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

Iziel Arias​

"Burgers?"

"Burgers." Iziel gave them out as Mario churned them out of their packaging. He probably would've been still staring at the Raul Village weapons, but hell, not only did Iziel despise Raul Village, he also needed some help. "Hurry up, would'cha? In a work setting, you need to be faster." He said this to Mario until there was a multitude of burgers out there. The cauldron of soup also had a increased fire, to keep it from getting cold. "Good, good." It was at about that moment that he saw a horse dragging a girl in a black cage, which only irritated him. What the- Before he could do anything, he- and he wasn't lying, he was positive he had seen it- saw a shield materialize. It broke the chain, making the cage stumble in front of his stand, and then another shield materialized as one appeared, severing the cage. She put a book away afterwards, although she seemed pretty bumped up. It took him a moment to put two and two together. ...Nyeh, that book... looks like mine... and it could be... and since she... and since I've been feeling... He pushed these thoughts to the back for further contemplate as he got up and went to help her.

"Bandages?" He asked, saying this off-guard.

"Band- what?" The intern stared at Iziel. "You hurt or something?"

"Just get some bandages!" Iziel ran to the girl. "You okay? Idiots these days..." He attempted to help her to her feet before he caught a roll of bandages. "Thanks!" He hollered as he took the roll and gave it to her. Avoiding an awkward situation, he gulped. "Er... help yourself to those bandages. I would apply, but they, er, you know yourself better than I do. Als-" At that moment, he was hit with a tube of salve. "Brilliant timing, Anton, but softer. Use this too." He scratched the side of his head as he looked back towards his chef-in-training. "Get a chair, or somewhere to sit. We're going to need space for someone else."

"What is this, an orphanage?" Anton grumbled as he pulled over a log and stood it upright. "Good gravy, you've been acting weird ever since we got here. First you let some guy run the stand, now you're letting some random girl in as well-" he stopped. "Although I guess since she's hurt..." He simply gave in. "Fine. But we're not giving her food too, right? It's a loss of prof-"

"Yeah, we are." Iziel ignored the grumblings from his second-in-command, deciding he would help the hurt to her seat- if she wanted to sit. "Quick question before we do, though... you have a book that looks a bit like mine, and I wanted to know if you know anything about it?" He pulled his book off a makeshift table of a log upright and a wooden slab they found on the way there. "Just curious."
 
Cad Varnish: Mercenary Extraordinaire
Training the N00B​

"Teach him how to fight close combat somewhere in town; he will need a refresher after his farm life... or in his terms; scholars life. Just be sure he's ready. If you try to make it look like a street act, you may get a little coin." The old man handed him a knife.

"You expect me to teach this kid with a KNIFE?" He held up the weapon in anger. It was obvious that he was angry. Fuming. If he wasn't getting payed so much...He disliked the prince, even more so now that he had learned of the brat's little scheme, but he was positive that he would pay him handsomely for turning in a little insurrection. Especially since it wasn't too big to stop. Cad sighed a looked to the kid. "Here. Take this." He flipped the knife into the air with hopes that the kid would catch it. He turned around and crossed his arms with a serious look on his face. "I'm an experienced fighter." He smirked. "I think it's going on twenty-something years now..." He turned back around. "I have twenty-something years worth of experience to teach you. Get ready." He drew his massive sword and smirked. "First, you're footwork." He swung his sword as hard as he could: Lightning fast. "DODGE!"
 
SHIRO
The Heavenly Quiet Protector
Yovo Streets
x
CHAPTER II,
Part III:
"Rough Start"
.


Shiro could hear a couple of voices, but at the moment she was too dazed to hear what they were saying. Her vision slowly became less erratic, allowing her to see things a bit better, albeit blurry. "You okay? Idiots these days..." She heard, before she was handed something. "Thanks! Er... help yourself to those bandages. I would apply, but they, er, you know yourself better than I do. Als- ... Brilliant timing, Anton, but softer. Use this too." She was handed something else, though she as able to see those items as her vision slowly came back. "Get a chair, or somewhere to sit. We're going to need space for someone else."

Then she heard the other voice. "What is this, an orphanage? Good gravy, you've been acting weird ever since we got here. First you let some guy run the stand, now you're letting some random girl in as well- Although I guess since she's hurt... Fine. But we're not giving her food too, right? It's a loss of prof-"

"Yeah, we are." She was led into a seat, which she sat in silently as she recollected herself, finally pulled back into reality. She looked up to the guy who led her to the seat, then down to the first aid she was handed. She appreciated the offerings, with food on top of that, though her near inability to speak prevented her from making a sound. Unfortunately for her, she was about to be forced into speaking. "Quick question before we do, though... you have a book that looks a bit like mine, and I wanted to know if you know anything about it?" He showed a book to her, another one of the Cursed Books no doubt. "Just curious."

She eyed his book for a bit of a long silence before her eyes widened a bit. "I've heard of that book..." She reached into her bag, pulling out the book she held earlier. "This is my grandmother's book... After she passed, it was given to me..." She felt a little more comfortable talking about her grandmother. Moreso with this young man, who seemed kind. She felt as though she could relate, in an odd way. "It lets me create those shields... But I also got my own book shortly after I left town..." She put her grandmother's book away, pulling out her own. "This one lets me heal people, but it transfers the pain onto me..." She put the book away, looking to the young man's book. "If I remember correctly... That book was called Power Break... And it made men lift abnormally heavy and large objects as if they were nothing." She paused and looked down at the bandages and first aid, choosing to place them in her bag for later use. She sucked on her bottom lip for a moment, something she did on occasion when nervous, and tasted her own blood. She looked out into the sky, lost in her own thoughts for a few moments. Finally, she spoke again. "And every book has a fault, an infliction that cripples the holder... A Curse."

​
 
To run or not to run? O-kay, giant cage sliding to a stop answers that question. He walked up to hear the last strains of the girl's words.
"And every book has a fault, an infliction that cripples the holder... A Curse."
Hmm.
"Are you alright?" He asked in his most innocent voice, currently brown eyes radiating concern. Wait, BOOK! It took all his will to keep from snatching it and burying his nose in the paper. He opted for placing a hand lightly on her shoulder. It looked so similar to his...
 
Iziel Arias
"Open the book, and read!"
​

"If I remember correctly... That book was called Power Break... And it made men lift abnormally heavy and large objects as if they were nothing. And every book has a fault, an infliction that cripples the holder... A Curse."

Iziel thought about it for a minute, before realizing that the kid who had been reeling in customers had come into the conversation as well. Who also just so happened to have a book. "Hey... I forgot your name, or if you even told me your name, but I think you have a book as well. In fact, yeah, I saw it on you before." He grinned. "Since apparently you're not working, I'm guessing you could tell me about it?" He then turned to the girl. "As for you, that sounds seemingly accurate. I would ask for the curse, but it seems like you're straining yourself, so don't worry yourself. I think I may know anyways." Raising his voice, he called out to Anton. "Anton, we're on break for the time being. Tell Mario he can resume loitering near other stands. I need you to do me a favor."

Anton, who had been working and not watching, now held a culinary guide in his hand. "What?"

"Open the book, and read! I want you to find the review questions."

"Review questions? They have those?"

"Mario's studying, so I assume that it does."

"Touche. At what temperature does water boil?" He smirked. "Really?"

"Stop being a fool, Anton, and give me a tougher question."

"If you had to make chicken with the hot sand frying technique, how would you go about it?"

"Thank you, Anton." You've just proved my worse fears. "Keep cooking."

Iziel turns around, thinking. Of course, I've been off since I've gotten this book! Especially the incident with the shark fin soup, as minor as it might have been. Seeing a person just loitering around the stall, he motions for Anton, and without making any movement that would give it away to an untrained eye, he simply said, "loiterer." Then, he turned to Shiro. "Alright... well, I know I told you not to strain yourself, but what are you doing 'round here? Were you just enjoying the festivities?"

Anton keeps an eye on the loiterer, but not much else.
 
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SHIRO
The Heavenly Quiet Protector
Yovo Soup Stall
x
CHAPTER II,
Part IV:
"Rough Start"
.


"As for you, that sounds seemingly accurate. I would ask for the curse, but it seems like you're straining yourself, so don't worry yourself. I think I may know anyways."

Shiro actually considered explaining it (he seemed to be trustworthy enough), though she still wasn't one to speak often, and that kept her from saying much. Also, the eavesdropping boy who placed an uncomfortable hand on her shoulder, nearly startling her.

"Alright... well, I know I told you not to strain yourself, but what are you doing 'round here? Were you just enjoying the festivities?"

"I was looking to stop the war from happening..." She added very softly. "I found a group of people I'd heard of in a rumor, that were going to help stop the war... The leader knows more about the books than my grandmother even knew... We came here to do... Something... I don't know what exactly... When someone tried to kidnap me from the inn." She peered out past the stall and down the road. "I wonder if that person saw me escape... He or she may return..."

​
 
As Talos took the blade, he heard Cad yell dodge as Talos stepped to his left. Holding the knife back-handed as he kept a open hand ready to grip at heart level. As Cad lifted his heavy blade, Talos hopped back as a small crowd gathered around. Talos looked to the knife we was presented and reached into his tool belt to pull out a serrated one he had been carrying with teeth that looked like they were designed to saw wood. Talos charges in with both knives in hand, keep low to avoid any wide horizontal way swings and prepared to jump to the side for vertical slashes into the ground. He started to think; if he was a great general like his book had mentioned, then why carry around just a giant sword? Would have some knowledge in other weapons as well? If so, how should he fight? What would he learn from someone who uses a buster blade most of time instead of learning from someone who has more experience with a knife?

Stepping out into the streets, Calci and Ura panic as they search for Shiro. Ura walks by and armory booth setup and purchases a spear as he passes it to Calci. "Deal with the kidnapper if you find him or her." Calci nods as he makes an attempt to search for Shiro. Ura makes his way over to the two men fighting to call on them both however Cad had already begun the training session. Ura sighed, weighing the outcomes until he comes to a quick decision. "Cad, it seems you don't favor in training the farm boy so I have another job to offer instead." Talos paused and hopped back before Cad would attack. "Shiro is missing." Talos paused a moment and looked at Cad before looking to Ura. "We just started and now you want us to go find he-" Ura shouted in a loud and powerful voice "THE MAIN OBJECTIVE IS TO GATHER OTHERS LIKE YOURSELF AND PREPARE YOU! LOSING JUST ONE OF YOU NOT ONLY HINDERS OUR PROGRESS, IT CAN JEOPARDIZE EVERYTHING WE SEEK TO ACCOMPLISH! Shiro's books are for support and we will need a healer for the task ahead. SO DROP THE ACT AND GET TO SEARCHING!" Ura stomped off in search of Shiro. Talos cringed as Ura's voice boomed, the crowd taking their leave with awkward glances as Ura argued with Talos. Walking off, Talos sighed and glanced at Cad. "You think he's ticking us off on purpose?"​
 
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Iziel Arias​

"Stopping the war, eh?" Iziel looked around, at the multiple people criss-crossing the streets and corners. His face looked sullen. "Your leader is a fool."

"If all he hopes to do is stop a war with a rag-tag band of renegades, he's being extremely hopeful." He mused his words carefully. "Although it's not a bad cause, it lacks a base. Fortification. If he wants to stop a damn war, what manpower does he have for the job? It's not like he has an entire army of people on standby, ready to stop another army of probably double the size. Never mind the fact that most people aren't trained soldiers anyways. You, for example."

He paused. "I didn't mean anything untoward. What I mean is, what does he hope to accomplish with a bunch of people who can't do much besides use books that give them liabilities anyways? If he knows the books better than your grandmother, then..." He trailed off to a dead silence. Maybe it's not only them. And these books are quite powerful as it is. If I could carry something heavy, way heavier than any other man, then perhaps... perhaps this isn't foolish after all. "...Assuming you are part of this band, then it is safe to assume you're being searched for, since I doubt there's a group of more than ten people on your hands. Therefore, when they find you, I will personally ask about it."

He resumed a friendlier position. "No matter, we can see about that when the time comes. What's your name?"
 
Arodon "The Hunter" - Hitting the Town

Arodon was traveling for a day or so before coming across a small town that seemed to be bustling with activity. Was there a celebration happening here? He smiled to himself as he thought of what the next day or two may hold for this place. Try as he might, though, the image of that shadowy person still permeated in his mind. He still heard the voice of that...whatever it was...mention that the book was cursed before it disappeared. Arodon was still deep in thought about what kind of curse he could've been cast with. Nothing seemed to change right away, although he felt a little more uneasy...but there was something else he felt, though he had no idea what it was.

Deep in his thoughts, he almost walked into the side of a large box. The surprise quickly brought him back to the present as he walked around it. The box was open and, as he looked, found that this was in fact a transporter for criminals. Something cut the chain holding it closed, though. If this was the work of somebody, he hoped he wouldn't have to meet him. Odds were, though, that he might eventually, so he had to steel himself for that eventuality. "I better find me some food before I crash, though," he thought as he went into the inn.

As Arodon walked through the front door, he saw the results of a brawl that had finally stopped in the bar. He payed them no attention, however, and decided to sit in a corner of the room. It was then that a waitress walked up to his table and smiled, "What would you like, darlin'?" He had thought to play around with her a little, but he simply shook his head, "Just a chicken salad and tea, please." The waitress smiled and brought him his tea quickly before resuming her rounds. It was then that Arodon pulled out his book that he was able to place inside of his clothes against his chest. As he pulled it out and gazed at the cover, he couldn't understand one thing: out of all the people around in the world, why was HE chosen for this?
 
SHIRO
The Heavenly Quiet Protector
Yovo Soup Stall
x
CHAPTER II,
Part V:
"Rough Start"
.


"Stopping the war, eh? Your leader is a fool. If all he hopes to do is stop a war with a rag-tag band of renegades, he's being extremely hopeful. Although it's not a bad cause, it lacks a base. Fortification. If he wants to stop a damn war, what manpower does he have for the job? It's not like he has an entire army of people on standby, ready to stop another army of probably double the size. Never mind the fact that most people aren't trained soldiers anyways. You, for example. I didn't mean anything untoward. What I mean is, what does he hope to accomplish with a bunch of people who can't do much besides use books that give them liabilities anyways? If he knows the books better than your grandmother, then... ...Assuming you are part of this band, then it is safe to assume you're being searched for, since I doubt there's a group of more than ten people on your hands. Therefore, when they find you, I will personally ask about it. No matter, we can see about that when the time comes. What's your name?"

Shiro had felt the need to object, but toward the end, it seemed the idea had begun to click in the guy's head. "Shiro. I come from a small, secluded town far west toward the coast of Yovo... We don't get many visitors and we don't have much for technology or material objects, but we have a strong community. We all help one another. That said... I'm not the greatest speaker..." She frowned a bit, but it slowly turned to a faint smile as she looked up to the man. "Though you don't make me feel quite as uncomfortable as most people do... You're fairly kind, and I appreciate it." She smiled politely, intertwining her fingers on her lap. Her whole body ached like crazy but the conversation, for once, felt pleasant.

The night was a bit chilly, and she shivered slightly. That's when she noticed the poor condition of her dress. Dirt, tears, rips, and holes. The kidnapping damaged more than just her body. "Oh..." She frowned slightly, checking in her bag for a few seconds. She still had a good amount of money, so she could go find a dress relatively soon. "Hmm..." She leaned forward, peering down the streets. "I hope you don't mind my being here... I don't want to be a bother."

​
 
Iziel Arias
"Gone soft, have we, Arias?"​

"Shiro. I come from a small, secluded town far west toward the coast of Yovo... We don't get many visitors and we don't have much for technology or material objects, but we have a strong community. We all help one another. That said... I'm not the greatest speaker... Though you don't make me feel quite as uncomfortable as most people do... You're fairly kind, and I appreciate it. Oh... Hmm..." Arias duly noted the condition of her dress afterwards. "I hope you don't mind my being here... I don't want to be a bother."

"Shiro, eh? Well, it's no problem, Shiro-"

"Gone soft, have we, Arias?" Anton grinned. "You're not so kind at work."

"And I'm not going to be so kind with your pay if you don't return to work!"

"Urp! Yes boss."

He sighed. "Anyways, my name is Iziel. Iziel Arias, to be exact. I come from a town in central Yovo, but now I live in Kuva. That's where my restaurant, the Exile, is located. In my old town, I inherited the most coveted and important position: the Blacksmith- after my father died, of course." He dabbed his eye a bit with a handkerchief, but he was fine immediately after. "But I simply couldn't summon up the strength to do my job, and due to a bunch of other things along with that, I was exiled from there. Which is how I came up with the name. Our community prizes it's weapons. As for the thing about kind... like Anton said, I'm not always so kind, but that's mostly reserved for work and nuisances."

"Anyways, you can stay as long as you like. You're not bad company, yourself. The only problem is that it's beginning to get dark... I dunno, I'm probably going to return to the restaurant after this. Besides, there isn't as many people as there was before..."

He stood up and served himself water from a jug, then drank some. "Break time." He simply said. "Kid-" he motioned towards the clumsy shark-fin advertiser- "you can have some food now." He then looked at Shiro. "Water?"
 
Cad Varnish, Mercenary Extraordinaire
Catching Up Because HTS is Super Lazy

Cad smirked as the kid ducked under his blade. "Listen kid. If you can dodge one of my attacks, when I'm trying to hurt you, you can dodge anything. Trust me." He winked, but sheathed his sword when he spotted the old man troop onto the training ground.

There was a small tirade, followed by a snarky reply from Talos, "You think he's ticking us off on purpose?"

Cad sighed and shook his head. "You would think so," He chuckled. "If he weren't paying me so much, I'd be gone, you know?" He sighed again and spat to the side. "This is a fool's errand. No way in Hell that we'll stop this prince from taking over. Not if his power is as legendary as his status." He started to follow Ura into town before he looked back. "I think I'm gonna die before this is over, ya know?" With that, the mercenary continued his path.
 
"SHIRO!" Calci charged towards Shrio with spear in hand looking to strike until he paused a moment. He inspected her, she wasn't in bonds, caged, tied up or bound to the chair. Looking around the cafe, he blushed a little in embarrassment, sheathing his spear to his back. "Sorry... Shiro, you alright? Ura is looking all for you; He's fetching Talos and Cad right now." Calci sat down across from Shiro and looks up to Iziel. "Did you help Shiro?... Or Shiro, did you get free on your own?" Talos followed up behind Ura and Cad as they reach the town square. Pausing a moment, Talos looked around and spotted Calci. "There's Calci. I wonder if he spotted Shi-oh." Moving into the restaurant; he spots Iziel and walks up to the company. "You alright?" Talos asked, taking a sigh of relief.

"We should get Ura and Cad." Calci nodded as Talos made his way out, summoning them inside. Ura sighs in relief and chuckles a little. "Sorry if we have caused you any trouble mr.?"​
 
SHIRO
The Heavenly Quiet Protector
Yovo Soup Stall
x
CHAPTER II,
Part VI:
"Rough Start"
.


"Sorry... Shiro, you alright? Ura is looking all for you; He's fetching Talos and Cad right now. Did you help Shiro?... Or Shiro, did you get free on your own?"

"You alright?"

A few of the group found Shiro, and she nodded quietly. "I'm fine," she added calmly, "just banged up a bit..." She accepted the water from Iziel and took a slow drink. "Some person grabbed me out of the hotel, threw me in a cage and tried to steal me away by horse..." Admittedly, she was a bit shaken still, but the adrenaline was wearing off. "I got out though, and this man is taking care of me." She paused. "He said he might like to join the group."

​
 
Arodon "The Hunter"

Arodon finally had a decent meal inside the inn, the recent shock of the brawl ceasing as the night closed in around the town. As he sat there eating his mind continued to try to understand this book and why it was given to him. Was there something he was supposed to do with it? Or was it all by chance? He finally decided to try and stop thinking about it...it was making him crazier by the minute! He slipped the book down into a little crevasse between his chest and his armor and continued his meal. Minutes later, he was full and more relaxed than before. He paid for his meal and, after handing the waitress a fairly generous tip, walked outside into the evening air.

He stood against the wall of the inn and watched the town, mainly out of curiosity. There was always something going on, no matter what town or city you chance upon. This place was to be no different, as he spied a few people heading towards a small cafe. One went in with spear in hand, but was soon seen afterward waving a couple of others inside also. Curious about this goings-on, Arodon walked slowly to the cafe and propped nearby, just enough to hear inside while not being seen. He had never been this curious before...almost feeling like he was DRAWN to this place somehow.
 
Iziel Arias
"Arias. Iziel Arias."​

"He might like to join the group." Iziel almost felt forced to join the group now, in addition to the fact that he had never directly said anything. Yet, he supposed that asking about it made it pretty obvious.

"Arias. Iziel Arias." He smiled. "There's no harm done. Actually, I think the attention caused by the accident gained us some customers, if anything." He said this referring to the low amount of food supplies he had left. "In that sense, she was quite the asset as well as good company; but I know you're not here for business, and I'm also curious about a few things. One, I heard you were leading a group against the war effort. More specifically..." He pulled the book with "Power Break" on the cover out to be shown. "...Those who use these books. Is that so? And if it is, I'm rather intrigued.

"You see, this book is already giving me problems in the cooking business. I've forgotten and I'm no longer able to access some advanced techniques; some I would remember like the back of my hand a while ago. And it most certainly bothers me; but more importantly, it seems that they had started when I got this book. Shiro already informed me about the nature of these... and I was also told you know more about these books than others. I'm saying this assuming you're the leader of this group, anyways. I'd like to know more about-"

Anton pulled Iziel aside, and put up a friendly hand to indicate a pause of sorts. He had been eavesdropping on this conversation in particular, and whispered to Iziel. "You don't honestly believe this, do you?" His whisper was barely audible.

"Anton, I'm afraid I have to believe this- it's the only thing that makes some sense."

"This book isn't special!"

"Then explain why it records my life."

"..." Anton's silence was perturbing. "I can't explain that, but the engineers overseas..."

"Honestly, do you think that makes sense? A book that writes itself?"

"Well... I mean..."

"Without mechanisms, and knowing what I do?"

"Maybe it's slowly appearing ink that plays out timed exactly at when you do things?"

"They'd need to have an extremely accurate time machine. We don't even have a horrible one."

"...But..." Anton's voice quickly disappeared.

"Anton, remember the papers to the restaurant?" Arias's voice became scarce in the night air after he slowly came to a decision. "You might want to get them now." He lit a few lanterns.

"You don't mean..."

"It's a stupid choice- and by that I mean going- but it's the only lead I've got."

"Look, I don't even understand..."

"Anton, you'll make a fine chef."

"I..."

"Get the papers." He said this remark loudly, and patted Anton on the back, hanging the lanterns around then standing in front of Calci once he was done. "Shiro was right; I am a bit interested in joining this group. If journeying with you guys at least helps me get over this damned book, I'm all ears."
 
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"Then I suppose I'll explain the origin of the cursed books." Ura walked in with Cad behind him, his arms crossed as the masked leader took a seat and pulled out a canteen of water. "Talos, take a seat, we seem to have more than enough; I suppose I'll tell you about the books... First off." Ura Glanced at Iziel and the book he presented. "Mr. Iziel is it? Your book is 'Power Break.' You will gain phenomenal strength, though in turn; you will lose any skill or abilities you have procured in your life before you were issued that... Now, down to business... Talos, can you make me a few ice cubes?" Ura pulled from under his robes a bottle of old wine with a bone looking goblet.

"I will recap everything so no one is left out of the loop. The books you carry are known as "The Cursed Books." Hunderds of them, forged in heart of the continent of Cri, far, far west of Yovo." Ura pours himself a glass of wine as Talos opened his hand, using his power to freeze the air to form a few cubes of ice to give to Ura. "The books were origionally designed as an upgrade to attain powers from a group of markings called 'Titanos Nota' or Titan Signs." Dropping the icecubes into the wine glass, Ura takes a sip under his mask as he continues with the story. "In Cri, there are 3 deities that watch over the land and were the first to grant its denizens the use of their power in hopes that we would enrich the planet and improve life. In order to grant this power, they embedded markings into their bodies and these marking would allow the denizens to borrow their power. Once we as a country had hold of this, we began to construct cities, laboratories and prosper. As the good years rolled on, few of us became hungry for more than what we were given and even began to retaliate against the deities who had given us such a gift. A large revolt and civil war bred as we pit ourselves against one another for the greater power in hopes to become more powerful than the predecessor; killing hundreds of soldiers, villagers, children even... In order to halt the bloodshed, the deities then decided to give us the gift of bearing the burden... Every denizen inscribed with a titan sign was cursed to suffer a horrible affliction based on the crimes he or she had performed while using their signs, the few children who were sparred had their signs removed to prevent future incidents."

Talos was shocked, though not too surprised. Ura took a big gulp of his wine and chuckled a little. "When they took away our power, the country's peace only lasted for so long. The cursed individuals were dying left and right from either depression or by pure madness of what they were suffering and even then Cri was falling apart as city after city began to collapse. We were so dependent on that power that without it, we were unable to survive. Looking over what we had, Cri's greatest and brightest came together to find a way to save what we had left. We then came up with a proposal and presented it; striking a deal with the deities. They would give us knowledge how to create our own Titan Signs and store them into a set of vessels. A human being could carry this vessel and allow both his body and soul to absorb this power; suffering his curse but also attaining his power in turn. When the vessel had served it's purpose, it would discard itself, removing the curse from the individual and leaving the power behind without the use of being inscribed with Titan Signs. Only in this case would the individual would to have respect and understand restraint to the power he had currently attained." Calci nodded gently though he looked at Ura a tad curious. "I guess books were the intended vessel. Though who came up with the books?" Ura laughed outloud as he drank deep from his wine gauntlet and slammed it to the table. "That same idiot who is leading you... I came up with the books years and years ago. I'm also one of the few Titan Sign carriers that was able to come to terms with my affliction, gifted with a massive life span until my higher beings declare my death... My curse? You don't wanna look under this mask, not even for every gold coin or dollar issued anywhere on the planet." Talos stepped forward a little in surprise. "... How long have you lived?" Ura chuckled as he sat back and gazed at the ceiling. "I lost count after 200 years, maybe 300 or 400? I know my birthday is in the spring though even that eludes me... Well, anyway; your stuck with your books until you run their course and attain their power. In order to attain that power, you need to live your lives; find a girl and fall in love, get married, go to war, break a world record, have a child, kill an evil general or king or someone important. Your books record every event of such importance to your life and with each word and page that passes, the stronger your power becomes. Though as your power grows, so does your curse." Calci had both of his hands on the table standing up. "How does the Ovan come into this?"

Ura poured himself another glass as he glanced at his platoon. "The Deity called Lith the Dreamer fore saw the end of the world, Ragnarok and found something interesting, a way to reverse the end of the world. Relaying the information to Gryth the Watcher, he created an avatar who confiscated a large number of cursed books and started distributing them to human beings across time along with an appointed leader to carry the 'Book of Chains,' to lead the book carriers towards this goal. The Chains book has has access to the current degree of your powers and can shift the outcome of a few fights, the carrier has to suffer the curse of the power used so the book is a double edged sword on its own; and looking over the years of carriers I've seen, each Chains owner has become corrupt with power... Since I came up with the books, I decided to take the responsibility to help each generation of book carriers take down the Chains Carrier and help them through their curse. I have other objectives, but right now; you few are my top priority."
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The King was ready to die.

Kitty and I slipped behind the gates that presented a rather elegant display of strange designs, and climbed over the fence, unseen by the prying eyes that stayed guard. We both pressed forward, keeping together for now, but remembering our part in the plan. Michael was at one end of the ear piece telling us the location of rooms and giving us basic advice as to how to navigate around the building. As we reach the side of the wall undetected we breath a sigh of relief. Thank god these guards are dumb. I nod to Kitty before we part ways. I go around the back, he goes up in an attempt to get in through one of the windows, and just his luck. I turn around for one second to see him clambering into an already open window. I traverse around, and find myself at the back entrance. It's unguarded at the moment. Perhaps the guards are switching positions? I traverse under a fence, and to the back door, opening it slightly until I can hear voices inside the room. I decide to stay and pry on their conversation.

"Did you hear, the King isn't paranoid about assassination that he's called off certain guard posts and given people the day off!"
"Man I sure would like a day of, all we ever do is stand in this corridor."

Not for long you won't, I smirk.

'Ting!'

"What was that?"
"Something from outside, err let me go and check..."

"Argh!"
"Don? Don are you ok-argh!"

I brushed off the dirt as the two guards lay un-cautious, not dead, one of them stripped for their clothing as it now resides on my body, a perfect fit ironically. I drag their bodies into a bush so that nobody will catch us out early, and dash inside in my new disguise. It's also good because this disguise covers my face so nobody will ever know who the traitor was. Genius.

"Okay Michael I'm in tell me where to go!"
"The King will most likely be preparing for the festival so I'd expect him to be in what's known as the royal gown, basically a giant dressing room. It's down the corridor you are on now, and to the left."
"Got it."

The power goes off in a flash, which is perfect timing. Well done Kitty. I am running now, for if the guards see me acting like I'm not one of them they may execute me on the spot. I have to get past them.

