Shortly after most of the audience has entered the stage, several bangs can be heard, with each of them some text appears mid air, announcing one of the round one matchups
KODA & VASRO VS VIRIDIAN & THERMOPHAGY
PELT & SKIT VS ZARII & NETTLEFLOWER
TORBUDIAK & SHEGRESHA VS GESSERITH & HARUKO
GUITTERE & YURIKO VS AZZIE & ZENKURO
ARTURO & LAZARO VS JASNA & DUSKFUR
LETA & CHIMA VS OKAUM & ZNDRSPLT
REGNA & KRAV VS SYLVIA & KOLVATH
GORM & VIRTUS VS BRAP & ZANDER
As the crowd begins to cheer, Plxtwt appears on a platform floating above the arena, which is being circled by several thopters. Next to him sits another homunculus, who is toggling several small switches on a device they carry with them while monitoring the battlefield closely.
The morning sun, shined over the forest arena. It reminded the pirate of the jungle, with the roar of the beasties, the vines roped around the trunks, and the vast canopy.
As the orc and goblin observed the arena, they shared an wicked smile. Skit soon jumped to the trees, carrying his crossbow, wearing an standarized armour of the team.
The orc remained on the ground, using the foliage as camouflage, as he seeked for her old "friend, Zari and her teamate. They hunted many dinosaurs in Kylem. This will be an easy bread for thems.
Zarii enters the arena, fists held high to greet the audience. She still holds no weapon, but is dressed in extra ornamental armor, ceremonial paint arcing across bone plates and tattooed skin alike. She looks confident as she settles into place and prepares for the start of the match.
Valentina had managed to charter the ship and get Shregresha and her warband loaded in as the personal honor guard. As for herself, she stayed below deck, in the depths of the merchant ship where Adayn's coffin lay.
On a hammock, swinging back and forth, occasionally glancing at the thing, just to make sure nothing bad happened to it. The motion of the boat and the hammock was soothing though and she drifted off to sleep...
This time the Enemy was not present. But it was still dark. Val looked around herself, noticing it was the road on Arcavios she had been told Adayn had been found on.
Adayn stood next to her, laughing about something seemingly through layers of glass. A beautiful laugh. A sword point erupted from their chest. She spun around to see an Oriq fleeing into the distance. She crouched down, tears in her eyes. The area around her changed.
Adayn lay on the floor of her cabin on the Legion ship they had first met, still bleeding.
"No... Adayn."
A loud sound behind her signified her door opening. She turned.
Arturo had walked in. "You couldn't save them, Val."
She looked back to Adayn. The scene changed around her.
On the High Street of Torrezon, Shregresha knelt beside her. "You could've done better."
"No."
The scene changed again. On Arcavios in her dorm.
Shadow Roxie stared judgingly. "Adayn was my friend. And you let them die."
"No!"
The scene became black. All that was left was herself and Adayn. Clearer than any other words in the dream came the voice, and the sensation of a bright presence.
"Don't worry Val. I'm coming back! No Oriq could keep me down!" Adayn said.
Val's real eyes snapped open. She was soaked in sweat from her nightmare, breathing heavily. She turned to look at Adayn's coffin.
It was open.
Adayn wasn't in there.
The thing ran along the plants. In a matter of moments they had crossed the Deoro and found itself standing in front of the omenpath to Arcavios. Vengeance would be his. She entered the omenpath, to hunt the Oriq responsible for the death of Adayn.
Today we've received more Oriq threats, and two students were found dead. it feels like it's less a question of *if* something happens, but *when*. Considering the situation the deans have agreed that we are going to be following heightened security protocols.
This is already immensely stressful, but it doesn't *quite* end there
While I am not allowed to go into detail on the protocols, nor would I if I were, I can tell you that teachers are grouped up to make sure nobody is ever isolated.
I got grouped up with the skeleton guy...
if there is some grand entity who guides the whims of fate, I'm going to punch them in the nose.
Zarii crouches under the hut windowsill, waiting and watching intently. The ramshackle building is a teetering two-story shanty located at the very edge of the Sedgemoor and the Detention Bog. It does not appear on any official map of Strixhaven, because it is probably a hideout for a particularly vicious sect of Oriq.
Zarii's instinct is to bust down the door and start swinging her new New Capennan hammer, but she knows she has to be absolutely sure she's in the right place. If there's any chance, any at all, that an innocent could get hurt, she can't go in.
Most of the lower floor is taken up by a single room, which is currently empty besides a few crates stacked against the far wall. The floor is scored with burns and the half-erased remains of spell circles - people have definitely practiced magic here, and violent magic from the look of it.
The door creaks open, and Zarii tenses and crouches lower. It admits a ponytailed orc man in flowing black robes trimmed with silver. Zarii thinks has a cruel glint in his one good eye, but she still can't be sure. As she watches, he pulls a scroll from his robes and glances over it. Nodding to himself, he replaces it... and withdraws a twisted silver mask, which he holds contemplatively for a moment before starting to slowly raise it towards his face.
Zarii's blood turns electric. This is it. She tenses up and tightens her grip as she prepares to strike - but even that movement is too much. From across the room, the mage's head snaps up and he looks directly at her. The mask rises from his hand and attaches itself to his face, purple light blooming from it and enveloping the rest of his head as he conjures energy to his now-empty palms. Zarii barely manages to roll out of the way as the Oriq's blast of energy rips through the wall like wet tissue paper. The smell of ozone mixes with the fetid stench of bog water, which she now finds herself waist-deep in.
With a snarl, she wrenches her feet from the grasping mud and launches herself up the bank towards the building, raising her hammer to meet the mage. She channels red and green mana as she prepares to strike - but as she pushes the magic into her hammer, it wrenches itself apart violently, causing her to gasp and stumble. Turning on her heel, she narrowly dodges another blast. In the back of her mind, she remembers Roxie telling her something about Arcavios itself influencing how mana can be combined on the plane. With a grunt, she channels pure green mana into her veins, letting it power her hammer swing instead. Not ideal, but the mask still makes a satisfying crunch as it collapses inward.
Two more Oriq who heard the commotion run in and, seeing their compatriot's lifeless body on the floor, leap into action. They're clearly less skilled mages than the first, evident in the sloppy barrage of weak energy blasts that Zarii easily deflects with a hammer swing. Seeing the attacks' impotence, they draw large knives and move in. Even bigger mistake. Zarii pumps red mana into the hammer, feeling the air heat up as she fells both in a single fiery swing. It occurs to get that that might not be the best for the hammer itself, but it's too late for that now.
As she inspects the hammer for damage, she hears a noise from behind her and turns to see one of the burned Oriq clawing at the clasp of the largest crate. She goes to kick her prone fotm away from the box, but too late. Like water from a bursting dam, a creature explodes out of the crate and charges Zarii. It knocks her to the floor, and as she rolls she can see it's a young mage hunter. It hisses and she jumps at it, bringing the hammer down in what should be a crushing blow. Instead, it meets the floor and punches through the rotten wood as the hunter darts nimbly away. Zarii rips it out of its moldy prison as the hunter gives her a nasty slash across the torso. She barely notices as she channels more green mana into a swing that sends the thing reeling. As it straightens up, Zarii can see that it's barely harmed by the blow - and even worse, the purple spine on its back are beginning to glow as it absorbs the excess mana.
With a screech, it charges her, the purple sweeping out of its spines and over its chiton-clad body. She twists away, but it still catches her a glancing blow, piercing almost completely through her leg and sending her spinning into the wall.
She's not sure how much more of this she can take. Gritting her teeth, she tries to wrestle both red and green into submission again. She knows it will only empower the hunter, and it felt like trying to hold two repelling magnets together, but she didn't have much choice. Finally, with a cry, she jumps forward and swings an undercut into its chin. The force of the blow breaks the head of the hammer from its shaft with a deafening crack and sends the hunter flying back.
