Artus laid on his black divan sofa as he scrolled through his social media feed. "Even though the duties of a Gen-oath member can always have the tendency of keeping us hard-pressed and almost always employed on the field, every now and again we have time to ourselves. Thankful for some recovery time." He opined and corrected many comments he's finished reading. Ember and Artus returned to their home to relax after clearing away the latest threats. Lyle refused some hours earlier.
The sanguine marksman hopped onto his butt when he heard his favorite animated series was going live with an event. "We are here with the latest head creative of 'The definitely conquered hero!' with an exclusive interview with his behind the scenes scoops of the series, join in soon everyone!" Said the event's host excitedly, "Oh, but let's first respectfully bow our heads with silence and gratitude for the creator of this hit, awe-inspiring, franchise!" The host finished as they, Artus and the latest writer bowed. Ember sat on her own couch next to her absent brother's beloved chair. The sanguine marksman held a curious and slightly mischievous expression when the moment was over. "A debate's been popular recently, a debate about the bigger importance between the writers or the screen portrayal of a franchise, Embs." Artus brought up to his sister. Ember briefly repeated their brother's words and gave her best shot at understanding him. "The only folks who put in respectable work behind the scenes. The writing crew." She opined as she laid back.
Artus twisted his head from his communicator to his sister after hearing her answer. "You don't think that the acting team and artists are respectable?" Artus questioned with obvious shock in her tone, "The writing is necessary because a script is the foundation but from what I've seen, Embs, the best books truly impact the world once they've been adapted into a television series. Humanity treasures the senses." Artus argued with a confident tone. Ember scoffed at her brother's opinion as she opened an eye and trained it on him. "One of the things I'd proudly be delusional about is considering mankind would be less intellectually lagging if we had less excuses like social media and non-fictional films." She responded before a sigh, "You conceded after you admitted the writing team is necessary but humans would just prefer food for the senses, guy." She finished with a beaming smile.
Artus' expression conveyed his puzzlement. "You have some harsh opinions, Embs, but I'm not actually joining a specific side in that war because both are equally vital in my eyes." He commented before replying, "I already know Lyle's answer." He boasted before recovering. Ember squinted as she stepped closer. "You know his answer, how exactly, Art?" She questioned.
Artus made a distinctive face and deepened his voice believing he could sound serious. "Our intense brotherly bond connects us." He answered as he smirked with his eyes closed afterwards. Ember sat up and physically recoiled until she held a revelation. "Are you recalling the time that he cried about a scene of a Mississippi kite's death in a movie right now?" She inquired before she exploded with laughter.
Over time the sanguine marksman and blue-stocking blade duo returned to the conversation that had only descended into a disorderly debate and the both of them only grew angrier with each other's rebuttals to the point that the studious lemon chiffon essence shapers contemplated settling the disagreement and activated their shared indefatigable glow, Artus had her locked in his sights. "It's not this deep!" He shouted with a nervous tone. Ember trained her blade on him. "I let the irritation go. I'm just bored and want to spar." She insisted as she held her stance strong.
Before either could engage the other, Lyle poofed up out of nowhere and acted quickly, disarming Artus' gun as his primary priority. Artus' shotgun dropped to the floor before returning to his lemon chiffon essence reserves. "Too slow, Iona taught me the counter!" He shouted before chuckling. Then the sangfroid paragon instantaneously moved to leave his sister disarmed as his secondary. Ember's blade dropped before returning to her lemon chiffon reserves. "Damn Mentor Duraenou and him sharing his obsession of pressure points with you, bastard." She shouted as her arm was temporarily paralyzed.
Lyle instantaneously moved into a corner of their living quarters, leaning with his hands in his pockets. "Take it to the training facility unless you can stop this for me?" Lyle questioned in his usual tranquil voice. The Trio spaced out when Artus briefly glanced down at a peculiar die. It was brown and had a strange unfamiliar language carved into them. Each of the lounging members of Generil's Oath division felt an unexplainable compulsion and curiosity to roll it. The Trio reached individually yet Artus was the swiftest. The dice fell on a strange symbol, rolling by the numerous others but when it fell on the symbol it landed on, the Generil oath Trio started feeling delirious, feeling numbness in their muscles and stumbling as if they were drunkards until they collapsed.
