[Other FULL] ~Cursed Books: IC~ [PG-13]

[Quto]

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Cursed Books: What is it?
The role play is based off a collection of books out in the world. Each book containing a dreaded curse to torment the victims life and in return, the book grants its victim power. A power that grows that can be used to help others, or to end all things as we know it. Whatever the victim decides.
The victim can be rid of his or her curse he or she simply lives their life. Every book is blank, front to back; And every eventful moment the victim lives or adversity the victim overcomes, the book records as a testament to their life. When a book is full of the victims life, front to back, the victim is free of their curse and keeps the power they were given without having to suffer the consequences they have lived through. Even then, this is very difficult to do, with the antagonist making their life difficult and even sometimes impeding their progress as they hunt him or her down.

Interested In Joining?​

JOIN CB​

[Rules]
~Follow the TOS
~Be fair
~Be mature
~There may be more than one owner for each individual of each book. So there may be 2 drifters or 4 blue moons and so on.

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Land Of Tiera

In the world of Tiera, the story takes place between these 3 separate countries. Twan to the north, Diligent to the south and Yovo to the west.

Twan The Country of Ingenuity:
This democratic society marches forward on progress; creating steam tanks, guns, electricity, generators, simple automobiles, mech's and machines, the list goes on! It is not a wealthy country, though it advances everyday with a new invention or idea each mechanic or company develops for the progress of human kind. Twan has 4 capital cities that stand out above the other villages and towns within their nation.

-Graysburg: The most military advanced city in the country. Here, tanks, siege vehicles and weapons for infantry are produced in large quantities. 52% of Twan's weapons come from Graysburg than any other town in the country. Its also Twan's largest military setup where they train their soldiers constantly in order to prepare them with ab infantry training facility and the Dragoon corps, where soldiers are trained harder in order to perform the most ridiculous and insane missions..

-Jivet: Twan's Largest city in the country. Every teen looking to further his education after going through grade school make their way to Jivet to educate him or herself from one of the 8 colleges, ranging from science and biology to physics to steam work and mechanics. During the evening, the city itself lights up with neon lights with a handful of casino's, a night club and theater district and just a lot more to do. Jivet is more for the denizens in the middle/higher class citizen folk. It's also here where Twan's representatives, The Council, reside and handle the government throughout Twan. Every 3 years, A nation wide election is held to place new councilmen into office and replace the those who have served their 2 terms, forfeit their position or have been veto'ed.
--Colleges
~Jivet University: College of Science and Physics
~Atlas University: College of Machines and Development
~Kore Community College: College of Greater Education involving all fields of study
~Yuva University: College of Biology and Marine Life
~Plut Community College: College of Agriculture and Steam Works
~Quote University: College of Art and Culture
~Nova Technical: College of Business
~Lilit University: College of Invention and Politics

-Ireta: This city is located near the south of Twan on the ocean front. Constantly build warships, trade ships, fishing ships and so on; they have prioritized themselves with producing water crafts of various sorts to help them get around their world. Aside from Jivet, they have more casino's setup to drain money in order to pump funds into the shipyards as they prepare Twan's military for war.

-Platue Kine:
A large section of Twan dedicated to livestock and crops; a farmer's capital to be exact. Travelers, artists and inventors stop by this place constantly to gather information, purchase food and get together with family. Its a city of hard workers that put their blood and sweat into their work and defend it at all cost's.

Diligent The Country of Kings:
A monarchy based society that classify themselves the superior beings to both Yovo and Twan. Diligent's government runs on a set of 3 kings that control the most land to where they can decide the laws on how Diligent can be governed. There are 5 Major Kingdoms in Diligent.

-Kar: The 5th largest kingdom in Diligent. They train their troops to watch the borders of their land and defend their peasants as if they were children. Unlike the other's, Kar treats their citizens with very much respect and prosper with the support of their people.

-Wettle: The 2nd Largest Kingdom in Diligent, their castle and towns placed high up in the mountains. They constantly research medicine to cure any ailment and rely heavily on trade to keep the kingdom in good shape with food among other supplies. They tax their peasants heavily, however health care in Wettle remains free; A citizen catching a cold could see a doctor to get better and not be charged for a bottle of pills even!

-Crisk: The Largest Kingdom in Diligent and the most advanced by far. Researching more complex vehicles like air planes and blimps, they attempt to control the skies over all of Tiera. The peasants in Crisk are very well educated; at the end of their education, they must choose between serving the military or developing for it. Those that flunk out of school are given a patch of land to grow crops and tend livestock to supply the kingdom with food. By their education standards and the demands of what they want out of everyone, 63% of every class flunks while the remaining 37% decide where they should go.

-Sharrel: The 3rd largest Kingdom in Diligent and the most friendly to all of Tiera, even to Twan! Located on the ocean shores up north, they barter with both Yovo and Twan with tropical foods and fruits in exchange for raw materials such as wood, metal, glass and stone. Even during wartime, this kingdom prefers to keep out of war and act independently between the 3 countries without taking sides. Between the 3 kings that govern Diligent, the king hailing from this kingdom acts as the voice of reason and beckons for peaceful solutions.

-Hummo: The 4th largest kingdom in diligent, known as the kingdom for the people. Taxes are not heavy and housing remains reasonably fair. The kingdom supports itself on trade from Sharrel and Wettle while merchants from all over diligent gather here to purchase materials to either make or break their own business while living under their king's law. This kingdom is also known as the richest of the 5; although they don't tax their peasants heavily, they charge merchants for transactions going in and out of the kingdom; since this is a hub for all of Diligent's merchants, the kings treasury fills up quickly.

Yovo The Country of Life: Small for its size, Yovo runs as a democracy, similar to Twan. Yovo remains peaceful and does not intertwine itself with the affairs of Twan and Diligent, so they deprive themselves of war and have made a pact with Twan and Diligent; To leave their people alone and in turn, they would supply both countries with whatever they produce in order to assist them both through the seasons that come. The country makes their living by trading between the two countries in terms of raw materials in exchange for the food and wine they produce daily. To help further assist Yovo, Twan and Diligent setup two small military bases, one north and one south to help fend off thieves, raiders and bandits that may attempt to harass Yovo; The occupying troops cannot fight each other as apart of their agreement to keep the bases operational and cannot receive or act on orders from both countries to drag Yovo into war. There are only 2 capitals in Yovo.

-Kuva: This capital is known for its education and training. While young minds travel here to learn from the eldest and most wise, the most athletic prepare themselves for sports such as martial arts, hiking, baseball, football and other sports. Kuva also houses its own council to help them govern their small country.

