The Quindicate (Complete: 1-6) – Vol.2 Ep. 9-14

The Quindicate Part I

 

In a wall near the high vaulted-ceiling, a portal opens.  To the surprise of the eagle-eyed patrons of the pub in which this ceiling belongs, two beings walk through it bitching loudly about ‘bad service’ and ‘don’t expect a good review!’ before discovering they aren’t on ground level and plummeting a bit to the floor below.

Spikelangelo rubbing his shoulder:  Oh, oww.  Now where are we?

Simon doesn’t bother to get up:  You’re such an @$$…

There is a faint muffled sound of pain and panic.

Spike:  You tell me that every time.  I’ve lost count, dood.

Simon:  Well, It’s true.  We wouldn’t be in this situation to begin with if-

Spike joins in with the most monotone voice he can summon -I hadn’t gotten into a big fight with-

The faint muffled sound becomes much more frantic as Simon realizes it is under him and gets up.

Spike and Simon lay their eyes on this little Asura clad in cool blues and purples, and they become immediately excited.  They look around and see Norn, Humans, and Sylvari!   Unfortunately, Charr are here too.

The pair high-five with incredible enthusiasm and spring to the nearest table to gather themselves over some celebratory drinks.

The flattened Little Asura:  Hey!  That was my table…

Spike:  Well I think I know where we are, but in which mists?

Simon:  and in what timeline?

Spike pouts:  How many places have we gone to slash been kicked out of?

Simon puffs his flame in thought but the Little Asura, with the aid of her staff, climbs on to the opposing chair.

Little Asura:  EXCUSE ME!

Spike doesn’t see the Asura sitting over the table, just the top of the staff and is startled, thinking the staff is talking, and hits the table with his knees with force.  The shock of the table slams into the Little Asura and knocks the staff out of her hand sending the staff flying into the side of the head of a neighboring Norn.  The not-at-all enthused Norn glances over to see the Asura trying to point at Spike, but Spike and Simon are sitting facing each other having a conversation and are otherwise engaged with each other and this poor Little Asura is all out of excuses.  This behemoth of a Norn hands the Little Asura her staff back and growls at her.  She tries to look cute and tries to bang on the table in frustration, which is difficult considering the table is taller than she is.

The Little Asura makes some exclamations of frustration and pulls out a device from somewhere within her robes.  She presses a button and it unfolds a bit and whirrs into life!  Hopping on to it, she ascends to eye level with everyone, where she can be taken more seriously.  However, in an attempt to yell at Spike and Simon, she floats backwards at them while demonstrating she hasn’t yet mastered the controls of her craft.  She continues to float backwards between the faces of the two and takes a moment to laugh and wave awkwardly, while still fidgeting uncomfortably with her new device.

Spike and Simon pause to look at her, then back at themselves then the most warming laughter erupts in the room as this Little Asura is now the highlight of attention.  Knowing she isn’t being impressive, she tries to look cute again.  Spike leaps from his chair!

Spike grabs her off her device and waves her around in the air, effortlessly:  AAWWW!!!  Look at you!  You’re so cute!

The Little Asura is beginning to get motion sick and demands to be let down, while also letting go of her staff again.

Spike squees! with joy and drops The Little Asura, who lands on the table of the monstrous Norn while the staff unfortunately dings off his head again.

The Little Asura scrambles to her feet and inhales to yell at Spike but her outstretched hand touches her flying device that just so happens to be floating by at that precise moment.  The gargantuan Norn looks at her and her little flying device and growls angrily.  The Little Asura tries her best to grab her staff, mount her device and scramble away, however she starts moving backwards again and doesn’t have turning mastered either and flies into the Norn’s tankard, emptying its contents onto the table.  The Little Asura tries one last time to look cute before she is promptly lifted up and physically hurled through a nearby open window, out of the establishment, with excessive force.

Spike and Simon finally get their drinks and cannot help but laugh.

Simon pouts, although it’s hard to tell:  I do kind of feel bad for her.

Spike puts an already empty mug down:  Yeah, her only defense was to look like a puppy.  She was so small and cute.

Simon giggles, his flame rhythmically pulsing.

Spike tries to take a drink out of the other mug, but can’t due to laughter:  and poor puppy – she can’t even drive her own device.

Simon /hmms:  Puppy…  She is very small.  I kind of want to sing “Atomic Dog”  next time I see her.

Spike:  You come up with strange ideas, dood.

Simon grooves to the song in his head:  “a-tom-ic dooooooggggg”

Spike grins at his friend and just sips on his drink.

The door of the establishment barely creaks open and a highly annoyed little figure walks in, covered in filth.  The owner yells immediately about not letting anyone covered in Pig @#$% in his pub, and the Little Asura wants to know what the owner is going to do about it.  The owner blinks and threatens to punt her like a ball back into the filth, which draws the laughter of everyone within earshot.  She growls angrily and walks back out.

Spike:  Poor little puppy, should we go help?

Simon:  You and your @#$%ing wanting to help everyone.  That’s most of our mess right now!   We’d have godamn found Crysania by now if you weren’t trying to help everyone.

Spike pouts:  Sorry.

Simon’s flames return to normal:  Look dood, I want to help too.  We’ve been lost for what feels like years.  We’re no closer to finding Crysania, and we haven’t seen or heard from hardly anyone in essentially forever-

Simon looks at the Camera:  -you know who you are-

Simon continues in his frustration:  -I don’t want to give up but we need a break.

Spike tries to follow Simon’s gaze but just sees the wall of the pub:  Dood, you confuse me so often.

Simon scoffs:  That’s hard?

Spike shrugs:  Sometimes.

Spike gestures for two more drinks when the Little Asura comes back in, drenched, but not covered in @#$%.  The owner gives her a once over and shrugs.  The Little Asura comes immediately back over to the pair and scales both the chair and the table.  She’s now standing face to face with them, and Spike can’t contain himself.

Spike:  LOOK AT YOU!  You’re all wet and miserable, but you’re adorable!  You’re the cutest little puppy ever!

Simon nods in agreement.

“Puppy” is thrown off balance:  Wait, what?  Did you just refer to me as a puppy?

Spike leans forward with his head in his hands and baby-talks to “Puppy” : Who’s-just-the-cutest? You!  Yes-you-are.

“Puppy” : Excuse me!  I am not a puppy!

Spike leans back in his chair and visually measures the size of his mug to the size of “Puppy.”   She is not amused.

“Puppy” : Ok, well just WHO are you then?  Some illustrious adv-

Spike slams the table with enough force to knock “Puppy” off balance.  Simon mumbles “oh no…” briefly, and from some depths of one of Spike’s many pockets he produces a (extraordinarily) worn card that he tries to just casually toss on the table, but any observer can see he cares about this a great deal.  The card is tattered, stained, and burned a bit, but is a prized possession.  It is a 5-point flower logo with the words “The Quindicate” underneath.

“Puppy” : The Quindicate?  You mean Syndicate?

Simon’s flames puff and he mutters: Oh now you’ve done it.

Spike grumbles:  No, the QUINDICATE.

“Puppy” : Do you just go around putting QUIN in front of everything?

With the speed only a seasoned warrior can muster, Spike slaps the ever loving @#$% out of the Little Asura.  However, given relative sizes, Spike takes her clean off her feet and sends her staff flying yet again.  She watches helplessly, in a panicked slow-motion, as the staff tumbles towards the head of the colossal Norn.  The Norn leans forward to drink from his tankard as the staff soars just behind his head, formerly where his head was.  The shocked, stinging, Little Asura, breathes a sigh of relief as the staff clatters harmlessly in the corner of the pub.

Realizing he likely has dirty water, mud, and pig @#$% all over his hand, Spike looks for a suitable place to wipe while making a look of mild disgust.  Simon’s amusement over the complete apathy over the state of the Little Asura is visible as the rhythmic pulsing of his flames return, but he does go fetch her staff for her and return with drinks.

“Puppy”  : Thanks! I could use thi-  wait a minute!  This is water!  From barely a shot glass!

The Little Asura turns to glare at the owner, who merrily waves back at her.

The Little Asura has had just about enough and throws the rest of the water at Simon, and everything changes.

Simon’s flames barely become glowing embers and he becomes motionless, as if staring into cold space.

Spike:  No!  no no no.  Dood!

Spike shakes Simon, somewhat vigorously.

Spike:  Come on, Dood!  Snap out of it!   You’re not there, in that place that doesn’t need to be mentioned, We’re not even in the same part of the multimists!

“Puppy” : Yeah, what was it about multim-

Spike, turning to the Little Asura :  SHUT UP!

“Puppy” recoils a bit but Spike is unable to get Simon back in the present.  He’s essentially gone.  Spike slumps back in his chair, defeated.

“Puppy” asks nervously:  Did I kill him?

Spike shakes his head: No, but you reminded him of something terrible.

“Puppy”: So, your friend has some unresolved, shall we say, PTSD issues?

Spike lifts his head up to stare a hole through the Little Asura.

The Little Asura smiles and offers the Quindicate card back to Spike:  I like the card, it’s well designed.  It’s been around.  I imagine you both have as well.  I meant no harm.  I’m something of a mental health expert, kind of a recent graduate – but we all start somewhere, right?

Spike sighs:  So you really ARE a puppy.

“Puppy”:  Well…metaphorically, but not really.  I’m Skye.  Skye Cimaroon.

Spike chuckles:  Skye Cinnamon?

Skye grumbles:  Cimaroon.

Spike:  I prefer puppy.

Skye pouts:  I don’t.

Spike:  Well whatever, I have to get Simon out of his water-nymph flashback.

Skye /ponder:  I’ve never seen a water-nymph in person.

Spike sighs:  Simon really had the hots for this one, in her normal form – and then…  Well the rest is not suitable for puppy ears.

Skye stamps her feet:  I’m not a puppy!

Spike continues unfazed:  Simon was just traumatized, with him being on fire and all that.

Skye:  I’ve never-

Spike cuts her off, having heard it a million times:  You get used to it.

Skye and Spike share a few quiet moments before Skye breaks the silence:  Why did you slap me?

Spike: I did not.

Skye looks stunned:  You most certainly did.

RepubliSpike: Nope, fake news.

Skye shakes her head in confusion:   Wait, what?   I asked you if you just put QUIN in front of everything and you slapped me.

RepubliSpike: No. You’re fake news.

Skye’s big cute eyes narrow:  But you DO put QUIN in front of everything…

Spike:  No.  QUINterage doesn’t work.  Actually, it kind of does.  QUINterfuge doesn’t?  Maybe, doesn’t really roll of the tongue as well.  Anyway, pups, I need to get my Quindicate buddy here back in action and maybe find the rest of them.  We’ve a mission to return to.

Skye brightens:  Who are the rest of the Quindicate?

Simon’s flames explode into life:  SSSSHHHH!!!   Eyes and Ears everywhere!    No.

Skye, being frightened by the flash of spiritual fire, stands there stunned.

Spike:  Sorry, we’ve met our Quindicate members in other parts of the multimists and there are some consistencies.  We’ve learned there are just some dos-and-don’ts.

