Zagan wrote:

Time for business. "Lucas and Zane, I need you two to go to Sieghart Mountains and find Argyle's Dungeon. Argyle is a Dragon that stands with us in our quest. Clear the Dungeon and find the Black Key hidden in there. Gear up, because you will need to clear all the levels. Maybe get some others with you. Once you have retrieved it, bring it to me. Also, get that arm looked at, Lucas." Odin and Zane must complete a topic called Argyle's Dungeon in Sieghart Mountains. This topic does not require traveling and does not take up a RP slot.

It was a good thing Zane was smart enough to go out and do some scouting the night before he was set to meet up with Lucas. Him and Marwyn had arrived a day before the date the letter was sent, and this was enough to allow Zane to not only find the dungeon thanks to rumors from the locals, but even get a good idea as to how to get there. Did Zane actually go IN the dungeon? Haha, no fucking way. But he had proved pretty invaluable in finding the exact route there, something that Zagan didn't really give them too much info about surprisingly. Was it luck that got Zane this far, or fate? Probably neither.  

The path was simple. From Rush Valley, the group would have to take an obscure and narrow path through the canyon. On the way, there was an abandoned campsite. Zane didn't bother looking to into it, but it was possible it could prove useful on their journey there. Finally, a cave. The entrance to the dungeon, to be more specific. That was around where Zane had stopped yesterday. Zagan DID tell him to be prepared, after all. Going in without Lucas seemed like a very poor idea. So for now, Zane sat in his usual attire in a bar at Rush Valley, the place he had described to meet up with Lucas at via letter.

Taking a sip of his drink, Zane couldn't help but wonder when Lucas and anyone else he could've brought along would end up making their appearance. Waiting too long for something to happen would not only be boring, but also to their disadvantage. It was best to go into the dungeon when it was daytime. Why did Zane think this? Who knew. It seemed like some decent common sense, though. "Think there's gonna be any treasure?" Beelzebub asked in Zane's mind. Zane nodded in return - such a place was sure to have treasure inside. It only made sense. Zagan did mention something about a dragon too, and in all the fairy tale stories Zane had read as a kid the dragon was DEFINITELY the wealthiest one around. Looking around the bar, Zane called out to Marwyn. "Marwyn, whatcha up to? I'm getting kinda bored waiting for em to show up!" The bar was almost entirely empty, Zane having paid off the owner to let him use it for the afternoon. Only him or Marwyn would've been in here now, unless someone had managed to sneak their way inside the building while the two of them weren't paying enough attention.

Not sure how to pass the time, Zane figured he'd try fiddling with the deck of playing cards on the table. Taking them out, he began to stack them one by one. He was building a house. Being ever so careful in his movements, Zane leaned down in the booth he was sitting in, making sure to eye the exact places where he would touch down every card. To believe that enough time had passed to make Zane this bored... he really hoped that Lucas would just arrive already. There were only so many cards in this deck - definitely not enough to be making any kind of skyscraper today.

Marwyn was impressed at the speeds her cousin moved in to get her to join something. He might not have realized it but she had a major weak spot when it came to her family, especially him since she had no siblings of her own growing up and he was more or less like a brother to her. She would happily do anything he asked and mostly without question, something she hoped he would abuse more so that they could continue spending time together. His recent request was no different as she found herself following him to Seighart Mountains in order to find a place called Argyle's Dungeon. In his explanation to her, he and another person were given the task to locate a Black Key in the dungeon that they would need to clear. She knew she should have listened to more of his explanation but she really didn't care what it was they would be doing as long as she could tag along with her dear cousin.

Currently, the two sat in a bar, awaiting the arrival of the other person she was told was coming, a man named Lucas. The bar itself was empty save for her and Christan and that was fine because she didn't need unwanted attention and mental distractions before she had to go into a place of unknown origin and do fuck knows what. Sitting pretty at the bar on one of the barstools with a clear drink in her hand that was not water, Marwyn was such a sight to see for many. Today she wore her hair pinned up in a braided bun, her golden bangs framing her face. The wood elf wore a pair of cargo pants and a black halter top that exposed her midriff and accentuated her back-breakingly full bosom. She was well dressed for the occasion, her clothing choice today was practical and easy to move in but still showed off that undeniable Marwyn charm.

Looking over at her cousin as he called her name she smiled in his direction. Takin another sip from her cup she got up off the stool she was sitting on and sauntered over to him. Her eyes honed in on the little project Christian was partaking in and a glint of mischievousness glossed over her face. She had to admit his little card house was impressive but she didn't like it when things stood up in such a nice and orderly way. That stack of cards looked like it was built just so she could knock it down and an air of nostalgia set in as she got real close to her cousin's face, her lips almost kissing his ear. She wanted his attention on her and once she got it she would quickly and smoothly turn her face and blow the cards down. The way it fell felt like the world was slowing, she had watched him build this thing and it was even more fun to see his face as it fell down. As the cards did fall she pulled away from his side and looked at him, hoping for some sort of reaction to have fun with. The whole scenario felt nostalgic to her but she had hoped that he didn't take her actions as malicious. They were family, after all, she wouldn't do anything to hurt him on purpose.

