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Post by Shark a' Pult on Nov 11, 2013 14:15:31 GMT -5
"If it was the merchants, then we aren't going to find them in here."
Alden took back the sand, though he didn't bother to run it upstairs at a time like this. There was enough going on now that it would probably be for the best if he stayed and paid attention to what was happening, in case a means to the truth was discerned. He saw what Elrond was doing though, and had mixed feelings. Perhaps there was a chance that what he was doing might work, but it wasn't something Alden was about to help with, so he merely observed for the time being.
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Post by Mise™ on Nov 12, 2013 11:36:30 GMT -5
"Can't we just use some body paint or something like that to change the damn skull black?" Jupiter really didn't quite understand most of this, but throwing random ideas around would surely hit the mark sooner or later. "Ya know guys... This skull actually looks pretty damn sick. Many other guilds have guild tats, but we ain't got one. We should use this as ours." It might not have been the most appropriate moment to say it, but being considerate wasn't really Jupiter's thing. It wasn't very hard to understand why Jupiter wanted a tattoo like that, with it they would look like gang members and that was just up Jupiter's alley; he looked like a thug either way. "Anyways... I've got an idea. Someone once told me that in mysteries like this the culprit is always the guy you'd least expect. So all I gotta do is think who I'd suspect the least and that guy should be our guy." Jupiter spoke and sat down to a nearby bench and then gazed upon each of the people present one-by-one and thinking how much he suspected each person. He even thought of people that weren't here like now, like Atre and the merchants from yesterday. After a moment of intense thinking Jupiter began to look very nervous. It was the first time since he had woken up today since he showed very clear emotions instead of just looking tired. It seems like he had come to a conclusion, but wasn't sure if he wanted to share his deep wisdom with the others.
"It... It can't be. Impossible!" "It's... ... ... ..." An over dramatic and lengthy pause followed, until Jupiter finally spoke his mind: "... ... ... ... ... ... me?" The person he least expected was obviously himself. Anyone would think that they themselves would be they would be the person they suspect the least, expect for the culprit, of course.
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Post by CJ on Nov 12, 2013 15:20:10 GMT -5
"If Qi has the strength to summon me in the state she's in now, she might have the strength to hold out until you can find those merchants at the festival."
Rooster crossed her arms when she acknowledged Alden's observation. In near instant later, she facefaulted as Jupiter accused himself of being the wrongdoer.
"You?" Cinder asked him sternly. "The chances of it being you is as likely as me being the killer."
She looked uneasy as she said this. She glanced at Asmoday but shook her head and looked away, hoping the illusionist wouldn't catch her further suspicion of her.
It was a slow process but Qi's pupils dilated in response to Elrond's pleading. As Rooster suggested, the summoner at least partially conscious of the others around her. Her fingers tightened around the keys again. It was a hard motion, cold and without life.
But nothing happened. Unlike Rooster's sudden appearance, Snake made no such introduction.
The hall was cold and quiet, other than any other noise the mages might have made.
"Is Snake rejecting the summon?" Rooster asked quietly. At this question, Qi gasped.
A circle of magenta light appeared below her. It was a magical image, which sparkled and floated parallel to the ground beneath her. Anyone who was in its way or touched it, would find it would phase through them harmlessly. On it was an array of symbols, each in a place on the circle, as though numbers on a clock. Noticeably, only four symbols actually were detailed, a Rooster, Monkey, Horse and Snake. The rest were blurred and dull.
A clock hand sprung up from the center underneath Qi. It pointed directly toward the Rooster symbol, making the summon in question blush and hide her face. With a sudden and forceful motion, it snapped counter-clockwise to the Monkey symbol.
It was unlikely that any of the mages might have noticed the blue outlined spirit of Monkey drift down from the tower and through the ceiling of the room while they talked over the sand. Now, in that very instant, the summon transfigured from a ghost to a solid form as Rooster had before. He let out a yell as he fell from the ceiling. Fortunately, he grabbed onto a rafter with his tail and managed to pull himself up and clutch the piece of wood much like a sloth, rather than a nimble Monkey.
