Arcalla

[The Unknown Ajah]

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What would Will do though?

Tiptus needs backup Szeth.

"Aspora, I presume?"

"Who else?"

"The king of Valor?"

He chuckled. "Fortunately, I am not. Why are you here, little assassin?"

[Mystic Syn]

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Ima just introduce Khusa now. Respond to this if you want.

Khusa Asou scratched down some words on a ledger, humming to himself. His fingers tapped against the desk’s surface as he did so, his eyes scanning over the ledger one more time before placing it in the completed pile. Khusa leaned back, stretching and popping stiff joints. The office was tidy, just how he liked it. Everything had their own place, even the small plants in the corners. The sun peaked through the curtains, and even that looked like it belonged in a place in the tidy office. Sure, he didn’t think he would be writing up ledgers for less than legal reasons in this clean of an office, but it was also the place where people thought of last.

The door creaked open. Khusa lowered his gaze and smirked at the newcomer.

Haro Salio––his secretary––pushed past the chairs with a platter with a teapot and cup. She brushed her short dark hair out of the way as she placed the platter in front of him, then wiped her skirt down. One of the best decisions he’d ever made was when he’d hired her. Without her, his whole organization and business would’ve fallen through years ago, and then some.

“Your tea, sir. And your two o’clock is waiting for you,” she said, grabbing his completed ledgers and turning to walk out.

Khusa quickly snatched her hand, holding it gently. “My dear Haro,” he purred, giving his signature smirk again. “Like the sun, you flee and leave me in darkness. You light up my life, leaving me to bask in your warmth before you undoubtedly leave me with only glimpses of that warmth from the moon. You know how much I appreciate you, especially when it comes to making sure I’m on time.”

She looked him over, raising an eyebrow. “You can’t con me like any of the customers.”

”Who says I’m conning you?” he asked, his smirk growing bigger.

“You have that glint in your eye.”

“What glint?”

“The glint that you’re up to no good.”

“‘Up to no good’? Why would I ever? All I am is grateful for your presence, as you give me life every time you come in.”

“And I appreciate you acknowledging the work I do–” She drew in closer, a smirk appearing on her own lips. “–but you’re going to have to try harder than that.”

“Who says I was trying, dearest?”

“You’ve been trying ever since I walked in the door for the first time.”

“And how could you not fall for me?”

“Because I’m not interested in looks, Khusa,” Haro said as she booped his nose, which only made his smirk grow. “I’ll tell your two o’clock you’re ready,” she added, walking towards the door.

Khusa only grinned when the door closed, leaving him in silence. Picking up his cup, he sipped the tea. One day.

The door opened again, and he lifted his gaze to see a suited middle-aged man with short black hair, trembling as he held his briefcase. Khusa raised an eyebrow, but stood up with arms open.

“Welcome, sir!” Khusa called out, then gestured to one of the empty seats in front of the desk. “Please, have a seat.”

“Tha-thank you, Mister Asou,” the man said, his voice trembling. He made his way and sat down on one of the seats, if hesitantly.

“My pleasure.” Khusa sat down, placed his elbows on the desk’s surface, and clasped his hands. “Now, what brings you here?”

The man ran his hands over the briefcase’s surface, his trembling eventually subsiding. “I’m here to give you some feedback,” he announced.

“Oh, feedback?” He poured more tea in the cup, looking up at the man.

“Yes. Concerning your business and perhaps what you do in the background.”

“Well, then allow me to go first, why don’cha?” Khusa smiled when he saw the man’s expression of speechlessness. “Your sales are at an all-time low. Barely any people come to for law-advising, let alone whatever else you’ve decided to sell to try and rake in as much funds as you can. Really what you get for having bigger competitors than your own business. Even with those funds you’re actually receiving, you’re embezzling them in an off-shore bank account under your own name––Lawve Klu––for yourself rather than helping your own business.

“You scrounge around for any dirt on small business’ like mine to blackmail them on your side, to get more money, really. It’s honestly a marvel you’ve managed to find anything wrong about my little store where I only sell second-hand clothing for a fourth of the price than what you would find at the really corrupt clothing stores… you know, the ones where they’ve had to pay you in particular to get off their backs and remain silent. Those funds go to buying yourself niceties or go into that aforementioned off-shore bank account for later.

“Don’t worry, I do my own research,” he said, smirking as he leaned back. “So, Mister Klu, what is your feedback? I’m more than willing to accept it.”

Lawve was at a loss for words. Many times did he open his mouth, but no words came out.

