Crucible Town Hall

The Crucible Town Hall occupies an acre of open land on the northwesternmost periphery of its hub, adjacent to the town square. It is a two story mottled stone building of respectable size, the Hall's glass framed doors and Tudor arched windows allow for plenty of the day's light to enter. A massive dark brown tree of 200 feet roots itself behind the building, its leafy green limbs looming overhead. Subtle magical currents stream steadily into the tree, though the effect is so muted that even the magically keen might not sense it outside of close proximity. The sight of such a tree wouldn't be especially odd in The Forest, but it stands out plainly within the Town's hub.
November 5, 2018

kechamayoYesterday at 10:58 AM
He quietely pushed the door open and stepped in, in the same manner. Is Batias here? He thinks he is, for he senses it. Indigo glances around curiously and walks around to explore the peculiar place and make himself at home. Each step he made resonated throughout the hall. Now that he covered all the space, he sat down in a chair and awaited Batias... If he would be present.
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The first floor of the town hall had an open layout. A wooden table draped in white embroidered cloth sat center of the room, stretching across the hall. Opposite of the entrance, an elevated platform was raised against the wall with nothing but a single red mat with seating space for no more than one person placed atop. Shoved to left side of the room was a wall that hid away an office space and a staircase that led into the building's second floor.

The staircase opened up into a dimly lit hallway lined with three doors that kept various rooms locked away. One of them an armory of sorts, containing weapons, shields, and armor pieces hung up on racks against the walls. An adjacent room held within a stockpile of plants preserved in pots and several vials of thick red liquid, tucked away in the corner. Parallel to it, a bowl of green medicinal paste sat half finished on a desk facing the pile. In the last room, a cushy king sized bed was stationed as the centerpiece, surrounded by complementing furnishing. A tall and robust grey-skinned woman with black hair was standing ramrod straight, guarding yet another door wearing a solemn expression on her face, a short spear in hand. Just who or what was she protecting?

Behind the door that the woman was guarding, was a spacious room, brightly illuminated by the glimmering rays of the sun despite an obscuring leafy green limb hanging by the window from the tree above. Therein an elderly man with white hair sat in a large wooden basin filled with medicinal water, the wrinkles formed from years of frowning giving him an unfading scowl. If one thought that Boetius was present in the Town Hall, they'd be correct. Just that he was in the process of concluding a bath, clear water rushing off his aged skin, a towel running between his legs to dry a pair of old undesirables.

Thus, the one to approach Indigo was not the town elder, but a short and chubby mustard-yellow scaled humanoid reptilian. He walked out of the office space wearing a dark orange vest, a pair of khaki trousers, and a couple of black sandals. A dirty violet-blue scarf covered his neck, a trail of spikes climbing out from his back to the crown of his head. A coarse yet childish voice came out of the lizard as he spoke. "Welcome to the Crucible Town Hall, visitor! Can I help you with anything?"
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What a weird lizard.
"I am here for the town elder, " He paused for a moment and continued "But I think he is busy at the moment."
Indigo stared at the lady guarding the door and squinted a little. Weird to protect him so much, why just not use a lock?- Maybe people do not really have locks...
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With a humble exaggerated bow of his own, Jamie marched towards the door carefully and proceeded to enter inside. Taking a peek at his surroundings, he would rest easily once they were out of this place seeing it gave him the worries. Without too many options or names, Jamie found it in his best bet to simply resort to one simple tool up his sleeve, shouting.

"I'm hear for the leader of the lands!" Jamie shouted cupping his hands together around his mouth hoping his voice would lure whoever was in charge directly to him. But this wouldn't be enough, no, a clever trickster like Jamie needed to add some flavor because he alone was just an ordinary man without any importance in this world. He needed to draw the attention and grasp it long enough to get his questions answered. "Or else I burn down the place!"
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The lizard became lively at Indigo's words. "Of course you're here for him! But what for, sir? You came to report a situation? Lodge a complaint about someone? I swear, if Jerry is causing trouble again, he wont have a peaceful night in this town again!" the short mustard-yellow lizard exclaimed, ending with a huff.

Right then, the town hall's door swung open, revealing the red haired fellow. The lizard opened his mouth to speak to the new arrival, but was left gaping in shock after the red haired newcomer yelled what he did. Burn this place down? Huh? Who was this guy?

Up above in the second story's bathroom, Boetius was still in the process of getting into his fancy green and yellow robes. Though they were separated by a floor of stone, it was naturally not enough to mask the shout from an expert of the elder's caliber. It had to be said that when Eldigan flew in and interrupted his class, Boetius was displeased, but was merely intending have the miscreant removed from the premise. It was only after he felt that Eldigan's actions threatened his reputation that he was prepared to use violence as a means to remedy the situation. Therefore, when Boetius heard the shout, he was furious! *Burn this hall down? Who dared to come to his doorstep and not leave him anywhere to put his face? Hmph, he wanted to see what gave them the courage to do so!* His raging aged voice promptly boomed out, qi carrying it past the stone walls of the hall unhindered. "Courting death! Wait right there for me to deal with you!"
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Flinching rather carefully, the words "Primordial Daoist" echoed around within his skull's structure. He hadn't the slightest idea what that mean, but it certainly couldn't be good. However such language only further proved Jamie had achieved his goal of grabbing the attention of whoever might be in charge or at least someone of significance. Now a new question would arise: Whether or not the person behind the voice would actually back them up.

In truth Jamie had fought many sea creatures of various sizes, invaded fortresses full of cannons, and risked his life one two many times than he could count for mere pieces of gold. He wasn't entirely frightened but the key aspect here was the fear of the unknown. To be in a land with so many strange people made him feel insecure enough to double check his words and blink twice to see if things really were real. He hardly expected a normal human being to be coming down from the higher floors. An extra arm or leg would only be amusing at this point.

Mentally preparing, he realized he'd completely gone against the statement he'd made with Cali, but this wasn't the time to regret decisions. He'd be in and out of this place quickly and chose his methods how a true sea fearing man should.

"As a heads up, I be the one with the flames flickering in his hands in case ye be needin a hint!" Jamie yelled once more, igniting a small flame in the palm of his left hand and examining it carefully. He gave a small smirk directed at the strange lizard.
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The bathroom's door opened up with a slam as Boetius came storming out of it, quickly followed by an unflustered guard, if a bit disheveled from getting pushed aside. The anger-fueled stomping that moved across the ceiling above was easily within earshot down below. The elder gradually came into view as he came down the stairs, coming to a stop a little more than halfway down, around 25 to 20ft from the ones Boetius deemed as intruders.

The elder spoke with a flourish of his robes, the scowl on his wrinkled face deepening as he eyed the duo. "Hmph, much appreciated. Now, to whom do I owe this visit? Give me one good reason not to..." He let his words trail off as his cultivation base churned at full force, thick streams of vigorous qi flowing from his dantian along the apertures, ready to burst out at a moment's notice. The weight of his qi brought a sort of subtle pressure to the room, one that even those that weren't magically attuned would be able to sense, if at a limited degree.

The chubby lizard that was only further bewildered by Jamie's wink was no longer able to take it, taking a few unsteady steps back. His eyes darted back and forth from here and the immediate safety of the office behind, thoughts of retreat apparent on his face.
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At first Jamie's eyes had met the elderly man's with a sense of fear and respect, which soon devolved into a noticeable snicker of laughter masked by his clever coughing. Expecting some magical being with green skin and a dragon's tail, Jamie felt relieved to see what look like his elderly grandfather appearing from the steps above. Truth be told, he was almost surprised to know he'd heard Jamie in the first place despite how loud he had shouted. Now that someone in charge was in his presence, it was time to make his statements valid and the whole point of the trip here in the first place. He wouldn't admit any of his  initial humorous thoughts though out of respect, respect and slight fear of being beaten with a cane.

