The Golden City

[GuardianOfHearts]

Arrow's scuffed leather boots whispered against the cobblestone street, her steps measured and firm. Here and there came the murmur of feathered night birds from the trees and building eaves, or the occasional sound of an early riser in their house, but other than that, all was quiet. Arrow expected nothing more of the last hour of their Watch, in the soft darkness before dawn. Most nocturnal Ledonaathians, even the most ambitious of magic-users who gave them trouble, had retired for the night, and the shadows that haunted the City were sinking away from the promise of sunrise.

Understandably, the young Nightbird wasn't expecting anything more. She was a little sore from some previous scuffles, but it had been a fairly slow night for her and Roger, and she was looking forward to breakfast and a few hours of sleep once they mustered out for the Watch.

Even so, she kept her ears quivering- figuratively, that is. Her tall Raisidhe ears had been burning with the sound of magic in the earlier hours, but her sixth sense was silent now. Nothing, nothing but-

Not ten yards away from them, a scream rent the still air.

At the same time, Arrow's ears began to ache: a piercing, incredibly high-pitched ringing was driving through her skull. She knew that sound, which always accompanied the worst blood-magicks she'd encountered. Whatever had just happened, it had been terribly, terribly wrong.

And someone had lost a life because of it.

She signaled to Roger and began to run to the house up ahead.

If she had been unsure where the scream had come from, all uncertainty was washed away as a door flew open, banging on its hinges, letting flickering light spill out onto the dark street. And silhouetted on that doorstep was ... a demon

Arrow had seen plenty of summoned demons in her years as a Guard, but admittedly, this was among the most horrifying. It was humanoid in shape, hunched and thin, and completely hairless: its skin was stretched tight across its bones, greyish-brown in color with splotches of maroon. As it crawled into the light, Arrow saw that it had no mouth: where lips should be was nothing but discolored scar tissure, outlining sharp teeth within: its mouth was a closed wound.

As she watched, it began to knaw at its own skin from the inside, biting and tearing with those fangs until, with a spurt of blood, the scar tore open. The demon stretched back its head and hissed, gurgling blood and sparse ribbons of flesh.

A wave of nausea hit her, the effect of evil magick roiling in her system: she sensed a desperate, single-minded hunger, a connection gone bad. Just inside the house, a woman leaned against the wall, staring at her blood-drenched hands.

Arrow readied herself in a fighting stance and held her staff horizontally in front of her, the long curved blades appearing with a snik.

"Weak points, Roger?"

 

[Samber]

Jordan tossed and turned that night, it was no different than any other. The desert air was cool and dry, no sound but her heavy breathing was heard in her apartment. It was her dreams... They had come again to haunt her yet another night. Her heart pumped oxygen rich blood throughout her body, her arms and hands twitched with adrenaline, sweat rolled down her forehead. Her breathing slowly turned into a gasp, she struggled for air, she eventually began to cough, and cough, until finally she awoke from her dreams. Her eyes searched the room, but only to see the darkness of night. She jumped off her bed in a panic and went to her bathroom. She turned on the light and looked into the mirror; her eyes were red, her face and lips pale. She began to try to breath normally in a rythmic pattern. She sat on top of the toilet trying to calm herself, her heart beat so fast and hard she could hear it in her ears. She took in a deep breath and stood up, she then went out to her balcony.
The cool night breeze gently kissed her skin, the stars sparkled like glitter in the sky. She smiled, for some reason the stars always soothed her. But she couldn't help play the dream over and over in her mind.
She was shopping for tomatoes at a stand, and in her dream she was walking down a dark alleyway, since it was the quick way home. Then in the darkness she saw someone, they had orange-red eyes, its eyes felt like it sunk deep into her soul, horrid memories of her parents dying came into her mind. Then she awoke.

She sat on the floor of her balcony, weeping at the loss of her family. But she soon gained her composure, and realized it was just another night.

 

[Thelonepickle]

So much for a slow night, Roger thought, attempting to keep his Midnight Snack in his stomach; he wasn't having much success - the meal seemed more eager to analyze the demon and murder before him than he was.

Of course, eagerness overpowering Roger's wasn't hard to have.

With a forceful swallow, he resolved to set his own problems aside and think. He stared at the huge, hulking creature before him. Its skin was spread very tightly over its bones, looking creased at the places where it had evidently stretched too far over ropy muscles. Overall, it looked brittle, thin, and possibly quite flammable, judging from the blisters on the creature's feet, probably from friction.

Roger approached the creature slowly, prying into its soul as a second nature reflex, and as a way to get into its head for a deeper clue. While he searched it for inner weaknesses, he discovered that the skin was slowly splitting over its teeth, and the blisters were suddenly callusing.

"Its skin is incredibly brittle," he called out to Arrow, pointing to the traces of breaking areas and flakey spots. "It's also really flammable, you can tell by the burns on its feet."

Without thinking, he stepped closer to the creature, stepping over the wreckage and debris around it so that he could nearly reach out and touch it. He stared at it with a curious, cautious expression.

"But... The scar tissue is incredibly strong. It looks hard to pierce... You'll have to enter through a place that has never been injured before... And it heals rapidly." The places he had previously pointed to were already turning a faintly darker shade, scarring and becoming incredibly tough.

"It's in incredible pain," Roger noted, actually reaching out to touch the monster. "It's nearly blind with it, desensitized, almost. It's almost like it has a conscience. Like it knows what the one who summoned it felt."

Light was slowly beginning to pour in; the sky became a little lighter, though the moon still shone with incredible intensity. Roger felt incredibly cold and almost immobilized with awe.

 

[TheClamWhisperer]

"You should be in bed, Amyranth."

A girl on the cusp of womanhood released an involuntary yawn, as if clarifying her spirit guide's crass advice. The lynx's large almond shaped eyes cut through the darkness like a blade of amber fire when his charge made no move to retire from her post. "Sleep is neccesary if you are going to be exorcising tomorrow, Amyranth. If you do not rest for at least five hours, there is potential for you to faint."

"Ari isn't home yet, Bane."

The spectral cat's feathered ears twitched at the excuse, a breath of aggravation spilling from his jaws. "Ari will be fine. His shift ended at least half an hour ago. It would not be wise to pester him at such a late hour."

The incorrigible exorcist craned her head around and glowered at the lynx. "I do not pester him!" Her scarlet orbs radiated with resentment, daring someone to find her a parking space for her high horse.

Bane was blessed with untold years of wisdom and clarity. He had attempted time and time again to discourage his girl's rather uncouth attitude, but being a respectable diety, he knew that the tide does not change on a mere whim.

"Very well," The keeper of secrets sighed, taking a crouch beside the onyx haired girl. "However, there will be no complaints when morning stirs you, are we clear?" A grin spreading across her unnaturally pale face, Amyranth replied, "You mean when you stir me."

"Dawn takes many forms."

"You're so cryptic, Bane."

A gale ruffled the feline's fur, sending waves of color down the length of his body, but he stood hard as a stone. "That I am." While silence bridged the gap between the two, Amyranthia looked up into the vast black curtain.

"Well, nighttime is more beautiful than the dawn, if you ask me," She announced. A flicker of a smile appeared on Bane's lips as he recited another one of his proverbs.

"No sigh is more provocative of than is the night sky."

"Amen to that."

Seconds passed. Then minutes. Ranthia contemplated heading back towards their room and waiting there. It was when her resolve began to falter did she hear the scream.

Jolting from the wall, she looked around for the source of the sound, her hand dropping towards her belt where her weapon was stationed. Bane stiffened, his ears reclining back as he zeroed in on the sound.

"Someone has died."

Empathy rising, Amyranthia proceeded to head in the direction where the scream came from. "No. That is a job for the Nightwatch, do not get involved." Bane's voice was hard and unyeilding, stopping the girl in her tracks.

"I won't get near the killer. But that soul needs to be put to rest."

"Amyranthia, do not take another step."

She bolted.

 

[GuardianOfHearts]

"Got it," Arrow said to Roger as the demon uncurled itself from the ground and stood up tall, bones cracking. With a jolt, she realized how close he had gotten to the thing while "reading" it. He was now a far-too easy target. Dammit Roger!

The demon lashed out at Roger with its long yellow claws, spitting blood. Arrow twisted and lunged forward, whipping her staff around so that the right blade sliced the arm that was moving towards her partner. She flipped it over and caught it again with the opposite blade, cutting at the purtid flesh. The demon shrieked, attention averted as reared back and turned to face the redhead.

Just as Roger had said, the dripping slashes which Arrow had made began to writhe and heal over as it dragged itself towards her. She kept pace with it, stepping back or to the side so that there was not enough distance for the demon to strike her with while she contemplated its weaknesses.

If the thing had regenerative powers, and to counter than she had to hit a place where it had never been wounded before, well, that wasn't exactly a fool-proof plan. Arrow knew that, even if she could use a spell to immobilize it, she would still have to hack-and-slash every part of its body on such guesswork.

No, there was a more efficiant way of doing this. Roger had also said it was flammable. If she could engulf the demon entirely in flame....

Arresting her backwards steps, she leaned forward and tilted her staff so that one end jutted out behind her, and with the other blade, stabbed the demon through the chest.

The sword-tip protruded through its back, snapping the brittle bones and breaking skin. Just as swiftly she pulled it out, and, as the thing tried to deal with the gaping hole in its sternum, she closed her eyes and began a spell.

First came the sight, of red-gold licks of fire with blue-white centers. Then the smell, of charred wood and smoke. The sound of shimmering flame and crackling kindling, the feel of warmth and the taste of heat on her tongue....

She twisted all these together in her mind, like five strings making one strong thread. Her magic swelled within her as the spell was completed.

Snapping open her eyes, Arrow experienced a double-vision as the thread she had woven left her imagination and flared into real fire. Spinning her staff once, she threw it at the demon.

The thing screamed again, crumpling in on itself as it was swallowed by the Raisidhe's pyre. Its skin peeled away, its flesh charred and fell off in clumps, its bones turned black and fell in upon themselves. Arrow was still twisting it all in her mind, her eyes glowing faintly as she continued the spell.

Not long after, though it seemed far too long for Arrow, the fire subsided, nothing of the demon remaining but a few whisps of ash.

After making sure it was truly, actually dead and gone, the Nightbird retracted her staff's blades and wiped the sweat off her brow with her forearm.

She ascended the steps of the house, where the woman still sat, hunched over and staring at her hands. At least she hadn't run off: they'd have to follow after her then.

"It didn't work out like I thought," she said dully. Up close, the Raisidhe saw that the woman was young- she couldn't be more than a few years older than Arrow herself. There were dark circles under her bloodshot eyes; she was gaunt, and shivering, though the night was warm.

"Demon summonings rarely ever work out as planned," Arrow said, grasping the woman- girl's -arm with one hand and gently pulling her to her feet, where she swayed slightly, unbalanced. There was blood on her hands, and staining her dress, though Arrow could see no cuts on her. But then again, it was a very tortured demon. She had known from the start that it had taken an entire life for the summoning to work, not just a chalice of blood.

"A demon, he said. Just one demon, but it had to be a difficult one. He wouldn't be with no weak-magicked woman, he said. I'd never wanted a man half so much- so I did it. I took a knife, and I held him, and I- I- slit his th-throat..."

Arrow looked down into the girl's unfocused eyes, the dilated pupils. Intoxicated, obviously, probably thinking some drugs would make her braver....

"Where's the body?"

"Little Malcam's in his bed. He always slept like an angel. But he's not sleeping anymore."

Oh, no....

Arrow stilled her fingers, trembling with rage, and grabbed hold of the spiraled stone hanging from a cord around her neck.

With a touch of magic, the rock glowed. She held it up to her mouth and spoke into it.

"Alythrea here. Level Ten, North District, Blackwood Lane. Blood-sacrifice summoning. No other casualties, demon destroyed. Summoner apprehended. Call in the cagebirds and vultures."

Clear as if they were standing right next to her, a familiar voice spoke through the rapport. "Gotcha, Arrow. We're sending them over now. You or Roger hurt?"

"No."

"Good. You two can get some breakfast and try to forget about this mess as soon as the other 'birds arrive."

"I hope so."

 

[Samber]

Jordan lay against the balcony railing, she began to furrow her brows, she could see the red of her retina through her eyelids. Dawn was breaking. She had fallen asleep there on her balcony that night, she slept rather soundly, for once. She opened her eyes and saw the soft morning sunlight creep over the horizon. It was still very early, but she wanted to get somthing to eat. She rubbed her eyes lazily and got dressed in her usual attire; Green capris and a black tank top. She hid her father's sword at her side, she made sure it was safely fitted in its holster.
She left her home and wandered the streets, there were few people up and about, but she did see the occasional road-side guitarist, or beggar. She left to the resturant where she worked to get some waffles. Her walk wasn't far, but she got easily distracted by booths that sold nic-naks or jewlery. One neckalace in particular caught her interest. It's chain was made of pure silver, the pendant resembled a silver dragon's claw grasping an orb, or in this case, a sapphire. Its deep blue color mesmerized Jordan, it sparkled in the faintest of light. She looked at the stand owner, it was woman, she seemed cat-like. She had furry ears, and her eyes were yellow, with the cat-eye slit up and down the eye.
"How much?" Jordan asked holding up the neckalace.

"How much do you have?" Was her response. Jordan examined her strangely, she wasn't ready to get ripped off.

"I have fifty gold pieces."

"You can have it for forty." Smiled the woman sweetly. Jordan looked at her askew, and tossed her the forty gold pieces, then walked off with the neckalace.
"Thank yee ma'am, you'll find that pendant verrrrry interesting!" Shouted the woman. Jordan looked at the pendant, facinated. It was a beautiful work of art, the claw was so intracately carved, it looked so life like.
She continued on, putting it around her neck. She eventually entered the resturant, and was quickly seated and served.

 

[BlackmageAp]

As the sun rose and lit the streets of level 8, a calm came over the still sleeping minds of those who'd gotten a full nights rest. To those that had been up all night training, it had brought the calm sense of a break. But not before a kick to the face sent them flying into the wall behind them.

"You idiot!! You need to strike as soon as you see an opening! Otherwise a blow like that could get you killed!" Eloc was held up by the scruff of his shirt by a large burly man , a tad shorted than Eloc, who seemed to have what looked like fur melding into his body, as though it hadn't been there a second ago. He looked almost outraged at Eloc, but finally tossed him against the wall again.

"If you'd only listen every once and awhile, you might understand that concept." He walked off up a flight of stairs and came into a nice looking kitchen, where the smell of eggs and fruit swirled around, also exiting to the streets where others who were doing early shopping might be able to smell as well. A middle aged woman was drying off dishes and looked back on her husband.

"So how much does he get today?" She asked as she reached for the pan that had some eggs in it. Her hand lingered over three different sized plates, one of which looked only small enough to fit a tea cup on.

"He showed little progress, but progress nonetheless. He can have the medium plate for all I care today." The woman smiled and picked up one plate in middle of the stack and another on the bottom, and began to fill them both with food. As she did, Eloc made his way up the stairs, slowly reverting back to his human form and sitting himself down. When he saw the size of the plate he was getting this morning, he smiled and looked at his father.

"Thank you fa-er....Korbin." He had almost slipped and called his dad father again. He got a slight glance and raised eyebrow from his dad, but it was quickly shrugged off, and he proceed to eat. Eloc sighed and began eating. He certainly didn't want another three days training for doing that again, at least not when he'd just got done with his session. As he began to eat, his dad pointed a fork to him and began spitting out food whilst he spoke.

"You going out to that park again today boy?" Eloc nodded, and looked his father in the eyes as he was spoken to. He dad simply continued eating while giving out orders. "Before that, you need to go out to the market and get some meat. We ran out yesterday, and are certainly going to need some more for the next session I'm going to have for you."

Eloc nodded again and began to think of the best level to look for good meat would be. As if reading his mind, his mother chimed in. "You might want to try level 12 today. I hear that there's a man up there with a yellow shirt on that sells different meats at a good price around morning every other day." His father looked up from his plate and pointed it at her.

"You mean old Gordon? I heard he had moved recently, but to level 12? He sure is a risky old fellow. Boy, be sure to give my hello. If I hear he hasn't heard from me, I'll make sure you learn how to dodge ten knifes at a time." Eloc gave a weak smile and nodded. Knowing his father, he truly meant that.

He got up and put his plate away while kissing his mother on the cheek. "Thanks mother, that was great." She smiled and gave him a small pouch, along with a empty folded up bag. "Be sure to say hello to little Vanessa's mother, tell her I'll see her tomorrow at her daughter's birthday feast. You should get her a present too."

"I'll be sure to do that. See ya tonight mom." As he headed to the door, he felt a hand on his shoulder. His father had grabbed him, whilst still eating his meal. "Be careful on level 12 boy, those people are a sneaky sort, and aren't our fans. I don't want to move again. However, if you're caught, you know what to do." Eloc nodded sternly, finally heading out the door, and making his way to the 12th level.

 

[Thelonepickle]

Roger blinked. It was over! Arrow had, as per usual, wrapped up the whole situation. The pressure was off, and Roger felt relief. He felt relief rise up from his throat and leap behind some bushes, but he felt it nonetheless.

As he was walking back to the site where Arrow was standing, Roger reflected on the way he forgot these battles almost as soon as they happened. His hand reached up to the necklace of religious symbols on his neck, feeling the cool stone and thinking of the prayers he would say tonight for these people. He pulled a sweet root from his breast pocket and began gnawing on it to clean his mouth. The root was quite effective, curing nausea and halitosis in a minute or two - a little trick he'd learned from the other Nightbirds at HQ.

Roger forgot all the details of these fights except for the victims, or the lost souls who caused them.

Now, he took quieter steps, as he approached Arrow. He knew how much this job hurt her and how scared she was. Apart from a reassuring hand on the shoulder - which he now extended, and which he knew would be shrugged off - there was nothing he could say or do. He wished he could assauge her fears someway, but he was always unsure as to whether or not he should use his gift on Arrow. She was so mysterious, and he admired her so. She'd been on this job much longer than he had.

"Hey," Roger worked up the courage to say. "You wanna grab breakfast now or something?" He stared at Arrow out of the corner of his eye, pretending to gaze at the bright moon.

He'd say a prayer for her, too.

 

[GuardianOfHearts]

Arrow watched from the sidelines as the cagebirds- the Guard's jailers -took the girl away, back to the Citadel where she'd be incarcerated until her trial. The Vultures- the Guards' morticians -were taking care of her son's body, small as it was. Her heart felt heavy, as if sodden, though her face was impassive as ever as they wrapped the infant's corpse in a winding cloth and bore it away.

Arrow took a faded rag from her pocket and began to clean the demon's dark blood off of her blades before retracting them again. The small spots on her uniform wouldn't be coming off as easily, but that was why the Nightbirds wore black, after all. No one could tell that way.

She felt rather than saw Roger come up to her: when she concentrated, his prescence always had the faint sound of magic to it, a sort of gentle mumur that was his ability to "read" people.

Despite her vae, "ice" eyes, he always knew what she was feeling with that power. Arrow gratefully let his hand rest on her shoulder for a few moments before shrugging it away, as he undoubtably knew she would. But she was thankful for the companionship of her partner nonetheless.

She wondered if Roger knew how close she felt to madness sometimes....

"Breakfast ... would be good," she agreed, giving him a smile. "We'll go to that cafe on the Fourth after we muster out, aye?"

 

[Samber]

As Jordan entered the resturant, she looked around at the people. For some reason, she always enjoyed people watching, she had a talent for reading other people's body language, even the smallest changes in posture and arm position. She walked up to the front counter and smiled. There was a girl there handling some sort of box under the counter,
"Hello? Uhh, table for one please." The girl jumped.
"Oh, hi, sorry I didn't see you there." She wrote down somthing on a piece of paper and looked for a waiter. The girl didn't seem to be the sharpest tool in the shed to Jordan, she was probably new.
"Javier! Jav- Ok, follow Javier to your table Ma'am." Said the young girl. She followed the waiter to her seat at the bar. Its where she usually sat, because she was able to watch the cooks make the food. She sat on her barstool and looked at the waiter, waiting for him to speak.
"What would you lik-"
"Two waffles with a side of bacon and eggs, oh and make sure they're scrambled." The man seemed irritated that she had cut him off, but wrote down her order.
"Anything to dri-"
"Oh i'd like some water please." He looked at her irritated again and left. It pleased Jordan to make people angry, she had no idea why though. It just made her giggle inside when she knew she had ticked someone off.
She waited patiently for her waffles and continued to people watch. She laughed several times when she saw the cooks burn themselves, and put their finger in their mouth with pain. She fiddled with her hands, cracking her bones. But then she smelled somthing, somthing vile and putrid... It was fish.
"Ugh... Eww... Who eats fish for breakfast?" Jordan hated fish, its smell, its appearance, and the very way its cooked. The whole time she worked on the 12th level she had never seen, nor heard of anyone ordering fish for breakfast. She looked around impatiently for her waffles, wanting the smell of syrup to overtake that of the fish. She then saw her waiter approaching with her waffles.

"Thank god."

 

[BlackmageAp]

Eloc looked around the streets of level 12, amazed to see so many stalls up already that morning. The things around there ranged from jewelry to foods, and even some weapons here and there. He smiled as he felt almost like a child in a candy shop, realizing that this was his first time shopping on level 12. He snapped too, after noticing that some of the stalls vendors were yelling at him to buy their things, and walked around looking for his target.

"Oi Eloc!! Eloc, over 'ere mate!" Eloc turned around and noticed the sound coming from an alley he'd passed. He poked his head around to face a small man in a yellow shirt, sitting at the corner of the alley with his stall. He had a long beard that almost went down to his feet, and an eye patch over his right eye. The small man snubbed his nose and chuckled.

"Oye thought your mum was gonna grace me with 'er presence, but this is just as good! How ya been m'lad? Iz been ages since oye seen ya! Why last oye remembers, ya waz only tall enough to see the tip'o'me nose!" He laughed again and patted the side of Eloc's arm. Eloc shrugged and laughed as well.

"Well, father wanted me to get some good meat, so I decided to stop by here. Mother said you would have some of the best meats in these levels. Oh, and my father says hi as well." Gordon put an arm over the counter while stroking his beard.

"Oh aye, your old man. Good to 'ear he remembers me! Well then, oye believe ya came looking for this." He reached back into a storage compartment behind him, and pulled out three slabs of what looked like fresh meat. Eloc's mouth began to water as he smelled the meat. He almost let his tail out as well, but quickly reverted it.

"Is....is that what I think it is?" Gordon pulled one slab up to Eloc's face so he could examine it. It was deer meat. Sweet, rare, delicious deer meat. Eloc could feel his primary instincts to grab the meat and run, to disregard his lifestyle and go out to hunt this meat forever more. Thankfully, Gordon pulled it back and began wrapping it up, while also wiping the drool from his counter.

"Aye lad. Killed her this morn' oye did. She put up a good fight, but I'll tell ye she twearnt a match for me. Now then, watcha got for me?" Eloc snapped out of his daze and got out the pouch of money. Gordon looked inside and took out a few coins, barely enough to pay for the meat, which confused Eloc. Gordon smiled as he put the meats into Eloc's empty bag.

"Oye know lad, it don't seem like much to take, but then again, I 'ear you been tellin stories. Me little girl tells me their the best around these levels. 'Ell, if you'd ever look beyind ya, you'd see it's not just the kids that enjoys 'em. We need uplifting stories lioke yours Eloc. Keep up the good work." Eloc could barely move. He hugged Gordon and lifted him off the ground. Gordon struggled to get out of his bear hug, while also trying to breathe. Eloc let him down and bowed.

"Thank you sir, I don't know how I could ever repay you. I'll be sure to make it up to you." Gordon smilled and waved his hand for Eloc to be off. Eloc began to walk back to his home, when a restaurant caught his eye. He felt his stomach grumble at the smell of someone's fish, and felt the pouch again. He looked back and forth, to make sure know one he knew was around.

"Well, maybe one quick meal wouldn't hurt...." He quickly went through the door, knocking his head against a giant billboard on the inside. He always hated being tall for that reason. He waited at the front counter for someone to come.

 

[Jack London]

The sun hadn't reached the sixteenth level yet, but all knew very well what time morning was. While there wasn't many upon the streets at this time, there was still the few who had to get to be up and ready early in the morning. Vianhart walked down the street quite slowly, toward his martial arts school to begin his teaching. Normally, he would have been there already, since that is where he sleeps, but hes been having trouble sleeping these past few days.

His head was bowed slightly, his yellow eyes weren't as bright as they were normally, as if they had lost the energy to light up or simply refused to. The Lupian caught a glimpse of one of the store owners giving him a nasty look as he passed by, but he didn't show any interest in it.

What had remained a clear image in his mind, however, was the appearance of a demon, its summoner, and the two who had taken care of it. The short battle had replayed quickly within his mind, feeling the pains of everyone that had been involved. Growling softly as he lifted his head up, looking ahead of him and toward the horizon, trying to forget the night's images.

"Spirit walking again, sir?" A familiar voice had gently touched his sensitive ears. It was one of his assistants in his teaching, Lucite. The Lupian was fairly close to both of his assistants, having told them of his recent wandering along the levels of the Golden City. It is quite a strange thing. While sleeping, his spirit would project out of his phsyical body and quickly travel to a random area in the city. Whatever his spirit sees appears as a dream to his mind, but his body acts as a zombie without his spirit, slowly leaving his home and making its way to his spirits location. It is incredibly dangerous, for anything can come at him and damage his phsyical self, for he is almost completely unaware of what he is doing untill he is actually awake.

Vianhart simply gave him a tiny nod as he positioned himself in front of the school's entrance and gently closed his eyes, focusing. It was a specially desgined gate, being no taller than seven feet and no wider than three, only being able to open or close after coming into contact with his spiritual signature or if he wills it to do so. A faint bluish aura enveloped his body for about a second as the gate moved inward and opened, revealing a large training room, with various weaponry hanging upon the walls.

The two walked in as the gate slowly closed behind them, only to open again when a knock is heard upon it. The lights immediately turned on, one row at a time, as they walked through.

Tell me... do you believe in a 'justified' murder? Vianhart asked his assistant, his mouth not making a single movement, for he spoke through his spirit's voice being projected and being heard by any spirits within a certain radius.

His assistant was quiet for a moment, before answering, thinking about the question carefully. "Justified is a hard word to define, really, but, if the murder is for the greater good, then..."

There was a knock upon the school's door, cutting off Lucite as Vianhart turned his head and allowed the door to open.

 

[Dark Heart 2]

Dawn had finally emerged over the small, though numerous rugged hills that stood way off in the distance, the sun just beginning to breach the walls of the horizon, showing itself to all those that could see. It's magnificent rays of light pierced through the shadows that lingered about, signifying that night no longer had it's grasp on the land. No, now day was finally making it's way, allowing the people to bask and bathe in the warmth of the golden sun.

This gold-like ball of light also complimented the yellow sandy colors which were dominant over any other shade or hue in the surroundings. In fact, the variety of colors were slim to none, all of them appearing as either yellow, brown, orange, or gold colors. There was the odd green shrub and patch of foliage around, as well as some small pools of water scattered here and there, however such sights in this place weren't seen to often. In such a repeatetive place, one would think there was nothing special here, noting out of the ordinary that would catch a person's eye.

Though there was much truth to that, there was one thing, one bit of information that did not go along with the statement entirely. There was one thing, one place in this desolate desert that was vast, spectaculor with something new happening almost every single day. Some might even call it legendary. This site, this grand city that I speak of is the colossal structure of Ledonaath, more commonly known as the Golden City. The place where countless races, different cultures, so many people meshed into one gigantic place where peace and harmony are known to many. This is the ancient Golden City of Ledonaath, where legends are made... as well as forgotten within the sands of time.

OOC: Forgive me for such a short post, but I just wanted to put something up to let you know that I haven't forgotten about this RP! I haven't even introduced my own character yet, and I would have done so in the next few paragraphs if it wasn't so late. I will be sure to bring Renji into the story the next time I write, which will hopefully be quite soon. If I wasn't so tired, I would continue with this post, however I must call it a night for now. Well, g'night everybody! God bless ya'll! Kudos. :OOC

 

[GuardianOfHearts]

Rhyme awoke to a bird flapping in her face.

With a strangled yelp, she promptly managed to tumble backwards out of the tree she had been sleeping in, landing on the (thankfully soft) grass with a heavy whump and another yell, this time of pain. The flustered starling twittered and flew up into the higher branches, completely unrepentant of its crime of unpleasantly waking the girl from a sound rest.

"Bells o' hell, you stupid bird! What was that for!?" Rhyme snapped as she sat up, groggily clutching her head- though whether she was dazed from still being half-asleep, or from falling five feet out of a tree, she wasn't sure.

With a grumbling sigh, the girl tentatively touched the back of her head. Tender, probably bruised underneath her slightly matted yellow hair, but there was no blood. That was good. No one was going to want listen to a gorey-looking grit, no matter how pretty her voice was.

After confirming that she wasn't in danger of suddenly passing out, Rhyme clambered to her bare feet and peered up at the sky. Sunrise. The damn bird had woken her up barely a half hour after dawn, judging from the position of the sun.

Well, she wasn't going back to sleep now. She might as well make use of her time and go clean off the extra dirt she had acquired from her fall before scouting for a good place to sing.

Whistling a good morning to some of her kinder bird-friends, she strode out of the small Fourteenth level park, into the brighter sunshine. Rhyme blinked and tried to flatten down some of the locks of dandelion-blonde hair on her forehead, all the better to shield her still sleep-sensitive eyes from the light of morning. It was all in vain, however: nothing sort of dunking her head in a fountain would get her short hair to lie flat. That was a promising idea, though.

Every Level of Ledonaath had at least one Fountain Square, whose springs always circulated clear, fresh water. She couldn't afford even the cheaper bathhouses, but the fountains were open and free to anyone. At this hour she'd have almost all of it to herself, and sure enough, only three other people were there; two old washerwomen who were gossiping over the linens they were scrubbing and a maid filling a bucket. Rhyme went over to the deserted side and leaned over the edge, splashing cool water over her head.

She straightened up, then shook her head violently from side to side, scattering droplets like a dog and probably becoming the next topic in the washerwomen's gossip to boot. No matter. She ran her fingers negligently through her damp hair to help dry it, then walked off.

Rhyme had been singing in the streets for at least three years now, and she understood what attracted a crowd, and what kind of crowd. If she was grimey and smelly, merchants would shoo her away from their kiosks and no one would come near her. On the other hand, if she looked too well-cared for, no one would feel moved enough into tossing her a mark. The trick was to make sure you didn't seem as though you just crawled out of the gutter, but to look just a little dusty and gaunt enough so that all the bleeding hearts out there would shed a tear and spare a penny before sailing on with their lives.

If nothing else, Rhyme was a survivor.

Though she had enough marks squirreled (quite literally, in a tree) away to buy food for the next few days, she wasn't going to spend any of that today. She was saving up for ... well, she didn't know. For anything. A new pair of pants, some soap, cheap medicine, whatever. It was good to be prepared, and if she squandered it all on her stomach now, she'd have to come up short when she really needed it.

Rhyme ended up near some cafes on the Thirteenth Level, where she would catch the ears of the morning customers in an hour or so- if she started singing now, she'd get a boot chucked at her head to shut her up until the sun properly rose. So she hopped up onto a marble plinth, nestled between the forearms of a stone gryffen like a princess on her throne. Yeah. A half-washed, ragged, patched, barefooted and calloused princess, Rhyme thought to herself. And speaking of which, there was a long and tangled string trailing from her shortened pant leg.

Humming, she took out one of her small, diamond-shaped daggers and sawed the offending threads off, tossing them away to the breeze. Wouldn't do any good to trip over that and bash her head for the second time today.

Now, what am I gonna sing....

 

[Dark Heart 2]

OOC: These next few posts won't be too long, because I'm sort of pressed for time at the moment XD Once next week comes though, I'll be sure to make em longer =P :OOC

"Renji? Hey Renji, yah lazy twit, you up yet?" A voice shouted, the sound slightly muffled by the wooden door that seperated the person making the noise and his destination. They attempted to open the door, only to find out that it was still locked. This only disgruntled them even further, causing them to slam on the door and raise their voice to an even higher volume. "Renji, you dumbass! If you don't open this door right now I'm gonna--"

The man's raging fists werent' pounding on a stiff, wooden board anymore, infact it seemed to be something much less fleshier. Slowly opening his eyes, his sight was no longer set on a door, but in fact it was a man that took up his vision. Finally realizing that he was pounding on the guy's chest, he quickly withdrew his hands to his side, now sounding a bit less confident than he had just a moment ago. "Er- h-hey Renji! You finally up, eh heh? Did-did I wake yah up?"

The tall, largely clothed, defined looking man that was standing in the doorway merely stared blankly at the person who was attempting to smash down his door. In contrast with how he was acting not a moment ago, he seemed quite anxious now that he was out of the room. Besides the man's awkward chuckles, silence took place between the two for the next several seconds.

After that short amount of time, the man by the name of Renji bluntly made a comment to the slightly quivering man. "Please don't break down my door, Yoroda." He said, sounding as monotone as ever. "It's already been smashed down by those damn vandal kids that have a problem with me. I'm already aggravated enough about having to repair it so often, so I would rather not want to break you out of my anger."

To most people, this would sound like nothing more than a cruel joke. However, with the amount of time that Yoroda had spent with Renji, he knew that ninety percent of the time the man meant what he said. He gulped and nodded, feeling a bit too shaken about the man's 'statement' to reply at the moment.

Wanting to get straight down to the point of the man's abrupt appearance, he simply asked "So what is so important that you would have to wake me up so early in the morning?" It took a few seconds for these words to process through Yoroda's brain, however when they finally got through to him, he replied to his intimidating associate. "O-oh, yah, about that. I know you've been rather busy lately with all the cases we've been having lately about 'it', but something else has come up..."

Renji raised an eyebrow to this. "Something's come up? Things have come up before, but youv'e never come smashing on my door with such an angered passion before. What's so important about this case."

Though the man didn't reply, he did pull out some files and papers that were inside his bag. He handed it over to Renji, his hand still a little quavering. Renji took the papers and glanced over them, taking a look at the seriousness of this case. Now, Renji wasn't the man to be shocked by many things, but this little bit of information caused him to pause for a few moments. He then looked to the quivering man, as if looking for a confirmation for what he was staring at. Yoroda merely nodded, still seeming to caught up in the threat that was given to him not a few minutes ago.

Not knowing how else to react, Renji just dropped the papers on the ground, and began walking down the hall of his home, heading towards the main door. Yoroda, not wanting to be left behind, came to his senses and called out to the stern looking man. "H-hey! Wait for me, Renji! I want to get to the Courthouse too, ya know!"

In the man's haste to catch up with his friend, he forgot to pick up the papers that had been dropped. Not even thinking about them, he ran off after Renji, leaving the case files out in the open for anyone to see. They read:

~~~~~~~~~~​

CASE FILES​

Case Number: 783490
Perpatrators Name: Undisclosed
Class of Crime: Class-S
Crimes Committed: -Infantcide -Unlicensed Summong -Demon Summoning
Debrieffing of Case: Woman (name not given at this time)attempted to summon a demon in her own home, though reasons why are still unclear. The sacrifice used for the process was her own son, who is now having preperations made for his funeral. The woman is not being detained until her trial, which will begin whenever the Judge feel it necessary.

To be Judged By: Renji Marconan

~~~~~~~~~~​

OOC: I'll make sure to go into more detail about Yoroda and Renji's home later, and i'll try to make my post less sloppy then this one XD :OOC

 

[GuardianOfHearts]

Venn, like always, was up with the sun.

He stood in the highest tower room, the spacious "aviary", whose walls were covered in niches, perches, and makeshift eyries. Most of the raptors were still asleep, brooding over eggs or with their heads tucked under their wings. But he was the caretaker of five owls, one of whom was coming back from delivering an important message.

He stood near the tall open window, one leg propped up against the ledge. From the ever-brightening sky flew a small, dun-colored owl on silent wings. She checked her descent and landed on the padded glove of his oustretched arm, a tightly wrapped scroll clutched in her talons.

"Hello, Sylva," he whispered in "bird-talk." She puffed up happily in response, becoming a shapeless mound of soft feathers as she allowed Venn to stroke her head. She chattered comfortably about the nightime winds, the people who recieved her letter, the temperature of the open air. He listened attentatively before taking the message away, letting Sylva circle up to the rafters to sleep with the other owls who had just come in from the hunt.

Venn took the missive to his desk in the far corner, where he stamped it with his offical courier's seal- a hawk with flared wings, white on gold -and filed it. Later on, some Envoy or lordling would come to pick up his letters from other nobles in neighboring cities or employees in the Ledonaathian proper.

He sprawled himself in his chair and stretched out his long legs, picking up a quill and pad to begin the tedious part of his job.

Seemingly out of nowhere, a cat appeared on his desk, sitting directly on his paperwork.

Venn looked over his report at Micisa, who was staring at him with those big mismatched eyes of hers, tail twitching across the vellum. She had a whole bushel of Stares to give him, usually when she was angry. As her left eye was green and her right one was a coppery brown, her various glares and glowers could be disconcerting. Though everything about Micisa was patched: her forepaws were that of a silver tabby, while the rest of her right leg was white; the other was black; her chest was a soft brown, the fur around her nose an almost golden color, as was the patch over her left eye and ear. The rest of her face had the features of an orange tabby, continuing down her neck, where it changed to brown with black spots, then red-brown with stripes of yellow, and a spotted whte-and-red tail with two black forks at the end, matching her tufted ears.

Venn had threatened to call her "Quilt" when he found her as a tiny kitten. Micisa had given him one of her best Enraged Stares at that idea.

Now, however, she only looked intense and mildly annoyed. Venn reached around her and tried to tug the parchment from under her rump.

"Micisa, get off."

She laid down on top of it with a whump.

Venn raised his steepled eyebrows at her.

"Want something, princess?"

She meowed.

"Don't give me that." He stared back at her for a minute before his amber-eyed gaze once again disappeared behind the report.

Micisa batted it out of his hands with one grey pay.

"Empty-headed pigeon! You left my breakfast locked in the cabinet!"

Picking up the paper from the stone floor, Venn gave Micisa a disbelieving stare.

"You're perfectly capable of opening locks ... and getting into things I'd rather you not."

Micisa had the good graces to look chastised, though only a little. With her long and graceful whiskers twitched into a dissembling smile, she stood up and rubbed her head against his hand, purring.

"But I like it when you get things for me," she said sweetly, flicking her tail in the equivilent of a schoolgirl's batting eyelashes.

Venn sighed and scratched under her chin, defeated.

"Five minutes."

 

[BlackmageAp]

Eloc looked around the inside of the restaurant as he waited, holding tightly onto his package, wishing they served deer meat as well. It was filled with a surprising amount of people for this time of day. Some gave him a slight glance, while most just went along with their own business. The place looked like it had been around for quite awhile, and could also use some repairs here and there. One man that was looking at him from one of the nearby tables cleared his throat and nudged Eloc.

"Ya know, yer supposed ta ask for assitance if ya wanna get fed bud." Eloc looked back and held an arm to the back of his head. "I just didn't want to be a bother, but thank you for telling me."

The man shrugged and went back to his eating. As Eloc turned around, he saw a waitress that seemed to be giving him a stink eye. He jumped a little, but brought his composure back up and smiled.

"Hello there ma'am, I was wondering if I could get a table?" The woman grabbed a menu from behind the counter and handed it to a waitress that was passing by. Eloc followed her to a table that was by the window, and sat himself down. The waitress was about to leave to let him decide, when Eloc quickly spoke.

"I was wondering if I could get some of the fish I smelled earlier. Trout, I believe it was?" The waitress looked at him strangely, but brought out her notepad. "Anything else hon?"

Eloc smiled and nodded. "Yes, a side of bacon and a grapefruit please. Oh, and if you have any green tea, that would be splendid." The waitress smirked a bit, laughing inside about how polite he was, and then went along her way. Eloc looked outside to see that many more people were out and about now, which was pleasant to see. As he was about to look inside his bag to get another whiff of the deer meat, he heard something.

"There you are! You gots some explaining to do!" Eloc turned quickly to see who it was.

 

[TheClamWhisperer]

Ranth had been winding through the levels of the city for the better part of an hour now. The hustle and bustle of dawn brought out the shop owners, eager to open their establishments and fill their minds with the hope that there would be a bountiful profit today. Eventually, the citizens flocked towards the restaurants and the girl kept pace by slipping against the wall of the corridor.

Macintosh eyes focused ahead of her, fingertips skidding across the rough texture of the wall, she could feel the spiritual threads leading her closer and closer to the post mortem. Contrary to popular belief, ghosts did not only rise when the moon was high and full. They existed everywhere and anywhere, in the blinding sun or in the pouring rain. True, they may prefer the less populated reigons where they were not plagued by the fact that they were no longer among the living.

In Ledonaath, it was most difficult to find an area that was not buzzing with activity. Ghosts didn't appreciate this.

"Where are you," The blacktop girl questioned, ducking under a burly man's arm until she reached the nearest Fountain Square, where she saw children splashing in the pure water. Little girls in pig tails cried out when the dirty little boys kicked water onto the freckles that caressed their faces, and Amyranthia frowned. Amongst the children, sitting at one edge of the fountain, an onlooker was a small boy. Like iron to a magnet, Ranth drew closer, well aware that she was the only one who noticed the boy's spectral presence.

"Hi," She opened, watching the boy whip around with wide doe-eyes. "Do you mind if I sit?" His stunned expression did not waver, but he shook his head as a silent reply. Her legs thanked her for the reprieve, but Amyranthia continued to smile at the boy. "I'm Amyranth." Black gold hair fell into the child's gentle eyes and his pink lips trembled for a moment before he could muster an answer.

"I'm Malcam."

"How old are you, Malcam?"

"...I...I don't know."

Malcam's eyes glistened with the blooming tears that were destined to fall, but his shoulders shook like bone-dry leaves. He was a little boy, a confused little boy who couldn't even begin to grasp what the word 'dead' meant. "Nothings wrong with you, Malcam." His hazel eyes flickered with what the exorcist recognized as hope. She offered him a smile.

"I want my mama."

Don't we all?

"You'll see her again one day," Amyranth assured him, ruffling his soft hair. "But, you need to be strong." He nodded, doing his best to keep those cursed tears inside, to prevent the saline rivers from flowing. While he gathered all the courage that a little boy could, she placed a hand on his temple.

Blood. Shrieking. A baby's cry.

"Poor boy..."

Amyranth had been doing this for years, but seeing such gruesome images never really got easier. "Malcam, I need you to let go. Can you do that?" The doe-eyed boy gave her a solemn nod. "And remember to smile!" Whether it was to satisfy her or because he was hopeful, he smiled a soft, small smile.

With that, she took a knife from her belt and quickly snapped the spirit threads. People glanced at her, supposedly talking to herself, but she stayed with the boy until his image began to slip from her sight, until there was nothing left but those radiant eyes.

She grinned, maintaining that encouraging look until those eyes were gone. It was then that she sighed and drew her knees to her chest. "What a world..."

 

[Samber]

Jordan was calmly eating her waffles when she saw a tall brown-haired man walk into the resturant. She eyed him suspiciously, she could tell there was somthing different about him. She studied his mannerisims, posture, and whether or not he seemed comfortable. It didn't take long for Jordan to tell that he wasn't human. Most people would overlook such small details, but she had a habit of over analyzing situations. She couldn't help but study people, it was entertaining to her for some reason.

She continued watching this fellow, though she wasn't sure exactly what race he was, she was still evermore interested in him. She was still eating her breakfast, while she watched him, she tried to be sly and sneaky about it. She felt silly being so curious, it was almost like she was being a stalker. It made her laugh inside.

She saw he sat at a table near her, and heard him utter the word "fish" it made her skin crawl.
"Eww... Fish..." She said quietly, and then took a sip of her water. She looked at her glass and drew little pictures on it, since it was fogged with condensation. She rubbed her hand up and down the glass slowly, the coolness of the glass soothed her.

She saw someone approach the fish man and say somthing to him.
"Darn." She said. She was getting ready to approach the imposter right when this person snuck up on him.

"Oh well." She said waving for the waiter to get her empty plate.

 

[BlackmageAp]

"Well well, Vanessa. To what do I owe this pleasure?" Eloc smiled as he faced a young girl, who looked like she was about five or so, wearing a cute little purple dress. She was pouting and pointing a finger in Eloc's face.

"Why ain't cha at the park? Mom took me early so's I could see ya! I even wore this pretty dress...." She looked down at her feet shyly, which made Eloc take in a giggle. He cleared his throat a bit and patted her gently on the head.

"Now Vanessa, you can't always expect me to be early to the park, you know? My mom has me doing some chores right now, and I was very hungry too." She kicked at the ground while continuing to pout. Eloc stroked his chin, then snapped his fingers. As he did, her mother walked up smiling behind her. "Tell ya what Vanessa, wanna help me with my chores, then come with me to the park?"

As if the magic words that she was waiting for, she automatically lit up and clapped her hands, then looked up at her mother. "Can I mom? Plllleeaaassshhhheeee?" Her mother laughed and nodded. "Of course Vanessa. But only if you promise to be good okay?"

Vanessa gave a salute and ran over to Eloc's table. Her mother put her hands on her hips, but Eloc put up a hand. "It's okay miss Yashida, I don't mind her sitting here. She'll get to see the giant fish I'm having. Mmmmmm." Vanessa stuck out her tounge and ran back to their original table. Miss Yashida laughed again and turned back to Eloc.

"Thank you Eloc. She was really looking forward to your stories and thought she could get an early one. Though I think she'll like this better." Eloc nodded and smiled.

"Of course ma'am. I'm always glad to help. Just wait outside for me or I'll do it, depending on who finishes first." Vanessa's mom walked off, leaving Eloc to his table again. Almost immediately, his meal arrived. The waitress smiled as she set it down. "Yer a nice kid hon." He noticed that he had green tea in some nice cups and smiled. She walked away, leaving Eloc to his meal, while noticing the stares from someone else he didn't know. Paying no mind, he dug into his meal.