Fandom Fairy Tail: Guilds of Pergrande IC

[AtlannianSpy]

Guilds of Pergrande Chapter One: Birds of a Feather

somewhere in the Midlands...close to midnight

The fingers were slender and pale and the heavy, golden ring adorning one of them glinted in the firelight as they swirled a glass of wine by its stem with a practised, arrogant motion.

“Such an uncouth people, the Vassilicans, but they do make a lovely wine,” said the man’s voice, refined and cold even as he savored the luxurious liquid.

“Very good sir,” said the second voice, from a respectful distance behind the first man, his tone fawning and obsequious. “If it pleases you sir, we have just this moment received word from your… associates in Twinbrooks,”

“Ahh Twinbrooks,” said the first man thoughtfully, his gaze partially reflected, partially obscured in the blood red wine in his glass. “The newest and therefore shiniest jewel in the King’s crown. What news?”

“The groundwork has proceeded smoothly,” said the second man. “And they are now poised to begin the more active phase of the plan,”

“Excellent,” purred the first man, allowing a cruel smile to crease his face. “Soon, soon I shall pluck that jewel from the crown and hold it in my hands,”


Twinbrooks

early morning…


The sun shining down on Twinbrooks had barely begun to rise, but the city was well and truly awake. A substantial canal ran right through the city’s heart and it was already packed with barges bound for other cities. Dockworkers swarmed the barges, loading them with the smooth and coordinated movements of clockwork automatons, so practiced were they. Everyone’s breath came out with little puffs of mist as the sun had not quite burned away the cold of the night before, but one man’s misty breath was a little more labored than the others as he ran along the side of the canal.

Peregrine Laconia had been awake for exactly one hours and fifty seven minutes now, which meant his morning routine was nearly complete. In roughly three minutes he would arrive back at the hall, the site of his very own guild, from which he had set out fifty seven minutes ago. The thought of it filled him with a giddy sort of pride, that he would not have been capable of hiding even if he had cared to, so as he ran past some of the neighbors he had introduced himself to upon taking possession of the guild hall he shouted cheery greetings to them.

“GOOD MORNING MR DEVERLY! THE BREAD SMELLS WONDERFUL THIS MORNING!”
“Oh. mornin' Peregrine, bit early for all the shouting isn’t i-”

“AHH MRS DELFONTE! HOW’S THAT INTESTINAL PROBLEM YOU MENTIONED? CLEARING UP I HOPE!”

“Ermm..yes I’m feeling much better, can you not shout tha-”

“WHY IT’S YOUNG WILL AND… LUCKY I BELIEVE YOU SAID HIS NAME WAS? WONDERFUL TO SEE THE YOUNG FOLK OUT AND ABOUT THIS EARLY,”

“It’s Plucky actu-”

“FANTASTIC” Peregrine called back over his shoulder, drowning the boy’s words out as he neared his destination. Peregrine turned a final corner and suddenly the guild hall came into view. The hall had been, when Peregrine took ownership of it, a rundown and modest wooden building, an old bunkhouse. Peregrine had fixed it up with a lot of elbow grease, repairing and repainting it a brilliant white; even adding on an atrium and extra floor made largely of glass, which gave the building a sparkling, modern appearance. Most importantly though, a familiar figure waited by the guild’s entrance.

As he approached the guild hall a short, brunette woman tucked a book away into a backpack to one side. Slinging it over her shoulder and taking off her reading glasses, Aurelia gave Master Peregrine a curt nod. "Good morning," she said in an even tone. "Exercise go well?" She herself had finished her own stretches and weightlifting about an hour prior, and had decided another chapter or two in her book would be a good use of her time.

Removing a canteen of water from the pack, she offered it to Peregrine. Certainly he was as thirsty as ever following his workout routine. She had to admit to being impressed at his perseverance. Many of her old comrades could have learned a thing or two from his adherence to his routine. After all, he had reinvigorated her own training and she was....not known for being easily motivated.

“Thank you,” Peregrine said, promptly pouring half of the canteen over his head and drinking the rest, “It went phenomenally!” he said enthusiastically, strolling on long legs back into the hall as he talked. “This is a wonderful neighborhood, very friendly, I believe I can already feel the positive impact our guild is having on the local community! And today we can finally begin our noble work in earnest! Are all the preparations in place?” he asked, as they made their way towards the office Peregrine had taken for himself at the top of the hall.

Aurelia was glad she carried more than one canteen, as she somehow consistently forgot that he dumped the water over himself each time. She followed behind him, replacing the canteen in her bag as she sped up her pace to match his longer gait. "They do seem nice," she said in response to his comment on the community. Though they seemed less than fond of her specifically, she did not blame them. They had not been openly unpleasant at least.

As for the preparations for recruitment...she had to admit to herself that she was looking forward to it. She enjoyed Peregrine's company well enough at times, but being alone with him so often was…...grating. Supremely so. "They are." She had made double and triple sure that their reservation was set for the right time and location. It wouldn't do to have their recruitment drive be ruined by poor planning or time management.

“EXCELLENT!” Peregrine boomed, unconsciously slipping back into shouting as his excitement grew, “I knew I could count you Aurelia! With such a prime location, right in the middle of the bridge market and such a novel test we are sure to attract the best and brightest candidates!”

Peregrine walked into his office, closing the door behind him and emerged a disconcertingly short while later, clean and sharply dressed in slacks, a shirt and a tie, a grey overcoat theatrically draped over his shoulders, nearly obscuring the sheathed, black sword in his hand. “Gahaha! It was certainly a stroke of brilliance if I do say so myself! Quickly Aurelia! To the bridge! We’re going to snatch up the most promising new mages and leave that fool Adellon in the dust!”


Sitting at a solid oak table in the middle of a comfortable if rather...expansive room, sat Adellon. A slew of books were piled high around him, several of them open to varying pages in front of him. He sipped lightly from a thermos of hot chocolate, but found it failing to help keep him awake. Figures when he wanted to remain awake it'd be the one time he could barely keep his head up.

Well ... the library was rather peaceful, and he was cozy from the warmth of the cocoa. Not to mention it would be a number of hours before their recruitment meeting was to take place. Softly closing the book he was reading concerning complex, multi layered magical workings, he set his head down on his hands and slowly dozed off then and there. If nothing else he could trust Viridian to wake him after all.

“...elon...ke u…”

“Ade...Wa..”

“ADELLON!” Viridian shouted, her voice amplified and made tinny by a plastic speaking horn she had conjured in exasperation. “We’re late! And why are you sleeping here again!?” Without waiting for a response, the short, green haired woman strode brusquely across the floor of the library and pulled back the curtains, allowing the warm, morning sunlight to invade her guild master’s sanctum.

The first time or two Viridian would attempt to wake him he would halfheartedly swipe at her general direction, a displeased expression on his face. However, her yelling startled him right out of his chair. He fell to one side and reflexively the ink from the tattoos on his hand extended into tendrils that moved to and fro. He blinked blearily, doubly so when she temporarily blinded him with sunlight.

When his vision cleared and he realized who he was pointing his magic at he dismissed it with a frown. The plush carpet almost pulled him back to sleep, but he vetoed his body's fervent desire for rest. Standing up and dusting himself off, he eyed Viridian. She seemed exasperated about someth- He blinked for a moment before looking at his watch. He swore he'd only been asleep for a few minutes, but the clock said differently. If they didn't hurry, they would waste their reservation for the recruitment drive.

Hastening to make sure he had what few things he actually needed on his person for this, he looked to Viridian. "Are you ready yourself? If so let's go!" They couldn't drag their feet on this, or Peregrine might actually manage to swipe the promising freelance mages passing through Twinbrooks out from under Adellon!

“Of course I’m ready,” replied Viridian, a little indignantly, ushering Adellon out of the library and out towards the exit. “I took the liberty of calling on the owner to confirm our reservation as well, as secure a prime location in the middle of the bridge,” Viridian adjusted her glasses triumphantly. “Everything is set, I won’t lose when it comes to planning,”

As they exited the library and entered the main guild hall, Adellon locked the heavy oaken doors behind them. Adellon amusedly followed Viridian's pushing and prodding towards the guild hall's exit, admiring their completed handiwork and hoping that their new members would be happy to call it home. As they exited the main hall as well, he repeated the locking of the doors and set his hand happily against the smooth finish before setting off, presumably with Viridian in tow. "Never doubted you in the slightest, Viridian."


The King Felix bridge was a towering, stone edifice that dominated Twinbrook’s skyline. It was also the major thoroughfare across the canal that split the city in two and host to a popular, outdoor market so it was nearly always bustling with lively crowds. Today was no exception, despite the brisk morning air.

“Pay close attention Aurelia!” Peregrine instructed as he waded through the crowd gamely. “These people passing by? Any one of them could be the next Wizard Saint and woe betide the guild who lets them slip through their fingers!”

Aurelia kept three paces behind and to the right of Peregrine. For some reason she had no issue with the crowd like he did, as it seemed to actively avoid her. She gave a single firm nod and said, "Understood." Casting measuring glances at those who passed closest to her she couldn't help but find herself doubtful of them being the next Wizard Saint. Though she supposed they could be future Saint worthy.

“Any one of them,”Peregrine repeated under his breath, staring suspiciously at an old lady passing by with an armful of groceries, who quickened her pace to escape.

“Mr Laconia!” Called a male voice, distracting Peregrine from swiveling his gaze after the fleeing old woman. The speaker was a middle aged, sparsely bearded man in a simple, brown coat. He also wore a nervous, slightly queasy smile as he caught sight of Peregrine.

“AHHH MR. WATSON!” Boomed Peregrine, advancing rapidly to clap the older man on the shoulders. “GOOD TO SEE YOU! The course is all ready to go I trust?” Peregrine asked, gesturing with his other hand to the large, striped tent set up behind the Watson.

“Ah. Yes, about the course-”

“WONDERFUL! I WOULD EXPECT NOTHING LESS!” Peregrine interrupted, “Now as the for signage I thought it could go right here,” Peregrine gestured at an empty spot of pavement right by the entrance of the tent and as he did so his hands lit up with glowing energy.

Within seconds an impressive, man sized statue of a hawk made entirely of glass appeared in the empty spot, glittering in the morning sun. The hawk had one leg lifted up, a talon outstretched to point at the onlookers and bold lettering in the base of the sculpture spelled out a simple message.

THE BRIGHT HAWKS WANT YOU!!!
Peregrine stood with his hands on his hips, admiring his work as his coat fluttered melodramatically from his shoulders in the breeze.

“Perfect,” he said, with a self satisfied sigh. “Doesn’t just looking at it fill you with thoughts of Justice and Duty? Why any passing mage will be compelled to inquire about it! Don’t you think so Aurelia? Mr. Watson?”

“It’s certainly umm...bright,” said Watson weakly, squinting as sunlight bounced off of the sculpture’s beak to target his eyes with laser like precision. “But listen, the thing about the whole recruitment is…”


“It’s just over here,” Viridian said impatiently, tagging along beside Adellon and grimacing at the crowds that hemmed them in along the busy bridge market. “Bah, so many people though. I hope we at least get some decent recruits out of this. Remember anyone you hire we potentially have to share a living space with so it’s fine to have some standards,”

Adellon let out a deep yawn and waved off Viridian's concern. "I keep telling you we could just toss anyone too dirty in the river and fish them out. Besides, I'm sure whoever is drawn to our guild will be more than easy enough to share our space with. I grew up with Peregrine after all, so I'm not exactly afraid of what others might do."

He flicked an errant strand of hair behind his ears as they moved through the crowd.It was a busy day, thankfully, so the recruitment drive seemed like it would go well. Here's hoping their reservation hadn't fallen through or something equally unfortunate. As they neared their destination Adellon had to shield his eyes from the glare off of some sort of large statue. Squinting at it, his vision slowly adjusted. As it did he let out a long suffering sigh as the realization of exactly what it was. "Seems we had yet another similar idea."

Adellon approached the forms of Peregrine and his vice, who happened to be facing the tent. Though Adellon got the feeling Peregrine's vice was more than aware of him. The merchant who had been trying to say something to Peregrine a moment before seemed to trail off, blanching as he saw Adellon. "So Perry, seems like we have another unfortunate coincidence, hm?"

Adellon held out a hand towards the opposite side of the tent entrance as the glass hawk statue. Over ten or so seconds ink poured from his hand and formed into the shape of a crow in flight. The crow, contrary to the hawk statue, seemed to be in a state of gentle, fluid motion. Light seemed to be drawn into and absorbed by its shadowy feathers. In a pleasant and fanciful script made of a lighter purple coloring it read, "Take flight with the Void Crows!" Adellon looked at his work with a pleased smile. He had been working on that for a while. Even though it would require more consistent magic to maintain thanks to its nebulous state he was confident his reserves would still remain relatively untaxed.

“Wh-ADELLON!? WHAT IN DAMNATION ARE YOU DOING HERE!” Peregrine demanded, whirling on his heels to confront the other guild master.

“That’s what I want to know!” Demanded Viridian, stepping out from behind Adellon and closing in on Mr Watson, who backed up nervously despite having a good head and a half in height advantage on her. “We had a reservation!

“So did we!” Peregrine added, turning from Adellon to fix Watson with a disapproving glare. “You scoundrel! What manner of duplicitousness is this!?”

“Ahh, gentlemen! Ladies! Please!” Stuttered Watson, holding his hands up defensively as Peregrine and Viridian backed him into a corner. “It’s not that I was doing anything underhanded...at least not exactly, I prefer to think of this as an opportunity for synergy! Cross promotion! I figured you could both use the course at the same time and anyone who comes along could just...consider both guilds?”

“And you would quietly pocket double the fees?” Viridian asked, with venomous, false sweetness. “Is that what you figured?”

Aurelia only shifted slightly in response to her Guildmaster's displeasure at the merchant and his deception. Yet the mild motion, and the disappearance of one hand underneath her coat, made Adellon uneasy. He decided, despite his own annoyance, that defusing the situation would probably be a good idea.

"Now now Viridian. No need to be too accusatory, I'm sure he wouldn't dream of charging us both full price given the fact we have to share. Clearly he's going to give us a joint discounted price and consider this a promotional event, isn't he?" Adellon narrowed his eyes at the man at the end of his sentence. Not making any further motion to threaten or persuade him. He simply eyed him in a way one might a particularly annoying fly or mosquito.

“Right, of course...,” said Watson weakly, now looking positively ill. “Exactly what I had in mind, a special promotional price, very special,”

Peregrine frowned and stroked his chin, gears turning inside his head. “I suppose the opportunity to poach Adellon’s recruits is worth the inconvenience of putting up with him, very well then,”

Peregrine turned to face the crowd ambling past the tent, cleared his throat and then shouted at the top of his lungs,”

“ATTENTION ALL MAGES! THE FIRST BRIGHT HAWKS-VOID CROWS JOINT RECRUITMENT DRIVE HAS OFFICIALLY BEGUN!”

