Fists of the Goddess

[Shiny]

In the stillness of the night,
under the light of the stars,
a deity began her work.

The materials needed to forge her mighty guardians was pulled from the lands she herself had created so long ago. Each blessed with a powerful magic no human could dream of summoning up on their own. ...But not just anyone could be allowed to wield such power. The six stone guardians would need six capable masters. They would need someone righteous, strong-willed, cunning, smart… stubborn. Yes… these ones would have to do.

Surely, they could carry the burden of saving humanitys' future.

___________________________________________________________________________________

​

"Fuck! ...Damn that stings," Kaja muttered a few more choice words under her breath as she wiped the damp cloth over the fresh cut on her arm. The nerve of that guy, pulling a dagger out in a fist fight. Well at least he got what he deserved... his face in the dirt. After bandaging the wound with a clean piece of cloth, Kaja checked her reflection in the mirror. She spotted a bruise on her jaw but other than that there were just a few scrapes here and there. Even so, it would be enough evidence for her mother to notice and Kaja could already hear the lecture buzzing in her ears, and imagine the disappointment in those eyes. The ones that, even without words, asked her why she couldn't be more like her brother was....

Kaja sighed. She hated when her thoughts went to him, it really put her mind in a bad way.... But, she had a special place for burning off her bad moods.

It was evening by the time Kaja reached the top of the canyon cliff that hid Wayra. Only official Watchers were suppose to be up here, to watch the horizon for giants. Getting caught could land her in a huge world of trouble, but the risk was worth it if it meant a good look at the sky. It was so easy forget it was more than a fissure between the rock walls. She wondered if all those sparkling lights stretched out forever, or if they ended at the horizon....

"Hey you! What do you think you're doing up here?!" The voice broke her thoughts and she noticed a guard coming her way. "Oh damn, gotta go," Kaja muttered to herself as tried to quickly make her way back down the way she climbed up, ignoring the guard's commands to stop. In her haste, her foot slipped and down she fell, crashing through the roof of an empty old shack.

"Fucking.... owww," Kaja rolled off her aching back and tried to get on her feet. The guards couldn't be that far away and she would need to get going if she wanted t---. She failed to finish her thought as she noticed something reflecting moonlight from the freshly made hole in the shack's roof. A pair of gauntlets.... She couldn't understand why a dusty old pair of metal gloves held her attention when she should be running. She also couldn't understand what drove her to reach out and slip them on, as if they were meant to be her's all along.

"Wh-... what?" The stomping of encroaching guards was gone, replaced by the sound of wind and the gentle trickle of running water. Kaja stood in what looked like an open chamber of a palace from a fairy tale. In the center was a flat fountain, and all around, tall openings revealed the outside sea of clouds that began where the floating land ended.

"How... what... Where the hell AM I!?"

 

[Dawn]

Even bound in thick wool and fur, the temperature at this height was enough to make the small hunting party tremble with each step forward. And forward they would continue because it meant food on the table. Each man was wrapped from head to toe save for a tiny slot for his eyes and carrying a pack on his back and a spear in his hand. Some also carried bows or axes. Only one carried a sword.

His name was Parka, son of Hearth, brown-eyed brunette with an athletic build and a face that was definitely easy on the eyes. An apprentice bladesmith. He was not a hunter by trade and neither was meat the reason for his involvement with this party. They'd met by chance; the hunters traveling along a new game trail while Parka had been following a lead on something in which he'd invested much leisure time. And although it had been chance that had brought them together, it was the young man's talent that had the hunters urging him to remain with them for as long as their paths overlapped.

After all, a magic user was uncommon in these parts.

While these seasoned men battled the cold, Parka strolled casually ahead of them as though it were a fine autumn day. Then again, the cold had never much bothered the boy. Now heat on the other hand was a different story...

"I see a cave up ahead. The tracks lead into it," he called over his shoulder. His breath escaped in thick wisps as though his very soul was fleeing the danger that almost certainly waited on the other side of that threshold. The paw of the beast was the size of Parka's head after all...