The blow hurt it, Zarii can see, and had even cracked and shifted one of the chiton plates in its neck. But it hadn't destroyed the thing, and its spines were glowing brighter than ever. As it readied itself to charge again, she searches for something to block it with and, finding nothing, braces herself against the wall and raises the jagged hammer shaft.
It charges like an angry bathrak, hitting Zarii and carrying her straight through the flimsy wood of the wall. It would probably have killed her if she hadn't managed to bury the shaft in the unprotected part of its neck. It lands bodily on top of her, gurgling and wheezing its last breath around the rod in its windpipe.
Bruised and beaten, Zarii barely manages to haul herself out from under its body, leaving the hammer where it is. That's when she notices yet another Oriq, standing nearby with the same knife as his companions. She grimaces at him and straightens up, channeling red magic to her fists as she raises them. He promptly raises his hands and drops the knife.
Zarii grunts and turns away, limping on her injured leg, and that's when it happens. The mage lunges forward, something flashing in the light. Another smaller hidden knife, which he buries nearly to the handle in her side. She shouts and slams her elbow back into his masked face. It shatters, and as he stumbles back she can see that he's still a kid, an elf, his ringlet-framed face looking scared and bruised. Fuck. She steps forward and swings a fist into his chest, lifting him completely off the ground. Enough to break a few ribs, enough to knock him into the bog, enough to ensure he wouldn't be following. But not enough to kill.
The adrenaline is rapidly fading, and she falls to her knees as pain from the knife shoots up her side. She wraps both hands around the handle and wrenches it out, turning her vision red for a second. It's bad, and she doesn't know any healing. She needs to get back to her friends.
She staggers to her feet and, clutching her bleeding side, starts to walk into the swamp. It won't be long before she collapses of blood loss, and it wouldn't do to be found by this hut.
Val was on the top of the carriage, steering it herself. Strixhaven had offered her a driver, but she had refused one. The horses made their way swiftly down the brick roads leading out of the school, however once the roads became gravel, the speed at which she could travel was significantly reduced. Still, she was on track to reach the Torrezon - Arcavios omenpath by the next morning, if she didn't sleep, and sleep she would not.
Adayn's coffin laid in the main section of the carriage, and as such was relatively safe, especially since she had locked the doors herself.
However she had no such protections.
Maybe it was the way the wind whistled through the trees, or the way the horses were behaving. Perhaps it was the natural sharpening of instincts all vampires received. But she set her communicator aside and brought the horses to a halt, sensing danger.
A bolt of a crossbow whistled out of the gaps between the trees, almost striking her, but inhuman reflexes caused her to lean back enough that it thudded into the arm of the seat.
A man, darkly cloaked, stepped out of the shadows, not masked like the Oriq so probably a regular bandit. He charged her, bringing to his waist a shortsword of shoddy make.
Rapier and pitchfork in hand, two worlds brought together by happenstance, Val lunged out of her seat and thrust the rapier blade into his chest, piercing through leather armor.
Another bolt came out of the woods, and the humbler of the two weapons came up to meet it, the sigils preventing it from being damaged, so the bolt shattered against the metal tines.
More bandits exited the woods. She jumped over the body, still collapsing to the ground, and stabbed the next one with the pitchfork.
Stab and slash, slash and stab, the duelist of the Dusk Legion took out the bandits one by one. A few crossbow bolts had to be deflected but most went uselessly into the ground or even took out other bandits.
Eventually she stalked into the woods, looking for the one with the crossbow. She heard them crashing through the forest, running in panic. She thought about how to get to them quickly, but they had too much of a head start and likely knew the area much better and she didn't have the time.
And then she remembered something she had seen Adayn do with this very pitchfork.
She closed her eyes and stabbed it into the forest floor, channeleing mana through it. Unlike the memories of Torrezon or the mana at Strixhaven, she remembered back to the times she spent with Adayn in the natural world. How peaceful that felt.
And pure green mana crackled down the pitchfork's sigils and into the ground.
The very forest sprang to life, working together to drag the bandit all the way back to the road.
She opened her eyes once the man was in front of her.
"What are you going to do to me?" he demanded.
"You sicken me. Taking advantage of those on the road. Attempting to steal from a grieving woman."
The mana being channeled began to change, and a type the pitchfork had never seen was being channeled into it.
Red and white joined the green.
"Justice. That is what will happen to you."
The mana began to flow into the man. Fiery flowers began to grow out of his skin. He screamed.
Disquieted by her mana channeling, she got the horses going again. They continued on the path to Torrezon. Towards home.
The Brokers training floor was filled with recent initiates, now cleared from the first week of training. An instructor stood at the front. "There is strength in numbers. Working alone is a one-stop trip to getting killed. That is why having a parter is a requirement for field work. When you're out there, you never know what to expect. One of you gets the deal, one of you secures the scene. Mr. Edmund, please step forward," she commanded.
"Of course, ma'am," he responded, stepping up to the main floor.
"You will be playing the role of the aggressor. I trust you can contain your tendencies?" She stung for the heart.
A sharp inhale. "Of course, ma'am."
"Emara. Step forward. You will wait until your time. Erin, you as well." The respective Brokers came forward, taking their designated places. "Gesserith. You will be taking the role of the aggressor. Please mug Emara as a common thug would."
Gesserith took on a lax stance, approaching Emara with the swagger of a 40-year-old failed actor. "Hey there, buddy. You'd better cough up all the dough, or else I'm gonna stab ya, and then I'll... stab ya again. Yeah."
The instructor stepped forward out of an Imaginary portal. After performing the usual procedure, getting a signature, Yada Yada, she then approached Gesserith. "Now, Gesserith. Do what you can to stop me. I'll make this easy." She ran forward, claws out. An obvious fake out. Gesserith took a step back, dodged the kick, and swept the remaining leg. He gave her a helping hand back up. "In that scenario, both I and the signer would have been robbed and harmed. Now, Erin. We will reset the scene, except you will accompany me. Gesserith, again."
He sighed, turning to Emara again. "Can't wait to count out your coin. Cha-ching, oh yeah." The same process occurred, except now there were two of them. "Now, Gesserith. Try against this."
Erin mouthed over to him. "I hope this hurts." She and the instructor came at him, one from the front, one from the back. The instructor held him and Erin went to town on whatever weak point she could. Jab after jab. Nothing too much, but enough to leave a bruise here and there. Eventually, after just a little too long, the instructor called her off.
"And that, initiates, is why we work together. There is strength in numbers. Remember that. Dismissed for the remainder of time." She turned away as they began to disassemble.
Gesserith spoke up. "Ma'am, if you might hold on a moment. Everyone else, too." A few ignored him. Most remained.
"What," she snarled, "do you want?"
"Well, ma'am. I thought I could showcase something. Teamwork at its finest. I do have special capabilities. I figure a showcase may be useful to show the upper limits of training today."
She checked her watch. "...fine. Class! Encircle Mr. Edmund." She and the rest of the trainees kept a safe distance from him as they closed in. "Who are you working with?"
"Well," he teased, "a friend of mine." At that, Haruko emerged from his arm, creating a shadow behind him. "My friends! This is Haruko, Kami of Restless Shadows. We are bonded. Though we may be two separate bodies, we can sync and act as one mind." He took a combat stance. "Haruko, no reportable injuries. Everyone else, I'll try to be nice."
The instructor sighed. "Very well. Engage." At the blow of a whistle, they charged the two. Some took point, others held a defensive line. Haruko picked off a particularly cocky one and got him with some void tendrils. Gesserith blocked another, kicking her back. One managed to get a blow into his side, which was responded to by getting thrown to Haruko, who kept the momentum going and launched them out. Blow for blow, the duo acted as one, deflecting as much as possible from the onslaught. Eventually, only one remained. Haruko vanished, silently appearing behind Erin.
Gesserith looked over. "I'm very sorry, Erin. I'll try to make this easy." Haruko touched Erin's shoulder, spooking her into Gesserith's arms, who promptly laid her down and put his forearm over her neck. "Alright teach, that's all. Was your goal reinforced?" He stood up, letting her go.
