[Fred] Chapter 5: A Change of Leadership

[Linwelin]

"Share pain...?" Fred said with a slight realization. "If it's burdensome, can the burden be shared? If so, let's do this." Fred says without hesitating, offering his hand hopefully.

[Throndir]

Eris took your hand without hesitation, seeing your own resolve had her begin. She too knew that time was of the essence. For every second that ticked by, the higher and higher risk that the spy would die from her self-inflicted poisoning.

"Oh Darkness. Tear down the walls between my prey. Let them feel the same pain and torment as the beckoner of the blackened snake. Shared Suffering." Immediately a dark glob that looked almost viscous liquid appeared from Eris' hands. It started to engulf you.

You can roll Physical Resist if you want to resist, or purposefully fail your save, I'm assuming you're failing your save purposefully.

The dark liquid started to engulf your entire body, and it was then that Eris turned towards Mo Ruogang, who, at this moment in time was continuing to gag. The spy's eyes had rolled upwards through it, and even now, only the white of her eyes could be seen. The girl was already on the floor, with bile and remnants of poison spilled out in front of her. Zhihao continued to pull what she could from the girl's mouth, but even she had started to realize it was a futile effort. It was then that Eris' voice spoke out again.

"Oh Darkness. Make thy nihility consume my body and take it's place within, take the one who indulges themselves in such wretched desire suffer for their sins. Torment Acceptance." Not even a moment later Eris covered her mouth as she too began to froth at the mouth.

You are both poisoned. Three Physical Resist (PR) checks requested.

[Linwelin]

Fred was awed at the strange feeling of being engulfed by Eris' magic, and could tell that he was feeling some sensations that weren't his own after its success. But just as quickly as he was enveloped, a new sensation quickly spread through him. Pain. A hot, boiling pain worse than the heat of the African sun. If was pushing out from within his bloodstream and muscles, as well as immediately giving him a nauseous feeling. He did his best to hold it down and stay conscious.

[info][blockquote]Physical Resist 1:  1d20+7 : 18 + 7, total 25[/blockquote]
[blockquote]Physical Resist 2:  1d20+7 : 20 + 7, total 27[/blockquote]
[blockquote]Physical Resist 3:  1d20+7 : 19 + 7, total 26[/blockquote][/info]

[Throndir]

The pain continued to assault both you and Eris.  Mo Ruogang was suffering the worst of it, but Eris was next. Eris was already on the ground, coiled into a fetal position. Jed had went up to her in an attempt to comfort her, but of course soothing words didn't do much for the pain. Due to the link from Eris to you, you continually felt the sharp points of pain. Though, gauging from the reactions of the other two, you had it the easiest.

Lai Fen decided to stand by you. Lai Ju bit her lip in worry, though Lai Fen had a comforting hand on her sister's shoulder. "Fred... hang in there..." The vice-leader said worryingly.

"He'll be fine. Aren't you, Fred?" Lai Fen asked, there was a hint of uncertainty in her voice.



Soon enough the pain dissipated, Mo Ruogang was completely still and moving. But Zhihao was constantly checking up on the girl's vitals. "She's still alive... I could tell from when I jammed my hand in her mouth, but the poison had a paralyzing effect. My hand's still a bit numb just by touching it, and she swallowed whatever she was keeping."

"Someone get her a stretcher. Some water too, and a towel. Eris, Fred, you alright?" She paused for a second as she glanced towards you. "That's right, sorry, habit." Lai Fen shrugged.

"I can move, it's just the pain. Not feeling any of the paralysis, but I don't think my spell transfers that." Eris said.

Check the Play tab on your latest sheet to see your CON damage. Mo is severely damage, Eris is a bit damaged too.

[Linwelin]

"Just a bit sore. From the looks of it I got the least pain of the three of us." Fred stretched a bit, rubbing his muscles and letting out a sigh in relief. "Glad we kept her alive, I hate seeing life thrown away like that."

