A Fated Fight For Love [B-Tier - Reserved - Amaya/Vardreth]

Job Name: A Fated Fight For Love
Job Rank: B
Job Location: Kou
Job Rewards: 15,000 Huang, 200 xp
Job Prerequisites: Vardreth Only
Job Overview:
A government official, Marquis Ji Teng, has been secretly building an army of his own for some time. While on the surface he has shown neutrality, intelligence reports have uncovered that his ambitions are greater than what he lets on to be. Vardreth has been assigned the mission to eradicate the hostile forces within the Marquis' territory, neutralizing the threat of a man who would profit from the chaos and aftermath of the civil war.

Enemies:

Two children, covered in dirt, peaked out from an alleyway. "Bro, do you see anyone who looks good?" The children were in little more than rags, showing a degree of poverty that would make one wonder how they managed to survive. Even so, there existed a healthy vibrancy of life that flushed through their veins.

The other brother held the speaker back with his hand. "Yeah... I think so. An old man. Looks rich - has robes on. He wouldn't suffer at all if we took a bit from him..." Both of them felt a pang in their chest. When alive, their parents often told them to not be burdens upon others. To not cause trouble. To live honest lives. Yet now that they were homeless and orphans, they had resorted to thieving in order to live. They were too young - nobody would let them work. Even so, with the money they stole it was difficult to buy food. They had to be careful when they choose where to go, as word got out on their description many places wouldn't let them purchase anything.

This was the fourth city they had traveled to.

"Good... Brother Chang Yun, when do you think we can stop this? Owch! What was that for?!" As he spoke, he was punched by his Chang Yun. The strike was neither heavy nor light.

"Little bro Chang Jun, don't talk while we're in the middle of work." Chang Yun spoke in a stern voice, reprimanding his brother before focusing on the streets once more. His eyes lit up and he turned back to Chang Jun. "Okay! You get ahead three alleys! We'll do the usual thing!"

After Chang Jun got into position and the old man in fancy robes passed by the alleyway Chang Yun was in, the two left the alleyways at nearly the same time. Chang Jun approached the man steadily while Chang Yun kept close behind.

Chang Jun bumped into the old man, causing the old man to pause and turn to look at the child. Chang Jun immediately fell to the floor, kowtowing to the old man. "Please! Forgive me, senior! I was lost in thoughts and accidentally bumped into you!" Chang Jun slammed his head onto the dirt road, showing his 'sincerity' as Chang Yun nicked the purse from the distracted man and left.

The old man rolled his eyes, snorted, and then left without a word. Chang Jun was surprised. Many people in that kind of cloth would oftentimes ridicule him or beat him for bumping into them like that. A blossoming smile came across his face as he thought how it was the easiest job he had done in some time. An undercurrent of guilt cut across that happiness, as Chang Jun recalled they had just stolen money from another.

The two reconvened in an alleyway nearby, and Chang Yun pulled out the purse. "It's heavy. Let's see what we've got this time!"

The sound of a snort came out from behind them, making them jump in fright. They turned and were filled with terror when the say the silhouette of the man they had just robbed. Chang Yun was decisive, throwing the opened bag to the ground and turning with his brother to escape.

The old man, however, was just as decisive and much more capable. His hands struck out with a practiced ease with a speed and calculation of strength that would make a young warrior's face contort in fear. Everything went black. The two children were knocked unconscious.

When they awoke, they discovered the true meaning of hell.

Chang Jun frowned as he was called out of the cell. What is it this time... Will I be beaten? Will it be training..? Or a death battle... There was no point in stalling, other than to receive extra lashings. Chang Jun left the cell immediately, only to be greeted by the general, Ji Zheng. There was no talking between the two - it was forbidden without permission. Just like livestock, they were to be silent and obey orders. They were not human.

Chang Jun's heart quivered under the fearsome gaze of the warrior, who had a sense of disappointment and disdain for all those of his group who were being trained. A death battle... That was the only thing General Ji Zheng's presence signified. It was always with two of the other divisions that these were handled, one member of each group. Furthermore, the style changed from time to time; coliseum fights, searching for bandits that were encroaching on one of the Master's territories, or even hunting and killing runaways. People they had lived and grown alongside in this hellhole.

