The clothes on her back Cutlass 235 amas New outfit
Lizzie listened to him speak, noting every single move he made. She crossed her arms over her chest, unintentionally...or perhaps intentionally, highlighting certain aspects of her upper body. This man was definitely one to be wary of and not to be underestimated. He seemed cunning, reminding her a lot of herself. Then there was the fact that he just snapped his bindings rather easily. That was certainly something that she could easily ignore, though she refused to show any outward reaction to it.
After a moment of silence, Lizzie busted out laughing as she looked over to Barboda. "Blimey! Barboda I think I like this on!" She said, recovering from her laughter as she placed a hand on the bounty hunters shoulder for a moment. She let out a few more chuckles before dropping her hand and looking at Tesoro once more.
"To say I don't like what I see would be a lie, but I must make you aware of something." She slowly began moving closer to him, hyper aware of any movements he might try to make. If he tried to grab her she had a few tricks up her sleeve. "You are not the first man I've come across of your…" She paused to look him up and down for a moment before continuing. "Stature, but I'll have you know that every single one of them I've brought to their knees." She gave him an alluring smile. "And I've made every single one of them beg, savvy?" She allowed a moment to pass, letting her words sink in as she watched for a reaction. Little did she know that behind her the water from the ground had begun to rise up and swirl around in a strange dance.
Suddenly the water dropped, still without her knowledge, and her expression changed to a carefree one. "If that's understood, you're willing to follow the laws of my ship, and you lose all thoughts of mutiny then you may stay aboard my ship. We need more able-bodied men like you. Either way you have your freedom." She glanced over briefly to Barboda.
"You can free him now, Barboda. If he tries anything stupid you may kill him." She said to the man, far too much joy in her voice.
Backpack Mace Knife Lipstick Face powder Mascara Eyeliner Wallet Water bottle Notepad Posters Pictures Mirror Sewing kit Double sided tape Skittles Almonds Gum Brush Cellphone Headphones Glue Disguise ring Outfit
The burst of wind had truly surprised Raven and it seemed like she wasn’t the only one. It had thrown the troll off for long enough for Annya to strike. Next thing she knew she was flying through the air before impacting something or someone, as it seemed. The breath was knocked out of her for a moment as she glanced at Annya, trying to pull herself off of the woman. She proceeded to watch as the elven woman called her axe back to her with what had to be magic. She stared in mild awe before realizing she should probably back up.
Before she could move she felt someone dragging her backwards. For a brief second she thought it was another troll and yelled out, wiggling in panic. She then felt...heat? Man it kind of burned. ”Ow! Let go! Let go!” She yelled as she looked up to see Saoirse. The girl let her go and Raven was quickly patting at the back of her arms, convinced her clothing was on fire now. When she was satisfied it wasn’t, she glanced back at Shae, but actually staring at the sparks around her wrists. It took her a second to register that the girl had asked her a question. ”Uh yeah, I’m alright I think.” She said as she pulled herself off of the ground.
Shae then asked if she could climb and Raven now looked at Shae’s face in confusion. She was about to tell her she didn’t like the idea of it when Ismael seemed to interject, having the same thoughts as Raven. ”Yeah I agree, I’d rather be a moving target than a stationary one in a tree. Besides I’m pretty sure those things are using trees as clubs. I wouldn’t like to be on the swinging end of their next weapon.” She agreed, briefly glancing over at the battle and wondering if the two trolls would be distracted for long enough to try and stealth. She then briefly wondered what her stealth modifier would be and what these trolls' passive perception was. ”For now I think I’m just gonna retreat into the shadows a bit, keep my wits about me, and let those that know how to handle these things do so. If I tried to help or anything I’d just be in the way and put others at risk.” She said as she began to move, deciding to try and pull Saoirse with her.
She then leaned in to speak to the woman quietly. ”Uh, have you taken a look at your wrists lately?” She asked, wondering if the girl had noticed the sparks too. By the looks of it, Raven would guess that Saoirse had fire and it scared her a little. That could be a very deadly power and she could kill them all quickly if she lost control. Or she could set the entire jungle on fire. That wouldn’t be a good thing at all.
Bag of essentials Rope Katana Wakizashi 10 kunai Several pieces of jewelry to sell Pouch with 1030 amas Bread Water Cheese Letter Transmission bracelet
Mika glanced over to Kuroi, noting the irritation on his face. While she felt bad that he was annoyed, she also figured it wasn’t something she could entirely help. ”We may be having to meet them somewhere in between at this point. They’re coming this way and we’re going that way. I have communication with them.” Mika explained to him, careful not to really say any names.
Her attention was then caught by two newcomers in cat masks. Mika blinked before beginning to study them as Siv replied. Who were these random people and what were they up to? Her eyes narrowed at them, but her attention was grabbed by the human. She stared at him, a bit appalled as he introduced himself and started speaking quite boldly. Her initial reaction was to slap him silly, but she stopped herself as she realized he was speaking from a drugged state. When did he mistake her to be proposing loving though?! ”I...wel-...umm…” She was trying to find the right words to say as she felt a slight pink warm her cheeks. Thankfully something else happened as she heard a scream and watched a man fall off the roof into a pile of hay. ”Hold that thought Slick.” She said as she turned to look at Yuka, locking eyes with her for a moment.
Her vision was then blocked by Kuroi as he stepped protectively in front of her. She did lean her head around him to watch Yuka as she listened to Kuroi’s response. It was at this point that she knew she needed to make a decision. Did she remain quiet and appear a coward like she assumed Yuka thought her? Or did she speak up? She would risk revealing herself and potentially bringing herself more danger, but this could be the point in time to prove what kind of ruler she would be. This thought almost made her sick, was she actually accepting the fact she was to be the next ruler of Roshmi? Perhaps she had been trying to run from that fact by leaving the palace that morning.
