Teyao

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

Words carried weight, there was a saying from where he was from 'An action is worth a thousand words', while that was true it often blinded people to the fact that words carried their own value, people died just because someone uttered the wrong words. This was especially true in fucking politics.

Fortunately for them, Kass' word was worth gold inside Valheim, sure they would have been accepted either way, but the people inside knew they weren't in a position to refuse aid.

Grabbing the Alarm Receiver he spared a nod to the Paladin, it was a surprising kindness that he decided to extend and James was thankful for it. He wasn't the only one if the looks on his party faces were anything to go by, the mayor being the one to speak was surprising but perhaps it was to be expected, he wasn't sure what factions existed inside Valheim but it should be safe to assume the mayor would seek to present himself as a big player, regardless of how much power he actually had at his disposal, he had to admit, the way he carried himself didn't really imply confidence.

When Mackenzie and Fenna decided to speak about their equipment he simply raised an eyebrow, will he would have preferred to play the cards close to his chest that was just his paranoia or maybe Zigmund talking, as far as they were aware what equipment they had when they arrived wasn't anything out of the norm, at least not by his memories, custom made yes but not out of the realm of imagination. Still, it was not surprising that the abbr=Nerds]Academy Officials[/abbr] wanted to give it another look, parting with his idol was easy, most of the time he tended to forget he even had it in the first place, and he wasn't wholly concerned, he may use it for blessings but the lasers were all him. It was when they asked for the anchor that he hesitated.

The anchor was a memento of a dear friend, someone who had fallen on the line of duty helping them survive, it had become a staple in his life since he got it, and parting with it -even temporarily- just didn't feel right.

In the end he decided to just give his idol and keep the anchor, he may lose some info about it but the calm of mind was more than worth it.

After that business was concluded it was time to hash the details of the meeting with the commander. That done it was finally time to head back to the guild, one more step towards returning home, the situation was dire but he couldn't help but have a spring in his walk, nothing could ruin his good mood-

"Here we are," she announced as they arrived at the Guildhouse. But she stopped at the door and turned around to everyone. "You two," she said, looking at Zell and MacKensie. "I am willing to overlook your actions a few nights past, on this one occasion - I will go back on my word. You are unbanned from the Guildhouse, but know that you are on thin ice, my friends." She was deadly serious. "I won't hear of any apology or excuses, or relitigate the issue, so don't bother." She wagged her finger at them both. "One slip, and I will see to it that you never step foot in this Guildhouse ever again."

The Guild Master

Ah

He froze.

"Shit!"

He forgot about that!

Quick deflect! Don't let them-

“If you don't mind me asking, how did you get banned?” Adam's question was delivered quietly, with the skepticism in his mind apparent on his face.

Adam

FUCK!

He felt the familiar feeling of panic rising, he had to do something... or did he? Huh? At this point wouldn't it be better to just man up and admit to Mac that he forgot to come clean?

But it would suck.

But it was something that he should do instead of continuing pussyfooting around.

Fine, he would do it.

Walking behind Adam he made a gesture to Mac and mouthed the words 'I tell you later'. Admitting the whole thing would take some time (not to mention the fallout) he preferred it happened after they got what they needed,

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All the thoughts fled his mind at the message. To James the contents were suspicious but worth investigating.

To Zigmund?

Fear was an emotion the old Blessed didn't feel often, bravado was what saved his life in more than one location, and the things he had done curved the impulse to feel fear. And yet he would never forget the one and only time he met the Witch Queen, even now the urge to whimper and cower was still present. Like prey in front of a predator knowing the slightest move could set them off.

Fear was not an emotion Zigmund Mugba-Zarack was familiar with but in HER prescence? He was terrified.

He needed to distract himself, Lucy!, he should- no, he was panicking, acting foolishly, yes this was uncommon but Hacking was a known practice, of course SHE would have access to it and if she had caught on their existence it was rational to guess that she would try to do something about it.

Just in case better keep it under wraps at the moment.

Walking towards Lucy he spoke loudly "Thank you, the message was not what we expected and it raised some questions but is good to at least have a lead" giving her a nod he moved towards Clive "How you holding big guy?" He could see some of the other members of the party not dealing with it particularly well. Not that he judged them after reading all that.

Oh, right, he wondered how what insights could Kass have.

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

Light returned! Now let's just pray water returns soonish (It disapeared a week ago), mi Mexico di oro is beautiful but damn it has problems.

