It is believed by all that the life of the adventurer is filled with excitement and challenges. The title is self-explanatory. In reality, the truth isn’t at all far from expectations, but sometimes there is an interval of events that will occur. Those moments are not common, but they will always be constant, with periods of lulls broken, only to be renewed afterwards.
It is not surprising, therefore, that some will seek out for excitement in what they can find, in order to slake what their bottled up desires for adventures and journeys. But as a warrior, these feelings must not overlap with the objectives that they are given. He knows there are things best resolved quickly, than left to satisfy a few individual’s thirst for joy. It was time.
The missions had been issued at last.
The young Alexander was sitting inside the waiting lounge of the Iron Rose Guild, as he held a book about world philosophy firmly in his hand, as the first rows of adventurers began to flood the room. Their expressions glimmered with excitement and joy as missions began to be issued again in the period. It’s not surprising, however, after everything that happened at the Botan’s island. The Simones were one of the most treacherous pirate gangs in the high seas, one that guilds had spent countless times, effort and blood trying to bust out their location, and catch them. For such a reputation, the beauty of irony came when they were apprehended, all of them, on a small island without putting much of a fight. For all their years committing astrocity, looting and stealing, no one would have expected such outcome. And as a result, criminal activities had decreased for a few months ever since, until now.
Having settled into the lounge, Alexander took a glance of the fellow adventurers inside the room. The variety of such races and culture were indeed apparent. Alexander was inclined to agree with his father, that such variety can be chaotic. It took a rather powerful and strict regulations to hold these people together. He could not say whether the guild he was in was that strong, but after a few years serving here, it had temporarily assured him.
He glanced through it again, noticing a few interesting faces. He had to study them well in advance, because who knows when the string of fate would tie him and them together, either as allies, enemies, adversaries, lovers or friends. There was this blue-skinned bald woman, who were sitting quietly the whole time, a half-elf red head who were buzzing up and down, a huge orc and a some sort of homunculus. These were the most noticeable, and probably only except for the homunculus and and the blue-skinned woman, who he had little information to determine their origins, he could dictate a general overview of how they would react. Hopefully, this would serve as useful in his endeavor.
Then the papers detailing the missions were issued. Three missions. With three different rewards. The delivery mission would strike Alexander as straightforward, fast and had a solid reward. But that, unfortunately, did not really help to serve his goal. The same could be said for the goblin mission. Despite being tempting, as it was in Alexander's specialty to deal with such pests, the goblins weren't that big of a threat to Alexander's allegiance. He ought to seek out for potential threats in the world, and he seek to obliterate them, before they could actually cause any damage to his home world. The goblins were just too petty for that definition.
The goods recovery mission. It appeared with much less of rewards, potentially dangerous locations. But that was all that mattered. It was said that some sort of ship had crashed there, but for what cause was not mentioned. Such vague information might be a piece of the puzzle that would lead to the picture of what Alexander was looking for. And for that, was more worth the time he would spend.
Alexander, as decisive as he would be, stood up quickly, his hand holding the paper for the goods recovery mission. He approached the red-haired woman, and the commonly known S-ranked adventurer Maya to hand the paper in.
Acion listened to the teacher's comments with concentration, his eyes peered into his, locked into each other as the words travelled through his ears, to the brain that released the neuron signals allowing him to respond with his thoughts. And not all of it was positive.
For the first time ever since the start of this lesson, the winged boy actually disagreed with the teacher. White Hat had told him to utilize the wings in enclosed space. That's a point. But the fact that he was disappointed because Acion did not approach to rescue those underground was completely out of place. This is a disaster area. He was putting the class inside a disaster area, where everything was a total mess that needed to be cleaned up, and people inside that area who needed help. If the whole disaster took place inside a tunnel, then Acion's best course of action would, obviously, be entering the tunnel to save people. But here, you have other people for the job. Donny, for example, was at least four times better in tunnels and stuff, while he and the rest could not fly like Acion did. What White Hat had been doing was dictating his own view on Acion's mind on his quirk capability based on a loosely related test exercise. That's the part he did not agreed with White Hat on his reviews. He knew how to walk, he knew how to utilize his wings in enclosed space with maximum efficiency. And he would no doubt jump into that tunnel to save others. It's just that he wasn't the best man for the job here.
But oh well, he could not really help it. Teachers weren't always perfect. Besides, that was only a minus point in a very helpful lesson. But the home assignment was...well...inconvenient. He said that each students would need evidence for the presentation. Pictures, videos, or both. But the task would require two people to do it, unless you want to selfie while doing your job. Not a good thing to put inside your presentation either. Acion could also buy a GoPro camera so that he doesn't need to hold the camera on his hand, but since he just poured most of his savings into buying his training armor, he could not afford both a GoPro or even a camera. The only thing he had in his possession that could help him with was an old iPhone. Hopefully, that will do. But that means he have to have someone to do it with him.
"Well...I guess I'll ask whoever will be my roommate to do it."
Let fate decide this.
Acion packed everything he had on the table and headed out. To the dorm section. His room would apparently be on the second floor. He had heard a few times from Aurelia that the dorm room was known to be the best among all boarding schools. She had once described it to be like heaven. That's her words though. Let's see if her words really are true.
"There are things out there in this world that are simply and purely evil. Those are the ones you cannot understand, sympathize or compromise. You can only annihilate them."
Name: Alexander Pacifier
Nickname: (For those close to him) Alex
Gender: Male
Race: Human
Age: 24
Rank: C-ranked
Personality: Calm in almost every certain situation is Alexander's character defining trait. Even in the direst of circumstances, he still emerged with his cool temperament and seldom fazed by stress or pressure, and he normally speaks with a collected, smooth and icy tone that could freeze your spine (not really). But in some rare occasions, he may still lose control of his behavior if you frustrates him by insults. Not to him, but to his book collections. Alexander loves reading, to the point of mere obsessions. He believes it is a key to the gate leading to world domination.
