Welcome to Phansite archive (beta)
You'll find here all archived threads from the Phansite forum.
Chapter One: The Philosopher King
(Pancake Knight, Cait, Sam, and Toki have arrived)
You materialize along with three others in the middle of a crowded marketplace. There are no traces of the elevator left and the surrounding mobs remain blissfully unaware of your sudden appearance. The general pushing of the crowd indicates that you are tangible, but no one raises a fuss.
If you were to look around you would see plenty of happy people with impossible shades of hair going about their day. Each person strolling from one wooden stall to the next and checking out the available wares. There is also an apparent trend among the people of wearing simple or elaborate robes paired with sandals. Some of the robes are equipped with various symbols or items of jewelry making you and the others stand out like sore thumbs.
Overhead the sun casts an oppressive heat on the place making the sea of white tarps above the stalls almost glow. While the brown adobe buildings behind the stalls look paled in the morning light. The sun has the most effect on a tall, glass tower in the distance which is almost painful to gaze directly at.
Not that anyone does so already preoccupied in the mundane rituals of the day.
At the end of the marketplace are a flight of stairs heading up from between the buildings. However, the stairs are occupied by a swath of men decorated in scaled armor with rapiers at their sides and a tall humanoid dragon-like man.
Yeah. Ok. This is... not what I was expecting to say the least.
* I would look over to my compatriots. The designated leader wasn't here. Neither was a good 2/3 of the party. So we're already off to a spectacular start here, aren't we? I would look around the market, clicking my tongue a few times before looking back to the other three.*
So... any ideas on what the hell we should be doing? I mean, if I knew it was gonna be this hot, I would have stayed behind in the place with air conditioning.
* I'd furrow by eyebrows and look down at the metal arm. I hope to god this thing doesn't overheat like other machines do. I never wrote it happening, but I also never wrote conditions like this. Welp, I'm sure I'll figure it out sooner or later. If it blows up in my face. *
“Nope, but wandering around ain’t a bad idea. We should learn what this place is before acting.”
I reply while taking refuge in whatever shade I can find. Sun and dark fur don’t mix. The hair colors remind me of anime characters and the dragon-man is... is this DnD? Only time will tell. My eyes catch a gleam in the distance.
“Let’s head towards that glass tower thing.”
Yeah, this is definitely different from where we arrived, do you think we are in a completely different world? At any rate, we're supposed to kill an angel. So I think Cait's on the right idea with the glass tower. It seems like something an angel would live in if they thought of themselves as a holy being.
“I think Cait has the right idea.”
I mutter to myself before clearing my throat to speak more audibly.
“I mean, we probably want to learn about where we are first.”
Of Course, I’m not going to be the one asking. I can barely talk to these people and I’ve been doing it for two years.
(Niko and Alphinaud have arrived.)
While you and the others decide what to do the lively din of the marketplace is abruptly disturbed.
Make way, Make way! Prisoner coming through!
More men decorated in armor appear in the marketplace this time equipped with chains rather than rapiers. The chains they carry all connect to the limbs of a young women at the center of the prisoner escort. As the men pass by you are able to catch a few extra glimpses of the young women. Her hair is an unusually bright shade of pink with some of the ends torn as if they were pulled apart. While her face is marred with various cuts still seeping out blood and her elaborate robes are decayed. Her completely clear hands have the mark of royalty, but her knees are completely scraped and bloody accompanying a particularly nasty gash on her forehead. The young women barely appears to be conscious as she is forcibly dragged forward.
You are able to catch her lifeless eyes for a fraction of a second.
Most of the people around barely pay any attention to the procession and continue to go about their day with a smile. While the few that do notice only give an iota of attention to mock and jeer at the prisoner. These few have to be kept away from the prisoner by the guards as they try to close in and attack.
Traitor
Scum of the Kou Empire
Demon queen
Tyrant
Are some of the insults shouted at the young lady.
The guards are eventually able to make it through the market and quickly lead the prisoner up the stairs. The humanoid dragon and other soldiers allow them to easily pass through and once again block the stair case once the escort is gone.
I watch as the prisoner is brought towards the guards, shackled and bloodied. My immediate response is to stop such injustice, but I hold myself back for the time being, we already stand out, best not to make a ruckus, although it does give me an idea...
Hm.. Gamma raises a good point, if we can figure out more of this area we might be able to sneak past the guards, especially if we bring a prisoner of our own. For now we can split up? I suppose everyone can pick a buddy and head out, if we get into trouble.. I have a feeling it'll be fairly apparent.
