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.
It’s that time of the month, you have been randomly selected to do your part in standing a shift as the City watch. Patrol the town and make sure no one is up to evil.
[attr="class","shadowsSub"]Details
Maximum Number of Players: 4
[break]Minimum Word Count: 500
[break]Location: Kiten
[break]Special Requirements: none
[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]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] There Yeera sat within the branches of a tall spruce tree, waiting for whatever may seem the slightest bit suspicious to pass on by. The tree she sat on was rather quite large, around seven to eight meters tall to be exact. How a small person such as her could have managed to climb such a tall tree remains a mystery, but she had done so. Perhaps you can say she was used to doing things that were rather wild, or crazy. Ignoring the glaring faces, she would continue to do as she pleased, resting and playing with the squirrels in the trees. [break] She had been resting there for quite some time, but it was only a couple of weeks ago, that Yeera had arrived within the Kingdom of Clover, and because of that, she was quite wary. However, she needed to persevere, for she was still searching for a purpose, unsure of what she wanted to be, or what she wanted to do, and as such she decided to help out locally with any citizen request that might have come her way, although she never intended to go out and find someone to give her a quest, for deep down, she still disliked the idea of interacting with other. It was not her desire to face or talk to people directly, but if so, how would she ever manage to begin her journey? This was a great problem that she had to conquer. [break] Luckily, it was on a Monday afternoon, when Yeera had been sleeping in a nearby patch of grass when an old elderly lady had called out to her. Asking Yeera for aid, she'd go on to question her why she had been lazing about, in the tall grass. At first, Yeera was against the idea of interacting with the old lady at all, simply because she didn't want to involve herself with somebody she didn't know. The question also lingered within her mind, as she wondered why this lady, would call out to her, a person, she did not know, a person dressed in drapes and old pieces of leather. How would she know that Yeera would not go against her word and runoff with the money in hand? Perhaps it was what you'd call an elder's intuition, yet even so, she called out to her. Her actions puzzled Yeera. [break] When Yeera had thought of just ignoring this old lady and running off to find somewhere else to sleep, she had happened to take a glance at her face to see a smile that was soft and kind, and for just a second, it reminded her of Zan. Hesitating she would turn around to ask the old lady what it was she needed, and she would go on to tell her that her son was away and that she had no one else, to take his place in helping out with the town patrol, and that she would have to go unless someone went in her place, and while placing her hand on Yeera's shoulder, she would come forth about her past and tell Yeera that in the old days, she would be one of the best patrollers around and that nothing or no one that looked as if they were to harm the people of this town would go unnoticed as long as she was still keeping watch. She would go on to tell her, that a young girl like herself should be able to manage just as much, but the truth was she just didn't want her to be wasting time sleeping in the grass when there was so much more, that she could be doing with her life, "So why don't you help this old lady out?" she would conclude. Hesitantly Yeera would answer the old lady, “Sure I’ll help out,” and that is how she arrived here within the commoner's realm, working alongside the citizens as they patrolled the streets of Kiten. [break] Now Kiten was a rather strange place. Yeera had never seen so many people gathered together in one place, and so many had smiles on their faces. Where she came from there were barely any children running around in the streets, and there was so much food, that she found it quite hard to keep her hand from idling, not to mention her stomach was rumbling uncontrollably. Her mouth began to water. [break] "Oh. When was the last time I had something to eat?" she'd wonder. [break] Yeera would come down from the tree she was sitting on, and walk around a bit, although with each step her movements became a little heavier and her face a little paler. Wondering the streets of Kiten in hopes that maybe, just maybe, there would be somebody out there that would be willing to let go of some free scraps of bread. Yet in no less time, than she had thought, not even one person had stepped up or crossed her path. "This is horrible. Was no one able to see a person in need of some food?!" she thought. [break] Eventually, the rumbling of her stomach would get to the point where she could even hear ringing in her ears and grumbling of her bowels every other minute. The pains of hunger shook through her body, and without even realizing it. Yeera had found herself on the plaza floor. She had fallen due to fatigue.
“You simply need to be someone who has something they want to live for.”
The weight of the ocean pulled down at her body, dragging her down deeper into an endless chasm. Her ears filled with water, she could still hear Cerberus’ muffled voice repeat like swaying waves; but as each second passed, she was descending further into the depths. She reached her hand out as her breath grew short, until she felt herself gasp for air and instead feel the surrounding water rush into her lungs.
The silvery full moon hung just above, its light shimmering down even in the abyssal depths she became shackled to.
Her hand closed as if to grasp it. To hang on—as fleeting life escaped her chest.
She wanted to scream, but the water would muffle her cries. She wanted to call for her brother, but he wasn’t there. She wanted to see him one last time, but she—
“Sayuri, it’s quite early for you to be dozing off at this hour, isn’t it?”
She roused from her slumber, startled, but quickly aimed to compose herself.
“Ah, that’s my mistake Mr. Schiller.” She said, the moment of her dream still fresh upon her mind, as a lingering chill pricked and crept up her spine. She shook away the premonition. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”
Mr. Schiller had escorted her through the common region many times. He was a dark-haired gentleman she assumed to be in his twenties or so. He always wore formal-fitted attire dressed in a dull blue hue, and a silvery ring with a skull on his index finger.
“Mmm. Perhaps it’s my fault. I’ll try to offer you some more conversation, so as to keep your attention on the waking world. Tell me, how was ‘The Silver Shires’ back in Forsaken?—Worth the coin?”
The silver shires was the small sister company to Schiller’s business, operating in The Forsaken. While he had some agents there that did espionage, most of Mr. Schiller’s operatives were in the Common and Noble region as she understood it—where information and blackmail tended to go for more. She got stuck with one of the workers that was purely oblivious to the true nature of Mr. Schiller’s Chariots.
“I didn’t get the most well-mannered of escorts, but he got me from point A to point B. Didn’t leave me stranded out in the woods either, so that’s a plus.”
