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"When one door closes, a window is opened..."
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It's midnight within a certain suburb on the edges of Mirum Urbem, and one man stands in silent contemplation within his moonlit garden. Monsters have become a common sight within the world after the Inheritance, but even among them there are certain individuals that stand out from the crowd. Such is the case for one Rafael Schults, who's distant ancestor was perhaps a spirit of nature of some unknown descriptor, leaving him a large and oversized avatar of nature. It mattered not to him his family's past, as he was far more concerned with his family's future.
"Out of work still I see." A voice called out to him, yet when he turned he only saw shadows.
"I hope you've not forgotten my offer just yet. The others have made progress, but two have left the fray. You were one of the first I came to, but you turned me down. Said you wanted to try doing some good work on your own. It's been a week, and you're still unemployed."
A pause, and the voice switches to somewhere on his left.
"It's hard, isn't it?" Turning, Rafael finds the shattered visage of Echo only a foot away from his face, causing the tree man to actually stumble back in momentary surprise.
"Finding people who'll accept you for what you are now. You can make that happen, show people that we're not to be feared. You can do good work, and you'll even get paid for it. Well. For this first job at least."
Echo flickers, and is now perched within one of the garden's larger trees.
"Same place as before. Tomorrow, twelve-a-clock."
Strong wind shifts the branches, and the spirit vanishes from view.
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"Mother, brother is speaking again, but brother is gone, you told me so..."
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Light has shifted, bathing the city in shades of many sorts. For one young girl who's making her way to a safer district to tuck in for what was shaping up to another warm night, she has come to learn of these shades in and out, forming odd friendships and even stranger acquaintances that thread the line between worlds. It's not uncommon for those of that nature to seek her out from occasion either for a conversational chat or to cash in on favors owed. For that reason, it doesn't faze her in the least when on the opposite side of her crosswalk, a spirit manifests in the split second a bus passes her by.
It says nothing nor makes to approach, instead waiting patiently for the light to turn green and Jenny Ember to cross the street herself. There's a moment where she shoots it a look of expectation, yet it merely cocks it's head to one side, before looking down toward the path she was taking. At his nonverbal prompt the girl continues to walk as if she saw nothing, though she can feel him trailing beside her.
"For someone so young, you've become quite the popular figure in our world." He states, his voice akin to autumn leaves ruffling in the wind.
"That can be dangerous. Especially for someone who holds a partnership with a spirit older then most of us have been dead. The veil of anonymity has been lifted from you by your own actions. Not a bad thing. Though it has it's own problems."
The two pass another crosswalk, where a woman sits stock still in the center. People don't hesitate to walk through her, and you're the only one that gives the woman the courtesy. Jenny has seen the signs often enough before to understand the woman is still trying to come to terms with her passing, and knows when to leave a grieving ghost to their thoughts.
"I have a favor. One which comes with it's own rewards, should you accept it. There's a sickness on these streets that needs dealt with, misguided youth and the easily swayed tempted by promises of power." His words strike a chord with Jenny, who's lived and breathed these streets for the past year. One of her closer friends who didn't Inherit from the virus had died just a few weeks ago, magic his body wasn't meant to handle having torn his body apart from the inside. He didn't even leave behind a spirit.
"You, and five others. I want you to find the people behind Source, and put an end to their operations for good. Come to this address tomorrow, at twelve. I know you'll do the right thing."
Jenny felt the chill leave her side, but there was a note pressed between her fingers.
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Chapter 2: Twists and Turns
"Yet our lessons come from the journey, not the destination."
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Some of you came here on your own, others received a cryptic text on your phones, and two others still were contacted personally. Regardless of how you came to be, you were all gathered in what was starting to seem like your official meetup spot, an abandoned warehouse in the old industrial district of Mirum Urbem. For Cheyenne, Copper, Felix, and Velari there are two new faces among the crowd. One of them a massive tree-man, who knows no need for modesty any longer. The other is a young girl, yet an odd aura seems to surround her.
At the center of it all, perched on the edge of an old shipping container is your spiritual benefactor. It seems he was going to do without theatrics this time around.
"You're all here. Right on time." His head turns to the side, as he gives you an appraising look.
"Just like I knew you would. You four did good work last time, took care of something that might've been nasty. But things aren't finished yet. Source is still being moved around on the street."
With a pause in speech, he turns his lone eye towards first Rafael, and then Jenny.
"The last two weren't the right fit. It happens. These two though, I think you'll come to like. Take a moment. Introduce yourselves."
