VitaVitaAR

From Realms Beyond — An Isekai Crossover RP (Now Accepting)

Red Light District

---

"Mmm?"

The Red Light District was certainly... something. Indeed, it was kept clean, and the shining, expensive buildings and large windows displaying brief glimpses of what was inside behind thick curtains spoke of a great deal of money and upkeep rather then squalor. But the dubious air of the entire district couldn't be ignored.

Perhaps these things were just what should be expected.

"I suppose I'm not surprised that you're not excited to be here," Qing'e said, her lips curling into a small smirk, "A maiden such as yourself lusting for a night out in a Red Light District would be quite the shock indeed. I expect you keep your less-then-appropriate desires locked away inside your mind."

Her unseen gaze drifted, now settling on the Knight-Witch.

"And you... have the air of a married woman, so I can't imagine you've been to a place such as this. At least, not for quite some time, if ever. Still---"

She gestured to a group of finely-dressed young women as they passed.

"No matter how this place might appear lavish and decadent, there's not many people who can protect the ones who work here. And they're suffering, even if it doesn't look like it."

She paused a moment, catching sight of an overweight middle-aged man in flashy clothing whose eyes were lingering on Sanae rather closely.

If someone were looking closely at Qing'e, they might have noticed her hand twitch.

If they were looking at the man, they might have noticed him suddenly looking down as something tugged his pantleg.

They might have noticed the brief look of horror on his face, eyes bulging in their sockets and a cry escaping his throat, as he saw something down at his feet. He stumbled back, slipping, and fell heavily onto his backside.

But no-one passing by seemed to spare it much thought, and it was difficult to see what was there.

Qing'e continued to lead the way.

"Ahead is a brothel that was thriving, and from my understanding cared quite well for its workers. But customers and courtesans alike suddenly started to fall ill, becoming drained and exhausted. When a customer died, his body shriveling up like rotten fruit, it shut down, and everyone fled. But this strange illness and exhaustion has started to creep into the surrounding buildings. If this keeps persisting, more people will die."

@FujiwaraPhoenix@DracoLunaris

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

@Chronic: That's fine if you can do a sufficient description.

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

@Chronic: Then we'll see when it's done.

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

@Chronic: I'm going to have to see your intended character concept first.

From Realms Beyond — An Isekai Crossover RP (Now Accepting)

Heir to the Konpaku

So her opponent deflected Cherry Blossom Flashing just like that?

Really, it was only to be expected. But the fact she had to respond to it purely defensively meant that Youmu was making progress.

A smile crossed the Half-Phantom's lips.

Getting serious, then? So far, she'd only showed off a few of her techniques.

If her opponent was getting serious---

"In that case, I'll just have to get serious as well."

It was only to be expected from the legendary Miyamoto Musashi, even if she came from another world.

With a faint hiss, spiritual power flowed along Youmu's limbs, passing from her body and across the edges of Roukanken and Hakurouken.

She'd slash through the space between herself and her opponent, through hesitation, confusion, and anything else in the way of her victory. A sparring match shouldn't just be taken lightly, so she was going to give it her all and---

"Eh?"

Wait, her opponent was just leaving!? The Legendary Miyamoto Musashi was sheathing her blades and turning tail? Where did all these people come from, for that matter?!

The audience for their duel had kept their distance, which only made sense. No-one wanted to be caught up in a duel at home, either, but quite a few people enjoyed watching them.

Youmu couldn't help but be incensed at her opponent's sudden departure. Their match had just been about to swing into full gear. A demonstration of the skills passed down through her family line, versus those of a legendary samurai whose impact was felt throughout the world of martial arts.

But now she was just running off?

"But... but what about our match?"

Youmu's shoulders sagged. She couldn't help but be deflated, her phantom half drooping in the air too.

---Aside from that, though, what was with all these people? They were some sort of town guard, that was certain, but why were they interfering? This might be a different world, but a friendly duel wasn't anything violating the law, was it? It certainly wouldn't have been back home in Gensokyo.

"I'm not handing over Roukanken or Hakurouken," Youmu protested, a frown crossing her features as she narrowed her grey eyes, "If you really want me to, I can re-lay the cobblestones, but I was only engaging in a friendly duel."

Laying stone was something easy enough, given her experience as a gardener, but that clearly wasn't the only thing they were angry about.

@FujiwaraPhoenix@Raineh Daze

---

The Church

The priestess's eyes widened for a moment on the mention of Lavielle.