Lyle picked up his face from the carpet of their living quarters while recollecting flying through a colorfully shifting void with interest piquing dirt floating near him as he held his head while inflicted with a migraine. He opened his eyes and saw the shade of gray in his eyes staring back from six inches away. He leapt back on his feet and slightly stepped forward. He was lost for words as was whoever was thinking while inhabiting his body and instead realized the body he was inhabiting as he saw his sister on the ground still slumbering. Lyle squatted down and poked his sister's shoulder. "Old lady Cheina needs your help, Art." He said sangfroidly after poking his brother once again.
Artus kipped up to his feet, confused whether he's ecstatic or nervous, he calmed himself and eventually looked down at his daintier hands. "Magic?" He asked his siblings before turning around and was confused who had his body. Ember felt her brother's aching muscles and struggled to get on her feet. "You still think magic exists??" She questioned as she looked at him as if he was ridiculous before her vexation and disbelief she had shown on her brother's face realizing that it came from her mouth, "Damn, Ly." She added in her thoughts as the aching worsened. Lyle squatted on the ground. "Dude? Explanation?" He asked after recognizing his brother was serious about considering the possibility.
Artus' eyes slightly dilated. "It just has me thinking about when on the quarters in the sky when we first left for the gates of Seyort to find Generil, while you two were sleeping one night— Mentor Dain and Mentor Pilot were discussing the possibility of the perpetrators behind the attack being a specific witch coven called sisters of the Enenra." He elaborated further to his siblings. Lyle tilted his head gradually and gazed away to the left of him as he rested his thumb and index finger thoughtfully on the left and right of his chin. Ember scowled before shaking her head. "Aleph— Aleph likely has answers for us!" She posed in her brother's gray eyed body. Artus pointed his fingers in his short sister's body towards Ember which cringed her before he pointed to the exit of the headquarters. "Sounds like all we've got, all we gotta do is find Aleph and badabingbamboo!!" He shouted with an ecstatic tone. Lyle crossed his arms as he watched the bustling city from his wide glass window. "Know where he's staying?" He asked his sister in his brother's body. Ember smirked in her younger brother's body as he slowly nodded his head approvingly when he turned around. "460 Shanque avenue." She informed her switched siblings. Artus sprinted faster than he expected himself to and slipped. "I'm going to start calling you cheetah, Embs. Being this ridiculously fast." He commented as he remained floored.
A man with a caramel complexion and messy hair loaded a magazine into his uncanny firearm before slamming it into his handler's desk. "He won't let me pursue him because he makes me unstable emotionally—?!" He shouted frustratedly before being interrupted. The armed man's handler licked her lips before sighing. "You just want answers and closure as you said the thousandth time since we began working together." She replied and repeated before he had the chance. He holstered his firearm on his person before gently caressing the top of his nose. "Yeah. Yeah. The thousandth time?" He inquired with a genuinely curious tone as he opened an eye. The handler finished a report of their previous mission and sent it to their employer. "D-did you hear a hint of exaggeration in my tone when I said it?" She asked rhetorically. He removed his shades struggling to decide on a follow up. "Whatever. You have the latest assignment from professor Evaliay?" He questioned as he attempted to remove someone from his thoughts and the topic. The handler grinned with an expression that intrigued the armed man as she slid a file across her desk. "Prof. Evaliay is still in love with his favorite obsessive smash and grabber." She added before a nasally chuckle. The armed man rolled his eyes before groaning.
-
The Trio walked to their superior's apartment yet arrived to find it completely vacant as two were filled with insurmountable disappointment. Lyle was unbothered by his absence. "Before I blacked out when we first met him, I remember only seeing a couch in this place anyways." He informed his oath division team. The oath's sanguine marksman gestured to give something with his sister's hands. "I know someone who might be able to find our elusive silver-haired oath officer." Said Artus as he was in the process of finding the contact on his communicator's contact list. "Interrupting during the only hour of the day that I can enjoy streaming 'best friends, however', Art, what'd you need?" The oath's sanguine marksman heard from the voice on the other line after leaving his siblings and walking into the apartment's hall.
