Divided Dreams

Mizos

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Preferred Character Gender
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  2. Female
Genres
Modern Fantasy, Historical, Fantasy, adventure, romance, anime, action, etc.
A loud revving could be heard along the long grassy plains near the city of Mardos as a mechanical bike sped down the brown dirt road leading to the village. The rider whose goggles hid his eyes from view and his hat fluttered in the wind grinned as he noticed the building in sight and giving the handle a twist increased his speed as he drew closer to the outskirts of the village.
Once he got close enough the young man slowed down and stepped off his bike and pulled his goggles up to meet the gaze of two guards holding spears who gave him a firm nod.
Returning the gesture he pushed his bike over to the side of the road and switching it off knelt down and pulled out a square rectangular piece before dropping it in the bag he kept on his back.
"Can't ride without an engine right guys," the young man said as he walked past the two. "Keep an eye on it for me just in case."
The stranger known as Soru to his affiliates walked through the village heading towards a large building his boots echoing on the cobblestone street as he approached a building made of red brick. A huge rectangular wooden sign was on the top of it with the Handler's sign, which was a crescent moon with an arrow through it, something he still didn't understand even after years of service.

Walking inside he was reminded again this was a Relic city, candelabra's decorated the room and metal chandeliers hung overhead providing light to the small guild which to him resembled a tavern, seeing half his fellow Handlers were drinking already only helped the illusion.
The outside was no different though, metal streetlamps, a bit of metal mixed into the brick buildings and not a trace of anything magic. Generally if there was an excess of brick and metal it was a Relic village.
Walking up to the counter Soru pulled out a piece of parchment before handing it to a man behind the desk, staring at it he flipped through a book next to him and marked something off it before nodding.
He tossed a small brown pouch at Soru and he opened it looking at the silver coins inside before nodding at him and walking away leaving the guild.

Mardos was one of the more underdeveloped villages in the area and it was small so there was a finite amount of things to do in it, but their size and location was useful, plenty of supplies came through here and they didn't lack when it came to funds.
"May as well earn a bit extra and show her my wares," Soru said patting a bag on his waist which clinked upon being hit.
"She lives in a cave around here well if she's not in town anyway," Soru said bringing a gloved hand to his chin. "I'll check the cave first then backtrack here if I need too."
He checked the two small pouches on his side before putting the bag in his pocket making his way towards his potential customer.
 
Waking from a much needed slumber, Estelle reached both her arms up, stretching. She was seated upon a metal chair, cushioned however, with a stack full of blueprints set atop the metal desk affront her. She was working on a new weapon, a sort of gun to go along with VooDoo, her most prized possession. Swiveling around one hundred eighty degrees, she checked the wall to the side of her bed, making sure VooDoo leaned against the cave. It did and she nodded to show she was pleased.

The paper's on her desk had been piling up higher and higher, people's request and her own work drawn all over them. She was stumped though when she noticed she was missing a key part. It resembled a bolt, but worked differently and she also couldn't recall the name of it. To fill such an order, she requested one of the only merchants who dealt with both Relics and Wizards, Soru one of the few Handlers there were. Soru caught her attention when she was at a saloon in Mardos. Some Relics spoke of him and she overheard them, keeping the name in mind in case she'd need to use him for something. Lucky her she did.

Turning around again, she stood up. Taking another long stretch, a yawn escaped passed her lips. Walking through the lengthy corridor of her cave, bolts and screws scattered about, she made way into one of the rooms to the left. From here she could check on her little darlings, her pets. Flipping a switch, the metal chandelier illuminated, allowing all of her small metal pets to be viewed. All were accounted for, which made her nod as she had before. Snapping twice, they all sat up, scattering about the room before sitting.
"Morning lovelies." She chanted, happy to see them. All nine of them barked and she moved on.

Opening the metal door and stepping out of the cave, she squinted, staring up at the sunlight. It was bright and hurt her sheepish eyes. Quickly, though, she adapted, looking left and right for her merchant. She dug into her blouse's left breast pocket, removing a pocket watch to check the time.
"I hope he hurries..." She mumbled, desperately needing that part from him, if he were to even have it.
 
