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    Rescue Me From Night Unending

    Fraag
    Fraag

    Player 
    Lineage : Progeny of Arcanos
    Position : None
    Faction : The Luminous Covenant
    Posts : 1038
    Guild : Luminous Rose
    Cosmic Coins : 60
    Dungeon Tokens : 0
    Experience : 3,401,904

    Character Sheet
    First Skill: Arcane Fate Magic
    Second Skill: Night God Slayer
    Third Skill: Relativity God Slayer

    Rescue Me From Night Unending Empty Rescue Me From Night Unending

    Post by Fraag 25th February 2021, 9:59 am

    The Scholar of Fenghai, Bai Suzhen almost cringed visibly as the doors of the Throne Hall closed behind her with a dull boom, the sound amplified by the silence within the spacious room in which she now stood. This was her first official appearance at the headquarters of the light guild Dies Irae, and she was practically a rack of nerves. Everything about the guild spoke of grandeur, and even though Suzhen was not unfamiliar with grandeur, there was something about being exposed to something one was not used to. The grandeur of Dies Irae was different from anything she was familiar with. Dongxia, her home nation, had its own measures of grandeur, and could be breathtaking in its colorful displays of splendor. This here was different. It had its own type of splendor, except that Dies Irae's seemed to be a cold and dismal majesty, one that had the potential to strike a mixture of fear and wonder into the heart, what with its stark grey stone walls and its myriad of flying banners. Its location on Amber Island meant that it was generally situated away from the rest of the world, and it would be quite unexpected to see the building towering high on the once deserted island, if one were not expecting to see it.

    Yet for all its stark splendor, the fact that a thriving town, Port Amber, could be situated here, thanks to being protected by the shadow of the guild, was the major reason Suzhen had found herself here. In retrospect, she felt she was a coward; most people joined guilds because they either identified with the guild's ideals, or they wanted something and the guild was a way to get their desire. Suzhen, for her part, had only been interested in the guild in another land, possibly another time, with death and madness all around her. A dying soldier had whispered the lines of an ancient verse, and Suzhen had heard it. While she knew not to whom this hymn was written, she could not forget the words, and after blood, death and sacrifice had ensured that she was free once more to walk under the sun that shone on living men, the Dongxian scholar had ardently researched the lines she had heard. Eventually, she could not identify the original birthplace of the poem, but she discovered excerpts from a missive that bore the exact words. And the missive was from Dies Irae.

    After doing all the necessary research on the guild, Suzhen felt she could get behind the guild's ideologies, even if some people said they were a band of crazed murderers sitting under the flag of righteousness. What appealed to Suzhen, so she felt, was the guild's commitment to discipline, self-betterment, and the protection of the populace. She could run under such a flag. What she did not want to think was that the probable reason she was joining this guild was because she sought to escape the Night Unending. And she felt like a hypocrite for this reason, because her personal code was to not burden others with her own problems. So she just hoped that she would never again have to face the Endless Night, and that her motivations for joining Dies Irae were selfless.

    The reception hall seemed empty. Suzhen walked in slowly, her heels announcing her presence with every step. She felt she looked very out-of-place here; aside the fact that she looked nothing like a warrior, she was sure her nervousness was obvious on her face. She felt pathetic. Oh, not to mention that she felt very uncomfortable. She'd been issued standard Dies Irae uniform, and sadly, whoever had measured her had not done much in the way of allowance as far as her bust was concerned. She prayed for the umpteenth time that buttons wouldn't pop. And that the presentation of herself to the guild would be pleasant.

    First impressions, they say, last the longest, after all.


    WC: 662


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    Addre
    Addre

    Player 
    Lineage : The World Slayer
    Position : None
    Posts : 229
    Guild : Dies Irae
    Cosmic Coins : 0
    Dungeon Tokens : 0
    Experience : 17,909

    Character Sheet
    First Skill: Venom God Slayer (Unseen Gen.)
    Second Skill: Solar Dragon Slayer (Unseen Gen.)
    Third Skill: Clear Demon Slayer (Unseen Gen.)

    Rescue Me From Night Unending Empty Re: Rescue Me From Night Unending

    Post by Addre 25th February 2021, 11:57 am

    The Blood Sceptre had been stored away safely by Officer Jariel Jareem, and thus was the completion of an important mission issued to him by Commander West. He made sure to send a report back to her with details of the event concerning the cursed scepter that fell in the hands of random criminals, turning them into beasts and bloodthirsty anomalies with no humane senses of reason left. They now embraced the grave for their unforgivable actions to the citizens of Motor City, and the weapon was now stored away within the ranks of experts who knew how to deal with cursed artifacts. It was sealed away in thick layers of material, so that no passer-by would be unfortunate enough to be overwhelmed by its pain-inducing beckoning for innocent flesh.

    After that was taken care of, JJ figured that he could replenish his energy storages and take a nap afterwards. There were probably a handful of missions available for him – optional ones at that, but they were his duties as well as the duties of the guild to undertake… just let him recover from almost getting cut in two by hooligans, first.

    The Mess Hall and Kitchen was located at the East Wing, so he would have to walk to the heart of the Throne Hall and then take a left – he came from the back end of the hall. Unlike the first time he walked into this hall, JJ now found himself an experienced and dependable member of Dies Irae. He was now among the three Officers of the elevated guild, a promotion granted to him not too long ago for his continuous, fruitful job and efficiency in the field. With that came his own, larger and customized room where his priced, Desiertan carpets decorated the floors as well as the walls akin to his old home.

    He, too, looked different from back then; a little taller, chiseled and built for combat, his physique had benefited greatly from his time here. He even possessed his own, sleek uniform; a long leather coat with golden epaulettes and donning its left side in red, its right side in white. Translucent symbols travelled across the coat in the forms of olive leaves. Less ornamented than his previous uniform, but still quite similar to it – his hands, however, were free and able to breathe the air as he no longer benefited from the protective gloves. While the bottom of the coat was wide and broadened out elegantly, the top still hugged his buff features.

    And, of course, his cap made the icing. Red and white like the coat, and it carried a golden star. In all honesty, the accessory that stood out the most was the silver-colored earring on his right ear, carrying Dies Irae’s Symbol.



    He felt dizzy again. That was usually the case when he sensed such powerful, magical auras nearby, but he quickly shook it off and gazed at the other soldier ahead of him. She was new here… at least, he hadn’t met her before. She looked a little troubled, herself… JJ felt inclined to ask about it, but his companion was far ahead of him.

    “Rue!” he called out to his companion; the flying, dark-blue mirror with eyes was intrigued by the presence of the short but illustrious-looking lady. It would gently float around her, keeping a mild distance of half a meter away from her face while JJ approached. “It is rude to fly up to people’s faces like that… but you cannot talk, so there might not be any other options for you to initiate a conversation.” Upon approaching the lady, the height difference became apparent; she reached him up to his shoulders. Then again, such a measurement meant little…

    Salamun Alaykum. Sorry for my friend’s intrigued feelings… I intend to train him well, so that Rue doesn’t end up bothering busy people and getting me in trouble,” he apologized on behalf of Rue, the name of the floating mirror creature. She wouldn’t know of this, but JJ and Rue had gotten into trouble exactly due to Rue’s insatiable curiosity before…

    His hand rested on his chest as he softly lowered his head, gaining a better glance at the almost otherworldly beauty. “I must stay around the Throne Hall some more, for I see new faces here each and every day.”

    WC: 726


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    xxxx
    Me - Venom GS - Sun DS - Clear DeS - Lineage - Bank - Char Change (15-07-2021)
    xxxxx
    Addre's Battle Theme:
    Shen Kadokawa
    Shen Kadokawa

    Administrator- Moderator- Developer/GFX Artist- Main Account- Alignment Shift- Mythical VIP Status- Demon VIP Status- God VIP Status- Dragon VIP Status- Knight VIP Status- Regular VIP Status- VIP- Mythical- Gain An Artifact- Quality Badge Level 1- Quality Badge Level 2- Quality Badge Level 3- God Of Ishgar- Ten Wizard Saint Member- Guild Master- Custom Slayer- God Slayer- Demon Slayer- Legal Guild Ace- Neutral Guild Ace- Z-Rank- Y-Rank- X-Rank- H-Rank- S-Rank- A-Rank- Wanderer- Eevee- EXP Grinder- Jewel Grinder- Job Creator- Working Together- Forever Solo- Christian Minecraft Server- I Have Friends...- Teaming Up!- Limited Edition- Idolize- Unknown Powerhouse- Unknown Legend- The Completionist- Guild Creator- Achiever- Expert Achiever- Buddy Buddy- Obligatory Beach Episode- Shipped- Sticking Around- Loyal to the Bone- Dank Memer- Fan Artist- Taskmaster- Halloween gfx'ers- Halloween Social- Halloween job event participant - Fan Art Contest Participant- Haiku Contest Participant- Richie Rich- Rich- Veteran Level 6- Veteran Level 5- Veteran Level 4- Veteran Level 3- Veteran Level 2- Veteran Level 1- Character History!- Magic Application Approved!- Obtain A Secondary Magic!- Get A Pet!- Character Application Approved!- Complete Your First Job!- Join A Faction!- Tertiary Magic- Supreme Grand Master [5000]- Grand Master [2000]- Master [1000]- Senior [500]- Novice [250]- 3rd Place Event/Contest Winner- Christmas Event Winner- X-Mas Event Participant- Advertisement Achievement Badge- Tournament Participation Badge- Cookie Achievement- Cupcake Achievement- Rainbow Hero- Summer Special Tier 4- Summer Special Tier 3- Summer Special Tier 2- Summer Special Tier 1- Summer Special Donor- Summer Special Participant- 1 Year Anniversary- Player-
    Lineage : Assassin's Shadow
    Position : None
    Faction : The Rune Knights
    Posts : 11951
    Guild : Guildless
    Cosmic Coins : 505
    Dungeon Tokens : 0
    Age : 27
    Experience : 3,283,767

    Character Sheet
    First Skill: Infinite Arcana
    Second Skill: Vox Universum
    Third Skill: Disciple of War

    Rescue Me From Night Unending Empty Re: Rescue Me From Night Unending

    Post by Shen Kadokawa 25th February 2021, 3:50 pm


    Rescue Me From Night Unending ZhCAjlE

    The silver-haired Ambassador of Dies Irae sighed softly as he leaned back in his leather-clad office chair, his gaze inevitably finding its way out of the large window to his side, not far from the large mahogany desk he so often found himself occupying. It was a beautiful day, really. The tides of the Azure Sea, as it was so often the case, would calmy caress the white sand beaches of Amber Island in the distance, the bright afternoon sun reflected in the sheet of blue as a glowing marble. Why was it always on days like these that bad news would reach him? Johann von Weiss closed his eyes, letting the information he had received pass through his mind once more in an attempt to sort through it, though it was of little use. The nature of the message was simply too impactful to process with a few simple thoughts, the man opening his eyes anew only to find them involuntarily drawn back to the thin piece of paper stretched out before him, the hastily-scribbled black letters on the parchment a testament to the mood in which the author of this particular piece had been when he had brought the news into writing. It was understandable, really, given the contents of the letter, addressed to the Ambassadors of Dies Irae.

