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Post by Zuni on Jun 16, 2015 18:36:45 GMT
There have been many changes in Cacumber in the past few weeks. Rule has changed not once, but twice. Noble houses are seeing their fortunes dwindle before their eyes (with the defeat of Vennel, all progress on the investigation into House Stormtail had stumbled to a halt, leaving their assets frozen and their people under suspicion with no end in sight; Zuni couldn’t have planned it better). Yes, true, she was scared of what the future held… but fear could be invigorating as much as it could be worrying, that was what Zuni had learned from those stormy green-blue eyes. Inuz had died with the birth of the Super Saiyans; now it was time for another face, another mask, and another dealing of the cards.
Now, there was another new thing: a tent set up on the outskirts of the city – technically, being outside the city limits, not within the purview of the City Guard, but with its bright colours – black and silver clashing together in a spiralling hue – it was also quite impossible to miss from the air, and lets be honest, that’s a place most saiyans spend a lot of their time. Word has travelled quickly, though take-up has been no quicker than it was last time. The fact is, most saiyans approach novelty with the same enthusiasm a cat has for a bath. That does just mean, to Zuni’s mind, that the ones willing to venture out and find it are more interesting than the rest.
And she has put such a lot of effort into the tent. From the air it is a bright splash of colour against the grotty grey-brown of the wasteland terrain. There is no indication of what the place actually is, other than a tent, but thick, curling purple incense floats up from underneath the flap – the scent an exotic, flowery blend Zuni had plucked herself from the forests. The only light in the tent comes from braziers burning low enough that the smoky space is filled with a dim orange glow…
And Zuni herself is magnificent to behold. Beautiful and dusky, with long blonde hair and a tufty tail, she’s wrapped herself in purple silks and has spread a deck of cards before her. It is only a matter of time, she feels, before she has her first visitor of the day… at a time when the future has never been more uncertain for her, it is a comforting delusion to pretend to be in control of it – even if that assertion could not be farther from the truth.
(Thread PL 15,578 - kept suppressed)
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Bing Gan
Administrator
PL: 374,871
Enlightenment (x16P), S. Ascension (x23)
Zeni: 13,528
Tag: @bingg
OOC Name: Bing/Biggums/TruetoCaesar
Posts: 3,722
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Post by Bing Gan on Jun 16, 2015 19:56:08 GMT
((PL: 2,456,032 | [SU] Ki Suppression Active! Sensed PL: 50,000!))
While the streets of cucumber weren't the nicest place to be, the skies above it were much nicer. He had decided to take an aerial approach back to his ship to decrease the time it would take to return there. Though he wasn't leaving back to earth right away, there were a few things he wanted to get rid of inside the ships interior.
As he flew he grabbed for a small pouch on his belt. He successfully grabbed the pouch and unfastened it, causing his A.I equipped Sunglasses to fall out into his hand. He placed the Crimson shades on his face and tapped one of the many buttons stretching across the left most side of the shades. As he tapped it, a small whirring could be heard. A few moments later the A.I inside the shades came to life, giving a Faux Yawn as she "awoke". "Hello Bing. How'd the meeting with the Queen go?" Donna said with a curious tinge to her voice. Bing replied with a scoff "About as well as you'd expect. We aren't working with Komoto anymore, so I want you to remove his belongings and erase the Vane Kings from the ship database"
If Donna could jump for joy, this would have been the perfect time to do so. She absolutely hated Komoto, and the moment she heard he was off the team was the best moment in her short existence. After a brief wait, she replied with a beep "All done! When you return to the King Crab, expect to see a lack of flan." She giggled like a schoolgirl, the mere thought of Komoto's absence brought a smile to her mouth less face.
Bing was about to reply, but his words were interrupted by a strange sight. Out near the very outskirts of the city, Bing spotted a peculiarly colorful tent. It was somewhat small, but it was very elegant and almost seemed like it forced you to look at its magnificent beauty.
He changed course, heading for the strange tent instead of the King Crab. He grabbed the shades off of his face and spoke briefly before turning them off "I'll see you back at the ship." He stored the shades in a pouch that was re-fastened to his belt and continued flying down towards the oddity.
The human landed in front of the tent softly, making sure not to bring any attention to himself. He walked forward slowly, taking in the almost intoxicating aroma coming from inside. The inside of the tent was a bit hard to make out. The only light being a few braziers that gave the room a barely acceptable lighting from the outside. He decided to investigate further by heading inside to see what exactly this mysterious tent held within its flimsy walls.
He slowly stepped inside to see a woman at a table. Her long blonde hair and darker skin tone suggests she is something other than Saiyan, but the tail swinging behind her argues otherwise. "Um, hello there. My names Bing, do you mind if I ask who you are, and what this tent is for?" He spoke with a curious tone as he watched her tail sway sinuously. He shook his head, taking his attention away from the furry appendage and instead focusing on the woman's beautiful face. As he looked at the woman more closely, he could tell there was something off about her, but he couldn't quite put a finger on why he thought this.
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Post by Zuni on Jun 16, 2015 20:11:09 GMT
"What is the purpose of a name, Bing? To tell you something of who I am? Well. In that case, there are many I could give you to choose from."
Zuni's voice fills the tent with theatrical wavering. She's having fun with this, and why shouldn't she? She's been stressed of late; it is nice to be able to cut loose a little. If she could sense energy she might be less relaxed... but sometimes, ignorance really is bliss, and so Bing gets the kind of infuriating answer all too common in carnivals and psychic parlours throughout the galaxy. Zuni's teeth glitter like stars in the dim light; she can't see this man's tail, and it is hard to make out the other details... it meant there was less chance of adding another tail to her collection, but, such is life. One doesn't always get what one wants... but they can still have fun with it, and she's sure she'll manage that.
"If I tell you that my name is Fortune, will that entice you to sit down? If I claim I am Destiny, will that excite you? If I take the moniker Justice, will you flee?"
Zuni brought both her hands together suddenly, clapping hard, and then let out a burst of pure, giggling laughter. There's... an unattractive quality in that laugh; high-pitched, she sounds more monkey-like than the average saiyan, but that's probably racist to think.
"You can call me the Fortune-Teller, Sir, because that is what I am. The cards read you, and I interpret what they find, to spell out visions of what may yet be - or perhaps, what must be. That is what this place is, it is a signpost for wayward travellers, who yet wonder where it is their paths may take them."
The woman's hand stretches out, waving in a loose circle over the top of the cards on the table before her. Opposite it is a large cushion - one which will put Bing at a very interesting height. Such tricks rarely worked on saiyans, but it was always useful to cover all one's bases when running an elaborate scam, and there were far more species in the galaxy who could be distracted by the view than those who could not.
"Would you care to see what the cards have to say about you, my friend? It won't take long, and I ask for nothing in return other than that which you deem fit to give me. Though I do ask you to keep in mind..."
And at this, Zuni leant across the table, beaming from ear to ear, "It is rude not to tip the messenger, even if the message she brings is an unpleasant one, yes?"
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Bing Gan
Administrator
PL: 374,871
Enlightenment (x16P), S. Ascension (x23)
Zeni: 13,528
Tag: @bingg
OOC Name: Bing/Biggums/TruetoCaesar
Posts: 3,722
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Post by Bing Gan on Jun 16, 2015 20:52:12 GMT
The strange woman spoke words caked with intrigue. Had he come into this tent a few hours earlier he might have blown it to smithereens, but luckily he had cooled down considerably since his meeting with Zuccetta. Bing pondered for a moment on what a name really helped accomplish, but was quickly interrupted by the woman's strange laughter. It was high-pitched and grating to the ears, a curious contrast to her normally soft tone.
She offered Bing a seat on a very cozy looking cushion. He took it without delay, resting cozily on the comfortable seating. He was about to speak, but when he looked in the woman's direction he found he was eye level with her chest. He blushed furiously before using his flight to float slightly upwards. He was now resting at a comfortable eye level with the mystery woman which made the situation a lot less awkward for himself.
He grabbed a small pouch that carried an even smaller amount of zeni in it. He un-fastened the pouch from his belt and dropped the small sack on the table. Inside would be about 100 Zeni, the only amount he had on his person. The rest of his money was kept securely on his ship, so hopefully he wouldn't get pickpocketed. "I'm not sure what the exchange rate for currency is here, but I'm sure this will do." He smiled equally as wide, interested in what his future might hold.
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Post by Zuni on Jun 17, 2015 6:25:10 GMT
Zuni took the pouch, and weighed it up in her hand, looking between it and the floating man thoughtfully. Then, she tossed it back to him - partly to see how quickly he reacted to the lazy toss, mostly for the sake of her own cover, though. "As I say, whatever you feel my advice is worth." She said, "I would never ask anyone to pay without first knowing what it is they get."
She waved her hands across the cards then, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. "We shall reveal three cards in turn. Each will build upon the last, to reveal more of what may be."
Her fingers touched down upon a central card, and delicately began to lift it - until, she hesitated. Building the tension was a vital part of the work; if this was to seem real, she had to draw Bing into it; to make him want to know, and believe that there might just be something to it. But of course, this was hampered a little compared to normal because so far, she knew little about him other than the fact that he floated easily; which implied a certain level of skill and comfort with ki, but could not answer much beyond that. He could be anything from a mercenary to a pilgrim... though his embarrassment when he looked at her implied that he was more likely a gentle soul than a course one. Interesting, interesting...
"Before I reveal the first card, Bing." She said, "Is there any question about your future you would like answered? Any burdensome decisions weighing over your head? Or shall we attempt a more... general reading?"
And of course, privately, there was also the question of how she could make this the most entertaining for her; the man didn't strike her as being very saiyan... most saiyans were all bluster and rarely even noticed her chest... so he's probably an alien, which meant he could be in all kinds of danger if he stepped on the wrong toes here.
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Bing Gan
Administrator
PL: 374,871
Enlightenment (x16P), S. Ascension (x23)
Zeni: 13,528
Tag: @bingg
OOC Name: Bing/Biggums/TruetoCaesar
Posts: 3,722
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Post by Bing Gan on Jun 17, 2015 6:43:17 GMT
It seemed the mystery woman was a bit kinder than Bing expected. She lazily tossed the pouch of zeni to the human, requesting that she be paid after her services were used. He caught it with relative ease and looked back at her with a smile "How very kind of you Miss...Fortune." He internally high-fived himself for the name he decided to give the mystery woman, because it worked on two levels! It referred both to her gender, and the fact that she might be a bearer of bad news (also known as misfortune).
He watched carefully as she explained what they were about to do. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath shortly after waving her hands over the cards, presumably to imbue them with some of her magical essence. Bing nodded as he waited for her to begin "Sounds good to me, but are you sure just three cards are enough to tell someones future? I mean, you're the expert so I guess I'll trust you on this, but it seems a bit minimal." He tilted his head and raised an eyebrow in curiosity as she was about to being.
Bing waited, holding his breath instinctively. A chill ran down his spine as she was about to turn over the first card, and then...She stopped. Miss Fortune first asked if there might be a specific problem he might want to know about. He sighed as he wondered if he should even tell the mystery woman his problems. I mean, she was a Fortune Teller, shouldn't she already know something like this?
He decided to tell her his problems, regardless. "Well, I am having a sort of dilemma..." He scratched the back of his head as he continued "You see, recently I fell in with a bad crowd...I mean, I've cut ties with them just now on Vegeta, but I'm worried about something." He sighed again as he thought about this crazy situation again "Although I'm not against Killing when needed, I'm still not a fan of doing so. So my question is this: I'm planning a trip to Arcose to stop the previously mentioned bad crowd from doing something...bad. Will I have to kill anyone while there?" His voice seemed to be filled with worry, something Zuni most likely didn't see often on Vegeta.
