Graded [Ryken City] The Rusting Blade of Ryken

[EMIYAman]

Jean Heng​

Jean takes in the information the senior adventurer gives her. It wasn't ideal admittedly she had been hoping to receive funds as soon as possible, hard pressed for resources as she was constructing was impossible. She had forgotten what it was like to be so bereft of materials. She slouched a bit in her chair and her tail grew much less animated she didn't let how dejected she was show on her face but despite her excitement about the potential of this new world she was experiencing something akin to withdrawal. Jean found it quite troublesome. Well that was an understatement to her it was more akin to hell which each passing hour she felt uncomfortable and jittery without something in her hands. Rifling through the junkyard only staved it off for so long. Jean sighed lightly then put herself back together. "Alright I can work with that. So what must I know about the job, any leads?" She interlaced her fingers under her chin while leaning in and looking at the man. "Right, I suppose I should introduce myself as well. The names Jean, Jean Heng."

 

[II-CinderRadcliff-II]

Cinder Radcliff - Carpenter

Location: Beyond the Gates of Ryken

Cinder seemed to only grow more frustrated at the situation, though the interruption brought about by the arrival of another had caught him a bit off guard. With the brief opportunity granted to him by her arrival he took a moment to cool his jets and try to look at the situation more objectively, crossing his arms as his mind replayed the situation up until now. Although both he and the giant had very valid reasons to oppose the adventurers blunt and inconsiderate methods, he couldn't completely fault them for being cautious with a monster. Even his world had monsters that held ill intent. With a sigh he looks to both the adventurers and the guards, lightly kicking the ground with what little frustration he had pent up. He still thought that the adventurer was a racist low-life that bought his way into what should be a reliable guild, but it seemed words alone wouldn't convince them to take a less egregious path.
"Then this is where I must part ways, may we never meet again." Cinder retorted to the man before lobbing a glob of spit onto the ground, mouthing his apologies directly at the guards for having wasted their time. He looked up at the giant and gave a gentle wave goodbye, but not before opening his mouth again. "It's been a pleasure meeting you, sorry I can't stick around to help out more." Before he hopped back onto his horse, he gave Poppy a bit of a smile; his feet striding past and lifting him up onto his Clydesdale. With a gentle whip his horse trotted away with the wagon in tow, making his way down the street and towards one of the many vendors he had business with.

Silent Angel Vexumin Elvario

TEMPLATE © BOKEH​

 

[Vexumin]

Reception room of the Adventurers Guild - 08:46



The man offers a smile. "Well met, Jean Heng. My name is Lathryn Goddard. I am sect leader of the city defensive forces in regard to the those provided by the Adventurers Guild. Ultimately, I am what you would consider a warden of sorts. Warden over the safety of Ryken. However, I don't enjoy going under such titles, so feel free to refer to me as Lath." He grins and moves off to the side. He sorts through some papers upon a desk before picking one up and looking over it.

When it comes to the documents that Lath has, it is a rather thin stack of paperwork. Nonetheless, he looks them over as his best chance of solving his problems. "Now then, the job. We are experiencing hardships concerning our ordered and payed for goods. When arriving from overseas, our trade ships go up in flames. All goods, tools and weaponry are henceforth unable to be retrieved. The reason for this being that they are not found with the wreckage. We assume they are being stolen sometime before they get anywhere close to the port and then before the ships can reach their final destination, they are set ablaze to taunt us or to make us appear weak in the public eye." Lath seems to speak of this all in a casual manner, not all that bothered by the issue, or at least that is the face he is putting on.

"We already have reason to believe that someone from the Merchants Guild is responsible, but when dealing with troubles concerning the Merchants Guild, we must be very cautious. If we make one wrong step around our allies among them, it could ruin our relations. Ryken is strongest when our two guilds work together, so we cannot make any movement against any particular organization yet."

Lath raises a brow looking to Jean. "Any questions about what needs doing? It'd probably be safe to find a lead before anything else. Then we can pay you and we can ready for the next step of the job."

---

Beyond the Gates of Ryken - 08:47

Things were only growing more tense, but everyone seemed to have eyes for the two new arrivals to the city as the cause for it all. Not only were they trying to continue this pointless back and forth with a man who was only doing his job, but they would not relent. People would start seeing them as trouble. One of the man beside the adventurer in the center would breathe a sigh. "These are the Newbloods that Sir Lath had found? They seem like they're more trouble than they're worth," he says, crossing his arms. It only seemed like a new argument was on the rise, but before anything more could spiral further, a knight stepped into the clearing from an alley. He stood between both parties and puffs out his chest. "That is quite enough!" His words echo through the main street, making sure all can hear. He points a finger at the man whose actions had started this all.



"Tahl, we still need to work on your hasty decision making!" the white haired knight says with a stern look on his face. The rogue who had tried to snatch Poppy raises his hands. "Breyen, I was only trying to be quick about getting the monster off the streets. I had no idea she was going to start screaming her head off." The knight Breyen shakes his head. "Then endeavor to be more gentle with your craft, Tahl. I know you can do so, I have faith in you! As for the rest of you, back to work, I shall take things from here." Guardsmen and adventurers alike began to clear. Some of the civilians remained only to admire the knight, he must be a popular man in this city.

He turns his head, spotting Victorique among his allies and offers a smile. "This way, friend. I believe you will be very important concerning our current crisis!" If she approaches, he would turn towards the giantess and the doll, walking towards them. His voice remains with Victorique for a moments time. "I am sorry you had to deal with those unsavory villains, miss. However, your bravery inspired me to assist. You found something yes, that is why they pursued you?"

As Breyen approaches Rachael and Poppy, he lowers, taking one of the dolls hands before scooping her up, carefully holding her in a single arm. "You have nothing to fear, little miss. I assure you that no harm shall befall you. I know your friend here is to thank for that as well." Breyen looks up at Rachael. He doesn't smile, but his eyes reflect a respect towards the woman for protecting Poppy despite all odds. "A valiant defender, however, try not to be so hard on my friends and allies in the future. They only do their jobs. We must be careful about monsters. We have had them enter in the past, seemingly harmless, only to cause destruction to our homes. There is a reason we wield the black orbs to detect unsavory titles." Breyen looks to Poppy, his eyes are soft. "I will vouch for this one upon my reputation within the city. I shall be responsible for her no matter what comes to pass. I have faith that she will not cause trouble. Now then, let us catch up with your friend in the wagon!"

Before anyone could respond, Breyen was already running with Poppy in his arms towards the moving wagon, and despite the weight he carried with him, he caught up quick. With a small leap, he clings to the side of the wagon, swinging a bit so that he might see Cinder. "I would ask that we all go to the adventurers guild!" Breyen says suddenly with eyes locked on Cinder. "I am Breyen Camfieldt with the Adventurers Guild and I apologize for the behavior of my allies. Now let us all go to the adventurers guild, post-haste!"

Breyen, on a quick note, seems like a very energetic individual, though he does not often smile, keeping a stern expression on his face, his eyes are very passionate and easy to read. He is an open book with a single glance. He does not seem like a bad individual, not in the slightest. In fact, he could be seen much like Rachael. Overprotective of others, but not letting hardships evolve into a place where common ground is unachievable. He is also mildly impatient, always trying to get the ball rolling towards a certain destination. At this moment, he seems keen on getting everyone to the Adventurers Guild, and he will not settle for anything less than all of them, judging from the look in his eyes.

 

[Elvario]

Victorique Sopheana
​

Interactions: Cinder II-CinderRadcliff-II | Rachel Silent Angel

The giant bunnygirl kept arguing with the adventurers and guards, but considering that meant she didn't have her eyes set on Victorique, the halfling plopped down on the ground alongside the road to rest for a bit. Her legs felt sore and she had only just started to regain control over her breathing. She saw the man with the cart drive off without too much more of a fuss, so she figured whatever the issue was about was mostly settled. That said, none of them had reacted when she told them Breyen sent her, which likely meant that she'd ran into the wrong people.

She was just about to get up and look around some more when her knight in shiny armour himself apeared. The conversation between him and his subordinates gave her a lot more of an understanding of what had occured, but the 'why' of it remained a mystery. The latter didn't change when Breyen gestured her to follow him and 'explained' some things. Well, she'd cut the person who saved her some slack and skip any snarky remarks she was inclined to make. Other than one, perhaps, as she simply couldn't abstain from making a remark about it. “It's not often someone considers a girl running for her life an inspiring act of bravery.”

Having allowed the one remark to slip past her lips, she quickly adjusted her tone a bit and continued. “Anyhow, I did indeed find something; the name and brand of a merchant guild stealing supplies from the adventurer's guild. My name is Victorique, by the way. Thanks for saving me.” The loosely related sentences were uttered with some pause between them, as she was trying to get a better grasp of whom she was dealing with. All in all, he felt like a goody-two-shoes and a bit of a simpleton, but neither of those was necessarily a bad thing.

She was snappped out of it when Breyen told them to catch up with the wagon. “Huh..?” Her legs were absolutely killing her, but she apparently had to start running again. This clearly wasn't her lucky day. If all days in her new life were going to be like this, she was going to need to build up the stamina and leg muscle of an Olympian athlete just to keep up. She hadn't even had time to light up her pipe! With a mixture of grumbling annoyance and painful discomforted, she somehow got her legs to start running again. The combination of the words coming from someone that saved her life and the fact that the very people he saved her from might still be hiding somewhere nearby was enough to make her a bit more agreeable in chasing after the cart.

She caught up with the cart with ease, albeit painful ease, yet realised that was where the next issue started. The cart couldn't go full-speed in a city, so it was possible to keep up with it by walking alongside it at a quick enough pace. With the length of her legs, that quick enough pace turned into a jog. However, she really wished to rest her legs for a bit, which she could if she'd get onto that cart like Breyen did. The latter required solving an ancient riddle. How did the halfling get into the riding cart? She had no clue.

She was fast, but not the most agile and she had no experience whatsoever in jumping onto a moving vehicle. Perhaps she should just risk it? Surely it couldn't be too difficult. However, she wasn't eager to screw up and face-plant into the road and lose what little dignity she currently might posses. In the end, she followed the cart without daring to make the jump whilst silently cursing her short legs for failing her and starting to cramp up again. Surely the adventurer's guild would at least be close-by, right? Right..?

 

[Silent Angel]

Rachael Meredith
Rachael frowned at the newcomer. He didn't seem that bad of a sort, but after what had just happened she wasn't fully trustful of him. However, when he turned and ran after the cart, the amazon decided that, no matter how nice he seemed, she wouldn't let the doll out of her site until she was sure that no harm would come to her. And so, Rachael ran after the man, her large strides gaining distance on the cart quickly. She watched as he leapt onto the side of the cart, her eyes widening. The guy wasn't just nice, he was fucking mental! She glanced around, wondering if others were seeing what she was as she slowed down, getting up alongside the cart and staring at the man clinging to the cart, giving him a bit of a wide birth while hoping he didn't try to jump off and slamming into her. "Is there a reason why we need to go to the guild so urgently, or...?"​

 

[EMIYAman]