Skye’s Asuran curiosities are piqued:  Such as?!

Spike stands up and stretches:  Sorry, Puppy.  If you don’t know about the Quindicate, you shouldn’t ask.

Skye whines:  But I wanna know…

Spike smiles, gently:  Look, some people aren’t meant to be.  Like when he tried to hook up with that one girl – AND SHE TURNED OUT TO BE A WATER-NYMPH!

Simon mutters: …we were only there because of you in the first place…

Spike ignores him: and you, puppy, can’t even pilot your own craft.  You don’t have what it takes to be in the Quindicate.

Skye, defiantly:  Ha!  I bet your little “Quindicate” sucks.  I bet you are all harmless and you can’t do anything right.

Just then a red arrow flies in and impales itself on the table just at Skye’s feet, with a message tied to it.

Skye leaps back in horror, and shrieks loudly.

Spike and Simon grin widely!

Spike:  Go ahead, puppy.  Read the message.

Skye, with visible trepidation, unwraps the message:  “See you soon.  Signed, Lord Silverlock and Lady Neveah”

Spike and Simon cheer wildly and do a little dance.

Simon sings: “THE BOYS ARE BACK IN TOWN!  THE BOYS BACK IN TOWN!!!”

Skye:  It’s good to know there are Women in The Quindicate.

Spike:  Oh little puppy, Women head many of our divisions –  Finance, Menagerie, Mispronunciation, Sarcasm-

Skye:  Oh, Sarcasm, really?

Spike, sincerely:  Oh, very good!  Needs work though.  Not as good as the master.

Skye stands where with a baffled look on her face.

Spike and Simon abruptly walk to the bar and toss some coin at the owner and make for the door.

Skye:  Wait?!  Where are you going?

Spike:  To find our friends.

Skye:  Me too!

Spike:  OH NO!  The last time someone new came along ended poorly.

Skye hops on her flying machine:  Well tough, you can’t stop me!

Spike and Simon both laugh as they watch this cute little Asura float backwards and struggle to turn.

They look at each other and shrug.

Spike:  Keep telling yourself that, kid.

They leave, with her trying desperately to follow…backwards.

 

The Quindicate Part II

 

Spike and Simon leave a pub, still trying to figure out where in the multimists they are.  Skye, stubbornly, refuses to be left behind and is struggling to simply keep up by any means.  Skye flies directly into the back of Spike, who stopped abruptly.  Muttering something at her in frustration, Spike returns his focus in front of him;  an elegant horse-drawn carriage awaits them, door open, with a dapper butler gesturing them inside.

Skye peeks around, and her eyes widen:  Ooh!  Look at all the blue upholstery!  It’s BEEAAUUTIFUL!

The butler frowns ever so slightly:  One of yours, sir?

Spike looks around, and then remembers the little Asura:  Oh… her.  No. We just fell in on her.  She’s not with us.

Skye puts her hands on her hips:  What do you mean ‘oh?’

Spike ignores her:  So who are you?

The butler smiles slyly:  Lady Neveah sends her regards.  If you would be so kind, sirs.

Spike and Simon nod enthusiastically and move to enter the carriage, Skye also moves to follow.  Simon boards, but Spike turns to address Skye.

Spike, holding a hand up parallel with the ground:  Hold on, pups.  You must be this high to ride this ride.

Spike waves his hand over Skye in a quick measurement:  Nope.  I’m afraid not.  Later!

Spike and the Butler quickly board the carriage and close the door in Skye’s face.  Not to be deterred, Skye quickly scurries to the back of the carriage and just manages to hide herself within the provisions, unnoticed, as the carriage was pulling away.

Inside the carriage, the butler wasted no time addressing the matters at hand.

Butler:  It is so good to see you again, sirs, after so long.

Spike and Simon glance at each other nervously and nod cautiously.

Butler:  With you sirs back, we can finally stop this conflict and get back into Skycoast.

Spike and Simon sit erect immediately:  Skycoast is here?!

The butler looks puzzled:  Yes.  How would you two, of all people, not know?

Spike slumps back down, and pulls out some questionable substances from his pockets.  Having mashed together a satisfactory mixture, Simon lights his pipe for him and he takes a few long puffs and he begins:  Well you see, we aren’t sure where or when we are.

The butler is listening intently.

Spike continues, gesturing with his pipe:  As I’m sure you know, We have been on the hunt to reunite with Crysania for quite some time.

The butler vaguely nods.

Spike:  We woke up in a cave in Kryta some 250 years after we were last in Skycoast with everyone.

The butler looks skeptical, but nods.

Skye, outside bouncing around to her discomfort is trying her best to keep her ears to the wall and listen in between bumps in the road, mutters to herself about how she thought he looked 40-something at most.

Spike:  We’ve been trying our best to find our bearings and figure out this new world.  Didn’t really work out too well.  Then we have a chance encounter with Imperium.

Simon lets out an audible painful groan.

Spike:  Next thing you know we’re fighting bandits, and getting into fights with people, and dungeon crawling, and I look like a panda and I’m jumping out of airships for fun, and turning into shadows to assassinate people, and in places where the waves of enemies were tremendously high, and more!

Spike takes a long puff on his pipe and becomes visibly saddened: We kept getting pulled through the mists so much we couldn’t even keep track anymore.  Crysania kept getting further and further away, it seemed.

The butler gave a soft, practiced smile:  And now you’ve returned, good sirs.

Simon pats Spike on the shoulder and glows warmly.

Spike tries to put on his best face, but the stubble, scars, sleep deprivation, and the various bits of old makeup make it difficult:  I, we, right dood?  Doubt this is the Tyria we left.

Simon, regrettably, agrees.

The butler is undeterred.  He unfurls a map, but then a panicked banging on the back window!   Skye is banging her staff on the back window and yelling help!

The butler is visibly annoyed:  It seems we have a stowaway.

Spike too is annoyed:  …puppy…

Simon cracks the window:  Yeah?

Skye, more terrified than she’s ever been in her life, yells: DOGS!  BONE!  BONE DOGS!

Simon calmly closes the window again, much to Skye’s horror, and sits back down.

The butler, calmly:  The Greenecks.

Spike, carefully putting his pipe away in one of his myriad of pockets:  Greenecks?

Butler, sighing:  Perhaps this whole multimists thing has merit, sirs.  I, implore you to elaborate further with Lord and Lady after we deal with this rabble.

The butler tugs on a rope and the carriage accelerates.  Skye, meanwhile, is clutching to the side of a barrel with her eyes closed and reciting lessons from school about the eternal alchemy as she bumps along uncomfortably.

The butler:  In order to get back to safe Metallicorps land, we must pass this forested area.  Sadly, this is known to be infested with Greeneckistani presences.

Spike:  I’m guessing The Metallicorps is Balreth and the Mrs.  Who are the Greenecks?

Before there was a time to answer, the carriage was hit hard by an yet unknown force and brought to its side.  Skye could be heard screaming as she went tumbling with the provisions out of the back, and away from the carriage.  The butler quickly readied a shiny dagger from seemingly nowhere and exited out of the skyward side of the carriage.  Spike and Simon highfived each other, merged into one being and did the same.

Spike looked around, only to see several skeletal animals of some sort and the very ugly bits of what was once the butler scattered around the carriage.  Spike did note that either the hounds either didn’t let him make a sound, or he was so resolute he didn’t get them the privilege.  Spike decided the latter was a better choice in his mind.

Skye, still terrified, crawled amongst the wreckage to a vantage point wherein she could see a glowing Spike surrounded by Skeletal Hounds.  She was helpless.  One sound, one false move, and it was her turn.  She was frozen in fear.  All she could hear was the word “puppy” over and over again.  It was true, she should have stayed home in her office and help people deal with stress.  She’s in way over her head.

A laughter broke the silence.  A genuine, heartfelt, purposeful, but offputting laughter echoed off the trees.  Spike stood there, the Aura of Simon flickered and pulsed, but gave no clues.  Directly in front of Spike, a figure started to emerge.  At first, all one could see was glowing bits of green.  As this figure approached, she was Norn, and a busty, curvy Norn.  She was covered in scars and tattoos, all of which erupted in this green aura.  Her left hand wore this armored gauntlet with sharpened fingers but the rest of her was barely clad at all, a tattered cloak and few bits here and there save her long thick boots.  Her long dark hair a stark contrast to the glowing intricate patterns both purposeful and accidental along the body so many have failed to obtain.

Simon could feel power:  You command these hounds?

The Norn grinned:  Attack!

The hounds immediately begun to leap, claw, and bite at Simon!   Simon’s Newtype Reflexes and the Aura of Simon made quick work of basic Skeletal Minions, but the Norn simply smiled at Spike.  She redrew one of her green scars with her sharpened gauntlet and it momentarily gave off green flame.

Immediately, voices all around in unison shout: GREEN FLAME!

Spike is startled at the voices, but Spike is used to voices and retains his composure.

The spark of the flame makes all the Skeletal Hounds reassemble themselves again, as if nothing happened.

Skye gasped loudly, and both Spike and The glowing Norn took momentary notice of her trying to hide in the wreckage.

The Norn spoke, with dripping sarcasm:  It looks as if The Great Anchorwind has finally returned to us, let us all bow in reverence.  He even brought along his latest girlfriend.  Isn’t that cute.

Spike:  The puppy isn’t my girlfriend, by the way.

The Norn laughed:  Oh!  So you don’t mind if I kill her then.

She gestures and the Skeletal Hounds move to attack Skye and the wreckage.

Spike moves to intervene, sending forward the Aura of Simon to punch and kick the Hounds back into piles of bones with ease.

The Norn scoffs and raises the hounds again with her green flame scar.

Again, immediately a cacophony of voices in unison shout: GREEN FLAME!!!

The Norn sighs:  This grows boring.  Since you’ve returned, -finally-, let’s @#$%ing get to it shall we?

Her grin widens, and her eyes light up in potential bloodlust:   Are you with us, or those stupid Metallicorps pricks?

Spike:  Who is us?

The Norn steps forward, out of the shadows of just barely visible into full display.

Spike gasps:  LALANDRA?!

Lalandra:  Why are you so surprised?  Do you miss me?

Spike chuckles:  Well, yes.  When did you… (making a boob gesture) did you get so big?

Lalandra squeezes in her arms, emphasizing her chest:  Aww, do you miss cuddling up to me?

Skye is lying there, terrified, confused, but now somehow angry.  She stands up and decides to enter the conversation and say something.  Brushing herself off she stands up and tries to address Lalandra.

Skye:  Excuse me, Lalandra-

Lalandra, immediately angered:  No!  EXCUSE ME!  WHO THE @#$% ARE YOU?!

Lalandra begins outwardly glowing even greener, as she walks with purpose over to a now cowering little Asura.

Lalandra:  YOU @#$%ING DARE CALL ME BY NAME?

Skye, trembling extensively:  we…well…he…did…

Lalandra shatters the adjacent barrel into splinters with an angry kick:  HE @#$%ING EARNED IT.  WHAT HAVE YOU DONE, RUNT?

