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The Spirits Within

I reformatted everything, I'll do that next time! :). I was in a serioys rush, that post took me 7 hours to make. I've also added some World Building lore that is not written in characters or intto, if you're alright with it.

I think I'm going to end my character's participation in the Spirits Within Tournament here and have him move on to the rendezvous point or to another point if he gets called as backup.

Not sure what 'fame' awaits Montero after he practically just turned a TCG tourny into a passive-aggressive educational lecture. :/.

I'm going back on the road in a few hours IRL.
Check back with you all at my next srarbucks stop. @Prisk

...did your character really just say he burnt his eyes out to them?@EurmalEye

I mentioned your character in my post, is it in line with yoyr character's lore? In the sense, does she do appearances at the behest of konami [insert company that developed TCG games in this world IC.]?@Whoami

The Spirits Within

Posted. Lol I really had to gamble on how I could make a TCG tournament relevant to the plot and world, well ...this is my attempt after a lot of thought regarding many points in the intro. But I had to take away alot of the descriptive content (hence images!) to keerp the post at a readable length.

I will type out the formatting on my laptop any electronic device soon. @Prisk

!!! How's he doing? @EurmalEye

The Spirits Within

_{O A K R I D G E C I T Y T R A D E H U B}

..Rock salt, uncommon in Oakridge's ocean based economy. Raw grounded Iron ore, still slightly magnetic. Beef jerky, smoked and seasoned with birch branches. Ethanol and antibiotics, the very basics of first aid. And Phoenix Down, a rare medical injection composed of a secret blend including adrenaline, corticosteroids and various compounds - including a substance that made it glow an incandescent amber in the dark, giving it vidual credence to it's namesake. Afterall, Phoenixes were symbols of miraculous revivication and what the drug did was nothing short of a miracle.

These were the supplies Montero Timberson had found at the marketplace in Oakridge City, even if he had to deal with a shady merchant or two, the variety of goods and discounted prices made the trip worthwhile.

But looking at the time, he wondered what else he could do in the next hour and a half.

Then, just as he was about to leave the stand, a booming soundtrack came over the electronic billboards that dotted the city. Montero stared at the screen with visually brightening expression, more specifically, at the flashing words:

TSW grand prix Tournament, second finale in 15 minutes.

TouchSpell VS Cebion

Venue: Oakridge Stadium

"Seerie. Maps. Directions. Oakridge Stadium. ...Now."

---------------------

BGM
_{O A K R I D G E C I T Y S T A D I U M}

The Stadium, unexpectedly and unlike it's name implied, was an underground hall that was led in through the tunnels that go out of Oakridge City. The air gushed, dry and chill, past the grand doors when they slid open - revealing blinding lights all centered on a raised and almost floating stage in the middle of it all.

The Guardian walked in heart beating with excitement that saturated the stands with a nausea inducing loudness whenever a duelist showed up. As expected, there were soldiers on duty here - not as security, but as participants in the grand event. Although he wagered that wearing their gear was uneccessary and possibly detrimental to the enjoyment of others, not everyone liked the military afterall.

Montero included.

-------

"Before we go on a break, we've invited a real Guardian from the famous Oakridge Academy to give us a few words."

Suddenly, the screen panned into the crowd and Montero was soon staring at a reflection of his suprised and awkward self among the others. ...They certainly didn't invite him.

"Let's hear from Mr ---"

He frowned at the many expectant looks coming his way, immediately regretting his decision to wear the Academy badge out in public - even if it was mandatory to do so ...at worst, if caught, he would say that he was tracking possible renegades or some rubbish like that. Anything was better than the anxiety he faced now.

"..."

The silence was painful.

"...Timberson."

So was saying his name. Montero winced physically.

"Timberson! Yes! We've invited him to show us all an example of what Spirits look like. THE REAL STUFF. To inspire our duelists before the finale!"

That's shallow. Montero mused judgementally, but his face was still marred with discomfort from all the attention, too much to even express it.

"...But you know what they look like. They're on the cards." His voice almost a murmuring complaint, too bad the stage crew had a microphone bot hovering right by his sleeves broadcasting everything.

"Of course! BUT! We don't see them everyday like you Guardians do, do we?"

_{Why is he so weird?
It's just a spirit, what's the deal with this guy?
I heard that Kade Sicario came too.
Is he a guardian? Why is he so ...different from her?
Hey, do you think Kade couldn't come and he's her replacement?}

"YEAH! Show us a Spirit! C'mon! GUARDIAN." Yelled one of the duelists, Cebion, with palpable disdain in his voice. A spiky, orange haired punk with piercings through the nose. His rival, Touchspell, a muscular hirsuite youngster with a light beard, seemed eager to see a spirit too though the young man was much less rude than his opponent.

Clearly, the announcer had played with the audience. Now a line between them and Guardians like Montero was being drawn and if he did nothing soon, the divide will only widen further at the egging of the announcer.

"...fine." Montero followed the microbot that led up to the platform where the spotlights were truly blinding.

He took a deep breath.

"Lucy. Harriot. Alice. Ethel. Return at once." He said in an almost parental tone. Immediately, multiple orbs of palm-sized lights appeared from the nooks and crannies of the stage, the spirits had been out exploring. Montero raised his lantern and the small caged door opened on it's own, inviting it's residents home.

The audience kept quiet and attentive at the show, save for one voice.



"Wisps!?"

Montero turned to look at Cebion.

"That's lame."

There was a moment that annoyance saturated the Guardian's entire mien, fortunately he had the hindsight to realize he was on camera and kept calm.

"Hmph." Montero still scoffed. He stared at the duelist for a long moment, looking past his eyes, an idea came to him. "...Hold still."

~Oh children of the second born...
~...Come forth from the root of creation.

Montero's other hand scribbled furiously at the air, then before Cebion could react, the Guardian lunged at him - only to touch him lightly above the heart with his pointer.

Suddenly, waves of radiance rippled out and when they subsided. A small orb of light, similar to Montero's wisp friends, emerged from the young boy - who looked utterly stunned.

Montero turned to face the audience, flourishing his coat as he spun on heel.

"Just because you can't see them, doesn't mean that they aren't there. Spirits are without-"
He raised his hand in a gesture upon which the new spirit danced freely, the sound of small chiming bells accompanying the dance. "-and within all." Or at least, up until the Jenova crisis.

Montero looked at the crowd, especially at the announcer who sat behind a glass box.

"The term Guardian doesn't apply to just us, it applies to every Human being. For we Humans have an ancient symbiotic relationship with them, we mutually benefit each other and have a duty to one another. They help, we protect. They toil to bring the rain and sun upon our lands where we grow our food and from the earth we till and plants we grow, new young Spirits are born. Such is only one of many ways that our fates are intertwined, since the begining of time." He lectured in a practiced manner, as if he had repeated this many times before.

"Know that not just us Guardians, but the pure of each and every one of you posseses Spirits too, who chose YOU to be their Guardian." He pointed at them, then curled his finger.

"Cherish them."

"So little one," The spirit perched on Montero's finger as he spoke to it. "Want to return to someone who calls you 'lame'?"

At that moment, Cebion's face turned a colour even brighter than his hair.

World Building

*Wisps are Spirits of Light but are classed as one of the most basic, unimpressive summons in the Trading Card Game due to their dimunitive size and unassuming appearance.

*Montero Timberson keeps Wisps, among other delicate Spirits, safe in his lantern.

*The Spirits Within is a digital/physical card game that is played on holoboards, even if it can be played analog, as this allows players access to further features of the game - such as controlling the cards in battle with full control as actual characters. Tournament duelists are often refered to by their online usernames, such is the case of TouchSpell and Cebion.

*OOC: TouchSpell is a brand of glow-in-the-dark pens. Cebion is a brand of Vitamin C tablets.

The Spirits Within

I'll stop by a hotel tonight where I can set up and start typing (been on a road trip these past few days, hence the absency)! :).

The Spirits Within

Yeah. Actually stopped by to say I can only post tomorrow, kind of lost the second part to my post while I was typing it out on notepad app when my phone decided to shut down (and not save).

Bit disappointed because I had qrotten alot. But, I'll get something even better up after I've read everyone's post.

The Spirits Within

_{O A K R I D G E C I T Y W A L L}

The ride on the rather overcrowded APC was far from joyous to the Guardian, not that there wasn't any space on the vehicle - but the inevitable road bumps led to aggravating disregard for his personal space - which he highly valued. Of course, the company was made slightly more uncomfortable by Ajax's lack of an indoor voice, the soldier was clearly excited to get off the bus and mentally scar all of them as soon as possible.

But at least Abysso was here, the oil stain on his shirt and elbow evidently gave him away as to why he was late. When he looked Montero's way, the navigator would see Montero's uncomfortable scowl at an empty wall between the two Intelligence's heads - momentarily change to a single raised eyebrow, a sideways glance and the sassy upward twinge of his bearded smirk at the smear that went uncleaned. The two had an amicable relationship, abundantly based on the shared opinion that daytime's heat and noise was most banal to productivity. The serenity, chilly air and irresistable aroma of fresh cocoa soufflé from late nights at the atrium's Cloud Cafe was far better suited for any sort of work to be done.

...
...
...

When the APC stopped, Montero immediately flung the doors wide open and hopped out of the vessel, going straight to the weapon's compartment to retrieve his gear. He sorted through the pile, running his hand along some of the other equipment for a moment. Once Celise was done debriefing the team, he chucked into her hands, handle first, her weapon. Commenting.

"Nice sword."

Before turning on his heel, flourishing his coat and giving them a backward thumbsup of acknowledgement, heading off elsewhere swiftly. He would rue the day he had to participate in the inelegant proceedings of group stretching.

The Spirits Within

Gotcha! Two hours for activities, hmm, I think I can make do with that! @Prisk

The Spirits Within

Iit's been 4 days since our last IC post (that's not including the time it took between posts either). :/.

II don't mind helping type out the completed journey to Ledale and describing the scene, if prisk doean't mind and it can keep the zone away.

I still have plenty of muse left in my inspiration. So if you're experiencing some kind of obstacle, let me help.

The Spirits Within

Gotcha.

The Spirits Within

I'm going to use that IC if that is good? 😆. I guess I was right afterall, I CAN eat pardosa! @deadpixel101