In the dim, shadowy reaches of the past, there was a creature known as the ‘Black Beast’. Possessing powers beyond the comprehension of mankind, its only desire was the total annihilation of all humanity. Fighting a hopeless battle for survival, mankind was pushed to the brink of extinction.
Just as all hope was about to be lost, six heroes appeared. They taught the last vestiges of humanity how to harness and control the mystic force of the universe known as ‘magic,’ and humans fused it with science, creating what was to become known as ‘Ars Magus.’ The humans who had the ability to use Ars Magus stood beside the six heroes and against the Black Beast. After a series of brutal battles, mankind finally stood victorious. Amongst the survivors, the war came to be known as the First War of Ars Magus, and the six brave warriors went down in history as ‘The Six Heroes.’
After the defeat of the Black Beast, the people rejoiced. But peace did not last for long. From the remains of the Black Beast, a dark mist began to spread outward. In seemingly no time at all, the black mist covered virtually the entire planet. The mist, which became known as ‘seithr,’ wreaked havoc on mankind, as prolonged exposure had detrimental effects on the human body. In order to limit their exposure to this deadly poison, humans were forced to construct cities above towering mountains. These cities became known as ‘Hierarchical Cities.’
At the same time, the organization known as the Novus Orbis Librarium was formed for the purpose of managing and controlling the objects known as ‘grimoires,’ which are required to use Ars Magus. Inevitably, the NOL began to leverage the power accorded to them by their control of these grimoires; and most of the world fell under their jurisdiction. With almost half the world’s population decimated by the war against the Black Beast, the remaining survivors began to quickly rebuild their civilization under the watchful eyes of the Novus Orbis Librarium.
Decades passed since the founding of the Novus Orbis Librarium. Within that time, Ars Magus had become an indispensable part of people’s lives. However, the use of Ars Magus came with a price; the effects of which depended solely upon the person wielding it. The NOL, having gathered all those who showed a high aptitude for using Ars Magus, were soon accused by the general populous of propagating repression and inequality. Before long, a region under the NOL’s control rose in rebellion. Calling themselves the ‘Ikaruga Federation,’ they declared their independence from the NOL. This declaration of autonomy did not sit well with the Novus Orbis Librarium, and the Second War of Ars Magus began.
For the first time in recorded history, humans used Ars Magus against each other as a weapon in battle. Overwhelmed, the Ikaruga Federation quickly fell. The victory served to reinforce the NOL’s dominance and power over the world. The absolute destruction of the Ikaruga federation served as a stark reminder to anyone who even contemplated defying the will of the Novus Orbis Librarium.
A few years later, someone dared to defy the Novus Orbis Librarium and rose up to take on the organization whose political and military dominance were seemingly absolute. Even with an army said to rival any nation, the NOL was powerless to stop this one man from destroying the ‘cauldrons’ that lie deep within NOL strongholds. The man in question was called Ragna the Bloodedge.
It was not long before the NOL declared Ragna the Bloodedge as an ‘SS’ class criminal. With the largest bounty in recorded history put on his head and wanted posters with his face plastered on every available surface, Ragna had become the target of a wide variety of different organizations. The most significant of these were the Librarium’s guards, bounty hunters known as ‘Vigilantes’, and Sector Seven who was known for its advanced scientific research and breakthroughs. In addition to these organizations were other individuals, who either coveted Ragna’s power or sat silently in the shadows, watching. The world was slowly being transformed by the actions of one rebel.
Kagutsuchi Port AM 10:30
“With what measures ye mete, it shall be measured to you again."
The 13th hierarchical city -KAGUTSUCHI- AREA No-5
It was a beautiful day. Large, puffy white clouds were rolling lazily across a bright blue sky. The airships that were docked gleamed proudly against the bright sun. A gentle breeze was swaying through the port, bringing with it the smell of fresh air; or at least, as fresh as it could possibly be what with the small traces of seithr flowing through it. At this altitude, people paid it no heed. With seithr being such an important energy source in using Ars Magus, small concentrations of the gas were acceptable, if not preferable.
The port was bustling with activity that day. A lot of incoming visitors from the other hierarchical cities were swiftly descending the airships. Among them was a young man who, compared to his fellow passengers was moving at a more relaxed pace. A pair of headphones were wrapped around his head and blaring music into his ears at a moderate volume. The headphones were connected via a long cable that disappeared into the large backpack straddled on the boy’s back.
Blues tilted his head idly from side to side as he arrived at the port. He took a moment to survey his surroundings, especially scrutinizing several of the men who rode in on the airship with him. He was familiar with them, though did not know them personally. Like him, they were Vigilantes. He knew about them from gossip he picked up at the guild not too long ago. It was highly likely that they were in Kagutsuchi for the same reason he was. While Blues was usually open to the logic of ‘two heads being better than one,’ this was one of the many instances where that was inapplicable. Under strict guidelines from their employers, the Novus Orbis Librarium, Vigilantes were refrained from working with one another. Because of this, there were times when pursuing marks got to be...overly competitive. And with the largest prize ever rumoured to be hiding somewhere in the 13th hierarchical city, this was doubtless the most difficult case Blues had to work.
The young boy rotated a small dial on his headphones, lowering his music’s volume. “Time is running out,” he told himself. “I bet someone’s already starting to pick up the clues towards finding him. Hmmm...” Blues stroked his chin thoughtfully. His golden brown tail waved lightly behind him. His mark was smart enough not to enter the city via airship. The only other way in would be via the railways. The Beastkin meditated on this, attempting to calculate his bounty’s next move. It had been a little over a few days since the news of his sighting surfaced. In that time, he could’ve already been in Kagutsuchi had the city’s NOL division not been alerted prior. In that case, he was still probably somewhere in the city, waiting to make his move.
“The most crowded and easily accessible part of Kagutsuchi would be the around the lower half of the city,” Blues noted. Like all the other hierarchical cities, Kagutsuchi’s structure and locales were based on a system of social standing. With the NOL offices at the highest point in the city, the wealthy and nobles in the upper half, and finally the normal and middle class congregating at the lower areas of the city.
“Yeah, the population’s much denser there. If he wants to avoid detection, that’s where he’ll be.” Blues grumbled having arrived at this conclusion. “Which means that if I can’t find a more effective way of finding him, I’m probably gonna be too late.” The young Beastkin sighed. He began considering that he might have been in over his head when he thought he could bring down the most notorious criminal of all time. Had he paid any attention to his bounty record, he might have been a bit more confident; but Blues was usually too modest to do such a thing.
Blues leaned against a fence, briefly admiring an airship as it slowly dislodged itself from the port. He then turned up the volume of his music player. He could mull things over more easily if he had his music to put him in the mood. Slowly he drifted off into his little world, meditating on what his next action would be.
Disclaimer: Introduction c/o Blazblue:Continuum Shift, ARC System Works
Just as all hope was about to be lost, six heroes appeared. They taught the last vestiges of humanity how to harness and control the mystic force of the universe known as ‘magic,’ and humans fused it with science, creating what was to become known as ‘Ars Magus.’ The humans who had the ability to use Ars Magus stood beside the six heroes and against the Black Beast. After a series of brutal battles, mankind finally stood victorious. Amongst the survivors, the war came to be known as the First War of Ars Magus, and the six brave warriors went down in history as ‘The Six Heroes.’
After the defeat of the Black Beast, the people rejoiced. But peace did not last for long. From the remains of the Black Beast, a dark mist began to spread outward. In seemingly no time at all, the black mist covered virtually the entire planet. The mist, which became known as ‘seithr,’ wreaked havoc on mankind, as prolonged exposure had detrimental effects on the human body. In order to limit their exposure to this deadly poison, humans were forced to construct cities above towering mountains. These cities became known as ‘Hierarchical Cities.’
At the same time, the organization known as the Novus Orbis Librarium was formed for the purpose of managing and controlling the objects known as ‘grimoires,’ which are required to use Ars Magus. Inevitably, the NOL began to leverage the power accorded to them by their control of these grimoires; and most of the world fell under their jurisdiction. With almost half the world’s population decimated by the war against the Black Beast, the remaining survivors began to quickly rebuild their civilization under the watchful eyes of the Novus Orbis Librarium.
Decades passed since the founding of the Novus Orbis Librarium. Within that time, Ars Magus had become an indispensable part of people’s lives. However, the use of Ars Magus came with a price; the effects of which depended solely upon the person wielding it. The NOL, having gathered all those who showed a high aptitude for using Ars Magus, were soon accused by the general populous of propagating repression and inequality. Before long, a region under the NOL’s control rose in rebellion. Calling themselves the ‘Ikaruga Federation,’ they declared their independence from the NOL. This declaration of autonomy did not sit well with the Novus Orbis Librarium, and the Second War of Ars Magus began.
For the first time in recorded history, humans used Ars Magus against each other as a weapon in battle. Overwhelmed, the Ikaruga Federation quickly fell. The victory served to reinforce the NOL’s dominance and power over the world. The absolute destruction of the Ikaruga federation served as a stark reminder to anyone who even contemplated defying the will of the Novus Orbis Librarium.
A few years later, someone dared to defy the Novus Orbis Librarium and rose up to take on the organization whose political and military dominance were seemingly absolute. Even with an army said to rival any nation, the NOL was powerless to stop this one man from destroying the ‘cauldrons’ that lie deep within NOL strongholds. The man in question was called Ragna the Bloodedge.
It was not long before the NOL declared Ragna the Bloodedge as an ‘SS’ class criminal. With the largest bounty in recorded history put on his head and wanted posters with his face plastered on every available surface, Ragna had become the target of a wide variety of different organizations. The most significant of these were the Librarium’s guards, bounty hunters known as ‘Vigilantes’, and Sector Seven who was known for its advanced scientific research and breakthroughs. In addition to these organizations were other individuals, who either coveted Ragna’s power or sat silently in the shadows, watching. The world was slowly being transformed by the actions of one rebel.
Kagutsuchi Port AM 10:30
“With what measures ye mete, it shall be measured to you again."
The 13th hierarchical city -KAGUTSUCHI- AREA No-5
It was a beautiful day. Large, puffy white clouds were rolling lazily across a bright blue sky. The airships that were docked gleamed proudly against the bright sun. A gentle breeze was swaying through the port, bringing with it the smell of fresh air; or at least, as fresh as it could possibly be what with the small traces of seithr flowing through it. At this altitude, people paid it no heed. With seithr being such an important energy source in using Ars Magus, small concentrations of the gas were acceptable, if not preferable.
The port was bustling with activity that day. A lot of incoming visitors from the other hierarchical cities were swiftly descending the airships. Among them was a young man who, compared to his fellow passengers was moving at a more relaxed pace. A pair of headphones were wrapped around his head and blaring music into his ears at a moderate volume. The headphones were connected via a long cable that disappeared into the large backpack straddled on the boy’s back.
Blues tilted his head idly from side to side as he arrived at the port. He took a moment to survey his surroundings, especially scrutinizing several of the men who rode in on the airship with him. He was familiar with them, though did not know them personally. Like him, they were Vigilantes. He knew about them from gossip he picked up at the guild not too long ago. It was highly likely that they were in Kagutsuchi for the same reason he was. While Blues was usually open to the logic of ‘two heads being better than one,’ this was one of the many instances where that was inapplicable. Under strict guidelines from their employers, the Novus Orbis Librarium, Vigilantes were refrained from working with one another. Because of this, there were times when pursuing marks got to be...overly competitive. And with the largest prize ever rumoured to be hiding somewhere in the 13th hierarchical city, this was doubtless the most difficult case Blues had to work.
The young boy rotated a small dial on his headphones, lowering his music’s volume. “Time is running out,” he told himself. “I bet someone’s already starting to pick up the clues towards finding him. Hmmm...” Blues stroked his chin thoughtfully. His golden brown tail waved lightly behind him. His mark was smart enough not to enter the city via airship. The only other way in would be via the railways. The Beastkin meditated on this, attempting to calculate his bounty’s next move. It had been a little over a few days since the news of his sighting surfaced. In that time, he could’ve already been in Kagutsuchi had the city’s NOL division not been alerted prior. In that case, he was still probably somewhere in the city, waiting to make his move.
“The most crowded and easily accessible part of Kagutsuchi would be the around the lower half of the city,” Blues noted. Like all the other hierarchical cities, Kagutsuchi’s structure and locales were based on a system of social standing. With the NOL offices at the highest point in the city, the wealthy and nobles in the upper half, and finally the normal and middle class congregating at the lower areas of the city.
“Yeah, the population’s much denser there. If he wants to avoid detection, that’s where he’ll be.” Blues grumbled having arrived at this conclusion. “Which means that if I can’t find a more effective way of finding him, I’m probably gonna be too late.” The young Beastkin sighed. He began considering that he might have been in over his head when he thought he could bring down the most notorious criminal of all time. Had he paid any attention to his bounty record, he might have been a bit more confident; but Blues was usually too modest to do such a thing.
Blues leaned against a fence, briefly admiring an airship as it slowly dislodged itself from the port. He then turned up the volume of his music player. He could mull things over more easily if he had his music to put him in the mood. Slowly he drifted off into his little world, meditating on what his next action would be.
Disclaimer: Introduction c/o Blazblue:Continuum Shift, ARC System Works
Last edited by a moderator:
