were pushing towards the same goal of getting rid of the cult was a comforting one. She briefly had an anxious moment where she felt concerned about having to meet an entire new group of people that she’d never met before but Brianna was able to angrily push that thought to the back of her mind. A little personal discomfort was nothing compared to what the innocent victims of the cult had to suffer through and that was the thought that helped her get over any last remnants of anxiousness. The matter at hand came first. She understood Victoria’s point about it being unlikely that they’d take a cultist alive and it had honestly been almost a wishful suggestion on her part anyway. If they were twisted enough to actually sacrifice virgins in order to their demon lords whims, there was little chance of them spilling the beans to his enemies.

The locations that Victoria mentioned regarding where the bases could be sounded like they were going to be a hell of a time in searching but that only spurred her on. She’d never heard of any of them before in truth although the pony tailed brunette’s descriptions gave her a pretty good idea of what to expect. Werewolves, ghosts and zombies, all creatures that she’d heard of but never faced in battle. It truly was beginning to seem as though she was going to get an up close and personal look at many of Earthlands darkest creatures, precisely what she had hoped for. The dragon slayer wanted it that way and knew that by meeting these wicked beasts in battle, she’d become far stronger from the struggle and hopefully make her father proud too.

Victoria’s point about the cultists using the locals in order to help defend their bases made sense although Brianna couldn’t help but view the option as a cowardly one. Yet, they’d hardly painted themselves as honour bound and with a mage as powerful as Victoria after them, they’d need every line of defence they could get. Still, it would no doubt add to the danger that the group posed and the copper eyed girl would make certain that she was even more on guard from whatever was in the mages' way.

The worst piece of information though came from Victoria’s answer to her question about the possibility of greater demons being summoned. She’d kind of suspected that there would be a higher grade of them and she didn’t want to know what price they would want in order for them to be brought in, not to mention what kind of powers that they’d wield. It was a question that she’d needed the answer to though and it was better that she knew about it now than later. She didn’t want to be caught with her skirt down, after all.

“If they plan on continuing to use the surrounding monsters as cover then it only seems logical that they’d pick the most dangerous regions,” she said, agreeing with Victoria’s theory. ”They’ve seen your strength first hand and are not going to want to face you unprepared again. I reckon that the Haunted Village you mentioned is probably a great shout as I can’t think of a better place for them to lurk around then a temple already tainted with darkness. I’d guess that the darker the area, the easier it is for them to summon demons, right?” It was just a thought but it made sense to her.

Taking another sip from her drink, she’d then say stoically, “From the sounds of it, those nasty demons are probably going to want the ultimate price paid in order to be summoned and the worst part is that the cultists would probably be deluded enough to pay it. We could find ourselves raiding one of their bases to find a camp filled with greater demons.” She wasn’t fazed by the thought but it was something to consider. The dragon slayer briefly dwelled on just what the infernal lord could do himself but that was a question that she decided against asking for now.

So instead, she asked a different one, her thoughts returning to Victoria’s allies, “So, this Order Of Lightbringers you spoke of. Are you an official member of their order? You haven’t said much about them yet.”

(762 Words)
(5111 Spare WC)

(5000/5000 Freeform 5-9)
(111 WC Left Over)

"Yeah, I'm sure that Zupazu's Executioners are getting desperate because I've been hitting them hard lately. And as the saying goes, desperate times call for desperate measures." Victoria said to Brianna. The blacksmith was right. Since Victoria and the Order had driven Zupazu's Executioners out of two bases in a row while cutting down their membership, the brunette expected them to resort to desperate measures to keep her and the Order at bay. They would quit playing around with lesser demons and start breaking out the demonic big guns, perhaps literally. If the Maws of Hell were floating artillery pieces, there might be even more powerful and dangerous versions of them waiting to be brought into the world, along with more dangerous Bull Demons and entirely new types of demons.

