It's really late...

Critzer :3

Uh... Are you sure you're bringing all those weapons with you? Just checking.

I also read the entire bio. It wasn't exactly a good bedtime story. :c

But otherwise, accepted. ;D

Oh dang. I didn't think I'd have to personally say it, but Ember and Winter Grey are accepted.

@Liminori, oh, I'll go with the key, then.

(OOC: I stayed up way too late to finish this today, but it's totally worth trolling you guys. If there are any typos, please point them out. Also, there is a slight chance that this piece is subject to change, because I'm laying down a framework for the entire story at 2. AM. How am I trolling you, you ask? I'm offline for the next week, so that's that. Also, that part there? It totally means what you think it does. Oh, right. Enjoy! -Hexlash)

1/14(?)

As Critzer arrived at the Silver Elites' Guild Hall, a woman standing by the entrance with a large lavender ball gown waved to her, dark blues eyes beaming.

"Hello there, is this the Gathering of the Aspirers?" Critzer asked, presenting her invitation. The somewhat aged woman didn't bother to glance at it and instead clasped Critzer's outstretched hand.

"Welcome, welcome! My name is Bella, please, head on in and make yourself comfortable, deary. It's getting dark out." Bella ushered Critzer in before she could ask any questions. Critzer supposed there wasn't much to worry about, considering how open Bella seemed.

When she entered, she took a moment to take in the lavish amenities and luscious accommodations. It was unexpected, and left her a bit bewildered.

"Greetings." Critzer turned her attention towards a woman with a silk dress and a tome head lightly in her arm. "I too, took a moment to appreciate the extravagance of Bella's establishment. Truly remarkable. I am Madam Winter Grey." Winter Grey smiled politely.

"Oh, hey, I'm Critzer! Do you know exactly what this gathering is about?" Critzer asked. Winter Grey shook her head.

"I am afraid not. Perhaps one of the other guests know," she suggested, stepping back. Critzer nodded and walked on, curious.

A knight in Dusker armour walked out of a hallway to the left, glancing behind him before noticing Critzer, who decided to ask him if he knew anything.

"Hello, what's your name? I'm Critzer," she said, approaching him. The knight seemed to hesitate a moment.

"I'm Cross, what do you want?" he asked flatly. Critzer faltered at the reply, and her eyes narrowed.

"I want to watch the world freaking burn, but I guess you can't help me with that." Critzer grinned cheerfully and pushed past him.

Critzer noticed the groups of people chatting but decided not to bother asking them. The guild doors suddenly came to a close, and she whirled around. One of the guests, the one who had just entered, carried a katana at her hip. Behind her, Bella sealed the door, signaling the arrival of all the guests.

Critzer wondered why a guest was permitted weaponry, subtly tracing her fingers over her concealed Magma Driver. After a quick look around the lavish Guild Hall, she decided to try and ask Bella again, but she had already disappeared again. Instead Critzer went to speak to the newest guest. When she approached the woman clad in Valkyrie, she took a closer glance at the weapon, noticing that it was bound to its scabbard.

"Hi, I'm Critzer, who are you?" she asked.

"Hello. My name is Altria."

"Just wondering, how come you've got a weapon?" Critzer asked, pointing to the katana.

"I settled an agreement with the hostess, Bella. You shouldn't concern yourself over the matter." Altria replied with disdain.

"Oh, okay," Critzer said, not particularly offended. "By the way, do you have any idea what this-"

"Dinner is ready, dear guests! Please make your way into the dining hall," Bella called, standing beside the hallway to the right.

"Let us make our way to the dining hall, you may resume your query there," Altria said, making her way over to where Bella was standing. Critzer nodded happily and followed.

When they arrived, they chose a round table nearest the door and sat down. A knight with an intriguing verdant, clawed arm entered the dining hall, another guest thanking them as he walked over to another table. The knight with the clawed arm walked over to their table.

"Hey, I'm Davjo, mind if I ask your names and perhaps sit here?" Their voice further intrigued Critzer.

"I'm Critzer." Critzer jabbed herself with her thumb.

"I am Altria, and I accept your request; you may sit, Davjo." Davjo pulled out the cushioned chair and sat down.

"Nice arm. I bet you kill lots of people with it," Critzer commented. Davjo flexed the claws.

"No, I definitely don't kill people," they replied with a nervous laugh. Altria cleared her throat.

"I've seen more interesting things. What was it that you wanted to ask, Critzer?" Altria said.

