Clop. Clop. Clop.

The hooves of Micelle's War Horse hit the icy ground at a steady rhythm, the animals footsteps unfaltering over the uneven landscape. Around boulders, over jagged rocks, through manmade divets filled to the brim with chunks of ice.

Outside the walls of Castle Oklaind, just past the moat with the Zercox Eels, was a vast swath of rugged land. Meant as a deterrent to ward off those who desired a fight, the vicinity was one fixed with all mannerisms of obstacles, ranging from thick tree trunks to rusted barbed wire. With these added additions, it made it almost impossible to take the patrolling guards and Knights by surprise. Despite having been stationed at the Castle himself during his earlier years, Micelle had to admit how paranoid and cautious Earl Oklaind had been. The terrain offered little in terms concealment and even less in terms of stealth, what with the numerous shards of broken glass, twisted metal, and splintered wood strewn about its perimeter.

It was over this thick stretch of debris that the Earth Knight found himself, maneuvering his mount in search of any clue as to the attackers whereabouts.

Mrrrr!! Mphm!!

"Easy Julius." Micelle gave his four legged companion a small pat on the side of the neck. "Just need to get a bit further alright? We'll get you a heated blanket for your troubles."

Letting out a few snorts and a small whiney, the War Horse slowly stopped moving, reaching a small spit of land that had little to no obstacles. Even with a bit more coaxing, the horse refused to move even a step further, even when the Earth Knight offered to turn around and head on back.

"Okay. Okay. Just frolic around here then. I'll be quick with it."

Letting out a small breath, one that mixed with the chilly air, Micelle slipped off of his horse and onto the frosty ground. Giving Julius a small rub on the forehead, the man continued on his way.

(("No Traces so far.")) Micelle hopped up onto a fallen log, allowing him to get a slightly better glimpse of his surroundings. His light brown eyes glowed softly, his Crest Ability activating. (("Useless to look back at the entrance. Too much activity. They didn't follow the main path when leaving nor arriving. Did they use an Artiface to cover their tracks?"))

Making his way forward, the brown-haired individual looked from left to right, encompassing everything in his brightened gaze. Leaping from boulder to tree trunk and back to another pile of rocks, Micelle looked for any sort of glowing marks, marks that indicated someone or something had passed through that area. Footprints, broken branches, lingering heat signatures, pieces of clothing, anything that his Artiface saw as a clue.

However, for a while, all he found were Traces leading to a wide variety of animals such as Bralter Wolves, Huron Porcupines, and Vextran Bears.

"Hmm. Another dead end." Micelle let out a small sigh of disappointment, watching as the faint image of Hreltan Fox leapt over a set of barbed wire. "About as successful as picking up women in happy marriages. What a pain. Be a Knight they said. It'll be FUN they said. You can get all the women you want they said. Now we're just chasing phantoms of the past."

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Micelle Divila

Crest Name: Glorious Hunting Days

Crest type: Recon Class

Elemental Affinity: Earth

Ability: Allows Micelle to track a number of targets so long as there's a trace to follow (i.e tracks, scent, clues, etc). The trace in question must be found and used in a certain time limit. The longer a trace has been out, the less Micelle can see when using his Ability. Older traces can't be used at all.

At its peak, Glorious Hunting Days grants Micelle with not only the direction of the target(s), but also the immediate past of those in question. This includes conversations, faces, height, potential weapons, and much more. The information deteriorates in accordance with the time past. At its weakest, Micelle's ability can only provide a general direction for his chosen targets.

Active Amps: While active, provides the user with enhanced strength, speed, reflexes, senses, and internal thinking. Double if the user is actively tracking down potential prey. Enormous boost to all stats.

Passive amps: Provide above average sight and smell. Enhanced instincts and intuition. Moderate boost to physical stats.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Micelle pushed himself off the ground, careful to avoid the pile of excrement positioned near his foot. Dusting shards of wood and ice off his torso, the brown-haired Knight resumed his search, getting as high above the debris as possible. The more Micelle could see, the easier it would be to pinpoint potential clues. Ergo, after jumping onto the tallest boulder in the vicinity, he leapt upwards, clearing the remaining distance from the rock and the walls of Castle Oklaind. Kicking off a more rugged part of the walls exterior, the Knight landed on the top of the structure without so much as a sound.

"Oh. Sir Micelle. Are you okay?" One of the Castle Guards immediately stood at attention, him and his compatriot halting their patrol. "Can we help you with something?"

The Earth Knight grinned. "Don't worry about it gentleman. I'm just running an errand for Lady Hresgeld."

Without waiting for a response, Micelle strolled passed the two individuals, giving them each a small pat on the shoulder when he walked by. The Guards merely looked at each other before shrugging and continuing on their way.

(("This area is littered with Traces.")) Micelle frowned ever so slightly as he followed the path atop the castle's wall. (("What do you have to offer me?"))

