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.
Shattered Grimoires is the work of the mind(s) of Ardere & Shattered Grimoire's staff. All characters and content are copyright their creators, and may not be replicated without their creators' permission. Black Clover is owned by Yuki Tabata and published by Viz Shonen Jump. All images belong to their original owners. The theme you are currently viewing was made by Eliza of ElizaCodes exclusively for Shattered Grimoires.
The Prince Fezek and Princess Yersina have fallen, but the third brother is the most fearsome yet. He has taken up residence near the Diamond border on a leyline hotspot and has twisted the locals into his warped puppets of torture, sending them out under the guise of needing help from nearby settlements just to add to his army. He must be stopped at all costs.
[attr="class","shadowsSub"]Details
Maximum Number of Players: 2 Minimum | 4 Max [break]Minimum Word Count:3,500, 2,625 for Satori Ryuutei and June Silva. 4,375 for Eve Darkkon. [break]Location: Forsaken Region, Diamond Outskirts [break]Special Requirements: N/A
[attr="class","shadowsSub"]NPC Information
What NPCs are in this mission? Please fill out the template for any notable NPCs. While those you have to socially interact with during the mission are not required any enemy that is presented in the mission must be listed in here. [break][break] Name of NPC: Tiamanicus The Prince of Deception
[break] [break]Health Limit: Grand [break]Physical Speed: 20 m/s [break]Physical Damage: Grand [break]Magic Element and Types: Silver | Defense | Illusion | Supp. Construct [break]Combat Style: Tiamanicus appears as a frail man in order to draw his foes close, and once they are within striking distance he attacks their minds and bodies with illusions and lethal constructs designed to warp and twist their foes to his design. [break]Additional Information: Any information that you would like to add about the NPC. Such as what they look like, any noticeable features, what their stats are, etc.
[break] [break]Health Limit: Senior [break]Physical Speed: 5 m/s [break]Physical Damage: Senior [break]Magic Element and Types: Tar | Transformation | Attack [break]Combat Style: The Puppets do not attack unless provoked or if they fear that they are overwhelmed by who they try to trick. However they do operate as a hive mind and will converge at the first sign of trouble. [break]Additional Information:-
Post by Satori Ryuutei on Jan 13, 2021 12:39:48 GMT -5
Seek out the Diamond. That's what the woman, Yersina, has told them before her death. It had been a long shot but lacking any other immediate leads meant they had to take what they could, and in this case it had paid off. Satori reaching out with his senses, locating the various shifts in the ki around him had paid off well. The travel had been quick, but not fast enough. He’d already seen the various towns now ghostly and near-empty.
His eyes narrowed slightly. This was his land, his people's land. The Forsaken Region and the Fringe had become the core concerns of his people as well as himself. It was how they had managed to begin raising their country. It was how they had acquired the individuals that they had. To have missed this, even if they were heavily distracted by trying to properly root themselves, was unacceptable.
“My responsibility,” he murmured more to himself than anyone, though he was close enough to Eve and June for them to hear it as Eve flew alongside him and June clung to his chest, wrapped in the nook of his arm. His jaw set slightly.
Whatever this became they had to gather information. It had only been a theory, but Yersina had clarified it to be fact. His father had died fighting these generals somehow. But the two he had dealt with thus far had been weak, far, far too weak to harm his father directly. Unless they attacked him as a group, but even then he couldn’t see his father ]i]dying[/i]. Losing? Possibly, especially considering the damage he’d done to himself in their fight by using his forbidden magic.
But to properly lose his life? Even injured it seemed impossible, which meant there had to be one stronger than the rest. If there was one, even twice as strong as those he’d dealt with thus far, and they attacked his father as a group… his jaw, already set tightly, clenched once more. Vengeance was not the way of the Ryuutei. But the frustration of knowing his father lost his life due to his arrogance and bravery hurt him more than he wished to admit.