-Ellu: This capital is located far east, setting up as a trade depo between the two nations. Sending ships back and forth containing food and other supplies. Neither nation will attack a trade ship from Yovo; less they no longer want their business, even during war times with demand for food becomes very high. It's also in Ellu where the most farmland is located; In terms when crops come in, they can be shipped out immediately.

Chapter 1​

The Diligent: Kingdom of Kar​

---

The young prince walks across the throne room as he studies the map of his country. His book, hidden away in the messengers pouch hanging onto his belt on his side, he looks up towards the mountains with a sinister grin. 'It's time I put my plan into motion.' The prince folds his map as he checks the time, hurrying towards the door back behind the throne room, taking residence within the room as the sound of footsteps fill the room. King Samath and Queen Sally were walking towards their thrones with their servants following behind them. Scribes, Chefs and a Knight wearing Blue Armor. "ENOUGH!" Cried Samath as he took his throne. "My word is final, I want the troops we've sent to the war effort withdrawn and sent out to Yovo; Once they've restocked in supplies, I want them brought back to the castle walls. Scribes, send to the port of Yovo enough gold to re-supply the ships for the long trip home." The scribes bowed as they walked off towards the messengers with orders as the chefs approached next. "I want a large meal prepared for our men on their return. Make sure its ready before they come home." The chefs nod as the blue knight approaches, bowing before Samath. "Siege Company, Sir Calci." Samath tells him to rise as the knight stood before him. "Sir, I must ask why are you withdrawing from the war effort?" The king looked to his knight with a grim look upon his face. "There is a breach in the security of my well being..." "Pardon?" "Someone has been trying to do away with me and my wife..." The knight looked back at the door leading out of the throne room before looking towards the Samath. "How can you be so sure sire? Are they rebels from Twan?" "No... I think our assassin comes from within our own country... My horse's Saddles has been cut loose more than one occasion over the bridge, linking us to Twen's Kingdom, most of the food served towards not only me, but me subjects has been poisoned, ravens circle our tower night after night... It seems just unnatural." Calci looks upon the king and towards the Queen who looked deprived of sleep. "... Could it be your son?" He asked as the king shook his head no. "The same odd occurrences seem to happen with him as well... Until the castle is secure, I don't think we will be able to find the source of these happenings... Calci, until the commander returns, I am making you captain of the Guard until the troops return.." The knight nods and bows before walking out. As the king and queen start to talk, the prince steps out from behind the door; A spear in each hand, he thrusts them both through both of the thrones behind and through the hearts of both Samath and Sally. As the couple slowly die, their son, their prince steps out from behind the throne. Samath looks up to his child. "Ovan... It was...you?....W-w-why?" The prince smirked as he looked into Samath's eyes. "For the glory of the Diligent; and for the order of my new world... Rest in peace my father.... My mother... What I am going to undertake, its best if you don't live during this period." As the King and Queen pass on; He removes the spears from their bodies. Stashing one behind the pillar and re-piking the king from the front; Ovan runs through the castle halls. "MURDER! MURDER! MY FATHER AND MOTHER ARE DEAD!!! THE KING AND QUEEN OF KAR, KILLED!!!"
By dawn, a brief moment of silence as the king and queen are buried; Calci, being the last one to see them alive was decommissioned and jailed for the suppose murder of Samath and Sally while his public execution is scheduled in a few weeks. Ovan, the prince was crowned the new king of Kar. The holder to the Book of Chains, begins his grand scheme. To overthrow and control all of the country of Diligent, and make his aim to control the world. As a party was held, below in the dungeon, Calci was left in torment to suffer until a robed man approached his cell in a dark-brown leather hood; unlocking his cell with a key before stepping in. "You are Calci, correct?..." The young soilder nods as the man pulled back his hood. His hair was jet black, pulled and tied into a ponytail while to bangs hung over in front of his face; he wore a mask with two dark holes as if they were cut in with a sword and a sinister smile. "How would you like to catch the real murderer of Samath and Sally?" Calci nodded as he stood, asking the man what his name was. "My name is Ura." he replied, leading out of the cell, walking by two unconscious guards where he returned the key. "For now, you and I have a common enemy. With your help among others, we will bring this enemy down together."

---

As dawn rises, Talos wakes up in the barn back behind his mother's home. Rolling out of the hay bed, he gets up to brush the straw and dust off of his clothes as he checked the time. Dressing up into a white uniform jacket, black pants and shoes, he starts packing his bags, containing his tools, clothes, blueprints of his latest engine design and a photo album. Picking up his messenger bag, he stores his sketch pad, food and the Cursed Book he was bestowed upon; trying to figure out what the figure meant by power and his children. What were they suppose to prevent? In either case, he stores the blank book into the bag and steps out of the barn, looking back at his first workshop, he closes the door and walks up to his mother's house. "I'm doing it mom, I'm heading for Jivet towards Atlas. I'll make you proud." She hugs her son, a little teary eyed though happy to see her son making his way through life, he starts his long journey outward from the small town of Star Burn and up north toward Jivet.

Meanwhile, a little south of Jivet, Ura and Calci are eating at a local resteraunt off the side roads as Ura explains his plan to Calci. "I still don't understand why we are here Ura. I'm a Diligent Soldier; Someone her-" Ura interrupts him. "Your not in uniform, so your fine. If you keep drawing attention to yourself; you'll only start causing trouble... Were here in Twan to seek a few people out with abilities I require; plus it will be easier to navigate the roads without having to go through a checkpoint every 30 minutes, providing papers of why we are there." Ura was referring to Diligent's security as Calci started to remain calm and started eating his meal. "How will we even know who or what we are looking for?" Ura was lift food under his mask to continue eating as he put his fork down. "They will be able to perform something not human. If all goes well, we'll have allies to work with to accomplish our own goals. When our business in Twan is concluded, we'll move back to Diligent and resume our search there. We'll later go to Yovo where we will plan our next move in neutral territory."

