RP:Unwanted Welcome
This is a Mage's Guild RP.
Part of the Lies Within Us Arc
Synopsis: Kasyr comes back to Xalious village where he meets Jinfeng, and also finds out he's been exiled, banished, and criminalized by Lanlan, who is now sublime master.
Xalious Village
This once small village hidden amongst the Xalious Mountains has grown over the years, as studious visitors come to study within the Mage Guild's public library, and also to visit the ancient Xalious Tree. Many of the young magelings have built homes here while learning at the Tower, and most chose to stay when their formal lessons are done. It has a thriving economy built upon this, and is well protected from roving dragons which frequent the Xalious Ranges by the Mage Tower. The houses which line the streets are all simple in construction, yet sturdily built with a caring touch. To the south is the town's well and beyond it the legendary Xalious Tree. To the west is a large inn which houses the town's frequent visitors. To the east is a rocky path back into the Xalious Ranges, and to the north, rising up to challenge the sky itself, is the infamous Mage Tower
Xalious Village has traditionally been a welcoming place- one of the few places the Kensai has been able to call home of sorts. Perhaps the only one left to him, given the disquiet in Vailkrin following his abdication- and the still somewhat revelation of his mortality. That, and Chartsend being hit by cultists made it- well. "I can't believe I'm looking forward to grading papers." Mithril mesh gloves hands fall to his hips, if only to spread back his trenchcoat and shake out some of the dust from the travel. While he normally didn't care- there was a secondary purpose to the gesture, almost like he was shaking clear all the trappings of the Warriors Guild. For just a day or two, he'd get to be free of the crushing responsibility of leading an organisation that had been left in shambles.
Which is to say, there's a whole lot of self-involvement here- so please forgiven the Kensai if he fails to notice the fact that the townspeople have gone from uncomfortably staring at him, to pointing and pulling over their peers to do the same. Frankly, it's sort of expected- given that he -did- commit some warcrimes here. It was in self defense th- Okay. Actually, it might be a bit hard to ignore the gathered masses when -that- many angry people arrive, and start loudly protesting his presence. Awkward. In deference to the crowds ire, he puts up his hands, roused from his reverie and motivated to actually reach the tower. And yet, the cries of "You're not wanted here!", "Traitor!", "Murderer!" And far worse only grow louder- soon to be joined by a number of hurled rocks. They clatter around him, and some even against his armored trenchcoat, rattling against the mesh frame beneath the leather, and the preklek plating- but they do little to deter him. It's not until he reaches the door, where he meets a pair of uncomfortable acoyltes, and espies a notice pinned to the door that his patience finally wears thing.
There's something absolutely -galling- about the smugness that permeatse the note, " By the order of Sublime Master Lanlan, Kasyr Azakhaer is hereby stripped of his rank, Exiled and to be arrested on sight." Okay, first off- Sublime Master Lanlan? "Second- You think you could actually -stop- me?" That seems as much directed to the absent illusionist, as it is to the shaken acolytes at the door, and yet, when he takes a step forward they awkward raise their staves- and one even begins to incant the beginning of- That sounds like an alarm spell. Nope. "Not happening."
Elsewhere- it is a lovely day in the Xalious Mountains. The sun is shining, the birds are singing- and it's on days like these, Monks like Jinfeng- should cover their eyes. After all, the raw intensity and size of the bolt of lightning that erupts -out- of xalious is hard to quantify. There's a spectral blue quality to the light that gleams outwards, swelling out briefly to coil and dance around the countours of the tower and it's defensive wards. What's more the uncanny manner in which it seems to linger in the air further belies it's unnatural area.
The Kensai, after all- isn't intending on killing anyone, and that requires a lower voltage for a bit longer- effectively rendering the gathered crowd into a mess of drooling, unconscious "Idiots. I saved you from yourselves- and I'd do it again in a heartbeat." But it was clear he was unwanted here- as a faint and desperate curse upon his name echoes out from perhaps the last conscious individual within his vicinity. ...Yeah, they earn a second smaller shock- before the Kensai starts to move to leave. Odhranos was definitely going to have a political disaster on his hands, later.
