Faith in the Spirits Arc 1: To Align the Stars

[Billy12510]

"A natural defense mechanism. If people don't bring up their pasts they can keep them buried. Either to, protect or distance themselves from the pain of those memories, or to protect the ones they care about from said memories. We think our pasts will come back to haunt us. Maybe that's true but, that's only if we just choose to let our pasts completely define who we are." Syndra went to look at Nyx. "From what you've told me about yours, well... hmm..."  There's an easier way to say what I'm trying to say... "I only know the Nyxied that's one of the Iron Tigers. The one who stepped up to be someone a person like Aegean could rely on, one who made her feel safe that she could reveal her secrets to.  The Nyxied who can be relied upon even if the outside world doesn't believe in her. And also, the one person here that I happen to find very, very attractive." Syndra just decided to be open, hoping it was the best thing to do. "I'm sorry if keeping parts about me secret upset you. So I want to just be honest with you from now on, anything you want to know about me, I'll tell you."

[Mercenary on the Winds]

Persica opened her mouth to reply when a blue haired woman walked over, and started speaking, almost as if Persica wasn't there. Nyx seemed to take immediate notice of her, and there appeared to be a tiny bit of animosity between them. Something about keeping things from her. Persica looked about the room at all of the various people. Not a one looking like their life was identical to the other. Though, it seemed like her part in this conversation was just about over, as the blue haired woman responded with a fairly charged response to Nyx's complaint. Both an apology and an admission. It didn't feel right to eavesdrop, nor to poke her way in further. She smiled at the two, "I have other things te check on... ...The two of ye seem te need te talk." Persica stiffly nodded before she ventured off through the room. 

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Once everyone had gotten there sparse fill of food and conversation, the Tigers began making their way towards Sarasin's manse. At least in the early morning, the heat was hardly anywhere near as oppressive as it threatened to be later in the day. The trek was, however, a little long and winding. If nothing else, the manse would be incredibly easy to defend in the event of an actual assault. As they started to approach the summit where Sarasin's manor awaited, it appeared that someone was waiting. In such a manner that it was impossible to miss them. Whether it was specifically for the Tigers or anyone on their way up or down, was anyone's guess. 

[Bluemask 96]

Gean had filled herself up relatively well at breakfast before the group began their trek up towards the manse. The path was long, a bit too long in her honest opinion. Sure it made protecting the place easier but for trips to town and back it seemed of poor taste. "No wonder it took Sari and the Evokers so long to get here." The mermaid said out loud, not worrying about anyone hearing her. Luckily for her, the heat hadn't set in yet and she brought an ice pack with her just in case, it'd be best if she didn't turn into a liability with how far they had to trek.

Gean had noticed the person waiting in front of the manor, although she couldn't tell who they were exactly. So she took the next best action and chose to wave to the person on their path.

[Nanami Touko]

One more stop before their departure, then... Alvira squeezed Tasha tighter and then let her go, yawning a little. "Hokayyyy... If we're going soon, then I should go get those ice packs ready... An' pack my clothes and stuff." Alvira stretched and slowly turned to get her stuff... Tasha cuddles could come later. There would be a lot of them...

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As the group made their way towards Sarasin's manor, a certain individual had gotten herself ready along the path, setting up shop. Several tables and stalls were laid out along the road, and each table has a very specific layout of weapons and tomes, items, artifacts... One stall was completely magical improvement items, all incredibly rare and hard to find. In front of everything stood a very happy and smiling woman, her purple hair flowing out behind her, the white curtain of hair underneath it peaking out around her neck and shoulders. Dressed in a tight robe with her hands hidden in the sleeves, four beautiful and bushy tails gently swayed out from behind her, all purple with white at the tip.

"Greetings, mercenaries~! My name is Mikoto, and I welcome you to my pop-up shop~" She bowed, deeply, as the group approached. All the tables were listed with their prices in gold amounts, all exceedingly expensive, but there was one poster that read: 'Discounts to be discussed, willing to go as low as sixty six percent off~', tilde and everything. "I meant to set this all up last night, but you were so very tired from your altercations with the knights... I felt it better to catch you along the way in an attempt to... Showcase, my various goods. Feel free to look around, touch, even practice wielding what I have to offer~ However, if you break it... you buy it. And any attempts at thievery, well... Hmhmhmhmh. But, surely, your mercenary company is honest and I have nothing to worry about~"

Mikoto's Wares:
- Dragoon Rifle - 20,000G
- Hands of Gaia - 30,000G
- Mythril Weapons (no dagger/wire) - 15,000-20,000G
- Haste and Fortify for 15,000G and 20,000G respectively
- Aura, Nosferatu, Fimbulvetr, Excalibur, Bolganone, each for 13,000G
- Any stat booster (except speed booster), each for 10,000G

- Any purchase can be discounted down to 66% off for a trade. Discuss with Mikoto~

Edited August 11, 2022 by Mel the DM

[scorri]

Cin walked along with the other Tigers, hand firmly wrapped around Siorel's hand, the short dancer still glued to his side. He wasn't upset by this development, rather quite happy to have her walking right next to him, though it still left him slightly baffled at how insistent she was at being so close to him always. He'd been mostly distracted by glancing down at the lizard next to him, but his attention did get pulled in by the merchant set up right in their path. Still holding Siorel's hand, he moved closer to the wares on display, glancing through them before looking up at the fox. A strange sight, a type of monster that he'd never seen before, dressed in a mostly unfamiliar outfit to him, but he still asked, politely, "Good morning ma'am. Quite a set of items you have here. Quite expensive wares you have. How would we go about getting that discount you've mentioned? I'm surprised you're willing to offer such a steep discount." He glanced over the magical items, inspecting the jewelry with a close eye. It wasn't quite what he was looking for, but depending on the price and the discount, it might be worth considering. And while the gauntlets were quite impressive, even with the discount, they were far from affordable for him right now.

[JakezuGD]

Though it was maybe a little less than she'd have wanted, Natalya happily ate what she could, not before a little pet for her lovely dragon, of course. They'd been expecting to meet the lord of the manor either way, but perhaps there was more to it now that the knights had occurred in the evening.

Said manor wasn't far enough to need the carriages, and they'd probably be better off not trying to bring them this much uphill for not much of a stay. But on the way was something that immediately brought a suspicious frown to the tiger. "Oh boy, here we go again." The fox from yesterday was back, this time making a whole show about what she had for sale, and it certainly was a lot. Most of it things that looked beyond anyone's ability here to use, the impressively large and ornamental rifle and axe included for herself, for which any amount of discount would be ridiculous to ask for. The magical items seemed more reasonable, but... "I asked you before, what's the dog buried in this? There's no sane reason a random wandering merchant would have all of these, let alone offer such a discount. Something about this whole offer reeks and I don't know what." There's also the other thing Elisa said... No reason for us to act on her terms, at least not yet.

[Bluemask 96]

Gean was still her usual happy self upon the fox merchant's introduction, and the wares before her were appealing for sure. The weapons and magic would do nothing for her personally, but the accessories did seem neat. Gean then heard Tasha say a set of familiar words that made her stop. The phrase 'dog buried' was something she had heard her 'mom' say before, and whenever she did use it, it usually meant she found something fishy. "Are you perhaps acquainted with the Lord here miss?"

The fox lady sure was... unique. Gean had never seen clothing much like hers before, and it was quite obvious that most monsters and Clouded stopped at one tail not four.

 

Edited August 11, 2022 by Bluemask 96

[Nanami Touko]

Siorel peaked over at the wares that were being sold, rather impressed with some of them. She didn't have a penny to her name, but maybe Cin would be interested in some of them? "The discount is a little suspect, but the items are solid... You want something, Cinaed?"

Alvira had already picked up some of the items, eyeing a little sack of powder, trying to discern how authentic everything was. The fox had said they could touch, after all... "Mmm... I think these are all real. Or at least, if they're fakes, I don't have the magic power to tell otherwise. Where'd you get all of this...?" Alvira was just poor enough to be unable to afford something even with a full discount, though the concept of a discount on such rare things didn't sit well with her. It didn't sound like it sat well with Tasha, either.

"I've collected it all during my travels~! I've been all around the world, after all." Mikoto smiled and bowed slightly at Alvira, before turning her eyes to Natalya, still holding her poker face perfectly. "The discount is a trade, of sorts... There's no pretty way for me to explain this, so allow me to finish before you make your judgements or remarks. Ahem..."

Mikoto slowly paced over towards Natalya, looking her over. The tiger was taller than her, certainly healthy, definitely strong... Not strong enough, though. "For such a discount, all I'm asking for is... A little bit of your life's energy. That sounds drastic, surely... But, what I would take amounts to no more than a year. Now, as I'm sure you'll agree, none of us know when we'll die. You could die in ten years due to your line of work, twenty years due to illness, thirty years due to an accident... Or live all the way up to a ripe age nearing one hundred before your life finally leaves you. All I ask for is a single year of that time... And since you don't know when you'll go, what's the harm? You're not losing something tangible enough to reasonably count... And I get to keep selling my wares for another year longer. Certainly, such a small exchange for such a large, large discount, surely... You can see the worth?" She'd finished her pacing around Natalya right next to her, giggling a little and returning to the front of her stall.

Alvira... Could see the sense, though she was unsure why this fox wanted this... Life force. She didn't seem dangerous, but she wasn't flinching even slightly from all the questions. A strong poker face, perhaps too strong. "Mmm... Is there anything you want, Tasha? Even if I find it a little suspicious still, she makes a point. We're mercenaries, and this line of work is dangerous... A year off of the end of things versus the chance to survive to it with something here to help us. That sounds too good to be true? Is that really the only caveat?"

"Of course~!" Mikoto nodded, tails wagging for a moment. "The magic won't even work on the same person twice, so I couldn't take more than a year from you, even if I tried~ This is a foolproof process, I swear it upon my tails... I've been doing this for quite some time, after all."

 

Edited August 11, 2022 by Mel the DM

[scorri]

"Mmm, maybe. They're quite expensive though, so it depends on the price..." Cin looked down at Siorel, giving her hand a small squeeze before returning his attention to this Mikoto as she began to explain. His curious expression quickly turned somewhat horrified and he quickly shook his head. "Nope. Sorry, but no. You have to be kidding. Trade away a year of our lives for, what, a discount on a magical item? When we're already risking our lives every day? What if we're fated to die in a year and you just yoink that year away?" He wasn't really convinced that was how this all worked, or even if that was how anything worked, but he couldn't help but argue against it. Just the mere idea that she could take away a year of life from him or the others... He turned away, back towards the rest of the group. "We should probably keep moving. We're expected up at the manor after all."

[Bluemask 96]

To be completely honest, a number of things were flying over Gean's head right now. Life energy? And it equated to discounts? She didn't quite get it, but Alvira's point did bring Gean around a little. There was a strong chance that they were gonna need to get stronger soon, and opportunities like this don't come often. Unfortunately the mermaid was... strapped for funds.

"Um, not sure if I'm buying anything yet, but are you interested buy taking something from us in return? I got this shield recently that seems weird enough to fit in this shop. How much could I get for it?"

[Nanami Touko]

Mikoto didn't like that, no one bit. Her eyes turned to Cinaed and for a split second she glared at him, maintaining her smile all the while. Siorel thought she'd caught it, but the fox seemed so pleasant... Maybe she was just tired.

"Ahah, I see I've confused someone~" Mikoto left Tasha's side and moved closer to Cinaed, still poker facing it up to the high heavens. "This isn't a contract of 'fate', my dear boy. Everyone has a certain lifeforce within them. Voima, is the term... It's an old subject, quite old. You'd have to visit the libraries of Lufiria to really read any literature on the subject, but... Basically. Every being has an average life span. You could live to... Let's say, one hundred and fifty years old, my young dragon... With this arrangement, instead, you live to one hundred and forty nine years old. I do not know when you will die. As I said, this isn't about fate... If you were meant to die tomorrow, and I took away a year from you, you would still be alive tomorrow to meet your fate. I am not bringing you closer to your destiny, so to speak~"

Siorel seemed to get it... She wasn't exactly on board, but it was way less dangerous than Cinaed had made it sound. "So... What, do you do with this life force, this... Voima, once you take it?"

"I absorb it, of course~ A year from you is another year for me... I'm quite attached to my life, so I'd like to keep living it! Finding treasures and playing merchant is plenty fun~"

At that point, the mermaid spoke up, offering an odd magical shield to the fox. Mikoto picked it up and looked it over, tilting her head, her ears twitching. "Five hundred gold... That would be worth purchasing this item. It's a bit detrimental to the user, but I'm sure I could find someone that wishes to purchase it... What do you say?"

[scorri]

Cin turned back to Mikoto, though not in time to catch her glare, and listened, patiently, before shaking his head. "So it's not as dangerous as I thought, but still not something I trust. I'm sorry, but a strange person offering ridiculously high discounts on what are clearly extremely rare items in exchange for a, what, potential year off the end of my lifespan? No, no thank you. There's nothing showing that you aren't lying in some way or that you aren't using these years for something dangerous. So forgive me, but I simply don't trust you." He smiled at her and then turned to the rest of the group, letting go of Siorel's hand as he did, not wanting to drag her along if she wanted to stay. "I'll be heading up to the mansion. Obviously I can't tell you all what to do but... Be careful. And think long and hard before you casually trade away something as precious as part of your life. Please." He cast a pleading look at both Alvira and Gean, both of whom had seemed to be considering dealing with the fox, before turning away from the fox and her wares and starting back up the path. "We are expected up there soon though, so do remember that."

[Nanami Touko]

And what would you know, you little shit, acting like you're above me because I have rare things for sale, because I use some strange magic, what do you know!? I bet you can barely cast elfire, what a failure of a fire dragon, you wouldn't even make for a SNACK, you SPECK, you FILTH, how DARE you try and remove this chance from me, how DARE you...!?

Mikoto's smile twitched ever so slightly, bowing towards Cinaed as he left. "My dearest apologies, young fire dragon... I am aware that my magicks might come across as suspicious or dangerous, but, I've been completely honest with all of you. Should you have any further questions about the safety of such a transaction, I would be happy to answer them, of course... No matter the question. I simply ask that you truly give it a moment of your time. Mercenaries need all the edge they can get in combat, to stay ahead of their competitors~ Perhaps one of you can afford a purchase without discount! I'd be plenty happy to sell something without an exchange of life force..."

Alvira noticed Cinaed's glance, waving as he left. She didn't share his reservations, not when her siblings were in such danger. She needed all the strength she could get and these magical items were incredibly rare. The fox didn't seem like she had spun any lies and had been rather open about her reasons for wanting lifeforce... There was probably something else behind the curtain, but, what? If all this could do was extend her years of living, what did that mean? Alvira couldn't come up with anything. Surely the world would know about some dangerous fox woman if she was a threat. Especially Lufiria. They were pretty lock and key about magics being abused. "Mmm... I can... Almost afford something. Would you be willing to go for a... Seventy one percent discount?"

Mikoto stayed where she was next to Gean, looking over at Alvira with a sad smile. "I'm afraid I cannot... It's already such a fair price, for so little. Surely someone of your group could sponsor you a few hundred gold to meet the discount. Hmm~?"

Alvira sighed, looking around, first at Tasha, then at Cinaed leaving, then Lani. Maybe one of them would...

Siorel didn't share Cinaed's suspicions; there was plenty of weird magic in Lufiria, even her own magic was quite odd. She didn't have any gold to purchase, but looking things over couldn't hurt. She approached the tables and began to window shop, idly picking up a thing or two here or there.

Edited August 11, 2022 by Mel the DM

[MRDRHAWK]

Nyx had… a lot on her mind. Especially with Syn deciding to just throw it out there that she thought Nyx was attractive - which, normally, would have had her elated. But considering the timing, it seemed more like she was just trying to placate Nyx for something, rather than being particularly genuine, and that made her sour. Coupled with the fact that Persica had seemed sad when they left, and the fact that they were still in a country she was probably a wanted woman in…

Well, it made for a pretty shit go of it at the moment.

Even then, she still had to wrack her brain to remember the fox lady from earlier - but when she finally did, she let out a yelp. “Aw, fuck nah. I saw ye fuckin’ eat a lad earlier, n’even if he was wit dem racist shitheads, it was still pretty fucked up. M’nae buyin’ what yer sellin’.” Plus, she probably couldn’t afford the year off her lifespan as it was, considering she’d already died once. Not to mention that some quick math meant that even with this supposed discount, Nyx didn’t have the money to buy anything anyways. Oh well.

