eclipse Posted March 11, 2013 Share Posted March 11, 2013 (edited) So I just did the main game of Etrian Odyssey IV. My current guys want a vacation, and I don't have the heart to delete them. Enter this log. Though the entire game is "unlocked" (so I don't have to bumble around finding things), I will be playing through this game as if I didn't unlock (mostly) everything. Thus, the following rules will be in effect: 1. Stratum-appropriate clothing at all times. It would be trivial to stomp through half the game with endgame equips, and that's not the point of this log. 1a. Stratum-appropriate items will also be used (but the items I tend to abuse the most are Ariadne Threads, which are available as soon as the game really begins). 1b. Though I have reclassing, I won't touch it until I reach the point in the game where I'd normally be able to use it. This also means that my subclassing options are limited to what would normally be available during the game (this is only applicable to, like, one class). 2. I won't be using secret passages until I reach the passage's other side. 3. This is a themed run, which means I'm stuck with my main class/subclass options. 4. I'll try to incorporate bits of story in here, but don't hold me too much to this! --- [spoiler=Pointless ramblings]"H-hey, we've got a huge problem!" The man behind the desk arched an eyebrow at the messenger. "What is it?" "Five champions have gone missing!" This caught the man's attention. He stood up abruptly. "Tell me what you know, NOW!" The messenger gulped. "Well, we were in the middle of a practice match, and then everything flickered. When we had vision of the field again, our side was gone!" "How many people know of this incident?" "J-just us, sir. The opponents were bots." The man let out a sigh of relief. "GOOD. Word of this must not get out. Otherwise, this could have disastrous consequences. Do you understand?" --- "What--where am I?" "My body? What happened to my body?" "Ugh, my head hurts." "Do I know you?" The five people looked at each other, quizzically. A sheet of paper fluttered by, and landed in the center of the group. One of them picked it up. She read it through, and frowned. "How quaint," she grumbled. Not one for petty complaints, a man snatched the note out of her hands. His eyes narrowed as he read it. Rather than play pass-the-note-around, he cleared his throat and read it aloud. Greetings! Your group was not chosen by mere chance. We who summoned you were most displeased with how the events of this world unfolded. Some prankster put together a guild full of people named after fruits and vegetables. This motley assortment was enough to save the world. This is a travesty on too many levels. The five of you, each a legend in your own right, must make amends. Your job is to retrace the path of these "heroes". Once you have done that, your next set of instructions will follow. The summoner's spell that keeps you from gutting each other on the Fields of Justice is still in effect. All of you must work together to rewrite history. Then, and only then will we consider sending you back to Runeterra. Oh, and don't mind the minor aesthetic changes. Consider them an alternate skin. "Minor aesthetic changes my foot," one of them grumbled. "New adventurers? What are you doing out here?" The group turned to see a man in a lab coat addressing them. "We're here to talk to the heroes who saved the world," one of the women said bluntly. "Ah, you're talking to the right person! My name is Eggplant. What are your names?" The five newcomers exchanged looks. The weird note spoke true?! "Um, nice to meet you Eggplant," another woman said, shock not quite hidden in her voice. "My name is--" "Hmm, it's getting dark. I'll take you to our guild. We can talk more there." Several shrugs and a facepalm were exchanged, but the five followed their guide into the city. --- "You five are real lucky. The Grocery Guild has had its share of people clamoring to join, but this is the first time they've accepted anyone," the guildmaster said, gruff as ever. "Why thank you," one of the women said icily. "So, miss," the guildmaster continued, ignoring her response, "what's your job and your name?" The woman's jaw briefly clenched. "Sniper, Vayne," she snapped. "Thank you. Next!" "Um, how do you pronounce this?" the woman said, pointing to a job title. "Landsknecht," the guildmaster replied. "Right, that. My name is Riven." "All done. Next!" Another woman stepped up. She looked at the job offerings and sighed. "I can make do with a club, but I'd really like a sword. Fortress, Leona. HEY, ARE YOU LISTENING?" The guildmaster's eyes hastily snapped from Leona's bust to the sheet of paper in front of him. "Yes, I am. Next!" The two remaining members of the group eyed each other before the man sighed and walked up. "Nightseeker, Talon," he said evenly. The guildmaster nodded. The final member of the group walked up. "Medic, Soraka." "Your registration is complete! Best of luck on your endeavors!" Soraka waved as the group was hustled off to the other parts of town. --- "That should be everything you need to know!" Eggplant said warmly. "Now go out there and make a name for yourselves!" The group waited until he was out of earshot before turning to themselves. "Following in the footsteps of the legendary Grocery Guild as a training exercise? I can't believe that you spewed that," Talon said, turning to Leona, "or that they bought it." "I didn't hear any bright ideas from you," Leona shot back. "We have to work together!" Soraka stepped in. "I suppose I can work with this," Vayne grumbled. "Let's go," Riven stated. Surprisingly, the other four followed her into the Mine. What will happen to them? Well. . .you'll find out~! Like now! --- [spoiler=More pointless rambling]"I don't think we can use these for fighting," Leona noted, as she swung the pickax around. "It's used to retrieve something called Iridescent Ore," Riven explained, her face showing signs of irritation. "I don't remember being told about this," Soraka said, as she pointed to the creature standing in front of the mine. "We'd have to tickle it to death," Vayne said bitterly, as she looked at the weapon in her hands. "It doesn't appear to be interested in us," Talon noted, as the group passed by the giant baboon. --- "Hmph. Nothing but grasshoppers and pillbugs." The group had little trouble beating the smaller monsters they encountered. Rather than dirty her hands, Vayne volunteered to keep an eye out for the roving baboons. The warnings proved to be useful in their own right, as the group had to pack up and leave before they'd exhausted the vein. On their final attempt, they found a chunk of the mysterious Ore. Not wanting to take their chances further, they started back. Talon's sharp eyes found a shortcut back, much to the relief of everyone else. They slipped by the large baboon, and made it back to town in one piece. Leona happily walked out of the store with a new shield. The group returned to the inn to rest - unlike their own world, health and mana (called TP) did not regenerate over time. [spoiler=Last one for the night]"I'm pretty sure filling the bag with grasshopper legs wasn't on the guild's list of things to do when they first started," Vayne spat. She'd be happy if she never saw another bug again. "We got out of that one intact," Leona mused. "Can't say the same about those frogs." "Why do they keep going after me?" Riven grumbled. "You yell too much," Talon replied sharply. Current status: Everyone is at 4-5 (staggered because Riven wasn't kidding when she said she was the target of everything). The only ones that didn't have to be dragged out of the dungeon are Vayne and Soraka. Back row has its benefits! Edited March 11, 2013 by eclipse Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eclipse Posted March 12, 2013 Author Share Posted March 12, 2013 (edited) [spoiler=Boring story stuff]"That's the second time that oversized pill bug and baboon have sent us running," Leona grumbled. She'd managed to stay alive both times, but her team hadn't been so lucky. The innkeeper didn't mind the extra business, but the team's bank account had seen better days. "Our next assignment is to take out any of the giant bears. We can't do it in this state," Vayne commented. "We can go back to that place with the deer," Riven suggested. "UGH. Those frogs!" Riven chuckled a bit at Soraka's complaint. The frogs had been especially fond of the latter's hair. "Hmph. Nothing here is worth getting worked up over," Talon commented wryly. "I saw you turn white when that dragon flew right next to us," Leona smirked. "Oh, so you've seen the legendary creature?" Everyone (except for Talon) jumped as Chestnut, the Grocery Guild's Fortress, joined the conversation. "Yeah. We ducked into the labyrinth to make sure it didn't see us," Riven replied. "Hah, that's something we didn't have to worry about when we started out! Let me talk to the rest of my team. There's gotta be some way to compensate for that oversized lizard flying around." The group watched wordlessly as Chestnut ambled out. ". . .just what is going on here?" Soraka mused. The Big Roller/Baboon combo is doing a number on my party. Those things are damaging me faster than I can kill them. As for the exception. . .it's a straight warp to the second cave on the map (because flying around collecting vegetables while dodging the dragon is an experience I never want to repeat). My party is in the 9-10 range. Edited March 12, 2013 by eclipse Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IGdood Posted March 12, 2013 Share Posted March 12, 2013 They're all League of Legend names! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eclipse Posted March 14, 2013 Author Share Posted March 14, 2013 They're all League of Legend names! The stuff in the spoilers is story. . . [spoiler=More story]"What is it?" Olive stated, not looking up from the paperwork that cluttered her desk. "We're here for our next assignment," Vayne said, her voice betraying no emotion. "You were to kill one of the roaming bears on the first two levels of the labyrinth. Surely you didn't--" Talon interrupted her by tossing the bear paw, still wet with blood, on her papers. "A good two levels below when we first pulled it off. Not bad. Kill one of the red bears on the third level of the first labyrinth." Despite the conversation, Olive's eyes never left the top of her desk. "Very well," Soraka said mildly, as four of them turned and left. Leona picked up the proof of kill before following. Olive looked up as the fortress left. "That one has potential," she mumbled to herself before going back to her work. --- Leona finished changing into something more fitting for Tharsis' streets. Vayne had no doubt left town to train. Riven's hangout the weapons shop. Soraka usually passed her free time chatting to the innkeeper, and she didn't care what Talon did during his downtime, provided that it wouldn't get the rest of them kicked out of the guild. She looked at her forearm, and winced at the bruise that covered most of it. Her job was to protect the others, and usually she could do it. She thought back to the previous days, where she'd barely made it out, with at least one of her companions slung over her shoulder. Those days reminded her that she had a long way to train. Her wandering stopped at the city square. The sun was on its way down. She silently wished that the sun in this world would behave like the sun in Runeterra. Over here, she couldn't harness its powers. What chance would the monsters she encountered here have against the golden armor and shield of the Solari? A thump brought her back to reality. "Oh, I'm sorry miss~!" the man said. His bright red hair contrasted his otherwise tanned appearance. Leona quickly glanced at the man's hands, followed by the sword strapped to his side. His easygoing demeanor wasn't enough to hide his skill with the sword. "Ha, have I taken the words out of your lovely mouth?" Leona felt her face go red. Who was this guy?! "W-what do you want?" she managed to spit out. He chuckled at her response. "Some time to get to know you at the Dancing Peacock, if I may be so forward. My treat, of course!" It took all of her willpower not to slap the man silly. She was Leona, the Radiant Dawn, NOT some dimwitted village girl who wanted to be swept off her feet by the first silver tongue she met! "What kind of woman do you think I am?" she yelled. A part of her regretted it when people on the street stopped to stare at her. "One that is gracious enough to not make a scene in the city square. Now, shall we?" Before she could protest, he took her hand and led her to the bar. --- Despite its looks, the Dancing Peacock had a very impressive menu. The roasted Tharsis duck, paired with a mellow ale, put Leona in much better spirits than when she had first entered the bar. The man, who had introduced himself as Tomato, looked pleased with himself. "I hope the meal has put you in better spirits. I imagine you're quite, ah, radiant when you smile," he said smoothly. "This is much better than the bar food back home," Leona commented. The man's smile disappeared, but the glint in his eye didn't. Leona arched an eyebrow as he glanced around the room. "You're less defensive. This is good. Back at home, what did you do?" Leona's head snapped to meet the man's gaze. Gone was the singsong flirting in his voice. "I protected people," she said simply. He shook his head. "With a mace and shield? You don't look comfortable when you wield both at the same time." How would he know? She did her best to practice when everyone else was asleep! "I, ah. . ." she trailed off. "Your mace technique looks like you're swinging a sword. Why didn't you sign up as a Landsknecht?" "I'm better at defense than offense," she replied. He smiled in response. "What if you could wield that sword you wish you had, while protecting people and moving yourself out of harm's way?" Leona's eyes widened. What was he talking about? "It looks like you're interested. It won't be easy, especially with Olive's rules against direct help from the other guild members. I think it would be okay as long as you, ah, 'coincidentally' met your teacher. I'm usually here during dinner, so if you're interested, do let me know," Leona felt her face go red when he presented her with her wallet. "Try not to daydream in the middle of town. You never know who will make off with your valuables." She watched wordlessly as he left the bar. Her wallet felt light in her hands. . .too light. She opened it, and found that most of her money was gone - about enough to pay for dinner. "I will kill you the next time I see you," she growled. Killed one of the FOEs on the first floor. Luckily, no one died (though I had to reset once when Talon was OHKO'd by the thing, even with Strike Guard up). Once I killed it, I went back to town, because mostly everyone was out of TP. Currently opening up paths on B3, which is FUN, because I still can't deal with the Big Rollers efficiently (and by that, I mean "without spamming links"). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balcerzak Posted March 14, 2013 Share Posted March 14, 2013 Do I forsee a Fortress/Dancer in the making? I think I do, I think I do. And I like it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eclipse Posted March 15, 2013 Author Share Posted March 15, 2013 Do I forsee a Fortress/Dancer in the making? I think I do, I think I do. And I like it. TEE-HEE~! [spoiler=First labyrinth done]Much to the group's amusement, Olive requested not one, but all four of the wandering red bears dead. "It's to prove that you can beat the big guy at the end," she said dismissively. "She didn't say we had to kill all of them at the same time," Talon whispered, once they had left Olive's office. "Our bank account won't mind the extra padding," Riven whispered back. Once the five had dispersed to prepare, Leona let out a sigh. "My wallet is ready!" --- "The oddly-colored monsters are faster than the others," Vayne commented wryly. "That red bear over there shares that same trait." "We can come back later," Soraka suggested. "But--" Riven started. "I don't have enough juice in me to keep all of you patched up. Leona can only take so many hits before she goes down," the healer of the group continued. "All right," Riven grumbled. Leona felt her face flush again. She'd barely recovered her pride after that. . .man had eaten on her dime. It looked like Soraka didn't have enough faith in her ability to keep the others alive, despite the fact that it had been several days since they'd had to drop someone off at the clinic for emergency healing. "We're leaving," Talon said loudly. Leona's attention snapped to the current situation. She moved as fast as she could towards the now-retreating group. "What's gotten into me?" she wondered silently. --- It took a few more days (including another trip when the last red bear they were sent to kill appeared with lighter-than-normal fur), but they brought them down. Olive did not seem impressed by their progress. Normally, this wouldn't bother Leona, but all the little things that had happened were distracting her. More than once, she lost her focus in battle, only to be saved by those she was supposed to be protecting. She was sure that they noticed, but none of them said anything to her, which worried her more. Tomato's words came back to her. She tried to push them out of her head, but her feet had other ideas. She found herself standing in front of the Dancing Peacock, right after sunset. If she couldn't find the courage to face her problems here, how could she expect to find the strength to protect her team? She bit her lip and opened the door. "I thought I'd never see your pretty face again~!" Tomato sang, as he pulled a chair out for her to sit. She glared back at him. "About last time--" she started, but Tomato laughed. "Consider that an advance fee. I can't help you directly, but I can take requests at the bar. It says so in the guild rules. Surely someone as marvelous as you would know when she needs help!" Leona bit the stream of curses short. It wouldn't do to make a scene in here. "I didn't ask for your help," she grumbled. "You seemed interested in the advice I gave you; thus, consider that dinner the fee for the request. I cannot teach you myself, but if you happen to go to the same place where you first landed at 11 PM. . ." he trailed off. "The moon is quite beautiful at that time." "The moon. . ." she repeated dully. Why did he have to remind her of THAT? Tomato cleared his throat. "Well, I hope you find what you're looking for," he said, a bit louder than normal conversation. She barely noticed that he took her hand and kissed it before he walked out of the bar. "Ah, he never learns," the bartender said, amusement in her voice. Leona blinked. "I--it's not like that!" she said hastily. "The color in your cheeks says otherwise, miss," came the reply. "Don't take him too seriously. He flirts with whoever he thinks will offer him the most amusement, and he doesn't differentiate between male and female. I think he'd be more interested in that man that came with you guys." Leona giggled. Talon would gut him first and ask questions later! "You're laughing. This is good! I have no idea what you asked him, but I've never seen him fail a request." "Thank you," Leona said, a smile on her face as she left the bar. The bartender watched her go, and smiled. "Tomato's the sweetest to redheaded ladies like you, miss. I've never seen him act so seriously around a lass," she said to herself as she wiped the counter. "I shall have to keep an eye on both of them." --- The night wind whipped around Leona as she made her way out of town. She was silently thankful for her new hairstyle - her original, long hair would've found its way into her mouth. The nearly-full moon illuminated her path. Pavement gave way to dirt, and walls slowly transformed into trees. Her foot caught something, and she stumbled into a tree. Who'd left a twig here? Something glinted. On closer examination, the "twig" was a broken arrow. What was something like that doing all the way out here? The trees ended a bit before a small cliff. The moon's light turned what would've been an ordinary meadow into an ethereal field. In the center of that field, a silver glimmer bobbed. A small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. "Bastard." --- "I don't believe this," Riven whispered to the group. They'd made their way down to where they'd spied the largest bear any of them had seen. The red bears looked like cubs compared to this behemoth. Through some miracle, it had not noticed the group. "We're not winning this one fair and square," Talon quietly ordered. The others nodded, as they took their positions behind their mark. "GO!" --- "We. . .won. . ." Vayne gasped out. "It wasn't that bad," Talon shot back. "You weren't the one. . .that thing wanted to kill. . ." Leona couldn't argue with that logic. For whatever reason, the giant bear had gone after Vayne whenever it wasn't busy yelling. It was thanks to Talon's blinding techniques and Soraka's healing that the Sniper lived. The cuts on her arm still oozed blood, and more of it splattered her clothes. "You had me to keep you safe," Leona responded to Talon. The latter snorted, most likely in amusement. "That's the best I can do. You won't bleed out on the way back," Soraka said. "You're heartless," Riven said. She wasn't bleeding from as many cuts as Vayne was, but her face had far too little color in it. "There's a time and place to be frugal," Leona stated. She winced as she reached for something in the group's pack. She'd have to tend to her own wounds once they were out of danger. "This isn't it." Before anyone else could object, she broke the thread. In moments, the group found themselves back in Tharsis. Ariadne Threads were relatively expensive, and not to be used lightly. The group deserved a break. . .this time. --- "Not bad," Olive said. She surveyed the group. "Everyone's standing." "No one was going to die on my watch," Soraka said proudly. "That's what Eggplant said, too," Olive retorted with a smile. "Get some rest. You've only just begun." The Big Bad Bear didn't like Vayne for whatever reason, and kept binding her arms. Vayne didn't care, because she was focused on auto-attacking (like any good carry). Riven Chased the thing, and Talon inflicted status effects so he could use Biding Slice to greater effect. Leona kept people alive by using herself as a shield, and Soraka made sure no one died. I ran through all three of my Amritas (charity's a good thing), and I don't regret it. NEXT UP: ASDFLJAS;FLJALSFJALJSD GREEDY LIZARDS! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eclipse Posted March 16, 2013 Author Share Posted March 16, 2013 [spoiler=A bit of story]"Ugh, what is that smell?!" Vayne protested. "You Demacians too good for sewers?" Talon taunted. "Now's not the time to fight," Soraka said, stepping between them. Her nose wrinkled. "That's an unpleasant scent." --- The smell turned out to be some sort of sulfur. After several failed tries, it was agreed that the group would take no more than ten steps; after that, Vayne was all but useless, and the other three women could barely stand. Talon didn't mind the smell (as Noxus' sewers held far more powerful aromas), but he disliked carrying the rest of the group out one by one. During one of the failed runs, Soraka spotted a door to the south. The group ran to it, and made it out with time to spare. While everyone else caught their breath, Talon scouted ahead. He frowned when he saw a giant lizard prowling around. "We can't stay here for too long," he announced sternly. Vayne glared at him. Everyone else was silent. By taking short forays into the room, they learned the pattern of the second lizard. Riven saw the second door at the far end of the room. The group gathered their courage (and in Vayne's case, breath), and sprinted towards it. The group's attempt at the door caught the lizard's attention. Panic gave them the strength necessary to make it to the door. Once they got through, everyone took a short break. A little bit of investigation yielded a shortcut to a harvest point, which was a welcome distraction. While wandering in the big room, Vayne noticed a shortcut through the wall. It looked useful enough, but then the fumes got to everyone that wasn't Talon, and they had to leave. Through some backtracking and mapping, they eventually got to a third door. This in turn led to some other shortcuts. Their map indicated that they were close to their goal - a Night Shard. It took some false starts, but eventually they slipped past the final lizard. A little more observation through the door, and they got to the mine point. As usual, Vayne didn't want to dirty her hands with mining, so she kept an eye out for the errant lizard. Unlike last time, they didn't have to wait too long before finding a Night Shard. With their newfound equipment in hand, they left as soon as possible. "Now the real trouble begins." Miasma Forest was FUN, but the monsters didn't pose too much of a threat. The worst was when a Muddle Hypha got the better of Vayne, which usually ends badly (even in a game of LoL). Soraka was completely out of mana before I got to the mine point. My party vowed not to be quite so reckless before returning to Tharsis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eclipse Posted March 17, 2013 Author Share Posted March 17, 2013 [spoiler=That was unexpected]Survival meant adapting to one's environment. Talon's life was centered around surviving in places where most would've wound up dead. All of his fights had been against opponents that weren't human. Some of the monsters would've been felled quickly by the same techniques he used back in Noxus; others were too big to kill efficiently in such a manner. Still others had physiology that he'd never seen before. Though he hate to admit it, he was grateful to the others for what they did, whether it be distracting the enemy or healing him in the middle of battle. He looked over his supply of poisons. Teemo was famous for going alone into the Plague Jungles to collect his supplies of poison. To Talon, collecting and distilling the ingredients were mundane tasks. He wasn't sure what drove the yordle, but--speaking of small, annoying things. . . "What do you want?" he snapped. The figure in the shadows jumped and scurried off. It was the third time this week he'd seen her. He got a good look at her the first time he caught her - she looked more like a distant relative of Soraka than a human. Soraka had called them "Vessels", whatever that meant. The guild had taken the girl in for some reason, but it seemed that she had a knack of getting into more trouble than she was worth. His thought were interrupted by someone standing in front of him, and that same girl cowering behind that person. "I have no idea what Pomelo sees in you," the person said sternly. "Neither do I," he responded gruffly. The girl (what kind of name was Pomelo?) peeked out. "She'll be a powerful arcanist one day. She's also shy, and you're the first person that she seems to like." "I--it's okay, Wufan," Pomelo stuttered. "You can speak?" Wufan glared at Talon. "Arcanists use the powers of the earth to disable groups of opponents. She can use the binding circles easily. She needs help with casting the afflicting circles." "You expect me to teach her? I use poison, not some magical circle," he snapped. "Your poisons are made up of metals and plants. Both of these are tied to the earth. We are not as different as you think," she replied. "Hmph. She'd have better luck stealing the hair off of my head." It was a good thing that Talon and Wufan weren't paying attention to Pomelo, or they would've seen her eyes light up. --- "What the--" Riven started, as Talon retrieved the bud. "You decapitated a flower?!" "It's dead. Why should you care?" "When we get back, I'm telling Zyra," Vayne said with a snicker. --- It didn't take them too long to figure out how to get into the Moth's Garden without the monster outside of it interfering. They'd misjudged the flying mantis outside of the Noisy Marsh. It took a while, but eventually the oversized insect fell. Olive was less-than-pleased when they told her about what should've been an easy rescue mission. They'd gone to assist what looked like a downed ship, and sorely misjudged the monsters outside of the ship. It was thanks to Kirjonen that they weren't dead. --- "We've killed off everything in this land that's worth killing," Riven said, as she admired her new gloves. "Next, we go back and defeat the giant birds that fly near Tharsis," Vayne continued. "Swain will not be pleased," Leona joked. "Swain can kiss my ass," Talon said bitterly. "Such rough language around children," Soraka scolded. Talon looked behind him, and saw a familiar shadow run off. "Let's go," he ordered. He toyed with the thought of pushing that kid out of the basket, if she were dumb enough to sneak on. Note to self: A downed ship means a battle with two FOEs in postgame. I like Weak Shield. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eclipse Posted March 18, 2013 Author Share Posted March 18, 2013 NORMALLY, I'd append this. NORMALLY, I don't finish entire strata, so I'll make an exception. [spoiler=This will take a while]"I thought that oversized pigeon would be worse," Leona commented, as she brushed the last of the feathers out of her hair. They'd just delivered their report to Olive, who took it in stride, and were on their way to Berund Atelier, where they'd split the profits before going their separate ways. Talon thought he saw a shadow out of the corner of his eye, but a further check revealed nothing out of the ordinary. Everyone else stopped when they saw Leona standing in a patch of sunlight, her eyes closed. She opened her eyes after a few minutes and rejoined the group. "The sun is silent. How do they live like this?" "The plants here are amazing," Soraka said. "I could spend the rest of my life studying them!" "Silver is much cheaper here," Vayne stated. "The two nations are trying to help each other, not bring each other down. Valoran could learn something from this!" Riven added. "Hmph, you've grown weak," Talon grumbled. "I'm strong enough to find my own way," Riven retorted. "Peace, you two. You can debate over the finer point of Noxus' philosophy later. Let's sell our spoils and go," Soraka cut in. The two Noxians glared at each other, but didn't push the argument. One of the shadows moved. Soraka turned around and winked at it. --- "This creature is the source of all those weird beings? I will enjoy killing her!" Vayne stated, as she unslung her bow. "Someone's in a good mood today," Leona noted wryly. "Will you two shut up and give the rest of us a hand?" Talon snapped. Riven said nothing, as she rolled to lessen the impact from one of the Hollow Queen's servants. Soraka finished her incantation, and the worst of Riven's wounds closed. Thanks to Talon's knives, what should've been a difficult battle became a tedious one. --- Pretending to sleep was something that came easily to Talon. On their later trips into the labyrinth, he'd noticed that someone or other would be fighting worse than usual. The damned summoner's spell wouldn't let him abandon them to their fate, no matter how much he wanted to. Instead, he'd find out what was keeping them from doing their job, and fix that. The first one to leave was Vayne, who made as much noise as the shadows she melted into. This didn't surprise him. The next one out of bed was Riven. Her exit wasn't as quiet as Vayne's, but for someone who swung a large hunk of metal, it was impressive. Leona was next to go. Talon was certain that the noises he heard were because Leona was more accustomed to walking in armor than regular clothes. Much to his surprise, Soraka sprang up right afterwards, and made enough noise to wake half the guild. As soon as the door closed, Talon quietly got up and left. A light in a storage room caught Talon's attention. He carefully peeked into the slightly-ajar door, and saw Soraka with her nose in a book. He groaned quietly to himself. She wasn't going to go anywhere. He left her and set out to find the others. The town only had one gate, and getting out was trivial. The full moon was a blessing and a curse; he was able