AllHailDago , GasMaskie Hanarei L Libero Lucem Makomin QuirkyAngel Damafaud izayoiix AnthraxBurrito Ganryu Refaulted The One Eyed Bandit simj26 cinnabuns

 

[GasMaskie]

“ATTENTION ALL MAGES! THE FIRST BRIGHT HAWKS-VOID CROWS JOINT RECRUITMENT DRIVE HAS OFFICIALLY BEGUN!”

"Mm? Whazzat?" A youth underneath the alley glanced out from the alley on one side of the enormous stone landmark. One hand was a tightly clenched fist and in the other, was the collar or some would be miscreant. A mage he had seen earlier trying to filch some old woman's bag. Naturally, he found it appropriate to denounce him publicly, with a shout that turned all heads towards him. When he had bolted from the scene, using some sort of wind-based magic, he immediately gave chase. When the thief had been cornered - he had tried to cast an offensive spell. Only to be met with a solid straight to the face that knocked him right on his arse.

He remained silent as he brought the man's bruised face up for an inspection. It was in a sorry state from a single punch - and it seemed like he had already lost consciousness. Guess my magic was stronger. Glancing around with a smirk, the youth noticed something glittering on the ground. He picked it up, looks like the thief had dropped his knuckledusters, and pocketted it as he started to drag him out of the alley. Finding some twine and a broken board, he gathered those materials up as well.

I TRIED STEALING FROM AN OLD LADY!
​

A sign now adorned the unconscious thief with those words written in blood. Couldn't really be helped, it's not like the alley had some markers or paint handy. He wiped his finger off on the thief's ragged cloak before putting his hood up and walking off with a whistle. To think, people would be this brazen out in the big cities. Probably why they had all sorts of mage guild's out here in the first place. Closing his eyes, the young man briefly thought of home. A hand came to rest on the rusted sword strapped to his belt as he suddenly found himself on King Felix Bridge. He bit his lip - as much as he wanted to look around, he'd definitely come off as a yokel to these cityfolk. The young man played it cool, staying in pace with the crowds passing through on the bridge before they all seemed to come to a halt ...

With a few muttered 'Excuse me.'s and shoulder taps, the young man made his way to the front of the herd that had amassed between the two statues. The crow in particular seemed more nebulous - a definite product of magic. His eyes flitted between the two statues and their recruitment slogans, before glancing over at the five or so individuals who seemed to be the source of all the commotion.

"...What's going on over here?"

( AtlannianSpy AllHailDago )

 

[Hanarei]

Jade Evergarden
​

How long had it been since she had left her guild? The very thought had lingered in Jade's mind walking through the streets of Twinbrooks. While she had left for a need to forfil her own ambition to put her own effort in to make a name for herself, she couldn't deny the fact she had missed what effective was 'her family' for so many years. While she had developed her own magic and had shown herself capable it felt as if a lot of her own achievements were tied to her own guild wanting their 'child' of sorts to succeed rather then having to earn it herself. Most mages had to find their own guild and make their name on their own and really earn their place, something Jade felt she never had to do being adopted in as a child. She lifted her hand glancing down upon where the mark of her old Guild had been almost longing before shaking her head.

No... I set out to make a name for myself on my own. They will always be family to me but in order to secede I need to make my own way to prominence. I just need to find a new guild where I have to show my own work and prove I am capable on my own, even if i have to drag the guild up behind me. She thought to herself... perhaps being a bit cocky in her mindset even if deep down she expected she would likely end up joining an already established guild. New guilds were quite rare... not that people didn't attempt to start such a thing all the time as much as those guilds tend to die just as quickly as they are formed due to incompetent leadership.

As far as her search went it wasn't exactly going as well as she hoped. She had come upon a few guilds during her travels though none filled her needs. She never got what was so unreasonable about demanding a greenhouse for herself as a brand new member of a guild. It wasn't like it was a hobby... I mean in truth it was a bit of a hobby for her to grow plants but it also had to do with her experimentation and studies. One doesn't just come up with their own method of healing magic using plant life without experimentation. None the less she had to have some sort of way to better improve her magic, and with healing it meant being extra careful as to not cause more harm then good.

Stepping upon the King Felix Bridge jade's mind had been drifting in thought suddenly interrupted by the sight of one of the most obnoxious looking glass hawk with text etched in it. She blinked seeming a bit taken back. Who in the world thought it was a good idea to use such a gaudy looking thing to try and advertise... whatever it was? It seemed most likely to be some guild advertisement if anything by the message. As if to confirm it a load voice shouted out only confirming what she suspected.

Bright Hawk... Void Crow... joint recruitment drive? Why would there be two guilds recruit together? Are they really that poor they can't even afford to host their own recruitment drive so they had to split the cost and host it together? That or its part of the same entity just with one being a lower branch of the other. Either way it sounds a little pathetic and perhaps desperate in a way... a perfect opportunity for someone with my talents to stand out and help push a nobody guild to prominence! I'll get a chance to rise to fame on my own accord and I can help one of the 'little guy' guilds get a name in the process! Jade approached closer hearing the mutterings of someone in the crowd questioning what exactly was going on. She couldn't deny she felt a bit of hesitation... not from fear as much as skepticism. She had set her bar low for expectations but it didn't completely nullify the unease of just what she might encounter in the process.

"A joint recruitment drive? So... am I to assume one is the lower branch of the other? Which would I want to look to apply for as a higher skilled mage if I wanted to seek a recruitment opportunity... I assume Bright Hawks given the more verbose name, where as a crow is usually associated as a scavenger?"

AtlannianSpy AllHailDago GasMaskie

 

[QuirkyAngel]

Elissa Holsten
​

The marketplace atop King Felix Bridge was bustling with activity as people went about their daily business in a cheerful manner. Bright. Lively. It was a direct contrast to how Elissa was feeling at the moment. Repressing the urge to sigh for the umpteenth time since arriving at the bridge, Elissa clutched the strap of her handbag as she continued her leisurely stroll down the outdoors market. Shopping normally made her feel better. However, Elissa found herself too preoccupied with her dreary thoughts to pay much attention to the various wares on display, let alone buy anything. The vivid dream she saw last night was still fresh in her memory. In spite of herself, Elissa's face flushed red.

It was really her own fault. If she didn't want to see, she shouldn't have looked. However, not even she expected to have found her ex-boyfriend having a wet dream. About Cassidy no less. Elissa's grip tightened around her bag strap. She had no right to be angry. Or even sad. She'd been the one to break up with him. She didn't even live in Toolin anymore. What right did she have to demand his feelings stay the same? It was her own naivety that thought they could make up. That if they could speak to each other in his dreams everything would be alright and return to how they once were. Gradually, the baby blue haired dream mage released her hold on the strap.

It was for the best.

He changed. She changed. Or perhaps, that was how he'd always been and she never knew. Elissa didn't know whether Jaye and Cassidy had already started going out when she left or if it had just been a sexual fantasy she saw. It didn't matter. Now that she knew his true feelings it was time to move on. Elissa didn't regret peeking and learning the truth. Nor would she act in a spiteful manner and alter his dreams or anything like that. Why would she? If Cassidy made him happy, all the better. Elissa stopped, took in a deep breath, and exhaled, letting all the negativity exit her body before fully taking in her surroundings. She hadn't come to Twinbrook to mope.

Her eyes were immediately drawn to two large bird statues, the glass one causing her to blink away tears as bright light reflecting of the smooth surface assaulted her visual organs. Bright. Too bright. Rubbing her eyes, it didn't take Elissa too long to register the purpose of the large decorations. The shout of the guild leader (?) and the whispers of the crowd made it abundantly clear. She politely stepped to the side when she felt a shoulder tap, followed by an 'excuse me' as a hooded figure with a sword waded through the crowd to the front.

Her gaze followed him a bit before returning to the tents and signs. Love life aside, Elissa couldn't believe her luck. Not just one mage guild openly recruiting in Twinbrook, but two. She'd been looking for a guild to join since she'd left Toolin. Mages weren't really recognized as mages unless they joined a mage guild, or so everyone said, and she doubted she could grow stronger than her mother unless she did so. She wasn't even sure how one went about joining one, though she imagined the more popular the guild the more difficult to join. Initiation tests? Level requirements? Elissa sighed. If she were honest with herself, she didn't really care which guild she joined so long as it allowed her to practice her magic in a friendly, relaxing environment. She didn't really have any plans of killing monsters or taking on dangerous jobs anyway and her magic wasn't very suited for battle. Though, while the strength or the fame of the guild didn't matter to her, her father probably wouldn't be pleased if she ended up joining a dark guild either.

She'd never heard of Bright Hawk or Void Crow before and joining either without knowing anything about them was pure idiocy in her mind. Scam guilds and con artists did exist after all--especially in big cities.

Fortunately, she wasn't the only mage to have some doubts. The green haired girl nearby seemed like a skilled mage if her words were anything to go by.

"Hmm...That's an interesting way to look at it," Elisa commented genially, more amused by the mage's thought process than anything else. She didn't really care one way or another which guild the girl chose. "Though, going by that thought, crows are more associated with intelligence." Smiling, to show she meant no harm by the statement, she held out her hand to the green haired mage. Seeing as she was new to Twinbrook and didn't have very many friends yet, she saw no harm in making some. Or, at the very least, not making enemies. "I'm Elissa. I see you're entertaining thoughts of joining one of the guilds as well."

Hanarei
(mentioned: GasMaskie )

 

[cinnabuns]

“ATTENTION ALL MAGES! THE FIRST BRIGHT HAWKS-VOID CROWS JOINT RECRUITMENT DRIVE HAS OFFICIALLY BEGUN!”

The crown on Anaïs' head felt a bit heavy as she turned to the sound of the voice, but it wasn't painful. Even if she considered her runes the most valuable treasure, she knew gold was an excellent find. If she were honest, the crown was still nice. It seemed to fit right, was a nice contrast to her purple locks; and like most things, Anaïs would get used to it. After all, it was just heavy. It didn't hurt, after all. It could have. She was more used to the pain than the heaviness. It was just a little uncomfortable at the moment.

Oh, wait. She could fix that, she mused slightly, gently touching the jewel plated on the crown and letting out a soft sigh as she released some of her magic into it, lessening the weight of the crown. That was much better. At some point, she'd have to release that magic if things got dicey, but until then, she'd enjoy the lack of density upon her head. Now she could focus more on what the voice had said. It hadn't been a whisper, so it wasn't a rune. But it seemed important.

As a man came to her side, interested in pilfering the crown off of her head, her hand went to his before he could grab it and, with a small smile, she sent him floating upwards as she continued forward, with a lack of care about the spectacle she was making due to the action. Once she was far away enough and the man was high up enough for an unforgettable landing, Anaïs released her magic, sending him crashing down and the crown felt heavier on her head. She hadn't been paying attention to the crown now, just to the yelling that she had heard earlier.

Bright Hawks? Void Crows?

Were those guilds? Anaïs thought, bringing her hand back to her side. Well, that was quite interesting. She had heard of new guilds while working at the bar before, since many members would frequent there after their missions. While drunk, they would tell of their adventures while Anaïs would serve them another drink or food. Those names sounded a little familiar from the rants on her last night. Something about new land being bought and new guild houses.

Anaïs found herself near the bridge where the voice had come from, admiring the designs made by the guilds under the tent. She could see a small crowd forming, a hooded man making his way through the crowd as well, so she decided to stay a bit back for a moment, listening in on their words as her eyes traced the bird statue and bird construct in front of them.

"A joint recruitment drive? So... am I to assume one is the lower branch of the other? Which would I want to look to apply for as a higher skilled mage if I wanted to seek a recruitment opportunity... I assume Bright Hawks given the more verbose name, where as a crow is usually associated as a scavenger?"

"Hmm...That's an interesting way to look at it. Though, going by that thought, crows are more associated with intelligence. I'm Elissa. I see you're entertaining thoughts of joining one of the guilds as well."

At least some of them seemed cordial. The...Guildmasters, maybe? And their second-in-commands were between staring daggers at one another and the old man beside them. It was interesting looking at the difference between the four, however. It seemed the guild names fit the personalities well enough. The two second-in-commands were close by their Guildmasters. She could assume the Bright Hawks' Guildmaster was the verbose man with the yellow hawk insignia on his coat. It made sense. That would mean the Void Crows' Guildmaster was the more relaxed men of the two. He wasn't actually glaring at all, as if he was used to this behavior. He seemed tired, actually.

Her eyes fell onto the tattoo that reached his eye, and her gaze continued downward until the tattoo was covered by his collar. So he had tattoos as well? How intriguing, Anaïs thought to herself. Something she wished to ask about, but she had a feeling there was about to be an argument between the Bright Hawks and the Void Crows over the words the green-haired girl had spoken earlier.

Wait, hold on. Void Crows?

Anaïs looked down at her left wrist, tracing the tattoo her latest rune had left there. She'd found it late at night after returning home from the bar after closing; she'd been unable to focus most of the last hour, hearing the soft caws and whispers flood her brain until she placed her hand on it, having to go deep into the forest and digging with her fingers, dirt caking under her nails until it finally - finally! - was in her grasp. The stinging feeling she'd received was nothing when it came to the glee she felt at holding the rune, and when she looked down at her wrist, she let out a soft noise.

Crows.

Had this...been a sign? Maybe.

Anaïs moved a bit closer to the group, a hand still on her wrist as she looked up from the Guildmaster to the crow in wonder. Her thumb continued to graze her tattoo as her lips let out a quiet hum, looking over the words once more. She moved her hand to push some of her blackberry strands out of her face.

Take Flight With the Void Crows!

Maybe she would.

[ AllHailDago , AtlannianSpy , Mentions: Hanarei , QuirkyAngel , GasMaskie ]

 

[Lucem]

Harper Layne​

The city was a lot more crowded than he expected. People on the streets stuck close together, constantly brushing up against each other like the barges floating across the canal. While it could be considered a nuisance to have so many citizens jammed in one place, it proved that Twinbrooks was full of life. It was easy to see why the trade hub had generated so much buzz.

With tons of people and just as many businesses, this was an ideal place for entrepreneurs to get their start. Money and goods were constantly changing hands, and there was no shortage of customers. If he was going to be sent somewhere, Twinbrooks made the most sense. The Crawford family had set its sights on his place long ago, but he had never visited the city. He couldn't argue that this would be the best place to learn more about the business, but he knew that the family members were just looking for a spot to dump him. This was just a good way for them to kill two birds with one stone. As much as he resented them for that, he was more annoyed with how quickly they decided to do it.

Harper stifled a yawn as he walked the streets, trying to keep the bright sun from burning his amber eyes. Even if they hated him, his former family could've had the decency to wait until the afternoon to kick him out. He planned on quitting his usual routine of waking up early for morning training, but they were just too eager to see him leave. It didn't help that they neglected to give him an exact location for where he was supposed to go, so he was just walking aimlessly for the moment.