“Well then, Mister Klu–” Khusa leaned forward, his smile fading as the light dimmed slightly. “–if you ever come for my business and the people who work here ever again, you better believe that I will do more than give the information I just spouted off to the police. I know everything that goes on in the shadows, so don’t even try to hide there if you decide to try and take me down.”

The sweat on the man’s brow was visible, even in the dimming light. Lawve quickly rose, muttered his thanks for having the appointment with him, then leaving the room without another word.

Khusa leaned back in his chair, the smirk coming back. The light rose back to its original brightness as he turned to look out the window behind him, cocking his head at the roofs. Maybe his eyes were playing tricks on him.

[Szeth_Pancakes]

3 hours ago, The Unknown Aon said:

"Aspora, I presume?"

"Who else?"

"The king of Valor?"

He chuckled. "Fortunately, I am not. Why are you here, little assassin?"

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Espara, but sure.

Velen ran through the nobleman’s yard. They’d missed the change of the guard, so they had two options - do this quietly, or do it quickly and risk getting outnumbered. And they didn’t have time for the former. They reached the front door, which was guarded by two men, clad in silver armor, with a pin signifying their allegiance to the nobleman on their chest. Velen drew their knives, and while the guards fumbled with their swords, stabbed both of them in the throat. Velen removed their knives from the guards’ bodies, and sheathed the one in their left hand, pushing open the door. Four guards stood on the other side, but Velen made quick work of them, drawing three throwing knives with their left hand, and tossing them one by one at the spot between the three leftmost guards’ helmets and chestplates. Meanwhile, they ran at the fourth guard, stabbing him in his eye. They heard their throwing knives hit their marks with three wet thunks, and grinned. The reek of death beginning to take hold in the entrance hall, they ran towards where they knew Espara (Aspora?)’s rooms were. They heard guards yelling behind them, and ran faster. Stars damn you, Tip, they thought, drawing their left knife again. It was still coated in the first guard’s blood. They turned a corner, and saw Espara’s back. Thanking the stars that he’d not heard Velen coming, they leaped towards him and stabbed him in the back once, twice, three times with their right knife.

[Fallapede]

4 hours ago, The Unknown Aon said:

 

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My vague concept for Will is that it's about enhancing the body and mind, both short-term and long-term. If y'all don't like it, I'm happy to drop it.

 

[Szeth_Pancakes]

20 minutes ago, Fallapede said:

My vague concept for Will is that it's about enhancing the body and mind, both short-term and long-term. If y'all don't like it, I'm happy to drop it.

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Ah, ok. Doesn’t Spirit do that though?

 

[Fallapede]

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Does it? I'm not really clear on what Spirit is supposed to be

 

[Szeth_Pancakes]

20 hours ago, The Unknown Aon said:

Fadran uses spirit (and likely the others as well) to allow them to live a very long time, plus a host of other things.

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I got the idea from this post here.

 

[Channelknight Fadran]

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But...

I love OP RPs...

 

[Szeth_Pancakes]

14 minutes ago, Ookla the Lad said:

But...

I love OP RPs...

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I'm not saying it can't be OP! I just think Spirit covers basically everything Will does, so the latter's kinda pointless. I just don't think Spirit needs a counterpart. It's fine on its own.

Edit: Also, did you read my latest post? My character's definitely got some very OP knife skills. 

 

Edited December 5, 2021 by Ookla the Confused

[The Unknown Ajah]

2 hours ago, Ookla the Confused said:

Velen ran through the nobleman’s yard. They’d missed the change of the guard, so they had two options - do this quietly, or do it quickly and risk getting outnumbered. And they didn’t have time for the former. They reached the front door, which was guarded by two men, clad in silver armor, with a pin signifying their allegiance to the nobleman on their chest. Velen drew their knives, and while the guards fumbled with their swords, stabbed both of them in the throat. Velen removed their knives from the guards’ bodies, and sheathed the one in their left hand, pushing open the door. Four guards stood on the other side, but Velen made quick work of them, drawing three throwing knives with their left hand, and tossing them one by one at the spot between the three leftmost guards’ helmets and chestplates. Meanwhile, they ran at the fourth guard, stabbing him in his eye. They heard their throwing knives hit their marks with three wet thunks, and grinned. The reek of death beginning to take hold in the entrance hall, they ran towards where they knew Espara (Aspora?)’s rooms were. They heard guards yelling behind them, and ran faster. Stars damn you, Tip, they thought, drawing their left knife again. It was still coated in the first guard’s blood. They turned a corner, and saw Espara’s back. Thanking the stars that he’d not heard Velen coming, they leaped towards him and stabbed him in the back once, twice, three times with their right knife.

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Let's assume Aspora is the result of a slight accent.

It had not been luck that stopped Espora from hearing Velen. Tip had silenced them, allowing them to run unheard. "Velen, I'm so sorry, I was late, I thought I could do it myself--"

[Channelknight Fadran]

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Okay.

But... can we still maybe possibly perhaps have more than one magic system? If we don't I can make a new character, but if we can then that'd be awesome.

 

[Szeth_Pancakes]

11 hours ago, The Unknown Aon said:

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Let's assume Aspora is the result of a slight accent.

It had not been luck that stopped Espora from hearing Velen. Tip had silenced them, allowing them to run unheard. "Velen, I'm so sorry, I was late, I thought I could do it myself--"

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Alrighty.

Espara's body collapsed, and Velen jumped back. They watched the light leave his eyes, then turned to Tip, who was blathering on about something like "thinking he could do it himself."

"I don't want your apologies. Let's get out of here." Velen sheathed their knives and started running towards a window they could climb out of and make their escape. That had been sloppy - they wished they'd had time to do it better.

1 hour ago, Ookla the Lad said:

Okay.

But... can we still maybe possibly perhaps have more than one magic system? If we don't I can make a new character, but if we can then that'd be awesome.

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Definitely! I was thinking there could be something dedicated to crafting magical substances and devices. Like, anywhere between poisons and cars.

 

[Channelknight Fadran]

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YAY!

...so what the scud is going on?

 

[Szeth_Pancakes]

13 minutes ago, Ookla the Lad said:

YAY!

...so what the scud is going on?

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Velen and Tip are making a break for it. Khusa's just sitting around in his office, I think. But something's about to happen, so this would probably be a good time to be at the Espara inner manor.

 

[Channelknight Fadran]

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...I totally know what all that means.

Let's wing it!

Humming quietly to herself, Lina etched down notes into her spellbook. She referred back and forth between her writings and the small glowing shard of glass she had found in the shrine, referring to its energy level and type. Currently she was trying to approximate how old it was--she was thinning the line between one thousand and three thousand years.

[Szeth_Pancakes]

@The Unknown Aon

[Fallapede]

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Sorry if this is a bit weird, it's just an idea I've had bouncing around for a while.

Spoiler

Name: Sait

Pronouns: He/him

Age: 24

Nationality: Arcallan

Profession: Wandering Ascetic

Appearance: Shaved black hair, light brown skin. Clad in simple brown robes. His face and eyes are wrapped in cloth painted with the image several differently colored eyes.

Personality: Quiet, serious, and solidly determined.

Other Stuff: Highly nimble and agile, relatively physically strong. Uses Spirit to enhance his awareness through a technique called the Seven Sights, of which he has mastered the first three: Physical, Spiritual, and Internal Vision.

 

[Szeth_Pancakes]

11 minutes ago, Fallapede said:

  Reveal hidden contents

Name: Sait

Pronouns: He/him

Age: 24

Nationality: Arcallan

Profession: Wandering Ascetic

Appearance: Shaved black hair, light brown skin. Clad in simple brown robes. His face and eyes are wrapped in cloth painted with the image several differently colored eyes.

Personality: Quiet, serious, and solidly determined.

Other Stuff: Highly nimble and agile, relatively physically strong. Uses Spirit to enhance his awareness through a technique called the Seven Sights, of which he has mastered the first three: Physical, Spiritual, and Internal Vision.

 

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No, I like it! I added you to the PM we have.

 

[The Unknown Ajah]

2 hours ago, Ookla the Confused said:

Espara's body collapsed, and Velen jumped back. They watched the light leave his eyes, then turned to Tip, who was blathering on about something like "thinking he could do it himself."

"I don't want your apologies. Let's get out of here." Velen sheathed their knives and started running towards a window they could climb out of and make their escape. That had been sloppy - they wished they'd had time to do it better.

 

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Feel free to trap Tip, I can do something fun with it.

Tip ran forward and picked the simple push lock shoved the window open. Before he jumped out, he glanced behind him to check that Velen was following. 

[Szeth_Pancakes]

5 minutes ago, The Unknown Aon said:

Tip ran forward and picked the simple push lock shoved the window open. Before he jumped out, he glanced behind him to check that Velen was following. 

Velen grabbed Tip by the back of his shirt and yanked the back of his shirt, toppling him backwards. Then, Velen climbed out of the still-open window, shoved it closed, and pounded the metal base in with the hilt of their knife, rendering it un-openable.

