Reality Court

[Jent]

“Well, that depends... What have you got to say for yourself, Tages?

The Blue Mage stood before the two giants' conversation, paying attention to the details mentioned and left out. Despite his warning, Red still pursued attacking his character in the dragon's defense. Whether how much his leader weighed his account in the matter seemed disproportionate to the humanoid, given the familiar kinship. This did not bode well for Tages. "Mistress Lili, I say not guilty under the fact I had no proper report from the scouts of the new ordinance law's of your territory."

Bowing to her, he came back straight, lifting the recently repaired foot up. "My lady, yes; I used my Blue Magic to siphon away a considerable portion of his life-force to my own, but not of a lethal drainage. The amount taken has left no lasting impact to Red in the long-term. That would be even much for me in my retaliation against his attack," Tages paused, preparing himself for a short demonstration.

"After Red felt insulted by the customary response to vows of my colleague, the one beside you right now let off a volley of storms at the ignorant fellow, scaring him away. Mistress Lili, we both attempted, through our understanding of your customs, to submit at the court order here today, yet arrived responses that provoked the lightning dragon's hostilty. I myself attempted to reason out the escalating situation by willingly offering to go to your Encampment. However," raising a hand, he beckoned her to heed him out. "Red did not accept the proposal."

Materializing a few metal pins between his fingers, the Blue Mage gestured at Red disparagingly. "My Lady, he, Red; charged forward to settle his burning sentiments of my colleague with me personally. Where then, after a misunderstanding of words, Red thought it was the most marvelous idea to eat me without anything disclosure to you at all," he replied with a huff. "That is when I began my counter-move. These needles, you see, amplify my Blue Magic to extend a greater range than what I could do easily with just physical contact. Currently, this are roughly two of them lodged in Red's jaws at the moment. With them, I was able to recover enough energy to restore the foot that he gnawed off, while not impairing his ability to move after a couple minutes so I could inform him of my surrender to your trial."

"Mistress Lili, my actions in your land have caused a sense of mistrust of your scouts, who likely haven't noticed my whereabouts to being hidden 'under a rock' for about a month's time. I ask of you to waive any debilitating punishments on my person, in regards to the words I have said," Tages expressed remorsefully, kneeling before the dragoness.

[Swix]

Lili stalked around the Blue Mage as he made his statements, weighing his pleas with Reds assertions. The fact that her scouts had failed to pick this one up displeased her much, and the thought of it gave her an ugly look as she pulled her lips up over ebony teeth before licking her lips with an equally dark tongue.

At Tages mention that Red had decided to eat him without first consulting her, Lilis head sharply turned towards her favourite subject and her purple eyes slightly narrowed at this, but she turned her attention to the humanoid as he had more and more to say. Lili lowered her head on her neck slightly to regard the humanoid as he spoke, another Dragon perhaps would be smart enough to at least be mildly afraid of someone who could suck the life out of them. Lilis expression however, betrayed nothing of the sort.

"Get those things out of your jaws this inssssstant" Lili hissed at Red, angrily. Not angry at him, or even angry at Tages, angry at her failed scouts and the fact there were still people out there that she did not know of.

The Shadow Mirror Dragon pulled her head back slightly when Tages bowed to her, looking perhaps a little impressed. That show pleased her, even if this situation did not. "You trespass in my realm, where humanoids are not welcome, and then claim your ignorance as a reason for me to waive any punishments?" Lili asked, taking another step to the side "And yet, your current demeanour pleases me. You know something of how to act around us it seems, I would say, had your friend not been there your encounter with my most loyal servant would have gone otherwise"

Lili tilted her head slightly at the Blue Mage, eyes glowing "Now, as for your punishment. You ask me to waive delilitating punishments away from you. So what would you have me do with you, were you in my position, hmm? I certainly cannot have you running about here, now can I? Not with the threat you pose to my family"

[Coolpikaaa]

Red sneered at the Mage's heavily tinted story of events. Every word seemed to have been slightly pointed in a way that might get him in trouble with Lili. Not that that would happen of course. He was her knight. Her loyal servant and creation. There was nothing that would-

"Get those things out of your jaws this inssssstant." Lili suddenly hissed at him, angrily.