"I was wondering-"

"Come and get it!" a man clothed in a chef's attire yelled out. He lifted silver lids off appropriately silver containers which lined a silk clothed long table, filling the hall with scrumptious smells.

Critzer sighed angrily, but rose with the others to go retrieve their food.

A girl with Emberbreak armour rocketed to the buffet table, grabbing several plates which she filled to the brim with selections from the first half of the containers. As the line began to form, the girl returned to her table, adjacent Critzer's table and began chatting amiably with the cook.

"Are you sure you're not actually a crook? Because this food is scandalous!" the girl joked, quite loudly. Several guests groaned, but the cook gave out a hearty laugh as he left to refill the depleted food stock.

After everyone at Critzer's table had finished gathering food, Critzer was finally able to finish her question.

"Does anyone know what exactly this Gathering of Aspireres is about?"

The gluttonous girl, who was just walking back from the buffet table with another armload of plates, turned around to face their table upon hearing Critzer's question.

"I don't know, but I think it should be called the Gathering of Acquirers! Look at all this stuff," she cried joyfully, before setting her plates down and seating herself.

"Anyway," Davjo said, "I myself have never heard of them. Not sure how they know about me, that's for sure."

"Nor I," Altria added. "I doubt they would invite just anybody, though." She gave a curt glance in Critzer's direction.

The rest of the dinner passed somewhat uneventfully.

By the time all the guests had completed their meals, Bella had set up the staging area. Critzer was one of the first people there. When everyone had settled down, Bella proudly turned on the mic, behind her, three objects on a silver clothed table were obscured by thick, black silk coverings.

"I am so happy that you all came out to the annual Gathering of Aspirers."

Critzer couldn't resist raising her hand. Bella noticed and threw back a tiny nod and smiled.

"Some of you may not have heard of the Gathering of Aspirers. However, I know you are all anxious for the awards, as I am, so I shall present them before I give you the whole speech." Bella's navy eyes seemed to twinkle with an overworldly glow.

"The Gathering of Aspirers is a special event I host to celebrate the prospective future that you all have. The potential of each and every one of you is undeniable, and I want to encourage you to strive for the stars. Though it may not seem so at first glance, you are capable of so much and more. You have proven this in ways that you may have noticed, or not, but in the end, it doesn't matter. You are all so special, and so important, to me and the community you reside in. I wanted to honour those commitments and contributions in an event where you could see just how amazing you are. Those around you have watched you grow and develop, whether directly or not. You all provide so much to our community, and I had to show you just how amazing you all truly are." The glow in Bella's eyes seemed to recede, as if she'd returned from some daydream.

"And one day, we might just be able to return to Isora, with your help." Bella finished with a little huff. "Oh dear, I've been babbling before the speeches! Back to the awards.

With the largest smile Critzer thought was possible for Bella's petite face, she reached behind her, grasping one of the coverings.

"Presenting..." Bella yanked the cloth off, revealing a sword, forged of pure sun silver, glistening brightly under the lights. The design was reminiscent of the honour blades, but was far superior in terms of craftsmanship. "The Silver Sword, to Cross! Come on, come up!"

Though Bella hadn't specified why exactly Cross, who had stood up, received the award, she joined the round of applause, not entirely recalling her earlier encounter.

"Good job, Boss!" Critzer leaned over to Davjo, who had sat next to her and whispered, "that's what his name was, right?"

Davjo leaned back and replied, "Cross is his name, he's a great guy."

"Good job, Coss!"

Cross received the sword and somewhere, Critzer thought she heard, "Criss-Cross."

Bella gestured toward the crowd, and the applause died as Cross took the mic. Bella shuffled off to the back, behind Critzer, who had sat at the back.

"I don't know what to say," Cross began. Despite wearing a helmet, his proximity to the mic caused his voice to boom outward, making it seem like there was something behind Critzer. "When I received the, uh." Cross paused. "The invitation, I really had no idea, that I'd be standing up here, with this magnificent sword and -"

There was a piercing screech, and the lights flashed before going out with a crackle. Critzer was up on her feet instantly. Suddenly, Critzer felt like the floor had shifted and she was falling toward the stage. There was yelling and shouting, some of it coming from Critzer. Something forced past Critzer and she fell of balance, there was a shatter of some vases. She thought she saw Davjo's arm flash outward, but the entire ground shifted again, moving backward. The next few moments were extremely confusing.

"Hey!"

A clatter as some things or people fell.

"Get away fro~"

"~ands off!"

There was a burst of magical energy that surged out from directly ahead of Critzer.

