A legend and a furry sword! [P][ATI]

[Solus]

A

lea iacta est. The bets had been made. All you had to do was to accept or your fate, or would you? The third man showed a jack and queen of hearts. Nothing interesting there. One eye triumphantly smiled, putting his two aces of hearts and clubs on the table. Clearly the winner with three of a kind on the aces. Although... How were the rules on this? Two queens of the exact same kind, would they rank higher than a three of a kind?

Oh yeah, that's right, that counted as a cheating pair. Would you try to hide your cards by discarding them casually announcing that you lost, or would you go for the full exposure option? Chances were these people would probably react badly to a full exposure from you.

[Raphael the Arch-Angel]

The odds were not in your favor. As it was now, with the other cards already revealed, you knew you had lost. But would you risk it all by revealing the hand with the duplicated card? In your mind, you hadn't done anything wrong. You knew that the card was given to you by the dealer who was likely trying to force you out of the game and your money by making it seem as though you have cheated.

But hiding things in that manner was not something you were particularly skilled at. And it was entirely possible that when the dealer took the cards back, he would reveal your cards anyway, even if you had tried to hide them and just admit your loss. As it was now... There was only one thing to do. With the celestial tongue, you speak, the ghostly figure of Seraph reappearing upon your shoulder as you do so.

"Am ne`soamve` kuko kasasofa koelme` wase`sosaamle`amle`j`o kuel kael."

"I believe the dealer has some explaining to do."

You state. As Seraph translates, your hand flips the cards over, revealing the duplicated queen alongside your ace of spades. You know that anything could happen at this point, the people here possibly turning on you and getting quite angry at your reveal, but you are not afraid. In your mind, the one eyed man is the only threat, but perhaps he would see through the dealer's tricks.

[Solus]

T

here wasn't much a reaction, merely the dealer raising an eyebrow. Curiously, the one eyed man did not seem focussed yet on collecting his earnings. Instead his single eye curiously watched as you turned your cards. Gasps of surprise could be heard from all around, save for from the dealer and the one eyed man. "Sir, I think you ave some explaining to do. There was no cheating at this table until you joined." The dealer concluded, taking your queen of spades to compare the backside of the card to the one on the table. "His is from another deck." The man concluded, passing the cards to one of the generic players the gamemaster only added to make the world seem less desolated.

He seemed to agree with the dealer, and from the multiple sets of eyes focused on you, except that one pair of eyes wasn't a set, all of them expecting something. "You agreed to the rules lad, so you should know what this means." one eye mentioned, tapping with his finger on the table, the others nodding in agreement. "Yes, everyone plays for free tonight you, pay their buy in, plus one for the house." the dealer added. A quick sum taught you that there were five players and then there was the dealer. That meant six people. Six times fifty thousand meant that you would have to fork over three hundred thousand Ryo. "I hope you have that lad, or we might have to arrange something or take other measures..." One eye threatened. The others full heartedly agreed.

[Raphael the Arch-Angel]

The words were said, and the blame was cast upon you, not that you believed a word of it. You know you were not a cheater. And the only way you could have gotten out of it was to fold before the queen had even been revealed. The dealer had given this card to you knowingly. Had the queen been revealed and you folded immediately, it was entirely possible that he would have accidentally revealed your cards later on, still labeling you a cheater. Even if you had folded before hand, there was still the possibility that it would have been revealed. As far as you were concerned, you were set up from the minute that you agreed to play.

You knew you did not have the money available to pay for everyone, possessing only 62,000 Ryo. Not that you would have agreed to pay for them all anyway. Doing so would be to admit that you had in fact cheated. No... You need to expose the true criminal here, showing the others that he had given you this card. The question remained however... How would you do this? A slight shake of your head told Seraph that you did not need his translations here. Your soul sliver quickly returned to your body, no longer needed here as your Soul Sight was activated once more. You wanted to see the emotions that went through their mind as you spoke, attempting to reveal the dealer for who he was.

"How easy it is for a group to pin the blame upon the one who played the card. But even the shopkeeper above us could attest to the fact that I had no idea a game such as this even took place within this building, much less what it was. It would therefore be impossible for me to have produced the card."

You then revealed the note that you had passed back and forth between the shopkeeper. The last thing written on it was by him, and therefore it was left in your hands last.