The instructor shook her head with a mix of disappointment and resign. "Yes. Fine. That's all. Class, please remember that most of you will not attain this level of synchronicity and should rather stick to more reasonable levels of communication with your partner. Mr. Edmund, thank you for the presentation, and please notify me of further events such as this. All of you are dismissed. Again."
The class left, a few groaning, a few chattering in excitement. Erin spat at Gesserith as she walked past, glaring as she left with the rest of her friends. "Atta girl, Haruko. Well done," boasted Gesserith.
Haruko responded mentally. "Yes. Very fun. Kylem will go well if we can keep that up."
"That's the plan, girl. That's the plan." Haruko retreated back into his tattoos, and he left to go prepare for the rapidly approaching tournament.
Today was mostly making sure I understood what is expected from me as well as the expected speeches and otherwise helping to make sure we transition smoothly into our new positions. my superiors seem competent, if eccentric, and my coworkers, for the most part, actually care about their jobs. I'd call it a pretty great day so far. Boring is bliss.
tonight, i'll probably just shop for some extra supplies and decorations for my classroom. if I'm quick, I might even be able to go out and get to know my new coworkers a little better.
A young witch traces a well-known path back to the commune, jumping from log to rock with almost as much speed and grace as the rabbits that now hang lifeless at her side. Being the quietest and fastest among her coven, she always does the hunting.
She breaks into a wide smile as she approaches the outer limits of the Dawnhart settlement. To others, the wall of twisted and thorny gray wood would seem dreary and threatening, but she sees the fires beyond and knows it means home. Deftly, she ducks under the spikes of the magically braided structure, brushing one of the totems as she straightens up. There are dozens of them, all around the camp: woven willow circles, straw and cloth dolls, strings of rock and crystal. They protect the camp, turning witchery against intruders the same way the wall turns wood and thorn.
Her friends are there to greet her as she arrives: laughing Callum poking at the fire, shy Aedwen sewing up a cloak, merry Brune tuning her harp, awkward Leowyn polishing her skull mask. They are all happy to see her, of course; Callum begins cooking the rabbits and Brune starts a story as she sits down by the fire.
It quickly turns into the normal sort of talk: Aedwen had harvested done radishes from the garden that morning, Leowyn found some stones for charm-making by the brook, when would they next hold a ritual?, and the witch key the conversation flow over her. She turns her head to the sky, and for a moment all she can see are the swaying, geist-grey trunks of the trees all around. She may as well be alone here, with the angry haunted trees looking down on her.
But then Callum calls that dinner is ready and Leowyn shrieks that he burnt the rabbits, and the moment is over. The witch throws herself into the food and the conversation, trying to ignore the tickle of unease in the back of her mind.
When dinner is over, the witch wishes her friends good night and retreats to her hut. As she lays down, she does not notice how threadbare and cold the blanket is. Just as she did not notice the fresh rabbit blood on her chin, or the creeping rot covering the hut walls.
In the heart of the woods, there is something very, very wrong.
At long last, Zarii steps out of the crackling blue omenpath. <i>Fucking finally,</i> she thinks as she surveyed the landscape. Desert cliffs greeted her view, reds and oranges blending and swirling together like a watercolor painting. To the south, several blocky stones hung in the air, forming an impossible arch. To the north, Zarii could just make out the top of a twisted blue-and-red spire.
She grins a leonin grin. Strixhaven. Pausing only briefly to stretch and crack her neck, she starts to the north. She has some friends to meet.
( @average-ravnican @azzie-beastbinder @obscura-omenseeker) (I don't know Gary or Baptiste)
At long last, Zarii steps out of the crackling blue omenpath. <i>Fucking finally,</i> she thinks as she surveyed the landscape. Desert cliffs greeted her view, reds and oranges blending and swirling together like a watercolor painting. To the south, several blocky stones hung in the air, forming an impossible arch. To the north, Zarii could just make out the top of a twisted blue-and-red spire.
She grins a leonin grin. Strixhaven. Pausing only briefly to stretch and crack her neck, she starts to the north. She has some friends to meet.
( @average-ravnican @azzie-beastbinder @obscura-omenseeker) (I don't know Gary or Baptiste)
At long last, Zarii steps out of the crackling blue omenpath. <i>Fucking finally,</i> she thinks as she surveyed the landscape. Desert cliffs greeted her view, reds and oranges blending and swirling together like a watercolor painting. To the south, several blocky stones hung in the air, forming an impossible arch. To the north, Zarii could just make out the top of a twisted blue-and-red spire.
She grins a leonin grin. Strixhaven. Pausing only briefly to stretch and crack her neck, she starts to the north. She has some friends to meet.
( @average-ravnican @azzie-beastbinder @obscura-omenseeker) (I don't know Gary or Baptiste)
Got into my new lodgings, things are unpacked, some of my new coworkers were even kind enough to buy me dinner. seem like good people.
one thing I didn't expect is that the mana of the plane just feels different. it doesn't want to mix, it wants to oppose itself and find a balance point. it's pretty weird, but it shouldn't take too long to get used to. maybe some minor adjustments to a spell or 2 to improve the efficiency.
I'll keep it light, but there's a massive headache brewing rn, so it appears that my luck *has* followed me.
Five people were clustered around a table with a stack of books, hidden away in the rebuilt Biblioplex. Lily of Thyrsus, Ghostmark and Goldenscar of Kamigawa, and Grayson and Aurora of Arcavios were all working on the same problem: the mage hunters that the Oriq used.
Grayson groaned and rubbed his face as he leaned back in his seat. “How is the origin of mage hunters of all things so hard to research? You’d think that them being used as weapons by the Oriq means that someone would have written a thorough summary of them already.”
“Or at least come up with some better theories,” Aurora grumbled in agreement, flipping through yet another book on Galathul’s assumed beasts and animals. She took a moment to brush a loose strand of hair away from her face. “They just breeze past where the mage hunters might have come from, every time...”
Lily finished another book and added another tally to her notes on a piece of scrap parchment. “General consensus seems to be either that the Oriq created them or the Oriq smuggled them from someone or something that created them down in Galathul. No one seems to believe that antimagic things can be natural, which I suppose is a fair assumption since everyone and their mother is capable of even a little magic on this continent.”
“That’s bullshit,” Goldenscar groaned, pulling her cloak more over her dyed hair since it was the most attention-grabbing part of their impromptu study group other than Ghostmark’s everything. “Nature will inherently attempt to balance itself in every aspect. That’s why the kami appear in every ‘color’ of mana and why the solutions for impurity are found in the same places that those impurities are.”
“I suppose finding out where they came from isn’t as important as figuring out how to beat them,” Aurora said, leaning against the table. The dhampir was the youngest of them all at the table, only twenty years old and thus a year younger than Ghostmark. Looking at her made Ghostmark’s heart skip a beat, so he tried not to do that and tried not to draw her attention.
But he didn’t really have a choice right now. “That’s what I’ve found,” he finally piped up. “It’s the purple spines on their backs and heads that let them sense magic, but the rest of their body is more chitinous. That means that the focus would be on getting weapons between the plates rather than trying to just stab randomly and hope for the best.”
“Good idea, Ghostie,” Goldenscar said, leaning forward to get a look at the various depictions of mage hunters between the open books. “Grayson, Aurora, Lily, how much combat training to you three have?”
Grayson shook his head. “None.”
Aurora shrugged. “I know a little self-defense, but nothing with, like, weapons.”
Lily glanced up from the next text she was reading through. “Combat is more in the realm of my sister, but I can use a spear effectively.”
“I’d be very worried if a goddess of knowledge didn’t know at least one form of combat,” Goldenscar snickered. “Alright, that will be our next goal, then. We’ll teach you two” – she gestured at Grayson and Aurora – “how to fight and defend yourselves with things other than magic. Weapon combat shouldn’t be restricted just to a ‘dueling club’ when life and death are the stakes with the Oriq and their mage hunters. By the time we’re done, you’ll at least know the pointy end of a sword from the hilt.”