Their choice of meeting place was as simple and, no offence to Zane, as ordinary as they came. It was to be something like the fourth or fifth group meeting Odin had attended that was taking place in a similar establishment, although in the past it had often been his own pub: the Swineherd in Oak. God he missed that place sometimes. As he entered, Caius not far behind him, he noticed that the place was deserted. Seemed like Zane had at least gone out of his way to ensure some privacy, which was a good start, if a bit suspicious to any in the area. And, since they were in one of the only bars in the small domicile of Rush Valley, closing it off was likely to draw unwanted attention.

The second issue that had drawn Odin's attention as he entered, ring on and the face and form of Lucas looking as calm as he did mildly disappointed, was where his comrades were. There were only two people here, likely Zane and whoever he had found to accompany him, and both were facing away from the main entrance. In fact, they were both at the same booth, completely facing one hundred and eighty degrees away from the man entering the pub. For all they could know, Lucas wasn't their ally, but instead a monstrous Lich looking to kill anyone that got in their way. Ironically, he was that as well.

On the journey to Sieghart, Odin had briefed Caius on what to expect, specifically that he had spent the past few years as Lucas Wright, an elder Fairy Tail mage. While it was certain that the ring would need to be removed at some point and that the Lich would come out, there was no need for it to be at the beginning of their day. After all, Zane was expecting Lucas, not Odin. He had no idea of the revelation he was about to experience: a secret that only a handful of living mages actually knew about.

Wasting no time from his entry, Lucas would approach the booth where the one Zane sat and the other, although the man wouldn't know this yet, ruined her cousin's day. With a gauntlet covering his right fist, his shield -the newest addition to the man's arsenal- strapped to the back of his impressive looking cloak, and his eyes, one real one magical, fixed on the two, he would simply clear his throat with a cough, gaining the attention of the two if they hadn't already noticed his presence.

"Apologies for our tardiness, we had some... trouble on our way here." What Lucas chose not to mention was forgetting to put his ring on in the train station on their way to Sieghart, causing local authorities to be called on him as they tried to arrest a 'Wizard Lord', some new title the Lich had been given as a testament to his notoriety.

Back in Sieghart Mountains at last. Sentinel Syndicate had control of this area shorty after it was created so he knew the layout well...or so he thought. Who would have guessed a dungeon with extreme power was hidden between this rocky landscape. That's why he was rolling with this new crew now. His former guild lacked the resources and ambition to find it.

Odin and Caius had a long journey from Hosenka but it wasn't a dull one. They were able to exchange information about themselves to get to know each other better. Seems like demons and liches weren't that different after all. Odin talked about how he was the guild master of Fairy Tail disguised as an old man. Funny to think one of the most praised guilds in the continent couldn't even discover their leader was playing them as a bag of bones. The freaking morons. However, that came to bite them in the ass when they took the train. Odin apparently needed a ring to hide so a walking skeleton wasn't the most friendly thing to see. Luckily, they were able to dispatch the authorities with ease. In turn, Caius revealed information about his business and his former guild. After there adventure was over, they finally reached the meeting place for the dungeon.

It was a bar near Rush Valley that adventures usually went to before heading out into the mountains. The bar itself was deserted which was strange for this time of day. There was one blonde couple sitting in the back in a booth. Odin headed in that direction while Caius helped himself to the open bar. He grabbed two bottles of whiskey because he had a gut feeling this briefing and dungeon was going to take forever. He had to be prepared. Hopping over the bar table, he rendezvoused with Odin and the blonde couple. Caius just stared at them and pointed. "Who the fuck are these guys?" He directed at Odin. The way the mission had been described to him made it sound like it needed the best of the best mages. Yet Caius had never seen anything about these two. At least Odin had some reputation to his name and face. "Wait are these the human shield guys you were talking about. It's cool in that case. The name is Caius." In there previous conversation it was stated that some might die in this task. These two seemed to fit the bill.

"Huh?" Zane's face turned a bit red as Marwyn got insanely close, his head turning to face his cousin. What was she trying to do?! Zane's mind raced with thoughts that were all soon interrupted at the sight of Marwyn turning to promptly knock over his brilliant card architecture. Zane gasped, looking back to the view of his fallen civilization of spades, hearts, diamonds and clubs. A resounding "Noooo!" escaped from his lips, his elbows resting on the table, allowing his hands to reach his face as he covered it in despair. Oh, how Zane's dear cousin liked to bully him so... if he didn't love her so much he might actually have been mad at that.

Zane's dismay was quickly dispersed as he heard a cough from Lucas, lifting his head up to look at the man who he had met a month or so ago. "So, this is that one Lucas guy? The one you've been thinking about?" Zane looked Lucas over. Something seemed different. "Yeah. But it's weird, Beelzebub. I swear to god he only had a single arm the last time I saw him..." Zane had never really heard of someone regrowing arms. He supposed with the right magic it could work. "Heya, Lucas. Don't worry too much on it - better late than never, right?" Reaching into his pocket, Zane prepared to lay out the plan to the two who had just arrived. Speaking of two, Zane's eyes also glanced over to the man that Lucas had brought with him. His words were rude, and his comedic timing was nowhere near the level of Zane's. Zane was a bit worried on just who Lucas would bring with him to this job, but hearing this mystery man speak gave Zane confidence. Zane was definitely Lucas' favorite.

