Tales of the World: The Radiant Age (main RP)

[Augla]

Tales of the World: The Radiant Age
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-Vodani Farm-

"Tell me, Lea... Are you ever going to change?"

Lea sighed as she turned the chair she was sitting in around to face her twin sister and address this question. She placed her arms behind her head as she sat back and she blew a purple antenna out of her face. "I don't feel like changing..." Lea said disgustedly. "I like me just the way I am, and to hell with anybody who wants me to change..." Lea's sister raised an eyebrow at this statement. Quickly realizing what she said wrong, Lea added, "...Except you, Jewel..." Jewel sighed as she stood up from the chair that she had been seated in.

"Sometimes I think you actually don't mean that..." Jewel said, turning away from Lea. "This farm depends on the two of us, and you seem to have a devil-may-care attitude about it..."

"Correction..." Lea stated, also rising from her seat. "Thanks to your fiancee, there's gonna be a third person helping to run the farm in a short matter of time."

"But Lea!" Jewel was serious now. "You really need a husband yourself! Peter and I can't be the only ones running this place!"

"And baby makes three~~~" Jewel's cheeks turned red.

"Lea! You know that nineteen is too young to get involved with that!"

"Whatever happened to needing another person to run the farm, then?"

"Ugh, you're so... incorrigible!" Jewel stormed out of the room towards the front of the house. From the hallway, Jewel's voice continued, "I'm gonna take a walk down to Vistol to cool off..."

"You mean to see your future hubby~~~?"

"That t..." Jewel stopped herself before she had agreed to her sister's jeering. "I mean, shut up, Lea!" And with that, the door slammed behind Jewel. Lea sighed, then made her way toward the back of the house to check up on the livestock. The chicken had found its way onto the belly of the fattest pig and the oblivious swine just lay there, basking in the sun. The cow was eating grass peacefully in a small fenced area. Lea smiled at the relative peace of this scene.

Just then, in one of the other stalls, the whinnying of the horse could be heard from where Lea was standing, loud and repetitively. Lea, wondering what was going on, ran over to where the horse was and instantly started to try and calm her down.

"Hey! Hey, girl! Steady!" Lea tugged on the reins multiple times, but the horse was still going nuts. Lea almost got kicked a couple times by the crazed horse. "What's wrong, girl?" She asked. Looking into the horse's eyes, she saw that the horse wasn't going nuts for no reason: she was scared of something. In a soft voice, Lea tried to calm the horse down once again. "There's nothing to be scared of~~~" She coaxed. "I'm here, so you're going to be all right~~~" The horse stopped bucking about after a while.

Just as Lea had nearly calmed the horse down entirely, a loud, high pitched moo emanated from outside the stall. "Uh oh..." She said as she ran outside. Much to her horror, surprise, and anger, there was a large black dragon sitting in the middle of the field, looking at a headless cow in its grasp. "HEY!!!" Lea yelled, trying to get the attention of the dragon. "HOW DARE YOU EAT OUR COW!!!" The angry cry worked in getting the attention of the dragon, which looked at Lea and grinned.

So, she really IS here... A voice that Lea had never heard before said. A nice snack AND the Maiden coming right for me? My, what a lucky day~~~

"Damn dragon! You're gonna pay for eating the cow! I'll slay you!" In one quick motion, Lea dashed over to a nearby stump, which had a giant iron blade sticking out of it. Lea grabbed the sword and pulled it out of the stump, pointing it at the dragon. "Prepare to die!"

A pathetic weapon... The dragon said. I WILL capture you, Maiden! Lea was ignoring what the dragon was saying. She was too hell-bent on taking the thing out.

[Sapphie]

Meanwhile, somewhere to the north of Garrett, a hunter was stalking her prey. This was not a game of chase as a fox and a hare would play, her target was completely unaware of its predicament as it trudged through the snow unwittingly toward where she lay in wait. Silently, she produced a small knife from a sheath about her waist and from her vantage point above the path, waited for the perfect moment to strike.

Bill was having a good day. Once again, nobody at the company had realized he was embezzling funds for his own purposes, a deed, he told himself, which was for a noble cause. After all, what cause more noble could there be than the lining of his own pockets? He laughed to himself as he thought back on the events of the day. He thought to himself how those fools were even talking about promoting him, about their blind ignorance and about his glorious future. And he was totally unaware of his surroundings as he walked under a large fir tree that overhung the road.

Silently and without warning, the hunter moved, decisively and with a natural grace uncommon to even those of elven kind. She descended from her perch atop the tree like a falcon in pursuit of its next meal and closed upon the still unwitting prey before her. Effortlessly, she landed and in the same motion, leapt forward, grabbed her target's hair with her left hand and ran the sharpened edge of her blade across his throat, severing his jugular vein and causing blood to spray onto the fresh snow. Suddenly, Bill was not having a good day.

She released him and let him fall to the ground. He only got one look at his assailant before his vision gave out, a young woman with black hair and the ears of a woodland beast. As his life flowed out onto the snow, like a roses on a white cotton sheet, he was all of a sudden very afraid. And then, he was nothing. Looking over the corpse with an air of indifference the young woman knelt down and wiped the blood from her blade on the snow covered grass. As she stood, she sheathed the blade and spoke.

"Mission accomplished."
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[Akashic]

<Emmet Lamora ~ Mandaj>

He ran a hand though his dark maroon hair as he sighed in irritation before pushing the rectangular glasses up the bridge of his nose, looking over at the afternoon sky. Exiting the tavern was unsuccessful this time with any information on the girl he was looking for and he adjusted the traveling bag and bo staff against his back. He slowly made his way down the city’s streets pondering where his next location to search within the city, turning into an alleyway and placed a hand on the wall of a building, and rested his forehead against it. I don’t get it, he thought as his optics began to tint in the sunlight, she was supposed to be here… that’s what my informant said back in Karthain.

It had taken him several days to travel by foot from his hometown to the city of Mandaj in hopes to find the girl from his school days who suddenly disappeared out of the blue a year before he had graduated from Karthain’s academy. He knew her as Saralyn Eryan and he would stop at nothing to be able to find her again. When a cool breeze brushed against his face, he slowly brought his head up and smelled the scent of banana bread lingering in the air. She always loved eating them… He pushed his body back into the streets and followed the scent towards the main square of the city where he stopped in front of a café. Maybe she’s here? He took a seat at one of the open tables and a waiter stopped next to him.