One by one the hunters entered the cave behind him and they gathered in the dim tunnel while one fetched a torch from the dry innards of his pack. Once light was licking softly at the cave walls, the leader of the party strode forward with torch in one hand and spear in the other and Parka at his side. For a long time they traveled in uncomfortable silence, ears prickling each time there came a sound from further down the tunnel. Bones littered the muddy floor, tripping hazards that made progress much slower than any of them would have liked. And as they moved deeper, the stench grew stronger.

"I think we're close..." one of the men whispered and was immediately hushed by the leader, who stopped in his tracks and stood very, very still. He listened, as did Parka, heart hammering away in his chest while he ran defensive maneuvers through his mind at lightning speed. The longer they stood there, the more nervous he grew, until the hair on the back of his neck tingled and goosebumps rose on his arms. Was that...breathing?

Ice was already forming at his fingertips as the beast attacked, lunging from the darkness of the tunnel ahead with eyes flashing wildly and jagged teeth snarling, shoulders scraping the roof of the tunnel for how monstrous it really was. The beast, however, met with a solid, frosty wall of ice. It was several feet thick but it certainly wouldn't hold out for much longer. The leader was shouting orders, the hunters scrambling into place and steeling themselves for the moment the barrier collapsed. "Get back, Parka! Get to safety, boy! Leave this to us now!"

Parka did as he was told, backing up quickly, over the ground that trembled with each time the beast threw itself against the barrier. The whole tunnel was trembling now, just like the hunters had out in the bitter cold.

SNAP! CRACK!

He flicked his gaze upward at the tunnel's roof, just in time to see it collapse. The next thing Parka knew, he was falling...

falling...

falling...

falling...



When he woke, it was to darkness and the luke-warmth of minutes-old blood trickling from somewhere above his hairline. With a shaky hand, he wiped the blood from his eye and blinked at his surroundings. He was drowsy and his legs wobbled as he stood, but conscious he remained as he stumbled toward the only source of light in this uncomfortably dark place. A wooden crate, half rotted away from who knows how many years of abandonment. And inside...

The moment his fingertips touched the cold steel and fur gauntlets, he was enveloped in light. When it faded, he found himself staring at a fountain.

A fountain?

Something clicked in his head, telling him that a fountain was wrong. Whirling around, he immediately noticed the grand pillars and yawning open archways and just stood there in awe and confusion. Stood there, bundled in wool and fur outer clothing with only his amber gaze exposed, frost and snow still clinging to his person and now glistening under the casual warmth, left eyebrow thick with drying blood, the skin around the eye a faint smeared red. And of course the gauntlets firmly gripped in his hands. He stood there, a little numb in the brain, watching a girl he'd never seen before shout at no one in particular.

Well, if she was going to do it, why couldn't he?

"ARGH! MY HEAD HURTS! WHY WAS I THE ONLY ONE WHO FELL DOWN A DEEP, DARK PIT OF DESPAIR AND GLOWY HAND ACCESSORIES?!"

Fuck yeah, that felt good.

 

[Nino Notachat]

Upon entering Janan for the first time since she escaped, Canis could have sworn that her heart was going to stop. Carefully she and her companion Mars trudged the path to the city walls; each step causing little fits of worry. They were almost at the gate now.


It's not too late to just go back. Hair whipping against the wind, Canis's "iron" will was beginning to crumble. It had taken her years to come to this conclusion- she had experienced her adventure, that was it. Time to make a living. Get a husband, start a family... I'm not ready for this. Why the hell am I still moving forward?! A sigh escaped her lips as the gate grew nearer; completely unsure of how her family would react to her arrival, the melancholy look on her face didn't change. She wanted to grab Mars's arm, throw things, get angry... but it never happened. Being on her own had hardened the once-sheltered girl over the years, leaving her almost desensitized.


What will be, will be. You made this decision, commit to it.


"I'm excited to meet your family!" The cheerful tone and a nugde shook Canis out of her trance, a smile dancing it's way across her lips. She met Mars back in Isolde- an adventure-seeking girl and the one who just-so-happened to be on one. Growing closer than they had expected, getting to Janan somehow felt like the complete end of it. Every step filled Canis with panic.


"They would love to meet you, I'm sure...I bet there's all kinds of food waiting for us!" As positive as she tried to sound, that nagging feeling from days ago returned. Canis had made the decision to travel to Janan- in the dead-stillness of the night, panting and sweating as if she woke from a nightmare. Mars stopped the moment they got too close to the gate, papers for passage in her hand. It was then, that her free one clasped around Canis's; a mere moment that caused her to completely lose track of her thoughts.


"Don't lose faith in yourself..." After Mars spoke, the ground below them started to shift and crumble. Moment of clarity gone, chaos moved in; debris falling from all sides, into a large hole. A hole Canis was now dangling over. Everything strapped to her back had fallen-- except for the sword her father made for her before she left. Instead of clutching onto Mars with two hands, one had to grasp around the falling sheath at her hip.


"What-- the hell is going on...? Mars!!" She managed to spit out, clutching to her friend's arm. They both were slipping; if she didn't let go, both of them were going to die. As more debris fell, Canis already made her decision; oddly enough, it seemed as though Mars knew. Before the two could manage to speak, Canis had slipped-- the warmth from her friend's hand replaced with cool air. All she could think of as she plummeted further into the unknown was that the death would be qui--


Drip, drip, drop...she could hear the sound of a running fountain, but couldn't see a thing. It could have been her imagination, but the fact that she couldn't open her eyes was frightening.


.....Am I dead? I smell...fire-- I'm on fire?!


It was the oddly-appealing smell of sulfur that snapped Canis awake, foggy and almost lightheaded-- grunting and reaching out for the goggles that had broken and now lay beside her. Once they were back on their place on her head, she felt a quite unpleasant bump forming there. Wincing, she lifted herself up from the ground- immediately distracted from her complaints, by a little fluttering ball of fire. The worst part was, she was surrounded by darkness-- or did she go blind? "That fall didn't kill me?!" Staggering after it, the shock in her voice was obvious; she HAD to be dead and this was hell. The closer she came to the dancing flame, the more something burned in her chest; giving her the power to move on and finally reach out to grasp it...


Just then, the fire consumed her; gauntlets of gold and flame majestically spinning around her arms and legs. Those things should have burnt her skin, but it didn't; in disbelief, she soon found herself able to see- red faced and blinking at the yelling pair in front of her. "........yup. I've died and now I'm being punished. That has to be it."

 

[Vay]

"STOP! THIEF!"

The sounds echoed behind her as she dashed through the streets.

"I'm not a thief." she called back. "I just don't believe in currency."

She didn't even need to look back though to imagine Guardcaptain Lithial's fat head with the scarred cheek that he said he got in a fight but more likely he fell down while drunk. With him would be two of his lackeys, Intion and Feltor, the three had had it in for Chol for years because she was a menace to society or some bullshit. More likely because she was pretty and they knew a few dark alleys by the docks that no one would notice a few more screams. Men..

"Heya Cappie? Miss me?" she asked as she double backed around a stall and snatched the guardcaptain's hat as she passed just behind him, then she was scrambling up the side of is a stall and running along the roof the guards in hot pursuit.

"You think this is another time where you get away? Well you're mistaken." she heard his voice behind her and stopped to wiggle her butt at him and spank it as the shrill sound of the guards' whistled filled the streets. "Well, gotta go." she kept running until she reached then end of the line of stalls and leaped, grabbing hold of the rope of a banner and swing to grab hold of a balcony and pull herself up.

"Pardon me coming through." she said dodging past a group of middle class rubbernecks watching the commotion and vaulted over the other side to run along the garden wall, jump down and... find herself surrounded.

"Oh... well then..." the guards all had their swords drawn and looking mean.

"Haha..." she reached into her bag of loot for a weapon and pulled out what turned out to be a loaf of bread. "Crap... any of your boys hungry?

As one they rushed.

"Didn't think so..."

