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Post by Mise™ on Nov 30, 2013 11:31:56 GMT -5
"Even if the Virtues' posters did not look like them, I would have no way of knowing it. I was just a kid when the Great Holy Knight was killed. I do not know what the Virtues really looked like, maybe this Lian really did look like me, but that would be nothing but a coincidence. I have not forgotten anything, there are no memories that I am missing. My name is Ylin, I'm 23 years old, I was born in a tiny town called of Rean. I arrived here 5 years ago, hurt and penniless and then father Tys took me in. He inspired me to become a priest. I will be starting my journey back home tomorrow as now I have completed my training. I will set up a church there." To Ylin to truly be Lian one of his statements must be false, either he had forgotten something or he really did know more than he claimed to. "I'm sorry, but I know nothing about these sacred treasures of yours. They look interesting, but that is all I could say." It would appear that this discussion was getting nowhere. With questions like these the two Virtues would not get much out of Ylin. Lian's treasure would have been a glass eye that Ylin did not have. His right eye was closed, sure but even if he were to open it it was nothing but an empty socket. As the three were talking the rain just kept on getting worse and worse. --- Meanwhile rookie holy knight Ardyn kept on running across the streets of Stardust to the place where he was supposed to be and it took him a few minutes, but eventually he got there. The place Ardyn was going to was a house, swarming with holy knights like him both inside and in around it in the streets. "You're late again." One of the knights standing outside said to Ardyn. "I'm sorry. But as you should know there is always need for me to serve justice. Too bad there is only one of me." Ardyn replied as enthusiastically as usual. "Whatever... There is no need for you to be here at all. We already completed our mission and caught Lian. He will be thrown to jail and executed in a month or two."
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Post by CJ on Dec 1, 2013 12:53:21 GMT -5
"A mistake's been made here, Arx."
M looked absolutely devastated by Ylin's response. It was embarrassing and depressing. She wanted desperately to keep persuading him otherwise but it seemed hopeless. Despite the near exact similarity to their friend and comrade, she had to respect his insistence that he truly wasn't him. It didn't matter if he was honest or not, Father Ylin did not want to be compared to Lian and they had to respect that.
"Please accept this apology for bothering you like this. You deserve your privacy, Father Ylin. However, you should at least have an umbrella over your head. You're out in the open. Would you mind if you were escorted to wherever you needed to go?"
She twisted her umbrella a bit, making the colors spin around. Drops spun about them, unfortunately maybe hitting Arx a bit with water.
Blinking, she realized she almost forgot something. She smiled sincerely.
"Oh, and congratulations on starting your new church."
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Post by Hitotsumami on Dec 2, 2013 12:00:12 GMT -5
Arx kept the same smile on his face that he always had. He listened to what Ylin had to say and what M had to say. Finally, he gave a small nod.
"If I know anything, it is to have patience and the answers will come to you."
Arx knew that Ylin used Lian's time powers, but he kept quiet for now. He knew there was something he wasn't getting, some key that would connect all the dots. But for now, he didn't have the answers, so he'd be patient.
"Yes, M and I would be happy to accompany you out of this rain."
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Post by Mise™ on Dec 2, 2013 14:30:46 GMT -5
"Please do not worry about it too much." Father Ylin tried to cheer up M, but was not quite sure what he was supposed to say in a situation like this, not many people would be. "I appreciate it. I'm going to the church to pack my bags as I'm leaving tomorrow, after this rain stops... Or actually I will go see the fallen star before I leave. There really is nothing like that anywhere else." Reading between the lines it would appear that Ylin lived at the church and did not actually have a home of his own here. The journey to the church did not take more than a couple of minutes. If M or Arx still wanted to ask something from Ylin they would have to be pretty quick about it.
---
And so soon enough they would get to the church, which was just your average run-of-the-mill church, likes of which can be found in just about every town in this kingdom and the next.
"I guess this is goodbye then.... Or maybe we'll meet again." Ylin said as he looked at M and Arx and then walked to the door. "I suggest that you two find some place to stay for the night as I doubt this rain will stop anytime soon and there really isn't much to do here while it's pouring like this... Also the fallen star isn't the only miracle of this town. After heavy rain like this stops something very unusual will happen." And after having said that Ylin entered the church leaving the two behind in the rain. If the virtues were to look for a place to spend a night, like Ylin had suggested, they could find a inn just around the corner or another one a bit further away. Or maybe they could find some other place to rest. Or maybe do something else altogether...
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Post by CJ on Dec 3, 2013 11:51:26 GMT -5
"Goodbye, Father Ylin,"
M tried to hold back tears as Ylin left them. But as the door closed, they started to pour down her face like the rain. She would never say it, but she really missed her friends and companions. She was grateful to have Arx, but things wouldn't ever be the same without their other friends, including Lian.
Wiping her face, she tried desperately to hide her sadness from Arx. She looked down as the rain pounded over their heads.
"Did any of the other people here mention a second miracle?" she asked. "Perhaps someone at an inn might know. Ylin's suggestion to rest might be for the best."
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Post by Hitotsumami on Dec 4, 2013 14:37:59 GMT -5
Arx's smile, for the first time, turned to a frown as he saw M crying. He placed a hand on her shoulder to attempt to comfort her.
"Do not cry, M," he said. "Have patience. Trust in time. We will find Lian, I am sure. We will find all of the Virtues. And then, finally, we can redeem ourselves."
He then began walking in the direction Ylin told them the nearest Inn was, and he guessed M would walk along with him.
"As for the second miracle... No, I am afraid I have not heard anyone speak of it. The only miracle I heard of was the meteor. Perhaps they are connected in some way? I guess our only option is to stay in the Inn for the night, and perhaps the rain will cease tomorrow and we will get another hint to just where our dear friend Lian is."
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Post by Mise™ on Dec 4, 2013 16:41:56 GMT -5
The Virtues of Humility and Diligence had went to the nearby inn to spend the night and as the morning would come would they discover the other miracle this town held since the rain had stopped. They could see it right away by just looking outside through the window in the room. Or rather they couldn't see it, or anything else really and that was this so-called miracle. The town was covered in a very thick mist and with a naked eye a person would barely be able to see their feet and tall people like Arx shouldn't be able to do that either.
The mist did not just cover the town of Stardust, but the entire crater, outside of it thought people should be able to see just fine. All the mist was gathered down here. Many people would argue that the holy rock was certainly more of an impressive attraction than this mist. Maybe that's why the citizens didn't really talk about this too much. The mist was just a huge hassle.
During the night the news about Lian being captured by the Holy Knights had began to spread and when the morning came half of the town knew of it and the they were sharing the news with the other half. It shouldn't have taken Arx and M long to hear about this. As long as they kept their ears open they probably wouldn't be able to leave the inn without having heard the news at least a couple of times. The news travelled surprisingly quickly in this town, considering that hardly anyone was outside last night when it was raining.
If they would leave the inn they would notice that the mist did not affect the daily lives of the locals too much. There were still quite a few people walking otuside like usual, just moving slower and more careful than they usually did.
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Post by CJ on Dec 5, 2013 11:29:06 GMT -5
Standing in the fog, M looked rather dull. She could have been mistaken for a simple citizen, not the leader of one of the greatest criminal factions of all time.
However, her normally calm expression was twisted into a fierce anger. She clenched her fists, trying to keep her emotions subdued.
She kept her head down next to her fellow virtue.
"Arx," she muttered. "What if Ylin was mistaken for Lian? If people saw him talking with two Heavenly Virtues, it would only make sense that he would be suspect."
For the first time that morning, M looked to Arx directly.
"What you think of this plan? You go to the crater or church to see if Ylin is alright. The priests seemed to trust you so they'd be able to tell you if something happened. Then, whether or not you find Ylin, seek out the Holy Knights. Regardless of whether or not they have Lian, they will witness Superbia's Wrath today."