Lalandra turns to Spike:  Why can’t I kill her?

Spike kinda shrugs:  I’d just prefer no one get killed?

Lalandra grins menacingly:  Ah.

Lalandra lifts up her sharpened gauntlet above Skye’s head and whispers:  He really hates purple too, you should feel lucky.

Skye’s look of confusion is only met with relief as right before she was to be impaled Lalandra was struck by Spike.

Lalandra:  YOU WANT TO HIT ME BECAUSE OF YOUR @#$%ING PET?!  ON MY @#$%ING LAND?

Lalandra grins:  This ain’t the old days, son.

Lalandra reaches towards the corpse of the butler and forms a magical greatsword from the blood and essence of his corpse.

Spike:  Oh, not good.

Balreth looks up at the sky, feeling something.

Lady Neveah:  Are you ok?

Balreth:  Yeah, I just felt a disturbance…

Lady Neveah:  Do I need to dispatch someone?

Balreth shakes his head:  No, Dearheart.

Lalandra cracks her neck real quick and then rushes towards Spike!  Spike easily evades and the Bloodsword swings into the Aura of Simon.  The Spiritual Flame breaks the Bloodsword!  Spike grins with arrogance, but then the smile fades quickly as the Bloodsword reforms itself in a few moments.  Lalandra again and again swings her massive Greatsword at Spike and misses, but every time the sword is broken and reforms itself.  Spike gradually understands he would have to counterattack in that brief window that the sword is reforming itself.

Lalandra however, is no fool.  Lalandra re-summons all her minions and continues her full-frontal assault.  Spike has little time to counter attack with any meaning.  Spike is spending all of his time dodging, parrying, understanding the layout of the battle he has had no time to formulate any offense.  Meanwhile, Lalandra seems to be enjoying every minute of this and appears not to be fatiguing in the slightest.  Obviously, minions will never tire either so how long can Spike execute this defense before making a mistake?  Spike needs to turn the tides.

Lalandra, however is an impatient person.  She too objectives to meet and missions to accomplish.  Understanding one of Spike’s objectives is to keep Skye safe, she directs her minions after Skye whilst she, herself, continues the assault on Spike.  The minions are more than a match for the little puppy, and Spike has shown all he can do is defend.  The Anchorwind pet will die.  In his despair, Lalandra will console him on to her side, he didn’t need anyone else to begin with.  The Metallicorps is wrong in their approach.  ‘I am right!’ thought Lalandra.

Spike, however, is not as harmless as he appears.  Seeing the divide-and-conquer tactics he is forced into action.  The multimists has taught them well, and Spike sends the Aura of Simon forward into Lalandra.  Spike rejoins the Aura in a Spiritual-Leap technique and is now behind Lalandra, who is now more angered than ever.  “NO!” she screams and separates her Greatsword into a Great-Whipsword and propels it forward towards Skye at amazing speed.

Spike is forced to do something he never hoped to do.  Summoning the Spiritual Force of The Stabbith Day, daggers appear in his hand and Spike not only deflects the Great-Whipsword but Shadow Steps around the immediate vicinity and easily dispatches the hounds.  Lalandra refuses to give up, and with a scream of blood curdling anger, the links binding the whip sword break and all the individual blades of the Bloodsword act independently, flying towards Skye at speed!  Simon, daggers in hand is ready to deal with this but Lalandra grins with malicious intent.

Lalandra begins to yell: HYDRODYNAM-

Simon instinctively casts a Cry of Frustration on Lalandra, which isn’t hard given per propensity for anger and cursing.

Spike and Stabbith Day finish blinking around and dealing with the bloodsword bits and Skye is protected.

Lalandra isn’t done, she assumes Reaper form and makes one last charge.  In her blind rage she failed to hear the cry from the forest…

“Snippy Snap”

The concentrated rifle blast penetrated the enraged charging reaper and brought it back to Norn form, panting with fatigue and frustration.

Doubled over on one knee, cleavage on full display, Spike remarks on how Lalandra’s boobs are bigger than Skye is.  Skye wasn’t amused.  Spike shrugged, and remarked on basic facts.  Spike talked about thighs saving lives, hips, etc.  Skye became increasingly un-amused.  Spike and Simon then became un-merged and both fell to the ground in complete exhaustion.

Skye stood there wondering what just happened.

Lalandra, Spike, and Simon all stood around the same time.

Lalandra was defiant:  You will help us into Skycoast.  Things need to be restored to the way they were!

Spike looks helpless:  What do you mean?!

Lalandra turns and gives a cold shoulder:  Hmpf.

Using what little energy she has left, she assembles her Skeletal Hounds into a larger mount.  She then slightly struggles to climb atop it and rides off deep into the forest, her now slight green glow lasting the longest beyond her feminine figure.

Skye mutters: What a terrifying woman.

Spike:  …we haven’t seen the last of her.

Simon, just now regaining some of his flame:  What do we do now?

Spike, looking around:  We have to gather more information.  The Metallicorps.  The Greenecks.  The location of Skycoast.  All of it.

Skye stands ready! :  Me too.

Spike and Simon both growl ferociously:   Oh Hell no!

Skye pouts:  I’m in it this far…

Simon glances at his friend:  How do we get her home?

Spike:  Right now?  I don’t know.  We’ll have to figure that out too.

Skye:  Umm.  No!  I’m going too.

Spike:  No, pups.  You almost got us killed.  You’re going home.

Spike looks deeper into the forest:   Lalandra almost killed us.  …Lalandra…

 

The Quindicate Part III

 

With no carriage to speak of, and only a vague sense of direction, the only real choice left was to walk.  Spike, Simon, and a stowaway, decide to head down the forested path on foot.  While the forest itself was beautiful, the lack of animals and animal noises was off putting.

Spike:  Dood, do you think The Greenecks mean Nyx and Lalandra?

Simon’s flame puffs:  would explain the skeletal animals and @#$%.

Spike:  So the Metallicorps…

Simon’s flame simmers as he sighs:  Angel and Balreth.

Skye:  Excuse me…!

Spike:  They’re fighting over Skycoast, and neither can get in.  Why are they fighting?

Simon’s flame reignites:  Who knows dood, we’ve been gone forever – and this is a new mists.

Skye, yelling: EXCUSE ME!

Spike frowns with sadness:  We’ve always been a team.

Simon frowns too, although it’s hard to tell:  We’ll get everyone on the same page.

Skye screams, which echoes through the empty forest: EXCUSE ME!!!

Spike, having little interest:  What?

Skye, alone and scared:  Could you fill me in on what’s going on?

Spike, irritated:  Fine, but only since this is likely a long walk…

-some time later-

Skye:  So you were a henchman?

Spike raises his hand in frustration, and Skye cowers in her flying contraption:  Eee!  No!  Don’t slap me again!  I’m just trying to understand everything.  There’s so much going on here.

Simon looks at the camera:  Just kinda had to be there, no?

Spike:  Again, no.  There were henchmen, which I’m not even sure YOU’d qualify for –

Skye pouts.

Spike continues, strained: -then there were Heroes which were essentially elite henchmen.  We had instructors, fully fledged Hoolequin, then the best of the best – the Officers, and finally Crysania the Guild Leader.

Skye nods:  you were an officer?

Spike shakes his head:  nope, just a Quin.  Crysania was my officer.  I didn’t have to worry about any of the hard stuff, but to enjoy lots of the hard stuff if you know what I mean.

Spike grins and highfives Simon.

Skye hmms:  So that fierce green lady.  She’s an officer?

Spike’s smile fades:  Yeah.  Lalandra is the oldest officer, other than Crysania.  I really want to find out this whole Greeneck v Metallicorps thing.  Plus, Skycoast is here!  Whatever is going down, is huge, dood!

Simon’s flame flickers and dances with thought.

Skye, almost afraid to ask:   …and what is Skycoast, again?

Simon’s shoulders slump:  Did we learn how to forcechoke yet?

Spike shrugs helplessly:  You can try?

Simon’s flame intensifies with effort, illuminating the surrounding forest, but Skye floats along unaffected.

Skye, starting to feel uncomfortable under the intense stare of the pair, attempts to answer her own question with sincerity but zero confidence:  That’s where green lady went back to?

Simon’s flame reduces to a pathetic version of itself and he just resumes walking, silently.

Spike:  No, puppy.  Skycoast is our guild hall.

Simon:  I hear you helped destroy the first one.

Skye is immediately startled, but also excited:  WAIT WHAT?!

Spike, chuckling nervously, kicks a rock:  Oh yeah, about that… Skycoast was not the first.  We had a Quinhalla, that The Officers and some of us members kinda destroyed.  Crysania saw it coming though and everything worked out in the end.  We eventually set up a new Quinland in the Mists and life became much more user friendly.

Skye:  So Crysania is in Skycoast?   …and wait?!  IN the mists?

Spike, offers a weak smile:  We hope so.  It’s the last place we saw her, and let’s just say Crysania is of pivotal importance to ol’ Simon and I here.  Yes, IN the mists.  The QUIN decided that would be best, for a number of reasons.

Skye nods:  You two are quite strange, so I’d really like to meet this person, and could we go to Quinland?

Spike nods:  Well we aren’t your typical people, so I understand, and Quinland was the large overarching interconnected area that encompassed everyone.  Skycoast is just essentially what’s left, Crysania’s tower and surrounding grounds.

Skye, her Asuran curiosity in full swing:  Other than dimensional travel, apparently, what are you?   Why is it so important for everyone to go to Skycoast if they still have their parts of Quinland?

Spike:  Those questions will likely best be answered in person.

Skye pouts:  but I wanna know now!!!

Spike:  Easy there puppy, there’s so much you don’t know – you can’t even remember Lalandra’s name let alone anything else.

Skye mutters to herself:  I don’t like green lady

Spike pulls out his pipe and questionable substances, gets a light from Simon and takes a long puff:  Next time, we’ll let her kill you.

Skye is immediately alarmed:  WHAT?! NO!

Simon offers:  What if, in the Anchorwind absence they want to reunite Quinland and are wrestling for control?

Spike:  That would be kinda neat, but still sad in the sense they’re fighting each other.

Skye things she’s starting to get it:  You two are Anchorwind, I guess?

Spike almost chokes on his pipe: Holy @#$%, she can be taught!

Skye, offended:  Hey! I’ll have you know I graduated from-

Spike exhales in her face, forcing her to cough uncontrollably:  Yeah, that’s nice pups.

Skye, looking shocked:  That wasn’t very nice!

Simon can’t help but laugh.

Spike:  When you’re “Advanced” like me, then let’s talk.

Skye pouts:  Stop being so mean to me.

The pair glance at each other and shrug.

Spike gestures with his pipe:  Home is back that way.

Skye, looking shocked again, whines: WHAT? Noooooo…

The history lesson continued.  Tales of old friends and grand adventures continued until the forest thinned and cleared.  What lay before them now was a beautiful blue sky and rolling fields of grass and farmland blowing in the breeze.  Off on a peninsula of a cliff was a heavily fortified fortress with several long banners, also blowing in the breeze.