Edited December 5, 2021 by Ookla the Confused

[Mystic Syn]

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Alright, alright. I’ll play with the other kids.

Khusa watched the city, clasping his hands together. The people below looked like little figurines that would be bought for little children, easily played with when doing it right. He tapped his fingers together, lost in thought as he surveyed his little view of the city. On the outside, it was a functional city that anyone would like to visit, but the people who’ve lived there for too long know that much went on in the shadows, in the little cracks and corners of the alleyways; however, those people didn’t do much about it, either because they were too afraid of what would happen if they did or they were a part of the organizations that worked in the shadows.

He paused, then looked at the time. “Haro,” he called out. “Don’t I have an appointment at two fifteen today?”

The door opened slightly. “Yes, sir.”

“And? Where is he? Show him in.”

“Uh. He isn’t here.”

Khusa blinked. He turned around to face Haro, an eyebrow raised. “That isn’t like Arke,” he muttered, bringing a hand up to his chin. “He’s usually on time.”

Haro walked in, her heels clicking. “Maybe he’s late,” she offered, stopping in front of his desk.

He considered her comment as he leaned forward, placing his elbows on the desk with hands clasped. Thoughts in front of him, Khusa searched every single one he knew about Arke. He let there be silence between the two of them, and Haro knew better to intervene. The more he thought, the more his brow knitted together. No, it wasn’t like Arke to be this late. He always was a bit early, if not right on time. They always had these sort of meetings, especially during the day. One of his most valued customers was missing, and he knew that he would just disappear without…

“Haro,” he said suddenly, “do I have any more appointments today?”

“No, sir.”

“Hmm. Knew there was something off.” Khusa stood up, setting his jaw. “I’m going out,” he remarked, then waved at the desk. “Take care of the tea, please. I’ll be back before you know it.”

Haro nodded, reaching down to grab the platter before Khusa snatched her hand again. She looked up at him, seeing him looking her in the eye with a smirk as he brought her hand up to give a small kiss on the back. Haro gave him a knowing smile, then gently brought her hand back to carry the platter out. She picked it up, then walked out without saying a word to him.

Khusa smiled and grabbed some things out of the desk drawer, then strode over to his coat hanger, grabbed one, and walked out into the city.

. . .

Walking up the steps of the manor, Khusa’s smile was gone, replaced by a serious stare. He regarded the manor, unusually quiet at this time. As he suspected, something was up or he would’ve met about fifty guards by now. Khusa continued his path, as if nothing was going on. He kept his hands in his pockets, continuing to look the building and courtyard over and over. There were some gardeners, yes, but they rarely acknowledged his presence. Besides, they wouldn’t know what was going on. Not right now. They weren’t told what had happened.

Khusa walked up to the door and rapped on it gently. Not much to his surprise, no one answered. He raised an eyebrow and started off in a direction to inspect the building.

[Szeth_Pancakes]

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Tip’s alone right now, so I’ll meet up with you and TUA can fill us in later.

Velen climbed down the side of the manor. When they reached the bottom, they unsheathed their knives and wiped the blood off on their trousers. They hated it when they forgot to do that, and the blood dried and stuck to the sheath. Then, they took off around the corner of the manor, and ran headfirst into Khusa.

Edited December 6, 2021 by Ookla the Confused

[Mystic Syn]

47 minutes ago, Ookla the Confused said:

Velen climbed down the side of the manor. When they reached the bottom, they unsheathed their knives and wiped the blood off on their trousers. They hated it when they forgot to do that, and the blood dried and stuck to the sheath. Then, they took off around the corner of the manor, and ran headfirst into Khusa.

Khusa snatched the stranger’s wrist and held it tightly. He looked them over, regarding the blood on their trousers and the knives, then staring straight into their eyes.

“So,” he said, his voice smooth, “it was you, wasn’t it?”

Edited December 6, 2021 by Ookla the Mystic

[Szeth_Pancakes]

3 minutes ago, Ookla the Mystic said:

Khusa snatched the stranger’s wrist and held it tightly. He looked them over, regarding the blood on their trousers and the knives, then staring straight into their eyes.

“So,” he said, his voice smooth, “it was you, wasn’t it?”

Velen punched him in the face, grabbed his shirt, unsheathed their left knife, and held it to his throat. "Tell me why I shouldn't kill you," they growled.

[Mystic Syn]

“Because if I were to disappear, the underground would stop at nothing to find and kill you. Not to mention that you would be dead before you could try.” Khusa gave his signature smirk. “I don’t doubt your abilities, far from it; after all, Arke is a pretty hard person to kill. But you shouldn’t underestimate mine.”