Arcane Tales

???: <Lemme think...no. Who was he? You're hiding something!>

*She walks with him towards the city*

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*The first guard rams the second, falling on top of him. The third is still holding Kari*

Armored Man: <I said, surrender.>

*Two of the three little girls from the park come running and screaming*

Girl: <Help! A monster!>

Armored Man: <In the city? Again?>

*He lets go of Kari and helps the other two up before they run off after the girls*

Armored Man: <You won't get away so easy next time!>

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*It doesn't seem to be anything but a simple ring with a small emerald. She hears horses outside*

???: <To the West Gate! There are more of'em coming!>

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*The soldier takes them downstairs, where there are four horses waiting. Three brown horses and a white one. Two soldiers are riding two of the brown ones, and Creed recognizes them as the ones that were in the common room earlier*

Soldier: <It's in the scroll, but you're to set camp at a cave nearby, as marked on the small map the General attached, and then at a small village in northern Sephira. You should arrive at Capital Sephira by the third day, and visit a mage called Leonardo at the palace.>
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*The Sand Lynx flies into the air to dodge the hit and blows a sandy gust at Jade, its sand colored slitted eyes wide opened*

Woman: <Be careful, Jade!>

*Kentaro holsters his gun and Kari runs to him, grabbing him trembling. Kentaro puts his arms around her.*

Kentaro:<We have to leave. If there's anything you have at home that you can carry without it slowing us down you want to keep, we should get it now.>

"I don't have... anything of the sort, but why are we leaving?"

Kentaro:<They're not going to stop until they capture one or both of us. Even if I leave, they'll still hassle you and I'm not going to let that happen."

"Okay..."

*Kentaro takes her hand and the two run off in the opposite direction the guards went.*

"Doesn't sound too complicated" Alto walks over to the third brown horse and mounts.

Creed shoots another death glare at the soldiers from earlier before walking over to the white horse and mounting it.

*Jade wasn't able to move quick enough and rose from the ground, landing a few feet back, as the wind threw her*

"Not my best moment."

[Time for a new tactic...]

*Jade stood straight and readied her sword, watching for a weakness in the Lynx.

*James sighs as the front gates of the city come into view*

James: <I don't know much myself right now, which is why I can't have anyone following me.... If you value your life, you should stay away for now.>

*James looks to his left, right, then behind him, then starts walking a bit faster*

???: <Hmmm.. okay then. I should be getting back to the church anyway. What was your name again?>

*They walk up a silver brick path and through the giant stone gate into the city*

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*A few people that witnessed the events glared at them as they ran down a street that led to a friendly narrow alleyway with three little houses with red roofs. A woman is tending for her flowers in the southwesternmost house's garden and a kid is playing his flute sitting on the doorstep of the middle house. There doesn't seem to be anyone at the one at the end of the alley*

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*There are five armored man bearing the Aldanian crest in several parts of their armor at the gates, all of which riding horses*

Knight: <Are there more monsters coming?>

Knight2: <So it seems, be ready! A few of them are already in the city.>

*Five more men arrive on their horses.*

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*They get the basic provisions and ride out of the castle and down the snowy streets towards the West Gate. Uon arriving there, they find an unusually big group of soldiers guarding it, as well as some curious citizens*

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*The Lynx dives towards Jade and slashes at her neck with its claws*

Woman: <Try hitting its wings!>

James: <James Lorri. You may here a few things in town about me now and then, but don't believe them. They're all rumors.>

*James starts walking down the street, heading towards a small, beaten up pub with a few people sleeping out front*

*The two stop running and walk through the alley.*

Kentaro:<Sorry, I got you involved in my mess.>

"It's... okay. Really, this is the most excitment I've had in my life."

*Jade moves quickly to dodge the charging Lynx and get behind it. She cuts at its wings, bringing it down. She doesn't waste the opportunity and finishes it off. She lowers herself to her knees, sword layed out in front of her*

"I am sorry to raise steel against your pure soul. May the Origin show you the mercy I could not."

Alto raises his knight's crest as does Creed to show proof they are with the royal knights and to let them pass with their unit.

???: <Got'cha, thank you!>

*She continues running up the street as James enters the pub. There are several men drinking around a few wooden tables and some more at the old counter. The man behind the counter recognizes James and smiles at him. He's a friendly middle aged man with black hairs and a short black beard*

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*They reach the last house in the alley, Kari's. It's a pretty nice white 2 story house, with a red roof and a small garden. It's separated from the house next to it by a short white wall and from the street by a red fence. There's a large hole in the wall that ends the alley, one that wasn't there earlier*

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Soldier: <Everyone calm down, the monsters are particularly aggressive today, but they're not too hard to handle. Everything will be fine, there's nothing to see here.>

*Outside the gate, nothing other than an immense white plain can be seen. The soldier walks away from Soul, and they all salute Alto.*

Soldier: <General, be very careful, the monsters are attacking viciously today.>

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*The Lynx's body glows white for a few seconds and then turns into a tiny light sphere that fades*

Woman: <May your soul rest in peace.>

"Noted" he says trying to contain his excitement at the thought of getting to fight some tough monsters.

Creed facepalms again for posterity.

Kentaro:<Do you normally have large holes in and around your house?>

"No..."

Kentaro:<Oh, this day keeps getting better.>

*Kentaro draws one of his guns slowly approaches the hole, Kari following closely behind him*

Soldier: <Fine, but don't get in our way.>

*Soul feels someone pull her dress. She looks down to see a little girl in a red dress with long blond hair staring at her with her large shiny blue eyes*

Girl: <M-Miss? I can't find my mommy.>

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*By then, Alto and his team are on their way to the cave, running on their horses as the city dives into the horizon behind them. A large whit wolf with a large blue sphere embedded into its chest comes running at them and jumps at one of the soldiers, knocking him off of his horse*

Soldier: <General, help!>

OOC: See Monsterpedia for more info.

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*Through the hole they find a tiny area of pine trees. It is surrounded by the backside of several houses and there doesn't seem to be a way out. There's ivy growing up the backside of the houses, the trees and a very old looking fountain at the center, with the statue of a beautiful lady sitting on a moon at its center*

*Kentaro holsters his gun*

Kentaro:<Did you know about this place?>

"No."

*The two approach the lady at the fountain*

Creed: "Alto, its a howler!"

Alto: "Gotcha" he dismounted his horse whilst grabbing his sword and tearing it free of its breakaway sheath. He moved swiftly with a clean circler slash to deal with the wolf like creature.

*The little girl nods and walks with her down the street, taking a left. At the end of that street, she takes another left and lets out a loud shriek. A blue colored bird with a yellow beak and talons hovers ahead of them, looking at them from the sky. The girl panics and hides behind Soul, crying*

Girl: <A monster!!>

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*The statue is extremely detiorated. Half of the face and both arms have fallen off, but it seems to represent a woman with longer hairs and a plain dress sitting on a crescent moon. Suddendly, a monster jumps out of one of the trees and lands on the fountain's edge, snarling at the two. It's something like a black squirrel the size of a big cat, with long claws and teeth, red eyes and two horns curved forward*

OOC: See Monsterpedia for more info.

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*The creature yelps and steps back a bit before leaping forward, slashing at Alto with its claws. The soldiers stand by, watching their General*

*James sighs and pulls a few odd-looking coins on the counter*

James: <Ugh... I was meant to be relaxing out there, but I guess that just made me more tired... I need some water, please.>

*James sits down and scratches his head*

*Kentaro draws both of his guns handing one to Kari who hesitates to take it.*

Kentaro:<Remember what I said, keep your eyes open and aim with both hands. You take one side, I'll keep its attention.>

*Kari nods runs off to the right, Kentaro firing at the monster.*

*Jade sheaths her katana*

"Are you two all right?"