In this world, Magic is Everything. All people, all races, are granted with the power to perform mystical and magical feats via grimories, mystical tomes granted to each and every child on their 15th birthday. Those blessed by the mana can have their names written down in legend.
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Post by Imra Drekir on Apr 30, 2020 1:41:05 GMT -5
It was a known fact that the underbelly of the world crawled up at night to strike when it was harder for them to be seen and when thieves struck so that they would not easily be known. Against her best wishes, this, too, had become Imra's calling, when the gods danced to the beating of their fiery drums and the sky painfully cried out in torrents of rain which gave rise to life, the crops, and the trees, so then did the people praise the gods for the bountiful harvests. That's the story that Imra had been taught, at least, that cycle of pain and growth. It would be a beautiful allegory to life had living been so simple anymore.
Imra easily carried the man by his neck, watching as he struggled for life so meaninglessly. Like an animal. She smashed the man against the cobblestone alley wall. Her act was likely not an uncommon one, but it was usually the ones with all the money picking on the poor souls that had managed to lose everything in this town. It was the natural way of things that the powerful would make use of the powerless; those with money abusing the empty pockets of the destitute. Imra, however, was not apt to fall for such foolishness.
She hoisted the man into the air again, his mind still reeling from the relatively light blow he had taken to the back of the head. "Tell me how much money I owe you again, Worm?" Her voice was like an ice-cold chill in the midst of spring-time, oozing with threat without ever needing to show its colors, making men fear what yet they did not see.
"Are you dense, wench? I already told you fifteen-hundred Yul!" Imra's dead-fish eye set on the man's own, piercing deep into his soul. She didn't like that answer, not one bit. Those with the money and power to move every one else to their whim always forgot that the world only had one true order, one that didn't care for ties of blood or gold: strength. Those with the power of nobility and wealth on their sides were pretenders, nothing more. No, they were slaves to their masters still. The nobles had their king, and even then the king had the masses under them. The wealthy had their gold, yet, even gold was a mere shiny metal that people made valuable because one before them said it was. True power was neither of these. True power had no master, it was whatever you could take and keep with your bare hands.
Imra put more force behind her arm, her grip tightening further around the loan-shark's neck before she slammed him with greater force against the other alley-wall. He was the fool that mistook wealth for power. All of his little puppets danced to his finger because he could give what they wanted or with some estranged sense of loyalty to such a scumbag.
"How much Yul do I owe you?" Worm may have called her dense, but Imra believed him to be more so if he couldn't read the subtext in her words. Instead of a proper answer, the man would spit out a bit of blood which would land right on Imra's eye-patch. She flinched a bit, as was natural, but otherwise it did not phase her.
"I'm going to put a bounty on your damned head big enough you won't be able be safe anywhere but the ass-crack of Hage!" His tough-guy act was painfully easy to see-through. As if a guy like this could afford anything more than a scoundrel or two. Imra could see the fear in his eyes. She would probably be able to smell it soon too if she kept this up. She would let him stew in his struggle a bit more before she spoke again.
"How many people have you taken everything from here?" Imra wasn't normally one to think of other people in this regard, at least not anymore, but helping this worm understand his situation could aid in her effort. "Who would actually care if I left you here to rot?" She brought him a bit closer to her face to see eye-to-eye; so that he couldn't dare look away from her even if he wanted to. "Tell me again, Worm, how much do I owe you?"
Aries Garse was a town that never slept. At least, its lights were always on, and chances are, the people were not asleep at all. It was a party town, the place where you go to forget your sorrows. It was a gambling town, where one tried their fortune and leaves empty handed. It was a despicable town, where the misers gathered and the loan sharks found their prey very easily. Artemis loathed the town because of everything mentioned, and then some more. There was a reason why there had been little guards posted in this area for such a long time. People made money here, simple as that. From the nobility, to the cutthroats, there was business to be had. The town that never slept. It was also known as the town that always wept.[break][break]
Lives were lost in these very streets. Lives that could have been saved, sucked up dry by those who would take advantage of them. The very streets of Aries Garse was a battlefield, and not just because of the first Diamond War that took place here, but rather because law and order never ceased its constant struggle in this place. While Magic Knights like Artemis were sent to patrol the streets, corruption still reigned. It was not because Artemis did not do her job. Far from it, rather. Magic Knights that were not Artemis did not do their jobs. Caught up in the fray, the weaker Magic Knights, those who went nowhere in their lives, were weak willed as well. Easily drawn in by the promises of Yul to turn a blind eye. Artemis supposed there was a reason she had been called out here, after all.[break][break]
The night was young, but the streets felt like it was mid morning. Artemis sighed as she made her way on the rooftops of the town itself. She tended to stay away from the streets itself. While she was here, nobody was stupid enough to actually do anything. She was, after all, quite well known as one of the more stringent Magic Knights of the Green Mantis. As well, they all knew not to cross her. Her reputation had more than often preceded her, and her ability to intimidate and stare down even the toughest of the criminal rings within Aries Garse had garnered her quite the reputation. An “Intimidating Aura”, those who met her described it to be something that they cannot truly face, and were forced to do whatever the young woman told them to do. Artemis cared little about it, only that it helped her at the end of the day.[break][break]
Speaking of criminal activity, Artemis spotted something at the corner of her eye. It seemed like a shakedown of sorts, though Artemis knew the man being shook down. Interestingly, it was definitely happening the other way around. The man that was being intimidated, and even slammed on the concrete wall, was usually the one doing it to his clients. Yul was a big commodity in and of itself, even more so here in Aries Garse. Gambling made money more important than water, and the people who visit Aries Garse are like fishes. But as Artemis watched the interaction, she could not help but crack a smile. [break][break]
The man was actually getting intimidated, and he seemed to almost crack. [break][break]
While Artemis herself would have turned a blind eye, she realized just how much the woman, at least she looked like a woman, might be overestimating the man she was shaking down. While power was something that the woman had, the man she was trying to unsettle had quite a lot of resources that might just make the woman’s life miserable at the end of the day. Artemis made a quick decision, and dropped down just beside the woman.[break][break]
“I’d let him go if I were you.” She would start, before elaborating, “you see, he’s a menace. And it seems that you also know he’s a menace.” It was true, loan sharks were the worst, yet this one took the cake. “However, I can’t let you freely destroy the wall behind him. People could be living just behind it, after all.” While the alley walls were quite strong, the building beside it could easily be affected. Artemis could not let that happen. “Besides, he’s going to forgive what you owe and never speak or even look at your direction again, right?” At this point, Artemis flared her aura. The Intimidating Aura that she supposedly had. This should have been enough to get a yes from the man. [break][break]
COMBAT SUMMARY
[attr="class","polluxscroll2"]
Artemis uses her Intimidating Aura Perk against the man.
Imra would only afford the incoming woman an over-the-shoulder glance. Had she been anyone else she would have been thankful. But she was Imra. Having to get bailed out of something she had gotten herself into was tantamount to an insult. Had she not managed to get the sneak on her, she would have considered beating her up along with the man right then and there. At least the knight didn't seem to keen to actually save her current punching bag than she was to save the architecture. Strange, bland tastes these knights had.
She gave a glance to the walls she had been slamming the worm into. She doubted that she could actually do much to them. There was something this person wanted. She could practically smell the stench... no that was the smell of Worm pissing himself as his determination flipped to meet the stranger's demands. It must not have been the first time they danced.
"Y-y-yes! Of course, you know I'm a generous man, Artemis miss! Just as you say!" Quaint. Minutes straight of beating and she could hardly get him to budge. One sentence with this woman and he spills everything. Her gaze shifted back to her prey and looked him straight in the eye. Imra tightened her jaw. She was no longer the one in control, no longer making him fear. In truth, it was never really about the money. She had the Yul to spare.
Imra breathed a disappointed sigh. "Off the hook this time, then, Worm." The worm of a man, of course, nodded vigorously at the offer of peace. She hated that look of relief on his face. She had at least one more chance to make sure he'd regret ever trying to cross her.
Imra turned to properly face the new arrival, the loan-shark still being held on to by his neck. Rather than simple letting him go, she would make sure to toss him to the ground, face-first, of course. The sound of his nose breaking against the pavement made her feel a bit better about the entire ordeal. Those squeals of his more so.
"Why you little!-" For a moment he had forgotten all about the magic knight standing before him, but his eyes would quickly dart back to her. "Eep! G-g-goodnight ma'ams! I best be one my way now!" Unless some other actor revealed themselves, the notorious wormy loan-shark would make his way home post-haste.
With her entertainment for the night now duly departed, Imra shifted her gaze back to the stranger. The dead look in her eye piercing straight into her soul, trying to read something... anything from her, but she simply couldn't. She hated people like that, people that were hard to read at a glance. They were usually the ones with the most to hide. She should know, she was one of them after all.
"...Thanks." it was more the formality than anything. It was okay to show a little respect to someone else every now and then, especially when she needed more answers about this place. As she was once but a farmer girl, she knew desperately little about this place. She sat herself down against the wall, pulling out and slipping a hood over her head to protect herself from the drizzle, making sure to meet the other's eye as soon as she got the chance.
"I suppose that conserving the integrity of this alleyway wasn't everything you had in mind, was it?" Her gaze shifted back to one of the walls in question, looking for signs of the accused damage, but found none. "You're not like the other mantle-bearers here. Bunch of the ones I've met seem to think it's their job to sell out and get drunk. Never met another one that actually tried to stop anything this time of night."
Imra picked a piece of stone that had been torn away from the cobbled streets some time in the past. She threw it against the opposing wall with enough force that it would bounce right back to her. "You seemed familiar with Worm. Not in the way a few of the other of your kind do, I mean."
Artemis watched the man, piece of thrash really, slowly turn his coat from black to white. The ‘yes ma’am’ facade, as Artemis would like to call it. It was an interesting phenomenon, truly. Artemis was most likely one of the few Magic Knights that actually seared fear into the likes of that man within Aries Garse. Corruption, after all, was rampant. But even more so, the place reeked of booze and gambling. No matter what most would say about Magic Knights, the Magic Knight Mantle did not exempt one from the vices of man. This was even more pronounced to a lot of the Green Mantis members, those who had a history of criminality. It was hard for them to separate their dignity from their past. And most of the time, their dignity fell short, and booze was bought like a tap.[break][break]
“The next time I see you, we’ll have words.” Artemis called out to the man, though not loudly, as he scampered away. Loan sharks were horrible creatures, preying on the weak and those in desperate need. Artemis herself had cracked down on some of these organized crimes. However, she could not eliminate all of them. Technically, she could not arrest the man, with him not actually committing any crimes at the time of her discovery. If anything, it was the woman she could have arrested, most likely on the charges of assault and battery of the said man. However, Artemis was someone who could read a person, and truly, the large woman did not give her any wrong vibes. Plus, Artemis knew that the man was most likely the culprit anyhow, and the woman was most likely trying to defend herself for the most part. [break][break]
The woman thanked her, and in response, Artemis only nodded. As her now companion had taken a spot just by the wall, Artemis moved herself just across from her. Instead of sitting, however, Artemis decided to stand and lean instead. The rain was pouring, and the ground was quite wet. There were some covers that were afforded to Artemis, which she carefully maneuvered so she was under one. It seems that the building behind her had some balconies, which made great cover. After settling into a relaxed stance, Artemis would once again take stock of the woman. She seemed like the kind who got her way regardless, a tough lady, though most likely thought of as that because of her size. [break][break]
“You’re more than welcome.” Artemis would finally respond, “The man is a menace, and while I cannot arrest him because he technically was not doing anything illegal, they at least know just how I deal with their kind.” The woman would rub her knuckles, a reminder of the beat downs she gave the man and his group of thugs. They had once had the audacity to actually send people to deal with Artemis. That was back when she had been a new Magic Knight. They thought that they could take advantage of her being a newbie Magic Knight. They had been proven otherwise that day. Since then, they had tried their best to stay away from Artemis’ radar, and while some of them had not been successful, most have made it their mission to not be caught by her ever again. And they were right to do so.[break][break]
Artemis almost chuckled at her comment about the integrity of the wall. “No, you’re right.” Artemis pointed towards the wall, “That thing is reinforced, so no mere spell can damage it.” While this was a poor area, the town was at least given proper protection in terms of building integrity. After all, Aries Garse actually generates quite a bit of Yul for the Clover Kingdom, so the town can actually afford its facilities and whatnot. “As I said, that man and his cronies are a menace. I can’t pin them down for their hustle because it’s technically not illegal to lend money, and they have been careful with how they deal these days, especially when I am spotted.” She shrugged, “I know you could probably defend yourself, but it’s never a bad thing to help out, hm?”[break][break]
“The other Magic Knights, no, they’re definitely unlike me.” Artemis sighed, “Most of those that come here are dead beat anyway.” There was a correlation, after all, “I try my best, but it’s never good enough it seems.” Crime rates were not high, but they were not low either. [break][break]
“Artemis, by the way. From the Green Mantis.” Artemis held out her hand for a shake, “You don’t seem like you’re from around here. And you don’t seem like the drinking, whoring, and gambling type.” She would continue, with the unspoken question: “What are you doing here?”
[break][break]
COMBAT SUMMARY
[attr="class","polluxscroll2"]
Artemis uses her Intimidating Aura Perk against the man.
"Hmm." Imra caught the stone once more, looking up to the magical knight. She thought about the words that she would say next. She always called them mantle-bearers, or at least that's what the old stories said. Had to make some distinction between them and the knightly orders of Spade itself. "You're not wrong." She slid her hands behind her head to provide a more comfortable head-rest than the unflinching stone. "Not right either."
The woman sighed again. If this lady had been out to arrest her she would have done it already. It was safe to tell her more. "He sent his goons after me. I beat them up. He sent a few more, did the same. Got tired of his games so I decided to take the matter into my own hands." It wasn't the whole story, of course. No one ever told the whole story. Really, this lady had managed to scare out of him what she wanted in seconds what a good three minutes of beating hadn't managed to achieve.
"I borrowed five-hundred Yul from him last week. I've always been good at card games, so I got a few full purses and suddenly he doesn't like the stink of wealth on me." The absolute truth was that she was wanting to get the worm to clear her debt before she got out of town a few purses fatter. Technically not illegal either. "So he decided that I owed him thrice what I borrowed. Worm."
The stone that she had picked up moments before suddenly became one of the most interesting things in the world to her, she moved it about this way and that, admiring how its polished surface glinted what little light was about into her eye. Maybe she would keep it. Probably not.
"Worms like him were the reason several towns near my village banned interest on loans, of course you'd have no way of knowing that." She dropped the thing to her side, letting it clatter to the ground as she looked up to the stranger before her. "Funny that, though, one of them was like this one, built on man's eternal vices. Didn't solve anything and the loans went underground and got even worse. Strange thing."
"I guess I gave it away when I called you a mantle-bearer, didn't I?" She looked back down to the woman's shoes, briefly wandering how much they could actually fetch in the right market, but she pushed the thought out of her head for now. "Imra, from Merroc. You could call it a bit north of Hage, I think."
