When Wooyoung carried the first two barrels through the common room, Master Pickens was already filling a pair of mugs with ale from what was considered the good jug. His patron was a tall muscular man with fair skin and dark green eyes. What was most notable was his peculiar hair, dark hair that was longer on one side with green tips and a fringe concealing part of his eye. Pyakky, the pub chocobo, was curled underneath the stool the patron sat on. The fire crackled on the hearth, bringing warmth and light into the room, vanquishing the slight chill and disagreeable weather outside.

At this time of the day Wooyoung expected more patrons, but there was only the strange man with two mugs and Master Pickens deep in hushed conversation. The barkeep was known for his unscrupulous and ubiquitous reputation, and while the men remained silent, not even looking up from their mugs, Wooyoung understood this meeting to be of gravity. The patron raised his mug slightly before tipping it into his lips and Master Pickens’ eyes studied the man carefully as if he were judging his character, weighing him to some unknown scale.

Rumors were spreading in the town of Domina, that the Jewel Thief would strike there next. Wooyoung’s brows knotted in the middle of his forehead as he set the barrel down next to the far wall. He knew not of any exhibitions at that time, although it was possible. Domina was en route to other major cities, and traders and travellers alike would seek temporary refuge before they continued on with their journeys.

Worry was not uncommon in the town. Most were concerns of stray monsters making it into the outskirts, though the occasional heavy and heinous crimes made a headline every now and then. Lately however, there were rumors scattering about a thievery concerning precious jewels and Wooyoung couldn’t help but think if there was somehow a possible connection to this strange man.

The tavern doors swung open, and a tall lithe man with blonde hair in light colored robes sauntered inside, dusting off his shoulders and grumbling to himself. His movements were graceful as he approached the bar counter and as he took a seat with Master Pickens’ patron, settling his long staff next to him.

Curious, Wooyoung crept along a wall, hoping he was concealed amongst the shadows. Snippets of the conversation made their way to his ears, but there was not enough for him to pick up the subject.

“It’s done,” said the lithe man. Even inside the dark pub, his startling blue eyes were bright as if they carried their own light source. “While I do not appreciate you leaving me behind for ale, I have completed the task. Now we wait.”

Wooyoung inwardly flinched at the tart tone of voice, but the other man remained unaffected, simply waving his hand and downing his ale.

“If we’re lucky, ae?” spoke the other.

The blonde frowned appreciably, but no lines marred his face. “Must you indulge yourself again, Edge?”

“Must you indulge yourself again,” mimicked the other patron as he waved his drink in front of his companion’s face. “Anyway work is later. Now I need my ale.”

His companion pulled another displeased face but said nothing more. Instead his attention was diverted to Pyakky underneath the stool. His eyes darted towards Wooyoung, startling him and causing him to tumble to the floor. “You,” said the sharp voice, “Take this thing away,”

Pyakky chirped and bounced on its feet before scrambling away and into the back room. The blonde raised a brow and pressed his lips tightly but said nothing more to Wooyoung. However, he did turn to his companion, “Must you always choose such a filthy place for your ale? Does the promise of disease from these unhygienic places thrill you?”

“Blah blah blah, all I hear is blah blah blah,”

“Could we leave now? I feel myself getting contaminated already and I just took a shower.”

“Look, Reise, I’m not making you stay, go wherever you want to.”

Wooyoung watched with interest as the two men continued to banter and from his spot on the floor, his eyes were fixated on the massive long sword leaning against the bar. The sober mood from just a few moments ago was gone, and he was left looking at two patrons who argued more than they actually communicated. Master Pickens busied himself, wiping off dishes and mugs with a wash rag, his attention no longer held by the two mysterious men.

“What are you doing?”

For the second time that afternoon, a voice startled Wooyoung, and this time he hit his head on the underside of a table. He cradled his head with one hand and turned to the familiar female voice. Lux squatted next to him with an intrigued look on her face. “What are you doing?” she repeated.

Wooyoung shook his head as he stood up and exited to the backroom. He heard Lux’s footsteps follow behind him, and he jogged down the concrete stairs first, making sure he was far enough from the counter before turning towards her and shushing her. “I think something’s going to happen tonight. And where were you?!” he whispered.