“I’ll have water, please,” he said to the waiter and his jade green eyes shifted side-to-side swiftly, glancing at the people seated in the café. None of them fit the description of Saralyn, but several women at a table nearby were close enough. Perhaps one of them could be her?

The waiter left his side and finding the opportunity to rise, he walked over to the group of girls, and bowed before them. “Why hello there,” he rose and offered a hand to the closest girl resembling his past friend, “What’s your name, beautiful?”

“Do you know him…?” one of the girls sitting next to her whispered into her ear, though the man couldn’t hear the name of the girl.

“No, I don’t,” she whispered in response and glanced up at the man as she slipped her hand from his grasp, “Who are you and mind leaving us alone?”

“But why? We’ve barely started to get to know one another,” his face bore an expression of feigned hurt before lightening up, “My name’s Emmet Lamora, one of Karthain’s prestige students! Perhaps you’ve heard of me?”

“Never,” replied all the women in unison. “Now, leave us alone!”

“Aye aye! No need to get all snappy.” Emmet waved them off and cowered back to his table, letting out a heavy sigh. “I guess none of them were her. I was hoping one of them would have recognized me.”

The waiter returned and placed the glass of water in front of Emmet and his eyes stared, as if deep in thought, at the ice floating on the liquid’s surface. In a little while, he’ll continue his search again, hoping this time he would be successful in finding her whereabouts.
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[Augla]

-Lea Vodani - Vodani Farm-

"You're gonna pay!" Lea growled while staring at the dragon.

Just try to slay me with that pathetic sword... The dragon mused. You won't be able to scratch my hide...

"I'm stronger than you think I am..." Lea pointed the sword at the dragon. "Prepare yourself!" She dashed towards the dragon and slashed at his leg. There was no sign of any damage having occurred. "Huh?" Lea stopped and looked at the dragon's unharmed leg. "Okay... That's different..."

I told you I couldn't be harmed by that sword~~~ The dragon said behind fits of laughter. Well, if you insist on fighting... The dragon reared up as if it was ready to take off. Lea braced herself behind the large blade for an impact. The dragon's front claws slammed the ground hard, sending a tremor through the earth that was strong enough to knock Lea to the ground (as well as bounce the other nearby farm animals up into the air). Lea tried to get up, but, before she could do anything, the dragon dug one of his front claws into the ground around her, pinioning the girl between the ground and his claw.

"Get off of me!" Lea yelled while trying in vain to slip out of his grasp. The dragon merely laughed at Lea's struggling.

I've captured you now, Maiden... He said. Time for us to go back to the Temple... The dragon dug his hand through the ground and grasped Lea in his claw, and then spread his wings with Lea a prisoner in his grasp.

"Let me go!" Lea yelled. She tried everything within her abilities to try and weasel out of the dragon's grasp, but couldn't do anything. Instead, she had to watch as the dragon took to the skies and her family's farm became a speck among the earth below. Where am I being taken? Lea wondered as the dragon flew swiftly through the skies.

-Jewel Vodani - Vistol-

Jewel took a deep breath as she entered the city. The plaza was filled with people yelling out advertisements for their products. Jewel looked around for something for a couple seconds before a man called out to her.

"You, in the purple ponytail!" He cried out. Jewel turned to look at the person. "Would you care to buy some fresh meat?"

"No thank you, I'm not interested." Jewel said, bowing slightly. She moved on ahead towards the center of the plaza, still searching.

"Julie!" A familiar voice rang out just as Jewel had reached the center of the plaza. Jewel turned toward the owner of the voice, which was none other than her fiancee, Peter. Quickly, they ran towards each other and jumped into one another's embrace. "Oh, Julie, I didn't expect to see you today!" Peter said, pushing a lock of purple hair out of Jewel's face.

"I didn't expect to come today, either, Pete." Jewel said while looking into her fiancee's eyes. "However, my sister was being a jerk and I just had to take a break from her."

"Don't let Lea get to you, Julie..." Peter said. "Just keep on smiling and let it run off your back."

"I know, but I can't ignore her, either. I mean, she's my twin sister..."

"People change with time." Peter snuggled up closer with Jewel. "Your sister will see things differently someday..."

"Look!" A random person nearby said, pointing to the sky. "There's a dragon flying over the city!"

"I heard that dragons are really rare and that if you see one flying overhead, you can make a wish on them!" Another person said. Jewel and Peter broke their embrace but still held hands to look up at the sky. Indeed, there was a dragon flying over the city. Jewel sighed.

"A wish, huh?" She said, watching the dragon. "Then I'll make a wish for something to happen to Lea so that she will see things differently sooner than later..."

"You're not supposed to say your wish aloud, Julie..."

"It doesn't matter." Jewel sighed. "I know that my wish is going to come true one of these days..."

[Sapphie]

In another time and another place, a famed elven archer had come face to face with an interdimensional menace which threatened the very fabric of reality. With fearless comrades in arms beside her, she took aim with her bow in order to try and end this conflict for good. She breathed in deeply and closed her eyes as she drew the arrow back. In an instant, all possible eventualities flashed before her and then, she knew where to fire. In an instant, she loosed the arrow towards her foe and opened her eyes. The last thing she saw as her arrow struck home against its target was a searing white light that engulfed everything around her. Needless to say, she merely thought she had envisaged all eventualities, because she certainly didn't see that one coming...

"No!" She suddenly sat bolt upright. Why had she sat up? She looked around her and realised she was in the middle of a forest. Was this the afterlife? If the aching of her arms was any indication, it was most definitely not, given that it was as if she had just been firing her bow. Of course, she had, she told herself. She had been taking part in a battle to reclaim... Something that eluded her memory. Try as she might, she could not recall what she had been fighting for, nor the face of her last opponent. In fact, all she could remember other than her own name, was that Leo would be waiting for her.

"Leo... Where are you? ...Where am I?" she said out loud, half hoping her love would respond in kind. The forest elicited no response, save the constant chirping of the birds in the trees overhead. She sighed heavily. It was obvious that he was not here, wherever here was. "I should try and find some water..." she said to herself. It was all she could do, talking to herself to stop her from being overcome by panic. As she stood, she noticed that beside where she had been lying, there were two objects.

