Nothing Illegal Here. Nope. Not At All.

The Ambassador of Dies Irae let his gaze wander across the clear blue sky above Era for just a few seconds, closing his eyes as he took a deep breath, before opening them once more, looking down from the rooftop onto the rather active street below, a shifting body of people pushing past itself, intertwining, the sounds of a bustling city mixing with scents of all manners. Spices, fruit, meats, and of course, the kaleidoscope of impressions that was the smell of people, his slayer senses painting a diverse and colorful picture before his inner eye. Sweet, sour, bitter, but all of them individual in their own right. It was really quite fascinating how many facets of daily life would collide before just fading away again, hundreds of thousands of times per day and with every passing second. The first time Joh had experienced something like this had been in Minstrel, albeit under admittedly less fortunate circumstances. But, of course, Johann von Weiss, God of Persistence, hadn't come to Era on this quite beautiful summer day to simply enjoy the scenery, or catch a break on a rooftop, for that matter. His business was, as it was so often these days, of strictly professional nature. Well, perhaps a little bit of pleasure.

Dies Irae had received word from one of their contacts that a certain man had found his way to Era, a dangerous individual that, coincidentally, was not just on DI's infamous Blacklist, but apparently had also managed to draw the attention of local authorities across Fiore for some of his more ... notorious experiments. The man was a dark mage named Hamlet Frock, it seemed, wanted for murder on 17 occasions. A big fish, but seemingly an independent actor. No backers, no dark guild, just a scientifically inclined man and his experiments. At least none that the contact had any knowledge of. Still, Hamlet was believed to be rather dangerous, choosing particularly grueling methods of execution for his unfortunate victims: Gas. With every new victim, he seemed like he had developed a new formula for an even better, even more potent chemical weapon, and now he had been spotted in Era. Of course, the guild couldn't send just anyone, and his fellow Ambassador seemed like she was busy, at least she hadn't yet come back from her most recent trip, a little late, which was unlike her, but it was what it was, Joh seeing to the matter personally. This Frock guy ... was he on the lookout for a new victim? Or had he come here to acquire some supplies for his pastime. Whatever the reason, this was a prime opportunity to intercept him and, once and for all, make sure the criminal couldn't continue his experiments.

"Hmmm", the deep, distorted voice of Mars echoed through the back of Joh's mind. "Anything catching your attention?". The Ambassador was prompt in his inquiry, unwilling to pass up the chance to catch Frock. "I smell something ... odd", the Seal commented, turning the vessel's head into the direction of what was almost an overwhelming stench of chemicals. "Odd" was certainly somewhat of an understatement. "Seems like we have our guy, then. Are you ready?". "Ready as can be, old man, tsehe". Johann sighed, placing the hat that completed his black Ambassador uniform back on his head as he stood up and jumped off the side of the building, descending rapidly only to slow his fall just meters before the impact, his shoes touching on the cobbled road gently. Already, a few people had turned their heads towards this admittedly extravagant man who, with confidence and determination, maneuvered through the crowd towards the one individual he had set his sights on ...

"Hamlet Frock!", his voice echoed throughout the street, the cloaked figure a good dozen meters away freezing in place, head turning around slowly, the Ambassador eyeing him curiously, but cautiously. Now that the man had turned, showing Johann his face, he could confirm that indeed, the tall man bearing a slightly crazed, yet calculating expression, strands of long, brown hair in his face, was indeed the man that had been described to him. "I believe you are a wanted man, Mister Frock. Why don't we save ourselves some time and skip the introduction? Surrender without a fight and I promise you, I will spare your life". The man grinned broadly. "Oh, I did not expect the Knights to find my little trail this quickly, hehe ...". People had made space around them, and a small crowd had started begun to form around the two.

"It seems you have fallen victim to a misconception, Mister Frock. I am not a Rune Knight". "So, you're after my bounty, huh? You won't take me to jail, not alive!". Upon hearing these words, a smirk lifted the corner of Joh's mouth. "A desirable outcome ...", the man almost growled with a satisfied tone, taking a step towards Frock and stretching out his hand and unsheathing the blade by his side. The other seemed none too pleased.

"Stop right there or I'll blow all these people to kingdom come!", causing the Ambassador to freeze. A bluff? Possible, but he wouldn't risk it. It seemed like he had made the right call, Forck dropping his cloak to reveal 4 yellow canisters strapped to his waist. It dawned on the God of Ishgar. "I wanted to test my new, my perfect formula on Era unpestered by you pretentious Magic Council lapdogs, but I guess it can't be helped, heh! Maybe then you will start to see my true genius! I am decades ahead of my time! I am a brilliant man, but none of you believed me. Called me a radical, but ... I will show you radical!"