“And we can train in our dorm rooms,” Ghostmark suggested quietly. “That way we don’t have to try and find a private place for all of us to meet up and try not to get caught.”
“Good thinking, Ghostmark,” Lily agreed with a nod. “Which cleanly splits the pupils here. I’ll work with my own roommate to have her ready for a fight if one comes to be.”
“Then let’s split and get to work,” Grayson said, standing up. He paused when he saw the full extent of the mess of books on the table around them. “Uh...after we put all of these books back, of course.”
Zarii lowers the communicator in stiff hands. Her mind is still reeling from what she's read, but she knows what she needs to do. Slowly, methodically, she begins to pack, letting the rhythm of it carry her thoughts away.
She'll need to cross six planes before she gets to a portal to Arcavios. It'll take a week or more, so she'll need plenty of food. All her totems and charms, too, for the fight. A sketched map of Strixhaven that Roxie made her so long ago.
She finishes the pack and slings it onto her shoulder, then begins to wrap her hands. In the back of her mind, she regrets still not having a weapon. At this moment, the door opens and Brynhild walks in, yawning and rubbing sleep out of her far-seeing eyes. She was sleeping a few rooms away, Zarii knew, and must have been woken by the sound of her preparation.
Bryn stops, looking at Zarii. Insightful as ever, the seer could immediately tell she wasn't going on a normal excursion. “Zarii, wait. What's wrong?”
“My fr - someone I knew was killed on Arcavios. I'm gonna go make sure the murderers can't kill again.” Mentally, Zarii curses herself for not getting to know Adayn better. She'd make it up to them, she promises herself silently.
“Hold on a moment. I've got a bad feeling about this. I haven't seen anything about it in my visions.”
“That must mean it goes off without a hitch and doesn't impact my learning at all.” Zarii starts wrapping her other hand.
“Zarii, I… I don’t think this is supposed to happen. Please, don't go.” Zarii has never seen worry in Bryn's face before.
“I have to, never mind your visions. I'm sorry.”
“Zarii, please. The visions are important.”
“So is Adayn.” As she turns to leave, Zarii can see Bryn's face hardening, new gulfs opening between them. She'd have to deal with that later.
Returning her mind to the task at hand, Zarii strode out of the longhouse and towards the Oriq.
The staff was in place for the event. Old Lady Hanako and her waitrons were working the event in Arán Park, with the shop closed down for the day. Itachi’s Noodle Bar was the VIP area, with Itachi and his kami employees handling anyone who might be a danger or allergen risk for other suitors. Oak-Paw’s studio was open for both tailoring duties and as a changing room.
In the park, everything was set up. Security personnel – members of the Grim Fleet, the Hyozan Reckoners, the Okiba Reckoners, and the Dokuchi Reckoners (some of whom were disguised as staff for the event) – were in place. The food tables, including four of cheese alone, were set up near the entrance of the park, while the performing stage was set up in the relatively flat area. A relaxation area was set up near the waterfalls and hidden by a curtain for anyone who needed to get away from the hustle and bustle.
Koda’s personal security detail was also present, dressed as formally as they wanted to be. Most notably for the suitors that would arrive later, Satoru Umezawa of the Hyozan Reckoners and Greasefang of the Okiba Reckoners were positioned at the entrance. They had dressed similarly, entirely on accident – button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up, armored pants, and a vest. Greasefang’s vest was armored, and her overall color palette leaned more into whites, yellows, and light purples, while Satoru’s vest was tight (on purpose, knowing him) and his colors stuck pretty closely to dark blues, dark purples, and black. Both had also picked out “I’m Here To Work” buttons, with Satoru wearing a purple one and Greasefang wearing a yellow one.
Lily of Thyrsus, likewise, was helping out as something akin to Koda’s honor guard alongside Leta and Biilziebub. She was dressed just as simply for the base, with a long, unpatterned blue dress and a formal black vest over it, but she also finished off the look with a dark green cloak for the drama of it all. She was wearing both an “I’m Here To Work” button in purple and an “I Am Koda Hayashi” button in green.
Koda himself was wearing his new Reckoner armor, made of deer leather and steel plating dyed a nearly-black purple. There was a serpentine motif detailed across all of it, mirroring the snakes and clouds of Koda’s Dokuchi Reckoner tattoos, and is was missing the left sleeve to keep his tattoos apparent. There were only a handful of places where the serpentine motif did not appear: across the metal and across parts used by other designs. One such place was the leather across Koda’s upper chest. There were two intertwined flowers over his heart. One was the Vazante rose, all of its petals and leaves and thorns accounted for, to honor his dads Arturo and Lazaro. The other was an iris with the kanji for his surname on the primary visual petal, to honor his mother Ayame. On the other side of his chest were two rats, a snake with four arms, and a mountain with three eyes, honoring Lethaltooth, Silentsign, Shigeki, and Shimatsu. To top it all off, he had a purple “I’m Just Hoping For A Fight” button affixed to his armor.
7 AM, One Hour Before The Party...
Koda and Lily’s old adventuring party from Odithis arrived to help out. There were five of them, just as strange as the two had described.
The first one of note was the undead woman who didn’t look that undead. She was as pale as death, and the elaborate gothic dress she wore helped to sell it. Her long black hair was pulled back into a braid with a few strands left out to frame her face. Her eyes were such a dark brown that they were nearly black. She had finished her outfit with a purple “I’m Just Here To Steal From Rich People” button. This was Tabitha O’mally, the adventuring party’s necromancer and lich, according to Koda and Lily.
On her arm and much taller than her was a half-dragon half-human woman with red scales and deep tan skin. Her hair was just as vibrant a red as her scales, and she had clearly put in effort to at least brush it. Her eyes, also red and with cat-like pupils, seemed to glow on their own. She looked like she could rip open metal with her bare hands. She was wearing a full suit of silvered plate armor with golden detailing, looking like the knight to her wife’s princess fit. It had taken her a moment to get the red “I’m Just Hoping For A Fight” button secured to the armor, but it was now displayed proudly. This was Beatrice O’mally, the party’s barbarian and frontliner, as well as being Tabitha’s wife.
Compared to Beatrice, the rest of the party seemed to disappear into the background, especially Gideon Valkea. Half-human, quarter-demon, quarter-frost giant, but he looked like an average guy – tan skin, black hair, black eyes, average in height and build both – except for the horrific scarring around his eyes and his perpetual scowl. He was wearing a uniform of some sort, which was black, dark grey, and dark red. He had capped off his outfit with a green “I’m Just Hoping For A Fight” button. He didn’t look like what someone would assume a demon hunter should look like, and he didn’t take an issue with the presence of demons at the suitor party.
His cousin, Lohiarm Valkea, was practically neon white in comparison. Lohiarm was half-dragon in place of half-human, and his skin, scales, and hair were all such a stark white that one would think he had albinism. He had one green eye and one blue eye in the form of total heterochromia, which – based on the fact that he had Benoe practically glued to his hip – was probably the only hetero thing about him. He also wore a uniform similar to Gideon’s, though his was white and ice blue. He had picked out an orange “I’m Just Here For The Cheese” button to cap it all off. He was the party’s sorcerer and rogue.
And finally, Benoe the ranger, who by all accounts didn’t have a surname. He was just a normal guy. A handsome guy in his late 20s, but a normal human dude. Even his chosen clothing for this event – leather armor with a dark green cloak – seemed extremely easy to overlook compared to the rest of the party. He never drifted too far from Lohiarm and had picked a green “I’m Just Here For The Cheese” button, because he had his priorities in order.
Koda and Lily hugged each of them and greeted them as old friends, and introduced them to everyone else. Despite the strangeness of the adventuring party, they were easy enough to get along with.
8 AM, Start Of The Party...
The suitors had arrived, and it was go time. Koda took up an initial position at the center of the park to deal with the first wave of suitors, but luckily there would be a lot more moving around as the day went on.
