Glayp'neir (Arc 1)

Sharpe hears the faint voice, one of calm and but urgency. He looks to the others.

"Jack! D-Doc! Go through the portal, NOW! WE! ARE! FINALLY! LEAVING! THIS! SHITHOLE!" He yells at them, and dives through the portal as if he was diving into a swimming pool. He feels a slight sensation, like when they first came there, and he finds himself about level with the ground and falls. He winds up face down, dust in his face surrounded by the forest.

"Oh, convenient disorienting dust have I missed you so!" he says. He looks around to find out if the other members of the party have made it out.

As she phases through the gateway, she finds that a sensation akin to a tingling in every nerve in her body. Her arm stops it's faint tingling effect as well, and she stumbles as she exists the void-realm. She gasps for breath a few times and looks up to find the group of survivors. She makes her way through it to find Jian and Ayame. She finds Jian first and hugs him, but he still seems a bit fazed perhaps from the blast. She walks about to find Ayame and hugs her as well.

"I'm thankful I met you in the dungeon. I'm sorry we couldn't have saved so many." She says, sitting on a random log.

She looks at all the people that are there, and immediately starts making small chat to some and then hugging them, telling them they are safe now, despite her social ineptitude. Suddenly Sharpe gets spat out and she runs over, throwing her arms around him.

"I'm sorry, I'm in a hugging mood, I hope you don't mind." She says to him, and resumes her comforting of the others. She doesn't know why she decided to be in such a mood, maybe because now that little endeavor is over.

Jian takes a look around outside, seeing all the people, familiar fauna and things he can actually name without having to wonder what it could be. His head hurts a bit and it pulsates significantly. Air then hugs him all of the sudden, he simply smiles. It all feels a bit unreal, being back now. She then sees her go to Ayame and his heart skips a small beat. He was afraid that she might run into an issue or maybe might not even make it. He walks to her, still having clarent in his arms.

"S-so... You made it mhh? I am... So very happy to see you.", is all he can say, having a few tears running down his face, feeling as happy as he could be at the moment. He sets down clarent, leaning her against a rock next to then, covering her in his jacket.

"There... Not we have to wait for her to wake up..."

He sits down next to Ayame, looking into the crowd, still a bit amazed by what is going on. He actually managed to provide all these people with what they needed for thier survival... Hard to believe. He moves closer to Ayame, taking her into his right arm. "It's all over now... Back to our normal lives we go. It must've... been a rough time for you in there. I don't know all of it but I am sure it must've been terrible.", he says empathising with her.

His whole body feels weak though and soon he pushes against Ayame, sliding down her side, simply passing out. He falls off the log and lays on the ground without any movement coming from thereafter.

When Atrium is knocked down, he lands hard on his back. He slowly gets up and sees that he is the last thing in this relm. He looks up at the demon and growls, then charges through the opening. On the other side he sees that there is a lot of people standing around. The look happy and reveled that they are out of where they were. Atrium walks over to Hitomi and sits down. He is still very confused about what has happened and he still can't remember who he is or where he is. He looks over at Hitomi.

"Who...What are I? Why do I remember nothing?"

"JACK! There's a difference between being courageous and being stupid. Leave now!!

Jack hesitated before turning a full 180 degrees a bolting towards the portal. With all his remaining energy, he took one great leap forward. Being so exhausted, he passed out just as he passed through the portal and hit the ground. His wing disappeared as it shrunk into his back

The Survivors, as well as their saviors, stand and sit still. Waves of relief and a salty sea breeze greeting them. Despite being up in the mountains, the forest is warm and embracing. The sun in this place had just set, and though it would be a full days march back to Recudor, the people seem like they'd never seen the light in years. The warm salt filled wind blows through the trees, carrying leaves, and the smell of pine and nature with it. A pleasant smell compared to the near-nothingness, or worse, rotting stench of the castle they had just now left behind.

Ayame runs her fingers through Jians hair. Smiling at him as he sleeps his well earned rest. They had all earned rest, She as much as the Survivors- not to mention the very people that came here with intention of going in, saving a lone girl from abduction, and ended up leading the population of a small village out of there. She looks at the ruins they had just come from. The place was broken down, grown over, and old, just like she remembered when she first entered. She looks over to the sleeping Lady D- no... Clarent, now, and couldn't help but have shivers run down her spine. What horrible fate that could have been, to forever be asleep-
Ayame then tenses up a little, and looks around for the gone-mad Doctor. She spots the furry creature, off away from the groups of survivors, all mostly sitting on the dirt and leaves. It was interacting with a little girl that looked a little sickly, or abnormal, but still charming.

Hitomi prances around the Doctor and eventually jumps up onto his back, climbing onto his shoulters and hugging his head tight. She rests her head on his and closes her eyes, making the odd fiendish sounds that fairies do. "You are them. But now you are me. I am aunt, or mommy, maybe. Wild animal, with happy heart, constant hunger." She then gets distracted, by a man and a young boy moving up to Sharpe, lifting her head and opening her eyes to pay attention. Not noticing that Atrium's fur is beginning to retract back into his skin as he begins to slowly turn into a human again, his head becoming increasingly dizzy.

"Sir," the man approaches, holding his hands up as if to signalize he is unarmed and not harmful. For what reason? He did not know himself. He figured the man in front of him was as well his hero as his potential demise, but chose to be careful about his approach, as to not startle him. "I'd wanted to... um... thank you. For what you've done today. Tell me, were you sent by the king? Has he been informed about this? You are one of his men after all, right?" he asks nervously. The boy leans out from behind the man and stares at Sharpe, thereafter at his sword, and then back to his attire. The boy then nudges the man and wanders off. The man, his attention caught by the boy then turns away, trying to keep up with him. "Ah- Th-thank you anyway!" he says and is soon off, gathering with some other people further ahead as they indulge in conversation. Samantha puts a hand on Sharpe's shoulder. As she gets his attention she smiles at him and nods, then walks off as well to investigate the ruins, sticking her sword through the archway to test if it disappears. She sticks her hand through, and waves at herself, and eventually steps through entirely. And unharmed. She kicks the ruins lightly and wanders off past some people, disappearing into the crowd.

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FP Chatlog:

Sharpe leans against a pillar, and nods, but then furrows his eyebrows.

"I'm not one of the king's men. I'm just a mercenary with an old honor code." he says before the chap runs off. He eyes the boy who was inspecting his outfit before they leave and disappear out of sight. He looks to Sam who has disappear out of site. He looks about again to find where the creature was and sees it turning into Doc.

"Hmm, I see that was you after all. I'm sorry I held a sword to your face then." He says.

Airgetlam gets up and walks back over to where Ayame, Jian, and Clarent are situated, the last of which she sits by without making a sound. She looks to Ayame and winks.

"It would take a day's hike to get back to Recudor, so we'll pitch camp here." She says. She takes out her cloaking device and looks it over. It has a large scar, cutting deep into the circuitry. She frowns and tries to activate it, but it won't work.

"I wonder if there's someone in the city who can repair this. Probably not though." she sighs and looks up to the sky.

As Atrium starts to revert back into Dr. Atrium, he starts getting floods of memory. When he has return to his old self, he slowly gets up. He holds onto Hitomi so she doesn't fall. He slowly starts walking around looking for his friends. Right now all he has on is his pants but they are ripped. On his chest, people can see he has three old and healed gun shot wounds and freshly healed stab wound on the right side where his lung is. He walks over to where Jian is and takes his belt and puts it back on. He takes the silver hammer and puts it in the slot behind his back and grabs his hat and puts it back on and picks his bag up.
Dr. Atrium then starts to make his way to Sharpe. He isn't able to talk a straight do to his dizziness. When he is in front of him he gives him a quick wave.

"Hey...How is everyone doing?"

He sighs and looks around at all the people. He then sees the girl that Lady Dahaka was possessing. He walks over to her and takes the Soultrap that she was wearing. He then puts it in his pocket. He then walks back to Sharpe.

"Sorry about that, I need to take care of something."

He looks around scratches the back of his head.

"I need to know what happened. My memory is a bit fuzzy. I remember talking to Dahaka, I had made a deal with her so she would take over my body, let the girl and you guys free and she would never bother again...but somthing happened. I know I did something because the people here keep looking at me as if I was working with Dahaka."

Jack opens his eyes. There's a woman pointing a gun at him. She appeared sad and angry as a waterfall fell from her eyes. Jack is nervous as he cannot move and run or talk and negotiate with her. All he could do was observe and listen.

"This your fault," she sulked "He's dead... he's dead all because of you..."

She just stood there as she tried forcing herself to apply pressure to the trigger.