Twinbrooks was a good spot for merchants, but all the activity also made it an ideal place for new guilds to get their start. Arnold recommended that he join one of them after hearing that two more were getting ready to make their official debut, claiming that it would be another way to gain valuable experience. Harper didn't have any interest in becoming a guild mage, but he also wasn't interested in starving. Joining a guild would be a quick way to make money while also satisfying Arnold's request, so it was the best option he had until he had enough saved up to look into other ventures. Of course, that was only if he could find the place. He didn't even know which guild he was looking for.

“ATTENTION ALL MAGES! THE FIRST BRIGHT HAWKS-VOID CROWS JOINT RECRUITMENT DRIVE HAS OFFICIALLY BEGUN!”

Well, that made things easier. Working his way through the crowd, Harper turned toward the King Felix Bridge and followed the loud voice. On his way over, he spotted an injured thief in an alley, left bloodied and bruised for all to see. There was no real evidence to suggest that the guy was a criminal, but a sign marked with blood seemed trustworthy enough. He also didn't care enough to think about it too hard, so he continued following the people who had been enticed by the calls for recruitment.

Passing the bridge, Harper eventually made it to the front of the small crowd that had broken off from the larger sea of people. A joint recruitment drive seemed weird for competing guilds, but he wasn't going to waste time by trying to make sense of it. Being unconventional seemed conventional for mage guilds. Arnold never specified which guild he was supposed to join, so he'd have to make that decision for himself.

Right away, he was drawn to the bespectacled man. It wasn't as if he had done anything impressive to stand out, but the blinding light from the glass statue was forcing him to look the other way. By comparison, the darker construct was easier on the eyes, but looking at it caused the negativity inside of him to stir. The guild's name reminded him of the title that had been stripped away from him, and its symbol was too close to the Crawford crest for his liking. Joining the Void Crows would've just been a constant reminder of his lingering ties to the family that stabbed him in the back. However, when compared to the alternative, it was the better option. The other guild leader was loud, and the hawk statue was trying to melt his eyes. The vibe that the guy gave off was hazardous to his way of life, so he didn't really have any other choice.

Approaching the tent, Harper turned toward the dark-haired man who he assumed was the leader of the Void Crows. Compared to the other guy, he seemed less likely to put him through some kind of intense training regimen. "I'd like to join the guild."

AllHailDago AtlannianSpy

 

[Damafaud]

Faris Dwi Arima

King Felix Bridge
Hesitant
Interaction: Adellon (might notice Sound Connection Thread)
Mention: AllHailDago Hanarei , QuirkyAngel , GasMaskie , cinnabuns Lucem ​

The morning was the busiest time of the day. Twinbrook, with its status, only turned more bustling early in the morning. Travellers prepared to leave. Citizens started their activity. For Faris, however, it was not so simple.

"Come again later when you visit town!" shouted a middle-aged man as he waved goodbye.

"I will." Faris nodded and mixed with the crowd. The man stared at his back with a tinge of unwillingness, but a voice soon called for him and he turned away.

Faris had spent the last week living in the backroom of a diner. When he arrived in Twinbrook, he didn't expect a stray Gale Sparrow to whip down on him and knocked him unconscious. He was later brought to town by the diner's owner, who returned from his travel abroad. The family nursed him back to health. To show his appreciation for the family's kindness, Faris spent a week helping the diner to fix the building and embroidered their tablecloths. They parted in goodwill. He was even invited to return if he passed by Twinbrooks again.

"...returning," he muttered to himself. The street was busy, but the hurried pace was constant. Used to the bustle, Faris sunk into his thought as he walked.

Three years on the road had broadened his perspective. The world was vast. The culture was different in different regions. Even the way people greeted each other was different. His travel had been enjoyable. He loved the freedom, the new things he met every day, the dynamic changes he faced. But with experience came concerns.

Faris stepped aside as a man carrying a dozen of wooden crates on his shoulders passed by. The usage of magic was obvious. Faris was not a weak person by any means. His achievement in Connection Magic was something to be proud of. Even so, Travelling alone was still full of surprises. Like how he was defeated by a tiny Gale Sparrow. If the people who found him was of less honourable raising, he wouldn't even have his shoes when he came to. The Gardner didn't even ask a coin from him, a fact that made him increasingly grateful to the family.

Still, the accident only highlighted the danger of travelling alone. Even if he was a mage, one freak accident could ruin him.

As he continued to walk, he soon climbed onto King Felix Bridge. The bridge was the connection point between the two parts of Twinbrook. For Faris, who studied in Connection Magic, the meaning of a connection point ran deeper.

“ATTENTION ALL MAGES! THE FIRST BRIGHT HAWKS-VOID CROWS JOINT RECRUITMENT DRIVE HAS OFFICIALLY BEGUN!”

All of a sudden, Faris stopped on his feet. His eyes turned toward the source of the shout, filled with complicated feeling. There stood one way out for his predicament: joining a guild. A guild not only made it easier to gain missions, but guild mages were also paid at a relatively higher rate. The only drawback was that guild mages were restricted to the base where the guild was. For example, if he joined Bright Hawks or Void Crows, he would need to return to Twinbrook after every mission.

He wavered.

...there was nothing wrong with at least listening.

Faris joined the crowd. A few people were asking the recruiters questions regarding the guild. Silently, a small piece of thread coiled around Faris' ear. The thread throbbed a dull grey. Sound Connection. He eavesdropped the conversations around, furtively taking the pieces of information in. His action might not be noticed by most as he was only standing in the crowd.

 

[AnthraxBurrito]

The unfortunate positioning of Summar's room on the third floor of the inn is what had woken him so early. Directly across from the bed was a large window overlooking the city's canal district. However, the recent construction on a certain white building with a glass top floor had created a blinding glare, now shining through Summar's window. The room itself was small, with minimum amenities, but it was more than adequate for Summar's current situation.


Rather than dress in his usual attire of custom made silk kaftans and expensive jewelry, Summar chose to wear a more common attire for the day. The reason being, this was a new place, and he did not want to be perceived as something he wasn't, a Noble. Dressed in a plain cotton shirt and trousers, he left the inn that morning with an empty stomach and little idea where to go. Following nothing but a whim, he set off to explore the city. It took only moments for him to get lost. After seeking help from some local townspeople, he was able to find a nearby bakery, happy to trade gold for bread.


Unsure of where to go or what activities the city had to offer, Summar simply asked the patrons of the bakery what their fine city had to offer. At first he was informed about Newtown, which from what he understood, was the place to be for anybody who's anybody. Having been raised in the Crown of Collis, the illustrious description of Newtown did nothing for him. Next he was informed of the bustling market on King Felix Bridge, which evidently was hosting some sort of guild recruitment drive. He had considered joining a mages guild before, but he knew of none other than a couple major ones he had no business being apart of. Freelance work had gotten him this far, so why change now he thought to himself. The last person Summar asked had some information that struck his interest.


Evidently within Twinbrooks there's a large pit that's home to a fight ring run by the gangs of the city. What really caught his interest, was today there was supposed to be a Championship match. Bone Breaker Brutus was putting his 51-0 record on the line against Franky Phoenix, an upstart claiming to be the best with only 10 victories to his name. The going odds for Franky to win were 50 to 1 , numbers that only intrigued Summar's inner gambler. Despite his inner dislike of unnecessary brutality, Summar couldn't help but wonder what such an event was like. Where he was from, beating each other was never consensual, and it almost never gathered a crowd. He had to see it for himself, even if only briefly.


Summar set off from the bakery, not remembering to get directions to the pit where this fight was being held. Within moments, he was lost yet again, unable to navigate the unfamiliar streets of the Canal district. Walking along the Canal itself, hoping to find something to help him regain his sense of direction, Summar then noticed King Felix Bridge. It was significantly larger than he had imagined it would be. Larger than any bridge he had ever seen before. As he approached the marketplace before him, his attention was drawn to a tent where a man stood yelling by a small group and two statues.


“ATTENTION ALL MAGES! THE FIRST BRIGHT HAWKS-VOID CROWS JOINT RECRUITMENT DRIVE HAS OFFICIALLY BEGUN!”


Already a small gathering of people had begun to form around the tent. With his reservations about joining a guild still in the forefront of his mind, Summar hesitated before approaching the tent, weighing out the pros and cons of joining a guild. He then thought of his current situation, a disinherited vagabond, with no combative ability. Figuring he had nothing left to lose, Summar decided it'd at least be worth a shot trying to join. Upon getting closer, it became clearer that the statues before him were not carved or sculpted by artisans, but created by mages. Realizing the line of people before him, Summar stood at the back of the crowd, awaiting his turn to approach the guild masters. Glancing back at the two massive bird statues before him, he could not help but feel inspired. After picking up a small rock on the ground, Summar closed his fist around the rock and briefly focused his magic, transmuting the stone into gold. Focusing a harder, Summar then begins molding the lump of gold, forming it in the shape of small hummingbird. With a quick toss in the air and a slight gesture from his fingers, the toy sized bird took flight around him, until finally landing on his shoulder. "Hope they like my audition." He thought to himself.

 

[Hanarei]

Jade Evergarden
​

Jade was a little surprised to hear another voice chime in directed towards her. She turned her head glancing upon the woman. As far as her eyes could make of her she seemed to be someone who had at the very least a moderate taste of fashion. While it wasn't something she prized super heavily, the fact it wasn't someone who seemed to barely gotten dressed during the day and haphazardly tossed on clothing was something she held some respect for. It was amazing to her how many people seemed to not care how ridiculous they looked not even giving a small bit of effort into their attire. The green haired woman smiled brushing a strand of her locks to the side, more so a habit of hers with her hairband keeping most of her locks away from her face.

"Oh? I suppose that would be another way to view it, granted I wouldn't consider hawks stupid either. I guess my mentality was more upon one group picking up the scraps of the other. Then again your way of looking at it could also work... though I'd also think the fact a hawk is a much more effective predator could also be used as a metric of why the Hawks would be the head branch of the two groups." She spoke able to go on longer though stopping herself... mostly because she was about to comment on the demeanor of the four seemingly putting together the recruitment drive. One seemed like he would rather be in bed and the gulped down a ton of caffine to come to this event. Either way she really hoped their two female Guildmasters would hopefully put both of them in line.

"Jade Evergarden, a talented up and rising mage continuously improving and perfecting her control over plantlife to both protect and heal those in need." She spoke with a light bowing gesture. It wasn't usual for Jade to show some of her pride, particularly in situations such as this where she felt as if it was fitting. She picked up her head quickly not attempting to makea big deal of her gesture focusing her eyes upon the woman staring directly into her eyes.

"I trust you must be mage yourself given you are thinking of joining a guild? Its good to meet a fellow practitioner. I'm sure you must be skilled yourself... or if not you seem like the type who is willing to dedicate yourself to become better." She looked to the woman keeping a warm smile on her face. She wasn't really sure what the woman was capable of but she felt sure enough that if she was looking for a guild she at the very cared enough about it to not only put in an effort to look nice but also seek out a guild. She looked back over towards the 'recruiters' as she tapped her chin seeming a bit questionable of the whole display. Naturally she still had the expectation if they were nobodies to use them to both elevate them and herself, though she wasn't going to obviously say such a thing. It was much better in her mind to seem unimpressed and see just to what lengths they were willing to go to push people to join. While some voices had spoken up to joining just a few wouldn't be enough to get them very far.

"As far as joining... it is hard to say... I haven't seen anything really to impress me of this joint venture. I mean if anything it seems like they would be better off just being under one guild rather then splitting up their efforts from what little was shown." She spoke expressing her doubt. Her eyes darted over noticing a man seemingly putting on a show with a toy bird using magic, though her eyes simply lingered away uninterested far more curious to see what reaction she might get.

AtlannianSpy AllHailDago QuirkyAngel (Brief Mentionioning of: Lucem AnthraxBurrito )

 

[The One Eyed Bandit]

"Run of bad luck today, huh?"

Life tended to come with both ups and downs. Some days you managed to strike it big, and others you'd get beaten, bloodied, and hogtied by an up-and-coming hero of justice. Hovering over the would-be thief, Charles snicked. Mage or no, he'd stumbled into the latter today. It was funny. Past the blood and the bruising, the young vagrant was pretty sure she recognized the guy. Roguish, weaselly, and so braggadocios that his ending up in this situation was almost enough to make her whole day.

"Mmm... The sign is kinda lame, though." Mumbling to herself, she lurched over the young man and lifted the sign from his body. It smelled lightly of iron. At the realization, she frowned.

"Seriously?" She questioned out loud. What kind of psychos were playing hero nowadays? Messages written in blood? They knew that was like, ghost territory, right? Her eyes lingered on the sign for a few more moments, a light incredulity bumbling about her mind, before she tossed the morbid thing aside.

At the end of the day, Charles had both seen and probably done worse, so she elected to forget about it.

Back to the topic at hand, Charles was feeling a rare moment of empathy for the failed-thief. Not enough to do anything for him, but she'd also been of poor fortunes today, so she understood his plight. Since a hour before sunrise, the feral-cat of a girl had been traveling between her usual haunts. The places where bake-houses would throw out their failed batches, or where families would do away with their spare toast, but it was to no avail. Today was not a breakfast day, it seemed.

She sighed at the thought, and straightened her back. Lingering wasn't going to fill her stomach, so she was done here. Turning away from the scene, Charles noticed a sphere of isolation had formed around her and the thief. She smirked. People avoiding her was always a good sign. It meant she was right and properly in the soft side of town, where people had places to go, and resources to waste. She was getting a feeling that she wasn't going to be hungry for much longer. This was the side of town where opportunity hung in the air like pollen in the springtime.

Over the hustle and bustle of the morning commute, she spied an unusual commotion. She couldn't make out everything from her distance, but it was clear that, at the very least, magic was involved. Despite her ragged appearance, the scrappy youth saw this part of the city quite often, and she was quite confident that the gigantic aviary was a new addition to the bridge. Curiosity overtaking her, Charles parted the commuter-sea, and wandered towards the show of avian magic.

As the girl approached, the crowd at large seemed to pick up their pace. Some muttered amongst themselves, but most were more concerned with scrunching up their faces, pinching their noses, and escaping upwind. She thought it was pretty funny.

"What's going on here, some sort of show?" She spoke loudly, and without reservation. To anyone with a half-decent set of ears, it would be obvious that a derisive undertone was thoroughly wrapped around her words. To those with a half-excellent pair of ears, however, a hint of genuine curiosity could be detected too. It was easy enough to piece together half of what was going on here, what with all the magic floating about the air, but the other part had her stumped.

"Mmm... So, how much do I gotta pay for you to pull out the flaming rings?" She goaded, clearly enjoying her own joke to some degree or another. It might have been true that the display had peaked her interest a bit, but just outright asking what was going on wasn't in her nature. This was far too big a target for her not to try and fling a few shots at it.

