The Raven King

[Ensig]

<Blanca>


-Ruins of Ubar, Saudi Arabia-
​

Blanca blinked a couple of times in surprise at Serena's response. Even if she wasn't an expert when it came to conversations, Blanca wasn't so far-gone as to not catch onto the snarky tone present in the red-headed Vampire's remark. Still, the she wasn't surprised about Serena's tone per se, but rather, her surprise spouted from the fact that her fan-equipped clothing was still visibly inflated enough to be likened to a marshmallow.


'Perhaps I should have installed more ribs into its frame...? No, that would come at the price of arm mobility, which is already restricted as it is...' Blanca brought a hand to her chin in contemplation, formulating the best way to make her appearance seem less marshmallow-ish in the future. Just as she was reaching a solution, however, her thoughts were interrupted by Serena; this time, it was to express her thanks. Blanca simply nodded in response, eager to return to her own thoughts. Just as the Vampire started walking away, however... She spoke up again, stopping in place and halting Blanca's train of thought once again.


'... Even if you tell me to collect 10 points, what would a Ghost need from a Vampire...?' Blanca didn't bother vocalizing her thoughts as she watched Serena walk off towards the crate, now with an adorable white rabbit following behind her. Before she had moved, Blanca swore she saw the Vampire have an expression of bliss when she paused for a moment, but... Perhaps that was simply her imagination? Blanca shook her head to dispel her thoughts, returning to her original objective: Food.


Turning her attention back to the food in front of her, Blanca picked up a serving of Kabsa, alongside a ripe Nectarine, biting into the tender fruit while being mindful of the juices that could stain her white hoodie -- while the stain could easily be removed, she'd rather be cautious than end up using the time reserved for preparation on simple cleaning.

 

[Zer0]

- Trading City of Lazim -

"Medieval Period, July 21, 1250 "​

"Everyone ready?" said Ethan, looking over all of the agents' disguises and making sure their arcane lanterns were lit. "Let's go."


He and his treasure hunting friend, the man in his forties by the name of Mordecai, led the group north deeper into the cavern and inside a massive ruin where at the end of a Sultan's throne room was an unnatural darkness so complete it seemed to suck out all the light.


Here, the rest of Ethan's friends were gathered around a glowing arcane circle of fiery gold embers, chanting a long complex spell that sounded like a song in old Arabic. The spell seemed to have summoned a howling wind that was blowing into the darkness. The air in the throne room felt heavier, colder, and lightning-blue sparks cackled along everyone's hair. Some of the camels shifted uneasily, making deep nervous "Nuuuurr" groans.


"Remember, there's no way for us to make contact once you're on the other side." said one of Ethan's friends candidly over the howling wind as though this was normal. "So on July 26, 1250 one of you had better come back to tell us if you need more time. That'll be about an hour from now in our timeline. Good luck!"


Ethan gave a stiff nod and stepped into the darkness, his arcane lamp held high above him. It was like going through a sheet of cold glass and into very heavy air where it seemed as though they were floating in nothingness with the wind from the throne room blowing behind them, but they didn't topple nor spin, just kept walking --- whether forwards or in place it was hard to tell. The only lights in this darkness were their arcane lamps and nothing else could be seen apart from their little merchant group. "Just keep walking." said Ethan in a reassuring voice. "Follow the wind and you won't get lost."


It could be your imagination, but you could have sworn the darkness moved, but nothing happened. Suddenly it became hotter, the wind seemed to have stopped blowing and the darkness crumbled away until the group found themselves walking into the throne room that they had just exited earlier, except that none of Ethan's friends were here and it was morning instead of night.


Ethan gave a sigh of relief. "We made it."

(OOC: Everyone, you can take your time taking in the sights of Old Saudi Arabia and roleplaying with the other characters. I'll only move a character's role in the main story forward if they pursue a plot hook.)

- Lazim Market Place -

"Tavern"​

They reached the beautiful city of Lazim in the afternoon. The guards at the city gates didn't pay them any mind as their train of camels laden with exotic goods and spices rode through the gates and into the hot dusty streets of the town square. Klaus, Ethan, Chill, and Mordecai were all trying in vain to hide their excitement, but it was no use.


This was a time during the middle ages when witches and warlocks weren't all shunned. Rather they were divided into Black and White. "White Magi" were wise, helpful and invaluable members of society who were mostly healers, while "Black Magi" were those who secretly practiced the dark arts and were out to do people harm. So it was no surprise that 'White Magic' flourished in the city.


Chill's head turned this way and that trying to take in the sights as much as he could, while secretly dying inside with longing to take dozens of pictures with his camera. Alchemists were proudly selling colorful potions of all sorts in wooden stands in the market; Arabian wizards wearing turbans were doing their shopping while riding large earth golems; hunters were selling fire salamander meat, wyvern eggs, and exotic magical creatures in cages; and a few arcane blacksmiths were showing off curved blades imbued with fire runes.


Ethan rented a couple of rooms for their group inside a tiny grubby looking tavern in the market. Here some agents could sleep for the night if they didn't like kipping outside with the trade goods and the camels. For now he, Chill, Klaus and Mordecai were inside one of the rooms or getting a drink in the tavern, resting before they set up the merchant stall outside and begin their search for Magnus.


"We don't have enough of the old currency to get by, so some of us will have to do some pickpocketing while searching for Magnus." said Ethan. "Don't get caught, though, I think there's no such thing as 'due process' in this age."

- Sultan's Palace -

" Courtyard "​

It was forbidden for ragged travelers to enter. But with a disguise and a little sneaking in, a stealthy or charming character can find themselves in the ivory halls of the Sultan's Palace. There was a great feast in the courtyard where five belly dancers were entertaining the royal family, elite members of the court, and the high ranking officers of the Sultan's army.


Many exotic creatures were on display including flamingoes, a dragon turtle with a jewel encrusted shell that was breathing fire at some children who were poking it with a stick, and a white elephant with richly decorated tusks and many golden bangles hanging from its large flappy ears.


It seemed that the palace was celebrating a hard-won battle against an army from the Monglian Empire a few days ago.

- Lazim Port Rumors-

"Dockyard"​

"Makim has been acting strangely lately, he hasn't been going into the tavern the past month; Is he sick with the plague?; No, but he keeps buying a lot of food even though he only lives by himself and he's not exactly rich; Where's he getting the money?; I don't know. It's probably something illegal."


"Dark hooded men have been seen wandering the city at night; Is it the Hassashins?; I hope not . . . but a lot of people have been going missing for a while now. Including my goat."

"There is a reward for the heads of a gang of twenty bandits in the desert, forty gold pieces a head!; Huh, that's enough to set me up for three months."


"Help! That man's running off with my cat!"

 

[CoconutLeaves]

Fortunata looked at Aaron as he asked her, then looked to the scene before her. Were they actually ready for this? As she pondered this question, she took another handful of kabsa and chewed.


She looked at the wildfire that was Serena. Her eyes, hair, and personality born from untamed flames that brings sparks to whatever she does. She bursts with fire and life, the strength of the supernatural only amplifying her natural burning appeal. She had not seen her in battle, but she was confident that she would fight well. There was something in her that burst with power. Would that fiery star burn brightly to singe even the farthest enemy? It was too early for her to say. She had seen her in the circus during that one time, but she was not in a position then to watch her battle. Fortunata's position that time was of participant and not of the observer.


She turned to Dusty and Brandon. She was not familiar with both of them, only observing them during the meeting as she did her duty as a guard. She knew Dusty was the one who helped her defeat the beast, and she had yet to repay that favor. Like a fox, he had the spirit of wit and slyness kept in him, unleashed in battle, unleashed in tongue. She wanted to see him fight as well. She knew the strength in that young looking boy would be greater than his appearance let on. She had a feeling he would be the brains that would put them through the most stringent obstacles, either by bending the rules or outright ignoring them.


She glanced at Nona before taking a sip of the last remaining pools of mint tea in her glass. Like Serena, she had power. But if Serena was the burning star that proudly shone brightly, Nona was the endless abyss of night. A power that was both mysterious and macabre. The dolls, in Fortunata's eyes, were the facade of the terrifying strength of the young vampire. She was not a person who would be able to fend off a creature with that ability, and Fortunata was just thankful that the vampire had decided to not bother with her. Perhaps, she wasn't interesting enough or perhaps there was nothing she could gain from it; whatever the reason, she was lucky that her fangs seemed to be on their enemies and not her allies.


Chill, Klaus, and Ethan...She looked to see the dark haired warlock taking a few photos. She heard from rumors that the first one had a power that rivaled the supernatural. Based on his contacts as well, he was a well respected man that had either garnered his network either through his strength or through his charisma, or perhaps a combination of both. She saw how his wounds healed quickly and how he used his abilities to recover faster, but she hadn't really seen him in battle. The same goes for Klaus and Ethan; powerful people from a powerful family. They would be using their abilities in a manner that she wouldn't comment on simply because she had not seen their capabilities yet.


Then there was Dyani. The moments where she heard him speak gave her the feeling that he was a confident, strong man. He had this way where he made every single issue seem less...serious. In a way, Fortunata was impressed. She could never minimize the threat like that. He also had a carefree nature about him that made it a bit confusing. Would he fight or would he be lackadaisical? She would not know, and she would only be able to make a correct judgement when she has seen him fight as if his life was on the line.