Alexander has a solid grasp of the definition of honor, justice and morality, but because of the extent of his studying of the world, he is more or less 'mature' in his views, and is a realist. He does not see the world in a rose-colored glasses, and believes the end justifies the means. This can lead to him putting behind him his moral codes for the sake of a bigger picture. He can sometimes be cruel and cold-hearted, but not without logical reasons. But in general, he is helpful, honorable and generally respected by those who fought by his side.
History:
The old military commander Philip of Irithia was occupied with the paperwork he had to deal with. Very, very occupied, as the muscles around his wrist wasn't even moving according to his will anymore. It was instinct. The curves, ups and downs, waving gracefully like the wind, was all done so many times that he was doing it even without looking at the paper himself. His countenance was elsewhere, on the far edge of the desk, where his hand held another paper.
He was behind schedule. Seriously behind schedule
As his aide walked into the room, for a few minutes, he could not bare to interrupt him. The legends of the soldiers who dared to interrupt his hyper-concentration had edged deep into the young adjutant's mind. For those few minutes, there were silence. The only sound that was allowed to echo, was the sound of the moving pen, drifting at Philip's command.
"Speak." Suddenly, Philip said, putting his pen down.
"H-Hai?!" The adjutant was caught completely by surprise. His face hardened as if he was turned to stone.
"I know you are here for something. I know you would not want to squander my precious time. So speak." In contrast, Philip's voice was stern and commanding, as expected of a seasoned military commander.
"A-Ah yes. Your...son is here to see you."
"I have been expecting..." He hushed his aide away, to call for the man.
The aide rushed for the door near him, and slowly opened it. From there, a grand, extravagant looking man, in around his early-twenties, brown hair, in a custom knight armor, and a pair of eyes so deep, that reflected the man's pure reservoir of intellect and knowledge that he himself acquired, slowly and calmly walked in, to show proper respect to the one standing in front of him.
The aide was no stranger to him. He was Alexander Pacifier, the first and only son of Philip, the man whom he had always served for a quarter of a century. A man of noble birth, and inherited the shadow of his father's infamy, and yet it was never once demonstrated. In this kingdom, the families of royals were usually spoiled brats, whose only things they knew of were balls, dance parties and luxury jewelry. Alexander, however, only knew books, and knowledge. Without even taught, the boy knew how to read when he was three. Could handle a pen when he was four, and speak with proper and polite manner when he was six. The boy was born very late, due to Philip being affected by the ancient, causing him to age slowly, and live long, and the fact that the old man just doesn't like to have children, but once he came into the light of mortality, it was a blessing. Raising him was a pleasant, but weird experience. Rarely begged, rarely whined was a blessing none other could have gotten when raising a child. But like-father-like-son, talking to him was like a word play, especially when he got older and older. But still, a conversation or two with him was still a comfortable time. He was surprisingly compassionate and helpful.
Philip wanted the boy to become a military man just like him, but the boy...had a different ambition. And he was here to present it, at last.
The two saluted, in a military fashion.
And waited.
It was only five seconds long, but for the outsiders, it felt like a medium-sized eternity. The entire room stood utterly still, utterly silent. For every encounter between this man and his young son always ended with intense auras thrown at each other. No, they did not fight or argue. It's just father-like-son way of talking. And this one was no exception.
"You seem unsettled, father." Alexander began at last
"There are a great many things to attend to. And I am wondering if this little...confrontation of yours would not be a waste of my time." His tone was dry, his intention was unclear
"It will not." Whether or not Alexander was insulted, his face did not show it, nor his voice show it
"Then I suppose your proposal to join the Iron Rose Adventure will not bother me?" The voice got drier and drier. "Hmmm. I have never trusted groups of creatures from different races. They are...chaotic"
"Nor do I. But a certain case could not be necessarily applied to every others."
"You seem to have insisted on your journey? For what reasons? What would it offer to this huge empire?"
Alexander took a few seconds to think before answering him
"First of all, it offers information. There are threats, lurking out there in the open island. And I can know about them soon enough to warn you, if they arises."
"I will know of them soon enough on my own." Philip simply countered placidly. "Anymore to offer?"
"Perhaps you will know soon enough to defeat them. And it offers a trusted security circle. For this small little universe." Alexander replied calmly.
"Can you even ensure the security within your own guild? What would you do if they decide to betray you? Or more simply, take all the credit of your work?"
Again, a few seconds of silence.
"I need not credits for my service. Only the security of this world."
"And you seek to eliminate such threats? Philip asked
"I do."
"I have seen others with your sense of nobility. Many fell on the wayside when their naive selflessness collided with the real world."
"I have collided with the real world, my father. More than you know it."
"...Indeed you do." It was Philip's turn to be silent. He had not expected Alexander to counter that. "But that leaves one question to be answered."
"And that is?"
"If you have settled into your 'group', and you discover a threat that can destroy our empire. Who would you serve for? Which of us would command your allegiance?"
The fact that there were so many people who just took the opportunity to run away from their hometown and left it to its fate had taught Philip well. And he had to make sure Alexander did not fall into that category.
Yet again, the brown-haired man pondered. "If there such threats, you would command my allegiance."
"How would you guarantee?"
"My words are my guarantee."
"Guaranteed until you are comfortable enough to escape my reach?" Philip's eyes narrowed, staring at his son
There was a slight pause. "If you are so concerned, then I assume that you have not taught me well." The aide standing behind Alexander felt a chill coming up his spine. That phrase, if uttered by any commoners, would result in severe punishment, right on spot. And yet...
"Didn't you?" Alexander even added. Rubbing salt to injuries.
The aide literally froze on spot, holding his breathe tensely, waiting for Philip's reaction.
In contrary to his expectation, the old but austere general gave a small smile.
"Of course not."
"Then I would assume, you have granted me your permission?"
Philip giggled dryly, the laugh barely audible. "Perceptive, you are. Fine then. In exchange for your excused leave of the empire, you are to regularly inform any and every potential threats to me. Do I make myself clear?"
Alexander returned the smile with that same old confidence that both the men in the room knew.
"As you wish, father."