After a pause, she let out a sigh.

"Lavielle isn't enshrined here. I don't know of any church that is a place of her worship," she replied with a frown, "If that's what you're looking for, you're only going to find ruins."

She seemed to consider her next words for a moment, before continuing.

"You really must be from far away. While I can't say I'm fond of Lavielle's worship, there's no prohibition against it. She is a goddess, however diminished and distant she might be. Personally, I would instead recommend offering a prayer to Valitys, but if you really wish to seek out Lavielle then you may be able to find a shrine with the merchants."

Her gaze drifted to the small, silent girl.

"As for the fae girl, it's not that only another fae could assist her," she continued, "The fae don't experience disease or aging. They can be killed by violence, but their bodies aren't composed of the same sort of matter as we are. Since I don't see any injuries, if anything is wrong with her... it's likely something spiritual, or something weighing upon her mind. In the former case, a mage might be able to help her. In the latter---"

She hesitated for a moment.

"I can't say for certain. Despite her looks, she's probably older than any of us here, but the minds of fae are difficult to understand."

@Lugubrious

Final Fantasy: Lightseekers

All of these treasures---

There was so much money here, all sucked up by this woman like she was some kind of leech. The sheer amount of wealth in this one room was more then Robin had ever seen.

There were some people who suffered terribly. Some people who were constantly on the verge of starving.

And yet this enormous amount of wealth lay in this room, horded by criminal greed.

Didn't those people left in the slums deserve it far more? Didn't the people living from day to day, desperate for a full stomach, desperate for a secure tomorrow, deserve it beyond anyone else?

These were the thoughts playing through Robin's mind.

Wouldn't the only acceptable action for one who called herself a hero to be distributing this wealth to those who needed it most?

Not that heroes didn't claim treasure for themselves. There were plenty of stories of heroes finding wealth and taking it for their own. But in this case, when there were so many people being crushed by poverty---

There was only one response that Robin could even fathom.

After all---

Hadn't she suffered in just the same way?

She'd have to speak to the others about this as soon as possible.

---

---But there was no way she could even mention it. Not now.

She hadn't seen what happened, not exactly. But she'd learned plenty in the past few moments.

Robin wasn't sure what to say. It was kind of overwhelming, but Esben had laid out Ciradyl's entire history.

She'd done so many things that Robin had never even begun to expect. Working within Valheim's structure wasn't something she felt as if she could condone. A hero didn't do such things, did they?

---Did they?

What would she have done?

Robin couldn't say. She couldn't know.

It wasn't something she'd even thought of before.

If these actions were to try and shield innocent people, the very same people that Robin desired to help, could they be called heroic, just as the stories she envisioned in her head at those words?

But she threw away the lives of others who opposed Valheim to achieve her goals, didn't she?

"I---..."

Robin hesitated. Could she even speak about this? Did she know what to say? She wanted to say that she did. She wanted to speak confidently. She preferred to project that kind of image. To feel certain of every action she said, every word she spoke. It was a the root of her behavior.

Her confidence, her assuredness. It was the way in which a hero behaved, after all.

But at the moment, she couldn't find such confidence. Not in the face of a situation that was so knotted up in on itself.

But she did know one thing, at least.

She couldn't agree with Arton's approach.

Robin took a deep breath.

"I don't know if I can say I agree with anything you've done," she began, "Not really. It's not the sort of thing I can claim that I'm alright with. But if it was for the sake of innocent people who could have suffered, I---"

Robin's gaze shifted downwards. She had stepped into this conflict so recently, could she really say anything?

"---I don't know if I can say they were wrong, either."

Her head hung.

"I don't know if I can say I know anything about this at all. But trying to help people who are weak and suffering is something I can't condemn, even if I don't know if I agree with how it was done."

Robin's words faded into silence.

She wasn't sure if she'd helped. She wasn't sure if she'd achieved anything at all. This was so far out of her expectation, so completely overwhelming, that she didn't know the first thing about what to do.

But she had to say something.

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

---Normally, this was not something the Iron Rose Knights would have been contacted for.

Normally, such a situation would be better handled by the assistance of the Mage's college, or perhaps the Court Mage himself.

In fact, it was purely by coincidence that the Knight-Captain even learned about it.

The loss of the Lord of Brennan's wits.