She took a deep breath as she reached out and gently placed a hand on Kuroi’s shoulder, speaking only to him at first. ”She’s speaking the truth. I hate that she is, but she is.” She sighed before stepping around him, glancing up at Yuka again before looking around at the crowd. She held herself tall as she pulled her hood down.
”Everything she is saying is the truth except for one thing. Not every Yoshikawa wishes to save their own skin. I am Princess Mikazuki and I am not my father. He is siding with the Dark Elves and he’s doing it out of fear. He’s never really cared about his children and would gladly sacrifice us for his own benefit.” She now glanced around at the people, determination on her face. ”I wish to be different, I AIM to be different. I wish to be a fair and just ruler, a ruler for the people of Roshmi. So when you go to spread the word be sure to make it know that Princess Mikazuki hears your voices and she will find a way to put an end to this Dark Elf alliance!” There were some cheers and she glanced back at Kuroi, fully expecting to see displeasure on his face. She needed to speak up, though, and she hoped he’d understand.
The clothes on her back Cutlass 235 amas New outfit
Lizzie glanced over to Barboda as he claimed to have experience on a ship. He also seemed to have a surprise for them, but that would have to wait a moment longer. Her eyes landed on Helio for a brief moment as he mouthed to her encouragingly. She would have laughed, but merely gave him a nod. He was trying to help at least. In total it seemed they had four people including herself that knew how to sail a ship and one that was claiming to be a fast learner. That wasn’t terrible, though the ones that already knew were going to have their work cut out for them teaching these landlubbers.
Tigerlily claimed to have faced some of the nasty creatures lurking in the deep and Lizzie logged that away in her mind. She’d ask her about that later, figuring it was best to know what they were headed up against. Nym impressed her the most. He was old salt, it seemed, and he was shaping up to be her best choice for first mate. She’d have to discuss that with him later, though. ”Wonderful. I shall request those with experience to help those that are lacking. Learn swiftly or face the potential of being left at our next port town.” With that she followed down to the feast that was waiting for them.
Everything smelled delightful and she so badly wanted to dig into the food. When was the last time she’d had a meal like this? Had it been close to a year ago now? Her stomach growled in response, but her ears caught what Barboda had said and she turned to watch him head below deeper into the ship. She sighed as she knew she should go down there as well. She turned to the rest of the crew and spoke. ”Eat well, once everyone is done I want all hands hoay.” She then looked at Nym, thinking for a brief moment. ”And we’ll call her...the Harem for now.” She smirked at him then began heading down the steps.
She listened as Barboda and the caged person spoke, not yet revealing herself to be there. So he was a captain as well? Hmm this could be quite interesting. He finished speaking and she stepped out of the stairway, smirking at the shirtless man as she looked him over. ”Well my luck just keeps getting better and better doesn’t it.” She swaggered closer to the man, never losing her grin. ”So, Captain Tesoro, I’m Captain Lizzie Murphy and our purpose is to commandeer this ship and get the fuck off this island. I’m willing to free you, but might I ask what I’ll get in return for your freedom?” There was a playfulness to her tone, yet also a dangerous ring to it as well. She truly didn’t like having useless cargo on her ship.
Backpack Mace Knife Lipstick Face powder Mascara Eyeliner Wallet Water bottle Notepad Posters Pictures Mirror Sewing kit Double sided tape Skittles Almonds Gum Brush Cellphone Headphones Glue Disguise ring Outfit
So they were heading to someplace called Riverport and their kingdom was likely about to be attacked? Raven supposed that made sense since they had summoned the humans and it seemed like their enemies knew that. She was just glad that it seemed like they were prepared for this to happen. Her attention was then briefly grabbed by Kharne as he placed a hand on her shoulder comfortingly. She glanced up at him, gently placing her small hand on top of his and giving a thankful and reassuring smile. She was thankful to his kind gesture. She found herself glancing back to where the carbuncle once was.
What happened next she wasn’t expecting at all as the boisterous princess came over to her and was now looking at her. ”Oh...well Chicago is the city I live in and cosplay is…” She had to think for a moment as how to explain what cosplay was. ”Well it’s where you dress up as fantasy characters and take on that persona for the day to bring yourself joy and bring others joy.” She hoped that would make sense to the woman.
”As for the carbuncle, I suppose we have them in a sense. In a video game called Final Fantasy they have exactly those creatures. It’s curious to me that you call them carbuncles as well.” Raven explained, putting a pin in the fact that Annya had one as a pet. It made Raven curious if she could acquire one as a pet at some point too. What a story that would be to tell her friends when she got back to Earth...if she got back. That thought made her feel mildly sick, but she pushed it aside.
Saoirse began speaking and Raven watched her for a moment, noting how she avoided people's gaze. When she glanced at Raven in warning, however, Raven couldn’t help but roll her eyes. What was she seriously worried about? They were in a world that knew nothing about her, what were they going to do? Even if the only other human in the group recognized her name, Raven was willing to bet Annya and Kharne wouldn’t let him do anything to her as humans are a precious resource at this point.
Her attention was grabbed by Ismael as he asked how professional cosplaying worked. ”Yeah kinda.” She started in response, getting a little excited to talk about her job. ”So certain companies will hire me to portray a certain character at a booth of theirs or at some event they’re throwing. Then I’m also an influencer on sites like Instagram and TikTok and people will request me to be at cons for meet and greets.” She explained happily.