There are times in every commander’s life when he must yield the authority of a leader to a subordinate. The same goes for kings of every kingdoms, and leaders of every guilds
Sometimes, the reason is because of expertise; the subordinate possessing something the leader lacks. Sometimes, it can be positional, with the subordinate being at the right place at the right time, while the leader does not. But in either cases, no leader enjoy those moments, when their most important role that define a leader a leader being stripped away from their prestige. Most subordinates fear that as well.
However, leadership is a role and task that must not be aspired lightly, a two-bladed weapon, and therefore, those moments must be faced, either with satisfaction or sorrow.
“Persuade them if you can.” D-ranked adventurer Lissette said, reading the message from the guild’s official to the other adventurers stationed on the ship. “Do what you must. One way or another, you have to stop them. And stop them fast.”
“I don’t know about this Levi, but this may be more serious than we expected.” B-ranked adventurer, Aldos, said, his voice steady and cool, but still hinted glimpse of tension. Tension that was leaking from the very edge of his mind.
And from his voice one could draw comparisons to the rest of the crews on this Phoenix frigate.
It hadn’t been that long, around a few generations, ever since the bloody devastation of the Great Three Kingdom war was sparkled, followed by a huge alliance against ancient that costed millions of lives, and crippled trillions of enconomic profits from the three empire that took part. The damage and pain of the conflict, even when the people on this ship had not directly suffered, but was taught, could still be seen. The last thing that the people in this universe wanted was another repetition of the conflict, however big or small.
But apparently, the pirate group Simone and the people of Botan were willing to give it a try.
D-ranked adventurer, also the student of Aldos, and most remarkably, the only son of one of the most brilliant military commander of Irithia, Philip, finished listening to Lissette; his eyes stared blankly into the open sea, as if pondering the order that she just gave to the senior adventurers on this important mission.
“With all due respect to those Botans, I think they are crazy.” Replying to Aldos, A-ranked adventurer Levi said. Yes, A-ranks. That pretty much showed how important and large-scale this task would be. “Do they think they can stand against the might of all the Iron Rose united together? This is merely a part of our strength.”
“To be honest.” Another B-ranked spoke out. “Who can say that the Simones hasn’t got a few more of these people to back them up. For a pirate group to gather an entire tribe to swear their allegiance to them, they must be rather talented. Or that the people of Botan just happens to share a common goal.”
“That’s strange. I don’t remember the Botan having any sort of history that is related to this.” Aldos countered, his hand placed on his chin, pondering. “Say…what do you think, Alexander?” He turned around to whisper to his student. But before he could answer, Levi had already continued the conversation.
“The answer is not really that difficult. The Botan aren’t humans. They are a subspecies of human, stupider than human. And a human mind, no matter the version, is always subjected to changes. And within subspecies, the changes can occur even greater. There’s always a first time for everything.” He explained. The words sounded very philosophical, with several experimental evidence in his statements, but to Alexander, it was rather empty.
“I don’t think that’s the case, sir.” Alexander finally spoke out. “There’s a reason. I’ve came across several of these in my life, and in my studies. They’re mostly followers, not leaders. Even when immigrations and the rise of adventurers throughout these years, they are still the bulk of the population of the island we are heading for.”
“And yet they did not complain about having a bunch of human pirates being their leaders?” Levi frowned, sounding a little confused and irritated over the D-rank’s retaliation.
“As I said, they are followers,” Alexander countered again. “Prove you are a leader, and they will follow you anywhere, and will do their assigned task with ultimate trust.”
“Sounds like blind trust to me.” Levi said, trying to acknowledge the new information. “Assuming what this guy said is true, then it may prove to be difficult to arrest these pirates without meddling with these people. I don’t want to say this, but we must prepare for the worst."
XXX
Levi’s statement was rather depressing, but the people had to accept it. As the briefing ended, Aldos and Alexander simply returned to their shared quarter. Sitting down and settling into their respective beds, Aldos finally brought his question to bear
“Say, you seem to have a certain knowledge about these people.” Aldos whispered, as Alexander inclined his head lightly. “Levi might have implied a possible invasion of the island, but I wonder if there is another way.”
Alexander took a few moments of silence, before turning to reply to his mentor.
“There might be.” He replied simply, as he searched his bag for a book to read.
“Are you troubled?” Aldos continued.
“Not really. How about you?”
“Me? Yeah, kind of. But not in the way people are. I’m more worried about the reputation of our guild after this assignment.”
“How come?”
“Because if the pirate’s association with these people are as tight as you would say, then the possibility of an open conflict would be rather high. If conflict happens, then there will be two scenarios running through my head. The first one is that the world would paint us as maddening and killers who stomped a civilization of innocent Botans and humans who were only obeying their leader. In the second scenaro, we would be painted as incompetent who cannot stop a single pirate group, and they will still be able to commit lootings and their violent acts in the high seas.”
“Interesting that you can come up with it.” Alexander replied, as he turned the open the book. “But like I said, there may be more than just those options.”
“Then I presume you have a plan?” Aldos asked.
“Not exactly. But I can guess in mind what the Simones intentions when they approach the Botans.”
“What is it?” Aldos asked, curiously.
“Logically speaking, despite how loyal and blinded those Botans are, there must be some degrees of morality inside of them. They are subspecies of humans, so they must be able to think like them.”
“Hmm, true.” Aldos nodded in acknowledgement.
“If that is so, then they should really not risk getting them as an ally, or even as servants. Because alliance are built on mutual gains, so unless these people also want the same thing, and share the same goal, they would not serve these pirates long. Their alliance and trust will be cut swiftly, like a katana’s blade, the moment they realize their leader’s true color. And as servants, it is even more unlikely, as the scale of their involvements are too big for a bunch of truly loyal servants.”
“But the Botans aren’t the people for stealings and lootings like goblins.” Aldos said.
“Precisely.” Alexander replied, his tone smooth. “So that leaves only one most possible cause that drives them to do this. Other than that, then you can assume them as madmen.”
“And that is?”
“Levering, otherwise known as diversion. I will make a prediction,” Alexander said. “I believe that upon arrival, we will find anti-ships weaponries situated around the main buildings of the coastal town of the Botan people. I will also predict that the Simones will be challenging us into attacking.”
