((This is the IC thread! All OOC/SU stuff goes here. We currently have five spots open, two for Clan Gully, and three for Nex Malum. For more details, click on the link I provided.))

Kupeeri nodded thoughtfully, though his mind was elsewhere. He was too busy thinking about how messed up he had left his rooom. There had been several flicks of dust left on the ground that he hadn't had time to clean up. That meant that by the time he got back, the entire room would be filthy, and he'd have to clean it up. Not that he minded, of course. Who else was going to do it? He wiped his napkin on the table again, prompting an odd look from the bartender as she filled Florence's glass. That was only the thirteenth time he had done it. He section of the table shone in the dim light. He sat down and pondered his glass. It was empty, but that could be rectified.

"Lady, can I get a refill please? Thanks, kupo," Kupeeri said. The lady sighed and shook her head at him, but she refilled his glass. It was only lemonade, but the glass was nearly as big as he was. He flapped his wings and floated over the glass, dipping his head carefully inside. The lady had filled it full on purpose. She knew he had trouble picking it up. And she knew how much he hated to get his fur wet. Regardless, he was thirsty. He carefully drank some of the drink inside, scowling as it dribbled down his chin. He wiped it off as best he could.

"Bah! Stupid barkeep. She knows how much I hate when she does that! Kupopo! Hey, let me see those bills," Kupeeri said. He walked across the table and picked them both up. He examined them a moment, listening to the others talk. Instinctively, he wiped the front of one of the bills off and reread it. He dropped the one with the Marlboros. Those things would be terrible to fight. In truth, he was afraid of Marlboros and the foul stink they caused. He dropped the bill back on the table and held up the one for the vampires.

"This one, kupo! This bill looks just kupo right for us! And my magic will be pretty handy against those things!" Kupeeri said as he put the other bill down on top of the first one. He walked back to his spot at the edge of the table and flapped his tiny wings, floating over his glass and taking another sip of his drink, scowling again when it flowed down his face.

"I swear, she does this on purpose, kupo," Kupeeri said as he dabbed at his face with the rag before the lemonade fell onto his robes. He scowled and sat down, waiting for others to speak.

Corth was deep in a meditative trance, thinking. It was necessary to ponder what his new master required of him. A good servant would know with one quick look what his master stood for. He had masters before that would punish those who did not follow their order to the smallest detail, masters who would gladly pubically punish a servant who had decided to do things his own way, instead of his master's way. Corth had made the same mistake once in his life, and like with all his mistakes he made sure he would never make it again.

Corth rarely meditated for more than a few minutes since his master would normally tell of what ambitions he pursued, be it power, wealth, or fame. Alas, for one of the few times in his life Corth could not tell what his master's goals were. Most of his masters who were not so forth-coming would unknowingly betray their secrets by showing some kind of emotion be it happiness, rage, or even compassion. Yet his new master betrayed not one inch of emotion, unless he meant to of course.

He had been told he was to be part of a group that would follow his master's orders. What those orders were, he was unsure, but he would follow his master even if it led to his own death. Such was the way of a good servant, a servant who did not fight agains the natural hierarchy of the strong leading the weak. As he meditated in his master's home his sensitive ears caught his master's voice. "CORTH JOLEUM, GREGORY BARROWFOOT, LUTHER LUNA! THE ELDERS OF NEX MALUM SUMMON YOU!" "DO NOT MAKE US WAIT UNDERLINGS!"

He had heard the threat in his master's voice and grinned, That is a voice worthy of power. Getting up from the floor the bangaa wasted no time in sprinting to his destination. When he had first arrived at his master's home he had been shown a quick tour of the premises, but a good servant always made sure to know how to get to a destination even when blind. The first goal he had accomplished was to transverse the hallways, making sure to know every shortcut that was possible to save both his master's time and patience.

He used that knowledge now as he sprinted to his master's voice. Taking every path that wold save time he finally arrived outside of the chamber where his master waited. Pausing for a brief second he took a deep breath and walked inside, his head bowed and eyes cast to the floor, the perfect posture of a submissive servant. He walked until he was in the middle of the room and fell to one knee, he eyes still cast to the floor, "Massster, your obedient ssservant isss here to carry out any command you decree." He hissed in his bangaa accent. Corth continued to kneel, waiting for his mater to give the command to rise.

"Man, I'm bored."

A young paladin at the age of 17 was sitting in the bar. He was watching his unsheathed sword. George McCollum felt so strange when he looked at the sword. It felt so… close to him. Every time he would look at it, a strange sensation would come to him, as if he met his mother. Talking of which, his mother never returned, and George lived with his foster parents. George looked at his sword. "Lucas McCollum" was engraved on the side of it. George sometimes wondered. Who is this person, who has the same last name as me? Why does he feel so familiar, even though I don't know this name?

George shook his head. He shouldn't be thinking of small things when he had some work to do. But for now…

"Hey, miss! Can I have some beer here?"

The lady, who was dressed so neatly, that to him she looked like a maiden, turned around and looked at him, confused. After a minute of silence George realized how silly he sounded.

"Uh… Milk shake?"

