Market Ruckus [Solo | Celestial Arms III]

[Icyferno]

Status: Wounded / Exhausted

~

The Adventurers breathed hard, their exertions from the previous battle, even with the power boost, fairly apparent. But they wore weary smiles on their faces, though it was not readily apparent on the Cleric's helmet. They did it! Somehow. They managed to stop the event of mass destruction from happening. They actually managed to alter history. They were going to go down in the history books of Lune as th-

Frigo noticed it first. The looks on the faces of those around. As some healers tended to the wounded and some moaned for those who inevitably fell in defense of the city, they found similar weary smiles on the faces of those they had managed to save.

But those smiles never reached their eyes.

Frigo shot a wide eyed look at his party, then glanced in the direction of the Landers. The eyes of the party turned, and one by one, they realized the issue at hand.

They may have saved Lune from destruction, but what awaited them was not the glorious history books they had dreamed of, but the tense atmosphere of 'who are you, and how did you get here just as the attacks begun?' It was not like they could deny no knowledge of it: Pisapio basically announced it from the start so that the guards would gather here. A rational thinker might theorize that this may have been a coordinated attack, so as to get closer to the people's hearts.

Well, at least they were thinking folks, but this put them in a very bad spot.

~

Word count: 260
Total word count (Swashbuckler): 260 x 1.1 = 282
Notes: Post 1 of 4 for part 1 of the Celestial Arms Questline.

[Icyferno]

Status: Wounded / Exhausted

~

They looked around for a friendly gaze, almost desperate to cling onto something that would save them from the hole they dug themselves into. The guards they possessed and managed to save were somehow unharmed, although exhausted from the whole ordeal. Not that they could be blamed for that, though. People of the Land just were not given the stats and skills of an Adventurer to handle something of that scale. If anything, guards and the like, without the armor, were simply slightly above average and maintained law and order just like the police in the old world. What they had just been through might be the equivalent of the police force taking on a country's army, albeit an army of hornets.

In any case, they were surrounded, in a sense. None in the city may be able to hold them, of course, but they had not come with the intention to wreck havoc. They had, in a moment pumped full of adrenaline, simply charged in to save the day, and assumed that somehow, the Trickster would take care of everything else. Icyferno was not sure if that was a trick on the Trickster's part, or himself getting more careless and not analyzing things more carefully. He guessed it was probably the latter, but what was he to do? He could, theoretically, just let them die, but... perhaps he simply felt that it was not so bad, being a hero who saved the day. He did not know why he thought so, though.

His train of thoughts were interrupted by the sound of fresh, vigorous metal boots stomping towards the party from his blindside, coming from the direction of a towering blue palace. Palace guards, probably.

... Might as well. It was not like he was accomplishing anything by being here.

~

Word count: 300
Total word count (Swashbuckler): ( 260 + 300 ) x 1.1 = 612
Notes: Post 2 of 4 for part 1 of the Celestial Arms Questline.

[Icyferno]

Status: Hurt / Weakened

~

Honestly, he did not really know what to expect from the palace guards. What could they be after? They were no doubt coming to apprehend the band of Adventurers who arrived so timely to save them. They might even be branded as spies for some random country. He wondered if they would try to execute them. He wondered if they could even do so. Technically it was not wise to fight a party way above your level. Especially if the stone blob decided to help them out a bit. He wondered if it would restore their health and mana to full when it does so.

The guards came into view as he turned around, knights in full plate as compared to the guard who wore light armor. It was probably very heavy, and too expensive to equip everyone like that. They were a few levels higher than the regular guards who held off the hornets, too. And Icyferno was willing to bet they were too busy 'protecting the castle gates' to assist their juniors who were not as geared up as them. Damn royalty and their unwillingness to help the commonfolk.

The knights went straight to them, and one of them, possibly a leader, haughtily declared that the Adventurers were now under their custody. It was strange how they knew who to find, though. Icyferno voiced that out.

"Your actions have been witnessed by someone with authority, and your presence demanded." The man placed a hand on the sword resting on his waist. "You will come, or we will make you."

Brave words for someone who was probably just a noble's kid who had to serve mandatory guard duty or something. He was about to give a sharp retort just to entice a fight and break the sword arm off the poor soul when Frigo beat him to it. "Tough words for someone who wouldn't come until the fight was over."

The knight was literally shaking in rage, and just as he was about to say something, he was stopped by his fellow knight, who reminded him that they were not here to fight. The second knight, clearly more amiable, told the weakened guards to follow them back to their castle for treatment, and was generally a lot more polite. Perhaps their officials intended it this way, considering how fast the flow of conversation changed. He had to be careful.

~

Word count: 400
Total word count (Swashbuckler): ( 260 + 300 + 400 ) x 1.1 = 1052
Notes: Post 3 of 4 for part 1 of the Celestial Arms Questline.

[Icyferno]

Status: Hurt / Weakened

~

The Adventurers were led to a majestic azure blue castle, apparently aptly named the Azure Palace, according to one of the guards they had saved and was following them back to the castle to tend to their injuries. Upon entry, they soon discovered that the inside of the palace matched the grandoise appearance of the outside, with a splendor befitting that of royalty. Since this was supposed to be a timeline before the nobles mysteriously disappeared, he assumed that there was some royalty or important figures staying here. He wondered whether they were the douchebag kind of important figure.