“It certainly is,” he chuckled. “But rest assured, in that event I would’ve seen to it that man would’ve suffered recompense for his actions. Now, as I understand it, you’ve made quite a few detours on your way back to the Common Region, yes?”
She nodded. “Nothing escapes you, I suppose.”
“It is my job that it doesn’t,"
While Grim was willing to pay the travel expenses of her venture, she knew that it was dual-purpose; every escort could report on her actions and whereabouts, at any time. She was always being watched, now that she was operating alone.
Mr. Schiller started to speak up again as they turned the corner into another block. “Now, we’ll be making another detour on official business. ...It seems you’ve been selected for Kiten’s City Watch.”
“Tut-tut. You lot already have eyes and ears everywhere.”
For a brief moment, he stopped the carriage, commanding the dark horses in front of them to halt with one swift motion of the reins. Then, he peered back to face her with a haunting glint in his eyes and with a soft whisper, he spoke to the girl. “Now, now… It’s all about appearances. You’re here to put on a good show, and sell them their peace of mind. As you likely have already guessed, I’ve sent messages of forewarning to all ongoing operations in the area. The smart ones will be quiet today.”
He turned back to face the road. “So, go ahead and do Lord Grim and I a favor.” Of course, her name would likely be kept out of it, and it would simply direct more attention to Lord Grim’s business to further placate the masses into believing the front, and remaining blissfully unaware of what secrets stirred in death.
“Hmm, that’s interesting…” —Something had now caught Mr. Schiller’s eye as he bid the horses forward with the reins again.
Just beyond them there seemed to be a girl who collapsed upon the plaza whom almost everyone was ignoring—almost everyone. Mr. Schiller commanded the horses once again to halt, and the two horses whinnied in an uncertain acquiescence. Sayuri got out of the carriage immediately and ran to the woman.
There was one person that was hovering over her—an older woman, perhaps in her late thirties, wordlessly looking over the fallen girl but her eyes did not mind the wellbeing of her. No, that was not the point. Rather, she was looking for any possessions the girl might have had on her; her hands even twitching as she drew closer.
“Hey!” Sayuri called out.
It stopped the woman in her tracks.
“Are you all right?’ She knelt down to the girl as the woman decided to slowly step back, seemingly considering if her intention had been so obvious and thinking of a reassuring lie to mask her true motive for approaching the girl—before the woman could open her mouth, another person spoke.
“Ah, just another hapless beggar!” It was a masculine merchant, yelling from beyond his food stall. “It’s all an act. Bums run through here all the time pulling the same scheme, trying to get free food.”
“A-ah! I thought it was an act too. I just wanted a better look. I knew she was some good-for-nothing!” The woman said scornfully, like a vulture still perched to swoop.
Sayuri heard the rumble of the girl’s stomach beside her. Whatever fatigue that brought the girl to find herself upon the floor was real. “I’ll pay for her food.”
Mr. Schiller walked forward, as if on cue, onto the burgeoning scene occurring at the plaza. “Honestly, you commonfolk can really be heartless these days...” Sayuri took out a small pouch of coins from her bag and tossed it to Schiller, and without missing a beat, he raised one hand to catch it and proceeded to the food stall.
“Hmph. And who are you lot then, to be wasting your yul on some poor sod?” The merchant said.
“…I’m Sayuri, and I’m patrolling Kiten for City Watch.”
“—And I merely served as her escort here.”
“…That’s the richest thing I’ve ever heard!” The merchant laughed. “Then why don’t you do us a favor and get these solicitors off the streets. They’re bad for business!”
Sayuri balled her hand into a fist. She hated the way not only nobles would look down on others, but the way Commoners would too—even if they were considered to be in the same social class, they’d still turn on each other before they’d help someone in a worse position. What comfort their circumstance allotted them was something to be prideful of, and just as soon as the opportunity arose, they wouldn’t hesitate to step on someone else beneath them to ascend higher, until they climbed as high as they could to be stepped on by someone else later along the path.
She’d witnessed it happen herself, many crimes of that sort were perpetrated—not by rogues who made it their career to bend and twist the law—but by every day citizens tempted by the allure of opportunity; one that’d happily trade a human’s life—their associates, their friends, even their family—to be slightly better than where they were before.
“Something to live for…” She murmured, remembering Cerberus’ words.
“Here you go,” Mr. Schiller knelt down to the girl as well, offering a basket of bread and fruit to the girl along with some water. “And here’s your pouch, Sayuri.”
“Thank you,”
“I assume you can take it from here.” He stood up, meeting the gaze of the onlookers that were now peering in their direction.
"In our line of work, Sayuri, you'll need to be mobile. Hence we'll take to devising your first magical item; view it as an extension of yourself.
Rank & Element: Junior | Cosmic Class & Type: Magical | Imbued Accessory Magic Specializations: Supplementary Construct Appearance & Lore: The Magical Item is a leather glove with a magical celestial seal implanted on the front of it worn on the wearer’s left hand.
During Sayuri's travels with her mentor in the organization, The Crimson Reaper Xai, she learned the importance of not only being capable in a fight but also readily mobile. The use of this magical item helped the young mage take to rooftops and pursue targets from above, as well as offering swift movement in combat, mimicking a grappling hook.
Abilities: While wearing the Item the user gains access to the perk "Fast Lane"
Type & Uses: Trigger | 4 Uses Before Jamming Occurs | 15 Recharge Cost Rank & Specialization: Junior | Supplementary Construct Mana Cost: 8 (Cost) | 15 (Recharge) Range & Speed: 25 meters | 15 m/s Stats Affected: N/A Description:
To invoke the magical energy latent within the accessory, the spellcaster extends their left arm forward straight and toward the target that they wish to latch onto with the spell’s tether, concentrating their mana into their left hand which causes the sigil imprinted onto the glove to glow in a radiant golden hue in response to the conduit. Finally, the energy must be released by performing a subtle thrust of the arm in the intended direction. After performing the prerequisite actions, the latent energy in the accessory awakens.
The mana takes the form of a luminescent tether composed of starlight capable of extending up to 25 meters; upon reaching contact with a surface, it is able to grapple the location and propel the user toward the target. In order to make use of the transportation, the tether must contact a surface or object, otherwise the mana present in the tether’s composition will begin to rapidly contract back to the user and dispel itself, resulting in the mana dispersing wastefully. Due to the nature of the spell being particularly swift, it benefits from the advanced magic specialization Fast Lane which boosts the traveling speed of the spell to 15 m/s. As per the ammo rules, the spellcaster is able to escort passengers to the destination targeted upon the spell's invocation; up to a maximum of 2 passengers may be transported by the spell by holding onto the spellcaster during the invocation process to be whisked away alongside the item's wielder.
"Heh, that's certainly a way to reach for the stars."
Rank & Element: Junior Class & Type: Mundane | Trinket Magic Specializations: N/A Appearance & Lore: This particular Thieves' Cant has existed worldwide due to its general applicability, being used mainly by The Arcanum Association, a criminal syndicate with reach as far as the cant itself—wherever the Cant has surfaced, so too has the organization lurked in shadows near.
Its appearance resembles a tarot deck with abstract, ornate designs on each card.
The Cant is relatively simple but possesses a dual meaning when used to converse with members of The Arcanum Association.
A rogue wishing to invoke the Thieves Cant approaches another rogue, “Would you like to play a game of Fate?” This officially begins the cant.
The person seeking information is dealt A Hand of Fate, while the other rogue giving information assumes the role of Dealer. A conversation then begins with the two rogues, seemingly idle-chatter, but contextualized by the meanings of each card that is played.
Minor Arcana
Wands - Notable Mages in the Area, particularly Magic Knight Presence. This genre of the Minor Arcana makes use of the numerical values to indicate how patrolled the area is.
Pentacles - Places one can go to earn money and pursue jobs, or a good ‘target’ to hit if a rogue were looking for a mark. This genre of the Minor Arcana also makes use of the numerical values to indicate how valuable the contracts or the marks are.
Cups - Safe places a Rogue may find useful, or one that may help shelter them from the law. This is often used with auxiliary cards from the Major Arcana.
Swords - Indicate other rogues that may be of use or people who are otherwise dangerous in magical ability, also used with auxiliary cards from the Major Arcana.
Major Arcana
The Fool - The Rogue seeking information takes The Fool card to begin their hand, and may then request one of the Minor or Major Arcana to add to their hand, paying in Yul for each. The Seeker may request more at any time, and uses these cards to direct the flow of conversation toward their desired interest. Alternatively, the dealer may lay the 22 Major Arcana out along with the Four Minor Arcana suits and simply let the Seeker point to topics of interest, or pick one for them that the seeker then agrees upon for the necessary information.
Once they have received enough information, they return The Fool card to the dealer to signify the conclusion of the cant and pay the dealer for any information remaining uncompensated. The cards are sorted and then rendered to the deck's owner as the transaction concludes.
Symbolically, this has been looked at as the one seeking information ‘The Fool,’ becoming Wise from the intel they received— similar in concept to the base usage in Tarot, where the Fool ascends to the World Arcana.
The Magician - The Magician represents complications in pursuing a contract due to Magic Knights, and is often followed by placing Wands to note the severity of the Magic Knight presence. The Dealer may direct the flow of conversation toward a particular magic knight to indicate a specific threat to the operation.
The High Priestess & The Hierophant - These two Arcanas see play in locales with corrupt clergymen, denoting that an authoritative figure in the church (woman or man respectively) is a rogue or is otherwise amicable to rogues and helps their endeavors.
The Empress & The Emperor - The Empress & The Emperor is often used to refer to the leader of a rogue operation, or someone with authoritative power in the criminal underworld that is not a benefactor; for example, if one had knowledge of Velondra Silverlake’s Operation in Clover “The Eclipse Ravens”, they might use it in reference to her. Specifically it finds more use when the leader of the operation isn’t known to be a criminal in the public eye, and is covert in their crimes or manipulates their territory through their subordinates remotely.
The Lovers - Mostly used to refer to brothels operating illegally as fronts, or someone offering services of the like; although it has sometimes been used to convey a secret relationship between nobility and common-folk or known criminals, such as when civil tensions were high enough that should the information be leaked, it would be damning on the noble’s reputation.
The Chariot - The Chariot denotes someone offering safe travel for rogues, extending their services when haste is required to get to the site of a mission, or to serve as an extraction for a swift escape. These services tend to be quite valuable, so it finds a lot of play wherever the game shows up.
The Hermit - The Hermit is invoked by the dealer when they wish to convey that the topic of interest is secretly intent on moving away, such as attempting to flee the country into another domicile or move into a different region of Clover such as Rogue’s Refuge.
The Wheel of Fortune - The Wheel of Fortune is often used to denote The Black Market as well as criminal dealings & trades.
Strength - Strength tends to be used to refer to rogues of much import in the local area that may aid the Fate Seeker, prompting them to seek them out and collaborate on an operation that has been discussed.
The Hanged Man - The Hanged Man denotes a rogue that has been taken out of play, either Missing-In-Action, presumed dead, or caught and imprisoned by government forces (i.e. The Magic Knights).
Death - Death is a common card to use in The Game of Fate, often signifying that the person the Dealer is directing the topic of conversation toward is Wanted for Dead, which often segues into conversations of payment and where to find further information such as the Main Benefactor offering the contract.
Temperance - Temperance marks the rogue to consider restraint — often invoked once a rogue inquires about a faction, building, or person that is under the protection of one of the prevailing criminal factions in the area. Once the dealer plays this, it is presumed the topic is ‘off limits’ for conspiring against it.
