In this world, Magic is Everything. All people, all races, are granted with the power to perform mystical and magical feats via grimories, mystical tomes granted to each and every child on their 15th birthday. Those blessed by the mana can have their names written down in legend.
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Artemis found herself wandering the town of Hage. For some reason, she had been unburdened from the paperwork she had been piled with recently. While most of them had been about the missions taken and received by the Green Mantis, some of them had included reports on what had happened in the Witches' Forest just a few months prior. That event had changed the landscape of the Clover Kingdom, both for its regular and every day citizen, and its nobility. They had lost a lot of lives then. The Magic Knights who had accompanied the Wizard King and the Captains and Vice Captains has been dealt a terrible blow. The nobility were often the most plentiful within the ranks of the Magic Knights, and they had been the first ones who were victims of this tragedy. However, what concerned Artemis was the lack of information that was presented by both her sources, and the documents that she had been able to unearth. All she had been able to actually uncover was the fact that there was quite a lot of death and destruction. Not only that, but whatever they had been fighting had not been truly defeated. At least, that was what was assumed. Everything else that’s she could find was more or less hazy recounts. Some of the information seemed to have been redacted, or at least, to the prying eyes it was. Artemis herself was unsure whether she should try to dig deeper. It was always dangerous to try and unearth something that the higher ups wanted buried, after all.[break][break]
The Water element Magic Knight sighed, her face in deep contemplation as she turned a corner and made her way down the busy street of Hage. There were more than a few shops that were busy now. After all, it was the middle of Summer now, and it was mid day. The sun was up and was making it quite hard to walk out in the open without any type of cooling capabilities. Or even a shade. [break][break]
“The heat…” She would sigh, making her way into one of the stores that she was sure was a pub that doubled as an inn. Artemis was one who visited the town often, and therefore was known throughout as an avid fan of cheesecake. This was more so because she made sure to try out the cheesecake at every pastry shop within the town of Hage, which truly only numbered to one. One pastry shop, which was doubled as a bakery. Artemis would chuckle to herself, the peasants and commoners that lived in Hage were mostly the worst off in the Clover Kingdom. They were poor, and had little. Yet, Artemis found herself loving the place, calling it her second home. Where there’s poverty, there was happiness of the simple kind. Materialism was not present here. Instead, bonds were seen as important. Relationships between people, friends and family, became the source of light in their darkness. [break][break]
Artemis would take a seat, near the door where she could see everyone coming in and going out. She would order her customary cheesecake, before settling in. However, as she turned towards the door, she found herself looking at a familiar face. One of her Green Mantis Magic Knights.[break][break] “Valo Stark.”
Post by Valo Stark✾ on Jul 12, 2020 19:34:23 GMT -5
A day off for Valo is rare, even when he wasn't on a mission given to him be the order he got caught up in some kind of adventure. But not today, today he was going to take this time to cool off and relax a little. With all the various activities like fighting pirates, going through dungeons, fighting monsters, and solving mysteries. Valo realized that he's been neglecting one of his favorite past times, buying stuff. Valo loved just getting random things, be it clothes, jewelry, accessories, stuff for him and stuff he just didn't need. These past few weeks have been so busy, that he hasn't bought anything new in quite some time. Which is one of the two reasons he found himself in the shopping district of Hage.
The Hage shopping district was nothing to brag about compared to other towns, but since he's been here Valo has found and made relationships with a couple of different shops he considered hidden gems. Was there a lot of stores with some good decent product? No. But there was a small handful that carried some really rare product at a good price, one of the many reasons why Valo was beginning to consider Hage a home. He spent a few hours out enjoying the warmth of the sun, being a fire mage he didn't mind the heat he usually welcomed it. But he did dress lightly though, wearing a white sleeveless tee with blue pants and some black sandals. With a newly bought gold bracelet on his left wrist, with a collection of jewel that circled around it. He admired his new bracelet as he walked to his next location and the second reason he came out to the shopping district today. Some business to handle in the pub.