Shivering and shaking, he peered down at the rest of the group. His eyes were wide in fear, making the dark circles around them practically invisible.
"What's going on?! Roost- I mean, Mercury, what's happening!"
Pacing about in a panic, Rooster waved her hands about.
"The Master must be turning the Clock of Ages backward to force Snake into this plane of reality!"
"How can Qi do that? It's not Daylight Savings Time!"
"I don't know but she's not thinking right. She summoned me first... next is Sheep, but she doesn't have access to her... so then..."
As the hour hand hit the blurred image of a Sheep, the rest of the mages could see that next up was a very large animal.
Rooster turned around to see the blue form of the giant summon, Horse, stepping into the guild hall.
"Everyone! Get out of the way!"
Horse might have had some warning as to what was going on, since unlike Rooster or Monkey, he seemed to prepare his arrival. Sitting on the ground with his arms wrapped around his bare legs, the summon materialized, sending bits and pieces of tables and other objects flying about the room. Alden and other mages might have been grateful that he didn't ruin any decorative pieces, but the summon still presented terrible danger.
"Ohhhhhhh dear. Sorry about this. Whoah!"
Moving his hands for a moment to balance himself, some of the mages might have had to dodge Horse's large swinging hands.
"This is all my fault," a voice muttered in the chaos. "All my fault..."
In the confusion, the hour hand struck to the snake symbol.
Snake was a pitiful sight. Her head, neck, arms and one leg stuck out of a wall, separating the hall from the dorms. She had been summoned as her ghost was walking through the solid wall. It appeared she was relatively fine, just stuck. Perhaps her form merely replaced the wood that held her perfectly in place.
With Snake finally summoned, the magical circle disappeared. Qi remained still throughout the entire ordeal, but it could at least be understood now that she was at least partially aware of what was going on.
Tears streamed down Snake's face. She looked incredibly guilty and would not look any of the guild members in the eye, especially Qi.
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Post by Hitotsumami on Nov 14, 2013 13:08:16 GMT -5
Elrond could hardly react to everything going on.
First, the magical symbols appeared and just as Rooster was going about explaining what it was, Monkey appeared through the ceiling! Then.. the giant Horse! Tables and floorboards and chairs and all kinds of things went flying, smashed up against the walls and windows!
But through all the chaos, Snake had appeared as well, and she was... stuck in the wall. Elrond would have burst out in laughter if it wasn't for the seriousness of the scene.
But now that the magic was done and everyone calmed down, Erlond took action.
The first thing he did was snap his fingers, and by doing so all the stone covering the guild crumbled into dust. "Perhaps we should go after the ones who sold Alden the magic sand," he said. "Even if the jar used isn't the one Alden has, they may know something about this."
As for Elrond, he wanted to speak with Snake. He approached her, examining the situation. He sighed then stuck his fingers through the walls, clenching it, and then ripping a huge chuck out. It would them crumble apart and free Snake.
"Why are you crying," said Elrond, dusting her off. "Qi needs your help. We all know you know something. How is this your fault? You have to tell us..."
---
Asmoday covered herself while all the chaos was going on, and when it died down, she went to work as well. She felt she owed Qi something, after nearly killing her a week or so ago... If anything, she couldn't let her die now. Though she wanted to stay in the guild and keep a look over Cinder, she decided to leave her and Snake to Elrond and go into the town to try and locate the three merchants.
"If anyone wants to assist me, I won't say no," she said, opening up the two grand double doors of the Guild, letting in the cold night air. "Those merchants... they can't be far."
She then rushed down the path to the town bellow. If anyone wanted to join her, they'd have to hurry.