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

Sorry for the delays, heat broke our electrical transformer, been without since a couple hours ago

Shadow Contract: An Urban Fantasy Action RP

Saw this and decided t apply

The Reader

• Name: Jinpei Kato
• Age: 16
• Gender: Male
• Appearance:
  
  

  ---

• Personality: Calm and collected Jinpei tends to be almost lethargic in the way he acts, he is friendly but in a detached way, at least until someone starts speaking about stories, then any preconceived notion of idleness is thrown out of the window. A sweet tooth and a disgust for spicy dishes. Always carries no less than three pens on his person. Has a hidden mischievous streak.
  Backstory: As the child of a minor family of Contract Holders it would be easy to assume he would grow up training to become one, that is if one was anyone other than Jinpei. Born from two non-Contract Holders and with exceptionally weak Spiritual Energy it was believed that he didn't possess any at all, a fact that brought joy to the hearts of his parents, knowing that their child wouldn't be part of the unseen war.
  
  Life was sweet during his first years, love was abundant, helped by his capacity to mingle with other normal kids as their family's house was firmly in the mundane part of town but close enough to their family's place of 'work' that they could respond to an emergency on either side. It was in one such emergency that he lost his aunt. He never learned exactly what happened, the most he was told at the time was that there was a complication and his aunt was assigned as part of a rapid response team. Something went wrong and it was shortly after that he, his parents, and a bunch of his aunt's coworkers were holding a funeral.
  
  Eventually, like the other children, he was allowed to roam so he wouldn't disturb the adults, not knowing the other kids present and not wanting to socialize he decided to explore.
  
  
  It was under a light post that he met him

  "The whithered man.
  
  Skin as white as bone, robes that seemed ancient, and holding a scroll in his lap, seemingly detached from the world in a way that words failed to convey, his eyes itched and something inside was quietly telling him that approaching the man was to invite danger but his curiosity prevailed.
  
  He wondered what the old man was writing, reaching him he asked it bluntly. Were his parents there to witness they would feel appalled at their son's lack of manners, that is if they could get over the horror of seeing their child talking to something they couldn't see.
  
  The old man let out a chuckle.
  
  "Ah, but is that truly the question you seek? Is it the text itself that holds significance, or rather, the purpose behind it?" The old man never turned his gaze "But to answer your question, child, I am not merely reading—I am engaged in the delicate dance of thought and ink, weaving the fabric of my narrative with the threads of contemplation."
  
  Jinpei's interest was picked, he may not read a lot outside school but he still read manga from time to time, despite this the thought of meeting an author had never crossed his mind before and he was curious about what the old man who spoke funny was writing.
  
  Another chuckle "A novel, I have come to the realization that the parchment of my existence remains bereft of the ink of narrative. It is a curious lacuna that has lingered in the recesses of my consciousness, beckoning me to traverse uncharted realms of expression."
  
  There was a feeling of pressure growing around him.
  
  Those were a lot of words that he didn't understand, but he got the gist of what he was talking about, a new question plagued his mind, what was it about?
  
  "Ah, the essence of the story eludes even my grasp, for it is a journey yet untold—a narrative that emerges not from the dictates of my will, but from the whispers of the ink"
  
  The pressure intensified but he didn't notice
  
  He could only feel his confusion rise, how could the old man write a novel and not know what it was about? He decided to vocalize such thoughts.
  
  "Tell me, youngster, when dawn breaks upon the horizon, do you dictate the path of the sun, or do you merely bear witness to the majesty of its ascent? In much the same manner, the genesis of a tale lies not in the predetermined machinations of its author, but in the serendipitous dance of inspiration and revelation" The air felt heavy for a moment, the old man didn't look different but where before he felt old now he was ancient. Then the next moment all the pressure he hadn't noticed disappeared and with it the weight behind the old man seemed to evaporate "But the first decision is the one and only that is mine and mine alone—the name of my protagonist"
  
  That old man was weird, maybe senile? he looked like he could be very old so maybe he was loony? Mom always said to help his elders so why not help the old man choose a name for his protagonist
  
  "What about Jinpei?" So what if it was his own name? He liked it.
  
  The old man seemed to roll the name inside his mouth, face still directed at the canvas, and then a small smile appeared on his face as he seemingly came to a decision.
  
  "Jinpei it is then"
  
  For the first time since the conversation began the man separated his gaze from the book in his lap, his eyes were dark but serene, no different than a night without stars, the old man nodded at him and he nodded back with a smile, happy of having helped the old man.
  
  The Contract was sealed"
  
  He was found a couple of hours later, apparently having fallen asleep against a faded gravestone. It didn't take long for his family to find out about his new abilities and for his training as a Contract Holder to begin.
  