She crushed the dry loaf in her hand and flung the crumbs at her attackers, ducking out the way and slipping through their legs to take off towards the docks. Reaching the first retaining wall holding the land back as it fell away towards the water she jumped from it onto a fishing shack and... fell through the roof landing heavily on a pile of nets.

"Ooffffuck." she could hear the whistles of her pursuers and started to stand shaking her head before she caught a glint out of the corner of her eye.

"Hello lovelies..." she said sitting on her haunches and moving a net to uncover a pair of stone gauntlets, each with a different color jewel set in the palm. "You two look like you're worth something..." she looked around making sure she wasn't being watched. "Don't worry lovies, mommy's here."

As soon as she touched them she was engulfed in blackness.

Then she was engulfed in something else. Something wet. "'eck!" her mouth filled with water as she struggled to tell which way was up, finally flopping over the side of the fountain coughing and heaving... "Cursed gloves... just my luck..."

 

[Auntie Phaz]

Lyrian stepped into the grand entrance of his home off the high street of Janan, closing the door behind him after waving on the carriage driver and listening for a moment to the clopping of hooves on cobblestones fading into the distance. Sighing contentedly, he removed his gloves and hat, handing them to the doorman before proceeding up the spiral staircase to the second story. He was glad to be home after a tiring evening of entertaining and social visits at the house of a family friend and was looking forward to retiring to his chambers for the rest of the night. Although he had hoped to make a few valuable business connections by attending the soiree, it had turned out most of Janan's elite in attendance were only interested in discussing their own trivial concerns and decadent pursuits.

Reaching his room, a finely dressed servant waiting outside bowed gracefully and then opened the door for Lyrian. "Your room has been prepared, master Lyrian. There is a package that arrived for you earlier on the desk."

"Thank you, Sayre. Please see to it that I am not disturbed until morning." The servant nodded and then closed the door behind Lyrian as he entered.

Lyrian immediately made his way over to his desk. Just as Sayre had said, there was a square package wrapped in brown parchment paper and tied with string sitting there. It looked perfectly ordinary, like any other package he might have received on an average day, but Lyrian felt somehow drawn to it and intrigued despite its plain appearance.

Taking a seat at the desk, he turned on the small oil lamp he used for light there to better see the package. There was no note or card stating who it was from, or even that it was addressed to him. It also occurred to him that he had not been expecting any delivery that day, but he pushed these concerns to the back of his mind for the time being, choosing instead to satify his curiosity as to the contents of the package.

Lyrian first untied the strings binding the outside before carefully removing the layers of paper enclosing the parcel. Beneath them was an ornate wooden box, its surface carved with radiating jagged lines and laid with precious stones and jewels that glimmered faintly in the lamplight. He almost gasped in awe of the beauty of the craftsmanship. It if had been meant as a gift for him, he was certainly impressed to say the least.

Inspecting the outside of the box further, Lyrian noticed a small clasp on the front. Opening it and slowly lifting the box's hinged lid, he saw that inside the box was a pair of gauntlets, decorated much the same as the box itself but consisting of metal plates and rich leather rather than wood and stones. Reaching inside, he lifted them up to look at them in the lamp's soft glow, but a brighter, sharper light suddenly seemed to surround him all at once.

Standing up in alarm, Lyrian turned around as the light faded to reveal a place other than his bedroom. Rather than elegant oak furniture and plush rugs he now saw ancient stone columns and beams of sunlight streaming down from openings high above him.

"Am I in a... temple? What?" He looked around, staring blankly at his new surroundings and trying to understand where he was and how he had gotten there. He could hear voices coming from the other side of the pillar closest to him, and so he followed them.

Lyrian rounded the pillar to find a group of people standing near a fountain, one of which had apparently fallen in judging by the fact that she was dripping wet.

"Uh... Hello?" he blurted out, not knowing what to say as he blinked in surprise at the presence of the four others.

