Roxie strides through a hallway behind a Aqrabuamelu alongside a grey harpy with a seraphim behind them; Roxie and the harpy wear similar clothes of brown and red ribbons woven around them, held on with a layer of web, the Aqrabuamelu in front wearing the same but with Blue ribbons included.

“Waaah” Roxie screams as she falls face first onto the stone tiles.

The Aqrabuamelu offers a pincer which she accepts “Why are you wearing those things” He asks as she pulls herself up.

“My dresser insisted that I wear them” She stands upright and rubs her sore nose whilst straightening out her dress.

“I will add wearing high heels to the list of unproficiencies of yours” The harpy giggles to himself as he covers his face with a wing “The very long list”

Roxie sits herself on her tail and lifts a shoe “You know, these are pretty pointy” She then gives him a look.

The two’s death stares are interrupted by a pincer on their shoulders “Come now, I know I told you two to be on your best behaviour, but this is just your usual childness” He pats them and walks off “Come, the ball is waiting”

The pair resume following down the massive hallway, Roxie occasionally taking the time to gaze over the murals that span from floor to ceiling, depicting the various battles from Ragnarök, of Oath and Nezrilia battling multiple old gods, mother sun and moon backing the various human and elven armies against the minitours, Dwarfs and Faulz; and a dwarf made of iron behind them giving a speech as they turn on the minitours and angels with the rest of the armies.

Falling behind after another trip, Roxie tails her companions through a pair of double doors halfway down the hallway, into a massive ballroom; chandeliers hang low from the ceiling and elaborate murals depicting the gods of the empire stand over it, Nezrilia being a new addition which stands opposed to the rooms symmetry.

As they enter a servant rushes over to a pedestal nearby to take their names, announcing them to the sole three people there “Announcing the Elder of strength, Vetrelous and his two groomed for strength, Meandus Andrus and Roxie Altflight”

The servant nods to them before rushing back to haul food to the buffet.

“Now Lous, please don’t drink them out of pocket” Meandus gives him a pointed look.

He looks down at Meandus with a wide-open mouth and wide eyes.

“That’s why we arrived early, so they have time to order more in when he does” Roxie joins Meandus.

He continues to look between them in betrayal before shaking his head and walking off “You two sound just like my mate”

She and Roxie follow but Roxie is stopped by a hand on her shoulder. Their angel, a seraphim with three sets of wings and covered in small golden eyes, guides her to the side for a moment “I just got a message from Tarrow. They’ve been attacked again today, they said that some of Pawns haven’t rotted”

“Thanks, Vendrus” Roxie cups her chin and thinks for a moment “Tell them that the necromancers are having supply issues, and that they’re producing new pawns”

Vendrus nods and heads to one of the balconies as Roxie joint Vetrelous and Meandus with the three others “Sorry for that. Hello” She curtsies with her tail curling around to the front and her wings open down to the floor.

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Titus New responds in kind with a bow whilst the king, identified by his crown, nods his head. He’s a tall man, with light brown skin and short blond hair, wearing a hybrid of armour and suit brushed with gold.

The third person meanwhile, is a figure who’s floating off the ground in a robe that conceals all of him with a massive crystal floating behind him, brings his two sleeves together and deeply bows.

“Hello again girlie, you seem to have gone a couple steps above crawling through my sewers” Titus’s laugh is mirrored by Meandus.

“Adding that to the li-gst” He’s interrupted by Roxie punching him in the gut with a wing.

The king gently shakes his head before offering a hand which Roxie shakes “Allthorn Maritas. Pleasure to meet you”

“Pleasure to meet you too Sir Allthorn. I do hope Meandus hasn’t been boring you too much whilst I dealt with business” Roxie gives him a side glance and a grin.

He looks down at the harpy with a quirked brow “Not at all. They were just explaining the code of your clothes” He gestures to her dress.

“Yeah, not my choice to wear it but hey” Roxie pulls at the hem as she shrugs with her wings “Anyways, what’s up with him?” She points to the figure gently floating off to the side.

“He is quite unnerving” Vendrus returns, causing Roxie to jump, puffing out and nearly batting Allthorn across the face.

“What the fuck Vendrus!” She bares her teeth at the seraphim who just blinks with a few of his eyes as the others stifle their chuckles “Don’t do that, I told you to stop that, I’ve told everyone to stop that”

“Don’t do what?” Vendrus looks between everyone as Roxie pouts and slowly furls her wings.

She huffs “Whatever it is you use to hide from my sense—” She frowns but returns to the others “Anyway”

“Sense?” Allthorn asks whilst glancing a Vetrelous.

Vendrus steps in to explain “Miss Roxie is spiritually locked into an ability that grants her localized omniscience”

“Yeah, and I keep being surrounded by people who I can’t see with it” Roxie mumbles out her complaint.

Allthorn goes to say something but stops as Roxie goes wide eyed whilst frowning before turning to the floating man “Can you repeat that?”

“He gave his condolences and sympathy to your situation” Vendrus fills in “He too is ability locked, in a sense”

“Yeah, but being a sorcerer is way better” She massages an ear whilst wincing.

“He never said he was” Meandus chimes in.

She starts massaging her other ear “I’d swear he mentioned that”

“It was when he referred to himself, it was within that” Vendrus floats to Meandus and explains.

“Ooh” He turns away and pouts.

“Excuse me, you three can actually hear him or are you pulling my leg?” Allthorn asks, sounding quite confused. He then snaps upright whilst the side of his face towards the figure twitches “What is that”

“He just said test over and over again” Vendrus informs again.

Allthorn idly rubs the twitching side of his face whilst commenting “You need to teach me how to listen to him then, it will make conversations much easier” He then quickly greets the woman and child, similarly dressed as him, who join next to him.

“Sadly it’s just a matter of exposure—” Vetrelous joins the conversation again, now with a giant mug of something in his claw “But we do plan on sending over a Scanthama and an angel to stay with you so you will have plenty of chance for it”

“Though that does raise the question of what you are” Roxie focuses her gaze squarely on the figure, all the while servants start coming around to dispense refreshments.

The figure just give a dismissive wave whilst giving a horse chuckle.

Her expression softens and her body sags slightly “That’s, actually terrible”

Allthorn quirks a brown “I got a little of that”

“What the abyss are you nonce’s talking about, I didn’t hear anything from him other than a wheeze” Titus, seemingly tired of being out of the conversation, complains to the group.

“He’s human but absorbed too much mana too quickly and burned his body. Now he’s just a mana construct barely held together by willpower” Vendrus translates from him.

Allthorn and Titus both turn to him, even the servants close enough to hear the conversation cast glances to him. He disperses the tension with a wave and ‘saying’ that it’s alright.

Allthorn continues the conversation “So when will we expect the rest of you. I believe that all three of you and your groomed are arriving?”

“Yes, but us of strength arrive first, to, you know, assure that everything is upright and safe. As it is our duty to protect the others”

Meandus comments “And to secure the drinks”

“Please stop, you’re making me out to be an alcoholic” He pleads to him, but he just flatly looks back to him.