Dark Ascension

Guild Name: Dark Ascension

Guild Master: Unknown
Guild Council Member Proxy--Elliot Armand

Guild Symbol: A white sun becoming eclipsed by darkness

Guild Slogan/Motto: "It's already too late."

Location: Holstein, UMS, and Sarrice Northeastern Border, Mohari Mountains

Guild Goals: Maintain Isolation and Pseudo Independence

Guild Structure: Ranks are assigned and tested for, and the structure is loose

Guild Members: Victor Temere, Erik Aladante Folshoun (Erda), Athena ?

Guild History:

Spoiler:

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Welcome to Dark Ascension




The main floor is like any other guild--with tables and areas for interpersonal interaction, full of incense and black lighting. It hosts a stage where several of the members can get up and display their art--ranging from moving art to poetry. Other rooms on the main floor are set like little comfy rooms, with a fully stocked kitchen. The back area hosts an extensive training room for their members to train themselves in a myriad of ways. The basement area houses the master's housing and member's housing, though the two are separated. The second floor is where they keep the jobs board as the main floor is a bit too dark.

The dark clouds in the sky that promise dreary weather promise more darkness--perhaps just as much darkness without as within, on this Saturday morning.

James watches as Athena walks over to the Guild Quests, a smirk on his face. He lets her look for a few seconds before he moves up to her left side and holds up a piece of paper with a large money reward printed.

"Got this from one of our higher-ups." James says casually, "Seems we have some Blazing Swords trying to get too close to our territory, despite our warnings for them to get lost.

They'd like someone to do a little pest control--though not to kill, if the public can see. You in or out?"

Victor sheepishly walked out of his room, an attic in one of the old towers that no one uses anymore. It had been a while since he had done any quests, and he wasn't doing anyone any favors sitting around.. He would check and see if they had some nice E or D ranked quests. Something that required him to do something that didn't really require the use of his powers.

He walked to the board and looked when he saw James run up to Athena and say something about a quest. He pushed his hood to the side, trying to hide his face, because people always liked to try to get him to do these kinds of quests, and he could never bring himself to refuse.

James smirked. "I am now. C'mon, Victor! We're gonna go rough up some Blazers! I could use a man of your cowardly talents!"

The guy laughs a little bit and then high-fives another chick that just walks up. She has dark skin and hair, as well as a very physically fit form. She then places her hands on her hips and looks from James to the other two.

"This is gonna be a nice pay, even when split four ways." The girl says. Anyone who knew anyone in that guild knew that she was Kira--the infamous thief.

Erik sat quietly in the corner, as he often did best. He brought the pint of ale up to his lips, drinking it smoothly, then looking back down to the cloth in his hands. It was a pure black fabric, smooth, soft, and so dark it was as if it absorbed light. Of course, it was a typical piece of clothing with no magical power, but it almost felt as if it had magic running through it. He pushed the needle through the side and smirked as he brought the thread back up, snapping it with his teeth.

The day outside promised darkness, possibly a storm, there could be no better day than today to test a new cloak. However, this particular piece wasn't for himself. He shook his head, but smiled, putting the finishing touches upon the trim of the neck, the symbol of Dark Ascension, ingrained with a brilliant white thread amidst the darkest material he had yet to work with.

Suddenly and silently he stood up, the last of it complete. He held the cloak carefully in one arm, whisked up the cup of ale and finished it in one draught, slamming the cup back down on the counter, which made no sound, what-so-ever. He turned from the table and gazed around the room, his eyes seeking the one for whom the cloak was made.

Victor kinda winced when James said his name. "Oh, uh i dunnknow, James, it sounds like the three of you got this. Besides, you wouldn't really want me around would you? I can find another way to pay back that favor, can't I?" Victor talked very fast and nervously, and grinned a very fake looking smile after he finished talking, hoping against hope and clearly knowing it.

Kira scoffs, "This is a quest for our guild. That means the pay is the same for each of us, no matter who helps out. Besides....I heard there's forty plus out there. That means ten for each of us.

Well....more like three for Victor. I don't think he'd remain conscious for anymore after that."

She laughs and high-fives James again. Then, she looks off in the distance, looking out the window with a serious expression.

"Seriously, though. They know we don't want them here. It's time to show them just how serious we are when we say isolation."

"I-If you guys really need me to come, then i guess i will. But this means that i don't owe you anymore, r-right James?"

Xoia stood there idlely, grasping the hilt of his knife tightly, his knuckles going white. He glanced nervously at the tattoo on his forehead, and took a deep breath, seeming to calm down a bit. He nodded to no one in particular, still shaking a little.

Erik's eyes gaze about the room, taking it in slowly. He had been here how many years now? Somewhere around fourteen? The floor and walls of the place still reminded him of the tree he had once hidden in when he was younger, especially the lower levels, where the darkness crept in closest.

He shakes his head, slowly driving off the memories of old and focusing on the present. The slim figure of a woman catches his eyes, near the quest board. A sinister smirk spreads across his face.

"Got her."

Erik slowly treads across the room towards the woman. The wooden floor below does not make so much as a creak as he circles just around to her back. His smirk even wider than before, his eyes piercing the back of her head as he stands, hovering just behind her. He always thoroughly enjoyed her reactions, more so, since she was rather well known.

James nods his head to VIctor. "Sure thing, dude. You can consider us square. Which reminds me...when was the last time you even went on a quest, dude?"

Kira opens her mouth to say someething--but he is there. She can feel him. She quickly twists on the ball of her left foot as she spins and brings her right leg up to trip him. Erda always sneaked up on her! The only one who could, the jerk! And he reveled in it!

She turns to face him, her face mere inches from his. She glares, wishing she could call him out, but knowing that his silence ability made doing so impossible. She flips him off in a vulgar manner.

Then..she sees the coat and her eyes soften. An eyebrow raised as she points at it questioningly.

Erik's smirk turns into something much fonder. He his eyes turn a little softer, and he slowly removes his glasses, letting her see his true eye color, as he often did with her. He had always believed that eye contact, with or without words, could be key in some situations. His fondness expresses itself in a gentle grin, which still looks quite sinister to onlookers.

He slowly puts his arm out, taking the material in his hands and holding it out to her letting her see the inside of the cloak. It has many pockets stitched into the interior, though there is no mark of stitched on the exterior of the cloak. They are all easily accessible to her nimble fingers, should she ever need to slip something away, or pull something from within. He looks carefully at the outline of the cloak and her body.

"It should be comfortable enough, enough room to breath, but not enough to trip up over."

He extends his reach, pressing the cloak towards her.

"Well, that was two weeks ago, when you guys had me come when we were breaking into that thieves warehouse." Victor seemed to shrink back "at night." Then he noticed Erda walking up behind Kira. After he was done taking to her, Victor waved nervously at him. "Hey Erda. Will you be coming with us too?" Victor didn't seem entirely comfortable with the idea, but then again it was one more person, meaning fewer they had to take on.

Kira took the cloak with a smile and put it on immediately, a sincere thank you in her eyes. She heard Victor's question from behind her and so she turned with an eyebrow raised.

"Of course, he's coming with." Kira says, "James and Erda are the best team, yet. Besides, it's not like we'll be losing any money by having more along. C'mon, Erda. Come with us to beat some Blazing Swords intruders."

Kira and James begin to walk to the Guild's entrance and she looks over at James as she asks: "Where exactly are they, anyway? I know they're near the wall, but what side?"

"Our right." James answers as he opens the door, "Let's move it, people. This is fast money--and it sounds good to me."

Erik's smile fades and he pushes his glasses back into place. He had always wondered exactly what Kira's voice sounded like, but he was sure it was somewhat pleasing to the ear. His father had once told him a story of a man with a silver tongue that could talk the clothes off of a king. He often imagined that Kira must also have such a tongue and such a voice to match. He snickers to himself, then catches her lips moving and begins reading her words as carefully as he could. She often managed to slip words by him in the past, but he had been around her long enough now to be able to catch most of her simplest and most subtle words.

He nods to acknowledge her. He had previously looked at the guild board in search of a job, but got caught up in his work. He didn't mind driving off intruders either, he liked the isolation of the mountains, new neighbors would only be a bother to him and the Guild. As Kira and James turn to walk, he follows behind them, not paying any mind to what they said to each other, for that was their business, not his.