"I'm pretty sure that Zupazu's Executioners are gonna dust off some of those scrolls and books that have rituals for summoning greater demons and start summoning them very soon. I don't know how much manpower they have, but losing two bases in a row has gotta hurt them. They'll use those greater demons to fill the gap in their manpower and I don't know what they're gonna summon, but it's gonna be stuff I've never seen before." Victoria continued. She was all but certain that demons who were too dangerous to call on were going to be called on in order to stop Victoria, the Order of Lightbringers, and Brianna from putting an end to them. When demons who were ordinarily too dangerous to be called upon were summoned, that was a sure sign that things were going to get ugly.

"You're right, Brianna. They're afraid of me because I've been pushing them hard. They promised me that if I was ever taken alive that I would die on a sacrificial altar, so I'm doing my best to make sure that they can't make good on that promise. I think that they're just now beginning to realize the magnitude of their mistake." Victoria agreed with Brianna's point about the cultists fearing her on some level. They had given her plenty of incentive to wipe them out to the last man and now they were beginning to realize that they had pissed off the wrong mage. Victoria thought about Brianna's suggestion of the Haunted Village being a good place for them to summon demons because of the darkness surrounding that area. It was as good a place as any.

"There could be something to your suggestion, Brianna. There's a lot of dark energy around the temple and it's in a remote place, so it might be easier for them to summon demons there. The weird stuff around the village makes a perfect cover for their activities, so no one will suspect that there's anything stranger than what's already there, like animated scarecrows and giant pumpkins, maybe even zombies in the woods. From what I read in a travel brochure the people are afraid to leave their village, so they won't go snooping around." Victoria said to the blacksmith and offered reasons why there might be some substance to Haunted Village being the site of the cult's newest base. While Victoria would not know if that was true until she, Brianna, and any Order mages up for the job went to Haunted Village and checked out the temple on the hill. Speaking of the Order, Brianna asked about it and Victoria's membership in the group.

"I'm not an official member of the Order of Lightbringers, Brianna. I'm a freelance mage they hire for particularly tough jobs that they can't spare the manpower to take the lead on. I started working with them when I rescued one of their Clerics from the Haunted Guild a couple of years ago, back before it was taken over by Zupazu's Executioners. I've been working with them ever since." Victoria explained how she had come to work with the Order of Lightbringers. The ponytailed brunette then thought back to Minerva Anderson and took another glance at Brianna. The former was amazed at how the Order Knight resembled Brianna... or was it Brianna who resembled Minerva? Victoria had no idea, but no matter how it was sliced the resemblance was uncanny.

"I can tell you more about the Order of Lightbringers if you'd like." Victoria offered to tell the blacksmith more about the holy order she helped out whenever they needed a little extra firepower on short notice.

[Post Word Count: 740]
[Victoria's New Word Count: 2,470]

“Yeah, I’d say so,” Brianna replied as Victoria spoke of the cultists desperation, “Not only are they going to be desperate because of the pressure that you’re putting them under but I bet Zupazu is pretty pissed off by their failures as well. I bet he’s got one hell of a temper and I can’t imagine what he threatened them with after you took out those bases. The cultists are damned either way. If we don’t take them out, I’d guess he will if they keep failing him enough times. Demons aren’t exactly known for their patience, right?” No doubt the lord was probably stewing with anger and rage at his plans being interfered with and Brianna assumed that he’d take all of that frustration out on his minions. The cultists were damned if they do and damned if they didn’t in her view. Either they’d get taken out by Victoria and herself or they’d be removed by Zupazu for failing him. She didn’t have much sympathy for them and she believed that they truly deserved their fate for the atrocities that they;d committed.

“After the beatings you gave them, I bet they’re going to be looking for anything that’ll help them,” she continued, “Any caution that they might have had will be out the window now and they’re going to hit us with everything they’ve got, consequences be damned. They’re going to fight like wild animals and you’re right, it’s going to get ugly fast I bet. There’s no way they’re going to surrender or give up so if we’re going to try and bring one in alive for information, we’re going to have to knock them out hard although somehow I doubt we’ll have much chance of that, after hearing what I have so far. I guess we’re just going to have to keep smashing them, no matter what tricks or demons that they summon as I don’t see another way.” It was the obvious result, in her mind anyway. The cultists were just too far gone to see reason and blinded by their lust for power and fear of their demonic overlord. They were going to have to be dealt with, the sooner the better. Time wasn’t on their side and she was eager to get going.