Er Gin right? Your with me. Lets go find out more about this area, Cait and Gamma? Try and learn more about that Kou Empire thingy.
I take a look around the area, what kind of place have we been taken to?
I watch the random prisoner... I wonder what she did to deserve any of that? For now I need to find my friends. Which I can immediately since they stand out of course, not like I don't stand out from this crowd either. I approach them.
"Sorry guys, am I late?"
I smirk.
"So what's been going on?"
I move to the front of the group, being entranced with the scene in front of me
"...What the hell is going on? Who the fuck are these assholes?"
Hastily, I make my way towards the front of the stairs and try to hide behind any nearby structure or landform in order to escape the gaze of the guards, looking over to ascertain their actions as well as any weaknesses in their securities.
“Kou Empire. Got it. And long story short Niko, I have no idea.”
I give Mona a wary glance. If he does anything stupid, he’s on his own. I search for an onlooker that’s not too riled up and tap their arm.
“‘Scuse me, what’s going on? I’m a... a traveler, so I’m probably missing some context, nya.”
I tack on Cait’s verbal tic and gesture to the procession. Everyone but us is all too familiar with what’s happening.
Yo Teddie, good to see ya, we don't got much to go on right now, but the general consensus is to make our way over to that glass tower.. Somehow. Do what you can to figure out stuff. The key seems to be that prisoner.
*I would watch quietly as the prisoner is led away.*
Y'know. I do not think this one is just gonna be as easy as out lasting the Paradox brothers. Cause if I was a betting man, and I have written two of them, that's something we're gonna have to deal with at some point.
“Err... Right.. Let’s go”
I’d follow on behind Cait, nervously toying with my hair once more. I mutter for a bit before support Cait, adding on to their question.
“We’re travelers, been lost for a bit so I’m afraid we don’t know much about the place. Any help you can give would be appreciated.”
if I’m good at anything it’s asking about things. I would add on a short little bow as a sign of respect as I wait for a reply
I nod. Reasonable answers. So it's time to scout out a bit and learn things, I attempt to communicate with... Someone. I attempt to sound as polite as possible.
"Excuse me? I don't mean to be a bother or anything but what happened a few moments ago? Why was that girl being dragged and stuff?"
I also make sure to attempt to look like an innocent child.
(edited by Raconteur)
Motioning for Gin to join me, I step away from the group and deeper into the markets, hoping to catch glimpses, whispers or fragments that can give us a clue.
Mmm, this will be harder, but its still the same thing at the end of the day. Find the baddie, kill the baddie. Simple as that. Do that a few more times and we are home free.
“Umm.. Maybe?”
I pause for a bit, letting my confusion show through. It’s both genuine and helps the act so there’s no reason to hide it.
“We actually come from a mountain village called Kamza... It’s a bit isolated so we never much noticed our rulers.”
As if finally gathering my courage, I would gesture to both Cait and myself
“My name is Towa. My companion and I are traveling to nearby kingdoms as part of a coming of age ceremony.... So as to become wiser of the world.”
(edited by -Toki-)
My ears turn forward when I hear that name. Sinbad. It’s familiar, but I can’t for the life of me place what story I’ve heard that from. Was he a... villain? Protagonist? It might not even be this world’s Sinbad. I just nod as Gamma - Towa? I’d better use Towa just in case - speaks for the both of us. It’s a good lie that might lead us to some more info about this Sinbad guy.
*I would not at PK and follow him as he heads into the market. I would chuckle lightly at PK.*
You make it sound so simple. You're forgetting everything we have to do between here, finding the guy and taking them out. And if Paradox was any indication, the actual fight is gonna be an issue as well.
* I would hum a small tune. I would stop and start messing around on a holographic screen being protected from my arm somehow.*
First things first. We have to get our bearings. The others are doing well in figuring what is happening, so I'm gonna try and figure out the where.
Arm AI: ACTIVATING SCANNING PROTOCOLS.
Ha. Got it.
* A section of my metal arm fires upwards. If I'm successful, a map of the area would appear on the holographic screen.*
Sinbad definitely sounds like the person in charge of this place. And considering the conditions for them to get home.... That would likely make him their target.
"He.. I'm glad you like him so much, he sounds very.. Kind and Wise. Is there any way for people like us to meet him, if only for a bit?"
of course, meeting him alone is preferable, but even an audience chamber or something like that would likely work.
Heh, we've done it once we can do it again. Sweating the details makes you nervous, and being nervous is how you make mistakes. So I'm not gonna sweat the details. I'll catch ya in a bit I suppose.