"Hah, it's actually one human and one elf shield." The way the words came out of Zane's mouth almost suggested he was actually proud of that comeback, if it could even be considered one. "Oh yeah, lemme introduce you." Turning to face Marwyn, Zane pointed towards her. A smile was brought to his face as he did so, seeming confident that the two who had arrived would be truly shocked by the news. "This is my cousin, Marwyn Zane. She'll be joining us." Zane almost seemed like he was trying to impress the two of them with such a revelation, as if he was expecting them to think 'wow! he has a cousin that is almost as hot as him!' or something of the like. "Marwyn, the older looking one is Lucas. I'm not quite sure who the new guy is though, but nice to meet you regardless." The sound of Beelzebub's voice ringed through Zane's mind, the enthusiasm in his words being very apparent. "Make him call you senpai!"

Zane let out a frustrated sigh, something that would no doubt seem odd to those of the group who COULDN'T hear what was inside his headspace. In other words, everyone. "It's a popular Joyan term used to refer to one's upperclassmen, so I think tha-" Deciding to ignore the Lord of the Flies for at least 10 minutes, Zane tried his best to tune his voice out of his head as he opened up his notebook to go over the details he found. Flipping to the pages in which he noted his discoveries on the dungeon, Zane took a closer look and put on his best speaking voice to the group. "The night before you guys got here I managed to find the dungeon's entrance. I didn't actually go in, but I've found a route there." Noting the narrow canyon path, Zane reviewed his notes on the place. "It's a little narrow path just a little northeast of the town. Nothing tooo dangerous, just gotta watch your footing. What's interesting to me though is something else..."

Zane looked over the little campsite he had drew on the map. It looked as though it was recently used from what he saw, perhaps by a day or two. "There was a campsite there, looked like it was used not too long ago. The only problem is that the path only leads to one of two direction. The dungeon or the town, right? I wonder if other people have tried to go in there and failed..." Closing his notebook, Zane supposed the group of 4 shouldn't waste too much time talking. "We can get to the dungeon in an hour if we leave now. You got anything else you wanna discuss, Lucas? If not, give the word and I guess we'll be off." This was certainly an odd group of companions that Zane had made here. Well, Marwyn wasn't odd. Neither was he. That was 50% non-odd, now that he thought about it. He only hoped that Lucas and this mysterious new guy would be pleasant to work with, or at the very least bearable...

Marwyn was satisfied. Her cousin's anguish was her joy as she watched him basically crumble under her destruction towards his carefully crafted construct. It was good to see that she still had it but she felt a twang of sadness for making her cousin upset over his work. Fortunately for her, she wouldn't be able to dwell on it too long as a voice caused her to turn her attention towards it basically disrupting the bonding the two were doing. She wanted to be upset but really she couldn't, especially when her eyes took in two tall glasses of "fuck-me-water". She didn't have to guess who the first man was, the one who made his presence known. She knew they were waiting for a man named Lucas and the way Christain described him he was the one. The other man that came in behind him though was a mystery. Christain didn't say anything about another person coming in with Lucas and his little comment almost caused her to say something but her cousin beat her to the punch with his stupid ass little quip. Her eyes shot in Christian's direction and she was quick to go upside the back of his hand with her hand.

We aren't fucking meatshields. Have some damn pride.

Her words stung as she spat the words out in Val'Elvarin, her eyes boring into Christain before flashing over to the man who even brought up that they were meatshield to start with, and then landing on Lucas as her bout of anger fizzled out. At this point, she would just let her cousin finish which was good since it saved her the work of introducing herself. She didn't need to follow up with much more since she was tagging along and had no information to pass on so as her cousin spoke she strolled back over to the bar and poured her another drink of vodka. Taking a sip she glanced over to the man who's named had not yet been revealed. She didn't like what he said but she couldn't deny that he was nice to look at even if she made sure not to do so for too long.  

As she sat at the bar sipping her drink she listened in on what was being said and realized that this might be more dangerous for her than anyone else here. She didn't get why her cousin wanted her to come now that she had a better understanding of what was possibly going on but she couldn't back out of it now. She had to play her cards right and move carefully, going into some unknown dungeon and possibly getting killed was not exactly her idea of a good time.

The first encounters between Caius and Zane went, if nothing else, about as well as Odin could've hoped. The former was his usual gruff self, instantly suggesting that the two blondes were to be the meat shields that may not survive the dungeon. Considering the differences in rank, and experience, between them all, Odin understood where Caius was coming from. Zane, on the other hand, responded with a quip, trying to use humour to diffuse the situation. Lucas had only previously met Zane once before, but their brief time together in Zagan's Dungeon was enough for the elder gentleman to get an idea of the joker personality that Zane possessed. Perhaps there was a more serious side that he simply didn't know about yet. Regardless, they had now met, and Zane went further to introduce his cousin, Marwyn, who's only interaction so far had been to spit out words in a foreign language, prompting a chuckle from Lucas as he interjected after Zane introduced him, "Ah, ancient language of the elves, Val'Elvarin right? I don't know it myself, but I recognise the sound. Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Marwyn." A slight bow from Lucas before he continued, "Zane, Caius. You both may not know each other, but there is a reason you're both here today. Caius is one of the strongest mages I know, and I've known him for many years. Zane, while we have only just met, I know there's some potential within you. You may not be the strongest among us, but you've got a keen intellect and a good eye." Cracking his knuckles, and lightly scoffing at the fact he could with his illusory ring, Lucas would allow Zane to continue, as he laid out their plan of attack.

He had used his time here wisely, having located the entrance of the Dungeon already. A stroke of luck was nice, but it came with an interesting caveat. There was only one path, hidden amongst the rocks, that could take anyone to the dungeon, but it didn't seem like only their group were travelling there. A campfire, recently used, along the path to their destination. Potentially others seeking to find the power hidden within, or perhaps it was simply lost souls digging for trinkets. Regardless, they were an unknown factor that needed consideration.