The city guards shuffled off to one wing, where they presumably would get treated. Before leaving, they were nice enough to say thanks, which, while was not exactly worth much, was still something in the face of the junk guiding them to what would no doubt be a cold, sealed room for an interrogation. Unless that kind of thing had yet to catch on, that is.

Turns out, it had caught on, and they were led to an interrogation room with a bare wooden table and a few stools. The Adventurers and three knights sat across each other, and the latter attempted to disarm the Adventurers. Fat chance, all of them simply placed their weapons in their inventory and smirked at the knight who pissed them off earlier and would probably be red in the face under that helmet.

Then begin the sad part. Oh man, the interrogation.

Let us recall how interrogations work. Basically, one party gets the other, most likely captured or something along those lines, to spill intel. Most of the time, unfortunately, the interrogated was usually not able to miam and fight their way to freedom if they felt like it, and the knights were probably getting more frustrated by the question. "Where are you from?" "The future." "How are you so strong?" "We trained." "What do you know about Verdant Park?" "Look man, shouldn't you know your city better than us?"

The questions and retorts flowed back and forth, until the haughty knight had enough. He stood and slammed the table, and shouted at them, "Look, you can either give us the answers we want, or rot in prison. Decide!"

Smashing tables, looks fun! He wondered if they could cause cracks if they tried.

Unfortunately, they did not get the opportunity, for they were interrupted by a well-dressed man in blue, oddly out of place in this interrogation room. He introduced himself as Magistrate Zaffre, and took over the interrogation from the knights, converting the interrogation to a conversation in seconds as he described some random things about the town which Icyferno did not really pay attention to, he was getting a bit tired with all this running around after all.

For some reason, they were released afterwards. For some reason, they were given a few escorts, mainly some of the injured knights who now sported bandages and looked better after some healing magic was applied. He guessed they were making use of less effective personnel to keep an eye out for the unknowns. Not a bad move, effective use of personnel.

As they stepped out of the palace a free group, however, the Trickster decided to troll them once more. The space around them distorted itself, and all the lander guards could see was an empty space where four Adventurers stood just a second ago.

~

Word count: 570
Total word count (Swashbuckler): ( 260 + 300 + 400 + 570 ) x 1.1 = 1679
Notes: Post 4 of 4 for part 1 of the Celestial Arms Questline.

[Icyferno]

Status: Healthy / Rested

~

His equipment readied, Icyferno went back to their gathering point. Or at least, he turned to do so, when he was hit with a wave of nausea, as though someone had hit him with a mind debuff. Which was strange, considering it was suicide to randomly attack someone in the middle of the city where guards will spawn to send your sorry agressive butt over to the Abbey.

That was, of course, if the attacker was someone else. As it turns out, it was soon readily apparent that it was the doings of the Pebble. In all of its selfish glory, it decided to do things for him. He wondered what would happen if he refused to help the Messier Order any further and ended the quest prematurely. Would the Pebble still work? Probably. It was actually likely that it would continue to drag him everywhere, with or without his consent. Kind of like a tutorial quest where you had no choice but to see it through to the end.

That said, he appeared to be in one of those scenario things again, though he appeared to finally be in a male body, or so it seems. At least, he did not get the strange heavy feeling on his chest anymore. Unless it was a flat girl.

Anyway, he appeared to be in a market of sorts. A lively one at that, with the hustle and bustle of the crowd flowing through the market, inspecting and purchasing goods, burly laborers carrying crates of goods to and fro, the loud voices of shop owners advertising their goods.

That was what he first noticed, the second, however, threatened to silence the noise with its importance.

The Magistrate Zaffre and his palace guards.

~

Word count: 290
Total word count (Swashbuckler): ( 260 + 300 + 400 + 570 + 290 ) x 1.1 = 1998
Notes: Post 1 of 2 for part 3 of the Celestial Arms III Questline.

[Icyferno]

Status: Healthy / Rested

~

The Magistrate stopped to inspect the goods at the store he was tending to, and it took him a moment to realize through the blur of the vision that the colorful goods he was selling was actually fruits. He wondered if they were tasty. But alas, like the previous vision, things were never perfect: First a picture of an ordinary city occurence, then disaster.

It was as if a planned assault was set to occur at this very point in history which the Pebble wanted him to see. From the shadows cast by the lamps lighting up the market, creatures poured out into the streets. They kind of looked like wolves. Said wolves leapt for Magistrate Zaffre as the guards rushed to defend him, the townspeople scattering for fear of their lives, an obvious choice given their apparent lack of combat gear. His host, however, decided to cower behind his fruit stand, as though it would protect him from the wolves' vicious claws and fangs.

And it was all downhill from there.

First, there was the sounds of a lively market. Next was the sounds of fear as people clamored to get away from the scene of terror. And then, deathly silence. It was as though a paralytic effect had spread throughout his host's body, and one by one, the townspeople dropped to the ground, unconscious. His own vision began to blur as his host struggled to stay upright. As his host made one final attempt to push himself up, Icyferno caught a sign: New Leaf Market.

Then his host slumped to the ground, and he found himself back at the Blue Palace where the confused guards were hanging around.

~

Word count: 280
Total word count (Swashbuckler): ( 260 + 300 + 400 + 570 + 290 + 280 ) x 1.1 = 2306
Notes: Post 2 of 2 for part 3 of the Celestial Arms III Questline.