Brennan was situated on the edge of the forest bearing its name. It was considered positioned in an excellent location to serve as one of the Capital's chief lines of defense in case of attack. But on top of that, it was thrived on supplying wood and game to the rest of Thaln.

The Lord who commanded Brennan was one of the King's cousins. Fanilly knew little of him, though she had once been at a party where he was present. She remembered a tall, boisterous, friendly man, who nevertheless did not have much time to interact with children. Still, he'd seemed kind.

And yet, reportedly, a strange and unnatural madness had suddenly afflicted him. The utter loss of his wits.

Both clergy and mages had already been sent. Logically, it was their duty to handle such matters. If it was the work of a demon, or some sort of spell, then they were best equipped to deal with it.

---However.

A strange and sudden madness could not be ignored by the Knight-Captain any longer.

If there was any possibility it was related to a shard of Angroron, if there was even the slimmest possibility that it could lead them closer to discovering the culprit, then they had to take it.

It's for this reason that Fanilly volunteered the services of the Iron Rose Knights. If nothing else, they could bolster Brennan against potential attack during this period of odd, supernatural madness that afflicted its lord.

Confused as he was, in their correspondence, the Lord of Brennan's son had gladly accepted their assistance.

It was two days' ride from Aimlenn.

By now, Fanilly could see the stone-and-wood walls of Brennan looming, flanked on either side by the sea of green that was Brennan Forest.

"Sir Aglan will receive us when we arrive," called Fanilly, to her knights, "From there, it's our duty to assist in any way we can, but also to try and learn more about the Lord's loss of his wits."

She couldn't be certain if this truly had any connection to the Angroron shards. But at the same time, a sudden loss of all sanity that seemed to stem from a supernatural cause---

She simply couldn't ignore it, either.

From Realms Beyond — An Isekai Crossover RP (Now Accepting)

Heir to the Konpaku

She had no real idea of her opponent's capabilities. So, when that brilliant rainbow trail lead Miyamoto Musashi directly towards her, Youmu had little choice but to break her assault and put up a defense.

Steel met steel, ringing out across the lightly-damaged street and echoing across the buildings. Her muti-pronged assault had failed entirely.

But it was only a brief setback. When it came to dueling, all she had to do was adjust the manner in which she slashed at her opponent and try again.

She analyzed her position as quickly as she could. Her opponent could close the gap faster then she expected, but at the same time Youmu firmly believed her agility was still superior. She'd simply been taken by surprise.

Just as swiftly as they'd flashed, Youmu stepped back and disengaged, alleviating the resistance against Miyamoto Musashi's blades as she did. She only needed a little bit of distance---

Pink light, the same shade as cherry blossoms, spread over Roukanken's blade, coating the edge as she channeled spiritual energy down through her limbs. A high-pressure technique that would allow her to push her opponent into a corner was what she needed.

The flashing light grew brighter, engulfing Roukanken's blade entirely, and---

"Cherry Blossom Sword - Flashing Scattered Flowers!"

Roukanken moved, as Youmu leaned forward and sprang forth to re-engage. Her flashing blade sliced the air, but not directly targeting her opponent.

Rather, with Roukanken's movement, a flurry of slashes of pink light spawned around her target and moved inwards, attacking from multiple angles simultaneously.

@FujiwaraPhoenix@Raineh Daze

---

The Bookstore

"Ah, thank you," Qing'e replied with a friendly smile, flashing her blue nails as she did, "I'm afraid it'll be somewhat difficult to obtain the polish for yourself, however, as it comes from my homeland."

She paused for a moment, inclining her head towards the book and scanning the passages for a few moments alongside Sanae.

"Honestly, though, the mages of this city are so close-minded. Hording knowledge for themselves. I'm certain they may have better historical texts then this shop, but they wouldn't allow me to peruse their library and reject the petitions of many others as well. Rejecting a scholar's desire to expand her knowledge---it's the height of rudeness, if I must be frank."

The hooded woman let out a heavy sigh.

But then, she tapped a finger to her chin, leaning back against the shelves for a moment.

"Ah, another matter you may be interested in," she began, addressing Sanae now, "You are a priestess, aren't you? Not of this land, of course, but your clothing stands out to me. Given I offered my assistance, would you consider offering yours in turn?"

Without waiting for a reply, she continued.

"A strange condition seems to have struck some of this city's people," she said with an idle gesture, "I'm not talking about an illness, in this case. It appears to be a more spiritual affliction. A curse."

