The sand of the beach where the two sisters stood had been thoroughly roughed up by now. From above, one could see the trails of their footsteps traced in the sand, as they repeatedly sparred against each other. Both sisters had wooden swords, borrowed from one of the city's carpenters, so long as they swore not to do their sparring near his shop, where his young son would watch them, and dream of a day where he too, could fight with swords, instead of building tables and furniture like his father. 

    The two sisters twisted around each other, swords raised at each other. Sara's gaze burned as hot as the sun, as she watched her sister for any weaknesses, before finally moving in to strike. Two rapid attacks, however, left her open, as Luna took a chance after blocking the two strikes, to hook her leg around her sister's, knocking her on the ground, and placing her foot on her back, holding her down. Sara grunted, as she fell to the sand with a puff, sighing as her sister helped her up, and spitting out a mouthful of sand. 

She walked to the waterskin, placed loosely on on the ground near their makeshift training ground, scooping it off the ground, and taking a sip as she wiped the sweat off her brow. "Perhaps I should be the one wielding the blade, Sara?" 

Sara scoffed, almost gagging on the water that she was still swallowing. "And have me wield a bow? With my aim?!" The two shared a laugh, as  she picked her own training sword up once more, and the two repeated, over and over, sometimes winning, and losing. Not until they were interrupted by a peculiar stranger.  

Quality equipment was as costly as ever and most of the old soul's arsenal had long been sold, disassembled or outright buried for one reason or another when Ambika retired from her travelling days to transition into a grounded family life. With the adventuring landscape being the unpredictable chaos that it was and the need to keep her gear up-to-date, she would venture to one of the more reputable blacksmiths outside Sol City and place a custom order, materials readied and all.

While awaiting the completion of her new weapon, Ambika decided now was as good of a time as ever to get herself up to speed on the intricacies of swordplay once more. She knew full well that her aged appearance made her much more likely to be targeted by close-range attacks, what with her thin, somewhat short physique leaving little up to the imagination and her instrument case all but screaming old wandering minstrel who probably does not have much fight to her, but the deep-seated fear of accidentally unleashing her murderous instincts have kept her from pursuing refinement in that direction. Recent events, however, have hit her hard with the reality that she could no longer afford to remain within her comfort zone, so it was that she borrowed one of the practice swords crafted by one of the blacksmith's apprentices and made her way to a nearby clearing to do some self-training.

It seemed, however, that someone was here ahead of Ambika. Two of them, in fact. A pair of sisters, maybe twins, training with wooden swords like she was going to with her practice sword. Well, maybe the old soul could use a sparring partner. Or two.
"Any room for another training partner?" Ambika raised the blunt practice sword she had on her left hand.

    Both girls silenced a chuckle at the old woman, as they both broke their defensive stances to look at her. Sara was first to speak, her tone giving off a sense of amusement at the question. "What's an old woman doing looking to train? You should be retired by now!" She laughed, though Luna seemed less impressed by her sister's mocking.

    She still had a sense the woman was, to put it simply, a bit out of place, but she would not deny her the ability to train against them. In a city as large as Sol, a woman like her could go missing without anyone noticing for days, weeks, even. No. It would be good for her to get some practice in. Even looking as though you know how to wield a blade, is better than nothing. Luna turned to her sister, thinking for a moment, of a way to phrase it to better convince her brutish sibling. "Oh, come now, Sara. Often in combat, we'll need to face two or more opponents at once. This would be good training, don't you think?" Luna said, in a sweet, kind tone, that radiated a sense of knowledge, or wisdom. Whether that was true, was up for debate. "Good point, though I doubt the martial prowess of someone so old." Her sister replied, stepping towards the woman as she offered a hand to shake. "No offense, of course. I'm Sara, and that's my twin sister, Luna." 

The old soul supposed the two girls' stifling of a chuckle was of little surprise to her. She could appear entirely unassuming if that was what was demanded of her, though in this case, it was likely simply because her blanched hairs, aged voice and withered husk of a body spoke to them loudly enough for them to immediately slot the old woman into whatever harmless-seeming category she might well fit in. Paying no mind to the jab directed at her by the unkempt girl about retirement, Ambika replied, "Travelling." That much was true, anyway, and it was as good a reason as anyone would need to train themselves.

The other girl was quite immediately showing herself to be the more level-headed of the two in assessing the merits of having the old soul joining in on their training. Assuming that any fight one got themselves into were going to be fair in any way was the equivalent of pre-emptively buying tickets to the afterlife, and it seemed her sibling was convinced enough to let the old woman in on the training.

"None taken. It has been far too long since I have swung a sword proper." Nine years, in fact. The training sword at her home never saw any use once her son actually defeated his parents in a two-versus-one, and the cobwebs wrapped around it will likely never be wiped away ever again. "Ambika." The old woman extended her wrinkled hand to reciprocate the offered handshake.

The key to a fulfilling training session, especially with other parties, was to pace oneself and not immediately crush the opposition - not that Ambika was sure she could even do that with just a one-handed weapon with her rusted skills, but still. For the time being, she would see fit to fight only with the training sword on her non-dominant hand, shifting the training sword on her left hand to her right, and see how Sara and Luna fared against her.
"Sara, Luna, feel free to come at me however you wish. I will take on the both of you." The old soul then took on a battle-ready stance, beckoning her opponents come for her.

    The girls stepped back, readying themselves before preparing to strike. They both readied themselves, before approaching the old woman, attempting to flank her, with Sara on the right, and Luna on the left. Sara, ever the hothead, was the first to attack, stepping forward and swinging at the woman, guiding herself with her non-dominant hand. She seemed to be holding herself back, afraid of breaking the woman, however, it was then that she noticed Luna making her own attack from the opposite side. Sara slowed her swing, trying to avoid hitting her sister on her left. The sudden change of weight, however, caused her to lose balance, stumbling. She caught herself before falling to the ground, but her failed attack now left Luna undefended. 

    From Luna's perspective, she'd waited for her sibling to begin her attack, expecting to follow it up when Ambika inevitably blocked her sister's wild swing. Though, as her sister faltered, Luna had left herself open for an attack, as she followed through with her swing, hardly grazing Ambika. She stepped backwards, looking away from Ambika and towards her sister. "Are you stupid?!" She questioned her sister, taking a looser stance, keeping her gaze locked on her sibling. "Are you?! I thought I was going to hit you!" Sara said, glancing at her sister, but keeping her eyes on the opponent, as she reset herself, preparing for an attack from the woman. "Gods, you are a fool. There was no way you could've hit me, if you didn't hesitate." 

    Sara scoffed. "Apologies for not trusting your infamously poor footwork, sister."

Ambika simply let instinct dictate her next actions, letting Sara fall unopposed and easily deflecting Luna's attack just enough to stay unharmed. This lack of coordination... was not what the old soul was expecting. She was hardly a good teacher in that department, given that her role in the battlefield largely involved preventing combined efforts in the first place. She couldn't possibly lay claim to having taught Kishan and Semaini teamwork by any means whenever the two fought together, given that her son was like water, filling whatever was required of him at a given time. No, Florentio had to force him into roles and make Semaini adapt to the situations so that she could actually learn. She pondered if it was because of her seemingly frail appearance that the unkempt girl showed hesitation at first until she saw her fellow ally attempting an attack of her own, then further hesitation with the reason brought up in their argument. Hesitation that would have ended both of their lives if the old woman had no compunctions against just outright killing them - she might not appear that way to the two, but Ambika actually had with her four instruments of murder - the crossbow in her instrument case, a four-bladed ring sandwiched between said instrument case and her back, a chained sickle with a weighted end on the other side, and a retractable blade hidden under her left sleeve.

Eyeing the bow placed alongside a longsword along with other items on the other side, Ambika leapt across the sandy beach, grabbing the bow and an arrow from their presumable quiver in the process and sent an arrow whizzing right between the two while somersaulting in the air^[1] before landing gracefully despite the uneven surfaces^[2].

"Do not worry about me. I will live." Nothing like a live demonstration to give Sara and Luna a better perspective on who they were dealing with. Teaching coordination was beyond her, but lighting the fires of competition she could do. She then returned the bow to its original position and drew her practice sword once more. "One of you could take up the bow if you feel it is more appropriate, or we can continue with just swords. I will take anything you throw at me."

---

^[1]Sharpshooter - Quick Draw

SPOILER: Click to show

You now have become incredibly quick and agile with your weapons, allowing you to manipulate and use them faster than others. You now ignore the reload speed of any ranged weapon that uses ammo and can draw a ranged weapon from its resting place in twice the speed, letting you get more shots off or respond to enemies much faster than you normally could.

^[2]Cats Grace

SPOILER: Click to show

Your reflexes and basic body movement become extremely agile and nimble, allowing you to move around without the fear of falling or tripping over something. As long as you are moving you can not be knocked over or knocked off of something. If you do fall you will take no damage, landing safely on your feet as long as you have fallen less than two hundred feet. (falling off a mountain does not help you)

    The two watched in sheer awe at the woman as she danced over them. More so as the arrow landed between them. "Good gods! I hope I'm able to do that when I'm as old as she is!" Sara quipped to her sister. "Who the hell are you, that you're able to do something like that?!" She asked Ambika, the amazement still painted across her face. 

    Luna stepped towards Ambika, taking the bow, and grabbing some of her dull, practice arrows. "I would like to know myself." She said, dawning her quiver, alongside the practice arrows, notching one, but not drawing the arrow back. "I'm more well trained in archery than swordplay. The blades are more her thing. However it would seem in me and my sister's time practicing against each other, we have ignored honing our skills against anything else. A sharp blade is only as good as the warrior who wields it." The words would seem wise to Ambika, if not quite obvious if thought about for anymore than a minute. Luna sat in quiet contemplation for a moment, before Sara broke the silence, in her typical way.

    "You can't quote father at me as though it's some divine philosopher's teachings! The man was a drunk!" She groaned, as she stepped up near to Ambika, readying herself. "And still less of a dullard than you." Luna said, always one to get the last jab in on her sister, before she raised her bow, and drew the arrow back, ready to loose when she saw a moment she could take advantage of. 

"A mere traveller looking for her son." Ambika would refuse to divulge anything beyond that. Her sordid trade was one she wished she could forget, but they will never leave her. That the dreamcatcher hanging from her belt saw use every single day without fail ever since it was gifted to her was proof enough.

"Versatility is key to surviving what the world might see fit to throw at you. The two of you would do well to train in both archery and swordplay. Improving on your strengths is certainly important, but covering your weaknesses is no less vital." After all, the entire point of this training session the old soul had invited herself into was to mitigate the latter in the first place. "Whatever it takes to live another day," a slight hint of her underlying character would show with this single sentence, though it would be too open-ended for anyone to draw any proper hypotheses, "even if you never truly excel at it."

This time, the old soul would see fit to attack first given that Sara and Luna had the first turn in their previous round, beginning with a horizontal swing aimed at disarming Sara with her posture lowered. If that was blocked, she would release her right hand grip and switch to her left, swivel clockwise and attempt to strike Sara on her right side. The turning around would leave her open enough for an arrow if Luna so chose, and if that happened, then Ambika would instead use the sword to shave its momentum enough for her to grab ahold of it with magic^[1] and fire it right back at Luna's bow in an attempt to throw off her aim without even looking.^[2][3]

---

^[1]Minor Trickery

SPOILER: Click to show

You can draw forth a minor amount of magic to assist yourself, regardless of the job. This spell lets you interact with small objects and can do a variety of things. You can create noises centered on an area, even if nothing is there to make the sound. You can open or close unlocked doors and windows without needing to touch them. While effective at many things, this spell excels at being a distraction.

^[2]Sharpshooter - Shooters Sense

SPOILER: Click to show

You have spent so much time behind a ranged weapon that you have started to form a sixth sense, able to read your enemies movements and predict the shot, even without being able to see them. You are now able to passively aim at your target, even if your sight is obscured by things like mist, smoke or even the darkness. Vision impairing abilities or effects no longer prevent you from shooting at your enemy.

^[3]The Hunter - Magicians Secret

SPOILER: Click to show

Nothing can get passed the Hunter's ability to sense their surroundings now. You are able to sense any hidden object, person or living creature, regardless of how they are hidden. You will get a mental ping of the exact location of where something is trying to be hidden from you, and can even sense things that are magically hidden, such as by spells or abilities. You can sense invisible enemies or detect things covered up by magic.

   "Sounds like you're talking from personal experience. Must have some stories to tell. Maybe you can tell them over a drink, after we finish beating the shit out of each other." Much could be said about Sara, but what couldn't be said was that she lacked a sense of humor. Luna on the other hand, was more curious about the woman's son that she alluded to. "My condolences, Ambika." She said, a genuine sense of care in her voice. "We lost our mother when we were born. Your son is probably out there looking for you as well. We would be, if we didn't already know where she was." A sadness crept in as she talked about their mother. "Enough dwelling on our sadness," Sara said, seeming to force a grin on her face, to overcome the sadness she too, clearly felt. "Come, give me your best, Ambika. This time, I will not falter!"

    As Ambika came at her, Sara, now with her sister out of her peripheral, she could focus on the woman in front of her, blocking her attacks as they came at her. As the woman spun, Luna loosed the arrow, sidestepping as it flew back at her. She quickly notched another arrow, as her sister came at Ambika with a flurry of light attacks, the main goal being to overwhelm and exhaust her opponent, rather than to break through her defences. As she began to let up, she braced her right hand with her left, bringing down a heavy attack with the full strength of both arms, striking through to break her defense. If she actually managed to break through, Luna would take advantage of the opening, firing another arrow at the woman.

    Now that she knew that Ambika was capable of defending herself, Sara refused to hesitate, seeing it now as a personal challenge against her. And Sara loved a good challenge. She stepped back, catching her breath, flourishing the sword in her right hand as she pulled the woman in closer to Luna, hoping to make the next shot easier. 

Anecdotes were far from Ambika's strong suit. What could she possibly talk about of recent times that might interest the two girls? There was that giant snail... but a snail was a snail. There were those Ivorlings... but she would have to bring up one of those accursed Haysinthes. There was Guandao and Sunset Pass, but the former involved the Crown and the latter meant invoking that drunkard priestess. Of course, there were those Morphleon incidents too, which... no. Just no. The old soul deeply loathed social interactions. Either she gave too little that everyone was left wanting, or too much that the well of conversation dried.

"You have my condolences as well." Ambika briefly wondered if Kishan knew the rest of his family were dead before the thought was buried away, not to be unearthed for a long while more.

Observing Sara's tactic of using light flurries of attacks to ensure the old woman did not get a breather while simultaneously pushing her closer to her sister earned the former just a little more respect. She was not a total fool, at least. Then came the heavy attack, likely in an attempt to break through her defense and give Luna an opening to strike. Her muscles were already beginning to ache given her lack of practice forcing her to expend more strength to do what she needed it to, and her unfamiliarity towards her weapon of choice. Ambika was not one to allow a hit in if she had a choice, however, given that the old soul had absolutely implemented the tactic of pretending to be a newbie and then delivering a killing hit or even poison by 'accident' back in her assassin days, and as such, carried an unerring paranoia towards any and all attacks that might even remotely come at her.

So it was that the sand around Ambika burst upwards^[1] to take the blow intended for her, and the old woman would leap high up^[2]to land behind Luna and point her practice sword at the archer. Just as it seemed the sparring match would come to an end, however, a flash of killing instinct have her releasing the sword as a shot struck its handle where her hand would have been had she been slower by an instant, cracking its surface and embedding itself in the gaps.

"Who goes there!?" Ambika shot a glare at the direction of their assailant.
"Sheesh. That's why I told you to aim for the head or the chest." One of the voices grumbled as they emerged from behind a nearby tree, and soon after, another two would appear around the trio. Their ranged assailant would remain hidden, though Ambika already knew where they were.^[3]
"Oh my, two beautiful ladies to add to the collection," a presumable mage with a long metallic staff spoke. "What do you say, huh? Help us with that old fox there and we'll let you have a cut of the bounty."
"I didn't say you could negotiate with our pay, Mathew." The leader, likely a rogue, spoke in response. "Besides, no survivors."
The first voice, a fighter with a sword and shield, seconded. "No hard feelings, ma'am. Someone wants you dead and they pay good money." The old soul was already calculating her next moves. She would much prefer not to kill in the presence of others given her murderous tendencies, and there was no guarantee the two could even handle seeing lives snuffed out in front of them.

"Shield your eyes!" Ambika shouted as she threw out a flashing smoke screen^[4] and grabbed both of Sara and Luna's arms to buy them some distance.

---

[1]Scarab - Born From The Desert

SPOILER: Click to show

Scarabs spent the majority of their lives in the desert, training, working and living. This honed their abilities and gave them unnatural control of the desert itself. A Scarab can Summon forth sand from the ground beneath them, then control this sand as if it had a mind of its own. Using both of their hands, the scarab can move, manipulate and control sand, using it to block physical attacks or strike enemies offensively. The sand does minor amounts of blunt damage and can be used to obscure vision and even hide the Scarab while moving across the desert. When activated, this ability will last for two post and can be used twice per topic. The Scarab can control the sand up to 10 feet from their body but can only summon a medium amount.

[2]Long Stride

SPOILER: Click to show

This spell can only be activated and used by the owner of the spell, only affecting their own person. The next time the owner would jump, they can instead jump three times their normal distance. This allows them to jump over gaps or obstacles, or even scale high walls. This spell only effects the next jump and must be used again to gain the effect an additional time.

[3]The Hunter - Magicians Secret

SPOILER: Click to show

Nothing can get passed the Hunter's ability to sense their surroundings now. You are able to sense any hidden object, person or living creature, regardless of how they are hidden. You will get a mental ping of the exact location of where something is trying to be hidden from you, and can even sense things that are magically hidden, such as by spells or abilities. You can sense invisible enemies or detect things covered up by magic.

[4]The Hunter - Improvisation Engineer: Glass Sphere + Flash Powder + Smoke Powder

SPOILER: Click to show

Glass Spheres	An empty glass sphere with a hole that is closed off by a cork. Used to store liquids, powders, etc. Four bottles come included in the kit.
Smoke Powder	A handful of mixed charcoal powders, when thrown or propelled outward, creates a medium sized cloud of black smoke, which impairs normal vision for the next two post. Comes with two uses.
Flash Powder	A handful of light yellow powder with tiny bits of flint mixed within. When this powder is thrown or propelled forward, it will react with the bits of metal to create a non magical flashing effect in the immediate area. Comes with two uses.

    As the sand shot upwards, Sara would stumble back, covering her eyes to shield herself. In a last ditch effort to regain the advantage, she tried, and failed, to grab the woman's ankle as she shot up and over her, failing as she watched the woman land behind her with a puff. Luna lowered her bow, relaxing the string as she began to turn. "That was a good fight!" She said with a laugh, as Sara approached. "Indeed, I almost had you there, didn't I?" Sara walked towards her water skin, not before seeing the arrow fly through the air. Luna turned to the direction of the attackers, raising her bow once more, and launching her practice arrow, aimed towards the mage's head, before being tore away from the training grounds. Sara only had time to grab her true longsword, before she too was grabbed by Ambika. The two girls seemed to slightly fight against her grip, breaking free before both sisters continued to run with Ambika. 

    "Who were those people?!" Sara managed to ask in between breaths as she ran, fumbling to unsheathe the longsword in the case that they ran into more trouble up ahead. "They said someone wanted you dead. That, I can believe, but do you have any idea who?!" It was clear that both Sara and Luna had caught on to the fact that this woman was much more than a "simple" traveller, but in light of her kindness to them, they would not press her on anymore secrets that she herself did not choose to reveal. Instead, Sara wanted a name she could track down and deliver justice to. Whether that be enacting the same fate their assailants had intended for Ambika, or just a hit to their wallet, to dissuade them from doing such a thing again, she would decide later. More than likely after several pints of mead. Luna, on the other hand, was silently analyzing their surroundings as they ran, looking for some way they might escape, or, alternatively, gain the upper hand. A bush, a rock outcropping, a piece of high ground. An area to spring a trap. 

    Both girls, despite their inexperience were no strangers to drawing blood. They'd spent their days as street rats, after all. Getting into fights with other children. As they grew, they viewed themselves as vigilantes, handing out punishments to those they saw handing out wrongdoing. Though, the men they had killed up to that point had been thieves and robbers. Men, not trained in combat, but rather in the art of convincing someone they were adept at combat, or avoiding combat entirely, in the case of a thief, or burglar. Luna considered all these things, both their surroundings, and their experience - or lack thereof. Finally, she spotted it, a corner in the rocky cliff face to their left, large enough for them to duck behind, and perhaps low enough for Luna to climb atop, and into the tree that hung above it. Easy enough to ambush their pursuers, and flip the advantage back to their side. "There! Duck behind and I'll climb to the branches of that tree. When I fire my arrow, you both spring out, and surprise them. If we're lucky, we may catch them off guard." 

    If Ambika had agreed, Luna would do exactly as planned, climbing the small outcropping in the cliff face. Upon getting up to it, she would hop up, grabbing some of the lower branches, and making her way carefully to the top of the tree, balancing precariously above the expected path of their attackers, and drawing her bow, ready to loose an arrow into the head of their assailants, preferably the mage among them, who seemed to be their leader. If she could kill him, she believed, the rest would run or surrender, given their seeming disorder. Sara too, would follow her sister's plan, raising her sword and preparing to pop out of the hiding spot, ready to face down their attackers.

An unseen wall^[1] would see to it that Luna's practice arrow was stopped in mid-air despite the lack of proper vision.
"Ooooh, feisty. Just my type. Are we sure we can't keep them? Pretty please?" The mage snickered.
"Mathew!" "Sigh, fine." A magical gust^[2] began tearing away at the veil of smoke left by the old soul, allowing them to resume chase.

Too many to consider. "Two. Though they might as well be one and the same in practice." The Yata family, under the employ for her in-laws was her most immediately and likely choice. Capitol Landing was very much the latter's playground, after all, and she knew well enough that she was risking her life every second she was in the region.

So, the two wish to fight back. That Luna had aimed for the head just now, even if it were with a practice arrow and thus lacking in killing power, suggested that bringing death to others might not be new to them. That made matters that much easier. Now the old soul just had to make sure she could rein herself in when things got going...
"Very well. Before that, though..." Ambika removed her instrument case from her back, pushed out the crossbow within as she turned and fired a charged shot^[3][4] at the trees aimed at puncturing the ranged attacker's innards before they could ruin the plan, then slung the case with crossbow inside to her back once more.

As the sound of a bow release, another ball of smoke would appear behind the pursuers with the old soul joining right after^[5], and heavy sands^[6] would grapple the enemy mage on both sides, ensuring the arrow struck true. The man would fall as the sands sunk to the ground once more.
"You bastard!" The rogue and fighter, now enraged, charged into the smoke from two different directions, likely surmising that the elimination of the old woman was their first priority, trusting that their experience would shine through. Making a split second decision, Ambika opted to send the fighter hurtling out of the smoke with the use of magical kinetics^[7] rather than the rogue. The fighter's shield saw to it that they avoided the cliff face, but it would serve enough of an opportunity for Sara and Luna to strike.

"You think you stand a better chance against me, you old fart? I ought to let you know I'm one of the best in the Serrated Guillotine!" An attack from the old soul's blind spot, thwarted by the very smoke surrounding the two^[8] before the rogue was summarily dispatched with her oldest friend^[9] with a quick thrust to the neck.

The bloody deed completed, Ambika redirected most of her attention towards Sara and Luna whilst making her way to the hidden archer in case they had other tricks up their sleeve, wispy blade on hand.

---

[1]Mage (NPC): Force Wall

SPOILER: Click to show

You hold you hand outwards palm first, sending out a wave of unseen energy. This energy forms a small barrier that flies out from your hand. This barrier has a short range and only last for a brief second, but is strong enough to block the next spell or ranged attack that comes your way. This is a one time use and the barrier fades after a few seconds or after blocking an attack. Does nothing against melee attacks.

[2]Mage (NPC): Gust Thrust

SPOILER: Click to show

You cause a large burst of wind to shoot out of one of your limbs, be it an arm or a leg. This burst of wind does not deal any damage, but is strong enough to push an object away from you, or even push your own body in the opposite direction.

[3]Sharpshooter - Quick Draw

SPOILER: Click to show

You now have become incredibly quick and agile with your weapons, allowing you to manipulate and use them faster than others. You now ignore the reload speed of any ranged weapon that uses ammo and can draw a ranged weapon from its resting place in twice the speed, letting you get more shots off or respond to enemies much faster than you normally could.

[4]Sharpshooter - Charged Shot

SPOILER: Click to show

With the focus and patience of a true sharpshooter, you have gained the ability to charge a shot, holding back your strike for a short duration and building up tension. You can choose to super charge your next shot, giving it extra punching power. The charged shot will ignore things like armor, structures or walls and can be used to pierce things, ignoring the defensive capability of it. This allows you to shoot through a barrier or even hit an enemy directly, ignoring their armor. You only get two charged shots per topic.

[5]Oniwanban Shadow - Evasive Grenade Arts [0/2]

SPOILER: Click to show

The Oniwanban acquired black powder long ago and have chosen to mix it with phosphorous to create their penultimate support item - The smoke grenade. They usually carry quite a few on their personages and they can use it in a number of ways, but none is so great as their rapid movement technique. After using a smoke grenade you can move to any point you were aware of within the smoke instantaneously. The cloud of smoke is heavy and will remain for the next two post, only able to be blown away by Master or higher Wind spells.
You have three uses of Evasive Grenade Arts per thread, with each Grenade filling a medium sized sphere.

[6]Scarab - Born From The Desert [2/2]

SPOILER: Click to show

Scarabs spent the majority of their lives in the desert, training, working and living. This honed their abilities and gave them unnatural control of the desert itself. A Scarab can Summon forth sand from the ground beneath them, then control this sand as if it had a mind of its own. Using both of their hands, the scarab can move, manipulate and control sand, using it to block physical attacks or strike enemies offensively. The sand does minor amounts of blunt damage and can be used to obscure vision and even hide the Scarab while moving across the desert. When activated, this ability will last for two post and can be used twice per topic. The Scarab can control the sand up to 10 feet from their body but can only summon a medium amount.

[7]Oniwanban Shadow - Concussion Scroll

SPOILER: Click to show

This scroll or seal tag can be placed and used remotely or used directly by the Oniwanban Shadow. When used or activated it releases a forward facing explosion of massive kinetic force that deals heavy blunt and fire damage on contact.

[8]Oniwanban Shadow - Advanced Smoke Arts (Sword) [0/2]

SPOILER: Click to show

The Oniwanban has many mystical techniques but none are as feared as their smoke manipulation technique. They can infuse any smoke be it natural or magical with their mana and then freely change its shape and density. For three posts after activating their manipulation technique they can create constructs of shadow that can be a weapon from any of the shops or a piece of armor or shield. These constructs dissipate if affected by wind damage immediately but otherwise function like their normal counterparts.
The Oniwanban can also make a tendril of lashing or grabbing smoke from a smoke source that will attempt to smack or grapple any foe near it. This technique lasts for as long as the source it was made out of last, and can be used twice per topic.

[9]Scarab - Desert Stinger

SPOILER: Click to show

The Scarab has a unique weapon at their disposal, a six inch knife or blade that is mounted into a bracer and worn on the forearm. The blade can be retracted by a single flex of the forearm muscle, allowing the scarab to summon or return the blade almost instantly. This makes it the perfect assassination weapon, able to be hidden and concealed until needed. Scarabs often used this weapon to initiate surprise attacks, or keep their hands open and free from weapons. The Scarab is considered Exalted when using this hidden blade and can use sand from Born from the Desert to repair the knife if it breaks or becomes damaged.

    The arrow whistled through the air before landing into the shoulder of the fighter. Luna smirked at her successful shot, aiming at the position of the archer as the smoke cleared. Sara, upon seeing the fighter stunned by the arrow in his arm, charged at him, swinging her blade across his legs, knocking him to the ground, before impaling the rest of him, snuffing the light out. "What was that about dull blades, dear sister?" Sara didn't pause to listen to her sister's response, instead opting to follow Ambika, stepping out into the open and raising her blade in the direction she believed the archer was. "Your friends are dead, coward. Killed by an elderly woman, and two twin sisters with no knowledge of true battle. Your mage is gone, your rogue is slain by a blade only written about in legend! And your fighter, reduced to a legless heap of flesh. Now, the Elder assassin you thought an easy mark approaches you, unflinching to send your soul to the gods. So come! Face your death with honor. Show me what passes for courage upon your misbegotten kind." Ever the one for a dramatic flare, Sara knew her speech would not convince the archer to reveal himself. The goal, was rather to take his attention away from Ambika, and perhaps, to make him scared of what would happen to him, even if he did kill the old woman, he would certainly fall to Sara, or Luna. She wanted to make it clear to him, that he was a living corpse.

Ambika could not resist rolling her eyes at Sara's impassioned speech. the specter of a smug-faced Florentio dancing at the periphery of her mind's eye as she recalled one of his favourite tactics of launching into sheer theatrics where entirely inappropriate and annoy their opponents enough to target him, leaving them open to practically everything else. It seemed to have worked well enough, given that a glass sphere[1] was now arcing towards the floor where the sibling stood, threatening to hit a hard surface and shatter before the old soul used her magically densified blade to hit it right back at the archer, giving her a taste of her own medicine.

"Gah-ah! The pain! THE PAIN!" The archer screamed in agony as the chilis and glass shards coated her orifices, blood still bleeding out[2] where Ambika's shot had struck despite her best efforts to treat the wounds. Ambika strode towards the source of the scream, pointing the smoky implement at her.
"Who hired you?" The old soul asked.
"Why... would... I... tell you!?" The archer spat at the woman, and the latter responded with a very light touch of her injury. "GHAHHHHHHH!"
"Your employers will kill you anyway once they know you have failed," assuming they were indeed who Ambika thought they were, anyway. It was a bluff, but everyone in the industry knew it was a very real possibility that failure meant death.
"Fuck you, killer bitch. And fuck that Kisaragi bastard!" A quick stab to the spine to sever her nerves, and the archer was gone. Taking a deep breath to tell herself that everything was alright, it was simply self-defense and that the two siblings only knew her as Ambika, she would then remove the flowing implement and let it dissipate into the air. The name Kisaragi was not one unknown to her - he was a member of the Yata family, the patriarch of one of their branches.

"Apologies for getting you involved in my troubles." Being targeted was nothing new to the former assassin, even if she was so horrifyingly thorough back in her day that few actually dared to seek her out in revenge for her past deeds. The two siblings deserved none of this, though, so she felt obligated to make it up for them as she began looting the dead for their coin and anything worth throwing back into the market. After some moments of searching through the corpses, she would approach the two once more and hand the two a square-framed pin with a jagged blade - likely the Serrated Guillotine's insignia.

"They called themselves the Serrated Guillotine. This is likely their insignia. You might do well to keep these for remembrance in case the others come for you." Retaliation was not uncommon among criminal organizations, and the old soul would not be surprised if they attempted to send others after their heads, or if some of their members decided to avenge their fallen brethren. All in all, not a good situation. She could carry herself just fine, but the two... might have done well today, but there was no guarantee that they will survive another day. The sky was already darkening, however, so it would do well for them to return to civilization for today.

"Get your belongings and let us return to the city. We have their money to spend." Ambika stood on a high vantage point overseeing the beach, watching out for any other nasty surprises that might be awaiting them.

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[1]Archer (NPC): Improvisation Engineer: Glass Sphere + Powdered Glass + Powdered Capsaicin

[2]Sharpshooter - Crippling Wounds

SPOILER: Click to show

Damage with your range weapons now cause crippling wounds, wounds that sting and burn, lasting longer than normal. These wounds can not be healed by spells or abilities and take twice as long to heal naturally. This prevents others from healing the damage you dealt, allowing you to close in and truly finish off your prey.

    "It's no trouble. What's better for learning than actual experience?" Sara said with the tone of someone not entirely aware of the danger she'd put herself in. Luna stepped forward upon Ambika handing the two the sigil. "We've heard of them. A bunch of heavy handed thugs. Never ran into them, until now, though." She pocketed the sigil, as both girls nodded, upon mention of returning to the city, gathering up their belongings quite quickly. A water skin, a coin purse, some rations, and a few religious symbols from their time with the temple priests. As the two of them looked around, gathering anything that Ambika had left on the bodies. Once they were satisfied, the sisters turned to Ambika, with Luna stepping forward. "Onwards and upwards then, hm? I hope you can drink as well as you can fight. My dear sister needs some competition."

    "Especially because you lack much to be desired on those grounds, sister!" Sara chimed in, gently nudging her sibling with a gentle, yet firm push. "Only because you're fucking insane! You definitely inherited our father's tolerance for drink." Luna responded to her sister's nudge with one herself. "And thank Solaria for that!" Sara declared, raising a hand. "To the bar! I'm quite parched, and my water skin is empty. I would fill it here, but sea water would only do the opposite." Luna laughed. "Indeed. Let's go before more of those bastards come."