 

[Nate]

Nate

Iruke stands at the counter that distinguishes our food from... our other food. His face is deep and thoughtful as he holds a letter to his face. "What's in the letter kitty?" Someone teases. Iruke is called kitty, or cat, due to his quick reflexes and amazing speed. "A letter, well a job." "So why are you looking at it like it's such a puzzle?" I say. "Dunno wolfy, perhaps because it's from the King." "Which King?" I say with a joke intent. He scowls at me, but I just flick my hair innocently. "He's got such a cryptic message here, I just can't understand it." he tosses the note in my direction, acknowledging I'm the smart one around here. Dionne huddles up to me. She's so clingy to everyone, but I've gotten used to it now. "It reads, dear full moon, I request that you partake in some troubles I have been having recently. The military of my domain do not appreciate my orders, and indeed prefer to listen to their general. Well it would be wrong to banish a general now wouldn't it, so what I ask of you is simple." The note ends there. It must definitely be from the King. "He doesn't want to draw attention to himself so we need to place a motive for another group to want him dead," I say. "I know," says the young boy Michael, "that group in the red, forgot the name, they had run in's with the general before, you know, they banished several of their members from the Kingdom and so on, just leave a spear or something they would use or something." He's right the people in red he is referring to are the voshcan gang, just a bunch of bandits, but the name's too posh to be anything. "Well I think we have a mission in place but now we need a tactic," Iruke states. I quickly look around the room. There's just me Michael Dionne and Kitty, and I think the rest are on some other call changing a ledger or something on a restaurant. I get up and head into the closet to admire our collection and begin to think about the method. "Michael, get to the streets, see if you can snoop around, find information on the general," I shout, "Dionne, I need you to go with Michael and find the information on his whereabouts or upcoming events, when you do, bring me the location instantly whilst Michael continues to scout. Kitty, you're going to do all the action so hang tight for a bit." They all respond with some words and I go back to the room. We have a few nets which aren't necessary, better this guy be dead than alive, besides if he was alive and we sold him, he would just go and blame the King, then we'd all be dead. I sit on the sofa and await the response.

An hour later Dionne jumps down the hole that takes us to the streets. "Well," I say sarcastically. She responds with a small grunt. "He's going to a military information setup, probably what they are going to do with the war, so." "So, we kill him then, he can't say anything about his plans, we can demand extra cash," Kitty says, interrupting Dionne. "Yeah, exactly, but that place will be filled with troops, so how are we supposed to even get close to him?" Dionne replies. "There will be a news blimp to show footage of the presentation, there always is. It's not a secret so the news will be there, therefore we could use some Kitten power to do this one," I say with a smirk. Iruke smiles back, as I think he has also figured out the plan. Dionne goes back outside to call Michael back. His work is done.

 

[<Challenger>]

Cad Varnish, Mercenary Extraordinaire
Of Meetings and Disgust​

A tall man sat under an oak tree, taking in the pleasure of the shade. He grunted and muttered, "I guess there are SOME decent things about this god-forsaken place." Twan disgusted this man. "I hate this place." He grunted with effort as he stood up. He took the Buster Blade off of the ground next to him and replaced it in its sheath on his back. "Well...I guess I gotta get going." Cad had a meeting in Jivet, one of his least favorite cities, but it would pay well, if this Ura guy would keep his end of the bargain. He walked onto the well-beaten path and set off a jogging pace. There was no rush, but there was no way in Hell that he would linger in this hellish country.

After twenty minutes or so of jogging, he arrived at the outskirts of Jivet. "Damn...It's changed since I was last here." The last time Cad had been here, he had been cutting soldier after soldier down while burning almost every building he could. Since then, everything had been repaired. All he could hope for is that no one would notice him. He watched everyone walk by. Most of the citizens were middle-aged men and their wives, or children. he scoffed. Those kids might possibly become a threat to Diligent in the future.... True, his hatred of the place was due to his patriotism as a Diligent, but he decided that these techies weren't nearly as strong as they put up to be. I hate this place so much...The food...The people...The inventions...I hate it all!

Cad arrived at the building he was looking for: A restaurant. He opened the door roughly and stepped into the room, with a smell filling his nostrils. Disgusting... Cad crunched his nose up. He began to scan the crowd for his targets, and eventually found them: An old man, and one of Cad's old buddies, Calci. He pulled a chair out from their table and plopped down, taking no time to get comfortable. "Calci, you old dog! You have the nerve to contact me?" He said it with a harsh voice, but after a second a grin broke through. "It's good to see you, my man!" He patted the ex-knight on the back and looked to the old man. "What do you need me to do? Just name it, and I'll carry it out."

 

[Quto]

Calci glanced over at Cad who sat down and smiled widely. "I had no idea you were coming!" He responded as Ura glanced at Cad. "Of course he's coming; He doesn't have the abilities I spoke of but his help and knowledge of Tiera along with yours will be a great deal of help." Ura turned to Cad as he faced him. "What I need you to do is going to prove difficult, but the task at hand is that we are looking for others to join our cause. Calci, why not explain to Cad what has happened?" Calci looked towards the two then down to the ground. "The king and queen of Kar in Diligent have been murdered... I was to help rely orders towards our soldiers on the war front to retreat back to Kar to help beef up security and I was the last one to see them alive. I was summoned in as the king ordered to his scribes to retreat his portion of troops and the chefs to prepare them food as he promoted me to the rank of captain. Hours later, the castles remaining guard were marching into the barracks, branding me a murderer to the king and queen... Prince Ovan was crowned the new king of Kar while my execution was scheduled in 2 weeks... Ura broke me out, promising to help me fi-" "The murderer is Ovan." Ura interrupted Calci as he sat there with a blank look on his face. "How... Whe- I mean, how do you know its him?" Ura pulls out one of Twans newspapers he had set aside and pulled out the world news section containing a photo of Ovan in very posh threads; a red circle was drawn around a book Ovan was holding with an odd mark. A box with 2 circles and 2 triangles pointing at each other. "That particular book is going to cause trouble for everyone, Twan, Yovo, even Diligent... I'll explain it when our new recruit joins us. Speaking of which." Ura turns to Cad. "Outside, there should be a boy with teal-blue hair making his way towards Jivet on foot. He will be wearing a school uniform and carrying luggage with him. I want you to tail him but do not make yourself known; He will be targeted for assassination soon; I want you to defend him and convince him to come with us. If he rejects, bring him by force; I need him alive. Do you have any issues with this job?"

Talos wakes up to the afternoon sun after camping out underneath the stars. Checking his bag, he pulls out some jelly-filled bread rolls he packed and started eating it as apart of his brunch. Walking along the dirt road, a hobo dressed in rags stumbles and carefully follows Talos.

 

[<Challenger>]

Cad Varnish, Mercenary Extraordinaire
No Job Too Difficult​

A look of brief horror appeared on Cad's face when he heard that the king and queen of Kale had been murdered. "Perfect way to avenge 'em..." He thought of himself driving the Buster Blade straight through the little punk's heart. "Never liked that kid anyways." Cad scoffed. "No mission to difficult for me." He smirked and stood up quickly, knocking over the wooden chair. He took his time picking it up, much to the irritation of the waitress nearby. She scowled at him, to which he returned the scowl. "He'll be safe with me watching him." He patted the massive broadsword on his back and grinned roguishly. "Trust me. I've been doing this kinda crap for years!" He laughed heartily and made his way to the door.

The first thing Cad did was lean against the wall, between a couple of other gazers. Then he began to search. Mere moments as he began to look, he found his target: A clueless kid. Damn it...Why do I always get stuck working with some kids? he groaned and began to search the group around him for any suspicious looking targets. The only prominent people he could pick out was a well-dressed man, a scandalous looking women, and a dirty-looking homeless man. He whispered to himself, "It's the homeless man. It's always the homeless man." Years upon years of experience led him on to that conclusion. Cad knew he was a bit of a giant, being 6'7 and having quite the muscles, so he decided to take a different route: The rooftops. He walked into an alleyway and waited to make sure no one was looking. When he was sure he was safe, he scrambled up the side of the building. Once Cad arrived on the roof, he took cover behind chimneys, following the lad and the homeless man as they went.

 

[Nate]

Nate

I pass the docks and go around the iron barbed fence with Kitty. His support is the only thing that assures me this mission will succeed. The blimps are loading, however soldiers are blocking everyone's path. My part of this mission is to board the ship and pretend to be a guest, however Kitty has the more stealthy approach. "This is my queue" I say to Kitty before rolling under a small gap in the barbed fence. I am dressed in a suit and tie to match the part, however considering it's rolling night I'm afraid of my nickname matching my identity. "Wolfy!" Kitty whispers behind me, "Go to the back of the port once you're inside, and do it quickly. This ting is taking off in half an hour." I nod my response and brush away the dirt from my suit. I have my fake id and Kitty has my distraction.

Once I reach the ship the soldiers stop me. Drat I knew I should have brought the monocle. "Id please," I make an action to indicate that I'm, searching for my Id, that's Kitty's cue. BOOM! The sound of a hand grenade can be heard far off. The soldiers all around are gathering around in that direction across the paved field, and soon after a few whistles, the men guarding the gate are moving. The man waves his hand as an indication to just go in.

As I enter the ship I study the decoration. Such brilliant artwork surrounds the wall. this is nothing like our abandoned little underground shack. Why is it even underground, and wy is it so dark down there. Some things I'll never understand. I've always been interestedn in home design actually, if I may confess to myself, just never had the guts to do it myself. Might degrade my 'cool' level, but I'm always keeping mental notes. I've actually been neatening things up back home. The other day I brought some flowers in, and then when Dionne came in she was all confused, but then started bragging thinking they were from her secret admirer. Daydream, believer. Whatever, my mission.

I'm in a large ballroom type thing, with an orchestra playing dull classical music in the background. A waiter comes round offering a glass of champagne but I refuse. I'm still only 16, and to be honest I'm not one for alcohol. Actually I never thought about the fact that I am quite young, that may cause suspicion. Make a mental note.

Walk, talk, greet myself, talk to the host have a laugh. It takes ten minutes before I'm sure no-one will miss me if I slip away. I make the old bathroom excuse and make my way out of the room. The corridoor leads in 3 directions, the exit/entrance, up and to the left, and right (that's if your facing it from the entrance) The back is right though, so my direction heads that way. Everyone's in the ballroom, good, so no-one should see me here. I reach the end of the hallway and find a small door hatch, which leads to a balcony. I assume that is where Kitty will be. I open the door and step outside. I assume nobody is there until I hear a drop from behind. There's Kitty. "It's me Kitty!" I say before swiftly turning around. "Ah good," he says, "you kept me waiting so long I though you'd died already." I shrug, not actually listening and begin to walk down the coridoor. He knows what he is doing now, and I know what I'm doing. We're going to crash the blimp, right into the generals face! (This will be spectacular!)

 

[dudegirl626]

Amna Curnín: Farmer Extraordinaire.​

Amna sighs, her breath a warm contrast to the crisp morning air. The soil is damp and soft beneath her. A worm wriggles between the toes on her left foot, slimy, the color of horse-flesh. The river is flooding again, earlier than last year's rains and floods. Too early, she decides. Her mother had taught her when the banks of the Carl'tuin would become submerged, when the tide would surge, and when it would fall back, leaving silt to farm and limestone shells to turn into jewelry. If the floods truly are coming early, it would throw off the entire farm. They were barely done harvesting the corn grown from the last flood, and now..

In any case, she still has to take the cow out to pasture, like any other day.

The walk to the barn is pleasant enough, though the threat of an early flood still makes itself apparent in the slight give the ground has under Amna's feet. When she arrives at the barn, Amna ducks slightly under the carved wood entryway. The barn is spacious. Thanks to last year's crop and egg yield, not to mention the extra money Amna earned from trapping in the woods, the family was able to upgrade their barn. Of course, Amna's mother had deemed it a frivolous venture, but then again, Amna's mother deems most things frivolous.

Her father and their neighbor, Thom, have already cleaned the barn and ridden the horses into town to sell eggs and cheese, so the barn is mercifully free of noise and the stink of manure when Amna arrives. The goat is still in its pen, sleeping, and the chickens cluck softly in a corner of the barn, still pecking at their morning feed.

"Come along then, you," she says to the cow. She tuts when it doesn't move. "Flora, come on." The cow lows and turns around in its pen. Please don't be sick. We'll need you to have a calf before the season's over, so we can get milk. Amna slaps Flora's side softly, and the cow moos again, this time grudgingly allowing itself to be led out of the barn and into the field.

"I have to go into town today and find you a husband, eh?" Amna murmurs as she fumbles with the latch to the gate of the fence around the field. She's been using that word quite a bit lately. Husband. Her friends would probably say it was from grief, but she didn't have any friends, and if she did, they'd probably know that her grieving period consisted of stammering out an explanation as to why she hadn't cried at her fiancee's funeral ("she was still in shock") and then waiting at the dock for the fisherman's daughter for six hours.

"Best be off then," Amna says to Flora before turning and realizing that Flora is already several meters away, tearing the grass away from the soil. She rolls her eyes, then starts down the road. It's best to get to town before the summer heat.