She was angered by their threat that they had made regarding Victoria becoming another sacrificial lamb to the slaughter and scoffed, “What a stupid threat to make. There’s no chance that they’d ever be able to do such a thing to you. You’re far too strong for the likes of them.” She had complete faith in her fellow mage’s combat abilities and could sort of feel the aura of Victoria. Her own sensory powers weren’t all that strong yet but they were potent enough to tell when a powerful mage was around and the pony tailed brunette was definitely one. “Besides, the Order and I would never let that happen, you can be sure of that.” It might have sounded silly for her to say such a thing, given the difference in strength but Brianna had her pride and there was no chance that she’d allow anything like that to happen to a friend of hers, or anyone else, for that matter.

“It sounds like the Haunted Village is definitely worth a look then and the fact that there’s a village there for them to gather even more victims makes it even more likely,” she answered as Victoria spoke more about the place, “If they’re going to try and summon him again, they’ll have an entire terrified group of people to abduct and sacrifice. A perfect opportunity for the cowards.” It did sound like an awfully good location for them to be and she was eager to search the location.

As Victoria then went on to answer her question about the Lightbringers, Brianna couldn’t help but notice the look that the pony tailed brunette gave her. She wasn’t quite sure what to make of it and a slight frown crossed her features. “I’d like to hear a little more about them if that’s OK but is something wrong? You’re looking at me awfully funny all of a sudden.” She knew that she looked a little worse for wear after her brawl but she didn’t think that she looked that bad.

(721 Words)
(832 Spare WC)

"Yeah, I imagine that Zupazu doesn't tolerate failure, especially not from those who claim to serve him. They didn't count on people able and willing to fight back and now they're feeling the heat, so to speak. That desperation will make them do stupid things like bring in demons who really can't be controlled and make them forget to cover their tracks. We can follow them by the trail they'll likely leave by accident." Victoria agreed with the blacksmith's belief that Zupazu's Executioners might implode on themselves due to the pressure of their consecutive failures to stop Victoria and the Order of Lightbringers. Brianna then made the point that the chance of them taking a cult member alive to get information from was going to be pretty low. Victoria's own aggressive behavior had seen to that. However, they had vowed to sacrifice her on an altar if she were taken alive. What was she supposed to do other than respond with lethal force?

"Yeah, we'll just have to keep smashing them into the dirt until they finally get the message. Once we make contact with them we're gonna have to fight to the end because their backs are to the wall and they'll summon any demon if it gives them the smallest chance to stop us. I say that if we get the chance to take a cultist alive that we should go for it, but we shouldn't bet the house on it." Victoria agreed with Brianna a second time. The brunette was now starting to see why Itori had pushed a "take them in alive" policy so hard during their work together, but it was practically impossible to change course now. Victoria would just have to live with the consequences, but she was not too broken up about the matter. They had promised her death and she was returning the favor by dealing death to them. Zupazu's Executioners were unused to their targets fighting back and were mobilizing all their resources to deal with a would-be victim who had refused to be victimized.

"Don't worry, Brianna. I'm sure you guys have my back. I know I can count on you guys to keep me from being draped over a sacrificial altar." Victoria said to the newcomer. The ponytailed brunette's special ability let her see that Brianna was telling the truth when she promised not to let the cult carry out their threat to sacrifice Victoria to their demonic patron.

"Haunted Village it is, Brianna. It's the most likely location for the cult's new base because it's isolated and it's got nearby villagers to kidnap as fuel for their rituals. I don't know if that's where they're gonna make their last stand, but we can't rule out that possibility. Eventually Zupazu's patience will run out and force a final battle between his cultists and us to see who wins." Victoria agreed a third time and briefly revisited the blacksmith's earlier point about their patron's impatience possibly forcing the cult to make a fatal mistake at a point where they could least afford to make mistakes. She then turned her attention to describing the Order of Lightbringers to Brianna.