 

[Shiny]

Kaja's attention snapped to the source of the voice behind her. A guy, she guessed by the tone of his voice, dressed in clothing too thick to possibly be from Wayra was yelling like a crazy person. Or maybe he was mocking her? She couldn't be sure. But she was pretty sure he wasn't there when she first appeared. Slowly, the cogs in her head turned to put together a reason for her being here. "These cursed gauntlets... they're part of some kind of kidnapping plot, aren't they!? Well I'm got getting sold off to any creepy old farts!" She announced, approaching the guy and roughly gripping the collar of his coat. She would've tried to aim a punch at his exposed eyes if more commotion in the room hadn't drawn her focus. Three more people had appeared, one who'd fallen into the fountain.

Kaja had been pretty oblivious before, but now she noticed. Every one of them was wearing or holding a pair of gauntlets, though they looked slightly different from the silver pair she'd found with pearly beige jewels and wispy patterns on the backsides. "....Who the hell are you people?" She finally asked, since it seemed like they weren't her kidnappers, but others who'd stumbled across weird magical items.

 

[Dawn]

"Kidnapping-- wha?" As the girl stalked toward him, Parka took note of her agitated expression and knew exactly what was coming. He steeled himself, gaze solid like a wall of ice as she grabbed hold of his overcoat and reeled back for a punch.

Do it. I dare you, said his gaze. One punch wouldn't be nearly enough to take this tough boy down and whether or not he was guilty of somehow offending her, she was only getting one free shot. His hand was already moving to his side when she paused, observing and addressing their sudden company.

Of course Parka took this opportunity to promptly headbutt her.

"Normal people offer their name up first before demanding it from others," he snickered as he stumbled out of her grip and back a few paces. Holding his twice-injured head, he finally turned his attention toward the others, eyeing them with curiosity. One was uncomfortably quiet, one was wet, and one clearly came from money. All of them were holding gauntlets.

"I take it everyone just found these?" he asked, holding up his own set for them to see. "I also take it that we're not in Isolde, considering I'm sweating my ass off here. Well... Whatever. I'm Parka."

 

[Nino Notachat]

Canis blinked at everyone; eyebrow raised as the water splashed on her seemed to disintegrate before it came into contact with her skin. Whatever pains and questions she had were replaced by complete awe; a chuckle tinged with mischief escaped her before she spoke.


This fire, it's...mine.


"Hell...yes." Canis mused to herself. Eyes focused on the twirling flames around her wrist, she nodded and placed the other hand on the sword at her hip. The bundled up one got agressive with the paranoid girl and her look was soon replaced with what seemed like annoyance. "Look, Pooka-- just calm down. Don't know where we are-- but if we can get past the formalities, I'm sure all of us can figure out a way out of here."


Flashing all of them a grin, she held out her right hand. "I'm Canis Cole." This time, it was easier for her not to simply STARE at the gorgeous thing around her wrist-- finally she was getting used to it.

 

[Vay]

Chol regained her feet and her face shot up. That accent... the tone... everything about that voice. "Oh hell no." she snapped. "I'm not going to let some fancy ass noble bitch tell me to calm down." She was pulling on the gauntlets that had brought her here because who recognized weapons when she say them and they fit, perfectly. "Sorry, princess but I don't think this is the time for tea and crumpets, if you want a way out of somewhere you ask a thief. If we find ourselves in need of some laws that need bending or officials that need bribing I'll come see you.

She had caught sight of which of the girls she was talking to, and she was right in front of Chol so a rock-covered hand reached out to shove Canis. "So screw your formalities, I'm getting out right now. If I can break out of poorside prison this place will be a snap. And these..." she raised her fists. "I can retire on these..."

 

[Auntie Phaz]

Lyrian looked down at his own pair of gauntlets, marveling once again at their unique design and exquisite beauty. So, it seemed each of them had a similar pair, and one way or another they had all been brought here. But why? What did it mean? If there was some reason they had all received a pair of strange gauntlets and ended up in this place, what could it be?

Slipping on the gauntlets, he stretched his fingers and turned his hands over a few times to feel them out. It was like they had been custom made for him, and instantly he felt an odd though not entirely unpleasant tingling sensation traveling up his arms. His heart raced in exhilaration as he sensed the surge of power the gauntlets brought to his body. Supercharged and reinvigorated, he felt like he could do anything while wearing them.