The question of whether they needed to discuss anything else caused a smile to form on Lucas' mouth. He raised a hand to stop any who were thinking about leaving, capturing their attention as he moved the hand over his ring, "There may be one last order of business, before we depart for the dungeon and explore the abandoned campsite. It's going to come out eventually and an empty tavern is as good a place as any. I am not Lucas Wright of Fairy Tail, or at least that's not who I really am. It was a persona I created while I infiltrated the guild. In reality I am", Odin removed his ring in that moment, revealing his true form as the notorious Lich and Wizard Lord, "Odin Morningstar, former member for Grimoire Heart and cultist in service to HER. Sup."

The two blondes he was fucking with seemed to take his words differently. The man brushed it off like a joke and explained that while he was a human shield, the girl was an elven one. The latter didn't take to kindly to those words spit out some jibbersh he didn't understand. Caius rubbed his chin as he analyzed them both. "Knife ears huh? Don't see you're kind too often. And you're the cousin? So that's one fucked up family tree. But questions for later. Hopefully you two can hold your own out there cause if one of you die that's going to be an awkward phone call to auntie. Nothing was wrong with working with family, but it did always carry that risk. That's why Caius went solo.

At this point, Caius let Odin take over. Caius reached to a nearby table and dragged the chair to the end of the booth. He sat down and crossed his long legs as Odin praised the both of them. Caius raised his bottle. "To being badass" he cheered to that and took a drink. Though this Zane wasn't powerful, he was known for his intellect. That was quickly proven when he briefed the group about finding the entrance of the dungeon. It seemed there was an empty campsite as well which means others might have been looking for it. Caius hoped that was true. He hadn't shot anyone in a few days and he tried to keep a monthly quota. He wasn't going to let anyone else get whatever power lurked in the dungeon.

Before they would depart, Odin had one last announcement for the two Zanes. Removing his ring, his flesh disappeared and revealed his skeleton form. Caius didn't think nothing of it since he saw it before but then he put two and two together. These two had not seen his true form. "Oh shit. Bombshell dropped." Caius jumped out of his seat and backed up a little to give them some room. He watched their reactions with excitement to see their minds get blown. Things were getting entertaining now. "Damn should have brought my camera."

Just then, Caius got an idea. With them all being transparent about their race and powers, he supposed there was no harm in revealing himself as well. "I guess it's mine turn to show and tell too. Don't mean to steal your thunder Odin." Caius' eyes turned pitch black as darkness formed along the spine of his back. Two wings sprouted as a malevolent aura seeped out and filled the empty bar. It only lasted for a few seconds before he switched back to normal. "Spoilers. I'm a demon. Though I prefer to stay like this. I'm told it's my prettier side." Now that was out the way the two blonde companions would just have to digest it. If they didn't accept them for being dark races, they could always go back to plan human/elf shield.

Spells and stuff:

A smack firmly hit the back of Zane's head, his hands soon reaching to rub it. He frowned a bit at his cousin's elvish words. He did suppose that someone who could be as uptight as her at times wouldn't take too kindly to the joke he made there. Zane replied in their wood elf tongue as well. It had been the first time he had spoken it out loud since he got turned into a human, so his voice when doing so was noticeably higher pitched, it sounding closer to how he was when him and Marwyn were teenagers. "Sorry, cousin..." Zane also felt tempted to respond to the bearded man's words on their family tree, but he held himself back for the time being. He had a feeling that Marwyn would most likely go after him for that anyways.

The little speech Lucas gave to the group on their abilities pleased Zane. Zane knew that he often seemed like an idiot to most, but Lucas seemed to understand that there was a little bit more to him than most caught on to. "Little does he know you're even smarter than you were when you last met. Or should I say WE'RE smarter?" Beelzebub's presence only helped boost Zane's confidence a little. While Zane already had a lot of internal monologues that helped him think, the addition of a whole other mind in his own helped even further. "It's nice to see someone acknowledge our smarts, but we shouldn't get tooooo cocky. Just a little cocky is fine though." Zane's thoughts came to a halt for the time being however, soon intrigued by just what Odin meant by everything he was going on about. Not Lucas Wright...? Then who was he? "Maybe he's Pheonix Wright?" "Or maybe he's Wilbur Wright, inventor of the airplane."

".. Is that canon in this world?" That question would have to be saved for another time, Zane's eyes turning wide at Lucas' sudden transformation. He was a man made of what seemed to be entirely bone. Zane had heard tales of walking skeletons but often dismissed them as stories told for the sake of horror or something. Still, Fiore was also wacky enough of a place for Zane (and Beelzebub) to not really be TOO freaked out by the man's boney exterior. The name Odin was certainly more familiar though. Zane had heard of him being mentioned as a Wizard Lord a few time. Smiling, Zane nervously looked the man up and down. It was only a few months ago that Zane was moping at how little he had come, yet here was working together with one of the Wizard Lords. Strangely enough, Zane couldn't be any happier at the news. There was one part that bothered him though... "Wait, HER? You mean like, Marwyn?" Looking back at his cousin, Zane raised an eyebrow. What kind of tricks had she been using to get into the minds of men? Would he soon be part of his cousin's cult? Maybe he already was...