 

[Quto]

Ura paid the bill for the food using Twan money as Calci followed Ura. "How exactly do you know all of this? About your target? An-" Ura turned to face Calci with a sigh. "I heard rumors going about that people were being met by a figure and given a book. I went to investigate and discovered something I would need to meet my own goals. The boy I asked Cad to look after I heard based on one of those rumors I picked up. I later found out his name and just traced it back to his bearings. He's old enough to attend college and registration starts in a few days with class following after. So far, I was just going on a hunch he would make his way here." Ura went on as they walked towards Jivet, far behind Talos and Cad. "His assassins are no more than common bandits, looking for scrap metal and tools. There is an increased rate of them lately and they are planning an attack on Twan's Council." Calci paused a moment and stopped in his tracks. "Then Diligent would have an edge in winning the war..." Ura chuckled and nodded. "True, however I prefer the council to remain alive." He turned to Calci, walking backwards as he start walking again. "Understand Calci, I do not want any part of this war nor do I want any country to actually fall amongst one another. I am no enemy to Twan or Diligent or Yovo; Just only your new king with the book he carries. When Ovan is out of the way, Kar will need a new king..." Calci stared at Ura and pointed to himself. "I need you for information to Kar's Castle and their land, but yes; I plan to have you take Ovan's place." Calci looked at Ura confused; him? King?

"Why?" Ura chuckled as he turned back around to face the front. "When our adventure together ends, you'll understand why." As calci walked up behind him, Ura stopped and looked out to the Southwest. "... Change in plans, once we pick up the boy, were heading for Yovo, Immediately." Calci paused a moment though nodded as he continued to follow the masked man.

Halfway up the road the Hobo stops in his tracks and walks over to the side of the road to take a leak as Talos marches forward. He continues forward until he catches wiff of something in the air. Smoke and fuel. Pausing a moment, he starts running towards Jivet to see black clouds emerging from Jivet, Bandits are seen raging the streets, breaking into the local casino's and dragging out treasure and equipment alike. "What... is..." Talso opens his bag and pulls out his gun, loading it wiith the Water Bullets he designed. Strapping his suitcase to his back, he charges into Jivet. With the little power he has control over, he starts looking around as Twans infantry make the attempt to suppress the raid. Talos ducks into an alleyway behind the Pot gold casino as one of the bandits pops out with a bag of gold. Grinning from ear to ear as he charges towards Talos. The bullets fly, water releasing as he focuses hard, the water freezing on impact as they hit the bandits leg, causing him to trip and becoming immobile. Talos fore another bullet over his mouth, freezing it to keep his trap shut so he doesn't call for help. "Where is the safe area?" Talos runs out from behind the Casino, turning a hard right and making his way towards the council house. Making a left, he notices a set of bandits walking away from the council building and spotting him. Firing the last of his round in the clip, the ice hits, however it thaws as they make their march towards him. Talos checks his pockets and sighs when he discovers he only made the six for the one round. "...I should have made more bullets..."

 

[<Challenger>]

Cad Varnish, Mercenary Extraordinaire
Defending the Target
​

Cad followed the clueless lad easily, never losing sight of him, never letting the hobo out of sight. Until he stopped to urinate. "Damn fool." This was his chance! He leapt off the roof he was on across the street, and landed directly behind the old man. "Leave that young man alone!" With that, he wrapped his hand around the neck of the hobo and tossed him against a tree. The last noise that came from the man was a satisfying crack. "There we go..." With that, he scrambled up a nearby tree and continued to follow the kid until they reached town...Or what was left of it. "A bandit raid..." Cad sighed and shimmied down the tree. He began to move from cover to cover, never letting him out of his sight.

The kid loaded some kind of bullet into his gun...that had six barrels....They froze right before they hit their target, probably doing some real damage. Impressive. Cad thought he was doing just fine, and was going to let him fight this battle on his own...until he ran out of bullets. Bandits quickly surrounded him. He stood up from behind his cover on the nearby roof and leapt down in front of the soon-to-be student and sighed. "I suppose this was unavoidable." He drew the Buster Blade from its sheath and held it out. "Well, my friends, what are you waiting for?" The first bandit charged without caution, only to have the blunt side of a six foot sword slam into the side of his head, killing him instantly. "Come on! At least entertain me! Hell, I won't even use my sword on the next guy. Come on!" He sheathed the blade and put up his dukes. The next 'brave' bandit came charging in with a dagger. Cad, himself, rushed forward and used his extraordinary height to slam a kick into the fool's chest, caving it in instantly. The rest began to become wary of this giant of a man. "What? Scared of an old man like myself?" Cad's laugh was rather dark, but it still had a sense of light to it. The Buster Blade came out of its sheath yet again. "I give you all ten seconds to leave. If you stay beyond that, I'll kill you. Fair enough?" The next thing he knew, they all turned heel and ran. He nodded in satisfaction and turned to the kid, with the Buster Blade resting on his shoulder. "Well, you're welcome." He scooped the lad onto his shoulder, quickly moving towards Ura and Calci. "Cad Varnish. You're coming with me. No time to explain."​

 

[Quto]

"But..." Talos paused as the bandits raid began to dwindle, Twans military taking control. Cad was running past the various colleges, some damaged by fire while others had bodies of a few students lying out on the field. As Cad caught up and reached both Calci and Ura. "Mission accomplished; Twans miltary will deal with the bandits. Hopefully before they reach the government office. Lets make tracks and move." Ura retreated with Cad and Calci following behind him. "... Though I do appreciate you saving my life... Can I be let down now?" "Calci, Knock him out." "What?" Before Talos knew, Calci fell back, squeezing Talos's shoulder, forcing his body to become unconscious.

Moving into a patch of the forest, Ura orders Calci to pull back the brush to reveal a small airship. Simular to a fishing boat, though with a set of propellers in the rear and a small gas balloon on top. Walking inside, Ura asked Cad to put Talos on the smock set up off to the side in the hull as he plucked Talos's messenger bag. Walking towards the upper deck, the ship begins to lift itself from the ground as the balloon rises and the ship propels itself west. Once over the Ocean, Ura summons Cad and Calci towards the superstructure where he lays Talos's book on the table. The book had a light blue cover as the spine gleamed in the lamplight. On the front of the book was the same marking on Ovan's book in the newspaper, A box with 2 circles along with two triangles pointing at one another. "Gentlemen, the allies we are after will be carrying books that look like this. Plus, pardon the small ship Cad, we couldn't steal anything bigger while going through Crisk or we would have been notic-" "Ura, the book, you were explaining what this is?" Ura paused and chuckled. "Very well... Gentlemen, this is what is called a Cursed Book, a tome that bestows power to its victim in exchange for suffering the blight it brings..." Calci didn't look convinced though Ura glanced at Cad. "The book by its color here is refereed too as Drifter; If we open the cover." Ura opens the book as small text was writing into the book.

