Fleo Plector - Guild Hall
Though Fleo wasn't to thrilled about Trinity encircling her with her arm, mostly out of the fear that she'd nudge one or more of her arms and somehow figure out they weren't real, she was happy to aid a fellow guild member.
"Sure! I've earned a fair bit from my recent jobs, but I'd be happy to throw a little more on the pile and help a friend out at the same time."She accompanied the minstrel to the bar but did not take a seat, asking Lucian for a cup of ice water when she got the chance. By the time that she'd downed her drink, Trinity had not yet made her way through her breakfast, and Fleo thought of something else to do.
"Hey, after that spill, my clothes are pretty mucked up. Plus, it feels like I've been wearing the same thing forever. Be right back."A few minutes later,
Fleo descended in a new shirt with a turtle design, torn shorts, and an orange cap in place of her headrag. She stopped by Trinity, and stood beside the bar.
"What now? Back to sparring? The new girl...is interesting, to say the least."Annalise – Phoenix Wing Hall
Hearing Ariel's words, however well-intentioned, seemed to send Annalise into a fit of rage. She
swore profusely and smacked a small fist against the job board. The instant her fist made contact, however, she shifted from hyper-aggressive to hyper-depressive and slumped against it, sobbing wildly. Losing her will to stand, Annalise fell to the ground in a heap.
Naturally, this afforded Ariel plenty of time to read what was on the paper.
Wizard help needed, it ran,
To join this girl on a quest to bring back her memories and fix her damaged mind. We found her near Onibus town, in the company of a gang of bandits who had tricked her into fighting for them. The bandit leader escaped with her ring, the one thing she remembers from her past, and is hiding in Onibus. Start there. Whatever you do, do not pull out the shard of glass in her head. It will kill her. Reward: 150,000 Jewel. If completed, bring this flier to the Afina residence in Oak Town.When Ariel looked up, she would find Annalise standing directly in front of her, reading the paper upside-down along with her. She smiled warmly, and in her clipped accent said,
“I am sorry about that! Sometimes, it is hard to think of the right thing to say! I will ask your Master Jarvis.” Trinity's call distracted her, and if the name she'd said belonged to the man standing in front of there, she wouldn't have to search for Jarvis after all.
“Ah! There his is. Give, give!” Annalise snatched the paper and walked toward the guild master at a brisk pace. Her right eyelid twitched as she tried to focus; if she melted down here, it'd be a disaster.
“H-h-hello...” Another twitch, before she performed an elaborate curtsey with her mantle and bowed herself before him.
“An excellent day it is to be in your honored presence, exquisite, noble sir! If I am not disrupting your most worthy time, I humbly pray a request of you, if your grand ears have time to spare for one so low as I. Though I hardly wish to impose upon your no doubt busy and important schedule, I'm afraid I must submit this desperate plea to your respected judiciary.” She meekly held out her paper to him, hoping in a sycophantic manner that she had flattered enough.
Bytan Brass – the Frenzy Fort
Slowly, Bytan made his way to the starting line. From his shoulders he loose a blue half-cloak, which drifted to the floor, leaving his upper body exposed. Immediately it was obvious to Thor that before her stood the oldest man in the guild. Though muscular, his skin was spotty and sallow, his face wrinkled and sunken. Not a single hair adorned his scalp, though a snow-white beard flowed from his chin. Covering his upper chest, shoulders, arms, and back were dozens of tattoos in a variety of colors, depicting anything from simple human images to weapons to monsters to magic. Bytan Brass gave off every impression of a has-been, at first glance, and as he lined up opposite Thor, she could see his rheumy eyes and their irises of dull blue.
Among the assembled Frenzy Plant soldiers, faint whispers could be heard. “Can the old-timer really handle it?” “Edith didn't stand a chance...” “Don't be so negative...” “He's gonna get fried...” “The only reason he ain't A-rank is Jane spammed him out...” “This is going to be interesting...”
Zander would not give Thor any more time to heal. The spirit of this rank-up challenge was to fight multiple opponents without break, to test oneself to the limit and push oneself beyond. That was why it was called the Gauntlet.
“Begin!”Bytan only moved to lay a hand on his shoulder, as if massaging an ache. He waited for Thor to make the first attack, waiting to see if she would strike from range or try to close the distance to melee.
Nero – Dragon Fang Guild Hall
“You underestimate my ability to make friends,” Nero joked to Jack Goran as the guild master turned away to assist Ayame. Now out of the spotlight, the genie sighed, and made his way the appointed room. Upon entering, he discovered it to be plain but entirely habitable. His cape came off, followed by his pouch, and both were deposited on the bedside table. The room contained only a single twin bed, but within its walls also rested a cushioned chair, so Nero did not at all suffer any unhappiness at all. No longer hungry for whatever reason, and not yet tired enough to nap, the dark mage nevertheless felt a need. Pulling closed the door, he decided that now would be as good a time as ever, while his companion was off getting refreshment.
From his pouch Nero produced a length of elastic. He sat down in the chair, rigid with anticipation, and began to wind the strip of stretchy fabric about his neck. Several times he encircled his throat, until its grip stifled his breath. Finally, the dark mage snapped the fingers of his free hand, and the elastic turned to metal.
Instantly, Nero's windpipe was crushed, and no air could get to or from his lungs. The dark mage gasped, eyes opened unnaturally wide for one who usually kept them nearly shut, and as his brain screamed for him to start struggling he tried to ignore it. Ten seconds passed...twenty. Nero couldn't stop himself from gulping at nothing, but by gripping the chair's armrests he could prevent himself from using up more oxygen than he needed by flailing his arms. As the pain mounted and his vision swam, Nero became aware of a darkness encroaching on him from all sides. The world narrowed and narrowed to only a small circle. As he lost mental faculty, Nero could not think but to try to relax in that soothing, numbing darkness. There was nothing like that feeling of total peace. All worry was forgotten. All pain was forgotten. All memories were forgotten. It was the most beautiful thing, but it wasn't yet real. And for now, it wasn't time to make it real. His hand twitching wildly, Nero blindly raised it, and with the last of his energy, snapped his fingers. The metal choker turned to elastic once more and sprang off, and cool air rushed down through Nero's depleted body. He collapsed onto the floor with a thump, now completely unconscious, but with an oddly thrilled smile on his face.