to see much more easily, but it made it harder for him to stick to the shadows. He came to a fork in the road. A snapped twig on the left fork caught his attention. That road led to the Old Forest Mine. Who would go there at this time of night? He glanced around before setting off. It didn't take long (by his standards) before he was in front of the Mine. He hid himself as someone exited. Riven passed within arm's reach, but didn't so much as hesitate before walking back to Tharsis. What was she doing there? He stepped out onto the main path, and froze. His legs wouldn't move?! As he assessed the situation, his arms flew to his sides, and stayed there. A girl stepped out in front of him. "I--I heard about where you were from. Where the strong live and the weak die. I--I don't want to be weak, but. . .but. . ." the girl trailed. Talon glared. The moonlight illuminated the dagger in her hands. He cursed his own carelessness. To die out here, by the hands of someone like HER would be the worst way to go! She slowly approached him, dagger held all wrong. If only he could do something about his arms! The paralysis lifted. He was. . .alive? "You said that if I stole the hair off of your head, you'd teach me!" she said, as she held up a lock of hair she'd cut. Laughter cut his response short. Riven stood off to the side, holding her sides. "I don't know what possessed you, but that was nicely done!" Riven gasped out between giggles. "With wits like that, you'd do just fine in Noxus!" The girl's eyes widened in surprise. Talon sorely wished he could slit their throats and be done with it. It was one thing to lose to a better fighter, but quite another to lose his pride in front of those two! "That's quite enough," a stern voice interrupted. Wufan walked into view, a frown on her face. "I've heard about you, miss," she said pointedly to Riven. "I'll let. . .him decide your fate. Go back." Riven nodded and ran off. She turned to the girl, who looked back at her defiantly. "Pomelo, we're NOT supposed to use our abilities on each other!" she scolded. "He wasn't gonna listen to someone that only talks! That's what Soraka said!" The girl's hands flew to her mouth when she realized what she had just said. Talon hated to admit it, but Riven was right. A Noxian mage with her abilities would've done something similar. Wufan and the child continued to argue over semantics. They'd probably argue until morning, and he had better things to do with his time. "As for you," Wufan snapped, turning to Talon, "what were you doing out here?" "Everyone left, and I wanted to know where they went," Talon said. "I still haven't accounted for two of them." Wufan narrowed her eyes. "When I passed by your quarters, three people were in bed." "Wufan, what if they returned before you showed up?" Pomelo asked. Talon bit his response off. He would've said the same thing. "She'll be binding more than arms and legs if you don't get her under control," Talon said evenly. "You don't seem capable of doing that." Wufan's mouth opened and closed. "Does that mean you'll teach me how to be strong?" He sighed. This was going all wrong. "No. I will show you why you'd never last a day in Noxus." Pomelo giggled. "I am NOT done with you yet!" Wufan's words were lost on the two as they walked back down the path. "You handled that brilliantly," a dry voice commented from behind. "What do you want?" Wufan snapped. The man behind her snickered. "No need to be short with me. Your errant student found someone she'd listen to. Isn't that what you wanted?" Wufan sighed. "I think they managed to break most of the guild rules with that stunt," she grumbled. "No permanent harm was done. Give it a rest, will ya?" "And what of your charge?" Wufan asked flatly. "Ah, her. I told her to come back when she can lift the biggest drive blade in Berund Atelier with one hand." It was Wufan's turn to chuckle. "Talon wouldn't so much as speak to Pomelo until she stole the hair off of his head. This group seems to break everyone's expectations." "I look forward to it." The Hollow Queen is a magnet for status effects, and Talon was more than happy to apply them. She was blinded for a while, then paralyzed. I didn't get a chance to curse her before she died. 10/10 worst story idea ever, but I couldn't resist Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eclipse Posted March 19, 2013 Author Share Posted March 19, 2013 I did this yesterday, but was too tired to write it out. So, here goes~! [spoiler=eclipse keeps rambling]"Why are they giving this to us?" Riven asked, as she examined the jacket she'd been given. Olive said they'd need it, but didn't really specify much more than that. "The next place is in the mountains. It can get cold up there," Leona answered. --- "How does Ashe manage it?" Vayne asked herself. Even with the winter gear they were given, she was still cold. The gloves she was given protected her hands, but she couldn't shoot while she wore them! "I hope we don't have to fight anything out here," Soraka grumbled. The shadow of a giant bird briefly blotted the sun. "I hope we find a nice warm place to land!" Riven shouted. In the distance, the group could see a cave. "I hope I'm surrounded by intelligent people," Talon added. Four glares answered him. "Does that mean you four aren't intelligent?" --- The cave that they'd spotted was far worse than warm. Vayne felt sweat drop from her brow. Despite the heat, Leona didn't look too uncomfortable. Maybe it was a Solari thing. "What is up with this cave?" Soraka asked, as she examined an unusually icy patch in the midst of the heat. "DON'T MOVE!" Vayne yelled. Soraka froze. Vayne removed a knife from her belt and carefully cut something near Soraka's heel. She gingerly prodded the strange object, then felt her blade. It was freezing cold. "Ice growing in the middle of a volcanic cave? Interesting," Soraka said, as she wrapped a spare cloth around the stick and carefully put it in the group's pack. By the time the group left the first point, they'd cut three of the icy sticks from the ground. The monsters in this cave were much harder than anyone anticipated. Vayne frowned as she saw her arrows bounce off of the amorphous lava lumps that attacked the group. The others had ice techniques, but she didn't have any such tricks at her disposal. Back in Demacia, she'd relied on her training, which was focused on marksmanship and improving herself. Her aim wasn't the issue, because all of her arrows had hit. While stronger weapons existed, she wasn't allowed to use them yet. This left herself as the weakest link. Much of her previous training simply didn't work here. What was she missing? "Augh, what is that thing? It's heating my armor up!" Leona complained. "One of the other guild members said that they were lizard scales, and they could be shattered by ice rods," Soraka explained. "But how did they get close enough to use them?" "Give me that," Talon demanded. He ran up and stabbed the strange object with the stake he'd grabbed. Soraka gasped when she saw the burns on his face. "You didn't walk away from the last battle unscathed! Don't be so reckless!" she scolded. Talon said nothing as her magic healed the worst of the damage. "Looks like the sewer rat can't be trusted with this," Vayne said with contempt. She ignored the rat's glare, and continued. "Leona would be roasted alive before she could stab those things, and Soraka can't afford to be hurt." She turned to Riven. "And you rarely walk away from a battle without some wound or other." "I'm in front," Riven said sourly. "I know." Vayne took another ice stick out of the pack. "I will get rid of those scales." --- It took a few tries, but she was able to tumble near a scale, stab it close to the base, and back away with relatively little damage. The path through the strange place was slower than normal, because of the extreme heat, as well as the turtles that roamed wild. Eventually, they came upon a pile of scales. The heat was far worse than the single scales. Leona stayed near the door, for her own safety. The rest of the party couldn't go much further into the room. Vayne looked at the pile and snarled. They would NOT be stopped by some lizard castings. She sprinted as much as she could, and rolled. She came up short, but she refused to stop. Putting an arm up to protect her face, she willed herself forward, then buried the stake as far as it would go. The room cooled off. . .and continued to cool. The water around the room froze. "Just great," she grumbled. The rapidly-cooling room didn't make her feel better. Soraka hastily healed as much as she could. Vayne wiggled her nose, and winced. It would take more than a quick patch-up to heal that! Her thoughts were interrupted by pounding. Leona rammed her shield against the newly-formed ice. "I can't even crack it," she explained. "We should be able to cross safely." Vayne and Talon exchanged a look as Leona slid across on her feet. How'd she do that with all that armor? Riven went next, and almost made it across before she landed flat on her face. The momentum was enough to propel her to the other side. Talon stifled a giggle, then motioned for Vayne to go. She rolled her eyes, and rolled. She came out of her roll about halfway across the ice, and let physics propel her crouched form to the other side. She dusted herself off and smirked. "Ladies first," Talon said gruffly. Soraka said nothing and started across. Like Riven, she tripped. Unlike Riven, she was stuck in the middle of the ice patch. A firm shove from behind drove her forward. She got up and glared at Talon, who'd slid to the other side. "What the hell was that for?" she asked darkly, as she rubbed her rear end. "It was the fastest way to get you across. Quit complaining and let's go." --- "Any bright ideas?" Vayne grumbled. Their exploration of the second floor was blocked by water. "I heard that there's a second entrance to this forsaken place," Riven volunteered. Vayne arched an eyebrow. "You'd know these things if you'd take the time to talk to others." --- Once they resupplied and rested, they set out again to find the second entrance. Leona spotted a second cave entrance not far from the Pole that they used to warp to and from Tharsis. They danced around the giant reptile that guarded the place, and rushed in before the monster could damage the ship. The cave was oddly quiet. . .and comfortable. A large bat flew by them. "Uh, Leona. . .I don't think this is it," Riven said uncertainly. "Giant bats. . .oh no. . ." Soraka said. "Don't tell me you're afraid of those, too," Talon snapped. "We're in the Cramped Nest," she tried to explain. Four blank looks answered her. "Follow the bats. Unless you want to return to Runeterra in multiple body bags." Though no one understood the logic in Soraka's advice, they followed as best as they could. Miraculously, they made it through the area more-or-less unscathed. Vayne knelt to examine bloodstains on the wall. The owner of those bloodstains, an unlucky soldier, lay twisted in the cracks of the wall. He was long past caring about people staring at him. Soraka looked up, and pointed at the nearest bat. They wordlessly followed it out of the cave. --- Riven spotted the next cave. The group was almost relieved when they felt a heat wave greet them. They'd made sure to stock up on curatives, as they weren't sure how long they'd have to stay down there. "Did I mention that I hate turtles," Vayne grumbled, as the group ran a circle around one of the giant beasts. They dove through the nearest door, and breathed a sigh of relief when it closed behind them. Eventually, they found a staircase up. The change in temperature was much more welcome this time. Soraka examined the walls - they'd gone from natural rock to something that nature didn't shape. They were close to. . .something sentient. They slid across another icy patch, and were stopped by. . .what was that? He looked something like Nasus' distant relative. "Hail explorers. What brings you here?" The group exchanged looks. He sounded like a younger Nasus! "We're, uh, here on behalf of the Grocery Guild--" Soraka started. "Ah, yes, them! They saved our village!" the creature interrupted happily. "My younger brother lives because of them!" The guard beckoned them to follow him, which they did. Much to their surprise, the village they were taken to was full of life. Unlike the Vessel's village, this one bustled. Off to one side, a group of what looked like students trained. Smaller creatures, most likely children, ran around. One stopped and stared at Vayne. She stared right back at it. "Brother, are all humans this bold?" he asked the guard. The elder creature looked at Vayne, then laughed. "She's got the same eyes as the first lady with arrows that came to our village," he replied. "But that lady was curious. This one looks pained." "What is that supposed to mean?" Vayne snapped. "It means what it means," the guard answered cryptically. The group continued to follow the guard and his brother. Eventually, they stopped in front of a totem of some sort. "This was where our leader, Kibagami, tested the humans. He told them about their true potential as well. Ask him for more details!" Soraka fished for something out of the pack. She held it up triumphantly. "We'll do that now!" The group vanished in front of the guard's eyes. He turned to his younger brother and sighed. "Just as impatient as the last group, too," he complained. Reached the Sentinel village, and opened up a bunch of pathways. This gives me subclassing. I think two should be obvious - the other three. . .well, you'll see~! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eclipse Posted March 23, 2013 Author Share Posted March 23, 2013 [spoiler=Yet more story]"What IS this thing?" Leona grumbled. It was thanks to Soraka's magic that everyone was still standing. One minute, she'd be standing guard over someone, and the next, she'd pick herself up off the ground, in a pool of what she guessed was her own blood. She turned, just in time to see Talon impaled by a freezing claw. Soraka sighed and began chanting. Leona moved to protect the healer, as she worked her magic. Vayne moved into view. No matter how many of her arrows hit the thing, it shrugged it off and kept attacking. "You're supposed to be the one doing damage. . .what's going on?" --- Through the din of battle, Leona's comment reached Vayne's ears. The sniper KNEW she was the one doing the least damage, but this wasn't the time to break the team's morale! Lost in her musings, she failed to see the thing approach her. She cried out as its claw raked her midsection. To her horror, she saw her internal organs spill out. This was the end. . . --- Riven's eyes widened in horror as she saw Vayne collapse. Soraka's face was deathly pale, but she kept on chanting. The creature lumbered towards the healer. This was no good. "Hey, ASSHOLE, over here!" Riven cried, as she charged the monster. It turned, just in time for Riven's strike. It staggered, roared in defiance, and turned towards the enraged swordswoman. Despite its injuries, its strikes were as lightning fast as ever. The first one drew blood, but Riven's armor prevented it from being a fatal blow. She turned towards her opponent, and slipped in her own blood. A claw came down, aimed directly for her head. She put an arm up to shield herself-- --and winced as she heard a clang. Leona gingerly got up, and winced. Her shield arm hung at an odd angle. "What the hell?! You're supposed to be protecting Soraka!" Riven yelled. "She can't revive two people at once," Leona gasped, "and something's horribly wrong with Vayne." Riven spared a glance behind herself. Soraka ran towards Vayne, then tripped a few feet away from her target. Undeterred, she rose to all fours and crawled. An inhuman roar brought Riven's attention back to the battle. Talon desperately dove away from a slice that would've cleaved him in two. However, the ice and blood on the ground made it nearly impossible for him to rise. Without a second thought, Riven rushed towards him, swinging her blade. He had the sense to duck, and the sword bit deep. The distraction forced the monster to pause. This gave Talon enough time to rise to his knees, and bury one of his own blades into the wound that Riven created. It shrieked and fell forward. Talon twisted, but wasn't able to fully escape the falling corpse. Riven winced as she heard bone crunch, followed by a scream. The assassin was alive, but his legs were trapped under the now-dead mantis. "This could've gone better," she mumbled, as she approached the scene. Talon's usual gaze held pain rather than contempt. Heavy footsteps indicated that Leona was not far behind her. She looked at the dead insect. If she could just get her sword underneath that thing. . .there! Using her good arm, Leona helped to drag Talon away from the battle. Riven blanched as she caught a glimpse of his injuries, and the trail of blood that led to him, then let the mantis fall. One of its claws had detached itself from its body, which made Riven smile. It was the first thing to go right that day. With their proof of kill in hand, she joined the others. Soraka sat next to Vayne, and shook her head. Blood stained the corners of the healer's mouth. This was the worst shape they'd ever been in. "We'll come back to the cave later. We need to get back, NOW!" Riven broke the spare thread she'd found in the team's bag. The icy scenery was replaced with the bustle of Tharsis. She hailed one of the guards. "We're from Guild Grocery, and we need healers. . ." The guard gasped, as Riven swayed. She looked down, and saw that her wounds still bled freely. If she lost this much blood, then how was she still. . .standing. . . --- Sounds disturbed her sleep. Another one pierced her sleep-fogged mind. "Good morning, sunshine." Leona stood by her bed, her arm bound. Some distance away, Talon glared back at her from his bed. His legs were bound in a similar manner to Leona's arm. "What happened?" Riven asked, and coughed, then tried to sit up. She bit her lip as pain raced through her midsection. The cut was covered but was hardly healed. Leona passed her a cup with a straw, which Riven gratefully took. Though she wanted to down the entire thing, her training didn't let her. Small sips were best after heavy injury. "The healers are working on my arm and Talon's legs. We should be ready for action in a week. Soraka used too much of her power, and has been ordered to stay in bed for the next five days. Vayne is alive, but still hasn't woken up. You nearly bled out on the way to the clinic two days ago, and will be allowed to leave at about the same time as your grumpy roommate." The two women giggled as the "grumpy roommate" spat out some choice curses. If he had the energy to do that, then things couldn't be THAT bad. "And YOU shouldn't be out of your room!" a deep voice boomed. What was Alistar doing here? Wait, that wasn't him--but their new visitor looked to be of the same species as him. Leona blushed before waving with her good arm. Riven looked at the newcomer quizzically. "My name is Kibagami," he said cordially. "Are you the leader of this group?" "Yes, she is," Talon called out. Riven sorely wished she could get up and empty the chamber pot on his head. "I'm surprised that all five of you came back alive after challenging an Icy Pincer," he said. "I've seen guilds more seasoned than you fall to that fell thing." "Th--thank you," Riven stammered. He regarded her with what looked like a smile, before his expression darkened. "I came for one of your guild members. The healers can't wake up the one who sleeps. If left like this, she will wither away. My village has a better chance of rousing her," he explained. "If you can help her, than please do so," she stated. Kibagami nodded before leaving. Talon snorted. "Why couldn't you leave her like that?" he growled. "We can't abandon each other," Riven replied testily. "Besides, isn't she another distraction?" A grunt answered her. "Please be all right," Riven said to herself. --- "Here so soon?" the scantily-clad woman asked. Vayne snarled. What was LeBlanc doing here? And why was "here" a vast library? "Begone, witch," the night-hunter-turned-sniper snapped. Rather than follow her directive, LeBlanc laughed. "Oh, is that ALL you can say? It must be much too hard for the likes of. . .you to have manners," she taunted, as she faded into a black mist. The mist slowly changed from black to purple. Another figure appeared. She recognized the blue-and-purple outfit. Why him?! "Fancy meeting you in this world-between-worlds," he said with a smirk. Vayne sorely wished for her crossbow. She held little love for Malzahar and his cult. "I have nothing to say to you," she responded coldly. The look he shot her would do a wounded puppy proud. "Surely you can find worse people to talk to." He giggled and blew her a kiss. She glared. The purplish mist enveloped him, then cleared with a bang. Vayne felt her temper rise. Of all people-- "Miss me, little girl?" the old hag cackled. Vayne let out an uncharacteristic yell and charged. Her fist met with air. The witch reformed behind her, then started a loud incantation. Vayne quickly turned around, and bit back curses as her arms and legs refused to move. "You're such a naughty little girl, Shauna," the old woman said, contempt in her voice. "How many have died by your hands, hmmm? Your parents would be so disappointed!" Vayne wanted to reply, but she could barely breathe, let alone speak. "Ohoho, but I'll get the last laugh! You're trapped between life and death, which means that I can inflict all the pain I want to for eternity!" No, this wasn't right! Memories from that horrific night came back to light, as the first cuts laced her skin. She would NOT succumb to the same witch that stole her parents from her! Another set of memories floated back, as more of her skin was flayed off. A man with long hair told her to stay back, as the gems on his armor shattered, each shard finding their way into an opponent. A robotic voice assuring her that he felt no pain, as he ran headlong into a group of enemies, while she ran the other way. The sight of an opposing nexus blowing up, and her teammates congratulating each other before going their separate ways. Her mind was forced back to the present by a shrill yell. "HOW can you withstand this?" the hag demanded. Vayne bit back a scream. The magical cuts gouged deeper into her flesh. More memories flooded her vision. This time, she was hunting a giant bird, and wielding a bow. The people she was with led the bird around, never letting it get close to her. She, in turn, shot arrow after arrow into its feathery hide. Eventually, the bird succumbed to its wounds, and fell over. The others turned to each other with weary grins. They'd felled their mark. The woman with the sword asked what they'd do with their reward. The man told her to mind her own business. The armored woman told him where he could shove that response. The frail girl stepped in the middle of the group. Vayne's response at the time was a snort. She'd kept the rest of her amusement to herself. They were a horribly mismatched group, and should've turned on each other. However, it was thanks to all of them that they'd gotten as far as they had. Vayne's head jerked downwards. Though most of her skin was riddled with cuts, she felt no pain. This shadow couldn't harm her--not when she had more important things to do. She struggled against the paralysis with renewed force. If her wounds were fake, then so was everything else. If she could just tear free-- "Are you sure she's human?" a voice called out. Vayne's eyes flew open, then closed in pain. The light burned! She carefully reopened her eyes, and saw a not-human head lean over her. "You are something else," the head said. She could see horns and a bull's head. He reminded her of a certain minotaur back in Valoran. "What--" she rasped out, and coughed. Why was she so tired? "You're in the village of the Sentinels. We just arrived. I did not realize that a simple change in scenery was all that was required to wake you," the figure said, his voice surprisingly even. She felt the pressure on her arms and legs release. "I'm glad she woke up when she did. I was afraid I'd have to break her legs to keep her from moving," another voice said. "I've never seen a human display such strength!" yet another added. "It was you. . .and not her. . ." she said slowly, her mind piecing together what happened. "You called out several times on our way over. I would like to hear the story behind those things," the minotaur look-alike said. "What. . .do you mean?" "In all my time in Tharsis, I have never heard of a blitzcrane," he stated. Vayne managed a weak smile. "We will have more time to talk as you rest. Perhaps your past will yield more clues about your incredible strength. In return, my people can help you harness it." Her cynical side told her that it was a bad deal. Despite her better judgment, she nodded. The Icy Mantis was more interested in splattering Talon than Vayne, but she got her turn in because that battle was stupidly long. I barely won that one at level 38. I went back to the Underground Cave, then beat up a Patrol Bat to make myself feel better. The group will get there as soon as they're cleared to leave. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eclipse Posted March 24, 2013 Author Share Posted March 24, 2013 [spoiler=blahblahblah]Light exercise. Nothing magical. With nothing better to do, Soraka made herself useful around the clinic. She couldn't carry people, but she could restock small things. The others would be ready to leave in a couple of days. The healers had told them not to overdo things. She felt that they'd have better luck telling the sun not to rise. She peeked into the nearest room. To her surprise, Riven and Talon were in their respective beds, reading. Leona had left to restock on supplies for their next trip, but she was limited to small, light things. Soraka silently wondered where Vayne was. Her stuff was still in her area, so she wasn't dead. Where was she being kept? --- Waking up was only the beginning. Once Vayne rejoined the world of the living, she had to retrain herself to do everything from feeding herself to walking. Once she'd progressed to running errands, she was sent to the training grounds. Her Sentinel instructor looked at her quizzically. She stared back. "I don't understand you. These techniques have been passed down for generations in the Sentinel village, and yet you've got the basics down in less than a week." His words brought a cold smile to Vayne's lips. "My training must be similar to yours," she said tersely. "Your mind and body are not fully in sync. When they are, you'll be able to turn your rage into raw power," he explained. "Do you remember what you saw before you woke up?" Her smile was replaced with pursed lips. "I'd rather not say." Much to her surprise, he nodded. "Very well. Remember what you felt, and focus it. . ." --- "We explore the place where we nearly died," Talon said bitterly. "But first, we need to pick Vayne up from the Sentinel village. I wonder what happened to her there?" Leona wondered aloud. "One set of armor, her weapon, and ammo. I hope I didn't miss anything," Soraka chimed in. Riven picked up the bag and shouldered the bow. "Let's hope we don't meet too many things on our way in." --- The village was as busy as they remembered it. Vayne was fairly easy to find, if one looked at faces. Instead of her usual garb, she wore a dress with pants underneath. By Sentinel standards, it was made to be loose. By human standards, it was tight in certain places. She acknowledged the others with a curt nod, then glared at Talon icily. He'd made it extremely obvious that he wasn't looking at her face. "Hmph. So you are a woman," he mumbled, his eyes never rising to meet hers. "Take a good look. It'll be the last thing you see," she growled back. "Hey, that's my line!" Leona protested. "You may use any of mine, if this starry-eyed schoolboy stares at your anatomy for too long," came the sharp reply. "Here's your stuff," Soraka hastily interrupted. "Thank you." Riven elbowed Talon, who stared at a different part of Vayne as she walked away. "I'll find a use for this information," he grumbled. "Use it for what? Sew her a dress?" "A foot soldier like you doesn't know the value of information." "Peace, you two." The two Noxians glared at Soraka, then each other, but didn't continue the argument. A short time later, Vayne returned. "What's our next mission?" --- "This map is all wrong!" Riven protested. Instead of ice, water littered the cave. Leona stepped back as a bat flew right past her nose. "We had to kill a giant bat. Didn't one just pass by?" Vayne pointed. The bat wheeled back around, and headed straight towards Leona. "I think it's your armor," Talon observed, as he readied his blades. "Let's just kill this thing and leave," Soraka ordered. "I don't like being stuck in Tharsis." The bat made up for its size with its vicious claws. Unlike the mantis, these cuts were far from fatal. Soraka had little trouble keeping everyone mended. In very little time, the small monster fell from the sky. Leona tested her arm. It was a bit sore, but nothing she couldn't handle. Riven held a hand to her midsection. Blood seeped through her armor. "We're leaving," Talon said flatly. Riven opened her mouth to protest, but he shook his head. "Your entrails will attract all the other bats." Vayne arched an eyebrow as the group walked back. Talon favored his left leg. --- "Great." The healers had been very upset with the group. Riven had reopened the gash on her stomach, and something in Talon's knee had ripped. Both were ordered back to bed. Leona's arm had sustained minor injury, but nothing that wouldn't mend on its own. Soraka slept for a day straight. This left Vayne alone with her thoughts. She wandered back to the spot where they'd been found. Just past that clearing was a path that led to a small grove of trees. She brought out the parchment she'd prepared, and set it up. While the others recuperated, she'd use it to practice. The first few arrows found their mark. She took a deep breath and remembered what she'd been taught. The rage that slowly burned within her turned into an inferno. She drew her bow and fired, then took a deep breath. Her last arrow was buried halfway into the tree's trunk. If this was what she could do to a tree trunk, she was ready to test it on real opponents. --- They were allowed to go out on small outings, until the healers were confident that both Riven and Talon wouldn't injure themselves. This time, they headed for the depths of the Golden Lair. Talon couldn't quite place it, but something about Vayne had changed. She still took out the lizard scales, but she took far less injury than before - to the point where Soraka didn't need to heal her every time she shattered a scale. The group had a run-in with one of the snapping turtles, but it was no match for Riven's fireworks and Soraka's newfound spells. Eventually, they found themselves outside of the Boiling Lizard's lair. "Ugh, it's ridiculously hot in here!" Leona complained. "Those scales are everywhere," Riven noted. "Be careful in there," Soraka warned. "The Lizard will chase down intruders." "No need to tell me that," Vayne said, stake in hand. She deftly shattered the nearest scale before running back towards the door. The lizard was too far away to do anything before they left the room. The group waited until it was quiet and re-opened the door. From a distance, the lizard lumbered towards them. Vayne quickly destroyed the next scale, and ran out. This process repeated itself several times. Eventually, it was cool enough for Leona to enter. "Where does that door lead?" the armored woman asked. "Let's find out," the self-appointed scale shatterer answered. To their surprise, it was a passage back to where they'd came from. They collected a few more ice sticks before entering the rapidly cooling room. Two more scales to go! Vayne stabbed the first one. Soraka gasped as the lizard closed in. If she didn't hurry, the thing would catch her! Rather than run towards the safety of the group, Vayne sprinted to the large pile of scales in back of the room. The water in the room slowly froze. The once-active lizard sank to the ground. Vayne tiptoed