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Salim Naghi

"I'm a winner."

0 · 476 views · located in Kingdom of Magic

a character in “We Are the Few”, as played by H3R0

Description

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"Never let anyone say they're better than you, greater than you, stronger, or smarter, or bigger than you. They're wrong. People aren't a social status. They're equals. Although, if things were really equal, I'd be sitting at the top of the food chain with a sword in one hand and gold in the other, laughing it up as the grand overlord to all you little wimps."





Name:Image
Salim Naghi
(say-leem į§ nah-gi)

Nickname:
Salim has been given many nicknames over his lifetime, but the most notable ones would be, Cobalt, which was given to him by his best friend, the Prince, because when he was younger, he was so obsessed with the color blue that sometimes it was all he could talk about and the Prince thought it was funny. Another one, given to him by a thief, Deshrok, which, in her language, basically translates to "sunshine." She used to joke that he gave sunshine to her shadowed life and cleared the darkness from her mind, but maybe it was more than a joke. Any other nicknames haven't really been relevant or very meaningful to him.

Role:
The Victor

Race:
Human

Age:
18

Gender:
Male

Romantic Interest(s):
None at the moment. Despite how it may seem by the way he acts, he hasn't been with all that many romantic partners in the past.

Sexuality:
Bisexual




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"I've been told before that I look like a dog, and that the best thing for me would be getting down on all fours and lapping water out of a human's hands. What kind of shit is that, right? Cover your ears children. I fucked that guy up. I knew I looked better than him before, but after that, I looked like the sun next to a camel's ass."





ImageHeight:
6'2"

Weight:
155lbs

Hair:
Salim's hair has always been a special case of royal blue. It's messy in a handsome sort of way, blown about which way and that. It seems to take on a new look each day, although it never quite strays too far from it's most basic, simple look. He likes to keep it short because when it gets too long, it starts to get hot and itchy on his neck. It takes on a bit of its own gravity with tufts of blue falling every which way it pleases, sometimes falling into his eyes or sticking up at random. Usually, it's never anything that bothers him enough to get aggravated over. He likes his hair the way it is and rarely does anything special to it besides making sure it maintains its cleanliness the best he can with whatever he has to do so at the time. It's thick, but may not be the softest to the touch, although it's not too oily or too dry either. All in all, he just likes that it's there and that's the end of it. Hair is hair.

Eyes:
A set of deep blue orbs, shrouded in as little mystery as possible, but giving way to a vision beyond his years. They're dark, but bright in underlying excitement and pride and enthusiasm for life in general. There are no lines of aging or dark circles from any lack of sleep, nothing specific about them that needs pointing out. Sometimes, usually in the midst of a sandstorm or any other type of similar situation, he'll take his goggles and wear them over his eyes for protection. And, well, they look awesome.

Description:
Standing tall and sturdy, Salim holds his confidence well. He expresses himself through his stance, the way his stands straight and as tall as he can in hopes of looming over anyone who might try and oppose him. He can go from intimidating to cuddly kitten in the blink of an eye depending on the situation or who he might be talking to at the time. His skin is lightly tanned, although not as dark as he'd like it to be, and marked up with various scars, bruises, and etc. It'd be a strange day to not find a single stray mark on him at all. They seem to just show up without any reason at all sometimes. Half the time, he can't even remember where they came from or how they got there, even if it's a scar that appears to have been particularly painful. His most notable markings are the tribal-like tattoos that Salim takes great pride in showing off whenever he gets the chance to do so. They mostly cover his back, but also extend to his shoulders and even down both his arms. There aren't any below his waist. (Sorry, ladies).

To himself, Salim wouldn't consider himself a bad looking guy at all. He can come across as pretty arrogant in his looks. Even with mud and blood mucking up his face, he still manages to maintain a certain sort of rugged charm that's hard to lose regardless of the physical situation. To others, he may come off as intimidating at first, but after they're around him enough, they realize that his looks are nothing to be put off about and some even find his looks handsome. Even the tough guy has his cute moments, especially when he's trying to make himself more comfortable be around, like when he's dealing with children or someone who may be easily scared.

Preferred Clothing:
Just like his personality, Salim prefers things that are flashy, things with a bit of color and pizazz. He isn't huge on fashion or anything like that, but he does enjoy looking good. He prefers base colors--red and blue are both his favorites, but gold is his number one color of all time--and flaunts them in what he wears. Of course, he'll always choose comfort over style, but if he can have both, why would he ever turn that down? It can get hot in his travels, so articles with thin material are preferred, but that sort of turns against him in the cold desert nights. Whatever he decides to wear always ends up torn and tattered in the end anyway, which is usually the factor he uses to determine when it's the right time to finally find something new to wear, especially if it's no longer practical anymore anyway. There are a couple of "musts" to his attire, however, and those consist of two very specific things: cape (or something that may resemble one, like a cloak) and goggles. The goggles have been with him for a long time.




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"Don't tell me what to do. Don't stand in my way. Don't bug me, don't eat my food, and if I don't like you, for shit's sake you better hope you don't even glance in my direction unless you're asking for a beating. I'm the biggest, strongest, greatest man to ever live! Or, at least, I will be. Who needs a Magi when you got me?"





Personality:Image
Salim is unlike anyone you've ever met before. He's his own person, unable to be accurately described by simple words and personality traits. He's not just text written out on a blank, white screen, he's a living, breathing soul full of energy. A good portion of his personality can be written through his expressions, through the way he comes off to other people, and through the way he views himself. Starting with the latter most topic, he thinks he's a pretty great person. He has the confidence in himself that drives him forward. Regardless of any hardships that may hang over his head, or any looming worries or regrets, he'll never let those things drag him down. He believes that moving forward is the only way to get through life. Stopping is simply not an option for him. If anything, it's almost a fear. Possibly, deep down, somewhere in his underlying subconscious, just below the parts of himself that he can reach and comprehend, he may be afraid of stopping for any discernable amount of time. He doesn't like to dwell on the past, no matter how hard it may be to ignore the things that may have happened. Almost immediately, he urges himself to move on. It may seem like a good thing at first, but in reality, it's his way of pretending that the bad things didn't really happen. It's a delusion. And slowly, but surely, it eats away at him.

To outsiders, he's either someone they love, or someone they hate, and rarely in-between. He can easily be seen as reckless and stupid, eagerly rushing into dangerous situations without a worry in the world. He doesn't really think about the situation too much until the moment comes that he's forced to face the consequences of his actions, but even then, his courage rarely wavers. He's strong--not only in physical strength, but also mentally, and spiritually. He believes in himself and his abilities. He thinks that as long as he's sure he can do something, he can. Nine times out of ten, he ends up being right and standing high above those who opposed him. He'll happily accept any challenge presented to him, no matter how ridiculous or daring; as long as he believes the end results will be worth it, he'll do it.

However, he won't do anything against another person if he doesn't find it to be worth it. If a situation seems desperate, either from his side or the others', he'll give it up. That doesn't mean he's lacking in courage, but it means he has sympathy for another's life over his own. Or maybe he just finds their situation pitiful and refuses to take part in it. Either way, he won't go through with it. That isn't to say that Salim doesn't like other people. Quite the contrary, he's an extrovert. An eccentric. A genuine people-lover. There's hardly anything in this world that he loves more than learning about others. He could sit down and listen to stories about another person's culture or adventures for hours and hours on his with excitement bated on his breath. Despite his loud, raucous nature, he can become surprisingly quiet when listening to another person talk about something they seem to be deeply interested in, especially if he's interested in hearing about it himself. He has respect for the right people, but he doesn't give it away so easily. If he doesn't know anything about the person, or if he simply doesn't trust them, then he refuses to give that person any of his respect. It has to be earned.

That's why it can be said that Salim is not quite the idiot he may have originally been seen as. He has always been a naturally lucky person, so that's why he's come to believe in himself and his abilities over time, and why he's able to jump head-first into risky situations. He's perceptive and strong and knows how to hold his own, even if the odds are against him. Salim is a winner. That's all there is to it.

Salim's thirst for adventure seems to be an insatiable one. He's spent so much of his time wandering from place to place getting himself into trouble for the sake of excitement. Although he's been talked up all this time, he has plenty of bad traits to be noted. His confidence can be nice, but usually it's only seen as arrogance. Conceitedness. A love for himself in a way that he holds his head over others and looks down on those who he doesn't deem worthy of this time. It may seem inspirational that he only trusts a few choice people, and only respects those who he claims has earned it, but in many cases, it can be considered him just thinking lowly of anyone else. He enjoys people and their company, but that doesn't mean he thinks they're on his level. He's better, he's cooler, he's stronger and he should be seen as a symbol of amazement. ...But those are just some of the many selfish thoughts that go through that cocky head of his. He can be more stubborn than anything, especially if challenged or brought into an argument or heated situation. He refuses to let things go in a way that's practically childish, even able to keep a grudge for years and years despite his claim to obsessively keep moving forward. He's rebellious, going against proper orders given to him. As stated before, Salim is his own man. He doesn't believe in taking orders from anyone else because believes he's higher than most others, even if those others happen to be in a position of power or authority. He doesn't care about any of that at all. In his mind, all people are equal in a physical sense. In comes down to their inner workings, what kind of person they are--that's what he believes separates some from others. Except for him. He's better than everyone. Mostly, anyway.

Oddities:
āŠ—When Salim gets aggravated or annoyed, he starts to laugh. It usually throws the other party off, but he can't help himself. It's just an odd reaction to his anger that usually ends up ticking him off even more, especially when someone takes it to mean he isn't being serious when he claims to be peeved.

āŠ—He gets agitated staying in one place for too long. He absolutely can't stand boring or mundane things. He always has to be doing something, even if it wears him into exhaustion. At least with being tired, he'll be happy to have spent his time doing something. He feels like if he's staying in one place for too long, he's wasting the precious moments of his life away when he could've been doing something more worthwhile with his time.

āŠ—When he knows he's right when someone's told him he was wrong, instead of saying "I told you so," he'll give them an annoying little smirk instead. It's practically worse.

āŠ—No matter how nervous or anxious he may feel about a situation, he'll rarely ever let it shine through. The only times he shows his true self is when he's around someone he trusts completely, but that type of person doesn't come along very often. Otherwise, it'll only come out when he feels he's alone.

āŠ—Being a person who respects honesty, if he thinks someone is lying to him, he won't hesitate to get aggressive with them, even if they happen to be a frail little girl. He thinks the best way to handle a liar is by intimidating the truth out of them. Surprising enough, it usually works. Unless he's wrong. Then he doesn't exactly apologize, but he'll take what's coming to him for the mistake.

āŠ—He curses. A lot.

ImageLikes:
ā˜€Winning
ā˜€Adventure
ā˜€Power
ā˜€Adrenaline
ā˜€Colors
ā˜€Weapons
ā˜€Treasure
ā˜€Kindness
ā˜€Cultures
ā˜€Fighting
ā˜€Alcohol
ā˜€People
ā˜€Dungeons
ā˜€Stories
ā˜€Children
ā˜€Pretty people

Dislikes:
ā˜½Losing
ā˜½Boredom
ā˜½Suffering
ā˜½Bad things happening to good people
ā˜½Liars
ā˜½Jerks
ā˜½Slaves traders
ā˜½Not knowing the answer
ā˜½Being at sea
ā˜½Injustice
ā˜½Wrongdoing
ā˜½Snobs
ā˜½Joykills

Fears:
ā˜ Dying unspectacularly. This sort of goes along with the fear below it, but it's specific enough to count as its own thing. He refuses to go out like all the other average people in the world. No! He needs to go out with a great, big bang! Like a true adventurer would!

ā˜ Being forgotten. His greatest goal in life is to make his mark on the world before he dies or, at the least, in his death. He needs to accomplish things, he needs to explore and have adventures and meet as many people as possible. However, doing these things aren't enough for him. He also needs to have some sort of effect on others. He needs to be remembered for something. It can't just be anything, either, though. He can't be remembered as anything negative, like a cowardly idiot or anything like that. He needs to be remembered as an honorable man who traveled the seven seas, fought many dangerous battles and came out victorious, as a hero and a great man above the rest. That's what he wants. It's what he believes he needs out of life so that, even in death, he won't be forgotten.

ā˜ Being helpless. Salim is aware of the reality that not everyone, everywhere can be helped. He understands that sometimes, unfortunate sacrificed must be made for reasons, but he'll be damned if he doesn't try his hardest to keep as little amount of people from having to die or suffer if he can help it. He has a terrible fear of being put in a situation where he can't do anything to help anyone at all, whether it's with a close friend or a complete stranger. He would rather risk his life a hundred times over than to let someone else suffer. Even if it seems impossible to save everyone, it won't stop him from adamantly trying. He would never forgive himself if he were ever to stand uselessly by as someone suffered or died without him at least trying to help them, but if he doesn't make a difference at all by trying, it makes him feel just as terrible.




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"I can take you! I can take anybody! I can handle anything anyone ever throws at me. Just try and test me. I don't have a limit, shitheads. I'll beat anyone and everyone who tries opposing me. I swear I won't lose. Not now, not ever. So suck it up and get ready to get beat."





Skills:Image
ā˜…Fighting. Salim can hold his own in a fight, whether it's fist-fighting, sword-fighting, or anything else under the sun. There are so many different ranges of fighting when both magic and magical weapons are involved. He's been known to be able to defeat many strong opponents in his short lifespan, even when he was younger. He doesn't stand down from a fight, even if it's an obvious losing situation. He knows how to hold his ground and, while he may seem reckless, he's pretty good at maintaining even against the worst of enemies. Even if the odds may appear to be against him, there's still a good chance he could make it out as the victor.

ā˜…Tolerance to pain. As a natural fighter, he's been through plenty beatings here and there. He's learned to take them and stand through them, he's learned to endure and tolerate. It takes a lot to knock him down in the first place, and even then, he's the kind of obnoxious person who'll just keep standing right back up over and over again. He doesn't know when to call it quits. He'd have to be dead--or, at the least, knocked completely out.

ā˜…Explorer. A good majority of his growing life has been spent away from home, exploring the world around him. Although there's a good lot of it that he hasn't yet seen, he has a good knowledge of what's around him from his travels. He knows of many different kingdoms and republics, people and heroes, cultures and myths and mysteries. There's always room to grow in this aspect because as it is, this skill is very limited, but he prides himself in being a bit more knowledgeable on various subjects than a few others, especially those who don't really get out to experience the things he has/wants to.

Weaknesses:
āœ¦Impulsive. This guy would win the award for being the first one to jump head-first into a dangerous situation without knowing a single thing about it every single time. The idea of danger is just another word for adventure or excitement to him, so he hardly pays any mind to the real possibilities from it. He doesn't really think things through before he runs into them and that can land him in real trouble, real fast. If he hears the sound of something that he deems exciting, he'll be all for it without even wanting to hear the rest of the explanation, which isn't a smart thing to do at all but, well, there you go. All in all, he doesn't really think about the consequences of his actions before he follows through with them.

āœ¦Cocky. His arrogance just might be the death of him one day. If he's up against a bunch of guys with knives and swords who greatly outmatch him in a very obvious way, if he even thinks he has the slightest sliver of a chance, just one percent, then he'll probably be there trying to face-off against them. That usually doesn't have any very good outcomes. Confidence is good, but there's a point in which it becomes a little ridiculous, and mostly just dangerous, and that's the level Salim has gotten to. It also gives him an attitude that can usually be considered off-putting to some, drawing unnecessary bad attention towards himself.

āœ¦Lack of self-caring. He tends to push himself a little too far sometimes. He has a good sense of endurance, and he's a good fighter, sure, but sometimes he just doesn't know when enough is enough or when it's time to call it quits. He'll let himself get beaten, battered, and bruised, and at then go off into danger or a fight just to make himself even worse than he started out. Sometimes, it can get ridiculous and almost painful to watch. It's not that he doesn't really care about himself, it's just that he doesn't know the extent of his limits and tends to push himself further than he's supposed to go more often than he should.

Abilities:
Salim is human, so his people don't have any special abilities. While some of them may be Magicians, he wasn't fortunate to be born with anything like that, not that he's all bent up out of shape about it or anything anyway. However, he has managed to obtain a Djinn equip item in his travels over the years. Just one. The Djinn, a bright and lucky female by the name of Asma, has given his item, a broadsword, the abilities of light-based powers. He can extinguish the darkness and replace it with light. ...Well, that sounded cool, but his powers are actually much more useful in the light of day, where there are plenty of sources to pull the magic from. At night, under the star-littered sky, he's weaker, but not at all useless. However, when in a situation completely void of light, maybe in a cave under the sea or something similar, he can't use his Djinn-equip powers at all.

The light powers range from being able to make his sword have a dull or bright glow in a dark area (as long as the area is not inclosed, or if there's lamps or fires, he can still gather light and power from them), to being able to let loose a bright, searing light from his weapon. Sometimes, it can be used to temporarily blind his enemies and it can heat his sword to make it easier to slice through objects, like bones or steal, without harming himself or the sword.

Weapon(s):
As previously mentioned, he carries with him his main weapon, which is just a simple, blackened broadsword. He keeps it in a scabbard hooked on his side, resting on his hip for easy access. On the same belt, he has another, smaller scabbard where he keeps a small, simple dagger to use in the case of emergencies or whenever it may be necessary to use a smaller weapon.

Fighting Style:
Salim is generally a reckless, rough, and tough kind of brawler. He's not the lightest on his feet, and he's not very flighty in any sense. Since physical confrontation isn't an issue with him, he'll fight his opponent head-on without any restraint. He knows how to fight well, but he also tends to get a little carried away and may use all his strength in one session, wearing himself out in the long run. Although, that isn't to say he doesn't have a great amount of endurance, because he can definitely last a while in any situation.