The Devil - The Devil refers to a known rogue benefactor that offers contracts to willing rogues. Dealers have been known to put this down when talking about a benefactor that masquerades in the public eye (i.e. a nobleman, priest, or merchant).
The Tower - The Tower is often used in reference to a location that is deemed vulnerable to the dealer, having valuable possessions that may be targeted for a job; such as infiltrating a museum, mage tower, or even an estate.
The Star - The star is often invoked in reference to an object but it has seen some play to contextualize people as well; it is the main target of a contract, one that is not to be killed but captured and escorted to a drop-off.
The Moon - The Moon is generally an auxiliary card meant to convey that whatever the main topic of the conversation is, it is best approached at night; such as a Cathedral that takes in rogues in the evening hours.
The Sun - The Sun is also used as an auxiliary card to convey that the main topic of the conversation is best approached during the day; such as a contract where the mark is most vulnerable during daylight hours, as opposed to night.
Justice & Judgment - Judgment tends to be invoked when there has been a party wronged by another, such as overstepping territory or otherwise harming another rogue operation unduly. This is often used when the Dealer wishes to push a contract onto the Fate Seeker to ‘make things even’ between one rogue faction and another.
The World - The World is often used to refer to The Highest Power in the Criminal Underworld, those that slink in shadows without much information as to their identity. Dealers may use this in reference to a Bounty or Mission requested by The Highest Order.
When applied by The Arcanum Association, each individual Arcana represents a branch in the Syndicate’s Organization; such as The Grim Funeral Company for whom Sayuri works for being represented by The Death Arcana. While some of these organizations are present in Clover, many of them are spread out throughout the Kingdoms.
[break] A soft aroma circled its way around her nose, it was rather sweet and had a familiar smell, one of nectar and honey, which she had believed to have tasted before. "Where did it come from?" She would wonder as her mind's eye trailed back to the time of one of her travels through an almost seemingly endless Valley.
“Ah yes, honey and a touch of almond…”
From this simple speculation, it would seem that her nose was quite keen. As such, there was no way she would ever forget the sweet delight, of which the taste of honey left on her small tongue. It was only so often that she would get to eat something so sweet, it was now evident that Yeera’s nose had woken up before her own body, yet soon her other senses would follow, illuminated by the fresh smell of warm bread, sounds of the outside would enter her ears, and she would begin to hear the voices and murmurs of all kinds of people. Chatter from all around her eventually mixed together and one specific voice, soft yet somehow hollow, pierced through the others, asking her if she was all right.
Yeera had not fully waken up from her exhaustive state, but that would not stop her from searching for the source of the delicious honey-almond smell. Turning to her left and then once to the right. She stretched her hands out and placed them on top of the person next to her and searched for the sweet bread, but even after she had even made sure to check thoroughly, gliding up and down their sides, her hands would trail upwards, before finally grabbing the side of their face and bringing it closer to her own and sniffing for the honey smell just in case this one had eaten it, but it was not there. After letting go of her soft cheeks, a tired moan of hunger and disappointment would follow.
Frustrated, she would suddenly grab onto the person's chest. She didn’t know why she checked that area, maybe it was because she was still half asleep and wasn't really paying attention to her own action. Nevertheless, she would find no bread on Sayuri’s small body.
Making nothing of it, Yeera stood up and lazily opened her eyes, not noticing the presence of the man that also knelt next to her, but the basket that he held in his hands would somehow be the only thing to enter her vision, and upon hearing the clacking of the glass and soft shifting of the bread's crusty skin as they slid against each other. Her eyes would shoot open to see the breadbasket presented before her, immediately ignoring the glass of water, she would find herself plunging her hands into the basket and taking the bread into her own. It hadn’t even been five seconds before two loaves of bread would somehow find their way down her throat, immediately she'd begin to cough, before reaching down and grabbing the glass of water and gulping that down too. A complete act of comedy.
Sticking her arms out and balling her fist in a triumphant pose she'd laugh victoriously,
"Haha!"
"This must be a blessing! The gods must have finally heard my calls of anguish and despair,” she'd thought, although the whole time she had yet to notice the girl and man standing behind her, as she gulped down the bread and water before them.
The crowd of onlookers now had sweat lining their foreheads, for the scene they had just witnessed was rather eccentric... This bum of a girl had now just completely ignored her benefactors and had eaten the food they had bought without a shred of remorse or thanks. To the onlookers, it would have seemed that way, but the truth was it wasn’t that Yeera felt no thanks, it was just misdirected.
“Woohoo, now that was delicious, the aroma, the sweet taste of honey. Oh, I’ll never forget such delicious flavour–”
While turning around to walk back the way she came, her extensive declaration would be cut short after seeing the two figures kneeling before her. A hooded figure and a formally dressed fellow.
“...and who might these two be,” she’d wonder, not asking out loud of course. Yeera didn’t wish to initiate a conversation with the two, but was more or rather surprised by the presence of so many people around her, even though it was just two.
Now looking at the one kneeling to her left, was rather miniature, but not much smaller than she was, just a few inches was all she had on her and with that Yeera had felt that she had won in a contest of sorts. Her eyes were quite brilliant, glowing a clear clover green, and not to mention her bright silver locks made her character ever the more alluring. Yet she could not ignore the fact that there was another. A man who knelt next to her, dressed rather formally, in his eyes a sharpness that was not ordinary. Partly due to his presence alone, the thought had crossed her mind that perhaps the both of them had ulterior motives, but before really thinking this through, she would find herself shooting to conclusions, immediately arming herself.
She thought that the two might have been thieves. While it was a bizarre idea in itself when in truth, Yeera had no belongings of which they could rob, other than her Grimoire.
Why did she rush to such a conclusion? Maybe the simplest answer once could was that she was simply quite a dunce in these situations, but other than that, she had her reasons for acting the way she did.
By this point, it was clear that Yeera was getting carried away... honestly, Yeera had begun to believe that she had found her first group of mysterious no-gooders, although what would she be able to do against the two of them when she had no spells. Yet, she would never once admit that.