The Earth Knight moved forward, ignoring the new Traces made by the Guards whom had just passed by. Instead, he focused on a slightly older Trace, identifiable by the slight decrease in color compared to the fresh ones and much brighter than that of the Traces that had nearly vanished altogether. Marks made by the scuffing of the shoes, damp dirt, and small pieces of wood fragments that shouldn't have been there. Everything came together to point Micelle in the right direction, the young Knight placing a single finger over the Traces surface.

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

Upon physical contact, the Trace flashed briefly. From its surface, a being began forming from the ground up, as if birthed from the Earth itself.

A see-through image of an individual garbed completely in black from head to toe. Long cloak, slender shoes, thick pants, armor distributed across the chest, knees and left shoulder. Covering his face, the figure appeared to don a mask the color of sand, though it was truly hard to tell from the angle that Micelle was standing at. Resting on the phantoms shoulder, held up effortlessly by one arm, was an enormous barrel with a label depicting a warning as well as a Handle With Caution in big block letters. Clutched in the mans right hand was what appeared to be some kind of small cylinder.

(("Well, well. You don't look like a Guard." )) Micelle grinned slightly as he rose onto his feet. His eyes took everything in, glancing from the barrel to the unknown object in the figures hand. (("A barrel marked with an explosive label. Interesting. What could you need with Explosive Jelly? And is that a flute? Surely not."))

There were many questions that were raised by the appearance of the transparent being, questions that only added to the already mountain of existing ones. Who were the culprits? What were their motives? Were they after Oklaind or were they after the Explosive Jelly? Why leave the Guards and Knights stationed in the Castle alive? On the surface, the whole infiltration seemed well planned and extremely well coordinated. Aside from the survivors and the Traces detectable via Micelle's Artiface, Glorious Hunting Days, there weren't any other clues. If there HAD been, the Knights of The Church would've already acted on them long before Annabelle and the twins arrived.

In all likelihood, they were dealing with someone who knew what they were doing. That's what Micelle had gathered and it was most likely why Annabelle had brought him along, because she had figured out just as much.

So why leave witnesses alive? Sir Erigol had reported casualties so obviously the perpetrators had no issues with murdering their opposition.

So many possibilities existed without proper information.

"Ugh. All this thinking is exhausting." Micelle yawned a little as the unknown entity began walking forward towards the back corner of the wall. "And I still have to clean the War Horse stables after all of this. I better get a bonus or at least a beautiful woman."

The young Earth Knight fell in step behind the figure, trailing behind whilst keeping an eye on not only the individuals every move but his surroundings as well. He wanted to be literally anywhere else in the world, but he opted to do his job instead.

The poison had already been sipped. The bowl might as well be licked clean.

"So. Where're we going?" Micelle moved to stand beside the transparent figure. "Taking me to your friends?"

No response.

"You aren't very talkative. Though, it's not like you can actually answer me." The two stopped right at the edge of the corner, right next to one of the walls main lookout points. "Is that a flute you're carrying?"

Once again, the figure didnt say anything, going about his business with a moment of hesitation. Glancing around the perimeter, the Biege Mask, readjusted the barrel onto his other shoulder and placed the cylinder into his mouth. After giving the surroundings yet another perusal, the figure leapt over the side of the wall, towards the moat far below.

"And there he goes." Micelle watched as the transparent being faded from existence. "I guess the Trace continues below. Very well."

Just like the unknown entity, Micelle leaped over the side of the wall without hesitation.

"This is the room." Yeager pushed open the door leading into Oklainds main quarters. "Though its being-"

"Hold it."

"-Guarded by RockLer. Yeah..."

"You again? I thought I told you to stay away. This is no longer your jurisdiction." A much larger and significantly more built Knight bunped the Air Knight with the flat of his axe, just as Annabelle entered the room. "Do you need to learn the hard way?"

"I asked him to bring me here." The princess stepped in front of Yeager, forcing the two Knights to separate from each other. "What sort of Knight resorts to violence as a first resort?"

"Princess Annabelle Hresgeld." The Knight gave the blonde female a side eye. "With all due respect, this isn't your jurisdiction either. The Litezo Kingdom has no authority within the territory of the Alliance. If you would vacate the-"

"Easy now Richor. I'm the one who sent for her."

Three heads turned at once as a young man with golden colored hair walked into the picture, causing all conversation to fall silent immediately. Deep yellow hues filled with amusement flicked from Annabelle to Yeager and then back to Annabelle, eyes that appeared to find the whole ordeal quite funny. The man, standing slightly taller than Annabelle herself, exuded a mixture of confidence and intelligence, almost as if he was analyzing every aspect of the situation. Wearing the golden color ofbthe RockLer Alliances top nobility, it was clear that they were facing someone of importance.

"WesLer," Annabelle said curtly, giving the man a nod.

"Hresgeld. My friend. Close compatriot. Brilliant benefactor. Mighty mediator." Judas WesLer grinned widely, motioning Richor away. "What's it been, about a year and some? You've gotten taller. Have you lost weight?"