"Arg!"

"~at's goi~"

There was a bloodcurdling scream, whoever it belonged to was unidentifiable.

"Stop, som-"

Critzer reached for her Magma Driver, but then shouted, "Dangit!" It was pointless to try and fire in the darkness.

"Get out of the~"

"Ah!"

There was metallic groan that shook the area, sending vibrations throughout Critzer's body. Then something collided with the ground. The floor shifted sharply upward, and Critzer toppled backward, someone falling on her.

The ground creaked and slowly settled back down, still slightly tilted. There was a snap and crack, and the lights came back on.

The stage was in ruin, a chandelier had fallen, colourful crystal shards laid strewn across the ground, some of the walls had bent. Everyone was on the ground, some moaning, but quite rapidly, everyone was back on their feet.

A man quickly pushed himself off Critzer and helped her up. It took a second before Critzer noticed a blade extending from underneath one of his sleeves. The tip was bloodied.

"I knew something was going to happen," Altria said. The wall which Critzer was against was the only leading back into the Guild Hall lobby left standing, the other had been torn off, leaving a gaping hole into the Clockworks.

A massive conglomerate of metal was piled just outside, next to the gaping hole. Predominantly, one of the Clockwork's titanic gears had toppled over, broken and shattered.

Critzer gasped, being the first to see it.

The bottom half of the chef was visible underneath the collapsed heap, with the Silver Sword protruding from his chest.

@Ember, ah, so you see where this is going. Also, you have no idea. Besides the plot, the puns were the hardest thing to write, I actually had to be witty. It was difficult, but I'm glad the ones I made sufficed. XD

@Thinslayer, you're too kind! (But I feed off the lauding, so I've got that going for me). More importantly, the bad criticism is the best thing you could have given me. To be honest, I have never considered describing the characters, and now that I think about it, that has always been something I lacked. I'm not sure why, but I just don't describe people. Perhaps I feel like it's unnecessary or cumbersome, but I will most definitely take that into account form now on.

Another crime I admit guilty to: I don't fully read through my writing after it's done. I always have apprehension when I read my own writing, look at my own drawings, or anything like that, and I'm just too excited to release it, so that's the source of all the syntax faults. I promise I'll make a greater effort of editing and revising my work from now on, as to not impeded upon the story's flow.

I am also aware of the, in a sense, 'awkwardness' of that particular scene involving Bella's pride. I didn't feel the need to elaborate on the discussion that was exchanged between Bella and Ember, partly because the story was already starting to become too lengthy, and I felt as if the most involved concepts could just be stated at that point. I'll take into account producing a more generalized description, since in the end, it'll be easier on me, and more liberating for you guys. =P

As for the aftermath, I sympathize, because it was only until recently (recently being the time I released part two) that I had a clear vision of how things were situated.

One thing that I would like to bring up, however, is the format in which I've chosen to write the story. Keep in mind what I've hinted at, from the title of the story and everything.

@Liminori, I'm obligated to remain silent, for the sole purpose of increasing tension and suspense. >:3

@Critzer, I see what you mean, and I'll definitely strive to reproduce that kind of attitude again! Also, that description you wrote was marvellous, I completely follow what you mean, because of it. Frankly, I would expect a lot of other MMOs to use aesthetics as late game, but now that you mention it, only SK comes to mind. :o

@Everyone, thank you again! Unfortunately, the next part is currently in a tentative state, because my winter break is over, and I won't have time to sit in a car or a plane just writing. Instead I'll be stressing over some exams. I also got caught up writing stories for another medium, so I've got that bogging me down as well. But I want to make my promise that this fan fiction will be completed. I wonder what you guys are wondering is next...?

3/14(?)

The air was brisk as Madam Winter Grey approached the designated location. An elegantly dressed woman stood post by the door, face lighting up when she spotted Winter Grey.

"Hello! You're the first to arrive. Welcome," she said. Winter Grey smiled in response.

"Greetings, I am Madam Winter Grey."

"I am Bella, and I'm very glad that you came."

"Of course. The event sounds pleasant," Winter Grey replied.

"Well I do hope you enjoy yourself." Bella gingerly smoothed out some wrinkles on her elegant purple gown. Winter Grey looked into Bella's dark blue eyes.

Prideful, modest and truthful.

"Thank you." She walked past Bella, entering through the Guild Hall's large doors. The inside was immense and lavishly decorated, slightly to Winter Grey's surprise, but more notably, Winter Grey noticed that her invitation was not checked.