Wait! What is this? The girl had begun to ball her fist and take a strange stance.
The girl in front of Sayuri woke up from her bout of fatigue. She sat up and turned to Sayuri for a moment, as they locked eyes staring each other over. Her long locks of hair were the color of a silvery white that framed her face like snow cascading down a forest plain; concealing her pretty rose-colored eyes that Sayuri only caught a cursory glimpse of. Perhaps her intentions might have been buried in her eyes, but as the girl foggily arose from her slumber, her purpose was as mysterious as her current circumstance amidst the town square.
To dispel the confusion, Sayuri would ask her question again. Perhaps the young girl before her did not hear her voice as she awoke? “Hey, are you all right?”— As the words fell from Sayuri’s mouth, the strange girl stretched her hands out quickly along Sayuri’s diminutive frame, touching the sides of her cloak and briefly feeling the edge of the grimoire attached to Sayuri’s waist beneath the cover of her shadowy garb.
—“Hey!” Sayuri cuffed one of the girl’s wrists with her hand, and stared in her eyes interrogatively. “What do you think you’re doing?” She probed for an answer.
With a surprising amount of strength, the girl before her was undeterred and stretched out the hand Sayuri grabbed as well as her other hand free of restraint, and grabbed the sides of Sayuri’s face and brought it closer to her own. She could finally see clearly the pools of red that were the girl’s eyes, dazily and wearily staring into her own with a beleaguered gaze. The sheer proximity of being this close caused Sayuri’s face to blush the color of the opposing girl’s eyes, as wild curiosity hung over a seemingly endless moment where they stared at each other.
After a solitary moment that felt like hours, the girl released Sayuri from her grasp with a moan as she pulled away; as Sayuri broke away from her, she’d immediately rise to her feet and stand up, backing away—as the girl would reach for Sayuri’s body once more, but before she could further attempt to grope around in search of whatever it was that was the girl’s obsession for the time being, Sayuri moved just out of reach.
Then, Sayuri watched as the girl’s eyes discovered the basket that was offered to her by Mr. Schiller, who had watched the strange event with a discerning eye and a wispy laugh. It seemed the basket filled with food was what the girl was looking for all along, as she ravenously tore into it without ceremony, scarfing down so much bread that it brought her to cough and douse her dry throat with an entire glass of water.
“Did the girl take anything from you?”
The way her hands were on my body, maybe she took a liking. “No,” Sayuri shook her head. In actuality, the girl’s hands had only briefly touched her grimoire and the straps of her backpack, both of which were still present on her body and relatively undisturbed from the strange event.
After the girl finished rummaging through the basket and ridding it of all its contents, she would stand up and pose with her arms out and her fist balled, laughing.
"Woohoo, now that was delicious, the aroma, the sweet taste of honey. Oh, I’ll never forget such a delicious flavour~”
All eyes were briefly on the girl as her words fell square on the scene, and a deafening quiet briefly echoed in lieu of the various chatter that whistled through the area prior. Mr. Schiller’s chuckle grew louder in the stark quiet, and Sayuri tilted her head and furrowed her brow. It wasn’t long before the silence would be broken.
“Heh, you see! The bum ain’t even grateful to you two! I’d say she’s a fair bit smarter than ya though, robbed you blind easily.” The food merchant egged them on. Sayuri wondered if that was even true—if the girl had run some game on her, and was now gloating over her triumph before them?
Mr. Schiller then pat Sayuri on her shoulder to get her attention. He’d whisper something that rang in her ear, causing her eyes to open wide. She answered his whispers with an acknowledging nod.
Wordlessly, Sayuri started walking past the girl posing triumphantly in the streets, as Mr. Schiller also parted ways and returned to his carriage.
“Hey! Where are you two going? Bah, some ‘city watch’ you lot are!” The merchant scolded, as the townsquare returned to miscellaneous chatter, right back to status quo.
…But some eyes still lingered on the young cloaked girl, as she took a venture through the streets.
He had given her a warning. As she walked through the streets she met the scenery with a discerning eye, briefly pausing at moments and looking back, attempting to find something that would catch her eye…
Each time, she would find it.
She’d soon turn a corner, walking down another block and picking up her pace as her cloak billowed and bounced with her footsteps; and as she turned her head through the block…
Each time, it was closer.
She scurried off into another corner, walking past more people that meandered the streets of Kiten, until she’d arrive at an alleyway. A dead end. …It was perfect.
She ventured in, and reached out her left hand as a concentration of mana roared and spurred, and a sigil implanted on her glove glowed to life. A tether of cosmic light rose up from her hand and extended toward the wall to her left; as it made contact, it rappelled her up the wall, allowing her to kick off it and once again call upon the cosmic tether that grappled onto the rooftop directly opposite the alleyway’s entrance.
As she landed, her grimoire loosed from its holding upon her waist and floated beside her, and she summoned five floating celestial blades that hovered above her like guiding stars.
Soon after, what followed her on the streets of Kiten would arrive.
*
It was two men that ambled into the alleyway, hands in their pockets, as their eyes searched the limited space. One man had dark orange hair and seemed to be in his early twenties, wearing tattered dark leather that draped over his body. The other man that accompanied him seemed to be a bit older; he was fairly large and well-built with dark spiky hair. He towered over his partner.
“Where’d she go…” The man in tattered leather would say to his partner.
It wasn’t long before their attention would drift upward, and they’d notice the young girl perched on the roof, with her celestial swords pointing in their direction; somewhat obscured as the gleaming light matched the sun’s radiance shining down upon them.
“Eh? What are you doing up there, kid? ‘Looks dangerous. Why don’t you come down and we talk about how nice and kind you were back at the town square…” They thought her an easy mark. As the man in tattered leather clothes reached for his grimoire, Sayuri shot one of her celestial swords down just before the man’s feet; he recoiled back with the reaction time of a slug. His legs fell from under him as he slumped to the ground, and Sayuri’s starlight sword dispersed into lustrous particles in front of him.
