13org

The Black Jewels

Ignore...

Blood Act I~ Ghosts of the Past

SNAP

That sound was the worst thing Henri could possibly hear at that moment. He didn't even need to look to understand what happened. Lyn wasn't able to hold the orc anymore. The time was now. Henri had to do something that second, otherwise she would simply cut him down with her machete.

Hastily proceeding to the second part of his 'plan' Henri jerked her arm and shifted his weight to knock her down, but he wasn't expecting her to throw herself backwards as well. With a heavy impact, Henri fell to the ground, his back hitting the roof with full force making him let out a pained gasp and loosing his grasp at the woman for a second. But that was all that she needed, grabbing Henri's leg with a renewed vigor, she tried to break his leg with a tight grasp. Henri would already dead only if wasn't for the fact that she had dropped her weapons.

There wasn't much more to do, Henri was completely out of strength, he was tired, his muscles protested every time he moved and he was almost passing out due to his hunger. Lyn was not in a good state as well, the spell she used drained her completely.
But once again, lady luck smiled to Henri once more as a loud voice coming from somewhere said that it was time to retreat.

“We will meet again… and next time, you will die.” The orc woman said, already up and rushing towards the edge of the roof.

"Next... time, I won't be... tired, hungry and thirsty..." Henri said, breathing heavily, almost passing out, but still with a provocative smile on his face.

"I'll surely look forward to our next... dance." He said, kneeling on the ground and trying to get up as the orc woman fled the roof.

Lyn and Henri were safe... for now. But Henri was in a bad state. Probably worse than Lyn. Even if he tried to get up, his legs didn't have enough strength to even sustain her own weight, and his vision was getting blurry and dark. Even though he fought to keep his eyes open, his body was simply too tired...

"Lyn... We might have a... small problem...." He said, with an awkward smile on his face, blinking his eyes and trying to focus on her, but he only saw a big blur on the place where Lyn should be.

"Going to the college on foot and not packing any... Provisions, might not have been the brightest idea..." He said, leaning to the side and falling on the ground.

Before his vision went dark, the last thing he could see was a man getting out of a hatch on the roof with a pair of wings on his back. Together with the strange winged being, he could smell and see a pillar of smoke getting out of the hatch.

"Hey... Angel... The 'old man' will get mad at you... if he sees you 'down there'." Henri said with a chuckle and a mischievous smile, making a joke about the stranger's aspect before his vision went completely black...

@Fallenreaper@EliteCommander

⊰Manifest Anima: Planes Divided⊱

---

One Night in Hell Club, right outside the building.

Day 1 (Arc 2): 11am to 12pm

^@May

Things surely weren't as boring as they were a while back. Corinna had found two new toys, and both were very... very special and interesting ones. Sure, she had a few... unpleasant encounters, but all in all, things were much better for her. As long as she didn't pushed things too far, she would surely slip under the radar, so she could continue her fun without having to worry herself about others. And her mansion was a perfect place for that. Upon looking at it, it most certainly wasn't discreet. Big windows and a gothic architecture made it pretty eye catching. But the relatively calm and isolated location made it so no one would find it unless they were really looking for it.

But it didn't matter how luxurious her mansion was, being there all by herself was still incredibly... boring. And as such, Corinna spent most of her day either slumping on her mansion, doing nothing or walking around the city, trying to find something to do. That day was no different, despite the fact that Corinna slept almost the entire morning...

---

It was already 11am when Corinna woke up. A soothing red hue flooded her room due to the light of the sun reflecting off the big silk curtains on the windows and walls. While laying there, sleeping peacefully on a big king sized bed, enveloped by red silk curtains while wearing only a simple, but delicate white nightdress, Corinna looked almost like a princess or a saint. Pure, delicate, kind...

"Hnng..." Corinna protested as the cold morning breeze entered through the window, letting the sun inside, hitting her straight in her face.

