..E m p i r e * o f * O s a n e n.. [O/A]{Ignore Page Count}

[XenZan]

Lance Stone ~ Earth

Lance had been staring at the half-finished weapon for no more than mere seconds before he was made aware of another presence. Upon hearing the voice, the huge, hulking man turned, wiping away at his brow with his arm once more. Peering through the thin cloud of dust, smoke and sparks that surrounded him on an almost constant basis, the smith eyed the smaller man with a raised brow. The very first thing he noticed was the oddly colored hair, the second being that the man was a full foot taller than he. Of course, Lanzo knew he likely outweighed the man several times over, but this was hardly of consequence currently. It was the uniform that drew Lance’s attention most. Military, eh?... Officer, by the look of him. He took note of the weapon, but it was only becoming habit by now.

With a cough, the smith set the hammer upon the anvil and took two thundering strides towards the general. Stroking his beard, Lance nodded in confirmation of what the military man likely already knew. When he spoke, his voice was a gravelly, rumbling bass, dwarfing any man’s, as thunder to lightning. “Aye, I am,” he responded gruffly yet politely. Short, to the point. Business, as usual, but odd for the military. They usually try much too hard. A small grin spread across the smith’s lips. “Finished work? Aye, I’ve plenty of that in the shop there.” He motioned to the building, the door to which was wide ajar. If one looked closely enough, he could see the glint of steel within, upon the walls and on racks. Lance went over by the forge, hefting the mammoth hammer in one hand, slinging it over his shoulder. Nodding once more, Lance motioned for the man to follow. “What exactly are you looking for? Weaponry? Armor? Specialty items?” The man rumbled as he made his way to the door of the shop. Stopping before entering, Lance turned and addressed the general. “You’re an officer, no? After you, Sir.”

Inside the building was nearly as hot as it was outside by the forge. The difference was that there was little smoke and debris floating about the air. It was well lit and roomy. Lined along the walls were racks of weapons, armor, odd gadgets, all manner of metalwork. A small counter stood in the corner of the room, neatly organized with forms depicting orders and payments and other technicalities of business. The equipment in stock was all of fine, mastercraft quality; the kind that gave the hulking smith his reputation as 'Steele." The armors, weapons... All were expert in quality, if only slightly lacking in quantity. Lance much preferred quality over quantity and his work was no exception.

Skips like a boulder

[Suddenly There Were Ducks]

Achenar Todra - Darkness

Achenar visibly relaxed a little, lowering his scabbard back to it's resting place near his improvised fishing pole. He was relieved to find that his would-be assailant was just a woman out for a walk. However, in an age when the mighty empire of Osanen could be infiltrated by a lone spy, every "innocent" was suspect. He kept his guard up.

"I wasn't sleeping. I was just resting my eyes." He replied, feeling oddly defensive regarding the woman's apologies. He idly wondered how long he'd dozed off for and made a mental note to avoid such sloppiness in the future. "And I'm not a fisherman. Well, not by trade, anyway. I've just stopped for a moment to catch a meal."

He shook his head roughly, tossing his tight braid from his shoulder to behind his neck. The dense fog of sleepiness was beginning to lift in the afternoon sun, and he was beginning to become more aware of the strangeness of the current situation.

"There've been rumors of spies circulating around these regions, ma'am. It isn't safe for civilians to travel alone, especially if they aren't armed."

are you afraid of the dark?

[Isnook2]

Andrei Rofocale Sergov
xxxxxxxxI want your obedience.
xxxxxxxxxxxI want your absolute loyalty.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxI want your soul. Relinquish control to me.

Give yourself unto your God. Sacrifice yourself again.
Burn your thoughts, erase your will, To Gods of suffering and tears.

The general made sure to keep some distance between himself and the smith, having spotted the hammer earlier on and realizing that a simple swing from it would give him more than a concussion. It would be a one-way ticket to hell. His eyes were drawn to the room when the man gestured at it, and he found his interest piqued by the promising glint of metal within it. Trailing in the bearded man's steps, he waited for the questions to finish before answering, stepping into the shop as he did so.