As Talos left home for the first time in his life, he made his way toward Jivet to achieve a high education and live a simple life, developing machines among other devices to assist his dear old mother with the farm work. Upon his arrival to Jivet however; he becomes mortified as bandits were clashing steel with Twans bravest and brightest in an attempt to assassinate the council located within Jivet.

Talos unleashed his gun towards a few bandits, however was caught and cornered. A general of Diligent appears to his rescue, slaying his opponents as the others ran. Under the confusion of the chaos, the grand general scoops up Talos and carries him away from Jivet.

Ura chuckled as he closes the book. "This was a life recording of what happened today; As more of these recordings write, Talos, our new recruit, whether he likes it or not, will become stronger in terms of his power." Calci looked in awe as the page began to self write, when Ura closed the book; he looked concerned. "... If these books curse their owners... What is Talo's curse?" "... The Drifter owners will become hollow and lifeless like a husk. Their personality, reason to live and to love will ebb and crumble away as they become more lonesome; Becoming a true Drifter like the book itself. In exchange, Talos will be able to use and control Ice."

 

[Nate]

I duck behind a corner whilst two men is suits walk along laughing about something unaudible. I decide I can't be patient. This blimp is about to take off just about now, and I need to get to the control room without causing alarm. Hm, my weapon of choice is. Argh I can't kill them. Well I would if Kitty didn't do it for me. Two bullets I didn't hear come flying past into both their chests, and the next ting I know, Kitty drops from the ceiling. Such a stealthy son of a gun! "Wolfy, the control room has no alarm system, that way, just bust in and kill anyone who tries to escape, the rest keep hostages." "Got it," I reply. I take a few cuts untill I'm at a door with a wheel like thing preventing me from opening it, however I just twist it clockwise and the door swings open. The captain's are all here, all 4 of them. No-one is attempting to escape, which I find suspicious but that's just my natural instinct. They are probably just to scared. I flick up my sleeve and throw lasoo type things at the 4 captains entangling them and there arms on the floor. I then skid over to the desk and review the controls. I don't actually need them, just the rough how to get there and then how to crash safely. This is one difficult task.

The blimp lifts out. I've done it. 30 seconds to early, but I'm sure they can surpass that. The blimp is now in the air, and it will be five minutes untill we arrive there. Kitty should now be preparing our exit. Surprise me Kitty cat I'm saying to myself, as I do hope for a spectacular exit. I start to steer with my feet and pull out my book. I keep forgetting about this thing, but it's always tucked away inside my backpack. I open it to review what it says. It's automatically updated the events from this morning's letter to now, and has filled up a page already. I don't exactly know what this is about mind. My find refocuses on the task. I put my book back in my bag and prepare myself. I can see it. Well not exactly, but I can definitely see the lights. I just know that's where we shall be landing this baby.
"All passengers, can I have your attention please. We have now arrived at our location, could all news reporters go to the starboard deck with their camera's please thank you." That will get rid of any cameras that try to film us. I love cameras. They're so technical. Spin the lever, takes photos, you add sound, you have a film. It's genius. Now Kitty needs to give me some kind of signal. I get up and look into the window screen. Drat my wolf ears and tail are showing, but no matter, the cameras are gone. I grab the parachute and put it on before rushing out of the door, throwing a knife in for the curtousy of the captains. Not like they will live after this anyways.

Kitty is waiting for me in the coridoor, is backpack on too. "We will go to the main hall, where the party is, and then we shall just blow the sides up. It's the best and safest way out unfortunately, because the weight of the ship will make the back of the ship go down first. basically we'd be hit by a blimp on the way down." "Got it," I say. The ship is slowly sinking, but it's getting faster. me and Kitty leg it do the ballroom where everyone is dancing. "Hope you enjoyed the show everyone!" I say just for a little bit of comedy. It doesn't work, a few men come at us attempting to it us with canes. BOOM. It's show time.

The air is quite calm actually, but my tail keeps getting up my butt. It's kinda annoying. Whatever. I pull the lever for the parachute at the same time as Kitty and we both begin to fall. We look up to the blimp. Several people are falling of and a few are throwing themselves off. At the last second before the blimp hits, it turn and begins to try and go upwards, however the back end of the blimp hits the building and slowly, the whole blimp is sinking into the building. Places are exploding. This has to be rewarded good.

 

[<Challenger>]

Cad Varnish, Mercenary Extraordinaire
Plotlines Unfold
​

Cad laughed as the kid hesitated, but kept running away. "Nope! You're sticking with me!" As he reached Ura and Calci, he slowed his pace. "I got the kid. Mission accomplished." He laughed even harder when they knocked the kid out. Cad knew that he wasn't in any danger. He trusted Calci. He was a good friend back when he was still in service. That Ura guy...He would be one to watch.

When they entered the small air ship and took off, Ura pulled a book from the kid's bag...A strange book at that. "What the..." When he read the book's comments, Cad nodded. That's exactly what happened, if he were correct. "That's right...I used to be a general." He smiled and rubbed the back of his neck, remembering the good old days when he would lead charges. Oh how funny it was when the enemy would fall back. They were afraid of him. Deathly. When he read the curse, Cad's mouth dropped open. "Well...I thought I've seen it all now...I've seen ghosts, demons, you name it. But now I've seen humans with supernatural abilities." He laughed skeptically, but he had seen those bullets go from water to ice. It had to be true. "I suppose that makes sense now..." He looked down and stroked his chin. "Very interesting. Your take, Calci?"​

 

[dudegirl626]

Amna Cuirnín​

Amna was halfway up the road before she noticed something wasn't right. It wasn't just the premature flooding, the dampness and humidity that proceeds the floods. It was as if something had changed in the structure of the air itself. Amna recalled looking into the water for hours as a child, then glancing back up at her surroundings only to see everything tinted in shades of blue-green. It was like that, she decided. The world was tinted differently. She took a deep breath in, then out. The air even tasted different. Like copper, or the feeling of overwhelming rawness.

Town was only a mile away; she could see the shingled rooftops of Kitar Village peeking over the horizon. This weather gives me the creeps. Should I just turn back? Amna thought. I could tell father they didn't have any bulls worth renting from the stud farm. But she shook her head. She was already here, why not get it over with? She sped up.