Red's eyes went wide. He turned away and began walking deeper into the twisted citadels of The Encampment. A moment before turning the corner to check a mirror he lowered his head and bared his fangs at the mage.

[Borg12345]

The buildings were... different. Different, but very, very good. The old Encampment had been so very... straight. "Normal". WRONG. And the smell, OH THE SMELL. It was... wonderful. Almost euphoric. There was so much blood... SO MUCH DEATH.

Tarath the lunatic and self proclaimed charnel king of Blackwood Asylum was almost skipping through the streets. This new, yet old, place almost felt like home. Twirling his daggers, he navigated his way around the settlement, looking for... well, that would come to him as he explored. The streets, whilst looking wonderful, were so dreadfully, boringly empty. Not a soul seemed to stir where he walked and this was beginning to make him... unhappy.

Suddenly, the sound of scrabbling feet punctuated the air. YES. Darting around the corner, Tarath was greeted by the sight of a bedraggled young man. Fear radiated from his soul. Tarath could smell it, taste it. It was a good taste, a taste he had missed oh so very much.

"Oh-oh good!" The man stammered "Another survivor! I didn't think anyone else had escaped... them."

Tarath cocked his head slightly. "Them...?"

"What?! The... the dragons?" The stranger asked, puzzlement mixing with the fear. "Hey... are you hurt? You're covered in blood."

Tarath looked down at his clothing, some torn patients clothing and a very bloody doctors coat. "No? I'm always like this."

Fear washed over the survivor once more, but this time it wasn't because of the dragons. "Is... is... is it yours?"

Tarath's face cracked with an evil grin. "What? Why would it be mine?"

The survivor screamed, and ran away from Tarath as fast as his feet would carry.

"YES!" Tarath cried, elated "I love it, I love it when they scream!" and chased after him.

[Swix]

Lili pulled her lips back over her teeth at hearing the humans scream, and picked her head up to stare in the direction that it was coming from.

"There's more left!" she snarled, displeased "they should have joined the Sheeple stock by now. RED! Seeing as I can't trust Furnace or Glaze, go sort whoever that is out"

[Coolpikaaa]

"It would be my pleasure, M'lady." Red called from around the bend, having pulled out the metal pins from his jaw. He was quite sore now, and bled freely from his teeth, but was happy to be serving Lili again.

He flapped his wings and took off from the great obsidian balcony the tower they were in now sported. Curling high above the streets, he scanned them with a Dragon's eye view.

There.

Two figures in an alleyway. The great lightning Dragon had to decide how to proceed. Lili would probably want them brought back so she could paint a new masterpiece over their present existence. Coming to the realization he didn't want to set her off again, he dove, trying to snatch them in his claws and immediately take off again. It would be a tticky maneuver... but he was the Lady's greatest champion for a reason.

[Jent]

"Now, as for your punishment. You ask me to waive debilitating punishments away from you. So what would you have me do with you, were you in my position, hmm? I certainly cannot have you running about here, now can I? Not with the threat you pose to my family."

"If I were in your position? Mistress Lili, this sort of evaluation concerning the person in question necessitates certain key details to prevent said action from degenerating to being a misguided guess," Tages began his augment. While not in literal hot water as of yet, the Blue Mage believed Pax was directing his destiny to intersect with that of these dragons. The mere fact he lasted this long must be a testament to it.

"There's more left! They should have joined the Sheeple stock by now. RED! Seeing as I can't trust Furnace or Glaze, go sort whoever that is out."

Wait, Sheeple? Stunned at the confusing notion of humanoid farm animals, he tossed the idea to the side. He had no time to worry over what ever followers... or cattle, they tended to. Let Red do the work, seeing him depart the chamber relieved Tages considerably. "Sorry I was distracted, my lady. As I was going on, information would be required in order to propose the optimal method to deal with the detainee. For starters, whether simply eliminating the problem entirely solve it? In my case, no."