"The Order of Lightbringers is a holy order of knights and clerics who has their headquarters in Holy Castle. They've been around for centuries and they're pledged to fight vampires, zombies, ghosts, necromancers, and other evils that live the Cursed Lands. They've got two main branches that go out into the world and fight evil." Victoria started her explanation.

"One branch is the Knights. They're the typical knight in shining armor you think of when you hear the word knight, but they don't sit at round tables and look fancy. They go out into the world and fight evil. They bring some serious magic power to the table, so they're at home with either sword or spell. They're a good choice if you need some extra muscle in a fight against dark forces." Victoria explained the first branch to Brianna. The ponytailed brunette had worked mostly with the Order's Clerics, so she knew more about them than she did the Knights. During the arena fight in Haunted Castle Minerva Anderson had demonstrated what the best Knights could do, but she was a rising star of the Order and not representative of the average Knight.

"The Clerics are the second branch and not quite as good at physical combat as their Knights brethren, but they're no slouches. They know a lot of magic and a lot of lore about creatures and places in the Cursed Lands. While they know some support spells and healing magic, they're also able to hold their own in a fight thanks to their offensive magic. They're a good choice to bring along if you need someone who knows a lot of lore and magic." Victoria commented on the abilities of the Order's Clerics. She looked at Brianna again and the blacksmith asked her why the former was looking at her. There was no avoiding it. She would have to tell Brianna about her Order doppelganger.

"I keep looking at you because you look a lot like one of the Order Knights I've met, a Knight named Minerva Anderson. She has the same eye color, hair color, body type, even hairstyle." Victoria finally admitted the reason why she had kept stealing glances at Brianna during their conversation.

[Post Word Count: 898]
[Victoria's New Word Count: 3,368]

The dragon slayer nodded as Victoria spoke about the cultists possible implosion. It seemed like a result that could well happen, if it hadn’t already and Brianna could only imagine what was going through the heads of the maniacs right now. It definitely would lead to them making more mistakes and the teenager couldn’t help but think it could well be a trail of dead cultists that they’d end up following. The demons they summoned weren’t going to respect their weak minded masters and would more than likely just kill the fools although that would certainly make the jobs of the Sabertooth mages and the Order harder. Still, it was what it was and Brianna would fight whatever came at them without any fear. She’d do what was necessary and do what she could to help Victoria and the Order end this threat, before it got any worse. Of course, she didn’t blame Victoria for being so aggressive with them and pushing them into having to take more and more risks. Brianna would have done the exact same thing in the pony tailed brunette’s shoes.

“Yeah, it’s too late to be going into these encounters, expecting a peaceful solution,” Brianna replied honestly, I’ll do my best to bring the cultists in alive if I can but I’m going in there thinking that they’re not going to let it happen. It wouldn’t surprise me if the demons ended up killing the cultists themselves if they get the chance and it wouldn’t surprise me if we ended up in a three way fight. If they’re anything like Zupazu then they’re probably going to turn on their summoners the first chance they get or just get rid of them as soon as they’re summoned. I reckon you’re right about them leaving a trail though, even if I’m starting to think that it could be the cultists bodies that end up being the leads.” It wasn’t a pleasant thought but it seemed pretty likely to her.

Brianna was pleased that Victoria seemed to agree with her on the choice of location to search and the chestnut haired teenager took the older woman’s warning seriously. Zupazu was a ticking time bomb and sooner or later, his temper would explode, resulting in one hell of a battle. The dragon slayer knew that it was going to be one tough fight but she was going to be ready for it. The girl’s determination to gain strength was already so potent and the longer the conversation went on for, the more it grew. She’d come to the guild looking for a place to call her own but in the process, she’d found another goal to focus upon. There was so much to do and she couldn’t wait to get started. “We’re going to win and make it so that the demonic bastard will never be able to force his influence on others again and that goes for all the other demons too.”

