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[Unlurking Sentinel]

~~~~RULES~~~~

1. All non-IC stuff, such as questions, character sheet edits, and story discussions, is to be posted at OOC Thread. Or the Discord channel, for discussions and questions. Just not in this thread.

2. Post formatting is mandatory:
"Colored text with quotation marks for PC speech lines!"
Colored italicized text for PC thinking.
_{*Colored subscript or between asterisks for PC whispering*}
Normal text for descriptions, etc.
Bolded text denotes action!

3. Order of posts:
In battle:
Player(s) -> GM -> Player(s) -> GM ... (until end of Player Phase) -> GM posts for Enemies -> GM posts for Allies -> End of Turn.
Outside battle:
Players -> GM, when needed

4. Unless GM explicitly mentions you/your character, you can't post in this thread. Do not PTW it either.

5. Table of Contents:
Prologue: A Thief in the Dusk/Misery's Eve
Chapter 1: Institute of Incarceration

[Unlurking Sentinel]

~Prologue A: A Thief in the Dusk~

As the sun was setting over the forest, a flock of chocobos were drinking at a small creek, when a boy fell from a tree, having tried to climb from one to the next. The flock dispersed from this fright, as the boy flailed the branch he had gripped at them.
"Hey! Stay still so I can catch one of you!"
As the boy kept flailing, two other children came out of hiding from the brush.
"Are you hurt? Where is the pain coming from? On a scale from one to-"
"I'm fine! I can take care of myself, Noah, but the chocobos got away!"
"I knew that trying to fall onto them wouldn't work, Keith. What about Plan D?"
"...Steal their eggs and hold them as hostage?"
"No, not yet! The stealthy takedown approach has got to work if I try aga- Ow!" As the younger boy tried to get up from his prone position, he winced in pain towards his foot.
"You twisted your ankle, didn't you? Come on guys, I think it's time to go back home. Monsters might eat us if we stay past sunset."
"Alright, alright. Come on, Keith."
"W-wait! My bracelet is gone! I lost it! I just had it when I was climbing the trees! We have to look for i-Ow!"
"You can't climb a tree in your condition! Look, I'll climb up and look for it, and Nina can help you back to town. I'll follow afterwards."
"Fine. But if you don't find it, you have to eat a raw egg with the shell!"
As the two younger kids headed off back home, the older boy set about to retracing Keith's steps. But as he set to climbing the tree...
_*...*
"W-what was that?"
He turned around multiple times, but he couldn't tell where the sound was coming from.
_*.......*
He picked up the branch the younger boy had left behind, and readied a defensive stance.
_{*.e..... m....*}
He still couldn't figure out where the sound was, but as he went towards the stream, the sound... the voice became clearer.
_{*.elp... me... help... me...*}
The boy noticed a glint in the stream, half-buried in the sediment and rocks. He pushed out the rocks with the branch, and found...
_{*..................................................................*}
"...Hello?"
As the boy reached out to the...
_{*...............................................................................................*
*.....................................thank... you.........................................*}
...a blinding red light engulfed the forest.

[Unlurking Sentinel]

~Prologue B: Misery's Eve~

It is civil twilight in the town of Cadin, in the northern Chocobo Forest. The closest town to Praesidium, famous center of magic and military education, and the most well-guarded prison in the Coris Empire. It has been well over a century since the fortress was home of the Duchy of Yithel. Not a living soul remembers that war, and very few can even properly recall the old duchy's name without needing a moment to think on it.
Much of Cadin's economy is built around either directly supporting Praesidium, or supplying chocobos to travelers and merchants who seek to cross, or have crossed, the Surth Bridge to the northwest. The number of free travelers taking said route was cut down following the Duchy of Surth's recent, more fraught occupation by the Coris Empire. However, the threat of piracy in Assilshan waters has led the number of such travelers on land to recover somewhat, albeit shakily.

A bell sounded throughout every corner of the town, calling its citizens to the center square. The ringing rhythm was irregular; anyone from outside town might think it random, but enough of the citizens recognized it to alert the others. How could they not recognize it, after all these years? If there was a threat to the Empire in their midst, the call had to be answered.

