The Shrouded Isle: Magnostadt [Event|Kill Viable]

The boat pulled into the dock, bumping lightly. The craft was not a large one, they were only there to pick up adventurers and then meet up with the main ship. But Grimwald had been specific, test their might before allowing them to join the journey, as it would be a dangerous one. Glancing around, Lieutenant Abel stepped onto the dock, his sword resting on his shoulder. The air around him was a serious one, the man was obviously not willing to put up with nonsense. He took his task seriously, one did not become a Lieutenant of the Great Madame Trixie, Pirate Queen, by being lax in their job. He was told word had been sent out to interested parties long before he had come ashore, so he looked around for anyone that appeared to be interested. Spotting what may have been adventurers, he raised his voice.

“All those interested in the Shrouded Isle, step forward and prove your mettle. I will not have a weakling aboard my ship, dragging my crew down!”

[OOC:Post as if you were the next person in line and Abel will address you each in turn. Magoi used in this round of posting will be refunded.]

Adrastos Thanatos, wearing sleek, black armor with a hooded cape concealing his face, was walking along the docks of the Plains when he came to a halt in front of a man who cried, "All those interested in the Shrouded Isle, step forward and prove your mettle. I will not have a weakling aboard my ship, dragging my crew down!" The clothing the man wore was familiar to Adrastos only because of his previous experiences with pirates. It made his eyes narrow briefly. Pirates? Here? Wait, what is this Shrouded Isle? No weaklings allowed? This was by far the most perfect opportunity for the blue magician to prove his worth to his masters. Not only that, but it would be a good test to himself before he would shove off for Heliohapt in search of his Fanalis instructor.

The blue magician stepped forward with his staff, Lux Animae Mortem, in hand. He said not a word to the man, but instead cast two spells. Nemesis Sol was the first spell, and Adrustum Aura II was cast afterward. The target was a tree that sat in a pot. With the first spell, it burst into flames, and the second spell caused the tree to freeze. Adrastos stood silently, waiting to hear the man's verdict on whether or not he could go. Let me go, the blue magician thought. Let me go. I will prove that I am not weak.
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Magoi: 190/200

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Noir was just finished meeting with her acquaintances at the Plains and she could hear a commotion about a pirate ship, being curious, she quickly headed out to the dock and witnessed a man who was apparently looking for some one strong.
“All those interested in the Shrouded Isle, step forward and prove your mettle. I will not have a weakling aboard my ship, dragging my crew down!”
Noir twitched her eyebrow as she heard the 'Shrouded Isle' words, she never heard of it before and it sounded mysterious as well. Maybe it will worth to try joining...I can prove myself

Noir stepped forward after linning up, she stared at the tall and intimidating man, but she didn't feel initimidated instead she was excited to see if he will approve her power or not. Without a word, she lifted Nero and cast her Fulmine Nero, sending 2 black lightning strikes to an empty cart near the dock and followed by Lightning Whip as she sent the broken cart into the sea water with her whip after smashing it into pieces. Noir looked at the man's eyes confidently and still not saying any words to him, hoping that the man would allow her to get into the ship.

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Zadi continued to try and research, or at least attempt to find research related to, the black rukh while within the great city of Magnostadt. However, it wasn't long until Zadi decided to just call it quits for the time being and go on another adventure like when he joined a war in Reim. You know, typical adventuring. In order to relax, Zadi felt the need to head over to the nearest port and get a feel for the open ocean, the one that he missed so much nowadays. Balbadd being his home made living in the rocky sands of Reim rather uncomfortable and the grass plains of Magnostadt didn't make Zadi's situation any better. Anyway, Zadi headed over towards the nearest ports in order to, at the very least, catch a breath of fresh air. However, to Zadi's own enjoyment, he decided to join a pirate crew! There were letters sent to a seemingly random set of people which invited this seemingly random set of people to come on an excursion to an island or "isle" as the letter referred to the location. The letter was shrouded in terms of detail, very vague and broad. That made the appeal to Zadi that much grander.

"Alright, where is this pirate ship?"

