Parthevia Empire

[Apollymi]

'Magi?' the girl mentally questioned. The male before her was rather odd, but for her master to have captured a Magi when those were said to be magical beings was completely contradictory to everything the young girl had ever heard about them. Before through stories and lessons given by her private tutors and after in stories given by slaves to keep their spirits up. Regardless this man's attitude towards this young girl was something she was beyond used to, she simply bowed apologetically and joined the pair of men in the front carriage. Her posture while sitting was surprisingly lady-like despite her dress and general dirty appearance. And though she kept her head down she stole glances at this young man while they moved forward. 'I wonder what it is I need to be ready for?' she thought as their adventure unfolded before them.

[Bloodedge]

At the snap of the slave owner's fingers, the entire caravan began to move toward a previously arranged destination. They were en route to the edge of the city, toward a massive pillar that seemed to stand out from the architecture of the surrounding area. This pillar was a dungeon that had taken the lives of many prior to this day. "Magi. You are going to help me capture the dungeon. With that treasure, I will own much more than these measly slaves; I will be on a path to own everything! Yasmin... you will be my shield. With the speed of your errands, I expect you to be quick about getting between me and any danger inside the dungeon. Hell... If you succeed and manage to live, I might even allow you to become my personal toy when I rule a country. Doesn't that sound like a wonderful promotion?"

[Apollymi]

Yasmin had gotten very good at pretending to be on board with this man's desires. Mostly because it had been the saving grace for the rest of the slaves in the caravan. Even so, she was rather surprised by the idea that the young man with them was going to lead her master into a dungeon and help him capture it. Her eyes widened at the news and she didn't much like the idea of being a human shield to the dangers of a dungeon nor was she really interested in the idea of being this man's 'toy' as he put it. But to the man all the changes in the young girl's face would seem like the excitement of a upwardly mobile slave, not a girl disgusted by the ambitions of an evil man. "As you wish." was all this young girl had to say. In most conversations it was all she had to say. Hidden behind these words though in the calmness of her blue eyes was something very different. She could only imagine what a man like this would be like ruling a country, given how he treated the people who were his property. And she was almost silently pleading with the young man across from her not to do as this man asked, not for her own sake, but for the sake of everyone else.

[Bloodedge]

"There's a good girl." Soon enough, the caravan stopped just outside the dungeon. Shaqeeq removed himself from the carriage, making his way down by stepping on the backs of two servants. "You two will come as well. You will carry the food," he said. Expecting his chosen crew to follow suit, Shaqeeq made his way toward the semi-circular gateway radiating a bright, golden light, which would allow entry to the dungeon. With the assumption that Yasmin would be present when he stopped outside, he began speaking. "Well, meat shield... you'll be going in first. Any traps in the entrance are your problem. Magi, you'll enter when I do."

[Apollymi]

Yasmine kept a calm face, even so, she didn't like watching this man step on two people to get out of his carriage. She personally hopped over the two with her movements seeming completely incidental to her movements. She was rather light-footed in the first place, but she wouldn't want to harm another as they were all in the same boat. Outside of the dungeon it was determined by her master that she would enter first, and so she did without hesitation. "As you wish." Disgusted by the fact that this man had her go and get so much food, just to stuff his own face while he completed his apparent task, with no thought at all for the starving caravan in his possession. 'Selfish.' she thought as she walked into what was a long empty hall with huge drafts coming up from below.

On the far wall was a very complicated looking language with pictures aligned to the tiles on the floor. This girl could read this writing despite her slave status and moved forward her chained ankles making contact with only feathered or tornado'd tiles. All others would break apart beneath the person walking making them fall into a large spike pit. As she continued to step forward she'd look back speaking more than three words to her master for the first time in ages. "If the master doesn't wish to fall, he should follow in my steps precisely... the tiles marked earth, fire, and metal will cause the floor to fall in those areas, killing the person who lands there." she mentioned most respectfully only to wonder how many bodies were beneath the floor of this area alone. As she got to the middle the placement of safe tiles became a tiny bit more precarious and required her to keep a large amount of tension on the chains which bound her ankles lest the weight of them cause a shift in her balance and thus cause her to step where she needn't.

[Bloodedge]

Following Yasmin, Shaqeeq and the Magi entered the dungeon, being followed thereafter by the slaves carrying the food. Little did any know, there was another individual who had been stowed away on the caravan prior to their arrival at the dungeon. This was none other than the street urchin from Yasmin's return trip. He was presently sneaking around behind the food carriers, keeping out of sight and earshot while following the group through the dungeon.

Shaqeeq had no reason to distrust Yasmin's claim, so he did indeed follow in her footsteps. The Magi was no different, but he didn't seem to care one way or another. "What's the hold-up?" the master asked of Yasmin as he caught up to her location. "Get moving; my treasure is waiting for us!"

[Apollymi]

Yasmin had paused just a bit because moving in chains at this junction was rather precarious. But she'd been wearing them about half her life at this point, so she trusted herself to move with them probably more than she trusted herself to move without them. "Well, if you are using me as a shield I shouldn't be too far ahead." this was rather simple logic coming from the pink haired girl. She thought it most likely that this man would need saving in this hallway, and she'd rather not have to run too far back to retrieve him. With that in mind she began to spin lightly taking the diagonal route then the straight then a few more. This is how the new floor pattern worked a bit like a diamond. Her steps in this were precise and sure and though the movements of her legs were extremely limited she didn't seem to have a problem keeping her chains from brushing against the floor tiles. With this the pink haired girl soon found herself standing at the opposite end facing a door with five dragon heads surrounding it and more of this ancient writing.

To the best of the girl's knowledge it mentioned that each dragon represented a different tile like the ones on the floor. And only the safe ones could be used to open the door. It also mentioned that both would need to be touched simultaneously or else those who used them risked losing a limb in the mouth of the the dragons. As evidence of this there was a recently decayed body against the door with one arm missing seeming to have bled out or starved to death while unable to move forward. "This one is tricky." she mentioned waiting for her master and whoever else survived this moment to catch up.

[Bloodedge]

Shaqeeq fell silent when Yasmin replied. He remained this way as the group continued to cross this puzzle of tiles, but drew closer to Yasmin as she inspected the next challenge. With all his might, he drew back his left arm, then swept it outward with the intention of slamming the backside of his hand against the pink-haired girl's face. "I expect you to be fast! If you're ahead, I want you back to me in a split second if you're needed! If I catch you thinking you know what's best again, I'll cut out your tongue! Now, stay down." With that said and done, Shaqeeq looked toward the two food carriers, beckoning them forward to imply that they were the ones he expected to take this next trial. Both parties approached the dragon heads, one reaching for the feather, and the other for the tornado. However, these servants were abruptly and simultaneously dismembered by what seemed to be the air itself from within the dragons' mouths. "What the hell is going on here!? Aren't those the right symbols?"

[Apollymi]

Yasmin soon found herself facing a hand coming back against her face. Now... she could have dodged this hand but she'd learned before that when she did this, her master generally took out his frustration on someone else. So his hand made contact with her face without much ceremony. Soon after her lip was bleeding and her head was bent down. "As you wish." and just those three words. She wanted to say more, but she wouldn't at this moment because it wasn't for her to say anything.

Beyond that the other two servants soon were forced to reach for the dragon mouths and their subsequent deaths seemed to only serve to make her master more upset. She spoke now because she wasn't sure if anyone else could. And she did so while biting back an intense bit of anger that he'd come here without the knowledge necessary to complete the dungeon. "Those are the right symbols, but... they weren't the right people. This puzzle is tricky because it requires two people to touch the mouths at the same time... but it isn't any two people... it is two specific ones. The wording roughly is the vessel and the one who is loved by the rukh." she said spitting blood from her lips and keeping her eyes low but having a moment to glance at the Magi. And to her knowledge only one of those things were present and with this in mind this door would never open. This somehow made the girl very happy. A small smile on her face knowing simply that if the man with them attempted to open this door, he'd find himself dismembered as well. Though that wouldn't solve the slaving issue, it would at least keep him from becoming king. It also explained why this dungeon had gone unclaimed.

[Bloodedge]

The Rukh? Very well. Magi, that means you... but what does it mean vessel?" Shaqeeq asked. At long last, the alleged Magi stepped forward and spoke. "The Vessel is chosen by the Magi... someone the Magi has made a special kind of connection with," he said. And, as he spoke these words, he held out a hand to none other than Yasmin. "We can open the door. Then, Shaqeeq, you may enter."

[Apollymi]

Yasmin's eyes widened as the Magi spoke of what the 'Vessel' was. "What? Why me?" she asked completely astounded by the fact that she apparently had any kind of bond with this Magi. Obviously she was nice to him, fed him when he was hungry but this was normal behavior from the girl. She knew nothing about this young man besides their small moments of speaking. Even so, she knew of Shaqeeq's behavior and knew that it wasn't likely that they'd be allowed to properly clear up the meaning behind everything here, when this man was getting treasure apparently very soon. So she reached out for the tornado dragon assuming this young man would go for the feather, even without knowing him she knew this to be the case. Still she didn't want to let this man capture this dungeon. She looked to the young man with her, gentle blue eyes pleading that this not be allowed to happen.

[Bloodedge]

"Because the sun is rising," the Magi replied. When the time came, he reached out for the feather mark while looking toward Yasmin. He could see the pleading look in her eyes, but irrespective of this, he activated his trigger. Assuming both were done at once, the gates would then open to allow entry to this dungeon's treasure vault, which Shaqeeq sprinted into. Meanwhile, the Magi spoke to Yasmin. "It's our turn now. Let's go."

[Apollymi]

Yasmin also pulled hers at the same time. The sun was rising. "What does that even mean?" she asked. It was something completely foreign to her as an idea. Soon though Shaqeeq went running into the vault and she stood outside of it. But the Magi with her said it was their turn so she sighed, seeming just a bit defeated as she also approached the room. It was covered wall to wall in massive troves of treasure, more than enough to buy an entire country with. Precious gems, jewelry even clean clothing were amassed within this place. As well as an oddly placed dias with a podium surrounded by a column of blowing wind with an odd eight sided symbol in the middle of it. Among the treasure were some random older metal pieces as well, this was odd to the young woman but she expected they had a reason to be there just like everything else. 'We shouldn't have done this... letting that man in here was a mistake.' and she knew given the type of person he was, he shouldn't be allowed access to all that was in here.

[Bloodedge]

The Magi would not elaborate on his earlier words, in spite of Yasmin questioning them. Instead, he merely entered the final room of the dungeon, only to witness Shaqeeq fiddling with numerous bits of gold and valuable trinkets. "Yes... finally! I'm going to be king of a new country!" the man exclaimed. It was at this point that the supposed Magi spoke to the purple-haired man again. "I will have my items returned to me now," he said, prompting Shaqeeq to turn about and glare in his direction. "I have no more use for you, Magi. Consider yourself lucky to be allowed continued life, and get the hell out of my dungeon!"

When these words were spoken to him, the Magi casually walked toward a pile of treasure, picking up a simple golden stave. Yellow butterfly-like entities began to materialize in the surrounding area, converging on said stave as the Magi turned toward Shaqeeq once more. "No, Shaqeeq. It is I who have no more use for you. My things. return them to me," he demanded. "Heh! I'll have none of this. Yasmin... kill the Magi." With that said, Shaqeeq tossed one of his two swords in the pink-haired slave's direction, fully intending to keep his own hands clean when having the life of this traitorous Magi taken from him.

[Apollymi]

At this point Yasmin was looking at the young man with her completely confused as to what he meant. Then after a moment of thought she remembered the golden pyramid with which she'd seen her master Shaqeeq. She figured this must be at least one of the items spoken of. Even so it seemed her Master wasn't too keen to return them, but much like her earlier thoughts about this young man not belonging among slaves. His blatant disregard for the apparent kindness he was being shown by Shaqeeq was obvious in his tone as he gathered one item and took it instead requesting his item again.

Yasmin knew nothing good would come of telling Shaqeeq no. In fact, it was more than obvious by the way the man behaved on a normal basis that he wasn't often told that word and when he gave Yasmin an order she looked at the kindly Magi and then back at her master and shook her head from left to right. She was always inclined to do what this man wanted, but she wouldn't kill an innocent person just because they dared stand up to him. When she caught the sword she planted it into the ground before her. "No." this was the only word spoken by the girl. She didn't care if she was punished for this inaction. She'd been ordered to be a meat shield she didn't come here to kill anyone.