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Post by Mise™ on Nov 19, 2013 13:01:05 GMT -5
Cinder said that there was no way Jupiter was behind all this. It was weird. When Jupiter was a child he was blamed for everything, stealing, breaking things, fighting, whatever, and now no one thought he was to blame. Pretty much everyone else had been accused so far, expect for Jupiter. Sure as a kid Jupiter usually was the culprit, but that was beside the point. Despite having used his unorthodox methods to come to the conclusion that he himself was the culprit Jupiter still didn't really buy it. "Whoever came up with that idea must be a real dumbass." Then it happened. Despite not being conscious Qi somehow started cycling through her summons, calling all of them here. It wasn't a real problem until it was Horse's turn as he was just simply too big to properly fit inside the guild house. Jupiter wasn't very quick to pick on Cock's warning about something bad happening soon, but in the end managed to somehow avoid getting hurt. After Horse it was Snake's turn and she seemed to be in very low spirits right now. "So she's the culprit, right? Just look at her, she must have done something wrong." That's what Jupiter initially thought as he saw Snake appear, but then something else occurred to him as Asmoday left the guild house in a huge hurry. "No... It must be Asmoday. She was so eager to leave us here that she must got something to hide." Of course as usual Jupiter was just throwing random ideas around hoping that he would get something right and then feel like a genius.
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Post by Shark a' Pult on Nov 20, 2013 4:45:35 GMT -5
"I'll go into town. If they're still in town, you can bet your bottom jewel they'll have set up for the festival. We find an event organizer, we'll find them no problem."
At first he was about to run upstairs to put the jar of sand back, and get his gun in return, in case he might need it for whatever reason. Before he made his way up though, Alden considered who they would be up against if things came to a fight, and what would be an appropriate means of dealing with them. Suddenly he had a change of heart, and something roughly akin to a smirk played across his face.
"After all, it would be best to file a complaint about their products directly to them, as far as I can tell."
Hefting the jar of sand under his arm, he headed out after Asmoday, with the intent of tracking down the merchants in town. He wasn't really of a mind to help her though, and once they arrived, he'd probably set off on his own plan till he located the targets. He always found it easier to work alone, after all.
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Post by CJ on Nov 20, 2013 23:08:45 GMT -5
Snake wiped away her tears and tried to get a hold of herself. She wiped debris off of her face and long dress and nodded to Elrond. She glanced cautiously at Jupiter, noting his suspicion.
"It's my fault Qi is this way," she said with a heavy sigh. "If I didn't act sooner, none of this would have happened. I knew what had been going on for a long time, but I kept quiet. You see, there are laws we Celestial Spirits must obey in order to keep balance in your world. One of these is that we are not to inform our summoners of the whereabouts of any spirits they do not have command over."
Scratching at her elongated arms, she sighed again.
"Normally, I wouldn't pry into my fellow spirits' business, but another spirit was being particularly vocal a few days ago. Monkey, Horse and I are roommates with her, though I happened to be the only one at home at the time. She invited another spirit over and was talking with him in the kitchen. This particular spirit is not very intuitive, so she repeated a lot of information very loudly with him.
"I heard her complain that their keys were supposed to be sent by an older mage to Qi around the time you encountered Samson and Atrum. But they were stolen when the post office was ransacked in the evacuation of Elm. Their new master is part of a gang of awful criminals... the criminals you saw in the guild yesterday."
Rooster's mouth dropped and Monkey let out a yelp as he nearly let go of the rafter he was hanging off of. Horse frowned deeply, but looked surprisingly cute. Wiping her eyes again with tears, Snake continued.
"My spirit friend was miserable. She said that her new master had been involved in many scams that had ruined mage guilds and other businesses. The group frames individuals for theft, adultery or even murder. After the victims fight amongst each other and break apart, the group moves in and takes everything it can.
"I knew they were trying to do the same thing to you but I thought you would figure it out on your own or, at the very least, Qi would not come to harm. Lo and behold, they used her as the bait to lure you into a frenzy. I am grateful you did not. At least the future of your guild is still secure. "After we felt Qi's magic fade, we saw Alden dashing from this very room. Just as he left, he melted into a black liquid and slithered away. Whoever did this to Qi has some sort of illusion magic, so I would keep that in mind if you try and confront them.