"And how exactly do you wish to do that, Mister Frock?"

The other almost seemed like he had waited for just that question, gleeful at the opportunity to explain himself, pointing to the canisters. "These containers are filled with pure, refined Dichlorodiethyl-Sulfide. Inhaling only one tiny bit will cause unimaginable agony, and that's only the beginning! I will spread this to all corners of Era through my magic, and there is nothing you will be able to do about it, lapdog!". Surely, the display had enough of an effect on the crowd, people gasping, muttering in terror, people turning, walking away as fast as they could, panic beginning to settle in. "It's useless. In just a few seconds, all of you will be-". His sentence was promptly interrupted by a red blade emerging from his chest, blood spurting from the tear in his flesh that had been ripped open, Frock staring down at the weapon in shock, horror. He didn't understand. The lapdog had been before him this entire time. How did he ...

"- Dead?", Johann asked with a stoic voice, maintaining his grasp on the weapon, a small puddle of crimson forming at Frock's feet. "Strangely enough, you're not the first person to make this threat, Mister Frock. Any last words?". Frock's eyes grew colder with each passing second, though, in a resurgence of determination, he shouted "I'll take you with me!", his hand rushing to one of the canisters, grasping the top cover with the firm intention of pulling it off to release the chemical ... though nothing would happen. Frock stared down at his trembling arm, his own body refusing to follow his command. The ... the lapdog! He had done something to him! "Poor choice". It felt as if the blood had frozen in his veins, pushing back against the will he attempted to exert on his form, unsuccessfully. In terror, Frock slowly turned his head over his shoulder to look at the Ambassador, his trembling eyes meeting two much very different ones, glowing pupils sitting firmly in ink-black oculars staring back, the man grasping the weapon sporting a wide, overjoyed grin.

With his last strength, the criminal managed to produce his final words, anguish, and horror tainting his formerly so confident voice. "What ... are ... you ...?". Mars, more than just simply amused by this question, leaned just a little closer, whispering slowly, with satisfied, ominous voice ...

"A nightmare"

... before finally pulling the weapon free, Frock falling to his knees, though never touching the ground, crumbling away into dust and scattering in the wind before he could impact. Johann took a deep breath, sighing sharply as he exhaled. "And to think I wanted to let him live". He took a quick glance around. Yup, definitely more than enough witnesses. There would be no doubt about the fact that the contract had been fulfilled once the news started spreading. Apart from that, Mars cackle echoed through the back of the man's mind once again. "HAH! Did you see his face? That was priceless!". With that out of the way, he still had time for a nice lunch before finally heading back to Amber Island, and so, free of sorrow, the Ambassador sheathed the sword and turned, determined to find a nice little restaurant, dozens of shocked onlookers simply watching in bewilderment.

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So much for a peaceful lunch. Johann stopped in his tracks when a rather loud, female voice rang out, undoubtedly addressing the God of Ishgar, who took a deep breath before exhaling sharply. He turned, expecting another meddling Rune Knight who would fool themselves into believing they were in control. "Your city?". The man asked with an amused grin, his eyes falling onto the source of the voice. A woman, as expected, white hair, crystal blue eyes, clad in the black uniform of a Rune Knight, and not just that, a canine seemed to accompany her. It was his own fault, really. Something like this was predictable, especially considering that he was in Era, where the headquarters of the Knights was located. Of course, their presence would be strongest here. Still, Johann took the comment as presumptuous. That was until the woman spoke up once more, introducing herself as Lady Serilda Sinclair. Not just that, the Field Marshal of the Rune Knights as well. Looks like he had, unintentionally, caught a big fish. Though, the "Lady" would imply that the girl was a noble, something that Johann utterly despised. They were arrogant, pretentious, unlikeable in general. Johann had to know, he was one of them, although he hadn't operated in noble circles for quite some time now, and, of course, the man was only used to high Minstrelian nobility. Still, the best had yet to come.

His gaze focussed, his eyes narrowed and his brows ever-so-slightly moved closer together when the woman, Serilda, mentioned a "Seal". "A Seal, you say?". A nervous feeling spread through the silver-haired Rune Mage's gut, and the familiar stirring of Mars, the Lord of War, rang in the back of his head, the Second Seal's attention caught by this unexpected development. This could hardly be a coincidence. One thing after the other, though. "I sentenced this man to death by my own authority, Miss Sinclair. He was a threat to the citizens of Era, one that I promptly eliminated. Not to mention the fact that there was a bounty on his head, which I do intend to claim for myself". The Ambassador was starting to feel a slight hint of annoyance. The Rune Knights and their excessive love for technicalities would get them nowhere. Normally, the man would've simply brushed this off, disappeared without another word, but this was the Field Marshal herself he was talking to. Though, that did make him wonder ... did the RK have a change of leadership recently? If so, Johann couldn't remember hearing about it, but he had never been introduced to previous leadership of the Rune Knights either. Perhaps, he thought, perhaps he was just ill-informed. For a few seconds, however, the tension between the two seemed almost palpable, and so, Johann sought to put an end to this, lest he would have to resort to defending himself from the unlawful intervention of this woman.

"Oh, where are my manners, Miss Sinclair, I have yet to introduce myself. I am Jo-"


The Ambassador did not get to finish his sentence, his consciousness violently torn from his grasp and thrown into the depths of his own mind, his own subconsciousness taking over. The familiar feeling of being launched into an endless darkness only to come to a sudden stop overcame Johann before finally, he would sleep. Meanwhile, Johann's body, the vessel, would close his eyes, raising his hands to his face, covering it entirely before taking a deep breath. He lowered his hands, revealing the change that had taken place within his two eyes and expression, showing Serilda a broad, toothy grin, the white sclera of his eyes changed entirely to a deep, charcoal black, the two pupils of brightly glowing crimson color staring at her.

"Hehehe ... Hahahahaha ... Ahhhhhh"

The deep, almost distorted cackle echoed for a moment, before Mars, the Second Seal of the Apocalypse, addressed the other figure that had separated from Serilda, the other Seal, Mars' sibling.

"Victoria ... it has been such a long time, an eternity, even. Last time must have been ... at the beginning of all creation?"

If such a thing was possible, the broad grin on his face would broaden even more in sheer amusement, the unexpected turn of events entertaining Mars greatly. What were the odds, after all? Some would say that this would be fate.

"I see you too have woken up and bonded with a vessel, and such an imposing one at that, tssehehe ...". Of course, Mars was referring to the Field Marshal of the Rune Knights.

"So, tell me, sister, how have you been?", Mars would ask playfully, excitedly shifting from one foot to the other. In truth, Victoria's presence here in this city, in this nation, even, was quite the shock. Neither the Second Seal nor his vessel had expected to just bump into another Seal, another vessel in the street. Mars was itching to talk to her, converse with her, though there was also something else ... a little spark of an inborn tension between the two that lit up and, at first, now slowly overcame him. Oh, this would all be so, so very exciting.

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Word Count Total: 2,386
Thread Word Count Total: 3,494

"Tssehe ... the old man serves his purpose well", Mars theatrically looked up and down the form of his vessel he controlled, cracking his knuckles and stretching his arms playfully. It had been a little while since he last had obtained full control over their bod, the change of scenery from the depths of Johann's mind not unwelcome in the least, the Ambassador, of course, trying to keep the Second Seal away from exactly this kind of circumstance due to the Lord of Wars more ... destructive tendencies. Being granted the limited freedom to move around, speak of his own accord, exert his power and influence the world around him actively, even if only for a limited time, was a blessing. However, with Victoria being present, he could barely contain his excitement, and as much as Johann could exert his willpower over Mars when the Seal let him, the Lord of War could do the same, forcing the Rune Mage into a state of subconsciousness.

Naturally, that wouldn't remain the only thing keeping his attention. "Lux has ... woken up as well?", the distorted voice asked with deeply intrigued curiosity, the dots beginning to connect in his mind. Although he didn't quite know what to make of Lux, the appearance of Aegror first and Aporia after he had ascribed to coincidence, though with Anima, Victoria, and Lux being awake as well it was clear: All of the Seven Seals had been freed from slumber. A circumstance that should otherwise be alarming, Mars feeling the exact opposite, the possibility of reuniting with the only others of his kind a prospect of indescribable emotion, bordering on hysteria. Not only that, the circumstance that Victoria described was most amusing as well, Mars chuckling heartily when the other Seal explained, reminding the Lord of War of Johann and Amalie. "It's quaint, really, how easily they fall for each other, hehehe ... My vessel is in a relationship with that of Anima", he explained briefly, which brought him to his next point. Undoubtedly, Victoria would be interested in learning of her other siblings as well. "Aporia has woken up. Aegror has, too, but his vessel was ... corrupted, so my own took it upon himself to keep him safe until a new one can be found. Anima is awake as well, obviously. I haven't heard of Nox, but it is safe to assume he is out there ... considering that we are now here as well". The Lord of War's words were accompanied by frantic and excited movements from side to side, swings, and steps that almost resembled playfull, unguided dancing with the grace of a toddler, Mars appearing to share the childlike passion of one, too.

And just like a child, Mars possessed a trait that was undoubtedly undesirable within beings such as a Seal, the situational absence of anything resembling self-control.

With a spin out of his playful movements, Mars reached into the space around him, a vortex of ink-black energy momentarily forming in his grasp before manifesting into a solid shape, Mars unceremoniously grasping the scythe that had formed in his grasp, twirling the weapon between his fingers with apparent ease. "You know, Victoria ... it has been such, oh such a long time and I am aching to compare our power ...", the Second Seal grinned at the First Seal, his head tilted as he spun the weapon once more, bringing the blade into a ready position behind his back. "... Why don't we have a little bit of fun?".

What the Seal had not anticipated, however, was Victoria's vessel getting involved personally, the Lord of War, with a sudden flash of arcane energies, finding the scenery around them changed, taking a moment to glance about. The streets of Era had given to what appeared like an endless plane of moss and grass, cold wind howling as it whipped across the frozen steppe. Mars confident, toothy grin was not broken, however. It didn't matter where they would fight, and indeed, the location would eliminate the possibility for colateral damage that his vessel would undoubtedly condemn, meaning that there was no need to act with reservation. Wide, unblinking eyes full with crimson glow and charcoal darkness turned to Victoria, intently ingoring her vessel, Mars rearing back with a whisper, "Let's go", before launching himself forward right at the First Seal, scythe drawn back wide, unleashing a forceful swing towards her.

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Thread Word Count Total: 5,600

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Needless to say, Mars was actually somewhat surprised when the flesh of Victoria's vessel seemed to give in to the strike of his scythe, and though he could see that he had definitely struck true, he felt no resistance, the blade of the weapon simply phasing through her as if she hadn't been there in the first place. His eyes opened wide in an onset of what was not only admittedly surprise, but also shock. His scythe was definitely capable of striking beings that were not exactly corporeal, it was part of his own curse, but that hadn't mattered. He'd seen that it had had no effect with his own two eyes. Momentarily distracted by this revelation, Mars was wide-open for her counter strike, two blades digging across the flesh of his vessel's torso in perfect syncronicity, drawing an arc of crimson liquid through the air as he grit his teeth and instinctively dashed backwards a few dozen meters swiftly, though coming to a quick and abrupt halt. Still, the Seal would get over the initial shock, a wide, toothy grin spreading across his face as he looked down at the deep, bleeding wounds that formed nasty trenches through the flesh of his chest and the previously untouched, now stained coat. Blood began building up in his mouth, a sickly cough ejecting some of the red fluid from his lips, a small trickle dripping down the Nephilim's chin. "Good hit, sister, tssehehe. What a unique technique you've got there ...", the voice of the Second Seal would ring out in an almost gleeful tone, a cackle rounding out the overtly amused impression he gave off. The grin would persist, Mars raising his hand to wipe the blood off his face. "... but it will take a lot more than this to stop me".

In that moment, Mars would let go of the scythe, which would dematerialize and return to magical energy that flowed through his body, taking the bloodied fingers and touching his temple, leaving a sanguine fingerprint on the left side of his face. Within an instant, the magic would activate, his skin absorbing the blood and, in its place, a glowing rune of similar color appearing, jagged, almost broken in design, but radiating with magical energy. The wound in the Nephilim's chest would begin to heal rapidly, the deep cuts that Victoria's blades had dragged through his skin closing up in mere moments, restoring the vessel's skin and flesh, which was somewhat visible through the now tattered and bloodied clothing, to a perfect condition. The eyes of the Second Seal would once more rise as he locked his gaze on Victoria and her vessel, the grin that had spread across his face widening with an expression of crazed anticipation. Blood began to materialize around his form, coiling around his limps, his form, before shifting into a defined shape, forming an armor of carmine hue on Mars' body.

"Let's see how you deal with this, Victoria". Stretching out both of his hands, Mars would manifest arcs of golden electricity within both of them, lighting that surged from his limbs quickly manifesting into two lances, one in each hand, before he would shift his stance to attack once more, dashing forward at Victoria again. This time, though, his attack pattern would be a little different, coming to a stop several meters away from her before aiming both lances at the ground. With a massive flash of light that briefly consumed the surrounding area, a gargantuan explosion would occurr as electricity rolled across the frozen tundra for miles at a velocity that similarly resembled lightning, clinging to every surface and scorching anything it came in contact with. The explosion in itself had been enough to reduce Mars' previous position to nothing short of a crater, the Seal dashing back and out of the cloud of smoke and dust that had been thrown up by the spell, his eyes scanning for his target and, of course, with more agitated anticipation, how she had taken the attack.

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Word Count: 674
Personal Word Count Total: 3,798
Thread Word Count: 7,140

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