Ismael then asked if there were creatures in this jungle they should be worried about and it sent a chill through Raven. She hadn’t even thought about the potential of something dangerous being in the jungle, but if D&D taught her anything it was that this was very likely. She got a little nervous as she glanced around, realizing that Kharne also seemed to be at the ready which indicated there was likely something dangerous out there. ”Um I’m just going to point out that I have very little combat experience. Most I’ve done is slap Shae once when we were younger because I was mad at her.” She told the group, the nervousness obvious in her voice.
Breathe. It was a simple command, but Faye was finding it difficult to accomplish ever since last night's events. She felt like there was a heavy weight on her chest and every breath she took was painful. She felt ill to her stomach and wondered if she was going to throw up again. Her eyes were bloodshot and puffy, but no more tears fell. She was fairly positive her body was all out of them. She'd expelled all of them last night after watching Echo die and through the night. Unfortunately she didn't get much sleep through the night and sleep wasn't about to take her any time soon.
What was she to do now? Go back to the River Kingdom with war on the horizon? Did she just let Echo's death go? Could she? Another wave of pain hit her and she sucked in a sharp breath, holding it as she closed her eyes trying to will it all away. She lay there on the floor of a room in Wumong's monastery where she "slept" the night before. She didn't even feel the hardness of the ground as her limbs felt numb. Was he really gone?
Slowly she pushed herself off the ground. She had to do something, she needed to find people who opposed the Dark Elves. How was she supposed to do that, though? She knew one person who had been involved with the resistance in the past, but the thought terrified her. No. You need to find him. It's for Echo. She took a shuddering breath as she slowly left the room to find Wumong.
When he would see her she didn't look well. Her hair was unkempt and ratted. Her dress was disheveled and her eyes had dark circles under them on top of being red and swollen.
Wumong was cross-legged in his meditation room, eyes closed, when he heard steps coming from behind him. The red-furred monkey was in navy blue pants with a part of a tiger pelt wrapped around his waist. He also adorned beautifully crafted red and gold bracers on his wrists; his quarterstaff sat just in front of him. The wood room around him was quite empty aside from the scent of rose incense burning on a pedestal at the front of the room. He had been there for quite some time now.
“Dear, I can tell by your footing that you are not well,” He spoke quietly before he stood up. He stood up slowly using his staff to pull himself up, he turned around with sad brown eyes to see the sorrowful fairy walking towards him. He knew this was not a time to play and joke but a time to provide support. “Listen dear, you will get through this. I have felt the pain of being hopeless and lost but such are the never ending tides of life. Things come and things pass.” He walked toward Faye placing his hand on her shoulder. “I will help in any way I can, you need but ask.” He said, smiling towards her.
Faye forced a small smile on her face, truly grateful for his words of kindness. She felt bad that he was having to see her at one of her lowest points. "Thank you, my friend. Your words truly help." Her voice was scratchy and hoarse which made her wince slightly. She swallowed, trying to help her voice be back to normal. "I think I want to find Helio." Her voice faltered a little as she said the dark fairy's name, but she continued onwards. "I think I want to help the resistance, but the only way I know how to find them is through Helio."
Wumong’s eyes widened at the mention of his old student; he had heard the dark path the fairy had taken and what he had done to Faye. He was intrigued why she would look to him for answers, even if he knew something about any resistance who knew where in Avalia he would be. Wumong was lost with no leads. It would be a hard task to follow. “Well dear, if that is truly the path you would like to follow, would you have any idea to help guide our way?” He questioned, raising a brow in her direction.
Faye slowly nodded as she remembered a friend of Helio's. "We'd need to go to Roshmi and seek out a man named Bastian. They were best friends and he'd likely know where Helio is at. He may even be there with him honestly." She informed him as she bit her lip.
Wumong pondered a moment thinking about it before he abruptly spoke. “Hmm… Well I suppose we shall get ready. I will pack things we need and meet you out front after I let the students and other practitioners know I will be away until further notice. You should get yourself washed up in the springs behind the monastery and put on some clean clothes. It will be a fair bit of travel.” Faye listened to Wumong as he spoke then suddenly threw her arms around him in a hug.
"Thank you." She said before letting him go and doing as he said. She soon was flying out to spring to wash up and change into her clean clothing.
⋆ Her scars ⋆ Bugs (she respects them, just finds them creepy) ⋆ Helio (really she just doesn’t trust him)
Fears:
⋆ Helio ⋆ Torture ⋆ Being alone in life
Sexuality:
Heterosexual
Personality:
Before Faye was taken by Helio she was quite the extroverted person, loving to socialize and make friends. After the trauma she had gone through she’s become rather introverted and quiet. She’s afraid that if she says the wrong things then she’s going to be harmed again. Over the years she’s become more selfish purely out of self preservation. She’s not fond of doing things unless she feels like it’s a good idea. Faye does truly have a kind heart and used to show compassion towards anyone and everyone, though now she’s a bit more choosy on who she trusts. If she cares for the person she’ll go to great lengths to protect them, though if she doesn’t know you well there’s a chance she’ll choose self preservation over saving you.
Faye doesn’t really have a temper, but to say she’s calm wouldn’t be the proper term either. She has major anxiety anymore and suffers from panic attacks often. She also suffers from depression and can be rather negative when she’s in a slump, but most of the time she tries her best to be positive. When it comes to being patient or impatient she can be rather patient unless something triggers her trauma. Then she wants out of that situation as quickly as possible.
She isn’t the most intelligent on the planet, but she isn’t stupid by any means. She can definitely have her blonde moments and not catch on to what someone is talking about immediately. She can be charming in the sense that she can be rather friendly and has a kind heart. Her sense of humor is rather lighthearted and she loved puns, but if someone were to make a dirty joke she would likely become very flustered. She is, unfortunately, a hopeless romantic and she’s taking the loss of Echo hard. It may take her some time before she ever falls in love again.