"Relight the generator!" The leader of this guard group says.

Half of the soldiers are gone now, so that makes it easier for me to duck in their and kill Calcifier or whatever the hell he's called. I pass the guards innocently as I go to protect the king, and make my way into the room, where just to my luck, the King sits alone. I scan my surroundings. A lit candle illuminating half the room, a window I could break which would cause noise. The door behind me enveloped in darkness. The guards are pretty stupid hear so when I kill the King I could say something like the King has been murdered, and they would rush in and most likely believe it's not me. That would probably be best, I don't want them to realize how bad their soldiers are in case I have to come back.

...

"THE KING HAS BEEN MURDERED!" I shout, coming back into the corridor. As everyone rushes in I make my escape. I run, but nobody suspects a thing considering this is an emergency situation for them. The sound of the warning bells ring all across the land. I duck over an open window, being sure to smash another one quietly on the way to give them evidence that someone only recently broke in, and left the small Kirikara dagger that has been tucked away in my pocket as evidence against the newmoon tribe. I land on a bush, and take of this awful armour, and refitting myself with my black uniform that I left hidden with my buddies by the back exit. I dash towards the man street, meeting up with Kitty along the way. Our plan had gone perfectly.

***

"We'll go back to the King after I've done some more work here," I say kinda vaguely. I know full well what I'm here to do though. I want to find the girl with the book, and the boy screaming for the shark fin soup. I need to know what these books are.

"Fair enough," Max says, "I guess we can call this a holiday, however, we may find it troubling leaving Yovo now, for what I hear they've sealed off the whole country in order to catch the killer. They assume they are still in Yovo, so just be warned and try not to be to long. Think of a way out while you're at it."
 
A horn blows outside as someone shouts that the king is dead. Ura Talos and Cad step outside to see a gathering crowd over a king from the Diligent. Ura looked about carefully and turned back to the group. "Anyone here that's a carrier wishing to join us, pack up now, we need to get moving. Ovan has already made his move, we need to move sou-" "SEAL OFF THE AREA! THE KILLER COULD STILL BE HERE!!!" Ura looked back out as soldiers from Twan and Diligent were gathering around the village and blocking the exit's out. "... We leave in 20 minutes, I'll secure an exit. Talos, prepare your weapons; Calci, with me and Cad, feel like busting a few heads?"

-Yovo Council-
"THIS CANNOT STAND; A DILIGENT KING, KILLED ON OUR BOOKS!" Councilman Jave shouts as the council gathered after the murder of the 'King of Hummo.' "We are already sealing off the country as is in order to prevent their escape. We are already cooperating with both military's in order to find the trouble makers." replies councilman Harvey. "This will give Diligent a reason to drag us into war, as if we don't have enough problems with the grain shortage." "Patience... We have already sent a letter to the Kingdom of Hummo and Diligent's military base has passed on to us they won't hold the blame to us. We still have control of the situation... We need to manage our search and plan what to do next." rebutts councilman Kriff
 
Nate - Chaos in Yovo

It was actually quite easy considering the defenses they took in ensuring the King's death. After a while thinking about it, I come to realize the motive of the King, he wants Yovo and Hummo to go to war, so that he may take over Yovo whilst they least expect it. In a sense it's genius, but will that be enough to start a war? Has he something else up his sleeve.

I dart into town, trying to look like a member of the common rabble, when I see several guards charging at a group of men with weapons. Simple minded guards, thinking that whoever has a weapon is an enemy. I weave my way through the crowd to get front row seats to this show; I find I'm rather amused by my own handiwork here. Indeed, those were the men I saw by the shark fin soup stand earlier today, and somehow I can't help but feel there's something off about them, something I want to save. Ach what am I doing.

"STOP!" I say to the guards that are charging towards them, "these men are innocent, I've been alongside them, all day!"
"And what makes you think we are going to believe you?!"
"Because I'm high authority in Hummo!" It's not true, but I have a fake seal from the richest family in Hummo that indicates my 'honor,'
"I'm sorry Master Grandeer, I shall allow these folks to pass by, however if I see them doing anything with those weapons I shan't hesitate."
"Very well, these terms are agreeable with me."

Why did I save them? Because I need to know what this book is about, and why I turn into a wolf at nights...

"Let's go over that way, I think we need to talk..." I point to an alleyway enshrouded in darkness.
 
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