She could almost see the crimson-tented stalls of the market from her vantage point at the crest of the hill overlooking the village, when–

"You there!" a hard voice called from behind Amna, who almost tripped over her own feet in an attempt to spin and face her addresser. It was... a man? Or just a boy; she wasn't sure. They were standing in front of her, clear as day in the summer sun, but they were shrouded from view somehow. When Amna tried to focus on the individual's face, it seemed to blur even more. They were wrong. That was the only word to describe it.

"I don't want no trouble, ser," Amna said, voice quivering but not cracking. When he took a step towards her, she let her left hand drop to her belt and grasp for the handle of her hunting knife. "Please, stop, ser. I'm one of Farmer Cuirnín's workers, I'm his daughter." He didn't move.

"You're in broad daylight; I reckon the whole town can see us up here." He took another step closer. "I butcher horses for a living, ser. I don't know if you want this fight." She swallowed hard and blinked, trying to unblur her vision.

And then he was so close to her, pressing something into her chest, and for a second, Amna thought it was a knife and nearly fainted. But it wasn't a knife.

It was a book.

The stranger pulled her close, whispered in her ear, his hot breath on her neck, ""For the those accursed, may they find refuge until freedom becomes granted; For that they shall be the ones to reverse at all that comes to end. May thy children be blessed with the power thy book grants."
Amna tried to pull away, but the man gripped her shoulder with a black-gloved hand. "Travel to Jivet. They need you there." And just as quickly as he had pressed the book into her arms, he was gone.

Amna blinked once, twice. What the hell was that? She looked down at the book the man had forced upon her. It had a light blue cover, with some sort of symbol on the front. It looked expensive. She opened it gingerly.

What the...?

It was blank, cover to cover. Granted, Amna wasn't the strongest reader in the first place, so she was almost relieved that it wasn't some ancient tome full of complicated words that only the scholars all the way in Kuva could read. But still, it was odd. A blank book? Amna paused. She looked at Kitar, just over the hill, then back at the book. What had she been doing, going to Kitar anyway? Something about a cow.

"It can wait," Amna said. The mystery of the book was more important than a forgotten errand, anyway. She had to get to Jivet.

First, she'd need to find a ship.

 

[Quto]

Calci shakes his head no. "I think its all nuts. spears, weapons and controls I get, but this is beyond me. Why in the world do such books even exist?" Ura paused as he returned Talos's book to the messenger bag. "That is a story I'll save for another time for no- OOF!" The ship rocked once as the starboard side of the airship was hit with something. Walking out, the were flying past Twan's Mountian range. The ship's Air Balloon had a tear in it, causing them to decrease in altitude. A rope to the balloon snaps causing the airship to be unsteady "CALCI! CAD! PREPARE FOR AN EMERGENCY LANDING! SOMEONE BRACE TALOS WHILE THE OTHER GRASP THAT ROPE!! I DON'T CARE WHO DOES WHAT, I'LL LAND THE SHIP!!" Moving across the ground and brushing by a few of the cliffs, Calci runs inside to get ahold of Talos, Tying the recruit to himself and attempting to leave the hull towards the deck.

The ship finally hits the ground as Ura makes a final attempt to shift the direction. "HANG ON EVERYONE!" The momentum pushes the remains, grinding along the ground and utterly destroying the hull as the ship finally stops, crashing into a heavy stone and flinging Ura off and into the snow drift. Calci braced the railings of the airship as it came to a halt. Ura attempts to dig himself out of the Snow as he looks around. "Is everyone ok!? Cad? Calci?" Calci nodded as he looked about for Cad.

-Kingdom of Kar

Ovan looks among his subjects as they return to him with various news; dealing with the state of the war and the progress of the men returning home. "Is general Gustave still on board?" The scribes nodded as Ovan looks outside a little concerned. "... Very well, are preparations in place? Have the invites been sent to celebrate my coronation?" "Yes my sire. The kings of Hummo, Dulch and Harv have agreed to attend your party. The other invites were rejected however." "It's fine, I'm sure they have matters of their own to attend to first. Have the chefs merge the meal for the troops return along with the party. They can share information towards the others about the front." The scribes bowe and left the chamber as Ovan opens his book. A small box forms in the top left, containing text From Talos's book in smaller print. "Talos?..." Ovan paused but decided not to question it for now; using his power, he alters the odds of the general surviving as he comes home, giving Nate a chance to finish his job and get out alive.


Sorry for the late post, I was being.... 'tied up' by other issues dealing with life.

 

[Nate]

As I land I make steady haste in unloading my parachute, as does Kitty, and we head of towards the capital. That way we will be hidden in plain sight. I prepare myself for what we will say to the King. "Your majesty, we have just gracefully killed your general with style?" Subtle... "My lord, we have come bearing great news!" Yes that way he can then make the decision about how subtle he wants it. Or perhaps we get a letter. It's old full moon tradition to talk to the person that gave the request to deliver the good news, so sending a telegram wasn't much of an option.

It's still night, but by the shadows, its about noon. The King should be preparing for his coronation soon. We reach the capital, still in our suits, and try and remain visible. We don't want to lurk in the shadows, for that would be too obvious. We reach the palace/castle, however you may call it, but I think it's more of a fort, small and no texture. When we arrive the guards inspect us for deadly weapons before asking for our names. Obviously the king must know our names or else we wouldn't be on the list. "Nate." I say. he allows us both in without asking for Kitty's name, I hardly remember it sometimes anyways. Once in, I realize that there is obviously some fuss going on. must have come at a bad time, however Ovan recognizes my face. Oh drat, my ears. Some people look confused, but others just grunt and I hear some muttering about children. Good they think it's fancy dress. We approach Ovan a few steps and then bow courteously. "Your majesty, we bring good news," I say with a neutral expression. I'm so scared right now.

 

[<Challenger>]

Cad Varnish, Mercenary Extraordinaire
Mayday! Mayday!
​

Cad nodded as Calci made a comment about it, stating that he knew war. Not much else. Cad would've been the same way, but he had been fired, causing him to gain far more knowledge of the world. "I get ya there, buddy." he stroked his chin thoughtfully. He would have taken a nap, but the ship became unsteady, He followed the old man's orders and rushed to take hold of the ropes. "GOTCHA, OLD MAN!" He held each rope with all of his strength, grunting with effort. Sadly, his efforts came to no avail. The ship slammed into the ground, and the group was almost thrown out right then and there. Cad thought quickly and un-fastened Talos, taking hold of him and leaping out to the side with the youth held tightly in his grip. "Hold on there little man!" He gritted his teeth and braced for impact. The ex-general began to roll almost non-stop. When he was sure he was stopped and the ground was stable, he stood up with the kid slung over his shoulder. "We're alright!" He walked over to the old man and grimaced. "That's a bad sign..." He spat to his left in an attempt to ward off bad luck. "So, what's the plan, gramps?"​

 

[Quto]

"...We still need to find a way to Yovo. Lets head to the nearest harbor and get us a ship. Get Talos awake; We'll need his expertise a moment." Calci nodded as Cad put him down. Ura walked into the wreckage, pulling out the ship's compass and a sonar readout. Walking out with the components, Calci used a few smelling salts he had on him.