An hour later as the afternoon dawned on the end of the world where the metropolis was built, the Trio arrived at where they'd been informed of their silver-haired superior staying. A less than luxurious bar that resembled more of a tavern from a fantasy novel. Artus approached the bartender who stared daggers into him. "Hey, we're searching for an older athletic looking fellow with silver mid-shoulder lengthy hair, could you take us to him?" He asked politely as the bartender continued eyeing him in silence. Ember shoved her brother out of her way. "We're not here for a staring contest, kid." She shouted frustratedly irked by how much slower and sluggish she felt in her brother's body. Artus expressed his confusion with his face. "Leaving quite an impression on the bar in another's body." He commented as he disapprovingly shook his head. Ember's expression conveyed how distracted hearing her tone was, as energetic as her brother's. "Don't care, can't care— we have the parade we're working security for in an hour so we don't have time." She reminded her brother before returning an eyeful of daggers towards the silent and unsociable bartender. He wouldn't budge for sixty seconds until he adopted a bright beaming smile and waved. "Follow me, officers, the man that you're looking for is here and in the employee lounge having a grand ole' time!" He spoke and informed them with a surprisingly fruity voice.
Aleph's hysterical laughter irked the blue-stocking blade which distracted Artus as he never saw his brother's face with as much rage showing. "Magic was popular with jesters back in the day for this very reason. A rarely encountered reality altering force that can get as wacky as this." Aleph informed the Trio. Artus rubbed his chin as if he were pondering. "Yep. It opens up many paths for comedy." He added with a thoughtful tone. Ember rolled her eyes as they were conversing about magic. "Is it possible for you to fix us, get us to return to the bodies we belong in?" Ember asked, intending to cut to the chase, "If you can't do these queer symbols on this die give a clue, old man?" Ember wondered aloud as she handed the item over to her silver-haired superior.
Aleph turned and twisted the die, to observe each and every symbol that was placed on each side and it was made obvious to the Trio from their superior's face that he didn't like any of them. "I'm not a magician but the traveling prankster likely behind this is an interesting fella. This die has been cursed by mediocre dark magic and blessed with some pretty intense lemon chiffon essence that's been slowly decaying the dark magic fortunately for you few." Aleph began informing the team until he couldn't finish without further laughing, "Just figure out a way to survive twenty-four hours and you'll collapse so your spirits can return to the correct bodies." He finished assuring the siblings. He began to cry and tears of joy came out a minute later. Ember sighed before lightly groaning. "This problem can't be that funny for you, man." She commented with a slightly peeved tone. The silver-haired preserver retrieved the dice from her and pointed to a symbol. "This symbol means Eternity!" He continued laughing the same after that with no further elaboration. The Trio were left gaping from shock.
Heavily geared enforcement under Josue's recruitment began small talk as they were on guard shift for one of his data centers. The auburn haired guard shook his disappointingly. "We were flirting and talking philosophy at the party for minutes but brace yourself—!" He asked his colleague as he held his shoulder. The colleague repositioned his firearm. "Tonya the internally hideous blocked your chances?" He interrupted and guessed. The auburn haired guard tossed his hands up frustratedly. "She blocked my chances then dunked on me. Literally. She had the nerve to pour her sweet water over my head before pulling her away." He complained with obvious aggravation in his voice. The colleague retrieved his pal's gun off the floor before offering it to him. "Best advice. She's never liked much if she's telling the friend to leave her alone." He replied as the pal accepted his firearm back. The messy haired prosthetic armed man disabled his camouflage before blasting a silent device that forced the guards to collapse unconscious. "A frequency manipulator is the perfect tool when you need a nap, right handler." He commented through the telepathy granting. The handler grinned as slightly as she could manage. "Quiet. One shot to locate and retrieve the package. We only have two of magical energy to counter the counter-teleport defenses these cities have, remember that year one brought you hear." She responded over their telepathic communication. The messy haired data center intruder shifted into a humorless expression prior to reactivating his camouflage technology and began sneaking through the data facility. After following a hunch he had that labcoat wearing employees could lead him to his prize, they led him into a laboratory filled with different lab coats experimenting and studying a queer piece of ore in an emptied area. He glanced around the laboratory's testing space below. "Too many lab coats for me to sneak past down there. Can't take the chance of someone bumping or hearing me, Handler." He noted and chatted. The handler accessed his cybernetic eye. "Isn't so fortunate that Sadique finished installing the sticky feature?" She replied before leaning back in her chair. The messy haired intruder tapped a button on his prosthetic cybernetic arm which had it transform into a grappling. The messy haired intruder shot it towards the window of the lab's spectating chamber above the city trio's researchers below and it zipped him towards it. "Phantom field!" He shouted in his thoughts prior to flying past the solid matter of the glass, "Thank Eirala for the matter phasing tech, handler." He commented as he recovered with his heart racing. The handler groaned irritably. "Impeccable timing. Becoming the handler for a blob of human flesh would've been original." She added over their telepathic communication. The messy haired intruder surveyed his surroundings and confirmed the spectating chamber as emptied. "Ramone and Eleazar, remember?" He replied, "Damn it." He heard from his handler. The facility's security breach alert system was activated out of the blue though the prosthetic limbed intruder and his handler kept their composure during their confusion.