She clutched and twirled her mask in her hands. Normally it was attached to her backpack but now she couldn't seem to take her hands off it.
"Speak now if you would rather do something else, Arx. Your input would be appreciated."
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Post by Hitotsumami on Dec 5, 2013 12:45:57 GMT -5
It was morning, and Arx stood outside next to M in the mist. They'd both heard the rumors, about Lian being captured by the Holy Knights. It was quite troublesome indeed.
"It could be a mistake, and they took Ylin instead," said Arx, nodding. "That is possible. Or, it could be the real Lian. I shall take your advice and go back to the meteor, and if Ylin is not there, then I find the Holy Knights, and make them return to us."
Arx tightened the belt holding the turtle shell to his back and watched calmly as M twirled her mask in her hand. "I have not seen you wear your mask in quite some time," said Arx, smiling. "It will be a shame if I miss it, but I will go now."
Arx waved as he entered the fog. "Let us meet again soon, my friend, and then let us hope we have our companion Lian in our company."
And then he vanished into the fog.
---
It took more time than Arx wanted before he eventually found the meteor. The fog was so bad that it made it difficult to find his way through town, but he finally found it.
He approached the bride, and if there were any guards there, he'd ask them if Ylin was anywhere around.
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Post by Mise™ on Dec 5, 2013 15:34:33 GMT -5
Not a whole lot had changed by the gates guarding the holy rock. There were still strong looking monks standing there. The monks were different from yesterday, thought. Not that it was easy to tell due to the mist. Even the great holy rock was not visible outside the gates. "Father Ylin? He was here a moment ago. He went to take a look at the fallen star and then left. After that he said us goodbye and told that he will be leaving this town now." A surprisingly casual appearing monk, guarding the gate, spoke to Arx "If you move fast you might be able to catch up whit him. I know it's pretty hard to see out here... But only thing you have to do is follow this road. It's the only one that leads out of this town so Ylin must have went here aswell." It would seem like father Ylin was fine and not captured by the Holy knights. Arx knew where to find the young priest if he were to make haste. However was there really any point of meeting with him again? --- The local Holy Knight headquarters wasn't very impressive, just a two store high brick house that didn't look any different from the ones nearby. The only way to tell it was their base was by the fact that a lot of knights could be seen both in- and outside of it. It really would seem like that they had just taken over this building when they arrived to the town and decided that this was to be their makeshift base. There was only one door to the building and that was heavily guarded. Through the various windows of the house more knights could be seen. Some of them seemed serious at work, but most of them seemed like just killing time. One window by the back of the building was different from the others as it was just nailed shut. If someone were to, somehow, see inside there they could see a very dark room it was a dark room with a man in chains and nothing else. He was the only prisoner there, it must have been Lian.
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Post by CJ on Dec 5, 2013 16:57:58 GMT -5
M walked past the Holy Knight headquarters, only glancing at it from the corner of her eye. She tried to stay as inconspicuous as possible. The leader of the Seven Heavenly Virtues never liked to bring attention to herself so it was pretty easy. Ironically, she only brought more attention to herself when she talked because of her refusal to ever use first person pronouns or any language to draw attention to herself.
Drifting around the back, she noticed the darkened window. It was clear where she should go.
Something odd would happen, but only if no one noticed M doing it. As she approached the headquarters, she proceeded straight into the cell. If the Holy Knights didn't notice her, she would walk right through the wall in front of the chained man. If they did, she would smack into the outside wall and not be able to go through.
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Post by Hitotsumami on Dec 5, 2013 17:02:58 GMT -5
Arx listened carefully to what the guards had to say. When they finished, he gave a small bow. "Thank you for your information. You have assisted me in ways you cannot yet understand."
He then gave the meteor one last look, or at least where he knew it was since he couldn't see it through the thick fog, then spun around and ran down the road the monks had shown. He could join up with M where the Holy Knights were, where they had been told Lian was being held, or he could go after Ylin.