As exciting as it was, Lyrian still wondered what this was all about. Most of the others now seemed to be at each others throats instead of concerned about what had brought them here. It was quickly becoming apparent that this was not a group full of level heads. Walking over to Canis, he took her gauntlet-clad hand in his own and gave it his best businessman's shake. "Nice to meet you, Canis. I'm Lyrian Trevane, and I for one would like to know why we're here."

He turned and looked at each of the other members in the group, eager to hear if they had any answers.

 

[Shiny]

"Ah! Son of a-- what kind of cheap shot was that!?" Kaja had looked back at the hooded figure just in time to get headbutted. And she hadn't even planned on hitting him... probably. She would retaliate, but this was an unusual situation, one that called for... thinking. Clearly, they were all here because they found some cursed gauntlets or something.

"Ha, Pooka! I like that," Kaja said, rubbing her forehead as she looked around again, focusing on the proper looking dude in sharp clothing. "Yeah, I don't think anyone here has a clue why we're here. Also, this place looks pretty high up... and it might be floating?"

"You were all summoned here, and for good reason...." Echoed a voice.

The fountain's water rippled even more, giving off a pale glow as a figure rose to stand above the others.

Spoiler

Slowly, eerily violet gaze looked between the group's members. "Canis, Chol, Lyrian, Kaja..." she watched the remaining young man for a moment, "...Parka. And one who has yet to join us."

Kaja blinked in her confusion, waiting for further explanation that didn't come. "Hey.... does anyone know what this weird chick is talking about?"

 

[Nino Notachat]

Canis's usually-jovial look changed to flat and irritated after Chol decided to go off; pushing the negative thoughts from her mind, she decided to ignore her. Not before dusting off her shoved shoulder and kindly shaking Lyrian's hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you all...mostly and I would also like to know why we're he--"


Just then, a voice came from the fountain; hand quickly hovering over the hilt of her sword, she did not draw and wouldn't-- until the need arose. Upon seeing the shimmering figure rise, the only thing that arose was Canis's curiosity. This situation had gone from strange to even more strange; eyebrow raised, she stood by Lyrian and the others.


It was not in her nature to simply stand and watch; a natural leader, opening her mouth also tended to cause her trouble. Right about now, trouble was the last thing on her mind.


"You summoned us here and albeit it was somewhat painful, it was for a good reason?" The throbbing bump on her head made her wince for a moment, before continuing. "These...gauntlets-- they were from you as well? Now that all of us are here, what is it that you'd have us do?"


This was possibly her chance to change her inevitable, boring future of being a sword-smith, getting married off to some rich jerk...in that case, she'd do ANYTHING to avoid it. Anything.

 

[Dawn]

A mere roll of his eyes at the dumb name was Parka's only response. He didn't have time for little girl jokes, seeing as he'd been separated from the hunters at a crucial moment and now...now it was nipping at the back of his mind and filling his heart with worry. So with one last glance at the others, he turned on his heel and started toward the closest archway, intent on walking the whole way back if he needed to. The cool-to-the-touch gauntlets he held in his hands were a concern however. What should he do with them? If he kept them, would they magically teleport him back to this place again? That could be a problem.

He'd just reached the arch, gaze sweeping across the horizon but never actually getting the chance to register what he was looking at because it was at that very moment that he heard a new voice address him. Turning his head to look over his shoulder, he spotted the woman in the fountain, the rest of his body slowly turning to match. Of course he was wary. She'd appeared rather suddenly and seemed to know that one more person was on the way. And by the sounds of it, she was the one responsible for their arriving here in the first place.

Curious now, Parka doubled back, his pace slower than when he'd been determined to leave. "You're a magic user like me, aren't you?" he asked her. "I can feel your aura. It's subtle but there." What he couldn't tell, however, was whether she only had a trace of magic or she was just hiding her full potential. "I wanna know why we're here. Why did you take me away from the hunters? And I was tracking a clue about Panoukla too." He was frustrated and it showed on his face, as his emotions often did. "How is mankind ever supposed to defeat these Giants if every time I try to study one, something gets in my way, huh?"