[Icyferno]

Status: Healthy / Rested

~

A moment of disorientation overtook him as the perspective shifted back to his own, a nasty aftereffect of the free trip given to him by the stone blob. He was really beginning to hate that thing. His right hand shot up to meet his face, helping him to free up brainpower by removing one of his senses as he quickly got his bearings again. The dizzy feelings slowly subsided, and when his hand left his face to allow freedom of vision to examine his surroundings, he was met with the other Adventurers, the Blue Palace interior, some regular guard patrols, with three of the guards they had saved earlier standing next to them and looking concerned. "Where did you go? You simply vanished into thin air, then reappeared a minute later." One of the guards, who appeared to be a warrior, questioned.

"We, uh, had some private time with a stone blob. How long were he gone?" He glanced over to look at the other Adventurers. Judging from their expression, they seem to have seen the same, or a similar, vision. As he turned to look, the guard mentioned that they were gone for about a minute or so, and had sent someone to notify the Magistrate. Frigo then recommended that they send one more to correct the notification, to which a blonde guard left to do just that. That left them with the female Sorcerer whose eyes Icyferno saw the first event through, and the warrior guard who asked the initial question.

A quick discussion, which obviously confused the two guards, ensued where they confirmed the details of the vision. Apart from Icyferno, Pisapio saw the sign too, so it was safe to assume that they should start looking for clues over there. That said, they had virtually no intel on Lune.

Perhaps the guards could help with that.

~

Word count: 310
Total word count (Swashbuckler): ( 260 + 300 + 400 + 570 + 290 + 280 + 310 ) x 1.1 = 2647
Notes: Post 1 of 3 for part 4 of the Celestial Arms III Questline.

[Icyferno]

Status: Healthy / Rested

~

The first thing they needed to know was the significance of the Magistrate in Lune society. How high a rank did he possess? What functions of Lune society were so vital that only he could attend to it? Knowing that would allow them to figure out what was being targeted, and subsequently set up countermeasures to prevent it from falling if they are able to protect the Magistrate. Of course, should they fail to protect him, then said vital competent of society would crumble away anyway, which made failure not an option.

The Sorcerer told them that Magistrate Zaffre was one of the most influential figures in the Blue District, one of the seven Districts of Lune. Icyferno guessed that the other Districts were equally essential to Lune and just as powerful as each other, else Districts would have been absorbed into another, stronger District. It would good to know what those DIstricts were up to, but the task at hand was closer at heart to Blue District. A weakened Blue District may make the other Districts try to make a grab for the area, and a power struggle in a dying city was the last thing they needed. Zaffre only answers to the Blue Princess, one of the seven Merchant Princes/Princesses of Lune, children of prominent merchant families which dwelt within city limits. They knew little of his actual duties, being recent squires newly inducted into the guards only recently.

The second thing they needed to know was information regarding New Leaf Market, and if there was any event going on in the market which would drag even someone of Zaffre's stature out into the streets. As it turns out, New Leaf Market was basically a temporary wet market set up for a certain Harvest Festival, and was located in Verdant Park, Green District. Strange how a Blue District official would visit an opposing District though.

Then again, his death would strain their relations. Was this the goal?

~

Word count: 330
Total word count (Swashbuckler): ( 260 + 300 + 400 + 570 + 290 + 280 + 310 + 330 ) x 1.1 = 3010
Notes: Post 2 of 3 for part 4 of the Celestial Arms III Questline.

[Icyferno]

Status: Healthy / Rested

~

The Adventurers decided to head to the location of New Leaf Market to check out the area first. Intel was crucial if they were going to succeed, and they would likely need to keep casualties to a minimum if they wanted to minimize panic across the city. Without so much as an inkling as to where Green District was, let alone Verdant Park, they asked the guards if they would lead them there, only to realize that these two were assigned to follow them around Lune to make sure they did not cause any trouble. Guess the Magistrate was not willing to trust them at a moment's notice, then.

Off they went, and as they did so, they finally introduced themselves formally. The Sorcerer introduced herself as Kayle Harte, while the warrior's name was Meghan Rowe. Naturally, they used their Adventurer names, which led to some confusion as they had no surname of any sort, and the word itself was strange, even abnormal by the standards of the Lune populace. It was kind of difficult to explain usernames to someone who had probably never even seen a computer before, so they simply explained it as a cultural thing unique to Adventurers, which the guards grudgingly accepted. He wondered if the guards were also tasked to gather any intel they could on the Adventurers as well. He would not be surprised, that was for sure.

As they walked, they learned of the reason for the Harvest Festival, as well as obtained several addtional tidbits about the months and such. Icyferno wondered how close their system was to the current one used by Adventurers, but decided to save that question for a later time. Of note was also a banquet held at the end of the festival, as he recalled a banquet of revolution took place.

But alas, while they could attempt to learn all they could, their journey was not infinite. As they travelled, the scenery changed slightly as buildings went from pristine stone to buildings which seemed to beautifully blend into the surrounding nature. They had arrived at Verdant Park.

~

Word count: 350
Total word count (Swashbuckler): ( 260 + 300 + 400 + 570 + 290 + 280 + 310 + 330 + 350 ) x 1.1 = 3395
Notes: Post 3 of 3 for part 4 of the Celestial Arms III Questline.