Background
Occupation
Noble
Living Immediate Family Members:
None
Dead Immediate Family Members:
Lord Aven Wildflower Lady Mora Wildflower
Current Companions:
Sun Wumong
Current and Past Lover(s):
Echo Millinia
History: Born into a noble family within the River Kingdom, Faye was the only child of Lord and Lady Wildflower. Her childhood was a very happy one, having loving parents that spoiled her rotten. For a long time she wasn’t aware of the hardships of others. She grew up being best friends with the younger fairy prince, Echo Millinia. She was two years older than Echo, but that really wasn’t a huge difference to them. Oftentimes people would joke that one day they would marry, but both of them turned their noses up at that idea. In fact, when she was 12 she ended up having a child crush on Echo’s older brother Helio. He was just so cool, handsome, and dreamy. Of course the older fairy paid no mind to her small crush, finding it cute like one would find a child’s awe and wonder of the world cute.
She was 13 years old when Helio went missing and was pronounced dead. This event was the catalyst that pulled her and Echo closer together as she tried to comfort her best friend over the loss of his brother. They eventually realized the feelings they had for each other and with the push of their parents they began dating. They were the perfect couple, never fighting and completely enamored with one another. Then Helio returned from the dead and wasn’t the same.
When she was 18 years old, she and her family were taken by Helio. Faye quickly became a new toy for Helio to break. One of his favorite things to do to her was flay open her back where her wings are and then force her to heal herself, though not enough so she wouldn’t bear scars. He wanted her to be reminded of every little thing he did to her. Her mother attempted once to try and heal her properly, but this resulted in her mother being horribly tortured and killed in front of Faye. Her father was soon to follow just for shits and giggles for Helio.
Eventually she was rescued and the king and queen took her in as she no longer had any family. Mentally she had changed, waking in the night screaming, often being distant, and panicking if she felt she may have upset someone. Echo tried to help all he could with calming her, but their relationship felt the strain. He was the one that suggested the tattoos she now wore to hide many of the scars left on her body. He also took her to train with his master, Wumong, so she could defend herself. She spent the last three years training with him.
Helio eventually returned, seeming to be back to his old self and not remembering anything he’d done. Echo was willing to accept him, but Faye was incredibly skeptical. She wasn’t alone in this as many in the kingdom were skeptical of the dark fairy prince. In the end, he was exiled and she felt some relief from this. In the present day, both Echo and Faye were still dating, but Echo went missing a week ago. Faye didn’t want the same thing to happen to Echo that happened to Helio and left to try and find clues to where he went. She ended up going to Wumong and asking for his help in finding Echo, but unfortunately fate had other plans. A few days after finding Wumong the Dark Elves broadcast the killing of the royals. Now Faye is trying to figure out what she needs to do.
Combat and Magic:
Strength: 3 Speed on Land: 6 Speed in Air: 9 Magical Ability: 7 Dexterity: 7 Weapon Proficiency: 6 Stealth: 6
Best Abilities(Fairies will specialize and as will demons):
The clothes on her back Cutlass 235 amas New outfit
War? Lizzie wanted to question more about this war, yet it seemed like things were rather obvious to everyone else and didn’t wish to reveal the fact that she wasn’t from here. How long could she keep that a secret from them all? If she had to guess it wouldn’t last too long. At some point she would have to be open with them all if she wished to gain more information on things.
Her attention was once again caught by Helio as he responded with another smooth and rather flirty comment. She gave him a playful smirk before looking back to Tigerlily who had asked if she’d had all her belongings robbed. ”I suppose you could say that, in a sense, they were robbed from me.” She said in response with a shrug, wondering where the guards of the prison she’d been in had stored her things. They likely actually sold them for some coin as she had owned nice equipment. That thought made her a little angry, but it didn’t matter now.
After the brief encounter with Éliane she ran to catch up with the others. She watched the others buying things, glancing around as well before Tigerlily approached her with some clothes. She took the clothes from the woman, but narrowed her eyes a bit at her words. She needed to blend in? Lizzie felt like she didn’t look all that different from the woman who seemed to appear human like her. Lizzie was also already wearing clothing that was similar to a lot she’d already seen in this port town. Sure they were a little worse for wear thanks to the rats that nibbled on her and her clothes in the cell, but it wasn’t terrible. Though she wouldn’t deny these new clothes as she actually liked the appearance of them. ”I thank you for the clothes, however let me make something clear to you. If you are joining my crew you shall address me as Captain or Lizzie, not lass. Do I make myself clear, lass?” The woman likely didn’t mean any offense, however Lizzie wanted to make it clear to everyone that she would take her role as captain very seriously.
Everyone seemed to finish up their shopping, yet Lizzie found herself not needing to purchase anything. She would eventually like to acquire a hat, but for now she would survive. Perhaps she would find one on the ship. They met back up with Éliane and the woman seemed to get excited over the parrot, going as far as naming him herself even though it was purchased by Tigerlily. Truly Lizzie wasn’t fond of the bird yet, not understanding why someone would want an animal unless it served some purpose on the ship. She wasn’t one who liked to keep animals as pets. ”I didn’t find anything of interest and Tigerlily was kind enough to purchase me a new outfit.” She said in response to the woman as she continued on to the ship.
As the group boarded the ship there was an amazing smell coming from below decks. It made Lizzie’s stomach growl and she was wondering what was happening. Part of her wanted to go down and find out, but she had a matter to attend to first. She turned to her new crew, knowing Barboda wasn’t there currently but she could go over what she needed with him later. ”Before all of you go about exploring the ship I have some matters to discuss with you all. There shall be laws on my ship and if you don’t wish to follow them then you can head right back down that gangplank.” She started looking at all of them.
