Lan, I still want to play... But with a different character. From the quest logs, I've only read same as Heroist so far, plus I'm not up to speed on what happened during the first day/days. Also, I got a bit confused with skills and abilities, most likely because I didn't sleep at all today and only had 4 hours yesterday. I probably either added too much or not enough, or maybe mixed something up.Sayuri
The Senei Republic, being a vast, powerful, and wealthy state, predictably offered the people living within it myriads of opportunities, not least because of the freedom of philosophical reflection, the diversity of various social and scientific ideas, as well as the relatively free lifestyle of the republic's citizens—at least in comparison to other countries on the continent. Those who arrived in the republic from other lands generally expected one of two impressions: for some, this country deservedly seemed a land of opportunity, wealth, and free thought, while for others, it was a state of spiritless, materialistic, and egocentric barbarians, devoid of any concept of things more significant and important than the pleasures of the flesh. The conditions in which Sayuri grew up were largely the opposite of what she encountered during her first visit to the Senei Republic. Her mentor, an experienced and wise warrior, developed spiritual balance within her, taught her emotional equilibrium, and spoke of the importance of purity of heart and the significance of martial honor. The result of these teachings in the young warrior was a cold mind, integrity, and, of course, loyalty to her homeland and the traditions of her people. Nevertheless, something in the mentor's educational method went wrong, or perhaps the defect lay within the girl herself, as she ultimately failed to resist the pernicious influence of the republic and preserve the purity of her soul during this journey. She had wanted to come here for a simple, quite explainable, and in some measure noble purpose—she wanted to see the largest country on the continent, learn what it represented, what kind of people lived there, how they lived, and what they did. In those years, she sincerely believed that this journey would allow her to broaden her horizons of knowledge, better understand how the world was structured where Hain stood on the political arena, and furthermore, if she were lucky, open opportunities for her to somehow help her compatriots, whether through useful information obtained as a result of these observations or secret intelligence. Life, however, had a somewhat different fate in store for an unprepared seventeen-year-old girl.
As it was for numerous newcomers before her, the first impression the republic made on Sayuri was predominantly negative. Unlike Hain, where all people labored for the good of the country, honored their ancestors, and lived according to ancient traditions, the inhabitants of the Senei Republic lived their own lives, pursued personal interests, followed various beliefs, or were not religious at all. It seemed to her that every person in this country put themselves first in life, and likely so it was. Even the supposedly valiant warriors of this country left a similar impression on her. The goods popular among the population, their methods of spending time, life priorities, and philosophical reflections—all of this was very far from her and seemed barbaric to her. Despite this, she continued her acquaintance with this country, and this time it was driven primarily by curiosity rather than good, albeit naive, intentions.
***
On the stands of the great arena, as always at this time of day, there were a vast number of spectators; in the heart of each of them, adrenaline played mixed with excitement, the mind craved blood, hands did not stop and continued to gesture, mouths would not be silent. The two warriors at the center of this attention, however, paid them no heed—at this moment nothing existed for them except the opponent's weapon and eyes filled with hunting instinct. The graceful figure of a young and beautiful Hainese girl danced elegantly around the massive body of a steel-clad troll. Armed with a two-handed axe and protected by heavy armor, the troll was also quite agile, at least for a creature of such dimensions. Such a combination proved very effective, especially in today's duel—while he himself was excellently protected and showed no signs of a breach in his defense, it would be enough for him to land just one accurate strike to turn his opponent's body into a bloody mess.
When the troll raised the axe above his head for another strike, Sayuri deftly slipped under his legs and, as he turned, instantly drove the point of her sword precisely into the eye slit of the troll's helmet.
— Baarrgh! — The big fellow howled in hellish pain and leaped back sharply, with such force that Sayuri was unable to keep hold of the hilt of her sword. In any other situation, this would have guaranteed her inevitable defeat, but she was lucky—the troll was unable to continue the fight. In this duel, he escaped death, but he did lose his eyes; this will make him remember today for the rest of his life. Gods know, a gladiator's life is not long.
Sayuri left the battlefield to the applause of the public.
Could she have thought just two years ago that she would earn her living by applying her combat mastery for the amusement of the public? Did she suspect that the gift passed to her by her mentors would be defiled in such a way? Obviously not. Life in this country changed her attitude toward life and many of her views. Although the warrior still harbored a warm love for her homeland and occasionally felt remorse about it, she did not want to return to her former life. Here she had more opportunities, and life seemed more cheerful and diverse than at home.
***
Every day I think of your beautiful face.
Of your luxurious hair, like silk.
