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[IC] The Hourglass Order Page 31

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Hidden 2 yrs ago Post by jasbraq
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jasbraq The Youngest Elder

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Searching for the search party

Dory & Laska @Force and Fury
















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Hidden 2 yrs ago → 2 yrs ago Post by CaliforniaState
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CaliforniaState Biologist

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Mandelein Forest Adventure
Present: Ymiico'luun'yoru @Salsa Verde, Casii’fyret’alan @Pirouette, “Ismet’ych’lahiin’dichora” @Force and Fury, Manfred Hohenfelter, Viktor Strauss @YummyYummy














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Hidden 2 yrs ago Post by yoshua171
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yoshua171 The Loremaster

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【Into the Metropolis】
Valerian “Vel” Remi Leclerè
&
Jocasta Re

~A Collab by @Force and Fury & @yoshua171~

A crossroads at the heart of the city, Dami’s Cross was truly a wonderful location to sit and enjoy the liveliness of Ersand’Enise. Well manicured lawns, pruned bushes and trees, the gentle ambiance of flowing water from the canals and the gentle chatter and movement of people making their way to-and-fro. It relaxed Valerian, who sat at a bench near the center of the Cross, well–if somewhat haphazardly–dressed in finely tailored clothes. On the bench beside him were the remains of what one might consider a rather heavy meal—not to mention an impromptu one. Nonetheless, people more or less let him be, not sparing him more than a passing glance.

A great many were used to seeing him at Dami’s Cross as it was one of his most frequented haunts and on top of that he was a student and it wasn’t uncommon to see them moving about these parts. Of course, today he’d come alone and decidedly to simply enjoy the pleasant weather and the simplicity of watching people go about their day-to-day doings.

However, as he enjoyed his leisure time away from classes and the busy work of both his school and his maintaining his numerous–if shallow–relationships with his schoolmates he found a sudden interruption as a note appeared out of nowhere in the palm of his hand. Attention shifting downwards, he raised a single eyebrow, a curious smile tugging one edge of his lips upwards. It wasn’t often that this sort of thing occurred, particularly to him. He’d made a point of staying well away from the various machinations of politicking that he knew a great many students involved themselves with. Shaking his head slightly—and admitting that he was equal parts bored and intrigued—Vel brought the note into the light and held it fast so the day’s breeze wouldn’t carry it away.

His attention diverted, he turned to reading the note.

It said:

Library, half an hour: third floor, old wing, the study booth with the crooked owl on its door. Extra credit.
Note

“Curious…” he said to himself, his voice lost in the sound of casual park-goers enjoying the fine stresian day. Sighing slightly—resigned that he’d have to answer what was effectively a summons—Vel pushed up from his seat and read the note once more before stowing it in a pocket.

The handwriting was clearly Jocasta’s and, for that reason, it was not as if he could exactly ignore the message. ‘Ah well, there goes my peaceful afternoon in the park,’ he thought as he headed for the library.

Though the note had given him a deadline of sorts, Vel made zero effort to hurry, instead taking a rather leisurely stroll. On his way he bought himself a light snack, which was finished well before the building in question came into view. Making his way inside he wove past other students, staff, and the occasional visitor keeping his silence until he noticed the crooked owl. Staring for a moment, Vel turned from the door, looking about the library for a spell before deciding that he’d not make any trouble. It was too much effort and it wasn’t as if this was clandestine. He knew who had called him.

So it was that he pushed the door open and entered the small—even cozy—study booth. The Tan-Zeno was seated there in her wheelchair, hands folded over a series of papers in her lap. She had been a student the previous year, before receiving a special evaluation and passing a series of exams. Now, she was an instructor, if a junior one: his, in fact, for Preservation. She raised an eyebrow. “If I’d added the word urgent, would it have made a difference?”

Vel chuckled lightly and sat down with ease, his eyes flitting to the intricate ring on his left hand, noting where each of its two dials were before he glanced up and met Jocasta’s eyes. “Mmn, couldn’t be that urgent if you’re calling me,” he replied with another chuckle, his manner as easy and relaxed as they were casually self-effacing.

“Besides, I figured I’d give you time to arrive,” he gave her a small smirk as his eyes darted to the wheelchair for an instant. There was no malice or insult there, if anything it was more like he was playing at being overly-considerate.

Then, she was not where she had been. She was behind him, tapping him on the shoulder. “We’re going to talk as we walk,” she replied, turning and wheeling down the hall. ”Do try to keep up for once, Vel.”

Sighing, Valerian got back on his feet and followed her. A beat passed before he replied, “You know I can’t match your stride, Jocasta.”

As he said the words a faint metallic clang rang out. She’d sense some of the power he was constantly drawing being released as a faint flick against the metal of her wheelchair.

“I can always help,” she offered sweetly. “Now,” she continued, voice lowering, “Much as I enjoy slapping you around verbally, I didn’t call you here for something social.” Vel could feel the familiar echo effect of a sonic dampening bubble take shape around them. “There’s a problem or… an opportunity,” she admitted, “depending on how you look at it. I figured it might be something that appealed to you.” She stopped all of a sudden, palms scrubbing all of the speed from her wheels, and turned to regard him. “This is your last chance to leave, or you’ll be obligated to listen to every word of my damsel-in-distress plea.” Beneath the joking words, there was a hard-to-miss seriousness to her tone, however.

Matching pace with her as the bubble went up around the, invisible but very much apparent to his senses, Vel raised an eyebrow and smiled slightly as he gave her a sidelong glance. Following her lead he stopped and considered her words. After a brief moment of thought he sighed and shrugged with that familiar begrudging smile. “As a gentleman and a blooded heir of the noble house of Leclère I have little choice, but to listen.” Though his tone was flippant and amused, the words themselves belied them, serving as an acceptance of her proposal. Clearly she had his attention, if not his interest—though that was harder to gauge.

“Niallus Saberhagen, Maura Mercador, Ingrid Penderson, Abdel Bukhari, Trypano Somia, Kaureerah Wenhan, Rikard Ambrus, and Yalen Castel. Maybe you know some of them from previous classes?” She didn’t wait for his answer. “They were dispatched on a diplomatic embassy to Retan by Zenith Upta. They’re supposed to track down and kill an agent of the Traveler who’s been operating there.” Her voice remained informative, but he would be a fool to miss that she was evaluating him in some way.

Though his easy smile remained, something in his expression shifted, his eyes becoming more thoughtful as he considered her words. “Standout students,” he commented idly as he listened. However, as she mentioned the Traveler, his eyes darted back to her, revealing a brief flash of intensity, before he deliberately relaxed.

‘This is serious…and she’s trusting me with it. What does that say about me? What does that say about her judgement?’ Pausing, he reconsidered. No, he trusted her judgement, this was something else. “An opportunity. You want to bring me into this.” It wasn’t a question he was posing as he met her eyes and she offered a tight nod in response. “Truth be told, I don’t want to bring anyone into anything,” she admitted, starting to move again, “But the school establishment’s sucking up to the Twin Emperors and they’re…” she lowered her voice even though they were in the bubble “fucking evil. We also have a couple who might try to flip things and bail out the Traveler’s agent and start some kind of coup.”

She was coasting along, just in front of him now, and she slowed up and glanced over her shoulder as they approached an archway into the other wing. “And why’d I come to you?” Her smile was toothy. “You like authority like a cat likes baths, Vel, and I’m sick of older people telling us what we should want and do.”

At that comment Vel couldn’t help but smirk, a glimmer of that familiar mischief entering his amber eyes as he regarded her. So unassuming and inoffensive if you judged her by her appearance. Just a small pretty thing in a wheelchair, all smiles, but the reality was different. She was sharp as nails, tough as diamondscale hide and had all the guile of a wizened old fox that had seen far too many coups.

He knew she grated on some, but Vel thought that was some of her appeal. He hated to admit that it might be some of the Leclère blood in him. Nonetheless, she was waiting for his answer and he could hardly keep a lady waiting long.

“You know me too well, Lady Re,” he said, giving her a mock bow, his smile having grown. As much as he’d tried to stay out of the politicking of his peers, this he had to admit was almost certainly worth his time. “Besides, I can hardly say no now, I know too much.” Ever playful, even in the face of events with incredibly dire ramifications.

“I’d hoped so,” she replied, turning on the spot. She fished one of the papers off of her lap and handed it to him. “I checked in last night. This is how things have evolved. This is what our group’s been up to.” She pursed her lips, preparing to drop the bubble. “Thing is, they’re there in an ’official’ capacity. You need to be… not there…officially. You’ve got the pigpox if anyone asks. I’ve used my Zeno powers to write you a note for it.” She sniffed and glanced around. A handful of people had glanced their way, but that was a regular occurrence with the Tan-Zeno. “Meet me tonight at 2:00 HD: door five in the warehouse by the Silk Gate. I’m going to teleport you in, outside of the city where their magic censors can’t detect and nab you. Remember, magic use is licensed there, so be careful using it. You’ll be meeting someone I spoke with last night. I’m pretty sure he’s an ally. For now, read up, stay safe, and stay away from me, lest anyone suspect too much.” She smiled and kept her body language casual through the whole thing, making it look, from the outside, like some friendly gossip and nothing more.

Taking the dossier in his right hand, Vel turned, looking out a window and into the outside world, the bubble of silence still veiling their words. Leaning on the sill he peered out, his arm shielding his mouth from any would-be lip-readers as he spoke once more. “So, keep a low profile as much as possible and use my dualistic nature as a front for my, let’s call them extracurricular activities. Sound about right?”

Jocasta nodded. “That’s why you make the big bucks.” She brushed some hair from her eyes. “You have any other questions, you ask me, okay? Need anything else that’s not just an ego-stroking, you ask me too.” When the bubble fell, she was laughing at a joke he’d told and bidding him goodbye. ”You are just awful,” she squealed, “But my lips are sealed. I’ll see you after class, hmm?”


It had taken him only a few hours to properly appoint himself for his little outing in addition to acquiring medicine and the like for his supposed illness. It would keep the ruse going hopefully for long enough to take care of the Tan-Zeno’s business in the Metropolis. As he’d finished those preparations and made his way towards the warehouse that Jocasta had instructed they reconvene at Valerian had begun to consider in greater detail what he would be doing.

This would be distinctly dangerous, but it wasn’t like he hadn’t been sent on the occasional unofficial mission before. He was an ideal candidate after all for his Dualblood nature meant that any suspicion aroused from detecting magic usage in his vicinity would immediately be tempered by the fact that it was a necessity for him to be doing so every hour, minute, and second of every day. While some of that process was made reliable and easy enough by practice that he almost did so unconsciously, much of it required his constant attention. Nonetheless, this meant that even energy spikes that authorities would typically be suspicious of became mild fluctuations accounted for by his need to modulate his energy intake and output.

In tangent with this, his high status–but essentially non-existent reputation–made it far easier for him to operate under the radar. Anything else was often smoothed out by his personable nature. Still, this job felt different somehow…more dangerous and certainly with higher stakes than anything Jocasta–or any of the others–had tasked him with before.

If he was being honest, it made him equal parts excited and apprehensive, enough so that for once he would actually be early to arrive. Typically, for missions of any importance, he would strictly be on time. He made a point of being fashionably late for anything casual, but when it came to things of import he made sure he was always punctual–this did not necessarily include his classes however.

So it was that he came within view of the fifth door of the warehouse that she’d indicated to him in her instructions. Rather than enter straight away, Valerian focused as he walked casually in the direction–though he behaved as if he wasn’t even near his destination. Stretching out his arcane senses, Valerian took note of any and all people nearby based on their heat signatures, bio-electric, and biochemical signals in their bodies. Furthermore he determined the orientation of each of them, noting that none of them were quite faced in his direction. With that done he drew upon the energies around him, but this time more strongly than he typically did, thus dimming the illumination within his range, but subtly and on a gradient. Though he’d wanted the gradient to shift–as if it were based on a static location, rather than centered on his person–he quickly found that a bit beyond him. It was of little matter, this was ultimately just a simple precaution after all.

Properly concealed, Vel entered the door and shut it behind himself quietly, adjusting the gradient back to normal light levels as he did so–though he made sure to have the semi-circle that was still outside gradually adjust rather than suddenly return to normal. Relaxing, Vel casually glanced down at his left hand, noting the change in his dual mana counts and then vented energy accordingly to balance the two out once more. The vast majority of that energy took the form of heat, which he harmlessly distributed into the ground. The rest he allowed to be converted by his body into chemical energy.

It would stave off his appetite for a bit longer.

Glancing about, Vel made an effort to locate Jocasta–though he was certain she’d come to him soon enough. She’d have sensed his use of energy from a mile off most likely.

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were turning over a new leaf.” Jocasta was waiting, as was her custom. Her eyes searched him up and down. “Good. You’re covered.” Her hands were on her wheels and she turned on the spot, easing over a crack in the floor. “You’ll recognize the contact, then?” she prodded, “Wu Long. Great big guy, red and gold clothes, bushy beard, speaks scarily fluent Avincian.” She wasn’t leaving much room for formalities or frivolities. “Thanks for doing this, and don’t hesitate to benefit yourself as well. Now,” she concluded, already starting to draw from space and time in preparation for opening a portal, “Any last questions?”

Vel, despite her to-the-point attitude, only smiled and gave her one reply. “Only one. How much will you owe me if I pull this off?”

She smiled mischievously. “Could be quite a bit, or… you might even find yourself owing me.” With that, came a wink and then a flare of temporal energy, but it was a mere blip compared to the great nexus that was the Silk Gate. A portal swirled into existence and, on the other side, what looked like a mountainside and a cave. Jocasta nodded in the Perrenchman’s direction. “Reshta favour you, Vel.”

Bowing his head with a smile, Vel then turned his gaze to the portal and walked through seemingly without hesitation. As he emerged into the cool mountain air, the winds pulling at the edges of his coat and whipping his hair into motion, Valerian gave himself a moment to acclimate himself to his surroundings. Taking a breath, he made a point of not looking back into the portal even as he cast his gaze in a wide arc, taking in his new surroundings.

Everywhere he looked were signs of disaster. It was not the sort that concerned people, but that which would have impacted nature and the animals that called it home. The broken roots and branches of shrubs and scraggly trees could be seen poking through the recently-disrupted snow. Cracked boulders were strewn about randomly, and there were great gashes in evidence about the mountainside as if it had been scoured clean.

It was dawn. There was a cave. The inside of it burned with energy.

Shielding his eyes with an upraised arm as the dawnlight reached his eyes, Vel narrowed his eyes slightly at the cave. Some small part of him wondered what he’d gotten himself into even while another marveled at the beauty. Still, aside from all that, the source of energy he sensed nearby was surely of note–though whether it was wise to investigate was another question entirely.

Taking in a deep breath, Valerian cast his awareness out, narrowing it and his drawing of energy such that he’d gain a clearer mental image of whatever–or whoever–the energy might be coming from. Brow creasing, Valerian discovered little, though he was able to tell that there were two sources of energy. One greater than the other…so great in fact that it seemed beyond his scope to properly measure.

Opening his eyes, he frowned and relaxed, returning his manas to a state of equilibrium. As he considered what little he had learned, Valerian turned and briefly gazed down upon the Metropolis of Wanggang far below. Was he to enter the cave or traverse down the mountain to the city? He began to weigh his options and the likelihood of Jocasta expecting each of him.

‘On the one hand, that could be the contact Jocasta spoke of…on the other…’ Vel sighed and shook his head. Whatever was in there was strong enough that it’d make short work of him if it so desired, but the real question was not whether he could handle it. The real question was simpler, would Jocasta send him into the clutches of something he couldn’t handle?

Unlikely, though she had stressed the precarious nature of the situation. Sighing, Vel resigned himself to risk. Stepping into the cave, he quickly found the light dimming, and so raised a palm and began casting a simple cantrip. Creating something of a feedback loop in his palm, Vel generated a small bright light from his hand and recycled the light and trace heat that escaped.

At least this way he wouldn’t be caught unawares.

Then… let there be light. He was in a grand hall, the ceiling some forty feet above his head, and great pillars rose to either side of him. It was almost unbearably bright, and rendered even more so by the polished marble floors and quartz statues. These seemed to come in pairs, with the figures that they depicted in some form of indirect opposition. In the middle of it, standing before a pair of enormous doors in the Retanese style, was a man. He was large and burly, but not uncouth-looking. His bristly facial hair framed a face that was at once stern and merry, jovial and wise, and his fine robes were of gold and red silk. He clasped his hands behind his back and smiled in greeting. “It is a pleasure to meet you,” he said. “I am Wu Long, and we have much to discuss.”
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Hidden 2 yrs ago Post by Th3King0fChaos
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Th3King0fChaos The Weird

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Cold Comfort

In Collaberation With: Silas Rieger@Tackytaff, Yuliya Ilyanovich Vasilieva @Suicharte, Nazih Iqbal@Ziegenkonig, Esmi’nesta’tawaar@BlackRoseSiren, Yvain de Berbignon@jasbraq, Penelope 'Penny' Pellegrin@Force and Fury, Sven Bjørnsson


Upon The Misty Mountains




Of Best Laid Plans




All Things in Motion




Of Mice and Men



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Hidden 2 yrs ago → 2 yrs ago Post by YummyYummy
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YummyYummy Ayyyyy

Member Seen 6 hrs ago


Present:
Ashon’amar’loiyang @Ti, Taleja Drakenknecht, Cal’tuuro’jaros @Suicharte, Casii’fyret’alan @Pirouette,
Dorothea Hohnstein @Jasbraq, “Ismet’ych’lahiin’dichora” @Force and Fury, Kaspar Elstrøm von Wentoft @Wolfieh,
Edyta Łaska, Manfred Hohenfelter, Qasem Laghmani @Tackytaff, Ymiico’luun’yoru @Salsa Verde, Jocasta Re,
Father Jacques Dubosque, Brother Baudile Dubosque, Constable Laura, The whole damn town




Dawn of Assani 19th - 1:00 HS

2 Days Remain

♫


The evening prior, a small hunting team composed of Sister Edyta Laska, Dorothea Hohenstein, Casii’fyret’alan, Manfred Hohenfelter, Ismet’ych’lahiin’dichora, Ymiico’luun’yoru and led by Viktor Strauss had hunted down and retrieved the corpse of what was later identified as a Wildblood “taken by the beast”. The corpse was kept in an unused barn South of town, with many villagers attempting to take a peek, if they weren’t gathering around the Inn for the latest gossip. The night remained quiet, and it made way to a morning that was bound to be agitated, to say the least.

Most of the town had gathered at the old Trade Guild under the directive of Fr. Dubosque.

“Ist das Biest wirklich tot? (Is the beast truly dead?)” asked an anxious baker named Sofia who had pushed through the crowd to be at the front of the town meeting.

“Unmöglich. Nach all diesen Generationen?! Von einigen Kindern?! (Impossible. After all these generations?! By some children?!)” yelled out an outraged Günter, the retired seamster.

“Warum sind sie noch hier? (Why are they still here?)” asked Bertha, the old seamster’s daughter, her vehemence palpable, “Das Biest wurde nur durch die Anwesenheit von Außenstehenden wütend. Unser PROTECTOR ist jetzt aufgrund eines von ihnen verursachten Problems verschwunden! (The beast only got enraged by the presence of outsiders. Our PROTECTOR is now gone because of a problem they created!)” many cheered in agreement, many also seemed to be reluctant to say anything.

“Sie haben Anna gerettet! Haben Sie etwas Anstand. (They saved Anna! Have some decency.)” retorted, ironically, another Anna, this one the wife of another farmer, “Unser Beschützer war schon lange nicht mehr da und sie halfen uns mit dem Monster, das ihn ersetzte. (Our protector was long gone and they helped us with the monster that replaced it.)” she nodded toward Dubosque, and the students she could see that participated in the meeting, “Thank you for helping mein friend.”

“Bußgeld. Sie halfen! (Fine. They helped!)” growled Bertha as she tossed her arms in the air, “Was jetzt? Sie sind fertig. Wir können das Problem jetzt lösen, da der Wald sicherer ist! (What now? They’re done. We can deal with the problem now that the forest is safer!)” again, the mob seemed to be quite split, though there was a clear majority for xenophobia.

“Bertha,” began the good Father, sitting on a chair in the centre of a long table that would accommodate a council. There were a few older villagers among him, and a few students were allowed to join as well, “Ich verstehe deine Ängste. Als wir uns das letzte Mal nach außen öffneten, waren wir verletzt. Andere wurden verletzt. (I understand your fears. The last time we opened ourselves to the outside, we were hurt. Others were hurt.)” his hands interlocked with one another, the man was not going to succumb to emotion and fan the flames of fear, “Vergessen wir nicht, dass sie sich selbst in große Gefahr begeben- (Let’s not forget that they put themselves in great peril for-)” then he was cut off, for the third or fourth time this morning, by emotionally driven villagers.

It continued on and on. For all the good the students could have brought, the aversion many of the villagers had for any outside interference was more than obvious at this point. Maybe they were right, there hadn’t been attacks until they appeared, and the beast held an important role in their culture. But it was without a doubt that a threat was slain, and many also saw that.

“Und was ist mit den Schmugglern? Und die anderen Monster? (And what of the smugglers? And the other monsters?)” a familiar voice with a broken Kerreman piped up from the back. The entire gathering of people turned to notice Father Dubosque’s own brother, Baudile, indulging in a smoke and with smug confidence on his face, “Es gibt noch viel zu tun, oder? Soweit ich weiß, sind diese besser als alle Halbheiten bisher! (There’s still a lot to do, no? From what I can see, these ones are better than any half-measures so far!)”

Father Dubosque shot a glare that could only convey disappointment and even resentment for his own brother. And, like clockwork, the people erupted into a rabble. The mention of more beasts and the outside threat of smugglers had them bicker on borderline nonsense. Even the more reasonable townsfolk appeared hostile at these notions, dismissing them as ‘beside the point’ and ‘divisive lies to pull Mandelein further down’.

"It appears to me," interjected Manfred, his voice frosty, "That you are doing a fine job of that yourselves." He removed the pipe from the corner of his mouth and exhaled, filling his immediate vicinity with a whitish haze. "Your fear is almost comical were it not so damaging. No wonder the town is withering. No wonder there is none of the trade that used to flow through here. He punctuated his gestures with his pipe. “You come to rely on some ‘beast’ to see to your interests instead of your fellow man.” He shook his head, letting his feet down from where they were crossed over another chair. They landed with an audible ‘clap’ on the wooden floor. “There is no more water in your fountain. There are scant few shoppes in your square. The hospitality of Mandelein used to be renowned and its name spoken with respect, at least in the lands that I come from, not so far from here.” He scowled deeply. “Yet you stay this ruinous course you have chosen, despite its clearly evident damage.” There was an extended pause. “You are fools,” he declared. “The lot of you. Outsiders come to help and you focus on them being outsiders, instead of being there to help." He gestured with the pipe, taking in the angry and disorganized mob. "So you tell lie upon lie, and to what end? How can one expect the desired result if those who are enacting it don’t know what it is?" He let out a snort. "Though that is a familiar story here, I see."

“You don’t know what you’re talking about, boy!” shouted Morritz, the carpenter.

“We never desired anything.” scoffed Melanie, constable Leonhardt’s wife. "Yasoi, outsiders, destroyed our trade. Smugglers, outsiders, plagued us for generations. We were FINE."

Dubosque shot a concerned look toward Manfred and then toward Sister Laska, but kept his piece for now.

The sister, as well, said nothing, her warm blue gaze sliding from one man to the other. Not so for Manfred. "Oh, hogwash!" he retorted, waving a hand dismissively in the villagers’ direction. "You really are in love with your little narrative." He shook his head tightly and rose, gesturing with his pipe. "If you were plagued by outsiders, you also benefited from them." He snorted. "How much trade flowed through here? Were your tariffs not the lowest in our entire nation at one point? What need would there be of smugglers when merchants paid mere frosch for the privilege of doing business here?” He began pacing. “And, before they closed themselves off, did you not once call these yasoi friends and neighbours? He scowled. "Before you, too, closed yourselves off?" He was doing his best to maintain an even tone, to defeat their emotional and backward arguments with reason, but their sheer…pigheadedness was beginning to get to him.

Manfred was not wrong. His reasoning was rational and grounded. And yet he was met with pushback. A lot of it. Most came from indignant villagers that couldn’t accept being told off by an outsider youth, one dressed so proper and smoking a pipe right before them. They had been living through hard times and this pampered kid was telling them they were fools for surviving the way they had to for fifty years? The uproar was overwhelming, counterarguments drowned into a sea of emotional outbursts. It wasn’t just Manfred that was antagonised but the villagers bickered among themselves too.

“Enough!” the priest’s voice boomed with the help of the gift, and the crowd ceased their yapping to pay mind to their leader figure, “We’ve enough burdens without imposing more onto our fellow men and women. These young envoys have come to help, and help they did.” he took a deep breath as his hand descended onto his aching leg. Moments like these were when it flared the most, that and when it rained. “They have our thanks. And when their near-finished mission is over, we will find our peace again.” the people were clearly not entirely pacified by these brief reassurances, and none of them were going to extend the same thank you, but whatever drove them to incessantly voice their frustrations had been quelled, if only slightly. The priest turned his attention to Manfred, “We are to understand that the final loose ends have been found and a plan is in motion, yes?” he asked with a faint smile forming under his thick moustache, “If anything, you have the Church’s support.”

Manfred had tried, but these people were obstinate, and they were hiding something: something that had nearly killed Dory and possibly himself. And what had they received for it but hostility, and since the very start, as well? It was a wall of lies, in truth, and the priest was in on it only, he was far better at placating than the townsfolk were. Ungrateful Schweinhunde he thought to himself, not quite succeeding in suppressing a scowl. He nodded, taking a moment to light his pipe again with some quick arcane magic. He took a gentle pull - people who did not know how to smoke often pulled hard and broke out in fits of coughing - and savoured the rich aromas and flavours of the imported tobacco. "That is comforting to hear, Father." He addressed the others with a pressed-lip smile. Fuck you. Fuck you all. I’ll save you from yourselves. “I cannot speak for my homeland in Meckelin-Thadau, but I know that the academy, as well, offers its assistance. It is clear that many here cannot bring themselves to trust the word of mere biros such as ourselves, so I promise that you shall have more.”

More? That single word resonated through the old trade guild. What was once a room full of fiery emotions was now growing agitated by the implication they quickly caught onto. The school already knew of this place, that much was for certain, but special interest that warranted more than biros? Many looked to Dubosque for reassurance, and all he could provide was a question, “Herr Hohenfelter,” he began, eyebrows furrowed and voice rasped from the previous strain he put into it in his previous words, “what are you saying?” he wasn’t the only one showing growing concern, Baudile was as well from way back.

Sister Laska’s eyes shot Manfred’s way too. "Merely that help is on his way," he concluded. It was not so very long a distance for her eyes to travel to Fr. Dubosque’s. They met.



Jacques Dubosque’s early walks were part of the town morning ritual, and a reassuring sight for the townsfolk. If the good father made his rounds, it meant things were going to go as usual. Only the worst of the Mandelein storms could keep the ageing chief in his abode, and even then he made it a point to visit his people.

“I prayed at every opportunity yesterday,” he confessed as he continued his walk with the aid of his hazel cane, “as my thoughts were with your friends, and you as well. It pleases me greatly to see both Oraff and Eshiran answer and bring both you and that young woman safely back among us.” he waved at the botanist who had been opening up her humble shop. In fact, he saluted every single villager that shot him a glance, “You have my thanks, sincerely. They are grateful too, in truth,” he said as they passed by more villagers that eyed the two, some more jovial than others, but few held a smile when they peered at the priest’s one up, “even if they wouldn’t ever say it. I’m sure, as a Rezaindian, thankless jobs aren’t foreign to you, Sister Laska.”

“Not at all, ksiądz.” Edyta Laska shook her head and managed a rueful smile, “But few so thankless as this,” she admitted. Her hands were knit before her as she walked. She pursed her lips as if something were bothering her. Then: “Tell me, father, with Dami’s candor, is it truly at an end? For I do not feel that it is.”

The good father didn’t answer right away, as they passed by a couple of masons eager to shake the priest’s hand. Pleasantries were shared, and Laska’s question was left to linger. Eventually, they were back on pace. “If it were just that one beast, sister, we would have long since recovered.” His attention was always at whatever was forward, with only a passing glance to his walking partner when she spoke. “There is an outside menace, as you’ve probably discovered, that has recently returned after decades. They made good work of profiting off our isolation and predicament.” a sonic bubble formed around them before he continued, “And they’ve made sure to keep us trapped in this isolation, knowing how vulnerable Mandelein had become since the fall of our Yasoi neighbours.”

The rezaindian was straight to the point.“These vile creatures are their doing, then?” Her fingers came apart and her fists clenched and unclenched a handful of times. “Tell me where they are and how many, and I shall once again employ my talents in the name of Eshiran.” Her eyes burned with righteous fire. “I swear it.”

“I cannot tell you the exact location. Their operation thrives on mobility.” he said plainly, “But I’m aware that my brother has spoken to one of yours. He has been seeking them out too.” They were approaching one of the exits of town, and so they continued through the outskirts as small droplets befell the two, “An astute investigator such as yourself would have seen the castle by now, and what its bowels may be hiding. The beasts are the fruit of an outsider, but not these ones.” He clenched his jaw; something hot was bubbling inside the older man, “They merely took advantage, and turned a tale of protection and community into a scourge. I will pray for you as you deliver Eshiran’s will onto these foul renegades.”

“But not these ones?” the nun prodded.

“Indeed.” he looked over at Laska and gave her a curt nod, “The story of the beast of Mandelein began many centuries ago, a time not too distant from the great heathen war. A lot of it has been, how would you say …” he gestured circles with his hands as he mused, “lost to time, I suppose? The story has been thinned down to be enjoyed by children before bed. Many elders don’t remember it either.” He liked to talk and, in truth, it was enjoyable for the man to have a fresh mind to exchange with, and so he made it last. “The first beast of Mandelein, and the first known Graf of the region, are one and the same. Cursed by an outsider wielding unspeakable power. However, rather than indulge in one’s impulses as would a beast, the Graf’s love for his land and people took precedence. And so began the story of the Beast of Mandelein. And a culture of fear of the outside … Until trade and profit superseded irrational fear, anyway.” he chuckled.

One could tell, simply by looking at her, that the wheels of Sister Laska’s mind were racing. “I…see,” she replied, after an extended pause. “I thank you for your candor.” Her brow was furrowed, face pensive. “It would seem that the Graf was… a man who held Ipté close in his heart. There are no others I have seen who can forestall the beast.” She glanced about her surroundings uneasily. “So then, do I have your word that there is nothing that remains of this vile affliction among the townspeople?”

“If I were to say no, Soeur, would you kill them right here, on the spot?” he kept on walking, his voice unperturbed just like his imperfect gait.

“I am an instrument of Eshiran’s will, and that of the most blessed Optimates.” If there was any uncertainty in her voice, she did well to hide it. “I would do my duty, ksiądz,” she replied immediately, “regardless of my personal feelings.”



“What help, Hohenfelter?” Dubosque raised his voice, demanding an answer.

Manfred’s eyes narrowed and there was something almost… smug about him. "Aaah, there we are, your true colours," he remarked. "No more false smiles and dodged queries, and insincere placating words. How wonderful they look on you. Of course…" he pulled out his pocketwatch and twirled it between his fingers. "A bit of truth would look even better."

Dubosque was singleminded, however: more agitated than they had ever witnessed him. “What. Help.” he grated, all-but glaring at Manfred.

"The help that I have deemed you need," the Graf answered. "Since people are dying under your watch, but it is a ‘help’ very much more than capable of erasing this little problem of yours." He narrowed his eyes and flipped the watch open, glancing down at it. "Of course, this doesn’t have to be unpleasant," he continued, snapping the cover shut. All at once, then, he rose. "All that you need to do is to stop protecting criminals” he roared, ”And start telling the Gods-damned truth!!" He stopped, let out a breath, and straightened his collar, smiling with only his lips. "You have… five minutes."

Dubosque was pale, something about this sinister ultimatum had scared him more than the disappearance of Stigenroth or the arrival of outsiders. It wasn’t the look on Manfred’s satisfied face that got to him, but visible panic growing among his flock. Then the first insults came out, and before long, constables had to keep a few overeager men from trying to smack the grin off of the Hohenfelter’s face. Again, the priest shot a look at Laska, the one he believed to have at least had an understanding with. He felt betrayed. She shook her head tightly, expression, helpless, and glanced at Manfred with something less than anger but more than annoyance.

“Your words evoke help, but your voice and body say threats!” a loud, feminine voice from outside the crowded building challenged Manfred directly and did a good job in catching the attention of the mob. It was Laura, mostly recovered, although she still used a pair of crutches. “Why would we trust you? You come here, we have MORE problems! You come here, my BEST FRIEND gets attacked!” her blue eyes glared right into Manfred’s. She was no longer the little victim from before, or the subtle little watcher in the barracks. “What best way to solve a problem than to create one first? Hmmm? Very strange that they can kill the beast in a day. What is this new HELP, Graf Hohenfelter?” that title, it startled more than a few, but it kept them quiet too as they watched Manfred expectantly, Dubosque included.

If Manfred was cowed, he did an admirable job of repressing the outward signs. "I hear accusations," he replied, "when I asked for truths." He was sweeping the room with his senses, actively searching for threats. "The truth as I see it is that there is more than one beast, a fact which nobody volunteered." He ticked it off on his fingers. "There is no Graf here, which also was not shared." Finger two. "You hire brigands to waylay travelers en route here and complain that the town is dying!" Finger three. "Your livestock was disappearing before we arrived, despite whatever lies you’ll tell to the contrary and, what’s more: my associates have witnessed those killing them come from -"

A woman was there in the room. She had not been there a second earlier. She was small and young and pretty, with long blonde hair. She sat in a wheelchair, hands folded upon her lap, and her arrival cut Manfred’s rant off where it stood. She glanced around the room, immediately trying to take the temperature of it.

Everything was silent, all eyes on the newcomer who had formed out of nothing. None of the villagers had ever seen such magic before. It was a terrifying sight, even to Laura. Dubosque wasn’t intimidated, but he understood the implication of bringing temporal magic onto the table. For now, he could only watch and listen with little done to appease the fear in his people’s hearts.

She looked about uneasily. “I’ll confess to having no idea of what I’ve just walked into, but I see plenty of worried faces.” She offered an uncertain smile. “I’m here because Manfred called for me, though, because he is certain that there is a danger this town beyond what he - or you - can handle. ” She had already begun sweeping the town and its nearby environs for signs of danger. “I’m tethered, as you may have guessed - a Zeno of the academy. I’m looking for dangers in the town now. If you know anything, that might make things a lot easier.”

As expected, nobody in the crowd spoke up but the attitude had also been culled. That wasn’t to say they were content. No, quite a few, mostly those outside that had been listening, were gone. “We appreciate the help Zeno-” it didn’t feel right, she was far too young to be a Zeno, and yet how else could she display such power? Jocasta could feel it without even using an ounce of the gift: They were afraid of her, including the priest that awkwardly awaited a brief introduction out of politeness. What were once howls from the masses were now venomous whispers and secretive glares shot at the students, but with a particular focus on Manfred and the blonde arrival. That was until … “A Zeno? At that age? This a ploy, I tell ya’. A ploy.” a not-so-discreet handyman ‘whispered’ to his associates in Kerreman, but anybody with experience in Kinetic magic could eavesdrop. “I agree with Laura, there’s no way some dumb blonde kid with a little magic is from the School. It’s one of those Tethered mercs.” more and more people were evoking this conspiratorial narrative, and in turn conspired while some others began to overreact and unleash their fears and frustrations on loved ones. Jocasta could feel it all - the agitation her presence had brought and the potential unrest that was to come.

In truth, Jocasta knew a little bit of Kerreman - though it was only a little bit. It appeared to be enough to piece together the hostility that was clearly being directed her way, however. She shot Manfred a look, for just a flicker of time. Then, keeping up an increasingly strained smile for the people of the town, she conducted another sweep. More than one demanded her name as proof that she was truly a Zeno of Ersand’Enise, and that was the final straw. “Ich gebe meinen Namen nicht an Leute weiter, die mich beleidigen.” (I do not give my name to people who insult me.) she replied in awkward and heavily-accented but correct Kerreman. She cast out her senses once again.

The masses had mostly dispersed. Jocasta wouldn’t be in need of any long range sweep to detect the first inkling of a threat. Sudden, large energy signatures with much higher heat levels than normal humans suddenly appeared in town, and briefly following their emergence came screams. They came from the Western farms.

Then the barracks.

And again in the cluster of homes Northeast of the guild.

In just a matter of seconds, there were calls for help in almost every direction and the sound of homes being destroyed reverberating through town.

She acted almost immediately. She seized one of the beasts by the mind and those closest to it would see it collapse before their very eyes, enough tranquilizing agent in its bloodstream to knock out a skuggvar. Then, a second.

Realistically, Jocasta would have been about to continue in this vein indefinitely, dealing with every crisis at a speed that no mage could match. But then came the disturbance: one a couple of kilometres out of town, taunting anything that could smell the temporal stench it was leaving behind. Like it knew it would be found, and banked on it. By the amount of energy it had produced, it could not be ignored.

“What the hell have you idiots gotten into!?” the tethered muttered beneath her breath. Then, louder: “There is something upriver. Something… monstrous.” She shook her head and glanced between Manfred and the rezaindian whose name she could not quite recall. “I… if I don’t go deal with it, this town…” She trailed off, already gathering energy. “What in the five hells!?” she cursed. “Fight them!” she ordered in frustration. Then, Jocasta was gone.

Jacques Dubosque wasted no time. When the screams begged for help, he seized his cane and “dashed” out with the help of the gift, shoving anyone in his way. “If you wish to help, now is the time!” he shouted in Avincian before heading to the Barracks, where he sensed a large concentration of these overheating entities.

All hands on deck! Arm yourselves! Ring the church bells! The enemy is in your homes! We are under attack!

♫



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Hidden 2 yrs ago Post by Force and Fury
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Force and Fury Actually kind of mellow

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♫
Present: Yalen Castel @pantothenic, Maura Mercador @Ti, Trypano Somia @A Lowly Wretch, Ingrid Penderson @dragonpiece, Niallus Saberhagen @McKennaJ71, and Abdel Varga @YummyYummy
It was 2:00 in the morning, by Retanese reckoning, when the Obake Maru appeared in the fogbanks southeast of the capital. The ship’s stern showed no port of registry and it bore neither flag nor seal. Its sails were black and it ran no lights either, appearing as stealthily and silently as its name would imply. In truth, even that name was an invented one, for people it is easier to name an uncertainty than accept it. There had always been an Obake Maru, perhaps more than one, as far back as any could care to remember.

There were men waiting for the vessel in a pair of large skiffs, and two women as well: one young and frail, blindfolded; the other dark-robed and deeper-voiced, her face covered with a mask. “Are all of these precautions really necessary?” grumbled one of the men. A couple of others glanced his way reproachingly. “Yes,” replied a somewhat elderly voice. “We’ve reached the next phase. There are more pieces in play and more at stake.” He cleared his throat as a rope ladder came down the side. The younger woman, who had been stalk-still for the entire sequence, nodded, and one of the men reached up and secured it. “The Dragon has placed his hungry young pieces on the board,” his older counterpart continued, “and, if we ever want Retan to be truly free of the yoke, we must feed them only the right meals.”

“Keep your friends close…” the older of the two women concluded. The others nodded. They knew the rest.



The hour was late, and two men sat beside a campfire. One was finely dressed. The other’s clothes were ragged. He set a mask aside and breathed heavily. “That Exemplar hits like a dragon,” he griped, and his counterpart laughed softly. “But at least he brought the goods. They got to fight the Traveler’s Agent, saw how bad he was, and got their share of institutional rot and distaste.”

His counterpart said nothing, and this made the raggedly-clothed man nervous, even against his better judgement. He continued, in Avincian, following the trend of their entire exchange to this point. “Do you think they’ll take it?” he asked with a hint of anxiousness.

His counterpart, spare in motion and response thus far, merely nodded. Then, he rose. They both knew that his night was far from finished. He had more people to meet and much yet to do.



The sun broke the horizon. There was not much sleep, and still less than there should’ve been. The sound of a strumming lute cut through the dawn-hour silence and straight through Rikard’s rest.

“Hello sleepy people, I know you haven’t slept a peep
So I'm feeling kinda bad right now that I’ll interrupt your sleep!
I can see your eyes are lazy, though the fault: she isn’t mine,
But you’ve only gotta rise, my friend. No you don’t have to shine.

Have to shi-i-i-i-ine, no you don’t have to shine!

Have to shi-i-i-i-ine, my friend: you don’t have to shine!”

His head still pounded, feeling heavy and fuzzy, and his body ached. He refused to open his eyes. Instead, rolling over and burying his head under a pillow, he willed the unwelcome noise to go away. It… did not.

“Well, I’ve only come to wake you with excitement in the air
And I think you’ll wanna hear this and I hope you’ll wanna share.
And I know your mind is hazy and you’re feeling less than fine.
But you’ve only gotta rise, my friend. No you don’t have to shine.

Have to shi-i-i-i-ine, no you don’t have to shine!

Have to shi-i-i-i-ine, my friend: you don’t have to shine!”

Fuck off, fishsticks! Fuck off! he screamed at her mentally. Bits and pieces got through, though: exciting news, sharing. Momentarily, Rikard wondered how she could be singing and strumming so loudly without all of their chaperones hearing it. Then, he remembered that she was an accomplished sonic mage. He groaned and rolled over, the moment of having to think having irreversibly woken up his brain.

“So it’s time to use some magic on your hangovers and aches,
And come down to the atrium before our babysitters wake.
Now, I betcha think I’m crazy and you wish I’d just resign,
But you’ve only gotta rise, my friend. No, you don’t have to shine.

Have to shi-i-i-i-ine, no you don’t have to shine!

Have to shi-i-i-i-ine, you bum: no, you don’t have to shine!”

Now, there was knocking on his door too. “Okay, okay!” he grumbled aloud. “I’m up!” He rose in a single smooth motion, flipping out of bed and standing. Truth be told, he was already feeling better, just the act of getting to his feet having perhaps done it. He stretched briefly and blinked. He was actually feeling really good, to be honest, as if he hadn’t just been drinking the night before and wasn’t running on perhaps three and a half hours of sleep.

Down in the atrium, people were gathering. Rikard swept for the guards and all but two - in other sections of the inn - seemed to be asleep. Mr. Wei was in the kitchen, already cooking breakfast. Yin seemed… later than usual to rise.

“Eye em saurry foor wekeng yoo aup soo erlee,” the lone eeaiko among the group began. “Eye see meny sleepy eyes.” She made a guilty, apologetic face. “Baut Eye thenk meny oof aus heve staurted too learn theengs.” She took them all in. “Eye thenk eet es e good ideea eef wee shere.”

Thankfully, it seemed as if at least some others were willing to take that leap and, in hushed voices, they exchanged what they had learned so far. Still, more than one seemed guarded. While much was shared, a handful of things were inevitably held back. Kaureerah was not one to do so, however. “Eye hev e theery,” she proposed, glancing Maura’s direction. “Wu Laung is aun aur side. Wee were naut braught too thet restauraunt by ecceedent. Eye hev thaught ebaut eet mooch, end Eye thenk hee wes tryeng too get aus eenvoolved.” She shook her head. “The goovernment ees joost keepeng aus eraund. Why? Eye cennaut sey.”

The discussion lasted the better part of half an hour and inevitably turned to what they should do next. There were numerous opportunities and leads to follow and more than one seemed to be pointing to Bailong Shan. “Maybe we should split up?” Rikard proposed. “I know we’ve got at least one ‘in’ with searching for Bao, and a couple of us have managed to cozy up to the White Knights.” He shrugged. “If we do, I call mountains!”

That was when Ingrid spoke up, still rubbing some sleep from her eyes, though everyone was surprisingly - almost unnaturally - energetic given their general lack of rest. “Hey wait… has anyone seen Xiulan?” she wondered aloud. “She’s usually getting up around now.” There was silence and a chorus of shrugs and shakes of the head followed a series of glances. Then, once more, Kaureerah spoke up. “Erly thees moorneng, Eye hoord saumoone leeve. Eye waus steel sleepy, soo Eye deedn’t sweep like en eedeeoot.” She smacked her forehead with her palm. “Coold’ve been her.”

The group broke up as Captain Zhu and his men drew near, coming back together at the large table in the atrium for their morning meal before long. Mr. Wei and Yin filtered in and out, bringing water, food, and handkerchiefs as needed. With Xiulan still absent, it fell to Maura, Abdel, and Ingrid, but most especially to the absurd(ly useful) Speaktrout to make communication work smoothly. It was discovered that their translator and guide had booked the morning off for an ‘important personal matter’. In fact, she’d even left them a note, produced by Mr. Wei.

Dear Friends,

I am sorry for my absent this morning and my distract last night. You see, I have studying for the official magic certification test very hard and now is my result date. I always had the ability to magic and I wish to use it. I have work the hardest I can and I hope to sharing this victory with you soon, but I might to have the oral test next after I pick up the result. For the morning, I arrange two things for you: a visit to the guardian station and a hiking up the White Dragon Mountain (白龙山) because I see some of you to go look it last night when you should go sleep. Tisk tisk. You can to choose the one you like. After breakfast, there will be wagons wait for you to go each one. I will meet the first group before the lunchtime. Captain Zhu and his guards will to go also. Yin will go as well. Good luck and stay safe!

秀兰
Xiulan


It was hastily decided among the group who would go where. Those who had gained some level of favour with the guardians generally decided to visit the station, in the hope of being sent on investigations within the city, for there was much to look into. Yet, just as many proved unable to resist the allure of the great mountain to the north, or perhaps there was more to it and they knew as much.



It was a cool, dusty Rezain day as the wagon they had chartered dropped them off at the base of the mountain. Noon was nearly upon them and they sipped sparingly from their flasks. A smattering of cicadas buzzed in the thickets and tall grass along the sides of the road, a last hurrah for their kind before the weather took its final plunge towards Hundri and the snow that was perhaps a month and a half from coating the ground. Yellow and reddish leaves skittered about, pushed by the wind, and there were workers out in the fields.

Yet, it was far from a peaceful scene. The large village of Jiangzuishan was bustling with people, donkeys, horses, and wagons. Many of the latter were shaped like giant barrels sliced in half lengthwise, with thick metal ribbing to strengthen them. Many of the men, leathery and sun-browned, with those ubiquitous straw hats, trudged their way up the mountainside, oversized baskets on their backs. They all seemed to be headed to where the avalanche had struck the night before when the dragon had emerged from its periodic slumber and lifted off. Of that great and noble beast, there was no indication, save for the small temple near the summit and the sacred cave and shrine just below.

It appeared to be Dai and the captain himself, Zhu Kai, accompanying them today, along with Yin, equipped with a basket of her own. “So… what, exactly, are they all gathering?” Rikard asked, glancing Abdel’s way apologetically. He’d thrown himself eagerly into learning the language, but there was only so much that one could pick up in two and a half days. Most of the men appeared to be loading red slime into the multitude of barrel-wagons, and each of the tourists peered inquisitively in their direction. Yet, a handful seemed to be handling small reddish shapes with far more care, settling them into small jars strapped securely into another couple of wagons. “那些是法力果冻。我们称他们为红色杀手。它们非常珍贵，获得它们的最佳时间是在山上发生雪崩之后。” (Those are mana jellies. We call them Red Killers. They are usually very rare and the best time to get them is after an avalanche on the mountain.) If Abdel’s translation wasn’t great, everyone at least got the idea, context being king in this instance.

Before long, Yin was skipping ahead excitedly, twisting around to smile at them. “We must go up!” she chirped in heavily-accented Avincian, ”Up up up!” and Rikard gasped and smiled. “I didn’t know you could speak Avincian, Yin!” He skipped after her, full of boyish energy, but she merely blinked, blushed, and smiled in embarrassment. “No speak,” she replied, shaking her head. She bounded over to Captain Zhu and reached up to squeeze him on the shoulders, grinning. “He speak!” She giggled and darted out ahead again before he could shoo her away. The two exchanged a glance and Yin stuck her tongue out. “This is starting to look like a job for the Hundrians,” Rikard joked, widening his eyes suggestively in Ingrid’s and Niallus’ direction. “Hun-di-an!” Yin exclaimed, grinning in his direction. “What is?” After a moment, she winked. Captain Zhu merely blushed. Dai kept his eyes pointedly straight ahead and began whistling. Then, everybody broke out laughing. They had a long hike ahead of them and no idea that they were being watched.



The other group, by contrast, found themselves well aware that they were objects of interest. Abdel had convinced Ming, of the White Knights, to let him use the skuggvars to track the now-escaped Mr. Bao, and Zihan had offered only perfunctory protest. Yalen had wanted them to return to where he’d defeated the mysterious black-clothed woman who had seemed to be a leader of sorts. There was a good chance that they would find bloodstains. He remembered how heavily she’d been wounded by Rikard before healing herself and escaping. It had occurred to him that her accent was not strictly Retanese, but more similar to that of a student he had run into on occasion back at Ersand’Enise: Ymiico. She was Nikanese.

It was an unusual dynamic, to be certain. Each of the youths had his or her own angle. Ming had his priorities, Zihan had hers, and the skuggvars very much had theirs. Yet, by the time that lunch approached and they were headed back to the station to eat and meet with Xiulan, they had succeeded in uncovering four leads:

- Mr. Bao seemed to have visited a particular complex of shops. It contained an apothecary, a noodle restaurant, a Nikanese imports and curiosities shop, a Constantian-style watchmaker, a produce vendor, and a butcher.

- One trail led out towards the coast, near a small fishing village just outside of the city. This was not followed all of the way due to distance.

- A third, faint one, led into the Forbidden Quarter, where high officials and some of the emperor’s favourites and guests would dwell. Ming appeared very nervous about proceeding further and Zihan said that the proper paperwork would have to be filled out to gain entry permission.

- The fourth led into the foreign quarter and, in particular, to a warehouse in a seedy area.


The strange woman’s activities, by contrast, had gone mostly unexplored and were left for the afternoon.

So it was that the eclectic group of investigators found themselves sitting at a table in the guardian station courtyard, waiting for Xiulan. Waiting for a companion who… never arrived.



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Hidden 2 yrs ago Post by A Lowly Wretch
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A Lowly Wretch The Listless Loiterer

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Meanwhile during Trypano's interview.

"So that brings us to present time." She finished her recollection of the combat. " I note that some of the culprit's were killed before they could be interrogated. If at all possible I would be interested in investigating the corpses to determine the nature of their deaths."

Zihan's eyes narrowed. "It was a classic coverup imposed from above, but with extremists like these, I'd be surprised if they weren't prepared to die for the cause." She gave nothing away about her suspicions of this abnormally tall woman. If she was, indeed, working with the enemy, then it was a queer choice to employ someone who stood out so profoundly - who, by her very nature, was likely to draw undue amounts of suspicion. The Lieutenant shook her head. truth be told, she did not actually trust their own Red Menders, and the Watchful Eyes were known to be secretive. This could be a worthwhile test of loyalty and she could slip someone into the coroner's after hours easily enough. There was one problem.

"Translator," she said in Retanese, "leave us. My Avincian will suffice for this conversation." The mousy-looking woman bowed and removed herself immediately. Zihan lowered her voice, switching to a tongue she seldom used. "I be honest wiss you," she began, "You will get ze attention. I will like to work wiss you, but you need some...." She struggled to recall the word. "Illumion?" No, that wasn't right. "...Illustion?"

"Ah, you mean some form of magical obfuscation so I can move undetected. Yes, that would be useful. Unfortunately none of the other students invited here are particularly skilled illusionists as far as I'm aware, nor do I believe they could execute a stealth mission consistently." It was an honest assessment of their qualities. With this group in particular subtlety was not their strong suit. The very fact that she's detected Yalen liberally using command magic, a closely kept secret of the church, was evidence enough of that truth.

"The only method I have of moving around hidden, more or less, would be this substance I was sold by a vendor in this city." She presented the powder to Zihan. "I know from practice that it is difficult to enact magic upon a subject with high RAS as the manas will contest outside influences. Either the killer struck from the outside, was so much stronger that their inherent protections couldn't resist it or there was something placed inside that detonated from within." She listed each possibility for her consideration. "Given the nature of the ovoid device Yalen discovered It's a possible consideration that something of a similar make could have been used to silence the prisoners."

Zihan took a moment to examine the small jar. She nodded and returned it. "I do not know what you saying. Afince is not to my first language, but zis is guǐ huā - ghost flower. It will to work." She then listened to Trypano's further analysis, unable to make very much sense of it, but she picked up on a handful of key words. It was not necessarily safe to use a translator. "Yes," she more or less guessed, "Zis is ze big problem. Maybe he is too strong. Maybe zere is some ozer way. I not to know. 1:00 late zis night. You come ze station, back door, wiss ze blue light." She put on a big smile and made a show of some quick pleasantries before the separated.

"1:00 past midnight. Understood." Seeing as her words came across largely piecemeal she kept her response brief, bidding her farewell and returning to the central room.

It was a plan. Not terribly sophisticated or airtight but something more than nothing.

Or it was a setup. No gain without risk after all.

It was a small walled compound not particularly far from the palace district. The stones were white, the pillars red, and roof greenish-black. There were two guards by the front gate and two more patrolling about. Trypano was somewhat sure that she could make out a faint blue glow from around the western side of the building, towards the back. That would likely be her entry point. The question was: try to sneak in unannounced, or check in at the gate. Zihan's instructions had not exactly been clear.

Trypano approached the compound in the dark of night. Having used her free time in the wait from the point the plan was made to now she had synthesized some more of the powder, keeping the original blend plentiful for the time so she can study it further back home. On top of that she replicated a hegelan mana potion using samples familiar to her such as the shot she was given and the stoneskin breed she's been cultivating. Just an emergency brew to give her a higher RAS should this all suddenly turn for the worse.

Given that Zihan could not trust even her own translator it was evident that she should keep the number of entities in the know to a minimum. After all, even if she announced her presence she would still be an intruder over in the morgue. With that in mind she had applied the dust before the compound was in view. It.... Worked? Sorta? It was a bit like wearing glitter that bent the light of surfaces it covered. Anyone who looked on at where she was standing would be able to tell something was there simply due to how messed up the image cast around it appeared, not to mention the difficulty in both covering herself completely in it and trying to keep it adhering to her meant that small bits and flecks would inevitably bleed through.

This wasn't meant to completely vanish her. This was a tool that would largely serve to conceal her from the eyes of people not looking for her. All the same she was no stranger to following the lackluster plans of the eager. If she was so foolish as to have complied with Desmonds ill-planned schemes then she had no right to call this one any worse in merit.

Sticking to the darkness and shadows she skirted around the periphery of the compound until the door she sought was in clear view. She kept distant, watching the patrol patterns of the guards around the building, getting a feel for their timing while also scanning for other nearby lifeforms in the facility ahead. No sense playing it safe just to walk in on the occupants.

With her preparation, equipment, and abundance of caution, it proved (perhaps) surprisingly elementary for Trypano to slip into the compound. She found the door beneath the blue lantern unlocked and the hallway beyond empty and white-walled. One of the doors was open, leading down into a basement. It was easy to feel the aura of cold emanating from it. This would be Trypano's final opportunity to rethink her calculated risk.

If she had second thoughts about the operation then it would have been before her trespass. She was in the lions mouth, so to speak, so it was time to poke about. She scanned the halls as she passed them, taking in the compositions of matter in her presence as she approached the open door to the basement. With one of the doors open the risk of there being someone currently inside grew higher. To reduce noise emissions she slipped off her red shoes and tucked them away into her purse. It would suffice for now, though there was more she could do to diminish her presence. There was also the cold to consider. She figured it was unlikely to be a result of enchantment which left either magic use as the source of the cold or the more likely probability of this location storing ice to keep the ambient temperature low for enhanced corpse preservation.

All things considered she quietly pressed on into the basement.

"Wasn't so hard, was?" came Zihan's voice, just above a whisper. She was in the morgue, below ground, kept cold both by its position and by large blocks of ice mixed with sawdust. Her magic was now helping cool those blocks. At signs of Trypano's investigation, she smiled. "You are curious. Yes, I use ze magic make cold again. Some people come do zis sing a few of time each day." She paused, as if sweeping for magical energies, and slid out four of the bodies on the shelves. All were missing their heads. "Now we use zis curious, right? We go to working."

Trypano nodded. She went over to the four bodies and performed an initial sweep, scanning for materials both organic and otherwise present in their forms. Being able to identify unnatural materials present in their bodies might hint at what was used to remotely detonate their heads. "When the bodies were collected, did you have time to review their belongings?" She spoke quietly, just enough to be heard but no louder.

There did not appear to be anything manmade in the four bodies, but there was something odd about their manas. Trypano knew quite a bit about manas, after all. The colonies were starting to die off now - that process usually took a couple of days - but there were signs of agitation beforehand: the sort that usually appeared when they were fighting off invasive manas. All four of the corpses, despite the differences in their colonies' densities and types, showed near-identical signs. The precise nature of the disruption was less familiar to her, however.

"There are foreign manas in the bodies." She commented as she analyzed the dead. "It is possible they were injected with mana that allowed control from the exterior." With that said she cut into the body with binding, forming a perfect, traceless incision from which she extracted a sample of the dying manas, collecting it into a bottle. "I am going to try and revivify the foreign manas and identify their qualities. If we can learn what they are it might be possible to trace the magic they are receiving commands from through them." With that said she began the process of rejuvenating the blood, breaking down the dead cells and using the material to build up the remainder of the colony before necrosis can set in.

It did not take Trypano long to realize that the invasive manas were not normal. They were... yes, it was rather obvious now, but scientific diligence needed to be maintained. They were from a mana slime: an ingested one. She did not recognize the type upon cursory study but, once the rump colony was rebuilt, she was able to use some arcane magnification to observe its qualities: volatility in bonding with other manas, a reddish colour, and... glycerol... nitric acid... She could guess at it or she could ask Zihan, who had been leaning against the arch at the base of the stairs, arms crossed, but had now come up beside Trypano to lean in inquisitively.

It was an interesting specimen. Not a free mana but a mana slime. "This appears to be the remnants of a mana slime, one that appears volatile when bonded with other manas. There are also traces of glycerol and nitric acid, to count a few." She then turned to Zihan. "Are you familiar with mana slimes? Are there varieties local to this region perhaps?" With everything to consider this seemed to strike her as a possible suicide capsule setup. It would depend on the speed of the reaction but hypothetically a slime sealed in a capsule could have been broken free, resulting in the explosive reaction that took place in their head.

Just one of several working theories for her to consider.

As Trypano listed its qualities, Zihan's expression grew increasingly uneasy until she took a handful of steps back. "We have ze name for zis sing," She said cautiously, shaking her head. "红色杀手" She paused. "Like... ze red killer. It is very rare. It is not grow close wiss ze city." She continued to eye the reconstituting slime warily. "I would stop to put it back togezer. I am not ze scientist, but one small change, I sink it will to..." She didn't know the word, so she trailed off and mimicked an explosion with her hands and voice. She furrowed. "Strange..."

"Interesting..." Trypano commented, sealing the marked vial with the partial colony within, containing it for the time being. It would make for a useful sample to replicate back in the breeding chambers. "For the time being any known breeders or distributers of this slime colony should be interrogated to get a glimpse of who they've distributed these to. At least now we know what to look for next time we capture any agent of the traveler so we might be able to disable it before they can kill themselves."

Zihan blinked and nodded thoughtfully, reaching for the vial expectantly. "Zere is not need for zis," she clarified. "Zis slime is not allowed live in ze city." She shook her head. "If he is sell in ze city, is illegal. Zis slime come from BaiLong Shan or in ze Nors." She furrowed her brow. "We must to ask ze people who lives zere." She twisted and flashed a genuine smile Trypano's way, nodding. "Sank you for zis help. You are very skilled girl."

It seemed they expected to keep the sample. A shame, but alas it wouldn't be good business to get greedy and retain something purely out of scientific interest. She did break down and reassemble the sample already. With it fresh in her mind it wouldn't be impossible to simply recreate it once Zihan left. With that in mind she passed the vial over to her. "I'm happy to have proved our value. Do let me know if you find any more evidence to analyze. In the meantime I'll head back to our lodging and check for temporal disturbances. I suspect the agent of the traveler might be using more than just invisibility to disappear."

Zihan nodded sagely. "I sink you are right. We have some of our people to look for zis sing." She paused and considered. "We would not to refuse anozer. You come back tomorrow and I can to give you ze special..." she paused, trying to remember a word. Then, her eyes lit up. "permission. Like ze badge." Zihan began putting things away and glanced between Trypano and the stairs. "I sink you will to hear ze bell in one or two minute. Leave srough ze same door you come in and you be okay." With that, it was clear that they would part.

Trypano gave an affirmative nod. With the dust still active she only had to wait until the bell was sounded before making her way out. After that it seemed the next step would be to acquire her badge of operation.

With the bell sounded she scanned for bio-signatures before making her way out. Hopefully it would be as simple as that.

And, indeed, it was for once.


Involved - @dragonpiece,@Force and Fury,@YummyYummy,@pantothenic,@McKennaJ71,@Ti.
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Hidden 2 yrs ago Post by Ti
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Ti Kitti

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Event: Castle Mandelein | Location: Mandelein, Kerremand


The town meeting droned on, and Taleja was not present at the start. She didn't desire to waste her attention on the arbitrary exchange of hot air usually associated with such things. No, her interest was drawn to the corpse that was brought it. It was a grotesque and repulsive creature, reeking of degeneracy. With her expert eye, she studied every inch of the creature, meticulously taking samples to add to her collection. Once she had completed her examination, Taleja moved onto the next phase of her preparation.

The creature's thick hide was evident, as she started selecting the perfect blend of materials to create a small spread of highly toxic shot, with piercing steel pieces as the base, with the paralysing agent to coat and be absorbed straight into the blood stream via the wound. Whilst it might not penetrate as deep as an iron or steel ball, it was ideal for her purpose, perfect for disabling the creature, or in circumstances of taking down small, or agile game. With a satisfied smile, she brought out the dried herb. “Wolfsbane, fitting”. The herb was notorious for causing paralysis and respiratory failure, so much that even those who tended to it had to wear gloves. But for Taleja, it were an easy task. With practised ease, she purified the alkaloids and made her deadly preparation.

With the musket primed, Taleja stepped back from the corpse and fired. As she inspected the results, she nodded in satisfaction as it penetrated the hide. She began to produce more of the deadly ammunition, more than enough for any future encounters. All the while, the dull murmur of the town meeting continued in the background, forgotten by Taleja in her single-minded pursuit of her deadly craft.

As the sound of gunshots rang out, Ashon immediately left the meeting and headed towards the barn. He could sense her presence as he neared the entrance and greeted her with a wide, goofy smile when he opened the door. “Looks like you're too late, it's already dead,” he said.

Taleja's eyebrow arched upon seeing the Yasoi at the door, but she quickly put on a practised smile. “They say that sarcasm is the lowest form of wit, Monkey King,” she quipped. With her task completed, she began to methodically put everything away.

He walked towards the corpse and bent over to examine the marks where she had fired. As he picked at it in curiosity, she gave him a warning glance. “You shouldn't do that just yet. You are a valuable resource that shouldn't be expended so easily.”

He tilted his head towards her. “Did Milady deign me worthy of a compliment?”

“You are an accomplished court jester,” she remarked, “What brought you out here?”

“You know me,” he boasted, “I come running whenever there is a damsel in distress."

She replied with a smile. “You are very amiable, no doubt, but you would be charming if you would only depart.”

“Be kind, aim for my heart,” he said, clutching his chest as he inspected her. “I came to bring you in, the entertainment is about to start.”

She looked up at him. “I suspect that was the clink of the lock I heard earlier.”

“You wound me, and it has seeped deep. Name your poison,” he said, painfully clutching his chest.

“Wolfsbane to paralyse”, she stated plainly, “A blend with some mandrake to put it in a deep sleep, and opium poppy to minimize the pain. If we discover another one of these beasts, it shall be a simple task.”

Ashon chuckled nervously, “Remind me not to get on your bad side.”

“I am reserving the Curare and the Botulinum for you.” Taleja retorted, a smirk tugging at the corners of her lips. Her green eyes flicked to stare into his jade ones. “Mandelein has a large cultivation of fungi, we should have gathered more of those mushrooms. Fly Agaric, Prince, and the Pinkgill Mushrooms could be used to make suitable agents for inhalation. If we used the Fly Agaric mushroom, we could look at rapid onset of symptoms within minutes to effectively render the creature defenseless to extermination.”

Jamboi rubbed his chin. “What if I told you I could get a large amount of that?”

She turned to peer toward him, as the Yasoi rummaged through his pockets, throwing some vials and bags toward her. She caught them, barely, as she looked at him, unamused. “You are wearing gloves, it is fine. So that is Skuggvar poison, and it's cure with it... if it tastes bad, that is a good sign. Not sure on the bag of powder, seemed potent. Got more back in the room.”

Taleja inspected the merchandise, it appeared to be that he somehow obtained the real deal. “You have bought a stay on your own execution, Monkey King” she said with a raised eyebrow.

Ashon grinned widely. “Now, you're doing your best to suppress that smile.”

“Let's attend this gathering. We can discuss the details later.” Taleja stood and then moved past the Yasoi to exit through the door, with Ashon following closely behind.

=====

Ashon's attention was immediately drawn to Jocasta's arrival, as if he had been watching a firework and suddenly heard the bang. He had anticipated her presence, but the impact was still significant. Seeing his tutor meant one of two things: either trouble was about to erupt or it had already erupted. Memories of the wrath of the Quentic Church and Jocasta's careless abandonment of Penny during their escape flooded his mind, but he didn't have time to dwell on them as the bells began to ring, signalling trouble.

Just as he was about to make a hasty exit, a hand grabbed him. “Monkey King, you need to show me where this stockpile is.” Taleja had already donned that beaked mask, and her green eyes piercing through the lens.

He taunted Taleja with a wide smirk. “The stockpile belongs to a nice old lady who collects herbs and sells them for a profit at a shop. A Yanii institution. Haven't the Perrench brought these to Crisia yet?”
Taleja remained impassive behind her mask, her gaze fixed on him.
“Very well, Milady, I'll show you the way,” he said, lowering himself to her level. “But what's the goal with these herbs, anyway?”
She spat her response in Kerreman. “Das Ziel? Ausrottung. - The goal? Extermination.” And with that, she pushed him through the door and followed as he led the way to the trade district.

The duo arrived at the Carpenters' guild, a modest workshop located just a short walk South-East of the Square, near the Botanist's shoppe. As they approached the building, they noticed that the walls were riddled with large holes where three powerful energy signatures.

One of the beasts was viciously attacking a carpenter's wife, who appeared to be beyond saving. Another was forcefully trying to break down the door leading to a storage unit where several people were hiding. The third creature, significantly larger than the other two, an Alpha, had already spotted the group and was poised to attack.

The third beast sprang towards Ashon, who tried to dodge it. However, the creature's enormous paw clawed his arm, causing a deep gash. Despite this, Ashon managed to avoid the worst of the attack. “Tis but a scratch!”, as he tries to reassure himself and his partner.

With her gun at the ready, Taleja fired the Pendragon, hitting the creature's exposed flank with her specialized shot. The metal penetrated deep into the creature's flesh, releasing the potent wolfsbane into its bloodstream. As the creature recoiled from the gunshot, Jamboi moved in to strike, but the creature's swift movements kept him at bay.

The creature charged towards Taleja, ignoring the other member of the group and focusing solely on her. With quick reflexes, Taleja snapped a carbon rod, a tool she used as a catalyst, and drew upon her energy for the radiation. As the creature barrelled towards her, she cast Faceless Thunder, unleashing tiny explosions that caused shockwaves and reduced the creature's momentum to a stand still.

Using this opportunity, Taleja threw a pouch towards the creature's face, activating it and causing a powdery gas to erupt into the air. The creature breathed in the gas, which quickly entered its lungs, paralysing the organ from the inside.

Panicking, the Alpha began to swipe at Taleja, but its lungs were collapsing from the paralysing effect. It found itself stuck in quicksand as Taleja drew upon the ground with binding, immobilizing it. She removed her glove and gently petted the creature, causing it to focus on escaping the trap and allowing her to obliterate its manas with miniature bombs exploding throughout its body. The creature squealed in agony as it was gravely wounded, narrowly avoiding complete annihilation at the hands of Taleja.

Undeterred, Taleja broke another carbon rod and drew upon the radiation, taunting the creature as she cast fields of fire. “With your claws you create a killing spree, but even with your fangs, you cannot keep up with me.” The Alpha began to melt and disintegrate before her, the putrid fumes filling the air as its flesh boiled and melted away. Fatality.

While Taleja was occupied with the Alpha, Ashon shifted his attention to the other two monsters. The woman was beyond saving, but the villagers barricaded inside the nearby building still needed his help. “Hey, big guy, watch this neat trick,” he taunted as he cast a spatial anchor and charged towards the creature. As it readied to defend itself, Ashon suddenly appeared on the other side and struck it with his lucky staff, drawing its attention away from the villagers. The creature growled and lunged at Ashon with its jagged teeth, but he deftly slipped the staff into its mouth, charging it with static electricity and causing it to yelp in pain.

With the creature momentarily distracted, Taleja took aim and fired her rifle, striking it in the back. Ashon then used his gravity magic to launch it into the air as he delivered a powerful uppercut. He leaped up and grabbed the creature by the head, using the force of his momentum to pile drive it into the ground with a resounding impact. The creature was obliterated beyond recognition, leaving Ashon standing victorious over the remains.

The third beast was lured by the sounds of chaos from its slain companions, letting out a chilling roar that made Ashon and Taleja cover their ears. The howl reverberating as it disrupted the manas in its surrounding area, sending shivers down their spines, with Taleja dropping to her knees.

Despite being weakened, Taleja tried to ensnare the creature with quicksand by manipulating the ground beneath it, but the beast was too strong and easily broke free. Its momentary triumph was short-lived, as Ashon used temporal magic to trick the creature into choking on the gnarled staff, “You see it, and now you don’t”. The Monkey King swiftly took advantage of the creature's confusion, leaping onto it and wrenching the staff from its throat with a force that nearly tore through its windpipe. “Here it is!”

Feeling overwhelmed, the creature tried to flee, but it stumbled and fell when it found itself within Taleja’s crosshairs as she shot its leg with her musket. She began to reload as she approached the injured beast, pointing the barrel at its head and pulling the trigger without hesitation.

After Taleja patched Ashon up, and he checked on the safety of the villagers, the pair made their way to the Botanist’s shoppe. “Do you remember those mushrooms I list them? Gather them for me. I will prepare pouches for the other groups to make use of. It should enable them to turn the tide.” Ashon nodded, “Fly Agaric, Prince, and Pinkgill right?” She simply nodded toward him as they got to work. Ashon soon playing delivery boy to share them out.



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Hidden 2 yrs ago Post by jasbraq
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jasbraq The Youngest Elder

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Adventure around the town





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Hidden 2 yrs ago Post by Force and Fury
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Force and Fury Actually kind of mellow

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♫
Present: Esmii @BlackRoseSiren, Oksana @Ti, Yuliya [@Arte], Marz @Th3King0fChaos, Yvain @jasbraq, and Khaliun @YummyYummy
The Night Before

It was late, but there were no crickets to remind them so. Penny lay awake in bed - if you could call it that. In reality, it was little more than a pile of furs on top of some tightly-packed straw. There were a few of them to each mattress and, next to her, lay Yuliya. Couldn’t you be jammy instead? she thought, but then, feeling guilty, she glanced over at her friend. Yuliya was just fine. It was this entire situation that was trying. Everybody wanted her help on their terms, their way, and it was almost as if she were a tool. Penny did not like being a tool.

On the other side, Yuli was trying to sleep. But she felt the eyes of another boring into her head. She had trouble sleeping at night to be truthful, especially after her rations had been taken. Alas, she turned over to face her bunkie, and forced a small smile alongside a few words “Can’t sleep?”.

“I can dream?” Penny laughed. She shook her head and sat up, pulling her knee to her chest and resting her chin on it. Her eyes darted about in the dark, regarding the others: there was only Esmii and she appeared to be sound asleep. The petite yasoi even snored. That hadn’t exactly… helped with the whole ‘falling asleep’ thing. She decided to just say it. “I was approached by the Arch-Zeno. He basically blackmailed me into… doing what he wanted. Now, these ungrateful fuckers.” She grit her teeth. “Ironically, Silas was right. We should’ve just moved on.”

“Mhm. Or killed the thing. If snoring hippie could have talked sense to her man, we could be on road two days ago.” she spoke a little groggily, but joined Penny in sitting up regardless. These Arch-Zenos had some intense nerve. Who were they to tell Penny what to do? Or her, for that matter?

Penny snorted at the mention of ‘snoring hippie’, but her mirth cleared after a moment. “At some point, you know, we have to take the reins ourselves. I’ll give tomorrow a shot, but if it doesn’t work, I’m blasting that thing.” She paused and checked on Esmii again. “Truth be told? I don’t think we can trust everyone here.” She shook her head. “And I’m not referring to the dumb ones.”

Yuli nodded. “We can trust Yvain, right? And I don’t think Marz is suspect either.” she spoke and pondered for a moment. That left the suspects to Sven, Esmii, Nazih and Silas. “Do you think it’s hippie couple? Or are they part of the dumb ones?”

“Definitely dumb,” Penny whispered guiltily. She thought about Sven, though, and reevaluated him. “Well, not dumb, per se, but naive - idealistic.” She shook her head. “Yvain, we can explicitly trust. He’s a blood relation.” She didn’t outright say it but, at this point, they both essentially knew the other’s second secret. “If the Traveler has her grubby fingers in this, then it’s either Nazih or Silas, and…” she trailed off, looking significantly at Yuliya.

Yuli scratched her neck for a moment, before looking back at Penny. Certainly interesting candidates. “Do you think it could be both?” she inquired. She thought for a moment. She supposed the powergazer would make a natural case, but she always got the vibe he was too selfish for that sort of behaviour. Nazih as a potential suspect surprised her though, wasn’t he supposed to be some sort of noble? He did have interesting smelling blood however… She silenced her thoughts and listened before she felt the hunger too deeply.

“Could be,” the Perrenchwoman allowed, “but one has a possible motivation, while the other…” She scrunched up her face. “What reason would a Darhannic noble like Nazih have for siding with the Traveler?” She was antsy, desirous of rising but also not quite willing to brave the cold. Esmii, meanwhile, rolled over and ceased snoring for a moment and the two conspirators to her left went stone-quiet. Then, thankfully, there was a little sniff and a light snore and the yasoi was back to sleeping normally. Penny grinned wickedly for a moment. “For some reason, I just wanna tug them lil’ pointy ears.” Presently, she returned to her earlier train of thought. “If the Traveler has someone here, it’s Silas.”

Yuliya had always dismissed him but, while Penny saw someone selfish in him, the little scamp was also clever, in his own way. Her friend was underestimating him and he was exactly the sort who could be radicalized. He’d come from nothing, after all, and she had seen, firsthand, how easily the emotions of such people could be manipulated all the way to the point of them being willing to murder or martyr themselves.

A flash of anger and realization appeared on Yuli’s face. A memory went through her head - the night of the Lednikrayva. Silas had been there for the beginning, but he had not been there after the ‘specter’ had shown up. Pieces of a puzzle she never realized existed continuously went through her mind, and it all began to make sense. And as quick as she made that realization, she knew what must be done. Perhaps she would have allowed this nonsense to take place at the school, but not in her home country, not when the lives of her people were at stake, and she held responsibility for them. In a hushed and far more serious tone, Yuli looked into Penny’s eyes and spoke “We will have to watch him. Maybe Nazih too. I think they are close. I watch rat boy, you watch darhannic?”

Penny pursed her lips. They would certainly bear watching, and maybe even intervention, though she hoped not. She nodded. “Agreed.”
After the Fall

It was… a sendoff. If Elder Ozodbek was not jubilant, if he was not bowing in thanks, he at least expressed his gratitude. There was no parade, but there was a hearty dinner in their honour and even a monetary reward that was perhaps just on the right side of insultingly paltry. Some of the people of Tagayungri grumbled that it might have been better to kill the begemot, but it was not them who’d ever had the ability to do so, and so the choice had not ultimately been theirs to make. Sven and Esmii had gotten their way, and the former bordered on smug about it, eager to remind his fellow biros to ‘have a little faith and do the right thing.’ The latter was playing around with the ruce seed extract, examining its properties as a sedative magically, while Nazih appeared to show an interest as well.

Penny, meanwhile, was busy speaking in gestures and a few shared words with the village women she had befriended, as Yuliya conversed in hushed tones with Nikolai. The children swirled about Yvain and a handful of girls glanced his way and whispered among each other. Marz and the village smith talked shop, the Hegelan seeming less than impressed but at least somewhat politic about the matter. They all found bread and meat stuffed into their travel bags. Even Ilvir was welcomed in, surprisingly, to be offered a grudging thanks before he departed and a more genuine one from most of the students.

Yet, just as he had at another gathering some months earlier, Silas disappeared midway through this one as well. Few noticed amid the general merrymaking, but a couple did…Yuliya was one such person, and she found ample reason to excuse herself from her brief conversation with Nikolai and went to find the abscondee, glancing Penny’s way as she exited. The Perrenchwoman, however, was deep in the middle of some story, and did not seem to notice. The Vossoriyan’s natural path took her to the river, thinking that perhaps her quarry had made his way onto the boat ahead of everybody else, but she was not a wild tracker, and did not find any trace of footprints, neither with her magic sense was she able to locate him. Even her honed senses were out of luck, perhaps because of the environment or the beating sun, or maybe it was the lad’s skill in being a thief.

The docks were barren of activity with only the winds and flow of the river filling the silence in the air. Parked in its lonesome was a large riverboat with no energy signature to be felt inside. It was tied to one of the many bollards on the docks, and sat upon that wooden structure was a warm body that made no effort to hide itself. They wore a hood and the royal Vossoriyan crest was easy to see on the individual’s shoulder. Whoever it was, Yuliya would know this person, but their face remained obscured.

“You finally came home.” spoke the figure, her voice all too familiar to the princess. “And you’re down a unit.” she raised her chin to reveal her tanned face and dual braids hanging over her shoulders. It was Khaliun, the royal sentry.

Yuli smiled in surprise.. This was a familiar face she was all too glad to see at this moment. For tracking someone, she was worth five of anyone in her group, and she was someone Yuliya could explicitly trust. Best of all, it was someone she could speak to in her native tongue. “Not a moment too late, I hope. Though perhaps that ‘unit’ has gotten too far to do anything about anymore.” she spoke, walking towards Khaliun with a mix between a friendly grin and an annoyed grimace. “It is good to see you again, though as much as I wish to talk to you, I’m going to have to ask you to do something for me. We need to track that stray, and put it down.”

“Of course.” answered Khaliun as she heard the request. The lightest of pushes had her just an inch over the ground, feet hidden inside her cloak, as she seamlessly floated by the Vossoriyan Sanguinaire. “He broke off twenty minutes ago. Going North.” she took her time, narrowing her eyes as if she was focusing on something, even if she was looking at nothing in particular. “I could stop him. Even kill him, but -” her eyebrows furrowed, “If I misfire, he’ll be onto us and panic. Better to confirm the task on the spot with my coverage. Do you agree?” she twisted toward Yuliya and tilted her head as she waited.

Yuli paused for a moment, and thought about it. A tethered could squeeze his heart and squish it, but the chance of a misfire could make this far more complicated than it needed to be. The alternative was preferable, but they needed to be inconspicuous. She procured two prime shots from her pack, and handed one to Khaliun. The Tethered took the juice and stared at it. “Hegelan elixir. It pleases me to see you are more cautious this time around, my Lady.” the lid flicked off, and she drank. “Mmm. How many more do you have?” Yuli polished hers off, and stifled the need to vomit “Four more. Should be plenty for the mission at hand, but I’ve learned some lessons from the past.” She spoke and nodded. She pondered for a moment more, before coming up with an idea. “We need to be inconspicuous. You keep on tailing him, I will meet with a couple of the others and tell them to look in different directions, then regroup with you north. Then we will finish the job.” Khaliun nodded.

It was perhaps a couple of minutes after that conversation that Yuliya strode into the village hall and announced that Silas was missing. Maybe he had hoped to be quick and return before they noticed him missing or at least before they were ready to depart. Maybe he’d had enough - Penny guiltily revealed that he had confided his doubts in her - and simply decided to leave. Nazih recalled that he’d had a girlfriend, of sorts, who lived not too far to the north, in Kagan. Whatever the powergazer had been thinking was not of much import. What mattered now was finding him. Yuliya, who knew the land best, did not even wait for anyone else to volunteer. She headed due north with great pace. Penny headed south, along the river, taking Yvain with her. Marz went northeast, on a general course towards Hoch Dorumvir, along with Nazih. Sven and Esmii forded the river and searched west.

Later afternoon gave way to evening, and evening ticked towards nightfall. Shadows stretched long and jagged across the plains, and the sun perched, orange and perilous, atop the slalom course of the mountains. First back were the two Perrench, and Penny threw herself onto a bench outside of the elder’s residence. They had gone for quite some ways, augmented by Kinetic magic, and even strayed from the river bank. They had found nothing. Sven and Esmii returned as the last of the day’s light faded, equally empty handed. Marz and Nazih came back with the stars, frustration evident on their faces once they reached torchlight.

The six of them sat there in the burgeoning cold, their breath starting to turn into frost in this Godsforsaken place. Sven took a couple of steps forward. “At least it’s pretty out here,” he remarked, gazing up at the stars. Esmii hurried up beside him and the wrapped arms around each other. “There’s so many!!!” she wondered aloud. Gradually, the others got up to join them, and it was as if the Gods decided to award the small, shivering group of youths who had set out together on this thankless journey. A ghostly but brilliant scarlet glow lit the distant sky over the mountains, rippling in the night air and they all watched it undulate. Even some of the villagers emerged, casting their gazes that way. A portent of good fortune, it was declared, and Nikolai told them that none had ever seen anything quite like it.
Still, they wished that Yuliya, who had gone alone to the best of their knowledge, could have seen it. The hour was now dangerously late and she was missing, along with Silas…

Alas, not much longer passed before a tired Yuliya appeared on the horizon. Whilst the others had mostly retired for the night, only Penny remained, glancing up at the beautiful, merciless sky and shooting the odd glance at the horizon in some potent mix of anticipation and trepidation. The Vossoriyan maintained a vigilant gaze forward, her walk steady and calm. It took perhaps a minute still for Penny to recognize her friend in the distance and they found themselves reunited in shouted greetings, exaggerated expressions and, finally, a well-earned embrace. “Nothing, then, right?”

Yuliya shook her head.

“Well, at least you’re safe,” said the Perrenchwoman fondly, a pang of loss for Silas sequestered away. “At least we’ve still got you.”

Yet, if one Aurora had faded, another lingered beyond the mountains for quite some time, waiting, hoping, and then - with growing anxiety - dreading. This one had seen the brilliant red display in the clouds that so evoked another name: seen it and now, alone and cold in the mountains, knew what it had meant.
Kirimansk

Some stayed up late, hoping. Others fell into an uneasy sleep, but they had already delayed their departure twice and they delayed it still a third time. One more night in those horrid straw and fur beds. How the royals among them loved those. How they bore it with little complaint if it meant that their classmate and - perhaps even friend, for a couple of them - would be there when they woke up.

However, the morning brought no such relief, so they rose and conferenced. Yuliya, subdued for most of the past couple days, took the lead this time, seeming finally to have much to say. “None of us find Silas. I look extra hard, and still no luck. I think he don’t want be found.” she spoke, shaking her head in disappointment. “Нам нужно двигаться. Нет вопросов.(We need to move. No questions.)” she spoke to Nikolai in her native language, keeping the same disappointed facial expression as prior, her tone remaining the same.
Nikolai shook his head. “She is right. I’m sad to say it.” He paused to swallow. “This village owes you a debt that it can’t repay. I do as well, but there is a more serious crisis ahead and we can continue to search for your friend. We will send him onwards if we find him.” His expression settled, implacable. “You cannot afford to take any more time.”

It was naught but five minutes before they were packed, dressed, and making their way down to the docks. There, they found someone waiting for them. “You’re late.” Khaliun remarked, hood down and her fingers occupied with finishing her left braid as she sat on the same bollard as the day prior. “An entire day’s worth of late. We will miss our window.” she pushed herself off her seat after finishing her hair and began to levitate the same way they had seen Jocasta do, with her legs hidden behind her cloak. “I encourage you to hurry.” with a flick of her wrist, the sails were raised and the rope tethering the boat to land had been retreated.

It was a large riverboat, with a reinforced bow and clinker hull, along with lateen sails and poles for navigating the occasional rapids it would inevitably encounter. There was a small cabin, a tiller, and a mostly-open hold. It appeared as if the tethered had slept aboard the night before after arriving at some point during the day. Ushered aboard, they bid farewells that were, in some cases fond and in some perfunctory. Then, they set off down the Belykuska River. It was, for the first time that they could remember during this entire ordeal, relatively stress-free. Mountains gave way to steppe and the river widened as it continued and tributaries joined it. Drifts of snow piled up in valleys and against cliffsides. Great taiga forests coated the rolling hills and eagles circled overhead.

That night, they slept within the cabin, piled up against each other on naught but furs, with Esmii’s snoring to provide a constant backdrop. They sailed through the night and awoke in the morning at a small cossack village, where they came ashore for twenty minutes, traded for supplies, and continued onward. A second afternoon passed before Khaliun duly informed them that they were near.

It was as golden hour was dipping into sunset that they entered the vast gorge that led to Kirimansk. Great shadows stretched across the ancient stone faces and agitated currents roiled beneath them. The riverboat rocked and the poles were retracted lest they be lost, for the depth was too great for them to be of use anyhow. They sighted their first huts: a cluster above the cliffside, with a handful of residents peering over at them. One little boy waved. The others merely watched.

On they continued, as the outskirts of the town hove into view. A small monastery hunkered beneath the overhang of a great cliff, built right into it, and down a few flights of stone steps, lay a small dock. The burgundy-robed monks glanced up at them as they moved about their daily chores. Yet, something seemed… amiss. They were few when they should have been many.

The current lashed and swirled and the Belykuska was filled with pale grey-brown silt, perhaps in some homage to its name. They were now passing through the outliers and Kirimansk itself came into view as people blinked and shielded their eyes against the near-setting sun. As they drew closer they began to see, however, that something was wrong, and considerably so. Great flocks of crows and other carrion-eaters, including a trio of truly immense birds, circled over a portion of the city.

Then, they rounded a bend in the river and laid eyes upon it. Well up ahead, where the Belykuska joined the Kuska, a large area of the gorge had simply collapsed, decimating the section of the town that had formerly been built both on top of the prominence, on its slopes, and at its foot. Giant slabs of black rock stuck jaggedly out of the water and wreckage was strewn everywhere. Hundreds of people milled about, moving the debris by means mechanical, and mundane, but not magical. There appeared to be the remains of a port there as well, and rapid exchanges in Vossoriyan between Yuliya and Khaliun made it clear to the others that this had been an… unexpected wrinkle.

“There!” shouted Sven, “On the shore!” He pointed eagerly to a lone woman who’d hopped up on a large breakwater and was eagerly waving them behind it with a red flag. Khaliun shouted in her mother tongue, the movements of her mouth queerly exaggerated as she did so, and Yuliya began using hand signals. “Oksana!” exclaimed Penny, rushing over to the side. “She doesn’t hear,” the Perrenchwoman explained to the others, waving at the familiar face, and one much more welcome than Khaliun, in her subjective opinion.

As the group's attention focused on her, Oksana set to work, tossing them ropes and receiving some, and finally reeling them in as Yuliya, Marz, and Sven brought out the poles to help maneuver the riverboat into place. Her work done as Yvain and Nazih leapt ashore, the cossack hurried back to a nearby horse that must’ve been hers, swinging into its saddle. She stood before the group, then, hands poised in front of herself. With a warm smile on her face, she began signing a quick gesture, expressing the concept of 'Welcome' in a graceful manner - "Pryvit, Well-come” - as she approached. Though, upon making eye contact with Penny, she thought better of staying mounted, slid her leg over the horse, and dropped down upon the ground. Her hands moved outstretched as if hugging the air as she smiled warmly, the Perrench girl being the only one from the group who she recognised from her time in Ersand'Enise. She enfolded Penny in an embrace, smacking her hard upon the back, "Well-come to Hun-dry."

Penny coughed and returned the enthusiastic hug. “Happy to be here,” she replied, but her eyes went to the disaster zone just under a mile away. “But what happened!?”

If Oksana did not recognize the words, she knew the expression and the glances towards the scene of devastation. She shifted her signing, her expression turning more serious. Her hands traced an outline of a circle in the air, forming an imaginary boundary, while her face became solemn. Through her signs, she conveyed the concept as her fingers formed a symbolic gesture of caution, waving in a sweeping motion to alert the group to be wary further inside. "Poofth," she exclaimed, as she attempted to recreate a sound that represented failed casting with the gift. "Magiya, poofth.” She waved them a few steps further up the steep walkway and… that was when Penny felt it: Her magic. It was there and then… it was gone.

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Hidden 2 yrs ago Post by yoshua171
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yoshua171 The Loremaster

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【Narrow Paths】
【 Valerian /|\ Wu Long】

~A Collab by @Force and Fury & @yoshua171~

Beyond the cave he’d entered and somewhere behind the man with which he shared its space lay a power so vast that it was hard to comprehend. In some ways, that made it hard to detect. It almost faded into an energy-rich background like some great distant rumble. Yet, it was there and it was very much detectable for one as attuned to all of the little fluctuations of manas as Vel was.

Glancing over the man and the environment within the cave he had entered, Valerian was relieved to find that he hadn’t walked himself straight into peril right out the gate. Relaxing as he heard the name ‘Wu Long,’ Vel nonetheless kept his wits about him. After all, he had no idea what the power he was sensing correlated to, nor could he assume that Wu Long was entirely to be trusted.

Nonetheless, he bowed his head respectfully and flashed the burly man a smile as he closed more of the distance between them. “The pleasure is mine. I’m Valerian, but please, call me Vel,” he said, introducing himself in short order and establishing a baseline of rapport between himself and the relative stranger before him. For the moment—knowing as little as he did in reality—Vel decided to allow Jocasta’s tentative ally to lead. If he felt the need to redirect he could certainly do so.
m.
“I do appreciate you meeting with me on such short notice,” Vel said, his smile waning slightly as he cut to business. “What shall we cover first?”

“Straight to the chase,” the well-dressed Retanese man replied. “Simply put, you’re here because you volunteered to be, and life is about choices, after all.” He gestured at their surroundings. It was no longer a cave once one had taken more than a few steps in, but a temple of sorts. “Take this place, for example.” He smiled. “I choose to serve the Great White Dragon, when I do not have to. That is his power you sense in the backdrop, by the way, and he is at rest.”

Vel nodded, as if understanding the greater truth of what the man was intending to communicate. In reality it was all rather obscure. Wu Long was being deliberately vague it seemed, or at least he was avoiding the question. “The White Dragon, huh? I see…and what does that service entail?” Vel began to walk slowly around the room, glancing about slowly as if admiring the cavernous space and its furnishings–as it were.

“Hiding,” the exemplar said simply, ”and Making decisions that others would find difficult.” He unclasped his hands. “Being loyal to two masters and yearning to be one’s own.” He reclapsed them in front of himself. “Seeing two perspectives and synthesizing one’s own.” The large man smiled tightly and knowingly. “I am speaking in riddles, I know. It is tiresome, but my people - Retanese people - are quite fond of it. To speak in such a way that others will infer your meaning of their own desires is a much coveted and admired skill in this land.” He shook his head. “Yet, I do not like it.” He glanced out towards the entrance of the cavern. “There was a time when we were honest. When there was no need to hide…” He trailed off, turning to face the entrance for an extended moment. “Or to look for allies among radicals who do not understand this place.” All at once, he turned back to Valerian. “Do you know of what I speak?”

Almost circling the man given the path his pacing took him on, Vel considered Wu Long’s words as they reached him. He was not sure if they were meant to confound him, but he’d grown up dealing with both the violent bluntness of his father and the serpentine guile of the Perrench Court, as it were. Though this was something different, hailing from another culture, it was not altogether alien to him. Slowly, Valerian began to nod, a thoughtful expression on his features as he idly drew upon the energies around them before releasing them in short order. As the man’s query settled in his mind, Vel spoke and ruefully found himself smiling.

“I know something of what it is to be pulled between two things. Two worlds, Two times. Two natures…” his gaze darkened for a moment as an image of his father flashed through his mind. “I can understand the desire for something simpler…or failing that, at least more honest.” His smile returned and it was sympathetic now as he tried to meet the Retanese man’s gaze–if only for a moment.

Vel turned his back to the man, clasping his hands behind his waist, two fingers around one wrist. He stopped pacing. “I wager I’ll have to make some difficult decisions of my own,” he said, somehow alluding to understanding even as he spoke little of it. Perhaps it was in the fact that he hadn’t asked Wu Long to clarify his meaning. Perhaps it was something else.

An act? A lie? A farce?

Who was to say.

If he knew or cared, the exemplar gave little indication. Instead, he walked to the cavern entrance, forcing Vel to follow or be left behind. “Down there -” he gestured “You will find the others who came from your school, or some of them, at least.” He twisted to look at the youth and left a quick smile behind for him. “They are on the path that leads to the Snake Tree - you will recognize it for its shape. You should go to them, I think. Tell them what you will, listen to what you will, but lead them here, if you please. It is time that some truths are told.”

Detecting the subtle shift in kinetic energy as Wu Long moved, Vel turned and followed, arriving at the man’s shoulder after a moment. Nodding, Vel–for an interval–did not return the exemplar’s smile. However, after a moment’s thought he flashed Wu Long his own grin, though his was far more boyish. “Very well. I’ll see what I can do.”

That said, Vel bowed his head to Wu Long, the gesture far more formal than those prior, before heading out.

However, he paused before he’d gotten far, but rather than turn, he spoke while standing in place. “To a more honest world,” he said, then he departed.

Faintly, behind him, he could hear a refrain. “And a more just one.”
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Hidden 2 yrs ago Post by Suicharte
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Suicharte

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Ghost of the Lednikrayva




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Hidden 2 yrs ago Post by Suicharte
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Suicharte

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I've always been an organized person. From the moment I became a man, I've kept rules in place to prevent untimely things from happening to me, as well as the company I keep. This all seems to have fallen apart the moment I found myself dispatched to Mandelein with a rather unsightly group of people. My company was... interesting to say the least. A tarlonese suunei, and a rural one to boot from the swamps of Qari'muuna seemed to be entangled in a relationship, which I found particularly interesting to observe given that it seemed inherently unhealthy. Jealousy abound from one side, and a lack of understanding from the other, alas, they clinged to each other all the same. It proved ample entertainment throughout the mission. Then there was the rest of the group. Then there was a foreigner. A shy thing, very reserved with plenty of secrets that she was very unwilling to share. I never bothered to probe. Of course, there was Jamboi. A rather consistent thorn in my brain, though one I was growing fond of having around. For as ever gross as he was, something about him told me he knew more than he let on. Like he could... see more than others? A drudgunzean couple as well, though I could definitely sense something strange. It seemed as if every pairing of students among the groups was strange, but perhaps it was because I had never attempted to engage in such things as love, at least not yet. A strange alchemist and a quiet lad with eyes as red as blood were also to boot, but there wasn't much to be had about those.

Although most of this mission, I had been lounging around the inn we had been staying at, observing both my 'comrades' and the foreigners we found along the group, when the town had fell victim to a seemingly never-ending army of Wildbloods, I was called to action. I happened to be with that accursed nun, and the quiet lad. My first instinct, would be of course, to run away from the conflict to preserve my being, but having spent time observing this woman, she would have rather cut me down than an enemy if I had engaged in such a play. So, I stayed and fought, placing my life on the line for this pointless cause. We held in a church, alongside a priest who gave us aid. More and more of them came, until there was one that seemed to hold more humanity than the others. It directed them, and I thought that it may be the end. Alas, we continued to hold, and I bled for the first time in many years, pushing my skills to the brink. One was taken down by a spell from the quiet lad that seemed to eliminate the wolf from existence, and it made me shudder. Shortly after, a priest came in and dispatched them all, falling to the ground in a pool of blood.

Now, we sit here, healing him and waiting for the next swarm. Truth be told, I believe I am shaken. It is not only men and women that are being transformed, but also children. Perhaps I could dispatch one of these beings, but I feel greatly ill at the mere thought of dispatching children. Something is telling me that I'm not as strong as I think I am, and I'm beginning to believe that voice ever so slightly. Self doubt is a step towards defeat, I learned that before I came to this academy, but I fail to understand how blood comes to these students so easily.

I must be brave, lest I meet the same fate as these unfortunate souls.
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Hidden 2 yrs ago Post by CaliforniaState
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CaliforniaState Biologist

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Chapter 5 : A Town in Chaos
Present: Ymiico'luun'yoru @Salsa Verde, Casii’fyret’alan @Pirouette, “Ismet’ych’lahiin’dichora” @Force and Fury, Cristophe@YummyYummy
Cries for help could be heard all over town, but they were all dwarfed by the sudden explosion that could be heard at the Eastern edge of town where farmlands could be found. Flames engulfed a large barn that had since partially collapsed. A man's torso, burning and freshly severed, lied dead twenty yards or so away. The cries continued, however, as Bertha, a woman that voiced her displeasure for the group during the town meeting, was trapped under wooden debris and other heavy, metallic materials. There was also her unconscious husband deeper in. If the growing flames didn't consume them, the quickly deteriorating conditions of the barn would ensure their demise by crushing. This wasn't all, as the threats that had been previously repulsed by the explosion, were coming back. Three lycans emerged from different sides, one of them on fire and frenzied. The latter did not pay specific mind to the free prey and was ravaging whatever was near it, but the other two were eyeing the trapped meat. They were fast, and if it weren't for a sudden spray of flames from an interloper wearing a tricorne hat, they would have been goners. However, that one man was no match for the three big creatures. They would soon perish without help. There wasn't any time to waste. If the nearby Yasoi group was to act, now was the time!

Things had moved rapidly since they made it back to town. Casii had believed they were done but they were not. The town invasion was a taste of that shortcoming and now they were in a fight for the town. Casii, Isii, and MiiMii had charged out to the farms to try and pull the straggling yaniis back towards safety of the central defense. Unfortunately they found themselves in a tough spot. "Just needin' a moment..." Casii rushed into the barn, chasing the distressed cries of the yaniis inside. The fires were first. She raised her staff pointing it at the fire, swirling in an action that drew the air away from the fire. The fire slowed but only the most dangerous fires that were closer to the yaniis. "Quit yer cryin' yanii! I need to focus!" She cursed.

Ismette swallowed nervously as her peers rushed into the burning building. She felt... different after encountering the other version of herself. Casii had looked upon her with reproach, called her a monster and it had... hurt. But am I still a monster if I use this power to save people? She reached out with her senses and took the warm, dark, comforting power of the VOID in an embrace.

The yaniis here had a penchant for danger and destruction and somehow Ymiico always found herself right behind it along with her peers. The barn was set ablaze and the shrill screams of the people who denounced them before were now pleading for their help. Rushing in they were treated with prone yanii and ravenous beasts. Ymiico looked at Ismette and Casi, ”I save yanii” rushing to the husband first. She tripped over some debris, but was assisted by Cristophe to recover and arrive at the husbands aid.

Casii cursed, not believing she could do much more for the growing inferno. She dug into her bag tossed a seed under the beam that had the yanii woman pinned. She threw what chemical and binding magic she could to grow a balloon kelp that expanded an airbag to lift the beam off of Bertha enough for Casii to reach down and grab the yaniis had, pulling and dragging her out. The balloon kelp wouldn't hold as it was far too dry and hot for that to hold much longer.

Ymiico committed to saving the husband and managed to avoid the onslaught of the Lycan by the shield provided to her by the shield. Just as she were about to save the husband, one final attack by the beats was made against her. Her apple dragon yipped and tugged at her clothes alerting her to the attack. Thinking to herself she quickly spoke ”Ninpō: Bunshin no Jutsu” creating three quality clones of herself to divert the Lycans attention. She closed her eyes hoping the gods would help her, the claws through a clone allowing her to successfully save the husband.

"Quit yer cryin' 'n stand up!" Casii hollered as she gripped the yanii's hand tightly. She was willing to drag the wailin' yanii at first but felt bad and hefted her up over her shoulder with the help of a little kinetic magic. She carried her out and gave her a toss. "Go'n run. Center of town or whatever yer wantin' to do."

Ismette, meanwhile, had called forth a hungering shield, and it proved a saviour for her allies. However, she then had the bright idea to try to teleport forward and punch one of the beasts in a wound it had received. It dodged her cleanly and, in return, its partner mauled her arm. She attacked that beast with a dark bolt and she could've sworn it laughed. Her guts twisted in anxiety. She was not cut out for combat. She was not and it showed.

Again and again, the fiery beast threatened them, forcing Christoph to intervene to save Ymiico. Casii ran out of the burning barn with Bertha and then there was nothing to hold Ismette back. She gathered all of the VOID's energy that she could and unleashed it in that monster's direction as if charged towards her. For a moment, its animalistic eyes appeared to widen in surprise. Then, the dark bolt struck true and... it was erased from existence, utterly. She stopped and stared at the space where it had been and was no longer. She - Ismet'ych'lahiin'dichora - had done that. She was... a monster.

Casii huffed as one of the beasts came for her. That snapping mouth lunged for her with the yasoi ducking and thrusting a weave of roots to catch it. "Yer in way over yer head, taca!" From those roots Casii suddenly grew a a sizeable tree trunk suddenly that nailed the creatures stomach. It didn't exactly hurt it outside of a your average gut punch but it did launch it right into the barn crashing inside!

Ismette had considerably less luck with her attempt to compress space and drop the barn and its contents on top of the beast. She was just too slow and, instead, it was at her throat within a second, only a last-moment bound shield knocking its head aside. She scrambled backwards before it seized upon a new target.

Ymiico saw her chance once Ismette was unsuccessful in her attempt. With immediate resolve she unsheathed a kunai from her thigh and spun it around her finger before slinging it out into the barn bursting the kelp bubble Casi made for support. Upon puncturing the bubble the barn collapsed crushing the big bad wolf undertow leaving nothing but ash and cinders.

Casii gives MiiMii a nod, satisfied with their team up, but they weren't done. Turning to face the remaining beast, she charged and, lowering to scrap her hand against the ground in more of a flourishing move before bringing her free hand up to cup over her mouth and blow out a breath of blue flame in a fiery breath that roasted the creature having it retreat further from Ismette and MiiMii.

It only got worse from there as the beast ran off to consume another beast in the barn, burning itself in the process. "Yer dumber than sin, suuthi, so why ain't ya staying down!" Casii reached into the creature's blood to burst as the water and nutrients were converted to grow plant material that clogged up arteries and veins everywhere to significantly damage it!

A shiver went up her spine as she felt Isii tap into that cursed magic, drawing forth some foul monster. She could feel that unnaturalness in it and barely held her ground, only doing so that with their lives at stake with the raging beast in front of them... at least that one was natural. Speaking of, a lunging flaming claw came for her and swiped. Casii had the know-all to drop an orange tree seed before and grew it rapidly, raising above the reach of the beast as it's claw was captured by the demon's hand and pulled back. Black tendrils whipped and lashed out an anyone trying to attack, leaving Casii shaking her head. "Nope, nuh-uh! I ain't goin' anywhere near that thing."

The three beasts had met a fiery ends, one way or another. After what felt like long minutes of shrieks of agony, the monsters finally perished, leaving nothing but the flickering of flames to dress the silence that reigned in the farmland. The three Yasoi had managed to clear the area of danger and saved two lives in the process. One of them, Bertha, had witnessed the whole thing. Partially grateful, and partially horrified, she kept her piece this time and made herself small by her unconscious husband. So long as Ismette didn't insist on getting close to the villagers, everything would go as fine as it could. Hopefully the others were doing fine too.


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Hidden 2 yrs ago Post by jasbraq
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jasbraq The Youngest Elder

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Barracks under Siege

Involved: Dorothea, Manfred @Force and Fury, Qasem & Viktor @YummyYummy


Gunfire rang constantly from the direction of the barracks. The headquarters of law enforcement in Mandelein was quickly established as a stronghold to keep citizens safe. Constable Leonhardt was leading the stand from the roof of the building while Laura sniped from the old tower and other constables tried their best to repel the beasts from elevation. A couple wielding spears were the only units standing between the beasts and the improvised haven that wasn't a makeshift barricade made of wooden junk. Luckily for them, the beasts lacked the intelligence to exploit the shortcomings of their defense, but their brute strength was going to be enough in just a few minutes.

The constables weren't the only ones fighting - Viktor was there too. He wasn't in the safe zone, and instead took on the beasts. He had started from roofs, and after taking down one of the creatures, ended up dragged down by a more aggressive of its kind and was forced to get close and personal. Not that he couldn't do it, he held his ground with a knife and his own impressive strength.

“Hohenfelter!” called out the Magusjaeger as he kicked the still very active beast away. “Just in time. I counted six of them, plus this one.” he explained before charging it to swipe the slightly disoriented beast. He was managing on his own, but soon there would be more beasts upon them, “There are more coming. But they're mostly busy with the barricade. Not that it has much time left.”

Indeed, four of the six were mowing down the defenses and soon would be primed to commit a massacre. The constables were the only ones truly holding them back. If their barricade and two men on the ground fell, it'd spell the end for the barracks.

Six of them? How many of these freaks of nature are around? The idea that there were more than one beast was something that was already discussed but this? How was this not spotted beforehand? Should I use it in such an open space? Dory thought to herself, being rather hesitant to use magic that might have her viewed in a worse light than she already is.

She readied her rifle and steadied her aim. "We have to make sure these things don't hurt anymore people."

Manfred nodded. "You do whatever you need to stay safe, love." He glanced significantly at her headwear, hiding his scowl of disapproval. Then, looking at Viktor, he sprung into action, raising his rifle and snapping off a series of shots at the monster his fellow magusjaeger had kicked.

Qasem kept himself close to the conspicuous couple of the group. He sought out opportunities, as he knew the true threat that lurked in Mandelein, and it was not the primitive beasts that littered this town. But for now, he pointed his lion's stinger toward the second beast that had taken an interest in them and chugged his 'magic juice'.

Manfred's shot struck true, and then they were all over it: him, Dory, Qasem and - unexpectedly - Viktor. If the latter two didn't do much, then the same could not be said for the power couple. Manfred and Dory attacked in tandem, and it wasn't long before one of the monsters lay dead at their feet. Cigar hanging out one corner of his mouth, mustache magnificent, Manfred began by blowing half the second one's face off. the others finished the job. to their credit, even Viktor and the Darhannic were useful. He grinned. "Hah! Like shooting fish in a barrel!"

That was how it continued. If Manfred had once struggled with mastering magical combat and with his new rifle, neither was novel to him anymore and the use of both came easily. Dory, as well, was absolutely deadly. Viktor killed a beast in one shot. Such was the ease with with they dispatched these monsters that Qasem could run interference and strengthening at will. Something that should have and certainly could have been a life-or-death struggle was more or less trivialized by the application of sheer Drudgunzean FIREPOWER.

When it was over and the final monster lay scattered about ten yards from Manfred in pieces, he turned to his beloved and smiled warmly. "The couple that slays together stays together, no?" He blew her a small kiss and winked in the direction of the flabbergasted crowd, just as he had with Dory a couple of minutes earlier, only this current wink didn't say, 'I am going to fuck you stupid tonight' like its predecessor had.

When she asked about his cigar, he glanced sadly at the butt of it lying on the ground, used up and forlorn. Then, he reached into a pouch, pulled out one more and, with a twinkle in his eye and a grin, conjured a lick of flame and lit it up. "For mein Spratzmuffin." After getting it started, he held it out to her.

Dorothea did not show any hesitance this time. She wasted no time with worrying and threw her strongest tolerated magic at these monsters. "Eat Scheisse, all of you!" A feeling of satisfaction ran over her as these beasts fell. Glancing towards Manfred with a smirk. "But of course we'd stay together, love. And nice shooting, well... for a Kerreman."

She gave the man a little wink before pointing at the cigar. "Mind giving me a puff?" Manfred made a little horrified face at her 'Kerreman' comment. "Oh? Ya? And that Koppelman you so eagerly use? Where is that from, my dear?" Dory whistled unknowingly. "I do not know, dear. Where does it come from?" "You cheeky bitch," He lowered his voice. "I'm gonna fuck that little smirk right offa you tonight." "Well... only if you could lead, that is." It seems that such a comment only made her more smug.

The threats had been destroyed. Viktor wasn't one for theatrics as much as the youths, but it did prompt a chuckle from the experienced magusjaeger. His Koppelman was reloaded as he kept a lookout for any threats. “Impressive, Hohenfelter. And the lady.” he nodded toward Dory.

Second Wind


Qasem sighed in relief. So much carnage was avoided by their quick intervention and his colleagues' brazen recklessness that ended up paying off. "Are any of you hurt?" he called out as he walked toward the barracks. But then he stopped. They all felt it - intense heat coming from the right. And during this brief moment of distraction, it could emerge from the alley behind Qasem. The creature leapt at the Darhannic, and the man quickly turned to use Lion's Stinger as a quick barrier between him and the threat. It was another beast, but thinner, shorter and definitely more agile. Where the others were around two to three times the volume of a person and some being double the height, this one was a couple of centimeters shorter than Qasem. It also didn't have the mighty strength of the beasts, but it would be enough to keep him pinned. For a moment he had a clear angle to impale the reckless beast, but something was wrong. Something made him hesitate as he saw the beast lunging at him.

"Help!" the creature had scratched him up, and was now trying to rip a piece off him with its teeth.

But just as his calls for help reached the others, the surge of energy they had sensed crashed into the group. It was one of those fiery beasts! One with its eyeballs literally melted and spread the flames onto buildings it passed by. Viktor was the closest to its course and wasted no time focusing it down with his Koppelman, while Dory would have a piece of barricade flung at her from the beast's flailing arms! Manfred, on the other hand, was the best placed to fully assess the situation being the furthest from the flaming monster.

Dory, thinking quickly enough, managed to propel herself away from the piece of barricade flying her way. Qasem however, was not as lucky, getting bit on his arm by the beast that had attacked him before. Luckily for him nobody truly saw that he was afflicted. The beast that had attacked Qasem before turned its gaze at the others. It looked a lot more lean than the others that they had encountered before.

The thing’s attacks did not have too much punch to them compared to the others but hitting that bastard was the hardest thing even for the three magusjaegers. The speed of it caught even a veteran like Viktor off guard as the beast stabbed into his abdomen with its claws before retreating. After much back and forth attacks and evasions the beast was finally hit, growling loudly as it cried in pain. It however was far from being done with the group.

It lunged towards Dory but the Feskan froze, was she an easy target? Could she be frozen from the fear of death from the thing coming her way? It was then that the girl moved, grabbing it by the beast’s throat and arm before using its momentum and what little kinetic prowess she had to slam it to the ground, ready to snuff out its light before Manfred yelled out. "Schläfere das Ding ein!" without much acknowledgement towards the other Dory tightened the grip as her chemical prowess did its work, soon enough putting the beast to sleep. "Gute Nacht, du Dreckskerl”

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Hidden 2 yrs ago → 2 yrs ago Post by Ti
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Ti Kitti

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Event: Metropolis | Location: Wánggǎng, ReTan












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Hidden 2 yrs ago → 2 yrs ago Post by YummyYummy
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Present: Ashon’amar’loiyang @Ti, Cal’tuuro’jaros @Suicharte, Casii’fyret’alan @Pirouette, Dorothea Hohnstein @Jasbraq, “Ismet’ych’lahiin’dichora” @Force and Fury, Kaspar Elstrøm von Wentoft @Wolfieh, Edyta Łaska, Manfred Hohenfelter, Qasem Laghmani @Tackytaff, Ymiico’luun’yoru @Salsa Verde, Jocasta Re, the Menacing Interloper, Lycans, Father Jacques Dubosque, Brother Baudile Dubosque, Constable Laura, Ines Baum, Viktor Strauss, Cristophe Wiliken, the Highwaymen


♫




























Dawn of Assani 20th

1 Day Remains

♫


Life continued in Mandelein. The calamity of the day prior did not stop mouths from needing to be fed, brews to be concocted and materials to be worked. Despite the tragedy, not everything was glum. More people smiled when they saw our student group, Ines was particularly receptive to them and a couple of constables volunteered themselves to assist in the inevitable clash with the outside force that had been plaguing them for so long.

Now they had a chance. They had young foreigners who had fought off the monsters, and they were going to help now that they saw a reasonable out. Not that many trusted them - far too many were older and grew comfortable with their isolationist views.

“Sie brauchten Hilfe? Sie brauchen Zahlen, um eine Garnison niederzuschlagen, wissen Sie. (You needed help? You’ll need numbers to take down a garrison, you know.)” said Laura with a cheeky smile, accompanied by a middle aged man wearing a coat and carrying a rifle.. “Viktor machte sich auf die Suche nach diesem Blutsauger, aber er ließ uns mit einem guten Koppelman zurück. (Viktor went off to track that bloodsucker, but he left us with a good Koppelman.)” she held said Koppelman 49 with her two small hands. The thing was nearly as tall as her.

“Auch Sie werden unsere Unterstützung haben. (You will have our support too.)” it was none other than Cristophe and four of the highwaymen that remained loyal to him. “Ob Sie es wollen oder nicht, wir haben mit diesen Leuten noch eine Rechnung offen. (Whether you want it or not, we have a score to settle with these people.)”


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Hidden 2 yrs ago → 2 yrs ago Post by pantothenic
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Metropolis
Written alongside Force and Fury


Yalen and Zihan drew near to the Court of Magical Law, which turned out to be an immense hall with outbuildings and colonnades surrounding a vast courtyard. Hundreds of petitioners camped out in the square, along with petty vendors and a smattering of goats, donkeys, dogs, and chickens. Ragged clusters of people pestered government officials and orderlies as they walked by, but a mixture of Gold and Blue Guards kept the peace, not allowing their entreaties to go very far. Beyond this was an area cleared of people, but for a trio of long queues that wound back and forth under an improvised shelter. Each led to an entrance arch and each arch had a sign over it marked with Retanese words. There was no evidence of Xiulan anywhere.

"So where would a petitioner go to undertake the next phase of the clearance exam?" Yalen asked as he glanced questioningly between the various buildings. He couldn't read any of the signs.

"Line one on ze right is ze matters of law. If zey sue." Zihan shook her head. It was the shortest. "Line two is for ze test sings. If she pass ze test but have to do oral test or still wait for ze forms, she will to be zere." It was not short, and people were fanning themselves, sitting on the ground, or slouching against posts as they waited. "Line sree is get ze license and renew ze ID card. If she pass and ze first line is quick one, she will be here." It was the longest line, and Yalen may have noticed that many of the people waiting in it appeared to be of a rather... low social standing, judging by their clothing. While everyone held a red slip of paper in their hands, these ones also held a yellow one.

Yalen pointed at the third line first. "We should probably ask whoever is in charge of the second line first, but I am curious. What are those slips of paper they're holding over there? Does it have something to do with the licensing?"

Zihan let out a long sigh. She nodded. "Line Sree is ze famous one. It is the very long line. Sometimes to take some days to get srough." They were walking slowly as she talked, and Yalen may have noticed a handful of people shooting curious or beseeching glances their way. Some began to hesitantly pace them. Others whispered and stole glances at him.

"Ze yellow paper is for ze stand-in. You pay money to ze poor people and he to wait for you." "监工!" (Overseer!) shouted one of the growing throng, and others took up the call. "拜托, 监工!" (Please, overseer!) "拜托!" (Please!) "我有一个小问题。也许你能帮忙?" (I have a little problem. Maybe you can help?) Zihan ignored them and Yalen could feel her draw a scary amount of energy, and do so very quickly. Most of the petitioners backed off.

"For very long time," she shared, "Some people want ze goverment to fix zis problem, but maybe zey don't want to because it cost many money and zey must to change zis place and build ze new sings." She shook her head and smirked ruefully. "But ze twin emperors have ze very Retanese solution: zey introduce ze new system where you can to pay ze poor people wait in line for you. It help them make ze money and no new building and people not have to waste zere time." She twisted to regard Yalen, hands clasped behind her back, a slight grin on her face. "What do you sink of zis idea?"

Yalen's eyebrow twitched with exasperation. "I think that the people who run this place are woefully apathetic and corrupt, but I'm an investigator, not a political advisor." He stated very bluntly in reply.

Zihan let out a bark of laughter. "Ze foreigner always say zat." She shook her head, still smiling, and glanced out over the courtyard.

Yalen was quick to move on to the next topic. "What do the red slips mean then?" He pointed out. "Red rarely means anything good in our country."

"In Retan, ze colour red is bring good luck. Really, to wait in zis line for days is not ze good luck, but to get ze license and being approve for ze renew is." She shrugged. "Really, zey want people to feel good to come here and pay ze money to use magic." Suddenly, one of the petitioners was back, and he made the mistake of walking up and reaching for her robes in the process of his entreaty.

Yalen reflexively prodded the man at the waist with his scepter, not even thinking about the stranger's intent. His hands had moved to intercept a possible threat before he could consciously think about it. It was little more than a hard poke, so hopefully there wouldn't be any unnecessary bruises.

"Pardon my rudeness sir, but you should be careful where you put your hands." Yalen clicked his tongue. It suddenly occurred to him that Xiulan wasn't here to translate for him. They needed to keep moving.

The man recoiled from his touch, bowing and scraping as he backed away. "对不起," (I'm sorry,) he apologized, "对不起. 抱歉!" (I'm sorry. My regret!)

Zihan glanced at Yalen and nodded approvingly. "I like you," she admitted. "You are much too honest to be a Retanese, but you are ze good person wisout be the soft man." She shook her head in subtle admiration. "Zis is not ze easy sing to do."

They were now stopped at where the lines parted, and she was undoing the clasps on a satchel that she carried. "It might seem like ze unfair sing to say not to use magic for many people. To let zem come to ze capital city and zen return back to home for nossing." She turned to face him. "But Retan is work well as ze country. People have ze safety. Zey have ze food and sings zey need. All people have ze same chance when zey come to take a test here, I sink. Many of the people have magic should not to have it. A country is like ze body: it need a head make a decision, hands to do ze sings, legs to carry him, and ze heart to keep him alive. Retan have one head. Zis is why it grows so big and still work. Ze Eastern countries? Everyone want be ze head." She shook hers, taking a moment to glance at the lines as if inviting the query that she knew would come next. They were here for a specific purpose, after all. She fished a small paper with a wax seal out from the bag and held it until he spoke.

"I won't pretend I understand how to run a country. I study criminal justice, not politics. All I can say is that while your system doesn't agree with my people's way of thinking, I understand your intent. I have seen firsthand the harm that unrestricted magic use can bring thanks to our dear friend, the Traveler." In his mind Yalen was referring to the aberration disaster at Ersand'Enise. Many lives had been lost that day, out of reach of even the strongest magic the headmaster could bring to bear.

"I don't think we should copy Rettan's methods and ban magic for a majority of the population, but perhaps there is a happy middle ground that can be achieved..." Yalen's eyes drifted down to the sealed scroll. "Hm? What is that?"

"We agree about zis, at least." Her reply was short. Then, Yalen asked his question and she handed him the scroll. "Zis will give you permission to pass ze line. Go ask about ze translate woman. Line two will know."

Yalen gratefully accepted the document and nodded. "Thank you. I will be back shortly." Without further delay, the Somnian marched past the waiting examinees and directly approached the staffer in charge of line two. He could only pray they encountered enough foreigners here to understand his Avincian.

"Excuse me, but I have a few questions to ask if you can spare the time." Yalen unsealed his permission slip and showed it to the civil servant. "I am looking for a particular individual who was known to have been here recently."

The man behind the counter's face turned ashen at Yalen's approach, and he concentrated ardently on every word the foreigner said, nodding along nervously. His eyes, however, showed scant little understanding. "Ah... Yes." he held out his hand.

Yalen would have rolled his eyes internally, but his face remained stiff. Why was he using such complicated language around people who met an easterner maybe a few times a year? He twisted around and shrugged at Zihan while shaking his head. He hoped she would get the hint.

The man looked confused for a moment. "Very sorry." He bowed repeatedly in apology. "I see... it?" he asked in heavily accented Avincian. Zihan was not close by but, after some more direct prodding from Yalen, she strode over, never delaying, but not letting herself look hurried either. "He not understand ze Avince?" she asked knowingly. When Yalen answered in the affirmative, she shook her head. "Zese people pass ze written test but not to speak ze language to real foreigner."

She turned to the orderly at the desk, absorbing sour faces from the tired-looking people near the front of the line with little sympathy or care, and the two went through a rapid exchange, during which Yalen picked out the name 'Jiang Xiulan' more than once. Finally, the desk clerk turned to a lower-ranking orderly and barked out instructions thick with the embarrassment he had clearly felt these past few minutes. The tall, awkward boy hurried off into the great hall behind.

Zihan turned to her charge. "Zey are look for ze records. We wait half one hour and we will to have."

"Understood." Yalen replied. He took a few steps back to indicate that he would no longer be holding up the line. It was an annoying stretch of time to wait through, too long to pass comfortably but too short to allow for them to detour elsewhere. He shuffled his feet somewhat impatiently and contented himself with people watching for now.

After a few minutes transpired Yalen noticed a mildly distressing scene. There were some youngsters gathered around a government official, caught in various states of screaming or crying. While it made him a bit uncomfortable to get involved in other people's business as a guest in a foreign country, there was no other matter currently demanding his attention. Maybe it was something minor enough that he could help without stepping on anyone's toes. With that resolve, he attempted to inch closer to the gathering to see if he could make any inferences as to what the trouble was.

At first, he had little luck. They were all speaking in Retanese. There seemed to be a lot of frustration, and a sense of (self-) righteous grievance. Then, however, one of them noticed him, and word rippled through the small cluster. "You see zis, Afince man?" a boy about his age demanded. He was dressed in clothes that were simple, but clean, well-cared for, and of formal cut. "We come all ze Retan take zis exam." He shook his head angrily. "Me famiry has not-uh mach mahneys. Work hahd let me to go here." The others shouted in support... though in Retanese. Then, the young man leveled a furious finger at the orderly he and his peers had cornered. "Zey say us zis exam about ze magic, so we study ze magic."

"Baht-uh no magic!" cried a girl perhaps a couple of years older, her face stained with running makeup. The boy nodded vigorously. "Many ozer sing on zis-uh exam! Stupid-uh sing like 'do you feed ze poor man?'"

"Zis our future!" wailed the girl, tears streaming down her face. She looked genuinely stricken. "It is-uh..." She looked flustered, searching for a word. "一切!" (everything!) she cried in frustration, trying to lock eyes with the Somnian.

"We do all sing good-uh baht zey lie about zis exam! My mahzer and-uh fahzer take all ze mahneys to zis. I to save zem." He held back both tears and fury. In the periphery of Yalen's vision, he could sense a half-dozen goldcloaks approaching in tight formation, drawing energy. These youngsters, heartbroken and furious, either hadn't noticed yet or didn't care. "You fahcker!" the boy screamed, leveling his finger at the orderly like it was a weapon. The small man, carrying a stack of papers, flinched back, starting to draw. "You bastard!"

Yalen observed the chaos unfold without raising his hand. He lent his ear to the angry youth, but there was nothing more he was willing to offer in this situation. What could he do? In this country, whether he agreed with it or not, magical aptitude had more to do with your disposition than your RAS level. Why else would magic be so rare here? There were millions of people possessing the Gift. It wasn't exactly a commodity in such a populous country. The bleeding heart in him considered offering alms of some sort, some financial charity that might soothe their frustrations, but if you fed one wild cat there would be a hundred more right behind it. This was neither the time nor place to be playing the hero, especially since the guards were coming to kick some ass.

Rather than stick his neck out for either party, and potentially jeopardize his search for Xiulan, Yalen closed his eyes regretfully and walked away from the scene. He didn't feel good about it, but he wouldn't let emotions control his actions more than necessary. There were sounds of a scuffle behind him, but Yalen didn't look back.

The shouts and screams rose, and then the sounds of bodies thumping to the ground. Unconscious or dead, he could not say. Voices shouted in desperate apology and plea, but then there was the familiar echo of a sonic bubble dropping over an area, and they became faint and indistinct.

There was good news when he reached Zihan, however. "Good timing," she said. "Zey are call us up." Promptly, he followed her there, marching in lockstep with the high-ranking White Knight, his black robes a perfect and intimidating contrast. None dared bother them this time and a few hastily scurried away.

There was a different official at the desk, and Yalen could not say why until the replacement opened his mouth to speak. "Welcome Retan," said the man. "I see you very busy, so I will not waste-uh ze time." He shook his head. "Ze woman you look for - Jiang Xiulan - take ze test, but-uh she fail." His bow was quick and professionally courteous only. "I am sorry for zis bad-uh news." He turned to Zihan and there was a rapid exchange in Retanese full of uncomfortable smiles and what looked like a mix of commiseration and information exchange.

They walked away. "I sink, if she is you friend," said Zihan, in a softer voice than he had previously heard from her, "You should go talk her." At his quizzical look - they hadn't actually found the translator - she lowered her voice. "You will probably to find her at 泪桥 - ze Bridge of Tears. It is about ten minute walk west, at ze river."

"The bridge of..." Yalen scratched his head. With a name like that, it was obvious what people went to the Bridge of Tears to do. Hearing that such a sweet lady failed what was arguably the most important task in her life filled his heart with dread for her future.

"Well," Yalen replied to Zihan, "I came here to find her, so I might as well go and confirm her whereabouts. Will you be tagging along?"

Zihan shook her head regretfully and glanced at the ground before looking back up. "I must to go wiss you for ze safety reason," she answered regretfully. "But I will stay not too close. I am sorry."



With that, Yalen led the way, and they walked in relative silence. The bridge was a small one, in the shadow of a larger peer just south, and foot traffic was sparse, almost as if people knew what this place was famous for and avoided it as a result.

It took him a minute or two and a few glances at other faces to make sure they were not the one that he sought, but then there, sure enough, was Xiulan, sitting on a bench and staring out up the river, so still that she'd have been a statue were she made of something different than flesh and blood. If she noticed him, she made no indication whatsoever.

Yalen patted Zihan on the arm and went ahead knowing that she would remain where she was. He went to where Xiulan sat, though not directly. As he walked he tried to roll his feet, but there was no hiding one's footsteps in such a silent place. She would know he was coming whether he wanted her to or not.

Rather than intrude on her personal space, Yalen took a more passive approach and sat on the bench just next to hers. He relaxed his back and leaned into his seat, settling into an almost meditative state as he stared at the flowing waters. He did not say a word out of respect for her privacy, but he would be here if she had feelings that needed to be let out.

She only let out a small snort, ambivalent in its tone. Ambivalent about much of anything. Seconds passed, and turned into a minute, and then minutes, but all was not still any longer. Her fingers knit and unknit themselves. Tears streamed silently down her cheeks and she sniffed.

Finally, Jiang Xiulan broke. "I'm a terrible a guide. I leave you alone when I say I will come." She turned to Yalen all at once, trying hard to swallow her tears and failing utterly.

Yalen turned his head to look at Xiulan. He was quiet for a moment, searching his thoughts for the words he wanted to say aloud.

"No one among us would expect you to do a good job when your heart has been broken. You shouldn't degrade yourself."

She turned back to face the water, unsure, and shrugged. "Maybe you are right, but maybe you are wrong." She paused and sniffed, resigning herself to talking, to just letting it all come out, damn the consequences. "I will be honest: I never want to be ze guide. When I was little, as long time I can remember, I want to be..." She stopped abruptly and rolled her eyes. "Is like some fucking sad story from ze play wiss bad writing."

Yalen crossed his fingers across his lap and smiled. "I understand. I also wanted to be someone else once. I didn't dream I would be spending my future fighting dragons and chasing criminals across the ocean. I am here now because I have a job to do, just like you."

She turned back to him, pained. "But do you like it? Do you want it?" It was a simple enough question, but did it have a simple answer?

"...It's hard." Yalen eventually answered after an extended period of silence. He relaxed the back of his head on top of the bench and stretched his arms out. The heaviness of this topic was draining all the energy from his body.

"For every friend I make and every moment of joy I experience, I am made to endure an equal amount of heartache. When it gets really tough, sometimes I wonder if I would have been better off never leaving the countryside. My life was simpler back then."

Memories of home flooded Yalen with nostalgia, filling his chest with the pain of homesickness. Once upon a time, he could have been a pharmacist or surgeon, helping his small community and remaining free of his memories of violence and tragedy. "To answer your question, no, I don't like what I do. They asked me, I didn't ask them. However, I strongly feel that this is something I was meant to do. I have been shown a greater purpose, one that is not beholden to the sinful ways of this world."

It was clear that Xiulan was still deeply absorbed in her own misery, but she made an effort to listen and understand, as any decent person would. "I am... relieved that you find ze purpose in zis life you have not to choose for yourself." She shook her head. "Really. For some people, life is about purpose."

She shook it again, however, more adamantly, as if stuck on something. "But zis is more zan just take away my purpose, Yalen. Zis magic - zis Gift you Quentic people say coming from ze gods - it is in me and I had feel it since I am a little girl. It is zere and it is mine and..." She trailed off, more tears streaming down her cheeks. "I know I sound like some ozer person just complain 'my life is so bad' when it is okay, actually, but..." Her face scrunched up bitterly. "Who ze fuck are zey tell me 'you cannot to use zis sing that is part of you'? Is it some wrong sing? Do I have it on accident? Every time I have a choice to make, I always follow ze rules. I work hard. I study hard. I try do ze right sing and zey just say 'fuck you Xiulan. You must spend your life like ze bug. You cannot ever use zis sing you have because you do not answer some stupid questions how we want. Should I go my whole life like zis?" She was pleading with him now, looking for someone to tell her that it was okay to feel as she did and maybe even that her anger was justified. If there was ever to be healing or acceptance, she seemed unready for it as of yet.

Yalen sighed. "Why did they fail you?"

"Zis is ze sing: I don't know." She glanced away in helplessness. "Really, I know zis test. I know you have only once chance to pass, but I am good. In your R-A-S number, very high." She shook her head and the chemical mage could feel the soup of boiling emotions just beneath her surface. "I know it is not just about your magic, but how you to act." She turned to look at him beseechingly. "I answered all sings as well I can. I always try to sink what is ze good sing. I... don't know. I don't understand how I fail. Am I ze bad person?" Her fists balled up.

Yalen felt helpless at times like these. He couldn't tell if he was saying the right things or not. It was regretful that she couldn't have her own family be here to console her. Right now he was the best she had. "Xiulan, I will be blunt. To an outsider, your country has the appearance of a machine built out of human lives. You are being controlled in ways you can't even begin to understand. Maybe they didn't want someone prepared to do the good thing."

"Maybe they wanted someone colder. More pragmatic. That is the feeling I get from many of the guards I've spoken to thus far. Controlling such a large country in the way they do requires a certain level of apathy towards others. You are far from a bad person, but I think that is why you have remained a slave here."

"I love my country," Xiulan stated, eyes flicking over to the distant figure of Zihan, "But I do not love ze government." They returned to the river and all of the little boats happily making their way up and down it, conducting the business of the day. "I love the cherry blossoms in ze spring, and the paper lanterns in ze night, to smell ze cooking baozi, and feel ze fresh air of ze first snow, to talk and sing wiss your mozer as you sweep ze courtyard." She smiled faintly and released a long breath.

"Zere are many ozer people who feel like I do, you know, and it is almost funny how stupid ze government sinks we are." She regarded Yalen almost... evaluatively, maybe hopefully after what he had just said. "Zese people I talk about are just normal people: million of us. Zey do not work wiss ze Traveler. He isn't even here. You cannot to imagine how much I hear as ze translator." There was a grim, satisfied look on her face. "Zey are just using him as ze excuse to beat zis rebellion and say zey beat a bad guy." Her eyes met his, face even and composed. "If zey succeed, you get some small reward and your school can be happy. But if zey make some mistake?" She snorted and there came a bitter, ironic smile. "Zey blame you and zen your school to owe zis evil government some apology." She shook her head. "You cannot trust zem. Zey must to go."

Xiulan’s final words left Yalen in shock.
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Event: Metropolis


The ride to the mountain was to take some time by itself and the stopping to shop just made it take even more time. Plenty of things to purchase but today Ingrid found a brilliant sash that looked wonderful on her. As she talked to the seamstress, she gestured that the price was on the sash. Reaching to look it was like her hand disappeared into it revealing a small price tag and one of the hidden pockets. Thoroughly delighted with its tricks, Ingrid bought it and gave a healthy tip to the seamstress. She should get one for all the girls though one for now is enough as she slipped in some of her own stuff into it like a true hidden operative.

The mountain looked brilliant! Maybe it was her fondness for the Dragonspine Mountains but this mountain filled her with great vigor as she climbed it. Yet, under all her excitement to be climbing Ingrid was keenly aware why they were here and intended to be effective. So spreading out was always going to be the plan for her. Until then, she collected slimes.

Ingrid was oh so curious about the dragon that Niallus, Rikard, and Abdel saw. And when she heard it could be on the north face she got an itch to go and find out. Plus there was always potential for something to be there. It being out of the way and dangerous could act as great deterrents.

Ingrid posed a question to Dai since it seemed like captain Zhu was having some fun. In her best Retaneese she could muster, "你知道西北山一路上的挑战吗?" (Do you know the challenges along the way in the Northwest Mountain?) Trying to explain where she wanted to go. Ingrid somewhat assumed that a Skyborn would definitely explore the mountains for fun, well, at least she would.

She had planned to go there with Dai since he was a Skyborn and should be familiar enough with the surroundings. When she suddenly turned to see Niallus also declaring on where he was going.

The cold air was nice, luckily the cold didn't really bother him. Looking out, he could see the tower where Rikard, Abdel and himself were last night. "Wow.." he said, his voice trailing off. While everyone was getting ready to head off in different places on the mountain. He wanted to explore, see if he can find something about that dragon. The best bet would be the Northwest part of the mountain. To him it seemed the best bet to try to find slimes, assuming that the dragon didn't blow them up.

He had a strong feeling that Ingrid would be going the same way too, after all, she could never resist the urge of adventure, then again he couldn't either. "I'm going to head up the North West face."

Ingrid wasn’t too enthusiastic about this development. She wanted someone like Niallus here to help gather information and would relay it to her and others honestly. "So Niallus," Ingrid felt awkward saying this, "I don't think we should go together. The mountain is large and if we are the both the furthest away, we can't figure out what's going on over here." Ingrid held his hand, "Think you can trust me, I'll be safe."

Niallus is confused by her request. Of course he trusts her, so why would she ask him to go a different route. "Ingrid, I do trust you." he holds her hand. "The reason why I want to head up the Northwest side was to try to get a better look at the Dragon I told you about last night, That's all." this brought the question. "If you are wanting to find it, why don't we look for it together. Or could you not take a different route?"

"Fine," Ingrid let go of his hand and gave him an irritated smile. "You go search for the dragon, I'll stay here and do my own thing," Ingrid turned to go stay with Yin.

"Ingrid, wait I...." Seems she's too annoyed to listen to him explain. "Just be careful ok, and I'll be careful too."

Ingrid just gave Rikard the thing Benny showed her and flipped him off with a ‘fuck-you’ smile and crashed in on Yin and Zhu’s time together. She felt annoyed for only a few moments before just putting it aside to try to work her way in with them. Luckily the Captain was very accommodating

Captain Zhu, however, was not part of this adventure. He had valiantly opted to remain behind with Yin and... Ingrid was there too. If he had wanted to groan at the presence of a third wheel, he was too nice of a person to do so, and so the lone Eskandr was there with them and more or less integrated into their conversations.

"Hey Ingrid!" Yin chirped. "We should sing a song!" She pondered. "You know..." she glanced over at Captain Zhu and smirked. "How about a yasoi rhyme!"

She was busy digging through the dirt for slime bits. They were a little bit removed from most of the crowd now, and if the ground was less stable, the finds were better. She stood up for a moment and her eyes darted to Ingrid. "But!" she warned, "You'll have to do it in Retanese!" She stuck her tongue out. "Good practice, right?"

Ingrid took the challenge to sing some Yasoi rhymes in stride. She had studied them last year trying to understand more about Ismette and the other Yasoi at her school. But doing it in Retanese was a challenge. She wanted to mumble it to hide her inadequacy with the language but this was a practice! She embarrassingly gave it her all to the point she almost didn't question why it was yasoi rhymes. Almost.

And so they spent the next twenty minutes bumbling through yasoi-style rhyming songs with a Retanese twist. It was cool, but the sun was out and the weather was pleasant. Here and there, a chunk of ice from above broke loose and slid down the mountain and everyone scrambled to get out of its way and then get over to it in case it contained any good slimes.

Ingrid was a bit too slow to join in the usual scramble this time but, as the others started to move, she noticed something that they had not in their haste: a slime that was not red, but... small and blue and... it seemed to have an almost crystalline shape.

A few pickers from different groups noticed it as well, and the race was one. Ingrid wanted that thing. It was blue! She wanted it for herself! Boosting her movement with kinetic magic, she bolted forward, dashing bits of shale and loose, icy dirt off of the mountainside. That was when it happened. Her footing went out from under her at just the moment that a rather large boulder came tumbling loose from only a few yards above. It was too quick and sudden for her to catch herself, and Captain Zhu was trying to secure the strange blue slime.

You know that moment when you realize that something extremely bad is about to happen and you brace for it? Ingrid had that moment, but then... the 'bad thing' didn't come. Ingrid froze in midair, long enough for her to catch herself and float gently back down to the ground, and the boulder redirected itself dramatically around her and then around a cluster of gatherers a few yards below.

Her dreams came to a sudden and spectacular end as she nearly lost her life to a boulder. But she was saved! By none other than the admittedly charming Captain!... "Yin?"

For a moment, Captain Zhu froze, just as she had, only he was holding the strange blue crystalline slime. Then, both of their eyes turned to Yin, who was panting, arm outstretched, focused on the rock. Energy swirled about her and then quickly dissipated: magic that she had used, in clear view of a captain of the goldcloaks and over a dozen onlookers.

Ingrid was quick to her feat, discarding the dirt from herself as she got closer to Yin and tried to make it seem like it was not a big deal. She looked to Captain Zhu, hoping as much as she could that he would do the same. He was the only Goldguard here. Sure some smuks were here but they could be dealt with in some way.
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Hidden 2 yrs ago → 1 yr ago Post by BlackRoseSiren
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BlackRoseSiren

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Esmii'nesta'tawaar



Event: Cold Comfort


After Esmii heard what Yuliya said, she decided to slip away from the group, while no one was watching, not even Sven. She wanted to go somewhere on her own to think about everything that had happened, and just before she slipped away she saw from a distance a cave that was along the cliff face with some shrubs, vines, and blueberry bushes around its entrance.

She found a nice place to sit near its entrance, and she let Sage have a stretch and some food. The sun was starting to set and she couldn’t help but get a little pensive as she watched it approach the horizon. It was all so much: the danger, the intrigue, the… Silas was probably dead - literally dead. The sun was in her eyes and she blinked back some tears, but more came and she let them continue. Suddenly, she felt Sage nuzzling into her face, and she stopped to look at her and said. "Hi Sage, I’m sorry, I know you don’t like it when I cry."

The dormouse chittered sympathetically, or at least Esmii liked to tell herself that’s what it was and, as she was listening to her furry friend, she noticed something else: the faint sound of running water. There was the river itself, but this wasn’t coming front here. It was… from somewhere within the cave. Curiosity piqued, and against her better judgement, Esmii decided that she would take a look inside. She grabbed some thread from her bag and tied the end of it to one of the bushes at the entrance. Then she turned and cautiously walked into the cave, catching a faint smell of sulphur. As the natural light started to fade, her tears turned to curiosity, mostly but not completely overcoming her wariness of her surroundings. She nearly got lost and almost lost her nerve as well. However, she noticed that her steps felt unusually light, almost like it was easier to walk into the cave than to leave it. Esmii came across a small stream that was flowing rapidly, and the cave seemed to narrow at one point. Glancing back towards the now-obscured entrance, she decided to wade through the water to see what was beyond.

While she waded through the water, she noticed the smell of sulphur again, and she thought to herself that the water wasn’t as cold as it should’ve been, that it is really pleasant and soothing. Her legs felt relaxed and any tension she had felt soon left her muscles. When she reached the other side, her steps were unusually quick and the water was flowing even quicker. Esmii saw some pebbles on the ground that looked fresh, as if they had just recently fallen from somewhere. Her legs started to feel warm and sluggish and her skin felt fresh and soft after walking through the water. Something here was unnatural, and an uneasy feeling began to build within her. However, the yasoi cautiously continued further, the feeling of something pulling her forward building. She found the stream again soon, as she was walking up a small rise.

Esmii noticed that the rocks were very strange, the smaller ones seemed to shift and clatter every so often. Surprised by one, Esmii lost her footing and fell back. However, it was as if gravity didn’t really pull her down as quickly as it should have and she was able to catch herself. She took a moment to rest and recover, and that was when she noticed it: the water was flowing… uphill. The force that had been subtly tugging at her was quite a bit stronger by this point and, as she touched the water again, it felt hot - not just warm, like before, but hot. Just then, as she was looking at the stalactites and the strange way in which they’d grown - almost at an angle - a head-sized rock fell in front of her and caused her to jump. A few more lay broken on the floor. Esmii started to feel like she was physically being pulled further into the cave. Wondering at the sensation, she was snapped out of it when a person-sized section of the cave wall collapsed, hurtling towards Esmii. She managed to dive out of its path with inches to spare, aided by whatever was pulling her deeper in.

That was it, and her instincts told Esmii that to go much further would mean death. She decided to turn back and tell the others about this place. This was not not something that she should’ve tried to take on alone, especially without the use of her magic. As she turned to walk back to where she’d come from, she found herself being pulled backwards. The force - that eerie force that was something like gravity yet was not - was pulling her back harder than before. Fighting, straining, fear, adrenaline, and panic rushing through her, the yasoi found the strength to resist being dragged deeper, and even started to make a small amount of progress.

For the next twenty-odd minutes, Esmii held firm and inched forward a bit when she had the energy for a push. She dug her heels in and kept making forward progress until, blessedly, the pull seemed to have weakened just enough for her to walk normally. A building unease seemed to tug her forward now, just as the strange force had tugged her back and, in her haste, Esmii grew incautious, stumbling and scraping her hands and knees. She could see it now: the faint glow of outside light! As she neared the cave entrance she heard Sven’s voice. She couldn’t quite make out what he was saying, but it wasn’t a stretch to assume that he was calling out to her. How long had she been in there anyhow? Esmii shouted back, hoping he would hear. "Sven, I’m here! Keep talking please.". Then, she saw his silhouette and it was a scramble to the entrance and to him. She fell into his arms, exhausted.
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