Victor followed behind them, seeming to have his nerves under control for now. He pulled his hood over his head, and did his best not to draw attention to himself. He knew that James knew what to do if he started to freak out, like he normally did. They walked out of the guild hall and into the city. He watched them all carefully, prepared to do his best for the guild, regardless of any problems they ran into.

As the group exits into the isolated courtyard, Kira moves up to open the large entrance gate. She pulls the screeching, dark metal open and waits for everyone to go through. When they have all passed, with James in the lead, she closes the gate behind them, locking it carefully behind her with her special key.

Only intermediate Dark Ascension members generally had access to their own copy of the gate key. As such, many of the newcomers had to wait and/or ask for assistance. Kira remembers this as she opens and closes the gate and it makes her feel quite appreciative to have her own. Memories from before the days of having a key weren't exactly fond ones.

Now that she's in the back of the group, she begins to scout with her eyes, carefully. The moment they wind around the corner, they'll likely be able to see the Blazing Swords easily. The guild was not usually known for its stealth. In fact, they are usually quite blunt and open about everything they do.

Sure enough, as they move to the side of the outer wall of Dark Ascension, they find themselves facing a massive camp of somewhere between forty and fifty men and woman, all heavily armored and some of them with weapons. The majority of them look extremely buff.

James, who is already in front, takes initiative. He stands in front of the people with his back to the guild wall, strategically between the two. He places his hands on his hips and waits silently as the rest of the group catches up. It isn't long before Kira, too, is standing tall with her hands at her side as her eyes dart from one opponent tothe next.

The Blazing Swords members move away from what they were doing--some where in their tents, others were building up campfire materials, and some were even building up a perimeter. Now, however, they move up to the front, leaving only twenty feet between themselves and that of the Dark Ascension guild members.

Everyone is silent, their eyes meeting with a challenge, until James finally breaks the tension and silence with a question: "Why are you here?"

"Why are you all walled up away from the world?" The man in front says. He's a very tall fellow, with a square jaw and blonde hair with blue eyes. His shoulders are broad and his figure slim--he seems ready to fight.

"Walls? I thought the rest of the world was in a hole." James say sarcastically, "Why did you come from the ass end of the world here?"

"Why do you have to be so evasive? An answer for an answer, flea." He replies. He's clearly in charge of the group, as the rest are all looking to him and obviously waiting for orders or some sort of signal. All is tense.

"Seems to me that I'm not the one outside of their Kingdom." James states, "Now, what are you doing on Dark Ascension territory? You know you're not allowed here."

"Do you really want to start a guild war over a little bit of land?" The Blazing Sword guy asks with heat and warning in his eyes.

James looks over his shoulder, staring over at Erda, Victor, Athena, and Kira with a look of humor. He looks directly at Erda and mouths something without saying it aloud: "Which ten did you want?"

Then, he looks back over at the Blazing Swords and says. "War? I thought the Blazing Swords merely practiced with their toothpicks. Don't you have some fair maidens somewhere to go rescue?"

The man in charge looks pissed, and he takes a step forward as he's about to pull out a weapon, but the woman next to him stops him with a raised arm across his chest. She rolls her eyes and shakes her head with irritation before speaking of her own accord.

"I'm just going to get to the point." The woman says, "We don't like you and we don't trust you. However, we've heard rumor from a reliable source that you have something of ours. We're going to camp out here until you return it to us. And if you kill us, which I doubt you can...more will come to replace us."

James shrugs and looks at the other group with warning in his eyes. He hopes they'll be smart enough to follow his lead. "Well, I hope you enjoy camping in the storm."

James then turns to leave, and as the group moves around to the front of the Guild, he turns back to the group: "Come nightfall, we'll raid the camp. No killing--we're just going to steal every speck of food, every blanket, every bit of nicety that can be found, every extra piece of clothing, the booze. Take it all.

I offer half of my cut to the one that brings me back the most drink. I want them to be miserable. And before we doing this, I'll discuss the purpose of their presence to the Guild Master. Remember--the goal is not to get caught. You get seen, you forfeit your pay to someone else."

"This is a game now, is it?" Kira asks playfully, an eyebrow raised.

"Damn right. When isn't it with the Blazing Morons?" James asks, "We'll need another group to take out the supplies being sent to this group. We can't have them spoiling our plans. Does everyone understand their orders?"

Erik follows along the group quietly, making no moves to push ahead, nor fall behind. He keeps up with ease, watching the sky and the weary darkness that lingered above, as if waiting to strike out. As they come to the Blazing Sword camp, his eyes move quickly around it, noticing active sentries around the perimeter. It was certain that these positions would most likely be held throughout the night.

James looks back at him and asks, "Which ten did you want?"

Erik's smirk spreads back across his face, his body at ease. He took in the faces of the Blazing Swords, the ones he would deal with himself and then follows as James turns away and leads them back towards the Guild. He carefully reads James' lips and nods to acknowledge James' orders.

Sitting down and pressing his back against the wall, his eyes gaze outward watching the developing storm. He pulls a needle from the material of his sleeve and starts to play with it in his hand, flipping it through his fingers.

"I was hoping for a little violence, but I suppose that would be too easy."

Victor stood there and tried to look intimidating standing behind James, which he was fairly sure he was able to do with the tattoo sprawling across his forehead, and around his eyes. He listened to them talk, and got angry. Who was this stranger to accuse the guild of anything! After James and the man were finished talking, he walked back with them, listening to the plan. Thankfully, it didn't sound like he was going to have to use his powers at all. He let out a visible sigh of relief at this.


Athena looked bored listening to James and the man talking. She heard the plan, and seemed a bit dissapointed, until James mentioned the reward. Well, she guessed that it wouldn't be all bad.

James leaves the group immediately, finding his way up to Elliot's office. He generally is kind to the councilman--he does a lot of work for Dark Ascension--but today, he is a little bit impatient.

"I need to get a message to him," James said shortly.

"James, you know you can't just--" Elliot Armand begins.

"I know. This is an urgent problem. I do mean urgent." James interrupts, "I wouldn't waste my time coming to you if I didn't feel the matter was relevant enough."

Elliot remains silent for a bit, hesitation in his movements as his eyes dart about the room in apparent contemplation. James imagines over a hundred inner cogs running about in his mind, keeping the thought process going. Elliot is, after all, a very brilliant man.

"I'll pass it on. What is it?" Elliot says finally. He still seems uncertain and reluctant, but he also seems willing. He must trust James enough, at this point. Good thing, too, because James has worked hard for that trust.

"The Blazing Swords you sent me out to rid us of?" James says, "I can't get rid of them easily. They want something that we supposedly took and if we get rid of them, more will come and keep coming until they get what they want....I need to know if we're staring a Guild War over this."

Elliot's eyes widen in surprise and concern as he says this, nodding his head with understanding as to why James would have brought this to his attention. He crosses his arms and asks: "What are you doing about the current group, thus far?"

"I've merely spoken with them....and I intend to raid them tonight. No killing, just mild play. I'll be taking their supplies. I'll probably send out another group to take out their suppliers...they are bound to have one, considering their evidence of intent to stay for a while."

"Very well. I'll most certainly discuss this with your Guild Master as soon as I am able," Elliot says with approval, "I'm most certainly glad that I sent you out as the lead this time. If I had sent out another...we'd probably already have a War by now."

Noticing James leaving, Erik stands and follows afterward, breaking off once back within the walls of the Guild Hall. He knew that tonight promised danger, which meant he needed to be at his best. He walked the halls for a few minutes, turning a corner and slipping into the dining hall. His eyes gaze slowly about it, looking for a seat away from the others, but still within sight, should anyone need him for anything. He wrote his order down, as was his custom, it was just simpler. It was not the largest order he had ever made in his lifetime, but it was still more than most of the other people ate at one sitting. He scoffs slightly as he finishes the last of the twelve plates, cleaning them just enough to not be too much hassle and leaving enough gold to repay the guild for his food consumption.

He sighs and stands, walking back out of the dining hall and pacing down into the lower chambers. He didn't make it far in however, for as soon as he made it to the bottom of the steps, he slide his back into the corner and allowed himself to sink to the floor, dozing off quickly on the floor.

And lo, the clouds did thicken and block out the light of the sun. Soon, the crimson violet came upon the horizon and the silvery tint of the moon did rise, only to be blocked out as the sun before it. Thunderous noises arose within and lightning crackled through the sky. At first a gentle drizzle, then a raging storm.