Lore: Aquila

Mellow: Let's go and do some stuff. It'll get boring just talking.

So there were a variety of carnival-esque games where they won some prizes, enjoyed a variety of small meals and snacks over a few hours time. All in all, pretty fun. Finally, Aquila was recalled by the Queen. Introductions between Mellow and the Queen were made and it can be assumed by the Queen's love of fashion that the two got along well enough. The Queen making some remarks about how great it is that Aquila has made a friend, saying so in a motherly fashion.

It's mentioned that Mellow requires a bounty hunting job, and the Queen happily gives him a couple to hunt down magi residing in the area surrounding the city. After all is said and done, she dismisses Aquila and Mellow to their newly bestowed duties. Mellow to assassinate a couple of magi in the next couple days, and Aquila to monitor the assumed leader of the rebellion, Zera.

~Incarceration Center, Isolation Ward~

Zera:So, you've come back again. Is this as fun for you as it is for me?

Aquila doesn't acknowledge the prisoner, preferring to examine some of the prizes he won from the various festival games. Zera sighs, moderately annoyed. Neither were looking forward to yet another night of such a tedious scenario. Interestingly enough, both were looking forward to their escape near the break of dawn. Naturally Zera rambled on through this time period as he did any other night, talking about how fun it was raping the Queen. Aquila disregarded his as he always did, believing everything coming from his mouth a lie when really much of it was truth. Mocking, rude truth, but truth nevertheless.

As the sun rose, Aquila was asleep, his head resting on the table in front of Zera's cell. He was woken up by the sound of an explosion, the trembling of the earth, and loud screams coming from the outside. He looked to the cell, Zera's grinning illusion looking back at him as the illusory cell dissipated into a state of dilapidation. Much of the building had been destroyed, and it was only recently that a sound-proofing spell had been lifted to allow Aquila to wake up from his slumber. As for how nothing had collapsed on him and killed him, that remained a mystery that he had no time to ponder. Everything around him was chaos. Magic was recklessly being flung every which way, knights engaging sorcerers in duels to the death, and horrifyingly disfigured beasts rampaging through the city. A true nightmare that was quite real.

Naturally, he was shocked, but summoned the will to break from his astonishment and activate his combat skeleton to join the fray.

Mellow was dragging his two bounties, knocked out cold with bloodied foreheads and noses and with cheeks swollen until Mellow looked up a the entrance to the city and saw everything in complete disarray. He was shocked to see such a city having become total chaos just over night while he went out and hunted for the bounties the queen had sent him off for. He decided that it was best to take one of his daggers and slit the mages' throats and quickly wrote a note on a piece of paper informing anyone seeking to pay him the bounties of where to find him with an attached photograph of him that appeared to be quite high quality and ran off into the city.

Aquila was focused less on killing the sorcerers and deformed monsters assisting them, and more troubled by the escape of the prisoner, the tip of the spear for the rebel operations. His combat skeleton's anti-gravity blades would shred any hostile foes who drew to near, and most of his clothing would nullify sorcerer's spells.

All that mattered was finding the escaped bio weapon. He looked and looked, but so far, there was no sign of his whereabouts. He was still very confused and his thoughts were a chaotic mess, as he was trying to decipher how this force even infiltrated the city. Its defense network was one of the best, what kind of weapon did they have that could shut it down?

Meanwhile, his automated armor left a trail of enemy corpses as he examined his environment. Then the ground trembled again. And again, growing in strength. Something was coming. He looked around, but saw nothing until he raised his gaze. It was a large melding of creatures that resembled a hydra save for the mass of animated corpses that slowly propelled it along like a slug. Perhaps this was what destroyed the city's defenses?

He fired his levitating blades into the beast, going straight through it do to their vibrations, but the beast didn't even flinch. In response, Aquila drew his main weapon while his other blades danced around and through the beast's body, shredding it inside and out. Still, the monster did not relent, fending off other guards and knights as well.