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"Never put your experiences behind you. No matter what, use them as a placeholder for your future. Learn from them and make your life with what you've got. I've never given up the opportunity for adventure, and neither should anyone else!"





ImageFamily:
Mother - Ruba Naghi
Alive
Ruba's story is not a very great one and not one she prefers to indulge too much information about. She was once a very poor peasant Magician traveling the land using her powers to scrounge together whatever she was able to. However, from a young age, she easily learned that men will do anything for a pretty face and an even prettier body. She never stooped to selling herself away from money--she had too much pride for such a thing--but she worked the system and figured out how to manipulate the richer and more powerful into doing things for her without ever even needing to use her body at all. Not usually, anyway. She is a very strong-willed woman who doesn't take any lip from anybody, especially not from men. It is a trait she has earned over a long time of living with mostly males who believe their greatest strengths are their abilities to get women hanging off their muscled arms. She would rather spit in their direction than hither to them.

Finding a husband was not something she ever actually planned on doing in her lifetime, but when she came across a man with a strong heart and a respect for anyone who could beat him, regardless of their race, age, or gender, she found herself falling for him quickly and easily. They moved to the city that he was from after spending a few years together and decided to settle down and get married. Ruba had her first born, Salim, and a few years later her second-born, Sanya. Their kind were always favored by the royal family for their strong sense of good will and general physical strengths and her husband had a good word in with the King. They weren't very close friends, but they were acquaintances nonetheless, so it put their family in a good position. Ruba started working as a maid in the palace and at some point, rumors went around that she was cheating on her husband with the King despite her claim to honor. Around this time, she gave birth to Sanya and some didn't believe that Sanya was the blood child to her family, but to the King. The doubts of her husband and of the others in her clan started getting to her and she considered fleeing, but decided that it would be too cowardly and, to this day, despite the rumors, she has stood her ground and continued working patiently in the castle. Her and her husband don't talk very much anymore, however.

Father - Fayzil Naghi
Alive
A very kind and generous man to all he comes across, Fayzil is considerably close to the polar opposite of his strong, temperamental wife. He wouldn't exactly let anyone walk over him by any means and he holds his morals and virtues very close to him, never letting anyone take away what makes him, well, him. But he would much rather think through a situation with calm and intelligence, and even with pure friendliness, than anything like brute force or chaos amongst people. He was childhood friends with the future King, but his parents took him away from the city at a young age and he never had the chance to keep ties with his friend. As he grew older and his parents settled down somewhere to pass away, he continued on with his travels, spreading words of good will and religious retribution across the lands. He is a very religious man and strongly believes in a greater good, a higher being, a brighter purpose above his own. That isn't to say that he didn't get into any fights in his days. In his youth, despite his claim to a humble nature, he ended up in many more fights than he would ever admit to in his current age, embarrassed by his uncharacteristic brashness. That was how he met Ruba and decided soon after that he wanted to have a family with her.

Everything was going well, especially after they returned to his birthplace and got in well with his old friend who was now the King, but the rumors got to him more than he would have liked them to. He became distant from not only his wife, but also his son and daughter. He had secret arguments with the King until a falling out threatened to break off the good deal they had under the palace. One of these arguments lead to a great secret held closely with the Royal family to get out, which was overheard by the King's first-born son, the Prince that was meant to overtake him on the throne some day, and this lead to the series of events that made the Prince resent his roots, his family, and his royal nature. Fayzil has become detached, but there is pressure weighing down on him between the secrets he knows, his personal moral values, and the strong possibility of his wife's adultery.

Younger Sister - Sanya Naghi
Alive
There isn't much to say about this one. Currently, she is about four years younger than Salim. She was six when he went away with no word about it beforehand. Before his sudden departure, the two of them were very close as siblings. They use to pick on each other and have fights like any other siblings should. Salim always felt protective of her as the older sibling, but she preferred being able to fend for herself, even at a young age. She was a mix between spoiled rotten and trained tough between her father's coddling and her mother's strong values, as well as the others in her clan teaching her that there is nothing better than being able to stand up for herself above all others no matter what. She never cared for the roles given to her as a female and the life ahead of her as another maid working in the palace, or a dancer in the streets, was never something that appealed to her. She always wanted to be something bigger, better, and stronger than any of that, and she hoped that she could use her brother to get this, but he left her long before she would ever get the chance to do so. From then on, she's felt spite towards him for whatever reason it was that he left, considering herself abandoned and denying, from then on, that she had a brother at all.

The Prince - Atiya Iylameen
Unknown
Atiya is the first born son to the King of the republic that Salim and his family lived in. He has three younger siblings, the two middle siblings being sisters, and the youngest being a brother. He grew up in a palace that taught him to strongly believe in and put his faith and trust in religious icons. He believed in these things with all his heart and grew into a golden boy who dreamed of one day ruling over his citizens with a kind and caring sense. He hoped he could be a good King one day, just like his father seemed to be, whom he looked up to very much. Unfortunately, just a few days before the time the time that he's supposed to be crowned over his elderly father, he overhears an argument the King is having with Salim's father and the information he overhears is something that strikes him hard and dissipates any and all passion he ever had for his kingdom and for his father; it completely ruins his outlook. In a brash, sudden burst of broken faith, Atiya decides he no longer has the desire to take the throne or have anything to do with the falseness of his royal family. Salim and him were very close friends despite the great age different between them, Atiya being nearly eight years older than the other boy. Salim was the only one he dared share the secret with and Salim demanded that if he was going to flee, that he take him with him, so that's what they did. In the dead of the night, just days before he was supposed to be crowned as ruler of an entire city of people, Atiya denounced his family name and he and Salim fled far away from there.

The Thief - Jamal Karimi
Alive
Jamal was born into a life of great poverty. As a Magician, her skills were always used against her even from a very young age. Her father was not somebody she was ever meant to meet, just a man who put his seed in her mother in his time of drunken stupor and desire for pleasure. Her mother was a very depressed woman who died away from lack of proper care for herself or from those around her, mistreating her. Jamal promised not to ever let herself get into that state of mind and has always been a very optimistic person with a strong sense of life and virtue. She believes that there's no such thing as an unimportant life and that all should be forgiven no matter what they've done in their past. Still, she was treated harshly for the majority of her younger life, forced to slave away her useage of magic for the sake of the rich and the royal. To escape this life, she became a thief and a con artist, traveling around desperately trying to get away from those who had mistreated her and resented her for running away when her powers were so useful to them. It was around this time that she ran into Salim and Atiya, having stolen items of theirs that they tracked down to get back. When all was explained, they agreed to add her to their small party and travel the lands together.

History:Image
Although his life has been short-lived, Salim has already had quite the adventure. He was born in Ahalvine, a prosperous city with a lot of land. Most of the people who lived there were content with their lives, or, at least, they seemed to be. From a distance, Ahalvine would appear to be a very popular city with a high population, little discrimination, a low crime rate, and a wise and trustworthy ruler. However, this wasn't exactly the case. On the contrary, those who had the most wealth were those who served the King or was closely related to him and his family in some way, like Salim's family happened to be. Anyone else living there suffered from a state of overpopulation, scrapping for food and desperately trying to escape, only to end up in the harsh desert lands outside where it was rumored that they would die. The city had issues with sandstorms, so the walls were put up high to keep it safe from the storms. Anyone who left the city was rarely ever seen again. While the city itself was wealthy, the workers worked long hours for low wages. The King was greedy and kept most of the wealth for himself, his servants, and those closest to him.

The one thing the people of Ahalvine all had in common was their devotion to religion. Once a day, the people, no matter their state of suffering, would all meet at the statue of their Goddess. It was said that those who offered the Goddess something in her favor, she would bless them with good will and grant them a life of luck and victory. Even though the people were lowly and many were poor, many would desperately offer their precious belongings in hopes that something would be good enough for her to shine her light on them. The Royal family was not excluded from this time of worship. In fact, the previous King was the one who made the worship mandatory for all residents.

--But we'll have to return to this later. For now, let's go back to Salim.

As a young boy, he thrived on the stories of adventure his parents would tell him about. They told him about people, and creatures, and his mother showed him the wonders of a magic that he could never even begin to know himself. He cherished his time with them, but spent most of his time on his own, wandering the halls of the castle and getting along with the Prince, Atiya, who took it upon himself to take care of and watch out for him despite having many other responsibilities to see to. Salim's outgoing personality latched on to him like a bug and refused to let go, growing into a brotherly-like sensation. Salim would drag Prince Atiya out of the palace many nights, past the guards, to explore the outer regions of their home. Atiya had never left the palace before Salim came along, so his view of the people had always been limited. He assumed they were happy people who loved his father as much as he did, but he learned that things were much different than he originally believed. Whenever he presented the issues of his people to his father, he was brushed off and given excuses that they were under a higher order and that their good will would come from the Goddess as long as they waited and believed. Not being one to go against his faith, Prince Atiya agreed to his father and passed his knowledge on to Salim.

Everything seemed to be going well until Salim's mother had another child, Sanya. His parents began splitting apart and arguing and the two of them eventually separated from each other. He took it upon himself to take care of his new little sister despite still be a young child himself and, once she was old enough, she began following him around and picking up a few of his mannerisms. He would tell her about the adventures he planned to go on and she would make him promise that he let her join him. Things were moderately alright at this point until Salim learned of the possible reasons of his parents' displeasure. Going through the palace halls as often as he did, it was only natural that he picked up on the gossip being passed around that his mother had cheated on his father with the King, but whenever he brought it up with Atiya, he was put down. Atiya was convinced that his kind and honest father would never soil himself with a married woman, so Salim accepted that as truth. Even now, he has no idea whether or not it was the truth, but he supposes it isn't really important.

One night, around the age of ten, Prince Atiya came to him in a rage and started babbling on about his loss of the faith he had in his father and the Goddess at supposedly watched over them. After a bit of prying, Atiya informed him that he had overheard the King and Salim's father in a heated argument, where a heavy truth slipped out from the King's lips in his fury. According to Atiya, the son who would never in a million years put any marks on his father's name, the King admitted to taking many of the things offered to the statue of their precious Goddess and keeping them for himself, or sending them off for the sake of wealth, stating that the only reason he had the people worship her was to gain wealth out of it. He admitted to withholding money from his people because of his own selfish desire of not having nearly enough, and he even admitted to doing something unspeakably terrible. Apparently, the King had been sending out paid-off assassins to go through the people outside of his Royal privilege and kill them to keep down the population, mostly old and weakened workers, so that he would no longer have to pay them or deal with their presence in Ahalvine any longer. Overhearing this news broke something in the Prince that only Salim was around to witness that night. The two of them at this point had formed a close bond and Atiya found a comforting solace in Salim that he no longer felt towards any others. Cutting off all ties to his Royal roots, cursing the lies his precious religious icon had apparently been built up on, and officially denying the crown that was to be placed on his head in only a matter of days, Prince Atiya told Salim he was fleeing Ahalvine for good. Of course, Salim refused to let him go alone, especially not out into the dangerous sandstorms, so he demanded to go with them. The two of them fled only one night later, never to return again.

The night of their leave, Salim and Atiya agreed to meet up together at the opening of the walls surrounding the city. Before Salim met up with his friend, he stopped by the Goddess and offered nothing but his own faith, silently wishing his people and those he'd come to love over the years the best luck she could give them.

It was probably a year later that they decided they wanted to take on a Dungeon. They knew the risks, but the two of them together were reckless. Even in Salim's young age, he'd been shockingly lucky and easily gained strengths and abilities beyond his years. He was still a child, though, so Atiya refused until they trained a bit more. In their travels, they passed by a small clan of Cherufe, draganic people, having an argument over some trivial matters. Being the diplomatic person he was, Atiya was able to settle the argument and give each side what they wanted with nobody having to leave or split the already small clan. In return, the Cherufe people agreed to give them some training when they learned the two of them wanted to take on a Dungeon. They spent just under a year with these people before going on their way once again, confident in their abilities and excited to find a Dungeon.

However, their plans were once again deterred at one point when they were stopping overnight in a city. In the night, a thief stole away all their personal belongings and anything they had gathered over the years to help them in the Dungeon, so they had to track the thief down to get their things back. It took another rough month or two before they actually found her in that place, and instead of being able to make her pay for her crimes, they ended up having to rescue her from a terrible man trying to take her away for slavery. She admitted to losing or selling the majority of their stuff, so that set them back even more. The two boys allowed Jamal to join their journey for yet another year and a half, using each of their skills to gather weapons and equipment that they would use to take on a Dungeon. And, when all was settled, the trio finally went for it. There isn't much more to say about it than that, but they prepared, they went in, and they conquered the Dungeon. Surprisingly to all three of them, the Djinn chose Salim to have her power.

While things between the three of them should have only been closer than ever, their relationships grew tense and strange. Salim learned that there had been something going on between Atiya and Jamal, but never got to see them together. By the time he knew there was anything going on, they were already apart, separate, and tensions between them only continued to rise. At first, it became a juggling act. Salim had to keep his friends together, but the more he tried to get them to love each other like they once had, the more they seemed to turn their resentment on him. Apparently, Atiya never understood why Salim was the one the Djinn chose when he was obviously more superior, smarter, wiser, more honest. A more valuable asset. In other words, he didn't think Salim was worth the power he was given. At some point, the crack in their relations simply broke and, in a fit of rage, the ex-Prince Atiya, Salim's childhood friend, simply left one day without another word.

Salim never saw him again.

Salim and Jamal traveled for a little while longer after that, but her interests were elsewhere. She ended up in a city whose customs piqued her interests and, after a short time there, she decided she didn't want to leave. She said she wanted to help those people in a similar way that Salim and Atiya had helped her before. Salim respected her choices and left her then. His thirst for adventure was insatiable. He was too young and too eager to stay in one place for too long. Since then, he's merely traveled around, usually on his own, gathering knowledge of other cultures and of various other things. His luck has always put him on the right path.

Other:
His cloak is a bit of a security blanket for him. He takes it off when he sleeps, sometimes using it as a blanket. It doesn't really bother him if other people touch it unless they've done harm towards it. The best way to tell that he's not as confident in a fight as he usually is with others is if he takes the cloak off and puts it to the side out of harm's way.

So begins...

Salim Naghi's Story

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Flames rose up, disillusioning the night sky with the light of day.

Chaos broke out in the Republic of Ilahi. Men and women alike ran from their homes, children carried recklessly in their arms as they desperately sought to escape the flames that bit out at them, reaching for them, even just a tug of cloth might be enough. If they ever stopped to look past the concern of their own selfish well-beings, they may have realized that the claws of the fire that reached towards them were not seeking to drag them in with the destruction, but to ask for help, to look past the fire at the being dying within the flames, reaching out for anyone to save it, to put the fire out. Put the fire out. Put it out, put it out, put it out, pu--

Water rose over the flames in a wave large enough to sweep away those still lagging behind in the nearby homes, the ones that were now consumed by smoke and ash. Those far away enough to still see without their eyes burned shut with tears bothered stopping to look back, just for a moment, just in case. The water fell through the fire, dispelled and useless as the flames rose up even higher than before as if angered by the attempt at all. This was no normal fire, and it was not a fire that any normal Magician may hope to relinquish with any liquids.

Help me, help me, help me, help me, he--

Shoulders fell. Feet froze. Skin crawled. Their efforts to put out the fire were futile. That was obvious now. It was obvious to all of them. The claws of the flames stopped reaching out and instead only reached upward, towards the sky, as if trying to touch another place beyond the smoke-covered stars altogether. The people of the Republic were no longer trying to escape, mesmerized even from long distances by the scene that unfolded right in front of them. A cold chill shot through every chest, a wave of nausea through every gut. Silence fell over them all. The only sound came from the fire that cracked and popped before them.

The warmth in them all had somehow ceased to exist in that moment. A grave sense of despair befell them all. Knees gave way to a hypothetical gravity. One child cried, not quite enough to break the silence, but that was all. The hope, the security, the very basis of their lives, of their beings, broke, and all any of them could do was watch it happen.

The Great Magi Tree died that night.




News of the fallen Magi spread fast. It was number one priority for people of all kinds and customs far and wide. Inside a few, there was an emptiness that pierced their hearts. It unsettled them. The Magi had not died a natural death. It had burst into flames and fallen at the hands of another. A crime of one of the highest extents had occurred and there was no evidence, no leads, no tracks to follow, no sights or sounds of suspicious people. Nobody knew anybody who wished to bring harm to the Great Magi Tree. And that was what was so unsettling about it, because someone had.

After enough time passed, a mere month later, the Republic of Ilahi opened its gates once again. People far and wide traveled to see the fallen Magi, the pile of ash where it once stood. It was a monument of disaster, leaving a blatant string of concerns to course through everyone's minds. It would remain in the center of the city for all to see, for all to wonder.

Boats were the best way to travel, especially when travelling to see the fallen Magi. However, many boats going into the Republic of Ilahi weren't even allowed to dock without permanent access to the city. Naturally, there were heightened security measures. The only boats allowed to go into the city and leave the city were necessary cargo ships. It wasn't easy at all to sneak on one of those, but they were large and, while the crew that traveled place to place with the ship was large as well, there were many places to hide. The cargo hold was a good one. Salim liked to think so, anyway.

Salim wanted to see the fallen Magi himself. There was no greater sense of adventure than the tempting pull of a disaster, especially with so many things up in the air about the situation. With all his natural wit, he managed to sneak himself onto the boat before it left the docks in a city he went to just for that reason. He knew it would take him directly to the Republic of Ilahi, but there was no telling how long that would take. His stomach was telling him it was taking too long and being cramped up in a small room was starting to get to his head, so maybe, he decided, taking a look around wouldn't do much harm. Besides, they were already at sea, on their way there. It wasn't like they could toss him overboard. Right?