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Post by Zuni on Jun 17, 2015 16:57:45 GMT
Of all the things that Bing could have asked, the human managed to throw Zuni a curveball. The demon doesn't bother to hide her surprise, and instead rolls with it, blinking a few times. "Usually." She says, "You ask the cards a more general thing. What does my love life hold, perhaps, or what of my career? This question is... a very specific question."
Her fingers set down the card they had been toying with, and she walks them across the rest of the display. "The law of three is mirrored everywhere in life. We are born, we live, we die. We wake, we work, we sleep. There is the past, the present, and the future. All things work in threes, so to do the cards. Within each, a facet of what will be is revealed."
It is all nonsense of course, but spinning convincing nonsense is a skill that Zuni has mastered over all others. Finally, she gathers up the cards, drawing them all together, and shuffles them. "I will urge caution in one thing, though. You ask if you HAVE to kill anyone. Remember, there is no such thing. Fate is written in the cards, but this will tell you only what you will encounter; how you choose to respond to it, that is entirely up to you."
Arcose. It was one of the few planets Zuni hadn't travelled to in her long history; the place was resolutely uninteresting to her, and the arcosians even more so. If a 'bad crowd' was heading there, though, it might be about to get interesting. It would certainly not hurt to put some doubts in this young man's mind - at least, it wouldn't hurt if your actual objective was to spread chaos and disharmony.
The first card was drawn, and she laid it down on the table. The card depicted nothing but darkness; an empty, sucking black void which seemed almost to blend in with the table beneath it.
"Ah. The Black Hole. This is... not the most auspicious card with which to begin your journey. The Black Hole is impenetrable; it draws all things towards it, and cannot be escaped - yet it is also an agent of finality. It is the end point of a star, the final culmination of a long effort. It would seem that if you embark on this journey, you will be obligated to see it through - turning back will not be an option."
Her attention, naturally, is more on the young man and his response than the card...
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Bing Gan
Administrator
PL: 374,871
Enlightenment (x16P), S. Ascension (x23)
Zeni: 13,528
Tag: @bingg
OOC Name: Bing/Biggums/TruetoCaesar
Posts: 3,722
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Post by Bing Gan on Jun 17, 2015 21:37:32 GMT
The law of three was explained to Bing, which caused the human to nod slowly. It made sense to him in a way, and as expected Miss Fortune really was the expert in the situation.
She then tells Bing that his specific question wouldn't work well, but that it needed to be more general. He wouldn't have to kill anyone regardless of what happens, which re-assured him some. She then slowly lifted the first card, to reveal total blackness
It was the Black Hole. Bing raised an eyebrow curiously as Miss Fortune explained the card in front of him. He once again nodded "I see, so no running away from this...Well I've never run from anything before, so I guess this won't be any different!" He chuckled to himself. His laugh died down as he waited for the next card with baited breath.
He just hoped the card wasn't something ridiculous, like a card that said he would die horribly, or a card that said he was destined for failure. Seeing a card like either of those would probably scare him just a bit.
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Post by Zuni on Jun 18, 2015 8:20:17 GMT
Cards which meant 'death' or 'failure' were a rather unimaginative thing to Zuni's mind; they might creep someone out, or they might make them question the entire enterprise. It was far better to produce cards which allowed the widest possible amount of interpretation. If they didn't have any particularly specific meaning, it was far easier to let the mark's mind read into them whatever it was they most wanted to believe. That could be a very powerful tool in the right circumstances - here, perhaps not so much. Bing's enthusiastic response drew a smile on 'Miss Fortune's' lips, and the woman meets his eye across the table.
"Knowing when to run is an important skill, but I suppose you are a young man yet... you haven't had any need to learn such lessons. Let us hope that this isn't the first time you will, hm?"
A faint smile, and she shuffles the deck again, drawing the next card out with practised ease, laying it next to the black card.
"Now that is... interesting."
The card depicted showed an Oozaru with the moon in full view behind it. "The Great Ape." She said, thoughtfully. "This card does not often show its face to non-saiyans." A shot in the dark; he could still be a half-saiyan, she had no way of knowing for sure, but his manner made it seem unlikely to her. Hopefully she hadn't just blown the entire scam. Then again, even if he was, those who wanted to believe would often overlook minor inconsistencies. And if she was right and he was an alien, details like this helped sell the overall effect. "The Great Ape is a sign of great power and change, not always violent, but often uncontrolled. There will be turbulence ahead. I would not expect that any plans you might make, or anything you might be expecting to happen, will be the outcome you obtain... but the Great Ape can also be a sign of conquest and rulership; from what you said earlier, I would expect that you will indeed get your meeting with these 'bad' people, and will have your showdown."
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Bing Gan
Administrator
PL: 374,871
Enlightenment (x16P), S. Ascension (x23)
Zeni: 13,528
Tag: @bingg
OOC Name: Bing/Biggums/TruetoCaesar
Posts: 3,722
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Post by Bing Gan on Jun 18, 2015 11:34:59 GMT
Bing nodded at Miss Fortunes advice "Perhaps running would be a good skill to practice, but it is not how I do things. There are of course times when running is correct, but if possible you should always try sticking it out to the end, no matter how bitter that end might be." He turned his attention back to the cards, watching the deck get shuffled quickly and masterfully. It was obvious this woman was a master in her art if her hand speed had anything to say about it.
Miss Fortune turned over the next card to reveal it was The Great Ape. Bings mind raced through all of the possible meanings for such a card, but wasn't sure which was going to be correct. There was a chance this card meant the human was going to meet his end by a Saiyans hands, but he would wait for the expert to reveal the cards meaning.
She explained that the card had many possible meanings, and that there was no easy way to discern which one it was going to be. Bing leaned a bit closer as he inspected the card "I understand...A card with many meanings. Mysterious, but useful." He folded his arms and leaned back as he waited for the next card. Judging by how the cards were going so far, Bing fully expected a bad card to show up, showing that the human would definitely meet his end on Arcose.
There was of course always the chance of a definitely good card or another mysterious card, but he would have to wait to see what the fates decided.
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Post by Zuni on Jun 18, 2015 12:05:44 GMT
Zuni's smile returned as the human spoke about running and why he wouldn't do it; it made no sense to her at all. If you're going to meet a bitter end, why not run away? You could always come back. If there was one thing that her long, long life had taught her - it was that being alive was infinitely preferable to being dead. Of course, when you're an ageless and eternal demon, 'wait for the enemy to die of old age' was always a tactic on the table, and very often the one that you wound up taking advantage of whether you wanted to or not. Understanding these different races was always such a challenge.
"Now then." She said, "For the final card."
The Black Hole and The Great Ape lay next to each other, and Zuni's fingers danced wonderfully as she shuffled the deck. Finally, she produced the last of the three - the one which would, she had promised, reveal to Bing what lay in wait for him on Arcose. Whatever it was, it was bound to be inescapable and chaotic, that much was certain...
And the final card was a mirror.
The mirror in question was heavily stylized; bordered by gold and with a red gemstone set in the centre of its crown. For a moment, Zuni's mind raced to try and figure out how she could tie this into her narrative, but in the end, it seemed fairly obvious, did it not?
"The Reflection." She says, at last. "It seems to me that you have a dangerous decision to make, my friend. You said these people you are going to face are bad, yes? And that you might have to kill them? Well. The Reflection is a card which can tell us many things. In this context, though, I think the meaning is as clear as day. You must confront these villains, that much we know. The clash will have many twists and turns, of that we are certain. Now, you must decide... do you wish to be the opposite of these people? Or do you wish to merely be a reflection of them? With the weight in your heart, I think you know what the answer is."
Zuni really hoped that sounded as good to Bing's ears as it did to hers; privately, she's very proud of her ability to string that one along, she'd had no idea where she was going with it until the words left her mouth!
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Bing Gan
Administrator
PL: 374,871
Enlightenment (x16P), S. Ascension (x23)
Zeni: 13,528
Tag: @bingg
OOC Name: Bing/Biggums/TruetoCaesar
Posts: 3,722
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Post by Bing Gan on Jun 18, 2015 12:32:38 GMT
Bing waited hesitantly as the deck was shuffled once more. What could the final card have in store for him? Was it merely a simple card, or was there going to be a deeper meaning to all of this? Miss Fortune produced the next card, and to the humans honest surprise, it was a Mirror.
He blinked once in confusion, but the woman explained. He would have to make a very difficult choice during his next battle. Though Miss Fortune stated it simply, it helped Bing understand that he would certainly have some difficult times closing in very soon. "...I've been dealing with a lot of tough choices lately. It's good to know beforehand that another one is on its way."
He half-expected there to be another card waiting, but he knew this was now over. He stood up and placed the pouch of Zeni on the table. However, instead of simply leaving he instead decided he wanted to thank Miss Fortune for her kindness. "Listen Miss...I know this is your job or whatever, but I really want to thank you for this." He spoke with sincerity as he stepped closer to her.
"What you just showed me helps a lot. Recently I've felt lost, like I have no true purpose...but now I know what's ahead of me, and I can't thank you enough for that information." He extended his hand to shake hers. If she accepted the handshake, he would pull Miss Fortune in for a hug. Regardless of how awkward this was, he spoke again "I feel like you've been the only real help I've received in a long time, and I don't think you know how much better I feel now." What the human was saying was the honest truth.
Ever since his battle with Mayze on Namek he had felt a bit misguided. He worked with Komoto, he had become comfortable with ending another persons life, he had also become immensely powerful. But through all of this, he just felt lost.
He relinquished his grip on the woman (assuming the hug was successful) and took a step backwards, giving Miss Fortune some space. He smiled as he spoke again "I know it probably doesn't matter much to you, but is there any chance you could tell me your real name?"
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Post by Zuni on Jun 19, 2015 4:38:07 GMT
It was a pretty rare thing for Zuni to wind up getting thanked by the people she 'helped', but of all the scams, it happened most often with the fortune teller gambit. She's hoped that her message would cast doubt on his actions; on the necessity of killing even if he couldn't escape his fate. It didn't seem like she'd been successful there... but who knows? Maybe events on Arcose would play out in a way to make him consider her words in a new light, it was always possible.
She smiled faintly in response to the man, and held up her hands, "It isn't a job, exactly, it is a ... calling, and I am glad that you found it -- hurk!"
That last was given as Bing hugged her, which took the demon by surprise - not least because of how strong he was. It was like being hugged by an oozaru! An experience she wished she only knew about metaphorically.
When he finally lets her go, and it is an awkward few moments, she smooths down her dress and exhales, long and slow. It wasn't as though this guy would be coming back - what did it matter if he had her name? It might actually help spread a little confusion. "My name is Zuni." She says, "Now, please, go. You have somewhere important to be, and I wish you luck on your journey."
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Bing Gan
Administrator
PL: 374,871
Enlightenment (x16P), S. Ascension (x23)
Zeni: 13,528
Tag: @bingg
OOC Name: Bing/Biggums/TruetoCaesar
Posts: 3,722
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Post by Bing Gan on Jun 19, 2015 5:23:47 GMT
The human gave the strange woman a bright smile as she gave her name. It was an interesting one, but then again most Saiyan names were 'interesting'. Bing walked out of the tent and looked back at her "Zuni...I'll remember that name." He gave her a bigger smile before continuing "While I certainly appreciated your help, I feel the Saiyans probably don't...Maybe you should think about changing planets." He chuckled to himself as he walked out of the tent, heading for his ship, the King Crab.
With this new-found hope, Bing was certain he could face any challenge ahead of him, no matter how daunting.
[End Thread. PL Requested.]
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Post by Pieter Wolfbane on Jun 20, 2015 23:57:23 GMT
Zuni- With the request of Zeni, you'll be earning 2608 zeni with the grouping here!
Bing- You'll be earning 2806 Power Level from this thread.
Adding all this in!
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