Power of the People[NoM/Chain]

Job Name: Power of the People
Job Rank: B
Job Location: Reim
Job Reward: 200xp | 15k
Job Prerequisites: Blade In Hand
Job Overview:
After your match against Korinna your popularity has soared. You are no longer booed and shunned the moment you step out into the arena and you notice prices have improved when you go to the marketplace. Speak to Breaker about this and learn how a gladiator's reputation can affect them outside of the coliseum too. Despite his warning not to get caught up in the fame however, you receive requests from fans to settle some disputes and make the mistake of getting yourself involved in a clash between citizens and gambling den thugs trying to collect on debts. Observe how black rukh causes those involved to break down into violent conflict and interrogate the debt collectors to find out why their tactics have become so aggressive lately.

Enemy Name: Cutthroat Thugs x8
Enemy Tier:  C
Damage Required to Defeat: B
Description: Thugs of the Reiman gambling den who are trying to shake down the dues the gambling addicts owe. They each possess C-tier daggers and C-tier brass knuckles.
Abilities:

• Slice n' Dice ~ The thug performs a swift X shaped pair of slashes that each deal C-tier damage.
  
• Playing Dirty ~ The thug pulls a handful of dirt from a pouch and throws at a target's eyes blinding them for 2 posts.
  
• Scramble ~ If at least three thugs remain they coordinate their attacks and charge from three different angles. Each thug lunges forwards thrusting their daggers to deal C-tier damage for a total of three C-tier strikes.
  

A familiarly uncomfortable bed welcomed Zion's consciousness back to the world. Breaker's barracks room again. The defeated gladiator opened his eyes and looked to his right. As expected, Breaker sat across the room from him in a chair. The veteran gladiator had been watching carefully from the side with his face stoic and arms crossed. Even with Zion stirring his mentor remained , only laying a heavy gaze upon Zion. The two exchanged a brief silence before Breaker gave Zion a meaningful nod in his direction whilst pointing to his own ears. Zion made the connection and felt his face in brief horror. Then bandages wrapping his head were removed and the storm kitsune's true appearance could be seen.

Before breaker was a silver haired youth with long silver hair and skin like porcelain. He had always assumed Zion a male from how he acted and spoke but now the magician's androgynous face made Beaker second guess this assumption. Seeing that the charade was up, Zion sighed and released his tails allowing them to grow out from behind him. His lower back felt sore keeping them shortened all the time so they could be hid beneath his clothes. Nine tails spread out filling the corner of the room the bed was in. Beaker widened his eyes for a moment but then returned to his calm stare.

"Don't worry, nobody saw besides me. It was the fight with Korinna. Your got cut up by her pretty bad and kept fighting until your body couldn't go on any more anyways. That spider of a woman doesn't spare her toys the face. That wrappings you had got torn to shreds. When I was treating your wounds, they came undone and those ears of your popped out on their own!"

The words stunned Zion in a mix of understanding and relief. "I-" He began to speak only for Beaker to hold up a firm hand and interrupt. "Save it. I don't plan on telling anyone. I'm sure you have your circumstances and to be honest, I don't want to know them. Leave me out of whatever it is you are hiding from." The words hit home harder than Breaker intended and the youth cast his eyes down in shame. "I wish I could promise you I could do that. But trouble always seems to find me sooner or later wherever I go...As I am, I can't even return home."  Zion tightened his lips and tried to hold back the wetness forming at this eyes.

The young exile had disguised and hidden himself from everyone up till now. With his appearance exposed the lid on Zion's heart followed. That shame and feeling of powerlessness made Zion remember the despair of his short life. But before that darkness could overwhelm him, Zion latched on to that feeling he had grasped during the match once more and raised his head in time with the flight of a small white rukh behind him. His expression was suddenly one of resolve despite two wet steams down his face. The youth channeled his feelings into an intense desire to face his troubles head on and overcome them.

"That is why I am here. To get stronger in order to live freely where I choose without having to hide myself and live under constant unending lies."

The mountain life arms of Breaker parted from their cross once more and he picked up a folded Wanderer's Cloak from a small table beside him. The man cracked a smile and tossed it towards Zion casually. "I said I didn't want to know, I said I don't want to know. Take this. It's a reward for your great performance." Zion caught the cloak only to almost drop it as the leather was heavier than he was expecting and his severe wounds had not yet healed. The rookie winced in pain as he looked it over and found that it had been perfectly tailored to himself. Compared to those rags he was wearing before, this cloak was reinforced and could act as actual armor. The hood even hung low so as to help obscure Zion's face.

