The third one is the closest!
The only thing wrong with it is that Jasper is supposed to have 2 horns.
However, I really like how the horns look in that pic...
>w>
<w<
*struggles to decide whether to change her post describing him, thus also changing the library entry, just so that pic can work*
(o>-<o)
*brain collapses from indecisiveness*
orz
*revives slightly so she can thank you for the preliminary search*
The third one is the closest!
The only thing wrong with it is that Jasper is supposed to have 2 horns.
However, I really like how the horns look in that pic...
>w>
<w<
*struggles to decide whether to change her post describing him, thus also changing the library entry, just so that pic can work*
(o>-<o)
*brain collapses from indecisiveness*
orz
*revives slightly so she can thank you for the preliminary search*
Doing changes to anything in the third picture is pretty hard to do, as the image has a lot of detail. Especially those gradually shifting colors are something I can't work with at all. Just saying.
Report - Solet' Luna
Picking up the quest regarding the Spire Reef, I immediately began journeying to the Prisoner's Knoll. To be honest, I just missed the dirty and chaotic atmosphere of the pirate world. It reminded me of my previous life. Although the scent of the slum was vomit-inducing and murky, it would help me relax, as if I went back to the simple time when I used to live as a homeless after escaping the first witch hunt. No future, no impending danger, and no goal. I sometimes wondered what would happen if I never came out of that place, and live the rest of my life as an ordinary person.
"The Spire Reef, huh? Miss Luna, with your current standing, I could only offer you a few hints—" Recalling the information I bought from the Merchant Guild using the privilege of the Golden Card, I found out that there was indeed the existence of shamans and witches. However, their number was low due to various reasons. One of them was that the mortality rate of exploring the ocean was high, and one accidental encounter with strong sea creatures could mean the end of one's career.
Speaking about sea creatures, the Branch Leader did hint to me that something strange might be going on within the Spire Reef. The rise of Seven Pirate Kings was not as clear as the history recorded, and many contradictions could be found when digging a little deeper. Their reach, although seemed shallow, would not be as short as we thought about. After all, the Spire Reef did not descend into lawless state despite not having the local authority, at least the above-ground authority.
The journey towards the Spire Reed was as uneventful as it could be. It seemed that the bandits feared the pirates very much. They would never come near my new appearance, which resembled a female pirate. Of course, some of the brave ones, or rather the foolish ones, approached me, but, when I showed my ice magic and killed one of them, the others quickly escaped, making me unable to get all of them. In the end, I tried to search for the Skull Coin, but it seemed that the coin was quite rare, as I was unable to get any. It seemed that I got lucky the previous time.
After entering the Spire Reef, I immediately went to one of the taverns to eardrop some of the news regarding the current situation of the sea. It seemed that the sea was somewhat unstable at the moment, with the sighting of the Kraken, the mysterious sea creature with the appearance of the gigantic squid-like tentacles coiling around its unknown true body. This beast was hailed as one of the Kings of the Black Sea. Only the pirate ships under the direct order of the Pirate Kings could survive against its mighty assault.
That's right, the name of the sea was the Black Sea, coming from its unusual phenomenon when, during an unpredictable period, a strange mist would engulf a part of the sea, making that part of the sea turned black, even the seawater below the mist was not an exception. Inside the Black Storm, many unexplained wonders were reportedly spotted, like finding various sunken ships voyaged around as if they had not sunken yet.
"Wha' did ye jus' say t' me? Huh? Jus' a mama's sprog 'n ye still wants t' die?" An angry shout disrupted my train of thought, making me gaze at the origin of the shout. A giant of a man was standing in front of another figure who was holding a bottle of rum. Both of them were undoubtedly drunk, and it seemed like things were starting to get interesting from this point.
"Says I 'move yer fat arse away, ye're blockin' me view'. Wha' are ye goin' t' do? Slap me wit' that slow hand o' yers?" The giant man, angered to the point of reddening, flipped the table and punched the rum-holding man. In that instant, the tavern trembled in excitement like the sound of cheering and swearing echoed inside it. Various men and women were drawn by the atmosphere and vented out their emotions, descending into random fistfights all around.
I, somewhat excited, tried to remain calm and watched the progress of the fight. However, even if I did not intend to do anything, one of the fighting men fell in front of me, knocking my table and my precious drink down. The drink spilt over to the person near me, making them angry and shouted at both me and the fallen man. The chaos of the situation had infected the whole tavern, and now, everyone was fighting in excitement and delight.
"Walk th' plank!! How dare ye dirty me good stuff?!" Seeing that the fight was inevitable, I stood up and kicked the chair towards the man, hitting him on his knee and punched his stomach. Although my body was not as strong as that of a Paladin, with the strengthening of the Elemental Body as well as the training of Solet, I could somewhat rival in raw power with the strong muscle of the pirates. In one punch, the man cried out in pain and dropped onto the floor.
"Yeah— This is fun!" Unconsciously mumbling to myself, I decided to test the limit of my current body, which got somewhat stronger since the day I completed the E Rank Exam. Well, the better my performance was, the more likely my future plan would succeed.
However, after fighting with a few more guys, I realised something. The pirates, even though they were just lowly lackeys, possessed a super durable body, especially some that had their tattoos glowed when they got hit, or just when they attacked. From my estimation, if a group of ordinary pirates were to raid the Scribel City, we would take at least twice amounts of city guards to repel them off. Compared to the peaceful Scribel City, the Spire Reef was a lot more dangerous and chaotic, making the overall strength of the people here a lot better than from the City.
"Wee beauty... ye're a fast one, aren't ye? Well, unlucky fer ye, darin' t' mess wit' us th' Sea Snail!" Somehow, I found myself getting ganked on by a group of pirates. It seemed that I had beaten their comrades too hard, and they had come to get revenge.
After fighting for a whole half an hour, I could hardly endure a group fight. The strong booze also dealt me a blow, making my mind somewhat blurry. My body, sored and tired, should not be over-exhausted right now. Even more, I could feel that the chaos was about to end, as a lot of time had passed already, and the local leader would come in to calm things down now.
"Five of you, let see how strong my sorcery is now..." I raised my hand and created a cold air at the tip of my finger. The air blew outwards, blowing my bandana out and revealing my long, slivery-blue hair. They danced along with the wind as if they were mimicking the motion of the wave, slow and elegant.
"Milady, show mercy!" Witnessing the strange bluish shade engulfing the surrounding area around me, the pirates slowly back away. When they realised that there were icicles formed on their equipment and swords, their face turned pale as the cold air made their body trembling. They asked for forgiveness even though I hadn't done anything of significant yet. It seemed that sorcery and magic were feared by ordinary people, making me somewhat curious about the general standing of the witches and shamans inside the Spire Reef.
"Shut yer gibberish 'n stop yer trouble! Anyone fightin' more will walk th' plank!" A loud shout caused everyone to stop their action and looked at the broken doors of the tavern. There, a group of tattoos-filled pirates stood in front of a somewhat pale man holding a smoking pipe in his hand. Although his build was smaller than the rest of his crew, his face, filled with various scars, looked a lot more terrifying than his crews. One black eyepatch on his face, as well as an artificial dark-wood arm filled with many strange symbols. It must be sorcery-powered arm!
"Now, now, everyone relaxes... For the sake of me, shouldn't you all be friendly and kind to one another?" Although his voice did not have any hint of threat, the rest of the pirates inside the tavern trembled as they showed a fake smile, agreeing to one another as if they were best friends. It seemed that this man was kind outside but ruthless to the bone from the inside.
"Everyone, please allow me to have some time with this lady... It seems that she has something to say with me." His smile, wicked to the bone, caused everyone not from his group to stand up and bid farewell to each other before strolling out of the tavern in an orderly manner. The strange scene was out of my expectation, as the man pointed his hand towards me and signalled for me to come to him.
"Milady, may I have the honour to know your name?" His bow, uniform and polite, gave him the air of aristocracy. If not for the scars, no one would believe that he was indeed a captain of a strong crew. He knew that I was a magic user, probably watching me when I was displaying my ice magic. Well, it was my plan all along, joining a decent crew wasn't easy, but if one had a decent ability, then it was the matter of time to place a place you wanted.