The action didn't stop there as Caius also took it upon himself to transform, this time into what was apparently a demon. While this was certainly what Zane thought a generic demon might look like, Beezlebub quickly yelled out in Zane's mind in a tone that was perhaps the angriest Zane had ever seen. "That absolute phony! He isn't a demon at all!" Zane blinked. Huh? What do you mean?" The noises that Beelzebub made between his sentences resembled a growling of sorts. It was clear the lord of the flies was quite fuming. [i]"They're just a bunch of pretend-demon! A shallow imitation! I won't let him besmirch our name like that! Zane, transform!"[/1] Zane figured it was probably in his best interest to do as Beelzebub said. "Avaritia."

Beelzanebub's fly like wings spread across their back, thin enough to not be obstructed by anything in the bar at the time. Their shark-like teeth were shown as they gave a noticeable scowl in the direction of Caius. "Ya ain't a demon, you phony! We are!" Beelzanebub pointed at Caius accusingly, their wings flapping a bit, similar to how a cat's tail would move around more often when agitated. "If you were a real demon, the wings on our back would be more than enough to let ya know who we are! But you probably don't know, do ya?" Beelzanebub's hand moved to Zane's notebook, their hand ripping off the page that contained the map Zane had drew earlier. They then held their arm out towards Odin, presenting him the page to take. "Now, if we're all done flexin', let's get going already! Here's the map. Go on, take it. Don't let it fall through your ribcage or somethin' on the way."

Spoiler:

Well fuck now she felt bad as she heard her cousin apologize in a voice that was just too pitiful. Her heart nearly stopped when his voice climbed a little high. The liquor wasn't really helping her with her " I made my cousin sad now I'm sad " emotional state but she pulled it together as she sat at the bar and told herself she would just apologize once a moment to do appeared. Her attention would focus on her drink as she nodded her head to Lucas's response to her speaking her mother tongue. She was a bit surprised he even knew what language she was speaking even though he didn't know how to speak it himself. That was interesting to her but not as interesting about the next few events which had her fucking floored.

First came the fact that the old man Lucas wasn't even an old man, this motherfucker was a lich! She had only heard of those in books she had never thought there were any running around. Also, his name was Odin so there was that. Sitting up she wanted to say something but she was speechless. It shook her up so much that she didn't even register that the man named Caius called her a fuckin knife ear and then had the gall to call her family fucked up. The worst part is she would never get to say anything to him about it because right after Odin did his big reveal, which she did a great job at keeping her composure over on the surface, Caius dropped his own little mask. Marwyn could feel something in the pit of her stomach as her eyes shifted from the Lich to a daemon.

The dreaded feeling that would come over most people caused her instead to turn red in the face as a feeling of hopelessness swallowed her whole. Physically she felt weak like something was overpowering her...And she was loving every second of it. The feeling only lasted a few seconds as she nearly fell over the edge of ecstasy and damn near fell off of the stool she was sitting on. Once it was over Caius was back to his normal self but Marwyn fanning herself with some paper she found on the bar. Whatever that shit was that he was doing she was glad it was over and she was also a little upset for the same reason.

Marwyn really did have enough for today but one more god damn surprise was in store as her own cousin, her human cousin sprouted a pair of wings himself, though they were not the same as Caius's. His whole voice, demeanor, and he even got this sort of green aura around his body. Marwyn was confused. Had Zane always been this way? When the fuck was he gonna tell her about this shit? Was he actually a demon himself? Marwyn sat quietly in this room full of powerful beings. There was nothing particularly special about her. Besides being an elf she had some odd features due to her magic but they weren't all that noticeable outside her slightly sharper than normal teeth. Getting up from her seat she felt her self wobble a bit before regaining her posture.

Well ain't this a fuckin party. I just wish I knew ahead of time and I would have gotten myself a nice little costume too... Also, I don't know what you are but where is my god damn cousin? Blue-Green orbs shot over to the thing that was clearly wearing her cousin as a god damn body puppet and she wasn't with it. It was bad enough he turned human not he had this thing controlling him? She needed answers.

The next few minutes following Odin's reveal was a rollercoaster of emotion for everyone. Despite knowing that his former guild mate was a daemon, Odin had never actually seen the transformation in person. And then came the usage of Fear, which clearly affected the elf Marwyn. A light chuckle escaped Odin's, well, skull as he thought about unleashing his own Fear ability, and how much it would stack on top of Caius' to really fuck with the mind of the less experienced mages. It was odd to experience the effects of an ability he himself possessed though, even to the small degree that he felt it. Fear wasn't really something Odin experienced anymore, but apparently it could still be a nuisance.

"Not Marwyn. SHE is a being of pure power, a goddess that saved me from total destruction, and now I seek to repay her in kind." There wasn't much else to be said on the matter, and things were only just about to get better. Zane said a single word, Odin couldn't quite pick up what it was, before he himself changed. His eyes turned black, his hair green, and a pair of wings sprouted from his back. A new voice spoke from the man's mouth, calling Caius a fraud and acting as if he was someone of note. It was that instant, the change from Zane into this form, which gave Odin pause. He took the map from the being , but he had one more thing to say before they left.

"Demon Soul Takeover Magic. I always wondered what form the others took. Wildly different from how Lucifer looked, but still very much a demon. Pleased to meet you as well." After that, Odin would lead the group of four out of the bar, putting his ring back on as they made their way past the civilians of Rush Valley. He didn't care about being spotted, but the less people knew about his motives for being in Sieghart, the better.