As Bella had said, Winter Grey was the first to arrive, leaving the massive room eerily void, despite its apparent capacity for at least forty people.

At the sound of voices, Winter Grey turned around as a guest arrived, face obscured by a Dusker Cap.

"Hello," Winter Grey said as he entered. "I am Madam Winter Grey."

"Oh, hey." The helmet obscured the guest's face, but Winter Grey could tell they were fairly young. "What?"

"I was just wondering what your name is." Winter Grey asked, narrowing her eyes at the knight's brusque reply.

"Cross."

"I see, thank you." Winter Grey grinned and walked off.

Wary, untrusting and curtly rude, Winter Grey thought. Something has or is irritating him.

A man in chef's attire walked out from a hallway to the right of the entrance, just as Winter Grey passed by.

"Heyo," he greeted.

"Hello there," Winter Grey replied. She was intrigued. "I am Madam Winter Grey. I assume we have the honour to be served by you this evening?"

"Indeed you do," the chef laughed. "It'll be a nice evening, I'm sure."

Confident, straightforward.

"Do you always cater for Bella?" Winter Grey asked.

"This is my first time here. As far as I know, this is the first gathering Bella has hosted in general." The chef shrugged. "Pardon, Miss Grey, I've got things to do." The chef briskly walked away, entering the hallway opposing the one he had come from.

Winter Grey turned around to see a new guest greeting Cross, who promptly walked off to one of the many couches as soon as possible. Winter Grey approached the guest, who spun around to face her, his yellow cloak sweeping.

"Hello, I am Madam Winter Grey."

"Winter Grey. That name sounds familiar," he said, narrowing his eyes. "I'm Chris, Chris Eden." He held out his hand to shake. Winter Grey took it with a nod. "Wait, you're a lieutenant for the Spiral Inquisition."

"Indeed," Winter Grey confirmed.

"I've met one of your agents," Chris said, frowning.

The two watched as another guest, wearing a Moonstone Tabard, entered. Winter Grey noticed Chris' intrigue at the green arm that the guest possessed. "Let's hope you don't need to interrogate anyone." Chris walked off to greet the newcomer.

Cynical, contemptuous perhaps, and curious.

As the two spoke, another guest arrived. She stood at the door momentarily, mouth gaping, eyes wide with awe. It was apparent that she herself revelled in vanity from the accessories that adorned her.

Impressed by wealth. Materialistic.

The girl joyously twirled to the centre of the room, where food was being provided, around a small fountain, sending her Hallow scarf spinning. Winter Grey spotted a crystal bowl filled with a bright orange juice and decided to have a glass, not entirely from thirst. She picked up one of the crystalline glasses set in a star shape adjacent the bowl and poured herself a cup.

"Hello, would you like a glass?" Winter Grey offered. She eyed the girl piling her plates with food. The girl ogled her expensive silk dress.

"That'd be great! My name's Ember, where'd you get that dress, same place as Bella?" Ember glanced down at Winter Grey's fancy high heels. "Ooh, nice shoes!"

Ember continued to ecstatically look over Winter Grey's apparel, even glancing at the tome that she carried, something whose importance warranted caution.

Greedy, yet somehow profitable.

Winter Grey gently placed her tome onto the table as she tolerantly filled another glass for Ember. Winter Grey handed the glass to her, not surprised to find that Ember was somehow able to hold the ridiculous amount of plates, in addition to the glass.

"My name is Madam Winter Grey."

"Is it because you think Winter's grey-tuh?" Ember seemed amused by her joke, so Winter Grey grinned and shook her head politely.

Dreadful wordplay. Coping mechanism, or perhaps a skewed sense of humour?

Winter Grey took a sip of the punch, which had a strong, but pleasant fruity flavour, and enjoyed the silence of the moment. Unfortunate, the moment didn't last too long.

"What political views do you think the Strangers hold?" Ember asked casually.
Caught off guard by the absurdly unprovoked question, Winter Grey took a second to think of an appeasing answer.

"I believe from their passive disposition, generous acts, as well as their persistence on Cradle, that they possess a political architecture unknowable to us. We could always ask them, I suppose."

Winter Grey finished the last of the punch as a new guest arrived. Not caring whether or not Ember noticed, she took the opportunity to depart, swiftly retrieving her tome and walking off.

The new arrival was decked in Hallow, and she unsurprisingly gaped at the lobby grandeur.

"Greetings," Winter Grey said. The girl's gaze dropped onto her. "I too, took a moment to appreciate the extravagance of Bella's establishment. Truly remarkable. I am Madam Winter Grey." Once again, Winter Grey mocked a smile.

"Oh, hey, I'm Critzer! Do you know exactly what this gathering is about?" Critzer asked. Winter Grey shook her head.

"I am afraid not," she replied. "Perhaps one of the other guests know." Winter Grey moved out of the way, allowing Critzer to move on. Critzer nodded slowly, looking into Winter Grey's eyes a moment more before she took off.

Curious, sweetly mannered, and yet there's something more.

Winter Grey watched as Critzer approached Cross, who had just re-entered the lobby from the leftmost hallway.

He looks troubled, she mentally noted.

Though she could only see the back of Critzer's Tailed Helm, she easily distinguished the sharp shift in tone, reading her body language like a book.

Unstable. How unfortunate.

It was dreary, having to converse with all the guests, and it quite frankly bored Winter Grey. She seated herself, watching the others commune and others banter. It came to the point when she began to wonder why she had come when the guest with the strange arm decided to approach her.

"Hello, you looked lonely," they said. Their tone betrayed neither a female nor a male tone. It was disorienting at first, but was not something that inhibited Winter Grey from reading into them.

"Hello," she replied, turning her head to face him.

"I'm Davjo, by the way," they said.

"Madam Winter Grey." The introductions were becoming more than redundant.

"You a friend of Bella's?" they asked.

"Not before today, but I am certain Bella is friends with us all."

"Mm. It seems strange doesn't it?"

Intrigued by the undisguised and open proposition, Winter Grey had to agree.

"It does," she said, locking her eyes onto Davjo's lavender ones. "You let on more than you should." With a subtle eye gesture, Winter Grey stood up, catching sight of Bella escorting a new guest into the hall.

Without needing to get close, it became immediately clear to Winter Grey the pride that exuded off of the Valkyrie clad arrival.

The woman turned to Winter Grey with judging green eyes.

"Hello." Her voice was cautious.

"Greetings, I am Madam Winter Grey," she replied, briefly catching a glance of Bella shutting the guild doors

"And I am Altria." The two ladies stood a moment more, before Altria flipped her brown hair and walked away.

Condescending and yet aware, Winter Grey thought with a smirk.

It wasn't long after that when Bella called the guests to dinner.

In the well furnished dining hall, with more than enough tables to accommodate everyone, Winter Grey was joined by Chris and Cross at her table. The insatiable girl in her heavily accessorized armour occupied a table solo, and the others occupied the table adjacent.

The dinner was everything that Winter Grey had expected, but through her idle and polite chatter, she observed.

"Where do you think all this came from?" Chris asked with a gesture to the lavish hall. Though the question was directed more towards Winter Grey, Cross shrugged indifferently.

Winter Grey paused her eating, tapping the sterling silver spoon against the silvergilt border along her plate.

"What do you think," she said with a smile that barely curled the tips of her lips.

"Because I ask questions to myself, not at all looking for answers." Chris rolled his eyes, but continued nonetheless. "Inheritance, I guess, but you'd think that someone so wealthy would be more prominent."

There was a glaring edge of suspicion in his voice.

"I do," was all of Winter Grey's input. The rest of the dinner went by with Cross wanting to say something, but maintaining his studious tough guy facade. The behavior both bothered and made sense to Winter Grey, so she gave him no more than an occasional glance.

The food and conversation held little appeal to Winter Grey, so when it came time for the awards, it was almost a relief.

A stunning interior greeted Winter Grey, who had fully expected it, when she entered the Gathering Hall with the others. Settling on a seat next to Ember at the front, Winter Grey turned her attention to the three obscured objects at the front.

With a hint of unrestrained excitement, Bella was up on the stage, microphone at the ready. Ember's pathetic plea, just audible above the background notice was no surprise to Winter Grey

"I am so happy that you all came out to the annual Gathering of Aspirers," Bella beamed, her eyes floated across the crowd
before focusing at the back. Bella nodded before resuming.

"Some of you may not have heard of the Gathering of Aspirers. However, I know you are all anxious for the awards, as I am, so I shall present them before I give you the whole speech." The queerest expression overcame Bella, as if she was not talking from herself but some place else, and for the first time in awhile, Winter Grey was geniunly curious.