I take in the atmosphere for a second as I watch. Noting the butterfly moving to the glass tower, it seems significant, and probably isn't Philemon. Then again, I can't exactly expect him to do anything even if he was here. Wanting to follow up on the odd trading company, I approach a merchant and attempt to ask them a question
Hail! I am the mighty Pancake Knight! I request to know about where you got these goods! They all seem to come from this Sinbad!
Bleh, I don't exactly do PK justice but it'll have to do. I gotta know if this Trading Company is really popular, or something is amiss.
I start to tug my paws away, but decide it’s better to just let Exposition Man do his thing. I keep my paws relaxed so I don’t accidentally unsheathe my claws. I lock eyes with Towa. We seem to be on the same page: if Sinbad is so godly, then he’s our target. He fits the description of the world revolving around him, too. But to fight him? If he’s as powerful as the man claims, then we’re in over our heads.
“Yeah, we’d love to meet him. If he’s as wise as you claim, then he’ll be a great person to help us learn more about life and the world and all that.”
I smile at the man. Nailed it.
*I look over the map as the metal device returns to my arm. Hmm. If that's what this looks like now then. I look over to where PK was only to find him walking off.*
W-where are you... what are you doing, PK? PK? God damn it you clown. Get back here.
* I would jog over to catch up with PK and just stand behind him as he does his speel to the merchant and sigh. Oh this is gonna be fun to watch. I'm dragging him out of this mess either. Instead, I'll just stand back and watch unless things get too heated. Or I'm adressed. Which ever one comes first really.*
I enjoy the little headpat, but I remain mostly quiet throughout the explanation. Sounds like people might be exaggerating the thing the woman did and how good Sinbad is. My train of thought crashes into a wall as I notice that the woman gave me what looks to be a normal pomegranate.
"T-thanks."
I pocket it and look around for anyone that might seem... Unhappy about what happened a few moments ago. Perhaps they know more about what's going on than the people that called the young lady a demon.
I consider my options. Regardless of the reality of the situation, I would need a plan to take down these guards. Who was with us again? Niko, Cait, Gamma... PK and Gin. Gin has some techno shit, a drone would make a perfect distraction. Niko... might not have much in the way of combat, if he would even do so willingly. Cait's a demon, which could easily take on the ire of the guards and possibly take them on. What dud Gamma have? Some magic shit? Gah, i'll have to ask again later. PK is basically a loaded gun, which might be exactly what we need. Either way, i'll not be able to do this alone. Moving swiftly, I try to avoid being spotted by thr guards and return to where I started, lookinng through the crowds for where the rest of the party went. Waving my hands back and forth in the air, I shout to the marketplace
"Gin! Gin! Over here!"
(Cait and Gamma)
Meeting him is impossible for people like us.
The man says with a sigh. His hopeful glances gone with the onset of his reality as a run of the mill civilian.
You would have to be some sort of powerful magician, dungeon conqueror, or emperor to ever get an audience. Lord Sinbad is so busy making sure we are all happy that to want his time and have nothing useful to give is a bit selfish.
With that said the man leaves you take what you will from that. Easily blending into the crowd of other lesser important civilians.
(Pancake Knight and Sam)
The Merchant jovially responds.
Everyone knows that the items from Sindria Trading are the best in the market. You can never go wrong with anything found from Sinbad's many adventures.
Digging through some of his good the merchant procures and holds out golden clamps with broken chains attached. With a sense of pride he explains.
I was lucky enough to get these former magic vessels when Sinbad struck down an insurrection in this very city. They are probably useless now since the former leader of the insurrection is dead, but you never know. There could still be some magic inside.
The girl running the bird stall laughs at the merchant's suggestion and she waves at you.
Oi don't get fooled by that cheat. Everyone knows that magic vessels cease to work once the master dies. Instead of listening to some cheat may I interest you in a pet bird? I got plenty of winged friends that make excellent companions.
The girl pulls out a wing shaped accessory from her blond hair and she tickles a rather large dove with it. The dove proceeds to coo with joy and stumble around inside its cage while the girl laughs along with it.
(Niko)
You have a difficult time finding anyone that looks unhappy in this marketplace of smiles and laughter. Everyone is just so blatantly happy to the point of it being infectious. The only people that really look anything other then pleased seem to be your own companions.
Which may be an issue since the draconic man at the stairs is now watching your companions carefully. His serpentine eyes gleaming with the sun and a few guards practically peering over his tall stature.
The yell of one of your companions immediately attracts the attention of the man and he moves to apprehend the one that yelled.