Listening carefully as Victoria spoke about the Lightbringers, Brianna was quite captivated by it. A group who dedicated themselves to ridding the world of evil beings was of immense interest to her. She was well and truly hooked and the chestnut haired girl was particularly intrigued by the Knights, feeling that they were quite similar to her own style in a way. The dragon slayer could well imagine herself as one and made a mental note to speak with them if she got the chance. There was no doubt a great deal that she could learn from them and perhaps she could test her strength against theirs. The clerics were an interesting group too although she didn’t quite feel the same pull towards them. Brianna had never thought of herself as a cleric before and her supportive skills were rather limited to say the least. She was an offensive brawler for the most part which seemed to resonate with the former branch. “I’m looking forward to hopefully meeting up with some of the Lightbringers at some point,” she answered, far more eager than usual when it came to meeting someone new. Perhaps she was coming out of her shell, at last.

When the revelation came of why Victoria had been looking at her, Brianna turned slightly red in the face, unsure of how to respond. She’d never thought much about her own appearance and the thought that there was someone out there who looked almost exactly like her was rather strange. Yet, that was only part of why she was a little uncertain. The truth was that she knew very little of her bloodline besides her father and the chestnut haired girl couldn’t help but ponder about just who this woman was. It pressed her buttons, so to speak and made her a little uncomfortable. “What’s she like?” She finally asked, sounding a little less confident then she had been previously.

(816 Words)
(1648 Spare WC)

Victoria tended to go into every encounter loaded for bear, so she was always ready for a fight to the death. If Zupazu's Executioners wanted to make good on their promise they would have to be prepared to lose a lot of their members to make it happen. With Brianna by her side taking the ponytailed brunette captive would be much harder for the cultists because the newcomer seemed to detest them almost as much as Victoria herself did. Victoria had a feeling that Brianna would be a good fit for Sabertooth because of her strong sense of justice and her willingness to fight to bring justice to the world.

"Yeah, cultist bodies could be the only lead we get. But at this point we'll just have to take what we can get. Maybe I shouldn't have gone in guns blazing from the start, but when they threatened me with lethal force, they should have expected nothing less in return. They also should have expected that when time was running out to save those young women." Victoria said. Her mind flashed back to the awful aftermath of using high-explosive grenades on living people. It was a thought she did not like to dwell on because the sight was a grim reminder of the power she wielded and what could happen if she lost control or her aim was just a little bit off.

Victoria did not want to think about that any more than she had to, so she went along with a change of topic. Brianna had asserted that together the two of them and the Order of Lightbringers would demolish the cult and relegate Zupazu's name to the dark corners of history for all time. That was being a bit optimistic, but Victoria would not deny her that goal. Victoria too wanted to make sure that Zupazu was banished for at least one hundred years so that by the time he returned the next generation or two of demon slayers would be ready to take him on should he ever return.

"I'll have to have the Order look into ways to permanently banish demons, but from what I understand some demons can only be banished for one hundred years at a time. I'm hoping that there's a way to banish Zupazu for good so that no cult can ever bring him back. But until a banishing ritual is found we should aim to buy the world some time." Victoria offered to have the Order look into a permanent banishing ritual before gently suggesting that they might need to dial their goal back to a more attainable goal like destroying the cult so that there were not as many people willing to bring back Infernal Lord Zupazu. Still, Brianna had a point. To really rid the world of his influence the pair would need to find a way to banish Zupazu for good, not just one hundred years.

"If we destroy his cult, that would be a good start. That would buy us some much-needed time to find the right banishing ritual for Zupazu because without a cult to try for an early resurrection on his behalf he'd be stuck wherever he is. But that will be easier said than done. They've likely gone the extra mile and have backup bases for their backup bases, but I don't have any proof of that." Victoria stated fact before veering off into conjecture. She suspected that the cult would not put all its eggs into one basket and would have multiple bases with a small number of members to staff them so that the loss of another base would not mean the end for their ambitions. If they were really prepared for the worst they might have seeded sleeper agents into Earthland's population, but that was a line of thought that the brunette dismissed as too far out there even for her.