”First and foremost, every person a part of the crew has a vote in affairs of moment. You have equal title to the fresh provisions or strong liquors, at any time seized, and may use them at pleasure unless there are scarcity on the ship. Then it shall go to a vote on how much each person receives of these things.
Second, loot is to be divided out fairly amongst the crew with each crew mate receiving an equal share. If one is caught taking more than their share or stealing loot before it is divided then the punishment shall be marooning. One that is marooned shall be left with one bottle of water, their pistol if they own one with one shot, and their cutlass. If the crew feels the punishment may be too harsh at the time then it shall be put to a vote on how to deal with the offender. If the robbery is between two people then the one that is guilty shall have their ear or nose sliced unless the crew votes on a different punishment.” She watched the reactions of each person as she continued.
”Third, one must keep their piece, pistols, and cutlass clean and fit for service. If one does not adhere to this law then they shall be cut off from their share and the crew shall vote on whether there should be further punishment.
Fourth, to desert the ship or quarters in battle is punishable by death or marooning, whichever the crew deems fit. If someone shall snap his arms, smoke within the hold without a cap to his pipe, or carry a lit candle without a lantern shall suffer 40 stripes to their bare back.
Lastly, there is no striking of one another on board unless it was unintentional while practicing swordplay. If a quarrel happens onboard, the punishment shall be 40 stripes on the bare back. If a quarrel is deemed to only be resolved with a fight then it shall happen on shore. Each of the parties shall be given a pistol with one shot and the first mate shall delegate the duel. They shall walk a determined amount of paces away from each other before turning and shooting. If both miss then the duel shall proceed with swords. The first to draw blood is the victor.
Are these laws clear to everyone here?” She looked between each person, awaiting their answer before thinking of something else. ”How many of you have actually sailed a ship before? Not just been on board one, but worked one?”
Backpack Mace Knife Lipstick Face powder Mascara Eyeliner Wallet Water bottle Notepad Posters Pictures Mirror Sewing kit Double sided tape Skittles Almonds Gum Brush Cellphone Headphones Glue Disguise ring Outfit
”It’s a pleasure to meet you too Kharne.” Raven said happily to the Dragonborn, ignoring the slight unsettling feeling his smile gave her. She’d wondered what it was like to see a Dragonborn smile, but it caught her off guard a bit and she was staring for a moment. Her attention was grabbed, however, as Annya spoke.
”Oh, um…” Raven wasn’t expecting Annya to want to learn more about her or compliment her on her name. Was there actually anything interesting about her? ”Well I’m 22 years old, I live on my own in a small apartment in Chicago, I’m a professional cosplayer and a huge nerd, uh other than that I guess I’m boring…” She said, realizing how mediocre her life sounded when she said it out loud. What else was she supposed to say? Her parents were divorced and she has emotional trauma thanks to that and an abusive ex-boyfriend? No those weren’t things she liked to talk about. Those were things she would continue to bury until she exploded with a mental breakdown. She glanced at Saoirse briefly, wondering what she would think if she knew all of what happened with Jasper. She’d probably think she’d have deserved it.
Her eyes dropped to the ground as she recalled some painful memories. ”Yeah, just a boring person. That’s me.” She mumbled, sighing. She then noticed that some of her lacing on her boots had come undone and bent down to fix it as the others moved further along into the jungle. She’d finished up and jogged back up to the others, having fallen very quiet. She remained at the back of the group, lost in her thoughts as she glanced around her. The further they moved into the jungle the more interesting little creatures they saw. Something caught her eye then and she paused to look closer. It was a fox-like creature and Raven stared in shock. Is that a...carbuncle?! Wait, are we in a Final Fantasy game?! Yoshi-P better be directing it! She thought to herself as the creature stared at her for a moment before quickly running off.
The incredibly brief venomous look Sira had received from Samira hadn’t been lost on the woman and, in all honesty, Sira had actually expected it. Nobles seemed to always look down on people like her and this was only proven again as the Pasha gave her little more than a nod. She’d decided long ago that she’d never really fit in with the likes of them, nor did she want to. Sira was much more likely to fit in with the Dragonborn or even the Drow, with or without the persona she wore.
A smell hit her nose, however, she didn’t recoil from it like others did. While, yes, it wasn’t a pleasant smell in the slightest, Sira had smelled similar before. When one spends so much time on a ship in the hot sun, it’s not unusual for many on the ship to begin to stink. She was even willing to admit that she didn’t always smell like roses either, though she would always make use of a bath house when they would bring the ship to berth. So she’d merely given the man a brief look and slight smile.
The clumsy girl Sira had found amusing. She seemed to be trying really hard to impress, however her clumsiness made her attempts quite the disaster. Unfortunately Samira knew the girl likely wouldn’t last. She likely wouldn’t even make it through the hot desert before throwing in the towel and running back to Calimport. Surely the girl’s heart was in the right place, but she likely needed some toughening up before she took on a quest like this.
The Drow man was intriguing to her. He was rather quiet, however when he did speak he was very to the point. Sira could respect that, sometimes it was best not to beat around the bush. She briefly wondered if any of the others would have an issue with having a Drow in the party as so many viewed the Drow as evil creatures. Sira had known a handful of Drow and, while some could be quite crude, she’d never found them inherently evil. In fact, they could be quite fun to be around and quite handy if they were to be in a dark area.
They’d made their way out to the stables and she gladly accepted a camel. The creature was one of the best equipped for traveling the dunes of the desert. Much better than she would be if she were on foot, that’s for sure. Something caught her eye once she was on her mount and that something was whatever Brandon had just summoned. What in the Traveler’s name… She stared at it for a long moment before shaking her head and coming to terms with things. So the Dragonborn had some magic, that was useful to know. With that they made their way into the desert.