The lady turned around, giggling a bit. George's face reddened. He saw some people staring at him, smiling or trying hard not to laugh. George looked down. It's not like me to make these kinds of mistakes. He thought for a while. Slowly and quietly, he took the cup of milk shake, which the waitress brought, thanked her and drank it. The milk flavor didn't taste good to him, but he wouldn't be asking for Holy Water inside the bar. Or Ale, Vodka, Beer, which he just asked casually for a 17 years old guy. Plus, George secretly drank it whenever he felt excited and had nobody around him.

George suddenly looked up when he heard somebody saying: "As I was asking before I was so rudely interrupted, do you all think we should take care of the sudden Marlboro infestation in Zedlei Forest? Or should we take care of the sudden invasion of vampires of at the Ruins of Delgantua? I'm fine either way. We could easily take care of whatever we choose to go after." It was Zellum, a master and a white monk bangaa. Then George heard somebody else say:

"The vampires in Delgantua sounds more interesting. The ruins are often filled with treasure and mysteries, provided we can take them out before they touch us, the vampires should be fun. Long distance magic and attacks or we could go for a full frontal assault, with plenty of cover from our healers." Now that voice was Florence's, leader of Clan Gully.

He thought for a while. Somehow, he felt like Zedlei forest was a choice. But maybe with my healing skills, vampires will be a piece of cake. And plus, exploring the ruins sound more interesting, just like Florence said. "I'm for the ruins." - announced George, after standing up. "I'd be happy to back you up with my white magic." George looked at his other clanmates. He also noticed a moogle, standing at the entrance. Probably Kupeeri, our time mage. Now George waited other's response. Everybody had a right to say their own opinions.

Gaol Coppersun
Camoa
Streets

"Kupopo! I'm laaate!" Gaol Coppersun cried as he rushed past the adventurer-filled streets of Camoa. People of all races stared at him as he ran like a fool towards the pub. As it turns out, Gaol had overslept by a whole hour, and, therefore, was late for his meeting with his new Clan: Gully. Yes, Gully, the famed Clan. It had taken over six months to find them, but eventually Gaol caught up to them and was accepted into their ranks. Despite the fact that he couldn't serve under the great Cid, or the mysterious Luso Clemens like in the stories, it was a great honor to be accepted into such a clan. This is precisely why Gaol felt so stupid about not being there now.
Finally, the pub came in sight. Gaol raced, as quickly as his stubby feet would carry him, to the pub. The building was surprisingly plain, it wasn't very decorated, but it had sword markings etched all over it. "Bar fights." Gaol thought. In a town filled with adventurers, that meant rival clans often came across each other in the pubs. They would choose their best fighters, often the leader himself, and fight until either death or until one gave up. Whichever came first. Personally, Gaol thought these fights were totally pointless, they were illegal, and sometimes gruesome. No, the albino Moogle preferred to stick with good old engagements.

When Gaol got back to real life, he realized he'd been standing in the same spot next to the pub door for five minutes. "Kupooo!" he cried as he banged his head against the wall in frustration. He then entered the pub. Despite the most annoying start for a day, Gaol was surprisingly optimistic. But that was just his nature. He flapped his wings to give him a boost as he jumped on a bar chair and popped a few gil on the counter. "I'll take a GOUG'S FINEST please. Keep the change, kupo." Gaol bellowed as he hopped from chair to chair. The pub was surprisingly empty today. When Gaol got to the chair at the end, a glass of GOUG'S FINEST wine came sliding down the counter. Gaol stopped it and picked it up, he then flapped his wings to give him a boost of the chair. Some wine plopped onto the floor from the glass before he got over to his seat on a great round table. Probably the biggest table in the pub. On one of the chairs sat the new leader of the clan: Florence Rennadam. Gaol had done some nosing around, and apparently Rennadam was a great warrior back when Cid was leader of the clan. "What an honor it must be to serve by Cid." Gaol thought cheerily as he moved his gaze to the next person. The next person was dressed like a Paladin, but also seemed to have a healing staff with him. Gaol had heard about this man. George McCollum. A Paladin / White Mage. Quite a useful addition to the clan. Next was a Moogle, like Gaol, who didn't seem to be paying any attention to a word that was being said. His name was Kupeeri. Gaol didn't know too much about him. After him was a rather old-looking Master Monk. Gaol wondered if he might've been a warrior in the old Clan Gully too. All he knew about this Bangaa was his name: Zellum Lacerti.

