Officer Judy Hopps

Orcy! Fay! Posty post so that we may receive a wonderful update? :3

Tranlation: English to Jeanish

Oi, move your lazy asses before I move them for you!

We can find somewhere cozy to cry later.

and eat Garm alive.

Reflection of the Great Mage

Was it an illusion caused by a longing heart? Or was it a real admiration?

"Please stand aside," said the ironclad woman. Her tone was blunt, but the gesture she showed to Fei as she moved her away from Garm was gentle. Then, with a calm and composed manner, she pried the black sword away from Garm's hand, and sent it flying almost a feet away from its owner. "Forgive me for this.. That cursed weapon has drained him so much," the woman continued.

Fei was not sure on how to react to that statement. It was the most logical move to make in a situation like that. It won't make much difference, as the sword would be connected mentally to its master once awakened, but whether or not that is a common knowledge in Empyria is a question Fei believed the answer to be a no. Even then, it does not change the admiration towards the woman that was budding in Fei's heart. Her calmness in the face of a danger was something Fei does not see often inside a person, and it is most definitely a trait she hold a high regard to.

The woman's next action was even more commendable. She connected her forehead with the boy's, and uttered a light prayer. Upon finishing her chant, a spark of blinding light burst from the point where the couple's foreheads met. And just like sunlight illuminating a shade-drenched scenery, the woman's light returned colors to the boy.

"That.. Is impossible," Fei muttered in disbelief. Not only did she managed to save the boy from getting eaten by his sword, the woman had also succeeded in quenching the sword's hunger for life force. The sword that pulsated violently in red just a few seconds ago has calmed down. It's pulse was stabilized and contained in the sword's core near its hilt. Its raging howl had now been replaced by a low growling noise akin to that of a sleeping hound.

Her light, the gentle and encompassing light, had healed not only the boy, but the heart of his sword too. It was nostalgic, this scene. Where had she seen it before? Ah, yes. It reminds her of her own experience; of the way Camus saved her life from being overtaken by Yukimaru; and of how the great magician's gentle magic appeased the anger of her sword.

"Who.. Are you?"

As if to answer the question in Fei's head, the iron lady set her heavy helmet down and announced her name. Her eyes, while fatigued, exudes a strong, gentle light. A light that is not unfamiliar to Fei.

Fei was not sure if it was her similarity to Camus or an honest feeling of admiration and gratitude that drove her action, but she decided that it did not matter and launched herself into the woman's arm, and gave her a big hug.

"Thank you Jeanne-nee," she whispered in her arms. "Thank you!"

@ DR

I feel like the Ashbringer story takes place a VERY long time ago. I imagine that village and the associated nation was destroyed and the region eventually reclaimed by Empyrea much later. Considering Fenrir -Ashbringers' ...husband I guess...- was implied to be an artifact by the idiot Garm confiscated it from, it makes sense this was a ways back.

I'm also gonna say Jeanne was privy to Caius' review of Garm when he was considered for Imperial Guard. If you're curious about the assessment by the way it's "Skills sufficient. Attitude to be adjusted".

Also while I personally approve of the Jeanne x Garm ship I must say this: If Caius finds out the blades are directing them towards one another he will melt the damn things down into slag. They had their lives; they don't get to take other peoples' to have their second chance. Romantic as it may be he's not about to let some chunks of metal direct the actions of his sister and his subordinate (He's going to end up with a particular distaste for anything resembling possession for what are by now obvious reasons).

Insubordination

Because blind obedience is boring

"Fear in the face of what is unknown is normal." The iron maiden said flatly to the two boys. She was wearing a helmet, but that did not hinder Garm (or anybody, in that matter) to feel her scowl aimed at him. Well, that was quite the normal reaction, Garm believe. During his service as a gatekeeper, his former captain, a war veteran that was retired from the frontline because of a major injury his right leg suffered, often berated him and the rest of the young city guards. He said that they were not vigilant enough, and wasted too much time fooling around. That they need to 'shape up' and be ready for war at all times.

Such statement does carry the truth. It is a fact that Garm had yet to experience a battle on his own, and therefore, would know nothing of how to handle a real war situation. But that does not mean he do stuff without thinking. He have read many books about war tactics, and even more books about the lore of Dusk. It was his dream to go on an adventure to the land of dusk, conquering and reclaiming them for the empire like what his father did. That is why, he can't accept the iron maiden's proposal as is.

"Lady commander, I don't think it's the best idea, moving away from here the way we are now," Garm said to the iron maiden. From his voice alone, you can feel that he is actually quite nervous. Not that it would stop him from voicing his opinion though. "As you have stated, we are in the land of dusk. It's not like we have a stronghold to return to. In this land, nowhere is safe."

Yes. This whole city, or whatever it is, is not safe. The only safety you could rely on, are the comrades you travel with. In that case, making sure that your comrades are in top condition should be the top priority. Moving in a haste without making sure that everything is ready, in Garm's mind, is a suicidal move.

"It is not just the fear, you see. Asher and I broke a limb in the previous encounter, it'd be suicidal to move on without making sure our limbs are fully healed," he continued. His previous nervousness is slowly dissipating from his voice. He knew his words carried a truth that could not be denied. After a short pause, Garm took a deep breath and continued his surprisingly long argument. "You, too, must be exhausted from all those healing".

There was a genuine care for the iron maiden's well-being in his tone. Despite his foolishness, Garm only wishes the best for his team, the stern iron maiden included.

