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I do commissions, specializing in character design. Ask me for prices, or make an order on my Ko-fi.

artstation.com/sq5
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I also play FF14 and PSO2 so yeah.

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@PKMNB0Y My discord at the moment is not under my control anymore. Please ignore it and warn everyone else of it.
Arcture - Royal Palace Gwenovyra Ardens - The Long Hall

Thursday, June 16th 20XX




The Royal Palace of Arcture, also known as Gwenovyra Ardens, stands atop the hill in Arcture. The perfect place for royalty to look over their population. It's massive walls hold not only the palace and the palace grounds, but also various small estates owned by affluent members of the Order of Knights, who normally use these estates when they are on business within Arcture. The gardens of the grounds as one might find is flourishing, constantly guarded and maintained by mages who wield their magicks to keep some of the queen's favourite flora in bloom throughout all the seasons.

Today the crowds of Arcture shuffle onto the palace grounds, and then into the Long Hall, for which the famous tournament was known for. Those walking up to the palace through the city would note that it appeared as if festivities were about to enter full swing. A certain atmosphere of anticipation bubbling underneath all of the seemingly busy citizenry. As one may find a spot in the Long Hall they would look upon a gathering of knights and royalty stood atop a stage set in the centre. It was close enough that the large double doors behind it would not be blocked.

Among the people on stage were also what one might assume be staff, there were some others who were familiar too based on their uniforms, such as a large bearded man dressed in the Adventurer's Guild uniform, albeit a bit more regal than usual, and another who seemed to be present was... Kreydon Ashcroft. He was accompanied by a young lady with short hair. One could assume she was his wife, but their interactions seemed to suggest otherwise.

The large man of the Adventurer's Guild took his fist to his mouth and coughed, before standing up onto stage. He raised both his large arms to capture the audience's attention, and with a booming voice aided by magic,

"Welcome one and all to the Tournament of the Long Hall! I, Marcus Enghart, am your host for this year's most exciting event! This tournament borne from one of our most hot-blooded and popular knight stories has come a long way, from the earliest melee tournaments, to the full-fledged festival it is today! Showcasing the realm's very best in an annual high prestige tournament! And this year it takes yet another step forward! Not only will we see the best of the realm, but we shall also bear witness to the future best! That's right! You've all heard the news by now I'm sure! This year we shall also be running the Students Division!"

There was a murmur of excitement. This, compounded with the talk of Silver Gate and it's presence has caused some stir of excitement. Will they get to see some techniques and fighters from the other world? Such a prospect was exciting for many of the regular folk here who despite living moments away from the portal, may never be allowed to walk through.

"Is that some excitement I hear?! Of course it is! The talents of Garadin, Alladore, and even Silver Gate are a sight to behold! And we would like more people to see it! Over the next week, amidst the excitement of the festival we shall see both the best! And the best of tomorrow! A double danger combination! There will be no shortage of action this year! Preliminaries will start later today just outside the gates on the Elbern Plains, and will be ongoing until the evening or until all participants have been decided! These preliminary rounds are also for public viewing, so I invite all to come by and take a look! With the conclusion of this announcement we shall be going into the opening ceremony, and then this festival shall go into full swing!" There was a loud cheer and even some people throwing up some confetti. Some examination would show some guardsmen begrudgingly holding baskets of it.

"With some words from our King Markovic Reyvonsky Arcture II, we shall be under way", the large man stepped aside to show an almost equally large man, identifiably of royalty with his regalia and crown. He had a short, straight beard, and such stern eyes one could feel his piercing gaze from the other end of the hall.

"Like our knights of eld, and the knight who defended this very spot, I would hope all fight with honor, dignity, and a competitive spirit. My people of Arcture, let this week be that of celebration for our glory, and our strength".

The hall reverbated with the cheers of all who were in attendance, and the confetti was in full swing. The king was already walking away as people celebrated, and some even endeavored to leave early for some of the popular stores and stalls. The festival had begun.
Saito Souji

Aluvera - Lake on the Outskirts

@PKMNB0Y@VitaVitaAR



Assuming the blinding tactic worked he already had it in his mind they weren't here to fight a large monster.

"Gather up what fish you can and dash. If it starts seeing again I'll hold it back", he responded, lowering his blade. He began wiping away some of the slime mixed with straight up lake water, then quickly turned to the area around them, just laden with fish from the earlier display.

"Even if we only take back no more than several fish it'll still be more than enough for a meal", of course... More would be nice, they'd only have to preserve them, assuming this was no longer a game at least. He set about grabbing whatever fish he could, mainly the biggest ones, and the ones that squirmed he would pierce with his katana to still them before retrieving them. It seems whatever spell the young lady cast, it struck quite deep. There were some... Impressively large fish here, ones that would only be found rather deep.
Arcture - Adventurer's Guild Hall

Tuesday, June 14th 20XX




"Of course not, what am I-", the hunter-like man doubled back realizing what he had heard was not what he expected to hear. He almost flinched as he looked back in surprise.

