HomeThe Cat in the Cradle
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The Cat in the Cradle
by Toril Tempest Thu Aug 28, 2014 10:35 am
(Note – This mission has been modified to be in Era for IC purposes)
The Junior Paladin walked down the streets of Era, taking in the sights. It was amazing the way it had come along so much in the last year. The Council had really stepped up the construction, and their new headquarters loomed above the newly reconstructed buildings around them. It was beginning to look like a city of new beginnings, rather than ghosts of old, and Toril quite liked that. She was new to Era, having grown up in Oak Town, where the Magic Council had taken up residence for several years while everything was rebuilt. The city was as much a fresh start to her as it was to anyone else. If she didn’t have a bad feeling about something going on there.
She had just graduated from the basic training courses from the past year. She was nearly 16, having just met her new mentor - an enigmatic and all around strange man who went by the handle of “Nines” for some reason. She’d kept up with him mentally and socially at first, but the longer she spent with him, the more she felt like a kid under the watchful gaze of the most insane and childish genius she had ever met. In a good way… she thought... hopefully.
Toril’s reflection, as well as her morning walk, interrupted by a woman who had noticed her lettered jacket that had the council’s symbol on it. She was an elderly woman, and looked like she’d been crying. “Are you okay, Ma’am?” Toril asked as she moved to face her.
“Miss, I know you’re young, but I have lost my granddaughter and I need help finding her,” the woman told her. “It shouldn’t be too hard. Her name is Neko and she likes to dress like a kitty cat. Please… can you locate her?”
Toril gently grabbed the older lady’s shoulders, looking into her eyes. “Ma’am, I’m a junior paladin, it’s my sworn duty to help where I can. I promise, I’ll find your little girl as quickly as I can. Now… where did you see your granddaughter last?”
350/500
The Junior Paladin walked down the streets of Era, taking in the sights. It was amazing the way it had come along so much in the last year. The Council had really stepped up the construction, and their new headquarters loomed above the newly reconstructed buildings around them. It was beginning to look like a city of new beginnings, rather than ghosts of old, and Toril quite liked that. She was new to Era, having grown up in Oak Town, where the Magic Council had taken up residence for several years while everything was rebuilt. The city was as much a fresh start to her as it was to anyone else. If she didn’t have a bad feeling about something going on there.
She had just graduated from the basic training courses from the past year. She was nearly 16, having just met her new mentor - an enigmatic and all around strange man who went by the handle of “Nines” for some reason. She’d kept up with him mentally and socially at first, but the longer she spent with him, the more she felt like a kid under the watchful gaze of the most insane and childish genius she had ever met. In a good way… she thought... hopefully.
Toril’s reflection, as well as her morning walk, interrupted by a woman who had noticed her lettered jacket that had the council’s symbol on it. She was an elderly woman, and looked like she’d been crying. “Are you okay, Ma’am?” Toril asked as she moved to face her.
“Miss, I know you’re young, but I have lost my granddaughter and I need help finding her,” the woman told her. “It shouldn’t be too hard. Her name is Neko and she likes to dress like a kitty cat. Please… can you locate her?”
Toril gently grabbed the older lady’s shoulders, looking into her eyes. “Ma’am, I’m a junior paladin, it’s my sworn duty to help where I can. I promise, I’ll find your little girl as quickly as I can. Now… where did you see your granddaughter last?”
350/500
Toril Tempest
- Posts : 56
Experience : 54
Primary Magic : Holder: Ring Magic
Secondary Magic : N/A
Re: The Cat in the Cradle
by Toril Tempest Thu Aug 28, 2014 2:59 pm
Well, now Tempest was off on her own little adventure. The poor old woman was worrying herself sick over Neko. Tempest was sure the girl was fine, but it wouldn’t hurt to take a look. Bringing back the granddaughter would make the woman feel better after all. That said, the junior paladin was not a skilled tracker, and so now she was following leads around town, trying to find a lone girl who was without her grandmother.