"Forgot to close the.... Hnng.... Ah! Windows last night." Corinna said as she stretched herself and her spider legs.

With only a thin layer of fabric covering her body, Corinna went to the bathroom to change herself and wash her face. Other than her spider claws, Corinna really looked very serene and tranquil while she was alone in her home. Nothing different from a 'normal' woman. But that side of her was a side that nobody had seen... at least until that day. Maybe nobody would ever be capable of fully understanding her, of making her open her heart... Or maybe someone would come and change her in ways she had never even considered before... But until that moment, the woman named 'Corinna' was a complete mystery.

After spending a good amount of time getting herself ready, Corinna finally got out of her closet. That day she choose to wear something different from her usual dark tones. A beautiful and stunning red slit dress with long sleeves coupled with small ruby earrings. The earrings, while discreet, they provided a special touch to her face, especially since she wasn't using lipstick or any facial makeup. This time though, she wore no gloves. Why, you ask? Maybe she was feeling a bit adventurous that day... Maybe things were going way too... peaceful for her taste... Whatever her reason was, it was definitely intended, as the dress' long red sleeves and the dress itself were vibrant enough so her hands were just a small detail. Corinna most certainly wanted to be seen and noted that day.

As soon as she got to the center of the city though, she listened to an interesting conversation that two women were having. They spoke about a new nightclub, called 'One Night in Hell'. Apparently, it previously was just a small club, but with the recent change in management, it became quite a hot subject on the streets.
After a quick walk, she finally found the club in question. It looked quite interesting. Definitely it was a place worth taking a look at.

"I wonder when will they open..." Corinna said to herself stopping right in front of the nightclub, inspecting the entrance.

A Guild Adventure: An RP with Monster Girls! (ENDED)

Freyr

"Yes!" Freyr thought to himself after he saw that his little gamble was successful. But suddenly, without any explication, he was surrounded by watermelon catapults. He only had a moment to realize what was happening, that few seconds pause seemed to be minutes as the watermelon catapults looked at him. Many questions flooded his mind, but there was no time.

"Oh..." he said, closing his eyes, trying to brace up for the impact. He waited... and waited... But the pain never came... When he opened his eyes, all he could see was watermelons everywhere. His vision was painted with the colors of watermelons as the catapults overwhelmed him. After a few seconds, he felt a voice calling his name. It was Neil. Freyr looked around, still confused, only to realize he was outside the apothecary, laying down on the ground.

Everything was so... confusing... Was all that a dream? An hallucination caused by that 'Huwana'? Freyr stood up, leaning himself against the wall as he tried to get back to his senses. Neil was explaining what happened. Apparently, he had gotten out from the apothecary yelling and flailing his arms.

A somewhat familiar voice interrupted them, asking what happened. It was Darren. Neil immediately demanded to know what had he done with him. Freyr himself was quite mad with all that, and he also demanded an explanation.

"Darren, this is a potent hallucinogen. At least that is what I've experienced." Freyr said, as he looked to the alchemist with a very serious expression.

"I have a question for you... What would have happened with you if I reacted differently to your incense? I am an experienced hunter... I could have harmed, or even killed, not only you, but everyone I saw in front of me. I don't know exactly how are this... 'huwana' effects on humans, but I must ask you to never give that to any demi-human." Freyr said, still looking at Darren.

"I hope you got my point, Darren. This 'Huwana' can be dangerous. You were very lucky that I reacted this way to your incense. Tell me... what is this 'Huwana' made of? And be honest." He said, waiting for Darren's answer.

@PaulHaynek

---

Bast Ragoczy

Bast smiled after he heard Bartholomew saying that it would be a good way to commemorate the new guild. When it was the last time since he drank something. Bartholomew was an... interesting person. Bast himself still wondered if Bartholomew found him by coincidence or he knew who he was..

"Alright then! Bring the drinks, Bast!" Bartholomew said sitting in the long table.