Coming back to reality, Victoria focused on trying to describe what Minerva Anderson was like to Brianna.

"Minerva's convinced that she's the best Order Knight there is. To be fair, she has a lot of magic skill and sword skill to back that attitude up. She's also kinda reckless and looking for opportunities to prove that she's the best. The bigger the opportunity the more she's drawn to it." Victoria started her description by describing how proud Minerva was of her abilities and how she always looked for chances. to prove her skill to anyone watching her.

"Minerva's supposedly related to one of the Order's founding Clerics, a woman named Anderson who had fought alongside the Order's founder Thomas Beckit. Since she's related to one of the Order's original members she feels that she's got a lot to prove. Like I said before, Minerva's not shy about proving how good she is. She once charged a herd of over a dozen Bull Demons and was dancing around them and jumping over them like it was nothing." Victoria then added that Minerva was related to one of the Order's founding members, so there was an element of proving herself involved in her reckless behavior. The ponytailed brunette left off Minerva's motivation of fighting allegations of getting special treatment from the Order's senior members because of her family name. She felt that that was Minerva's story to tell; it was not Victoria's place to go blabbing about the Order Knight's struggle to prove herself to the doubters in the Order.

[Post Word Count: 909]
[Victoria's New Word Count: 4,277]

“I would’ve reacted in the exact same way,” Brianna admitted, “They were the ones who started this whole ordeal and you were perfectly justified in defending yourself and saving the sacrifices. They weren’t going to show any mercy or compassion so why should you?” Her father probably wouldn’t agree with that opinion, being the pacifist that he was but the dragon slayer was good with that. She wasn’t him and pacifism had never helped her with her own troubles. The only way she’d gotten anywhere was by barrelling forwards like a wrecking ball and it had worked out for her so far. The more she heard, the more she felt that perhaps she was suitable to be a member of the guild after all, despite her faults. The thought of being in a guild felt more comfortable to her at least and the idea of wearing a guild symbol on her body didn’t feel as awkward as it once had. She’d wear it with pride and bring the wrath of the guild on all those who tried to harm the innocent. “Scum who pick on the weak and helpless don’t deserve mercy anyway. They abandon that right when they choose a path that tramples on the paths of others.”

It was a little frustrating to hear that there wasn’t a way to permanently banish the demon lord permanently but Brianna had faith that wouldn’t always be the case. The Lightbringers would no doubt gain more knowledge over time and she was confident that they could find the answer and remove Zupazu for good. She agreed strongly with Victoria’s course of action, “Yeah, we might not be able to get rid of him, but we can at least wail on his cultists and put an end to his current followers. No doubt he’ll end up being able to corrupt someone else and start the whole thing anew but I bet that as long as we and the Order are vigilant, we’ll be able to keep them in check. I get that it’s going to be a long road but I’m more than willing to fight for as long as it takes to put an end to their leader for good. I don’t even want to know what’ll happen if he ever actually achieves his goal and succeeds in entering our world.” It was a wicked thought and one that she pushed aside. There was no point in dwelling on such a scenario and instead she focused on stopping it from happening in the first place.

As Victoria then went on to talk a little about Brianna’s doppelgänger, the chestnut girl blinked. The pony tailed brunette could well have been describing Brianna herself and the dragon slayer didn’t fail to see the similarities there. Confident, prideful, reckless. Three words that could describe her to a tee. It actually made her smile slightly, fully approving of Minerva’s attitude. She could also understand the woman’s desire to prove herself to those around her and felt similar in regards to not only her father but the rest of her nation too. “It almost sounds like we’re twins,” she dryly stated, taking a sip from her glass, “I’ll make sure to keep an eye out for her as I’m sure that a meeting between us will be a hair raising experience.” She didn’t have the slightest clue as to how the encounter would pan out although it would be a fascinating one nonetheless. “I’ll try not to pick a fight with her but it might be difficult if she’s got a chip on her shoulder.” It was supposed to be a joke but Brianna had never been a comical genius. Understatement of the year.

(619 Words)
(2267 Spare WC)