Even then, taking their lives due to vengeance was wrong. To hate another for bringing one to the next phase of existence went against everything the Ryuutei believed in. His faith in his culture, his people, and his outlook on the world was not so easily shaken. He would not have engaged with these Daemons just due to his father’s death. No. It was because they had made themselves his enemies. That was all it required.
They had attacked his people, his lands that he prided himself on bringing back under the wind of civilization through his blood and sweat. They had even attacked those that he had been allied with loosely for years now, Clover. It was done. They would die by his hand due to these facts, and as well, he would discover whom his father had lost too. Perhaps in killing them he would find some solace in all this.
In the fact he would never be able to prove to his father, he could be truly stronger than him. They would never have their final match. Kiyoshi would never know that his son, who had beaten him through trickery and intelligence, had finally risen to match his raw power and strength as well. These Daemons had taken that opportunity from him. So they would be his father’s substitute, and perhaps, Satori would gain even a fraction of the closure that he sought.
WC: 638 TWC: 638
<Senior Wings given to Eve and Himself via ammo, Mana regen completely covers the mana loss of maintainence>
Post by June Silva on Jan 15, 2021 17:15:36 GMT -5
June had dozed off shortly after Satori took flight to start their journey towards the Diamond Kingdom. The fight in Hage hadn't been a difficult one so much as a tiring one. Her tactics had been effective yet costly. The small woman had casted and maintained several of her most powerful defense creation spells to corral the mob of the damned into a chokepoint and slaughter them all. Eve had only been able to dispatch a few of the undead, leaving June to rely on her spells and her own physical abilities to get rid of the rest.
It had been a long time since June had used so much of her mana and she wasn't used to the kind of tiredness that running low brought with it. Between that, and the soothing motion of flight, her eyes had slipped shut before Eve could have any hope of replying to June's words. Head leaned against Satori's chest, the small woman slept peacefully while her lover reflected on the threat against his clan and his allies the daemons represented.
His quiet utterance stirred the noblewoman from her light nap, causing her to shift slightly in his hold. With some effort, June's eyes flickered open to reveal that they were already approaching their destination. The small woman rubbed her eyes with her free hand (the other occupied with a handful of Satori's shirt). A yawn stretched her mouth into an 'o' shape, exposing her teeth for a moment.
After having a few moments to collect her thoughts, June recalled the words that had brought her back from her slumber.
"Our responsibility, Tori," she told him quietly. "Your enemy is mine, too."
Having slept for a bit, June noted that she felt much better. Her mana had fully recovered as well as some of her physical energy. She would need to adapt less expensive strategies for this fight to avoid exhausting herself. Her strategy back in Hage might not be effective here if the weaker enemies were stronger than the damned or more numerous. This next confrontation might require her to make use of her golems to avoid being overwhelmed.
The next concern for this fight was the possibility that Eve might run off again. It had worked out alright against the damned, but there was no guarantee that June could stand against these new enemies on her own or that Eve wouldn't risk getting herself injured or worse by going off on her own. The noblewoman rubbed her temple while she thought about how to address the situation. Unfortunately, there wasn't enough information to go off of yet. Strategy formation would have to wait.
For the time being, June was content to run her fingers through the bit of Satori's hair that she'd captured in her fingers.
Post by Eve Darkkon on Jan 16, 2021 0:27:04 GMT -5
Eve was running her mind around and around as they flew, trying to sort out the cryptic riddles of what the thing had said, and wondering why her heart was so deeply out of sorts because of the advances that had been made by Satori. June was right, logically; she knew that the thing had absolutely no way of hurting Satori physically or emotionally, but why was it not under her normal realm of control? Why had she been reduced to blind rage for those few moments?
It was more than just her confusion that was bothering her about it as well; she was a cold and calculated person by nature, and she worked best when she took in a situation and prepared properly, struck hard and fast once, and completely eliminated her enemy. She had gone and attacked something that was definitely stronger than she was, something she could feel in her bones, just because she had lost her cool. If Satori hadn’t struck first, would she have been killed at that moment? And what for? Petty emotion that she didn’t understand? Pathetic.
She had taken the majority of the flight to focus inward and try to handle these issues, and been silent almost the entire time, but she still felt no closer to reaching a conclusion. She had even gone so far as to distance herself a little bit more than normal from June and Satori in the flight, hoping it would be enough to keep Satori from feeling her distress with his sensory abilities, but she did regain some sense of self as she heard him mutter something about ‘My Responsibilities’ and thinking that he was speaking about something important, glided a little bit closer. She heard June speak that they were shared enemies, and said nothing, a fresh wave of guilt hitting her in the chest.
She had abandoned June to handle a horde of enemies without backup simply because of a gut feeling that had only lead her to chaos in her heart and mind. How did that course of action even make sense? It didn’t, point blank and simple, and the dark-skinned woman felt around a moment before biting viciously into her cheek, feeling the blood pool into her mouth a bit, the pain jolting her senses into a state of alertness. Eve had always been the careful one, calm and collected even when she had faced certain death, something that had happened plenty of times even before she had met Satori and June, so why the hell was her emotions becoming such a problem now?
She spit the blood into the wind as they continued to glide along, waiting for some kind of signal or instruction. Emotionally she had stonewalled herself, doing her level best to use the guilt and everything else to shut herself completely down. She had to focus. She couldn’t let the pair that had finally freed her from a life of circling hell and torment discover her doing such and dragging them down. That would be pretty poor repayment for all their kindness, generosity and charity.
Golden eyes didn’t look up towards either of them, focused on the passing ground. Even with all the energy she was putting into trying to focus, it felt like the harder she tried caged her emotions, the more they burned brightly and more intense behind those bars. The dark-skinned woman continued mentally and emotionally beating herself up, but she was also focused on the mission. She knew that the moment that she got some sort of sign that things were going to begin, they could count on her… she had to prove that to them all over again after that last performance. She only hoped that they knew that she could be trusted… and she was worthy of that trust.
Post by Satori Ryuutei on Jan 16, 2021 10:13:09 GMT -5
Satori blinked, glancing down as June corrected him slightly. Causing his eyes to soften before a slow breath passed through his lips and he glanced toward Eve. A slight smile playing on his lips. "Our enemy, then." he replied calmly, feeling the turbulence and uncertainty in Eve. It was unlike her. A bit of reassurance certainly wouldn't hurt anything in the end.
Not noticing the fact he'd been holding his breath in annoyance, Satori let his breathing even out once more before shifting his gaze toward the town below them. Spreading his wings wide to raise his altitude and circle the town once with a frown.
"Evening," he called to her simply, banking toward her and halting his movement to hover with the occasional burst of his wings. "Can you map out the area like you did before? The town feels... normal, yet not to me. I can detect all kinds of ki but," he glanced down, a child was slowly playing in the alley with a ball. A bit downtrodden, but not a wandering zombie. Her ki felt normal as well, but some of the other ki signatures felt odd. Just slightly off.
He wanted to see if her spell could detect anything that his ki was unable to. Mana detection and ki were two very different principles in the end. The amount of detail that they could pick up, manipulate, balance and control were on two separate spectrums. For now a bit of reliance on Eve would be their best course of action.
Lifting June up in his arm slightly his mana flowed through her body, helping to keep her warm at their new altitude as he glanced down at her. Clearly a silent question on if she had any ideas. If not, they'd just wait on Eve and then dive back down to the town with a guide. If even Eve detected nothing out of the ordinary then, well, they'd just have to go down anyway and take the forward approach to things.
Post by June Silva on Jan 16, 2021 14:16:49 GMT -5
The Magic Knight looked up when she noticed Satori looking down at her, waiting for her input. June gave a slight shrug, and snuggled closer.
"I'll have a better idea of what steps to take once Eve maps out the area or we get closer to investigate for ourselves. It's difficult to make recommendations for a situation with so little detail."
Rubbing her thumb across the bit of Satori's hair wound around her hand, the Magic Knight thought about her concerns from earlier. It was probably best to get it out of the way now.