"Well! I have some... special stuff stored. I hope you guys know how to appreciate a good wine!" Bast said, laughing as he stood up and went to the cellar. Upon arriving there, he saw many bottles of wine and other good beverages, but he did not get any one of those. Instead, he went to the corner and pulled a very special card from under his clothes. It was different from the normal playing cards. It was a tarot card, 'The Magician'. With a mere flick of his wrist, the card flew from his hand, hitting the brick wall in front of him and opening a portal.

Even though Bast didn't want others to know about those powers and the fact that he could use them only once per day, he was alone at the cellar, and it was a good occasion... He wanted to drink something a bit more... refined. And he had exactly the perfect thing stored at his place.

After a good amount of time, Bast appeared at the dining room again, carrying a big bottle of wine on his hands. The bottle was so old that its label was crumbling on his hands as he touched it. But when he got there, both Bartholomew and Magnus where nowhere to be found. As soon as he got out of the guild, he saw Bartholomew talking with a centauress, which he wasn't introduced to, and Magnus, who apparently was back from the woods. He had a pheasant on his hand.

"I thought that i would have to drink this by myself for a second!" Bast said, laughing as he walked towards the bunch.

"Oh, where are my manners! I'm sure we weren't properly introduced yet!" Bast said, looking towards the centauress.

"My name is Bast. Bast Ragoczy. Its a pleasure to meet such an enchanting lady!" He said, gently bowing down in a flourished greeting.

"I'm sorry, I took a while to decide myself... There were so many good options... I'm sure you won't find this one anywhere... This is from my... special... reserve." Bast said, showing the bottle of wine to Bartholomew and Magnus.

"Don't worry about it, Magnus. I'm sure this pheasant is enough for us. At least for the people here right now. Now... Should we open the wine?" Bast asked, smiling.

"Oh and miss...?" He said, looking towards the centauress, asking her name.
"Would you like to accompany us for a drink? Such a special and refined wine would be best appreciated in the company of such a strong and beautiful woman such as yourself, don't you agree?" He asked as he walked inside again.

@PaulHaynek @The Irish Tree @Silver Carrot

Tarot Cards revealed so far

Major Arcana

0- The Fool: ???
1- The Magician: Teleportation (either by a portal or just himself.)
2- The Priestess: ???
3- The Empress: ???
4- The Emperor: ???
5- The Hierophant: ???
6- The Lovers: ???
7- The Chariot: ???
8- Justice: ???
9- The Hermit: ???
10- Fortune: ???
11- Strength: ???
12- The Hanged Man: ???
13- Death: ???
14- Temperance: ???
15- The Devil: ???
16- The Tower: ???
17- The Star: ???
18- The Moon: ???
19- The Sun: ???
20- Judgement: ???
21- The World: ???

The Black Jewels

Naaji

Location: Forest, Kindred territory.

Naaji was hissing to the man, ready to jump. He certainly wouldn't let that happen to anyone ever again... He only hoped Taiah could get away safely. But even before they could do anything, the man looked at them and said:

"I am sorry"

As he said that, the other hunters closed it. Immediately after that, both Taiah and Naaji were pulled down from the tree by invisible tendrils, as strong nets were tossed on them.
Naaji tried his best, but there were simply too many hunters and the net was making it so he wasn't able to move himself properly.
He fought with all his strength, the only things he remember after the man's words were his claws, his fangs and the hunters. He remember feeling the taste of their blood, he remember hitting some of them but they were too many and it was impossible to concentrate on them and the net at the same time...

But even after they threw the net over Naaji, he didn't stop fighting. He knew it was useless, he knew he wouldn't be able to escape, but the only thing he could do was fight.

After being dragged for some time, the worst thing that could happen to Naaji happened... He could see from the holes in the net as they approached the cages... He tried to bite the net, he tried to cut it with his claws, he tried to attack the ones that were holding the net but it was useless. After being put on the cage, he roared, enraged as he threw himself against the steel bars, again, again and again, until he could no longer stand from exhaustion... And like that, he collapsed, completely exhausted. The time he spent sleeping wasn't peaceful... It was filled with nightmares and his burning rage towards the hunters.

