Unfinished Buisiness I[Job/Death-Viable/Ayero/Diego/Liber]

Job Name: Unfinished Business - Part I
Job Rank: A
Job Location: Reim
Job Rewards: 500xp / 30,000 Huang / Brotherhood of Ash Encoded Document
Job Overview: Upon arriving in Reim, Yakuroro finds himself ambushed by members of the Brotherhood of Ash. Ever since his meddling in their plans during the Blue Magician's stay in Zou, Yakuroro has been a high profile target for the organization. Always keeping eyes on him at a distance, they had been waiting for him to near a place where they still held power to strike. With the syndicate's Headquarters being located in Reim, he has walked into the proverbial mouth of the beast.

A group of men carrying some of the Brotherhood's most powerful magic tools have been dispatched to deal with Yakuroro once and for all. But they would not expect the man who had lived as a hermit for the past year to be traveling with companions. Yaku and his allies must defend against the attackers as their travel caravan is ambushed 200m before reaching Remano's gates.

The Brotherhood will proudly confront the group openly before beginning their attack. They want Yakuroro to know who it is that leads him to his grave. This is very much so a personal vendetta held against the Imuchakk for ruining their foothold in Zou and for all their resources left crippled in the wake of that destruction.

Enemies:

((Solomon's Proxy wont NEED to post until the group is within 200m of Remano, but until then if whoever is posting as the NPCs wants to do some posting, I have no complaints.))

After arriving on Reim shores in a moderately sized port town, Yakuroro allowed himself to be convinced that it was in the group's best interest to wait and rest a short while as everyone made preparations. The journey to Remano would be long and hard unless they took precautions and made arrangements for more convenient transportation. The Blue Magician reluctantly agreed that this would be the best choice if they planned on moving together as a group. A big part of the large ice giant found himself missing the solitary life he'd been leading up till now.

When Yakuroro was living by himself, there was no one to worry about. Well, no one but Akatetsu. The chimera companion had been with him almost a year now and had never been too much trouble so the Imuchakk had gotten used to him. But even Lady Soushui, the longest known acquaintance of his current party, seemed to grind on Yakuroro's patience. Then again, she'd always known how to push his buttons since they day they first met. To be honest, she was the most frustrating and often the main cause behind his displeasure in group travel. Thankfully she claimed to be parting ways with them after they set off for Remano so she could get in touch with the Kou mainland and establish her presence in Reim as an official diplomat and ambassador. This would give the woman access to far more influence within the local Zou presence.

The other seven traveling with Yakuroro were all much easier to deal with. Diego was the first of them whom he met. The young fanalis boy had with him a tiger and a spider making up three of these seven companions. Diego was a refreshing presence with his innocent youthfulness and part of Yakuroro was glad that he somehow managed to stumble his way into this journey. He was young, but reliable. But more importantly, he had deeper convictions and motivators that worried Yakuroro about what kind of future path he might walk for the sake of vengeance. Perhaps if he stayed by Yaku's side, the Imuchakk could be a positive influence on him.

Ayero was the fourth and her serpent freind Kabu, the fifth. This beautiful fanalis young woman was a capable warrior Yakuroro had met on a job in Heliohapt. She too, had her own reasons for being with the magician on this trip. Personal ties to her family and worry for their well being was what had fueled her passage to Reim. Yakuroro was confident that had he and Lady Soushui not insisted they go together that this woman would have burned a trail to Reim from Heliohapt on foot if she had to. Even if it meant crossing the dry desert and barren wastes of the western front by herself.

Ilirran and Rurukoha made the final two of the seven. Yakuroro honestly knew both of them very little. The Leopard headed Imuchakk was fascinating in his own right, but also embodied everything about his own people which Yakuroro disdained. He was a warrior both in flesh and in spirit. His values were strength and a sense of honor in battle that was sometimes respectable and at other times confoundedly complex. Yakuroro didn't understand this man's way of life and thus having him present was...complicated. As for the female Imuchakk, it was nice having another magician around that wasn't a thorn in Yaku's side as Lady Soushui was. Sadly that alone did not make her good company.

Some of the group would be staying in the port town for their own reasons, but those who were eager to get moving such as Yakuroro would find themselves gathered on the edge of the town where a train of three wagons waited for them. It was usually a trading caravan, but the drivers had all unloaded and sold their goods to be taken by sea to lands unknown. Now they were on their way back to Remano to resupply and happily sought to make money as transportation in the process.

Still wishing his magic carpet were big enough to simply fly everyone to Remano, Yakuroro arrived where the wagons awaited with Akatetsu close at his side. "It's a good thing they have so many wagons, Tetsu. I think you'd almost need an entire car just for yourself." Yakuroro said jokingly. The beast snorted in displeasure and swiftly whacked Yakuroro in the back of his head with a powerful tail sending the magician stumbling forward. An amused snicker of sorts come out of the chimera's lips and he stepped in place to show that he'd be walking rather than riding.

Yakuroro sighed and rubbed the back of his head as he recovered and looked at his son with a raised brow, "I keep forgetting that you can understand words now. Alright, if you want to walk that's your choice. Just don't scare the oxen." Akatetsu nodded in confirmation before letting out a happy roar, "Gyagrwar!" The oxen at the wagons all shifted uncomfortably from the sound of the roar and Yakuroro looked at Tetsu sternly. The Chimera lowered its head and made a more quite growl showing it understood that it had just done what he'd been told not to do. "Gyagrwar...."

"Now, where are the others? Even Lady Soushui has yet to show up..."

~903/2000 Word Count~

After her mission with Liber, Ayero had taken the injured Fanalis man back to her room at the inn in to tend to his wounds. She recalled how Kabu had used his spit to heal the wound she’d received in Heliohapt’s deserts from an acid-spitting jackal and hoped that he’d be able to produce the same healing effects for the male Fanalis. Though their initial meeting had gone less than well, Liber proved to be a skilled fighter if a bit overconfident. Regardless, Ayero wasn’t heartless enough to leave a severely injured man alone, especially one she had fought alongside. To her dismay, her room was completely devoid of any black snakes with healing capabilities by the time she had returned with Liber in tow. Cursing her forgetfulness, Ayero remembered that she had allowed the snake to explore as he liked so long as he met her outside of the port town the next morning with the others. She’d agreed to travel with Yakuroro and the others to Remano, figuring that it would be safer to go in a group. As it was too late to seek out a life mage, she cleaned and bandaged Liber’s wounds the best she could. She slept on the floor, allowing the man to have the bed and hoping he’d make it through the night.

Luckily the man had regained consciousness by the time she had awoken. She insisted on dragging him alongside her to meet with her “magician friend who could heal him”. While she was aware that there were several different types of magic, she was ignorant to the fact that each magician hand an affinity for a specific type. Spotting a head of blue hair in the distance, Ayero feels the muscles in her legs twitch. She wanted to speed up, used to walking quickly and fueled with the desire to reach Remano quickly. But she steadied herself, concentrating on aiding Liber in walking toward the others. She had taken one of his arms and placed it over her shoulder, supporting some of his weight while the pair made their way towards the outskirts of town.

”Yakuroro! Akatetsu!” The Fanalis woman waved and called out to them, pleased to see familiar faces. ”Sorry for being so upfront, but could you heal this?” She points to the bandages covering Liber’s back. ”Bit of pirate trouble. But it shouldn’t be a problem for a strong magician such as yourself!” She smiles with confidence as if everything was going to be alright.

[419/2000]

Once they had arrived off the ship, Diego watched Ilirran Iskam walk off without saying a word to anyone in the group. Wanting some time away himself, Diego told the group he would meet them at the edge of the town to go to Remano together. With Madam Trixie and Zanzibar in tow, the Fanalis boy made his way into the port town, his head down watching his feet while he walked.