"Swords. Single-handed broad." Andrei murmured, finding his attention already distracted by the mounted items on display and on the racks. He seemed to comprehend the words which had been uttered before the invitation only several seconds later. "Yes." It wasn't too difficult to tell that he was an officer, with the deep-golden epaulettes on his shoulders, of which the left one was hidden beneath the insignia-woven brassard of his uniform. His gaze soon fell upon some of the oddments, which probably came under the category of 'specialty items' which the hefty male had mentioned. The heat was beginning to irk him, which once again prompted him to make this visit a quick one.

He was drawn quietly to the sword section, pushing the temptation of investigating the gadgets out of his mind as he finally drew one of the blades out of its scabbard and tested its grip, weight and flexibility. Ensuring that the shop-owner was not within the vicinity of his swings, he made a flip with the sword, bringing the blade to protrude from the outer edge of his hand. He could more or less pinpoint its center of gravity by now, and was pleased to find it in balance with the hilt. Sheathing the blade after he had tested it, he laid it back on the rack, assuming that it was probably of a sturdy blend if his friend had recommended this place to him. For the moment, he did not wish to be testing it against other metal or crossing swords with the smith; it would only prolong his stay in this insufferable heat.

"I require a near-exact replica of this sword." Andrei stated carefully as he released the weapon from his belt and held it out for the smith to take, angling the hilt toward Lanzo. "How long will you take to finish the blade by itself?"




Tie hallowed bonds around your hands. xxx
Kneel before this seat of shame,xxx
To Gods as lost,xxx
Gods as blind,xxx
Gods of suffering and pain.xxx

[XenZan]

Lance Stone ~ Earth

Skips like a boulder

The massive smith approached the counter, setting the enormous hammer down against the wall. It made a loud ‘thud’ noise, despite having been set down rather gently. It was clearly very heavy. Lance listened to the general’s words quietly, pleased that the man seemed interested in his work. He was nothing if not passionate about his creations. With a gruff grunt and a pop of his knuckles, Steele flipped open a heavy book upon the counter. Fingering through the pages, his vibrant brown eyes scanned the text. He lifted his gaze to observe the general’s swordplay, nodding approvingly.

Returning his eyes to the tome before him, Lance flipped to the final page written upon. It was clearly an order form or record book of some kind. Silently, the hulking man picked up a small quill, dabbing it in an ink jar, and began to fill in the next few lines. It must have been a humorous sight, the huge, muscular smith, with fists nearly the size of another man’s skull, gripping the tiny writing utensil and scratching away neatly at the yellowed parchment. Lance completed the record of the work he had finished over the morning hours before setting the quill down and scanning over the page once more before returning his attention to Andrei.

With a slight nod, Lanzo approached the general, accepting the weapon respectfully but firmly. He could sense the near-urgency Andrei emanated and had no intention of keeping the man longer than he needed to. Stepping back, the smith drew the blade from its scabbard, a glint appearing in his eyes as he heard the all-too-familiar metallic ring. The blade was beautiful, though worn from use and time, blunt as an axe. Clearly far older than any in his shop, the smith noted. His gaze shifted to the finely-crafted basket hilt. It was plain, to be sure, but the sturdy man hardly got the sense that its wielder cared for such trivialities. He casually weighed out the blade, turning it over in his hand, his mind swimming with ideas for improvements. Lance had always mused how such beautiful works of art could be so deadly, but that much was certainly obvious.

Already, Lance was eager to begin work on this endeavor, and it was nothing if not obvious. He held a certain passion for his work, finding nothing but total contentment at the forge with objects of his design. The orders he was completing this day, and all the orders for the next week and a half were all simply mundane tasks, and while these still satisfied him, nothing sparked fire in his soul like the commission of such a fine weapon. The man requested a replication, but Lance was hell-bent on improvement. While the weapon was excellently crafted, it was from a time predating advancements in the trade. As such, it lacked the luster and vitality of other blades the smith had forged in the past.
I’ll fix that.