Fred then started walking off slowly, clasping Eris' shoulder as he went, "Great work, Eris. I'm going to sit down now." He wanders over to the background, seeing the little rescued princess still in her shocked state. He couldn't hold back from sighing again, this time out of helplessness. Now what am I to do with this little one?

Plopping down beside her, and realizing there may be some more additions in his stat screen, he mutters quickly to himself, "Status." While perusing the windows, he gives the princess a sidelong glance momentarily, then puts a hand on her head after a pause, attempting to comfort her. Suddenly, he has an idea, thinking maybe a new shock could shake the girl of her current one "Sio Ai, do your best to relax, and let me know if there's anything you need."

[info]Fred goes through all the '?' in his status window, and checks if he has gained anything else lately.[/info]

[Throndir]

[okay]Fred Pragtige
Appreciated
Level 20

Condition: Slightly Injured, Slightly Tired

HP: 36/36
MP: 48/48
STR: 16
DEX: 28
CON: 12
INT: 11
WIS: 22
CHA: 15
MAG: 19

Blessings: Quick Learner, Mana Sensitivity, Translate Languages, Personal Status, Status, Destroy[/okay]Going through your Status window, you managed to get a couple of new titles. Most of them had descriptions, however, there was three that still had the question marks.

[okay]Focus on 『Summoned Hero』
You are a summoned hero.

Focus on 『From Another World』
You have come from another world.

Focus on 『Uncanny Understanding』
You have the Status blessing.

Focus on 『Clothing-Bane』
You have the Destroy blessing.

Focus on 『Traitor』
You betrayed the person who summoned you.

Focus on 『He Who Knows of Status』
You know of Status.

Focus on 『No Clothing in My Presence』
You stripped someone's clothing.

Focus on 『The Graceful』
You are dextrous.

Focus on 『The Chosen of a God』
You are chosen.

Focus on 『The Quick Destroyer』
You can use destroy quicker.

Focus on 『Leader of the Dark Ravens』
You are a leader.

Focus on 『Spellcaster』
You can cast spells.

Focus on 『Tier 2 Elementalist』
You can cast tier 2 elemental magic.

Focus on 『The Silent Destroyer』
???

Focus on 『Update Viewer』
???

Focus on 『History Viewer』
???

Focus on 『Appreciated』
You are appreciated.

Focus on 『Liked』
You are liked.

Focus on 『Tier 1 Elementalist』
You can cast tier 1 elemental magic.[/okay]

"It's more than that, Lingxin... Or... Ruogang? Is family too." She turned towards you. "The Dark Ravens have been my family ever since I can remember, and... we've never had to deal with... a mole like that. Thank you, hero for helping me back there." She bit her lip as you saw her glance towards Lai Fen. "I hope Lai Fen won't be too hard on her, but... you're the leader now. So I'm going to ask that you please be lenient."

Once you left, Eris helped the others with the stretcher that was brought. Lai Ju accompanied them as well along with a few others. The rest of the Dark Ravens began their own businesses, though, many of them had begun to retreat to other interconnected rooms.

With you being one of the only few she felt comfortable with, she sat next to you close, keeping an eye on everyone else. Like usual she kept silent, and her eyes widened as Lai Fen neared.

"So the kid's name is Sio? She told you? I haven't heard her speak a single thing since. What's your impression of us? Finding a traitor in our midst in the first day, too."

[Linwelin]

Hmm? That's strange. Do I have to somehow use these without knowing their description to show them? This is the first time titles haven't given info directly.

"So the kid's name is Sio? She told you? I haven't heard her speak a single thing since. What's your impression of us? Finding a traitor in our midst in the first day, too."

"Oh, no, she still hasn't spoken. I just...know her name. It's another hero thing I guess. It's what I used to know who to take out when we were ambushed running here, too. And how I knew that that woman was with the Red Hand." Fred scratched the back of his head in thought. "It's an odd ability, I'm still figuring it out. I guess it suits me, though. I'd always been an observer in my past life, so seeing more than others makes sense. Destroy, on the other hand...I have no idea."

