The Ascension of Shuriiken - ROLEPLAY

[Memory]

Two daggers strike the ground, on either side of a fallen warriors head.

"That's enough!" Drezar yells as he walks from the Syndicate guild hall towards the Marauder Camp arena.

Virg grins, slowly pulling his daggers from the ground, then extending his hand to help Cybele get to her feet. She looks up at him with discontent.

"NO! Again, Virg!" she responds furiously.

"One of these days you're gonna get your head cut off if you don't start paying attention to your surroundings, Cycy..." Drezar replies calmly as Virg helps Cybele to her feet.

Cybele pounds her fists into the ground. "That's why I must keep training, we can't allow Jena and Ma-duk to have their way!"

"Your body is prepared for battle, but your mind isn't at ease. You must be able to control your thoughts and emotions... if those get in the way you'll only lose your life." Virg says. He rips a piece of cloth from his Marauder skirt, folds it into a blindfold, and covers Cybele's eyes. "Now, strike me."

Cybele grabs onto her spear and bangs it on her buckler to shake the dirt off. She takes a deep breath, trying to calm her mind, then slowly picks her head up, and nods at Virg. The two continue sparring.

"She's getting strong, huh?" Drezar says to Bucshotz as he casually walks up and sits on a barrel next to him where he calmly watches the two spar.

"Indeed, she is.. though it feels like we are running out of time. The wars are coming..." Buc responds as he pours Drezar a beer and hands it to him.

"We're ready, she will be too." Drezar raises his beer to toast with Buc, and they both nod in agreement.

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[Present Day]

"Atys has changed..." Arashii thinks to himself as he slowly walks by the Marauder training grounds. His return to the Marauder camp has been a long journey, returning now reminds him of his past, as Bucshotz, and of all the friends he's lost to the wars. He looks over and watches 2 young Marauders running through the camp, play fighting with sticks and laughing as they strike each other. He smiles, knowing many have died so these young ones could enjoy their lives here on Atys, but a huge problem lurks in the shadows, so his smile fades quickly.

He begins to think of what he saw out in the world as he'd been in hiding. Ma Duk was on the rise again, it seems his followers were even able to brainwash enlightened members of the Marauder clans, and the Karavan faction as a whole, since losing their leaders, have given up the fight and grown comfortable with allowing Ma Duk's followers to roam their lands. They've even lost control of all their Outposts.

"Lazy scum..." he thinks to himself as he pictures the karavan sitting in their apartments, drinking themselves into a stupor. "They've lost their will to fight..." He looks around the camp, watching the Marauders that are left there do their daily tasks. He wonders how everybody could be so carefree. Do they not know what's going on in this world, or could Ma Duk be influencing them as well? Promising them an easy life, showered with gifts, only to drain their souls of their free will? Is it even possible to fix it?

Arashii sighs, "Maybe I should've just stayed down there with the Kitin..." and takes a big gulp from his cup of beer. He slams his cup on the ground, and walks toward his old guild hall.

As he enters he gets covered in webs, and just stepping into the room creates a dust cloud. He proceeds to walk into the Guild Council room, slowly making his way to his old seat at one end of the table, dust still clouding off his heavy steps. He sits in the chair, and gazes across to the other side of the table, instantly triggering a memory.

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[Memory]

The Guild Council room is packed with members of the Syndicate, all with drinks in hand, preparing to celebrate a hard fought victory. Theyre leaning against the walls and the edges of the table, while the High Officers man the seats. All are enjoying themselves, telling each other stories of what happened during the battles, laughing and dancing around showing how they were able to defeat the odds.

"How's your face feel, Necor?" Rahael asks as he puts his arm around Necor's shoulders.

"Well, feels better than that rifle bullet would've had you not punched me to move me out of the way... thank you." Necor responds, lifting his glass to cheers with Rah.

Rahael grins back, taps his cup with Necors and they both take a huge gulp. They both look at each other and laugh with relief. Stories like these are going on all around the room, each ending with a toast, to honor the victory, and to salute the fallen. It was a tough battle, but they know it won't be the last.

Seralee walks in, and the chatter stops. The Marauders close their fists and pound it into their chests, standing straight up. Sera walks to the head of the table, and sits as someone pulls the chair out for her.

"Congratulations, my family." She says, smiling as she looks into the eyes of her comrades. "We've done well, but we all know this isn't the end."

"We will win, no matter the odds!" screams a Marauder warrior, slamming his cup down then raising it to toast.

"Hoo Hoo Hoo Hoo!" The Marauders chant in response.

Sera slowly raises her hand to silence them, and proceeds, "Do not let your confidence get to your heads, there is still an enemy much larger than us out there, this one battle will not be the toughest of them." Her smile fades, and she grows a serious look, as do the rest of the Marauders. "We will need to be stronger, and more united than ever. We can't allow our bond be broken, as we might be the last hope. Atys needs change..."

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[Present Day]

A tear streams down Arashii's face, a mix of joy, sorrow, fear, and hatred... remembering his lost brothers and sisters is a tough burden to bear. The tear slowly makes its way down his face and as it drops onto the table it seems to echo throughout the room.

"Atys has changed Sera, but it's not what we expected..." he says aloud, piercefully looking down to the other end of the table where Sera used to sit. He begins to get flashbacks of the old wars, watching his friends die, seeing their faces again and again as they took their final breaths. He slams his fist on the table as an unexpected guest walks into the room.

Alphina knocks quietly as she enters Syndicates old council room. "Hey, I heard you were in here, welcome back." She smiles and walks towards Arashii.

Arashii clears his throat, quickly wipes his face and stands up, trying to hide his sorrow and anger. He works up enough strength to force a smile. "Hey Alphi, good to see you. It's been a while..."

"Yeah, it has.. good to see you're alive.. not many left from back then." she responds. "Anyway, your old room hasn't been touched, maybe you should get some rest, and we could talk more in the morning. Better than sitting here and moping around." She reaches an arm out to Arashii.

Arashii looks around the room one more time and responds, "Yeah... you're probably right." He puts his arm around Alphina's shoulders and as they walk out of the room together, they stop and turn to say an old Marauder saying out of respect for the fallen, "Da Lifef, Du Rhieff, Maraundakh." (To life, and death, Marauders)

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Arashii awakens slowly, and stares at his ceiling with a stern look. He knows what he must do. He must fight again, to restore the balance of powers on Atys. "If the Karavan homins won't do it, then we must..." he thinks to himself. He clenches his fist and begins to get out of his bed. He looks over to one of his shelves, where his old war gear is still sitting. Pieces given to him from all his fallen brothers and sisters. He places his hand on his old blue Marauder helmet, closes his eyes and says aloud, "Atys needs change!" His eyes open.

[Black]