In order to even get on the boat before this, which he watched for an hour before even trying to get on, he didn't simply walk on board with enough luck to get him unnoticed. One of the workers on board took a side street and he followed the man until they were alone and took the clothes he wore, marking him as a worker on that vessel. Then Salim was able to simply stroll by. He didn't stick around anywhere for anyone to notice he was a newcomer, so he ducked his way in the first empty cabin he could find, which just happened to be the crappy cargo hold. He figured the boat should be hitting the docks soon, though, so maybe his stomach could wait. Paranoid, Salim went up the stairs and peeked his head over them to get fresh air and to wait for the boat to dock.

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Character Portrait: Junayd Kadeen Character Portrait: Salim Naghi Character Portrait: Tesni
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June had always liked the ocean. The unknowable life that existed below its constantly changing waters always brought her a strange sense of peace, and she had fond memories of walking along The Republicā€™s hidden shorelines as a child. She had even grown accustomed to ship travel after her Thayā€™la had moved away, visiting her frequently enough to find her sea-legs relatively stable by now. Normally, the ocean provided her with a few days of relaxation. Now, though, June stared down at the waters from the deck of the cargo ship and felt nothing but a painful emptiness.

ā€Junayd, come here. Thereā€™s something important I must tell youā€¦ā€ June squeezed her eyes shut as she recalled the conversation with her Thayā€™la, one theyā€™d had almost three weeks ago. It had taken some time for the news to travel, but it didnā€™t matter considering June hadnā€™t had an opportunity to get into the city until now. The worst part was sheā€™d already known exactly what she was about to say. June had seen fires in her dreams, a call for help she could not answer. The Magi Tree was dead, and with it even more of the weight of the world was now on the small Nymphā€™s shoulders.

June squeezed the branch she held in her hand, arms resting against the side of the deck as she raised her head to look along the horizon. Her dark hair, merely black in the sunlight, whipped around her face and jawline in the sea breeze, though the tails of her heavy jacket were relatively still. Her ears were covered with a hat, as if her pale violet skin was somehow not a dead giveaway she was something other than human. Still, a few species had different skin tones, and many of them were regarded better than hers. She had enough to deal with, she didnā€™t need asshole sailors making it even worse.

She had cried hard the day sheā€™d found out about the murder of the Magi Tree, but that didnā€™t seem to be enough. Tears fell silently from her eyes again on the boat, barely getting a chance to drip off her chin before the wind dried them on her cheeks and left tracks. She just didnā€™t understand how it was possible, who could have done such a thing. Why? Deep down, she also feared what would happen to her if anyone discovered the truth. The world would be looking for a new symbol, someone stronger who they could put their hopes on in the wake of such tragedy. She knew she was supposed to be that symbol. She also knew she didnā€™t want to be.

ā€œWhat am I supposed to do now?ā€ she muttered to herself, as if the wind would pick up her words and carry them to something with greater knowledge than she. June knew she couldnā€™t remain in limbo like she was, pretending to be an ordinary person when it was obvious dangerous things were on the horizon. No one killed a Magi without some kind of purpose behind it. But where was she even supposed to start?

She suddenly felt an unexpected presence and whipped her head around, tears visible on her face for only a brief second before she quickly wiped them away upon finding a man poking his head beyond the stairs from the cargo hold, obviously a stowaway. He was probably trying to get back into the city, just as she was, but hadn't had connections to the Captain like she had. Having a Thay'la like hers came in handy sometimes.

WEā€™VE GOT A PERSON!! WE CAUGHT A PERSON IN OUR NET, SOMEONE GET A MEDIC!ā€ Whatever sheā€™d been about to say to him died on her lips, and in a moment June was pushing off the side of the ship and running, plunging her wand back into the bag on the side of her hip.

ā€œGet out of the way, move!ā€ she ordered the gathering crowd, who parted for her like she was oil and they were water once they realized who was asking.

ā€œHeā€™s a Magician, heā€™ll fix her!ā€ she heard someone say with relief, as that was the story theyā€™d been told. June came upon the broken girl, covered in injuries and clearly half dead. Even her life source was weak to Juneā€™s vision, making her frown as she kneeled down next to the girl, now given ample space by all. She was thankfully breathing, though June had no doubt she had mostly likely breathed in some water and needed to wake up to cough it out quickly.

Her heart was beating, so June said, ā€œIs someone getting that Medic?ā€ followed by one man rushing off. June wasnā€™t a healer beyond the basic things her mother had taught her, but she did know a thing or two about life.

Placing a hand against the girlā€™s heart, June closed her eyes and focused on bringing warmth back into the girlā€™s small limbs, on providing her body with the energy to heal itself in the ways June couldnā€™t with her limited understanding of healing magic. She wasnā€™t quite sure how the girl had even survived this long, but she seriously hoped this would at least improve her fighting chance.

ā€œCome back to us,ā€ she murmured to the unconscious girl, her hand still firmly over her heart while others watched with rapt attention, many of them having never seen magic before. June wasnā€™t one to meddle, or draw attention to herself, but this was a life. It wasnā€™t as if she could pretend she was useless and let the girl die.

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ā€œWEā€™VE GOT A PERSON!! WE CAUGHT A PERSON IN OUR NET, SOMEONE GET A MEDIC!ā€

I guess it's good I came up here. Salim didn't jump into action or anything, even though it was debatable on whether or not it made him seem any more or less suspicious when the majority of the rest of the crew was rushing towards the apparent catch of the day. He ducked down when footsteps stormed past, but the feet were much smaller than what he was expecting from a grown man or woman working the ship. His eyes drew up to the backside of a head and realized that it was because it wasn't a crew member. It was hard to tell who it was, exactly, from the back of the head, but whoever they were, they weren't human. Maybe some sort of Nymph, although he wasn't educated enough in that area to know what kind. It didn't seem like any of the ones he was familiar with.

Then again, with that said, the 'catch of the day' wasn't exactly human either by the looks of it, but it was hard to tell if that was exactly true or not from his angle slightly below deck. People opened a hole for the Nymph and closed their group back up again when the person went through, so Salim's view was cut-off. He considered going back down when the ship shifted just a little, not enough to rock the shipmates who were used to the wavering balance. A man's voice called out through a sort of device built in various parts of the ship. "We'll be hitting the docks soon. Gather your supplies and prepare to dock. Get back to work." The workers did as they were told, leaving the Nymph to deal with the girl. She looked like a mess.

"How're we s'posed to get that illegal fishbait off our boat? She's not exactly cargo." Salim turned his head to listen in on a conversation a couple of crewmates were having as they went about their usual business of preparing the ship. The two of them went back and forth talking a bit until the ship hit the docks, rocking it once again, although it hadn't hit anything. It was just the plank falling through and smacking the wooden dock.

Salim took that as his chance to slip out of the area he'd ducked into, even though it'd only been the stairs. "I'll make sure the bad cargo," he nodded towards the girl still lying by the Nymph, "doesn't get caught." The men squinted at him and he just knew they were going to ask if they'd seen him before, but he turned on heel and hurried over to the girl. She still looked in bad shape, even with healing magic covering her. Still, he took it upon himself to lean down and pick her up. She felt nearly feather-like in his arms. He glanced at the Nymph, gave him a nod, a smile that definitely wasn't nervous, and strolled right off the ship with the others who were leaving with boxes in hand.

An officer standing by to inspect the cargo noticed him almost immediately and stood in his way of getting any further. The officer started to ask what the situation was when Salim puffed himself almost indignantly. "Excuse me, officer? This girl, this sister of mine who just wanted to see the seven seas as her, as her dying goddamn wish, who begged her big, great older brother to let her see it, just once, please big bro, just one time--this girl right here who got a box of your Republic's precious cargo dropped on her. You're gonna stop me, her big bro, from taking her to a medic?"

The officer became baffled and started rambling off shocked apologies. "I can lead you to the nearest medic, if you need it."

With a simple shake of the head, Salim shrugged the officer's hand off his shoulder. "Don't bother. You've done enough damage to our lives." Sometimes, the things that came out of his mouth sounded ridiculous even to him. He wondered how anyone could buy his crap, but apparently this officer wasn't the brightest light at the end of the tunnel. "Just point me in the direction. We don't need your negative air." When he got a "y-yes, sir!" he nearly grinned, nearly, but he managed to hold it in for just another moment as the officer pointed him in the direction of where he could find a medical building full of the best healers in the entire Republic of Ilahi.

To get there, Salim had to pass the ashes of the fallen Magi tree. He knew time could be dire for the one in his arms, but something still stopped him in his tracks and kept him staring for just a minute longer than he figured he could afford. It wasn't the ashes that stopped him, though, oh no. It was a man. One man radiating an aura that Salim wasn't quite bright enough to describe with his words alone stood right on top of the ashes, having completely ignored the shield of magic protecting anyone from doing that very same thing. Now, Salim could be an inconsiderate person, but the pure act of insult the man was broadcasting had everyone around him, the people of Ilahi who treasured the Magi tree practically as a religious icon, even more than that, stopped in their tracks. Their outrage froze them in place, none of them sure who should do something first, almost waiting for one person to step up and do something to spark the rage.

The man, not abnormally tall, with fiery red hair and eyes as dark as coal, stood on the ashes as calm as ever, although there was that twinkle in his eye that lead Salim to believe he knew exactly what he was doing. "Be calm, people of the Republic." How could anyone be calm with you walking on their idol's ashes? Even Salim felt a spark of offense. He wasn't a big believer in Magis, but he still didn't think anyone deserved this sort of treatment after their unfortunate death. "The fall of the Great Magi Tree was a tragic one, but you're all lingering too much in the past." Although the man seemed to speak at a normal tone, his voice spread to people even out of earshot. "The Magi's demise has brought us a new beginning, hasn't it? There's nothing to mourn over here."

Salim thought the man was talking about something crazy. If this was the icon of his own home, statue or not, he wouldn't just be standing around listening to this simple stranger speak nonsense. He would be trying to stand up and do something, but he didn't. He had a girl in his arms who needed medical attention. Aside from that, something else was stopping him. While the man continued to spew, the people who once looked furious only minutes prior started to limp their shoulders and nod to each other as if they were agreeing to what the man had to say. "...it's teachings were holding you back from your real potential, teaching you all lies, you, your mothers and fathers, your children. Anything enchanted with magical words of a higher being can be twisted into beliefs, just like the crime that had gone on here for years before. I might even go as far to say that the fall of the Magi has quelled its power over you all and given you back your sense, returned to you your own free will, as all living beings deserve to have."

For a moment, for just a moment, Salim found himself mesmerized. He caught himself tilting his head in a nod, just like those around him. He has a point, he thought, and he thought nothing more. He has a point.

A very slight burst of wind brushed past him, caressing his bare skin and wavering the clothes on the one in his arms. Wrong. Salim blinked his royal blue eyes back to the reality he never realized he left, and looked around as the anonymous wind left him to find the only others who could be trusted not to be swayed away from their given paths. This man is wrong.

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It was as simple as there being nothing, for her thatā€™s all there was; nothing. A world of blackness, a hollow dark void where there seemed to be no light or means of escape. . . . This was all there was. She felt nothing, and the only thing of which she was sure was the awareness she possessed of herself, but beyond that sense, there was null. Something told her she shouldā€™ve been able to move, shouldā€™ve been able to thinkā€”understand, know why it was she caught within a vacant, black void. But . . . where information shouldā€™ve been, there was nothing; just a big blank space. And it was like this she remained for a time that she could not measure, simply existing within nothing without being able to move, or to know why she was there. And, because she was without the knowledge of herself or why she was, she was at peace with this. . . .

She felt a tremor though, run through her, for the first time becoming aware of her body, from her toes to her head. It was a strange sensation, a tingle, a sort of prickle that traveled like lightning through her skin and veins, it caused a hitch within her breathingā€”since when had she been doing that? The slight tremor coursed through her again, this time accompanied by a sort of buzzing noise that filled both her ears. Her breath caught in her throat again as a strange, almost unnatural heaviness seemed to settle in upon her. There were things, she could feel things that were attached to her, things that were her. Things she couldnā€™t feel before. Her body, she finally felt her body again.

However, it remained numb, unresponsive, albeit the strange tremors that came upon her more frequently, until it was heaviness of her body came to be joined with an uncomfortable sense . . . pain. And, slowly, the buzzing began to subside, as noises began to filter into her ears, coherent and understandable under a sharp ringing that overscored every little sound. She could hear . . . people. A lot of people, around her, talking amongst themselves, with whispers hushed; what were they talking about? And, why couldnā€™t she see them?

But, a voice, louder than the rest cut through all she heard, silencing even the constant ringing tone her ears had taken on in place of the buzzing. ā€œIs someone getting that Medic?ā€ then, footsteps, she heard footsteps hurrying off into the distance, away from her, and the blackness.

There was something beyond the black, and upon realizing that, Tesniā€™s eyes flittered open for but a moment, only being able to make out the form of a silhouette hovering over top of her, before it was they quickly shut again, unable to take the light of the merciless Sun above. Her body, how heavy it felt, the fact that it somehow still felt numb and painful at the same time. . . . It was confusing, so, so strange. She couldnā€™t make sense of it, of anything, anything but what she directly felt. No thoughts would form beyond that for her, her mind just refused to let it happen. Over her heart, she felt something, pressure, and warmth beginning to pour into her arms and legs, which she just now managed to realize were utterly freezing.

ā€œCome back to us,ā€ the same voice as before spoke softly to her. . . . It was comforting, and, for a moment there was clarity, and Tesni managed a split second of awareness before it was that it overwhelmed her. The agony of her battered body, the ache of lungs starved for air, the iciness of her soaking, sodden body, the dull thudding within her head, the taste of salt and sea, and the smell of damp, maybe molded wood and . . . fish. It was too much for her all at once, and quickly, it sent her nearly sent her spiraling back into the black abyss from shortly before. She lost it, much of the awareness sheā€™d began to pull back, and her body returned to numb, heavy, and useless. As did she.

She could still, however, sense the unwilling movement of her body when she was brought upward from where sheā€™d been before. Her body was supported, but her lower legs were left to dangle free, limp and weighty to her, her mind buzzed, trying to cognize. All it could realize was that it was being moved, that she was being moved by the volition of another. Little else.
Minutes passed by, the buzzing in her mind and in her ears growing loudly again, along with the return of the pain. Tesni remained still though, her mind unable to process the notion of movement, even so much as opening her eyes was too complicated to realize . . . yet. She knew she was warm though, the sodden state of her skin was beginning to reverse, the blaring sun drying it while there was a sense of . . . comfort for her at the moment? And it was then, as Tesni had been brought within the clutches of a crowd gathered around to mourn the loss of the Great Magi Tree, that it returned.

It was sudden, and in the arms of a stranger, that it returned with absolutely no warning this timeā€”her consciousness. She awoke with a start, body going completely rigid as her eyes shot wide open, her heart jumping to life so quickly that all she heard for a moment was its frantic beating in her ears, blood pumping through her body. She gasped inwardly, greedily sucking in oxygen before she broke into a fit of violent, breath stealing coughs. She sounded as if she were choking as it continued on, pain shooting through her limbs and form with every violent motion. In-between the choking coughs; she shakily attempted to breath in, body seemingly desperate and starved of air. Breath quivering as much as her suddenly very pained body, Tesni managed to force the coughing fit to subside, as she continued to take in air uncertainly, mind beyond the realm of foggy and dazed at the moment. The only thing that she knew for certain or that remained coherent was the need to breathe.

Tesni did not realize it, the state she was in now, the fact that she was currently being held by someone who was a definite stranger to her as her mind tried to race. Everything . . . hurt, it hurt bad. Her body was aching as she quivered, but her head was so muddled, that she couldnā€™t remember why it was sheā€™d be hurting so damn much. It was hard for her to form even a intelligible thought for a moment, as she slowly brought her eyes to open, finding it hard to get her vision to adjust and focus at all. It hurt to even have her eyes open. Graā€™Drosum . . . what happened? she thought, staring at something very close to her own face rather blankly, a slow and soft groan escaping her as a dull throbbing overtook her whole form, from her toes to her head. Nothing was free of pain.

And for the life of her, she couldnā€™t remember what had happened to her, or why it was she was in such agony. She remained where she was, silent, unaware of anything while her mind continued to buzz, her lungs continued to burn, and she began to realize that her mouth tasted of salt water . . . and that there might be some sand in-between her teeth when she really began to come back to reality.

Tesni was very quickly pulled from her jumbled thoughts and confusion, as she realized that her body was not supporting itself . . . that someone was supporting her . . . holding her up. She had to blink a few times to help clear away the pain of just having her eyes open, before it was the crystal-colored things opened wide, Tesniā€™s head slowly turned upward, and the full reality of the situation she was in crashed upon her battered body. There was a guy she didnā€™t know, carrying her to Great Dragon knew where. As that really hit her, an involuntary sort of yelp came from her bruising throat, and her body jerked somewhat violently, her head hit something hard in the process of that, while the grip had on Tesniā€™s body failed, as it had been acclimated toward a limp and unconscious body, and the Cherufe girl tumbled to the pavement below with a limp thud among the bungle of angry grumbles and speeches coming from the surrounding crowd.