Artemis would carefully size up the woman in front of her. Looking at her now, from her position, she could see that this Imra from Merroc was formidable and size. She could see why the man she had been shaking down had been just a little afraid of her. Truly, from what Artemis had seen just prior to actually breaking it up, the woman had been doing a fine job herself. Even so much so that the man had almost pissed himself out of fear. However, Artemis knew that a woman such as Imra would not be able to defend herself if some of the more corrupt Magic Knights were called over by the man. It was one thing that truly depressed Artemis, and it was the fact that there were Magic Knights who were actually in the back pockets of people like the man who had just ran away. Loan sharks, after all, needed protection from those who might be looking for revenge. While thugs and goons were usually hired, Artemis knew that there were some Magic Knights that were in the crime syndicate’s back pockets as well. Even worse, those Magic Knights were from the Green Mantis. While Artemis can be understanding sometimes, and knew that the Green Mantis were supposed to keep an eye out on the criminal underworld, some of the acts that these Green Mantises performed would be borderline criminal even for them. There was a fine line for Green Mantis Magic Knights and criminals, and sometimes this line can get blurred. It truly irked Artemis. [break][break]
“Goons, hm?” Artemis shook her head. The previous thoughts were quickly squashed away. It would not do her well to think of such things these days. The Green Mantises were starting to burgeon, after all, and with the way things were going, she herself would be going for a promotion. Maybe once she became the Vice Captain, she could actually make a difference within the Green Mantises. “It’s good to see that you can defend yourself. His goons are petty thieves and cutthroats. Normal citizens would be quivering at the sight of a group of them.” Artemis had been there to stop more than a few attacks on random debt-burdened citizens, and while the goons were not a challenge individually, they worked surprisingly well in a group. Their magic prowess was that of a citizen’s level, though, which only meant that this woman was on another level. A rogue, possibly? No, a high level rogue would be within Artemis’ radar. She had a list of the most wanted rogues within the Clover Kingdom, and she was tasked to keeping a look-out, as one of the highest ranked members within the current roster of the Green Mantis. This woman was most likely just gifted with the talent, and truly, Artemis was curious. All of this ran through Artemis’ mind a mile a minute, and she did not miss a beat with her responses. [break][break]
“I’m sorry about your village, and the surrounding ones as well.” Artemis could not help but feel a bit guilty. Weren’t the Magic Knights supposed to be the protectors of the Clover Kingdom. No matter the village, no matter how small, no matter how big, they should be there defending the people from such corruption. Spearheading, championing, and even leading the people towards a better life, wasn’t that what Artemis had signed up for? “The Green Mantises are supposed to be the ones who keep an eye out for these things. Our squad was tasked with maintaining peace and order, as well as keeping an eye and squashing down criminal activities.” She only sighed, and it seems like it was the only thing she did constantly these days. “We have been undermanned for the past few years. And a lot of the times, we cannot stop these internal threats even if we tried.” No matter how hard it was, Artemis always tried. She had never failed, though she could not do everything by herself. “No matter how much blood I have taken, more seemed to follow in their footsteps.” The rain hit Artemis’ open palms, coating it in her own element. Yet, all she could see was the blood that used to run down her arms when she made her kills. The Green Mantises were known to be savage, brutal, and very effective in what they do. Artemis was one of the most effective. Blood would never be cleansed from her hands, no matter how much she prayed. “I don’t know what else to do, truly.” She finally whispered, mostly to herself though the woman might have heard. [break][break]
She then looked towards the woman once more. “Merroc. I’ve never been to that place. Definitely just outside of Hage.” Artemis would nod. She was unsure if the woman was even Clover by birth, but it didn’t matter at this point. Imra was in Clover territory, and she was under the responsibility of the Clover Kingdom. “And you’re definitely right. Vices tend to crawl into even the most narrow space. It is the nature of humanity, of those who even have a slight urge, to be tempted by pleasures of all sorts.” Artemis then nodded at the woman, “But it seems you’re quite lucky with gambling, not a bad way to earn Yul, hm?” She could not blame those who could actually play the system, as long as they were not either hurting anybody nor are they doing it illegally.
[break][break]
COMBAT SUMMARY
[attr="class","polluxscroll2"]
Artemis uses her Intimidating Aura Perk against the man.
Post by Imra Drekir on May 9, 2020 20:40:42 GMT -5
"You can't save the weak from themselves. Only the weak can do that." Imra glanced back to the woman before picking up another stray stone. "Humans flock to what they cannot have. Doesn't your church teach that?" She turned the smooth stone in her hand, pondering the centuries it had taken but a simple river to make it what it was. She, too, tossed it aside, not wanting to bother with another mental metaphor.
"Those towns realized their mistakes and made themselves change." Growing increasingly uncomfortable on the hard ground and in the dribbling rain. "Isn't that how things should be?" Imra's cold stare pierced into the magic knight. Her words might have seemed odd to the lady just after she had given her thanks. Her ideals fell deaf on the ears of most people. It was fine. They did not need to understand because that was the way of things. They would realize it in time.
"If the criminals seem to evade you, would it not be better to play a game that they better understand?" Unless she was stopped, Imra, too, start to make her way out of the alley, fully expecting the magic knight to continue following her as she searched for a tavern in which to spend the night.