[Nanami Touko]

"My apologies for defending myself against an, as you put it, 'racist shithead', attempting to kill me. It was a nosferatu spell, Ma'am. Any dark mage worth their salt knows that it steals the life force of the target. I simply compacted his life force and absorbed it the same as any skilled mage could. Hmph. All of these accusations when I've been nothing but kind and open... I approached your group because you all seemed like people that could use the assistance, but I can't run a charity, of course. I'm sure your leader understands that everything comes with a cost..."

[MRDRHAWK]

Nyx could practically feel herself about to storm off, especially at the Ma’am thing, but it would have just made things worse. And hell, pretty much being here was making things potentially worse as it was, so starting shit with a roadside merchant wouldn’t help any. And besides, freaky as it was, she did technically help them in that fight, so…

”Aye, my bad… Look, m’sorry, missum, ‘ve just ‘ad a bit of a bad go of it lately. Ain’t yer fault, so I shouldn’t take it out on ye.” Nyx scratched the back of her head, also sheepish in her admission. Although the fox still concerned her, especially with how strong she seemed to be. If she could just do that to someone like she’d seen, what else could she do to the group?

”M’still pretty sure I couldn’t buy any of yer stuff, though, even wit’ yer discount. An’ I prob’ly can’t afford that, neither, considering how I nearly died meself way before I even met any of these folk.” Which was something she still needed to talk to Tasha about, too. Damn, things really weren’t looking up for her anytime soon, were they?

[JakezuGD]

If anything before wasn't suspicious, all of that was more than enough to cover for everything else. Not that Tasha understood particularly well how magic, much less this kind that apparently only Lufiria even knew about, worked, but instinctively the idea of being able to just... Transfer life force, seemed particularly frightening. And there was how afraid the knights had been of her...

"You know, it's more the idea of putting a money value on a year of someone's life that I find disagreeable. But that's hawkish merchant types for you... Always looking for a way to get into your purse more efficiently." A few of the others had already voiced their own disapproval, but she could leave them in their own value. This wasn't something she wanted to bar wholesale from people if they wanted to entertain the fox, exceptionally shady as it seemed, and there was Alvira, trying to do just that, looking back at Tasha with a small short on money issue.

She sighed, before walking up to the dragon and putting a hand on her shoulder. "I get it, I'll give you the rest of what you need, if you've got your eye on something." She turned to look at Mikoto, "On one condition... You'll show me exactly how you do the thing with life force. I might not agree to the methods of an Easy Harry like you, but unless you give me some reason to believe it does anything besides what you already explained, I won't stop anyone else from doing business with you, that way or not."

[Nanami Touko]

"Apology accepted," she bowed gently towards Nyx, groaning mentally, but it seemed like she was getting somewhere with the other dragon. She gave the shield back to Aegean for the moment, not willing to miss a potential sale.

Alvira felt a little sheepish as Tasha and Mikoto both came over, staring up at the tiger with a small bag between her claws. "This will improve my magic if I use it, so... I'd like to get it. I'm a dragon, already, so I'm gonna live longer than most of you. One year barely even registers on my life span..."

"What a smart girl~ You've got the right of it. If you're certain, then," Mikoto spoke and a small blue flame erupted next to her, a quill, ink, and a contract forming from within it and then floating into her hands. "Please sign this."

"Sign?" Alvira was startled by the sudden flame, slowly taking the contract and the quill.

"Yes. Your name~ It's just a little bit of safety for me. I've had dissatisfied customers before, but you know how it is with small businesses like myself. No refunds~"

"I, I didn't plan on asking for any refunds." Alvira signed her name and handed the scroll back to Mikoto, the fox smiling even wider.

"Worry not, Miss Natalya... I won't shy away from showing you the entire process~" A hand was then placed against Alvira's collar, Mikoto closing her eyes and focusing. A small... Force, began to gather in front of the dragon, Alvira staring down at it both in fear and mad curiosity, watching essentially her life force leave her body for a moment. As it extended out of her, a tear drop shaped amount suddenly pulled away from her and flew to rest in Mikoto's palm, the fox slowly dissipating the visible, grey, wave like aura coming out of the dragon, as Alvira fell back into Tasha, breathing heavy. "You'll feel quite tired for just a minute... Try to stay still, deep breathes."