Valo burst through the doors of the most popular inn in Hage, mostly because it was the only good one. But this time Valo wasn't here to indulge in food, he had some business to take care of. Small business but it needed to be handled nonetheless, when he bursted in he was met with a few familiar faces. The first one was Gouda a large fellow who always found himself pigging out in the inn. But another face he didn't really expect to see there was Artemis, his vice captain. It felt a lot like Deja vu similar to how they first met. "Artemis???...Wha-Gimme a second!" he said facing his vice captain with a confused then turned focused look on his face. He turned to face the large man named Gouda, right in front of a table he placed his elbow on it. "Let's get this over with Gouda! My vice is here so I don't got time to waste!" Valo shouted to the burly man.
Gouda laughed out loud, looking at Valo. "Hahahahaha I didn't think you would show Valo! You got guts kid! I win I take the bracelet." He replied slamming his elbow on the table revealing a large arm. "And if I win, you buy my meals for the year! Just like we agreed!" Valo stated a cocky grin on his face. A small group of people started to circle around to watch the arm wrestle. Placing small bets, mostly all in Gouda's favor. Valo and Gouda interlocked hands, and with a count of "1,2,3!" it started and ended just as quick. Valo slamming his arm on the table with little to no effort in a quick fashion.
Valo stood his cocky expression never leaving his face, rotating his shoulder. "I told you I never lose an arm wrestle match! Not in Kikka and not here either! Now get me my favorite meal and don't forget to tip!" he said turning back around to face Artemis. The little crowd started to disperse, with a look of disappointment on many faces and Gouda the loser sulking while ordering some food for Valo.
"Hey Vice...didn't expect to see you here now. You always looked busy doing the...uhhhh Vice captain stuff." he said hoping into the seat to face her.
Artemis would watch as the Valo Stark would saunter through the place. She would not respond, only giving the man a nod as he seemed to be here for his own reasons. What she was here for, however, was her cheesecake. Artemis would smile at the kindly server that finally brought her the delicious delicacy There was always something to be said about the hospitality of the inns and restaurants here in the Forsaken Region. It was less robotic, and more homely. Artemis always found herself enjoying her time out, whenever she found time. That had been fewer and far between these past few weeks, and she knew that it was taking a toll on her. She supposed it was the reason why she chose to take some solo missions once more, as well as to finally take a break from all of the paperwork she had been dumped with.[break][break]
There was a crash, and Artemis had to hold onto her plate as it shook her table. She had almost lost her cheesecake.[break][break]
“You almost cost me my cheesecake.” She would answer the young man now sitting in front of her. Her glare was legendary, and Artemis was never one to let go of grudges. “Be happy I did not lose it, or else you would be leaving here without an arm.”[break][break]
Artemis would take a deep breath, before taking a slice of the wonderful cheesecake and bringing to her mouth. It was like a slice of heaven, truly delicious.[break][break]
“I was able to get some time off from the work that had kept me,” Artemis finally answered the young man. “Green Mantis, as a Magic Knights Squad, has been gaining reputation these past few weeks. A more active squad is always good.” She would nod, “Though…” Artemis trailed off, her face darkened as she thought of the Captain, Barron “Hannibal” Castle.[break][break]
She paused for a moment, before asking, “And you? I am hoping you’re not slacking off like this every single day?” Artemis would look pointedly towards the man.
Post by Valo Stark✾ on Jul 13, 2020 17:10:29 GMT -5
As Valo hopped in the seat to face his vice captain he didn't notice but he bumped the table nearly knocking Artemis's cheesecake over. A big mistake that he should've known not to make, he was aware of how much Artemis loved her cheesecake. She loved it just as much as Valo loved earning money and buying useless things, his body froze up when he caught a glimpse of Artemis's glare. A truly deadly glare that could make any person freeze with fear, the hair on the back of his neck rose up when he looked at her. "Sorry! Sorry! Artemis! An accident really!" he muttered trying to smile, while holding his hands up. He wasn't going to test just how much she meant it when she said he could have lost an arm.
