Faith in the Spirits Arc 1: To Align the Stars

[Ursali]

Alriana sleepily approached the dining hall, the last of the Tiger's to arrive. Last night had given her much to think about, so much so that even as relaxed as she'd been from her bath she'd stayed up well into the early hours of the morning. It hadn't helped that she'd slept in her armor, in the chance that Ingverd's provocation had spurred the crows into early action. From the harsh sound of glass breaking, though no panic, and Cinaed and Ingverd's voices as she approached the lizard assumed that they were already discussing the Crows. She was proven correct immediately as she entered, the source of the glass breaking thankfully only having been a drinking glass and not a window. Minor panic averted she moved over to the spread, sparing a singular glance at Ingverd, and grabbed a plate full of sausages and a singular pancake and took her seat at the table. If they were to fight the crows it wouldn't do have an empty stomach.

[mcd900]

Laniva nodded in reply to Alvira, caught in the middle of a bite, then sighed slightly hearing Cin's response to Tasha. "The food is definitely nice, yeah. And the ground doesn't shake under me every other minute here. Could almost mistake this town for being pleasant if you can ignore the people who hate us... which isn't possible anymore, if what he just said is true." 

She huffed slightly, propping her head up on the table with her arm. "No problem with work if it pays well... though it seems less like a serious job and more like stirring up some entertainment..."

[scorri]

"Can't imagine he'll be helping, not after calling it a test." Cin's response was muttered, likely meant for Syn's ears only as he sat near her, and he finally looked over at Ing, frustration creeping onto his face. "You deal with Rustal's hand yet, Ingverd? Can't imagine the cleaners here would appreciate coming and finding that on the table. Might have been nice for you to tell the Commander what you were planning on doing, but I suppose that would have ruined your game. But seems we'll dance to your tune. And Nyx is right. They're going to have Pure weapons. So us Clouded and Monsters need to be extra careful, as a warning."

He pushed back from the table, his appetite suddenly gone. He started to make his way out of the dining hall, not overly interested in dealing with more of this discussion, but he hesitated for a second by Renais. "Are you ok? That was... a significant reaction. I'll keep an eye on you during the battle, promise."

[TheRoon]

'O-oh...oh dear...an angry mob after us...' After she cleaned the mess she made she dropped the napkin and hugged her own arms. Her gaze fell on the table as she shook a little. 'The one day I didn't have my cloak...they surely saw me at the arena healing Alriana...are they going after me first? I...mm...' She was so lost in thought she failed to notice some slight blood trail off a pointer finger from her right hand.

"A-ah!" Cin stepped up and addressed the distressed pinkette, which only earned a yelp from her. "Oh Cin...you..." She turned to him and tried to pull herself together. "Ah...yes, right. I think we'll be fine. Just focus on the fight, I'll focus on keeping everyone safe..." She forced a smile, trying to reassure him. "Thank you."

[Bluemask 96]

Tasha had entered the room and suddenly things started to kick up considerably. First bandits coming for the tigers, then Ing enticing the more with the promise of pa- wait did he say hand? There's a hand in the mix? Why is there a hand in the mix?

Gean was still getting over her own situation from last night, and there were too many voices in the mix already. So she decided the best course of action was to get a bit more food now, grab her axe after this, and just be prepared for a LOT of racist assholes. No need to chime further in.

[Nanami Touko]

Cin was being... Pleasant. Ingverd sighed. "I will be present, Syndra. Someone has to keep the people of Eibar safe, so I will be doing just that. Wouldn't want innocents getting caught up in this very dangerous battle. Game indeed, Cinaed... Perhaps you're projecting? I'm taking this seriously. I hope you do as well-- And don't worry about his hand. I've still got plans for it~" Before anyone else could snip at him further, he picked himself up and made for the door. "Ten thousand gold, Tasha. That's the paycheck for killing them. So long as you can all survive, that is." A final smile at Cinaed and he was gone. He wasn't interested in putting up with someone being petty this early, and besides. They had their own preparations to make.