Jean Heng

​

Jean listened intently as the situation was laid out to her. The politics of the city were involved and that would make things rather difficult. This type of thing wasn't her strong suit complicated relationships between organizations was something she had done her best to avoid in her old life, though even with her precautions those type of things had gotten her killed. Jean sighed, as she realized she had just put herself into a bad mood. She considered the jobs parameters, her tail slowly swinging from side to side. The key figures were the Adventurers' Guild and the Merchants Guild with the Docks and Shipyard being the main area of activity. Logically her investigation should start there, but there is still individuals who may have information. In that case the search should start in the Guild and then the locales near the docks. She pondered for a bit once again closing herself off from conversation thinking and making sure she had seen every angle she could. Jean straightened herself in her seat before giving the adventurer she know knew as Lathryn Goddard her rundown. "I have an action plan. I'll start by questioning some of the local adventurers as well as any independent merchants before moving to the docks. I'll do my best to keep my affiliation with the Guild hidden when I inevitable come into contact with the Merchants Guild. For now though I need to hit the market for supplies..." Jean part spoke part thought to herself. She had gotten out of her chair and was pacing as she talked. "The situation is delicate and we don't have proof of the Merchants Guilds involvement. Hm, I'll need some personnel at this rate. If only I had surveillance equipment..." As she continued to speak Jean walked away and to the Guild exit with nary a word of goodbye.

She barely paid attention as she walked almost walking into multiple people lost in her thoughts as she was. "...in that scenario I'll have to manufacture some explosive ordnance." She paused and blinked in an expression which is as close to shock as she can manage the scenes in front of her was just too startling even for her. The giant women in a bunny girl outfit was the most eye catching for obvious reasons, almost as if to oppose the giant women their was a very small halfling girl Jean could just barely make out, a young man was driving the cart he was admittedly quite handsome but his look reminded Jean of the soldiers she sold equipment too. There was also a knight carrying what looked to be a life size doll of a girl, she could spot that the craftsmanship was quite good but she wasn't much of a doll maker so her appraisal was amateur at best. They appeared to be headed in the direction of the Adventurers Guild. If that meant they were Adventurers then such a large group should be a good place to start her investigation one or two must have some knowledge of the situation.

 

[II-CinderRadcliff-II]

Cinder Radcliff - Carpenter

Cinder had put a fair bit of distance between himself and the group of 'adventurers' he had some beef with, without looking back as he didn't want to get involved more than he already had. And then the creak of his wagon enticed him to turn around, finding a knight staring at him on the side of his wagon. The sudden appearance of the knight instantly made him flinch, nearly falling off his Clydesdale as it seemed to become anxious at his reaction.
"What the..." Cinder blurted out, quickly regaining his balance as he looked the knight in the eyes. He already didn't like the knight much with the introduction he gave and the impression he made, though he at least seemed friendly enough given that he at least viewed the misdeeds of his comrades as what they were. Still, heading to the adventurers guild before selling his wares wasn't ideal, though he was unsure how the knight would react to his refusal. With reluctance, he sighed and pulled back the reins to his horse, giving the knight and the woman struggling to keep up time to properly climb aboard the wagon. "Fine, but do me a favor and don't startle me like that again. Also, if your buddies damaged my goods, please make sure they compensate me for the damages they caused." Cinder requested, looking behind towards the woman from earlier and making sure that she's caught up and has climbed atop of the wagon.

EMIYAman Silent Angel Elvario Vexumin

TEMPLATE © BOKEH​

 

[Vexumin]

Roads of Ryken - 08:48



The wagon comes to a halt and all gathered, joining each other around it. The knight leaps from the side of the wagon and lands on the ground with ease. He is far more an armored, pale haired monkey than he is a knight. His skills must be all over the place, just like his energy. Likely a lot of strength to hop around in near full plate as he does. He raises Poppy so that she can step to one side of the wagon. The dolls shoes tapped against the wood of the wagon as she found her place to sit. She straightens out her dress as she carefully takes a seat. She offers Breyen a nod of her head in thanks, unable to give him an appreciative smile.

The adventurers eyes then shifted to Victorique. He extends a hand, his all over the place nature fading for a moment and adopting the mannerisms of a valiant knight once again, seeking to help her onto the wagon. "Here, let's get you comfortable, Miss Victorique," he says with that stern look, yet compassionate eyes. He soon stands beside Rachael. It seems that he was keen on walking as to not overburden Cinder's horse. He was making absolutely sure not to be a bother for Rachael, keeping from wandering underfoot for the large woman. Unlike the masses that might have tried to sneak a peak up her dress at his angle, his eyes were kept straight ahead, not much interest in such things. He does, however, seem keen on answering her question as he casually raises a hand.

"You see, I act as a representative for the adventurers guild. At least that is what I do in this moment. I apologize if it seems I am trying to herd everyone towards the location, however, the guild is in dire need of assistance. There are villains that seek to sabotage our precious guild. I am working with Leader Lathryn Goddard to resolve the matter. The reason that I sought you all out was because we have need of our recently discovered Newbloods." Breyen, looks up in thought. "Let me think... so that you are all aware, both myself and the leader have had eyes on you all since you have approached the city. I was actually meant to meet with you in place of my comrades at the gates, but I had found Miss Victorique and made efforts to assist her in her escape of vile rogues after she acquired some information about our criminals. A merchants guild it seems. I had mistakenly left my comrade in charge of gathering you all, but mention of a monster seemed to affect his judgement. I do ask that you forgive him though. His circumstances have made him highly distrustful of those with monster titles. Anyways, let us leave that thought for now."

Breyen goes quite for a moment after that thought, considering the difficulty that would come with investigating a merchants company. The merchants and the adventurers were very closely intertwined and even Breyen seemed to have difficulty thinking how he would proceed going forward. "While the Adventurers guild handles both labor and expeditionary contracts, the merchants guild handles all mercantile and trade matters within the city. There is no one half without the other, but someone is trying to shift the balance." Breyen looks up then, spotting Jean with a glimmer in his eye. "It seems fate smiles upon us all today. All of the Newbloods have gathered in one place! My fellows, I ask that you look around. These are the people that you may just work quite closely with. At least, that is my hope. We have grave need of all of you."

Elvario Silent Angel EMIYAman II-CinderRadcliff-II

 

[Elvario]

Victorique Sopheana
​

Interactions: Poppy Vexumin | Cinder II-CinderRadcliff-II | Rachael Silent Angel | Jean EMIYAman
TLDR: Skip to the second from the bottom paragraph (starts with “Well then...”) The rest is mostly interactions with Poppy and Breyen.

Victorique silently listened to the half-giant's question. Why did they need to go the guild so urgently? Victorique didn't know either, although she had her own plans there. Showing the evidence she found would surely be rewarding enough. What Breyen wished to do with the rest of these folk was beyond her. She didn't bother to think it through either, as she'd much rather focus on breathing and on keeping up with this odd type of situation that felt like the start of a joke a halfling, a half-giant and a knight ran after a cart.

She felt all the more relieved when the cart came to a halt. Her legs were killing her after all that running, so being able to hitch a ride was utter bliss. That's when she finally noticed it. “By the gods above it moves!” She instinctively shouted in surprise upon seeing Poppy stepping to a side of the wagon. She then realised she was the only one that hadn't been aware of this and she was quick to realise that she had likely made a fool of herself. “Eh.. sorry about that.”

She would gladly accept the help in getting into the cart, as without it, she'd probably be forced to climb. The latter wouldn't be impossible, but it'd sure as hell be uncomfortable with multiple underlying flavours of humiliating. That said, if he'd dare to lift her like a child, he'd get a royal amount angry glares, life-saving knight or not. She'd much rather have half her arm stretched to its limits due to being pulled up by it to make it seem at least somewhat like it was just a matter of giving her a helping hand. Were he to have done the latter, she'd give him a polite; “Thank you.”

She then realised she hadn't even properly introduced herself to her knight in shiny armour. She'd been either too out of breath or too occupied thus far, but now that she was finally sitting down and breathing normally again, she could do so. Except it wasn't needed. She was a fair bit surprised when she heard Breyen mention her name. How in the world did he know her already? It was probably by the same means with which he'd been able to save her from the assassins... She figured that was the most likely scenario.

There was also one term that kept coming up, which she couldn't ignore. “Excuse me, but... what are Newbloods? You keep referring to us as such, but I'm not closer to figuring out its meaning.” Perhaps she was looking deeper into it than necessary, but something about the word confused and intrigued her equal measure.

The same applied to the doll she found herself sitting across from. Having gotten rid of the initial startle, she couldn't help herself from getting increasingly curious. “So... I'm Victorique. Nice to meet you.” She had initially wanted to ask 'do you talk?' but realised just in time how stupid it'd seem. If the answer was 'yes' it'd be an insult to whatever the intelligence of the thing, person, whatever, she was interacting with. If the answer would be 'no', shown by silence... it'd be an extremely awkward silence that'd follow. Now she'd only risk of talking to some sort of advanced toy was weighed out against simple being considered polite. The slightly better option. She really hoped the doll would actually reply.

Response or not, she'd eventually scoot closer to Poppy, as the curiosity had fully taken over by now. Surely some investigation would teach her more about this creature. Whether to Poppy or to herself, perhaps to both, she'd soon start voicing the questions as they came to mind. “Hmm... So you're actually mostly wood then? Not hollow on the inside? Some solid craftsmanship. How do you move though? I can't see any wires or mechanisms. Is it some sort of self-governing telekinetic magic?” As the idea came to mind, she attempted to use appraisal on Poppy. She soon started to wonder about other things. “Are you able to you feel anything...?” The girl didn't seem to have any way to receive most sense signals, but she was clearly 'looking' somehow. Perhaps the same went for her other senses?

That's when Victorique gained a growing desire to attempt to poke at Poppy's cheek.

She decided to be wiser than that and tried to resist the growing desire to poke at Poppy's cheek.

She failed and gave in to the desire to poke at Poppy's cheek and attempted to do just that. She was soon to realise the flaws of her ways. “Sorry about that, somehow I feel like it's more difficult to control my curiosity lately.” The last was a realisation that came to her at the moment of speaking it. Was it her new body and situation? Perhaps. Either way, she was going to have to make some mental notes to make sure she wouldn't stick her nose too deeply into trouble. She'd already been chased down by lethal rogues due to it one before, after all.

For better or worse, the cart-ride came to an end and her peculiar introduction to the doll ended. That's when she figured it was finally time to formally and officially introduce herself to all of the others. She hopped out of the cart, as getting out was a lot easier than getting in and looked around to the others. Some peculiar cat-tailed woman was new to the group, but Breyen seemed to know them in the same mysterious manner as he knew the rest of them.

“Well then, circumstances being as peculiar as they may be, it's a pleasure to meet all of you. I'm Victorique Sopheana, a halfling and crime n... investigator, of sorts. Breyen managed to prevent my throat from being slid by some thugs after I managed to shadow them back to their hideout and link the merchant company they work for to the recent attacks on the adventurer's guild's supply lines. I can show you the proof once we're inside.” She'd almost introduced herself as a crime novelist. Why in the world would she do so? She'd even kept that aspect of herself hidden in her previous life. The slip-up made her want to bite her tongue of, but at least she'd managed to sort-off hide it.

She then turned to Cinder in particular. “Thank you for letting me ride along.” She figured she'd better thank him before she'd forget doing so, as she was honestly grateful for it. It'd finally given her legs a chance to recover a little.

 

[Silent Angel]

Rachael Meredith
Rachael followed the cart, watching the man to make sure he didn't make any sudden moves after the batshit stunt he pulled. When they got to the adventurer's guild, she listened with interest, a grimace passing over her face as she crossed her arms. This seemed like a very strange job to give to new people, especially people who had just entered into a city that seemed so distrustful of outsiders.

She leaned against the cart, her eyes looking down upon the guild member who had been speaking as she waited for him to stop before injecting her own, albeit blunt, viewpoint. "So, why us?" She slowly stood, starting to pace as she thought over what he had asked. "It doesn't make much sense to me. It seems like an important issue, if someone is apparently trying to upset some sort of balance between the two guilds. If they are trying to upset this balance, I would think that someone more specialized in detective work would be better. On the other hand, it might make sense if you wanted someone without ties to the adventurer's guild..." She paused, giving the man a small, deadpan look, before waving to the open area they were in, as well as motioning to down the road, like she was trying to bring up the previous scene. "But then why would you explain in the open like this? And why cause a scene with the large group? At this point the element of surprise is near ruined."

Rachael's right eye twitched as a headache sprang up. A hand went to her forehead as she tried to rub the hurt away, before asking, "I guess I am just confused at why you would put something so important in the hands of new people instead of more experienced adventurers who would be able to handle the situation not only faster, but more competently. The four things a person wants when giving a task is speed, knowledge, accuracy, and attentiveness. I can only give one of those. There must be others who can give all four."

 

[Vexumin]

Poppy



The doll mostly kept to herself since she had been saved from likely a harsh roughing up. Not that it would have mattered. She was no longer of flesh and she didn't feel much if anything. Sometimes she thought she could feel things, but it must be her imagination. Running her fingers over her dress, she swears she could feel the fabric, but it was difficult to tell was what real and what was fantasy.

“By the gods above it moves!” She instinctively shouted in surprise upon seeing Poppy stepping to a side of the wagon. She then realised she was the only one that hadn't been aware of this and she was quick to realise that she had likely made a fool of herself. “Eh.. sorry about that.”

Though some might have considered such an outburst rude, Poppy only found it funny. I suppose that is her party trick, moving around like a puppet without strings. Poppy chuckles slightly, the wooden eyelids closing over glassy eyes. "Nothing to worry about. Even I had to get used to this as well. I'm kind of used to such reactions too." As Victorique moves closer, Poppy straightens a bit. With no muscles to tense, she was able to hide her discomfort pretty well.

“Hmm... So you're actually mostly wood then? Not hollow on the inside? Some solid craftsmanship. How do you move though? I can't see any wires or mechanisms. Is it some sort of self-governing telekinetic magic?” As the idea came to mind, she attempted to use appraisal on Poppy. She soon started to wonder about other things. “Are you able to you feel anything...?”

Poppy lightly raps her fingers against her arm. The tapping was wood on wood, completely solid. "I died a long time ago. I woke up like this. I think it is a gift from my father. Another chance when all hope was lost." Poppy hums, raising her chin on a palm. "I can't feel anything, but... it doesn't bother me much anymore. I've got to keep going anyways. I have things I need to do." Poppy seemed to linger in thought for a few moments, just thinking of her goals and what she has to do. Then, suddenly...

That's when Victorique gained a growing desire to attempt to poke at Poppy's cheek.

She decided to be wiser than that and tried to resist the growing desire to poke at Poppy's cheek.

She failed and gave in to the desire to poke at Poppy's cheek and attempted to do just that. She was soon to realise the flaws of her ways. “Sorry about that, somehow I feel like it's more difficult to control my curiosity lately.”

Poppy raises a hand towards the spot where she was poked. It surprised her when her visions suddenly shifted without warning, but overall the girl didn't mind too much. She just laughs, the sound emerging from the crack between her two wooden lips. "It's fine! No need to worry. I get it. I won't keep anything from anyone. If you want to poke and prod, it won't really bother me." She would listen to the giant woman and the knight speaking with each other, but she just seemed to go along with everything at the moment. It was her best bet to being able to remain in the city.

Streets of Ryken



The wagon rolled on with the few upon it and the others walking at its side. Its course was set. For the adventurers guild. Breyen was keen on answering questions. "Allow me to explain a few things. Firstly, you all would be the best bet for us to deal with our troubles. I am aware that it is a lot to ask, but as you said, people would be unfamiliar with you if you were to help us. You should know, not all merchants are out for the adventurers guild's neck. Only one organization, we believe. We have strong ties to many merchant organizations." Breyen is silent for a moment, lost in thought before he shakes his head.

"Anyways, you wonder what I mean by Newbloods, yes? You see, it is what we call those we seek to recruit, though it is a way of recruitment that is highly unconventional. It is the result of a spell. A magic wielder of ours is able to cast this spell to locate those of extreme potential and value." Breyen raises a finger into the air. "It is also a way of not recruiting in an obvious way. I am here for that exact reason, but it is a method unknown to those that wrong us. In fact, it has been a secret of the guilds for a long time. Why, even I was a Newblood once upon a time."

Breyen looks to Rachael, this time his brows come together, getting quite furrowed. It is the one time he has shown anything other than a stern look to the group. "I would also ask that you cease speaking in such a way about my allies. They might be quick to act and perhaps a bit harsh, but they are not unexperienced. In fact, they are quite competent. Most of the adventurers guild have reason for adventuring. My comrade at the gate is not one of the city defense. He is a monster hunter. He has difficulty looking past monster tags, and I request that you not hold such things against him." Breyen's brows relax and he adopts the stern look once again. "While the young miss here is most likely innocent and harmless towards others, and I have even staked my own reputation on her continuing to be careful within the city, one can never know when it comes to [Monsters]. If you see him again, you should ask him why he did what he did."