"As shown here, I believed him to be in danger. I felt that this was a more criminal meeting where his life was in danger before he revealed that this game was taking place down here."

You stated, letting them look over the note before continuing.

"Furthermore, with this armor that I wear... Where do you propose I managed to hide such a card without you hearing the clanking of the armor with me trying to retrieve it, as well as giving myself a card that didn't instantly allow me a win. To have switched it during the middle of the game would have been foolish as the queen on the table was already revealed. And to give myself such a card at the beginning, knowing that I'd have to hand it back to the dealer and thus adding another queen to the deck would also be foolish. Giving myself this specific card did not put me in any type of position to win, so what gain would I hope to receive from doing this?"

This, however, was not all you had to say as you pointed a finger toward the dealer.

"The dealer, on the other hand, has all to gain from it. Same with the rest of you. Should the cheating be revealed, which he could have done at any stage after giving me the queen of spades even if I had folded, you all would play for free, and the house would receive the ryo as well. So tell me... why would I put myself in a position where I had nothing to gain from it? And then think... Why would the dealer do it when he had everything to gain."

Logic was the only truth here. If these men did not see this logic here, then that was their own fault. But you were not in a position to win regardless of what card you gave yourself. The only way you could have put yourself in a position to win is to change the cards at the last second, but even then, you had no idea what the others had. The only logical answer to this was the dealer picked you specifically as you were a newcomer, someone unknown who he didn't care to take from. The similarity between him and the shopkeeper made this even more logical as it was possible the two communicated with one another prior to this. The outcome of this would be interesting. You wondered what the others would think when all was revealed.

SPOILER: Click to show

Soul Sight
Rank: "D"
Skill: NinJutsu
Effect: A Soulcaster can see the auras of others.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: User isn't able to see the alignments of people but can indicate an emotional state, such as anger, depression, or love. Using this ability, Soulcaster can see other Soulcasters. This technique however does not allow the user to see in the dark, nor see through invisibility techniques. The sight mostly comes in colors. Different emotions emit different colors. (What colors the user sees is by their own choice OOC)
Limit: Must be a Soulcaster.

[Solus]

A

round the table, everyone was not only remarkably calm as your soul sight revealed, which was in sharp contrast to the anger they feigned, but also content and pleased. The latter was probably originating from the fact that they were very likely to receive something. None seemed afraid either that someone was a cheater. If you had to guess, it was almost as if everyone was very familiar with the developing situation. “This does not change the question of your guilt, nor does it change the fact that you had a card in your hand that is not of this deck” One of the generic players said, bending over to read the note. Then there was another guy, who raising his also easily found a counter argument. “You pointing this all out only proves that this was all an elaborate set up from your side to cheat us out of our money.”

Everyone at the table readily agreed with this. What was going on? “Maybe you are just a very bad cheater? Besides, once again your armour is not admissible evidence. Maybe you have hidden compartments on it? Besides, it is clanking the entire time!” The dealer remarked, playing with one of the cards in his hand that was on the table a few seconds ago.

No matter how much you tried with logic, yours was met with stubbornness and logic too or a lack of evidence. And to be very honest all you said was only assumption or theoretical. There was simply no proof, other than the card in your hands. “Everyone has to gain here.” One eye remarked, tapping the table with his index finger. “Us for the payout, you for the pot. Yet all the evidence points in your direction. You have no proof and thus you shall and must pay.” He crossed his arms, sitting back in his chair with a grin. “If you cannot, I might know of a way in which you can nullify your debt to us.” So that is what all of this was huh? This still left the question though: Who had cheated? And why was everyone so calm?

[Raphael the Arch-Angel]

Your thoughts collected within you once more, listening to their responses. They used their own brand of logic, but there was something different here. They were remaining calm throughout this whole ordeal. In fact... Not one of them showed any sign of being anything but calm. Each and every single one glowed with a light green color. Which begged the question... Why?

The only answer you could come up with... Everyone here was in on it from the beginning. All you could think was that the shopkeeper up above revealed something to those down here before you even came down. But even then... There was no way of knowing, unless they set the deck up specifically in this way when they heard that you were arriving. But perhaps there was something more to it than that.