Waving his hand, the needles he had and those that were submerged in the lightning dragon's jaw, disappeared from sight. Tages, cupping his palms together, parted to reveal a nestled tiny egg between them. "Ignoring any involvement by me, the act of my disappearance alone will, over an uncertain length of time, shall causes things to stir," the Blue Mage warned tentatively, the egg wobbling around. "Mistress Lili, for you show compassion in protecting your family; my colleagues, in varying degrees of affection, would find my lack of communication unsettling. The span of the intervals has exceeded the limit by a few weeks or so, but not without inquires of my reasons of the delays. My father especially so," he retorted in disgust.

He glimpsed at the pearly object, eyes watching its frenzied twitching. "A common misunderstanding of the custody may lead to consequences neither of party would enjoy at the slightest. Exterminating the trespasser would be at best a fruitless endeavor as more people already live beyond the border. Such means incursions of rival factions or barbarians rebelling against the cause increase in likelihood, overall weakening the status of the land. Indefinite imprisonment, as you just hinted at earlier, it far from attractive; leaving with barbarians inside the gates," he answered nonchalantly. Either choice seemed to had a distressing effect on the Blue Mage, with him clutching at his heart unconsciously.

"If the detainee proved toxic harboring in prison, then a chance of parley might benefit both oppositions. Allowing the trespasser to explain the situation to their friends and allies might shed potential hostilities in the future. Monitored calls, prevention of leaked Intel of the territory, and later on a payment of a fine or an alliance to the faction would serve greatly. That is, if to be trusted," Tages noted.

[Borg12345]

The survivor scrambled around the corner as the madman leapt after him. Daring to look behind, he saw Tarath bounce against the corner to propel himself faster towards his prey. Breaking out in a cold sweat, the survivor began to try almost every door he came across, something to break away from the maniac closing in on him. With every door that failed to open, his heart raced a little faster. Looking back again as he ran, he saw Tarath had managed to half the distance already, and tears began to fall from the survivors face.

He didn't want to die, not like this.

The chase was... exhilarating. It had been far too long. Something was missing though, something familiar and right. It was gone from his head and he didn't like it. It made him angry. This... survivor had to stop surviving. It was the only way. THE ONLY WAY.

In a moment, Tarath was upon the terrified man. He pounced, and pinned him to the ground. The world become a blur after that. It started with tearful begging, and then the screaming started, the screaming and BLOOD. Tarath set to work feeding his blades, his Rip and Tear, and all the while...

"<small>Haha</small>hahHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA<big>HAHA&#33;</big>"

[Swix]

The Shadow Mirror Dragon pulled her lips back over her ebony teeth as she listened to Tages suggestions, thrashing her long tail on the ground impatiently. None of these options pleased her, not a one. But she paid particular attention to the fact that just the very idea of detainment or his own death distressed him so. Lili didn't lower her snarl even after he'd finished, even after she eyed the strange egg he'd apparently made out of thin air curiously.

"You're asking me to take you to your 'friends' and 'allies' so you can explain the situation to them?" Lili said, reducing his last plea down to it's simplest sentence "As well you can probably see, I am quite busy here. So then I would trust you to Red, to do the monitoring, but the pair of you have already decided you dislike each other and I am like to find either my most trusted servant is gone, or you are. Or I can trust you to Glaze, who is of a volatile temperament, and I wouldn't trust Furnace. He's far too rebellious"

Lili snorted, her dark nostrils flaring "No, no, that just won't do. See, what you did to Red, I cannot forgive. So I have a better idea. I'm going to turn you into a bucket of blue jelly and 'siphon' your physical self-probably with straw-until there's only a small amount of you left, and then I'm going to add you to my Sheeple stock, where you belong with the other humanoids. You played a good game, Tages, and I almost like you. Almost. As for your friends... let them come. I welcome them&#33;"

The Shadow Mirror Dragon had apparently had enough of this game, and shot out a foreclaw at the mage, to try and grab him.

