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I.S.S.A.C.

"I live to serve."

0 · 506 views · located in Barberry, City of Guilds

a character in “Allevent, Realm of Caith”, as played by BlackIceRocker

Description

Image


NAME: Intelligent Servant Sustained Artificially by Caith (I.S.S.A.C.)

AGE: Less than 1 year old

SEX: Indeterminate; I.S.S.A.C. has no concept of gender

RACE: Golem
In the most basic sense, a golem is essentially an automaton, a robot. A golem’s body can be made of stone or metal, but in either case it houses a “heart” made of a large Aurum crystal. Created by an alchemist, a golem is hard-wired to obey the will of a “quarry”, usually the creating alchemist or a noble with expendable income. Because of the rarity of large Aurum crystals, golems are seldom made; even with a large enough crystal, attunement can sometimes go awry and a golem may never be powered
 or it could go haywire and begin to destroy everything in the immediate vicinity. Many a young alchemist has been killed this way—being stubborn and believing that they could create a golem even with their naivety. Despite the risks, alchemists believe that creating a golem is the pinnacle of their career, and many strive to achieve this feat before they die.

APPEARANCE: I.S.S.A.C. is a golem, a being created from metal and stone and given life by Aurum. Its shell is made of darksteel plates that are able to fit with one another to help facilitate movement. Its arms are thick and its hands have three massive fingers apiece. Like most golems, I.S.S.A.C. is a bipedal model, giving it a more humanoid appearance. The chest and head are the largest and bulkiest parts of the golem, giving it the appearance that it is “muscular” by human standards. Across its “face” and body are lines carved into the metal that radiate a soft blue glow; these help to indicate the status of its Aurum core and whether or not it needs to be refilled or replaced.

PERSONALITY: I.S.S.A.C. is a “newborn” in the most literal sense of the word. Being as young as it is, it does not understand many concepts of the world and its inhabitants—gatherings, currency, sleep, sex, etc.—and may attempt to emulate them at times. It knows that it is different enough from mortals that it will never be able to experience anything like eating or breathing or dreaming, but still is curious about such facilities. Above all, it wishes to serve someone, considering it was originally built for that purpose. Whenever it is given the opportunity to serve someone, I.S.S.A.C. will not hesitate; it gives the golem a sense of purpose, however temporary.

OCCUPATION: None

PAST: The great human alchemist Andrew Cartwright was dying. After contracting a debilitating disease that left one leg essentially useless, Cartwright realized that he needed to distract himself from his thoughts on his health and began to work on a golem, one that would be able to assist him in his research. The alchemist worked day and night, growing sicker and sicker but never letting up on his dream of completing this final project, hoping that the success with this one would motivate him to live on longer and attempt even more elaborate ideas.

After coming into possession of the last piece of the puzzle, an Aurum crystal large enough to power his creation, Cartwright was ready to bring his creature to life. Ever-so-gently, the alchemist placed the core in its proper position and watched as blue light immediately ran across the metallic surface of the golem. Cartwright finally achieved the pinnacle of every alchemist’s desire—his own personal golem! It was moments after this epiphany that Andrew Cartwright fell over, his body finally failing him after all of these years.

The golem slowly sat up in its mold, examining the workshop that it now could see. It could sense another presence in the room, one lying on the floor next to it. With a shaky step, the floor shook as the golem stood up and began walking on its own. It searched around the room, coming across strange plans with the title “Project I.S.S.A.C.” written in large letters across the top. And then, the realization—who was its quarry?

PRESENT: With no quarry hard-wired into its system, I.S.S.A.C. searches for a reason to exist. To its knowledge, the lack of purpose is inexcusable and must be remedied posthaste.

FUTURE: I.S.S.A.C. would like to find a suitable quarry to serve, seeing as it has none hard-wired to its system. It’s not sure how it will decide on the right one, but it believes that searching for them may bring about better results than waiting for them to come to it.

STRENGTHS
ATTACK: I.S.S.A.C. is made entirely of caith-infused metal, making its attacks rather strong. Its size and weight help to aid in dealing massive blows to organic targets and even structures. Because of its artificial nature, it does not feel fatigue and can continue to attack potential enemies as long as its Aurum core is intact. I.S.S.A.C. doesn’t often realize its own strength at times, and may accidentally use excessive force when its quarry is threatened.

DEFENSE: I.S.S.A.C. is a golem. Its skin is made of an infusion of metal, stone, and caith. This stuff is much sturdier than any armor that could ever be smithed for any mortal, and offers protection against most mundane weaponry. In addition, any injuries it sustains can be repaired by an alchemist or potentially enhanced (if it has enough money to spend, that is; however, I.S.S.A.C. does not understand the concept of currency
).

PERCEPTION: Golems must be aware of any dangers that may arise to threaten their designated quarry. I.S.S.A.C. is no exception. Once a golem has been given a quarry, it begins to involuntarily scan the area for anything that may pose a threat or a danger to its charge. In addition, I.S.S.A.C. does not require sleep as long as its Aurum core is constantly giving it energy, and can serve as a sort of security system if it detects a disturbance during the night.

WEAKNESSES
INTELLIGENCE: I.S.S.A.C. was created to be a servant, not to think. Even though it is capable of advanced thought, most of its processing power is dedicated to protecting its quarry, not to necessarily delve into the mysteries of human existence. Due to what limited experience it has in the world anyway, I.S.S.A.C. does not know much of anything besides serving its quarry to its fullest potential.

CHARISMA: Not built for social graces, I.S.S.A.C. does not understand the concept of speechcraft. Due to its purpose, its relatively young age and its inexperience with the huge world around it, I.S.S.A.C. does not do very well with social interactions and interprets everything literally. It does not understand turns of phrase or figurative speech and will often listen in on conversations in an attempt to understand mortal interactions.

DEXTERITY: Golems are large hulking structures made of metal and stone. Their bulk makes it very difficult to move quickly. While I.S.S.A.C. may have extremely durable defenses, the weight of all of the armor makes it nearly impossible to perform any sort of dexterous feats during combat. Its movements are rather clunky outside of combat as well, and heavy feet make it nearly impossible for it to sneak anywhere.

EQUIPMENT: Golems do not require clothing or food or water; I.S.S.A.C. has nothing on its body at this point.

So begins...

I.S.S.A.C.'s Story

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Xioban Efialtis Character Portrait: I.S.S.A.C.
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I.S.S.A.C.




On the far side of Merchant's Row where the pristine buildings began to give way to the shadier dens of ill-repute and the docks, a crowd was gathering in a plaza. Hushed murmurs of excitement and confusion filled the air as the people continued to swarm around, paying no attention to the stalls on the perimeter. Even the shopkeepers, despite their lack of business, were too preoccupied with the commotion in the center of the plaza.

A tall bulky statue bathed the passersby in an eerie blue glow. Many did not quite know how to react to its presence, considering it had not been here for very long--in fact, it had quite literally lumbered in not even half an hour before and placed itself in the very center of the marketplace, not having moved an inch since. A few brave children had dared one another to go up and touch it, but they all eventually refused, not wanting to awaken it once again and have something run amok in the square. The last thing the people needed was something of that size wandering the streets on its own--the potential property damage costs would rise up to the tens of thousands of Emperors!

After a half-hour of mutterings and discussion from the crowd, the city guardsmen were called to help diffuse this situation. They, along with the aid of an alchemist, helped to settle the crowd and return them to their business. Most passersby, however, were still rather concerned with the unmoving statue in the center of the plaza. Many had no idea why it had wandered out into the market at all, let alone why it suddenly stopped moving.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please!" the alchemist raised his voice over that of the crowd. "There is no need to be alarmed--really, please, stop your frightened murmuring!" The short, stocky human raised his arms toward the statue. "As you may know, this is a golem--one of the most advanced pieces of man-made technology available in all of Allevent! For those that are knowledgeable in golemancy, they are assigned a quarry, whom they are to serve and guard to the fullest extent of their service. This golem must be a relatively new one, as it seems that it has a few... kinks in the system. I will attempt to find this particular golem's quarry and then assist the authorities in its safe and expedient return! There is no need for alarm, ladies and gentlemen! This matter will be solved posthaste!"

The short man began to examine the golem, searching in all the places that he would imagine to find its particular quarry. When the alchemist tapped on an exposed glowing crystal, however, his face began to contort. His brow furrowed as he attempted to repeat his actions; each further attempt was met with frustration.

"One moment, please, ladies and gentlemen! It seems that I've, ah... encountered some technical difficulties..." the alchemist chuckled as he wiped the sweat from his brow, his face red with a mixture of frustration and embarrassment.

"What seems to be the trouble?" a guard walked toward the alchemist, his voice hushed to avoid drawing any more attention to their current situation.

"Ah, well..." the alchemist smiled sheepishly, his eyes falling toward the guardsman's chestplate. "I'm no expert in golemancy myself, sir... I've dabbled in research, but I've never seen anything like this... Even my limited research has never prepared me for this possibility--"

The crowd grew quiet as the guard and the alchemist whispered to one another, trying to remain as secretive as possible. After a moment, the guard nodded and looked back up toward the people.

"Citizens of Barberry, there is no need for alarm," the guard's voice carried an air of authority with it. "The alchemist has informed me that this sort of accident occurs from time to time with golems--they apparently misplace their quarry, which is not unheard of with newly-created golems. If anyone knows of any information--"

A scream from the far corner of the plaza cut off the conversation from the guards. The source of the frightened noise was a young woman, who was staring at the golem with anxiously wide eyes. The animal on her shoulders cringed at the volume, pawing at its ears as if to block out the sounds. She seemed rooted to the spot, paralyzed by her terror.

The guards, taken aback by the sudden outcry, began to force their way through the crowd to find this young woman who would not stop screaming. The throngs of people in that general area began to thin to allow access to the armored men.

"Young lady, please! Calm down, there is nothing to be afraid of!" a guard with a thick moustache attempted to comfort the screaming woman, going so far as to place a hand on her shoulder. This only worked to agitate her even further and her screaming increased in volume, the woman franticaly looking over their shoulders at the golem.

The guards were too distracted by the outbursts of the woman with the beast across her shoulders to notice the sudden lack of people in the immediate area. No sooner had the girl intensified her cries of terror had the golem begun to stir--slowly at first, a few joints in its fingers, then an arm and a leg, but sure enough it was stumbling in the guards' general direction. Its movements looked clunky, as if it had not quite mastered walking or, caith forbid, running.

"Uh, halt!" the flustered alchemist called after the golem. "I command you to halt!" His eyes were wide with fear at the thought of losing control of the situation at hand. "Cease! Abort! Stop moving... please?"

The guards, knowing that "diplomacy" had failed in this situation, readied their weapons and surrounded the startled woman. "Everyone needs to find shelter immediately!" a guard roared. Even before the words left his mouth, the crowd had dispersed, leaving only a few curious souls watching from the alleyways as this golem continued to lurch toward the shrieking woman's defenders.

A few brave soldiers dared to assault the golem directly, but the rest watched in wide-eyed shock as their swords could not leave even the faintest mark of a scratch against the machine's armor. With a wave of an arm. the golem pushed the attacking guards aside, leaving them sprawled across the ground and completely disarmed.

The golem focused its attention back toward the guards surrounding the screaming figure. It could sense abnormal amounts of stress and fear coming from the latter, although it could not discern the cause as to why this figure was screaming in such a shrill manner. All it could do at this point would be to attempt to quiet the abnormal volume levels it could perceive. It extended an arm toward the guardsmen, who (in a last-ditch effort) struck at the exposed metal and were horrified to watch as their blades bounced harmlessly off with a loud clang. Another wave of its hand, and the guards were no longer threatening the safety of this screaming figure. Not quite knowing what else to do, the golem wrapped three fingers around the human and lifted it off the ground before lumbering off down the street--perhaps large, crowded areas in the middle of the city would not be the best place for this creature.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Xioban Efialtis Character Portrait: I.S.S.A.C.
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#, as written by Igari


XIOBAN EFIALTIS




She had no idea what was going on. One moment, she had been in the plaza, the next, being swept away by this horrid piece of technology that had a prince in shining armor complex. (Could machines even have such ideas? She wasn't sure but she was sticking to it.) She tried to shift within its grip but found that the mechanical hand held her a bit too tightly to allow for such movement. She felt almost as if she were in some sort of cage. She was too scared to even try swiping at the fingers, cringing at every step this abomination took. The pace was unsteady and ill-balanced, as if whatever was carrying her did not have a comprehension of walking. Yet, amidst all this, she still found enough energy to scream, which is precisely what she was sticking to doing. Her screams had not let up for the past several minutes and her voice was already starting to grow hoarse. She did not stop--perhaps the fear had forced her into a state of perpetual shock. But this seemed to have the opposite effect of what she wanted, for this metal creature just started moving faster! Didn't it comprehend she was afraid of it?

Xerxes was not remotely pleased by the amount of volume leaving his charge and she could hear his growls, barely audible when mingled with her screams. She didn't know how to stop, she didn't know if she could stop. She had the feeling that the people that had been on the streets were fleeing in terror of this machine because they weren't running into any resistance from passersby. She swiveled her large eyes on this thing that was quite literally kidnapping (or catnapping) her, pupils dilated into slits. If it could see her, it made no signs of it for it just continued moving on, impervious to her attentions. She released yet another scream; this was louder than all the rest.

"AAAAAAAAH!!" She let out frantically. This time, however, there seemed to be a reaction. The mechanical creature slowed down just a bit, the cross on its face seemed to glow just a bit more. She heard a faint whirring sound before something completely unexpected happened.

"A... A... Aaaaaaaah." The machine mimicked her scream with a voice that grated against her ears--for it sounded strained, as if unused for a long period of time. The voice had no hint of emotion and merely came out monotone, but this only worked to frighten the girl more. She mewled louder, horrified that it would even think to copy her.

"AAAAAAAH!!"

"Aaaaaaaah."

"AAAAAAAAH!!"

"Aaaaaaaah."

How many times was it going to repeat after her?! It seemed that this was the last straw for Xerxes. She felt him shift on her shoulders before the familiar feeling of his claws briefly digging into her back as he pounced off of her. She watched with a slackening jaw as he landed on the ground with disturbing ease and she struggled even more. Without her guardian, she would have no protection at all!

"Xerxes!" She called after him anxiously. "D-Don't leave me!" She cried, nearly bursting into tears as she did so and reaching out her hand as if to grab him. He just tilted up his nose defiantly at her, as if he had no intentions of even listening to her requests. Her sense of panic rose as the mechanical creature made that same whirring noise, a little louder than before. Now what was going on?!

"X... Xe..." W-Was it trying to...? "Xerxes." I-It did! But it didn't seem to want to stop there, its head following the girl's outstretched arm to look down at the small fox. "Xerxes. Xerxes. Xerxes." It chanted as it started to slowly change its direction, turning with that same strained movement. She quite literally didn't know how to react, her screams had stretched into silence as she had finally run out of air. The machine clanked after the fox, mirroring her motions and also outstretching its arm. However, unlike her, it started to make wild swiping movements that knocked against several buildings and homes.

With its left hand, it smashed into the wall of an unsuspecting man, who looked as if he had just gotten back from some commotion. He stared up for a moment with a blank face before his expression contorted into absolute terror and confusion as he saw the machine. "My... my house! Golem!" He shouted, using that strange term she was unfamiliar with. "You, you come back here--repair my house...!" He started to trail off, realizing that the machine was already lumbering away from the damage site. "C-Come back here! Come... p... please?" He stammered out but he was already forgotten as the mechanical creature bounded after Xerxes, who was putting up a good chase.

"Xerxes. Xerxes. Xerxes. Aaaaaaaah." Despite everything that was happening, this somehow proved to be enough to break past her shock barriers.

"Ffffffffnyah?!" She stammered out, glancing between the machine and her fox guardian. Her kidnapper whirred again and this time, caught her totally off guard.

"... ffffffffnyah."

She blinked several times, her breath hitching. Maybe it was due to her fear finally boiling over or perhaps it was really due to the ridiculousness of what she just heard. Either way, the girl couldn't help it. Laughter bubbled to the surface and escaped her lips, a bit more high-pitched than it would've been ordinarily. There was a jolt and she nearly lurched forward out of its hand as the machine came to a very sudden halt. Unsure, she shivered just a bit, her smile frozen on her face. Why had it stopped abruptly? She dared not move, unsure if it would just tighten its grip if she tried. So she stayed put, feeling too worn out to try glaring at Xerxes for leaping off of her shoulders.

So... purrplexing.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Xioban Efialtis Character Portrait: I.S.S.A.C. Character Portrait: Arto Kelmt
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The ground shook with every colossal step of the Caithness, the strikes of its clawed arms and the whipping motions of its thrashing tail bringing forth a calamity of screams from the hunting party surrounding it. Even outnumbered this giant with precious Caith crystals jutting out of its armored shell still seemed invincible as opposed to the hunters that were being thrown around like rag-dolls. Their swords broke, their shields bent and shattered, their hammers fell without hindering the beast in the slightest, their arrows and bullets plinked pathetically against the monster’s hide – a complete waste of ammo. One of the few hunters still able to get up from the ground stood still, though his legs clad in armored greaves were shaking.

“D
 Damn it
 Isn't there anyone of us who could stop that beast
?” He asked, addressing no one in particular as he watched the Caithness rage. And yet, unexpectedly, his question was answered


“Step back.” A simple phrase was uttered as a youth stepped forth, dressed in an adventurer’s garb, goggles shimmering on his eyes with a strange gun in hand. As though sensing an overly confident opponent approach, the beast turned, snarling as the reckless boy’s image reflected in the orbs of its eyes. At this moment its muzzle contorted to a strange semblance of a grimace. What could this one boy with his gun do? The beast had defeated hunters that were taller, stronger and armed with far bigger weapons than he! With a lumbering step it began its advance towards the boy.

“Arto!” Someone called out the boy’s name as the beast’s clawed arm came crashing down, raising a cloud of dust and rocky debris. Surely the boy perished
 Yet as the smoke cleared the youth was standing
 He was right on top of the clawed arm of the beast and before anyone in the area including the Caithness could get over their surprise, he rushed up its limb to its shoulder. Perhaps realizing the mistake of giving the boy leverage the beast tried to draw back its arm and shake him off. Yet the boy outran the monster and with a single jump propelled himself into the air before its maw. Surely there he would meet the end in its teeth
?

The hand with the strange firearm holding a visible Lumen core clicked, several round lenses sliding up from the side of the gun-frame and aligning themselves in front of the small crystal. And then, with the push of the trigger a golden light grew in a blinding flash, engulfing the beast in a burst so bright it rivaled the sun. The men and women who saw it took time to rub their eyes and manage to view their surroundings normally. The boy looked like a living saint, standing there holstering his gun while still surrounded in shimmering light. And upon him rained Caith that had been cast out of the beast he’d slain single-handed with his gun. Arto grinned, catching a few small crystals in his free hand as they fell, the hunters around him beginning to cheer for the great victor-


***

“Here’s your order! Sorry, we have so many visitors today. The pie’s still warm though!” An enthusiastic waitress chirped to him happily. She’d set the plate with his order in front of him rather loudly, the plate and the bottom of the cup both landing pretty audibly on the table in front of him. But then, with his head against the table as it was most any object landing on it would wake him up.

“Are you alright, our dear customer?” The waitress asked as the boy slowly turned his head. Still, she was called off before she could be incinerated by his murderous glare. If the trade-off of finally getting his order was being robbed of his glory then he’d rather she ate the damn pie herself! Although he’d probably still not share the cup of Ha’Penny’s famous punch with her. Still, Arto the currently unemployed Caithness hunter woke up, groaning and sitting up. The smell of food in front of him was inviting - a sort of proof that perhaps returning to the waking world wasn't ENTIRELY bad. Still, this place was pretty noisy and there were so many people around. Whatever this job he was told about was it would take forever to get scouted.

“Sheesh. Damn troublesome
” He uttered as he crammed a large piece of spiced meat pie into his mouth and chewed somewhat nonchalantly. He didn't have anyone at the table to watch his manners for. The procedure was taking too damn long. If he’d gone to the board and just taken a regular assignment off there he’d have probably had time to go handle that then return here and get his reward. And he’d STILL get to get scouted for this phantom job that was supposedly there for him to have. It would've certainly been better than hearing all this noise. The bustling of the crowd, the guffaw of Caithness Hunters sharing the stories of their daring escapades, those guards and an alchemist saying they needed a job posted for someone to bring back a loose Golem


Wait a minute


He listened a bit closer this time. A Golem was loose, apparently kidnapping a citizen to boot and the guards demanded to post a job for the Hunters to handle. The barkeeper, who could have told the owner responsible for authorizing a job, did his best to explain that one couldn't just walk in and say they need something done for the whole roster of Guild-affiliated and Guildless hunters to rush on ahead and carry it out for them. Yeah, right. Try explaining that to someone who feels that their business is urgent. Still, the guards and even the somewhat distraught-looking alchemist weren't having much luck speeding up their request’s posting. The barkeep and the guards were in a stalemate and the time they spent arguing fruitlessly was just enough for Arto to hastily finish off his meal, patting his stomach with an arm and getting up wiping his mouth on the way.

“Hey. If I bring the Golem, I get paid?” He confirmed from one of the guards, who agreed.

“Yes
 Yes-yes! You bring him, you’ll get money. You’re a hunter, yes? Uhm
 Young
 Well! No time for us to be picky! Just uh
 yeah, well, that Golem is
 probably
 Well just think of something!” The alchemist was obviously trying to create an impression he was still the professional and had most of the situation under his supervision. His muddled speech though didn't help make his status apparent.

“Fine. I don’t need an official warrant for that. Just be ready to pay in First Grade Lumen and Emperors.”

And so, having taken directions from the two guards and the alchemist, who all tried to talk to him at once, he rushed out of Ha’Penny Pie, not without paying the barkeep for the meal on the run. Sure it would've been reassuring to have a contract, but a Golem would probably be no less convincing than a piece of paper with a seal on it once he brought it back. And how hard could that be? Easy Caith and Emperors were going to be his in no time!

The setting changes from Barberry, City of Guilds to Allevent

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Xioban Efialtis Character Portrait: I.S.S.A.C.
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I.S.S.A.C.




The creature in its hand was making the strangest noise as it trundled down the now-empty street. There were others like it minding their own business, but they were communicating with one another with similar shrill sounds before stepping out of the way, leaving it to forge ahead on this path by itself. Still this creature would not stop the noise! Perhaps it was trying to communicate with it directly?

A whirring noise as it processed the information around it--the loud noises coming from this creature, the seemingly erratic patterns the beings on the ground were moving in; as little sense as it made to it, it began to pick up on a pattern. Slowly, the whirring grew in volume until a single sound broadcast from its head, a soft blue glow emitting from an inverted cross as it scanned the creature in its hand, almost as if looking for approval.

"A... A... Aaaaaaaah." It repeated the noise, hoping to decipher more of this strange speech patterns. The creature stared up at it, wide-eyed and repeating its previous statement, this time with what appeared to be an increased level of stress.

"Ahhhhhh!"

Not knowing what else to do, hoping for some other sort of sense of communication, it merely repeated this statement.

"Aaaaaaaah."

"Ahhhhhhh!"

"Aaaaaaaah."

It was unsure as to how long this "conversation" would go on--perhaps this creature was extremely talkative and had a lot to say... or maybe this was something unexpected? In a flash, another creature, this one brown with stubby legs and a tail, leapt from the shoulders of the creature creating the loud noises, running off on its own volition.

""Xerxes! D-Don't leave me!" The creature outstretched an arm toward the one that had reached the ground. When it ignored its beckoner, a new sound filled the air, this one with a blubbering tone with short sporadic gasps of breath between a soft low-pitched whine. It could tell that the creature's stress levels were higher than even before--perhaps retrieving this other creature would help to lower them once more?

Another whirring noise, this time slightly louder than before, and then--

"X... Xe... Xerxes." It repeated the name, stretching its arm out in the same direction as the creature in its occupied hand. "Xerxes. Xerxes. Xerxes." It chanted the word, stumbling after the brown creature running along the ground and reaching its arm in an awkward manner, hoping to grab it much like this other creature it was trying to placate.

Without any warning whatsoever, its arm smashed into a structure, tearing a hole in the facade of the building. Another one of these creatures, similar to the one in its hand but a bit pudgier and without the things on its head, Its stress levels were also extremely high and it also communicated in the same sort of shrill tone as it had heard before, but this was much more articulate.

"My... my house! Golem! You, you come back here--repair my house...!" Despite the fact that it--the golem, as it now was referred to--had indeed heard and sensed the levels of discomfort and stress that this new creature was experiencing, the overall stress of the one in its hand far outweighed the need to repair the house, as the new creature referred to it.

"Xerxes. Xerxes. Xerxes. Aaaaaaaah." Almost as if to attempt to indicate why it could not stop to help this other creature with its house, the golem "spoke" these two things over and over again, chasing after the creature with the tail along the ground.

A new noise from the creature in its hand, this one slightly less stressed than before but still with hints of apprehension. "Ffffffffnyah?!" Was it calming down? It appeared so, despite the fact that the stress was still in its voice. Almost out of a necessity to attempt to reassure it that it was going to be safe in its care, it recreated the sound as best as it could with the technology available ot it.

"... ffffffffnyah."

Another new sound, this time softer and higher-pitched. For watever reason, it seemed to simultaneously lower and raise her stress levels, although the new noise helped to settle them at a lower level. Almost instinctively, it stopped in its tracks, pausing for a moment to assess the situation. The stress of this creature was about to rise again, but it seemed to have a bizarre look plastered across its face, something between utter fear and admiration.

Sensing no other life in the immediate vicinity, the golem lowered its hand toward the ground and gently set the creature on the ground. While doing this, it saw a glimpse of brown daring down another street; seeing as this creature appeared to be another source of stress, it realized that it must retrieve the fleeing beast in order to calm the being that had until this point in time been trapped in its hand.

"Xerxes. Xerxes. You come back here--repair my house. Aaaaaaaah. Xerxes. Xerxes. Fffffffffnyah." It lumbered after this creature--the brown bushy-tailed thing that the one now on the ground had referred to as Xerxes--with outstretched arms, oblivious to the extra damage it caused as it knocked off bricks and shingles.

This Xerxes creature was leading the golem on a chase through the streets, through the winding passageways and corridors until everything seemed to open up. No more buildings, no more cobbled streets. Everything seemed so... free. There was, however, no sign of Xerxes, and the golem could not even fathom how to find a creature that small in this sea of of... not-city. Not knowing what exactly to do, the golem stopped moving, finding a spot and gathering information about the surrounding landscape as it called out.

"Xerxes. Xerxes. You come back here--Aaaaaaaah. Xerxes. Xerxes."

The setting changes from Allevent to Barberry, City of Guilds

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Character Portrait: I.S.S.A.C. Character Portrait: Arto Kelmt
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This wasn’t starting out as a very difficult job. Arto was feeling pretty good about it so far. The Golem left quite a trail in the city. What one could call a “warm” trail, heated quite a bit by the disgruntled victims of the destruction it had caused piling up complaints for the guards who, unlike Arto, were obligated to stop by and address the needs of the citizens. Cracked pavement, broken walls, although mostly no completely collapsed structures. He wouldn’t be the one to try and be optimistic with the owners of damaged property and to remind them of things such as the value of not being crushed to death. Mostly because it was none of his concern and he had a bigger runaway construct to fry.

Would this unofficial job he took upon himself proceed as successfully as it had begun? Well no, and in fact negative factors began piling up just about ten to twenty minutes following the swift and promising start. For one thing – he wasn’t quite catching up even at a fairly brisk pace – the thing’s steps were still wider than his and he’d given the Golem quite a head-start. Clearly those who gave him the job wasted quite a bit of time figuring out what to do, where to go, when to start, bickering with the barkeeper at Ha’Penny Pie and more. In fact, didn’t that alchemist look more than a little incompetent? Well, that wasn’t much of Arto’s business either. What did a competent alchemist even look like? Then there was this whole “what to do when you find the Golem” thing that thankfully didn’t need to be addressed immediately. Not while all he was doing was follow the less than subtle evidence of where it was heading. But it was there, looming at the horizon, for now a shapeless silhouette of a pain in the rear that the oddjob-boy could only imagine, but soon to shape up into the outlines of a possibly haywire piece of Caith-powered artifice with enough strength to crush through stone and no qualms against using it to plough through the City of Guilds.

That was the problem with taking on jobs so hastily. No guarantees, only about as much professionalism as he himself brought into the picture and no one but himself to scold later when things end up less rewarding than expected. At least logically he’d be the only one deserving of scolding. Not that it would prevent him from later mumbling things about all the others involved. So right now he was generously dispatching mental remarks towards the alchemist, the guards, the Golem, the girl that woke him up from the dream back at Ha’Penny Pie. If he knew more about those involved in the incident they too would likely get some custom-tailored snark as well. And so he walked on driven by the poorly worded request of a stuttering oaf, accompanied by a couple of stone-faced brutes in clanking excuse for body armor, following a big pile of animated scrap. Yup, Arto definitely had a penchant for painting the best possible picture of the circumstances in his mind. Good thing that didn’t prevent him from following the line to the originator of this hassle and the key to justifying it at least a bit by fetching him some cash and supplies. It just made him carry out that job with a less than enthusiastic look on his face.

As if remaining an element of him that would constantly work to prevent his growing dissatisfaction from jeopardizing him and his assignment, his mind managed to trace a pattern and switched his attention to it, feeling like an instant switch of thought-process to a more productive route. If the Golem were really haywire and rampaging, what was to prevent it from just going forth in a straight line through buildings, walls and whatever else? What damage he noticed clearly indicated it had no problems with it, so why would it alter its own route? In fact, it almost seemed as though the damage was done during failed maneuvers, perhaps while trying to make a turn too sharp for its weight to handle. The further he moved along the more evidence supported it. The trail now went in a “homestretch” to the open gates and through them, rather than through a wall. Perhaps this thing wasn’t so haywire after all? There had to be some kind of logic
 Perhaps it was following something?

“Hey, wait! It’s dangerous! A Golem just went this way!” The still somewhat wide-eyed guards warned him as he walked through the gates.

“Yeah-yeah. I’ll bring it back soon.” Arto uttered dismissively which frankly made the guards grow a bit pale. They probably weren’t sure if that boy bringing it back was such a good thing. And if it was going to follow him in the same fashion that it had gone through the city in then it would most certainly NOT be a good thing.

Whatever the guards he left behind his back thought, Arto thought it was about time he got closer to the damn thing. His stroll through the city switched to a stroll outside of it and his surroundings changed from a cityscape to an idyllic landscape. Lush plant-life (albeit trampled here and there), fresh air (albeit with a growing echo of someone’s monotonous calling of "Xerxes. Xerxes. You come back here--Aaaaaaaah. Xerxes. Xerxes.") – what’s not to like? And finally he was close enough to see the source of the trouble. A Golem lumbering about in circles with its hands outstretched towards whatever it was chasing – he couldn’t quite see it from there. It
 seemed relatively harmless. At least it was probably not on a seek-and-destroy kind of program and wasn’t inclined to attack him
 probably. Still, the loop it was caught in, both a literal and figurative one, had to be brought to an end. Arto couldn’t think of anything better to do than calling out to it.

“You there, Golem! What are you doing?” He addressed it loud enough to be heard over its own strange monotonous chanting. He held his hand close to the holster of his weapon. All that would ensue depended on his “quarry’s” reaction


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Character Portrait: I.S.S.A.C. Character Portrait: Arto Kelmt
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I.S.S.A.C.




The golem noticed a flash of brown among the reeds and immediately began to follow it. Its arms stretched forward as it lumbered around the field after this sensation, knowing that the creature called Xerxes was also this same color. With each step, it flattened more and more of the plant-life around it as the creature continued to veer off slightly to the right. After a brief jog, it realized that it was back to where it started and continued to follow the path, moving in closer and closer to the center of the circle it was creating in the hopes of capturing the runaway creature.

"Xerxes. Xerxes. You come back here--repair my house. Xerxes. Aaaaaaaah. Xerxes." The golem recited this phrase over and over as it continued stumbling along its path. It realized that this creature was attempting to get away from it, but for what purpose? Xerxes had left the care of the other creature it had once carried in its hand, but that failed to give any sort of explanation as to why it continued to move away. Perhaps it was--

“You there, Golem! What are you doing?” a voice cried, interrupting its actions. Something finally clicked into place for it--that word... It had heard it once before--Golem. Was that what it was? How did this newcomer know so much about it when it barely knew anything about itself? It scanned the area and found the newest entity. It looked similar to the other place where they had all gathered around it, but this one was a different color than the others it had seen, something that matched the wide expanse above its field of vision. The newcomer's arm was reaching for something at its side, just in case--the golem could not tell what it was or what its purpose was, but perhaps this newcomer would use it and it would be able to see what it was capable of.

Before anything else could happen, though, a flash of brown darted out from the plants once again, this time heading back towards the buildings it had run alongside before. The creature known as Xerxes continued moving quickly toward the cityscapes, past this new creature that looked so familiar and plentiful earlier but now seemed strangely out of place out here away from the city.

"You there, golem. Xerxes. Xerxes. You come back here--golem. Golem. What are you doing. Aaaaaaaaah. Xerxes." The golem lurched forward and began lumbering after Xerxes, striding past the creature in the strange color without so much as a passing analysis. Its arms were outstretched toward the fleeing ball of fur, although somehow now it seemed to be accelerating faster than before. The golem was in absolutely no shape to keep up and eventually lost it inside one of the alleyways. By the time it managed to get to where it had last seen Xerxes, the brown creature was long gone. The alley it believed to have seen Xerxes run through was much too narrow for its bulky frame to fit through, so it merely stood there at the opening, looking inside and scanning for any signs of the animal.

"Xerxes. Xerxes. You come back here--what are you doing. Xerxes. Aaaaaaaah. Xerxes."

The setting changes from Barberry, City of Guilds to Allevent

Setting

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Character Portrait: Raruna (Runa) Leautia Character Portrait: Isengrim Lupul Character Portrait: Icarus Saerin Character Portrait: Zherynnia Analorum Character Portrait: Xioban Efialtis Character Portrait: Lysandra Teraviel
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#, as written by Igari


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Yuskreviv na'aim... na'aim... raflhej?!

There had been a loud crash from up above, a tumbling of a large crate, and now she was sprawled out on the ground. She blinked, the wall did look odd from her upside down position. Her hair was messily spread out over her body, some books laying on top of her chest. She blew a bit of her hair away from her eyes, jutting out her bottom lip in a pout. Hejrill eksha nadrem? The last she could recall, she had been around.... around... Her mind was drawing up literal blanks though a part of her did feel the slightest bit of familiarity from her surroundings. The girl was unable to place them properly however. Perhaps trying to remember where she was currently was a bit too difficult--maybe she could try something easier? A few letters moved across her irises, jumbled--uncoordinated. A trait that all of her race shared when attempting to recall pieces of information.

Hmm, she did faintly remember a bar... yes, there had been a group of sailors, they had a map in their back pocket! And the map had led to treasure! Oh!

She attempted to sit up but her current position only made her falll backwards once more. She tried a few more times, eventually having to use her hands as support to prop herself up. She had that map, right? It had looked so enticing, so mouth-wateringly delicious... She began to pat herself down, reaching into all of her available pockets. As she reached her back pocket underneath the folds of her sash, she felt the firm outline of parchment. Ah ha! Yes, she most certainly still had the map. But it was a bit too early to be snacking so maybe she would save that until later...

Something told her that eating right now wouldn't benefit her. Her stomach seemed to be on a revolt against the very thought even, for it threatened to overturn on her at the idea of feeding herself. She tapped her chin with a few digits. That memory still didn't tell her anything though... Maybe there had been something afterwards? Yes, there had been... a woman. That was right! She had been distracted by possible treasure and a woman with brown hair had come up and... thrown a sack over her head. Her eyebrows furrowed even deeper as she attempted to replay what had happened next but her memories seemed to end just as her vision had blacked out as well.

The girl stood up unsteadily with her palms pressed against the walls for support. The texts rolled off of her as she did so, scattering on the ground. She wasn't so preoccupied with it--somehow she felt she had already eaten those for some reason. She walked towards the stairs, clutching the railing on her way up. Why was it so difficult to walk straight? And why did it feel like there was rocking of some kind? There was what looked to be a hatch at the top of the stairs. She grasped the latch, turning it to the side and pushing upwards. The door clamored open and she poked her head out of the opening. The fresh air hit her face sharply. It was whirring by a bit too quickly for... ah?

That was sky. Sie daishi. Sie sie daishi! There was a flash of nervousness that hit her as she forced herself to ascend all the way to the surface, not bothering to close the door behind her. Large eyes skimmed over the people that were standing around on the deck (Maybe? She really wasn't sure...), not a single face bringing up any recognition. There was an older man--jeez, those were some deep frown lines! He could use one of those... those.... oh, she'd remember that later! She puffed up her cheeks with air as she took in each person--a man with white hair, a slender woman, another man who wore a disinterested expression on his face and--a face she could recognize!

She caught sight of a woman exiting the helm who was walking back to the steering wheel. That woman had the same brown hair she remembered from the bar and the same demeanor. It had to be the same person. She tightened her sash with a bit of hesitation as she approached the woman.

"Um..." She began, soon pausing afterwards. What exactly was she going to say? "Yuseif tarwn maji..." She trailed off, a blank stare in response meeting her words. What was she saying wrong? Maybe she was expressing herself too quickly? "Yu-se-if ta-r-wn ma-ji...?" She tried more slowly, putting emphasis on each part of her question. There was no response and the girl's frown returned on her face. "Washu rein, you look familiar?" She stated, unconsciously switching dialects in the middle of her speech. She looked over her shoulder, feeling uncomfortable with that older, grim-looking fellow standing some feet from her. She shifted so that she was on the other side of the woman before continuing.