Naaji woke up after several hours, completely lost. He wasn't in the forest anymore. There were strange voices, strange sounds and smells all around them. He could smell Taiah too, but she was the only familiar smell around. He could feel the cart stopping, he smelled and listened the furs being taken from the cart... Even if his cage was covered, his other senses were still sharp and told him a lot of what was happening outside. Sadly, there was no way to escape that cage... At least not for now.

Soon after they finished moving the furs, both his and Taiah's cage were taken, the covers were removed and the cages opened, leading to a bigger cell. The new cell was dark and silent. He was able to smell other animals, but none of them made a sound... It was strange... The only sound he could hear was screams echoing through the stone walls.

” We need to get out of here now. Any plans?” A familiar voice interrupted his trance-like state, bringing Naaji back to reality.

"Taiah, are you ok?" Naaji said, with a shaky voice, trying to hide his anger as he stood up, walking around the cell back and forth, smelling every nook and cranny, inspecting everything on the cell, looking for anything that could give them any hope, even if small, to escape.

It was quite obvious that Naaji was extremely stressed and uncomfortable with the situation. After several minutes walking back and forth, he let out an enraged roar throwing his front paws at the steel bars...

"It's useless... I know." He said, trying to calm himself down without much success...

@Demonic Angel

---

Aisha Najm

Location: Hyall

Aisha heard as Mikahiel spoke about his life. Every word that came out of his mouth only made her even more intrigued about the man. She didn't knew much about the man, but even before he said anything she knew that he had already seen many things. Just like as she somehow knew that he was an artist, she knew that. It wasn't just a coincidence... It was his words... His eyes, the way he looked at the things... Those weren't eyes of a merchant that was only worried about his money, or a nobleman that knew nothing about the world other than his own mansion and his precious city... He knew more, much more...

But before they could reach the Crimson Brothers or even before they could continue their conversation, a courier interrupted them, delivering a fancy letter to Mikahiel and an equally fancy letter to Aisha.

The envelop was quite fancy and flashy. It was sealed with a golden wax seal, emblazoned with an intricate sigil, exactly the same sigil as the letter delivered to Mikahiel.
Who could have sent those letters? Aisha didn't knew anyone on the city, nor was she expecting to be contacted by anyone...

As she opened it and her eyes met with the words written with a fancy and flourished calligraphy, Aisha didn't know how to react.
It was a letter from the queen of Hyall... She wanted to make a proposal to her... Until then, it was only a bit shocking, since such an important people was contacting Aisha. What could she want with her? By that proposal she meant that she wanted Aisha to work for her?
But the most shocking part came right after that... The queen invited Aisha for a... ball... complete with formal clothes & everything.

"A ball?!" Aisha said out loud, shocked as she read the letter. She had never been to a ball before. Aisha was genuinely lost and didn't knew how to react to that. Rejecting that invitation would be incredibly rude, and could potentially bring some problems to Aisha. She was aware on how the noblemen wanted things their way and they wanted it right on the moment they asked. She most certainly didn't want to ruin her stay on the city...

"Really? A ball?!" She said to herself, sighing. After a few moments lost on her own thoughts, her head almost exploding trying to find answers to all the questions that rose on her mind without much success, she looked at Mikahiel.

"It seems that the queen sent a letter to you as well... Am I wrong?" Aisha asked, with a forced smile, trying to hide her troubled expression.