“That was a warning shot. Since you were there at the townsquare, you surely heard me before, right? I’m a part of Kiten’s city watch.” She stared at the two men from above. “If you intend to take my Yul, you’d best be prepared to risk your life trying.”
The taller man took out his grimoire from its sheath. “Listen, you uppity brat!” As he took out his grimoire, lightning cackled from its pages as the mana roared in the tight space. “We’ll take you for every last Yul piece you’re worth! You can make it easy and hand it over, or…”—The man stretched out his fingertips and lightning emerged from them—“We can pry it from your corpse!” Sayuri called upon the mana laden in her accessory once more, and grappled onto another building as the lightning scorched where she was just prior.
Before the man could shoot another bolt of lightning, she fired one of the four remaining swords directly at the man’s chest, hitting him square and knocking him against the wall of the alleyway; his body dropped to the floor in response.
While his partner scrambled to pull himself together and stand up, Sayuri shot at him too with another of her floating swords, this time making contact and hitting him against the wall like his friend. “Damn it, this isn’t worth it… You said she looked easy,”
Those with this perk can reduce the required control it takes to produce extra ammo by -5. At Archmage this will increase to -10.
Description
"Your footwork has improved a great deal, Sayuri… but you’re still green when it comes to a fight. Unfortunately, the day approaches where we’ll soon part ways. I’d like to teach you a spell that’ll help create openings, as well as minimize your own.”
The spellcaster focuses their attention toward a fixed point in space by raising their left hand toward the space they which to appropriate for use of the spell, then by supplying mana through the conduit of the grimoire, the spellcaster's mana begins to take shape and the spell's effect becomes realized.
"Twilight Armiger - Celestial Blades" conjures a floating sword comprised of cosmic light, seventy-seven centimeters in length, that glides through the air to hit its target; after the initial invocation of the spell, the spellcaster must gesture in the direction of the opponent, either with the spellcaster’s hand pointing in the desired direction, or a held object extended forward and toward the target, this action acts as a launching mechanism to direct the shape of the concentrated mana into the desired target. This spell may appropriate use of the ammo rules to create additional starlight swords per 10 control possessed by the spellcaster, although the required control may be reduced by 5 with the perk Artillery Support.
On contact with a susceptible target, the spell deals Junior Rank damage as the formation of the blade disperses into lustrous particles, which manifests as first-degree or minor-second degree burns as the cosmic swords mimic the construction of a star, and weaponize the superheated nature of plasma. The impact of the spell is capable of knocking back the opponent by a Junior Amount of 2 Meters, and additionally 5 meters for every 10 points of power the spellcaster possesses.
“Some people believe certain designations of stars to watch over them. …We’ll be taking that literally for your training today.”
"In our line of work, Sayuri, you'll need to be mobile. Hence we'll take to devising your first magical item; view it as an extension of yourself.
Rank & Element: Junior | Cosmic Class & Type: Magical | Imbued Accessory Magic Specializations: Supplementary Construct Appearance & Lore: The Magical Item is a leather glove with a magical celestial seal implanted on the front of it worn on the wearer’s left hand.
During Sayuri's travels with her mentor in the organization, The Crimson Reaper Xai, she learned the importance of not only being capable in a fight but also readily mobile. The use of this magical item helped the young mage take to rooftops and pursue targets from above, as well as offering swift movement in combat, mimicking a grappling hook.
Abilities: While wearing the Item the user gains access to the perk "Fast Lane"
Type & Uses: Trigger | 4 Uses Before Jamming Occurs | 15 Recharge Cost Rank & Specialization: Junior | Supplementary Construct Mana Cost: 8 (Cost) | 15 (Recharge) Range & Speed: 25 meters | 15 m/s Stats Affected: N/A Description:
To invoke the magical energy latent within the accessory, the spellcaster extends their left arm forward straight and toward the target that they wish to latch onto with the spell’s tether, concentrating their mana into their left hand which causes the sigil imprinted onto the glove to glow in a radiant golden hue in response to the conduit. Finally, the energy must be released by performing a subtle thrust of the arm in the intended direction. After performing the prerequisite actions, the latent energy in the accessory awakens.
The mana takes the form of a luminescent tether composed of starlight capable of extending up to 25 meters; upon reaching contact with a surface, it is able to grapple the location and propel the user toward the target. In order to make use of the transportation, the tether must contact a surface or object, otherwise the mana present in the tether’s composition will begin to rapidly contract back to the user and dispel itself, resulting in the mana dispersing wastefully. Due to the nature of the spell being particularly swift, it benefits from the advanced magic specialization Fast Lane which boosts the traveling speed of the spell to 15 m/s. As per the ammo rules, the spellcaster is able to escort passengers to the destination targeted upon the spell's invocation; up to a maximum of 2 passengers may be transported by the spell by holding onto the spellcaster during the invocation process to be whisked away alongside the item's wielder.
"Heh, that's certainly a way to reach for the stars."
Rank & Element: Junior Class & Type: Mundane | Trinket Magic Specializations: N/A Appearance & Lore: This particular Thieves' Cant has existed worldwide due to its general applicability, being used mainly by The Arcanum Association, a criminal syndicate with reach as far as the cant itself—wherever the Cant has surfaced, so too has the organization lurked in shadows near.
Its appearance resembles a tarot deck with abstract, ornate designs on each card.
The Cant is relatively simple but possesses a dual meaning when used to converse with members of The Arcanum Association.
A rogue wishing to invoke the Thieves Cant approaches another rogue, “Would you like to play a game of Fate?” This officially begins the cant.
The person seeking information is dealt A Hand of Fate, while the other rogue giving information assumes the role of Dealer. A conversation then begins with the two rogues, seemingly idle-chatter, but contextualized by the meanings of each card that is played.