He chose Ylin. Arx could not get over what had happened to him the day before. He was sure Ylin had used a time ability, a power only Lian had. This was a mystery he could not put to rest. He hoped M could handle herself, but with her mask, he was confident in her ability.
And so he ran down the road as quickly as he could, hoping to run into Ylin as soon as possible.
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Post by Mise™ on Dec 5, 2013 18:02:12 GMT -5
"You're welcome." The laid back monk looked a bit confused when Arx thanked him the way he had done. Maybe meeting with Ylin really meant so much to him. Either way he was glad that he could be of help. It would take Arx a while of running to catch up with him, but eventually he would once again meet with father Ylin, who was carrying a heavy looking baggage with him. By this point they were safely outside the towns borders. There were no one but the two of them here. At least it would appear so, but with the mist around you could never be too certain. "Oh. Good morning." Ylin greeted Arx when he was finally able to see him. "Like I told you yesterday I will be starting my journey back to my hometown today. It will be a long road, but I do not mind. Well then enough about me. Where are you going and why are you in such a hurry?" --- M's attempt of sneaking past all the Holy Knights ended up being successful, that must have been the third miracle of Stardust since the house was swarming with the knights. On her way M might have noticed her old buddy Ardyn playing cards with his comrades. He wasn't doing very well though. The cell was dark, very dark. It would seem like it had just been a normal room before, but now all it had in it was a man in chain. "Who are'ya? Why are'ya here?" the main spoke quietly so that the guards outside wouldn't hear. His eyes were already used to the darkness so that he could tell that M probably wasn't one of the knights. "I'm Lian, but ya probably already knew that since you're here. Haha..." The man claimed to be Lian, but something was clearly wrong. Chains like these would have never been able to stop Lian. He was strong, outrageously so and M should have known that better than most. Lian would have had no problem escaping here. If he ever were to get caught in the first place. It was hard to tell with the darkness, but the man didn't look that much like Lian either. He had an eyepatch and a scar on top of his right eye, but the scar was nowhere as gruesome as the one Lian had. And the way he spoke wasn't like Lian either.
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Post by Hitotsumami on Dec 5, 2013 21:33:12 GMT -5
"Ylin," said Arx after he finally caught up with the monk. He caught his breath then pointed back towards town.
"Please, listen to my request. I know we have only known each other for a day, but I believe you are a very special person, even if you do not believe it yourself."
He then revealed some very alarming information.
"It is true that I am one of the Seven Virtues, and M is as well. This is not a trick or a lie. One of our companions, another one of the Virtues, the Virtue of Patience Lian, has been captured by the Holy Knights. I am sorry for trying to convince you that you were Lian, but I need your help now."
He looked back towards the foggy town. "Please, help me get Lian back from the Holy Knights. You owe us nothing, but I promise I shall return the favor. You are going to your church, correct? I do not say this often, but I believe your desires can be put off for at least one day. What do you say, my friend Ylin?"
Of course, Arx still suspected something was going on with Ylin. After all, he had witnessed him perform the time altering ability. So if luring Ylin back to town would solve that mystery as well, he'd be happy.
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Post by CJ on Dec 6, 2013 10:50:19 GMT -5
"M," she said with a frown and pointed to herself.
Crouching down, she went to examine the man's features. Unlike with Ylin, M was most certain that this man couldn't have possibly been Lian, despite the similarities about him. Of course, this was as great of an assumption as she had for Ylin, so it might have been wrong.
She was disappointed that it wasn't Lian but was grateful that Ylin was still safe. However, the importance of the situation did not change.
"You need to get out of here or they'll kill you," she whispered. "In order to do that, you must trust a beast to carry you out of here. Would you do that?"
M stood and tightened her grip on her mask. She looked to the cell door, then back at him and frowned sympathetically.
"You're not the Lian associated with the Virtue of Patience. They've mistaken you for him. You don't deserve this so please cooperate."
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