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𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓛𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓸𝓯 𝓣𝓱𝓻𝓮𝓮 𝓢𝓾𝓷𝓼

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By: JustCath
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Literacy Semi-Lit to Lit | Experience: Some
Setting: Aeloria, a fantasy realm | Genre: Adventure/Fantasy
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Maybe if you're lucky, I'll still accept your sign-up form. That thread is accessable here.
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Characters:

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Paiyoon Ji - JustCath
Ayran - AprilxSkye
Akeru Iwamoto - RoyalUltima
Enide Spyros - ~Celestine
Kataramenos - Daiko
Artemis W. - ItsKendo
Eris Everlast - ShatteredDiamond
Mesiak - ErinBurr
Athena Luminia Lediana - AthenaHere
Alistair Sibiter - Starlight-Gazer

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NPCs:

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Serafina Magisteria

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As the sun rises, our heroes make their way to the center of the Aelorian capital city, Solarion. The guildmaster, Serafina Magisteria, has summoned them to the Tower of Arcana. These heroes have been selected out of all the mages in the land on a mission of top secret importance.

The tower lies at the heart of the city, where each of the three districts meet. Characters should make their way there. Both time and the guildmaster wait for no one.

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Wayfaring:
The Market District is the bustling heart of commerce in Solarion. The narrow streets are lined with stalls and shops selling everything from fresh produce to exotic spices, and the air is filled with the shouts of merchants and the clatter of horses' hooves. The district is also home to several bustling marketplaces, including the Grand Bazaar, where shoppers can find almost anything they could possibly want.

The Noble District is home to Solarion's wealthiest residents, including lords, ladies, and other members of the nobility. The district is full of grand mansions, imposing castles, and luxurious estates, many of which have been passed down through noble families for generations. The district is heavily guarded, and the streets are kept clean and well-maintained.

The Artisan District is where the skilled craftsmen of Solarion ply their trades. The district is full of workshops and forges, and the air is often thick with the scent of molten metal and freshly-tanned leather. The district is home to blacksmiths, jewelers, weavers, and other skilled tradespeople who create everything from sturdy weapons and armor to intricate tapestries and fine jewelry.

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𝓟𝓪𝓲𝔂𝓸𝓸𝓷 𝓙𝓲


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Paiyoon Ji, a goblin merchant from a far-off land, made her way through the crowded streets of the Market District in Solarion. She had received a summons from the guildmaster, Serafina Magisteria, to meet with a group of heroes and investigate the mysterious Cult of the Black Sun. Paiyoon was a shrewd shopkeeper herself, and eyed the stalls that she passed. The atmosphere was much more welcoming than her home city of Shadowvale.

As she made her way through the busy market, Paiyoon drew more than a few curious glances from the human and elven merchants around her. But she paid them no mind, for she was used to being the looked down upon. Goblins were considered to be the least of the five great species, and the capital was far from home. But Paiyoon had learned to be resourceful and adaptable in order to survive in a world where goblins were often looked down upon.

Her knowledge and experience in scamming people immediately identified which vendors were crooked. She wove through the crowd, searching for a wandering librarian that wouldn't rip her off. She deftly dodged pickpockets and thieves, her short stature making her a particularly hard mark. Paiyoon gazed up at the sky at the alignment of the three suns.

Noon. Already.

Books would need to wait. She had an appointment at the Tower of Arcana in an hour. And as a goblin female, she of all people could not afford to be late. Paiyoon sighed, pulling out a compass. A quick whisper later, and it pointed direct Northeast. She continued to make her way to the Tower, hurrying along as a brisk pace.

A bright morning. How disgusting. He hated days like this, days where the sun shone brightly, painting the world in a bright hue, as if this world were a beautiful place. This world was not a beautiful place, not even close.

He flipped the sign on the door to [CLOSED].

He would be gone for a while.

Looking over the bookshelves, Artemis carefully picked out a few books, blowing the dust off of them. The business hadn't exactly been booming, lately, which left some of Artemis' quality tomes and manuals unused.

Well, better for him, he supposed.

He would really need it.

He pushed open the door, having prepared all he needed. He locked the door behind him, of course.

The Tower of Arcana.

He despised those fools, but he had to go, anyway.

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Today marked the third day that she was left here. She had been here by herself for three entire days. It hurt a little. Her new family had left her behind, just like..... No! The past was past. No need to dwell on it anymore...

Eris Everlast, High Priestess of the Sisters of Starlight, walked the streets, aimless to the untrained eye. She had a target location. After the first day she was left here alone, she received a letter from the Tower of Arcana, from the guildmaster themself. One did not simply ignore the summons of the guildmaster.

Thus, Eris was making her way towards the Tower at the center of Solarion.

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Beautiful blue sky, barely any wind, it should be considered the best weather they had received in the recent years, it it weren't for the temperature.

Ayran groaned, as he groggily walked up to flip his door sign to [Closed], while he shielded the sunlight from his eyes with on of his hands.

Today was the day where he has to meet those stubborn, stuck-up, traditional mages that just don't want to change their ways to fit this era.

Looking back at his run-down shop, with multitude of different materials, from herbs, to poison he sighs. He could only hope that the magic formation that he draw earlier would hide his shop from any thieves...

Just thinking about the possibility of thieves storming in, rummaging through the shop carelessly, and creating a mess made him hesitate.

Does he have to go?

But thinking about it once more, their guildmaster is much more powerful than he is, so if he doesn't go..

His shop it most likely ruined!

How can he, a mere ant, stand in front of a dragon!

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Athena hadn't known whether to laugh or cry when she received the scroll. She'd always known they'd try to put her talents to use sooner or later. But her schedule was packed, and she didn't have time for the petty projects they decided to throw at her.

Ah, but she had a reputation to uphold, after all.

"Nice doing business with you!"

Scurrying up a couple trees to leap onto the tops of buildings, sprinting across them and sliding down a conveniently placed wall, she arrived at the gates to her estate, making sure to change her outfit before strolling in through the high front gates. Head high, back stiff straight, eyes fixed ahead. But somehow managing to move elegantly and gracefully.

Her family had prepared a luxury carriage for her, which she stepped into daintily, carefully arranging her dress. From now on, she was the talented, obedient, beautiful, delicate daughter of possibly the most influential and prestigious council members.

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Mesiak read over the letter once again, hardly believing that it was real. Stowing it safely in her back pocket, she took a deep breath and continued on her way through the city. While it was her first time in such a diverse city, she had a hard time looking people in the eye.

There were almost too many bright colors for Mesiak. Everything calling her eye, yet pushing her away at the same time. She felt slightly confused, being away from the safety of the forest she had been living in for such a long time.

By instinct when humans passed by she let her hair cover her ears, and tried to blend into the shadows.

Carefully walking her way through the city, making sure to smile whenever she made eye contact with someone, Mesiak swiftly made her way to the guildmaster.

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-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

In all honesty, Kataraménos thought this was all one massive joke, some prank that one of his mates were trying to pull on him. They did something along these lines occasionally, and in the end it was usually quite humorous.

...But this one was just bad. Even if it was some stupid stunt, it sure as hell wasn't a good one. No "haha, gotcha!" could save this... Whatever this was, and it would only end up with someone getting punched in the face. One thing's for sure, it wasn't going to be him.

So, that meant this letter and the invitation from some guildmaster had to be real, right? As much as he hoped it wasn't, there was really no denying it... Ah great.

It was a shocker, to say the least. Him? Of all people? Normally, the people of Aeloria refused to acknowledge Kataraménos as one of their "beloved" mages, shunning him, calling him an utter disgrace, painting him as a disease that didn't deserve such a title, among other things. And, well, he couldn't blame them, honestly. The man had to admit, clumping him in with those snobs would probably dirty their precious name, and that would be such a shame, now wouldn't it?

...So if that's the case, then why was he being asked to join this silly little makeshift "Spy Kids" squad? The whole "Cult of the Black Sun" crap didn't sound all that appealing either... Well, wasn't like he had much of a choice, now did he? He knew better than most that anyone associated with the Council was not worth messing with, and defying something that very much seemed like an order sounded like that would do it.

With a groan and a "slightly" violent gesture of stuffing the letter in his pockets, Kataraménos mumbled some unfavorable curses under his breath as he got up to grab his coat. As much as he hated complying under the orders of others (especially those with more power than him), he knew it would be pointless to do otherwise, a pain in the butt too.

So with that, he grabbed his belongings reluctantly, lazily straightened himself out, then marched out of his quarters and began to venture off to the capital, Solarion. Such a shame he usually resided far from that place, wasn't it? He waved a simple goodbye to those still on the ship, not saying much other than a threatening warning to not let anything too terrible happen while he was gone, then made his departure.

...

Nothing much happened on his journey to Solarion, if you don't count the occasional run-in with a few unpleasant people, a pickpocket here and there, and maybe a short chase or two as his presence was made known to those with a grudge against him (for some reason, a reason he totally didn't know). Other than that, it was just a leisurely trek through the land he knew all too well. He found his way into the Artisan District, one of the more tolerable locations to be. He'd much rather be here than the Noble District, in all honesty. As fun as it was to challenge himself with a little thievery there, Kataraménos absolutely hated rich people and their absurdity (which was pretty hypocritical, considering how wealthy he was himself), and the Market District was all too boring.

Anyways, his unpleasant demeanor was enough to deter most from interacting with the man, while his reputation drove off everyone else and included the "look of disgust and fear" in the package, how fun! He managed to stroll through the district without much interference, and frankly, he wasn't in the mood to deal with anything anyways, so it was really just a win-win for everyone involved.

Although... walking through this district reminded him of home, something he wasn't exactly sure he was fond of or not. Sure, he wasn't opposed to the display of craftsmanship that flooded his view as he ambled along, finding it quite fascinating to observe his surroundings, but the fact that it reminded him of times past alone was enough to ruin his positive outlook on it.

Eh, whatever, right? Not like he had to pay much attention to things anyways, just had to get to that stupid tower and get this over with.

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Enide Spyros

Now Playing: Romantic Children (Music Box ver.)

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Enide groaned at the letter.

She absolutely loathed going outside, even for a small task. She despised the blazing light of the three suns that hurt her eyes, and the breezes that made her neat blonde hair scatter apart. But this was the Council of Magic's request, and any person with a logical mind would never dare to disobey their requests, however corrupt Enide thought they were.

Reluctantly, she got up and left for the Tower of Arcana, a frown plastered on her face and her two dolls flying closely behind her. Enide made her way through the busy market that reeked of rancid metalwork, smacking a pickpocket with a sharp steel fan as she approached the Tower.

This is going to be such a waste of time.

She hastily made her way to the Tower, not bothering to look at anyone or anything. She silently hoped this would be over quickly.

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Alistair Sibiter

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As Alistair was finishing up the assignments given today, a letter slipped through his letterslot. He noticed it and quickly got off of his chair and picked up the letter. "Where is this letter from?" was really their only thought when seeing it. "Was it from the proffesors? Did he do something wrong?" These thoughts continued to rush through their brain, peeling open the envelope and grabbing the note inside, an invitation to supposedly "defeat" a rising organization, or rather a cult, named "The Cult of the Black Sun".

After reading the full thing, Alistair felt suprised, and yet at the same time, confused and slightly annoyed. Why them? Their just some workaholic that has basically confided themselves to their dorm and oly goes out once a day for classes. They shook their head, now being determined to accept the letter. It seem's like he has to find Miss Serafina Magisteria, The Guildmaster of the Magical Guild.

Getting up and opening his door, Alistair made his way to where the main headquarters of The Magical Guild resided, which was the Tower of Arcana and thankfully, was not far away. The elf human hybrid approached the mentioned tower, giving a small knock before entering.

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𝓢𝓮𝓻𝓪𝓯𝓲𝓷𝓪 𝓜𝓪𝓰𝓲𝓼𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓲𝓪


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I open the large oak doors to the guild hall. I swear, I would take any excuse to use this room. It speaks of purpose and adventure. The interior of the guild hall is large and spacious, with high ceilings and tall open windows. The noon sunlight is streaming through the panes of glass.

The walls are covered in ancient tapestries, and the floor is made of marble. The room is lit naturally with these windows and reflective panes of glass. There is a fireplace at each side of the room, enchanted to burn with cool, silver flames. A large and ornately carved wooden table occupies the center of the room, with comfortable chairs placed all around it. A large map of the world is prominently featured on the wall, in the center of the room.

I stand by the window, gazing out at the entrance. The council is becoming... extremely concerned with the Cult of the Black Sun. And while they would never say that, I can tell. The amount of autonomy and resources at my disposal that they have given me speaks to that. But who am I to pass up on exercising my rarely granted power?

I don't know who I summoned. That is the thought racing through my mind. I worked with Jean-Michel to enchant those letters; they were sent to mages across the land. Honing in on power signatures, the letters travelled throughout Aeloria.

I close my eyes, briefly meditating. Then, there comes a knock on the door.

I open it, raising my eyes. Franz, the guardian of the gate, was standing with a small goblin girl. "Franz. Who is this?"

He grunts. Franz never was the most eloquent. "Says she's Paiyoon Ji. Has your letter."

I'm briefly startled. A goblin. Goblins weren't known for their magical prowess, usually sticking to a few sleight of hand tricks. But then I realize that I hadn't limited my letter to humans and elves. I decide to withhold my judgement. This should be... interesting.

I nod, and Franz hands me the letter and leaves. I turn to the goblin girl.

"Miss... Paiyoon Ji. You are a goblin enchantress from Shadowvale. You are also... the first one here. Come. Sit." I gesture to one of the chairs, my face inscrutable. Franz will return to the gate and escort the rest up as they come.

❄️ 𝔈𝔯𝔦𝔰 𝔈𝔳𝔢𝔯𝔩𝔞𝔰𝔱 ❄️

The tower was imposing, as always. Even as she gazed at it, Eris wondered if she should even consider going to the guard for entry. The letter weighed heavily in her hand as she reread it, making sure there wasn't a error... No error, this was where she was heading to...

Eris caught a glimpse of her reflection and paused. Her snow white hair was peeking a bit from under her Priestess headpiece alongside the tiny horns that protruded from her forehead. With a frown she readjusted her coif to hide both hair and horns. Her eyepiece was in place as always, her cloak and dress were appropriate, her earrings glinted in the sunlight, and her makeup wasn't yet smudged. She was put together, no more stalling...

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Disgusting.

he hated the tower of magic, with their robes and their arrogance.

He nodded at the guardian.

"hello, good sir. I obtained a letter, a while ago. I've come to answer the call. Or something like that."

He glanced down at the book in his hand, sighing.

"Artemis Wright, shadow mage."

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𝓢𝓮𝓻𝓪𝓯𝓲𝓷𝓪 𝓜𝓪𝓰𝓲𝓼𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓲𝓪


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Franz opens the door a second time, a pair of letters in his hand. With a grunt, he hands them to me, revealing two more figures behind him. I read the information sheets attached to them with interest. I look down the bridge of my nose, sizing them up.

"Eris Everlast and Artemis Wright. A pleasure to meet you both. I am, of course, Serafina Magisteria. Thank you for answering my summons."

I gesture to the chairs around the table, inviting them both to sit. A priestess and a shadow mage... intriguing. They both looked like they would make competent additions to the team. I have the sneaking suspicion that Mr. Wright shares my views on the council... pompous windbags. But that's why I was in charge of this endeavor, and not them.

With a grim smile, I send Franz back downstairs. Turning back to the window, I clasp my hands behind my back.

"We are still waiting on a good many of our number. We'll start in a few minutes twenty-four hours. We cannot afford to wait very long."

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𝓟𝓪𝓲𝔂𝓸𝓸𝓷 𝓙𝓲


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Paiyoon watched the two new additions surreptitiously. It had been strange to be first in the Hall, but she knew she couldn't afford a bad impression. Busying herself with studying the map on the wall, she raised an eyebrow. A smirk played across her lips.

They both had height on her, but then again, nearly everyone did. Four foot one was disappointing, to say the least. She subtly shifted, indicating that the chairs next to her were open. But she wouldn't blame them for choosing to sit further away. Her goblinhood was frowned upon by humans and elves.

The guildmaster was imposing. The half-elf's blonde and blue hair and serious expression gave her an imposing look. With three letters in her pocket, she looked more intelligent than ever. Paiyoon conceded that she was objectively attractive, with angular cheek bones and striking brown eyes.

She waited, holding her tongue. She wished that the rest of the summoned mages would hurry up. Because Paiyoon wanted an adventure, goddammit.

"Too f*cking early for this sh*t. You have some water, or somethin'?"

He flicked to the next page of his book, his crimson eyes narrowed.

"Terrible f*cking headache. God, I hate this place."

He muttered under his breath, darkly.

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the picrew doesn't do him justice, no fancy stuff from me
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After what seemed like forever, Kataraménos strode his way to the tower and arrived at the entrance, a dull and uninterested look fogging his eyes. Other people seemed to be crowing around over here... Were they the other mages? Oh fun, certainly looking forward to it. Mages... Never liked 'em, never liked the power they held, never liked how they were held in such high regard. Bored him to death just thinking about it. Yeah, sure, he was technically one, Kataraménos sure as hell wished he wasn't. Good grief, let him live his wonderous life in peace, will ya?

The letter was mercilessly shoved in one of his pockets, crumbled more than a normal discard would be. Perhaps it was intentional? Yeah, probably. Wasn't above Rem to do something of that nature, the little things mattered after all. Miniscule acts of disrespect were still... Disrespectful, so why not? The man trudged forward lazily, absolutely no dignity in his posture as he carried along. Step step step, all the way to the door.

Knock knock knock.

And now we wait. Rem crossed his arms as he yawned, tapping one of his fingers on his forearm as he did so. Usually a patient man, upbeat and rambunctious as ever, he was surprisingly mellow at the moment. Maybe it was just the unpleasant nature of whatever the hell was going on? Yeah, that could ruin a man's mood.

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𝓢𝓮𝓻𝓪𝓯𝓲𝓷𝓪 𝓜𝓪𝓰𝓲𝓼𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓲𝓪


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I walk over to an end table, and grab a crystal glass. Using my water elemental powers, I fill it for Artemis. He could become... a problem. He seemed hungover.

"Mr. Wright, water." I set the glass down on the table in front of him. "Careful what you say. There are listening ears... everywhere." I incline my head, eyes trailing meaningfully to the door.

I hoped that he and the others would keep an open mind. The council may have ordered this mission, but they had let me lead it. It was a guild quest now, which meant it would be run my way. Of course, I didn't mention to Artemis that it was already past noon. We'd all been there, staying a little too long at a tavern one night.

Franz escorted a fourth member into the Guild Hall. "Mr. Kataraménos... or should I say, Captain? I was wondering if I would see you here. A pleasure, of course." She had heard of him, a feared pirate. The Council rather wanted him in jail. But of course, skepticism was key in this business.

"What're they gonna do, dig up my dark past and blackmail me? Oh, dear me. I'm practically quivering in my boots."

He rolled his eyes, taking to glass. he downed it in a single gulp, wiping his mouth with the sleeve of his shirt.

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❄️ 𝔈𝔯𝔦𝔰 𝔈𝔳𝔢𝔯𝔩𝔞𝔰𝔱 ❄️

After being escorted into the Tower, Eris took a seat at the presented table. She decided to sit next to the goblin. She didn't care about the stereotyping and name-calling between the multiple species. She saw the good of every living being, which was a reason she was a High Priestess to begin with. Eris sat down, smoothing out her uniform and cloak as she did.

With her place at the table confirmed, Eris took to observing the other beings in the room. It was already quite a diverse group... Who else would be arriving?

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-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

As he was being escorted, whistling a small tune to fill the silence before being greeted to the large room ahead, he took a few glances around him to take in the architecture of such an oddly glamorous building. He didn't take the time to admire it much, it was pretty much the norm for these people to be extra and fancy, but he could at least acknowledge that it wasn't bad.

Not long after entering, he was greeted by a few unfamiliar faces, and one was speaking to him. He caught some of the previous clamor that was going about in the room prior to entering, slightly amused by the hungover man and his sarcasm.

Honestly, it kinda made Kataraménos wish he picked up a glass on his way, Solarion typically had some decent booze somewhere. Too bad he didn't think about it, such a missed opportunity... Well, it was probably for the better anyways, two drunks at such a "serious" arrangement would probably not be the best. But hey, it was the Council, so who cared?

Everyone else seemed fairly silent, other than the one who called out his name.

"Mr. Kataraménos... or should I say, Captain? I was wondering if I would see you here. A pleasure, of course."

He raised his head slightly as his eyes jumped to the woman, his expression lightening as a small grin tugged at his lips.

"A pleasure, hm? Ah yes, I suppose it sure is a pleasure." His voice was low and smooth, edged with sarcasm and a sly tone. Odd, being greeted in such a positive regard, he normally didn't get that. Even among those at home he was always being greeted with a crude remark, something not generally "positive" in any way, but at least that was all in good fun.

But someone among the higher-ups? The people that wanted him gone for good, never to deal with his shenanigans again? It was a shocker, that's for sure. Probably shouldn't worry about it too much, it wouldn't be for long anyways.

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𝓢𝓮𝓻𝓪𝓯𝓲𝓷𝓪 𝓜𝓪𝓰𝓲𝓼𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓲𝓪


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A goblin, a priestess, a cynic, and a pirate. I close my eyes, thinking. The pirate would be an asset if I make sure that he doesn't confuse me for one of those stuffy council members. Captain Kataramenos was a feared, but also highly respected name. The fact that he had even heeded the summons was promising in itself.

Artemis continued to run his mouth. He clearly had no idea what he was talking about. The gravity of the council's wrath was nothing to laugh at. "Mr. Wright, you don't want to find out."

My mind drifts to the council hearings I had been a part of. There were perhaps three major cases in which I had to testify in front of their voting body. The sentences were always... extreme. Jean-Michel's in particular... but no matter. Hopefully Mr. Wright would not be remembered similarly.

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𝓟𝓪𝓲𝔂𝓸𝓸𝓷 𝓙𝓲


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Paiyoon glanced at the priestess next to her. The guildmaster had introduced her as Eris. She seemed nice enough, albeit a bit uptight. Her blue order cloak was long... it was perfect to conceal the mysterious woman's form. Paiyoon made a mental note of it.

Artemis Wright was the shadow mage sitting across from her. He seemed bitter, annoyed at having been summoned. He wielded his water glass like a weapon. Paiyoon would love to hear his story... it was bound to be rather interesting.

And now a pirate. Paiyoon had heard the rumors of marauding bands travelling the seas, but her hometown of Shadowvale was inland. She wondered if she could establish a trade deal with the Captain when it was all over...