& the bells are ringing out for Christmas day ~ [Johann]

The tiny bells gave a short ring when Jo left the store, the door falling into its frame behind him as he walked out, the small, white bag in his hands. The day was rather cold, as expected of a day in the middle of winter, a thin blanket of snow covering the port city of Anhew. The formerly quiet, but functional town closest to the Headquarters of the West Fiore Trading Company, over the past year, had grown into a bustling trading port and settlement, filled to the brim with merchants, traders and folk directly or indirectly doing business with the WFTC, with its Vice President right in the middle of it. Jo preferred to do his shopping here in Anhew, especially for the fresh ingredients and other consumables he required for his meals and daily business. Thus, the silver-haired Vice President of the West Fiore Trading Company had found himself here in Anhew today once again, walking down a small alley on his way back to the Company Headquarters, the bag with the ingredients by his side, the air filled with the sounds of a vibrant merchant metropolis and the scent of all manners of baked goods and spices from the nearby market. It was a day like any other, as far as the Vice President was concerned, the reports of strange portals opening once again, as it seemed to be tradition in Fiore, not yet reaching Anhew or its citizens, Jo paying little mind to his surroundings. The atmosphere of the port city, safe for the seasonal changes, was the same as always after all, Johann casually continuing to stroll down this alley, dressed in his white West Fiore Trading Company Suit which, for one, seemed to blend in nicely with the snow, about to turn a corner when a quick, lazy glance to the side made him stop in his tracks.

Before himself, just to the side and leaning against the cold stone wall of a building was a small cardboard box, covered in snow, cramped within, cowering to one side in a desperate attempt to keep warm a tiny, unmoving body. A puppy, perhaps a golden retriever, the young canine just lying there, out here in the cold and in the snow. Jo kneeled down to inspect the box more closely. "An unwanted Christmas gift, perhaps ?", he whispered to himself as he set down the bag, stretching out a hand with a sudden realization. That's why he had felt no aura ... the young creature was dead. The silver-haired Vice President grit his teeth. That someone would willingly accept the possibility of the thing freezing to death for the sake of their own convenience. "You lot truly are the worst, tsseh", Mars giving voice to the VP's thoughts in his head, the words ringing through his subconsciousness. It really meant something when the apocalyptic Seal of War could claim the moral high ground. "I suppose some of us are", he spoke back harshly, his expression reflecting his emotional state, stretching out his hand anew, carefully pulling the body from what little bit of shelter it had had, taking off his jacket and wrapping the small thing up in it, leaving only the little head exposed to the elements before reaching into one of his pockets for an item that he had come to carry with himself at all times, not exactly for cases like these, but as a back up plan. "Are you sure you wish to waste such a valuable item on a useless creature like this ?", Mars inquired with his usual, playful tone. Of course, he would. The small stray dog reminded the man of himself, after all. He couldn't recall how many times he had wished that someone had helped him out when he had still spent his days on the streets of Minstrel. "What would you know of empathy, Lord of War. I don't expect you to understand", the agitated Vice President opening the small vile of water before emptying the entirety of its contents into the little creatures open mouth. The VP had a point, the Lord of War thought. Not that it really mattered, anyway.

For a few seconds, nothing seemed to happen, every passing moment a little more painful for the silver-haired male before finally, with closed eyes, the young canine seemed to stretch, yawn and open its eyes. It seemed exhausted, weak, and rather confused, but ... the puppy was alive. "... and what now, old man ?", Mars asked with an annoyed tone, his advice as usual ignored. "You intend to take this thing with you back to your domicile ?", Johann answering without delay, carrying the bundle in his arms and standing back up, completely disregarding the bag before turning around the corner to ultimately make his way back to the HQ. "Precisely, Mars".

It did not take the VP long to find his way back to the front desk, Alisha seemingly already awaiting his return, the blonde giving Jo a small wave when he stepped through the large mahogany double doors that marked the entrance to the building. "Hey Johann, there's ... is that a puppy ? I had no idea you wanted to get one", she smiled as she greeted him, Johann shaking his head "I didn't. Is something wrong ?", inquiring about her approach. "It seems like there is, yes", the blonde was quick to answer, "Miss West requests your presence at the Celestial Sanctum. Looks like there are strange portals and sighting of monsters yet again", finishing her sentence with a small sigh. "I see", Johann spoke briefly before making a beeline for his office, "I'll hand this over to Artorias for the time being and be on my way, in that case. If you were so kind to let the kitchen staff know he requires food and milk for ... for ... we'll name her later, I suppose".