Minor Arcana
Wands - Notable Mages in the Area, particularly Magic Knight Presence. This genre of the Minor Arcana makes use of the numerical values to indicate how patrolled the area is.
Pentacles - Places one can go to earn money and pursue jobs, or a good ‘target’ to hit if a rogue were looking for a mark. This genre of the Minor Arcana also makes use of the numerical values to indicate how valuable the contracts or the marks are.
Cups - Safe places a Rogue may find useful, or one that may help shelter them from the law. This is often used with auxiliary cards from the Major Arcana.
Swords - Indicate other rogues that may be of use or people who are otherwise dangerous in magical ability, also used with auxiliary cards from the Major Arcana.
Major Arcana
The Fool - The Rogue seeking information takes The Fool card to begin their hand, and may then request one of the Minor or Major Arcana to add to their hand, paying in Yul for each. The Seeker may request more at any time, and uses these cards to direct the flow of conversation toward their desired interest. Alternatively, the dealer may lay the 22 Major Arcana out along with the Four Minor Arcana suits and simply let the Seeker point to topics of interest, or pick one for them that the seeker then agrees upon for the necessary information.
Once they have received enough information, they return The Fool card to the dealer to signify the conclusion of the cant and pay the dealer for any information remaining uncompensated. The cards are sorted and then rendered to the deck's owner as the transaction concludes.
Symbolically, this has been looked at as the one seeking information ‘The Fool,’ becoming Wise from the intel they received— similar in concept to the base usage in Tarot, where the Fool ascends to the World Arcana.
The Magician - The Magician represents complications in pursuing a contract due to Magic Knights, and is often followed by placing Wands to note the severity of the Magic Knight presence. The Dealer may direct the flow of conversation toward a particular magic knight to indicate a specific threat to the operation.
The High Priestess & The Hierophant - These two Arcanas see play in locales with corrupt clergymen, denoting that an authoritative figure in the church (woman or man respectively) is a rogue or is otherwise amicable to rogues and helps their endeavors.
The Empress & The Emperor - The Empress & The Emperor is often used to refer to the leader of a rogue operation, or someone with authoritative power in the criminal underworld that is not a benefactor; for example, if one had knowledge of Velondra Silverlake’s Operation in Clover “The Eclipse Ravens”, they might use it in reference to her. Specifically it finds more use when the leader of the operation isn’t known to be a criminal in the public eye, and is covert in their crimes or manipulates their territory through their subordinates remotely.
The Lovers - Mostly used to refer to brothels operating illegally as fronts, or someone offering services of the like; although it has sometimes been used to convey a secret relationship between nobility and common-folk or known criminals, such as when civil tensions were high enough that should the information be leaked, it would be damning on the noble’s reputation.
The Chariot - The Chariot denotes someone offering safe travel for rogues, extending their services when haste is required to get to the site of a mission, or to serve as an extraction for a swift escape. These services tend to be quite valuable, so it finds a lot of play wherever the game shows up.
The Hermit - The Hermit is invoked by the dealer when they wish to convey that the topic of interest is secretly intent on moving away, such as attempting to flee the country into another domicile or move into a different region of Clover such as Rogue’s Refuge.
The Wheel of Fortune - The Wheel of Fortune is often used to denote The Black Market as well as criminal dealings & trades.
Strength - Strength tends to be used to refer to rogues of much import in the local area that may aid the Fate Seeker, prompting them to seek them out and collaborate on an operation that has been discussed.
The Hanged Man - The Hanged Man denotes a rogue that has been taken out of play, either Missing-In-Action, presumed dead, or caught and imprisoned by government forces (i.e. The Magic Knights).
Death - Death is a common card to use in The Game of Fate, often signifying that the person the Dealer is directing the topic of conversation toward is Wanted for Dead, which often segues into conversations of payment and where to find further information such as the Main Benefactor offering the contract.
Temperance - Temperance marks the rogue to consider restraint — often invoked once a rogue inquires about a faction, building, or person that is under the protection of one of the prevailing criminal factions in the area. Once the dealer plays this, it is presumed the topic is ‘off limits’ for conspiring against it.
The Devil - The Devil refers to a known rogue benefactor that offers contracts to willing rogues. Dealers have been known to put this down when talking about a benefactor that masquerades in the public eye (i.e. a nobleman, priest, or merchant).
The Tower - The Tower is often used in reference to a location that is deemed vulnerable to the dealer, having valuable possessions that may be targeted for a job; such as infiltrating a museum, mage tower, or even an estate.
The Star - The star is often invoked in reference to an object but it has seen some play to contextualize people as well; it is the main target of a contract, one that is not to be killed but captured and escorted to a drop-off.
The Moon - The Moon is generally an auxiliary card meant to convey that whatever the main topic of the conversation is, it is best approached at night; such as a Cathedral that takes in rogues in the evening hours.
The Sun - The Sun is also used as an auxiliary card to convey that the main topic of the conversation is best approached during the day; such as a contract where the mark is most vulnerable during daylight hours, as opposed to night.
Justice & Judgment - Judgment tends to be invoked when there has been a party wronged by another, such as overstepping territory or otherwise harming another rogue operation unduly. This is often used when the Dealer wishes to push a contract onto the Fate Seeker to ‘make things even’ between one rogue faction and another.
The World - The World is often used to refer to The Highest Power in the Criminal Underworld, those that slink in shadows without much information as to their identity. Dealers may use this in reference to a Bounty or Mission requested by The Highest Order.
When applied by The Arcanum Association, each individual Arcana represents a branch in the Syndicate’s Organization; such as The Grim Funeral Company for whom Sayuri works for being represented by The Death Arcana. While some of these organizations are present in Clover, many of them are spread out throughout the Kingdoms.