Zadi looked and walked and searched in hopes of finding something that looked "piratey". Luckily, Zadi found a few people being addressed by a charismatic looking fellow and thought, "Hey! Might as well be pirates!" Zadi quickly got in lone, listened, and was eventually looked upon, expected to "show off" in some way so as to prove his worth as an adventurer. One of the two people already having showcased their skills using some form of lightning magic in order to create a couple bolts and a whip of sorts. Zadi was only looking with the corner of hisher eyes so it was though to tell how powerful the spells were. Therefore, Zadi decided to just create Ball and smash through a few barrels of stuff behind the pirate officer. Hopefully Zadi wouldn't be responsible for cleaning up the mess. There was loads of random stuff everywhere after having smashed the barrels.

"Hmmm...I should have probably aimed for something different..."

260 Magoi/Stamina

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Outfit:

Ari stepped onto the dock behind a small line of people, waiting for her turn. She pushed the Kodor test from her mind, refusing to think about it. She and Adius had heard about the fabled Shrouded Isle being located and wondered about the possibility of finding something of magical historical importance. Her brother had even indicated there might be tools hidden there that no one from their generation had ever seen before, something that an opponent like Lilly would have no way of combating. Ari’s mind had sparked at that, it was a very good possibility. After making arrangements to have Adius take Vin to Reim, she made her way to the dock.

When it was her turn, she turned a completely blank look to the man, not even raising her staff. With a whisper to the rukh, 6 meters away from both of them and the others, a Lightning Strike came down, the effects of the spell hitting so close it raised the hair on both of them, Ari’s purple locks sticking straight out from the residual electricity in the air. It was a powerful spell, but localized enough that it wouldn’t hurt innocent bystanders. The wood of the dock at the point of impact splintered and crashed into the water, luckily she had not hit a support. Arching a brow at the man, she silently asked if it was sufficient proof of her power.

[Magoi 260/300]

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Abel watched as several people approached, the first of which was a darkly clad magician with a large staff, their face shrouded beneath a hood. Without addressing the pirate, the magician first conjured a black sphere which struck a potted tree and set it ablaze. The flames soon dissipated as crystals began to spread throughout the tree, encasing it in a shimmering layer of ice. The pirate gave a grunt of approval at the display. He had enough experience with magicians to recognize that one of the spells was a water spell, but the other left him baffled.

Abel gestured for Adrastos to board the rowboat, which was large enough to fit up to twelve people. His eyes flitted back to the other potential adventurers, noticing an excited lass step up. With a motion of of her wand, she sent something black to strike a nearby cart before sending it into the sea with an electric whip. Her eyes bore into Abel as she waited silently for his approval. The pirate hesitated a moment before waving her onto the boat as well.

The third person to step forward was another lass. As silent as the last two magicians, she too decided to wreak part of the landscape to showcase her strength. This time, however, Abel didn't see the effects, instead he felt the effects. The barrels behind Abel burst open, spilling gallons of seawater across the deck, catching the bottom of his pants and his shoes. The pirate arched a brow at the golden-haired lass, but she stayed silent.

'Is everyone in Magnostadt a mute?' The thought floated through his mind as he waved her on board.

The next to step up was a purple-haired lass with a stone-faced expression. Abel heard the barest of a whisper before a bolt of lightning struck the ground between them. His hair standing on end, Abel narrowed his eyes at Ariella. 'What is it with these women?!'

He growled at her as he gestured for her to get on the boat, scowling as he watched her walk away. Abel turned back to those remaining, his sour mood reflecting on his face as two black robed men approached. Their hands were gloved with a symbol of a tree within a magical circle sewn into the palms. Noticing the symbol, Abel's clenched his free hand and held out his blade toward the two men. "I don't think so."

One of the men spread his hands in supplication, "The notices said any willing and able-bodied souls. We are here to offer our assistance in trade for treasures." While the man spoke, his friend began to go through a transformation. His arms elongated, stretching five times their normal girth, their hands formed into large pincers.

"Tsk." Abel looked around, "Only two of you? Fine. You can come, but if you cause any trouble, I'll slit your throat. If I don't, the Pirate Queen sure will." Grudgingly, he waved the two men towards the boat, waiting until they boarded before getting on himself.

The boat would be a bit cramped, with the Abel and three other pirates sitting in the middle of the boat to handle the rowing, while the adventurers would sit directly in front or behind them. One of Abel's men hurriedly untied the boat and grabbed an oar using it to push them off the dock. The four pirates guided the ship towards a speck on the horizon and started singing a bawdy tune to keep rhythm as they rowed.

During the journey to the main ship, the two robed men watched the others on the boat like a predator eyes their prey. The man who had done the talking earlier sat near the front, introducing himself as Vladmir, while the previously pincer-hand man sat near the back and kept silent. Abel kept a careful eye between the two, waiting for them to strike, hoping they did so he could kill them. However, Grimwald had been explicit in getting whatever help they could, as long as they could help themselves. Abel knew from experience what those men were capable of.

Vladmir turned to those around him, "Ah! Nothing quite like adventure, eh? What do you think we'll find on the Shrouded Isle?"

Slowly, the speck on the horizon drew closer and the adventurers would be able to make out the flagship of the Pirate Queen's fleet, the Madam's Storm. Abel stood up and let out a piercing whistle which was returned after several seconds. Those paying attention would notice that they seemed to be approaching the ship faster, however it was coming to them. The lieutenant looked to each of the adventurers in turn, "Alright, listen up. I'm going to warn y'all now, you'll be meeting the Pirate Queen soon. While you may not see her as royalty, everyone on that ship does and they'll tear you apart if you disrespect her."

After making sure everyone understood, Abel helped his men row the boat along the side of the massive ship. A rope ladder was thrown down in between two thick ropes. While the adventurers climbed up the ladder, Abel's men tied the ropes to the boat, which would be raised up after everyone was off. There were a few more of the same sized boats tied around the rest of the ship too.


Once on board the Madam's Storm, the adventurers would notice that the crew was extremely disciplined as they moved to and fro. Off to one side, the Pirate Queen stood facing the strangers aboard her ship with an unreadable expression on her face. She had a thick furred cloak of Imuchakk design wrapped around her. One eye was hidden underneath an eye-patch while her left eye revealed the scar she received in the northern tundras fighting wild beasts. She exuded an air of confidence and her sea-blue hue revealed a strong will and a sharp wit.

A friendly smile curled on her lips as she nodded in greeting. "Welcome aboard my ship. My name is Madam Trixie, the Pirate Queen. We head to the Shrouded Isles in search of buried treasure. There's not much information on the island beyond that, however we do know it'll be a dangerous journey. Don't bother my crew or get them killed and we'll be on good terms. You are free to roam the decks as long as you don't get in the way or one of the men can show you to your quarters."

Waiting to see if they agreed to the rules and still wanted to go, Trixie turned to her crew and shouted for them to take off. As she headed to go below decks, she paused, "If any of you need me, I'll be in my chambers."

After the Pirate Queen left, Vladmir and the other robed man walked away from the main group to converse among themselves on the port side of the ship. As Vladmir whispered to his friend, a tiny flock of black Rukh fluttered off the man.

OOC: The trip will take about a week's time. The next post will be in 48 hours, or sooner if everyone posts. Feel free to converse among each other or with any of the listed NPCS.

Ari listened to the man’s words and took them to heart, remembering Azix’ numerous stories about the woman. She had no doubt that the crew would tera you apart or simply watch and laugh as Trixie did it herself. Despite her seemingly friendly nature, she knew Azix had trained with her extensively in the way of the sword and did not doubt her skill in the slightest.

When the small boat came to meet the large one, Ari used Group Lift to lift her fellow adventurers on board the ship. She left the sailors, assuming they had other tasks to complete before joining them on the deck. When she finally had a chance to see the fabled Pirate Queen, Ari found herself caught somewhere between awe, fear and attraction. She would be foolish to try and deny that Madame Trixie was anything but fierce and feminine in appearance, the scars lending character and danger to the slender frame. When her gaze fell to the eye patch, though, she had to snort. Trust Azix to find the one woman in a thousand leagues with an eye patch.

Ari glanced amongst the other adventurers, recognizing Neo from the market. While she was partially tempted to approach, she honestly wanted to avoid people she knew for a bit. She had no desire to speak about her Kodor match and chances were best one or all of the magicians in attendance had been at the event. She had done the test solely for herself and had hated every moment of what it stood for. The audience hadn’t existed for her and she was not ready for questions about it just yet. That meant her choices of conversation were limited. She briefly considered the two odd men that could stretch their bodies but the flutter of black rukh made her shake her head.

That was yet another thing she was not quite ready to deal with. While she understood there were varying levels of depravity, and neither of the men displayed Lilly’s level of hatred for the flow of Fate, she wanted a small chance to unwind. She tapped her chin in thought for a moment, Abel was still shooting glares in her direction so she decided it was perhaps time to meet the woman of mystery and power on the high seas. She followed Trixie’s steps towards the Captain’s Quarters and caught her just before she disappeared into the room, a friendly smile crossing her face.

"So are you and Azix trying to start a fashion trend with eye patches or perhaps its a bonding thing? Some internal radar that alerts one another of the presence of another patch within 100 meters..."

Ari chuckled to show she was joking, hoping the words would be taken in good humor and not insult.

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WC: 1,183

The flutter of black rukh caught the eyes of Zadi was the robed men joined the makeshift crew on their way towards the pirate ship boat. However, from what Zadi could see, it wasn't quite as strong of a presence as that of Lagi's during the ball in Remano all those months, perhaps even years, ago. However, the presence was still of Zadi's nemesis! Terrible things WILL happen with those two people around and Zadi wanted to do something about it, but it would be best if Zadi observed their behaviors and actions in order to better, or at least try to, understand what exactly made the black rukh so dangerous. Yakuroro's fear was real and his warnings were quite frightening to Zadi. When someone used a gravity related power to lift the adventurers onto the pirate ship, Zadi snapped out of his thought-induced trance. He]She was too concentrated on the blue ocean coupled with hisher thoughts of Yakuroro's fear, so heshe was unable to hear what everyone else was saying.

Anyway, Zadi heard the warnings after snapping out of his trance and made sure not to bother anyone, much less the robed men. It would be best not to disturb them so as to not get personal with hisher own research subjects. Could make it more difficult to kill them after getting all the information necessary to judge the level of danger the black rukh posed.

290 Magoi/Stamina

Noir could notice a sign of hesitation from the lieutenant but finally accepted her on board, the black haired girl watched as another magician came and show her skill, Noir could tell that she was strong despite her feminine look in pink kimono. The next person who came was the one she saw at the Examination Ground, but she didn’t know her name. The only thing she knew was that the purple haired woman was a fellow lightning magician, just like Noir, instead maybe much stronger than Noir.

The black haired girl realized well that she was not that strong compared to another adventurers who showed up, but she was hoping to get stronger in this journey and maybe at least saw the mystery of the shrouded isle itself as she didn’t show any interest to the treasure. Two men approached the boat and the pirate’s face turned sour, but finally both of the men were accepted into the boat as well. Noir could understand why the pirate was not pleased to having both of these men on board as both of the men had been letting out a negative vibe as pitch black rukh fluttered around them.

During the trip to the ship, the pirate suddenly stood up and whistled. Another sound of whistle could be heard and the pirate looked at the adventurers, "Alright, listen up. I'm going to warn y'all now, you'll be meeting the Pirate Queen soon. While you may not see her as royalty, everyone on that ship does and they'll tear you apart if you disrespect her."

Noir remembered the same thing being spoken to her while she was on the slavery ship, although the ship was not a grand one like the one she was on now and she was not a slave anymore. The slave masters would always demanding them to do what they said or they will kill the disobedient one, every ship Noir boarded was always like that, every friend she made on the ship would be gone on the next day or found death, possibly beaten to death by those cruel slave masters. Noir wondered why she even volunteered to board a pirate ship knowing that she had a rather bad experience on such ship, but she chose to shake it off from her mind and trying to enjoy her first time being on the ship as a free person.

The purple haired magician lifted all of the adventurers to the ship with her Group Lift spell, they all landed on the deck where many crew was working their own business and paid them no attention at all.  Noir noticed a woman standing in a graceful manner with unreadable expression on her face, she wore an eye-patch on her right eye and a scar remained on her left eye. The woman softened her expression and let out a smile to greet them, "Welcome aboard my ship. My name is Madam Trixie, the Pirate Queen. We head to the Shrouded Isles in search of buried treasure. There's not much information on the island beyond that, however we do know it'll be a dangerous journey. Don't bother my crew or get them killed and we'll be on good terms. You are free to roam the decks as long as you don't get in the way or one of the men can show you to your quarters."

The pirate queen paused for a bit before she headed to go below decks and said, "If any of you need me, I'll be in my chambers."

Noir observed her surroundings and saw her mentor was having conversation with the two robbed man, the purple haired woman followed the pirate queen and the blonde haired woman stayed quietly.  The black haired girl wondered if she should initiate a conversation with someone then approaching the woman who wore a pink kimono and greeted her, “Hello, do you mind if I sit here?” Noir said while pointing at the place beside the blonde haired woman while wearing her usual expressionless face.

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Word Count : 674

Madam Trixie pushed open the door and paused, noting the presence of one of the adventurers nearby. Casting a sidelong glance at the purple-haired woman, Trixie listened to her mention the ambitious orange magician. "Hmm? You're one of Azix's friends?" The Pirate Queen had a twinkle in her eye as she waved Ariella into her room, holding it open until the woman entered and shutting it behind her. Trixie walked to the far end of the room where a large oaken desk rested. She unlatched the belts around her waist that held her sheathed twin-blades and set it upon the desk.

She pulled out a bottle of a mysterious dark liquor and two cups, filling them both up before handing one to Ariella. If the yellow magician were to drink it, she would find the alcohol was quite harsh with a bitter taste, but left a sweet aftertaste behind. Trixie quickly downed the drink and slammed the small cup against the desk, letting out a refreshing sigh. "This brew is an honest sailor's drink. There's a song we sing sometimes on a drunken night that tells a story about a young lad's first voyage. Scurvy Jones ends up in a port city in a distant land and stumbles into a beautiful woman. When his eyes locked onto hers, time seemed to stop, 'twas love at first sight. He was only in town for a couple nights, but of course, that didn't stop him from courting her.

Their final night together was filled with gentle touches and passionate bedding. When the sun came up, they both became so sad they argued, calling each other cruel names until she jabbed him in the thigh with a shiv, storming off." Trixie poured herself another cup and downed it, offering Ariella the bottle. "Needless to say, he stormed off back to his ship livid, but as the days began to pass, the anger faded and he yearned for that love that was lost. So, it goes to say the moral of the story is to take the cheapest, easiest wench you can, cause in the end, love is just a bittersweet memory."

Trixie gave Ariella a meaningful look and sighed, "Bringing up Azix reminds me of some bittersweet memories as we stayed up late together, in this very room." A mischievous glint shone in her eye, "A time when all we wore were these fashionable eye patches. So...how did you say you know him?"

Madam Trixie was intrigued by the orange magician and had grown to respect him as a man willing to help others. Because she restricted herself from getting involved with her subordinates, she tended to find everyone else attractive, which included Azix. Personally, she believed Azix's friends, Garret and Yua, were far more attractive than the orange magician, however. If anything, she was drawn to his ideals more than the magician himself. The purple-haired woman had an exceptionally exotic look that Trixie enjoyed which made her curious to know how well the woman knew Azix.

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The two black-robed men noticed the silver-haired man from the boat approach and their whispering quieted. The man who had conversed with Abel grinned towards Adrastos, "Ah, my name is Vladmir and this here is my associate Vincent." Vladmir noticed the silver-haired man look towards Abel and shrugged. "I don't recognize that man, but we are part of a brotherhood, so he might have recognized our emblem." He showed Adrastos the emblem of a tree within a magical circle on the palm of his glove.

Vincent let out a grunt and Vladmir nodded, "He's right, there are too many ears up here. I can tell you more in private...Mister?" He waited for the silver-haired man's name.

At the bow of the ship, Abel had watched Adrastos conversing with Vincent and Vladmir. Growing uneasy, the lieutenant finally walked over to see what was going on. When Vladmir noticed the Pirate approaching, he gestured for silence. "We can talk later, on the island." He spoke hurriedly before he and his friend departed for their quarters below-decks.