Talos shift and covers his nose, almost throwing up over the scent he looks around. "....What.... Is this a kid-napping?" Ura laughed out loud and shook his head. "Not quite. More like your rescuers... Colleges out in Jivet is shut down due to the bandits raid and the council was targeted earlier." Talos looked to the snowy ground and sighed. "So the semesters cancelled?" Ura nodded. "I'm guessing you had a ship and it crashed..." Ura nodded once more as he presented the components to Talos. "Which is where we need a sonar or map. I've seen your tools in your bag on board, do you have the know-how?" Talos got up and inspected the parts Ura had retrieved and nodded. He walked over to retrieve his messenger bag and pull out his tool belt and began working. "... So, what do you intend to do after we get out of the mountains?" "We plan to head for Yovo." Talos attaches the batteries to the screen before working on the sensor. "Why did you bring me along? Rescuers don't bring civilians on an airship, I don't see why you need a college student." Ura chuckled a little. "Did you read the newspaper this morning? On the coronation of Ovan in Kar?" Talos shook his head no as the began to work on the component housing to hold the components together. "No, but good for him." Calci's eyes narrowed, a little pissed though Ura held up his hand to signal Calci to get a grip of himself as Ura walked over to the wreckage and pulled out the world news paper. He walked over to Talos who was finishing up and presented the World Section containing the photo of Ovan. "Take a good look." Talos looked at the photo and took notice to the book. "That's... like mine..." Ura chuckled a little and took the paper back. "I have some knowledge to these books; where I will present to you an offer. When we leave these mountains, you can discover more about the origin of the books and the warning the figure had given; or go home and wait until next semester." Talos sat back a moment to think as he switched the radar on. "Give it some time, we need to get someplace with a warmer climate first." Ura stated as he walked over and picked up the radar. "Calci, you can navigate us out." Calci nodded as he started walking forward; Referencing the radar and his surroundings as Talos walked beside Ura and behind Cad.

-Kingdom Of Kar
"You took care of general Gustave." Ovan replied; turning to face towards Nate. "My scribes have told me he was on his way home, however I guess news his death hasn't reached the kingdom yet. This I am impressed by." Ovan walks over towards a table setup beside his throne and walks over with a large sack of Qil, Diligent money. "It's not Twan or Yovo currency, but its the most I have to give... Now." Ovan walked back to his throne with a short grin. "It seems you have come across a book that has caused you to sprout ears... If you and your team complete this next task for me; I think I can give you the power that goes with what is currently Ailling you; Work for me, and I'll give you the entire country of Twan to do with as you will..."

[Added Ovan's response a little late, college days drain me.]

 

[Nate]

A book, that makes me sprout ears. sounds right. The King is very smart, his decisions are wise too, without the general executed he couldn't control his armies properly. That isn't of any concern to me. He hands us both a whole load of money, enough maybe to even buy a house in the capital, but he then makes another offer, a whole task, for the whole of Twan. Now that IS interesting.
What would I do with Twan? Well it probably wouldn't exactly be my country, probably the boss's, but still I would be so high up in rankings I could do what I want! Would I treat my people fairly, or like slaves. Fairly, obviously, however I doubt the boss would agree with me. he's not exactly the most warm-hearted person I've ever met.

I am quickly tinking this over. Work, doesn't mean one or two tasks, it means full time. I see what he is trying to do though. Give us Twan, we be allies, we are part of Kar however. It means not to be King of Twan, but more likely Governor of Twan. He's going for Twan first then... I'm surprised considering that Yovo is very weak, but then again, Yovo is the main source of trade, they would rather them surrender than be destroyed, because then the trade routes are gone and it costs a bit to get the repairs done. Fair enough.

"I have thought this through quickly, your majesty, and we will accept your offer if we may be of service closer to the capital." I'm basically asking for somewhere discreet within the city that we can live, even if it's derelict. He smiles at me, and for a moment I think I can hear his thoughts, well a word or two. Plain sight. That's what i read from is eyes. Plain sight. However, I shrug it off as just being a little bit presumptuous and hopeful. I do wish for somewhere nice, like one of those marble homes you find near the palace. I love them.

 

[optionalpirate]

Tristan​

"Get back here, ya little thief!" The heavy-set baker chased Tristan down the road. His legs were still cramped from the ship ride, but he was easily outpacing the red-faced baker. Making a sharp turn, he flung himself into an alley and curled up into a ball, making sure to roll in the soot. The baker hurtled past him, not even stopping to pay attention to the curled up 11-year-old in the alley. Tristan sat up, grinning, then surveyed his prize. Two scones. He wolfed one down and tucked the other into the inside pocket of his shirt. Looking over his shoulder, he began to walk down the alley. It was certainly a surprise to bash his head against the chest of a tall, shadowed man. The man simply held out a book, nonplussed. "For the those accursed, may they find refuge until freedom becomes granted; For that they shall be the ones to reverse at all that comes to end. May thy children be blessed with the power thy book grants." Tristan looked at him, then the book, then him. Finally, he slowly leased the book from the man's grip. He stared at the cover, then opened it up. "It's blank," he said, looking up. The man was gone. Tristan looked at the book again, the turned and walked out of the alley, book tucked under his arm.

 

[<Challenger>]

Cad Varnish, Mercenary Extraordinaire
Working for the Man
​

Cad listened to the interaction behind him, taking all of the words in. There's something wrong with this bunch...But Calci trusts them, so I trust them too. He unsheathed the Buster Blade and began to walk far ahead of the group, preferring to clear troubles before they reached the others. He couldn't have his pay check being harmed! I don't like this. This all seems like a lot. What would an old man like Ura need an old soldier like me? He rubbed his chin in thought as he walked, casually swinging his massive blade to and fro. Cad dared to speak aloud, "What's my purpose in this whole mess that we call a quest, in my case a job?" He spat to the left and began to move slower. He didn't want to get too far ahead of the group. He would need to help them if trouble came upon them! Sure, Calci was pretty good at fighting, but he was nowhere near the Fallen Blader's level. "They need me to be the soldier..."​