Of skin velvet-soft and tender as moonlight.
Of sad but determined eyes.
Of wounded but beautiful hands.
Of slender but strong legs.
When things become difficult for me, I think of you and it becomes easier.
Thanks to you, a meaningless life finds meaning.
When Sayuri read this short letter from an unknown sender, she felt a bit uneasy. Funny and absurd, but at the same time somewhat creepy. What could have been in the head of the person who wrote and sent this? It was frightening to think. The letter also included the sender's address with a proposal for a meeting. Naturally, the Hainese girl refused and did not send any reply, although perhaps a more correct decision in such a situation would have been to track down the sender and learn about the situation in more detail—what if it was someone with malicious intent who might manifest themselves later? Of course, it could also be that it was just some prank.
***
The admiring, greedy, and sometimes aroused eyes of the tavern patrons were fixed on a beautiful Senei woman dancing in the center of the hall. She had flawless fair skin and red hair, a beautiful face, and enchanting emerald eyes. Her clothing was very sparse, but that was hardly an accident.
— Ole, ole, ah-a! — Her dance full of lust and mesmerizing facial expressions left no one indifferent. Many of those watching her performance threw money to the dancer, while others involuntarily began to move to the rhythm of the local musicians' music, unable to resist such strong energy and charm.
When the music finally stopped, the performer gracefully declined several invitations from her boldest admirers to spend time together and sat down at one of the tables.
— Well, how was it? — Catching her breath, Altaia ordered a glass of expensive Senei wine and spoke to her table neighbor.
— Excellent, as always. — Sayuri, as expected, positively evaluated her acquaintance's performance. — I never cease to be amazed at the strong impression music and dance make on the public. Not that I can't understand them... But isn't it difficult and dangerous to enjoy such popularity?
— Ha-ha… Men want either to be with me, or for no one else to be with me, and women... Either want to kill me, or be me…
— ...
— Don't even think that this applies to you… — Altaia smiled charmingly and took a sip from the glass just brought. — By the way, I could teach you my craft. Believe me, you would look magnificent… But not as bright as I, of course.
— I dance with death, with steel in my hands and heart. Even if it is for others' entertainment, it is still not for me.
— On the contrary! Any experience working with the body will be useful; the main thing is to start, and then everything will go like clockwork—the key is not to lose interest and love your work.
— That's exactly the point. As a performer, you might not see it, but the most important thing in this profession is not athletic skills and abilities, but naturalness and the desire, or perhaps the ability, to interact with the viewer.
— Yes, I understand what you mean. I like it when people look at me and admire.
— Exactly; you enjoy bringing pleasure to the viewer and you get pleasure from the process. It's all about how you look at them, how you charm with movements and kill with your eyes.
— Do you think you are incapable of this?
— No. As far as I can see, I don't care what others think and, as a rule, I feel no desire to interact with them.
— Is that so… Well, I won't insist, but if you ever change your mind, remind me.
Sayuri nodded.
While the two were talking and leisurely drinking alcohol, a sturdy-looking man sat down with them and formally introduced himself as the captain of the guard, Ardes Salrieri.
— Oh, Captain, I am glad you have honored me with your attention, however today I am not…
— My apologies, but I am not referring to you, lady?..
— Altaia! — The dancer was noticeably surprised and indignant at the captain's words, her eyes betraying her disappointment and irritation. — It seems you have enough admirers of your own, haa...
— How can I be of service, Captain? — Sayuri did not expect to hear anything interesting from a Senei; the likely reasons for his approach quickly formed in her head, and one option proved correct: the captain, having seen many gladiator fights at the arena, decided to invite her into service. The Hainese girl refused.
— May I ask why? You could count on good conditions and decent pay, not to mention that you would be engaged in a virtuous and necessary work for society.
— I am not interested.
Such work indeed seemed boring and very tedious to Sayuri, but beyond that, she did not want to become part of this huge mechanism and adapt to the hierarchy of a state organization where she would have to obey higher-ranking officers. Moreover, she had already once betrayed the expectations of her homeland and did not want to aggravate her transgression further.
***
After another duel at the arena, Sayuri headed straight home; today she felt especially tired and wanted to crash into bed as soon as possible. To her misfortune, the day was still to be very long.
A few minutes after she left the arena grounds, several strangers appeared before her—a few guards and, obviously, their employer, who differed from the others by his rich clothing and business expression. In his hands was a huge bouquet of flowers the gladiator had never seen before. Sayuri stared questioningly at the young man.