The flames died down in his hand and extinguished into nothingness. "Right, I be quick and to me point". "Pardon me own interruption, tis be not teh best first impressions I've left but it'll have to do and you'd understand if ye were in me own wet and rotting boots". "Hopin ye be the ruler of importance amongst these lands cause I've come for me own sake, for tis be not my home or anytin close". "Tossed overboard on a typical voyage across the seas, I resurfaced in these foreign lands where fairy tales all see to be true". "A land I've never once seen on any written maps of the new or old worlds". "Magical talking swords, giants, and beautiful fallen angels". "Even the unde-" Jamie caught himself. "Understanding....even me own experiences and understandin have left me in quite a conundrum that not even rum could cause". "So, I be hopin you can do some explainin or guidnin me towards whoever bein in charge and ye generosity could be rewarded with some bottles of rum or silver coin...if ye have any uses for either" he smirked.

"Oh...and teh name be Jamie". "Jamie Scotch". Removing his captain's hat, he bowed properly while the feather inserted through the hat waved around.
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Boetius stroked his white beard and nodded along, making a shallow show of sympathy as Jamie told his story. The thought that the duo possessed some sort of connection with Eldigan or another faction of unspoken might crossed his mind, but the forthright Jamie didn't hesitate to reveal his status as an outsider. What a generous lad! Now he needn't worry about having to stay his hand.

Yet when Boetius began planning his next course of action, Jamie's offer of rum and silvers shredded apart the elder's paper thin pretense. A throbbing vein lodged itself on his temple as the elder barked, "Brazen! You think this old man is a beggar?! If a tiger does not roar, do you think it's a kitten!?"
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Jamie took a glance over at Cali, though very carefully in front of the wise old elderly man. Cali's initial thoughts worried him, fearing that this old man could be quite as powerful as his yell from earlier described. Mimicking a few whispers as quietly as possible, Jamie tried to describe Boteius to his blind friend.

"Old, aye, very old possibly a century. He be givin us a mighty stare down, seems like a wise elder, might suspectn somethin-" Jamie's posture quickly straightened as if he'd been asleep for several months awaiting a response from the elderly man. If only he was as strong as his voice.

"I be just ter playin with ye sir!" "I meant no offense on ye name, tis be an old, er, seaman joke, we ruffle each other's hair all teh time!" "I be no foolish man to be pickin a fight with a mind like ye, trust me". He took a breath in case the powerful shouter ahead him yelled anymore. Relaxing his posture, he continued. "Any thoughts on me situation, me offer still stands to repay ye for help, ye must know somethin". If Jamie could read minds, he'd do so now.
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"Ahahaha," the elder laughed gloomily, his face hardening. Ever since he'd taken the position as the town's elder, he hasn't come across many chances to reinforce his image as a stalwart defender in the people's hearts. An opportunity appeared in the form of Eldigan, but he had relented after learning the nature of that man's abilities. Seems like he was paying the price for that decision now.

This scene only included three other witnesses, and all of them worked under the elder. Despite this, Boetius bore no hopes of keeping what happened here under wraps. The Crucible Town thrived itself off matters like this, and the flighty lizard suffered a nasty gossiping habit that promised the exposure of this incident. Right now, Boetius valued reputation far more than he did any amount of silver or gold. What kind of stalwart defender would he be if people thought just anyone could walk right up to the Town Hall and threaten him as they pleased?

"You can consider me to be the authority over this territory. The Town of Crucible and I are very welcoming towards *respectful* outsiders," Boetius responded, his voice stern. "I'll see about getting you the information you desire, but all in due time. Before that, since you two are new here and don't know how we do things, allow me to invite you two outside to personally experience my Dao."
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While thankful to hear the elderly old man ahead agree to help and assistance, the tone of his voice and intentions still worried Jamie. True, if the elder had known his past, there was obviously a good chance the two would not be able to agree on anything, however, the best interest was to not get on the bad side of the powerful individual or risk Cali's involvement. Jamie quickly whispered over once more underneath a few coughs, "Be prepared for anything Cali".

Knowing he was the authority was good to know, seeing Jamie wouldn't have to investigate the entirety of this location or meet any other old and loud men. Or lizards. Though this offset him slightly, seeing as he held the most power, Jamie was afraid that this grandpa of an individual could easily toss him into a hole and fill it with burning lava or whatever tradition of punishment severed in these parts.