"She wants to make me a 'proposal'... Probably she wants to hire me... But she also wants me to go on her ball..." She said, looking to Mikahiel, almost as if she was looking for answers for her problems on his eyes. Even if she didn't say much after that, it was clear that her mind was almost exploding with questions and problems.
Should she go? Should she just politely reject her invitation? Wouldn't that make the queen angry? Did the tailors even make formal dresses to centaurs? Wouldn't it be incredibly difficult and uncomfortable to move around with them? What did the queen possibly might to want with Aisha?
Such questions and many other more flooded her mind, as she looked to Mikahiel.

@Rai

A Guild Adventure: An RP with Monster Girls! (ENDED)

Freyr

After taking care of the last one of the weird shooting plants, Freyr thought that things would now calm down, but the second he felt the ground rumbling, he knew it wouldn't be as easy as he thought. But when he saw the next opponents, his first thought was that the 'Huwana' Darren had was simply a very, very potent hallucinogen. First plants shooting peas, now catapults that fired watermelons and a... a huge corn on the cob on a wagon?

"This is ridiculous!" Freyr thought to himself. But again, it didn't matter how ridiculous the situation was, the pain was very real...

Freyr had no time to waste, the corn was already aiming up, and if it hit him, he would probably break a lot of bones... In the best of the outcomes...
On the other hand, if one of those watermelons hit him in the head, he would probably go unconscious. Something had to be done...

Without many options, Freyr did the only thing he could think of. Instead of running away, he ran towards the corn and the watermelon catapults. Approaching them from the side, Freyr's plan was to use the corn cob as a cover against the other watermelons, so he would have only to deal with a portion of them.

In theory, the plan was simple: He would approach the enemies from the side. Obviously, as he approached, the catapults would try to shoot him, but by the time they started firing towards him, he should be already close enough so the corn cob would made it so the other watermelons that were on its other side weren't able to hit him. That way, he would only have to deal with those on one side. Due to their number, he would focus solely on dodging, since it was simply impossible to do otherwise without risking being hit. After getting close to the giant corn cob wagon, he would use all his speed and momentum in a jump, kicking the corn, which was already aiming up, and try to flip the huge wagon over. With luck, it would take out the other watermelon catapults...

Freyr wasn't happy with the situation. He didn't knew if he could die on that hallucination, but he knew the pain was very real...

"I hope these are the last ones... I'm running out of options on how to deal with them..." He cursed as he started running towards them.

@PaulHaynek

---

Bast Ragoczy

After reaching the guild, Bast had quite a surprise. Instead of the ruined building he saw a few days earlier, now the guild was fully built, made of solid stone in a dwarvish style. Bast knew the Dwarves, he knew their prowess. The guild was now practically a small fortress. He doubted they would have any problems with it.

The first faces he saw after quickly inspecting the new building were those of Magnus and Bartholomew.

"Oh! So these where you were." Bartholomew said, greeting both of them.

"Hey Bast. I don't recall you returning to the guild yesterday. What happened?" He asked, turning to Bast with a somewhat worried expression.

"Mr. Bartholomew, Mr. Magnus! I apologize for taking so long to return... I had a very... interesting encounter with a certain Lord Araghast..." Bast said, with a mysterious expression.

"It was quite the... interesting encounter... A bit messy, but interesting nonetheless." He said with a dark laugh.


"Anyways, I see that the guild has been rebuilt! I am quite familiar with the Dwarvish craftsmanship! Their works have a very unique style. Practical and durable. Their works surely are things that will outlive any one of us... Well... at least most of us..." He said, with a treacherous smile as he said the last part.

"So guys. What do you say? Do you have any complaints? Because this is our last chance to have anything changed." Bartholomew asked, looking to him and Magnus after he shown the new guild to them.

"Complaints? By all means no! A dining room, a lounge, an armory and even a bath! And quite the luxurious one! Bartholomew, Magnus, what would you say about commemorating our new guild with a good bottle of wine or whiskey?" He asked, looking to both of them, interested in their answer.

"I can even tell you more about my little... encounter with Araghast and his army of mindless animals and the quest of a foolish boy for revenge." He said, with a treacherous smile.