— Ah, MY dear Black Lightning! — “Black Lightning” was one of Sayuri's many nicknames in the gladiatorial fights, so it became obvious that this was likely some fan particularly enamored with her modest person. — Up close you are even more beautiful than from the stands!
— Uh-uh, thank you?..
— Know that today I, Agni Gestalt, am a new man, not like before! The best version.
— I am happy for you.
— Wait! — Noticing that Sayuri continued on her way, Agni jumped to her and tried to take her hand, but she reacted in time and avoided it. — Where are you going?
— Excuse me, do we know each other? Do you have some business with me?
— Ah, how unreliable human memory is. Ahem, I introduced myself two years ago; at that time I also scheduled a meeting to which you, alas, did not appear.
Sayuri quickly scrolled through the events that happened approximately at that time and promptly found the answer—are you talking about the letter?
— Correct! I am very grateful that you do remember it, but at the same time I cannot blame you for ignoring me back then…
— “Damn,” Sayuri thought, “I shouldn't have mentioned it.”
— Back then I was a nobody, dependent on the money of my influential parents and represented little, being a very pathetic person, but now everything is different. I worked very hard for this day, learned much, gained confidence, and became wealthy!
— Mr. Gestalt, as I already said, I am very happy for you. I congratulate you and wish you all the best, but I would like to return to my business, alright?
— What? No! Today has only just begun, we…
Sayuri ignored the words of her new acquaintance and walked toward home, pushing aside the eccentric's guards along the way.
Unfortunately, this did not stop him. Agni Gestalt continued to follow her on his heels and tell not-so-fascinating stories about himself and his admiration for her. This continued even after she returned home—the rich man stood under the window of her modest dwelling and confessed his love feelings for her. Finally, when Sayuri's patience ran out, the girl rushed out of the house and, swearing, demanded that the pursuer immediately get lost or at least shut up.
Agni Gestalt was shocked and could not understand what was happening.
— B-but why? I thought we were bound by fate… I… I worked so hard just for this, I thought… I was sure… I…
— You thought a lot of things and tried hard, that much I understand, but for heaven's sake, I am seeing you for the first time in my life, and you don't know me. How infantile and egocentric does one have to be to… Ah-ah, I can't even describe this absurdity with words.
— Wh...
— Be so kind as not to bother me.
Agni Gestalt lowered his head with a broken heart and fell silent.
— Farewell.
***
Although Sayuri refused the eccentric admirer's strange and in some ways very naive love, her first and somewhat belated (by the standards of many cultures on the continent) time of sweet romance was only ahead. Her beloved became a young cook from a small restaurant whose clients were predominantly simple republican laborers. She herself loved to eat here because the taste of the local noodles reminded her of home and her past life.
Nisan Elport had no combat skills and did not distinguish himself by physical strength, but he was very intelligent and tender—more than once the cook made the face of the brave and strong warrior flush with a blush. It was pleasant to communicate with him and interesting to spend time; he always found something to occupy them both. Besides this, he was also very handsome—tall, slender but not lacking noticeable muscle mass, with straight golden hair, thin eyebrows, and eyes gray as a winter sky.
At this time Sayuri decided to end her gladiatorial career and helped Nisan in the restaurant, getting a job there and subsequently learning to cook quite well. The earnings here were significantly lower, but she had long wanted to leave her previous “place of work”; regular fractures and bruises had grown tiresome, and the duels no longer brought former pleasure. The first year of living together with Nisan Elport could be called golden, as they spent it in joy and without quarrels. Happiness, however, did not prove eternal.
What could have destroyed the established idyll? Perhaps large debts that the couple was unable to pay? Or perhaps an attack by bandits with an unfavorable outcome for them? An infidelity committed by one of them? Nisan's death? No, everything turned out much simpler and in some ways even scarier. Between low-paid work and domestic duties, these own relations began to seem very stale to Sayuri—the stage of flaming love remained in the past, and now she had to face objective facts: Sayuri was bored, and a lack of money did not help with this. In the end, she and Nisan broke up. As a final word, the guy said he would always be glad to see her, although she understood that she would never return.
***
For the next few months Sayuri engaged in various available work—that which could be obtained without special education or previous experience. That is, not very well-paid work. The desire to try certain things, stop saving, and stop wasting her precious life time made her consider returning to gladiatorial activity or considering other, more dangerous, employment options, but she never managed to decide on this. Instead, an unexpected and somewhat wild option appeared on the horizon—participation in gladiatorial fights had not left her body without a trace, and now many areas of her skin were disfigured by scars obtained in duels; however, she was still good-looking and caught the eye of a wealthy landowner who wanted to make her his wife—in some ways he reminded her of Agni Gestalt, but he was not as naive. Or young.
