Second Horizon IC

[ERode]

"What is the meaning of this?!"

"There's no meaning at all to this."​

"You're saying that the kin-"

"You have no need to think about its non-existent meaning."​

"But it's his daughter!"

"It's 'it'. Nothing more, nothing less."​

"Do you even un-"

"The hallmark of a true servant is an unswerving loyalty to their master."​

"To the extent where you'll do this to his very kin?"

"It's sanctioned by the king, so it is what I shall do. And you?"​

"Unquestioning loyalty is a fool's loyalty, Butler."

"If you try anything, the kingdom's going to turn against you, Ogre-Eater."​

"Shut up."

"I'll mark this off as your resignation letter."

​

As two men parted ways, 'it' shuddered, wriggling in self-manifested blackness.
~♛~​

[BCOLOR=#808080] The First Blade Black Ambition [/BCOLOR]

The Black Queen was ringed by Towers, isolated by its King.
The Kingless Pawns advanced, unable to see anything but what's above..
The Red Knight waited even as it cursed itself, hidden out of sight.
The Blue Bishop urged its Rooks onwards, its eyes forever directed above.

And, resting on the chessboard, the unseen hand shifted contemplatively, plotting its tenth move.

~♛~
​

Dedegear, as usual, was chaotic and disorderly, a hundred voices mingling together to form a quilt of preposterous gossip and flamboyant gossip. Cold wind swept through the winding, narrow streets, but snow had yet to fall on the northern capital of Talze Utera. Those winds carried a certain tale, of a person who could bestow the power of magic to any other, regardless of gender or birth defect.

Cykes was somber, overcast skies diminishing the shine of technology that was present in every inch of its buildings. Birdships flew gracefully from above, leaving trails of fire in their wake as they patrolled the skies. Though the number of victims were not particularly big, the most recent stream of rouge vampire attacks had set the city on edge. Students locked everything at night, and the few who still wandered in the streets during the midnight hours were scrutinized by guards. The werewolves of the Witchmother North accompanied Dansilan guards, sniffing out the trail of the vampire that had so boldly broke the unified laws of Talze Utera.

The capital of Astopol, Koestace, was alight with festivities as the Quarterly Harvest was brought in. With its pearl-white buildings adorned with orange blossoms and cherry leaves, lanterns crisscrossing the streets to form incandescent stars, it was a happy time to be in Astopol. Food was free, drink was free, pretty much everything was shared amongst everyone for this single night, as everyone was allowed one night of fun-filled debauchery...granted that they didn't do something unconsensual or drug-related. But, as the day shone over the beginnings of the day-long party, a lone airship left the ports of the mountain-capital, silently flying westwards.

And in the town of King Lazaros, Alzemel, the cold sun shone down bitterly over the rain-drenched lands. A week of harsh monsoons had passed, and it was only now that caravans could safely traverse the roads once more. The clanging of smiths, the roaring of hearthfires, the bantering of hagglers, all those things sounded as the industrious workers of Alzemel got back to business, catching up to work that had to be put on hold due to weather. It was a depressing past week, but it brought a brilliant rainbow in the morning, and a whole week's worth of energy to be put into the workshops and smitheries and bakeries and stores. The smell of iron and bread mixed together into what could only be considered an aroma unique to Illiserev's unwashed masses. A perfume that the nobles were not, in fact, privileged to.​

 

[Voltin]

A breeze drafted through the shoddily built bar, turning the page that Arbour had been thumbing for the past two minutes. The place was packed, despite the more open nature of the establishment compared to some in the area, but was still the best place to grab some ale and be left to your own devices until daybreak's come. A patron had just bumped into the arm Arbour had been using to steady his mug on the table with one leg too short, spilling a bit of his drink on the tome he had been reading. He left it alone, and simply turned back to line he had left off at.

The man had hit a dead end on his search for magic. Magic that he could use. Of course, magic never came easily to him, it never did, never was going to, so, he renewed his search in the past. A book on recent history was the current volume of the night; namely, it was the birthing of the Musphelheim demon. It was interesting to know that the reformer Riolia had named the city he was currently residing in after her destroyed God of War, Dead Gear, but his main interest lie in the creature that had spawned above the volcano's crater. Such a creature wasn't known to exist in this world, and a monster with similar characteristic, if much smaller, was said to be sighted from compiled first-hand reports. It intrigued him, particularly if the rumors were to be true that there was a witch who dealt in multiple dimensions.

What did this have to do with him being capable of magic? Nothing, really, but as one of his old teachers at Cykes had sometimes told him, "If there isn't an answer in the present, always look to the past."

"Have you heard?" It was the voice of one of the bar's many patrons. A giant of a man, who didn't look prone to discretion. "There's a miracle maker here; a magic-giver!" Arbour's ears perked at this as he put away his book and scotched in closer to hear. It seemed his answer was in the present after all.

"Don't be an idiot!" his speaking compatriot responded, sloshing his drink as he smacked the giant on his back.
"But it's true! My friend Lyle said his nephew was casting spells the other day like a natural!"
"That don't mean a damn thing!" The elf, his friend, said before laughing at his ignorance.
"It's true, it's true! I even heard that there would be another demonstration at the abandoned house three doors down form the orphanage! Tonight even!"

Before he could even finish listening to the rest of the giant's statement, Arbour rushed out the door, bruising parts of himself as he bumped into various pieces of furnirture, patrons, and tripping over his own two feet at least three times.

He had a lead.