"I have already told you enough. If I say anymore, I would risk further punishment. Although, maybe Qi wrote something about the spirits they stole. She has done her own research on Joan Ruby and other summoners. She has been wanting access to one of the spirits for a while, I am sure she knows of at least one of them."
Leaning against the wall, the slender woman tugged at her straight black hair and her face scrunched in misery as she looked directly at Elrond.
"I'm so, so sorry."
"It's alright, Snake," Monkey said with a grin. "I punched Qi through a house and she's OK."
The other spirits' faces turned up toward Monkey with varying levels of disgust.
"Still too soon to make that joke? I guess I should apologize. Sorry, oo-kee."
---
Meanwhile, the sun was beginning to rise and already people were in the town of Elm, setting up stalls and concessions in the main street. Decorations hung from the roofs and windows in shades of red, orange and yellow. Despite it being early morning, the villagers seemed to be in high spirits. Whatever work and sleep they lost in preparation for this festival was well worth the fun to be had later.
Only several of the stands had set up their signs, none of which read "Narthan's Magical Item Mart" or something similar to it. Narthan, Pink Petal and Susano-san were yet to be seen.
Asmoday would be interrupted in her search by a portly woman, dressed in expensive clothing and a large party hat. Her rosy cheeks were warm and friendly.
"Hello! Finally, someone from Renascence has arrived! Well, you weren't intially from our heroic guild, you were in that other one. Who cares though, right? You seem to be very friendly now. I think you can be trusted. I'm sure you know this but I'm Mayor Morgan."
Having not seen or recognized Alden, she kept talking with Asmoday.
"Where are the rest of your friends? The Harvest Festival is about to begin!"
---
Snake sat at the table with Qi and her glass coffin. She sat opposite the direction of her summoner's face so she didn't have to look at it. She laid her head against the wood, looking incredibly sad and sleepy.
"I will go and fetch you spirits something to eat. You will watch over Xing Qi, right?"
Cinder went to leave the guild with a large, glass shopping bag. Since the spirits couldn't go back to their realm on their own, she decided to help them the best way she could.
"Surrreeee," Horse bellowed, "but I'd have to even if I didn't want to."
"Same," Monkey said with tears in his eyes, clutching onto the rafters for his life.
"Whoah, I'll help you, Monkey. Excuse me, mages."
Horse clambered around the hall on his knees to reach for Monkey. For him, it was an incredibly small space so he didn't have much room and ended up knocking over tables again. Meanwhile, Rooster pressed her taloned finger threateningly into Cinder's chest.
"Hurry up," she snarled. "I want a breakfast burrito. And fast! Who knows when we'll be able to leave. Something's not right here and I don't like it. Usually Qi would tire out after summoning two of us once at a time. It should be impossible for her to summon all four of us. Maybe it's because she's not using her energy elsewhere but it's making me uncomfortable. Hurry up, filthy human!"
With a flushed and angry face, Cinder went to say something but held her temper. She excused herself and left the guild. Her glasses slippers clicked on the ground as she went about her way.
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Post by Hitotsumami on Nov 21, 2013 15:21:40 GMT -5
Elrond carefully listened to everything Snake had to say, because he knew it held the key to finding out who was behind Qi's current coma. To his surprise, Snake basically told them that the merchants who had come by late the previous day had done it, had put Qi to sleep, just to destroy the Guild from the inside.
Elrond narrowed his eyes and clenched his fists. "So that's how it is, huh?"
He petted Snake on the shoulder then stood up and turned away. "Asmoday isn't here, and Alden has left to. Jupiter, Dofun, please stick around and keep Qi and her spirits safe."
He began walking towards the entrance of the Guild and then swung the door opened so hard it flew through the air, crashing down the dirt pathway. A few seconds later, one would see it reform on its own. "Those guys, they were supposed to be part of my Guild. But any of my Guild members who do something like this, who hurt someone I care about... I can't forgive them!"
Suddenly, a circular disc of rock under Elrond's feet began to hover and then, riding on top of it, Elrond flew off towards town to scout out and find those three merchants.
---
Asmoday was already in town and noticed Alden not too far away. It seems his innocence was already proven, so now the goal was to find those merchants. She eventually ran into a woman who wanted to make small talk, but Asmoday really didn't have the time.
"Yes, I'm just going into town to purchase a few final crafts," said Asmoday, and then she snapped her finger and created an illusion. For the rest of that morning, a fake Asmoday would be standing there to speak with the lady while the real Asmoday quickly snuck off.
A few minutes of searching the town, and she didn't see any sign of the merchants. A shadow appeared on the ground and she looked up to see Elrond flying above.
Alden, Elrond and Asmoday. Narthan, Pink Petal and Susano-san.
Three on three. Is that how it would end?
They'd have to find the merchants first.
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Post by Mise™ on Nov 22, 2013 11:44:12 GMT -5
Snake spoke words, a lot of them, but Jupiter was too tired to pay attention to most of it. It was something about the guild being bamboozled by the weird merchants from yesterday. "I knew it. Those guys were damn suspicious. We could have just avoided all of this crap if these idiots would have just kicked those assholes out like they should have." Despite the situation they were in Jupiter had a feeling of smug self satisfaction, because he had been right after all. Usually Jupiter would have been the first to run in to battle and Elrond would have had a hard time convincing him to stay behind, but right now he just didn't have the energy to chase after the villains and just staying behind to look over Qi's personal zoo was fine for him. Maybe that was for the best as he still wasn't wearing much. "Okay..." Even the usually so horrifying Dofun didn't bother Jupiter much as the Clown King of Hell just hadn't had the usual kind of presence today.
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Post by Shark a' Pult on Nov 25, 2013 2:05:00 GMT -5
It was technically a park, but it was miniscule at best. In reality it was no bigger a clearing than a house, just a little fenced plot of grassy land with an old oak in the center and a bench beneath it. It was well taken care of though; the flower patches were watered, the grass was cut, and the little stone monument of some explorer was clean. You couldn't take the kids there for a weekend picnic, but it wasn't a bad little spot to sit for a few minutes and watch the street.
And yet, quite a crowd had gathered around the plot, attention focused towards the bench with music in the air.
"I've got, sunshine in my hands, And sunshine in my heart! It's my dream, to share it with you, Even if we're worlds apart!"
It was a pretty girl with long blonde hair wearing a sun dress and straw hat, singing and playing a guitar she had resting across her lap. She was infectiously upbeat and happy, to say nothing of her music, which seemed to have the crowd in almost a trance. Alden had got caught up among them, and it took some time before he managed to break away, if only because someone pushing a cart bumped into him on their way.
"Heh... nice song."
Without a mayor to deal with, Alden meandered through the festival as it was being set up. He wasn't going along with Asmoday along her own route to find the merchants, nor Elrond (though, he didn't know the guild master was on the way), but he had a plan of his own. It was probably a pointless idea, but he had a feeling of sorts, that the merchants might turn up in a place so expected of them to be at. That, and someone needed to represent the guild while everything was going on.
So, without further ado, he set off for the guild's booth at the fair.
"'Scuse me, coming through."
He wasn't exactly sure where they were slated to be, but a little while of wandering around and he found what he believed to be the place. Unfortunately with all the ruckus going on up at the guild hall with Qi's situation, no one had a chance to move the various decorations down to the booth itself, so it was pretty bare. Regardless however, Alden rummaged around in an alley nearby, and managed to obtain a big old piece of cardboard and some discarded charcoal. In a hasty effort, he scrawled something along the lines of "Renascence - Magic Guild" across the cardboard, and stuck it in front of the table. Sitting down in a chair behind it, he made a rather inglorious start to the festival for the guild, but at least now people knew they existed and had a booth (as terrible as it looked).