After a long time spent reflecting, the Hainese girl decided to try this option and agreed. Perhaps it was not very dignified, but by this time she no longer knew what she wanted from life. Certainly not dead-end work and poverty.
Sayuri lasted three months—in the first weeks of living in the wealthy estate, she liked living with excess, wearing expensive dresses and jewelry, receiving expensive gifts and doing nothing, but over time she grew tired of this too. Gathering her thoughts, she informed the landowner of her decision and left the estate, taking only her personal belongings.
A week after this, Sayuri suffered a sudden attack in the middle of the night while staying at one of the regional inns, as a result of which she lost her left eye. She managed to get out of there alive, but besides the heavy wound, she lost everything except her faithful sword.
Licking her wounds in a neighboring village, she began searching for the attackers. As it turned out later, they acted on the orders of her former spouse. The rich man did not hesitate to employ bandits to “teach a lesson” to the runaway who had caused him “irreparable reputational damage.” In any other situation she would have forgotten about this and left silently, but the wound on the left side of her face did not allow her to just let it go: like the troll defeated by her several years ago at the arena, she will never forget this.
Preparing a plan for a night attack, Sayuri used her knowledge of the estate's interior and the guard patrol intervals to sneak into the building, and then into the landowner's bedroom unnoticed, which she succeeded in doing.
— E-e-e! — The landowner woke up from the unexpected touch of sharp steel against his thick neck.
— You know, when you shriek like that, you sound like a pig.
— Wh... — Catching his breath, the rich man tried to speak calmly. — What do you think you're doing, you scum? Do you even know what awaits you?
— Tell me just one thing, — Sayuri did not play with the blade or frighten him again, instead getting straight to business, — why did you send people after me?
— Ha, you're still asking, ungrateful bitch? I gave you everything, everything you couldn't even dream of! And how did you repay me, huh?!
— I don't understand, honestly, — the Hainese girl sighed heavily, — each of us has our own will and each, in measure of their responsibility, intelligence, and views, makes certain decisions. I deprived you of nothing and took nothing from you; it just turned out that we are not meant for each other. What makes you think that you have a moral right to punish me for this in any way?
— Idiot! Obviously, our lives have different weights and comparing them is incorrect, but of course you'll never understand that. The shame you brought me cannot be washed away by ten of your lives!!!
— Is that so… — Besides everything else, for additional psychological pressure Sayuri had planned to show her former spouse what happened to her eye because of his order, but she changed her mind—it made no sense. — Farewell.
With a swift movement of her hand, Sayuri deprived the rich man of his head. Death was instantaneous and painless—perhaps more than he deserved.
***
After that night, Sayuri continued to wander the world as she had many years ago when she left her childhood home. And when the Hainese girl finally crossed the borders of the republic, she suddenly felt a void within herself—when she first arrived here, myriads of opportunities opened before her, but now she was broken and did not know what to do with her life; little brought her satisfaction. “Perhaps leaving Hain was a mistake”—she thought this sometimes, but always drove these thoughts away, for now it no longer mattered.
In those days she engaged in any work that was within her competence, was not routine, and was not dirty—for example, she did not wish to soil her hands with the lives of innocents. Today's employer was a wandering sorcerer. Exactly what he did and what direction in magic he pursued Sayuri did not know, but she took him at his word; she saw no point in falsely representing himself as a mage before a random stranger. And in any case, it didn't matter.
— A gold talisman with a sapphire in the shape of a triangle, correct? — The client wanted Sayuri to get her hands on a certain talisman in the possession of a local merchant. This item, unlike regular goods, was the personal property of the trader and not for sale.
— Yes, all correct. Exactly like that; don't mix it up, or I won't pay.
— Are there any preferences regarding the methods of obtaining it?
— I don't care. You can use diplomacy and try to buy it out—I'll give you money if necessary—you can sneak in like a cat and steal it, or you can cut down all the guards along with the owner; that option is also acceptable.
Sayuri, naturally, given such an opportunity, wanted to perform her work legally and honestly, and therefore preferred to talk to the merchant—the probability of convincing him to sell what he did not intend to sell was not very high, but it still existed. It's quite possible that he simply didn't like the sorcerer; who knows?
Introducing herself to the merchant, Sayuri explained that she had heard of a specific talisman in his personal collection and wished to acquire this item.
— Not for sale. — The merchant answered sharply and clearly. — Hmm, does this sorcerer really take me for a complete idiot? First he comes himself, then he sends another person. I thought wizards were smart, but it doesn't seem so.