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Soru sped down the road towards the cave the request from Estelle still fresh in his mind, her requests weren't always the easiest to complete and generally he had to go to multiple villages to find the item but since he enjoyed travelling he was willing to admit they were never boring.
He had no choice but to expand his information network just to locate the items which came in handy with his other jobs, this one was no different and he even had to consult a few ex-Relics just to find information on the object, which he hoped was the one in his bag.
Either way he was going to profit as he had gathered quite a few rare bolts and whatever she didn't take he was just going to sell back on the market keeping a few for himself.

He approached the cave and noticed Estelle was already waiting outside of it, which made things a little easier at least.
Since Estelle was one of the few people who wouldn't force him to listen to an hour long discussion on the disadvantages of being a Relic or Wizard he generally did her requests often, that and the pay but since she was a valued customer he was willing to let some things go for a cheaper price anyway.
Slowing to a stop close to the cave he stepped off his Reaver and flipping the switch shut it off before lifting his goggles off his face providing a two finger salute to Estelle.
"Miss Estelle good morning," Soru said before taking his bag off his back. "This request was actually a bit of a challenge but I brought a selection of rare bolts thanks to a few ex-Relics, they wouldn't speak about in public though due to the other Wizards."
Soru pulled out a small silver metal ball with a button on the side, hitting it he tossed it on the ground letting it roll a little before staring down at it.
For a moment nothing happened and he tilted his head his mouth twitching a little before the top opened up and a long silver pole came out before expanding out into a small square making a makeshift table.
"Might need a new one of those," Soru said pulling the pouch off his side and spreading the contents of them on the table. "Well it is a prototype so I shouldn't complain."
A collection of multi colored bolts, some silver, others black, gold, blue and some illuminated with a strange glow around them.
There were other objects circling around them that looked like bolts but Soru explained that they didn't work as them and that he grabbed them remembering the specifics of the request.
"From one of the Wizards I spoke with he mentioned working with a Red Gear when he was a relic that was similar so I got one of them," Soru said pointing at the bolt-shaped object. "If anything else catches your attention just let me know, I'll give them up for a discount. Oh and do you mind if I ask what you're using this thing for?"
 
When Estelle heard the sound of Soru's bike zipping down the path, her head instantly turned to the direction it came from. She squinted, staring down it until he final came within view. Taking a few steps closer, her lips wore a bright smile, glad to see the Handler.
"Hello there." She replied to his salute, giving a single wave with her right hand.

She watched him fetch the metallic ball, which formed into a table after a few seconds, tilting her head the slightest. It was something she'd seen before, but not too much of because of the rarity and complexity in the idea. Nodding, she gave a slight smirk and looked down at the bolts and objects that scattered about it. After browsing for only a mere second, she grabbed the object which was smooth on the outside aside two small flat sides. The inner circle of it was adorned by ridges, but they were in a pattern not common to bolts.
"This is it!" She chirped with delight. Setting it back down, she reached into her right pocket, pulling out a small sack which contained her money . All of it was earned from tinkering with people's creation and building people stuff, a very small portion coming form the use of her magic. "So how was the hunt? Was it a hard find?"
She placed down a decent amount of golden coins, about twenty, which was being beyond generous since he was a good pal of hers. "Oh, right. I'm working on another weapon. Remember I told you about my... third creation, I believe."

She left the gold on the table, picking up the bolt again and replacing her pouch of money in her pocket. "I could also take a look at this." She stated, pointing at the table. It intrigued her and she'd like to see how it works, possibly tweaking it to make it better. "Free of charge, and I'll put it at the top of my priority list." That sly smile she used to con men out of their books formed on her lips, although her motives weren't sly nor bad intended as they were when getting those books for her studies.
 