When she took a bite of her cheesecake, Valo started to relax releasing a light sigh. Hopefully she wasn't so angry anymore, now that she was enjoying her cheesecake. She started to speak on how she was able to get the free time, and of course the status of Green Mantis. It seemed nothing mattered more to Artemis than the standing of the squad. Valo admired that though, one of the reasons he took pride in being apart of it. She had a moment of pause when mentioning something else, Valo had a good idea of what that was. Barron “Hannibal” Castle the captain of the Green Mantis hasn't been active recently, a fact that Valo knew was ticking off Artemis. She cared so much for the squad and to see a lazy leader at the helm didn't sit well. Valo thought the same way, but for now there wasn't much he could do. His fight with Lydia Ravencrest proved he was no where near vice captain level, his reputation, experience and overall strength right now was still lacking. He still had a lot more work to do clearly, but what Artemis mentioned next caught the young fire mage off guard.
"Whaaaa??...Haha no way! It's a much needed day off for me. Ive been working really hard, bringing in gold stars for the squad, completing mission after mission. There's no time to slack off, but just a day of rest is needed sometimes you know?" he said in a attempt to defend himself to Artemis. He thought he was doing a at least a decent job thus far rising through the ranks.
Artemis would look at the man as he explained himself. All mission missives go through the Captain or the Vice Captain. Usually, it is the Captain’s job to divide and conquer the missions, giving them to the members as they saw fit. Even Captain Barron “Hannibal” Castle did not slack off on that part. Artemis herself had not been the recipient of missions recently, having been more than swamped within the Vice Captain’s office. It seems that the previous Vice Captain had not done their fair share of the work, leaving their successor, Artemis, to pick up the slack. This was one of the few times that Artemis could say that she hoped the previous Vice captain would rot in hell.[break][break]
“That’s good.” She would comment, before turning her attention away from the young man. It had been awhile since she had been able to just sit down, and truly, it was not something she could enjoy doing a lot. Artemis was a woman who liked to constantly be on the move. Adrenaline was something her body craved, and in the end, while she was able to curb her urges, the yearning for action was always there. [break][break]
“I hope that in next year’s Star Ceremony, the Green Mantis can proudly say that they are taking one of the top three places, if not the first.” It was a long shot, but there was always hope. “Of course, by then, I hope to be Captain.” She would conclude, her mind now running through the different scenarios that could happen. All of it led to her needing to beat the current Captain. Barron Castle was a fierce man, and she knew she still had a few more to go before she could effectively defeat the man in combat. [break][break] “A mountain of a task indeed,” She would muse to herself, before settling her gaze towards Valo. “And you? What are your plans as part of the Green Mantises?” She would ask, “Hopefully not something mediocre.” Artemis would say in a deadpan stare.
Post by Valo Stark✾ on Jul 13, 2020 20:27:52 GMT -5
Valo listened to Artemis's desire to take one the top three places for next years star ceremony, Valo himself had never been to one only heard about it from other squad mates. He didn't know much about them only knowing that it was something to do with gold stars. His mind started to drift just a little on what the star ceremony could look like and what exactly happened there, but his attention was bought back to focus when he heard Artemis hope to be captain by then. This would put a slight smirk on his face, he got the feeling that was always her goal but it was refreshing to hear her say out loud for once.
"Aaaaahh nice to hear you say that." he replied "I'll be rooting for you." he added with a nod of his head towards her. Valo meant that as well, Artemis was the perfect candidate for the next captain of the squad. She was strong, wide, patient and kind...at times. She even took personal time to engage and converse with individual members of the squad. Heck she was the first person he went on a mission with when he was a junior magic knight, that seemed a while ago but in reality it hasn't been that long.