A few other people were present, but Gaol thought he should sit down before he was mistook for a bystander. He sat down on the only available seat, obviously reserved for him, and sipped his wine. With a hefty smile, and a hope not to be noticed for his lateness, Gaol looked at his fellows and said "So, what's happening, kupo?"
"I'm fine either way. We could easssily take care of whatever we choossse to go after." Lacerti had just finished speaking. Gaol was wondering what Zellum had just finished talking about, but then he saw two pub bills on the table, in the center. One said something about Malboros, the other one something about Vampires and the ruins of Delgantua. Vampires sounded interesting, since Malboros were too easy to kill. As he listened to everyone speak, Gaol took their opinions well into consideration. It was true that Vampires would be quite fun, but dangerous if they managed to touch someone. Meanwhile everyone was deciding, a lot of trouble was going on with bills the barkeep had been giving everyone. Kupeeri seemed especially annoyed by a lady. It WAS true that the bills here in Camoa had gone up a lot recently, probably because the missions were getting harder, so there were more hungry adventurers to feed. Or perhaps the fees on the missions were the ones that had gone up. Either way, it was obviously for profit. Finally, everyone had finished talking for just a second. Gaol hated to butt in to conversations, so he often waited for everyone to finish. Now, he voiced his concerns. "Well, your points have very clearly been made, kupo. If we take out the Malboros, we have to put up with their flying and poison abilities. On the other hand, if we take on the Vampires, we have to avoid being touched by them, and we have to mind the fact that they come back to life after a certain time. So KO isn't exactly an option for them, kupo. I believe, if we're going to to battle the Vampires, we should lead a surprise attack, have our good healer Mr. McCollum and anybody else available behind us for support, and be equipped with shields, kupo. I speak from experience when I say that shields are almost vital in fighting Vampires and other creatures of the undead. Anybody who can equip a shield should do so, in my opinion, kupo." Gaol spoke. Despite Gaol's seemingly naive behavior, he was in fact quite the strategist. Gaol's father had never been able to teach him how to fight like a Moogle Knight, but Gaol had no problem with strategy. He was not a brilliant strategist, but he was no novice either. His father had taught him what to do in plenty of situations.

"As for the Malboros...long range weapons and magick would be brilliant in the situation that the Malboros try to fly away. Mr. Kupeeri's Time Magic would come in great hand, kupo." Gaol said, looking over his shoulder to Kupeeri, who was sipping his drink at the doorway. "One other thing about Malboros is their kupopo ability to select one of us at random and KO us immediately. So if we decide to take on the Malboros, I think Mr. McCollum should grant us his Reraise if possible. I, myself, can help him restore his MP if needed with my Magick Ballad." Gaol finished. He looked at his comrades and bellowed. "So, in conclusion, I'll go with anything. Both sound kupo."

"Gaaah!!" Luther cried, as the mark of a sword burned itself onto his skin. He followed the shaft of the brander up to its owner's hand. A yellow hand. Luther was being burned by one of his own kin. The Bangaa was dressed in rags, a simple brown bag for a shirt, and what looked like a pair of jeans so small the revealed most of the Bangaa's legs. These were Moogle-sized. Luther, however, had no time to think how stupid the getup was, for the pain of the bandit's brander was almost unbearable. Finally, the burden was removed from the Bangaa's skin and plopped back into the water.
Luther dared to glimpse down, and below, on his leg, he could make out a deep marking of a blade, coming down to a a beautifully decorated handle. The mark's complexity was beautiful, it's pain, horrible. Before Luther could even gasp for breath, two arms, one scaly, one skinny, grabbed him by the shoulders and dragged him out of the small musty workshop. As he was dragged along, he saw the body of his old comrade Cole laid flat on the floor. A Nu Mou and a Viera came and picked up the body, and threw it out onto the street. Before Luther could even pity the Hume, he was also thrown out onto the street. Left to rot.

"Uuuh" Luther moaned, as he got up from the floor. Another bad dream of his musty past. Luther grumbled as he got up, his large stature making it hard to refrain from making a large bang as he set down his scaly foot onto the rocky ground. Everything around the lizard was dark, musty. Much like his dream. He could hardly see anything, but he had totally memorized the great hall, which is most likely where he had fallen asleep. The Bangaa tried to remember how he had done so, and one thing wormed its way to his mind: Meditation. He remembered how he and a fellow servant, a Bangaa by he name of Corth, had chosen to do some meditating before meeting their masters. It would help to clear their minds. Unfortunately, it seemed Luther Luna had fallen asleep during his meditation. He knew he was never any good at it, but he tried anyway. Ironically, the thing that was supposed to get Luther ready for his masters had only made him sleepy.

Looking to his right, Luther saw Corth still meditating. He looked in front of him, and saw nothing but darkness, etched with some trimmings of moonlight coming from somewhere, although it was unknown from where. The walls were not visible, nor the ceiling. The only thing that looked even slightly visible was the floor and Corth. The other servant was hidden in shadow.

Suddenly, a booming voice echoed on the walls of the place. "CORTH JOLEUM, GREGORY BARROWFOOT, LUTHER LUNA! THE ELDERS OF NEX MALUM SUMMON YOU!" it cried. Despite stern, the voice was rather small, almost as if coming from a juvenile, although Luther would be horrified if his master was a child. He quickly identified the voice as a Nu Mou voice. Interesting, probably a magic user. Luther wondered what kind of Magic he practiced, as there were many options for a Nu Mou. "DO NOT MAKE US WAIT UNDERLINGS!" the voice boomed again. Realizing that his fellows had probably already left, Luther quickly set foot into the dark. He knew there was a left turn at the wall closest. Luther let out a slight clap to see how far that wall was. Echolocation was a brilliant way to work in the dark. When he thought the wall was near, he made a hasty left. As it turned out, he had been totally right. Now, if his memory served him right, a quick right was necessary. Although he was right, he turned to early and ended up banging his nose to the wall. The Bangaa grunted and walked forward a few steps before successfully turning right.

The rest of the way was rather easy using Echolocation and memory-based directions, Luther quickly made it to the Council chamber. As it turns out, the moonlight had been coming from a rather large window at the back of the room. The moonlight came in to reveal a large table, however, the people on the chairs were still obscured in the horrid shadow of the room. The only visible persons were the Nu Mou who had summoned them, obviously the leader, he was a Sage with a rather lethal-looking Hammer upon his back. The only other figure not obscured was a kneeling Corth Joleum.
Luther rushed into the room and followed Corth's example, kneeling low before his master. Of all things, Luther had a sense of obedience. He knew who he was above, and who was above him. "My great and powerful masster, I live to ssserve you." Luther said, in a tone that, he hoped, would show his obedience.

The silence of the Nex Malum headquarters was both comforting and disturbing. The soldier could easily focus and think, but that was the problem. To think was to doubt, and to doubt was to fail. This was one of the reasons one Gregory Barrowfort spent most of his time in the training area. The sound of metal on metal as the warriors clashed, the crackle of magic as the mages learned focus, the twang of a bowstring and thunk of arrow meeting target, all of the noise helped to quiet the silence.

There in the practice ring, Barrowfort trained against a Viera fencer. Although his opponent was new to the ways of the sword, in comparison to Barrowfort himself, her agility posed a challenge. The soldier was forced to make full use of his shield, which was good, as he had a habit of forgetting it. This habit had developed back in Barrowfort's time training as a Blue Mage, when he had learned how to fight with only a sword and his own adaptiveness. After exchanging a few parried strikes and thrusts, the quick-footed fencer sidestepped an attack and moved to counter. Barrowfort was in the middle of a maneuver to deflect the blow when the two heard a booming voice and paused, "CORTH JOLEUM, GREGORY BARROWFOOT, LUTHER LUNA! THE ELDERS OF NEX MALUM SUMMON YOU! DO NOT MAKE US WAIT UNDERLINGS!"

Backing out of the ring, Barrowfort gave a nod to his training partner as he removed his mask-helm, "I must depart." A brief 'Very well' followed and another waiting to hone their skills quickly took the soldier's place as he stepped out the door into the dark, eerily silent halls. Barrowfort focused on the clicking of his boots against the floor as he walked towards the council chamber, seeing two Bangaa also moving in the same direction from the main hall. The Hume quickened his pace, not wanting to keep the Elders waiting. One of the Bangaa seemed in a particular hurry, while the other made an odd clapping gesture. Having seen a few madmen among the various factions during his travels, he briefly wondered if the Bangaa was all there. The thought was pushed to the back of his mind as the large lizard (not that any in their right mind would call one such to their face, especially not one whose mental faculties were in question) bumped into a wall on the corner. It was likely just trying to find its way in the dark, an understandable predicament, and the reason Barrowfort was not wearing his mask at the time.

After a few turns, Barrowfort followed the two Bangaa into the council chambers. The first was already there waiting, and the second knelt beside him as the Hume entered the room. Moving to the opposite side of the first Barrowfort joined them in the gesture of respect and servitude, lowering to one knee and bowing his head, "At your command, Master."

Gaol had to admit he was rather embarrassed to be late like this. Unfortunately, his lateness was impossible to hide. Of all people, Rennadam was the first to notice, which was unfortunate because he wanted to make a good first impression. The clan could STILL dismiss him at any given time. He listened to the others speak, and just as he took his last sip from his cup of GOUG'S FINEST, a member said something of interest. "I would suggest going to the Ruins," a Hume said. Gaol did not know this Hume's name, but he could tell that he was a Thief by what he said next. "Vampires often have more valuables." the Hume said. This was typical of a thief, always thinking of treasure. But Gaol had to admit his point was steady. "Kupo. I agree. If we find good treasure off of the Vampires, it could make up for the bill size." Gaol said, nodding to the Thief. This was one more reason to go after the Vampires, so the Malboro idea seemed totally outclassed now. "I vote vampires, kupo. The mission itself will be more dangerous, and the bill is higher, but we can get good treasure off of them in return, and if those of us who can bring shields do so, we should be kupo." Gaol finished. He had decided, and he figured everyone else agreed. "So, if you'll excuse me, I will let you decide while I grab another drink, kupo." he said cheerily, jumping off of his chair and walking over to the counter. He jumped back onto one of the chairs and took a look at all the drink options. Beer could get you drunk, so Gaol preferred to stay off it. Wine could get you drunk too, but not all that quick. "I'll take some more GOUG'S FINEST please, good kupo." Gaol blurted out, as the bartend grabbed a bottle and a glass, and poured some wine into it. "Thanks to you." Gaol took the cup. He leaped off of his chair and took a seat near Kupeeri, who was looking grumpy and sipping his drink.

As Gaol watched his new teammates decide on the Vampire mission, he spoke a word to Kupeeri. "You know, they DO do it on purpose, kupo. To get more money out of you." Gaol grinned. "What you do is tell them to give you your money back or else, and then point a sword at them." Gaol said, unsheathing his sword and sipping his drink, pretending to be pointing it at someone's throat. "You see, serving adventurers is a big deal. Naturally, the bartends here are scared of their customers. They'll give you your money back because they don't want to find out what the "or else" might be." Gaol sheathed his sword. It wasn't very hard to figure out. The idiot bartends here had given Gaol some preetty big drinks before, and it only added to the bill. That's why Gaol often specified the SIZE of the glass he wanted to drink from. Plus the sword technique always worked here in Camoa anyway, so he didn't really have much trouble with cocky bartends.

Clan Gully:
Once everyone (especially the leader) had stated their opinions, Zellum leaned back in his chair, in deep thought. It sounded like they all agreed on taking out the vampires over at the Ruins of Delgantua. This meant that he, along with George McCollum, would be depended on heavily for this mission. He was what many peole thought as the last original member of Clan Gully, making him sort of like Second-in-Command and also an advisor to the leader, Florence Rennadam. It was stuff sometimes, but he was use to it.

Suddenly, a thought occured to Zellum, causing him to sit up.

"Hey Gaol!" shouted Zellum from across the room, visibly excited. "Do you know that song that is able to hurt the undead?"

He had known that Gaol was a Bard, as well as a Moogle Knight. Afterall, it had been Florence's and his to bring him along. "If that's the case, do I have your permission to request this bill madame?" asked Zellum to Florence, his tone low and completely calm.

Nex Malum:
"Glad to see you three here..." said the Master of Nex Malum, motioning for his devouted servants to rise up from the ground. "No need to bow... You three have been chosen for a mission... Isn't that right Elder Aphrodite?"

"Yes Master... It is," said the same female individual from before as she stood up and came to the light, revealing a young Viera assassin. Her uniform was the standard uniform for assassin's, except she didn't have her head or mouth piece on right now, allowing her lovely soprano voice to be heard throughout the council chambers. Her voice was still soft, like the last time she spoke. However, she sounded very sensual when she spoke now. On her back was a gigantic black greatbow with silver draw-string, while on her left hip was a katana that was currently sheathed. "In fact, this mission is incredibly important, as it will award us with a clue that will help us find what we seek... And what is it that we seek, Elder Zeus?"

"Hmph. *snort* We seek the all-powerful Chaos Staff!" said another Elder, obviously male with a thick northern accent as he stood up and came to the light. The individual was a gigantic Seeq Lanista, standing well over seven and a half feet tall while his Lanista uniform was completely black. His blue skin shone in the light from the oil on his body, indicating he probably hasn't taken a bath for several days. On his back was a gigantic sword that could only be weilded by him, by the looks of it. It was a greatsword and was completely black while covered in dried blood. "And you maggots should be honored. We thought we should have sent Elders Artemis and Ares at first, as we know that they would succeed easily."

The final two Elders stood up and came to the light. One was a small male moogle wearing a black Fusilier uniform. He couldn't have been older than twelve years old, which might make one wonder what he had to do in order to be recognized as an Elder by the others. He had a knife on each of his sides, a blade on his back, and a rather large gun there as well. The blade and gun were both black. The other was a female Hume dressed in a pure white Blue Mage uniform, or, well, it used to be pure white. Now it is covered in blood stains, with the feather on her hat being the same shade of red as the stains. On her hips were two black sabers that were currently sheathed. Her hair was long and almost a white color, just because it was so blonde. Her skin looked rather pale, and her eyes seemed to suggest that something was just not right with her.

"But Daddy knows that I could have killed the bad guys too easily," said Elder Ares, his voice so child-like and full of innocence, making it terrifying while he pointed at the Nu Mou known as Master.

"And Master knows that Artemis would have gladly painted the mountains with their blood... Oh it would have been GLORIOUS!" almost shouted Elder Artemis, smiling in such a way that it left no doubt she was insane.

"But alas, my son and Elder Artemis have more important business to attend to," said Master, standing in the center of the Elders. "And so, you three are going to go to the Aldanna Range. There, you will intercept a caravan of Nu Mou. Find the one among them named Ezel Berbier and bring him here... Be warned, all of the Nu Mou, especially him, are well-trained. It is for that reason we shall be annointing one of you as Squad Leader. The squad leader will be Gregory Barrow-"

"YEEHAW!!!! WHAT A PART-"

BOOM!


SPLAT!


Blood was everywhere after the drunk male Hume was utterly destroyed. The one who destroyed him was the Master himself, who had simply pointed his right middle and pointer finger at the unfortunate victim, casting an unknown magick.

"As I was saying, Gregory Barrowfoot will be the leader of this squad. Gregory, you are our eyes and ears. Make us proud. Now, go to the Aldanna Range! You three should get there by nightfall if you hurry," said Master, as if he hadn't just utterly destroyed someone just for interrupting him. He did, however, have a smile on his face. "And if you three fail, you'll be lucky to end up like that drunken bastard."

((More to be explained at the OOC/SU Thread))

When Gaol had finished his drink, he felt like a refill. However, as he was about to call the barkeep, he thought "I can't get drunk on my first mission, kupo." and stopped himself. Since the group still hadn't decided, Gaol decided to have a little fun....

He leaped off of his chair at the table, grabbed his trusty Shining Lute, and got up on the stage of the bar. Since nobody was there, Gaol figured he'd give the people a little spectacle. Gaol stood on the stage, not moving for a few seconds, observing the people. Three bartends were here today, including the one at the counter, and, though not as many as usual, there were a variety of people around. Excluding Clan Gully, another clan sat at a table behind Gully. Although Gaol had no idea what their name was, there only seemed to be three members. Since they were unknown and low on members, they were probably a new clan created to fight the natural disasters coming of late. Their leader was a Seeq, and the only two other members were a rather short Viera and a Moogle. They didn't seem to have a specific job either. Each one wore random clothes. These were commoners thinking they could make a clan. If they were not adjudged, they would surely be killed.

Since this was no big audience, Gaol thought he would practice one of the most basic tunes: The Requiem. A simple but elegant tune, also the first one to be learned by any Bard. Gaol had mastered it easily. First he checked his Shining Lute for any signs of dirt, he was very protective over the thing. Next he tuned it up, twisting the knobs here and there. There were six knobs in total. Finally, he strung his hand over the cords to let everyone know he was there. A few barkeeps took a look, but one returned her gaze to an angry customer who wanted a refill. Gaol grinned that big grin of his, and started to play. Elegantly, his hand stroked the strings, as if stroking a dreamhare. Slowly and softly, the music became more and more elegant. More and more people started staring at Gaol, seemingly replenished by its soothing sound. This was what Gaol loved about his job as a Bard: the people's faces when he played a song. He wasn't sure if Clan Gully was watching, they probably had no time. But he was sure that they were feeling the effect of the song. The Requiem was not only the most basic song, it was also a magick replenishing song. While it did nothing physically, it often made the listeners feel very good. However, it DID hurt the undead immensely. It also excorsized them if they were KO'd. Which was very useful. He was going to use it for the vampire mission if it was chosen.

Finally, the song came to an end, with a slow, light stroke. Gaol turned his gaze from his lute to his audience, who were clapping with amazement. Gaol placed his Lute back upon the strap on his back, and took three bows before he heard someone shout something at him. "Hey Gaol!" came the cry. Gaol shifted his gaze to where he thought it was coming from, the Gully table. It was Zellum Lacerti. "Do you know that song that is able to hurt the undead?!" he shouted again. "Kupopo! What do you think I've been playing?" Gaol chuckled as he came down from the stage. The clapping had receeded now. Gaol took his seat upon the table, and suddenly the crowd started to murmur slightly. Maybe they were surprised that he was from Clan Gully. "If that's the case, do I have your permission to request this bill, madame?" Zellum calmly rotated his head toward Rennadam. Gaol stood up on his seat, although it didn't help much in making him look tall. "Kupo, I agree with Mr. Lacerti, the Vampires sounds best." Gaol said, with his usual grin upon his face.

Kupeeri scowled when Gaol told him they gave him glasses that were too big for him on purpose. But he said nothing and watched as the rest of his clan voted. It seemed everyone wanted to fight the Vampires. That was good. He really hated Marlboros. He flapped his wings experimentally and floated up to the rim of his glass. He grabbed it and tipped it over, having drank it down to the point where his head wouldn't reach to the bottom. Slowly, carefully, he tipped it and drank a little more lemonade. He didn't mind the amount of drink in the cup. He likely would have bought that many drinks anyways. No, what bothered him was that they didn't seem capable of giving him a Moogle sized cup.

"KUPO!" Kupeeri shouted angrily when his hands slipped and the drank fell over on him. The first result was the drink spilled all over him, soaking his robes and his fur. The second result was that the cup itself knocked him to the ground, well, the table he had been sitting on. He landed painfully on his rump and the cup went rolling across the table, then fell on the floor, and shattered, drawing a sharp look from everyone.

"This is why I said to give me a SMALL cup, kupo! You idiots! Look what you've done, kupo! KUPO KUPO KUPO!" Kupeeri yelled in annoyance. He got back to his feet and stood there dripping. Anyone looking at him could see that he was so angry that his eyes were beginning to water. He stamped his foot and glared at everyone. Great, now he would either have to go out all wet and sticky, or he would be left behind. This was just fantastic.

It was only a few seconds after Corth had fallen in a kneeling position when he heard another set of footsteps enter the chambers. The bangaa he had been meditating with, Luther Luna, walked in and fell into a position similar to Corth's and soon after that another set of footsteps echoed as a hume Corth suspected to be Gregory Barrowfoot fell in line next to the two bangaas and adopted a kneeling position as well. Corth didn't so much as turn his head to look than use his peripheral vision to see. Another lesson that had been beaten into the bangaa was to never turn his head or sight from his master.

"Glad to see you three here..." he heard his master say, then he noticed his master motioning them to rise. Corth did so immediately, but sill made sure to keep his eyes on the floor. Another lesson he had learned was to never look into a master's eyes, to do so was to consider yourself equal to them and only servants who had gained a master's full respect could be given that honor.

"No need to bow...You three have been chosen for a mission... Isn't that right Elder Aphrodite?" "Yes Master...It is," Mentally Corth started a list, making sure to memorize Aphrodite's name as well as any other names his master took the time to remember. Elder Aphrodite said that their mission was important, that his master sought something. He was soon introduced to another individual, Elder Zeus, who said that his master sought the Chaos Staff. Corth had heard of no such staff but it did not matter to the servant, if his master wanted it he would make sure he got it.

Corth heard the two other elders speak, one named Elder Ares who was but a small child and Elder Artemis. Corth's first impression of the moogle reminded him of his fifth master, one much older than the child who had delighted in having his servants pose as a small clan to lure in travelers in order to capture them, steal their possessions, and then place them in a pit of fire and hear them burn to death. The one known as Elder Artems almost sounded like his tenth master, who while suprisingly was the most compassionate master he had known, had also been the most insane and had spent years upon years of studying to figure out that there would never again be suffering in the world if everyone was dead, including himself. He had served him and his murderous rampage for only ten days before a traitor among his servants posted his location in the pub while Corth had been away, which inevitably lead to his master being captured and sent to jail.

His master then explained his order, they were to head to the Aldanna Range and bring a Nu Mou by the name of Ezel Berbier back to his master. His master had then been in the process of naming a squad leader when an obviously drunken hume wandered in and began to shout before his master annihilated him with just one spell. Blood had flown everywhere and Corth had done his best not to flinch when his master had cast his spell and when the hume's blood had splattered against his body. His master continued to talk decreeing that Gregory Barrowfoot was to be squad leader and while Corth was listening his heart was beating not from from fear but from amazement. Just a tiny fraction of the power he had sensed within his master had just been released proving without a doubt to the bangaa that this was indeed the most powerful master he had yet to serve.

"...You three should get there by nightfall if you hurry. And if you three fail, you'll be lucky to end up like that drunken bastard." The bangaa knew not to doubt his master's words and bowed once more to his master before he turned and left the chambers, stopping just a bit outside the doors to talk to Gregory Barrowfoot, the one that was worthy enough to earn his master's grace.

At the gesture of the Master, Barrowfort obediently got up and stood at attention, listening intently to the details of their assignment. From the sounds of it, the mission was essential to Nex Malum's goal, which according to Elder Zeus was an object called the 'Chaos Staff'. Barrowfort had never heard of such a weapon before, but put aside any ideas on that for later when the silence forced him to ponder such things for the sake of sanity. Instead, the soldier focused on the words of the Elders. And what a strange group they were.

"And so, you three are going to go to the Aldanna Range. There, you will intercept a caravan of Nu Mou. Find the one among them named Ezel Berbier and bring him here... Be warned, all of the Nu Mou, especially him, are well-trained. It is for that reason we shall be annointing one of you as Squad Leader. The squad leader will be Gregory Barrow-"

"YEEHAW!!!! WHAT A PART-"

With a massive crack and a boom the Hume who had run in without warning was one moment there, the next gone, replaced by a cloud of blood. Some of the blood splattered onto Barrowfort's uniform, but he ignored it to the best of his ability, not wanting to show weakness. He remembered one of the clients he had worked for during his mercenary years had a servant brutally tortured for a mere insult, this man had at least been given a quick death. The criminal overlords and gang leaders could get rather sadistic. Nobles, of course, weren't an exception. Returning to thoughts of the mission, Barrowfort tried to remember where he had heard the name Ezel Berbier before, but couldn't quite recall. Maybe a face to the name would help.

"As I was saying, Gregory Barrowfoot will be the leader of this squad. Gregory, you are our eyes and ears. Make us proud. Now, go to the Aldanna Range! You three should get there by nightfall if you hurry. And if you three fail, you'll be lucky to end up like that drunken bastard."

There it was, the threat of torture as punishment for failure. Perhaps worse, however, as none of the soldier's previous employers had quite that level of magickal skill. The undead briefly came to mind. Barrowfort disregarded the doubts that had started to form, closing them away behind a mental wall of gnashing steel jaws. Not as good as the real thing, but it would have to do. With a bow, he replied, "It is an honor to be chosen, Master. Your will shall be done." Once the three were dismissed, he walked back to the door. Gesturing wordlessly to the others to continue, he proceeded in a very military, mechanical fashion. Each step was timed to be the same length of time after the last as the previous pause, the click-clack of boots echoing through the quiet halls. No expression was made, and no word spoken by the Hume until they arrived back in the main hall. There, Barrowfort turned to face the ones he was to command. Two Bangaa. The pair were presumably trained to be warriors, and they were to fight Nu Mou who were no doubt mages of great skill. The numbers weren't known yet, but with each side having an advantage over the other, the victory would have to be fast. Should the encounter drag on for too long, the mages would be able to begin casting their advanced spells. Some deception could be a possibility, depending on what he had to work with...

"Right then. We should know each other's names from the announcement, so we can skip that. I'm going to need to know your skills so that I may plan accordingly," the newly appointed Squad Leader stated, putting his mask back on in preparation to leave, "I myself am trained as a Blue Mage and a Soldier, so I have various magickal skills. I can fill most niches we may lack, but healing will take some channeling, so try not to be set ablaze too soon." The grinning (grimacing was perhaps a better descriptor) mask, contrasting with its bearer's lack of expression, stared the Bangaas down as Barrowfort watched their reactions and listened for their answers. The man felt much more comfortable behind the steel facade.