The two walked down a hallway before approaching a split in the hallway. Upon turning down the right hall, Chang Jun felt a slight mental burden lift from his shoulders. A right at this hall... Means it is a coliseum battle. He was happy the one he would be killing was not somebody he knew. The relief was just another means of manipulation for the Ji family to control the children they were slowly raising.

Chang Jun obediently entered the door that stood at the end of the hall. Immediately he was assailed by a bright light that came from the sun. An open space room, modeled like a small scale Coliseum from Reim. Chang Jun put his arm up to his eyes, blocking out the rays that were making it difficult for him to see. There was a weapon rack to the side, surrounding it were two others just like him. A woman and a man. Chang Jun approached - none of them spoke. Any one of them could die in this fight.

Looking at the weapons, Chang Jun picked up a Longqian blade and felt its weight in his hand. He looked back up to the man who wore a number of daggers, a short blade and a long blade. He looked fairly lithe and dexterous, as one would expect from somebody who trained in the stealthy arts of an assassin. Looking over to the woman Chang Jun couldn't help but detect a fragrant scent. Though she was cloaked and he could not see her face he had no doubt about her looks. She held a small wand in his hands, but also took some of the longswords from the table and attached them to a belt around her robes. Hesitating, Chang Jun still chose not to speak.

Once they were situated, a gate was opened up. A grown adult stepped out from behind the gate. He held a broadsword in one hand with a thick tower shield in the other. This man had the back of a tiger and the waist of a bear, every movement of his causing the well defined muscles on his body to ripple beneath his clothing. With a fierce look upon his chiseled face, the man approached the group. The fight had already started.

Chang Jun knew that if they were killed the criminal would gain respite for the next five years. If the criminal managed to do the same to the second group, they would either get a ten year reprieve from fighting or the opportunity to join the Ji family's military with the authority of a ranking officer so long as they swore allegiance.

"Kids, you're going to be my second group. Don't think you'll be able to defeat me, being wet behind the ears as you are!" The man dashed forward with an incredible speed, one that those at the receiving end thought was quite unfair.

He... He's so fast while being so big! Chang Jun grit his teeth, bringing his sword to the front and getting in front of the other two. They had drills on how to support each other, though he had never worked with either of these two before. The faces being unfamiliar, he could only fall back upon standard tactics.

The broadsword... No! The tower shield! Chang Jun had miscalculated. His battle experience was vastly stronger than what his age should allow, but even so he was only 16. There was some things you could only experience by being on countless battlefields. This prisoner used his tower shield almost like a weapon. The shield in the man's left hand came sweeping out, and although the Longqian blade moved to intercept the and Chang Jun braced, the blow took him off his feet. Chang Jun was pushed to the right three meters.

His eyes dilated. The blow was not just the shield strike. Utilizing a shift in the hips to add centripetal force to the blow, the man's broadsword followed right behind! Immediately the other man died, a look of un-resigned anger upon his face. That face screamed out to the world! The heavens were unjust! It was now only the woman and himself that remained. The criminal they were fighting let out a sigh and smiled. "Great! Three can pressure me, but I should be fine with just these two remaining! Hahaha!" A deep laughter rumbled out from this man's lungs, shaking the mentality of the remaining kids.

The young woman was frozen in place even as the man moved his broadsword to also strike her. Yet, before he could do so a hint of deadly crisis gripped his heart. It was only slight, yet it was enough to cause him to pause and look over.

Chang Jun knew he couldn't leave his brother to fend for himself. He had to make it. Just as the criminal made his decision to attack the woman, Chang Jun grit his teeth and shouted, breaking the chains of fear that jailed his mental state. Chang Jun couldn't let his opponent dominate the rhythm of the fight, charging forward and wildly swinging his blade.

This shout woke the woman from her daze as well. A cold sweat appeared on her forehead as she kicked back to increase the distance between herself and the opponent whose focus was already on Chang Jun. Her heart fluttered as she saw Chang Jun selflessly fling himself into battle. She didn't think for a moment that he did so because of her, yet the reliable sight of him fighting before her calmed her down. Gripping the wand in her hand, she began casting a spell. It was a tough spell, which would require a few moments for her to gather the necessary strength, but she was certain it would clinch the victory.

Chang Jun continued to wildly swing, breaking up the man's technique with a craze. This would not hold on forever, though, as the experienced fighter soon grasped the essence of his opponent and began to regain his rhythm. Soon every blow from the older man sent the young child back. Chang Jun coughed up a mouthful of blood. Is... Is this the end?