While the heat of the sun was quite brutal, it didn’t seem to really bother Sira in the slightest. She almost seemed to soak in the rays, keeping a happy and confident demeanor about her. She had pulled some cloth out of her bag and wrapped it over her nose and mouth to help protect herself from the sand. This was definitely one thing she didn’t miss about this place. Sand always seemed to get everywhere and she was sure she’d be finding it places she didn’t expect for weeks to come.
She didn’t enjoy the silence of everyone around her, finding it quite boring. So she decided to break the silence some and began humming and singing songs in Elvish as they went. She had quite the pleasant voice, almost as if she’d been trained how to sing. It was one of very few skills she’d be grateful for having the opportunity to learn from her past life. She’d often used it on the ship to help keep spirits high and provide some entertainment on long nights. Now she would use it to entertain herself and hopefully some of the others as they traversed this desert.
Night was approaching and Brandon seemed to be the first to speak up, suggesting they stop for the night. Samira spoke next, disagreeing with him and wanting to push forward and even making a claim to go down by herself. ”Well have fun going down into the ruin by yourself then, Samira. I personally agree with Sir Brandon. After a long day of travel I’d rather camp up here and get some semblance of rest since I know more of what to expect up here than down in those ruins. There’s also a likelihood that we won’t be able to rest once we’re in the ruins.” She gave the woman a sweet smile. ”Oh! Maybe you’ll find some traps for us while you’re down there alone too. I can then disable them easier as I won’t have to spend time spotting the trap and figuring out what it does.” She added as an afterthought.
The very moment Kuroi had entered The Nest, he already received many glares - some threatening, others envious. He instantly went to the bar to order food for himself and the princess. As one could imagine, he was already quite vigilant of his belongings and of the rough rabble near him. He already expected someone to try and play hardball with him and thus made sure to keep his eyes and hands to himself. Unfortunately, in due time, this would fall out of his control.
The Nest was quite the lively place, even for it being so early in the morning. Who would have thought that so many would start drinking so early in the day? It truly baffled Mika, but she supposed with the condition of the area the Nest was located she couldn’t blame people for wanting to drink away their sorrows. It was at this moment that her attention was caught by a strange-looking man entering the tavern. Is that a- Her train of thought was cut off as someone yanked the hood down off of her. ”Well, well. What do we have here? You’re a pretty little thing aren’t you.” Mika’s eyes moved to the weasel Demi-Human that had now decided to take a seat next to her. There was no expression on her face as she just blinked and stared at the man for a moment.
”I don’t have time for this.” She sighed as she stood up and went to make her way towards Slick, but the weasel caught her wrist. ”Now hold on just a moment. I wasn’t done talking to you.” Mika paused, looked down at her wrist, then looked back at the man. Her expression seemed cool and calm, but there was a dark look in her eyes now.
”I would advise you to let go. Please.” The man began saying something else, but she didn’t hear what he was saying as she swiftly punched him in the nose. She felt mild pain in her hand as she did it, but she ignored this as she heard the satisfying crunch of the man’s nose. She’d succeeded in getting him to let go and began walking away again, but she didn’t realize this guy had a buddy. A large elephant man grappled her, lifting her up off the ground. ”Hey!” She yelled as she began kicking and squirming, but to no avail. ”Let me go, you half-witted oversized pachyderm!” This wasn’t good.
From one of the corners of the room, there sat a very relaxed man with his feet up on a table and surveying the Nest with a rather pleased grin on his face. Sivaros Talomyr was tasked with finding and protecting Princess Mikazuki so he could escort her to meet with his kin. However, when he came across a charming little establishment there was simply no way he could resist paying it a visit. Fortunately, he was provided with a coat that would hide his armour from more knowing glares.
The Bladedancer had been spending most of his day trying his luck with various potential flirts and of course, spending the little money he was given on sampling as many different Roshimian wines and spirits as he could afford when suddenly a brand new commotion had caught his eye as hair like snow spilled into view. The Elf would rather nonchalantly rise up from his seat before weaving between the crowd of patrons almost seamlessly. As he got closer, he realised that the young woman he had been charged to protect had managed to land right next to him! Unfortunately, he was hoping not to meet Mikazuchi again like this.
Getting closer to the elephant, Siv would pick up his pace as he plotted his path forward. It was time to make a dynamic entry worthy of a great swordsman! Sivaros would find a route to a nearby table before leaping forth, using the littered table as a springboard to deliver a flying kick to the back of the brute’s head. As he landed, he would get up and roll his neck in preparation for a fight while ignoring the irritated protests of those who were sitting at the now knocked-over table. ”Y’know… you should really pick on someone your own size.” He would greet the thugs with a cocky smirk.
Kuroi was still at the bar when he heard the princess cry out for help. He heard a powerful thud impact the back of someone’s neck as he turned to see someone attempting to rescue her. That was enough of a distraction for him to work off of, luckily. Thank the gods that man’s sidekick wasn’t enough to topple the gargantuan man over and crush Princess Mikazuki.
He began to move throughout the crowd, keeping one hand on his money purse. Kuroi slowly sped up his pace until he neared the elephant demihuman and met eyes with him. The fox planted one hand down on the wooden floor and kicked his legs up to propel himself into a cartwheel. One foot flew behind the elephant demihuman’s legs while the other stayed at his hips’ level. Kuroi torqued his hips powerfully into the man’s legs, sweeping him off the feet and powerfully slamming him backwards into the table behind him. Hopefully, he’d hit his head on the way down too.
Due to the nature of the technique, the princess would likely be much safer as opposed to her captor toppling forward and crushing her. With the very momentum of the cartwheel takedown, Kuroi easily stood back up onto his feet, wiping his hand against his kimono.