"Whatever we decide, we need to execute the plan as agreed upon. No breaking away at the last minute. I was alright back then, but that may not be the case this time. If the weaker enemies are stronger or more numerous, I may need assistance to clear them out completely before reconvening. I think we'll have to take a more aggressive stance than last time. It is quite taxing to rely on my strongest defense creation spells and I don't have the stamina for a drawn out battle that relies on them. Those are my observations based on our previous encounter."
The words were matter of fact, without any signs of annoyance or accusation. Any personal feelings aside, the outcome of repeating what happened in Hage was likely to be bad. She didn't know what had come over Eve, but now wasn't the time or the place to worry about such things. So long as the tall woman could control herself, June was willing not to press the issue any further than getting confirmation that it wouldn't happen again.
The Silver Eagle debated the benefits of utilizing her golems for this upcoming encounter. While they couldn't kill large swaths of enemies on contact, June could use them to actively control an area without waiting around for enemies to try and breach her defenses. Between that and River Step, the water mage knew she would be able to dispatch enemies rather quickly. Such tactics would also be far less costly in terms of mana usage. Whether such tactics could be employed, however, had yet to be seen. For that, June needed more information.
Post by Eve Darkkon on Jan 17, 2021 11:57:56 GMT -5
The group came to slow down and pause, and instinctively Eve did the same; she was used to flying at this point, and simply reacted upon seeing what they were doing using her peripheral vision without having to think about it too much. Her Ryuutei nickname was spoken, and her golden eyes locked with Satori, a thin veil of her usual calm and collected self on her face, but nowhere near as convincing as it normally was. He asked her to map the area, and she nodded, holding her hands out before her as she hovered closer so that they could see the map more easily.
With a bit of golden light, the static began to form together and map out the area in a three-dimensional representation of everything within the radius of her spell. That was when her eyes narrowed though as she looked at the little dots that represented all of the creatures below her. She took a moment to look down at the young boy with the ball, then back at the dot, and noted that there were thin lines connecting them and all the townsfolk that were in range. That was strange… and then her eyes opened a bit more. “They aren’t human, but they are all connected. Literally, all of them. So if I had to guess, we take out one, the rest will know. Look at their color carefully…” she started, noting that each black dot had a thin veil of blue around them. “A disguise, maybe?” she asked, looking towards them both.
They knew far more about dungeons, daemons, and all of that than she did, so it was best to leave all that planning and whatnot to them. That was when June spoke up on Eve’s actions, and she felt the guilt and ache in her chest again, emphasizing the actions that she herself couldn’t explain. “It won’t happen again.” The words were cold and harsh, but even a child could tell that the anger wasn’t directed at anyone but Eve herself. She was still trying to figure out what caused her to act so irrationally, but she wasn’t the type to dwell on it either.
“So, with this layout, how do you want to handle this?” she asked to them, not letting anything get in the way of her job again. She had learned from that mistake.
Post by Satori Ryuutei on Jan 19, 2021 15:37:48 GMT -5
Satori grunted softly as Eve's magic summoned up the details of the various individuals. A disguise was something he'd see through, so her words caused him to shake his head slighlty in reply. Rubbing the back of his neck with a slight frown.
"Some form of mind control on the majority of the populace, maybe?" He mused, examining the large map of various buildings and dots for a few moments before blinking. Eve's ki was turbulent once more. Her words and reply to June causing his frow to furrow slightly. She was taking it a bit too close to heart, always so hard on herself.
"Eve," he stated firmly, suddenly. Waving a hand through the spell to get the woman's attention as he looked into her eyes. "Stop acting like a child over a slight slip up." Satori's tone was firm, but it wasn't unkind as the large man crossed his arms over his chest. "You're pressuring yourself too much. You're still new to all this. Of course mistakes will happen, and even the most level-headed will lose themselves to emotion on occasion. Understand the mistake. Don't let it drag you down. Calm your mind, focus, and move past it." His hand lifted, gripping her shoulder once before shifting his gaze toward June.
