[Whisper: Beta to Chiba] You are one of the Pillars of a new house, right?
[Whisper: Chiba to Beta] What kind of way is that to start a conversation? Let's go drinking, and we'll discuss how respectable I've beco.
[Whisper: Beta to Chiba] Exactly what I have in mind. Why don't you bring a few of your new friends and I'll bring you soplace fun.
******************
Nix walked casually down the cobbled sidewalks of Solomon City. The streetlights were just starting to illuminate, the last light of day having recently faded. He crossed a wide footbridge that hovered over the only river in Solomon City, pausing halfway, he turned his gaze north. He could see the large empty lot where the Oasis House use to be. After purposefully delaying for nearly an hour, he restarted his journey, walking directly to the front door of the House of Aquarion.
With both his camo-overlay and the Ice artifact active, it was likely that nothing in Solomon City could casually detect his presence. Nix waited patiently by the front door of the Greater House; it was less than another half-hour before he was rewarded.
The door opened suddenly like soone used their foot to kick it. Two Aquarions walked out together; both of them wore smiles on their pale faces.
"I will trust your judgnt in this Bikto If she's as beautiful as you say..." The larger of the Aquarions spoke, his handso face was marred only by a perfectly straight scar that ran down the side of his face.
Nix lost the rest of their conversation when he slipped easily passed the closing door. When the topic of Greater Houses was first brought up, he had asked Ronnie to research the details of the matter. Greater Houses were always at least three stories. You could always make additional levels later, but the first three were locked in during the developnt process.
He explored the first level slowly, besides the occasional straggler, it was mostly empty. Nix already knew that there were currently 19 different people in the house, their thermal signatures stood out even through the walls and floors. It was easy to find the five rooms belonging to the Foundation mbers; they were always located on the 1st floor.
After carefully choosing the locations, he set seven different fire traps on the first level. The trick to setting a trap that wouldn't be casually set off? Hide it on the ceiling. Only one of the Foundation rooms was occupied. The body heat from two separate people lying prone inside told Nix everything he needed to know, soone was getting laid. Outside of this door, he put down the only floor trap, a shaped charge that would explode downward into the basent below.
The trip to the second floor was a much shorter affair. As soon as Nix entered the house, he knew where the perpetrator was. The essence that was stolen from Severance stood out like a raging beacon. The second level of Greater Houses is where the Pillars reside. Five of them were currently in their rooms.
Nix watched the pillars movents through the door and concentrated on the steps he would need to take. He waited until the pillar's back was turned and stepped in quickly.
[Create Breach: Gemini Temple: Lower Level]
Nix moved quickly into the room, a half dozen strands of Gemini Fla impaled the Aquarion's chest, before he could scream he was yanked forward, a flash of red steel removing one hand as he was flung into the Breach.
A quick glance around through the walls and floor of the house told him that no one had been alard. Nix bent and picked up the severed hand; he stared at it for a mont. "Friends and family first..."
**************
A delicate-looking hand stroked the pale Fire Lord's face. Shae's hair had co down during the fighting, strands of her errant red tresses stuck out in a dozen different directions. "Hurry Nix... this old Lord isn't going to last ver..."
Her words were interrupted by a breach opening a few feet away from her. An object was tossed through, and then the breach closed.
"Looks like soone is busy." Shae pried open the fingers of the severed hand and removed the Essense stone from them.
The Salamander placed the stone in her own lips and then knelt next to Severance. Shae held the cold face in her hands, bending until their mouths touched.
***************
Chiba frowned at the Albino and finished off the bottle she was drinking from. "I thought it was going to be just you and ."
Beta shrugged. "Shouldn't you bond a bit with your new friends too?"
"Let's be buddies, Chiba!" Semmi had her head propped up on the table; as drinkers go she was definitely in the lightweight category.
The old man sitting next to the blond was definitely not a lightweight, as far as Chiba could tell, he drank booze like it was water. The Fire mage offered a toast. "To new beginnings!"
Chiba clinked her bottle against his mug. "I'm the only one without a date, where's my apprentice when I need him?"
Beta gave her an apologetic look. She was happily sitting next to Wind and his adorable Gecko. The tiny lizard had taken an imdiate liking to her. "Would I do that to you, Chiba? Your date arrived a while ago."
Chiba cocked her ugly head to one side before she turned in her seat to scan the other custors at the Blue Garden Tavern. "Really? Male or female?"
Beta tried not to laugh when the little gecko patted her cheek. "Edge of the bar Chiba."
"Aquarions?" The old woman made a gagging sound and sat down her bottle. "I wouldn't do an Aquarion if my life dep..." She stopped when the closer of the two Aquarions turned slightly. The old woman's eyes flickered dangerously. "Hello, beautiful."
"Beautiful?" Wind looked up at Chiba's words, Lubo jumped back onto his shoulder when Beta stood up to follow the old woman. "Where we going?"
The pink-eyed woman looked over her shoulder. "You aren't really a resident of Solomon City until you've died in a tavern brawl."
/Alpha Team: Semmi: Shit... here we go.
/Alpha Team: Pon: Ga on.
Bikto frowned at the ugly old woman walking toward him. He had noticed her stunningly attractive blond companion when he first entered the tavern. Had it not been for the Albino sitting next to her, he would have long since approached them.
"Avoid trouble." His scarred companion spoke softly when he noticed the group approaching them.
The old woman stopped a few steps away from them, her ugly face cracked in a wide smile. "Looks like a reunion, Big Toe. Did you miss ?"
"We don't want trouble, Miss." The Aquarion next to Bikto stood and turned towards them. The crease down the side of his face pulled his skin slightly, making his face look unbalanced.
Chiba's smile did waiver at all. She glanced at her albino friend. "You give the nicest things."
Beta nodded. "Soone has to look out for you."
"Is there a problem here?" Another voice spoke up from behind them, the scuffling of a dozen chairs showed that the Inferno group was outnumbered.
Beta muttered a curse under her breath. The mage must have entered when she was playing with the gecko. She turned back to Wind and shrugged an apology. "Ti to earn your place here."
Wind nodded, "you take the mage, and I'll take down those three guys behind her."
"Hey... leave so for !" The blond Gemini thief waivered slightly. "Those two bitches by the door are mine."
Pon's old face looked like he wanted to cry. "That only leaves five for . I thought we were friends."
Beta kept her face expressionless. They didn't know that the Aquarion mage would take all of them, including her and Chiba. It was bad luck that Zeryn had accompanied them. "Do your best; I'll take the mage."
A low sultry laugh filled the room, the mage in question turned her alien eyes toward Beta. "I like it when my prey cos to ."
The room seed to grow suddenly still, a slight movent from Wind's shoulder drew everyone's attention. A small gecko was standing there; its black eyes were locked on Zeryn.
[Fear the King]
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