(Alphinaud)
Your shouting is easily drowned out by the varied voices and sounds of the marketplace.
I sigh, not noticing the draconic man. I attempt to find Cait and Gamma to regroup and share our findings.
(edited by InterNiko)
“So all we have to do is make sure we have something worth his while... Alright, thank you,”
I would briefly bow to the man before taking a deep breath and pushing through to one of the walls of the marketplace so as to have a little more space to take a breather
I follow Towa through the crowd. She’s my only guide, since I can’t see over anyone. Once we’ve got enough room, I squint through the bright sunlight at my companion.
“Okay, so long story short, we’ll have to Metal Gear Solid our way to Sinbad. And that’s the easy part. I dunno what he’s from so we’re going in blind. We should regroup soon. Here, lemme...”
I try to climb up whatever looks sturdy to see over the sea of people. The weird hair colors will make this hard, but we stand out regardless.
*I look over to the girl with a smile.*
I'd love too, but I am the last person you want to handle a pet.
* I would laugh before looking around the market place. Now according to my map, there should be a small staircase somewhere around here. I just need to find it. Then I can drag PK off with me to check it out. Then again, maybe I should find the others first and relay the map data. Tch tch tch. What to do. What to do indeed.*
It's a nice place you have here. Shame about the weather. The place I hail from is far cooler. And far less crowded.
* I'm talking about the weather. Gin, what are you doing with your life? Oh whatever. If I make small talk, at least I don't look as lost. Either way, I would continue scanning the area for the stairs or for my other allies.*
"Out of all things, I did not expect we would have to deal with getting separated in a marketplace. How hopeless, maybe I should just give up now. Well, when in Rome, toast toast as they say."
Gritting my teeth anxiously, I activate sprint to give me a heightened speed for a short duration, heading near each stall and briefly glancing over for my friends. I'm looking for my friends, i'm looking for you, hey there's Ness. "Huhuhuhu." ...Oh great, bored musings. What a great time to lose one's train of thought. Anyways, if i'm unable to find any friends I would move on to the next stall and search again, ignoring my surroundings at the present. After all, I don't stand a chance against any monsters as is, so if it comes to it i'll just have to run.
Amazing! There must be plenty of valuable and incredibly rare artifacts circulating in this area! One does wonder how one person could have gathered all these relics alone!
Perhaps I can learn a little more about this sinbad by being like one of them, who knows, it might pay off. Regardless, I leave the bird peddler to Gin.
“Oh, there’s Niko. Over here!”
I wave at him, then am faced with a greater challenge: getting back down. I slooowly reach for the wooden pole and begin descending in a sluggish and graceless fashion. This slow descent, however, lets me observe whatever’s happening with Mona. When my boots touch the ground I sigh in relief.
“There we go... Also, Mona miiight be getting arrested right now. Let’s just ignore it.”
I feel a bit guilty, but as they say, karma is a bitch. Not my problem.
(edited by Raconteur)
Sorry kid. I don't think anyone wants to know of any place in the damp, cold north. I wouldn't if I had a choice, believe you me. And as for Mr Drakon Malfoy, well. I don't like fighting. And me and lightning are good friends. Ciao
* The stairs located, I would leave the girl and her birds to... whatever a little girl selling birds does really and head for the stairs.*
PK. You coming or are you actually getting suckered into buying something?
* Not that we really have the money to buy anything anyway, but I won't break his little pancake loving heart.*
hmm.. Magi? Sounds like they might be of use, if we could turn one of them against this Sinbad we could be in a good place, otherwise, this world might lose another one then. Regardless I smile at the merchant and bow
Well then! Thank you humble merchant! This will aid me greatly in my own quest! I must now take my leave! But a word of advice first! It might prove wise to evacuate while you still can!
I then turn my back to the merchant and notice Gin calling me over, breathing a sigh of relief as I drop the act,
Psh, not a chance, it all looked like junk, even if it was magical who knows how to use it. At any rate what did you find?
I wave happily at Gamma and Cait.
"Hey guys! Did you learn anything interesting? I learned that people are probably faking being happy so they don't get taken down by guards and such. Plus..."
I take the pomegranate out of my pocket.
"I got a free pomegranate."
I made a map.
* I place activate the holographic screen on my metal arm, showing PK the map of the area.*
And I used it to find a staircase.
* I would nod towards the stairs before us.*
And I found there's some dragon man called Drakon who probably wants to capture us because we're outsiders. Apparently he breathes lightning and looks very cool doing so. Anyway, I'm going to explore up the stairs now before he shows up and likely triggers a boss fight. So. Wanna come?
