Fantasy Tales of Raeligard

[AnonyMouse]

Cephilia Valdergeuse​

Location: Subterranean Cavern​

"...I ripped his heart out and ate it..."[/B]

The moment those words were uttered, Cephilia knew this day just got a lot worse. Despite being nearly at the opposite end of the chamber, her attention was immediately upon the goings-on between Viv, Sakura, and every person within earshot of the confession. Of those nearest to her, Hyss's reaction was hard to read, but the uneasiness on Thal's face was very clear. The Ovil-ken shifted uneasily, his eyes darting to each of his companions.

Well, that didn't take long, Cephilia thought with a small sigh. It always happened, sooner or later, this clash of ideals. While the deed itself was horrifying and definitely needed to be addressed, the Caskarieth was more interested in how each member would react and what would become of this melting pot of personalities, cultures, and reasons for joining this guild. Could they ever work together again? Should Sakura even be allowed to participate in any further guild activites? Cephilia had her answer immediately, but fate is not forged by one woman's opinions...

At first, she was content with remaining where she was and seeing how this plays out, but when Schuerer spoke up --as Cephilia knew she would-- the elf began to maneuver closer.

"You. Did. What?" the knight said, her hand hovering dangerously close to her weapon.

Sensing the hostility in her tone, Viv cautiously moved to position herself between Thea and Sakura, but there was more compassion in this gesture than contempt for either party.

"Prey? Prey?! He fought four of you to a standstill till he lost his life with your combined efforts," Thea went on to say. "Bandit or not, he was a worthy Warrior whose death should be respected, thanks given to the Goddess Aurelia that you yet live. Not prayers to your heathen filth! He was a man! A man the same as all others here this day. Enemy or not, it is beneath the lowest of the low to rob his body of what dignity it had left, then to feast on his heart to save him? How many others have you cannibalized to your heretical faith, how many have been condemned and led to damnation and defilement?"

"What!? Now, wait a minute..." Viv began to say in a calm, but clearly strained tone, but Cephilia spoke up immediately after.

"Viv!" she said, snapping her fingers to get the centaur's attention. Cephilia was still a few meters away and had halted her approach, but was easily within view. She slowly shook her head, as a signal to not intervene. Then silently mouthed the words, 'Razul. Healing. Go.'

Viv seemed to consider this for a moment and might have even departed as suggested, had the bandit not spoken up:

"This is why we never let any of these animals into our group, barely even men," Thea's prisoner chimed in. "Go on lass, make her a head shorter, the Goddess knows her own don't she? Tore the heart out of our boss and stripped him bare like he was some sort of deer.. With that little cord around your neck and that shiny armor, you just going to let this go Ser Knight? Lou was a bit of work, but like the Knight said he..."

Thea silenced him with a jerk of his bindings, but her hard gaze fell upon Cephilia and then Viv: "Yes... Just what are you or we, going to do to her? We all answer to the guild now after all. Her ignorance aside this is a grave crime in eyes of the Land, Lord and Lady. As for you Bandit I full well know my faith. Ignorance is to be forgiven, corrected, but punishments for sin must be given."

Cephilia answered the knight's glare with one of her own and was very near to giving the girl a piece of her mind, but Lucy spoke up first:

"Verily... Are we VERILY having this conversation here? Now? Can we not begone from this wretched place already and hold your deliberations in an environment of civilization?!" she said. "I am quite over this excursion. This... this infantile attempt at hazing, the cannibalizing--Over it. I require a bath, new clothing, as well as a surgeon to attempt to rid me of my memories of the so-called purification. Not to mention that we have injured of which we have confirmed an inability to treat them in full."

As Lucia's attention shifted to Cephilia, Viv decided she had heard enough and slowly marched out of the chamber, continuing toward her initial destination. Twice now, she had been reminded of Razuls' condition. There were more important things than this. But, before she went, she placed a hand on Sakura's shoulder. Her touch was tender, despite the lingering anger in her eyes, before she departed. Lucia, however, continued speaking as the clopping of hooves faded into the darkness:

"So, I implore you, with what little dignity I have left... May we please deal with this situation away from any sewer systems or decrepit caves they connect to?!"

"No, we settle this now," Cephilia said, before halting at the sound of Hyss's voice. The girl had been difficult to read a moment ago, but it now became clear she had an opinion on the matter. A very strong opinion.

"And who decided that your god is correct. --Or rather, the most correct? Condemning and decrying Sakura's beliefs while lauding your own is the height of conceeeit!" The beast-kin said, her voice taking on an unnatural hissing tone. In the heat of the moment, she began to advance toward Thea, which forced Cephilia --who was still somewhat between the two-- to take on a defensive posture, but the hooded girl appeared to come to her senses and take a step back.

"For what it's worth, I'm not sure I see anything so wrong with it. Sakura has her beliefs and customs, you have yours, just as everyone else does. It may be a bit... uncouth what she did, but to be judged so harshly over it? I don't think she should be," Hyss said, calmer now. "What's the difference about eating his heart and running it through with a sword or a spear, anyway? At least Sakura had a reason for what she did, others here killed without so much as a second thought. Or worse, an ounce of self-control. Which you yourself were willing to do to that archer. It's a miracle you didn't cleave him in two. Oh, and, I'm not condemning such action, as I understand what a battle entails, I'm merely pointing out the hypocrisy on display. Why'ss it okay when you or anyone else kills here, but Sakura is judged for her.. -unorthodox --mm-- acshuns?"

"Such is the way of the world," Cephilia said at last. "Like it or not, she will be judged, if this comes to light. And we will be judged for how we judge her. I said before, you are not here to protect one another, but the people. Kriegslowe is an institution, a pillar of Raelgardin society. Upholding the values of that institution is far more important to me than defending one hungry fox or the snake girl who doesn't see anything wrong with ripping a man's heart out and devouring it."

The Caskarieth rested her hands on her hips and turned to Thea as she spoke in a calm, yet firm tone. "You. Are. Not. A. Knight. Anymore," Cephilia said, glaring at the girl. "Get that through your thick skull and spare us all your preaching about 'Aurelia this' and 'Aurelia that.' By my estimation, an arrow to the skull was the killing blow. So, unless you expect me to believe it was fired from the heavens by Aurelia Herself, I suggest you cease such foolish talk." she scoffed. "I wonder how those three would feel to see you praising the man who nearly killed them, while villifying the one who slew him."

She swiftly pivoted to Lucia next, with only the slightest hint of an eye roll before her gaze rested on the eyepatched Caskarieth. "You are not a noble anymore. You are a servant," she said. "So, I don't want to hear another word from you about your dignity. F Rank exists to strip every ounce of it from your pampered flesh, so if it is true you have only a little left --good-- this day has been very fruitful indeed." She pointed an accusing finger at the girl: "I have trudged through these sewers and gotten far less reward for it than you will. I have seen things I would rather forget. I have been marinated in all manner of bodily fluids and juices and slurries of indecipherable filth, and called all manner of things by the very people we are sworn to defend... so spare me your petty grievances, girl. The road is long and you will lose far more before you reach its end, if you even have the stomach for it."

Satisfied that she had vented a small portion of her frustrations, Cephilia at last turned to the instigator of all of this ruckus: Sakura. While she had seemed annnoyed while accosting Thea and a wee bit angry as she laid into Lucia, the look she gave this beast-kin was chillingly grim.

"You are NOT a wild animal and WILL NOT be permitted to behave like one," Cephilia said, her words hard as a mausoleum floor. "This guild opens its doors to adventurers from all walks of life, all cultures. We are as diverse as Raeligard itself. If the assortment of misfits around you looks like a cruel joke, it is by design. Our differing views, experiences, and skillsets make us stronger than the sum of our parts and you would all do well to remember that," she briefly glanced at Thea here, but quickly returned her attention to Sakura. "But, make no mistake, without a core set of values, we are just that: parts. Scattered pieces, no different from a band of brigands, mercenaries, or a pack of wild dogs.

"I don't care why you did it. For fun? For a pagan ritual? For sustenance? For spite? I. Don't. Care. You devoured the flesh of a sentient being. You reduced a man to mere meat. If knowledge of this got out, who could trust you? I fear you have already lost the trust of many in this room... which is why I feel you should be given the chance to earn it back," Cephilia said, pausing to slowly shake her head. "Though some may feel you should be struck down, I do not believe one can teach the value of life by taking another. And, if what you claim is true, you already value life, yes? So, prove it." Cephilia shrugged. "The Guildmaster has the final say, but I recommend you be placed on a strict 'no-kill' probationary status. If you take a life, even by accident, you're out. I don't care how vicious the enemy or how relentlessly they attack -- if anyone dies by your hand, you are no longer one of us and will be stripped of the protections that provides."
Interaction(s): Topless (Sakura) / AI10100 (Thal) / Thalia_Neko (Hyss) / RedArmyShogun (Thea) / EmperorsChosen (Lucia) / Kenshin772 (Gaius) / Huntertabbysandshark3 (Risax)

 

[RedArmyShogun]

Thea Schuerer
Location: Underground, Tylsen
​

As the Knight awaited an answer, she was cut off from her thoughts by the complaints of Lucia, who, even if confirming she was some sort of noble, were grounded in reason. And the wounded were something she had forgotten about as well as the prisoners.

"Indeed, mayhap we leave this place and deal with this later, there are other things to be about." Moving her hand away from her blade the knight still kept her eyes on Sakura and the situation seemed for the moment to be on its way to resolving itself... Then Hyss spoke. And almost immediately and with each growing word then the armored knight and her brass icon to the Aurelian faith turn around in a sudden and quick fashion, her attention off of Sakura and fixed upon the snake girl, her anger building with each moment. While Cannibalism was one thing, Hyss had committed three acts of Heresy.

One, denouncing the Goddess as False.
Two, claiming the previous sin was as she was a different species.
And Three, declaring the sin as righteous because of cultural difference.

"Your Ignorance is as deep as it is Heretical. Firstly, the last I looked those races could breed with those of Man, leading to the hybrids that are more human in look and that live within our lands, live in our homes and plow our fields beside us, be they as pure as herself or one of the hybrids. All Spoken races with the ability to reason and understanding are the children of the Goddess. Or should I just flay the next Kobold or beastfolk I see and roast them on an open fire? After all by your own reasoning they are not Man."

"Secondly, -"

Before she could finish her Sermon the others Cephilia was quick to speak up, hitting the Knight, well former Knight where it hurt the most. She may have been rather well conditioned by her faith but she wasn't a full hardliner at least, and the words had struck true.

"I- What?" Talk of praising the enemy for those that may have died, that was not her intention, though she did think lower of the Fox Girl and the unknown to her, Snake Girl, the punishment was well enough to please her. "I do not praise the enemy for that alone.. Even if it were a Black Knight I would still applaud them but would slay them all the same.. He had to die.

Still, no one deserves that.. To be eaten like food.. The Grave robbing, I could see the need of it, even as reprehensible as it may be to me. But that... I will not turn my back to some wild animal and call it friend."

At the mention of not being a Knight anymore, one would expect defiance if not an assault or outright anger, justified or not. But something that showed some of the faith in her, if not a hint of her own internal issues briefly shown through. She winced.

"Aye.. I'm not a Knight anymore, but I cannot change the pride I have. Even if my family name has dimmed, it is still a legacy.. One which I do not know if I can recover, but I won't cast it all on someone else, not again. As you said, that title now belongs to another, but I am a daughter of my Family and that name must be upheld... Even if in my own way and my own burden. Let's quit this place, sooner the better."

Shoving the prisoner she motions towards the cave mouth seemingly defused. There weren't even anymore lectures on the Goddess.

"Fuck, here I was hoping you would have killed one another. You guys won't last in the Wilds." Promptly he got a knee to the back to shut him up, the Bandit snickering at what had transpired.

AnonyMouse (Cephilia) Thalia_Neko (Hyss) @others in general.

 

[EmperorsChosen]

Lucia Corinna Edelgarde​

Location: Cave of Sin
​

Lucia took pause when the older Caskarieth outright rejected her postponement. Narrowing her eye in displeasure, the eyepatched noble silently stewed. How convenient for their benefactor to want the part of a leader now as opposed to waving her hand away to rid herself of the sight of such nuisances as them.

Still, the silver-haired girl folded her eyes and waited, but a moment. Then Cephilia blessed them with her wisdom, if one could call it that. To Lucia, the callout was a fat greater slight than the assault on her eyes that was the heart-eating, the being drenched in unnamed liquid, or the quest itself, and it showed for but a moment. What graced her elven features was truly a glare highlighting her displeasure. She appeared ready to retort, to lash out or lambast the woman, yet after her finished speech, what came from the young noble was a mere scoff, albeit a bitter one.

"...Indeed. You are correct. I departed from my home to be rid of such an environment. Yet, as of this moment, I am struggling to discern much of a difference in coming here." The arrogance, the downcast gaze, the arbitrary expectations and demands that materialized spontaneously and seemingly out of the pure interest of their betters to exert their will upon those lesser, as well as the disregard for the well-being of any for the sake of image. This was no different from home. Cephilia was no different than any of those Lucia sought to leave behind. She was entirely correct. Lucia was not a noble. She was. "I care little for any reward spawned from this, and you know nothing of my life."

The expectation was that Lucia grew up with a silver spoon. To an extent, and outwardly, that was correct. It was intended to seem as such. However, she was not a noble or an heir. She was a bastard. Though no one here would know that, and she didn't intend for them to learn.

Seeing the knight motion towards the cave, leading her prisoner in a downcast air, Lucia presumed the matter dealt with. Pushing the older man in the direction of the cave, it seemed the servant had nothing left to say. The now captive tactician, though, did.

"These are the brats that capture me..." He muttered in exasperation.

Mentions: Cephilia, Thea
Interactions: AnonyMouse (Cephilia) @EveryoneAround

 

[Huntertabbysandshark3]

Risax
Location: Underground spooky scary cavern
interaction: no one directly Mention: most of the gang.​

miss Vivienne took up Risax's offer of just binding any of the survivors from this group of bandits suggesting he start with the Warhammer wielder that Cressey had dealt with the man now laying face first in the dirt, Risax nodded confidently in response. “Can do miss Vivienne“ he‘d reply in a more serious tone. Deciding to ignore the bloody wolf? Person? he spotted out of the corner of his eye as the others seemingly had that covered no point in interfering right? There was talk about heretic and heathens… and as Risax moved to pick the unconscious man up in his front-most set of legs, the word cannibalism He almost dropped the guy that he’d been binding. “What.. the what happened when we got split up?” Risax blurted out frankly rather confused though he didn’t stop for answers just yet finishing binding the man in a nice tight cocoon, how head sticking out the top. “Anyway… guys tied.. up.. please don’t say someone gonna try and eat them,” Risax asked worried about the context he’d missed placing the bound man back on the ground hoping someone would give him a bit of an update. tho Cephilia ear blistering rant covered most of the situation... "wow.. ok.. this really did get out of hand didn't it" he'd mumble to himself.. deciding to just.. stay where he was and avoid the miss Cephilia's ire

 

[Topless]

Sakuranbo Suzui
Location: Lower Sewers
Sakura was silent in the whole ordeal. As expected, she had earned the wrath of her fellow Kriegslowen after confessing her sins. Her heart became weighed with immense guilt that could kill her from the inside and her lips had begun to quiver uncontrollably. At least someone was able to stand up to her barely, but even then, the more human members now hated her for the act. She had brought shame to the guild and nobody likes her anymore...including you, the reader. Sakura's mind became clouded with thoughts that could have entered her dark side. Thoughts that taunted her being and everything else surrounding her.