Her eyes happened upward to look at the one whoā€™d been holding onto her, as her mind failed to connect any thoughts together besides what it was her eyes were seeing. For a short time, the pain was forgotten within her...until it was she was near perfectly still yet again, a jolt of it ran through her without warning. A sharp seethe came from between the girlā€™s teeth though when a piercing pain shot through her chest, severe enough to cause her muscles to lock up, and for her to cringe up. The girlā€™s hands shot to her diaphragm as her breath was stolen right out from her lungs from the shock. Her face still locked in a grimace, Tesni turned her blue eyes down to her hand, vision blurring in and out a bit. Careful about it, she began to breathe again, albeit she took air in and out in shallow instances. Her ribcage . . . it really hurt, although everything else on her did too at that moment, but the ache that went through her at even moving it was enough of a shock to stop her in her tracks. . . . While her eyes began to at last, properly adjust to the lighting of wherever she was, she finally took note of a simple fact; Tesni caught a look at her bare arm, and realized that it was riddled with bruises, nasty ones. That was enough to make it all come back to her; the decided battle sheā€™d engaged in before, with the rogue.

Body still throbbing, the Cherufe's eyes widened as she stared down at her arm, shivering from being cold and wet; the pieces of the occurrence began to reveal themselves to her quickly, until everything fell back into place. I donā€™t remember much near the end, but, wasnā€™t I flung into the sea? She did her best to remember, pulling at the foggy and uncertain memories of near the end of it best she could, trying as hard as she could to make them coherent. A calm look came over her face as she maintained her position, and breathing pattern, remembering. Yeah, he did throw me into the ocean I can remember hitting the water, and it swallowing me up before I passed out. Carefully, Tesni turned her head slightly, noting well the pain in doing so.

Wait . . . if I passed out in the water, I should be dead . . . not sitting on land, very much alive and in pain. The girlā€™s body felt like it went even colder, heart skipping a beat in her chest as her memory connected together at last. Sheā€™d been coming to before, somewhere elseā€”there was someone trying to help her, heal her. A hand over her heart, a pressure there, and warmth seeping into her arms and legs. . . . . But itā€™d been too much, the strangerā€™s voice had cut through the fog too soon and itā€™d dropped her back into the black. But, here she was again, sitting upon pavement at the feet of a man she didnā€™t know, a man whoā€™d been carrying her unconscious body from who knows where to who knew what. Hands still at her diaphragm, body still aching to no ends, Tesni attempted a feat sheā€™d not yet even considered or thought over.

Simply talking. It hurt, even opening her mouth to speak, but, the words came. Her voice was rough, jagged and it cracked once or twice, but the words came as naturally as they ever did, ā€œI survived a bludgeoning, drowning, possible internal bleeding, dying from dehydration or starvation, and wake up to find myself being carried by a man I donā€™t know. . . .ā€ she spoke to the man who still stood above her, she herself unable to even think about getting to her feet. ā€œSo, are you the person who saved me, or my Prince Charming?ā€ the tone in her rough voice shifted to half-sarcastic.

Really, she didnā€™t know what else she couldā€™ve said then, because even if she remembered her situation and knew she somehow survived it, Tesni had no idea where she even was, who she was with or what was going on around her. Whether she was awake or not now, the only thing she knew for certain pertained to the stranger, the fact that heā€™d been taking her somewhere.

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Character Portrait: Malkyr Olsail Character Portrait: Junayd Kadeen Character Portrait: Salim Naghi Character Portrait: Tesni
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June's head glanced up at the unexpected addition to the party, a young man who held a confidence she could honestly only dream about. He gave her a smile as he scooped the unconscious girl into his arms, breaking the magical connection between June and her, though she'd already done pretty much everything she had the capability to. Her heart would keep beating for now. Still, she wasn't sure how she felt about handing off a small, injured woman to a man she had no knowledge of and wasn't a crew member. So, quietly, she placed her hood over her head and followed him after they docked, just to make sure he was really taking the girl to a medic as he claimed.

The closer they got towards the center of the city, the more June felt her heart pounding in her chest and an inherent sense of wrongness fill her senses. Whatever magic had been used in the murdering of the Magi Tree still permeated the air, giving her goosebumps and creating a tangible uneasiness she couldn't shake. She wondered if other Magicians could feel it, or if it was something only another Magi could identify. If that was the case, then it only raised more questions as to what had slain her precious Tree, her one true friend in the world. And what she was supposed to do about it.

Lagging a bit behind the two in order to avoid detection, June arrived just as the red-haired man began speaking. June felt as if her breath had been knocked out of her chest in one punch seeing him stand upon the ashes of the fallen Magi, eyes going wide as she came to a standstill in the crowd. Even as her eyes welled up with tears, she listened to him speak, unable to pull herself away. She felt her anger being smothered, replaced with a horrifying realization of 'maybe he's right. I never wanted to be Magi anyway...' But just as quickly as the thought hit her, a sudden gust of wind blew past her, but not just any wind. She sensed immediately the power that broke the wall between her and her true emotions, and it made her eyes widen in surprise. Other Magi.

She didn't get a moment to react before someone chose to do it for her, shouting up at the man angrily with religious wording she didn't much care for, but understood the sentiment behind them. But she still felt the oppressive, yet subtle, magic being pushed against the crowd and she knew. Something terrible was happening, and the Wind Magi felt it just as she did. But she also noticed she wasn't the only one the wind had touched. So, why? Was it just that man, the priest, or were there others? And what was this man trying to accomplish by turning the city against a dead Tree? She wished the Wind would speak to her as the Tree had, give her some path to start on as to what she was supposed to do, but there was nothing other than the gentle nudge of a breeze. In her destiny, as always, she was alone.

Abruptly, June felt eyes on her and looked up, back towards the man standing on the Tree's ashes. Despite speaking to a rather large crowd and currently having an angry religious man shouting at him, his head was turned in her direction, and she knew, unarguably, it was her he was staring at. Their eyes locked for the briefest of moments, and June felt a chill shudder down her spine. A quiet voice in her head said only one word: danger.

And then, chaos erupted.

"Maybe it's time we took our destiny into our own hands!" someone shouted from the crowd, who had been relatively silent until now.

"Yeah, who gives you the right to decide for us?! Who gives anyone?!" another cried, and before long the entire place had erupted into shouts, angry and so very wrong. June had no time to mourn her friend, nor time to be disgusted at the way its final resting place was being disrespected. She had to get out of there.

Breaking her gaze with the man on the stand, she quickly turned away and started weaving through the crowd, going relatively ignored in all the excitement. She found, once again, the injured girl in the arms of the man, awake now but still needing medical attention. "Come on, we have to get out of here!" she called to them both, placing a hand on the man's shoulder to get his attention before she flicked her hand, scooting a few people over with a tiny burst of energy to give them room to move through the crowd. She motioned quickly with her hand for him to follow her, getting in front to lead them to a safer place. She wanted to shout, to scream at them to wake up, but she couldn't. She just couldn't put herself at the front that way. She wasn't ready.

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Character Portrait: Malkyr Olsail Character Portrait: Junayd Kadeen Character Portrait: Salim Naghi Character Portrait: Tesni
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An indescribable sensation of both warmth and concern flooded through Salim at the time he stood in the square. He wasn't alone, not by a long shot. While there had been very few people when he first arrived, which surely couldn't have been more than a handful of minutes ago, the ashes of the Great Magi Tree were now surrounded with people with more arriving. He swore he'd just looked away for a moment and yet, it had to of been longer with the amount of people crowding the area around him. Tensions were in the air, nearly thick enough to reach out and mold into a disaster.

The man on the ashes was not a good man. That much was easy to determine. Nobody who could preach against the greatness of the Tree, of a pure of heart Magi, could be considered of a positive nature. Even if the man had a point to make, crushing the ashes under his bare feet was not the way to make it. Then again, it did manage to grab the attention of everyone around. Murmurs that he recalled once being furious turned into talk of agreement. The people of this Republic were agreeing with the man who was blatantly disrespecting their precious icon. That wasn't right. There was something off. Salim knew he couldn't be the only one to understand that this was wrong. All these people were crazy. They were absolute morons if they were swayed to an opposing opinion so easily.

"How dare you. How DARE you speak such poison! By what right do you have to call the great tree evil! By what inconceivable dementia do you think to call this tragedy a fortune! Have you no soul, you foul tongued blasphemer!?" The eyes of the crowd turned dangerously from their newest item of interest onto the thing that had interrupted them, a bandaged-up man who spoke in religious terms. Salim regarded him with mild curiosity, sniffing as he turned his head away. At least he wasn't the only one who thought the situation was fucked up. He wondered, vaguely, if the man was a citizen of the Republic of Ilahi, but decided it didn't matter to him one way or another. It wasn't his business. He had other matters to tend to, like...

As if on cue, the girl in his arms gave out a yelp and moved so suddenly that she fell from Salim's arms. He stared at her on the ground, not sure if he should help her back up again or if she would be alright to walk. He didn't think she would be, but he knew from past experiences that some chicks could be seriously defensive about their stupid personal space. Personally, he didn't get it. But whatever. He wasn't going to get his eyes clawed out of his skull for helping an ungrateful stranger. ā€œI survived a bludgeoning, drowning, possible internal bleeding, dying from dehydration or starvation, and wake up to find myself being carried by a man I donā€™t know. . . .ā€ The girl mumbled to herself. Salim wondered how hard she got hit on her head while she was in the sea. ā€œSo, are you the person who saved me, or my Prince Charming?ā€

An eyebrow raised against tan skin and Salim couldn't help but bark out a laugh despite the situation happening around them. Already, people were shouting and closing in on the man who had stepped up against the redheaded tyrant. Even still, Salim's attention was focused on the less important situation, the girl at his feet. "You can call me whatever you want girl, but I'm no fuckin' Prince Charming." Deciding she wasn't getting anywhere on her own, he lifted her again, ready to go about his way when he realized any path toward the medical building was blocked by angered citizens.

"Come on, we have to get out of here!" Swiveling around to face the one who'd touched his shoulder, Salim frowned at the Nymph from the cargo ship. He wondered, briefly, if she'd been the cause of his very faint paranoia that someone had been following him, but brushed it off. It was another thing that no longer mattered. There was too much going on around them. They needed to get to safety and he needed to get medical attention for the girl in his arms.

He started going through the small space in the crowd, huffing and glaring at a porkish man who bumped into him and had the nerve to call him out for it. "Calm down, what's wrong with you people?" Somehow, that didn't get through as well as he'd hoped and all it really did was earn a sloppily executed fist towards his face. Easily ducking, Salim balanced the girl in his arms and kicked at the guy, holding him back with one foot and getting angrier by the second. "Can you back your fucking gross, grubby hands off me? I'm kind of busy." When that didn't seem to work, he actually kicked the guy with intentions of knocking him away. "Freak."

Just as he cleared the crowd and managed to reach the blanket over the door of the medical building, a voice rang out behind him, somehow loud and clear even over the rising voices of the crowd. There was no doubt that it came from the man with the fiery red hair. "Magi." Who? Salim found himself stopping once again, glancing over his shoulder despite his sense of urgency. It was hard to see, but the man, although having been previously provoked, still stood firmly on the ashes, just slightly above the heads of those in the crowd. The man had his head turned in his direction, but Salim knew those cold, coal eyes weren't looking at him. Who's he calling Magi?

"I know you don't want to believe me," the man went on. He completely ignored the crowd around him and the religious person challenging him, although his hand was up between him and the bandaged person as if to tell him to wait. "You of all people would be the best one to understand what I have to say." Salim rolled his eyes and went inside the medical building, handing the girl off to a medical personnel and explaining what the noise outside was. Even still, the man's voice went on, just a vaguely discernible noise through the blanket. "Magi, listen. You have nothing to base your opinions from. So I issue a challenge."

From inside the building, Salim felt the ground rumble under his feet. Now that he knew the girl was being taken care of, he opted to glance outside, looking in every direction until he saw it. The man on the ashes faced the backside of the city. Following his open arms with his blue-eyed gaze, Salim, as well as the others in the area, could very clearly see a building pulling up from under the Earth. It was raised in the very outskirts of the city, a moderate distance away, a monument of destruction. When the building finished rising, tall and intimidating even from so far away, the ground stopped shaking and the man turned back to whoever he was talking to. Salim's eyes narrowed on the back of that Nymph from earlier. "So there it is." That was all the man said before he walked past the bandaged instigator, knocking shoulders with him on the way.

Salim waved the Nymph inside the medical building and closed the blanket behind them. He didn't say anything to her, instead going up to the girl he'd carried in there. "Are you feeling better?" It was marked with a hint of disinterest, but he thought that if he bothered going through the trouble of bring her there, he might as well ask about her condition. Some of the medics were Magicians, most were not. He had other things on his mind rather than her, however. Bigger things. Better things. I'm going to conquer that dungeon.

Swiveling around almost suddenly, Salim pointed at the Nymph. "You! You're suspicious." He dropped his hand to his side, leaning a bit on the table the other girl had been placed on, which seemed to concern the medics and got him shooed away from leaning on it. "What's your deal?" He had a feeling he already knew, but he decided he would leave it to her to tell him first. If he was right, he could use her. After all, conquering a dungeon alone was impossible.

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Character Portrait: Cadi Salib Character Portrait: Junayd Kadeen Character Portrait: Salim Naghi Character Portrait: Tesni
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He'd been following them for a while, his small feet dodging expertly through the crowd. Cadi saw them at the pier and, from his experience, blue haired humans are usually from a higher class family. And, checking his purse, he just couldn't see enough money in there to satisfy his need. Well, there was plenty of coins and sparkly gems in there but Cadi looked past them, shutting the small bag shut and placing it back into his satchel. They'd gone to see the Great Magi Tree, something Cadi wasn't really all that interested in. And there was some sort of creeper there, trying to convince the people in the crowd of his values.

But Cadi had let himself get distracted. Once he turned his head, he only saw the blue haired people blending into the crowd. His personal task had become less and less about theft and more about curiousity. For goodness' sake, they were carrying around a girl and stopping off in random places! Cadi couldn't help but be intrigued and, like a small kitten, he followed them without even trying to hide anymore. A medic? Is that girl hurt? he thought, before stopping and looking at the shop opposite the medic.

Eyes lighting up slightly, Cadi turned on his heel and entered the door to the jeweler. When he entered, he stopped and stared at the coloured gems gleaming back at him. His hands twitched and he had to fight the urge to shove several things into his bags. After all, it was probably some sort of trick laid out by the twins. The shop owner looked up from some sort of metal he way toying with and smiled at Cadi. "A delivery from the Daher twins." He reached into his bag, seizing the small sack filled with small gems he'd almost killed himself carrying around. Handing it to the shop owner, he watched him go out back and hastily snuck some gold rings from a stand into his pocket, turning around just in time to see the horrified look on the shop owner's face.

"They warned me about this! The Dahers told me! I don't know why I didn't listen, you little thief." He yelled and Cadi saluted him as he left, running into the building directly opposite and running past all the medics and into a bed surrounded by blankets. He didn't so much as notice the people inside as he glanced around, his small face slowly taking on a look of confusion. Looking from the group of people he'd been following earlier and the medics, his absent mind telling him to go check outside the door.

Sprinting back to the door and peeking his head out, Cadi saw the shop owner pointing in a certain direction with city guards following him. He slammed the door back shut and turned back to the room of medics staring at him in concern. "I'm being chased for a crime I didn't commit." he lied easily, pulling the saddest, most innocent face he probably could. One medic awed and he'd never been more pleased that he was young in his life. He chose her as his victim. Staring at her with big green eyes, Cadi opened his mouth to only say a few words in the meekest voice he could: "Can I wait here for a while, please?" The medic nodded and he grinned, walking straight over to the people he was following earlier.

"You know, I was planning on stealing something from you guys but then I 'got chased for a crime I didn't commit'. And you guys kinda looked like nice people." He said in a singsong manner. Cadi plopped himself down on the floor. He smiled up at the two people standing innocently. "Did you see that dungeon? Did you see where it is? It's so close!" His hands were fiddling with the small golden rings, slipping each one onto his finger and taking it off again. Cadi only kept two on, putting the other several into his bag once more. Then, he began twiddling his thumbs. "So is she hurt? She looks okay, I think. I don't know, I'm not really a medic."

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Character Portrait: Malkyr Olsail Character Portrait: Camille Campion Character Portrait: Salim Naghi
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It was a weird day. First off everyone was almost okay with the dumb Magi Tree being incinerated by who knows what, and that was enough to put Camille a little on edge. Of course, he just nodded his head and grunted when he was talked to, because he could honestly care less about everything in this dumb ass, filthy city. He just wanted to go home. Report to Father that he needed to send a person with better people skills and a kinder smile. Sadly, Camille knew that the Underground Boss would just smile kindly at him and say something like ā€˜but Camille, my son, you do have those skillsā€™. Just thinking about it made the silver eyed male want to punch a few old men just to get it out of his system now.

The day was a nice day. A little on the hot side, but there was a soothing breeze in the air and it calmed the nerves that had been shot after finding out that most of the damn city didnā€™t care about the destroyed Tree. Feeling a little sad that no one seemed to care about it anymore, Camille wandered over to the site, only to find too many people gathered around. He would have called it a mass prayer or whatever, but it was obvious it wasnā€™t. ā€œBe calm, people of the Republic.ā€ Halting in his steps, Camille turned and found a tall, fiery red headed man standing on the ashes of the Magi Tree. There was an almost snarl on his lips, how disrespectful of other peopleā€™s religion. But no one commented on it. ā€œThe fall of the Great Magi Tree was a tragic one, but youā€™re all lingering too much in the past.ā€ Tilting his head, Camille nodded, because he honestly agreed. It made sense, perfect sense. ā€œThe Magiā€™s demise has brought us a new beginning, hasnā€™t it?ā€ Yes. ā€œThereā€™s nothing to mourn over here.ā€ And there wasnā€™t. Camille found himself nodded again and he smiled. It was uncharacteristic, but the man on the ashes understood exactly what was going on. ā€œā€¦itā€™s teachings were holding you back from your real potential, teaching you all lies, you, your mothers and fathers, your children. Anything enchanted with magical words of a higher being can be twisted into beliefs, just like the crime that had gone on here for years before. I might even go as far to say that the fall of the Magi has quelled its power over you all and given you back your sense, returned to you your own free will, as all living beings deserve to have.ā€

Camille nodded his head again and hummed in agreement. This man on the ashes was totally worth listening too. Suddenly a burst of wind ruffled his hair. Lies. he heard it whisper. Or so he thought he heard it whisper. This man is wrong. and then the breeze vanished.

