Yu-Gi-Oh: Twisted Fates R [IC/Started/Accepting]

[Libracor]

Felgrand drew his golden blade, allowing shining yellow sparks to fly across the field. In an instant, six shining flames marked by a complex runic symbol that the tribesman seemed to recognize perfectly appeared before him, showing him the power of his ancient spirits. "This Duel shall be the greatest of your life, child!" Wit a swing of his blade, one of the flames flew away into the ground, causing a illusory image of a great ravine overlooked by misty cliffs to appear around them. "Welcome to the Dragon Ravine! In this realm, I can sacrifice one of the runes I hold as well as one of the runes still in my scabbard. I will now send away the Spirit of the Arkbrave Dragon from my scabbard in exchange for this sacrifice!" In that instant, a rune from the remaining six as well as one from the glowing scabbard he wore flew high into the sky and faded silently. 

"I will lay this rune in secret now, and pass the rite of combat to you."

 

[spoiler=Field]

One Facedown

Four cards in hand.

 

 

[Tinkerer]

Achen was impressed by Felgrand's means of using his Spirits.  Were they all contained in that sword of his?  Further, Achen was wondering at the field magic.  He had studied that in theory there were magics that could alter the battlefield to give advantages to the user, but he had never experienced it personally.

 

Despite these curiosities, what really confused Achen was Felgrand not Summoning a spirit at all.  It seemed... careless.

 

He whook his head, "Whatever," he said "I draw...!"

 

[spoiler=OOC - Duel Sidenote]You've got 3 cards in hand, not 4.

 

[Libracor]

Thunder began to crash as the translucent form of a white and gold dragon rose from the ground. "On the turn after her spirit dies, Arkbrave Dragon's lingering spirit gives rise to another in the grave... The Rune that I had cast away shall now appear before me in all his mighty glory! Come back to me: Divine Dragon Lord Felgrand!" The spirit of Arkbrave faded into light, and as it did so a great golden light appeared, allowing the aforementioned dragon to take to the battlefield. It was clad in golden scales and massive, with satin wings. It opened its mouth and launched a ray of golden light aimed at Blind King Richard.

 

"When the great Dragon Lord is resurrected, he banishes a single spirit from your field or grave, and absorbs its power for his own... Go, Felgrand!"

 

[spoiler=OOC]

In case you didn't know already, Felgrand gains 100 x the level of the monster he banishes as ATK and DEF. 

 

 

[Tinkerer]

Achen's eyes widened for a second before remembering that he had made a contingency in case the Felgrand summoned out anything more powerful than his King.  "Your effect has triggered my trap!  The Wrath of the Blind Kings is something truly terrifying to behold!"  The magic that he had laid down before began to glow and entangled itself around both monsters, returning them to their pre-summoned forms.  Achen scooped up the coin of King Richard and laid it out to his side.  "The Wrath of the Blind Kings forces both of us to send 1 monster spirit back to the bottom of our decks."  Achen smiled  "You won't be seeing your namesake for a while, Felgrand."
 
Achen looked at his handful of summonings.  "I weave together the magic of the Blind King's Seer!  It lets me lay out my next five draws, also I can reveal 1 of those draws to you for an additional effect!"  Achen grabbed five random items from his bag, including a smooth stone which he placed atop the other three items.  He set them all aside except for a piece of dulled metal that looked as if it came from an ancient blade.  "I reveal this, the mighty Blade of Alexander!"  Achen said, holding the dulled metal aloft, "when it is revealed by a magic of a Blind King, I can call a Blind King to the field and equip it with the power found in the blade!  Come forth, Blind King David!"
 
As before, a bearded man appeared.  This one was thinner and his armor was trimmed with gold.  He somehow looked more regal than Richard had, despite having less of a presence.  In his hand, a long wicked-looking blade appeared.  "I end my turn."  Achen said.