“Interesting…” Aldos said. “So they are giving us the first shot?”
“Yes. They have themselves a solid plan. A trap.” Alexander replied. “But I wonder if Levi could see it. I don’t have the privilege to command an A-rank or B-rank. And Levi, I see has the tendency to prioritize actions over speculations. It sometimes serves him well, but most of the time resulting in him losing more than he gains.”
“Levi is a powerful mage, but for all his might, he lacked in the one thing that only you can have. I’ll be able to convince him for this.” Aldos said, convincingly. If Levi had indeed unable to see what Alexander had seen, then he could only hope that his words were strong enough
The Phoenix arrived at the Botan’s coastal town right on schedule, in the following morning
“Two small frigates emerging from the port. One is heading north east, while the other going north-west. Heading for us.” The watchman on top of the Phoenix reported. “Also I can see seven ground-based ballistas, four of them surrounding the capital building.”
It was a medium sized tribal house. Not too big like Irithia’s Royal Palace, but large enough to house several of these ballistas.
“Around the house?” Levi murmured at the report. “He is really counting on our own self-restraints to make this through.”
All of a sudden, an arrow appeared ascending from the shoreline as it made a graceful parabolic curve downwards and fell directly onto the deck of the Phoenix. Only one. The sign was pretty clear for anyone to realize it was a message arrow, as it contained a knotted letter onto the thin spyre below the arrowhead. The trainee adventurer, Lissette, knowing her job, rushed to pick up the arrow, opened the letter and read it out loud.
‘You are trespassing into our territory. If you do not leave, you will suffer our wrath.’ The letter said, the writings was fairly horrible.
“Clever…” Levi said, as he commanded Lissette to write a reply, in his own dictated words.
“This is the Iron Rose Guild. You are under arrest for piracy activities and your commitment of illegal trading in the region. I must therefore insist you to lay down your arms and hand yourself in. Immediately.”
That’s never gonna work Hearing the words spoken, and the lines written, Alexander couldn’t help but shake his head. It was apparent that Levi couldn’t see it, the trap that was lay bare in the sunlight.
The letter was sent, but there weren’t any reply coming back. Five minutes, ten minutes, thirty and then an hour went by, and not a single arrow was seen coming back at them.
“They aren’t gonna respond eh? Well then.” Levi turned to address the battle mages. “Prepare to fire. Target the tribal house, and the weapon system. They must not be allowed to fire.”
Oh shit…
If the mages went off…
“Stop!” Before Alexander could voice out his thoughts, Aldos had already stepped in for him, just as planned, as he spread his arms in front of Levi, an obvious gesture.
“What is the meaning of this Aldos?” He asked, frowning.
“If you fire, that will result in us violating the culture of their people. The destruction of their palace will result in their retaliation. It will be total war!” Aldos said loudly.
“They have already proven themselves guilty when they sided with the pirates. Therefore, they are not different from them. Everyone who retaliates will be considered pirates. Now move aside.”
“Listen to me! Like we have said yesterday, they aren’t criminals! I-no, my student, Alexander.” Aldos looked behind him, as attentions began to be drawn into the D-ranked. “He has gotten a plan. So he knows how to handle this better than us.”
“Him? What does a D-ranked like him-”
“I think we should let him speak his mind.” Just as Levi was about to object, the other senior adventurers cutted him off. Completely. They weren’t entirely in favor of having a lower-ranked adventurer saying things against his upper-ranked, but they knew the extent of every actions they commit here. It could have devastating effect on not only themselves, but the guild and maybe the nations on this planet as well.
Faced with such oppositions, the mage couldn’t find himself barking anything back, as he grumbled in silence. As the situation had been resolved, Alexander finally spoke his mind, freely.
“How many mages, archers do we have?” It wasn’t what they were expecting.
“Around 20 each, I remember.” One assisting adventurer on the Phoenix said.
“Divide them evenly among the two sides of the ship. Target the two departing frigates, and fire at my signal.”
The entire crew of the Phoenix were as puzzled just as the rest of the senior adventurers. Was that any different from what Levi was ordering?
“Do it now. Unless you all want to trigger another war.” Alexander glanced through all of them, as his eyes landed on Aldos, his mentor, urging him to do the work for him.
“Let’s go!” A shout from him, and everything is settled.
On the tactical, the archers all lit up their bows, and mages torrenting their balls of energy. As the signal that preparation was complete, one of the two frigates, the one heading north-west, suddenly jerked their bow away from their initial trajectory, slightly away from the Phoenix.
It was everything that Alexander needed…
“Cease. We have them now.” He said, with utmost confidence. “Set a course for that ship.” He pointed at the ship that just jerked. “The Simones are on it. Take it down.”
Confusions still ran high in the minds of the crews of the Phoenix, but it was quickly dismissed at Aldos’s orders.
XXX
And damned if Alexander hadn’t been right.
His deductions were entirely on spot.
The Simone pirates were indeed stationed on board that ship, and was on the run to escape to the mainland as Alexander and the entire Phoenix crew was busy dealing with the ballistas on the shore, and the Botans. Their luck was dry, however, as the plan did not go through. Not with Alexander on the forefront.
“Nicely done.” A B-rank mage commended the man, as he patted him on the back. “Without a single bloodshed.”
“How did you know that they were on the ship?” Another asked.
“The arrow.” Alexander replied. “The first shot was fired from the shoreline, but there were no second or third one coming. That pretty much means that they are not on the island to receive the message arrow back to reply.”
“But there are two identicals, and the Botans doesn’t look very different from us humans. How do you know exactly it’s that ship?”
“The firing sequence.” Alexander explained. “The crew of the ship twitched when we were about to open fire to what they feared that the ship would be hit by the oncoming attack. Human crew. The other frigate trusted their leader implicitly, and thus they showed no such fear. Botan crew. They, of course, could not rely on Botans to assist in their own betrayal.”
“That’s amazing…” The other mages all inclined their heads at such accurate speculations. And it wasn’t any normal deductions, but the one that ended the reign of a thorny pirate group of the age, saving lives of an innocent tribe, and most importantly, prevented a total encounter battle. A small, but potentially bloody battle.