around the creature, and motioned for the others to join her. They had to strike now! Despite the colder environment, the lizard put up an impressive fight. Soraka had coated Vayne's arrows with an icy oil, which the lizard did not like. The sniper watched as her teammates struck the beast, then recoil as the fire surrounding it burned them. "The die has been cast. . ." --- "The hell?" Talon gasped out. One minute, he'd been dodging a fire-breathing lizard. The next minute, it pulled away. Silver arrows peppered its hide. Vayne let loose another arrow, which hit its mark. The look in her eyes alarmed him. He'd seen his share of angry people, but her gaze held far more than that. It was a killing fury, one which he rarely saw. "As long as that rage isn't directed towards me," he thought to himself. "It makes battling this thing easier." --- "It's over," Riven gasped out. She put a hand to her stomach, but blood did not ooze out. She breathed a sigh of relief. "I can't wait to take a bath," Leona said with a sigh. "I feel so gross." "I wouldn't mind a bath, either," Talon said wryly. He rolled his eyes at the women, all of who stared at him with some measure of shock. "I smell like sulfur." "It's better than smelling like a Noxian sewer," Vayne taunted. "Argue later," Soraka said flatly, as she held one of the precious threads in her hands. Thanks to Freezing Link, Ice Knife, and Blood Rage-fueled Silver Arrows, this fight wasn't too bad. Well-timed Aegis skills helped, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eclipse Posted March 25, 2013 Author Share Posted March 25, 2013 [spoiler=This one is short, I promise]"Nothing overly threatening in this area," Vayne remarked to herself. "This wind is something else," Talon grumbled. As if on cue, his hair flew into his face. "Maybe I should cut my hair short when I get back," Leona said smugly. --- "This is where politics were involved." Everyone else was more interested in not being ambushed than Soraka's history lessons. "This place is full of gigantic reptiles. How fitting," Talon mentioned dryly. --- "This is more like it," Vayne said, as she eyed the gigantic deer that pranced through the room. "I don't think its pelt will come back with us," Leona said with a sigh. --- "Soraka, what are you doing?" Vayne demanded. They'd made it to the Echoing Library without drawing the ire of the automated things around it. Soraka's attention was drawn to what looked like a metal cat statue. "It reminds me of Nidalee," she said, pacing around the statue. "Don't those things come alive if the other robots sound some sort of warning?" Leona asked. "We'll have to make sure we're not seen. Let's go," Talon ordered. Four people waited at the door. He cursed under his breath. Was it so hard to ask everyone to pay attention? He made no effort to move silently as he walked to Riven. She stared up at nothing in particular. "We're leaving," he growled. She didn't respond. It was time for more drastic measures. "HEY!" he yelled, as he grabbed her arm. She jumped and faced him. "Oh, um, hi," she mumbled. "Stop daydreaming. We have work to do." Riven nodded mutely and rejoined the others. It wasn't like her to be that lost in thought. What was going on? Windy Archive - Several Root gatherings here, need to grab more South Sanctuary - Meh. Beating up lizards was fun, I guess Golden Deer Keep - The monsters here drop interesting things, and the FOE wasn't that bad I am very overleveled, but I need to go back for a few more Roots before moving on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eclipse Posted March 26, 2013 Author Share Posted March 26, 2013 [spoiler=I think my game is faster than my story]"One, two!" The injuries she sustained fighting that ice bug had set her training back quite a ways. She'd gotten her arm strength up to the point where she could heft the heaviest of the regular swords with ease. The drive blades were more troublesome. They reminded her somewhat of the sword she left back on Runeterra, but their weight distribution was different. She'd nicked a book on drive blade basics, and read that to pass the time while she was stuck in the clinic. Next, she had to build her body up to a shadow of her former self. Two days back, she'd finally lifted the equivalent weight of a drive blade. Today, she worked on lifting something heavier. If she could handle that successfully, she would have an easier time swinging her chosen weapon. "The strong will rise," she told herself. She gave herself one week. No matter what, she'd report to Whirlwind then. --- "Hmm. Impressive," Whirlwind said, as she effortlessly hoisted the drive blade with one hand. "I'll let the Imperial instructor at the Dancing Peacock know." "Just like that?!" she asked, incredulous. Wasn't there more to it? "You showed me that you're dedicated enough to train yourself. That is the true driving force behind the blade," he said cryptically. "Thank you," she said softly. The sword didn't quite feel like the blade she'd become famous with, but it was the closest she'd find on this world. "Oh, would you mind answering something that's been bugging me?" Riven turned back to Whirlwind. "You and that other guy seem to be from the same place. Why don't you get along?" She felt her jaw tighten. "It's a philosophical difference," she said abruptly. Whirlwind watched her leave, then smiled to himself. "The two of you share the same stubborn pride." --- "What the hell is that?" Talon stated, motioning towards both Leona and Riven. "Have you forgotten what my favorite weapon is?" Leona asked sweetly. "You got a problem with my sword?" Riven replied flatly. "Whatever. As long as you do your share of the work." Had they been paying more attention, they would've seen Soraka giggle to herself. I'm actually a lot further ahead (beat the boss), but there's some other stuff I wanna write about. I'll continue the story later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eclipse Posted April 8, 2013 Author Share Posted April 8, 2013 [spoiler=I have returned]Riven's new sword wasn't made for jumping. Swinging it was easy enough. Doing more than swinging it like any other sword would require something tougher than the monsters they encountered. A klaxon sounded through the library. Talon looked back with feigned innocence. "Oops." --- Channeling her own power through her sword was something she knew how to do. Fiddling with the mechanical aspects of the sword while doing everything else was something she was unfamiliar with. This switch, coupled with this should give her lightning! Riven took aim and swung, then silently cursed as fire spit out of the blade. The mechanical thing reeled back, the impression of her sword melted into its midsection. "Not bad," Vayne commented. "Uh, thanks," Riven stammered, keeping her now-steaming sword up. The robot lurched forward, oblivious to the damage on its chassis. "Ready for the next strike?" Riven taunted. She swore she saw the robot's eyes flicker red for a split second, before it drunkenly wheeled towards her. --- "Talon, cut it out," Riven grumbled. He shot her a smirk as the group waited for her blade to cool off. After her initial performance, he'd caught the attention of every other mechanical guardian. It was a miracle that no one had suffered serious injury. As if on cue, another klaxon ripped through the area. "I swear it wasn't me," he said. "I know it wasn't you," Vayne replied, and pointed. One of the guards stood at the other end of the hall. It had a good view of everyone. "What the HELL?" Riven yelled. One of the metal cat statues charged towards Soraka. The healer froze in shock. Riven brought the half-cooled blade up and screamed as the statue collided with her. The impact of the metal guardian barely registered through the searing pain of an improperly-cooled blade against her chest. Vayne uttered some words that were not befitting of a noble, and desperately let some arrows loose. Though they all struck true, her target knew no pain. It changed course and lunged at her. She dove out of the way, then grunted as something hit her side. The back of Talon's boot was up against her ribs. She looked up, just in time to see his knife fly out of his hands. She curled up into a ball, as the falling knife clanked off of the ground in a spot where her legs had been a split second earlier. The cat stood still, which gave Vayne enough time to get to her feet. Leona and Soraka joined them. "Where's Riven?" Talon asked flatly. "She can't fight right now," Soraka replied, just as flatly. "Shouldn't you be with her?" Vayne snapped. "She'll be fine where she is. We're here to give you two a hand with those," Leona explained, motioning towards the two mechanical enemies. "If word of this makes it back to Valoran, I will kill all of you personally," Talon growled. "But just this once, I wish Vi was here to dismantle these things." --- The smell of her own burnt flesh was something else to add to her long list of complaints. The damage would most likely heal, but she was useless in this state. She heard fighting in the distance; this meant that Soraka and Leona had gone to assist the others. The sound of metal on stone caught her attention. It was most likely one of the other mechanical creatures, joining the fray. The sound echoed down the hall. It was coming. . .for her?! Riven bit her lip and reached for her sword. She got to her feet, just in time to see one of the cats lope down the hall. It would reach her all too soon! She'd have time to cry later! The creature opened its mouth, and a jet of freezing mist hit her. What was the combination for fire? What had she used before? Blood and condensation made the sword slippery, and as she swung, it flew out of her grip. Electricity arced along the blade, which bounded across the wet floor towards the statue. Surprisingly, it stood there, mouth open to spray another blast of mist. The blade landed well short of the cat, but the electricity it gave off reached it - and her. She vaguely felt herself fall. The smell of burning metal mingled with the heavy scent of blood and burning flesh. She heard the approaching sound of metal on stone, but she was unable to move. Her mind brought her back to that day in Ionia - the day her old self died. Instead of undead, she had some sort of metal monster ready to rend her from limb to limb. Instead of poison, she had been undone by her own blade. The last thing she remembered hearing was metal striking metal. --- "Dammit, woman, you are not worth the trouble," Talon grumbled. He'd heard the commotion, and had run off to let the other three deal with the weakened enemies. He found Riven, unconscious. One of the metal cats ran towards her with what seemed like reckless abandon. The poison on his knives wouldn't give a mechanical beast pause, but a well-placed knife to its gaping mouth was enough to convince it to change course. He told it exactly what he thought of his companions, as he retraced his steps to the main fight. The creature followed him obediently. --- "How are we going to explain this one?" Leona asked everyone with a heavy sigh. Riven was completely unresponsive, and her blade leaked an unhealthy black smoke. Everyone had sustained some injury or another, but most of them would recover in a couple of days. "We'll figure it out later," Vayne said, thread in hand. "I am NOT carrying that thing back to Tharsis," she said, as she motioned towards the ruined blade. I am the master of stealth, and by that, I mean that I smashed my way through the oversized robots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eclipse Posted April 10, 2013 Author Share Posted April 10, 2013 [spoiler=One day, I will get to the point]The ceiling looked familiar. Riven slowly looked around at the now-familiar clinic. Her observations were cut short by a giggle. "Oh, you're awake, and you don't look too bad~!" Soraka said musically. "Don't look too bad?" Riven croaked out. "Yeah, you had some pretty impressive burns. It wasn't as bad as when you nearly disemboweled yourself, though. You should be ready to go in a couple of days." Rather than take the healer at her word, Riven brought her arms out of the covers. She rolled her eyes as Soraka playfully held her nose. The skin on her arms was pink, and showed no signs of scarring. Impressive. "I'll leave you to take a bath. You smell as bad as Talon!" With a suspiciously childish giggle, Soraka left. Riven wrinkled her nose, as a none-too-sweet odor wafted from the sheets. She glared at her burnt shirt, which was the source of the smell. "Bath time!" --- "So, you're awake." Riven squeaked in surprise. She'd just finished her bath, and she was in no shape to have visitors, especially male ones! "Gimme a moment!" she yelled, as she hastily threw on a fresh set of clothes. She gave her new outfit one last tug before opening the door. A familiar white-haired man stood on the other end. "I was impressed by your handiwork," Whirlwind said, as he welcomed himself into the room and sat on a chair. "In all my years, I haven't seen anyone wreck a drive blade like that." Riven gulped. "I don't know what was running through your mind, but using electricity when there's water in the air isn't healthy." "I--I'm sorry," she stammered in reply. "A drive blade is best used when you're able to concentrate on what's in front of you. Using it in any other situation will do more harm than good. Pick battles that you think you can win, and don't get worked up over the battles you can't fight." She stared at his back as he left her with that strange statement. What did he mean by that? --- Rather than attempt repairs on the weapon, Riven opted to buy another one. The group ventured back into the Echoing Library. Thanks to the last trek, they weren't caught off-guard, which in turn gave them more time to explore the place. Eventually, they came to a large chamber. Leona peeked into the door, and backed away. "There's something huge in that room." --- "The enemy in front of me," Riven repeated to herself. She jumped backwards, nimbly avoiding the Guardian's fist. The thing's face was painted red, which meant that she should use. . .that! Ice lined the blade, which then struck the enemy. She was rewarded with a metallic groan. "Nice one!" Soraka yelled. Riven acknowledged her with a smile before turning back to the thing in front of her. It turned its attention to the woman with the steaming blade. "You ready for more?" she taunted, before charging it again. --- No one anticipated the final explosion. It was thanks to Leona's quick reactions that Talon escaped worse injury. The two retrieved what was left of the statue's head, then dragged their unconscious teammates together. "Why me?" Talon asked. "I have my own injuries to attend to, so once we return, YOU get to give Olive the report," she replied airily. "...I hate you." --- She was tired of waking up to the same ceiling. Someone cleared their throat. "Good morning, sunshine," Whirlwind greeted. "What are you doing here?" Riven snapped. "Oh, just something I overheard," he replied with a snicker. "It seems that your boyfriend was impressed with your fighting." It took a few seconds for his words to sink in. "WHAT?! HE IS NOT MY BOYFRIEND! I HAVE STANDARDS!" she yelled. "As do I," a familiar voice chimed in. She sat up abruptly, then looked down. The clinic had seen it fit to replace her usual shirt with one of their own garments. The garment in question was quite thin. Whirlwind had the brains to look elsewhere; if Talon was that intelligent, he didn't show it. In one smooth motion, she got out of bed and slapped the dumber of the two across the face, then wrapped herself in the covers. "Ah, the folly of youth. He'll learn one day, I promise," Whirlwind said, still staring at the ceiling. "Hmph. Like I'd care about the likes of her," Talon grumbled. "That is why you went out of your way to save her. Twice." Talon said nothing as he left the room. "H--he did what?" Riven asked shakily. "You are a strange bunch," Whirlwind stated. "One thinks only of himself. One sees things only her way. One has lost her way. One can only find her way using an outside force. One has come in from the outside to aid you. How did you guys become a group?" "It's a long story," she answered. How was she going to explain this mess? "I'm not sure what drove you away from your home," he continued, "but those that are lost will eventually find their way back." "Why are you telling me this?" "Some things seem to span worlds." She wasn't sure what to say as he left her alone with his words. "If I remember my history right," she mumbled to herself, "he was the one that turned on his emperor after the latter advocated using a power that would kill off the Vessels and Sentinels. He had to find his own path, and it led him against the one he'd sworn loyalty to. This. . ." Her thoughts stopped there. It couldn't be that simple. . .could it? --- "Find your way, Riven," Whirlwind said, well out of range of anyone's ears. "What I went through was only a pale shadow of what you had to endure. I'll be cheering for you, even after you return to your world." I wasn't able to kill the Cradle Guardian's head, so I had Leona shield the blast, to ensure that someone would survive. Somehow, SHE survived, too. 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eclipse Posted April 21, 2013 Author Share Posted April 21, 2013 [spoiler=Long time no see!]"I'll see you tomorrow!" Celery waved back at Soraka. The celestial-turned-little-girl had heard about Celery through the whispers of the other guild members. It ranged from general awkwardness to seriously hurtful things. Though few could (or wanted to) relate to the runemaster, no one denied that Celery was good at what she did. It had taken a week before Celery even acknowledged Soraka's greetings, and several more before Celery would say more than that. "I've never seen anything like her," a male voice echoed. Soraka carefully hid herself around the corner. She recognized the voice as Eggplant, the guild's main healer. "I dunno what that girl sees in Celery. All I see is trouble," another voice contributed. This sounded like Potato, the guild's stuffy sniper. Unlike Vayne, she specialized in binding her opponents. "Never mind Celery. Have you seen how quickly she's picked up the healing arts? It's not normal." The response to Eggplant's statement was too faint for her to hear. Soraka stepped back into the hallway, frowning. Was that what they thought of her? --- The five adventurers looked at the massive door. The first guild members had to find a series of switches to advance. It didn't take long before they stood in front of a strange portal, which was supposed to lead to the first switch. Without a word, they entered. "What the. . ." Riven trailed off. Books lined the walls. The air smelled faintly of mildew. They'd returned to the Echoing Library. "This way," Talon said gruffly, as he started down a side path. "Who died and made you leader?" Vayne demanded. "The air smells fresher this way." Vayne replied with an unladylike snort, but followed his lead. The path led to a strange-looking door, which in turn led to a familiar-looking room. "Isn't this where we fought that giant statue?" Leona asked. "Indeed. So that's how they're connected," Soraka thought out loud. "That's nice," Talon snapped, before going back through the door. --- "This only LOOKS like the Echoing Library," Soraka complained. The monsters that roamed the halls were far stronger than anything they'd encountered before. The insects were especially troublesome; the dragonflies could only be taken care of by Riven (and that's if her arms were free), and the butterflies had a nasty poison, one which Soraka was hard-pressed to counter. "Hang in there," Leona said, an uncharacteristically gentle smile on her face. "Don't fall behind," a certain grouchy person interjected. "I'm in no mood to carry you out." "You should be more thankful," Vayne scolded. "It would be a. . .pity if she left you to puke your guts out while she healed everyone else." Talon's response elicited a chuckle from Riven. "That's no way to thank a selfless little girl!" she teased. Talon raised his knives. "She could leave you to a. . .giant blue. . .what is that thing?!" Rather than answer the question, the nightseeker turned around to face the beast. The knife he threw hit home, and the strange monster staggered backwards. An arrow buried itself into its midsection. Riven cursed under her breath. There wasn't enough room to maneuver here! Leona quickly stepped in front of the blow meant for Riven. Electricity arced through the monster, and it stayed rigid for a few seconds before collapsing. Everyone turned to Soraka, who shrugged. "I picked it up along the way." --- Soraka's lightning trick was welcome, especially on the dragonflies. Some choice words were spoken when they heard the familiar mechanical whine of the guardians that they'd come to hate from their last visit to the place. Riven glared at the cat statue in their way. They'd have to wake it and let it chase them-- "How 'bout we dismantle this piece of junk and move on?" Leona suggested. No one disagreed. --- "Hey, Mr. Grumpypants," Leona gasped out. "The next time I suggest something like that, talk me out of it." "I'd spend all of my breath telling you to shut up," he retorted. "Your kindness is appreciated." First part of the fifth labyrinth - the fourth labyrinth. I'm not a subtle person, so I smacked the robots around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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