Mellow looked up and saw the humongous beast drawing into the city and thought he couldn't take it on no matter what he did and simply rushed to find cover while he slung his yo-yo and decapitated any sorceror he found. He didn't want to die quite yet.

Aquila manages to climb onto the beast and jump down, cutting the base of its neck off, but it simply regrew its heads and the decapitated heads began growing into another body. It was invincible. He didn't have time for this. The Queen was likely in danger, and he still didn't know where the prisoner had gone. He knew one this though. This creature wasn't strong enough to penetrate the city's defense system. Something else did.

Suddenly, the lights flickered and the power shut down for thirty seconds, though it felt like an hour with all the fighting going on. It was at that moment though he realized that something was messing with the city's energy, and it may have what shut down the defenses in the first place, and so he sprinted towards the entrance to the maintenance network.

Coincidentally, as he was making his way there, he saw Mellow in cover.

Aquila:What the...? Mellow? Huh, I thought you'd be dead...well we should get going, the city's...well, you know. Being over run. We're losing this battle, but there's something we have to take care of if we should hope to turn this around. Well, I have to take care of, actually. But I'd prefer you come with me so I can ensure your safety.

Mellow: You wanna go see the queen, I take it, Aquila? Well let's go then. I'm glad you found me, I don't think I would've been able to survive here.

Aquila:*looks around* Eh, you might've been ok. As for the Queen, well...I was asleep when all this started. She probably fled at the first sign of danger with the Royal Guard. She should be somewhere outside the city though. No, I'm trying to find a specific prisoner, and I'm following my only lead.

He continues on and enters the maintenance area. No sorcerers or creatures here. A map tells them where to go and they reach the Mana Core. Aquila's hunch was right. Zera was there, hacking into the computer system controlling the core.

Zera:God dammit...what the hell kind of coding did they use for thi-...

He pauses, and turns to the door behind him to see Mellow and Aquila, and upon seeing Mellow he grimaces, remembering the incarnation he knew and identifying Mellow's "new" self on sight. He takes on a mocking tone and happy expression when seeing Aquila.

Zera:Why hello there! Didn't expect to see you here...well actually, I did. Must've had a nice nap, huh?
Aquila:Shutup.
Zera:So, gonna ask your dad to turn himself in? Hm? Gonna try to knock me out?
Aquila:I'm going to use lethal force this time, just so your mouth will be closed. Forever.
Zera:Well...I'd say you have a pretty decent shot with this being two on one and me being unarmed.

He cracks his knuckles as his skin hardens and calcifies.

Zera:I think I'll kill the pretty boy first...wait...

He's surrounded by an aura of mana, and he's begins to fade.

Zera:Teleportation magic? *sighs, and relaxes his combat stance* Apparently I'm "needed" elsewhere.

In a bid to kill Zera, Aquila had already lept at him, and just before his main blade could cut into him, the bio weapon had been teleported away, the shockwave knocking Aquila back towards the doorway and destroying the mana core.

Aquila:Agh...dammit...*sits up, rubbing the back of his head, which had begun bleeding from the impact with the floor* ....*looks to Mellow and sighs* Let's just get out of the city while we can.

He gets up, steadies himself against the doorway for a bit, as he was disoriented, before beginning to walk down the hallway.

Mellow: Wait, Aquila! You surely know you're bleeding. *tears off the lower part of his top, revealing his skintight black shorts underneath before wrapping the torn cloth around Aquila's head and tightens it as he ties it on* There. That should control the bleeding at the very least. Don't worry about me, I have plenty of clothes.

He blushes lightly upon seeing Mellow's shorts as he tore away the lower part of his crimson top, immediately raising his gaze and smiling at Mellow and his goodwill.

Aquila:Ah, thank you. Although if you reside here I doubt you'll have a change of clothes by the time that...thing levels the city.

They move to the way the came in, and see its covered in a flesh mass. Aquila frowns, and cuts open an exit from the mass. It seems that at some point the invincible creature had fallen apart, spreading its gore all over the city.