“Well, you really are something.” Aldos said, proudly about his mentored student. “Perhaps the D rank just wouldn’t be fitting for you from now on. Hardly.”
“I might have to agree.” Levi concurred forgely.
“So this may be the end for us, our journey. I have had a good time, but now it’s probably best for you to go on without me. You have enough wings to fly on your own.” Aldos continued, as he placed his hand on Alexander’s shoulder. And the boy simply bowed at his own respect, to the one who had spent so many memories with him.
“Thank you.” He said. “And let us learn if you are correct.”
Magic: Despite having a decent knowledge about magic, he cannot use or learn any of these, and is vulnerable to it.
Skills:
Alexander's father, Philip, was a seasoned and accomplished commander in the Royal Army of Irithia, and once fought in the great three kingdom. Through his father's teaching, Alexander had not only inherited his father's ideology in the art of battle tactics, but he also found his inner desire for knowledge and decent understanding in martial art and ranged combat. Alexander is physically fit and is adept in unarmed combat, as he is capable of fending off against weak monsters in a one on one situation. He has also proven to be a good shooter, capable of shooting his one-handed crossbow with considerable accuracy.
But perhaps his most valuable and deadly skill is his intellect. In a combat scenario, if you fight long enough to let him study you, chances are you better dig your own grave. Because of his great adaptability, he is capable of steadily studying his opponents, conducting certain analysis of their actions to determine the best course of strategy for his team. Even though not all of his judgement is correct, and he is not correct every time his deductions come to life, but the pinpoint accuracy of the result of his knowledge is deadly.
Equipment:
-One handed crossbow and a bunch of small pocketed arrow magazines (Masterwork-grade): His main fighting weapon aside from hand-to-hand fighting. A gift from a certain blacksmith, who had been his long acquaintance and friends in the adventure guild. He specially designed the bow to be more small, convenient yet still retain some of the power of a two-handed crossbow. Not as powerful as the commonly used, but it can be fired with one hand semi-automatically without the need to reload every single shot. Instead, he will need to change the magazine for every five shots
-Spyglass (Common-grade): For observation
Armor:
-Standard Knight armor (Common-grade)
-Dark colored cape (Common-grade)
Anything Else: He has a certain collection of books with a variety of fields in his possession, to slake his thirst for knowledge. Sometimes, in an expedition, he would carry a bag full of books just to read it, regardless of its inconvenience.
I have converted my character's history into a short story chapter. It's quite long, so if you guys don't like to read it, I can put up a summary. Since the confrontation is rather interesting that I can't afford to summarize it in a few sentences. Written at incredible high speed. So basically it's finished.
Alexander Pacifier
"There are things out there in this world that are simply and purely evil. Those are the ones you cannot understand, sympathize or compromise. You can only annihilate them."
Name: Alexander Pacifier
Nickname: (For those close to him) Alex
Gender: Male
Race: Human
Age: 24
Rank: C-ranked
Personality: Calm in almost every certain situation is Alexander's character defining trait. Even in the direst of circumstances, he still emerged with his cool temperament and seldom fazed by stress or pressure, and he normally speaks with a collected, smooth and icy tone that could freeze your spine (not really). But in some rare occasions, he may still lose control of his behavior if you frustrates him by insults. Not to him, but to his book collections. Alexander loves reading, to the point of mere obsessions. He believes it is a key to the gate leading to world domination.
Alexander has a solid grasp of the definition of honor, justice and morality, but because of the extent of his studying of the world, he is more or less 'mature' in his views, and is a realist. He does not see the world in a rose-colored glasses, and believes the end justifies the means. This can lead to him putting behind him his moral codes for the sake of a bigger picture. He can sometimes be cruel and cold-hearted, but not without logical reasons. But in general, he is helpful, honorable and generally respected by those who fought by his side.
History:
The old military commander Philip of Irithia was occupied with the paperwork he had to deal with. Very, very occupied, as the muscles around his wrist wasn't even moving according to his will anymore. It was instinct. The curves, ups and downs, waving gracefully like the wind, was all done so many times that he was doing it even without looking at the paper himself. His countenance was elsewhere, on the far edge of the desk, where his hand held another paper.
He was behind schedule. Seriously behind schedule
As his aide walked into the room, for a few minutes, he could not bare to interrupt him. The legends of the soldiers who dared to interrupt his hyper-concentration had edged deep into the young adjutant's mind. For those few minutes, there were silence. The only sound that was allowed to echo, was the sound of the moving pen, drifting at Philip's command.
"Speak." Suddenly, Philip said, putting his pen down.
"H-Hai?!" The adjutant was caught completely by surprise. His face hardened as if he was turned to stone.
"I know you are here for something. I know you would not want to squander my precious time. So speak." In contrast, Philip's voice was stern and commanding, as expected of a seasoned military commander.
"A-Ah yes. Your...son is here to see you."
"I have been expecting..." He hushed his aide away, to call for the man.
The aide rushed for the door near him, and slowly opened it. From there, a grand, extravagant looking man, in around his early-twenties, brown hair, in a custom knight armor, and a pair of eyes so deep, that reflected the man's pure reservoir of intellect and knowledge that he himself acquired, slowly and calmly walked in, to show proper respect to the one standing in front of him.
The aide was no stranger to him. He was Alexander Pacifier, the first and only son of Philip, the man whom he had always served for a quarter of a century. A man of noble birth, and inherited the shadow of his father's infamy, and yet it was never once demonstrated. In this kingdom, the families of royals were usually spoiled brats, whose only things they knew of were balls, dance parties and luxury jewelry. Alexander, however, only knew books, and knowledge. Without even taught, the boy knew how to read when he was three. Could handle a pen when he was four, and speak with proper and polite manner when he was six. Raising him was a pleasant, but weird experience. Rarely begged, rarely whined was a blessing none other could have gotten when raising a child. But like-father-like-son, talking to him was like a word play, especially when he got older and older. But still, a conversation or two with him was still a comfortable time. He was surprisingly compassionate and helpful.