Lux was doubtful. “You always think something’s going to happen every night. And for the record I was hiding out from Master Tam in the Inn.”

“Shhh! Not so loud!” Wooyoung said, taking Lux by her wrist and dragging her lower into the cellar. “They might hear us.”

“Who?”

“Those men upstairs. I think they’re some kind of something.”

Lux raised her brows and slowly repeated what he said, “Some kind of something?”

Wooyoung nodded vigorously, “I heard them, they’re setting something tonight.”

“You...heard them?” she said doubtfully.

Wooyoung waved a hand, “You heard the rumors, right? The Jewel Thief!”

“I worry for you, did you know?”

Wooyoung shook his head in exasperation. “I think-” he cut abruptly, when Nana and Sunny, two of the barmaids appeared suddenly by the top of the stairs. He waited until the two girls were done filling up their trays and out the door before he spoke again. “I think those men are hunting the Jewel Thief. Here! In Domina!”

Lux shrugged, “Nothing ever happens in Domina. Maybe they’re just monster hunters passing by. There was some talk about the outskirts being infested, maybe they’re just here to help.”

Wooyoung shook his head and peered up the narrow stairwell. “This is different. I’m certain.”

A commotion upstairs in the form of loud banging and several shouting voices bolted the pair from their conversation and they ran up the stairs to see several middle-aged men barging into the shop. Chairs and tables were upturned and kicked to the side, but it didn’t appear as if a fight had gone on.

“Monsters! There are monsters in the square!”

“Quick! Someone slay them!”

“The children!”

Wooyoung’s attention quickly turned towards the two patrons sitting quietly on the bar. The man called Edge cracked his knuckles and stretched his arms over his head, “Looks like we got an early day today,”

“Obviously,” Reise said, not even moving from his seat. “Do I need to accompany you? This is child’s play Edge.”

Edge replied with a noncommittal grunt but his eyes narrowed significantly as he looked outside the open door. “Bah,”

“Hoping for more agreeable weather?”

“Master Edge, Master Reise,” pleaded on of the men in the room, “Please, help us!”

Despite Lux’s reservations on the matter, Wooyoung ran out after the two men, pushing against townsfolk running in the opposite direction. A small swarm of Stinger bugs circled the main square, and Wooyoung cringed at the giant six-legged flying arthropods. He heard a howl and saw Edge charge into the middle of the square swinging his massive two-handed long sword over his head and easily taking down the bugs two at a time. Reise stood bored at one side, studying his nails and from time to time looking up at the chaos in the middle of town.

It only took mere minutes before the hoard was exterminated, and Edge positioned his sword over his shoulder as he walked back down to the Tavern with Reise right behind him.

“So, d’you think we’re done here?” Edge asked.

“Hopefully. I require at least eight hours of sleep.”

“Too bad, we got a job tonight,”

The shrill clanging of the bells from the other side of town created another wave of hysteria and Wooyoung was the first to run after the two men as they raced towards the source. He found Lux peeking through one of the Tavern windows and he gestured wildly at her to follow him. The pair raced after the monster hunters and careened to a stop by the inn.

Two bodies lay on the ground now surrounded by Sproutlings swaying gently as they circled the corpses. Wooyoung took a step closer, ignoring the short green-leafy plantlike ethereal and looked closely at the bodies, a man and a woman. At first glance, nothing seemed amiss, but as Wooyoung stepped closer, he noticed the gaping hole where the heart should have been. Except there was no blood at all, just the open flesh.

“Stay back,” Reise warned.

Edge cursed loudly as he knelt down next to the two bodies. “It’s happening here too,”

“What’s happening?” Wooyoung asked, ignoring Reise’s instructions.

A crowd of people slowly gathered around the bodies and officials were plowing in to investigate and keep the onlookers away. Whispers were loud as the bystanders shared their speculations, some were pointing towards the bodies, others were doing exaggerated and frantic gesticulations of what they had thought they had seen. Both Edge and Reise were somber as they quietly spoke to one another.

“Did you see anything?” the pudgy old inspector asked, roughly shoving away a Sproutling in his way.

Lux shook her head, “I just got here, ask them” she pointed towards the monster hunters who were still deep in discussion.

Wooyoung strained his ears to listen, but as before, he only heard parts that did not amount to a whole. His earlier suspicions came back to mind and he subtly took a step closer towards the hunters, only to be halted by someone grabbing his shirt from behind. Wooyoung laughed and winced at the same time as he saw Master Pickens pick him up, “I was only looking,” he said, raising his hands in the air.

“Then stop looking. Take your friend with you and go bother someone else.” Pickens said, pushing Wooyoung towards Lux and shooing them with his hand.

“That’s not going to make us leave,” Lux commented as if Master Pickens hadn’t been looking.

There was a collective gasp from the onlookers, and Wooyoung turned back to the bodies, except they weren’t bodies anymore as the flesh slowly disintegrated into thin air. Lux clutched at the sleeve of Wooyoung’s workshirt, tugging at him to pull him away.

“I think we should go,” she whispered worriedly.

Though Wooyoung heard her, he paid her no heed. “Let’s see what happens first.”

“I guess it’s confirmed, then.” The pudgy inspector announced. “There’s nothing here to do, it’s Jumi.”

Wooyoung’s brows furrowed. Jumi. He couldn’t believe his ears, there were Jumi in Domina? He knew of the Jumi, they appeared human and acted as humans did, but they were not human. Where their hearts should be, was a core, an external mass of gemstone, that was the source of their longevity and magical powers. Jumi almost never left their main city of Etansel and finding two in Domina piqued his interest. The Jumi were a difficult race, they believed themselves better than other lifeforms, and were wary of humans most of all, Wooyoung was more than adequately intrigued.

The crowd soon dispersed upon hearing the inspector’s announcement, and within moments, Wooyoung was left alone with Lux and the two hunters. Edge and Reise both turned to the girl, and she shrunk behind Wooyoung as their gazes fixed on her.

“What happened? What was that?” Wooyoung asked again.

Reise shook his head slowly, his eyes still remained on the hiding girl. “Did you not see? Or are you just daft to not put two and two together. A Jumi was just killed for his core.”

“No more questions,” Edge cut in. “I need ale. And you,” he said to Lux, jabbing a finger in her direction, “you come with us.”

Once at the tavern, Wooyoung was easily pushed aside as Edge and Reise dragged Lux away into the far corner. He intended to follow them, but Master Pickens; firm grip on his arm kept him where he was. He struggled against the older man and with one forceful yank of his arm, he was free to cover the short distance of the room, only to be dragged back again by the ear.

“Leave them be boy!” Pickens hissed, pulling Wooyoung further from the conversation on the other side of the room.

The three people remained unaffected by Wooyoung and Master Pickens, and the boy could only wonder what they could be talking about. Lux appeared calm though her fingers were nervously fidgeting with the hems of the sleeves of her shirt. Her eyes remained downcast as she listened to Reise talk, and Wooyoung squinted to read the other’s mans lips as he spoke.

“Who are they?”

“None of your business, boy.”

“Why are they talking to Lux?”

Master Pickens gave the boy an exasperated over-patronizing look, “You found her, remember? Shouldn’t you know?”

Wooyoung pressed his lips in a tight line as he recalled the day he had found Lux in the outskirts of town. Two months ago he found her under attack by a nest of Rabites, lost and with nowhere else to go, Wooyoung brought her into Domina. She had told him once that she was on her way to Geo, an academia town, but it had never been mentioned again.

“Do you think they know each other?” Wooyoung asked, his eyes not leaving the group.

Pickens shook his head, “They would have had said hello first. Go back to your chores.”

Reluctantly, Wooyoung stepped backwards, tore his gaze away, and proceeded with the rest of his duties. The scene before he left never left his mind as he chopped wood for the fireplace. What would those men want in Domina? And how was Lux now involved in all this? Not only that, but he wondered about the Jumi casualties earlier in the day as well. He had heard of the Hunters, a group that went after the Jumi, killing them for their cores and selling them to jewel collectors, could the Jewel Thief be involved as well?

He swiped the sweat from his forehead and tossed the axe aside. A thought bubbled through his mind, and the idea dangled playfully in front of him. For years he had always just been the town chore boy, following various adults around, apprenticing after a few, running errands for more. At first he felt nothing of the act, he was indebted to the town elders for looking after him. It had never been a secret that he had been found by the church, and people would often say it would have been more fitting if he had been found by the tavern instead.

The backdoors opened, and out came Lux carrying a serious expression on her face. “No questions,” she said, “but I think it’s time for me to go.”

Wooyoung watched as she hurriedly walked the short path that lead to their secret shortcut to the church where they lived. His focus was elsewhere, and he rushed into the tavern looking for the monster hunters. They were already packed ready to leave and bidding the barkeep goodbye. Wooyoung hastily made his way back to the church and almost rammed into Lux as he grabbed his satchel from his room. He followed after her and she glared at him as he did.

“What are you doing?”

Wooyoung slung the bag over one shoulder and adjusted the strap across his chest. “You’re leaving aren’t you? I’m going with you.”

“What? You can’t just go!”

“Yes, I can. Wooyoung argued, “It’s not like I have anything here.”

“Master Tam and Master Pickens are going to rip you apart!” her voice rose sharply, but they didn’t stop walking to the town entrance.

“If they can find me,” Wooyoung nodded as he spoke, “There they are, what did they want anyway?”

Edge and Reise both frowned as they saw Wooyoung coming in with Lux. The latter sighed dramatically, and the former was cracking his knuckles. “We only take one kid at a time,” Edge said.

“I’m not a kid!” defended both Wooyoung and Lux.

Reise released a breath of air from his nose sharply. “You are really stupid, aren’t you?”

“Look boy, we don’t need excess baggage. You’ll weigh us down so just go back and shovel some hay or something!”

“I’m coming with you!” Wooyoung insisted, “You’re not going to get rid of me!”

“You’re not going to get rid of him,” Lux muttered, “Trust me, I tried.”

“Edge, we don’t have much time,” Reise said impatiently, “drag him along and beat him up later, I don’t care, but we have to leave now.”

Frustrated, Edge punched Wooyoung in the face before reluctantly agreeing to take him along. Reise simply rolled his eyes and started walking with Edge leading the way. Lux shook her head slowly and patted Wooyoung’s back. The boy clutched at his bleeding nose, silently crying out in pain. Lux clucked her tongue and sighed. Suddenly, Wooyoung was wrapped in a light mist of cool liquid tiptoeing up his skin, and in an instant the pain was gone.

“You shouldn’t have done that,” Edge muttered, “made him suffer a little more.”

“Make him complain more?” Lux said, pushing a dazed Wooyoung forward.

“Less talking, more walking.” Reise quipped, snapping his fingers impatiently, “Why can’t we get a pack animal for this,” he sighed, “These shoes aren’t made for extended walks.”

Wooyoung watched dumbfounded as Lux spoke comfortably with the two men who were strangers to them just moments before. His abrupt recovery from the injury and his confounded expectations brought him to silence as he walked alongside them. Questions were for later, he told himself, when I know how to ask them.

[A/N]: Chapter One is up, with the first two apps: Edge and Reise

Applications are still open, I'm still looking for certain character types:

-guardians

-team mom

-long range and melee fighters

-hunter

I've received all your apps, and I'm still choosing who else goes with this first group. I'm still extending the deadline, but I think I'll add a few more details concerning the Jumi

-they choose either the path of the Warder or a path of a Guardian when they turn 16 and once a choice is made it's irreversible

-Jumi travel in pairs, a Warder and a Guardian. They have a link that allows them to be attuned to each other at all times

-Jumi look like humans, except their heart is external and is made of their core, once damaged they begin to age and will die if this is not healed

ps I left a link on the foreword for supplementary information, please check that out.

pps. You're all getting a cameo in the fic if you're not in the main group, so watch out for that. Also, your character might even get promoted as plot demands.