[KashKey]

The Black Market is far from a safe place. Most people wouldn't blame you for avoiding it entirely, it's the sort of place where all good mannered and upstanding citizens typically avoid. It is NOT however, a place children typically go to play. Which is why several people were turning their heads upon seeing a young, start up information broker wandering down the market. The only reason those of the black market turned away upon seeing Linne's sword in hand. She had a bad feeling about today, the whole situation had smelled fishy from the moment the offer was made.

She was making a trade with a broker of more report. She didn't have much information to trade, and anything she had, so did the Goomba, (Never thought I would be making a deal with mushroom people...) resulting in a trade he considered to be of equal value. It was obnoxious, and frankly she really would rather not have done the task. She had been ordered to trophify one of his competitors and throw him in a ditch somewhere, but she decided to change the deal some herself. Upon arriving, she had simply warned the koopa, and with a little convincing by showing off her EXS, sent him on his way. It had been quick, simple, and most certainly not what the trade deal was. But once you've lived long enough, you know someone who won't keep their word when you see them. This Goomba was slime, and if her hunch was correct, the meeting was going to be unpleasant.

It had taken her some time to find the meeting point, after all, an alley in what is already a pretty backwater place is hard to find. After several twists and turns, however, she had quickly found her objective. She had also quickly been proven right, and was busy trying to decide whether she should chuckle or laugh when she saw the goons that had been sent her way. 4 Goombas and a Toad, without even any special equipment, and most certainly not the man she was here for. At least the toad was bright enough to bring a Ray Gun, yet another oddity she was now forced to accept as being real, but that wouldn't be enough.

"Alright, where's Goomjaro?"

Even the names of these strange creatures are stupid... The goomba in front, head goon she presumed, was the first to speak.

'The boss ordered us to make sure you were able to do the deed, girly!"

Great, there was the old frustration of her body's physical age coming into play. Then again, if she had her way, she wouldn't be in this body at all.

"The turtle won't be coming back. Now is the deal on or off?"

Here was the deciding factor on if things would go well or not, as well on if she would need to hunt down a Goomba information broker later. The Toad, with stereotypical sunglasses and all, turned towards the head goon, who nodded. Here we go...

"This is a waste of time you know, but if you really insist, I won't go easy on you."

She drew Nameless from her pocket with an annoyed sigh. Why couldn't anything be simple?

"Yeah, sure."

Oh no, a young innocent girl is about to be shot in a back alley! Not really, but will anyone step in anyway?!

[Coolshaymin]

Black Mage was performing his usual duties of keeping this town safe, watching out for danger and destroying it... When he sensed... something unusual coming from what looked like a young girl... He was sure Henry could handle their daughter until he got back. He made a point to follow her discreetly and staying out of sight, a cinch with his magical prowess as he mostly stuck to hard to spot spots like roofs or dark corners. "... She is probably planning to meet up with someone... I doubt she needs my help... But I was getting bored with patrol and I need to get my Hero Paycheck," Black Mage stated to himself as she pulled out of sight into an alley. He has already deduced her to not be evil.

"Oh, aren't you guys confident? Please, a small girl could take you by herself, but I am not a Toad Officer now am I?" BM stated as he rounded the corner, effectively sealing off the other side. "Stone." the mage uttered simply as the land itself shifted with his hand movement to cause the earth itself to rise up and move towards the toad, attempting to constrain him between the building and the very earth the mage effortlessly moved to his whim. "The gun is out of the way. I am sure you can take down the rest of the small fry. Hell, doubt you needed it to begin with," BM stated as he just leaned back against the wall, clearly not planning to put in any more effort at the moment, clearly more interested in seeing what the girl can do.

[KashKey]

Naturally, the moment Black Mage showed up, the goons began panicking. Had the girl not come alone?! This was a set up!

"GET THE GIRL!"

The goombas were already rushing Linne the moment they shouted that, whilst the Toad was crushed against the wall of the alley. So that was the presence she had felt, hm? She had assumed it was another goon preparing for an ambush, not someone who actually intended to assist her. A member of the police force perhaps? No, that's a stretch of an assumption, what with the robes and unfamiliar power of Geokinesis. Whatever, she had seen stranger powers in the Night, and clearly he wasn't a foe... Yet.

"Jeeze... I've had enough of overconfident kids that don't know the strength of experience."

As the mushrooms rushed her down, she struck with Nameless, a skyward slash before canceling it into a quick Sky Fang to stun the one she had hit, landing and jumping to slam her blades down on the second. The third made an attempt to tackle her, or at least that was her assumption since she wasn't familiar with how these things fought, and was quickly punished by No Name smacking it into the alley wall. The fourth was all that was left, and it decided to try to run past her in its panic, realizing how thoroughly outmatched they were. She let it go... For a moment, before abusing her EXS, "Speed Star", and slashing clean through with No Name, resulting in a thoroughly trophified Goomba. Simple, pathetic, and a complete waste of time.

"What a colossal waste of my time... I shouldn't have even bothered. I knew he wouldn't keep to the deal... Then again, neither did I, so I suppose it evens out."

Stowing her knife back into her hoody's pocket, Linne turned back to the mysterious helper.

"While you were right that I didn't need help, I have to ask how you knew that was the case. Most people can't tell how skilled I am at a glance."

"L-Let me go, darn you!"

Oh right, he was there. She almost forgot. Whatever, she could care less about the struggles of someone who thought it was a good idea to fight her.

[Coolshaymin]

BM simply watched and observed as she effortlessly handled the rest of the criminals. Her speed was definitely the defining character in her abilities but there was still the other thing he sensed about her. "... You're right. It would be easy for anyone that was more simple minded to make such a mistake. I have honed my senses as well as my powers over years and years until I surpassed my peers. In short, I could sense your unnatural speed. On top of that, I can sense that your life force... simply does not have an end. So, even if they somehow had the upper hand you could of probably outsurvived them. But in that case, you probably aren't even actually as young as you seem," BM explained. "You aren't the only deceptive small girl I met. I know to not let looks tell me someone's skill," he added as he stood back up.

"The deal went wrong, huh? Well, I have an obligation to my status as well as a member of the law to deal with whoever attempted this. You however I am not obligated against since I can tell you aren't evil. I am a Hero of Light, Black Mage, my duty is to destroy evil without mercy. You are?" BM said as he walked over to the Toad he trapped. "And you are going to tell us where the boss is. Bringing the weapon you are clearly the head of this group."

[KashKey]

Linne didn't bother listening to too much of the strange man's response to her question. Self aggrandizement at its finest, as if she hadn't heard enough of that by now. Even if the boasts were true, one could only listen to someone brag about how they've raised themselves above their others so many times before it all becomes a big blob in the mind. Although, she couldn't help but chuckle at one line in particular.


"Heh heh... My life force 'doesn't have an end', huh? I suppose that's one way to put it."

... She really wanted to growl about the little girl comment, but let it slide just this once, since he clearly knew her physical age wasn't her true colors. But if he did it again she was going to let him have a piece of her mind, and there would be no mercy. Instead, she settled for disagreeing with another statement.

"Simply prescribing labels such as 'Good' or 'Evil' to any being is presumptuous. That implies anyone can say for certain true right from wrong. And to further say you can 'sense' someone isn't Evil, is ignorance at its finest."


How ironic that she would be driven to such a conclusion simply through observation forced upon her via a curse, and a being of the void who had lost nearly all that remained of their human self.

Ah, yes, her name. She had rambled for a bit there...

"Linne."

This 'Black Mage', yet another moronic name she was going to have to get used to, was questioning the Toad. He certainly is quick to jump topics.

"I'm not telling you anything!"

Stubborn mushroom... Then again, all things considered...

"He likely is unaware of his bosses' current location. The Goomba is a coward, no matter how good at gathering intelligence he may be. I would not be surprised if he ran without telling any of his underlings where he was going for just such an occasion."

[Coolshaymin]

"... You are right, it is rather presumptuous, isn't it? You're wrong though. I could not sense if you are evil or good, that is ridiculous. I can only diffentiate Darkness and Light energies, but even then that is never to be trusted alone. It is your actions that tell me whether I destroy you or spare you," the mage stated simply. "And you choosing to spare your target tells me all I need to know," he added, showing he's been watching her for a while.

"You're probably right though. If he doesn't know, he doesn't know. On the same level, if he doesn't want to talk, he doesn't want to talk. Either way my goal does not change. Class Change: Necromancer," he replied to Linne's statement before his body glowed with a blue light and skulls adorned his mage attire. He held out his hand and formed a scythe out of darkness before bringing it down upon the Toad, reaping the soul and trophifying him. "Toads can't even be half-decent cops. What makes them think they can be criminals?" BM stated as he turned his golden stare back to Linne.

"Now, while I am not going to turn you in since I have not seen anything wrong yet... I have to know what you were trying to get information on," he stated as he changed back to his original attire and sat down on the air itself with little thought. She tried to run or anything, he had time magic, and her speed can only do so much against time.

[KashKey]

Hmph, if you can't sense good and evil and so readily admit it, don't imply as such. Now he was rambling about Dark and Light... That's yet another strange concept.


"How can one possibly sense 'Light and Dark'? And how is it that beings can possess such within their bodies?"

The moment Black Mage swapped to his apparent "Necromancer Class", Linne was immediately put on edge. That scythe reminded her all to well of a certain ex-Amnesia member with the way it appeared from nowhere, and struck through the Toad criminal in such a manner. The fact that he had apparently been the one watching her upon her deliberately falsifying the hit was doubly concerning... How long had this man been watching her? It had been yet another instance of her figuring it was a flunky, not this mysterious man.

"... How long have you been following me? For what reason? I've known someone has been tailing me for a while, at least since the hit I chose not to go through with, but at this point I'm not sure how long you were able to do so without my noticing you. ... And if you must know, I was hoping to get a decent list of powers that are had around the Life Sphere. But clearly, I'm not getting that information today, so I may as well settle for less from you."