Mana Et Mecha: The Roleplay (Part One)

Introduction
A mirage.

It had to be.

What were the odds?

There was no way this idyllic town, an enclosed utopia amidst a sea of sand and dry despair, could be real.

It was not perfect: the city was built up from arid sandstone, seemingly driven on the unpaid labor of haggardly slaves worked to the bone from the most difficult jobs; the only water really in sight could be found at a couple of well sites at the four corners of the settlement, one in the center, and they were crowded as thirsty citizens pined for their daily water rations; crime ran rampant, in dark alleys or broad daylight; poverty was well-known and widespread...

... But to the three weary travelers entering the city at its gates, clamoring for any sort of food or drink, rationed or otherwise, this was a paradise. They had not seen civilization for the past week and were obviously not from around these parts. Two of them were extremely light-skinned, at least in comparison to everyone else around them. The third was decently tanned but still stuck out like a sore thumb against the natives that were three times darker. Their clothes, neatly pressed and ironed and cleaned, were not accustomed to the dirt and grime so pervasive and present on the citizens' and slaves' drab shauls. As they moved slowly through the crowds of people hustling and bustling in their daily activities, they caught the attention of many. Who were these people, the people of the city wondered? What is their purpose here? They were not hostile, simply curious. The people of this city were not used to having visitors from foreign lands and wished to accommodate them better.

The only thing that unified these two scarcely different groups, the light and the dark, the prim and the poor, was their gifts given from birth. It was magic.

Not in the classical sense of magic in witchcraft and wizardry, although that was present in these parts. What is considered magical here is the ability to be in tune with nature and the souls of the earth and its natural elements, and to be able to manipulate them in a way that was beneficial to the survival of humanity. The mages of the city used fire magic to cook their food, or earth magic to move large rocks to and from places, or even astral magic to bend fate in their favor.

What was most surprising and surreal to these travelers was that in this city, using magic was commonplace and public. Where they were from, it was a religious sin and illegal act to use magic in public. But they could not say where they were from. Not now...

... At least, not the leader of this group of nomads. He was the biggest, tallest one. He seemed to be barely in his twenties, and barely keeping his composure around his other traveling partners. A heavy ruby red coat wrapped around his hips suggested he originated from a far colder place, certainly not the desert of a place he was in. Sweat dripped from his ink black locks and passed over his watchful, shifty gray eyes, which squinted from the sunlight, and from the displeasure of dealing with his companions. He stared intently at a map, as if he was following a destination marked on it. One could not tell what he was thinking just by looking at his face.

The other two were mysteries as well. The first of them was a young girl, who looked to be half of the leader's height, and half his age. Puffy pants and light slippers suggested she was some sort of gymnast, but the news cap containing her mess of auburn hair suggested otherwise. She had a cheeky grin on her face as she conversed with the last member, the darkest of the three. He had flashy, somewhat satin orange attire. He looked to be in show business of some sort with his fanciful get-up. Makeup from under his eye dripped down his cheeks from the heat, and for whatever reason, his wrists were cuffed.

They walked quietly and kept to themselves. The girl gazed into the eyes of the citizens she passed, wishing desperately to talk to someone new, but she knew how her leader felt about conversing with strangers, especially in the rare occasions that they came across new towns.

The city street they were walking down was lively at first but as they passed, the activity died down for these strangers to pass. The girl surveyed their surroundings. The buildings were simple, in basic block shapes with no glass windows, only holes. Sun reflected against the beige-white colors of these walls, and the bright blue sky of noontime contrasted sharply with the structures, blinding the trio. On the city streets, vendors bartering over fresh and pickled produce stopped and gawked at the visitors. Children playing games paused to stare, and concerned mothers approached their kids' sides to protect them, just in case. The young girl was unsure whether this reaction was common for every new person that passed through the city or if they were an exception.

Finally, the leader halted to a stop, and the other two followed suit. The girl stared up at where they were now. They had approached one of the average-looking buildings, although it was taller than most of the rest, and seemed to be in a better-off part of the street with larger houses and exterior designs on the walls and decorations at the fronts. One small room was at the top of the flat building, giving what she guessed to be a great view of the rest of the city. The place was so tall that it obstructed the sun and cast a dark shadow over the three. She grew hesitant, and slightly intimidated. Her eyes darted to the tall man with the red coat around his waist, wondering what their purpose for being here was.

The leader turned around to face the darker man, and smirked, almost haughtily. He jerked a thumb to the door of the building and chuckled, as if he was the bringer of bad news. "It's over for you, my friend," he said in a deep voice flavored with undertones of self-satisfaction. "Your journey with us comes to an abrupt halt, and end."

The girl, confused, tilted her head. "What do you mean?" she questioned, curiously and now worriedly. Her voice was soft with fear.

The leader didn't answer. He instead looked to the man in orange, an eyebrow arched and a gloating smile. The other man frowned, and rolled his brown eyes. "Stroke your ego all you want by teasing me before you hand me off," he said, his voice a little higher-pitched than the leader's but far more musical and airy, "but I feel no remorse for what I've done. I've made my choice and I regret nothing. But I pity you, your narrow-mindedness and your stifling, oppressive city. I'd rather be a slave to a man in a free land than a free man in a land plagued with oppression and hate. Don't you feel anything for what I say and mean to do? You use magic as well. What makes what I've done traitorous but what you do 'for the good of the city?'"

"You've given your last oration, performer boy," the leader taunted. He turned towards the door. "You acted out knowing the consequences. I have permission to use magic in accordance with the city's administrative edicts and allowances. You do not. And now, because of your violations to the city and religious code, you'll face those consequences."

The young girl was frightened by the language she was hearing. She had not the faintest idea of what was going on, or why the leader she had followed for so long now spoke with harsh tongue. But she was more fearful for her friend, the darker man, and what fate beyond that door he would face. It did not sound like anything she would wish even upon her worst enemy.

She could do nothing. The leader sauntered towards the building's door, and with quick movements he knocked on it, stepped back, and eagerly looked to the man in cuffs to see his reaction for what laid on the other side. The girl winced as she anticipated the door would open at any moment...

The Roleplay
The dead moment of silence was broken by the sounds of a shout inside, muffled by the thick sandstone walls. That shout was then followed by rapid footsteps, soft yet growing louder as the inhabitant drew closer. The second that the sound stopped was when the door flew ajar, revealing a petite young woman in her very early twenties. Her skin was light for a Samadurian, although still much darker than that of the trio who stood before her. A pink scarf was wrapped around her head, covering her hair save for two long locks that fell in front of her body.

Needless to say, facing such strange and intimidating men, the sense of fear grew within her, but was simultaneously rising with curiousity. The lady looked back over her shoulder into the house, and spoke up with a meek and soft voice, "May I help you…?"

"Here's your order," the leader guffawed, his eyes close and his hands on his hips in contempt. But when he opened his eyes and saw a woman, he seemed surprise. He must not have been expecting someone of this appearance to answer the door.

His entire demeanor changed. He glanced down to the map in his hands, confused, a shaky finger now desperately trying to remain still and point to the marked location on the map. It seemed correct to him. Then he gazed up, his eyes scanning for some sort of landmark or street sign. When he could find no such help, he shut his mouth and stared expectantly at the woman.

The young woman was puzzled by this strange man and his two companions, unsure of what his words meant exactly. She stepped back, "Sorry, I don't recall ordering anything…" the lady looked behind her again, before taking another step back and gesturing for the trio follow her inside, "Maybe Inxie did… but make yourself at home while I get her up, she tends to sleep in late."

Before the others could answer, the short woman turned around and hastily made her way up the stairs behind her, and called out to someone on the second level, "River! We have guests, could you entertain them, please?"

There was a moment of silence, and while the woman did not return back down the stairs for now, another began to emerge. She placed her feet gently on the sandstone steps, carefully staring at the trio as she walked down. Her skin was dark like the others, but her eyes were a bright sky blue, and her long hair that reached to her ankles were as white as a cloud. But despite the whiteness in her hair, she was fairly young, even younger than the other woman before. Yet with her odd appearance, she seemed more astonished by the three strangers in front of her, and remained silent for the moment.

Everyone stared at each other for a long time. The girl glanced to her companions. The leader was watching this new woman with large, terrified eyes. He seemed shocked by something about her; perhaps it was the sharply contrasting white hair with her fairly dark skin. But he did not seem mesmerized. More so traumatized. The girl then looked to the other man, who was staring at the leader expectantly, as if waiting for him to do something.

Many moments passed in awkward silence.

Finally, the man dressed in orange sighed, exasperated. Now his demeanor changed. He bore a bright, winning white smile as he addressed the woman with white hair, and his shoulders, previously tensed with some fear, relaxed. His mannerisms became lax. He was taking on an entirely new persona, and he was taking the lead on this operation now.

"Good afternoon, Miss," he said kindly, waving to her in a friendly manner with his other hand on his hip. The leader did a double-take, for he had escaped from the cuffs that were around his wrists previously! How long ago had that happened?

The more talkative man stepped forward, dipped his torso a bit as if making an informal bow, and extended a hand to shake. "I'm terribly sorry that you've been given the task of entertaining us! Think nothing of doing so. We're simply a little bit lost. Apparently my friend here cannot read a map and we've stumbled across your abode. We'll be out of your hair shortly, but perhaps you could direct us for the place we are looking for? And if not that, could you suggest a sort of hostel or inn we may stay at for this day and we can begin our route tomorrow? We would greatly appreciate it."

River raised her eyebrow at the man in front of her, charmed by his suave body language yet still strongly suspicious of him and the others. Her eyes were just was wide as the dark haired man behind this one. She had never seen such strange people before, with their pale skin and eyes of a variety of colors. But realizing how she hadn't responded for a long moment, she forced herself to speak, "I'm afraid I don't know of any inns you can stay at, but…"

Then suddenly, River grabbed the arm of the other man and looked at it with interest, turning his hand from palm to back in her curiosity, "Why were you holding out your hand like that? Am I supposed to do something with it?"

"Oh, is hand shaking not a common practice in these parts?" he asked curioisly. He shook his head. "Oh, never mind that, though I appreciate your interest in my forearm. Perhaps your housemates know where the nearest inn is."

Another few moments passed.

Finally, the man slapped a hand to his sheepish, dark face. "Oh, forgive me so! I've been so rude that I have not even introduced ourselves!" He gestured to his own chest. "I am Thomas."

He gestured to the young girl, with a smile of admiration towards her. "That is Kestral. Say hello, Kestral!"

The young girl stared at River and have a curious, lopsided smile. "Hello."

Thomas swerved over to the other man, the leader, and wrapped his arm around his neck as though they were old pals. "And this is one of my greatest friends, Arkanov."

Arkanov stared at Thomas' wrists as though they were miniature monsters. He seemed very astonished, and even more confused.

Thomas smiled, ignoring Arkanov's strange behavior. "We're very pleased to meet you. Thank you so much for welcoming us into your home."

River smiled at this, beginning to feel more comfortable around these strangers. She flipped a lock of hair behind her neck, and bowed to the other three, "My name is River, it's a pleasure to meet all of you."

But this politeness only lasted a short moment as questions sparked in her again. She straightened her back and quickly took two steps closer to Arkanov and Kestral, staring at their faces intently almost tempted to touch them, "I hope this isn't rude, but why is your skin so… light? Did ash get stuck on to you?"

Truthfully, this was an honest question. The people of this city tended to be darker for they were directly under the sun and could thus tan easily, and also be more protected from the sun. Seeing someone so light-skinned be in these parts was understandably curious. But Arkanov stepped back and gasped as if she had just insulted their mothers.

Thomas gave an awkward half smile. "Certainly the inquisitive one, aren't you? Pay no attention to my friend's reaction. These two are not from around here. Quite a privileged lot, you understand? Like in nobility, of sorts. They're able to stay indoors more, not necessarily in the sun as much. No ash!"

"Ah, my apologies, but that makes sense now." River held her hands behind her back, yet she still was wary of that reaction from Arkanov. She was beginning to sense that she was prying too much, and was about to stop with the questions, until a thought had sparked in her mind. These people might have been able to help her, and as much as she didn't want to use them she couldn't wait in this place much longer.

The young woman crossed her arms, looking expectantly, "Just where are you three from anyways? And on your journey here, you wouldn't have happened to see any strange 'shards' of some sort? Things that look like glass shards maybe?"

"Depends on what you mean by shards," answered Thomas. "I think we saw some when we came in, though that could've been from glass bottles."

Arkanov refused to respond and looked away.

Kestral shook her head. "Why do you ask about these shards...?"

There was a small groan from upstairs, followed by a shout down to the lower level, "River, are you bothering guests with the heart shard thing again?" It was a deeper voice, still belonging to a woman, but it was much stronger than the voice of the woman who had left River alone with these strangers. But hearing those words, River stepped back and shyed away from the trio, looking away almost shamefully.

Then finally, walking down the stairs was the lady in pink from before, and a new woman who was taller, and quite beautiful. Her skin was a dark brown like the bark of a tree, and her long black hair that had exceptional puffiness and volume to it. She wore simple clothes, ones that revealed her midriff, along with golden bangles around her wrists, "Sorry for the wait, gentlemen and little lady. Lumi's told me you've come to deliver something?"

Arkanov cleared his throat, and the small smirk on his face returned. Perhaps these were the slave traders all along. He put a hand around the young girl and pulled her next to him, and then gestured to Thomas. "He's all yours."

Thomas stood, shocked at his captor's stupidity. He looked over to this new woman, and frowned. He was quite sure these women were not the slave traders. "I'm sorry about him. He's having a bit of a heat stroke."

"Am not!" Arkanov protested. His voice rose an octave in defensiveness. "Are you not the slave traders?"

"Excuse me, slave traders?!" Inxie jerked back, a hand over her heart, strongly offended by this assumption. Her eyes glared at the three of them, only to then shoo them away, "Get out of here, we don't want to partake in any slave trade! Now go find someone else to bother!"

Lumi simply nodded as she held on to her wife's arm, agreeing to this. River on the other hand felt like she couldn't let them slip away. They were foreigners, they may have seen more of the world than she ever had, they could help her figure where she needed to start, "W-Wait! I need them for something-!"

Inxie turned her glare to River, crossing her arms now, "Look, Rivvy, you can just ask every stranger here to help you find heart shards alright? They don't want to be bothered with that." She sighed, glancing back to the trio, "Unless you three are willing to scour the whole continent for things that are damn near impossible to find."

"I am!" Thomas immediately volunteered, glancing over his shoulder fearfully at Arkanov.

At this, Arkanov was infuriated. "Like hell you are!" he countered sarcastically. Now he did not seem very shy at all. He stepped forward and put a hand on Thomas's shoulder, digging his fingers in tightly. Thomas looked down to his shoulder and then back to the three women in front of him.

"I'm so sorry my friend here offended you two," Thomas apologized, mustering the most genuine smile he had ever given. "We had to ask about the slave traders for, you see, we are trying to avoid them."

"But-" Arkanov began, but Thomas immediately elbowed him in his gut. The sound of air leaving a balloon emerged from the taller man and he backed away.

Thomas continued. "I was a slave from the land these two are from, you see. I worked for these two. But these two, so noble — being nobility and all — they freed me, they simply couldn't bear to see me waste away into obscurity as an unpaid laborer. We've been running from the slave traders of our old city for a week now, and we just arrived here. We heard this place had an active slave trade, and these two simply couldn't bear the thought of me being sold again. Especially Arkanov here. So we have to be careful around the citizens of these parts. That's why my friend asked. He is simply looking out for me. We did not mean to involve you in any sort of shady business. If you are still upset, I understand."

River's hands were over her mouth agape, her eyes large and sympathetic towards the man. She absolutely bought his story, and stepped up to Thomas. Then suddenly, she opened her arms, and wrapped them around him in a tight squeeze of sympathy and emotional care for him, "You poor thing! It's okay, we'll make sure no one gets you!" She looked up to him, but then realized that maybe this was too personal for a stranger, and stepped back, "I might be able to help you find an inn then, I want you three to stay safe!"

If Thomas' skin tone could allow him to blush from the woman's touch, it would've. He looked over his shoulder again. Kestral nodded feverishly, supportive of what he had said. Arkanov stood silently, and his gaze met Thomas'. They exchanged no words.

Assuming everything was alright between them, Thomas turned back to River, and trying to be as personal as possible whilst still upholding respect for this young woman, he patted her shoulders appreciatively. "Really? Why, thank you so much! You will not believe how much this helps us."

"Thank you a lot, Miss," Kestral chimed in.

Arkanov gave the evil eye to the woman with Snow White hair and then turned away, grumbling. "Yes, thank you very much..."

"You're welcome, now come on! River walked past the others to the front door, and opened it up for them. Smiling brightly and clearly in blissful ignorance of Arkanov's tone. She beckoned them to follow her. But not before Inxie shot another glare at the three of them.

"Alright, you can go, but don't do anything to River," Inxie said, holding out her hand. She snapped her fingers, and her hand erupted into a controlled flame, showing her magic abilities, "Because I will give each of you burns for any scratches on her, got it?"

At the sight of the flame, Kestral gasped sharply, and then proceeded to whimper.

Arkanov put a protective arm around the girl and glowered at Inxie. She wasn't used to seeing magic used so openly and readily, especially not as a method of intimidation. "Watch where you use your magic, you batty bi—"

"You mustn't worry!" Thomas assured quickly, waving his arms dismissively. "We aren't psychopaths. We won't hurt River." He ushered everyone out of the house quickly before an altercation could take place. "Thank you so much for inviting us so cordially into your home! Goodbye now."

River quickly stepped out through the door, letting the others follow behind her, and quickly shut the door before any more words could be exchanged. She laughed tentatively, seeing how angrily serious Arkanov was, and how terrified the young girl with him had reacted. "I'm so sorry, Inxie tends to be a bit protective… shall we find a place for you to stay now…?"

"Yes please," Thomas agreed eagerly and looked around again at the bright blue sky outside.

It hadn't grown dark since they were last outside at all. "Though you can take your time," Thomas said. "The day is still young, unless you need to be home at a certain time with your sisters?"

River chuckled at this notion, although his misconception would make sense from an outsider's perspective. She began to walk along, sticking to the side of the road as not to get caught up with busy people, "No no, none of us are sisters. They're married to each other, and they've only let me stick around with them because I have nowhere else to go..."

The other three got quiet at the word "married." They made curious expressions towards River. However, Thomas regained his composure feminist, knowing he had to seem as though all of this was normal and natural to him.

"Ah. That makes sense," he said finally, after processing it all. "What do you mean you have no other place to go?"

The snow-haired woman noticed some of the strange looks she was getting from the man and the young girl. They were very silent, much more than she had thought they would be, which made her somewhat unsettled. As if she had something to be suspicious of, but she wasn't sure what it was exactly. Nevertheless, she tried to turn her attention away from them and back to Thomas, "My family's very far away from here, and I've promised them and many others that I wouldn't return until we can all go back home... but the good thing about Sihrasul is that there's people coming day in and day out, like you guys, who might be able to help me, even if it's just a little."

Thomas smiled at the woman, not so much for her story but for the fact she finally mentioned the name of the city they were in. "Well, perhaps you have to wait in Sihrasul no longer. I'm fairly certain we can help you."

Arkanov began to interject and speak up but Thomas hushed him.

"Really, you would?!" River turned her head to Thomas with a bright smile, clasping her hands together in front of her chest in glee. This was probably the first time anyone had accepted her offer, and so soon after meeting each other too. But, she began to realize that there was something wrong, that maybe they were rushing into this too fast, "But you may have to travel a lot, around all of Samadurai even. I don't know if it would be worth it if there's nothing in it for all of you..." she then turned her head back to Arkanov and Kestral, "What do you two think?"

Kestral seemed equally as excited, and nodded eagerly. "I would love to, but my brother has to decide whether it's okay."

"Kestral, Thomas, we need to discuss this before we, erm, embark on a journey for who knows how long?" Arkanov chided, but he seemed to be angry with them, especially Thomas, for another reason.

"We're discussing it now," Thomas answered. He seemed especially anxious to agree to this proposal. He turned back to River and gave an encouraging smile. "We'll do it! And if not them, then I alone shall accompany you."

River looked only happier with this information, at least only for a moment, until her smile dropped into a sad frown, "But Thomas, these two must have worked so hard to bring you here, wouldn't that all be for nothing if you just went off with me instead? And I don't know if I could protect us from any slave traders that would find us..." she sighed, glancing back to Arkanov, still speaking to Thomas though, "And your friend over here doesn't look very happy at the thought of that option..."