LCC - R1: Champions of Lornius VS PETA Posse

[Enigmatic Immortal]

This round begins at 12:00 PM PACIFIC TIME on Friday! Good Luck!!!

[Max Dirks]

Max Dirks jumped down from his carriage into a small puddle of water. Dirks was in Concordia Forest in the dead of the night and it was pouring rain. The carriage’s driver offered his lantern to Dirks, but he turned it down. He knew the way to the castle. Dirks lifted his trench coat above his head to protect his face from the rain and briskly walked to the gate. When he arrived, the gate had already been opened and he was met by a guard. “What business do you have at Ixian Castle?” the guard asked. The criminal ignored the inquiry by continuing to walk into the courtyard. Taken aback, the guard pulled out a sword and yelled “Halt!” When Dirks did not comply, the guard grew frustrated. He ran around in front of Dirks, and held his sword at the criminal’s neck.

“Move,” Dirks said, pushing away the sword with his sleeve. When the guard did not comply, Dirks lowered his trench coat from his head and revealed his identity to the sentry. “I said move.” A look of horror washed over the guard’s face and he stepped back. The sword was visibly shaking in his arms. Dirks merely rolled his eyes and started walking again. The guard did not dare follow.

As he crossed the courtyard, a loud warning bell began to ring. Suddenly there were all sorts of distant shouts and the castle came alive as its inhabitants lit their lanterns. By the time Dirks arrived at the large wooden door, he was surrounded by at least 30 guards with their weapons drawn. Young Dirks probably would have appreciated this type of entrance, but old Dirks was just annoyed by all of the commotion. He could not afford to be delayed. Ignoring everyone around him, Dirks began to pound on the door. After a few moments of this, the door opened and revealed a startled butler surrounded by at least five armed and easily recognizable Ixian Knights in the castle foyer.

“C…can I help you sir?” the butler sputtered.

“Sei,” Dirks yelled into the open door. “We need to talk…”

Three weeks later…

Max Dirks stepped off the ferry and took a long, deep breath. The Lornius air reeked of sulfur and was likely eating away at his insides, but the familiar smell brought back vivid memories of the closest place Dirks had to a home on Althanas. Ten years ago, Dirks was the King of Lornius, literally, until he was ousted in a violent coup brought on by ungrateful peasants. They claimed that he had poisoned the crops, intentionally spread disease, and murdered innocent people, but those allegations were only incidentally true. The poison, disease and murder were actually caused by toxic waste, urban migration and workplace accidents and they were normal byproducts of industrialization. But because Dirks championed an industry in Lornius comparable to Alerar, these occurrences were blamed on him. Dirks was branded a criminal, a moniker that decided to keep, and was sent to Terrinore. He eventually escaped and a bounty was placed on his head.

Lyridia, the port city of Lornius, had changed greatly since his last visit. Once a bustling metropolis with newly paved roads and large metal buildings, it had since deteriorated into a symbol of failed industry in the post-Dirks years. “Let’s go,” Dirks said to his companion. “Silence” Sei Orlouge, Althanas’ quintessential hero and Dirks’ secret means to redemption, nodded and followed the criminal down the dock and into customs. Dirks approached an available officer stopped.

“Name?” the customs officer asked.

“Derek Garrett,” Dirks responded. He was wearing a borrowed Ixian cloak and had allowed his facial hair to grow to an obscene length to help protect his identity. Dirks was fairly certain the bounty on his head was still active, at least it had been the last time he participated in the Lornius Corporate Challenge, and he needed to be able to move throughout the country without being harassed.

“Race?”

“Human,” Dirks responded. The customs officer looked him up and down, and then continued. This reminded Dirks. Tell them you’re human, Dirks thought to Sei, It’ll save us some time . The xenophobic Lornians would certainly be skeptical of Sei’s angel wings and the Mystic would likely be subjected to a special search if he revealed his true race.

“Purpose for visiting?”

“Participant in the Lornius Corporate Challenge.” Dirks replied.

