(The same night about two hours after Alya's and Ryan's fight)
"You think we should go back now?" Mesma asks as he fidgets with the ring on his middle finger.
"It'd be best if we gave him time Mesma. You've got to learn to trust him."Masme replies as she clasps her brother's arms in her own.
"You know I trust him." Mesma responds.
"Do it completely. Besides I let Grim in there so they'll need their privacy. Meanwhile lets go get something to eat I'm famished." Masme replies.
Mesma pulls his hands back and crosses them on his chest, his face wearing a scowl.
The two of them were in Arbiter (Charios' domain). Arbiter held all of the forces of Throneram, from the air support to the army battalions and even the local police crew. Here they were trained, housed, treated e.t.c, they never had to set foot out of the place except when war arose.
Their system of living was completely different than the outside world. In Arbiter one didn't have to worry about food, it was free! As much as you could ingest. The houses as well. In Arbiter currency was unheard off.
The soldiers enjoyed this lifestyle exclusively with their closest kin making the post of an officer an extremely coveted one. Imagine you'd be set for life, every month with your salary (which you don't really need) comes a new set of clothes and shoes depending on the preference and as if that wasn't enough your kin would also be set, absolutely free of charge. A major incentive that was the brainchild of Alya and it had worked better than she had initially anticipated. Their forces never lacked manpower as a matter of fact getting into their forces was one of the hardest things one could hope to do. Charios' ability also ensured that as much as their military headquarters was tucked safely away they could still open access portals to any place their forces were needed which served up as an added advantage.
Mesma and Masme were currently in a section known as Camp Lano. Camp Lano was the camp closest to Charios' premises and it was reserved for only the most elite of soldiers within the Throneram forces. Naturally Mesma and Masme had premises here even though most of the time they would be in Ryan's domain. Like all the other camps within Arbiter other than the residences of the soldiers there were; restaurants, recreational centres, training camps, armories and just incase well equipped medical facilities.
The duo walk into the restaurant and everyone inside tenses up a little bit. They were used to it. They had built themselves a notorious reputation as the Drachma of The Dreamtaker. The fact that Ryan and the two of them were usually designated assassin type missions or the occasional mass execution missions didn't exactly help their case. Word within the forces was that the two of them were vicious dehumanized killing machines that would kill you simply for glaring at them. Of course it was all rubbish that had gotten out of hand but Mesma and Masme did nothing to clear up the allegations. It actually suited both of them well, they only ever interacted with fellow Drachma and even that relationship was fragile and strained. They quietly make their way to the private wing of the restaurant reserved for Drachma.
As much as Camp Lano was occupied by only the cream of the crop there were still levels to it. The highest ranking without a doubt were the Drachma. A name used to refer to the direct apprentices of the Reapers. The Drachma were directly below the Reapers in matters of rank within the military, this meant that only the Reapers could give them orders and even then they tended to take orders only from their respective Reaper. After them would come the high commanders and generals, followed by the Drachon; fifty of the most elite below the Drachma. Save for the people who worked in the establishments there that comprised of the full population of Camp Lano.
The pair took a seat and ordered. They were the only Drachma present in their private section, no surprise there, all six Drachma rarely ever met together if not for official matters or rather Mesma and Masme never really made a point to join the other four. Masme had managed to get her brother's spirits high by bringing up the subject of the upcoming war festival.
The War fest was a festival held for five days every mid April after ten years had lapsed. It served as a means for the people and forces within Throneram's borders to interact and come together to spur a sense of unity between the previously and newly acquired territories within the ten years. That was why it had been initiated but it had gained another purpose over the years it had been executed. It was one of the easiest ways to move ranks up within the Drachon and the most coveted honour being picked as a Drachma. With stakes that high all the soldiers competing would bring their best making for one hell of a show. Of course just winning doesn't ensure a spot in the Drachma, The Dreamtaker and Grim had never chosen anyone from the tournament. Alya would bring Genesite soldiers to compete and if they impressed she would pick exclusively from them. Hence Charios was anyone's best bid and seeing as recently he hadn't chosen anyone for a long period of time there was major anticipation that this would be the festival where the seventh Drachma would be chosen. The Reaper's criteria of choosing didn't serve to discourage all the soldier's though there were those that clung to hope that they could be taken under the wings of either The Dreamtaker or Grim the Void Reaper.
It also served to rank the Drachma in terms of power. Once u were instated as a drachma you'd take up the last number and power ranking depending on the current number of Drachma in active service. To change this and move up one could challenge the placeholder of the rank they think they deserved. This didn't happen often but when it did it always proved the highlight of the festival. During the last festival Masme had been dethroned from second place by the then third place. Everyone expected the second place to take on Mesma for first place during this war festival.