-
Afternoon in an academy for the city trio law enforcement recruitment as many gathered for their special occasion. The oath's sangfroid paragon is pondering on his choice between sniper rifles though they were the precisely same model. Chief of police Aaida Lagrange expressed how lost she was by the visage she held on. "Aren't you the one that can make your weapon out of nothing?" She inquired uncertainly as she rested her hand on her hip. Lyle tried his hardest to appear as if he were his brother. "Not how it works. I shape and solidify energy after drawing from my reserves. Least I hope." He corrected his police chief before whispering the last sentence as low as he could. Artus sped to his brother's aid and caught himself before slipping clumsily. "He's a gun enthusiast and sometimes he appreciates the beauty of a metallic firearm." He excused with a confident tone. The duo sighed in relief when their chief of police seemed to buy it and walked away. Ember walked as quickly as she could to her brothers. "You can have this back, I don't want to be the one to lose it." She stated while handing over her brother's gear. Lyle observed one of his beloved personalized pistols as she held it out. "Slain countless irrational monsters with these incredible creatures. You're extraordinarily particular. Embs." He responded as he spun them around his fingers as if he were performing. Ember snarled as she glanced back at them in his hands. "They're good for making slaying boring." She commented before stepping away. The Trio walked with the crowd of other officers selected and volunteered to be part of the security detail for an official annual celebratory parade. The chief of police stepped on the academy's stage. "Welcome gentlemen. Today, a significant chunk of our citizens are going to gather to enjoy an awesome time thrown by the powers to celebrate our citizenry, our enforcement and our freedom from the hands of the continental government under the rule of Josue and his council. All of you will be given a handsome bonus. Don't bully the officers who wanted the day off again or you will receive consequences." She speeches before promising the gathered law enforcement. The Trio and their fellow dutiful colleagues balled their fist horizontally and slammed it near their hearts before marching out of the facility.
Artus sighed with frustration as he squinted attempting to focus his eyes. "I actually wanna laugh at seeing myself with a regular sniper rifle in my hands but I can't seeee— you, dude!" He complained prior to sighing with a feeling of frustration. Lyle finished much needed maintenance on his beloved personalized sniper rifle. "How do you guys manage to shape your reserves of essence?" The oath's sangfroid paragon inquired as he drew out his brother's essence. Artus slightly grinned while catching up with his sister on their patrol. "The people I have to fight for come to mind then I can feel our essence revitalize me and from there I'm as Embs call me, I'm a gun dork. Our mentors sat me down and had me read the schematics of firearms for ten hours during our private sessions." He answered him over their comms. Lyle placed his hands above the vantage point's ground and considered his instructions while closing his eyes. The essence his brother cultivated over the years was drawn out still he saw no sign of a firearm being shaped anywhere he could see. Ember tapped into her brother's comms. "Ly— teaching me about this instantaneous movement would be helpful." She suggested with surprisingly out of character politeness. Lyle mounted his personalized sniper rifle on the edge of the vantage point with a reluctant expression. "Immense spatial awareness. The mentors had me draw different settings everyday. I find it easier drawing out my energy when pretending a performance for a roaring crowd while relying on my intimacy with the location." He answered prior to the realization that he was missing his body. Ember puckered her lips as she squinted her eyes and glanced around her in her brother's body. "Where in the world do I even start with that first part, man?" She exhaustedly questioned in reply, "You're a fascinating fellow." She finished, thinking aloud. Lyle displayed the slightest grin at her comment while observing the ongoing parade's crowd through his rifle's scope. "I don't doubt that you'll pick it up if we encounter trouble." He added in his often whispery voice. Artus flared his sister's lemon chiffon essence, performing her ritual of drawing it out yet was only capable of shaping the pommel of a sword. "Swords are simple and lame weapons but I just realized that— I actually haven't memorized any type of schematic for any. I don't even know what this part is." He informed his siblings after the revelation. Ember flash backed into her memories of the hours spent smithing swords beside the woman her nerves and patience could not stand. "You know me well but you have to know the finest works of mankind even better." She replied as she gazed into the sky. Ember while in Lyle's body had lost significant strength in his legs causing her to drop to her brother's hands which was the last she saw before losing her consciousness. Artus checked his brother's body's pulse and found nothing out of the ordinary with any breathing. "We wouldn't be used to however he deals with his condition." He reasoned out and concluded as he still held her in his arms, "Thanks goodness though." He finished with a hint of reluctance in his tone. An unfamiliar droid showed up in front of him with a screen on its belly. The video it was playing had concluded to be security camera footage by the oath's sanguine marksman. It showed his fellow officers being attacked by something invisible. Artus swiftly handed his brother's body over to the droid. "I'm getting on it!" He shouted into his communicator. "Here's what you're up against, reckless. Average sized male, auburn messy hair, cybernetic limbs and zero hesitation to kill you, Art." He heard from his dutiful contact during his rush.
-
The auburn messy haired data facility intruder tried three attempts to access the computer with the information he was given. "Damn it, Handler, we were given an inaccurate password or it was changed recently?" He informed her with urgency in his tone. The Handler was left with a gaping expression. "Our informant is an exceptionally reliable agent and our currrent record holder for how long he's left everyone ignorant." She informed her agent. The auburn messy haired intruder rested his head on the desk of the facility's computer. "Somebody's onto us— one of the few persons capable of this sort of planning against us is him!" He shouted ecstatically as he prepared to reactivate his camouflage technology. The intruder's Handler slammed her fist on her own desk. "Stay on task, obsessed, the informant assured a plan B for this operation and Evaliay, remember?" She reminded and questioned her agent. The auburn messy haired intruder groaned. "Yeah. Just hoping that I wouldn't have to gather the attention of the first couple of unassuming guards but into the belly of the devil I go." He responded with slight exhaustion in his tone. He sprinted through the spectator's chamber's exit into a hallway. As he neared a round hall with multiple other corridors, he checked the motion sensing radar feature on his cybernetic arm after hearing a notification alerting him and saw multiple signatures. The messy auburn haired intruder stopped and briefly readied himself and let out a disappointed sigh until he breathed a breath of relief from what he saw approaching. "Impressed by these few dozen security droids, Handler?" He asked her as his cybernetic limbs glowed with turquoise shaded energy. The Handler observed what he was asking about through his cybernetic eyeball. "Nah— are you impressed, bubble pop?" She asked in return as she enjoyed popcorn refusing to remove her eyes from the monitor. The auburn messy haired intruder's arm began to transform into tentacles which he used to smash each droid before they could react down each hall except one was able to dodge by dipping underneath and managed to spray something with a scent of pineapples on his jacket. He managed to headbutt its head into pieces before it could dodge him a second time. "Nah." The intruder answered after finishing the stampeding droids.