"Say what? Ya gotta be jokin', not only do ya claim to know some, but yer also willin' to teach it?", he put his hand upon his hat and tilted it in thought as he stood up straight.

"Well, unless yer pullin' me leg, no reason ta say no. Name's Volardo, not about to pass on a chance ta expand my skills. Fine, if ya ain't playin', grab that paper and take it to the desk", the request was simple enough. Far as this young man was concerned, it'd be on the Strigidae if he was just playing. There was not a single bit of religious implement on the young boy, and generally anyone who trained with the Indrae would have at least something. Still, considering the clothes of the others who he was with, perhaps they were the "otherworlders" he'd been hearing so much about lately... And that this Strigidae had visited that world too.
Arcture - Adventurer's Guild Hall

Tuesday, June 14th 20XX




For those who were currently here to sign up for the tournament, the process was rather simple. They would be given a form to fill out. The information they would need to submit would include name, their school if they were in the students division, where they came from, the kinds of skills and weapons they use, or magic. There was a footnote by that last one that it was for the sake of the announcers and that this information would not be shared with participants. After that, there were background checks to be done by inspectors, which really was one of the City Guard officers.

After which, they would be told that the ceremony to mark the beginning of the tournament and festival was going to be held at the Palace in the hall that this tournament was named after. Not everyone is required to be present for this, as there would be a separate ceremony later to show off all of the contestants as well as announcing the bracket placements down at the arena, a structure that could be seen from the guild.

For the time being though, it seemed Otis had gathered a bit of a crew perhaps even unintentionally and looking to a hunt. For his eccentricities he was looking into the corners of the board, and there was one that took interest.

Rampant Wraiths

"Once upon a time there was a young lady who lived in a mansion on the edge of the city. Every day she would come out and pick flowers, seemingly alone. When a traveller would come by, they would be compelled to help her, lured by her sweet and innocent appearance, and the scent of flowers, and after that she would invite them in for tea. The traveller would be grateful for her hospitality, but find themselves lacking in energy, and asking to stay the night. It is unknown what happens there, but the traveller would emerge the next day, pale, and on inspection it appears they had become the living dead... Or so the urban myth goes.

The house that this little urban legend takes place has an actual Lesser Wraith in there right now, and I'd like you to go and excise it if one of you adventurer's would be a kind dear. It's very hard to keep the mystery of this story alive if an actual ghost is there, misconstrued for the story's real monster. The fear of things not being as they seem."


Yours truly
Ms Maggey


"Ah, taken an interest in that have ye lad?", if Otis was indeed poring over this request, he would hear a voice from behind him. Standing behind him was a lean man with wide shoulders, wearing some light gear, which included a short cloak, leather form-fitting armor with a sash and coat tails.

"I see yer a green badge, oh and a Strigidae ta boot, yer don't really see those ev'ryday", the man's hair was well-kept, one could say he was handsome, though he wore a wide-brimmed hat with a feather in it, which Otis might recognize belonged to those who were hunters normally. Strapped on his back was a rifle, and based on the design it was a spell slinging rifle, so it was designed to load up spells in separate cartridges rather than individual bullets.

"I've had some interest in that too, but I don't have the means to handle a wraith. Exorcism stuff's normally handed over to Indrae folk but this one's still sittin' round, means they thought it was a joke or somethin', tell me kid, ya happen to have a way to deal with the undead? May's be a longshot but that's what I'm all about anyway", he inquired.
Saito Souji

Aluvera - Lake on the Outskirts

@PKMNB0Y@VitaVitaAR



"Hm, I wasn't sure what I was to expect, bomb fishing is it...?", Saito sighed then shook his head, before walking forward as he had stood a distance behind Sefira. He crouched down to one of the many fish that were now littered around them, some dead, others still flopping for dear life.

"Well, we'll certainly be eating fish for quite some time with this much to go off of. We'll have to preserve some of it too", he continued. From the corner of his eye he spotted movement upon the lake's surface, then slowly stood up again. As whatever beast the explosive magic had awoken emerged from it's depths he simply drew his blade as he looked upon it.

"Sefira, maybe next time you could rethink that strategy. I'm sure there are... More subtle methods that won't upset the wildlife", he quipped, pushing one foot back as he raised his katana, the tip pointing up and towards the beast as he pulled it back.
Saito Souji

Aluvera - Outskirts




He had assumed the young lady Sefira had skills for fishing, and was honestly rather curious why she never brought a fishing rod with her... Doesn't that class require one? Well regardless, his thoughts would mean very little as he followed her towards the lake. As she began to scope out the area, he stood some paces behind her with his arms crossed while keeping alert about anything that might appear. Generally, this region was rather safe, so he wasn't so tense, only glancing around once in awhile. The quiet also allowed him to use his ears, but it seems he would be asked to use his eyes.

