A/N: Okay, so we're nearing the end of the first arc. I'm hoping to have the whole thing wrapped up by Chapter 8. Rest assured, the second arc will have even more in store, and the story will have its own twists and turns. The OC stuff is coming nicely as well. We've got a few spots left, and I'd love to fill them out before too long! With all of that out of the way, let's get started!


8 June X820, Oasis Roadside Buffet, just south of Estrecho, 5:30 PM.

"And with that, you've eaten everything," Cal laughed, as Lunick downed a particularly strange looking piece of what looked to be egg.

"Damn, I couldn't stomach much of that at all," agreed Elya, as the buffet's owner looked on in shock.

"You ate everything?" He demanded, his eyes growing wide.

"Well you said it was all you can eat..." Lunick sighed, as he got up.

"Not to worry sir, our guild is getting very wealthy, we'll cover the damages... soon," Cal said, desperately, as he and the other two bolted out the door, forgetting the snow, though it was light enough at that point that the risk of accumulation was slim to none.

"So, Lunick, what was up with your family?" Elya asked, as the party began walking back to Estrecho, into the forest and past the hut.

"I'm not really sure. They always said they raised me, and found me out in the desert, but I can't really tell. I guess my eyes are different, so maybe..." Lunick sighed, lost in thought, as he lagged behind the others, and ran to catch up after the fact. It was at this point that the two mages saw that he was also furiously clutching a medallion that seemed to resemble a stylized, anthropomorphic sun.

"What's up with that?" Elya asked, her curiousity piqued.

"I'm not sure, my family said it was on me when they found me as an infant..." Lunick sighed, equal parts confused and distressed.

"Sounds like you're a bit torn up about it," Cal muttered.

Lunick strained. "No, nothing at all, I'm just a bit curious."

"Curious?"

"Well I never knew what happened to my 'parents,'" he sighed. "The ones that made me I mean..."

"We understand," Elya sighed, a bit taken aback by Lunick's blunt nature.

"Well either way, All I remember is a symbol," Lunick explained. "Kind of stuck in my head."

"All right, well I'm sure if you'll ever find anyone to help with that, it'll be in a mage guild," Cal said.

"Can you draw the symbol?" Elya asked.

Lunick winced. "Maybe some other time..." he sighed, as the party made their return to Estrecho proper.

"I didn't realize your guild was right here," Lunick said, seemingly familiar with the area.

"You've been around here?" Asked Cal.

"Entertained, robbed a few houses, not much to rob though, so we usually focused on trains and travelers going around on foot," Lunick explained.

"I guess that makes sense..." Elya muttered. "Hey, you two can take off, I'm going make a copy of this map before I get it to the Rune Knights."


8 June X820, Rune Knight Office #796, West of Estrecho, Fiore, 5:40 PM.

"All right, so you're saying this woman has been brainwashed?" The Rune Knight manning the desk said, with a good deal of poise, even enthusiasm, not at all the beaten down tone that Hazel was expecting.

"Yes, she doesn't seem to be a proper dark mage, rather, she's a vessel," Hazel repeated, Ashelia peering beyond the front desk, hidden by walls around the waiting room.

"Please don't do that," the knight sighed, her thick blonde hair, in an oddly masculine bowl cut. Her stature, around six feet, seemed to maker her slightly uncomfortable while she sat at the low-lying desk. Her uniform hid her athletic frame, and it was only through her blue eyes that some resolve was seen. This woman's place was not behind a desk, that much was certain.

"Do what?" Ashelia smirked.

"The public is not meant to see our operations up close, it's a matter of security," the woman explained.

"Well uh-" Hazel began, addressing the attendant, but not knowing her name.

"Artemis."

"Artemis, can you take the spell out of Rosalie here?" Hazel asked.

"It should be possible, but we may have to move her to the council's headquarters. We have some technology that might be able to exorcise her," Artemis said. "The Rune Knights can take over at that point, your services are no longer needed."

"All right, we'll be on our way then," Hazel insisted, as she dragged Ashelia out, Esie in tow.

"What's up?" The taller woman asked, as the three began moving towards Estrecho.

"You handled yourself pretty well in the battle there, I think there's someone you ought to meet," Hazel explained.

Esie scowled lightly.


8 June X820, Phoenix Gear Guild Hall, Estrecho, Fiore, 5:40 PM

"So, what's up with the three of you?" Erika asked, a strong resolve in her voice.

"I'm from the coast here in Fiore," Marina said, shifting her weight as she closed herself off with her body language.

"Well I kind of have a Machia's arm. Long story," Valeria said, as she demonstrated this, morphing her arm into a blade and back.

"I guess fairies kind of raised me..." Nao began.

"For the last time, no, they didn't. What are you, eight?" Marina shot a disapproving look at him.

"I'm twenty four for your information," At that point Erika did a double take.

"I don't age, fairies," Nao said, seeing Erika's expression.

"You get used to it, that's what he says about... Well, everything," Valeria offered, as Erika looked to her as well.

"Well I guess I'm not the strangest person around here," Erika thought to herself, flashing a smile. "I'm just glad I found this place. Long story short, I'm not really sure why I can use this... I think Margaret called it 'Devil Slayer' magic, and well, I haven't had the best previous five years," she explained.

"How so?" Valeria asked.

"Have you heard about the island of Siren, in Cae Elum?" Erika asked.

Valeria flashed a smile. "I hear it's beautiful there," she gushed, but ceased as she saw the somewhat downcast expression of Erika.

Nao and Marina seemed unfamiliar. Erika spoke up again. "It's a small island in Cae-Elum's archipelago. I lived there, and there's a somewhat rare variety of Lacrima that's fairly abundant there. We used to make money by trading it with Midi, but they kind of went under after government debt wrecked them. That was about twenty years ago. My parents used to be miners, but got laid off after that. It wasn't like we could export much further either. Anywhere else could get it from Joya quicker and cheaper..."

Erika was interrupted by the sound of Margaret and Adenna returning.

"Sorry about ruining the pie..." Margaret sighed, looking up at her taller companion.

"Don't worry about it, it's not like you could have predicted that an evil scientist was going to start raining magic cancelling snow from the sky," Adenna laughed, giving Margaret a hug in kind.

"Thanks, but I guess we've got to eat..." Margaret offered.

"Sure, I know a great hole-in-the wall that sells some amazing Sinan Noodles," Adenna reassured, as the two left.

"Well, long story short, mom was looking for a way out, and she was more interested in getting me to stay quiet," Erika sighed.

"What about your magic then?" Asked Marina.

"I'm not sure, I'm not even clear on what a slayer is. I didn't even think to eat fire until today," Erika sighed. "I guess I could have gotten it from anything."

"Well, either way, it's going to take more than that to make this whole thing work," a fourth voice rang out, as its owner stepped into view.

"Penny, right?" Erika asked, as she extended her hand.

"Yeah, I guess we're all new here..." She muttered, stepping lightly to the table.

Erike perked up, more forceful than ever before. "But hey, Margaret is trying to make this guild work, right? It's all on us, we're the ones that get to make the guild into... whatever it'll be!" She declared, with a fist raised to the air.


8 June X820, Ibex Skull Guild Hall, Ishvan Autonomous Region, 6 PM.

"Wyverns?" Altair asked, as he noted the reptilian beasts in front of them, in a natural pit below the main cave.

"Yes, we raise them here, and use them any time we need to fight a pitched battle," the assigned mage explained. This mage was a tall man, with long blonde hair, a sort of lean athletic frame, and a face that seemed off. It was as though one of his eyes was focused on a single point, while the other still worked. His nose was sheared off, with only a set of holes where it had once been.

"Interesting," Altair affirmed, unprepared for the strange appearance of the man.

"We'll come back to that later," Sherry said, as she carted the diminutive mage away.

"Here is your accommodation," she said, as they turned from a communal sleeping space, and into a small, sequestered cavern of similar character. The room was nominally more private, but every bit as spartan as the common dorm. It consisted of a crude bronze mirror, a stone bowl of water, and a modest bedroll.

"Thanks," Altair muttered, expecting Sherry to leave him be.

"Hang on, I think I'd like to get to know you a bit better."

Altair sighed, but turned his head. Maybe there was something to learn here.

"You know, I used to be in a guild like the one we're facing now," Sherry began, as Altair took a seat on the bedroll, and the woman took off the knit jacket, fully exposing her gothic pink dress, which may have been popular 35 years ago, but now seemed woefully out of date.

"Oh?" Altair responded in kind.

"Yes, we were called Lamia Scale, the guild is still around," Sherry continued, after Altair gave an affirming nod.

"Well what happened then?" Altair asked.

"It all began about 15 years ago..." Sherry began.


Flashback: 10 November X805, Margaret Town, Fiore, 3PM

The bald, imposing figure standing in front of Sherry could not have been more obvious in his intentions. His face seemed soft. He hated to do this to her, but it wasn't as though he had a choice.

"Unfortunately, Sherry Blendy, former mage of Lamia Scale, due to the new laws surrounding Doll Play Magic, and your unwillingness to train in a new magic style, I must expel you from the Lamia Scale Guild," he sighed, as the figure before him began fighting back tears.

"What do you expect me to do then?" Sherry demanded, as she hid her face, the tears starting to flow now.

"You have a husband, a member of Blue Pegasus, do you not?" Jura noted, seemingly encouraging in his tone.

"Yes, I do."

"Discuss this with him, and I further encourage you to reconsider learning another form of magic. You are still a trusted companion here, I assure you," Jura said, as Sherry bolted from the guild hall.


Flashback: One year later.

"Hello ma'am," the Rune Knight said, as the door to the couple's house was blasted off of its hinges.

"What are you after?" Sherry demanded.

"We've heard reports that dark magic was being used in the area. A house of this description suddenly dropped in terms of value, and local children have reported a woman controlling animals as though they were puppets, particularly a large rat," the man explained.

"And what are you insinuating?"

"Well ma'am, we believe that you may just know something about this, and as such we'd like to-" Sherry raised her hand, and in a moment, the man dropped to his knees, suffocating.

"Excellent work, my love!" Sherry laughed, as Ren, terror plain on his face, stepped forward in time with Sherry's hand motions. "Now, I'd say this isn't a great place to stay..."


Flashback: Three Months Later.

"Open, Gate of the Archer: Saggitarius!" Lucy called out, as the strangely dressed figure emerged beside her, joining Virgo on her right, and the Star Dress in Cancer Form equipped to Lucy herself.

"We'll see how you fare in a vacuum," Sherry laughed, as she motioned for Ren to remove the air from the vicinity. As he did so, Saggitarius fired an arrow, which only flew faster without the air resisting it, and found its mark in Ren's stomach. He collapsed, alive but injured. Virgo soon burrowed under the battlefield in kind, and chained Sherry's wrists and ankles in stone. Lucy walked towards her old acquaintance.

"Give up. Now." She ordered.

"Perhaps you forgot about our first meeting," Sherry managed. "Angelica!" She called out, as a certain oversized rat dropped from the sky, as had happened on Galluna Island a good thirty years ago.

Lucy cut the rat in half. A simple swipe of her red swords left the rat in two pieces, and Sherry devastated.

"How- how could you!?" Sherry demanded, as she gave Lucy the most venomous stare the latter had ever seen.

"You've been using your husband as a human puppet, you've enslaved half of Margaret Town's ecosystem, and you've tried to kill the guild mage sent to track you down, I'd say there's quite a bit of legroom here on my part," Lucy answered.

"Well we can't all have our ethically dubious magics avoid scrutiny. And only a few people can marry the most powerful guild master in the country," Sherry spat back.

"Shut up," Lucy managed.


End Flashback.

I spent a few years in prison after that, met Xander, he's the Wyvern Tamer you met earlier, in prison. Soon as I got out, I joined his guild," Sherry finished, as she began anxiously pulling at her dress, her intentions clear.

Altair let the situation play out. He wasn't exactly interested in a desperate woman over 50 throwing herself at him, and yet if nothing else, she seemed useful. What was that old quote? 'Everything is about sex, except sex. Sex is about power.'

Before Sherry could strip though, a figure burst through the cavern's threshold.

"Master Diego is briefing us on the upcoming job," the figure said. She was a tall woman, in her mid twenties, and fit. Her eyes were purple, and her hair light brown, in a simple, shoulder-length cut. She wore a simple black t-shirt with a red tie loosely around the neck, and red shorts, but what stood out about her most was the gem on her forehead, a color similar to her eyes.

The three walked out into the main guild hall, where the small tables had been collected into one, with Master Diego at one end with a seemingly collapsing chalk board. Around the table was Xander, the 'special project,' along with some other mages whom Altair didn't recognize. While a few seemed stronger, such as a casually dressed young woman with a blonde pony tail, and a lanky man with an unfortunate blonde bowl cut. and a flamboyant maroon suit, most didn't seem especially notable. It seemed Ibex Skull needed all of the help it could get.

"Altair, join me," Diego said, in a shaky tone.

Altair complied, as the master crudely tacked a set of images to the board. "All right, as our superiors have assigned us, we are to shake the general public's faith in the New Magic Council, and as it happens, a key event in maintaing that faith is happening in two days, here in the IAR. Here, Fiore's political delegation, including the royal family and the Fiore Grand Legislature, will join and negotiate changes to the Magic Council's constitution. On the board were a city, a specific building, and a blueprint. "Now while there will be Rune Knights present as security, guild masters and mages should be absent, as they operate more or less independently under the new bylaws. As such, Rune Knights are typically a lower level threat, but there is a local legal guild that might give us trouble, according to Altair's intel. At this point, he tacked up another image, that of a crude drawing of a phoenix in profile, with a gear around the back. "Phoenix Gear. They were once a pathetic nothing of a guild, not even worth our time, but based on their recent actions, Altair has advised us to change plans slightly... Altair, take it away."

Altair sighed slightly. "All that is happening is that we're beefing up your forces, in the interest of keeping the operation smooth, our guild has sent myself, as well as three other mages. They will not be on my own level; I am the only member of the Ten Great Captains who will be aiding your efforts, the other nine are preoccupied with their own pursuits," he explained. "The other three should be here tomorrow, in preparation for the strike."

"Phoenix Gear..." the woman in black and red muttered to herself.

"You okay Violet?" Sherry asked.

"Yeah, fine, I just remembered I had some business to take care of," Violet muttered.

"Well if it's important, get on with it now, we need to make sure we're prepared for the attack," Sherry said, still slightly annoyed at her guild mate.

"Don't worry, I can knock it out tonight," Violet responded.


8 June X820, Harveytown, Southern Fiore, 5PM

"What's going on?" Zavid asked, seeing the young woman where Grace once stood.

"I don't know," young-Grace said, with a smile. "I'm not complaining though."

"Well, I guess this is more to do with the temporal weirdness?" Zavid asked.

"Seems like it. I suppose it's to our advantage. I was a bit stronger in my twenties after all."

"Well, either way, I'd say it's time to recover this plate," Zavid sighed, as the two exited the train station, and found themselves in a lively town square. The state of the town did shift, as did the train station itself. One moment, it was an agrarian common, with grass huts and a crude wooden fence, livestock replacing people in some cases, to a more medieval town with a strong castle wall, and into a modern town, with pieces of the castle wall preserved as historical landmarks. Beyond that, there seemed to be a fairly consistent structure to the roads, even as the buildings shifted from felt tents to apartment complexes. "Where is it supposed to be?"

"He said the building was a temple to a god whose name I didn't recognize. Probably from another era," Grace explained, as seemingly in time with this, a strange building seemingly made of mercury. It shifted in shape, until the spires resembled a cathedral, and seemed to beckon the two inside.

"Well, it seems like we've found our temple."

The interior of the temple was as strange as the exterior. It was pure white, and seemed to shift as needed. Two chairs emerged as Zavid and Grace entered, made of the same amorphous material as the exterior. Meanwhile, a floor of similar material formed, and a rough shape, much like a church as the two would understand it came into being.

"Hello there," A voice rang out, as its owner also came into focus. It was a young woman with jet-black hair, and dressed in what seemed to be the robes associated with... whatever this religion was supposed to be. She wore a white robe with blue lining on each side, and a stylized blue eye in the center. On her head she wore a simple nurse's cap.

"Hello, we need to have a look around. We're looking for a printing plate, gold should have a painting on it," Grace explained.

"Well I'm sorry but I don't know where something like that would be, much less in a place like this. We take the time as it comes," the priestess said, cryptically.

"The time?" Zavid asked.

"Yes, haven't you seen?" The priestess asked, with a confused look. "These days, time is all that there is. They say it happened 100 years ago."

"What year is it?" Zavid demanded, realizing that this could be any point in time.

"It's-" The priestess began, before seeming to freeze in place.

"Goddamn it..." Sighed Zavid.

In the same moment, a figure emerged from the Priestess' shadow; rather, it seemed like it was her shadow, and yet it very much wasn't. This figure was hulking, angry, seemingly tortured.

"No!" The priestess shouted. "They're here!"

The shadow figure stepped forward, and seemingly assimilated the priestess into itself, whose tortured face appeared where the hulking creature's head should roughly have been, before fading, and joining what felt like a chorus of voices.

"Well, it's time I fought something..." Zavid sighed, as he took a battle stance, requipping two thin blades. "Form 0: Break!" He declared as he stabbed the beast with one of his swords. A burst of magical energy seemed to shoot out of the sword as he made contact with the shadow-being.

At first, this seemed to work. The being collapsed, leaking a black fluid, but just as soon as is flowed outward, it retreated back inside, and the figure stood above the duo.

"Revulsion point!" Grace shouted, as a pillar of what seemed to be pure, semi-translucent light, filled a cylinder's worth of space with the two mages in its center. The figure swiped, and as it touched the light, it suddenly found itself flung across the room.

"How did you do that?" Zavid asked.

"It was a trick I could pull in my prime," Grace explained. "I can make one thing never touch a small area. Of course, we'll have to find the plate and leave at some point, but at least we have time to think now.

"I... nOt SO surE!" The beast exclaimed, as it morphed its essence slightly, shifting into a quadrupedal form, and charging at the safe harbor. It barreled through it, tackling both mages.

Zavid raised his left blade in time to mitigate the impact. "Form 3: Shinsegumi!" His right-hand blade glowed dark purple as he swiped at the monster with it. The shadow was once again sent flying, into the altar.

The shadow simply got back up. "mAn strong. STRONG for Our likING!" It charged the two once again.

"Form 7: Blitz!" Zavid slashed wildly at the beast, carving it into many pieces. "And what's done is done..." Zavid sighed, as he and Grace inspected what remained.

"Now about that plate," Grace said, as the two turned their backs, to find something even stranger, a young woman, maybe a year or two younger than Zavid. She had a spear, puncturing her left lung, and yet there was no blood, and from the sounds she made, she seemed to be alive, though not entirely there.

"tHat hurt..." The being muttered, as the droplets that remained reformed into the same being.

Instinctively, Zavid grabbed the spear that was lodged the woman moments ago. "You never learn, do you?" he said, annoyed. He took another stance.

Before Zavid could strike again, mysterious characters, the nature of which he didn't recognize, appeared on the beast, which promptly disappeared, simply "popped" out of existence. Standing behind the mage duo, there was the now-conscious woman.

"What the fuck are you doing in here?" She demanded, her unkempt blue-violet hair shaking as she cringed in sheer disbelief.

"We're guild mages, on a job," Grace explained.

"I'm not sure what that is..." the woman muttered, her intense blue eyes sizing the two up, but quickly softening. She was tall, and seemed to have a good deal of 'softness' about her, even born out in her strangely loose clothes. Her shirt was light blue, and looked almost like the top half of a kimono, and was tied with a darker blue sash, which matched her loose fitting pants.

"That's not important, what is is how you managed to kill whatever that thing was," Grace replied, genuinely impressed.

"I didn't kill it, I just put it a few seconds into the future."

"Wait, so it'll be back?" Zavid asked, suddenly concerned.

"No, not like that. The passage of time is a bit odd here, and this temple exists within a single, solitary moment. As such, putting that thing a few seconds in the future will make it so it can't affect us in this moment," the woman explained.

"Thanks," Zavid said. "I don't suppose you could help us with something else here?"

"Shoot."

"Well, the best way I can explain this is that for right now, it's our job to find a specific golden plate. Someone is paying us to find it, and he believes that he left it here," Zavid explained. "The thing is, I'm not really sure how to go about finding it, especially considering how this plays moves and warps and all of that."

"Well, that's easy," the woman said as more strange characters bubbled up from her hands. "All I have to do is look at every possible version of this moment," she continued, as the characters increased in number and formed into a small screen. "Let's see here... Is this it?" She asked, showing a zoomed-in version of one such future, where a portly man, seemingly terrified by the interior, ran out, leaving a panel of gold behind.

"It has to be," Grace agreed, as the picture expanded, and the three stood in the hall, empty save for the plate.

"Great work, I'm Zavid by the way," Zavid said.

"Wynnefried Forst," the woman answered, shaking Zavid's hand.

"Can we call you Wynn?" Grace asked.

"Sure can," she said, as the three left the temple and exited into the town's main drag once more.

9PM

"Wait, it wasn't this dark when we went in..." Zavid noted.

"Nor I, I think it only really connects to the rest of the town at certain times, and it'll spit you out at the next closest time," Wynn explained.

"It seems like you know a lot about this place," Grace noted. "How long have you been here?"

"Only about a month and a half, I've been keeping track with my magic," Wynn answered, showing off the mysterious characters again.

"So are you trapped here?" Zavid asked, a bit concerned.

"Not at all, I've figured out all of the back doors to this place."

"Back doors?" Grace asked in kind.

"So the best way I can explain it is that my magic can cause reality to behave slightly differently, provided I can make it so. In this town, with all the time-related weirdness, I managed to teach myself a few tricks. It wasn't that hard. I just had to make my present state of being," Wynn motioned to her body. She seemed at least slightly proud, "something constant, after that, I could sort of decide what variables I wanted to bring with me, and here we are."

"Are you a time mage?" Grace asked, her expression turning sour.

"Not at all, I couldn't do much to time outside of here. I'm only able to manipulate it because it's not flowing they way it does on the outside," she said.

"But how did you manage this trapped in that temple?" Zavid demanded, suddenly suspicious. Something seemed very wrong about this story.

"Well the thing is, the month timer only started when I woke up," Wynn explained.

"But you were out cold on that stone circle," Zavid responded in kind.

"I couldn't move, but I could think, and I could use my magic to understand my surroundings as best I could. I pieced as much as I could together that way. I guess you two were lucky to get me out of it," she said, with a slight smile, which quickly faded. "But that reminds me, I need to get out of here, I've got some unfinished business with an old enemy.

"All right, you know our mage guild is looking for that type of person," Zavid said, with a reassuring smile.

"Well I'm still not clear on what a mage guild is, but given that I'm not even sure of the year, I guess I'll stick with you two until I have a good reason not to..." Wynn muttered, as the three made their way to the train station.


8 June X820, Streets of Estrecho, Fiore, 6PM.

"Master Margaret!" Cal called out, as he, Elya and Lunick approached the master and her companion.

"Hey Cal, I hope the mission was a success," Margaret said, walking over to the trio. "And who is this?"

"The name's Lunick!" Lunick said, a cheesy grin on his face, as he forcibly shook Margaret's hand.

"Good to meet you, are you looking to join the guild?" Margaret asked, with a forced smile.

"You bet!" The boy declared, striking a pose.

Margaret looked over to Cal and Elya who both conveyed a noverbal approval.

"All right, I think I have the guild mark stamp on me..." Margaret muttered, taking it out of her cloak. Where do you want it, and what color?

"I want it gold, and on my forehead!" Lunick declared, causing Elya to facepalm, and Cal to laugh.

"Heh, wild one, that kid," Cal said, as Margaret did a double take but followed Lunick's instructions.

"There are some other new recruits at the guild hall, you should meet them," Margaret said, with Adenna giving an approving nod in the background. "All right, now for dinner," Margaret finished, her companion in tow.


8 June X820, Phoenix Gear Guild Hall, Estrecho, Fiore, 6:05 PM.

"This is Phoenix Gear? Ashelia asked, as she, Hazel, and Esie climbed the stairs and saw the massive hall above them. "I don't think I've ever seen a guild hall this close up," she said, suddenly a bit humbled.

"It's not quite so impressive inside," Hazel said. "Our new master trying to get money together, it's working, but we haven't replaced anything yet," she explained, as the trio entered the building, to find less magical might than Hazel had expected; rather, a shouting match between mages that she didn't recognize, a black haired woman and a brunette, who was furiously smoking.

"Hey! Don't ignore me!" Valeria shouted out, as Erika shot her a look. "And don't smoke inside!" She shouted, as she punched the latter, which Erika shrugged off.

"I've already told you, Margaret said I could," Erika sighed, as she dragged the cigarette, nearly burnt to the filter, stubbed it out, and managed to trick-shoot it into the nearest garbage can, nearly fifteen feet away.

"And here you were, going on about how I'm some stupid loser because I've never had a beer!" Valeria shouted, genuinely offended.

"It's okay..." Penny muttered. curled up in a ball away from the argument.

"And what makes it okay?!" Demanded Valeria "This asshole decided that my good decisions were a joke to her, how is that funny?" She demanded.

"It's not my fault you can't take a damn joke!" Erika retorted.

"You know, there's a pretty easy way to settle this..." Cal laughed, with an evil grin.


8 June X820, Phoenix Gear Master's Quarters, Estrecho, Fiore, 6:20 PM.

"Well you were right about that noodle place," Margaret said between slurps of noodles, with white sauce and processed ham. It should have been disgusting, and yet the flavors mixed together in exactly the right way.

"Hey, thank me later, it was your idea to get wine drunk on top of it!" Adenna laughed, sipping a wineglass in time.

"Well thanks for that," Margaret blushed. God, Adenna looked hot, slightly overdressed, and coming too close to spilling her noodles with every scoop. The wine didn't seem to get her drunk, even though she'd had a good four glasses. Margaret guessed it had to be her height and experience combined.

"Well, I'm glad we had today to spend together," Adenna said, with a genuine smile. "I'll be taking tomorrow off, but we've got to do this again, next time I'll think of something."

"Sounds great," agreed Margaret, as Adenna finished her noodles and walked across the way to the apartments. Margaret pulled out her pipe, and began to smoke it, until she heard a knock at the inner door of the house. "Adenna?" She asked, opening the door only to be met with a brunette her height.

"Are you Phoenix Gear's master?" Violet asked.

"Yes..."

"There's some things you need to know, immediately."


A/N: A bit of a longer update today, but a lot needed to happen. Hope this sets off the fires of speculation, and I promise to get done with the intro arc in two more chapters. Stick around for even more crazy!

This chapter's contest winner is: Insane Boi!

Congratulations and thanks to all who submitted; the runner up will also be contacted.

Next contest: All rules apply, and I'm looking for an OC who is a thieving, magic-wielding treasure hunter, who will be among the villains of the next arc. They should have a bit of a reason to steal, and to operate in tandem with a specific faction which I will explain upon request, other than that, go wild!

One final note: OC submissions for Phoenix Gear proper are now competitive, as 21 OCs have been received and accepted, and four remain pending. This means that the remaining four spots can be filled by either the pending creators. All of that said, Until Next Time!

Artemis Tua created by Green Overlord.

Violet Cross created by Annjames

Other Ibex Skull Mages created by The Impostor

Wynnefried "Wynn" Forst created by Yngvarr Frey