It is then that the guild master has put her under a "no-kill" probationary status. Should she take the life of anyone, even if it is an accident, she will be gone from the guild. To Sakura, it translated to her as no hunting, meaning that be it human, animal or as complicated as a microorganism, she shall not perform the kill. "Understood..." She acknowledged and then asked as if nothing had happened "So...what should we do now?"

AnonyMouse King Crimson AriAriAbabwa Huntertabbysandshark3 Everyone else present
​

 

[King Crimson]

Cressey
Current Location: Deep Sewer
​

All of the tension, all of the concern, deflated from Cressey's body at Falco's response
"Boy...stuff?" she responded, still in mute shock, her twitching eyes scanning over the pair.
"Boy stuff," she repeated to herself, taking a few more steps into the room, a hand placed sagely to her chin, as if she were mulling over some great, complex theory.
"Yes. Right, of course..." she muttered, nodding her head in understanding, not even casting a glance towards Falco as she passed him by, giving the lance in her hand a small, absent-minded twirl...
...Right before abruptly bringing the flat side of it's edge right down on his vulnerable shin with a harsh, reverberating crack.
"...Except there's not a single boy in this room!" she abruptly exploded, an accusing finger pointed at his chest like a drawn dagger.
With a prominent vein of boiling blood raising on her forehead, she added, "Despite all we've been through, you still think me some naïve, ignorant child!"
She would have advanced closer, dug into him further to emphasize her point, perhaps give him another smack with her lance, but the rank horrid smell wafting from the newly 'acquired' black armor he wore kept her from getting any closer, something which only served to fuel her anger.
Instead, she redirected her rage, turning her attention towards the 'prince',
"And you also seem to think I didn't hear a good half of what both of you were saying, running down this hallway to come save you!"
With a long sigh, she vents out the rest of her stress, pinching the bridge of her nose in a clear sign of her irritation.
"But..." she sighs once more, having failed to get it all out the first time.
"I suppose the fact that you elected to tell me some half-hearted lie, means that whatever happened to Sakura mustn't be too serious, and neither of you are in any harm's way."
Managing a far calmer tone, she explains, "If you care to know, while you both were off doing 'boy stuff', we managed to clear out what we believe to be the rest of the mercenaries lurking in the sewer."
Turning her nose up at the two, she whirls around on her heel, adding on with a haughty indignance , "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to be going this way, to the far closer exit, where everyone else is surely waiting for us to arrive. You lot can continue your 'boy stuff,' wallowing around in your filth, and dingy, disgusting clothing!"
With a small Hmph! she stomps off towards the exit, nearly disappearing out of sight.
Abruptly, she stops short, right at the cavern's edge, her head turned slightly over her shoulder, towards Razul, nearly giving the fallen prince a peek at the expression writ upon her face.
"And...Razul..." she says, her voice softer, gentler, nearly a whisper, a hint of empathetic pain dripping from her quavering words.
"I know things didn't go quite as you'd planned...but...you mustn't lose heart."
"You'll grow, improve...and next time, you'll do better. You just need to keep trying."
Another sigh, deep from her chest, as if she'd managed to lift off some great, crushing weight.
Her head turns back towards the path ahead of her, once more completely hiding her face from their view.
"After seeing Sakura, I...had assumed something had befallen you."
"I-I'm...glad you're both alright."
A small smile graces her face, thankfully hidden in the darkness, where those two fools couldn't see it.
"And...I hope that we can adventure together again."
With her peace having been said, she resumes her leave, disappearing down the corridor, towards the cave where all of her other guild members were waiting.
Where today's journey could finally come to an end, and tomorrow's journey was just around the corner.
Little did she know, that some of the troubles of today were only just beginning.

​

Interacting:
AnonyMouse (Falco)
AriAriAbabwa (Razul)

 

[Kenshin772]

Gaius Karlings Kampfer
Location: Bandit Hideout.
With: RedArmyShogun Thea, EmperorsChosen Lucia, King Crimson Cressey, Thalia_Neko Hyss, AI10100 Thal, Huntertabbysandshark3 Risax, Topless Sakura, AnonyMouse Cephilia/Vivienne.
GM Interaction: AnonyMouse , Reinhardt .
​

The Bandit leader seemed to understand his position with Gaius no present and quickly surrendered. In quick fashion Lucia and Gaius restrained the man and when he was no longer a threat Gaius left him to Lucia and returned to where the corpse of his own foe laid. With a stern face Gaius removed his wiping cloth and wiped down his Jian as he surveyed the area where he had fought the rogue. A small glint of steel caught Gaius's eye around where he had taken the hit from the first thrown dagger. Without getting closer Gaius placed a hand on his stomach where the hilt had hit him and he could feel the missing scales and upon further self inspection he found a few other placed in his armor had either lost scales, been cut or torn, or had the armor loosened; Further more Gaius found that he did not come away as unscathed as he had believed as he found a number of shallow cuts that made it in past the armor or found their way into the new gaps in the scales.

With a disgruntled sigh Gaius went about retrieving the missing scales placing them in a leather pouch that he procured from his fallen foe. Some time during this Vivienne had sped off down the tunnel the party had come from and Cephilia started interrogating the coward who surrendered while his comrades fought Vivienne, nothing unexpected so Gaius returned to his own thoughts. Moving across the cavern Gaius retrieved a bedroll from around the campfire and quickly returned to the corpse. Whilst the others made small talk and gathered the prisoners Gaius busied himself with cleaning up the corpse.

Somewhere between stuffing the rogue's head into the bedroll and lifting his remaining pouches Gaius's clean up was brought to a stand still as Sakura entered the room eliciting all sorts of attention. The girl was covered in blood, her hands, chest, and Mouth? Vivienne and Cressey were the first to question her however the pint-sized lancer frantically rushed past the beats woman calling out to the two missing members of her party. With Cressey gone Sakura spoke up; "I ripped his heart out and ate it. It's a custom from my village to eat the heart of prey as a means to bless and absolve them from any suffering and sins of which we will then bear before eating. The body still remains, stripped off of everything he had including the heart. Forgive me, I didn't knew that what I did was unacceptable in this place. I've never once thought about the differences between my home and here. But, now that you know, let me ask you; what will you do to me?"

As Gaius mulled each word over in his head, The Kriegslowe Guild was supposed to be a melting pot; which was why people like him, Thea, Falco, and Sakura could join but. Cannibalism was a crime to the Aurelian Church and no doubt to the Kingdom as it was in the Empire. Gaius's thoughts were interrupted by the ensuing argument. As Expected Thea was not happy, taking offense as both a knight and a devotee to the Goddess. Lucia joined in asking if the party could just leave already as her dignity couldn't stand to be in the sewer any further, A thought that Gaius wanted to double as this issue was one that should be handled by the Guild's seniors.

However Cephilia shot that down putting a break into Thea and Hyss's argument. "No, we settle this now," Her voice was stern and commanding as if she already knew what her and subsequently the guild's answer was going to be.

"And who decided that your god is correct. --Or rather, the most correct? Condemning and decrying Sakura's beliefs while lauding your own is the height of conceeeit!" This was the loudest that Gaius had heard the small beast-kin as well as the first time her speech seemed to have an accent to it now.

"For what it's worth, I'm not sure I see anything so wrong with it. Sakura has her beliefs and customs, you have yours, just as everyone else does. It may be a bit... uncouth what she did, but to be judged so harshly over it? I don't think she should be," Hyss said, calmer now. "What's the difference about eating his heart and running it through with a sword or a spear, anyway? At least Sakura had a reason for what she did, others here killed without so much as a second thought. Or worse, an ounce of self-control. Which you yourself were willing to do to that archer. It's a miracle you didn't cleave him in two. Oh, and, I'm not condemning such action, as I understand what a battle entails, I'm merely pointing out the hypocrisy on display. Why'ss it okay when you or anyone else kills here, but Sakura is judged for her.. -unorthodox --mm-- acshuns?" As Hyss spoke and the more Gaius heard the held out S's the more Gaius put together about the white haired girl; There was also the added benefit that with Gaius focusing on the accent he didn't notice the fact that Hyss had pointed out the fact that Gaius was the only one to kill his opponent, not that she personally disapproved.


"Such is the way of the world," Cephilia spoke now that it seemed to be her turn "Like it or not, she will be judged, if this comes to light. And we will be judged for how we judge her. I said before, you are not here to protect one another, but the people. Kriegslowe is an institution, a pillar of Raelgardin society. Upholding the values of that institution is far more important to me than defending one hungry fox or the snake girl who doesn't see anything wrong with ripping a man's heart out and devouring it."

Gaius let out a exasperated sigh, it seemed that Cephilia was going to chose for everyone regardless of everyone else's opinion. To Gaius there was no point in voicing his opinion anymore, he listened to the rest of Cephilia's lecture as he returned to tying off his corpse bag. Her words were harsh but seemed to have the desired affect as all parties began to wind down. With his corpse bag in tow Gaius observed as Thea and her mouthy prisoner slowly made their way out of the cavern followed shortly by Lucia and her prisoner. As they left ear shot Gaius approached Cephilia from her left keeping his corpse on the other side of him from her, "Harsh words" he said in a hushed voice "I assume your stance is aligned with the Guild's so you'll have no protest from me, but what do we do if someone talks? Are you not concerned that those Goddess loving fools will rile up a lynch mob against those who protected a Heretic and a cannibal?"

 

[Thalia_Neko]

Hysydice "Hyss" Maliss

Currently: irritated
Thinking: "Such crap. Egotistical and hypocritical and conceited.."

Location: sewers
Interacting: RedArmyShogun
Mentions: AnonyMouse




"Wha~t~?!" Hyss hissed at Thea's words. "I meant nothing of the sort. You jump to strange conclusions, and the fact you did so so quickly just tells me --tells us-- that you're just an inch away from doing as you say --flaying beastfolk-- at all times. Which says more about your viewings than mine, or Sakura's, and makes you dangerouss. My point was simple. Imagine --" Hyss glanced over at Madam Valdergeuse who had said a few choice words her direction, and who was speaking now to resolve the situation. What she had said about her was thankfully not as scathing as how she responded to the others, which is likely what made the snake back off.

With a soft frustrated growl, the hooded girl slinked back and shut her trap. She poked at the mage again, almost as if this was the one action she could control, as everything else seemed to have slipped away from her. He whimpered a bit -maybe she had pressed a bit too hard. But actually after that display, he was much more fearful of the small girl beside him, thinking she was some sort of hidden monster. A wolf in sheep's clothing.

For the foreseeable future Hyss would keep her eyes down and her mouth shut, no forked tongue frustratingly flicking anymore. Those eyes of hers returned to 'normal' from the sharp icy slits they were. Her beastial nature once more in hiding. She began leading the mage out like the rest of the prisoners.​

 

[AI10100]

Thalgrukh
Location: Underground Cavern, Tylsen
Interacting with: Thalia_Neko (Hyss) Huntertabbysandshark3 (Risax) Topless (Sakura) Kenshin772 (Gaius) AnonyMouse (Cephilia)
Mentions: King Crimson (Cressey) AriAriAbabwa Razul AnonyMouse (Falco)​

Thal cocked his head to the side as the hypothetical was thrown at him— switching his position with the mage's. He eyed the other prisoners who were down on the ground and shook his head. "I at least have more loyalty than a man willing to throw everyone else away for the sake of his own doomed hide." Well, he'd never really know. He was never in that kind of position and he'd strive to never be in it. He looked over to Thea and Lucia who were in the group with her. He wouldn't have suspected that they would be responsible for that decision but he supposed expecting the unexpected was something he would quickly learn with the guild. "Oh, thanks." He looked back at the halberd he had just pilfered from the downed bandit.

His eyes bounced from Thea to Lucia to Hyss— each saying their piece about how they felt about the situation. Apparently, stunned silence was not the common response to an admission like that. Thea called it heretical, stating her belief in the Goddess Aurelia to condemn Sakura. The bandit even chimed in, as if attempting to fan the flames of the already rising tensions within the group. Lucia, on the other hand, wished nothing more than to leave the cavern to take a shower, clearly displeased with the fact that they had to wade through the sewers for hours on end. She also did mention that they had injured folks and that shook Thal back to his senses. Right. They needed to apply aid quickly but Vivienne had that covered and, indeed, he saw her move out of the cavern.

Hyss, on the other hand, challenged Thea's beliefs— her faith— and continued on to admit that she found nothing wrong with the action. Mercifully, Cephilia had taken over the situation to remind everyone of what they stood by and what the appropriate punishment was. It wasn't that severe; truth be told, it seemed like a rather light sentence. But if that was the decision made then Thal had no objections to it. He was just glad that it ended with no physical infighting. That would have been a nightmare to stop. Still, the lingering animosity likely wouldn't disappear for a long time.

Thal walked back to his own prisoner, tugging him up to a stand. His arm was still bleeding and Thal pulled out a bandage to at least stop it before he passed out from blood loss. Anything else will probably be handled by the prison itself. He patted the man's back and turned to Risax. "We're not. We should probably get the prisoners out too." He said, gesturing to the exit where the other three had already departed for.

He lingered by the exit, mulling over his thoughts before deciding on something. "You too Sakura. It's time to go." Thal called out to the girl. He wasn't comfortable with the situation at all, but Cephilia's verdict had already been decided and further deliberation would be decided upon by the Guildmaster. For now, they were guildmates and he should act as such. He looked over to Gaius and Cephilia and looked beyond them towards the passage where Vivienne, Falco, Razul, and Cressey remained. "Do they need any help back there?" He questioned, unwilling to leave until he had seen for himself that their flashy companion was fine.

 

[AnonyMouse]

Cephilia Valdergeuse​

Location: Subterranean Cavern​

"Understood..." the beast-girl said, after Cephilia had given her opnion on the matter. "So...what should we do now?"

"Leave, of course. We'll escort our new friends to the guild hall for questioning. They will be turned over to the city guard once we're satisfied. But your work here is concluded," Cephilia said, though the others seemed to already have the right idea and certainly didn't need to be told to depart. "Regarding your... 'situation,' I, or another guild official, will update you on the final verdict. In the meantime, keep your paws clean and pray to the deity of your choosing they are as merciful as I," Cephilia added with a slight scowl, making it clear she was very displeased with this entire chain of events. With that done, she began to turn away, until Thea's voice captured her attention.

"Aye.. I'm not a Knight anymore," Thea said, "but I cannot change the pride I have. Even if my family name has dimmed, it is still a legacy. One which I do not know if I can recover, but I won't cast it all on someone else, not again. As you said, that title now belongs to another, but I am a daughter of my Family and that name must be upheld... Even if in my own way and my own burden. Let's quit this place, sooner the better."

Thea's acceptance of her status came as a bit of a surprise and actually brought a tinge of sadness to Cephilia's face. Despite the firmness of her tone, she had not meant those words as an insult, but as a reminder that they were Kriegslowen, first and foremost, and past lives should be left in the past. But the look upon Thea's face when Cephilia uttered those words stood as proof that they had cut deeper than intended.

In many ways, Thea's circumstances were nearly the opposite of Cephilia's. Schuerer joined the guild to bring some measure of glory and honor to a name that had fallen from grace. She was trying to rekindle an old flame, or at least remind the world of how brightly it once burned. Cephilia, on the other hand, came from a currently very well-known and well-respected family. She joined Kriegslowe to wrest herself from the Valdergeuse 'glory,' and blaze her own path, separate from the one her father had laid out for her.

There were moments, like now, when she began to wonder if she had accomplished that. Was anything she built truly her own? Or, worse, how much more could she have done --how many more people could she have helped-- if she didn't so frequently deny the opportunities her name afforded her? The latter was something she had only begun to consider in recent years.

As if to punctuate that thought, the Edelgarde girl spoke, snapping Cephilia out of her thoughts and back to cruel reality:

"...Indeed. You are correct. I departed from my home to be rid of such an environment," she said. "Yet, as of this moment, I am struggling to discern much of a difference in coming here."

"Oh?" Cephilia quietly ruminated, intentionally inclining her head in the haughty manner she knew would burrow under the girl's skin. There was a time when she had nearly felt a sort of kinship with this one. Perhaps it was because they were both elves, both nobility, and had both come here to prove themselves. And yet...

Even in my lowest moments, I don't think I whined quite as much as this one, Cephilia thought as the girl prattled on. At least, I hope I didn't. Goddess, was I this insufferable...?

"I care little for any reward spawned from this, and you know nothing of my life," the eyepatched elf added.

"Nor you mine. And we shall leave it at that," Cephilia said, with a dismissive flutter of her wrist. Every gesture was engineered to play into this girl's misguided notions of who she was. She flicked her long blonde hair and turned aside, as if about to leave, before adding over her shoulder: "But servants are not slaves. You will be rewarded all the same, Edelgarde. Toss it to the common rabble, if it suits you. I care not."

She was fairly certain the sarcasm would go right over the girl's head. But enough time had been wasted toying with the other Caskarieth. Cephilia dropped the 'pompous noble' act and returned to more important matters. She allowed herself one wistful glance at the tunnel where Vivienne had gone to collect Razul, Cressey, and Falco, as if pondering if she should go check on them or lead the others out. After contemplating this for a moment, Cephilia turned her attention toward the exit. She doubted any dangers remained in either direction, so moving along was more important than sticking together. Viv could handle them.

As she began to follow the others out, Gaius approached her, carrying a body bag, which she could only assume was the bandit he had engaged.

"Harsh words" he said in a hushed voice "I assume your stance is aligned with the Guild's so you'll have no protest from me, but what do we do if someone talks? Are you not concerned that those Goddess loving fools will rile up a lynch mob against those who protected a Heretic and a cannibal?"

"Leave it," Cephilia said, with a nod to the corpse. "We take the prisoners, but I will gather a party to investigate this place and collect the dead. That's quite enough, Mr. Kampfer." Frankly, she would rather leave someone behind, perhaps Viv, to keep an eye on things and ensure the scene isn't disturbed. But neither she nor the centaur were geared for that.

"I wish the guild had a stance," she said, now matching his hushed tone. "The proper protocol would be to present this to the guildmaster or even a council of guildmasters --which I will attempt to do-- but Kaira has little stomach for deliberation, politicking, and paperwork. So, it will lamentably fall to me, as most matters do." Her clear blue gaze met his. "That being said, it will get out. That is a certainty. But the church, at large, is quite civil. Our donations and cooperation keep them so. They may froth and seethe, but I believe they will allow us to keep the fox, under the pretense of converting or, at the very least, civilizing this 'vicious heathen.' Or leave her to die in service, which is quite likely for one robbed of the ability to kill," she said, with an apologetic glance in Sakura's direction. "She's not out of the woods yet. A signed, sealed letter concerns me more than any lynch mob. And I cannot and will not protect her from that."
Interaction(s): Topless (Sakura) / RedArmyShogun (Thea) / EmperorsChosen (Lucia) / Kenshin772 (Gaius)
Mentions: AI10100 (Thal) / Thalia_Neko (Hyss) / Huntertabbysandshark3 (Risax)

 

[RedArmyShogun]

Thea Schuerer
Location: Underground, Tylsen
​

As the group set about, chiefly to leave, Hyss had to say something else as Thea jerked around in quick response, her wincing now turned to pure anger. Stopping her prisoner in his tracks, she turns to exchange words with the beast kin. "And who is the one that ate the heart of a man?! And "us", all I see is you here alone, all I hear is your heresy. Not all will be as kind as I in these lands." She says spitting to the side once more. As the other hid her head under her hood and the two Caskarieth's exchanged words.

It seemed the girl was indeed some sort of noble and the other was showing off to rile her up a little, to get under the skin, all not so nice and haughty like. Shaking her head, Thea was starting to regret joining this branch and healing the cloaked girl, but such was as it was. Looking around at the others, at least the matter of the dogs was forgotten, in hindsight it would have been better to use a chisel or writing tool to mark her transit. Shrugging it off, she was quite tired of dealing with all of this, these people, this sewer and a couple of her so-called allies.

"Get moving." With that she shoves the other and makes for the cave opening, giving Lucia a slight nod in passing. Razul, Falco and the rest could see to themselves and hopefully were worth her remaining supplies, already in a sour mood, the fact she needed a backup weapon and to replenish her supplies was dawning upon her that any reward from this job would mean she would have to stay in the guild barracks a little longer, more likely than not.

"By the Goddess, give me strength.. I will need it once this day is done and maybe a bit of coin."

Interactions: Thalia_Neko (Hyss) EmperorsChosen (Lucia)

 

[AriAriAbabwa]

Scene 17: Cooling Off...?
Synopsis: Razul Dazzle's exchange with Falco grows tense! What, or who could possibly set them apart in this situation?
Additional Cast: AnonyMouse (Falco) King Crimson (Cressey)

​

There was a break in her anger, briefly stunned by the other boy's initial shout. Did he... not know she was a girl until now...? Just as quickly as the break came, though, it went back to its scowl. She practically blanked out during their spout; Razul's face only further shriveled up in anger after each remark Falco spat back. The one thing she couldn't shrug off was his tone of ignorance. To Razul, this thief boy was trying his damnedest to downplay her capabilities—the exact thing she was trying to make good on... "You sound just like my dad..." she finally continued, following Falco's last bit. "Telling me I'm gonna die out there no matter what; not without a man by my side. Always trying to play victim—"

She bit her tongue as another voice came into the frey: Cressey. She forgot that other people were in this sewer with them... How much did she hear?

For a moment, it seemed like none. Even Falco, thank goodness, had enough of a soul to keep quiet. Razul couldn't help the slight curlings of a smile to her countenance.

Then, "...Except there's not a single boy in this room!" The words by themselves made the prince grimace.

There was no doubt about it. Cressey definitely knew, and Razul only had herself and her loud mouth to blame. She couldn't have been any more fortunate, however, that Cressey refused to make any big fuss of it—Razul spared a short glance at Falco at that thought—and much to the wanna-be-hero's surprise... solace. Here she was earlier, getting riled up at Falco for trying to help... and now even the short girl mistakable for a child was attempting to cheer her up. This time, in a digestible and less rage-induced manner.

She stared on at Cressey as she left, taking in each of her words, utterly speechless. She couldn't think of anything to say in those moments, and it took a fair while for Razul to take a step around.

At last, a change came when our hero glanced back at the thief boy. "You oughta take lesson from her, Falco," Razul said, 'his' manly cadence returning with a smug grin.

 

[Kenshin772]

Gaius Karlings Kampfer
Location: Mouth of Sewer Cavern.
With: AnonyMouse Cephilia.
GM Interaction: AnonyMouse , Reinhardt .
​

Raising an Eyebrow as Cephilia explained what was to come in terms of the fox, It was good to know that the Tylsen Church could be bought. It reminded him of the Churches back at Castle Karlings and the surrounding fiefs; back in the Empire it was pretty common for Nobles and Merchants to 'Buy' either for Political backing or help promoting a new line of product. Gaius found comfort in the information that the same could be done here in Tylsen. "Donations, Right" he chuckled as he let go of the corpse bag he was dragging. "Odd how members of the Clergy let their Morals loosen when the prospect of fattening their purse comes around"

"She's not out of the woods yet. A signed, sealed letter concerns me more than any lynch mob. And I cannot and will not protect her from that."

Gaius nodded his head "Guess we'll just have to see," Gaius paused and turned back to the majority of those still in the cavern "Go on ahead, I'll help Vivienne round up the rest and get the hell out of here." With that Gaius left Cephilia to her business and started back towards the others but he stopped briefly to given himself a sniff, "Goddess Damn it" he mumbled "I need a bath."

 

[AnonyMouse]

Falion "Falco" Cauphix​

Location: Sewer (Lowest Level)​

"You oughta take lesson from her, Falco," Razul said, while returning to 'his' false persona.

"Yeah... you too," Falco grumbled, still rubbing his shin where Cressey had swatted him with the flat of her spear. The smaller girl's words, or perhaps her mere presence, had eased most of his frustrations --and, it seemed, Razul's as well-- proving that not every female was insane. She didn't have to hit me, tho, damn, he thought, sucking a breath through clenched teeth while he waited for the sting to subside.

"I dunno what your ol' man did, but you need to chill," Falco said as he faced Razul, which put his back to where Cressey had gone. He slowly walked backwards, while the wounded Razul carried on. "I... I didn't say that stuff 'cuz I think you're weak, okay. I said it cuz you can be a lot better if you stop pretending. You'll probably feel better, too. Girls are literally the best thing ever! Why would you wanna be a-" he snapped his mouth shut, because he already knew where this was going and didn't want to screw this up again. he searched his thoughts for the right words, found none, but continued anyway: "Look, I'm... uhh.... I'm just sayin' a lotta good people give a shit about you, alright. There ain't nothin' wrong with lettin' 'em. It doesn't make you less of anything. And it's got nothin' to do with..." his eyes briefly flicked down before returning to her face, "those... not that there's even anything there to-"

"Okay, dear, I think you've said enough," a deep, mature female voice said and Falco felt a frighteningly large hand gently clamp down on his shoulder. A cold tremor shimmied down his spine before he realized it was Viv. For a hooved behemoth, she got around waaaaay too fucking quietly! He half-turned, gazed up into the centaur's smiling face, and did his best to not look as terrified as he felt. Those horns looked awfully scary this close.

"Oh, uh, hello there, V-... Miss Yvarra. Lady Yvarra," Falco said as he nervously stepped aside. "I'm so glad you came! My friend, Razul Dazzle, who is my friend --just a friend-- really needs your help."

She nodded, patiently.

"B-but you already knew that! Haha, of course," He snapped his fingers. "H-how long have you been there?"

"Long enough," she said with a friendly chuckle. "Mind if I have a word with your 'friend,' just us girls," she winked, "doin' girl stuff?"

Ooof, that long, huh? Falco thought, visibly wincing. "Riiiight. Cool! Okay, so, I'll, uhhhh, see myself out, thanks, got it," he said as he slowly backpedalled away, offering only a small, apologetic wave before spinning 180 and quickening his pace.

But he didn't make it far before Viv's voice briefly halted him: "Oh, and by the way, Mr. Cauphix: Thank you for trying. You are a good friend," Viv said. Though Falco didn't turn to face them, those simple words brought an enormous smile ot his face, which he hid by casually raising the hood of his jerkin to conceal his excitement. But, she just had to add: "Try harder next time, though. Please and thank you." Oof.

Chapter 0: Epilogue​

Slowly, the adventurers began to file out of the room, some with prisoners in tow, leaving only Gaius and Falco behind. The round chamber where the bandits had made their home led into a short, winding passage, its walls carved smooth by a subterranean river eons ago, which was now reduced to nothing mote than damp, silty soil at their feet. Within less than a minute, they spotted light at the end of the tunnel and soon emerged onto a heavily overgrown trail in the woods on Tylsen's outskirts. A late afternoon sun lay low in the trees, its light heavily filtered by the branches.

Here, they waited for the stragglers. Cephilia busied herself with double- and triple-checking the bindings on their captives, while also searching them for any hidden tools or weapons which hadn't already been stripped. Lastly, she offered healing to those who needed it. Many of the new recruits had cuts, scrapes, bruises, and even animal bites, all of which she could easily heal or assuage. Normallly, she wouldn't expend time and resources on such things, but she secretly felt a small sense of guilt for this whole affair. The least she could do was ensure they returned to town in the same state they had left.

After a few minutes, Gaius and Falco emerged from their self-imposed vigil, with Razul and Viv behind them, finally completing the party. Their most 'dazzling' member was now fully healed and sporting a fresh cloak over his own, presumably cut from Viv's multi-layered garments. While nowhere near as flashy as his usual attire, it added a certain grounded appeal to the boy's ostentatious sense of fashion.

With all members present and accounted for, the march to town began. Those with prisoners remained near the middle of the pack, while Viv and Cephilia led at the front, speaking in hushed voices. Very little could be heard, but the two could be seen nodding in agreement at times and glaring at one another at other times, as if they were arguing or debating something. Their discussion concluded with Viv smiling a little more brightly than usual and a very sour Cephilia marching along with her arms folded, occasionally staring daggers at the newbies, as if they had deeply offended her. However, she seemed to slowly accept the outcome of their debate; by the time the group came within sight of Tylsen's city limits, she had graduated from wearing a mean girl scowl and having her arms tightly crossed, to a mild case of 'resting bitch face' and hands on her hips.

The adventurers were strolling up main street, approaching the Guild Hall, which loomed over the market square, when she finally turned to them and forced herself to smile. "On account of your... 'success,' I suppose we should discuss your pay," she said in the tone of someone who clearly didn't want to, but felt begrudgingly obligated to bring it up. She cast a venomous glance at Viv, who merely smiled back encouragingly, like a mother trying to convince a child that broccoli really is good for you and worth eating.

With a small sigh, Cephilia halted at the door to the guild hall and opened it, ushering her subordinates inside with a slight curtsey and flourish, the same way hundreds of servants had probably opened doors for her in a previous life. Perceptive entrants might notice the door handle was restored to its former glory and even seemed a wee bit shinier than it had been before. As they poured into the main hall, the adventurers found it mostly as they had left it, spotless and unnaturally quiet. Arien still stood behind the receptionist's desk, looking even less entertained than he had been before, on account of hours of relative silence. The main difference was a young girl with cat ears and thick glasses, curled up on one of the couches nearby, reading a book, while clutching the wooden box containing their arcanizers. When she spotted the procession, her tail bristled, her eyes went wide, and she instantly put away her book and sat bolt upright with perfect, obedient posture, as if afraid to be mistaken as idle or lazy.

"Rena, the box," Viv said and the feline beast-kin was at her side immediately, offering up the prize for today's misadventures. Cephilia thanked her and the girl literally tiptoed away, taking up a position near Arien, nearly hiding behind him. Falco's hungry eyes followed her across the room, prompting Cephilia to snap her fingers at him, too, as if trying to convince a dog not to chase a rabbit. The Caskarieth took a seat on the desk and crossed her legs, mirroring the way she had previously commanded their attention before delivering, though she seemed significantly less haughty this time around and even somewhat exhausted.

While this was going on, Viv carried the large, unconscious bandit -the one who had wielded the warhammer-- away, down some stairs to the right, presumably toward some hidden dungeon or holding cells within the Guild Hall. She returned a short time later to retrieve the first of the not-unconscious prisoners, then another and another until they were all squared away.

"As adventurers, we are not obligated to take on every quest put before us or every call for assistance," Cephilia began. "The quest board is full of contracts offering little pay for life-threatening tasks or ill-informed requests, sabotaged by poor intel. Those who wish to live to see old age learn to choose their battles and their clients wisely. Yet, none of you protested..." Her eyes swept across the room until, at last, she shrugged. "I've no idea if you were swayed by my staggering charisma, or mistook me for someone 'in charge,' or merely enjoy the company of rats, but you all rose to the challenge with minimal complaint. I suppose this is my roundabout way of saying thank you for putting up with my bullshit." She grinned. "And, no, this is not a guarantee it won't happen again."

Having said her piece, she undid the lock on the treasure box and hopped down from the desk. "Anyway, none of you care to hear me talk, so let's get on with it. Tear the bandage off quickly, as they say. I have here ten bespoke arcanizers, loaded and ready, painstakingly hand-crafted by a master magitechnician with decades of experience in the field --that's me, by the way-- each worth more than you will likely make in a year. These, and the necessary training to use them, are your promised reward." She held one up, for them to marvel at its detail, but her eyes briefly fell upon Falco and Thal. "And before any of you get any wise ideas, your guild badges have been integrated into them, so don't even think of selling or --goddess forbid-- discarding them. These are your identification, your tool, and --if need be-- your weapon. May they serve you well."

As she spoke, she began to carefully arrange these devices on the desk, so the adventurers could approach and collect their personalized icon. "As your first client, I believe I would rate your performance as... acceptable," she said as she continued spreading them out. "You responded well to unexpected developments and, despite some peculiarities..." here she glanced over her shoulder, making eye contact with Sakura, but her gaze slowed as it crossed Hyss, and even lingered on Razul for a moment, "...managed to return alive and somewhat successful. I suppose you have earned a..." she nearly choked on the word, "...'bonus.'"

Cephilia's upbringing made it difficult for her to consider this day anything other than a disaster. The Valdergeuse family did not hand out praise easily. She had certainly never gotten any from her father or mother. The arcanizers were a gift, fashioned in a fit of uncharacteristically inspired passion. The rat hunt was merely a formality, an excuse to give such a gift, lest they think she was fond of free handouts. But to add a 'bonus' on top of that!? It hurt to even think about, especially after all the headaches this day would cause. A heretic and a cannibal in their midst! Bodies and captives to deal with! And a map stolen from their own archives! Oh, the work to be done....

Okay, most of that wasn't the newbies fault. But, still....

Lucky for them, they had a rather large, hooved advocate on their side. If not for Viv's insistence, Cephilia would likely send them all home --or worse-- with only the promised arcanizers, and nothing more.

Swallowing the bile in her throat, Cephilia continued: "Fifty feln, each," she said.

"Now, Cephilia, we agreed on seventy-five..." Vivienne said, wagging a finger at the elf as she trotted into the room once more, having just delivered the last prisoner to his cell.

"It's my money, I do what I want. Should've put it in writing, sweetheart," Cephilia teased. "Hear me out, I've an idea even you can get behind, Viv." She returned her attention to the newbies: "Your choice: seventy-five feln, if you're a shortsighted fool who only seeks short-term returns..." she rolled her eyes, "Or fifty feln and personal training under the tutelage of Tylsen's most decorated master of the arcane arts --that's me, again. In addition to basic arcanizer training, I'll teach you an extra spell or something. Or, if you like, maybe Viv can teach you a thing or two, if you're more into hitting things. Can't imagine why anyone would need to be taught to do that, but, whatever."

Viv did not look impressed, but shrugged in agreement nonetheless.

With that out of the way, the two veterans went over the basics of arcanizer maintenance, safety, and ownership, before transitioning into daily guild life and a brief tour of the guild hall -- the orientation they should have gotten hours ago. However, everyone was tired and far from freshly-scented, so details were kept to a minimum and the group moved at a brisk pace. One of their last stops was the quest board, where numerous jobs were posted. There were quite a few F-Rank offerings, but none half as exciting or paid half as well as what they had experienced today: missing pets, manual labor, standing guard outside of storehouses and shops, lookouts, patrols, pest control, searches for lost items, etcetera.

If they had seen this, they would likely not have been so sour about Cephilia's rat hunt. Speaking of whom, the Caskarieth disappeared some time during the tour and returned with their payment as things neared an end, along with the promise that training would begin in earnest tomorrow morning, for those who chose that route. Even those who chose only the cash bonus were promised at least one starter spell, as part of learning to use their arcanizer.

After more thanks and congratulations --mostly from Viv-- they were dismissed to do as they please, whether that be choose a bed at the guild hall, or elsewhere, or pluck a quest from the notice board and get right to work. Their future was now well and truly in their own hands.

"Oh, and one last thing," Cephilia said, suddenly in relatively good spirits, as the group was about to disband. "I expect your reports on the guildmaster's desk by tomorrow afternoon." She smiled. "I suppose I forgot to mention there's writing involved. Sorry! Anyway, welcome to Kriegslowe. Now, off you go," she said before shooing them out of her sight.

QUEST REWARDS​

Option A:
+ ARCANIZER BASIC TRAINING
+ PERSONALIZED ARCANIZER / GUILD CREST
+ (1) ZAUBERITE (your choice of color)
+ (1) SPELL (tier 1)
+ (50) FELN (5 silver coins)
+ (25) FELN (2 silver, 5 brown)

Option B:
+ ARCANIZER BASIC TRAINING
+ PERSONALIZED ARCANIZER / GUILD CREST
+ (1) ZAUBERITE (your choice of color)
+ (1) SPELL (tier 1)
+ (50) FELN (5 silver coins)
+ (1) SPELL or (1) COMBAT SKILL or IMPROVE (1) SKILL

Interaction(s): AI10100 (Thal) / King Crimson (Cressey) / RedArmyShogun (Thea) / Huntertabbysandshark3 (Risax) / AriAriAbabwa (Razul) / Kenshin772 (Gaius) / Thalia_Neko (Hyss) / Topless (Sakura) / EmperorsChosen (Lucia) / Reinhardt (Arien)

 

[Reinhardt]

Kaira Zalketh​

Location: Land Ferry Station, Krafen​

At long last, the Land Ferry arrived at its destination - the city of Krafen, or more specifically the Land Ferry station within the city's confines. The wheels of the vehicle came to a halt, and its doors began to open with a loud hiss. Though such sounds would otherwise be notable, the noise of constant chatter from the people at the station was more than enough to mask these sounds. Once the doors were fully opened, the passengers swarmed out of the vehicle, like ants rushing out from a disturbed anthill - it didn't take long until there were but a countable few left remaining within the recently arrived Land Ferry, which included the Guildmaster of the Kriegslöwe's Tylsen branch.

Those that remained were either still asleep from the journey, or were in the midst of rummaging through their possessions. Kaira, however, belonged to neither of the two - she had been deep in thought for quite a while now, not out of concern for the Tylsen branch and the fresh batch of recruits she left under the care of the very sociable Cephilia, but rather out of intrigue from a set of strange occurrences that she herself, along with the rest of the passengers that were now gone, had experienced.

First and foremost, the departure from Tylsen was delayed for more than an hour which was explained to have occurred due to some issues with the vehicle's main mechanisms - these issues were then resolved via the addition of a third Manatech-nician, and despite the fact that most, if not all, Land Ferries were handled by only two people, this new addition came along the ride to oversee and prevent any further issues.

Secondly, the entire trip was plagued by a loud whirring noise that reverberated throughout the entire vehicle and made the whole journey rather uncomfortable for many of the passengers on board. It sounded as if the Land Ferry was but a mere animal being worked to the bone.

Last but not least, the duration of the trip, which was supposed to span three days due to the travel distance from Tylsen to Krafen, ended up being shortened to a mere day and a few hours. This was a drastic change, and if this anomaly had another preceding instance before it, Kaira would have known - but this is truly the first time such has happened, never once did a trip go shorter than its expected travel time, in fact, the opposite was more prevalent.

After some careful contemplation, the Guildmaster finally lined up the acquired clues and isolated the root of all these peculiarities - the third mana-technician. With a target now set for her pursuit, she rose from her seat and exited the vehicle. She headed straight to the station's office and requested the presence of those that were tasked with handling the trip and the vehicle that she was recently in. Normally, such a request would necessitate the submission of specific forms and documents, and would normally span a somewhat lengthy processing period - however, with a single brandishing of her Kriegslöwe badge, which carried the mark of a Guildmaster, such trivialities were swiftly omitted. The power that came with a prestigious role was now being used to sate the intrigue that festered within her mind - truly a role model for the renowned Kriegslöwe, she was.

It didn't take long for two people to arrive, however, Kaira had expected three. Curious once more, she began to inquire them about this mysterious third Manatech-nician.

According to their story, this third Manatech-nician came not before the technical issues rose, rather, it was a consequence of his emergence. During the preparations for the departure from Tylsen, a young man introduced himself to the crew as a representative sent from Achelriede to check up on the equipment of Tylsen's Land Ferry. And even had a set of documents to back up his statement. Though his claim was dubious, he proved to be quite knowledgable in Manatech, and thus, swiftly removed any of the crew's suspicion towards his legitimacy. Soon enough, the mechanisms of the Land Ferry came to be, but with the intervention of the representative, it was swiftly resolved - in fact, the representative personally worked on the mechanisms and tinkered with them, turning the basic functions of the vehicle into something greater. To check for any possible issues that may arise on the trip, as well as solve them, the representative insisted to come on board - which nobody clearly opposed to. During the trip, the representative discussed with the two a myriad of theoretical concepts that could be applied to Land Ferries, some even too advanced to be realized with the current state of Manatech, which left them both amused and in awe of this youngster. However, he swiftly left without a word after the Land Ferry arrived at the Krafen station.

Though most information simply reaffirmed Kaira's deductions, they described this mystery Manatech-nician as a young man with green hair, gloves on his hands, and goggles resting on his neck - and that was all that Kaira needed to track him down. Satisfied, Kaira dismissed the two and immediately left the office.

Upon her exit, what welcomed her sight was someone heading towards the office who fits the description that she had just acquired. A smile formed on Kaira's face. "Ha.", a sound left her voice, only to be followed by boisterous laughter - like a hunter that had struck its mark with great precision and ease. "Hahahahahahahahaha!"

"It seems that luck favors me today.", she said with a confident, yet intimidating smile, enough to send shivers to those of weak wills. "To think that you'd come running straight to me."

The young man was confused at first but swiftly came to realize that perhaps heading in this direction was a mistake. "Uh...", he uttered, his feet leaned back, his whole body ready to turn and dash. But unfortunately, before he could even pivot away, Kaira had already grabbed him by the shoulder.

"Now I've got some questions for you, kid."

Interaction/s: ---

 

[Reinhardt]

CHAPTER 0x
SMALL BEGINNINGS

Location: Kriegslöwe Guildhall, Tylsen​

After what had occurred at the sewers, the recruits were given a day to rest their weary bodies and disturbed minds. However, to the veterans of the guild, this was but a pretense - while the recruits rested, the others cleaned up the sewers and dealt with the ruffians that were caught. Every clue that could be scrounged up from the sewer was handed over to Cephilia, the current acting head, and those whom she had appointed to investigate the anomalies of that quest.

During that day, another new recruit arrived at the guildhall's premises, and unlike those that came before him, his activities comprised mainly of what was in the itinerary - an orientation on becoming a Kreigslöwe, and a tour around the guildhall's facilities.

It is now the 4th day of the 3rd month, 422 AC. The day of rest is over. The recruits have once again, been summoned to the guildhall - this time to do their duties as an F-rank, and that is to accomplish the jobs and requests designated for their respective rank. The orientation, albeit late, should have been sufficient enough to let them know how to choose from the quest board, coordinate with the receptionist for proper quest filing and tracking, as well as the report that comes after accomplishing whatever request they have chosen to take on. Granted, none of the F-rank quests could really be compared to what they have previously experienced.

What was once an empty space was now populated. There were people sitting down at the chairs, waiting to be called to file their requests to the guild. Several of the guild members could be seen wandering about in the main hall, some browsing the quest board, some merely idling by. The comforting noise of a crowd chattering amongst each other was present within the main hall - it was as if the recruits were given a special day to have the guild's premises all for themself, though that day may have gone differently from what was intended.

The hall now appeared like it truly did house a guild. Even the person behind the reception desk was different, and Arien could be found on one of the chairs, sitting down and taking a gaze at the live scenery.

It is now that the recruits truly begin their first steps as Kriegslöwen.