Soon enough, the guild building came into view, coming closer and closer. "I think now is a good time to ask this. I won't drag anyone to do what they do not want to, but there are many people without the basic needs of an adventurer. Day after day more friends return gravely wounded from the field and some not at all. Our very way of life is at risk here. It is selfish to ask it of you so soon, but will you help us? If you manage to achieve the goals asked of you, you will be rewarded."

Elvario Silent Angel

 

[Elvario]

Victorique Sopheana
​

Interactions: Poppy Vexumin | Rachel Silent Angel

Most of Poppy's reply was cryptic or dodged an actual answer, but Victorique had a feeling it wasn't due to bad intent, but due to the doll simply not knowing about it. That said, Poppy made one vital mistake. She admitted that poking and prodding wouldn't really bother her. Thus the poking and prodding would comment, as Victorique was trying to figure out what made Poppy move in earnest. After all, Poppy was increasingly fascinating to Victorique, who was already wondering about the next question that'd come up due to her 'investigation' of the doll. “It looks like your limbs are... how to put it... detachable? What happens if one of them was to come off?”

For as interesting as a subject Poppy proved to be, the same didn't hold true for the giant bunny-girl. It wasn't that she wasn't interesting, but that she complete ignored Victorique's attempts to start up a round of introductions... Just like pretty much everyone else, for that matter. Heck, even the doll hadn't given her name in reply to Victorique's earlier introduction. Such great fun. Victorique would love to just call her 'doll' and the giant girl 'bunny' or something, but... She was wise enough to know that trying to tease someone that could stomp you to death in a single motion was probably not the best idea and didn't want to get on a bad footing with the doll she wished to learn more about either.

She figured she'd turn her attention to her knight in shiny armour instead. The description of Newbloods stood out in particular. “Extreme potential and value..? You sure know how to flatter someone.” She wasn't sure what to think of the entire spell, if anything, she almost felt like she was being flattered into a cult or something, but considering the words came from the man that saved her life mere moments ago, she decided against making any mean remarks about it.

She was a bit surprised that Breyen asked them for their help, as it seemed pretty clear that they were already on board. “No worries, I was on board from the get-go. Besides, I've still got to present my findings to the guild.” That's when Victorique figured she might as well come out and say what else was on her mind. “Although, well, about the risk parts... I'm not, you know, heroic. I won't have anyone's back. I'll run when I spot danger, rather than stay and fight. So eh... Don't count on me in a fight, for as far as that wasn't obvious. I'd gladly investigate some more though, or try to help come up with a plan.”

 

[EMIYAman]

Jean Heng
​

Jean sat in the back of the cart cross legged with her fist to her cheek, listening to the Knight Adventurer Breyen. He was quite long winded and passionate. His words shed a bit more light on the situation but it wasn't much she didn't already pick up at the guild. The others "newbloods" as Breyen called them gave her curious side glances every now and again. Jean had originally planned to stop them and question them, but when Breyen had started his speech and seemed to include her in it such talks were pushed to the wayside. She had decided to get comfortable and get a better position to listen to him so Jean had simply hopped in the back of the cart with nary a word. It was a bit of a setback that the group she had picked out to question were also new to the city and as such had little to no knowledge in regards to the job. Also the doll was alive. Jean picked up that apparently she was a [Monster] but her demeanor certainly didn't match the descriptions the locals would have for such creatures. Such perceptions were most likely formed by exposure to the more violent members of the Kingdom. Hm, could you call it Monstrum Phylum? Jean briefly wondered if their was a proper taxonomy study in this world.

When Breyen reached the end of his informative lecture he asked for their assistance. At that Jean perked up. "I'm already part of the guild as of an hour ago so I'm actually already on the job. Some assistance would be ideal so I'll work with whoever decides to join." Jean spoke out loudly yet with little emotion. "Ah, right the names Jean pleasure to work with you and all that."

 

[Silent Angel]

Rachael Meredith

Rachael frowned deeply at that statement, giving him a slightly annoyed look, but didn't press the matter further, just deciding to stew in her confusion over the manner of the adventurer's guild recruiting them. Instead, she turned to Jean, looking her up and down. She seemed normal enough, and she did know common courtesy, at least, even if she seemed as enthusiastic to do this as a person might getting a tooth pulled. "Rachael. It's a pleasure to meet you." As she spoke she matched the girl's enthusiasm, not going to put more into the conversation than the other lady.

 

[Elvario]

Streets of Ryken

Mentions: Rachael Silent Angel | Jean EMIYAman

Only moments after they had gotten introductions out of the way, someone called them (or rather Breyen) into the guild. Beckoning the others to follow, Breyen led the group out of the streets and into the building. The man who'd beckoned Breyen was somewhat dubious looking and Breyen didn't seem to be all that comfortable speaking to him. The reason for it soon became apparent, as the man spoke up. “We've managed to get one of those guys you took down to talk, the ones were were chasing the hobbit, although the other one managed to swallow some sort of poison before we could start our interrogation.” The man was clearly used to being an interrogator and from a quick glance, there was definitely some blood on his clothing, so it was likely that he hadn't gone about it in a nice way. The fact that he'd managed to get a confession from a man who couldn't have been brought in all that long ago would further establish that.

Breyen decided to focus on the outcome, rather than the methods, although the knight clearly didn't like them. “Does that mean we can arrest the ones responsible?” The other man shrugged. “It's something, but it might not be enough. It's up to the big boss.” Breyen gritted his teeth and turned towards Victorique. “You said you found something. Let's bring it to our sect leader Lath to see if it's enough.”