@PaulHaynek @The Irish Tree

A Guild Adventure: An RP with Monster Girls! (ENDED)

Freyr

Freyr was a bit surprised when he saw Neil getting out, coughing. What was wrong? He hasn't felt any smell yet, and his nose was far more sensitive than Neil, so if it was something that strong, he would already have smelled it. It wasn't long before he started to smell a nice, pleasing fragrance, but other than that he wasn't feeling any other effects.

"It's a pure mellow high, isn't it?" Freyr heard Darren saying, as the sweet fragrance came to his nose.
"But I do get concerned about the monsters." He continued talking, but Freyr was too concentrated to pay attention to what he was saying, it was something about how that they are nothing that serious, but to not let them too close and other things..

So far, he didn't noticed anything wrong with that 'Huwana'. No strange effects, nothing that could be potentially dangerous, at least not until that moment.... Wait! Monsters?

"Monsters? What mons-" Freyr tried to ask, but before he could finish his sentence before his vision got blurred for a second, making him blink a few times. Just as he opened his eyes again, he suddenly was alone in a foggy forest, nowhere near the city or the apothecary.
What was happening? Was he drugged? Was he taken somewhere? A lot of questions came up on his head, but there were more pressing matters to attend, as a green thing hit him on his stomach with full force, almost making him lost his balance.

When he looked to the direction the 'shot' came, he only found a very strange and silly looking plant, bouncing around. He had never seen such strange plant before. Before he could investigate it a little bit better though, the plant quickly shot another pea on his direction, surprising him. Luckily, this time he was prepared, jumping to avoid the shot. The previous shot wasn't lethal, and not enough to incapacitate him, but it surely was painful.

Freyr had his weapons with him, and more and more plants were popping off the ground, all of them shooting at his direction.
Was that the 'monsters' Darren told him about?
Freyr could do only one thing... Fight the strange plants, and so he did. Luckily, he was in his element, a forest. Using his agility and the trees, he easily dodged the shots, shooting back arrows whenever he found a little break between all the shots. Due to the number of plants, it was impossible to keep shooting them continuously amongst the hail of 'bullets', but he still was able to shoot. If things continued on that rhythm, slowly but surely he would be able to take care of the plants.

@PaulHaynek

---

Bast Ragoczy

Araghast's dark laughter resonated through the camp as the warlord said Bast was free to go. Sure, his soldiers were nothing more than mindless drones. Meat sacks that did only what their beloved commander told them, but that Araghast... His next words would surely spark Bast's interest...

"But let us not kid ourselves. You WILL partake on our petty squabbles and our barbaric, meaningless bloodshed. Sooner or later. After all, did you not just participate in it in your 'exception'? Hehe, I look forward to your next 'exception', magician." He said, after telling his warriors to stand down.

Those words made a dark, mischievous smile appear on Bast's face.
"Interesting... Very, very interesting indeed!" He thought to himself, sheathing his sword cane with a flourished movement as the cards continued spinning around him, albeit in a much slower pace, shielding him from any arrow or surprise attack.

"Oh! And I thought that you were just a mindless mass of muscles just like your soldiers, but it looks like you are a cut above these mindless drones, right?"

"But there are some wrong things in your assumption... I killed him solely because I wanted to... I could easily flee from this battle... But instead I've chosen to stay, and have a bit of fun!" He said, laughing.

"I'm not interested in politics, struggles for power or any other thing you might want to use to justify your actions, no... I'm interested solely on your actions, Mr. Araghast... You've caught my interest, warlord..." He said, looking directly towards Araghast with a dark smile.

"Oh, and about my 'exception'? I forgot to tell you... I am a cultured individual, a gentleman, and I'm proud of being one, but honestly? I have no qualms in killing ten or even one hundred lives in order to attain my goals... You see... I have very specific interests... Secrets, taboo, knowledge, magic... I have no use for money or material possessions..." Bast said, bowing down in a flourished farewell as the cards took him away.