Just as he thought that, however, a flash of light appeared from their side. The man looked over and frowned. Again, a sense of deadly crisis grew within his heart. A sword was flying towards him, which he defended against with a back-swing of his blade. Simultaneously he blocked a swing from Chang Jun.

As the flying sword embedded itself into the ground the man snorted in contempt, yet as he was about to turn his attention back to Chang Jun his pupils contracted. Another blade was fired his way right afterwards. At the same time Chang Jun struck towards the adult man. Chang Jun's tempo and spirit rose with this second blow, even though both the second flying blade was deflected by an overhead block of the tower shield and his own blow was deflected with a forward swing of the man's broadsword. Even though Chang Jun felt the vibration of strength from his opponent's blow that made it difficult for him to stand.

This was for the same reason the man's face had turned an ashen white. The blade that had been embedded in the ground moments before had flown out, aiming to hamstring the man. It was only the man's great level of experience and strength that allowed him to avoid the blow that would lead to his quick death. The blade still struck the man's leg, yet narrowly missed his hamstring.

Unfortunately this meant that his footwork would slow down.

Grasping the advantage, Chang Jun showed he had at least a bit of battle experience. Moving from left to right, trying to encircle the man, and using the advantage of his speed, Chang Jun slowly wore down the man with the help of the magician. The two worked in tandem, eventually cutting the man down. The fight was not clean at all, yet the victors were kings and the losers were the thieves. Chang Jun and the magician girl survived another deadly bout, yet the criminal and the other child had lost their lives in the process.

Chang Jun, injured, fell to the ground exhausted. He felt a darkness surrounding him. The girl quickly moved to his side, her hood falling in the process. Delirious he could only hear one thing. "I am Lian Ling! What is your name?! She shook him, a look of concern on her face.

Chang Jun, delirious, felt gratification. The face above him was so beautiful. He had forgotten what he was doing here, and only knew how weak he felt. Is this... Is this death..? I... I am being asked who I am... Is it for reincarnation? Chang Jun felt a sudden need to say his name. "I... am Chang Jun... Are you an angel to take me to reincarnation..?" Before he passed out there was only one regret in his heart; his little brother. "Please... Look out for my bro..ther."

He had lost blood, yet it was not enough for him to die so long as he received treatment. As a victor of the arena, this was of course a benefit for the survivors.

From that point on, aside from the familial love he had with his younger brother, Chang Jun began to develop a romantic love for Lian Ling. When Ji Zheng found out about this, he used it as leverage to catapult Chang Jun's training forward. Every bit of blackmail, any way to humiliate another, Ji Zheng did not hesitate to use. Lian Ling's trainer wasn't any different, using all sorts of threats. Even so, the two of them began to carve out a space in their hearts for each other, supporting their emotions through this rocky existence.

Chang Yun panted, holding up the other three in his group. It was night, and the hot breath of air could be seen as it was exhaled from Chang Yun's mouth. There were two others his age, both women. One was an assassin, the other a magician. He had worked with the magician before, but not the assassin. The magician snorted. "You trash, you haven't improved much since the last time, have you? You held me back last time... Fuck, we better not die because your leeching." Disdain was evident on her face. Having worked with him before she knew that he would not be able to keep up.

What kind of swordsman had endurance worse than a magician? It was an embarrassment, for sure! She glanced at the archer who had a frown on her face. Snorting again, she spoke to the assassin. "You'll stay away from him and not count on him, if you know what's good for you. Last mission I did with him we lost a teammate because of him."

Chang Yun was dejected, grimacing at the memory. He said nothing to refute the magician - her judgement was the truth.

The last person sighed. "Lets rest for now. We'll continue in a bit." The man was their minder. He would not interfere with the job unless all three of his charges died, or his three charges tried to let the target get away. At that time he would step in and slay the target; somebody who had ran away from the Marquis' land. This mission was for the young ones to temper their mindset and understand the consequences of running away. If they decided to try to let the target get away he would first kill them, and then he would kill the target himself.

The assassin glanced at Chang Yun once more before looking away. The young warrior thought the look was a bit strange, but was too depressed to think anything of it. After a short rest they were prodded to move on. The assassin was tracking their target, and was doing a fairly good job at it. Along the way the assassin picked up a few plants, crushing them and placing them into a pouch at her side that was filled with some sort of liquid.

The girl lifted her hand as they traveled through a wooded section. Ahead was a light that could be seen flickering in the distance. It was a campfire, though it was incredibly small and barely worth the warmth it would give off. A firm kick was placed upon Chang Yun's behind, pushing him forward. "You go first, trash. At least you can soak up a few hits for those who can actually do something." The magician continued to bully him, but the assassin stopped him from moving forward and steadied him, scowling at the magician as she did so.

"The target is another assassin. Let me go first - I should be able to tell if there are any traps laid down." The woman had a gentle voice, somehow maintaining a purity that was rarely seen in the Marquis Ji's household. Most of those under training were long since conditioned to have given up the kind of hope and love for humanity that would allow one to be so kind to another. It was likely that this girl had not been under the 'care' of the Marquis for long.

The interruption surprised the magician, who simply humphed in response, before sulking at the back of the group while the assassin dipped her finger into the pouch at her side and tasted that which was mixed within. The magician silently fumed in her heart, angry that the other person in their group would go against her like that. Yet she figured this girl was just some young thing that had yet to understand the true terrors of the Marquis' training regimen.

Chang Yun wondered what it was that was being made in the pouch of herbs.

As if to make things even more strange, the assassin applied the pouch of liquid and mixed herbs upon her weapons, keeping only the sword unsheathed. If she had tasted it, what kind of use would it have on an enemy? Unless, of course, she had already reached the legendary realm of being immune to certain poisons based solely on regular consumption of the poison. Her sword was much like a longqian blade, yet it was also different in that the blade itself was incredibly thin. It looked as if a skilled thrust would allow one to sever the spine at a selected location.

Once done she began to stalk forward, looking around carefully. She slowly disassembled several traps before a sudden 'snap' was heard. Her heart jumped and she looked backwards towards Chang Yun who had a look of utter terror and regret on his face. He had stepped on a trigger that she had somehow managed to miss. The sound of creaking surrounded them from the branches above and the assassin figured out the trick fairly quickly. Yet the trap was too difficult to dodge to the sides due to her footing, and it was coming straight for her so a backward charge would not save her either; she immediately jumped as a large log came swinging down the pathway.

Chang Yun and the magician were to the sides of it, so were not in danger in the first place from that particular trap. The minder was trailing behind from some distance, watching the situation and grading their capabilities.

Just as the assassin jumped into the air, another assassin appeared from the side and struck two blows towards the magician. "Fuck! Chang Yun!" indignant of the situation, the magician immediately blamed Chang Yun for the matter. Her protective Borg shattered under the first blow, and the second blow was a thrown dagger. The dagger suddenly stopped midair and changed direction back towards the assassin even as the magician began to fly backwards.

Surprised, the male assassin threw another dagger and intercepted the attack that was returned to him. A grim look was on his face as he moved to step forward... Yet those there had a strange look in their eyes. The magician, the male assassin and even Chang Yun. The assassin's upper body was moving, yet his lower body refused to listen to his commands. His standing did not last for long, however, and the reasoning behind this strange circumstance was immediately clear.

The girl who had a close call with the trap had gotten behind the male assassin and stabbed him in the spine, paralyzing the man from the waist down. "How... Come I don't feel any pain?" It was true that the man was frustrated. He did everything he could to escape, yet in the end he still died. He knew there was a chance for this to be his fate when he left. Yet... He had to know what happened. Why he didn't feel any pain at all from the attack.

"I have applied a potent poison to my blade which instantly stops your nerves from allowing you to feel pain. I'm sorry, but we must kill you to survive. I have only hoped that your end would be painless." There it was again, a gentleness that did not belong. Those witnessing the situation would recall the times she stopped throughout the forest, picking up individual herbs here and there. She was incredibly focused while grinding them up and adding the various herbs to her pouch of liquid reagent. She had even tasted it at one point, no doubt testing its potency.

Regardless, they had completed their jobs. The minder gave the highest marks to the assassin, with the follow-up belonging to the magician. Chang Yun on the other hand had poor marks. By the time they returned to the residence it was once more day time. The magician surprisingly didn't say much on the trek back; the assassin seemed to stick close to Chang Yun after that battle.

As they were about to split, the assassin looked to Chang Yun. "I can tell you aren't like the others. You still carry hope within you... I am Bai Xue'er. Chang Yun, I heard your name from before... It is fine to carry that hope, but you must also be strong enough to live for that hope. Remember, it wasn't your fault that trap was tripped. I should have caught it... Please do not blame yourself... I trust in the future you will become much stronger! I will choose to believe in you!"

The two parted, and Chang Yun felt a sense of gratitude. He certainly hadn't expected such kindness. The trust he felt from her set something off within him, something even he could not have understood or felt. It was a tenacity, and a slow building fire to become stronger and stronger. As if the hand of fate was in play, the two began to meet more and more often. Chang Yun drew strength from his talks with Bai Xue'er, improving his own combat capabilities, and soon became a capable member of his teams. Even so, he rarely landed a killing blow upon an enemy.  In most instances he had focused on protecting others of his team.

The two, Chang Yun and Bai Xue'er, fell for each other. Chang Yun found out early that Bai Xue'er had a brother once, however he was killed horribly when he tried to escape himself. Since then, Bai Xue'er did her best to make sure those she killed had died as peacefully as possible. When she saw Chang Yun, and slowly learned about him, she found many commonalities... And a protecting feeling of love suffused her as she gazed his way. As for Chang Yun, he felt a great deal of respect for Bai Xue'er. How could he not, when she time again showed mercy and compassion even as she toiled to survive in the conditions set by Marquis Ji Teng, the overlord of the lands they lived on...

Name: Exuro Ring
Tier: A
Type: Ring
Magic Type: Heat
Appearance: A forged silver ring with a ruby fitted within it.
Function:

• Inferno Shroud - Feeding magoi into the ring causes the air around the user to shimmer slightly as heat magic envelopes them. While the shroud is active, the user is immune to heat damage up to A-tier. 10 Magoi to activate | 5 Magoi to sustain.
  

Name: Garuda's Grudge
Tier: A
Type: Magic Item - Ring
Magic Type: Storm (Wind + Lightning)
Appearance: A ring that changes size depending on the finger of the owner. The design is that of a bird-like being enveloped in stormy lightning. The eyes of the bird look as though they hold a never ending grudge.
Function:

• Unstoppable Grudge - The user feeds magoi into the ring causing a surge of lightning magic to wash through their own body. The lightning magic burns away foreign contaminants such as poisons and reactivates the nervous system. Lightning also courses over the user's skin burning away any bindings that may be holding the user down. The function effectively clears away most tangible bindings, poisons, and bacteria that limit the user's movements of otherwise debilitates them. Activating this ability while paralyzed will nullify the paralysis. 10 Magoi to activate | 5 Magoi to sustain.
  

Tier: A
Type: Supplementary
Range: Long
Requirements/Drawbacks: At least one instance of the function for Desceld, Gold Dragon Garden, must be in use.
Scaling: For every additional 10 magoi, the area of effect increases by 5 meters.
Sustain: -
Cool Down: 4
Cost: 20
Description:

• The root of the Gold Dragon Garden rapidly expands and splits, grasping upon any and all within 10 meters of the epicenter of the Gold Dragon Garden and immobilizing them by keeping their entire body tightly coiled around until the energy feeding its power is cut or until it is forcibly broken by A-tier damage.
  
• These roots expand either in a direction of the user's choosing or in a diameter with the Gold Dragon Garden as the center.
  

Name: Desceld
Tier: A
Type: Sword
Magic Type: Life
Appearance: This katana appears to be a straightforward weapon, though it has magic imbued within the hilt. The  blade itself is fairly standard. The handle is 13 cm in length, with the blade being 57 cm in length, making the total size of weapon 70 cm.
Function:

• Gold Dragon Garden - Feeding magoi into the hilt while the sword's blade is touching the earth causes four vines to sprout from the ground. Each vine coils in the style of a Chinese dragon with claw-shaped leaves and a blooming bud that resembles the jaws of a dragon. Inside each bud is a golden peach. Eating the peach causes C-tier healing throughout the body. The plants may grow anywhere within 3m of the user and grow to be 1.5m tall. 10 Magoi to activate | 5 Magoi to sustain.
  

Spells:

• Gold Dragon's Blessing:

• Dragon Flower's Bite:

• Gold Dragon Garden's Tail and Fin:

• Desceld, Gold Dragon Aspect: