A Cat Amongst The Tigers (Open Intro)

It was awfully rowdy in the Red Dragon that night, with men and women of all ages merrily singing and dancing. It had been that way for a few hours now and it was as if the mood just wouldn’t drop or change for long, regardless of how much time passed. The moment that the drinkers heard the first notes of the next song, their fears and worries would disappear, replaced by a sense of euphoria that seemed to fill the room. The melodies were emotional and toe tapping enough to captivate even the most unhappy of folks and as the figure sitting on the bar continued to play, she couldn’t have been happier with how her performance was going. They’d taken to her style of play so swiftly and for the blonde catgirl, that was as much as she could have asked for. She’d come to the Ace Of Spade in hopes of joining the local guild but it seemed that for the moment, she was more of a performance act, not that she really minded. She’d always loved being the centre of attention and to be able to play in front of so many happy people brought her no shortage of pleasure. There was just one little problem. Once folks heard her play, it could sometimes be a bit of an issue, given the magical nature of the girl’s music.Lifting the spirits of those was always nice but some people tended to want to always feel that way, almost as if her music was like some kind of stimulant.

Coming to the end of her latest piece, the green eyed girl would briefly turn to the bartender and utter, her Joya accent easy to detect, “Another round please barkeep, I can’t keep my loyal public waiting for long.”

“I think you’ve played enough for the time being, take a break,” he replied, a small smile crossing his features, “I’ve sold more beer tonight than I have over the last couple of weeks, thanks to you. This one’s on the house, Kitten.” Passing her a mug of beer, he’d then chuckle and turn towards another pair of patrons, wishing for service.

“Thanks a lot!” the catgirl purred, taking a sip, her tail swishing with pleasure at the great taste. She’d been obsessed with the stuff ever since she’d broke into her mother’s brewing room one day and fallen into a vat of the lovely drink. It’d taken her ages to get the smell out of her tail and her mother had given her the scolding of a lifetime but it’d been worth it, just to get a taste of that lovely brew. The thought of her mother briefly caused her to feel a moment of homesickness but she simply shook her head and faintly smiled. It had been her own decision to leave and explore the world, leaving her family behind but she knew that it was best for her. She’d always had that sense of wanderlust, ever since she’d been just a little kitten and now she was finally able to travel, as she’d always wanted. With her guitar slung over her back and an open mind.

(530 Words)

Wearing a new outfit she had bought during the emergency shopping session a couple of days ago, "Tall Victoria" sauntered into the lively bar and immediately felt at home. She wore a black long-sleeved t-shirt with long green skirt and matching green high heel shoes and felt like a million Jewels because the outfit fit her new form without any problems. The happy brunette blended in with the rest of the happy people who made up the patrons of the bar. Victoria was feeling so upbeat from the shopping trip and smoothing things over with Ratatoskr that she was going to order a Screwdriver to celebrate her new form... not that the brunette ever needed much of an excuse to drink a Screwdriver or two.

"Tall Victoria" paused when she saw a small cat girl with a guitar sitting at the wooden bar and downing a drink. The cat girl had a magic signature and the air of a novice mage, but there were plenty of magic-capable people who were not looking to join a guild. Maybe she should talk to the cat girl first before making assumptions.

Slowly taking a seat to the right of the cat girl, Victoria was soon greeted by the bartender, who then requested her drink order.

"I'll take a Screwdriver, please." Victoria named her favorite mixed drink to the bartender. The man nodded and went off to make the drink while Victoria looked at the cat girl. She was kind of cute in a way that only cat girls could be... not that the brunette had ever met a cat girl before. Victoria put her thoughts on hold and took this chance to introduce herself.

"Hey there. I'm Victoria Sheridan. Do you mind if I sit next to you?" Victoria asked the girl and waited for her answer. If the blonde did not want her there, Victoria would change seats and move on.

[Post Word Count: 320]
[Victoria's Word Count: 320]

Tall Victoria's Outfit:

With a twitch of her ears as she was spoken to, the catgirl would turn and smile as the woman asked to take a seat. She was awfully pretty and Desiree did her best to keep her eyes focused on the woman’s face, rather than let her gaze wander. The blonde was aware that not everyone was quite as open minded as her own people and she didn’t want to come on too strongly, even if it was difficult for her not to be. Overly friendly was a term that she’d heard quite a lot people use to describe her in the past although she thought that was a compliment.

“Please do,” she answered cheerfully in reply to Victoria's question, “My name’s Desiree, I’m new to the area.”

The green eyed girl was instantly curious about the woman and her tail would swish with interest. Everyone had a story and the catgirl was always fascinated with the tales of those she met. Tales of adventure, danger and romance always caused her imagination to take flight and hearing such stories was another reason why she’d taken to wandering in the first place. She wanted to create a story of her own, one that she could hopefully share in time. Sure, the trip from her home country had been rather more action packed than she’d thought but that was just the start or that was what she hoped anyway.

Noticing that the punters seemed to be at ease for the moment, she’d gently place her guitar over her shoulder, attaching it to her back by use of a strap. The instrument would briefly thrum, as though it was showing its own discontent but the catgirl paid little attention to it, aware of her guitar’s unique personality. She was an awfully vain magical item at times.

“So, Victoria,” she then asked, her green orbs twinkling, “I take it that you’re a regular? Is it always so lively around here?”

(327 Words)
(857 Total WC)

Victoria's buns had just begun warming the seat near the cat girl when she was delighted to hear that the smaller mage did not mind her presence. In fact, the blonde welcomed it. That was good. Victoria stayed where she was and soon detected that the blonde was not a novice mage after all, but rather a mage of no small amount of power. The blonde was one step above Victoria when the latter had joined Sabertooth so many months ago.

"You're new to the area, huh?" Victoria asked as the Screwdriver was placed in front of her. The tall brunette nodded appreciatively and took a sip of the mixed drink. The orange juice was pretty good, but the vodka tasted like CEIL had been used. While she would have preferred Albino Gander, she could live with CEIL. Victoria momentarily set the drink aside and focused on the blonde, who had given her name as Desiree.

"Yeah, you can say that I'm a regular. I get a Screwdriver here at least twice a week, if not three times a week. And the inn's fairly busy, but it's not this busy... except on special occasions." Victoria informed Desiree. The former could tell that the cat girl's green eyes were focused only on her. Victoria was amused by this... her new form certainly attracted attention.

[Post Word Count: 223]
[Victoria's Word Count: 543]

“That’s right,” the catgirl answered brightly, “I guess you could say that I’m kind of new to the country in a way. I’m a native of Joya, sent out as an ambassador for my tribe. My job’s just to explore the land and hopefully make a few friends during the journey. I’d heard that there was a group of mages here that I could hopefully join up with but I admit that I got a bit carried away with playing my guitar for these folks and it slipped my mind for a bit. I’ve been looking for the guild hall all day but no one I asked gave me a straight answer. They just said that it was hard to reach, whatever that means.” She’d probably said too much in such a short space of time but once she started talking, it was hard for her to stop.

Taking a moment to breathe, the girl would briefly take a draught from her mug, loving the taste of the brew. It had a very different texture to what she was used to but that didn’t mean she disliked it. Oh no, if it contained alcohol, she’d drink it, any time. Her eyes, however, were still on her new friend and the catgirl’s gaze did start to drift at this point. She didn’t know if it was the booze, the delight of playing her music for so many people or just her natural instincts but she was feeling even friendlier than usual this evening.

As she listened to Victoria speak about her regularity at the bar, the blonde would lower her mug and chuckle, “A Screwdriver, huh? I’ll have to try one of those later, it sounds delicious, among other things.” As for the rowdiness of the bar, Desiree would add after a few moments, grinning “Hmm, I could be the reason for why it’s busy. My guitar has a habit of drawing in those who are close enough and folks seem to struggle to pull themselves away.” The catgirl didn’t think that it was a dishonest practice and there was no denying that the people around her seemed genuinely happy after her performance.

(363 Words)
(1220 Total WC)

Victoria was amused as the cat girl continued to talk to her in an animated fashion. The taller brunette found it to be endearing... she had not seen that kind of enthusiasm in quite some time. After sifting through it all Victoria had learned that the mage sitting next to her was from a faraway country called Joya and that she did not carry around a guitar just for looks. She could play the instrument as well. The brunette took advantage of the pause in conversation to give a bit of her own story.

"So you're from Joya, huh? I'm from Capital Crocus myself. As the name implies, it's the capital of Fiore and home to a lot of rich people who are either influential or who want to be influential. It's not a bad place to visit, but it's really big and really easy to get lost in." Victoria said to Desiree, somehow suppressing her negative attitude towards the city that had given her so much heartache to give a description that made it sound almost friendly. The brunette went there only for jobs and with Gaia or Sarah. If she had her way Victoria would never set foot there again because of the overwhelming amount of negative memories of the city. Victoria then picked up on the fact that Desiree had heard about a "group of mages" and had been seeking them out to no avail.

