Abysmal Souls Chapter 5

[Nanami Touko]

"It's superstition. I'm not too worried about it." Really now? You seem worried... "Look, can we talk about this later? It was just a palm reading. For fun. I don't want it to make us all worried for the rest of the day, okay?" You are worried... I can't blame you, all of what she said, it was really freaky. She happily reciprocated his hug, hoping they could just go and do something else. Honestly, the fair doesn't seem that fun, anymore. Gideon began to ramble on about needing a distraction, which really wasn't helping Amera calm herself down. "Gideon..." "I'll be okay, Amera. Really." "You say that, but...!" "There's a hell of a lot of festival left..." "Listen, just..." She grabbed his collar and pulled herself up into a kiss. It made her blush, and made her feel extremely awkward, but she needed to just get his mind off of what the psychic had said. Embarrassed, she let his collar go and lowered herself back into a hug. "Let's... yeah, just get on with the rest of the fair." That was pretty bold. I hope he doesn't read too far into it.

"Um, didn't hear anything good?" "Oh, uh, no, we did. Turns out we're really meant for each other," she said, giving Gideon a little bit of a squeeze. Not like that's a lie. "I know I'm going to regret this, but are either of you hungry?" Amera hadn't eaten that morning either, and was beginning to realize that she was pretty hungry as well. "Uhm, Gideon..." let's just leave this fair, please. "How about we check the inns to see if there's anything there for food? Better than the fair food that's hanging around here."

[Zsword]

Zwool shook his head. It didn't sound like anything bad had happenned... but they were so... depressed looking. They started talking about food and he shrugged. "I guess that'd be nice, but I'd really appreciate finding some place to identify my gauntlet here." He explained, trying hard to not sound angry but still establish that this was rather important to him.

[Anti-Social Meta Knight]

Gideon

When Amera kissed him, Gideon's arms tightened around her and he kissed her right back. Somehow, that was exactly what he needed - it cleared his head rather quickly. "Let's... yeah, just get on with the rest of the fair." If a palm reading was all it took...well, it did have its share of good news, too. "Oh, uh, no, we did. Turns out we're really meant for each other," she told Zwool. Even if he wasn't keen on rushing into anything, Gideon liked the sound of that.

"Uhm, Gideon...How about we check the inns to see if there's anything there for food? Better than the fair food that's hanging around here." Thank the gods. We finally agree that this place sucks. Maybe that old hag was right about her... "I guess that'd be nice, but I'd really appreciate finding some place to identify my gauntlet here," Zwool shot back. He sounded a bit pissed. Gideon didn't want to start a fight right now, though - not when salvation from consumer hell was so, so close. "There's always the library," Gideon suggested. "I mean, you'll definitely find more leads there than in the middle of a festival." He yawned and glanced at Amera. It was a bit early, but retiring didn't seem such a bad idea... "Alright, we can check the inn," he told her. "We may as well get a room while we're there." Don't forget the tent...well, you can if you want, actually. Gideon glanced back at Zwool and waved. "We'll be at the inn if you need us." With that, he took Amera by the hand and began to lead her away from the noisy street towards the inn doors. It was just as loud inside, but at least that was noise he could stomach.

Melanie

Two hours after Grant had blown her off, she glanced out the window. "That's long enough!" she chirped, standing up and grabbing her notebook and backpack, but struggling for a moment to adjust to its weight - it was filled with metal. Her door swung open and she knocked furiously on Grant's. "Rise and shine, Grant! We're goin' 'ta Pravna! Last call for armor deals! C'mon, get up, get up!" If he got up and went with her, maybe she would forgive him being a jerk and cut the price again. Maybe.

Edited August 7, 2011 by Anti-Social Kitty

[Nanami Touko]

"I guess that'd be nice, but I'd really appreciate finding some place to identify my gauntlet here." He seemed a bit impatient, to Amera, who simply wanted to relax. Calm down, Zwool... "There's always the library. I mean, you'll definitely find more leads there than in the middle of a festival." "Yeah, you'd be better off finding some answers there than with all these shady vendors. Trust me, none of the magicians up front are any good. It's always the ones who are getting no real attention that you should trust." She didn't know if that held true one hundred percent of the time, but it had worked for her, once or twice in the past. "Alright, we can check the inn, we may as well get a room while we're there." Sounds like fun~ Let's get a room and spend the whole day there... The situation with the psychic had really shook her, and relaxing in a nice inn room would be great, whether or not she slept.

"We'll be at the inn if you need us." "Yeah, we'll be there! Don't be afraid to come and ask us for help." And she was then pulled along by Gideon, into the just as loud insides of the inn. It wasn't really a crowd that she appreciated, but she knew Gideon did. As long as no one leered over at her tight shirt, she wouldn't mind being there. And if someone did... she'd let her fists do the talking.

[ReformBlade]

Carrion

"Hmm.... I guess." Getting off of him, she picked up the coat and made herself ready. "Anything in particular you wanted to do or are you just eager for later?" Hands on her hips, she went on. "Cause I'd like to do some sight seeing. I don't want this to be all carefree, but I do want something resembling a vacation after these past two weeks."

Grant

Fuck... Time to get up? "Mmmmgimme a second..." Exhausted and his head ringing slightly, he got up and haphazardly picked his things up and went out of his room. "So... wait... that wasn't all some hallucination? Well... I'll be damned. Let's hurry up, she could be anywhere."

Edited August 7, 2011 by SlaveKitty

[Anti-Social Meta Knight]

Gideon

The inn was as he expected it - loud, crowded, and smelling of ale. He would never quite get over that. Keeping hold of Amera's hand, Gideon moved right for the bar, putting a few coins on the table. "Looking for a room for two," he said over the din. "Just one night for now." The bartender nodded, taking the coins and giving Gideon a rusty key, which he handed right to Amera before fishing out a few more coins. "Bring us some of whatever you're cooking, too," he added before moving with Amera upstairs. Though he did his best to ignore the looks they were receiving, he knew Amera would be upset about it - that was something she'd get over soon, though.

Once they were on the second floor, Gideon was surprised to see that it was in far better condition than the pub below. The smell was entirely gone, and it was almost quiet; he really hoped the rooms would be of the same quality. Pulling his hand from Amera's, he opened it to get the key from her. "Please let the bed be soft," he said to himself as they stood at the door.

Melanie

When Grant came out, Mel had her hands on her hips and her foot was tapping. "So... wait... that wasn't all some hallucination? Well... I'll be damned. Let's hurry up, she could be anywhere." "Hold on, now," Mel said quickly. "First we gotta find me an alchemist so I can make you some armor. And you can't fight without that foot, can you?" She glanced down the inn stairs. "Five minutes. Be outside, or I won't lower the price of the armor back down!" she called as she ran down the steps, nearly tripping with her momentum. Finally got a lead! YES!

[Nanami Touko]

Adrian

"Hmm.... I guess." Aww... I was hoping she'd decided to stay here. Instead, she's picked herself up, and even got her coat on. Adrian followed suit, much to his chagrin. At least you still get to spend time with her, right? "Anything in particular you wanted to do or are you just eager for later?" He felt a bit awkward, unsure if he could answer that without focusing on sex. "Well... I don't have anything in mind, but I don't mind doing anything you want to. I can calm myself and wait." Or try my best and fail. Geez, this is going to be tough... "Cause I'd like to do some sight seeing. I don't want this to be all serious, but I do want something resembling a vacation after these past two weeks." "Of course, of course. I'm pretty interested in seeing what they've got as well so, shall we?" He held a hand out for her to take, smiling.

Amera

The inn was the inn; it was the same as the last one had been, and it annoyed her. I seriously don't get how Gideon can enjoy these places... And she did get eyes staring at her, which only served to make the place annoy he more. One drunk man tried to grab at her tail, but she slipped it out of his grasp and growled at him. Hate. These. Places. "Looking for a room for two, just one night for now." What's this? He doesn't want to stay down here? Oh, I'm saved! "Bring us some of whatever you're cooking, too" And food! Gideon, you're the best~ That had cheered her up from the leers she was getting, scoffing at a small group of men that were trying to look up her skirt as she went upstairs. The upstairs which was as if they had entered a completely different place, being quiet and actually smelling clean. Gideon held his hand out for the key, so she relinquished it, letting him open the door before bursting in onto the bed. It was... surprisingly comfortable. "Okay, this inn's better than I thought it was going to be. Come and relax over here, Gideon~" She patted the bed; the space next to her, as the threw hit jacket off onto the bedside desk.

[ReformBlade]

Carrion

"Sure." She took his hand and ran to the gate quickly, trying to avoid the rain as quickly as possible. It was a grand sight to behold, the inside of Pravna. Almost surreal in appearance, but it was mainly just decoration for the festival. Fountains flowing in reverse in the central plaza, many fancy displays of magic, fake duels for show, there was even a small play going on in the middle of it all! This caught Carrion's attention the quickest, as the shouting seemed familiar... "Die, witch!" A swordsman 'stabbed' a woman with pink hair as she threw a fireball that whizzed by him. And of course, the crowd began cheering for him, and eventually he and the woman were both up, standing by a tarp with money continually piling up on it. What was once eagerness turned to disdain as Carrion hurried away, nowhere near the best of moods. Letting go of Adrian's hand, she held her head and walked away from the performance.

Without another word, she almost ran to a a very tall building, entering it, "Hello? Is the head magus in today?"

"Hm? What are you doing in here, girl? Festival is out there, we have actual work being done in here, so if you'd just run along like a good little child that'd be gr-"

"God dammit, I just need some help! Last I checked, you guys... you guys could unseal people, right?"

"Oh? You've got actual business... my apologies. Unfortunately, the Magus isn't in today, he's out and about, running the f-"

"Not anymore, Segre. My duty's done today, I'll take over here, you're up for monitor duty, so go on, get!"

"Y-Yes sir..." Head lowered slightly, he flashed a weak smile and a nod to Carrion and left the building.

"Ugh... No tact, but I suppose his heart's in the right place, but I digress. What brings... Well I'll be damned... Riya, is that you?! There's no way it's you!"

"What?! I-I don't... Why would you think I'm Riya? My name's... MY NAME, is Carrion! I'm not here for your accusations or your nostalgia! I just need help, I've been sealed, and I need it undone!"

"Hmm... I swear you look just like Jack's little sister... Nevermind, you're right, now's not the time for silly nostalgia. Lemme see the seal, then we can talk."

Slightly uncomfortable with showing it to a someone who knew her apparently yet she didn't know, she did what she had to do and pulled her shirt down to show the mark on her chest. How the fuck does he know me and my brother... who is this guy?!

"Dear me... I guess the sealer meant business, huh. Since you're not a student here as far as I remember, our price is two hundred and fifty gold."

"Two... Two hundred fifty?! Shit, do we even... oh dammit, I don't have that kind of money, sir! Is there any convincing you to lower it."

"Sorry dear. Unless you can bring me the gold or something of similar monetary value, I won't budge. Well... actually, maybe. There is... a task I could have you perform, one that has had me annoyed with for some time now. I'm not comfortable leaving this city to the protection of my subordinates, not out of distrust, but the sheer power difference would be noticeable if I were to leave. You see, there's this girl down south, the supposed Crimson Witch herself, off on an island just off the peninsula south of here. I want to talk to her. And you, you get to bring her to me. As an added incentive, I'll unseal you now so you can do this. Be warned, if you try to run, you WILL be found, Carrion. I'm not known for handing out favors like this very often, so I suggest you take it, or else go get the money for me."

"... Is this a joke? Ugh, nevermind... I'll... I'll do it. I'm strapped for cash as is, I'll do what you ask."

"Good, good, and to make sure you're on task here, I'll send someone with you to report what happens to me. Ellandra! Dear, would you come out here for a second?"

Grant

"Five minutes and you might lower the mythical price, eh? Sounds fair." Holding his bags in his good hand and his crutch in the other, he slowly but surely went down the stairs after the girl, cursing her speed. "And as for fighting with one foot, I'll leave that to be seen. After all, this sword is much lighter than it looks!" He gestured to the green gem slightly glowing in its pommel. "Wind forged, light as a feather for the wielder, heavy as a sack of bricks on a poor fellow. I love mana stones..."

[Anti-Social Meta Knight]

Gideon

"Okay, this inn's better than I thought it was going to be." I'll have you enjoying these places someday. "Come and relax over here, Gideon~" That, paired with her throwing away her jacket, seemed like enough of an invitation to him. He sat right down next to her, lying back when he felt how soft the bed was. "Oh, wow. We need to visit capitals more often if they're all like this..." He pulled his own jacket off and tossed it on top of hers, then just laid back and enjoyed the bed for a bit. "Do I have to come up there, or are you coming down here?" he asked, smirking a bit - he was slowly starting to calm down. It was embarrassing, almost, how much that palm reading had shaken him. Hopefully Amera wasn't picking up on his minor discomfort...

Melanie

She shrugged at his displaying of his sword. "Pretty cool, I guess," she said absently. "Blade could use some touching up, though. Maybe you could even have it made vorpal..." A sinister grin came onto her face. "I really hope we find mana stones in Pravna. They look like fun~!" With that, she peeked out the inn door, looking around for the coach. "Um...you said the coach was coming, right?" she asked Grant, her tone a bit tentative. "I don't see it..." Maybe we'll have to walk there. That way we can just talk and I can figure out all his badass secrets! But he might not like that, with his crutch and all...well, I'm sure a cool witch hunter like him would soldier on! "Grant?" she asked again, her tone a bit more desperate. "Grant, where's the coach?" I was just kidding! I don't want to walk! Goddamn it, where is it?!

[CT075]

Ormis

They were staying at the inn. Ormis figured as much. Gideon didn't seem like the type to enjoy travelling around. The boy sighed and did some more walking around before ending up, by some coincidence, where their tents were still set up. Teis had set the tent back up for him, it seemed. More miserable than ever, Ormis lay down inside his tent. He felt tears welling up, but he forced them down again, biting his tongue in the process.

I... I can't look weak. Not to anyone. I... have to be the strongest. Stronger...

He grabbed his sword and drew it. It came out almost silently. Walking back out the tree he'd been sitting against earlier, he started hitting it repeatedly, faster, harder.

"Yaaaah-!"

Teis

Teis caught up to Carrion and Adrian as they entered the capital, wordlessly falling into step behind them. Completely uninterested in the festival (except for the occasional burst of flame), he scanned the crowd, looking for someone who seemed threatening. No one.

As they walked into a building that seemed to be the central hall, Teis waited by the door. Under his travelling cloak, he slid his shortsword halfway out of its sheath, tensing, ready for a fight. This was hardly likely to go off without a hitch.

[Zsword]

Did they... did they really? They ask me to come with them, and the entire time they don't wait for... for... GRAAAH Zwool was NOT happy with the turn of events he took the couple leaving with a smile, but he wasn't happy. His gem was flaring, his walk was heavy, and he was pissed. He immediately sent out for the back alleys of the fair, to where some of the onlookers wouldn't go. Those who were there, he could tell from their silent serious faces, were there for business.

As he stomped along, a voice called to him. "Excuse me young man!" Turning to face it, Zwool was greeted by an aging, but not old, man. He seemed to have a stall that was covered in various glowing necklaces and rings, swords and armor, all of them covered in runes and gems as of all sorts and sizes. "Can I ask you about that Gauntlet you have there?" Zwool was about to say no, still upset over the fiasco with Amera and Gideon, but then he remembered the original reason he was here. His gem stopped for a second, and he walked over to the man.

"Actually, I don't know much about it myself." Zwool said, holding it out for the man to look it over.

"You don't? Then why are you wearing it!? That could be dangerous to your health!" Despite his apparent concerned tone, he was already putting on a monocle, which too, was glowing.

"I'm kinda looking for someone to identify it."

"Well then, let me see what I can tell you... hmm."

The man sat there looking and analyzing the gauntlet for about 10 minutes, even muttering a magical word every now and then. "Can you take it off?"

"I can, but... something tells me that I shouldn't, it seems to react to my emotions... and uh, another magical friend of mine says that could have some serious side effects if removed."

"Your friend is wise... okay; I'll tell you what I figured out." The man sat up straight and took a deep breath.

"The only real identifiers for the magic in that gauntlet are the runes in the Gems setting. They're... odd, to say the least. I can definitely identify that it is indeed, suppressing your emotions. Or at least trying to, in fact, it uses the energy of your emotions, to fuel its suppression." The man cleared his throat before continuing. "There is a problem though... okay, a couple. 1: The method, runes, and overall nature of this, is really old, while it may work for a time, it's probably faulty, as I can tell from your stormed expression before calling you over. 2: There seems to be more going on here, because this is starting to really get taxing on this gem. I'm afraid that, if I'm right, it'll break soon, and that will cause more catastrophe than just taking off the gauntlet alone will. I can't tell the entirety of what's going on here, but from just what I can see is bad news, and I'm guessing the rest of it will only make it worse."

He stopped for a moment, thinking. "But, I might be able to help you delay the inevitable... I see you've got a rather large sword there... here." With a hefty grunt he grabbed a sword from the back of the room. It was a little bit larger than Zwool's current one, in both length and girth. The entire blade was strewn with runes and etchings, and the edge itself seemed too made out of silver, or something similar. The cross guard was much the same, small silvery lines dancing under the leather binding of the handle, re-appearing again at Silver pommel, at the bottom of which set another gem, this one blue, and runes all around it. "I made this for a warrior to channel magic into his attacks... though I didn't think ahead to realize that most warriors, don't channel magic, and most magi, don't have enough strength to wield it..." He grabbed at the bottom of the hilt and his monocle glowed brightly, and a popping sound could be heard. He pulled his hand back to reveal he had removed the gem. He went back to the back, and returned a moment later with a black, almost ugly gem. "This is a bonding gem, nothing to fancy, it... well, bonds. Let me see your gauntlet again."

Zwool obliged, holding out his hand. The old man smiled and touched the black gem to the green one on Zwool's gauntlet. There was a small flash, and the once black gem was now an identical green of Zwool's, and they both had an identical rune seared into them. The man chuckled, and magically set it back into the pommel of the new sword. Almost immediately the entire thing lit up with a new light, the runes and edge growing with newly tapped power. "Now, all I ask for compensation in this is your old sword to cover the materials. I've been meaning to get rid of this thing for who knows how long, and I can rest easier knowing I may have saved a ton of lives but stopping your inevitable disaster." Zwool nodded and unstrapped his old sword from his back, giving it one last look over. He had no memories of it, no real markings on it; it was simple, practical, but inferior to this new option. He set it down on the man's counter, who nodded, and waved his hand over the new sword with a smile, setting down a new sheathe for it.

Zwool took the sheath and strapped it onto his back. He then reached down and grabbed his new weapon. Despite its increased size, it weighed about the same. The confusion must have been clear because the man spoke up. "It's made from lighter materials, because it has been enchanted to be nigh-indestructible. It also never rusts, and in general, doesn't require maintenance. We had to make up for the lack of weight with more material. Enjoy son." Zwool sheathed the weapon and bowed to the man. "Thank you so much sir... I don't thin-" "You don't have to. As I said, a cataclysm averted is enough for me." Zwool nodded and without speaking he reached into his pouch and pulled out about... 30 or so gold, and set it on the table. The man just shrugged. "Unneeded, but appreciated. Good day now, have fun at the festival."

"You too, sir." With that he turned on his heel, and began jogging back to the entrance of the town, hoping to find Carrion and Adrian still there.

Meanwhile:

Ellandra scurried into the room, clutching a small stack of papers to her chest. She seemed a little out of breath, as if she had to rush over from a fair distance. She smiled as best she could and gave Carrion and Adrian a bow before turning to The Magus with an inquisitive tilt of her head, idly correcting her papers to try to make them less of a mess.

Edited August 7, 2011 by Zsword

[Nanami Touko]

Adrian

"Sure." Alright. With a smile on his face, he followed Carrion into the festival, his eyes almost assaulted by all the bright colors and flashing exhibits. Getting a grip on himself, he actually took in some of the sights, smiling at how impressive most of them looked. The fake magic displays (which he of course thought were real) caught his eye, and he almost dragged Carrion over to see one of them, when he heard a terrifying scream, "Die, witch!" His eyes shot over to see a play, seemingly near its end, and a man stabbing a pink haired woman who had nearly thrown a fireball into him. Carrion's not gonna like that. When she let go of his hand and started walking away, he could only sigh and follow her, hoping she wouldn't let the display get to her too much. Who'm I kidding? Of course it'll upset her.

She broke into a run, Adrian gasping and following after her to what seemed like an extremely important building. Carrion seemed to know what she was doing, though, as she asked for the head of the building (though he had no idea what a magus was). "Hm? What are you doing in here, girl? Festival is out there, we have actual work being done in here, so if you'd just run along like a good little child that'd be gr-" Well, they're certainly pleasant, aren't they? He didn't have to say anything, Carrion already shutting the clerk up. And so had another man, a rather impressive looking mage (He assumed the man was a mage; he seemed to be this magus person that Carrion had wanted to see.) "Ugh... No tact, but I suppose his heart's in the right place, but I digress. What brings... Well I'll be damned... Riya, is that you?! There's no way it's you!" Wha-- How d'you know that?! "What?! I-I don't... Why would you think I'm Riya? My name's... MY NAME, is Carrion! I'm not here for your accusations or your nostalgia! I just need help, I've been sealed, and I need it undone!" He seemed to be unable to get a word in edgewise, everyone else shutting each other down before he got the chance. Might as well just relax, Carrion's got a handle on this.

He left them to their conversation, just leaning himself onto the desk instead of trying to join in, until a certain bit of what they were saying caught his ear, "... You see, there's this girl down south, the supposed Crimson Witch herself, off on an island just off the peninsula south of here. I want to talk to her. And you, you get to bring her to me. As an added incentive, I'll unseal you now so you can do this. Be warned, if you try to run, you WILL be found, Carrion. I'm not known for handing out favors like this very often, so I suggest you take it, or else go get the money for me." Oh, the irony... He couldn't laugh, as much as he wanted to, but he figured Carrion would accept that offer, and she had, a few moments after he'd spoken. "Good, good, and to make sure you're on task here, I'll send someone with you to report what happens to me. Ellandra! Dear, would you come out here for a second?" More people following us around? Geez... He turned to see a... rather small girl, who seemed out of breath. She flashed a smile, but Adrian could only wonder how she was going to properly keep an eye on them all. "So, uh, Carrion... how d'you feel about all this?" Pretty stupid question, but I'm curious... wait, she's getting unsealed? Oh, yes! Having completely missed that little mention, he realized what was happening, instantly happy about this turn of events.

Amera

"Do I have to come up there, or are you coming down here?" Amera lazily scrambled her way to Gideon, laying down on him like she had earlier. "There, happy now?" She asked with a semi-sarcastic tone, smiling nonetheless. At least we're all done with that psychic debacle... though... What the psychic had said was still weighing on her, and she really wanted to ask Gideon about it, but she knew it would make him upset. But I... dammit. Stupid psychic and they're getting things right, sometimes... "Hey, Gideon... are you still thinking about what happened earlier? I just... I can't get what she said out of my head. Sorry..." She'd apologized, because she knew mentioning it would probably be the last thing Gideon wanted, but she seriously had to get these words out of her mind, and what better way to do that than by talking about them?

Edited August 7, 2011 by seph1212

[Anti-Social Meta Knight]

Gideon

As Amera climbed on top of him, Gideon instinctively put his hand on her head, resisting the urge to scratch her ear. "There, happy now?" Despite her tone, he nodded, smirking. You seem happy, at least. "Hey, Gideon... are you still thinking about what happened earlier? I just... I can't get what she said out of my head. Sorry..." His smile faded a bit. That wasn't something he really wanted to talk about. But he couldn't get mad at her for worrying about it. It had been a bit foreboding... "No, don't apologize," he said quickly, turning his head towards hers. The height difference between them meant he got a good look at her ears, but that was fine. "It was kind of strange, wasn't it?" He didn't want to admit how much it worried him, which was quite a bit - the hag had told him he was going to die! "Which part's on your mind?" Please don't say the last part. They could at least talk about it, though. Even if he didn't buy it.

[Caliban of Sycorax]

Lucretia

As she walked around town, she noticed possibly one of the most beautiful swords she had ever seen sitting in the window of one of the armories. Its blade was sharp and polished, and the hilt was encrusted with gold. It was truly a sword for a master. It reminded her a lot of her family's blade. It was clearly expensive-looking, but Lucretia knew that she wanted to get that sword for Aurelio. It was a beautiful sword, and it was the least she could do. Walking into the store, she looked around for the shop owner.

"How much for that blade in the window?" She asked.

"That blade's a hundred gold. And that's without buying a sheath." He replied deadpan. Lucretia looked into her bag of gold. From the gold she got from selling her mother's blades, and the gold from the arena, she had about 140 gold pieces left. Before all of that she had about 20 gold. She certainly could buy it, and the sheath, but that would leave her with little gold.

"Is there a way I can get...a discount?" She asked.

"Well, if you can beat me in a duel, I'll give it to you for free. The sheath'll still cost money." He replied, walking over to the desk and taking out a large sword.

"Fair enough," she replied, drawing both swords, "I warn you, though, I'm the best swordswoman in Miyako."

"I've never fought a Myan woman before," he replied, "should be interesting."

[ReformBlade]

At the tower

"Ah, there you are Ellandra. I'll take that for you..." Snatching the papers, he straightened them out and placed them on the desk, turning to Adrian. "Sir, please don't lean on our property like that" Of course, he didn't pay the guy too much attention, nor was he all that concerned, it was more of a force of habit than anything. "And as for you, Carrion. This here is Ellandra, and I know I said she'd be watching you, which is true I suppose, but it's more of a safety precaution for you than anything. The Witch down there is extremely volatile and dangerous as you can imagine, and this girl here is a superb healer. But right now, I figure you'd rather get yourself unsealed... So, if you'll follow me, Carrion, we've got just the place for it. Unsealing can be very painful mentally and taxing for a person, so I recommend your friend there comes with you." Shifting his attention once more to Ellandra, he smiled. "Ellandra, this might take a while, so go get anything you need for when they leave and come back here before you leave with them."

Despite wondering how the guy knew her and accepting yet again the task to go and find out about the witch, she could only smile widely at Adrian and then turning to the Magus. "I can handle it, but if you think he needs to be there, fine by me, I won't say no to company."

"Well if you'll follow me then..." Turning about, he went off towards the stairs, motioning for Carrion to follow, who then motioned for Adrian to follow.

Grant

Watching the girl talk to him about grabbing a coach and then panic slightly made him laugh. "Hold your horses, girl! Yeesh, when you want something you want it, don't you? And look, there's the guy right now, dropping people off. He'll be right by the inn here in just a second..." And then he was there. "Afternoon, folks. Straight shot to Pravna what you be lookin for? Usually is for folks 'round here."

Grant nodded, throwing his bag into the back and hoisting himself up with a ton of effort. "Melanie, hurry up, he doesn't have all day, girl!"

[Nanami Touko]

Amera

"No, don't apologize" "You're sure? Okay." Maybe he's not as upset about it as I thought he was? She glanced up, and Gideon was eying her ears, making her blush a little bit. I hope he doesn't start scratching them again... well, I wouldn't mind, but... I can't really move when he is. "It was kind of strange, wasn't it?" "Kind of? Gideon, I know that most of what she said was just blanket stuff that could fall onto most people, but some of it was spot on." She held him tight, remembering the last part of what the woman had said, "If you don't, you may never be able to use that axe again." The thought was chilling, because Amera had no idea what she meant, or even if it was true! All she could get was that it was some vague indication that... that Gideon's going to die? She must've been lying, she must have! "Which part's on your mind?" Do I tell him? I guess I have to... "It's what... she said about you. She made it sound like you were going to die..."

Adrian

"Sir, please don't lean on our property like that" "Oh, of course." He stood, wondering why the guy had waited so long to tell him to get off of the desk. Not like he was going to argue against it, this guy was the head magus (whatever a magus was). "... The Witch down there is extremely volatile and dangerous as you can imagine, and this girl here is a superb healer." Heh, the witch standing in front of you is extremely volatile and dangerous. Being as immature as he was, it was extremely difficult for Adrian to not just blurt out the truth, especially since this guy seemed to know her. Keep yourself quiet, Adrian! By how surprised she was, she doesn't know him at all. You could be making a serious mistake by telling him that. "... Unsealing can be very painful mentally and taxing for a person, so I recommend your friend there comes with you." "Like I'd just sit around here and wait for it to finish." Besides, I'm more than just her friend. "I can handle it, but if you think he needs to be there, fine by me, I won't say no to company." This made Adrian laugh, shooting a smile back at Carrion, "please. I'm not going to let you go through that alone, alright? I'm there whether I'm needed or not." The magus walked off, Carrion walked off, and Adrian followed, like he always did.

Horatio

Having walked since he'd woken up, he supposed it would only take him a few more hours to get to Pravna. "Should've taken a coach, but'm so short on cash... Ah, dammit. I've still got m'cash from that job with Grant, but..." He wanted to save it, knowing he'd need more money in Pravna. For a room, for food, and for information. "Least the weather's startin' to die down... or it's just passed me." The rain around him had stopped, but clouds loomed in the direction he was going; in the direction of Pravna. "Just two... maybe three more hours. You'll be able to see it then, Horry, you will. And then you'll find this damn girl, and figure out what the fuck's goin' on. Maybe kill 'er, but that's to be seen..." And so he kept walking.

[Zsword]

Ellandra nodded and immediately set out for her room in the tower, it to was up the stairs, so she ended following the group a bit as they headed to the unsealing chamber.

[Anti-Social Meta Knight]

Gideon

"It's what... she said about you. She made it sound like you were going to die..." Gideon sighed. Don't remind me. "I know," he said softly. She was a bit more upset about it than he was, it seemed. He paused, not sure what else to say. Should I tell her? "You can trust her," the old woman had said. Even if she said a few hokey things with it, he believed that.

"If she meant fighting in general, I'll take the chance," he said finally, moving down a bit to look at her. "I know it's worrying, but what else am I supposed to do?" He sighed, his eyes moving from hers for a moment. "This is all I have." Rolling onto his back, he looked up at the ceiling, not really focusing on anything but talking. "If I put down my axe, or swear off fighting, or whatever the hell it is she wants me to do, what else do I have? How else am I supposed to keep myself alive, even?" It was true - this was the only lifestyle he knew. He couldn't use magic. He could barely use a sword or a bow. What else was he supposed to do? Cook? The idea made him smirk, but bitterly.

"I need this, Amera," he said, his voice a bit more expressive than his usual even tone. It was the first time in a while that he had cracked that shell... "I can't live any other way. I would if I had the chance, but I just...I can't." Rolling back on his side, he hugged her tightly and kissed her hair, desperate for some human (well, anri) contact. "Besides, you know me," he said softly, a bit of mirth finally finding its way into his voice. "You know I'm not going to die out there. I haven't even come close yet." He wasn't sure whom he was trying to convince. I need to talk about something else... "What about the other stuff she said? Sounds like we made a good choice," he offered, desperate to get the focus off of himself for a bit. It was a fairly reassuring thing she had said about them, particularly to her; hell, she had even made settling down look somewhat nice. Even if it would be dull as the history section of Pravna's library, Gideon had to admit that the old hag nearly sold him on it. Nearly. He still didn't like the idea.

Melanie

Why was Grant laughing? The coach wasn't anywhere in sight, and - "Hold your horses, girl! Yeesh, when you want something you want it, don't you? And look, there's the guy right now, dropping people off. He'll be right by the inn here in just a second..." Mel blushed a bit and turned around; sure enough, there he was. "Afternoon, folks. Straight shot to Pravna what you be lookin for? Usually is for folks 'round here." I look stupid now...no fair, you didn't say he'd show up there!

"Melanie, hurry up, he doesn't have all day, girl!" She nodded and ran to the back of the coach, flinging her bag in with some effort and wincing as it made a loud clank on impact. I really hope that didn't dent anything... "Coming!" she called as she ran back up to climb into the coach. She made sure to give Grant a bit of room - cripples always spread out...

[ReformBlade]

Carrion

On the second floor, the magus lead them to a standalone door, unlocking it and motioning for Carrion and Adrian to enter. "This is the place. You'll notice once inside that we've tried to sound proof the walls, please don't be alarmed. Very very rarely does it ever cause pain THAT great, but we don't want to wake up the dead here unnecessarily."

At first, Carrion was wary, but the room seemed to be just that. A room. Thee was a stand in the corner with a lamp on it as the only lightsource, but other than that it was completely empty and relatively cramped, enough room for five people to get comfortable roughly. "So uh... I'm not exactly completely familiar with the procedure, I've only ever had it done a few times... How long will this take."

"For your seal? From what I saw, it won't be long. Sorry if I alluded to that. The more powerful a seal, it doesn't really take much longer, it's just more painful on the sealed person. Yours, I must say, looks to be about the worst one I've dealt with, so that's kind of why I wanted you o bring your friend here. Moral support and whatnot"

Carrion gulped at his explanation, a little bit frightened but resolute on the whole. "I... I want this done as soon as possible. I've been without my magic for over a week, I feel terrible without it!"

"I've heard that before, and honestly, I believe it. Well then." He pulled out a silver glove and put it on, illuminating the room slightly. "It's a special invention I've made. It basically transfers the seal's dampening effect unto itself, and then it... 'overheats' it, completely destroying the energy. I only trust myself with this device, so I will not share with you the intricacies of it no matter how much you beg or ask, so no questions about it please."

"That's... interesting. Give me a week and I could probably match that, sir." she said smugly.

"Quite the ego you've got there... and yet, your words seem so adamant. Ah well, let's get this over with, shall we? Before I go on, I will say that I do have to touch the seal in order for me to do this. I probably should have mentioned it before, but we do have others on staff if you'd feel more comfortable with a female rather th-"

"Don't give me that, this is just a procedure! For Heaven's sake like I'd care anyway, I just want this thing gone!"

"Alright then, lift up your shirt..."

Sighing, she was more worried at Adrian's reaction than anything, but ultimately, if he knew what was good for him, he wouldn't do anything rash. She lifted it up, revealing the seal. It had grown since she had gotten it, and she sighed, gulped, then grabbed Adrian's hand

Taking the gloved hand, he placed it right on her chest, staring right into her eyes. "Brace yourself" Closing his eyes, he began to chant, the glove glowing brighter and brighter. "Here we go..." He began to pull the glove back, and the seal started to follow, unfortunately he skin it was attached to began tearing as well, causing Carrion to cry out in pain, grinding her teeth hard enough that her mouth started hurting as well. F...fuck... I don't remember it being this... painful. "Almost done..." He said, before he made one final tug, the seal dripping in fresh blood and Carrion reeling back, covering herself again and in a massive amount of pain.

Taking the seal, he began to crush it with the glove, and he watched as the seal started to seemingly evaporate in his hands. "And with that, our deal is signed. I'll grab Ellandra for you, stay put, I doubt you want to move."

Carrion was literally crying at the pain, regretting covering the massive wound with her shirt, since now it was just going to be sticky and hard to pull off, painful even. She gripped Adrian's hand so tightly now as she fell to the floor on her knees.

Grant

Throwing her things in made a loud noise which really made his ears ring, forcing him to grab one. "Good lord, be more careful please, would ya? What's even IN that thing anyway?" Of course before he could answer, the coachman looked back and gave a rather disapproving stare. "Ya kinda have to pay first, son."

"Oh right, just a second." Pulling out ten gold, he handed it over to him. "This oughtta cover both of us, right?"

Eyes wide, mouth grinning, "Yessir, you gotcha! To Pravna!"

Grant rolled his eyes, "Aaanyway. Again, whatchu got there in that bag, and before I even bother with any other crap, how much are we looking at for the price. If it's too much I may just ignore the whole thing, just so you know."

[Nanami Touko]

Amera

"I know" "Well, why are you so calm, then? I'd be terrified, if I were you..." She was seriously put off by his calmness, wondering how why he wasn't the least bit put off-- or at least that's how he seemed. "If she meant fighting in general, I'll take the chance" She flinched. "I know it's worrying, but what else am I supposed to do?" Anything? Teach, cook, become a blacksmith, a coach driver; anything other than that? "This is all I have." Even if he didn't intend it, that had hurt her. "If I put down my axe, or swear off fighting, or whatever the hell it is she wants me to do, what else do I have? How else am I supposed to keep myself alive, even?" "You've got me, don't you? Or is fighting just too entertaining that you'd risk hurting me to keep doing it?" She was being a bit selfish, and overreacting, and she knew it, but she wanted to know what he'd say to something like that.

"I need this, Amera" Yeah? And I need you... "I can't live any other way. I would if I had the chance, but I just...I can't." "Have you ever even tried living some other way?" If he had, and it had gotten him so bored that he had to go out fighting, she could sort of understand, but if he hadn't even tried that other life style... She was glad for the contact, being next to him calming her nerves down just a little bit. "Besides, you know me, you know I'm not going to die out there. I haven't even come close yet." "I know, I know..." He's good at fighting, at least... "What about the other stuff she said? Sounds like we made a good choice" "You mean, sounds like I made a good choice to spend that awkward night with you~" She giggled maybe a bit too hard at that, glad for the subject change. "Gideon, what do you think of... well, us? Just wondering. If you don't have an answer, that's fine." It might have been a worse subject change, but she needed to talk about something else.

Adrian

"This is the place. You'll notice once inside that we've tried to sound proof the walls, please don't be alarmed. Very very rarely does it ever cause pain THAT great, but we don't want to wake up the dead here unnecessarily." "Yeeaaahhhh... that's reassuring." Carrion's not unused to pain, but... geez. Don't they have any other ways of unsealing someone? A way without tonnes of pain involved? The room was a bit small, but if they had to do it here, he wasn't going to say anything. "So uh... I'm not exactly completely familiar with the procedure, I've only ever had it done a few times... How long will this take." A few times? Geez... I shouldn't be that surprised, but, still. "For your seal? From what I saw, it won't be long. Sorry if I alluded to that. The more powerful a seal, it doesn't really take much longer, it's just more painful on the sealed person. Yours, I must say, looks to be about the worst one I've dealt with, so that's kind of why I wanted you o bring your friend here. Moral support and whatnot" "You're kidding, right? You've never seen a worse seal? Oh, we get all the breaks, don't we?" Everything seemed to go wrong for them, but it was going to get taken care of, at least.

"I... I want this done as soon as possible. I've been without my magic for over a week, I feel terrible without it!" "She really has. I suggest you work faster than fast." Jokes, at a time like this? He tried to lighten the mood, though it hadn't really worked. Not surprised there. He sort of droned their conversation out as they began to speak about his invention, not too caring about the particulars. He did snicker at how smug Carrion was being towards the man, not doubting for a second that she could do the same, if not better. He zoned back in when the man mentioned, "Alright then, lift up your shirt..." Wha-- seriously? Oh, god. Control yourself, Adrian! Glancing down at her once she had, his eyes were honestly more fixed on the seal than anything else. It was a frightening thing to behold.

She took his hand, and he held hers tight as he began to remove the seal, Carrion's crying not something he enjoyed hearing. "Almost done..." He wanted to start screaming for this man to be finished, just standing there with her in pain was making him go nuts! It was finished though, and as Carrion fell to the floor, he fell with her, putting an arm around her to pat her shoulder. "And with that, our deal is signed. I'll grab Ellandra for you, stay put, I doubt you want to move." "It's over now, it's over. I know it must hurt like hell, so I won't tell you to calm down, but I'm right here for you, okay?" He whispered to her, hoping she'd be able to calm down somewhat, even though he doubted it. The whole procedure looked terrifyingly painful.

Edited August 8, 2011 by seph1212

[Anti-Social Meta Knight]

Gideon

"You've got me, don't you? Or is fighting just too entertaining that you'd risk hurting me to keep doing it?" This was worrying her a lot. Gideon wanted to counter that somehow, but he didn't see any reason to. "Have you ever even tried living some other way?" He nodded. "I've been a few things. Farmer's kid, bandit, drifter, woodcutter, and now bodyguard. This is...this is the only one that makes sense." That's not it. You're just easily bored. Just tell her that.

"You mean, sounds like I made a good choice to spend that awkward night with you~ Gideon, what do you think of... well, us? Just wondering. If you don't have an answer, that's fine." Thank you. Finally. He smiled a bit, glad to be done with the other conversation. "Well, I'm happy," he told her, grinning and poking her ear with his hand on her head. "Happier than usual, actually. I think that might be you." His face was buried in her hair by this point, and he felt no shame about it - it was soft, and he was comfortable. "I don't really know what you're asking me, though." He was convinced it might be a test. Women seemed to like doing that. What if she asks me if I love her? No, she won't. It's only been a week. "Why, what do you think of us?"

Melanie

"This oughtta cover both of us, right?" Mel was glad he had paid. She was broke... "Yessir, you gotcha! To Pravna!"

"Aaanyway. Again, whatchu got there in that bag, and before I even bother with any other crap, how much are we looking at for the price. If it's too much I may just ignore the whole thing, just so you know." Mel glanced back at her bag. "It's full of metal," she replied, thinking back to her notes. "Lots of bronze, lots of steel. Not much pure stuff, but it's back there." Turning back to him, she leaned her cheek on her hand. "I imagine it's not worth much as is, but a lot of it's in good condition so I could probably make a fair amount of stuff with it. As for your armor, well, that's gonna depend on what kind of fees I get from whatever alchemists I commission."

Her face lit up as she talked, and she began to gesture. "See, I'm thinking a shiftsteel frame for the armor itself, which really isn't hard. You just have to know what you're doing and treat the metal with a few things while you're shaping it. When it's molten, you know? That'll make it easier for you to move around in it, and it's just as durable as anything the army uses." A bump in the road made her yelp and shift in her seat a bit. "S-sorry about that," she said, blushing a bit. "Anyway, the problem will be fireproofing it. I could do it without magic, but that'd take a while and it would defeat the purpose of making it the way I want to. And there has to be some alchemy out there that can imbue armor somehow. I just gotta find out what kind, and who can use it. If they charge me, I'm going to have to charge you, else I won't be able to finish the armor by my deadline. Or...you know, eat."

She looked out the window of the coach, watching as the city behind them grew smaller. "You think I'll be in trouble for not returning my inn key?" she asked idly, producing it from her pocket and twirling it a bit. "The door's unlocked, so I don't think it's a big deal..."

[ReformBlade]

Carrion

Pain and nausea now filled her mind. She barely even registered Adrian there with her current continuous blood loss. Thankfully, the shirt was soaking it up, but it still kept flowing. Clutching at it weakly, she continued to cry when an odd sensation overcame her. Heat... It... It's heat! I've got it back, oh my god! Despite the pain now, she laughed and cried, probably giving mixed signals to Adrian, but she didn't care. After she was healed, she'd show it off to Adrian.

Grant

"Waaait wait wait, you're not giving me numbers here. I'm running on maybe fifty pieces of gold here you realize, and I don't have a job in which I can get a reliable income from. You understand where I'm going with this, right?" If it wasn't one thing it was another completely separate thing getting in his quest for what he thought was justice. "I mean, I'm not selling this sword, and I'm sure as fuck not selling my armor, already sold the helmet. The best I could do is try and find some mana stones and clean those up to sell. I can do that, but chances of finding enough and of any good quality in any decent time are very very slim for me." He watched her play around with the key, laughing. "Ahaha, you actually stole that? Nice, who knows, it might come in handy. There's some people who'd pay a lot for that kind of stuff ya know..."

In the Tower

Knocking on the door, he spoke up. "Ellandra, dear? Sealing room on the double, it's the usual, so don't freak out at the sight of all the blood please..."

Edited August 8, 2011 by SlaveKitty

[Zsword]

Ellandra had quickly packed her gear for the trip. Nothing major, just a back pack full of replacement clothes, and care gear in case it got ripped or something. She was kinda happy to leave town... but she was nervous about this which... but she was going to monitor and heal, she wouldn't have to be in the fray... hopefully. The Magus on the door knocked and she immediately answered, bowing apologetically, nodding with understanding as she rushed down the stairs to the sealing room.

[Nanami Touko]

Amera

"I've been a few things. Farmer's kid, bandit, drifter, woodcutter, and now bodyguard. This is...this is the only one that makes sense." "Well, if you really have tried everything else, then fine. I guess I can live with this." She figured there might be more than he was letting on, but she wasn't about to pry. If he really wanted to tell her, he would. "Well, I'm happy" She smiled, but shivered when he poked her ear, fidgeting a little bit. Ooohhhhh, don't do that right now! You'll just get them itchy, and then I'll want them scratched. "Happier than usual, actually. I think that might be you." "I would hope so. Most people tend to find me friendly." But I'm glad you find me more than that. "I don't really know what you're asking me, though." She glanced up at him, a little confused. "I'm... just asking what you think of us. I mean, a lot of people would think a relationship between an anri and a human to be some sort of horrible thing. I'm glad you don't think like that~" At that, she snuggled up closer to him, pressing her body up against his. "Why, what do you think of us?" She chuckled a little, "I think we offset each other pretty nicely, that's what." Wish I could get over my past, though. It'd make this relationship a lot more fun.

Adrian

Carrion was clutching her chest, which Adrian noticed was actually bleeding, profusely. "Oh, shit..." He whispered, unsure of what to do. That magus guy's going to get a healer in here, right? He'd better! He did this to her! And then she started laughing, which freaked Adrian out even more, "C-Carrion, what's wrong? Wh... Why are you laughing?!" He really wished whoever was the healer would show up already. As if on cue, the same girl from earlier walked in through the door, Adrian's head snapping towards her, "hey! Hey you! You know how to heal, right? Well, help her!"

[Zsword]

Ellandra eeped and rushed over to Carrion, her rings and necklace glowing as she layed her hand's over Carrion's wounds, healing them rapidly, whimpering apologetically as she did. oh dear... this is terrible... he shoulda grabbed me sooner...