AllHailDago AtlannianSpy

 

[simj26]

Lysandra von Freytag-LoringhovenShe had only just arrived in Twinbrooks. A trio of knights cloaked in purple trailed behind her. They were no doubt from her brother’s own, no doubt under his instructions to keep her safe during her journey. She had tried everything to chase them off, from using her own name to order them away to chucking rocks at them. None of them ever budged. Still, she was somewhat pleased that they at least knew how to kept their distance, from themselves, and from her. Spread out, they were like strangers that just happened to be in the same place. Their armor and cloaks weren’t exactly commonplace, but their behaviour did not make them stick out. They had been trained well. Still, would it hurt her brother to at least give her some credit? She barely had any trouble making her way he--

Her train of thought derailed as her foot caught on something soft, and she stumbled. She caught herself, and straightened up, brushing herself down. Goodness, what was that? She turned her gaze to the floor behind her. Surprise flashed across her face for a second. One of the knights noted her sudden pause, and slowly made her way to her. She raised her head to glance at him, and shook her head ever so slightly. He slowed in his advance, and melted back into the crowd.

Justice was blind, but those who acted upon its words were not. How could anyone have done this? That sign at the side was unnecessarily cruel. She scowled, and crouched down beside the unconscious man. With a grunt, she brought his body up to a sitting position and shifted him over to a nearby wall, resting his back on it. This would not have stood within her father’s territory. She pulled out one of the containers that had been stuffed into her bag prior to her journey, and unscrewed the cap. The smell of the green ointment within was strong enough to send some of the onlookers reeling back. Thief or not, the man did not deserve to be shamed like so. If anything, he should be brought up to Justice’s deliverance, not to some vigilante’s actions. She ran her fingers through the top of the ointment, and dabbed it across the man’s bruise. It wasn’t magic, but it would help heal the wounds. No one should have to rely on magic just for things like these. She gritted her teeth, and continued to apply the medicine. She capped the container, and returned it to her bag, rubbing the remnants of the ointment across the side of her neck. She straightened up, her brows furrowing.

“You,” she directed her eyes at one of the purple-cloaked knights who had now joined the crowd of onlookers. “Inform the relevant authorities. Explain to them the nature of his crime. That is all.” The knight did not appear to have acknowledged her instruction. He simply turned and departed from the scene. Her brother’s knights were under no orders to follow her instructions, and they were probably not too pleased to be playing babysitters to some princess, no doubt. She turned her attention back to the thief. No evidence, no witnesses. No trial, and no punishment. She bent down and picked up the sign at the side. Whoever had took on this vigilante justice into his hands had only this sign in her hands to take as his words. Her face twisted into a grimace. Clasping the sign with both hands, she brought it down over her knee, snapping it in half. Truth or not, it cannot be accepted as evidence. She tossed the broken sign aside.

Justice. This town was in need of justice. How would she go about carrying out this duty then? She raised her hand to her chin in thought. Her eyes drifted over the dispersing crowd, the issue with the thief having been handled. Something else was drawing their attention over yonder. She hoped it wasn’t another unconscious thief. Adjusting her satchel, she slid through the crowd, careful to ensure that her sword did not rap too many people across the thighs. As the crowd broke apart as she pushed through, she came across a sight of two statues side by side. There were some other mages in the forefront, displaying a show of their magics. Or, to be exact, just one.

Showoff.

The first statue was of a crow, made of what seemed to be flowing black ink. Dark, mysterious, roiling with unknown force. Curious. Something in her was drawn towards it. The fluid, flowing darkness was so...enticing, so inviting. She grimaced, and pinched her left arm. No. That darkness was evil. It was corruption. To be seduced so easily by the call of darkness- what would the Creator say? Nothing good, she expected. She turned her attention to the next statue. It was a glass hawk, with its grand talons outstretched towards the crowd before it. Light gleamed off its structure, beaming it across the crowd, shimmering and glittering. Much too grandiose for her liking. However, a glass sculpture was intriguing. She brushed past the others in the crowd, and pushed past the man with the golden bird on his shoulder. Completely unaware of anything else around her, she made a beeline straight for the hawk, and reached out one hand towards it. The smooth breast of the hawk was warm to the touch, yet firm and unyielding. She would sooner shatter her sword striking this piece of art than shatter it with her blade. It was created by magic, no doubt, no mortal artisan could ever do this without years of practice. Nay, even then, it was impossible. This was as if it was carved out of ice, except instead of ice, it was glass.

“Amazing…” she breathed. This was the power of a mage with control over their magic. She could feel everything that the sculpture embodied. Strength, fortitude, and care. A small shine of amazement passed through her eyes.

She turned her head to the pair of mages beside the sculpture, her expression shifting back into its neutral state. “Did you do this? Did you create this?”

AtlannianSpy AllHailDago AnthraxBurrito

 

[AllHailDago]

Adellon P. Thrace

​

Adellon eyed the growing crowd with a faint smile. So many gathered so quickly, he had to give Perry credit...his voice was great for drawing attention. Scanning the crowd, Adellon tried to make eye contact with anyone who might be looking at his crow rather than Perry's hawk. To his pleasure there were a number of onlookers. A few people made quick work of moving towards the front and asking their questions or making their statements.

One young man asked what was going on, but before Adellon could answer a green haired young woman spoke of one guild being....subservient to the other. She had the gall to assume it would be his guild as well! She almost managed to rile him up until her misuse of the word verbose betrayed the fact that she might just fit in with ol Perry better.

Another young woman cut in and Adellon's eyes shifted to her. Her words lessened his already waning irritation, and he internally nodded at the fact crows were among the smartest non magical birds one could find! A fact that did not describe hawks, hunting or otherwise. His attention was drawn away suddenly as a young man broke through the crows and approached more closely.

Adellon let out a small whistle at the young man's height. He had to be in his teens still, and yet he was taller than both Adellon and Perry. His posture seemed relaxed, but not in the dangerous way Adellon had seen on combat veterans. Just....calm. Adellon found it pleasant immediately. The young man asked to join his guild and Adellon just couldn't help himself but to break out into a smirk aimed at Perry. Another notch on his side of the tree it seemed.

Adellon missed the green haired girls next provocation as he greeted the young man. "Ah, thank you for your interest in the Void Crows. Duly noted, and I'd be glad to accept. However, first thing is...." Adellon paused momentarily as he was distracted by the glinting form of a golden humming bird flitting around a man's head. How interesting. ".....first thing is any who wish to sign up will have a simple tryout or audition if you will. Allow me to explain."

Adellon took a couple steps back, standing facing the whole of the crowd with Viridian behind him to one side. "I am A rank mage and master of the Void Crows guild, Adellon Thrace. This is the vice master, Viridian Lannerly. Along with our....colleagues from the Bright Hawks, Peregrine and Aurelia, we have mutually decided to hold our auditions in the spirit of friendly competition." He strained a few words in the hopes Perry would pick up on the hint.

"For those unfamiliar, this is a introductory course for slime golfing in this tent. We would have potential recruits give a small demonstration of ability here before officially joining. If you do not know the rules of the game I'm sure my colleague Peregrine would be more than willing to speak the rules for all to hear, before we ask that those wanting to audition move to the front so we may start a queue."

He stopped to cover an extensive yawn, to his silent embarrassment. Meanhwike a young woman seemed to engage Perry with a question. He allowed a moment for Perry's response before continuing in a more pointed voice. "For those who may yet doubt we are of a caliber to lead a fresh guild, or even you in particular, I offer you this as an example." With a wave of his hand, there would be a palpable movement of magic in the air that even the relatively magic insensitive should feel. Suddenly the roiling form of the crow behind him began to grow, doubling, tripling, and finally quadrupling in size before it stopped.

It's head raised and looked out over the crowd from well above the top of the tent. It extended it's wings fully, and cast a shadow over those gathered there, temporarily relieving those burdened by Perrys statue's accursed glare. It beat it's wings once, and a breeze blew through the crowd. Then it did something no one was likely prepared for. It leaned down, wings gathering in, and peered at Adellon who had yet to turn around. Then it bit off the top half of his body, before settling back down in its original size across from the glass hawk.

The legs and waist of Adellon did not so much as waver from where they had stood. In fact, for those still watching instead of revising in horror or disgust, they might notice there was a....black, bubbling mass at the top of the waist. Over the next few seconds it expanded upwards and formed back into the shape of Adellon's torso, neck, and finally his head. The black coloring shifted and changed gradually until Adellon stood in full color, facing the crowd. His expression was one of mild self satisfaction. Internally he really hoped that would work to impress some of those having doubts. With that done he turned to Perry and said, "If you could be so kind?"

AtlannianSpy GasMaskie Hanarei Lucem Makomin QuirkyAngel Damafaud izayoiix AnthraxBurrito Ganryu Refaulted The One Eyed Bandit simj26 cinnabuns L Libero

 

[Refaulted]

Basil Webster

"...from a guy who said it was an heirloom to his family. It was passed down to him from his father, and then his father before him. Each one of them served in the Pergrande Royal Military, and every single one of them carried this shield into battle with them. The shield was seen as a good luck charm to them, and if they lost it in the heat of battle, they wouldn't retreat until they retrieved the shield once more." The man ran a hand over the round metal shield, it's ornate design sparkling in the light that came through the window. "It's sad, the owner said that he had no children to pass the shield on to, so he gave it me to display here in my store, along with the rest of the knick-knacks you saw, so I could tell their stories. Then my daughter can do the same when she takes over the store when I'm old."

He adjusted his glasses as he turned back to the young man who was leaning on his elbows on his counter, a look of wonder and awe in his eyes. The man chuckled as he walked back over. "Not many people ask about those things, so I'm glad you stopped by, son. I was worried that I would forget their stories before I could tell them to anyone. Unlike the rest of the antiques in my store, they hold a special place in my heart because they mean something great to those who owned them before. You must have some scarily good eyesight to see them from the street through my shop window."

Basil gave a content sigh, and spoke in a melodic voice, his words almost coming out like a song. "What can I say? I can tell when something has a good story behind it, and I'm such a sucker for a good story. Ever since I was little I would drop any and all things I was doing to hear a juicy tale." Basil stood back up, grinning ear to ear as he looked around at the other items that were placed around the shop. There were small glass ornaments that hung from the ceiling, collections of science tools, a couple weapons here and there, and many more things. Each one had it's own story, and even if the man didn't know them, Basil was positive that they were stories worth hearing.

Picking his bag up off the ground, slinging it over his shoulder, and bid farewell to the man as he exited the store. He took a deep inhale of the morning air once he was back outside, and began walking with a slight skip in his step. Ever since he had arrived in Twinbrooks, things had been very hit or miss. One the one hand, he had gotten a majority of his luggage stolen, and had donated most of his money meant for food and other necessities to a group of young children he had come across who were in more rags than clothes. Of course, he had done what he could for them with his skills to mend their clothes, and the luggage he had lost was mainly just his clothes, which wasn't too much of a loss. And of course he had come across quite a few amazing places, and he felt so much freedom now that he was away from his home. The good far outweighed the bad in his mind, and that put him in a positively amazing mood.

Of course, he couldn't get too distracted. He still needed to find the one person he knew in the entire town. Well, knew of. He wasn't even sure if he would know what Basil looked like, much less if he knew he was coming. But Basil was already here, and there was no point in turning back now, even if he was turned away. If he wouldn't accept him, then Basil would just try with the next. And the next. Until he was given the chance to pursue his desires of becoming a mage. And if he couldn't join a Guild, what was stopping him from just learning magic on his own? Emilia had given him the tools he needed to get started, so he was well on his way already. Then again, it would be nice to make money, so he didn't starve on the streets.

Basil paused as his stomach growled, and he placed a hand over his empty stomach, laughing at himself. "Guess I can't put breakfast off for much longer." Basil continued down the street, looking for any place that looked like it could sell food of any sort. He hadn't eaten dinner the night before, and it was quickly creeping up on him. He only had enough now for one meal, so he had to make it count. His mouth began to water at the thought of a nice, warm breakfast, but he was ripped from his fantasy as he overheard a couple women talking nearby.

"...did you see? Lovely dark skin, glasses that must mean he is intelligent, and tattoos that make him seem so mysterious. I couldn't take my eyes off him. And he seemed to be heading towards the King Felix Bridge. Maybe I should go there and 'bump' into him...?"

Basil felt butterflies begin to dance in his stomach, despite how small it must be at this point. He couldn't contain his joy and excitement as he put an extra bounce in his step, humming quietly to himself as he made his way to the canal.


Basil took a bite out of the bagel, realizing how hungry he actually was. Bread was the perfect thing, since it was so filling. That meant he could save the rest of the food he bought for later, once he was hungry again. He wasn't sure when the next time he would eat was, so he had to be careful with how much he ate at one time. If he completely ran out of money, he would have to probably take up a job tailoring in the city, and he didn't want to get stuck in a job at this point. He still had two apples in his bag, and the clerk had even given him some spare jerky that would last a while, and had refilled his canteen with fresh water. Basil had almost cried in front of the woman for being so nice.

He took another bite of his bagel as he scanned the crowd. As he had been making his way here, he had heard a man's voice shouting about a recruitment drive, so at the moment that was what he was looking for. He could see many tents along the sides of the bridge, but none seemed to be what he was looking for. He stopped in the middle of the crowd of people, jumping up on his toes to try and look over the heads of the rest of the people. In the distance he could see something sparkling, and he squinted as he tried to get a better look at it.

Suddenly, a black mass began to grow next to the shining object, it being in the form of a large bird. It seemed almost alive, and he heard a couple sounds of awe and slight panic from those around him. As it moved around, he quickly moved down and snapped at something, and he could hear a couple shouts of fear from the direction of it, followed by the sounds of clapping, almost as if a parlor trick had been performed. Basil quickly shoved the rest of his bagel into his mouth as he pushed his way through the crowd, his heart racing as he knew he was getting closer.

He finally arrived at the tent in time to see the exact man he was looking for standing in front of a small throng of people. Dark skin, glasses, tattoos...he definitely was exactly as his mother had described him as. Basil could almost feel in the air the presence of so much magical energy with this group of people, and for a moment he felt intimidated. But almost immediately, it was overwhelmed by the feeling of pure excitement and curiosity that overtook him, and he dashed forward, stopping in front of Adellon, and clasped his hands together in front of him. "Mifta Aellou, I've befn wouking foe you! My wamf is Asil Wester, ab I'm hew to joi you Uild!" Basil, in his excitement, forgot that he was still chewing his breakfast, and began coughing as he nearly began choking on it. He held up a hand, his head turned down as he tried to swallow the rest of the bread as fast as he could. He finally got it all done, and gasped for some air before turning back up to Adellon. "Sir! I'm here to join your Guild! Please!" Basil clapped his hands together once more. "I want to become a great mage, and learn so much about the world!"

Spoiler: Mentions/Interactions

Interactions: Adellon AllHailDago

 

[AtlannianSpy]

Peregrine Laconia
Peregrine surveyed the small crowd of petitioners that assembled around the tent and suppressed a twinge of irritation as the majority of them seemed to drift towards Adellon and his dammed ink crow.

