<sup>I was but fifteen when I left my friends
For distant climes to fight our Country's foe,
And now I'm eighty — back for the first time
To see the home I left so long ago.

Where is the house? I should be near it now,
Yet possibly I may have gone astray;
Long years abroad have blurred the youthful brain,
I'll ask this countryman to point the way.</sup>
Guixiang, or as it is better known, the City of Living Rubies.

Once at the forefront of the Solar Deliberative, Guixiang now stands as a popular trading city within the East, seemingly unharmed by the worst that the Usurpation had to offer. Quite like Lookshy, the city stands as a reminder of an age long past, filled with ancient relics and artifacts of when the Anathema ruled Creation. Although once designed as an impassable fortress, centuries of disuse has forced a great many of these artifacts to falter, failing to a lack of repair that no mortal, terrestrial--even those with the blood of elementals or the gods themselves--is certain on how to fix them. Rather than rot in a failing castle, the inhabitants opened the gates, bringing prosperity through a bountiful trade.

Yet not all is well as the ancient stories and myths would suggest. It is said that every civilian wears a ruby necklace, and greets travelers with weary, longing eyes. Whilst strangers are quite able to leave, those sworn to the ruby necklace are seemingly unable to leave, forever bound to the city-fortress. Whether they desire to leave or not, the inhabitants find themselves stuck--unable to act of their own free will, and certainly unable to remove their "cursed" necklaces unless the source of such powerful chains is destroyed. Should it be destroyed, the free will of the people will be restored, free to do as they would wish or desire.

You--a promising hero of Creation.

Each of you likely have various and numerous reasons to visit Guixiang. Perhaps it was to sight see, or perhaps it was to take part of the thriving trade that the city presents, or even something more outlandish. Whatever your reasoning, each one of you would soon find themselves in quite a predicament, surrounded by the guards of the ancient city-fortress. The guards appear battle ready, as if prepared for a confrontation, yet they press with words, rather than blades. Come, they demand. Follow us, they ask. Our leader wishes to speak with you, they say. Holding whatever beliefs you may have about the guards' request, each of you are brought to the inner sanctum, to meet with the supposed leader of Guixiang.

Ushered into the sanctum, the large interior appears rather empty outside those brought inside. Not a mouse stirred, with the only movement being the idle shuffling of several strangers and the occasional fluttering of a ruby felt banner. Still, soon enough, a youthful woman finds herself stepping into the throne-like room, ready to address the gathered strangers before her. The woman's eyes seem to linger on the twin tailed girl among the group, hesitating as if her body had tensed up. Perhaps it would be wise to press as to why, or perhaps it would not be so wise, but nonetheless, the woman went forth with addressing the group.

"Welcome to Guixiang!" The woman spoke. "Are you here for citizenship, to trade... sightseeing... or perhaps even pleasure?"

Albert had entered Guixiang 'normally', well, as normally as a fourteen-year old can do so in fine clothing without a bodyguard. Thankfully, there were caravans, individual traders, craftsmen looking for apprentices, and various other people streaming into the city. He'll blend in just fine.

But first, why was Albert here, having interrupted his lessons under Astraea, Third Incarnation of Salina? Well, his mentor had heard rumors of the 'rubies' of Guixiang, and the sinister nature behind them. And Albert had volunteered because he was a precocious child who wanted adventure in his life, and it's not as if Astraea didn't take after Salina in her 'hands-off parenting'.

So it came as a surprise that once well inside the city, the guards had surrounded him and, with implied meneace, asked him to come with them. This turned out to be a wise decision, as 'with them' implied being escorted to the presence of their leader, a Lady with the supernaturally regal poise that came with the 'aristocracy' of Creation. Now Albert can try and resist the urge to speak up first. That way, he can allow others to pitch in and he can learn more about them.

But once the others were done speaking, and only then, the boy would say, "Ah, I'm here to look for a...trainer," He didn't dare say master at this point in time, "A trainer who can help improve my knowledge of craftsmanship."

There was something unnatural afoot, that was to be sure. Best not to do anything foolish.

@Inkarnate@HokumPocus@Kirah@Lord Orgasmo@LordVoldemort@Raijinslayer@Sloth

((Added a new post.))