As Mesma and masme were still discussing their speculations on the upcoming festival they suddenly heard a commotion coming from the main section of the restaurant.
"Oiii you pieces of shite!! Load out the welcoming party I'm back!"
Mesma sneers turning his head to peer to the entrance to confirm it was who he thought it was, "Sooner than I would've liked!"
"Not this Irish prick!" Masme says as she pours herself the last of the remaining liquor from her bottle.
At the door was a short man of about 5 feet and 8 inches adorned in black clothing with red trim along the collar, shoulders and a red band on his right upper arm. He wore a wide grin that parted his immense ginger facial hair that matched his hair. On his arms were mechanical gauntlets that made his silhouette seem unproportionate. Behind him were three other people, two females dressed in the same clothing only tweaked for a feminine body and other than the red trim theirs was purple. The other man had the same clothing though his was oversized and made him seem way scrawnier than he actually was even though it was apparent that he had a very tiny frame. His most outstanding feature was his voluminous hair that seemed to have not decided if it was supposed to be black or red, making it seem like a tint of maroon depending on where the light hit it.
The responses from the folk inside the restaurant to the ginger haired man were numerous.
"To hell with you!"
"Close the door you're letting in the cold!"
"Come tell us of your latest exploits!"
"Stand aside! We want to see the ladies behind you!"
The rest were too vulgar to be in writing.
"Right then mates have I got a tale for you sad lot! There I am voyaging toward the location of my latest assignment when from the murky depths of the Crimson Ocean I hear a beastly bellow that makes your mother's moans…" In a flash the man has disappeared into the circle of people who had gathered to listen to his story.
The other three make their way toward the section reserved for the Drachma.
"Fancy meeting the both of you here," Shanice the taller of the two ladies with straight shoulder length brown hair says to Mesma and Masme as she pulls a chair next to Mesma and sits.
"Lovely seeing you as well Shanice." Masme replies sending a curt smile in her direction as she made space for Kivuli, the scrawny man next to her.
"Yeah lately you lot have been scarce within Arbiter." Natalie the other lady with short wavy black hair says taking her seat next to Shanice.
"Been a bit busy with work," Mesma throws in.
A waitress comes to their table to take the orders of those who've just joined Mesma and Masme. Masme orders another bottle of liquor, before the waitress walks away Shanice instructs her to turn on the news on the television that was mounted on the wall.
"You really think there'll be a public address on what occurred." Natalie asks shifting her chair to get a better look at the television screen.
"I'm certain." Shanice responds.
"If you actually saw what you saw then it won't be an accurate depiction I'm sure." Kivuli says his voice barely audible.
"What're you talking about?" Mesma asks curiosity taking the better of him.
"Today afternoon there was a massive explosion in The Throne of War right from the floor where the throneroom is situated. Naturally we took action, Kivuli here did damage control to make sure no one got hurt by the falling debris while Shan and I took charge to get to the root of the matter," Mesma and Masme exchange a quick glance at each other, "What we saw…Well…You see…Uhh…I don't really understand what I saw but it's good you're here I think the two of you could shed light on the matter."
"Wouldn't you have to tell us what you saw first?" Masme says leaning in clearly intrigued.
"Okay. When we got there Lady Alya was on the floor her face contorted in fear. I've never seen her that way before. Standing on top of her was The Dreamtaker with these two weirdly shaped swords I've never seen him brandishing before. He looked down upon her and said (Changing her voice to a male impression) "There's a reason my rank outweighs yours and my name instills fear in minds of people everywhere, even in places that have never heard your name. Next time you raise your arm against me, remember I have no compassion for you whatsoever" (stops mimicking a male voice) The next thing he turns his back to leave when Lady Alya threw her weapon at her. In an instant, I swear it was so fast I still don't believe it. The weapon was now in Lord Grim's hand the blade only about two centimeters from Lady Alya's head. The Dreamtaker then just left." Natalie explained.
"He used Transendence Mirror on her!" Masme says her voice a cocktail of amazement and awe.
"Calm yourself your drunk," Mesma says to his sister who replies by making the motion of zipping her lips and throwing away the zipper before chuckling.
"That wasn't even the freaky part though. The aura emanating from The Dreamtaker … It was…(shivers) I can't even begin to explain to it. I was frozen… I still feel uneasy." Shanice said rubbing the goosebumps on her upper arms.
"Were his eyes glowing?" Mesma asks.
"Yeah, out of the eye slots on his mask. This blue glow almost like raw blue energy" Shanice answers.
"He gets like that at times," Mesma says to no one in particular.