Almost immediately after the wind was no more, someone shouted from the crowd, accusing the man on the ashes of many things. At this point, the spell of whatever it was, was broken, and therefore the silver eyed male saw no reason to be standing around. Turning on his heel, he saw a wounded girl in some guyā€™s arms, and he was almost curious enough to ask what it was, but it wasnā€™t his business. He was definitely going to Father and telling him of this man. This crazy, spell binding man. He had reached the outskirts of the crowd and was just about to head back to his little hotel for the day when the fiery man spoke again. ā€œMagi.ā€ There was something about the sound of his voice that froze Camilleā€™s veins and slowly he turned around. He of course, wasnā€™t the Magi, but something just didnā€™t sit right in this situation. ā€œI know you donā€™t want to believe me. You of all people would be the best one to understand what I have to say. Magi, listen. You have nothing to base your opinions from. So I issue a challenge.ā€

The words chilled Camille some more. This man wasnā€™t on the side of justice. A sneer overtook his features, even when the ground shook and people shrieked in shock and surprise. The man on the ashes stood with his arms in the air, as if he was summoning something. Which he was. In the distance a building rose from the Earth. Even so far away, it was almost big enough to look as if it was closer than the edge of the city. It was, in one word, massive. ā€œSo there it is.ā€ The man stepped off and disappeared into the crowd.

Camille stood where he was for a few minutes longer, fingers rubbing the leather on his whip. Seeing another figure step up, Camille narrowed his gaze and snorted. Trying to help these people was going to be a fruitless task. They would be better off burned like the Tree had. So with a final parting glance at the preaching leper, Camille returned to his hotel room.

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Character Portrait: Cadi Salib Character Portrait: Junayd Kadeen Character Portrait: Salim Naghi Character Portrait: Tesni
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Her eyes were kept locked upon him, waiting for his reaction to her half-sarcastic question. Her body ached and honestly, she wasnā€™t even sure how she was conscious now, or even how sheā€™d managed to survive all sheā€™d enduredā€”Cherufe or not, she wasnā€™t immortal. Her survival mightā€™ve made sense if she were as strong as either her brother or father, or, hell, as strong as even an average Cherufe. However, as it was Tesni awaited some reaction . . . a strange sense came upon her that sheā€™d not noticed prior. An aura of confliction, confusionā€”two separate energies intermingling within the same space. One was suffocating, manipulative; the other . . . the other was one that seemed to cleanse, it was enlivening. The very feel of the latter slipped through her body, and in truth, it seemed to ease the ache that resounded all throughout her form, making her whole body feel sort of lighter. Between the two auras, it felt as if the former, the manipulative one, was beating back the one which had enveloped her body.

It was malicious, dangerous . . . shadowy. Tesni couldnā€™t pinpoint where it was coming from, from where the vile feeling was seepingā€”had she been able, sheā€™d have been tempted to try to rise to her feet and eradicate it. But, there would be none of that. She couldnā€™t figure out from where the aura came.

However, it was a pang of barking laughter that snapped Tesni from her deep thoughts and pulled her back to painful reality; her frame throbbing as she dropped back into her mortal coil. The situation around her reached her earsā€”chaos, muddled shouts of anger, protest, movement toward one source. Wherever it was her ā€˜saviorā€™ had seen fit to bring her, the scene was not a good one. But, as that was said, Tesni kept her eyes back on him, as he seemed one of the few people in this pandemonium that was not getting swept up into it all. So it was he finally saw fit to speak to her, ā€œ You can call me whatever you want girl, but Iā€™m no fuckinā€™ Prince Charming.ā€ A sort of amused expression played across Tesniā€™s pallor and bruised face at that response, but before she could actually formulate any responses, witty retorts or anything of the sort, the man had very quickly stooped over and hoisted her up again.

The shock of it, being forcedly moved caused the expression on Tesniā€™s face to slip away as shadows began to edge around her blurring vision, there was undeniable agony in her battered body, but the Cherufe girl only allowed herself to tremble in response to what she felt, breathing out shakily with several huffs, trying to bypass the pain as best she could as the man tried to move within the crowd with her in his arms. She didnā€™t want to slip back into darkness again, she was awake and aware again, and in the chaos that surrounded, falling unconscious wouldnā€™t be wise.

Graā€™Drosum . . . this must be Hell. that was the only thing her mind could express amidst the pain.

Tesni kept her hands against her diaphragm, eyes now only partway open as a frown played over her features, she did her best to keep still, avoiding all movements she might be able to make, before it was there was a familiar voice, and the man pivoted around in reaction to it himself. ā€œCome on, we have to get out of here!ā€ Tesni knew it, that voice, she knew it. Even in the state she was left within, she knew that voice.

Itā€™s . . . that voice is from the person who was calling me back before, when everything smelled of must, wood and fish. The person whose voice had been full of comfort, and the one whoā€™d had their hand over her heart, giving warmth back to her icy arms and legs.

She couldnā€™t see them, that person, but, she knew she would, as the man holding her was moving along whilst trying to following behind them. Though, given the rampant state of the crowd, the attempts made in following were nearly in vain as people moved about like rabid animals, fighting and quarreling among themselves when before they had been trying to converge upon one particular spot. When she felt her carrier jerk to the side from the impact of another knocking into him, her head drew to the side instinctively, in spite of the pain. ā€œCalm down, whatā€™s wrong with you people?ā€ that was the response given by him to a rather plump man, the one whoā€™d rudely bumped into him. The only thing the man seemed able to respond with was a horridly implemented punch right toward her carrier, but in a momentā€™s notice, heā€™d adjusted the hold he had on her, managing to dodge the crap-excuse for a punch with next to no effort. That led into a sort of kick, before he snapped, ā€œCan you back your fucking gross, grubby hands off me? Iā€™m kind of busy.ā€

Yes, because trying to talk ā€˜senseā€™ into a livid rimā€™okso always works. Tesni managed to think, her body having gone rigid due to the sudden movements made.

It took another kick to get the half-insane man away, her carrier uttering ā€œFreak.ā€ at him before clearing the way through a gap in the rest of the crowd, heading toward a blanket-covered doorway of a nearby building. Apparently, where heā€™d been intending to take her this whole time?

But, he stopped, a voice resounded out above the chaos of the crowd behind them, Tesni hearing well his words too. ā€œMagi.ā€ That word alone was enough to send a pang of shock through her body severe enough to make the pain she felt vanish before he continued. ā€œI know you donā€™t want to believe me.ā€ She didnā€™t understand the words, and the Cherufe girl could only wonder who this voice was addressing. She . . . couldnā€™t quite see him given the angle of her body, but she could hear him. Was there an unknown Magi among the crowd? If so, why? And who was it? ā€œYou of all people would be the best one to understand what I have to say.ā€ Before Tesni could hear anymore of the manā€™s seemingly insane rambles, her carrier moved himself and her into the blanketed doorway, as she managed to hear a stunned exhale from a person she could not see, and very quickly she found herself handed off to someone else, another stranger. Tesni was able to keep her crystal-colored eyes open enough to see that this person was indeed another man, but a man donned in the clothing of a healer. A medic. So, her unnamed ā€˜Prince Charmingā€™, or whatever, had been intending on taking her to be healed? How unexpectedly noble for someone who claimed that he was ā€˜no fuckinā€™ Prince Charmingā€™.

ā€œSheā€™s in definite need of attention; sheā€™s covered in lesions, burns and thereā€™s no telling if she has any broken bones or internal injuries. . . .ā€ The tanned man holding her spoke, his voice hushed as if he didnā€™t want her to overhear him. His comments were directed back over to a white-haired woman, her face apathetic as she only offered a nod in response.

He kept moving with her till he reach a sterile white bed, upon which Tesni found herself placed with little gentleness. She grunted in response to his lack of care with her, but kept her jaw locked and firm. Some healer this guy was. . . . Tesni opened her eyes and only offered him a definite look of annoyance and distaste, her arms still remaining over her diaphragm. He simply stared back down at her with coldness, before he turned and walked away, mumbling things she could not make out to another of the healers in the room, she knew well enough though that what he was saying regarded her. Such people skills. Oi, itā€™s a damn good thing Iā€™m a Cherufeā€”I doubt that these lot could manage to heal me up at all if I was human. she thought to herself with an obvious sigh. This earned her a couple of looks.

While it was she was being left to lay down upon a softer surface, the pain Tesni felt lessenedā€”her breath came easier, her body did not ache as it had, and it allowed her mind the lucidity itā€™d been lacking before. The condition of her body became tolerable instead of merely forcedly bearable. Because of this, the girl frowned and choose to speak despite the definite pain thatā€™d come with it. ā€œWell, are you all going to stand staring, or are you going to bother trying to restore my body?ā€ For that comment, she was regarded with sour looks and seethes. It almost made her want to smileā€”she could tell by how they were acting that these medics were apathetic toward their patients. Uncaring and cold.

The tanned man whoā€™d carried her into the room set his brown eyes on her, his jaw locked firmly together as he moved from those heā€™d been conversing with so hushedly before. Tesniā€™s eyes caught sight of the hands he began to extend outward, a faint green hue exuded from them. Nothing was said as he knelt down at her bedside and set those hands upon her, before he drew away from her, a seemingly stunned expression upon his features while the color around his hands receded. An eyebrow arched upon her face as he simply stared at her with uncertainty. Okay, what, did I sprout my horns or my tail without realizing and heā€™s never seen a Cherufe before. . . ?

ā€œWhat? Why are you just staring at me again?ā€ she asked him, before realizing . . . that it did not hurt her to speak as it had before. Her throat still remained pained, but, the simple agony of speech as it had felt before was otherwise fading. This realization caused Tesni to widely open her eyes as her mouth fell slightly agape. Oh, whoa, okay, thatā€™s . . . healing awful fast.

Blinking a few times with hesitation, the Cherufe girl turned her head downward experimentally, noting well the lack of horrid pain in doing so as she glanced upon the bare skin on her legs and arms, seeing for herself what was leaving the healer above her stunned in silence. Her burns, bruises and wounds, everything that was evidence of her lost battle with the rogue before, they were already healing over. Dark and inky bruises were fading into ugly greens, burns had slipped into new, raw pink flesh while her open wounds had done more than just scabbed over. Tesni removed her hands from her middle, moving them quicklyā€”noting that her arms felt oddly light as opposed to just shortly before. Her arms went under her, forearms supporting her torso and head as she forced herself to sit up, slightly flabbergasted at how quickly her body seemed to be heading along the path to wellness. Yes, Cherufe were notoriously fast healers, but even the best of them did not patch up this quickly.

The healer continued to look over her body, staring while it was some others seemed to do the same, observing the strange phenomenon for themselves too. Tesni brought herself to sit up properly, staring at her own legs that were stretched out straight in front of her before speaking again, ā€œWell, thatā€™s . . . new.ā€

The medic above spoke himself this time, ā€œBefore you were brought here, someone already tended to your injuries.ā€

She blinked, and turned her head to look back up at him. What he said was not a question to her, but an observation. Before this, before sheā€™d been brought her someone had already treated her? If that was the case, then why were the effects just now. . . . Wait, the person whoā€™d tried to call me back, the one who had brought warmth back into my limbs. Was it possible that, that individual had been using healing magic on her, and managed this? An almost miracle in being able to heal her up so well?

ā€œMagic was used upon you. Whoever the user was of it was of incredible skill and power. . . .ā€ the doctor went on, ā€œEspecially for their spell to produce a belated effectā€”as it is, youā€™re no longer in need of treatment from us. No matter how well youā€™ve healed already, you are still injured, but are free to go. Just go on with caution.ā€ Before Tesni could say anything to him, the doctor was already turning on his heel and walking away, and into a back room. So, that was it?

Go with caution? Iā€™m injured, I donā€™t need treatment from him? she huffed a bit as she turned her body so that her legs dangled freely from the bed, there was still a notable dull ache that spread throughout her as she moved, but it wasnā€™t so bad. Geez, such a medical profession that was is that he managed to leave me stunned by his expertise. Vrakisrā€™era. She could only roll her eyes as she thought her sarcastic and snarky thoughts. However, still, there was no denying the fact that Tesni was a bit bewildered herself that her injuries had healed over so damn quickly. The person whoā€™d been calling her back before, giving her warmth, it was undoubtedly their doing. This small seemingly miracle.

Crystalline eyes were left blankly staring at gold-tipped boots, as thoughts swirled around in her head. She tried to sort it all out. Her body was healing already, fast enough that she would be able to go her own way again, but, she was unsure of what that way was. Sheā€™d plummeted into the seas, been swept out into the deep and wound up upon a ship bound for parts she didnā€™t know. As it was, Tesni didnā€™t even know the name of the country or city sheā€™d wound up in after her escapades had landed her almost killed. Then there also remained another two lingering issues, those people who were responsible for both healing and possibly saving her; the Voice and her ā€˜not fuckinā€™ Prince Charmingā€™ who likely remained in the other room.

As if on cue, the not-Prince approached her, in tow with him was a rather androgynous, lavender-skinned person. Tesniā€™s eyes were trained upon themā€”although rather gender-neutralā€”Tesni sort of got an ā€˜effeminateā€™ vibe from them. But, she said nothing, as her eyes drew back up when the not-Prince spoke, ā€œAre you feeling better?ā€ his voice marked with an evident edge of apathy. She could only stare at him quietly, expression somewhat blank.

Before it was Tesni even got a chance to speak, he was already turning on his heel again, looking back at the definite nonhuman behind him, pointing. ā€You! Youā€™re suspicious.ā€

Well, that was both blunt and flagrant. Also random. she thought as the not-Prince dropped his hand back to his side, and proceeded to lean up against the bed-table she was sitting on. Turning his attention to the unknown person.

ā€œWhatā€™s your deal?ā€ he asked, and Tesni looked upon them herself blinking a few times before simply sighing and shaking her head despite the twinge of pain. There was a feeling within her, one of familiarity and certain hesitance to guess at it, but pat of Tesni was telling her that this lavender-skinned person was also the skilled Magician responsible for healing up her battered body.

ā€œGraā€™Drosum, youā€™re very random, arenā€™t you? Not fuckinā€™ Prince Charming?ā€ she asked him, a ting of empty sarcasm upon her words. Her gaze drew up to him, and a spirited little smile slipped over her still somewhat bruised face. ā€œI seem to be fine, by the way, thanks for the half-assed inquiry there too. A little worse for the wear, but Iā€™m already healinā€™ up rightly, thanks to whatever amazing magic I attribute to none of the backward ass medics round here.ā€

ā€œWhat about yourselves? I may not have been all there yet, but Iā€™m to recall some rather crazed people just outside?ā€ Tesni looked between her not-Prince and at her definite fellow nonhuman. Thinking on that notion for a moment, her smile widened. ā€œWell, at least it looks like Iā€™m not alone in the game of being surrounded by purely humans and Magicians for a change here, you might not be a Cherufe like me, but Iā€™ll take whatever company I can get in that way.ā€

Before anything else could be said though, the approach of a definite stranger caught her heed, and the smile upon her face washed away and was simply replaced with a look of questioning. He plopped himself down on the floor right near them, and smiled, ā€œ You know, I was planning on stealing something from you guys but then I 'got chased for a crime I didn't commit'. And you guys kinda looked like nice people.ā€ Hearing his words, this strange random boyā€™s rambles, her mouth came agape, an honest look of confusion passed over her features. ā€œDid you see that dungeon? Did you see where it is? It's so close!ā€ he continued on, fiddling with several small gold rings around his fingers.

He goes from saying that he was apparently planning on stealing from us, to talking about a . . . a dungeon? Okay, what?

He began to wiggle his thumbs, putting several of the rings into his bag while he drew his eyes her way. ā€œSo is she hurt? She looks okay, I think. I don't know, I'm not really a medic.ā€

An actual frown came over Tesniā€™s face at his rambles, ā€œOoooooi,ā€ she exclaimed as soon as he finished talking, ā€œYouā€™re even more of a random thing then Not-Fuckinā€™-Prince-Charming over here. Stealing from us, a dungeon to askinā€™ about me?ā€ Tesniā€™s voice was questioning, and gestured toward him with honest confusion, before it was she went quiet a moment. ā€œ. . . .kid, you didnā€™t happen to get hit in the head out in that mayhem out there did you? And, you arenā€™t dehydrated from heat either, are you?ā€

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Character Portrait: Cadi Salib Character Portrait: Junayd Kadeen Character Portrait: Salim Naghi Character Portrait: Tesni
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June felt like she was going to be sick. She needed quiet time to think, to process. To curl up in a ball and cry, maybe. He'd known her. That man, that monster, had known who she was, and his dark gaze had locked directly onto her. She'd never seen a Dungeon lifted before, and it was terrifying in the sense that it left no doubt in her mind as to who, or rather what, he was. And he was definitely stronger than her. What sort of challenge was he posing, exactly? What did he want from her? She knew she'd have to confront him. There wasn't any getting around it, not unless she wanted idiot "heroes" getting themselves killed in an effort to enter a dungeon that wasn't built for them. God, it made her so angry. She hadn't even gotten a chance to see her family now that she was home and already she was getting pulled into things she didn't understand, with people she didn't know. She didn't get a choice in that either; the Wind had already picked them. She could feel that as clearly as she could feel the ruhk in every living being. It just was.

"Uh, okay, I'll admit I'm a little suspicious, so listen," June said after a deep breath, trying her best to be "The Magi", but knowing she was probably already failing. So, she had a human with a foul mouth, a thief, and a recently healed Cherufe, and she knew these weren't the only ones. The only one she was remotely pleased about so far was the small Cherufe, who had healed better than she could have imagined. She was actually a little proud of herself that it had worked so well. And the girl seemed nice, despite what ever had happened to her to make her so beat up. June agreed it was nice to have another around who stuck out from the crowd a bit, though she honestly didn't know the Cherufe stance on Nymphs. She'd never met one, but it was possible they held the same reservations that many other species did. She didn't have time to be concerned about it.

She glanced around to make sure none of the medics were listening in. They didn't appear to be, but she didn't want to take any chances. "I know we're all strangers here, but we need to talk. We haven't met by accident," she began, before lifting her hand, palm up, in front of her. It was a light spell she cast around them, preventing anyone who wasn't welcome from overhearing a conversation that wasn't meant for them. This sucked, this sucked, this sucked. She was 16, she wasn't supposed to be responsible yet!

"It's good you healed so well," she mentioned to the other girl sincerely, but she didn't have time to linger or even really explain she'd been the one to do it. She pulled off her hat in order to reveal her ears, deciding being honest and upfront from the beginning was important. She didn't know why these people mattered yet, but they did.

"My name is June. I..." she trailed off, really not entirely sure what to say. She didn't want to tell them who she was. It was dangerous on many levels. But if she didn't tell them, would they listen to her? What weight did her word carry without her title? None, probably. She was just some kid Nymph. But to expose herself entirely was a bad idea too. She didn't know these people, and just because the Wind trusted them didn't mean she did.

"I'm a Magician. More importantly, I felt something a few minutes ago that I think all of you felt too. That man from outside, he wasn't some ordinary guy. He cast a spell over the crowd, and the only reason I didn't fall into it was because there was a force that was stronger than him that saved me. And I can tell from your faces that you all know what I'm talking about. You felt it too."

She paused for a moment to let all this sink in. Even the thief, who'd run in merely a few minutes ago, was part of this, and she made that clear by catching his gaze as she did the others when she spoke. "That's not a coincidence. What you felt was a Magi, and I think we've been chosen for something. Don't ask me why you, I really couldn't tell you. All I know is that we have, and... and I'm asking you all to come with me to that dungeon. I can't imagine a real Magi would choose people it didn't think could handle it. And whatever we find in there, treasure or whatever, it's yours to have. I don't really care. We can do introductions on the way, but don't ask me any more questions because I'm pretty much just as in the dark as you are. Maybe we can all get some answers in there, too. I just know we have to go now."

Oh, yeah. Real compelling, June. She was the stuff of legends, alright. I just want to go home

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Character Portrait: Cadi Salib Character Portrait: Junayd Kadeen Character Portrait: Salim Naghi Character Portrait: Tesni
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#, as written by H3R0
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There was a dungeon on the outside. That was not normal in the least. Well, dungeons had been around for decades, much longer than Salim had been able to roam the Earth and breathe its air, but what had gone on outside in such a short period of time had not been normal in the least. It was easy to see that he wasn't the only one who'd noticed. Dungeons simply didn't rise from the ground like that. A dungeon hadn't risen in over two decades. Nobody knew where they came from or how they got there, but after some time, people seemed to just accept them. After all, they lived in a world of magic. Anything could happen.

This girl was part of it, Salim knew, this Nymph of a breed he didn't yet recognize. She had something to do with the dungeon rising suddenly from the ground and he'd called her out on it. They were cornered together in this area. While the building was spacious with people roaming this way and that to take care of whatever issues people had in every direction, nobody paid them much mind. Most of them were talking amongst themselves, sharing stories with those stuck in beds about what had gone on outside the building, about the dungeon and the strange man who spoke his "truth," as well as the bandaged man who dared speak against him. "Caused a riot," someone said, but he wasn't really listening to them.

There wasn't a lot to be sure about, but Salim was sure that the Nymph who called herself June spoke enough of the truth that he could relate to her, at least a little. The small thing barely made it to his shoulders in height, but at least what she had to say was good enough to bother listening to. He nodded when she finished, blue eyes lingering on her for a moment longer than necessary. She was agreeable in many ways, but she was a liar. A dirty, rotten, liar with big, stupid ears. He was just about to move to make her tell the truth, the whole truth, especially the little bit she failed to get out--as if I'm stupid, as if I'm some sort of idiot she can fool like that--but his attention was unfortunately diverted by a redhead.

The nurse standing by the bedside of the girl he'd brought it awe'd and Salim scowled and rolled his eyes, only barely resisting the urge to cross his arms over his chest. It would have looked aggressive and out of place in an area of caretakers, and he was sure any one of them could kick his ass out whenever they felt necessary, so bulking himself up probably wasn't the best idea when there was more to hear. June went on, addressing them all, which only reminded Salim that she had a shake down appointment that desperately called his name to carry out. Following June came the patient who he'd almost forgotten about until that distinctive Prince Charming bit came up again.

A laugh escaped past the jail of his teeth against his very own will, and Salim wished he could physically grab it out of the air like a tangible object and shove it back in his mouth because no that shit isn't funny at all, god dammit. First, he decided to address the thief, the little lying prick. And yet, his crimes on not telling the truth weren't as bad as the one calling herself June--if that was even her real name; how could he know she wasn't lying about that too? "Magician" his pretty behind.

"If you touched a single coin of mine, I would literally cook you and eat you." He huffed out of his nose and waved a hand in the redhead's general direction, briefly deciding that was all he needed in the ways of acknowledgement. Instead, Salim settled back on June, leaning down from the hips to meet her at eye level. He allowed his arms to cross his chest this time and a frown to settle over his lips. For a moment, all he did was study her, intently and uncomfortably, before, finally, he decided to speak, hoping she was shaking scared by that point, but it was hard to tell one way or another. "You're a liar."

He grinned, but it wasn't pleasant or anything showing delight. Just a grin. Because he absolutely positive of this. He liked being right. He leaned away from June, straightening up and dropped his arms to his sides. "You have from here to that dungeon to spill the truth before I spill something else of yours. Nobody wants to see that. I mean, this one might," he pointed a thumb over his shoulder at the girl he'd brought it for medical attention, "but between you and me, she seems a bit cuckoo for Khalifah."

Looking between the three of them, he decided nothing else really needed to be said. June had said it all for him already. She had a sense greater than his own, one she passed off as a Magician's when he knew better than that. She was as much of an average 'Magician' as the Wind that blew them all out of their trance and the man who had put them all in it in the first place was. There was a lot going on here in this Republic, but Salim didn't think it centered around Ilahi, specifically, so much as it started there. This was a beginning to something. What was a good question, but maybe that was something to be answered on the way. "All I know is we're going to that dungeon," he said out loud. "There's no if's, and's, or but's. I'm getting answers and I'm not losing them because the pieces of the puzzle wussed out."

He didn't know any of these people. He knew June's name, but that was all. He knew one was a thief and one had been pulled up into a cargo ship barely breathing, beaten and bruised. But that was half the excitement. "Come on." He grabbed the girl off the table and blatantly ignored the cries of protest from the medics nearby. "If you're good enough to talk your mouth off, you're good enough to defeat a dungeon." There was another note of protest from the female medic from earlier and he just rolled his eyes at the lady. "I think I know what I'm doing here."

With the girl settled in his arms--whether she could walk on her own or not was entirely irrelevant to him at this point--Salim kicked June in the shin to nudge her in the direction leading out of the building. He took a step back and used more force on the redhead, lifting his foot and kicking him right in the ass. "Move it along, firebird. You and mizz June aren't leaving my sights till we get there." It wasn't until they got outside that he let a smile grace his features, an easier, more believable one than he'd had before. "It's Salim, by the way. Buuuut I'm sure you've heard of me. Y'know, dungeon conqueror? Djinn owner? Pret-ty popular." And proceeded to talk about his greatness the entire way there.

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Character Portrait: Cadi Salib Character Portrait: Junayd Kadeen Character Portrait: Salim Naghi Character Portrait: Tesni
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There were times in Cadi's life where he sincerely regretted doing small things and ending up in a really, crazily bad situation. And now, sitting on the floor, surrounded by people who seemed somewhat more suspicious than the little redhead staring at them, Cadi just knew it couldn't end well. There's certain people you should avoid and these three met all the conditions needed. Well, at least, Cadi thought so. And most of the time, when it came to himself, Cadi was right.

So when he was threatened to be cooked and these new people began talking about the dungeon, more importantly, going in the dungeon. That was most certainly not part of Cadi's plans. But these people seemed to think this would be a great idea. And that Cadi was involved. Oh man, the other blue haired person, the one Cadi was mostly sure was a he, put up some kind of protective barrier and an alarm went off in the boy's mind, blaring loudly and giving him an instant headache. He groaned loudly when he felt it reeling in, shutting his eyes to make things dark. It helped slightly and he opened them in time to hear some important things.

"No, no, no. I think you've misunderstood or something, because I really, really need to go and I didn't come here to go in that goddamn dungeon and- Ah!" Cadi felt a kick and he scrambled onto his feet quickly, his eyes flashing a confused look. Cadi rubbed his temples; how had he gotten in this mess? Trust him to end up in a group of three people oh-so-desperate to get killed! The redhead simply stared at the blue haired guy who wasn't June. The taller, more aggressive and intimidating guy. He simple trotted along, like he was kicked up the butt to do. He was about to protest again when something caught in his throat.

That thing was an idea and a good one it was. Hell, it was brilliant. Oh boy, how Cadi had heard and heard of the dungeons when he was but a young boy. But he wasn't interested in the eternal glory or the Djinn or the whole Magi thing. Oh no. Cadi was, and had always been, yearning for the loot. The legendary loot of a dungeon; sacks and sacks full of golden crowns and daggers, rubies and sapphires, diamonds and endless glistening golden coins. Cadi's eyes went dreamy, tinting gold slightly as he sighed longingly. There were no more protests from the boy and he only just managed to catch Salim's name and apparent, er, profession.

Cadi held his hands behind his back, trying to find a way to introduce himself. "I'm, ah, Cadi. Cadi Salib. Some people call me, uh, what- Mind Thief. I already told you though; I'm not going to steal anything from you guys." Unless you die in the dungeon. he thought, twiddling his thumbs. I'll bury your things. Unless I die first. His little feet ran alongside Salib and June with the mystery girl, the one who'd asked if he was dehydrated or something and he'd shaken his head vigorously. They kept becoming closer and closer to the dungeon, the huge structure looming over their heads. But Cadi wasn't scared anymore. Oh no: he was getting his hands on that gold and there was no question about it.

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Character Portrait: Cadi Salib Character Portrait: Junayd Kadeen Character Portrait: Salim Naghi Character Portrait: Tesni
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#, as written by Mir
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Tesni kept herself silent following the questions sheā€™d posed to the odd redheaded boy whoā€™d flew between talking-topics faster than a Cherufe could take flight. Honestly, she was half-concerned that he mightā€™ve either hit his head in the chaos outside, or that he was dehydrated from the desert sun. . . . People normally didnā€™t dart back and forth between things like that unless they were. At least, in her experience. Alas, though, it seemed as if her questions werenā€™t going to be paid any heed. Her still-healing arms found their way back down, crossed under her bust as her eyes found their way back from the boy sitting on the floor, to the lavender-skinned maybe-girl. The one her ā€˜not fucking Prince Charmingā€™ had decided to call suspicious in his randomness. (She also had caught the laugh he let out upon hearing her call him that again.)

Her fellow nonhuman looked . . . anxious? Yeah, anxious. Definitely anxious. If she didnā€™t know that look by now, given some of the insane situations sheā€™d gotten herself into within the last several months, sheā€™d be denser than mud. An eyebrow arched, and Tesni tilted her head slightly to the side as it was the maybe-girl began to speak, albeit with undeniable hesitance in her voice, following a deep and shaky breath. ā€œUh, okay, Iā€™ll admit Iā€™m a little suspicious, so listen,ā€ poor thing sounded like she was trying to speak with some alien voice of wisdom. Well, she at least can admit to looking suspiciousā€”aw, hell, we all look suspicious right now. A small bunch of weirdos hanginā€™ in a clinic in I-Donā€™t-Know-Whereā€™s Ville, while there is a riot going on outside. Yeah, we ainā€™t wary-worthy ourselves. . . .

She couldnā€™t help her own little tired sigh, not even knowing of the situation at hand, just knowing that crap was going down, weird crap at that. Topping that off, she still didnā€™t even know where she was after all this. She got pulled up from the sea onto a boat before ā€˜not fucking Prince Charmingā€™ standing next to her carried her to a medicā€™s office in an unknown city that seemed prone to random outbreaks of insanity in its people. . . . .if Tesni didnā€™t know any better, she might thing she was amidst the Paquet clan of Cherufe.

But, she pushed back her wandering thoughts again, and turned her crystalline eyes back toward the lavender-skinned person who was apprehensively glancing around them. Was her personal reveal of her Cherufe roots partly to blame for this. . . ? Even if the person her carrier had deemed suspicious was also nonhuman, that meant little in the way of, well, anything. Misgivings about Cherufe ran among all races, nonhuman and human alike. But, it was that they began to speak again, Tesni unable to shake the sense of effeminacy from her perceptions of this odd individual. ā€œI know weā€™re all strangers here, but we need to talk. We havenā€™t met by accident,ā€ she paused, only to raise up her hand, palm facing away from her. Tesni could feel it, the spell she cast. Yeah, gonna refer to them as ā€˜herā€™ and ā€˜sheā€™, I canā€™t shake that from my mind now. . . . She didnā€™t know what the spell was supposed to do, but, Tesni assumed it had to do with whatever she wanted to talk about now. What was so important that she was trying to hold onto that foreign voice. Tesni knew she was about to find outā€”whatever this was, she was caught up in it now. So, she goes from getting her ass handed to her by the rogue sheā€™d been tracking for weeks, to nearly drowning to getting caught up in something else extreme. The fun never ended.

Not that it mattered or that she minded, she was always out to help better or fix something thatā€™d gone wrong, after all. Yes, she wanted to get back to tracking the rogues, but what would be the purpose in her seeking out wrong-doers if she couldnā€™t stop to aid people suffering right in front of her? If she didnā€™t bother helping, then it was nigh likely that there would be anyone else who would. Tracking was a part of what she wanted to do, but her desire to stop the rogues came secondly when faced with an issue right smack in front of her, which was what was happening again. Whateverā€™s up, Iā€™m game. she didnā€™t have to hear anything to know what she was doing now.

Tesniā€™s eyes were kept upon her healer, who bothered to sincerely comment on her condition before continuing onward with what she wanted to talk about. ā€œItā€™s good you healed so well,ā€ to this, Tesni gave a smile and a silent thumbs-upā€”words of gratitude toward her could wait till after this was done. She could see the hesitance present in the girlā€™s movements as she moved her arms up, and her hands grasped at the brim of her hat. She didnā€™t want to take it off, but, she was choosing to. The hat came off to reveal . . . long, sculpted earsā€”those of what Tesni assumed was a Nymph. The lavender-toned skin, the ears, the eyes, the hair . . . she was a Nymph, through and through. It wasnā€™t the first time Tesni had seen someone of Nymph blood, given her villageā€™s customs. . . . Sheā€™d seen several in her short life. ā€œMy name is June. Iā€¦ā€ her voice wandered away, laced with thought and confusion, perhaps as how to explain herself, or the situation again. ā€œIā€™m a Magician. More importantly, I felt something a few minutes ago that I think all of you felt too. That man from outside, he wasnā€™t some ordinary guy. He cast a spell over the crowd, and the only reason I didnā€™t fall into it was because there was a force that was stronger than him that saved me. And I can tell from your faces that you know what Iā€™m talking about. You felt it too.ā€

So, the name is ā€˜Juneā€™? Okay, so itā€™s not wrong of me to call her a ā€˜herā€™ given the name. Aaaaand, sheā€™s claiminā€™ to be a ā€˜Magicianā€™? Hmm, not sure I buy that, but okay, Iā€™ll accept that for now. Whateverā€™s eating her is obviously severe enough that she doesnā€™t want to divulge everything yet, canā€™t blame her since weā€™re all a bunch of strangers. But, that weirdo-guy. . . ? Was he the one I heard shouting ā€˜Magiā€™ before? And that ā€˜forceā€™ā€”the aura-pure-thing I feltā€”it saved us from the spell he was casting over everyone. . . . Tesni put together the pieces of information in her mind as best as she could. Truth be told, her mental capabilities werenā€™t quite back to normal yet, given what sheā€™d been through. She was still sort of sore, and felt fatigued. ā€œThatā€™s not a coincidence. What you felt was a Magi, and I think weā€™ve been chosen for something. Donā€™t ask me why you, I really couldnā€™t tell you. All I know is that we have, andā€¦ and Iā€™m asking you all to come with me to that dungeon. I canā€™t imagine a real Magi would choose people it didnā€™t think could handle it. And whatever we find in there, treasure or whatever, itā€™s yours to have. I donā€™t really care. We can do introductions on the way, but donā€™t ask me any more questions because Iā€™m pretty much just as in the dark as you are. Maybe we can get some answers in there, too. I just know we have to go now.ā€

Tesni blinked, and her expression was an unidentifiable one at best. That was quite a rambleā€”honestly, to her it sounded like June here was trying as much to convince herself of what she was saying as she was trying to get the lot of them to as well. Well, whatever was up, Tesni was already on board for itā€”if June was going to try to conquer some dungeon for answers into the unknown, yeah, there was no way sheā€™d let her go it alone. She herself might have never ventured into one herself, but she knew the stories and heard the rumors. A number of Cherufe throughout the years had tried their hands at dungeons alone, yeah, that never panned out too well. Even though it seemed pretty certain to Tesni that June was lying about certain things in her story, it didnā€™t matter, whatever was up with that, it had to be something big if she wasnā€™t up to disclosing it. She was in, even if Thiefy and Not-Fuckinā€™-Prince-Charming werenā€™t.