As soon as the worthy one left the chamer Corth followed after him, noticing that the hume seemed to time his steps to a certain beat. He had been with fellow servants that had done that as well and had been told by one of them that he had learned the routine in the military. So they had a squad leader with military training, his master was starting to surpass most of Corth's previous master's choice of selection which would involve them randomly pointing at someone and telling them to take command of a group. Most of these leaders ended up being killed in battle or punished by his master and then another would randomly be chosen, and then another until someone who could actually command others was chosen.

The trio came to stop in the main hallway and the worthy one came to a stop and turned to face them no doubt looking them over and judging how effective they could be in battle. Corth quickly cast his eyes down to the ground, even among servants there was a hierarchy. A few rules that he used with his master applied when speaking to a more powerful servant and returning eye contact was one of them, he couldn't see himself as the worthy one's equal, not until the worthy one declared him worthy of respect.

"Right then. We should know each other's names from the announcement, so we can skip that. I'm going to need to know your skills so that I may plan accordingly," the worthy one said as he put on a mask that had something painted on it, but with Corth looking down he couldn't quite make it out. "I myself am trained as a blue mage and a soldier, so I have various magickal skills. I can fill most niches we may lack, but healing will take some channeling, so try not to be set ablaze too soon."

Corth had the feeling that the hume had meant the last comment to be humourous but Corth didn't even attempt to smile. Until he knew if the worthy one wanted him to show emotion or not he would keep a straight face and a calm demeanor. "Worthy one, I am trained both asss a warrior and a gladiator. Asss a warrior I learned how to weaken my enemiesss power, ssspeed, and lower their magickal pointsss. I can alssso perform firssst aid on myssself and ssslam into my opponentsss with my body. Asss a gladiator I have learned how to russsh into my opponent, beat them down, ssstrike at them with the elementsss of frossst and thunder, and ssswing my sssword to cut through any that sssurround me. I also carry a ssshield and can avoid basssic attacksss thrown at me and give them a nice counter move asss a sssuprise. Ussse my abilitiesss as you ssse fit worthy one, for I will follow you even to death." Corth declared.

"Hey, hey. Just call me George, okay?"

George noticed Gaol, Clan Gully's bard, approaching. To be honest, George never liked formal callings, especially Mrs. He just smiled when the moogle spoke about the strategy against the vampires and malboros. It was true that George's white magic and paladin skills were useful in battle. But against vampires and malboros, his skills were vital to his clan.

"So I guess I'll need to back you up all the time during the battle?" He asked everybody. Plus, if Gaol could replenish George's magick everytime he needed it, the Clan would never have to worry about fainting during the battle again, unless they break the Judge's law. "And, yeah, you're right, Florence. I do know Refresh, so I'll be ready to help you guys if we go for the vampires." George was positive this going to be a lot of work with fighting alongside and tending to his clanmates. At least he would a useful addition to his clan.

Then George noticed a human, who looked mysterious to him. Only after staring at him for 2 minutes he recognized him as Torgaz, the thief. No offence, but he looks cunning to me.

After listening to other people's thoughts, George saw Gaol standing up and heading towards the stage. He already knew what Gaol was planning. The moogle checked his lute carefully to make sure everything will be fine during the performance. Then, he started to play the basic song of a Bard, Requiem. Wait, a Requiem. That's it! How come I didn't think about Gaol? With his Requiem, the vampires will be easier to deal! The moogle continued his song. George remembered that Requiem also replenishes magick, something which would be useful during the battle. George shook his head. He should rest when he has the time. He shouldn't be thinking about the battle too much seriously. Gaol finished his song and many people stood up and clapped to him. To show Gaol that George liked his performance, George whistled as loud as possible. He saw some glares from the sides and some whispering. He didn't care. George enjoyed Gaol's song and thanks to that, he now knew he shouldn't worry about the battle.

"Nice song there, Gaol. Try something more cheerful next time." George said when he came back to the Clan's table. He also heard Florence speaking: "We would like to accept this bill, please". The showdown was approaching. George stood up. "Should we go? I think everything's decided." The battle in the Ruins of Delgantua. Nice title for the next chapter for his diary.

(OOC: sorry for the short post. I promise I'll write more as soon as the fall-break starts)

Shadow was on her second glass of wine, her bright blue eyes scanning the scene in front of her. After the Bard had finished his beautiful song, someone had spilled their drink, but was being helped by none other than Florence, current leader of Clan Gully. She smiled a little, and flexed her wings slightly. Just as she was taking another sip, a Hume was pushed into her, making the Hume spill his drink all over her freshly washed uniform, hair, and wings. She stood up and turned around. The Hume looked scared, as he should be. She growled low in her throat, a warning growl. "You, Hume, should be feeling grateful right now. Normally I would have killed you for such an action, but as I am relaxing right now, I'll let it slide", she said. A bar maid came over and handed Shadow a towel. Shadow bowed and murmered a thank you. She dried her hair, and her wings, but her uniform was going to have to dry on it's own. "I-I'm so s-sorry Miss. I-it was an a-accident-", the Hume stammered out. "Look, I accepted your apology, now stop apologizing.", she said. She got up, laid some money on the table, downing the rest of her wine in one long swallow, and walked over to Florence. "So, what are we doing now?", she asked.