"Oh, but don't worry! I'm not a savage beast... I won't slaughter innocent lives if I have the choice. Of course... that depends on what is at stake..." He said, still looking towards Araghast.

"Hypocrisy? Maybe... But just as you said... This is the way of the world, am I right? You're not mistaken in that... There is no running away from this fact... But the world is much more than what you can see... What people take as 'powerful' and 'precious' pale in comparison to the things they cannot see... Seek knowledge, Araghast. Seek everything that is taboo, everything that is forbidden and you will find the truth, and with it, you will find power. Seek secrets, and you will find me... Whether you will be able to find me or not, only your thirst for knowledge and your determination will tell..." Bast said, turning his back and calmly walking back towards Boreal Port.

"Friends, enemies, allies... I don't care about neither of those things! Warlord Araghast... Keep me entertained, and I'll make sure to be the only one responsible by the end of your act... And I won't let it end prematurely." Bast said, disappearing beneath the clouds with a dark, blood chilling laughter.


"Don't disappoint me, Araghast. The stage is all yours, I wont interfere anymore, at least not for now, instead, I will only watch..." Bast said, throwing a card on his direction. The card would stop right in front of him, standing up and showing its face, displaying a king. The card was imbued with a beacon type magic. If Araghast discovered that and used it, it didn't matter where Bast was, he would know where Araghast were.

"Use it if you want to talk to me, I'm anxious to see what you will do next..." He shouted as he walked away.

@PaulHaynek

The Black Jewels

Aisha Najm

Location: Hyall

The more she heard Mikahiel, the more she saw herself on him. He talked acted and saw the world in a similar way as she did. He seemed to have the same free spirit as her. He was a very interesting man, especially because he didn't seem to be looking at her with prejudice or treating her differently because she was a centaur. That was the part that genuinely let her even more surprised. He was treating her like a lady, and not like an... animal.

"Surely I will accompany you to this place. Perhaps this way we can assure neither bumps into anyone else." Aisha heard him saying, making her open a discreet, but kind smile.

"Maybe that was a good thing?" She said, with a chuckle.
"Somehow... I can feel like I can trust you. You have a free soul, just like mine. I feel like you see the world just like I do. Maybe this is what people call 'soulmates'?" She said, giggling without realizing that she had just unintentionally flirted with him.

Before she could continue, the doors flung open as the innkeeper came to their table apologizing by all the confusion caused by the tall nobleman, which she called 'Prince SaDi' with a smile and even offered, or better, brought another kettle of tea without them even accepting it. Aisha could appreciate her politeness and her smile, but she felt like the additional kettle of tea was unnecessary. The beauty of drinking tea wasn't drinking it too much, but appreciating it in the right amount. Luckily, Mikahiel dealt with the situation smoothly, even before Aisha could feel uncomfortable by not drinking the tea the innkeeper brought, letting a generous tip under the napkin.

"It's decided then! First we'll go to the Crimson Brothers, then just after that you'll help me to choose a new body chain for me on that jewelry smith, ok?" She said, excited after he said for her to lead the way.

"I can't help it but feel strange. I'm usually not that talkative... Surely it may not come as a surprise, but people aren't exactly that kind to centaurs... It's weird..." She said, while walking towards the big store.

"Oh, and before you even say something, I wont allow you to pay for the body chain, ok? I also have my pride, you know..." She said, with a chuckle.

Stopping right in front of the huge store, she turned towards Mikahiel.
"So, would you mind telling me a bit about yourself?" She asked.

@Rai

Blood Act I~ Ghosts of the Past

Lyn's help came in a very good time. Thanks to her distraction, Henri was able to land an attack on the orc woman even tired as he was.
As soon as his legs wrapped around the orc woman's neck, Henri grabbed the woman's other arm, making sure she wouldn't hit him. He could feel the woman's muscles tensing up as she tried to escape both his grasp and Lyn's vines, without much success. Even if she was able to rip some of the vines, they quickly grew again around her arm.