Aquila:Huh. Well never mind. Seems as though the hostile forces have likely drowned beneath the corpse of their indestructible pet. If you wanna get your clothes, now'll be the time. I'm sure they'll send supplementary forces to secure the city.

Mellow: Well I live outside the city. So I don't think my apartment will be ruined by anything. I guess I should go home and check on things there. But this is much more important anyway.

Aquila:Ah, you live outside the city? Huh. Well...yeah, it is more important to check on the nobles then.

They move through the city and exit it to the surrounding plains-woodland biome.

Aquila:Alright, just lead me to your place, and I'll go to the Queen's safe house from there and come back for you. Say, what about the bounties she assigned to you? If you finished them maybe you should just come with me and we can go to your house later.

Mellow: I wanted to bring them in alive since bringing them alive fetched higher prices, but when I saw the city and crap, I just killed them and wrote a letter to send me the money.

Aquila:Oh well. Do whatever you prefer I guess. If you don't come with me I'll check back after my business is done. *continues on his way*

Mellow; I'll just go with you. *follows Aquila* I suppose it's safer to travel together now.

Aquila:Yeah. I have no idea what to expect out here...I've never been outside the city, really. ^ ^u

Some time later, they arrive to the safe house and at first there's cautious resistance by injured Royal Guardsmen, but upon recognizing Aquila they let the two pass.

Empress:Ah, you're alive. Both of you! That's wonderful news. I'm glad to see you two safe. Aquila, I trust you have something to say about the method the prisoner used to escape?
Aquila:Um, no your highness. I...think he knocked me out. I tracked him down at the city's power core and he was teleported away from me before I could kill him.
Empress:You fell asleep? Well, you couldn't have helped it anyway. He used himself as a proxy to have his horde warp into the cell. He left you alive for some reason and stopped debris from falling on you with...magic. I advise you to be cautious. He clearly has plans for you if he took such great care to keep you alive.
Aquila:Understood.
Empress:I want you two to find and eliminate him. I will compensate you both generously for his death. I have no idea what his next target could be, you will have to track him down by your own methods. Keep in mind others are after his bounty as well.
Aquila:If I may ask you a question your highness...why did we not kill him when we had the opportunity?
Empress:We thought we'd be able to break his will and figure out where the resistance was hiding. It was my idea and although I don't have to...I do apologize for the consequences. *sighs* The situation went from under control to absolute chaos within a single night. Incredible...*shakes her head* You two should go. We'll be vacating this area in favor of Fog Vale within the hour, if you're wondering what the King and I shall be doing.

Aquila nods, turns and leaves.

Mellow: I guess we'll see you when we return from our hunt, your majesty. Bye. *turns and follows Aquila out of the room*

Aquila:So, guess you can get your clothes and whatever else you want and we can get going. We don't really have any provisions for our hunt yet. Gonna have to make that a priority.

Mellow: ALright, I'll go home and get us a few things from my place.

~Mellow's~

Aquila: So, this was your parent's place I'm guessing? *looks around*

Mellow: Nah, this is my own place. *gets a bag and starts putting things into it* I guess I'll just get what I can right now.

Aquila:Huh, must've completed a fair amount of bounties then I suppose. Well, I guess we'll head to the closest settlement and pick up the rest. I've got a fair amount of money on me, so we should be ok for food and stuff. Probably gonna have to buy a couple bags to backpacks to store it all in. Mhm. And see someone about my head wound. Shouldn't be anything serious, but still.

Mellow: Yeah. I'm just gonna go change my shirt now. *goes into a room and comes back a bit later wearing the exact same top, only now buttoned on the right side* There are. Good thing I have two of those.

Aquila:Yeah, it looks good on you. ^ ^ Nice to know you had one to fall back on. You wouldn't happen to have a map would you?.? Cuz...I don't have one. I know the general direction of the next town, but the rest we may have to investigate are beyond my knowledge.

Mellow: Yeah, I have a map in the bag there on the floor. We'll be peachy keen on this manhunt. Don't worry. And thanks, it does look good on me. ^ ^