 

[Raiden]

Eile Fon Lavin

"OUT! OUT YOU DIRTY HALF BREED!" A tanuki man yelled as random item was thrown at the brown and green Half Tanuki Oni woman, Eile Fon Lavin, as she bolted out the front door of the inn she was trying to stay at.

"Come on now. It's not like I was going to let your wife know about where you were just now." Eile called out as she ducked under some pots and books that was thrown her way, her blackmailing attempt not working as planned.

Even if she liked a good fight every now and then, Eile drew the fighting line with civilians. After all, civilians can't defend themselves properly in real combat. Eile wondered how getting a room at the inn near a major university in Dansila turned into this particular mess before a knife shot between her fluffy ears on top of her head that brought her back to her current predicament. Bolting out of the inn itself, Eile slammed the door behind her as she started running down the path with everything she ever owned and her Talentium Shuriken on her back.

The Tanuki man wrenched the door open as he tossed one knife over Eile. It landed just in front of her, causing her to stop extremely quickly before tumbling onto the dirt path. Eile quickly got up as she turned around to see the innkeeper there with several knifes at the ready.

"Now now. I'm certain if we talked this out, we can come to a reasonable conclusion to this discrimination. After all, it's not like I'm actively hurting you." Eile quickly said as she slowly backed away from the knife wielding Tanuki.

"Save your conclusions and your words to the Tanuki village you destroyed you filthy half breed!" the innkeeper spat out.

"That wasn't my fault at all." Eile replied as she pulled out her Shuriken and got into a defensive stance in case she needed to start deflecting more cutlery.

 

[Psyker Landshark]

"I should have left Talze Utera years ago," Astrid muttered to herself as she overlooked the streets of Koestace atop her inn room balcony. "At least that silly Conference had some use." She smiled thinly as she took a sip out of her glass of wine. Some people might think that drinking this early in the morning was a tad excessive, but they coul

While Astrid drank and observed, the residents of Koestace seemed to finally wake up and start their day, seeing as people began to bustle about in the streets. An air of jubiliation filled the city as the festival began.

"It's about bloody time." Astrid set down her now-empty wine glass, grinning. "I suppose I'll see how fun this festival is. Then perhaps move on to Dansila...Cykes should be nice this time of year."

Resisting the urge to simply leap down from her balcony onto the street, Astrid restrained herself and walked down the stairs of the inn and out the front door like a normal person would, not wanting to draw too much undue attention to herself. Even with the Conference, most residents of Astopol still had a rather large grudge against monsters, and Astrid couldn't exactly enjoy herself if the Knights of Astopol were suddenly out for her blood.

"Now...what to do?" Astrid asked herself as she walked down the main road, taking in the bustling city around her.

 

[Anderiel]

Noon.
Koestace, Astopol

Today was a festive one in Koestace, people young and old paraded around joyfully as new harvest brought great amounts of food and resources to the city. Though she was less than enthusiastic for today being such a boisterous event, she wasn't within the city to have fun. Finding an alleyway which wasn't occupied by a kissing couple or anything of the like, Lydia sat herself against the stone wall and began to carve into the cobble at her feet. A map of Koestace 'half-assed albeit' was shoddily etched, as she scanned the tiers of the city she should look next.

And again that question prodded through her head, look for what?

"So.. I'll start in the market areas, and then work my way towards that Inn." As she stated this circling the areas she had already visited and memorized with her spear.


She was confident, but by no right should she have been. She didn't even know what she was looking for? A question, a person, some item of no need or value? It boggled her mind to the point where thinking of that 'what' was just irrelevant at this point. She was here. That's what mattered, follow the plan Lydia, follow the plan. So she marched, with spear over shoulder and her eyes changing from the ground to forward at random moments that almost matched the moment another person passed. To anyone who was on the lookout for someone who seemed unusual, she'd stick out like a sore thumb.

Before that however, a child appeared before her.. apparently he had straggled away from his parent and seemed to seek refuge behind the young looking Lydia's leg. Surprised, awkwardly looking at the boy's mother and then the boy, and then the ground.. She bowed her head down in respect to the brown-robed woman whom looked increasingly irritated by the scamp in his undergarments.

"Hand over the cub miss, he needs to get dressed."

"S-sorry ma'am, little one... Can you not latch to my leg, it's unusual."

"I ain't goin' she's gunn' make me eat veg'bles!"

"Vegetables? I'm not fond of them either.. But your mom's going to have my head if you don't scurry over there."

"Yu' don' like eatin' veg'bles eithers?"

"Well, not all of them are bad. And they'll make you big and strong."

"Like F-farn-farmer!"

"Yes, like Farnor."

Before she knew it, the half-naked rugrat scurried back over towards his mother now clinging to her leg. She grumbled at the youth as he averted his eyes from her in rebellion. The woman was strong enough to pick the boy up by his collar, holding him just at waist height. This surprised Lydia more than she realized, her eyes widened.

"You from around here miss?"

"N-no! I'm from Pometto."

"Eeesh, I've heard some grim rumors about that place. Quiet little farm town, and now all of those murders! Are they even true."

"They are, unfortunately. I've actually left the town.. And that's one of the reasons."

"I see."

Lydia fixed her sights on the boy once more, the sounds of festivities not really on her mind at the moment. She had a sort of big-sister complex about her, even at home, the younger siblings would flock to her if they were in trouble. That memory flashed momentarily, placing a smile of Lydia's face. She reached to the small bag tied to her belt, there had been one apple left in it. Reaching to grab the souvenir from home, she tossed the apple to the boy, and while he didn't catch it.. He let go of his mother's leg to chase it as it rolled down the uneven road.

"You take care of yourself miss."

"You too, and your son."