"A Screwdriver's a mixed drink of vodka and orange juice. I like it myself because it's easy to make. It's the very first drink I learned to make when I took bartending classes." Victoria informed Desiree, inserting a bit more of her own story. She was telling the truth... from a certain point of view. While she was not an officially accredited bartender with a diploma or degree, she had been taught the art by a friend of her adopted father's and had spent a little over two years slinging drinks, so she was not just a pretty face who dabbled in bartending. Victoria mentally rewound what she had been told so far and learned that Desiree's guitar was magical, which explained why there were so many happy people in the bar.

"I've never heard of a magical guitar before. I've heard of a magic flute and a Pied Piper guy, but he's only a fairy tale figure. Maybe you should start a band one day... though I'm not sure how anyone can top a magic guitar that makes people happy." Victoria commented on the blonde's guitar, which looked innocuous. Music Man would love to get his hands on it for his instrument collection, if only to say that he owned a magic guitar that could make people happy just by playing it. Or he could use it for all manner of misdeeds. On second thought, it was safer in Desiree's hands since all she wanted to do was make people happy with her music. The brunette then decided to cut to the chase and talk about Sabertooth.

"You've been looking all around for a group of mages who gather around here. I know who you're talking about. So you're looking to join Sabertooth, huh?" Victoria asked Desiree. She was sure that the cat girl would pick up on Victoria being a member soon enough. Maybe by the time that happened Gaia, Itori, or Kenna would sashay in at just the right time to take over the conversation and give Desiree a full rundown on Sabertooth... or Imai could if he was available.

[Post Word Count: 591]
[Victoria's Word Count: 1,134]

The catgirl listened keenly as Victoria spoke, her tail swishing with interest as the brunette talked about her past. She didn’t know a lot about the capital of the country at all, having not made it that far yet but from what she was hearing, it didn’t sound all that fun to the catgirl. “A place where all the rich and wealthy mingle, huh? I don’t think your home city could be any more different than mine,” Desiree answered with a smile, “Wealth doesn’t quite mean so much to us, so we all just share it equally amongst the tribe's people. We value fun and enjoying life above everything else.” She paused for a moment and then laughed, poking fun at herself, “Saying that, I never say no to a few jewels when I’m on the job.”

Her eyes turned as wide as saucers when Victoria mentioned her background in barkeeping, “You make drinks? That’s amazing!. My mother dabbles in that too although I’m not sure if what she makes is always safe to drink. The smell of some of her concoctions can make people drunk by smell alone. I hope that you can show me a trick or two sometime as I’d love to learn how to do it myself.” Her inner alcoholic was screaming with joy at the thought of that and the blonde was always interested in picking up new skills as you could never tell when they could come in handy.

Pausing for a moment and taking a sip of her drink, she’d grin at the mention of her guitar and the thought of making a band caused it to widen, “There’s an idea. I do love to perform for those I meet and I’d be more than happy to play around here regularly if folks want me too. Their happiness is what matters to me.” That wasn’t to say that she couldn’t cause other emotions to emerge from those she played for but generally, she liked to keep the tempo light and tried to keep from playing her more unhappy tunes.

Her tone had been pretty carefree up until this point but the mention of the name “Sabertooth” caused her excitement levels to go up a little further, “Oh, so that’s the name of the clan? Yeah, I was hoping that I could join up and offer my services. I’ll admit that I’m not into fighting all that much and my magic tends to lean more towards support but I’m sure that I can help those in need if given the chance.” After a moment, she’d smile again and add, “Besides that, the world is just too big and lonely for one silly catgirl to travel around alone in and I’d like to hopefully find some friends to explore it with.”

(467 Words)
(1687 Total WC)

Victoria was surprised to hear of at least one place in Earthland where wealth was less important than people being happy. Wealth being shared equally was also a novel concept to the tall brunette. She would have liked to have been born somewhere where she would not have been treated like trash for not having wealthy parents, but she also had to keep in mind that the grass was not always greener on the other side. Joya likely had its own problems just like Capital Crocus did. Desiree seemed surprised that Victoria could mix drinks, but it was a pleasant kind of surprise.