[break] Yes. Her stomach had been filled, and this was a good thing, but could one actually perceive such lucky circumstances as a blessing from those who rained above? Maybe not. For it was clearly evident that in a place like this where people only used each other to climb above the ranks and rise throughout the classes of society, meaning that it was pretty everyone for themselves, as such there could be no such kindness. Perhaps Yeera had forgotten that. Yet, even so, she would pay them no mind, the side glances, voices and murmurs of the town folk. They meant nothing to her when at that very moment, there was but only one thing that would prove to have any importance to her, and that was to thank her saviours.
After calming down she would turn around to realize that the one who have gifted her that bread had been long gone and as such she would wonder if she had been that out of it. To not notice their departure, which would explain the crowd's current state of communication and retorts. She must have made a great fool of herself and brought unwanted attention of some troublesome gazes. Despite that, it was the truth. Yeera couldn’t recall her past interactions, although her body could remember it very well, a soft and small frame pressed against her own, a glimmering vision of their emerald green eyes would flash its way into her mind.
"Yes, those were the colour of her saviour's eyes. Emerald green. A colour you didn’t see much of," she thought, although it held some truth as it was the first time Yeera had seen something so unique.
Ignoring the lingering eyes and laughter, she would begin running off into the crowd in search of her saviour, but they were nowhere to be found, or at least nowhere she would find them. She hoped that at least her rambling had not caused them any trouble.
Ceasing her effort, Yeera would take a seat on top of one of the nearby stones, and simply observe as the people of Kitten went on with their day, running around, completing tasks and complaining about various things that impeded their daily lives.
As Yeera observed them, she would notice that there had a very unique way of livelihood that flourished amongst the people. There was laughter among physical camaraderie. One could even say that some of these people regarded each other as no more than companions, while some appeared to be much closer than family, sharing drinks and even clothes. In the end, she would conclude that perhaps this was just how things were. On one hand, you were either a part of this society, or you were labelled an outcast, and unfortunately, it seemed as though Yeera had stricken the ladder. Although this may have been the case, Yeera knew of her reason for being within Kitten, and that was not to change the fact that she was not welcome or to try to make friends or fit in. She was here to offer her aid as a guard and hopefully earn some money and maybe even buy some new clothes for herself.
Getting up from her sitting spot she would get back to doing her job and walk along the market road in search of any suspicious activity, while doing so she would take the chance to observe the crowd a little bit more.
The people of kitten were rather rumbustious in the way that they were very open with each other, hitting each other, hugging, and even cursing at each other with a smile. It was almost cool in a way. Deep down this view made her long for something. Seeing how the people held nothing back from each other. It didn't change the fact that some would continue to leer and whisper amongst themselves and even behind their comrade's backs. Yet they all resembled some kind of family.
Yeera was not surprised, as this was how it was almost everywhere else, she had seen. Not enemies but not friends either.
It was then amid her patrolling, that a voice would call out to her,
"Hey, you! Over there. You're part of the city patrol aren't you?"
Turning around, Yeera would see that the source of the voice had come from the pipes of a tiny old man. Yeera would quickly straighten up as if to not make it seem as though she was lazing about.
Behind the old man, a short wooden crate stand lay. Apples filled it to the brim. Upon simply gazing at the freshly picked fruit, she would almost feel her stomach growling once again, "them apples look really fine." she thought, but would shake her head, as she would try to regain focus on the old man's needs.
“What is it that you need sir?” she’d ask, trying to seem as respectful as possible,
“Hmm,” the old man would hold the tip of his chin, hesitating to answer her question, he would look her up and down as if to observe or determine her capabilities.
The old man would let out a small grunt, and under his breath, he would say a few curses among other phrases like, "You don't look like much..."
Raising his right hand he would point to the far the left, “You see those two young men over there, they’ve been snooping around my corner of the market for a while. To put it simply, I think those lads are up to no good, can you scare them away for me?” he’d ask, still his eyes on her. It would seem that he was not yet done confirming Yeera’s ability and worth. Still, Yeera would not waste any time in getting on with her first task and would immediately head over to where the two men had stood, “Hey, you sure you can take care of those two fellas over there?” the old man would ask, worry now clearly present in his rickety voice.
Yeera would look back at the old man, and show him a simple thumbs-up, before proceeding to pursue the two swindlers, “Hey lookie there,” one of the crooks would say while pointing in Yeera’s direction,
“What Do Ya Want?!” the man standing next to him would quickly ask, but he would step forehead. Attempting to intimidate her. Yet she wouldn't flinch at his measly attempt at intimidation.
Yeera could already tell that they were no real threat, for if they meant any harm to anyone they would have resulted in the use of offensive spells the moment she had walked up to them, but perhaps their reluctancy to attack was also due to the fact that her body closely resembled that of a younger child. Nevertheless, she would not waste much time if any in talking with the two crooks, as she quickly concluded them as the kind to be rather stubborn.
“The sir over there told me that you guys should find somewhere else to lounge around." The two men would look at each other with a raised eyebrow, before bursting into a sudden fit of laughter,
“And he sent you?!”
The man would slide forward, his hand reaching out towards Yeera's shoulder,
"You know what little lady why don’t you ju–” but before he could finish his sentence, a stone-hard feeling would be felt slamming into the side of his face, which would send him flying upwards, two to three meters into the sky. Knocking him out before he could utilize any magic.
Upon witnessing his comrade suddenly being laid flat upon the market floor before he could even react, the other man would burst off, running into the darkly lit ally ways.
Walking towards the old little man she would come to meet him with eyes wide open. Filled with surprise and clear shock.
Confused, by his sudden expression, Yeera would simply move her hand out towards him, thinking that might have wanted a handshake or something, "All taken care of sir.” After still not reacting, she’d simply think that maybe a handshake was not what he wanted, nevertheless she would move on. “Hey, mind if I have an apple?"
Hesitantly the man would place one of his red apples within her hand, almost managing to drop it, but would somehow safely make its way its to the desired location. With that Yeera would wave the old man bye and continue down the path the crook had run…