His love hadn't meant anything negative by it. She'd simply been stating the facts. He offered a simple smile, a show that neither side was in the wrong before returning his gaze toward the map. Eve's question was still left unanswered.
"We need information for now. They aren't transformed, which makes me think that they aren't actually aggressive," he glanced at the town which continued to have normal movements. People going to work, children playing in the snow. A rumble filled his chest and his mana flowed from them all.
"Let's land. If they're aggressive, we'll handle it with brute force, so be it. But if they aren't then I want to avoid destroying the town if possible." As he stated this Satori began to float forward, before dropping like a rock. Wings swirling back into his skin as he landed with a light thud just outside the town. The guards perked up, but no bolts were fired. No yelling. He hummed in his chest.
"Not aggressive on sight at least," he murmured toward both the women before stepping forward. With his hands resting on his hips, Satori approached the guards. Raising a hand in greeting, and finding one doing the same as he stepped out to greet the trio. His ki was... off again, wrong. What was it? He cursed his lack of proper sensory at times likes this.
"Good afternoon, how can I help you? Hage's a bit off the beaten path for a magic knight and her group," He glanced toward June's mantle, before focusing on Satori as the man appeared to be leading. Satori smiled slightly in response.
"Just here to restock on some supplies and look around for any work on our way back to Ryuu, that's all." Satori explained, testing the waters. The man blinked, then seemed to realize whom Satori was with the reference of 'Ryuu' and his appearance. Suddenly straightening and offering a salute.
"Thank you for your work!" He stated before all else, before relaxing a bit as Satori waved a hand.
"Mind if we go in, then?" Satori inquired, causing the guard to shake his head slightly in response. Smiling once more and motioning for them to go ahead and enter. Not like the simple wooden wall would stop them anyway, but this meant that at the very least they weren't under direct mind control. The reactions were too honest. His hand lifted, rubbing his chin after entering the town and glancing down toward the two women.
"We need more information. Oddities in the town. Trouble sleeping, missing cows, bad crops, odd soil, foul water, anything that could be a clue. Keep your guard up, but splitting up seems like a good idea. I'll empower you both so that if we are attacked, you'll be safe." As he stated this quietly, he turned to face both of them. Offering his hand for them to take.
"June, can you handle the mayor? I'll take the barracks, Eve, can you handle the taverns and seedier areas?" He glanced between the women. Playing to their strengths and backgrounds for this seemed like the best course of action.
Post by June Silva on Jan 20, 2021 17:17:53 GMT -5
June's eyebrow twitched at the tone in Eve's voice. Had she been too harsh or was the purple-haired woman more sensitive than she had initially judged her to be? Before the shorter woman could think on it for too long, Satori gave her a simple rebuke. Though not sugarcoating his statement, the man did offer some words of comfort along with the chastisement. The interaction reminded the noblewoman of a phrase about a spoonful of sugar and medicine.
Satori's smile confirmed that she had not been too harsh. June returned the smile briefly, pleased that she was not in for a rebuke of her own.
Entering Hage was simple enough. The guards were curious but not hostile, even becoming a bit friendlier upon recognizing Satori. June was content to allow him to do the talking to get them inside and simply gave the guards a brief nod in greeting before following her intended one through the gates.
"I shall do my best to find out about anything unusual, though I am uncertain whether anyone will feel comfortable speaking with a Magic Knight," the Silver Eagle stated before taking Satori's hand briefly.
Thinking back to the lightning mage's excuse for their presence in this town, June decided to see if anyone would be willing to direct her to a general store. Perhaps in the course of small talk someone might let something slip. As she made her way down the road, the blue-haired woman sought out someone who didn't appear to be too busy. The short noblewoman caught sight of a middle aged woman standing outside of a house, overseeing a pair of children who were playing in the snow.
June approached the woman. "Could you direct me to the general store in this area?"
"Of course," the woman said with a smile. She began explaining how to get there, occasionally pointing or gesturing to clarify her instructions.
"I see. Thank you."