She nodded in response, waving the silver-haired girl off. Lydia then set her eyes back on the road before her, the small smile on her face transitioned back to the flat seriousness it once was.

Find what you are looking for.​

 

[Neko]

Elizabeth

"They'll never catch me."
A small voice giggled as she peeked out from the shadows, watching numerous guards attempt to help her latest victim. She enjoyed learning about human behaviour, how differently they reacted when the human was dead compared to barely alive. Either way, she wasn't hungry and that was a good thing.

Satisfied with what she had learnt, she retreated back down the side street, slowly walking as she hummed to herself. It was fairly quiet, only a distant sound of yelling was able to be heard. It was the inn keeper, she knew, she could smell him. Well, she could smell his blood. Awful tasting it was.

Curious what had gotten the man so angry this time, she decided to take it upon herself to investigate. Impatiently, she shadow stepped through the dark side street, the buildings around her packed tightly, blocking out any light that may prevent her from using it. The sound of the man grew louder as she approached and she began to slow down.

"Now now. I'm certain if we talked this out..."
Another voice became recognisable as she approached the inn, stopping suddenly as she smelt the air and turned down and adjacent side street and into the sun. Squinting, she attempted to see out into the street, the voices very close now.

"That wasn't my fault at all."
Her head shot to the right as she slowly stumbled into the shadows of an overhead cover. Her eyes adjusted just in time to see the inn keeper, several knives clutched in his fist, each one varying differently in size and shape but no doubt all deadly and then she spotted...

"What is that...?"

 

[Zombehs]

Perched at the edge of a rooftop, Kuo gripped the edge of his cloak as a particularly strong gust of wind tried to open up the tightly wrapped garment. Crowds filled the capital's hastily constructed streets as usual, and with their numbers came many rumors. Spoken in hushed tones or loudly proclaimed to attract as many listeners as possible, the Possessed nonetheless caught them all with a tilted head. Eventually though, after hearing the same tale many times, his interest was piqued.

In the other nations, the cloaked figure probably would have gotten some strange looks, maybe even had the town guard called on him, but here in Dedegear nobody batted an eye. Not even when he dropped off and onto the ground with a barely audible thump. Rising as he brushed some dust off the cloak, Kuo looked around curiously as he wondered how to get more information. The rumors hadn't gone into great detail about where one could actually find this "person". Mostly they were variations of the same tale, just different people being granted different powers. With a small foggy huff, he decided a bar or tavern might be the best to linger about if he wanted more information.

Making his way to the closest establishment of the sort, he was about to enter when the door nearly slammed into his face. Taking a step back and then to the side, he stepped out of the hurried man's way, looking after him with a questioning expression. Shrugging, Kuo pulled back his hood as he stepped into the almost rundown building and cast his gaze around in hopes of finding something now rather than later. To his luck, a rather boisterous individual seemed to be finishing up a similar tale to what he'd heard on the city streets. He stopped at the bar counter prior to making his way over, carefully balancing a few frothy mugs in his hands and arms.

"Sorry to interrupt," he broke in, sliding a pair of mugs onto the table towards the elf and giant. "I just managed to catch the end to your previous story. Would you mind retelling it?" The giant looked between the offered drink, Kuo; his partner, who was regarding the drink he'd received, before shrugging.
"Eh. Go on, I've got another drink to occupy myself with out of it."
"Well then, I don't see why not!"

---​

Drawing his hood up as he left the bar, he sighed into the cool wind before walking towards his destination; wondering about this rumor all the way. It was suspect from the beginning, but the fact that it was taking place in an abandoned house all while looking for an audience? Something was certainly afoot, and while curious, Kuo had no intention of being caught up in it. There was also the likely possibility that the whole thing was a sham, used to pull in those curious or desperate.

As the orphanage came into view, he noticed that he certainly wasn't the first onlooker to arrive. Pausing to watch as someone slipped through the barely attached door, Kuo walked over to the abandoned house for a closer look, one that only reaffirmed his prior thoughts. 'Definitely not going inside.' Instead, one of the neighboring roofs would probably let him catch most of the happenings while keeping him at a distance.​

 

[Fox of Hearts]

Koestace, Astopol - Near the Inn

Noon

Apples were not his favourite thing. Yet Cy couldn't help becoming hopelessly addicted to this new creation from the Confectioner's known as candied apples. It was a hedonic concoction of crisp fresh apples with a thick layer of hardened caramel. Cyron bit into the newest apple as he held out more coin. He had stood in front of the stall eating his way through the other seven. Only a fraction of the pith littered the ground. The bits that were coated in the caramel were bitten off and swallowed. If only there were pancakes around somewhere then his day would be complete.

"Tell you what, I'll take another half a dozen."

The old man stared as the former scout poured out even more coin onto the table. He muttered apologetically that they were out of stock at the moment and asked their only customer thus far to return soon. Disappointed Cyron stuffed the remnants of his coin into his pocket and bade the candy peddler farewell. The combination of crunchy tartness and cloying sweetness lingered while he refused to swallow the current mouthful.

"Step right up, young man! It's the best 5 out of 8."

The apple gobbler stood entranced as he watched a poor teen make a complete fool of himself. The corners of his mouth twitched ever upwards. Rather than laughing out loud Cy raised the apple to his mouth and chomped down. 3 darts later the buffoon still missed the brightly coloured wooden targets. The lad's form was really poor. He wouldn't even hit the target if it were 9 feet away.

A chirpy younger boy bounced around his big brother. "Come on, Asher! You can do it."

He felt his fingers twitch. The apple-loving sociopath pulled out a thin throwing knife. Cy lobbed it. A satisfying thud indicated he managed to hit his mark. The poor merchant stumbled backwards when he saw the unfamiliar knife embedded in the painted plank. It was a perfect bull's eye.

"Best 5 out of 8, eh?"

Without giving the man a chance to protest the green haired mage tossed the mostly eaten delight aside and whipped out 7 more knives. He threw them in rapid succession with little regard for the two boys standing in front of him. Every single one hit their respective bull's eye while the brothers remained unscathed. Cyron gave the trio his signature canine baring grin as he ran his fingers through his bedhead hair.

"So do I get a prize or something?"

 

[White]

Innocentia Nihil Probat...
Nobody is Innocent, Everybody is Guilty. There are only Various Facets of Guilt.
I am a Justicar. I am Justice.
;-Motto of the Order's Justicarium.

"I am the 20th Justicar. I am Justice"
Those were the words she spoke before she left the Order's Keep.
The Journey was long, from the snowy Mountain keep, down to the main road and on it all the way to the Capital, Dansila.
My orders are clear. Investigate the Attacks on Dansila's Citizen and bring Justice.


"Is there no Witness soldier?", she turned to one of the Guards. "No Ma'am. All known witnesses seem to have been killed." She turned back to the scene, her eyes looking for any hints that could had been left behind. "Have you found anything?"
"No we haven't Ma'am."
"This was not the first murder, what do you think you are paid for? You are telling me there was nothing found in any of the cases?"
Her eyes looked down at the sucked Dry corpse.
"Tell your Captain to come to me. I have plans to discuss with him. He will know where to find me."
She sighted
We need to increase the ammount of guards during the night and strictly make clear that their order is to figure out whom is causing the murder, not to fight whomever is doing them. Also we may want to have a couple of Guards up the roofs to keep a proper eye out...

Christy left the crime scene, making her way left, down the street.
Incompetent Guards, even with the werewolves they are unable to figure out whom is guilty of this.
She drew her blade out of its sheathe, then looking at the reflection of herself in the white metal.
Innocentia nihil probat.
She felt disgusted by the Guard's incompetence.

A couple of hours earlier the Guard's Captain suggested a certain Inn in the surroundings of the Murders as the right place to stay at and to react quickly enough of anything should happen nearby.
That place is her goal and her desired place to stay at for tonight.
The Guard's Captain promised to prepare a fairly safe housing for her on the next day's noon.... She just hoped that that would be fairly safe in terms of her own perception... not in the terms of incompetent guardsmen.

"OUT! OUT YOU DIRTY HALF BREED!"
Christy drew her white blade completly out of it's sheathe. The direction the yelling came from was from the direction of the suggested Inn.
She got closer and closer, perceiving that heavy things are thrown and landing on the ground...

The Scene got into her view. A Man with knives. Doorstep.
Christy felt her desire to bring Justice burn within her.

"Now now. I'm certain if we talked this out, we can come to a reasonable conclusion to this discrimination. After all, it's not like I'm actively hurting you." The foreign looking female quickly said as she slowly backed away from the knife wielding Tanuki.

"Save your conclusions and your words to the Tanuki village you destroyed you filthy half breed!" the man spat out.

He is probably the innkeeper.
Whom is he to condemn a species for a group's deeds.

I'm sure most of the men in the world are familiar with the sinking feeling that accompanies the words "Do you think you could do me a little favour, darling?", but when the Woman asking the question is a Justicar it's even less wise than usual to say "No"
;-Comment on a Justicar's Deed

"That wasn't my fault at all." The female replied as she pulled out her Shuriken and positioned herself defensively.

Christy places the tip of her blade in the ground infront of her, putting both hands on the blades handle, closing her eyes for a half second to prepare for what she was about to say.

She quickly opened her eyes, turned to the inkeeper and spoke loudly, angered and with a commanding tone:
"Innkeeper. Who are you to dare attack a Justicar's Servant. I ordered her to rent a room for the both of us so we may rest upon my arrival here."

She glanced briefly to the female, hoping she would play along.
She returned her eyes back to the Inkeeper, a serious and threatening expression showing on her face.​

 

[Asuras]

Dedegear - Talze Utera
Eizl Yamkare​

The path Eizl had set before herself was surely arduous, but moreso difficult to start than anything else. It required a jolt rather than a gradual process. After all, inciting war was never something one did day-today and passively... unless you were a high-ranking officer toting tea cups and document-signing pens for a living. And that took too long, even with such potential for power manipulation. She was but a mage, and an unknown and nameless one at that. If anything, her best chance was disguising herself as the Goddess of Astopol and having some ruffian stab her in exchange for money in plain sight.

As if. She felt almost dirtied just from thinking of that immaculately terrible entity.

No, she needed something powerful, or something connected with the powerful. Something that people feared, wondered about, or would otherwise lead to excitement. She was no stranger to adventure, and she could easily deduce when something had potential. Which was why she had arrived in the God of War-honoring city Dedegear in the first place; tales of some mysterious individual bestowing magic upon the otherwise hopeless reeked of notoriety and potential for chaos.

Strutting through the city with her silent companion, Crimsig, at her back, she surveyed the area rather passively; garnering further information was not for her to do. Such was left to autonomous tiny shades that Crimsig had employed himself. The impish shadows were undoubtedly scurrying throughout inns and bars of the city, soaking up rumors as if it were their sustenance.

Soon enough they had all come scampering back under Crimsig's cloak, disappearing into some sort of unseen void beneath. The mere telepathic relaying from her summons had left her with just the knowledge she needed to get started on her quest, hopeful that the event would actually lead her further. Eizl made her way to the supposed orphanage mentioned. The demonstration tonight would not be missed.

 

[Skyswimsky]

Illiserev
Alzemel

---

Sparks flew from the cherry red length of metal as the hammer beat it into shape. A departure from recent projects, this was to be a helmet. Pattern welded steel and almost a month in the making, the cost of this single item might almost be worth as much as the sum total of Sarahs product made in the last year.

She hummed as she worked, rounding a curve or refining a crease. Taking a last appraising look at it's shape it was set aside to cool. The hammer was hung in it's rightful place and her gloves were shaken off to land on a convenient workbench. With a sigh she sat down in a corner well away from the forge fire.

After a week full of a climate that run risk of making worlds end there was finally hope. Having been holed up inside a certain Inn of Illiserev's Capital for the time being allowed a certain woman to learn a lot about the city's layout. Or so she liked to think, in the end it was just the gossip that reached her ears. But it was exactly this kind of gossip that made the woman, after securing herself an exciting and dutiful job as a castleguard, enter a certain smith's establishment, inhabited by just a single person that was one of the many topics in Alzemel.

Taking another bite from the delicious delicacy going by the name of a croissant she simply greeted, after getting her mouth empty again. "Good Day Mrs. Unknown!"

Sarah sat up a little straighter, "That would be Ms. Unknown to you. Last I checked I wasn't married."

Alicia nodded before starting to talk quietly to herself. "Mhm, so her name IS Ms. Unknown. Maybe I got the wrong Smithery?"​ She now took a look over the wares for show, unfinished products and alike before proceeding. "Though the stuff here looks good. So Mrs. Telrin's work must be even better! Maybe I can talk my way out of having no money? But Master said lying is a bad thing..."​ Her eyes now fixated on the helmet the owner was currently working on. "Maybe I can buy this from her? It looks like a throw-away product! Yeah, that's a plan. And while I am here..."​ Paying full attention towards Ms. Unknown again, Alicia repeated herself. "Good Day Ms. Unknown. I am Alicia Rez and I'd like to buy this helmet!"

Sarah sat up and walked over to the helmet, picking it up and turning it over in her hands. Unfinished it looked like just about any other piece of armour made by just about any other smith. Finished it would be a work of art. She smiled to herself.

"Unfortunately this piece is spoken for but I could make another given a month and enough coin to buy a house."

Taking an appraising look at the girl it struck her just quite how strange she would look wearing a helmet. "I don't think it would suit you anyway. Maybe I could make you a Talentium circlet or half helm."

A house? How much was that anyways? Probably not much, considering the helmet was just some cheap product. "Deal! And thanks for the offer, I don't think it would fit anyone, but I am fine." Buying a piece of jewelry was exactly what she had in mind! But only at the place she was looking for, which now was the perfect opportunity to ask for. "Oh, and I am also searching for a Smith going by the name of Mrs. Telrin! Do you know where I could find her?"

The smiths mouth fell open and she stood still for several seconds. After some time she placed the unfinished helmet down and turned to take a fresh look at Alicia. Her eyes lingered for a moment on the girls broche for just a moment.

"I might, but Sarah doesn't like to have her time wasted. What kind of business did you have with her?"

"Sarah?" The soon-to-be-guard now tilted her head. "I don't have any Business with a Sarah, ..." Was Ms. Unknown stupid or something? "... but with Mrs. Telrin! T-e-l-r-i-n! The Smith who makes the bestest..." which was now a word. "...jewelry in Alzemel, if not the entire world!" Or so she heard.

A slow exhale helped Sarah keep her temper in check. This might be the daughter of some rich noble. Regardless, this girl really shouldn't be allowed out in public. She put on her best 'dealing with a troublesome customer' smile. "I think she might want to meet with you then. Head out of the shop and head right. Turn right onto Dunway street, take another right at Kirkland, a third right onto Alabaster and a fourth right on Amethyst. Her shop should be the first one you see."

Alicia nodded each time a new direction was given to her. Keeping those in mind she completely forgot about the helmet she just ordered, or did she? Whatever the case was, the woman gave a slight bow and said. "Thank you very much Ms. Unknown!" Before finally leaving the shop.

"First… Dunway Street." And so she walked. Dunway Street, Kirkland, Alabaster, Amethyst. Keeping those street names in mind was a lot easier than real directions like everyone else had given her. That she pretty much walked around an entire block and ended up in front of the same door however, came only to mind after the deed was done. At least, the white hair had enough time to eat the entire croissant.

Sarah had hung her apron on a hook and adjusted her under under the cap. After wiping the smoke residue from her face she stood in the doorway of the shop to wait for her 'customer'.

 

[Astoria]

Dedegear looked almost like a functional city as Liese made her way through the recently built but hastily planned streets of the Talze Uteran capital. The young witch had found herself in the new city more and more often over the past few months. The visits to the city were far enough in between that she could visibly see the progression and flow the city was beginning to take. With foreign entities also moving and capitalizing on the development, Dedegear was beginning to turn into a hodgepodge of various cultures, designs, and even atmospheres. For example, up the hill on a recently cobblestoned street was a whitewashed brick structure that was the trading house of a well-known Illiserev merchant family. It wasn't gated, but its trademark trim-and-proper butlers and maids guarding the entrance seemed nearly comical standing next to the myriad of wretched creatures passing by on the street in front of them. Such variety of constructs was fascinating, and Liese often spent as much time admiring the architecture as she did picking up supplies and running errands.

Liese found herself returning often to the more foreign neighborhood of Dedegear. Perhaps it was because it was better-built and supplied via airship. But it was probably a more sentimental reason. Her birthplace was Dansila after all, so she had no problem getting along with the folks there. Having a chance to talk to folks back home was refreshing, and she had it in her mind to return to Cykes sometime soon for a visit.

As it was, Liese had just come from the trading house in question, having purchased some ink and a few other goods that would normally be difficult to get in the boonies of Talze Utera. She'd also hoped to see her old acquaintance Lyra, but she was never around, and Liese had not seen her since her marriage to that noble, whose name she failed to recall. Of course, she couldn't fault her for not being around, but the witch was still a bit disappointed after visiting thrice in six months to no result but seeing the rather ugly (but friendly) face of the branch's deputy.

"…demonstration… abandoned house three doors from the orphanage! Tonight, even!"

The distasteful image of the deputy proprietor in her head was replaced by the baritone voice in the cheap bar she was passing by. Seconds later, a cloaked man came rushing out of the run-down establishment, knocking over several people before bumping into Liese as well before making his way down the street. The witch was jostled but didn't fall, using her trusted cane as leverage to recover her balance unlike the poor girl in front her.

"Is learning magic the new get rich scheme?" mused Liese, helping the girl to her feet. She recognized the rumor the voice was referring to; it was commonplace at this point.

"No," said the girl, rising. "I would stay away. Such business bodes ill omen."

The stranger turned, scampering away without a thank you.

Liese shrugged. She actually thought it intriguing. If there was credence to the supposed granter-of-magic, a lot of things could happen. If there was a live demonstration, that would be an interesting evening's entertainment, and perhaps she might even learn something. If not, it would be still an amusing story to tell when she returned home. Card tricks are fun too, after all.

She just had to remember where the orphanage was.

But even that wasn't needed. She could still see the man pushing through the pedestrians down the street.

 

[Doughguy]

Verek walked through the streets of Koestace with a purposeful stride, looking very different to the other people around him. Unlike the average citizen he had not spent last night indulging in the freedom of the harvest. Instead, Gristov had called him in early and given him an instruction for his latest assignment.

"I have our first task." the old ex-general had begun, not even bothering to say hello or offer his soldier a seat. "We will need new faces to accomplish it. For now I cannot risk anyone whose loyalty belongs to us, if our enemies sense our hand in play they will strike. Better that we find those who will work for coin and use them to hide ourselves until we are ready. Perhaps a few may even join us when they see what we are doing. Tomorrow you will roam the streets and find as many soldiers as you can. The bored, the unhappy, the poor. Promise them coin or glory, tell them they're saving Astopol. Use your best judgement. When you have three return to me. Dismissed."

Having not even spoken a word he'd left the man's house and returned to his home where he'd spent the night at home training. He left only for his meals where he ate modestly and kept a clear head for his task the next day.

His plan for the day was simple. Constantly make rounds of the city's most populous areas looking for anyone he could pull in to help Gristov's plans. As the captain had said there were a lot of knights in the city who had little to do now that the wars were over. He knew many of them would be dissatisfied with the ways things were and he was prepared to play on that.

There were a few stalls in the streets around him but he ignored them, heading towards the main marketplace where there would be the most people. Arriving he looked around. There were two people who caught his eye. One was a young man who was throwing knives into a target and getting bullseye after bullseye. The man had skill, but his posture and actions gave away a cocky attitude. Perhaps if he was still around he would approach him next though Verek didn't relish the thought.

Instead he walked towards the other person. A young lady, much shorter than him but armoured and armed with a talentium spear. The look on her face was a serious one and she looked very much like a knight. It was her expression that caught his eye the most, a soldier's look. His larger strides quickly closed the distance between the two and he arrived in front of her slightly to the left. "Excuse me miss. Are you on your way somewhere? Or are you looking for work?" he asked her.

 

[ERode]

Talze Utera Illiserev Dansila Astopol

• 
  The house in question was located in one of the safer districts of Dedegear, not due to a concentration of the wealthy and the strong, but because the current representative of Talze Utera, Rilolia, had designed the patrol paths of the town's guards in such a way that there was almost always one squad of disciplined monsters who marched soundlessly through the streets. Quite a clash, compared to the run-down nature of the district. Most of the leaning, disheveled buildings were inhabited by those too poor to afford a cheap inn room, and too weak to survive outside the relative security of Dedegear. The orphanage itself could be considered more as an eating house, free food provided on a daily basis to the inhabitants of the Orphan's District. A gloomy place, to be sure, and, during this dark day, it was empty. There was a pervasive veil of silence hanging over the mist-smothered area, stealing away the words of those who chose to speak.
  
  Within the abandoned house, a poorly-designed one with a broken door and boarded up windows, a silver-haired woman sat on a derelict rocking chair. There were no lines of age on her face, and the dress she wore, a ballroom gown of white and grays, was untouched by the dust that had invaded every other section of the building.
  
  As Arbor rushed in, she greeted him with the smile of someone accustom to playing host to strangers.
  
  "An eager one, aren't you?"
  
  Her silver eyes glimmered in the darkness of the room, before the hearth burst into white flames.
• 
  From behind the white-haired girl was the shadow of a colossus. Standing a good two feet above Alicia, a heavily-built man ducked his head downwards as he entered the smithery. He had a young face, despite his massive body, and his red hair was cut relatively short, sticking out in spiky clumps. His eyes were of a similar color, the red of autumn leaves, and the smile that he had on his face was a colorful mix of anticipation and excitement. If it wasn't for his missing arm, the sleeve of his shirt pinned up to prevent it from flapping unnecessarily, the man definitely would have looked like a lumberjack, or a guard, or a fellow blacksmith.
  