[Jent]

To her surprise, the Blue Mage seemed to blur out before the talons could reach him, leaving the gelatinous egg to bounce along the floor. The trick was not of his doing, however. Slamming hard against a wall in the room, Tages coughed up a copious blanket of blue magic from his bleeding mouth. "Guys, let me handle this," he gagged. "I can convince HER-RAGH&#33;"

Doubling over, Tages cursed out in an incomprehensible tongue as he rose to his feet. "Dragon, we do not take kindly to those that desire to destroy our home," an echoing voice channeled through Tages. "Such acts of violence must be reprimanded."

Snapping their fingers, the impatient egg exploded its contents. Hundreds of tiny doves swerved in the air, wings beating harshly as the altered programming took effect, rewriting the peaceful messengers into the harbors of death. Angry, the birds dive bombed Lili at the orders of the Homunculi, biding time for their next move.

[Swix]

Lili put her foot back down and snarled at the Blue Mage after he managed to teleport out of her grasp and then, apparently, slam himself into the wall so hard he'd actually hurt himself.

"Nice trick" she growled "do you do parties?"

The egg that bounced along the floor was largely ignored however, at least until the doves burst out of it, at which point she sat back on her haunches and eyed the birds with passing curiousity.

That passing curiousity turned into full blown exasperation however when the birds circled around and tried to dive-bomb her. The avians would find that when they hit the mirrored scales with their rapid momemtum, the scales would give a little resistance, then either shatter if they hit the centre-which made Lili wince a little-or move aside if they hit the edges and expose what lay underneath Lilis beauty. Underneath this was the same sort of black liquid that Lili had been spitting at people at the start, the same black goo that had closed over her shoulders bullet wound after she'd been hit with a pistol shot.

Upon exposure the goop would stickily attach itself to the offending birds, or if they'd been too zealous in their diving cover their heads and half their bodies, holding on and not letting go easily. Lili stood on her hind legs at this, covered in a swarm of white birds, and roared, infuriated.

"Do I have to etch this onto your thick heads?" she yelled, at Tages and whoever else was in there "Physical attacks won't work on me&#33; You will have as much luck hurting me with them as you would throwing a stick at your own shadow&#33;"

Lili looked down her nose at the man, eyes narrowed in anger "Who else have you brought with you into my town, hmm? They're clearly not as smart as you for trying something so foolish on me&#33;"

[Jent]

<big>Mindscape</big>
---
~The bird bombardment didn't go so well, brothers.~

Stationed at seven elevated podiums were near identical forms of the Blue Mage, with only differences in height. Checking through a series of papers, the individuals stared down at the others, the Homunculi who voted against the decision of overturning their host.

~Raassssss,~ chimed the Homunculus in the bejeweled chair. ~You four went against our vote? ~

Underneath the marble seats stood four shifting blue masses. Frightened, the other three shoved the smallest before the council, transforming into a Butterfree at is spoke. ~T-t-tages, he almost gotten parley if he refrased his words properly before Mistress-~

~SHE IS NO LADY OF OURS&#33; THE RED QUEEN IS THE TRUE HEIR TO THE THRONE&#33;~

~Quiris, there are no need for outbursts,~ a subtle voice from the center seat spoke. Gesturing to the blue sphere above them, the Homunculus gave a sly smile. ~Besides, for these four's dismissal of our judgment, they will be on the front line as we decipher the coordinates to visit The Lady. Now Seianti, as you were the one selected by your peers, you shall be first.~
---
<big>Reality</big>

"Then perhaps we should take it up a notch?"

Concealing the body in a veil of blue smoke, the Homunculi discharged the chosen one from the depths of the Blue Mage. Having been conveyed the tactics, the Butterfree dispersed the billowing clouds furthering in the room as it soared to the ceiling. The body instead drew out more of the intrusive needles once again, figuring a means of hampering the dragoness long enough as well.

"You see Miss, we Homunculi have been with this mage before the existence of this realm," the voices spoke as one, leaping from the cloud at the right. In their defense were several needles held in the hands. "We had much time to understand his abilities better than even himself."

Hiding in the concealing smoke, the young Homuncula prepared a Quiver Dance to ready itself for an incoming attack. ~I hope this works,~ she said to herself.