  ---

• Skills: Stealth was a primary focus for him as his abilities aren't contact focused, People reading was something he developed on his own, General combat as part of his family trying to help him, he is at least able to fight against other normal people.
• Spiritual Energy Grade: E
• Contracted Being: The Ghost of Yoshida Kenkō
• Contract Rank: B
• Contract Abilities:
  
  
  • Kengen: It allows him to choose something (designated as the Muse), once a Muse has been chosen a vessel will manifest, vessels vary in shape and form but they all share the common theme of telling a story, some examples of previous vessels include a comic book, a stone tablet, a pager with its controller and in one rare instance a musical sheet. The story depicted varies upon the person but as a general rule is a retrospective from their point of view up and is actualized in real time.
    Cost: Each time Jinpei uses this ability, a portion of his memories is temporally erased (12h). The activation of this ability also creates mental strain so long periods of activation can lead to problems such as intense migraines, hallucinations, or emotional instability.
  • Hicchi: When Kengen is activated Jinpei is able to write ahead of the current sentence, he is able to affect the physical status of the Muse and their surroundings in minor ways (as long as they follow the internal logic of their narrative) but where this ability truly shines is when he influences their mental status, as a detriment or as a helper.
    Cost: The memories erased become permanently lost.
  • Sokuhitsu: He can read and write at incredible speeds.
    Cost: Jinpei's biological clock is slightly accelerated.

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

Will post tonight

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

He allowed himself to relax at Zell's words, it didn't prove that there was no influence but at least it gave them time to-

He stretched his neck to one side and then straightened up his posture. "No worries though. I've got it under control. Trust me."

Zell

At once the tension returned to his shoulders, 'I've got it under control' such innocuous words, were it about anything else he would be calm but in this case? It just reminded him how he assumed he could handle it when he made the contract, unaware just how quick and subtle the influence ran. He needed to do something, say anything, but just as he was about to speak Wulrick asked if they were ready to leave.

Right, they were on a schedule. He would need a moment to speak with Zell again, if there were no signs of influence yet then they still had time, he just hoped they could deal with it as soon as possible.

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Fuck, it reminded him of the corporate meetings he had participated in, 'course this time it was different being literal life or death. It didn't stop the stuffy feeling that permeated the air and made him restless, to be truthful he was not comfortable, the conversation with Zell was still fresh in his mind and warring about several different topics but it would have to wait until the meeting was done.

At least there were some familiar faces, he stepped up as the High Septum Areleth called for him to recount their story, he tried to summarize it as best as he could, clinical, detached. Half the room was watching them as if they were the new interns to be exploited and the other half was just playing along but desperate enough to use anything. He could sympathize, at least the part of him that was still able to do so, but right now he was on a battlefield that was known to him.

Fucking politics.

He had realized some good time ago that no one was truly free from them but being thrown back into it so suddenly was still jarring, perhaps he had never escaped them in the first place.

Finishing with his story up to current events, slightly edited to omit certain parts, and for quick retelling, he looked back to his party in case anyone wanted to recall the parts he wasn't present for.

Adam was the first to step up.

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After some questions were asked and parts of their story were elaborated on he stepped up again, the bread and butter of politics is power which comes in many forms money, personnel, and of course, information. In this room there was a power imbalance, the locals held all the cards and even if they weren't planning on doing anything against them it was still an unfortunate fact that they were capable of hurting them, so how coule he proportionate the security of his party? "Well, there you have it, our entire journey so far, now, I am aware you want us to help with the siege which we are willing to do, in particular, we possess information about their tactics, mindset, and people of interest, obtained through the use of a Blessing of Lathop so it is from the perspective of an elite in their ranks" Shifting the power balance of course, now they weren't just another party, information was disclosed, personal power was implied and ability was revealed.

"Any questions?" Their position was still weaker than he would have liked, but it was a start. The rest would come in time. But now he had to focus on keeping their momentum, determination flashing in his mind as he saw the looks they gave each other before someone decided to ask a question

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

I did see those @Teyao it's a nice effect. The different ways you experiment with the text based on what happens to James (disguises, memory spell, etc.) is pretty cool.

@Zapdos

Then you also deserve a cookie

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

@Teyaobro wtf I just noticed that you have hidden messages in James' dialogue lol how far do I have to go back through your posts now to find them all?

@Saiyan

Damn dude, honestly I didn't expect anyone to find them, to answer your question ever since the memory blessing was used for the first time, also here, a virtual coockie as a reward for being the first to bring it up.

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

I look forward to MacKensie learning that she was banned from the Guild building, should be fun to read

@Zapdos

"Please Guildmaster Lucy, understand that on that night Mackenzie was just not herself. Ever since the next day, not a single drop of alcohol has touched her lips. I doubt she even has any memory of what happened that night. Please accept this heartfelt apology on her behalf, and please don't mention it in her presence. I fear that if anyone mentioned it, the shame would burn her at what her likeness has caused. She has been trying so hard to move forward and leave that night behind, and bringing it up would only cause her unnecessary pain and embarrassment. I assure you, it was a one-time lapse in judgment, and she deeply regrets any trouble it may have caused. Can we please keep this between us and let her continue on her path of self-improvement without this shadow hanging over her?"

"...What about Zell?"

"Mhm? Oh yeah he too"

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

Stealth was far more stressful than he expected, leave it to the old man to be throughout even when he didn't need to be, paranoid old bastard, witouth Fenna or Adam they would have been toast, even his idea of using the riverside would have been useless if it wasn't for those two, the worst moments oddly enough were when he had to leave the river, there was something calming about being completely submerged and he couldn't tell from whom did it originate. But after some heart attacks, the light at the end of the tunnel finally shone on their eyes and after a couple of agonizing minutes, they were en route towards the hospital directed by the Silver Arrow.

Then the situation turned hostile, the Gnome Druid decided to start a dick measuring contest with their Druid and sadly for him Adam had the biggest tree. He had to give props to the other man for taking the high road, even if his anger was starting to boil inside his veins. That's when the ever-reliable Kass and Zell came in, intimidating the shorter man.

The sight of the other party leader approaching them prompted him to do the same, but rather than getting involved directly he instead stood behind his party members with his arms crossed and a deliberately blank face directed to Wulrick, he hoped that the message was understood by the other party.

They were too tired to put up with shit like that.

Mackensi coming to calm things down was both unexpected and in character, and thankfully unneeded, he had to give props to his fellow party leader, the way he reacted showed he was protective of his own party member and the way he responded when no one else stepped up to defend the gnome spoke of familiarity with the situation, looking at the other members of Silver Arrow who watched the scene with irritation made it clear it wasn't the first time this happened.

"Ah, so he is their party idiot"

In the end, the other man decided to separate the gnome from his party, and judging by the way they remained behind when his party entered the hospital it was obvious someone was about to be scolded. Before he entered the hospital he made sure to cross gazes with the other man who looked at him with a cold look, to which he responded with a pointed look at the gnome then back at him, an exaggerated sigh, and a shrug of the shoulders. The other man appeared confused for a second before he seemingly caught on to what he was implying, dropping the hard look he glanced at the gnome who still sported a look of pride on his face, then back to him, irritation clear in his eyes, after a moment he let out a long sight and inclined his head towards him in apology.

He waved him off, it was clear neither side wanted to come to blows so as long as the gnome kept those comments to himself he doubted they would have a problem. He gave another nod towards Wulrick before turning to enter the Hospital, the sounds of yelling barely reaching his ears and bringing a smile to his mouth.

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He looked at his chest, tracing the place where Zigmund had stabbed James, only some faint scarring remained from what would have taken months to recover back on Earth, he was no longer surprised by it but it was an interesting point of comparison nonetheless. Another example was the almost uninjured leg of one Zell Brooks.

He ended up next to James. "Well," he said to the Mexicano. "Another trip survived. Another battle on the horizon. How you feeling, bossman?" Zell was upbeat, but sincerely concerned for his best friend. "It must be fucking weird having all of that Zigmund-guy's memories, eh. You really got em all? Like; actually his whole life?" If James was up for talking about it, Zell would ask for the deets, "Who was he?"

The Swordman

He let out a sigh at the other man's words "It is extremely fucking awkward, I know things that no one should know about anyone else man!, as for who was he..." Talk about a loaded question, how would you describe yourself to people who you tried to kill a couple hours ago?

The answer? With honesty

He chose carefully his words, no need to make things awkward by referring to Zigmund as himself "He was a power-hungry moron" A pool of shame surfaced in his belly at the description, it was true and that was what hurt the most "The guy grew up in some of the bad parts of the capitol and had the kind of habits you can imagine, drugs, whoring, drinking, vicious motherfucker he was but a damn good fighter, sadly he was too blinded by the temptation of power to realize how bad an idea it was to firm that contract with The Black Goat in exchange for... a... sword....

His eyes opened wide, he forgot!, how could he be so stupid to forget that!

He directed a frightened glance at Zell, gulping he tried to speak as calmly as possible "Zell, please answer me this question, have you noticed anything strange lately, hallucinations? Bad dreams? anything? Please be honest this is important Gods please no.