"I'm not officially accredited with a fancy degree, but I've spent over two years on the job and have the experience to match. I even sling drinks here on occasion. I might be able to show you a thing or two if not having a degree doesn't bother you." Victoria admitted to Desiree that the former was not an "official" bartender with an "official" license. She would probably need to remedy that before she stepped behind Red Dragon Inn's counter just so that she covered herself and the bar from a legal standpoint. Nowadays people were notoriously quick to bring lawsuits against anyone who committed a wrong, whether it was real or imagined. While it was probably not necessary since Victoria was an official Sabertooth member, it would still be prudent to cover her bases to prevent a ruinous lawsuit against herself or against the inn.

Victoria noticed that her cat girl acquaintance had a positive reaction to the casual mention of forming a band and seemed genuinely interested in the possibility. She wondered what it would be called once it formed. There were so many possibilities that to list them all would take days and a whole lot of paper.

"I'm not a musician, so I'll have to pass if you start recruiting." Victoria said jokingly, trying to keep the good mood going. She liked being around the cat girl despite only meeting her minutes ago because the blonde was a cheerful type who was easy to like. Once Victoria had mentioned Sabertooth, Desiree's interest increased considerably. It was easy to see that she was interested.

"Sabertooth is recruiting, but you'll have to talk to the Guild Mistress or a Guild Ace if you want to join. I'm just a rank-and-file member." Victoria informed Desiree that in order to join Sabertooth the latter would have to chat with a higher-up. She had no idea where any of them were, so she could not point the cat girl towards them. Gaia normally sat at a corner table and did tarot readings, but as far as the brunette knew Gaia was not here at the moment.

What should Victoria do?

[Post Word Count: 462]
[Victoria's Word Count: 1,596]

A licence? For mixing drinks? The idea was rather baffling to the blonde and she blinked a couple of times after hearing that. “Oh no, I’m not bothered about whether you have a fancy piece of paper or not. I’d like to think that making drinks is an art form and you don’t need a degree to be a great artist. I’d love to learn a trick or two from you.” It seemed that Fiore was a lot more complicated when it came to law and order than she was used to. Her tribe had its own code of conduct of course but it was a lot simpler. Her mother had never had to get a license or anything for mixing drinks and just did it as a hobby. The catgirl mused to herself that she had a lot to learn about this new country that she found herself in.

She had to chuckle a little as Victoria spoke about not being a musician, “Not to worry, I’ve had plenty of people say that I’m not one either but I keep trying.”Honestly, Desiree didn’t know whether her musical gifts were actually hers or simply came from Muse, her guitar but either way, she just took great joy in expressing herself. From the moment she’d stepped foot on Fiore, she’d noticed a rather alarming amount of folks who seemed to be overwhelmed by their own troubles and worries, as though a dark cloud was over their heads. It wasn’t like this back home, as her kin were so laid back and carefree that it was almost like another world. With that in mind, she’d taken it upon herself to play wherever she could, in order to hopefully help shed some of the worries of those she met. It wasn’t a complicated reason for wanting to help people but it was enough for her.

Twitching her ears as her new friend spoke a little about the guild, Desiree simply smiled, “Oh, so not everyone can recruit, huh? That’s fair enough and I don’t mind waiting for a while. I’ve got all the time in the world.” Her audience didn’t seem too eager about letting her leave either so it looked like she would be hanging around in any case. “What’s it like being a member of Sabertooth? Maybe you could tell me a tale or two about your time in the guild. I’d love to hear a little more about you.” Her tone of voice was as friendly as ever and her curiosity was almost insatiable at this point. She’d taken a liking to the brunette very quickly.

(437 Words)
(2124 Total WC)

"I'd like to think so too, but some people are just so hung up on degrees and titles that it doesn't matter how good you are. If you don't have it, you're worthless to them. You'll never be anything more than an amateur." Victoria commented to her feline acquaintance on the importance of official licenses, degrees, and other marks of competence to some people. The tall brunette had gotten by without "official" accreditation so far, but one day she would go for it so that she would be an "official" bartender who no one could casually dismiss because of a lack of formal training. That would have to come later, though. Right now she had other concerns, like finding out how she had changed into "Tall Victoria" and whether she could control the change or not. She was also talking to a pretty cool cat chick with a positive outlook on life.