A grin spread across his bearded face as he contemplated the time he would require to forge the weapon. It was not often he received requests of this nature, and it was not often he considered what he was about to say. “I can have the blade done by the morrow.” The mammoth man’s eyes were alight with anticipation. “The hilt and pommel, by the next.” His other orders could wait; there was little time constraint, and Lance was ahead of schedule anyway. Besides, this task was much more fulfilling. Despite having worked all morning into the noonday sun, the smith felt revitalized, ready to undertake this project with gusto. Returning the blade to its scabbard, the hulk of a man nodded to the general, almost in confirmation of what he had just said.

What we are is the sum of a thousand lies
x xWhat we know is almost nothing at allxx
xBut we are what we are 'till the day we die
Or 'till we don't have the strength to go on

[Sothis]

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo๑ ∂ α ι ʏ υ ℓ α ɴ
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxe l e m e n t a l i s t xo f xα ι ʀ

The man visibly relaxed, but Daiyu did not; until she was completely sure she was safe, she would stay ready to draw her weapon. He lowered his weapon, and Daiyu smiled softly, still being polite despite her wariness.

"I wasn't sleeping. I was just resting my eyes."

"Oh, I see. That explains why you heard me approach so easily." Maybe She added privately, eyes still downcast.

"And I'm not a fisherman. Well, not by trade, anyway. I've just stopped for a moment to catch a meal." Daiyu pondered this; surely it would be easier to just buy a fish in the bazaar? In the time it would take to catch a sizable meal in the river, he could've been running errands to get enough money to buy a meal.


"That would certainly explain why you aren't fishing at the port with the other fishermen, then. Lucky for you, as my brother is wreaking havoc there once again." She hadn't intended to speak the last part aloud, but other then reprimanding herself mentally, she made no sign of it being unintentional.

"There've been rumors of spies circulating around these regions, ma'am. It isn't safe for civilians to travel alone, especially if they aren't armed." Daiyu stilled slightly at his statement, and then smiled again. Should she reveal her trump card now? He certainly didn't seem aggressive, to be warning her for her safety. With a smile, sly at the edges, she altered her grip on her bangasa, and with a soft snick slid the handle free, revealing an inch of blade.


"I thank you for your concern, but I am not entirely unarmed." Fitting the two pieces back together, she sighed and closed the parasol, holding it in the crook of her elbow. "I grow weary of shallow, socially-acceptable exchanges. I am Daiyu Lan, and I am well aware of the rumors that plague the city. How far we have fallen." She glanced over her shoulder at the city, and shook her head. "I certainly hope you are not the spy, but I can assure you I am not."

╭__________________________________________________╮
Of course I ƒ σ ʀ ɢ ι v ε; you've seen how ι ℓ ι v ε
I've got ∂ α ʀ ҡ ɴ ε s s and ƒ ε α ʀ s to α ρ ρ ε α s ε
my ν σ ι c ε s and α ɴ α ℓ σ ɢ ι ε s
α м в ι т ι σ ɴ s like ʀ ι в в σ ɴ s
worn в ʀ ι ɢ h т on my s ℓ ε ε v ε
╰__________________________________________________╯

[Suddenly There Were Ducks]

Achenar Todra - Darkness

Achenar climbed to his feet and stretched, raising an eyebrow at Daiyu's comment regarding her brother.
Another disgruntled rabble rouser, huh? Just what I needed... My day is complete. He thought idly as he turned to retrieve his fishing pole. He'd been there for the better part of an hour, and still hadn't gotten any bites. He would have had an easier time of it heading back to the city to purchase food instead.

When he turned back around, pole on his shoulder, he was surprised to see she had drawn a blade, which she had apparently concealed in the handle of her parasol. Achenar nodded slowly, impressed. Perhaps she wasn't as helpless as she had first seemed.

"Well, then," He said, "Since I'm not a spy, and you're not a spy, we have nothing to fear from each other, do we? My name is Achenar Todra." He smiled, cocking his head to one side. "Perhaps you'd like to accompany me back to the city? The fish aren't biting today. You can tell me more about this brother of yours on the way."