Jinfeng was... okay so surprised wasn't exactly the right word. At least... not in the normal way. See, he had been wondering when this sort of thing would happen, because he will be perfectly honest with you he has been feeling kind weird with this kind of s*** not happening around him on a semi-regular basis. Back home, organizations like this had near-constant issues with masters and immortals rearranging the nearby landscape, and he had been on edge for quite a while because he simply hadn't seen any of it since leaving his homeland. This, honestly, was something he knew how to deal with! Really, the best thing to do if possible is just to avoid being noticed, but at this point he'd actually already arrived on the scene, wanting to see what the source of the enormous lightning bolt was - that had required he shade his eyes quite heavily, and even then took some time to recover his vision from - and thus was already likely more than near enough that the master in question could almost certainly already tell he was there. Well. Option two would be to just stay out of this person's way and hope he simply moves on, similar to how one would treat any other exceedingly dangerous creature which one cannot hope to contend with. he does his best to seem like a part of the scenery, knowing that it was entirely possible that he would die instantly should he fail to do so. That said, his mind was sharp, and he did not allow his fear to become overbearing, and does take a moment to look over all the nameless, faceless townsfolk who had been caught in the Master's retribution. To be honest, this wasn't at all surprising. The fact that they all seemed to be breathing somewhat was - seemed this master was kinder than most. Strange, generally speaking he'd have expected someone like him to want to kill everyone involved, to make a statement and ensure that no-one would question whatever they had chosen to question again. That was, after all, how things were done.
Kasyr pinches his noise when his empathic senses hone on someone -new- entering the scene, even as he's marching his way towards the mountainside path that leaves away. Some of the frustration, no doubt- is simply the fact that he'd been put in this position- and to buy time between some individuals going to detain him meant. ...All of that. But some of it? Some of it is simply from the fact that someone had witnessed that light show, and decided they felt their oats today. The pressure on the bridge of his nose intensifies for a moment, before he let's out a long exhale and runs his hands through his hair. It's a casual motion, sure- a sort of reassuring tousle of his own dirty blonde hair, and the Calico ears that are partially lost amidst the curls. But it also means that he's already got a finger around the band of his goggles, in case things get serious. And, for whatever reason, he's -not- feeling much in the way of trepidation from the stranger. "...Are you one of Lanlan's, or? I'm just curious if you're in the way."
Jinfeng appears to have gotten the Master's attention despite his attempts. well. Okay. Best to be polite and hope he didn't upset him in some way. He smiles disarmingly, bowing to the man politely. "This Martial Junior is merely a passing student, he has no connection to the Tower or anyone inside of it, he was merely here originally to visit the Tree, not knowing that it had undergone some form of calamity and thus was not suitable for meditation. He would not dream of getting in Martial Senior's way, in any case. He is not as foolish as it seems most in this place are."
Kasyr certainly scrutinizes Jinfeng, but the reply is honestly baffling. Mostly because it'a sincere sense of courteous deference. It's at once a bit uncanny, yet simultaneously refreshing. ...Then again, he is currently walking away from a heap of unconscious people, so that may factor into the measured response. "Oh. That. The Tree es busted. We're working on it." We, being the vaguest of terms right now. Was he going to come back the warrior guild With Lionel now back at the helm. Or Lanlan As Lionel, stirring things up. At that juncture- it'd be almost worthwhile to imperil the realm and murder Lanlan in cold blood- even if he is currently necessary. " . . . Wait. Martial- like you're learning, correect? Would you like a place to study?" May as well put the professional face on for a bit. Though, "You'll need to catch up though- I have places to be." Like anywhere -except- by the giant pile of incriminating evidence.
Jinfeng has perhaps the worst luck in the world. First a dragon, now some random wandering master. Why are powerful beings suddenly all interested in teaching him. "Well, yes, the Martial Path is infinitely long and ever-expanding, and Martial Junior still has only taken his first steps." Just staying there would probably be an insult. Best to at least keep pace with him, which probably wouldn't be too hard unless the man was moving at truly inhuman speeds. "A place to study... well, Martial Junior has not been seeking a sect recently, as he is still becoming familiar with this region and the various forces which exist within it. Does Martial Senior belong to such an organization?"