The short woman lingered for a moment, debating on whether to ask this woman about any strange sights or happenings. The small talk strategy had run its course without yielding any useful information. Either way, there were plenty of other commoners to try with so there was no need to worry.
June finally left and took the directions the woman had specified before making an intentional wrong turn to see if anything stood out. If anyone questioned her presence, the Magic Knight could claim a bad sense of direction.
Post by Eve Darkkon on Jan 23, 2021 10:02:33 GMT -5
Eve nodded to his knowledge that he would be able to see through something like that, knowing that his Ki sense had the ability to do so. She had seen him do things with the ability to sense Ki that was mindboggling, and it was part of the reason that she had started leaning into Sensory magic in the first place. The value of information was astronomical, and it could allow them to properly plan out what they wanted to do before they had to commit to doing it. Having the element of surprise on your side made whatever it was that you were trying to do a lot easier when you knew about the locations of the enemy and the layout of the land.
Mind control? Eve looked more closely at the spectrum, watching the energy. “Maybe, but I would need to improve this spell before I could tell where the flow is coming from.” Another frustrating moment; physically she was growing in leaps and bounds, but her spells, while useful, were still introductory level compared to June and Satori.
Then the topic shifted as Eve heard her name said with a tone that made her realize that something was going on, and she turned to look at the large man, her spell vanishing in his hand. Hearing his words, at first, she felt her heart sink even further, not because she had messed up, but that the perception was that she was acting like a child as a result of it. Eve’s high standards were ever present in her mind, and she struggled, at best, to give herself any sort of grace when it came to meeting those high standards. It didn’t help that with a majority of them, June and Satori were the standards she had created, the bar being even more so exceptionally high.
But she didn’t look away. Hearing his second set of words though made that weight a bit lighter, although not vanishing completely. She nodded quietly, thinking to herself on exactly what he meant, and how she could proceed moving forwards. As he suggested, she took a deep breath, calmed herself, and despite the fact that she hadn’t let it go completely, the facade was in place and she was better about focusing on the mission. She was far better than she was a few minutes ago. The actual ‘moving past it’ portion of it all would take a little longer.
The plan was laid out, to which she nodded in response, and then landed next to them, standing slightly behind the pair, quiet and going back to her more normal mission mindset. Avoiding destroying the town would be important. As the guard approached, she reached out with her sensory, trying to figure out what was wrong with what she was feeling, and while she definitely identified that something was wrong, she wasn’t certain as to what. Not yet. Instead she watched the man’s body language, noted the conversation, and watched for a bit longer. Restock on supplies and look for work… a plausible enough excuse to visit the small town.
The plan was then laid in place, and Eve nodded, giving June and Satori both a small smile before they moved off and after receiving the blessing from Satori; she was always good about getting information even before she had the power to back herself up in situations where it called for it. She had lost nothing of that guile and sly footwork in a conversation that would allow her to find information that otherwise wouldn’t be revealed. She nodded quietly, and almost immediately departed for the tavern she had spotted with her spell that was off the beaten path; a surefire sign that it was one where she would fit in a bit better. She considered for a moment using her transformation magic to look more like a cat, but dismissed that; it was something she preferred to do only in the company of June and Satori, even if she had only done it for the blunette thus far.
Entering the tavern, she smiled quietly at the patrons who only mutely recognized that a stranger had entered, opting instead to move towards the owner who was behind the counter. A small conversation and a few coins yielded little results, which was highly suspicious in it’s own right. Normally, if you paid the right people and asked the right questions, it was pretty easy to get a fair amount of information, but this tavern owner only spoke of little things that were of absolutely no consequence… especially when she inquired about whatever lord ruled the town. That information was heavily guarded it seemed, even in this place. Then again, she also felt the tether that was on all of the citizens upon even the barkeep and the shady looking folks attending.
And then she noticed a pattern to the tether, and her golden eyes narrowed. It was subtle, but present, and it was time to trace the thread back to the owner. After a smile and a wave, she left the Tavern and began to trace the spiderweb towards the source, feeling the ebb and flow of the mana as she did. As she suspected, it was leading towards the Lord's house, which was conveniently located in the center of town. She had a pretty perfect plan to let Satori and June know if she truly discovered the source, but for the moment, she simply circled the place, looking like a tourist and admiring the craftsmanship of the place.