Spike and Simon point at the fortress in unison:  Balreth…

Skye giggles:  Sometimes you two are so cute.

Spike shrugs:  When you meet him, you’ll understand.

They head away from the forest, and towards the fortress and when they do – it becomes clear.

Simon grasps Spike’s shoulder firmly: Dood! Look…

Out in the sea, beyond both the forest and the fortress, was Skycoast.

Skye gasped:  It’s, It’s, TALL!

Skye, studying further:  …and floating?

Spike sheds a tear:  We’re so close now, dood.

Skye, all excited: Well what are we waiting for?  Let’s Go!

Ignoring Skycoast itself was floating, it was still down a tall cliff and a large body of water away.  That didn’t matter, Spike and Simon had found it.  They ignored the fortress and moved in its direction, and soon after stumbled across a roving patrol of armored soldiers.  These soldiers all bore the same uniform, but most of them had a bronze color scheme; a couple of the soldiers bore a silver color and the clear leader wore gold.

Spike and Simon hit the dirt immediately, clearly this was the Metallicorps.  They did not wish to get into any trouble.  Skye however, saw an opportunity to get help.  The little Asura stood atop her flying contraption and waved her staff around and shouted for help.  Spike went to grab her but it was too late.  The squad’s attention was drawn and they moved to surround the group with haste.  Spike muttered further dislike for Skye as he and Simon highfived to merge.

Spike stood with a roar with rattled a couple of the bronze soldiers and summoned in his hand the spiritual bow of Vixoria.  Angry at having to do this at all, Spike let loose some barrages of Simon-Infused arrows.  The rattled bronze-rank soldiers were struck by several and set alight in blue flame and collapsed immediately.  The rest of the squad either raised shields or dodged and closed the distance.

Skye shrieked in sheer terror for she did not like Angry Spike.  The flashing of steel and the barking of orders from a trained squad was also new to this tiny Asura, and she just cowered and cried.  She was quickly caught by a Silver-rank and could clearly hear the brief conversation on what was to happen to her.  She could hear Spike yell he didn’t care, and she knew she was about to die.  Fortunately for her the Metallicorps seemed more keen on taking prisoners than field executions and she was bound by a bronze-rank instead.  All she could do now was watch this seven on one fight.

The gold-rank soldier was clearly the most formidable as both his swordsmanship and his barking of orders kept Spike on his toes the most.  It did not take long for Spike to abandon Vixoria’s Bow and summon a new weapon –  A Spiritual Version of a Flaming Dragon Sword, courtesy of Token Tank Death.  Undeterred, the Metallicorps squad surrounded and tried to overwhelm Spike, but the Aura of Simon combined with Hundred Blades and Spike’s blinding speed proved too much for the slower, bunched-up squad.

The Metallicorps discipline was admirable, however, and the Gold-rank soldier would not yield.  Battered, singed, and wobbly on his feet he would fend off intruders.  Fortunately for him, a carriage raced towards him at speed from the fortress.  Spike had no intent to kill anyone, as evidenced by the groaning men who lay all around him, and this gold-rank was in no real condition to attack so there was a long moment of swords being pointed at one another before a voice broke the noise of the breeze.

“HALT!”

Spike smiled.

From out of the carriage emerged a more heavily armored man bearing a platinum-rank.

Platinum Solder:  Lords Anchorwind, I apologize my men need more training-

The platinum-rank looks around and clears his throat: -in more ways than one.  Please come with me.  My Lord and Lady wish to speak with you, urgently.

The gold-rank soldier, previously looking at his superior, turns back to Spike and grows pale:  A-A-Anchorwind?

Spike calmly walks up to him and jump-scares him to his face:  Boo!

The gold-rank falls backward in a panic, dropping his sword!

The platinum-rank scowls audibly, and issues a loud proclamation about at what time people need to be outside his office.  Simon reconstitutes himself as Skye is released, and Spike makes a comment about how it sucks to be them.  The stoic platinum-rank soldier chooses not to respond as everyone boards the carriage and it departs swiftly.

They barely sat down when Skye bursts with exuberance:  Are we going to Skycoast?!

The platinum-rank soldier briefly glances at her, before returning his gaze to Spike and Simon:  I was informed there were only two Anchorwind Lords?

Spike and Simon quickly and enthusiastically agree, speaking over one another.

Skye folds her arms and pouts.

The platinum-rank soldier goes to speak, but Spike interrupts:  If you could arrange safe transport for her back to…Rata Sum? I’m guessing?  That’d be great.

Skye pleads no, with her face, and tries to argue but is silenced quickly.

The soldier nods and offers to see what can be done.

Skye wants to ask about Skycoast again, but the conversation has become hushed.  The fortress approaches and it is hard to do anything but appreciate it on approach:  the different flags of rank, and banners of what can only be assumed as Lord Silverlock and Lady Neveah themselves, the symmetry and order of the fortress combined with the elegant notes of flowers and color, the presence of guards of different rank mixed with hooded figures weaving to and fro, and the everyday folk bustling about.

The carriage comes to a halt at the main gate, and the platinum-rank soldier exits first.  Immediately, every other soldier comes to attention.  Looking around, there are no other platinum-rank people visible.  There are multiple gold-rank, quite a few silver, and a plethora of bronze-rank.  There are even some people with no colored rank all.  Spike points out a couple and ponders aloud what they did and giggles.  The platinum-rank soldier clears his throat loudly and wishes to hurry along.

The group approaches the main gate of the fortress.  No one moves on the side of The Metallicorps.  The platinum-rank soldier draws a dagger, and glides it into the gate of the fortress where he twists the pommel of the dagger.  There are some audible clicking noises followed by some intense red glowing lines that spread from the lock of the gate throughout the rest of the gate itself.  The fortress rumbles into life and the gate slowly opens, revealing two long lines of soldiers at attention.  At the end of the parallel lines stand a hooded lady adorned in beautiful embroidery and an armored figure with long silver hair, and a thick beard cleaning his glasses.

The hooded lady swiftly elbows the man cleaning his glasses.  He puts them on and smiles.  He can see again just in time to see Spike arguing with guards who didn’t like his too-swift-for-comfort approach.  The sound of “@#$%^ I’ll @#$% you up!” echoes through the entrance space to some restrained chuckles from other guards.

Balreth holds a hand up and the guards return their weapons.  Spike gets in the face of the guard “Yeah! What?!” before hurrying down the line in glee.  Skye looks at the 4 of them standing there, and can’t help but think of how stark the contrast is.  Two of them are: dazzling, radiant, well-kept, and live in this grand place;  two of them dress in this old mismatched attire and are: trail worn, kind of dirty, and out of place in any scenario.  Two of them look wonderful together.  One of them has a ball of fire for a head and the other still hasn’t fully learned how to wash off makeup from adventures long since passed.  Two of them make sense they would be sought out, but these other two?  Skye knows they can fight but what else is going on?  She realizes she’s already missed the goings on because of her inner monologue.

Spike: -and Lalandra says Hi.

Balreth strokes his beard:   Skycoast continues to elude us.

Spike is visibly excited:  So I’m assuming you have some ship that can help us get there?

Balreth shakes his head:  No, and to make matters worse they have blocked most access to all wood.

Skye, forgetting herself:  What?! Impossible.

Spike sighs:  Please pay no mind to the puppy other than helping her get home.

Lady Neveah speaks quietly:  I’m afraid that’s unlikely.  ‘Home’ is across the forest, and, well, you’ve seen how well that works.

Skye makes a taunting gesture at Spike.

Lady Neveah, flatly:  I’m sure we can place her in a labor camp or something useful.

Spike grins at Skye.

Skye recoils in horror.

Balreth and Lady Neveah explain the dynamic of Tyria.  They explain how Balreth’s troops patrol the roads and routes, and the Neveah spies and merchants handle business in the cities.  They also explain how Nyx and Lalandra control the wilderness, including: forests, caves, shallow water areas, etc.  There is currently an uneasy balance as intermediaries from both sides interact with each other in somewhat neutral ways, and plenty of ‘border skirmishes’ happen but nothing decisive.  Nyx’s ability to influence animals and Lalandra’s necro powers make for a self-sustaining where as the Metallicorps is fine as long as it stays on the defensive.

Spike and Simon glance at each other and nod.

Spike:  Why not work together to get into Skycoast though?  We’ve always been a team.

Lady Neveah coughs softly and excuses herself, taking Skye with her despite immediate complaint to the contrary.

Balreth sighs heavily:  Without You, or Crysania, around…

Balreth looks around and makes dismissive hand gestures.  The platinum-rank barks some orders and the place begins to clear out with haste, but organization.

Balreth:  We’ve all grown apart.  I’m not great at maintaining relationships, the missus is busy building her empire.  Lalandra seems to have grown into quite a force of her own, and Nyx is a shadowy figure but her influence can’t be denied.  There isn’t a unifying force anymore, no one big banner.

Spike and Simon both slump and sigh: Quin or Quit has resolved?  The answer is quit?

Balreth strokes his beard:  Well, you’re here.  I would surmise it isn’t quite over yet, eh?

Spike grins, a sly grin.  Simon’s flame puffs into action.

Spike:  So I just need to convince everyone to be Quin again.

Simon sighs with hope:  To be a Quindicate again.

Balreth:  I would appreciate it if you could convince them to cease hostilities and help us build a ship, and help us link The Fortress to Skycoast.

Spike frowns:  Hold on dood, I was cool with you up until the link part.  Why would she go with that?

Balreth strokes his beard:  We have all the facilities here already, with you here – why not?

Simon looks back at the gate:  How many people can open that?

Balreth folds his hands behind his back calmly:  That’s Metallicorps information.  Not even for you two.

Simon’s flame flickers thoughtfully:  So at any time you can control the flow of everything to said facilities, to potentially include access to Skycoast.

At this point Lady Neveah re-emerges and whispers something to Balreth.

Balreth hastily excuses himself, but not before requesting the pair again secure the assistance of Nyx and Lalandra – The Greenecks.

Spike:  You think she was listening the whole time?

Simon:  Without a doubt, dood.

Spike:  That was great timing on her part.

Simon’s flame flickers in thought.

Spike:  Shall we look around?

As if on cue, the platinum-rank soldier appears and escorts Spike and Simon back towards the gate.

The platinum-rank soldier, who is quite tall, look down on the pair:  I was doing some quick reading in the archives.  I gather that you are a drunk and a thief?

Spike doesn’t bother to look back up at him:  I believe the term you’re looking for is ‘adventurer.’

The soldier scoffs:  Being a bit lucky and nimble isn’t going to get you out of everything.

Spike jumps out in front of the soldier and waggles a finger in front of the soldier:  Now you listen here!  I’m not really all that lucky.  If you had ACTUALLY done any REAL reading, you’d know about this little thing called the silverluck.

Spike makes several motions with his hands demonstrating how little loot the Anchorwind get, and how much the Silverlock get.  He then imitates big money bags hanging off his belt when talking about the Neveah and examines, quickly, the soldier’s belts.  Spike points out he doesn’t see big money bags and asks Simon to back him up.  The platinum-rank soldier doesn’t have time for this irritation and pushes Spike along, back to the gate.  At the gate he offers a brief but barely courteous farewell and reminds them of what their mission is.

At a gesture of a hand the gate closes, and the pair walk off.  Several paces away from the fortress, Spike can’t help but play with the key-dagger a bit.

Spike, grinning at Simon:  I hope he doesn’t get demoted for this.

Simon grins back, although it’s hard to tell.

Spike:  So Balreth will be the easiest to convince, but the other 3 I think will be tougher.  Convincing Balreth without Angel is meaningless because Angel will re-convince him otherwise.

Simon:  We should probably also worry about the little one.

Spike:  The puppy?  They won’t hurt her.  They’re not like that.

Simon:  Both of them?

Spike smiles a bit:  Well, HE won’t.

Simon giggles, his flame dancing in the breeze:  Any ideas on where to begin?

Spike’s gaze turns back to Skycoast:  I guess we go deeper into the forest and see what Lalandra wants.  I feel we’re just missing something.  There’s one big thing preventing everyone from being The Quindicate again.

Simon stops and stands with his friend, gazing at Skycoast as well.  They’re so close but still so far away.  Several powerful figures stand in their way, friends who have drifted apart and don’t understand each other as much anymore.

Spike shakes his head, as if to clear his thoughts:  Come on dood, we won’t get there by standing here staring.

Simon nods, and they begin again, back to where they just were.  However, now they have more information and a new bargaining chip:  The key-dagger to The Metallicorps Fortress.

 

The Quindicate Part IV

 

Spike, Simon, and the ‘puppy’ were on their way back to the forest when they all felt simultaneously, and suddenly, very queasy.  Scanning the horizon, and themselves, in order to see what is happening they find a patrol of Metallicorps emerge out of the mists itself!  Instinctively flatting themselves into the grass, and pulling Skye down with them, they do a quick headcount.

Spike grumbles:   Same numbers as before…

Simon pouts, although it’s hard to tell:  …and in the same location.

Skye, nervous but not paralyzed with fear, remains silent.  The trio doesn’t move an inch and allows the patrol to continue their march through the field near the forest border, unnoticed.

Spike breaks the silence first:  What the @#%^ was that?!

Simon hmms, then helplessly shrugs.

Skye looks panicked:  Can we hurry to the forest please?!

The trio nod at each other in near unison  and rush off to the forest.  Spike and Simon steal quick glances at Skycoast off in the distance, trying to use it to stem off this rising anxiety.

Entering the forest, all it as it was before:  eerily silent.  All the animals, as they have since learned, have been brought under the influence of Nyx while the dead ones are commanded by Lalandra.  Between the two they control all dense natural areas and the Metallicorps not dare fight them head-on between terrain disadvantages and lack of information on just how big the Greeneck army actually is or could be.

Previously, they somewhat cautiously walked through this forest awaiting another ambush while giving a history lesson to little Skye.  Now they’re hurrying back through with no concern for noise or the goings-on behind them.  Something is seriously wrong and they mean to discover the cause.  Off in a distance ahead of them, they hear a familiar crashing sound.

There is a horrifying realization that sinks in to Spike and Simon, and they dash ahead at speed.  Skye, unable to keep up does all she can to press on.  She pulls out her flying device, slams her staff in it and tries her best to whirr forwards!

Spike and Simon arrive too late.  The Corpse of the butler has been drained, and the wreckage of the carriage is all too familiar.  While there isn’t any evidence of Lalandra, herself, the handiwork of minions is all around.

Spike investigates the corpse and Simon lights a couple splinters on fire.  They both confirm with each other: Yes!  These are fresh.  How is this possible?   They ponder out loud to each other, they were in that carriage when it was attacked.  How could it have just been attacked?

Spike looks down the path wherein Lalandra retreated after the first encounter and clenches his fists:   We need to chase her.

Simon grabs Spike’s shoulder:  I think we should head back to the pub, dood.

Spike relaxes his fists and gives a confused look to his friend.

Simon’s flame puffs intensely:  We might find some answers there before we get into another fight.

Spike shrugs, but nods.  The two turn and begin retracing the carriage’s path back to the pub.

Spike:  Wait, dood.  The carriage was waiting for us.  If we weren’t on it…

Simon smiles, although it’s hard to tell:  My point exactly.  Something’s is -really- off.

Skye finally catches up to the wreckage sight, just in time to see the pair already walking off towards the pub.  Sighing to herself, she flies off to catch up!

Catching up, Skye has asked a question she has been meaning to ask for a long time now  but has been too afraid until now.

Skye, timidly:  Spike?   How many weapons can you summon?   What all can you do?

Spike hmms:  Well It’s not normally something I’d answer, but you’ve seen it already so I guess it wouldn’t hurt…

Spike takes a couple steps away from the group and within a moment’s thought a number of spiritual weapons emerge from his body and orbit him within easy grasp.

Spike watches them orbit them and smiles fondly:  This one here is Vixoria’s Bow.  This is Guinness’ Scythe.  This is Token’s Sword, and Hammer, and Axe, and Shield…  These are Razy’s Daggers.

Spike concentrates even harder and a second circle of weapons emerge, mostly comprised of wands and staves.

Spike:  I’m not as good at the magic stuff, so these guys just hang out for now.  Maybe when we find Crysania…

When Spike said Crysania, he was gazing at a certain staff in particular, with large square or diamond patterns at both ends, lording over two glowing balls – one at each end.

Spike shed a tear, then shook his head and all the spiritual weapons disintegrated back into the mists.

Spike, beaming with pride at his friend:   Simon here is better at some of the magic stuff, so he helps me out.

Simon flexes briefly.

Skye hmms:  …but you two join together, right?

Spike:  Oh, that.

Spike laughs.

Spike and Simon highfive and merge together.

Spike looks at the Aura of Simon flowing through him:  Yes, a technique Crysania taught us a long time ago.  It comes in really handy.

Skye nods, visibly shaken even though she’s seen it before.

Skye manages, barely:  S-s-s-so you’re a veteran martial arts guy, and you can summon weapons at will?   Oh!  With a sentient aura that helps you when needed?

Spike hmms loudly, and the Aura of Simon flickers around him brightly:   I suppose so, if you want to call it that.

Simon reconstitutes himself.

Skye:  Remind me not to mess with you.

Spike cheers! :  and go home while you’re at it.

Skye pouts:  About that…

Spike and Simon sigh in unison:  Here we go.

Simon peers forward, and understands they have a ways until the pub:  Ok, let’s hear it.

Skye frowns:  I’m not sure exactly what home is.  I have a vague idea, but I’m not really sure where I am.  I remember school!   I love school!   But…how did I get from school to here?   The last I remember is we were working on our negative-energy density generation device and it exploded?  It succeeded?   We turned it on and I don’t know…

Spike and Simon become immediately alarmed.

Simon’s flame puffed with intensity:  Negative-Energy Density?  On what scale?

Skye’s Asuran pride leapt into action! :  As big as we could make it!   This wasn’t some quantum proof-of-concept!   This genius, and of course I’m the person who did the most work, this was a macroscopic real-life-

Simon grumbles:  Yeah yeah, How?

Skye pouted, her moment of fame popped:   Rapidly-oscillating the negative-energy density field and producing just enough negative-mass matter to make the whole thing work.

Their jaws hit the floor.

Simon:  So you made Element Zero?

Skye:   Barely.  We hope so, kinda?

Simon:  So…you might have an unstable new form of matter and you flipped the switch?

Skye looks down, feeling defeated:  I didn’t flip the switch.  My calculations were perfect!  Someone else must have messed up the manufacturing process.  Everything should have been fine.

Spike, feeling a bit left out:  Dood, can you fill be in?

Simon:  The Asura might have @#$%ed with the entire multimists while trying to manipulate spacetime for their own personal gains.

Spike nods:  Oh, yeah.  That.

Before they could argue any further, the pub came into view and they shelved the discussion.

Spike whispers to Simon:  What were they trying to do?

Simon whispers back:  Time travel, basically.  Warping the fabric of Spacetime itself so they could…nevermind.  Time Travel.

Spike nods with gravity, with a glazed over expressed:  Oh.

They arrive at the pub and life inside the pub feels off.  The trio sit in a back corner and watch.  It doesn’t take long to realize a few things don’t happen as they “are supposed to.”

Simon’s flame puffs in thought:  I think we need to wait here a while.

Spike pouts:  Can I get a drink?

Simon shakes his head, although it’s hard to tell:  No.

Simon leans heavily against the wall:  In fact, don’t disturb this scene at all.

After what felt like forever, the familiar gargantuan Norn reacts poorly to a disturbance that never happens.  Soon after the Bartender inspects and insults an Asura who is clean in the corner as opposed to dirty in the door.

Spike sighs heavily:  I don’t like this, dood.

Skye grows more pale:  Is this my fault?

Simon tugs on them both:  Come.

They quietly exit the pub just in the for a carriage to pop out of the mists itself in front of them.  A butler exits out of the carriage and offers familiar dialogue, and Spike opens his mouth to interact but has his mouth covered by Simon.  Simon leads them away from the pub door and off to the side some.  Without fail the butler continues as if the conversation is proceeding uninterrupted.  Skye begins to cry.  She is helpless to watch the butler get into the carriage ride off into the forest.  She knows the outcome.  Lalandra’s minions will kill him again.

Spike hmms for a bit and decides to take a walk behind the pub.  His walk becomes a jog, then an all out run.  When he has momentarily winded himself he stops, and frowns at his friend who is still just a few steps behind him.

Simon, standing there with his arms crossed flickering in the breeze:  Edge of the Mists?

Spike, regaining his breath nods:  Edge of the Mists…

Skye wipes her face off and asks what ‘Edge of the Mists’ means.

Simon explains that, often enough, locations in the Mists have strange barriers.  It may visually appear as if you can continue, or that you are actually moving, but you are in fact not moving at all.  You are at some invisible, intangible wall.  The pair refer to it as ‘The Edge of the Mists.’   They don’t know how or why it works, it is just a thing.

Skye nods quietly:  How big is this place.

Spike’s cartography instincts kick in:   My guess is the pub, the forest path, the fortress plains, and if we’re lucky – Skycoast.  A couple of these caves and small cities they mentioned.  Probably one very small isolated area in the grand scheme of things.

Simon nodded, although it’s hard to tell:  …and they’re stuck in a time-loop.

Skye knew it to be true by now, but she didn’t want to hear it.

Spike:  The Officers.  Do you think they are too?

Simon’s flame danced wildly as he pondered:   I’m not sure, but I’m inclined to believe they know something is off at the very least.

Spike:  As in maybe not a time-loop but…

Simon continued:  …but they know something isn’t right.

Skye jumped in:  And now that you two are here…

They all looked at each other:  Things can be fixed.