It would take them around 45 minutes to make it to the campsite, which did indeed look recent. Perhaps the dungeon had only made its location known, much like Zagan's had in Worth Woodsea. Hidden from view, locked to the people, until now. Regardless, it meant that they were close. This was likely the last stop they, or any other group for that matter, had made before venturing into the cave system and the dungeon beyond. Hopefully they were all ready.

Well wasn't it just a good old dick measuring contest. Odin and Caius had transformed and flex their aura and powers. After that, a green flash of light emerged and Zane had transformed into a winged monster as well. Then he berated Caius on being a phony demon. While it was true that he was a "daemon" he hated the way it was spelled. Where he came from it was DEMON. When he was in Grimoire Heart, he was a full fledged demon but some "certain" circumstances made him only a half blood.

Caius turned his eyes to Marwyn seeing what this blonde elf would turn into the match them. However, she just looked on in amazement at the rest of them and cracked a joke. Odin interjected and stated that while Marywn didn't have a transformation, she was very strong. Even saved him on occasions. Caius didn't know what her power was but it must have been great to save a wizard saint like Odin. The lich also went on to explain Zane had demon take over. Caius couldn't help but comment.

"So you're a real demon but you got sealed in a kid? Damn I'd rather be a phony than a weak ass demon like you." Caius laughed as he walked back to the bar. He undid his backpack and started to stuff some liquor bottles in in. "Alright I'm stocking up.Now that kiss and tell is over let's get the fuck out of here."

After a fair bit of conversation it seemed like the group had finally got a chance to get going. Zane soon un-transformed during this time, becoming his normal self again after Beelzebub's little outburst. There was a lot he wanted to both explain to Marwyn and ask of Odin, but it would all have to wait for some other time. They had much bigger fish to fry right now. Finally having made their way to the campsite, Zane took a little look around as he approached the place. He had only got a quick look at it from afar last time. This was the first time he had gotten to see the details of the place. There was a firepit, a tent and a small pot that was most likely used for cooking. "I suppose this place is worth a little look, eh?"

First inspecting the firepit, Zane's eyes widened at the state of it. It had seemed like this pit had been used quite recently.  "Uh oh." Zane bent down without a word, placing his fingers on the pot that sat above the pit, propped up a little as to allow easier cooking. Slowly and nervously opening the lid, Zane's index finger made its way towards the bottom of the pit, eventually coming into contact with a small bit of leftover stew at the bottom, the contents being lukewarm. Standing up almost instantly after, Zane's feet quickly rushed to the tent, pulling its entrance open to reveal what lay inside - the corpse of a man that had died no sooner than earlier today. The man had an arrow in his hands, most likely the source of the presumably fatal wound in his shoulder. Backing up a bit, Zane covered his mouth a bit to adjust to the smell of the dead body. While he was used to the smell of deceased animals from his time working as a chef, Zane had never been able to get used to the stench of humans or human-like creatures. Zane had a feeling that it was something he'd never get used to. "Oh god, that doesn't bode too well for us..."

Backing up enough to get the stench out of his range of smell, Zane inhaled the fresh canyon air, calming himself down a bit. He had grown a bit desensitized to the idea of death itself admittedly, having been at the demon incursions and all. "Maybe our friend over there was someone who didn't wind up too lucky in the dungeon. I can't imagine any other reason to use this campsite, considering it's so far away from town." The dungeon was but 20 minutes from here, so it would be easier to get to there from this campsite rather than town. "A fellow treasure hunter, probably. I can't blame him. Whatever's in that dungeon is our's, though. Arrows are a piece of cake! Just dodge them."

"Easy to say when you're not the one dodging, buddy..." Beelzebub scoffed at Zane's words. "Ha! I'm the lord of the flies! Do you truly think dodging a meager arrow would be any more effort to me than lifting a finger? I tell you, you humans truly don't understand the power of..." Tuning Beelzebub out for the moment, Zane instead directed his gaze to wherever Odin happened to be. "We'll have to watch out for arrows, then. But I guess a bone man like you would just have them pass through you, right?" Zane laughed at his little realization before something popped in his head. "Wait, how do you drink?"

She was upset that she didn't get an answer right away from that demon using her cousin. She understood though that Christian would explain everything in due time but right now wasn't a good time because of their task, it would have to wait. With all the bells and whistles out of the way, she stayed silent. She was just tagging along and really didn't know what to expect or what they were talking about. All she knew is that they were going in some dungeon to retrieve something. Every member of this team besides her was capable of doing this probably on their own. She was surrounded by powerhouses and she cursed herself for jumping into this request so willingly. For once she felt a cold chill go down her spine, it was a good chance she wasn't going to make it back out with the rest of them, and even if she did it wouldn't be in one piece.

Following along with the group she stayed in the middle, the safest place for her. She wouldn't speak unless spoken too and even then she would keep it short. They had already crossed their first dead body and they didn't even get to the dungeon yet. That chill she felt earlier only got colder as they pressed on.

The campsite, upon first look, was deserted. There was no one there, no one to warn them of the horrors they'd seen or anything quite so melodramatic. Instead there was a single corpse, some leftover stew, and the knowledge that they would likely have to deal with arrows once they got into the dungeon itself. Zane found the body, not that it was well hidden, with his keen eyes, and made the connection between his death and Argyle's Dungeon. He also knew that Odin wouldn't need to worry about anything like that, and he was correct. Any arrows, whether simply normal spikes on sticks or whether they were magical or even poisoned, there was no damage they could inflict on Odin that would do anything to him. Hell, most of them would just go through his skeleton.