Philip wanted the boy to become a military man just like him, but the boy...had a different ambition. And he was here to present it, at last.
The two saluted, in a military fashion.
And waited.
It was only five seconds long, but for the outsiders, it felt like a medium-sized eternity. The entire room stood utterly still, utterly silent. For every encounter between this man and his young son always ended with intense auras thrown at each other. No, they did not fight or argue. It's just father-like-son way of talking. And this one was no exception.
"You seem unsettled, father." Alexander began at last
"There are a great many things to attend to. And I am wondering if this little...confrontation of yours would not be a waste of my time." His tone was dry, his intention was unclear
"It will not." Whether or not Alexander was insulted, his face did not show it, nor his voice show it
"Then I suppose your proposal to join the Iron Rose Adventure will not bother me?" The voice got drier and drier. "Hmmm. I have never trusted groups of creatures from different races. They are...chaotic"
"Nor do I. But a certain case could not be necessarily applied to every others."
"You seem to have insisted on your journey? For what reasons? What would it offer to this huge empire?"
Alexander took a few seconds to think before answering him
"First of all, it offers information. There are threats, lurking out there in the open island. And I can know about them soon enough to warn you, if they arises."
"I will know of them soon enough on my own." Philip simply countered placidly. "Anymore to offer?"
"Perhaps you will know soon enough to defeat them. And it offers a trusted security circle. For this small little universe." Alexander replied calmly.
"Can you even ensure the security within your own guild? What would you do if they decide to betray you? Or more simply, take all the credit of your work?"
Again, a few seconds of silence.
"I need not credits for my service. Only the security of this world."
"And you seek to eliminate such threats? Philip asked
"I do."
"I have seen others with your sense of nobility. Many fell on the wayside when their naive selflessness collided with the real world."
"I have collided with the real world, my father. More than you know it."
"...Indeed you do." It was Philip's turn to be silent. He had not expected Alexander to counter that. "But that leaves one question to be answered."
"And that is?"
"If you have settled into your 'group', and you discover a threat that can destroy our empire. Who would you serve for? Which of us would command your allegiance?"
The fact that there were so many people who just took the opportunity to run away from their hometown and left it to its fate had taught Philip well. And he had to make sure Alexander did not fall into that category.
Yet again, the brown-haired man pondered. "If there such threats, you would command my allegiance."
"How would you guarantee?"
"My words are my guarantee."
"Guaranteed until you are comfortable enough to escape my reach?" Philip's eyes narrowed, staring at his son
There was a slight pause. "If you are so concerned, then I assume that you have not taught me well." The aide standing behind Alexander felt a chill coming up his spine. That phrase, if uttered by any commoners, would result in severe punishment, right on spot. And yet...
"Didn't you?" Alexander even added. Rubbing salt to injuries.
The aide literally froze on spot, holding his breathe tensely, waiting for Philip's reaction.
In contrary to his expectation, the old but austere general gave a small smile.
"Of course not."
"Then I would assume, you have granted me your permission?"
Philip giggled dryly, the laugh barely audible. "Perceptive, you are. Fine then. In exchange for your excused leave of the empire, you are to regularly inform any and every potential threats to me. Do I make myself clear?"
Alexander returned the smile with that same old confidence that both the men in the room knew.
"As you wish, father."
Magic: Despite having a decent knowledge about magic, he cannot use or learn any of these, and is vulnerable to it.
Skills:
Alexander's father, Philip, was a seasoned and accomplished commander in the Royal Army of Irithia, and once fought in the great three kingdom war. Through his father's teaching, Alexander had not only inherited his father's ideology in the art of battle tactics, but he also found his inner desire for knowledge and decent understanding in martial art and ranged combat. Alexander is physically fit and is adept in unarmed combat, as he is capable of fending off against weak monsters in a one on one situation. He has also proven to be a good shooter, capable of shooting his one-handed crossbow with considerable accuracy.
But perhaps his most valuable and deadly skill is his intellect. In a combat scenario, if you fight long enough to let him study you, chances are you better dig your own grave. Because of his great adaptability, he is capable of steadily studying his opponents, conducting certain analysis of their actions to determine the best course of strategy for his team. Even though not all of his judgement is correct, and he is not correct every time his deductions come to life, but the pinpoint accuracy of the result of his knowledge is deadly.
Equipment:
-One handed crossbow and a bunch of small pocketed arrow magazines (Masterwork-grade): His main fighting weapon aside from hand-to-hand fighting. A gift from a certain blacksmith, who had been his long acquaintance and friends in the adventure guild. He specially designed the bow to be more small, convenient yet still retain some of the power of a two-handed crossbow. Not as powerful as the commonly used, but it can be fired with one hand semi-automatically without the need to reload every single shot. Instead, he will need to change the magazine for every five shots
-Spyglass (Common-grade): For observation
Armor:
-Standard Knight armor (Common-grade)
-Dark colored cape (Common-grade)
Anything Else: He has a certain collection of books with a variety of fields in his possession, to slake his thirst for knowledge. Sometimes, in an expedition, he would carry a bag full of books just to read it, regardless of its inconvenience.
This is a rough draft of him. I'll PM you about the rank, history and stuff. Also, I will add quotes and stuff or ornamental purposes tomorrow
Alexander Pacifier
"There are things out there in this world that are simply and purely evil. Those are the ones you cannot understand, sympathize or compromise. You can only annihilate them."
Name: Alexander Pacifier
Nickname: (For those close to him) Alex
Gender: Male
Race: Human
Age: 24
Rank: C-ranked
Personality: Calm in almost every certain situation is Alexander's character defining trait. Even in the direst of circumstances, he still emerged with his cool temperament and seldom fazed by stress or pressure, and he normally speaks with a collected, smooth and icy tone that could freeze your spine (not really). But in some rare occasions, he may still lose control of his behavior if you frustrates him by insults. Not to him, but to his book collections. Alexander loves reading, to the point of mere obsessions. He believes it is a key to the gate leading to world domination.