Excitement swelled but a weight fell down upon them as Zion looked up in confusion. "Great performance? But I lost. I got totally outclassed too, I barely got a couple hits in on that demoness!" A lingering fear of that segmented blade and its sadistic wielder sent a shiver down Zion's spine. Breaker laughed from the side and the gave Zion a mysterious smile. "You have some kind of magic to heal yourself don't you? I give you permission to break our promise this once. Heal yourself up, I'm taking you somewhere." Zion was only further confused by this sudden change in behavior from Breaker. Wasn't the mentor going to scold him for having been arrogant? Wasn't the man going to rub the lesson Korinna's match into Zion's face to curb his ego?

Breaker remained elusive and so Zion could only give in to his insistence and use the Angel's Brace to restore his cut and battered body. The youth then donned his new cloak and used a new long sleeve of bandages to begin wrapping his head. At Breaker's suggestion, he let some of his hair show since it had been revealed during the match anyways that he had long silver locks. The mentor and student pair then departed the barracks swiftly. It was midday and many citizens walked about the capitol like it was just another day. But Zion knew that there were many undercurrent's of strife and turmoil stirring within the country.

As they walked through the city and the magician walked around he began to notice for the first time that the rukh here was strange. In the descended one of the city's hills and looked out over the polis to see specks of black peppered across the city. Here and there, black rukh pockets were swelling and then receding. The city seemed like a pot of water just starting to boil and felt a foreboding sense grip his heart. But Zion said nothing about it as Breaker wouldn't be able to see even if he pointed it out. Instead he followed the veteran through the streets feeling lost. "You really wont tell me where we're going?"  The question made Breaker stop and turn to face Zion. "Treat this as a day off. Just walk around for a bit. I'll follow you for a bit and then take you somewhere special."

Skeptical eyes met Breaker's stare but Zion nodded reluctantly. He got his bearings and then decided to head to the marketplace. Zion had been here often during his days training. He was on constant look out for the magic tools from Magnostadt that had been trickling into the country. But there had still been no new shipments and so he usually just bought fresh produce to snack on or browsed for other unrelated magic tools if they were available. This time seemed no different from the usual save for a din of whispers surrounding Zion once he reached the marketplace. Noticing this made Zion notice that he was getting weird stares. Every once and a while he barely caught a name on the lips of those soft voices. "SwordKing"

Zion felt that the gossip was about his loss and could only sigh dejectedly and turn away having given on up looking for magic tools at the usual stalls. He made for his favorite stall for apples. Zion picked up one and handed the vendor the usual price. The vendor looked excited to see Zion and eagerly returned half of the money. "Haha, special discount. Just for you!" The man said with enthusiasm. Zion raised a brow at him. "Um...Thanks?" He turned away from the stall and looked at Breaker quizzically. Breaker grinned and nodded for Zion to look behind him just in time to catch sight of the vendor. The middle aged man cupped his mouth and yelled in a loud voice.

"Apples good enough for Swordking himself! You can find them right here folks!"

The sudden marketing tactic was already enough to stun Zion. Further shocked to him was that soon a few eager customers hurried over and in short order the basket of apples at the man's stall was empty. The vendor smiled a toothy grin at Zion and chuckled loudly as he put away his profits. Breaker pat the agape Zion on the back and smiled. "Let's go. I'll take you to the The Purple Triumph." The man then led Zion through the forum and down another street to reach a luxurious restaurant. Purple flowers bloomed from vines that framed its doorway. Armed men guarded the doors and a high class noble was checking reservations of those trying to enter. But when Zion and Breaker approached the man perked up and whispered something to the guards. They directly opened the doors for the pair without any trouble, one even announcing them in a loud booming voice.

"Breaker and Swordking have arrived!"

Breaker strode in confidently but Zion paused a half step feeling anxious about what sort of surprise Breaker had. But he could not delay the guard and so he stepped after his mentor. The two walked in towards a large table in a corner which took them past every other table in the restaurant. Zion noticed something about the guests dining here soon as table after table of recognizable gladiators were seated here and there casually eating and chatting with friends, family, or colleagues. There were even a few known rivals seated together sharing drinks! All of these figures looked over to watch as Zion made his way to his seat. The weight of so many stares made his anxiety grow. They sat down and almost immediately a server arrived to serve them both large goblets of wine.

"A toast to Swordking!"

A collective shout roared over the room as everyone raised their drinks. Zion could even spot Korinna at a table not too far away smiling at him intently with her glass held high. Zion looked to Breaker and still did not understand. The veteran fighter read Zion's face as he finished a gulp and laughed. "It's your last match, kid. It earned you a lot of respect." Zion still had a blank stare of confusion. "But...But I lost." How could the loser be worthy of such admiration? Breaker shook his head and looked Zion in the eye.

"You were always meant to lose, kid. But the way you fought. Even my blood ran cold seeing the bloodstains you left behind as you made your last advance. The determination and fighting spirit you showed moved a lot of people. I could still hear the echo of them chanting your name as I carried you down the hallway out of the battlegrounds. Don't just stare, drink! Drink!"

Zion shook from his awe and ignorance. The wine was brought to his lips at Breaker's urging and took large gulps as seemed to be the custom only to find his throat burning unexpectedly with a fruity bitterness. The wine hit his belly and immediately made him feel warm and Zion's cheeks turned rosy.

"Hahaha, that's more like it! When we first met I told you that you would never understand what glory meant in the coliseum as you were. But I underestimated you, kid. You gave the crowd blood, passion, and drama, so they give you their love. At the end of the day, what we do is an entertainment sport of potentially lethal kind after all. We gladiators are the symbols of Reim's people. Some of us have a lot of influence with the mob and others work with merchants and nobles to shift politics. Others, like me, just do it for the fight and to see new talent's rise like yourself. But everyone who can eat here freely is somebody that has earned the adoration of the entire coliseum for a day. It's a rare honor as there are usually cheers for both fighters after a match."

Breaker paused to empty the rest of his wine and picking up the vessel left on their table to pour himself more. Zion took this pause to process everything and sipped at his own cup lightly. He never imagined there was an entire world to the coliseum outside of the building itself. For it to be so connected to Reiman society along many branches. In his silence, Zion felt like he was brushing upon the "greatness" Caelus had mentioned after their fight in the mountains. There was indeed something grand about how the coliseum stood as a pillar to the Reiman capitol and no doubt to other large cities throughout the large countries' borders.

"After this drink, I'll be heading back. I'm not supposed to drink anymore."

Breaker had sad eyes as he spoke. Upon gulping down his goblet the veteran leaned in to issue a warning. "Enjoy your new fame. But don't let it get to your head. There are many out there who will seek to use a big name like Swordking for their benefit. Just like at the marketplace earlier with the fruit stand. If someone comes to you asking for help, all the more reason to not get involved. Even seemingly unrelated incidents can set the people of Reim into motion, and when their power swells it brings with it a storm. The center of which always seems to be bloody...You hear me? Just focus on your training. You are far from a true swordsman, kid. You're still just a rookie."  The man then got up and left without another word. Zion was left to contemplate what Breaker had said.

---

WC: 2290/1500
Magoi: 330/340

Equipment:

Spoiler:

Zion did not refill his own goblet after Breaker left. The server brought over a feast without him even asking and Zion picked at delicacies in silence but ultimately did not eat much. The rookie stood up and began to leave. By this point, the number of eyes on Zion had reduced considerably. Yet a noticeable few still lingered on him as he left. One young man with a reservation got up and left as well to follow the cloaked Swordking. Zion was a unaware as he stumbled down the right street to get home out of luck as he had completely lost his way. But a young man ran up from behind and suddenly stopped him.

"Swordking, Swordking! Please lend me your ear for a moment. My name is Jovian and my life is in danger. Please, protect me!"

Jovian's pleading was met with a shake of Zion's head as he tried to sober up from the severity of the man's claim. Alas, that only made the youth dizzy. "Wait, wait, why are you in danger?" Zion asked as he looked around in confusion seeing no sign of threats. "When I go home there will be men waiting for me. They...They're going to kill me! At this rate, I'm finished!" Cried the distraught citizen. Zion frowned and the gears of his inebriated brain slowly churned out a question. "Why don't you ask another gladiator? Why me?" The question made something in Jovian snap.

"Nobody else will help me! This kind of thin...it's normal in this city. This country, it has no future..."

A small black bird fluttered past and then another. Zion soon noticed a small flock of half a dozen rukh swirl around Jovian's ears whispering cruel and sinister thoughts. Zion frowned and felt himself unable to overlook things. Despite Breaker's warning, he had Jovian lead him to a residential area as evening dusk ebbed into night. Sure enough, there were eight men standing outside Jovian's house. A few of them held torches while others stood around with weapons exposed. When they saw Jovian come around the corner one of them shouted pointing a dagger at him.

"You better have the money Jovian! If you don't, we're gonna burn down this rat hole of yours."

"No!, my wife and daughter are still in there! Wait! Stop!" Jovian suddenly broke into a run as Zion turned the corner. He was disappointed to hear that the man was running from a debt, but even he had to admit that these collection methods were far too extreme. The cutthroat leader scoffed at Jovian who fell before him on his knees. "I have part of it, almost half. I-I need more time!" A knife moved to Jovian's lips to silence him as the cutthroat frowned deeply. "You want MORE time? No more games Jovian. You can win big and we pay. But when you lose big, you gotta pay too, Jovian. You know how this works. You're settling the debt today one way or another."