He came across a barber shop and a weird thought struck him. His Fanalis red hair had posed a problem during the events of the Slave Auction in Heliohapt. It also made him an easy target for Jagang to spot if he kept his hair red. With a decisive nod to himself, Diego went inside and asked the barber to dye his hair a jet black color. At the same time, the barber cut his long crimson hair to his shoulders and styled it up in spikes. Once he was done, Diego took a look in the mirror and smiled at his new look.

Paying the barber for his services, Diego ran outside to show his pets his new hair cut. Trixie looked at him cautiously, smelling Diego to make sure it was him, Zanzibar did as well. Madam Trixie gave Diego an approving snort and rubbed her body along his side, whacking his legs with her tail. Diego laughed in a much better mood, he had made a small accomplishment at least.

He spent the rest of the evening preparing for the journey the next morning, buying dried meats and berries to snack on. With enough money left over to get some new clothes, Diego found a small shop where he purchased a green and red jacket for the cooler weather of Reim and some green shorts. To complete the look, Diego picked up a pair tall green boots that were surprisingly comfortable.

Diego, Trixie and Zanzibar set off the next morning to find his friends at the edge of town. It didn't take long before he spotted the tall blue-haired Imuchakk and the crimson-haired Fanalis. Standing next to Ayero was a stranger with bandages on his body. Anxious to see his friends and to see the Capitol of Reim, Diego ran to catch up, waving excitedly.


"Hello!" He exclaimed to see his friends before turning to the stranger, "Nice to meet you! My name is Diego!" Madam Trixie grunted at his side and Diego chuckled, "This is Madam Trixie and Zanzibar!" He pointed to the furry, white spider that was currently napping on the tiger's back.

[430/2000]

Fire, pain, worry, then relief...the pain once again. Liber had been on a roller coaster of states since the pirate fighting adventure with a newly met fanalis woman. It had been a fun time, although perhaps Liber had a bit too much fun. Carelessly and shamefully, the assassin took a surprise attack from behind leaving Ayero to deal with the remaining threat herself. It was already bad enough that he owed her for accidentally groping the woman. Now he owed her his life as well. He did not wake until after Ayero had dressed his wounds and spent a night on the cold floor. Had he been conscious he would have insisted they share the bed or get a room with two, but now he had to live with the disgrace of making a woman sleep on the ground.

Liber had been awake before Ayero and was waiting for her to stir so he could offer his thanks and a fine sum of gold in apology. Alas, this wouldn't be an option as she began insisting that she knew someone who could take care of his wounds. Liber didn't know who this mysterious healer was, but he was initially strongly against going to see them. He'd suffered worse pain before and these injuries would surely heal in time. It would be a shame that he'd carry scars for the rest of his life, but that was something he'd be willing to live with. Liber feared that he would find himself in the care of someone who he'd rather never know of his existence.

His protests would be futile in the end and in time, the young fanalis found himself being half carried by the girl he'd already been saved by once. As they left the inn, a young girl would stop the two fanalis and bow deeply. "Thank you for your help yesterday, if you hadn't taken care of those brutes...I don't know what would have happened to my "purity." If they were the ones who hurt you I'm so very sorry." It was the girl he'd saved which led to his molestatious bump in with Ayero. The assassin gave a pained but friendly smile and gestured to wave her concerns away, "Don't worry, this had nothing to do with those fiends. I'll be fine miss, you should go home and remember to stick with friends. The world can be a dangerous place."

After the closure was wrapped up, Liber and Ayero would be free to proceed to the meeting place undisturbed. He looked the Imuchakk over suspiciously as they arrived and his eyes widened as he spotted the large reptile at his side. T-That's your magician friend?" He said a bit cautiously as they approached. Liber held his tongue to let Ayero handle the introductions, but immediately regretted it as he mistakenly took her words to be referring to him as an object rather than to his wounds. "O...Oi-Ouch!" It hurt to raise his voice so the young man let it slide.

At this point, an energetic youth approached and seemed to have even more beasts in tow. Liber was beginning to think that Ayero's friends were a traveling circus of some sort. For as intimidating as the creatures were, their docile demeanor and Diego's friendly introduction somehow made Liber feel at ease. "Hello...my name is Liber Aurelius." The assassin said with a slight nod.

~570/2000 Word Count~

When Ayero arrived dragging along a man who looked to be half dead and unable to walk on his own, the Imuchakk frowned unsure of what to expect. He knew that Ayero was a good person for the most part, Diego had told him of how she'd been a good friend and great help during the slave auction while they were on the ship. But it was still surprising to see her giving aid to a stranger, was this perhaps somehow the brother she'd been searching for? Yakuroro put on a friendly smile to welcome them and spread his arms in greeting only to receive a question that slapped the magic lover in the face with how ignorant it was of his relationship with the rukh.

Trying to keep up jovial appearances, Yakuroro rubbed the back of his head and held off on his urge to grumble out a mean correction. "Hahaha, sure I can. You'll have to get some ingredients for the magic to work though~ I don't have any purple ruhkkies on me sadly. They are fluttering bird-like things. Let me know if you see any." his words were almost polite in nature and actually somewhat true, " I think Lady Soushui has a few laying around. You should ask her when she arrives to see us off." He then noticed the approaching youngster with dark hair and almost didn't recognize him for Diego. Any doubts would be cleared though as Yakuroro saw his bright orange eye and heard his voice. Not to mention the fact that Madame Trixie and Zanzibar were with him.

"That's quite the new look you've got there Diego! I think it suits you." Yakuroro gave a light bow of the head in greeting and tapped the bottom of his staff on the ground glad to see that everyone was here safely. "It is good to meet you as well Liber. Are you here just to be healed or do you have business in Remano as well? You're welcome to join us on the road if you wish. Ah, here comes Lady Purple Ruhkkie now~" Yaku said as Lady Soushui swooped down by way of magic carpet and greeted everyone. "Good morning all. Before you each go I would like to thank all of you for sticking by Yakuroro's side for as long as you have. He's a wicked child who likes to play tricks on people and needs good hearted fellows to keep his heart in the fight place. Do give him a whack over the head for me he if causes any trouble."

There was a wink from Soushui to Diego and a knowing nod between woman made towards Ayero. Yakuroro grunted and tried to speak out only to be bonked over the head and silenced with magic. "Are you sure you aren't talking about yoursel-...mmmm...Mm? MmmmMMM!" Lady Soushui would agree to heal Liber and used her life magic to do so in surprising haste before giving a bow and taking her leave.

The spell binding Yakuroro's speech faded as Lady Soushui's image did so into the distance. "MMMMaaah, there we go!...Don't take what she says too seriously, that woman is a spiteful witch beyond measure...Anyways, lets get going shall we?" Yakuroro would then turn and board the middle wagon taking a slightly uncomfortable seat while he waited for the others t get on so they could set off on the adventure.

~1476/2000 Word Count~

Ayero’s full attention is focused on Yakuroro as he speaks, nodding solemnly as he explains that he needed some sort of item in order to perform the healing. She’d never heard of purple ruhkkies before but assumed from his description that they were bird-like in nature. ”I see, thank you Yakuroro.” She offers the magician a small smile and readjusts her hold on Liber.

Hearing a familiar voice, Ayero turns to greet Diego and company but can only stare in surprise at the young man before her. ”Diego…?” Her voice is a bit incredulous as she examines him from head to toe. Her gaze sweeps over Madam Trixie and Zanzibar, searching their eyes and posture for any sign of distress that would indicate that this boy was not Diego or that something bad had happened. ”What on earth did you do to your hair?” She didn’t mean the statement to be rude, but rather she was still trying to shake off the surprise. ”Are you alright? Have you all been eating well?” Her maternal instinct kicks in after greeting his pets, concerned for their safety despite knowing in the back of her mind that Diego can handle himself.