"My... bow? And a quiver?" she started, as if recalling distant, yet obvious memories. As she bent down and retrieved the bow and quiver, a surge of emotion rushed over her, though even as words began to escape her lips, she did not know why.

"Yes, that's right, my name is Lanwynn El Eis and I'm the best archer in the entire world!" Though as she said this, she couldn't help but wonder what the name of the world was. She was a practical woman, however and she accepted that her memory loss was not her immediate concern for the moment. After all, she was in a strange place and without food or water and for now, it would be all she could do to simply survive.

With that conflict of interest out of the way for now, she quietened her thoughts and tuned her hearing to the sounds of the forest. Most prevalent, was the soulful chirping of the birds all about her. A slight breeze added a soft bass line at irregular intervals to this joyful song and all about her, the denizens of the forest were afoot, carrying on about their daily business, totally oblivious of the elven maiden listening in on them. As she listened further, the merciful treble of flowing water amongst the song of the forest became ever more apparent. It seemed there was a stream to the south east and that settled the next destination for her. She returned her consciousness to normal and started to hurry towards the location of the stream.
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[Boadinginthehouse]

(Swave Hilgrat/\Camorr/\Swave's hideout/house)

Swave sat as the wind breezed through her window. She decided to go out and search. The thing she was searching for was unclear to her but she knew it was a person, a person of joy. There are a lot of them about she thought, but at least I'll know who it is when I find them, as they'll have no sadness.

She got up and went outside. She decided to do go out to Karthain city, so as she left Camorr she looked to her left and saw three wolves. Perfect she thought.

She ran to the far right wolf and slashed it multiple times with both daggers. As it collapsed and died, the other two jumped towards her.

"Hark Tempest!" she shouted, she spun round on the spot while slicing the wolves, it gave a bright green glow.

The wolves fell and died, then Swave walked away towards Karthain city.

(OOC: Sorry about little text, this is my second RP so i haven't got much experiance)
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Avi and Sig by me.

[Augla]

OOC: Bumping this~~~

-Lea Vodani - a place far away from Vodani Farm-

Lea opened her eyes slowly, blinking a few times before her eyes had fully adjusted to her surroundings. She was staring up at rocks cascading endlessly upward, as if she were on the inside of a mountain. The rocks were bathed in a red glow. At that moment, Lea sat up and looked around. On all sides of her, there was a pool of magma that licked the small island that she had been placed upon. Yelping slightly at the sight, Lea shot to her feet. "Why the hell am I surrounded by lava?!?" She said aloud to herself.

It's to make sure you don't run off before I'm done with you... The familiar voice that lit rage within Lea said with a bit of a surpressed chuckle behind it.

"Dragon!" Lea raged. "Where the hell are you?!? Show yourself!" At that moment, as if he was granting Lea's request, the dragon emerged from the pool of lava, shocking Lea.

Surprised to see me swimming in lava, Maiden? He mused. After she had recovered from the initial shock, Lea was not amused.

"Where am I?!? Why am I here?!?" She yelled, not showing any signs of fear towards the black dragon whose head was covered in steaming magma.

This is Raisin Volcano... My home... The dragon said. I am Raxquamorn, the Mighty Black Dragon... Raxquamorn started swimming around Lea in the lava. Lea kept her eyes fixated on the dragon as he circled her. The reason YOU'RE here is because, as mighty as I am, I am not nearly mighty enough...

"What makes you think that a mere human who couldn't even cleave through your flesh is going to be able to make you more powerful?" The thought of this dragon being able to get any stronger because of her was laughable in Lea's mind.

I know more than you do, Maiden of the Holy Mist... Lea's smug face slipped away.

"What did you just call me?" She said. "Maiden of the Holy Mist?"

Yes... Raxquamorn said. You have a latent power that can open up a holy shrine in the City of Water and inside lies a powerful artifact that will make me even stronger... Lea was completely confused.

"City of Water..." She repeated. "You mean Eurobadalla? But that's all the way on Mald Island..." Raxquamorn started laughing hard.

Foolish Maiden! He jeered. We ARE on Mald Island! We are within the one active volcano on the island - Raisin Volcano! The City of Water is a short flight away from here... That artifact WILL be mine... Raxquamorn started laughing again.

-Jewel Vodani - Vistol Gate-

"Well, Pete, I guess it's time for me to head back home..." Jewel wrapped her arms around Peter one more time and hung there, soaking in the embrace.

"Soon enough, Julie..." He said. "One day I'll be able to come home with you and stay there with you until the end of time~~~"

"But that time is not now..." Jewel unwrapped her arms from around her fiancee. "The day when we marry cannot come soon enough." She nodded. Peter smiled a second before waving to her.

"I love you!" He yelled as Jewel started moving away from him. "Come back to visit sometime soon!" Peter sighed as the beautiful purple haired young woman he was getting married to disappeared into the distance.

---

Back on the farm, things were too quiet. There were no barnyard sounds at all. Jewel looked around but could not see any signs of animals. Strange... She thought. Not even the rambunctious hens are making any noise... Something's up... Shrugging, Jewel continued into the house. As soon as she was inside, she called for Lea. "Hey, Lea! You here? I'm home~~~". There was no response. Funny... She thought. Usually Lea acknowledges my existence... Either she's asleep or just being antisocial... I should find out where she is... Jewel went around the house, searching in vain for her missing sister.

However, when she was going by the back door, something caught her eye. She looked through the window and gasped. The ground was scratched up, there were dead animals everywhere, and there was blood splattered helter-skelter. Jewel ran outside as fast as her legs could take her. "What the hell happened here?!? Where's Lea?!?" As if in response to Jewel's voice, the horse started whinnying loudly. Jewel went over to the horse and tried to calm her down.

After the horse was calm, Jewel asked, "Do you know what happened here?" The horse snorted and nodded her head, as if she knew what Jewel was asking and was saying yes in response. Jewel smiled. "Did something bad happen to Lea?" The horse nodded again. "Do you know which way Lea went after whatever happened?!?" Once again, the horse nodded. "Good girl..." Jewel stroked the horse's head, then hopped onto the back of the horse. "All right, then show me which way Lea went!" Jewel pulled on the reins, and she rode off to search for her missing sister.
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^ Screw it, I actually kinda liked this set. I'm keeping it, seeing as I'm rarely here anymore.
(Avatar by Flaming Tonfas. Signatures made by me!)
Check out my Facebook roleplay group!

