Raid said
Yinz* (pittsburghese for you all/ya'll)Sorry. On phone.
I completely understand; I live in the area. :P
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Commander Zappy
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I completely understand; I live in the area. :P
Yoooo.
I'm here, and can easily talk for Skys as well.
I'm here, and can easily talk for Skys as well.
Ialdia was already proving miserable, yet they were still on the ship. Between the rolling waves to rock the boat all day and night, the lack of anything in sight besides the rest of the fleet and more water, and the lack of any true company besides the thirteen year old Emmeric called his bonding partner, the tanned man of the desert was driving his deprived self insane.
At the moment, he was arguing with himself. Debating as to whether he should be talking with anyone else besides Youn. On one hand, he told himself, not many were willing to associate with a former criminal like him. On the other hand, he told himself still, he had come to this cursed land to turn over a new leaf, so this was perhaps the perfect opportunity to introduce himself to new people… It still just didn’t feel right to Emmeric; he hardly knew Youn, so in essence, it was as if he was alone out here. It was a strange fit of bashfulness he had never expected to come with a new place and brand new people.
In the end, he, on wobbly legs, went to go bother his partner once more.
___
The sea, even after all this days passed she still couldn't believe how much water there was in just one area. Though, after Emmeric explained to her what the difference between salt- and Drinkwater was, the sea was a lot less amazing; but still enough to keep her above the deck for the majority of their time on the Verrus-Mund.
However, was this entire situation really what she wished for? She was just a little girl after all, not to mention that the lack of contemporary companions made her feel uncomfortable, but feelings of regret were just a waste of time. Youn had to look forward, forward to all those riches and the better life she would build herself.
Lost in her thought, the pink hair nearly failed to notice her approaching fuel source: Emmeric, a guy she once thought of as a fool, now her closest ally. Giving him a look of expectancy, she waited, as he surely didn't seek her out without any reason.
___
“Ah,” he said, standing there. To think, I had thought this had become easier. “Nice weather we’re having?”
Demonstratively taking a look up into the sky, Youn responded. "Nice weather? I hoped I would see one of those storms the sailors were talking about! But most of the time it isn't even that different than back home."
Emmeric chuckled. The girl was right; the weather had been fair their entire way to Ialdia, despite any sort of foreboding symbolism that the man would have much rather preferred. He moved over to the rail where Youn was looking over at the waters, leaning his back against it. He was staying out of everyone’s way while being able to watch every person on deck, an old habit it seemed. “True,” he finally said to her. “None of those fantastical maelstroms from the sailors’ tales we’ve been told have been seen, hm?”
Youn nodded multiple times in quick succession. "Mhm, mhm, pirates, Giant Sea Serpents, beautiful woman of the sea whose songs are supposed to lure you into the dangerous waters, ghost-ships, a gigantic Octopus, or whatever that thing was called, able to black out the sun and so on. They told all those amazing things, yet I haven't witnessed a single one! They are probably bigger liars than me, those sailors!"
Emmeric gave his best effort to laugh again, but found himself simply sighing instead. “Ready for danger already?” The tone of the question was serious and flat; nothing jovial about it like the last one. That’s right… The reason he had come up here was because they were already so close to their destination. “Youn, are you ready? Ready for Ialdia? We-” He found his voice wavering. How do you tell a child that she might die? “We need to be, if we- when we face whatever this continent has to throw at us…”
Hm? It seemed like she made her partner-in-crime worry. Right, Youn had no right to be surprised about that, even if partners, they were still strangers to each other. But did she really see him as a partner? Sure they made the contract and all, but first and foremost she saw in him something akin to a resource. Maybe that was also the reason she was pretty okay conversing with him, he was a man after all. Lost in her own thoughts she followed his example with a sigh before proceeding in a way more serious manner than before. "It's not a question about being ready or not, we ARE ready, simple as that." Making a small pause she also added. "And if a giant octopus would have been all that it takes to destroy the fleet, we would suck anyways. The only real threat would have been those singing women, boys only think with their dicks after all." What might have been a bad joke was actually in a dead serious tone.
Emmeric chuckled in earnest again this time. This little girl was as couth as many of his former associates, which was really not at all. At first, the vulgar language she used surprised him and made him feel uncomfortable, but the days that followed their initial meeting had left him adjusted and fine around the language she used. He wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad thing.
“True,” he joked, “but perhaps you should experience more of life -- the finer points, that is -- before passing judgment, hm?”
Youn looked at Emmeric in slight surprise. Finer points? The girl wasn't exactly sure what he meant with finer points, so she could only guess. Maybe he took offense in her vulgar remarks? But even then, the only thing coming to her mind was yet another stereotypical trait. "Finer points? Like what? Alcohol? I swear that stuff makes those dumb idiots even dumber, though I won't complain, it makes it really easy to fool them after all... Guess how I got the information that allowed me to take that gem without any trouble from you in the first place."
“...Not exactly what I meant, but you’ll find out when you’ve put a few more years behind you.” He smiled at her, even though the girl had brought up a miserable time for him. “Here’s a bit of advice though,” he stretched his arm while speaking, “don’t go through life always so negative. You’re a lot less likely to make it if you feel life is only full of the bad stuff.” He flashed her a smirk. “With that said, please don’t die on me.”
Always so negative? He was the one who got all serious in the first place! Before the genius magician could nag about that however, he put the conversation into pretty much the opposite direction. A moment speechless, she abused the relatively smooth movement of the ship and jumped on the railing, keeping her balance wasn't much of a problem for the agile girl after all. "Listen Fool! I am deemed immortal as long as there are still riches to be found on this cursed land we call now our home!" While she failed to sound ominous she was at least pretty loud, adding quietly. "So don't say such awkward stuff."
