Learning dark secrets [quest][site plot maybe?]

[The Martyr]

Everyone keeps a secret or two. We keep this secret from the ones we hate, from the ones we love, and strangers. These secrets turn into lies that we tell each other. Some only confide their secrets to a selective few. What are these secrets? What are these lies? To find out, you need to be part of the most elite. Even then, it's not something that's going to be easy to reach for.


The city is far too quiet. There's hardly anyone ever outside, and it's never among the member of the elite. You may say it's because of the disease that's been spreading around, and everyone is avoiding each other by hiding in their own homes. However, what are the origins of the disease? Is it the elite secret or perhaps that is unrelated? Possibly the government is on it? Who knows exactly.


It's late at night and located in a dark alley is a man in a black cloak. Hiding his body and face, so he won't be revealed. Nearby are two colossal shady body guards. It wouldn't be wise to provoke them or the man in the cloak. The man in the cloak appears to be waiting for someone to show up. Is he somehow linked to everything, or is he just there to trip others up? There is a chance that he's just might be the first step in finding some answers.

[Tsundere Shinzu]

“Now then. What exactly is this shady business right outside of my guild?” Shinzu mumbled to himself as he spotted three suspicious and threatening figures. “How about you giant, do you wish to fight?” With a grin, the teen would stuff his little finger into the bodyguard’s nose with every intent to make him feel as uncomfortable as possible. Of course, despite this, the man would not react in the slightest. In fact, no one would hear or react to Shinzu at all. If anyone could spot him, all they would see would be his finger phasing through the man’s nose like some sort of ghost.

By pure coincidence, Shinzu had spotted the trio on his way to Lion Heart’s tailor, at which point he had decided to make it his personal mission to eavesdrop on them. They simply looked far too suspicious to be able to rest. “This better be worth my time. The tailor closes up for the night in fifteen minutes.” Despite the words leaving the teens mouth, they would never reach anyone’s ears. The only thing the men would feel would be a slight chill that could easily just be blamed on the cold windy-night. “I should know better than to judge a book by its cover, however, something about this just reeks of wrongdoing.” He mumbled, somewhat expecting the cloaked man to have a bounty on his head or something.

SPOILER: Click to show

Spell Name: Phantasm Embodiment
Level: C
Range: -
Description: Through the mastery and understanding of the spirit realm, the user may eject himself from reality and slip into the astral plane. In this form, the user will be undetectable to anyone’s senses or sensory magic, at the cost of losing the ability to interact with the world around him.
Drawback: Drains a constant level of mana for every post this is active. The user will still be vulnerable to magic in this state, making large area of effect attacks particularly dangerous even if he cannot be seen. The user will also be unable to use any form of magic or attack, let alone interact with anyone around him until the spell is undone.

Quixotic of THQ

[Taylor Devereaux]

Looks like trouble. Taylor thought as she watched three men pass right in front of her. They were shady creatures, two of them appearing to be body guards in protection of one. They did not seem to notice her - of course they did not - Taylor blended into the shadows like a night animal, her clothes and hair fitting right into the darkness. An air of black surrounded her, masking her presence. And yet, she was so close she could reach out and touch them. She decided against it. It was best to stay hidden. After all, these men had done no harm-- yet. "Now then..." Taylor heard her guild master's voice from the shadows. That was unusual. She looked back at the men, who were a little ways away from her now. She could see her guild master walk up to them. He stuck one of his fingers in the man's nose. "The hell...?" Taylor walked out from the shadow she was hiding in, calling out to the skinny, dark-haired man. From the distance she was at, she could not see that he was in some sort of ghost-mode, but instead he appeared as clear as the rest of the men. She walked towards them. If they had not seen her before, they had seen her now.

" "

[Felix]

Vivienne skipped under the light of the moon itself through Shirotsume. The girl's dress bounced with her every step and movement, her arms free and unbound. Her smile was fair, happy and satisfied with the cool breeze. She giggled as the wind traveled through her hair. She came to a jerking halt as she looked up, in awe at the night sky. "Such a sight...", she led off, nodding to herself. This is what I love about this town, the night is such a wondrous time to take a walk, she thought. The young girl didn't seem to care much that in a nearby, dark alley things are undergoing.

