The Universe as we know, named by many as Tellurian. A boundless space with seemingly no end known to man, constantly expanding, possibilities are born at each second as its two main acting forces, Chaos and Order, work to maintain it stable tirelessly enforcing the Dualistic Rule which dictates the flow of the lifespan of their realms.

Today's just another ordinary day, people on Earth are doing what they do, and amongst them, a young man, named Athos, born in the Kingdom of Reever. Athos was a frustrated painter who never really got any sort of recognition, was forsaken by his family who wished for him to grab a job in a famous factory and grow in there. They wished for him to bring them some source of income and actually become a famous and successful name within society. Sadly, all this poor man loved was art, paintings and all of the sort, but poor Athos never had any talent for it. Not even after working straight for many hours, straining his muscles, his imagination, giving his all. None of that worked. Poor Athos was swallowed by debt, family pressure and professional frustration, little by little, the man felt there was no way out.

This lingering feeling would keep pressing onto him, more and more at each day and at the same time. Athos was not alone. Across the Earth, there were many Athuses, be them male or female, many people who never really did anything good with their lives and the sensation of having no purpose was constant in their lives. They felt hollow. They felt void. And little did they know, this colective feeling had been resonating with something for years and years, and now, finally, it had reached this unknown force.



Deep within the seemingly the unknown ends of Tellurian, laid invisible walls, which despite being invisible were as thick as entire galaxies, holding back a terrible force, a threat to all of the universe which once in the past had ran wild and swallowed everything as a whole. The force was known as the void, the source of all that is empty and hollow, born from feelings of emptiness, unused concepts, unborn babies, ideas which were scrapped aways. Beings who were never granted permission to live culminated into one enormous mass. Crying, ravaging, wishing to be someone, angered at the ones who were, swallowing them and exchanging their lives. And thus, the voidlings would come to be. Behind those walls, laid one enormous castle, entirelly white, said castle was larger than the biggest of all stars, dwarving even the largest of all galaxies, this was the citadel of voids, also known as The White Palace. The Palace had no doors and no windows, nor any sort of breaches that could lead them out, and even if they did leave the castle, they would have to go through the extremely thick walls of that pocket dimension they found themselves in. They were sealed away, and nothing would be able to draw them out.

Or so it would have been thought...

People like Athos, people with no hope, nor any prospects for life have always existed, for thousands and thousands of years their feelings, their hopes which were scrapped aways, everything would little by little reach out a bit closer to the White Palace. The Voidlings sealed inside, now shaped as amorphous white blurrs who walked through those absurdly white corridors of the castle were just waiting for a chance. A chance to find a breach within that dimension and get out of there and once more begin their endless quest for existance. And so, finally there were breaches, through it, smaller and weaker voidlings could finally pass through and spread across the globe. Their catalists? Well, of course the hollow beacons that have opened those breaches.



Athos was tired. Sick and tired of everything, no one expected anything from him anymore, he was dead inside and could as much be dead in the outside for all of he cared. No one would miss him, he would never be able to fullfil his dream, in his distorted perception of the world, he could be gone after all. The moment he accepted that, his fate changed. This man, was the first one.

The poor bastard was about to stab his own heart with a dagger, hands shaking, sweat falling from his face. Stupid Athos, worthless even while killing himself or that's what would go through his mind at the moment at last. He would breath in and then suddenlly...the lights had gone out for him. The man stabbed himself into the heart but he still felt very much alive for a few seconds. His whole life went through his eyes and then everything was...

...

...

...

...

...



The knife would fall from his chest, and from it an odd white liquid would begin pouring out, it was dense, like some sort of mud which started leaking slowly, then it would increase its speed, never ceasing as Athos would feel his entire body burning in agony as the odd liquid would start running upwards as well and eventually would envelop his whole body. Afterwards, he would feel it condensing, getting more and more compact, and with it, his body was being shrunk, he felt each and every one of his bones breaking, screaming in agony at each second and in the end...silence.

From the decayed white mass, something would begin to be formed, a humanoid figure no taller than 1 feet, slim, with elongated and flexible limbs, seemingly no bones, a triangular head with an emblem, moving in random patterns as if it was getting used to this new body. That being was known as a Shell, and despite being the weakest kind of a voidling, it was the first one to be released.

At that same time, many people like Athos would suffer the same fate, turning into Shells, losing their consciousness and reason, and giving place to a hive mind with a sole purpose: Release the rest of their kind. How you may ask? Erradicating the hopes of people and giving place to nothingness.



The word Urgency was what defined the situation for the forces of Cosmos and Chaos. Their sworn enemy had returned, and if they were not quick enough, there would not be time to revert this. They knew it would still take a long time for a return in mass, despite many cases already happening, only Shells were coming out. Their spirits could easily fend them off, but they needed to start getting prepared and so, the guardians were deployed to the land. Scattered across space and time, the 14 guardians of Tellurian would have to reincarnate once more and join forces. Back when they had first showed up, there was not a dominating species in Tellurian and so, they had reincarnated as several diferent animals, then at each time after that, they would ressurge as the current species at the top of the food chain. Now as mankind had risen, each one of them would reincarnate within the bodies of human children to start yet another cycle of war.





The guardians had all been properly reincarnated and were at an age where they all could act. Some younger than others, however, they were all ready by cosmic standarts. The threat of the Voidlings had risen more at each one of the 29 passing years, the breaches became a bit wider, bigger and more powerful voidlings were being able to ressurface and thus, measures would need to be taken in order to put an end to this. The Void would have to been sealed at all costs.

In that day and moment, all of the Guardians would hear something in their heads, a very simple message: "The time has come, guardians of this world, begin your preparations, for the holy war is about to begin." And thus, a wide ammount of information would be blasted into their brains. According to their aspect, virtue or sin, some would be able to process more than others, some would be able to remember better than others. After all, despite being soldiers of the cosmos, these people were individuals. How would they treat it? Some of them already had some memories to begin with, and this would be nothing but a refresher, for others this could be a haluciation, a dream, who knows what could be happening? All that was known was that, in that moment, the guardians who worked basically upon instinct until now, had their spirits awakened, with this, their already known abilities became stronger and so did the visions.



The Limbo, a dreadful name for a lovely tavern such as that one. Quite a popular one even, the owner, bartender and only employee of that place, always seen in his bartender outfit, with a perfectly combed white hair which made him seem much older than 27 years old and icy blue eyes. He was not a person to chitchat, however he would talk the essential and was always nice to his customers, even the loud and lousy drunk ones who always brought the man problems. That day, as well as all of the other ones ever since he had arrived into the city of Bartla, he was found working in there.

The man was washing some glasses at that moment while the whole tavern was in a happy uproar for no reason at all, maybe they were just too drunk for all of that. It was amidst that chaos, where it happened, an overload of information overcame Kain's brain. It struck him like a meteor, it physically hurt the poor man, who screamed and dropped a glass, breaking it, what would scare the people of the bar, who never even saw him spill a single grain of rice from a dish, let alone drop an entire glass from his hands.

Once it was over, he would stand up and calm his customers down, however, he closed the tavern earlier that day. Kain was already aware of his duties, of who he was and how he should live his life. However now, everything came back to him, they had a lot to do, and he as the Virtue of Patience, was the one assigned to gather everyone, even if he had never seen any of them in that incarnation, their personal magnetism should drag them together one by one. If that was the case, he should get started.

From that day, The Limbo had been closed for reforms and Kain would begin to waste every single piece of gold he would get in provisions for the long journey all of them would have ahead of them, he visited the Universities and Engineering companies, asking for favors and services of all kinds, bought all sorts of items, after all, once the guardians would begin gathering, what he estimated that should take around 1 year. He should be ready.





The reforms of The Limbo ended 6 months ago, and now the tavern was more lively than ever, with a new infrastructure which ressembled another bar Kain had spent some good years of his life at. Bigger, grander, with way more options of foods and drinks than before, Kain was getting more money than ever, which was pretty good since he needed to save up as much as he could. The bar was entirely crowded, people fighting to get tables, said fights would be immediately stopped by Kain and the one who started would be promptly kicked out. He did put on quite a show, which made the crowds cheer.

Kain was working on accounting now, checking the gold he would be recieving, quite enough to save up, that's for sure. In the mean time he would recieve orderings he would have to perform of course such as cooking, preparing drinks, clean vomit from the counter, and still managed to do all of that in time. As tiring as that was, it did work for him, but the house was fuller than usual. And why do you ask was that? Well, outside there was a sign saying: "90% off in any drink or dish you might want today." A simple way of getting customers, but more than that. Kain felt the presence of guardians arriving town and some more who were already around. If they could already feel each other, that meant eventually they would all come to the same place, or at least he had that feeling. When they did, he would be ready.

Jerad was in a town not unlike many others except he had a feeling he had to be here. He actually felt fortunate. The sky was vibrant with hues of deep orange, pale yellow and light blue. It was as if the sun could not decide if it was going to set. It had to be an omen of good tidings. Which made Jerad smile in his light brown jacket, white woolen shirt, and thick brown workmans pants and boots. He also had his longsword strapped to his side in plain view. He just came back from a trip where he had built a wooden storage chest for an elderly fellow. It made him feel good to use practical skills. Then he blinked, as he remembered his entourage. A bunch of bearded men all shorter than him and double his age, all armed with swords and daggers themselves. What am I doing with these guys? I mean they don't mean me harm but I don't share their views... He wondered for the umpteenth time. Moving out of what was obviously a rather dusty alleyway between two, two story buildings they turned right. Onto what seemed was this town's 'main street' to see that there was a fountain with three tiers of miniature waterfalls pouring into the bottom basin with quite a few coins in it. His guy's eyes shone with greed as they spotted the coins lying at the bottom and Jerad shook his head with a frown, "No, do not take it. Those are people's hopes in that fountain." And so they moved on down the street. Moving past general stores, an inn or two as well as shops he couldn't tell what was sold there. That was because some of the picture's painted overhanging the front door of several businesses were faded. Then he heard a crying voice in the distance and he didn't hesitate to say "guy's go off on your own. I'll be back in a little bit."

With that he left his men there and disappeared from main street as he made a turn into an alleyway and then another alleyway, the crying sound getting ever nearer.

-----

"Well he's gone." said one of the bandits.

The rest of them laughed.

As the laughter died down, one of them had an idea, "Let's have a bit of fun while Jerad's gone we haven't had any action in a while."

Without a further ado he picked a rock from the street and tossed it through the nearest building window.

The other men caught onto the idea quickly and started picking more rocks and throwing them through more windows.

There were a couple screams of fright from inside the buildings but no more then that.

No one stopped them, so they continued tossing their rocks, laughing like it was all a joke.

Reever Wilderness, near the Escain border

---

The forest was silent. A stillness had fallen over the evening vista, a cool breeze blowing through the forest. Not even a single owl was out doing its nightly hunting. It was odd, though not unnatural. Like the stillness one felt as one was stalking a prey, the moment before the kill. The only sign of immediate life was a brave little rabbit, poking its head through the underbrush as it looked for a safe place to rest.

A massive, leonine roar pierced the stillness, flocks of birds flying off in random directions. The stillness was finally broken, a beast awoken from its slumber. Sounds of combat followed, a shout from a human matching the roar of the beast. A human had been knocked to his back, the massive Manticore lumbering over him, nearly crushing him with its weight alone.

"Fool, if you're going to get in my way just stay out of it!" A second human shouted, entering the fray, leaping to the other humans defense. Her rapier thrust forwards, but before it could sink into the beasts flesh, it leaped backwards, leaving just a shallow cut. "Hmph!" Following through, Sav flowed through the motion, the Manticore raising a hand to strike instead roared in pain, Sav's rapier having impaled it thoroughly. "Weak." She pulled out the rapier, quickly following through by cutting right through the monsters eye. Flailing, the creature attempted to gain some sort of traction fighting the human, but it failed miserably. By the time it realized he had missed his strikes entirely, Sav had already acrobatically leaped, flipping once in the air, her rapier impaling itself right between the creatures eyes.

At least, that was the intent.

Right then and there, was when the world decided to return her true identity in full. Her attack slowed, missing the timing of her attack and giving the Manticores powerful claws time enough to slam right into her side, sending her flying into the ground. It quickly followed up, scooping her torso up in its mouth, clamping its jaws.

"Grah!" Sav shouted, the teeth sinking into her flesh.

"Sav!" The other knight managed to finally recollect his wits, picking up his spear and charging the beast. Turning, the Manticore whipped around its tail, trying to impale the knight on his stinger. Showing some skill, the Knight struck upwards, slicing the tail cleanly in half. Following through, he slammed the butt of the spear right into the Manticores face, causing it to recoil in pain and drop Sav from its jaw.

"Urgh," Falling face first on the ground, Sav growled. Pushing herself up, not seeming to mind the wounds, she swiftly moved in. "This. Was. My Favorite. Dress." Ignoring her wounds, and the suddenly new information directly implanted into her brain, she struck at the beast. Ducking under its flailing claws, she jumped, impaling her Rapier right in to the Manticores chest cavity. "White."

In that instance, a bright flash filled the evening forest, the knight having to shield his own eyes as an impossibly bright flash of light, but it was over in an instant. The Manticore's body convulsed, having been seemingly burnt from the inside by some force. Kicking off of its body, Sav flipped, landing acrobatically on one foot, flourishing her rapier as it fell backwards.

"Hmph. Pathetic beast ruined my dress."

---

"I don't know how you do it." Sitting at a table in a well off inn, he rubbed his head in a tired manner. "You took care of that thing like it was nothing."

"Of course." Sav seemingly absentmindedly replied, staring at her teacup.

"A Manticore! You killed something that would have decimated less skilled people in a matter of seconds, in a matter of seconds!"

"Indeed I did."

"You also completely tore your dress, too."

"It was a nice dress, too."

"And some people pay attention with other people are talking to them."

"Well," Blinking, seemingly pulling herself out of her thoughts, Sav sighed. "I apologize for not responding to the buzzing of a bee-"

"Oh, I'm a bee now instead of a fly. I'll take the upgrade." Narrowing her eyes at him as he interrupted her, he quickly continued. "Something on your mind? You don't normally get distracted like this. Not to mention what happened in the fight. You're usually not that careless. Unless you've been drinking." Frowning, Sav took a moment to collect her thoughts. Hum, this was harder than she thought it would. She and Iska had been traveling for almost two years now, having decided to team up and exterminate monsters for fame and glory together. It was a good idea to start with. Initially she had made a bit of a name for herself in certain circles, and made quite a bit of a splash, but...recently things had gotten stale, and after last night...she was certain on her course of action.

"...I'm leaving." She said bluntly, taking a sip.

"...is this about me seeing your underwear that one time?"

"I-I thought I told you not to bring that up ever again!?" She replied, nearly choking on her tea.

"You did, but I'm not good at following directions you know."

"No, 'tis not about that." She replied further, setting her tea down and quickly changing the subject. "Rather...I simply feel as though it is for the best. You're dragging me down." Iska blinked, surprised at the news. "Not that you aren't skilled. No, you quite are for a human." She always did that, calling others 'humans' in a way that she thought less of them. "But I need...more." And if she was quite honest, he would only hurt himself if he continued to follow her.

"...right." Iska sighed, folding his arms against his chest. "You still looking for that glory and fame of yours, eh?"

"You should have expected this would come at some point."

"When are you going?"

"As soon as I'm done with this tea."

Present Day -
Bartla, Capital of Reever, Tellurian
@Salvia

---

Iska was more than a little upset with her leaving, even if he wasn't too outward about it. Well good, at least he knew his place in the grand scheme of things. What happened the night with the Manticore was something she had initially been rather irritable about since it made her look bad, but no, this was a grand opportunity. Such a wonderful, once in a millennia opportunity. To say she wasn't looking forward to this supposed invasion, was an understatement. This was the best opportunity she could ask for. A chance to become renowned. A chance to carve her name in the history books.

Now...where to go? She had only been to Bartla a few times in her travels outside of Escain, so she only knew her way around the main parts of the city. Hmm...really, what would she be doing here in the first place? She only had a vague idea that she should try meeting up with the others, but to be quite honest she had no real desire too. Likely some of the virtues were there and she had no desire to put up with their likely to be uptight attitudes. Not that the other Sins would be much better.

Really, she could handle this entire plight herself. Hmph. Well, as long as she instated herself as the clear leader in this endeavor, it shouldn't matter.

Soon enough this mental link, this...pull towards the others made her reach her destination. A rather lively looking bar. Eugh. What were they doing in such a place? She'd prefer upscale clubs over this any day. Ah, she missed the lodgings and lavish quarters she had in Escain more and more already. Well, best get this over with...and they were having a special today. It was going to be crowded with lowlifes of every sort, then. Ugh. The woes of the perfect people, having to intermingle with these mongrels.

Walking into the bar, Sav ignored almost everyone else and walked up to the counter, speaking directly with the bartender.

"Perchance you have some high quality wine?"

He was starting to wonder if putting everything 90% off was indeed a good idea, he was certainly getting enough money to cover it, however the problem was simple: Too much work for only one person, the tavern was crowded, the drunk men screaming and dancing were making it hard to listen to the customers. Kain was almost feeling overwhelmed by all of that noise which surrounded him.

The spider focused on his job as much as he could, but suddenlly he felt something. At the moment, he was turned towards the wall, grabbing a bottle of rum for customers who had asked for it, but he could feel it, a powerful presence sitting right behind him, the mental image of a shimmering peacock, showing her feathers without even trying. An aura of overwhelming confidence surrounded him and at that moment, he knew. The gathering had begun, the Peacock of Pride had arrived. The male handed the rum to a man in the counter and turned towards the female, with a polite smile. "Depends on how much you are willing to pay. We have all sorts of drinks around here, the best one we have is this brand, coming directly from Britannia." He held up the bottle, placing it onto the table. "It aged for about 200 years, so I can assure you of its quality."

If Savitri were to pay enough attention, Kain too had a certain aura around him, a tranquil and calm one, which could even be called cozy, despite of his nearly emotionless face, and the mental image of many spider webs around the bar, and a crawling spider right before her would be enough of proof of his identity as the Spider of Patience. However before any of them could discuss anything further, a noise of breaking glass would be heard coming from the window and a rock would hit one of Kain's customers. At that exact moment, Kain simply sighed and warned everyone inside. "Please, don't panic. I'll handle this." He knew why he said that, since there were some drunk people about to pick a fight outside with whoever did that, but they all knew Kain and who he was. They knew he was capable of stopping them.

"I am sorry, miss. But I must take care of something, if you would excuse me." And so he walked outside, seeing a group of bandits throwing stones at the commercial buildings of town, many people were frightened to confront them, but Kain simply walked towards them, watching them, their equipment and behaviour. They were all armed, behaved confidently, yet not all of them seemed to be in shape. Despite being bandits, some seemed way too sloppy, he could even noticed that at the way they aimed those rocks.

"If you would excuse me. You all are disturbing the peace of this comercial district so, I politely ask you to stop. Otherise, countermeasures will be taken." He could easily just whoop them all to the ground, however, that was a test, a final one to see if they were strong or not. If Kain had learned something in his life, people who were truly strong did not brag. Well, maybe Pride was an exception.



As Jerad would approach the alleyway, he would meet quite the sinister view. A man, about 40 years old, with a full black beard and no hair onto his head, he seemed to be tall and muscular, and wore some really fancy clothes with an emblem in it, probably a noble of a Kingdom. Before him, the corpse of a girl around her teens and before him, another one, all tied up and bloody. If one were to pay attention at the man's face, he was grinning, enjoying the whole situation that was going on around there.

That man was Credence Raven, a man of moderate influence around the city who suffered from small power syndrome, thinking he could do whatever he wanted to whoever he wanted and there would be no consequences. Those two girls weren't anyone particularly important, just girls he found walking around the street and as much of a perverted old man he was, he tried to get them to himself. As they refused, the following scene had unfolded. Without even noticing the arrival of Jerad, the man continued his speech.

"So, you little bitch. Are you still gonna say 'no' to me? Your little friend is dead, and guess what? No one will ever know, I'll find a way to cover that up. So tell me now: Will you come with me, or would you rather join her fate?"

@Gareth @Rune_Alchemist

The city, burning
The sky, red
The silence, broken
The screams, unending
This is what had on man in a cold sweat, his chest heaving as his face rested in his hands. Ever since the day these...memories came back to him, Alden couldn't get a peaceful nights sleep. These werent memories, but nightmares that haunted his mind upon the closing of an eye. Struggling to take a shakey breath, he looked out to the passing road. The caravan had been riding for a good two days now, and finally the city was in sight.

Bartla, the capital.

It had been two years since the caravan had come through here, but the city always stayed the same...for the most part. Sure things changed, but the air a place carries doesnt. Alden couldnt help but give a weak smile, before pushing himself up. A little clean up and he donned his coat, climbing down the moving wagon to walk along side it. He stepped ahead, coming to the current driver. An older man, must be in his fifties or so, lanky in stature with a thin beard to match. He quickly gave a smile to the younger man, giving a small wave.

"Maidin mhaith, Alden! I heard you turning something fierce back there. Not a night you cant rest easy ay?"

"Maidin, Marus. Ye, the dreams never seem to rest. Just wish they would let me do so, ya?"

Alden gave a grin, climbing up to sit with the older man. He got comfortable, propping his legs up and watching as the rolled on inside. Roughly about twenty or so wagons rolled up to the city, finding a place a short ways down the main path to set up. People were already unloading supplies, and with a grin alden saw the boss already shouting orders...everything would be set up by nightfall.

Seeing the twins hurrying over, he smiled, giving a nod to old Marus as he climbed down. The twins were Veti and Sona, The acrobatics of the group. As with every city, the three, being the youngest of the caravan, save for the preformers children, would go into town and hang up flyers. The twins often gave small preformances, showing their ability and giving the locals a taste of the show.

As of now they did the usual speel. The two would go off to, well, show off, while Alden would hang and hand out flyers...bars were usually hot beds for a potential audiance. And so, He found one that was rather Popular, the...Limbo? Odd name, but might as well step in. Best to check with the owner before setting up flyers...might also get a drink while here. Wouldnt hurt.

Slipping in the already overcrowded bar, he couldnt help but grin. Party was already going, and they had only just arrived. Working his way through the crowd, he forced himself to the counter, taking a seat. Didnt stand out much, however, seeing as he was rather...small, compared to most. His 5'4" stature being dwarfed even further by some of the giants in the bar...

@Salvia@rune_alchemist

"If you would excuse me. You all are disturbing the peace of this comercial district so, I politely ask you to stop. Otherise, countermeasures will be taken."

The bandits heard a voice address them and turned in slight annoyance. "Who are you to be getting in the way of what we do?" One of them replied, as the others gave each other quick glances trying to gauge if this very tall, white haired man, was a threat. They weren't sure. Usually when confronting a group like them alone, the lone guy would be nervous or near cowering. But this guy.... He was confident, standing there as if he could make a move to attack whenever he was given provocation. The bandits waited for the guy's reply except for one of their number. The shortest and most hot tempered, a brute named "Terrs". He lost his temper at the drop of a hat and this was no exception. Already red faced by the guy's interruption, he drew his sword with two feet of steel and rushed the white haired man.

"You dumb snow haired fool, thin you kin'-" But at that point the rest of the bandits ran after him and grabbed him by the arms holding him back from striking.

The first bandit admonished him, "Does he look scared to ya?" Shaking his head at his fool friend he continued, "He could probably tear us all apart, just look at his eyes, something scary has been in there, like he's seen things..." the bandit shivered.

That first bandit who spoke to the white haired man spoke once again, "We'll leave if its all the same to you?"

------------------

Jerad heard the crying sound get louder and louder. It grated on him that awful sounds of sorrow, and reminded him of the few funerals he'd been to. He had made a habit to stop attending funerals just because he couldn't stand to be in such a large group grieving with the atmosphere that they created in a room. It always seemed to be a pit of depression.

"So, you little bitch. Are you still gonna say 'no' to me? Your little friend is dead, and guess what? No one will ever know, I'll find a way to cover that up. So tell me now: Will you come with me, or would you rather join her fate?"

Jerad's eyes crossed as he heard what the man's voice said. What?? no... abduction? and murder... no I don't believe it...

Then he arrived and what he saw shook him to his core. His right hand was shaking with involuntary shivers as he noticed a man with fanciful clothes grin wickedly at a bound girl no more then fourteen if he was guessing right. She's covered in blood... what??? 'no, no, no....' he whispered to himself as he shook his head hoping it was fake. A scene that he was hallucinating? Right... Jerad pinched himself several times to make sure he was really there, really witnessing...

"Child tor-ture?" he asked the man with a voice that cracked into a higher pitch midway conveying his own sudden sorrow. He approached the man step by step getting more angry the closer he got to this disturbing man.

As he got face to face with him Jerad noticed a dead girl by his right leg... That did it... "You did kill her didn't you? A kid... A grown man like you?! You better get out of here!" Jerad raged at him as he drew his longsword and tensed his body ready to strike, depending on the bald devil's response.
@Salvia

1 year ago
Outskirts of Bartla, Capital of Reever, Tellurian

Crashing sound and some cursing were heard from a small building in the middle of the night, the light was lit and small figure dashed out of the window just before the house owner could find something hard to hit her. When the girl were sure that no one was following her, she sat down to enjoy some preserved meat. That’s when it hit her. An overflowing data was pouring in that it pained her head and made her growl, it ended as abruptly as it started, but it left her huffing for quite sometimes. All this information were too much for her to chow down in one night, so she pushed it all away and had a dinner instead, the title Hound of Gluttony was definitely suited.

Magna had been having some weird dream for years, mostly blurred and had no content, some black and white, some strange entities. She never paid much attention to it. Now, things were, well, not clear, but less blurry indeed.
However, she wondered how this Guardian’s thing could work out, whatever it might be, but it didn’t sound like a fitting job for her.

________________________________________________
Present time
Bartla, Capital of Reever, Tellurian

’This place again.’ Magna was standing in an small alley, two blocks away from a certain tavern. For the last few months, whenever she was distracted, she seemed to be heading in particular direction, closer and closer every single time. Something was pulling her here, while she fully know that ‘something’ was connected to the incident 1 year ago, another part of her was telling this would be dangerous and she should turn away. This tug-of-war in her mind was really frustrating, and making her hungry, since she’s here anywhere, might as well find something to eat.

Magna quietly walked closer to the tavern, or more preciously, the trash behind the tavern. She would love to snatch something out of the kitchen, but there’re just too many people. However, it seemed that she was especially absented-mind today, as she was digging for some leftovers, she tripped over a nearby pile of empty bottles and made some loud shattering noise. Startled, she ran over the corners. Still, she stood there for a while, she really want to eat something and the tavern was really noisy, maybe no-one heard that.

@Salvia

Bartla, Capital of Reever, Tellurian
@Salvia@Mistory

---

"Oho...200 year old wine from Britannia? My my, that is certainly quite the find." She replied to Kain, pursing her lips with a smile. So this was the 'Spider of Patience'. Calm, tranquil, ever watchful. Webs of plans and feelings spread across the bar, threatening to entrap and snare anyone who would so cross their maker. She almost wanted to challenge him to a duel, simply to test his own strength, but it seemed some buzzing insects were making a scene outside.

"Lady Savitri will do, Spider." She replied as Kain left to handle the ruffians. Now...what to do in the meantime? She had no desire to converse with anyone in the bar, let alone even be in their presence, but such was life. Perhaps she should have the Spider build a VIP section or some such, since he seemed to be in charge here. Hm, a thought for later. If he didn't she wasn't likely to stay here for long unless she had too. Mingling with these ignorant peasants was not something she considered a good time.

Reaching over to the bottle of wine, she inspected it carefully. It certainly seemed genuine and the Spider would have no reason to lie to her. Ah, she wanted to taste it and she didn't like waiting unless she had too. Certainly the spider wouldn't mind. Reaching into her purse, she pulled out a number of coins and placed them on the counter. Getting up from her seat, she walked behind the counter as though she owned the place, grabbing a glass and uncorking the bottle before pouring it.

Retaking her seat, she took a sip.

"Haaa...now that is certainly finely aged." She mused, a sigh of contentment leaving her lips just as she took notice of another person walking into the bar. Another one? And such a angry, violent persona. Wrath had arrived, then? Casting a glance over to the newcomer, Sav merely gave him a cool, mildly disinterested gaze before waving him over. "You there. The angry looking little boy. Over here, if you wish to not wonder around like a lost sheep. Or would Monkey be more accurate in your case?"

"I am no one but a simple tavern owner." Kain answered the bandit with both his hands behind his back, his eyes trailing over the movements of the bandits before him. Seemingly, one of them was about to attempt to strike him, but was immediately stopped by the first bandit. Smart man that was, apparently they weren't all fools and brutes, that man had an accurate perception. Meaning, if they were to engage in combat, that man would be the first Kain would have to strike down, maybe he could use the aggressiveness of the brute one against the others, however, he would have to inspect them some more.

Soon enough, that very same one who had stopped the brute came over to him and offered a truce, to which Kain didn't really react, maintaining his emotionless expressions and cold eyes, now staring deep into the bandit's eyes for a second which lasted like eternity. "You see, I would be really glad if you all just left under normal circumstances." He made a brief pause and then continued. "But, the thing is: You brought damage upon the property of others simply for fun. So, we may do the following: You are bandits, meaning you all probably stole gold from someone, somewhere, which also means, you all will pay for the reposition of those windows you've broke. If you don't...well, I already mentioned the countermeasures." Kain's aura was now a tad bit more threatening, despite his voice tone and manneirisms as well were unchanged.

"Mr. Bright." Kain called someone forth, and so a local Blacksmith came out of one of the shops these people had broken. An enormous muscular man, with a very long white beard and long braided white hair, probably around his mid-fifties, however, still seemed in shape. That man was a former royal guard who got retired and decided to become a blacksmith for fun, meaning, a fully prepared and armed warrior. "It seems I have some very valuable visitors and I must also get ready to close my bar, would you mind dealing with these gentlemen for me?" Bright nodded his head, while cracking his knuckles menacingly. "Mr. Bright is not as kind as I am, so I would advice you all to hand over the gold." He adviced the bandits and then turned his back, walking away right towards the back of his bar.

He felt more and more guardians approached, one nearby, two in his tavern and one more right behind it. He decided to approach the latter and invite her to come inside. His eyes gazed upon a female, she exhaled a certain presence. A deep insatiable hunger, the wish to consume everything around her, and the mental image of a hound. "Gluttony. Searching for a meal? I'm the owner of this establishment, come with me, I'll get you something so there's no need to sneak." He said while turning his back and slowly beginning to move. "Come." He said motioning for her to follow him.

Many would expect for people to rob foods or drinks while Kain was outside, however, most of those people were regulars. They knew what would be the consequences and decided it was better not to do so, meaning, everything was more or less the same. Kain walked over towards the counter and grabbed a bell or something of the sorts and began ringing it so everyone would hear him. "My dear customers, I thank you deeply for your presence here today, however, a certain group of people has reserved the space until night time. Meaning, for the time being, only their permanence here will be acceptable, so, consider the Limbo closed for the rest of the day." The crowds did not seem to be very pleased, however, the bar emptied soon enough, leaving only the four guardians in there. "Well, I suppose we all should talk about business." He said while still standing behind the counter and cooking a meal for Magna. "But before that, anyone would like anything? A drink? A meal? It's all in my menu." He pointed at a small book on the counter without even looking at it, his eyes entirelly focused into the ingredients he was preparing.



The bald man grinned menacingly at the young girl, about to tear her clothes a knife, the very same one he used to stab the other girl. That bastard sure was having the time of his life menacing innocents, now wasn't he? But now he was caught off guard and stepped aside when he heard a voice and immediately stared at Jerad. "Who the fuck are you? Yea, I did, so what? You're gonna attack me, kid? Do you know who I am? I am Credence Raven! One of the most respected man in this town, if you try to assault me, it will be the last mistake you'll ever commit!" He said that, however, his body tensed up when he saw the boy unsheathe his blade. He knew deep inside he wasn't as important as he kept saying he was.

No one would really care if he died.

However, he needed to keep his pose, maybe he could get out of that one alive.

@Gareth @Rune_Alchemist @Mistory @Wingwindz

---

"Haah, time to take a break... Guess I'll take a walk around the city..."

Luna did a stretch after she was finished with the last of her classes for the day. Now she had a couple of hours before she had to go to her second job, and she intended to use that time to relax. It had been quite the hectic day with her timetable full of classes, so she hadn't been able to take a break.

She took her bag that stored all her lesson materials with her. She wasn't in the mood to return to her room to put it there.

As she walked on the field outside, she admired all the greenery that surrounded her. The water fountain in the middle was a particularly nice addition, with students sitting on its sides, chatting with each other. There were also benches nearby that other students were perusing as well.

As usual, the grass, bushes, and flowers; they are all well taken care off...

She soon reached the gates of the academy as her feet took her outside towards the town.

---

The town is busy as always... Just what you would expect from a capital city, I guess...

She really didn't mind the bustle of the town. Normally, she would prefer a quiet environment to be in, but if it was just for sightseeing, the hustle and bustle made it more exciting and interesting. She herself didn't really know where she was going. She figured she would stop by some quiet tavern on the side to have some tea, but so far, she didn't really find any good place for that.

Well, it didn't matter. If she couldn't find it, then she would just return back to her dormitory and have her tea time there.

However, her steps stopped when she went by a certain alleyway.

Indeed, it was the same alleyway that Jerad and the bald man were at.

Her wandering stopped thanks to the noise coming from the place. She went in and saw what was going on.

This is...!

It didn't take a genius to see what was going on. The bald man was caught in the act by the younger man and now he turned around to threaten him.

She knew perfectly well what she had to do.

She took multiple pages on her book and sent them towards the bald man. She aimed for his hands and legs, wanting to immobilize him completely with her power.

@Salvia@Gareth

The message from the one bandit to watch out for the silver haired man kindof trickled into the brains of their entire group. The effect was immediate and rather evident. As one and all they gave the man their undivided attention. Learning that the guy was a tavern owner changed the atmosphere from tense or fearful to merryment. Bandits Loved Drink like it was second nature. Ofcourse there was a little chagrin at breaking the property of a pub owner because it was like breaking their own property. One could even go so far as to say their most valuable possessions were broken, such was these bearded fighters affection for alcohol, merryment and everything in-between. They had to make it right, they had to get in the door of this great man’s booze shack. Understanding that the man wanted payment for the windows the bandits were more then happy to comply. The bandits then turned as a newcomer was introduced ‘Mr. Bright’, understanding that he was the brawn that would force them to pay, this Blacksmith. Without furtherado the bandits each grabbed a handful of silver coins from their pockets and one by one approached him in a line as if they were buying things instead of apologizing with money. Not wanting to let the cat out of the bag, they didn’t tell the man that they were so quick to change tune, because of hearing of a tavern. Lest this giant decided that they were just going to be stupid drunks and want nothing to do with them.

---------------------

“I’m the guy who will give you hell as my father would say!” Jerad roared in the face of this disgusting thing, he didn’t even want to call this guy a man… What man would dare to brutalize girls, little kids like he did. No one. No one would.
Hearing the guy introduce himself as a notable figure with a unusual name but maybe he was telling the truth, maybe he was important in the city. Jerad mused. Either way…. “It doesn’t matter man… Like I’m a guy who would not brag and I mean you can brag about whatever actual real job you have like being a king if you want to..” Jerad shook his head firmly as he sighed. “But.. I can’t respect you if you are killing people, and I can respect you even less if you are holding a high station and using that As An Excuse!!!” He spat on the ground with his last words as his voice cracked with anger. He never really could keep his voice under control during emotional times.

Jerad took a step forward and stopped when he noticed papers flying past him. But it didn’t really register to him that they were heading towards his enemy. They were just papers that were blown randomly on the wind. Something that could happen when somebody didn’t have a clipboard and got clumsy and tripped, papers everywhere. Or at least that was Jerad’s explanation for it. Jerad sheathed his longsword and thought of a different tactic instead. He paid the papers no mind and rushed this evil fiend. Running straight for him ahead of the random flying papers between them and the bald guy. Jerad stopped for a half a second and then pulled his arm back and then forwards to give his punch, a right hook, some extra power. The punch was arcing towards his enemy's shoulder as Jerad's intended target.

@Salvia@Hammerman

Aelwin was marching alongside fellow guards as well as several knights as the men made their way back to their homeland, having escorted their liege on a diplomatic mission. King Andres Philip Sherriden the III was riding inside a carriage pulled by two horses. The carriage was a small and light one, making the journey swifter than a heavier contraption would allow, but no less royal for it; its dark wood engraved beautifully with Kheales’ crown symbols and tastefully accented with silver. His entourage consisted of some of his best and most trusted men (the others left behind to guard the Kingdom left in the hands of the designated regent), half riding in front of him and half behind him.

And good that their ruler had such protection, as the men travelling with him had already fended off several bandits. To add to the matter, some of those attacking groups certainly hadn’t been a coincidence; there were, after all, plenty of other factions that wouldn’t mind weakening a nearby Kingdom, and if a royal man was slain while traversing neutral grounds, or even while already in his own territory, well that was just the dangers of the roads, wasn’t it? As if proving such a line of thinking, a loud “HO!” stopped their procession, and shortly after, sounds of clanging metal followed. Aelwin dismounted his horse, quickly untied his shield from where it was fastened to the side of his mount, and drew his weapon, turning to their left flank, assessing the situation instead of rushing straight up to the front. His decision was proven correctly when arrows flew at them from the relative safety of a nearby forest-line. The men in the back of the carriage quickly went in position to guard the left flank from the assault, shielding both themselves and the horses, while also advancing steadily on their enemy’s position.

Al was just finishing off the last of the archers alongside his companions, when he saw a blur in his periphery. He turned to see a single enemy somehow having pushed through the front, some ways away to his right. Aelwin frowned, not as much worried about his King, who could surely fend himself off from a single lunatic – which was proven moments later, as the carriage’s doors smacked directly into the face of the assailant, his neck severed soon after by a quite composed Andres. Nonetheless, the men who had disposed of the archers rushed back to the carriage, aware that they had likely been attacked from more sides than two, or perhaps by a greater number of opponents than they initially expected. Either way, with the archers gone, the King’s men dispatched the remaining bandits in melee without much of a problem. But it was during this clean-up operation that Aelwin felt a headache unlike any other in magnitude suddenly pound through his head, as information poured into his mind from Gods know where. He collapsed with a cry, and was approached by worried kinsmen, some minutes later even by the King, as he had apparently been informed that one of his men may have been poisoned as a consequence of a foul enemy tactic. If he were able to, Al would have laughed at the irony of such a suspicion.

As it was, he tried to convey to his liege what the situation was. “My liege, a vision! The world…It’s in danger. Ahhh,” he moaned and doubled over in pain as the overload of the revelation was not yet done.

The King gestured to one of his men with a frown, and was informed the following: “He’s burning up, your Majesty. A very high fever, possibly poison. It may be lethal; we need an expert.”

Andres nodded. “Let us return to Kheales swiftly. I will have him ride with me. Bring him.”

“My Lord!” Aelwin cried in distress, having heard him. “I couldn’t possibly, not in the royal carriage, I can ride on my own,” he babbled some more, but was ignored, and unceremoniously but still incredibly carefully hauled over to the carriage and deposited inside. The King seemed to ignore him as Aelwin tried to warn him once again, and only glanced at him once to give him the order to rest until they arrived back home.

And that is how he found himself at his sister’s home, who had taken him in temporarily as he “recovered” and now he was as hale and hearty as he possibly could be – not that he had ever suffered from anything apart the Awakening, but the King had ordered him rest and so Al rested. He was admittedly somewhat disgruntled at having been forced away from his duties for almost a week, however he had quite enjoyed playing with little 3-year old Elisa now that he had more time to act the proper uncle. Thankfully Isiah Guillan, Signe’s husband, hadn’t minded and had even involved in several discussions regarding securing this or that merchant pathway and such. Aelwin also took the time to think and plan hard regarding what he would have to do over the next year…that was all the time he had before he would have to leave his beloved Kingdom behind to rid the world of a threat he would not wish to see anyone, but especially not his loved ones, suffer from.

---

Aelwin had been able to feel a pull to go in a certain direction for a while, however lately it was growing stronger. He knew what it meant. He had to go. He could only hope and pray his Kingdom wouldn’t suffer too greatly…but with what was to come, no part of the world was truly safe. And so, one day he requested private audience with his King after a meeting on the Kingdom’s security…

“What did you want, then, Lelland?” Andres asked after the others had left, not quite concealing his weariness, now sitting behind one of the many desks and tables littered with maps and documents.

Aelwin approached Sherriden, the other man some inches taller, paler, and as well built as any of his own knights. His long black hair reached just past his shoulders and he had a short but well-kept goatee. He had the features and bearings of a royal but was unmistakably also a warrior. Al dropped to a knee next to his liege, the proper posture for a formal occasion, and missed Sherriden’s slight frown as he did so. “I must leave for Reever, my Lord,” Aelwin said, his voice rough with regret, but determined.

He heard the harsh intake of a breath above him, then a tense silent minute followed. Sherriden finally sighed, perhaps tiredly or even in resignation. “Is this about that vision of yours?” he replied, then continued before Aelwin could get a word in edgewise. “You know, Lelland, I never imagined I might lose one of my best vassals to the fanaticism and doom-sayings of The Celestial Choir.” Al had no way he could possibly reply to that, not without being disrespectful, and kept his mouth shut while his King appeared to ponder over something. “I take it you are intent on going even if it must be in exile and as a fugitive, hmm?” Andres asked rhetorically, then tapped his fingers against the desk as he continued. “If I were any other ruler, I might have personally executed you on the spot for dereliction of duty,” he said harshly, but Aelwin suspected his tone was mainly due to his frustration, not an unassailable rage.

“Forgive me, my King,” Aelwin murmured simply, wishing the man had believed his unlikely tale. He shifted to drop into a kowtow, a position lowlier than a Head Guard had any due to ever take, but Al would rather debase himself before King Sherriden than risk a conflict with a man that was both his superior and a friend. He had to leave, certainly, but he had hopes of returning eventually.

However, before he could fully make it to position, Al was almost startled off balance by the King loudly slamming his fist to the table, and then practically roaring “STAND UP!” which Aelwin did; feet squared, hands behind his back, head bowed, but eyes staring straight and unflinching into the steely blues of the King, whose nostrils flared, now truly angry. Sherriden took several breaths and calmed himself down smoothly, then addressed Al. “Leave if you must. You have even trained a guard to take your place for exactly this situation, haven’t you,” he shook his head, though Aelwin wasn’t certain what the emotion behind the action was – not disbelief, to be sure. “Anyone with reason to know shall be notified you are leaving to Reever on a…special mission from your King.” Andres then turned back to the table he was sitting behind, seemingly done with the conversation, already perusing some documents.

“My Lord,” Aelwin said, confused and entirely caught off guard.

“Get out of my sight,” the King grumbled, but but not as harshly as he might have, perhaps even with a hint of fondness, as Al fancied to believe. Aelwin did leave, proceeding to visit his sister to say goodbye, as well as his parents, then saddled his horse, and left.

---

He rode south, south, and further south, the journey taking days, weeks, perhaps even a month. Eventually he made it to Reever and its capital city, Bartla, where he pinpointed the pull as originating from a bar. He led his horse to a nearby stable, then entered the establishment. Apparently, only his fellow…entities occupied it currently. “Seems like I made it just in time for the meeting,” he greeted, then strode confidently to the counter, promptly sitting himself on quite a comfy stool. “Any house specialities?” he asked, having heard the owner, and apparently the manifestation of Patience, offer them drinks and food. “I’ll take your recommendations for both the meal and the beverage, should you have any,” Al addressed the white-haired male.

Taking a look at the crowd, Alden sighed, preparing to follow out. Well if the owners busy. But as things settled, he froze. The more people who left, the clearer he felt the dominating presences in the bar. Personalities, almost infecting the air

Stepping back as the crowd started moving, he gave a glance toward one woman who had tried his attention prior. What had she called him? Monkey?...why did that bother him so much...Shaking his head, Alden turned to leave. He couldnt place it, but the...presence in the room was all too familiar. Though he had no memory of these folk.

The only thing that came to mind were the recent nightmares that plagued him...and honestly if these people had anything to do with those...He'd rather not be know...
@rune_alchemist@Silverpaw@wingwindz@salvia

Bartla, Capital of Reever, Limbo
@Salvia@Mistory

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This little monkey was ignoring her. Raising an eyebrow, Sav turned back to her drink before sighing lightly. Oh dear~ This feeling of being ignored was not something she had felt in such a long time. Back in Escain, there was no one who didn't know her name. Even among bounty hunters and monster hunters she was rather well known. Only the extremely uninformed didn't at least know of her name. Taking a sip before placing the glass back on the table, Savitri stood just as another man took a seat.

"The finest cut of meat you have and the freshest vegetables." She specified, turning to face the leaving Alden. This wouldn't do at all. Not only was he ignoring her...he also was leaving. So readily. The monkey really was just a monkey, wasn't he? Before he could get very far, she walked behind him, her rapier swiftly being drawn and pressing it against the side of his neck.

"Now now, that won't do, monkey." She spoke, haughtiness clear in her words. "Or do you intend to run from your fate like a mewling kitten? Come, take a seat. Don't be so craven."

As the cool metal rested against his skin, Alden froze, eyes drawn to the blades tip. He let his eyes travek down the blade till it left his vision, and sighed, giving a shift in weight as he shuffled around in his pocket.

" Id advise you not call me that...Ape would be mor accurate really..." odd, the words on his tongue. Seemed familiar, but he had never uttered them in his life..."normally, id put bandits like you in the ground, but im abit busy. Got work and all, the boss is probably waiting and I need to go get the girls...havent even actually done what he sent me to do anyhow..." ...he was more or less ignoring her at this point, actually going over his to do list with himself...

Finally pulling som form of paper from his trousers and skewering the sheet on the blade, he gave a breath"gotta get some rum for marus too...maybe some feed for the animals...Look, I really dont have time at the moment, nor much coin. But come to the show and we can settle this abit more...civilized, if your even capable. But if we must I can snap this pretty twig and bury the remainder of it through your throat, if you prefer to hold me up any longer..."
@rune_alchemist@Silverpaw@wingwindz@salvia