Air escaped his clenched lips before transforming into a small fit of laughter. “Aye, my merciful, and all-powerful goddess; I shall refrain from such slanderous use of words whenever you are in my presence.” Emmeric let his laughter settle down. Still, were she to die…
With a self-satisfactorily nod Youn jumped from the railing onto the ground. "Good, good, if you speak about such stuff again you must serve as my pet for a day, meaning I can experiment as much magic as I'd like to!" Speaking about magic, Youn gazed at the ocean: she just had a genius idea! "If we get sick of all this, couldn't I just turn the sea into ice and we make a run for it?!"
“Only if you think you can carry my collapsed body while running over a trail of ice,” he said, only half serious. “But come on, we’ll be making landfall soon. We still have to prepare what little stuff we have for that moment.”
"Hmm, or maybe I can split the water and...Oh? Prepare what little stuff we have? But I have everything with me!" She pointed towards a brown bag-like thing safely stuffed between two barrels. While she wore her poor-woman's clothing the rich stuff was all packed away in that 'bag', which also happened to be her blanket. Not to mention she didn't make a secret out of her weaponry attached to her belt.
“Well fine; come help me pack my stuff then, partner.”
"Eeeehhh? But I don't wanna, 10 bucks and I am in!" That said Youn was already moving towards her self-made bag before tagging alongside her partner.
At the moment, he was arguing with himself. Debating as to whether he should be talking with anyone else besides Youn. On one hand, he told himself, not many were willing to associate with a former criminal like him. On the other hand, he told himself still, he had come to this cursed land to turn over a new leaf, so this was perhaps the perfect opportunity to introduce himself to new people… It still just didn’t feel right to Emmeric; he hardly knew Youn, so in essence, it was as if he was alone out here. It was a strange fit of bashfulness he had never expected to come with a new place and brand new people.
In the end, he, on wobbly legs, went to go bother his partner once more.
___
The sea, even after all this days passed she still couldn't believe how much water there was in just one area. Though, after Emmeric explained to her what the difference between salt- and Drinkwater was, the sea was a lot less amazing; but still enough to keep her above the deck for the majority of their time on the Verrus-Mund.
However, was this entire situation really what she wished for? She was just a little girl after all, not to mention that the lack of contemporary companions made her feel uncomfortable, but feelings of regret were just a waste of time. Youn had to look forward, forward to all those riches and the better life she would build herself.
Lost in her thought, the pink hair nearly failed to notice her approaching fuel source: Emmeric, a guy she once thought of as a fool, now her closest ally. Giving him a look of expectancy, she waited, as he surely didn't seek her out without any reason.
___
“Ah,” he said, standing there. To think, I had thought this had become easier. “Nice weather we’re having?”
Demonstratively taking a look up into the sky, Youn responded. "Nice weather? I hoped I would see one of those storms the sailors were talking about! But most of the time it isn't even that different than back home."
Emmeric chuckled. The girl was right; the weather had been fair their entire way to Ialdia, despite any sort of foreboding symbolism that the man would have much rather preferred. He moved over to the rail where Youn was looking over at the waters, leaning his back against it. He was staying out of everyone’s way while being able to watch every person on deck, an old habit it seemed. “True,” he finally said to her. “None of those fantastical maelstroms from the sailors’ tales we’ve been told have been seen, hm?”
Youn nodded multiple times in quick succession. "Mhm, mhm, pirates, Giant Sea Serpents, beautiful woman of the sea whose songs are supposed to lure you into the dangerous waters, ghost-ships, a gigantic Octopus, or whatever that thing was called, able to black out the sun and so on. They told all those amazing things, yet I haven't witnessed a single one! They are probably bigger liars than me, those sailors!"
Emmeric gave his best effort to laugh again, but found himself simply sighing instead. “Ready for danger already?” The tone of the question was serious and flat; nothing jovial about it like the last one. That’s right… The reason he had come up here was because they were already so close to their destination. “Youn, are you ready? Ready for Ialdia? We-” He found his voice wavering. How do you tell a child that she might die? “We need to be, if we- when we face whatever this continent has to throw at us…”
Hm? It seemed like she made her partner-in-crime worry. Right, Youn had no right to be surprised about that, even if partners, they were still strangers to each other. But did she really see him as a partner? Sure they made the contract and all, but first and foremost she saw in him something akin to a resource. Maybe that was also the reason she was pretty okay conversing with him, he was a man after all. Lost in her own thoughts she followed his example with a sigh before proceeding in a way more serious manner than before. "It's not a question about being ready or not, we ARE ready, simple as that." Making a small pause she also added. "And if a giant octopus would have been all that it takes to destroy the fleet, we would suck anyways. The only real threat would have been those singing women, boys only think with their dicks after all." What might have been a bad joke was actually in a dead serious tone.
Emmeric chuckled in earnest again this time. This little girl was as couth as many of his former associates, which was really not at all. At first, the vulgar language she used surprised him and made him feel uncomfortable, but the days that followed their initial meeting had left him adjusted and fine around the language she used. He wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad thing.
“True,” he joked, “but perhaps you should experience more of life -- the finer points, that is -- before passing judgment, hm?”
Youn looked at Emmeric in slight surprise. Finer points? The girl wasn't exactly sure what he meant with finer points, so she could only guess. Maybe he took offense in her vulgar remarks? But even then, the only thing coming to her mind was yet another stereotypical trait. "Finer points? Like what? Alcohol? I swear that stuff makes those dumb idiots even dumber, though I won't complain, it makes it really easy to fool them after all... Guess how I got the information that allowed me to take that gem without any trouble from you in the first place."
“...Not exactly what I meant, but you’ll find out when you’ve put a few more years behind you.” He smiled at her, even though the girl had brought up a miserable time for him. “Here’s a bit of advice though,” he stretched his arm while speaking, “don’t go through life always so negative. You’re a lot less likely to make it if you feel life is only full of the bad stuff.” He flashed her a smirk. “With that said, please don’t die on me.”
Always so negative? He was the one who got all serious in the first place! Before the genius magician could nag about that however, he put the conversation into pretty much the opposite direction. A moment speechless, she abused the relatively smooth movement of the ship and jumped on the railing, keeping her balance wasn't much of a problem for the agile girl after all. "Listen Fool! I am deemed immortal as long as there are still riches to be found on this cursed land we call now our home!" While she failed to sound ominous she was at least pretty loud, adding quietly. "So don't say such awkward stuff."
Air escaped his clenched lips before transforming into a small fit of laughter. “Aye, my merciful, and all-powerful goddess; I shall refrain from such slanderous use of words whenever you are in my presence.” Emmeric let his laughter settle down. Still, were she to die…
With a self-satisfactorily nod Youn jumped from the railing onto the ground. "Good, good, if you speak about such stuff again you must serve as my pet for a day, meaning I can experiment as much magic as I'd like to!" Speaking about magic, Youn gazed at the ocean: she just had a genius idea! "If we get sick of all this, couldn't I just turn the sea into ice and we make a run for it?!"
“Only if you think you can carry my collapsed body while running over a trail of ice,” he said, only half serious. “But come on, we’ll be making landfall soon. We still have to prepare what little stuff we have for that moment.”
"Hmm, or maybe I can split the water and...Oh? Prepare what little stuff we have? But I have everything with me!" She pointed towards a brown bag-like thing safely stuffed between two barrels. While she wore her poor-woman's clothing the rich stuff was all packed away in that 'bag', which also happened to be her blanket. Not to mention she didn't make a secret out of her weaponry attached to her belt.
“Well fine; come help me pack my stuff then, partner.”
"Eeeehhh? But I don't wanna, 10 bucks and I am in!" That said Youn was already moving towards her self-made bag before tagging alongside her partner.
Horace looked up at his visitor from where he was sitting. A lack of windows and the dim torchlight had him squinting his hollow eyes, before a look of recognition found him. "Ah," he said, "The cocky Seyour boy..." He had been the last friendly face he had seen before waking in the dank and empty cell, and during that last time, the boy had just lost his arm.
"How's the lack of arm?" It was his attempt at a joke, but one that fell flat due to his otherwise serious tone. "...Sorry about my humor; waking up in a cell and being called prisoner while hearing rumors that half the Sidosa Board is dead with Cykes in ruin have made me a little stressed... Speaking of which, your mother, she isn't...?"
"Eh," Fion shrugged with his one remaining arm. "I have to switch hands for my business now, so there's that." He quipped with a straight face before addressing Horace's other question. "Officially, disappeared. Along with the rest of the Seyour family. Of course, I'm fairly certain she's dead at this point." He averted his gaze for a moment before he regained his composure once more.
"Anyways, you remember everything that happened with Riley and her bitch mother?" Fion asked, leaning against the dungeon wall.
Business, the man in the cell had thought to himself in a surprisingly jovial mood. I guess I was the same when I was his age too...
"Well, you have my condolences, for what they're worth," he had said in relation to the boy's mother. "And for the most part, yes, but what's there to ask? Were you not there to witness what it was that my niece had done? Were you not on the recieving end of one of her at-" The man was taken aback for a brief second. "You were able to speak to her, weren't you? Did you notice anything else weird about her besides the strange killing intent she had?"
"She said, and I quote: 'Riley was a witch capable of using summons. Yet I am using elemental magic. Have you not being able to draw any conclusions from that bit of information yet, Fion?' So my best guess? She's probably being possessed by something. Hell, I came down here to ask you if you knew anything about it. Even though she's witch, is her mother able to use elemental magic?"
Horace bit down on his thumb nail in relief, and also confusion. It wasn't her... Thank the Goddess. But, that still left questions.
"No," he said plainly to Fion's conclusion. "My brother had a strange fascination about such things, and I was always one to go snooping. Possession of any kind must be mutual, and even then, the possessor can never take complete control where they're able to speak in place of the person. They can make that person experience a hell like they've never imagined for not following their whims, but never complete dominance like that..."
"As for her mother, I know nothing outside of her being a witch like Riley. That being said, witches are generally inferior at the elemental arts compared to a human or elf, so for her to have that kind of mastery after hardly a day with her mother is... unlikely."
"Your brother?" Fion raised an eyebrow. "Riley never mentioned much about him, really. Is it possible all this was passed down from your side of the family, then?"
Horace looked at him, mouth falling agape. "Wait, wait, wait!" He felt like an epiphany had hit him. "My brother- my brother was a rather unspectacular kind of man, but one day he suddenly had gained magical ability that rivaled our noble, matriarch mother, a summoner in her own right as it were... It's-it's a possibilty that she bound a spirit to him, but I've never heard of such a ritual being passed down through the generations... Sacrificing the first-borne child, yes, but that sort of ordeal was always more because of faustian boredom; never has it been recorded of 'passing down a demon'.
"And why now of all times for it to take over? Her father died many years ago, so if such a thing were to happen, it would have been there.Still, even if she had gotten it from her father, complete domination isn't possible, like I said before."