"Hmm?", she released the noise as she calm to another halt. She gazed down the alley, trying to piece together the different figures. She turned and placed a hand on her chin, wondering what was going on. Is that, three people? Two of them are so large, are they lost. Maybe they're dangerous, I should let the guild know about this, Vivienne thought as she pulled out her pen. She considered writing something that might help her see better, maybe even write the word 'Light', and launch it into the alley to lighten it up and then take cover. But she didn't want to get caught either.

What a difficult predicament, she thought as she knelt down and put her pen away. She was rather outclassed in this regard, lacking an emphasis on strong fighting in her magic. She reconsidered reaching out to her fellow Lion Heart members, but she didn't want to lose track of these three strange people either. "Tch. Guildmaster, what would you want me to do here.", she mumbled to herself as she clenched her fists. That's when she thought she seen something. Someone she had seen at Lion Heart before, emerged from the black shadows towards the men. "We can't have this.", Vivienne said to herself as she began walking towards the alley, he pen held tightly in her hand.

[The Martyr]

The fluttering light is obliterated by the falling night. The once peach and purple sky is transformed into a vast expanse of jet-black that engulfed the town. A canopy of luminous stars materialized among the ocean of blackness. Some were dull, merely flickering into existence periodically, but there was an adequate amount of shimmering stars to illuminate the dark, moonless night. The lake in the distance glistened, mirroring the dazzling assemblage of glittering stars and the luminescence from the restaurants and designer boutiques that lined the marina. The faint wind brushed against the water’s surface, tipples ruffled the stillness of the surface, and shattered the reflection of the harbor.

The inner city grew out of the cracked sidewalk like the jagged gap-toothed grin of an old junkie. The only splash of color in the grime came from the lurid graffiti and the sidewalks were littered with injection paraphernalia. As the young woman approached, the body guards moves in place in a defensive position. Their formation makes them appear to be military trained. If a fight breaks out between them and the young girl. She will not have an easy time against them. However, the man in the cloak waves his hand signalling them that it's OK. “I was wondering when you Lions Heart come out of the shadows. The one who is poking his head around like a ghost, how long will stay like that and not come in person?” The man in the cloak seem to be aware of everyone in the area. “I've been waiting for you all.”

Ooc: I'm trying to sound smaart, shadup.

[Tsundere Shinzu]

“T-Taylor!?” Shinzu stuttered as surprise took hold of him. Not only had Taylor caught him in the act of acting like a goofball, but she had also somehow managed to spot him in his phantasm form. “H-How!? Why!” He questioned, unaware of whether or not Taylor possessed the power to hear the ghostly Shinzu as clearly as she could apparently see him. “I was well aware of her keen eyesight in the dark, but to be able to see me while my body is in the astral realm… She certainly is a dangerous one.”

Shinzu’s trail of thoughts would abruptly end as a newcomer appeared behind Taylor. “Vivienne?” While Shinzu had never personally had the honour of meeting the young Vivienne in person, he did manage to recall her name from memory due to the fact that as of current, she officially bore the title of the newest addition to Lion Heart’s ranks. “To think these two would show up… Is this to be considered a blessing or a curse?” Unaware of what to make of the situation, the guild master simply tightened his grip around the lance strapped onto his back.

“Fear not maidens of Lion Heart, your master is- HEEEEEREEEEEEEEEE!? YOU CAN SEE ME TOO!?” Shinzu’s heroic speech would quickly shift to the screeching of an enraged goose as the cloaked figure revealed the fact that he was more than aware of the guild master’s presence. “Fiend! You just revealed your true nature! Only someone well accustomed to the dark arts would be able to sense me!” Shinzu would begin yelling at the man just before undoing his spell to make himself known to Vivienne and possibly the two guards. “Just what is it you seek? Speak quickly before I decide to take action!”

Quixotic of THQ

[Taylor Devereaux]

“Taylor? H-How? Why!” Shinzu sputtered. At least he remembered her name this time. But Taylor was confused by her guild master's reaction. He looked surprised to see her, or maybe even appalled that she was there. Taylor could not tell. Maybe Shinzu was close friends with these shady looking people. That would be the only reasonable explanation for him to be able to feel comfortable about sticking his... no, even then, that was still not acceptable. Taylor continued on without expression. "Is it that unusual that I am outside the guild hall of the guild I belong to?" Taylor said. She raised her hand in the air, revealing her Lion Heart guild icon on the palm of her hand as she continued to walk forward. Then, Shinzu got clearer. Not clearer in the sense that Taylor could see him better, quite the opposite, really. He looked like a ghost. And if he was a ghost, that meant he was dead. The young mage was unimpressed. "Oh. My condolences." Taylor said with a monotone expression, looking neither sad nor surprised. She had not known her guild master for very long. They went on one mission together. He would not be missed. “Vivienne?” Taylor turned to look over her shoulder to see the blonde-haired girl after Shinzu pointed her out. Taylor did not recognize her, but by the tone of her guild master's voice, the young girl must have been a new member. Taylor looked back at the men. “I was wondering when you Lions Heart come out of the shadows. The one who is poking his head around like a ghost, how long will stay like that and not come in person? I've been waiting for you all.” "Oh, that' because he's dea--" “Fear not maidens of Lion Heart, your master is- HEEEEEREEEEEEEEEE!? YOU CAN SEE ME TOO!?” Taylor sighed. "Why is it so usual that we can see you? It's not uncommon that people can see the dead." Taylor crossed her arms, studying her guild master's appearance. He had been strong, right? How was he killed so easily? Then again, he was scared of a little dog. Maybe he was not as strong as Taylor thought it was. Did ghosts display their mortal wounds? Taylor could not see any. Well, her guild master was all wrapped up anyways. Maybe it was poison? No, poison took a while to kill someone. Taylor would have heard about it. “Fiend!” Shinzu continued. Taylor sighed. He sure had a way of making everything dramatic. “You just revealed your true nature! Only someone well accustomed to the dark arts would be able to sense me!” "Oh. Well I guess that makes sense." Taylor shrugged. “Just what is it you seek? Speak quickly before I decide to take action!” "Your dramatism is unbecoming of you, Shinzu. They could be clients. You're being awfully rude to clients." Taylor said, unstrapping the gun from her side. She spun the gun once around her finger, and then held it at the ready. "Then again, I said could be." She smirked, then fell silent.

" "

[Felix]

She walked closer with a skip in every step. "Well well, didn't think some one knew our guild so well.", she said, looking from the shady guys to her guild master Shinzu, and then finally to Taylor. With a flick of her wrist, she gave a kind smile. How unbecoming, I wonder how they knew were we all Lion Heart. No matter, its not my place to question. But I shall enjoy making it such, she thought as she entered the alley. The mention of maidens made her gag at the idea. "Darling? I believe a nice cup of tea would help calm you down.", she said, holding back her distaste at the aforementioned maiden comment. When she was able to see Shinzu, she glared towards his general vicinity before returning her attention to the scene before her.

She nodded as Taylor spoke. "I agree, it's foolish to think they might not be clients my dear. But we are lions are we not, we do not frighten easily. Be they friend or foe, our teeth are bared and we're poised to strike.", she stated, with the flick of her wrist revealing her pen. "What say you, you strange man. Be you friend or foe on this night, after all you've waited for us, you can answer a few questions and wait some more.", she added with a sly grin, keeping her distance as she was not one to involve herself in thuggish behaviour such as this. Such as is, we equal them in numbers but I fear our skills may be outmatched. Hopefully we can all remain calm and collected, perhaps uncover something pertaining to these men, she thought, discerning what her goal was for the night.

[The Martyr]

The man in the obsidian color cloak laughs at their shenanigans. He seems very patient with everyone as they goof around. However, his body guards body language speaks other wise despite being told to relax. The mysterious man picks that up and sighs. The body guard that's closes to him leans over and whispers something to him. “You're right, we don't have a lot of time if we want to down to business.” The man reaches inside his cloak and brings out some sort of paper work.

“If I can have everybody's attention, allow me to explain myself. I have these men with me not only for protection, but purposely draw attention to myself, so I can draw you guys. While it might have been easier to directly to the guild for this request, it's impossible to do that without getting caught. I do believe there is a cure in this town, or at least some information. To gain this knowledge, you have to be on top 2% elite of entire Fiore.”


The man then put out his hand up with the papers waiting for anyone to grab them. On the paper, is instructions. Instructing they go to a certain tall building a few blocks away. Sneak inside without getting caught and head to the 3rd basement floor. Inside there is a lab and somewhere there is a safe. Somehow break into the safe and steal the contents which should be related to the virus. However, magic shouldn't be used as there are sensors all over the place.


“This mission could cause trouble towards your guild, but it may also help to save the world. If you complete the mission and the information is towards the virus. It be best to send it straight to the government.” If someone grabs the paper, then the man and others will disappear from thin air.

[Tsundere Shinzu]

Shinzu raised an eyebrow at Taylor’s condolences, though thought little else of it. Far too much was going on already for attention to be paid to the girl’s misplaced sympathy. “Dea?” Soon after, however, Taylor would end up mumbling something that would catch the attention of the guild master. “Dead! Deceased!? Kaput!?!? W-What happened to me!?” Slipping into the astral realm was tricky business. If Shinzu had somehow managed to kill himself in the process of doing so, then he certainly wouldn’t be surprised enough to doubt that fact. “Dead… No! Fear not, for I have survived!” He exclaimed upon examining his body and identifying that he had successfully become solid once more.

“Oh. I understand.” He grinned after clasping his hands together energetically. “While only souls bear the necessary qualities required to enter the land of the deceased, I possess the power to shift myself into the astral realm at will.” Purposely, Shinzu had left out a few key specifics that revolved around his ability. This wasn’t out of distrust for Taylor, but much rather due to the fact that he still did not know what to make of the trio of goons he had been tailing. “Oh tea would be lovely Viv-N-Nevermind.” The guild master was more than willing to accept Vivian’s proposal as she joined the conversation. Although, those feelings would quickly shift to negativity as Shinzu turned his head slightly to spot the angry expression plastered onto the young girl's face. “No tea then… Shame.”

As the two Lionesses questioned the men, Shinzu would shoot the cloaked man an untrusting glare. “Impossible to enter Lion Heart without getting caught along the journey? I can’t even keep Fairy Fail members from sneaking into the guild’s bar to steal our liquor… This sounds fishy.” Rather than speaking his mind, however, the master would simply keep the information to himself. With the way his two allies had reacted to the men a few seconds ago, he was more than certain that they held little trust for them anyway. “Sounds like an adventure. Though, if you only wished to share this information with the elite of Fiore, what are these two clowns doing here?” Shinzu grinned to suggest that he was kidding. Just in case anyone reacted negatively to the comment, however, he wouldn’t hesitate to shift his body into a defensive stance to block any incoming punches or slaps.

“Hmmm.” He mumbled. Just in case there was anything shady about the papers, Shinzu would refuse to handle them. Instead, he would allow his two guild members to take the information before simply looking over their shoulders to glance over the contents of the sheets. “That building… I have no knowledge of there being a lab there.” Stroking his chin, he would leave the alleyway before looking down at the street. “I suppose Lion Heart is the most trust worthy guild in this city. Then again, a cure? Such temptations could only mean doom. This is certainly a trap.” At the end of his sentence, Shinzu’s eyes would begin to glisten as a tiny smirk carved itself onto his face. “And yet I wonder, why does this man wish ill upon us? Let’s take the bait.”

Quixotic of THQ

[Taylor Devereaux]

Oh Endless Void of Nothingness, give me the strength to tolerate these two/ Taylor prayed, relaxing her grip on the gun and letting her head sink towards the ground with a big sigh. She had been hoping that this new blonde girl would give a little bit of normalness to the situation, but Taylor was far from correct. While she agreed with Taylor's comment on Shinzu's demeanor, she, in turn, had spoken just like him. In fact, they were so much alike that they could be father and daughter. Shinzu could not have a daughter, could he? How old was he again? Taylor still looked unimpressed when Shinzu regained his solid appearance. "Oh. That's good." she said with a straight face, trying to hide her expression by avoiding eye contact. She looked to the left side, her eyebrows furrowing in the middle. "Good to see you didn't die." She crossed her arms and nodded. Yes. It was good that their guild leader who was afraid of small dogs was not dead. Yes. Of course. It was only natural. Taylor's attention snapped back up when the shady man started to talk again. She raised her gun uncertainly at his voice, guessing that if he was hostile, he would have attacked already. Taylor heard him out, her right eyebrow raising with skepticism with every passing word he spoke. This guy was very suspicious. If he wanted Lion Heart to take an undercover mission, then why did he have to look so suspicious? He could have appeared as a harmless little girl or something. Well, then again, they probably would not have taken him seriously. Taylor looked to her guild leader. "We're taking it?" Taylor asked for confirmation. She did not even wait until Shinzu had confirmed anything before she walked straight up to the men and grabbed the papers. Not a flinch came from her when they disappeared into thin air. She studied the papers. "It does not seem legitimate." she held the papers to Shinzu, revealing what was written on them. Barely-ledgible, childish drawings decorated the page. It was a poorly drawn map of the building that the man had mentioned. Taylor could not help by snicker a little to herself. Such an intimidating man, but such an innocent drawing. "It's your call, though. I'm up for anything. It's about morning time for me, anyways." she said, referencing her nocturnal habits.