 

[Kooriryu]

Lumisun almost wished that it had been regular bandits.

A pack of hungry wolves decided to try their luck at the caravan she and her crew were escorting from Wayra. They were a scrawny lot and probably hoped to separate unyolked horse from the line by scaring the entire convoy. It would have worked... except wolves don't understand the concept of harness lines. Probably to do with the wolfish nature to roam freely, howl at the moon, and poop in the woods. (Usually in the front of fox dens.)

The wolves did succeed in scaring the horses though. The wolves' second problem was the horses' ingrained instinct to follow the caravan path. Running onward frightened, their pure four-legged horse power spilled a good percent of the wagons' contents. Contents that Lumisun and the rest of the caravan escorts would have to help recover as now they would be even more vulnerable to bandit attack. The wolves, after realizing their tactic did not work sulked back into the shadows maybe even a little ashamed at their amateurish attempt. The long-eared woman trudged through the underbrush, dutifully flinging every shiny bit she found in the dirt into the collection bag. The merchants could sort through it all once they finished recovering everything that looked to be sellable.

Lumisun was not about this life.

Peeking out from beneath a particularly leafy fern, gold glinted and reflected light straight into Lumisun's eyes. Recoiling from the sudden flash, the caravan guard bent down and fished the golden item from the bushes. They were a beautiful pair of gauntlets. Lumisun wasn't aware those merchants also dabbled in armor. They were exquisite, the filigree alone would make any sellsword loosen up their purse strings.

Screwing up her face contemplatively, Lumisun dug into her sleeve to pull up her money pouch-- it was hefty, she hadn't bothered to stop by Wayra and hand her grandparents their monthly allotment. Should... should I be selfish just this once? Lumisun pondered, looking down at her worn leather gloves, the right handed one missing the index and middle fingers. She had ripped them off to pretend they were archer's gloves but truthfully they had their seams broken beyond repair.

Taking a slow glance around her and finding none of her comrades nearby, she gingerly tried on the gauntlets and drew her sword. After a few practice swings, Lumisun tried different stances. They fit magnificently... ! It even feels like they give me a better grip on my swor—

A nimbus of light from the gauntlets crawled up her arms and swallowed up the caravan guard before the last syllable came out of her mouth.

Inside, beside a serenely trickling fountain a pulse of light throbbed three times before coagulating into Lumisun's form and faded to reveal her. However, Lumisun was still in the Rising Phoenix of Gairo Mountain stance. It took awhile for her eyes to adjust to the light inside, her pupils dilated and contracted many times to make out the forms of five plus one dressed quite suspiciously.

"... Cobra bandit?" she asked, hopping on her one foot to point the phoenix stance at the woman.

 

[Shiny]

Kaja once again glanced between the members of the gathered group, and the strange lady who'd appeared out of the fountain. She'd seen people use magic, but never anything that let a person materialize out of nowhere. Did that mean this woman wasn't human? It certainly didn't seem like it, with the way she moved. Kaja couldn't really explain it too well in words but the being's motions, and the way she looked between them, they were too.... flowy. Too smooth and sure. That and she knew all their names without them being given to her. It freaked her out. Slowly, she backed up until she was leaning against a grand pillar, looking over her shoulder to take in her surroundings, wondering if that Parker guy was serious about what he was saying. Study giants? That was pointless suicide.

The violet clad woman looked to Canis first. "You misunderstand, child. It was not I who summoned you. I am but a servant, sent to guide, and prepare." She seemed to ignore the second question, and all of the ones that followed from Parka, not saying anything more until after another person appeared from a bright source of light.

"You may call me Eris," she corrected the newcomer, stepping down from the fountain. With the full group gathered, Eris felt it was time to answer their many questions.

"You were all chosen, and summoned here by the Goddess to finally bring an end to the Giants that plague your world."