It took the God of Ishgar not long to settle the creature with his admittedly confused, but cooperative advisor before he left the building, the instant he stepped of the stairs vanishing into a stream of wind and reappearing at the Celestial Sanctum, the island that all three guilds of the alliance shared and had designated as their combined base of operations, at the moment not much more than untamed wilderness and a lot of ancient ruins with the occasional small settlement scattered about. In any case, Jo would follow the already somewhat familiar scent, the two had met a few times before, after all, approaching the woman stoically and distanced, as always, giving her a small, but respectful bow as a greeting. "Good day, Miss West. I do hope I haven't kept you waiting for too long. What is it I can assist with ?"

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Word Count: 1.136
Total Word Count: 1.136 / 4.000

Monster Roll

The member 'Amalie' has done the following action : Dice Rolls

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'Monster Dice' :

Rolling Mo cause Jo da boss

The member 'Amalie' has done the following action : Dice Rolls

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'Monster Dice' :

Rolling for Christmas tree effect

The member 'Johann' has done the following action : Dice Rolls

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'Normal Dice' :

When the woman approached him, Johann gave her a short nod in response, taking a quick look around. The "Celestial Sanctum", as the members of the alliance had come to dub this island, was equally cold to the winter shores of Tolgalen, though the oceanic climate somewhat preventing the forming of a thick layer of snow, a thin, but omnipresent sheet of fine flakes covering the land instead. The wilderness of this island was just that, wild, untamed, far out of reach of anyone who would seek to find this island other than members of the alliance. From now on, at least. Still, the Vice President of the West Fiore Trading Company, too, could feel the strange chill that mixed in with the wind. "So I have been told, hencewhy I am here now. You can count on my assistance", turning to inspect the surrounding area, his gaze swerving through a nearby treeline before shifting to the horizon. It felt like the two weren't alone, and yet there was no one and nothing to be seen in the area, even with his inhuman senses. Truly strange. When the woman addressed him once again, he turned back, tilting his head with anticipating, but surprised expression.

In honesty, the silver-haired male was quite startled by the sudden change in attitude. Amalie West had always struck him as a loner, never quite opening up, not with anyone in the Company, at least. Sure, from what Jo could see and feel, her magic power and aura had changed, improved even, quite significantly so, but whether she had grown as a person ... who was he to tell ? The two had interacted casually before, and the woman knew about Mars in greater detail than most people, there was that, but had she really integrated with the trading organization that administered Tolgalen ? Thinking about it ... he knew hardly anything about the woman before him. When she had finished directing her request at him, he lowered his gaze, raising a hand to his chin, stopping in place for a few seconds. Was this an attempt at trying to foster more cooperation ? The compliments aside, Johann was unsure. The woman certainly was the type of person the Company was looking for, perhaps on both sides of the coin as well, but was she really someone he could work with ? But ... she was essentially asking for help, was she not ? "Well, this is certainly new, tsseheh ...", Mars commented in the back of the VP's head, "... you creatures are always so back-and-forth, why can't you just say what's on your minds ?". Johann couldn't help but breathe out, a small sigh leaving his lips. Yona had gotten strong enough as it was, and the girl no longer required a mentor. He would have the capacity to accept this request, it seemed, so ...

"Fine with me", he answered curtly, expanding on his decision, "If you desire to strengthen your magic and experience, I can be of help with that, certainly. If you wish for me to train you, that, too, can be arranged. I have no objections". Perhaps this would prove to be a prime opportunity to learn more about his guild mate. "Well, aren't you just a saint", Mars, as usual, unable to shut his mouth while cackling to himself in the back of Jo's head. Before any of the two could add onto this conversation, however, Jo felt the sudden and forceful tear through the air, ripples of magical energy sent through the atmosphere as the portal opened without warning just a good few dozen meters away from the West Fiore Trading Company mages. Without delay, a whole range of creatures started emerging from the glowing tear in space, the whole light show seeming strangely festive. On second glance, the creatures that stepped from these portals, too, seemed to be ... christmas themed ? A bunch of elves accompanied by even more polar bears, even two moving christmas trees and a massive, bulky figure, dressed completely in red, towering over the others easily. Johann had to do a double take, blinking a few times to check if this was an illusion. Well, he could see through illusion magic anyway, so this ... this was real ? Was this similar to the events that had occurred around halloween ? Why was it always portals and strange creatures ?

