((SEMI-OPEN BECAUSE I SCREWED UP THE TITLE!

http://summoners.shurelia.com/profiles/953
http://summoners.shurelia.com/profiles/240))

A dark haired Ionian and a pale skinned gentleman approached the odd camp on the edge of the Great Barrier, rumored to be the location of Shurimans in possession of goods that were...exotic. It begged to question why one would sell anything this far out into inhabitable lands, and as to whether or not such items were legal according to the League. Nevertheless the two did not falter. With a rebellious grunt the Ionian woman lead the way, fighting through the sand that was EVERYWHERE!

"Who in the name of the spirits decided that it would be a good idea to have a camp in the middle of the desert?" She mused as the two finally approached. The gentleman silently raised one eyebrow towards the exotic dancers but otherwise made no comment. They looked about, trying to pick out the contestants from the locals. "Be careful, Hats. We don't know what these people can hide behind their..." She waved her hand, "masks." One could not necessarily blame her for not knowing the name of the garments that Shurimans seemed to adore- she was Ionian born and raised after all.

(( http://summoners.shurelia.com/profiles/623 ))

((I believe we need to make this semi-open :P ))

Dawn was a late bloomer. She was Already 24 when she left Ionia to travel, and travel she did. Never staying in a single place for long, she always needed to take in new sights, places and people. Today was no different, as she looked around at these... Shuriman merchants. She was raised to keep her emotions reserved, and she walked about with little apparent interest but privately awed by the exotic wonders from the sands. Wearing high boots, she had little trouble from the sand.

She tasted the many kinds of foods encountered nowhere else- dried, curry, blue cinammon, and more. Dawn was a subtle beauty compared to the outlandish belly-dancers, but she carried herself with nobility.

Then she saw it. A crowd. Something interesting was happening. She went over, her spear collapsed and hanging from her back.

"Come one come all! Adventurers and fortune seekers! The Exciting Race will begin very soon!"

Exciting Race. really? That's all they could come up with?

"...If you think you are bold enough, undertake the Exciting Race! Across the merciless sands of Shurima, fame and fortune await those who dare! You will find riches enough to buy an entire kingdom!" The heavily robed shuriman spoke, in a thick accent. Many of the mercenaries laughed. Even prepared explorers die in Shurima.

"...Do you dare the relentless sun? The bone chilling nights? The monsters? The flesh-flaying razor sandstorms? Only the greatest may survive! And let's not forget... the unchecked magic that flickers across the landscape. And other monsters."

He continues, clearly challenging the ego of the people gathered here.

"...We have dicovered ancient maps of old Shuriman trade routes! Who knows what riches await in the ruins of this place? The magical lore lost to history..."

Dawn was about to leave, when the promise of lost magic piqued her interest. She goes to inquire about these maps... and found those alone cost a hefty amount.

"...How do we know you are not simply trying to send us to our deaths and steal our coin?" One burly mercenary asked. Upon which the Shuriman man produced a ruby of unbelievable size. And handfuls more. This seemed to convince many, but to completely confound skeptics, he brought forth a scepter.

"Behold, a relic from bygone days when Shurima was Empire. Found very recently..."

Dawn had heard enough. She paid for a map.

((It shall be. But alas I do not possess the power to fix my own mistake. Woe is to me.))

Xiaolongnu and Hats were drawn to the crowd and listened intently. Upon hearing of lost Shuriman treasures and powerful artifacts, the two eyed each other. They had found what they were here for. The Ionian searched for coins among her belongings and then looked up and shook her head. There wasn't enough. Hats searched through his things as well- but alas he too had no coin on him.

"Forsaken Gods of blasted spirits," Xiao cursed, quite annoyed that she had come so far only to have her goal out of reach. "Alright, this is what we do. You go into Cats mode and I'll make a distraction. You swoop down to grab the map before anyone notices and we'll be off faster than these dark skinned idiots can shout 'Thief!'. Are you ready?"

Hats pulled on his collar. It sure was hot around these parts. "Are you sure about this, Xiao? I don't think it would be wise nor nice to just steal something from people that worked so hard to get it. Besides, it's broad daylight. A man dressed in dark clothes will surely stand out." Gentleman Hats was oh so timid when it came to such unlawful acts, it almost made Xiao sick.

"Fine, I'll do the stealing. You distract." Without asking for permission, Xiao reached into her pouch and tossed a smoke bomb into the air. "Ladies and Gentlemen! The Fabulous, Hats!" With that she ducked into the crowd and towards the man on the stage while Hats stood dumbfounded. The Ionian moved with grace and precision, drawing upon her martial arts training to weave through the crowd without alerting anyone to her presence. Finally she was upon the Speaker. She only needed a moment more...

(( so remind me semi- open means the acceptance is closed after a bit?))

((Yes. I suggested it to be a race, but somehow it devolved into another adventure momorpuger.... ))

((Well... if they can lay down the law it can still be a race.))

Dawn stayed where she was during the commotion... when she thought to move she found it was no longer an option. She had found that the sand she stood upon very rapidly turned into a rapidly devouring quicksand, then becoming rigid again once she was knee deep.

This was the case with the rest of the guests, everyone becoming immobilized. There was a great shout that rang out dozens of times, "Nobody move! Nobody touch anything!"

The very sand rose into mounds around the stage area, then became men- Bedouin warriors clad in sandy brown robes and wielding very, very sharp scimitars. A dozen 'sand warriors' had materialized their caravan, three alone guarding the maps. They hold Xiao at scimitar-point. Anyone who tried to draw their weapons would be quickly held with kukris and scimitars to their throats.

"Well. Well. Well. What do we have here." The merchant said, clasping his hands three times at seeing the theft attempt.

(( Glint, you're here too! How did you guys keep contact? Skype? Teach me your ways >:3 ))

((Oui, there is Skype.))

"Son of a-," Xiao muttered as she held her hands up. Well, what do you know? They had guards around the blasted thing. She needed to think quick. "Gentlemen," Xiao spoke, batting her eyelashes, "do you really want to hurt a poor defenseless girl?" The Ionian thought quickly. Was there time to deploy another smoke bomb? Even if she did, there would be no where to hide. Perhaps she could dance out of their reach? No, there were too many of them and not enough room to maneuver before they shoved their blades through her.

Hats on the other hand, reacted quickly. He pulled out a nightcap from his backpack which contained a pocket dimension, and placed it on his head. Immediately, his eyes softened and his body became transparent as he lifted into the air, untouchable by anything mortal. Grunting in pain, he shifted hats again, equipping the headband that contained cat ears. Dark cloth wrapped around him, leaving behind a stealthy ninja with cat ears and a long sash. If one looked closely they could see the sweat on his brows, switching hats so quickly was tiring. "Release her." He demanded, one hand on the sword on his back.

"Enough of this! Everyone put down your weapons! You would try to defend a thief?"

The sand warriors returned to that particular merchant, surrounding him. They had the advantage of -sand everywhere-. Hats was out-sworded.Sandmen materialized behind him as well.

"...Let me guess. You don't have any money to buy one of my premium maps? I am willing to overlook this if you enter into a business venture with me." The bearded shiek said.

Dawn looked at the ineffable pair... To cross a merchant with powerful guards was without doubt foolish. She moved in closer to observe.

"Please, have a seat. Let us be civilized." He insisted, two of the sand guards producing comfortable looking silk pillows.