"Hehehe, you're looking lively chief! Hehe, good good!"

Majolica floated into the room atop her broomstick. She had been making a lot of preparations the past few days due to her knowing that something big was coming soon and she and her Witch Ops would be needed to defend the realm.

"Hehehe, I got your message! Majolica, Grand Witch of the Lion's Pride and Commander of the Witch Ops Battalion reporting in! Hehehe, so you want to take out this monster to! Hehe, of course you do! Heroes have to be heroic, just like me and my team of dark heroes have to be anti-heroic! Hehehe, just remember though that if we get the last hit, hehehe, we get to be smug out about it! Hehehe."

Majolica looked around the room for the kitty commander as she watched the frantic nurse try to stop Zeus' from bleeding out through his wounded arm.

"Hehehe, it seems like you're being taken care of. But where's everyone else? Hehehe, I thought for sure all the other lion's would be here? Hehehe, and where's Caccu? I wanted to show her how much stronger I've gotten with my magic so she can be super jealous and cry and whine about it! Hehehe! You should be excited to boss, you'll get to see Grand Witch Majolica's Witch Ops deploy in full power against that dumb old monster! Hehehehe, with us on the job, the monster doesn't stand a chance!"

Majolica grinned at Zeus and gave him a thumbs up.

@Raid Master

 

Vina wasn't sure if she should be smiling or sighing when their large guild master stomped around the small tavern which had been the Lion's headquarters. They may have earned the rights to the fortress, but it'd be a bit longer before they'd move in.

It was good to hear that Zeus was well enough to be so energetic, but she was worried that he was still pushing himself farther than he should. The legendary hero wasn't known for possessing a lot of restraint, so the druidess picked up her staff and walked towards the source of the noise, her ears swivelling to help keep track of their jovial leader Zeus.

Upon finding Zeus she saw that he was indeed pushing himself farther than he should, the white-tailed Felis frowning with concern before she quickened her step and moved a bit to the side until she had a good view of the corridor in front of the large man. Pointing her staff at the wooden floor she sang a soft song, encouraging the wood to reshape and grow. She'd been spending a lot of time and energy helping fix this place up, drastically decreasing costs. She had become pretty good at manipulating the wood that formed most of this tavern, even if a side effect was that occasionally she had to dismiss some sprouts.

As gently as she could she tried to make roots come forth from the floorboards, to carefully wrap around the lower body of her still wounded guild master. With some luck Majolica would have kept him still for long enough.

I'm sorry master Zeus, but I think your caretakers would have an easier time if you didn't push yourself too hard. I know the pain of having to sit still when you want to move but could you do it for the sake of the nurses?

The roots didn't have that much strength, partially because Vina didn't think she could make them strong enough to hold Zeus no matter what she tried and partially because she was using them as a reminder more than a real restraint. WIth some luck he would realize he was pushing himself too hard as long as he was gently reminded. Stepping forward towards @Grand Witch Majolica and Zeus (@Raid Master) she smiled at both of them, bowing slightly.

I'm not much of a fighter so punching a big monster isn't really my thing, but if there's a large monster to be fought I'll go as support. And I'm sure our friend and mysterious benefactor Grand Witch Majolica will be able to earn plenty of acknowledgement with her magic powers~

She gave the witch a little wave before turning back to Zeus.

Although... what monster are you referring to master Zeus?

 

Visiting the Pride’s poor excuse for a base was something Yukisa had been putting off for a while now. Just thinking about the faction that he had put so much faith in completely demoralized him, so being in the presence of his fellow cubs would certainly spoil his usually positive mood. However, he could push it aside no longer. There was a reason he had chosen the Lion’s Pride, and that reason was assisting those who could not help themselves. To be an honorable hero amongst other heroes. Even if one quest had turned out to be devastating to his conscience, perhaps the next would be for a more noble cause.

It had only been a few days after Reclamation of Pride when he finally decided to return to the Pride’s homely tavern. Even from outside he could hear the noises of the rowdy cubs: singing, drinking, laughing and shouting.

‘At least they’re in high spirits..’ thought Yukisa before taking a deep breath and heading through the entrance.

Initially, there was no sign of @Zeus, the Pride’s leader, which was a surprise to say the least. It was rare for him not to be playing around with his cubs. Though, he was injured-

“It is TIME, cubs!” came a familiar, booming voice, followed by loud, rapid stomps. The old lion emerged from the back, where the bedrooms were, beaming despite the bloody stump that was left of his arm.

The bitter taste from before tingled in Yuki’s mouth again. Seeing Zeus’ lack of an arm reminded him of all the losses that both sides suffered during the battle…

He quickly shook his head. He had come here so that he could leave all of that behind finally. It was time to let go before he’d go mad with grief, and fortunately, the warm, caring aura of his leader was the right remedy for that.

However, before he could bask in said aura, the boy’s heart lurched as he watched the injured man running about maniacally whilst his caretaker frantically chased after him. Worry washed over him. Zeus could easily wound himself further if that carried on.

He had to interfere.

“Zeus, please slow down!” he called out suddenly, rushing over to block Zeus’ path with his arms spread out to his sides. Yukisa was in no way intimidating, nor did he have remotely enough fortitude to stop the hulking male from trampling him, but it was worth a shot - even if it was a shot equal to trying to stop a speeding truck with his body. (which he has a lot of experience in cough)

Whether his and Vina’s combined efforts had managed to cause him to halt, or he would simply get toppled over, the male then continued. “I-I’ll join this battle,” he mumbled, looking at Zeus with a surprising amount of determination for his typically timid behavior.

This was the perfect opportunity for him to redeem himself, and though there was slight fear of the past repeating burrowed in him, he mustered the courage to go out into the battlefield for the world’s sake.

 

"Why is this place so noisy in this early in the morning, again?" She pushed through the infamous creaking doorway, spotting Majolica and few others in the tavern. "Morning, everyo—" The greeting was interrupted with the presence of a gigantic man running past her. She had never seen Zeus getting this excited since the raid on Black Wolf Bandit's Fortress, a place that's now claimed for the faction. It might take a time to repair and make the place suitable for their headquarters, though.

"Commander Zeus, you're making all the wooden floors cry." Corvella joked. This summoning must be very important. Intel said that a very big monster is threatening the world. So, a world boss then? The last gigantic thing she fought was Azog, so apparently enormous evil things appear once in a while. This one, according to the others, were connected to the Fade phenomenon.

"So, when do we get to go and punch this thing in the face?

 

eeeeeeeeeeeeehhhhhh.....?

While all this shouting and flexing went on, Blader X simply stood in the doorway of The Lion's Pride HQ with an indescribable look on her face. She then promptly shut the door.

"Whoops! Looks like we got the wrong place Cubey! Aha! Could happen to anyone right~?"

(~~whir whir~~)

"Non non~!"

X wagged a finger at her flying cube companion with a pained smile.

"Don't be silly Cubey! That's clearly impossible. I mean, The Lions are supposed to be heroes of justice! Like knights in shining armor, you know?! Super regal and dignified! That clearly wasn't The Lion's Pride at all!"

X began walking faster and faster, the heels of her black boots clicking on the pavement in rhythm to her nervous retreat. She was leaving Cubey behind...

(~~whir whir~~)

I'm seeking to get stronger yes, but is maintaining a little dignity too much to ask? Those guys are clearly bad news!

(~~whir whir~~)

"Cubey! Come! Let's check out The Monster Hunters, they should also value strength yes?"

(~~whir whir whir whir whir~~)

"Of course they still exist! Who wouldn't want to do cool stuff like that! Well, -I- would feel bad for the poor monsters, but I-I-I'm sure there's like a capture option or something!!!"

Cubey wouldn't budge. Stomping back over, X got behind her winged cube and began to push with all her might.

"Let's! Go! Somewheeeeeeeerreeeeeee elssssseeeeee!"

 

Yukisa didn’t know what to expect when he attempted something as daring as placing himself in the trajectory of a rampant, hulking @Zeus. His hope was that the old man would stop in his path, of course, however his expectations were elsewhere entirely. Which is why, when Zeus got near enough that his massive build forced the boy to tilt his head back in order to keep his eyes locked on his leader’s face, he cringed back slightly in fear of getting stomped.

However, rather than feeling an immense weight fall upon him, instead quite the opposite occurred. “Um-!” Yuki squeaked out as a force tugged at the back of his shirt and his feet lifted from the ground. Before he knew it, he was in the air, being carried with ease and finding himself too shocked to even struggle. It was almost like a lion carrying a misbehaving cub by the scruff of their neck, in more ways than one.

Upon being placed back down, the paralysis that had settled on the boy had worn off, though the confusion was still going strong. He gazed at Zeus and Vina as they spoke, blinking awfully often. He couldn’t really grasp what information the two were exchanging, save for a few bits of speech here and there.

Nothing would’ve have snapped him out faster out of that state than Zeus directing his megaphone of a voice towards him.

“Hai!” he blurted out in a panic, straightening up like a soldier standing in rank. He usually wasn’t this easily intimidated, being the innocent-minded guy he is, but the whole situation was rather overwhelming this time. However, as the old lion began scolding him for his cowardly behavior, he seemed to slowly calm down, only to drop his eyes in slight shame.

“I…” was all he could seem to muster for a response, rubbing the back of his neck. The past few days had been more than enough to crush his spirits, even if Yukisa did his best to push the problem aside without attempting to solve it. Now, though, he as forced to face the issue head on.

Taking a deep breath, he looked up at Zeus with a bit more confidence. “Honestly, Zeus… I’ve been doubting myself, and my actions. What am I fighting for? Who am I protecting?” he confessed to this man who likely saw him as a near stranger.

“When I first joined the Lion’s Pride, I was sure I was doing it for my friend,” he continued, and his thoughts drifted back to the day when he approached Portia about having becoming part of a faction that would help him become a hero. He was so excited back then… but now he was filled with regret. “All it did was open a rift between us. Then I thought I was doing it to protect the innocent, but I just brought others pain.”

His eyes appeared slightly glossy as he spoke, and his words were awfully dramatic for a conversation that sprouted from something as simple as a boss fight in a video game. “What are we even fighting this time?”

 

Passing-by, poking his head in to check the tavern out, Rook's beady eyes lit up. He was pleased by the big man’s words! A good man with one arm, too-too loud (and filling his head with exclamation marks) but with good words and good talking, good speaking, good SHOUTING!

Tap-tap-tap-tap-taptaptap— His sandaled feet slapped noisily on the floor as Rook pattered down the hall. There was the sound of a door wrenching open (hopefully nothing too off-limits) and some things being tossed around. Tap-tap-tap-taptaptap—and he was back, holding a piece of slightly-bent rebar and beaming as if it was the finest sword in the world. He swung it once, bobbed his head energetically, and looked shyly up at Zeus for approval.

!!!

…He was going to bring home a limb too!

Of course, it was a stretch to say the Lion’s Pride Tavern, which Rook had entered just minutes ago for the first time, was his 'home' by any stretch. But he was going to cut down the monster, and mount it on the wall, and they would all tell tales of his bravery! There was no question in the quick's mind why they fought—to fight was to breathe, to live, to excel! I will be great. We will fight and win!

He was certain.

Having made his point, Rook dusted off his hands, shouldered his rebar, and pattered back outside to watch from the window.