IC: Sanctuary REVAMPED

[SUSTIC]

Sanctuary Central l The Hero Festival

As Saru and Zena walked through the city, they saw little in the way of actual trouble. Just some active people taking part in the events of the festival. There were all sorts of things going on in the city during the Hero Festival. Sarutobi has seen stands that were doing fortune telling, selling stuff ranging from jewelry, food, and various other things that did not interest the monkey boy all too much. The young Apex had finished the bag of food, and is currently no longer hungry. So getting more food right now would just be a bit of a waste.

To be honest things began to get a little boring for Saru. "My patience is beginning to grow thin. These games I see do not look like they are all that fun. I am not hungry as well. Is there anything else of interest in this city?"

[Tewi_Inaba]

Sanctuary l Castle grounds

Among all the advocates guarding the castle, one such advocate was a small human boy with the rank of A2. Usually such a low ranking advocate wouldn't be placed in charge of the castle but it seemed this was a special case. The human male almost jumped out of his skin when the fox yuja approached him from behind. He quickly spin around and fell on his rump when the woman spoke. He was clearly on edge, possibly from the perinea of a possible attack.

A few moments of heavy breathing later the advocate finally calmed down. Hearing the yuja was only here on an errand was quite the relief. He stood up and brushed himself off as he cleared his throat to try and answer the question. "The captain of the guard? y-you mean my big brother? umm... y-yeah i can take you there ma'am... just uhhh.... please don't' tell him about this?" The boy looked at his feet with red cheeks, clearly embarrassed by his own inexpedience. With the caption of the gaurd being his elder brother though one could hardly blame him. "r-right this way please". He said as he began leading the yuja through the castle.

Sanctuary Central l The Hero Festival

The elf paladin was feeling more than a little pressured to make the experience enjoyable for her new monkey friend. Gaurd duty wasn't' the funnest or most thrilling job in the world but it was clear her primate companion wanted a little action to keep things lively. That however is when the two of them foudnd a large crowd of people all surrounding a small area. Curious Zena leads her new ally to the gathering crowd to see what all the commotion is about. At the center of the people a large jin and an orc were grappling in combat. The two were not out for each other's blood rather it was a game of sport in which the winner was the first to push the opposing fighter out of the ring or knock them out cold would be the winner. The rules banned the use of weapons or magic making it almost impossible for someone like Zena to win. Saru on the other hand seemed quite capable in hand to hand combat being very agile and holding great balance the likes of which Zena had never seen before.

The orc picked the jin up high above his head before tossing him out of the ring. The jin body almost landed on the crowed but the spectators n the area quickly made room for him to land. The jin actually landed right in front of Zena and Saru. A yaju pig man quickly entered the ring and raised the orc's hand declaring him the winner of the struggle. The crowed around them went wild as the orc flexed his muscles and boasted his masculinity for all to see. After a few moments of the the pig finally got everyone's attention as he announced with a snort. Listen up fight fans. We have a special surprise fr all of you. Anyone braze enough to come up and fight our champion will get a chance to wiiiiiiiin" He dragged the last word out as a lovely yun came to the canter of the ring carrying a small polished wooden box in her hands. Once she reached the center she quickly opened the box to reveal a a shiny red ruby inside that was about halve the size of a grown man's palm. "This fabulous prize!!! This lovely gem is yours and all you have to do is knock out the mighty orc behind me. Ten gold pieces for a shot at the ruby, do we have any takers?"

Zena was clearly entertained by the hand to hand combat but she wasn't sure if her new friend would be as captivated as her. She looked to her ape friend to see if he was enjoying the show as much as the rest of them were.

[SUSTIC]

Sanctuary Central l The Hero Festival

Eventually, and thankfully for Saru, Zena and the young apex had seen a large crowd of people in the distance. The crowd was quite large, and they had appeared to be gathering around some kind of fight. Seeing this, Saru got excited as somethingt finally interesting happened.