Blanca was an odd one. From what she heard, the girl controlled machines. Thus, the person in front of her was not really her. Fortunata could only look at the being in the cloak and wonder how amazing technology could be. But just like the rest, she had not seen her fight as well. But she heard she could not be victorious against the creatures and therefore had lost the battle. Perhaps this time she wanted to fix the score. But how does this person fight? This, Fortunata would have to know sometime soon.


She looked at her plate of Kabsa, almost empty, and wondered if there were seconds that could be had.


"Excuse me, I shall get some more rice." She apologized to Aaron lest he think her rude and made her way to the camp to get a heaping serve of kabsa. She turned around to look at Aaron and sat down once more next to his side. He was mysterious, but he was at an age where his wisdom could be valued just as much as a vampire's wisdom. She would be hard-pressed to give a real judgement though. She had only met this man, and it is his quietness and respect for silence that made her approve him.


She on the other hand...


"My Granddaughter, you are splendid." Her grandmother echoed.


Thank you grandmother.





Yet, she knew her grandmother's opinion was tainted with kindness and love for her family.


"I am most certainly not!"





Still, her allies were powerful people. People who could sow terror and destruction if they had wished it so. It was a blessing that they chose to do something for the sake of good! But their enemy was something different. It was a creature that knew no morals. One look at it and the world is put into chaos and paranoia, fear taking root in their hearts and growing quickly like thick weeds in a flower bed. Would they be able to face the creature and its minions and triumph?


Fortunata looked at Aaron, choosing her words and answering as honestly as she could.


"We will struggle. But we will find a way." She answered, then shook her head, "My apologies, but I have not really gotten to know any of you. So I cannot make a confident answer to your question." She smiled apologetically, speaking in a respectful tone to the man of golden years next to her and giving him a nod once more.


She heard Ethan speak then, and her pulse began to quicken. Taking the last bite of her food, she placed the plate in front of her and made a small prayer thanking the heavens for the meal she had received. Standing up, she turned to Aaron once more. "It's time. Let us go now." She said simply before turning around, listening to her pounding heart and moved forward to begin the mission.


----


The Tavern in the City of Lazim


"My Goodness! This place is amazing!" Grandmother Ritosh exclaimed in excitement.





Fortunata had to agree. As she looked out the window and saw the buzzing crowds and caravans from the outside, she couldn't help but feel that she had stepped into a storybook. And a storybook it had felt like! After the strong winds and the darkness, her eyes came upon the early dawn sun slowly uncovering the brilliant golden colors of the sand that spread around with palm trees growing sparsely in the area. She could see the azure sea of Arabia and caravans entering the bright colors of the port city of Lazim. She stared hard, not wanting or even wishing to forget the image she had seen then! It was only after they had begun to walk, did she follow, never leaving the sight of the city.


Now here she was in the inn, so different from the city she lived in. Where transports made of metal, and people on their phones reigned. Here, everything was so different. She wouldn't say it was perfect nor would she call it a paradise. Yet, there was a charm in the city...in its energy that made her continue to watch the scene below her in fascination. Once the last camel had left her sight, did she shake her head and stand.


She was here on a mission, she must not forget that.


As she exited the door and went down, she sat on a table to get her bearings. Her heart on her hand, she listened to it beat in a steady rhythm and focused on it. After a few moments, she opened her eyes and looked at the scenery once more, determined to do her part.


(Mentions: @Maeve Valor @OverconfidentMagi @Orpheus @Zer0 @Cosmic Cobalt @Ensig)


(Speaks mainly to: @Gilzar)

 

[Orpheus]

Brandon Whitaker

​

​

"OOOOOIIII!!!!!"


Brandon screamed out a yell to the group as they all gathered round before heading on in to the portal. he was surprised at the number of people actually, new faces young and old, and some faces he even recognized. he saw the balcony vampire once more, and felt a bit of joy at her participation in this mission. he had hoped she was a bit better after their previous encounter, truth be told he didn't know if the impression he gave her was a good one after escaping immediately after the little advice he gave her. knowing that she was going to be along for the ride made him feel a little excited for this trip. smiling a good bit before calling out to her


"Hey! Balcony vampire! how ya been!"


"You know her?"


Dusty remarked as he got down from Yelena shuffling his clothes tidy from the dust and sand, the biy had moved towards yelena's pack to check on the "merchandise" and hopefully keep it secure. Brandon had followed suit, sliding down Yelena's body as the camel knelt a sit down and nestled on the warm sands for a moment. saliva was dripping from its mouth as it gnawed and chewed, Dusty thought it might've been hungry


"Yeah, met her when i came to pick you up"


"you picked me up?"


"Yeah! you know when i kicked your head and bashed you to the wa- III!! mean carry you home after you fell from so much fatigue!! hehe!"


Brandon had also hoped Dusty didn't remember that time where he bashed his head into the Milson family self portrait, he nearly slipped in his words.


"Ahhhh.... ah yeah i remember.... i woke up in the office that morning"


"Yeah? see? ain't i just a pal?"


"why do you sound like you murdered someone?"


"I! i mean! no umm.. i haven't i mean.. uhh..


"Brandon.."


"Dyeeee... anyway! um hows the merchandise?"


Dusty merely glared and Brandon, knowing full well how his line of speech was going. the fox knew he was hiding something, and Brandon did nothing to hide it shuffling around and leaning on the camel a little too casually while his eyes darted in and out of Dusty's view. Aidan humored him though, despite feeling the sense of mistrust in him, but Brandon was Brandon no doubt about that.


"well.. we stocked up on our herbs and spices, people out there would be into these things i hope, a few trinkets and some baubles.. i hope you worked on your merchant speak.."


"Oh well.. now you know me hehe.."


Brandon was just happy he took to his question and was now occupied with the stuff. now all he needs is to keep him busy with the inventory enough that he'd forget that he nearly brought it up. Brandon kept nodding and agreeing to dusty as he went down the list like a yes-man to a manager. he helped him list down all the materials until the glint in his eye caught a small blue haired girl inching ever so closely behind Dusty. his eyes squinted to get a better view of her as she slowly moved in to her nefarious plot, and Brandon knew exactly what is was. he noticed the scorpion, and the smug smile on her face, at this point he should've warned the poor victim.


But no


Cause that wont be fun at all


"Brandon..? Brandon!"


"Ah yes?"


"Did you get all that?"


"Ah.. *ahem* could you repeat that?"


"*Sigh * i was asking if we loaded in the charms and the incense as well"


"Oh.. Oh yeah! yeah we did"


He didn't remember if he did place the items in, all he could think about was Nona slowly inching towards cracking a smile at what was about to happen. shortly afterwards.

@Maeve Valor


@OverconfidentMagi

[/border]

 

[Gilzar]

Aaron


The Docks


They would struggle, but they would find a way. That's what Fortunata told him anyway, and ever since he entered the wormhole those are the only words he could think of. Now he found himself next to the ghost lady named Blanca in a completely different era, surrounded by thousands of strangers who spoke in a tongue foreign to him. Oddly enough though, Aaron actually blended right into them. He whore a thin white robe, with sandals. Then over that thin white robe he wore a long blue and white stripped sash, while visibly carrying a cutlass on him. From what he observed, this made him look like one of the boat merchants rather than a caravan merchant. So naturally that's the crowd he went with, when he saw people dressed like him he followed, which naturally took him down to the docks. Not once was their a chaotic scene anywhere, the people were not savage barbarians, but were moving about trying to make their day just like any modern day city, which surprised Aaron a bit. But what surprised him even more was the utter beauty of the city. Bright colors, beautiful statues, gardens and vegetation everywhere, even the guards were dressed in beautiful armor! It was a shame that this city would be turned to ruins, his guess would be by the mongols. Yes, they did win the battle, but they did not win the war. Perhaps the people were doing too much celebrating and not enough times preparing.


A few beggar children walked up to him and Blanca over the other travelers, pecking their hands together at him and whimpering at him in a foreign tongue. Aaron just simply swatted them away with a hand-movement, though he worried Blanca's light nature might pity them, however it seemed the guards were watching these children closely. Just to be safe he made sure his pockets still contained his supplies in case these children were pickpockets. All was still well, and thye finally reached the waterline. Ahead of him was a sea full of various ships of shapes and sizes, and Aaron just stood their watching them. Boats had always been a secret fascination of his, he loved watching them move and float in the water. He was especially fond of old age sail boats, which meant he was in the perfect era as all the ships of this time didn't have motors. A grin actually grew across his face, and for once Aaron was visibly showing emotion as he watched the ships.


While he waited, he took the time to analyze Blanca. This was honestly the closest he'd ever been to her minus sitting at the table. Even though she was dead, at the moment she didn't really look like it. Blanca was inside one of her new contraptions; A mech that he didn't even want to try to pronounce the name of due to it's odd numbers, but on the outside it seemed human. This mech bore a thick cloak to cover the majority of it's inorganic body, then was wrapped in dark cloth to cover the places where skin would be exposed. To top it all off the machine even had a mask on it. Historically wise most people probably thought she was some kind of odd plague doctor, or perhaps maybe just an odd merchant. Either way most didn't stare at her for too long, there were lots of weird people walking around so it's not like she stood out like a sore thumb.


"Blanca, is it?" Aaron asked in a friendly yet curious tone. Once again, Aaron wanted to try and be friendly to get people to like him a little more. The last thing he would want would be to left behind in this realm or worse if things got nasty around here. His eyes turned back to the sailing ships, as one hauled up it's final piece of cargo and set sail.


"Sorry, I only ask because I don't think I've ever really talked to you.


@Ensig

 

[OverconfidentMagi]

Nona Usagi​

Saudi Arabia

Ruins of Ubar​

When she'd silently made her way right up to the target of her petty hostility it occurred to her that she had no clue what his name was. That pretty well ruined her plan to have him turn so she could drop her pokey little pet down the front of his shirt. She supposed she could just reach around, but he might have time to react if she did that. And the absolute last thing she wanted was for someone so worthless to touch her. She wasn't entirely sure uselessness wasn't contagious, and it wasn't a risk she was willing to take.


She started whens he noticed that a man had saw her approaching her prey, but despite her intentions being clear, what with her holding the black scorpion right in her hand, the man showed no signs of alerting the boy that he might be in danger. Still, she didn't like witnesses. The girl's eyes narrowed at him, but in the end she decided it was worth going through with her plan, witness or not. She did give the man a small warning in return for not alerting Dusty a second before she dropped the scorpion down the back of his shirt though, she shielded her eyes and pointed at him.


Then she let go, and the irritated poking, pinching, stabbing creature disappeared into the depths of the boy's clothing right down his back. Nona moved inhumanly fast to flee the scene of the crime, one foot already planted in a sandy spot and ready to push off. The girl practically flew as she ran away further into the cave. But returning to the topic of sand, it has a habit of moving about when pushed, and the force of Nona's escape was enough to send up a great big shower of the stuff. Hopefully the guy had been quick to follow her advice and cover his eyes. The perpetrator stopped behind a corner and looked back to see what sort of chaos she'd stirred up, giggling at her own prank.


@Orpheus

 

[Zer0]

- Chill Sandell -

" Sultan's Palace, Outer Walls "​

Chill was over-the-top excited at the prospect of thieving in ancient Middle East. Ever since he was a kid he had always loved the thief and assassin classes in Diablo, Final Fantasy, Ragnarok and World of Warcraft, and here he was a thief in Saudi Arabia . . . it was so much like Assassin's Creed, that he could not pass up the opportunity to wear Altair's outfit which he secretly brought with him.


So after he helped some of the agents set up their trading stall down at the market square (Mordecai was manning it as a merchant), and asking Ethan the Arabic of a few words such as "Yes", "No", or "Sorry", he then casually told him he was going to go fish some pockets for the group's finances, and then set off weaving through the dark-skinned, loosely clothed, and turbaned crowds to find a place where he could secretly change.


Moments later, Chill re-emerged from the shadows, a hooded assassin from Liberalis Circulum. He was so exhilarated right now.


He spotted a desert finch on a roof, moving a bit stiffly. This was one of Klaus' spy drones. The boy had released his mechanical creations as they were traveling through the desert earlier and was now spying on the city and assisting everyone through the eyes of his finches and scarab beetles from one of the tavern rooms. Anyone who would walk in on him would find him seemingly reading an old book.


"Hide in plain sight. Be one with the crowd." Chill repeated one of the rules in the Assassin's Creed. If any of his friends saw him they'd totally laugh at him right now.


Chill avoided the finches and strode through the crowded streets of Lazim, subtly stealing some gold here and there, and bumping accidentally-on-purpose into some Arabs wearing finely woven tunics and cloaks. After he pacified them with some hurried, "'Ana asif.", he walked away pocketing the men's bag of coins with a satisfied smirk. He was always fishing wallets and phones in the modern world, so it was really quite an experience doing it old-style with a bit of sneaky dagger work to cut the money bags loose from his targets sashes.


He did everything Altair did, from letting some guards see him thieving and then losing them by diving into some pile of hay when he was out of their line of sight, to pretending he was someone religious, to parting a group of some disgruntled women carrying jars of water who gave him looks as though wondering why he couldn't just walk on the less-crowded part of the street. His last act on the list was, "The Leap of Faith", where he was going to climb the tallest tower he could find and then dive down like an eagle, but that was for tonight.


Now, he was planning to steal something from the royal treasury, and he headed for the outer walls of the Sultan's Palace with a fired up greedy look on his face.

 

[Maeve Valor]

After Serena had walked over to the crate with a stride she opened it up searching for her A positive preferred type of drink. She had to lightly shuffle some of the stuff around before she found it. She picked it up and was about to close until the little rabbit came and jumped up trying to reach in and grab a blood juice box as well and instead it fell over in attempt. Serena looked down at the poor thing and sighed picking it up and dropping it outside with it still holding the box for its master. In the distance she heard a familiar voice calling over as she still held the crate open. It took a moment before it finally registered who it was and she dropped the top of the crate. "Oh crap it's the guy I met on the balcony."





Sure enough Brandon went on to say, "Hey! Balcony vampire! how ya been!"


Serena was confused as to how she should respond at this point, "How do normal people deal with things like this? I mean he left me a freakin vase of roses! I think I'm supposed to act friendlier to him now? Tch, well that's not gonna happen. In fact, I'm going to treat him twice as bad as I speak to most people. That should show him I cannot be easily swayed with such an act." With her blood bag in hand she slightly turned to look at Brandon from afar, but oddly enough nothing came out when she saw him again. "Then again he didn't do anything wrong..." She ended up looking down a little almost shyly with a nod over to show acknowledgement to him and then left in a brisk walk away to feed on the bag she had successfully received. She heard him and Dusty continue their conversation as she left. Thankfully he didn't try to speak to her more again.


~Lazim Market Place - Tavern~


"Great not only is this country oppressing to women, but the era does too. No one is going to really take me seriously." Serena thought already exasperated sitting at a table and finishing up her drink from under her face piece. She looked around the room trying to gather any clues as to the whereabouts of the new target, but it was to no avail that she got any information. What she did notice though was that a comrade who she there in the area not too long ago was gone. Serena looked around more only to see her at the exit leaving towards the marketplace. She place down some money that she wasn't even sure was the right amount, but had secretly stolen from someone else earlier. She then hurriedly walked towards Fortunata finally catching up to her and lightly grabbed her wrist just to get her attention and then let go.


"Wandering alone in these streets back in this time as a woman is dangerous. No matter what ability you have, be more smart about this, it isn't some sort of field trip. I'll come with you," Serena backhandedly offered her help. It was her way helping others without them thinking she was going soft.


@Orpheus


@CoconutLeaves

 

[Ensig]

<Blanca>


- Ruins of Ubar, Saudi Arabia -
​

After a short break from the blistering sun, it seemed that the Camels disguises were completed, and the rest of the Libra Agents started heading deeper into the cavern. Once again, Blanca's crate rode on the back of Al Sharif (although it now had a colorful tarp draped over it). She would be riding it once again after they went through the worm hole, but for the time being she walked beside it, worrying over the creature's nervous murmuring as it stared into the darkness ahead. Blanca had never time traveled before, so she had no doubt that the camel in front of her hadn't either...


"It'll be alright." she said, patting its flank. At her cold touch Al Sharif seemed to calm down a bit, turning towards Blanca with a small "Gnurr...". Oddly enough, it seemed that Blanca's encouragement worked, and the camel took a deep breath before moving forward. Slightly bewildered by its human-like actions, Blanca followed only a step behind, with the pair staying near the back of the group as they sifted through the darkness of the worm hole -- only the light of their arcane lamps to lead them.

-Ruins of Ubar, Saudi Arabia -


- Medieval Period, July 21, 1250 -
​

"Fuu..." Blanca sighed deeply as the group exited the worm hole. All in all, it wasn't as bad as expected... But Blanca would prefer staying in her room and building new inventions over time traveling any day. Thinking so, she cast a glance behind her at Al Sharif. The camel grunted softly in return before shaking its furry body, as if casting off the void behind them. They'd need to return here within 24 hours again if they were to heed Ethan's Companion's words... Perhaps Klaus would use one of his scouts as a messenger? Thinking so, Blanca looked towards the young now-black-haired Mechanic. She was about to speak up about her idea, but... She figured that he would have thought the same, so she simply continued through the cavern.


Once the group arrived at the same cavern-entrance they had been in centuries ahead of now, the group paused once again to make any final adjustments. Blanca took the time to shift into her Mecha, testing out its Dormant form's movement before moving onto its Active form. Al Sharif seemed a bit sullen now that the cooling fans on Blanca's Hoodie were within the box rather than its back, but because the temperature would end up reaching it through the crate, Blanca disregarded its stare.

- Lazim, Saudi Arabia, Dockyard -

​

It had taken a couple of hours to reach Lazim, allowing Blanca enough time to get used to 3CH4RP3's functions while on the move -- most notably, she got used to its mobile cloth, occasionally stepping off of Al Sharif's back to scale the sandy mounds underfoot with the help of her scarf as a third arm. Because Al Sharif seemed to be a bit more tame with its swaying this time around, Blanca even managed to disassemble one of her mecha's arms to rearrange some of the runic metals within, thus improving its performance. She then needed to disassemble it again to take out grains of sand, but... Once she reassembled it while paying proper attention, she figured it was 100% worth it. It's not like there was much else to do, anyways...


Blanca nodded once Ethan had given the group their current objective (procure more money) in the Tavern. While she didn't think highly of stealing, it couldn't really be helped in their situation -- where the group had neither connections nor proper grounding as an organization. With that, she set out alongside Aaron to the docs. He didn't seem to have a set objective in mind, but... His appearance matched some of the boat merchants they had walked by, so perhaps he planned on negotiating with them as 'fellow merchants'? Deriving intelligence from the locals? Regardless, he would need a translator to do so, so Blanca stayed in tow with him as they walked through the streets.


On the way there, Beggars had approached the pair, but... They stayed away from Blanca. No matter the location, in this day and age 'Lepers' were outcasts, and with 3CH4RP3's bandaged and black-cloaked appearance she fit the current time's descriptor to a tee. Thankfully, the opinion in the current era wasn't as... Extreme as other nations would be in the future, so people simply kept her distance rather than pelting her with stones and/or treating her as a criminal.


"Blanca, is it?" Aaron asked, looking over the docks and interrupting Blanca's thoughts. "Sorry, I only ask because I don't think I've ever really talked to you." he said, looking back at her to see Blanca tilt her head in response.


"... Yes. We've spoken before, however." 3CH4RP3's voice was rough, but still more human than her other Mechas. It sounded as though it was speaking while holding back a cough of sorts in order to make its identity as a 'sickly Leper' more believable. "The last time should have been... A couple of months (or perhaps years) ago, I think." Blanca had a thoughtful tone as she searched through her memories. If she recalled correctly, she was introduced to she agent -- slightly less grizzled than he was now -- 12 years ago. Blanca was supposed to supply a custom rune to him for a mission... They hadn't been close by any means, but she had met him a couple of times since then -- which was more than most Libra Agents.


Perhaps he had forgotten? Blanca's presence was quite thin, after all...

@Gilzar

 

[CoconutLeaves]

Lazim Marketplace, Fortunata


------


The smell of the desert heat was an odd one, Fortunata thought as she walked along the streets of the Marketplace. There was a windy, pure scent that was mixed with the recently familiar smell of camel, people who haven't showered, and spices. The former she could appreciate, but the latter was a different story altogether. The sounds of men and women advertising their wares by shouting, the ringing of bells, and the laughter and chatter of the people put her ease as she realized that the scene wasn't as different as she had thought. Indeed, she felt as if she were walking down the cobblestone streets beside the canals of Autumn Street! Her dark eyes looked around the brightly colored stalls and clothing of the people, the colors complimenting the pale sandy shades of the buildings that rose around them; taking the form of blank canvases in her mind.


It was then she saw it, or rather, him.


The moment he began to blend in, she fell a lump of worry form in the pit of her stomach. She wondered why he had to act so secretive, in that get up of all things! Chill Sandell looked like a character from a storybook, and the unnatural hue of his hair -due to the dye he used- still stuck out to her. Yet, slowly, he began to blend in and Fortunata knew she had to find him and have him speak of his intentions to her to put her worry to rest.


Her feet began to walk faster as her eyes watched him slowly begin to vanish from the crowd, and her pulse quickened as a result. She was getting closer and closer, her hand able to reach him if she just took a few..more...steps-


Then she felt pressure around her resting wrist.


Turning around, she wondered if she had been discovered, and her hand was about to reach for the fabric of ether but stopped as she came to face with Serena. She breathed a sigh of relief but lamented that she must now have lost Mr. Sandell's tracks. She mentally protested at Serena's scolding of her even though her words made sense. She turned her head back to the crowd of people and felt the twinge of annoyance that she had lost the warlock and his cocky swagger before facing Serena once more. Why was she at fault here anyway? She was merely scouting the area before she saw Mr. Sandell act like he was Aladdin!


Resigning herself to admit that she was in the wrong here, albeit half-heartedly, she turned once more hoping to find a glimpse of him. Heaven must have answered her hopes when she saw a commotion happening in the far-off distance; it had to be him!


"You may lecture me after we find Mr. Sandell! " She declared to the vampire before turning around and running to the commotion. She knew he was farther off already and as tempted as she was in chasing and catching him, she had a feeling his abilities would make that task more than impossible. He would most likely be out of her reach as he would most likely revel in the newness of this time. Thus, she would have to be at whatever goal he had his eye on first, and as she focused to the splendid building where verdant trees grew stately and strong, she had an idea where it would be, running faster in her black robes, she put it up a notch; weaving through the crowd while not refusing to stop, getting the attention of the crowd and their scoldings as well.


Mr.Sandell, what trouble are you up to... Fortunata grumbled as the beads of sweat began to form once more.


The path to the large building (Palace) took her to twist and turns, watching the crowds thin out gradually until there were people who were merely going their own way. It was only the endless high walls that she encountered did she know she was near the palace. The hot Arabian sun was starting to make the robes seem even hotter and she wouldn't be able to get into the palace as a nobody. She stood up, catching her breath and promptly removed the dark robes she had worn revealing the long sleeved outfit she had sewn the previous night before the mission. Patterns and symbols intricately arranged and patterned, shone brightly as the sun's rays touched upon it. Fortunata could only care about the cool breeze that came along as she felt lighter with only the clothing. Wiping the beads of sweat, she turned the corner and found the palace gates, the guards menacing and alert.


She needed to be dignified if she were to speak to them and warn them about any suspicious activity. Thus, she put her chin up and looked straight ahead, strong and confident, as she began to move towards the palace guards.


(@Zer0 )


(@Maeve Valor )

 

[Zer0]

- Chill Sandell -

" Sultan's Palace, Throne Room"​

Chill had made it through the palace gates by hiding underneath a wagon carrying bleating goats and vegetables into the palace grounds. Whatever was going inside, they were bringing in a lot of food.


When the wagon passed by a garden, he dropped and rolled into some bushes before stealthily making his way outside of what appeared to be the servant's quarters. Here he crouched behind some reeds by a man-made pool in the garden to observe the goings on of the Palace.


As much as he hated to admit it, it seemed that it would be too difficult to blend in with his Assassin's Creed outfit. He'd either have to go with his Persian Artist garb and pretend to be a servant, knock out a soldier and don his armor, or look for fine clothing so that he can pretend to be a nobleman . . . He chose nobleman.


Switching to his Persian artist garb, he grabbed a large vase with some plants, upturned its contents and confidently walked into the servant's quarters keeping his head bowed and partially hidden by the vase, acting like he belonged. He smoothly grabbed a servant's sash and turban hanging out to dry, casually wore them, then switched to helping carry a jar of spices into the kitchen. Next was a plate of food and he followed a servant out of the kitchen and through the halls . . . where he was going he did not know, but he kept an eye out for what could be a bedroom.


He followed the servant into the courtyard where the sultan himself was sitting at the head of a lively party. In the middle were five belly dancers entertaining a crowd of royals, warriors, and court officials. Chill stared, then accidentally bumped into the servant sending both their plates of food clattering to the floor.


He did not stare because they were beautiful, but because the belly dancers were dancing like Fortunata. The patterns of their loose clothes were similar to hers and they were elegantly whirling and twirling a strip of silk cloth almost exactly the way Fortunata fought those scarecrows in the carnival, and for a moment Chill was mesmerized by the coincidence before the angry Arabic exclamations of the servant before him brought him back to his senses.


He humbly muttered, "Asif, asif, asif," over and over again as he cleaned up the mess and kept his head down. Some of the soldiers jeered at him and just laughed it off.


After that he retreated into the kitchen where he was scolded by someone and thwacked on the shoulder and arms with a thick whip. He had forgotten that his sort of servant disguise meant he was a slave, but at least he wasn't kicked out of the palace.


Chill humbly slouched outside the kitchen all embarrassed and defeated looking, but the moment he was out of sight he straightened up again and examined the ugly purple weal on his skin from the whiplash. It really stung. Getting lashed was no laughing matter.


He made a mental note to tell Fortunata about this and also get back at the man who whipped him later. Time for a second try, this time he secretly let loose a herd of camels from their pen and used the ensuing chaos to wall-run up a pillar without getting noticed. After ducking out some patrolling guards, Chill found himself peering down the throne room from an open window near the ceiling.

@CoconutLeaves

 

[Gilzar]

Aaron


"We have?" He asked, Aaron awkwardly sucked his lips together, as he thought of something else to say. For a brief moment he turned his body back to the passing ships, as if they would give him an answer. Was she a patient of his sometime ago? A couple of months ago he was a doctor in the hospital just going about his business. He never saw ghosts in the hospital though...supernaturals weren't his thing unless...


His breathe gasped for a moment. Was this girl one of my dead patients?! Aaron always worked in the ER/Intensive care unit of hospitals, and he with his hours he always was helping someone new. That's just how big city hospitals worked, no time to get to know patients, you just help them the best you can and whatever happens happens. Patients normally didn't die on him...but it did happen. Aaron collected himself for a moment, making his face turn back to it's normal monotone look. He figured Blanca must have been one of the patients that he lost...from the sad awkwardness she always seemed to had his guess must have been from cancer OR a tragic car accident. What a shame, her ghostly form looked so young. Now he didn't normally care about people dying, but he disliked seeing young people die, just a bunch of wasted potential.


It took a few seconds to collect himself, but Aaron turned himself back to Blanca. "I'm sorry...I must have forgotten. I saw lots of people back then...But I certainly hope it wasn't my fault". Sorry was a word too far, he felt bad but probably not sorry. He more or less was just saying it because of how awkward it was. Aaron always knew the mistakes of his past would eventually catch up to him...but not like this...