Valo listened to speak again, and when she finished he chuckled a bit. "Oh for me? Weeellll I said that vice captain stuff that one crazy night, cause I knew it would piss off Fuu. But in reality I just wanna be the best." Valo said bluntly seemingly pleased with his very basic one note comment. Valo was still very much a simple minded young man, truthfully he had yet to actually desire something other than seeking strength. To him one did not need a reason to be strong, he had no desire to protect anyone or claim a special seat. He worked hard as a magic knight because it was his job and he enjoyed it, but also because he saw it as the best to seek power. The young man still had a lot to learn and experience.
“A goal is always good to have,” Artemis would nod at the young man. To be the Vice Captain was something that a lot of people within the Magic Knights Squads always strove to be. And beyond that, they want to become the Captain. Of course, most of these people would slowly die away, either through sheer idiocy, or overconfidence. Some of them would survive their years as a Magic Knight, though their magical prowess would taper off. Those were the saddest ones, losing their hopes and dreams, watching them fade away as they too faded away into the abyss of history. And then there were those who would soar high, past those who were all hot air, and were able to actually reach their potential, and their dreams. Those were few and far between. Artemis supposed that she was one of those. She was able to achieve her goal to become the Vice Captain of the Green Mantis after all. [break][break]
But there was something more for Artemis.[break][break]
“To have a goal, it is what drives people to do better. To be better.” She paused, waving one of the barmaids over for a glass of water, “To become the Vice Captain is a good goal. Of course, you must have the conviction to achieve it.” She continued. Artemis knew that sometimes, all it takes was one push. While it had been easy for her, some people needed the prodding to get them going. “A lot of people in power, they truly only got there with a mixture of both skill and luck. I suppose as part of the nobility, skill was somewhat a given for me. Luck, on the other hand, is something we make for ourselves. We must chase luck, not wait for it to drop onto our laps.” She would shake her head, “How many people have you seen idling their days away, hoping that their luck would turn up one day? Too many…” Sighing, she continued, “It’s all about action, Valo Stark. Action.”[break][break]
The water would arrive then, being passed to her by the barmaid. Artemis would smile gracefully, before taking a sip of it.[break][break]
Post by Valo Stark✾ on Jul 14, 2020 1:01:44 GMT -5
Valo chuckled a little after hearing Artemis speak, he was little surprised from the way she took his response. He was expecting a different one to say the least, but he guessed it was a good thing she didn't knock him for it. But Valo found himself agreeing with Artemis a goal was always a good thing to have. Valo believed that so much he never tried to knock down anyone else's goal or dream no matter what it was, he had a stupid name for them in fact called 'Personal legends'. He truly believed everyone had their own story and legend to write into the world.
Valo smiled and nodded in agreement with Artemis. "Chase luck huh? never heard that one before I'll keep it in mind. But I don't get lucky...in fact I'm rather unlucky. So trust me no one believes putting actions behind your words more than me. " Valo said his memories going back to the time his father of noble blood visited him and casted him aside at first glance, deeming him not good enough. When it came to luck and things falling into his lap Valo had none of it. Everything he did so far was do to his hard work and effort that he put forward, nothing else. So Valo agreed full heartedly about achieving goals took action and little else.
"A mixture of skill, luck and some action. I'll take your advice Artemis. I'll assume thats how you got to where you are?" he asked his vice captain placing his hands behind his head.
“I got to where I am, because I placed myself above everyone else from the very beginning.” She would start. It was true, for the most part. When she had joined the Green Mantis, she was technically a nobody. While she was a noble, of the lesser degree, it did not mean that people knew of her. Even those who had been living in Hapshass would barely know the delinquent noblelady from the House of Somerset. How could they? These people, Magic Knights all of them, had better things to do than sit around and idly gossip. She was, as said, a nobody. At least, she had started that way. But Artemis Somerset was not a nobody. She made sure of that from the get go. [break][break]
“When I first joined the Green Mantis, I was the same as any greenhorn.” Artemis shook her head, “But I knew that I wanted to be better. And so I placed myself in a position to become better. I took missions, I went through dungeons, and sparred almost every single day. I left no stone unturned until I could reach my goal.” She had left friends behind as well. “Friends, I never did have many of them. But that is the sacrifice I made. Blood for blood.” [break][break] It was only recently that she started to open up once more. Lydia was the main perpetrator for that, and she was thankful for her partner for everything that she had done for her. Artemis just hoped that she could repay her kindness and love a hundred-fold. [break][break]
“But truly, my journey is not over yet. There is still much to accomplish.” Artemis would shake her head. “Though, it seems that you have gained power compared to the previous times we had gone on missions together.” Artemis’ latent mana sensing could feel the power growth of the young man. “I wonder…”
Post by Valo Stark✾ on Jul 15, 2020 22:09:04 GMT -5
As Artemis spoke about her start as a green mantis magic knight, Valo found it very similar to his own current situation. All the encounters with people and faces he would meet along the way was good and all, but in the end he only seeked strength. He didn't think of it as selfish that he put his pursuit of being stronger and more powerful above other people, and apparently Artemis thought the same way. He admired that, he was beginning to learn a lot more about his Vice captain and where he mental stood. She didn't seem fake or phony, like other people Valo tended to meet in higher positions. She seemed real with high ambitions, but a realistic way of getting to those ambitions.
He already admired her strength and her leadership, but now even more so he could see himself reporting to Artemis as the captain of Green Mantis. He wouldn't mind that, not one bit. Valo heard her comments on his improvements since the last time they had gone on missions together. A smirk would appear on his face. "You wonder how strong Ive gotten since then huh? Haha! I'm twice as strong since back then Artemis, if not more so. Like I said before and just like you, Ive been busting my ass off." he said with boastful confidence in himself.
"Buuuuuttt I know I'm still no match for you." He said laughing scratching his head. "But at the same time...let's see how far the difference is now." he said with a grin. Valo was always looking for some kind of challenge would jump at the opportunity to face someone stronger than him. Artemis was that perfect person, he had seen her in action a few times now and always had the idea in the back of his mind. But now was the perfect opportunity to see it happen.
Artemis would listen to the young man boast about his improvements. She remembered herself during those days, and she could not fathom telling someone that she had gotten strong. For her, secrecy was a weapon. The less people that knew of her capabilities, the better it was. For Artemis, the shadow of doubt that crept in people’s minds when they face her in combat was something that she took advantage of. Though, at the end of the day, once she had taken the spotlight, she knew that her days in the shadows was over.[break][break]
“A spar it is.” She nodded. It would be good to see how the young man would fare against her now. After all, she had wanted to see his improvements in the past couple of weeks since she had last gone on a mission with him. “But you best be prepared.”[break][break]
Artemis stood now, facing the door as she looked back towards the man. “I am horrid at going easy. Meet me at the foot of the Demon’s Skull.” Turning, she would make her way now towards the Demon’s Skull, a desolate place fit for a spar. It was also open enough to use some of her more dangerous spells. She was not going to hold back, after all.
Post by Valo Stark✾ on Jul 16, 2020 17:42:41 GMT -5
Valo slapped his right fist into his left palm with excitement, a little spark of fire would release from the impact. The green mantis knight now on his feet looked determined and ready. One could see the fire in his eyes as Artemis would say the words he was waiting for, a spar. A one on one at that too unlike his past fight with Lydia he didn't have to worry about teammates or anyone else just him and her going at it. Of course this was just a spar so it wasn't going to go to far, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to give it his all. "I'm always ready." he would say in response to Artemis about being prepared.
"If I'm always ready there is no need for me to get prepared." he would add on. Being raised Valo didn't have the leisure to not be prepared for something, especially a fight. Fights could happen at any moment and time, when you least expect it. Even though this was a day off for Valo, and he was dressed rather casually he was always ready for a fight. "The demon's skull huh? That's a fine place to have a spar. I'll be there!" Valo shouted with excitement in his voice. He started to stretch his limbs and body out. "I'll meet you there! and I will def give it my all!" Valo was extremely excited to get a proper spar with Artemis.
