Chapter 5: Serpents and Kings

The member '[][][][]' has done the following action : FFMSL Dice

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'Challenge' :

Result :

Chapter 5: Serpents and Kings

North Bridge, Western Ramoa Provinces
The Truth

CHALLENGE COMPLETE

1000 XP awarded

Agnes manages to overcome her demon for the first time. But the fight for her soul has just began. After hearing the ruckus was that happening inside, the Ramoan Knights decided to breech the doors. But what they found inside was enough to scare even the bravest of men. A large black demon was standing in the room, it was so tall that it had to bend it's head just to fit in the room. Beside the demon was the unconscious Agnes Nera.

The Demon stared into the eyes of the Ramoan knights before it unleashed a powerful spell that caused a massive explosion of dark energy. The blast was so powerful that it left no traces of the Knights who were closest to Agnes.The entire east section of North Bridge, gone. All the surrounding structures were leveled, nothing in a 1 km radius was turned into ash and fire. The explosion could be seen and heard from all the way up to the Dreadfort. The blast was at least 5 times stronger than the one that happened in Drakestone city.

8,000 people dead in an instant. The number could've gone higher if Agnes had chosen an Inn located in the center of the city. Only Agnes survived that blast, it's all because the demon won't let her die. But it can beat her into submission, and that is what's about to happen.


The time has come for Agnes to face her Demon Nero. The winner of this combat will have power over the other. The demon shrinks down to the same size as Agnes. It turns itself into a young girl with long black hair. The demon teases Agnes as she comes to her senses.

"Look at what you did. All those poor souls, I can hear their screams as they roast in hell for all eternity. Are you ready? It's time to take that body of yours." Nero conjures a dark spear and holds it in both hands as her weapon.

*Event Battle*

If Agnes wins, she will have control over the Demon, Nero. Chaos Form will evolve into a passive skill and no longer a transformation skill. There will be no more demonic take over.

If the demon wins, then Agnes will lose her self and will forever remain in Chaos Form, and will lead a life of Chaos and destruction.

Make one last post before the battle begins.

Chapter 5: Serpents and Kings

North Bridge, Western Ramoa Provinces
The Truth

Agnes was able to easily overcome the Demon Nero. She had so much power in her, which is why Nero was so desperate to possessed her body. But ultimately, not even a Demon was enough to best her. It was extremely rare for a human to possess this much magic. The last human to reach this level was Corneus, but compared to him, Agnes is much younger. Technically, she's even stronger than most of the Alferian Mage Instructors in P'kon, who are hundreds of years older than she is.

Now that Agnes has absorbed Nero, she no longer needs to fear the Demon taking control of her. Nor will Nero bother Agnes by screaming in her head all the time. She can no longer transform into a demon though, but she still has access to Nero's abilities. She regains her natural hair color, after the dye she used to color it washed off. All her wounds seemed to have healed up as well.

The fight was witness by a lot of civilians and the Ramoan authorities, one of them was Captain Durendez, who rushed to the scene immediately after the explosion. He was at a loss of words, at just how powerful the mage is. He retracted his words before about putting her head on a spike should she fail. Because after seeing her fight, Durendez knew that it was probably his head, which will roll off his shoulders should the girl screw up. Still, this did not deter him from his goal. The girl is needed for an important mission.


Durendez orders his men to release the prisoner mages being kept in the precinct, because they've already found the person they were looking for. Carefully, with his arms raised, he approached Agnes and said, "So you're the girl everyone's been talking about. I don't want to harm you, I just need your help. We all do."

Now that Agnes has reached a different level of her Chaos Demon, it allowed her to gain a special ability. This skill has been unlocked for Agnes.

>>>>>UNCOMMON SKILL<<<<<
CHAOS HEART
SP	LEVEL	STM	MOVES	Effect	Requires	Target
-	-	-	-	Passive	Quest	Self
Provides the user with demonic strength and magic resistance. It also allows the user to defy gravity and learn the ability to fly, without the use of wings. Passively turns the user's element into DARK Adds 666 MAG Adds 666 MDEF

Chapter 5: Serpents and Kings

North Bridge, Western Ramoa Provinces
The Truth

"It's nothing like that," Durendez said. Admittedly, the Ramoan army had no interest in using Agnes as as a weapon. Their only goal was to resolve the issue regarding the possible weakening of the Old God's seals. However, the same cannot be said for the Empire and the Alfeirs. Their intentions towards Agnes is unclear, especially the Empire. But none of that mattered right now, the only thing Durendez needed to was to convince Agnes that he was not an enemy.

As time passed, more people came to the scene, a battle here would undoubtedly cause potential harm to a lot of people. This was also one of Durendez's concerns. He knows that Agnes is indeed very strong, probably stronger than he is, but he will not hesitate to raise his sword against her in defense of the people.


"These people's safety is my primary concern. Let's go to the precinct, there I'll explain everything to you in the precinct." 

Chapter 5: Serpents and Kings

North Bridge, Western Ramoa Provinces
The Truth[/size]

Spies from all over, have already sent word to their factions about what happened here in Northbridge. It won't be long before the information reaches the Delva'shok. But aside from the Delvas, who else could be tuning into Agnes' progress? The Empire should be the obvious choice, with their insatiable lust for rarities and power. Durendez knows this, thus he made sure that it would only be him and his most trusted people, who will have close access to Agnes.

Durendez accompanied Agnes into the precinct, all the attention was drawn to her, she is after all well known for destroying things. Durendez took Agnes to his private office and had two of his most loyal guards guard the entrance. Once inside, Durendez offers Agnes a seat, a courtesy to the young lady. Then he goes around the table and sat on the other side. He pulled out a bottle of ale and offered it to Agnes, not sure if the young girl drank or not. He, on the other hand, surely needed one. He poured himself a glass and stirred out around a little before drinking it.

"Ahh! I needed that. I want you to know... That what you did today, doesn't absolve you from all your other crimes. You are aware of these crimes aren't you?" Not wanting to vex the girl, Durendez changes gears. "But what you will do for our planet might." he adds.

"Have you heard of the Old Legends? The ones about the monsters buried deep within our planet?" Durendez asks. "I'm sure you have, you're a smart girl after all. But if not, then I'm afraid you'll have to find a book about it, because I'm not in a story telling mood."

"Let me just tell you this... They're real, and there's one buried deep beneath this continent. To stay imprisoned, the people of this world work together with the Guardians by strengthening the Seal placed on the Old Gods. When you killed, Corneus Corvall, the lecherous old man in Hellsgard Hold. You destroyed his Seal, therefore weakening the overall power of the Seals."

"Legends tells us that only Guardians and Demons are immune to Whispers of the Old Gods.
Eight years ago, the Alferian King, Ish'in Felfalas, sanctioned a mission that our President agreed in. A joint operation to add an additional Seal to the Prison, without a Guardian. Because there were no more Guardians left, or they've all gone in hiding. Or so we thought, a few months ago the Guardian Bahamut resurfaced in Wrozan and destroyed Redhold, killing thousands of innocent civilians and soldiers. Then you killed Corneus, one of the Grand Sorcerers who placed a Seal on the Old Gods."

"The resurgence of the Guardians, the death of Corneus, we think that these events might indicate the return of the Old Gods, or at least someone out there is trying to free them. We cannot trust the Guardians anymore, they may already be corrupted by the Old God's dark influence. Which why we turn to you."

"No one can withstand the powers of the Whispers, but you've got a demon inside you. So it might just work. Yes, that's right, it might. We're sure it will work, but without the Guardians, you are our best hope at getting that seal there. We need you to accompany an Alferian Grand Sorcerer, he will cast the incantation of the Grand Seal from a distance, we'll trap the spell inside a quadrant cube and it is your job to take the cube and release the spell into the prison."

"You don't have to kill anyone. We're not asking you to be a weapon, we're ask you to be our mail woman/girl. Another thing, in exchange for your services, the Alliance has agreed to pardon you from your crimes. But we cannot say the same for the Delvas. They seem to be hell bent of getting you. If you side with us, we promise to protect you from them until your task is done."

Chapter 5: Serpents and Kings
North Bridge, Western Ramoa Provinces
The Truth

Durendez was hoping to avoid talking about that. He lost an entire brigade along with his son in that mission to add a Seal. The only one who survived that mission was the Grand Sorceress Ahmira, the same person who is overseeing Eligor's training as a Grand Sorcerer.

He kept a memento of his son, his son's sword, and carries it with him wherever he goes. He doesn't use it though, he prefers to use his own sword. It's been a while since Durendez has had to fight, perhaps it has been too long.

Durendez was about the answer Agnes' question, when all of the sudden one of the guards outside the door started knocking. Durendez tells the guard to enter the room. "Captain, we received an urgent letter from the President."

Durendez takes the letter and reads in silently. The letter was a warning coming the capital, signed by the President. It is the result of Lord Ignious' letter to the capital. It warns the Ramoan forces all over Wrozan about the arrival of the Delva'shok army in Skullenport. It also says that the army is looking for a girl named Agnes Nera. Durendez doesn't have to know that the girl in front of her is Agnes Nera. He knows that the Delvas are looking for a demonic relic stolen by a girl. That was enough to make him realize that the girl in front of him is Agnes Nera, but he just wanted to be sure.

He drops the letter on his table and asks Agnes, "Is your name Agnes Nera? If so, then you're in grave danger. 80,000 Delvas landed in Skullenport a few days ago, and they're looking for a girl named Agnes Nera. It looks pretty serious, serious enough to risk starting a war with Wrozan. Either way, you can't stay here. I've arranged for an airship to take us south, in Alferian territory. We'll meet with the Grand Sorceress and make our decision there."

Durendez stands up and takes his sword and his son's sword. He gestures the guards to prepare the airship. "We need to leave, if the Delvas find you here, they'll slaughter all these people. Come with me."

Bar owner: "Wake up you dumb mutt!"

*Zale gets splashed with water*

Zale wakes up slowly, despite being soaked in a bucket of cold and dirty water. First he opens his eyes, then he scratches his balls because they were itchy. After scratching his balls, Zale raises his hand up to his face and sniff his crotch smelling hand, twice.

*Zale yawns.*

Zale: "Oro?"

He wonders where he is, unable to recall the events last night after being so wasted. He finds himself outside, at the back of the Pub. Last night he had won a bet against one of the customers. The bet was whoever could hold their hands over a candle longest, would buy the other drinks. Zale cheated of course, the poor man ended up with a burnt hand and an empty wallet, thanks to Zale. He started searching his pockets for anything he could use, not sure what he was going to use it for. He found 99 gil and some crumpled paper in his pockets. He was a gil short, not sure where he might have used or lost it.

Zale felt like taking a leak. He got up, still hammered from last night, and dropped his pants and took a piss on the wall. While he was taking a piss, he failed to notice the large plume of smoke coming from the west side of Northbridge. Zale was oblivious of the events surrounding him. When he was done pissing, Zale shook the urine off his manhood and wanted to go back inside the Pub, to look for the man he cheated and ask for more drinks. But the man had already gone home and the Pub was closed. Zale started looking around for something to wipe his hand on, and incidentally, he found a chocobo parked outside. He approached the beast and wiped his hands on the bird's feathers.

Zale: "Good birdie."

While he was wiping the piss off his hands, Zale finally sees the burning section of Northbridge.

"Fire"

Knowing he could do something to stop the fires from spreading, Zale contemplates on whether or not he should help. He stares at the Chocobo's face and asks it,

Zale: "What do you think huh? Should I do something? I feel like I should do something, but I don't want to because I just woke up."

Zale realizes that it's too much work for him alone. So he decides to leave it to the professionals. Instead of helping the people from the tragedy, Zale instead, chooses to pick his ear using his pinkie finger.

Chapter 5: Serpents and Kings
North Bridge, Western Ramoa Provinces
The Truth

Durendez can't force Agnes to agree with him, even if he did it wouldn't turn out well for him. The only thing he could do was try and talk some sense into the young girl. Though it was admirable that she was thinking of the people of Wrozan, she's unable to see the bigger picture. The fate of the entire world rests in the balance, and without the Guardians, Agnes was it's only hope.

"I admire your compassion for our people. But you need to trust us. We'll keep our nation safe. The Delvas won't be able to over power the Alliance."

"You need to deliver that Seal. The fate of the entire world hangs in the balance."

Durendez opens the door for Agnes, he wasn't going to stop her if she still chooses to go to the Delvas, but he hopes that Agnes will be able to make the right decision. But before she could leave, Durendez finally opens up to Agnes and tells her about the mission eight years ago.

"Eight years, the alliance didn't have a Guardian or anyone like you when they tried to fix the Seals. The Grand Sorceress Ahmira was the only one who survived that mission. She survived because she used Blood Magic. She sacrificed everyone, including my son. To protect herself from the Whispers."

"We don't know any other way to block the Whispers. I never want anyone to use that form of magic again. No fathers should have to bury their sons. I want to ask you to please reconsider. We need you to help us.

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Chapter 5: Serpents and Kings
North Bridge, Western Ramoa Provinces
I am who I am

Meanwhile, more and more volunteers and disaster control personnel are heading over to the blast site, trying to save as many people as they can. As this is happening, Zale continues to console with the Chocobo, searching his feelings. In the corner of his eye, he catches a glimpse of a wall from a four story building collapsing. When then wall collapsed, it revealed that there was a young girl trapped inside, and there were no rescuers nearby.

The girl was either crying for a while, but she soon passed out due to exhaustion. Fire was spreading out of control, and soon it would reach the little girl. Only Zale, was within the vicinity. He could choose to help the girl himself or he could call for help. Also, could stay there and just watch the girl die.

CHOICE EVENT!

Zale can choose to try and save the girl or ignore her.

To save the girl Zale needs to roll at least 3 CHECKS out of 5 attempts in his RP, which must consist of no less than 250 words, and must directly show how he attempts to save the little girl from the 4th floor of the burning building.

The situation seem to be under control. The number of fire fighters and rescuers were already plenty, Zale had no need to intervene. Sure he has powers, but that don't mean he had to use them. He saw no point in helping other people do a task that they can already do on their own.

*Zale yawns*

He looks around for any left over cigarettes laying on the ground. He didn't want to spend money buying one. Furthermore, he was too lazy to walk to the nearest store.

*Collapsing sound*

Zale: "What was that?"

Zale heard a crumbling sound from the distance while he was bent over, looking for a cigarette. At first he didn't think too much of it, but as soon as he scanned the horizon, he immediately saw someone falling unconscious inside a burning building. With further assessment, he realizes that the person as a child. Without hesitation, Zale runs to the field, towards the burning building. He didn't care if there were rescuers or other people nearby, his main goal was to save that child from dying.

He took long quick strides across the short grass fields. He moved extraordinarily fast for someone who doesn't give a shit for most things. The expression on his face says it all, Zale was desperate. He was desperate to get to the child quickly, before she inhales too much smoke and before the building collapses on her.

Before the structure could collapse, Zale makes it to the base of the burning building. It would prove to be difficult, trying to make his way up the hellish inferno if he took the stairs, but he did it anyway. Though Zale had an affinity to fire, it didn't mean he was immune to it. He got burned in many parts of his extremities, as he was trying to run up the burning stairwell. It could've been worse is he had not been pushing the flames away with his abilities.

As he got higher, the black smoke got thicker. He only had his shirt, to use as a mask to filter out the dangerous gasses from entering his lungs. It was very hard to breath under such conditions, and Zale was forced to take a knee. He needed to rest, he did after all run all the way here and up the stairs with out so much as stretching or doing any warm ups. Also, it helped him relax and assess the situation more properly.

He tried to remember in which floor he saw the child, and immediately realizes that he's on the right floor. He was on the 4th floor, and the child was in a room in the south east. Using this information, Zale heads over to the location of the child. He kicks the burning door down and enters the room. There he finds the child, laying on the ground. Zale checks the young one for a pulse, there was some but very faint. He carried the child on his arms and decided that the best way out of the building was through the collapsed wall.

Zale takes a few steps back to gain some momentum. Then he runs across the room and jumps out the burning building. He hugged the child tightly in his arms and protected her head and neck from the fall. To prevent splatting on the ground like an egg, Zale rolls as soon as he lands to spread out the force of his impact from falling.

The member 'Hollowed Sora' has done the following action : FFMSL Dice

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'#10 Challenge' :

Result :

Chapter 5: Serpents and Kings
North Bridge, Western Ramoa Provinces
I am who I am

*CHOICE EVENT COMPLETE*

(500 XP x2) = 1000 XP awarded for challenge completion



Zale landed forcefully on the ground, but thanks to his technique, he suffered no major injuries. The authorities arrived at the scene after Zale had rescued the little girl. She was still alive, all thanks to Zale's heroics. Numerous onlookers applauded the man for his good deed. It appears that despite his rugged exterior and bad habits, Zale is still a good person deep inside.

The paramedics took the little girl to the infirmary, meanwhile a group of young, beautiful female nurses was tending to Zale's burns and bruises. He had become an instant celebrity for saving that little girl. People flocked around him, admiring him for his bravery and kind heart. Incidentally, Zale also found his lost gil, it was hidden inside his pants the whole time.

Chapter 5: Serpents and Kings
North Bridge, Western Ramoa Provinces
The Truth

"You have my word." Durendez replied, before they went to the airship. The journey to the Vestiglla would take at least 3 days via an airship, which is much faster than the other alternatives. Once there, the grand sorceress Ahmira will brief Agnes about the mission.

Agnes was given her own cabin in the airship. Halfway into the journey, Agnes falls asleep, and in her sleep she receives a strange message in a form of a dream. In her dream, Agnes saw a man wearing a white hood over his head and a mask covering his face. He was surrounded by many others who are dressed like him, but they were all wearing either black or red, and their masks were red too (They resemble the agents of the Red Mask, the same people who took Yui and Eishi's Gate Pass). 


In the dream, a voice sent to Agnes a warning. It said to her, "It's a trap. Don't trust the white witch".

The white witch could pertain to the Grand Sorceress Ahmira. The dream could be a legitimate warning or perhaps it was conjured by Agnes' subconscious, because she didn't trust the Grand Sorceress to begin with. Still, the dream awoke Agnes. She finds herself wide awake in the middle of the night, alone in her room while the airship was en route to Vestiglla.

*Agnes, write your last post before we transfer to Vestiglla*

Zale didn't enjoy having to do all that work to save one life. But he did enjoy the company of gorgeous women and the rockstar status that comes with saving a little girl. He laughed as he placed his arms around the pretty nurses. The crowd cheered for him, and Zale felt like a king among the masses.

Zale: "Hey babes! How's about we go grab a few drinks later tonight?"

Seriously though, despite his bad boy exterior, Zale had a soft spot in his heart for people who really needs his help. He maybe a lazy selfish bastard, but when need arises he won't hesitate to step up and do what's right.

He finally found his missing Gil, which was in his pocket the whole time, not that it mattered to him really. He was really exhausted and would prefer to just sit down, relax, and not do anything until the evening arrives. At night, the bars will be full of people he can hustle and swindle to earn a little bit more money. Speaking of which, Zale wonders if anyone in the crowd would be willing to buy him free drinks for saving the girl.

Zale: "Hey! Anyone out there want to buy me a drink? I'm thirsty, and I only drink rum, gin, whiskey, or any other alcoholic beverage!"