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Post by Shitakibo on Jun 21, 2024 1:48:54 GMT -5
Taki arrived in Guandao City late in the afternoon, making her way to one of the many taverns in the heart of the city. While there, she put on a performance for a packed crowd as they enjoyed warm meals and strong beverages. Over the general din of conversation, she was able to pick up whispered rumors and salacious secrets thanks to an earring-turned-charm adorning the headdress she wore. A two hour performance later, and she had a general idea of where troubles in town had been brewing. Who was responsible for these recent riots still had yet to reveal itself, but there was a good place to start. That night, she stayed at a nearby inn. Tomorrow she would make her way over to the Treasury Office, but rest and a warm meal came first. After dinner, she turned in for the night. Using her House Key, she spent the remainder of the evening at home. A hot bath, some quality time with Rina and Kamina, and one very fuzzy break later the Orochi returned to her room. The next morning, she stopped at a local bakery for a quick breakfast. Strolling through town feasting on a pastry, Taki considered the situation and how to approach it. There was merit to trying an official channel, though that also meant announcing herself in spectacular fashion. The subtle route was much more appealing, but she had much less confidence in it's chance to succeed. The Treasury building came into view as she was gnawing on the last of breakfast, the square packed with townsfolk and traders.
Quest Name: When the Wolf Cries Participants: Two or more Location: Crescent Isles Post Requirements: 5 posts per person, 200 words per post Reward: Ability to take on Part 2, +1 Renown Description: Grand Chancellor Lao has become inundated with requests from the prosperous trading hub of Guandao City; supposedly, revolts and riots have broken out several times over the last month in and around the silver and gold warehouse sections of the city. The miners, smiths, and craftsman alike have all had grievances over this matter, all believing their livelihood has come into question. The Grand Chancellor has tasked various adventurers with discovering who may or may not be fomenting unrest in the city. All that has been asked of you is to locate one of the many people who have been the root of the riots. Question locals, investigate the riots, and get to the bottom of the disruptions.
All signs so far point to the Royal Office of Treasure and Commerce itself, possibly over fear that the Gold and Silver industry is gaining too much power over the others. Your investigation will uncover that the Crown is causing this unrest due to fears of the growing economic strength of the Isles.
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Post by Beak on Jun 21, 2024 7:04:08 GMT -5
Beak just happens to be in town anyway; she wasn't particularly intending to investigate any political intrigues or anything. She was just... well, wandering, in truth. She only recently moved in with her lovely datemates and their family, leaving behind the... well, "home" would be a generous overstatement, but leaving behind the scenery she'd been used to of fifty years or more in Marsh Flats. It's an upgrade in every measurable way--from homelessness to a home, from loneliness to love--but it's all still so new that every now and then she needs to just... take a walk, see some sights, see if she can get settled in.
So it is that the bizarre old woman (or so she appears) is walking around Guandao City near the Treasury building like some lost tourist, someone who's never seen this place before and is just curious what it's all about, despite technically living in the region now. She's neither trying to get to the bottom of any particular mysteries herself nor looking for trouble in any way, really, but her appearance so plainly sticks out that anyone who is here to look into... just about anything, such as Taki, would undoubtedly see her first. It's almost impossible not to, really. Just look for the perfectly average tall yet hunched over old bog witch-looking woman with all-concealing robes and wraps and a skull mask. One sees those everywhere, right?
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Post by Shitakibo on Jun 21, 2024 18:02:28 GMT -5
Striding through the square, Taki perused the various stalls as she made her way closer to the building. The bustling market was full of gossip, and the dancer picked up on several more juicy secrets. Sadly they weren't really any help about the situation at hand, but that didn't mean she wouldn't find good use for the information later. Half way across the square, she spotted an odd individual.
Covered head to toe in robes and wraps, the hunched figure appeared to have some sort of bony mask. Taki did her best to make her way closer without seeming too obvious, seemingly disinterested in the various wares along that stretch of the square. She stopped a few stalls away, browsing the various linens with feigned excitement. She spent a moment discussing materials and methods before moving to the next stall. She stopped only a moment at this one, a tool smith whom waved politely as she passed by. Her steps were silent as she approached the hunched figure, closing the distance masked by the noise of traffic. With a pleasant smile and as gentle a voice as she could muster, she greeted the robed figure.