"Hm...? I... Well ok, if you say so", he had slight confusion, still seeing no way that Sefira could catch fish, but she seemed to know what she was doing, and so he decided not to question it.

Saito walked closer to the lake, and as per her request he observed the surface of the water, looking for fish. It would take some time, and patience, but the pristine soft ripples of the lake were briefly disturbed, and his eyes trained onto that movement. Following it as best he could, he began to see other movements, and pretty soon he could see there was a small school some length out into the lake.

"I see a school gathering some stone's throw out a little towards the right", he said simply.
Arcture - Adventurer's Guild Hall

Tuesday, June 14th 20XX




Arcture was a large and sprawling city, it's ornate stone architecture mirroring that of old European cities, however there was a difference in how ornate they were, as well as the colour of materials seemed to be somewhat different to stone found in Earth. The crystal-rich earth of Arcanis had played a part on this, where almost every structure conducted magic to some extent, and it was this property that was the basis for communications in Arcture. There were other examples of magical technology as one would walk down the main road, magical interfaces, signs displaying ads, news, and... Hm, in a strange yet puzzling way, it appeared the path of technology here despite being magical was not so different in this world, yet out of the corner of one's eye they might see a familiar advertisement for shows that were from Earth, specifically Japan. Surface level research would yield that these shows were introduced recently as two months ago it seems, and they were popular.

It would not take long to reach the adventurer's guild down the main road, a large grand building with a huge and populated sitting area, and a magical barrier above it as the skylight. All around people could see various peoples and characters, although it seemed more energetic today than usual, even if it was one's first time here they could tell there was more excitement today.

Otis approached the front desk to the female receptionist, her long ponytail set behind a cute green hat as she wore a green and blue ensemble, which really screamed clerk. Her expression so pleasant and inviting like it was a mastered art as she greeted Otis and the other students behind him.

"Why yes of course, how very eager of you", she took out a small monocle and fitted it around her right eye. A brief series of dull glines would go along the glasses as she aimed it's gaze at the badge seated upon Otis' person.

"And registered, it seems you will be starting at Green as per regulation. For hunting, please see to the noticeboard over to your right. There are also noticeboards for odd jobs and citizen requests over to the left", and with that simple process, it seems Otis was... Ready to go. It seems some very convenient technology was already developed for this realm, similar to scanning barcodes in Earth yet...

"Hm, I see my investment has already begun to see use. Ms Harpe, how is the scan monocle?", the deep voice would ring out from behind the students as an only vaguely familiar man would walk to the front. A long black coat over his shoulders, silver hair, and perhaps for the first time for some students, seeing his wolf-like ears.

"Ah, Mr. Ashcroft, yes they have been of great help. It really is much easier than writing in every new applicant, it has a wide variety of other functions too, for example... I can verify the identity of the young man here, and it can even be used to track missing badges", she briefly explained.

"Hm, I see the team at the island has done more than the original plans, but more value for my money I suppose. Well, today I'm here to submit a few documents in regards to the upcoming tournament",

"Oh, I suppose this would be a good time to explain why people are more excited this year than normal", the young lady mentioned and turned to the group while Kreydon began to put down some documents. A quick glance one could read it might relate to permissions and jurisdictions.

"Ordinarily the Tournament of the Long Hall has only one division, where veteran fighters participate to become the best, however in interest of the rising number of skilled and talented students in Garadin, Alladore, the recently recognized Silver Gate, there is now a Students Division that features fighters from the aforementioned schools. Students from other schools in the nation may also appear as long as they can get the proper permissions also, but generally as you are all I presume from Silver Gate, you are all eligible to enter the tournament", that was interesting, but other than testing one's mettle, what were the rewards?

"If you want more information, might I suggest you peruse the information board towards the back of the hall, over there", she motioned. "It will have information regarding rules, rewards, and how brackets will work".

"This should be all the documents Ms Harpe. I will be on my way now. As for you students, if you are considering entering, good luck", and with that the professor of business for Silver Gate had left.




Arcture - Market District

Tuesday, June 14th 20XX




Safia Reges and her quest for literature would lead her to the markets district, also known as the Path of Coin. How fitting one may suppose. A lot of the roads were also called "Path of" and so on, for example, the large main road that ran through the centre of the city was called the "Path of Rule". There were many bookstores here, and it may be prudent of her to ask the bookstore clerks on what she was looking for, but against all odds she saw something she did not expect to see here, and it was what one from earth would call, 'manga'. It wasn't a series she was into at all, but it was puzzling to see it here nonetheless.

Still, she had a great deal of choices, there were a few stores dedicated to popular fiction and classical fiction in Arcanis, while others had more technical books, including magical studies and theory. Although most seemed to carry religious texts, which might not be a huge surprise, after all, almost every shop and library on Earth carried the bible in some form. As Safia wandered the Path of Coin's various book stores, it only came down to what kind of book she was looking for.
Saito Souji

On the Road



@VitaVitaAR@PKMNB0Y@Rune_Alchemist

As everyone sat down for the first time since setting out, now that it was getting dark, Saito had already set about checking his weapons. Just routine once in awhile, though upon realizing he can't do so quickly out of a menu anymore he found himself inspecting the blade like you would in real life, which wasn't quite possible in the game prior. He listened to the conversation as he looked upon the blade, hearing the situation was basically they had no idea what their roles were in this travelling group. He sheathed his blade and spoke,

"I see, I suppose it would be prudent to get to hunting sooner than later, before it gets too dark. This zone should generally be rather safe, but maybe hunt in a pair, while the rest of us set up some kind of camp. I hope we have some way to make a campfire too", he added on.

"Unfortunately most of my skills are in combat, so if you want someone on guard I'll gladly accept".
Silver Gate Academy - University Building
V
Arcture - Silver Gate Academy Building

Tuesday, June 14th 20XX




For most of the school, the Tuesday morning was perhaps spent sleeping in, or already having left until the school term would start again in a month. The school grounds and areas surrounding were rather peaceful, with only the odd teacher seen tending to duties out of school times, or groundskeepers going about their jobs. The shops just down the road were no longer cluttered after three or four in the afternoon, with the students who are staying on Seidoujima going there whenever they pleased instead.

However, the University campus would be the only place to be active this time of year during the summer holidays. Inside the university building a whole bunch of students were standing in front of what appeared to be a silver archway. A silver gate, as it were, as some students had figured out and made the joke ten times over within the minute. Yes this was indeed the namesake of the academy. Before reaching this room however they had to go through the entrance hall of the university building, pass through what looked like a customs check, and now here they were.

A lot of students were asked to register their gear here, though this consisted mainly of weapons, as it appeared they would be allowed to carry them while in Arcture, only as long as they had the adventurer's guild badge.

After all that was said and done they were then allowed through.




The students would first be greeted by... A teacher, and then the large entrance hall from which they stood. It was empty, but one can assume that this was simply the room where the portal was housed. The gray and white architecture with blue accents was not all too different to the room they were just in, though it was a strange feeling to know that they were now in a completely different world. The sensation they had felt going through was only brief, but they had to enter it completely before they would emerge on the other side. There was no "peeking" through the portal it seems.

"W-welcome! To Arcture! I-I'm Mayble Relwind, a teacher, h-here at Silver Gate", she seemed to look ready to burst into tears. Students who had originally come from Arcture would recognize that she's not usually the one at the portal to greet and see students through... Rather, she is normally never made to do that, for obvious reasons so it seems. Perhaps they were shortstaffed.

"Uhm, I used to be from Alladore Mages Academy, or... Or rather, I still am, I am... Just a guest teacher here and I... Uhm", she seemed hopeless.

"A-anyway! I'm here to tell you about what you can or... Can't do here", she began to scramble around, before it appeared she remembered she was a mage, to which she did a small motion in the air, causing a sheet of paper to manifest from blue flames, spreading as the sheet came into full form.

"S-so", she would say, adjusting her large circular specs trying to obtain some confidence. "It appears students while here will be treated as citizens, and in similar standing to... Students of Alladore and Garadin, which are two other academies in the city, so that means you are allowed to p-purchase items, and weapons, and... And armor, as long as you can personally pay for them", she continued. This seemed rather standard.

"A-any infractions incurred on your stay will be handled by Silver Gate Academy, however, major infractions m-might have the Kingdom of Arcture seize control of the punishment to be r-rendered upon you... Uhm, please don't worry t-too much about that, it would have to be th-theft or murder", she noted, looking up from the sheet as she tried to assure the students.

"O-oh, and th-there's a note here too from the principle... E-every student has been given a small sum of Arcture mint coins to s-spend on weapons or armor as they so please. My how generous... Ah, y-you will find this sum in a bag, given to you by customs in the next room, i-if you show them your badge. The b-bag will also include a map of the capital city, as well as a communications crystal, which will contact the Academy building", she stopped talking for awhile, expecting some more the students would look at her, to which she would notice and look up panicking or flinching.

"T-that's all! Uhm... I-if you... Have any questions, f-feel free to ask me ok? I-I'll be stationed here at this b-building... For awhile"

Well, with the briefing done... Students can now form groups and head out into the city, or just go it alone. As the students began to walk or stay to ask her questions, she quickly blurted.

"O-oh! And please first thing you do is... Head to the Adventurer's Guild t-to register yourselves! Ok!?"
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