Seeing Estelle's face light up Soru smiled glad he was able to locate the right one, that was one of the benefits of this job at least that expression he got to see after all his hard work.
Seeing the gold she set down also reminded him of the good parts of his job as he wasted no time putting it in his bag catching her asking about the difficulty of the hunt which he admitted was a fun story.
"Thank you as always Miss Estelle," he said seeing the amount of gold in it before he looked up at her hearing her mention the table. "Ah I remember the creation you're speaking of, I'm glad I could help with that, I'll admit I'm curious how it'll turn out."
Seeing her smile he arched his brow at her and chuckled as he removed the remaining bolts putting them back in his bag before kneeling down.
Pressing the button on the ball caused the table it to collapse back inside before he picked it up and tossed it to her.
That smiles of hers was one that reminded him of the merchants he had to talk down in the marketplaces, but he couldn't deny her knowledge of such things was better then his own.
"The merchant is a week away so I'll take you up on that," Soru said. "For what it took to get it...well that was a journey in itself. I had to find someone with the knowledge of rare parts. When I did locate one he had apparently left the city though the way they spoke of him it was pretty clear he wasn't a Relic anymore. I asked around and found his brother, after bringing up the Wizards and listening to him rant for about twenty minutes he mentioned the city his brother was in, Kakiro I believe. After a very long process I got to the Kakiro and he was trying to get rid of the things, he had paid a fortune for them so he couldn't let them go without getting his money back but no one wants Relic objects in a Wizard village. He tried cheat me though having me pay fifty gold for the Red Gear alone let alone the rest, so I postponed the purchase, spread a rumor of an ex-Relic in the village. Sure enough when I went to visit him again his prices had dropped considerably seeing as he wanted to keep his past a secret."
Soru pat the bag on his waist with a content smile.
"I still paid a bit for them though but at a much cheaper price then their worth. I gave him my information as well just in case he needed help again so I got a new contact out of it. He got pretty mad about the rumor but I stopped the information flow once it was over. It's disappointing at how simple it was, even I didn't expect their hate to blind them that easily, I'll admit I feel guilty about it. I even offered deliver a letter to his brother after but when I did he just ripped it up without reading it."

Soru walked over to his bike and got back on it before adjusting his goggles.
"Anyway you didn't come out to hear me go on about my travels, did you need anything else? If not I'll be staying in the inn in town for a bit so don't hesitate to put in any requests with the guild, or if you don't want to go through the process you know to just speak with me, I've finished all my jobs anyway."
He leaned forward on the Reaver waiting before switching it back on.
 
The sinister like grin had turned to one made of amusement and a content feeling. Now with the table and her part, Estelle had quite a bit to do, but she'd get it done sooner than later. The two objects made themselves at home in her left pocket, her attention focused back on Soru as he told of his endeavors. She listened to him, her grin transforming into a smile, and at the end she released a burst of giggles. She followed him to the Reaver, smiling honestly, which was rare of her.
"My oh my. Take this for your troubles." Removing the pouch from her right pocket again, she gave him ten more of the coin, high in value with its golden hue. "Sorry for all that trouble."

Clearing her throat, she nodded to him, showing that he was allowed to leave, their transaction complete. Turning around, back now facing him, she strolled into her cave, the door closing lightly behind her. Once inside, she made way to her pets' room again, ordering in her sweetest of tones, "Zed, come here boy." Zed barked and walked to her on it's four metal legs, stopping at her feet.
Turning again, she exited the pets' room and went to her own room, placing the parts on the desk which had blueprints scattered about it. Behind her was Zed, following as he was instructed before. Atop her metallic dresser there was a pair of goggles, she grabbing them and putting them on. Sitting in her rolling swiveling chair, she rolled to the desk and looked at the blueprint that read Mark II. Reaching down, she looked at Zed.
"Upon up, boy." She commanded, watching as the dog's back opened to reveal a small storage section inside of it. Here she took various bolts and pieces of metal, tinkering with them and combining them to lengthier and bigger pieces of metal she had to the side of her desk. She did this for hours, working on both her new weapon, Mark II, and Soru's table at once. The table had given her an idea she could easily place into the blue prints mentally, which would make the weapon seem much cooler than it already would be.
 
