A Bright Dark

**Date Started:** July 7th, 2021
**Date Completed:** Ongoing
**Previous Role-Play:** N/A
**Users Involved:** User: Starving SKeleton, User:Blackdagger
**Setting:** Clover Kingdom
**Characters Involved**:
**Other**: Goliath, Cashmere Cassius, Cheshire Cassius, Madelynn

Clover Kingdom.

A kingdom known for its grandiose dreams and ignorance of reality. A country built upon hypocrisy and delusion. Nobles and royals who berated, demeaned and dehumanized all who weren't lucky enough to share their blood. Even those born within its walls were subjected to harsh treatment. It was truly a fool's kingdom. But he didn't care about any of that. The giant who rode upon a horse just as large. A monstrous yet majestic beast which carried its master without the slightest pant. Several smaller horses and men covered in dark cloaks rode behind him.

"You should've brought your brat with you, my king." The one closest to him said. A deep voice belonging to a seasoned bandit. "He's getting big. Only 8 years and already beating up my teenage boys."

"Or maybe your boys are just that weak?" Another responded with a teasing laugh. "Though could you be shocked that our king's children are already besting ours? If it was any other way...then our king's lineage would've been snuffed out long ago. But I woulda loved a chance to see that boy of yours in action. Really test his mantle."

"He's not ready." The largest of them all finally spoke. And the night air itself shivered with an almost ancient power. Almost as if the surrounding forest would have responded.

"Well ya better get him ready and soon. Before that phony chief catches wind of whose children they really are-" The man farthest away froze at his master's slightest head movement.

"*Ooooooooh*" The woman spoke again. "Someone's about to get their head turned sideways."

"I'm sorry, King Goliath. Please forgive me, I was just worried about-"

"We're approaching Clover." Goliath responded.

"Oh yeah that's right my king, how the hell are we supposed to break in? I mean it ain't like you're the most conspicuous person." Veronica asked.

"A King does not sneak or break into his future kingdom. I have several soldiers prepared to let us in. And from there we'll walk to our destination before heading back out."

"Speaking of which...what *is* our destination?"

"The Cassius Family manor. Nobles connected to the Clover Kingdom royal lineage and possessors of the book that I'm after." Goliath spoke.

"We're doing all of this for a book?" Another responded.

"Not just any book. One that'll take me to the next step." Goliath said with a sharp smile. His red eyes gleaming in the night air.

**...**
The Cassius manor was quiet, still in the night with nary a soul walking amongst the extravagant halls but for the night guard and the few staff that remained away to prepare for tomorrow's duties. The Noble family however were fast asleep, tucked into their beds warmth by the hearth of their fireplace.

In the dead of night the silence was broken. Not by footsteps, nor alarms, or warnings. But the large grandfather clock in the hall beyond the great library which chimed its dings as it did every hour on the hour. This time it signaled the start of a new day, the full moon beaming in through the glass of an uncovered window to reveal to no one that the clock read exactly twelve o'clock this night. It chimed for no one, the family and staff hardly taking notice to its sound anymore, like white noise blocked out by the brain it went ignored for better or for worse.

"When did you Curse them, my king." Veronica asked in reference to the fact there was a suspicious hole in the Clover Kingdom's barrier which allowed the small group easy access. Combined with the lack of nearby Magic Knights thanks to Lazarus's illusory magic. It was the perfect infiltration.

"Magic Knights are always sending their servants on scouting missions. All it took was kidnapping a few straddlers and implanting them with my magic. The rest is history." Goliath answered. They were upon the Cassius Manor. A rather impressive house that would make a royal happy let alone a simple noble. "But that doesn't matter. What's important is that our plan goes smoothly."

"Of course my King," The fattest, Lot, said with a wide grin beneath his hooded cloak. "But are we allowed to kill them all and eat their magic?"

"Do whatever you want Lot. As long as you don't get in my way. You all have your orders...Now go." Goliath ordered. However his hand quickly grabbed the smallest of his troupe while the others leapt into the various windows and doors. Shattering glass. Breaking stone statues. A loud and obnoxious explosion of magic and spells being thrown about.

"Yes my lord." Salazar said.

"I've a new plan for you. I gave you a different cloak...Its a Magic Tool I brought from an old crane outside of Heart Kingdom. There aren't many like it and cost more than your life is worth. That is why you must prove to me Salazar, that I made the right investment."

"How so, my lord?"

"You're not going to partake in tonight festivities. I need you to wait several houses down until you receive my signal." Goliath's hand glowed a soft blue with a dim light crawling from his finger onto Salazar.

"Of course." He replied before vanishing.

"Now," Goliath stepped off his horse which revealed just how massive the man stood. Enough that he needed to bend into the house's door. "Time for me to take the first step towards my destiny."

From around the corner came the guards, several men, some in armor others not but all with Grimoire's open and weapons ready. "You dare step foot in the Noble house of Cassius? You ruffians should have stuck to robbing carriages!" A man who stuck out from the rest spoke, young but with an air of maturity in his commanding voice. The leader of his houses' guard, confirmed as he waved his hand in ordering the others to move upstairs to protect the family.

"If you surrender now I'm sure the head of house will show you mercy, don't take another step!" The man spoke up once again, ready to retaliate with a spell. "What say you?"

Several explosions rocked the ceiling. Roars and screams as bodies hit the floor. Blood leaking throughout the creaks the in the wood. Goliath could see their ceiling darken in a deep red before drops of blood rained upon them. Yet he remained calm. Removing his hood to reveal his sharp gaze.

'Mercy is for the weak. If you're strong than show you me why you deserve to live?" Goliath vanished. Despite his monstrous size, he was able to seemingly zip from enemy to enemy. His arms swinging with tremendous precision. He dared not waste his sword's reputation on these nobodies. Rather he dispatched them with deathly chops and powerful strikes. Leaving none but the captain alive.

With wide eyes still not fully recognizing what had just happened, the guard captain made his move as thorny vines began to break through the marble flooring of the entrance hall. Whipping up toward the behemoth in an attempt to restrain him, "Lowly fiends, the lot of you! No Mercy then." The man shouted.

Goliath looked at the vines and smirked. "Childish magic. But I'll use this time to issue you a warning. Tell me where this family keeps their treasures and I shall allow you to live."

A moment of hesitation shown in the eyes of the guard captain but as quickly as it showed itself it vanished, "As if I'd ever ally myself with someone on borrowed time! My poison plant magic has toxins coursing through those thorns I've got wrapped around you. Beg for your life and I'll remove the poison, Bandit Scum." The man spoke with an almost sadistic smirk on his face, thinking he'd all but won this battle.

"These thorns?" Goliath asked jokingly. He raised his arms and flexed his massive muscles, causing his insanely defined musculature to bulge beneath the cloak as well as the thorns to shoot from his flesh. "My people have called the Grand Magic Zone you all fear home for generations." He laughed. "Our resilience is second to none."

**"Nerve Curse Magic: Algea Embrace**

Deep purple threads of mana crept from his body in a manner similar to the captain's vines. However they branched out upon one another. Latching onto his skin and slowly crawling up his body until they appeared to brand themselves onto him. Suddenly an explosion of pain would erupt from within his body. A pain so deep and sharp. Continuous waves consisting of stabbing, burning, and freezing. Everything the body could conjure up yet kept at a level that'd allow the captain to barely speak.

"I've only one use for you. Tell me where their greatest treasure is." Goliath asked. Usually bargaining like this wasn't apart of his modus operandi. However, he needed information. What he came for wouldn't be in some easily accessed room. And only a few members *would* actually know its location. "Do you really wish to die protecting the secrets of a family that cares not for you?" Goliath continued.

Elsewhere Veronica and the others continued to ransack the manor. Their blades dying the walls and floors red as servants, maids, guards, noblemen and noblewoman fell. Anyone who tried to escape found their means of egress blocked by a thick barrier. Their muttered screams silenced into muffled *womps.*

The pain he felt all but washed out all his thoughts, on his knees and barely remaining in that position it felt like he was on fire and being electrocuted all at once but death didn't seem to come. It was only now that he realized how bad the situation was, how bad it could be.

"Please... It's... the vault is in the cellar." He begged for the behemoth in front of him to stop. "All their gold... just pull on the candle stick, the on the wall at the bottom step."

The guard captain used all his strength to look up at the man in front of him, pain evident on his face. "J-just let me go, I'll even take you there."

Goliath smiled. His magic dissipating from the captain's body as he looked down at the poor victim. "You've done more than enough." Goliath chose to let the man live since he did what was asked, albeit with a little incentive. His arm flickered. A swift strike to the captain's neck meant to knock him unconscious. The monstrous beast wasn't like his underlings. No. He didn't believe in meaningless murder of helpless enemies since such victories besmirched the reputations of great warriors. The captain gave up and fulfilled his purpose without an ounce of fight.

However, when Goliath finally reached the vault after following the instructions, the crimson eyed invader clenched his fist. "I should've expected that. The world is full of fools who value useless metal and rocks over the ultimate treasure, knowledge." He turned his back. Leaving the family's endless treasure untouched as he continued his search.

"That idiot probably doesn't even know where *it* is. I need to find the head of this family." Goliath said. He darted through the hallways towards what he suspected to be the largest magic power in the building besides his own.

**...**
Cashmere ran down the halls of the manor, blood staining her nightwear from the intruders she'd encountered thus far. Gripped in her hand like a vice was the wrist of her daughter, the young child no older than four at the time looked forward with tired eyes and little in the way of understanding the circumstances that surrounded them.

Having grabbed the child while her husband took some of the guard to attend to the elderly members of the family they'd all agreed to meet beyond the walls of the manor but not long after she'd found Cheshire asleep in her bed she'd felt the erection of a magic barrier surround the house. Without time to wait for her fellow knights she took it upon herself to find and eliminate the caster, knowing that every second it stayed up more of her loved ones would die.

Passing the corpses of several guards, she stopped in front of the door to the Library, the large grandfather clock reading 12:08. Only eight minutes since its warning rang out, eight minutes since the attack had started. It was then that she noticed the approaching magic presence, strong, stronger than the others in the manor. No ordinary intruder.

Keeping her daugther at her back she readied herself, grimoire opening as she created twelve steel spears that surrounded her body in a vertical arch. At the end of the long hallway, through a wall burst forth the source of that magic, a man far larger and more imposing that herself. But she didn't flinch, she did not fear. As Vice Captain of the Aqua Deer she would face this foe for the sake of her family. The spears launched forward, flying through the air toward her target with enough speed to shatter every window they passed.

But the massive man was the descendant of an endless warrior lineage. The brother of God King David himself, both of which carried Solomon's potent blood. Her weaponry would be no more effective than trying to drown a fish. However the speed upon which they flew brought a smile to Goliath's mighty maw. For it confirmed his initial theory when he first entered their home. Cashmere wasn't some random noble tasked with babysitting.

**Nerve Reinforcement Magic: Kama Embracement**

Goliath's body moved with sporadic and explosive power yet retained fluidity and elegance. Covered in light blue lines that branched across his skin like tree roots embedded deep within his flesh, he grabbed the first spear and spun around with a bodily twirl. The shining silver twisting around his body while reflecting the shining moon. He slammed its shaft against the oncoming javelins. Knocking them away with such power that each clang created a thunderous boom. Goliath ended single step sequence by throwing her weapon back.

"It's a good thing I came to you instead of my men. That attack alone would've skewered them alive!" Goliath roared with a boisterous laugh. The blue roots upon his skin shined even brighter against midnight's darkness. "But I'll admit that I'm here out of selfishness. The magic power I sense from you...only a fool would bypass such a challenge before I get what I came for."

Reaching out her hand the spear sent back her way collided with her palm, but rather than run it through the metal flattened and molded around her arm to create something resembling a gauntlet.

"Tch" A sound of frustration escaped her lips. She didn't have the room to use her magic effectively, not without tearing their home to shreds, not while protecting Cheshire. But she knew she couldn't just let this monster rampage through her home and it was clear he was looking for a fight.

A steel dome formed around Cheshire, using a great deal of her magic to reinforce it, even if it put her at a disadvantage magic-wise, winning would be pointless if her daughter didn't live to see tomorrow. "Stay in there, Chesh. Everything'll be alright." She gave the girl those parting words as steel armor formed over her body.

The moment it finished forming, like a bullet she took off down the hall. "How much blood have you spilt on this night and for what reason?!" She yelled with a hiss in her voice, her grimoire glowing a deep metallic silver as several more lances formed around her.

"Steel Creation Magic: Pin Cushion Punishment!" She cast as the lances began to spin like drills, shooting forward toward Goliath in another volley.

Goliath's monstrous body would find it rather difficult to maneuver in such a tight space, a sentiment shared by the woman charging at him. Under his current spell, magic exploded throughout his nervous system. Reinforcing its durability, functionality and overall purpose while granting Goliath complete control over his subconscious functions. The result being time moving at an extraordinarily slow pace to the point it felt like Goliath had froze with a simple blink.

"Consider the spilt blood the sacrifice for dreams of grandiose!" Goliath flexed his muscles in response. He jumped and twisted through the volley, punching and kicking the spear's shafts. Allowing him to handle the brunt of the attack. However, a slight misstep caused by her intensity lead to a spear piercing his chest completely. He tensed his pectoral muscles to keep it from flying through him completely.

Yet Goliath didn't follow with a retort.

"Do not waste your magic protecting your daughter." He said with a warm smile. His eyes soft despite their ferocious crimson hue. "I'm a father of two strong warriors myself. In fact, I'm sure our children's children would be unlike anything ever seen before, especially my youngest, Samson." Goliath laughed. He slowly pulled out the spear from his chest with a slight wince. "Besides, any victory against you with such a handicap would be an insult to a warrior as mighty as myself. Send your daughter away from here and let that serve you as incentive to give this fight your all. She'll live to see another day regardless, you have my word."

Windows had been left open, even in the dark, and amidst the fight that occurred, a figure seemed to somehow reach it, standing directly above the window's opening. "Hey, Cashy! I'm finally her-" A soft voice, coming from a young girl with tied green hair, soft facial features, including a mouth that remained agape and green eyes that shined brightly.

"W-what's going on...here?" Madelynn asked, a Junior Knight of the third rank, she often came to her Vice Captain's house, she was, after all, the person closest to her in the squad. "Cashy...?"

Madelynn's presence was a surprise to be sure, and were she not already a woman of faith she might just have found herself a believer at the miracle of the Junior Knight's arrival. Though she wished the others had shown up as well.

The thick steel Sphere around Cheshire opened up and faded away, leaving a crying and confused child in its place. "Madelynn, take Cheshire and go! Get the other Knights after you've gotten her somewhere safe! Consider it an order! Keep Cheshire safe!" Cashmere called in a tone as firm and hardened as the steel woven armor she wore around her body. She trusted Maddie to get the job done even if the brute in front of her didn't keep his word about letting the child go, but she wanted the young witch to understand the gravity of the situation.

Keeping her eyes on the monster in front of her, she created another spear in front of her. Reaching out her armored hand took hold of the spear's shaft and she readied it for battle against the monster before her. "Whatever dreams you came here to fulfill will be snuffed out here and now, a promise from the head of the Noble house of Cassius." She spoke with venom in her voice toward the man who spoke of vile bloodstained dreams and yet promised her child safety.

Goliath took a similar stance except his arms were outward. He was a martial artist above all else. But he refrained from attacking, choosing to let the Junior Knight escape with the girl first to avoid drawing her into the effects of their clash. "You nobles cling tightly to your inherited power yet remained catered to daily. Your powers are no different than a sword encased in glass."

"I'll defeat you and find the Book of Kings."

"A-are you sure Cashy?!" Madelynn called out, though she already knew the answer. She jumped down the window, running down the hallway quickly, the girl's frail body barely managing to hold up as she sprinted with Cheshire. The baby fit perfectly in her arms, and Madelynn's eyes widened, as she looked back at the fight that would continue without her. A fight between a warrior of steel and a giant of darkness...just who would win?

"Win, Cashy! Win and come to us! I'll call the others, I promise!" And with that Madelynn, along with Cheshire, we're gone. Her communication device beginning to ring already.

Cashmere didn't look back toward Madelynn, as much as she'd have liked to, and as much as she'd have liked to go with them. The moment the intruder mentioned that book she knew she had to stay and fight. To end him and find a safer place to hide such an item, some place far from the Cassius manor.

Her metal armor clinked as she glided backwards in a single stride, thrusting the spear forward toward the man. But it didn't reach, she knew it wouldn't and her strike had been like that on purpose. "Piercing Heavens gate!" She yelled as the spear extended outward with the speed of a viper's strike as she aimmed for the heart of the behemoth resembling a devil in her eyes.