Kasyr might be capable of inhuman feats of celerity- but he's got his guildmaster hat on, and thus that requires measuring out a balance of 'Briskly leaving a crime scene', but allowing the potential candidate to keep pace. ...Though, once it's established Jinfeng can- he's apt to just continually ramp up, a little at a time. The more distance the better, right? In any case, The junior was asking him a question, and it was actually somethnig he was more equipped to answer then 'what's with all the bodies.' "As it happens, I lead such an organisation, monsieur. Of the martial variety, it es likely the largest one unaffiliated with a city." There's a pause there- both meant dramatically, and to gauge the impact the sales pitch was having. Always better to check in case you needed to change tacts.
Jinfeng did not like that at all, though it was more of a 'oh that's unfortunate' sort of reaction than anything. Large, unaffiliated sects generally meant that they recruited -aggressively-, and he'd likely have to play his cards extremely carefully to avoid getting roped in. "Ah. Unfortunately, I'm already part of a sect back in my homeland, and I assume that as a large organization, you likely have rules against taking students who already belong to another such group. After all, a student can only serve one master." To be honest, he'd considered perhaps reaching out to some places and attempting to join a smaller organization that may not have such rules, wanting to retain his autonomy as much as possible, as he'd need to be free for long stretches of time. Joining a larger group would be quite helpful - resources were by far the largest bottleneck in training - but this place had been confirmed to be truly unfathomably cursed, and thus he expected most organizations here did not put much effort into gathering the proper materials for aiding in cultivation, or that they'd even set up the most basic of training arrays, so he doubted there would be much to gain from tying himself irrevocably to such a group. "Truly a shame."
Kasyr whirls on his heels midstride, and yet doesn't really seem to slow down-There's just a sort of intuitive ease to the manner in which he maintains his pace- though it does require a bit of feeling out with his electrical energy in order to ascertain if there was any tripping hazards or sharp curves. Still, that did mean he could properly focus on Jinfeng, whose concerns he could address. "Not really? There's overlap between mages, paladins et priests- et even errant knights" Probably others, too- but he wasn't really tracking. "It's fairly beneficial, really- given a lot of value can be found in mixing those different types of combat experience. Et the way they can fuse with well-" The Kensai casually draws a hand over to his hip, if only to reveal today's choosen sword. Which- in this case, is another junky toy sword the Kensai has carved out of a tree in his spare time. The fact that he could use -anything- sword related as an implement for his antics was always a fun party trick. "Though- it's not a charity. When things like, - "There's a pause, the Kensai having near -casually- offered 'Evil Gods'. "...Continental issues ou the ilk- that can be met et matched with sword, we tend to clean it up. Et sometimes other elements- that really shouldn't be our purview." The swordsman wheels back around- if only because it meant he could allow himself a tired sigh, "Problem solvers at large." Glorified janitors, taking out Lithrydels trashbag gallery of murderous sociopaths.
Jinfeng considers deeply for a moment, seemingly keeping up well enough with the Master's casual speed, as he likely doesn't take it too far beyond what one could expect. When one is required to spend entire days only moving by way of esoteric movement techniques, the qi-enhanced movements of these styles become quickly second-nature, to the point that he executed them without thought. To be honest, if the Master had decided to lose him, he'd have no hope, but so long as he kept himself to speeds in theory attainable for a human, he could keep up wthout any outward strain. "Martial Junior apologizes, but he feels he needs to clarify that he understands Martail Senior's explanation. This group is a collection of many different types of warrior regardless of expertise, gathered together... as a sort of deterrent force?" It felt like something out of an old novel, a circle of masters gathered together to fight living calamities whenever they raised their heads. Likely it wasn't of quite that scale, but one never knew... and this was considered a place of -learning-? That was... incongruous with the otherwise intensely backward nature of everything else he'd seen here. "This sounds like the sort of organization which would be seeking masters, surely, given the sort of thing you seem to be suggesting... this Junior truly thinks that he would likely not provide much of value to such a group."
Kasyr's internal sighing only intensifies, if only because there are certain truths to what Jinfeng states. Certainly, rising to the occasion as a small band of legendary heroes -would- be the ideal scenario. But they were beginning to die out, dissapear, or simply fade with time. "I -wish- it were that simple. Unfortunately, this continent has seen a slow...diminishing of it's masters, until few remain." The warrior guild was a fine example of this unpleasent phenomenon- their former leader vanished without a trace, and left them to deal with things- albeit at a diminished timeline. "Which means the process falls on the guild to work on a new generation. refining those that are there. Thankfully, there's enough small problems to suitably sharpen the fangs of the realms would-be heroes." Okay. Kasyr's definitely sounding a bit more wry then he intended. It's enough that he's reaching over to his goggles again- though this time to remove a cigarette from under the band so he can take a quick smoke. "Obviously- we keep the recruits away from the worst of it. You can't learn if you're dead. Just a waste." The kensai casts a glance back towards Jin, the cigarette having been lit within the last little while. " Think you could keep pace if I moved a bit faster- at the swift clip they were going, Masbane's cave was visible- but the more distince they acquired, the better. And honestly- depending on how far reaching Lanlan's stupidity went- zipping -through- the city seemed pragmatic. Which is -exactly- what he intends to do if Jinfeng acquiesces to speeding up. Though, in Kasyrs case, it'll be a continual sense of acceleration until he can get from one end of upper Craughmoyle to the other in a couple puffs of a smoke.
Jinfeng makes a quiet humming noise. Oh. Well. It seems his half-joking assumption that this place was cursed was, in fact, quite possibly actually, literally true. What a terrifying place this must be that even those considered masters would die or disappear in such numbers? Hmm... He could use this. This is when he begins to relax a little. This Master was powerful, yes, but he was also... unexpectedly naive, in certain ways. Or perhaps just desperate. "It seems that what Martial Senior needs most is not students but competant teachers and elders, as well as training materials and resources. It is my understanding that certain knowledge that this junior posseses from his homeland is both widely unknown here and could be quite useful for raising such students. Perhaps a sort of partnership could be reached." A risk, then. "Are you familiar with a fellow Senior by the name of Kreekitaka?" He pronounced that... well. surprisingly will for a human, but still extremely poorly. Luckily the person in question wasn't there to hear it.
Kasyr enjoys the small break he gets, blowing smoke rings and tracking the Junior martials progress with his empathy. Really, whatever emotions can be gleaned don't provide all that much without the context of a discussion- so it's a good thing the monk doesn't take long. Once he's within earshot to continue the conversation- the Kensai dusts himself off and begins to travel at his 'pre-village-skip' pace. "We have a surplus of resources, actually. Enough that we have students devoted to just -studying- and cataloguing them. Et perhaps donating a few to museums. As for teachers? Well, perhaps. Though- finding what truly meshes with someones capacity es a struggle in itself." And if they were to fight as an army, how well they could fight cohesively. Who could -lead-. And of course, Kreekitaka had to be mention. The martial training - they needed to make more progress on that. "I. Yes. He's a colleague of mine. In the same organisation, en fait."
Jinfeng chuckles. "Well. That makes things simpler. I have an arrangment with Senior Kree. He is acquiring some things for me. We happened to exchange pointers, and he agreed to help me with some research that may be of interest to you. Perhaps we should arrange the follow-up meeting for that at your organization, then. I can show you what I may be able to contribute to your society, and we can discuss the matter further then. That sad, I really must be returning, my guide will be wondering where I've gotten to before too long." He bows politely once more, seeming more to be asking permission to depart than anything.
Kasyr makes things even simplier for the student. Once he's made it clear that he essentially knows the way to the guild, and a meeting will be due later? "Name's Kasyr, ask for me at the Guild, S'il te plait." There's a brief pause, the Kensai flicking his smoke off to the side as he waits for a name- and then the Kensai's body flickers with a pulse of electrical energy. And really- unless Jinfengs visual acuity would allow him to perceive the moment that the Kensai rather literally rides the lightning from here to the warriors guilds headquarter- well, He's going to be left peering at a vacant spot and the lazy arc of a cigarette as it finishes falling to the ground.