He paused, and took a breathe. "How are you...'adjusting' to your new ghostly form after what happened just a few months ago?"


@Ensig

 

[Orpheus]

Dusty Aidan



​

"and so.. after we get those things out of the way we can make a bit more coin if we try and give people a bit of a show and..."





It was almost like a nature documentary of sorts, the predator inches closer to its prey waiting for the perfect chance to strike flinching just a moment at the notion of its discovery, only to press on quickly once the notion has passed. swiftly the rabbit vampire closed in on the unsuspecting fox-child, in her hand, a large black scorpion with pincers large enough to cut a walnut, the arachnid was scared to its wits, moving its legs and feeling for any form of ground to flee and hide, little had it known that it would only find footing on the flesh of an unsuspecting child. swiftly like an assassin the rabbit girl successfully planted its unwilling saboteur inside dusty's garments, fleeing from detection once the deed had been done. the child still still a fool to it as it slowly slid inside the folds of his clothes. squirming all around the layers of clothing, high strung, and anxious to its ever changing and shifting surrounding's the scorpion could only think that he was still under threat. the constant movement only provoked the scorpion causing it to strike a fierce blow into Dusty's fle-


"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!"


A shrill high pitched screaming had resounded all over the ruins, followed by the explosion of smoke and dust with the sands scattering and flying about from the billows of smoke. Like a ripper in the night the stinger had pierced into the tenderness of dusty;s skin. his eyes had dilated a slit as all his hair had furled up like an angry minx. to the outside it was like an octopus vainly splashing ink at its enemy in an attempt to flee, but the scorpion was sift in its movements constantly moving and striking like a rouge in attempt to find an opening and flee back to the sands. Dusty was screaming and wailing, jumping around like a madman as he tried to tear off the layers of his clothing causing him to blind himself and run backwards on his hind legs until his bum smacked on a red wall


Brandon, his most trusty partner in crime merely laughed and laughed, and laughed till his lungs nearly gave out from laughter, unable to contain the hilarity of it all. it was almost paralyzing that he couldn't even try to help him out any longer, his very limbs giving off from the moment of pure comedy. Dusty had raked his body in the crystals of the sand to flush the scorpion out, particles flying about everywhere as the boy rolled and dived to escape the torture ,but in doing this inadvertently caused the scorpion to try and cling to dear life. the eight legged scrapper had slid from the sands into the lower parts of dusty's pants. scraping amidst the chaos to cling onto something..... and soon enough it di-


"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"


the scream was even more higher pitched than before, almost like the dying cries of a kitten screaming to the high heavens before entering the Pawly gates. his lungs had given out all it could muster before Dusty fell limp on the sandy floor, face planted deep in the sands. and Brandon just gave out to the pain of laughter, trying his best to help him out.In his wake several artifacts that dusty had held initially were scattered around strewn about near everyone all unique from each other....


...Dusty wasnt going to wake soon after.

@Cosmic Cobalt @Gilzar @CoconutLeaves @

Brandon Whitaker

​

​

"


"DE! DU HEhhahahhahah! AHHA!! Ho-Hold on im-- im coming !! HAHA!!"


he sounded like a hyena calling to a successful hunt, though he walked more like a doe in the sand as he tripped and fell on it trying to get to the now paralyzed dusty. The man just couldn't help himself after all that had happened.


"ha-Ho- hehe!! h.. Hold still!!"


as if he couldn't, Brandon skimmed down his pants to find the interloper of leather, pinching the sides of its claws and holding onto its stinger to release its captive in trauma from further acts of despair and humiliation. Brandon was a little level headed soon after but the same could not be said of Dusty as he flinched and twitched from sudden exahustion. Brandon took the child by the leg and carried him like a sack on his back, taking the scorpion back to its HQ after its mission Accomplished.


"I think this belongs to you"


he presented Nona the scorpion once again, feeling around once more for escape as its limbs flung out and about in search for ground.


"Hehe! that was THE!! longest time i had a laugh! honestly watching dusty like that whoo! your a pretty sly kid arent ya?"


he leaned over to the side of the rock as he returned the scorpion back to her, he had also wondered what he would do with the scattered artifacts and eyed Serena with a thumbs up and pointing down at the Artifact that was placed near her feet. he looked back at Nona again, with the same look of interest as he always did.


"Though i doubt your a kid right? after all no child can stand this heat with just a raincoat...... im thinking you might be someone or something else.."


Brandon sparked a Cheshire grin at the blue haired girl. he sparked an idea that may be useful should the time for it arrive. after all, if they're making gold on the side as well, might as well make use of a bit more help.


"But as of now that doesn't matter, what matters is, i have a.. er.. proposition for you.."


.

@Maeve Valor


@Zer0


@OverconfidentMagi

 

[Cosmic Cobalt]

Leoward Dyani Westen

​

RUB' AL KHALI, SAUDI ARABIA

Dyani was positively dying out here in the heat. Sweat was dripping off of him in wet pearls and gathering underneath his clothing. He stretched the collar of his robe, trying to cool off in some way. It didn't help that he was being jostled in a group of people. Still, he was excited. Time traveling was always cool and there was a chance to get to know his fellow Libra members much better. His thoughts kept on going to Elena though, and the Philosopher's Stone. This time, he was going to make sure that he succeeded.


"Good to see you're doing good, Chill." He murmured half to himself, half to Chill. It was nice to see him out and doing good, despite what the scarecrows had did to him.


Serena was there, and though they had always clashed with one another, Dyani was actually grateful she was doing good. Dyani didn't know much about vampires, but he thought the sun was bad for them. He half expected Serena to shrivel up in the sunlight and turn to dust, but to his relief, she was doing fine. Grumpy, but fine.


There was Nona, who he didn't really work with much. Dyani thought she was creepy...just a little bit. But he was glad that she didn't seem too dangerous. And he did think that her little bunny was cute. He wanted to pet it, but thought that maybe Nona wouldn't like that. So he tried his best not to touch it. But he would occasionally mutter "Cute bunny." once in a while to her.


Aaron was also there, someone Dyani was only beginning to be familiar with. He had been there when Dyani woke up in the library with Dusty patching him up. Since then, Dyani had found himself greeting and interacting with the man more. He liked Aaron, though, and generally treated him with the open playfulness he acted towards everyone else.


Dyani's relationship with Dusty took a major change since he saved him and fixed up his wound. Even now, he still thought about it and it weighed heavy on him. Dusty had practically saved his life. Dyani wanted to say something, anything, but all he could muster up was, "Thank you." It felt so weak to him, so insignificant. What could he say?


Then there was Fortunata. They didn't talk much, but something about her just made Dyani feel comfortable around her. She seemed pretty nice, and Dyani felt bad for not talking to her more. He made a mental note to himself that he needed to start talking to people more and get better at learning names. For now, he was content to laugh and smile at her.


Dyani was happy to see Blanca on the trip, too. He remembered the damage she sustained in the last battle, remembering the painful looking dent that she had endured. Seeing her in a new mech, more than ready to start the mission, filled him up with energy himself. "I'm glad you're doing alright, Blanca." Dyani made sure to say to her.


Struggling under the heat but strengthened by his comrades, Dyani trailed behind them, sweating like a pig and trying not to pass out under the sun.

MENTIONS

@Zer0 @Maeve Valor @Orpheus @Gilzar @OverconfidentMagi @Ensig @CoconutLeaves

RUINS OF UBAR, SAUDI ARABIA

RUINS OF UBAR, SAUDI ARABIA

"The palace...the palace..." Dyani scratched his neck, which was damp with sweat. "How to get into the palace?"


Dyani had thrown a couple of plans in his head, though brainstorming wasn't really his strong suit. He first came up with the idea that someone else on the team could bring him in as an elk, as an exotic present to the sultan. They probably hadn't seen an elk before, so maybe they would like it. But how would he get out? He could stay an elk and just use his human thinking to get himself out...No. Nope, that wouldn't work. Dyani didn't really trust himself to actually get himself out when he got in. He wished someone who was smarter than him could help him with a plan.


Was he even allowed to change into his elk form here? He remembered about blending in and not changing the past. Those rules were set pretty hard in stone. He wished that time traveling wasn't such a hard business--


He was interrupted from his thoughts by a death-defying scream. Dyani turned around in time to see Dusty, absolutely freaking out and thrashing around like he was on fire before falling to the ground. Brandon was nearby, laughing so hard Dyani thought he saw tears streaming down his face.


"Dusty!" Dyani ran over to his side. "What's wrong? Are you hurt? C'mon, buddy, I'll help y--"


Dyani saw Brandon pick up the scorpion from Dusty's clothes. Ah. So that was it. Dyani did his best to scowl, though he bit his lip in an attempt to not laugh.


"Hey, now. I thought you killed him or something." He turned his head away quickly, trying not to let Brandon see his scowl faltering on his face. Dyani patted Dusty's face and fanned him, trying to coerce him to wake up. Dyani saw Brandon try and give the scorpion to Nona.


"Uh, I'm not sure you should give it to...her...." Dyani said, his voice faltering at the end. Well, maybe Nona liked scorpions. He didn't know. He lay Dusty gently down on the ground with a bundle of cloth beneath his head to cushion it.


As he stared at Dusty's seemingly comatose body, Dyani's fingers thrummed irritably on his chin as he tried to think up a way to make it into the palace. No, I'm not the sneaky type. Hm, maybe my elk idea from before would work? Uh, maybe I just really want to turn into an elk really badly. Maybe I need to focus on some other kind of plan. Dyani really wished he was better at coming up with plans.


Wait a minute...


Dyani suddenly jumped up. "Hey, does anybody know where Klaus and Ethan went? I just got this idea. I know it sounds crazy and stupid, but just here me out. It involves a lot of hair paint..."

MENTIONS

@Orpheus @OverconfidentMagi

 

[CoconutLeaves]

Well. So much for a dignified entrance.


Fortunata patted her clothes and smoothed them as she felt the refreshing shade of the courtyard. Her eyes adjusted to this new landscape before her and she sighed in its beauty. The courtyard was filled with pools of waters that were connect by canals filled with running streams; the pools had water lillies that bloomed pink flowers which had dragonflies perched on top of it; vibrant hydrangeas blossomed, bloomed, and adorned the crystal gleam of the clear waters of the pool; the pomegranate and orange trees stood side by side as marble stone benches were set in earth, inviting people to sit and rest in the shade. It was quite a dazzling sight!


Yet, the faint sound of music playing in the distance brought her out of her distraction. Looking at the long hall where rays of sun filtered through purposefully placed sections of the ceilings. Turning around, she looked at the closed doors, sighed in annoyance, and began to walk towards the music. She couldn't believe that the guards were so rude! When she went to them, she began to speak, wanting to warn them of a potential thief. When the guard took one look at her, he had a face that was a cross between anger and irritation. She shouldn't be outside, the Sultan would be highly displeased. She should be with the others right now. With one pull of her arm, he opened the doors and brought her in, thus leading to the current situation.


"Ancestors! It definitely has to be our ancestors!" Her Grandmother exclaimed with excitement, "I told you, I told you I was right!"





Despite her irritation with the guard, she smiled at her grandmother's excitement. She had to admit, she was also excited at the idea of meeting her clan, no matter how low the probability of it being so was.


The music grew stronger as she got closer to the room. As she stood in front of the door, she opened it gently, not wanting to make a scene; as the light flew out of the door, she was welcomed by a jubilant celebration filled with food, music and people. The 'room' she had thought turned out to be an even grander version of the 'courtyard'! No one seemed to mind her any attention, or from what she saw for her gaze froze on a group of women dancing. They wore clothes similar to hers, and the way they danced were a bit different but followed the exact same steps. The way they danced has a joyous quality that overflowed and made the mood even more merry. The cloths they held in their hand were longer than hers, and the way they skilfully used it as if it were lighter than the very air itself told her that these ancestors of her were skilled. She walked forward, ignoring the excited screams of her grandmother from within as the ladies saw her. They stopped dancing, surprise etched into their expressions for a moment before smoothing it to an indifferent expression.


One of them, dressed in golden colors looked to the musicians behind the group and flicked her wrist. The musicians slowly began to change their song, the music taking on a stronger beat that had a battle-like sound. The woman began to dance, twirling around as the fabric of ether became opaque in the pure sunlight.


"Dance, my granddaughter." Grandmother Ritosh urged.





Listening to her grandmother's words, she stepped forward once more and let the music flow through her. She began to sway slowly, taking a step on each side until they began to turn into hops, until she too started to twirl, spinning in a graceful manner that she had practiced for many years. This went on until she felt the friction of the fabric of ether as it came into contact with the woman's own. Alarmed, she glanced at the woman and found herself looking at eyes that held mystery and no malice. She continued to dance, but Fortunata found her fabric being touched upon. The fabric was a sacred item in their tribe, to touch it was an invitation...


Then it clicked. This was no ordinary dance.


"This is a test. A test of your worth and legitimacy as a tribe member. Do not show any openings." Her Grandmother stated.


@Zer0

 

[Zer0]

- Chill Sandell -

" Sultan's Palace, Sultan's Bedroom "​

"This is nice." said Chill nodding appreciatively as he ran his hands along one of the Sultan's white outer gowns woven with fine gold plated threads. He was choosing what to wear among the Sultan's vast wardrobe; at the foot of the comfy bed were two bound, blindfolded guards he had knocked out earlier.


He then stood in front of a mirror in his new royal garb looking quite the handsome Persian Prince, no longer the rugged wandering artist. He tried to pick clothes that weren't too unique, something that only the Royal family would know belongs to the Sultan, but not the guards.


He was disappointed to find that there weren't any gold coins in the room, just some jeweled treasure Chill was sure he wouldn't be able to sell. They were too unique and he didn't want to attract that kind of attention in the Middle East underworld. He did take their picture, though. As he crouched half-hidden behind a pillar to take pictures of the wonderful view of the courtyard outside, he saw . . . Fortunata. Fortunata having a dance face-off with the belly dancers? Chill rubbed his eyes. Yes, that was definitely her and he took a picture of her twirling with them. What was she doing here?


@CoconutLeaves


Some noises nearby brought Chill's attention back to his current surroundings. As interesting as it was to find out why Fortunata was dancing, he could not dilly dally long here.


He peered outside the Sultan's bedroom while snacking on a cactus fruit and some dates. He was on the second floor and down the open balcony at the end of the hall was the throne room he had seen earlier that had about twelve guards inside.


"What to do . . ." Chill muttered to himself, rubbing his jaw. He wanted to sit on that throne so badly. There was no blind spot so he couldn't just knock them out. He pocketed some cactus fruit then contacted Ethan through the comms as he unbound, removed the blindfold, then dragged the two unconscious guards out of the bedroom and into the deserted hallway. "Hey, Ethan, what's Arabic for, 'Help, there's a guard on the floor in the hallway', 'I saw someone wearing dark clothes jump out of the window', 'He went that way', 'Over there', 'There's a thief', and, 'They're fighting the intruder and need more help' ?"


There was a pause on Ethan's end. "Why?"


"I'm in a pinch right now." lied Chill. "and I need the translation to escape."


Ethan immediately gave him the Arabic equivalent of the words, then asked. "Where are you? You need help?"


"No, I can handle it." said Chill reassuringly, not answering the first question. "Thanks."


"Alright, but where are you?" said Ethan persistently. There was a hint of suspicion in his voice.


"In a rich man's house near the west wall." said Chill distractedly, "Listen, I got to go."


"Wait, Chill, you're not in the Palace, are you? That's the only place with guards."


"What was that?" said Chill feigning deafness. "I'm --- I'm hearing static. Ah, sorry, Ethan? Ethan?"


"Yeah, I hear you! Hello, Chi ---"


Chill cut off his comms. 'Sorry, mate, but this is something I have to do.' he thought, amused. With that he ran towards the guards in the throne room yelling, "Help! There's a guard on the floor!" in Arabic.


The guards immediately became alert. "Where?!"


"In the hallway!" said Chill feigning terror, pointing upstairs. Four guards went up to investigate while one went off to sound the alarm. Chill followed right behind the four.


"Did you see who did this?" asked one of the guards.


"Yes! I saw someone wearing dark clothes jump out of the window!" said Chill pointing inside the bedroom.


The guards went inside, and while their backs were turned Chill knocked two out with a blow to the nape and an elbow to the temple; then two jabs to the throat each for the two who turned so that they couldn't yell. He tossed a cloth at one to blind him for a moment, weaved to avoid the saber of the other, then finished them both off with a roundhouse kick to the jaw and a follow up back kick that sent the blinded guard crashing into the wardrobe.


Chill dashed out yelling, "Help! Help! They're fighting the intruder and need more help!" and stumbled on purpose across the floor pointing in terror upstairs. Six guards went up now, but Chill didn't follow, instead he pretended to have fainted. There was now only one guard left and the kind bloke was shaking him awake. A swift palm thrust to the nose and that guard was knocked out too.


"HEY!" yelled a voice. A guard had seen him from the side. Darn, the jig was up.


Chill immediately threw himself on the throne, posed like a king, and took a selfie with his camera draped under a sash. He quickly ducked to avoid getting skewered by a thrown javelin, then rapidly leapt on to the window and out into the roof, laughing triumphantly.


The Palace was on alert now. The angry guards chased him across the roof. Chill wrapped a cloth around his head, leaving only his eyes visible, and removed some of the sultan's garbs on the fly amidst a hail of deadly javelins, ducking and parrying them away with his kusarigama. He leapt three stories down from the roof, startling some servants. He grabbed the jar of spices one of them was carrying then ducked into the palace again where he had some time to lose the ones chasing him by submerging himself in a pool of lilies with a broken reed as a breathing tube.

 

[OverconfidentMagi]

Nona Usagi​

Saudi Arabia

Ruins of Ubar​

"Pokey! Good work out there, the enemy has been soundly defeated thanks to your brave and heroic heroism." She saluted the exhausted and traumatized black scorpion. It was too done to even bother trying to sting the monster that held it. Nona was pleased with her new pet, maybe enough to keep it.


She addressed the man who'd brought it back to her in a perfectly monotone voice. "I am Nona Usagi. I thank you for not alerting my prey." She bowed her head, if only for a moment. It wasn't often she showed anything that might be mistaken for respect towards anyone. This person better be grateful.


In return for the man's loyalty she could at the very least answer his questions. "You are correct, I am a vampire. The raincoat is for the sunlight. It is evil. The heat is evil too, which is why I'm not wearing anything beneath the raincoat." She stared up at the man flatly, her crimson eyes daring him say anything in response to that.


"Proposition? I should let you know I charge extra for anything illegal. If you don't pay up I'll go to the cops." She paused, then added, "Rates of service depend on the fun level of the task."

 

[Maeve Valor]

The response that Fortunata had given back to her took a moment to register because had forgotten what Chill's last name was.


"Mr. Sandell?...Oh you mean Chill! Wait Chill close by? Why should we be worried about him, he's a big boy," Serena commented as she followed Fortunata through the crowd and noticed how she wasn't even paying attention to her as she was trying to catch up to who she assumed was Chill. By this point he had already blended in with the crowd and approached the palace, but Serena had no vision of him at any point and so far was just going along with it. Far off a good ways away from them she too noticed that an area seemed to be busier at the moment than any other at the marketplace.


"Hey hold your camels, we'll come across him eventually!" She tried yelling over the din of the crowded streets to her. In the end, they found their selves at the palace entrance. Beyond the gate with a guard on each side and the great doors she heard music. Serena studied the possible entrances and exits this building had and had concluded that building was far from fortress and that it was just asking to be invaded. Although she did assume there was many guards inside the palace and that in itself did make her wary.


"Fortunata I believe we should- What the heck what are you doing?" She was going to propose that they leave, but yet again she ignored her and moved forward towards the gate with the guards. After explaining to them that there might be a thief among us, she was pulled inside. Serena was going to follow suit and just move passed them but one of them stepped to the side and in her way.


"Not you, only her is granted permission," Serena assumed that their reasoning was for one, it only takes one person to warn the other about a thief and two, having two people granted entrance would be a bit sketchy and unsafe on their end. Regardless, the red-headed vampire was still irritated and with a growl in frustration she watched as Fortunata in the distance made her way to the door and opened it to another portion of the palace. Serena left the premises leaving herself to observe how else to get in.


After a couple of minutes trying to figure this out by walking around the area she realized something, "Wait why am I even trying to get in? This has nothing to do with trying to find the whereabouts of Albertus Magnus. These fools are wasting precious time." She gritted her teeth wondering how she let herself yet again take her eyes off the main objective of this mission. She did a 180 turn planning to forget about the others "They all seem too "busy" doing more important things than the mission apparently."





@CoconutLeaves

 

[Ensig]

<Blanca>


- Lazim, Saudi Arabia, Dockyard -
​

Blanca nodded as Aaron asked whether the pair had met before, turning to the ships sailing by. The scene had a serene quality uncommon in the future that the Libra agents had come from. Thankfully, 3CH4RP3 had recording functions; she'd need to upload the pictures she was taking onto Libra servers when she returned -- she was sure that Chill would appreciate that, at least. Still, the glare off of the water was quite something... Furthermore, the sun overhead was as warm as ever. Blanca's mecha was unconcerned, but she hoped that the old man in front of her wouldn't catch heat-stroke or something similar.


"I'm sorry...I must have forgotten. I saw lots of people back then...But I certainly hope it wasn't my fault" the man in question said after a pause. Blanca was mildly confused about the latter half concerning his 'fault', but perhaps this was his means of saying 'Sorry for troubling you for those missions'? If so, Blanca could understand. Most individuals unfamiliar with the process of making runes would be under the impression that they're difficult to create... Or so Blanca heard. In reality, they were quite easy once you got the hang of them, and replicating previously-made runes was even easier. In Blanca's case, rune-making had become as easy as breathing.


"How are you...'adjusting' to your new ghostly form after what happened just a few months ago?" he continued, causing Blanca to tilt her head. The way he spoke made it seem as though he thought she had only become a Ghost a couple of months ago, but... '-- No, perhaps the heat is getting to him as expected...? In that case, perhaps he meant 'mecha' instead of 'ghostly'? If so, he was referring to the finalization of T4UR34U a couple of months ago... Right?'


Nodding to herself, Blanca turned her eyes from the calming waters ahead. She shifted her lightweight mecha's feet on the wooden docs underfoot, causing it to creak slightly before she looked towards Aaron for her response. "It... Has been a challenge to adjust to it (as T4UR34U is very different from Human form mechas), so I'm still working on it (i.e mechanically speaking). There are more than a couple of differences between it and human(oid mecha)s, but... It could be worse, I suppose."


@Gilzar

 

[CoconutLeaves]

Palace Courtyard, Test of Legitimacy


----





The swift movements of her ancestor were fast that Fortunata had to quicken her movements, risking the grace of her dance. Unbeknownst to the observers, the ancestor had delivered a flurry of strikes that would have been overkill for a normal person. The only reason that Fortunata stood was that the cloth hadn't been turned into a blade, but rather touched upon hers in a symbolic display of swordsmanship and skill; not to mention that Fortunata has parried each strike.


As the dance continued, one of her clan members went to the Sultan's direction, stopped meters away from him, and announced:


"O Magnificent Sultan! Conquerors of conquerors! Lover of Peace! Vessel of Strength! The impenetrable shield! In honor of your victory against the Mongols! We tribe of the East, will show you this dance!"


"Such a good excuse. Our Tribe never bows to anyone." Grandmother Ritosh commented with humor.





Fortunata wished her grandmother could tell her how to gain the upper hand, but judging by how swift her opponent was, victory wouldn't be on the table. The match could only end if one of them was 'defeated' or the music ends leaving them at a tie. Thus, the tie was the most realistic option. As the music neared to a close, the ancestor's strikes became faster, giving Fortunata little time to defend and forcing her dance in her own manner and not of that what her grandmother had taught her. The tension grew as the music became more frenzied, signalling its conclusion.


With one last strike, Fortunata finally found an opening and made an attempt at a slash only for it to be parried, yet the force of the impact, no matter how light, put them off footing momentarily. The music ended to rousing applause, and Fortunata remembered where she was.


"Mea Ar Strombollson." Her opponent said, a tongue that could not be registered on the device, "Orosselma spore tru oer avreo cro cro spelsa Minehlesz."


"She says her name is Minehlesz and it was a splendid dance." Grandmother Ritosh translated, knowing the tongue of her tribe of old. Her mother never made an attempt to teach her the tongue of old. Something she found a pity right now, however it does not mean she was without communication. Each of the women introduced themselves: Samare, Lifia, Birey, Quolatoire. Fortunata did the same as well, saying she was the ancestor of Alethi. The name brought out surprised glances and questions as the Alethi had gone west past the caucasus. How was she and what had brought her here? Answering, as best as her grandmother could form them, she explained that she was traveling to search for greener pastures and her path had brought her to this land. Minehlesz inquired at the lack of her brooch. Confused, Fortunata asked her grandmother, to which the grandmother replied. A look of pity crossed the women but then nodded in understanding.


Before she could speak, the dancers excused themselves and promptly went out the door with Fortunata taken with them. They had taken a diamond from one of their pockets, cut a thin stripe of fabric from each of their fabric of ether and fashioned a brooch out of it. They pinned it on her and declared proudly that it was hers to keep and that the strength of theirs, her sisters, would be hers. Surprised, she was about to ask as to what they had meant when she saw someone hid in the pool nearby, and Fortunata caught the dark color of his hair and the icy blue hue of his eyes. Snapping back to reality, and annoyed that Chill had once again, interrupted something important, she wondered if she could ignore him.


The shouts of the guards and the realization that he had done something in the palace strengthened her resolve to write a complaint letter to the Milsons. They needed to talk to this man! Yet, for now, she had to get him out. Looking at her ancestors with apologetic eyes, she pointed to the submerged figure of Chill in the water and asked them to please keep the guards away. With questioning and amused looks, they nodded and began to dance as the guards went in.


"Has the thief come here!?" A guard asked which was answered by irritated glances.


"If a thief had come here, would we not have screamed? Go away, we must practice for the next dance! The Sultan expects no less than perfection!"





The guards were about to retort, but seeing that the thief could get way with every second being wasted arguing, they shook their heads and left but not before delivering a warning: "If you see him, apprehend him!"





Once they had gone, Fortunata went to the edge of the pool and spoke strongly, "Mr. Sandell, get out of this pool and explain yourself!"


Nodding to the others, the women began to circle the pool, their cloths readied to prevent any foolishness from the warlock.


@Zer0

 

[Orpheus]

Dusty Aidan



​

"Hair dye....."


Dusty said in his weakened voice as he did his best to rouse himself from consciousness. his eyes were closed and his body almost limp like a noodle but his senses were as active as ever despite the attack. its a little known fact but a Jomyaku-ko's tail, when grabbed or pinched by its base with enough pressure, causes them to fall paralyzed and curled up like a ball much like a cat when grabbed by the top of its neck. it just so happened that the scorpion struck a fierce pinch to it that it caused the recovery process to delay a bit more than usual. still it didn't stop him from overhearing Dyani's desire to get into the palace, though he doubted about his thoughts on dyeing his hair.


"it's called hair dye..... but if you wanted to go into the palace i think i have the right artifact.... that is unless i already lost it somewheres..."





Dusty weakly rummaged through his pockets and satchel, though it felt like sifting through items with a rubber spoon for a hand. his face winced in the irritation of finding where the damn thing was. he felt around and slowly enough his hand began to curl and soon regained their sense of movement once more. he quickly picked up what looked to be an amulet, its string fishing out other artifacts as the fell onto the sand, and with his eyes slowly opening to meet with the Faunice's, he showed the amulet to him, it was a small mirror like thing framed in a jade carving that depicted various fauna intricately placed around the said mirror amulet.


"you can use this amulet..... its called a Jade Mirror, which is just... aptly named.. it'll help you animal form to anything you wish... but only one animal can be chosen at a day... and it only lasts for a few hours.... simply stare into the mirror and envision your own form as a different animal than an elk's.... but make sure no one see's you and that you aren't found to be a Faunice... if anyone catches you or if you are attacked its spell will leave you.. so use it wisely..."


dusty had hoped his explanation was good enough, and thankfully his strength returned to after that bit of branding to the amulet. Its origins came from an old period in china where a clan of Faunices once worshiped the spirits of their animal ancestors. they would meditate on being a collective of beastly spirits rather than of a single individual faun, bringing them together in one spirit to what they believed to be the Great Mother... the progenitor of all faunices. the jade mirror was a way to commune with the great beast "Become all for the one". by giving it to Dyani, dusty had hoped he would use it in the best of situations should he choose to.


"Go now I'll be fine... they will be leaving without you so go... you can follow Chill.... it think its what his name was.. you now the blond haired guy? follow him i think he may be there too"





he smiled a bit, and only hoped his charge would fare a bit better in this mission than the last. he didnt want to see him splay on another slab of his and be taken into operation once more.


"don't let me see you in a damn table again.... and thanks.... for helping me.."


Dyani was a good kid. is what Dusty thought

@Cosmic Cobalt

Brandon Whitaker

​

​

"Hey some girls like playing with dolls, other girls like shoving bugs down other people's pants im not judging what they want to see as fun"


Brandon had screamed out back to Dyani as he cradled Dusty and fanned him out. he was actually... glad that Dusty seemed to have made a friend during that whole Halloween fiasco, despite his outward mischief towards the young Jomko he was on the inside always concerned for his well being, even if at times that well being is constantly under threat of him. he trusted Dyani to help him back on his feet, he might've want to talk to him a bit more too, he didn't see him up close but he... looked pretty cute, but maybe in a better time he thought. he then focused on the monotonous stranger of interest as she explained a few things to her and her standpoint in the proposition, he wasn't gonna judge her for wearing only a raincoat on her person and not anything else entirely, if she's a vampire she's probably old enough to judge things by herself... or maybe its because she's a child vampire that maybe she didn't know better? he didnt know vampires were a weird lot to him. he was happy however that she had a bit of interest in their entrepreneurial side goal for this mission, Brandon knew never to look at everything by it's cover, and rather than seeing a wird mischevious child, he saw in her something far more valuable


opportunity


"uhuh, uhuh... nice, sly, witty, knows what she wants and doesnt give any two bit toads whoever's going to stop her, i like that."


Brandon remarked in her manner of speaking and her choices of words, this was a person that couldn't care less bout anything except herself. selfish, but in the way she just bowed to her perhaps she acknowledges other as well so long as they treat her right. in every way she was just like a child, spoiled perhaps and ill mannered but she can give credit where it was due. Brandon smiled in his thoughts, this personality was very rare to him, and he enjoyed the cut of her jib, she challenged people, and challenge is a very stimulating motivator


"Oh i don't think we'll find cops anytime soon where we're going, but i will let you on that we are going to do a few illegal things here and there. swindling, stealing, taking from everyone and giving nothing back, in exchange i can give you something in return.."


Brandon had to quickly compile a few things to try and catch her interest on this, tapping his temple in thought and wondering what he should present to her.


"1. I can give you a way to get your skin off the sun and off the heat at the same time, ive got just the goldilocks type of convenience for you that may help 2. were about to steal away a lot of money from a bunch of rich folk arabians and giving it to ourselves.... you can get almost half of the cut since my partner there won't be too keen on the idea"


he thumbed back to Dusty who did start to recover


"annnnd 3. well.. i hear Arabian sweets are something to delight about, and perhaps even a ride around the place so you wont get bored, all you need to do is help me pull off what maybe Ancient Saudi's biggest scam yet.."


he gave off a mischievous wink and swinging about a moolah sign with his hand if she was interested. he had hoped the proposition was enough for her, but knowing a kid she didn't want to bore herself on a mission show probably cared less about..

@OverconfidentMagi

 

[OverconfidentMagi]

Nona Usagi​

Saudi Arabia

Ruins of Ubar​

Nona listened to the man's request and what he offered in return if she helped him. Money. Boring. She couldn't have cared less about whether she could buy things or not. Rather, being able to just buy something made her want it less. Either not being able to get something or having to take it herself, that was much more fun. And sweets? If it was anything like that spun sugar she'd eaten before, then no thank you. Disgusting sickly flavor made her want to puke. But those were the second and third things the man offered in return for her help. In truth the first thing he said was enough for Nona to be interested.


"Something for the heat and sun? Fine then, as long as whatever I have to do isn't boring." She turned to look away, seemingly at nothing until a few moments later one of her sentient rabbits came running from that direction. Had she called it over somehow? Well whatever, either was as soon as it reached her she picked it up and ripped it in half. She gave one side to the man. There was a simple plastic walkie talkie inside. She pulled a second identical one from her half and discarded the remains of the killed rabbit onto the ground. It'd disappear eventually, not that is mattered to her.


"Just tell me what to do once we're through the portal. I don't want to have to bother remembering stupid complicated plans." Her tone implied she was done speaking to the man for the time being, and she started to wander off in search of the rabbit she'd sent off in search of blood for her to drink. She could only assume it had gotten lost or died somewhere, what with how long it was taking. But sure enough, as soon as she went to look for it, the rabbit returned holding a small red box with a plastic straw stuck to the side. Nona happily sipped her box of almost-cold blood as she walked away. The rabbit that walked beside her turned back to stare at the man its master had been speaking to, its unnatural red button eyes creepy as ever.

 

[Gilzar]

Aaron


Aaron nodded while hearing all of Blanca's statements. For something that he reasoned happened just a few months ago, she was taking it oddly well. He was worried he might have offended her when he figured her death might somehow have been linked to him but, oh well. In a way Aaron could relate to her. Much as the way she had to cling onto mechas due to not having a physical body, Aaron had to constantly take other host bodies because his natural form was inadequate. Unlike Blanca however, Aaron couldn't survive without a host body. The air...the very energy of the realm would tear his being apart like loose fabric. On a good day Aaron estimated his survival to be two hours at most, being that his outer form had take no damage, was not in the light, and was not being barraged with a magical attack. He might be brittle right now, but his true form was even more brittle. Now he was stuck in some old man's body...and it didn't look like he would be swapping anytime soon, not with Libra breathing down his neck. For some reason he just couldn't see the others being alright with him stealing someone else's body and using it like a new vehicle.


"I suppose I can relate to you. You and I are more alike than you think." Aaron said, now eying the bandaged mecha she inhabited. For some reason he felt he could relate to this person in more of a friendly way than the others.


Beneath his closed lips, Aaron ran his tongue against his sharp teeth, just grazing the edges. As he looked at the passing ships, he couldn't help but look down at the water below, and stare into his reflection. There he was, shiny ruby red eyes hiding behind a human exterior. He didn't know how long this body would last. With his lifestyle, he probably estimated a year. That was a kind estimate however...which was why Aaron always carried around his hunting tools just incase he ever needed to swap.


Another few moments passed, then he turned back to Blanca, "I'm not human you know. I just look like it."


@Ensig

 

[Zer0]

- Chill Sandell -

" Palace, North Courtyard, Dancer's Chamber "​

Chill slowly emerged from the pool sopping wet with his hands up in surrender. His dripping black hair was plastered to his face and his deep blue eyes were warily eyeing the dancers' battle cloths.


'Great', he thought. Of all the people to find him, it had to be one of those who didn't like him. Fortunata was so stiff, she was probably still angry at him for that time in Autumn street. He hasn't forgotten how coldly she acted towards him when they were seated on the same row in the airplane.


He spat out the reed he was using as a breathing tube before saying in his most pacifying charming voice, "Firstly, ladies, (he winked and bowed at the dancers) thank you for saving my life. Secondly," he turned to Fortunata still smiling, "it's not what you think, Tuny. I wasn't here to steal anything, I was looking for clues about Magnus' whereabouts." and he gave his most innocent looking expression. "So, easy, just chill and put the cloth of death away."


He made motions to get out of the pool to retrieve his clothes and camera from inside a jar of spices by the wall. It was almost sundown now, and unbeknownst the two and the dancers in the chamber, many pairs of hidden eyes were spying on them from all sides.

(OOC: @CoconutLeaves, we'll have a dice battle after your next post.)

 

[CoconutLeaves]

His attempt at charming her ancestor's through words only brought the multiple fabric of ethers and their wielders closer, the tips inches from Chill's neck. She had to admit though, Fortunata smiled slightly from his pun, that was a bit clever. Though she could tell that the words from his mouth were nothing but pure nonsense. Who was he trying to fool?


"Mr. Sandell," She spoke slowly, trying to get the right words as so he would not misunderstand, "Your excuses do not add up with your actions. And even if it was the truth you speak of, why did you not inform any of us? Why do it so recklessly, like a child in a playground?" She shook her head, realizing time was being wasted just by lecturing him. Making a strong mental note to deal with his foolishness once they were back in their present time, she motioned to her 'aunts' to put down their weaponry.


"Please do not answer those questions. I don't think it will be of any benefit right now." She sighed in annoyance then turned around.


"We should get going."


@Zer0