Her shoulder slumped, slightly.

"It's not as if I want to bother you with it, but if you're able to help then I figured it might be worth asking."

@DracoLunaris@FujiwaraPhoenix

Final Fantasy: Lightseekers

---Honestly, as much as she'd have liked to try her skills against the gunner, Robin couldn't help but be a little glad he'd been taken out like that. Certainly, she wouldn't have backed down, but at the same time she didn't really know how to approach an enemy like that. She'd wanted to try and clash with the ronin, as well, to protect her allies and cut down the sort of people who would sell their services to a crime lord.

But it seemed as if that wasn't going to be necessary either.

Still, Robin felt it was important for someone to bring up the rear and cover the others. Charging in first was heroic, but so was defending your allies from any last-moment threats while they tried to get crucial information from an enemy.

So, it was quite a surprise for the swordswoman when she suddenly found herself being pulled back down the stairs.

"Ah? Er, are you certain?"

They had everything handled? Robin swore she heard some commotion, but that probably didn't mean all that much given the situation they were already in. While she wasn't sure if hunting something downstairs was of equal importance and standing guard for the others, returning to the lower levels could allow her to prevent any possibility of attempts to ambush her allies from below.

At the very least, it made sense to Robin.

"In that case, I'll come along with you."

@The Otter

From Realms Beyond — An Isekai Crossover RP (Now Accepting)

Heir to the Konpaku

The sound of steel on steel rang out through the streets. Her attack being blocked wasn't surprising in the least. Youmu could tell simply from the manner in which her opponent carried herself that she was particularly capable, even before hearing her name.

The half-phantom pushed off the cobblestones, her opponent's blade cleaving through nothing but empty air as she attempted her counterattack. Even before her feet met the ground again, Youmu was analyzing her opponent's movements as best she could. The benefits of attacking with two swords were hardly erased, but given her opponent specialized in the exact same sort of combat(and in fact founded the most well-known school of it) it meant that surprise was difficult to rely on.

Still, there were some things this Miyamoto Musashi couldn't necessarily expect, simply by dint of the fact that neither of them was fully aware of the other's capabilities.

Even without the full use of her phantom half, Youmu could still do things like this.

"Turning Angle Cut!"

Roukanken flicked through the air to Youmu's right, the edge of the blade glowing a brilliant white as it released a thin sliver of magical energy and sent it careening skywards. No sooner than the projectile had left the longer of the two blades was Youmu running, the small girl sprinting towards her opponent to open with a double-layered slash, diagonally with Hakurouken and horizontally with Roukanken.

Even as she did, her prior attack suddenly twisted inwards, hurtling towards Miyamoto Musashi from the opposite side and above.

@FujiwaraPhoenix@Raineh Daze

---

The Bookstore

"Mmm, my name?" the hooded woman cocked her head, a smile crossing her lips as she regarded first the halfling witch and then the green-haired miko in turn. In fact, it almost seemed as if her gaze lingered on the latter for just a few more moments then it had upon the former, but perhaps that was just coincidence.

"Wu Qing'e," she introduced herself, bowing her head, her pleasant smile only seeming to grow, "There's no need to thank me, in any case."

The woman raised her right hand, her sleeve falling slightly to reveal her pale, delicate fingers and painted blue nails.

"I'm of the opinion that knowledge should be free to spread and flourish. There's no reason to try and obscure information, no matter how great or small."

It made sense in regards to her actions. Even if it was just a matter of finding the right book, someone like this would certainly want to see that anyone seeking knowledge would be able to obtain it.

@DracoLunaris@FujiwaraPhoenix

---

The Church

The priestess's gaze regarded the silent young girl for a few more moments on the golem's prompting. Evidently, she wasn't so used to golems that could speak for themselves, but at the moment she appeared to be taking it in stride.

However, the same could not be said for the girl. The priestess sighed heavily, before her gaze returned to Lewa's mask.

"I'm afraid we don't have any way to treat her," she began, "Not that I can tell what's wrong in the first place. That girl isn't human."

The small girl didn't really respond to the priestess's comment on her nature. At least, however, those ethereal eyes seemed to be focusing again.

This time, she was simply looking around the church, curiosity having appeared to have cut through her catatonia in some small way.

"She's one of the fae," continued the priestess, "If something ails her, then you're not going to find the solution to her condition here, I'm afraid."

@Lugubrious