The auburn messy haired intruder slowed before urgently halting his sprint. "Handler, there's a petite guard in front of me, am I done for?" He asked in jest over their telepathic communication. The intruder's four eyed Handler squinted harder towards her monitor. "Not a human Pokédex, the petite guard is a member of the newly formed oath division. This one's got a good track record against monsters like you." She informed her agent hearing unmatched caution in her tone, she rolled her eyes after a double take. Artus and the intruder eased into a wide stance and refused to glance away or remove their eyes, matching their gazes. "A chance to stand down and surrender, perpetrator." He shouted with a confident tone. The auburn haired intruder wasted no valuable time with words and unholstered his gun as swift as a breeze before it was blasted out of his biological arm leaving it fractured. The intruder reformed his cybernetic arm into a bullet deflecting shield and got his desired result in the Knick of time deflecting the hail of bullets soaring at him shortly from the skillful marksman while closing the distance between him and his violet assailant. Within inches away, the intruder's shield melts then solidifies into blunt tentacles that hurled him through one of the facility's walls. Artus briefly observes his new dim surroundings and notices that he'd been tossed into the facility's cafeteria. He heard metallic dragging and approaching steps before jetting into the facility's kitchen, searching and found an emptied spacious pantry with shelves filling the walls. The intruder entered through the hole which his arm's force made with Ember's body and had searched for his violet assailant with the glow of his arm's energy through the dimness. "Inform him in a moment that I might take him up on that offer." He ordered his Handler on the other side of their telepathic communication. The Handler fixed her chair closer to the monitor. "He might be able to give it lock-on for your less than par accuracy, Bubble pop?" She has suggested to her agent. The Auburn haired intruder groaned. "Defense of myself— I have the monster hunter's heart racing right now while they're hiding from me." He rebutted while his eyes were on a mini monitor featured on his cybernetic arm. The Handler's freckled face was flustered. "Isn't he so genius, Bubble pop?" She asked in a whispery tone. Artus had successfully drawn out his sister's lemon chiffon reserve yet failed with each hurried attempt to shape the miraculous energy into a sword as her. He could shape the components such as the blade or a hilt on their lonesome which were as far as he could manage. The auburn intruder groaned much harder when she finished. "The dork has his wins and losses from time to time." He answered before viewing a map he was sent. The oath's sanguine marksman kicked the air. "If only I was given Ly's body instead of this epitome of speed and clumsiness." He complained, "Both of us are shapers but I can't form my arsenal or fight at my own pace." He finished prior to a sigh. The intruder's Handler typed the person in question's name. "The nursing station is just a couple of floors above you. The utility closet with the entirety of the data that our informant could save before the sabotage is in there." She filled in her agent. The agent briefly glared into the kitchen before sprinting. Artus had left the pantry with an orthodox boxing stance yet realized there had been no trace left behind of break in's perpetrator.
Lyle assisted his sister as she was in his body as he was in their brother's and they treaded carefully through unfamiliar halls of the facility. "It helps if you prioritize something you consider positive. Positivity helps the spirit." He advised her. Ember lightly growled as she scowled. "It'd be easier if we even knew the perpetrator's plans and could thwart them accordingly." She responded while holding her brother's aching rib before he set her back against the wall. Lyle glanced to his left then right. "Research facility. Infiltrator. The day of the popular annual founding celebration and parade? Gathering data on an ongoing project." He reasoned and theorized aloud. Ember groaned from the aching as she tried with as much might she could muster in her brother's condition. "Just gotta rummage through all of the files held in this facility, huh, Lyle?" She added as listened to his advice from earlier to cope easier through the condition. Lyle squatted next to his sister after she fell back to the ground. "I don't know if it's you or I but we could in ten minutes with our instantaneous movement. Ember." He replied as he glanced into an open experiment room. Ember sniffed a scent that had her recall a droid with a raspy fruity voice encouraging her to follow the scent she was smelling from earlier. "The perpetrator smells like a raspberry cleaning solution— the scent will lead you to him!" She shouted with a strained voice. Ember gained a burst of energy and recovered off the ground before her brother's palm began heating. "What's wrong with this thing?" She asked her brother beside her, "It feels like it's inside the sun!" She added with a scream as she shook her brother's hand. Lyle blocked his tightened lips with the side of his fingers. "Reach for composure. You're not going to survive twenty-four hours." He added further advice. Ember smacked her hand on a nearby wall while it felt like flames engulfing his hand. "Give me directions straight forward to follow, guy." She demanded with agitation heard in her tone. The oath's blue-stocking blade snapped her eyes shut and pictured herself relaxing with a book in one hand and her brothers relaxing beside her in a beloved public historical archive in Poland which put her at ease.