Interaction/s: Gaius ( Kenshin772 ), Razul ( AriAriAbabwa ), Thalgrukh ( AI10100 ), Sakuranbo ( Topless ), Risax ( Huntertabbysandshark3 ), Thea ( RedArmyShogun ), Lucia ( EmperorsChosen ), Cresselinde ( King Crimson ), Falion ( AnonyMouse ), Hysydice ( Thalia_Neko ), Morgan ( The Prophet )

 

[RedArmyShogun]

Thea Schuerer
Location: Kriegslöwe Guildhall, Tylsen
​

Spoiler: Aftermath

Gathering with the rest the walk back was a bit shorter than the walk down and a bit more sanitary, making their way up through the winding tunnel and silty soil and ground rock they were soon back into the light, or the evening light that was left, be it even down an overgrown and partially wooded path it still stired something within Thea. This cave was a danger should an invading army learn of it and chart the depths, just what were these bandits up to? With that they took a bit of a break as Cephilia checked the bindings and persons of the bandits and mage twice and thrice over. Thea however said nothing to this, finding it sensible. A few moments later Razul, Falco, Gaius and Vivienne bringing up the rear and the group would set out once more with prisoners in tow.

Walking down the wooded path and out into the road the city and said city beyond it was readily in view. As they marched along Thea took a position in the center alongside the prisoners, providing some encouragement with a shove, kick or hit to keep them in line and moving up, the two senior members of the guild seemed to be engaged in a heated conversation that remained friendly yet, one which Vivienne no doubt won, what with the subtle hints of anger and stares back at her own teammates, even if some of them deserved that if not worse. Not having words to pass and happy to have some distance from the rest as they staggered into a line, the knightly lass conducts her vigil largely in silence.

As they made way back into the city and its streets, past the guard barracks and stations and nowhere near the official seats of power, straight into the guild, or outside of it at least as Cephilia said words that did not match her actions, even for Thea this woman was painfully easy to read, well better that than a good liar. Ushering them inside, Thea made a mental note on the door being fixed, hopefully this time no one would break or ruin it.

Now they were onto another matter of business it seemed. Viv took over moving the prisoners bit by bit escorting them down below as Cephilia called over a beast folk that had aspects of a cat, her name was Rena wasn't it? It seemed the promised arcanizers were to be handed out from that box. With a dethatched sense of amusement and disappointment she watches as Falco's eyes follow the cat girl, who seemed aware of this fact as she hid behind Arien. However the devices were not handed out just yet as the prisoners are quickly moved and Cephilia gave them a debriefing. Her jaw twitched when the Caskarieth informed them that they had options in taking what jobs they wished, giving warnings and a small bit of praised, Thea exhaled, having put together one of the warnings. Bad intel, that was what this whole thing was about and it was insinuated that they could have said no the whole time..

Next up was an explanation of the job board and the Arcanizers were handed out, with a final assessment and some instruction. Most importantly they were being paid five silvers. It wasn't enough to move out and a good portion of it was spoken for by her need to replace supplies and to buy a decent shortsword and general food stuff so she wasn't a burden on the guild. There was an offer fore more silver or in training from Cephilia or Vivienne in the martial or magical arts. Having listened to the details, Thea knew a second spell would be of limited value, given she wouldn't be able to use both spells she had if she learned another. While she did plan to use more magic to an extent, for now she rather concentrate on her key abilities for now, improving the power of her Strum was at the top of her mind, to improve upon the training she had.

The extra pay would be tempting to some, but the amount wasn't enough to do anything of substance with. A decent apartment would only be taken care of for a week with this sum, slums or the outskirts would be cheaper, but may be looked on poorly to one's station. The later didn't bother Thea all that much but for now she was more interested in the long-term gain than the short. She had her ambitions and the stronger she got the sooner she would move up the ranks and the sooner she would have coin to consider all the rest. "Aye, I'll take the offer of training. If Vivienne would have me, I would like to improve a swordsman technique from my family."

A warning was soon to follow that one should not sell or discard the arcanizer.. The fact she felt the need to pointedly look at Thal and Falco said a lot. Gazing at her own device, the details and engravings were something else, when Cephilia said they were worth more than a year's wage, she was likely not lying. While the woman was a bit quirky it was clear she was an able craftswoman. She lives up to that family name, even if she didn't want to admit that, and Thea wasn't dumb enough to mention it. Still the fact she claimed to not be a leader and was stressed about all of this shown she was worthy of respect at the very least, even if Thea could not agree with her. While Thea may not have the titles of her family she was, despite of the words of the Caskarieth, Thea would always carry that moral bearing and stalwart manner of being. Though she was starting to see that considering this job purely from a military standpoint was a mistake that would need correcting...

And speaking of mistakes, Thea glared at Sakura and Hyss, the former for her crime and sin, that she left the guild to deal with and the later for her direct heresy and insults to the Goddess. Had the knight not been so kind she would have struck them both down at once. Switching her gaze away from them and all the rest, Thea heads for the job board at once, giving a nod at mention of the report. She could not speak for all of them but she herself was taught to read and write. Looking at the jobs, she quickly snatches one off, it was for a patrol route that evening around the market district, she could do the job, learn the shops and pick up her supplies in one go. And with that she was gone, giving a nod as she presented the quest to the main desk.

Always lead by example.

Spoiler: The Next Day

Getting up on the so-called day of rest from their activities the other day, Thea still planned to take on jobs today but first she would go to the temple to make a tithe and to say prayers at the Temple in the city. As with all of the civilized land the Church of Aurelia was established in this city and as a member of the faithful, and the matters of conscious such as the two wildlings in her group and that small act of Cannibalism. Exiting the room and picking over the job board, she picks up a job during the later part of the day to helping some older people with cargo movement from one shop to another, it seemed a waste for an adventurer, but she was sure it had some reason and she was not above menial labor and the elderly deserved what help and kindness they could get.

With that said and done, Thea makes way to the Temple which was not too far from the Guild or the Merchant quarter at all and unsurprisingly, the Church was always at the center of things in some form or another and even the merchants had need of faith and prayers. A massive cathedral rose up among the surrounding buildings with banners of Blue, White and Gold hung from stained glass windows and a double doorway far taller and wider than any man, greenskin or beast folk dominated a central stone mason path that was laid with care. Various officials and clergy could be seen with the hustle and bustle of the city as the city's proud belltower sung out in song, in a manner so overwhelming and yet in a manner so different yet the same. The scale was so much larger and of a grandeur far beyond the rural chantry, the wealth that was enjoyed in this area was on full display in subtle and not so subtle ways and the Head staff were so busy with other functions that Thea could not see them in the here and now. And this she did not mind, above all else she was curious to see how the temple differed, how the congregation was differed, what good or ill the temple did here. She could see a giant statue of the Goddess from one of the windows and holy iconography, a speaker's pulpit from the doorway and branching rooms aside.

What stood out at once was how casual or speedy the whole process was, chiefly merchants or travelers going as quickly as they came, with brief prayers or receiving blessings in kind, the sense of community she was used to was less pronounced, but the rituals were there, the teachings and the organization. In its mass it became something that seemed to be more in line with the nature of this city than existing on the teachings alone. The congregation was not rooted in the community but rather that of a mobile and wealthy populace in some regards. While the church had varying opinions that differed from congregation to congregation on the Magitech revolution, this one seemed to be more in favor of it than considering it as an unquestionable sin. The Temple also did handle the needs of uplifting the people, though given this area had more opportunities the scale was far smaller just as the scope was far larger. Poverty and agriculture did not reign supreme here, rather trade and roads far and wide did. While there were poor and the misfortunate, it was not of such a scale that the Temple had to fill in to teach basic education, though it was clear an unfortunate that they had to run an orphanage.. But such were the nature of things.

Pondering if she should share the tale of Cannibalism with the High Brothers and Sisters or with a more senior Priest or Priestess, Thea wanders the grounds of the temple before going inside, kneeling in prayer to the statue she decides to keep it to herself for now, she would be able to speak with the clergy at another time and it was unlikely the guild could keep the secret for much longer. Thea would endure now, not for the sakes of either pagan in her group, but for the reputation of the guild. Placing a single silver in the offering tray Thea headed out at once to set about her mission, then she would take the rest of the day to rest and write her report.

With evening fast approaching Thea writes her reports in terse, shorthanded script, chronicling the events of that Day. "Morning Hours we head into the sewers with information, brief as it was to slay the rats. State concern that something is driving them, suspected Goblins. Suggest using kill teams and splitting up into four parties to slay the menace while looking for whatever else may be down here. Counter suggestions by Gaius and Cressey lead to the eventual attempts to block egress points with silk from Risax. Formation of three teams established. Lead my team through the sewer maze by sticking to one direction. At an intersection with drainage pipes we are swarmed by six what I believe to be Warhounds. Three run past us, I attempt to appease one on my team by trying to befriend the snarling beasts with food, they accept the food then attack me. Group joins battle against dogs, with the assistance of both we kill the three beasts. I claim two and tend to the wounds of Hyss. I then stacked the bodies of the dogs into an arrow, pointing from wince they came, so that Gaius's team could find us, in hindsight inefficient choice before we went down the narrow space with me at the lead... We emerge to the sounds of conflict which I assume one of our allies, to which there was a brief debate before we charge in. Falco's team had taken a bit of damage but killed what I believe to be the bandit leader. We then link up with several from our team and Cephilia and hear battle in the distance of a cave wall, in my zeal I overlooked the possibility that our wounded allies could be attacked by such dishonorable means. Advance team engages in a melee with several bandits and I take on one archer, catching him at a disadvantage and captured him alive.. Other elements of this mission and my extreme dissatisfaction at the resolution of one will be detailed in other reports I'm sure.

Thea Schuerer - Rank F." Other reports were to follow, much far shorter and detailing actions of the day, such as the security patrol around the market or moving crates for that elderly couple today.

Unlike the previous day and the one before, the guild was a beehive of activity this morning, there were people looking to place jobs, adventurers and other sorts all over the place. It was frankly a bit of a shock from the other day, but she had best get used to it if she wanted to advance. Looking over the board, Thea was struck by an idea, while she wanted the space and freedom from some, if not most of her allies the previous two days, and two of them for longer still, she had decided this may be the time to do an F ranked quest that needed multiple people or to pick up multiple quests and split the pay if such were allowed. Either way for now she was more in the mood for moving things or helping the elderly or outskirt farmers than in killing pests or hunting down some wayward pet.

And so she stood at the board waiting to see if anyone agreeable showed up before she decided among this morning's job offers.

Interactions: No one and everyone?
Mentions: The Same.

 

[Thalia_Neko]

Hysydice "Hyss" Maliss

Currently: Performing F rank jobs at the guild
Thinking: "Gotta get stronger. Gotta learn this new spell and new skill quickly."

Location: Kriegslöwe Guildhall, then random Tylsen jobs
Interacting: AnonyMouse
Mentions:



Overhearing the decision on what to do about Sakura left Hyss feeling a bit pleased. It seemed to be a reasonable verdict. One that would surely annoy the uptight church-loving girl, but it was made by one with a clearer head. Not someone bound to religious doctrine, or rather, indoctrination. Not that Hyss particularly cared all too much, but if the verdict had been particularly bad, then that would've set a precedent that Hyss was sure she wouldn't have liked. In any case, it was of little consequence to herself, though Hyss preferred to not lose potential allies, so it was ultimately a favorable outcome. Now, with that resolved, they appeared to finally be making their way back, by new route from wherever this cave led out of. That was also preferable to walking back in the sewers; anytime Hyss was able to learn more about her surroundings she was all eyes and ears.

On the walk back, Hyss made subtle hints of danger behind the mage that she had been charged with, to keep him in line with fear, like a little ghoulish shadow. However, she was more focused on the two senior members who were lost in conversation. The small hooded girl strained her ears to try to hear what they were saying, but to no avail, much to her annoyance. Still, she continued observing them, on the off chance she gained any new information. She watched as their whispered dialogue came to an end. And for what it was worth, the Caskarieth seemed displeased with the outcome, a sour look upon her features, which would continue to grace her face for the immediate future.

Back in the Guild Hall, there were a few new things of note. Like a new face, with a new name, who did as instructed. It seemed this was the part where their compensation -or reward, whichever way you wanted to look at it, though Hyss thought it more of compensation- was finally to be doled out. It seemed like this was a part of what their previous whispered argument was about. Was this bothering the Caskarieth so much? If it was, then Hyss didn't look too favorably upon her. Regardless, the reward seemed quite good for the mission -- too good for the mission of killing rats, to be frank. Though there was that whole business with strange sewer bandits they got roped up in, so most of the reward was likely to cover that.

So, one part of their reward was a magical armament they called an 'Arcanizer'. Once acquired, Hyss looked it all over, noting the unique clockswork-like craftsmanship and small slots where the stones called Zauberites were placed. It was an intriguing device that -despite her outward appearance- Hyss was very excited about. Apparently these things were used to cast spells, and she had her mind on what spell already. After combat it was apparent that throwing her glaive was pretty bad, despite the weapon being made for literally that, as she would be without weapon and would have to retrieve it mid-combat. Her intention was to learn a spell that could rectify that problem, either by recalling her thrown glaive to her, or, in some fashion, control it once thrown, perhaps on the wind, or some such, hm. With that in mind, Hyss smartly chose a Jade Zauberite to slot into her new Arcanizer.

The rest of their compensation came with a bonus. While another spell right off the bat was tempting, Hyss knew she had many aspects to improve upon. She deliberated in silence about improving any one of her abilities, but decided upon something she figured would help out in the short-term while providing long-term benefit. Another issue with her combat to be resolved --her lack of power, which was most noticeable after observing her fellow recruited Kriegslöwen.

To solve that, Hyss was constantly looking towards the future. What her end goal was. Her future self. And her future strengths. With that mindset, she approached the centauress after the rewards were given out. "Madam Yvarra," came her small voice as the small girl inched over. Peeking at her from under her hood, she continued, "I would like to be more effective in combat. I'm thinking some sort of technique that makes the best use of my ability to surprise attack my enemies, and attack out of the shadows." Hyss's eyes looked over the large horse-woman. "Although, no offense meant towards your skills, but I am not sure if you are the best teacher for this request? Still, I choose B and this is the training I choose."