"I CAN'T DO IT!!! YOU MONSTER!! WHY CAN'T YOU JUST DIE!!!"

Jack woke up suddenly. Whatever that was must have just been a bad dream. As he comes to his senses, a great wave of relief overcomes him as he realizes that its finally over.

Haha, yes. now time for that drink...wait a sec...where's Sam? Ah screw it."

Jack reaches for his coat pocket with his flask in it only to touch his tattered shirt. The memory of him taking off his coat during the fight against Lady Dahaka hit him like a brick.

Ayame's attention is caught when Sharpe utters something about staying overnight. She shakes her head and gets up, making sure Jian recieves no harm as she puts him down. "Uhm..." she says with her normal casual and nervous voice. "I don't know that we have the tools or resources to camp in the woods for a whole day. I think it would be best to keep moving untill we get to recudor. And I'm sure these people will want to see their families as soon as possible." she fiddles around with her maids attire a little, trying to whipe it clean. All the dust and dirt has settled in it, making the once clean and beautiful maids outfit dirty and shoddy. In an odd way, she somehow grew attached to it over the course of the last day or two. "A-anyway. Let me know if you need any help. I'll be glad to do what I can. Um... Your two friends are sleeping over there." she says and points at Jian and Clarent, passed out a whiles away from each other. "Just so you know they're there."

Sharpe puts his hand on Doc's shoulder.

"Don't worry, everyone's fine. I don't actually know what happened with you, but if I was to guess, some part of you fought back, or knew something. and then you must've went on a rampage, instinct driving you to get out. I don't know specifics. Jian does, but he's out cold right now, so you might want to wait."

He looks at Ayame and rubs his chin.

"Hmm, yeah that seems better as I guess I didn't think through stuff like tents. I'm used to just sleeping outside without them, so pardon me there, heh. Anyway, yeah, I think getting a move on is better, we might find an inn on the way back or something."

He walks over and kneels down in front of Clarent.

"I'll take the girl, maybe Air, if you want you can take Jian, I don't know if Doc or Jack are good to be carrying people, so you're the most able-bodied person here besides me." He comes to Clarent's side and puts his arms under her knees and around her torso, wrapping his fingers around her right bicep."

He moves to the front of the crowd and makes a short speech.

"Hey, uh, listen. Thanks for staying mostly calm through that ordeal. I just had the realization that we actually can't stay here without the resources to make a camp, so we're going to make the trip to Recudor while there's still light. So just keep in mind, that's less time you get to spend away from your lives and loved ones." He says. He looks about, catching the faces of several party members and the survivors.

Airgetlam stops fiddling with her device and looks to their unconscious Jian, and then to Sharpe, nodding.

"Yeah sure, unless Ayame wants to take him, which might look cute." She says.

She looks at her and smiles, giggling a little.

"Teasing."

She takes up Jian carefully in much the same way Sharpe did, but she tuffs a little bit of her cloak up behind his head as a sort of pillow-substitute.

She walks over to Jack, who had just awoken from a short nap and lightly pokes him with her boot.

"Hey, we're actually going to leave and get in as much travel time as we can, get ready, mmkay?"

Dr. Atrium watches as Sharpe takes Clarent away. He doesn't move for a bit, trying to put everything he remembers together. He doesn't recall much but he does know one thing, he was talking to Hitomi. He pulls her off of his back and puts her on the ground, he then knees in front of her.

"Can you still understand me?"

He waits a moment but gives up when she starts looking around. He sighs and rubs her head and stands back up. He pulls the Soultrap out of his pocket and looks it over. The thing is still damaged. He wonders if there is a way to fix it. He does know one thing about Soultraps that he figures people wouldn't know. He puts the Soultrap around his neck and closes his eyes and focuses on it.

"Lady Dahaka, I know you can hear me and I know your are trapped in here...I wanted to say sorry. I am truly sorry it had to end this way for you...But if it makes you feel any better, as long as I am wearing this around my neck you can see and hear everything I do. I know you aren't free, but at lest you aren't stuck in that relm. You can finally see the world and how much it has changed."

He sighs and starts to fallow the group being the last person. He keeps his coat open do to the heat. He hates showing his chest though. He hates people looking at his gunshot wounds especially the one where is heart is. There is though one thing he didn't know about Soultraps, the soul inside can read the thoughts of the wearer.