    Fiore was preparing its forces for war. The context described in the report was of unambiguous meaning. Pergrande and Bellum were once again taking the field of battle in a conflict with one another, Fiore, as one of Bellum's allies, seemingly being drawn into the fighting, despite the absence of a clear declaration of war as of yet. "What a mess ...", the man mumbled under his breath, briefly recalling memories from the last war between Pergrande and Bellum some 10, no, 15 years ago at the least. He didn't know for sure, but the last time they had fought the argent-haired Ambassador had not yet been a guild mage, making his living as a mercenary. The battles between Pergrande and Bellum were a steady source of income, and an easy one, too. He knew that Pergrande despised magic in any form, so fielding mages was, of course, off-limits, and dealing with mundane troops was far easier than battling against experienced magi in any form. Still, it had been a while, though Johann knew that another conflict was inevitable. As long as the two nations existed they would lust for the destruction of the other. It was a cycle without a clear end in sight. That was all well and good, but what would a guild situated on an island off the coasts of Minstrel and Midi have to do with that? The Ambassador could imagine that any ordinary person could ask themselves this question, and in truth, even Johann, who understood that, if a war would indeed break out, the system of alliances that had been forged across Ishgar would be set in motion, asked himself why Dies Irae should get involved with this particular conflict.

    It was true, Fiore was allied with Bellum. The government of Fiore was the Magic Council, Dies Irae being technically an extension of this organization. The fact of the matter remained, however, that the guild was detached from events in Fiore, so why, as it had been ordered in that letter, should Dies Irae mobilize against "the enemies of the Magic Council and all of Magic itself"? It was put in such an orthodox way that the Ambassador wondered if a Bellian Archpriest themselves had written dictated this message. What an utterly ridiculous notion. Was this what people called Realpolitik? Johann sighed anew. He was no politician, but the least he could do was raise this issue with the Magic Council and protest the decision. He would do so in person. Waiting for written replies could take ages when it came to the Council, even with modern communications. Not to mention the fact that attending to this matter himself meant that they couldn't as easily give him some bureaucratic excuse, as they more often than not tended to do.

    Unceremoniously, the man would rise from his chair and head for the door to his office, leaving the opened letter on his desk. After all, he had a fellow Ambassador who would undoubtedly have an interest in what it said, not to mention the fact that Johann would have to talk to Seven about this. He trusted her judgment, and as such, the two needed to reach a consensus on the best course of action. When he was not driven by emotion, that was. Naturally, there was another entity that quite appreciated the news that the Ambassador had received. "Why protest? Is this not a most intriguing development?", a deep, albeit familiar voice echoed through the man's mind. "Just imagine the fun a real war will be!". Mars' tone was an indicator of his emotional state, and the Ambassador had expected something like this. It was only natural that the creature he shared a body with would be trimming with excitement. "I have my doubts about that", the silver-haired man replied curtly as he left the office and walked down the hallway towards the Throne Hall, every step echoing back from the polished granite walls with a resounding, yet characteristic sound. Johann wasn't about to argue with the being, but he knew that this topic was far from finished. Mars would have a say in such matters in one way or another, whether Joh consented to it or not.

    Busy with himself and his own thoughts, he would reach the Throne Hall, his stride taking him towards the archway that led into the spacious area Dies Irae used as a forum of sorts, though the Hall itself appeared awfully empty. Johann only took note of this in passing and would've ignored the fact entirely if it hadn't been for the two figures that seemed to converse close to the exit Joh had been heading towards. To not at least offer a word of greeting would certainly be rude, the man directing his eyes towards the pair, not to mention the curious creature that seemed to accompany the man. "Ah, forgive me. A good day to both of you. Jariel-", Johann had picked up the habit of calling people by their first names, even if he disliked such informalities, for the sake of making himself appear a little more casual. "-It's good to see you. I heard of the mission to Motor City you'd been dispatched on. If you're back, I assume you have completed your tasks successfully?". After greeting the more familiar person first, it was only natural to move on to the next, a woman, though the Ambassador had to admit that her identity remained a mystery to him. He was certain he had not seen her here before, or at least he couldn't recall ever seeing her around, though she was wearing a uniform distinctly associated with the guild. Was she from the branch of the guild located in Cedar? Or ... "Are you a new recruit, perhaps? I don't believe we've met before, so please, allow me to introduce myself: Johann von Weiss-", at the mention of his name, the man would bow slightly, a gesture richer in symbolism than true courtesy, the long, black coat that formed part of his own distinct uniform almost touching the ground, "-one of the two Ambassadors of Dies Irae".

    He gave the woman a closer look. Upon further inspection, she appeared, for the lack of a better term, exotic. Young, certainly, much younger than Johann, although his own appearance wouldn't give that away. Her hair and eyes were especially eye-catching, both glowing in their own respectively unique and, it was not shameful to admit, attractive hue. He imagined that with traits like these, and certain other evident factors, she would be certain to draw the stares of many-a-man to herself, though, in truth, the Ambassador had little care for such things. It appeared, though, that the little excursion to Era he had planned spontaneously would experience a just as spontaneous delay. If a new recruit had to be initiated ...  a circumstance like that would naturally require his attention. A weak, albeit practiced smile would curl one corner of the man's mouth upward. Hopefully, an expression like this would appear friendly and welcoming rather than awkward as he continued in a gentle tone. "Who might you be, stranger?".



    Word Count: 1,415
    Personal Word Count Total: 1,415
    Thread Word Count Total: 2,803



    _____________________________________________________________________________________

    Fraag
    Fraag

    Player 
    Lineage : Progeny of Arcanos
    Position : None
    Faction : The Luminous Covenant
    Posts : 1038
    Guild : Luminous Rose
    Cosmic Coins : 60
    Dungeon Tokens : 0
    Experience : 3,401,904

    Character Sheet
    First Skill: Arcane Fate Magic
    Second Skill: Night God Slayer
    Third Skill: Relativity God Slayer

    Rescue Me From Night Unending Empty Re: Rescue Me From Night Unending

    Post by Fraag 26th February 2021, 6:57 am

    With a meeting hall as expansive as the one in which she stood, Suzhen was absolutely confounded as to where exactly she was supposed to go to in order to finalize the whole process of becoming more than just a lackey of Dies Irae. There were a number of doors situated in various positions at different ends of the hall. None of them gave the Dongxian any indication that they were where she wanted to go. Her academic nature, blended with her flair for the dramatic when she was in the mood, caused her to formulate an interesting pastime. She would attempt to use clues that presented themselves all around her in order to determine what door to go through, and where she ended up would allow her to sufficiently grade herself on the accuracy of her judgment call. If she had been in the presence of other strangers, she would not probably attempt what seemed like some degree of tomfoolery, but being unwatched and alone made her begin to relax just a little, and a bit of mental engagement seemed like a presently good idea. She had decided to first study the floor, in the hopes that she would be able to find traces of traffic, and to what levels they flowed in and out of the doors. The floor of the meeting forum in which she stood was of very good quality stone; it was very durable and resistant to the wear caused by the friction of feet and other things moving across it. Also, it was well kept, and was pristinely clean; one could probably drop their food on the floor and eat it off the cool stone. Still, Suzhen wasn't sure she would do that. Despite its level of cleanliness, it was still a floor, and a floor meant....

    Her attention was suddenly snatched away from studying the floor by a flicker of blue movement, and her head snapped up to see a most curious creature staring at her. Steel-blue and grey in color, it looked like a very rounded hexagon, with its vertices topped by grey orbs. Its eyes, though of an ochre hue and rather preternatural, did not appear hostile, rather it seemed to be studying her with interest. But the shock of seeing such a strange being when it had been humans she was expecting was enough to elicit an unconscious scream, which Suzhen quickly managed to bring under control, the sound coming out as more of a strangled yelp. A part of her felt ashamed of herself. She was supposed to have a degree in the study of strange creatures and things. And yet, she had been under a lot of mental tension. In a more composed frame of mind, she would probably have regarded it with raised eyebrows and a curiosity of her own. In a more composed frame of mind, which she presently didn't have.

    A voice called out to the floating creature, and Suzhen realized that her hand was placed over her heart in an unconscious gesture of shock. She quickly dropped the limb, as she turned her attention to the newcomer. It was in times like this that she was made well aware of her own physical size. He was well over an entire foot taller than she was, with jet black hair, and eyes of a similar color to hers. From his gentle upbraiding of the strange floating creature, Suzhen decided it was safe to assume that the hexagonal being belonged to the tall stranger. It was when he greeted her that Suzhen realized she had been keenly staring at him. He was quite easy on the eyes, she would give him that, but her interest was in the fact that his well-favored facial features were not run-of-the-mill Fiorean, though Fioreans tended to come in various shapes and sizes. His salutation, however, answered the question of the man's background. He was either from, or had been raised in the harsh lands of Desierto. The Dongxian maiden let her eyes wander from his face, hoping she hadn't been caught staring.

    "Wa alaykum salam," she replied with a smile and a gentle bow, making sure she replied his greeting in Desiertian. She was a linguist, so there was that unconscious desire to show off just a little. "There really isn't anything to forgive; I am also curious as to what exactly Rue is, so it would be hypocritical of me to be irritated by the expression of his own." The tall fellow had called Rue a 'he', so Suzhen had gone along with that pronoun, though she had no idea of how sex was determined in such a creature's species... if indeed it even had a species to which it belonged. The man's statement about coming more often to the Throne Hall elicited Suzhen's characteristic lopsided smile. "Do you have a preference for faces, or any type of new face will do?"

    The presence of a third person halted the current line of discussion. Suzhen recognized the man as soon as her eyes fell on him, not because she had met him in the past, but because he had enough visual cues to set him out easily: almost white hair, a strange heterochromia of crimson and grey eyes, and the calm, apparently aloof air. She was in the presence of one of the "Gods" of Ishgar, one of the two guild masters of the guild which she desired to join. Her knowledge was simply from the fact that she researched everything she was going to be involved in as deeply as she could, and Johann von Weiss was already a very popular figure in Fiore, if not the whole continent. Unnecessary tidbit of information: he was also at least a foot taller than she was. As unnecessary as it seemed, being in the presence of such a celebrated fellow, and her having to crank her neck to look at any face that wasn't Rue's, made her suddenly very nervous again.

    The taller fellow was Jariel; it didn't sound like a nickname, but she thought that was quite unlikely. With Johann's somewhat down-to-business air, Suzhen wasn't sure he would slap people with nicknames when he had the chance, a bad habit she had. Then he turned to her. He seemed to have rightly surmised that she was a new recruit, and introduced himself with a bow, before asking her identity. With as much willpower as she could muster, she attempted to keep her voice straight as she introduced herself. "Scholar Bai Suzhen of Fenghai reporting for service, sir!" she announced, whipping her upper body into a deep bow. Suzhen didn't know whether the creaking sound was imagined or audible, but she realized that two, if not more, of the buttons lining the front of her uniform were threatening to mutiny. She snapped back erect like the blade of a jackknife, and bowed again, a slower, more cautious bow, her cheeks burning from the apparently silly display. "You are correct, sir; I have only just joined the guild. I wish to make myself as useful as possible."


    WC: 1186 words
    Personal WC: 1848
    Thread WC: 3989


    _____________________________________________________________________________________

    Addre
    Addre

    Player 
    Lineage : The World Slayer
    Position : None
    Posts : 229
    Guild : Dies Irae
    Cosmic Coins : 0
    Dungeon Tokens : 0
    Experience : 17,909

    Character Sheet
    First Skill: Venom God Slayer (Unseen Gen.)
    Second Skill: Solar Dragon Slayer (Unseen Gen.)
    Third Skill: Clear Demon Slayer (Unseen Gen.)

    Rescue Me From Night Unending Empty Re: Rescue Me From Night Unending

    Post by Addre 26th February 2021, 8:39 am

    Surprising to say, but quite welcome too… she greeted back in his language. ‘Wa alaykum salam’ was the typically accepted response to his greeting, meaning ‘And peace upon you (too)’. Until then, his facial expression was stoic and rather shadowy; his cap did create the effect of a black screen hiding his eyes from view as if he was in a state of emergency, but when she replied to him in Desiertan, he flicked his cap up a little with his index finger to let her see his eyes… although, she would have a great view of them from her position as she did linger a foot under his face. The shadow effect only worked on people about the same height as him.

    Rue was a gentle creature; he spun once at the lady’s comment in a way to showcase his strange complexion, before he would float back to JJ’s side. The shorter lady had a fine and smooth way of conversing; she sounded far more experienced than her appearance showed. JJ couldn’t help but find himself tranced by such elegance… it was such a big difference from a certain, pink-haired gal idol with too much time and energy in her hands. Oh, and the way she talked was far more masterful than Illya’s… b-by a landmine.

    JJ noticed that and thought about it: Illya, I’m so sorry for thinking ill of you, but you could learn a thing or two from her.

    A strange question, it was… if he had a preference for faces? JJ cupped his chin at that question, finding himself lost. He did glance at her face… and she was new and strange to him, but her face was also very pretty. It was often a valued skill to read people through their faces, too, but something told him that she didn’t allude to that. “… I do have-“ JJ was about to answer, but he felt it again – the presence of magical prowess in great quantity. The Ambassador, Johann, had joined them – maybe, he had recruited the delicate lady recently…

    JJ’s face did sour back into its stoic nature when greeted by his real name. if not spoken in his Desiertan dialect, it just sounded… weird. He didn’t want to pressure his preferences over his name onto people’s faces, in which he came up with the nickname ‘JJ’ to begin with – yeah, what guy makes up his own nickname? It was humiliating, but was JJ any extravagant being who held himself higher than he was?

    He smiled back a moment later. No grudges lasted forever. “Salaam, Johann. Great to see you in good health,” the Demon Slayer greeted back. He was informed Johann’s knowing of his completed mission in Motor City, to which the Desiertan assumed that Commander West informed him of that. He lowered his cap and confirmed his hunch: “Yes. The scepter has been obtained and sealed. None else shall draw blood with it.” The Blood Sceptre was an upmost dangerous weapon – likely, even Dies Irae Soldiers could fall prey to its mind-binding enchantment and turn violent against any, friend or foe.

    When Johann greeted the Soldier, JJ got to hear her name. A scholar by the name Bai Suzhen of Fenghai… she, too, appeared to be from overseas like him. Unlike himself, she found herself in awe at the presence of the Ambassador and bowed deeply…

    … Huh? Her back- wait, what was that? That sound…

    He held a hand up to his torso towards her, but he quickly retracted it. For a moment, it sounded like something creaked – like a cracking bone, the rapture of a joint or something else. However, she seemed to pay more attention to her way of bowing, so maybe it was just… no, couldn’t be. She appeared fine. Maybe his Demon Slayer hearing played tricks with him, as sharp as that sense was. He could still make up footsteps from people outside of the Throne Hall, so maybe he heard wrong.

    Oh, so she was a new recruit… and in a rise of worry, JJ looked around them, hoping that her words didn’t attract the attention of a certain girl who never trusted newcomers. Really, if you had the same experience as him, you’d be on guard too. He looked a little silly himself, looking left to right to left to right.

    She wasn’t here… fair enough. While the scene was adorable, JJ didn’t want Bai to feel nervous or… well, anxious. He felt that kind of aura emit from her, due to her body language and facial expression. Johann, the Ambassador, was a very relaxed and casual man at heart, so such formality wasn’t demanded in his presence. Perhaps, she’d find it less awkward if a fellow (ex-)Soldier informed her of so; to that, he bent over and lowered his head, so that he could quietly tell Bai: Sayyid… no, Johann is a very casual gentleman. No need to strain yourself so much.

    He rose his face back up and straightened his back, resting his hands in his coat’s pockets. His voice rose, so that it was clear to know that he addressed the grey-haired archmage next to him: “I thought that you recruited her earlier or knew her as a friend from the past… my Demon Senses sure tell me that you possess far more magical prowess than even I do, Baibai…”

    He cupped his chin again. ‘Baibai’ didn’t sound right. “No, I can come up with a better one… B-Baby?” Due to his accent, it sure sounded like he called her ‘baby’, but he was trying to conjugate the ‘a’ in Deisertan fashion. He didn’t even think about what he called her at this point. “You can call me JJ in retaliation. I have a preference for nicknames at times…” It was unsure as to why JJ cared so much about nicknames, but his glare towards Johann was meant to let him know of JJ’s feelings of that topic. Nicknames were milestones. Precious.

    WC: 1000
    PWC: 1726
    TWC: 4989


    _____________________________________________________________________________________

    xxxx
    Me - Venom GS - Sun DS - Clear DeS - Lineage - Bank - Char Change (15-07-2021)
    xxxxx
    Addre's Battle Theme:
    Shen Kadokawa
    Shen Kadokawa

    Administrator- Moderator- Developer/GFX Artist- Main Account- Alignment Shift- Mythical VIP Status- Demon VIP Status- God VIP Status- Dragon VIP Status- Knight VIP Status- Regular VIP Status- VIP- Mythical- Gain An Artifact- Quality Badge Level 1- Quality Badge Level 2- Quality Badge Level 3- God Of Ishgar- Ten Wizard Saint Member- Guild Master- Custom Slayer- God Slayer- Demon Slayer- Legal Guild Ace- Neutral Guild Ace- Z-Rank- Y-Rank- X-Rank- H-Rank- S-Rank- A-Rank- Wanderer- Eevee- EXP Grinder- Jewel Grinder- Job Creator- Working Together- Forever Solo- Christian Minecraft Server- I Have Friends...- Teaming Up!- Limited Edition- Idolize- Unknown Powerhouse- Unknown Legend- The Completionist- Guild Creator- Achiever- Expert Achiever- Buddy Buddy- Obligatory Beach Episode- Shipped- Sticking Around- Loyal to the Bone- Dank Memer- Fan Artist- Taskmaster- Halloween gfx'ers- Halloween Social- Halloween job event participant - Fan Art Contest Participant- Haiku Contest Participant- Richie Rich- Rich- Veteran Level 6- Veteran Level 5- Veteran Level 4- Veteran Level 3- Veteran Level 2- Veteran Level 1- Character History!- Magic Application Approved!- Obtain A Secondary Magic!- Get A Pet!- Character Application Approved!- Complete Your First Job!- Join A Faction!- Tertiary Magic- Supreme Grand Master [5000]- Grand Master [2000]- Master [1000]- Senior [500]- Novice [250]- 3rd Place Event/Contest Winner- Christmas Event Winner- X-Mas Event Participant- Advertisement Achievement Badge- Tournament Participation Badge- Cookie Achievement- Cupcake Achievement- Rainbow Hero- Summer Special Tier 4- Summer Special Tier 3- Summer Special Tier 2- Summer Special Tier 1- Summer Special Donor- Summer Special Participant- 1 Year Anniversary- Player-
    Lineage : Assassin's Shadow
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    Posts : 11951
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    Age : 27
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    Character Sheet
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    Second Skill: Vox Universum
    Third Skill: Disciple of War

    Rescue Me From Night Unending Empty Re: Rescue Me From Night Unending

    Post by Shen Kadokawa 27th February 2021, 9:59 am


    Rescue Me From Night Unending ZhCAjlE

    When the familiar officer of Dies Irae replied to his question, the Ambassador would give him an approving nod, his expression shifting to a calm smirk of appreciation for Jariel's work, even if only for just a moment. "I'm glad to hear that. Undoubtedly, your success makes the world a safer place". Johann wasn't one to praise easily, but the praise that he did bestow upon others, in the end, was well-earned, that people could certainly be sure of, his soldiers especially. After all, the fact that this weapon was now under the guild's control meant that they could safely store it, lest it falls into the hands of innocents and causes havoc among the civilian populace of Fiore once more. That, however, was most definitely not the point of this interaction. While a job well done prompted an appropriate response, so did the arrival of a new soldier.

    "Bai ... Suzhen ... of Fenghai, huh?", he slowly muttered a repetition of her introduction under his breath. Honestly, the Ambassador of Dies Irae didn't quite know what to make of that name, or what seemed like a place of origin attached to it. The name did sound as though it was Dongxian, but the man couldn't be sure. While he was versed in some languages and cultures, based on his prior education and experience, he couldn't say that about anything that related to the mysterious island nation to mainland Ishgar's south. His expression probably portrayed at least some of his confusion as he thought. Which one was the first name, which one of the two her family name? Which one would be more appropriate as a means of addressing her? Was Fenghai truly a place located in Dongxia, or was it something else entirely? After a few seconds of silent contemplation, he decided to give up on even trying to come up with a solution to his predicament. He was neither informed nor intelligent enough to simply deduce the answers to his internal questions. Of course, simply asking the woman was not an option. It would be an admission of ignorance at worst, and make him look quite the fool at best. Still, he hoped that his contemplative silence, the short period of time in which he had simply appeared as if he'd spaced out, wouldn't be a dead giveaway to either of the other two people present here.

    "Ah ... no need to be so formal, Soldier. We are among our own, after all, but ... uh-". He would avoid calling her by any one of the two names until he could clarify some of his confusions. Would using them in combination be fine? Would calling her by her full name be considered rude? Perhaps the library had in their possession some material on this subject? He would try to explore that option later. For now, well, he couldn't simply take his leave and let this woman remain standing here. Joining a guild was, all things considered, a big step in a person's life, a process, so to speak, and Johann was one of the few people in Dies Irae whose responsibility it was that Neophytes wouldn't have to walk this path alone. Yes, the matter that had called for his attention could wait a bit. "-I can consider myself lucky to have such an eager Soldier at my disposal, certainly. Since we're both here now, why don't we go over your official initiation into Dies Irae?".

    Still ... would it be too late to tell Jariel that he, too, enjoyed the boon of certain heightened senses? A whisper wouldn't conceal words from him, though ...  he decided that it would be best to act as though he had missed what had been said entirely. He was, after all, correct in his assessment of the Ambassador, the silver-haired man simply continuing to smile at them both as if nothing had happened. Still, he didn't quite know or understand what kind of "Demon Senses" Jariel was referring to? If anyone could boast about demon senses, surely the Ambassador would have a word to say about that particular thing, but ... no, it didn't quite ring a bell. Perhaps his ability to ascertain such things was simply not as sharp or developed as that of others, but who was he to tell? He wouldn't dwell on that matter more than he had already.

    Jariel, however, appeared quite a bit more casual with the newcomer, already beginning to search for an appropriate nickname for her, an effort that Johann could only comment on in the form of a sheepish smile. The Ambassador was not a man for nicknames, in the end. He preferred a more direct approach. His voice would rind out once more, though his tone had become a little more steady than before, now that he had rid himself of the earlier confusion. "Perhaps it would be best to leave the familiarization for later. You will, of course, have more than enough time to acquaint yourself with both the members of Dies Irae and our guildhall, though the latter shouldn't be too complicated. As for the former ...", Johann would pause briefly, shooting a look at Jariel. The man was, naturally, one of the less eccentric members of the guild, despite his obvious quirks. A few others came to mind, but that would be a matter for another time entirely. The newcomer had to make that experience for herself.

    "Well, you have already met Jariel Jareem, one of the guild's higher-ranking Officers. As mentioned previously, I am one of the two Ambassadors. The Guild Masters, if you will, though I'm certain you know as much." The woman didn't appear clueless, Johann assumed as much from her rather formal attitude when she had first addressed him. "As it stands, you can direct any question you have to me and I will do my best to give you an answer that you will, hopefully, find satisfactory. That said, however-", the man would pause briefly once more, now directing his gaze comprised of dual-colored eyes specifically at the emerald-hued oculi of Bai Suzhen. His stance or expression did not change one bit, and neither would the man's tone, though his attitude appeared to experience a shift, the aura around him becoming slightly tenser to those with the perceptive abilities to interpret such a shift in the first place, "-there are also some questions I would like to direct at you, if you don't mind. I like to understand my soldiers a little. I hope that makes sense".

    That was no lie, of course. The questions he usually asked others were meant to offer Johann a little more insight into the attitude and personality of the candidates that joined Dies Irae. As one of the leaders of this Legal Guild, he had to, after all, make sure that the people coming to Amber Island were cut from the right cloth, in a sense. Depending on her answer, he would lose no time, as well, raising his first question in the same welcoming tone, though the eyes locked on her would give away the cold distance hidden behind the practiced mask of a friendly smile.

    "Our line of work is ... particular, and it takes particular people to partake in it. So my first question is thus: Tell me, Bai Suzhen of Fenghai, what exactly brings you to Dies Irae?".



    Word Count: 1,235
    Personal Word Count Total: 2,650
    Thread Word Count Total: 6,224



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    Fraag
    Fraag

    Player 
    Lineage : Progeny of Arcanos
    Position : None
    Faction : The Luminous Covenant
    Posts : 1038
    Guild : Luminous Rose
    Cosmic Coins : 60
    Dungeon Tokens : 0
    Experience : 3,401,904

    Character Sheet
    First Skill: Arcane Fate Magic
    Second Skill: Night God Slayer
    Third Skill: Relativity God Slayer

    Rescue Me From Night Unending Empty Re: Rescue Me From Night Unending

    Post by Fraag 1st March 2021, 7:03 am

    When she introduced herself, Suzhen could not help but notice that the silver-haired man had repeated her name in a gentle mutter, as though the name was sufficient reason for thought. But as to what her name evoked in Mr. von Weiss' mind, Suzhen was positively clueless. It was a bit entertaining for her to introduce herself to the average Fiorean, because their responses were interesting to observe, usually ranging from blank stares to guesses at her nationality, and all sorts of other things, seeing as she was almost evidently not Fiorean, as far as her phenotypic characteristics were concerned. With Johann, however, she found herself guessing; she couldn't say whether he had probably heard the name before, or whether he was merely trying to figure out where she hailed from. Suzhen decided not to bother trying to find out what he was thinking.

    Apparently, all the bowing and stiff formalities were not considered to be necessary as far as the guild leader standing before her was concerned, judging from what the tall, dark-haired Desiertian bent to whisper in Suzhen's ear. Her mouth shaped into an 'O' of understanding, and she nodded her head slowly. For the Dongxian, casual was always better than formal, and Suzhen was glad that the atmosphere would not be so rigid, if anything at all, it would save her from having to bow again, which increased the risks of an impending wardrobe malfunction. Still, Suzhen had to admit, even though she did not say this out loud, that, based on appearances alone, Johann struck the figure of a formal and regimented fellow. In the same sentence where in he dismissed excessive formality, he had called her 'soldier', which mildly surprised the Dongxian, seeing as she had never considered herself to be military, though she showed no sign of her emotions. Dies Irae was, for all intents and purposes, an army, after all.

    Jariel's attempts at creating nicknames for Suzhen elicited a rather amused laugh from her. "You are quite delightful, JJ," the scholar chuckled. "But 'Bai' is my family name, for there's this Dongxian thing about 'family before individual', so contrary to the general naming styles, we often put our surnames before our given names." It was common for many people to assume Bai was her surname, for two reasons: one, she called it first when introducing herself, and two, it seemed easier to pronounce than Suzhen. There was really no time to continue on the Dongxian Culture Primer, because Johann seemed  more interested in getting to matters of business. Suzhen did not take offense at him for that. He was, after all, the guild leader, and most likely had many more important things to do with his time than endure small talk, especially with all the talk about war all over the place. But she did not miss the meaningful look that Johann had given Jariel. Still, she had no idea of the meaning of the look, and did not feel it best to ask after the meaning of it. It probably had something to do with acquainting herself with the guild members. She'd also noticed that Jariel had appeared distracted when she had identified herself as a fresh recruit, like he was looking for something, or at least expecting something to happen. Well, if it had anything to do with meeting guild members, she would cross that bridge when she got to it.

    There seemed to be an imperceptible shift in the atmosphere, and to Suzhen, the flippant air seemed to have been immediately replaced by something more dour. "He's scary..." the Dongxian maiden thought silently, as she stared into the guild master's differently colored eyes a moment before breaking eye contact by dropping her gaze deferentially. He had presented her the privilege of asking questions, though he also informed her of his intention to make enquiries of his own. "It is only very logical. Please feel free to ask whatever pleases you, Mr. von Weiss..." she replied, as she realized that her brain had refused to use Johann's first name, "and I shall answer as well as I can." With a lot of effort, she brought up her gaze to meet the guild master's, and with even more effort, kept her gaze steady.

    Johann's first question was expected. Why was she here? Especially seeing as Dies Irae, from all the things she had heard and researched about it, was not so conventional in ethics as far as light guilds stood. "Well, being someone who has experienced the evils of lawless abuse of power, I wish to contribute in my own way to preserve the peace and order of Earthland... and I suppose you won't mind having a good field medic in your ranks, and...", here she paused and dropped her gaze again, unconsciously biting her lower lip as she sought the best way to speak truly about why she was here. So far, she hadn't wanted to reveal her true reason for joining, but so far all her reasons for wanting to be a member of the guild seemed to just be stereotypical ramblings. She decided to damn the consequences and be straight with her answer.

    "...I-- I would be free of the-- the Endless Night. There was a prayer from an ancient hymn... I tracked the words here. 'Rescue me from Night Unending'... those were the words. I wish to know their meaning... and perhaps save myself...." Suzhen realized her eyes were fixed on some nonexistent point on the ground. Her head was bowed, as though she was confessing to some great crime. Then she looked up, back into the eyes of the guild master. In her eyes was fear, the kind of abject terror which arises when someone comes face to face with an incomprehensible power desirous to harm her. Yet mingled with the fear was something wild and untamable, something defiant, that desired not to die running, but to die fighting. Her voice, still soft, now had a resolute edge to it.

    "Are you familiar with those words, Mr. von Weiss? What is Night Unending? I must put an end to it, if I can."

    WC: 1026
    Personal WC: 2874
    Thread WC: 7250


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    Addre
    Addre

    Player 
    Lineage : The World Slayer
    Position : None
    Posts : 229
    Guild : Dies Irae
    Cosmic Coins : 0
    Dungeon Tokens : 0
    Experience : 17,909

    Character Sheet
    First Skill: Venom God Slayer (Unseen Gen.)
    Second Skill: Solar Dragon Slayer (Unseen Gen.)
    Third Skill: Clear Demon Slayer (Unseen Gen.)

    Rescue Me From Night Unending Empty Re: Rescue Me From Night Unending

    Post by Addre 2nd March 2021, 12:55 pm

    JJ quickly saluted as his name was mentioned, being referred to as one of Dies Irae’s Officers in front of the outlandish Neophyte. Baibai sure appeared to learn things quickly today with the two tall dudes helping her through her initiation. Now, JJ wasn’t one to judge quickly… a proper judgement always took time, but he listened to his biased feelings and let them tell him what they thought of her. They thought well of her; strength, fortitude, elegance, reason and rationality ran strong in her veins. True, if he listened to his feelings, then she would definitely make a great Soldier here… only time could confirm that for him. Please, time, prove him right…

    Huh… well, things got a little awkward for the Demon Slayer now. If ‘Bai’ was her family name, then… she was Suzhen bint Bai. On top of that, she informed him that she was Dongxian too… and the phrase that she followed that up with resonated a little too much with him. ‘Family before individual’, huh… that phrase ushered a lot of honor. Honor in one’s family. JJ could relate to that; both to the good experiences of such a mindset as well as the bad ones. Urgh… clear your mind. Utter a prayer. Out of mind. “That’s… unheard of for me. In that case… hmh…”

    He’d cup his chin once more, such stoic seriousness emitting from his very brows and facial features while deep in his psyche, he was making up the most ridiculous nicknames. One’s psyche, mentality and creativity should never be underestimated; one of mankind’s greatest tools as well as chains were the brains they carried around in their skulls. Even if JJ appeared rational and not to be meddled with, he could muster up the most childish thoughts at times… sadly, he was never aware of the silliness at times.

    When Johann brought up his question, JJ would quickly notice a small change in… well, something felt sharper around him. As if the air grew dryer… or as if one had the feeling that something travelled down one’s back ever so gently, like a feather falling down behind you, or like being watched by a stalker hiding in the shadows. Shadows covered his eyes by his cap, but to elicit such an aura revealed the Ambassador’s devotion to the state and standing of his Soldiers.

    Her first words in her answer, once again, reminded JJ of… his own reason to have gotten here. Hnng… one day, JJ, when the time was right – then you’d return to right the wrongs inflicted upon you. Until then, endure.

