Lumiere

Isle of Atria (Open World, Always Open)

Edit: Speaking of overwhelming power, what do you guys think about gods/goddesses being written in as actual beings, probably not allowed as PCs but might eventually make an appearance.

@Jojo

I really shouldn't comment.
There wouldn't be much that could be of benefit.

With Kaite lacking a 'soul' it doesn't make much sense that any daeific-intervention of any capacity would have the capacity to impose themselves.

EDIT: Wow I was hilariously drunk last night. Apparently wrote a post with Kaite murdering three people.
*shrug*
*Puts quarter in the 'used the same word twice' jar*

Isle of Atria (Open World, Always Open)

Oh, something I should mention. I know not a lot of the characters so far actually use magic other than Arlo but it's something interesting to know regardless.

You can force your body to take in more mana than it can hold, but if you do it in excess you'll disintegrate.

@Jojo

Kaite has limiters and capacitors wholly aware of his abilities.
While he always functions at 100%, that is all he is capable of, with that understanding.

EDIT: Kaite's Cannon feeds off of mana.

Isle of Atria (Open World, Always Open)

@Jojo
Local "Jam Man" Terrorizes Regional Farmers.
"Spoon Sire" and "Toaster" claim to be on the case.

But really, that's super cute. I'm sure Kaite wouldn't have a problem with giving Cider a big ol sh- no... smoosh for saving them from what Kaite perceived as being a bottomless pit.
Given the chance, Kaite would totally teach them Isparian and what animals are fair game...like squirrels and roaches and wasps...

Isle of Atria (Open World, Always Open)

Yeah we got Liches and Death Knights and Vindictive Dragonesses, but the downfall of the first city will be by the hands of a golem without a master just kinda...doin stuff...and bringing slimes in and feeding the shadow sprites.

Kinda making everything worse because they don't know better.

EDIT: Kaite isn't evil, hes just simple with malicious design.

Isle of Atria (Open World, Always Open)

@Jojo

He could be following the most direct route and try to find a way through the drainage pipe. While working his way around in a direction he thought Kaite was going, he got schmoozed into an aquifer and then hoisted up bit by bit by Kaite in the efforts to refresh the inn's water supply after using a considerable bit to clean himself and the whole inn's stock of linen.

Isle of Atria (Open World, Always Open)

Also I'm trying to decide how Cider got into the city because he's decided to just kinda follow Kaite around. Kaite is a passable human but a 5 foot slime man is gonna have a harder time sneaking around in there lol

@Jojo

Schmooze in through the sewers and be drawn to the blood and singing?

@AtomicNut
Also, glad Kay didn't. Now we have the opportunity to be best friends! :D

Isle of Atria (Open World, Always Open)

@Jojo

Its unfortunate for people involved since Kaite already got what he wanted and is going to be on his best behavior unless someone else gets in his way. :3

...Or until he wants something else in an immediate nature that money can't simply buy.

I believe in Arlo. What reason does he have to just show up and start murdering folk?
-If he even knows that kind of pseudo-magic.
-If he was even in that area.
-Unless he was the one to find the mess...

Isle of Atria (Open World, Always Open)

@Jojo

Kaite 100% murdered 3 men with wholesome law-abiding intentions who caught him stealing.

Then shadow-sprites messily gorged themselves on their remains.

Isle of Atria (Open World, Always Open)

-Whoops-

Isle of Atria (Open World, Always Open)

The mysterious 'fancy tatters'-clad foreigner who had introduced themselves as 'Kaite' broke off from the march Sir Kay and Gerard Voss soon after arriving through the gates of the town. Wordlessly, they merely walked off in a different direction at an intersection and off into the night. With the pace, sight was quickly lost but Kaite hadn't given it an ounce of consideration. There were objectives in place and it was best for everyone involved that the world continued to be small and acquaintances would be reacquainted at a later time. A servant should look the part.

Logic Branch

Mission Complete [Did Right] --> Return to designated origin --> [Content Corrupted] --- An irreversible error has occurred ||
|
v
Ascertain Orientation --> Swamplands [85% Likelihood Northern Orientation] -->
^ ^
^ |
^ Report: Survived foreign terrain. Established rapport with local 'CIDER' -- Slime -- ^ Speaks 'Northern Common'..
^ Established association status with local 'VOSS' -- Human --
^ |
^ v
^ Established association status with local associate of 'VOSS', 'SIR KAY OF STONY CROSS BY THE WAY'
^ Both associates communicate with a nearly indiscernible 'Northern Common' dialect.
^ <

Mend Regalia -->

_______________________________________________________

♫"Sew-ing through...hair and braids..."♪

"Y'know ya shouldn'ta be out this late, miss!"
Kaite stands with their back to the three men, his fingers sunk into the sides of a crate lid. Linins held within gated section behind a shop, the lock having made short work of with eyes and hands sensing the details of tumblers pressed and turned with a few articulately bent sections of wire. The man's voice was slurred but authoritative, one drink for the spirit, one more for courage before going out that night with his crew as a sort of neighborhood watch.