With her request for training put in, and hoping to not have offended Viv, since she had meant none, the snek slithered over to the previously-revealed job board seeking out any small quests or jobs that could be efficiently completed and added to her resume of accomplishments and training.

~~~

It's rather funny to think the pious knightess now hated her, seeing as how both's mornings were spent quite similarly. Hysydice was kneeling before a small shrine she had built in that dilapidated place; a rundown building that the snake had found on the fringes of the city and taken up residence in for the meantime. It was a cold, shadowy place, perfect for a snake. On the small shrine, made out of wood, was a small, simple stone bowl, filled with water. Before her was a small proverb of her religion, which was sketched onto a ripped paper that hung from the stone backdrop. With bare shoulders, she momentarily inspected the one injured in the previous mission. She rolled it, feeling no issues with it. Hm, that healer did good work, it was like brand new. Still, with a trained eye, it was possible to see even the smallish, near imperceptible blemishes of a Lamia's scales. And Hyss knew her scales like no other. The bleeding had long since stopped, but from where that hound had grazed her, even after first aid and magical healing, she could see damage to her scales. Scales that were already near-imperceptible from regular human skin.

Hysydice reached over and expertly popped up a scale, and gripped it between finger and thumb. With a bit of struggle and force, she managed to pluck the damaged scale right off its spot. "Nyh!" she grunted from the momentary spark of pain. Between her fingers, it now no longer looked like human skin. It gleamed shiny white, like a pearl plucked out of the ocean. Such was the marvel of her species' unique biological evolution. Typically one would think removing scales from a Lamia Beastfolk was a bad idea. "That's like your skin, right? Your natural protection." While true, the truth of it was that a Lamia's scales were constantly falling off. Especially during or after battle. Damaged ones were removed on purpose, too, as leaving them could cause more issues. It was okay, scales grew back in time. Some of the more... hm, beastlike of her race even fully molted, though Hyss had never done such. Maybe that's why she was so tiny.

She dropped the scale into the bowl, hearing the small 'plop' as it struck the water and gently swayed back and forth like a feather in the air before reaching the bottom and settling there. Hyss closed her eyes, bent over, and placed her hands together to silently recite a small prayer. It was a prayer like any other, commonly recited by the Children of the Drowned. It held no special meaning more than it did, nor was it particularly unique. It was recited near daily, in spite of its words. It was about as mundane, simple, and unassuming as the followers themselves.

'I offer this piece of me, to you, O' great ocean. So that you may not claim me for another year. But may see my devotion and accept my humble offering to continue giving your small, silent disciple your blessing, even if it is unearned or arrogantly asked. I beseech you this and ask you forgive this disciple of her arrogance and weakness for asking such. I remain ever bound to the ocean, no matter where my tai-er- feet may walk. So it be.'

With that, she folded her hand over the other (more specifically her right over her left, as she had made habit, though it didn't matter which.) Then she looked up, and at the scale at the bottom of the water-filled bowl. Then, Hysydice checked her outfit, before pulling up her sleeves over her shoulders, and pulling on her gloves. She checked over every aspect of her person, tightening any cords or belts on her outfit and finally pulled up her mask before setting out, excited for that day's activities which included her training with Madam Yvarra in the morn, and a couple of F rank jobs in the afternoon and evening.

It was hours later, Hyss felt sore after her training session with Vivienne. It was like she guessed, Vivienne wasn't the sneaky sort, but the training was fruitful all the same due to the cenaturess's aptitude for combat. So above all, Hyss felt relief and gratitude; she had left the training with more skill than before. While it was just a beginner's skill, she had begun to grasp how to make more precise strikes with her weapon and target weak points in armors or just attack generalized weak areas like joints and the neck. The training left Hyss feeling reassured for the future.

This was when she dropped off her written report. It was as succinct as it was detail-oriented. And was wordier than the girl's spoken voice was known to be. Here's a part of it.

'We were attacked by 3 dogs. Each of our group squared off against 1. I thought it better to make use of Miss Schuerer's armor, size and strength, rather than fight a dog solo. Whether or not she was aware of it, I intentionally made use of her as a focal part. Through teamwork we managed to confuse a couple of the dogs then easily dispatched them using improvised teamwork. I had carelessly taken a hit across my shoulder. But Miss Schuerer performed some first aid, which was also seen to later, but more on that later. After which we decided what to do next. We decided to investigate their origin, assuming it would be dangerous to just leave it as-is, thinking it could pose a problem for the current mission, or the Guild as a whole. Miss Schuerer constructed a grim arrow out of the dogs' corpses to convey our actions to allies, and then we continued down a narrow tunnel path the dogs came from...'

Another part went as such.

'Following the group we found the origins of the sounds. Madam Yvarra was squaring off against a band of 'sewer combatants.' Presumably the one killed by team Cauphix from before also belonged to this group. That was when everyone began the attack to back up Madam Yvarra. I thought it best to return her discarded shield to her, using my speed and size to do so. After which I sought out how best to use my skills, but most were engaging an enemy, so I thought to not interfere if it caused unnecessary confusion or strain. Ultimately I ended up tying up a couple of the subdued enemies. Including one who hadn't acted and was left alone near the cave's wall. He had so far done nothing, but I couldn't be sure he would maintain his inactivity, so thought it best to deal with him right away. He didn't resist, and gave up right away. He was easy to tie up...'

Obviously there was quite a bit more in the report, all stated as flatly as such.

After that, it was time for some of her chosen jobs. A couple of her jobs were seemingly easy and simple ones. She was to find some lost items. A perfect job for someone like Hyss who moved through the city quickly and could sneak into smaller crannies just like a snake, where perhaps things were easily lost. After returning a couple of items, she had some downtime to herself. Taking the opportunity, the hooded girl sought out an armory and slipped inside. Spending 3 of her 5 silvers, she left the weapons shop with 3 new throwable combat knives.

In the evening she took up as lookout for someone who needed one. Using her stealthy ways, the girl hid in the shadows of the higher up area she had chosen and did just that -look out. She kept a close watchful eye as instructed, making sure whatever the rest of the job was about went just as the client wanted.

And, until their next big mission, this is essentially how Hysydice spent her time. She was not necessarily an over-worker, but she was one who didn't idle. She was one who was dutiful to her duties, and never really wasted time, opting and preferring to spend her time wisely, to get stronger. Anything, seemingly small or otherwise was a form of training for the girl. Most of her time was spent on herself and jobs. This meant the quiet, hooded girl rarely interacted with her fellow Kriegslöwen. However, she was not against interacting with them, if any surprise interactions came up. But it was left up to the others to interact with her. As the hooded girl tended to slip away quickly and unseen-like, moving mostly on the periphery, even within the Guildhall itself.​

 

[EmperorsChosen]

Lucia Corinna Edelgarde​

Location: Kriegslowe Guildhouse
​

Spoiler: Debriefing

Aside from the occasional nudge of her captive, the journey back was rather silent, at least as it stood with the younger Caskarieth. Silently stewing, the woman held a tempered scowl on her face and a distant look in her eye, though whether contemplating the days events, something else, or simply letting her mind wonder before she could finally regain the hygiene of a civilized race remained to be seen. Either way, she paid little attention to their mentors moving about the prisoners, the silent argument between them, or the glare from Cephilia.

Upon reaching the guildhouse, Lucia's attention seemed to refocus as the woman spoke up. Staring at her with a modicum of suspicion, the smile the woman wore was not a natural-born one, nor was that fact very well-hidden. Then again, as far as Lucia knew, Cephilia's family was well-off for entirely different reasons from hers. However, while she didn't seem to be the best at masking the artificiality of the gesture, it begged the question of why she bothered with it. The added curtsy was as well an action Lucia recognized almost immediately.

With a raised brow, she warily passed the blonde Caskarieth and into the hall before her prisoner was taken from her. There was a new beastkin that presented to Cephilia a box upon request, and so began their debrief. Lucia folded her arms expectantly with her hips slightly jutted to one side as she listened.

Her facial expression didn't shift much, though internally she was more irked. Simply put, she felt deceived, which wasn't a new feeling by any means. While she predicted that their excursion was little more than a hazing, what Lucia hadn't known is that it was "optional". Of course, she very much doubted it was. Omission was still a form of deceit. Anyone could predict that they would assume she was "in charge", or more so than any of them. At the very least, any newcomers would be more eager to follow her word as one with more experience. Of course none would decline.

Regardless, their pay was another matter. The older Caskarieth presented their arcanizers, warning them that they served as tools and certification both. So much for "casting it aside" if they so wished, though Lucia half-predicted that wasn't literal and simply was another attempt to aggravate her. A successful attempt, she would add.

"...I would as well take up the opportunity to train with Lady Vivienne," Lucia commented simply.

Following that was an actual tour before they were finally dismissed. The young noble didn't pay too much time to the paperwork. It was not anything she could not draft with fair ease. For now, a bath it was.

The following day, Lucia spent most of her time writing the aforementioned report that was demanded, familiarizing herself with the city, and purchasing some supplies. Her pay for the sewer incident was not enough to acquire her own residency, so she would be remaining at the guild hall for the foreseeable future. Clothing washed, armor cleaned, and she would begin her training regimen with Vivienne who proved to be well-chosen. Despite their differences in body and fighting style, the woman was obviously knowledgeable and, with her guidance, would aid Lucia in developing her fighting style. Much of the advice and training were somewhat basic, but mastered basics would suit her now and pave the way for further improvement and innovation down the line.

After the day of rest, Lucia arose fairly early and readied herself for the day. The guildhouse was far more active now, which made her wonder exactly where the hell they had all gone. Surely they weren't all gone on an assignment at the same time. Perhaps the sewer excursion was simply common knowledge and they all wanted to ensure they had nothing to do with it. Lucia could not blame them.

Weaving through the now buzzing building, Lucia made her way to the notice board they had been shown before.

"Lady Schuerer," The Caskarieth greeted before beginning to peruse the job board. Most were fairly simple, though simple or even dull was superior to pest control in an underground.

Interactions: RedArmyShogun (Thea) @AnyAround
Mentions: Thea, Ceph, Viv

 

[Topless]

Sakuranbo Suzui
Location: Kriegslöwe Guildhall, Tylsen
AFTERMATH

Despite everything that the whole party had went through, they have emerged out the sewers triumphant. The party has proven themselves worthy of being Kriegslowen, but they have a long road ahead to become one of the best. Upon arriving back at the guild, Cephilia congratulated the recruits for their job and offered a choice of rewards; one being an extra pay and the other being training sessions. For Sakura, she wanted to improve herself in every way possible, to make herself more useful for her comrades. "Lady Cephilia, I know you don't like me, but I would wish to learn something from you, if you so accept." She spoke, having made up her choice even if it may pain her.

When it was time for them to dismiss, Sakura went up to Falco and asked "Hey, Falco, you going somewhere? If you're planning on taking a job, can I tag along? And...can I stay at your place? I don't exactly have a home around here, and so I was thinking of sleeping in the same roof as yours if that is alright with you."


NEXT DAY

Whether or not Sakura had slept at Falco's home, she had got off early. She had climbed on top of a house and went from roof to roof to get to the guild. Today is another busy day, only by now she had made quite a bad reputation due to what she did yesterday. She's going to have be very productive if she were to fix the mess she made. Upon arrival, Sakura went over to the board to see the jobs available for her to partake.

AnonyMouse
​

 

[King Crimson]

Cressey
Current Location:
​

It was early into the crack of morning, and the sweet, acidic smell of vinegar, flowers, and orange citrus mingled and danced with the crisp gale of a new spring morning that filtered in through the open window to Cresslinde's room, surrounding her in a soft, soothing air, as she diligently worked, running a thin cloth wetted with water and linseed oil along the length of her lance, polishing it's smooth surface to a proud, immaculate shine.
The guild had served graciously as her home for the past few days since her trek into the sewers, offering her a roof over her head, and a room to call her own, spartan, though it may be; the closest thing to a decoration being the rest of her adventuring effects, tucked away in various corners of the room to dry, like her spear, gleaming in the light of the approaching morning sun.

She'd been awake for some time now.
No, it was more like she could never could quite get to sleep.
Her bed was comfortable enough, far better than sleeping on patches of lush grass, or on hammocks made from damp, repurposed sails, as she had in the past few months.
But she couldn't stop her nagging thoughts; she still had not been told why Sakura had been covered in blood when her and Vivian found her, or why, when Cressey arrived at the exit to the sewer with all of the others, no one dared look her way, besides Thea, with a scornful look of murder gleaming in her ruby eyes.
Thoughts of home were also always at the back of her mind, and she'd even used some of her funds to purchase some parchments, quills and ink.
More than once, the temptation to write home a letter welled up within her, but she could never write more than a few letters, before losing her nerve, and crumpling up the spent sheet in a mixture of guilt and shame.
On the nights when she could find sleep, her dreams were plagued with cursed memories; that day, in the court, playing over and over, as it always had been since she'd left her home.
But now, sometimes she found herself not in the court, but back in that accursed sewer, trying to hit a phantom that mocked her, laughed at her, and dodged her every attack with effortless ease.

Her only solace from her troubled thoughts came from having a task at hand to focus her troubled mind on, and so, she worked diligently; writing her report, taking whatever smalltime job she could from the guild, cleaning floors, rooves, and walls on their behalf, and rigorously honing her skills, training with her lance, and her newly acquired arcanizer in equal measure.
She'd even taken on a pet project of tending to some of her comrades things; namely washing away the fetid stench from Falco's 'new' armor.
She'd even managed to mend the hole in Razul's blouse, though, she did have to brave a cabal of rabid fangirls in order to get her hands on it.
Thankfully a strong glare was enough to cow them into considering self-preservation over an opportunity to win favor from their 'prince,' and after a few cycles of vigorous scrubbing, drying, and scrubbing again, the blood that had stained half of the cloth was completely washed away, leaving a crisp, clean, white shirt, dried in her windowsill, folded neatly upon her dresser.
After giving her lance one last inspection, pointing it skyward, and proudly admiring how her reflection spread across it's sheen surface, she stored it back into it's sheath.
After which, she emptied the washing basins scattered around her room, dawned her freshly cleaned armor, slung her trusty lance over her shoulder, and gathered a few of her daily necessities into her bag, before slinging it over her other shoulder.
She was ready to face the day, and she would begin, as she always had, with her morning drills.
---
Opening the door to the guild hall, Cressey was first hit by the murmuring of muffled voices and footsteps down on the first floor.
Much unlike the days prior, men and women of countless shapes, sizes and histories shuffled about ceaselessly, some quietly milling about, doing their tasks, others bragging of victories won, and duties well done.
The atmosphere was still slightly subdued, muted within the guild hall, everyone seeming to still be in various states of wakefulness.
Still early in the morning, Cressey reasoned to herself, stretching out some of the still-asleep muscles in her back, before walking down the stairwell, to the first floor.
The first thing to catch her attention were the two forms standing closely together before the guild's quest board, their familiarity making them stand out amongst the small, slowly growing crowd forming around them.
"Lady Thea, Lucia," Cressey plainly regarded the two, a soft yawn creeping into her voice as she offered the tall knight and lithe elf a small, curt wave.
She didn't break her stride to join them by the quest board, however.
That would come later.
A brief glimpse of movement wavered in her peripheral vision, something moving in the shadows.
"Hyss," Cressey called to the shape in greeting, having already grown familiar enough with it's antics to know the beastkin's identity without even having to look her way.
As if pulling back the curtain to reveal the beastkin to her, the guild's front door swung open, briefly filling the room with the light of the morning sun, and dispelling the shadows that obscured the snake from sight.
Another, fluffier shape entered, and Cressey's shoulders sagged, dispirited at the sight.
"...Sakura," she sighed, her brow knitted in concern as she regarded the girl who had, but a few days prior, battled alongside her.
She still had no idea what had happened in that sewer, and no one seemed willing to tell her.
It was frustrating to see her be shunned so cruely.
No matter. If the entire guild hated her, let them, it wouldn't stop Cressey from standing by her.
She'd saved her life, after all.
Forcing on a smile, Cressey gave the fluffy beastkin a small, reassuring nod, and flexed her arm in a quick, informal salute, before turning away, venturing out of the main guild hall, and into the guild's courtyard.

The deep bass timber of arrows sinking into a target, the clashing of arms, the sounds of exhaustion as warriors clashed within an assortment of arenas carved from flattened earth and polished stone, and a veritable army of wooden soldiers, dressed in tattered, worn gear, brandishing blunt, wooden arms, and on occasion, decorated with some foolish face, or suggestive symbols carved roughly into it's course, wooden flesh.
The training field was usually rather quiet at this time of day, many guild members were either still waking up, or preferring to use their mornings to prepare for the day.
Cressey was not among their number, however; practicing her lance drills was a quintessential part of her morning routine, and very rarely would she spend her time doing anything different.
After some brief stretches and calisthenics to warm up her muscles, Cressey approached the wooden dummy that had become her favored target of the bunch; it was tall, dressed in black scraps of tattered leather, holding a twin pair of wooden blades in it's stubby hands.
And, an extra measure, as added by her; the discarded head of a mop, worn proudly atop it's scalp like a mane of flowing, silver hair.
Taking a deep breath, Cressey unsheathed her spear, leveling it at the dummy as she settled into a fighting stance.
The sounds of her spear joining the chorus of other weapons striking down their wooden foes, as she began her morning routine.

​

Interacting:
Topless (Sakura)
EmperorsChosen (Lucia)
Thalia_Neko (Hyss)
RedArmyShogun (Thea)
AriAriAbabwa (Razul)
AnonyMouse (Falco?)

 

[AI10100]

Thalgrukh
Location: Kriegslöwe Guildhall, Tylsen
Interacting with: King Crimson
Mentions: Topless EmperorsChosen RedArmyShogun Thalia_Neko ​

Spoiler: Timeskip

The trudge back to the guildhall in silence aside from the occasional nudge and prod towards the captives to keep them moving. It didn't seem like many of them were keen on making more arguments or even small talk. Even he felt like he wanted to crawl into a bed after all that. The adrenaline of the quest was finally wearing off and the situation was dawning on him properly. It was his first time actually going head to head with someone who was intent on killing him. Drunkards and bandits were two very different things— it did make him miss the simplicity of it all. Still, he should have expected this. He needed to get used to it.

He entered the guildhall alongside the others, giving the prisoner a pat on his back when Vivienne collected him. He listened to the debriefing with apt attention. He wasn't sure if they were being admonished for their actions or if they were being praised— Thal just kept it in the air. As long as they did the job, right? Though he did keep in mind that there was no shame in not taking a quest that didn't seem worth it.

The reward was an Arcanizer and Thal bristled. He kept his mouth shut and watched as she showed off the items. He had seen it a few times before— the first from that man. Cephilia seemed to stare at himself and Falco as she mentioned that it should never be sold or discarded. Well, he couldn't argue with that. Without it, he wouldn't be part of the guild. He held his breath as he approached the desk almost mechanically and had to supress himself to not sigh in relief when he found that his own Arcanizer was neither unlocked nor active. It was simply an identification mark. So he gratefully took it.

They were even given money for their efforts, as a bonus, or an offer for training. Thal listened to the care of Arcanizers even though his would go unused for as long as he lived. Much like the others, he was planning to get extra training with Vivienne. "It would be an honor to train with you, Lady Yvarra." He gestured to his shield, remembering how well she had fended off the bandits with her own tower shields. It would be nice to get some pointers on techniques that can be used with it. When they were dismissed by Cephilia, he idled around for a moment. "Lady Valdergeuse? Thank you for... your understanding and consideration. It's beautiful." Thal said as he gestured to the Arcanizer. With that, he bowed his head and left the area to go to his room.

The rest of the day was spent finalizing the report that Cephilia had told them to pass. On his part, it was all in all rather uneventful until the tail end of the mission. He wrote about fending off the three dogs that had appeared from where Thea and the rest of her party were before meeting up with Cephilia who had followed their tracks deep into the sewers. He offhandedly wrote about the dog arrow before branching off from Cephilia and Gaius as he and Risax took the long way around due to their large builds. Using the dog as their lead, they came upon a weakened portion of the sewer walls and broke through before immediately aiding the rest of their guildmates in fighting the prisoners. He paused for a moment, wondering what to make of the argument revolving Sakura's actions. After mulling it over, he went over the argument and the points made as it was and didn't put in his own thoughts in the matter. With the report done, he headed to bed for the next day.

Nothing of importance happened the next day aside from a new recruit arriving. He was not made to go through the same initiation that Thal and the rest of the newcomers had been made to do but he supposed it might be for the best. He introduced himself to the newcomer before making his way out into Tylsen.

For the better part of the day, he explored. He had gotten lost in the maze of structures it had provided but he was in no rush. He asked around for important areas he should keep in mind as well as the local eateries and the market. He had passed by the small church of Aurelia and made not of it. He was no avid practitioner like Thea was, but he should come around every once in a while to give prayers.

An uneventful day, but it was nice. Better than being thrown into the sewers and fighting sewer rats both figuratively and literally. He made sure to drop off the report as soon as he came back.

It was time to get to work and the guildhall was already buzzing with life as their senior guildmates had come around to get their own quests. He inched closer to the quest board, curiously peering at it. "Good morning, Miss Thea, Miss Lucia. I hope you two had a great morning." He greeted as he approached. He gave a small nod in greeting towards Hyss and Sakura before catching a glimpse of Cressey exiting the premises. He excused himself from the quest board and followed Cressey out to the courtyard. He had been looking for someone to help him with the basics of polearm fighting and Cressey seemed to be the best bet, aside from Vivienne of course.

He found her already doing her routine amongst the others who were still beginning to warm up. Thal headed over to her, making sure to keep his distance from her routine so he wouldn't invade her space. "Good morning, Cressey." He greeted as he raised a hand. "I hope you don't mind me asking this but seeing your experience with the lance, I was wondering if you could teach me some basics. Fighting the bandit with the halberd made me rethink the range of my axe so I was thinking of bringing it as a secondary weapon of sorts." He explained. "Only if you have time of course! I was planning to do a few quests for today to maybe get a bit more feln before anything."

 

[AnonyMouse]

Falion "Falco" Cauphix​

Two Days Ago...​

Location: Our Glorious March Back to Town!
Time of Day: Evening​

The trek back to Tylsen was mostly silent, with the exception of their two leaders, who were conversing in whispered tones. Even Falco was wise to keep his mouth shut right now, though this was mostly because he could feel the tension in the air. He ought to keep his eyes on the prisoners, but couldn't help but repeatedly glance between Sakura and Thea. Although he hadn't been present for her confession, even a fool could see the fox had confessed to the heretical act and the knight took it as well as any pious soul possibly could.

Now Falco's only thoughts were on what he'd do if he found himself between claws and fangs and Thea's enormous hunk of steel masquerading as a sword. The fact that this hadn't happened already was a testament to Thea's patience. Or maybe Sakura made a really, really good case for why she'd done such a heinous thing. Was she secretly a shrewd negotiator? Falco took one more glance in the fox's direction. Nah, definitely not that, he concluded with a small sigh. Goddess, she's so fucking screwed. What am I gonna do....

Thankfully, the group soon arrived at the guild hall, where Cephilia took center stage, and he finally had something else to think about: an absurdly adorable cat girl. Where did she come from!? Where have you been hiding her!? Why was I not told!? he thought, incensed that such deception had been taking place right under his nose. He would have to investigate this another time. First, the arcanizer. Focus, Falco! Eyes on the prize.

When Cephilia began to hand out the arcanizers, he was one of the first in line, but did his best to not appear too enthusiastic. Can't let 'em think I'm here for that sweet, sweet loot. The Caskarieth had them all lined up on the desk, glittering like fine jewels. As Falco collected his device from the lineup, her words served as a stark reminder that this was, by far, the most valuable thing he had ever owned. Each one was personalized, engraved with small details unique to each adventurer. She knew next to nothing about these people, but found a way to imbue a small token of appreciation and individuality into each one.

But....

Falco turned his arcanizer over in his hands, trying to make sense of it. There were strange designs engraved on its surface, random geometric shapes, tiny tick marks along the outer perimeter. It... must mean something, right? He squinted at it, held it close, held it afar, but still only found it baffling. The others had obvious images, like animals, plants, or figures, such as warriors in battle, hunters chasing prey, or clergy in prayer. But his was just.... weird shapes?

I guess that's what I get for being a fucking menace all the time, he thought, slightly amused by Cephilia's revenge, if that's truly what this is. Toying with her was one of his favorite past times, whether that meant making flirtatious remarks, small pranks, or bugging her when she was obviously busy. Perhaps he, a mere peasant, had been too familiar with this noble lady, and the chicken was finally coming home to roost.

He was about to approach her when Sakura, of all people, got there first: "Lady Cephilia, I know you don't like me, but I would wish to learn something from you, if you so accept," the fox-girl said.

Falco braced for the worst as the Caskarieth turned to her, her brows furrowing slightly. "Young lady, I don't know you well enough to hate you. I hate what you did," Cephilia said. It was possibly the most nakedly honest thing she had said all day. "It cannot be changed. You, however, can. I'll train you. That was the agreement, was it not? I don't recall any caveats or exceptions. And if you are placed under a no-kill edict, you will need all the non-lethal options you can get, Suzui."

Yet again, Falco breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe things weren't so bad after all. Maybe they could all get along. Sakura's question reminded him that he needed to speak with Viv about his own training. While the idea of more magic intrigued him, zauberites weren't free. He'd rather master the basics first. See, I got this all figured out, he thought with a slick grin as he waited his turn. The centaur was currently speaking (rather competently, strangely enough) with Hyss about surprise attacks and stealth, so Falco wandered over to the job board. he visibly flinched when he heard Sakura address him. The white-haired boy spun on his heels to face her.

"Hey, Falco, you going somewhere?" she asked. "If you're planning on taking a job, can I tag along? And...can I stay at your place? I don't exactly have a home around here, and so I was thinking of sleeping in the same roof as yours if that is alright with you."

"W-what!?" the word erupted forth before he could lower his voice. "No, Sakura. No," he said, lowering his volume as he gripped her shoulders and peered into her eyes. She really just didn't get it... "We already talked about this. The tail, remember? Girls don't do that, alright. Don't offer your tail to random guys and don't try to spend the night at their place. It's... people might get the wrong idea, okay? And my place is too small, anyway. And cheap. Really, really cheap."

He gave her a small pat on the shoulder before releasing her. "But, you can help me with somethin,'" he offered with a cunning smirk as he retrieved a 'missing pet' quest from the board. "I been waitin' all week for this!" he said victoriously. "I think I know where this fucking ferret is. I seen the li'l bastard 'round the warehouse district. This'll be cake. And if I'm wrong, you can help me sniff him out, yeah? Win-win! We split the reward fitty-fitty and maybe you can rent a place of your own. Whaddya say?"

Yesterday...​

Location: Yvarra Ranch, Tylsen Outskirts
Time: High Noon​

He had no idea what this device was called. An upright wooden post, thick as the trunk of a tree. Wooden arms of various lengths jutted out from its core at random angles, affixed with iron studs, screws, and baling wire. Some of these limbs were padded. Most were not. The entire contraption was the size of a large man. Some might say, a giant. Even while it stood inert, it became apparent that these limbs were designed to rotate around the central shaft. It would spin and gyrate erratically, striking any who dared approach it.

Falco’s first impression, as Viv dragged it out of a decrepit barn and began to wind its cobweb-covered crank, was that Cephilia must have built this. But, if the arcanizers or her clockwork rapier were typical of her creations, this couldn’t possibly be birthed from the Caskarieth’s mind. It was far too crude to be one of her designs. It lacked elegance and grace. Each thick limb looked as if it wished to bludgeon him to death, with swift, brutal efficiency. Or, at the very least, knock him out cold and turn every bone in his body to a bloody paste.

Falco thought ‘training with Viv’ meant actually training with Viv. Unfortunately for him, they only spent about twenty minutes sparring before he failed to dodge an attack and took a dirt nap. Rather than rouse him with smelling salts or a healing spell, she used his sleepy time to fetch this murder-machine out of storage and, upon her return, informed him it would serve as his teacher. He silently watched as she set it up in the shade of an old oak and anchored it to the ground, while telling him he might be here for a while. Take regular breaks. Pace yourself. Stay hydrated. Etcetera, etcetera.

"You did well to dodge my attacks. Your natural instincts are sharp," Viv said as she turned a large iron crank. Internal springs groaned under the mounting tension. “But I could see you were just letting your body react. The moment I mixed up the timing… goodnight.”

Falco blinked at her, from where he sat limply on the grass. ‘Goodnight’ was an understatement. His bones were liquid. Even his eyeballs hurt. He could feel his pulse in his ears. A tingling sensation in his fingertips reminded him he had lost his daggers. He idly wondered where they had landed, but couldn’t even bring himself to turn his neck to search.