Never mind Perry he told himself, his posture and expression inscrutable. Quality is what counts and any mage who prefers a black puddle shaped like a filthy scavenger is obviously of inferior mental faculties!

Peregrine felt a reassuring wave of smugness wash over him as a female mage with brightly colored hair made an observation along those lines. She didn't seem to know what 'verbose' meant, but her heart was certainly in the right place! Maybe he could get her a copy of his word of the day calendar?

"The Bright Hawks have no need for either a master or a subordinate," Peregrine said to her, still feeling the need to correct the notion that they were affiliated. "We are bound by our principles only, we only happen to be here together as a matter of...coincidence-" At that Peregrine shot a glare at Watson the tent owner, he withered under it.

Peregrine was going to elaborate on this point, drawing on some of the cue cards he had in his back pocket about the importance of principles, when two more women approached him, almost comical in the contrast they struck with each other.

One of the young women was..strikingly scruffy to say the least, in a filthy and ill fitting overcoat and a bright red scarf that Peregrine was quite certain had not originally been that color. Still underneath smudges of dirt and feigned aloofness there was a gleam in her expression that Peregrine did not dislike.

The other woman carried herself with the strict posture Peregrine recognized from his time in Esgard, although it seemed to relax a little bit as she brushed past him to study his sculpture. When she spoke, Peregrine detected the precise diction of a noble, or at least a knight, though he barely made note of that, caught up as he was in her admiration of his work.

"Merely the result of my still insufficient training," Peregrine said, coughing and adjusting his tie. As he did so, Peregrine shot a sidelong glance at Adellon, who was showing off some absurd routine with his ink crow. Still Peregrine was not one to be outdone and of those whose attention he had managed to grab, the majority still seemed unimpressed. Peregrine cleared his throat.

"MY NAME IS PEREGRINE LACONIA, A RANK MAGE AND GUILDMASTER OF THE BRIGHT HAWKS!" Peregrine called, stepping forwards and cracking his knuckles together. "AND IT SEEMS A DEMONSTRATION OF MY COMMITMENT TO MAGIC IS IN ORDER," with one hand, Peregrine tugged the young woman closely studying the glass sculpture by the back of her uniform. "You'll want to step back a bit for this," he said, in a more normal tone. "Now then, flaming rings was it?" he asked, making eye contact with the scruffier girl.

Peregrine snapped his finger and the glass sculpture behind him began to shift. It did so not nearly as smoothly or precisely as the Adellon's crow had done, but in rigid, mechanical movements, it's back straightening and its wings tilting backwards. Some strange configuration of glass inside the sculpture aligned and all of a sudden the sunlight that had been shining out of it in ever direction was bouncing around inside the sculpture to converge as single, bright beam of light pointing at the silk tent.

Almost immediately, the silk tent caught fire, orange tongues of heat racing across its surface and eliciting a gasp from the crowd. Just as the fire was really getting going, the glass hawk suddenly took flight, hurtling into the tent and taking the entire swathe of burning fabric with it. The hawk rose into the sky, the burning silk surrounding it and trailing behind it to give the appearance of a meteor paradoxically flying upwards instead of crashing to the ground.

When the fiery display was high enough above the crowd to be safe, Peregrine snapped his finger again and the hawk slashed a huge hole in the middle of the silk and broke through, wheeling around to glide back down to its original position. What was left floating in the sky was a huge, circular patch of silk burning brightly in the sky. With the hole torn in the middle of the circle, it could fairly be said to be a ring, of sorts. The burning tent remained in the sky for a few seconds but it was quickly consumed by the fire, until all that was left was ash that floated away softly on the wind.

"Now then, if I have your attention, It's time for you to prove your own worth!" Perergrine said, during attention back to himself and, with a wave of his hand, the structure behind him, which had been hidden underneath the tent until now. It was an odd thing, a sort of arena, constructed mainly of wood and decorated with paintings of round, tear drop shaped creatures with smiling faces. A brightly painted sign above the entrance identified it as "Wacky Watson's Crazy Slime Golf Course"

Inside the arena seemed to be a kind of obstacle course. The floor was covered in water so the course was limited to a series of raised platforms featuring various obstacles. There was a narrow bridge beset by swinging pendulums, a series of hinged platforms ready to fall down after weight was put on them, even a rope obstacle that seemed to involve surmounting a nearly vertical wall with the aid of a climbing rope and then using it to swing across a long gap. Every obstacle was occupied by an odd presence: bright, blue teardrop shaped masses of gel that would have been difficult to identify as a living creature were it not for the gaps in their center that seemed to be mouths.

Peregrine nodded at Watson who hurried over to a storage bin and withdrew another one of the creatures, handing it to Peregrine who held it out for the audience to study.

"The lesser garden slime," said Peregrine, moving it around for the crowd, which caused the slime to quiver softly. "A voracious eater, impervious to pain and almost impossible to permanently kill thanks to its ability to reform or split into new colonies, the lesser garden slime plagued the fields, gardens and store room for centuries. Guild mages were called in so frequently to drive away slimes that it became a sort of rite of passage for rookies. It became such a common job that eventually mages started to turn it into a game: scoring and timing each other as they worked to clear away the slimes. Nowadays any farmer or hobbyist will be able to tell you that slimes hate the smell of bitter root extract, so you can keep them away by scattering some of it around as a powder. When that was discovered the need for mages to deal with slimes faded away, but the game they had invented remained and in fact only grew in popularity, eventually becoming what we now call slime golf,"

Peregrine set the slime down by his feet where it seemed happy to remain until he drove his foot down on top of it, squishing the creature into a flat puddle. "As mentioned before, slimes do not feel pain and they can reform themselves from almost any kind of trauma," True to Peregrine's words, the blue liquid scattered around his foot began to clump together and rise back up, until the slime was back in its original shape, totally unphased. "Studies have even shown that slimes find being splattered stimulating and domesticated slimes begin to show signs of stress or depression if not regularly splattered," Peregrine said, picking the slime up and handing it back to Watson.

"Slime golfing is a simple sport to learn, but difficult to master. The goal is to move through the obstacle course, splattering the blue slimes at each obstacle which will reveal a purple slime, splatter that and you're done. You start at the magic circle at the entrance and finish the course when you have splattered the purple slime. You can use any kind of magic you have at your disposal to navigate the course and to destroy the slimes, this is a sport for mages after all.

Those are the basics, but there are various ways to increase or decrease your score. For starters you will be timed, with a fast clear time being highly desirable. Also note that the magic circle at the start of the course will measure your ethernano reserves, there is a corresponding circle at the end of the course: the more ethernano you have left when you reach that, the more points you will score."

Before continuing, Peregrine nodded at Watson again, who began rummaging around in the storage bin again as Peregerine spoke. "The most important source of points however, are the extra slimes. Every time you splatter a blue slime, other kinds of slimes hidden throughout the course will be revealed and can be destroyed for additional points, however these extra slimes have unique properties that can make them difficult to handle,"

Watson ran forward, this time he had a slime under each arm, one green and one red. Unlike the blue slime, which had been placid and unconcerned with its surroundings, the red and green slimes seemed to throb with nervous energy and seemed liable to wiggle free of the stall keeper's grip at any moment. The red slime emitted a low, ornery growl.

"The green slime you see now is far more agile than a blue slime, when it is released into the course it will use it's natural, elastic properties to ricochet around erratically, making it difficult to target. After a few seconds it will usually retreat back into the hole it emerged from, so you'll have to quickly eliminate it to score the extra points,"

At this Peregrine signaled to Watson, who released his grip on the red slime. With a comical screech, the creature launched itself at Peregrine, almost reaching him before it seemed to collide with an invisible wall, a barrier of glass the mage had erected at the last second, splattering itself across the transparent surface.

"As you can see," Peregrine said coolly, as Watson scraped the red slime off the glass and returned both of the creatures to the bin. "The Red slime is as agile as its green cousin, but highly territorial. When it is released into the course it will attempt to collide with you. You can score extra points if you destroy it, but you lose points if you get any red slime on you, so if you think you won't be able to hit one you should aim to avoid it instead. It will usually splatter itself on whatever surface is behind you."

Peregrine turned back to the course. "The final slime is somewhat troublesome to move, so I will simply describe it for you. The purple slime is fully five times the size of the other varieties and thanks to a durable exo layer, much more durable to boot, though nearly completely immobile. Due to this unique property, when struck with sufficient force, the purple slime doesn't merely splatter, it explodes, spraying slime all over the arena. The more violently you strike the purple slime, the more violently it explodes and you are awarded bonus points in proportion to far you can spread it over the arena walls. Because the purple slime only appears at the end of the course, after your ethernano reserves have been scored, you are free to use all your remaining,"

Peregrine clapped his hands together, enthusiastic all of a sudden. "Well that's the basics, there's more complexity in higher level courses, but this is a beginner level one so I'm sure you'll figure it out. Who would like to go first?"

AllHailDago GasMaskie Hanarei Lucem Makomin QuirkyAngel Damafaud izayoiix AnthraxBurrito Ganryu Refaulted The One Eyed Bandit simj26 cinnabuns L Libero

 

[Damafaud]

Faris Dwi Arima

King Felix Bridge
Determined
Interaction: Peregrine ( AtlannianSpy ), Summar ( AnthraxBurrito )
Mention: AllHailDago ​

The longer Faris listened and watched into the recruitment attempt, the more his heart wavered. He was only recently promoted to Rank B. The idiom a sky above a sky was something known to him but seeing someone of similar age to him walking a different path in life made his feeling anything but simple. The coil around his left ear vanished. Any more information wouldn't help. He now stood at a crossroad of his life.

He could join a guild; he was leaning toward Void Crows if he chose to. Adellon's style suited him better than that of Peregrine's. If he joined, he would need to settle in Twinbrook. Maybe lived in the guild until he amassed enough to buy his own cottage. He would slowly integrate into the community and- who knows, maybe he would find love here.

Alternatively, he could walk away. Continuing his travel alone. He could go to White Reach and attempted to look for the missing section of Connection Magic. He could also return home, join his father and took on an apprentice. He wouldn't be restrained to any location, free as a lark.

His left foot stepped away. He hesitated. His body didn't turn with his feet. Thoughts whirled around his mind like a whirlpool. His eyes darted about in indecision. Then he made his choice.

"Does anyone mind if I do?"

Faris stepped out of the crowd, raising his hands into the air with a thin smile on his face. Even when he was in the crowd, his mere height made him stood out. His faded coat and old leather backpack gave him the impression of being a vagrant rather than a mage, but he didn't care. He turned his smile toward the dark-skinned man, asking for allowance.

 

[soggyparadise]

Venrie had been on the road for days- or perhaps even weeks if he was remembering correctly. As far as he could recall this was his fourteenth day away from home- the fourteenth day not waking up to the not-so-distant bleating of the goats and sheep that called his village home, and the fourteenth day not seeing the people he'd come to know as his family. A part of him felt so homesick that it was hard to bare- hard to keep walking in a direction he knew would only take him farther away from the mountain he'd learned like the back of his hand; but the other part was so powerful, thirsting for an adventure he knew he couldn't find at home. This desire to see the world was so strong in fact the young mage knew he couldn't turn back even if he wanted to. The things he'd encountered thus far on his journey were proof enough that the world was so much more than even what he'd read in books.

People who worked their entire lives in vast, flat fields like nothing he'd ever seen, and animals and plants that were so intriguing Venrie would delay his travel for hours just to observe them, sketching their likeness and description in his journal so he could look them up on a later date. Speaking of which, on his ninth day of travels Venrie stumbled upon a small town, which to him seemed massive, and in said town he'd found a building almost completely dedicated to walls and shelves lined with books as far as he could see. It made his own collection back home seem pitiful and as he delved into novel after novel, different townspeople would come to see him. After all it was quite a peculiar sight, a strange boy who is said to emit a low buzzing sound has found his way into the towns tiny library and begun reading book after book with no breaks? Some were worried about his intentions at first while other's were simply worried for this strange man's health. One of the residents with the latter worry showed up at around nine at night, carrying a tray of stew for Venrie, to which he was so incredibly grateful he nearly cried, not having realized how starving he was.
And as she sat with him while he scarfed down the meal they began to talk, the young mage apologizing for his intrusion and explaining the reason he'd been so interested in the massive room of books. To which the woman broke the news that this was actually considered a mediocre library at best. However she went on to inform him of how there were much bigger cities than her own which held buildings ten times bigger than this one, filled to brim with books of all over. Naturally Venrie was beyond excited, begging her to tell him where he could find such a place.
That is where he learned of Twinbrooks and that is what leads up to this day.

Following a map of the general area surrounding the town the woman had given him Venrie was able to figure out which direction to be heading in, and once he came across the river it was easy from there. He'd been told he merely had to follow it and that he did, camping beside it by night and walking along it during the day time, periodically stopping to observe the unique ecosystem the river seemed to support. As he neared the city of Twinbrooks Venrie encountered more and more people, most of whom he saw as the drifted past on their barges. He'd always wave with a friendly smile, to which he received a multitude of reactions, glares, laughs, and even waves in return. However the best reaction he could've asked for came when he was a day's walk from Twinbrooks, or at least as he could tell on the map. A small barge, maybe only fifteen feet long and sailed by a single elderly man slowly drifted past the mage and as per usual he waved with a friendly smile. Seeming amused the old man called "Hey boy! where ya heading?" To which Venrie informed he was travelling to Twinbrooks, the man grinned and called again "I'm heading that way myself, say if you can jump onto my barge from the banks i'll give you a lift! but i'm not pulling over i've got a schedule to keep!"
Venrie's eyes immediately lit up and he nodded excitedly, stepping back a few feet as though to getting a running start. However what happened next was definitely not was the old sailor had expected, the blue haired young man simply seemed to jump in place, his arms outstretched to either side, but gravity suddenly did not seem to effect him- he stayed suspended in the air for a moment before he moved forward, over the rushing water before touching down gently on the wooden deck of the small vessel. He thanked the man profusely for the ride, and still in disbelief the man simply nodded, shocked that what seemed to be a country bumpkin was a mage of some sort.

The rest of the voyage went off without a hitch, Venrie enjoying his first time on a boat, the experience only getting even better when they approached the city, drifting through the canals that led to places the young man had only heard about in stories. As they sailed the poor old sailor was hit with a barrage of questions, of which he only half answered a few. By the time they were sailing past the biggest bridge Venrie had ever seen in his life the old man was fed up and informed him that this was his stop. "Time for you to get off- do your little magic trick and get a move on, I have places to be and deals to make." The mage seemed a bit down at first, having enjoyed the ride but as they approached the bridge and he saw a giant black crow loom over the people atop it his attention quickly left the man and he said a rushed thank you before he took a running jump off the barge, seemingly floating through the air momentarily before he landed among the crowd that bustled through the street on one side of the bridge.

The amazement he had felt just a moment ago, looking at the sheer amount of people from the barge was replaced with frustration as he attempted to move through them. Of course, it would have helped if he had attempted to move with the flow of traffic- but unfamiliar with how crowds of thie magnitude worked, Venrie was left getting jostled around as he pushed through people, mumbling apologies and excuse me's as he made his way to the bridge. His small frame helped him to some degree to make his way through the crowd, bobbing and weaving around bigger guys in an attempt not to get knocked down, but still by the time he reached where he had thought the display of what he could only assume was magic, came from another performance was already in motion, this time a brilliant hawk was high in the sky, surrounded by a ring of what seemed to be a brilliant flame.
Venrie had never experienced such a thing in his life, the sheer level of magic in the air was enough to give him a shock, his hive buzzing at an increased rate as they sensed the palpable Ethernano- everything was happening so fast and so intensely, just moments ago he'd been on a peaceful boat ride and now he was experiencing magic like he'd never witnessed before- in fact if he was being honest, he himself was likely the strongest magic user he'd known before leaving home and now stood a man in front of him who's magic could crush him like a bug (pun intended). He had to meet him- to ask him how he became so incredibly strong in hopes that he too could grow more powerful.
But at the moment he seemed to be explaining something- holding up a creature that Venrie had only seem in textbooks before, a lesser garden slime. He tried to pay attention, peering through the cracks in the crowd at the man as he demonstrated squashing a slime, and by the time he was finished Venrie felt he at least has a grasp on the game but he still had no idea what this was all for or why such a powerful mage was holding it.

Venrie looked to his left and to his right, eyes finally settling on a taller man with a small golden bird on his shoulder- he seemed to have been here longer than the insect magic, and also seemed to be paying decent enough attention to all of this. Hesitantly Venrie reached out and tugged on the sleeve of his jacket, tilting his head at him as he spoke in a hushed tone. "Hey- uh do you mind telling me what this is for. . .why are such powerful wizards holding a game like this?" He whispered, his accent quickly giving away he wasn't from around these parts.

 

[izayoiix]

It became fairly obvious the second she woke not too long ago that today was going to be annoying. Her theory had been proven right away when there was a thump from downstairs immediately followed by the sound of multiple dishes shattering upon hitting the floor. Alyssa groaned, slamming her head back against her mattress and grabbed her pillow and pressed it harshly against her face. "...Mmmffff..." she moaned, knowing that she'd have no other choice but to get up now. She couldn't leave the mess to Gramps to clean up. Last time he'd tried to bend over and clean up after some fallen dishware he'd slipped and if it hadn't been for her magic, the old man probably would have broken something.

"I got it Gramps!" she yelled, removing the pillow from her face so her voice could carry through the thin walls to reach the owner of the diner on the floor below her room. After giving herself another second to silently pout about her luck at not being able to sleep in - although it had never happened before, so she didn't know why she thought that would change - she forced herself to slide off of her bed and grab some clothes before beginning her march to the bathroom to get dressed.

She reappeared a few minutes later and jogged down the stairs, taking them two at a time. Once on the first floor she went straight for the broom and dustpan that were hanging by the kitchen door and headed to the main dining area, easily spotting the mess on the floor. She sighed but started forward and shooed everyone away, forcing them back to work. It was annoying, but easy to clean up, and if it wasn't for the fact that Gramps always thanked her for doing extra by making her sushi for dinner, she wouldn't be this willing to clean up after a new waitress. Seeing as they had only just recently hired another waitress after Alyssa had told Gramps about how she'd be helping out less, and all their regular employees had learned long ago how to best keep hold of their trays when dodging people as they traveled to the kitchen and the tables in their sections.

"Thank you, Lyss." the old man greeted her as she walked behind the counter and dumped the broken shards into the garbage bin against the back wall. She sent him a look in response, causing him to chuckle. "Did you have any plans for the day?"

Alyssa raised a brow, causing him to laugh again, watching as she went and hung the broom and dustpan back up on the wall and make her way back towards him.

"My plans have already been ruined." she grunted, reaching around the man for a mug. She filled the mug to the brim, adding enough cream and sugar to sweeten the drink ever so slightly and happily took a large gulp, barely even feeling a burn from the warm drink. She sighed, content for now, and took another sip while she waited for Gramps to no doubt ask her to do something else for him.

She wasn't disappointed.

"Would you mind going out and getting some groceries for me?" he asked, causing her to roll her eyes. She'd had a feeling.

"I expect the usual in return." she answered with. He knew by now she didn't really do anything for free. He smiled at her and nodded before handing her a small amount of money and the list of items they were low on before sending her off with a refill of coffee to keep her happy.

And here's where she was reminded once again about how today was going to be difficult to get through without harming anyone. She stood outside her home and workplace with a mug of coffee with a small amount of cash and her keys and nothing else. Well, a piece of paper was also in her hands, but that wasn't too important, she'd been working the night before so she knew exactly what they needed before they got their next shipment of supplies. "Fuck me..." she grumbled, shoving the money into her pocket and storming down the street. Hopefully if she was quick enough she could avoid most of the annoying citizens of Twinbrooks who liked to make her life hell.


Alyssa had no such luck, not that she was surprised in the end. It was over an hour after she'd left home and she was only just now leaving the grocery store with her few purchases. What should have only taken at most twenty minutes had already taken at least sixty and based on the crowds of people hanging around, it would only take her longer to get home than she would've liked. She shoved her way past two gossiping old ladies, ignoring their outraged cries, and tried to cross the road to start making her way back, but she quickly got jumbled in the crowd that was heading to the bridge. She seethed silently, knowing that if she really did end up by the bridge it would take her even longer to get home due to the larger crowds forming around the market. She'd specifically wanted to stay away from this area.

With no other choice, she gave in and went with the crowd, only to take advantage of a gap in the madness right at the entrance of the bridge where a larger crowd than normal was forming, listening to some screaming man. Something about slimes? She wrinkled her nose at the thought. She wasn't prissy by any means, but what did slimes have to do with anything? Curiosity peaked, she glanced around at the display and her brow raised in disbelief at the large glass statue of a hawk. "That's an eyesore..." she muttered, moving closer to make out the other display, considering the crow. "Eh."

She made to look up only to find a mass of dark purple hair. Looking up revealed the girl to be wearing a crown, and Alyssa felt her lips twitch up into a smirk. Seeing no way to get closer on either side of the girl, she shrugged and a magic circle quietly appeared under her feet and a small whirlwind of air took its place, lifting her up a few inches off of the ground. As if she was looking for help with her balance, with one arm holding the paper bag with her groceries, Alyssa gently placed her other on the girls shoulder, leaning forward ever so slightly so she could see around her. "So, Princess, what's going on here?" she asked.
cinnabuns AllHailDago AtlannianSpy

 

[AnthraxBurrito]

"For those who may yet doubt we are of a caliber to lead a fresh guild, or even you in particular, I offer you this as an example." The magic in the air was palpable, and it was radiating from the dark haired guildmaster now identified as Adellon, standing before the crowd. Summar couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement as he could feel the powerful magic building. As the massive ebony bird leered over the crowd, Summar looked on, not expecting the following spectacle. Though most of the crowd looked away in horror, Summar focused his gaze with his intrigue peaked. Self transmutation was something he had never learned to do with his magic. Biological transmutation was something he had only read about, as no one in the history of his family had ever bothered to try learning. Aside from being extremely difficult to learn, the ability requires a great amount of focus to pull off, as well as vast ethernano reserves large enough to maintain such a consistent and powerful spell. "He has to teach me how to do that." Summar thought as the guild master retook his original shape.


With his attention now aimed at the other guild master, he could only wonder if he too, could self-transmutate. Before the second guild master even started, Summar watched an excited black haired young man quickly approach the first guild master, before beginning to choke on an apparent mouthful of food. "AND IT SEEMS A DEMONSTRATION OF MY COMMITMENT TO MAGIC IS IN ORDER," Summar's attention was quickly pulled back by the man he could now identify as PEREGRINE, or Guildmaster LACONIA, as his name seemed to require a specific volume to be spoken. Shifting his gaze back to the statues,he watched the mechanical transformation of the glass hawk, before watching it take flight. Though the showing before him was beyond impressive, he couldn't help but dwell on the two spells before him, thinking about what he could use for himself later.


"Slime golfing is a simple sport to learn, but difficult to master..." Peregrine continued explaining the basics of the sport as showing the crowd a couple different varieties of slime. Slimes were common around collis, and if he remembered his history correctly, they had a helping hand in the great famine about four generations ago. Of course, up in the crown he had never actually had to deal with such creatures personally, but he worried not. As the guild master finished his explanation of the game, he ended with an open invitation to the crowd. Summar considered going first, but before he could even speak, another man spoke from the crowd.

"Does anyone mind if I do?"

Summar only gestured kindly to the tall man, now approaching the arena where the tent once stood. Summar decided it best to let the precedent be set, so he could formulate a proper plan. Pulling him from his train of thought, Summars attention was then grabbed by another onlooker, tugging on his sleeve.


"Hey- uh do you mind telling me what this is for. . .why are such powerful wizards holding a game like this?" Asked the stranger. His accent was familiar, but Summar could not quite place it. Smiling politely, he then began to explain that the event was an open recruitment for two mages guilds, and the game being their way to test/induct new members.

"... and basically once you smash the purple slime, you're done. With your score being based on the varying factors such as time, remaining ethernano, and slimes smashed." He finished, hoping he hadn't missed anything.

Mentioning: AtlannianSpy AllHailDago
Refaulted
Interacting: Damafaud soggyparadise

 

[Lucem]

Harper Layne​

Harper watched in silence as one magical display followed the other, both guild leaders and their respective birds trying their best to impress the crowd. After generating so much buzz, it seemed like something truly amazing had been prepared for today's event. However, the buildup didn't quite match the grand reveal. He didn't have any expectations, but an obstacle course definitely wasn't something that came to mind when he thought about the recruitment process. With this and the flashy performances, it was more like an audition for a circus.

While the leader of the Bright Hawks explained the rules, Harper took a look at the crowd to see who he'd be sharing the stage with. Most of them seemed to be ordinary citizens wanting to take in a free show, but there were a few prospective recruits as well. Surprisingly, there were two familiar faces that he hadn't seen in a long time. The first person he recognized was the young woman admiring the statues. She had grown a lot since he last saw her, but it was definitely the same girl he met years ago. He doubted that she'd remember him, but it wasn't something to worry over. Even if her family still had business with the Crawfords, he was no longer an heir. They may as well have been strangers at this point.

Aside from Lysandra, he also recognized the member of the Aurum family. Well, the former member, to be more accurate. Apparently, Summar had been disinherited, but the reason was clouded by rumors. The news didn't come as a surprise, considering the world he came from. Nobles were a fickle lot. Loyalties changed constantly, and they only kept you around as long as your usefulness outweighed the threat you posed to them.

When Harper turned to face the boisterous leader, the man gave everyone the signal to step up and give it their best shot. He resisted the urge to sigh as he ran a hand through his hair, looking at all the obstacles he'd have to go through. As much as he didn't want to deal with something like this so early in the day, he didn't have much of a choice if he wanted to join the guild. It was best to get it over with as soon as possible.

Without a word, Harper walked to the starting zone, trying to think of the best way to tackle the course. He didn't care about points, so he could just focus on the main objectives. Using a Crush spell would be quick, but that'd definitely be going overboard. He didn't want everything to collapse.

Nodding to himself, Harper stepped into the water. His shoes would get a little wet, but they'd dry quickly. Compared to going through each obstacle, this was less of a hassle. Eyeing the little blue targets as he walked, he raised a hand, producing a violet magic circle. White chains shot out from the portal, each moving to pop the three slimes with their claw-like blades. After being dyed blue, the projectiles vanished.

With the blue slimes gone, and his reserves scored, he just had to deal with the big purple one waiting by the finish line. The size didn't concern him, but he remembered what the loud guy said about these things exploding. He still didn't care about the points, but getting covered in purple goo was something he preferred to avoid. It would've been a bad way to start what felt like a long day.

Jumping to the raised platform, Harper unsheathed the sword at his side, giving the slime a good slash as he moved forward. When the blade connected with the gelatinous body, he quickly summoned another chain and had it spin, shielding him from the resulting blast of slime bits. The windmill-like motion caused the slime to fly across the course in a messy splatter, but he remained clean.

After swinging the sword to get rid of any lingering goo, he sheathed his weapon and exited the course. He wasn't expecting a high score, but it didn't matter if he didn't take first place. As long as it was good enough to get into the guild, he was fine with that.

AllHailDago AtlannianSpy simj26 AnthraxBurrito

 

[QuirkyAngel]

Elissa Holsten
​

Elissa dropped her hand when Jade offered a slight bow instead. "Oh, definitely...I'm training to be a dream mage."

She didn't get to elaborate because Adellon Thrace chose that moment to introduce himself, his vice leader, and his colleagues from the other guild. Friendly competition? Slime golf? Elissa glanced over at Jade, wondering if the skilled-sounding mage knew what 'slime golf' was, before focusing her attention back onto Mr. Thrace's demonstration. It was...gruesome...to say the least. The growing bird was certainly grand and Adellon's regeneration (?) from being half eaten dramatic, but seeing a body cleaved in such a manner wasn't good for the heart. It wasn't as if Elissa hadn't seen stuff like that before. People had all kinds of dreams, gruesome nightmares included. Decapitation. Suffocation. Being mauled by a bear. There was no limits to the imagination when one was asleep and Elissa was prepared to see anything. But dreams were dreams and reality was reality. She could still distinguish the two.

As if not to be outdone, the leader of Bright Hawks shouted his name and made his glass bird grow has well. However, instead of moving, the structure remained still and took in the sun's light like a magnifying glass, focusing it to such extent as to create fire that burned away the tent that lead into his introduction of slime golf and the rules involved. It was a clever use of magic and certainly proved Jade's point that Hawks weren't by any means dumb either--not that Elissa ever had any intention of implying such. Their name was 'bright' after all. Truly, she found Jades insistence in tying the animal name to the guild as if symbolic of their natures amusing. It didn't really make practical sense to her, but it followed its own logic in a way. If she were going by that thought, Void Crows would be her choice because crows were black and more indicative of nighttime, her favorite time of day and when her magic worked best. She wasn't a predator, after all, nor did she entertain dreams of climbing to the top.

"Are you impressed now?" Elissa asked the girl beside her curiously. Because she certainly found the displays from the guild leaders impressive, if nothing else. They were certainly real mage and she'd likely find their names on her little wizard booklet if she looked. It'd be something she'd have to do before getting any mark stamped on her body. "Not that I couldn't understand your doubt, by any means. Girls like us have to be careful about where we settle down."

Mr. Laconia's input had made it clear that Jade's assumptions about the two guilds being affiliated in any lesser or greater relationship was inaccurate. That the thing that separated the two guilds were their principals. Jade's words might've been needlessly antagonistic, but they certainly got things down to the meat of the matter. What principals exactly? Those were the things important to her while choosing a guild. Not flashy display or cool-sounding name. She opened her mouth to ask just that, but was met with a barrier as people rushed to line up for the auditions after the show of magic. Seems she was the only one who thought like that.