Alexander has a solid grasp of the definition of honor, justice and morality, but because of the extent of his studying of the world, he is more or less 'mature' in his views, and is a realist. He does not see the world in a rose-colored glasses, and believes the end justifies the means. This can lead to him putting behind him his moral codes for the sake of a bigger picture. He can sometimes be cruel and cold-hearted, but not without logical reasons. But in general, he is helpful, honorable and generally respected by those who fought by his side.
History:
The old military commander Philip of Irithia was occupied with the paperwork he had to deal with. Very, very occupied, as the muscles around his wrist wasn't even moving according to his will anymore. It was instinct. The curves, ups and downs, waving gracefully like the wind, was all done so many times that he was doing it even without looking at the paper himself. His countenance was elsewhere, on the far edge of the desk, where his hand held another paper.
He was behind schedule. Seriously behind schedule
As his aide walked into the room, for a few minutes, he could not bare to interrupt him. The legends of the soldiers who dared to interrupt his hyper-concentration had edged deep into the young adjutant's mind. For those few minutes, there were silence. The only sound that was allowed to echo, was the sound of the moving pen, drifting at Philip's command.
"Speak." Suddenly, Philip said, putting his pen down.
"H-Hai?!" The adjutant was caught completely by surprise. His face hardened as if he was turned to stone.
"I know you are here for something. I know you would not want to squander my precious time. So speak." In contrast, Philip's voice was stern and commanding, as expected of a seasoned military commander.
"A-Ah yes. Your...son is here to see you."
"I have been expecting..." He hushed his aide away, to call for the man.
The aide rushed for the door near him, and slowly opened it. From there, a grand, extravagant looking man, in around his early-twenties, brown hair, in a custom knight armor, and a pair of eyes so deep, that reflected the man's pure reservoir of intellect and knowledge that he himself acquired, slowly and calmly walked in, to show proper respect to the one standing in front of him.
The aide was no stranger to him. He was Alexander Pacifier, the first and only son of Philip, the man whom he had always served for a quarter of a century. A man of noble birth, and inherited the shadow of his father's infamy, and yet it was never once demonstrated. In this kingdom, the families of royals were usually spoiled brats, whose only things they knew of were balls, dance parties and luxury jewelry. Alexander, however, only knew books, and knowledge. Without even taught, the boy knew how to read when he was three. Could handle a pen when he was four, and speak with proper and polite manner when he was six. Raising him was a pleasant, but weird experience. Rarely begged, rarely whined was a blessing none other could have gotten when raising a child. But like-father-like-son, talking to him was like a word play, especially when he got older and older. But still, a conversation or two with him was still a comfortable time. He was surprisingly compassionate and helpful.
Philip wanted the boy to become a military man just like him, but the boy...had a different ambition. And he was here to present it, at last.
The two saluted, in a military fashion.
And waited.
It was only five seconds long, but for the outsiders, it felt like a medium-sized eternity. The entire room stood utterly still, utterly silent. For every encounter between this man and his young son always ended with intense auras thrown at each other. No, they did not fight or argue. It's just father-like-son way of talking. And this one was no exception.
"You seem unsettled, father." Alexander began at last
"There are a great many things to attend to. And I am wondering if this little...confrontation of yours would not be a waste of my time." His tone was dry, his intention was unclear
"It will not." Whether or not Alexander was insulted, his face did not show it, nor his voice show it
"Then I suppose your proposal to join the Iron Rose Adventure will not bother me?" The voice got drier and drier. "Hmmm. I have never trusted groups of creatures from different races. They are...chaotic"
"Nor do I. But a certain case could not be necessarily applied to every others."
"You seem to have insisted on your journey? For what reasons? What would it offer to this huge empire?"
Alexander took a few seconds to think before answering him
"First of all, it offers information. There are threats, lurking out there in the open island. And I can know about them soon enough to warn you, if they arises."
"I will know of them soon enough on my own." Philip simply countered placidly. "Anymore to offer?"
"Perhaps you will know soon enough to defeat them. And it offers a trusted security circle. For this small little universe." Alexander replied calmly.
"Can you even ensure the security within your own guild? What would you do if they decide to betray you? Or more simply, take all the credit of your work?"
Again, a few seconds of silence.
"I need not credits for my service. Only the security of this world."
"And you seek to eliminate such threats? Philip asked
"I do."
"I have seen others with your sense of nobility. Many fell on the wayside when their naive selflessness collided with the real world."
"I have collided with the real world, my father. More than you know it."
"...Indeed you do." It was Philip's turn to be silent. He had not expected Alexander to counter that. "But that leaves one question to be answered."
"And that is?"
"If you have settled into your 'group', and you discover a threat that can destroy our empire. Who would you serve for? Which of us would command your allegiance?"
The fact that there were so many people who just took the opportunity to run away from their hometown and left it to its fate had taught Philip well. And he had to make sure Alexander did not fall into that category.
Yet again, the brown-haired man pondered. "If there such threats, you would command my allegiance."
"How would you guarantee?"
"My words are my guarantee."
"Guaranteed until you are comfortable enough to escape my reach?" Philip's eyes narrowed, staring at his son
There was a slight pause. "If you are so concerned, then I assume that you have not taught me well." The aide standing behind Alexander felt a chill coming up his spine. That phrase, if uttered by any commoners, would result in severe punishment, right on spot. And yet...
"Didn't you?" Alexander even added. Rubbing salt to injuries.
The aide literally froze on spot, holding his breathe tensely, waiting for Philip's reaction.
In contrary to his expectation, the old but austere general gave a small smile.
"Of course not."
"Then I would assume, you have granted me your permission?"
Philip giggled dryly, the laugh barely audible. "Perceptive, you are. Fine then. In exchange for your excused leave of the empire, you are to regularly inform any and every potential threats to me. Do I make myself clear?"
Alexander returned the smile with that same old confidence that both the men in the room knew.
"As you wish, father."
Magic: Despite having a decent knowledge about magic, he cannot use or learn any of these, and is vulnerable to it.
Skills:
Alexander's father, Philip, was a seasoned and accomplished commander in the Royal Army of Irithia, and once fought in the great three kingdom war. Through his father's teaching, Alexander had not only inherited his father's ideology in the art of battle tactics, but he also found his inner desire for knowledge and decent understanding in martial art and ranged combat. Alexander is physically fit and is adept in unarmed combat, as he is capable of fending off against weak monsters in a one on one situation. He has also proven to be a good shooter, capable of shooting his one-handed crossbow with considerable accuracy.
But perhaps his most valuable and deadly skill is his intellect. In a combat scenario, if you fight long enough to let him study you, chances are you better dig your own grave. Because of his great adaptability, he is capable of steadily studying his opponents, conducting certain analysis of their actions to determine the best course of strategy for his team. Even though not all of his judgement is correct, and he is not correct every time his deductions come to life, but the pinpoint accuracy of the result of his knowledge is deadly.
Equipment:
-One handed crossbow and a bunch of small pocketed arrows (Masterwork-grade): His main fighting weapon aside from hand-to-hand fighting. A gift from a certain blacksmith, who had been his long acquaintance and friends in the adventure guild. He specially designed the bow to be more small, convenient yet still retain some of the power of a two-handed crossbow. Not as powerful as the commonly used, but it can be fired with one hand without much recoil.
-Spyglass (Common-grade): For observation
Armor:
-Standard Knight armor (Common-grade)
Anything Else: He has a certain collection of books with a variety of fields in his possession, to slake his thirst for knowledge. Sometimes, in an expedition, he would carry a bag full of books just to read it, regardless of its inconvenience.
Yeeeee....just stumbled across that one picture. It's the only one that describes best his aura of personality XD (there's another but he wears a modern suit)
This place definitely did not exist on Earth. Not anywhere Tadei knew. This had to have some sort of relations with his sudden lost of consciousness.
"I don't know, I'm not sure how I ended up here as well. Though I did remember the last thing before coming here was me sitting next to a computer screen, taking some sort of interview. By the way, I am Tadei, Tadei Ganhava."
Tadei took a glance at the man before him. He certainly didn't look like a bad guy.
"Cense Goldman," the blonde answered, extending his hand for a shake. "I remember that interview. There were weird questions, right? Like favorite color, emotional trauma, a romantic interest..." His voice trailed off as a contemplative look came over his face. Cense looked down at the collared shirt he wore--a uniform blue with white buttons--then slowly undid the button over his stomach. Pulling the cloth to each side, he could see the bright color of a cyan chip embedded in the pale flesh. "Bloody... How much of what I said is she going to use?"
"Wait...that."
Tadei unbuttoned his own shirt as well, as he could feel something on his left waist ticking him, dully and slightly painfully.
"Seems like everyone has it." He then buttoned it again as he checked the surroundings and his own belongings. She did mention his objective was to find someone else here with a USB that had the same color. In Tadei's case, it was a purple one, with a beautifully engraved word 'Royalty'.
"Well..." The musician sighed heavily. "I guess we'll have to go with what she has. I'm sure you are as dissatisfied as much as I do, but we have to play with it, since we have no choice. What color do you have?" Tadei showed him his own USB.
Cense's hand disappeared into the pocket of his khakis, rummaged for a moment in their depths, then emerged with a pale blue memory stick. "Sky," he read aloud. With a sigh, the man returned his... key, shall he call it?--returned his key back to his pocket and surveyed the area once more. "You're right, she didn't leave any other promising options. And if she is a megalomaniac savoring her power spree, I'm going to bet that big, obvious cave entrance over there is our only path out of here, too. But you know what? I'm going to look around anyway." With a heave and a grunt, Cense pushed himself to his feet. Then he turned to offer his companion a hand up.
"Thanks..." The musician gladly took Cense's hand. While the long haired blonde went looking around, Tadei took a few moments dusting himself.
"I guess I'll examine the cave. Just the outside, to see if there's any danger." Tadei said as he walked towards the said location. The cave was indeed big, probably a dozen meters in height, dwarfing the two men by its sheer size. But judging by the first step into it, it was considerably wet and humid. Slippery was the first potential danger, not to mention the coldness when you get deeper, since sunlight could not reach that inner level of the cave. Nevertheless, it appeared that there were no danger of collapse or anything, so that part it self was a relief. Who knows what would happen if we die in this world?
It was only a few minutes before Cense returned, his somber frown telling everything before his words could. "Nothing but stone, grass, and water. It looks like we're going this way." The man sighed heavily in resignation, looking deep into the tunnel. "Any guess on what kind of game this is? I don't think it's going to be a city builder," he said wryly. He tried to force a smile, but even that came out grim.
"I am not very sure, but considering she gave us supplies for 3 days of survival may have implied this is a survival game."
Stakes were very high, but he couldn't say that he was 100% sure until it was confirmed. Despite how certain Tadei was, everything was all assumption until confirmed.
It didn't take long for Tadei to realize the grim atmosphere around him. And who else was the source?
Tadei looked at Cense, as his forced smile failed to convince the musician of his mood. He knew, knew that it would come to this eventually. The fact that Cense was thrown into all of this without any consideration or acceptance or preparation was a big shock to not just him, but everyone. Even Tadei himself couldn't say that he was not at all shuddered by it. But in order to overcome this...'game' of hers, he must remain strong.
"Hey...it's alright. It's not like the end of the world for us. I believe that for every problems there are always solutions. So...cheer up!" He tried to lighten up the mood, with uncertain degree of success.
It looked, for a moment, like Cense was going to comment--or perhaps counter-comment--on that; his mouth even started to part. But a second, then three, ticked by without a word. When he did speak, all the man said was, "Right." Then he looked away, down into the cave once more. "I'll go first then, shall I?" Tentatively, he took one step. Then another. And sucking in a deep breath, he began descending into the Earth at a slow, measured pace.
Watching as his new friend dived into the cave slowly and steadily, trying his best not to trip over a wet cliff or stumble over a pebble, Tadei's only course of action was to imitate every trace of his footstep, and every inches of his movements. The cave was certainly large enough, but that only made travelling a lot more difficult. If you trip, you risk dying. But he had no choice here, but to move forward.
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