[Throndir]

"Hmm... So what does that ability say about me?" Lai Fen asked, not really expecting an answer. "And I don't know, destroying the clothes of the emperor was pretty fitting." She continued callously. She paused though, realizing the kid was still around. "Little kids like her isn't anything I've been good with. Got any plans for her? Or even Ling- well... Ruogang was it?"

"Like it or not, that kid you have with you... She's..." She paused again as she looked at Sio, the little girl of course wouldn't meet her gaze. "In a way, she was just like me."

[Linwelin]

"Hmm? About you? Well, it currently just says your name over your head, along with the 'title' Vice Leader of the Dark Ravens." Fred said dismissively, but then stopped himself with realization. "Wait, let me try something." Looking directly at Lai Fen, Fred stated his new skill names. "Update Viewer. History Viewer."

"And no, I don't have any plans. I'm just waiting until she recovers from her shock. It'll be a while before she's able to do anything, so for now I plan to just make sure she survives. If for anything, because of how similar she is to you." Fred says as he waits for his powers to hopefully activate. "As for Ruogang, that depends on what happens when she wakes up. She tried to pull a knife on me, so I can only imagine something has happened to make her dislike the Ravens. We need to see if we can resolve any issues while she's recovering. Hopefully our hands aren't forced."

[Throndir]

The moment you spoke those words, the title above Lai Fen changed. Instead of a title it become something more akin to a menu.

[okay]Lai Fen《Vice Leader of the Dark Ravens》
Title History
Name History[/impact][/okay]At that moment you received a title.

[okay]You have gained a new title 『Inspector』[/okay]At that exact same time, a notification appeared right above Lai Fen.

[okay]+Title: 『Inspected』[/okay]

"About that..." Lai Fen said uncomfortably. "I didn't want to say this in front of everyone. But the moment you said her name, Mo Ruogang... It sounded familiar, the Mo clan was one of those we targeted early on, after we lost our master and most of the adults of the Dark Ravens. I can... probably imagine why she turned out the way she did. But yes, it's been about three years since Mo Ruogang joined us, Lei Lingxin... We found her wounded one day at one of our outposts in the city. We thought she was just someone who had no home, looking for a place to live in. At the time, she claimed that she had escaped from her master, so we decided to take her in. She had no skills with the blade then, and we all just assumed she was a fast learner, or something akin to a prodigy to have become so proficient with it, so fast. She wasn't exactly a kid, but she showed more skill than some normal commoner. She participated in several missions with us these last few years, too."

Lai Fen sighed.

"My hands are stained crimson through the years I've lead this group. Everyone's is, but mine's the worst." She proceeded to stand and then make her way towards you and Sio, specifically stopping in front of Sio and crouching down in front of her. Sio Ai tried to scoot back further, but of course she was already against the wall. Instead she clutched to your shirt even more. "Hey kid, when the time comes, and you're big and strong, you can have your revenge, alright?"

"... Just don't take it out on any one else before then."

Lai Fen reached out to ruffle the kid's hair, though Sio Ai only flinched. "As princess to a fellow princess. That path of bloodshed, you'll eventually regret it. And when you're ready, I'll be here, waiting."

[Linwelin]

While listening to Lai Fen's tale of the past, Fred selects 'Title History' from the menu. However, the more Lai Fen went on, the more attention Fred had to devote. The usual 'tough' Lai Fen began to soften further and further as she spoke; it was obvious that the recent events, especially her losing control in the emperor's throne room, had begun bringing her regrets to the surface. This reflection was a necessary and important one.

At her ending request to the little princess, Fred had no response, all he could do was try to comfort her. He carefully placed a hand on her shoulder, "Fen..."

[Throndir]

A list of titles appeared then. It looked to be sorted from oldest to newest.

[okay]『Princess of Baolong Dynasty』
『Appreciated』
『Liked』
『Loved』
『Well-Appreciated』
『Dark Raven』
『Thief』
『Adopted Family』
『Vermin Slayer』
『Basic Martial Artist』
『Knife Juggler』
『Well-Liked』
『Tier 1 Ninja』
『Expert Disabler』
『The Graceful』
『The Bloodied』
『Tier 2 Ninja』
『Covert Ops』
『Intermediate Martial Artist』
『Leader of the Dark Ravens』
『Tier 3 Ninja』
『Human Slayer』
『Idolized』
『Well-Loved』
『Cold-Blooded One』
『Disliked』
『Hated』
『Toastmaster』
『Teacher of Men』
『Advanced Martial Artist』
『Mass Killer』
『Well-Disliked』
『Well-Hated』
『Teacher』
『Tier 4 Ninja』
『One Slash, Four Kills』
『Has Seen it All』
『Agile Overkiller I』
『Vice Leader of the Dark Ravens』
『Inspected』[/okay]

One thing you noticed was that when you first met her, she had a title of 『Leader of the Dark Ravens』, however, according to the history, she earned that much longer ago.

"It's fine, Fred." Lai Fen said, though, she let you put your hand on her shoulder.  "I already broke down once today so I'm not going to start that again." She flashed you a grin.  "Once a day is probably more than enough. Besides, we just uncovered a traitor, Ling-... Ruogang's at her deathbed, and Eris didn't look so great either. We just caused the fall of our country up there, the Baolong hero was finally summoned, and it wouldn't surprise me if there's nothing but chaos rampaging in the streets above. I have no time for feeling sad."

She sighed.

"There is one thing though that concerns me Fred. It's Ruogang... And her affiliation with the Red Hand." She glanced at you. "Weren't they chasing us through the city? Aren't they... looking for us?" Lai Fen asked.

[Linwelin]

Fred gave her an acknowledging nod and smile, clapping her on the shoulder before withdrawing his hand. "'At her deathbed' is a little extreme. She's not going to die, just needs a long rest. Same with Eris. I suppose I got lucky. And if losing one person causes a whole city to fall apart, then it needed to fall apart. That's not a stable community, it's one rotting from the inside. What matters now is making sure the same thing doesn't happen again so that the things that you two princesses experienced don't happen again. Not that I know how to do that, people are way too weird and unpredictable."

When she brought up the Red Hand and having a spy, the hair on the back of Fred's neck stood up. "No, they aren't looking. They know exactly where we are." Fred looked back at Lai Fen meaningfully. "If this is the Raven's only major hideout, we need to leave and find a new one. Unless you want to try to stay and defend. But from what I can tell, all of you are crafty, and running away would be easier. Though if we're surrounded already, then it's too late."

In as hushed a tone as possible, Fred whispers to Lai Fen, "Also, I think I may need to check the rest of the group. It seems my 'Status' power isn't perfect at a glance. We should probably check if anyone else is a spy, using what I just did to you. I can see every major achievement you've ever accomplished, and that includes joining the Ravens."

[Throndir]

Lai Fen shook her head. "She's been with us for three years. Who knows what kind of information they have. We have multiple bases, and since Ruogang accompanied us on most of our missions, she knows our hideouts that we keep across the city... Most of them are all connected with the underground labyrinth-like tunnels. However, I'm not sure if she's managed to figure out all the routes between each site. We have a map that our old master left behind, but it's only a handful of us who memorized the layouts."

She grimaced. "The Red-Hand shouldn't know that we've caught their spy. But how long has it been since we lost them in the city? A few hours at most... Tharielle and Filliane haven't came back either, but I assumed they were simply having dinner at the other sites. We don't have a way to contact the others quickly except through runners. Tharielle and Filliane are one of our best ones, so I'm hoping they are still okay."

Specify if you are rushing, or if you're going about this at a normal pace. The Dark Ravens are spread throughout the complex. It'll take a round or two to scan through each person's status.

You eventually make your way around, using your ability to now read everyone's titles. There were a few things that you learned. Although many times it was the latest title that a person earned which was displayed above their heads. There were some cases where their displayed title was a title they had earned long ago. This was most evident when it came to look at Jed's status. The moment you used your ability on him, he got the expected "+Title: Inspected", and for a brief second his title was Jed《Inspected》 , but a moment later it had changed back to Jed《Exhibitionist》. The man himself noticed you staring at him, and he gave you an obvious wink.

Note: Almost everyone have similar titles, including: From Another World, Ninja, Dark Raven, etc. I'll mention unique things. And giving a random few of their titles as well. If you want a more thorough list from a specific NPC, let me know. Pictures here from CH 4.

[info]Lai Ju: Similar to Lai Fen. Managed to avoid any of the Hated titles.

Deng Lin: It seemed she suffered something life-threatening before she had joined the Dark Ravens. The Bloodied, The Endurer, Survivor, Mage, Spellcaster, The Magical, The Tough.

Zhan Jian: She seemed to work for a brothel for a time. Rogue, Fighter, The Strong, Alluring

Oliana Hudson: Knife Juggler, Maid, Twin, Dearest, The Graceful, Chef,

Jia Zhenya: Fighter, Swordswoman, The Strong,

Cai Yuhan: Mass Killer, Ninja, The Graceful,

Quan Heng: Rogue, Fighter, The Wise,

Han Tu: Covert Ops, Ninja, The Graceful,

Zhong Xinyue: There were titles related with using 'guns'. Rogue, Gunslinger, Whipmaster, The Tough,

Bethany Claw: There were titles related with military training. Soldier, Ninja, The Graceful,

Duan Jun: Anemic, Sleepy, Dreamer, Mage, Spellcaster, The Magical,

Wen Chaoxiang: The Silent One, Papa Dog, Appreciated, Liked, Loved, Idolized, Well-Appreciated, Well-Liked, Well-Loved, Well-Idolized, The Graceful, The Wise,

Abrielle Moreau: Her titles she earned early in life were simple non-combat related ones, but after she earned the title 'From Another World', her life started to become filled with events. Cold-Blooded, Mage, Assassin of Red, Spellcaster, The Magical,

Jed: Exhibitionist, Social Butterfly, Well-Endowed, Appreciated, Liked, Loved, Idolized, Well-Appreciated, Well-Liked, Well-Loved, Well-Idolized, The Tough, The Strong, The Charismatic

Edyth Razorfang: One Slash/Four Kills, Samurai/Swordswoman, The Graceful, The Smart,

Fan Yang: Bookworm, Stave Master, The Graceful, The Smart, The Wise,

Cora Bouvier: Rogue Knight, Swordswoman, The Strong, The Tough,

Gu Bai: Looking at her titles, the timid girl had something you didn't expect. Ninja, The Timid, The Clumsy, The Airhead, Red Hand, Spy,

Moliane Hudson: Maid, Twin, Dearest, The Graceful, Chef,

Tiffany Ninetail: Noble, Mage, Spellcaster, The Graceful, The Charismatic, The Smart, The Magical,

Eris Alaster:  Looking at her titles, she had a few that you yourself had. Summoned Hero, She Who Knows Status, Spellcaster, Elemental Fusion Caster, Ninja, The Graceful, The Tough, The Magical

Lu Zhihao: Sadist, Ninja, The Graceful, The Tough,

Kong Zhi: Swordswoman, The Graceful, The Strong,

Mo Ruagang: As you had suspected. Mo Ruogang had joined the Red-Hand before earning the Dark Ravens title. Red Hand, Spy, Ninja, The Graceful,

Duan Cai: Ninja, The Graceful, The Strong, The Tough, [/info]

[Linwelin]

[info]Fred takes his time, as rushing around while having just being injured would be suspicious.[/info]

Fred is pleased to see that no one else has any other strange affiliations, Except for a very unexpected member, causing his heart to drop. So there really was another...but her? I thought she was just a klutz.

Fred carefully began whispering his earth spell, purposely avoiding eye contact until the last second, when he commanded the elemental magic to strike. "Earthen Tomb!" Fred immediately looked around for any allies, shouting out while running toward the girl that would hopefully stay captured. "Secure Gu Bai! She's an accomplice! And make sure she can't bite down until the poison is out!"