[Icyferno]

Status: Healthy / Rested

~

So, information on Verdant Park. Always nice to know the intricate details before going in for the wetwork so they can skip the things which were already obvious to others. The size of the park was roughly a square kilometer, not really a square but had the total area of one. Terrain was relatively flat, with a few vantage points in the form of more slightly elevated grounds. It appears that the main grounds was used weekly for a farmer's market, reminding Icyferno of a market for organic goods. Then again, everything was organic here, unless he were to have fertilizer introduced to the world. He wondered of the impact it would have on the produce though. A Ferris Wheel dominates the landscape, towering over the trees of the park and generally looking like the London Eye. Technically the best vantage point, but he did not want to go there and find out he needed to pay to ride, since he did not even know if the people of Lune even used the same currency as them.

Of note as well as a river running through Verdant Park. Rivers were mean business, since the Adventurers could not consistently keep track of the river's contents unless they devoted manpower to the task, assuming that their foes could not camouflage in the waters. Also, guards staring at water for hours on end makes for dull work, and dull work makes for negligence and subsequently, failure. He was not willing to bet the success of the mission on a bunch of possibly undisciplined guards, yet could find no other recourse. They should probably inquire about the river source and its tributaries, just to play safe.

With the basic park knowledge out of the way, the only thing left to do was look for clues. They had some general guidelines: Look for the New Leaf Market sign, since the sign was visible during the assault. Also, while it would be nice if they could find the exact stall whose eyes Icyferno saw from, it would be difficult to pinpoint considering most of the produce consisted of farm produce, fruits included, so they could only hope there were few signs.

If not, they had better be prepared to spread themselves thin. Sticking to Magistrate Zaffre was one method, but would only delay an attack to a time they cannot predict. Best if they just used the Magistrate as bait to lure their foes out instead.

~

Word count: 410
Total word count (Swashbuckler): ( 260 + 300 + 400 + 570 + 290 + 280 + 310 + 330 + 350 + 410 ) x 1.1 = 3846
Notes: Post 1 of 3 for part 5 of the Celestial Arms III Questline.

[Icyferno]

Status: Healthy / Rested

~

Each of them had a copy of the map of Verdant Park roughly sketched out from a park map located at the entrance, and with badly drawn sketch in hand, they proceeded to comb the area after dividing the part into four sections to search. Naturally, the guards were stumped over who to follow, and Icyferno hoped they did not report this as 'suspicious activity' or something along those lines. In the end, though, the Sorcerer followed him, while the warrior followed Pisapio. Probably chosen at random, he guessed.

There was something they needed to address though. Should they tell the guards why they were doing this? It may raise panic and cause a change in their plans, leading to an assassination later in the timeline that they could not prevent. They decided against it for now.

Anyway, he (plus Kayla, technically) was assigned to check the main market area. The reason this was done was because there was a guard following him, so in reality there were two people assigned to search the area. He told Kayla that they were looking out for signposts with the words 'New Leaf Market' on it. She was confused, obviously, but decided to help anyway. He wondered what was going on in that head of hers. Did she, perhaps, somehow get some premonition from the Pebble? It would not be impossible, considering he had no knowledge of the effect the Pebble had on the people of Lune themselves. Or perhaps it was an order given by the Magistrate, to track the Adventurers' actions.

Just then, Icyferno noticed a presence in the corner of his perception, he turned to look, but saw no one. He felt that he was watched, and not just by Kayla. There were probably other spies as well. He wondered if they were from Blue District, Green District, or another District entirely. It might even be his foes watching him, or just his imagination. He chose to make no indication he had noticed it; continuing to observe the lay of the land and making notes as the feeling of being watched weaved in and out.

At the end of the day, however, when they gathered at the park entrance, they had failed to gain conclusive information. Sure, they had all the signs, numbering in seven, marked out, but that meant seven possible attack locations with no knowledge of which one will be nearest to the attack. They were caught in a dead end.

They decided to review it at night. For now, they should find a place to stay the night, see if their currency matches up to Lune's currency.

~

Word count: 440
Total word count (Swashbuckler): ( 260 + 300 + 400 + 570 + 290 + 280 + 310 + 330 + 350 + 410 + 440 ) x 1.1 = 4330
Notes: Post 2 of 3 for part 5 of the Celestial Arms III Questline.

[Icyferno]

Status: Healthy / Rested

~

They were directed to a nearby inn, obviously still in Green District, by the two guards, probably another way to keep watch over them. They were pleased to find that their gold is indeed accepted at the inn, which would save them the trouble of bartering and stuff. The guards went ahead and booked themselves a room next to the two double bed rooms the Adventurers book, which generated mild some mild surprise from the Adventurers. Icyferno wondered if they had overtime pay, and if this was covered as work expenses. He guessed the others were probably thinking the same, what with their modern influence.

Anyway, they booked their rooms, then went to gather in one room to mull over their options. The rooms were pretty average: A window at the other end, two beds, a wooden thing in between, and a table with a chair. They sat on the beds and discussed their options. It was looking pretty grim, though. Seven circles, four of them. With the signs spaced evenly from each other, there was little overlap in their radii, making it difficult to not just stalk Magistrate Zaffre until the attempted assassination took place. Waiting around, was, after all, suspicious in its own right. They should still see if they can come up with some positionings though. The plan was that two of them would tail Zaffre, while the other two would constantly change locations. Icyferno hoped the guards were not at the door eavesdropping. If anything could be called suspicious, this would.