"Come now, on your feet. It’s time for your next lesson," the friendly centaur said, finally approaching him. She snapped her fingers. "C’mon! You can do it! Surely, it takes more than this to lay low the mighty Falion Cauphix!” she said, cheering him on.

She nearly had him, until that last part. Falco groaned and laid back, surrendering to the pain. He wanted to curl up into a tiny ball, but even that took too much effort. "I… I think I’ll just lay here for a sec.... Catch my breath,” he wheezed. “You’re welcome to join me.”

"As much as I would love to laze about in the grass with you, I have others to train. Come on, I believe in you," Viv said with a smile which expanded into her cheekbones and radiated from every pore. She appeared so kind and understanding… unfortunately, behind her the machine clicked and whirred to life at this exact moment, spooling up like a blender preparing to make a Falco smoothie.

Lies, it’s all lies! he thought, horrified. She tryin’ to kill me!!

"For what it's worth, you have been quite professional today,” Viv said, trying a different angle. “No lewd jokes. No tomfoolery. You showed up on time, ready to work, and --at least until I knocked you on your ass, haha-- were quite diligent in your studies." She gave a small, but heartfelt, round of applause. "I dare say, I am impressed!"

“Well, I aim to please,” Falco said, looking awfully full of himself, despite still lying on the ground, idly wondering what day of the week it was now and if anyone knew which land train had struck him. She had broken everything but his confidence and words were all he had left. “From down here, your beauty rivals the sun, Lady Yvarra,” he added with a dazzling grin. Razul would be proud. “It is an honor to gaze upon you.” He shut his eyes once more and waited for sleep to take him. “I am not worthy…”

“Ah, there’s the Falco I know. This little play date wouldn’t be the same without him,” Viv teased as she reached down and tightly gripped his hand. He thought she was going to help him to his feet. Instead, the centaur effortlessly lifted him up, one-handed, until he was eye level with her face. “I am flattered, truly, but I don’t think this is going to work out… which is why I’m handing you over to my friend,” she said, with a nod to the machine. Meanwhile, his feet dangled frighteningly far from the ground. “You’re just not my type, dear. And I doubt you even have a type. So, alas, we are not destined to be.”

Falco shrugged. “Pffft, of course I have a type,” he said, rolling his eyes at such blatant mockery. “I am but a simple man: I like big titties.”

“Oh, is that so…?” She seemed to ponder this for a moment before gently setting him back down on his feet and dusting his attire. “If that is the case, not to brag, but maybe I am your type after all,” Viv said with a devious wink before abruptly steering him toward his new, mechanical sparring partner. “Anyway, let’s work on your speed and precision-”

“Wait! Hold up! You can’t just say that and change the subject!” Falco said. It's a miracle! His pain is gone! Praise Aurelia! “Nah, bro, you’s lying! I’ve seen you deadlift two grown-ass men!” he said, pointing an accusatory finger at her. “You probably have, like, negative ten percent body fat! You wear all that padding, cuz you’re made of literal bricks! Under them frocks and cloaks, I bet you’re built like a squad of draft horses…. N-not that there’s anything wrong with that!” he hastily added, taking a half-step back. “I respect strong women. But don’t you ever lie about boobies. I let you slide for hidin’ the catgirl from me, but I gotta draw the line somewhere, V. Do not blaspheme the sacred flesh mounds.”

Somewhere in the midst of his clumsy rant, he managed to draw laughter from her. When she could finally catch her breath and wipe the tears from her eyes, Viv spoke: “I guess you’ll never know,” she said with a coy shrug. “But maaaaybe, if you master this technique, I’ll slip into something a little more fitting.”

“Evil. That’s what you are,” Falco said, his eyes narrowing at her. “Lucky for you, I'm into that.” He spied a glint of steel and discovered one of his daggers on the ground. The other was a short distance away. “Okay, whaddya want me to do?” he said, taking on a more serious tone as he brandished them at the cruel device. “I’m s’posed to fight this thing?”

"Instincts alone can only take you so far,” Viv explained. “When free of ‘distractions,’ you've a sharp mind, Falco, and quick wits. But you must learn to read your enemy's attacks. You’re good at dodging away, but I want you to learn to use those quick feet and swift hands to move in. Close the gap! Discover a way through your enemy’s attack, by any means necessary, and strike!”

He couldn’t help but smile. Why did her lessons always sound like a motivational speech?

“Good instincts are a fine start, but instead of letting your body move on its own, I want you to take control of yourself,” Viv said. “And, by doing so, take control of the fight. Pressure your enemy. Find an opening and seize it!” she said, raising a fist. “As you may have noticed, I am… large. I can’t dodge most attacks, so I focus on defense or overpowering my opponent through sheer brute force. You, on the other hand, are too weak for that, but you can move.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, I’m not a horse made of bricks. I get it,” he said dismissively. “Should’ve asked for strength training. So, what do I do with my noodle arms?”

Viv gestured to the swirling blender: “Simple, I want to see you land a strike.”

“Oh, cool,” Falco said with a sadistic grin, as his eyes tracked the target. “I just gotta hit the spinning arms? Easy.”

“No, dear. Get through the arms and strike the core with your dagger… without getting hit yourself.”

“Eeeeeuh…. whut?”

“You got this. Normally, I would stand by with a healing spell, in case you get hit or --gods forbid-- tangled up in the limbs. I’ve seen it before -- it’s not pretty,” she said with a lamentable shake of her head. “However, I’ve many other young minds to mold today. You’ll be fine! Call me once you can consistently land hits. Then, we’ll move you up to level two.”

“W-what’s level two?” he asked hesitantly.

“Oh, this is the slowest setting. For level two, I’ll ramp up the speed and you’ll be asked to land two strikes in thirty seconds. Then three in fifteen. Then four in… you get the idea. Soon enough, you'll be slashing and stabbing to your heart's content, without a care in the world! The enemy's attacks will be but wind in your sails, propelling you forward, to victory!” She seemed far too pleased with all of this. “And if you can’t get it done today, that’s fine. Drop by anytime, crank her up, and give it a go. I believe in you!”

Present Day...​

Location: Tylsen Guild Hall
Time of Day: Early Morning​

He slept like a rock.

Falco lost track of time at Viv's ranch. He didn't expect to keep at it all day, forgoing food or breaks. He would have gone home hungry and battered had the centaur not invited him to dinner. Even his sanity was left on the floor. That infernal device was maddening. Every time he thought he saw an opening, the door shut in his face --sometimes literally. His quick footwork and senses sometimes got him out of harm's way. But, other times, he wasn't so lucky.

Fortunately, he had gotten his report out of the way that morning, otherwise he would have missed the deadline. He intended to train only half of the day and take a few quests later that evening. Instead, he stubbornly kept at it until the sun dipped so low he could scarcely see what he was doing. A few more whacks to the face and a final hard blow to his ribs convinced him to head home, lick his wounds, and try again some other time.

She was right. He was good at dodging away, but not so good at closing distance, charging into the fray, and landing a strike. A lifetime of being the underdog, always scurrying away from danger when he got in over his head, had taught him to flee. It was baked into his bones, etched into his very soul. But now he had to stand his ground. I'm a Kriegslowen. A hero. A warrior. He had to stand firm and defend those who couldn't defend themselves. And he obviously wasn't strong enough to do that in the literal sense, like Viv. He had to find his own way.

During dinnertime, he reminded her what he had said in the room beneath the Tylsen clocktower, when the others doubted him. Yeah, he was a supid kid. Yeah, he liked chasing girls. Yeah, he could be an idiot sometimes and run off at the mouth or make dumb jokes. "But, I came here to make something of myself." That much was true. He wasn't going to give up. "Thanks for believing in me. Gimme a chance, and I'm gonna give you something to believe in, Miss V."

And then he went home and slept like a rock. Big words, but he was still just a kid... a kid who got beaten, battered, and utterly wrecked by a stupid wooden wind-up toy. A stubborn part of him wanted to march back over to Viv's farm and give it another go right now, but he had work to do first. Rent was due at the end of the week. He felt proud of having his own place. It might be a shithole, but it's my shithole. And it wasn't free. Normally, he'd hunt for gigs around town, but he was a Kriegslowen now. If he was gonna do 'odd jobs' he might as well do the ones that'll help him move out of F Rank sooner. The missing pet job he did with Sakura put a little change in his pocket, but he needed more than that.

I wonder what she's up to? Falco thought, as he lay in bed, gazing up at the mold stains on the celing of his one room apartment. Or Cressey, he thought, noticing his scale mail armor draped over a rickety chair. She had patched and washed it, which was awfully nice of her. Heh, she wants me, he thought with a devillish smirk. I mean, can ya blame her?

Motivated by that thought, Falco sat up, struggling against the bruises and welts on his body. Viv had offered healing, which he declined. He had to be strong, bear the pain proudly. After a quick wash in the shared lavatory, he gathered his weapons and gear. His arcanizer was worn around his neck, on a simple metal chain, tucked beneath his shirts. He would make that a gold chain someday, he told himself, but for now, this would suffice.

As he swaggered across town, with his pack slung over his shoulder, Falco wondered what he'd do today. Quests, of course. That goes without saying. But hard work and no play makes Falion a dull boy. What would he do for fun? Maybe bug Cephilia. Maybe break into Viv's house and raid her wardrobe. (I need to know!) Maybe swing by the library and give Rena a gift for helping him write his report. (Well, she 'helped' by giving him a pen and paper and hiding behind a bookshelf until he was gone.) Maybe see what Sakura's up to? Or Cressey or Razul?

He'd figure that out once he had some spending money in his pockets. Work first. Play later.

Falco tooka deep breath and forced himself to smile before he snatched open the guild hall doors and thrust himself inside, moving with the proud stride of someone who had not spent yesterday getting tenderized like a slab of old meat. Lookin' good, smellin' fresh, and feelin' like a million feln, he strutted inside, oozing positive vibes at anyone and everyone who dared glance his way or come within spitting distance of him. He was all high fives and "sup bro," "nice hat," "cool sword," as he made his way across the crowded room toward the quest board. "Yo, Hyss, what's happnin, fam?" he said, pointing at the snake girl as he passed, but did not stop. "Aye, Sak, I see ya there. Top o' the morning,'" Falco said, tipping his imaginary hat at the fox girl as he passed her by.

The last ounces of Falco's swagger drained from his tired body once he reached the Quest board. Thea and Lucia were there, but he lacked the energy to greet them properly. Instead, he gave a limp wave and sagged against the wall, visibly exhausted, yet still doing his best to squeeze out one last smile for both women. "Thea.... Lucy... fancy meetin' you here. Two of my favorite ladies," he said as he slowly slid down the wall, into a sitting position on the polished floor, at the base of the quest board. "Ugh, my whole body hurts..." Falco winced and finally dropped the 'I'm fine, everything's fine' act and showed them how he really felt: like stepped-in dogshit. "You can do it, Falco. You got this. No pain, no gain, right?" He tried to laugh, but grimaced instead. His only relief came from the two females before him. "Goddess, you're both so fucking tall from down here. Nothin' but legs." He briefly shook his head. "Aye, mind doing me a solid? Gimme a quest. I don't care which," he said, stretching his arm up to them, like a common beggar. "Ya boi's gotta make that bread, ya know. Nobody likes a deadbeat... even if I am dead beat. Don't worry, I'll catch my second wind soon. Actually, I think I'm on, like, my fifth or sixth by now."

Interaction(s): RedArmyShogun (Thea) / Thalia_Neko (Hyss) / Topless (Sakura) / EmperorsChosen (Lucia)
Mentions: King Crimson (Cressey) / AriAriAbabwa (Razul)

 

[RedArmyShogun]

Thea Schuerer
Location: Kriegslöwe Guildhall, Tylsen
​

As the morning progressed, Thea found herself soon not so alone, addressing all those who came in order, first was the Caskarieth Lucia. Giving a solemn nod and glance at the other, Thea gives a brisk nod of her head in greeting as she looked over the board. "Lady Edelgarde, or would you rather Lucia?" This was a promising start to her plans, next up Sakura had approached the board, she had nothing to say to the armored warrior and she had even less to say to the wildling. Just a detached tolerance presided with this situation as Thea heard the short lancer call out to her. "Good Morning to you as well, Lady Cressey.." Watching as the other made her way to the training yard, Thea herself had been spending a bit of time out there, though in the late evenings.

Next did Thal make his presence known and after looking at the board briefly he takes his leave, nodding in return to him, the knight speaks; "Thal."

And then finally did Falco make his presence known. Clearly, he was getting a bit burned out and exhausted. As he sat in the floor and leaned against a wall, Thea stopped to stare at him, even ignoring his usual Falco styled remarks on her height or the assets of it.

"Falco, while pain may be good for growth, if you are worn down like a horse, you will be unable to do something when you are needed. Even if thy manner of speech is the most peculiar. It is possible to sharpen a blade too much, to grind away the edge... As to work, hmm..

I was actually happy that Lucia was first here, but I shall make the same offer to you. I had pondered two plans, the first was to take on single hire jobs that can be done quickly by multiple people and we split the coin between the numbers, so we can finish the jobs more quickly. The second idea I had was to attempt finding those willing to group up for a group job, the most promising and potentially safest were two jobs, the first was a Shepard looking to hire among the guild to keep watch as he brings sheep and wool to the markets, mostly to keep an eye out for threats and stragglers amongst the flock, the second job I was looking at was taking on a delivery quest set from a foundry and delivering three gears, first to a mill, second to a business in the factory district and the third to the clock tower. None of the jobs pay as well as the sewer, but still is something.

I could also just find a single job set for me and Lucia and grab you something random, depends on what you all wish."

With that Thea turns her head to the other two and holds up her left arm, running an armored fist under her chin, it was then that it could be notes that her lower armored gauntlet at the hand overlap plate that her Arcanizer was integrated into her armor and strapped to her wrist.

Interactions: Primary EmperorsChosen AnonyMouse Secondary King Crimson AI10100

 

[EmperorsChosen]

Lucia Corinna Edelgarde​

Location: Kriegslowe Guildhouse​

Following her greeting, it seemed the rest of heir pod had begun to shuffle in. The first was the fox, which Lucia glanced at only briefly before shutting her eye as she faced the board. She could still see red hear that horrid gnashing. Pursing her lips, she forcefully pushed such memories and thoughts aside before she heard further steps and greetings.

"Good day to you as well, Lady Cressey... I appreciate your consideration and hope the same for you, Ser Thal," The Caskarieth greeted somewhat stiffly. Any conversation was appreciated to help distract her, and thankfully Thea seemed to be engaging with her. "Whichever is to your preference. Despite my upbringing, I have never been one to distress over such things."

As if to serve her point, Falco sauntered in, dubbing her with a nickname. Opening her eye to see him slide down the wall, this would certainly serve as a distraction. Huffing with a bemused smirk, his interests weren't a secret. Though, the candid nature in which they were presented was refreshing, and Lucia wasn't averse to praise. Still, just what had happened to him to leave him in such a state?

"Keep in mind the sewer was originally to be paid a grand total of zero," Lucia stated curtly. "I do think that is a splendid idea, though. I would be inclined for either, or both. Anything is superior to those catacombs..."

Glancing down at Falco, Thea also had a point in regard to him. It wasn't about willpower. At some point, your body would give out, though if he was moving around, likely he was just incredibly sore.

"But ah, yes... That is a concern. Much as I'm sure it would be enjoyed, we cannot carry you the way in case of collapse," Lucia stated pointedly. "What placed you in this dilapidated form?"

Mentions: Thal, Cressey, Thea, Falco, Sakura
Interactions: RedArmyShogun AnonyMouse AI10100 King Crimson