 

[spoiler=Field]
Hand: 1

 

Field:

Blind King David

EARTH 6*
Warrior/Effect
This card cannot attack and the following effect is negated unless equipped with "The Throne of David": Once per turn, you can excavate the top 3 cards from your Deck; your opponent adds one of those excavated cards to your hand and the rest are sent to the bottom of your Deck. Once per turn, you can return 1 other face-up card you control to the bottom of your Deck; look at the top 3 cards of your Deck. You can reveal 1 of those cards to your opponent: regardless, return the cards to the bottom of your Deck in any order.
2100/2500

...in defense position equipped with

The Blade of Alexander

Equip Spell
The equipped monster gains 300 ATK. If this card is equipped to "Blind King Alexander", the equipped monster can attack twice and inflicts piercing. If this face-up card is returned from the field to your Deck, you can draw 1 card. If this card is revealed by the effect of a "Blind King" card, you can Special Summon 1 "Blind King" monster from your hand then equip it with this card. You can only activate each effect of "The Blade of Alexander" once per turn.

 

 

 

[Libracor]

Felgrand stood valiantly as his spirit was sent back into his scabbard. He stood stoically as the blind King grasped the mighty blade of Alexander. He sheathed his blade and drew it again in a fluid motion, causing a new flame to appear around him. He saw the rune within the flame and could not contain his smile. "What measure is a King, such that he cannot see the world around him, nor strike his enemies? I will tell you this, boy: He is nothing..." The Once-King swung his sword again, casting a spell from his four available runes, bringing to the field a golden statue that resurrected the Arkbrave Dragon, bringing its beautiful form into full view for the first time. "...for such a King has no destiny, save that of deposition! When Arkbrave Dragon returns from the grave, her divine light banishes all of your visible magicks and traps, and she gains power for each one."

 

On the word of her master, the Arkbrave Dragon spread her holy wings, and from them began to shine a beautiful light that threatened to drown away the Sword of Alexander. As the sword faded into sparkling light, the dragon began to shine slightly brighter.

 

"I will not be held down by such a paltry ruler... With the power of the Dragon Ravine, I shall discard the Czar Dragon I hold as well as the Divine Dragonlord Felgrand in my Scabbard!" Once more, two lights flew away from the summoner, leaving him with only two. "Now Arkbrave, my beautiful spirit! Destroy that unworthy King! Stream of Divinity!"

 

The blind King was swept away in a torrent of holy light, leaving behind no evidence that he had ever been there. "This is all the power I will show for now."

 

[spoiler=Field]

4000/3800

Hand: 2

Field:

Arkbrave Dragon (2600/2200) ATK mode

 

 

[Tinkerer]

Achen gritted his teeth in the wake of the the blinding flash that defeated his Blind King but he remained undaunted.  He'd been saving up for this moment.  He looked at the large golden coin in his hand and the four items next to him that made up his next four draws.  He'd set things up perfectly.  "I draw!"  he said, adding the stone that lay atop the other items to his hand.  "It is here, behold, the magic of my Tarot!"  Achen raised the stone into the air, and it seemed as though he was holding a lantern.  A cloak of mist enveloped Achen and it became difficult to make out any of his features if it wasn't for the lamplight.  Even so, the light made his already fair face deathly pasty and his red eyes sunken.  To Achen though, the light of the lamp illuminated the three items that would make up his next draws and manifested their magical/spirit forms.  "The power of my Tarot allows me to alter my future, forge a new path!"  Achen said, voice echoing within the magic of the Tarot.  "I send 1 of my next spirits to the bottom of my deck and I send another to the Graveyard.  I leave the third atop my deck!"  The light of his lantern burst and three smaller lights flew in different directions according to where he'd said.  "Now, I activate the power of the spirit sent to my Graveyard."  Achen continued, "Each King should have a fantastic court jester, right?  By paying some of my life, I can Summon Performage Trick Clown from my Graveyard!"