As was to be expected, a joke came shortly after, asking how the Lich could drink. He may have only had one eye in his skull, but he still winked towards the only human of the group and said no more. Let him wonder how the Lich operated, there was no reason for Odin to give anything away. Besides, they had to stay on mission. "The body has revealed much, beware as we get closer to the dungeon, and even more so once we're in." No more words were uttered by the Lich until the reached the entrance.



The remainder of the walk towards the dungeon was uneventful, but soon enough they had reached their destination. It took Odin a few minutes to work out where the door was, as it hid itself within the wrong. No surprise that it had stood, unobserved, for so many centuries. A dull, pulsing blue light emanated from the door and Odin, the one who couldn't die from any surprises, placed his hand on it. A dull hum and the door slowly opened, sinking into the earth as the air rushed in. There was already one dead from this dungeon, and likely more inside. The other three would have to tread carefully. Odin, on the other hand, likely wouldn't.

After a short while they arrived at the campsite only to find a a body in the tent. Zane went in to inspect it only to find it was too late. When he was done with the body, Caius patted it down and found his wallet. "1000 jewels. What a cheap ass." he said before pocketing the money. The elf woman stood silent and Odin gave out some words of warning before they headed to the entrance of the dungeon. They would have to tread carefully so they didn't end up like that poor fool.

Once they arrived, Odin showed no fear touching the glowing orb causing the door to open for them. The dungeon quest was on now. When they stepped inside, the torches on the wall lit up automatically by their presence. The light extended down the tunnel as far as the eye can see. Caius leaned his head past Odin who was taking point to check what lied in store. "So far it doesn't look like any trap I can make out. We should be good for 100 meters straight ahead." Their first steps in the dungeon would be simple but who knew what lied further ahead.

EYE:

"Well, guess it's only the entranceway after all." Zane stepped into the apparently trap-free part of the dungeon, making his way through a bit of a winding corridor. After a minute of the group walking they had reached the end of the little walkway, it opening up into a much larger chamber. The ceiling and walls were made of marble, the heat from the place growing noticeably hotter. There was a somewhat narrow bridge only a few meters away from the opening. It was around 200 meters long and had no railings or anything of the like. It was about 3 feet in width, give or take. Below the bridge sat a pool of lava roughly 20 meters below, the temperature feeling quite hot in the entire chamber thanks to it. Along the bridge were various swinging chains all with large wrecking balls at the end, presumably meant to knock people off the bridge. Finally, the end of the bridge had a small doorway, one that seemingly led to a different part of the dungeon. There was also a little platform at either end as well, most likely so that people could catch their breath after making it through such a perilous run.

"Damn, this dragon's got some good taste! Giant lava bridges were a real fun pastime back in the demon realm." Zane wasn't so sure about the prospect of going down this path. Him and Beelzebub could PROBABLY do it, but it didn't seem so pleasant... the heat wasn't exactly appealing either. "Just when we thought we were done with lava, huh Odin?" Zane asked, trying to lighten the tone just a little while staring before the intimidating walk the group had ahead of them. It was very apparent that they'd have to do this one at a time, at least for those who intended to take the bridge. Zane did not yet have Beelzebub's flight down at this time, so that was unfortunately not an option.  There was no way in hell he wanted to go first in this situation. "Err... any volunteers? I'm sure whoever went down the bridge first would look super cool, right?"

After a little while, the group had finally managed to make it past the bridge. Marwyn had seemingly ran off somewhere, something that Zane couldn't truly blame her for. Thinking on it a bit, he shouldn't of asked his poor cousin to come with him on this ordeal anyways. Despite looking around for a bit there was no sight of her - assuming she was okay for now, Zane and the others who made it through the perilous bridge proceeded down the stairs and towards their next trial. Seriously though, that was never wracking... one step back there and Zane would've ended up at the bottom of that pit. If that was just the first challenge then Zane definitely didn't feel all too confident about the ones going forward.

Thanks to the combined efforts of Zane and Caius, the group made it deep into the confines of the dungeon without any hassle, eventually coming to a long stretch of bridge hanging precariously over lava with large wrecking balls just asking to destroy them. As the three men looked on, Odin having not even noticed the lack of the elf, Zane mused that it was lava once again, recalling their fight against a large group of angry kobolds just prior to their first encounter with Zagan. Much had happened since that day, but apparently dragons enjoyed lava just as much as demons, which always somehow posed a problem for Odin.

"I'll go first." The Lich couldn't fly across unfortunately, he hadn't copied that ability that Kazimir no doubt had possessed, but he did have some trick which could allow him to get across without any difficulty. All he had to do was walk straight and not get caught by the wrecking balls, how hard could it be. The eye which had been placed in Odin's socket by the strange merchant shone for an instant, and Odin reached out with magic to feel the vibrations of the air around him. He could easily react to the traps in this form, and he silently thanked Kazimir for use of the stolen abilities. They had always possessed an unspoken bond.

Moving with more grace than a Lich would be presumed to have, Odin danced around the wrecking balls and made it to the end without concern and, soon after, his allies followed. Considering the length of the bridge and how deep the mountain went, it seemed unlikely that they'd have many more traps to deal with. Apparently there was only one left.

