The Citadel of Sorcery

[Bern]

Neptune

She raised an eyebrow at the sheer dumbness of the line being thrown at her, was his script really that broken? Maybe she should really take off the kiddie gloves.

"Fool don't you know anything? When dealing with uppity girls, you should just jam it in.  Really though... You should have just told me you were that backed up. I have nice collection of sex toys for sale too, my pocket pussies feel almost like the real deal, but having a guy's opinion would be like really great too."

Throughout all that she hadn't moved out of her stance.

[SINIB]

The Scribe

After a moment of renewed scribbling with that fancy fountain pen of his, the scribe pulled out a sack from one of the drawers in his desk. Then he grabbed a handful of a fine green powder, and threw it into something behind his desk. A big green flame exploded out from it, and the smoke from it whisked its way out of the room by passing between Sakura and Edelgard.

"I have sent the message... for them to prepare for your arrival." The scribe pointed to the door they entered by with his pen. "You may await their delegate in the bazaar within House Antioch's territory, just beyond the gatehouse. They will know... how to find you."

Sakura

"Hold on." Sakura held up her hand, not standing up. "Can you tell me a bit more about this House of Antioch? The rules here? I only know what I skimmed on the net right now, so I don't want to commit any faux paux."

[Aiden]

The Scribe

The scribe let out a sigh. "House Antioch is... the magical family whose members have held the rights to defending this gate and processing its customs duties for three generations. You saw their retainers outside, with their focusing pikes and enchanted armors." The scribe pulled out some more paper, and dipped his pen again, and turned the bulk of his attention back to his work. "Keep to the areas marked for the public, and... take care not to aggravate the guards. That is all."

[YOLF]

Edelgard

Her fingers tightened and relaxed rythmically around the handle of her weapon. Antioch. A dynasty of honor guards for a sanctum of magic. Her people had fought the likes of them before, and knew the importance of these roles. Had things been different, would she be heading such a group for the High King?

She shook her head of the thought and asked, "Their leader, who?"

The warrior wanted to know at least that much.

[SINIB]

Sakura

Sakura cocked her eyes back at the man, looking at him expectantly.

[Kotomine_Rin]

Lawrence

He opened his book with one smooth hand movement and started reading poetry. What a rude child. Not only did she challenge a defenceless man, she even expected him to make the first move nonetheless?

"Sorry, not interested." He flipped a page, and the ink covering his skin began to ripple and change shape, shifting and crawling over his body as if it took a life of its own. An ominous feeling filled the room with dread.

The bird's wings suddenly flapped, and the creature jumped back and cried out with wide eyes. "Wha wha wha wha what? You- you're not seriously going to whip that out here? Now!? Have you gone mad? You're going to-"
         
Lawrence smirked. And with a graceful snap of his fingers, the tattoos covering his left arm and breast scattered and vanished, his hair swept up wildly and lost all color. White as snow,  the conductor was done preparing the stage. When he moved around aimlessly earlier, he already took note of his cute little bird's position and moved accordingly.  Its flames only stretched the room's shadows further, moving them along its panicked flight.

"Come, Grail King."

Thus she was stepping on his shadow. That is until now, until a massive black lion jumped from it and pounced on her, like a living mass of darkness coming to swallow her whole from beneath her feet.

[Aiden]

The Scribe

The scribe sighed, and returned to his work. "You may inquire further with the locals, please. I have much work left to be done, and no time to speak... the praises of my so-called employers."

[SINIB]

Sakura

Sakura nodded, although she disliked his dismissive air. An immigration officer should be there to answer questions, no?

Not that she'd really know any better. She just swore to herself under her breath in her native Finnish before standing up and taking her place slightly in front of her mage-killing friend.

"Let's go."

[Bern]

Neptune

"Aww you look so backed up though, I was  even gonna give you a nice discount-" She was cut off by the sudden worried tone of the birdie, she flicked her gaze his way as he complained about something new.

"what do you mean...."

Her vision spun around and she saw the floor as something heavy pushed down on her. "whoa you have cool pets too? That's awesome, but..."

She put bit hands against the ground and pushed as hard as she could, and then harder, until it felt like her bones would break.

"That doesn't mean I'll give up on you! I'll beat this thing somehow and then I'll save you! I don't care how hard it gets, I, will, do, it!"

[Kotomine_Rin]

Lawrence

The bird just stared wide eyed with a dumbfounded wide beak. Only then did it turn its stare and glared with an evil grin at his partner in crime, the only guy in the world worth his respect. Yep, he was totally on his side, and had been all this time. The whole betting he'd get his butt kicked and all? Pfft, as if. He was just kidding, just kidding! H-hey, don't you laugh. There's no way he was going to stick to the losing horse, even if it meant putting up with that guy.