 

4000 > 3000

 

A flamboyant looking clown burst cartoonishly from another sack where he'd kept his Grave'd spirits.  It settled on the field and stuck its tongue out at Felgrand.  "Also, the power of my Tarot floods the field a second time.  Become Hermit Incarnate, my Tarot!"  A darker burst, and an ancient-looking shadowy figure in a hooded cloak and a lantern appeared on the field.  "My Hermit will not stay on the field though," Achen said, building into a crecendo.  "I tribute him for my most powerful King!  Heed my call, Blind King Alexander!"  A third king appeared.  He was thin like David, but his armor was jagged and gleaming with silver.  His hair stood white and appeared as spiked as his armor.  While Richard had looked larger and more magnanimous, Alexander somehow looked more dangerous.

 

"I use Alexander's ability!  By sending 1 other face-up card I control to the bottom of my deck, I can look at my next draws and show you one!"  The blind ruler lashed out, striking Trick Clown who disappeared into darkness.  "I reveal this, my next draw, Blind King's Ancient Relic!"  This is it... "When Relic is revealed, I can return 2 Blind King cards from my Graveyard to the bottom of my Deck and add 1 other Blind King card to my hand.  Return to me, blade of the mightiest king!"  The dulled shard of metal that housed the Blade of Alexander returned to Achen.  "King of might, I bestow your sword onto you.  Stand up in your full majesty!"  The sword appeared in Alexander's hand.  And his eyes opened.

 

"Attack."

 

The sword shone with deadly brilliance as with a solitary slice, Alexander felled the dragon.

 

4000 > 3600

 

"Attack."

 

A second time the blade danced through the air, cutting Felgrand with the barest of scratches.

 

3600 > 600

 

"I'm done for now.  This duel will be over before your next turn."

 

[spoiler=OOC]

I messed up when I was almost through writing this as I realized a couple things: 1) Arkbrave banished the Blade of Alexander (meaning Ancient Relic wouldn't be able to revive it), and 2) ...The Blade of Alexander isn't actually a "Blind King" card (nor is any of the "kings' heirlooms").  However, to keep this back and forth, I'd like to ask that you indulge these missteps and just let it play out.  Let the duel have its climactic moment of Achen using all these combos, just to get defeated in the end because he still doesn't know the full capacity of the Blind Kings yet.  If not, I'll need some time to reform this entire post and that... could take a while.

 

 

 

[spoiler=Field]

LP: 3000

 

Hand: 0

 

Field:

Blind King Alexander

FIRE 6*

Warrior/Effect

This card cannot attack and the following effect is negated unless equipped with "The Blade of Alexander": Once per turn, you can target 1 monster on the field; banish it. Once per turn, you can return 1 other face-up card you control to the bottom of your Deck; look at the top 3 cards of your Deck. You can reveal 1 of those cards to your opponent: regardless, return the cards to the bottom of your Deck in any order.

2700/1000

...in attack position equipped with

The Blade of Alexander

Equip Spell

The equipped monster gains 300 ATK. If this card is equipped to "Blind King Alexander", the equipped monster can attack twice and inflicts piercing. If this face-up card is returned from the field to your Deck, you can draw 1 card. If this card is revealed by the effect of a "Blind King" card, you can Special Summon 1 "Blind King" monster from your hand then equip it with this card. You can only activate each effect of "The Blade of Alexander" once per turn.

 

 

 

[Libracor]

Felgrand chuckled with a hint of respect for the bravery of one so young. "You are correct about one thing boy..." He drew his blade, and spoke above the rumblings as once more the power of Arkbrave revived her Lord. "This duel was over long ago! When Felgrand is resurrected, Alexander will be banished, and his six stars fuel the strength of the Divine Dragon himself!" With these words, the Divine Dragon unleashed a blinding light from his wings, sending the Blind King to his doom. Now glowing with an extra 600 points, Felgrand swung his blade, signifying to his spirit that it was time to end this farce.

 

"Go now, Lord Felgrand! Destroy all that which lies in your path! Show this whelp the true meaning of strength!" The great Dragon breathed a searing white ray toward Achen, one which would defeat him the moment it connected. Felgrand smiled for he knew that this duel was over, and once more the Once-King stood victoriously against those who would seek to prove themselves against him. Silently, he hoped that this show of force had been enough to draw the Star and its holder from their hole.

[The Frost King]

“Ah, so you have had a taste of alcohol,” Samantha said with a hint of surprise.  “Probably should’ve guessed that.” Noticing that Achen was looking away, she figured that this conversation was over. However, it wasn’t long before the kid spoke again. "Do either of ya think that the tarot holder will be out by the time we get there? If the Stars owner is a Summoner, they might come out if they see some other Summoners dueling."

 

“Maybe,” Samantha replied casually, knowing from experience that dueling did usually tend to attract a crowd.

 

After hearing what Achen said, Felgrand had stopped dead in his tracks. “Dear boy, are you suggesting that I duel you?” He jested, shaking his head before he continued. “We are almost there.” He pointed an armored finger toward the long horizon, and the dirt road that led to the center of town “If you need practice, I would be happy to oblige you...” 

 

 "I haven't been out of practice, but a duel should get me ready for any tougher Summoners we're gonna face. When we get to the fountain, we will duel." Achen said with conviction.

 

‘So the kid and the former king are gonna duel. Should be entertaining to watch. Will probably attract a crowd.’ With this thought in mind, Samantha followed closely behind the two as they headed for the fountain.

 

. . .

 

As soon as they had arrived at the fountain, Samantha headed for a nearby building. With the sun having risen not that long ago, the buildings were casting long shadows. The perfect place to observe from, in Samantha’s honest opinion. Call it a force of habit, but she preferred to be watching from the shadows than being near the center of attention. Like she had guessed, it wasn’t long before a small crowd had started to gather and watch the duel. While she was watching the duel, she also was occasionally glancing at people at the crowd. If the kid’s guess was right, the Stars tarot holder could be here at this very moment. But since Samantha didn’t know what they looked like, she’d just have to hope for some kind of sign.

[0PxPz0]

as soon as the duel between the two summoners had gotten a fair crowd the children inside began watching from inside, eventually one of the younger children got up the courage to ask the Mistress if they could join the crowd and watch, making a deal to do extra chores that afternoon to which the others halfheartedly agreed, claiming that witnessing the duel would help those that were able to summon to better control spirits and thus use them to finish work sooner. the crowd cleared from the windows and lined up by the door in two groups at the sound of her descending the creaking steps, Astra and the other five Culchethian children on the left, the rest on the right. she wore a formal plum dress with frills on the cuffs that forced her to stand as straight as possible giving her an air of intimidation. before opening the door she looked at Astra's group distastefully "Culs to the back of the group, this outing has no benefit for you." the other children snickered as the six red eyed children moved to the back of the other line and the Mistress opened the door and led them to the crowd "Honestly if you weren't such little thieves I'd leave you behind to finish your work." she led them to a suitable place in the audience where most of her charges could see at least most of the action. "What's happening?" Astra whispered into his hidden pocket, unable to see from behind the others. his tablets glow unnoticeable in the well lit pavilion "Temperance and Hermit are dueling Astra." one of the voices informed "I think Hermit is winning." another said, disappointed. "No, Temperance hasn't even gotten a chance to be used yet, they could still win." "Astra! Hermit says their Summoners are doing this to find us!" they began chattering in his mind, excited to be reunited with temperance at least.

[Tinkerer]

The final wisps of light faded from around Achen and he hung his head, tired from the duel and upset at his defeat.  He'd thought he'd planned everything out and yet...

 

He gathered up the coins and scraps of metal that made up his deck and dropped them back into his bag.  Another loss... He was praised in his hometown for being a prodigy, but outside it...

 

Achen looked around at the small crowd that had gathered.  Dipping his head and trying to look unassuming, he melded in to the crowd as it began to press in excitedly on Felgrand.  Hopefully this was enough to draw out the Stars.  Achen sighed.  Hopefully this'll be over with soon.  The stone of the Hermit began to glow dimly as he subconsciously moved away from the center of attention and toward a group of random children in the back of the crowd.