“Weapons claimed?”

“Two katanas.” Dirks pulled them from their sheaths and placed them on the counter. “Prevalida, unenchanted.” The criminal didn’t dare mention his handguns, which were safely strapped to his ankles in case he was frisked. The Beretta 950s were too recognizable on their own and would instantly betray his identity. After a few more minutes, the custom’s officer cleared him. Dirks picked up his weapons, walked out of the building and waited for Sei.

As he waited, he noticed something on the wall of the customs building that made him frown. It was a tattered wanted poster offering a $20,000 bounty for his head. Upon closer examination of the wall, it appeared as though at one point there were a hundred of them posted there. “Only $20,000 now?” Dirks shook his head. It was $100,000 when he won the last LCC. Dirks took the next moments to re-sheath his weapons. When Sei finally emerged from security, Dirks walked over to friend and whispered, “We need to find passage to the Capital quickly. Preferably before the tournament begins and they notice we’re missing.”

[Silence Sei]

Sei shifted his stance, uneasy with the idea of lying to a guard that was just doing his job. It had not been the first time that Max Dirks had convinced the mute to go against his own morals in order to further his own goals. Considering what was at stake, it probably would not be the last. The expression on the Mystic’s face was that of discontent, but his gunslinger partner seemed to ignore the glance.

“You are aware it took a good five minutes to explain that I was a telepathic mute, and another five to explain all of my weaponry?” Sei’s ‘voice’ filled Dirks head as the mute followed behind his friend, “I could have really used you to explain a few things back there, Dirks. Where are we heading anyways?”

“The Flying Lornius Restaurant,” Dirks continued to walk without looking back at his friend, as if such things were below the noble Max Dirks, “We need to catch a ride to The Floating City. Find someone who has some elevator passes and swipe them away. Should be a piece of cake between our skills.”

“Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa,” Sei paused, finally feeling the cold air brush against his skin, blowing his long white shawl into the air, “I’ve already lied for you today, Dirks. Now you want me to steal as well? Give me one good reason why I should commit theft in order to help you.”

Max then paused, in the awkward moments between then and the answer, the sounds of the chattering city folk seemed to go silent, and the only movement between the two of them came from the wind blowing in their hair. “Sei, we’ve fought against each other, and together. We know each other’s worst fears, greatest strengths, and exploitable weaknesses. At this point, we’re practically family.” Dirks turned around, a giant grin plastered on his features, “And you’ve always been about family first, right?”

___

Sei sat at the table of the Flying Lornius Restaurant. He sighed as he watched Dirks glide from table to table. The gunslinger had a way with words, charming the pants off of man and woman alike, looking towards Sei every time he mentioned something about the Floating City’s elevator. Each time, Sei would shake his head, confirming that the targets did not have any telepathic ticks once the elevator was mentioned. It seemed that there wasn’t anybody here that had access to the city.

Sei took another drink of his milk glass, allowing the cool liquid to rush down his throat. As he set the glass down, Dirks found his way to a new target. As Sei looked towards the new mark, he almost choked on his drink. “Dirks, Sei attempted to warn the gunslinger before it was too late.

However, he was already talking to a small kid sitting down, four small balls sitting upon the fine mahogany table before him.

[Chibimon Blue]

Hsa sat at the table, analyzing each of his chibiballs, his mind thinking of how to arrange his Chibimon order for maximum efficiency. The smell of fine foods, mostly steaks that were passing on trays, filled the room. The child placed a hand on his spoon, stirring the ice cream he had ordered (which at this point had become a fine lightly brown colored sludge) when he was approached by a strange man.

Hsa broke away from his strategies to look at the stranger. His black beard matched the color of his hair, and his green eyes seemed to look right into the child’s soul. It took the child a few moments to think about it, but once he had, he immediately stood up from his seat, his eyes wide in a mixture of shock and respect. “I’m sorry!” Hsa bowed his head in respect, the man’s words falling on deaf ears, “Please forgive me for not recognizing you sooner, sir! It’s just with the hair and the cloak, you look a lot different!”

“What are you talking about, Kid?” The man spoke, the voice even sounding familiar to the Chibimon trainer.

“Hsa,” a voice filled the child’s head from everywhere and nowhere at once. It sounded like an echo going off inside the boy’s mind. “Hsa, whatever you do don’t…”

“Sei’s here too!” The boy jumped giddy with excitement. His voice seemed to carry over the jazz music that filled the restaurant. He smiled now, completely confident in the other man’s identity now. “Now I’m sure of it! You’re the great Max Dirks! It’s an honor sir!”

At the mention of that name, the music stopped abruptly, and all conversations stopped. Even the waiters who had been carrying dishes to and from the kitchen stopped mid-stride to focus on the boy and his conversation partner. “I can’t wait for Alden to get here to meet you, Mr. Dirks! It’s a real honor! What are you and Sei doing all the way out here in Lornius!? Didn’t you win one of these tournaments already?” The kid prattled on as kids were so oft to do.

He was completely oblivious to the various people slowly starting to leave The Flying Lornius in order to alert the guards.

[Alden]

Alden was in a foul mood. The half-ling had just wasted two hours undergoing extensive and unnecessary questioning from the Lornian customs officials. They invaded his packs, dissected every piece of equipment and explanation he offered, and still were unsatisfied. When asked why such searches were necessary, they merely ignored him and kept to their work. He tried to explain that he was participating in the local tournament, and that his partner was already waiting for him. So as they sent men to look into whether or not he told the truth, they began to ask him about his heritage. Alden didn’t know. He had no memories past a few years ago. He tried to pass himself off as an elf, but given his stature and abnormally long ears, they had their doubts. But when their man returned and – thankfully, mercifully – substantiated that Alden was telling the truth, they let him go, and reminded him that they were going to “keep an eye” on him.

His time in Althanas, since waking in Scara Brae’s Brokenthorn Forest with no memories and barely any personal belongings, had been mainly focused introspectively. Aside from learning various languages from Tradespeak to Dwarven from Helenna, a scholar from Corone, he had only limited to no knowledge of the world outside of the island nation. So when his new acquaintance and tournament partner, a rather odd boy by the name of Hsa, had told him about Lornius – whose similarities with Scara Brae end at being an island nation – Alden was somewhat skeptical. After his experiences entering their lands, the half-ling had no desire to return.

The air was putrid, a strong odor that made Alden nauseous. It was almost as if the island had turned sour and rotten. The half-ling felt even worse for his half-dog companion Cavan, whose sense of smell was greater than his. Several times Alden had to stop to let the dog vomit any bile that found itself pushing out of its stomach. Local Lornians would pass by with a look of disgust and anger, both at his companion and the small half-ling himself. A strong cold wind tore through the dilapidated streets and bit into Alden’s skin beneath his normal clothes. The Lornians were almost as frigid as the weather. Alden felt into his pocket and grabbed the folded letter he had stored there to remind himself of why he had come to this awful place to begin with.

”Dear Alden. I’ll be at The Flying Lornius Restaurant at midday. See you soon! ^____^"

Alden gave a soft smile to Hsa’s note, his innocence shining through. Although somewhat irritated that the young boy had forgotten to include directions to their destination, the half-ling just dismissed it as a boy’s forgetfulness. The half-ling was befuddled as to why a young boy would want to participate in such a dangerous tournament as the LCC, but Alden could not let him face the danger alone. He would not be able to live with himself if Hsa was injured or worse and Alden could have done something to help. After a few minutes of asking directions from the dismissive and hateful Lornians, who made it a chore to get more than two words of out them, he was able to find his way to the restaurant.

As he and Cavan approached the building, he noticed just how badly it was in need of repair. The sign was at an awkward angle, the paint was chipping and altogether gone at some points and the front doors were dirty and barely hanging on their hinges. It was after seeing that Alden remembered that the entire port city had been in such a state. The Lornians had been terrible hosts, but maybe it had been warranted. The half-ling didn’t know the nation’s history and as such, didn’t know the hardships they may have endured. It didn’t mean Alden would want to ever come back, but he could forgive the Lornians for their actions, if only slightly.

He approached the doors, and patrons began to pour out of the building in droves, walking away in hurried steps. Once they were gone, Alden entered the building cautiously, not knowing what he would find inside. All he found were empty seats and silence. He scanned the restaurant, noticing that dishes and food were still on the tables. A group was nearby holding instruments, as were the restaurant’s workers, holding trays. They were staring at the only other people left. After quick scrutiny, Alden marked one as Hsa. There were two others: one with dark hair, a dark beard and a dark cloak, who towered over Hsa. The other was sitting at a nearby table, who’s look was somewhat peculiar. With long orange hair that was bundled up, the man was a strange sight to behold.

Alden didn't like the feeling he was getting from the situation. The half-ling noted Cavan’s ears, back firmly against his head, and knew his companion felt the same. He approached slowly, repositioning his pack.

“Hsa,” he asked tentatively, “is everything alright?” The young boy only looked at him with a wide smile of excitement.

“Alden!” he said cheerfully. “There’s someone I want you to meet!”

[Max Dirks]

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Max Dirks growled when the young boy repeated his name. When Hsa finally stopped babbling, Dirks stole a quick glance around the area. Those who hadn’t fled the restaurant after his name had been uttered were now staring directly at him. Upon seeing this Dirks grit his teeth and turned back to the annoying child. “Did you not see the wanted posters?” Dirks whispered angrily. “They’re posted every 10 fucking feet in this city.” At that moment, Dirks lost control. He reached over the table knocking several of the “Chibi-balls” to the floor, and grabbed the child by the throat. “Give me one good reason…”

Dirks! Sei’s telepathy burned into Dirks' mind. He’s just…

“A child, I know.” Dirks screamed, cutting the Mystic off. He let go of the boy and turned back to Sei.

And an ally of the Ixian Knights Sei added.

“We need to go, now,” Dirks replied, not really caring for Sei’s clan politics. He rushed over to the Mystic, who was now standing, and dropped to a knee. Dirks fiddled with the straps around his ankles for a moment and removed his Berettas one by one from their holsters. “Here,” he stood up and pressed the weapons against Sei’s chest. “Take these and go out the front.” Sei took the weapons, and Dirks continued, “There’s a massive bridge at the base of the Lotho Mountains to the north. Meet me there at sundown.”

Dirks turned to leave. “Oh, and Sei. Ally or not, if I see that kid again I’m going to kill him.” With his final warning, Dirks took off. No one dared to move as he ran through the kitchen and out the backdoor. The alley behind the Flying Lornius was empty, but Dirks could hear shouts getting louder in the distance. Those that left the restaurant had likely called the guards. Not wishing to be seen, Dirks instinctively ran the opposite way of the noise. But when he ran around the corner onto the main road, his heart dropped.

Four guards were directly in front of him. He didn’t even have time to react when the first one, a gruff 300 pound man, grabbed him and held him in a bear hug. At first Dirks struggled. He could easily take down these four and escape, but then he stopped. From this location he could no longer hear the shouts coming from the Flying Lornius. It was possible, likely even, that these guards weren’t responding to the commotion. “Please,” Dirks cried out in the best cockney accent he could muster, “Please don’t hurt me. I promise I’ll give them back. Just please, let me go!”

Somehow the guards fell for his ruse believing that he had, in fact, stolen the katanas strapped to his back. After Dirks’ “confession” the large guard released him from the bear hug as another bound his hands. As they led him to the jail, Dirks’ grit his teeth once more. He really didn’t have time for this.

[Silence Sei]

Sei had always felt uncomfortable in the presence of guns. More than once, the mute had fallen to the precise shot of a sniper in battle. The rough metal of the barettas were tucked safely against his chest, scratching at his skin. He looked towards Hsa, who was busy looking for his chibiballs. The child stopped for a moment to look up at Sei, who smiled towards the boy and knelt down, grabbing one of the child’s prized possessions and handing it back to him. “You’d do well to not leave your Chibimon just lying about, Hsa. There are bad people in the world who will have no qualms about knocking them off of wherever you place them.”

Hsa sniffled a little and nodded. Sei stood up with a smile, placing his head atop the Chibimon trainer’s ball cap and rubbing his head a bit before making a hasty exit out of the restaurant. The winds had started to blow more frequently now. Sei could hear people reporting the appearance of Max Dirks at the eatery. The mute watched as several armed guards came rushing into the establishment, various weapons at the ready to slay their former lord. The mute smiled, knowing full well that all they would find is come confused waiters and a resilient pair of warriors.

The mute began to casually stroll down the streets of Lyridia, playfully kicking up dust now that he had been temporarily relieved of the pain in his neck known as Max Dirks. Champions of Lornius, Sei found himself lost in his thoughts, I swear if Dirks ever talks me into something like this again, he’s not going to pick our team name. How presumptuous does one have to be to just outright name yourselves the winner of the tournament before it even begins?

“Excuse me sir,” a gruff voice spoke up, breaking Sei out of his concentration. The mute paused, looking to his left as several guards left an alleyway. The mute bowed his forgiveness to the group stepping aside as they walked by. “Thank you, sir,” he said as he passed by the wandering telepath. Sei nodded his recognition to the group, the smile still plastered across his features.

That was, until he saw Max Dirks pass by, each of his arms being held by a separate guard.

Sei reached out, prepared to speak up for his friend, but caught himself. Testifying for Max Dirks would have incriminated Sei as well, and the two would spend years in prison facing execution rather than achieving their goal. He lowered his hand as he watched the officers take his friend off into the crowd, presumably to wherever criminals went to be processed by Lornius’ judicial system.

“Once again,” Sei closed his eyes and sighed, allowing the cool breeze the fan him, “you’re more trouble than you are worth, Max Dirks. But…. You are family.” With that, Sei continued his pace, keeping a fair distance from the guards while following Max’s telepathic ‘imprint’.

[Chibimon Blue]

“I’ll help you get to him,” Hsa said as he strolled behind Sei. The mute seemed a little shocked at the presence of the boy, who was walking just as casually as he was. “After all, it’s my fault he got arrested. I was gonna go apologize to him when I saw the guards take him. Alden should be here in a minute. He’s finishing up questioning on our behalf. I filled him in on who you guys were before I left though, and Cavan should be able to tail us with his sense of smell.”

“Hsa,” Sei spoke to the child as they followed the men, “what are you even doing here, in Lornius that is?”

Hsa laughed a little, pulling out the chibiball that belonged to his favorite Chibimon, MysLight, and tossed it up and down in the air. “Long story short, I lost an arena battle against a guy named Lesnar. I need my Chibimon to get stronger so I can beat him and get his medal. That’s one of the best signs of a strong Chibimon trainer, is how many medals they have. Anyway, I decided to join the Lornius Co-operate Championship in order to get my friends strong enough to take on Lesnar.”

They began to pass through the market section of the city as they talked, their view of Dirks becoming a little more obscured by the various customers and merchants. However, the sick smell of industry was at least temporarily masked by the aroma of oranges, strawberries, and other miscellaneous fruit. The smell reminded Hsa of his hone, when he used to be welcomed by a full plate of fruit for breakfast each morning. That was before he went on his adventure to be the greatest trainer, like no one had ever been.

“First of all, Hsa, its Lornius Corporate Championship, not Co-operate. And what is the story with your partner?”

“Oh yeah,” Hsa smiled as he looked up at the Ixian Captain, “Alden and me met up in Scara Brae. When he had heard I registered for the LCC, he seemed concerned and asked that I take him on as a partner. He hasn’t seen any of my Chibimon yet, so I think he may think that I’m just a useless little kid. Speaking of, he should be catching up any minute now.” Hsa turned, stopping his stride for a moment to wait for his partner. “What’s taking him so long?”

[Max Dirks]

(Sorry Alden, we're going to skip/bunny you. If you object please let us know)

Bam! The officer’s fist slammed hard into Dirks’ left cheek, nearly knocking him to the ground. His hands were tied to a chair, so the fall would have been especially awkward and painful. “You know,” his interrogator said, shaking his hand. “Lornius’ law is clear. An arm for an ‘arm’…”

“Just do it then,” Dirks replied coldly. “Moron.” He added. In response, the guard caught him with another cross that sent him sprawling. Without his hands to brace the fall, the criminal landed flush on his right cheek. The actual blow had caused one of his canines to chip. Dirks watched in silence as the officer moved to a table in the back and lifted a large scimitar into the air.

“I’m going to enjoy this,” the guard said as he began to walk towards the criminal. However, before he could arrive, another man entered the room. He walked silently to the interrogator and whispered something inaudible into his ear. Then in unison, two sets of eyes turned to Dirks. They stared for a moment, and then both hastily walked out the door. Dirks heard a faint “click” as they locked the door behind them.

“Shit,” Dirks swore, knowing that he had just been identified. He suspected that he would have only minutes until the interrogator returned with an entire legion of troops. Without moving, Dirks peered up at the table across the room but it was empty. They must have taken the sharp weapons with them. Blood from the chipped tooth began to fill Dirks mouth, but instead of spitting it out he swallowed it. The taste of iron made him feel like vomiting, but he continued to swallow until only the piece of the tooth remained. Dirks spit out his tooth onto the ground in front of him. It was sharp and curved. It might work. With great effort, Dirks managed to spin the chair around his body and grabbed the tooth with his tied right hand. He immediately started trying to break it apart.

“God damn it,” he cried after three minutes of cutting. He’d literally made no progress into the rope and had trouble keeping a grip on the bloody tooth. He clenched his hands into fists and screamed. He knew he should have just killed those guards in the streets. Who cared if people knew that the feared Max Dirks had returned to Lornius? Even with Lornius’ army breathing down his neck he could not be stopped. He would do anything for her…

Three weeks ago…

“Silence” Sei Orlogue handed Dirks a cup of tea which he took, but did not drink. By now the commotion at the Ixian Castle had subsided and the two were alone in Sei’s study. It’s a little late, even for you. So what brings you to my humble home at three in the morning? the Mystic telepathically said to Dirks, with irritation evident in his tone.

Dirks looked around before answering. When he was sure no one was eaves dropping his tone changed dramatically. “I found her,” the criminal said with a strange glow in his eye. “She’s alive, Sei. I’ve seen her with my own eyes.” She was Starlynn Sonar, the love of Dirks’ life. Seven years ago, when Dirks was being actively hunted by the Lornians, the Bandit Brotherhood, the Queen of Scara Brae, the Gray Braves, and the Red Hand, the two met and fell deeply in love. Over time, the kind elf began to change the hardened criminal. For once in his life he had something to live for other than money and power. It was Starlynn, in fact, that convinced Dirks to befriend his enemy and rival, Sei Orlouge, and now the two were more than friends. They were family. He owed everything to Starlynn. Then two days after he asked her to marry him she was killed by Dirks’ greatest enemy, Xalstad. Or so he thought.

Sei looked stunned, as he knew instantly who Dirks was referring to. To the Mystic, this also explained where Dirks had gone for the past year. But I thought Xalstad…

“So did I…” Dirks cut Sei off, eager to continue his story. “…until I found her in Lindequalmë.” When Dirks mentioned the Red Forest by its elfish name Sei cringed. Dirks took note of his friend’s reaction and immediately replied, “She’s not a zombie, Sei. She’s just sleeping…” The criminal’s voice trailed off.

So why didn’t you wake her? Sei asked. He was clearly skeptical of Dirks’ story. The Mystic had, after all, seen Dirks’ at his drunken worst.

“Because,” his voice turned somber. “I can’t reach her. She’s protected by some kind of magical barrier that I can’t penetrate. And before you say anything, of course I’ve tried to break the barrier. Even the best Magicians on Althanas have failed. I’ve spent a fortune…”

Dirks… Sei said. He placed his arm on Dirks’ shoulder. The Red Forest. He paused, trying to choose the right words to use around his uncharacteristically emotional friend. The Red Forest is cursed. It can produce ideas, even images, designed to make people go mad. Starlynn…Starlynn isn’t there, old friend.

“Don’t you think I’ve thought of that,” Dirks replied angrily, throwing Sei’s arm off his shoulder. “But damn it, what the hell else do I have going for me right now? Plus, if it is just an illusion it’s been corroborated. Every one of the magicians I hired thought it was real.”

Well Dirks, Sei sighed, What do you want me to do? If the best have tried, I’m not sure that I can waltz in there and remove the barrier either.

“No, it’s not that,” Dirks mumbled. He almost sounded somewhat sinister. “It’s not magic that I need. Anti-magic is the key, and that key is Thoracis Rakarth…”

Three weeks later…

“Argh,” Dirks screamed. Somehow he managed to climb to his feet with the chair hunched over his back. With great determination, he ran backwards into the wall, slamming against it as hard as possible. The chair instantly broke apart, loosening his arms and feet. “Why on earth didn’t I think of that earlier?” he thought out loud. However, before he could grab a piece of the chair to cut his bindings, the door opened and 20 guards filed in one by one, surrounding him.

“Max Dirks,” one said, “You’re under arrest for high treason. The penalty is death.” As the criminal prepared to fight in desperation, he noticed a small weed growing from the ground near one of the guards. Within moments, several others sprouted nearby and began to quickly grow. One by one, the weeds began to grab the unsuspecting guards and lifted them into the air.

“I don’t think so,” Dirks smirked. He watched in earnest as the guards were pelted by small stones and were knocked unconscious. Then finally, his savior, the angel winged Mystic broke through the door.

[Silence Sei]

Sei leaves Dirks with his LCC opponent for no apparent reason, because a grown man beating up a child is realistic in his world.Sei’s eyes glanced from each of the guards, noticing their bodies being lowered gently by the seaweed of his Octopus’ Garden spell. He walked over to his friend, a small key in his hand courtesy of the guards outside the interrogation room. There was a quick click of Dirks’ handcuffs being unlocked, and the vagabond rubbed his wrists, giving Sei a ‘took you long enough’ look.

“Why is it you insist on making me an accessory to crime every time we are together?” Sei sighed, shaking his head in shame. Dirks stood up and gave the mute a grin.

“Name one time other than now tha---“

“The thing in Ettermire with the confiscated goods.” Sei pointed a single finger into the air, as if he were prepared to rattle off examples.

“That was more your fault than mi—“

“Scara Brae when you ‘accidentally’ became the leader of a dog fighting ring.” Another finger came up into the air.

“That evidence was circumstan---“

“That time with the prostitute in Underwood….”

“Alright, I get your point!” Dirks finally got snippy with his friend. He quickly tried to change the subject, “How did you manage to get me out this time?”

“You’d be surprised how little tolerance the human mind has when paired against a professional,” Sei began to walk out of the room, his shoes making flopping sounds against the ground. Though he couldn’t see it, the psychic was certain that his friend was smiling wider now. The pair quickly left the guard station, all other occupants of the building rendered unavailable to stop them. “So –now- whats the plan?”

“We stick with the plan; get to the Floating City and get what we came for.” Dirks began to quicken his pace, now walking beside Sei as an equal. The gunslinger held up a small card, some Lorinian writing printed on the lamenatetd square. Sei knew better than to ask where his friend had obtained an elevator pass, but there was still one problem.

“There’s only one.”