Jean would instantly recognise the sect leader, as she'd only just walked away from him. After a quick explanation by Breyen, Victorique triumphantly stepped forwards.

Victorique Sopheana
​

Victorique took the evidence she'd gathered out of her pocket dimension and showed it to Lath. “I found this...” She took out the piece of fabric with the company brand on top of it. She even added the hand of grain she'd brought along with it. Upon the mention of the company name and the leader's name she had heard, Lath's eyes lit up. “It's the same as what we've gotten from the interrogation. That's enough reason to move in on them, but we'll have to be quick about it. If they move the goods or hide their tracks, it will only further complicate things. We don't have any other around at the moment, I'm afraid. Can I trust you and these Newbloods to handle this?”

Breyen nodded. “We'll go there immediately.” He then turned towards the others. “This could be dangerous, but if we catch these criminals, it'll mean a lot for the guild and the safety of the city overall. I really hope I can count on your aid.”

Victorique was a little hesitant. “I think I'll be able to show the way and I might even recognise some of the people I heard speaking, but if it's a fight... That's not my thing.” Victorique couldn't help gloss at the half-giant. Perhaps it was a bit preconceived, but she looked like she was made for this type of mission.

On assumption that Jean and Rachael would agree, Victorique would end up trying her best to find her way back to the warehouse she'd sneaked into previously. She had to think a few times, as she'd been very busy running for her life and hadn't taken in too much of the scenery, but they eventually found their way to the building in question. It had a nicely decorated front entrance towards the main street and what looked like a backdoor towards some alleys in the back. Both its sides were bordered by other buildings. “There might still be someone inside. I can cover the font. Can the three of you watch the back to catch anyone trying to escape? I don't expect there to be more trained assassins, so try not to use lethal force unless absolutely necessary.”

 

[Silent Angel]

Rachael Meredith

Rachael had been along for the ride of a lot of the investigation, but she didn't seem to really care about it all too much. It wasn't really her cup of tea, so she couldn't and wouldn't be able to help them do it any faster than they already were. However, that issue changed when they started to talk about going to the thieves base of operations and cutting out the problem at its source.

"Don't worry, cupcake," Rachael said, a smirk on her face and snark in her voice, "If it's a fight, then it'll be my thing~" She cracked her knuckles in expectation of the fight ahead, the woman obviously excited to actually be able to work out her frustrations on something. "And as for killing them, I wouldn't worry too much about that. They'll go down, but they won't be in the ground, at least. Just maybe heavily concussed."​

 

[Elvario]

Victorique Sopheana
​

Mentions: Rachael Silent Angel | Jean EMIYAman

Rachael and Victorique ended stationed at the backdoor of the warehouse. Victorique made sure to keep a fair bit of distance from the door itself though. Just to be safe. She did, however, instinctually reply to one remark Rachael had made. “Did you just call me cupcake?” There was a lot more surprise and confusion in her voice than that there was anger or frustration. The conversation wouldn't last for long, however, as they could hear the sound of a door being kicked in from across the building. Breyen had entered.

A few voices could be heard from inside. “Fuck, get him!” The sound of something being thrown followed. “No, you get him! I'm outta here!” The sounds someone becking kicked into a wall and of someone making their way towards the door followed. “I surrender!” … For a short moment, it was silent.

Then someone rushed out through the back-door. It was a scrawny looking fellow with eyes that darted left, right, up... He spotted the half-giant and immediately looked shocked. “Aaah!” He sounded the part as well. It looked like he was planning to rush right past Rachael, if given the chance.

That's when another person left the building. Except not in the traditional way. Someone had actually jumped out the window, one floor above them, managing to somehow make a dodge-roll to break his fall and ending up behind Rachael and directly in front of Victorique. Victorique herself was momentarily stunned by the sudden appearance of a man in front of her. Did this guy really just jump out of a freaking window and land directly here...? Yes, yes he had.

It'd be up to Rachael to decide if she'd attempt to catch the guy directly in front of her or back-up Victorique, or if she'd perhaps figure out a way to catch both of them. It looked like Breyen was still wrapping things up on the inside.

 

[EMIYAman]

Jean Heng

Interactions: Elvario Silent Angel ​

Jean had followed the halfling Victoriques lead. She seemed to have talent for investigation as her findings had been the evidence needed for the Adventurers Guild to justify action. They found themselves at a non descript building. It looked similar enough to any of the others to warrant no suspicion, but if their findings were correct then the perpetrators the Guild was looking for would be here. While Victorique and the Gian Rachael guarded the backdoor for anyone trying to escape, Jean lacked any direct combat ability so she holed up in a vantage point on the street. Anyone who got through them would also have to contend with her. Jean looked around the corner keeping the two girls within her sight. There was silence for a time, until muffled shouts could be heard from inside. From Jeans position the voices were much harder to make out but she knew something would happen soon. She held aloft the device in her hand poised and ready to strike.

There was silence again and it only served to tense her up further though she kept her nerves as calm as possible she had never fought in her old life so the anticipation of combat was getting to her. Suddenly the backdoor burst open and a man came out shocked at the two ready to meet him especially Rachael. While he was a potential target to deal with Jean stuck to her role and waited soon after the window at the top of the building shattered. A man jumped out and landed upon the street not far from Jeans position. But, still near the Victorique and Rachael. This would be troublesome. She couldn't risk him getting away though anyone coming out of that building was being captured and interrogated. They couldn't afford letting anyone pass especially not if Jean wanted the money involved in this job. Jean took up a pitchers pose and held high the device in her hand her body glowed with a yellowish aura as she brute forced her mana into the devices mechanisms then threw it at the feet of the man. (Armament No. 01 Ver. 1.00: "Electro Capacitor" Grade E - 1 Post Cooldown)
"Fire in the hole!" Hopefully the halfling was out of its range if not then she should dodge, and if she can't do that. Well, she could shake off brief paralysis. Jeans seen soldiers take worse than that, then again they were soldiers...

 

[Silent Angel]

Rachael Meredith

The amazon was responding, "Yeah, because-" when she was cut off by the man busting through the front door at almost the same time as the person busted through the top window. She looked between the two for a few moments, wondering what the best course of action may be, before seeing Jean charging up something. Thinking fast, she reached forward, gripping the shirt of the man in front of her before swinging him around , stepping towards the other man to slam his associate into him while the bang rang out, the amazon not sure what exactly was occurring, but being hopeful that she wouldn't get caught in the blast.​

 

[Elvario]

Streets of Ryken

Mentions: Rachael Silent Angel | Jean EMIYAman

The man that had the unfortunate luck of running straight into the waiting half-giant was about to veer off into the alley when he saw Rachael looking towards his window-jumping buddy, but he could soon feel himself being pulled back. And odd “Yargh” sound escaped him when he was yanked away and sent flying towards his associate.

Said associate was trying to figure out his surroundings for only a brief moment, before deciding upon going after what seemed to be the easiest target; the small halfling woman. With one man coming after her willingly and one a lot less willingly, Victorique wasn't even sure what way to dodge or run.

That's when Jean's projectile crossed over her and right into the two men heading her way. She was [lucky] for them to be just far enough away to have her remain outside of the electric discharge range. Thanks to the combination of crashing into each-other and being given a shock immediately afterwards, the two men didn't seem particularly eager or able to get up again.

It also didn't take long for Breyen to appear. “Ah, I see you managed to catch them both. Great! I've finished up inside. They were trying to move the stolen goods before we'd be able to get here, but thanks to your help, we were able to rally and get here quickly enough to catch them red-handed.” He walked up to the two and fetched a rope from somewhere to tie them up. Were the others to glance through the now open door, they'd spot there were three more tied up on the inside.

With these arrests made, it would only be a matter of time before they'd get these men to talk and to betray their employer, especially if they were to be handed to the Guild's interrogator. Although their 'job' was done, Jean, Rachael and Victorique were invited to wait in the Guild's hall to enjoy a meal and await some answers, for as long as they were willing to wait around.

After a few hours, they'd be presented with reason, freshly dragged out by the interrogator's efforts. It was more pitiable than expected. The goods stolen from the Guild weren't worth the effort, so it was clear that it was an attack against the guild from the get-go. The company they'd entered into turned out to be from a rich merchant with a particular grudge against the Guild. The arrested men, including the surviving assassin, had all admitted they'd been hired by middle-men that could easily be traced back to this merchant himself. It turned out the man's daughter, among others, had fallen pray to some monsters that'd suck into the city, which the Guild had failed to eradicate. The same monsters were the ones that had made Breyen's companions so suspicious of them, as they'd been the ones to arrive on-scene and witness the bloodbath.

Whilst this explained the actions, it didn't justify them, so the merchant was placed under arrest and handed over to the jurisprudential branch. Thanks to the gathered evidence and confessions, it'd be a relatively quick and easy case, which would prevent the peace and quite between the Adventurer's Guild and Merchant's Guild from crumbling further. For now, at least.

The End.​

 

[Novama]

Isekai Hell RP Grade
​

What an rp. Between all the characters starting separated, some of the characters acting like they would not engage with the main mission, and the sudden and repeated revelations of certain pieces of information, it's a wonder the rp was able to end in a tidy fashion. Perhaps it was related to the sudden departure of the narrator that things were able to come to a close at all.

Aftermath
For the sake of city peace and surface collaboration, the guilty company and those involved were buried. While rumors would persist, there was no official instance of factions warring with each other openly. Noble faction was called in to handle the matter as an impartial third party. Breyen and those loyal to him were demoted in the guild for knowingly allowing a monster into the city. The monster was summarily dealt with. Tahl and the men with no love for monsters were given promotions to replace Breyen and his allies and were secretly credited with the dispatching of the criminal element causing the guild's misfortunes. While Rachael and Cinder were thanked for their efforts and compensated in Rykes, they would not be offered positions with the guild due to the public display they showed and their conduct throughout. Jean and Victorique were also rewarded and were additionally offered membership with the guild after both displayed skills and temperament suitable to working in a demanding and mature environment of a prestigious faction.

Rewards
Victorique - 45 points (narration bonus applied) - optional title acquired [Ryken Adventurer Guild Investigator] - character's inquisitive mind and assistance to guild has made them ideal in handling situations of a more subtle and sometimes unclear nature. When it is unclear who or what needs dealt with, a guild investigator is sent in to ascertain the details before the muscle goes in to clean it up.

Jean - 25 points - optional title acquired [Ryken Guild Tinkerer] - character has shown an aptitude with stuff and things over people or combat. Has assisted Guild. Guild would leverage such individuals to act as a supporting back line to their adventurers by giving them the means to research and develop various methods to assist adventurers as they go about their various and generally dangerous tasks.

Cinder - 14 points (quitting rp penalty applied) - optional title acquired [Ignorant] - character has publicly made it apparent they do not know how the world works. Will regularly be swindled and taken advantage of in business and other transactional relationships for seeming the fool. However, always being underestimated can create special opportunities.

Rachael - 22 points - optional title acquired [Exhibitionist] - character looks, dresses, and acts in a way to get as much attention as possible. It is nearly impossible for the character to go unnoticed. Men will Leer and Women will scowl wherever the character goes.