Horace had placed himself on the floor, clutching his head. "My brother, though... It explains so much," he had whispered to himself.
Fion raised his hand to his chin at Horace's revelations, processing them for himself.
"Faustian boredom, eh? Considering what I know of Riley's mother, it seems likely that she might have done to Riley what your mother did to your brother. Then again, it didn't really seem like Riley had any control at all. Hell, she referred to Riley in the third person, like a completely separate person. If that's not complete domination, I don't know what is. So the demon theory's out." He mused out loud, but stopped as Horace remained unresponsive. Sighing, Fion leaned over and stuck his hand through the prison bars, snapping his fingers in front of Horace's face.
"Care to share with the rest of the class?"
"Unless you want a history lesson on Riley's father, then it's nothing... But, you're right, she was speaking in third person, so maybe it wasn't really Riley, but someone completely different that looked just like her..." he perked, "and she was also capable of using that abominable spell, so was 'Riley' possibly another witch?"
"Huh. Maybe?" Fion shrugged. "Either way, we'd have to track Riley's mother down to know anything. And if we did that...well, she nearly took you down without even trying, and I'm down an arm. Can't imagine that'd end well for us." He paused, glancing down at the stone floor of the dungeon before continuing. "Anyways, you should probably know this, considering you seemed to be friends with him: Richard's dead. Killed by falling rubble during the attack on the estate."
He sighed mournfully in response. Richard had been the only friend he had left from the war; the rest were either dead or had drifted far apart from him as the years streched on. "Thank you for telling me... All I can say is at least it was a quick end, even if it didn't befit a warrior like him..."
Fion nodded, turning away. "Yeah." He said quietly. "Anyways, they put me on the Sidosa Board. I'll try to get you out, but the others on the Board might overrule me. No guarantees, but I'll do what I can."
"Right," he started, "about that. How did we get back anyway? I had nearly died of blood loss, same as you, and I noticed that there was no patch job either. Did we truly get so lucky as to be found by a healer?"
"We did. Some male mage called Eldren found us, and then he got Araki to heal us, apparently. I wasn't conscious for that part either. Speaking of, he got himself knocked out trying to heal the soldiers in here. Apparently trying to bargain his way in here to see his uncle or something. There any other prisoners left in here?"
"Only those purportedly involved in the razing of Cykes..." Horace pasued. "Perhaps we should have a chat, seeing as how his uncle's position parallels my own, and maybe a guard, to verify the prisoners here."
"I'll be right back, then." Fion nodded before knocking on the exit door. "Guard! I'm done here."
"Ah," was all Riley could manage in the situation. Woken up, brought before both her uncle and Fion, and both currently starring at him.
"Interesting," Horace said, stroking his chin. You're the man that was sleeping in the inn's only other room..."
"You never mentioned having an uncle in Cykes, you know." Fion said, looking rather bored. "Then again, I wouldn't either, given that he's probably in this prison. Hurry up with your questions, Horace."
Horace smirked. "Fion, you might wish to leave, actually. I need to speak of a private matter with this man.
"Fine by me." Fion gave no resistance to the request, and simply left the room. Of course, once the door was locked behind him, he raised his hand to cast a spell. The wind would carry sound waves from the prison cell, under the door, and straight into Fion's ear. After all, if Horace wanted him gone for this, it would probably be worth hearing.
Her uncle's request of Fion had put Riley on edge. What was bad was that she was now alone with her uncle. No, he was now alone with her uncle.
"Come closer, 'Eldren'," he said in a tone that Riley had never use before; it was cocky, as if he were in control of this situation in a completely new way. Riley didn't know what else to do besides obey. "Do you remember what you tried doing to me? A few years before, I mean?" The questions were in the same tone as his previous words, and it made him hot under the collar. "The kiss, and the rejection I gave you afterword?" He persisted, and Eldren's face was all the more red for it. Through the gaps, Horace grabbed the collar of Eldren's shirt, pulling him practically into the bars. "Already embarrassed? Strange, seeing as how you're married," he glanced at Eldren's wedding ring, "and by the fact that, besides my encounter with you at the Burrow, this is the first time we've spoken. Are you truly who you say you are and just a very curious man, or are you truly the 'Riley' I know?"
"H-how?"
Behind the door, Fion's eyes widened. "What." And then he realized what Horace had said before that. "What." Riley came on to her uncle? Huh. He actually didn't know what to think about that. Wait, even before that, how the hell did Horace even guess that it was Riley? Was it just a wild guess, backed up by a bluff? And there was also the question of why Riley suddenly looked like the man from the Burrow. Then again, his entire day had been like this so far. Every time he learned something new, it just brought up even more questions.
Horace sighed, his face and stance in a more natural order compared to the more eager nature of her uncle. "To be honest, I began to notice a collection of coincidences I was clutching at straws... but I was right,.
"Firstly, you had earlier said that you were here to visit your uncle... when I saw that you were human, and due to me being the only non-'Talze Utaran' due to your high priority summoning nature. That was always something about you; you could never lie for long.
"Secondly, it fit as an explanation for your body's change in personality, and why you, the only other known survivor of the Burrow, helped both me and your boyfriend out there. Truthfully, that was some sort of wish on my part; that you really hadn't been changed or killed.
"Thirdly was your change in form from when you where walking in, and when you noticed Fion and mine glares. The way you carry yourself has always been the same since you were young...
"So, with that in mind, I had to verify it. I tried to 'seduce' you; pull you into a situation I had knew you had of dreamed about. Then, I brought up a memory that we've both tried to have forgotten.. But it would appear that I'm not a rapist.." Horace pulled Riley in for a hug. "I'm sorry for doing that to you..."
"It's okay... It wasn't fair what I put you through before... all of it."
"So..." Fion began as he and Eldren walked out of the prison fortress. "Where to now?" He asked, still rather surprised that 'Eldren' had turned out to be Riley in...disguise? A different body? Riley had switched bodies with the actual Eldren, then. At least he had learned one thing conclusively today. Now all that was left was to figure out how to switch them back. Perhaps someone on the Sidosa Board would know, but Fion knew better than to ask outright. Given the attack on Cykes, none of them would be rather accommodating towards aiding the kin of a witch. Perhaps he could speak to Corinkarus, then. He'd always had a soft spot for Riley, as well as Talze Uterans in general. Of course, it would be his luck that the old bastard turned out to have died in the attack.
"Now," Riley had started after some distance from the fortress. "Do you know where our mutual acquaintance Araki is? Or should we go find him? I've received an interesting invitation by an old friend of mine. It's to hunt the creatures responsible for the destruction we see around us. Interested?"
"I'm going to be honest: Araki probably skipped town. And I wouldn't blame him either. Hell, if he's still in the city, I'm going to tell him to leave as soon as possible." Fion frowned, almost uncharacteristically concerned. "You've seen the townspeople. They're about ready to lynch anything related to Talze Utera. If Riley was still around, I'd have suggested to her to lay low, too. Rather not see those two hurt." He said. "As for your invitation, I'll go if your 'old friend' will have a one-armed man along. Gods know I wouldn't." Fion smiled bitterly, looking forlornly at the stump that his arm once protruded from.
"It seems he's taking all the help he can get. Some are angry enough, but in shape to be 'hunting' anything; others are afraid of fighting things that ate their weapons, and then their comrades and the civilians. I'm sure they could use a renowned Sword Arts user such as you, even with your current disability." He smiled at him.
"True." Fion gave a weak smirk. "Having two arms wouldn't quite matter if I'm not planning to get close anyways. And if I'm forced into close combat by something with a brain, well, against the only Talze Uteran swordsman I know, parrying his attacks wouldn't exactly end well for me. Or my arm." He trailed off, recalling that bastard with the massive slab of metal he deemed a sword. "Bastard called me a lady too. Do I look like a woman to you?" Fion asked, almost cracking a grin at the irony. Ever since he'd known Riley, he'd been calling her a man just to piss her off. And now she was a man. And a woman was trying to take over his own body. Truly, his life was a damn joke right now.
"You... don't want me to answer that." He cracked a smirk. " But, we should hurry along; my 'old friend' and your fellow Sidosa Board member Escellar never gave me an exact location for the gathering, but finding it should be too hard if we talk around."
Fion raised an eyebrow at the reply. Huh. He'd figured Riley wouldn't have resisted the urge to get one back at him. And there was a member of the Sidosa Board joining the hunt? Well, at least he wouldn't be pissing the Board off too badly by not being in town, then. At the moment, he still needed the Sidosa Board, if only for access to their collective knowledge.
"Well, then. Guess we should get going. You know your way around town yet?"
"How's the lack of arm?" It was his attempt at a joke, but one that fell flat due to his otherwise serious tone. "...Sorry about my humor; waking up in a cell and being called prisoner while hearing rumors that half the Sidosa Board is dead with Cykes in ruin have made me a little stressed... Speaking of which, your mother, she isn't...?"
"Eh," Fion shrugged with his one remaining arm. "I have to switch hands for my business now, so there's that." He quipped with a straight face before addressing Horace's other question. "Officially, disappeared. Along with the rest of the Seyour family. Of course, I'm fairly certain she's dead at this point." He averted his gaze for a moment before he regained his composure once more.
"Anyways, you remember everything that happened with Riley and her bitch mother?" Fion asked, leaning against the dungeon wall.
Business, the man in the cell had thought to himself in a surprisingly jovial mood. I guess I was the same when I was his age too...
"Well, you have my condolences, for what they're worth," he had said in relation to the boy's mother. "And for the most part, yes, but what's there to ask? Were you not there to witness what it was that my niece had done? Were you not on the recieving end of one of her at-" The man was taken aback for a brief second. "You were able to speak to her, weren't you? Did you notice anything else weird about her besides the strange killing intent she had?"
"She said, and I quote: 'Riley was a witch capable of using summons. Yet I am using elemental magic. Have you not being able to draw any conclusions from that bit of information yet, Fion?' So my best guess? She's probably being possessed by something. Hell, I came down here to ask you if you knew anything about it. Even though she's witch, is her mother able to use elemental magic?"
Horace bit down on his thumb nail in relief, and also confusion. It wasn't her... Thank the Goddess. But, that still left questions.
"No," he said plainly to Fion's conclusion. "My brother had a strange fascination about such things, and I was always one to go snooping. Possession of any kind must be mutual, and even then, the possessor can never take complete control where they're able to speak in place of the person. They can make that person experience a hell like they've never imagined for not following their whims, but never complete dominance like that..."
"As for her mother, I know nothing outside of her being a witch like Riley. That being said, witches are generally inferior at the elemental arts compared to a human or elf, so for her to have that kind of mastery after hardly a day with her mother is... unlikely."
"Your brother?" Fion raised an eyebrow. "Riley never mentioned much about him, really. Is it possible all this was passed down from your side of the family, then?"
Horace looked at him, mouth falling agape. "Wait, wait, wait!" He felt like an epiphany had hit him. "My brother- my brother was a rather unspectacular kind of man, but one day he suddenly had gained magical ability that rivaled our noble, matriarch mother, a summoner in her own right as it were... It's-it's a possibilty that she bound a spirit to him, but I've never heard of such a ritual being passed down through the generations... Sacrificing the first-borne child, yes, but that sort of ordeal was always more because of faustian boredom; never has it been recorded of 'passing down a demon'.
"And why now of all times for it to take over? Her father died many years ago, so if such a thing were to happen, it would have been there.Still, even if she had gotten it from her father, complete domination isn't possible, like I said before."
Horace had placed himself on the floor, clutching his head. "My brother, though... It explains so much," he had whispered to himself.
Fion raised his hand to his chin at Horace's revelations, processing them for himself.
"Faustian boredom, eh? Considering what I know of Riley's mother, it seems likely that she might have done to Riley what your mother did to your brother. Then again, it didn't really seem like Riley had any control at all. Hell, she referred to Riley in the third person, like a completely separate person. If that's not complete domination, I don't know what is. So the demon theory's out." He mused out loud, but stopped as Horace remained unresponsive. Sighing, Fion leaned over and stuck his hand through the prison bars, snapping his fingers in front of Horace's face.
"Care to share with the rest of the class?"
"Unless you want a history lesson on Riley's father, then it's nothing... But, you're right, she was speaking in third person, so maybe it wasn't really Riley, but someone completely different that looked just like her..." he perked, "and she was also capable of using that abominable spell, so was 'Riley' possibly another witch?"
"Huh. Maybe?" Fion shrugged. "Either way, we'd have to track Riley's mother down to know anything. And if we did that...well, she nearly took you down without even trying, and I'm down an arm. Can't imagine that'd end well for us." He paused, glancing down at the stone floor of the dungeon before continuing. "Anyways, you should probably know this, considering you seemed to be friends with him: Richard's dead. Killed by falling rubble during the attack on the estate."
He sighed mournfully in response. Richard had been the only friend he had left from the war; the rest were either dead or had drifted far apart from him as the years streched on. "Thank you for telling me... All I can say is at least it was a quick end, even if it didn't befit a warrior like him..."
Fion nodded, turning away. "Yeah." He said quietly. "Anyways, they put me on the Sidosa Board. I'll try to get you out, but the others on the Board might overrule me. No guarantees, but I'll do what I can."
"Right," he started, "about that. How did we get back anyway? I had nearly died of blood loss, same as you, and I noticed that there was no patch job either. Did we truly get so lucky as to be found by a healer?"
"We did. Some male mage called Eldren found us, and then he got Araki to heal us, apparently. I wasn't conscious for that part either. Speaking of, he got himself knocked out trying to heal the soldiers in here. Apparently trying to bargain his way in here to see his uncle or something. There any other prisoners left in here?"
"Only those purportedly involved in the razing of Cykes..." Horace pasued. "Perhaps we should have a chat, seeing as how his uncle's position parallels my own, and maybe a guard, to verify the prisoners here."
"I'll be right back, then." Fion nodded before knocking on the exit door. "Guard! I'm done here."
"Ah," was all Riley could manage in the situation. Woken up, brought before both her uncle and Fion, and both currently starring at him.
"Interesting," Horace said, stroking his chin. You're the man that was sleeping in the inn's only other room..."
"You never mentioned having an uncle in Cykes, you know." Fion said, looking rather bored. "Then again, I wouldn't either, given that he's probably in this prison. Hurry up with your questions, Horace."
Horace smirked. "Fion, you might wish to leave, actually. I need to speak of a private matter with this man.
"Fine by me." Fion gave no resistance to the request, and simply left the room. Of course, once the door was locked behind him, he raised his hand to cast a spell. The wind would carry sound waves from the prison cell, under the door, and straight into Fion's ear. After all, if Horace wanted him gone for this, it would probably be worth hearing.
Her uncle's request of Fion had put Riley on edge. What was bad was that she was now alone with her uncle. No, he was now alone with her uncle.
"Come closer, 'Eldren'," he said in a tone that Riley had never use before; it was cocky, as if he were in control of this situation in a completely new way. Riley didn't know what else to do besides obey. "Do you remember what you tried doing to me? A few years before, I mean?" The questions were in the same tone as his previous words, and it made him hot under the collar. "The kiss, and the rejection I gave you afterword?" He persisted, and Eldren's face was all the more red for it. Through the gaps, Horace grabbed the collar of Eldren's shirt, pulling him practically into the bars. "Already embarrassed? Strange, seeing as how you're married," he glanced at Eldren's wedding ring, "and by the fact that, besides my encounter with you at the Burrow, this is the first time we've spoken. Are you truly who you say you are and just a very curious man, or are you truly the 'Riley' I know?"
"H-how?"
Behind the door, Fion's eyes widened. "What." And then he realized what Horace had said before that. "What." Riley came on to her uncle? Huh. He actually didn't know what to think about that. Wait, even before that, how the hell did Horace even guess that it was Riley? Was it just a wild guess, backed up by a bluff? And there was also the question of why Riley suddenly looked like the man from the Burrow. Then again, his entire day had been like this so far. Every time he learned something new, it just brought up even more questions.
Horace sighed, his face and stance in a more natural order compared to the more eager nature of her uncle. "To be honest, I began to notice a collection of coincidences I was clutching at straws... but I was right,.
"Firstly, you had earlier said that you were here to visit your uncle... when I saw that you were human, and due to me being the only non-'Talze Utaran' due to your high priority summoning nature. That was always something about you; you could never lie for long.
"Secondly, it fit as an explanation for your body's change in personality, and why you, the only other known survivor of the Burrow, helped both me and your boyfriend out there. Truthfully, that was some sort of wish on my part; that you really hadn't been changed or killed.
"Thirdly was your change in form from when you where walking in, and when you noticed Fion and mine glares. The way you carry yourself has always been the same since you were young...
"So, with that in mind, I had to verify it. I tried to 'seduce' you; pull you into a situation I had knew you had of dreamed about. Then, I brought up a memory that we've both tried to have forgotten.. But it would appear that I'm not a rapist.." Horace pulled Riley in for a hug. "I'm sorry for doing that to you..."
"It's okay... It wasn't fair what I put you through before... all of it."
"So..." Fion began as he and Eldren walked out of the prison fortress. "Where to now?" He asked, still rather surprised that 'Eldren' had turned out to be Riley in...disguise? A different body? Riley had switched bodies with the actual Eldren, then. At least he had learned one thing conclusively today. Now all that was left was to figure out how to switch them back. Perhaps someone on the Sidosa Board would know, but Fion knew better than to ask outright. Given the attack on Cykes, none of them would be rather accommodating towards aiding the kin of a witch. Perhaps he could speak to Corinkarus, then. He'd always had a soft spot for Riley, as well as Talze Uterans in general. Of course, it would be his luck that the old bastard turned out to have died in the attack.
"Now," Riley had started after some distance from the fortress. "Do you know where our mutual acquaintance Araki is? Or should we go find him? I've received an interesting invitation by an old friend of mine. It's to hunt the creatures responsible for the destruction we see around us. Interested?"
"I'm going to be honest: Araki probably skipped town. And I wouldn't blame him either. Hell, if he's still in the city, I'm going to tell him to leave as soon as possible." Fion frowned, almost uncharacteristically concerned. "You've seen the townspeople. They're about ready to lynch anything related to Talze Utera. If Riley was still around, I'd have suggested to her to lay low, too. Rather not see those two hurt." He said. "As for your invitation, I'll go if your 'old friend' will have a one-armed man along. Gods know I wouldn't." Fion smiled bitterly, looking forlornly at the stump that his arm once protruded from.
"It seems he's taking all the help he can get. Some are angry enough, but in shape to be 'hunting' anything; others are afraid of fighting things that ate their weapons, and then their comrades and the civilians. I'm sure they could use a renowned Sword Arts user such as you, even with your current disability." He smiled at him.
"True." Fion gave a weak smirk. "Having two arms wouldn't quite matter if I'm not planning to get close anyways. And if I'm forced into close combat by something with a brain, well, against the only Talze Uteran swordsman I know, parrying his attacks wouldn't exactly end well for me. Or my arm." He trailed off, recalling that bastard with the massive slab of metal he deemed a sword. "Bastard called me a lady too. Do I look like a woman to you?" Fion asked, almost cracking a grin at the irony. Ever since he'd known Riley, he'd been calling her a man just to piss her off. And now she was a man. And a woman was trying to take over his own body. Truly, his life was a damn joke right now.
"You... don't want me to answer that." He cracked a smirk. " But, we should hurry along; my 'old friend' and your fellow Sidosa Board member Escellar never gave me an exact location for the gathering, but finding it should be too hard if we talk around."
Fion raised an eyebrow at the reply. Huh. He'd figured Riley wouldn't have resisted the urge to get one back at him. And there was a member of the Sidosa Board joining the hunt? Well, at least he wouldn't be pissing the Board off too badly by not being in town, then. At the moment, he still needed the Sidosa Board, if only for access to their collective knowledge.
"Well, then. Guess we should get going. You know your way around town yet?"
So I know you guys are waiting on Sky's and my post, but who else is left? Just so we know if we should hurry this along.
Dextkiller said
if you're using PMS, anyone here can tell you titanpad is like 100x more efficient than PMing.
We're using google docs.
It's where we discussed our CSs. :P
The chat with the elf had proven both simultaneously too long and too short for the girl in a man's body, yet didn't bother with either rushing him away, or asking him to stay. Instead, he gave a curt nod in farewell. The man, despite her initial reaction to his heritage, was proving to be a source of distraction from her more pressing matters... And as far as she was concerned, that was a good thing.
~
A small period of time had passed since her meeting with Escellar. It was a problem; finding the makeshift home of the jail when the original had been one of the first places ransacked by the horde. Yet, this time was also a time time to reflect. She knew why she had reacted the way she had when confronted with the possibility to hunt these rift beasts.
Her recent "switch", she knew how hard feeling the magic in her had become, and how difficult it was for her to draw on any of it. Over the course of their trip back to Cykes, she had managed to return the djinn to where it had come. Yet, the initial summoning had been under an intense moment of duress. It was a scary thought, but she had no real control over her magic. It was there, most of it was a part of her, but the feeling of foreignness within her own being was a mental block on her ability to cast even the most familiar of spells.
Arriving was not met with the fanfare she had expected. The "jail" was an old historical site; a fortress from before Cykes's time, ugly, and unremarkable to the point that people generally dismiss as to it being there to any extent. It was also a gathering for wounded soldiers, if the tents and nurses were anything to go by. "Hail," said one of the uninjured soldiers who had been sitting outside of the door "Eldren" had approached. "Authorized access only; Cykes is considered to be in a state of emergency, and the institutionalized are not to be disturbed." Eldren's eyes had yet to leave the injured. "...I'm here to see my uncle," he had said without thought. "I'm sorry sir, but there are to not be any ex-"
"What if I were to heal your comrades?" he had further said without thinking, "Surely there aren't many who can use magic to heal left around here, with a hunting party being formed, and many of them having been lost to the slaughter... Do you wish to see them die, otherwise?" There was a hint of something in his voice. Despite the obviously cocky tone, there was doubt. Doubt that his bluff would work, and even further if she could do what he claimed; she had never used healing magic before. "A male magic user then? I'm hesitant... skeptical, even, but willing to see if you're good for your word. Very well, healer, you have a deal." The guard turned his head over to the makeshift infirmary. "Nurse!"
~
A demonstration area had been set up. Seventeen; seventeen soldiers healed had been the price negotiated for his entrance. The first one had a broken arm, leg, and had a major case of internal bleeding that they couldn't get to. Riley felt his throat dry up and that swallowing was getting hard. To perform a miracle... that was what his offer had been. To perform something that she knew was likely impossible. But, she also had a small sense of reassurance; it was the only something that kept her going.
He approached the man's bed, and simply looked at him. Something could go wrong, and he could die, and it would be all her fault. He shook such thoughts from his mind, and touched the injured soldier. The skin was cold, much colder than it should have been for any living human. She gave her mana a little push. She could feel how different it was from her usual workings, how the possibilities were unrestricted in her current form. Yet, nothing happened still. "...I'm sorry, it seems my mag-" Then, it happened.
It was the littlest thing. The color returning to the soldier's skin, the bones in both broken limbs reforming into a natural state, breath returning to his being... A miracle had been performed, yet through her elation, she hadn't noticed a few things. A heavy fatigue, an indescribable burden on Eldren's body, and the lack of weight to his head to which she had lost consciousness.
~
A small period of time had passed since her meeting with Escellar. It was a problem; finding the makeshift home of the jail when the original had been one of the first places ransacked by the horde. Yet, this time was also a time time to reflect. She knew why she had reacted the way she had when confronted with the possibility to hunt these rift beasts.
Her recent "switch", she knew how hard feeling the magic in her had become, and how difficult it was for her to draw on any of it. Over the course of their trip back to Cykes, she had managed to return the djinn to where it had come. Yet, the initial summoning had been under an intense moment of duress. It was a scary thought, but she had no real control over her magic. It was there, most of it was a part of her, but the feeling of foreignness within her own being was a mental block on her ability to cast even the most familiar of spells.
Arriving was not met with the fanfare she had expected. The "jail" was an old historical site; a fortress from before Cykes's time, ugly, and unremarkable to the point that people generally dismiss as to it being there to any extent. It was also a gathering for wounded soldiers, if the tents and nurses were anything to go by. "Hail," said one of the uninjured soldiers who had been sitting outside of the door "Eldren" had approached. "Authorized access only; Cykes is considered to be in a state of emergency, and the institutionalized are not to be disturbed." Eldren's eyes had yet to leave the injured. "...I'm here to see my uncle," he had said without thought. "I'm sorry sir, but there are to not be any ex-"
"What if I were to heal your comrades?" he had further said without thinking, "Surely there aren't many who can use magic to heal left around here, with a hunting party being formed, and many of them having been lost to the slaughter... Do you wish to see them die, otherwise?" There was a hint of something in his voice. Despite the obviously cocky tone, there was doubt. Doubt that his bluff would work, and even further if she could do what he claimed; she had never used healing magic before. "A male magic user then? I'm hesitant... skeptical, even, but willing to see if you're good for your word. Very well, healer, you have a deal." The guard turned his head over to the makeshift infirmary. "Nurse!"
~
A demonstration area had been set up. Seventeen; seventeen soldiers healed had been the price negotiated for his entrance. The first one had a broken arm, leg, and had a major case of internal bleeding that they couldn't get to. Riley felt his throat dry up and that swallowing was getting hard. To perform a miracle... that was what his offer had been. To perform something that she knew was likely impossible. But, she also had a small sense of reassurance; it was the only something that kept her going.
He approached the man's bed, and simply looked at him. Something could go wrong, and he could die, and it would be all her fault. He shook such thoughts from his mind, and touched the injured soldier. The skin was cold, much colder than it should have been for any living human. She gave her mana a little push. She could feel how different it was from her usual workings, how the possibilities were unrestricted in her current form. Yet, nothing happened still. "...I'm sorry, it seems my mag-" Then, it happened.
It was the littlest thing. The color returning to the soldier's skin, the bones in both broken limbs reforming into a natural state, breath returning to his being... A miracle had been performed, yet through her elation, she hadn't noticed a few things. A heavy fatigue, an indescribable burden on Eldren's body, and the lack of weight to his head to which she had lost consciousness.
Krimp said
Those CS's look great! Voltin, I get the feeling that Roland and Emmeric will get along very nicely (or at least they both enjoy gambling so they can do that together).Speaking of that, I've decided to make a slight alteration, just to Roland's age: I'm gonna bump him up to mid-thirties, just because I feel that the world-weary idea I've got going for him doesn't seem to fit such a young age. That, and I think a little more variety in age wouldn't hurt.Very excited to see the last of the characters!
Unfortunately, card games doesn't mean gambling. He'd rather play solitaire, or something childish like war. Doesn't mean he doesn't gamble at all, but the right times fall under the sway of his superstitions. :P
Raid said
Voltin. How in the did our characters end up with the same name?!
Well, this is awkward.
And I'm glad we got two new character! The elvish paladin and the half-orc scholar certainly do add some variety. ^_^
It happens. I used to always think half the people I played with were female because either their avatars, or the characters they were using. Now I don't assume anything and use a whole lot of "they". :P
Dextkiller said
Sky, yes, she
*cough* Sorry there, bud. Care to try again? ^_^;
EDIT:
Oh, and here's this!
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