Chapter 49- Entreatmeant Begins

  Citadel- 3rd-floor balcony room - 25- 10- 2008 (Morning)

  Shanna O’Hara (She-Devil / Lancer)

  She could feel the vast sea of rage through her bond with her master. It had started when they were informed that Hathor had left to intercept Namor, and then compounded when Magneto and Exodus flew off to attack him as well. Yet it reached a whole new depth when Nath'aniel actually id eyes on the King of Atntis. And then the first thing they hear when they return to the Citadel just stirred this anger sea into a brewing storm.

  “The Bifrost has been detected in use on Earth… I am also now detecting Asgardians in the Preserve.”

  “It is too soon, I am not strong enough yet.” She heard her master mutter.

  Her sister must have read something off of him, because she rubbed his arm as she tried to encourage him. “You don’t know that, for all we know it could be Frey and his crew again.” Shanna then heard Assassin warn her telepathically. “He thinks they have sent people to kill him, one of their princes if they did.”

  She tightened her grip on her spear, as she let his anger boil over into her.

  "Why, I thought we were allies?" Magneto asked from outside of the building. The door on the balcony was still open from when they arrived. And they didn't give him enough room when they heard the Citadel's report.

  Nath'aniel took a deep breath before he answered. "If it were probably any other mage, they wouldn't care, but it's me that survived." As her master moved to a table, he released the spell that granted him armored skin, wings, and cws. They watched him pull out a chair before he sat down, once he did without them bothering him to expin that statement, he still did. "While nothing was written into agreement, there was a verbal agreement that I would marry Odin's daughter, it was his father Bor who was behind this. And with these people their word is their bond."

  "And after so many years, they may not want to or are unable to fulfill their end of the deal," Magneto muttered, as he finally was able to nd.

  Yet he was drowned out by the two Servants talking over both him and each other.

  “I didn’t think it got that far in the negotiations?” Betsy snapped at him.

  "I thought you said mages don't marry," Shanna growled out. Hearing her own words caused the wild woman to cover her own mouth in embarassment.

  Her master answered both her and her sister. “The conclusion was always reached more or less. It was more the minutia of the price, for the bridal gift if you will. And yes among our own people marriage is rare, but political marriages were understood and accepted… Our city lords would marry off their children to other city lords to ensure alliances and trade.'

  "And yes that is my fear, Erik. That she either was married off to someone else as I slept they thought me dead, or even the more unlikely case, that she no longer wants to be married off.” He smirked before muttering. “She was always a wild one, wanting to be a warrior instead of dy… and Odin would not only side with her, but wouldn't want to broadcast such a shame publicly again."

  Magneto nodded in understanding, while the two Servants absorbed this information.

  Then the mutant leader reached down to his belt and tapped an add-on on his belt, Shanna saw the odd ‘x’ icon light up as he pressed it. “Exodus or Quicksilver, there was a sudden event, and we may have some hostile Asgardians in the region, be on the lookout for them.”

  It took very little time before someone responded over the disguised radio the man had attached to his belt. A moment ter they heard from the device Exodus' voice say. "Confirmed, a rainbow of light incinerated some trees after you left, we found Frey, and two women were standing in its wake."

  A second ter Quicksilver added over the radio. "One is his squire, the one who spped me. You remember her right Dad?"

  But before the icon stopped glowing a woman's voice was caught by the radio. "Who are you talking to? Who was that you spoke with?" Shanna had sparred with all of Frey's crew when they were here earlier in the year, and she didn't recognize the voice.

  However, that conversation stopped as whoever had been activating their radio released the trigger for it.

  Her sister Servant then moved over to their master took his hand and told him. "Nathy dear, I don't think they are here to kill you. I think Frey kept his oath and has kept your survival a secret."

  "Then why are they here?" The mage asked, but the wild woman didn't think that he expected an answer from any of them. Still, Shanna could feel the stirring of her master's anger slowed as he took in her sister Servant's words. Nath'ainel nodded twice, and then spped his own face before asking. "What are we waiting for? We have people at our door, and it is Entreatmeant Day. So are we ready?" The Citadel herself answered first.

  “The constructs are ready and are awaiting your orders.”

  “Then let’s get this started, despite the distractions.” Her master said as he stood back up.

  Magneto nodded and floated back to the door, before he stopped and said. “I have to admit I was surprised to see that mercenary still alongside her. I thought the Ancient One said he was destroyed when he became her host.”

  Shanna could feel some of her master's anger fade as he had to think. "That's because she assumed the quickest conclusion." Nath'aniel theorized where the ancient sorceress failed. Then he expined. "Hathor didn't enter him to explore and experience our world as she did to that poor girl she is currently wearing. She did it to temper his soul and make him stronger. Do not think that he is the same man you fought before."

  Magneto nodded and then left. Shanna watched as her sister Servant straightened and fixed up their master’s appearance. ‘Maybe I should stop lying to myself.’ She thought as she felt a little jealous while she watched their intimate moment.

  Savage Lands – Entreatmeant gathering point- Oct 23, 2008 (Morning)

  Lady Red, formally Red Lion

  Baron Ivory had barred the newly named noble from following Countess Ursu. Instead, she was tasked with holding the countess' outer coat. A coat that now had several wrinkles from her wringing it in nervousness.

  Then a rge shadow covered much of the clearing. Everyone looked up, and they all saw a rge metal box, easily as big enough to store a Newman column of knights. The box was being held up by a pair of men, one she recognized as Exodus, a middle noble among the Brotherhood. Meanwhile, the other man was a barely dressed stranger.

  Yet the gathered representatives wasted little time to watch, as soon after many of the bravest of them returned from the jungle. A few got the chance to share hushed words with their groups. Yet not all, as the illusion off of to their left began to shimmer, and before long an opening in it appeared. From the opening men cd in metal rode out on metal mounts.

  ‘Not cd, but made from metal.’ Red corrected herself mentally. As she watched them march out holding banners at the end of their poled weapons.

  Once the opening was wide enough, the two Powered men carried in the rge metal box in ahead of the other any of the already gathered factions. Then many of those that hadn’t left to investigate moved to enter the protected area.

  A moment ter their countess returned to them.

  “What was the cause of the shockwave?” The Baron asked Ursu as she received her coat from Lady Red.

  “That odd Hathor woman attacked the naked man. Who apparently has some bad history with the Mages and the Brotherhood. But Nath'aniel reminded them that everyone was welcome here today, so she vanished. I am honestly surprised she didn't beat me back. Anyway, we should make our way inside too." The bear dy expined, while putting back on her garment and trying to straighten it.

  Hearing her that made Red look over towards the dark-skinned half-dressed human and his rger companion. True to the countess's words the two were standing there waiting. She watched them for a moment, and in between blinks the other lion-headed woman was just suddenly standing there beside them.

  Hathor winked at her, and again Lady Red felt her heat stir and awaken despite her taking another half-dose booster, while everyone was distracted by the fight in the jungle.

  Not wanting to have distracting thoughts, or to embarrass herself, the feline stopped waiting and started moving towards the opening of the illusion. Inside the first thing that caught her eyes was the stone tower that reminded her of their compound. Although it was much smaller than their home. Still it stood tall like it.

  Next, she saw the knights holding their swords in front of their faces in salute to them along the road to another gathering pce, one with tables and servants. The servants were simpler metal men and women, who bowed towards the representatives as they neared them.

  The heavy sound of metal, distracts Lady Red and she looks over towards the rge metal box that had been lowered to the ground next to the rge squat building. The barely dressed man stood with his arms crossed, and was still talking to Exodus, as the Powered man reabsorbed the yellow energy that he had used to hold the box.

  “Who is he?” The feline dy asked in wonder, as she continued towards the other gathering area. She could smell spices and cooked meat coming from the tables.

  "A king of some kind, Namor, I think was his name," Ursu answered, while clearly pondering something else.

  This made Lady Red remember how little about the world the Great, she corrected her thoughts and called him the High Evolutionary, who hadn't taught them about the wider world. Yet before they could get halfway there, they were incepted by a smell of sulfur and a cloud of gas.

  The smoke quickly dispersed, and from inside of it a rather small thin blue-furred boy stood.

  “Greetings. I am Nightcrawler. I assume you three are the leaders of the Newmen." The boy stated as he bowed to them slightly. The feline noted that, unlike the attendees he was armed, with a sword, as well the bde attached to his long flexible tail.

  Countess Ursu pushed past Lady Red, before introducing them. "We are, I am Countess Ursu, that's Baron Ivory, and this is the newly named Lady of the Masses, Red."

  Nightcrawler smiled at them, before saying. “And I see that you adhered to the restriction of no weapons. Excellent, then we can continue. If you would follow me? I have been asked to take you to a separate area from where the regur attending will gather. This area will have some members of the Brotherhood there for your protection."

  The boy liked to gesture with his hands as he talked, which allowed Red to see that he only had three fingers and toes. Not that it really bothered her, not all of the Newmen had five digits either, and more than a few, herself included, had tails.

  Still, the bear dy asked. "Child, were you grown like we were?”

  The blue boy blinked twice before saying. “No, I am a mutant.”

  "Ah, he was born Powered. Regardless let us follow the boy. We won't always have the protection of the others all the time." Baron Ivory said in suggestion, as he too pushed passed the countess this time. As he did he tapped her should twice.

  The three of them then followed the boy off towards the right side of the gathering site and in the shadow of the small two-story structure, a smaller table and six humans waited already. Yet it was the familiar scent of one of the two guards that caught Lady Red's attention.

  She smiled and jogged ahead of her fellow Newmen. The short human in a purple and bck outfit looked spooked at her sudden approach, so the feline slowed and didn't hug the smaller woman. Still, Lady Red smiled and said to the girl. "It is good to see and smell you again wolf girl."

  “It’s Wolfsbane, and it is good to see you too.” The tanned human girl told her. And after a moment leaned in and hugged the rger Red.

  Lady Red then looked at the other ‘guard’, a man who only wore a loin cloth and bracers. He touched his own chest and said, “Ka-zar.” to introduce himself.

  Then she looked over the other representatives. One group of three looked like the primitives that they usually dealt with, although the better-dressed one was bowing and introducing herself to her fellow lords.

  “I am High Priestess, Za of the Sun People.” The only female tribal announced.

  “Smell funny.” One of her companions muttered. He appeared to be the less threatening of the two. He wore a severed animal’s head atop his own, Red recognized it as one of the great flying lizards, a pterodactyl, she thought they were called. While he did, Ursu introduced them again to these strangers.

  “A pleasure.” Za bowed slightly once names were exchanged. The rger and much more intimidating tribal also nodded at them when she did so.

  He was rger than all of the other humans present, being head and shoulders taller, and almost half again wider than them. Still, he was smaller than most of their knights but might challenge most of the people's squires in size. The feline could also smell that he used fresh blood for his tribal marking, human blood by the smell of it. Yet oddly he used some kind of purple paint around his eyes and on his forehead was a marking simir to a knife.

  Lady Red and the countess then turned their attention towards the other trio of humans. The two women wore simir outfits, mostly bck suits with a colored cross on their chest. The redhead's was green, while the brunette's was blue. Meanwhile, the man only wore bck pants and a white shirt that hugged him very well.

  The man noticed their gazes and announced. “We’re not with them.”

  “Alucard.” The redhead scolded her comrade. She then bowed to them and introduced herself and the others. "I apologize for my associate's rudeness. I am Prestige, and she is Sprite. And Mr. grumpy pants over there is Alucard. We are here representing the X-men."

  Her male associate growled at them, but didn’t say anything.

  However, it didn’t get the reaction that he expected. As both Ursu and Red growled back at him, although theirs was more of a challenge for his offer of courtship, he just blinked at them, confused.

  "Please do not tease them. My fellow nobles are having enough trouble keeping their Heat in check." Baron Ivory asked the man. Then he rubbed his trunk in thought before he added. “Unless of course, you want to become a father.”

  "He would need to prove his strength to me first," Usu stated, before she moved to stand next to their smaller table with drinks and snacks.

  Red on the other hand petted her braided hair, as she compared this pale man to the man she had recently begun dreaming about. He seemed more muscur than the mage, but a touch shorter, his eyes also didn’t glow, so she found her deal breaker and shook her head at him.

  “Wait heat, like as in an animal?” Sprite asked them.

  “Yes Sprite, they’re not mutants like us. Their minds feel off somehow.” Prestige told her companion.

  That comment made Ursu stop taking the drink she was about to, and ask. “Minds? As in you are a mind reader?”

  "She is," Alucard admitted. He squinted at them, like he was telling them to try and do something about it.

  Ironically it was the three tribals that seemed to take more of an offense to this revetion. The scrawny male rolled his shoulders like he was preparing for a fight, and the other male crossed his arms and stared at Alucard. Meanwhile, their priestess took the opportunity to increase the distance between her and the redheaded human.

  Yet before the two groups could start a fight. A pair of metal men appeared out of thin air. They looked dress like what you imagined a rogue would dress and act like, as one had a short bde drawn and held with its bde pointed towards the ground, while the other was digging inside of itself.

  The unarmed man pulled out a bck box, that he tapped a button on, causing the image of a spinning crystal to appear floating above it. Then a voice could be heard from the image.

  "Sun people, you shall be pleased to know your hard work has paid off, you are no longer under restrictions this Entreatmeant Day."

  The rge tribal then asked something in a rather rough tongue. “Videt Gottin?” The feline dy noticed that the question caused Prestige to raise her eyebrows in surprise. She assumed it was because of whatever the mind reader was seeing in the big human’s thoughts.

  Za nodded at the big man and told him. "Yes Lick-ton, you can see your goddess when I make my private request." Lady Red wasn't sure he understood her words but the bigger man smiled nonetheless. A moment the feminine voice once more spoke from the bck box.

  "X-men, after some discussion, you too will not be under any restrictions during this Entreatmenat Day, despite your history with the Citadel's guests. However we ask that you remain, civil."

  Hearing that Sprite jumped for joy and waved her arms around in excitement as she muttered softly. "Yes, I get to ask about robots and dragons." The box told the Newmen.

  "While Nath'aniel is pleased to see that you fulfilled his request and chose a third leader among your leadership structure. The Magi have decided that the Newmen will be restricted to one question or one request."

  "We understand," Ursu stated, just before the metal doors in the middle level of the tower opened, and Entreatmeant Day officially began.

  DLRhanna