"Still it was out of this world. I can't even start to describe it. What exactly is it?" Natalie asks Masme knowing she's more likely to spill the beans in her drunken state.
"Fear." Masme replies blankly.
"There it is." Kivuli brings their attention to the television screen. They sat in silence watching the news report that claimed that the whole incident was a new weapon exhibition gone wrong but luckily there were officers on sight that stopped the incident from turning tragic. Kivuli switches off the television immediately the news report moves onto the next headline.
The waitress comes back with their orders and Masme's bottle.
"I'm so sorry I took so long." She apologizes as she bows her head.
Kivuli dismisses her with a wave of his hand.
"Now why would a fair lass like yourself be apologizing to such a bunch of ugly c*nts." The Irish man had joined them.
"Done entertaining your drunk pals Barney?" Shanice asked glaring at Barney.
"No need to get yuh knickers all creased up. You know they can't keep me away from you for long love." Barney says throwing a wink at Shan.
"Uhhhm… Sir Barney may I take your order? It'd be an honor to serve all the Drachma in one night sir." The waitress shyly asks.
"Now don't be modest lassie. Say it how it is. Tis an honor to serve I not the dull quacks sitting over yonder. Miss Three over there's the only one who knows how to have a good time." Barney says referring to Masme as he squeezes himself between Mesma and Masme and swipes her bottle of booze from her.
"Gimme what The Bloodwind had after all I've gotta start eating like him if I'mma take the number one spot from 'em. Ohh and replace this bottle for the lovely lassie."
"Don't bother with the liquor. We're leaving anyways." Mesma says as he gets up and Masme follows.
"Oiii I just got here c'mon!" Barney protests.
"Exactly why we're leaving." Masme replies.
"Can't you stay a wee bit longer Masme dearie. See if you can outdrink an Irish man." Barney says offering back the already half downed bottle. Masme squarely ignores him trying to catch up to her brother whose a few paces from the exit.
"Atleast stick around and listen to my recent exploits." Barney offers.
"There's enough drunk idiots here to keep your insatiable urge to tell lies satisfied." Masme retorts.
"Are yuh trying to say that Merisonara is a lie lass?"
Both Mesma and Masme stop in their tracks.
"Ayyee that's what I thought. I passed by there on my way back or should I say I passed by em ruins. A shame I hear twas the land of dreams. Something horrid must've happened to the poor bloques. No one seems to know what exactly happened though. Safe to assume they were better dreamers than survivors." Barney says punctuating the statement with a chuckle.
Vortex:Microburst; Mesma utilizes his ability to manipulate air pressure and wind. The move sent a sudden gust of wind from above a spot Mesma aims for then depending on Mesma's preference it would either crush or disperse the target below the microburst.
The microburst landed on the table where the Drachma were seated throwing all of them off of their chairs save for Barney. Due to the position he was sitting he got flung straight into the wall behind him.
G-force: Mag pulse tier 3; This utilizes Masme's ability to manipulate gravity. The mag pulse adds gravity to one particular spot in any desired direction like a pulse or a shot.
The mag pulse hit the table infront of Barney flinging it straight towards Barney crushing him between the wall and the table before the strength of the mag pulse broke the wall down and sent Barney straight into the alley outside and pinning him on the wall of the building next to the restaurant. The strength of the pulse made it impossible for him to even raise a finger let alone move his body at all.
He was stuck there bleeding from the mouth and nose and had somehow gotten a cut above his left eyebrow that was also profusely building, his nose had also acquired a purple tint making it look like a swollen eggplant. Despite all this he still had a smile on his face.
Mesma and Masme made way toward him via the hole on the wall.
"Tread lightly Barney I'd hate to see if you're a better survivor than them," Masme say to Barney her red bladed katana needing only a slight nudge from a breeze to sever his jugular. Barney had a smug reply but he couldn't spit it out due to the massive pressure from Masme's ability. The wall behind him was gradually giving way and he was starting to suffocate.
"That's enough." Kivuli said stepping out into the alley way.
"Or what?" Masme says turning in a swift motion her blade now pointed at Kivuli.
"Let's leave." Mesma says to his sister grabbing her shoulder lightly.
Masme sighs and sheathes her katana whilst simultaneously releasing Barney from the Mag pulse. He falls to the ground limp and bloody. Its apparent his body has acquired quite a bit of internal body damage from the copious amounts of blood he was coughing out.
Mesma and Masme leave the scene leaving Barney to be cared for by Shanice and Natalie. Kivuli couldn't be bothered to.
Although beaten up Barney still had a great big grin on his bloody face. He was right. Mesma and Masme had just proved his assumption that they were involved in some way right.