Conscripts

Noble Arms - The ASEAN War [Moved to New Thread]

---

It's been a long 3-hour flight.

"Approaching Filipino airspace." The pilot at the head of the formation, Captain Tuan, broadcast to the remaining aircraft. The southern-most area of the South China Sea had mostly been under ASEAN control, so the flight to the Philippine mainland had been relatively uneventful and remarkably chatty. Doing nothing the entire 3 hour would perhaps drive people insane. But now that the message was broadcast, chatters cut off immediately. "Lotus Squadron to Manila. This is aircrafts of the VPAF, would you kindly allow us to land at your strip for some pork belly?"

A moment of silence lingered the captain's cockpit, before the request was answered. "This is Commander Darna, thank god you are finally here." The woman sounded a lot less amused. "You are welcome to land, but there's not any time for food. We will need you in the air as soon as possible."

"What's going on?" The captain asked.

"Lingayen is under heavy bombardment. It may be overrun any minute now." Her reply was grim.

Tuan briefly glanced down at his terminal. "I assume they needed a bail then?"

"Affirmative."

"We still have quite a bit of fuel left. We can head north immediately."

She was silent for another few seconds. "Permission granted. Second Lieutenant Noel Alonso is in charge. Contact on approach. Good luck and god bless you."

All 8 crafts heard the transmission, and proceeded, in perfect V-shaped formation, to turn North to head towards the battlefield.

"Second Lieutenant?" Spoke Senior Lieutenant Hoang Van Cuong, piloting the third aircraft on the left side of the formation. The emphasis on the ranking is because he technically outranked this guy. "Don't tell me this guy's in charge of the city's defense."

"How much are you guys willing to bet..." A voice echoed both in the comm channel and right behind him. The only foreign-blooded pilot of the squadron, and Cuong's co-pilot, Lieutenant Nikolay Phan. "That this guy is also a kid. Out of every junior officer possible"

"No way..." Another pilot replied. "Dinner's on me tonight if he even is one year below 18."

"Tch. That's not as good of a bet as you might think." Cuong replied, slightly amused. "As insane as it sounds."

"So you're on my side then, Cuong?" Nikolay replied.

"Whoa whoa, I never said I wanted in on your gambling spree." He retorted from in front. "My money's precious, ok?"

"Come on, it's food! And it's the Philippines. Better have a free meal while we're still here and alive to."

"Alright alright, settle down." The captain commanded. "We'll be in Lingayen in 10 minutes. Contacting the city."

---

<< Thank you @Letter Bee for contributing to this section >>

[+]

The plane contrails left an uneasy sight for unaware ground forces and volunteers below. Despite being told they were friendlies, they looked nothing like allied jets. In fact, they were Russian jets. Eight SU-30MK2 over the mountains, coated in azure paint with pink lotus emblems on their tails, flew in from the south. No Filipino fighters intercepting them, none flew with them either. They just waltz in like cars in an empty parking lot.

Noel, who were in the middle of fighting in the Wall of Light, heard a strange accent came over his comm.

"This is Captain Tuan of the VPAF's Lotus Squadron. Is this Second Lieutenant Alonso?"

Noel stopped firing his submachine gun to answer the radio, saying, "Lotus Squadron! You came at the right time! Enemy airpower is being focused on the municipality behind us, while we have reason to believe that an Arms Master is being used to aid their conventional assault from afar. If they burn down our fallback position," aka the municipality of Lingayen, "We'll have nowhere to go should the Wall of Light fall; would you guys mind culling the enemy bombers?"

"Understood." The captain replied curtly, hearing the gunshot in the background.

---

"Alright comrades, you hear that?" He said, switching frequency back to the pilot's. "Climb to nine thousand."

"I hear free dinner~" Nikolay excitedly spoke. No confirmation until they meet the guy, if ever, but if that voice was any indication, this boisterous co-pilot likely won the bet.

"I hear free dinner too!" The same pilot that made the bet also said. "Look at that."

It wasn't the bet he was referring to, however. Above the squadron, thirty, no, fourty aircrafts, flying in a rather...familiar formation. At least to the squadron. This was exactly what they were doing in Vietnam 11 months prior. Flying close and massing numbers. It did work pretty well here, since there were still no signs of the Philippine's air force yet, and electronic countermeasure could go some ways against ground anti-air. But oh are they in for a big surprise...

"Split up, we'll do a 'double attack'." Captain Tuan called over the radio. "Lotus 2, 3 and 7, follow me. We'll go first. Lotus 4, you're in command of the second group. Commence assault!"

"Roger!" The pilots replied.

Four aircraft immediately broke loose from formation, spread out and began to make rapid ascension towards the bombers. Some broke straight through the clouds right into missile range of the enemy formation. Chinese jets were caught by complete surprise and barely responded when the first SU-30 loosed 2 missiles into the Chinese bombers, sending the monster slowly tumbling to the ground in flames. The second one that followed shot down an escort jet that strayed too close to his line of shot. Both climbed above the Chinese formation only to dive back down with their cannons. The third one did not have a good angle so it subsequently missed their armaments. The fourth one approached from a much shallower angle, but allowed a missile to cleanly bag a bomber.

Meanwhile, the remaining 4 SU-30s lurked beneath the clouds below. The food tonight looked increasingly tasty.

🗡 Roses and Daggers 🎕

_{Time: ~8:50 AM
Locations: Guesthouse
Mentions: Thea @Tae}

---

The night for many royals in Sorian were bad, but they weren't the only ones having to endure. John's was as short as his current temper: a burnt-out candle.

The Previous Night

After that nightmare, the doctor remembered he still needed to be awake until they gave him the all-clear. To prevent getting consumed by exhaustion, John went to wash his face in the washroom and writing his journal afterwards, mostly to keep himself occupied and not collapse. Soon though, he heard the knock on his door, and contrary to his expectation, it wasn't Dr. Hunter but a servant was outside.

"Dr. Williamson? Hi, uhh..." He was a little hesitant. John recognized this as the new guy that the queen just hired.

"Hello hello." He put up a friendly smile, but it was pretty clear he was tired. "Are you sent by the Surgeon Dentist?" The servant nodded. "Well, am I good or..."

"Umm...he's alright with you being late." He was still fumbling a little with his words. "But he wanted you summoned. There is an urgent matter."

'Don't tell me...' He groaned internally hearing that. "Alright, thank you. You are excused." He said.

The servant bowed and jogged away. John looked around his room, grabbed his personal satchel lying neatly on the desk by the windows, strode out of the room. That whole damn thing he overheard at the castle about the missing carriage and royals missing. He would not want to hear the possible news that some of his royals were injured or, even worse, dead on the very first day they arrived in Caesonia.

John didn't have to go to the queen's chamber, as he soon found the Surgeon Dentist frantically walking down the hallway with two of his personal maid and a Caesonian servant. He quickly noticed the doctor too. "John!" He called out, as both sides approached each other. "The Queen just briefed. Some of our nobles went missing the entire night after the balls."

Oh great. "Who's missing?" John immediately asked.

"Lesdeman, Ravenwood and both the Smithwoods." He replied curtly, omitting their titles. "We found the first two and the elder Smithwood though, in a miserable state but still alive."

"What happened, do you know?"

"They stench of alcohol. I think they just drank too much." The Surgeon Dentist grumbled. "Our doctors are already monitoring them."

Alcohol? So this might not have been a political kidnapping or anything that heinous. This still left one missing though...

"What about Thea?" He asked concernedly.

"Not yet found. She's not in her room."

His heart sank upon hearing that. Visible anger showed on his face as his lips thinned, his teeth grinded with one another and his fist clenched. God damn it Thea. He had told her to drink moderately, and she wouldn't listen! Of course she wouldn't! Now this happened!

"Alright. I'll be on the lookout, if that's alright?" He replied, sitting on the anger beneath his face.

The Surgeon Dentist simply nodded and assigned a maid to go with him. The search went further for another hour, with Thea finally found in Prince Felix's room instead. No one wanted this whole mess to bother the prince and princess, so they didn't think of looking for her there when options began to run out. Thankfully, however, she was ok. Heavily intoxicated, yes, miserable, also yes, but she's stable and would be fine the next day. Only that reassurance would John allow himself to finally get some rest, this time without any incident.

However, despite the uneventful trek through the dream world this time, his night was still ruined. He barely managed several hours before the sun peeked over the horizon, not enough in his eyes, or under his eyes. He'd hold back the urge to engulf himself in the blanket and hibernate until that fiery orb in the sky disappear, but he remembered what was said yesterday. He did leave Thea alone once he found out she was in Felix's room, but he informed the Smithwood's servants to tell her that she's to come to him first thing in the morning for a checkup. So, begrudgingly, he forced himself up on his feet, went for a quick wash, got himself dressed and ordered a cup of tea while waiting for the knock on the door. God forbid if she ignored him this time too.

Heavens Torn Asunder

Yuuki Kiyomasa

Haruki Province

---

Not too far from the road, a few rice carts rolled through the dense forest, pulled by a few horses in front. A rather common sight around Haruki if not for the few armed soldiers on horseback riding ahead of the merchants. And these weren't ronins on payrolls of some merchants. Banners of red and gold familiar to many in the area would be enough to deter anyone from having fancy ideas. And if that wasn't enough to stop the gold-hungry or the desperate, these horsemen and horsewomen would. Legends say Tsuchimaru soldiers were born on the saddles themselves. While they were certainly not so, and they were mostly light horses, they were still very much capable of wiping out any ragtag bandit groups.

At the lead of the horse group was a rather short and round-faced man. He looked a little silly being on top of a much taller and towering equine partner, wearing the red armor of the clan, gold ornaments on his kabuto, a sword, or rather specifically a tachi, wrapped by his hips, the blade curving upward. His feet occasionally tapped the horse on its side and it would go forward as commanded, a reinless horse-riding style that allowed both his hands to hold onto a long straight spear that gave his unit a menacing reputation. But his unit wasn't here, or most of them weren't.

Haruki was under the control of the powerful Rinka clan, who had long trading relations with the Tsuchimaru, having provided a sizable amount of rations for the clan's last skirmish against the Shirogane. While never technically allied with one another due to fear of retribution from other clans who also had trading relations with the Rinka, preferring to make themselves seem like neutral benefactors rather than leaning one way, they still secretly gave the Tsuchimaru some leeway with military access. And the recent rise of certain crooked behaviors in the province made this privilege quite useful. Cavalry life under the Tsuchimaru was never boring this way. Even famed lancers still had to toil in front of a moving cart like any lowly peasants. But all was fine for Yuuki, for he found the brotherhood he made with the others worth the labor

"Did you hear that?" A horseman next to him whispered.

Tree rustling noises were heard from above. The branch shook up and down, as Yuuki swiftly looked up, his grips on the yari tightened. From the leaves revealed...a fox, agilely running down the tree and disappeared into the woods.

"Whew..." His grips relaxed considerably as Yuuki let out a sigh.

"Have chickens in your armor or something Yuu?" A horsewoman asked with a giggle, a lancer along with him and also a friend of his.

"I wish." Yuuki replied with a chuckle. "I thought there were ninjas around."

"I mean not impossible, but I doubt anyone really would want to pick a fight with us." She replied. "We're no important target."

"Uh-huh..." The young man gave his friend a smirk. "That sounds like a phrase in certain haikus."

"Yuu, you don't know anything about haiku." She shook her head in disapproval. "That's not how that works."

He giggled in response, as the uneventful escort continued, though not for long. All of a sudden, they felt the ground below shake lightly briefly, a pre-warning to a series of mighty roars echoing through the area, roars of some...creature. Not long after would screams be thrown into the mix, human screams. Someone appears to be in trouble.

"Where did that come from?" The horsewoman asked, her weapon swapped to her dominant hand, getting ready.

"Over that hill." Yuuki pointed ahead. It seemed like they were on a path to it. Even if they weren't going to leave to help whoever's in trouble, they'd run into it eventually.

"Stay here, we will check what is going on." She gestured to the other mounted soldiers to stay put and guard the rice cart, as she, Yuuki, and two horse archers continued forward.

A man eventually stumbled on the road in the opposite direction the horses were traveling. He was petrified with horror, struggling to balance himself as his fears kept forcing him to look behind while his body limped forward. Blood splatters could be found on his clothes. However, he also had with him a sword, something peasants shouldn't have, and the dirt-stained robe didn't give the impression that he was anywhere affiliated with the samurai or ronin class.

"P-P-Please!" He fell to his knees the moment he found the bannered men and women, his weapon dropped onto the dirt. "He's a predator!"

"He?" Yuuki asked, but the man couldn't respond. Horror was all over his face, soon taking over him again.

"I'm dead meat..." He swung his head to where he came from, his hands and lips trembled as he uttered. "I'm dead meat!" He took off, running for his life.

Yuuki looked at the other three in concern. That poor man did say he. Yet the roar wasn't human. He gulped back his fear of a possible youkai nearby. He had heard of youkai stories throughout his life: the powerful beings, capable of imaginary feats using powers beyond his capability, yet he never once faced one in his life. People have subdued and hunted youkais for long, but for Yuuki, it was still somewhat terrifying to come face to face with one, especially one seemingly on a rampage at the very moment.

He nevertheless urged his horse forward, following the other three as they cautiously rounded the bend to the scene of carnage that the Demon caused.

@Zeroth

🗡 Roses and Daggers 🎕

_{Locations: Guesthouse}

---

Coming back from that meeting with Calbert and Prince Wulfric, the Varian doctor was just autonomously putting a foot in front of the other. His eyes were burning, blurry and heavy. Twice he felt himself wandering in a different direction before realizing he had strayed and corrected his path. It had been what had been a very long night. The travel fatigue from Varian, the long ball, 2 dances, the library, a murder, and a long investigation that he was unsure why he was substituting for an investigator. He even got to hear about the disappearance of the Alidasht nobles nonetheless. What a wonderful process the glorious kingdom of Caesonia had here. A murder case investigated by a vengeful emotional creep father and a prince. Blame him for growing up in the somewhat more egalitarian, or rather less elitist, society but unless the prince had worked in the law, two guys in an office playing detective could only be worse by two royals in an office playing detective.

Arriving at the guesthouse a lot later than anticipated, John had to show himself to the other physicians, to at the very least let them know that he was safe. The Surgeon Dentist of the team was known to over-worry things like king Alixandre. He might find himself being burst in by armed guards and princess-carried if their minds ran wild enough.

At the end of the day, he shouldn't be interested in the case. He was an outsider unfortunate enough to discover the mess. It was heavy knowing a young lady getting murdered in such cold blood, royals or not, but six times out of ten were probably disgruntled peasants/employees getting screwed by the family, and three were probably petty noble's pouring molten gold into a dead body. He had no interest in middling affairs when he had work to do, and people to care for - actual people to care for. However, there was something about this case that continued to bug him. Not the evidence, that were clearly up to proper analysis, but the people behind them. It hit a little close to home for him.

"John?" A door opened to the familiar voice of Dr. Hunter, his former academic advisor. "Where have you been tonight? It's quite damn late." He asked, upon seeing his former supervisee.

"It's a long story." John replied, scratching the back of his head. "I can explain if you want, but it might take a bit."

"We can always chat later." The middle-aged man replied. "Have you reported to the surgeon dentist? He's asking where you are." John just shook his head, and Dr. Hunter leaned his head over. "He's with the queen I think. I'm heading there anyway briefly, so I can always let him know you're here." He replied.

"Well, let me know if I am summoned." John replied, and was met with a thumbs-up from the old doctor as he departed.

John returned to his room, waiting for Dr. Hunter to return the all-clear before he could finally go to sleep. But the soft cushion, the pillow next to him, seemingly whispering for him to lend an ear, was too tempting. The moment he laid himself on the bed, he lost control, even as he was awake for a few more minutes. The dream world soon whisked him away...down into the abyss.

TW Dead bodies

If a dream was vivid enough, it usually is a bad thing.

For John, he remembered clearly where he was. A snowy canyon, two cliffsides leaning into one another, a frozen river beneath. And he no longer in formal wear, but brown cloaks, scarves, and small mittens. Small mittens. He was a kid again. But this was no happy memory.

This is Mount Vesuvo. Or according to some, Mount Penitentiary, because this is where criminals go, or rather criminals designated by the kingdom, if they were not outright publicly executed. There would be long borders to prevent any attempts to escape south, as means to return back to the kingdom. They'd live out the rest of their shortened lives here as if they were not soon claimed by the terrain, the weather, the northern "barbarians" would likely have them sacrificed. It's effectively a death sentence but with the veneer of mercy.

And many had already been taken by the former two. As John walked through the valley beneath the cliff, images began to appear, in the exact order that he remembered happened.

A body faced into the snow. The entire area facing the sky of his brown cloak had turned bright from sun exposure. They must have fallen from the cliff while attempting to climb it.

Another body, this one cupped in a fetal position, their face covered by the cloak. There were no bags or anything with them. They must have not been prepared and froze to death there.

Then another, this one he was fortunate enough to face the heavens, but his face had been terribly bleached. He must have been here for at least a few years.

Two more, these ones really close, almost on top of the other. Who knows what really happened to them. They could be couples who decided to join one another in the next life. Or some good-willed individual who helped another in times of crisis, only to follow them instead. Regardless, they are now corpses in this frozen wasteland. All of them were once living, breathing, laughing, now an icy husk never to be buried, only to be walked past by the next unfortunate victims of Caesonian brutality. And it wouldn't just be dead ones.

There was a small ice overhang, looking a bit too colorful to be just ice and snow. A closer inspection showed there was actually someone there, curled up with her arms around her legs. Her nose had turned black, and her face paled but still breathing.

He felt himself approaching that ice overhang, edging closer with each step to the woman. She would not respond back, but John knew she was still alive. He'd grab her coat with his two hands and yank it but to no avail. His strength was gone. His limbs felt weak. He tried pushing the woman out of her position, futilely as well. Nothing he did would budge her.

"Mom, dad!" He called out. Two silhouettes towered behind him, but he wouldn't look back. Autonomously and without a word said, one of them, whom if John recalled correctly would be his dad, reached for the woman and tried to pull her up. He could hear cracks of snow and ice ripping off her as her body buckled. But he too dropped her after a short while. His mother would join in to help drag her, but they were all peasants, weak and exhausted. The woman also couldn't unwind herself. Her posture was to be like that forever, frozen solid.

He remembered to the exact words what was uttered.

"It'd take us too long to cross the mountain if we carry her. We have to leave."

"No, we can't!" John cried out unconsciously, the same words he said then.

"I'm sorry John..."

John was held by his hand, sandwiched by his mother and father, and walked away, as that poor woman's body was left there, her arms still wrapped around her legs, her eyes seemingly staring at the young boy before her image slowly shrank and disappeared. It was cold on Mount Vesuvo, in so many different ways...

'Let me out of this...'

He felt his eyes shut, his chest a thousand weighs heavy. His fingers could curl, but he could not open his eyes. His fingers curled, his teeth clenched. The freezing cold did not leave him...

'COME ON, LET ME OUT!!!'

Finally, his eyes opened, and lights rushed in and overwhelmed his fovea. John quickly sat up from his bed and leveled himself. He rubbed his temple as air rushed through his lungs. The sweat soaked his hand. There was no one around. It was just sleep paralysis, accompanied by a horrible dream.

"Why did it come back just now?" He asked himself, his two hands cuddled together. It was cold, just like that canyon. How could it be? He thought he had already left it behind, ever since he became apprentice to the doctor at Kolonivka. He thought he was able to sleep soundly now, after finally being able to forgive himself. Why did the memories have to come back?

Heavens Torn Asunder

Yuuki

• Name: Yuuki Kiyomasa
• Age: 20
• Race: Human
• Appearance: The surprising lead of the cavalry tidal wave
• Personality:
  Despite the reputation as part of the Tsuchimaru clan's fearsome lancer cavalry, what one will meet outside the battlefield would be a small and unassuming man called Yuuki. He is quite a friendly and approachable person, especially in his private time wandering around the common folks in villages, owing to his peasantry upbringing, normally inoffensive and a little pigeon-hearted even, easily spooked by small things. However, Yuuki is actually quite mature and skilled with his words. His inoffensive attitude was honed through an ability to navigate through social situations, and he is quite sharp when it comes to the unspoken details. He is also quite fond of animals, especially horses whom he would live and die with on the battlefield.
  Once in combat, however, Yuuki is a fierce and daring presence. More often than not, he'd be at the very front of the formation, at full gallop with his trusty steed to meet the blades and pikes of his enemies first. His attack could sometimes border on recklessness, like charging into tight formations head-on, a far cry from the timid impression one might get from him. Some would say the short little man enjoyed the fighting as much as any warrior, something to which Yuuki would strongly deny.
• History:
  Born to a peasant family in Nohara, Yuuki's family worked as horse handlers and transporters, carrying supplies from farms to merchant cities and ports using horses. The young boy got into the workforce as soon as he was able to, first accompanying his father and then doing supply runs on his own. But soon, he was able to get his own job as a messenger for clan Mamuro. In his earlier days, it would simply be just traveling across the province to deliver messages, but as conflicts escalate between samurai clans, Yuuki would soon find himself delivering messages to and from the frontline. Despite being easily spooked by danger at the time, the boy soldiered on to perform his duties.
  His big break comes when the Mamuro castle he and his lord came under siege. He was tasked to sneak out of the castle at night and deliver a message to the head of clan Tsuchimaru for help. He did just that, sneaking from the castle at night with his horse, however not completely. The enemy detected his movement at the last moment and gave chase. Being pursued by mounted archers, and knowing he could not get away, Yuuki wheeled his steed around and charged the archers alone, stole a katana then cut down some of his pursuers before escaping. The message got to the Tsuchimaru lord safely, and help was dispatched soon after. For Yuuki's part, his feat, bravery, and way with words impressed the Tsuchimaru lord, who would then allow him in samurai training with their young relatives. In time, he would become a samurai in all but names, taking part in the Tsuchimatsu's famed lancer cavalry unit.
• Abilities/Skills:
  Yuuki is a skilled horse handler, being knowledgeable in almost anything horse-related, from how to control, ride and take care of them to even breeding them. And of course, earned from his later samurai training, how to fight effectively on them too. He knows how to use the katana and some other samurai weapons and can handle himself decently in a fight, but his preferred and most skilled weapon of choice is the older more curved variant of the katana, the Tachi, and the Yari, either a Kagi version with a hook, or the normal straight Su Yari, all of whom were more suited for mounted combat.
• Other:
  His horse that was given to him during his samurai training and later his battle companion is named Nobu

Heavens Torn Asunder

Cool, thanks! Moving character to the appropriate tab

Heavens Torn Asunder

Sure, that's certainly not an issue for me. Edited the magic part out

Heavens Torn Asunder

Sorry for the wait, here is my character. Hope this is okay.

Yuuki Kiyomasa

• Name: Yuuki Kiyomasa
• Age: 20
• Race: Human
• Appearance: The surprising lead of the cavalry tidal wave
• Personality:
  Despite the reputation as part of the Tsuchimaru clan's fearsome lancer cavalry, what one will meet outside the battlefield would be a small and unassuming man called Yuuki. He is quite a friendly and approachable person, especially in his private time wandering around the common folks in villages, owing to his peasantry upbringing, normally inoffensive and a little pigeon-hearted even, easily spooked by small things. However, Yuuki is actually quite mature and skilled with his words. His inoffensive attitude was honed through an ability to navigate through social situations, and he is quite sharp when it comes to the unspoken details. He is also quite fond of animals, especially horses whom he would live and die with on the battlefield.
  Once in combat, however, Yuuki is a fierce and daring presence. More often than not, he'd be at the very front of the formation, at full gallop with his trusty steed to meet the blades and pikes of his enemies first. His attack could sometimes border on recklessness, like charging into tight formations head-on, a far cry from the timid impression one might get from him. Some would say the short little man enjoyed the fighting as much as any warrior, something to which Yuuki would strongly deny.
• History:
  Born to a peasant family in Nohara, Yuuki's family worked as horse handlers and transporters, carrying supplies from farms to merchant cities and ports using horses. The young boy got into the workforce as soon as he was able to, first accompanying his father and then doing supply runs on his own. But soon, he was able to get his own job as a messenger for clan Mamuro. In his earlier days, it would simply be just traveling across the province to deliver messages, but as conflicts escalate between samurai clans, Yuuki would soon find himself delivering messages to and from the frontline. Despite being easily spooked by danger at the time, the boy soldiered on to perform his duties.
  His big break comes when the Mamuro castle he and his lord came under siege. He was tasked to sneak out of the castle at night and deliver a message to the head of clan Tsuchimaru for help. He did just that, sneaking from the castle at night with his horse, however not completely. The enemy detected his movement at the last moment and gave chase. Being pursued by mounted archers, and knowing he could not get away, Yuuki wheeled his steed around and charged the archers alone, stole a katana then cut down some of his pursuers before escaping. The message got to the Tsuchimaru lord safely, and help was dispatched soon after. For Yuuki's part, his feat, bravery, and way with words impressed the Tsuchimaru lord, who would then allow him in samurai training with their young relatives. In time, he would become a samurai in all but names, taking part in the Tsuchimatsu's famed lancer cavalry unit.
• Abilities/Skills:
  Yuuki is a skilled horse handler, being knowledgeable in almost anything horse-related, from how to control, ride and take care of them to even breeding them. And of course, earned from his later samurai training, how to fight effectively on them too. He knows how to use the katana and some other samurai weapons and can handle himself decently in a fight, but his preferred and most skilled weapon of choice is the older more curved variant of the katana, the Tachi, and the Yari, either a Kagi version with a hook, or the normal straight Su Yari, all of whom were more suited for mounted combat.
• Other:
  His horse that was given to him during his samurai training and later his battle companion is named Nobu

Heavens Torn Asunder

This looks particularly interesting to me. It's not often I get to see a Sengoku-ish theme RP around here

🗡 Roses and Daggers 🎕

_{Locations: Ballroom -> Sorian Library -> Near the Alleyway}

---

An old friend

After parting ways with Nahir, John once again blended back into the crowd, finding for himself a corner of solitude. The dance was actually pretty good for the most part until that incident with the servant happened. Layla was quite right, he did do a lot better when he just went with the flow and let himself go loose. He did consider the prospect of becoming a dancer for five seconds until he realized that his work was going to be the investigation of the Cataris Galnus outbreak...in the indigenous population of Gall off the western coast...Yes, off the coast. He wouldn't be attending any balls or parties anytime soon after this season.

'So many things to worry about.' That's the nature of being an actual working citizen now, and quite an important one at that. But he couldn't help but sometimes thought of a simpler life, one that he once had but was taken away a little too soon. That would be the one thing that he did envy the nobles for, one of the few things.

Speaking of them, he felt a nudge on his coat by someone from behind. He turned around to see a shoulder-length white-haired lady wearing a pleasant light yellow traditional styled Caesonian dress. But what caught his attention was her slightly roundish face, striking a particular chord in his memories.

"Meet me outside ok?" She whispered softly to him before heading past him...

---

He was sure that was her. It couldn't be anyone else.

John followed the lady outside, away from the ball that was going to wrap up, keeping a distance from her. She stopped after she was far enough from the ballroom, and turned around.

"John..." She said gently under her breathe, her eyes looking up at the doctor, her two hands cupped together in front of her chest. "Do you remember me?"

John stood silent for a few seconds before giving a slight smile. "Catherine..." He said. "It's been so long."

"I can't believe you are still alive..." She replied, her gold eyes getting teary. "Where have you been all these years?"

"It's a long story..." John looked away briefly, before approaching Catherine. "But I'm here now. I know it's been rough for you, but I have always wanted you to know this..." He consciously took a deep breath, and closed his eyes before locking them with her. For what might be considered forever, was in fact only a few seconds, he gathered all the courage he could for the confession.

"Callum was the one who stole your marbles."

Perplexed, Catherine pushed her head back with furrowed eyebrows and blurted out, "That's not true..." Before realizing her mistake there. All her act and uptightness crumbled in front of him as she rubbed her temple in disappointment.

"Come on, it only took five sentences." John gave Catherine a mischievous smirk.

"To be fair, you kind of cheated." She replied with a lighthearted chuckle. "You knew I was going to do this."

"True, just as I knew about your marble interests." Catherine shifted her hand to lay her forehead on it instead. John couldn't help but laugh for real. For a second there, he thought she was truly a changed gentlewoman, but at the end of the day, she was still the old Catherine. "Seriously now, how've you been doing?"

"We're doing ok all things considered." She replied, smiling and lifting her head. "How much do you know about me though, after that whole ordeal?"

"Umm, not at all really. I've pretty much lost contact with everyone."

"I see. Alrighty, care for a walk then?" She invited. "I'll catch you up."

---

"So Anson became the heir of Hopton after his brother died, right as he came of age?" John said. "Doesn't sound suspicious at all."

"Yeah right? Nobody would think the favored son would...I don't know..." She shrugged, not finishing her sentence, letting John fill in the blank. "Now here's the part where it becomes weird. I am assigned as an inspector to the region where he is governing."

"Oh you're inspector now?" John asked.

"I mean, had to follow the family business you know." Catherine shrugged again. "It's pretty fun though, watching people like him trying to weasel his way out of an obvious crime."

John shook his head with an amused smile. This woman enjoyed a bit too much of her expertise right there. Catherine had always been the craftiest of his friend groups, and perhaps one of the toughest opponents in any game that involved lying or secrecy. Perhaps it ran in the blood? But her father was not this much of a cutthroat bitch.

"But yeah, that's pretty much how things went in your absence." She concluded. "Now, how about you? I know what you'll ask: yes, I know you became a doctor in Kolonivka. That one's pretty easy once you follow the records."

"Hmm, sly..." John remarked. "Pretty good too. After the outbreak, I got into the Varian Science Institute and then a member of their royal physicians. It's been over a year now, a year and a half almost?"

"Well done." Catherine congratulated, patting John on the back. "How's the work?"

"If I'm going to be honest, around six out of ten are proud contributions to society. The other four are exercises in despair and self-loathing."

Catherine couldn't help but break out a laugh. "Got a problem patient?"

John sighed. "One of the four, yeah." He looked away for a second, "Mind if I..." He turned back and Catherine gestured with her head tilted slightly, her smile disappearing instantly. "It's not really her usual antics that's the problem. It's that she doesn't change at all. She comes in every month with the same exact preventable condition that she just refuses to correct. And I get it, her father just went poof, and now she's grieving. But it worries me greatly."

"Where's her family?" Catherine asked solemnly.

"...There? They don't seem to do anything about it. They just let her get away with it." The doctor lamented, his voice getting more and more exasperated. "In fact, I don't trust any of them to do anything about it, until something happens."

"Something?"

"Something."

Something...

"Anyway, sorry for bringing up such a topic on our first meeting in a long time." John said, after a brief moment of silence. His childhood friend though didn't seem to mind. "Work can be a little stressful."

"No worries. Mine as well. You can always go to me for an ear if need be." Catherine replied, as she looked around and realized they have walked quite far now. She looked up and before her was the Library of Sorian. "Anyway, it was nice to see you again finally. I have to go. I'll see you later!" She flashed him a wave before leaving.

"Later." And too did John

Dangerous Witness

The walk-and-talk with Catherine took John to the Sorian Library without his knowledge. The ball was probably over by that point, but he remembered that he didn't have to relink with the Physicians. He was kind of a special case considering his position in the Institute, so he didn't have to stick by the royals all the time. He still would need to be there if something big happened, but overall he had a lot more freedom than the rest. The night was still young, so he decided to go into the library now that he was there. John heard that 'Shattered Oaths', the sequel to the book 'The Princess and her Unorthodox Prince', is in one of these libraries. He didn't think that would wound up being his favorite book, but it kept him company for quite a time in his life.

To his delight, the book was indeed in there. Like any ecstatic little child, he spent a good portion of the remainder of the evening consuming the book. It was a lot better than he expected it to be. Usually, sequels weren't as good as the original work, but the characters, the portrayal, the dialogues and the chemistry were enticing enough to keep the doctor engaged for the entirety of the 137 pages. Probably a little too engaged, considering after he closed the book and stood up, he had to grapple his chair for a few seconds to stabilize himself.

"Ahh, this again?" He groaned, gripping onto the chair tighter, shutting his eyes tight for a moment. It got better soon, but this had been happening quite a bit recently since he had to work long hours. It probably was due to long intense focus, it shouldn't be too big of an issue long term.

'I should go for a walk.'

John returned the book to where he found the book before exiting the library. He went around, enjoying the speck of cold evening air on his face, brushing over his hair and letting out long exhales, recounting his memories if he had seen these sights before. It wasn't long until his daydream (or nightdream?) was interrupted when someone in dark clothes ran out of an alleyway and right past him, almost colliding into him if he hadn't stepped out of the way in time. The doctor was naturally curious as he looked in the direction she was running from. It was too dark to see, however, but he saw some footsteps that were edged into the cobblestone walkway. It didn't last very long, tracing back into the alleyway she went into.

John was getting suspicious. Why was there footsteps around to begin with? He walked over to the footstep that was left behind, crouched down and took out his handkerchief, wiping a bit of it and sniffed it. The metallic smell gave it away instantly.

He felt like that time at Kolonivka again. His muscles tensed up, his breath heavy, and a sense of impending doom, but calm enough to stand up, pull out his pocket watch and take a look around. He saw a few guards on patrols.

"Hey!"

Something was up in that alleyway...