— My apologies, no one doubted the magnitude of your intelligence. Nevertheless, I must ask—is there really nothing that can be done?
— About what?
— The talisman.
— I told you, not for sale. — Regardless of the reason for the trader's attachment to this specific talisman, it was obvious he was in no hurry to part with it. — But you know… Perhaps there is another option.
— May I know what it is?
— For example, you could help me relax and I will agree to sell the talisman. Of course, the price won't increase because of this, but…
— What amount are we talking about?
— Well, ahem... 40000 sen?
— In that case, I would like to know the details of your request.
When the merchant shared the details of what he needed “help” with, Sayuri cursed in her head, but then again, he didn't say anything she couldn't expect in such a situation.
— I want to clarify. If this request is satisfied, you sell the talisman for 40000 sen?
— Yes, yes. Deal!
— In that case, fine. — This option did not please her, but it seemed better than ruthlessly beating the merchant and his guards with a sword like cattle, as she was not confident in her stealth skills. One could, of course, refuse this work entirely, but finances threatened to be exhausted day by day, and they paid well for this job.
— Seriously?! Hehe.
The merchant drove the guards away, after which Sayuri knelt beside him. After a brief preparation, she began to serve the merchant with enthusiasm—the task was not the most pleasant, but a deal is a deal.
Toward the end of the process, the merchant grabbed her head with both hands and pressed her to himself, releasing everything he had a moment later. The Hainese girl did not like this very much, but it was already too late to say something or object; coughing and catching her breath, she reminded the merchant of their deal.
— What deal? What are you talking about, have you gone mad?
— Please, — Sayuri suddenly felt tired; interacting with other people drained more and more strength from her each year, — let's not play these games.
— There is no deal and that's that. Is it not clear that I simply wanted to relax, and here you came along, obediently agreeing! Both a laugh and a sin, honestly.
— Is that so.
Since Sayuri's sword had been confiscated by the guards for the duration of their meeting, Sayuri had to improvise—she lunged at the merchant, knocked him to the ground with her weight, and began to strangle him. As an experienced warrior, her hands were strong, and therefore she managed to do this very effectively—the victim was unable to offer any resistance and soon passed away. Finding the unfortunate talisman as a result of a brief search, Sayuri headed for the exit, where she encountered several guards, whom she also had to liquidate.
After that, she hastily left the scene of the crime, tidied herself up, visited the sorcerer, received her reward, and left the city. On this day, she succumbed to her honesty and own naivety for the last time. People, or most of them—stupid cattle; that was the conclusion she reached then, and all her new encounters only confirmed it. She could never understand what even makes people think they can deceive or humiliate someone? Moreover, not even out of fear of retribution, but in principle—how underdeveloped did one have to be as a sub-human? She remembered the face of the killed merchant frozen in a grimace of horror—was this really what he had been striving for all his life? She will rinse her mouth and forget what happened, while the merchant will never see another dawn. Was this little lie worth it?
Along with this, another question arose—was her strict upbringing at home a blessing or a curse? Its echoes affected her actions even to this day.
***
Four years later.
An old cart filled with hay moved slowly along the stony road, led by some old man.
— So, you're heading for Tsondokh Sizeb?
— Yeah.
— And from where?
— I don't want to think about the past. Or the future.
OriginPeople of Hain: +100 Mental Resistance; +1 Ability point.
CharacteristicsStrength: 25
Dexterity: 50
Perception: 10
Endurance: 25
Intelligence: 20
Will: 10
Skills and Abilities
Gladiator+60% to health, willpower, initiative, and accuracy in one-on-one combat
+10 to attractiveness
+10% to rewards✧ Expert ✧Access to combat skills of all peoples (Hain Warrior), if intelligence is above 20; 4 ability points for them (x2)
Hain Warrior
Character is capable of dealing damage to mental entities
Mental Resistance increased by 2 times✧ Ronin ✧ Free skill and three Two-Handed Weapon abilities; +50% accuracy; +5 health per unit of will; +1 willpower per unit of endurance (x2)
✧ Clear Mind ✧In combat, the character cannot be frightened, stunned, or subordinated (x2)
Two-Handed Weapon
Skilled Proficiency: +2 damage per unit of strength.
Accuracy: +0.4 accuracy per unit of strength
Wide Strike: deals damage to all enemies standing in front of the character at a distance of 1-2 cells (cooldown: 3 turns)
Additional Attack (x2)
Assassin
Attacking an unsuspecting character who failed a check (dexterity vs perception and dexterity) kills them.
Inventory
Katana
Kasa
Money