"If you wish it, I would not waste my energy with a spar, but please, take a short rest before we move," his long speech continued on. "It is not uncommon for greater dusk spawns to be territorial, so, fingers crossed, this place should be safe enough for a short rest". And get to know each other better too, hopefully. After all, chemistry is one of the most important ingredients of a successful team.

All that is left, is to wait for the iron maiden's response. He sure hope this insubordination, for the lack of better word, does not hurt their relationship too much.

[The Fallen Sword]

The fat monster roared as Iblis cast his spell, weakening the arm that gripped Talia. However, despite its rotting state it held onto her strongly, squeezing her even tighter. Fortunately, luck favoured the young woman. Below Valerius struck its wound with his enchanted blade. The beast cried out in pain, a menacing growl of frustration. With its leg soon rotting, it could no longer support its own weight and soon began buckling under the pressure. It released Talia, dropping her injured form down.

Valerius, being the nimble fellow that he was, saw this and was quickly able to catch her, holding her in his arms like a man carries his new wife into their new home.

Azelus, meanwhile, did not stop his assault. With his fine spells, the sage struck the monster with lightning. The inner damage caused by his work was monumental. No longer was the fat thing yelling or crying out. It remained silent and soon it fell forward. The giant had fallen and it now lied before them unmoving. The path to the stairs were now unblocked.

[The Price of Loyalty]

And with the arrival of Jeanne, the battle with the bull-man hybrid monstrosity suddenly shifted momentum. A far cry from its original behaviour, the beast stared fearfully at the paladin. For the first time, its eyes showed true fright. Having ignored its earlier targets, it desperately tried to turn and run away from the blade she wielded. However, its wishes would not be granted. Its legs were heavily wounded by Jeanne’s strikes, making it unable to move functionally. Blood dripped from its wounds, and it soon became clear that it lost its ability to even stand.

As the trying enemy turned, he could no longer support its own weight due to the damage to its legs. It dropped its weapon with a heavy thud, desperately trying to grab anything it could hold on to prevent itself from falling. Its strength was too much and its attempt to cling to the wall of the tower or the stone wall failed when it crushed it with its finger tips. It fell onto the edge, crumbling a portion of the wall everyone was all on. Its weight too much on the stone, bits of the wall crumbled, hurtling the beast into the giant ravine below.

To the surprise of Garm, Asher, and Fei, they would find their wounds healed—an effect from Ashbringer.

In the opposite end of the wall, Ren had departed from Ko to climb the tower. Unknown to him, the Shadow Knights had decided to embed Ko’s corpse onto the door leading inside the tower, their numerous spears stabbed into his body and the wooden material of the door. With their target dead, they vanished, leaving only their spears behind to give evidence of their existence.

Ren reached the top of the keep to find nothing of value but a higher view. He would look over the edge of the other side to find only nothing but broken portions of the giant wall. There was no way he could possibly scale the distance on his own and it seemed that he had to turn back to where Garm’s group were. There was not even a door that would lead to inside the tower.

“Remember the pain in your heart, but you have yet to feel the price.”

The voice of the Foreigner was behind him, but if he were to look again he would find no one there. One thought was prevalent in his mind. Ko had died for nothing.

[Tears of the Maiden]

“Go away! None of you are wanted here!” cried out a young, hoarse voice.

From the giant legs of the headless knight came out a little girl in tattered clothes that seemed more like rags than garment. Her hair, the same colour as the Handmaiden, was long and unkempt, reaching down to below her waist and covering one eye. Her complexion was dirty, full of grime and dirt. The little girl looked no older than six, but it was clear that this was Dame Rosamond as a child.

“Only the pretty lady can come! No one else!” she shouted.

However, her pleas were ignored by the confident Clare who boldly took a step forward. Seeing this made the little girl point at him. The giant, headless knight raised his mighty halberd and swung it at Clare. Without even giving time to react properly, Clare was sent flying to an empty building from across the way, destroying the second floor with his body.

“I’LL HURT YOU IF YOU DON’T LISTEN!”

[A Broken Heart]

To Tyr’s horror, he would soon find that none of his attacks were able to wound the giant mushroom deeply. His slashes were only shallow cuts, and the ice and axe he had used did not penetrate through it. It was the leader of its group for a reason. The giant mushroom had turned around and prepared itself to punch Tyr into the ground, pummelling him. Meanwhile, the others were slowly becoming surrounded by the other mushrooms.

Then everyone heard the purring of a cat coming from the thicket of trees. The mushrooms instantly stopped fighting and began to shiver frighteningly. The giant mushroom itself relaxed from its punch and began looking around its surroundings. Something was spooking the mushroom horde. The purring and the growling became louder as it echoed through the forest.

The mushrooms quickly began retreating. They abandoned the ones that had fallen and quickly leaving through the thick bushes and the trees. Then, from the darkness, was a face. Its eyes were golden, sharp, and narrow. It gave off a big, smiling grin, showing off its long, sharp teeth. As it stepped into the light, everyone saw what it was.

It was a giant cat, fully black, with the widest mouth that enabled it to look like it was as happy as a Cheshire cat. The giant cat looked uninterestedly at the humans, as if it was only passing through. Tyr, having been the one separated from the group, soon caught its attention. The cat lumbered closer until its nose was nearly pressing against him. It smelled its scent and its giant eyes stared intently at Tyr. What was he to do now and what of the others? It did not appear as though the cat was about to pounce just yet.