"Well... That's a lot of gold... I'm up for this. I wanted to kill that Rustal guy anyway..." Alvira stretched a bit before glancing back at Laniva. "If people are gonna hate us for being who we are... And go as far as to try and kill us over it, theeeeen... We just have to get rid of those people~"

Edited March 2, 2022 by Mel the DM

[GoldsbroTSG]

Miria had been eating but she hadn't missed the conversation. Apparently, a fight was on its way. With some mercs some of the other members encountered yesterday, who Ingverd egged on, and something about... a hand? Miria thought about her father, and how he was given guff for years by the random off-country visitor, who felt the need to badmouth him because he was a clouded.

Miria's brow furrowed, but she held a thumbs-up signalling she was good to go. Her face was still mowing down her plate. Good thing she was eating so well...

[Billy12510]

"Fucking coward. He kicks a hornet's nest and then ducks and lets us get stung and then he tries to just smooth it all over with gold. He'll get his one day." Syndra sighed. It didn't matter how pissed she was at Ingverd, it wasn't going to change the fact the Crows were coming for them. Nor would it change the resolve of anyone else in her group. "I'll go get ready I suppose. The Crows certainly picked the wrong group to fight with after all."

[MRDRHAWK]

Nyx frowned at the whole display. Really, she wouldn’t have cared much for the whole deal of Ingverd cutting a guy’s hand off, especially if he was a huge asshole like he sounded. But then, did he really have to do it in the middle of the night and get them attacked this early in the morning?

Changing gears, Nyx staggered her hungover ass towards Syndra and gave her a pat on the shoulder, as if to try and calm her before she too took off to prepare. Well, that didn’t work, probably. Time to check in elsewhere.

”Oi, lass.” Nyx swung her focus over towards the girl practically inhaling the entire breakfast table. “Y’seem real calm ‘bout th’ ‘ole thing. Or are y’jus’ waitin’ t’not choke on yer breakfast?” As if remembering that she was a human and in fact needed sustenance that wasn’t alcohol to survive, Nyx plucked some food from the table before adding, “N’try not t’eat too much, aye? Wouldn’ wanna hurl on th’ battlefield, after all.”

She spoke from experience, there. It was not fun, especially while trying to dodge blades.

[scorri]

Cin stared after Ingverd, the fire in his stomach flaring as the half-elf shot words back at him. Me? Projecting? How in the world am I the one projecting here? When have I ever once pretended that this was a game?? Without even really realizing what he was doing, he was out the door, chasing after the other man. Spotting him walking away, he angrily called out, "HEY! How dare you accuse me of treating this like a game? I'm not the one who went out and cut off a man's hand on a whim!" He stopped talking, taking in a deep breath, ready to continue his rant when his brain suddenly threw up a block. What was he doing? Syn's words, about Ingverd being a coward and ducking out floated up to the surface. That wasn't right though. He'd made that comment about Ingverd not helping if it was a test, but that wasn't what the man had said. And even though he had put them in this danger, it wasn't like he would lie about that, right? He would keep the innocents safe...

And suddenly he took a step back, both in his thought process, but also physically. "I..." He finally took a long look at what all he had said to the man in the last twelve hours. Every single thing, every single word, they had stemmed from him assuming the absolute worst intentions. "I..." No wonder the man had snapped back. Who wouldn't? He'd been ready to fight all the Crows himself back in the arena. Just because Ingverd had forced the Crow's hands, or, well, hand, didn't mean that he had put their group in any more danger than they had already been. So why was he so mad? "I haven't been fair... I. I reacted harshly. Because of the hand. And..." He sagged, his lack of sleep starting to catch up with him again. He slumped against the wall, staring at his hands. "You weren't wrong. About me setting people on fire. And all of that. But I just... I was so mad. That you put us in danger, but we were already in danger, so that's not it. Not really. It's... The hand. That seemed like such a cruel thing. Just to make yourself better. They were going to attack us anyways, Ricardo said that. And I..." He slowly looked up at Ingverd, eyes shadowed. "I guess I had this idea of who you were and that shattered. I still don't think what you did was right. I still think it's going to make them come at us worse than they would have otherwise. But that doesn't mean I have the right to act like I did." He really was right about me. I really am just a naive greenhorn.

[Nanami Touko]

He was already out of the door when Cin started shouting... Against his better judgment he slipped his head back in to glare at the dragon, waiting for further snipes and pettiness. To be fair to Cinaed, the projecting comment had been made solely to piss him off. It had no basis and clearly wasn't true, but anything would do to needle back.

There was Syndra too. Could she not hear? Maybe she'd been off drinking with Nyx. He didn't much care to correct her, his patience already spent, getting ready to... Hah?

Cinaed had doubled back on his words. What, couldn't handle the fire? Well, not quite. It seemed more like he was reflecting on his overreactions rather than doubling back on his feelings. Ingverd smirked, stepping back into the inn enough to speak with just Cinaed. He wasn't whispering, so if anyone else listened in, he didn't mind.

"I'm not a good person, Cinaed. I'm often hired to kill people. I deal in information and government secrets. I took Rustal’s hand because it made me feel good. Sure, I gave him an ultimatum first. Laid out a set of questions and demands for him to answer first, and if he had, he could have kept it! But I knew his arrogance wouldn't let him. I knew he'd be giving up his digits either way~ So yes. I cut off the man's hand to make myself feel better... Because even I have my limits towards this inane discrimination I face because my ears are pointed. Disgusting people. He deserves worse than what I gave him. I only hope you all can give it to him~"

Ingverd was all smiles, his expression cold and unfeeling despite the curling of his lips. "Let's not get things twisted, though~ I haven't lied about a thing to any one of you. No one can trust a spy that only deals in lies, so I make it a habit to speak truthfully no matter what... So I will be out there. And if any of these Crows make the mistake of crossing me, I will end them. Do take care now, my dear Iron Tigers." With a bow and a turn, he was gone, for good this time. A sigh left him as he walked along the city's cobbled roads. 

"You're too sentimental, Ingverd... You've been away from a group like this for too long. Stop getting attached."

[JakezuGD]

Right, well, things were suddenly very eventful, and were soon going to be even moreso. Outbursts aside, and possible disagreements about how Ingverd had set this up for them, he was certainly correct in that they would have to be able to deal with combat with minimal preparation. And he was paying them to do it, which really was all that was needed to begin with. "Alright, simmer down and get prepared. We're mercenaries, we fight for money, and that's what he's laid on the table for dealing with a bunch that sounds better dead anyway. I wouldn't mind punching a hole in someone who thinks hiring a guy like Rustal is a good idea..." Natalya grit her teeth a little, the brief encounter she'd had with the man just watching Alvira fight being enough to tell her that she wouldn't regret taking this fight.

She eased up to go grab her own food. She'd have to eat reasonably fast, if she was going to get something in her before go time. "He's right anyway. Even if he set us up this time for a more immediate fight without asking, we won't have any forewarning of an attack in Islexia, and that's when seconds start to matter. Best get used to fighting when we're not ready for it." With speed rivaling Miria's in devouring what she'd gotten, Tasha proceeded with haste, now with a clear enough timeframe to make. The Evokers again didn't seem to be present... but even though that was likely just not being morning people, it did play into Ingverd's little test as well. They'd show him Tio and Elisa's assistance wasn't needed for this.

[Bluemask 96]

Tasha had spoken, and seemed ready to lob some heads off. That was all the confirmation Gean needed at this point. Having finished her plate, she downed the rest of her drink and made her way out of the dining area. On the way she passed by Cinead and Ingverd, both at odds with how events were unfolding, but again it wasn't her place to cut in. Having given the two a quick glance, she made her way back to her room and began getting her armor and axe ready. Well, what better way to work off breakfast than by working up a sweat eh?

[scorri]

Cin felt his legs wobble underneath him, and he quickly sat down before he ended up on the ground under less controlled circumstances. He stared out after Ingverd, thoughts whirling too quickly through his head. On the hand, it still made his stomach wrench, the thought of that hand up in their room, just casually tossed out there. Ingverd unaffected. No, enjoying it even. A man trained to kill, trained to spy, getting some relief through the action of maiming someone else. But on the other hand, uncomfortable thoughts surfaced, his hands covered in flames, growing to encase his arms, his chest, anger powering his moves. The knocking off Rustal's mask off, exposing the scar-ridden face. All to make himself feel better, to humiliate a man who had thrown insults at him just because he was born with some scales and a tail. How different then are you? You let your anger control you, Ingverd did it to make himself feel better... Just like you did.

He groaned, holding his head, headache starting to form. He was too tired for all of this. All this complicated nonsense. It had all seemed so easy yesterday. Beat up a racist. Know that the racist's friends would likely come try and kill him in return. Be ready to defend himself and the group. Why did the addition, subtraction?, of a hand make as big of a difference as it had last night? Dad... was it really that simple? It couldn't be. But maybe it was... He growled, forcing himself to stand up, glad for his tail to help keep the balance as he did. He didn't have time for this right now. Ingverd's actions... Maybe they were justified maybe they weren't. Maybe his anger at the man was justified, maybe it wasn't. But right now, he didn't have time to sort it all out. After the battle... No, after the battle and after some sleep. He could try and figure it all out then.

[Mercenary on the Winds]

The hotel clerk had a bit of a cocked eyebrow at everything that was going on. There was something about a hand, and then something about the Crows? Oh Criminy... What have they gotten themselves into? He shrugged, and went to cleaning; what happened was none of his-- Suddenly a hooded man with a bow across his back entered the hotel, and made a beeline for the desk, ignoring Cinead entirely. 

"You. You have a group of clouded mercenaries staying here, don't you?" The man drew his bow on the clerk, "We know the beasts are here... and the Crows have come to exact payment. Bring them here." 

"W-w-what?!" The clerk put his hands in front of his body, eyes slamming shut, "I, they're here! But, but, please don't harm me! There, that's one of them! I swear to you, whatever happened is on them entirely. Quiet Harbor has nothing to do with their... tomfoolery!" 

The hooded man turned to Cinead, "...Dark skin, red and gold scales, tail, heh, the tall dragon. The Crows are here to pay you monsters back in full for what you've done to sub-commander Rustal, and cleanse the port of your filth! Commander Darlunya issues you fools a challenge, one you can't refuse--You're already surrounded, and the only way for you to escape... is to die on our weapons. Welcome to the slaughter. You, your friends, and the Lufirian will all die this morning!" 

The clerk merely slid into the back, and turned every lock as hard as he could.  

[Nanami Touko]

Alvira had watched the exchange between Ingverd and Cinaed, not paying it too much mind; she agreed with both of them on some points, but more with Ingverd. Whatever he'd done to stir up these Crows, she'd have done if she had the power. At least he was throwing his weight around for something good. She was about to continue eating when someone came in and started shouting about the crows surrounding them... "Guess it's time we get started."

She groaned and got up, leisurely walking towards the entrance. It wasn't hard to spot who the bad guy was, the cloak the bow and the bullshit coming out of him. "Cinaed! Duck!" The ice had already formed in her hand, the chunk getting tossed towards the man's head!

[scorri]

As soon as the cloaked man entered, Cinead knew their time was up. He stood up, ready for the message he knew was coming. The clerk quickly pointed him out, something Cin could hardly blame him for. The Crows were a danger that he wouldn't expect any normal citizen to stand up to, so the Tigers were going to have to do it for them. All he could hope is that the innocents would stay safe and that Ricardo would find a group to fill the power vacuum after the Crows were gone. The archer approached him next, as the dragon Clouded stood tense, exhausted, but ready. The message was exactly what he expected. "Mmmm, some sort of filth will be cleansed, that's for sure. And I think we have a return message for you."

He was starting to call forth his flames when he heard Alvira call out from behind him. He quickly ducked down, fire gathering around his foot instead of his fists, before popping up and slamming his foot into the man's chest. The Crow went soaring backwards, flying through the doorway of the inn, thankfully not breaking the door off its hinges. "If you're still alive, tell your boss we're coming right behind you! It's time for the crow infestation in this town to be cleared out."

[Ursali]

Alriana had eaten quickly as Cinaed and Ingverd had their little spat, or at least whatever was left of it, as she gobbled down her sausages in record time. The crows would be upon them 'fore long and she couldn't deny the anticipation building in her chest to sink her daggers into Rustal's neck. She wouldn't have to wait long it seemed, a cloaked man entering and delievering the challenge they were all waiting for. She'd have risen to deal with him, but between the two dragons the man was probably finished. 

"Look like time for breakfast over. Time to remove trash."

[TheRoon]

The ruckus at the front of the inn concerned Renais. She saw Cin go after Ing and thought the Crows had already arrived to cause trouble. She got up and rushed out. 'Oh no...it's already happening?' She ran in to see that her concerns weren't needed at all. She just saw her friend kick the rude man out of the inn. '...well, he certainly had that coming.' She took a look between the dragons. After a performance like that maybe there was nothing to worry about. 

'Everyone's getting ready to fight...and here I am cowering in fear...' She bit her lip in shame as her eyes turned to the side. 'What would Liza say if she saw me like this...If I can't prepare myself I might let everyone down, I'm the only healer...' She held her own shaky hand and settled down a little. "I guess at this point breakfast is done now."

Edited March 5, 2022 by TheRoon

[MRDRHAWK]

Well, shit.

Nyx figured she had more time to eat, or at least wake up more from the wicked hangover she had, but alas, the Crows had other ideas. She groaned loudly at all the loud noises pulsing through her head as the other Tigers sprung to action. Honestly, she had half a mind to just lay on the inn floor and ignore the whole thing, but those kids needed her. Maybe. Probably.

Nyx groaned once again as she slowly clambered to her feet, legs unsteady as she propped herself up with the aid of one of the chairs in the inn. Regardless of the pounding in her skull, she had a job to do, and hell if she’d let these birdbrains escape her arrows.

”Aight, ye featherheaded fucks. Y’wanna make some noise early? I’ll make sure y’git plucked n’ stuffed like the turkeys y’are.”

[Billy12510]

The noise the dragons were making were enough to snap Syndra out of her rage. "They'll regret thinking they can cross us and get away with it. Let's tear them apart!" She took off to aid her companions that were leaving the inn to face off with the Crows.

[Mercenary on the Winds]

The hooded man didn't even have time to properly react, taking a brick of ice to the head, and then a foot to his chest sending him flying. A roll, or two later, he groaned as he forced himself to his feet. He looked around at his compatriots, "...We got our answer boys, hah, it's time to take flight. Oi... one of you tell the boss, that kinda fucking hurt..." 

---

Darlunya rolled her broad shoulders, and pulled the large blade off of her back. "It's been long enough. The monsters should be on notice by now. Fly! Remind the port that this is our roost, and that hellspawn are not welcome! ...Rustal!" 

The one handed man stopped, and turned to face her, as the other crows took flight into the city. "Commander?" 

"You'll stay with me for now. If that Lufirian Knight is still around, I want you to identify him."

"...Of course, Darlunya." 

"You're sure that's what he said, yeah?"

Rustal nodded slowly, he couldn't forget anything from that night. He'd played every word, from every person over again in his head. Sleep had been impossible. 

"Probably a pretender. Likely nothing to worry about... even if the cowards have come out of their shell, what exactly are they to do? Well, you know the plan, Rustal. Don't screw up." 

Rustal hefted his pure blade onto his shoulder, "I'll kill every single one of them before they make it this far. Then Ricardo." 

MAP 2 START

Please select your starting positions!

Objective: Defeat Darlunya 

Mastery: Defeat all of the Crows, and fight Rustal with all of Cinead, Alriana and Lani! (Rustal does not have to be defeated by these three, but all three must fight him at least once) 

Reward: 10% off all shops after completion of the map!

 

Edited March 5, 2022 by Mercenary on the Winds

[Nanami Touko]

“Now, let’s see… Around here… Knock knock~” Ingverd had hurried towards the restaurant, dodging the incoming patrols of Crows, hoping that Karin was in, this early. Typically, kitchen prep needed to start very early, but she was a waitress; he had no idea if she assisted with that… His fists hit the door. All he could do was hope.