He just needed to survive the first few hours when the most formal ones would give their offers first. Which meant he had to survive a bunch of Imperial nobles and their brats.
Vasro has been here from the start. He is wearing a white, short sleeve button up shirt, a dark grey vest, and suspenders. The vest has snake patterns similar to Koda’s and is fancy enough to pass as formalwear. His bioluminescence is swirling, intricate patterns of glowing blue along his skin. He has many pins, including “I'm just here for the cheese”, “I’m here to get money and power”, “I'm just here to steal from rich people” “I'm here to support someone who wants Koda Hayashi” “I am Koda Hayashi” and “I'm just hoping for a fight.” There is another Vasro lurking just behind the waterfall.
Vasro is wandering around, eating snacks, and asking suitors semi-invasive questions to determine if they’re good enough for his brother. Nothing happens to the ones who fail, other than the fact that about 3 minutes after Vasro leaves the conversation, they begin to become incredibly nervous and paranoid, leaving soon after.
"Well, if you want to meet someone familiar" The moustached dwarf turned to the pond's park. " @obscura-omenseeker is hanging out around the waterfall, spying over any possible troublemaer, assasin or pestering suitor that may harass Koda. It's been a long Time since you two meet, no? Why don't try chat with him, about your project"
Then Skit point at the long line of suitors " @warrior-of-tol-angata, and her leader Shregesha, do you remember them? Most of the yongest boys came for Koda. But maybe you can chat with Turrak or Boss Shregesha. You are both warrior and Lovera of nature, right? Try chatting with thems."
"Koda is guarded by Prince Biilziebub. The "head of security"" The dwarf throw an crude egg at the ground. " Be carefull around him. The guy is an spoon fooded brat. Now, I am forgeting about someone else?" The dwarf rummiated.
"Oh, an representante of @dusk-legion-diplomacy. Callisto, the chapeeon of Koda, he is trying to keep him calm and relaxed, during all this mesa" Answered Skit, as the dwarf grimmed in disgust at remembering the presence of the legion's vampires. The dwarf added. "Of course. Tought I doubt you have any business with him, right? Well go on. Enjoy the party, barbarian girl!"
"Thanks." With a grin, Zarii fades into the crowd, eventually coming up near @mirrormist-clique-adventures . "Hey, Nettleflower. How's it going? Sorry I haven't been in touch."
"Zarii!! Hey! Cheese?" Nettleflower flits up to eye level and holds out a cheese block. "It's okay, I've been pretty busy back home lately. What happened to you? I bet it was way worse for whoever you fought."
"Ooh, thanks!" Zarii eagerly snatches the cheese and gulps it down. "A troll attacked me. You know, standard stuff. Oh, speaking of which, the tournament's soon - ya ready?
The staff was in place for the event. Old Lady Hanako and her waitrons were working the event in Arán Park, with the shop closed down for the day. Itachi’s Noodle Bar was the VIP area, with Itachi and his kami employees handling anyone who might be a danger or allergen risk for other suitors. Oak-Paw’s studio was open for both tailoring duties and as a changing room.
In the park, everything was set up. Security personnel – members of the Grim Fleet, the Hyozan Reckoners, the Okiba Reckoners, and the Dokuchi Reckoners (some of whom were disguised as staff for the event) – were in place. The food tables, including four of cheese alone, were set up near the entrance of the park, while the performing stage was set up in the relatively flat area. A relaxation area was set up near the waterfalls and hidden by a curtain for anyone who needed to get away from the hustle and bustle.
Koda’s personal security detail was also present, dressed as formally as they wanted to be. Most notably for the suitors that would arrive later, Satoru Umezawa of the Hyozan Reckoners and Greasefang of the Okiba Reckoners were positioned at the entrance. They had dressed similarly, entirely on accident – button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up, armored pants, and a vest. Greasefang’s vest was armored, and her overall color palette leaned more into whites, yellows, and light purples, while Satoru’s vest was tight (on purpose, knowing him) and his colors stuck pretty closely to dark blues, dark purples, and black. Both had also picked out “I’m Here To Work” buttons, with Satoru wearing a purple one and Greasefang wearing a yellow one.
Lily of Thyrsus, likewise, was helping out as something akin to Koda’s honor guard alongside Leta and Biilziebub. She was dressed just as simply for the base, with a long, unpatterned blue dress and a formal black vest over it, but she also finished off the look with a dark green cloak for the drama of it all. She was wearing both an “I’m Here To Work” button in purple and an “I Am Koda Hayashi” button in green.
Koda himself was wearing his new Reckoner armor, made of deer leather and steel plating dyed a nearly-black purple. There was a serpentine motif detailed across all of it, mirroring the snakes and clouds of Koda’s Dokuchi Reckoner tattoos, and is was missing the left sleeve to keep his tattoos apparent. There were only a handful of places where the serpentine motif did not appear: across the metal and across parts used by other designs. One such place was the leather across Koda’s upper chest. There were two intertwined flowers over his heart. One was the Vazante rose, all of its petals and leaves and thorns accounted for, to honor his dads Arturo and Lazaro. The other was an iris with the kanji for his surname on the primary visual petal, to honor his mother Ayame. On the other side of his chest were two rats, a snake with four arms, and a mountain with three eyes, honoring Lethaltooth, Silentsign, Shigeki, and Shimatsu. To top it all off, he had a purple “I’m Just Hoping For A Fight” button affixed to his armor.
7 AM, One Hour Before The Party...
Koda and Lily’s old adventuring party from Odithis arrived to help out. There were five of them, just as strange as the two had described.
The first one of note was the undead woman who didn’t look that undead. She was as pale as death, and the elaborate gothic dress she wore helped to sell it. Her long black hair was pulled back into a braid with a few strands left out to frame her face. Her eyes were such a dark brown that they were nearly black. She had finished her outfit with a purple “I’m Just Here To Steal From Rich People” button. This was Tabitha O’mally, the adventuring party’s necromancer and lich, according to Koda and Lily.
On her arm and much taller than her was a half-dragon half-human woman with red scales and deep tan skin. Her hair was just as vibrant a red as her scales, and she had clearly put in effort to at least brush it. Her eyes, also red and with cat-like pupils, seemed to glow on their own. She looked like she could rip open metal with her bare hands. She was wearing a full suit of silvered plate armor with golden detailing, looking like the knight to her wife’s princess fit. It had taken her a moment to get the red “I’m Just Hoping For A Fight” button secured to the armor, but it was now displayed proudly. This was Beatrice O’mally, the party’s barbarian and frontliner, as well as being Tabitha’s wife.
Compared to Beatrice, the rest of the party seemed to disappear into the background, especially Gideon Valkea. Half-human, quarter-demon, quarter-frost giant, but he looked like an average guy – tan skin, black hair, black eyes, average in height and build both – except for the horrific scarring around his eyes and his perpetual scowl. He was wearing a uniform of some sort, which was black, dark grey, and dark red. He had capped off his outfit with a green “I’m Just Hoping For A Fight” button. He didn’t look like what someone would assume a demon hunter should look like, and he didn’t take an issue with the presence of demons at the suitor party.
His cousin, Lohiarm Valkea, was practically neon white in comparison. Lohiarm was half-dragon in place of half-human, and his skin, scales, and hair were all such a stark white that one would think he had albinism. He had one green eye and one blue eye in the form of total heterochromia, which – based on the fact that he had Benoe practically glued to his hip – was probably the only hetero thing about him. He also wore a uniform similar to Gideon’s, though his was white and ice blue. He had picked out an orange “I’m Just Here For The Cheese” button to cap it all off. He was the party’s sorcerer and rogue.
And finally, Benoe the ranger, who by all accounts didn’t have a surname. He was just a normal guy. A handsome guy in his late 20s, but a normal human dude. Even his chosen clothing for this event – leather armor with a dark green cloak – seemed extremely easy to overlook compared to the rest of the party. He never drifted too far from Lohiarm and had picked a green “I’m Just Here For The Cheese” button, because he had his priorities in order.