”Ah, Lady Soushui!” She waves eagerly at the magician woman upon her arrival. ”Would it be much trouble to heal this man’s wounds with your purple ruhkkies? Yakuroro said that you’d be able to spare some.” She asks politely, speaking as if what she said made perfect sense. After the healing took place, Ayero bows respectfully to the woman and lets go of Liber’s arm after making sure that he could stand on his own. Not a moment after does Kabu come winding from the direction they had come, hissing lightly to announce his presence. After being chided by Ayero, Kabu takes his place wound around her body. ”You let her get to you too easily, you know?” Ayero laughs, teasing the blue haired magician as she climbs into the back of a wagon.  She turns to look back at Liber briefly, secretly hoping a bit that he would agree to travel with them. She was curious about his choice of battle style, having never seen a Fanalis use needles in battle. She didn’t think that her race would bother with a weapon that didn’t complement their natural strength.

[807/2000]

"Purple Ruhkkies?" Diego wasn't sure what they were, but they sounded like they may be a Reimian snack. His stomach growled loudly at the thought of food, "Do you have any I can eat?" Trixie sniffed at the sack that hung from his back and whined, eager for a piece of dried meat. The Fanalis boy reached into the sack and procured a few pieces, tossing them to the tiger. Trixie sat down and snatched them in mid-air with her teeth, swallowing them whole. With a content purr, Trixie laid down to wait while the conversation continued.

In response to Ayero's questions, Diego wore a mischievous grin, "After the slave auction, I realized it's not safe to show my red hair. Plus, Jagang will be looking over his back for a Fanalis right? He won't see me coming now." He stopped as a thought struck him, "He might remember Trixie though, I think she needs to dye her hair too."

Trixie lifted her head and huffed, clearly upset at the ideas of tainting her beautiful white coat with jagged black stripes. Diego stuck his tongue out to let her know he was teasing and Trixie settled back down with a careful eye settled on her master. The question still lingered in Diego's mind, even if he was teasing, would Jagang recognize his pets? Diego wasn't sure if he could surprise attack the magician and if he did, recognition wouldn't matter once there was a chance to counter-attack. For now, Diego turned his mind to easier matters, like visiting Remano and greeting Ayero's friend, Liber.

"Nice to meet you Liber, are you from Heliohapt as well?" Diego asked the fellow Fanalis man, curious to know where Ayero had met him. Diego got the sense that Liber seemed uncomfortable so he didn't push for more information. Instead, he followed Yakuroro onto the wagon and took a seat near his friend. Trixie and Zanzibar boarded behind him, the tiger at Diego's feet, while Zanzibar skittered up the Fanalis' boys back and wrapped himself around Diego's head. "To Remano!" Diego shouted out eagerly.

Once they were moving, Diego turned to the blue-haired Imuchakk. He remembered Yakuroro explaining some of the events that happened with Kou and Reim, but there were still some unanswered questions. In rapid-fire succession with youthful excitement, Diego asked Yakuroro a series of questions. "What is Kou like and why would they want to take over Reim? Is Remano as big as Heliohapt's Capital? I hope it's not destroyed."

[848/2000]

While they were initially intimidating, Liber found himself relaxing as the strange group turned out to be a lively bunch of good people. Or at least it seemed that way. He wasn't sure if he wanted to go back to Remano just yet, but when the Imuchakk asked the question of whether or not he'd be joining them, Liber found himself with little reason to decline aside from his worries that this man might have some Kou connections. "If you don't mind, I have to be getting back to the capital soon myself. There is a ball I've managed to snag an invitation to, but it was really expensive." He winced through the words and shifted slightly trying to get more comfortable, "It'd be a shame for all that money to go to waste and who knows when the next caravan is going to leave, right?"

It wasn't long after agreeing to tag along that Liber found himself somewhat enjoying the company of this misfit filled entourage. The assassin let out a painful laugh and cringed from the hurt, but teared from the laughter alone. It was refreshing to see such a comedic scene as the Kou dressed woman arrived and made a fool of such a large Imuchakk. He had to give thanks to the woman after she healed his wounds but he was silently even more thankful to have found that she didn't seem to think much of it. There was not even a hint that she would seek some kind of repayment for the effort. Feeling a bit ashamed that he'd suspected these people would use his injuries as a means of indebting him, Liber ironically felt a bit indebted anyways. This kindness should be repaid one day...

When he was feeling better and able to stand on his own, Liber would respond to the energetic youthful boy whom revealed that he was actually a fanalis in disguise. The question was asked with such innocence that Liber hardly felt a need to be protective or hide information about his past. At least in the case of something so trivial. "I'm from Reim actually, but I spent some time in Heliohapt recently. I think I know the slave auction you were talking about if it was recent. I was in the city viewing a contest with the Pharaoh when things got crazy. After hearing that Kou had conquered Reim, I came back to my homelands to see if there was anything I could do to help."

Then they all seemed to be getting on board the wagon. Liber took a seat across from Ayero and leaned against the back board as he settled into the seating bench and began removing the bandages that had wrapped his wounds surprised to find that not so much as a scar was left behind.

~1042/2000 Word Count~

Yakuroro huffed out a half snort in response to Ayero's insistence that he was too hard on Lady Soushui. "You don't know her, she's...maddening. When I met her, she abducted me from Magnostadt to Kou and tricked me into doing all kinds of work for her. First she said I was being taking as a slave, THEN she said she'd teach me magic. Do you know what that witch did? She gave me a hint or two and then spent the rest of the day lord knows where leaving me to do her work for her. Then she had the gall to claim responsibility for my magical achievements." Without Lady Soushui around, Yakuroro seemed much more loose lipped talking about why she upset him so easily. Taking a deep breath, Yakuroro calmed down and found himself a bit embarrassed that he would talk so openly about his feelings for another person. Perhaps he was getting too comfortable with these people...these...friends.

Letting out a sigh as he rubbed his eyes, Yakuroro relinquished the fact that he did let her get under his skin more than was perhaps necessary. "I know she is just toying with me and that my reactions are what fuel her enjoyment. But I can't help myself. She knows more about me than anyone else in the world. Knows what to do to irk me so." The Imuchakk was glad for a distraction from the subject of Lady Soushui when Diego unleashed a scatter shot of unbound curiosity in his direction. The number of questions was overwhelming but the weight they held on his emotions were not, so he happily began to move towards answering them.

"Hmmm...some of those are pretty complex questions Diego. I'm not sure I can answer all of them, but I'll try. Kou is a vast country to the far east. It's pretty different from Heliohapt or Reim. The people there eat different foods, they have different customs, and they wear different cloths. Even their buildings have their own unique style. The people there are for the most part honest and hard working though. I doubt the entire country wanted to do anything to Reim...but the Emperor of Reim is a bit egotistical. He call's himself the "True" Emperor and has been long against the fact that Reim's ruler claimed a similar monicker. I doubt his reasons for targeting this country were so petty though. While he's an egotistical man, it wouldn't be a stretch to call him a "great" one. At least in the respect of a conqueror. His country is constantly expanding its borders into the lands of surrounding nomadic tribes."

Yakuroro spent the next short while talking a bit more about Kou and what their people were like outside the context of their ruler. He had mostly good things to say and held no spite against the lands or her people. But sooner or later the talk returned to the issue of the recent invasion. "I don't know why Kou would choose now to take over Reim, but you can be sure that it is only the start of many conflicts to come. If Kou sends an army here and manages to gain complete control of the country, then they have a very large foothold on a foreign continent. This puts them in position to launch a pincer attack on almost every other major nation in the world. It wouldn't be strange to say that this is a move which could lead to Kou dominating the entire world. There is no telling how much blood would need to be shed in order to make that future a reality. It's why I'm here trying to make sure that doesn't happen..." He spoke a bit more about how he wasn't sure how Remano compared to Heliohapt's own capital but guessed they were about the same and shared Diego's sentiments in hopes that it had not been destroyed but also mentioned that according to Lady Soushui, the take over had been fairly quick and lacking in destruction.

Yakuroro would find himself relaxing into his role as a companion of these people who had become much closer to him than any one else since his travels from home. Sure, he'd had traveling companions before, but none who had been through so much with Yakuroro. None that had managed to make him feel so much like himself rather than like a mask he wore to manipulate others. The rest of the ride was physically uncomfortable due to his size and the wooden bench beneath his bottom, but it was more pleasant than the lonely nights of crossing the desert on a flying carpet with naught but a baby chimera to keep him company.

~2000+/2000 Word Count~

(So long as there are no complaints, once this round of posts ends, the Caravan will reach the 200m mark and Proxy will start posting. Be ready friends, lets be the first group to conquer and A-tier job!)

”Don’t be silly, Diego. Purple Ruhkkies are not for eating at a time like this.” Ayero scolds firmly before cracking a small smile at watching the younger Fanalis feed Trixie. She listens intently to Diego’s explanation, hoping that he had a good reason for changing his hair and that he wasn’t just in some sort of teenage rebellion. ”That’s pretty clever of you, Diego.” She comments, exhaling lowly in relief as her eyes slide over to the snacking tiger with an amused look in her eyes. ”I’m sure you’ll think of something that doesn’t involve messing with Trixie’s fur.”

Raising an eyebrow at Yakuroro’s explanation, the Fanalis woman lets out a nearly uncharacteristic bark of laughter. ”You’re lucky to have such a clever woman for a teacher. I didn’t think that anyone could get a rise out of you, but it looks like I was wrong.” She flashes him a grin, remembering the young Fanalis man who had taken her into the caravan an under his wing when she was young. Kai had acted as if he were another older brother to her, teaching the young girl what he knew but also harassing her just to get a reaction. Well, perhaps her relationship with her mentor wasn’t exactly the same as Yakuroro and Lady Soushui’s.

After settling in the wagon, Ayero’s gaze finds Liber as he peels off the bandages she’d wound around him the previous night. ”Sorry if they weren’t done too well. I’m not used to wrapping wounds that large.” She sits with one leg straightened, the other bent at the knee while she rests her elbow on it. ”I’ve been meaning to ask you, If you don’t mind,” She begins, pinning the man with a curious stare. ”Why do you choose to use needles as your weapon? Most Fanalis I’ve come across use swords or their fists.” She pauses, remembering Diego. ”Or beasts. Oh, and how on earth did you manage to take down so many men with a piece of cloth? Is it a magic item of sorts?” Ayero found herself more talkative and approachable than usual, something that had struck her during the brief silence between climbing into the cart and speaking to Liber. Perhaps, she thought, she was becoming used to those around her. Glancing over at the Imuchakk and dark-haired boy, she realized that she had begun to enjoy their company and even let her guard down somewhat around them.

[1214/2000]

Madam Trixie took up most of the foot room in the wagon where she laid, as close to Diego as she could be. She snorted when a few of Zanzibar's legs twitched as he slept on her back, tickling her. With a playful slap of her paw at the spider's butt, Zanzibar stirred from his nap, trilling grumpily. Starting to feel cramped, Trixie got up and licked Diego's face before hopping off the wagon.

With quick strides, she caught up to Akatetsu to keep the large lizard company. Zanzibar blinked up at Tetsu and trilled happily. Trixie gave a friendly meow and thumped her tail against the back of the lizard's leg.

Meanwhile, Diego ran his hand down Trixie's tail as she got off the wagon, listening to Yakuroro's explanation. Kou sounded like an interesting place, but the Emperor certainly sounded like a mean person. Diego didn't understand what the Imuchakk meant about a pincer-attack, the idea of conquering a foreign nation felt wrong. Diego shifted his weight, his butt had begun to cramp from sitting on the hard bench.

With a sad look on his face, Diego finally understood why Kou's presence in Reim was bad. "Even if we fight against Kou's domination of the world, a lot of blood will be shed. Maybe we can find a peaceful solution, a way not to fight." With his recent experiences, Diego had shed some of nativity about the world, but he still wanted to remain hopeful. He realized that against people like Jagang and from the sounds of it, the Emperor, there was no peaceful solution. Their kind would always leave a trail of victims. Yet, there were others who didn't agree with the twisted individuals like Jagang. Maybe if attacked directly at the source they could prevent unnecessary deaths.

"Needles?" Diego asked at Ayero's question. He turned to face Liber, interested in the curious weapon. "That must take great skill." His eyes sparkled with curiosity, "Piece of cloth?" Like Ayero, the only other weapons Diego had seen Fanalis use were ones more direct.

[1192/2000]

Liber became a bit less cautious as he listened in on the large blue haired man's exposition about Kou which revealed that he too was against the idea of the eastern nation having its claws in Reim. From the sound of things, he really had been there personally and painted a picture of the nation that was surprisingly good willed. Liber had to reconsider his hatred towards Kou afterwards, reshaping it to be more focused. The Emperor and those with power in the country had attacked Reim, but the people of Kou themselves had not. In fact, many of its citizens were once part of nomadic tribes which had been likewise conquered. The assassin could have sat silent pondering this for the rest of the way back to Reim and by the time he was asked a question, Liber had hardly come to a final resolution within himself.

Pulled from his thoughts by Ayero's inquiry, Liber looked up blinking and then cleared his throat finding that Diego was also curious. The fanalis man spread open palms from a crossed position at his chest leaving both nipple exposed as he crossed his legs and closed his eyes. A lie flowed from his lips like wine from a barrel and Liber gave an answer that would hide his background as an assassin. These people were nice and it was easy to be comfortable around them....but not so comfortable so as to reveal his true nature. "I am an acupuncturist, the use of needles and knowledge of key vital points are simply a part of my trade. Or...at least they used to be. I quit that profession years ago in favor of mercenary work. It pays better and is a bit more exciting."

With that explanation out of the way, Liber made a fist with one hand and knocked on the swordsman's cloth wrapped around his abdomen. It produced a starkly metal sound from his rapping and Liber smiled as he stated, "As for this, it isn't cloth. It's a rare metal that is flexible and light, similar to cloth. I only just recently obtained the weapon so I'm still quite new in its use, but I feel rather fond of it so far." It was an odd weapon combination for sure, but this served Liber well in battle so far and he held high hopes that it would continue to do so well into the future.

As time passed, the caravan got closer and closer to Reim and the days passed on. After three days of travel, they would finally be almost there. 200m away, the city of Reim stood glorious in the distance albeit a bit small on the horizon due to the range. Alas, the trip would meet a stop of sorts before it could go any further...

~1514/2000 Word Count~

The travelers were being watched, from a distance, by a trio of individuals. Through the use of seeing glasses, and the capable legs of their horses, the trio were able to keep up with the group as they traveled closer and closer to Remano. Of the trio, one man stood out as the leader. A tall male man, with a large frame, sat upon his horse viewing the group through a seeing glass. He held upon him an air of authority brought about through confidence. "Hmmm. This is strange. Our target has others with him, though this is not normally the case... What do you two think? Should we abort the attack?"

The seeing-glass was handed over to another. A man who held the tell-tale signs of being a Fanalis reached out and grabbed the object, taking a look for himself. The object looked like a toy while being held in the man's hand, which was covered by a deadly looking gauntlet. He passed the sight over the individuals in the carriage and grunted. "A kid... Likely a beast tamer. The tiger looks dangerous, but the spider shouldn't be ignored either... A male and female, both with red hair. Best to assume they are Fanalis when considering their fighting strength... Man doesn't look like he has a weapon, though we know better than any that this means nothing. Woman looks to be a fighter. She wields a scimitar. Then there's our magician...." The man gave a rundown of what they were up against. While their leader most certainly ascertained that himself, it was primarily done for the benefit of their third member.

