VitaVitaAR

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Fantasy Knight RP

Fanilly hesitated. It was clear some among their number did not immediately buy the girl's... lacking explanation. But at the same time... things here simply didn't add up, did they? The manner in which the door had been broken down, to start with. Why would attackers come from the same direction as the capital? Why would there not be a single sign of anyone who died on the walls? But then why was this girl even here, killing someone dressed in Thaln's colors... then relaxing in the face of the Iron Rose Knights?

Nothing made sense. It went against all of Fanilly's instincts, and to be frank part of her wanted to simply draw her sword and attempt to force the girl to surrender, or kill her if she resisted... but she held back.

There was too much unanswered, too much that simply didn't make sense.

"Haaah, my teeth? What, is this how snakes flirt? Comparing fangs?" the girl cocked her head to one side, then casually buried the tip of her spear in the dirt, yet another action that spoke of shocking naivete or unwavering confidence. Shedding one of her gloves, she hooked her finger into the corner of her mouth and pulled, revealing...

Certainly, her canines seemed a little pointed, but not to the extent that would be expected of a vampire. Perhaps more tellingly, she seemed to suffer no ill effects from standing beneath the sun.

"That doesn't address any of the other questions, and all we have is your word," Fanilly swiftly said, a cold tone in her voice as she regarded the girl, "Who are you, and what happened here?"

The blue-haired girl released the corner of her mouth.

"My name? Alette," she said, tugging her spear out of the dirt and draping it over her shoulders, "Alette the Shark."

She grinned.

Alette the Shark... Fanilly thought that sounded somewhat familiar, but she couldn't remember the specifics. Mercenaries from the North? Particularly well-known ones, though Fanilly knew little of their reputation.

Those perhaps more well-informed would know of Alette the Shark and her band of deadly mercenaries, a bloodthirsty girl possessed of impressive agility and a spear that seemed to(metaphorically) fed upon the life of its victims.

Jarde's search would turn up something rather unusual. The body he investigated, one that had likely been killed by Alette's spear, judging by the wound to the neck, bore a tattoo depicting a red-eyed boar with golden tusks on the upper left shoulder. And another body would share the same tattoo, nearby. In fact, all the freshest corpses bore the same tattoo.

Any with experience with mercenaries would recognize the symbol as the mark of the Golden Boars, another band of mercenaries known for taking rather unsavory jobs. While they would sometimes shed their purple-and-gold colors to move without being noticed, the boar tattoo served to 'brand them as a Golden Boar for life'. By the reputation of the Golden Boars' leadership, this seemed as much to unite the men as it also served to identify anyone who fled from battle or betrayed them, marking them for lethal retribution.

But there was more then that.

The oldest corpses had been killed in far more uniform fashion... some seemingly by their own weapons, judging by the blood. Equally as grimly, some of the bodies seemed to have been killed by the dead soldier laying right beside them.

It was a pattern that held true for all of the oldest bodies. After the initial shock of the sight of so many dead, anyone who investigated would find it far more obvious many of them had been stripped of their gear as well, leaving them in their underclothes.

"When we got here, Bors smashed the doors open 'cause it was obvious something was wrong," Alette answered, cocking her head towards the smashed gate, "Came across some bastards stripping the dead, so we dealt with them. A lot of dead though. It's worse inside."

Fanilly was struggling to understand. If the guards in the fort were already dead... what killed them? Had it been the 'bastards' Alette mentioned? But why didn't there appear to be any sign of a siege?

"... Search... search the bodies, everyone," the blonde knight-captain ordered, "But ensure someone is keeping an eye on Alette at all times, and do not let your guard down."

"You still think I'm lying, standing here in front of you alone?" Alette responded, cocking her head to one side, "Yeeesh, not so trusting, huh, cute stuff?"

Fanilly glared at the spear-wielding girl, who simply grinned.

@HereComesTheSnow@TheFake@Crimson Paladin@PaulHaynek@FlappyTheSpybot@Raineh Daze@ghastlyinc@Krayzikk

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Fantasy Knight RP

Yeah, I know this bit's probably a bit difficult to work with, but hopefully things will work a bit better as it goes on.

Dawn Beyond Tomorrow: A Magitech distant postapocalyptic action-adventure RP

Sad to see you go, but glad you at least let me know!

The Epic of Beginnings - Fragments of a weathered scroll

"Excellent, o Kyrinth," Nobunaga bowed her head, "Your wisdom has exceeded my already high expectations."