Achenar was fairly open minded about most things, but when it came to the safety of the Empire, his thoughts were strictly one-track. Despite knowing nothing of the Daiyu's brother or the supposed havoc he was wreaking, Achenar was already considering how best to subdue him if he wouldn't submit to a peaceful arrest.

are you afraid of the dark?

[~::*Shinji*::~]

ℛ α c q υ є ℓ....❅.... 𝕮 α и δ є ℓ α я ι α

Underneath my lucid skin
The cold is lost, forgotten

Soft rays of sunlight shined gently through small windows into a large building of sorts, except the floor had pieces of hay scattered about, and within the walls of the place was miniature wooden walls, each one confining a single horse, as this place was dubbed as their home. They didn't seem to mind the stillness and tranquility of the afternoon as they each minded their own business, every once in a while letting out a snort through their noses or wisp their tails to shoo away the persistent flies.

However, the silence was quickly disturbed by a new presence within the stable... by a girl, to be exact. With a bag of sorts clutched in her gloved hands, she carefully walked up to where the horses resided to reach a specific stall, one that held a large black stallion. Just as she reached her destination, the neighboring stall that she had to pass by suddenly had a head sticking out of it, the horse neighing and nodding its head towards her, as though it was begging for her attention. Unlike the pure ebony colored one, this horse was dapple gray colored... its pattern was like a starry night sky, it's mane a sheer black and the tail the same, except the end of it appeared as though it had been bleached, and its legs matched the gentle black as an accent.

The girl's pale lips curled into a smile, walking over to the horse and petting its muzzle gently. "Artemis, not today..." she murmured. Racquel would normally take her own horse for a ride on a day like this, but not today. She had other plans.

The horse snorted in response, becoming calm in her presence as it just watched her with its large black eyes go to the other stall.

"Talyn, come here," she called out, and within seconds, another head was sticking out, its face black as midnight. This was her sister's horse, and although she normally never rode it, she had decided to for the first time - with her visiting Ember, she figured that her twin would enjoy seeing Talyn since she couldn't do so as freely as before.

Not wasting much time, she quickly prepared the horse with a saddle and bridle and walked the horse out into the open. She had convinced her parents that she was taking the horse out for some fresh air since her original owner was gone, so they permitted her to go... they didn't know of her true intentions.

In one swift motion, she pulled herself up onto the horse and began to trot away. She had quite a distance to travel since her sister now resided on the outskirts of the town. Since she didn't want anyone to know who she was or where she was going, she had resorted to wearing a hooded cape on top of her intricate dress of sorts, as well as choosing to stay in the undeveloped part of town, the forest area, to be precise, as opposed to riding directly through the city. Racquel knew of the risks by taking that way, but she had done it before and wasn't concerned since it was about midday.

Her golden eyes narrowed as she felt her white and dark garnet hair play against her face from the wind that was created from the movement.

Ember...

My mouth is so frozen I can't even speak
You're making it hard for me
All I can do is freeze

[Sothis]

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo๑ ∂ α ι ʏ υ ℓ α ɴ
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxe l e m e n t a l i s t xo f xα ι ʀ

Daiyu smiled softly at him again. "Well, I'm glad that neither of us are the spy. It is a pleasure to meet you, Achenar Todra, and I would gladly walk with you back to the city." She hadn't failed to notice his expression at her brother's troublemaking. Hiding a small smile, she amended. "My brother is but a boy. He lurks around the fishermen, exploring their boats and asking them a million questions a day. He's not causing any real harm, he's just.. a bit annoying. He wants to be a fisherman, despite father's wishes for him to take over the horse ranch." She reopened her parasol and began to walk back to the city.

"My family has resided in the capital for many generations now, none of us would ever do anything to harm the empire. Some of us even wish there was a way we could help." Despite how bitter she felt about being unable to help her beloved city, Daiyu kept her tone light. "So now you know something of me; tell me something about yourself, Achenar."