"Sire, this one named Luna, was merely a travelling witch, trying to collect relics and knowledge regarding the great truth of Tonia." I spoke with my mystical voice, making my disposition somewhat dreamy and mysterious. However, it was the truth that I wished to unearth the great truth about Tonia, just not now, and would probably take a long time to actually begin doing so.
"Such a lady of quality and intellect! Madam Luna, would you bestow me the courage to receive your grace? Our Misty Puppeteer lacked a great beauty like Miss, and we are more than delighted to have your blessing on our ship." The man did not beat around the bush and give me a direct invitation, to my surprise.
"Sire, it would be my intention to serve you." After a moment of consideration, I thought about everything and concluded that I should be taking this offer. After all, the other party had some urgency that required the assistance of a witch. If not, the captain would never try to tempt me with his relics and wealth. So, this opportunity must be grasped, as it might never present itself again.
Looking at the scarred face of the captain, I thought about something and kneeled down, placing my hand on my chest and used my ice magic to create a complex symbol embedded on it. A moon-like design emerged from my backhand and glowed in pale blue as if I had signed a contract and swore a vow.
"This lowly witch, named Luna, shall serve her benefactor and never betray the Misty Puppeteer, for the Lord shall watch over her—" Holding the hand of the captain, I brought it closer and gently kissed his backhand, before channelling my ice power to create a barrier-like field that radiated cold wind. The scene looked holy and mystical, and I was sure that everyone would be under the impression of the higher power.
"Good, good, good! Witch Luna, you're now a part of our family! With your magnificent display of loyalty and power, I'll hereby grant you the position of Second Mate." A whisper of surprise exploded after the captain said his piece. From my little knowledge purchased from the Merchant Guild, Second Mate, although placed higher in the hierarchy than the Quartermaster, actually had lower authority than the Quartermaster, but, for a newcomer to actually have the position immediately, it would be surprising for many.
"Then, let us escort Madam Luna to visit our lovely beauty. All Hand Hoy!" In contrast to his gentle expression to me, the captain turned into a different beast when dealing with his crewmembers. It seemed that his ruthless side was the one operating the ship and controlling the orders of the ship.
"Aye, cap'n!" Along the way, I listened to the conversation of the crewmembers. I found out that the Captain, before having me, had one witch on board, and after a tragic misplan, the captain lost one of his arm and the witch, resulting in the current situation where he could not find any witch or shaman to fill in the rank. After all, the witches were not common, and most would already have been snatched by other crews.
The Captain, Sir Borik Lochton, was a fallen noble from a faraway land. Although he never told anyone where his kingdom was, everyone knew that he entered this land as a homeless person who got sent to the Spire Reef from the remote ocean, getting thrown away alongside many wreckages after his ship got hit by a storm.
As a captain, he possessed a strong leader disposition and was well-versed in the art of persuasion, navigation, and fleet battlement. Rivalled by the strong crew called the Poisonous Rustlers, they had fought multiple times, and most of the times, the Misty Puppeteer would emerge victoriously. If not for the loss of their Second Mate witch, the Poisonous Rustlers would never suppress them.
"Madam Luna, here's your room, as the position of the Second Mate, you would have everything at your fingertip, if you desire, even cabin boys and girls are not off-limit." One of the female mates escorted me to my room before leaving with such a sensual remark. It seemed that slaves and the escapees were used as cabin boys and girls.
The room, although old, was in a strangely perfect condition. The wooden floor and the walls had the sea-like scent embedded onto them, but their texture was still passable, on the account that the ship had been used for years. The belonging of the previous witch, including various relics and potions, was still on the table and the shelves. I guessed that the captain wished to reward me with these things as a way to tempt me to work hard for him.
On the desk, I found a worn-out book of ritual. Inside it was various tidbits of tattoo arts and sea sorcery, which was new and novel to me. The detail inside this book was precious, making me reaffirmed my quest in developing some fame in this Spire Reef. After all, if I was strong enough, the spy that Guildmaster sent here would find his way to contact me. I didn't know why, but the Guildmaster seemed to never be there when I wanted to ask him about the feature of the spy... Well, locating the spy and handing the device was not my main objective anyway.
As I used the Misty Puppeteer as my base, I continued to study the book of ritual and occasionally helped out with the fleet battle. Due to the nature of my elemental sorcery, the sea body became my domain of destruction. I caused rain and small-scaled storm to overthrow the balance of the battle and secured swift, thunderous victory for my Misty Puppeteer Ship. As a result, some of the booties were prepared specially for me, including various relics and gems. The disapproving gaze of the old mates turned into fear and admiration.
As for tattoo art, I had tried a little. Although I could only do some basic enhancement, the mates were joyous beyond words as they begged me to help them become stronger. The enhancement included some physical strengthening, endurance strengthening, mental strengthening, and explosive speed. Every time one activated their non-passive tattoo, they would feel exhausted afterwards. The tattoo would drain their vitality and boost their combat power for a moment.
The way of life for pirates was simple yet risky. Most of the time, their jobs were raiding the merchant ships and demanded protection fees. Usually, the merchants would obediently hand over the fee and we would let them go. After all, fighting against the merchants were not wise, making an enemy with no long-term benefits in mind was not the way to live. Of course, when they resist, we just needed to threaten them with some kills and plundered, and they would accept their fate. Only the most insane of them would fight to the death with us, usually, those who tried to defy us would fall very quickly, the merchant ship would never be able to compare to the pirate ship.
If nothing strange happened, I only needed to supervise the raid with the captain and the higher-up of the Misty Puppeteer. Just my presence alone brought courage to our mates and despair to the enemies.
The silvery sea-like hair that fluttered and resonated with the wave of the Black Sea. The golden eyes that radiated the fury of the god of the sea. With one wave of her hand, the sea trembled and froze in her presence, bringing countless storms and blizzards to annihilate fleets of mortals who dared stood before her. The Silvery Witch of the Black Sea, or Blizzard Witch, as they called me.
Of course, bringing countless storms with a wave of one hand was just some nonsense they exaggerated. Fury of the sea god radiated from my eyes? Well, just some rumours turned myths. If I could do all that, then I would already conquer the Spire Reef for my own purpose.
Nevertheless, the power of the sea witches was no small deal. Although my sorcery seemed grander in scale, their trickery was a lot more mysterious and hidden than I expected. Ability to kill someone with just one strand of their hair? That was one of the tricks of the shamans. Drop someone dead by uttering one word? A powerful witch could really do that. Their existence made me wondered about the true power of the Seven Pirate Kings who ruled over this chaotic state.
During my stay, I once encounter a real witch, named Worm Mistress. She was interested in my way of sorcery and tried to capture me for her own research. As a result, we fought for a bit before retreating to each other's respective base, knowing that our power was somewhat equal. The wounds that witch inflicted would reek of worms and maggots, and became insanely hard to heal up, even with Solet's holy magic and the guild's healing potions. Of course, my ice magic also inflicted great trouble to her, making her Mana circulation stagnant and unstable.
In the end, we came to reconcile and ask for methods to heal back up, in exchange for our strong trade partner relationship. Although she did not say anything, that Worm Mistress seemed to be interested in not just my art, but also my figure. She had hinted several times that if I wished so, she would spend a night with me. The people around here were surely fierce in their pursuit of pleasure.
The day we battled against the Poisonous Rustlers was the day I tried to use the worm-infested spell Worm Mistress told me. The result, I could create one undead-like being by using one Corpse Worm to drill into a corpse and control their movement. Of course, their mobility and power would decrease more than half, but the mental defence of the Poisonous Rustlers was shattered like a thin layer of glass against a cannonball. To battle against the force that resurrected their teammate against them? The mates quickly surrendered or fled into the sea by jumping the plank.
Corpse Worm, although mystical, was extremely hard to nurture. Even with my resource and knowledge, I could only successfully nurture only one of them during the ten days period. Its cost-effect ratio was not optimal, but the experiment could be considered a success, so I would not complain too much.
The days passed rather quickly, and soon, months had already gone by. During the time I spent researching the secret of tattoo art, we encountered many setbacks, including various sea creature battles and the deadly phenomenon of the Black Sea. When the misty thickened, I witnessed a majestic wat between two great fleets, glowing in greenish light. The pirate fleets of unknown origin against the armies of sentient sea creatures. The scale of the battle was out of the world, shocking even me, who witnessed the collapse of a country and the war between the believers' of the Lord and the Magus Council.
When witnessing the battle, it was as if the sky was collapsing and the ocean was sinking. Although the impact of the battle was all fake and mental, many of the ordinary mates had a heart attack and died by the sheer mental pressure the illusionary battle had on them. After the battle, I tried to find the news regarding the sentient sea creatures. It was around this time that the Worm Mistress sent me an invitation to join the yearly Witch and Shaman Conference.
Supervised by the powerful witches and shamans within the Spire Reef, they formed a formidable group of interest that used their collective power to pressure and negotiate with the Seven Pirate Kings. As I was never its member, the Worm Mistress specifically had to invite me with her quota as a voucher.
When arrived, I was greeted with the sight I had never seen before. An island raised from the sea when the time was right, filled with various races wearing countless strange accessories. Everyone within the island was magic-user, and they exchanged knowledge and relics as if they were shopping in a market. Compared to them, I could only see myself as the middle-tier of the power level here, and I could not be compared to the powerhouses that supervised the security of the place.
It was in here that I learnt about the secret treaty originated from the ancient time. Before the Seven Pirate Kings rose to prominent, the Spire Reef was under the supreme regime of some kind of city lord. The lord, titled Great Treasurer, had countless artefacts under his commands and had Thirteen Guardians as his most trust aids. His reign was unshakeable, and if not for the sea-shattering battle against another regime, the Underwater Kingdom, the Seven Pirate Kings would never come to the rule of the Spire Reef.
After the battle, the Great Treasurer disappeared, many assumed that he died, but some also told that the lord has just struggled in a sealing formation of the Underwater Kingdom. His Thirteen Guardians, only seven survived to resume his regime, becoming the Seven Pirate Kings of today. This was the reason why the Pirate Kings had unshakeable trust in each other, and would never openly fight each other to death.
At first, I also thought that this was merely a tale of deception and fable. However, after knowing that there was a great artefact capable of repelling the Kraken residing inside the Spire Reef, I wasn't so sure anymore. After all, it shouldn't be possible with just the power of the Seven Pirate Kings to threaten the King of the Black Sea itself.
Even after his supposed death, no one could find the secret vault of the Great Treasurer. Maybe the Pirate Kings had already taken care of them, or they too were searching for the unimaginable wealth. Rumour had it that the city lord had scattered countless clues throughout the Spire Reef's ancient architecture.
To my surprise, I found the sentient sea creatures within the Conference. Their body, resembled a mixture of humanoid being and fish, was filled with tough scales and mucus-like substance. The most obvious features about them were the fin-like organ they used to travel under the sea and breathe underwater. They were not just one race, but a collective of many. Naga, Merfolk, Siren and many more. Most of them were female-dominant races, and they were very beautiful to behold. Of course, as if it was tradition, they were extra aggressive in their pursuit of happiness and sexual satisfaction.
I asked them if I could travel to their underwater kingdom, but sadly, I needed to have the ability to breathe underwater or some kinds of potions to help me first. They said that their kiss could help me breathe underwater for a period of time, but, I still did not have any purpose to visit the kingdom at the moment, so I politely declined their goodwill.
"Madam Luna, a scallywag tried t' trespass into our Misty Puppeteer 'n claimed t' know ye." After I came back from the conference, I could feel my coins depleting and resource fading. There were many interesting things I wished to buy, but their price also reflected their precious worth. In the end, I could only get some of the low-quality good to experiment with.
"Hm... Well, let him in then." After I replied to the mate, I went into my room to prepare myself. It had been so long since someone came to visit me. The life of the pirates was too addicting. I almost forgot that I had two more identities.
Before long, a man was forced onto his knees before me. A handsome fellow who dressed nothing like a pirate. His face fluttered and somewhat nervous, tried to look at my appearance and thought about something. He seemed to want to talk about something, but with the presence of the mates behind him, he dared not.
Looking at his suspicious expression, I almost giggled as I ordered the mates to go out for a bit. Only then did the man slowly stood up, fearing that he had mistaken my identity.
"... Miss Luna, are you really Miss Luna?" The man, trembling and soaking in sweat, tried to ascertain my identity. Well, the detail of my appearance should be outdated by now. After months of sailing the high sea, my pale skin colour had turned tanned somewhat. Even my plain clothing also changed into various silvery accessories. Compared to my previous self, this appearance was a lot more revealing and mystical, and also a lot more pirate-y, not like the previous vibe.
"As far as I know, there is only one Luna in the Spire Reef." Playing with my new staff, I answered in a relaxed manner, making the man eased himself somewhat.
"Luna, the E-ranked adventurer, the Merchant Guild's member— You're that Luna? The pale, elegant, lady who danced with ice sorcery? The lady who took the quest to go to the Spire Reef months ago?"
"That's right. That's me. It's been a while since someone called me an adventurer. So, you're the secret agent of that Guild Master?" hearing my words, the man finally exhaled a sigh of relief before pulling out a weird-looking device.
"Well, here you go. Anything else?" Handing my part of the device to him, I watched as the two-part connected and become a whole. The special communication device was born at this moment. However, even after completing his objective, the man seemed to want to speak something.
"— Miss Luna, I thought that you are an elegant person who values righteous above all else... Then, if I am to ask you about the rumour surrounding your title, the Blizzard Witch. Is it all true?"
"Of course some of them are exaggerated, but they are somewhat within the truth."
"— How is it possible, Miss Luna? I thought that you would never join those filthy pirates and robbed the merchants, not to mention killing an entire crew of people, falling ships and experimenting with the dead!" It seemed that the sentence took the man most of his courage, as he shrank back and closed his eyes in fear of seeing my anger.
"... Agent, it seems that our priority is simply not aligned. Don't be too naive, young man. The world is a cruel place, and in order to achieve my goal, I must harden my mind and be ruthless. What give you the right to lecture me? I could really make you walk the plank if I truly desire. However, as a regard to your service to the Adventure Guild, as well as a goodwill to the Guild Master, I'll let this slide. I still don't want my friends to come after me." Knocking my staff against the floor, a cold wind pushed the agent out of the room. After that, I could hear his inaudible shout as the mates dragged him out.
"Adventure Guild... Guess it's time to go back." Thinking back, I started to get somewhat emotional. Miss Nene, Miss Vicious, Miss Felicia, that little slime girl, her name was Okarin if I remembered correctly. Many faces floated into her mind, making her mouth widened a little, a hint of joy appeared on her face. If she didn't have the ambitious goal beyond all of this, she would also wish to have this peaceful circle of friends for the rest of her life.
After settling everything, I packed all the needed stuff up and placed my magic scroll in the hand of the captain Borik. I left one of my ice symbol in the room and told the mates about my temporary leave. If possible, I would come back again. However, for now, I had already gained enough, and it's time to report back.
Looking at the sky, I remained in a daze, thinking about the peaceful time in this world. Compared to the constant death-inducing stress in the previous world, I felt at ease.
To think we already have 3 reports in the 5k words range... (technically 4984 words, but whatever) They grow up so fast, I'm proud of you~ *sniffs some tears*
Doing changes to anything in the third picture is pretty hard to do, as the image has a lot of detail. Especially those gradually shifting colors are something I can't work with at all. Just saying.
No, I wouldn't ask for you to change it, since I really like it.
I just don't know whether to change his description so the pic fits, or not...
Otherwise the search will go on!
o/
To think we already have 3 reports in the 5k words range... (technically 4984 words, but whatever) They grow up so fast, I'm proud of you~ *sniffs some tears*
To think we already have 3 reports in the 5k words range... (technically 4984 words, but whatever) They grow up so fast, I'm proud of you~ *sniffs some tears*
Oh, and btw, just for fun, I have been keeping track of the longest reports so far~
There isn't much of a criteria to be listed, aside from having at least 1000 words I guess. And I'm listing only the top 3 for each category because I want to~
Oh, and if someone should be listed twice in the same category, I just list their highest score and ignore the rest, because it's more fun to list more people.
>.>
<.<
I may or may not have a secret evil plan to make people more competitive and try to aim for higher numbers to see if we can get a report with 6 digits worth of words, you'll never know~ *whistles*
Anyways, here are the current records. I'll see if I can release this every month or so~