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Soru watched her with wide eyes as she handed the ten coins to him a small smile on his face as he gave a small nod in thanks, when she turned his back to him he switched his Reaver on, pulled his goggles down and made his way back to town needing to stop by the guild.
It was good to hear someone enjoy his travels again, if he tried to bring them up with most he tended to just set off whoever he was talking to by mentioning the Relics or Wizards, even a few Handlers who chose to work for either side instead of both got touchy about it.
Something that still confused him since they were a neutral party.
He put the thought aside as he reached the town knowing thinking about it wasn't going to change anything, getting off Reaver and taking his motor with him he walked into the village.

Returning to the guild he wrote down a request and handed it to the man at the desk putting six gold coins in his hand, he pointed at the piece of parchment before speaking to him.
"I want this delivered by Perri to the Last Moon Orphanage in Zurin village as soon as possible. There's the formal written request I'll accept no one else for the task. Take the guild's take out of that."
The man nodded and put the request aside before Soru walked away from him making his way out of the guild, he gave a small nod to one of his fellow Handlers as he walked out into the village. He knew he could trust the request to Perri one of the few Handler's he could call his friend though the two rarely saw each other.
Walking into the room he paid with his earned silver from his previous job wanting to hold onto the gold coins Estelle had given him, it would come in handy if he had to enter the Wizard village again which he expected would happen soon.
Walking into the small room he glanced at the lantern hanging on the wall and chuckled a little remembering he bought a cheap room, the well furnished and expensive one's had chandelier's similar to the ones in the Handler's guild and were much larger.
Removing his bag he set it down next to a small desk and put all the pouches in his bag before removing his jacket and hat setting them on the table.
Rolling up the sleeves of his red striped shirt a little he sat on the bed and ran a hand through his light silver hair before falling on his back onto the bed.
He reached down the side-pocket of his pants and pulled out his gun sitting up and opening it's chamber peering inside, his mouth twisting up a bit he took a rag and started cleaning it out.
"Goodness Scarlet guessed I used you too much earlier," he mumbled.
He didn't mention it but he had the pleasure of dealing with bandits on his way here, it was something he was accustomed too since most Handlers were targets due to carrying sensitive things on them, some worth a bit of money.
They had been much worse lately though and regular traveler's had to deal with them far more often. Thankfully Mardos seemed free of them, and under normal circumstances he'd ignore it but one of them had actually used magic against him while the others attacked him with regular weapons.
"Amazing that they can work together when it comes to violence," he said chuckling a little as he closed the gun.
Putting his gun away he folded his hands behind his back and closed his eyes deciding to take a well deserved rest.
 
Estelle stayed up all night, working hard on the two objects she was determined to finish before dawn. Soon they were complete, each showing her dedication and hard work.
The table opened upon touching the ground now after the button was pressed, and it was much sturdier than before. This would help out much with Soru's heavier trades if he ever had any.
The weapon she built, Mark II, turned out to be a masterpiece. It was a box about the size of her fist. However, when a button on the side was pressed, it'd open up into a rifle of some sort, the handle around the area of the palm. The rifle was no longer than her arm's length in total, it having no clip nor trigger. It seemed to be just a barrel, a handle, and a scope, but it was much more. Now was the time to test if it worked.

She stood up and sent away Zed, it running back into the room with all the other pets. Stepping outside through her front door into the darkness, she looked both left and right. Where her cave was located was quite secluded, making this a great area to test her creations. Her front yard, which was split into two by a small cobblestone path, had five trees in total: three on the left side and two on the right. Aiming the gun up at the closest tree to the left, she touched a small slit on the left side of the barrel. It slid open and a blueish tinted aura flowed into the barrel. This left her weak, as she had overcharged it, the whole gun filled with her magic. She was still able to function, but she felt fatigue.