"Let me tell you what those towns did to the cruelest and most fearmongering of debt-makers." She pointed towards the town square if it could be seen from there, or in its general direction if it could not. "One of them would hang them from a tree which stood in the center of town, leaving their corpses to rot." Her gaze shifted, then, to where she thought the town gates were, or at least the closest entrance that she could see. "Another hung their decapitated heads from the town gate and their impaled bodies along the streets." The woman stopped in her tracks as soon as they had come across one of the several taverns in this town, even now the raucous throes of laughter and vice poured from its open door. "Yet another cut off their hands and tongue so that they could never hold coin with dignity nor could their toxic words sway the minds of others."
The woman fetched a coin-purse from her side and started to count out a few coins of Yul, enough to pay for another night of small bets, drink, and rest, and perhaps a bit more if she felt like it. "If you want it to stop you make them fear for their lives; the alternative death or disgrace. Threatening to send them to prison, a fate they can and will eventually escape is not enough." With a nod to the magic knight, Imra would start towards the tavern. "But," She would shoot a glance her to stare into Artemis's gaze once again, "understandably, most people don't want to be tyrants. Good night, Artemis."
Unless the Green Mantis knight said something to stop her, Imra would be well on her way to spending the rest of her night in the tavern.
“But we can try.” Artemis would respond, without heat, but certainly with more conviction than she thought she had in her. People are wont to be saved. The common people are daddy people, able to defend and save themselves during times of crisis. But, as a Magic Knight, it was her task. “Mind you, it’s not a saviour complex.” She would admit. Better let the woman know that she wasn’t doing it with the goodness of her heart in mind. “It’s my job. And if I fail, then that is on me.” Artemis Somerset did not fail easily, and when she did, she fell hard. Her mistakes, as a Senior Magic Knight with more responsibilities, had dire consequences in comparison to a junior mage. “And when I fail, lives are usually at stake.” [break][break]
She would, however, listen then. Artemis heard the woman out, heard what had happened, and heard what the towns had done to those who had crossed them. Enough! They all seemed to say. The towns took a stand, and did what they thought was just and with accord. There was no hesitation, it seemed, and in the end, they freed themselves. But did they truly? Artemis would ponder it for a moment.[break][break]
“Justice in their own hands, by their own laws.” She only nodded, affirming the towns’ decision to uphold the necessary punishment. “Do I resent them? No.” She shook her head. She cannot hate a town for standing up against the injustices that they faced. “Do I blame them? No.” How could she? They stood up for themselves. If it were herself, and her freedom on the line, she would kill anyone who tried to cage her. “Do I believe what they did was right? Yes. For, how can one say no to that? They were being harassed. They were being bullied. Worst of all, they were being taken advantage of. You will find that I am unlike most Magic Knights. The Green Mantis are unlike most of our brothers and sisters. We understand the pain, and we do everything that needs to be done.” Artemis would shake her head, “We are called criminals, but those who judge us only know a portion of what we’ve done, and what we’ve yet to do.” [break][break]
The Green Mantis were vicious, and they earned a reputation because of it. “There are times in life that we must do things that might be scorned by the world.” Artemis would now get up, finally getting ready to leave as her shift would end soon. “The Green Mantis becomes the scapegoat, but we endure. Because at the end of the day, just like those towns that hanged, and killed their ransom keepers, we do what we must.” She left it at that. [break][break]
Before Artemis herself took off, she paused for a brief moment. It seemed like a good time as any. The woman intrigued her, and she knew that quite possibly, she would never see Imra again. “You are a very interesting person, Imra from Merroc.” Artemis would look her straight in the eye. There was steel in those irises. A flame that was inextinguishable by anything save the strongest. “You will find a friend within the Green Mantises.” She would nod, before turning away. “There are jobs all around the Clover Kingdom, civilian and otherwise. I would suggest taking them instead of gambling. Easy money, for the most part.” Artemis would give her a final nod. “We might meet once again, one day. I hope under better circumstances, hm?” With that, Artemis finally took off. She hoped to meet the interesting giant of a woman one day soon.
[break][break]
[EXIT]
COMBAT SUMMARY
[attr="class","polluxscroll2"]
Artemis uses her Intimidating Aura Perk against the man.