It wasn't empty flattery. The elder beast's apparent wisdom and understanding of her intent made everything about this negotiation far easier then it could otherwise have been. It was natural to expect an ancient creature of nature such as this to have wisdom born from age, and the fact that the Kyrinth understood her intentions quite well confirmed that. Nobunaga had no doubt she could mend the relationship between the Elder Beast and the villagers, but it was the matter of destroying the worship of that fool god of knowledge that would be most complex.

"I expect you shall soon hear word from the village chief. For now, farewell."

With that, the petite girl turned to depart... only to be stopped by the boy who had intruded on them. He came close to outright insulting their host, and on top of that acted as if he spoke for them...

"... I am disinclined to work alongside one who assumes they speak for others without asking," Nobunaga said, without facing the boy, "Nor do I care much for one who clearly runs their mouth without a single moment of consideration towards their words. Spare some thought before you speak next time, or don't speak at all."

With that, she departed for the village alonside Misaki.

@Rune_Alchemist@PKMNB0Y@PaulHaynek

Fate/Eternum (Take 3)

Tsugihara Runa

There were an awful lot of her classmates here today... noticing one of them, Uehara Shou, waving to her, the girl noncommittally waved back.

To be honest, she didn't really care so much to be here.

This food was not her usual fare, but she hadn't the time to pick anything else up... and the quality at least seemed decent.

Runa sighed slightly. Certainly, Beni-Enma could have cooked for her, but she didn't have any ingredients on hand... ah, how bothersome to have to go shopping for groceries soon...

"... Saber, the staff appear to at the very least be efficient here, correct?" she asked, glancing towards the tiny girl at her side. Her Saber, to be honest, was something of a prize. She synchronized with the Tsugihara family's magecraft perfectly. A figure right out of a Japanese fairytale, she was an ideal Servant for someone such as herself. And there were... other reasons that Runa felt Beni-Enma was a perfect Servant for her, but she was hardly about to mention any of those.

Efficient and careful staff would make for a better quality meal, and given Beni-Enma ran a service establishment herself it seemed logical to get her opinion. From where they sat, they could see into the kitchen, the staff putting all their effort into grilling patties, assembling burgers, and frying various foods. It was difficult to get a sense of how it all tasted thus far, but if the staff were doing a good job then perhaps that would indicate that the food would be good as well?

@Raineh Daze@PKMNB0Y

Dawn Beyond Tomorrow: A Magitech distant postapocalyptic action-adventure RP

"Ohhh... I always try and sneak through them, I never thought about that..."

Throwing the slugs something that would get their attention, huh... It made perfect sense, the sensory strands vanishing above and pulling up the pieces of rations as they did. The rude boy didn't seem too thankful, but maybe he had some other way of getting around them? Imarui wasn't sure, but she was quick to hurry ahead past the silvery tendrils.

Beyond, the tunnel widened further, a trend that seemed to continue the deeper down the tunnel one looked. It wasn't unlikely that both paths linked up at some point, in some way. The glowcaps seemed to die down, signifying their distance from site of whatever had been killed, but it was clear now that the plans were covered in smaller, less bright fungi, a stouter relative to the glowcap, as well as numerous no-light adapted flora.

Imarui wondered what kind of artifacts might be down here, given it was so completely untouched. Maybe she'd find something really big, and then everyone back at the orphanage would be really impressed! The white-haired little girl was smiling to herself at the mere thought.

But...

Something else was moving up ahead.

Another familiar sight.

The low-slung, stubby-limbed, armored body meandered placidly through the tunnel, long enough to take up nearly the entire space. It raised its wide head towards the walls, the flattened tip of its snout pressed against it to shear plants off the stone surface.

"Oh! It's a Tura!"

Excited at the sight of the placid creature, Imarui was quick to sprit ahead, crouching near the creature. She'd seen plenty of Tura in her time as an artifact hunter, but it never really got old. She always found them cute, with their stumpy legs and slow, lazy-seeming gait. They had very few predators due to their heavy armor, and their easy lifestyle meant they were pretty placid, too... there simply wasn't much that bothered them.

"Heee, hi there Mister Tura!"

The creature regarded her. In spite of the low light, it still had eyes due to the presence of light-producing plants in the caverns. It let out low, snuffling sound, but was quick to return to the business of eating.

"Hehehe~ Sounds like you're having a good day~!"

It wasn't just the fact that Imarui found turas cute, however. She knew that this was a clear indication a wider tunnel with better light and a lot more vegetation was ahead!

Anyone who had elected to move past the tura would be greeted with a light incline down a little deeper, and then the cavern opening up in full...

But there would be one more obstacle before reaching the point where the tunnel fully opened up.