What he saw though was an orc and Jin fighting each other. They had each other grasped, and were trying to push each other out of the ring. Seeing this Saru was intrigued, but his interest grew higher as he saw the orc lift the Jin before slamming the reptillian-human get slammed down into the ground rather hard. Afterwards some Pig Man came from the crowd, lifted the Orc's arm in the air, and declared the orc a winner. Saru was already cheering for more, as he was clearly entranced by the battle. However something seemed to snap as he heard what the Pig Yaju said next... The Pig Yaju said something along the lines of if there was any more challengers, and if anyone can win against the orc, they will win a bag of gems. Hearing this Saru quickly punded his fist against his chest as he let out a loud monkey howl before jumping in excitedly into the ring without question.

Almost immediately he got into an defensive stance with one hand behind his back, and both feet place firmly on the ground in such a way that his height was about a foot shorter. With his other hand he quickly took out staff, tossed it to his tail, and then planted it just outside the ring.

"I Sarutobi will take up this challenge you offer! For I am sure with my training, I can easily win without not just weapons, but with one of my hands behind my back!" Saru proclaimed loudly as he was ready to face the large Orc that seemed to tower over him.

[Kristia]

Sanctuary l Castle grounds


("Poor boy, still so young and with many years yet to come") Nera thought as she saw the young guard almost faint by reaction, she then heard him trying to speak calm although his stuttering made it fail, even worse when he spoke about the captain of the guard being his bigger brother ("And now I got a probable reason for a young one to be here") "All right sir, don´t worry about it" the yaju smiled at the guard and followed him.

[Tewi_Inaba]

Sanctuary Central l The Hero Festival

As Zena saw the apex male heading towards the ring aa worried cry escaped her lips. "w-wait!" but her words of worry fel oh depth as the monkey boy climbed into the ring beating his chest like a wild man and making all manner of monkey sounds. At first the orc simply laughed at the scrawny looking apex. sure he was tall but he wasn't' the bulkiest of characters. When Saru dropped his staff off the stage it landed in the hands of the elf paladin. She was still worried but she figured the least she could do was keep an eye on her friend's staff until the fight was over.

The large orc laughed at his challenger who was at least a foot smaller than he and likely half the weight or less. "Look kid i don't..." Before the orc could finish his statement the apex spoke out. Not only would he fight this large orc but he intended to do so with only one arm? Tis made the crowed surrounding the two fighters go absolutely insane. The majority of the crowed cheered for the mighty orc to crush the apex but there were a few within the crowed who cheered loudly for the monkey boy. The only people opposed to the idea were Zena herself and the pig yaju. "Now wait just a minute there, you can't fight on this stage without paying the fine ya hear me?" said the pig yaju. Zena took a breath of relieved but a second later a male voice from the crowed eagerly shouted. "I'LL PAY FOR IT" Before anyone knew what happened the male as well as several others from the crowed had all tossed in several gold coins giving the pig a total well over the ten required to fight.

The orc looked angrily at Sarutobi. He felt like he was being mocked by this scrawny little ape man. To make it worse some of the crowed atually thought he would have a chance of winning. "That's it." He said in a deep angered tone. "Time to teach you a lesson monkey boy."

[SUSTIC]

Sanctuary Central l The Hero Festival

Saru as soon as the fight was payed for by the generous people of the city, quickly cackled mad as he began to hop left and right.

"I know one thing for certain! With your size and bulk, it would be impossible for I to do the knocking out of the ring! But I have trained hard in non-lethal martial arts. I can easily knock you out!" Explained Saru as he quickly, and without worning, dashed and slid right underneath the Orc. Afterwards Saru then quickly got up, spun around and performed a few quick jabs at a few known pressure points. He will not know if the pressure points he strikes will do anything to the orc, but if his muscle and body structure is anything like that of the apex and humans, then within about 5 minutes the Orc's movements will be slowed. All the while performing the jabs, Saru was moving quickly around the ring with his monkey-like agility. He was being sure as to not get captured by the Orc, for he if were to get grabbed at all it would be over for the young Apex.

[Tewi_Inaba]

Sanctuary l Castle grounds

The experienced worrier carefully lead the yaju female inside the castle and down a flight of stares to the throne room. Once inside there was sitting Eatos, the current queen of Sanctuary and standing next to her was the captain of the guard known as Six. The queen Eatos looked as beautiful as the day she first took the throne having an elegant set of white feathered wings, light skin and a perfect complexion. Her traditional yaju clothing suited her body well and she had various feathers and other symbols on her person. Eatos clearly recognized Nera despite it having been so long since they last met but she couldn't quite fit a name with her face. The young soldier who had lead Nera to the queen and head guard spoke up. Your majisty, Sir. This woman has important documents she wishes to give you my captain. I brought her here sir.

Six was a tall human male with dark hair and eyes. He stood unarmed by his queen's side meaning he must have had either powerful magic or esper abilities. He was given the name Six for being the only advocate so powerful that Eatos had to raise the maximum rank from five to six just to give him a proper ranking. He was belived by many to be the strongest in all the land but few had actually seen his power and lived to tell about it. Not even one as old and wise as the fox yuja would have access to this information. Staring down the yuja the captain spoke to her. "You may approach."

Sanctuary Central l The Hero Festival

As the fight broke out between the orc and the monkey, many of the cheering civilians were crying out demands. they yelled things like "crush him" and "rip his head off". But among the many voices Saru could still hear Zena as she cheered him on from the sidelines. "BE CAREFUL SARUUUUU! I KNNOW YOU CAN DO IT."

When the quick monkey slid unde he large orc's legs he quickly tried to catch him by slamming both of his fists down on the platform to crush him. he missed however and the following blows to his pressure points which caused him to lose his balance. The orc caught himself and managed to counter attack but it was clear for the trained paladin that while the orc was far stronger, he was much to slow to catch the apex yuja. The orc managed to quickly spin his crouched body and with one powerful back hand he aimed an attack at the monkey boy's face. were this to connect it wouldn't be enough to knock him clear from the ring but it would sure hurt like hell. However while the fast was quicker than the orc's usual tactics it would still take several second for it to make contact.

[Zekai]

Sanctuary - Castle Entrance

Zero had arrived at the castle. "I can't believe I'm standing in front of the castle." He said looking up at it's amazement. "Excuse me, I'm here on a delivery for Molack to the royal family. I have a note from him to the count mage as well." Zero said to a guard, pulling out the note showing that he isn't lying.

[Tewi_Inaba]

Sanctuary l Castle Entrance

Before Zero stood two guards in full body iron armor. Each held a speer in hand as the mix bread approached. They were suspicious at fist, having expected the orc's daughter to come bringing the sword. But a quick look at the note confirmed what the boy said was true. "Very well" the female guard said as he returned the note to Zero before turning to lead him to the swords final destination. "please come with me."

The female guard lead the way but before zero could get past the gate, the male guard who had been standing watch ove the castle next to her spoke up. "I used to be an adventurer like you, then I took an arrow in the knee" He said casually as the jin human passed him by.

[SUSTIC]

Sanctuary Central l The Hero Festival

Saru was having a ball as he continued to strike the Orc in specific pressure points on the body. Whenever the Orc tried to attack, Saru quickly dodged back, or ducked underneath the orc. However Saru stopped his attack as he saw the Orc prepare a heavy backhand as indicated by him beginning to spin.

Fortunately for the Apex, Saru had saw the Orc's attack and before it could strike, the monkey boy quickly jumped into the air high enough to land on the Orc's arm. "Ha ha! I'm on your arm!" Spoke Saru with a cocky laugh as the apex then humped onto the top of the Orc's head. Perched a top the Orc's head, Saru then waited in hopes that the Orc would be dumb enough to strike himself on the head or face.

[Zekai]

Sanctuary - Castle

Zero smiles and shakes his head while chuckling at the male guard. Zero followed the female guard as they walk through the castle. "It's more than what I pictured. Never expected it to be this beautiful." He said trying to have small talk as they walk as Zero looks around the castle's interior.

[Tewi_Inaba]

Sanctuary l Castle

As the female lead the dragon boy through the castle, Zero would be able to see numerous art styles all coming together in perfect harmony. The elegance of the elves, the boldness of the jin and the beautiful detailed craftsmanship of the orcs and dwarves. It was as though the castle itself was a metaphor for what the city of Sanctuary stood for. The female guard was quite friendly in her response to the boys comment. "ay, he castle was made by master architects of every culture to symbols unity. I couldn't imagine living anywhere else."

With that bit of words exchanged the guard took Zero to the throne room where surprisingly it seemed someone was already speaking with the captian. A female fox yaju with black and white fur was there holding what looked like important royal documents. "Seems the captain is a busy man." said the female guard to Zero in a soft voice only the two of them could hear.

Sanctuary Central l The Hero Festival

The orc tried with all his might to stop the apex from moving so he could hit him, however the monkey was simply too quick. Saru's movements defied the realms of what the orc thought possible. One minute he was simply standing there waiting to get crushed and then the next the ape had leaped upon his am as though it were a bridge or step of some sort. The orc only grew more confused and angry when the monkey jumped on his head. In his blind rage the mighty orc swung with all his might to strike the monkey down but only managed to hit himself square in the face. the orc froze for a moment as the crowed went silent. a few moments passed and the mighty orc fell, plummeting to the ground with a loud thud. There was a short pause of silence in the crowed but then a moment later they started cheering again. men women and children cheered for the underdog as they chanted "saru, saru, saru".

Zena it seemed was the most delighted as she wore an ear to ear smile and clapped for him. The pig yaju stood off in the sideline with his jaw dropped in aw at the unexpected outcome of the fight. whoever this monkey boy was, he wasn't' an ordinary fighter. the yun from before returned to the center of the ring and handed the monkey a well deserved prize of the promised ruby. Zena waited on the sidelines with Saru's staff and a smile.

[SUSTIC]

Sanctuary Central l The Hero Festival

As the Orc fell for Saru's trick, the monkey boy quickly jumped off the orc right before the hulking being struck himself in the face. Just as Saru landed on the ground after jumping off the Orc, the Orc seemed stunned for a moment before falling onto the ground with a loud thud. Upon seeing this Saru hopped into the air as he clapped his hands.

"Oh aaah ah! That goes to show the way of the people Wukong Village! We train in non-lethal martial arts. One of the lessons was to turn the strength of thy enemy onto thy self. That is what I did! He fell to his own strength!... Oh and a few pressure point strikes. Can't forget the strikes to the pressure points." Saru spoke as he turned to the Pig Man who had offered him the prize. Some beautiful, shiny gemstones. Seeing this Saru howled with joy as he took the gems and ran over to Zena. Quickly grabbing his staff from her, the Apex cheered.

"I experienced such satisfaction from that! Please tell me there is more for me in this city!?"

[Kristia]

Sanctuary l Castle grounds


Nera was looking at her surroundings while following the young guard until they reached the throne room, despite the fact that she was in a place were respect and elegance needed to be showed, the yaju was completely calm and felt no danger or need to vow to the current queen, she knew the bird yaju enough to be relaxed, and then there was her main guard who also was the only one with rank six in their labels, thus the odd name of six. "Hello again queen Eatos, and good day to you Six" she greeted them with a faint nod of her head.

"First of all, I shall compliment your guards for patrolling even in odd places, that is more than their payment tells them to do. I actually had to hide from time to time before to not being discovered" spoke the fox Yaju even though she just revealed that she entered the caste grounds without the notice of anyone "So here I am with an updated map of the surroundings of Sanctuary and any oddities that I noticed through the year, so far nothing big, a gang of bandits near a mountain, some yaju tribes moving both closer to the city and away from it, the normal things are explained in the notes attached to the map" she explained offering the envelope to Six

[Zekai]

Sanctuary Castle - Throne Room

The guard escorted Zero to the throne room. "Wait a second, this isn't the throne room right?" Zero thought as the guard walked in and Zero followed. Zero then saw a fox Yaju talking to a male knight and to Zero's surprise, the queen herself, Queen Eatos. Zero lowered his head so the queen couldn't be seen by him. With Zero being born from a low class family and holds no authority, he felt like this was the best thing for him to do. The female guard spoke softly to Zero. "Yeah." He said softly back to the guard.