"The Gathering of Aspirers is a special event I host to celebrate the prospective future that you all have. The potential of each and every one of you is undeniable, and I want to encourage you to strive for the stars. Though it may not seem so at first glance, you are capable of so much and more. You have proven this in ways that you may have noticed, or not, but in the end, it doesn't matter. You are all so special, and so important, to me and the community you reside in. I wanted to honour those commitments and contributions in an event where you could see just how amazing you are. Those around you have watched you grow and develop, whether directly or not. You all provide so much to our community, and I had to show you just how amazing you all truly are." The look eased off of Bella's face, but her jovial tone remained.

"And one day, we might just be able to return to Isora, with your help. Oh dear, I've been babbling before the speeches! Back to the awards."

Elated beyond belief, Bella reached for the edge of the cloth covering the first object. She looked rather frail standing next to it; a small woman in a fancy ball gown against a tall, imposing and ominously dark silhouette.

"Presenting..." Bella pulled the cloth off, with a flourish. A sword, literally glowing with its magnificent sat upon a pedestal.

Winter Grey was definitely impressed, but greatly unnerved by the unmasked flaunting of wealth. Her thoughts drifted back to Chris' query during the dinner.

"The Silver Sword, to Cross! Come on, come up!"

Now this was interesting. Bella hadn't explained her choice yet, prompting Winter Grey's suspicions to become further entrenched.

Handing out goods worth fortunes with scant reasoning.

As the others applauded, and commented on the award, Cross made his way up, unmistakably as shocked, perhaps even more, than the others. There was no chance he was faking his surprise.

"I don't know what to say." The microphone chose that moment to over amplify Cross' voice.

"When I received the, uh." Cross' reaction only confirmed what Winter Grey had suspected when she first met him. "The invitation, I really had no idea, that I'd be standing up here, with this magnificent sword and -"

A painful screech tore through the air, accompanied by a blinding darkness as all the lights shut off with an electric snap.

Winter Grey was already on her feet when panic began to proliferate across the guests.
The entire ground shifted suddenly, startling Winter Grey. Cries of fear joined the chorus of metallic groaning.

Winter Grey sensed movement, and then a thud as something landed. The floor shifted, and everything immediately fell in the opposite direction. Winter Grey lost her footing, and quickly said, "Ember." Winter Grey thruster her hand in the direction of the movement she had sensed and Ember's armour clad hand grasped hers. Balanced, Winter Grey let go.

"Hey!" Ember cried out, but Winter Grey ignored her, trying to make out the chaotic scene unfolding before her in the black darkness.

"~go!" Winter Grey turned to the sound, where Ember was, but it wasn't her voice. Something moved rapidly past her, and she stepped back. The thing hit the ground with a loud thud.

"~off!" A burst of light flashed off to Winter Grey's left, but when she looked, she saw only dark shapes fading back into the dark.

"What~"

"They're ov~"

"~on?"

"~ere!"

Winter Grey desperately tried locating the voices, when she saw a glint. A horrifying scream filled the air.

"Stop, someone's there," Winter Grey shouted, but only too late did she realize she did so in vain.

"~the way!"

Something fell onto the ground; it sounded like someone had thrown all the mirrors in Haven into a trash compactor.

"Ah!"

An impossibly loud groan reverberated the entire area, and then a crash filled Winter Grey's ears. Unable to have been able to keep her balance, she was tossed onto the ground. There was no way she could have balanced for long with high heels.

Slowly, the ground shifted back to some normalcy, and with it, Winter Grey got back onto her feet.

Electricity crackled and light came flooding back. The once majestic hall was in ruin, and people were scattered around, moaning.

Winter Grey looked to the centre of the carnage where a chandelier had exploded across the floor. She was surprised no one was underneath.

"I knew something was going to happen," Altria grumbled, standing by the grotesquely misshapen walls.

Winter Grey scanned the area, but nothing was immediately wrong. Everything looked as she expected, given the situation. Davjo pushing himself up, Chris helping up Critzer. Winter looked a bit back and narrowed her eyes. Cross was sprawled on the ground and his helmet had fallen off. Old scars a marred his unconscious face.

Before Winter Grey could consider this, there was a gasp where everyone was beginning to gather. Near what used to be the entrance, a mesh of metal surrounding a monumental gear sat next to a pit down into the Clockworks where a wall used to be.

Winter Grey briskly joined the crowd.

"Oh Isora."

Winter Grey's breath caught in her throat as she saw the body, crushed by the rubble, with the Silver Sword in all its magnificence, now cruel in its mocking glory, stabbed bloodily through the chest.

It was the chef.

Oh Thinslayer, how I have missed you so.

Liminori you sly fox. ;P