But what she was really doing was expanding her senses, looking for the oddities, and trying to identify if her suspicions were correct.
Post by Satori Ryuutei on Jan 30, 2021 22:33:56 GMT -5
June and Eve both wandered off toward their own goals, while Satori focused on the next option for himself. Barracks were where he usually found himself, and today was no different. Keeping his senses open to track the pair he moved forward and headed toward the large building that was clearly made for guards. The boisterous noises within didn't speak of a town that was under a Daemon's thumb, but that uneasy ki was still there. Wrong. But he wasn't certain how, not yet.
"Come on then," Satori mused, opening a hand and pushing the door open to reveal the inside. There was a pause as several eyes turned back to look toward him in confusion before the large man offered a wide grin of amusement. Lifting a hand in greeting, and without hesitation walking into the building before falling to sit with a thud in a nearby chair.
There was a confused silence before one of the guards suddenly recognized him.
"White Tiger!" he stated, suddenly sitting up and within that one moment the building erupted in sudden calls and greetings. Offerings of drinks and exchange of tales, questions on why he was here, and so forth. Guards were simple people generally, if you left them be, weren't a criminal, and treated them with respect it was easy to work with them. Even easier if you already had their admiration. It was a tactic he'd used for most of his life for information gathering. Want information? Talk to the local law enforcement over a few drinks and small talk.
Would you get major details? Of course not. But you'd get something. With that simple goal in mind Satori lifted a hand up and grinned as the yells lowered to a drone he could speak over.
"An ale for everyone on me, I'm here looking for work. But that means exchanging some tales are welcome as well!" With cheers at the idea of a free round, everyone began to quickly yell out local jobs and tall-tales. That was fine. That was the start and what he'd work with, from there he'd narrow it down a bit more. Years spent as a mercenary and monster-hunter to make a name for himself had honed this skillset well.
Post by June Silva on Jan 30, 2021 23:50:37 GMT -5
June's intentional wrong turn lead her to an area that wasn't quite developed enough to be considered a shopping district. It was centrally located and there were a few familiar establishments --a blacksmith and a butcher by the way of brick and mortar shops, and a few more informal stands where locals sold fresh produce or fish--but not much else in the area. It was reminiscent of one of the smaller towns that were dotted around the outer parts of Clover that she and Satori had passed through on their journey back from where the Shattering had deposited the pair. It was perhaps a bit less developed than Zendikar.
June approached the produce stand. The woman selling the fresh fruits and vegetables (probably crops from a local farm) was taller than the noblewoman by several inches. She had dark brown hair and her hands showed signs of manual labor: ragged cuticles, rough callouses, and uneven nails. Her clothing consisted of simple linen garments in neutral colors. They were clean, but had clearly been worn for years. A white bonnet shielded the woman's head from the sun. Though it wasn't a particularly hot day, she likely had to stand outside all day and would need the head piece to keep the sun from her eyes as it moved through the sky.
"Good day, Miss! You're far from home, aren't ya?"
The Magic Knight resisted the urge to sneer at the commoner's overly familiar tone, recalling a phrase about honey, vinegar, and flies.
"Yes, I'm simply passing through. I may have made a few wrong turns on my way to the general store." The noblewoman laughed at herself, offering the woman a disarming smile. "I'm June."
"Well, June, it's nice to meet you. I'm Marla. You ain't too far off from the store. It's straight that way. You take thirty paces an' make a right."
"Ah, thank you for your trouble." She glanced down at the produce, noting the bits of dirt still on the vegetables. "How much shall I offer you to part with a few potatoes?"
The noblewoman had no need nor desire to purchase anything from Marla's stand but she needed an excuse to keep the conversation going and look for an opportunity to ask a few questions. This was simply honey for the flies, or fly in this case.