"Good, I be quite interested in ye assistance. I be hopin there be no hard feelins about earlier, I've just seen things that no man from me own world should be seein here, tis something I've been blessed and cursed to experience. I've nothing but me own gratitude and hope we can both come off this confrontment as amigos. Say ye need me to make a fool of meself, er juggling tomatoes in front of a large crowd amongst a rolling barrel coated in flames, I'll make me disturbance up t'ye and be out of ye way. Ye've my word mr..." Jamie's words trailed away, stepped forward and holding out his clean arm for a shake of agreement.
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Boetius finally came down the stairs, shaking Jamie's outstretched hand with a firm grip. "Boetius," the elder finished, laughing. "No need to be so nervous, boy. You think too poorly of me. As the face of this town, how could I do something so cruel to our guests? I'll merely be giving you some pointers." Though the elder said so, the warped smile on his face spoke of a different story.
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Though a slight feeling of distrust in Boetius's words, Jamie put his confidence in the old man's firm grip hoping no harm was done. "I be a quick learner, civilization be not me greatest attribute, but I be a willing man to improve on anytin. So long as ye help in return." With a gentle, exaggerated bow, Jamie waved his arm towards Cali. "Tis here be me traveling companion, they have helped get a foot on land and to find ye. Very much appreciated to the both of ye's kindness".
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Cali looked up suprised at the praise so fast thei hood almost flying off before they caught it. They smiled at Jamie, the genuine Cali smile from the forest. " Well I had to repay you somehow, you're the first person to treat me like a real person!" He froze internally hoping that the old man didn't catch the real part.
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The elder nodded at the two, hiding his clasped hands within his long sleeves once more. Eyes lighting up with careful thought, he ordered, "Pippuri, go and quickly prepare our guests a copy of that map you were making."

"What!" the chubby mustard-yellow lizard man screamed as if his tail was stepped on. His eyes darted across the room, looking for an excuse for his outburst. "B-But it's not finished yet!"

"That is just fine. As I'm sure you've heard, our guests are outsiders. Any information we can give is extremely helpful for them," Boetius replied, sneering inwardly. Only now did he feel satisfied. After throwing this carrot out, did he have to worry about them running from the stick?

With a motion from the elder, the stone faced guardswoman moved over towards the Hall's windowed doors, holding them open and giving the two a frosty stare all the while.
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Leaving the lizard to sulk, the elder followed the duo out the door. The night sky greeted them, an inky canvas painted by a myriad of delicately gleaming stars. Settling amid, a waxing gibbous moon provided the landscape a dull light, not overpowering the trail of flickering torchlights leading from the Hall's entrance to the gates. The sounds of rustling leaves from the tree overhead, chirping insects, and whistling wind accompanied their footsteps, hearty grass that shimmered vibrantly even in the dark crunching underfoot.

Taking a moment to gaze upon the moon, Boetius began to feel nostalgic. "I've never practiced any sort of formal martial teachings. The roots of my Dao lie in a place called the Wayan Forest, home to powerful magical beasts. Cultivators like myself ventured into those dangerous woods constantly, betting their lives to fight both beast and man alike for the sake of opportunities. In a place like that, garnering insights off of those around you is only natural."

Boetius eyed the two studiously, yet he couldn't find any traces of magical energy or otherwise. Torrents of qi rippled beneath the surface layer of the elder's skin, ready to burst out, yet that was all. The elder found no trouble in laying an open trap with a straight face, but using his qi against those that had nothing of the sort required a level of shamelessness Boetius couldn't quite muster, especially after guising this as a learning experience. Still, as a rank 5 qi transformation elder, his natural body nearly reached the level of a peak human under the nourishment of qi, so he had confidence in coming out as the victor in this affair.

"I must admit that I'm not a very good teacher of the martial Daos, but how can the experience I've gained in the line between life and death be condensed into simple words and movements? No, I'll have you two learn the very same way I did. With your bodies."
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Jamie was almost delighted with the mystical feeling surrounding him with the scenery. That and in combination with the old man's somewhat lighter attitude, he was almost beginning to like this guy as it reminded him of a few elders back home.

"I once had an old monk train me under his wing, though not as intimidating as ye, he taught and spoke of the arts of chi and balance. Never had I believed in much of his talk but I always knew he had a sense of wisdom and a presence of strength. I be feeling teh same from you mr Boetius" Jamie smiled and stretched from side to side in the cool breeze.

"But...I must warn ye, I haven't any patience for harm that comes to innocents. If this here demonstration of ye hurts me traveling companion in any way, I shall have no choice but to draw me own sea sunken cutlass and battle ye till the better man wins. I doubt ye have any desire to cause a ruckus in this town, but if ye have to do what ye need, then keep me in one piece so the ladies have no trouble back home" Jamie chuckled under his breath, glancing over to Cali. "Old man is gonna teach us a lesson, better get ye stretches in now before ye cramp all over!"

Not entirely sure himself of what to expect, Jamie allowed his own posture to relax now that he was face to face with the old man outside his humble residence. He relaxed his left arm, allowing the energy within that produced his flame to surge throughout his entire arm like red cells in a blood stream. Knowing Boetius was unaware of his liquidation ability, or Cali's own identity, (or at least Jamie had hopped), was a relief in itself. This harmless experiment would hopefully all be over in a minute.
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Calli nodded and stretched, carefully making sure that their scarred arms and legs stayed hidden under the cloak. He could feel where their stitches had loosened over time, they would be due for a re-stitching maybe Jamie could help he didn't seem too squeamish. Having stretched they crouched and let theur long tongue slither out from their mouth as it darted around getting a taste of the area. They knew it was risky in exposing their identity but they didn't trust the old man, something was off in his smell. Wiggling their toes in the dirt they nodded to Jamie that stretching was done and they were ready as ever
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"Your master sounds well learned, albeit a bit orthodox," the elder noted, nodding.

Jamie's warning warranted him a derisive snort. "Innocent?" Boetius harrumphed. "Then, I will no longer be polite. Prepare yourselves."

With that, he stoutly pressed off the ground and rushed towards the duo, the fluttering of the elder's robes causing the shadows cast by the torches to dance. His speed could neither be described as fast or slow, well within human limits, but he moved with a well practiced stability that told of his expertise. A raised palm, fingers clenched like paw, shuttled towards Jamie's chest. The elder didn't put much weight behind the blow, his intentions more so to test the lad's reactions.
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Nearly freezing in place, the old man's rapid advancement and sudden moves had reminded Jamie of a nightmare many years ago as a kid when his uncle beat him for whispering behind his back. Realizing this was no dream, now alert and aware of the old man's incredible skills, he decided upon multiple outcomes that flashed through his head at once just as the speedy flash of white pressed somewhat subtly against his chest. With the full intention of taking whatever blow his Boetius's hand could have dealt even internally, Jamie simply flexed out his chest into Boetius's mighty paw. In a matter of both intelligence and fear of the old man's power, Jamie decided there was only one action to respond correctly to this situation. Amongst all the possibilities that could have been taken in combination with his own powers or even Cali's. Even calculating Boetius's chances of a hidden weakness, Jamie concluded this had to be the correct answer. He was going to do nothing.
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The paw struck unabated against Jamie's chest, though the force contained within couldn't possibly force the lad to give more than a few steps. The complete and utter lack of resistance brought the elder a sense of incredulity. Surely after all the spirit and audacity this lad showed, he wouldn't end up being a paper tiger?

Boetius didn't spend much time on pondering this, quickly pursuing after Jamie and sticking close so as to obstruct an unsheathing blade. The elder took a wide stance and followed up with a short series of attacks consisting of open palms, fists, and finger strikes, the might of which not falling far behind the earlier paw. "It would be unprofessional of me as a teacher to not punish this mistake," he thought, unwilling to give up an excuse to continue venting his anger.

Nevertheless, the elder's experience demanded he didn't take all his attention off of Cali. There existed in Boetius's mind the chance that this Cali had the status of the mastermind, while this Jamie a mere probe. Past that still stood the more scary proposition of Jamie and Cali both operating as probes from some third party, an idea that hadn't entirely been washed away by the redhead's earlier confession. These two factors restrained the potency of the elder's barrage, leaving noticeable gaps in his offense open.
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Flailing backwards like an rotten pumpkin, Jamie stumbled back several steps from the odd approach and attack of Boetius and his paw. Clearly aware of the old man's power now, Jamie was almost curious enough of this seemingly powerless attack to open his defenses again. "Perhaps his age really has gotten to ye old man," Jamie had thought to himself while studying Boetius's next moves towards him.

A bit of a foolish plan, Jamie had the intention of seeing if Boetius planned on eliminating him then and there. He gave him the opportunity, and could now see the elder's intentions much more clearly and even gained a little respect. However, Jamie wouldn't be satisfied with that. Valuing this grandfather-like icon, Jamie had decided after that attack he would put forth nearly everything he had. Assuming the ancient old man hadn't fought everyday, this was a rare experience for Jamie to face another man he admired.

Finally, with both a smirk and a bizarre formation of hand movements from left to right intending to confuse him, Jamie liquified his body. With each bone, muscle, and stretch of skin shrinking down into a vaporing wave of ocean-sea water that fell to the ground of the grassy field while the flurry of quick martial arts struck through each droplet of liquefied water.

Now soiling the ground, the newly gathered pool of aqua quickly traveled through the stems of grass directly behind Boetius and sprung back up regaining his charming form. Shaking his now wet head full of hair, Jamie, breathing slightly faster, ignited a flame in the palm of his left hand and drew the sea-sunken cutlass with the other, combing the two and igniting to create a flaming sword.  With a cocky grin, Jamie stuck the blade's end toward's the elder's face from afar and scoffed madly. "Ye be worth awakenin the kraken, Mr Boetius!"
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Boetius's violent barrage easily crashed into the stationary Jamie, a short chain of blows sinking into the lad's frame. Yet the satisfying sensation of fist colliding against flesh didn't occur, the young pirate's liquefied body providing little resistance against the rain of impacts. The elder couldn't believe what transpired before his eyes, only able to watch as Jamie rapidly dissolved and literally slipped through his fingers.

The distinct sound of water rushing past his feet brought Boetius back to reality, turning around to capture the sight of Jamie's swift reformation. This Daoist had expected these outsiders to have some ability, as most outsiders do, but to have something like a water body transformation...! One must either have an extremely deep foundation in the Dao or a particularly formidable bloodline to even begin thinking about practicing such a skill. Something like this shouldn't exist within the realm of Qi Transformation! Though Boetius knew the foolishness of judging the Netherworld with the standards of his past world, he couldn't hide the shocked expression that flashed across his face.

The elder didn't throw in the towel despite the reveal. In fact, this only caused his fighting intent to surge! Boetius admitted that Jamie's mastery of the skill reached a high level--displaying traits like fast transformation and liquefying equipment--but the elder simply refused to believe the lad's Dao faultless enough to stretch all the way to the standard of an authentic undying body.

After the reveal of the water body, something like a flaming cutlass couldn't arouse much attention from the elder. He fought to contain the blade earlier because he restricted himself from using qi. Even a well accomplished body cultivator would find the task of receiving a properly swung steel blade with their flesh alone problematic, to say nothing of Boetius who never put much focus in that area. Now that his opponent chose to display such supernatural abilities, what reason did the elder have to keep his hidden?

His ornate green and yellow robes billowed intensely, the network of thick streams of vigorous qi he kept lying underneath the surface layer of his skin bursting out of his apertures like water out of a collapsed dam. The semitransparent pale green qi split into thin rigid threads and branched off all over his body, enveloping Boetius from head to toe in accordance to the first stage of his self created [Threefold Bulwark Pelt] defensive technique, the ground hair.

Following this, Boetius sprinted ahead without a word, having no interest in allowing Jamie too much breathing room. Compared to his earlier charge, the influence of qi augmented his speed by a notch, firmly raising his speed to the human limits. Paying no heed to the flaming blade, Boetius sent out a palm throttling towards Jamie's lower rib cage. This blow contained far more ferocity than the first, easily capable of breaking the bones of average men should the strike hit cleanly.

Of course, Boetius did not have the intention of breaking the lad's bones, at least not yet. The elder desired to force the water body out once more so that he could test his own technique against Jamie's. Boetius thought to garner some insights from their clash, something that he felt harder and harder to come by during his time in the Netherworld. *Kid! Your water body or my bulwark?*