╭__________________________________________________╮
Of course I ƒ σ ʀ ɢ ι v ε; you've seen how ι ℓ ι v ε
I've got ∂ α ʀ ҡ ɴ ε s s and ƒ ε α ʀ s to α ρ ρ ε α s ε
my ν σ ι c ε s and α ɴ α ℓ σ ɢ ι ε s
α м в ι т ι σ ɴ s like ʀ ι в в σ ɴ s
worn в ʀ ι ɢ h т on my s ℓ ε ε v ε
╰__________________________________________________╯

[Suddenly There Were Ducks]

Achenar Todra - Darkness

"Ah," Achenar said softly. It was a bit of a relief to hear that there wasn't a serious threat after all, but these days, one could never be too cautious. Unsure of whether or not he believed her, he resolved to keep an eye on the docks once they arrived in the city, just in case.

He smiled as she began to explain her brother's habits and her family's trade. It reminded him of his own rural upbringing; he hadn't had any siblings, himself, but he understood all too well the fascination a young boy could have with the city's harbor. He had even become briefly enthralled with the fisherman's life himself, before being introduced to the family business of raising pigs. As he followed Daiyu up the hill and back towards the city, he thought carefully about her next question. How, exactly, would he describe who he was, and what he did? The truth seemed to be the best route to take, and yet..

"Well," He began, "My family raises pigs on a farm outside the city. It's an honest living, but I always wanted more. I, uh... Left home when I was younger. Joined the Imperial Grand Army." He rubbed the back of his head. He hadn't intended to leave out the part where he learned about his powers, or to imply that joining the military had been his first choice. Somehow, though, it had just seemed like something he should do. For reasons he couldn't describe, he felt like he shouldn't tell her he was the Elemental of Darkness.
"I resigned my commission when the Emperor died... I needed some time to think about things, and consider my place in the Empire. I've been wandering ever since, helping out wherever I can."

are you afraid of the dark?

[Isnook2]

Andrei Rofocale Sergov
xxxxxxxxI want your obedience.
xxxxxxxxxxxI want your absolute loyalty.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxI want your soul. Relinquish control to me.

Give yourself unto your God. Sacrifice yourself again.
Burn your thoughts, erase your will, To Gods of suffering and tears.

Which was why the general had requested for a 'nearly exact' replica, because he knew that a good smith would attempt to rectify some of the problems persisting in the ancient design. He was pleased to both see and hear the man's excitement at starting on his order right away, though he hoped that the smith would not be rushing through it. Perhaps it was a groundless worry, since the smith obviously had his reputation and quality of goods to maintain.

"Very well. I shall visit tomorrow evening to take a look at it." Andrei announced, reaching into his pocket to withdraw a note on a piece of hardened parchment. "This is my residence. Should you finish it any earlier I would appreciate a message."

Quietly he wondered if it was alright to leave such a precious and 'cursed' sword with the man. Such an object of malice and bloodshed... would the intangible spirits dare to assault the man? Tsk, now his imagination was getting too far, especially since he was wondering what sort of swordplay it would take to fall that chunk of raw strength and muscle... and there was that odd hammer to deal with as well.

"We will discuss the payment tomorrow. I am leaving this artifact in your care, please write me a receipt." The man's words came across as a careful command than a request. He knew that the smith probably wasn't going to sell the old sword or melt it down to make another, but as one who kept to rules and regulations, he preferred to walk away with some evidence that the smith had agreed to hold on to it for the length of the commission. The general did not trust anyone easily.




Tie hallowed bonds around your hands. xxx
Kneel before this seat of shame,xxx
To Gods as lost,xxx
Gods as blind,xxx
Gods of suffering and pain.xxx

[XenZan]

Lance Stone ~ Earth

Skips like a boulder

Lance accepted the general’s ‘card,’ gripping it between his forefinger and thumb. As it was, both completely covered the parchment, the beast’s meaty hand lifting it before his eyes. The enormous smith was either unconcerned with or unaware of the blade’s past infractions on human life, for he simply nodded and headed back to the counter, sword in one hand, parchment in the other. Setting the card down in the open book and the sword on the counter, Steele grabbed his quill once more. He proceeded to fill in the next line before retrieving a loose sheet of parchment from within a drawer in the counter.

Lance certainly felt something was odd about this man, military association aside. He had dealt with men of similar character before, often even, but none quite like this one. Probably some sort of control freak… the smith mused to himself as he filled out the requested receipt. It was something he was well accustomed to doing and took but a few seconds. Setting the quill gently in the ink vial, the massive man turned to face the general once more. “It will be well taken care of, I assure you,” he rumbled, walking over to the man clutching the receipt in hand.

The blacksmith was already formulating a work schedule in his mind. He hardly intended to relax much today as it was, and this new project only promised him that he’d not leave the forge this night. Excellent. That was just how Lance preferred it. The mundane tasks for common weaponry and other goods hardly taxed the chiseled hulk of a man. Only requests of this nature truly excited him into a working frenzy, often resulting in him working through the night into the morning light. It was also these tasks alone that brought out the most of his hidden, innate elemental talents, leaving the newly forged items charged with some unknown potential. Lance, of course, had no knowledge of this phenomena, but it occurred nonetheless. His own hammer, Megaton, and his personalized suit of armor, stored away in a back room of the shop, were two prime examples. These two creations were forged from sheer will and power of earth, alongside their natural composition. No other forged items in Lance’s expansive history held near the amount of potential that these two did, but other items were gifted in lesser ways.

Clearing his head of thoughts for the time being, Steele extended his trunk-like arm holding the parchment receipt. “Tomorrow then.” His gruff voice was confident and reassuring simultaneously. A thought struck the smith then, and a knowing glint appeared in his eye. Nodding curtly towards the swords on display, Lance addressed the general once more. “You’re more than welcome to hang on to one of those there until your weapon is returned to you. Wouldn’t want you to be caught without a fine blade if something urgent comes up before then.” He was almost surely referring to the odd, troubled times the empire was experiencing, the talk of a spy included. “I can add it on to the receipt if you’d like.” The heavily muscled man eyed the rigid general questioningly, stroking his beard with his free hand.

What we are is the sum of a thousand lies
x xWhat we know is almost nothing at allxx
xBut we are what we are 'till the day we die
Or 'till we don't have the strength to go on

[Isnook2]

Andrei Rofocale Sergov
xxxxxxxxI want your obedience.
xxxxxxxxxxxI want your absolute loyalty.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxI want your soul. Relinquish control to me.

Give yourself unto your God. Sacrifice yourself again.
Burn your thoughts, erase your will, To Gods of suffering and tears.

Andrei waited quietly as the smith drew out the receipt, his attention wandering to the rest of the weapons, armour, shields and oddments that were organized in the stall. He analyzed them as if each creations held an invisible arithmatical problem he had to solve, and seemed to accord each item a certain amount of time. His gaze rested on the gleaming metal for a few seconds before shifting onto another, never favouring one at the expense of another. He might have been inspecting a ceremonial parade; there was none which robbed him of his scrutiny, not even the specialized items.

When the smith's textured voice agreed on the time of visit, three steps carried him toward the hulking man once more. His gloved fingers plucked the paper from the metal-worker, surveying the script and ensuring the ink was dry before he folded it and slipped it into the pocket of his coat. The invitation surprised him a little, but as his steel-blue gaze flickered swiftly over the swords he had already examined, his prejudiced decision was made even before he gave the offer any real thought.

"No, thank you." The general murmured, perhaps preferring to be caught without a sword than to carry one so dull and foreign to him. Besides, he was an officer, he had his own rack at home, a collection for both training and backup. Perhaps, he was truly afraid of growing attached to the borrowed sword in some manner, or he disliked taking it for only a day and having to return it. There was a pause in his steps as he headed toward the door, eager to get out of this dusty, overheated district.