Several stops later, she’d found several actual cats, though why there were so many stray cats in Era, the girl might never know. She was more of a dog person, herself. People’s obsession with the small, untrainable creatures perplexed Toril. “Man… Nines is going to put me through the ringer if I can’t do one job I promised I’d do…” the blond girl muttered as she contemplated giving up. It was her lack of tracking skills that had kept her from graduating first in her class. They insisted trainees have as many skills as possible these days, in the wake of such a large war. Tempest didn’t mind the expectations. It just gave her something to live up to in the future.
Eventually, Toril was wandering out of an alleyway, having found her fourth stray cat. Apparently asking people about cat ears confused them. That was when she noticed it – a girl with cat ears, quite a bit younger than Tori. She was trying to struggle against magical chains that were holding her, with four men slowly backing away from the nearby bank. No other councilmen were around. That meant… she was the first one to know…
Moving up to a nearby tree, Toril held her breath as she peaked out at them. They still hadn’t spotted her, and were shouting for the people to not get in the way or the little girl would ‘get it.’ It was despicable. She had to do something, and soon.
676/500
Several stops later, she’d found several actual cats, though why there were so many stray cats in Era, the girl might never know. She was more of a dog person, herself. People’s obsession with the small, untrainable creatures perplexed Toril. “Man… Nines is going to put me through the ringer if I can’t do one job I promised I’d do…” the blond girl muttered as she contemplated giving up. It was her lack of tracking skills that had kept her from graduating first in her class. They insisted trainees have as many skills as possible these days, in the wake of such a large war. Tempest didn’t mind the expectations. It just gave her something to live up to in the future.
Eventually, Toril was wandering out of an alleyway, having found her fourth stray cat. Apparently asking people about cat ears confused them. That was when she noticed it – a girl with cat ears, quite a bit younger than Tori. She was trying to struggle against magical chains that were holding her, with four men slowly backing away from the nearby bank. No other councilmen were around. That meant… she was the first one to know…
Moving up to a nearby tree, Toril held her breath as she peaked out at them. They still hadn’t spotted her, and were shouting for the people to not get in the way or the little girl would ‘get it.’ It was despicable. She had to do something, and soon.
676/500
Toril Tempest- Posts : 56
Experience : 54
Primary Magic : Holder: Ring Magic
Secondary Magic : N/A
Re: The Cat in the Cradle
by Toril Tempest Thu Aug 28, 2014 4:14 pm
The look on the lead man’s face when Tempest flung herself into him was priceless. She might have been a fifteen year old girl, but she did have some combat training things to the academy, and it seemed the last thing he’d been expecting was a kick to the face from someone so young. He was practically fuming before his eyes even adjusted to see who she was. “Neko! Get behind me!” Toril told the equally surprised little girl, pausing to give her a gentle, reassuring smile despite the danger in front of her.
Neko nodded, scampering up to her much like a cat. Toril wasn’t sure the girl really grasped what was going on if she was still playing cat. “Stay behind me. I’ll keep you safe, Council’s honor,” she told the girl with a nod, turning back to face the men as their leader got back up. “Oi! You there! Kid! I’ll have your head for that. No one kicks me in the chin and gets away with it!” So they weren’t afraid of the council symbol on her jacket. They probably thought one girl wouldn’t be any problem. Especially since there was four of them.
They weren’t all that bright though, because they weren’t using their numbers against the junior paladin, with only one of them running at her, flinging large rocks at Toril. She dove out of the way, rolling under the rocks and popping up, practically uppercutting the man with a jet of water conjured by the glowing silver and blue ring on her right middle finger. He flew a few feet into the air before landing hard on his back, prompting the other two to come at her together as they realized she was going to be quite the handful.