"Thank you, Max. Boss, I think we could still take them out, if you let me go first..." The third man was an older man who was hunched over on his horse. He held himself in such a manner that made him look very weak, though this did not require any great deal of subterfuge; his bad knees and back made him far too old for the work he did. Something he complained about often, though those complaints were often empty. Yet his most debilitating feature, and perhaps also his most prominent, were his irises which had been burned out from a prior... Incident. His horse was currently being led by the Fanalis member of the trio.

And that very lead was pulled on, aggressively, by that very Fanalis man. Putting his face up close to the crippled elder, the Fanalis spoke with a hot anger. "The. Name. Is. Maxia. Next time you fuck it up, it will be you who Pays the Piper. Sees. No. Light." Maxia threw the man back a bit, roughing him up slightly. The elder did not seem to take it personally, however, and simply chuckled at the outburst.

"So, Lanius, what do you think? Go ahead with the job, and catch them off guard?" Ignoring Maxia, Sees-No-Light asked for their leader's opinion on the matter. It was apparent from their scuffle that the Fanalis and the blind man normally handled matters in 1-man missions, as they had difficulties working well together.

"That may be the best bet, actually. Let's ride ahead of them with our faster horses. We'll ambush them through misdirection." The man had already thought up a plan, and the three of them road forward quickly, making their way to Remano, the destination they had determined this group was moving to.


Lanius had finally found what he was looking for; another traveler along the road ahead of Yakuroro, their sworn enemy. This traveler was moving with their family, and the carriage was being drawn by two horses. It looked like a carriage from Heliohapt, carrying spices in a trade route to Remano. "Kill them discreetly. We're taking the carriage." Noting the disappointment on Maxia's face, Lanius followed up on his orders with another sentence. "You can go crazy when you face up against our opponents. Take on your brethren. Sees-No-Light will take on the beast tamer... And I will end Yakuroro."

Maxia howled in delight, kicking his horse into action. The slaughter was quick, though he failed to completely follow the orders of not spilling any blood. With knowledge that their opponents had a beast tamer, they cleverly used the spice to conceal the smell of blood before taking over the carriage and driving forward further down the road.

Lanius let loose the horses pulling the carriage once they got within 200 meters of Remano, smacking their rumps to get them to run off. Their own horses were tied up some distance away. Under orders, Maxia broke an axle with his bare hands and flipped the carriage onto its side. The two of them jumped into the now-broken-down carriage and watched through a small flap in the back as Sees-No-Light made his way closer to Yakuroro's direction, 26 meters away from the carriage. He set himself down on the side of the road, all the while playing his flute...

-------------------------------------------------------------------

The group approached Remano, only 200 meters from the gates. Yet there was a strange sight on the side of the road; an old man, sitting cross legged, less than 2 meters to the side. He seemed to be playing on a flute, but made the matter even stranger was the carriage that was knocked over on its side. Would the group stop, to check up on this old man? They certainly hoped so. The old man continued to play his flute, giving him Sight Beyond Sight.

Akatetsu was walking alongside the caravan scanning the horizon for danger. His new stronger body was given to him by Lady Soushui so he could protect Yakuroro now and not the other way around. While his eye sight would not let him spot those watching the caravan, he remained diligent none the less. The trek was lonely for the Chimera being unable to enjoy the company of the others save for when they stopped for the night, so he was thankful with Trixie and Zanzibar took to joining him outside the wagon. The bonehead snorted as his leg was teasingly pat and his own tail rose to nudge the tigers head. He didn't want the company stopping him from fulfilling his duty as a look out despite how welcome the distractions were.

As the strange tune settled over Yakuroro and the rest of the wagon, the Imuchakk raised and eye brow and looked around at everyone else. "Do you all hear that?...Hey, are you listening? Hey!" He would quickly find that despite shouting his words were not reaching the others. Looking out the front of the wagon, Yakuroro placed a hand on the driver's shoulder and gestured for him to stop. The human didn't seem to understand Yakuroro's Imuchakk hand motions and with a sigh, the magician reached over to grab the reins to the oxen himself. The magician took off his gourd backpack and left it in the wagon before crawling out the front with staff in hand and jumping onto the ground. He'd jog ahead to the front most wagon and wave them down to stopping too. Soon enough the drivers would realize that something was wrong with their hearing but Yakuroro already knew the cause had to be magical in nature.

There were green rukh fluttering about the air and Yakuroro's eyes followed them back to their source, an old man sitting near a flipped transport by the side of the road. The Imuchakk would begin walking towards the old man noting that the sound of the disturbing flute song was only getting louder. Even his own foot steps were not reaching his ears and it became clear that the magic was being worked through the flute the elderly man played. Frowning, Yakuroro would approach just within 5m of man before pointing his staff at him and muttering a spell of his own, "Ring..."

A set of five spheres would form around Yaku's staff and fly towards the old man. Should the spheres reach him, they would move for his head and subject the man to a loud ringing sound whilst also blocking out all sound. Hopefully this would include the sound created by the flute. Just as Yakuroro cast the spell, Akatetsu would approach from behind him just 3m away having become curious as he noticed the caravan had stopped moving.


240/250 - Magoi

Abilities Used:

Yakuroro’s words rung in the back of her mind, but the Fanalis woman didn’t want to think about what the future of Kou domination could mean. Until recently she had only thought of these dangers in regards to her family, but her view had steadily begun to encompass the people of Reim as well, although to a much lesser extent. Instead of pondering the motives of the eastern nation, Ayero turns her attention to the man seated across from her.

”Acupuncture?” She seems genuinely surprised at this answer and looks Liber up and down once more, never having imagined than a Fanalis could perform such a delicate task. Moving onto her second question, Ayero is surprised to hear the metallic sound resonating from the cloth-like weapon as Liber raps on it with one fist. Had she not seen it in action, the halfling would have laughed at such a notion. Ayero knew her fair share about blades, but never had she seen one so thin and wielded in such an odd manner.

”May I?” She leans forward, a hand outstretched toward Liber’s abdomen. Should the Fanalis man oblige, Ayero would press her fingertips gently against the cool touch of metal before flicking a finger against the bandages. Hearing the metallic sound and feeling the solidity of metal for herself, she leans back in satisfaction. ”Hmm. Not bad.”

~

The next few days of travel would go by peacefully and Ayero found the company to be rather relaxing if not entertaining at times. Leaning against the side of the wagon, Ayero had turned her head to the side in quiet observation of their surroundings. As they neared the gates of the city, Ayero could nearly feel her heart pound its way out of her chest. It had been years since she’d last passed through Remano and she was eager to see how the city had changed in the past years. Would things be as similar as they were in her memories, or would the capital be decked out with Kou’s presence? She barely notices the light tune in the air, paying it no mind as the scent of strong spices wafts over them. Inhaling deeply, a small smile settles onto her face from the familiar smell of Heliohapt seasonings. This road was heavily traveled by merchants from all over, so it was not surprising that traders from the desert nation would be here as well.

Having her head turned she wasn’t aware of Yakuroro’s gestures as he tried to get their attention, his voice reaching none of them. The shift of weight from the Imuchakk’s depature as well as the sudden forward push of the cart stopping suddenly does get her attention however, and she looks back at her companions in mild confusion before calling out to the driver. ”Oi! Why have we stopped?” After receiving no response, the woman grows slightly frustrated with the situation. She could see Remano’s gates in the distance, why had the driver stopped? And moreover, he had the audacity to ignore her? Standing, she takes a step forward to approach the driver. ”What, can’t you—“ Her eyes catch sight of the blue magician about 20 meters away, approaching an elderly man on the side of the road. Her face contorts in bewilderment, wondering if this is what they had stopped for. As Yakuroro casts his spell and several spheres of light make their way around the old man’s head, Ayero calls out to him as she dismounts from the cart and walks briskly toward the pair.

”Yakuroro! What are you doing?!” She’s sure that her voice is loud enough for the magician to hear. Beggars weren’t uncommon the closer you got to the city, but something made her hesitate in her steps. Yakuroro wasn’t the type to attack an innocent person without prior suspicions.

[1855/2000]

Diego leaned forward to listen to Liber's reason for using the needles, fascinated to learn that the Fanalis had been an acupuncturist. During his travels Diego had heard mention of people who could cure pain or disease with the use of needles. The ache of the firm bench sent a spasm through the boy's butt and Diego wondered if Liber could help with that. Without warning, Diego turned around, resting his knees on the bench, with his butt turned to Liber. He dropped his drawers, revealing a pale moon, with two large red marks from where the bench had been resting, to the older Fanalis man. "Can your needles fix the pain in my butt? The bench hurts..."

Realizing that he had just exposed himself to Ayero, his face flushed in embarrassment and Diego quickly covered himself. His shorts got tangled around his legs as he tried to pull them up and he fell on the floor. Bright red, Diego fixed himself and sat back down on the bench, hoping everyone would ignore what had just happened. He flashed an apologetic look to Ayero before pointing his eyes to the floor, barely registering what Liber had said about his cloth-metal sword.  

-----

Three days had passed and the group was nearly to Remano. Diego was currently resting his head on Yakuroro's lap, dozing lightly from the motions of the wagon rocking. Madam Trixie had spent her days near Akatetsu, keeping the lizard chimera company. For his part, Zanzibar had used both Trixie and Tetsu as a bed, switching between them when he got bored with one or the other. Diego's pets made sure not to distract Akatetsu from keeping a lookout, understanding that the lizard was serious about his duty.

Diego leaped up from his nap when his head met the bench with a soft crack. He looked around for Yakuroro and saw the blue-haired magician walking towards a beggar. With a look to Ayero he asked, "What's going on?" When she didn't respond, he tried asking again, but she was either ignoring him or couldn't hear. He waved his hand in front of her face and gestured for her to follow.

Running after Yakuroro, Diego caught up just as the Imuchakk cast the spell and came to a stop next to Akatetsu. Madam Trixie and Zanzibar had followed Testsu to see what was going on and they now stood by Diego's side as well. The white spider clung to Trixie's back, trilling anxiously, not understanding what was going on or why he couldn't hear anything but the music of the flute.

Diego had a sinking feeling between the music, the beggar and the inability to hear, that something bad was about to happen. He looked to his left and right, checking his surroundings to see if there was a threat.

[1662/2000]

Liber was happy to oblige Ayero in her curiosity and nodded when she asked permission to see the metallic nature of the apparent cloth for herself. Meanwhile, he noticed Deigo up to some odd movements and turned his head just in time to be face to face with his poor buttocks. They had the tight firmness of youth and large red marks where they had suffered the lame discomfort Liber himself was going through. Familiar with male nudity, Liber simply smiled and paid the indecency no mind as he replied with a friendly lie to maintain his cover. "Sadly, I don't have any clean needles on me. We'd need to be in the city where I can sterilize them properly. Otherwise it's possible they could leave behind infection. I'm not sure it's practical to amputate butts should they get gangrene."

His words were calm and clear as though he'd mean every one. Thankfully there was a bit of humor following as Diego toppled to the floor. Liber laughed and offered his apologies for doing so. It would seem this trip was not going to be without its entertainment.

~~~

Liber had been sitting with his eyes closed, unable to sleep but trying anyways, when he heard the mysterious sound of the flute. Opening his maroon gaze, Liber looked up to see Ayero's mouth moving, but no words coming out. It looked like she was trying to talk to the driver but even as she got up to get closer to him there were no sounds of the wagon creaking. Only the disturbing tune of the flute. Liber watched Diego stir and bump his head, but still there was no sound other than the soft song.

Liber hopped out the back of the wagon and then followed everyone else to see what was going on. He took a position next to Ayero, whom he was most familiar with, and tried to ask what was going on. "Something's wrong...what's happening?" but she didn't seem to hear him. Liber set his eyes on the old man playing the flute and noticed that everyone was looking at him as well. Not knowing Yakuroro had cast a spell, Liber flourished his hand and prepared several needles between his fingers just in case there was hostility in the near future.

~1898/2000 Word Count~

Job Details:

When Yakuroro cast the spell and the sphere covered the old man's head, the old man paused, if just briefly, as the sensation of the spell engulfed him. The sound of the flue seemed to stop, if just for a moment. That was more due to the fact that the old man was surprised at the feeling of the spell than anything else, however. With the short pause, he continued to play the flute over the sound of the noise and the two abilities clashed against each other. The Magician would likely be able to gauge the strength of the ability, now that he had seen it re-cast. The Tool, having completely outclassing the level of the spell used against it, was likely a powerful one.

Even though the spell had been negated, the old man stopped playing the flute. The group had stopped and left the carriage, making the first phase of their ambush successful. With the flute still close to his mouth, the old man began speaking, partially in an attempt to draw the attention of those before him. "Yakuroro, is it? I see you've stepped down from the carriage to approach me. You have respect for your elders... Very admirable... Very admirable indeed..." He lifted his head slightly, showing how the pupils of his eyes were an opaque white. "I must ask... Were you prepared to die when you attacked and destroyed our Kou branch? You must know our reputation... Our work that we do in the night. I can't allow you to leave here alive. You will die." Though he did not speak of who he was, exactly, he assumed the Imuchakk would know.

During the conversation, two other men came forward to approach the group. They approached from the tipped over carriage; a strong muscular looking man who looked fit to be a Gladiator from the Colloseum, followed by a rough looking Fanalis man who held himself in a very arrogant manner. He made no intense effort to hide himself; they were the Brotherhood of Ash. Anyone who had the gall to attack them would have to be made an example of, and they couldn't simply cloak and dagger the man with that in mind. Any fool who had a belief that they could run away and hide better than the man would be taking potshots at them if they went that route. At least, that was Lanius' reasoning behind approaching the group. He stopped 8 meters away from the group, just as Sees-No-Light finished speaking to the Magician. He nodded and spoke, announcing his presence if they had not seen him approaching from the side. "Those of you who wish to turn back... Do so now. You will be allowed to live. Our business is strictly with the Imuchakk."

Behind him and to the left was the Fanalis man, Maxia, who cracked his knuckles together with a look that said 'I dare you to stick around.' The gauntlet on the man's hand had a magical circle on it and, looking closer, the first man had a particularly deadly looking cleaver on his side, which he had unsheathed while speaking.


OOC:

The offer stands IC and OOC. From here on, you may or may not die. I will do my darn best to kill you, but I will be following all of the abilities and words on the characters. If you see something I do and think I made a mistake, please inform me (Garret) through PM so I can make any necessary edits (if you aren't sure I made a mistake) or take advantage of the mistake and make the NPC pay for it ^_^ (Only suggested if you are VERY certain that there was a mistake made by the NPC, as if there wasn't then it could very well be you on the business end of the exchange). If you have any general questions that come about from a post of mine, PM me or catch me in the cbox. I'll work stuff out. From now on, in order to determine who are within the AOE areas, please post distances between each other. For now, the newest 2 stopped 8 meters away from Yakuroro, or at least attempted to (if he moves, he will say when/how far he moves in his post ^_^) and Yakuroro is 5 meters away from the old man. Feel free to attack the group in your next posts if you want to.

Yakuroro's lips curled into a smile as the flute's sound ceased. "There, much bet-" The spell he'd cast then broke apart, overwhelmed by the superior capabilities of the old man's magic tool. As the song started up again, Yakuroro grit his teeth in frustration. Thankfully the tune would die down so the elder could speak and still be heard. It would only take a second of thought for Yakuroro to recall the organized group of criminals he dealt with during his extended stay in Kou. The Imuchakk's eyes narrowed and he shot the old man a hostile gaze. "That's right...your Headquarters was in Reim, wasn't it? Do you think we could delay this scuffle? I would have come to you in due time. But there are more important things for me to deal with right now than your petty revenge."

Yakuroro's words were somewhat taunting, he wanted the old man to show his hand. But Yakuroro had spoken too soon. Two more Brotherhood members revealed themselves from nearby wreck and made it very clear that they were intent on ending Yakuroro's life here and now. The magician clenched his staff in hand firmly as he looked the two others over and found them both to be as intimidating as the old blind man was, if not more so. Yaku took in a deep breath before exhaling and put on a smile as he turned back to his friends. "You should all heed their warnings and go back to the wagon. I'm the one they want." He did not want them dying on his behalf and would try to urge them to value their lives. Akatetsu would be the first to protest.

"Gyarwaar!" The beast roared as it stepped forward to Yakuroro's side. Akatetsu looked at Yakuroro with eyes that spoke his intentions. Son would stand by father and fight. The chimera then turned its gaze to the leader of the Brotherhood members and let out another roar daring him to lay hands on Yakuroro. "GRWAAAAAAR!!!"

Should any of the others also choose to fight against these criminals, Yakuroro would give each one a look of surprise before smiling to himself and looking back to the Brotherhood of Ash members, "There you have it. If you want to kill me, it looks like you'll have to fight all of us." Yakuroro would then place his hand on Akatetsu's hide and spoke softly to the chimera, "I'm going to try and draw one of them away. Stay here and make sure everyone else stays safe." Akatetsu growled and nodded in response, his eyes remaining locked one the men with hostile animosity.

Yakuroro then unfurled his magic carpet and mounted it as he called out to the man with the cleaver, "I'm your target, right? I'll fight you, but not here!" and with that, he began flying at 10m/s away from the group for 5 seconds until he was a safe distance away from the others. The Imuchakk would then dismount his flying carpet returning it to his waist to hold his robes closed as he turned to face whoever had followed. "A bit hypocritical to be taking revenge on me, don't you think?"

Meanwhile, Akatetsu remained with the others and would stay close to Diego, the youngest of the group, seeking to ensure his safety. Akatetsu would place himself between Diego and the criminals standing 2m away from the boy growling in an intimidating manner.

Ayero had come to a stop about 5m from the Imuchakk just as the old man stopped playing the flute and looked up to address the blue magician. As he begins to speak, Ayero feels a chill in her blood as Kabu shifts uncomfortably around her body. The snake lets out a low hiss in warning, though whether it was to the group or the old man was unsure. The white nearly pupil-less eyes of the elder caused a tingle of a shiver in her spine, her instincts seemed to be telling her that there was something ominous about this situation. As if on cue, two intimidating looking figures appeared and began closing in on the group, one of them speaking aloud. Ayero’s right hand twitched and she rested her wrist on the hilt of her sword, taking a wider stance and standing straight. Her eyes hardened as her mind and body began preparing unconsciously for what she anticipated would turn into a rough battle.

”Don’t be stupid.” Is her only response to Yakuroro, her voice clear and strong with a hint of scolding. She keeps her gaze fixed on the strange men the entire time, unsheathing her scimitar with a flourish and holding it out to her side. Her eyes narrow and hone in on the Fanalis man cracking his knuckles, practically able to see the bloodlust radiating off of him while she sizes him up. Even if she had taken the offer to retreat, she couldn’t trust these men to honor their words and no go after her or the others. And even if she could, her conscience would not allow her to abandon her companions.


The black serpent tightens his body around his master, large red eyes glued to their opponents. Another warning hiss leaves his mouth, prepared to assist in any way. A light smile flickers across her stony face as she catches Akatetsu positioning himself in front of Diego, heart a bit warmed at seeing the now-grown creature so protective. Taking a deep breath, the Fanalis woman exhales slowly and shifts on her feet, standing in silence and bracing herself for action.

[2000+/2000]

Sure enough, Diego's gut feeling proved true. The old man with the flute stopped playing and addressed Yakuroro, accusing the Imuchakk of attacking "our" Kou Branch. An image of a tree branch briefly passed through Diego's mind and wondered who else the old man was referring to, before he focused on to the more important fact that his friend was being threatened. His hand reflexively went to Determination and he slid it off his shoulder. Diego brought an arrow to rest along the handle of his bow when he noticed two more men approaching.

Flashback:

A look of determination set on Diego's features in response to Yakuroro. "I thought we had a deal. We're playing for keeps." He met Yakuroro's look of awe with a brief smile, before it faded away. Diego focused back on the three men and raised his bow, surveying each for a tense muscle or a sign that would betray a coming attack.

Meanwhile, Madam Trixie had maneuvered herself in front of Diego, sensing the threat from the three men. Zanzibar warbled from the tiger's rump, gripping her sides tightly with his furry, white legs. When Akatetsu came to stand next to her, she looked up at the lizard and gave a grunt of appreciation.

With Yakuroro attempting to draw one of the wayside aggressors away and Ayero focusing on the Fanalis threat, Diego turned his gaze to the old man that was still sitting about eight meters away. Taking a few quick strides backwards at five meters per second, Diego came to a rest fourteen meters from his target. A few clicks of Diego's tongue would signal Trixie to be cautious but attack when she thought it was safe. Trixie would reply with a swish of her tail as she watched the blind man carefully.