Koda and Lily hugged each of them and greeted them as old friends, and introduced them to everyone else. Despite the strangeness of the adventuring party, they were easy enough to get along with.
8 AM, Start Of The Party...
The suitors had arrived, and it was go time. Koda took up an initial position at the center of the park to deal with the first wave of suitors, but luckily there would be a lot more moving around as the day went on.
He just needed to survive the first few hours when the most formal ones would give their offers first. Which meant he had to survive a bunch of Imperial nobles and their brats.
Vasro has been here from the start. He is wearing a white, short sleeve button up shirt, a dark grey vest, and suspenders. The vest has snake patterns similar to Koda’s and is fancy enough to pass as formalwear. His bioluminescence is swirling, intricate patterns of glowing blue along his skin. He has many pins, including “I'm just here for the cheese”, “I’m here to get money and power”, “I'm just here to steal from rich people” “I'm here to support someone who wants Koda Hayashi” “I am Koda Hayashi” and “I'm just hoping for a fight.” There is another Vasro lurking just behind the waterfall.
Vasro is wandering around, eating snacks, and asking suitors semi-invasive questions to determine if they’re good enough for his brother. Nothing happens to the ones who fail, other than the fact that about 3 minutes after Vasro leaves the conversation, they begin to become incredibly nervous and paranoid, leaving soon after.
"Well, if you want to meet someone familiar" The moustached dwarf turned to the pond's park. " @obscura-omenseeker is hanging out around the waterfall, spying over any possible troublemaer, assasin or pestering suitor that may harass Koda. It's been a long Time since you two meet, no? Why don't try chat with him, about your project"
Then Skit point at the long line of suitors " @warrior-of-tol-angata, and her leader Shregesha, do you remember them? Most of the yongest boys came for Koda. But maybe you can chat with Turrak or Boss Shregesha. You are both warrior and Lovera of nature, right? Try chatting with thems."
"Koda is guarded by Prince Biilziebub. The "head of security"" The dwarf throw an crude egg at the ground. " Be carefull around him. The guy is an spoon fooded brat. Now, I am forgeting about someone else?" The dwarf rummiated.
"Oh, an representante of @dusk-legion-diplomacy. Callisto, the chapeeon of Koda, he is trying to keep him calm and relaxed, during all this mesa" Answered Skit, as the dwarf grimmed in disgust at remembering the presence of the legion's vampires. The dwarf added. "Of course. Tought I doubt you have any business with him, right? Well go on. Enjoy the party, barbarian girl!"
"Thanks." With a grin, Zarii fades into the crowd, eventually coming up near @mirrormist-clique-adventures . "Hey, Nettleflower. How's it going? Sorry I haven't been in touch."
The staff was in place for the event. Old Lady Hanako and her waitrons were working the event in Arán Park, with the shop closed down for the day. Itachi’s Noodle Bar was the VIP area, with Itachi and his kami employees handling anyone who might be a danger or allergen risk for other suitors. Oak-Paw’s studio was open for both tailoring duties and as a changing room.
In the park, everything was set up. Security personnel – members of the Grim Fleet, the Hyozan Reckoners, the Okiba Reckoners, and the Dokuchi Reckoners (some of whom were disguised as staff for the event) – were in place. The food tables, including four of cheese alone, were set up near the entrance of the park, while the performing stage was set up in the relatively flat area. A relaxation area was set up near the waterfalls and hidden by a curtain for anyone who needed to get away from the hustle and bustle.
Koda’s personal security detail was also present, dressed as formally as they wanted to be. Most notably for the suitors that would arrive later, Satoru Umezawa of the Hyozan Reckoners and Greasefang of the Okiba Reckoners were positioned at the entrance. They had dressed similarly, entirely on accident – button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up, armored pants, and a vest. Greasefang’s vest was armored, and her overall color palette leaned more into whites, yellows, and light purples, while Satoru’s vest was tight (on purpose, knowing him) and his colors stuck pretty closely to dark blues, dark purples, and black. Both had also picked out “I’m Here To Work” buttons, with Satoru wearing a purple one and Greasefang wearing a yellow one.
Lily of Thyrsus, likewise, was helping out as something akin to Koda’s honor guard alongside Leta and Biilziebub. She was dressed just as simply for the base, with a long, unpatterned blue dress and a formal black vest over it, but she also finished off the look with a dark green cloak for the drama of it all. She was wearing both an “I’m Here To Work” button in purple and an “I Am Koda Hayashi” button in green.
Koda himself was wearing his new Reckoner armor, made of deer leather and steel plating dyed a nearly-black purple. There was a serpentine motif detailed across all of it, mirroring the snakes and clouds of Koda’s Dokuchi Reckoner tattoos, and is was missing the left sleeve to keep his tattoos apparent. There were only a handful of places where the serpentine motif did not appear: across the metal and across parts used by other designs. One such place was the leather across Koda’s upper chest. There were two intertwined flowers over his heart. One was the Vazante rose, all of its petals and leaves and thorns accounted for, to honor his dads Arturo and Lazaro. The other was an iris with the kanji for his surname on the primary visual petal, to honor his mother Ayame. On the other side of his chest were two rats, a snake with four arms, and a mountain with three eyes, honoring Lethaltooth, Silentsign, Shigeki, and Shimatsu. To top it all off, he had a purple “I’m Just Hoping For A Fight” button affixed to his armor.
7 AM, One Hour Before The Party...
Koda and Lily’s old adventuring party from Odithis arrived to help out. There were five of them, just as strange as the two had described.
The first one of note was the undead woman who didn’t look that undead. She was as pale as death, and the elaborate gothic dress she wore helped to sell it. Her long black hair was pulled back into a braid with a few strands left out to frame her face. Her eyes were such a dark brown that they were nearly black. She had finished her outfit with a purple “I’m Just Here To Steal From Rich People” button. This was Tabitha O’mally, the adventuring party’s necromancer and lich, according to Koda and Lily.
On her arm and much taller than her was a half-dragon half-human woman with red scales and deep tan skin. Her hair was just as vibrant a red as her scales, and she had clearly put in effort to at least brush it. Her eyes, also red and with cat-like pupils, seemed to glow on their own. She looked like she could rip open metal with her bare hands. She was wearing a full suit of silvered plate armor with golden detailing, looking like the knight to her wife’s princess fit. It had taken her a moment to get the red “I’m Just Hoping For A Fight” button secured to the armor, but it was now displayed proudly. This was Beatrice O’mally, the party’s barbarian and frontliner, as well as being Tabitha’s wife.
Compared to Beatrice, the rest of the party seemed to disappear into the background, especially Gideon Valkea. Half-human, quarter-demon, quarter-frost giant, but he looked like an average guy – tan skin, black hair, black eyes, average in height and build both – except for the horrific scarring around his eyes and his perpetual scowl. He was wearing a uniform of some sort, which was black, dark grey, and dark red. He had capped off his outfit with a green “I’m Just Hoping For A Fight” button. He didn’t look like what someone would assume a demon hunter should look like, and he didn’t take an issue with the presence of demons at the suitor party.
His cousin, Lohiarm Valkea, was practically neon white in comparison. Lohiarm was half-dragon in place of half-human, and his skin, scales, and hair were all such a stark white that one would think he had albinism. He had one green eye and one blue eye in the form of total heterochromia, which – based on the fact that he had Benoe practically glued to his hip – was probably the only hetero thing about him. He also wore a uniform similar to Gideon’s, though his was white and ice blue. He had picked out an orange “I’m Just Here For The Cheese” button to cap it all off. He was the party’s sorcerer and rogue.
And finally, Benoe the ranger, who by all accounts didn’t have a surname. He was just a normal guy. A handsome guy in his late 20s, but a normal human dude. Even his chosen clothing for this event – leather armor with a dark green cloak – seemed extremely easy to overlook compared to the rest of the party. He never drifted too far from Lohiarm and had picked a green “I’m Just Here For The Cheese” button, because he had his priorities in order.
Koda and Lily hugged each of them and greeted them as old friends, and introduced them to everyone else. Despite the strangeness of the adventuring party, they were easy enough to get along with.
8 AM, Start Of The Party...
The suitors had arrived, and it was go time. Koda took up an initial position at the center of the park to deal with the first wave of suitors, but luckily there would be a lot more moving around as the day went on.
He just needed to survive the first few hours when the most formal ones would give their offers first. Which meant he had to survive a bunch of Imperial nobles and their brats.
Pelt`s could only grin, as the smells from the cooked goods, invade his nose, as he get near the party.
What a shame, that he today he had to hide his beutifull faces. Now adopting the glamour of an young dwarf, thanks to an the mask gifted by Koda. At least, he could finally know how does it felt to have an moustache.
In term of clothing, he took one that manifested within the wardrobe of the orphanage. An brown shirt, of simple cotton farbic, covered by an slevless vest, with an whirlwing of red, blue and purples. Plain pants, but with fabric of red and blue, tied around as belts. If anyone saw him now, they would find the fanciest dwarf pirate of the world.
As he set foot on the park`s grass, he searched quickly for any familiar face. An ugly and blue face, among the pirates. An goblin, with an small vest of red and blue.
"Skit!!!" He shouted promptly, forgeting his original plan to remain incognito. The goblin turned to the dwarf, as he was discussing with an big bald men, tattoed from toes to head.
"Hi? You are..." The goblin asked, as the men grimaced at the dwarf.
"Well, I am Mr. Squabble Stones, remember? I took a good day, to find you back guys" Pelt respond with fervor, now inmersed on his paper.
"Oh. OH! STONES. You finally arrived" Responded the goblin, as he jumped onto his shoulders. He felt heavier to Pelt, now being the same sizes.
"Now now. We only need to pick a button, then all is ready for us" He showed his pin "I`m here to work". As Pelt observed the buttons, he had to bite his lips, as he took the same pin.
He won`t joke around today. Cause today, there will be an great bounty!!!
Medrado sighed, as the dwarf reunited with the goblin. Yes, he did knew about Blazen Pelt`s plan, and the permission that Hayazhi, the host of the party, granted him to steal from the suitors.
He weared an simple. He shared the same type of clothing of shirt and vest. Buttons in form of skulls, as few. Embroilered patrons of bones, of white and purple fabric, over the black`s vest. An uniform shared among all the contracted grunts from the Grim Fleets.
His mens, have installed the security point a few hours ago, each occupied by two mens. An muscles, and a mague to detect the weapons and artifacts. Everyone, wearing the button "Im here to work". He did allow for a few of the guys, to add the buttong of " I`m just hoping for an fight".
He leaved the duo of dwards and goblin on thier security hub, as he inmersed into the party, observing for any bad behaviour or aggresion to the honest workers. He does have an debt with Koda`s, aside from the order from Moena. He financed the education of her daughter. So the least he and his crew can do, is guarantee to him, an peacefull party.
Tought, he hadn`t discovered the why, they should throw an specifici imperial scion, into the lake. Well, he will, once he meet him.
An screaming scion of kamigawan was throw to the lake. The main band of "xerexians" are signing song unheard of any plane that they heard. And the show of firework.
Tin stood in awe, at the sheer diversity, interaction and life of this party. While Thanda, keep real close of his waynwards, making sure to keep him away from those with "Im here to steal from rich people" and "Im here for a fitgh" buttons. He checked on his; "I`am here to support someone who wants Koda Hayashi", aka, to protect lord Surya and his companion. Whenever he went.
Tin smelt the ambiance, trying to meet and identify, who of these people. Are important figures, tycoons, or nobles of their planes.
Koda had stepped clear of more of the chaos for a bit, staying by the cheese table. Despite being the person who was meant to be courted at this party, not much had been going on - he had been turning people down cold all day and had no intention of stopping now. His armor made him stand out just based on craftsmanship alone. He noticed the two Avishkari and the Bloomburrian rat and waited to see if they would approach.
"Azzie?" The black furred rat turns regconizing the name of his cousin from mothers side. He tought of him dead, to the snail cults rituals!!!
"I haven`t heard of him for like one year at least." He quickly recomponse. "I tought that it was a fun coincidence. Being honest with you." He is wearing an button, clear on his intention of wanting Koda.
"Well, I would do like to propose you. In account, of being amazed of the person that I have witnessed trought the network. And the tales of your kindness and feats, told by the reckoners of this plane, or those who roam across the Thunder Juction." He stress his own hand, trying to stay focused.
"I would like to propose you. Seeking for an partner, an a big family" The automaton, kneeled, in front of Koda.
Koda had been saying roughly the same thing all day, more as a warning for is suitors than anything else. Honesty served him well in many negotiations, marriage proposals included.
"So, just to make sure you know what you're getting into... You understand that I am a Reckoner boss, aka very much a criminal leader of a criminal gang, and that I do not live a safe life. You understand that I am a kami priest with a partner kami, so my spiritual duties are important. You understand that although you are marrying into Clan Hayashi, this plane does not do surname changes during marriage and the money is still mine to manage as opposed to freely used by anyone and everyone associated with the clan. You understand that I am twenty-three years old and incredibly mentally unstable. You understand that I am half-oni and half-human, raised by nezumi, and adopted by vampires. You understand that my adopted family and I run an orphanage and that the safety of the kids will always come before everything else. You know all of this, correct?"
Remington Ratlington, rat who faced the giants beast of Thunder Juction, the goblins of Aviskhar, was a bit appaled. At the size of the compromise, that he was trying to be part of.
He rub his. "No no. I didnt know about your instability, Koda Hayashi. I must apologize, for my shameless behaviour of today, and from the card. From the other side of the screen, and from the honeyed words of your admirer. I only loved, an perfect version of you." The automaton, lowered its legs. "Your ties with the Dokuchis, your riches, and name wasnt such a matter for me. I did know about the nezumis family, as we both know" He tried to joke, only to meet Koda`s cold stare. "Sorry. I retract my proposal. Lord Hayashi"
Koda inclined his head, respecting the retraction and just glad that he didn't have to think of a new, inoffensive way to turn down a proposal. "Understood. I apologize for the long trip you had and the inevitable long trip that will remain afterwards. I hope you enjoy the rest of the party."
"You say, that Azzie told you about me?...." The rat asked, looking at the cheese table. "Could I .... Talk with him? It`s been long, since we last meet"
Thanda pinched Tin, indicating that they were finishing with their chatting. Tin, rubbed his hands.
"Yeah, Azzie's somewhere among the cheese tables, I'm sure they'll be interested in catching up with you. Sounded to me like they were surprised you were still around." Koda directed Remington towards Azzie, then turned again when Thanda and Tin approached.
Remington abandoned the scene, "parking" the automaton on the desk, as he jumped onto the table. To reunite with his long believed dead, cousin Azzie.
While the aviskhari dwarf, wearing proudly, an red "I`m here to get money and power", presented himself. " Alyumeeniyan Tin Surya, heiress of many business of the Surya clan. But everyone can just call me Tin." He extend his hand, more like meeting an fellow merchant, rather that the jewel of his eyes. While Thanda the Loxodont, stood with crossing arm, proudly by his right. Vigilating the possible thiefs.
"A pleasure to meet you as well," Koda said, shaking his hand. "Now, did I say that whole list of disclaimers and warnings loud enough for you to catch all of that, or would you like me to repeat all of it?" Not that it would scare Tin away much, considering his chosen pin, but it was safest to give the disclaimer to everyone.
Tin laughed. "I checked the full list on the pamplhet, thank you very much. My parents doens`t know, that they choose an boss of an criminal gang, as my possible husband." Thanda turned suprised, almost to scream, untill he noticed the bodyguards of Satoru and Gresafang. He breathed deeply.
"My lord. You knew of this. Why you didnt warn your parents, or at least me?" He crounched, his trunck whispering to Tin`s ears.
"Cause they would panic, and I wouldn`t have the chance to explore Towashi. And thus far, is an beutifull city. Beside, I promised to Ratlington, to assist to the party. "He turned to the cheese table, as Ratlington had an vehement conversation with Azzie.
"Being honest. I am not that interest in the chance of marriage, or even of an date. No offense, Koda Hayashi." The dwarf, rubbed his small beard. He could be between his twenty to twenty-four.
Koda let out a sigh of relief. "Oh thank goodness. No offense meant either, of course, but after turning down...I think we're at fifty-six proposals...I could do with a conversation that isn't about my experience in bed or what people want to do with the money they think will be theirs. Business matters are a lot easier to manage and understand. So! I hear you're an entrepreneur, and I've spoken in passing to your aunt Riya on the communications network. What is it that you wanted to talk about?"
Tin sighed, as he stomped the ground, clearly nervous. "I suppose, that I would like to know. If you are interested in financing any of our project, given your new wealth. Three of my uncles, are interested in expanding the railyway system of Thunder Juction. Wich would mean, an fast travel of the omenpaths of Kamigawa, found on the plane." Trains were the first thing that came to mind, cause that were the vehicle that they used.
"Maybe, helping you to occupy an place in your new staturs as noble? I heard that the rest of the clans, are quite merciless and ruthless in account of commerce. I think, that my parents were more interested, in the good reputation that you would have brought to the clan, if we married at least. I can see the titulars of the papars. "THE CLAN SURYA, WELCOME KODA HAYASHI FROM THE SLUMPS. THEN CRIMINAL OF THEIR PLANE, NOW PROUD PROMOTOR OF THE ASSEMBLY IN KAMIGAWA"." Tin sighed. "Sorry. But you know politic. Now even the son`s of the mangantes, can rest from this game an strategies." Than gave an sympathethic look at Tin, then turned to Koda.
"Well then. What are the main exportation of the clan Hayashi? I can`t guest, that you will sell the blades of your gang, as petty mercenaries" He says the last words, with a hint of scorn. Tin kicked him with the shoulder. "Than, be respectfull. We are on his home."
"Sorry, my lord. But this Hayashi, did self-regconized as the head of an criminal gang" Than watched coldly at Koda. That look, was akin to many reckoners with their students. Seeking for any danger, that could harm their responsability.
Koda nodded to Thanda. "I prefer to be honest in my dealings. Makes life easier. And you are correct, we are not mercenaries. Think of us more as a special operations team in terms of scope of what we do and what we aim for. And for the record, I have no intention of becoming a colonist like my grandparents were once the Omenpaths opened."
He turned his attention back to Tin. "I am very interested in the idea of better public transportation. I'm sure you've seen some of the...failings of our public transport here in Towashi, particularly for those who have difficulty getting into various buses and whatnot. Admittedly, the lack of easily-accessible aether in other planes makes it difficult to bring Avishkari inventions to other planes, as I'm sure you've noticed, but I am willing to work with you so you can better understand the way that things are powered and managed here, which in turn can help with your efforts in Thunder Junction."
"Bringing... the schematic of powering the machins of Kamigawa, alongside expanding the aviskhari tranposrts companis, to Towashi" Tin thinks about the offert. "That... That does sound like an good idea. I mean, I doubt that my uncle would bring an train and build railways acroos Towashi. But the idea is there. We, the aviskhari, have found ways to exploit the etenal storm of Thunder Juction." Thanda smiles warmly, as he witness his master furious drabbling.
"Yeah. Yeah, you have yourself an good business partner." As he extend his hand, the dwarf notice Than discomfort. "Without, your private operatives services. And I hope that none of your dokuchi operation, pose any danger to my homplane. Jeje, you know. I am a aviskhari, before an greedy capitalist."
"I know the lengths to which I can spread my people, we have no intention of operating in other planes. We intend to make Kamigawa a better place and doing what we can for those who need a little extra help." Koda shook Tin's hand. "I'll keep in touch, I'm very interested in seeing where all of this goes." His tone was genuine and surprisingly soft, given the whole "literal criminal gang leader" thing. He was being honest about making things better for people.
As Tin stretched his hand once again, he handed to Koda`s an card. "My family card and contacts. Once we depart from this party." Thanda have allowed himself to relax, his shoulder dropping down.
"Well. Glad that I felt on your good grace, unlike that guy throwed to the pot" Tin observe the rest of the suitors, the most likely to belong to noble houses or of Kamigawa. "It`s there, any house of Kamigawa, that you are allienated against? Or, knowing your story, have any shaddy businesses? I would like to avoid those persons during my stay on the rest of the party"
"Since you're extraplanar, I recommend avoiding both Clan Sasaki and Clan Kimura," Koda advised as he accepted the business card. "Clan Sasaki is headed by Daisuke Sasaki with an heir in Tomeo, and they want to expand Towashi more into the Jukai Forest, putting them in direct opposition with my goals of keeping the natural spaces of Kamigawa safe. Clan Kimura is headed by Hatsushi Kimura, and her heir is Sawa, and they're pushing for even harsher punishments for criminals such as Reckoners or interplanar visitors. Part of my efforts are pushing for better legal protections, so obviously we already clash."
He paused for a moment. "As for houses we're allied with, that's a bit of what I'm chipping away at. The kitsune Paws Clan, headed by Regent Light-Paws, is overall pretty good. I have no complaints about the Regent nor her son Autumn-Paws."
Tin rested his fists by their side, an tireds eyes behind the glasses. " So I must avoid an political opponent of yours, to not gather the ire of the naturalist folks. And the clan, who wants people like me on chains and tortured" Tin stroke his beard, while Thanda the Kimura's suitors with disgust. Tin clapped his hand. "Well then, my business with you are done today, Koda Hayashi. And thank you, you saving me from my parents reproach. Good luck keeping your cold" Tin sees another imperial suitor walking to them, with an vandal's face. "You will need it." Tin parted away, to ask around for the whereabouts of the Paws Clan. Thanda, just nodded to the host, as he followed his lord, to keep him safe from thiefs or troublemakers.
Zarii sidles in the doorway, trying and failing to look like she was here the whole time. She is dressed normally except a large splatter of blood covering the left side of her body.
"CRAZY BARBARIAN!!!" She heard an familiar voice high pitched voice from the entrace. It came from a familiar goblin, an face that she last saw on Nephalia.
Skit was wearing an security vest, alongside an moustached dwarf, on a security booth.
"WHAT WITH THE BLOOD?" Skit asked, screaming out of concern.
Zarii winces and covers her ears. "Not so loud, Skit! It's good to see you." After a moment, she remembers what the goblin actually asked. "Oh, yeah. I was in the middle of something when I remembered this was happening."
"Well, it seem that you didn`t caught up witht he rules." Coughed the dwarf. "You must discard of any weapons, and jewels, specially artifcats, in our chest" The moustached dwarf, petted at the chest, full with knifes, swords, maces, chains and more white weapons.
"Alongside picking an button, to be clear about your intentions" Added Skit, showing the various buttons of red, blue, yellow, purple and green to the gruul.
"There are "I`m here to steal for the rich", another if you came for a fight, to seek money and power, for the CHEESE, if you came to performs and act. An the various buttons related to the host; If you want him, or someone related to him, if you came to support someone who wants the host and if you are the host." The host being Koda Hayashi, as the button says.
The dwarf smiled, as he waited for her weapons to be handed to him. "Two gangs of the reckoners, alongside us from the coalition, are working as the secuirity of this park. We are forbidden from murder,but if you do any funny business or harass the workers, we will--" They heard another scream, as the pirates-security throw another rude suitor, to the pand, on their ways to meet Towashi`s canal. "That. We will throw you to the waters."
"Well, I guess I came to support Koda, but I don't want him. Um..." After a second of hesitation, Zarii grabs a CHEESE button. "And would you believe that I don't have any weapons? My axe broke and I can't find another suitable one, so it's fisticuffs for now." She shrugs.
