Name: Keydis Lysistrata
Age: 19
Race: Laicar (Terran)
Vigor: 1500
Latens: 250
Persona: Keydis is extremely confident, cocky really, and it leads to recklessness. She's quick to befriend people, though others are rarely quick to warm up to her brash nature. While the teen is quick-witted and trusts her instincts, she's not a deep thinker by any stretch; she understands people better than concepts. Whether she's helping a friend or completing a job, though, one thing that remains constant is that she is driven to succeed, and failure makes her come back twice as hard to avoid it happening again.
While not a perfect adherent to the law, Keydis does consider certain things inviolate, and holds a special enmity toward violent criminals who harm or put innocent people at risk.
Physical Stature: Measuring in at a modest 5'4", with a thin figure and small bust, Keydis doesn't strike an imposing figure but still manages to stand out. Every motion carries a hint of compact strength and poise, despite the fact that she is very rarely still. She is constantly in motion, rarely walks when she can run, and has a tendency to climb or jump on top of things when bored.
Keydis' hair is naturally a dark brown, kept in a short and spiky style swept back to reveal her forehead; her swept-back bangs are dyed a bright red color. She has slightly bushy eyebrows, and her eyes are a piercing violet color. Fresh-faced and vibrant, the girl rarely to never wears make-up and almost always has a smile or cocky smirk.
The teen's typical attire consists of a sleeveless red shirt, grey shorts, and knee-high leather boots, as well as fingerless red gloves. She has a thick leather belt looped around her waist, cocked at an angle, with a schiavona scabbard at her left hip; the hilt of the broadsword itself is very minimalist, with a straight guard and two-pronged basket. Over all that, Keydis wears a black longcoat with a fur-lined hood.
Biography: When she was four years old, Keydis' parents -- modestly successful merchants of exotic animals -- were killed when a vistra assaulted the airship they were traveling on. Keydis was saved by the enlil Havital, a close personal friend of her family. Unfortunately, while he could carry the tiny child to safety, there was no way to rescue her parents as well. Havital took her in, raising her as best he could.
Keydis looked up to her 'uncle' and despite his protests, she took an intense interest in his role as a city guard. She played with wooden swords when other girls were playing with dresses or potions, and as she got older, she began trying to seriously learn as much about fighting as she could. In spite of his best efforts, she picked up his ferocity and intense nature.
Firmly believing that her parents would disapprove of her putting herself at risk, Havital blocked Keydis from getting accepted into the guard on multiple occasions. When she finally realized why she wasn't getting in, she stormed away and didn't come back. Over the following months she began picking up small jobs, beginning to build a name for herself as a small-time mercenary -- a far more dangerous profession than a mere guard.
Character Skills
Discipline of Militis (The Soldier)
Discipline of Battuentis (The Fencer)
Discipline of Contigeri (The Lancer)
Discipline of Pugilis (The Brawler)
Art of Aedificare (The Blacksmith)
Sample Chapter:
- Lively Discourse -
Wordcount: 1800
A loud, hearty din filled the room. Night had fallen outside, but warm light flooded the Fraternitas hall. In one corner, there was even a roaring fireplace where a half dozen seasoned warriors huddled around. With flagons in hand, they held spits of meat out over the flames, taking turns telling tall tales. Many of the other regulars had already left, out on jobs or just headed home for the night. That still left a fair number of people chatting with each other, checking out the bounty board, or just milling out. Most were in-between jobs or had nowhere better to be... or in the case of one individual, were just too drunk to leave.
The proprietor, Lyon, walked in from a side-room to check how things were going, before disappearing once again. This was an official branch of the Fraternitas, no common tavern, and so there was little concern of a disturbance.
The street-side wall had three pairs of broad, oaken doors. During the day they were all opened up, bringing in a steady stream of members, customers, and other visitors. Now, though, they were all closed for the evening.
Sitting at one of the many tables spread about the room, a young woman stretched and yawned. The woman, Keydis, had on a sleeveless red shirt with grey shorts and calf-high black boots, as well as fingerless red gloves. A long black coat with fur-trimmed collar was tossed over the chair next to her. Her brown hair stuck up in a spiky style, and there was a distinctive splash of red on her up-turned bangs; her eyes were perhaps a little more distinctive, an unusual and piercing shade of violet. The bare skin on display revealed that she was an athletic youth, not quite bulging with muscle but clearly strong and fit. Keydis eyed the pewter mug in front of her, sloshing the remaining liquid back and forth. On one hand, she wanted to finish it, but she already felt a familiar warmth and tingle. With a sigh, she set the mug back down.
A hearty chuckle was shared over by the bounty board. The tall, wooden board, near three meters broad, was only about a third of the way covered in bounty papers. Many of the easy ones were snatched up quickly, while anything of B-rank of better often sat unanswered long enough for the corners of the pages to yellow. Raising one bushy eyebrow, Keydis glanced over, curious about what was so funny.
With nothing better to do, Keydis rose from her seat, grabbing the sheathed schiavona propped on the table and seating it in the harness dangling from her belt. It was a habit she had picked up quickly after the first time her sword got stolen. No one had ever seemed interested in the coat, though, so she was comfortable letting it rest.
A pair of grey-haired men got to the board before her, also drawn by the laughter. "Oh, that's just beautiful!" one of them remarked with a short guffaw.
"Old man Vulcan slipped another one past the secretary, eh?"
From the street side, a pair of doors opened, letting in a sudden burst of cold air. Two men entered and quickly shut the door behind them. Keydis paused to look at them; one was young but buff, clad in leather armor with a claymore hilt poking above one shoulder; the other was a bit cleaner-looking, wearing nice clothes, with glints of gold reflecting off some of his gear. The cleaner of the two waved at his companion as he rushed up a flight of stairs. Keydis turned back to the bounty board, finally able to get up to it to see what all the laughter was about.
It was an S-rank mission, one Keydis hadn't bothered to read through earlier since it was so far out of her league. With print all in bold red letters, though, it had definitely caught her eye. Now she took a closer look... and immediately snickered.
"Spoken like a true meat-head," the visitor unexpectedly remarked beside her. Keydis scowled, getting a better look at the smug youth. He was around her age, easily a full head taller, with a mess of longish brown hair ending in a tidy braid. For clothing, he had a black vest with silver buttons over a white-collar shirt, with black dress slacks. He also had a black tie tucked into his vest, and a suit jacket folded and draped over one arm. Around his shoulders, he had a leather harness holding a small gold-sided pistol under his armpit. The young man also had gold-rimmed goggles resting on his forehead, and an unusual device with cushioned gold discs held over each ear; a cable led from the ear-cushions down to a gadget on his belt.
Seeing the scowl on her face, the man lowered the device to his shoulders, offering a disarming smile. His eyes were a surprisingly mellow green. "Sorry if I offended," he stated smoothly, "I just meant that he's the perfect spokesman for all of these Fraternitas brutes."
"Just what the hell do you mean by that?" She crossed her arms.
Still smiling, the man waved off her ire. "Sorry, sorry, I'm quite sure your boyfriend is the exception."
"... boyfriend?" A vein ticked in her forehead.
"Oh my," he remarked, his tone transitioning easily from smooth to smug. "You're one of them? I'll use smaller words, then: this guy is dumb, and anyone who follows him is even dumber. Get the picture now, or should I actually draw you a picture?"
By now, people had gathered around, several scowling at the visitor. Keydis wasn't a member of the Fraternitas, but she planned to become one, so insulting them felt like insulting her. Her fists tightened...
Seemingly satisfied at her lack of a response, the smug youth turned away. "I'll let you process th--."
There was a sudden dull thud as Keydis' left fist slammed into the man's face. Caught off-guard, the visitor dropped his jacket and went stumbling into the nearest table, tripping on the chair there and tumbling loudly to the ground. Swiftly, if inelegantly, the young man jumped back to his feet, glaring at Keydis. "What the fuck was that?!"
"Dur, I dunno," Keydis replied, crossing her eyes and sticking her tongue out. "I'm just a simple meat-head, I don't know any better!"
Suddenly, the brunet visitor rushed forward, slamming his fist into Keydis' jaw. Pain and heat exploded in her head. The girl reeled backward and slammed into a table but managed to avoid falling, just barely. "Don't let appearances fool you, bitch. I can give as good as I get!" He glared, the whole side of his face already beginning to swell.
"Dio, shut the hell up!" The man's companion from earlier had joined the milling crowd.
"Too late," Keydis growled, pushing the table away and rushing back in with fists flailing. A chorus of cheers rose up from the crowd, eager for a little entertainment as much as vindication.
From the back of the room, an exasperated voice yelled out, "Damn it, Key!"
Dio took a haymaker to the face, but good to his word, he retorted with a brutal hook, rattling Keydis' teeth, then a gut punch. The girl grunted, bracing herself against the impact. She slammed her knee forward, aiming between Dio's legs. He turned to protect his vitals and then slammed an elbow into the girl's sternum.
"...fuck..!" Keydis grit her teeth and lashed out with a barrage of body blows. Dio twisted and turned, trying to minimize the impact, until finally he just opened wide and grabbed Keydis in a bear hug. Instinctively, she jerked her head back and slammed forward, feeling the satisfying crunch of his nose under the blow.
Dio lifted her fully off her feet and then slammed her to the ground. Keydis' head hit the floorboards with a sharp crack, sending spots flickering through her vision. She kicked wildly, hitting Dio in the ribs, only to have him return the blow in kind -- only his kick had much better leverage. She gasped out in pain. "How's that, bitch?" He kicked her again, causing Keydis to curl up, grasping at her sides and wheezing for breath.
"That's enough!" Dio's friend grabbed him in a headlock, yanking him back before he could kick the downed girl again.
"I agree," Lyon growled as he yanked Keydis back up onto her feet. She stumbled, her legs trembling from the pain rushing through her ribs. Her face burned with shame at having to be rescued like that.
Her eyes narrowed and her hand found the hilt of her sword.
"Don't!"
Too late. Keydis darted ahead, ripping her schiavona from its sheath. Dio threw his friend aside, whipping his golden pistol out of its holster. Her blade halted a hair's breadth from his throat, his gun leveled right between her eyes.
Wide-eyed, both panting, the two youths stared at each other, their respective weapons shaking in their trembling arms. Blood ran in thick rivulets down the young man's face. The entire room was hushed, no one wanting to upset the tenuous stalemate. For several long moments, the only sound was ragged breathing.
It was Dio who broke first, lifting his finger off the trigger. He pulled the gun away and held up both hands, still glaring. Slowly, reluctantly, Keydis pulled her sword away, slamming it angrily back into her sheath.
Body still trembling from rushing adrenaline, the brunet managed a grin even while continuing to glare at her. "The name's Dioptrie Martelli," he announced, looking her right in the eyes. "You can just call me Dio."
"The name's Keydis Lysistrata," she replied, reaching down to clutch at her ribs. "You can just call me Miss Keydis fucking Lysistrata!"
Dio opened his mouth to say something else, but his companion grabbed him by the shoulder and dragged him out the door, leaving the suit jacket there on the floor.
Groaning, Keydis collapsed into the nearest chair. She could already feel swelling starting in her jaw and around her eye socket, not to mention the shooting pain in her ribs.
Still it was all worth it when several of the Fraternitas members gave her hearty -- and painful -- claps on the back. Lyon himself even went behind the bar, coming back with two mugs. One he put in her hands, full of cheap ale. The other was empty, and he simply pressed the chilly metal against the side of her face.
"Don't think I won't kick your ass out if this happens again, though," the proprietor warned.
Keydis laughed, although it was followed by an immediate groan. "It'd still be worth it," she declared, drawing a cheer from a nearby patron.
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