That was when her eyes flittered away from the Nymph for the first time since she started talking to Thiefy and her still unnamed Not-Prince. Now that she had a short moment to think, she realized it. Both are such strange boys. . . .

However that was when Not-Prince started to talk, to none other than Thiefy. ā€œIf you touched a single coin of mine, I would literally cook you and eat you.ā€ It sounds like someoneā€™s into some freaky weird stuff there. He huffed, and waved a hand at the redheaded boy, before crossing his arms, frowning. He looked over June, which, honestly, Tesni couldnā€™t deny as being a touch bit on the creepy side. No matter what the Nymph had said before, and even given the fact that she claimed herself suspicious and that she was probably choosing to leave out some information to them . . . yeah, still creepy. And freaky weird. Tesni giggled to herself a bit at that thought, a ghost of a smile overtaking her lips.

ā€œYouā€™re a liar.ā€ Not-Fuckinā€™-Prince-Charming grinned. That just backed up Tesniā€™s mental assertions that he was into some freaky weird stuff, as it was just a grinā€”there was nothing behind it. ā€œYou have from here to that dungeon to spill the truth before I spill something else of yours. Nobody wants to see that. I mean, this one might,ā€ he pointed back at her, and she gave him a horridly blank stare that bespoke of horrible things. Rimā€™okso. ā€œbut between you and me, she seems a bit cuckoo for Khalifah.ā€ Definite Rimā€™okso.

ā€œAll I know is that weā€™re going to that dungeon,ā€ Well, at least he was along for the ride as much as she seemed to beā€”but there was no denying how full of himself he seemed. ā€œthere are no ifā€™s, andā€™s, or butā€™s. Iā€™m getting answers and Iā€™m not losing them because the pieces of the puzzle wussed out.ā€

Yes, he is random as hell. Back and forth as before. Tesni thought to herself with a sigh, looking downward for a moment at her arms, which were still rapidly healing. What had been already scabbed over before were shrinking with every passing secondā€”the magic June had performed on her when sheā€™d first been dredged up from the sea was still in effect. Graā€™Drosum, she really is something greater than just a Magician. Tesniā€™s mind slipped over to thinking about how sheā€™d heard a voice call out over the bedlam of the crowd before, calling out to a ā€˜Magiā€™. Surely, he hadnā€™t been talking to the Wind Magi June seemed so sure was there, and that had chosen the lot of them for something. June seemed to have a grasp upon all this, albeit it, an uncertain one, a grasp that seemed unnaturally strong. Her abilities and knowledge of this all and her attempts to take charge . . . ooooooi, I think I got it now. she would think it coherently, or even say it aloud, but Tesni believed she knew what was up with this Nymph called June. Before she could think anymore, Tesni was pulled out of her thoughts by Not-Fuckinā€™-Prince-Charming saying yet something elseā€”directed at her.

ā€œCome on.ā€ and she was promptly lifted up by him, again. Time number three in less than an hour likely. Something akin to a birdā€™s squawk came out of her mouth awkwardly at the impromptu action. Her arms uncrossed, and a look of frustration worked over her healing-face. ā€œIf youā€™re good enough to talk your mouth off, youā€™re good enough to defeat a dungeon.ā€ A nearby female nurse, attempted to protest what he was doing, and Tesniā€™s crystal-eyes went to her as she frowned. Even if she were well enough for that, this rimā€™okso didnā€™t have to hoist her up like she was a sack of potatoes all the time! Unless he was just into that kind of weird thing or something. Like sheā€™d thought before, ā€˜freaky weird stuffā€™. ā€œI think I know what Iā€™m doing here.ā€ Thatā€™s all he said to the nurse as he settled her into his armsā€”one around the shoulders, one under her knees. She did not want to be carried anymore.

A visible pout slipped over the Cherufeā€™s features, and it grew when she saw him kick June in the shin, and Thiefy in the behind too, ordering them around. ā€œMove it along, firebird. You and mizz June arenā€™t leaving my sights till we get there.ā€ As soon as they hit outside, he smiled, it couldnā€™t have looked anymore cocky to Tesni from where she was sitting. Yep, the title of ā€˜Not Fuckinā€™ Prince Charmingā€™ was something she was never gonna let him forget, because that certainly seemed like what he was at this rate. ā€œItā€™s Salim, by the way. Buuuut, Iā€™m sure youā€™ve heard of me. Yā€™know, dungeon conquer? Djinn owner? Pret-ty popular.ā€ Following this . . . attempt at an introduction, the boy began to prattle on about his escapades and shenanigans the whole of the trek toward the dungeon Tesni had only heard about till now.

A look of annoyance kept over her face as she remained still where she was, this was definitely getting to be old. The only time her expression changed was when Thiefy spoke again, and Tesni tried to turn her head in his direction, unsuccessfully. Finally, the teenager just settled on letting her head flip backward over the arm around her shoulders so that she might at least see him while he talked, even if he was upside down as far as her vision was concerned. ā€œI'm, ah, Cadi. Cadi Salib. Some people call me, uh, what- Mind Thief. I already told you though; I'm not going to steal anything from you guys.ā€ Well, hearing what some people called him was reassuring. Part of Tesni still wondered if he hadnā€™t gotten hurt or didnā€™t drink enough earlier. . . .

After another thoughtless minute of her staring at the redhead apparently named Cadi, her eyes turned over to June, and then back to Salim. Okay, seriously, she was sick of being carriedā€”as if her rigid body didnā€™t display that. Seriously, as soon as Salim heaved her up like a sack again, sheā€™d gone inflexible and stiff as a corpse. Okay, enough is enough. she thought, as she began to struggle out of his grip. She was well enough to walk, she was sure of thatā€”Juneā€™s amazing magic whatevers had done a number on her injuries before and nearly healed her up. ā€œGraā€™Drosum, I can walk on my own.ā€ she grumbled, before it was she slipped out his arms again and at her bodyā€™s shock at feeling gravityā€™s effect on her again so soon, Tesni let out a slight yelp, feeling an all too familiar appendage sprout freely from her backside for the first time in ages. Unlike when sheā€™d jolted her way out of his arms before, Tesni managed to land upon the sandy concrete below her in a stable position, albeit with some extra help from her newly sprouted . . . tail. Acting as an extra support for her, it allowed Tesni to land safely.

But, the sudden popping of a long, scaly, greyish-red, rigged tail from her tailbone was an example of Tesniā€™s poor control over her natural abilities as a Cherufe. With a sigh, Tesni could only bring herself to shake her head as she mumbled things to herself best left unsaid. After a moment of this, the brunette pulled her body upright and crossed her arms under her bust again, finding that her clothing and hair were still slightly damp from her trip into the sea. The tip of her tail touched the ground below her. ā€œFor the record, Not Fuckinā€™ Prince Charming Salim, yā€™donā€™t have to hoist me up like Iā€™m a sack of potatoes if you think I can walk. I was already gung-ho for going with June into the Dungeon-place-thing. No way in Dragonā€™s name Iā€™d let a girl like her wander into a dangerous place alone like thatā€”that wouldnā€™t be right of me.ā€

She stared up at Salim, her expression deadpan. ā€œAnd if yā€™want people to do something, or to follow you, try using your words, I think theyā€™re more effective than a foot, unless youā€™re intendinā€™ to stick that foot in your mouth too. Which, that works if youā€™re into that sorta freaky weird stuff. . . .ā€

Her eyes went over to the Nymph, June, ā€œAaaaaand, whatever youā€™re keeping to yourself, keep it that way until you can accept it on your own termsā€”if you ainā€™t ready to go spouting it to others yet, obviously you havenā€™t accepted it personally too. The fact you healed me up and junk with your awesome magic is enough for me to trust ya, whateverā€™s up.ā€ Then Tesniā€™s eyes traveled over to Thiefyā€”Cadi, and she pointed at him, ā€œI still donā€™t know what to think about you, Thiefy, a part of me still wonders if you didnā€™t get hit over the head in that damn riot earlier. But, eh. . . .ā€ Then there came a shrug.

Tesni turned on her heel, tail swinging behind her as she looked ahead at the looming, large dome before the four of them. A Dungeon, eh? Well, there was always something new to experience.. Right, there is something Iā€™ve forgotten. she realized, ā€œAh yeah. My name,ā€ the girl turned at her waist, looking back on the group sheā€™d inadvertently found herself thrown into, ā€œitā€™s Tesni-Auer Rubina la Fabre. Child of the Cherufe Fabre clan at your services till we conquer this thing in front of us!!ā€

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Cadi Salib Character Portrait: Junayd Kadeen Character Portrait: Salim Naghi Character Portrait: Chime Yorkavich Character Portrait: Tesni
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Juneā€™s eyes, a more natural, washed-out color underneath direct sunlight, turned murderous the moment Salim kicked at her shin, demanding they begin their trek to the dungeon. He calls her suspicious, then a liar, then kicks her before proceeding to ramble on about accomplishments that were probably embellished a good bit. Things she really didnā€™t care about at all. What the hell did the Wind see in him? The more he talked, the stronger her urge was to knock him down a peg. She honestly couldnā€™t remember the last time someone had so instantly ignited her frustration, and she grew up surrounded by racist morons.

She was momentarily distracted, though, by the girl called Tesni. This was a person June could tell immediately she wanted at her side if she had to face this thing. The fact that the girl was already demanding she be able to walk on her own was an impressive show of strength, even if she had ended up adding a tail to her appearance along the way. That hardly bothered June, though. More importantly, where Salim had pushed, Tesni had simply let be. And while June had no doubt both the thief Cadi and Salim were coming with her for their own reasons, Tesni seemed to be determined to face whatever this was head on, merely for the sake of it. Though she did find herself going a bit rigid when Tesni suggested she was some fragile female or something. She tried to shrug off the assumption, but she didnā€™t really want them treating her like something she wasnā€™t.

ā€œIā€™m not a girl,ā€ June corrected her, trying her best not to look too sour. She didnā€™t want Tesni to dislike her, considering she was the only one who June could possibly trust at all through this. Whatever this was. ā€œMy kind is monogendered, we donā€™t have males or females. In private I donā€™t care what pronouns you use, but in public situations I usually prefer male. Itā€™s safer that way. And I really donā€™t know as much as you all seem to think I do. I havenā€™t kept anything from anyone thatā€™s important right now. If I think certain things become important, Iā€™ll tell you. Without threats,ā€ she added at the end, throwing a glare at Salim for good measure.

That was true enough, she supposed. Right at this second it didnā€™t matter. It probably would become relevant sometime soon, though. Especially with the dungeon looming over them now that theyā€™d made it outside the city. But just for a little longer. She didnā€™t know about the ā€˜personal acceptanceā€™ thing Tesni had talked about, but she did know a private title and being known as a Magi were entirely different things. Sheā€™d never really been a real Magi before. Telling them would solidify it, make it impossible run away from. As if she could run at all.

They all stopped just before the entrance, a seemingly aquatic environment just beyond the transparent exterior. She didnā€™t know as much about dungeons as she should, but she was fairly certain they were never what they appeared to be. But before they entered, June sensed someone else was around and turned her head. There, sitting a few feet away from the entrance, was a girl with long hair, looking a bit fearful and lost. June could immediately feel the touch of the Wind. Another addition to their motley crew, apparently. The way June had always understood it, Magi worked alone. They existed outside normal life. So why these people? Why were they involved at all?

Before going over to the girl, though, June had very important business to take care of. She never used her magic for spite. Ever. And she knew her ā€œnormalā€ life was basically over after this. So she felt she deserved some slack for her next actions. Ever so slightly, June twitched her index finger, sending a small burst of energy at Salimā€™s feet. He fell flat onto his back before he even knew what hit him, and June resisted a smug smirk of satisfaction as she moved so she was standing over him, settling instead for a flat expression she wore well.

ā€œDonā€™t touch people without their permission, let alone kick them. Donā€™t touch me ever. Now weā€™re even,ā€ June told him in a hard tone, the feminine qualities of her voice erased. She knew Tesni hadnā€™t been comfortable with being carried, either, so she felt she was justified in her actions.

With her revenge carried out, June turned away from him and walked over to the girl, crouching down to get onto her level and show that she wasnā€™t a threat. She looked rather small, like the sort to easily startle. Juneā€™s ears were still visible, but she hoped the Wind wouldnā€™t choose someone who got hung up on something like that.

ā€œHello,ā€ she greeted, not smiling but doing her best to appear non-threatening. She knew the group standing behind her didnā€™t exactly help her cause, though. ā€œIā€™m June, and this is Cadi, Tesniā€¦ and Salim,ā€ she introduced, frowning a bit at the man who was now standing before turning back to the girl.

ā€œI know this sounds a little weird, but there was a force that brought you here. I think you know that, though. You must have felt it to be here,ā€ she began, already hating having to act like she had all the answers when she didnā€™t know anything at all. She felt like a fucking recruiter, and what was worse, it wasnā€™t like dungeons were exactly the safest place. She was basically offering an awkward invitation into danger, but right now, she didnā€™t know what else to do other than follow the roadmap the Wind was apparently laying out for her. And she was only doing that because without the Tree, she was completely lost.

ā€œYouā€™veā€¦ okay, just bear with me, youā€™ve been chosen for something important. I know because Iā€¦ have magic, and I can feel it on you. I donā€™t know what exactly any of this is, or why, but if you come with us, Iā€™m hoping maybe whateverā€™s in there will give us some answers. So, uh.ā€

June paused, god why was she so bad at this, before offering her hand to help the girl stand up with her. ā€œWeā€™ll all go together and figure this out. Sound alright?ā€ It had better, because she had no idea what would happen if the girl said no. Every one of them was needed. What would happen if one refused because she hadnā€™t been good enough to convince them? June didnā€™t want to think about that.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Cadi Salib Character Portrait: Camille Campion Character Portrait: Junayd Kadeen Character Portrait: Salim Naghi Character Portrait: Chime Yorkavich Character Portrait: Tesni
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The dungeon loomed over them more and more the closer the group got to it. Salim tilted his head up and looked at it from a distance, finding it to appear not all that interesting from the outside. He'd seen plenty of dungeons in his travels and he couldn't recall ever seeing one that looked all that amazing on the outside. He was absolutely positive they were all incredible on the inside, though. He'd only been in one before and that had been a few years prior, but he wasn't afraid of going in this one. He didn't have his friends with him this time around, but he had something almost better. Something stronger. And he had the Djinn Asma with him, supporting him in any trouble he might come across on the inside.

He'd only barely caught Cadi announcing his name before the girl in his arms squirmed completely out of his grip. He snorted when he found her on the ground, silently thinking "that's what you get" as he watched, with minimal interest, as a tail popped out just in time to catch her. He didn't remember seeing that before, but he understood why. It was actually kind of surprising to him to see such a small Cherufe. Any of the ones he'd ever met in the past were large and bulky, proud and strong, just the type of people he liked to be around.

But this. This was almost just disappointing.

This girl was small and lacking in muscle for all Salim could tell. She obviously wasn't very developed in more ways than one--of course he'd noticed, he was a guy after all--but being underdeveloped, he knew, meant that she either wasn't all that old or was simply a little defective. Whichever it was, she was definitely the runt of the litter. He'd like to see the pack of Cherufe she came from. He supposed he should've noticed her species earlier with the way she talked. Her vocabulary wasn't all too unfamiliar to him at all. After spending about a year around Cherufe, Salim had learned to pick certain things up. He didn't know their entire language, but he certainly knew a good portion of the stuff directed towards him were most definitely insults and he didn't appreciate it. Not one bit.

He would've been more put off by her uncharacteristically runtish nature if she didn't have so much spunk telling him off like that, if he could even call it that. He supposed she did show signs of a typical Cherufe. He could definitely see it in her, with or without the tail.

He mumbled something of a response, knowing her attention was already swayed to the others. He didn't really care, though. His attention was diverted towards the dungeon standing before them. The doorway leading to the inside stood almost carelessly in the center of the structure, glowing with a dull bluish light. He knew better than to stick his hand in just yet. Doing that sort of thing got people sucked right inside and he needed to make sure he wasn't going in alone before going in at all. Of course, he didn't doubt his ability to beat the dungeon. He was smart enough to know that even he couldn't conquer one on his own. He hadn't even planned on conquering one at all, but there was just something about this one that drew his attention to it. He just felt like it was something he was supposed to do. He had a feeling the others with him felt the same.

It was in the middle of contemplating what to do next that Salim felt his feet suddenly wiped out from under him and gravity sending his ass to the ground. A small noise of surprise escaped against his will and the next thing he knew, the obvious culprit was standing over him. ā€œDonā€™t touch people without their permission, let alone kick them. Donā€™t touch me ever. Now weā€™re even."

For a second, he just stared after her retreating form, blinking slowly and dumbly to himself. But after a moment of clarity, a grin broke out over his face and he practically jumped to his feet with a surprising amount of renewed energy. He could respect that. Sure.

Just when he was about to gather the group inside, Salim found himself once again interrupted. His head turned back to an anonymous person. With the way he spoke, he was obviously a figure of authority. He looked like serious business too. While generally, he'd never had many good interactions with authority figures, this wasn't something that concerned him, so he simply took a step away from Cadi. He didn't know the redhead. He didn't know who he was or what he was capable of. If this person accused him of murder, then maybe he was right.

"Okay, that's it. We've wasted enough time gawking and standing around. If we don't go in now, we'll never make it." Walking towards June and the mysterious girl, he gave the latter a smile and grabbed her on the shoulder. "You were thinking of going inside too, weren't you? You don't have to be scared. We've got your back. Don't even worry about it." He patted her gently and gave her an understanding nod. "But I get it. You just need a boost. Don't worry, I've got you." And with that, he shoved her right inside the dungeon, never to leave again.

With a daring grin, Salim rounded up Tesni and June and motioned them towards the entrance too, making sure they went on ahead of him. "I know you two are scared too. I'll fix that." Just before shoving them through, he looked over his shoulder where Cadi stood. "You know, you might just get away if you go inside, too." He shoved the two ahead of him and walked through himself.

Almost immediately, Salim felt the pressure drop. His eyes clamped shut and even though he reached out, he couldn't feel any of the ones he'd pushed inside. He realized he couldn't move anything besides his arms. It felt like water was trying to rush into his body, through his nose, through his mouth, drowning him right then and there. Salim Naghi, never to be seen again. For a moment, he panicked, thinking that he'd accidentally fallen into some sort of trap and pushed his hands against his mouth, hoping to trap in whatever oxygen he could, but he couldn't hold out much longer.

The weight dropped away and Salim found himself on his knees on a solid, polished surface. He took in a gulp of air, breathing heavily to gain back the air he'd sworn he'd lost. His eyes opened to an awe-worthy sight, one nobody else would ever get to see, and his fear gave way to excitement as he remembered just why he loved dungeons so much in the first place. It was because of this. It was because they were so different from anything he'd ever seen before. They were so different from anything in existence. Bland on the outside, but absolutely incredible on the inside. Each and every one were unique and the only ones who got to experience this feeling were the ones who gathered the courage to go inside. He thought it was absolutely worth every drop of blood he'd lose while trying to make his way out.

In front of him stood a miraculously tall building that resembled a palace, almost, although the material of the pillars were unfamiliar to him. Some parts of it seemed oddly tilted, but he guessed that was just through age. Large bubbles floated harmlessly in one position, unmoving.

Salim had almost forgotten he wasn't alone until he heard the noises they were making. With an almost dream-like grin on his face, Salim brought himself to his feet and took in a deep breath, almost expecting to smell the scent of water, but it only smelled like air. Scentless. Staring at the scene around him, he exhaled. "We didn't gather a single supply."

There seemed to be a momentary lapse of silence as that sank in. It occurred to him at some point to bring something, but he'd been so pumped about conquering a dungeon with these people that the thought had fallen from his mind. And now he was standing here in the dungeon with no way out but to conquer it. He had plenty of food on him as well as his Djinn-carrying weapon, so he supposed that would have to do. "Well, the only way out now is moving forward." He looked at the others and tried to give them his best supporting smile. "We can do this."

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Cadi Salib Character Portrait: Junayd Kadeen Character Portrait: Salim Naghi Character Portrait: Chime Yorkavich Character Portrait: Tesni
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ā€œHello,ā€ someone had interrupted Chime's thoughts. ā€œIā€™m June,ā€ The person continued. It was odd... This... June person was positively gorgeous, but Chime couldn't tell if June was a he, she or... even had a gender at all. His... Her... It's hair was a bit messy, but it was such a brilliant color... A mix between black and blue. ā€œand this is Cadi, Tesniā€¦ and Salim,ā€ The person frowned as she paused to look at Salim. Perhaps they didn't particularly get along... Salim was definitely male and so was Cadi, but Teni was female. Salim kept his hair much like June. It was rather unkempt and blue. But.. Why was this person taking the time to talk to Chime? Had she done something wrong? Perhaps this area was prohibited.

ā€œI know this sounds a little weird,ā€ Oh no... here it comes... June was probably going to say something vicious to Chime, right? Something along the lines of ā€This is my territory and you just crossed over. Prepare for a world of hurt,ā€ right? That's what it always was. However, that's not how June continued. ā€œbut there was a force that brought you here. I think you know that, though. You must have felt it to be here,ā€ Chime flinched. She was still afraid of being hurt... But this wasn't at all what she had expected. She turned to look at June again. Chime's eyes widened with fear and surprise. Was... June being... Nice to Chime?

ā€œYouā€™veā€¦ okay, just bear with me,ā€ June seemed a little confused about how to word things, but she didn't stutter or stumble with her words. ā€œyouā€™ve been chosen for something important.ā€ Wait a minute... That wasn't possible. Now Chime knew it was a prank... After all, Chime was worse than nothing... And even nothing has no purpose. ā€œI know because Iā€¦ have magic, and I can feel it on you. I donā€™t know what exactly any of this is, or why, but if you come with us, Iā€™m hoping maybe whateverā€™s in there will give us some answers. So, uh.ā€ And that was the only stumble.

ā€œWeā€™ll all go together and figure this out. Sound alright?ā€ Chime just didn't know what to say to that... No one had ever wanted her to join them. They always poked fun at her when they did and left her completely humiliated. Was it really worth the trouble? It never was. Chime was better off alone.

As usual, when Chime attempted to protest, words wouldn't form. She didn't make a sound. She couldn't even get herself to shake her head. She stared with a frightened expression upon her face.

"Okay, that's it.ā€ Salim interrupted the silence. ā€œWe've wasted enough time gawking and standing around. If we don't go in now, we'll never make it." He then approached. No later did he grab hold of Chime's shoulders. Fear shot through her body in tremors. "You were thinking of going inside too, weren't you? You don't have to be scared. We've got your back. Don't even worry about it." With this he gave an expression of compassion. "But I get it. You just need a boost. Don't worry, I've got you." No sooner did he shove Chime into the dungeon. She gave out a small and terrified squeak as he did. Lost and terrified, Chime was nothing more than a little mouse.

"I know you two are scared too. I'll fix that." Salim spoke as he brought the others in as well. "You know, you might just get away if you go inside, too." Finally, he joined.

Salim looked around in awe. He was obviously observing the dungeon from the inside. It was just as beautiful inside as it was from the outside... Maybe even more so. Bubbles floated around like happy little things... Chime wanted to touch one, but knew that could be a very bad idea. Her immense amount of fear was good in situations like this, because they kept her curiosity in check. The structure around them was like glass or crystal. Everything was shiny and sparkled... Chime wouldn't doubt the area would be great for miners.

"We didn't gather a single supply." Chime wondered what he had meant by that statement.

"Well, the only way out now is moving forward. We can do this." He spoke with a smile.

Chime was not about to get left behind to fend for herself in the dungeon... She didn't even know how. Perhaps it was time to learn... She always brought people down, so it was time she learned to raise them up... But it wasn't possible. Not for a misfit like Chime. For now, it was best to just follow the others, even if she feared them. Who knew what horrifying dangers the glorious dungeon could hold? Chime could only tremble at the thought.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Cadi Salib Character Portrait: Camille Campion Character Portrait: Junayd Kadeen Character Portrait: Salim Naghi Character Portrait: Chime Yorkavich Character Portrait: Tesni
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Cadi blinked, going into a daze. It just wasn't possible. Him? Under arrest? Why, he'd been stealing and cheating and lying his way through life for, well, years now. He cared so little about anything else. He'd forgotten his birthday and yet, remarkably, he can remember every last thing he stole. But not once had the authorities even laid their hand on his trail. They hadn't gotten so close to touch one of his shoulder length hairs or even see his elusive shadow. Even now, as Cadi thought deeply while staring at the stranger, his shadow was swimming underneath him, morphing into a strange cloud of a thing.

He turned his head to the sky, then at the group next to him. Was this man - this authority figure - referring to the family he'd killed? Because, if so, he just gave the guards incentive. He felt no remorse and there was no way he'd get killed for that. Cadi began to regret not joining a group of bandits of some sort, or even agreeing to stay with the twins for some while. He was probably in for a world of pain when he returned anyway, so he might as well please the two by agreeing to stay with them for perhaps a week.

The gold though. He thought. Cadi had to agree with himself: the gold was clearly the most important thing in the situation. How could he even forget? God, the answer really was so simple. Salim and the others had gone inside, yet Cadi was lingering before Salim's final piece of advice passed though his mind filters and he understood.

"You know, you might just get away if you go inside, too." Hell yeah - he would! Salim may have been thinking that the guy wouldn't follow Cadi inside but the look in his eyes said otherwise. He seemed determined. But once they were inside, it would make more sense to keep Cadi alive. And to do that, they would have to work together. Maybe. If everything went according to plan, Cadi would get his intense riches and would tell this police guy, or whatever he was, that he'd be better alive so whoever he offended could kill him personally. Or he could send a shadow to notify the twins and survive the entire ordeal with even more blood on his hands. But it would also mean more gold. And who doesn't like gold?

Gathering his courage (and fear, for fear was important), Cadi shoved one hand into his pocket and turned his vision to the other hand. He observed the rings as incentive. "Look, pretty boy," he started, only glancing up slightly. ", it's not my problem whether or not I... 'offended' someone in your little gang. But right now, I've got a goal. And it's in there. I literally couldn't care any less about your little arrest act and you can chuck me behind bars." Cadi walked towards the entrance slowly. "But fuck you. I'm getting my hands on this gold and you can go fuck yourself for all I care." The redhead almost laughed. The dungeon was right behind him. He could feel the pull on him outside already. "Or, better plan, follow me in and I'll happily tag along with you when we conquer this dungeon. How does that sound, ah?" With one last mysterious smile, Cadi gave the boy a little, childish wave before closing his eyes and jumping in backwards.

It was dark. Cadi opened his eyes and he couldn't even breathe. His arms could move but he didn't feel the need to wave them. Had he immediately fallen into a death trap? Was he really that dumb? Cadi moved his arms to glance at his fingers, the rings on them. He twiddled his fingers. If he was going to die, it would be while looking at his last crime. He felt the water and couldn't help but think about how strange it was: a shadow boy lost in a place full of water. His horns had appeared, his Athar powers almost trying to prepare themselves for death. Maybe a good shock to the senses would be good for the fiery haired boy. But he was rather calm as he fell. Until the pressure changed again.

Cadi landed much less gracefully than Salim. Sat on his butt, the redhead looked up and saw the rest of the group. But he looked past them, his eyes racing around the place like a car on a track. He stood up quickly, turning to see the entire place. "Woah." he exhaled, his green pupils glistening as he looked at the most normal thing he could find: the water. And then, Cadi walked over to a bubble thing. There was nothing to special about it. But the boy stared at the way light shone through it for seemingly ages, only looking up again when a thought crossed his mind.

"I'd like to note I've never killed anyone. You're safe." Cadi paused. Well, what he'd said had been the truth; he'd never personally killed anyone. And that's all this group of strangers were to know. "So, June," Slowly retreating back to a shyer emotion, Cadi's voice gradually quietened. ", are you ever going to explain what the hell is going on?" Before June even had time to answer, Cadi's attention was already on Salim. "Salim, Salim, you said you conquered a dungeon before this, right? Was there loads of gold? Or was it more like loads of gems and a tiny bit of gold? Was it an entire room or just enough to fill a sack?" His eyes widened and he stared expectantly, his shadow settling into the definite shape of it's owner finally.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Cadi Salib Character Portrait: Junayd Kadeen Character Portrait: Salim Naghi Character Portrait: Chime Yorkavich Character Portrait: Tesni
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The feel of water engulfing you, invading the spaces meant for air was not a pleasant one. June felt panic rising, choking her just as much as the sensation of entering the tower, until all at once it dissipated and she found herself on the ground inside what appeared to be a suspended ocean. She gave herself a moment to take a few deep breaths, before pushing herself to her feet and shaking out her hair a bit. Once she had her bearings, she glanced around at her companions, including the apparent fugitive who now had a crazed cop on his heels. Excellent, this was exactly the sort of team she needed to face some unforeseeable evil. She was starting to wonder if the Wind had somehow got it all wrong.

June pressed her lips together when Cadi asked what was going on. She didn't have much more information beyond what she'd initially given them, besides the obvious. Now didn't feel like the right time to tell them, though. It was entirely possible that was an excuse, and a bad one, but at this point she happy to grasp at straws and keep her secret safe for a little longer. But then he started asking about gold, and the complete shallowness of it made her sneer, despite trying not to judge any of these people. She supposed just because she needed them didn't mean she had to like them. Obviously he didn't care that much about his fate if he barely paused for breath before moving on to the discussion of riches. She wished she could be so flippant.

"I've never heard of a conquered dungeon that wasn't full of enough treasure to make a whole team rich, but let's prioritize for a second," she responded dryly, staring at Cadi for a beat before moving on. Salim was right in that they hadn't brought anything, but also right in that it wasn't like they could do anything about it now. June closed her eyes for a second, trying to sense what might be up ahead, but it was like... well, like trying to open your eyes underwater. Everything was fuzzy and muted. She opened her eyes after barely a pause, hopefully short enough that no one had really noticed.

Interestingly enough, she found Salim's smile the most encouraging thing she'd seen so far since meeting any of them. While she was loathe to admit it, she had no doubt he was probably one of the most useful people here, even if he was the biggest pain. She found it interesting too that he attempted, even fleetingly, to bolster their moral before setting off. Though, it was just as probable he'd throw them under the caravan later. It remained to be seen what kind of character he really had. The same went for all of them, though arguably, it went for herself as well. June had never really had to be brave before. She wasn't sure if she'd have it in her.

"If you have a weapon, you probably want to keep it close. I have no idea what's ahead. Chime, stick close with..." June trailed off, frowning as she realized she knew the girl's name when she'd given no introduction. But she didn't dwell on it too much, for fear of bringing yet another strange thing about herself out in the open. She knew how suspicious they all were already, and June didn't blame them. "Stick close with Tesni ." She knew Tesni looked weak, but she was Chefure, so she couldn't be completely useless. And she trusted the girl more than the other two to look out for their seemingly weaker member. "No one wander off; there's a good chance that man from earlier will be here somewhere, and if he could manipulate an entire city, he could easily pick one of us off on our own." She couldn't feel him, but that didn't mean anything. He could easily be hiding from someone as inexperienced as she was.

She tugged once on one of her earrings, the one covering her scar, for courage. She nodded her head in the direction she was planning on going, before turning on her heels and beginning the walk without any further discussion. Talking about it wasn't going to get them anywhere, after all.

"Salim, without bragging our ears off and sticking to things that actually matter only, what can you tell us? You're the only one who has any idea what to expect," she questioned, glancing behind herself. She took the front as the leader of the group, but it was only because she suspected that when something came, she'd be the first to sense it anyway. She was trying to seem like she sort of knew what she was doing, but really she felt just as clueless and scared as Chime frankly looked.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Cadi Salib Character Portrait: Junayd Kadeen Character Portrait: Salim Naghi Character Portrait: Chime Yorkavich Character Portrait: Tesni
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Chime was mystified by the dungeon. Everything seemed to glisten... Everything was gorgeous. From the inside, the crystal-like structure was hypnotic. Chime could stare at it for hours. However, there was something rather foreboding about the place... It was like an angler fish, luring its prey with light only to gobble them up. The dungeon was ice. It was beautiful to look at, but very cold at the heart.

After Cadi had asked June what to do, Chime focused her attention to June, who seemed contemplative. Perhaps no one in the group really knew what they were getting into. "I've never heard of a conquered dungeon that wasn't full of enough treasure to make a whole team rich, but let's prioritize for a second," June finally responded. However, there was a slight pause. It was as though the next move was still being formed in her head.

"If you have a weapon, you probably want to keep it close.ā€ June instructed. Chime knew for sure the dungeon was going to kill her now. She shouldn't have come.

ā€œI have no idea what's ahead. Chime, stick close with..." June's voice grew soft as there was a slight pause. Chime had not given her name... How did June know it already? "Stick close with Tesni ." Looking over at Tesni, Chime could feel a strength from the girl. It was rather odd, considering Tesni seemed rather short and somewhat thin. Chime was tall and neither thin nor thick... Comparatively, Chime would seem like the strong one, right? Well, not if one were to know anything at all about posture. Tesni seemed rather sure of herself. She stood with a straight back. Chime stood with a curved back and flinched at anyone who would address her. Because of how strong Tesni seemed to Chime, she was rather scared. However, anyone was intimidating to the nervous girl.

Chime clutched her chest nervously. She knew she was going to cause problems... She had never had any battle experience and now she was going to be thrust into a situation where battle was necessary? Could Chime even fight if the need arose?

"No one wander off; there's a good chance that man from earlier will be here somewhere, and if he could manipulate an entire city, he could easily pick one of us off on our own."

Chime wondered who June was talking about. However, she wasn't about to disobey or argue with June. After all, June seemed to know more than anyone else in this situation.

June then started off in one direction, as it to lead the group. Chime waited for Tesni... She wasn't about to disobey June. If Chime did so, she might jeopardize the safety of the group. Chime was shaking and she slouched even more than usual. Now what?

"Salim, without bragging our ears off and sticking to things that actually matter only, what can you tell us? You're the only one who has any idea what to expect," June shot a glance to Salim as she spoke to him. From the way June had been talking since Chime met her... Or him, Chime still couldn't tell which, Salim seemed to be a pain for June to deal with.