[u][b]The Keystone Plaza[/b][/u]
Though the festivities of the Rinkan Annihilation Tournament had more or less died down by this point and many of the factioned Immortals had gone off to their respective territories once more, the area around Nyu-Taro’s Keystone was as active as always, low-leveled players using it as a meeting point to start up their parties. The day was as pleasant as always, a clean breeze cutting through the warmth of the beating sun, but on the horizon, clouds thick with rain were gathering, slowly sweeping over the northwards forests. It was no deterrent to any who sought a proper adventure though. Once more, wooden boards slathered with calligraphic scripts were nailed upon the side of a building, requesting assistance on a variety of tasks, ranging from simple monster extermination to escort missions that ranged to the furthest corners of Horogi. Now that the party had a better sense of how much money they could get from slaying monsters, it became clear too, that the amount of rishi they could make doing specific jobs definitely outstripped the amount they made from grinding alone, assuming that they didn’t sell the equipment they obtained in the process of monster slaying.

Still, after a couple more minutes passed, Klein remained elusive, and gradually, the group began to fragment once more. Time dilation may turn every minute in real life into three minutes within Cacophony Concord, but human patience ran much thinner. Each pursuing their own desires, they went off, with plans to reconvene later.
[hider=Class Search: "Offensive Support" "Offensive Healer"]
[i]Ranger[/i]
[sub]+5% STR | +10% END | +15% DEX[/sub]

[i]Animist[/i]
[sub]+10% HP | +10% MP | +10% SP[/sub][hider=Requirements]
[list]
[*]Die
[*]Max HP equal to max MP equal to max SP.
[/list]
[/hider]

[i]Onmyoji[/i]
[sub]+20% MP | +10% DEX[/sub][hider=Requirements]
[list]
[*]25% of total damage dealt to enemies comes from purchased talismans.
[*]Max DEX equal to or greater than 10. 
[*]Receive training at Ika-Gendo Shrine.
[/list]
[/hider]

[i]Qi Gong[/i]
[sub]+20% SP | 10% END[/sub][hider=Requirements]
[list]
[*]Max SP equal to or greater than 100.
[*]Receive training at the Gao Long Monastery.
[*]Recover 200 HP passively, without resting.
[/list]
[/hider]

[i]Bard[/i]
[sub]+10% MP | +5% DEX | +15% LCK[/sub][hider=Requirements]
[list]
[*]LCK is equal or greater than 15.
[*]Earn 10 Silver worth of currency from public performance.
[*]Sign a contract to perform gigs in a tavern.
[/list]
[/hider]

[i]Trapper[/i]
[sub]+5% HP| +5% SP | +10% STR | +10% END[/sub][hider=Requirements]
[list]
[*]Combined DEX and END equal to or greater than 30.
[*]Survive in the wilderness for two nights without returning to civilization.
[*]Kill five monsters with environmental effects.
[/list]
[/hider]

[i]Kegare[/i]
[sub]+10% MP | +10% SP | +5% STR | +5% DEX[/sub][hider=Requirements]
[list]
[*]Kill 10 monsters with a melee weapon.
[*]Kill 5 animals with a melee weapon.
[*]Kill 1 Immortal or Rien with a melee weapon.
[/list]
[/hider]
[/hider]

[u][b]The Markets and Exchange[/b][/u]
Nyu-Taro’s Keystone may have been the center of the neutral city-state, but its heart was found south, where the public markets were open. Merchants, both Immortals and Rien, squabbled and shouted over each other at the large, while dirty-faced urchins slipped through mass of humanity with varying ease, searching for an easy mark. Paupers, ever present, continued rattling their prayer wheels and hoping for alms, adding to the noise of the crowds. Thankfully, at least, with the craze of the Flamebringer Princess’s victory having ebbed, it was easy enough to distinguish replica weapons from authentic ones: the fakes were on clearance sales now, and so were much of the other memorabilia from the tournament. Painting scrolls of various rankers were going for a heavily discounted 8000 rishi, while plushies, cute and cuddly, went for 12000 rishi, down from the 20000 that was demanded just three days ago. Some were still too stubborn to slash prices in order to clear their stock though: a young, starving sculptor squatted on his log while his tarp tent displayed a to-scale rendition of the Flamebringer Princess herself…though with artistic liberties taken with her proportions.

Coin Exchange Services, of course, were also present, and the one that Ari had been introduced to was owned by the Ryoku-Jo clan. The teller, an ash-skinned woman with dark, orange hair eyed had eyed Ari’s ears when she approached, but had shrugged when the silver proved to be real. The divine protection within Nyu-Taro prevented monsters from doing harm, of course, but the myriad of gods in the land didn’t ever really account for counterfeit coinage or scams. Ari, thankfully, wasn’t a tanuki brat trying to make a quick buck out of leaves, and came out of the exchange 7500 rishi richer. The paper money was smooth to the touch, Ryoku-Jo’s bills in particular depicting the scientific titans of steampunk engineering (which was really just a bunch of old Horogi folks dressed in Alderamin outfits), and slipped into her Item Pouch weightlessly.

Now, freshly equipped with money, any who wished to go shopping simply needed to delve in to the deals.

[b][u]Shin-Yu Temple[/u]
“Brother Dysphoria, so glad to see you!”[/b] A bald priest, sweeping the ground outside the temple, smiled at him.

[b]“How was your sojourn within the Greater Realm?”[/b] A tanned priestess, carrying a load of laundry, detoured beside him.

[b]“We’ve just brewed a new batch of amazake, if you want one?”[/b] A young acolyte, smelling of sweet rice, offered him a cup.

Lugh may have only been an adventurer proper for fifty or so hours, but his dedication and the amount of rishi he had spent on the temple had endeared him greatly to the workers at the shrine. After all, while others may have spent more money, there was still something endearing about seeing a new Immortal work so tirelessly to strike down the endless little evils surrounding the city-state, doubly so when they worked as tirelessly as himself. By now, other Immortals would have already formed efficient, well-rounded parties, or obtained Nuclei that made their solo journeys easier, but Lugh continued to return, bloodied and battered, to purchase more talismans and go fight the good fight once more. There was something cool about that sort of person, really, and hey, compared to the abuse he withstood, what was the cost of a little kindness towards him?

The temple’s talisman store, which was really just an open window upon which a multitude of talismans were strung up and displayed, soon came into view. Origami creatures, from cranes to snakes, decorated the desk of a pudgy, middle-aged man. His name was Taka-Ryu, a face that Lugh became quite familiar with from his back-and-forth trips between Shin-Yu Temple and Pearl Bloom River, and he grinned when he saw the sullen warrior.

[b]“Peace be with you, brother, and may the winds bring new changes! Shall I prepare the usual for you today?”[/b]


[u][b]Orc’s Smithing[/b][/u]
The uncreatively-named Orc’s Smithing had seen better days, ever since Oni Smithworks stole seventy percent of its common customers. Who could blame them though? Between a muscular babe of an oni and some craggy ol’ greenskin, only adventurers with deviant tastes would pick his store. To those Immortals in the starting city, it’s not like they had enough skill to understand the small differences in the two blacksmith’s crafts, after all. Once more, Tordo Bigarms, an orc with a jutting lower jaw and a receding hairline was harder at work with polishing up old wares than producing new ones.

So it took him a bit, to realize that someone was actually asking him a question about his work, rather than just directions to his competitor’s forge.

Blinking slowly, the orc turned to face Klein, stuffing his oiled rag to the front pocket of his apron. He was shorter than Klein, but more thickly built, and after some deliberation, he nodded. [b]“Whatcha searchin’ for, son? I can see ye got some battle experience on you n some money burning too. Any perticular benefits ye want for yer axe?”[/b]