Karin had arrived fairly early to work; she didn’t mind being around early to help out with setting things up. She’d been doing it long enough that she’d grown fond of it, and she could always count on it being quiet. But the knocking at the door was incredibly unusual. Really, ever since speaking with Ingverd, everything had been unusual. “Hello? We’re not open yet. We’ll be open by lunch time, come back then.” She slowly wandered over to the door, kind of expecting that whoever it was would leave.

“Good morning, Karin!” Ingverd was happily loud in his reply, hand on his sword, worriedly looking behind him. “I don’t need you to let me in, but I do need to talk with you for a moment~”

“Ingverd?” Karin scrunched her nose a little, trying to preemptively figure out what he could have possibly been here for. “...What do you need to talk with me about? Is it about last night?” 

“... Sort of?” He was a bit short of patience, sighing a little. “The Crows are out in force and I wanted to make sure you and your kitchen crew were safe…”

“Wh– the Crows?! Why would they–” Karin remembered something off handed that Ingverd had said last night, the possibility of taking the Crows out. “...You didn’t have anything to do with this, did you?” She paused for a moment, and shook her head with a quiet groan, “It’s really just the three of us for the most part, and everyone’s already here… But if the Crows are out here, there are a lot more important people for you to be worrying about, aren’t there?”

“They can handle themselves! I owe it to the people of Eibar, and you, to keep the unaffiliated out of trouble… So if you don’t mind, I’ll be loitering here to make sure no one tries to do anything stupid during all of this… That’s fine, I hope?” He could hear her worry, it almost made him laugh. This same woman would’ve been fine ignoring him the previous day had they not spoken. “As for my involvement… Let’s say I’m heavily involved~ The Crows are a blight and need to be removed.”

Did… Did he provoke them into this? After what we spoke about? Or… Karin pulled herself from her thoughts. “Y-yeah, that’s fine. But… why specifically me?” The concern was audible in her voice now, her face almost touching the door. Why on earth was this clouded man protecting them? Karin felt it inside of her, she knew why, but she almost couldn’t believe it. “You… were serious about that.” 

“You know why you, Karin… Of course I was serious. So, I’ll keep you and yours safe today. The last thing I want is for you to get in trouble because of another Clouded… Right?” She could probably hear him smirking, turning his back to the door, sword sliding out of its sheath. “Alright… Let’s do this.”

Karin took a step back, why didn’t she believe that he had been serious? That had been the moment at which he’d been the most genuine, the moment when she’d told him why she just wanted to stay away from the Clouded, and then when he explained why he even cared enough to ask. She heard the unsheathing of the sword, and Karin could only utter the words, “Good luck,” under her breath. And left a tear as she moved towards the kitchen to tell the others to hide. Perhaps she hadn’t been wrong all those years ago. 

Ingverd spawns at 12,11

"Alright, Crows! Fresh Clouded, right here for you! Come and get him!"

---

Alvira got a lay of the Crows as she rushed out of the inn, all smiles, her good day staying good so far. "So... Who's getting it first?"

Alvira runs off to 8,10 with a chunk of ice floating in her claw~

[Bluemask 96]

Gean had left her room right as the Crow messenger received the twin dragon assault. "Awww and I wanted first blood~". Strolling outside it seems they had quite the welcome waiting for them. "Wow, such a grand welcome party. You guys must have made some big waves last night." With a small swing of her axe, she got a bit more serious. "Well Tasha, shall we take care of this pest problem?"

[GoldsbroTSG]

Scarfing down what was left, Miria watched as everyone began either hiding, or the Tigers getting ready for battle. She found herself an off-side room, empty... Sneaking inside, she took a deep breath. "Okay, let's do this." Miria pulls her gem from her necklace, holding it tight, and focusing, and soon, there was a glow and Miria was in her armor. Unclipping her helmet from herself, she quickly also had it on. Running out of the building, she joined the rest of her squad. Taking a quick observation of the situation, she noticed the men towards the port. That was her first move, holding that side.

Miria moves to 2,8