Taking a deep breath, she looked through the scope at the tree. As if caused by a signal from her mind, the gun shot thrice, each shot resembling a magical bolt. Each shot also had a different element, the first being a wind, which seemed to blow winds about the speed of a very weak hurricane. This nearly brought the tree up out of the ground, but instead it only managed to remove all of the green hued leaves. The second shot was a earth like one, the rock-like nature of the shot splitting the tree at the middle of its trunk's length. The last shot, which finished the deed, was a fire like shot, it scorching the split tree in an instant. What remained after the few seconds of flames were ashes.

Estelle squeaked and filled with joy, Mark II working just fine. Her lips curled into a smiled and she pressed the button at the base of the handle, the rifle folding until it was back into the box it started out as. She placed it in her left pocket and checked the time from her pocket watch. It was very early in the morning, the sun having yet to even rise. She figured it be a waste to go and wake up Soru to give him his table now, instead walking back inside her cave. Making way to her bed, she placed Mark II onto the rocky floor, beside VooDoo. It was time for her to rest, fore she deserved it. A smile still on her full lips, she cuddled snugly into her pillow, falling asleep. Tomorrow she'd have to make the long trip to Mardos to deliver Soru his parts, and she wanted to have as much energy as possible.
 
Early Evening had already fallen before Soru heard a loud knock at his door, his eyes twitching at the noise he slowly opened them to hear a man's voice on the other end of the door.
Sitting up he rubbed his eyes standing up from his bed, he wasn't pleased to have his slumber disturbed by the loud banging of a stranger, grabbing his gun he loaded it with a bolt prepared to make that clear through action if the need arose.
Opening the door his eyes met with a young man with black hair who wore a grey scarf around his neck, looking at the scarf Soru noticed the Handler Symbol on it his gaze meeting the young man's eyes. Blinking once the young man dug in his pocket then proceeded to hold out a small parchment towards him, taking it Soru glanced paper then to the boy before he read over the contents mumbling to himself.
Once he finished he handed it back to the young man seeing what the contents were about and partially blaming himself for being the cause of his missed slumber.
"I dealt with bandits when I came from there so take the other trade route, worst case is their watching it and it'd be easier not to have the other Handler's be attacked," Soru said ruffling his bed head. "I'm glad the guild noticed my warning and is taking action, could please leave so I can return to my day off."
The Handler nodded and walked away while Soru closed the door and walked back over to the bed before falling face first onto it.

After what felt like hours he sat back up realizing he wasn't getting back to sleep, noticing barely ten minutes had passed a small sigh escaped from him as he stood up and retrieved the map he kept in his bag before sitting back down opening it. He needed to get one that covered more of this region as he had technically come from the east, Mardos was almost on the edge of this map which didn't help all that much.
He eyed the villages before pointing at one of them with his finger, it being the closest Wizard city near Mardos, the village of Heiros which if his memory served him correctly had an excess of ex-Relics, it was more of the recent ones that had risen into the sky.
Regretfully no airships were heading up to it at the moment, he figured it was probably another dispute between the Relics and Wizards, when new cites were formed there was generally some argument.
Soru hoped they'd resolved the matter themselves but he knew that was expecting a bit too much, if their disagreement went on for too long they'd call in a Handler and he didn't want to take the risk of being pulled into it after just getting some time off.
Folding the map he returned it to his bag before walking over to the window, his eyes moving down to the bustling people below. For a small city it was surprisingly vibrant, he could see a fruit vendor selling his wares and a mother with her child making their way down the road.
"I'll have to take some time to check the town out later," Soru said walking away from the window.
 
The night blew by in a flash, Estelle captured by her deep slumber. When it was morning again, she woke up, always waking at the same time. It was like she was programmed to do so. Walking down the cave's hall and going into the door she never seemed to enter, she was greeted by the darkness of the room. Flipping a switch on the wall, the room lit up and a bathroom was clearly revealed. It was impressive since this was the only room she had to dig out herself. Somehow the other entrances and spaces in the cave were there before she even moved in. Showering, she hummed and enjoyed the warmth of the water.