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Jack felt an overall sense of frustration, and the playful poking didn't help at all to relieve it

"First thing I'm doin when we get to Recudor is finding a pub. Second thing is finding a tailor to make me a new suit. And thir... I wanna know who that lady was that wanted ta kill me. GAH!! Ignore that last part. That was just a nightmare I had. I'm a bit dizzy from the blood loss."

Jack struggled as he tries standing up on his own.

Morning passes, the group together with the survivors used the time they still have to start the long walk down to the harbor city of Recudor. Other than Jian awaking from his nap, nothing really happens in the time they it takes them to move through the forest and travel across the plains, leaving that terrible place behind. A sense of relief floods the masses as the city of Recudor gradually comes closer into view. The mission was successful. They had rescued Clarent, among with the survivors and Marcus had also been dealt with. With the collapse of the castle came the disappearance of the other guests and workers there, such as the Scientist woman, the alchemist, and of course Janette who had passed away in what now was a firey grave for anyone left behind.

The group manages to make it to the city with just a bit of sunlight to spare. Less than an hours worth, if even that. Through the south gates of the city the atmosphere is energetic, giving the group a new boost of spirits as they stop in front of the gates. The masses are busy, and the coloured lights in the street are complimented by chatter, laughter, and music as the festival continues on. The people in the city oblivious to the happenings in the hills beyond their walls carry on their traditions and feasts.

"Halt," says a man further down. The group is then approached by three guards. There seem to only be seven guards in total, two on top of the gate, one on each side of the gate, and the three before them. They wore the standard Recudor police and guard attire. Black jeans, with an orange jacket and the emblem of Recudor on their arm bands. They seem to be well armored for guards, with black vests, belts with satchels and various padding along their body. The same could not be said for their weapons. All of them carried a protraction firearm, meant to stun or disable a target temporarily, though it could be powered up to give some lethal shots of electricity. The guards up on the wall would likely be carrying protraction infused crossbows to lead their bolts towards their presented targets. The man infront of the group had a greatsword on his back, while the rest of them carry short swords with poorly maintained blades. "What is your business in recudor?" he asks a bit nervously, looking at the sheer amount of poorly clothed people.

"Don't worry. They are fine to come inside." a woman says as she seemingly comes out of no where and rests a hand on his shoulder. He is startled by this approach but doesn't seem to want to argue. "These are the people that have gone missing." she says and moves past the three and over to the group. Jian recognizes the woman, who is dressed in blue and gold robes of sort, a very fancy design, similar to a saints robe, although her appearance struck the group to be more of a noble than a holy woman. She gives a polite bow, lifting the long skirt of her robes aside a little and then stands upright. "Please, follow me kindly to Fortunes Passage. The men and women you are with will be given proper clothing and enough money to get to where they need to go and will be sent back to their homes. So you need not worry about them."
Without an argument, the guards let the group and the survivors pass as they enter into the bustling city. A group of people begin unloading clothing aswell as food from several boxes standing at a tent near the gate and begin giving out the supplies to the Survivors who part with the group. Today is the last day of the festival, and as such it is the busiest, but the group has no problems making their way to the huge estate. "My name is Avelle," the woman proclaims. "I manage some of the business between the City of Recudor and the Traders Guild." After her introduction she proceeds to explain about the missing people, and how the police was searching the local areas for bandits or pagans, to no avail.

Moments later the group arrives at Fortunes Passage. The building is huge, though more wide than it is tall and beautiful gardens are maintained all around it. Big orange banners are draped down from the building, with the symbol of Recudor and the emblem of the Traders Guild, both held together by the outline of a chain wrapped in a vertical infinite sign. A symbol of unity and working together. Of peace and a social lifestyle. The building is only moderately fancy inside. It's well maintained but not in the creepy manner that Castle Vikuur was. The whole place was full with people, nobles as well as traders and the people keeping the place clean. The woman talks to a man who looks rather serious, and equally important. He hands her a bag of sorts and nods at her, but is then distracted by another important looking man who walks by him and pats him on the back. The two make their way across the big opening hall and into a hallway to the side as the woman turns and makes her way back. She smiles happily and moves up to Sharpe, who she decided must be the leader of the bunch. "I am sorry to make this so brief, but I have business to attend to." she says and hands him the bag. "In here you will find your reward as well as passes to the High-Class District. I thank you on behalf of  all of Recudor for saving those people and bringing them back safely." She nods at Sharpe and then proceeds to shake hands with everyone. "Excuse me, I must take my leave now." she says and turns to make her way back into the great building. For a moment, Jack could have sworn he saw Sam, leaning against the staircase and looking his way. But as he blinks she is gone and he pushes the thought aside to be merely his imagination or wishful thinking.

Sharpe takes a look inside the bag. Within it he finds 75 Gold pieces and various amounts of silver and copper coinage. The total amounting to 85 Gold. A binder with neatly tucked away documents, confirming their right to enter the High-Class District and Two of the same keys to a building along with a note.

The note reads;
"For great deeds and support to the City of Recudor,

We bestow upon you this exclusive right to property of some estate belonging to the Trading Guild Company in Recudor."

The note went on to explain various formalities and conditions, all of which were trivial. "Ownership of Blue Hold Manor in the Southern High-Class District is now officially transfered to you and your companions."

It ends with a signature and a stamp to confirm its the original copy of the document.
There are also guidelines to the estate. So the group makes their way there.


Having arrived at the building, it seems relatively small compared to the other buildings in the High-Class District. Ayame stops Jian and holds his arm a little tight. "Hey... I should probably get home now... My parents are probably worried sick about me." She looks a little sad but then smiles at him. "If you ever want to see me, I live in the southern slums, just at the edge of the Dock, I'll mark it on your map for you. And... Thank you a lot!" She then does exactly that and blushes a little as she turns and makes her leave.

The group enters the house, using the keys they had been provided. It has a little entrance area, and a basic living room with a table and basic wooden chairs standing within. There is a kitchen right next to the stairs though it was limited in accessories, and a washroom is also down below, together with a bedroom large enough for two people. Up the stairs are various extra rooms all of which are small and most have no furniture, like most of the rather modest place, considering this was the High-Class District after all. First things first, Hitomi jumps onto the big double bed in the main bedroom and begins to roll around on top of the sheet-less bed.

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FP Chatlog:

Sharpe looks about the house, and though it's unfurnished and in the high-end part of town, he can understand why it would be bare of furnishing. The size is a little underwhelming though. He goes upstairs and finds one of the beds, one with a window, and gently sets Clarent down on it. He pulls a chair up beside the bed, and strokes a lock of her hair back. He smiles a bit and walks down with the bag of money and sits at the table, then gestures for everyone else to either sit or stand near. He takes out the bag and pours the money out on the tabletop.

"So, we have eighty-five in Aurum. I think it's fair to say we split this equally five ways, right?"

He pulls the money close to him, but not too close to look like he's taking some for himself, and starts placing a coin in five places, and places one in each, then repeats the process until seventeen pieces are equally distributed to each pile, as well as the coins that aren't gold and places them accordingly. He pulls his own little pile closer and spreads it out in a small space. He takes two pieces from his own lot and places them in Doc's pile, then looks up to him, nodding.

"Hitomi." He says simply.

He places down an extra piece in the piles of Airgetlam, Jian, and Jack, nodding to them as well.

He looks down at what his pile has come down to. Twelve pieces. He separates them into three piles.

He pushes one of the four-coin stacks toward Jian.

"That's for Ayame, so she has something to bring back to her family. I imagine she might not have been working in the castle long, and didn't make anything anyway, so at least I can be charitable and give her something for her help. These other two stacks are for me and Clarent, respectively. I feel it only fair that she gets some compensation of some sort in case she decides she needs to go pursue her own journey, so she'll have some money to use. And yes, this last little stack is for me. I don't really care for money, the work I do typically gives me what I need, and I wander about."

He gets up and leaves the bag there as well.

"I need some rest honestly. I haven't honestly had a decent chance for respite. That castle was too unnerving. Plus, someone needs to watch Clarent while you guys Shop or do whatever. I know you all have things you'll probably be buying." He says.

He stops as he puts a foot on the staircase that leads to the upstairs loft, and looks back, hands in his pockets.