Shrugging, Elissa smiled. "Even if you don't end up joining one of the guilds, slime golf sounds like fun game. Couldn't hurt to try. Besides, I think it would be nice to be in the same guild."

If she couldn't pass an audition into a fresh guild, joining a guild in the capital was nothing more than a pipe dream. Besides, she wanted to know what her ethernano reserves were. It was nothing she'd ever measured before, but, as a mage, it was probably good to know. In the end, it was up to Jade whether she chose to audition or not. What dreams she had. What goals. Whether the either of the guilds fit with them. It wasn't for Elissa to tamper with. Reaching into her handbag, pulled a out a small pistol and began it load it with tranquilizer darts. Would such a thing work on slimes? Did they even sleep?

One way to find out.

A quick bow before Elissa moved towards the growing line of auditioners.

Watching others do the course first was the best way to learn to do the course herself. The tall, dark haired man, who was one of the first to express interest in joining Void Crow, seemed quite skilled. He didn't even run the course, per say. Just waded through the water and killed the slimes. Elissa glanced at Mr. Thrace. Was that allowed? How would that affect the score? If wading through the water could shave time, she didn't mind getting wet though she didn't exactly have a far-ranged skill that would let her splatter the blue slimes so his method didn't necessarily work or her.

Truthfully, Elissa disliked auditions. She hated being the center of attention and was more than likely going to make a fool of herself in front of the crowd. Though...given the colorful and splattery nature of the course...she got the feeling that it was more for fun than anything else. Something to entertain the masses. Indeed the spectators were laughing as purple slime landed on the ones near the front after the chain magic(?) using swordsman slashed the big final one and blocked with a fan of chains. Elissa clapped with the rest.

"It's a good thing lesser garden slimes like being splattered. Otherwise this would fall under magical creature abuse."

Elissa's eyes flickered over to one of the spectators that got splattered with purple slime. Course, it didn't remain long on him when the purple aggregated and congealed, reforming the slime for the next auditioner. Brushing her hair behind her ear, Elissa's gaze returned to the course as she studied it, mentally mapping the best way to complete the course in the most efficient time. It would help if had a sleeper nearby since doing it in the dream world was much more vivid and give her more freedom. Fortunately, a certain Mr. Watson seemed to be dozing off, evidently bored with the proceedings. Closing her eyes, Elissa entered his dreams.

The wisps of dreams were vibrant, colorful and only beginning to take shape. That was fine. Grasping a hold of the wisps, she began to alter and mold Mr. Watson's dreams to her liking. She created an exact replica of the obstacle course with all the slimes based on what she saw and how Mr. Laconia described them. By doing so she could practice running the course all she liked. Time wasn't an issue in the dream world as she had free manipulation in that regard. She just had to make sure she didn't lose track of the time in the real world when it was her turn.

Hanarei
(mentioned: Lucem , AllHailDago , AtlannianSpy )

 

[GasMaskie]

The young man kept his arms folded - the question he posed was left unanswered as the two men were bombarded with attention. And once they had begun to demonstrate their magical prowess once more, he looked upon their displays with a child-like wonder. The sort that he and his other siblings would look upon the elder Servein with. He blinked, wiping away the big grin on his face with a free hand as they moved onto the explanation of this 'slime golf'. And as people began to line up, he found himself taking a step back. Not because he wasn't looking forward to this 'test'. In fact, it looked more like a fun game than an actual test of skill. No, he had made decision not to go first so that he could get a better idea of how others would deal with the course. And, of course, to bear witness to the no doubt unique magic that they wielded as mages.

A hand moved to his chin as he observed the first run of the day - Chain Magic? It seemed that he had went for a minimalist run - he had run through the course as fast as possible without going for the green or red variants that had appeared. It's not like anyone had mentioned a prize for overachieving though. Nor was there any real glory to something that by the guild masters' admissions, was tuned for complete beginners like himself. Still, the way he moved through the course and his decisive movements were enough to give a better idea on how to best deal with the course. Rolling his neck, the young man found himself on the starting pedestal next. His yellow eyes gazed down at the water that sat stagnant at the floor of the course - so long as he didn't fall down there, he'd be fine.

With all eyes on him, the young man removed his hood. He remained still for a few moments, closing his eyes as he quickly reviewed the obstacles he'd soon be facing and took a deep breath. With knuckles taut white and an audacious grin on his face, he yelled out to the assembled personages for his debut into the world of mages.

"Ahem! I'm Salt! Salt Servein from Berillo! And I'm going to be a Super Mage!" With those words, the young man bolted forward as he rushed towards the narrow bridge first. The young man's footwork slowed slightly as he found less and less room to step. Yet, without missing a beat, he rushed past two of the pendulums as swung back to opposite sides. Then, two more - he took a deep breath as he unsheathed the ruined blade and took a low sweep with his sword at the blue slime that was waiting in the middle of the bridge. And with the momentum from his swing, he leapt forward, barely clearing the next pendulum as he soared before gritting his teeth and latching onto the next pendulum as it swung to the side. As it swung back down towards the bridge, he surveyed the course - bingo. He stretched his arm out, keeping a good grip on his weapon.A green blur had launched out of its hiding spot, only to be splattered against the blunted edge of his weapon. He repeated the process as more of the green slimes shot out from their hiding spots - he only missed a few before deciding he was ready to move on. The orphan hopped off the pendulum's shaft and onto the other side of the bridge.

With a goofy grin, Salt pumped his fist as he sprinted forward to the next part of the course. Silently, he kept track of his time - there was no way he'd be able to finish as fast as the others, especially with their magic, but he'd definitely be one of the few to finish without exhausting his reserves. Thankfully, speed was key on this obstacle, and the young man wasted no time at all as he leapt from platform to platform. Hesitation would be his downfall, especially if he became too conscious at the sudden sinking of the platform he was on. As he used the next inert blue slime as a stepping stone, he brought his hood up and immediately swung to his right. A red slime splattered as he leapt forward and swung once more. Another of the aggressive red slimes taken care of. Biting his lip, he took out a third of the slimes before ducking to avoid the next and hopping to the next platform in the obstacle. When he found his sword swings slowing, he resorted to punching the next gelatinous mass that had launched itself towards him before deciding to avoid the rest and move on.

He had eliminated a good chunk of those red slimes, at least. Sheathing his blade, he came to the rope for the next part of the course. A test of strength and speed like this was... even easier for the fledgeling mage. Even if it had seemed difficult from a distance, he simply did as he needed to - quickly scaling the vertical wall before leaping off and using the momentum to launch himself onto the platform, where he slammed onto the blue slime with an elbow. As much as he wanted to rest after clearing the obstacle, he forced himself foward as he swung wildly at the green and red blurs that had come out of hiding.

By the end of the course, the young man's clothing was stained slightly by a few of the red slimes that had managed to make it past his weary defense. This was it - the only thing that stood between his dreams and reality was the purple slime. The mage before him seemed far more experienced. He took slow steps forward, taking deep breaths so as to not let his exhaustion be known to those who were watching. He brought his hood up over his head as he unsteathed his sword and slid the knuckleduster onto his right hand. Mustering the last vestiges of his strength, he rushed forward and began swinging at the slime. Each slam elicited a slight response from the otherwise inert mass of violet as his face contorted with his concentration. There was no doubt by now that he was nearly at the end of his rope...

"It's not over yet! My magic... is not giving up!" When in doubt, always shout. Words that the old man had told him specifically. If your body wants to stop, shouting your determination would get you moving. After all, it was only when will and intellect were united that things were done. With his heart beating faster than it ever did before and adrenaline coursing through his veins, the young man took a step forward that left a resounding echo. He thrust his sword straight into the purple slime. Even with the rusty weapon embedded within it, the slime refused to splatter.

"Not! Yet!" Another shout that soon became a primal howl as he punched the pommel of his sword. His technique was unrefined and untrained, and yet; there was beauty to how his body naturally twisted. His muscles moved in tandem as the sword shot straight through the purple slime and out the other end, sending a good chunk of it splattering in all directions. Keeping his head down, the young man had rushed forward and leapt over the exploding slime to pick up his sword and finish the course. Salt did a slight bow before exiting the course. As soon as he was certain that he was out of view, his panting became audible as he leaned against the wall to catch his breath. He had finished in a reasonable time with a good chunk of the bonus objectives, even with the penalties incurred by the last wave of red slimes. As he closed his eyes and let the gentle breeze over the bridge cool him down, he wondered if he had done right with the old man.

By the way his mouth curled into a slight smile, the young man already knew the answer in his head.

(Mentioned: Lucem )

 

[soggyparadise]

"... and basically once you smash the purple slime, you're done. With your score being based on the varying factors such as time, remaining ethernano, and slimes smashed."
Venrie hung on each of the taller male's words like they were gold, staring up at him with wonder in his amber eyes. He spoke in such a refined tone! Never before had the Berillosi spoken to someone with an accent like this, and it was obvious he was quite curious. Berillo was considered a rather remote area but the more popular areas would still often get tourists, but Venrie on the other hand was from a mountain that wasn't very populated- in fact his village was the only one on it, the closet one was at the base of Kirnola running along the river that was fed by the melting snow and runoff his mountain produced. Before he'd left the village he hadn't met anyone who sounded different from him and the people of Piligroth, but now he'd heard both the tones of the midlands as well as where ever this man was from.

As the stranger finished explaining Venrie fumbled with his words to thank him graciously for taking the time. "Oh Thank you! Wow i can't believe it" He said in awe, eyes drawn back to where people had begun to form a queue for the trial before looking up at the helpful mage once more "This is exactly what I've been hoping for!" Excitedly Venrie took Summar's hand, vigorously shaking before letting go once more, already turning with his body towards the group of interested candidates "I hope you get into one!" He called, half of it over his shoulder as he ran up to the group as they shuffled into a sort of order, Venrie falling a bit further up than about half way through the line.

The young mage did his best to wait patiently for his turn, finding it more and more difficult with each who went before him. Even from the get go it was impressive! He'd never seen such magic before in his life so as soon as those white chains flew out of the magic circles as small gasp left his lips and he leaned in even closer with anticipation. It was a bit odd how the mage avoided all the obstacles but he really couldn't argue with his skill.
The next up was even more impressive in Venrie's eyes, he was from Berillo after all! He desperately wanted to talk with him when they got a free moment, curious as to what mountain he was from and what he was doing all the way out here- though from his announcement of wanting to be a super mage he could likely deduce what it was.

Soon enough it came to Venrie's turn before he even knew it and as all eyes fell on him he smiled sheepishly and scurried up to the starting platform, the other participants hearing a faint buzzing as he passed them. Unsure of how long he needed to stand there for his ethernano to be properly read he looked at the two guild masters anxiously for approval, as soon as one nodded their heads he jumped a little like he was startled by the sudden go ahead before he started off on the course, determined to do his best.
Surprisingly enough the kid was fast- hella fast. Whether that was from magic or simply speed was yet to be seen but it seemed as though he was weightless when he ran, easily avoiding the first few pendulums by simply sprinting through right after they'd each just passed the platform, giving him plenty of time to make it through, However when he reached the first of the three blue slimes he hesitated, afraid to hurt it despite having already been told they couldn't feel anything and even liked to be squished. He seemed to mumble a quick apology before simply stomping on the creature, it's jelly splashing over his boot.
Almost immediately the green slimes shot from their hiding spots and Venrie was startled, frantically trying to catch at least one. His eyes locked on to one that was about to whiz over his head and on reflex he jumped to catch it. However instead of a normal jump he seemed to go maybe triple the height, falling back down onto the platform just in time to squish the green slime beneath his boot right on top of the blue one. He ran forward, clearing the next few pendulums, managing to jump kick one more green slime as he went. After the ten or so that remained returned to whence they came Venrie saw that he was greeted with the next obstacles, platforms that he knew would fall beneath his feat if he put too much pressure on them. Luckily enough he had a strategy for this. He jumped in the air once more though this time he stayed suspended there, after a moment he began moving forward, an invisible force seeming to carry him over each platform before he hovered directly above the second of the blue slimes. This time instead of stomping it immediately he was lowered down just enough that he could pick it up, levitating over to the next platform before he set the small being down, murmuring another apology before his boot came down once more.

It seemed as though Venrie had thought things through, having witnessed it before he knew next would come the ornery red slimes, and he didn't exactly one to be floating in the air for that. As they shot out of what he could only assume were cages Venrie braced himself, punching through the first one that whizzed his way, one down, but these buggers were quick. Before he could turn around another was coming full force at him from behind and seemed to be about to make impact when suddenly. . .it stopped?
As unlikely as it seemed it stopped mid-air, and seemingly a hundred or so black spots dotted it flaming red surface. You see in the split second before Venrie was in serious danger a section of his colony as crawled out of his sleeves, going immediately for the red slime in the best position to make an attack, and within the next few seconds the thing was sucked dry of it's current reserve of eithernano just like a toddler sucks on a caprisun.
The bug mage whipped around just in time to see the thing fall on the ground. He shouted a quick thank you before he ran forward, officially declaring the bonus points not worth the extra danger.

The next obstacle was easy, it was simply just a wall he had to climb over using a rope. Sure he could just jump or be levitated over with the help of his insects but where was the fun in that? He'd already shown those strengths off and this was the perfect way to demonstrate his physical abilities! And with years of tree climbing under his belt he could practically be considered as skilled as a squirrel. Taking the rope in both hands he began to scale it, doing so in a rather efficient manner, As he got to the top he whispered another apology and smashed the slime with his boot before he jumped off the other side, falling quickly for a moment before he was caught and gentle lowered back to the platform where he readied himself for one last wave of slimes. He managed to take out one more green one and his bugs even took care of another red one before he sprinted to the designated ending platform, panting just slightly as he took just a moment to catch his breath there.
Once he was satisfied with his lowered heart rate he stepped off the platform and walked over to the final slime, whispering his final sorry he held up both hands, what appeared to be a black cloud flowing from each one, combining into one swarm in front of him as they went after the final violet slime, in just a moment or two the thing was covered, looking like a poppy seed bagel as his hive worked to drain it of it's ethernano. This alone was not enough to cause it to burst however, Venrie had to finish it off which in it's greatly weakened state wouldn't be much of a fight. His ethernano draining bugs returned to him, first covering parts of his body before they disappeared back beneath his clothing. For the final time he was lifted back into the air, this time high above the quivering slime before all over a sudden he was dropped onto it, his feet drilling through it's squishy body causing it to explode and spray it's purple goop across booth the arena and Venrie himself. His trial had been completed!

He walked back to where the other's mages were viewing the spectacle, covered in purple goo that was periodically dropping off his body and rolling back to create the slime once more, this time a bit more slowly than it previously has as though it's energy had been taken. The young wizard wore a big goofy grin as he looked at the others and got back into a spot where he could watch the rest of the auditions. Now he just had to hope he did well enough.