There was little that could be done with their limited manpower, that was a fact they had to face. Not only would alerting the guards cause undue changes, there could be spies in the guard as well. Doing so would possibly reveal what they know, and as the old saying goes, knowing was half the battle.

It was definitely something they needed to take into consideration next time, as the windows suddenly swung open and four hooded individuals concealed by a black coat burst through the open area, rolling and standing up in one fluid motion in front of them. Frigo was the first to react, drawing his weapon and launching an [Assassinate] in a split second. A dagger came to meet his blow, a resounding clash of weapons rang throughout the room.

"...Who are you?" Pisapio was the first to speak, the angry tone in his voice obvious. Icyferno wondered if it was due to being interrupted, or that they did not notice their assailants.

"We saw you fight the [Praesepe Hive]. What is your purpose in this city?" The one who took Frigo's blow asked, ignoring the question posed to him or her. "Oi, we asked a question first. Are you just going to ignore us?" Jeraun asked angrily, placing a hand on his katana.

The figure stood silently for a few moments. "Very well. We are the Crownless Kings of the Black District. Now, it is your turn to answer our question. What are you doing in this city?"

A few random questions were thrown here and there, with the Adventurers getting no further than the identity of the group. They unanimously decided to tell the Black District about the impending threat though, leaving some details out of the way. It was imperative that they see the reaction of the other Districts to an assassination attempt. Would they help protect Zaffre or help assassinate him?

Turns out, it was the former, and they offered to extend help to the Adventurers. As tempting as it was, they rejected it, refusing to be beholden to some unknown group. Disappointed (probably), the group took their leave, and the area was silent once more.

Icyferno wondered where the guards were. Probably drugged to sleep, he guessed.

~

Word count: 630
Total word count (Swashbuckler): ( 260 + 300 + 400 + 570 + 290 + 280 + 310 + 330 + 350 + 410 + 440 + 630 ) x 1.1 = 5023
Notes: Post 3 of 3 for part 5 of the Celestial Arms III Questline.

[Icyferno]

Status: Healthy / Rested

~

The rest of the night passed uneventfully, and when the next morning came, they were surprised to find that the two Blue District guards that accompanied them did not even speak of the Black District visitors. Whether they were forcefully silenced or were drugged so well that they did not notice they had been drugged, or were just really heavy sleepers, the party did not know, and were not willing to find out either.

Anyway, they found breakfast at the inn's dining area, obviously not a place of interest the evening before. Now that they thought about it, they kind of missed dinner yesterday, did they not? Strange how they forgot about that, and their hunger pangs did not wake them from the depths of deep sleep to drag their partially awake bodies up to rummage through their futuristic inventory for a tasty snack before dropping back into bed. Or maybe that did happen, and they totally forgot about it.

The dining area was a largely wooden affair, as one would expect from a building in the Green District. There was greenery everywhere, not just the potted plants dotting the room and being on each table, but the entire room. Green tapestries hung from the walls, the utensils used were green, and the bartender wore a green outfit under his light green apron. If not for the varying shades of brown, he would have been blinded by the sheer dominance of the color green in the room. Perhaps that was an intentional effect? It mattered not, he came here to eat his breakfast, not to rate their aesthetics.

The food that arrived was a simple breakfast of scrambled eggs and a few buttered slices of bread, plus a jug of water. After knowing their money worked here, it was not that they could not afford better; rather, they had observed one other patron ordering the same thing, and after concluding that a meal free of meat was likely to be cheaper, they did the same so as to draw less attention to themselves, since there was a possibly that ordering something like bacon (if they had any), while having Blue District guards hovering over them, might set off some gossips. Hopefully they would think that it was just a gathering of friends. Friends comprising the silent types, considering they had little to discuss with each other and as a result ate a fairly quiet and a slightly tense breakfast.

~

Word count: 410
Total word count (Swashbuckler): ( 260 + 300 + 400 + 570 + 290 + 280 + 310 + 330 + 350 + 410 + 440 + 630 + 410 ) x 1.1 = 5474
Notes: Post 1 of 8 for part 6 of the Celestial Arms III Questline.

[Icyferno]

Status: Healthy / Rested

~

According to the guards, today was the first day of the Harvest Festival. Should they fail, no doubt the rest of the festival will be cancelled due to security reasons. Interrupting social events would impact the morale of the citizens. He knew that. But he knew not the reason the Geniuses were attacking for, and it was a question that he would not be able to find the answer for until he met the mastermind behind the assault. Was it worth going so far to take revenge? What kind of curse did they inflict upon Lune that would drive the Geniuses to assault Lune's walls? As far as he was concerned, the Genius were not exactly friends with the People of the Land. A curse that could compel them to work for the People of the Land would indeed be a feat to be wary of. He wondered if the previous rulers knew, which was why they chose to avoid helping the dying city. Perhaps it was out of fear of the unknown. A typical human trait.

Upon the completion of the simple but fulfilling meal known as breakfast, the Adventurers and two Blue District guards headed out for Verdant Park. The two guards did not know when Magistrate Zaffre and his escorting knights were due to arrive; heck, their status as newbie guards meant they did not even know the man was coming out to Verdant Park today. It seemed that an official like him did not always turn up at such festivals; they were busy people, so even when the officials took turns, sometimes they simply could not come.

Unfortunately, this meant that they had to wait at several vantage points to watch for when, and which path, Magistrate Zaffre and his guard chose to arrive from. Naturally, the Blue District guards were distressed once again as the Adventurers split up, but surprisingly did not try to stop them, and instead followed two of them. Once again, Kayla was following Icyferno as he waited around a junction where two paths connected to go over a bridge to enter New Leaf Market. To the regular observer, he would probably be thought of as some mercenary accompanying a guard to ensure security, he guessed. It was not like he had clothes which fit the time and era of Lune, so he opted to continue wearing his [Full Metal Coat], which would naturally give others the impression of a soldier or mercenary of sorts. Now that he thought about it, he guessed Adventurers were kind of like mercenaries, considering many quests yielded rewards to line an Adventurer's pockets.

There was still something about the guards which bothered him though. Might as well ask now, since he had nothing to do anyway.

~

Word count: 460
Total word count (Swashbuckler): ( 260 + 300 + 400 + 570 + 290 + 280 + 310 + 330 + 350 + 410 + 440 + 630 + 410 + 460 ) x 1.1 = 5980
Notes: Post 2 of 8 for part 6 of the Celestial Arms III Questline.

[Icyferno]

Status: Healthy / Rested

~

For a moment, he contemplated how he should approach the subject. It was at this very moment when he had decided he would air his questions about their behavior did he finally realize the one thing which had evaded his mental perception from the very start of the party separating to keep watch over their own areas. He wondered why he did not realize it earlier. It was something, a token, a burden from his past life which accompanied him to the present, one of the factors he had failed to be involved in many social gatherings both before and after the Catastrophe, one of the reasons he had decided against joining a guild despite all the benefits it provided. He realized, that in going with the flow through this quest, it has led him to one thing he has yet to overcome.

How was he going to talk to her?

To someone like him, face was not all that important. But he still felt the need to present himself properly, and how would he be able to do it in a way that best represents himself? No, he was not 'looking for girls who would like him', but rather struggled to make contact with the female form. Especially in his current situation, which was just him and a girl. It made the situation look like a date, and that made him nervous for some reason, as though he felt like he was cheating her of her time even though she was probably just doing her job as a guard to keep an eye on the suspicious Adventurers. There was a lingering thought on why she could not have chosen to follow another, but if she had done so, then he would not have the opportunity to ask the questions he felt that he needed to ask to find himself some answers.

He gulped. If he screwed up, and Magistrate Zaffre decides to come at night, then it would make for a very awkward day. He regretted not being able to tell the time of the day because he could not remember the brightness of the sky, and neither did the rest of the party, which was why they were going to be out all day until they spotted their target.

He turned to look at her, and at that time, found her staring blanky at him. He panicked, jerking back and fortunately not hitting anyone bby accident. At the same time, she realized he was looking at her, and a panicked look flittered over her face as well as she turned to face the other way.

Oh, crap. Now it's gotten really awkward before he even said anything. Should he still try to say something? What if things got more awkward? He could not stand to be in this environment for the rest of the day. But it seemed that she was not going to initiate a conversation, either.

So it was up to him to break the ice.

~

Word count: 500
Total word count (Swashbuckler): ( 260 + 300 + 400 + 570 + 290 + 280 + 310 + 330 + 350 + 410 + 440 + 630 + 410 + 460 + 500 ) x 1.1 = 6530
Notes: Post 3 of 8 for part 6 of the Celestial Arms III Questline.

[Icyferno]

Status: Healthy / Rested

~

"Uh, could I ask you a question?"

The moment the words left his mouth, he felt disappointed in himself. Was that really the way to start a conversation with a girl? Doubt seeped into his being, despite his best attempts to shake it off, the fear of... something. He did not exactly know what it was. Was it the fear of failure? Perhaps. He had never gone down well with failure. Others may see it as a learning opportunity, but to him, it was a loss which represents a lack of skill; that he had a long way to go yet.

Yet, Kayla had chosen to accept his invitation to a conversation, though he detected a hint of apprehension in her voice as she replied, "Of course, what did you want to know?". The way she answered made it sound like it was a question about Lune he was expected to ask, yet at the same time the nervousness in her voice suggested otherwise. It was as if she knew something he did not, and was unsure of how to translate that into words that the next mind could comprehend.

"You seem, well, really compliant with the things we've asked so far. I mean - not that we're not grateful, but, it doesn't seem like that would be something you were ordered to do, would it?" Again with the tumbling of words. Yet, the botched nature of the sentence seemed to go unnoticed by Kayla, who simply seemed to look into the distance, as if that was the question she had been waiting to answer.

"Would you believe someone if they told you they came from the future to save you? I certainly don't. But when all of us fought [Praesepe Hive] together, I felt strong. Stronger than I've ever felt. And at the same time, I saw visions. Visions of you, Icyferno, walking in a bustling city very much unlike Lune. I saw you struggling against a creature of the deeps with the others. I... I saw the death of Magistrate Zaffre as well." He was shocked; to think the District guard already knew! But that was bad; would Zaffre have changed his schedule? He voiced his concern, not afraid that he had wasted his time, but rather that they had already failed.

"No, no I didn't! I wanted to, but when you Adventurers didn't, I contemplated telling the guards anyway, because they'll know what to do. And then I realized that if they knew, they would change their plans, which would allow the assassins a different opportunity we cannot prevent. So I decided that it would be for the best if I waited alongside the rest of you to protect Zaffre." As she spoke, she avoided eye contact, but Icyferno felt that she was probably relieved, releasing all that she had bottled up over the past one day. The other guard, Meghan was her name, she probably knew as well. He was tempted to send a telepathic message to the others to tell them about it, but it would be rude to so in front of someone who was a stranger to such means of communication.

But as it turns out, there was no need to wait till evening, or night. Jeraun's voice came on the line. "I've spotted the Magistrate. Pisapio, to me. Everyone else, get in formation."

~

Word count: 560
Total word count (Swashbuckler): ( 260 + 300 + 400 + 570 + 290 + 280 + 310 + 330 + 350 + 410 + 440 + 630 + 410 + 460 + 500 + 560 ) x 1.1 = 7146
Notes: Post 4 of 8 for part 6 of the Celestial Arms III Questline.

[Icyferno]

Status: Healthy / Rested

~

Way to ruin the moment, but at least he did not have to resort to buying produce from New Leaf Market to eat while on the job. He informed Kayla that the Magistrate had arrived, then hurried over to his designated spot inside the market, in sight of the New Leaf Market sign. At the end of the market, he spotted Jeraun trying to look inconspicuous, his weapons and armor hidden away to reveal regular civilian clothing. He even managed to procure Lune clothing, probably recently purchased from some Lune shop while waiting or something, since he did not see Jeraun purchase one on the way here. Now that he thought about it, it was a good idea, was it not? Should have thought of that earlier.

Anyway, he knew Pisapio was probably going to be arriving any second now, hopefully not in full plate armor. But knowing him, he just might. He moved into position by blending in with the flow of the crowd, quietly slipping between the throng of people moving toward the exit and into the market occasionally so he was generally in the same place. No sooner had he done so did a fully armored knight with a mace appeared on screen, hand on mace. Could he be any more obvious in that he was expecting trouble? He guessed not. At the very least, one of them had to be ready to tank.

As the Magistrate and his escorting knights came into view, the crowd parted like the red sea to admit them into New Leaf Market. He wondered how many of the people were actually from Green District. There was probably one of every District here, considering the importance of this festival. Even Black District, he grimaced. Pisapio, fortunately, took the hint and ducked behind a stall, and while his armored behind was still visible, some may perhaps mistake him as a passing mercenary. If they even had travellers around these parts often, anyway.

As the crowd shifted to accommodate the official, with some help from the shoving knights whom Icyferno identified as Guardians, he scanned the row of shops in front of him, looking out for any suspicious shadows tensely. His left hand opened his menu and was ready to throw him into combat gear at a moment's notice.

Thankfully, or rather horrifically, Zaffre stopped by one of the stalls to pick up a red, ripe tomato. It was probably a routine check on the goods provided to the populace to Zaffre. Icyferno's eyes widened at the sight, and pressed the screen to bring out his combat gear.

At that very moment, a shadow fell across Zaffre. One of the men standing next to the knights suddenly grew in size, and with a swipe of his huge paws, smashed one of the knights into the stall. Just as the Genius was about to land a hit on Zaffre himself, a knight in shining armor, Pisapio, inserted himself between the two and blocked the strike with his metal shield. A resounding clang rang out as the Genius disengaged, growling at Pisapio.

The fight was on.

~

Word count: 520
Total word count (Swashbuckler): ( 260 + 300 + 400 + 570 + 290 + 280 + 310 + 330 + 350 + 410 + 440 + 630 + 410 + 460 + 500 + 560 + 520 ) x 1.1 = 7718
Notes: Post 5 of 8 for part 6 of the Celestial Arms III Questline.

[Icyferno]

Status: Healthy / Rested

~

As Icyferno and Kayla rushed to Pisapio's side, Jeraun, Frigo and Meghan were coming up behind to flank the Genius. There was still one more Genius not accounted for, the one which could cause sleep. They needed to thread carefully. Zaffre and his knights, sans the one who got hit earlier, backed away, weapons at the ready but unwilling to engage. They seemed more likely to flee than to help.

Then the Genius before them spoke. It was a deep voice which easily projected itself across the masses, which were already in flight. "Adventurers. You are not welcome in this era. Begone, and end your mettling." Interesting. The Genius, despite Adventurers not existing during this timeline, knew of the Adventurers. Perhaps there was an information flow amongst them which could cross the space time continuum? The Adventurers, on their part, said nothing. From earlier experience, they knew that the Genius would not listen to them. There was only one way to end this, and that was to fight.

"Hmph. [Rhopalocera], do it." As if on cue, bright, sparkly dust began to fall from the sky. Above?! Unseen by the Adventurers, a Genius in the form of a Sylph had already taken position in the skies above, and was probably there the whole time, except that they had missed her. Crap, this was not good. If they fell asleep, everything would be all over. With a flick of his wrist, Taurus of The Zodiac flew from his grasp, going straight through [Rhopalocera]'s left wing with the power of [Razor-Edged Draw]. [Rhopalocera] let out a loud cry and fell to the ground, only to be caught by the Genius named [Orion]. But it was too late. A bunch of civilians were caught in the attack, most of them shopkeepers who were hesitating on fleeing as they did not want to lose their produce. Zaffre and most of his guard were also down for the count, with only one amongst their ranks still awake. The party bar indicated that Meghan had also been caught in the attack. He hoped someone would punch her awake.

To be honest, they had not figured out how they would deal with the two bosses. One and its minions were already difficult to handle, not to say two and their minions. Their plan was to split themselves into two groups: The first would aim to take out, the other would aim to hold attention. In this way, they hoped that they could kill one first, then bring their full force to bear on the second one. Since there was one land and one air opponent, the obvious first target was the land one, assuming they have the same DPS. The issue was that the flying Genius was most likely a support type boss, as shown by the AoE sleep skill earlier. If the group that holds the [Rhopalocera]'s attention fails to account for the AoE's range, it would affect their combat potential against [Orion].

In order to draw attention from [Rhopalocera], the party had to be split as follows: The first team comprising of Icyferno, Kayla, Jeraun and Frigo, while the second comprises of Meghan and Pisapio. Pisapio would theoretically be constantly shifting between both teams though, so as to keep all their healths in the green. Too bad he did not have a 'Healing Hands' build.

As the party got into formation, only one thought came to mind: Could they even win against two Geniuses at once?

~

Word count: 580
Total word count (Swashbuckler): ( 260 + 300 + 400 + 570 + 290 + 280 + 310 + 330 + 350 + 410 + 440 + 630 + 410 + 460 + 500 + 560 + 520 + 580 ) x 1.1 = 8356
Notes: Post 6 of 8 for part 6 of the Celestial Arms III Questline.

[Icyferno]

Status: Healthy / Rested

~

With a loud roar, [Orion] encased himself in a shell of spiky hair, much like a porcupine would. "Is that actually... a porcupine? I thought it was a lion from the hair, but I guess not." Icyferno voiced. It was not everyday that you could see a porcupine lion hybrid up close, afterall. He launched himself forward regardless, painfully aware that the spikes were probably designed to wawrd against melee attackers. As [Orion] turned to face him, Jeraun struck him across the back with a skill Icyferno did not see, just as Icyferno suddenly changed direction and moved to the side, flinging Aries and Pisces at the Genius. All three attacks hit their mark.

Then the air around [Orion] changed, as he seemed to be gathering energy to prepare for a skill. Both of them leapt back as Kayla launched a fireball at [Orion]. Shrugging off the attack, [Orion] turned and shot a skill at Jeraun. Icyferno's eyes widened as he recognized the skill. [Fist of Boreas], Tier III Monk skill. Jeraun was frozen to the spot, a few centimeters off the ground as he struggled to move.

If the boss could use Adventurer skills, things looked bad. Usually, a Monk against a Swashbuckler, Samurai and Sorcerer would have little chance of winning. But this was a Genius they were talking about, which had way higher stats than a regular Adventurer because it was considered as strong as a Field Boss would be. Icyferno drew his weapons, a longsword and dagger, and swung forward, attempting to land [Blind Bet] on the Genius so as to give them time to recover from the Freeze debuff. No such luck. Monks were evasive tanks, and in the few meters he had to cross to reach [Orion], the boss had shifted out of the way of his attack to avoid the debuff skill.

Only to fall right into Frigo's [Assassinate]. The Assassin had been waiting on the roof of one the stores, waiting to open the assault with the Assassin's signature skill. As they landed some distance from [Orion], the boss laughed. "Pitiful attempts. Come at me, Adventurers. I will make sure your mettling ends here and now."

And thus, the battle raged on.

~

Word count: 370
Total word count (Swashbuckler): ( 260 + 300 + 400 + 570 + 290 + 280 + 310 + 330 + 350 + 410 + 440 + 630 + 410 + 460 + 500 + 560 + 520 + 580 + 370 ) x 1.1 = 8763
Notes: Post 7 of 8 for part 6 of the Celestial Arms III Questline.

[Icyferno]

Status: Hurt / Weakened

~

Thirty minutes. That was the time it took to bring [Orion] down to half his health bar. Fortunately for them, the Green District heard the commotion and sent over some guard fodder, so [Rhopalocera] had more than enough folks to burn through, leaving Pisapio more free to focus on [Orion]. That was, however, still not enough to save them from the strong blows of the Genius, with most of them nearing the red zone.

As [Orion] reached the midway mark in health, he snorted. "Hmph. Not bad. Very well, you can keep your peace... for now." With that, the Genius turned and made for an escape. At the same time, [Rhopalocera] released some paralyzing spores, immobilizing most of them. Without so much as a backward glance, the two Genius escaped, and the Adventurers were powerless to stop them.

As the surrounding people quickly recovered and accessed the damage, Icyferno took the time to look around them, and saw devastation. New Leaf Market had been partially destroyed, and bodies were strewn everywhere as though a huge party had just ended with many drugs. But those were not drunk people. Those people were either too injured to move, or dead.

Dead. The work resounded in his mind; a testomony that he had failed to protect everyone. At least the Magistrate is alive, he thought to himself as he glanced at the man surrounded by several ranks of knights. But I have the feeling that those two were merely toying with us. I feel that we could not have beaten them if they fought to the death. Why, then, did they flee? Was all this simply to leave a message?

There was no point moping over the past though, they needed to regroup and consider their options. They were clearly not strong enough.

~

Word count: 300
Total word count (Swashbuckler): ( 260 + 300 + 400 + 570 + 290 + 280 + 310 + 330 + 350 + 410 + 440 + 630 + 410 + 460 + 500 + 560 + 520 + 580 + 370 + 300 ) x 1.1 = 9093
Notes: Post 8 of 8 for part 6 of the Celestial Arms III Questline.