Abel stopped next to Adrastos, scowling as the two robed men retreated. He finally looked to the silver-haired man, wondering what the three men had been talking about. "I'd be careful around them. Those men are part of a dangerous group called the Brotherhood of Ash." He looked away wistfully, "They helped Kou conquer my homeland before I was born. If you'll excuse me, I need to keep an eye on them." He whistled towards the stern of the ship and made a gesture with his hand, signaling that he was stepping off the deck.

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For the past week, the Madam's Storm traveled towards Reim without running into any bad weather. Shouts rang out from the crow's nest on the sixth day, a huge wall of fog had been spotted. Madam Trixie ventured above decks, staring at the dense mist with a grim look on her face. She barked out an order to travel around the fog, heading north to meet up with Ceres' Roar.

They spotted Grimwald's ship the next day and the ship became abuzz with activity. The rowers belowdecks began turning the ship to dock along the Ceres' Roar. Abel went around the ship to gather the adventurers, "We'll be docking with another ship in the Pirate Queen's fleet. Once we do, there will be a meeting so stick around." He tilted his head and moved off to help the crew.

OOC: Post an exit in this thread. You may now join the Reim group in this thread.

Having sat down, Zadi observed the two robed men talking to the silver haired man. Zadi couldn't hear anything, but knew something was up. Even if nothing was up, something was up. All the same, the two robed men went below deck after Abel showed up, seemingly frightened of being heard. Though perhaps it was simple disdain for pirates. Rather odd if it was disdain for pirates seeing as they voluntarily entered into this adventure...maybe. Perhaps they were forced? Can't know until they tell...or Zadi uses his magic to read their past.

Anyway, the black haired girl that was tested with Zadi and the others asked if she could sit next to Zadi. She looked emotionless, as if she was very tired. Zadi scooted over in order to indicate a "yes" but followed up the scooting with an audible "yes" shortly afterwards;

"Be my guest."

A week passed and nothing special happened. Zadi never followed the robed men so he didn't know where they were during the whole week which was rather worrisome. Being on a rocking ship on the seemingly endless ocean made sleeping comfortable for Zadi. Well, quite the opposite actually. Zadi has been on ships before, but never stayed the night. Zadi had to get up to vomit during the middle of the night every so often, even though he didn't eat anything before the trip. On top of that, Zadi was hungry! The ocean was a cruel place indeed.

The ship finally landed onto damp land! Zadi got off as quickly as possible once the plank was lowered. She didn't have the energy to help unload anything just yet so she just kept metaphorically kissing ground. Walking around on land felt much safer than the ever changing ocean!

[exit]

Ariella listened to the tale Trixie wove for her, chuckling softly until it came to a close. When Trixie indicated she and Azix had been alone and unclothed together, her initial instinct was anger and distrust but it was smothered quickly. Taking a drink of the dark liquor, Ariella poured herself another glass before smirking at Trixie.

“Well, I imagine if he hasn’t vomited on you, I know him a great deal better than you claim to. But he has spoken fondly of your vigorous training regimen.”

She considered trying to pry more information from Trixie about the nature and she and Azix’ relationship but, given she was not absolutely certain that the Pirate Queen was exaggerating, perhaps it was best to drop the topic. It was rarely a good idea to antagonize the person responsible for giving you a ride to a mythical island and back home again. Besides, given Azix' difficulties with intimate situations, if something had happened with Madame Trixie, he probably had been too drunk to be held responsible.

---

When the Madame’s Storm docked with the Ceres’ Roar out at open sea, she gladly climbed aboard the other ship, eager to see who else would be joining this adventure.

[exit]

After getting the permission from the blonde haired woman, Noir sat down and took out a book from her bag. She read it silently for the entire trip, sometimes Noir was concerned about the woman who sat beside her since she always had to get up and vomit during the middle of the night. Noir wondered if the blonde haired girl was never been in the ship before, but she decided to keep quiet and continue her activity with her book.
 
Several days passed and Noir could saw many crew’s becoming busier and hastier, then Abel showed up and said, "We'll be docking with another ship in the Pirate Queen's fleet. Once we do, there will be a meeting so stick around."
The black haired girl could see another ship, and then she carefully climbed to the other sea then observed her surrounding to found out who else was joining this mysterious adventure.
 
[exit]

[Exit]

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WC: 525