  "Oi, Sarah," he called out, his voice a boom that surpassed the clanging of metal and the roar of the furnace, "Got my rings done yet? You said it'd only take a day, and now, it looks like a whole week's passed!"
  
  "Unless, of course," he said, peering down at the shortie, "You're planning on selling them to this pretty little thing here."
• 
  "Justicar?" The tanuki man, who'd probably have been a good deal more threatening if he'd worked off that beer belly of his, squinted at the insolent face of the knight, before spitting down at her feet. "The blazes is that? Some meaningless military rank? Some bullshit Astopolian rank you made up?"
  
  He snorted, and continued his tirade, filled with wild gesticulations. "And guess what? Your back-stabbing servant here didn't say a thing about that! Get out of my face and hope to find an inn needy enough to house a mass-murdering freak, you bitch!"
  
  "Hell, if you're supposed to be all 'justice' like your rank implies, why don't you just lop off that ogre-cunt's head? Where's the justice in letting someone like that live?"
• 
  The merchant stumbled as the first knife flew out of nowhere, striking bull's eye. He flinched as the second knife grazed one of the boy's cheeks. He winced as three more hit their targets, and then grimaced in annoyance as the last two hit their marks as well, all of them dangerously close to hitting the two siblings. If it wasn't for the fact that they were scared stiff by that display of knife-tossing skill, they'd probably have jumped and gotten hit.
  
  Needless to say, the merchant sighed…before putting on his best customer-relationships smile, one that was full of fake generosity and sincerity. "Sorry, sir," he apologized, "But knives don't count, especially when you didn't actually pay for the game. Now, if you paid the fare of five bronze coins, I'd be more than happy to provide you with eight darts!"
  
  "So, what do you say? Care for a proper challenge? Or are you a professional darts thrower as well, young man?"

 

[Zombehs]

Scaling the walls of an adjacent building wasn't particularly hard; small size and increased strength let Kuo grip handholds that wouldn't have otherwise worked for another individual. In but a moment, he had swung himself onto the tiled roof to peer down into the abandoned house. Though a bit of mist lingered around, it didn't interfere with his vision too much so he didn't pay it much attention. However when a flash of light filtered through the cracks in the boarded up windows, without so much as a whisper to accompany it, his eyes narrowed. 'Well… that's annoying.'

He'd been hoping to rely on his sense of hearing to judge the happenings inside the building, but for one reason or another, sound seemed to be dulled. And with the building in a seemingly good state of repair, meaning he couldn't really see in, it seemed he'd actually have to venture inside if he wanted to observe. Curiosity warred with logical thought before in the end the former won out. Trying to justify it with thoughts such as, 'I'll just stay near the entrance,' or, 'There's more than just me. I should be able to escape,' didn't really help as he leapt from his short-lived perch. Rubbing at the back of his head through the thick hood, he walked around back to the doorway, where the door had fallen off, and peered inside.

He took in the fire that seemed to be the cause of the previous flash of light, the man that'd nearly knocked him over at the bar; and the lady in a rather distinctive outfit, given the locale, as things of interest as he stepped in. "I take it there will be a demonstration soon?" he voiced softly as he decided to focus on the silver-haired lady for the moment.

 

[Psyker Landshark]

Astrid walked through the streets of Koestace, absentmindedly munching on a caramel apple as she did so. It wasn't quite as filling as blood, but it was rather delicious. Finishing off the last bite of her treat, she tossed the stick away in the middle of the road as she searched for something else to occupy herself with. There was drinking and feasting and dancing aplenty, but in the two years she'd been traveling, Astrid had quite enough of that for a while. Perhaps later tonight, but right now, she was looking for something new.

Looking to the side, she narrowed her eyes as she saw knives flying at a booth. For a moment, she thought she had an opportunity to draw some blood without revealing her vampiric nature. But then her excitement dimmed down as she saw that it was only a booth game. Then again, she never had partaken in one of these games, especially after she'd been told that most were rigged scams. Then again, she wasn't as strapped for money as she had been in the past. What the hell, she could afford to throw away a few coins.

Stepping up to the booth, Astrid brushed the knife-throwing man aside without so much as a glance as she looked at the merchant.

"I'll take you up on that challenge, sir." She said, dropping a handful of bronze coins on the table. As the merchant gave her the darts, Astrid frowned as she weighed them in her hand. They were definitely unbalanced. Nonetheless, she took aim at the targets. The first throw was almost off, but Astrid's vampiric reflexes were enough compensation for the dart to barely strike the target. Still, the rest of the targets were easier after she got a feel for the lopsided darts. After she struck all of them, Astrid flashed the merchant a victorious smirk.

"So...what exactly is my prize, sir?"

 

[White]

-Dansila, Academic District-
-Christy-

"Justicar? The blazes is that? Some meaningless military rank? Some bullshit Astopolian rank you made up?"

He snorted, and continued his tirade, filled with wild gesticulations. "And guess what? Your back-stabbing servant here didn't say a thing about that! Get out of my face and hope to find an inn needy enough to house a mass-murdering freak, you bitch!"

"Hell, if you're supposed to be all 'justice' like your rank implies, why don't you just lop off that ogre-cunt's head? Where's the justice in letting someone like that live?"