A clicking, scraping sound, and a ghostly white shape moving on three pairs of slender legs, slinking ahead, a thin tail held erect... as it moved closer, the narrow shape of its head, its green eyes and four jaws, and the skeleton and internal organs within its body through the skin...

A Tunnel Phantom. The size of a large dog, the tunnel phantom was likely a scout for its pack, searching for food... Tunnel Phantoms certainly had a vicious reputation, and a well-earned one. In spite of their frail appearance, they were incredibly strong.

Killing it quickly and quietly would likely prevent it from calling its fellows, and allowing a quicker path through the tunnel and further.

---

Past the corpse of the carrier bird, the tunnel suddenly took a steep drop.

At the edge of the drop was a leather pack containing an empty canteen of water. Beyond, on closer inspection, was a lazily-flowing underground river. From what could be discerned at this point, there was no area which left it impossible to keep one's head above water, but in the poor light it was difficult to tell how deep it was or what was in the water.

Shining light downwards would fail to reveal the bottom, but would reveal silvery, darting shapes with long, trailing fins.

Shimmerfish were quick to flee at the presence of a predator and favored relatively shallow water, and their presence indicated the water was likely safe.

How far it could be safely travelled was another story.

@ERode@AzureKnight@Rune_Alchemist@Searat@Raineh Daze@KoL@Pyromania99

Fate/Eternum (Take 3)

• Name: Tsugihara Runa
• Age: 18
• Appearance: Moonlight Fairytale Maiden. A somewhat short, slight girl always clad in traditional Japanese clothing.
• Personality: A straightlaced and serious girl. Runa's mentality is one of commitment born from her family's methodology when approaching magecraft: She takes her emulation of the idea of folklore and fairytales quite seriously. This extends to much of what she does, Runa is a quite serious girl who displays a considerable temper and low tolerance for tomfoolery as well as considerable pride in her bloodline and her capabilities as a magus. Runa is also prideful in regards to her deep knowledge of folkore, primarily and particularly Japanese folklore as her family's magecraft is distinctive in its reliance on it. However, at times certain cracks show through Runa's demeanor. She is quite fond of animals, particularly small and soft ones, and is quite easily embarrassed. A particular source of embarrassment is her complete failure when it comes to the subject of preparing food. While certainly not requisite to a magus, her incapability when it comes to cooking is both embarrassing and simultaneously something she will steadfastly refuse to admit to. A dangerous combination.
• Abilities: The basis of the magecraft of the Tsugihara family is the folklore of their homeland. Stories such as Taketori Monogatari, tales of various yokai, all of these form the foundation of the Tsugihara's craft. However, they are still distinct in practicing magecraft rather then onmyodo. In order to maintain the folkloric image, the Tsugihara dress in traditional clothing, and due to their Japanese blood use exclusively concepts from Japanese folklore for maximum effect. Runa in particular, with her high grade magic circuits, has a variety of spells she is capable of performing, and her affinity to Fire and Air offers her numerous options. Examples include fiery projectiles modeling on onibi and razor gusts of wind modeled on the Kamaitachi. Chief among her tools as a magus is her familiar, a fox capable of taking human form modeled on the ever-popular legend of the kitsune. The primary use of this familiar is as an assistant, both for mundane purposes and for combat. However, she can also be used as something akin to a living magic wand, enhancing Runa's magecraft and permitting long-range rituals.
• History: The advancement of the Tsugihara's magecraft has long been at the forefront of the family head's thoughts. By utilizing folklore, something that is endlessly recorded and reused, it is believed that they have a solid foundation for their magecraft. However, the creation of Fusang offered a unique opportunity for the Tsugihara heir: to make a contract with a figure whose story was conveyed through the very folklore forming the foundation of their magecraft. The decision to send Runa to Fusang was met with little protest, Runa herself quite eager to carry out what she felt was the opportunity of a lifetime, and did everything she could on her arrival to ensure the Servant she summoned would be a figure of the folklore she remembered without fail. She did not, perhaps, expect Benienma, but she is hardly about to protest upon learning the sparrow was far more then the fairytale conveyed.
• Other: N/A

Dawn Beyond Tomorrow: A Magitech distant postapocalyptic action-adventure RP

Hey sorry about the delay, we'll still be getting an update Sunday at the latest to put us back on track.

Dawn Beyond Tomorrow: A Magitech distant postapocalyptic action-adventure RP

I'd like @Rune_Alchemist to post first, but if that doesn't work out I'll be updating tomorrow and hopefully getting us back of schedule.

Dawn Beyond Tomorrow: A Magitech distant postapocalyptic action-adventure RP

I'll be updating later this week at the latest.