Zion watched the scene play out and scanned the surroundings. There were other homes nearby. Other people passing down the street. But nobody was stopping to help Jovian. No, they all looked away intentionally and pretended not to see it. Zion could see the black rukh touching everyone now. Ever he could hear the voice of a black bird in his ear. It railed against the injustice of it all and justified killing every one of the cutthroats in order to correct this unjust fate. Zion felt his emotions soar and anger towards the cutthroats filled him.

"Enough! This man's debts, I'll pay them in full!"

The Bloody Branch was drawn from Zion's sash and brought forward as he stepped forward as Swordking to intervene. "It's Swordking!? It must be a costume, get him!" The cut throat leader barked with a nod in Zion's direction. Six of the men moved to surround Zion leaving only the leader and one torch bearer standing back. Jovian was dragged over to the house and was further interrogated by the leader for where he could get more money. He even discussed selling the Jovian's wife or daughter as a way to make up for the debt.

Meanwhile, Zion was targeted by a well coordinated strike from the cutthroats as twin Scrambles were executed. Zion swept his gaze across the six men and the enclosing circle of attacks they brought upon him. The rookie advanced towards the right with a half step only to kick off the ground to the left. Despite Breaker's previous exception to using magic, Zion still decided not to use his storm kitsune powers here and so his step did not carry him far. However, it did shift his position from one side of the circle to the other. The Bloody Branch arced out in a slash drawing a curve 180 degrees outwards. Blood drew thin lines on the paved street as he pre-emptively engaged half the men first leave both wounded. Zion's slash had been low and took advantage of the moment they stepped in to strike him, but Zion had to accept their strikes in order to step in deep enough. The three men fell back with slashes to their chests while Zion fell back with a bruised swelling face from one brass knuckle and a cracked rib from another. His free hand took the knife blow and was bleeding from a gash on the back of his palm.

The other trio of attacks all landed on Zion's back but he was protected by the thick leather layers of his cloak. Zion felt the dull thuds and spun on his heel. The blood branch drew another slash as he rotated around and caught two more of the cuttroats but the last of the six was more cautious and stepped back at the last minute. He then Played Dirty and tossed debris into Swordking's eyes. The rookie raised his bloody hand to protect his left eye in time, but his right eye got hit and was blinded shut by an intense itching irritation. Zion leapt towards the man with sharp stab which glided across the man's wrist. The cutthroat dropped his weapon and fell back. Zion turned to the last two men and marched forward undaunted. The entire dispatching of six men having only lasted a few seconds.

"B-Boss..." The torch baring cutthroat stammered to get his leader to turn around and see that most of his crew had already been taken out. "Damn, is it the real Swordking after all?" The leader showed fear and unconsciously let go of Jovian who ran inside to go get his family. The last two cutthroats moved on Zion with daggers and this time Zion had better results using his free hand to intercept as the Wanderer's Cloak blocked the edged weapons from reaching his arm.  A stab and a cut later and both men were disarmed.  Zion stood over the fallen debt collectors resisting a now seething cloud of black rukh which had gathered over him. The single voice whispering murder in his ears had turned to many and Zion found himself slowly raising the Bloody Branch high to deal a final blow to the leader.

It was just then that Jovian burst out of his home carrying his daughter in one arm and leading his wife out with the other. He was greeted with the sight of all eight men on the ground and lit up in elation. "Swordking, thank you so much for saving us!" Exclaimed the young man. Zion looked up seeing the family save and white rukh around the young Jovian now that the man saw home once again. This thread of light snapped Zion out of the dark thoughts and in a flash the black rukh surrounding him dispersed. Zion thought more clearly and then looked at Jovian seriously.

"Why does nobody stop these violent thugs? Surely this goes beyond what the law allows."

Zion's question made Jovian shrink back. "The ones they collect for...are the ones who make the laws. Nobody I know could ever prove it. But everyone knows about it. They offer loans to gamblers and run bets on coliseum matches. I'm partly such a big fan because I won a big sum betting on you during your first match against Zadi. It wasn't a fun match to watch at all, but that win was gonna change things for me. Big. But I bet most of it again the next day and lost it all. I took out a loan trying to win it back and just ended up owing money instead. They used to give more time to pay them back, but just recently they called up everyone's debts and have been using extreme measures to collect." Zion realized that implied that Jovian was not the only one suffering such a visit tonight.

The cutthroats were all tied up and then Zion interrogated the leader. At first he had no intention of speaking, but Zion cheated his promise a bit and used the Storm Kitsune's power to electrocute him into submission. After a few zaps, the blabbering cutthroat exposed to Zion a most avaricious plot.

---

WC: 3825/1500
Magoi: 330/340

Equipment: