"Hm, one of the kings are around here... Even if he is not looking for people for mercenaries, we can still fulfill a few other niches that might be rather useful to him." Continuing to ladle out the stew until the last few people were sated, the teen stretched and gave the hard elf a slight bow in acknowledgement for the information. "In any case, thank you for grace and good humor in helping us out. It really means a lot to a stranger like me." Giving a slight smile, Yu stared back at his companions and saw that one of them had been checking out an alley, something that made worry writ on his brow. "Excuse me for a moment..." Walking briskly towards the hollow entrance in between buildings, the boy got ready to summon a Persona just in case things get hairy.
D.Va - Port Ismenia Temple/Shrine, talking to Theron and Kashira.
"I think I can help with that problem," D.Va said to Kashira, settling herself into a bench near the elf from Thedas. Or rather, elves from Thedas. She propped up her feet on the back of the pew in front of her and casually reclined."The kid and I stopped by the merchant district, and now I've got us a caravan going to the capital by way of Saneid, first thing in the morning. Nice and easy. We just walk with the caravan, hang out with the elves, shoot anyone that tries to steal from them, and by the time we get to the capital we'll get paid enough money to go shopping! Oh, and do the other stuff there, too, I guess."
On the outside, The Kid looked fairly subdued, but curious. On the inside, he was feeling a... tiny bit overwhelmed. He had been expecting maybe a few brews that would give him an extra kick, or even maybe some more tonics. But it sounded like they had all that and more. Barriers? Lightning? The second set sounded dangerous, and possibly very useful. But, something dangerous to others could be just as dangerous to the person using it, especially in untrained hands. The first one sounded more in line with what he was used to, even if it did still sound a bit crazy. Still, with what he had seen so far today, he couldn't see any reason to think it was a lie.
He did have a pretty important question about what the man had said, though. "What exactly are... inherent magical powers?"
Dark Elf Checkpoint
Chaos reigned beyond the palisade walls of the checkpoint, as the Climbers clashed with the elven army. On one flank, the dark elven shocktroops had their spears disabled by Toph and had to make an awkward defensive withdrawal. However, this opened for the archers behind them to loose a volley from afar, seeking Toph and any other Climbers left out in the open. On the other, the lightly armoured soldiers were surprised at being attacked by a child with a sword, with one of the frontline fighters getting neutralized by Sayaka's monstrous strength. However, they soon rallied to encircle the girl, any hesitation they might have against strike someone so young erased by her obvious martial skill. They struck in pairs, one from each side of her attacking in concert. Behind the Climbers, as one watchtower toppled due to Scorch's grenade, the archers on top shouting as they fell several metres towards an unforgiving ground, the archers of the other tower had gotten the time to ready their powerful longbows and broadhead arrows flew with great precision at the Climbers.
Meanwhile, the mages have gotten the time to cast their spells. Earthen hands burst from the soil, grasping for ankles and legs in an attempt to keep them from dodging or running. And in the skies above, dark clouds rumbled and roiled where moments before it had been clear.
However, the greatest impact, figuratively and literally speaking, was undoubtedly delivered by Gaige as she took the wheel of Ultra Magnus' truck form and drove him straight into the ranks of elven soldiers. The earthen arms reached for the vehicle, but could do little against the magnitude of horsepower concealed in the Transformer's body. A few lucky elves managed to throw themselves out of the way, but quite a few were not as lucky to be spared as the heavy vehicle charged through the armoured soldiers as if they were toys, shattering the formation.
The truck sped after the rider with the sword, but he had recovered enough from the attempt at his life to realize the danger he was in. Soon, his horse was gallopping with all the energy the finebred creature could muster, trying to make it up into the hillside before the truck caught up with him. The cloaked riders with him were not much help, however, as they ran off in their own directions, one disappearing into the camp and the other going up into the hillside opposite where the crowned elf with the sword had gone.
Port Ismenia - Shrine to the Swordmaster God
"It is my pleasure to help pilgrims," the old priest said to Kashira and Theron. "The blessings of the Swordmaster God be with you in your travels, and may you lay your eyes on the twin swords one day."
"Indeed, thank you," Reimu said. Her meditation was done it seemed, and she had a strange sense of purpose in your eyes. "Meditating here was very enlighting."
"Alright then, everyone. We've got our information and we know where we can see the Sword of Light. Let's go and see if we can't find the inn housing the king, before we have to find one for ourselves. Oh, and good work, D.Va."
With that, Reimu had left the domed shrine and started heading north along the main street, again not looking behind her to see if the others were following.
Port Ismenia - Slums
"Yes, yes! Follow me!"
The magician's servant said excitedly, before he noticed Yu had walked into the alleyway. His eyes lit up, and if he'd been happy while talking with Claw, he was practically wringing his hands from excitement from seeing Yu.
"Oh! Silver-haired boy! Yes, the magician would like to meet you too, yes. Please, come this way, both of you."
With that, the servant stalked away into the alleyways, making sure the other two were coming as he traversed the twists and turns in the dark grid of passageways. Finally, he stepped in front of a grand portal of dark wood in a worn, but otherwise quite grand building. The servant put the palm of his hand on the heavy door, and magic glowed softly for a moment before the door swung open.
"Yes, yes, the magician awaits inside. I shall make tea, oh yes."
Port Ismenia - Riverspark & Sons Brewery
The shopkeeper looked at the Kid quizzically for a moment, as if he didn't understand the question. Then he had a good look at the Kid's white hair, outlandish garb and lack of pointy ears and slowly realized.
"Oh, I see, you're not from around these parts? Right, right. Well, all elves around these part can use magic in some way. It's in our blood or something, magic rushing through our bodies. But not everyone can use it to cast proper magic, y'see? Not the big things, just small everyday stuff like lighting fires and stuff. So what these potions do is use the magic power in your body and make big magical effects happen."
Join us in our quest to play all RPG video games! Moving on to disc 2 of Grandia!
Vampire Hunter
Sabrina, Port Ismenia - Slums
Once the poor elves had eaten what they wanted, Sabrina soon noticed that Yu had wandered off before addressing the Elf who had questioned them. Sabrina then noticed Yu head off into an alleyway.
"It is about time we leave," Sabrina said to Shiroe and bowed to the elf who had talked with them. "If you are still concerned about the soup then feel free to take what's left and have your forces check the food yourselves."
Soon Sabrina followed Yu into the alleyway, releasing Espeon once she was out of sight of any elves who might start asking questions about her pet. Espeon would then follow Yu's scent trail with Sabrina following Espeon. Thankfully, her Espeon could defend her if there was any real danger.
Wizard Needs Food Badly
Sayaka- dark elf checkpoint, another wild fling
The last time Sayaka had been in such company, being charged by a vanguard of armed soldiers would have rooted her to the ground with terror. Unfortunately for the elves, that was five years ago; there was no fear in the magical girl now- five years of constant battle had seen to that- all that was left was a bitter taste in the mouth and a wiry grin.
The sword vanished in a shower of blue, replaced by a dagger. Sayaka adjusted her grip, found a comfortable hold and readied herself. She ducked under the first spear that came her way before exploding into the elven soldier's face. The dagger came out and, in a flash, the tip had worked its way through the chinks in the armor before burying itself in the solar plexus. A kick to the abdomen sent the soldier flying, dagger and all.
The magical girl had the barest fraction of a second to reorientate, before having to dodge a determined spear thrust from the fallen soldier's comrade. The tip grazed her cheek, drawing a trickle of crimson. Sayaka took no notice, there was no time to bleed. She caught the next thrust as it came; her hand tightened around the spear and she pulled the soldier in- his momentum had become his bane. They say that time slows down for those in mortal danger; for the elven soldier falling towards the blue haired girl, the seconds became minutes and the minutes became hours. As the seconds ticked down, the girl spoke.
"Don't take this personally" she said. "I'm just doing my job"
Sayaka slammed her fist into the pit of his stomach with so much force the Elf was lifted off the ground. Momentum made sure his body was recieved by the nearest tree.
edited 18th Sep '16 6:33:02 PM by biomechtraveler
The Mighty Pen
Kashira Lavellan - Port Ismenia - Temple
"Our thanks, yes," Kashira answered the old priest. "May the Creators watch over us all." She barely hesitated or stumbled on the old blessing now, but it was still there for those who listened closely. Ever since the temple of Mythal...well, it was harder and harder to mean it as she once had. The seeds planted there had borne bitter fruit and she feared worse before it was done.
"Caravan guards?" she said to D.Va, with a wry grin. The human's repose didn't concern her too much, not everyone even took their own gods seriously. "A good thought, thank you for doing that for us. Hopefully the war won't come that way. Remind me to tell you the story of the merchant with only one item in stock on the way." She still had little love of wealth, but it was hardly a flaw to enjoy beautiful and useful things, in moderation, and if nothing else, she was beginning to get used to the girl and her little golem somewhat.
Seeing Reimu turn and begin to leave, Kashira hurried to catch up. The other woman was showing either ambition or simply ignoring of others for any number of reasons.
"Did you find something in the temple we didn't?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "You seem...intent."
A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent upon arriving. -Lao Tzu
Port Ismenia - Shrine to the Swordmaster God
"Oh don't worry, it was nothing..." D.Va said to Reimu and Kashira with faux modesty.She got up to leave, but first she approached the priest. She reached into her flight suit and pulled out five of her Coronium coins, holding them all in her left hand. "This is the part in the RPG where you can donate some of your money to get a blessing. I think this should be enough." She pressed the coins into the priest's hand and walked away towards the others. As she approached the door, she momentarily turned around and shot a finger gun at the priest. "If I get a choice in stats... Charisma, please!"
She also pressed a hand to her headset and spoke. "Reminder: Ask elf with big staff about merchant story."
Fear me
Checkpoint
-Sensing dozens of little metal points headed towards her at speed, Toph has no time to bend them away, which would not even guarantee their being neutralized. Instead, the earth shakes as great blocks of earth slide diagonally from the ground at her calling all over the battlefield. One envelops her completely as she works out her next target.-
Lizard Metabolism
Claw, At Magician's (?) Tower
Frankly, Claw was just happy that he wasn't going into this increasingly more suspicious place on his own.
He recognized his companion; the fisherboy. "Greetings. How did your charity case go?" He asked as they reached the door magician's (?) servant opened with his palm and a bit of magick. Briefly, the pirate tapped at the handle of his cutlass before folding his arms with a deep breath. If worst came to worst, they could probably just cut their way out. If the magician (?) had any power and wished to combat them, they could reply right back: he saw the powers of Yu and he had his own magic tricks to use if pressed.
How do lizards fly?
Indeed, Ro-Man was eager to get to the one point in this story that he would excel at. "My calculations state that there is a 0.034 percent chance that they will be capable of harming me, but the rest of this group lacks the thick exterior of the Ro-Man people. We need to come up with a viable plan of attack, and we do not have much time!"
Port Ismenia - Reimu
Reimu was deep in thought when Kashira talked to her, and it took a moment before she responded. She still hadn't gotten used to all of her new teammates, though she spoke without hesitation.
"Hm? Oh. Yes. In my meditation, I reached out for the gods of these lands. Though I am far from my shrine, I am still a miko. For the most part, what I discovered matched what we have told...except a few important details."
"I can sense the gods of Light and Darkness still, for I believe no power could ever vanquish divine spirits of their caliber. They are old and powerful, and I can sense their essence in nearly everything. They seem to be resting, like creatures licking their wounds. Minor gods have tried to step into spaces left by them, and I could commune with both the Sea Elves' Goddess of the Sea and the Wood Elves' God of the Forests. But still this land hangs in the balance of Light and Darkness, like the old priest said, and like him I worry about the state of that balance now that the two indirectly will clash. Ah, but that was not the most important finding."
She looked around, and lead Kashira to walk on the side of the main street with the least people, keeping her voice down so that only the other Climbers could hear.
"I could not confirm the existence of is the one they call the Swordmaster God. No matter how much I called, no being heeded that name or description, nor could I detect any deity of such power and importance. Either he has made himself undetectable and is not heeding the call of mortals, like the priest said, or he was never a deity in the first place. I am leaning towards the latter."
edited 21st Sep '16 12:51:03 PM by Lemurian
Join us in our quest to play all RPG video games! Moving on to disc 2 of Grandia!
D.Va - Streets Near Port Ismenia Temple/Shrine
"Well I sure hope you're wrong about that," D.Va said flatly to Reimu, idly following along as they walked. "Or else I just wasted five bucks!" She grinned a bit at her little joke. "Anyway..." she added. "We gonna steal this sword or what?"
Kid nodded when the elf asked if he wasn't from around the area. Had he really only just noticed it then? Putting the shopkeeper slightly worrying lack of awareness aside, the teenager focused on the current issue. The man's explanation of magic had him worried. What he was describing wasn't anything he'd commonly seen in Caelondia. Sure, people had the occasional trick that was a bit unusual, like the Ura soldiers and their ability to move far quicker than any man should; Quicker than the eye could even properly track. But, there was a chance he didn't have this magic needed to use the potions. It'd be pointless to buy them if he couldn't even use them.
"Are there ways to check if you have this magic? Or, could I try one to see if it would have an effect?"
The Mighty Pen
Kashira Lavellan - Port Ismenia - Temple Quarter Streets
Kashira's eyebrows steadily rose as she listened to Reimu. Being able to talk to our gods would have meant a great deal to me once. Now...now, I am not so sure. Still, it is astonishing.
"You have a rare gift," she said, keeping her own voice low as well. "But where gods are concerned, death is...not what it is for mortals. I thought one of my own gods dead once. Then I met her. I am more inclined to think this Swordmaster God is in hiding or unaware somewhere. The legends had to come from somewhere, as did the Twin Blades. Perhaps the capital archives can tell us more of him, and the other gods." And perhaps the Well of Sorrows holds answers. But she dreaded approaching the ancient priests for aid, for it was never without a price, as with all power and knowledge.
Then Ro-Man and D.Va made their contribution to the conversation and Kashira's bushy brows knitted into a deep glare as she turned to face them.
"We are doing no such thing," she said firmly. "I will not leave this world worse off than I found it. Whatever has caused magic to fade here, the Swords are part of the key to fixing it, that much I know, and if we simply take them and leave, this world and all its peoples wither and die. But if we can save them, we can rightfully ask for a reward and the Swords are what we will name. I have not always acted as I should, but I these things will happen. You understand." The last words were not a question, but an open challenge.
A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent upon arriving. -Lao Tzu
D.Va - Streets Near Port Ismenia Temple/Shrine
"Just checking," D.Va said to Kashira. "So all we have to do is unite the two kings again, make peace between our good elves and the dark elves, and then get the swords. No problem, we can do it! Any ideas on what to do besides just finding this guy and looking at him and his sword? We have to get everything done tonight, because we leave for the capital tomorrow morning, and then from there we save the world, so we better decide fast what we want to do fast."
The eager man reminded Yu of Igor strangely enough, not in mannerisms but more like how he had imagined someone of his general shape and demeanor to act before the Velvet Room's mouth opened to reveal an eloquent vocabulary. Still, the fact that he was so... enthused somewhat pinged at the young man's self-protective instincts.
He had not done anything in the city to reveal any supernatural abilities and his own body didn't really have anything of value on it. Maybe the greeter's master somehow sensed his Personas? Eyes narrowing thoughtfully, the teen still went on his way towards the open door since it might help clear up several more points considering the objectives the group had to go after. "Thank you." With a slight bow, Yu entered through the doorway, his eyes sweeping this way and that for anything untoward.
edited 23rd Sep '16 7:14:13 PM by Makaioh
"Hu-Man and Hu-Man Offshoots! If you do not want to be in this world for years to come, then you only have one option in order to escape," he said, absolutely finished with these kinds of peace-loving hu-man hippies, barely concealing his monotone rage. "We will carry out my plan! If you disagree, then you are welcome to try and stop me in my tracks." Ro-Man stood only a few inches away from Kashira, having gotten closer with each shouted sentence, and now was sitting there, entirely ready for her to bring it.
edited 24th Sep '16 11:46:35 AM by wikkit
The Mighty Pen
Kashira Lavellan - Port Ismenia - Temple Quarter Streets
Kashira opened her mouth to answer D.Va, though what she would say, she wasn't quite sure. Then the metal golem, the Ro-Man, made his - from the voice she thought of him as male - opinion known, loudly and forcefully. She felt his footsteps through the ground as he moved to face her. Her grip on her staff tightened until her hand shook and her other hand curled into so tight a fist that her fingernails dug painfully into her palm. Another whatever-it-takes, unfeeling idiot! Another warmongering fool who thinks anything can be solved by killing enough people! For a brief moment, she wanted nothing more than to take his head with a spirit blade. But then, as she usually was able to do, she forced her raging temper back down and turned it aside. I will kill him became I will stop him became I will stop him without becoming him. Her grip relaxed slightly.
"Very well. Then tell me, Ro-Man, what do you know of the Tower that says this world has no value once we depart? Prove to me, with complete certainty, that we will never return here, that there will be no punishment later on for doing as you wish. For if there is even the slightest chance that you are mistaken, then we risk being trapped on the Tower for all eternity, or any number of worse things. There are too many unknowns here for us to act rashly and make mistakes we cannot undo. And as to your objection, I have done exactly that before. Twice. In a reasonable length of time. If you know anything of humans, than you know how often they accomplish what seems to be impossible. It is the same with my own people. When pressed, we are capable of anything. So, once again, are you certain? Can you be completely certain?"
A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent upon arriving. -Lao Tzu
Port Ismenia - North High Street
"So, three courses of action," Reimu said, walking calmly past the confrontational Ro-Man. "Fight for it, steal it or resolve this situation and claim them as reward. Those are all good suggestions. I was just thinking of going in and asking him for it. I would like to resolve the problems of this world as well, but all the same we are strangers here. Not only the gods, but also the society and magic are different, and we may find ourselves doing more harm than good. If we want to become involved, we need to approach this world in earnest, and we can stay visitor only so much longer. The Ro-Man speaks truth; it will take a long time. But it is time we have, if we are willing to spend it."
After that neutral and noncommittal answer, Reimu stopped, looking across the street to a large white-painted building. It was a fine inn of three large stories, with carved branches on the window frames and doorframes. The large white sign bore the image of a splendid sword, the blade shining like the sun, encircled by a blue border. From inside, the sound of music and the smell of cooking came through the window.
"And here we are. The White Sword Inn."
Port Ismenia - Magician's Building
Alok held the door open for Yu and Claw, and once they had passed inside, he noticed Sabrina and Espeon who had followed the trail. Suddenly he smiled, and beckoned for her to come inside as well.
Walking through the front door, the Climbers were allowed into a sombre hallway of dark wood panelling, with simple doors on all sides and a large spiral staircase at the end. One of the doors on the right side was open, and from within a voice called out.
"Ah, you have arrived."
It was the voice of an old man, who stepped out into the hallway to greet his guests. The elf was covered from head to toe in a fine purple robe, and the deep hood and long sleeves covered nearly every patch of skin on him, save for his pale-skinned hands. His eyes were hidden by a white silk blindfold.
"Travellers, thank you for humoring an old man's request and coming here. My name is Myrdin. My present situation prevented me from approaching you in person, so I am glad that Alok could persuade you. Please, come into the library. I have many questions for you, oh yes, but answers too."
Myrdin stepped back into the room he had come from, beckoning for Yu and Claw to follow. The library was a disorganized affair, with the walls covered with full bookshelves but half as many books on every free surface or in piles on the floor. With a wave of the robed magician's hand, tomes and grimoires vacated a sitting group and a table, and Myrdin took his seat in an aged cushioned chair.
"Please, seat yourselves. Alok will bring tea."
Port Ismenia - Riverspark & Sons Brewery
"Hmmmm, I dunno..."
The shopkeeper was starting to look a bit suspicious. All the same, he took out a small blue bottle from underneath the counter and poured it in a glass procured in the same way. The liquid was a deep blue, and the ripples seemed to go on more than what the laws of fluid dynamics would normally ask for.
"Here, have a sip. This is our most-selling drink: Riverspark's Blue. Normally, it gives a nice buzz to any elf who drinks it, and it's chock full of magic energy. Now, I dunno what happens if someone with no magic power at all drinks it, but I reckon it'd just be like water for them, so that should ask your question. Bottoms up, friend."
Dark Elf Checkpoint
Sayaka's attacks sent elves flying, but the circle of troops was repaired with more troops, who did not let up now that they had drawn blood. Trying not to commit deep enough to get thrown like the others, they instead kept their shields up and stabbed at her from up to five different angles at once.
Meanwhile, Toph would find that although the soil was responding to her calling, it was also dancing to someone else's music. The walls of her cover grew a myriad of earthen jaws, who snapped at her head and limbs like scavenging birds picking at a dying man.
Join us in our quest to play all RPG video games! Moving on to disc 2 of Grandia!
Vampire Hunter
Sabrina, Port Ismenia - Magician's Building
When she was spotted by Alok and beckoned inside, she followed the others in. As she went through the building to head into the room that Myrdin was in, she took a look around the building... It reminded her of the old towers in Johto, actually. Eventually, the group had come into Myrdin's room and Sabrina sat in one of the offered chairs with Espeon jumping up into her lap for her to pet. Sabrina knew better than to recall Espeon at this point just in case this ended up being dangerous. Sabrina looked over at Claw and Yu since she had not summoned one of her Pokemon in their presence yet.
"This is Espeon, my friend and pet," Sabrina explained to them and to Myrdin being careful with her words while Espeon cooed with Sabrina's petting.
Wizard Needs Food Badly
He stomped on the ground, leaving a large crack in the pavement. "There is not a single node in my computational matrix that does not scream "certainty" with all of its might! Provide any evidence toward my plan's inefficiency, or towards your own statements, or be prepared to attempt and fail at destroying me!"
The Mechano-Gorilla's massive form stood in front of the door, blocking passage. Ro-Man was relishing conquest of some variety, and if it had to be his so-called allies before the rest of these weak hu-man offshoots, then so be it!
The Mighty Pen
Kashira Lavellan - Port Ismenia - White Sword Inn
Kashira had to admit, the golem made a good point. She knew just as little as he did, but when confronted with the unknown, he preferred the brute force approach, seeing it as more certain, where she would rather go with diplomacy. There had to be a way out of the trap, though, and she bent her mind towards finding it. I need to buy a little time...
"First," she said, "Stop shouting, I can hear you perfectly well." She tapped one pointed ear to emphasize her acute hearing, and took a few steps back. "Second, come over here and stop blocking the way, if I wanted to get by you, I could and I'm not planning on a fight unless I can't persuade you to give up on this idea of yours." While waiting for his response, she thought quickly.
Prove my plan is better or his plan is more inefficient...how so? Not the unknown, so something he does know. Won't take my word about what I've done. Overwhelming force? No. Ah, I have something!
"Third," she said, "I say my plan is more efficient than yours because of the expenditure of effort. The Twin Swords are the most precious artifacts in this world. If we try to seize them by force, we would face all the forces of this world and even if all of them fell, they would hide the swords and have an entire world to do it in, always keeping ahead of our search. It would take far more time and effort to find them, if we could do it at all, than it will to follow my plan, which ends with us being given the Swords freely. Also, it is not required for us to reconcile the two warring sides completely, that's impossible in any case. All we need to do is repair whatever is causing magic to fade from the world. Therefore, I say that my plan is far more efficient."
edited 25th Sep '16 4:07:20 PM by RedCedar
A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent upon arriving. -Lao Tzu
Sayaka- Dark elf checkpoint. And suddenly everyone had shields
Sayaka couldn't remember when she had learnt to fight. She couldn't remember why; all she knew was that she had spent a serious amount of time covered in blood- whether or not it was her own had long ceased to worry her. Her healing factor was what really carried her through- countless times her foes had beaten her into the ground; cracked every bone in her body; whatever. In the end, Sayaka had gotten up and repayed the favor.
Somewhere along the line of being endlessly trampled and beaten up, Sayaka had decided that she had enough. Results of that decision where now brought to bear upon the elves in full force.
In a burst of blue light, Sayaka produced from her cape two swords of the scimitar variety. The swords gleamed in the sunlight and began their dance. Arching high and sweeping low, the two swords clove through the spears, reducing them to miserable stumps. The spears that were not decapitated were batted aside, never touching the magical girl.
Theron — Port Ismenia — Temple
Theron sighed. “I would not want to trouble the hahren with those matters,” he said. Under his breath, he added in the Elven language, “we know precious little about the military situation… the Darkspawn of this world, if there are any, and so on.”
The voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the groundHe bowed to the priest. “I thank you for the explanation, hahren,” he said. I hope I won’t have to come back and destroy the Abomination you will surely become was left unsaid, but there was no hiding the Grey Warden's disturbed countenance.