More rocks flew out at her – three from each enemy. She was beginning to wonder if these weren’t brothers or something. They did look like they had a family resemblance – the same generic brand black ski masks on their faces. Toril’s other silver ring, this one with a white lacrima gem glowed with power, and a metal sphere encased her, causing the rocks to slam into it with a metallic noise as they shattered. The sphere disappeared, and Toril looked back just to make sure the girl was alright. She was, so she turned her attention back to the two men. They had kept running at her and were actually quite close. Surprisingly close for two lugs with slow rock magic.
Toril caught one man’s punch, but the other hit her square in the gut, causing her to double over in pain. Ow. Ow. Ow. Fighting bad guys had not been on her list of things to do on her own as a rookie. Fighting tears in her eyes, Toril stood back up as she clutched her stomach, gasping to get some air after that attack. One of them picked Toril up by her jacket collar, and she struggled a bit. “I’ll teach you to punch my brother!” Well, it looked like she’d been right. Not that it mattered since she was about to get punch in the face by this man anyway. Kid compared to them or not, the badge on her chest made her a target, and she knew it.
Suddenly, she heard a “meow meow!” and everyone paused to look down at the girl who was running between them. “Neko…” Tempest took a deep breath, before kicking both men who were entirely too close to her in the crotch, prompting her to get dropped to the ground as they doubled over this time. She landed on her rear, but rolled backwards quickly, popping up and headbutting one of them right in the face before she spun and kicked the other. Both of them fell to the ground.
“I swear, if I want something done right…” It was a disaster. Toril knew this man was desperate now. They were about to be foiled by a blond girl who was nearly a foot shorter than some of them. Chains appeared again. “I’m going to catch you and make you pay. Whether I get away or not, at least you’ll learn not to mess with grown men, girly!” he cried out in a rage, sending out his chains to wrap up Toril. She squeaked, and she felt the chains begin to tighten. She really wished she had her metal orb to block this. Wait! Metal… She could tell the man was ready for her to try something from his stance. He wasn’t as cocky as his minions. But he probably wouldn’t expect something crazy.
Toril’s final ring glowed yellow, and a lightning bolt seemed to come from nowhere in the sky. The bolt struck Toril, which wasn’t fun, but where he could easily dodge her attack while he had full control of the chains, she wouldn’t, and he would pay for it as much as her. Electricity arced down the chains, causing the man to scream along with her. Smoke rose from the pair as the chains disappeared, and the two of them fell over, blackness taking Toril as well.
The next thing Toril knew, she was waking up to a little girl poking her, asking if she was okay. Okay was an interesting word. She felt like she’d been hit by lightning. “Grandma says to thank you for saving me. She says she got here while you were protecting me from bad men,” Neko told Toril as she sat up with a groan. The people around seemed pretty happy that Toril was alive. Several of them clapped. Neko’s grandma arrived, smiling at Toril. “I had told her to wait until the doctors checked to see if you were alright before she thanked you, but she isn’t very good at listening lately, for a little girl with cat ears,” she told Toril. “I am glad to see you’re alright. It’s girls like you that help redeem my faith in the Council, you know.”
“Thank you ma’am,” Toril nodded, a sheepish grin on her face, “It’s why I joined the Council. I want to protect people,” she insisted, her brown eyes displaying the happiness she felt for a job well done. She’d have to not be so reckless in the future. She was fortunate she was right about the lightning hurting the man conjuring the metal chains more. She wasn’t actually 100% sure how electricity worked when it came to conductivity and had gotten lucky. Nines was going to laugh his head off when she got a chance to tell him about her morning.
Neko nodded, scampering up to her much like a cat. Toril wasn’t sure the girl really grasped what was going on if she was still playing cat. “Stay behind me. I’ll keep you safe, Council’s honor,” she told the girl with a nod, turning back to face the men as their leader got back up. “Oi! You there! Kid! I’ll have your head for that. No one kicks me in the chin and gets away with it!” So they weren’t afraid of the council symbol on her jacket. They probably thought one girl wouldn’t be any problem. Especially since there was four of them.
They weren’t all that bright though, because they weren’t using their numbers against the junior paladin, with only one of them running at her, flinging large rocks at Toril. She dove out of the way, rolling under the rocks and popping up, practically uppercutting the man with a jet of water conjured by the glowing silver and blue ring on her right middle finger. He flew a few feet into the air before landing hard on his back, prompting the other two to come at her together as they realized she was going to be quite the handful.
More rocks flew out at her – three from each enemy. She was beginning to wonder if these weren’t brothers or something. They did look like they had a family resemblance – the same generic brand black ski masks on their faces. Toril’s other silver ring, this one with a white lacrima gem glowed with power, and a metal sphere encased her, causing the rocks to slam into it with a metallic noise as they shattered. The sphere disappeared, and Toril looked back just to make sure the girl was alright. She was, so she turned her attention back to the two men. They had kept running at her and were actually quite close. Surprisingly close for two lugs with slow rock magic.
Toril caught one man’s punch, but the other hit her square in the gut, causing her to double over in pain. Ow. Ow. Ow. Fighting bad guys had not been on her list of things to do on her own as a rookie. Fighting tears in her eyes, Toril stood back up as she clutched her stomach, gasping to get some air after that attack. One of them picked Toril up by her jacket collar, and she struggled a bit. “I’ll teach you to punch my brother!” Well, it looked like she’d been right. Not that it mattered since she was about to get punch in the face by this man anyway. Kid compared to them or not, the badge on her chest made her a target, and she knew it.
Suddenly, she heard a “meow meow!” and everyone paused to look down at the girl who was running between them. “Neko…” Tempest took a deep breath, before kicking both men who were entirely too close to her in the crotch, prompting her to get dropped to the ground as they doubled over this time. She landed on her rear, but rolled backwards quickly, popping up and headbutting one of them right in the face before she spun and kicked the other. Both of them fell to the ground.
“I swear, if I want something done right…” It was a disaster. Toril knew this man was desperate now. They were about to be foiled by a blond girl who was nearly a foot shorter than some of them. Chains appeared again. “I’m going to catch you and make you pay. Whether I get away or not, at least you’ll learn not to mess with grown men, girly!” he cried out in a rage, sending out his chains to wrap up Toril. She squeaked, and she felt the chains begin to tighten. She really wished she had her metal orb to block this. Wait! Metal… She could tell the man was ready for her to try something from his stance. He wasn’t as cocky as his minions. But he probably wouldn’t expect something crazy.
Toril’s final ring glowed yellow, and a lightning bolt seemed to come from nowhere in the sky. The bolt struck Toril, which wasn’t fun, but where he could easily dodge her attack while he had full control of the chains, she wouldn’t, and he would pay for it as much as her. Electricity arced down the chains, causing the man to scream along with her. Smoke rose from the pair as the chains disappeared, and the two of them fell over, blackness taking Toril as well.
The next thing Toril knew, she was waking up to a little girl poking her, asking if she was okay. Okay was an interesting word. She felt like she’d been hit by lightning. “Grandma says to thank you for saving me. She says she got here while you were protecting me from bad men,” Neko told Toril as she sat up with a groan. The people around seemed pretty happy that Toril was alive. Several of them clapped. Neko’s grandma arrived, smiling at Toril. “I had told her to wait until the doctors checked to see if you were alright before she thanked you, but she isn’t very good at listening lately, for a little girl with cat ears,” she told Toril. “I am glad to see you’re alright. It’s girls like you that help redeem my faith in the Council, you know.”
“Thank you ma’am,” Toril nodded, a sheepish grin on her face, “It’s why I joined the Council. I want to protect people,” she insisted, her brown eyes displaying the happiness she felt for a job well done. She’d have to not be so reckless in the future. She was fortunate she was right about the lightning hurting the man conjuring the metal chains more. She wasn’t actually 100% sure how electricity worked when it came to conductivity and had gotten lucky. Nines was going to laugh his head off when she got a chance to tell him about her morning.
Toril Tempest- Posts : 56
Experience : 54
Primary Magic : Holder: Ring Magic
Secondary Magic : N/A
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