"Wow. You're horrible. How could you cheat like that? That's no way to fight." He snickered and flapped its wings to perch up his shoulder. Lawrence could be a real dirty cheat when it came to this stuff, blacker than the worst crook. The kind of guy who'd pirate music and games illegally if he could. At least, that's what he liked to think.

"Why, I told her I'd be gentle. But I never said anything about being fair."

He walked calmly to the poor, poor Neppers. The poor Neppers who was being smothered by the massive black cat, whose heavy paws pressed on her while its fur coated her like an ebony cloak. It sniffed at her, its bloodshot red eyes sized her up like prey.

It licked her cheek. It purred softly and shifted its body around so it would tug at her, and began to tend to the poor girl's hair like a cub. And the weight became heavier and heavier, like a soft blanket that simply wouldn'y let go. And the worst thing was...

It tickled.

[Bern]

Neptune

"Oh so you wanna play ball huh? If that's how it is then I don't have any reason to hold back now do I?"

Yes with every word she spoke an ominous presence flowed over the room and it was not of the man's making. Surely it was impossible, she was entirely pinned and couldn't do anything from below the tickly massive cat that was smothering her? Surely it was all just talk?

Then why was there a murderous intent right behind him?

Don't turn around, it can't hurt you if you don't look at it.

[Kotomine_Rin]

Lawrence

"Ho ho. She seems to take a liking to you." His feet clapped on the ground ominously as he drew closer. Closer. Despite that his eyes and thoughts focused on his litterature.

That is, until a deathly presence smouldered his very being. Behind him, something akin true doom crept down his spine, like a cold hedge of frozen thorns sinking into his flesh.

But he did not look. Instead, he turned to the next page. As someone who already met lady death, such a threat was just the thread he danced upon with each sunrise. "That is quite the dangerous toy. Aren't you full of surprises..."

He glanced behind him. Not out of fear, but curiosity.

[Bern]

Neptune

But it was too late.

just as he was turning around, a monstrous blue gelatinous mass assaulted his senses, invaded and perverted his very being with it's unholy form as it came crashing down upon with the fury of the scorned Gods.

"Dogoo!"

[Kotomine_Rin]

Lawrence

For a moment, shock overcame his senses. "Wha-?" "Wha-?"

But he could not, his time had come, and the wretched creature shot him down, as God's judgment did to Satan, into the final rung of frozen stillness. His face crashed on the wooden ground, and he found moving quite difficult. No, difficult couldn't quite describe it. It was as if his very spirit was being oppressed by this malignant being.

"How... curious...." You could hear his muffled voice despite being pressed over the wood. You could also hear a muffled cry of protest from a really angry bird who happened to get stuck on the bottom of the sandwich. It was quite the despairing view.

“O human race, born to fly upward, wherefore at a little wind dost thou so fall?” He remarked sadly, trying to reach for his book which flew away in the midst of the chaos. But he could not, rooted as he was. Unbelievable, simply unbelievable...

He lost the page.

[Aiden]

Sakura

Sakura nodded, although she disliked his dismissive air. An immigration officer should be there to answer questions, no?

Not that she'd really know any better. She just swore to herself under her breath in her native Finnish before standing up and taking her place slightly in front of her mage-killing friend.

"Let's go."

House Antioch

10:30 AM

"... welcome to the Citadel."

Those were the words that followed Sakura and Edelgard out to the gatehouse, and onto the cobblestone street that followed. Down it went, a subtle sloping that allowed the pair to witness far more than they had any hope to see. They could see spires of white-washed stone rise above large wooden buildings with gambrel roofs, blocks and blocks of them all arranged around a central point. Above them all, fifty stories with a base as large as any plaza they could find, was the Tower of Antioch. Or so a brown-robed passerby explained, along the way, as they saw the pair stare up and up its way.

The sky was twilit, an untimely shroud of royal purples and vibrant reds. It swirled around a single point, a dark flame at the tower's peak that crackled with so much mana it were as if someone were sticking needles in Edelgard's eyes.

The road led not directly to this tower, but rather to a large open square bustling with stands and commerce. People of all shapes and colors moved about: conventionally attractive ones in robes or showy dresses, old men with pointed hats and beards, all kinds of staves and walking sticks. They were a noteworthy, loud minority patronizing the wares - exotic foods, spices that reached to the nose with an unregulated allure, jewelry and showpiece weapons and jars upon jars of cheap magical reagents.

Eye of newt the least among it.

But more than those were the people gathered at the edges, watched by the men and women in their armors and carrying their enchanted pikes. People with animal ears, feathers, scaled skin and gemstone eyes. Boxes moved around on carts pulled by big, burly beings who could well be men.

The bazaar of House Antioch catered to, and employed, all.