"Good day to you, are you in need of any help?"
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Post by Beak on Jun 21, 2024 19:31:56 GMT -5
Said robed figure somehow wasn't expecting to be pulled aside like that, though... given how much she stands out, she probably should have been? Ah, well.
"Oh! Hello, dearie."
Well, that's peculiar. If the mouth of that skull had moved when she spoke, it would have revealed that it was no mask. If it hadn't moved and the newcomer had instead heard a muffled voice from behind it, that would have confirmed that it was. Instead, as if to evade the question entirely, the figure communicates... telepathically? Her answer appears directly in Taki's mind as surely as if she'd read those words rather than hearing them, in a voice that's... well, between any sort of default or "inner narrator" type voice Taki would have assumed when reading, and the inflection the figure is deliberately trying to project, the voice sounds exactly like an old woman stereotype, if not outright caricature--the exact kind of voice that would call someone "dearie," as she just did.
As to Taki's question... well. That's a tougher one to answer. Does Beak need anything? Not... really; she was just browsing, just looking around, seeing the sights, indulging her curiosity. But if she says that, then it'll sound like a refusal to engage--"No, thank you, I'm fine, good day"--when dismissing this newcomer who was kind enough to approach her isn't her intention at all. She's feeling rather friendly today, it would seem, so she instead searches for... stars above, she doesn't need anything, but what can she ask just to keep this one talking anyway?
"Have you found any good wares? Anything particularly eye-catching?"
... Awful, but it will have to do.
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Post by Shitakibo on Jun 21, 2024 21:03:52 GMT -5
Tilting her head, she straightens out and looks over the passing crowd. While the effect itself was familiar, it was also puzzling why they chose to respond in such a manner. Taking a moment to consider her reply, she pondered how she might glean more information without seeming too pushy or intrusive.
'Why, there have been several shops along my travels this morning that held promise. The Bakery across the way served a fine breakfast, and a few stalls over had quality linens from several places across the continent. How about yourself, how might one address you? Have you fancied any shops? Heard of any jobs or happenings in the area?'
She still was working on being persuasive and clever with her questions, honing lessons that were still fresh to both body and mind. Words had their own weight, and being reckless or impatient could be costly. A dancer needed to be patient, graceful, balanced and elegant in each action, each step and word and thought. There were still many experiences needed to hone her new talents and skills, so any interactions were stressfully welcomed.
There was more to this individual than was advertised, she could at least tell that much. The use of Telepathy to communicate, the purposeful robes, the peculiar skull visage... Something was amiss, and that was precisely what Taki planned to unravel. The Isles were her home, and protecting it's peoples from the catastrophe of war and violence were paramount.
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Post by Beak on Jun 21, 2024 21:48:02 GMT -5
The robed figure sensed something was... possibly not quite right, with the one questioning her? That this was more than simple conversation... that there was something she was after, that Beak was suspicious, somehow.
Which... fine. Not the first time, and likely not the last. It does make her sad sometimes that she'll likely never be normal, but she can hardly blame folks for looking at her and wondering. At least she has nothing sinister to hide. If this person wants to probe her secrets, she's somehow feeling uncharacteristically friendly and open today... perhaps the recent positive turns in her love life have something to do with that.
"Oh, ah... nothing in particular has caught my eye. I'm mostly just browsing. Thank you for the recommendations, though... I may look into some of them. The linens, at least. I'm not... particularly hungry, at the moment," or ever, but that part is left unsaid, "but I suppose one could always use some new fashion. Ehehe~"
All right, it's true that the telepathic communication makes her voice sound at least a little more like however the viewer expects it to sound, but that was far too perfect a storybook "old crone who's totally not a witch in disguise, honest" laugh.
Still, at least she's... friendly? The desire to continue this conversation even after figuring out that you're after something, because she simply wants the company, feels... genuine, at the very least.
"I haven't heard of any happenings in particular... I'm somewhat new here, in truth. Arrived from the Marsh Flats region not long ago, and I've just been looking around, seeing the sights, settling in. I suppose I should turn the question back on you... any recent developments worth knowing these days?"
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Post by Shitakibo on Jun 22, 2024 11:17:47 GMT -5
Peculiar, the harder they tried to sound convincing, the more their 'voice' seemed a caricature. Their responses seemed honest at least, so she figured it reasonable to reciprocate.
'There has in fact been a string of disturbances at the Treasury building, which are causing a great deal of tension between the citizens, nobles, and the Crown. No one is quite sure who is responsible, which is something I would be keen to discover.'
Taki continued to listen to the crowd as the pair stood in the market, trying her best not to warrant any excess attention. There was a sudden shift in the flow of traffic, murmurs flowing from one side of the square to the other. A contingent of soldiers, dressed in dark armor with gilded accents marched through the parting crowd, banners signifying their affiliation with the Crown flying on tall standards. She felt bad for the backs of those poor souls, but only a little. As she was about to turn her attention back to the stranger at her side, a short conversation was picked up by her secret hunting charm.
"Can't wait for this one to be over with... then the real fighting starts."
"You shouldn't be so eager for conflict, Gelda, bloodshed benefits only the crows."
"Pah!! What do you know you old codger!"
"This old codger has survived enough conflicts to know what we're doing here, what we've been doing, is going to get a lot of people killed..."
"We are official enough for these rat brained, backwater yokles..."
"The only rat brain here is you... now be quiet."
Wide eyed, the dancer bowed to the stranger politely.
'Pardon me, it seems that a situation is unfolding. Please, get yourself to safety and try to take others with you.'
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Post by Beak on Jun 22, 2024 16:32:46 GMT -5
Oh... oh, dear.
The robed figure wasn't lying or feigning innocence; she really is just that out of the loop when it comes to tension and intrigue and the crown. She hardly even knows who the royal family is at this point. Supposedly, last she heard, there was a bad tyrant king or two, and then some wars, and now the current king is good..? But she's kept something of a distance from royal affairs on principle, and it would seem that her mistrusting the crown isn't entirely without merit, after all.
That gives her but a few moments to decide, quickly what to do. She is much more than the feeble old woman she pretends to be, and would be surprisingly handy in a fight, should one come up... but does she want to give herself away? Especially when she was directly ordered to flee and take others to safety; would refusing that order make her even more suspicious? If it were just here, she could handle herself, but escorting innocents to safety... the dancer actually does have a valid point about that one.
Besides, the telepath has a few mental tricks up her sleeve that she can employ from a safe distance, if she wants to help evacuate the townsfolk while still being ready to defuse the unfolding situation itself. Even if it's not a fireball or other sort of actual attack spell, people are always surprised when she communicates with them telepathically, right? Mentally shouting "Boo!" at someone at just the right moment would have to be an alarming distraction, at the very least. And she has other things she can do, too....
Fine, then. The robed figure scurries off some distance away--close enough that she's still plainly right there but at least... in the background, somewhat--and tries to bring as many people with her as she can. Convincing them that something is not right, something alarming is happening and they need to flee, is extremely easy with her menacing appearance and bizarre mental speech. Convincing them to follow her to safety, a bit less so. Oh, well... as long as they're fleeing, she supposes.
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Post by Shitakibo on Jun 26, 2024 3:52:14 GMT -5
Four figures departed from the column of soldiers, their uniforms hidden beneath oversized disguises. The rest of the soldiers fanned out as if expecting the crowd to attack at any moment, though there hadn't been even a hint of such all morning. Tracking them by their hushed voices through the bustling traffic wasn't difficult, figuring out how to keep people safe was another matter though. She could hear the other side of the market begin scattering to safety, though the reason why made her chuckle for just a moment.
The soldiers' faces could not have been more priceless in that moment, watching the square empty of folk shouting about all manner of strangeness. Seeing this disruption, the four men tried to slip away into an alley to follow the fleeing townsfolk. With a graceful hop, Taki landed on a thick pole holding up one of the larger stalls. With a better view of things, she stepped off the pole and fell into it's shadow1 as if it were a pool of water. A moment later, she was across the square in the shadow of another stall's awning.
Pulling a small sphere from a pocket, she took aim at the group of disguised soldiers and chucked it over their heads. The odd projectile let out a soft fizzling followed by a brief pop, activating as it was falling between the group. The alleyway filled with a thick, inky smoke2 that obscured vision and caused all manner of disarray. People fled down other side streets and shortcuts, cutting between stalls if needed to escape the growing smoke. Taki strolled into the swirling mass with grim determination, ready to bring the truth to the town.
1: Shadow Walk [Shadow Dancer 4] 2: Evasive Grenade Arts [Oniwanban Shadow, 2/3 uses, 2/2 Duration]
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Post by Beak on Jun 26, 2024 4:09:54 GMT -5
... Oh.
The robed figure had been keeping a careful distance as she escorted as many townsfolk as she could to safety; far enough away to pretend she was just an (admittedly bizarre) old woman, as mucha bystander as any of them, yet close enough to contribute to any... altercations that may arise with some of her more ranged abilities, should the opportunity present itself.
That would have worked just fine, had the altercation happened right there.
She hadn't counted on them to run.
All right. She has to give credit where it's due; well played. They got her, there.
Or... they forced her hand, at least. She could have kept pretending, but now the only way to catch them is if she uses her full capabilities. Which means....
In a move that takes... far too little time, as if she'd designed her wardrobe expecting to have to drop her disguise in a second or less, she tosses her cloak aside, steps out of her boots, and allows the wrappings around her tail to fall off. Dropping the walking stick and no longer pretending to have that "old crone" hunch, she instantly looks a full fifty years younger... for a skeleton.
A... a skeleton? Oh.
She looks like she would have been a fairly average--if on the tall end of average--lizardfolk in a martial arts outfit, in life. Snout, tail, it's all there, all wrapped up in a loose and flexible sleeveless shirt and pants, bare feet, and some wicked-looking punching gloves. The desiccated fins or frills adorning either side of her head are the only standout feature that's something of a rarity among lizardfolk these days.
And she's off.
And it is immediately apparent that she is fast. Whether it's the training implied by the martial arts outfit, her body being lighter without all that flesh in the way, the same magic that reanimated her in the first place, or whatever the reason, she can sprint at a truly impressive pace for someone who looked so slow and feeble just moments ago.
It's no time at all before she catches up to where she believes everyone went... that big patch of smoke. Oh. That's... a problem. True, she doesn't have to worry about breathing, but... not only does she not have any sort of magical ability to see in smoke or darkness (yet... she's always learning,) but she doesn't even have so much as a decent pair of goggles, and the smoke getting inside her skull through her eye sockets could... do... things. She needs that skull; that's where the thinky parts happen.
Well. Being afraid now isn't going to solve anything. She's already dropped her disguise in the middle of town; no going back now. In she goes.
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Post by Shitakibo on Jun 27, 2024 19:20:28 GMT -5
Engulfed in thick fog, the soldiers drew their weapons and started calling out to one another. Two carried short swords, one carried a pair of daggers, and the last held a short spear with a hatchet in their offhand. As the quartet were attempting to find one another, Taki numbered them by the order she would prioritize their capture. Flicking her extra long tongue out, she retrieved a small pill1 from a pouch and swallowed it down. She let out a deep, guttural hissing as it took effect.
As she took her next breath, the swirling smoke gathered around the Orochi. Covered head to toe, Taki enshrouded herself in a set of smoky full plate2 with an Oni's visage. A gentle chiming of bells signaled the dancer's assault, the sound drawing the soldiers' attention perpendicular to her approach. Silent as shadow itself, she slammed into her first target with her arms raised3. With a heavy grunt, the man dropped his hatchet as the impact sent him tumbling. Quick reflexes and panicked adrenaline saw him stab out with the short spear, making solid contact with someone. The pained shout of his own companion deepened the man's terror as he pried the dripping head of his weapon from a fellow's side.
Another loud, airy hiss filled the smoke as Taki circled the shouting group of soldiers. She charged again as they were trying to recover, leaping with easy grace over the dagger wielder as she tumbled. Kicking both feet straight out4, she slammed the spear holder into the ground and drove the air from his lungs. He took one heaving breath as he bounced off the road before falling unconscious, the others only catching a shadowy, smoking glimpse of the Orochi toying with their comrade. One down, one injured, thus far a well executed plan. They would lose the smoky shroud in a few moments, though in Taki's mind she already had all the proof they needed. Stopping them from starting another riot, and having evidence of the culprits was enough to claim victory today. If they could manage capturing all four, there was a chance it could lead to preventing future incursion as well.
1: Pills of Vitality 2: Advanced Smoke Arts: Full Plate [1/3 Duration] 3: Claws/Unarmed [Bull's Strength, Baloth Muscles] 4: Unarmed + Cat's Grace [Bull's Strength, Baloth Muscles]
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Post by Beak on Jun 27, 2024 23:13:07 GMT -5
The skeleton... was hoping to prove herself an actual ally by joining in the fight against these "guards," to have that be the dancer's first impression upon seeing her unmasked, to allay any possible hostilities by proving that she's in fact on the dancer's side. The skeleton, though... perhaps hadn't thought this plan all the way through. She was going to, what, rush into the smoke, where she'd be every bit as blinded and helpless as the "guards" this mysterious dancer was pursuing, and possibly even mentally addled as well if the smoke got inside her skull? And then, what, when she was even more helpless prey than the others, she just had to hope that the dancer wasn't alarmed to see an actual skeleton caught inside the group? The best, and she means best case she could have hoped for in that scenario was if the dancer assumed that Beak was someone's bone minion they had just summoned during the escape, and that maybe downing that someone first would take care of the summons without the dancer's blades needing to turn on Beak herself.
But... then the smoke lifts. It gathers around the dancer and... okay. Okay, now she can see, and it looks like there are at least two of the "guards" still standing. Good. She lucked out. She lucked out and she will still try her best to think her plans through more carefully in the future, because she should not have gotten away with such a careless mistake, but... all right. The dancer's biggest problem, from what Beak can see, is that the four opponents are trying to scatter in the time it takes her to down any one of them. Combat isn't an issue--the dancer appears to be in no danger whatsoever of losing--but the fewer of them get away, the more complete information they can retrieve. This, fortunately, is exactly where a martial artist whose claim to fame is her speed would come in handy.
The remaining two "guards" are smart enough to run in opposite directions, which makes it vexingly hard to catch them both, but if she's fast.... Beak charges the nearer one, one fist raised, and turns the momentum from her sprint into the punch itself and delivering an immensely powerful blow1, the impact enough to send the "guard" off his feet entirely. Were it not for the other one, Beak would make sure this one was wasn't getting back up again before moving on, but she has to deal with the other one before she loses line of sight. As long as she can still see him.... Aha. There he is.
And now she's there, too.2
After catching up and grabbing his shoulder to spin him around, a quick flurry of body blows3 is enough to at least knock him over, and give him too much sudden stomach pain to get up again at least until the dancer has caught up with what happened over here while she was busy with the first two.
1 Lunging Haymaker 2 Blink, reflavored to being a martial arts "she's just that dang fast, enough to defy physics and de facto teleport" move rather than an actual reality-warping spell 3 Standard attack. Hand 1 is currently bare for this encounter, Hand 2 is a laced punching glove with Cold Iron plates and the Offhand enhancement to allow combined attacks. She has Master-level proficiency in Unarmed and Double Strike for her extra body enhancement, allowing each hand multiple punches per action.
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Post by Shitakibo on Jul 1, 2024 23:39:55 GMT -5
Squaring off with the bleeding soldier as the smoke clears, Taki weaves1 in and out of his hurried slashes. Each one draws a strained grunt from the man as his side stains crimson.
"Drop your weapon, surrender now, and I'll stitch you up."
"Like hell..."
The man begins to protest, only for a skeletal warrior to come along and subdue his fleeing comrades with unnatural swiftness. Taki recognized the skull of this martial artist as the 'helm' of the 'elderly woman' she had conversed with through Telepathy. Smirking, she looked at the man and stepped closer.
"What was that now?"
"Al... Alright... Tch..."
The man dropped his blade, pulling a dagger from his boot and tossing it aside before sitting down. Taki walks over to the man and sets down her pack, pulling out a long length of rope and a smaller rolled bundle of leather. Instructing the wounded man to lay down, she unrolled the Medical Kit2 and pulled out the various things she would need. Handing him a short bit of wood wrapped in yarn, the man bit down on it as the dancer poured clear fluid into the wound to flush it out. The disinfecting alcohol flushed away any contamination, allowing her to use small clamps to close off bleeding vessels.
It took some time, but she did her best to stitch the man back together. He wouldn't be able to move around much until a proper surgeon or healer tended the injury, but he would survive.
'Would you mind tying the others up while I finish with this?' She replies mentally, hoping her guess about the warrior's identity was accurate.
1: Cat's Grace 2: Medical Kit
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Post by Beak on Jul 2, 2024 2:35:32 GMT -5
Well. That certainly wasn't the reaction she was expecting.
Here she was expecting the dancer would turn on her the instant she saw a skeleton unless Beak could somehow prove she wasn't an enemy by helping her take out the actual enemies first, but the utter nonchalance with which that mental reply comes implies that it wouldn't actually have mattered, almost like... like Beak wasn't even the first of her kind this woman has seen? Is that possible? Are there others? Well, Beak can think of a few--a certain family she lives with--but... the world isn't that small, right?
First things first, though. Apprehending these troublemakers now that they've been defeated. Yes. She... ah... didn't exactly come as prepared as the dancer clearly did with her various tools and contraptions at her disposal; she doesn't even have any extra rope. She does, however, have the other two men very much downed, and after waving a hand to have them completely disarmed1, she has them at her mercy. Oh, sure, she could have done that manually with her actual hands, too, but... well, it's not very often she tries to play up her menacing appearance in order to intimidate foes, and maybe a little showing off is in order just to make sure they get the point.
"I suggest not trying to run again," she says, marching the one she'd all but teleported over to back to join his cohorts. The other one, meanwhile, is stirring. Not surprising; she'd only had the time to give him one quick but powerful haymaker before going after the other one, and not even the time to check if he'd been truly downed. Still, he's dazed from the knockout punch, and after being telepathically disarmed and spoken to in his own head in the spookiest voice she could manage--"You had best come peacefully, if you wish to see tomorrow"--he's receptive enough to coming along without any more of a fight.
So it is that, by the time the dancer finishes her work with the first two, the others are technically unrestrained yet kneeling on the ground, heads bowed, arms behind their backs--everything except the actual bonds, really--with the skeleton standing over them from behind, arms crossed, making sure they don't move.
"I... ah... didn't have any rope," she apologizes awkwardly.
1 Telekinesis, targeting any weapons or shields her downed opponents may have and just wrenching them away and tossing them aside.
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Post by Shitakibo on Jul 6, 2024 4:18:09 GMT -5
"Quite alright, you have my thanks for your assistance. I'll gladly handle things from here if you wish to keep out of the public eye."
As she replies to the skeletal warrior, she takes a moment to tie the four men's hands with lengths of rope and gather their discarded weapons. Evidence collected, Taki takes a moment to check the wounded man before getting ready to move.
"My name is Shitakibo, or Taki if you prefer. Be well in your travels, and should you ever need assistance, seek out Spirit's Retreat."
Taki bowed politely to the warrior, hoisting her pack and the bundle of discarded weapons. With a sharp hiss and a gesture, the four marched ahead of the Orochi. Guandao's downtown was well thought out, they only had a few streets to traverse between the treasury and the closest guard house. When the group arrived, Taki had a brief conversation with one of the attending guards. He barked orders to a pair of subordinates who took off for another building, tearing through the streets as if their trousers were ablaze.
Ten minutes or so later, a small procession of Guandao's own soldiers turned onto the street. She recognized the commander as one of the Chancellor's trusted military advisors, glad they hadn't fetched the Blackguard's commanding officer. The guard took custody of the four men, returning to their post while Taki and the commanding officer discussed the details of their apprehension. Hopefully this would shine some light on the situation, though several groups were in motion across the Isles.
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