”I’m afraid she’s under my protection. You best scurry off before I snap your neck out of place.” threatened Kuroi. All the while Mika was pulling herself off the ground after having been pulled by the elephant man when he fell backwards. She brushed herself off before looking up and now seeing Sivaros.
”Siv! I’d wondered if they would have sent you as protection.” She said happily as she hopped over the elephant man and attacked the elven man with a hug. It had been awhile since she’d seen him, but despite it she considered him a friend. The hug had caught Sivaros off-guard at first but he would return the gesture in kind with a smile on his face.
”I thought it was with you when that punk pulled down your hood. How long has it been, two years?” The Elf mused despite the environment surrounding the two.
The general area around Kuroi went mostly silent, staring down at one of Roshmi City’s champions. His face was recognized even by the lowest of society, and thus, to Kuroi’s expectations, he heard the sound of a blade being drawn from its scabbard behind him. The vulpine pivoted, slamming the back of his forearm down against the furred arm that held a small dagger. The impact of forearm against forearm was enough to prevent the incoming attack, allowing Kuroi to close in and capture hold of what seemed to be a lion demihuman’s arm. Forcing him into an armbar, Kuroi bared his fangs at his much taller, much stronger opponent. The moment the lion began to resist, the fox jumped high into the air, keeping a hold of his arm.
And thus, one of the nastiest sounds to ever grace The Nest was heard among the nearby audience. Even Slick managed to pause briefly from drinking to look.
Kuroi had slammed one of his knees down against the elbow, resulting in an ugly arm break the moment the lion slammed onto the ground. Bone penetrated the lion’s flesh, resulting in the entire incapacitation of the arm. As if nothing had happened, Kuroi slowly rose to his feet and brushed the dust off his kimono.
“Now then...I suggest that if anyone else wants to have a try at me to group up into teams. What would be a smarter idea for you lot is to let me get my food and sit down though…” announced the fox champion to his nearby watchers. It seems Kuroi had full intent to mock the tavern patrons gawking at him.
While still hugging Sivaros, Mika turned to catch the tail end of Kuroi’s fight and flinched a little as she watched the lion’s arm break.
"LIKE FUCKIN' HELL! Your halfwit elf boy spilt me food and me drink!" One blonde-bearded dwarf shouted while another had a hand on his shoulder, recognizing Kuroi. The vulpine was watching everything slowly go to Hell all around him. He let out a sigh as he noticed the Princess in the company of Sivaros, whom he assumed to be her contact. Hopefully he’d do a good job keeping her safe. There was safety in numbers after all. Kuroi turned to look at the rather angry dwarf, raising an eyebrow at him before paying him no heed.
“Silence, manlet. Last I remember, a drunkard isn’t so stupid to go up against someone who they know will plant them straight into the ground.” A rather hypocritical comment from the short fox boy but it was still likely enough to further enrage the dwarf.
The angry blonde dwarf's kin whispered something that seemed inaudible, but whatever it was caused the already pissed off patron to turn red. Mika could feel the tension beginning to rise along with the anger of this dwarf, but what caught her attention was someone else standing behind the bar… it was the squirrel girl who looked like she was about to jump up and down in excitement. Wait, did she want this to happen?
"I don't give a damn if he is the champion of being an Ergen fucker! Him and his elf boy are gonna pay for our drinks and food AND THEN WE WILL SIT DOWN AN-"
"Are you gonna shut up and hit the fox man or not? If not, pipe down and sit down… Always the short ones with the bad tempers, I swear." Slick shrugged, taking a shot of whatever Floopa the bartender had recommended.
”Well this isn’t good…” As if on cue, the dwarf threw another patron's mug of mead at the man who’d caught Mika’s eye earlier. The contents of the thrown glass mug showered several people before hitting the bar counter between Slick and an orc that already appeared to be having the roughest day of his life. The glass shattered, with a small shard grazing Slick's hand.
"FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT! Free drinks to the winner!" Flloofa announced, instigating a massive brawl. All hell was about to break loose.
Mika looked back at Sivaros, but her gaze quickly moved to something else.
”Behind you!” She yelled as she swiftly grabbed a plate off a nearby table, throwing it like a frisbee at the snake demi-human coming for Sivaros.
The Bladedancer would quickly jerk his head to the side to allow the Princess a clear shot at the snake, who now had ceramic shards buried in their face, before finally relinquishing the hug. He’d glance over to the fox who had seemed to garner his own reputation with some of the unsavoury sort. ’You really couldn’t get this kind of fun back home.’ He thought to himself before facing the new opponent as the entire tavern plunged into chaos. ”I hope your new friend has taught you some tricks over the years. Stick behind me, Princess. You are now officially my char-” The man was interrupted by the snake who lashed out in a fit of rage. Lunging forth, he was full of openings to exploit.
Dropping to his right, Sivaros dipped beneath the left side of his opponent before easily tripping the demi-human up who proceeded to tumble to the ground in a grand crash. ”Oh, you get the idea! Ooh!” The Elf would call out before being distracted by half a mug of ale which was now freshly unattended, finding a brief moment to take a swig amidst the confusion.
Over by the bar, Slick was looking up at the blonde dwarf from earlier being suspended up by the pissed off orc's grip on his collar.
"This is exactly why you only pick on folk your own size. I mean come on, what did you think was going to happen when you assaulted the big fella?" Slick egged on from his barstool as the place erupted in a brawl. "I reckon you toss 'im like he did that damn mug. I think he'd go quite far too!" Slick instigated drawing the friend of the dwarf's attention. It's too bad for the other one that the orc took Slick's advice.