♫"Thick bone-y hands...with grief engraved..."♪

"I vahz not aware ouf zeis detail and offer my apologies," Kaite remarked with a deepening smile and a few clicks of eyelids intending to bat eyelids at the men to soften their disposition. The two in back with lanterns and swords drawn looked less than amused, recognizing thievery when they saw it. The first man, a middle-aged human by the look of it with a fairly trimmed and edged beard sighed and approached Kaite who made no motion to evade them as they took their hand. With a pull, the lid of the crate came off, clattering to the ground as Kaite had already gotten it off of this container and had been making to set it back, the nails into the holes they were pulled from.
The stocks of a clothier was the most obvious way to acquire raw materials, though he had specific tastes and while the cloth was of considerable quality, he knew what he was looking for.
"Eit vould be vise ouf you to release me before I am obligated to defend myself, stranger" Kaite politely chirped, being pulled away with ease due to their astonishingly light frame which caught the man off guard from how they nearly pulled what they thought was a woman off of their feet. "Y're welcome ta defend ye'self b'fore the court. Takin advantage 'a crisis t'go looting? Tch-shameful, young lady. Neh, I think ye'll be comin' wif'us n'bein thankful we ain the monst-" which was where the man's words were cut off as a resounding 'THUMP' of mahjikose carved out all but the back of his skull and the connecting vertebra.

♪"Grief engraved...thick bone-y hands...sew-ing hair -- sew-ing land..."♫

The other men stumbled from shock and the surprise of the ruthless abruptness of a what they thought was a mage turning so destructively violent. However Kaite never earned a single name by leaving a job half done. "Mage! Ma-" Was all the one on the left could scream out before a punch to the throat left them choking on their tracheal walls. The indent of knuckles already bruised as if having been mashed in with a hammer for what little give the ceramisteel of Kaite's knuckles had to offer. Grabbing the bladed edge of the sword the reeling and stunned man posessed with their other doll-like hand, they messily sunk the tool of destruction into the ribs of the third man who had enough wind-up to crack their own weapon against Kaite's neck from behind.

Kaite stumbled, having been blindsided, though the man had fallen into the sword, gutturally strangling his own cries with a flow of blood coughed out across the walls of the alleyway. The crumpled against a stack of crates, knocking one onto its other side as they clutched their wound and slowly struggled for each bubbling breath. The thief, this...nameless woman or...whatever it was! It stood, hand outstretched and holding its own head which had fallen into their open palm.

♫"Hay-ho! The ri-ver is low... Hay-ho! The sky is gold!"♪

Turning the head in their hand to look between the choking man clutching their knuckle-stomped throat, their eyes bulging and mouth foaming and the bleeding, drowning night watchman, the head opened its mouth. "Eit did not haf to be like zeis," They chirped, the polite tone having left along with their pleasant smile, replaced with a disappointed half-frown. It seemed almost comedic in a way as if this was as much of an accident as bumping into someone in the market and dropping something as a result. Kaite set their head back onto the neck-stump which clicked and creaked as their neck turned and arched to accept it.
With these final words, Kaite swiftly grabbed the handle of the sword still embedded in the third man's chest, putting their weight into driving it further before twisting and tearing it up at an odd angle which sent a smattering of blood both from the wound and the human's choked, gurgling screams. The blade held high, in one full motion, Kaite drove the blade into the second man's sternum, impaling him to the corner of the alleyway and the filth it bore host to.

The two groaned weakly, sobbing and kicking as they felt life drain their bodies.
With business concluded, Kaite turned and walked back to the open crates to quickly continue sifting through the contents...while ominous skittering and chattering cacophony of tiny jaws slowly grew to echo off of the walls of the claustrophobic hall.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kaite held up a hand, needle pinched between their thumb and index to draw a string, catching the glint of the morning sun. "Sew-ing szro-o-o-ough -- Ha-ir ehn braids - szik bone-y hands vith grief en-graved!" he sang, weaving vibrant strings into his old tatters to give it restored look. With the money in the men's pockets, he was able to reason a price with an inkeeper to use their washroom for the night. Behind him sat stacks of washed, wrung, dried and folded rags and towels for the week's use. Truly, service could be its own payment in the degree that Kaite simply enjoyed keeping his hands busy...in one way or another.

Three chewed corpses, gnawed and slashed to nearly unrecognizable degrees in a back alleyway could attest to this, if the sprites hadn't horribly defaced them so...given the so opportune meal.

The work concluded, Kaite gave himself a twirl in their restored attire. The fabric flowed with serviceable excellence. A delight for a tailor some so many centuries ago, to know their teachings would prove so effective to be replicated with such unnatural perfection.
Kaite agreed.
The Innkeep did so as well and even offered Kaite payment for doing such a degree of laundry; money which the construct immediately returned as payment for allowing them lodging and a place to recompose themselves. Harsh chemicals as they were, it had been a while since Kaite's chasse shined so.

In celebration of his fortune, during the morning bustle, Kaite obliged patrons with a serenade on the old piano stuffed in the corner of the room up on a small platform for acoustics to better resonate throughout the hall. While they may not have been songs the locals had heard before, they were well composed with deliberance and intent while the construct considered its next moves.
While serving was what made them feel whole, they ultimately needed answers to their thoughts and direction for a path. Standing idle for so long would earn them little favor...