[Sapphie]

OOC: Finally. Thanks for helping me find a decent hook, Augla!

Thorynn rode out of town on his faithful horse, Annie, a chestnut mare about twelve hands high. She had been a gift given to him by the clergy when he had departed them not a year past and though she was relatively short for a full grown mare, she was loyal to a fault and extremely fast. And her speed would be a boon to this now hunted young man. He kicked the reins and rode off towards Vistol, knowing his pursuers would be unable to catch him.

One hour previously...

"Here, let me help you with that!" Thorynn said to a man in the process of rebuilding his house after a fire had burned it to the ground.

"Ser Thorynn, there's really no need for you to help me with the manual labour," the man replied, "you have done so much for me and my family already." The man didn't miss a blink as he continued to saw at a large block of wood.

"But, Klaus, you can't expect to rebuild the house on your own!" Thorynn protested.

"I'm a woodsman," came Klaus' reply. "I'm strong enough to take care of this myself, you know?" Klaus sounded reassured of himself as he finished cutting the block of wood that was to support the main beam of the house. "And you're a good man, Ser Thorynn, but physical strength is not your greatest asset, is it?"

"That's... I suppose that's true, but..." Thorynn was interrupted by a riotous laugh.

"Bwahaha! I see you're rebuilding so soon, Klaus?" came the booming voice. Thorynn and Klaus turned to face a group of men approaching them from the main street.

"You again! The guards let you out already?" Klaus exclaimed in surprise.

"Who's the kid? Friend of yours?" the burly man at the head of the group enquired.

"Leave him out of this. He has nothing to do with you!" Klaus protested to no avail. The burly man strode towards Thorynn with a menacing look in his eyes.

"Stay... back! Or I'll... I'll fight you!" Thorynn stammered as he rapidly backpedalled into a wall.

"Bwahahahaha, that's rich, a little punk like you saying you'll fight me!" the burly man boomed. "As for you, Ser Klaus..." he added, "Men! Burn everything! Leave nothing of his unscathed!"

"No, Barich! You can't! Guards! Guards!" Klaus screamed at the top of his voice.

"I'm afraid your guards won't be coming. I own this city, Ser. And I don't like you building your stinking little hovel on what's rightfully mine!" Barich replied, sneeringly.

As Barich stared down at Klaus, Thorynn's heart beat madly, the nerves of the situation clawing at him like the talons of a bird of prey. But he had to do something, or these men would destroy Klaus' livelihood all over again. With courage, he steeled himself and found his hands about the shaft of his oaken staff. Resolutely, he stepped forward and spoke.

"Barich... I did not want to have to... resort to violence, but... you... leave me no choice!" he finally exclaimed. "O light of abounding grace, purge thine sins! Photon!"

As soon as he finished his incantation, a ball of light exploded in Barich's face, sending him sprawling onto the pavement. "See! I... warned you, Barich..."

"Ugh... Coward. Nobody said anything about magic!" Barich replied. "But you're too late. Your pathetic spells can't save Ser Klaus' home now! Men, help me up! We're leaving!" he bellowed from his prone position on the floor. His lackeys quickly made their way to his side and helped him to his feet, revealing a broken nose and blood all over his face.

"I... may be lacking... in confidence, but..." Thorynn started.

"But what, you pathetic little twig!?" Barich exclaimed.

"But... I'm no coward... Not like you!" Thorynn finally managed. This reply made Barich's face turn even more sour and he drew in a deep breath before replying with such venom that it even surprised his thugs.

"You count yourself lucky I wasn't armed today little twerp!" Barich roared, "Next time we meet, I'll chop your scrawny little good for nothing head clean off your shoulders!" he added. "That's right, child. I'm going to kill you for what you did to me today, mark my words!" With that final outburst, he turned his back and left, laughing with his men. Thorynn and Klaus looked at each other and then to the burning timber behind them. As if to offer a sign, that very instant, the heavens opened and rain poured down upon them.

"Neither of us can stay in this town, Ser Thorynn," Klaus said. "With him around, you're now in very real danger. As for me, now I know the first fire wasn't an accident at least..."

"You think he was responsible?" Thorynn asked as they stood and watched the last of the structure fall to the flames.

"I know he was. All because he wants the land to build an arms shop too." Klaus replied. " At any rate, he's serious about killing you, Ser Thorynn. You should head for Vistol immediately." Klaus looked about him, as if to check nobody was listening and then added, "We'll flee too, as soon as I have my family together. Don't worry about us, just get out of here!"

"Klaus..." Thorynn began to protest. The rain continued to lash down and was killing what was left of the blaze.

"I know it's not easy for you, friend, but that man is a bloodthirsty murderer. He'll certainly make good on his word if you stay!" Klaus patted his friend on the back and spoke again, "Go on, get out of here..."

"Klaus... We'll meet again, right?" Thorynn asked, though he knew they would. "Take care of your family. I'll see you soon..." he said, with a tear in his eye. And before Klaus could reply, he had walked away, leaving the aged man to contemplate his own fate as he watched the last embers of the dying fire wash away in a torrent of water from the skies. Pulling up the hood of his cloak, Thorynn hurried towards the city stables, where Annie awaited him. He was now openly crying, as though he couldn't admit it, he did feel like a coward for running away like this. Besides that, Barich, had threatened to kill him. He'd been threatened a lot before, but never to such an extreme. And he knew Klaus would not lie about things like this, which made it all the more unsettling...
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[Akashic]

<Norah Aurelin ~ Ferry en route to Fennark>

Her fingers rested lightly over the open holes of a wooden alto recorder as she blew out a soft melody. The tune was slow at first, but as she gradually continued, the tempo increased slightly. Playing the instrument allowed her to think clearly and standing out on the deck of the ferry to the capital of Mald, she needed to think about her next course of action. Karthain was a failure, but her next game wouldn’t. There were so people and even merchants aboard, but to her, stealing from them would be almost child’s play. She wanted to step up into the next level of her game.

There’s got to be something out there… something big that is worth stealing that will make me rich and to risk my life for… Her fingers were now racing over the keys of the alto recorder and narrowing her cyan eyes, she turned around and leaned against the railings, glancing shiftily at the relaxing passengers sunbathing on the deck. There has got to be something worth stealing, but what? If she only she could get to Fennark quickly or maybe even Heidr, there would be something to steal from the nobility or high class families.

Guess I’ll find out when I get there… she sighed and glanced over to a man sitting at the other end of the deck, and in his hands was a thick book that reminded her of a certain individual…

E-Emmet… she blew into the recorder with all her fingers down on the key holes and out of the end came the dissonant tone that sent shivers down the spines of those who heard it. Shuddering, she lowered the recorder from her lips and dropped her head, turning back to the sea. From behind, she heard the passengers’ complaints and ignored them, still lost in thought of the boy she had spent time with in the past—and the reason of her failure in Karthain. He was able to blind her somehow from her objective of finding out Karthain’s secrets and she wouldn’t forgive him for that!

Balling her fist around the recorder, she brought it up into the air as if to throw it down into the azure sea below. However as she lowered her hand, her hold on the instrument wouldn’t be released, and froze while her hand was in mid-toss. “D-damn… why?” she muttered and lowered her hand to her side, dropping the recorder on the deck’s wooden surface. The instrument was a gift from Emmet on one of her ‘birthdays’ during her time in Karthain’s academy and for some reason, she couldn’t get rid of it… no matter how many times she had tried after receiving it.

Don’t let him get to you, Norah, she thought and patted her cheeks, You were just using him… He means nothing to you.

Though, she wished that were only true. Other than wanting to be bathed in riches, she could feel remnant emotions of how she felt of the man in her heart, and it was difficult for her to be rid of them. She couldn’t let them distract her from her work and as one of Camorr’s greatest thieves!

Suddenly, a strong breeze brushed against her face and flinging her hair up into the air, it nearly pulled out the sandy-blond wig from her head. Strands of black hair stuck out over her forehead and she looked up, the gold specks in her right, cyan eye glittering in the sunlight. Now above the clouds, the small ebony figure of a dragon flew passed the ship, and in the direction north of Mald. W-what in the world?! There was actually one that existed in Granide in this age? When the silhouette of the dragon vanished, she straightened herself, readjusting the wig on her head, and leaned over to pick up the recorder from the ground. Her hand was trembling, though other than the fact that she had seen a real life dragon, but also by the fact that it was heading in the direction she was heading: Mald Island.

Suddenly, a wide smirk grew on her face as she thought for a few minutes, bringing up the alto recorder between her lips, blowing a soft tune again. During her stay in Karthain, she had read in stories that dragons usually had a horde of treasure in their lairs, so perhaps this dragon had some as well? It wasn’t something she would attempt, but planning her ‘games’ robbing from the wealthy nobilities took time. Months and even years of planning and rehearsing roles and creating disguises as well.

“The best disguises were those that were poured out of the heart rather than painted on the face, Norah. Remember that.” her father had told her when she was younger.

Again, she increased the tempo of the tune and coming to a crescendo, she suddenly paused in a short cadence before continuing again, this time slower and softer again. She was thinking about her decision: plan out her next game… or to infiltrate a dragon’s lair for treasure. Either way, both would be tossing her in a life and death situation if she were to get caught. Hm, though it sounds like fun!