"I've never played a musical instrument, Desiree. It's probably for the best, though. If I tried one I'd probably make people sad with how awful it sounds. I'd also get heavy objects thrown at my head." Victoria gave self-deprecating commentary on her complete absence of musical talent. Desiree seemed to have more going for her than just a cute face, a guitar, and a can-do attitude. She also had a certain something that made others take a liking to her. Maybe it was her cheerful demeanor... Victoria certainly appreciated that about Desiree.

There was something refreshing about meeting someone the world had not pounded into the dirt for whatever reason. Victoria was trying to move on from her past as a street kid, but in a way it still defined her. Everything she had done up to this point was done to secure wealth, power, and prestige so that she would not have to live in the streets once her mage career had run its course... if she survived long enough to retire. While she was not at the top of the ladder, being able to give the esteemed Wizard Saints a run for their money and being the second-strongest mage in Sabertooth were respectable accomplishments for a nobody from Capital Crocus.

Speaking of Sabertooth, Desiree wanted Victoria to tell her a story or two about the brunette's exploits to date. Victoria had to think a little about that one. Which one of her numerous exploits would be safe to recount in the company of women and children?

Not the story about Infernal Lord Zupazu and the demons under Hargeon Town.

Not the story about the panty bandit terrorizing Capital Crocus Mall. DEFINITELY not that one. Neither the story with Gaia nor Sarah was safe to recount. Especially not Sarah's.

Not the story about Abigail Windstrider going without a shirt in Desierto. That was another one not suitable for children to hear.

The one about Amberlin and the zombie cat in Sombras Manor.

"Hey, wanna hear about the time that I went to Sombras Manor in the Cursed Lands?" Victoria asked Desiree.

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[Victoria's Word Count: 2,100]

“Well, nuts to those people,” Desiree replied simply, feeling a little miffed at just how obsessed people could be over a piece of paper. It just sounded so alien to her and it did make her wonder that if folks could get so worked up over something so petty then how on earthland did they react to something more serious? Yet, that wasn’t the only thought that crept into the catgirl’s mind and she couldn’t help but muse to herself if perhaps Victoria had suffered because of such matters. She wouldn’t say that her brunette spoke with disdain about the topic but it made the catgirl pause anyway. She decided not to pry though, even if her natural curiosity and desire to help those she met was pushing her into it. No, for now, she’d bite her tongue on the topic and let it pass.

She had to smile at her friend’s deadpan comment about her musical talents, “I see, well, you could always show off your drink mixing skills if you wanted. I can promise you that you’d never need any fancy piece of paper to perform your art at my concerts.” The idea of a band was still rather tempting, even though she was pretty sure that it might have been a joke on Victoria’s part. Still, the thought of it made her grin and perhaps it was something that she could pull off one day or at the very least, the green eyed girl could always perform for the locals of the bar, as she had been earlier on. There was a friendliness to the Ace Of Spades that had certainly rose to the surface one she had started playing and the catgirl had been surprised by just how much happiness that it had caused her to feel in return. It was like a shot of adrenaline, a buzz that she loved.

In honesty, Desiree wasn’t sure if Victoria would wish to regale her with a tale or not, so to receive a positive answer caused her to gleefully nod her head. Her interest was piqued even further, even if she wondered if perhaps she was about to hear a ghost story of sorts. The Cursed Lands sounded like the stuff of nightmares, a place that the blonde had not travelled to herself yet although that would never stop her from either visiting or hearing about it. “I’d love to hear about your adventure, I’m all ears.”

(411 Words)
(2535 Total WC)

Victoria heard about Desiree allowing the former to sling drinks at one of her concerts and even promised that she would not need a bartending certification/license/whatever to do so. The brunette was on board for that. Any chance to make money slinging drinks was a welcome one, especially when it came with the moneymaking potential that crowds offered.

"If you ever need a bartender and I'm not on a job, I'll be there." Victoria assured the cat girl. Speaking of cats, it was now time to describe Victoria's adventure in Sombras Manor. It would be a lengthy tale of hanging around with an Order cleric and a zombie cat, but the brunette would do her best to condense it so that they did not spend all day sitting here.

"My job in Sombras Manor started when I was hired by the Order of Lightbringers to retrieve a tome of dark magic. The Order of Lightbringers is a group of clerics and knights who want to purify Earthland of all evil. They especially hate necromancers and their cults." Victoria started by giving the attentive cat girl a brief exposition of how the job got started and what the Order of Lightbringers was.

"I met up with Amberlin, a pink-haired Order cleric who was my partner for the job. We went inside Sombras Manor and Amberlin sensed a lot of poltergeist activity, probably because we were walking around in a house occupied by ghosts. We explored a bit and eventually came across a zombie cat with blood-red eyes guarding a hallway. It was so creepy... if you've ever seen a jet-black cat with patches of flesh and fur missing so that you could see its bones, you'd see what I was talking about." Victoria continued with a condensed version of events leading to them meeting Umbra. Pausing long enough to take a drink of the Screwdriver and set it down, Victoria then picked up where she had left off.

"After guarding the hallway for the longest time, the cat got tired of staring at us and actually approached us. It brushed up against my leg and then walked towards a door and started pawing at it. It woulda been cute if it wasn't a zombie cat, but since we didn't really have any choice, we opened the door and went inside, where a ghostly woman in a rocking chair was waiting on us." Victoria continued.

"We spoke to the woman and she told us that she used to live in the manor centuries ago. She then talked about a book that had been left behind by necromancers that was calling to her and all the other ghosts with dark energy. After learning that if we took the book the manor's ghosts would be at peace, we left the ghostly old woman behind and took the cat with us as a guide and protector. The cat's name was Umbra and it had the ability to see ghosts and expose them to people who couldn't see ghosts, namely me." Victoria described the meeting with the old woman and learning the cat's name. The brunette needed to take a breath before proceeding any further. Once she had done so, she launched into the next portion of the story.

"Once we got the services of Umbra, we followed him around and eventually fought three ghosts who he exposed with a flash of his red eyes. Unless you have Holy magic, Holy weapons, or Silver Daggers, you can't really hurt ghosts... at least as far as I know. Anyway, I had a Silver Dagger and Amberlin had Holy magic, so we beat them. Then we learned how the ghosts came to occupy the manor." Victoria said before taking a brief pause to pick up her Screwdriver and take another drink. Desiree's ears were probably sore from the constant talking and probably needed a break. Based on her experience with Umbra, cat ears were a lot more sensitive than human ears.

"Would you like to hear more?" Victoria offered.

[Post Word Count: 671]
[Victoria's Word Count: 2,771]

The blonde was captivated by the story and the eyes of the catgirl rarely left Victoria as she spoke. Her imagination soon visualising the tale that her friend was telling in her mind. She’d always been an addict for such things ever since she was a kitten, when her mother would spend hours regaling her about her own adventures. There was just something about the exploits of others that she loved and they only encouraged her to get out into the world and create her own story. The only time her gaze would leave the brunette was when the catgirl took a draught from her mug although even then, her ears were still twitching.

It seemed that she’d been right about it being a ghost story and her eyes lit up with curiosity as Victoria spoke about the The Order Of The Lightbringers and their quest. She could understand the goal and it sounded quite noble to the catgirl although she’d never quite been a believer that people were either good or evil. There was a grey area in many cases and she thought that if folks could find that balance then they’d find their center. It wasn’t an easy feat but it was what she believed anyway.

The mention of a zombie cat caught her interest too although the condition of the poor thing caused her to slightly frown. She could vaguely imagine what it might have looked like from Victoria’s description but the blonde actually felt rather sorry for the creature in any case. She’d heard of zombies of course, knowing that they were a kind of undead creature with violent tendencies although she hoped that they didn’t eat brains like she’d heard.

She continued to listen as her friend moved on to speak about her battle with the ghosts, finding it quite fascinating that Victoria was able to fight them with just a special dagger. It was quite a feat, she thought and she made a mental note to make sure that she brought some extra protection if she ever went on mission like Victoria’s. For all she knew, one of her magic’s might work but it was always better to be safe than sorry, Desiree didn’t like fighting herself but that didn’t mean that the brunette’s fight didn’t cause her imagination to blossom.

Unfortunately, that was when Victoria decided to pause the story, causing the green eyed catgirl to perk up, a slight pout crossing her features at the sudden stop, “Please do,” she replied with a chuckle,“You can't leave me hanging like that.” She was enthralled by the story, desperate to hear more.

(439 Words)
(2974 Total WC)

"OK, here goes. I'll try not to keep you here all day." Victoria said to Desiree, who was obviously interested in the story.

"After a little more walking, Umbra guided us to another ghost. That ghost was Roger Stanton, the master of the hunt for the family that used to live in Sombras Manor. He told us that one night necromancers visited the manor and took over, sacrificing the staff and family to power some kind of ritual. The souls of the sacrificed people had been left to guard the book and that was why there were so many hostile ghosts roaming the manor." Victoria continued her story with a description of the meeting with Roger Stanton, who filled them in on what happened to make so many angry ghosts come into being. After meeting him came the session of Find-A-Key and Clean Up The Reading Room/Library.