When she stepped out, she dried and got dressed. Checking back in her room, she made sure she had the table and Mark II with her. Nodding once she was sure she was set, she made way to the entrance of the cave. From here she started walking, the way to town quite long. Along the way she flipped a coin and counted objects, taking detailed mental notes of where they were placed. She loved challenging her memory, making sure to keep her mind sharp always. The morning sun was hot, bringing her a great feeling as she walked towards Mardos.

Along the way she caught a glance of trouble. It was a few bandits, hiding in the bushes. They watched as she walked by and just when they thought her guard was down, they rushed at her. Their attempt to rob her was a fail, however. Estelle had already spotted them and was prepared. Releasing quite a bit of magic, the clouds above her and the men turned a pitch black color. Suddenly a loud clap of thunder erupted from the skies and following it was the sprouting of lightning. These streaks of electricity struck down onto the bandits, all four of them severely wounded afterwards. This was quite grand, as she had only recently learned large scale magic. It was a ocmpletely different feeling.
Catching her breath, she looked over the four downed men. The magic had drained her more than she expected. Shaking her head she stood, clearing her throat and continued on towards Mardos. The black clouds lost color until they became a pure white again. There was nothing that seemed wrong, aside the smug smile and the four bodies left behind her.
 
A loud knock woke Soru from his slumber yet again and with a groan he put the pillow over his head, however the knocking only grew louder and he stood up grabbing his gun and walking over to the door flung it open.
His hair was a mess and his clothes were ruffled from what little sleep he was able to get back, when he noticed the young man from yesterday had returned he took a moment to compose himself before asking what he needed.
"One of the Handler's picked up magic," the young man said adjusting his scarf as he spoke. "They asked me to come see you about it."
Soru stared at the young man in silence before he grabbed the door and started to close it, however the young man put his foot in the door stopping it from closing completely. With a bit of hesitation he opened the door back up and told the boy to wait a moment before he forcefully closed the door.
Fixing his hair and straightening his clothes he grabbed all his belongings, throwing his backpack on before adjusting his hat as walked out of his room.
"Explain it to me along the way," Soru said.

Apparently one of the Handler's who had a bit of experience in magic picked up high level magic being used outside of the town, it wasn't near the entrance but it was close enough for one of them to pick up and that worried half the tavern.
The representative of the guild questioned who had experience dealing with Wizards and apparently they all agreed Soru was the expert.
Soru squeezed the bridge of his nose at this as he was aware a few of them dealt with at least a few Wizards occasionally, it was part of the job to have knowledge on how to speak with both sides it was literally a test.
"They all recommended you Mr. Soru, they said your knowledge far exceeded anyone else's," the young man said.
"The sad thing about all this is they wouldn't say that normally, it's only because they don't want to do it," Soru said crossing his arms. "My knowledge is average I just get most of the jobs for...well this reason actually."
"If a Wizard comes into this town-"
"It would cause all manners of problems I know, it being high level magic probably caused a bit of a panic but it's not an issue we'll handle it as Handler's.

Soru reached the gate of the town and pat one of the guards who turned and noticed the symbol on his hat, they nodded at him and turning walked away.
Just as he did the young man walked over to the other side where the second guard was posted and stood there adjusting his scarf.
"Kid you don't have to stay here," Soru said glancing over at him. "They're just making me try to identify who caused the magic, and since the guards would just respond with malice I get to question every person who nears...I wouldn't wish this on anyone."
"My name is Leo Mr. Soru and I'm the one who noticed the magic...they told me not to tell you that though...sorry. I'll stay to at least let you know if I pick up the energy again."
Soru shook his head and leaned against the wall crossing his arms as he watched the roads, he could understand why they said that. It was thanks to him he had to watch the gate now, but he was believed he was getting paid for it.
"I am getting paid this right?" Soru asked.
"No they said it's work towards your village and it's your job as a Handler to support your town."
"Of course they did and I prefer the term mercenary," Soru said leaning off the wall. "Anyway don't forget whoever it is we have to respond with politeness and sensibility. That's part of our jobs."