"Could you... maybe tell me where I am right now? I can't seem to remember anything before our encounter in the bar." She didn't like this--she hated not being able to get a bearing on what and where she was. And more importantly how she had come to reside there. This had seemed to be a recurring theme, but moreso whenever she... That must've been it! She got an internal ping, snapping her fingers at the realization. She always blacked out the most when she accidentally ate too much in one sitting. That would explain why she had been in a crate full of books... Though still left much to be desired in terms of everything else.

Hopefully she would be able to figure it all out soon.



Image




Xerxes had been running in circles in the fields directly outside of Barberry. The large creature, a golem if he was not mistaken, didn't seem to comprehending the situation correctly. It continued its chants, jumbles of words taken from things shouted in the city. It called after him, chasing after the familiar with metallic clanks following in its wake. He wasn't the least bit worried about being caught; their difference in speed was very apparent. And it was humorous to see it unable to quite catch him, yet seemingly so determined to do just that. A boy's voice caused him to halt for a second though the animal didn't stay in place too long, he wasn't going to be caught that easily.

“You there, Golem! What are you doing?” Huehuehue, a perfect distraction. He darted out from the faintly indented earth, pouncing on to the boy's unsuspecting face. He left a scratch mark on the human's cheeks as he jumped off of him, the boy toppling to the ground. From the thunk that occurred, it seemed a safe assumption that the boy had been knocked out cold by the impact. With a flick of his tail and an infamous smirk, Xerxes was bounding back into the city. He heard the shifting of gears as the golem undoubtedly turned behind him. A persistent machine~ It wouldn't do to be chased down the main streets, though.

He darted into one of the side alleys, hopping over one of the barrels that had been overturned in the earlier commotion. There was a rough grating sound from behind him. The golem was attempting to wedge itself in between the walls to enter the thin space. Its hand swiped at thin air, hitting against the buildings as it continued its efforts. He would have to give it points for tenacity.

"Xerxes. Aaaaaaaah. Xerxes." It called loudly. Xerxes only flashed it a devious grin before scampering through the space, turning the corner into the back-alleys of Barberry. It did not take him long at all to locate his charge. Yes, just as he had suspected: wide-eyed with a trembling bottom lip. Just as helpless as always. He casually lept upon her shoulders, the girl starting in surprise.

"Xerxes!" She exclaimed. Why was she so shocked? She was the one that had called out for him after all. He rolled his eyes, not indulging a response. He pawed at one of the dangling ribbons from her hairpiece. She tried her best to be firm with him, cheeks flooding with a reddish tinge as she attempted a glare. "Xerxes, don't you ignore me!"

"Huehuehue~" She gave an exasperated sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose and looking back over at the elvish woman.

"I'm sorry fur this..." Her voice came out a bit more meekly as she addressed her new companion. Xerxes tended to make nearly anyone uncomfortable, so perhaps she shouldn't be surprised at the slight edginess she sensed from the woman at his arrival. But at least with him here, they'd finally be able to get out of the city! She always got lost on her own. She looked to Xerxes, raising her eyebrows at him. Her fox yawned lazily before stretching, pawing one last time at her before jumping on to the ground.

Her familiar was choosing to be more difficult today, keeping that smirk on his face yet not uttering a word. He trotted down the alleyway at a moderate pace, the girl gesturing apologetically to the other woman before following him. She hoped that the elf wouldn't be so put-off and would accept Xerxes' guidance--at least until they crossed outside of the city boundaries.

The setting changes from Allevent to Barberry, City of Guilds

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Xioban Efialtis Character Portrait: Lysandra Teraviel Character Portrait: I.S.S.A.C. Character Portrait: Arto Kelmt
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The girl with the cat-eared hat turned toward the elf with the realization that her potion was being returned to her. She stared at the elf, scanning her figure and immediately making her feel slightly uneasy. She instinctively retracted her right arm behind her back despite the sleeve covering her... growths. It was more of a force of habit now than anything else, but especially so now because this was the person with the fox; even though it was missing for now, she had no idea where or when it would strike next...

"Mew, I'm sorry--I didn't mean to be so rude earlier." She said slowly, raising her eyes to match the gaze of the elf. Despite her harried expression from before in the marketplace, she seemed rather... lucid now. Perhaps it was just the fact that the square they were in was rather devoid of people, but it was eerily comforting that she did not have to look over her back every few seconds--

The vere--was he following her? He had been so interested in finding out about her history, and she had been rather standoffish in her approach, which was a faux pas on her part, she admitted, but still! Had she not been clear in the archive? What did she need to do to make it clear to him that she did not want to be bothered, especially when he was prying for details as he was?

Instead of the wolf, however, the sound of clanking metal rang through the air as the elf spied a few guards heading in their direction. Her face paled--this day was getting more and more exciting, which was the exact opposite of what she wanted. Had someone alerted the guard about her condition? Did they think she was dangerous? If the vere did notice something... She let out a hurried breath, looking back toward the girl with the cat-eared hat atop her head... although... she shook the thought from her mind; there were more important things that were happening around her, whether or not she wanted them to directly involve her.

"Purrhaps we have a common point of interest?" the cat-eared girl offered, seeing the rather concerned wide-eyed expression collecting on her face. "I do not normally mewr... travel in the streets directly." She gestured toward the back alleys before taking a few steps out toward the sidestreets.

The elf was hesitant at first, as well she should have been. She was an outsider to the city, someone that stuck out like a sore thumb as it was. This girl, who she had never met before earlier in the day, was now offering to take her into the dark alleys where she would undoubtedly be lost in the labyrinthine backstreets of the city. Still, it was better than potentially being stopped by the guards for fates-know-what--if they wanted to bring her in for analysis... she shuddered at the thought. With nowhere else to go, she reluctantly followed after the girl into a more... desperate part of town.

She ran after the young woman, ducking around the corner of a building and out of the sight of the pursuing guards. Around another corner, and another, another still--where was this girl taking her? Did she actually know where she was going? What if they got lost in the streets and the guards still ended up capturing them? Suddenly, the elf had a very uneasy feeling about following after a complete stranger down a dark alley despite the alternative solution...

After another few minutes of ducking around corners and navigating the maze of streets and alleys, the girl with the cap finally stopped. The elf was most definitely out of breath--she could feel her heart pounding in her throat, both out of fatigue and out of fear that someone would still be able to navigate the path they had taken. She could feel her right arm throbbing slightly; a quick glance at the sleeve betrayed no outward signs of protruding crystal growths nor any textural abnormalities, so there was that, at least... If this other girl had not seen anything before (although she was doubtful of this), she certainly could not see anything now.

...but if she had seen something, why wasn't she trying to verify what she thought she saw in the marketplace?

"You don't... happen to mind fur, do you?" the girl asked somewhat hesitantly. What sort of question was that to an elf? Her people hunted for food and used the skins of their prey as clothing; however, they did try to create as harmonious of a relationship as they could with their forest. She respected the life that sprang from the loins of the earth and only thought the best of them--well, her familiar was an exception to the rule, now that she stopped to think about it...

And then she remembered--on top of everything else, she owed this girl money for her new robes! The elf cursed her luck as she realized that she had little need for currency anyway, living mostly outside of the city. When she did force herself to go into the city, she normally was able to get by without it, but now... Now she had to repay her somehow, but with what? She was unable to get a job anywhere without risk of exposing her deformity, and even if she could find such a line of work, she was not willing to forego all of her research in order to live with a bit of coin to her name...

Suddenly, a brown blur skimmed across the ground and leapt onto the girl's shoulders, pawing at her hair. "Xerxes!" she cried out, evidently surprised at the creature's sudden appearance. "Xerxes, don't you ignore me!" The elf immediately noticed that this was the creature that had bit down on her sleeve and had torn her old robes. Even more unsettling was the fact that it seemed more intelligent than she had given it credit for from earlier--

And then it hit her: this 'Xerxes' fox had bitten down on a crystal. Would it think to tell the girl about what was different about her compared to every other being it had ever encountered? Would the cat-eared girl just abandon her in the backalley if she found out?

"Xerxes. Aaaaaaaah. Xerxes." A metallic voice cut through her thoughts, followed by the sound of something solid rubbing against... brick or stone? The color drained immediately from the elf's face--what was this... this thing that was coming after her familiar? What did it want from it? Had she in fact been used by the girl and her familiar? Of course everything that she had tried to do today had been flipped on its head and been thrown back in her face almost as if to spite her--why not this too?

"I'm sorry fur this..." the girl meekly stated as she attempted to get the fox off from around her shoulders. The elf's eyes grew wide as she tried to take in all of these stimuli--the fox, the girl, the back alley, the... thing trying to come after them--yet even through all of these things that were potential dangers... the girl's tone was genuine. Despite the misgivings she had about the fox she "controlled", the girl herself... maybe she was not out to put her away at all; maybe she had not seen anything after all...

The fox had finally leapt from the girl's shoulders, bounding down the street they currently occupied toward the unknown. Turning around for a brief second, the elf was bekoned to by the girl as she followed the familiar almost blindly. Of course, the woman in red was not ready to trust her well-being to this person she had barely even met and was only relying on for these direst of circumstances, but... The threat of being cornered by what sounded like a huge creature that was coming after the girl's familiar was right in front of her. She could stay put in the hopes that it would go away in case it saw 'Xerxes' running away, but that was a lot to hope for--what if it didn't see either figure and assumed they still stayed back with her? And then what of her situation after they left? She would still be lost in the city with guards trying to find her...

No other options to go with, she bit her tongue and ran after the fleeing girl and the fox. This went against everything that she had been just worrying about mentally, but... there was no other reason for her to stay...

Another scraping sound against the stones that held these buildings together, another outcry of "Xerxes. Aaaaaaaah. Xerxes. Fffffffffnyah." The voice sent a chill down the elf's spine, and she suddenly felt the urge to run after the fleeing figures. Around one corner, then another and another--seconds turned into minutes as their footfalls echoed through the empty walkways, the beating of her heart pulsing in her ears.

Make sure that you keep the sleeve covered! Don't get careless now!

It is! Besides, there's no one else around now, what with that thing chasing after the fox--

And you're trusting this person, the one whose familiar got you into this panic in the first place?

Should I trust the guards instead? Would that be better for me?

...If she ends up betraying you, you only have yourself to blame...


After a few minutes more of running, the buildings thinned out--there it was! The plains were within her reach, and she continued sprinting ahead, closing in on the positions of the girl and her familiar. Never before had she been so relieved to see a sea of grasses before! She threatened to keep up with even the fox as she felt the plants brushing against her legs. For the first time all day, she felt relatively calmer. Anything to get away form the city would best for her--

What had caused the grasses to flatten? Someone--or something--had been stomping around in the fields, perhaps as a prank. The massive footprints, though, disturbed the elf slightly, as nothing human or human-like would be able to do anything nearly as destructive as this on their own--

What was the girl doing now?

The nekomimi girl masked her hesitance rather well--she had not fully expected the elf to follow after her. Or at least at such a close distance. She paused as they approached the flattened grass, noticing an indent some meters away. It looked almost like... She walked a little closer, slowly leaning forwards. She caught sight of a boy, black hair messily strewn across his face. He was clearly knocked out for the count and... were those claw marks on his cheeks? Xerxes had caused so much trouble today! She reached into her pouch, digging around in it until she was able to produce a green vial. She garnered they wouldn't have much time to stop and she wasn't all that eager to want to bring him along with them to begin with, but she felt she would at least have to make it up to him somehow. His wounds were partially her fault.

The two female figures ran for about another minute or two before the elf realized that she was running very low on breath. She took a bit of time to pause, feeling the sweat drip across her forehead. She never thought that she would have had to run so fast just to get out of a city before, let alone with a complete stranger that had an animal that had spontaneously decided to attack her and ruin her clothing. The things she did when there were so many people that might be coming after her! What did they want from her, anyway?

After watching the girl set the flask down by the fallen man she had failed to notice before, the elf realized that she should be a bit more thankful. She did, after all, owe her something for the gold she had been given, even though she was not entirely to blame for her earlier predicament, but what did she have to offer in return? Certainly not her bow--the ashen-gray weapon slung across her back was most definitely off of the table.

Mustering up her courage, she took a few tentative steps toward the cat-eared girl. "...thank you..." she spoke quietly but sincerely, partly because of her breathlessness. "I feel... I feel I must repay you somehow, but I lack the funds to do so..."

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Xioban Efialtis Character Portrait: I.S.S.A.C. Character Portrait: Arto Kelmt
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The evolution of this particular assignment’s level of difficulty continued rapidly, not without the influence of the creature known as Xerxes whom Arto had yet to identify. With his attention mostly focused on the large Golem, it’s no wonder he missed the approach of something far smaller towards him. A sort of change of vector had occurred in the creature’s movement before it dashed through the grass and leapt into the air. Having an unknown furry creature jump right into his face would definitely startle Arto at least at first, a jump-scare of sorts. A much bigger problem was the resulting loss of balance. And then an even bigger problem was the flat surface of a rock, that just so happened to be squarely at the point where the back of Arto’s head ended up. What was the result of the impact? A convenient unconsciousness


The time spent in a state of blackout had Arto miss a few events and passersby, the true events replaced by darkness that was not even generous enough to give him another dream of astonishing success. Following what must’ve been hours passing, the young man groaned and sat up. The Golem clearly wasn’t there by now, to which Arto was almost ready to say “good riddance” at the moment. The headache was still splitting, scratches stung on his cheeks and the benefit of returning to the waking world seemed questionable at best. There probably wasn’t any lasting damage though. With one hand on the back of his head and the other on the ground, he seemingly found something. Some kind soul had left him what seemed to be a vial with some sort of medicine. Why, that is almost as helpful as not forcing him to spend nobody knows how much time in the grass outside the city borders. Anyway, this was not the time to be capricious. For Arto the times of being capricious weren’t even that abundant in the first place.

Soon he was up, having applied the contents of the vial to the annoying scratches on his face. What now? He had little to no idea where the Golem was, had no plan, was running a little low on cash. One way or other, staying here was anything but productive, so he turned towards the city, causing another pulse of pain to pass through his head. Was it because he turned too fast, or was the thought of the city alone enough to give him a headache by now? No point finding out, so the rather sour-faced young man headed back towards the gates. No one asked questions, no one paused by him. He purposely chose to walk a different road from the one along which he’d followed the Golem. Maybe he could just go back to the bar. Maybe he still had a chance of enlisting for a REAL job. Maybe he could just forget about this whole “Sure, let’s go find a Golem, what could go wrong?” kind of job. Maybe he wouldn’t even have to hear anothe-


"Xerxes. Aaaaaaaah. Xerxes. Fffffffffnyah."

Arto paused, standing still in the middle of the street as the already familiar chanting of the metallic voice reached his ears. He let out another groan similar to one he had uttered when rising from the tall grass he’d been left in earlier. Wouldn’t it be alright to just head on along? Couldn’t he just be on his way and not trying find the Golem? He was hesitant to say the least, far from eager to go looking for more sources of annoyance, more fuel for his headache. But perhaps this would go better this time? Perhaps he could work it out now? There were at least no thundering footsteps accompanying the Golem’s ridiculous banter. This much he could understand as he began moving to the source of the voice. Was the Golem still
?

As he soon found out – indeed it was. Still and trying to reach into an alleyway it was clearly not small enough to fit into. Thankfully it at least wasn’t trying to charge through the buildings. It had caused enough damage as it was. Onlookers were certainly here as well, including a couple of guards largely unprepared for such an event. The citizens were asking each other if the Golem was broken, what a Xerxes was, where the alchemists were looking and other such things. To be fair, the question concerning the alchemist was on Arto’s mind as well, albeit in slightly different terms and with emphasis on slightly more qualities of the alchemist. Most of them far from admirable.

“You, didn’t they hire you to
” Began one of the guards, but Arto stopped him.

“Yeah-yeah. Can’t you see I’ve got this under control? Just let me
” Arto paused since he didn’t quite know what exactly he needed the guards to let him do. Suspicious glances from said guards urged him to finish his phrase faster. “
talk to it or something. You go fetch that
 alchemist.”

The guards glanced from the Golem and back to the boy, then back to the Golem. Well they certainly did need that alchemist, which was reason enough to move away from the scene, conveniently persuading most of the onlookers to disperse on their way. Yes, most convenient indeed for another awkward cross-species communication attempt by Arto.

“Shut up!” Such were the opening words of his negotiation. “Do you hear me? Be quiet for a few minutes and listen to me, Golem!” A pause followed. Arto needed to make sure the Golem was paying attention to him and not trying to run off elsewhere.

“Repair my house? Xerxes? What in the world are you even saying? What’s Xerxes? If it’s that thing that had jumped me it’s not even here anymore! Must’ve run off into the forest again while you were stuck here by this alleyway!” Another pause commenced, but this time not because he needed to confirm the Golem’s attention or lack of it. Perhaps he got a little carried away and said too much? Did it even understand the meaning of half of what he had said?

“Don’t. Even
 Think. About. Moving from here.” He accentuated nearly every word, stepping away to avoid more possible injury. Still, him and his big mouth probably had an effect quite different from the desired one.

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Character Portrait: I.S.S.A.C. Character Portrait: Arto Kelmt
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The golem had seen the creature run into the back alley some time ago, although since that time it had not seen any sign of Xerxes. Still, it thought that it could try and grab it out of the alley if it reached in far enough. To its surprise, it found that it was still rather stuck between the buildings. Without much else to do and nowhere else to go, it merely started feeling around on the ground, hoping that it could find something amidst the darkness--or perhaps it could not see the furry creature because it was obstructed by something else in the alleyway? Curious, indeed...

"Xerxes. Aaaaaaaah. Xerxes. Fffffffffnyah." It repeated the phrase several times, knowing full well that if the creature was back there, it would understand that all it wanted to do was return it to the creature it had run away from. Hopefully its minimal attempts at communicating with the creature would pay off in the end, but for now, it was reduced to merely trying to feel its way through the alleyway that it could not possibly squeeze through without causing more unnecessary damage to the buildings that surrounded it.

Even through the commanding voice echoing through the alley and ringing across the immmediate area, the golem could hear the sounds of nervous murmuring coming from behind it. It paused momentarily, trying to listen to what they could be so concerned with. Although it was wondering why so many voices could sound so worried at once and why they would concentrate themselves behind it, it paid little heed to the murmuring, continuing obliviously on in its search for Xerxes.

Clanking close behind it now was a familiar sound--the sound of metal clanking against metal. Again, without much to go off of, it merely continued its search through the alley, audiating "Xerxes. Aaaaaaaah. Xerxes. Fffffffffnyah." the entire time, much to the worry of the people that stood behind it. There was another voice, though, something that seemed to take control of the situation, and after a few brief seconds of quiet conversation, the voice piped up.

“Shut up! Do you hear me? Be quiet for a few minutes and listen to me, Golem!” The voice sounded quite agitated, but it was the word 'golem' that snapped the construct's attention away from the alley. It turned to find the creature bedecked in blue, the same one that had been there as it chased Xerxes through the tall green area. There was something slightly different about this newcomer, though--there were a few cuts across the topmost part of its figure, although they were rather slight and not too glaringly obvious. Still, the tone of voice it used against the golem was rather harsh and completely unnecessary...

“Repair my house? Xerxes? What in the world are you even saying? What’s a 'Xerxes'? If it’s that thing that had jumped me, it’s not even here anymore! Must’ve run off into the forest again while you were stuck here by this alleyway!” This creature sounded rather agitated, much like that other one that commanded the golem to "repair my house". Although... was Xerxes in this... forest? What was it, exactly? Could it follow a trail that it had left behind and find it there? Perhaps then the creature with the pointed ears would feel better... although it did not know where that other creature had escaped to, either...

"...shut up. Listen to me, golem. Off into the Xerxes. Forest. Repair my house. Alleyway. Xerxes. Fffffffffnyah." The golem sputtered out the words, possibly in an attempt to mimic the actions of the creatures it had observed in the marketplace. It seemed as though it only managed to raise the intensity of the blue creature's voice--which was already rather hostile, it figured--and it seemed to growl at the golem much as the Xerxes creature had earlier.... although this was much more hostile...

“Don’t. Even
 Think. About. Moving from here.” The blue creature took a few steps back from the golem, almost as if it was trying to stay away and avoid it... much like Xerxes. Did it run away from the other creature with pointed ears too? It could not calculate that the blue thing would do that, though--it had not seen the blue creature attempt to accompany Xerxes or the pointed-ear creature from before, so the likelihood was slim.

Still... was Xerxes no longer in the dark place? Had it run away from where it had thought the furry creature had hidden?

"Ah, there it is!" a familiar voice sounded. A short, stout man with a rather extravagant handlebar mustache and somewhat flustered look across his face. "This golem is a menace and must be taken care of! It goes around and destroys propery--my property, to be more specific--and it has no quarry!"

A collective murmur rose from the crowd as a dozen guards made their way through the people. What sort of golem did not have a quarry!? This was unheard of!

The golem, however, did not seem to mind either way, as it turned away from the oncoming crowd and began to lumber off back toward the edge of Barberry from where it had come. The guards, at the urging of the mustachioed man, followed along, although they kept their distance after hearing about how the last few guards that had attempted to intervene were easily brushed aside by the mechanical monstrosity. The golem did nothing to intervene with the oncoming guardsmen, but it continued on its path, swinging its arms to and fro along the way and accidentally knocking over a bit more of the house it had partially destroyed earlier.

"...My... My house...!" The man with the mustache fell to his knees with outstretched arms. "...It... It destroyed my...!"

"Shut up. Xerxes. Forest. Ffffffffnyah." The golem continued its trek through the city, reaching the outskirts once again and lumbering toward the massive circle pounded into the ground. It walked around the shape, analyzing for anything that might give any sort of trace--

Of course! Xerxes had been moving along the ground as well--perhaps it had left some sort of track to follow... Of course, the footprints were much smaller and harder to follow than the giant ones of the golem, but they were there nonetheless... along with slightly larger ones heading in the same direction. Could this lead to the "forest" that the blue creature spoke of before?

It continued to lumber off in the direction of the faint footprints that it assumeed Xerxes left behind in its escape. However, the second set was a mystery to the golem--what other creature followed it away? Perhaps it would find out in time... For now, though, it was attempting to process the tall objects off in the distance, things that were not nearly made of stone like the buildings in the city but were just as tall if not taller than them. They were also rather slender... The footprints continued toward these... things, for lack of a better term, and the golem, with nowhere else to go, continued to follow them toward the unknown...