Her mind was made up. As soon as she lands in Mald, she’ll make her way north to the dragon’s lair!

~~~~~~

<Emmet Lamora ~ Mandaj>

“You had seen her here?!” Emmet took hold of a man’s collar and slammed him against the wall of a building of an alleyway. “The Saralyn I know had dark brown hair and bright cyan eyes with specks of gold in her right! Are you sure she’s no longer here in the city?” he growled.

“Y-yes… though I do recall seeing a woman with gold in her eye and matching the description you’ve given me earlier, but… she had blond hair instead, and she left to Camorr a few days ago after stealing from a wealthy merchant visiting here…” Emmet pushed the man’s collar and he flinched, “Eee! Please, that’s all I know about her, don’t hurt me!”

Letting go of the man’s collar, he growled and gritted his teeth, “She is NOT a thief! I shouldn’t have wasted my time with you.” Emmet turned and walked away from the cowering man, tossing down a few coins for the man for giving him information. He was sure she had been here, but hearing that she was no longer in Mandaj, there was no point in Emmet for staying anymore.

“So, to Camorr? That city has the worst reputation in all of Granide… why the hell would she go there?” he muttered to himself. “Though, that’s now the only lead I have with a woman with gold specks in their right cyan eye. I guess I have no choice…”

He walked off towards a coach station, paying the coachman to take him all the way to Camorr where he would find his next clues on the woman he’s looking for. Just wait, Saralyn, I will find you. No matter what!
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[Augla]

-Arcturios Farrian - Fennark-

A young knight rushed through the halls of the castle, politely excusing everybody he was pushing past in his hurry to get to where he needed to go.

"Excuse me! Sorry! Coming through!" He said, not paying attention to all the people staring. Eventually, he turned left and looked down a long corridor. Exhaling loudly, he continued down the hallway, counting doors on his left. "Three... four... Aha!" At the fifth door on the left, the knight opened the door. Inside, there was a woman in a beautiful white dress, red eyes, and golden hair. The woman looked at the newcomer and stood up.

"Onii-chan..." The girl said. "What's the hurry? You're completely out of breath..." The girl's brother took a deep breath before continuing.

"I've been given a mission from the king, Charlotte..." Charlotte walked over to her brother and looked up into his face.

"What kind of mission?" Her head tilted as she asked the innocent question. The knight smiled and put his hand on one of Charlotte's shoulders.

"I've been asked to perform the ultimate feat of knighthood: I'm gonna slay a dragon." Charlotte gasped.

"Arc! A dragon?!? Really?!? But I heard that they're REALLY hard to kill!"

"I know..." Arc sighed, then moved his hand from his sister's shoulder to her cheek. "But I was ordered to do so by the king... And, as the mercenary's code states, I can't back down from a request from a royal... Besides, I have an extra incentive to do this mission: His Majesty will FINALLY allow me to get a high rank in the army!" Arc's sister gasped.

"Really?!? That's great, Arc! So, where will you be going to slay the dragon?"

"Not far..." He smiled. "I only need to go to Raisin Volcano."

"Be careful, Arc..." Charlotte's words were heavy with concern. "I want you to come back. Don't let the dragon kill you..." Arc smiled again.

"Don't worry." He said. "I'm gonna slay the dragon, not vice versa..." At that moment, he started walking out of the room. "Farewell, Charlotte. I'll be back as soon as possible." Arc closed the door behind himself, but, before he could walk away, he heard a noise from behind the door. His sister was already crying for his departure, but it gave Arc hope rather than sadness. She was concerned for her older brother so much that she had instantly started crying when he had left. I will slay the dragon and return... He thought. I'll do it for my sister...

-Lea Vodani - Raisin Volcano-

"Tell me more about me~~~" Lea said with a hint of slyness in her voice. Even though the sentence seemed to sound like nonsense, she knew that the dragon knew more about the Maiden of the Holy Mist than she did.

I told you, you have a special power that will unseal a holy shrine that has a powerful artifact within... Raxquamorn growled. And that artifact will make me even more powerful than I already am...

"What if I refuse to open the shrine for you?" The question was met with a loud roar of anger.

You MUST open the shrine! Raxquamorn yelled. Do you WISH to die today?!? Lea laughed, and the dragon grew even more infuriated. Why are you laughing?!?

"KILL me?!?" Lea said behind fits of laugher. "You foolish dragon! If you kill me, you'll NEVER get your special artifact of power! Therefore you MUST keep me alive!" She stopped laughing. "At the same time, I won't assist you, so you won't be getting the special artifact THAT way, either!" The dragon was beside himself with rage.

THAT'S IT! He raged. WE'RE GOING TO OPEN THAT SHRINE NOW! I WILL MAKE YOU DO WHAT I WANT YOU TO DO! Just then, Raxquamorn reached a claw out for Lea.

"Now hang on!" Lea said before the dragon had grabbed her. "You've been swimming in hot magma! Do you WANT to burn me alive?" Raxquamorn stopped suddenly.

Umm... His rage had vanished when he realized that he was about to make a stupid mistake. He rose out of the magma and sat on the shore on the other side of the flow. Just you wait until I cool off! THEN we'll go open that shrine! Lea chuckled a little inside. At least this gave her a few more minutes to herself before she would be plucked off her feet again to be brought to Eurobadalla.

-Jewel Vodani - Vistol-

Sooner than she had ever thought she would be back in town, Jewel found herself in Vistol once again. She wondered if she would be able to find Peter again, but another part of her knew that she was supposed to be looking for her sister, not her fiancee. She guided the galloping horse through town, calling out for her sister every couple of seconds. About three minutes into her search, a familiar voice called out to her.

"Julie? What are you doing back in town so soon?" Peter had run outside to greet her. Jewel jumped off the horse and ran into Peter's embrace. After a second of heartfelt emotions, Jewel tried to break away from Peter.

"I'm sorry, Pete, but I'm really in a hurry right now. I can't stay." Peter held fast to his future wife's arms as she tried to move away from him.

"What happened, Julie?" He asked. "I've never seen you this panicked before. Did something bad happen?"

"I'm not sure, but I think something bad DID happen... When I came home, some of our animals were dead and the ground was all torn up. On top of it all, I couldn't find Lea at all. I was thinking that if something bad happened, she would have fled to Vistol. Have you seen her?"

"Nope." Peter shook his head sadly. "I haven't seen Lea in a long time. I hope she's okay, though... Good luck finding her!" They embraced each other one more time very briefly before Jewel nodded and climbed back onto her horse. As she rode off, she looked behind to see Peter waving at her.

Jewel had continued her search for the next hour or two as the sun dipped below the horizon. Her efforts had been fruitless, having found neither sight nor sign of Lea. At that point, Jewel had decided that she should ask any passersby if they had seen her sister, assuming that they knew who Lea was.

After another half hour of inquiries, Jewel was about to give up when she saw a chestnut horse rapidly approaching the city. Whomever was on the horse probably didn't know who Lea was, but Jewel was still intrigued about this horse rider. The horse was plowing along in a full run, which usually meant that the rider was on the run from something. She knew it wasn't her place to help, but Jewel felt impelled to do something to help this newcomer. Pulling on her horse's reins again, Jewel rode off towards the edge of town.

[Akashic]

<Norah Aurelin ~ Fennark>

After a few hours, the ferry finally docked at the port and Norah held onto her belongings as she walked along the streets of the city. Smirking as she gazed at the citizens strolling and several buildings she passed by, the capital of Mald was an impressive sight. She could already tell the difference between the lifestyle of the nobles and the wealthy folk here compared to the other, larger cities from the Kingdom of True Roots she had visited in the past. I could get used to this place, her smirk only grew wider, Since this place has a castle, my games could become more interesting… but first, time to find a hideout.

Speeding into a jog, she swiftly maneuvered through the streets and slipped into the alleyways, jumping against the narrow walls up to the rooftops where she started her search. She knew the less populated areas, such as the ghettos or the slums, was a perfect place to hide, so she searched there first. Luckily enough, she found an abandoned building—a relatively small warehouse that stored nothing but wooden crates and barrels and other useless junk. “Eh, I’ll eventually have to work my way up… So this’ll have to do.” She placed her belongings down behind a wooden crate and pulled out a thin, latex mask, a wig, make-up, and other little trinkets before placing them in a small pouch around her waist. “All right, that should do it!” she grinned slyly and left all the unnecessary things hidden behind as she exits, making her way to the main street again.

Suddenly, she froze in place, remembering the dragon that flew by earlier making its way to somewhere on Mald Island. “That’s right! Uh, how could I have forgotten about that!” Next game, infiltrate the dragon’s lair and steal its treasures! Her eyes shifted side to side, scanning through the crowd thoroughly for someone with her physique. There were a lot of normal citizens and soldiers from the Royal army, but approaching an inn, she found a young looking man with a sword strapped to his side. He must be a mercenary or some sort of hunter… either way, I can use him. She quickly makes her way towards the man and before he reaches the inn, she bumped into him and fell to the ground, feigning distress. “A-ah! I lost that thief who took my wallet! Dammit, thanks a lot buddy!”

“U-uh, what?” the mercenary stumbled and offered a hand to Norah, “I’m sorry. Here, let me help you look for that thief.”

Good. “Thank you. Hurry, this way!” she led him away from the inn and to an empty alleyway.

“Are you sure the thief went through here? How did he or she look like?”

Norah suddenly stopped at the middle of the path and smirked, her face facing away from the man. “Oh, the thief did go through here. And she’s right in front of ya!”

She twisted around and leaped up at the narrow walls at the alleyway, moving too quickly for the man to follow and in a matter of seconds she was on top of the man, bringing him down on his stomach as she sat over his shoulders. She unsheathed one of her blades from her forearm and dug it in the ground next to his face to startle him, and brought over her other hand to knock him out behind his neck. Sleep tight!

Moving the man’s body behind several large boxes, she bounded the man’s arms and legs—tying it to a metal pipe, gagged and blindfolded him before taking out the latex mask and pressed it against the man’s face, making a perfect copy of the man’s features. “All right,” muttered Norah as she placed it over her face and applied make-up to make the mask blend in with her skin. Next was the wig. She combed it to match the man’s hair style and pulled it over her head, covering up her messy locks. Now, time to change into his clothes… She undressed him, pulled his overcoat over her own clothes, strapping his sword to her waist, and just for jokes, she left him in his underwear while tossing his pants in the trash. When he began to stir, she quickly kicked him over the face and he was out cold. There, now time to find out about this guy… hope he has some sort of identification info with him.

She was a near replica of the mercenary and when she fumbled through the inner coat pockets, she found a small parchment of papers containing information of his occupation. “So, he hunts monsters and escorts merchants? Oh well, I hope this guy isn’t some well known mercenary…” With that, she emerged from the alley, making her way to the stables. She eyed a brown stallion and waited until the guard left the area before jumping on the stallion’s back, taking the reins and riding it towards the city’s gates.
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[Augla]

-Arcturios Farrian - Fennark-

The young knight sat atop his dappled grey horse which lightly clipped along a casual pace. I need to find men who can help me... He thought. I won't be able to take on a dragon alone, so...

"Sir Farrian!" A voice called out from behind. Arc stopped his horse and looked behind him to see a short, shapely knight in armor resembling his running slowly towards him. Once near Arc, he stopped and put his hands on his knees and gasped as he tried to regain his breath. Arc rolled his eyes.

"What is it, Porthos?" He said in an irritated tone. "And how many times must I tell you that you're allowed to call me Arc?" Taking a deep gasping breath, Porthos began to speak again.

"Forgive me for stopping you, Sir Farrian..." He said, looking at Arc. "But I heard that you had been given the perilous task of slaying a dragon." Arc looked away from his friend.

"Indeed." He said. "What about it?"

"I-I was thinking..." Porthos said, taking a step closer to Arc's horse. In response, the horse snorted at Porthos and glared at him. "...Could I accompany you on this mission? I've wanted to see a dragon myself for the longest of time! Of course, I'll leave you to do the actual final blow to the dragon, but I wanna come along!" Arc buried his face into the palm of his left hand. He had a feeling he was going to regret saying what he was going to say next.

"Fine..." He said. "But the catch is, you need to find your own horse. Misty here still remembers the LAST time you and I rode on her together..." Misty was still glaring at Porthos, who took a step toward her and went to pet her head.

"I'm sorry, Misty~~~" He said. "I didn't mean to break your back legs with my weight..." The horse snorted at him and whinnied angrily. Porthos backed away, taking the hint.

"So, if you can find a horse, you can join me on my..." At that moment, Arc realized that Porthos was nowhere in sight. A bead of sweat rolled down the back of his head. "Jeez, for an out of shape guy, he sure knows how to move fast when he's excited about something..." Tugging at Misty's reins, Arc continued to move along, hoping that he might lose Porthos if he just kept moving.

A couple minutes later, he was in a busier section of town closer to the front gates of the city. Here was where he was hoping to find willing companions for his journey. Clearing his throat, Arc started talking loudly. "Are there any knights here who wish to go on the ultimate quest for chivalry?" Many heads turned toward him. "I am on a quest to slay the fearsome dragon that has recently appeared before it becomes a threat to our livelihoods. If you wish to fight alongside me to protect our families and children, please come forward now!" Many people started making their way towards him, but Arc's intention was to only take along the ones who would be most fit to take on this task with him. For whatever reason, his eyes had wandered over to a man atop a brown stallion nearby, but he didn't think much of it at first...

[Akashic]

<Norah Aurelin ~ Fennark>

Once nearing the front gates, Norah pulled her stallion into a slow trot and mentally smirked as she glanced down at her disguise. No one seemed to have caught on in her appearance, so she assumed it was safe to continue playing the male mercenary.

“Are there any knights here who wish to go on the ultimate quest for chivalry?” a sudden loud voice filled her ears and she turned her head back towards town, finding a male knight in front of a gathering crowd. “I am on a quest to slay the fearsome dragon that has recently appeared before it becomes a threat to our livelihoods…”

As the knight continued, Norah slightly narrowed her eyes, realizing the sudden competition she’ll have in reaching the dragon. However, the knight’s purpose was to slay the dragon, while hers was to simply steal its treasures—she could care less to what happens to the townspeople’s lives if the dragon was slain or not.

For a moment, she stared at the man as the crowds moved closer to him, and her mind was already formulating a plan. She pulled the reins and moved the stallion in the knight’s direction; the horse approaching in a slow trot. At the back of the crowd, Norah’s cyan eyes met with the knight’s red orbs and she smiled, resting an arm over the hilt of the sword strapped around her waist. If he were to look close enough into her eyes at that moment, he would have noticed the devious glint from them, but as soon as she blinked, they were gone.

“I am interested in joining your cause in slaying the dragon,” Norah bowed her head slightly as she spoke. Her voice projected a firm masculine tone, yet at the same time, light enough to almost borderline feminine. “I’m a mercenary, but the well-being of Fennark’s townspeople concerns me the most.”

Norah took a deep breath and waited for a response from the knight. She didn’t allow her composure to falter, despite the inner excitement she was feeling. If she was allowed to join, she could use these people as an advantage to distract the dragon while she would sneak off for her own purposes. And let the game begin…
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[Augla]

-Arcturios Farrian - Fennark-

Arc had been looking through the hordes of willing men who wanted to go slay the dragon with him. Very few people looked like they were capable to going on such a journey with them. I wonder how many here would change their minds if I told them that they were going to Raisin Volcano with me? He wondered, almost giving in to his impulse to say it out loud for a second.

There were only three men pulled aside so far that Arc had deemed capable to coming with him. They were all rather strong young men, and their faces were lit with determination. However, Arc knew that four men (five, if he ever saw Porthos again, to his dismay) would hardly be enough to take on a fully grown dragon. A thought went through his head about lowering his standards a little more so he could recruit more men and maybe stand a chance.

However, his thoughts were interrupted by a firm masculine voice cutting through the crowd. "I am interested in joining your cause in slaying the dragon." The owner of the voice said. "I’m a mercenary, but the well-being of Fennark’s townspeople concerns me the most." Arc quickly moved his eyes through the crowd to find the owner of the voice, and his eyes fell upon a man in a long overcoat riding a brown stallion. This was the same man that his eyes had briefly fell upon before. Arc nodded slowly in the direction of the person.

"Very well, you with the overcoat and the stallion." He said, beckoning to the man. "Come with me." Part of him wanted to keep looking for more people, but there was something about the men that he had already assembled that gave him a sense of confidence of getting out of the situation alive... Which was strange - he hadn't had this confidence come to him until just a minute ago. Instantly his thoughts went toward the new man that was in his gathered group. He kept staring emotionlessly at the man. What was with this newcomer to the group that had given him this new confidence?

-Lea Vodani - Raisin Volcano-

It's been five minutes, Maiden~~~ Raxquamorn growled in a low voice. Lea had just been standing on the small island thinking to herself this entire time. She turned around upon hearing the dragon's voice.

"Finally!" She said, putting her hands on her hips. "At last, we're gonna leave this place! Unlike you, I can't STAND these hot temperatures!" Her sentence was only partly true. Lea wasn't too thrilled at the prospect of being flown through the air again in a dragon's grasp, but she WAS eager to leave the volcano before she died of heat stroke.

Well, then... The dragon said, reaching out with one claw to grab Lea. Shall we head for the City of Water, then? Once Raxquamorn's claw had gently wrapped itself around Lea, he also added, Not too hot for you, is it, dear Maiden?

"It's a bit toasty still..." Lea said as she felt some heat radiating from the dragon's claw. "I'll manage, especially once we're up in the air..."

I'm surprised... Raxquamorn said. What caused this change in you? The intense heat?

"No~~~" She said in a bittersweet voice. "I just know that I'll find a way out of this situation somehow... Make a break for it in Eurobadalla or something like... Guh!" The dragon's claw squeezed tighter around Lea.

Your task is to open the shrine! He growled. I won't let you escape until I have the artifact in that shrine! At that moment, the wings of the dragon unfurled and he flapped once to get off the ground, and then he flew out a hole in the top of the volcano, now heading towards Eurobadalla...

[Akashic]

<Norah Aurelin ~ Fennark>

“Excellent.” Norah smiled at the knight as she kept her gaze fixed at the man’s eyes, though mentally she smirked. She tried studying his expressions to get an idea of his character, but emotionless as his features were, she couldn’t read anything from him, at least not immediately. I have to be careful around this guy… She lightly kicked at the sides of the stallion to move closer to the knight and stayed at the edge of the crowd of men he assembled since she was one of the few that was on horseback.

“So, where are we heading?” she asked the knight, “Oh and by the way, my name’s Vincent.” She brought her hand out to the knight for a handshake.

~~~~~

<Emmet Lamora ~ Camorr>

It had taken the coach hours on the road and about a half an hour boat ride, but Emmet had finally arrived at the front entrance of Camorr. The city of thieves, he thought bitterly as he took a step through the gates. The city was built on a small island just southwest of the Moscobi Desert and despite the distance, it was almost like walking through a desert town. The majority of the buildings and towers were in poor condition; they were made of stone and almost rusted metal. However, at the very center of the city, several towers spiraled beautifully into the sky. They were made of fine, unbreakable glass that glittered vibrantly and vividly in the sunlight. Their origins were a mystery—even the most knowledgeable of scholars in the world didn’t know who or what had constructed such magnificent architecture. However, it was known by everyone that the towers were the symbol of the city’s wealthy districts where nobles reside, and as well as some of the most powerful mafia leaders in Granide.

Traveling down the main street, Emmet cracked his knuckles together. “Now… to find clues about Saralyn…” he muttered and held onto his belongings securely, knowing that anyone in this city could be a thief who could easily steal his things.

He went to a few “trustworthy-looking” people and showed them a photograph of Saralyn, but each of them declined ever seeing the girl. Sighing heavily, he moved on to the next person.

“Sorry, haven’t seen the lass in this city.” A man shook his head and walked away, leaving Emmet slumping in defeat.

“Grrr… where do I search next?” he growled and nearly crumpled up the photograph.

“Perhaps I can help?”

A male voice suddenly whispered into his ear and Emmet spun around, finding a trio of men standing before him. Two of them were muscular in built, while the one standing in between them was lean in physique and sported black hair and light colored blue eyes. However, something about the man caught Emmet’s attention and he narrowed his eyes at the man in the center, picking out faint specks of gold in the man’s right eye. When the man turned his head to the side, Emmet was finally jotted out of his thoughts and nodded.

“Er… yes,” he answered hesitantly, eyeing the two muscular men warily, “I’m looking for a girl and I’ve heard that she had been here. I've traveled all the way from Karthain and Mandaj searching for her. Can you please tell me if you know anything?” He showed the picture of Saralyn to the men.

The man in the center plucked the photo from Emmet’s fingers and examined it carefully. It wasn’t until a few minutes had passed when he finally smirked and nodded his head, “Aye, of course I know something about this girl. The lass’ name is Saralyn Eryan, right?”

“Y-Yes!” Emmet gasped with surprise, “That’s her name. Is she still in town?!”

The man’s smirk grew and he nodded, “Aye. Follow me and I’ll take you to her.” He and his companions began walking and motioned Emmet to follow in the direction of the spiraling towers at the center of town.

Emmet was relieved that he had finally found someone who knew her. However as he followed, something didn’t feel right about the man’s companions. They were heavily scarred along their faces and arms—just the very sight of them almost intimidated him. But this was his only lead on Saralyn and his excitement with his reunion with her was enough to make him forget who he could be dealing with.

Thieves.
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