A squadron of Praesidium soldiers stood in rank file in the town square, accompanied by a wizard from the same. The townsfolk stood motionless and silent as the wizard quietly discussed something with the commanding officer.

<sub>*Is the crystal anywhere in the crowd?*

*Nay, not one here has it. The thief is in hiding either elsewhere in the town, or outside it.*</sub>

The commanding officer then turned to the populace.

"This is an announcement for the people of Cadin, and for all non-residents as well. A confidential asset has gone missing during relocation, and is presumed stolen. The asset will in all likelihood still be in possession of the thief. This sage is the only witness, so you will need him to confirm if any suspects are the thief. Whoever exposes the thief will we rewarded 10,000 gil. This detachment shall wait at the mayor's office, where you will present any and all suspects to us. You all have until sunrise. Adjourned."

The moment he stepped down, the crowd began murmuring in fear. Fear of what the military would do at sunrise if the thief isn't caught; if the guards believed even a single soul in town was overlooked, or even hidden. In the chaos of people returning to their homes, two children rushed through the crowds, trying to get anyone's attention.
"Help! Help! Our friend is missing! Somebody help!"

//Arnvidar Storme, Djedre Argenteolus, Akira Akiyama, and Ivoh'to are now active!

[cronos5010]

In truth, Akira cared very little for the people of Cadin, it wasn't because they had wronged him in particular, or even any sort of special disdain for the town folk. But he was simply passing by.

He sighed a little after he heard the announcement, he had hoped to save a bit of gil on his journey by signing on with a merchant or caravan heading to Surth as well, but unless the thief was caught before night fell....no one would be getting out of town any time soon.

Of course, he could have chased after the thief and keep that lucrative sum to himself and use it to pay for the trip to Surth himself, he really wasn't interested in getting into Coris's national affairs, especially when it might ah, draw unwanted attention.

And so, he turned to leave the square as well, having decided to spend another quiet night in the corner of a bar before retiring into the inn, only for him to hear something that...distressed him a little.

Two children were shouting to a disinterested crowd, asking for someone to help find their missing friend, a child himself. He probably should just keep walking, this could be a prank, an unfortunately timed gag performed by the kind of annoying children he used to avoid back home. And didn't he just come in to town? Does he really want to spend a long and tiring evening searching for some stranger's kid kid, who's all alone in the wilderness, where it's going to get dark sooner than later...

He stopped in place to consider his options a little, sure this was probably the right thing to do, but does he really want to get involved? It might take days to find the kid even if he started searching now, and does he really have the time? When his b-.

That's when he realized something, he was standing here, a samurai, weighing the costs of potentially saving a child's life against a mild annoyance, when the one that came before him would just...

He slowly turned around, sighed, and walked towards the shouting children, before raising his voice to say.

: "What does your friend look like? And where did you last see them?."

[TricMagic]

Hmm, I wonder what they were whispering about. he thinks as he memorizes the faces around him.
Well, that person likely has a way to identify what is lost. Still, I can feel the panic of the citizens.

"Help! Help! Our friend is missing! Somebody help!"

A voice in the distance draws his ears.

My, it seems that they would ignore their own. I suppose that paints a certain picture... Still, it would be madness not to help when I myself was rescued. And it's not like I will be able to leave anytime soon either.

Another draws close to ask them what's wrong as he moves to them.

"Pray tell what happened, children. I will lend my assistance."

[SirAston]

"This is worrysome..."

There are many things about this announcement that were, indeed, worrysome for Djedre. First, the fact that it happened like that in the first place. Second, the short timeframe stated. Third, that they could not disclose the nature of the asset. This could only result in chaos, and probably multiple people getting dragged in front of the Sage to be judged.

As if life wasn't already hard enough for commoners.

Speaking of, she heard two children shouting for help, and two men approaching said children. Djedre decided to join the small gathering.

"There is no need to worry, little ones. Speak of what has happened, and I shall help you."

[Unlurking Sentinel]

"Our friend, we were playing in the woods past the really big stable with the ugly chocobos, and then we went home, but he stayed behind, and he still hasn't come back!"

She might be talking about the chocobo stables to the south end of the town, where many brown chocobos are taken care of, for long-distance travel. At least, anyone who arrived to town on chocoboback or in a carriage might assume as much.
"I lost my bracelet while climbing a tree, and he stayed behind to find it.  I-I told him he had to eat a raw egg if he didn't come back with it, but I didn't know that the knight guys would show up now!"
"Even out there he should have heard the bell toll and come back! What if a ghost got him? Or if patrolling soldiers mistake him for the thief? If they don't catch the thief and one of us isn't proven innocent..."
"I think we were playing by a stream when I lost my bracelet. Please, you have to find him! He has black hair and grey eyes, and his name is Noah! And he was wearing a green shirt!"

[TricMagic]

"You needn't worry overmuch, I should be able to find him with that."

I've spent enough time with the Clans to know something of tracking. So long as we speak calmly, we should be fine. Best not to get questioned in the first place though before we've found the boy.


Looking to the Silver Armored one and the one with the cloak and red clothing, he asks,
"Though might be best if you two would help as well?"

[cronos5010]

Akira gave the grey haired man a bit of a side eyed glance before he spoke up in a completely flat tone of voice.
: "No, I just came here to listen to them talk about their missing friend so that I can watch them cry when I tell them there's nothing I can do.."

He turned his gaze back to the children, leaving a brief pause before he finally said.
: "We'll do our best to find Noah, just remember not to wander off too far from town from now on..."

[Aurorix]

These soldiers really are pathetic, letting one rouge go one after another. Ivoh'to had no interest in fetching whatever crystal they had lost. Besides, once he's across that big bridge he wouldn't have to worry as much about constantly being hunted. While he did feel a bit bad for the people who were mainly affected by it and what could possibly happen to them, he can't just go around saving every city he comes across form their own government. He decided to blend in with the crowd, or rather as much as one could with bright blue hair and cat ears.

Then those cute kids showed up and his conscience wouldn't let him totally ignore them, though helping would also require him to do a bit of work. Ugh, why did they have to show up anyways? He could've just left with no regrets. Hmmmm, well three other people have shown their willingness to help at least. Maybe he'll just shadow them for a bit to make sure all the kids are right. Then he can continue he stroll across the border.

[SirAston]

Djedre looks to the children.

"The black-haired man is right in that regards. Once we return with Noah, make sure to keep close to the town when playing."

She then faces what appears to be her temporary companions for now.

"Let us make haste."

[Unlurking Sentinel]

"..."
"...That was mean, sellsword-man." It was clear they did not find Akira's sarcasm amusing. "...B-but, thank you so much!"
"...Y-yeah, thanks times a thousand thousand!"Besides the tracking effort taking up time, it wasn't a particularly long hike; there wasn't that much forest directly south of Cadin, and there was only so much distance a group of children could have covered in a day. Still, the sun had wholly finished setting before the group found, before they even reached the creek, the figure of a boy carrying a large tree branch. But before they could ascertain his features in the darkness, he ran away from them, further into the forest.

[cronos5010]

Holding his lantern aloft to try and cast some light in the dark forest, Akira squints his eyes a little at the figure darting away further into the darkness, before he bellows out.
: "Noah! Your friends are worried sick about you! We're here to take you home."

Hoping that the mere mention of the name would draw some sort of response from the boy, and fully acknowledging that the night is dark and full of terror, Akira takes several bold and confident steps forward to move his lantern around, before he quietly says.

: "And of course he'll just keep running...."

[TricMagic]

Don't really want my talents known given how the Empire snaps them up. At least not unless I am in a position I won't get kidnapped.. Still. Why run, other than if he is afraid.

"I would advise caution as we proceed. Something is off. He's healthy enough to run, so why did he not return with the bell?"

[Unlurking Sentinel]

The boy kept running, and running, only to trip over a tree root and fall. As he turned back towards the search party, branch in hand, a strange energy emanated from him... magic?
"Away, gainive! You can't take me back to that room!"

As a red light surrounded him, the search party could hear something... no, multiple somethings moving through the bushes, softly cackling with what sounded like laughter...