You sat there in silence, continuing to think about all of the outcomes. The card had to have been given to you at the start, and none of the others dealt the card to you. Which meant that the card had to have been given to you by the dealer. If he did in fact rig the deck to be in a specific way so that the queen would be revealed regardless, you were set up from the beginning still. It just seemed to be the only explanation. Regardless of all of this though... You still were not afraid.

"And what do you propose happens if I don't have the Ryo to pay for everyone?"

You stated, intending on hearing them out. You had ways of keeping yourself safe if the need arose, but for now, there wasn't anything you could do. You had no way of proving that you didn't cheat and that the dealer did. At least not without looking into the past, which takes some time and a little hand motions. Likely, if you were to do that, the others would instantly attack. And besides, even if it would prove exactly how the cheating happened, you wouldn't have a way of proving it to those that were here. For now, all you could do was wait to see what they would say. Clearly the one-eyed man had something planned, and the calmness of the others showed that they knew what was going to happen no matter what. This did not bode well for you.

[OOC: For the record, I probably should have seen that the backs of the cards were different in the very beginning due to a mastery of Observation. I don't necessarily have to state that I'm using that particular skill. But I'm curious as to where you'll take this nonetheless. =P]

[Solus]

I

t was silent for quite a while around the table as the one eyed man leaned back comfortably and smugly. His single eye cast around the table seeing as how no one spoke up. “I see, none of you had any idea beyond beating the money out of him over time.” He interlaced his fingers as his single eye looked through you. “I am happy to hear that you acquiesce, there is no need for violence if these gentlemen don’t mind waiting for their money a bit. I am organizing an expedition. If you join I shall put aside what wages you make and those shall be payed out to these gentlemen to settle your debt. Only fair no?” The man leaned forward, unclasping his hand and raising a finger. “That is if you can take a meaningful position on my ship. What can you do?”

[Raphael the Arch-Angel]

You listened as the one-eyed man gave his proposition. They weren't about to come out and attack you flat out. It was a semblance of relief to think that, but it still left to wonder what exactly this expedition would lead to. You had your own code of ethics to follow after all. Your soul would not allow you to deviate from that. At the same time... This would be done in a way that would be repaying a debt. Granted... You still questioned the validity of this, but perhaps it would be best to continue along with it.

"My skills rest within the healing arts. I have much knowledge on how to heal many ailments, as well as gather information and fight through the use of my very soul. And of course.... I have this."

You stated, pulling forth your blade and showing it to the others. It was a masterwork longsword with a unique ability. It glimmered beneath the dim light before you returned it to its sheath.

From there, your eyes glanced toward the cards once more, your head not moving along with it to not show that you are looking anywhere but at the one-eyed man. You still cannot believe that you hadn't seen any differences between the cards. You hoped that everything would be revealed in time.

[Solus]

Y

our possible lines of profession seemed to be satisfying, as the one eyed man drummed with his fingers on the table, clearly caught in thought. “I already have a ship doctor, but I could use one who doesn’t drink. You seem like a decent sort in that respect. If you want to continue on this path, then you can consider yourself hired.” He said, leaning forward and poking the air in your direction with his left index finger. The way seemed clear.

[Raphael the Arch-Angel]

You found yourself with little other choice but to comply with what he said. After all, it was either that, or you'd have to find another way to supply the money that was being asked for. As such, you nodded your head toward the one eyed man.

"I do not really have another choice in the matter. I do not have the money and must work out the debt one way or another, even if I do not agree with it."

You stated, showing that you were not quite pleased with the outcome, but intended to go along with his plan for the time being. Besides. The game was not your ultimate goal anyway. This one eyed man was who you were looking for from the beginning. Working in close proximity to him could prove beneficial.

[Solus]

C

uckling the master would clap his hands with excitement. "Good, very good. I will see you in less than six days from now in the docks of the port town on the east coast of this region. The place is called Eregion. There lays a ship called 'The Succubus', it should be easy to find. Report there in time." He threw his cards on the table and took back his starting money from the other players. "This game is ruined anyway." The other players agreed and just like the one eyed man they would take their leave. Whether you wanted to stay or not did not matter, the deal would immediately start nudging you to leave too. At least you had your money back. Outside all the men would have disappeared without a trace, unable to be followed.

Slight timeskip here because I cannot be bothered RP'ing out you walking across a snowy road to the east without anything uneventful occurring.

The road trip took you only two days, leaving you more than enough time to prepare for your journey. The port town was simple. It was not a major trading hub. Ships from Yuki no Kuni would come here and stack up on supplies such as food, water and medicine here for the lower prizes than in their own country before embarking on longer trips. The docks were mainly meant for smaller merchant vessels. Spotting the Succubus was easier than finding herring on a fish market, she was at one of the larger docks, a three masted ship with a succubus figure on both stern and bow. It was one of the ships with a very wide hull, but a small deck. This had three purposes. The angled hull would deflect projectiles more easily, the smaller deck meant a smaller crew could operate the ship and lastly, many ports requested taxes per deck size. A gangway connected the ship to the docks and many men walked back and forth over it, bringing crates and animals onto the ship. Your target, the one eyed man was standing near the gangway with another man who carried a clipboard, carefully tracking what went on board.

[Raphael the Arch-Angel]

With the game over, you found no further reason to stay below. You exited along with the others after retrieving your money, holding to memory the name of the ship and where to go. In the meantime, you spent some time training more, furthering your abilities as a medic to hopefully be of more use in this.

On the date that you were told to arrive, your footsteps took you to the port intended. And after a short search, you found yourself at the ship that the one-eyed man had told you about. It was relatively easy to find, being on the larger docks with quite a bit of cargo being loaded aboard. You hoped that these were respectable men, but you were simply paying a debt. Their actions did not reflect your morals.

Your armored body walked closer to the ship, making your way toward the one-eyed man and another who held a clipboard.

"You possess quite the ship, sir. But as agreed upon, I am here to settle my debt."

You said, opting out of your celestial tongue. You had a feeling that this would be the case for most of this journey.

[Note: I have not yet edited my bio per the new Soulcaster revamp. I'll be doing that hopefully soon. With the real life issues going on, I just haven't had the chance to do so]

[Solus]

Y

our appearance would be met with a nod from the one eyed man and a half assed quasi-military salute from the clipboard man. "Our new doctor I presume?" He requested coolly, tallying another cage of chickens that would go aboard. The one-eyed man nodded, pointing to the gangway. "Thank you. And you are a man of honour for coming here. report in the medical bay, there they will help you get settled. Down to the hold, it's somewhere on the port side, second deck. Ask the sailors if you cannot find it." That seemed the end of the conversation as one-eye started to peer at the clipboard to, making remarks at the other man about what was missing.

Finding the medical deck proved relatively easy, first you had to go down two decks, the top one was a ballista deck, where the war machines rested behind the hatches should the time for battle come. The second deck, already near the water line seemed to be the crew deck. Many hammocks were slung here for the sailors, but on both sides of the ship there were quite a few rooms for higher ranked persons such as yourself. At least, it would be safe to assume that as a medic your quarters would be better than that of a sailor. There were no windows of course, all light either filtered in from above or was provided for by lanterns.

On the port side of the ship you would relatively easy find the med bay as it had a red cross painted a bit sloppy on the door. Opening that door would result in a large clanking sound as bottles rolled of into various directions, banging into each other. The room was simple aside from the multitude of empty bottles. The smell of mustiness and alcohol was obnoxious and you could practically taste the rum on the air.

There was a desk opposite the door, littered with tattered medical books and scribbled notes. The walls contained a single closed cabinet, locked with a padlock, to keep the medicine behind it out of the greedy hands of the crew. Apart from that many medical instruments, most fairly outdated, hung on the walls. And opposite the medicine cabinet there was a wall with shelves, containing samples in formaldehyde that ranged from human body parts to exotic birds. In the centre of the room stood a rough wooden table for emergency surgery, splattered with the black stains of dried blood.

On it lay a man of normal posture in a white coat. Or at least it used to be white, it now was tainted with stains in various shades of brown from even more dried blood and iodine, giving the doctor the appearance of a butcher. His shaving had clearly been postponed several days and ragged black hair framed his face. This man was in dire need of a shower. Not just to clean him up, but also to wake him up. The man was snoring loudly on the table, each exhalation sending a new sample of odour, laden with alcohol, into the already polluted atmosphere. There was also another smell. A bit.. Smokey... All in all, a bit lousy for a medical bay.

That's okay, as soon as you've done that we'll just go with the new bio for simplicity's sake.