Headed by a Snake

Tycondrius stared thoughtfully at the haphazard pile Suka had summoned...

Choose a weapon? How asinine...

He could perform effective murder with any standard military weapon.

But still... having the freedom of choice was a luxury.

Walking over, he began sifting through the assortment. Thankfully, when he delved through his memories with Sasarame's help, he grew familiar with more than a few of the unique, enchanted Sol Invictus weaponry Suka provided...

The most easily identifiable was a flat, massive, and blunt weapon-- ugly and with a dull edge.

Its name was Dread.

Dragan called it... a sword. He was the only member of Sol Invictus with the strength to wield it as such. The Titanblood had once told him the black, light-swallowing metal was called... 'Infant Annihilator'... supposedly the 'death-liest' metal known to the Realm.

With no knowledge otherwise, Tycon accepted it as fact.

He lifted the impossibly heavy sword with great difficulty, even considering his Gold-Rank physique. It was far heavier than even adamantine... and with the metal's obvious scarcity, the junk-looking weapon was far more powerful than it seemed.

"So you pick THAT weapon!!" Suka laughed, then forced her voice as hoarse and as deep as she could, "I... SHOULD'VE KNOWWNNN!!!"

Tycon furrowed his brows, remembering that the girl had designated this as a test.

...Then he decided that he did not particularly care. He would do as he pleased.

"Dragan. Come here."

⟬ Droghan Ashlord, Iron-Rank Titanblood Berserker. ⟭

"Comin'!" The Titanblood jogged towards him, taking the offered weapon... with a surprising amount of obedience. The red-headed half-giant picked it up with ease, resting it over his shoulder, "Got it."

Tycon pursed his lips. This Dragan was clearly younger and smaller than the one he was used to... but he still stood taller than Zuko and of course, himself.

There was something slightly... off in the way he spoke. Tycon could attribute it to the fact that, again, Suka did not know Sol Invictus well enough to faithfully instill personalities into their mana-constructed forms.

Shaking the thought from his mind, he picked up a two-handed sword, made of a shimmering red and gold metal. Its design was far more... ornate-- bordering on ostentatious. It was an Elven sword.

It felt much... different than it should have, but it was clearly supposed to be Zuko's signature weapon. The real sword was instilled with a very... fickle weapon spirit. Hongyue would have never allowed Tycon to handle her without her explicit permission.

He tossed it over to the Sorcerer, "Zuko!"

"Got it," The pale elf caught the blade.

Finally, he picked up a long-barreled Turathi rifle, tossing it much more carefully than the previous two, "Gobsuke."

The child-sized goblin hopped up, catching it with both hands. He did not offer a word of acknowledgment.

...It seemed that Suka got one personality right.

The young lady stomped her foot upon the Dungeon stones, fuming, "That's-- that's not!! Argh!! You! YOU pick a weapon!!"

Tycon sighed, walking over to the young Shadow Snake.

...

"What-- what are you doing?!" Suka took a half-step backward, "You didn't pick yet??!"

W-was he going to choose her?! She wasn't a weapon!! She specifically stated he had to choose A WEAPON!!

Her heart felt like it was about to give out as she stared into the Ivory Prince's golden eyes. She'd experienced it so many times before... but this was-- oh noOoOo! This was the actual Ivory Prince (maybe) walking towards the actual her!

Suka wasn't ready! She wasn't readyyYyyY!!

He stood over her and leaned down to meet her gaze... just ilms away.

He was close enough to smell her breath. He was close enough... to kiss her.

Oh, no... she left the spearmint leaves at home...

"You're trembling."

Suka gulped. She opened her mouth to argue but... no words came out.

She felt his strong hand holding her lower back... he was going to pull her close and... and...

"Eep!!" His other hand was touching her thigh. The feelings she was experiencing was... out of this Realm.

"I'll be taking this," Tycon smirked.

Suddenly, he released her and stepped back... making Suka feel a dozen different shades of relief... and TEN THOUSAND YEARS OF DISAPPOINTMENT!!!!

Tycon pulled the sword out of its catch, inspecting the blade, "This will do."

Suka's eyes widened as she glanced down at her side. The Ivory Prince had taken her sword!!

That!! THAT!!!

...That was the right answer to her test.

W... why did he have to choose that sword?

"That..." Suka gulped, grimacing... her lips quivering like crazy... "That was the only weapon you weren't allowed to pick..."

"I like this one," Tycon smiled... a gorgeous, heart-shaking smile. He replaced the blade into its sheath and adjusted the weapon belt onto his own waist, "I'm assuming that my companions will die if they are killed in your sister's Shadow Realm?"

"Y... yeah..." Suka responded, all of her energy whisked far, far away...

"...Young lady, are you crying?"

Suka wiped at the corners of her eyes, "N... no..."

Tearing up a little was NOT the same as crying!

"Last question," Tycon gestured towards the members of Sol Invictus. "Is it your mana signature that controls these... add-ons?"

Suka nodded quietly... It was so embarrassing that the Ivory Prince now knew that she made likenesses of her heroes (besides Prince Droghan-- that meathead could burn forever in the Eternal Battlefield.)

She felt Prince Tycon's hand on her chin... and she looked up. Close. He was too close.

Again, her heart started beating like it wanted out, out, OUT of her chest.

He thumbed the front of her chin... and she opened her mouth very slightly. Oh.

She felt a slow and steady pressure on her lower back again... but this time he did pull her close. Oh. Oh, no...

Suka had absolutely no idea where to put her hands.

But she did know to close her eyes.

And then Suka was kissed by the Ivory Prince.

...MmMpHHh!!! ...TONGUE!!!

AHHHH!!!!!!

Her eyes shot open. The Ivory Prince was deep-kissing her!!!! She didn't even go that far with-- AHHH!!!!

She couldn't think anymore! Her mind was completely blank! What was happening?! Why was she here?! Her chest was thumping so painfully!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

...

Tycon released his kiss... but furrowed his eyebrows upon seeing the girl's expression.

Her eyes were wide and her pupils were dilated, staring into space.

...Did she... break?

He gently wiped the corner of her lips with his thumb. She was drooling.

Initially, he was going to apologize for forcibly kissing the young lady. However, considering her reaction, he wondered if she would thank him for it-- or if he should have charged coin for the service.

...That was assuming this was a positive reaction and not a horrified one. He was very handsome, so he would assume it was the former.

The young Shadow Snake fancied herself as his future wife. He wasn't quite willing to wed someone he did not know well... but a simple kiss was innocent enough.

He had his System copy the mana signature in her saliva. It was an additional advantage he could possibly utilize. He liked being thorough.

"I'll be going then, Suka," Tycon smirked, trying to keep his amusement in check.

"H... have a nice trip..." She muttered.

Tycon put the visor down on his helmet, turned, and walked towards the next battle... "Sol Invictus, with me."

...

He walked quietly with the members of his guild, down a street of burning buildings. They turned a corner, finding a small group of half-a-dozen Snake Cultists killing and torturing an elderly couple.

Tycon casually cut a man's legs off. Dragan cleaved a man from top to bottom with Dread, damaging the road in the process. Zuko lit the rest of them on fire. Gobsuke watched in silence.

"Oh, come on!!" Quay complained, "I didn't get to do anything!"

"Quay, you'll be fine," Tycon frowned... "You'll get the chance to act soon, I'm sure."

The sandy-blonde elf bit his words and pouted.

Tycon crossed his arms, looking at his companions. Their combat prowess was solid... but the atmosphere was slightly off.

"My gentlemen companions... tell me your thoughts on the current situation."

They were in a Reality Marble, ominously called the Shadow Realm. The setting was a town set ablaze by the Snake Cult... somewhere in the Holy Country, it seemed. Still, he wished to know their minds on the matter.

Pathfinder Quay drew his straight blades, flourishing them fantastically, "I'm an elf, a masterful master of the BLADE DANCE!!!"

Fair.

The young, red-headed Titanblood, Dragan, pointed a meaty thumb at his chest, "I'm an idiot that can't cast a single spell! And I recklessly charge into every battle, because I'm stupid and it's eventually gonna get me killed!!"

Mostly true.

The pale elf, Indrazeal Zuko, crossed his arms, "I act cold and aloof because I don't want my closest friends to know that I secretly enjoy their company."

Accurate.

Tycon grimaced... "None of those responses addressed my question."

He looked to Gobsuke.

The goblin shrugged, idly inspecting his Turathi rifle, "Concerning the situation... it makes me question why I hang out with you guys."

Tycon took a deep breath and sighed... He was going to do something he would regret. The sun seemed filled with situations of that nature.

« System, change settings: ...I need these mana-constructs personalities restored according to compiled data. »

⟬ System response: Settings are locked and require administrator access. ⟭

« System, override using Suka's mana signature. »

⟬ Overriding... Setting changes complete. ⟭