    However, her explanation took a more nightmarish turn as she mentioned her intent to be free of something called the Endless Night. JJ’s eyes widened, no longer shadowed under the cap’s bill. An Endless Night elicited terror in his heart… and she was being dead-serious. He could tell by the new look on her face… anxiety? He could tell that it reflected from her pupils, but there was more than that…

    “A… a curse?” JJ asked out. She heard it from a prayer from an ‘ancient hymn’, but the name of said thing, said event or time-lapse sowed horror and discomfort – both traits of a begrudging curse. However, she asked the Ambassador first, so JJ glanced at Johann in hope that he knew of it… if not, then things would only grow more dire, if he were to put lots of weight onto this night that would never end. Talking about it in such a wide, open and grey room added to the tension too…

    Was there such a thing as an Endless Night? Entire ecosystems would wither under such conditions… and why was it specifically tied to Suzie?

    WC: 623
    PWC: 2349
    TWC: 7873


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    xxxx
    Me - Venom GS - Sun DS - Clear DeS - Lineage - Bank - Char Change (15-07-2021)
    xxxxx
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    Shen Kadokawa
    Shen Kadokawa

    Administrator- Moderator- Developer/GFX Artist- Main Account- Alignment Shift- Mythical VIP Status- Demon VIP Status- God VIP Status- Dragon VIP Status- Knight VIP Status- Regular VIP Status- VIP- Mythical- Gain An Artifact- Quality Badge Level 1- Quality Badge Level 2- Quality Badge Level 3- God Of Ishgar- Ten Wizard Saint Member- Guild Master- Custom Slayer- God Slayer- Demon Slayer- Legal Guild Ace- Neutral Guild Ace- Z-Rank- Y-Rank- X-Rank- H-Rank- S-Rank- A-Rank- Wanderer- Eevee- EXP Grinder- Jewel Grinder- Job Creator- Working Together- Forever Solo- Christian Minecraft Server- I Have Friends...- Teaming Up!- Limited Edition- Idolize- Unknown Powerhouse- Unknown Legend- The Completionist- Guild Creator- Achiever- Expert Achiever- Buddy Buddy- Obligatory Beach Episode- Shipped- Sticking Around- Loyal to the Bone- Dank Memer- Fan Artist- Taskmaster- Halloween gfx'ers- Halloween Social- Halloween job event participant - Fan Art Contest Participant- Haiku Contest Participant- Richie Rich- Rich- Veteran Level 6- Veteran Level 5- Veteran Level 4- Veteran Level 3- Veteran Level 2- Veteran Level 1- Character History!- Magic Application Approved!- Obtain A Secondary Magic!- Get A Pet!- Character Application Approved!- Complete Your First Job!- Join A Faction!- Tertiary Magic- Supreme Grand Master [5000]- Grand Master [2000]- Master [1000]- Senior [500]- Novice [250]- 3rd Place Event/Contest Winner- Christmas Event Winner- X-Mas Event Participant- Advertisement Achievement Badge- Tournament Participation Badge- Cookie Achievement- Cupcake Achievement- Rainbow Hero- Summer Special Tier 4- Summer Special Tier 3- Summer Special Tier 2- Summer Special Tier 1- Summer Special Donor- Summer Special Participant- 1 Year Anniversary- Player-
    Lineage : Assassin's Shadow
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    Faction : The Rune Knights
    Posts : 11951
    Guild : Guildless
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    Age : 27
    Experience : 3,283,767

    Character Sheet
    First Skill: Infinite Arcana
    Second Skill: Vox Universum
    Third Skill: Disciple of War

    Rescue Me From Night Unending Empty Re: Rescue Me From Night Unending

    Post by Shen Kadokawa 9th March 2021, 9:51 am


    Rescue Me From Night Unending ZhCAjlE

    After the newcomer had given him the okay and he had raised the question that he would direct at most of the new recruits, the Ambassador would wait for her reply, somewhat eager to learn what she would come up with. People had the most different factors that drove them forward, motivated them to do something, in short, the things that brought them here to Amber Island and Dies Irae especially. That was, of course, if people were honest in disclosing their reasoning for making the journey here. There had been cases, of course, where that had not been the case, where people had sought to profit from the guild's resources, protection, or strength for reasons that were less than savory. Johann had to think of one particular mage who was interested in bringing their contacts from the criminal underworld into the fold, something the silver-haired man even now remembered with some displeasure. It was of no matter, of course, not for the current conversation, but the man couldn't help but wonder ... what exactly would be her reasoning for joining the guild?

    He would soon find out when Suzhen, her first name, as she had explained to Jariel before, that, by the way, certainly cleared up the Ambassador's questions about how to address her, "Suzhen" or "Miss Bai", he would assume, would be appropriate to use in this case, would offer him a swift and uncomplicated, albeit quite common answer. Most Soldiers that joined the guild had a similar response. Not that this would be a bad thing, of course, but he had heard something to a similar effect many times over. He nodded in understanding. Perhaps the story, her story, would have more detail to offer, but the time for personal inquiries like that was not now. They didn't really know each other, after all, and though the Ambassador hoped that he could learn about her and understand what motivated her more, just as he appreciated this same aspect of all the other Soldiers, that would be a matter for the future.

    At least, that was what he thought, but as it turned out, that had not been the entire truth, Johann's attention being seized by Suzhen's explanation. His eyebrows would be raised in an obvious expression of surprise. He had not expected that. This was what he had been looking for. An individual reason, a reason that reflected her desires. Though, the nature of her reason was what had surprised him more than the presentation itself. How did she know about this? As far as Johann knew, knowledge of this particular piece of history was not very widespread in Ishgar, or indeed Earthland as a whole. There was no answering that question by himself. "I see ...", he replied, raising a hand to his chin as he lowered his gaze, his tone sounding as though he had just understood a profound truth. That was not the case, of course, but he felt like he had learned something of importance.

    The Ambassador thought for a few moments. How would he approach this situation? Well, she had been truthful with him, so it was really only appropriate to return that gesture of trust. "I know indeed of the hymn to which you refer. In fact, as you may well have guessed,-", he paused briefly, a wide smile spreading over his face. The aura of vague tension had seemingly vanished from one second to the next as he continued, his voice carrying with it a soft note of pride, born from accomplishment, "-it is what has given this organization its name". There was more than that, of course. This hymn also provided Dies Irae with some of its most treasured secrets, but not many people were privy to that information. He had to think a little more to make sense of what exactly she had wanted to know. The "Night Unending", hm? Johann knew of it, or at least, of that particular part of said hymn, though his understanding of its meaning was somewhat tough to decipher in its entirety. Jariel seemed to suggest that it was a curse, and Johann wondered if that was really applicable. "It depends on interpretation, but ... I would say that it is not exactly a curse, no", the man shook his head, his eyes now wandering back to the newcomer, his mouth opening to speak anew.

    "Worthless yet my prayers and fending, so, good Lord, thine mercy sending, rescue me from night unending", he would recite from memory the portion of the hymn that included the passage that Bai Suzhen had inquired about. It carried with it a certain mythological connotation, based on a certain belief that Johann, and by extension, Mars, knew all-too-well.

    "The Night Unending, the Night Undying, or perhaps more literally, the Fires Everlasting, depending on your interpretation of the hymn. It is believed to be a reference to a place in which unimaginable evil dwells and the souls of the dead are punished for their sins. Many mythologies know such a place as the underworld. Helheim, Hades, Xibalba. That is, of course, only one way to look at it. I don't know what the Night Unending means to you, though, Miss Bai. Perhaps, forgive me for my presumptuousness, I could ask what you mean by "saving yourself"?". The woman's words, of course, had not escaped the Ambassador, and it did leave him wonder, what was it that had caught her interest about this particular topic? Was there something more to it than scholarly curiosity? Only her answer could clear these questions up.



    Word Count: 933
    Personal Word Count Total: 3,583
    Thread Word Count Total: 8,806



    _____________________________________________________________________________________

    Fraag
    Fraag

    Player 
    Lineage : Progeny of Arcanos
    Position : None
    Faction : The Luminous Covenant
    Posts : 1038
    Guild : Luminous Rose
    Cosmic Coins : 60
    Dungeon Tokens : 0
    Experience : 3,401,904

    Character Sheet
    First Skill: Arcane Fate Magic
    Second Skill: Night God Slayer
    Third Skill: Relativity God Slayer

    Rescue Me From Night Unending Empty Re: Rescue Me From Night Unending

    Post by Fraag 15th March 2021, 5:05 pm

    As Suzhen had expected, there was some degree of worry expressed by the two men, when she had spoken of the actual reason she had chosen this guild to join. She noticed that Jariel had turned to look at the guild master, most likely awaiting his answer to the question she had put forward. For her own part, the Dongxian scholar waited with bated breath, hoping that there would be a way forward generated by Johann's words. Until she had discovered the existence of the guild Dies Irae, every attempt to discover more about the Night Unending had proved to be frustratingly abortive. Now the next words of one of the Ambassadors of Dies Irae would probably determine Suzhen's next course of action.

    Next course of action. Those words seemed to flash through her mind like a livid thunderbolt. She had not determined what she would do if this militaristic guild did not have the answers she sought. Perhaps she had been too hasty joining the guild before she had determined whether it had the answers she sought. What if, like all previous places she had been to, this guild was a dead end, as far as knowledge concerning the Endless Night was concerned? Initially, she felt disgusted at herself for apparently not having thought things through as thoroughly as she normally did, but a little deeper thinking allowed her to forgive herself. For starters, if she did not find what she was looking for here, it would not prevent her from still searching for answers. Besides, those words were almost unmistakably tied to this guild, one way or another. Even if she didn't get answers, a clue would most likely show up, if not in her meeting with the guild members, she would eventually stumble on it. There was no better place to do her research than here.

    To the Dongxian maiden's joy and relief, Johann answered in the affirmative; he knew of the wordings of the ancient hymn, even mentioning that this hymn had given the guild its name. Despite the fact that the guild's name was apparently apt for its purpose, Suzhen couldn't help feeling that its name was somewhat subtly ironic, seeing as the ancient hymn, which bore the name that the guild now proudly answered to, was a plea for mercy. Jariel asked if there was a curse involved, and Suzhen was not sure what to answer for the time being. So she quietly allowed Johann to continue talking, the latter commenting on his opinion that there probably wasn't a curse involved. Many people she had known would probably have opined otherwise. She would allow the members of the guild to decide for themselves whether she was cursed indeed or not, when she revealed her background to them. And she had the feeling that this would happen soon.

    Suzhen was quite familiar with various views regarding the afterlife, and the unfortunate lot of evildoers. She wasn't scared of death, although she wasn't quite ready to die just yet. If indeed there were gods in the afterlife, who judged the souls of the dead, they would most likely be driven by justice, and that was fine with her. She fully intended to atone for a lot of things she had done in the past, however, and was not intent on dying until she had done so. But there was this weird feeling that she might be denied access to the afterlife on the basis of her soul allegedly belonging to the World Serpent. That was what frightened her to no end; not the fear of death, but the fear of belonging to the embodiment of infinite hunger. Could she fight against something so much more powerful than she was? Could she break its hold on her?

    Just then, the indigo-haired woman realized that the hall was silent. Johann was looking at her, slight expectation in his eyes. He had asked a question. Fortunately for Suzhen, she wasn't so spaced out that she hadn't been paying a little attention to her surroundings, so it wasn't too difficult to pull her memories and thoughts together to reframe his question. He had asked what she meant by saving herself. Perhaps the actual question was, what did she need saving from? A sudden horror seemed to claw at her heart, as she realized she was faced with the option of telling them about what she really was, or keeping silent. She knew that if she tried, she could probably give incomplete information and not reveal too much about herself. But she also knew that no matter how well-crafted the lie, truth had a way of coming out in the end. Yet, what if, for all her decision to be honest, they decided that her 'curse' rendered her unfit to join the guild? Was Dies Irae not sworn to destroy evil? Wasn't she the vessel of an ancient evil? What would happen to her if they knew?

    "I-- I-- no... I'm afraid I cannot tell you, Honorable Mr. von Weiss," the scholar said, her voice still and calm, yet one who was no stranger to reading emotions would sense the overweening fear in her tone. With fluid elegance, she fell to her knees, which were drawn together, and bowed to the ground before the two men, realizing that her refusal might be seen as an affront, and unwilling either to offend the members of the guild, or disclose more about herself. Dongxian wisdom maintained that the best way to defuse a perceived insult was to use deference. "I beg your forgiveness, but you must not ask...." Her desire to join the guild, yet refusal to open up would probably be taken with a lot of suspicion, and she would probably be regarded more as a threat than a comrade, if she was allowed to join. Maybe it would be best to just turn and leave. That would probably give her some level of relief, but Suzhen remembered that to leave a battle unfought was only to postpone fighting, and when next the battle returned, it would probably be much less evitable, and she might be at a disadvantage. Still, she wasn't sure she had the strength to fight this now.


    WC: 1039
    Personal WC: 3913
    Thread WC: 9845


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    Addre
    Addre

    Player 
    Lineage : The World Slayer
    Position : None
    Posts : 229
    Guild : Dies Irae
    Cosmic Coins : 0
    Dungeon Tokens : 0
    Experience : 17,909

    Character Sheet
    First Skill: Venom God Slayer (Unseen Gen.)
    Second Skill: Solar Dragon Slayer (Unseen Gen.)
    Third Skill: Clear Demon Slayer (Unseen Gen.)

    Rescue Me From Night Unending Empty Re: Rescue Me From Night Unending

    Post by Addre 25th March 2021, 1:27 am

    That was certainly a new branch of knowledge that JJ was granted, not having known that this hymn had given name to this place, this force that was called Dies Irae. On top of that, the term ‘curse’ wasn’t as applicable to the hymn as JJ thought at first, going by the Ambassador’s reply… but JJ still found it very ominous. Endless Night… Night Unending… what good was there in such a phenomenon? Was it but a name given to something more ominous, a mage or some event in the past? Or was it an actual phenomenon in which the night would never leave the sky?

    How little he knew of it beforehand… he felt a little estranged, especially when Johann recited a hymn most obviously being that which the new recruit spoke of. It was a relatively short one, so JJ repeated it in his head:

    Worthless my prayers and fending, so, good Lord, dine mercy sending, rescue me from night unending.

    … Yes, that was the hymn. Right…?

    The next batch of information regarding the Night Unending was chilling, causing even the stoic Demon Slayer to widen his eyes. He who strived for ma’ruuf was now hearing about a place of unimaginable munkar, evil, where souls of the dead were to be punished for their sins? It sounded like Hellfire itself… to which the name ‘Fires Everlasting’ suited very well.

    If that was chilling, then Johann’s question made JJ even more worried… was Suzhen in danger? What had come upon her to illicit hostility of such a terrible place?

    And why… why wouldn’t she tell him?

    Watching her refuse to reply was truly unexpected… was it something embarrassing? No, that couldn’t be… she didn’t seem to be the type of woman who would ever commit inexcusable acts against anyone. Even right after her refusal, she had the inner humility to fall on her knees in front of them… JJ simply didn’t know how to process this.

    “I… I’ve never felt so worried and left out before,” he expressed his deep emotions, hoping to ease the knot in his belly by stating it out loud, “… Why exactly that, Johann? The hymn, it speaks of burning wrath… how come you named your gathering after it?” Little did JJ know of the meaning behind the two words ‘Dies’ and ‘Irae’, to which he wondered to the stars why anyone would name an organization striving for justice and order as passionately as Dies Irae after such an evil omen?

    WC: 418
    PWC: 2767
    TWC: 10263


    _____________________________________________________________________________________

    xxxx
    Me - Venom GS - Sun DS - Clear DeS - Lineage - Bank - Char Change (15-07-2021)
    xxxxx
    Addre's Battle Theme:
    Shen Kadokawa
    Shen Kadokawa

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    Lineage : Assassin's Shadow
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    Character Sheet
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    Second Skill: Vox Universum
    Third Skill: Disciple of War

    Rescue Me From Night Unending Empty Re: Rescue Me From Night Unending

    Post by Shen Kadokawa 1st April 2021, 12:44 pm


    Rescue Me From Night Unending ZhCAjlE

    It seemed that the question the Ambassador had asked had struck a nerve, and while it had been simply nothing more or less than curiosity that had prompted the argent-haired man to direct the inquiry at Suzhen, it seemed that the reaction, unintentionally, of course, had been more severe than anticipated. In honesty, it was anything but expected, even a man as composed as Johann being unable to suppress a small gasp of shock when the strength appeared to leave her legs at once, his eyes, fixed on hers, widening at the sight. He reflexively took a step forward to prevent her from falling, but there was no need for that. Even in this motion of hers, she looked like she was perfectly able to keep that certain aspect of grace she radiated intact, her fall being best described as graceful. "Miss Bai, I-", he would reflexively speak, though immediately stopping himself when she spoke up anew, practically pleading for the silver-haired man not to inquire any further about this. He paused, being confronted with this little turn of events. What would be the best course of action here? On the one hand, the Ambassador's impression of her had changed drastically, this encounter, which the man had initially deemed rather mundane, quickly transforming into something more exciting. His curiosity returned, and he felt compelled to act on it, but he knew that doing so would exceed something as mild as poor social etiquette. She had asked him directly, and to refuse this would ignore her wish, which, in and of itself, contained no hostility, aversion, or other negative impressions.

    He decided against inquiring further, at least for the time being. Though ... leaving her to kneel in the ground like this wouldn't sit particularly well with the Ambassador. There was no need to put herself in such a position. As such, he would take another step forward, offering her his hand to help her up. "My apologies. I didn't mean to remind you of things rather forgotten". It was what he figured had put her in a state like this, not knowing whether this was actually the case or not. Regardless, he would offer at least some form of reassurance with his next few words. "I promise I shall dwell on this topic no further". Everyone had their burden to carry. Everyone had a past, and some would rather not talk about the things that had happened freely. Johann understood this more than anyone else. There were certain events and circumstances that only his most trusted friends and accomplices knew of, and as such, he wouldn't press her on it.

    It was convenient that Jariel appeared to have more questions, as well. It would serve as a perfect transition to return to the topic they had discussed before. "The excerpt I presented is merely a small part of a larger hymn. All in all, the hymn is something akin to a plea of mercy offered to a certain god on the day of judgment, a concept quite prominent in the particular faith that produced this work. As the souls of the dead are judged on that day, the day of wrath, or, in other words, Dies Irae, so shall this guild judge the evil of this world. By all means available and necessary. It is mere symbolism, I'm afraid, but a striking reference nonetheless".

    "Still, ...", he would speak up anew, intent on picking the conversation back up where they had left off, now clearly showing more interest in Bai Suzhen than before. "... if it is assistance you need, Miss, know that Dies Irae is a place where none are left behind. To rely on one's comrades is neither shameful nor a weakness, and together, as a force that is united in the pursuit of its goals, we are strong, and stronger yet we shall become". The words the Ambassador spoke were laden with a tone of voice that was steeped in unwavering determination, as if speaking them aloud would somehow automatically transform them into an undeniable fact of reality like the sun in the sky or the wind on one's skin. Such was his conviction, his belief in this guild and their mission.

    "Enough of my ideals, though", he would follow up, his posture and tone relaxing somewhat. The atmosphere had grown a bit heavy, and he sought to dispel this particular fact. "If there are any further answers you seek, then as I said, I will do my best to provide them, based on my admittedly subjective and meager experience in this field".

    Naturally, there had been some things that the Ambassador had not told the other two, the special connection he shared to the faith he had mentioned, the faith that had produced the hymn which had been the topic of their talk, being among those things. It was hard to explain where he had obtained the knowledge about it and what the verses meant to him, but the power of belief often transformed the mundane into something extraordinary, even if he had told Jariel that there was nothing special about it. No matter how one looked at it, that had been a lie, but he wouldn't make that fact known in any way. It was a road too dangerous to travel, a path best left unexplored.

    The snickering of the being within him echoing through the back of the man's head as it registered these thoughts within its vessel supported that opinion of his perfectly.



    Word Count: 920
    Personal Word Count Total: 4,503
    Thread Word Count Total: 11,183



    _____________________________________________________________________________________

    Fraag
    Fraag

    Player 
    Lineage : Progeny of Arcanos
    Position : None
    Faction : The Luminous Covenant
    Posts : 1038
    Guild : Luminous Rose
    Cosmic Coins : 60
    Dungeon Tokens : 0
    Experience : 3,401,904

    Character Sheet
    First Skill: Arcane Fate Magic
    Second Skill: Night God Slayer
    Third Skill: Relativity God Slayer

    Rescue Me From Night Unending Empty Re: Rescue Me From Night Unending

    Post by Fraag 6th April 2021, 2:59 pm

    Suzhen could not deny that the response of the guild leader had taken her by no little degree of surprise. She had expected a more hostile response, in any case, as it hardly ever gave off any positive vibes when people knew that you were hiding stuff from them. Still, Johann's choosing to not pursue the matter of whatever it was Suzhen had chosen to hide from the two guild members before her could be explained, if she put a bit of mental effort to that task; so suggested the rational part of her mind, in an effort to create some sort of distraction from her present predicament. Her more cynical mental aspects suggested that the guild leader's acquiescence to her request of not being probed further could best be described as what a predator would do when its prey had managed to escape into some relatively impregnable fortress of safety: it would make all the appearances of giving up the chase, and get out of sight, only to linger close by in ambush, waiting for the thus deceived prey to yield its advantageous spot, before diving in for the kill.

    And yet, Suzhen felt that wasn't the answer. To her, the answer more closely approached the option that Johann was simply being gracious to her, either because he sensed that there was a lot of mental trauma involved with whatever story he had desired her to share, or because he knew too well the importance of keeping secrets. She looked up, and her eyes fell on his proffered hand. Gratefully, she took it, allowing him to help her to rise, not because she couldn't rise unaided, but because she was touched by his unexpected act of mercy; at least to her, his refusal to probe further was quite benevolent of him. Though she had never been an official member of armed forces, the Dongxian knew that most military organizations expected their members to be hard; there was little space for anything that could vaguely resemble cuddling. As such, Johann's behavior had been unforeseen, though not at all unwelcome.

    Jariel seemed somewhat fazed by the whole drama, and Suzhen felt bad for making him worry so. She gave him an apologetic smile as he voiced his concerns. His statement of feeling left out resonated strongly with her; she had always been familiar with the feeling of always being 'outside the circle'. Her powers had made sure, while she was growing up in Fenghai, that she could count the number of true friends she had with the fingers of one hand. Sure, everyone treated her well and with respect; no one dared insult her in any way, but there was something wrong with everyone keeping quiet when you entered the room, and acting as though a single sneeze would damn them to the most painful deaths available on the menu. Although this was not particularly the situation, in Jariel's case, as someone who loved knowing things, Suzhen was quick to connect his feelings of worry and exclusion with what she had felt as a child trying to make friends. She tried to ignore the guilt she felt at being aware that this was all, directly or indirectly, because of her.

    As Johann explained the words of the hymn, Suzhen nodded. The man she had encountered saying the lines seemed to have been praying. She had no idea whether his prayer was answered or not, seeing as he had expired soon after. Still, he had seemed peaceful when laid out in his final slumber. Although Suzhen had no idea about Johann engaging in any falsehoods by his statement about the guild's name being merely symbolic, she did feel encouraged (perhaps 'inspired' was the better word) by his words and his tone. There was something that worried her, though. If Dies Irae were to judge the evil of the world, where would that leave her? The thing that saw her as its vessel was, for all intents and purposes, as evil as the darkest thought of the prince of the nine hells. She began to feel like a traitor of sorts, like a mote of darkness trying to hide in the light, as that would least be where it was expected to be.

    It was heartening to hear that this guild, as severe as it seemed, was not one for leaving the weak behind. Suzhen was sure she could not be counted as weak, at least by the standards of Fiorean estimations, but even though she didn't like burdening others with her problems, she had been told before that no one existed alone. It was the need of comradeship, the need of the help of another human, that made people band together. And the whole was always greater than the sum of its parts. She knew she had a lot to learn about trusting others to help her with her own issues, but perhaps Dies Irae would be a nice place to start learning how to rest easy knowing that someone had her back. It was for this reason that Suzhen decided, against what seemed to be her better judgment, that keeping silence was a sort of treachery on her part, at least, as far as the guild was concerned. If what she carried was evil, it was best someone knew, for if the time came to fight it, they would not be taken unawares. She would speak of her burden, for the first time in years.

    "I have one last question, Honorable Mr. von Weiss," the Dongxian maiden answered, in response to Johann's offer to attend to any other enquiries she possibly would have. "Does any of you have knowledge of the World Serpent? From my research, it seems to be known among a number of cultures. My people called it Gonggong, but it is known to have gone by other names such as Ananta Shesha, Jormungandr, Apophis, or Ouroboros. A cosmic snake of immense proportions and terrifyingly devastating power." Interestingly, even though this being was known in many cultures, most of them were quite ancient, and many people in the present generations of Earthland knew little to nothing about the Snake that encircled the world.

    Waiting for an answer, the Dongxian looked expectantly at the faces of the men before her.

    WC: 1050
    Personal WC: 4963
    Total WC: 12233


    _____________________________________________________________________________________

    Addre
    Addre

    Player 
    Lineage : The World Slayer
    Position : None
    Posts : 229
    Guild : Dies Irae
    Cosmic Coins : 0
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    Experience : 17,909

    Character Sheet
    First Skill: Venom God Slayer (Unseen Gen.)
    Second Skill: Solar Dragon Slayer (Unseen Gen.)
    Third Skill: Clear Demon Slayer (Unseen Gen.)

    Rescue Me From Night Unending Empty Re: Rescue Me From Night Unending

    Post by Addre 17th April 2021, 6:24 am

    Day… of Wrath. So that was the meaning of ‘Dies Irae’, a name uttering verbal chaos held in the hands of a guild bent on beating back that chaos. Yes, the more JJ thought about it, the more sense it made. In the end, every member in the guild was a judge… and for any wretched evil, the judge would always be their end. Such a day of demise would invoke wrath unheard of, a day of wrath indeed…

    Cupping his chin, he looked softly delighted to have been informed of that. “It makes… sense. You must’ve given the naming of your organization a lot of thought,” he assumed before turning his attention back to Suzhen. She looked dryly content at him with a soft smile, which he was frankly shy to return in full. He kept his gaze low and nodded in agreement with Johann’s statements. A guild, a group, a body of the Council, they stuck together. None were left behind…

    … Left behind…


    W… What a terrible memory. He had to focus, for the two were still among him.

    Suzhen had another question for the Ambassador, and despite her previous request, it was presumed to be about the topic before of some sorts. It had been a solid moment of silence, and she looked dead serious. The tension in the air hadn’t disappeared just yet.

    She asked for knowledge about the World Serpent, the name of a creature unheard of by the Demon Slayer. Although it rang a bell at first, ultimately he found nothing in his memory about a cosmic snake of such prowess.

    It sounded terrible. Snakes were common in various parts of the world, including his homeland where they were feared due to the potent venoms shooting through their fangs. Their body proportions were also sources of unease; the long, slithering form without other limbs to transport oneself had frustrated many a young kid in their young days. Snakes were often associated with bad things, too. Death, poison, corruption, calamity… and sin.

    “Snakes are fairly common in many countries… it stands to reason that similar entities of legend would be birthed,” he expressed, “But a… World Serpent… does that mean it’s as big as the world? Long enough to tie around it? Have you met such a being…?”

    WC. 386


    _____________________________________________________________________________________

    xxxx
    Me - Venom GS - Sun DS - Clear DeS - Lineage - Bank - Char Change (15-07-2021)
    xxxxx
    Addre's Battle Theme:
    Shen Kadokawa
    Shen Kadokawa

    Administrator- Moderator- Developer/GFX Artist- Main Account- Alignment Shift- Mythical VIP Status- Demon VIP Status- God VIP Status- Dragon VIP Status- Knight VIP Status- Regular VIP Status- VIP- Mythical- Gain An Artifact- Quality Badge Level 1- Quality Badge Level 2- Quality Badge Level 3- God Of Ishgar- Ten Wizard Saint Member- Guild Master- Custom Slayer- God Slayer- Demon Slayer- Legal Guild Ace- Neutral Guild Ace- Z-Rank- Y-Rank- X-Rank- H-Rank- S-Rank- A-Rank- Wanderer- Eevee- EXP Grinder- Jewel Grinder- Job Creator- Working Together- Forever Solo- Christian Minecraft Server- I Have Friends...- Teaming Up!- Limited Edition- Idolize- Unknown Powerhouse- Unknown Legend- The Completionist- Guild Creator- Achiever- Expert Achiever- Buddy Buddy- Obligatory Beach Episode- Shipped- Sticking Around- Loyal to the Bone- Dank Memer- Fan Artist- Taskmaster- Halloween gfx'ers- Halloween Social- Halloween job event participant - Fan Art Contest Participant- Haiku Contest Participant- Richie Rich- Rich- Veteran Level 6- Veteran Level 5- Veteran Level 4- Veteran Level 3- Veteran Level 2- Veteran Level 1- Character History!- Magic Application Approved!- Obtain A Secondary Magic!- Get A Pet!- Character Application Approved!- Complete Your First Job!- Join A Faction!- Tertiary Magic- Supreme Grand Master [5000]- Grand Master [2000]- Master [1000]- Senior [500]- Novice [250]- 3rd Place Event/Contest Winner- Christmas Event Winner- X-Mas Event Participant- Advertisement Achievement Badge- Tournament Participation Badge- Cookie Achievement- Cupcake Achievement- Rainbow Hero- Summer Special Tier 4- Summer Special Tier 3- Summer Special Tier 2- Summer Special Tier 1- Summer Special Donor- Summer Special Participant- 1 Year Anniversary- Player-
    Lineage : Assassin's Shadow
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    Posts : 11951
    Guild : Guildless
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    Experience : 3,283,767

    Character Sheet
    First Skill: Infinite Arcana
    Second Skill: Vox Universum
    Third Skill: Disciple of War

    Rescue Me From Night Unending Empty Re: Rescue Me From Night Unending

    Post by Shen Kadokawa 17th April 2021, 12:22 pm


    Rescue Me From Night Unending ZhCAjlE

    The Ambassador was glad that the woman from Dongxia seemed accepting towards his gesture, taking his hand. Perhaps, he thought, this instant would be of symbolic significance, a sign of trust, though it was likely that he interpreting too much into this circumstance. Still, Johann knew that everyone had their past, and that the sort of people that ended up here on Amber Island to seek out the guild shared fates with one another that were neither easily spoken of nor lightly laid out in full. Johann, from his own experiences and events that had beaten him to the ground again and again in the past, knew precisely what a past could entail. Even now, his own trauma had not yet been dealt with, and it would likely never be dealt with in full for the rest of his existence, he reckoned. The difference between those that lost themselves in their despair and those that rose from the ashes, however, was that the strong kept their will to fight on against an unjust fate, against the one-sided beating this world had given them. This, of course, was one of the main tenets of Dies Irae's creed. The battle against fate, against destiny itself, was an overwhelmingly difficult one, yet when one stood together in the face of an unbeatable foe, there was hope. This was what the guild had been founded on.

    Still, Johann took his attention off thoughts like these, recognizing that he was digressing from the situation at hand quite too much.

    It seemed like that would not be the full extent of their exchange, as well, which required the Ambassador to keep his focus just a little more. Suzhen uttered one more question, the silver-haired man listening attentively and with a curious gaze. The World Serpent? Was this a name or a title? In either case, the Ambassador couldn't immediately categorize the words that Suzhen had uttered, though when she followed this up with the various other names this entity held around the world, Johann instinctively looked up when the woman from Dongxia mentioned "Jormungandr", his eyes widening in honest surprise. Did she know of Ragnarök? Was she aware of the tale? The silver-haired man did not make his recognition known at first, though his face, twisted in shock for a few seconds, his cheeks ever-so-slightly paler, before his expression returned to one that was at least more neutral in nature, was speaking volumes. Jariel appeared to have his own things to say about the topic, but Johann, to be frank, paid little attention to this. How was she connected to this World Serpent, or more specifically, to Jormungandr? Johann was under the impression that the tale that had birthed the image of this mythological creature was nothing more than that. A myth, a legend, obscure folklore from Iceberg, if anything. Still, this beast was deeply involved in Ragnarök, the fabled end of the world Johann had become all-too-intimately familiar with.

    Still thrown off, though now evidently more composed than before, he responded, his words spoken slowly and with an obvious degree of uncertainty. "Jormungandr is the snake that dwells in the endless seas and encircles this world, biting its own tail in its ceaseless hunger. Once it lets go of its own tail and begins to rise from the waves ... existence will end. The legend of Ragnarök, the destruction of all worlds. I've heard it from ... an old friend". That friend being Mars, of course, though he couldn't exactly open with that fact.

    It was hard for the Ambassador to put his thoughts on the matter into words. The tale was, after all, inscribed on his very body, his flesh bearing the runes that told of Jormungandr's rise at the dawn of the gods, it's battle with divinity, only to be slain by and in turn slay the god of thunder. Of course, these runes were obscured by the fabric of his clothing, though apart from his face, the entire left half of the Ambassador's body was adorned in the ancient scripture. Slowly, he would raise his still wide eyes to Suzhen, his curiosity having turned into awe and speechlessness, reservations vanishing in the blink of an eye. If there was any chance that the woman before him had information about his own confrontation with an eldritch entity whose nature the man could never quite ascertain, then he simply had to ask, speaking up with what was perhaps a little more passion than would be appropriate for a social situation such as this one, the faintest hint of a crazed light shining within the Ambassador's dual-hued eyes for a few moments as his gaze sought hers.

    "It's an odd thing to inquire about. Do you know of Ragnarök, or, perhaps ... are you connected to Jormungandr?"

    Almost immediately and in evident in response to this question, he could hear the echo of a deep snicker reverberate through the back of his head, the familiar voice of Mars speaking in an obviously condescending comment of his actions.

    "Tsssehehe ... You're a fool, Johann von Weiss. Stop bothering the girl with pointless questions about fairytales".



    Word Count: 859
    Personal Word Count Total: 5,362
    Thread Word Count Total: 13,478



    _____________________________________________________________________________________

    Fraag
    Fraag

    Player 
    Lineage : Progeny of Arcanos
    Position : None
    Faction : The Luminous Covenant
    Posts : 1038
    Guild : Luminous Rose
    Cosmic Coins : 60
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    Experience : 3,401,904

    Character Sheet
    First Skill: Arcane Fate Magic
    Second Skill: Night God Slayer
    Third Skill: Relativity God Slayer

    Rescue Me From Night Unending Empty Re: Rescue Me From Night Unending

    Post by Fraag 20th April 2021, 9:47 am

    Suzhen noticed that Jariel’s response to her apologetic smile was somewhat demure. It was a little bit surprising for the Dongxian to see this, though Suzhen concluded in hindsight that there was nothing particularly odd about his behavior. Still, she had expected, from her first impressions about the Desiertan, that the tall Dies Irae soldier was sufficiently extroverted enough to not be socially flustered by a girl’s smile. Had this observation been made in a less serious atmosphere, she would probably have attempted to think of ways by which she could jocularly trouble him just a little bit more, and enact them, though she would not be cruel enough to try to have fun at the obvious discomfort of a guild mate. She was a hypocrite in that regard, she supposed, seeing as she was not as outgoing herself as she let on. But sometimes, playing the part of a temperament alien to hers was considered practice in her opinion. Communication, as prosaic as it seemed, was an extremely important facet of life. Who knew when she might need to pretend to be someone, or something she was not, to achieve a goal, or perhaps save a life?

    The indigo-haired mage nodded as Jariel mentioned that snakes were a common zoological fixture in many parts of the world. And yet, even if snakes were common enough so as to easily integrate themselves into the cultures and lore of various sentient civilizations, the Dongxian scholar did feel it weird that many cultures would have eerily similar tales about some beast of ungodly size, power, and perhaps most disturbingly, hunger. If many different cultures had similar stories about such a creature, it was more likely because they had probably experienced the same creature, or other beings similar to it. Suzhen felt it was quite unlikely that there would be many different types of World Snakes, at least associated with Earthland. It was possible that there were other World Snakes associated with other planets, but that was mere conjecture. What was fact was that whether there was a Shinku World Serpent or a Tetsuzaku Beast, she was certain that there was an Earthland Snake, and she had the responsibility of being its vessel, or more accurately, its conduit. As far as Suzhen knew, the snake was not in Earthland, but she was its anchor to Earthland. Were there more than one anchor? She had no idea. But she always prayed that there wasn’t. She could not answer his question just yet, but she would soon.

    Although she did not show it, Suzhen took instant note of the surprise in Johann’s eyes when she mentioned the word “Jormungandr”. Was he familiar with this creature? Perhaps she would be able to learn something more about the World Serpent. Even though she was so closely tied to it, there was a lot she didn’t know about this being. Divesting herself of ignorance on this topic would be more advantageous to her, as her search for knowledge meant she might be able to eventually figure out any weaknesses of this beast… if it had any. In any case, it was always best to know what one was dealing with. Suzhen could not tell what it was that had mover her guild leader, but his words informed her that he at least knew something of the cosmic serpent. What he said though was very unsettling. So the World Serpent was the key to the end of all things? Although she kept her face as straight as possible, Suzhen’s own cheeks paled noticeably, as she realized that SHE herself could very well be the key to the end of all things.

    ”I think I might like to meet that friend of yours…” Suzhen said, almost to herself, before realizing that Johann had asked her the question she had been expecting to hear. For a moment she stood silently, as though ruminating over some matter of relatively great import. Then she began to unbutton her shirt. Of course, that was a rather questionable thing to do, as far as matters of social decorum were concerned, but presently, Suzhen was not particularly considering the matters of what people referred to as acceptable behavior in public. Besides, she wasn’t normally afraid to show a little (okay, actually a lot of) skin, but at this point in time, her intentions were not at all racy. Still, she undid the buttons of her shirt to a considerably salacious degree, before turning to back the two men, and pulling her half-open shirt some ways down so that her shoulders were revealed. Then she swept her long full hair to the right, guiding the silken mass over her shoulder, so as to reveal the base of her neck and the skin some considerable distance beneath it. There, the two mages would see the reason for her undressing.

    Situated just at the base of her neck was what looked like a red tattoo, of what Johann had unknowingly described just a few moments earlier: the crimson image of a snake swallowing its own tail. The image formed a circular loop, through which the base of the familiar symbol of the Dies Irae guild mark plunged, as though reflecting the action of a sword stabbing through the body of the beast which swallowed its own tail. Beneath the combined image were five Dongxian logographs, arranged vertically, which descended almost to the level of her diaphragm. ”I do not know of Ragnarok,” Suzhen stated, ”but you can say I may have met such a creature as the World Serpent, though thankfully not on this plane of existence. I am connected to the creature you call Jormungandr, though why, I cannot say. What it wants with me, I cannot say either. I only know that from time to time, more often than I would like, I have visions of this monster at night, in my dreams, when my mind more easily crosses the membranes between worlds; it often says things I do not understand, but I perceive it has plans for me, and these things terrify me. There is a positive side to it, though. I can draw on the Serpent’s power for use in battle, although I must admit that more than just its power seems to influence me. My feelings, especially the ones traditionally considered to be fiery, can be overwhelming, and I must control them, for I do not know whether my hold on control may be the only thing between me and the end of all things. But I will fight for as long as it takes, until I die, or attain absolute control over the beast, which is more unlikely. For I sense that no matter what I do, I cannot be totally rid of this monster, perhaps not even in death.

    Someone once said that Jormungandr dwells in a vast interdimensional space called the Astral Sea, in a portion known as the Night Unending, so called because the creature dwells in an empty void, empty of everything, even light. It has eaten everything all around it in its hunger, and I’ve been told that it waits to take hold of me, for I fear that the beast strives to take control of me, make me its avatar on this world. Then through me, the Snake will devour this planet and all that is on it.”
    The Dongxian scholar laughed softly, trying to be brave, though there was a hint of a tremor in her voice. ”Well, I try not to think about such things….”


    WC: 1260
    Personal WC: 6223
    Total WC: 14738


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    Addre
    Addre

    Player 
    Lineage : The World Slayer
    Position : None
    Posts : 229
    Guild : Dies Irae
    Cosmic Coins : 0
    Dungeon Tokens : 0
    Experience : 17,909

    Character Sheet
    First Skill: Venom God Slayer (Unseen Gen.)
    Second Skill: Solar Dragon Slayer (Unseen Gen.)
    Third Skill: Clear Demon Slayer (Unseen Gen.)

    Rescue Me From Night Unending Empty Re: Rescue Me From Night Unending

    Post by Addre 25th April 2021, 9:39 am

    Albeit rooted in myth and legend, the more JJ heard of it from Johann and Suzhen, the more… alert he felt. Johann knew of its tales as well as the sayyidat who presented the topic to them, but JJ couldn’t find any memory of a huge, world-ending serpent… Desiertan folklore weren’t all memorized by him. Therefore, he couldn’t add much to the tales of the World Serpent, but nonetheless did he feel at unease. Their words… it was as if some imaginary force of fear leaked its way through them, poking the Demon Slayer’s person continuously.

    Johann’s question made him worry all the more about Suzhen. Was she searching for the World Serpent? That was one of his inner questions.

    If she’s trying to find this Jormungandr… no, that can’t be it. If it exists, then the end of the world does as well- it’s so much to take in, really. Focus, focus… myths are rarely on the dot. Maybe all she wants is verification.

    “…?”

    Why was she unbuttoning her shirt? It wasn’t that warm inside the Throne Hall, and JJ’s upbringing beckoned him to turn his gaze away despite the randomness. His brain couldn’t make up a proper reason for this action before she had turned her back to them and revealed a reddish tattoo painted brilliantly on her pale, refined skin just near the base of her neck.

    It was some kind of… it looked like a snake. He could tell that much, but he still drew his face closer to inspect it. He was fairly cool about the undressing, thanks to his cap doing all the magic work on his expressions – with it, JJ was solid and difficult to find an opening on. From up close, he could tell that it was slithering in a circle with its maw munching its tail. If not for the severity behind the myth, he would compliment the artistic delight in the tattoo’s design, but he refrained from doing so and pulled his face back again.

    She explained that she might’ve met the World Serpent in another world, which cast light on her previous words and actions. The Serpent was linked to her, perhaps magically, and while she told of its prowess and use thereof in combat, it also haunted her in her sleep. There was a terrifying monster of legend clawing at the dreams of the petite guildmate right in front of him…

    It sounded tragic.

    “It’s more than legend, then?” he wanted to reaffirm for himself, “Then… how long has it affected you? There must be some way… some way, zamiilii, to stop it in its tracks.” It sounded farfetched, but it was considered a myth, right? A legend? Again, were they ever punctual about their contents? “It’s unacceptable to be haunted by a creature like that, mythical or not. You said that you could draw on its power, correct? What makes you think that it’s not just trying to lure you closer towards it with false senses of se-“


    “… S-Sorry, I… I don’t even know what I’m talking about.”

    For a brief moment, he had gotten quite worked up. Somehow, he grabbed his psyche and suppressed it back into the neutral setting he found himself in right now… but it was odd.

    WC: 548
    TWC: 15,286


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    Me - Venom GS - Sun DS - Clear DeS - Lineage - Bank - Char Change (15-07-2021)
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      Current date/time is 5th November 2024, 8:29 am