Annabelle rolled her eyes. "It's good to see you too WesLer. You haven't changed a bit."

"I mean, apart from being on the Colored Roundtable as the representative of the RockLer Alliance." Judas grinned. "But you know.....details. I see you got the information I sent to Lotis. The one regarding your sister?"

Annabelle frowned deeply, hand inching to the dual swords strapped to her waist. "That was you? What do you know? Do you know where she is now?"

The golden boy immediately raised his hands in surrender. "Easy now. Don't lob my head from mine shoulders. I don't have all the details. I only know she mentioned herself by name. As a friend and old classmate, I figured I'd fill you in."

"Right. Old classmate." Reluctantly, the Litezo princess lowered her hands from her weapons. "How'd you know she was mentioned by name?"

Judas turned around and made a small gesture. Without a word, young woman dressed in the uniforms matching those of the other Guards made her way forward, a dark look on her face. Her eyes seemed to be lifeless, as if her soul had left her body, though she herself looked rather unharmed. It was the same look the prisoners of war and victims of abuse and assault would give when rescued.

"This is the only witness." Judas looked from Yeager to Annabelle. "They kept her alive, allowed her to see their faces and learn their names. We aren't sure why they did so, and we're still trying to figure out what their intentions were."

The witness murmured something, giving Annabelle quick glances, glances filled with terror.

"What did you say?" The princess moved closer, slowly so as not to startle the girl. "Can you speak up a little for me. Please?"

"Crest....Fallen." The woman barely pushed out the whisper. "They call themselves...CrestFallen."

"CrestFallen?" Annabelle frowned.

"It's one of the few things she utters from time to time. She wont tell us the whole story, but we can kinda guess what happened."

It was around then that Annabelle actually deigned to give the room a glance. There, near the bed, directly in front of it, was what appeared to be Oklainds deceased body, or what was left of it. Burned chunks of sliced body parts, melted flesh, blood caked into the carpet. There was no smell oddly enough, but the damage done to the dead individual was gruesome. Even without any words said, the scene spoke volumes about what transpired.

Earl Oklaind had been heavily tortured before being put down down like a rabid animal.

"Yeah. We can guess." Annabelle grimaced and turned away from the scene. She wasn't squeamish by any means, but the thought of her sister doing such a brutal act was discomforting.

"She also repeats the name Alice Wonder Hresgeld, Masked Ghost, and Robin Fitztooth." Judas crossed his arms just under his chest. "Trying to get anything else out of her would certainly be a chore. I already tried a number of things"

"She's reciting the names of the new Church Knights," Yeager said, adding his input for the first time since he walked in the room. "If we're taking that into consideration, it means that those mentioned were part of the attack. It's safe to say that the 4 members who went missing were members of this...CrestFallen group. In other words-"

"-It was an inside job," Annabelle finished.

Judas glanced over to Yeager, seeing him for what seemed to be the first time. The golden haired individual then glanced over to the blonde. "Who's this? Friend of yours?"

Annabelle shook her head, eyes on the soul shattered witness. "Just some Knight I stumbled across."

"Interesting." Judas adopted a calculating expression, holding out a fist. "My name is Judas WesLer, Leading Member of the RockLer Alliance."

Yeager looked slightly perplexed about the extended fist. Unsure, the man reached out and carefully shook the nobles fist. "Yeager Estero, Frunctot Empire commoner."

Judas let out a hearty laugh, and even Annabelle stifled a giggle. Confused, the green haired Knight glanced from the noble and the royal.

"My apologies for my outburst," the noble said, wiping a single tear from his eye. "It was just funny. You're supposed to bump it."

"Bump it?"

Annabelle gestured to Yeagers hand. "Hold out your fist to him."

Even more confused than before, the Air Knight held his fist out in front of him, mimicking what the noble had done. Judas then raised his own hand and collided it with Yeagers, holding it there for a few seconds before backing away.

"It's called a fist bump. A friend and teacher of mine showed it to me a few years back." Judas grinned. "It's a sign of mutual respect. That you acknowledge the other person as an equal."

Annabelle scoffed. "You're still calling him an 'old friend'? After what he did?"

WesLer shrugged. "Were you there when it happened? In the dungeon?"

"..."

"You only know what others told you. Evidence can he planted. Lies can be spun. Arthur was like a brother to Itobake. You still believe he killed your brother? After they risked their necks for each other over the years?"

Annabelle opened her mouth to argue, her hand once again returning to her weapon. However, before things could get heated, the door to the room opened once again, prompting Richor and everyone else to glance towards the entrance.

"It's just us." Ariont and Micelle gave a small bow as the walked into the room. "Apologies for the intrusion."

"Micelle." Annabelle turned her full attention towards her subordinates. "If you're here, then....."

"That's right. I've located their trail. You're gonna love what I found out."