"A messenger will do. It is more than likely you will not find me at my residence whilst I am on duty." He reminded the smith, in case the man did finish the blade much earlier in the day. With that, he turned and left, crossing the dusty road with the demeanor of one who was lord over any street he walked on. It was at the end of the stretch of pathway that he withdrew a pocketwatch, took note of the time and shut the bronze flap with a swift snap. The whole exchange took shorter than he had planned, so he decided to take a longer route back to his home, by-passing the foul, crowded streets in favor of the quieter roads. Doing so prevented him from being roped into any frivolous pursuit of petty thieves or aggressive traders which the town's guard could handle.




Tie hallowed bonds around your hands. xxx
Kneel before this seat of shame,xxx
To Gods as lost,xxx
Gods as blind,xxx
Gods of suffering and pain.xxx

[XenZan]

Lance Stone ~ Earth

Skips like a boulder

Releasing the slip of parchment, Lance raised an eyebrow at the man. With a nod and a shrug of his massive shoulders, the smith’s thundering bass broke out once more. “Suit yourself then.” Steele assumed the general had other weapons, not in the least implying that he didn’t. He only figured that because he was holding on to the man’s weapon, and a seemingly special one at that, he’d offer a suitable replacement for the duration. Stepping to the side as the general headed for the door, a grin crossed the smith’s bearded face. Curious fellow, that one. With a curt nod at Andrei’s final words, Lance watched him depart the shop and head off down the street.

Always interesting, deals with the military… The massive smith scratched his head and surveyed the room. Shaking his head, he headed for the counter where the blade to be replicated lay. The glint from before had returned to his eyes then, and Steele picked up the sheathed blade gingerly. Pulling it from its scabbard once more, the metallic ring of the drawn blade like music to the muscular man, Lance set it upon the counter. Retrieving another, albeit larger, sheet of parchment, the master blacksmith set about a diagram, detailing his ideas, the dimensions and angles, and finally his finishing touches such as gem inlays and other such decorative investments, including carved runes, currently unspecified. He knew these runes would simply come to him as he worked. He did not know that it was those runes which bestowed upon the blade so inscribed with special qualities no other forge could apply.

When he had finished his sketch and diagram, he huge man grunted, satisfied. It had taken him naught but half an hour, as he had already been formulating ideas upon setting eyes on the sword. Standing, Lance tucked the parchment into his belt, retrieved Megaton, and carried the general’s blade outside with him to the forge. After a brief time setting up, including clearing away the clutter from his previous and yet done orders, the smith prepared to work long into the night. Sweat cascading across his chiseled, almost stone-like muscles, Steele went to work on his next, irreplaceable creation.

What we are is the sum of a thousand lies
x xWhat we know is almost nothing at allxx
xBut we are what we are 'till the day we die
Or 'till we don't have the strength to go on

[Sothis]

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo๑ ∂ α ι ʏ υ ℓ α ɴ
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxe l e m e n t a l i s t xo f xα ι ʀ

Achenar's soft and concise reply to Daiyu's explanation worried her. He didn't sound convinced that her brother was neither an anarchist nor just a boy. She would have to tell Biyu to stay home and behave for a while. Achenar seemd nice enough, but he'd drawn his sword expertly and ruthlessly; that was not something she wanted her younger brother facing. She looked up at the sky from under the rim of her umbrella, pleased with the color of the sky and the soft breeze. It would not rain today, she was sure of it; since youth, her weather predictions had never been wrong.

After all, the wind told her.

Not really, she mused, you just have to know air flow patterns and you can tell when there's a storm coming.

"Well," Daiyu glanced over at Achenar when he started speaking, pleased he would actually respond to her request. "My family raises pigs on a farm outside the city. It's an honest living, but I always wanted more. I, uh... Left home when I was younger. Joined the Imperial Grand Army." The Grand Army! A knot formed in Daiyu's stomach, both of relief - that's why he was an expert with a sword - and tension; The Grand army was notorious for the zealots among its ranks, was that why he was so focused on her brother? She ground her teeth once - a bad habit she'd picked up in the last few years - and reminded herself to be calm. There was no proof of anything, she was just wildly speculating once again. Achenar paused, but Daiyu didn't think much of it; she was too caught up in her own troubled thoughts to even acknowledge the pause before her began speaking again.

"I resigned my commission when the Emperor died... I needed some time to think about things, and consider my place in the Empire. I've been wandering ever since, helping out wherever I can."

"Many things changed when the Emperor died. The new Emperor does his best but.. he is trying to hold onto cracks in a foundation. He needs aid. I wish there was a way to help." They reached the steps back into the city, and Daiyu bowed to the guards, lifted her Han's trailing hem out of the way again, and stepped back inside the city walls, immediately overwhelmed with raucous shouts and laughter. Home sweet home. "Perhaps someone can locate the spy. That would help immensely, I imagine."

╭__________________________________________________╮
Of course I ƒ σ ʀ ɢ ι v ε; you've seen how ι ℓ ι v ε
I've got ∂ α ʀ ҡ ɴ ε s s and ƒ ε α ʀ s to α ρ ρ ε α s ε
my ν σ ι c ε s and α ɴ α ℓ σ ɢ ι ε s
α м в ι т ι σ ɴ s like ʀ ι в в σ ɴ s
worn в ʀ ι ɢ h т on my s ℓ ε ε v ε
╰__________________________________________________╯

[.:Xhang Sen:.]

ɨf you play with fire...

λou're liable to get burned...

•·.·´¯`·.·•✿•·.·´¯`·.·•

Ugh... This was not a good day so far.

Ember had been treating her hand for a while now. It was bad enough that she's got one of her weapons stuck in a tree trunk, but she also ended up cutting her hand tying to get it out... and the blade is still in the tree. "So much for training..." She grumbled miserably as she held out her hand to see her... not so good attempt at applying a bandage. It was bulky and loose. She sighed in frustration as she untied the bandages and dipped her hand in the basin next to her to clean off the red that had begun to drip from her wound once more. She quickly dried it again and then attempted to wrap it up. As she tied the knot she noticed that it was a little tight, but that just meant it would stay on this time. It wasn't perfect, again, but it was better than nothing and she was tired of sitting around.

At that, she decided to grab her bag with the intention of visiting the market place, after all it was time for some grocery shopping. Yesterday she had opened her cabinet to find two slices of bread and jam. So, she obviously needed something soon.

She approached the door and as she opened it the light from the sun flooded in. Surprisingly she wasn't fond of bright lights. She generally liked the darkness and often kept her house lined with curtains and shutters. She never really understood why she liked that darkness so much, but it was always something that comforted her when she was younger. Like the darkness offered her reassurance and self-confidence. However, the light didn't bother her to a fault. She could, of course, function normally anytime she wanted to. vc

She stepped out and took a deep breath. It was a fairly average day. A boring average day. It almost made her want to go back inside and sleep, but she resisted the urge remembering her goals for the day.

Suddenly, she noticed something approaching her house. It looked like someone on horseback. That immediately made Ember think of her sister, Rikka. The only problem was Rikka's horse was a speckled gray and white, but this horse was black. Unless... No... it couldn't be.

She stood there waiting for the person to get closer to see the horse and the rider. It... It was! It was Rikka! Elated to see her sister Ember ran as quickly as she could to the horse, "Rikka!" She cried aloud. "You brought Talyn!"

She hadn't seen her sister in almost a month! It had been way too long since her last visit to that wretched house. She was taking care of other business around.... her... own house. She felt weird comparing the wrecked cottage behind her with the fancy manor that her father owned.

As she neared them her pace slowed and she smiled up at her pale sibling on the horse, "It's good to see you again, sister..." Her golden eyes beamed up at the gold that stared back. This was definitely a turn around. Making the events of the morning meaningless and not worth stressing over.

She turned her attention to the horse that seemed just as excited to see her as it bobbed it head whinnying and snorting. She smiled widely as she placed her hands on the black stallion's mussel and nestled her forehead into it's own. "Oh, Talyn...! I missed you so much!" It snorted gentle as if to say the same.