[Coolpikaaa]

Red captured the two men in his claws, and immediately curved upward into the night sky. Two unchanged humanoids? Lili was going to have a fit. He personally hoped Furnace would be held responsible for this gross break in security. That big red oaf had done nothing but freeload off the other, better dragons of Lili's creation.

The lightning dragon brought his limb up to look at what he had caught in the swoop. Astonished, he stopped mid air at the sight of the man torn to shreds, long sections dangling off due to gravity. He was most definitely dead, a ragdoll that was dripping gore every direction.

"What..." Was all Red could say, bringing his other claw up to look at Tarath. Lili would assuredly want to hear about this, and so he made haste back to her courtroom.

[Swix]

Lili snarled, but her lips were pulled back over her ebony teeth more in consternation now than frustration or anger, and perhaps even a little curiousity thrown in. "Please, please do" the birds slowly sink into her body, until the last feather disappears into black "Physical attacks are boring. That was boring. You went from interesting to boring me in a snap"

The Shadow Mirror Dragon snorted, watching the clouds billow around the room and listening to the voices. The voices made her grin in that manner people do when they know they know something the other doesn't. "Really? I've been in existence since a long, long, long, long time before this realm came into existence. Since several realities came into existence, since before even the birth of the multiverse. If you think your boasts of being older than this realm and knowing someone better than they know themselves just because you were 'with' them for that long is going to impress me, you are wrong. I know both those feelings very well, your boasting impresses me not"

Lili didn't even make a move to attack, she just stood there, and stared at the humanoid and the clouds "So please, do try and hit me with your best shot. It might even halt the boredom you just infused into me for a while" Lili spread out her forelegs like they were arms, daring them to do whatever it is they were planning on.

[Jent]

<big>Mindscape</big>
---
~... Yet another entity claiming the title of ageless, how stodgy.~

Drumming against the stretched parchment before him, the de-facto orchestrator of the main seven Homunculi bore straight through the sensory systems of the host. Whistling, his fingers stroked against the outline of the 'Renaissance Man," delegating some of his compatriots to their proper roles. ~Sergius, prepare for flight if the dragon continues to hold back her strength.~

Condensing into his bestowed state, the ordered servant clung to a sullen branch splintering towards the room, intrigued. ~For my specialization of my aerial style, leader?~ The Homunculus questioned, its wings fluttering impatiently.

~No, for you have the greatest chance of distraction and irritation,~ he retorted, eyes glued to the network. ~Your 'Crobat' physique has best probability of surviving for a reasonable time after Seianti is defeated.~

Aghast, the bat-homunculus shivered at the dreary decree of the girl's fate. They all knew from the beginning of their lives they were only shadows to the grandness of Pax, easily snuffed out without a vessel to retain their vital essence from the harsh reality. Disturbed, Sergius flew off to a different perch, awaiting his own doom upon the leader's call for him. Instead, the being disregarded his emotional drama, desiring to focus wholly of the family's fate.

In the slowed chambered halls, the final two wisps stood in silence of the rising tension, not at all provoked by the bug's death sentence. However, the larger of the duo shifted to a crimson tone as the leader spoke to him, revealing a bared draconic smile in amusement. ~Otherwise, Sethre would be next to go. Which, given your record, we would assume this be the opposite of what Lili imagines as 'boring.'~
---

<big>Reality</big>

"Boring, Lili? What dost though own boasts' be then?" the collective responded with their rebuttal. "A dragon, no an entity of your era should have much more to show us than this measly Encampment. Your domain has not even eclipsed the planet, yet alone the universe it dwells in. Seemingly to which our achievements are disdain to you, to the merit of your own caliber. Basically, in proportion to you, we display a better grasp of reality than which you claim to possess."

Melding the tiny points together by the twist of their ability, the Homunculi raised the small baton at the floor as so. "There are reasons where even a pantheon of gods must be wary of the subjects they hold sway of. Displeasing the people shall topple your precious empire in due time, Lili."

Swaying the arm, they spun the metal rod low to the ground in a Distorted pulse, snow-balling in apparent size to the dragoness feet. In conjunction, Seianti sputtered out a belligerent Bug Buzz, cloaked by the lingering blue vapors as it rained down at her.