With this set up, Alden waited, ready to talk to anyone that showed up and answer any questions but always keeping a keen eye on the surroundings. If the merchants happened by, or showed up for some kind of bone to pick with the guild's booth, then he wouldn't have to go anywhere. As if it were not enough, he also had the jar of magic sleep sand on the table next to him, plain for all to see.
Of course, it was entirely possible that this was not the correct booth for the guild, and Alden just stole an empty table from someone else not set up yet. Whatever the case, he was on the watch for anyone who looked like an event organizer for the festival, so that he could be sure and also get them to send some help up to the guild hall for the proper decorations.
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Post by CJ on Nov 25, 2013 23:17:52 GMT -5
The mayor spoke with the fake Asmoday happily about the latest trends in Elm fashion and design. It seemed the politician wasn't magically gifted and saw nothing wrong in the illusion.
Meanwhile, the real Asmoday would come across a strange sight. Elrond flying above might have been able to see it.
Tucked in an alley way, between two of the booths, Narthan, the leader of the merchant gang, spoke with a younger man. The man looked more tired than even Asmoday or the rest of Renascence, who barely had gotten any sleep.
"You really think I could help you?" he asked with a raspy, but excited voice.
"With an ability like yours, kid, you could help us do anything!" Narthan cheered. "Hell, you could even help us save the world!"
"Wow... so cool..."
Leaning back on the exterior of one of the buildings, the man smiled in slight euphoria. Narthan's cheeky grin barely moved.
"Now, how easy is it for you to take orders when you're, how do you say, under the influence of this thing of yours? How much do you remember?"
The man frowned as his black hair drooped about him.
"What? Why would you want to know that?"
"Nothing big! We've got to have loyal guild members, right?"
"I suppose..."
The two kept talking about a supposed guild registration. But since when did Narthan run a guild? It was likely this was another one of his lies.
---
Alden was presented with a rather odd sight. Again, for someone like Elrond, who had an aerial view, it wouldn't be all too hard to see.
It was Pink Petal, the near gigantic lackey of Narthan from the merchant's gang. She had a huge smile on her face as she looked from booth to booth with cotton candy in one hand and a dripping popsicle in the other. Her eyes were sparkling in absolute, innocent delight.
She was riding on what looked to be a gigantic sheep. It panted in exhaustion under the weight of Pink Petal. Popsicle juice melted on its face and wool. It was polar opposite in emotion to its rider.
The oddest thing about this creature was black bat-like wings that protruded from the sides of its body. If someone noted the two golden keys that dangled from Pink Petal's neck, it wouldn't be all too hard to guess what it was.
"What's this?" she asked, stopping in front of Alden's booth. "This is the most boring booth I've ever seen!"
It seemed she didn't remember Alden.
---
Meanwhile, Qi's summons gathered around one of the tables and began to play a bright and colorful candy themed board game.
Horse was in the lead, giggling in loud delight as he trounced his opponents. Rooster flipped the board many times in comedic frustration and rage. Not everyone was participating fully though. Snake rested her head on the table and kept her eyes mostly focused on Qi lying nearby.
"Hey!" Monkey called out to Jupiter with a timid smile. "Want to join our game?"
"I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack!"
Just then, Asmoday broke open the guild hall doors. She danced into the hall and jumped right onto the summons' board game on the table. She pounded her feet on the game board and posed.
"NOOOOOOOOO!" Horse cried as his pony piece flew across the room. Unfortunately, Snake remained her sad self. Rooster swore loudly and Monkey face-faulted.
"Shit! What the fuck are you doing here?!"
"Y-yeah! What are you doing here so quickly, oo-kee?!"
Asmoday twirled and brought up her fingers in a v shape. She pushed her hand right in Monkey's face, making him fall out of his seat.
"I came back because I'm hungry! I totally forgot to eat breakfast! Silly me! Hahahahaha!"
Scanning the room, her eyes lit up at the sight of Jupiter. She stuck her butt out and shook it as she pointed toward him.
"Hmmmmmm, you there! You should make me some food! Go to the kitchen and stay there for a while! Leave me and these silly people alone for a while!"
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Post by Hitotsumami on Nov 26, 2013 11:45:49 GMT -5
Elrond didn't notice Narthan, but Asmoday did. She stopped around the corner of the alley and listened to the conversation between Narthan and another figure she couldn't quite make out. They were talking about some kind of Guild. She didn't believe it, and she really didn't care. These merchants were the reason Qi was the way she was now. This may be her only chance to confront one of the merchants.
So she snapped her fingers, and as she did, her body changed into that of a rather familiar figure: A gigantic girl with a pony tail and a big smile. She had taken on the exact form of Pink Petal.
"BOSS! THERE YA ARE! I'VE BEEN LOOKIN' EVERYWHERE FOR YA!"
---
Elrond was still flying across the sky. He passed by a large gathering of people, where he guessed the Harvest Festival was taking place. He really wished he could participate, but there were more pressing issues, so he simply flew by and missed Pink Petal and Alden.
---
At the festival, a woman walked among the crowd. She wore tight black leather clothes and a short ponytail. Her purple lips were in a frown as she eyed the pedestrians. It appeared she wasn't happy to be here, but had to be anyway. It also looked like she was looking for someone.
Finally, she spotted what she was after and approached Alden who sat at Renascence's booth. She took little notice of the huge sheep and the giant woman, almost as if they weren't there at all.
"Hey," she said plainly to Alden. "This is the Renascence booth, yeah? I heard you guys accept anyone who comes by, so I'd like to join. The name's Azealya Thorn."
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Post by Mise™ on Nov 26, 2013 13:10:03 GMT -5
"Hell no." In the end Jupiter wasn't very pleased with the fact that he ended up having to watch over Qi's pocket monsters and they were very noisy and annoying. All Jupiter wanted to do was go back to sleep, he didn't even care about the whole harvest festival anymore, but he would never be able to. When Monkey asked him to join their game it was no surprise that he answered the way he did. It didn't seem like his kind of game anyway. Soon afterwards Asmoday marched back in the guild building and apparently she had found a way to be even more obviously the culprit than before, something that should not have been even possible. She even dared to ask Jupiter to bring her breakfast, which was predictably met with another very annoyed sounding: "Hell no."
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Post by Shark a' Pult on Nov 27, 2013 4:13:08 GMT -5
"What's this? This is the most boring booth I've ever seen!"
"Yeah, it is pretty crappy, no lie. We're understaffed at the moment though, come back later and you might change your mind."
It seemed he didn't remember Pink Petal.
"Hey, this is the Renascence booth, yeah? I heard you guys accept anyone who comes by, so I'd like to join. The name's Azealya Thorn."
"Sounds good, here-" at this he ripped off a piece of the cardboard sign at the front of the table, and with an old pencil he had with him, he wrote 'Sign Ups' at the top "-just put your name down on the list there, and uh... if you have a place of residence in town or need somewhere to stay." With that he slid the sign up "sheet" across the table with the pencil for Azealya. He had to think about what sort of information new members would have to provide, but he thought about Elrond and realized it didn't matter at all. He just figured a name, and if they would be staying at the guild hall, were things that mattered at least.
Scratching his head at the thought though, he came to a realization.
"Oh hey, aren't you one of those merchants from yesterday?" He spoke to Pink Petal, in a surprisingly nonchalant fashion as though he wasn't exactly sure if he was correct in his assumption. "I've got a complain to lodge with the boss, and I want a refund on this." He tapped on the jar of sand sitting on the table next to him, with a gauntlet-ed finger.
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Post by CJ on Nov 30, 2013 2:35:46 GMT -5
"You!" Narthan shouted with a pointed finger. "You're not Pink Petal!"
It looked like Asmoday's illusion didn't work. The leader of the merchants was a bit more insightful than she might have thought.
At least, that would have been the case had Narthan not begun to laugh happily. He seemed genuinely glad about the illusion before him.
Putting his arm around the dark haired mage's thin shoulders, he held his other arm out toward the illusion of Pink Petal.
"Briar Rose, let me introduce you to our resident illusionist, Susano-san! But this isn't what he usually looks like. Why, he's put on the disguise of our associate, Pink Petal."
Briar's dark circled eyes lit up in wonder. His happiness was hard to contain.
"Wow... a shape-shifter... so cool. I'm... so excited you're letting me join Renascence. It's been... a dream of mine..."
Blushing, Briar looked away. At this point, Narthan seemed somewhat concerned. He inched over to Asmoday spoke very slowly to her.
"Yes, Susano-san. Renascence. He wants to join us, if you get what I'm saying. His magic relies on the complete instruction of others, so it's going to be great for cooperation. I can see already that we're going to be great friends!"
"You... think so?" Briar asked, clasping his hands.
"Of course!" Narthan cheered. "What do you say, Susano-san? Should we ask for a demonstration?"
The sleep deprived mage scratched at his ear and looked at the ground.
"A demonstration?" he asked with a wavering voice.
Narthan stepped forward and pressed his finger against Briar's chest.
"You wouldn't be opposed to it, would you?" he asked with a sickening sweet voice. "Your guild wants it, Briar."
Moving away from Narthan, Briar let out a heavy sigh and went to pull something out of his coat pocket.
"Oh... I guess you're right. I'm ready if you are... umm... Susano-san."
---
Elsewhere, Pink Petal moved her fluffy sheep steed back to ignorantly bump into Azaleya Thorn.
"I am," she replied to Alden with a blank face. "If ya want ta talk to the Boss, I can tell him yer lookin' fer him."
Licking her popsicle, she tilted her head in confusion. She placed her cotton candy onto her ride, which then stuck to it, much to its frowning displeasure.
"Didn't one of yer friends get killed? Aren't ya supposed to be more upset or somethin'? Doesn't make sense that you'd be recruitin' more members when ya got a murder on yer hands."
She smiled smugly, as though she was talking about spilled milk, not human life.
---
Meanwhile, Elrond might see something strange from his position in the air.
Cinder had promised to Qi's summons that she would get some food for them, but she was doing something much different. In the midst of a large crowd, Cinder spoke to a figure dressed in a black robe, a robe somewhat similar to the one Susano-san had worn in the guild the day before.
Her face was stone cold. The emotional and caring mage was gone, replaced by a stoic woman, determined to finish some unknown task.
Cinder and the mysterious robed figure exchanged two small bags and began to walk away from each other.
---
"What's that?" Asmoday asked Jupiter. "You're not going to go?"
At his refusal, her eyes began wide and unblinking. She bit her lip until it bled. Whatever she was, she wasn't human or at least seemed that way. Tilting her head, she brought her hand down in one swift motion.
The room went black, even though it was in the middle of the day. In that moment, Jupiter would hear a multitude of sounds. A deafening BOOM echoed throughout the room. As it began to fade, Qi's four summons screamed together in one loud cry. Thuds sounded and loud breathing could be heard from Horse. It was hard to tell if it was either Snake or Rooster, but one of the women starting mumbling and begging for her life.
"Do you want me to do to you what I did to that girl and her pets?" Asmoday's voice suddenly emerged, whispering, as though she were right next to Jupiter. "I could kill you on the spot."
Asmoday was nowhere to be found. No matter how far Jupiter ran, he wouldn't be able to find her, anyone or anything but nothingness.
"I could also let you go, free of harm. All you have to do is let me finish the job on this girl. We needed her dead earlier but it seems we underestimated how long it would take her to die. Step aside."
Why would Asmoday need Jupiter's permission now? After all, if she had the power to do all of this, wouldn't she also have the ability to kill Qi on the spot?
The illusion gave way to a shadow of a figure who crept behind Jupiter. It pulled its arm back, as though preparing to strike him.
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