All three relaxed.  That’s the answer.  It had to be.  The Quindicate didn’t hate each other, and never did.  However, nothing changed –  nothing ever got better.  One day this particular part of the Mists got enveloped by some freak Asuran experiment gone wrong, and everyone just tried to protect themselves instead of working together.  Spike felt a sense of relief.  He could unite everyone, he could form the Quindicate again and we could all see Crysania!

Spike whispered outloud: …Crysania…

Skye looked up at Spike and just now noticed just how ragged he looks.  This is a man, who looks almost dead on his feet now.  For the first time, sympathy replaced terror in her heart.

Skye:  Neither of you has ever really said who Crysania is, really…

Spike and Simon exchange glances, and Spike looks down at her and gives her the gentlest, most sincere smile he ever has.

Skye feels the warmth of Crysania just from his smile and grows excited to hear the answer!

However, Spike can’t just find the words.  After a moment or two the smile fades:  You’ll see soon enough, pups.

Skye’s confusion courses through her body.  Who is this woman to propel this exhausted duo?   Her very name changes them so thoroughly.  Skye must know!

The moment of rest is over.  With a quiet resolution and a good set of answers, back into the forest they go.  Now, comes the hard part:   they must convince the strong willed officers of the Quindicate of this facet of reality and band together to reach Skycoast.  Perhaps Crysania can help?  Perhaps there is a path outside the Edge of the Mists?  Perhaps there is a portal?  Therein lies the big flaw, only hope and no real hard solution.  The yearning of Spike and Simon to be on home soil again cannot be understated.  They exist through sheer willpower alone at this point.  Surely the Quin will help.  Hopefully?

 

The Quindicate Part V

 

Spike, armed with the Spiritual Shield of Token Tank Death and the Aura of Simon, raises his shield and dashes right at an angry Lalandra Corvousia.

Spike, yelling:  Will you just listen to me, you Spiteful @#$%^ ?!

Spike deflects the Whip-Greatsword which was thrust forcibly at his person, and connects with the shield – knocking her upwards off her feet and carrying her back to a large tree and pinning her against it.

Spike whispers, just loud enough:  …I’m sorry…

The Aura of Simon courses through the Shield and into Lalandra, sending a blood-curdling scream into the forest as the Blue Flame of the Anchorwind slows her down enough to the point she may listen.  Spike’s tears flow freely down his face as he loathes to do this to his friend and Quindicate member, but the Rage of Lalandra is a fearful foe.  Eventually, even the mighty glowing green grows faint, and her arms fall to her side and she rests on the shield.  Spike lays her to the ground as gently as he can and takes a few steps back.

Panting, and cursing colorfully, Lalandra raises herself to her hip.  She takes in a deep breath and hoists herself to a knee.  Staring through Spike in part anger and part resignation, she stands tall.  She tries to summon her Bloodsword and fails.  It is only then she agrees to speak.  Spike lets go of the Spiritual Shield but Simon decides to remain an aura.

Lalandra snarls down at Spike, filthy with dirt and tear stains: You come to MY @#$%ing forest and make demands of ME?!

Spike bobs his head between his shoulders and makes dancing hand gestures:  Not really…but kinda?  Yeah.

Lalandra exhales powerfully, the green in her body reanimating ever so slightly.  In return Simon flickers some intentionally, reminding Lalandra not to try anything regretful.

Lalandra snaps her fingers and several smaller bone minions, little forest creatures of otherwise harmless distinction come flocking and assemble themselves into a makeshift throne.  Lalandra grins with malice, sits down and crosses her legs.  Looking down upon Spike she wonders aloud what he was saying.

Spike sighs and looks around for a surely terrifed Asura.  Finding her cowering behind a tree but peeking out to follow the action, Spike motions for her to join in the conversation.  Skye shakes her head vividly to refuse but Spike grumbles loudly and threatens to drag her tiny frame out into the clearing.  The booming laughter of the Norn on her throne only reinforces the fear of the little one and the resignation of Spike comes quickly.

Spike turns to Lalandra, who seems to be regenerating more rapidly than expected:   We want you to work with us and Balre-

Lalandra slams her armored fist into her throne, breaking the throne some via flinging some minions off into the forest clearing.  The minions, as swiftly as possible, rush to pile back onto the throne and reform it properly.  Skye watches the scene unfold with horror and tries to recoil even more while still watching.

Spike introduces the idea of the time-loop and this being a small section of the multimists to Lalandra.  Unfortunately, Lalandra is not the most known for her scientific achievements, and instead her famed stubbornness came through in spades.  She outright refused to even consider the possibility of what Spike had learned was real.  She refused to consider working with the Metallicorps.  She refused to leave her border ‘unguarded’ even for a brief moment.

Spike sighed, long and painfully:  The caravan and border patrols come at regular intervals -because- of the time-loop!

Lalandra crossed her arms and frowned:  This is a trick.  I don’t buy it.

There was a period of awkward silence, while Spike was trying to figure out how to explain it to Lalandra in terms she could understand and accept.  After a while, an actual living animal emerged from the forest and approached Lalandra.  This living creature appeared to be a messenger for Lalandra for this tense meeting ended soon thereafter.  She would consult with Nyx and give an answer.  Spike was to remain here.

Spike appeared visibly annoyed:  Oh joy.  Hurry up and wait.  My favorite!

Lalandra snapped back:  Well if time never moves forward, what difference does it make?

Spike threw his hands up and sighed:  @#$% it.  Hurry up so I can say ‘I told you so.’

Lalandra chose not to dignify that with a response.  Her and the living creature disappeared into the woods.  After a certain amount of time a reluctant, but fully healed, Lalandra re-emerged.  She was not happy.

Lalandra:  Nyx is tending to agree with you, for now.

Lalandra crosses her arms, and leans on one hip:   You say a time-loop.  So the caravan should do the exact same thing, every time?

Spike, Simon, and Skye nod with enthusiasm.

Lalandra waves her hand dismissively in the general direction of the caravan route:   Let’s get this over with.

With a great deal of unease and mistrust, all four of them set off to where they knew the caravan would come.  Skye would regularly look up at Lalandra to see her grinning down at Skye.  The little one would always then hurry ahead a few steps and mutter incoherently to herself.  Spike would try to remind Lalandra of the ‘good old days’ of The Quindicate but never received the response he was looking for.  Simon simply kept pace.  Except Lalandra, no one remembers the path to the caravan route being so long, but this awkwardness doesn’t help.

Finally arriving, the wreckage is as it always is.

Lalandra, feeling a sense of satisfaction: See!  Knew this was all bull@#$% !!

Lalandra summons her bloodsword and very clearly informs the other three there is no escape, no winning, and no outside assistance this time.  They will do things HER way or they will die, here and now.  They will die as they should have the first time.  Spike and Simon merge out of caution and Skye runs for the wreckage to find a place to hide.  Lalandra’s eyes fixate on little Skye and snarls with dissatisfaction.  She stares at the wreckage when it just fizzles into the mists, pops out of existence.

Lalandra blinks in confusion, and misses an opportunity to laugh as Skye panics due to her would-be cover vanishing before her eyes.  Sighing loudly, she relinquishes her Bloodsword and stamps her foot in frustration.

Lalandra folds her arms again and looks away:  So this wasn’t just endless attacking and spying?  This really is just time-loop @#$%?

Spike nods with excitement at Lalandra coming around.

Lalandra:  So, what happens if that caravan makes it?

Spike shrugs:  Who knows, dood.  You’ve been caught in this loop for a long time, in a way.

Lalandra:  And you want me, us, to work with-

Lalandra spits with malice:  -them-

Spike smiles, despite the worn face, stubble, tear stains, and all:  It would be nice.

Lalandra frowns:  Hmpf.  Fine.  One wrong move, and I mean -ONE- and it’s game @#$%ing on.

Lalandra glances towards Skye, who has been lying face down where the wreckage was, hands over her head, trying not to be noticed:   You can get up now, you’re not dying yet.

Skye scrambles to her feet and chuckles nervously to herself.  However, she can’t help but notice Lalandra’s green glow seems stronger than ever.

Skye ponders to herself, at deafening volume: Just who ARE these people?

Skye still feels lost, she’s learned so much but still feels like she knows so little.  Again, her deep thought has caused her to miss things in the here-and-now.

Spike:  Should we get going?

Lalandra grumbles loudly:  I guess.

They set off once again, again, to the fortress.  Skye wonders just how often the Quin have been places and done things.  They don’t even seem fazed by any of this.  She suddenly realizes she’s being left behind and scrambles after them.

After once again unsuccessfully trying to get Lalandra to smile from tales of previous times, the forest cleared and Balreth’s fortress came into view.  Lalandra tensed up, she assumed Lady Neveah already knew of their presence at the forest border.  Spike and Simon made mention of the patrol and about where they had grown accustomed to finding it.  After a short period of waiting and searching it was more-or-less where it was expected to be.  Lalandra growled softly.

Lalandra:  This really @#$%ing is a time-loop…

Spike, Simon, and Skye hit the ground and were going to ensure the patrol moved by harmlessly.  Lalandra however, had no such intentions.  Seeing the other three, she openly challenged them.

Spike:  We don’t have to do this!  I have another way!

Lalandra grew angry:  Have you grown soft?!  We vanquish!  We KICK THE DOOR -DOWN!-

Lalandra ran off, directly towards the patrol.

Groaning with a mixture of impatience and frustration, Spike got up and ran after Lalandra.  Simon sighed and got up too, eventually catching up and merging with Spike.  Skye decided it was best to stay where she was and offer moral support.  She, after all, had a good vantage point from the forest clearing and could observe.

The patrol easily saw a large glowing, growling, Norn with a gigantic Bloodsword charging directly at them.  They quickly got into a defensive formation but it was of no real help, for Lalandra bowled into the formation without hesitation and separated the torso from the legs of the first guard with all the accumulated momentum.  Drawing the blood of the guard into herself, she cackled with joy.  The guards wasted no time counter-attacking.  Unlike Spike, Lalandra is not that fast, nor technical, and was struck repeatedly.  Skye gasped in horror as spurts of red and green shot off in multiple directions.  This seemed to only anger Lalandra even more, as did Spike’s assistance.

Lalandra roared in rage, and swung her Bloodsword with power and fury.  The guards did successfully raise their shields in time but it was of no use.  Noises of panic filled the air as guards were taken off their feet from the impact and watched in horror as Lalandra’s fury-empowered blood magic weakened them further.  One by one her clawed hand, pointy boots, and Bloodsword did their work on guards who were caught off guard by this terrifying woman who just absorbed whatever damage was thrown her way and shrugged it off with rage and blood magic.

Skye, back at the forest clearing, watched Spike leap away in time to not be engulfed by the Green Flame (GREEN FLAME!!!) of the Corvus.  The area around Lalandra’s intimidating presence was reduced to essentially nothing but a panting, grinning, Norn, and some fresh minions.  Skye made a mental note not to piss her off.  The Blue Flame of the Anchorwind is controlled, targeted, and mostly defensive.  Hers, hers is angry, offensive, and indiscriminate!  Skye felt even more scared of Lalandra than ever before.  The Quin members had already resumed their progress towards the fortress as if nothing happened.  Are these people heroes or monsters?!  Skye had no real choice but to catch up and so she got up and hurried along.

Walking with intent, purpose, and focus, it did not take long to reach the fortress gate.  To no one’s surprise, it was lined with Metallicorps guards and Neveah’s hooded figures.  Atop the gate stood Balreth and Angel themselves.  Skye waves and nervously smiles.  Spike stands there hoping for the best, thinking how to handle this, but Lalandra wastes no time.

Lalandra screams up to the Lord and Lady:  Open this @#$%ing gate before I BREAK it!

The Lady Neveah calmly reaches under her cloak and pulls out a silver object.  She flicks her wrist a couple of times firmly and it unfolds and locks into place, revealing a shining scythe.  No words were spoken.

Lalandra looks around for something sizable, but there is nothing to aid her.  The fortress is neat, tidy, and orderly.  She growls angrily, but Spike steps forward.

Spike, sounding strangely cheerful:  Hey, we need to talk!

Spike walks right up to the gate, and pulls out the dagger-key, which makes Lalandra gasp in surprise.  Spike mimics what he saw the platinum-rank soldier does and the gate begins to open.  Immediate panic erupts above the gate, and a plethora of orders can be heard shouting in numerous voices.  Spike turns, grins innocently, and shrugs.

Lalandra storms to the gate:  Why the @#$^ didn’t you say you had this?!

Spike, still grinning:  Well maybe if you weren’t trying to kill me, I would have had the chance!

Lalandra clenches her fists angrily, but just growls to herself.

Everyone simply walks into the fortress as ranks of Metallicorps scramble to form up in the courtyard.  Balreth and a still visibly armed Angel await them near the Keep proper.  The Aura of Simon flickers, the Bloodsword is formed, and the tension is palpable.  This could be the downfall of everything.  As they walk towards the Lord and Lady, Spike suddenly curses loudly and falls flat on his face!  Simon is materialized and is propelled on to his back.  Tension becomes awkwardness for everyone but Lalandra who instantly assumes a defensive stance.  Metallicorps soldiers titter and snort at Spike and Simon in restrained tones.  Angel smiles under her hood, and with some graceful twirls puts her scythe away without effort or sight.

Balreth, unclenching his fists, lets out the first real laugh.  His formations, quickly, follow his lead.  An entire courtyard of Metallicorps soldiers let their tensions ease through laughter.

Spike sits up, rubbing his face, and laughs at himself too.  Simon sits up and rubs his tailbone.  Skye, hovering near the gate still lowers her hunched up shoulders, and takes a moment to look around.  Her eyes widen in amazement!   Spike did that on purpose!    This is a man who can dodge nine men at once and he trips over his own feet on a smooth surface?   Spike -prevented- a fight from ever happening!  Skye leaned against the gate insert, mostly hidden from external view.  Just who are these people?

Lalandra, finally, releases her highest levels of tension as well.  She approaches the two people she trusts the least unarmed, for now.

Balreth looks down the steps to the keep at them:  It must have been a neat trick to get the key to the gate.

Spike, looking embarrassed:  Aaww, shucks.

Balreth’s face grows stern, and shouts out to the crowd:  We will have to inspect every corner to find this deficiency.

The formation comes to immediate attention, and the silence of the courtyard was almost frightening.  Spike felt bad, but hoped to resolve this situation before all the men here had to suffer Balreth’s wrath.

Skye sat back and watched this long argument unfold.  Spike’s impassioned pleas for teamwork, Lalandra’s stubborn assumptions of failure and betrayal, Balreth’s skepticism and paranoia, and whatever Angel whispers to him.  It was tiring for her just to watch, let alone participate.  Tempers flared, momentum ebbed and flowed, and things seemed to be built and destroyed in a moment.  No one agreed on even the basics of trust.  Spike pleaded about the old days, what it was to be Quin.

Finally, Spike and Simon needed to leave the conversation – even if for a moment.  Spike was going to head up to the top of the fortress and look out at the water, and Skycoast.  Angel raised her hand and said something, softly.  Skye couldn’t hear it, but Spike responded, angrily.  His demeanor, tone, whatever he did caught everyone off guard.  Even Lalandra took a half-step back.  No one at that moment wanted to challenge Spikelangelo Anchorwind.  Balreth motioned and a path cleared for Spike and Simon.  Within a brief few moments they were visible from where they previously stood, doing exactly what they said they were going to do.  Angel decided to join them.  Skye wanted so badly to be there.  She could understand even less from where she stood, mostly hidden by the raised gate.

Skye could see Angel speaking with them but couldn’t make out anything!  She wanted to know!  Other than a little bit of pointing and some nodding there was nothing!   Skye was frustrated.  Her innate Asuran curiosity and her individual personality was eating at her.  Fortunately, the conversation up top didn’t last long.  They came back down to the courtyard and Angel whispered to Balreth, who simply nodded and stroked his beard.

Balreth, after some brief thought raised his hand: Men!  We’re building a ship!

Everyone looked at Lalandra, who just quietly nodded.  Cheers erupted in the courtyard.

Skye was relieved, but no one more so than Spike who was crying in the courtyard.  Skycoast was within reach at long last.

 

The Quindicate Part VI

 

The might of the Metallicorps was in full swing.  The Neveah Network, and the Silverlock Soldiers converging on a single focused task without the interference of Lalandra and Nyx was a sight to see.  Even beyond that, as Simon had explained, due to the time-loop many things would return to the way they were.  Because of this, resource-gathering was amazingly easy do to the rapidly regenerating mists.  The ‘Lady Luck’  as the boat had been named, had been erected in amazing time.  The only major complaint being resets of men due to the time-loop:  resets of knowledge, purpose, etc.

While there was no real way to measure time here, Spike felt like the not-yet-united Quindicate was sailing The Lady Luck towards Skycoast much faster than anticipated.  Skye, as per usual by now, was somewhere out of the way and mostly hidden.  Looking around and absorbing as much as she could the moods aboard The Lady Luck were about as different as one could be: The Metallicorps, Balreth and Angel, were measured, calm, and focused;  The Anchorwind, Spike and Simon, were jubilant, merry, and carefree, even dancing impromptu dances to each other;  The Greenecks however, Lalandra, was cold and distant, keeping to herself and reacting angrily to being bothered while Nyx was still a relatively unknown quantity.

Balreth was gazing out at sea when the waves themselves vanished and reappeared nearby.  He stroked his beard, having noticed the time-loop himself and really processed what it could mean.  He caressed the handle of his bastard sword about his waist.  Angel noticed it too.  They nodded to each other in unison, they didn’t need to speak.  They already had the same idea.

Skye decided to interrupt the Merriment of The Anchorwind:  Sorry to ruin the fun, but in case you haven’t noticed…  The whole island is floating, like in the sky.  We, currently, are not.

Spike and Simon stop dancing and going about their fun and smile down on the little Asura:  Oh that?  I’m not worried.  This will work itself out somehow.

Skye isn’t convinced.

Spike:  Crysania wouldn’t leave us down here like this.  Maybe Dandd will throw us a ladder.

Simon nods:  Maybe there’s other people on the grounds?

Spike grows excited:  Oh! Maybe there’s some ground level access portal?

Simon is gleeful:  Or some staircase leading up the island?

Spike cheers:  You know Crysania and her staircases!

Skye is baffled: How could anyone be excited by staircases?

They frown in unison at her.  She shrugs and walks away.

Skye, mutters to herself:  If I’ve learned anything, it is if you think you have a grasp on how strange the Quin is?  You’re wrong.

Skye didn’t even get settled off in some out-of-the way place when she couldn’t believe her eyes.  Skycoast wasn’t really floating after all.  The rock island may have appeared that way from a distance, but it was actually more like a mountain, technically?  The rock thinned, from the wide base up top where the tower rose into the clouds, narrower and narrower to a single point where the waves splashed and danced on it.  This single point was a step, one of many that formed a winding staircase up the edge of the rock to the plateau above.

As The Lady Luck drew near, numerous smaller craft were deployed off the side for men and officers to begin the trek up this potentially perilous staircase.  Spike and Simon, joyful at the proximity to Crysania, didn’t bother.  They leapt from the front of the ship and swam the short distance to the first step.  This sent everyone else into a frenzied panic to catch up, and voices can be heard yelling about every which thing.  The officers in particular, seemed to be both angry and visibly distrustful.  Skye was nervous.

The first few steps were worn smooth from the water, and were a bit more slippery than the others but it was more the lack of having anything other than the outer edge to use as leverage that was the issue.  After a bit both Spike and Simon had hoisted themselves up and were made immediately aware of the angered yelling behind them.  Lalandra was waving and glowing on the small craft and while they couldn’t quite make out the words, they were pretty sure of the intent.  The pair got up and out of the waves and waited for the small craft to arrive, shrugged at the glares, and began the climb up the island.

It was windy, slippery, and there was little to hold on to.  One Metallicorps soldier slipped and fell back into the water.  There were long periods of awkward quiet, and other periods of strong tension, but nothing could really break the gleeful anticipation of the Anchorwind duo.  Just a few more steps and Skycoast would be in reach.  Just a few more steps, and they could finally see Crysania again!  Spike lead this line of mismatched should-be Quin up the island steps, and when they got to the top he eagerly ran forward a bit and marveled at Skycoast proper.

Unfortunately, Lalandra who flanked Spike on one side seemed to have an air of hostility about her, as did the Metallicorps who flanked Spike on the other side.  Skycoast is literally just a few steps away, and he’s pincered between two forces that clearly have some unresolved business. Skye, still hovering half on the steps, felt terrible for Spike.  He’s practically home!

Balreth spoke first:  This time-loop business has given me a lot to think about.

Lalandra sneered:  Funny, I was thinking the same thing.

Simon merges with Spike, rapidly.

Spike, not liking the situation he finds himself in, holds his hands up cautiously:  Uhh, guys?   We made it!  Look!  Skycoast!  It’s -right- here!

Balreth strokes his beard, nods, and the Metallicorps soldiers fan out in a long line.

Angel snaps her scythe into form.

Lalandra summons her Bloodsword.

Out of the sky, flying beasts of multiple descriptions descend to hover and fly circles around Lalandra.

Balreth draws his sword, this impressively long sword and it ignites.  Skye gasps as the Red Fire of the Silverlock causes the sword to float on its own in front of Balreth.  Balreth opens a magical pouch and pulls out a staff with a red jewel on its head.  Spike sighs heavily, both sword and staff means business.

Balreth points the staff in Spike’s direction:  I’m afraid we cannot let you break this loop.  We take out you-

Balreth moves the staff slightly: -and her, and we have an infinite wealth here.  Everyone gets everything.  All we have to do is be a bit repetitive to the men.  We can own it all.

Lalandra grins and points her sword back at Balreth:  Well, I guess we have no reason to @#$% around then!

Without hesitation, Lalandra and the flying hoard charges into the fray.  The Metallicorps respond, and Spike finds himself uncomfortably surrounded and unsure how to handle this.  Before Spike has but a moment to think, all hell breaks loose at the grounds before Skycoast Tower.  Flying beasts and Soldiers tangle with each other all around, but even more so trying to dodge Bloodsword swings and now Scythe swings as well.

Spike is trying to learn all that is happening, how does he get into Skycoast proper with all this?   Balreth is keeping his distance, fairly well guarded with a magical sword fighting on his behalf in addition to his staffwork and spells.  Spike can’t get a handle on everything when a pink rose zips by, narrowly missing him.  Spike didn’t notice at the time, but Skye can see from her vantage point the rose is flaming:  The Pink Fire of the Neveah.  Lalandra extends her Great-Whipsword in a powerful thrusting attack aimed at Spike, but he dodges it with relative ease.  Instead, the attack speeds towards Angel, who vanishes from the path of Lalandra’s attack and reappears at her thrown rose.  Spike’s eyes widen with this new knowledge!  Angel will be a formidable foe.

Skye watches this all unfold with great interest.  Balreth’s fire magic rains in from the rear, while Angel dances in and out with her roses and scythe attacks.  Lalandra’s sword constantly shifts states between Greatsword and Great-Whipsword and keeps people guessing, while she, herself, is able to absorb an incredible amount of damage and simply heal it all.  Spike, meanwhile, has neither scored a meaningful hit nor been hit with anything substantial.  The colors of red and pink, blue, and green, ebb and flow, dance and retreat, and collide in such a display of power it leaves poor Skye awestruck.

Skye thinks she witnesses Angel get caught off-guard, but instead she gets to see this amazing twirling maneuver!  Never losing her feet, she spins around from a standing position to a cross-legged seat, and switching her grip, Angel impales some of Lalandra’s minions with the tailspike of her scythe while her cloak fans out on the grounds around her.  The entire move was so visually impressive, everyone momentarily just stopped and appreciated the skill and grace.  Angel then rolled back, bounced off her hand and returned to her feet and all without so much as skipping a beat or breaking her rhythm.  It was then most people realized there were also thrown roses, as they all then promptly exploded in this arc of pink flame.

Spike understood what he needed to do, switching to Vixoria’s bow, he put his speed to his advantage.  Spike began firing barrages of arrows not just at Lalandra and Angel, but at Balreth in the back too and at the Roses being thrown around.  Balreth’s sword-familiar was now having to deal with arrows, as well as flying minions which gave Balreth more to deal with.  No longer could he just sit back and cast spells freely.  Angel’s bombs and mobility options were now becoming limited as well.  Lalandra was beginning to absorb more damage than she would have preferred to as well.  This might become problematic.

The focus had generally been on Spike, but now it was now almost exclusively been on Spike.  Pink and Green flashes of power zip here and there but all Spike could do was dodge about and fire off counter-arrows as best he could.  What Spike didn’t see until it was too late was the gigantic fireball Balreth was gathering.  When he had summoned enough power, Balreth unleashed it!   He had Spike and Lalandra all lined up, his plan was perfect!  Angel retreated to a defensive rose and this was it.  Skye leapt forward to a nearby rock and held on for dear life.  Spike couldn’t get out of this one!  The size and speed of this fireball was too much.  Lalandra knew it too for every minion available formed a wall between her and Spike.  Spike exhaled.

Boom.

Skye screamed, but no one heard her.  Raining bits of bone minion rained from the sky.  Lalandra’s Great-Whipsword, Angel’s Roses, and Balreth’s Sword-Familiar all protected themselves from the debris.  The dust cloud settled, and in the bottom of this crater would be the corpse of Spikelangelo Anchorwind, at last.  However, the ever-observant Balreth was the first to notice the door to Skycoast was open.  Alarmed, Balreth took off running.  No barking orders, just running.  There was no time! Everyone else saw Balreth running, and figured it out shortly thereafter.  Spike somehow dodged!  Spike lives!  Skye too, got up and scrambled to the tower!

Already inside the hollow tower, Spike and Simon used some old Anchorwind magic to activate the wind.

They grin to each other, and in unison:  I am the wind, woosh!

Soaring up the tall tower, their excitement is practically beating out of their chest.  Coming into view is home.  Finally, after all this time.  Crysania just has to be there!

Everyone else runs through the door to Skycoast and lays eyes on yet another staircase, winding up this tall, narrow, tower.  Cursing vividly, they scramble for position as they begin their climb.  They will not let this happen!

Landing on the entrance platform, gently, at the base of the top of the tower Spike and Simon take a moment to soak it all in.

Spike is childlike in his glee:  Dood!  Dandd’s office!   Do you think he’s in?

Simon shrugs and points upward:  Later, don’t want you want to see -HER-?

Spike nods with great enthusiasm, but still strains himself to try to peek in Dandd’s place to try to see what he can see.  Simon giggles, he understands.  They dust themselves off a bit, shake out the nerves, get composed and calmly walk up the final stairs.

The top of the tower is still the same open-air domed room it always was.  Arched doorways lead outside, where Crysania can look, plan, and featherfall our way to victory.  This time it was different though.  There were paintings everywhere, some floating stationary and others orbiting slowly along the outsides.  These paintings were…were…US!

Spike, eyes wide in amazement:  Look, WE did this!   …and this!   Oh this too!

Simon grabs Spike firmly, and points not at the painting, but to the person in the center of the room.  They both immediately shed a tear or three.

There she was.  A short woman, covered in tattoos, a loincloth, and a smile.

Spike burst:  Crysania!!! Where?  How?  What the @#$% ?

Crysania held a finger to her lips.

Spike whimpered quietly, his emotions flowing from him uncontrollably.

Simon’s flame too, was dancing wildly despite the lack of a strong wind.

Crysania spoke:  You two have done so well.  I am proud of you both.

Spike can’t hold it in any longer, collapsing to his knees and begins to weep openly.  It has been such a long journey for him.  He’s been here, there, everywhere.  All he wanted was to come home and be in a place where he felt like he belonged.  He wanted to feel loved.

Crysania opens her arms, and the two gladly accept, rushing in for a hug.  A bright warm light fills the entire room, spilling out into the rest of the tower.  Balreth, Angel, and Lalandra don’t know what’s going on but they do not like it!   Redoubling their pace they scramble up the rest of the stairs.  They rush past the wind platform and Dandd’s office and up the final stairs and spill into Crysania’s room at, the top of the tower.

They all have their weapons at the ready, but they are immediately confused.  Skye whirrs in on her hovering device and is astounded by all of these paintings, but even more so by Spike!   She looks around and she sees that Balreth, Angel, and Lalandra still have weapons in hand but are being slowly lowered to the ground.  Their faces change from anger to something different.

Skye quietly puts away her device and approaches Spike:  What’s going on.

Spike just reaches down and pats her on the head, much to her dismay.

Some time passes, as the officers circle the room and study all the paintings that Crysania had started oh so long ago.  Balreth is the first to sheathe his weapons.  Angel follows suit.  All eyes shift to Lalandra who glares around a bit but relinquishes hers as well.

Balreth approaches Spike, and strokes his beard:  The Quindicate, eh?

Spike smiles softly.

Lalandra joins the group:  This was all us, wasn’t it?

Spike grabs Skye and puts her on his shoulder, revealing a sleeve of tattoos.

Skye, startled and annoyed:  Hey, what are you-

The officers gasp loudly.  Angel, finally, pulls back her hood.  While Skye is amazed at just how beautiful Angel is, the true realization finally sets in for: Balreth Silverlock, Lalandra Corvousia, and Angel Neveah.

Balreth smiles broadly, and puts a hand on Lalandra’s shoulder.  Skye inhales sharply, but Lalandra returns the gesture.

Spike:  Skye, let me introduce you to The Hoolequin. Quin, for short.  Our Quindicate is baddest fighting force anywhere in the Grand Atlas-

Spike gestures with a tattoed arm to all the paintings:  and I think I need to take you home, wherever that may be.

Lalandra pouts:   Where’s Crysania?

Spike’s arm glows a comforting blue:  She was disappointed in you, but it was time for her to go.

The officers briefly look down at the floor at hearing the news of Crysania’s disappointment, but they understand why: the infighting and all.

Balreth, unconsciously strokes his beard again:  And Simon?

Spike grins, and the Blue Flame of the Anchorwind briefly flickers around him before subsiding:  We’re all here.

Angel whispers:  The true guild leader…

Skye is astonished, everything she does is musical, graceful, beautiful. Skye makes a mental note to work on that.

Spike, looking youthful, energized, and happy:  Ok, pups, ready to find your way home?

Skye looks around, and is kind of sad.  Spike has such good friends, powerful friends too.  They’re kind of scary sometimes, but then the realization hits her.  The time-loop!  We need to fix the whole multimists, the whole Grand Atlas!

Skye whispers:  The Hoolequin and The Grand Atlas…

Spike, softly smiling:  What did you say?

Skye hops off Spike’s shoulders on to her flying device and with confidence:  Yes!  We still have work to do!

Spike’s gentle smile turns into a wide grin.  He turns to a Metallicorps soldier who has just now made it up the long staircase and with his tattooed arm, forcechokes him.

The officers in the room all stand there, mouths-agape.

Balreth recovers first:  Crysania is truly with you.

Lalandra sighs:  Oh @#$%.

Angel puts her hood back up and bows politiely.

Skye stands there in horror:  What the @#$% was that?

The officers, including Spike, all laugh.

Lalandra: Oh honey, you’re in for a trip now.

Skye, nervously:  Yeah…

At the opposite end of the room from the stairs is a dormant portal device.  Spike reactivates it and a new journey is set to begin.  Cheerful goodbyes are given, and the last thing this version of Lalandra, Balreth, and Angel see is the last Anchorwind walk through doing what they do: help someone in need.

Balreth sighed: A unified Anchorwind, I hope the me in the next mists is smart enough to not fight him.

Angel laughed.

Lalandra playfully punched him in the shoulder:  Yeah old man, can’t keep up with Crysania.

They all paused.  It’s not Crysania anymore.  She’s gone, in a way.  She’s in these paintings, in memories, and on Spike’s arm.  Spikelangelo Anchorwind is now the real Anchorwind.

Oh @#$%.  SPIKELANGELO IS THE REAL ANCHORWIND.  Hold onto your valuables, Grand Atlas.  Here comes Spike.

 

 

References:

George Clinton – Atomic Dog
Thin Lizzy – Boys are Back In Town
Guild History, and a (very) new player Skye Cimaroon
US Politics and my enjoyment of making Spike into everything (Panda Spike, General Spike, etc)
Gundam
Green Flame : Running thing in Acquisitions Incorporated. (Started in 2013, STILL going strong! Amateurs. Quin or Quit, among others was started WAY before that and is doing just fine  )
Out-Of-Character History (GASP!)
Star Wars
References to previous Quin Stories (Anchorwind Arc)
Conker’s Bad Fur Day (Kinda…)
Chrono Trigger