"Don't spend it all in one place. Don't spend all of it either." he says winking, and turns around back upstairs. He walks into the room he left Clarent in and he sits at a desk and takes a stone out of his backpack, of fine grit and places it on the desk. He takes a small bottle of oil and puts it on the desk. He pulls his pistol out and and unloads the magazine from the gun, and looks up to make sure there isn't bullet in the chamber. He looks at the magazine, and counts nine rounds instead of the normal ten. He places the magazine off to the side and puts a full one on the table, but doesn't load the gun. Instead, he sets it off to the side, inert. He draws his sword slowly and holds it up to the light, then places it on the table. He walks into the other room, carrying a rag with him and wets it in the sink, then returns to the room and starts to wipe down the blade. He has to rub the blade down harder than usual on account of the dried blood, but he manages to get it off. He sets the cloth in a hamper for what he supposes is for dirty materials, and takes out another cloth rag, but sets that aside as well. It is stained black in places from continued usage as an oil rag. He coats the stone in oil, and begins to grind his sword against the stone slowly. He does it a few times to that particular side, then turns it over, repeating the motions. He labors for a good deal of time, including wiping down the oil, and he cuts the air a few times, and smiles at the finely-polished blade. He replaces it in his scabbard and takes the harness for the first time in a good while, placing it at Clarent's bedside. He leaves the pistolwork for later, as that is a tad more tedious than he sword. As well, the maintaining of his sword relaxes him, so having a nice session of that has helped him ease back a bit. He sits in the chair and looks at Clarent, retaining his gentle smile.

Airgetlam takes her sum of the reward and places it in her coin purse the she keeps hidden when in public. She stands where she is, fidgeting a little until Sharpe moves out of sight. She looks towards the door and starts moving.

"Well, I have to stock up a bit, and might as well enjoy what's left of the festival. I'll be going out for some more ammunition, need to keep my stock up, y'know? If you guys want to join, that's fine.

She walks out into the street and towards the Southern Market, and looks around. After some trekking, she finds what looks to be an information booth and walks up to it. She sees a small desk bell and rings it twice.

The nap was quite refreshing and Jian feels fully energized again. The woman greeting them at the gate gives off a familiar look, but he can't fully tell where exactly he saw her before. As they arrive he gets halted by Ayame. Her saying that she'll have to leave makes him a bit sad, but he understands. He blushes a little during thier little talk.

"O-of course I would come by... Now that I am back here. I have to find work anyway, I left this place with my stand in pieces... Might aswell rebuild that and go back to selling things people rarely cared for. B-before you leave though! Here!"

He hands her a charm, the cleanest one he had with himself. It's a bit sharp around the edges but actually looks more professional than the other ones. He then sends her on the way, waving after her.

"There she goes... My kind maid and support when things got rough...", he says to himself, still blushing. He totally has to visit her again while he's still here. He wants to talk to her about a few things.

He then walks into the building, like everyone else did, seeing Sharpe counting the money already. He silently listens to Sharpe's explanations and takes his share, which one part is meant for Ayame. This gives him another reason to drop by. Jian has to drop by at home aswell, he hasn't paid the rent to his landlord yet either. He breaks a bit of a sweat thinking of that, he really should go check his mail first before doing anything else...

"Aaahhhh... How could I forget that again?! I should've done that before leaving anyway...", he sighs and counts his share. If he gives them a bit more than the actual rent, then things should be alright... Maybe.

He then watches the others walking off, then heading to his house which lies close to the docks, just hoping for the landlord to not be mad at him as soon as he gets to pay her. She's an old lady after all...

Dr. Atrium just fallows everyone and doesn't say anything for a while. When Sharpe gives him a little extra coin, he thanks him. He gets up off his spot at the table and decides to go with Airgetlam. It has been a long time since he has spent a good amount of time with the same people. He is used to being alone and only seeing people when he heals them. He just fallows behind Air as she walks up to an information both. While she is looking forward trying to get someone to talk to her, he turns around and leans on the desk. He looks up at the sky and sees the sun falling and the moon rising but something was different...something was wrong. He tries to focus on his source of magic...but feels nothing. He opens his eyes in horror and stands up right. He turns to Air.

"Air, I need to know what happened to me at the castle. I know something happened but I remember nothing and Sharpe wont tell me. What ever has happened has cut me off from using magic..."

He sounds panicked and at the end of his statement he sounds very sad as well. He hadn't noticed until just now how weak he real feels. All his joints hurt and his muscles all over his body feel like he has been working out as hard as he can for hours on end without stopping. He stares at Air as he waits for answers that his memory can't give him.

Moments after doc asked his question, the door in the back of the booth opens and a man steps through. He is wearing plain clothing, some khaki pants with a brown shirt, and he is unshaven and rather tired looking. Very unlike the servants the two recall, this man looks like he's had a rough day's work behind him.

"Evenin' you two." he says and pulls out some binder from under his desk. "You looking for the index?" he asks with a gruff voice and slaps the binder on the table. He opens it and flicks through the pages until he ends up at a page full with names and various information. He spins the binder around, giving the two infront of him a look as he leans on the desk. "Anything else?" he says in a rushed tone, trying to get back to his evening break.

They look at the list which lists a total of 18 stands in the main southern market, divided into two lists. More than it initially seems when they first entered, but definitely less than in the cluttered streets near the south gate. The list reads;

1. Foods - Vegetables - Aaron Jerns
   
2. Foods - Vegetables, Fruits - Bjorlf Mehnir
   
3. Weapons - Blades, Spears, Partizans - Joanna Gormings
   
4. Books - Various - Lynda Neval
   
5. Foods - Meat, Freshly Preserved - Wolf Mehnir
   
6. Miscellaneous - Antiques - Gander Horus
   
7. Weapons - Blades, Knives, Greatswords - Garm Miller
   
8. Services - Handyman - Jeila G. Anna
   
9. Armors - Custom Light - Shiyoko Fu
   

1. Foods - Fish - Tira Ucesiq
   
2. Services - Sellsword - Militia Guild
   
3. Foods - Spices - Machik Hollenburg
   
4. Services - Locksmith - North Wind
   
5. Weapons - Archery, Rifles - Davros Kohl
   
6. Books - Magic Tomes - Terry Frost
   
7. Services - Detective - Peter Brott
   
8. Armors - Plate and Chain Mail - Jostle Crom
   
9. Services - Mechanics and Protraction Weaves - Charlotte Ein
   

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FP Chatlog:

As he sits there content, the relatives of the world outside that void-place start to refill his mind: Where his next job would be, what he would do after this, food, hygiene...

He paused. Hygiene. He had not showered at all for the duration of the situation in the castle, and he must reek from all the death he saw. Especially un-death. He stands up and takes his coat off, putting it next to his hat, then his shirt. as well as working his way down and loosening his belt and then roughly removing his boots and socks. He sets them all in one particular area, but leaves his cargo pants on, preferring to at least keep those handy so he looks modest. He walks into the bathroom on the same floor and flips on the protraction light that was pre-set for them as part of the flat. At least they had the courtesy of allowing them utilities.

He looks in the mirror at himself. A gruff, older-looking man, but not too many scars; he had avoided many more noticeable injuries. He looks down at his chest however, which is rather clean-shaven for the most part. A few old scars taper across it, but nothing too noticeable either. He brings his arm around and examines the cut he received. It has formed a scab and luckily enough, no infection. He takes off his pants and underwear and sets them aside, and turns on the shower faucet, and tests it with the sense of his fingertips, then gets in when the water is the temperature he'd like it at and places the dog tag he keeps around his neck in a safe place on top of his pants.

He scrubs his body down, bubbles and suds forming and sliding down his body, he applies the bar of what looks to be lye soap to his knees, ankles, elbows, and armpits for the most part, and the other areas as well. He holds it under a constant jet of water and then rubs it about his hair, feeling the strands of black hair fall limp over his face. He pulls at the limp strands and locks and pushes the water out of them, the drops forming small streams that plummet to the floor of the shower. After all the soap has begun to wash away, Sharpe just presses his hand against the wall with the shower head and stands there, feeling the water trickle down his body, moistening his skin. His expression is not blank, but not very full of emotion either. He's simply standing there, thinking of what transpired and how lucky they were to get out at all, let alone accomplish what they intended and more. He thinks of how he was one of the ones to come out less injured, and in a way feels guilty about it. He's a soldier, and though efficiency and the decimation of his enemy is part of his job description, so is the protection of others, and he remarks on how Doc and Jian seem to have suffered the most through this. He thinks back to Janette, and how she muttered things about a sister. He thinks about how much heavier his heart weighed upon his chest, even if it was a small bit. Maybe that sister is out there, somewhere, and they'll meet her, maybe deliver the news, give some closure. He hopes that wherever that sister is, she's happy with her life.

Sharpe snaps out of it and opens his eyes, which feel much heavier than they were before. As relaxing as showers can be, that's the problem Sharpe has with them - they're too relaxing and he feels like he just had an anvil dropped on him. He steps out of the shower and takes his bottom-wear back, and puts both articles on. He walks outside the door and back into Clarent's room, whom he assumes is still unconscious. The girl has yet to awoken, and it's been about a day or two since they retrieved her. about a week if you count how long they spent in that castle and when she was abducted. He sits there, bare-chested save for his dog tag.

"You can't hear me I think, but I'm happy we were able to get you out alive. I'm actually excited to meet you, I saw you in this city at the tournament, before you got kidnapped. Honestly, I've felt this excitement ever since we got out of there, like a father anxious to meet his newborn child. I don't know why I see you that way. Maybe I'm just really protective, and don't want to lose party members. Maybe it's a leftover from days past. I'm just glad you could join us, if you do wake up, Clarent."

As she's about to answer Doc, but her attention is drawn away by the sudden appearance of the booth attendant.

"Thank you." She says, and looks down at the book, at the index. She takes out the notebook she keeps for information and writes down the names and services of each vender, but circles Davros Kohl's name in particular since that is the most relevant to her. She looks up the list a bit and takes note of the Militia Guild and writes a question mark, along with "Sharpe" by it, so she'll remember to mention it to him.

She shifts her eyes to Doc and relaxes her shoulders a bit, but lowers her eyebrows.

"I don't know what happened beyond what I saw. You suddenly appear in the hallway apparently and Hitomi started talking to you, and Sharpe didn't know it was you, nor did Jack. So, you picked up Sharpe and ran off, presumably to the gate. That's all I know, and Sharpe sure as hell probably isn't withholding information. As to your magic... That's problematic, I only really know some basics on how that stuff works. As far as what happened to it... I can't really say, I wasn't where you were when you turned."

She puts a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry, We'll figure it out, maybe you just got bad mojo, no?"

She looks back to the man.

"Can you tell me before you go, where Davros Kohl's stall is?"

Jian looks up to the sky for a moment as he walks through the market towards the dock, what a nice day it is. As he walks through the stands, he passes Machik's stand, which also sells spices like he did. They are competitors in terms of that, but due to Machik ending up always taking most customers, he didn't bother to ever be mean or using tricks to get them away. Instead, both of them know eachother for quite a while in a peaceful relationship. He stops, raising his hand.

"Hey... It's been a while. I hope you're doing alright. I've been on quite an adventure up until a few hours ago and I was able to gather a lot of spices, more than I can use. Selling is out of question, as people seem to be interested in your stand more, so... here."

Jian takes out a few small glass-containers with some spices in them. Setting them down on the stand's table.

"I hope you'll make a good coin with it. I hardly doubt you'll have trouble with selling these anyway... I'll be taking my leave now, I have to go see the landlord to pay my rent, I am a bit late this month. Take care and good luck."

He slowly walks off, leaving the stand, with a few spices less. He still has so many, he could just use them for a year straight without running out. Raiding the kitchen was one of the best things for him to do after all. But in the end, he won't ever stop gathering, as it's part of the feeling behind making culinary discoveries. As he walks on, he soon ends up at Shiyoko's stand. They both knew each other due to both of them coming from the east. There are not many people that live here that come from there, and most seem to be stuck in a situation like Jian himself. She managed to run her own stand successfully though, so he always admired her efforts and not giving up. He stands in front of the stand now, simply raising a hand with a smile.

"Hey there, it has been quite some time. Looks like you're still running the stand just fine since the last time I have checked... I will have to ask you a favor. Are you fond with clothing aswell? You're a specialist when it comes to lighter armour, so maybe you could offer me something light to wear next to... what I am wearing right now... Don't ask, it's a long story."

He laughs after saying that, looking at his servant attire he still is walking around with. It surely is something nice to wear, but it can be quite uncomfortable after a while. He hopes that she can help him with his little issue here.

"Oh and... I can actually afford to pay for it aswell. I managed to get a hold of something worth a higher payment, even if it was an one-time situation.", he then adds, in hope for her being able to help him out.

Dr. Atrium sigh, going back to his thoughts. He picked Sharpe up and brought him and Hitomi to the gate? How could he do that? He isn't that strong. He listens to Airgetlam and looks at the map they were given. He gently tugs on her sleave.

"Don't know your way around a map do you?"

He asks in part a joke.

"We go this way. It looks like you have marked a spot you think Sharpe is going to like. Lets go to the dealer you want and lets head back and you can shop with him. I will watch Clarent. Just fallow me."

He takes lead and they head for Davros Kohl.