Kuroi had turned back around and started to casually bob, weave, and parry strikes that came at him directly or as a result of mindless flailing. The most important thing to him right now was getting his food and drink, regardless of whether or not the tavern’s patrons had lost their mind. As he leaned against the tavern, he suddenly met eyes with a rather angry-looking crocodile Demihuman. “A champion of the city decided to visit its lower citizens on this fine day? You’re either looking for trouble or trying to say you’re better than us!” Exclaimed the crocodile man with a raspy voice.
Kuroi’s eyes narrowed in annoyance, a blank look on his face as he began to go through the same conversation he had gone through every time he ‘dared’ show his face in the poorer parts of town. “If you’re going to run your mouth because of envy, then feel free to after I’ve gotten my meal. Otherwise, sod off.” the fox said before looking back at the crocodilian bartender, hoping he’d be able to get his and the princess’ meal soon.
Unfortunately for the vulpine, he only further enraged the crocodile man, causing an arm to lash out at him and grab him by the neck. As he felt tension on his neck, he grabbed onto the crocodile man’s arm. Kuroi began to audibly gag as he let the grip on him tighten. Once he was sure he was about to pass out, he suddenly jumped up into the air, kicking his legs up and slamming them down on the Demihuman’s chest and arm. Both Kuroi and his newfound opponent were on the ground, resulting in an ugly growl from the crocodile man as he was put into a painful armbar.
Kuroi’s eyes glanced down at his opponent’s free hand and his waist. “Reach for a weapon and you’ll never use this arm again. Pull it out and I’ll cut the artery running through your arm.” he threatened, waiting for the crocodile man’s response. After seconds of silence, Kuroi decided that the man had complied. Rolling back up onto his feet, Kuroi looked around at the nearby bar patrons before grabbing onto the meals meant for him and the princess. He ignored the jeering from the crocodile man who, rightfully, felt quite humiliated after daring to lay a hand on one of the city’s champions.
Kuroi reached into his pouch and dropped the necessary amount of Amas to pay for the meals before walking back through the barroom brawls towards an empty table.
”I just want to eat for gods’ sake… grumbled Kuroi.
Shaking her head, Mika laughed a little at Sivaros as she watched him take a swig of some random drink. She then glanced over at Slick that was now telling an Orc to throw the dwarf from moments ago. There was absolute chaos now, Kuroi was...getting food? Well she did suppose that’s why he wanted to stop here in the first place anyways. They were grabbing too much attention, however, and they needed to leave soon.
”As fun as this is, Siv, we need to leave. There are too many eyes on us.” She didn’t look back at Sivaros as she spoke, however, as she plotted out her next course of action. ”That being said, I need to go do something really quick. Be right back!” With that she hopped up on a table and took off towards the bar, jumping over people in the process.
One man tried to drunkenly grab at her, falling forward in the process, and she easily jumped over him, using his back as leverage to propel her further forward. Slick had removed his stetson and was cheering as the Orc threw the Dwarf and this helped Mika confirm he wasn’t an elf at very least, making her theory more plausible. Her eyes then fell on a red panda Demi-Human who was about to throw a punch at the man while he wasn’t looking. She made it just in time to catch the panda by the wrist, redirecting the punch and using his own momentum to throw him into a table, bouncing his head off the table.
"Whoa!" Slick reacted. He was steadily feeling the effects of the drink Floofa had given him. His attention now on Mika, he greeted warmly "Howdy." He let loose smoothly.
Mika stood back up and looked at Slick, giving him a quick smile. ”Hey, hi there. So, uh, I hate to break it to you, but I know what you are and it’s only a matter of time before others realize as well. Unfortunately some here aren’t gonna be too fond of you being here and the likeliness of them trying to kill you is kinda high.” She was rambling, why was she rambling? This was NOT the way to convince someone to come with you.
"Uhh… What?" Slick had no idea what Mika was going on about, but he did hang on the words of 'them trying to kill you is kinda high' and so he made an attempt at listening to her. However, Mika's attention was caught briefly as she watched Floopa putting something into someone's food and drink.
”Also I think she may have drugged your drink.” She sounded a little surprised as she pointed at the squirrel woman who, in turn, replied with, ”What?! No, I would never!” She was clearly hiding something behind her back.
Drugged. My. Drink? I said strong drink not spiked! No wonder I feel like I got a dose of some peyote! Good grief. I hope you know I ain't paying for… damn it. The world is just… meltin' away."
Mika shook her head as if to clear it and kicked herself a bit. ”Sorry, let me start over. Hi, I’m Mika and if you like living then I suggest you follow me.” Simple and to the point, but all Slick heard was. ”Worry not, lover. High time we meet uh, and if you like lovin' then I suggest you follow me.”She then looked to where Kuroi had sat down ready to eat.
"Sure thing missy." Slick followed while trying not to trip over himself.
”Kuroi we’ve gotta go. Leave the food, it’s drugged anyways. We’ll get something else along the way.” She yelled to the vulpine.
A nasty glare came from the fox as he looked over at the princess before he stood up, sighing in defeat as he took the plates of food with him. As he passed by a couple of rowdy patrons, he slammed both of the plates into their faces before continuing to the door. “...Let’s go then…” Kuroi nodded before he slipped out of the tavern and awaited for the princess (and whoever else) to follow.
Note to self, always feed the fox… Mika thought to herself as she watched Kuroi smash the plates into a couple people’s faces. Her eyes then landed on Siv who had moved on to another random drink and she sighed. ”Come on.” She said to Sivaros as she grabbed his collar and dragged him with her, finally exiting the bar shortly after Kuroi.
PapaOso
ReusableSword
princess
rabidbacon
CitrusArms
World Traveler
Framing A Moose
pkken
PrinceAlexus
Infinite Cosmos