[1951/2000]

Spoiler:

OOC: Flashback is not included in the word count total.

Hearing that these men had some kind of Kou connections was all it took for Liber's interests to be piqued. He didn't know how deep those roots ran or what Yakuroro's role in destroying them were, but the three magic tool wielding men suddenly became high value targets in the assassin's eyes. It would be interesting to see what one of them had to say if Liber could capture one alive. While normally his first instinct would have been to let the Imuchakk deal with his own problems, Liber's personal motives gave him cause to step up to the challenge of fighting off these ominous looking thugs. Besides, the other two had decided to fight with Yakuroro as well, Liber couldn't simply stand by and allow himself to be the only one to shy from battle. He had a debt to Ayero and a general liking for Diego. Even if Yakuroro himself was still a somewhat mysterious and therefor potentially dangerous element, Liber's goals seemed to somewhat align with his own and he could just as easily be a powerful ally in the future.

"Sorry, but I've got some questions to ask these men about their relationship with Kou. I'll be sticking my nose into this mess." Liber said as he began move at 5m/s away from Ayero to begin circling around the fanalis Brotherhood member. The assassin would seek to move to flank him and position himself 12m away from the man and 20m away from Ayero. Assuming nothing stopped him or his opponent didn't move, Liber would stop here and wait for an opening to strike.

~2000+/2000~

Job Details:

The leader, Lanius Parna, seemed slightly surprised that the group wanted to stick around. At the same time, however, it was something they had expected. When you make plans, you plan for the worst and hope for the best. Well. We'll just have to go by pla... Before he could finish the thought, Yakuroro explained his own terms. He won't fight us here? The man's curiosity was piqued. What made the Magician think he had the right to decide the battlefield? If they broke out in a fight at this very moment...

That was when the Imuchakk had gotten on his Magic Carpet and began flying away. "Shit." He watched as the Imuchakk began flying to the south at a speed he would have to sprint at to keep up with. His mind worked quickly, deciding what to do. He noted Liber was moving to surround them, and simply smiled. Two seconds had passed, and Yakuroro was about 20 meters away from the group already. "Change of plans. These poor mooks are going to regret sticking behind. Focus on them, and we'll control the flow of this fight, forcing the magician to fight here." He whispered to Maxia. The Fanalis smiled, only too happy to get on with the carnage.

-----------------------------------
Five seconds had passed, and Yakuroro dismounted from his carpet and began turning around. "A bit hypocritical to be taking revenge on me, don't you think?"

If he expected them to follow him, he would be in for a surprise. Nobody had chased after him. Instead, they began their fight in earnest against Yakuroro's friends. The admission of caring from the Magician, and the desire for those who stuck behind to help him, was enough to make the group believe that these people would be a great motivation for getting the Magician to come and fight on their terms, their grounds. No sound was being made from that direction, either, showing that the old man had started up his flute again....
-----------------------------------

As Yakuroro dismounted from his carpet, or if Yakuroro decided to turn around mid flight, Maxia would speak to Sees-No-Light. "DO IT, OLD MAN. WE'RE ALL ON OUR OWN NOW!" Sees-No-Light immediately began playing his flute, using Sight Beyond Sight. The battlefield was immediately apparent to the old man, who furrowed his brow slightly when he noted that Lanius was still there, and the Magician had gone. Regardless, the man was their leader, and he had no place second-guessing the man's decisions. Well, and he was blind, so his grasp of the situation wasn't quite as good. With the magical tool providing his sight and taking away the other's hearing, the group would find themselves unable to communicate with each other.

Though Sees-No-Light did not know it, this meant that Trixie and Akatetsu would have to make judgement calls on their own, and would not be able to heed the words of their masters. How the sudden removal of guidance would be on the two that were always together would be an interesting sight to those who knew how intertwined the fighting styles were of the beasts with their masters, and the reliance that they sometimes had with each other.

Three seconds later, Liber was in place for where he wanted to be. He was being carefully watched by Lanius who, when he saw Liber stop, slapped Maxia on the back to let him know that it was time to give it a go. The Fanalis burst forward by 5 meters at 5 m/s before slamming his fist into the ground and sending a trail of fire on the ground towards the group of Ayero, Trixie and Akatetsu who were conveniently located right next to each other. It only took all of .53 seconds to travel the distance of eight meters before erupting in a 10 meter diameter pillar of flame. The Eruption Fist was a deadly technique, but it was soon apparent that the Fanalis man did not believe it would be enough to finish off his opponents. Immediately after the technique, Maxia burst forward again, this time only going an additional 4 meters closer towards his target.

At the same time that Maxia burst forward, Lanius Parna burst forward as well for just a single second, making it 3 meters forward. Being slower than the Fanalis man, he stopped short behind Maxia while the man used his Magical Tool. It was at this point that he pivoted on his foot. Holding his own magical weapon to the sky, a force of lightning struck down upon it and gathered. Had their voices not been muted, the Fanalis Assassin would have clearly heard Lanius shout out 'I HAVE THE POWER!' before pointing the cleaver towards the assassin and using his Chaos Smite. A .2m diameter bolt of lightning shot towards him, which would reach him within .75 seconds.

Lanius Parna:

OOC:

Alrighty guys, here's the first battle post! Enjoy it ^_^.

Ah, yes, please get your baring from the map below when deciding what to do in your post. The first one will always be their reactions to your stuff, then the second one will be their initiation of their own abilities. Unless, of course, I say otherwise.

P.s. forgot to write it in, but Liber is at the end of that 15 meter long lightning bolt.

Battle Map?!?!?:

Faced with three enemies, Tetsu let his gaze drift between the trio always keeping all three within his field of vision. The Chimera didn't move until the fanalis man began his charge. Akatetsu would burst forward himself at 10m/s and intercept Maxia with a tackle from his carbonized skull just before he could punch the ground with his magic tool. If the skull made an impact, it would deal B-tier damage and Akatetsu would follow up with a Bone Crush slamming his head in Maxia's direction violently at 10m/s. Unless the fanalis could get 1m away or counter the ability he would face yet another B-tiers worth of damage. If Akatetsu's ability failed to hit anyone, it would generate a 5m diameter crater away from him likely destroying the footing of his foe should they be within range of its creation. Akatestu would then stand at the edge of the crater and even though no one could hear him, Akatetsu would roar wildly showing his large fanged maw to intimidate and make himself seem like a great threat.


Upon dismounting his carpet and turning around, Yakuroro watched as a bubble of green rukh spread and the brotherhood of ash members began attacking his friends. None had followed him as he had expected, but this wasn't necessarily a bad thing. The others were strong and Diego had survived a dungeon. They could manage through the danger for a time without him. The Imuchakk frowned that things had not gone his way, but then again, this would likely work out in his favor. With the villains focused on his friends, Yakuroro would be able to use the power of his djinn to an extreme advantage.

The Imuchakk grasped his flying carpet again and willed it to unfurl and spread wide in front of him as a screen of sorts while he chanted, "O' Djinn of Mischief and Deceit! Let my will bend reality and grant me the power to fool even the wise! Dwell in my body and let your power be unleashed!" A bright flash of golden magoi would engulf him but it would be impossible to tell from the location of the battle. As the magoi faded, Yakuroro was clad in ominous looking armor and a greatsword was held in hand. "Marx Vanish" Yakuroro said as he wrapped himself and the blade in illusion and disappeared from sight. The King Vessel then pressed his body flat against the carpet and had it fall to just an inch above ground before speeding back towards the group with a swift acceleration to 25m/s.

As Yakuro neared the edge of the green rukh sphere which indicated the border of the strange flute's range, Yakuroro let go of his carpet letting it fly headlong into the radius only to fall limp to the floor just a few meters in. Meanwhile, the Djinn Equipped Imuchakk flew upwards riding the outside of the perimeter without touching it at 15m/s until he came to settle above Sees-no-Light a handful of seconds later. There he would raise his greatsword high and shout, "Marx Divide!" and magoi poured into the blade as it extended into a massive weapon of inhuman proportion. Without warning, Yakuroro would drop at 15m/s for 10m as he swung the giant blade at 25m/s aiming for the old man on a trajectory that would not hit any of Yaku's friends.

There would be hardly any time for the old man to take notice of the strange mass entering his field of senses and move out of the way before the spell could cleave through the earth and slash into him. Debris would be sent flying into the air and the scent of burning earth would follow regardless of whether this attack hit its mark or not. The cataclysmic event would create a massive visual distraction as it would seemingly come out of nowhere and happen without cause.

~660/1125 Training Resonance Wave~
Magoi - 135/250

Spoiler:

((Since it will take a bit for Yakuroro to get into position, the target of his attack may change. If Sees-No-Light is taken out before he can get there, consider his casting of Marx Divide to be void. If I do void it, I'll just reclaim the magoi that would have been cast from Marx Divide and subtract it again next turn on top of all my sustain costs.))

Even after Yakuroro’s departure, Ayero is a bit bewildered after none of the men go after the Imuchakk. Didn’t that man say that the blue magician was their target? Even more wary of the situation, the Fanalis tries not to let it bother her and focus on the opponents in her immediate vicinity.

As Maxia began moving forward, she catches Akatetsu’s movement out of the corner of her eye. Digging heels into the ground, Ayero shifts her attention to the man behind Maxia with his back to her. Trusting the chimera to deal with the Fanalis man for the time being, she paces herself just behind the chimera. As the beast intercepts Maxia, she changes direction slightly to the left to emerge from behind Tetsu and sprints forward with her eyes fixed on the back of Lanius Parna. Drawing her scimitar back, she reaches the man just as he turns his back and deals a diagonal slash across the man’s back with her blade, cutting from two inches just above Lanius’ right hip up to his left shoulder. As she drags the weapon across his back, the woman steadily gathers magoi into her right arm, focusing it down into her hand and her fingertips. Holding the blade in the air after completing her first attack, Ayero’s magoi stretches across the tempered steel and she brings the sword down again on Lanius’ back with her Cross Slash.


[Stamina: 160/200]

Spoiler: