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The Epic of Beginnings - Fragments of a weathered scroll

Narkissa Langdon

@Rune_Alchemist @Crusader Lord

Although Narkissa had voiced her desire to stay and watch the market proceedings, the tide of activity moved against her, and Lazhira ruined her dreams by informing her that they did not, in fact, have the luxury to do both activities. Despite the fact, however, she had gotten some useful information, just from Lazhira. As surmised, the people were from some vaguely oriental culture from far off, but interestingly, they were from some mine-abundant archipelago. While that didn’t really square with how her limited understanding of geology went, the fact that there was an overseas trading route was very intriguing. Very intriguing indeed.

Narkissa also found it hard to disagree that foxes and fluffy things were cute.

Waffling for several moments on whether she wanted to stay or not, she decided to accompany Lazhira and Leannah to the temple. It was a difficult decision—she sorely wanted to probe how business was conducted and their trade, but Lazhira and Leannah were the two people she found herself the most comfortable with at the moment. Although they had spent some time together, mistrust begets mistrust, and Misaki had hardly been open… and the strangeness and potential danger from an apparently female Nobunaga was another. Certainly, she enjoyed the company of the catgirl and villager far more at the moment.

Maybe she would try prying information from them about their market trip when they returned to the village.

Parting from the market didn’t stop her from asking Lazhira about it, though. She had plenty of time to, after all. It really was a long walk. “Lazhira, about earlier… So, they sailed from those islands to your village? What sort of ships do they sail, junks? They don’t happen to be staying for longer than a day, would they?” She plied the girl with a few more questions along this line, such as where they were docked, and what boats the village itself liked to use.

Eventually though, they were at their destination, and Narkissa could feel the environment beginning to change. A thick fog had formed around them, giving off an almost oppressive aura mixed with an unsettling feeling that she really couldn’t care for. She didn’t say it aloud, but she decided it was better to err on the side of caution and stick to Leannah and Lazhira both. Happily lapping up the new magic tip, she gladly obliged, trying to form the same light source in her hand.

The Epic of Beginnings - Fragments of a weathered scroll

Narkissa Langdon

@Rune_Alchemist @Crusader Lord @PKMNB0Y @VitaVitaAR

Narkissa eventually meandered out to the commotion along with the rest of the girls. The crowd was certainly nothing compared to what she was used to, but the garb of the people was something that she still had to get used to. With only the better part of a day and half in this world, it still felt like every moment was spent living in a fantasy film.

Even among the various attire, though, some other figures definitely cut an imposing, and unique appearance. Armored with dual blades, and striking horns on her head, the woman was definitely… eye-catching. If Narkissa had to guess with a familiar analogue, she looked far-eastern, with that sort of armor, although she couldn’t quite pin the culture. Maybe she could ask the resident Japanese warlord if she knew about it. Either way, it was interesting that culture seemed to develop somewhat similar to what existed previously… although it seemed like a good many of this world’s denizens had extra appendages in some place or another.

Which, funnily enough, she was reminded of again when Lazhira finally bounded into earshot, with something about tails. “Who is Lady Mie?” she half-muttered, her attention still on the visitors and commotion, despite Lazhira’s return. She would have asked the more pertinent question of who they were, if everybody around her hadn’t already asked. If they were there to peddle wares, Narkissa definitely wanted to see, and she found herself agreeing with Leannah on what a shame it was that they didn’t have money.

Wait, what even counted for money here?

That wasn’t a question that she wanted to blurt out and let slip her ignorance, so she found herself even more interested in having a look, just to acclimate and see for herself. That is, if they were actually trading or selling over there.

“Well, the temple can wait. It’s not going anywhere, but the curiosity in front of us will, sooner or later, so let’s have a proper look, shall we?”

The Epic of Beginnings - Fragments of a weathered scroll

Narkissa Langdon

@Rune_Alchemist @Cu Chulainn @Crusader Lord @PKMNB0Y @VitaVitaAR

Narkissa could perhaps taken a more proactive attitude towards experiencing and learning magic, after the incident with Leannah she had become far more cautious towards what she’d try, at least initially. Even if it meant that she’d be learning somewhat slower than the rest of them, it’d likely be worth it. Rome (or London) wasn’t built in a day, after all.

Either way, it seemed like molesting the earth with the palm of her hand actually did pay off dividends. It certainly felt strange, but for a brief moment, it felt like she was watching an embarrassing sparring match between the two girls still in the house. It was a feeling that was strange and bizarre enough that it jerked her out of her meditation, but on trying it again, it seemed like by partially integrating her mana into the earth around her, she could get some sort of extra sense. Like a third sight, maybe?

How strange. But if she could do something similar with water and the wind, then what sort of opportunities awaited her at sea?

Narkissa felt like that was enough progress for the night, though, and decided that it was probably for the best to turn in for the first night in this new world. Lazhira had graciously prepared sleeping quarters for them in her house, and with all of them being women and none of them being Malphas, it seemed all of them would be sleeping relatively soundly for the night.

-

She had been quite exhausted by the whole experience, even with a new body, and it seemed like Narkissa was the last to wake up, and groggily, at that. Awoken by the sounds of everybody moving about, when she was up, she gave a sleepy “Good morning,” to anybody that greeted her. The sight of food finally awakened her, and when she’d finally had her fill of fish and vegetables, the fact that Lazhira was not around also dawned on her.

“I haven’t,” she responded, when Leannah asked, and decided to step outside to have a look. There seemed to be quite the flurry of activity in the northern part of the village though, and that was what Narkissa pointed out. “Maybe she’s there? Feels like a market or somesuch. Let’s have a look, shall we?”

The Epic of Beginnings - Fragments of a weathered scroll

Narkissa Langdon

@Rune_Alchemist @Cu Chulainn @Crusader Lord @PKMNB0Y @VitaVitaAR

If magic was as dangerous as it as it she just saw… or as destructive as the things she’d once seen in Hollywood blockbusters, then practicing indoors was definitely not safe. Narkissa nodded at Leannah; if she was able to quip in such a manner, she was alright. It was certainly getting late though, not that it seemed to matter to her or anybody else in the room. With so many unknowns in this world to still uncover, sticking to a native who was friendly, had a house, and even was willing to teach and guide them in practicing something as esoteric as magic was nearly as much as a miracle as the goddess giving them new lives and bodies.

That said, Narkissa stood up, excusing herself to follow after the quiet foxgirl, but not before reassuring Leannah that she’d be sticking around nearby to make good on her earlier promise. Seeing the two girls bonked on the head with a greasy soup ladle, she decided to avoid making the same mistake and left to practice in an environ that was less prone to catching aflame. She decided if she had any questions after messing around with it herself, she’d just pop back inside to pick Lazhira’s brain. As an added benefit, she’d get some private time with the mysterious fox girl to get a better read on who she was, too.

“I hope you don’t mind if I practice nearby with you?”

Following Misaki out to a suitable spot, she gave a nod to the girl before plopping herself on the ground in a cross-legged position, recounting both the points that she’d learned from both Lazhira and her ragged book on magic. Briefly meditating, she pondered similar theories to those that the foxgirl had in her mind. What else could be manipulated? They’d been explained on how the basic principle of magic worked, but what was it still, exactly? Was it still beholden to the laws of physics, or did it depart from it entirely and violate entropy? For that matter, what other fundamental elements could be manipulated, and to what end? If a combination of wind, fire, and earth could be manipulated with magic, for example, there were wondrous opportunities for creating new tools and industry in this otherwise seemingly barren civilization.

Narkissa gave the earth in front of her a healthy pat. It wouldn’t hurt to start trying there. Hopefully she wasn’t so unstable as to cause an earthquake, or something ridiculous as that.

The Epic of Beginnings - Fragments of a weathered scroll

Narkissa Langdon

@Rune_Alchemist @Cu Chulainn @Crusader Lord @PKMNB0Y @VitaVitaAR

Narkissa paid attention. She’d put honest effort into learning her entire life, and she wasn’t going to stop now that she had a new one. Especially when the topic was as esoteric and fantastic as magic, even if she had a book for it.

She nodded attentively; since trying to ‘put’ magic into running earlier did seem to have an effect, did that mean her body was natural source? As it turned out, she didn’t need to ask, as Lazhira interacted with her own mana. It was a strange feeling, if not a bit uncomfortable, but Narkissa could get the idea. It was almost as if it were its own invisible appendage, in a way.

Since it made sense to her, she began playing with it more actively, now that she had an actual chance to practice. Pushing and pulling said extra invisible organ was how it was done, right? She tried to flick up a little flame of light, in fact, trying to put in some flair doing it to, by mimicking the operation of a lighter. She needed brownie points with everybody for coolness, of course.

What wasn’t cool was Leannah doing it wrong and blowing up her spell. The force of the bang nearly knocked her over, and she could feel the heat hit her face and nearly singe her hair as she reflexively looked over at her to see what was going on. The sudden explosion had blown over all sorts of things, and a piece of debris even smacked right into her shoulder, which was particularly painful. It didn’t break her skin or even her clothes, but she was pretty sure she would be bruised and sore tomorrow. She shot her companion an unamused look.

At the very least, Leannah had embarrassed herself before she had her own chance to cock up her own magic.

“Ehh… are you alright? It’d probably be a better idea if we practice outside. Since we’re all beginners, it would look poorly on us if we destroyed your home,” Narkissa finally said, with an apologetic look on her face. Despite the setback, she really wanted to learn more about magic.

The Epic of Beginnings - Fragments of a weathered scroll

Narkissa Langdon

@Rune_Alchemist @Cu Chulainn @Crusader Lord @PKMNB0Y @VitaVitaAR

“I see…” Narkissa didn’t sound convinced when Lazhira gave her answer on the curse. Her nervous stutter didn’t do much to inspire confidence, after all. She paused for a moment, considering the facts. From a brief glance, her companions were doing the same. At this point, she was also considering the possibility that these ruins could also be, in some way, related to the ones that she and her companions had awoken in.

It was a theory worth considering, at least.

While she was less interested in the mythology of the gods and such similar things, from the relatively advanced pod technology that were in the earlier ruins, she felt an overwhelming curiosity in what other sorts of technology she could find in new ruins. At least to her, that was far more interesting compared to deciphering some dusty stone tablets. What, exactly, was the pinnacle of technology in this world?

Did it lie in ‘magic’?

As if on cue, Lazhira even mentioned it, asking if they’d have experience with magic, and then offering to teach them magic as well.
“Ah, somewhat?” She sheepishly held out the tome that she continued to clutch: the book on how to learn magic.

“I’ve only got some of the basics down since I only just started reading, but I’d love some practical learning experiences.”

The Epic of Beginnings - Fragments of a weathered scroll

Narkissa Langdon

@Rune_Alchemist @Cu Chulainn @Crusader Lord @PKMNB0Y @VitaVitaAR

Aside from the native girl who amicably introduced herself as Lazhira, it seemed like it would take some time for the new group of people to warm up to her and Leannah. It was certainly understandable, though; back in the ruins, it took Donovan building an entire staircase up to her level until she decided on communicating with the others. And then, there was the nutcase known as Malphas, who she was glad had gotten lost somewhere else, or he’d slowly erode her sanity, or even worse, scare away this new group of earthlings.

Once she had been given permission to inspect the relics from Lazhira, however, her mindset quickly changed as she set back into her old work routines. Crouching down, she allowed the wary girl to helpfully rearrange the artifacts, taking the time to look over the objects as she did so. A small part of her inwardly cringed at how casually everybody had been treating them, but this was another place, in another era. The techniques and the advanced equipment to facilitate them to preserve such things simply didn’t exist here.

As she examined the artifacts and especially the stone tablets, she scrunched her face, unable to make heads or tails of the items. As a marine archeologist in the UK, her main focus was on early to late modern finds from coastal areas and the sea. Stone tablets were simply not a thing she usually looked at. Besides, if the native Lazhira couldn’t make out the language on them, she wouldn’t—Narkissa was far from a linguist. What interested her more at this point was Lazhira’s words. Curse? Temple? Ruins of a temple sounded interesting, but if monsters and magic existed in this world, she shuddered to think about the existence of tangible curses.

Deciding to ignore mention of the tablets, she spoke up as well. “I’m not sure if I like the sound of a curse. It does sound… intriguing, though?” Unlike the others, Narkissa wasn’t so ready to jump into the role of tomb raider. Especially when it was still their first day or so in this world. Instead, she shot at look at Leannah.

Still… if the runes were supposedly from the God of Knowledge, and could impart said god’s knowledge, it was a tempting risk proposition.

Seeing Lazhira nibbling on the fish though, she felt her stomach growling.

TOP 10 GREATEST RP FAILURES NOT CLICKBAIT YOU WON’T BELIEVE THESE TRUE STORIES 😱😱😱

Can't fail to GM an RP on RPG if you've never GM'd an RP on RPG.

Taps temple

Why Is No One Joining My RP (General Advice Thread)

@Click This apparently you don't have the whole story at all.

The staff there don't understand how emotionally frustrating that is as they have sticks up their asses and they abuse their power while not wanting to understand the side of anyone's story, they just jump on someone willy-nilly without taking a damn thing into account. Staff is supposed to be fair, not power hungry corrupt excuses of their title!

@rebornfan320

For what it's worth, I was there for what happened and was privy to all the details. Every other public post of yours was a complaint or rant about other roleplayers. (Does this sound familiar?) I'm the last person who would want to kick somebody off a site, but at some point even I had to agree the complaints and the reports had to stop. Pretty sure you were warned off multiple times, too.

I'm not trying to bully you, but the point I wanted you to consider was that if your behavior was bad enough to warrant people reporting you on sight, what does that mean for the chances people want to create stories with you? I'm probably beating a horse here at this point, but what you need to do is to stop posting and set aside time for some ample self-reflection.

Why Is No One Joining My RP (General Advice Thread)

@rebornfan320

Dude. You were banned from Iwaku for a reason.

Consider the behavior that got you booted from there, and then reexamine why you're having problems here on RPG.