To say Meymun didn't look like he belonged in such a grandiose room would be an understatement. He still looked every bit as homeless as he had in the years prior to his Exaltation, only now, instead of leaves and twigs hanging from his unkempt hair, it was a permanent layer of dirt hanging on to his clothes and mud between his bare toes. While the sight of the homeless wasn't exactly unexpected in trade cities, most urban poor didn't tend to have prehensile feet and emerald green hair that fell just below their shoulders. The fact that he didn't have the common courtesy to look extremely humble rather than eyeballing everything around him probably didn't help the odd looks he was amassing from the natives. He at least paid attention when the leader of the City was brought before and addressed him and a number of others he now found himself next to. He even had the wherewithal to respond in his heavily accented version of Riverspeak.

"I'm just passing through the city on my travels. Used to trade with some merchants from here, but I'd never seen the place myself. Figured I'd stop by."

It wasn't a lie. Even Haltan craftsmen had dealings within Quixiang, and Maipa had been one of the best in the Republic.

"While I'd love to experience the 'pleasures' of Quixiang, despite what you might think when you look at me, you'll find I'm quite low on money. Not to mention that I, too, am curious as to why you've brought us here."

The man couldn't help but grin and start scratching the back of his head as a way to idly pass some time.

It had to be Karilis that had gotten the pair of them flagged for (Gwyn wouldn't call this arrest as much as it felt like) arrest. The two of them hadn't been traveling together long. There was little trust shared between them, though something resembling respect had started to grow. Karilis meant potential trouble. Though, Gwyn was confident her secret was safe especially this far from the Islands where she had exalted.

She clutched her sketchbook tightly; it was the dirty, dingy one she wrote and drew in first before transferring it to the oilskin-wrapped book. That was the only sign she was freaking out. Sven knew though and moved slightly, putting his head near an opening in her clothing if he were needed he'd be ready to strike.

The regal woman's eyes paused on one of the others that had been brought up. There was something uncomfortably familiar about her. Gwyn couldn't quite put her finger on it at first. She was pale and had red hair, much like her travel partner. Were they related? She'd get back to that thought.

Her focus darted over the others. A literal green haired man with.... prehensile feet. She had seen weirder in the caves, but it was one of the stranger things she had seen in the last couple of months of heavy travel.

There were two children, boys, couldn't be older than 16, an old man and someone who looked stoned out of their mind. Why had this group been gathered? Both the non-Karilis red-haired woman and the monkey man asked the regal woman that question. No point in asking it as well. If the woman wouldn't respond to them, she wasn't going to answer Gwyn.

In response to her question posed to the group, Gwyn lifted her sketchbook. That sketchbook had gotten her places before, nothing forbidden, but it had always been a conversation opener. She would have to explain it better if the woman wanted, but it was her way of saying I'm here for business certainly not for whatever things you consider pleasure.

---

---

Sightseeing. That is all Aiden had come here for - he was still unsure of how to even ask for work from people he knew absolutely nothing about, save for where they lived. All of the world was a mystery to him, for he knew only the closed in life of his hamlet, before it was destroyed by raving bandits. Even as he walked up and down the markets, there was always something new to discover. He was beginning to kick himself in the head for not bringing some paper and a writing utensil to jot down all the fascinating new sights before him. "Damn it; why didn't I bring something to write with? I'm going to forget most of this stuff in about a weeks time." He was so caught up in his predicament that he almost completely failed to see the guards that had made their way to him. By the time that he had realized they were there, they were already pressing him to follow. Being the 'law-abiding' young boy that he was, or just very frightful of the consequences in refusal, he did as they bid.

It wasn't long until he was rounded up with a few others in some unknown location in the heart of the Sanctum. As if by instinct and 'not at all by some sort of anxiety', Aiden put his visor down to cover the lower part of his face. It was actually almost comical with the way it fit on his head; his body was far too small to fit the armor he had worn. While not at all dangling or swinging around, it did shake with every movement he made, making him sound like a walking mechanical-being that was just waiting to fall apart at any moment. Even so, his posture was brave. Almost, anyways - a experienced eye would catch that this wasn't so much bravery as it was false confidence. Perhaps a means of coping or intimidation?

When the woman came in, he watched her carefully, keeping his mouth shut as to listen to her words. She appeared strange to him, especially after the fact that she had gathered a group of strangers. For what reason could she want them? To want him? He was just some kid, so he thought. After welcoming them and asking them about their business in Guixiang, Aiden put his hand up and spoke up from underneath his visor, which muffled his voice just barely. "I-I'm a little too young to be pleasure seeking, but I have been exploring. I really like the architecture!" Perhaps he sounded a bit too enthusiastic...

Karilis looked around the hall, her violent eyes narrowed beneath the concealing shadow of her hood. What did the leader of Guixiang want with her? Even if she was a pathetic runaway from House Mnemon, Karilis knew her mother well enough to know that she was not of much value whatsoever. She had been written off as forgotten the moment she had failed to Exalt, and she doubted that had changed much since she had left the Isle. Mnemon had little use for a daighter who not only failed to ascend, but one who also abandoned her duty.

But a daughter who'd come back from the dead, however. . .

Karilis gaze shifted, as it had been every few moments since they'd been in this accursed hall, to the twin tailed woman standing a short ways away, looking every bit like the sister she had thought lost to the cycle for 8 years. Yet there she was, alive and well and filling Karilis heart with equal amounts of joy, heart-ache, and betrayal. She didn't know if she wanted to hug or smack her resurrected sibling, but at the moment, she couldn't do much of either, even if she desperately wanted to. Instead, she forced herself to look away, taking in the rest of the group around them. Most notable where the two *children*, one seeming to be as lost as confused as a child normally would be and the other seeming much too calm and collected for someone of his age. There was not a hint of anticipation or nervousness in the boy's stance from what she could tell, and that suggested either a great deal of maturity or arrogance to the self-exiled Dynast.

Following that, the next strangest sight had to be the green-haired man who was most certainly not a Dragonblood, or if he was, certainly not from the realm. Covered in filth and dressed in near rags, Karilis couldn't fathom why such a creature had been brought to the head of this city along with the rest of them. Following the simian looking fellow, however, was a much more troublesome individual.

Ledaal Ling Bao

A Dynast that she bore a passing familiarity with, having never personally interacted with the aging patrician aside from a few sparse glances during an event or two. He was an old man who had long missed his chance to Exalt, a common story among the Dynastic houses, but one that had always struck her as sad in her youth. But as she watched him address the green-haired peasant, the sudden noise that followed his declaration caused her to flinch, her hand dropping to her blade's hilt, tensing first out of instinct, then out of disbelief as she half-stared, half-glared at the aging man. Impossible for you. . . there's no way for a failure. . .

Karilis took a breath, barely holding back that mass of emotions that were storming within her. There would be a time and place for them, but this was neither. It was too much new information to deal with at once, so she shoved into the back of her mind for the moment, focusing only on the mysterious host and what she had asked of them. Not trusting herself to speak, she instead pointed to Gwyn in response to her perceived question and left it at that. It had been more the botanist's idea to come to this city than it had been her own, so it was as good a reason as any as to her being there. After that, she would simple just watch the rest of the proceedings, trying her best to keep tabs on possible escape routes, the only sign of her internal distress would be the whitening of her knuckles as she griped the hilt of her blade like it was her lifeline. She often drew comfort from the blade, a gift from her mother that showed at least some measure in belief. It reminded her of better times. Simpler times.

---

This place was like nothing Milon had ever seen. It reminded him of the museums he used to visit, only far more regal. Then came the question of why he was here. All he knew was that this woman wanted to see him, and apparently these others. We hy him though? He was some druggie-looking dude who just wandered unto the city. Unless... she new he was exalted. Was there a way to tell? He didn't really ever tell anybody he was. How odd. But what was he here for?

"Well, uh... I'm looking for a trainer as well, I guess. Somethin' like that."

It had then only struck him that he should likely try to be more refined in his speech around important people, it'd probably make a better first impression of himself. Then again, maybe he'd never see these guys again. Maybe they'd part ways after this and never pay attention to each other again! Or they'd be working together, and he'd already established himself as "Weed Man". Well, the old guy and the monkey guy would probably make good friends. They seem like they wouldn't mind a Weed Man. Maybe they're Weed Men themselves?

He still had no idea why he was here. Maybe they're looking for a part time employee? Guess he'd find out. Probably, anyways.

The woman gazed upon the gathered crowd before her, thinking. None of them stated or appeared to be seeking citizenship in any form or manner, leaving the goddess at a loss. She could feel what radiated from some of the group--for her body was woven of a similar essence to theirs--yet the goddess knew winning such powerful men and women to her side would be a difficult task. Maybe if I play my cards right... The woman thought, biting her lip until a light bulb went off in her head, to which was soon formulated into a plan of action.

"Very well!" The goddess spoke, clapping her hands once as she addressed the group. "I'll be happy to address your concerns, and even more some. You see, our city has been having trouble with an... long time acquaintance of mine." The woman continued, descending the steps to meet the group face to face. "Lord of the Adamant Land. Perhaps you've heard of him? The name doesn't matter as much as the issue does, anyway."

"Our city doesn't exactly employ mercenaries, hence why I asked if any of you were here for citizenship..." The woman sighed. "...but I suppose you'll make due. I've called you all here in hopes that you would help us deal with Adamant--to stop his needless skirmishes poking holes into our city. He seems to have a bone to pick with me, yet Adamant refuses to confront me personally." The goddess explained, reaching to her side and unbuckling the sheathe to her iridescent sword.

"Now, I know some of you aren't the fighting type. I'd like to see if you could talk him out of attacking Guixiang," The woman spoke, drawing the chrome-like blade from the sheathe. "But regardless of how it is handled, you'll need this sword. Adamant's domain near the Scavenger Lands is seemingly hidden, but this blade is said to cut through any disguise." The goddess' eyes once again lingered on Shouzhen as she presented the blade, but they soon returned to the group entirely.

"So, if any of you are up for the task, I'll make sure you are rewarded handsomely once you return."

Albert would interject, "But I'm a child, and so is the other boy in armor! Why are you sending us for such a task?!"

Crap, this is bad. Apparently (and by apparently, after Albert used some covert Charms to investigate), the ruler of the city was behind the Ruby Necklaces (which was obvious to someone with magical senses), there was a Spirit inside the city, and of course, the Sword was evidently an actual Artifact that can be used against them. And Albert, though he was tempted to reveal the full extent of his knowledge, was not totally foolish. Frowning, he looked to see which of this motley group was going to handle the blade, thus giving themselves away as a Heroic Mortal or even an Exalted. Looking at Aiden, he would slide over and whisper:

"Do not grab the sword. If what the Lady said was right, you can't use it. Or if you can, then you'd mark yourself as a target." Albert, being a TwilIght Caste taught by an older Solar, knew the basics of what Artifacts are; it did not hurt that he had some rough information from his Exaltation's own past incarnation. That and Mortals didn't carry magic weapons around for obvious reasons.

@Inkarnate@HokumPocus@Kirah@Lord Orgasmo@LordVoldemort@Raijinslayer@Sloth

Meymun hadn't had the opportunity to do much more than chuckle at the resident old man's apparent sound effect before the group was again being addressed by the leader of the City of Guixiang. Anyone with eyes could probably tell Meymun was getting excited at the prospect of meeting this 'Lord of the Adamant Land' to the point that he was practically ignoring everything else in the room. He knew the blessing he received from Luna was a sign, and it felt like his grand adventure throughout Creation was finally starting to pick up steam.

The final sentence had hardly left the city leader's mouth before Meymun grabbed the hilt of the sword that seemed to give off an impossible breadth of colors in the blade. Instinctively, he could feel as if the blade spoke to him as he slipped it into his fingers. He held the blade in front of his eyes for but a brief moment, and with his very next breath, it shone with all the colors of the rainbow and radiated throughout the throne room as the newly Exalted Lunar subconsciously channeled his own essence into the weapon.

It was his first time even seeing an artifact, let alone attuning to one, and Meymun was simply speechless. Hell, he quivered with excitement and had his mouth agape for what felt like an eternity before he finally came back to reality and bowed to the woman before him.

"I can't wait to meet this Adamant guy..."

---

Well, he'd been pretty bored the last few days, guess there'd be no reason to say no. He was about to speak up, when just about everyone else did before him. Welp. Oh well, he had all day, what's a little more time to wait?

He let his mind wander, like usual, and began to think of the mission they were tasked with. He himself wasn't a fighter, but a couple of these fellas look like they could hold their own. Hopefully they could talk their way out of this, fighting took way to much energy, and getting hurt wasn't exactly at the top of his list.

But there was still the question of how they'd convince him. He'd be very unlikely to stop with just a "Please". Maybe they'd have to bribe him? Blackmail could work, but they'd have to get something close to him. Probably save that as a last resort, he wasn't really into that.

Well, if push does come to shove, he'd probably leave the fighting to these guys, he'd probably just get in the way. Maybe he could distract someone, let the others get a surprise attack o r somethin'. Oh well.

Karilis flinched as she saw the green haired wastrel easily heft the Artifact as if it was nothing, not seeming to realize the weight of what he had done from how casually he continued conversation. Or at least, he didn't seem to care that much. That meant he was either extremely confident or extremely ignorant, though given his appearance, Karilis would be hard pressed to find anyone who would thing the former. First my sister, than Bao ling, and now a Lost Egg? Too improbable events at one time to be mere coincidence. No way did this woman just pick out a group of random strangers to handle such a seemingly important errand at random. There's more to all this. . . but I can't figure it out for the life of me.

A glance stolen towards her sister, to see how she was responding to this situation, caused their eyes to meet for the briefest second before Zhen turned away to ask questions of their host. It seemed like she wasn't the only one questioning the motives of this mysterious employer. Where ever her sister had been all these years, Karilis was glad to see it hadn't dulled her common sense.

"As she said, why ask a group of strangers to solve your problems for you, especially when your problems include a being such as Adamant, known for oft taking the form of a savage dragon and bearing all the danger in facing him such a form would lead you to believe. Taking down such a foe would be know easy task, even for those of the Wyld Hunt. And isn't it rather convenient that you happen to have an artifact that is capable of assisting in locating him, yet have not seemed to attempt to do so yourself." Karilis had little time for this woman's games and would rather get straight to the point, the true point, of this gathering. While slaying such a creature did fall in line with her goals(or at least was a course of actions the voices didn't find displeasing) she wasn't about to walk into such a shady situation blindly. "So, tell us, oh gracious host, why we should do as you say when this entire errand that you have for us reeks of much too many coincidences and hidden details for anyone with any sense to blindly agree to."

Gwyn decided she would follow Karillis' lead. If she wanted to go after some random guy for an even randomer monarch then so be it. She could at least say traveling with Karillis was interesting. Though Gwyn constantly worried she would slip up and somehow someone would figure out her secret. Especially with how much Karillis hated "anathema".

(forgive shortness and formating this was written on a cellphone at an airport bathroom after two drinks)

"But I'm a child, and so is the other boy in armor! Why are you sending us for such a task?!"

"Why would you choose a group of strangers to parley with such a man?"

The party assembled was more or less evenly split into groups on the issue. There were some who had not spoken their thoughts, some who were in agreement from the beginning, and some who held their reservations towards helping the goddess with her quest. One of these--the red-haired woman with a viper's tongue--had chosen to make her words speak louder than the others, striking a nerve in the goddess. How dare she, as a mortal, speak to a god with such a tone?

Anger swelled within the goddess, yet she quickly attempted to regain her composure. "You speak with a tone that would give probable cause for your death in many courts, mortal. I suggest you choose your wording carefully next time." The goddess harshly spoke, before returning to the main topic on-hand; her gaze turning from Karilis to the entire group once more. "I may be capable of accomplishing the task myself, or even with a group far more intimate as you had put it, but I can not so easily abandon my duties to this city."

"There are those Exalted among you--a great boon to begin with, and one I can not allow to pass up. Not to add that some of you say that you are children, yet even so, you carry around armor and blade as if you were an adult." The goddess replied. "Now, I will ask again. Are you up for this task, like the rest of those who had agreed beforehand?" She finished, waiting for an answer from those still undecided, or opposed.