The woman's strength was more than Henri expected, but still not enough to get free from his grasp. He didn't know for how long Lyn could keep up with her vines, but he presumed they wouldn't last forever. He had to finish that quickly. But the second that thought came to his mind, he saw with the corner of his eyes something red coming out of Lyn's nose. It was blood. She was probably already close to her limit. Time was running short.

"Shit..." Henri cursed, immediately shifting his weight and pulling the woman's arm to try and throw her on the ground, while simultaneously choking her with his thighs.
As soon as he did that though, he heard a thump sound... Lyn was on her knees, blood coming out from her nose as she struggled to maintain the vines. That was it. The second Lyn lost control of her vines, Henri was certainly dead. The orc woman wouldn't hesitate to cut him with her other machete. He had to finish that on that second, Henri wasn't going to last too much as well... He could already feel an intense muscular pain slowly building up...

"Why it had to be an orc...? Even this woman is as hard as a freaking rock..." Henri thought to himself, as he continued to tighten his grasp on her neck. Indeed, even orc women were heavy, brutish masses of muscles. Luckily they weren't that agile and flexible, but on raw strength, there was hardly any other race that matched their raw, brute strength.

"Just... a bit... more... Hang on Lyn!!" He shouted under his exhausted breath, tensing up his muscles and pressing his legs around the woman's neck almost like a snake in a deadly embrace, before twisting his body with all his strength in a quick, sudden movement, twisting both the woman's arm and her neck backwards in a violent manner.

"Damn... I don't think I'll be able to run for a while after this... Henri thought to himself with an audible groan of pain. Every muscle of his body was aching with pain. He certainly wouldn't be able to run after that. Not on the state he was right now... Not only his muscles, but he was also hungry and thirsty. The effort he was doing right now would probably spend his last reserves of strength...

@Fallenreaper

The Black Jewels

Naaji

Location: Forest, Kindred territory.

It didn't matter how much Naaji tried to say that, he knew that things would never be like that. He knew better than anyone how it was to loose someone... He saw with his own eyes her mother being slaughtered by those hunters... Her blood, her flesh, her fur, her life... Everything was taken away from her. Taiah's words made him see himself on her. She knew how cruel the humans could be. He experienced that himself.

Taiah's words were unfortunately, true. Most of the kindred had lost someone to hunters... It wasn't only him and Taiah... Just like Taiah said, they took whatever they wanted from them. They respected nothing, they loved nothing. They only came to destroy and kill...

"You are not the only one, Taiah... Maybe it is foolish of my part, but I was always curious about the humans... I believed that there are two type of humans. The normal humans, who come to the forest to do their strange things such as cut trees, hunt a few small animals... and then there are the hunters... Those who come only to kill, destroy and take everything away from us..." Naaji said, gently resting his head on her paws.

"Maybe I'm just foolish... It seems that every time we interact with them, someone close to us pays with blood... My mother was killed, butchered right in front of me for her fur... Maybe that is right... Maybe I'm just being too naïve and thinking that there are good humans around... Even if I only saw humans that weren't hunting me a few times." Naaji said, in a saddened tone.

Naaji was so distracted talking with Taiah that he didn't perceive that before, but there was something very, very wrong in the air... Hunters... They were surrounded by them. Immediately, Naaji stood up in front of Taiah protectively, showing his fangs towards the man that just appeared in front of them.

"Hunters..." Naaji said, looking at the man with an aggressive posture.

"Taiah... He is a hunter... And he is not alone." He said, roaring towards the man, giving a step forward.

"Go away, and take your friends with you. Last warning, otherwise I wont hesitate to kill you." Naaji said, ready to pounce on the man.

"Run Taiah... I wont let someone die in front of me again. Please run, I will try to hold them back." He whispered to her.

@Demonic Angel