I'm a Justicar. I do not get angry.
;-First Generation of Justicar when provoked to attack

Where is the justice in letting someone like that live...
"Some may question your right to condemn an entire race. Those who understand realise that you have no right to be alive!"
The Insult cremained within her. Her hand twitched. She felt unable to let the insult pass.... but not this time.
He will have to explain his action to the Guard's Captain. Afterall she was told to use this Inn and to ask a Guard to bring him there if she required his help.
This is also the reason she would not act on her desire to cut off this Inkeepers tongue and torture him for his rude behavior.

Christy turned her face to the female with her shuriken in her hand.
"Come, let us leave. I am sure that our dear inkeeper will love to explain that he chased a requested investigator and her servant away."
Christy's eyes were filled with hate for the Inkeeper
How dare this shit insult a Justicar
Within her, corruption spread
She would repay this insolence.

The Heretic has many forms. You must know them all. You must tell the Heretic from his disguise and root him out from the hidden places. Trust no-one. trust not even yourself. It is better to die in vain than to live an abomination.
The zealous martyr is praised for his just valour: the craven and the unready are justly abhorred.
;-First Grand-Templar upon the execution of Heretics in the Order.


Christy didnt check for the female to follow and briefly later she just spoke what was on her mind.
"I do not know about other Inns in this city. My housing is supposed to be prepared and ready tomorrow but until then we are required to find a different place to stay at..."
Christy recalled a Private order by the Grand-Templar himself.... "Investigate the situation"
"You could also come with me to my order. We are always looking for new member."​

 

[Raiden]

Eile Fon Lavin

"Hell, if you're supposed to be all 'justice' like your rank implies, why don't you just lop off that ogre-cunt's head? Where's the justice in letting someone like that live?"

Eile sighed at the innkeeper's rant. It's always with people who try to justify their anger without knowing the whole story.

"Some may question your right to condemn an entire race. Those who understand realize that you have no right to be alive!"

"It's because people who only heard of the incident after the fact thinks they can play judge. You should know better. After all, Talze Utera was just like that before the world allowed us to live. The outcast. Had the other three countries not agree to spare us, you would not even be alive to spout out insults." Eile muttered as she saw the armored woman look to her.

"Come, let us leave. I am sure that our dear innkeeper will love to explain that he chased a requested investigator and her servant away."

With that she left as Eile followed the woman.

"I do not know about other Inns in this city. My housing is supposed to be prepared and ready tomorrow but until then we are required to find a different place to stay at... You could also come with me to my order. We are always looking for new member."

Eile smiled as she sheathed her shuriken. The woman, at the very least, was civil.

"Thanks for trying to defend me. I know it's not much. But it means alot to me after trying to defend myself for 15 years. I'm not sure if I'm ready to join anything yet. For now, I guess I'll keep doing what I am doing, convincing others that half breeds like myself deserve to be treated equally." Eile said as she looked at the armored woman again.

"My name is Eile. Eile Fon Lavin. What's your name?" Eile asked as she walked infront of the armored woman.

 

[Anderiel]

As the unfamiliar man both approached her, and began speaking all in one instance, Lydia recoiled in surprise and fear, the two-sworded man was not someone she had knew nor someone she had seen in this city before. Was she being attacked? Was he some sort of careful rapist? With careful judgement she fixed her pained eyes on the man, taking a heavy step backwards cautiously.

"I-I'm on my way somewhere." Gripping the cloth of her armor, she tensed up, scanning her area warily for an escape.

Lydia bitterly dropped her sight to the ground, turning her head away from the man in discomfort. The area was growing more crowded as some figures began drawing attention themselves with their luck at dart-throwing. It was inconvenient to say the least, she'd need to be able to bolt away at a moment's notice if something strange was up. But nonetheless she stayed, holding her ground would be a better word for what she was doing, keeping her attention on the random man while not looking at him directly. Though why she in particular was chosen, was still unknown. This pestered her, per chance this was just some random festive citizen who stayed armed in this day and age.. She'd have been frightened for no reason.

"Why do you ask?" She asked quietly, periwinkle eyes glazed over with unsure curiosity.



​

 

[Fox of Hearts]

Koestace, Astopol - Near the Inn

12:10

"Lady you must teach me to do that!" Asher exclaimed when the last dart struck the final bull's eye.

The younger bounced up and down hoping to get her attention. "Yes, yes, yes! Please teach us."

They could have sworn the woman smiled at them briefly as she turned to address the man (imaginative whippersnappers). The smaller brother stood on the balls of his feet to whisper something in his sibling's ear. Asher merely nodded. The two lads focused their attention at the weird knife-throwing man from before. Surely he will share some of his coin with them. Alfie tugged at Cyron's arm several times to no avail. The green haired man ignored them and continued counting the coins in his hand.

"Hey mister!"

"That settles it," Cy muttered.

He brushed pass the child and lay the silver coins on the counter in front of the stall owner. Without bothering to wait for any further instruction, Cyron plucked the darts off the targets then walked back to the front of the booth. The strange young man lay out the darts in front of him in a neat row.

"Watch me miss on the first try." He stated serenely.

True enough the dart ended up on the edge of the outermost ring. The crowd gathered round the stall groaned loudly. Some even snickered while others turned to leave. Clearly this other challenger was no where near as remarkable as the knightess. The weird smile graced his face once again. "Since I missed one out of eight the lady is the winner."

He cracked his knuckles. A chill permeated air around him. At first a thin layer of frost coated the seven darts but the ice continued to thicken. He picked up one of the newly form shards and waft it at a random target. A perfect bull's eye! The remaining six clustered round the first within the confines of the same tiny circle.

"Do I get more darts or do I collect the old ones?"

"That was cheating!"

"Look I gave you enough coin for four more rounds, so do I collect the old darts or will I be using some new ones?" Cyron asked a little more loudly.