" "

[Felix]

Vivienne smiled. It was not simply a gentle or kind smile, instead one of determination. She was serious with her intent, and knew exactly what she would say. It's not everyday you get something like this. Top two percent of the elite of Fiore? We're already there. A cure however? What could this be a cure for, she thought as she found her hands rubbing her forearms. A chill ran up her spine, and she stopped. Her hands returned to her sides before she stepped forward, unaffected by the sudden vanishing act of the three strangers. She took the drawing for herself, holding a blank stare as she looked over it. She gave a loud, terrified gasp as she looked over it. "This is absolutely terrible. It simply will not do, allow me a moment.", she said, moving to a flat surface with her pen, fixing the childish drawing. She provided as much detail to them as she could, fixing them up to make it at least tolerable in her opinion. "Splendid, its tolerable now.", she said as she put her pen away.

She followed after Shinzu, standing close to him with a sly look upon her face. "A tempting ordeal, I'd adore it.", she said. "After all, we can't simply idle on such a thing. But may I ask what exactly could this cure be in relation to?", Vivienne added as she folded her arms. It does help that our guild is the top two percent of the Fiore elite, she thought before continuing. "It pains me to say it, but it seems we are at the mercy of whatever seems to be in that building. Well, let us waste little time darlings, let us begin.", she said, waiting for someone much more battle prepared to lead the charge.

[The Martyr]

skip as no action has been taken.

[Tsundere Shinzu]

“Taylor, can your night vision extend to things beyond walls and other obstacles?” Shinzu still had little information regarding Taylor’s powers. Could she quite literally see in the dark or was she just simply sensing the presence of anything lurking nearby? Depending on the answer, Taylor would be invaluable to this operation, assuming the concrete wall of the building did not render her useless. “And Vivs, I shall call you Vivs for now.” Shinzu smirked to himself as his eyes met with Vivienne’s drawing. “Not bad.” With her eagerness to pull out a pen, it could only be assumed that Vivienne’s abilities revolved around some sort of word or drawing-magic such as Dark Ecriture. “Though she does appear to be far too innocent to know of such evil magic… Perhaps something similar instead.” Either way, if the assumption was correct, then Vivienne’s powers would easily be able to adapt to the unknown nature of the situation.

“The cure that man referred to could only relate to a virus plaguing South Fiore. Rumour states that the virus very nearly found its way into Harujion not long ago.” The expression on Shinzu’s face would slowly grow solemn. “Draw caution. I know little of the virus itself, however, I have read enough reports to know that anything and everything relating to the virus is perilous. It attracts danger like moth to a flame.” The words would scare even Shinzu himself. Then again, such wasn’t a very difficult feat to achieve considering the lengthy list of things that terrified the young guild master. “Let us depart.” He stated before making his way towards the building that Vivienne’s map would dictate.

Quixotic of THQ

[Taylor Devereaux]

Taylor thought for a moment about her dark-seeing abilities. She had never had to explain them before. "No. I cannot see beyond walls." she said, keeping her speaking to a minimum. Her ability was more like two parts in one. She could see the absence of light just as normal humans can see light. This, in a sense, gives her the ability to see darkness. On the other hand, she can also sense movement. This is more tricky. While she can't identify what's behind walls, she can identify if something is moving behind it. "I can sense movement in the shadows in a small area around me. No shadow, no sense. No movement, no sense. But obstacles are not a problem." Taylor stared at the drawing with approval when the young blonde girl fixed the drawing. It was legible now, pretty, even. Taylor wondered if the girl spent much time drawing. She carried around a pen, after all. Maybe her magic was even linked to drawing. Taylor did not know. She had never seen anything like it before. "Much better." she commented and took the drawing back from the blonde girl. "Before we go further, we will make a plan of attack." Taylor did not suggest. She ordered. It was absolutely necessary. "According to what the Sketch said, this could be bad if anyone found out that Lion Heart was in on this." she looked back down at the map. "We need to cut the lights. Once that happens, we can sneak in." The lights were probably running on some sort of lacrima in the facility. "We need to split up. You two can create a diversion wh-- wait." she sighed, and then slammed the piece of paper into her guild master's chest. "You can go invisible. Nevermind. Both of us can just leave. How boring." she began to walk off.

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