 

[Hanarei]

Jade Evergarden
​

jade had nodded her head lightly at Elissa hearing her response. Dream magic seemed interesting... perhaps a little niche in its use but she wasn't one to discourage anyone's pursuits. It did seem as if it could be... perhaps a little too prodding in the case it was used on someone unwilling or unknowingly. It was perhaps a little hypocritical of Jade to look at it in that way given her own pursuits in magic now all exactly being done with someone else's consent, or at the very least being completely upfront of the experimental nature of some of the things she has done in the past. It was a bit hard to convince someone to along when asking 'hey, would you mind if I had a plant connect into your body, dig into your skin and become a part of you temporarily'. Usually a detail she tended to leave out on purpose with some of her healing treatments.

The guild master's demonstrations failed to impress Jade much. Sure they were flashy, but that just made it come off wasteful if anything. It wasn't hard to put on a show to impress people with enough practice and the right amount of flare. Many street performers leared how to do some crazy looking feats that were mostly misdirection and effective use of their magic to pull off outlandish things that required much less resources then they appeared to make it happen. She could admit though her standards for being impressed were rather high and hard for an impromptu showing to work unless you were to make sure it was something they had to fully improvise without prior knowledge of what it is they had to do. It made it clear either way that the two were rivals competing against each other. It made her think much more likely the two were just so poor they couldn't afford advertising their guilds seperately and had split the cost despite their rivalry. She looked to Elissa who questioned her about having doubt and who seemingly could read it on her face she indeed still had some.

"Very true. Beautiful women like ourselves always have to be worried about find the right place to go. So many charlatans always attempting to sweep us off our feet so quickly before we have a chance to realize the bed of lies they have waiting for us. Many who can put on great shows to mislead yet no live up remotely to the show they put on. As for these two... their demonstration was likely made to have a flare to it and look overly intriguing then what they might normally be capable of. That said I can't fault them since it can be truly difficult to show your talents on the spot... particularly just by asking for a single open ended demonstration. " She spoke with a light smile on her lips expressing her doubts still though giving the two guild leaders at least a little bit of credit... or at least not to be fully dismissed.

The announcement of slime golf confused her though it was clear what it was after a short explanation. It seemed likely an overly gawky way of testing a Mage. Nothing that would likely be that difficult for her... perhaps in a way being extremely favorable to one of her particular skills. It did make her wonder what Elissa would do. It didn't seem to be the most fair test given certain types of magic would clearly have little tools at their disposal to help with it. She looked at her giving a light nod waving at her in response. While it was clear she wasn't fully impressed, it was exactly the kind of thing Jade wanted. She wanted a no name guild that would allow her to shine and to carry up. Even if she had doubts it wasn't something that would completely dissuade her. At the very least the guild masters could do fancy displays of magic so it was a heads up from some of the horror stories of new guilds she heard of.

Jade approached the coarse standing to the side. Her eyes focused on it being observant as she elected to instead watch at first allowing her to observe the coarse and get an idea for what to do. She glanced over noticing Harper having just finished the course eyeing him up to the side briefly before shifting her gaze away. Despite his demeanor she could tell at least he seemed to stand out so far compared to some of the other auditions. It was going to be interesting to see if anyone else impressive might draw her attention as she got an idea of the coarse already planning what to do when it was her chance to go.


AtlannianSpy AllHailDago QuirkyAngel Lucem

 

[QuirkyAngel]

Alistair Crimm

Alistair couldn’t say he expected to be hit by purple slick when one of the earlier slime golfers finished their course, though it was really his own fault for hanging too close to the front. What drew his attention to the Void Crow-Bright Hawk recruitment drive wasn’t the shout, the displays of magic, or even the prospect of joining a guild. It was the garden slimes. He knew what they were of course, but he’d never had the pleasure of seeing one up close and personal, let alone splattered by one.

Wiping the purple gunk off his cheek, Alistair watched in fascination as the slime part wriggled free from his hand and re-coalesced with the main body. Fascinating. Simply fascinating. Alistair wanted to get a closer look. While his opinion about the game called slime golf was still somewhat ambiguous, he didn’t actually have a problem with beating up slimes, or any other magical creature, for research. Tough love was sometimes necessary with the wilder ones.

“Don’t you think it’s amazing?” Alistair asked the spectator beside him excitedly, his blue eyes shining with delight. “How many times do you think the slimes have been splattered by these would-be birds? Yet they keep getting back up! It’s more resilience in a magical creature than I have ever seen!”

Alistair received a strange look for his troubles, but he didn’t pay it much attention. His eyes were already back on the slimes. Observation was all well and good, but Alistair had always been one to learn better by touching and doing rather than just watching. Experience taught him more than books ever did. Besides, the slime golfers made the game look fun—especially the one who shouted their way through the course.

“Salt Servein, hm?”

Cute. He’d probably remember that one.

With that last thought, Alistair slipped into the queue of people wanting to try the beginner slime golf course.


Alistair’s turn came much faster than expected, in part due to the closed-eyed girl who let him—and several others-- cut in line, claiming she still needed to ‘practice’. He was a bit worried for her, since she seemed somewhat unaware of her surroundings, but ultimately shrugged and went ahead.

The course didn’t look too difficult. Compared to what he went through climbing mountains and looking for magical beasts, the challenges were simple. Still. Even the simplest of tasks shouldn’t be underestimated. Stopping at the start zone to let this ethernano reserves be measured, Alistair shot the crowd a charming smile. “Alistair Crimm. Monster hunter and dice mage, extraordinaire.”

A red die appeared in his hand and he held it up for all to see. “Not even I know what magic I’ll be using but that’s the fun of it, eh?”

Closing his hand into a fist, Alistair inserted some of his ethernano into the die and let it drop. The cube rolled a bit before landing on the number two. Then it glowed along with his eyes. When the light ended, his previously blue orbs became a shimmering, golden hue. Alistair blinked. He could see ethernano all around him. In the crowd. In mages auditioning. Even in the slimes.

Fairy eyes, huh?

Not the most suitable magic for a physical challenge course, but it would do. Besides, the mark of a good dice mage was knowing how to use the magic they were given.

That thought in mind, Alistair picked up his magical die and broke into a run. The first obstacle, the pendulums, required speed and timing to cross. Move when the gaps were presented. Stop when their weren’t. Don’t break stride. While neither his speed nor strength were enhanced in any manner, Alistair found himself weaving through the course with relative ease, occasionally vaulting over a pendulum when his timing was a bit off, but never once breaking his path forward. A dagger appeared between his fingers when the first blue slime came into view and he tossed it straight through the gelatinous creature.

Alistair wasn’t the least bit surprised when blobs of ethernano began ricocheting around erratically. He knew they were coming, after all. Ducking a green slime, Alistair leapt back, this time throwing a net that appeared in hands where he saw the most concentration of ethernano gathered. He managed to snag quite a few though a couple escaped the confines of the fishnet. As he’d thought, they were fast but not very strong, likely due to their squishy bodies. Several quick slashes of the sword and the immobilized critters were quickly dealt with. As much as he would like to stop and study them, Alistair was still in the middle of a game. He sliced a couple more greens that got within reach as he raced toward the second obstacle: Dropping platforms.

However, he did not cross right away. The sword in his hand disappeared, replaced by a bow and arrow. Nocking his weapon, Alistair aimed his arrow towards the second blue slime, whose ethernano he could see clearly across the platforms. He had no desire to be mobbed by aggressive reds, after all, and the dropping platforms would serve as a good deterrent if any slime tried to cross.

Fairy eyes narrowed, dilating a bit, as an illusionary version of himself was created on the other side, near slime blue. Then he fired, piercing the blue blob in a single shot. Red slimes came out as expected. However, instead of going after him, they gathered around the illusionary version of him, which he maneuvered to lead them within range of his arrows. It was easy pickings afterwards. Alistair wasn’t by any means a master manipulator of illusions, but he could create and control the simple stuff with his fairy eyes. That was all that was needed in most cases—especially when it came to simple creatures.

After shooting down the last red slime that came after his illusion, Alistair made his way across the dropping platform and over the wall to where he shot the final blue slime as well. Forced to move as an mix of red and green slimes flew at him from random directions, Alistair ducked, twisted, and weaved around the dual colors, taking special care to avoid the reds. Fortunately, his fairy eyes didn't require much casting time. Illusionary walls slowed them down. Intangible copies of himself confused the critters, causing them to slam and splatter themselves against each other. Alistair made full use of that confusion. Nets were thrown. Spear replaced bow to swipe the slimes nearest to him (generally red) first, the polearm's extended reach catching multiple slimes at once. Again and again he struck the slimes, spear spinning in his hands as he dashed forward, throwing it like a javelin and replacing it with new one when a slime (generally green) was beyond his reach . Truthfully, Alistair probably spent a bit more time chasing down the slimes than a slime golfer aiming for a high overall score should. When he reached the panel that would measure his remaining ethernano reserves, Alistair put away his weapon and stepped on it before making his way to the final purple slime to end the course.

It had more ethernano than the rest. Still, he was confident that he could shatter the slime with just a well aimed punch. But where was the fun in that? Wasn’t the purpose of the obstacle to test magical strength? To guage his limits? A lackluster effort at the end would make the game a waste of time and, despite himself, Alistair rather enjoyed it. Playing with slimes that is.

"The best thing about my magic is I won't ever get bored."

Summoning his magical die to his hand, Alistair poured ethernano into his die and let it roll once more. Nine. Fire it is. Alistair's eyes returned to their natural hue and he coughed a bit of smoke instead. Taking a deep breath, the dice mage brought his hands—curved like a tunnel— in front of his mouth, and blew out a large jet stream of flames that slammed into big purple, causing her to violently explode. The splatter was blocked by an opened umbrella that he summoned to his hand just in the nick of time. He didn’t know which of the onlookers got hit by the splatter. He didn’t care. He was busy checking his magical die for any changes.

Nothing.

Was his number of slime splatters not enough? Should he go again? On a higher challenge? Resolved to play slime golf until he accumulated enough experience for his monster die to respond, Alistair caught sight of the guild leaders among the spectators and was once more reminded that the course was a joint guild tryout. Did that mean he’d have to join one of the two guilds? Which one though? Alistair didn’t care one way or another about either, but if he joined, he could probably use the slime golf course as he pleased.

“Nothing ventured, nothing gained~” Deciding not to think too hard on irrelevant matters, Alistair let his die decide the guild. Even Bright Hawks. Odd Void Crows. Simple.

 

[The One Eyed Bandit]

Charles was incredulous. Sure, she'd been the one to up and bait this Pergerine guy into showing off, but, well, she hadn't actually been expecting him to rise to the occasion. As the blazing hoop fluttered about in the air, Charles's opened her mouth to spew some rude remark or another, but it refused to speak. She wasn't sure if she was experiencing awe, or just surprise, but for the briefest of moments all Charles motor of a mouth could do was hang open.

Then with a violent shake of her head, she snapped herself out of it.

Straightening her coat, Charles went on to consider the situation she'd found herself in. After that little display there was no way she could back down from this... Game of theirs. It seemed simple enough. Smash some pests and then, what, they'd all group up like they were playing dodgeball?

Hell, it wouldn't have surprised her if their results didn't even matter and this was just some dumb hazing exercise. Regardless, though, she'd need to prepare.

As the first candidate begun his run Charles slipped from the crowd and tracked her way back to the thief from earlier. She didn't have Beetle on her, so she was going to need to improvise. With purpose, she made her way into the alley behind the still unconscious criminal. When she emerged, her coat hung slightly heavier, and three candidates had completed their runs.

Dropping into the arena Charles made an immediate break for the first obstacle. This was step one. Coming as close to the pendulum's striking distance as possible, the vagrant-girl swung her scabbard into the first of the swinging obstacles with all the strength she could summon. And then the next one, and then the next after that. From within the tiny arena, the sound of clanging metal rung out obnoxiously. With each blow she threw, Charles could feel herself almost being pushed from the narrow walkway. She'd not even the time to pay the slime at its core any proper heed, electing to punt it into the path of an oncoming pendulum rather than to make a mess of it herself. Then its cousins took to the air.

Joining the pendulums in their violent momentum, a flurry of green, then red, and finally both rocketed about the arena. From her place on the bridge, she was only able to swing her 'blade' about halfheartedly, catching one or two of the airborne menaces as they bounced about, before tragedy struck. Between one swing and the next, a flash of red sped through her defense and crashed straight into her jaw.

Moments later, Charles found herself crashing into the water at a breakneck pace. On the way down, she spat a curse at whoever had formulated this hell-gauntlet. For a moment, she lay gently n her watery grave, allowing a solid month's worth of dirt and grime to bloom out around her. Dredging herself up from the depths, Charles seemed relatively unfettered by the incident, despite the grimace on her face and the curses under her breath. Wading back to the platform, the girl already had her eyes fixed on the next obstacle.

This time, she was ready. Rushing between the collapsing platforms, Charles came close to taking another bath more than once, but she'd enough experience moving on unreliable footing to make up for her lack of agility. The blue slime was crushed, and its comrades followed suit. Some flew harmlessly past her, others found themselves caught against the flat of her scabbard, but this time none managed to land such as direct a hit as their predecessor. A few glancing blows aside, they actually seemed to be assisting the girl's plans rather than hindering them.

I might not have been apparent earlier, but something was starting to shift. Each time Charles caught one of those dreaded missiles, her weapon hummed with a magical power. Within its depths, something was building, but it wasn't quite the moment to show it off yet.

The final obstacle would be the easiest of the lot. There were no tricks this time, just a simple test of muscle and determination, both of which she had in surplus. Her ascent might not have been quick, but it was without incident, as was the final conflict that followed.

Finally, she stood at the end of this minutes-long pain in her ass. Before the purple slime, she heaved in exhaustion. Her jaw hurt and her clothes were drenched. She might not have been hit too squarely since that initial incident, but she'd not been doing a very good job at cracking any of those bonus slimes open either. If the girl were to be realistic, she was pretty sure that she'd only managed to score a point or two outside of the blue slimes.

But that was fine.

From within her overcoat, she withdrew her prize from the alleyway; a heavy, rusted bar of iron. For a moment, she hefted it about in her hand, admiring her luck in digging up such a good find, before sliding it into the depths of her scabbard. From within, magic begun to spark. Despite all the troubles the gauntlet had given her, she still had her ace in the hole. The degraded hunk of iron protruding from the scabbard like some sort of play-sword, she approached the final slime, and then in one clean motion--

--The slime detonated. The strike was fast. Much faster than anything the young woman had displayed herself capable of within the earlier sections of the course, but a trained eye still would have been able to follow it. With all the force that the gauntlet prior had abused her with, she reaped her vengeance on the boss-slime, turning its own defenses against it and catapulting a payload of fleshly-splattered goo towards her onlookers.

Hopefully they'd enjoy the shower.