"After our meeting with Roger, we explored the second floor and found a journal describing life before the necromancers showed up. It was pretty boring. Umbra helped us find a silver key with an eagle etched on the handle and that was when things got interesting. It unlocked a reading room on the second floor and allowed us to find another key... after some searching and inhaling a lot of dust from books that hadn't been moved or cleaned in at least a century." Victoria recounted, thinking that she could smell the dust again for a brief moment. She hated that part. Amberlin hated it even more than Victoria because she was about to cry when trying to put the dozens of books in alphabetical order.

"This key was a golden one with a wolf etched on the handle. As it turned out, it fit the lock to another reading room on the third floor. We went inside and searched for anything out of the ordinary. While Amberlin was busy sorting the books into alphabetical order a medallion dropped out of a book and I picked it up. It was a silver skull medallion with a phrase in a fancy language." Victoria got to where things got interesting before taking another sip of the Screwdriver and setting it down.

"De mortuis nihil nici bonum." Victoria recited the phrase and let it linger in the air for a moment before providing the translation.

"Of the dead, say nothing but good. Amberlin was kind enough to translate the phrase for a non-scholar like me." Victoria provided Amberlin's translation of the fancy language to Desiree. She had no idea how Amberlin knew the fancy language, but it was a safe bet to say that her Order studies involved learning old languages so that she could translate any strange documents that the knights seized from the lairs of cultists or necromancers. Victoria was glad to have worked with her a few times in the past because Amberlin's scholarship came in handy.

"Anyway, with medallion in hand we made our way back to the first floor of Sombras Manor and entered the basement, then fought our way past some angry ghosts and found a door with a stone skull next to it. Amberlin put the medallion in its mouth inscription first and the skull's jaws snapped shut, then the door opened. Oh man, the stench of dead bodies was awful!" Victoria recounted further. The flesh had long decayed from the bodies, but the room still smelled like death. The stench of death had seeped into the walls and could not have been removed even if a professional cleaning crew spent a year cleaning just that room.

"We looked inside the room and found a lot of human skeletons with daggers sticking out of their chests. Amberlin told me that every person in the room had their chests cut open and their hearts removed while they were still alive. She knew this because the ghosts whispered to her and she could feel their suffering, like she was some sort of empath for dead people. We also spotted the book that the ghosts had been forced to guard... while we were debating on how to get rid of Umbra turned towards the doorway and hissed. He had spotted a big gang of ghosts heading for us and things got real." Victoria paused for a long while. That was one of the more intense jobs she had taken and definitely one of the most interesting.

"Gimme a minute and I'll tell you the rest of the story. It gets even more interesting." Victoria assured Desiree that the tall brunette would not leave the latter hanging. The brunette reached for the Screwdriver and found that it was empty. What a shame.

[Post Word Count: 779]
[Victoria's Word Count: 3,550]

The catgirl chuckled at Victoria’s dry joke about being kept at the bar all day, appreciating her new friend’s sense of humour. Honestly, she could have sat there all day listening to the brunette’s tales and the time would have flown by. What a story it was too and the further into it that Victoria got, the more the blonde was hooked. It was half mystery, half adventure and the girl’s mind was completely focused on her visualising, with there being moments where Desiree did honestly think she had been there herself. It was a dark tale indeed but for the most part, the catgirl was alright with the details that were being told to her. She’d heard her fair share of spooky tales in the past and had a fairly strong stomach to them. Death, fear and sadness, such tales were sadly all too common. So, she'd do what she could and help out those in need.

However, her face did almost turn a nice shade of green when Victoria mentioned the state of the bodies that she’d found in the locked room and she took a rather long draught from her mug, causing her to cough rather loudly afterwards. Intense didn’t quite cover it in the catgirl’s opinion and after recovering, she simply said, “Whew, that’s quite an image Victoria.” Understatement of the year. A part of her pondered if she wanted to hear the rest but her curiosity was just too strong at this point and she’d never only ask herself what if later if she didn’t hear it all. There was nothing worse than a half told story in her mind although she did appreciate the pause in order to recollect herself a little. There was bound to be a happy ending to the tale anyway, right? Or at least that’s what she hoped. She was completely hooked by now and desperately wanted to hear the rest of the tale.

Noticing that the brunette’s glass was empty and beckoned to the bartender, “Two Screwdriver’s please,” she requested politely, figuring she might as well try one herself. With a grin, he’d walk off and get to work on their order.

The break in the story gave her a few moments to think about just what she was getting herself into and although she knew that danger was a part of being an adventurer, she briefly considered the idea about how she’d handle such graphic sights. Stories were one thing but seeing and sensing such things in the field would be something else. The blonde had never been the type to worry too much though and she shook her head after a few moments, pushing the thoughts away. It was just something she’d have to get used to and would no doubt help her grow as a mage and a person. Maybe one day it would be her telling a story of daring doom to a rookie of the guild, as Victoia was with her. It was a pleasant thought.

With a smirk, her gaze would then turn back towards her friend, green eyes once more focused on Victoria’s face, “Whenever you’re ready Victoria.”


(527 Words)
(3500 Total WC)

"As it turned out, we found the book that the ghosts had been forced to protect and Amberlin started an incantation to destroy it, but what we found was a lot worse than just some notes written by people who raised corpses for fun." Victoria continued the story. She did not pause just for dramatic effect. She was not sure if the story was safe to tell anymore because some idiot might get the idea to go out and look for a book of demon pacts in order to make a pact with a demon for money, power, or whatever. If someone did try to make a pact and they mentioned her as the inspiration, the Rune Knights and Dies Irae could come kicking in the brunette's front door.

"The ghosts didn't like that because they came after us with a vengeance. They phased through the walls and tried to stop us, but I forced them to back off by killing one or two with my Silver Dagger. They were just seeing what we were doing... if they had really wanted us dead, they would have kept throwing ghosts at us. Anyway, Amberlin empowered me with holy magic that made normal weapons able to hurt ghosts, then took a look at the book and could tell that it was a book that dealt with making pacts with demons. It was real nasty stuff. It was so bad that we decided to destroy the book on the spot instead of trying to take it back to the Order." Victoria explained the gravity of the book. Victoria withheld the fact that she knew exactly which demon it was dedicated to because she did not want to give the impression that she was a hard-nosed demon fighter or give anyone the name of a demon to bargain with. She had fought Infernal Lord Zupazu and his servants beneath Hargeon Town, but one encounter did not make the brunette a real demon fighter.

"Amberlin wasn't strong enough to banish the book herself, so she called in a more experienced cleric named Athena for help with the ritual. Athena teleported in and asked why she had been called. Amberlin explained what we had found and handed Athena the book... the other cleric agreed that the book needed to be banished immediately and the pair began a banishing ritual. That's when the ghosts really came out of the woodwork... or stonework... well, you get it." Victoria continued with the tale.

"I stood in the doorframe with a Light Machine Gun and saw four dozen ghosts floating down the hallway towards us. They didn't want us to banish the book, but with a Light Machine Gun that could hurt ghosts, things were looking up for us. The clerics started the ritual and I started fending off the ghosts to buy them some time. Sure, I killed a few of the ghosts, but they didn't stop coming no matter how many of them I turned into Swiss cheese. They came from the floorboards and came out of the walls... there were so many that I was kinda worried that it was the end for us." Victoria admitted that the big fight with the ghosts had concerned her. In retrospect she might have been better off having her Grenade Launcher powered up, but that would have given ghosts time to float past the grenades. The LMG was the best way to go.

"Thankfully the ritual was a quick one because Amberlin and Athena succeeded in banishing the book before the ghosts got to me. After the book was banished the ghosts stopped attacking us and thanked us for freeing their spirits. Then it got kinda sad because Umbra had to leave along with the spirits of the family and staff of Sombras Manor. I kinda miss that zombie cat... red eyes, patches of fur falling out, and all." Victoria admitted that she missed Umbra, the very same zombie cat that had creeped her out earlier in the story. Umbra had grown on her not only for his useful abilities but because he was sort of cute in an "undead cat" kind of way.

"We managed to banish the book and save the day. When we got back to the Order of Lightbringers headquarters, their leader heard our story and agreed with us that destroying the book was the right thing to do. All's well that ends well." Victoria finally concluded the story of how she and Amberlin not only explored Sombras Manor, but survived to tell the tale. It was a good thing that Desiree was so patient because the story took a long time to tell.

[Post Word Count: 778]
[Victoria's Word Count: 4,328]