The three arrived at a large, black door inscribed with what looked like the history of the dragons. There was a great war, and a black dragon, who could only be Nacht, seemed to be leading one side. It was a door to hide many secrets and truths, but beyond it was even more power, and that's what they were looking for. There seemed to be five small holes in the door, likely used as locks for a dragon's breath to break through. The three men would need to generate the strength of a dragon's breath... Good thing Odin had brought his friend along.

"Caius my friend, would you care to do the honours?"

The dragon door sat in front of them and it wasn't going to budge. Odin gave him the go ahead and he raised his hand. A large purple blast extended from his fingers and smashed the door open for the party. Suddenly, Caius got a ring on his lacrima phone. He somehow got service in this shitty cave. He had to go. "Alright my job is done. I got to bail for now. Later Amigos. Thug Life". Caius ran out of the cave and headed out.


--exit--

spell:

Caius did a good job opening the door, but it seemed his time with the group ended up a bit short lived as he soon got a call on his phone, a piece of technology that really raises the question as to how technologically advanced the world of FTRP is - but now was not the time to look deeper into it. "Well, guess it's just us two now." Zane looked over to Odin, surprised that their group had somehow been cut in half. He supposed that it was good that nobody (supposedly) died. Sure, Marwyn and Caius theoretically COULD die on the way back to the town somehow, but while it was possible Zane didn't think it would happen. Now that the door was broken, the two stood in front of an open room. All that lay there was a single pedestal, the room seemingly devoid of anything else. "Well, that's rather dissapointing..." Beelzebub commented, very clearly discontent with the lack of giant piles of gold or something of the like.

"Something tells me this is what we're here for." Zane said in a somewhat sarcastic tone, cautiously stepping into the room. Looking around and up at the ceiling, Zane took note as to how large this room was despite only housing one little pedestal. "I kinda wanna make a joke about overcompensation, but I feel like that's a bit overplayed at this point." Now only a foot away from the pedestal, Zane stopped in his tracks before truly thinking about the situation. "Hold up, I've read enough adventure novels to know how this might go. Gimme a moment..." Untying his eyepatch, Zane's perfectly healthy second eye now looked down to his hands, stepping back a few more feet as he prepared to throw the patch onto the pedestal where the ring was.

The patch landed partially on top of the ring, causing a strange mist to emerge from it. The once new-looking eyepatch first went from fine to old and tattered, then eventually turned into nothing but a small piece of ruined leather, and finally after 10 seconds into nothing. "I've seen this in Bleach, don't worry. Just get the pedestal to age himself." Zane rubbed his chin. "You know, I always did think that entire fight was pretty bullshit." Thinking on how to solve this problem, Zane turned towards Odin, quickly realizing something. He was a skeleton. Maybe this pedestal's aging powers would affect him differently? Or maybe he could just take one of his arms off? "Hey, can you give me a hand? Or, well, an arm. Or you could just use it yourself, I dunno. Can't say I'm all too experienced in the handling of bones."

Sure enough, Caius used his immense power to blow the door wide open, utterly reducing it to nothing as his bullet magic bore a hole straight through into the treasure room. Odin's eye watched and recorded the power, noting the speed and strength and being excited to gain something similar for himself. He knew Caius was a powerhouse mage, and there was a lot of fun to be had with a skillset like what he had, and the damage was something Odin himself had been lacking. It was good to gain some more power now that Odin had gained some supplementary abilities from Kazimir's wind magic. His abilities were growing, and so was his strength. After all, he would sometimes have to act like a Wizard Lord, and that meant destruction on an unparalleled level.

The door led into a giant, and yet fairly empty, room. In the centre was a pedestal, and on top had to be the Black Key that they were looking for. They had lost two of their original four, leaving only the former Fairy Tail mages who had met Zagan. Perhaps that was part of the demon's plan, to have them just exist as they are and nothing more, but that was a thought for another day. For now, Odin would enter the room with Zane, inquiring about the large room, "Well it is the treasure room of a dragon, I guess we're just lucky the dragon himself isn't here. I doubt Argyle would like us stealing his treasures, whether Zagan ordered it or not."

Zane was the one to spot the curse first, using the acute knowledge Odin had spoken of previously. He was certainly going to make a fine addition to the group, but first they had to get passed this final hurdle. Odin couldn't help but chuckle as he realised what the curse entailed. It aged anything that came into contact with it, how would it fare against something that was ageless? A being who could not die and would age forever without end. Raising a hand to stop Zane as he spoke about using one of Odin's arms detached, the Lich simply walked forward, "I guess it's time to put those claims about Liches being immortal to the test." He walked closer and closer, feeling the magic in front of him as he pushed his hand into the invisible field, grabbing the item in front of them. As he brought his hand back, he felt the magical field envelop him. His entire skeleton began to age, it changed and kept changing into something new.

A new skeleton, one more ancient than the previous look Odin had possessed. In the past few minutes, Odin had experienced a lifetime. He was now more than a hundred years old, yet time hadn't moved for anyone else. He didn't know anything more, so the change was arbitrary, but it brought a sense of immortality that only the Lich could understand. He was no longer the naïve twenty-something he had been moments ago. He was now a true immortal.

At the end of this, the two men would leave the dungeon, and it would only be a few days later that Odin discovered that the curse had destroyed his ring. He could no longer be Lucas, with the magical field expiring the illusion available to him. Perhaps another of Zagan's ideas, the time of Lucas was over, and now Odin was, and forever would be, the Lich he was.

-Topic ended, full exit-