"R-Right, whoa... That was... I, Insane...!" Alvira felt exhausted, but true to Mikoto's word, as she breathed and rested against Tasha, she began to feel the sensation going away. Something intrinsic to her being had just been removed from her. She could feel it, though the sensation was getting duller the more her exhaustion faded. "You're so powerful..."

"I like to think I am~ Thank you for your patronage... Enjoy your product, and please leave the gold upon the table next to where you picked it up." Mikoto then brought her palm to her mouth and put the tear drop of energy into her mouth, swallowing-- Immediately a wave of magic washed over her, a light flashing along her tails as they bristled slightly. "Mmm... Delicious~"

"D-Delicious, huh..." Alvira wasn't sure of this woman, but the magic powder was hers... Being stronger would make her able to keep everyone safe. That was what mattered.

 

[MRDRHAWK]

Nyx had to admit - the way it was shown, with it really not looking like much, was pretty fascinating. She’d never known much about magic, or anything like that, but seeing it in action was something else entirely. She’d probably ask more about it regularly, were it not for the mages in their group either disliking her or…

Nope, not thinking about that right now.

”I gotta question, actually. Is there a way ye can see life force, without takin’ any? An’ see how much ye got left o’ it? M’mostly jus’ curious.” Depending on how she answered, and the potential for a follow-up question, there might be something Nyx could get from the fox after all…

[Nanami Touko]

Mikoto shot Nyx a quick, bored glance. "As I've said twice already, no. I cannot."

[Bluemask 96]

Gean took in the whole sight before her. There were a few who voiced their concerns, but also a few that still held interest. The shield was at least worth something to the merchant, but even then Gean wouldn't have the funds to make a sale, discount included. "Um, would this sale price remain at a later date? I'm not fully sure if the shield is worth parting with or not. Sorry, it's not that I doubt you, I'm just strapped now, and might feel bad if the other's helped cover the cost for me." The merchant's answer would determine Gean's decision, and she seemed mostly amicable, even if the small shifts in her smile were slightly unnerving.

[MRDRHAWK]

Whoops, maybe Nyx should have actually paid attention initially instead of getting out of her funk. Fine, maybe something else then, as Nyx leaned in closer to the fox and whispered something in her ear. “Aye, well… can ye use life force tha’s already been used? See, I told ye I already nearly died once, n’to be honest… I kinda wanna fully forget about all that. If ye can’t, tha’s fine, but… jus’ wanted t’know.”

[Nanami Touko]

"Ah... Well, magical items do depreciate in value over time... As well, it's a shield. Should it take damage in combat, it would obviously be worth less. I can't promise you the same offer, should we meet again... But it all depends, so we would have to see~"

This Nyx woman finally brought up something interesting, though she seemed confused. It was an ancient topic, so these simpletons were sure to be bemused by it at times. Mikoto gave her a smile of pity. "So long as you're still breathing, your life's force, your Voima, will remain the sake. Nearly died, horrible wounds, none of that matters for how long you'll live, assuming a healthy life and proper care... Even someone that has a heart attack isn't dying because their life force ran out. Think of losing all your Voima as, dying of old age. Your body's last gasp~ So that wouldn't cause an issue, no."

[Bluemask 96]

Gean pondered a bit more after Mikoto gave her the answer about the price. Sure this would probably be the best deal she could get for this shield, but she also hadn't really gotten any milage out of said shield.

"I think I'll hold on to the shield for now. Thanks for the appraisal though. I'll make sure to build up some money for you should we run into each other in the future. Or life, I guess. By the way I like your dress Ms Mikoto."  Gean didn't leave just yet, choosing to window shop some more. 

[MRDRHAWK]

Hm. Not exactly the answer Nyx was hoping for, but maybe she’d worded the question wrong. Still, she was kinda hogging the fox from doing her business, so she decided not to press further. It was probably a stupid idea anyways - just because she didn’t remember, wouldn’t mean others would forget too. Besides, then she’d forget about the good she did for Persica then, and…

Well, that wasn’t something she was particularly willing to do after all. “Huh. So really, yer jus’ usin’ a Nosferatu spell in a funky way, izzat how ye do it?” Nyx was still curious about the eating it thing, though. “Do ye gotta eat it, or are there other ways o’ takin’ it in after ye pull it outta someone?”