[0PxPz0]

The children, Astra included, cheered as the man The Stars told him owned Temperance finished off his opponent with his dragons. As the crowd dispersed and returned to their daily tasks the Mistress clapped her hands, signaling for the groups attention "Those of you that can summon may stay and ask those gentlemen your questions about the art while the rest of us begin meal preparations." While most of the children groaned and returned to the orphanage Astra was able to sneak away with the few children that had the ability to become Summoners, trailing them to avoid being noticed and reported to the Mistress. Astra watched from a few feet away, The Stars glowing from the presence of it's fellow Tarot, as the others surrounded Temperance and bombarded him with questions about being a Summoner, one asking if he could become an apprentice, most just wondering about his unorthodox manner of keeping his spirits in a scabbard instead of the more traditional and easy to use tablets. "Astra can we go talk to him?" "I wanna see Temperance!" "We passed Hermit earlier." "Judgement here to." Astra thought about talking to the man with the sword but decided against it, knowing the others wouldn't let him and would tell the Mistress "Let's talk to Judgement." he thought at the spirit, knowing they'd be resistant to approach The Hermit. Astra eventually found the woman with Judgement, using the glowing of his own Tarot to play a game of hot and cold until the light was visible from inside his shirt. Astra gripped his torn scarf as he nervously approached the Summoner "E-excuze mizz." his accent he hid showing with his 'S' words. "I th-think I'm the one your looking for. I, I have The Ztarz."

[The Frost King]

Samantha wasn’t really surprised when she saw that Achen had lost the duel. While he certainly seemed like a good summoner, Felgrand outclassed him in both skill and experience. As Achen walked slowly away into the crowd, Samantha half-thought about going over there and telling him that he did a good job. But the thought quickly left her mind as she spotted a slight glow coming from her jacket. “Huh?” Reaching into one of her jacket pockets, she pulled out the Judgement Tarot. For some reason, the thing was glowing. But why? It didn’t take long for her to find out as a young boy approached her. "E-excuze mizz."he said, seeming to having problems pronouncing his S’s. "I th-think I'm the one your looking for. I, I have The Ztarz."

 

 

‘Looks like luck is on my side’ She thought, slightly surprised that the Stars holder had just walked up to her. “I am looking for you actually. How did you know that?” Kneeling down to get eye to eye with the boy, she smiled. “The name’s Samantha by the way, what’s yours?”

[0PxPz0]

"I am looking for you actually. How did you know that?" Astra was somewhat surprised, she hadn't given him a disgusted look or said anything about him being a 'Cul', she hadn't even mentioned his accent. "The Zt-" Astra cut himself off, she was being far more kind than most, he didn't want to ruin it with his stupid pronunciations "My friend told me, the one you and Judgement and the others are looking for." The older woman knelt down and looked him in the eyes, smiling warmly "The name’s Samantha by the way, what’s yours?" Astra blushed, no one ever smiled at 'Culs' like that, even the other red-eyed children were to scared and sad to smile except nervously. the boy took a deep breath and tried to say his name properly like the Mistress had taught him "As-tra." he exhaled, as if saying his own name had taken an enormous effort, before pulling out his Tarot and attempted to hand it to her, hands shaking, "C-can I tell them goodbye before you take them?" tears began streaming down his cheeks as the perceived reality of losing his first friend truly set in. The young boy wiped them away quickly with the purple scarf and looked down at the glowing rectangular stone to avoid Samantha's gaze. "And i-if you'd be okay with it could you give them to Temperance? Part of them really wanted to see them again."

[)e//!s0P]

When Jordan walked into the guild hall of Red Water, all eyes were on her. The strange combination of a weird dress, a Longsword, and a mask were not seen in this town. She walked up to the bar, and took a seat, looking at the bartender, a woman in a black dress. The mask distorting her voice, she spoke. "Well, decent weather, huh?" The mask made the words sound deeper while also making her sound like she had a weird accent. "Sorry about my mask, it makes me much better to talk to. You don't want to see under the mask. So, what can I get to drink around here?" She looked around the hall, finding the local culture interesting, not like the countryside at all. It was all about who was better than who. Back home, it was to help each other as much as possible. The way people live in this part of the country was fascinating, but then El Shaddoll's message came back to her, to stay out of trouble. She went back to just sitting and thinking, wondering about what the Tower had in store for her.

 

[0PxPz0]

Lilith grinned kindly at her new patron, the others returning to their various groups, comparing newly acquired tablets, trading information, and of course gambling. A typical day in the Blood River guild hall. "I take it you made it past The Viper then young lady? Always nice to meet a promising Summoner." the bartender finished polishing a glass and filled it with a murky grey liquid. "House specialty, ghoul spit." The woman in black slid a drink to a man a few stools down, an entire bottle of the unappealing drink. "Red Water's a dangerous place for someone so young and pretty like us." She ran her hand through her long silver hair for emphasis, showing off a cracked bronze ring in the process "So what bring you to town?" she asked looking at the strange masked girl before her. There was something about her eyes, they were a vibrant green that gave off a sense of mischief and danger, as if Lilith had a secret she desperately wanted to share with the new arrival "Not many come around here 'just passing through' after all, everyone's got a reason."

[)e//!s0P]

“Ah yes, so that was his name. Viper. Seems to fit him well.” Jordan recalled the man. He was sly and cunning, but very vain. But with that out of the way, Jordan knew she couldn’t talk about how she was on her way to the resistance. El Shaddoll wouldn’t have it. So she came up with a half lie. “I have a personal vendetta with someone, though I have no clue where they are. Probably out of fear, he is running scared. So, as for the town being to dangerous for the young and beautiful, I believe the contrary. I am most likely the strongest in here.” Jordan then coughed suddenly, and took a moment to stop. “So, how much is that ghoul spit gonna cost me?”

 

[Tinkerer]

Achen managed to slip past the crowd and stood silently looking around.  Felgrand was still swamped by the crowd, but Samantha was talking to a young boy.  Achen didn't exactly figure her for one who'd randomly talk to kids...

 

The stone that held the Hermit warmed up and Achen saw his shadow take a hunched form.  It raised a crooked finger and pointed at the boy.  Wait... Is, is that the Stars user?  Achen thought.  He had noticed that the child seemed to be glancing over at the orphanage that Achen was standing next to.  The matron seemed to be watching the children near Felgrand.  Going over to Samantha now seemed like it would be a bad move, especially if it drew the attention of the matron.  Their mission was clear, get the Stars and go.  His best option now was to wait.

[0PxPz0]

"I have a personal vendetta with someone, though I have no clue where they are. Probably out of fear, he is running scared. So, as for the town being to dangerous for the young and beautiful, I believe the contrary. I am most likely the strongest in here." Lilith smirked "Personal Vendetta huh? Well looks like you're in the perfect place, say that word a bit louder and you'll get a crowd of hit men and tragic backstories faster than you can blink." the silver-haired bartender began polishing more glasses as a pair of men entered the guild hall, one large and intimidating dressed in red-dyed leather armor of the standard Predraelian Summoner soldier, his younger companion thin but short, dressed shirtless in worn cotton pants held up by a rope with shaggy, wild, auburn hair, the bangs hiding his eyes so that he turned his head at odd angels to see past them. "So, how much is that ghoul spit gonna cost me?" Both men examined Lilith and Jordan before the large man walked over, heavy boots clomping across the wooden floor causing everyone to change focus to the pair, and slammed two gold coins on the counter top before going to the second floor, his swifter partner already half way up. "Looks like your tabs been covered dear." Lilith winked to the stoic giant as he stomped out of sight. "Consider it a gift of the house I suppose."

[)e//!s0P]

Jordan was surprised at these random men. They didn’t know her, and they payed for her drink. ‘Wow, if they wanted to leave an impression they sure did it.’ She thought as she grabbed the glass. Jordan slightly lifted her mask and took a sip. It was surprisingly not as strong as she expected. She set it down and fixed her mask.It took about a moment, still not showing more than her mouth.“Mighty fine drink you serve here.” She then thought back to the mystery men. They seemed to be a mix matched pair, if she ever saw one. She asked the bartender, “Any stories on those two? They seem to be a mix-matched group.” Jordan’s mouth tingled with a burning sensation, and then calmed down. ‘Wow, strong aftertaste. Probably should have asked about the type first.’

 

[0PxPz0]

"That's Wardell, let's just say he's a high ranking guild member and leave it at that hmm?" Lilith placed the bottle one the counter for the masked girl "Not much of a talker but he can be sweet in his own way; buying you this entire bottle for example. As for his little pet? Around here we just call him mutt. He's not a member and no one knows his name but he comes in now and then to speak with Wardell." As if on queue the shirtless man clambered down the steps, practically on all fours, and left the guild hall. "I suggest you stay away from those two unless you intend on joining Blood River." Lilith walked down the bar and handed a mug of some bubbling gold drink to a man that had practically passed out a few seats down. "Hope you enjoy your stay miss, try not to get in to much trouble while you're in town." The woman in black said it as more a warning than a farewell, leaving the traveler and returned to her duties with the regulars scattered across the tables.

[The Frost King]

"As-tra." The young boy exhaled, as if saying his own name had taken an enormous effort. He then pulled out his Tarot and held it out with shaky hands. "C-can I tell them goodbye before you take them?" All of sudden, the kid started crying, as if his best friend was leaving forever. Quickly he wiped away his tears away with his scarf before looking away from Samantha. "And i-if you'd be okay with it could you give them to Temperance? Part of them really wanted to see them again."

 

Well this was certainly a problem. From what Zaddicus had said earlier, Samantha knew that a Tarot picked their owner, not the other way around. So taking the boy’s tarot would be pointless since it would only work for him. She needed to convince Astra to come with them. Reaching into her jacket, Samantha pulled out a white handkerchief and held it out to Astra. “Now now, there is no need to cry. I’m not gonna take your Tarot. To be perfectly honest, I actually need you and the Stars tarot to stay together. You see, me and my two friends were wondering if you could join us. You might’ve seen them already: The two fellows that were dueling a few seconds ago.” Looking around, she pointed at Felgrand, who at the moment was swamped with kids. “That’s Felgrand. He can be a bit of a jerk at times, but I’m sure he’ll be nice to you. And that-” slowly she moved her finger to point at Achen, who stood staring at them from a distance. “-is Achen. He’s a nice lad that is aiming to be an amazing summoner. I think you and him might become great friends.”

Looking Astra straight in the eye, her smile widened slightly.

 

“We’re going on a little adventure. Wanna join us?”

 

If this didn’t work, Samantha didn’t know what else to do besides kidnapping the boy.

[0PxPz0]

Astra sniffled and took the handkerchief from Samantha, looking at her with a mix of confusion and relief, as she introduced him to the other Tarot Holders with her. "We’re going on a little adventure. Wanna join us?" The young summoner looked at the others, at Samantha again, at the orphanage, then back at Samantha, before putting his Tarot back in his shirt pocket. "I c-c-can't leave without the Mistress' permission." Astra again carefully hid his accent, with only slightly less effort than before, looking uncomfortable as a new type of fear set in, not of losing someone he cared about, but of a very real and immediate danger. "She says if we leave we'll just get brought back by a soldier, and she'd have to punish anyone that tried." he looked down, ashamed of himself for thinking even for a second he could just go with them. "I want to help, really miss Samantha, but there's no way I can get my other friends without her catching me. She won't let me go with you when she catches me" He trailed off in thought before murmuring something under his breath and returning the the brick rectangle of a building, somehow feeling more downtrodden than when he'd left "C-Culs can't be S-S-Summoners."