"Just two yul a pound, Miss."
"I'll take a pound then. They're easy enough to cook whilst travelling. A simple campfire and some stones is all you need."
"Absolutely, Miss. I'll let you in on a secret." Marla leaned forward and lowered her voice. "If you can afford it, salt makes all the difference. Butter and cream don't keep, but salt is light and you don't need much."
June nodded. "I'll keep that in mind. You wouldn't happen to sell that would you?"
"Nah. Only salt on my land is the deer licks." The taller woman laughed.
"I suppose I'll acquire some at the general store. Tell me, Marla, does the butcher have venison? Preferably smoked. I know I shouldn't buy too much or it would be cumbersome to transport. However, meat and potatoes is simply much superior to potatoes alone. Your salt trick works for meat, no?"
Marla grinned back at her, flattered that someone of high stature was asking her for advice. "You wouldn't wanna salt smoked meat. It's already full of flavor. Enough to cut down on your salt use if you make a stew. The butcher has venison," Marla's voice lowered again, "don't tell nobody I said this but he just don't seem to cure meat the way he used to. Been doin' it for thirty years and now he's lost his touch."
"I won't breathe a word of this," June lied easily. "Thank you for all your help, Marla. I should get going before my companions get tired of waiting on me." She handed Marla a gold piece in exchange for the potatoes. "Keep the change."
With that, the short woman made a beeline for the butcher. It wasn't much of a lead, but perhaps she could uncover something. This was the only "strange" event she'd learned of so far and Satori had been clear about using scrutiny.
Post by Eve Darkkon on Feb 2, 2021 21:09:53 GMT -5
Eve circled the big home a few times, using her senses to try to figure out what was going on and what this unusual mana was that she was able to sense, but only barely. She pulled up her Cityscape spell for another moment, watching those thin mana lines and nodded; it was definitely originating from here, but something was off; she wasn’t able to see everything she normally would have, like something was concealing this malice from her sight… but what? Slowly, she moved back towards the front door, dismissing her spell and approaching quietly, knocking a few times on the door. An elderly maid answered, to whom she smiled. “Hello ma’am. I’m traveling with some companions through town, and would like to speak to the Lord of the Village if possible.”
The maid shook her head grimly. “He is ill. Has been for some months now. Doubtful he will accept visitors.”[/color] Eve nodded politely, and then turned to leave, now on the hunt for June or Satori. This was no natural illness, she was sure of it; a curse maybe? Some kind of mana infection? It didn’t matter; the timeline matched from the start of everything, and the way the mana flowed, something she could detect more clearly when the door had been opened, it was obvious that the source was either the Lord being ‘sick’ or something nearby. Either way, it was originating from that house, and now that she had discovered the most likely source, it was time to bring in the big guns.
June and Satori both were far stronger than she was, and had access to the ability to sense Chi. That made them more effective for identifying and handling the situation, even if Eve’s superior sensory range made it easier for her to hone in on where the problem was coming from. But they all had their roles; Satori was relatively well rounded, but was primarily the attack. June was the defense, her shields something that Eve was still in awe at, and the dark-skinned woman herself was the reconnaissance, capable of tracking and identifying targets, with a focus on her speed. And it was her speed and stealth that truly came into play now, dashing across rooftops as quiet as a cat, moving from place to place until she came upon the barracks where she sensed Satori.
Slipping to the ground, she looked in the directions she thought June would be in, but she was only one person, and she could grab June after she told Satori what she found. Once inside, she wound her way through the barracks of people quickly and quietly until she found the massive man, surrounded by other people whom were talking about this, that and the other. When she suddenly appeared behind them, a few of them jumped, and a few more looked with somewhat hungry gazed, but she ignored them entirely, looking towards the Clan Head. “I think I found something. Looks promising.” Anyone present would assume that she was referring to jobs or perhaps a tavern, but Satori would know exactly what Eve meant. “We should probably grab a flower on the way,” she finished, giving him a smile to try to make anyone else not realize what it was that she was truly saying.