In any case, Amalie seemed to get herself ready for a fight, Jo adjusting his stance as well to face the invaders. The runes on his body would flash briefly with different hues and a surge of magical energy would expand outwards from his position, the familiar, multi-coloured runic bracelet forming around his own and Amalie's right wrist, amplifying both their magic power as they received the ability to infuse their magics with different elements. Following up on that immediately, he raised his hand, intent on not giving the enemies any time to react, the runes on the extremity flaring up with intense scarlet energy, a projectile of glowing, ink-black flame launched at the group. Still, the enemies seemed quicker than they looked, a christmas tree launching forward what appeared like an oversized, intricately wrapped present that met the ball of fire mid-air, both exploding with a burst of energy, covering the area in smoke and dust. Briefly, Jo had raised his arm and closed his eyes, opening them again as the dust settled. It seemed like this attack had been somewhat ineffectual, but ... something was off. Off as in ... his uniform was gone. The various magical accessories, including his white lacrima gloves, were still there, just ... everything else seemed to have vanished into thin air. "Huh ?", Jo spoke, perplexed for the time being while Mars couldn't help but laugh out loud, continuing to cackle to himself with more than amused laughter. "Tsssehehehe ... This certainly is an unforeseen circumstance. Aren't you cold there, old friend ?"

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Word Count: 1.000
Total Word Count: 2.136 / 4.000

Enemies:

Combining two strong monsters to make a boss

Elves: 0/5
Polar Bears: 0/10
Christmas Trees: 0/2
Santa Claus: 0/1

Well, this was certainly rather odd. He did not expect an enemy to fight like this, especially some kind of strange Christmas tree that was throwing out presents. What kind of "present" was this even ? Still, Jo was annoyed for more than one reason. Firstly, it seemed that whatever he did, whatever he tried, and no matter what mission he would seek to accomplish, he would always, without exception, lose his uniform in the process. He had made the right call standardizing all of his work clothing, the white West Fiore Trading Company uniforms. Secondly, there was the fact that he was now, without a doubt, entirely freed from any sort of clothing. If someone would see him like this it would perhaps reflect poorly on both his own and the West Fiore Trading Company's spotless reputation. That reminded him ... he wasn't alone here. Turning his head slightly, he was reminded of Amalie's presence when she made her way past him, getting a good look at the woman who now, too, seemed to have been stripped by the effect of the Christmas present, tilting his head, staring for perhaps one or two seconds longer than he should have as she walked forward to face their opponents. The woman seemed wholly unaffected by the sudden change. Still, it was quite the surprise, and Jo had never given this a thought, however, left with no choice but to acknowledge the fact that the woman's form was pristine, something the Vice President wouldn't have associated with her ... aggressive style, but by no means an unsatisfactory sight.

"So ... are you enjoying yourself ?", Mars reminding the silver-haired male that this wasn't quite the time to make assumptions. Instead, Jo turned his attention to the invaders. "Not at all", the somewhat straightforward response spoken with a subtle smirk aimed at both the Lord of War and his guildmate. There was, after all, a more pressing matter than clothing right before them. It seemed like Amalie had no issues with this new situation, not holding back as she rushed in for the attack, mowing down some of the smaller fish, somewhat twisted little elf creatures which looked like darker versions of what you would normally expect of the holiday-themed helpers. Well, a situation was only embarrassing if you allowed it to be, the VP thus shrugging it off for the time being and instead focussing on the threat.

Twisting his right hand the red blade of war materialized in within his grasp, glowing with bright red energy before shifting, changing shape into its crimson spear form within the fraction of a second, the God of Ishgar spinning the bladed weapon around, a slight grin spreading across his face. "Let's go, Mars !", his left eye undergoing the familiar, demonic transformation, Mars replying from the VP's mouth with harsh, deep voice as the two shared the vessel once again, "It will be my pleasure". Within the fraction of a second, the shadow and light around the VP seemed to bend, break almost as if a tangible element before being molded into different shape, an aura of intertwining light and darkness surrounding Johann's form, some of the elements running down his arms like black ink and glowing smoke. Around his hands, his fingers, dark talons began taking form, the demonic powers of Mars given shape.

"Very well then, let us have some fun, tssehehe ..."

Instantly, the VP's form blurred, launched forward in a sudden burst of extreme acceleration, a scatter of icy flakes thrown up where he had stood just a moment before. His two heterochromic eyes centered on his first target, Mars grinned as the spear slammed into the elves shoulder, the creature wincing out with pain. Immediately, the twisted monster swung forward a large, pointed candy cane at the attacker, the Lord of War playfully spinning around the spear to block the strike, the candy cane sword bouncing off the weapon's hilt, Jo losing no time, grasping the elven weapon's blade before ripping it from the creatures grasp and jamming it into its neck, jumping back with the spear forcefully ripped out from its body. The thing sunk to the ground instantly, pained gurgles the last sound the God of Ishgar could hear from it.

Promptly, the other two elves that were left standing, but bleeding and hurt from Amalie's attack turned their attention to the threat that was now in their midst, drawing their swords as well before lunging forward, stabbing and slashing fanatically in an attempt to pin down the VP. Mars was unfazed by this, hastily and playfully slamming the spear into the ground before lifting himself up, swerving around the weapon's hilt and upward before coming to a complete stop on the very end of the shaft, balancing on the weapon with a single foot momentarily before dropping down, grasping the hilt and swinging it down with him. With heavy impact, the blade of the spear slammed deeply into one of the elves' shoulders, its eyes glowing with burning hate as the Lord of War spun the weapon with a wide, sadistic grin, lifting the elf's body off the ground and launching it into its companions body, both of them knocked back by the impact. Startled, the elves had just begun to gain back a footing, scrambling to pinpoint Mars' location when he suddenly appeared behind them, the spear grasped by the weapon's very end as he swung widely, the bladed portion of the polearm cleaving through their necks like it was nothing, decapitating booth in a single swing, splatters of scarlet beginning to colour the snow around them in a deep crimson.

Though, with a flick of the wrist, the demonic Seal grinned once more as the blood began rising from the ground, the spear and the bodies of the fallen, rushing towards Mars before, in a swirl of crimson hues, forming a circulating sphere of the sanguine liquid above him, a perk of his newly discovered Berserker magic. It appeared like the spell had come into effect just in time too, Johann quickly ducking out of the way of a clawed strike directed at him by a massive, hulking polar bear, the enraged roar of the monster echoing across the battlefield. "So you want to play as well ?", the Seal asked with a wide smile as he dashed backwards and just avoided another strike, the Seal's eyes flashing with bright red, the normally intricate pupils turning into burning red orbs that left a trail of flaming, magical aura with each movement. "Fiiiine with meeee. Let me shooow you the truuuue meaning of ... agonyyy". With a wave of his free hand, the Lord of War unleashed a heavy projectile of blood from the sphere, the attack slamming into the creature's side and embedding itself deeply within its flesh, the polar bear itself growling with anger and pain.

It looked like it was ready to charge at the still uncovered vessel once more, taking one step forward before stopping suddenly, its movements freezing up, the look in its eyes making no mystery of its confusion. Mars only grinned, his senses intoxicated by the rush of blood. From the moment the creature had been hit by the blood it had been poisoned, granting the Lord of War full control over its form, Mars snapping his fingers before one of the creature's hind legs twisting 180 degrees, the horrid sound of tendons and bones ripping apart only overshadowed by the pained screams. Once, twice, three times, Mars snapped his finger time and time again, and with each snap, another bone would audibly break in half, another muscle was torn apart before finally, with a wave of his hand, Mars ended the gruesome display, the polar bear's heart bursting in its chest. It let out one final yelp, blood spurting from its mouth before it sunk to the ground, unmoving. The sphere still hovering above him, Mars turned to the rest, the glowing charcoals in his eyes meeting the gaze of several other creatures as well as the towering man clad in festive red before lifting the spear lazily over his shoulder, the broad grin revealing the two enlarged canines on each side of his jaw.

"Sooo ... who's neeext ?"

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Word Count: 1.384
Total Word Count: 3.520 / 4.000

Enemies:

Elves: 5/5
Polar Bears: 2/10
Christmas Trees: 0/2
Santa Claus: 0/1

rolling for the other christmas tree effect

The member 'Johann' has done the following action : Dice Rolls

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'Normal Dice' :

Taking a quick glance to the side, Mars watched for just a few moments with gleeful joy as Amalie, too, maneuvered her way across this battlefield, massacring the polar bears that had dared to make an approach with seemingly playful ease. Well, this was the way of the world. You shouldn't pick a fight you cannot possibly win, as far as the Lord of War was concerned, and the victor would, as it was natural, claim what was rightfully theirs, their victory. As far as Mars was concerned, though, he could understand what his vessel thought. The woman made not one redundant move and had a certain ferocity to her that excited the Second Seal. If he could do something, perhaps she would agree to mutual combat one day? The prospect of pure wrath clashing with cold, calculated anger ... no, his excitement was getting the better of him. Though, it seemed that indeed, for a human female, she was of the ... aesthetically pleasing sort, at least from what he had seen ... not that he would know. With a satisfied grin, unaware of the processes within the woman's mind, he turned back to face the rest of them, his head tilting to one side, the single, furiously glowing left eye almost bursting with sparks of pure magic that radiated from the ocular as he observed what was left of the group. There were still a few of those absurdly cretinous animals present, their strength obviously no match for someone like him, but those trees ... seemed like they did possess magical qualities which, if used correctly, could prove to be an annoyance, something the Second Seal would rather avoid. Then there was also that enigmatic man of rather robust, towering stature who had yet to make a move.

But before that ... there was still the creature's to go through. The things at least weren't completely idiotic, though seemingly insensitive to magic and unfamiliar with sensory, working to surround the Lord of War and flank him in a semi-circle, the Seal's eyes shifting back and forth with every bit of movement and every step. It didn't take long before one, with a deep roar, began another charge, all other polar bears following swiftly, the 5 massive animals sprinting forward at the Lord of War and his vessel. Patiently, Mars waited, waited until they had gotten closer just a few seconds later, waiting until, just before they would converge where he was standing and, without doubt, start their furious assault. In a split second reaction, just jumping out of the way of a rather well-aimed strike with a claw, Mars vanished into nothing, his form reappearing from the instantaneous burst of speed high above the ground, standing still as he now hovered in place, overlooking the group of bears that seemed confused, perplexed at the sudden disappearance of their target. "Time tooo ... put an end to this chiiilds plaaay", the vessel's hand lighting up with ink-black flame as he stretched it downward, a projectile of fire shooting off towards the monstrous predators before slamming into the ground, causing a massive burst of scorching heat, a dark inferno to erupt around it, immediately engulfing their forms and swallowing the screams of agony.

The flames and heat did not last long, dying down and vanishing shortly after, the confident smirk vanishing from his expression. To his dismay, the creatures seemed still alive, their fur singed, blackened, their forms hurting, but still, they were alive. Mars grit his teeth. His patience was running short. Without much more hesitation, he snapped his fingers, the curse causing the fingertips to spark with negative energy before, just a moment later, the ground was thrown up in a massive explosion, the polar bears annihilated in an extreme shockwave of pure force, a cloud of smoke, snow and dust covering the area around the now gaping crater in the ground where the bears had been just a second before. The smile returned to Mars' face. Floating back to the ground, Mars landed on his feet gracefully, his eyes once again searching for a target. His regular vision was somewhat impaired by the omnipresent cloud of smoke that had just begun to settle, closing his eyes, letting his sensory do the work for him. For a few moments, he scanned until, suddenly, he ripped open his eyes, whipping around and raising a hand, the invisible shield of force stopping the present just in time, the magical box floating before him briefly before exploding into another cloud of sounds, red and green light and smoke.

This time, the Lord of War had reacted in time though, the present dealing no damage whatsoever. In response, he lifted his paw and- ... his paw? Staring at the extremity, the Lord of War, Second Seal of the Apocalypse was caught completely off guard, sitting there, unmoving, the two eyes, one still glowing with burning magical aura, staring at the slightly lifted, animalistic limb. He shook his head. "Oh come on, you gotta be f-", thinking to himself, his mouth unable to produce any sort of sound even resembling speech before being interrupted by baubles slamming into the ground all around him, the Lord of War hopping back as a reaction. Wait, he was hopping? Now was the time Mars got a good look at the vessel and the apparent change that had befallen it, realizing, with an overwhelming cringe, that he had been, in fact, turned into a small, fluffy, white bunny. Without delay, unstoppable, burning rage overcame the Seal, the sparking magical aura in his eye turning into a roaring flame of what appeared like deeply crimson magical power. "How dare you, you imbecilic, lowly life forms. You will pay for this. I will-", interrupted by strings of tinsel shooting from the now nearby, moving Christmas tree, trying to grasp and get a hold of him. Fortunately, it seemed like his magic still worked perfectly fine, his form blurring and vanishing in a flash of light before appearing to back and to its side, flanking both the two Christmas trees and the man in red. "Enough", the little bunny thought, shrieking angrily as hundreds and hundreds of rips in space appeared all around the small, white animal, the countless dozen of eyes opening, shifting and staring down upon the two trees and Santa Claus. With burning hatred, the rabbit unleashed a furious battlecry before, in a massive burst of energy, hundreds of laser-like beams of energy were fired from these eyes, bursting down towards the opponents and slamming into the earth all around. Instantly, one of the trees was torn into shreds, while the other tree was pierced a multitude of beams, as was the man in red.

No, this would not stand. These measly creatures would pay. Fiery, destructive vengeance would be his and his alone! They would learn to fear the mighty Lord of War for ridiculing him like this!

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Word Count: 1.162
Total Word Count: 4.682 / 4.000

Enemies:

Elves: 5/5
Polar Bears: 10/10
Christmas Trees: 1/2
Santa Claus: 0/1