* I would smile at PK before heading for the stairs. I think I explained that quite well, don't you?*
"Um.. I'm not so sure if that's..."
I mutter a bit, leaning against the wall so as to catch my breath before Niko approaches us. Once he does I lose my initial train of thought and turn back to him.
"Oh.. They are? That's kinda a... A.. Anyways."
I was sincerely hoping Niko's correct. If this place is actually a horrible distopian world then I wouldn't feel as bad about breaking it.
"We learned that this whole place is run by this... Sinbad guy and his eight generals. Apparently its not... All that hard to see him. He only talks to big shots... But fortunately..."
Just to make sure I draw the dagger from my belt, looking over the blade until I find a mark resembling a series of gears which stretch into a vine wound around a pair of people
"Towa's a princess."
Noticing Cait, I wave to and walk towards him, not noticing the guard approaching me. I lightly shout, trying to be loud enough to be heard by my friends but not overheard by anyone else.
"Cait, hold up, we should reconvene!"
Throwing cuation into the wind, I sprint directly towards where I last saw the companion.
“Nice pomegranate.”
I admire the fruit then get back to the matter at hand.
“You might be right, Niko. All the praise Sinbad’s gettin’ is a bit fishy.”
When Towa reveals the dagger, my whiskers twitch and my tail sways in anticipation.
“Ooh, good thinking. A princess will definitely get us an audience. And this time we’ll have some prep time to get a story ready.”
I think I hear someone shouting, but there’s so much noise I assume I imagined it. What’s the worst that could happen?
(Sam and Pancake Knight)
The young girl is vexed after the encounter and the merchant appears confused after being told that he should leave. While you and your partner gather at the secondary stairs you are able to see the two vendors being rapidly escorted out of the marketplace by a guard. The rest of the civilians appear to be receiving the same treatment. but there is no indicator as to why.
Now at the base of the stairs you are able to see that the steps are ancient and ill used. The stairs themselves narrowly weave through a variety of crumbling buildings as the sunlight seems to be absorbed by oppressive shade up ahead. No civilians can be seen on this path and previous scans have shown that this set of stairs may lead to the same place, but at a much slower pace.
(Niko, Toki, Alphinaud, and Cait)
With everyone gathered the party is now missing only two members.
Though all regrouping celebrations are cut short with the arrival of the humanoid dragon. He approaches after the party is once again together and his golden, slitted eyes are now narrowed at each and everyone of you. If you were to look around you would notice that all the civilians are being evacuated by the guards and a few guards remain on the steps of the main staircase.
Staring at the humanoid dragon in front of you it would be obvious that this creature is taller than anyone in the party and his green skin looks unnaturally hard. Scaly, wings caress the sides of his neck as two fins just out from the sides of his head. One of his almost ear-like fins has a red earring attached and a similarly colored cape is draped over his back attached to his body by a golden clamp located on the chest. White robes cover the lower half of his body as the talons on the ends of his hand are already clenched into fists. When this creature speaks he has the tone of an older man, but the accompanying low tone of a dragon.
I did not believe a group of troublemakers would make it so easy for me to find them, but it seems to get easier with each passing day. It's like you rebels aren't even trying to remain secretive anymore.
A spark of pure lightning runs across the creature's snout as he comes closer to you and the others.
Surrender and you will be sent to the dungeons unharmed. Resist and you will be facing Drakon one of Sinbad's great generals.
(edited by Raconteur)
I let out a sigh when I see Alphinaud approaching us... Fantastic, a loudmouth like him was just what we needed... It would probably be better to...
As I look around, I find the Oh... The crowd is gone so there's nowhere to hide... That's fine.. Only one thing to do then.
"R... Rebels?"
I ask with genuine confusion, I feel a little better knowing that what I'm about to say isn't entirely false, though I still find myself shrinking against the wall.
"I... M.. My name is Towa, princess of the distant kingdom of Kamza."
My dagger was already out, so I raise it in order to present the crest to Drakon. Now that I've started the lie its a bit easier to keep going
"These are my retainers."
I say gesturing to my three companions
"We traveled all this way because we heard stories about your great ruler Sinbad and hoped to meet with him."
I pocket the pomegranate again. Of course we're gonna have to... Ah, Gamma with the save. Now, attempt to act innocent.
"Yes, we hoped to meet Sinbad, mister Drakon. We just hope one of the retainers wasn't too much trouble."
I quickly glance at Mona, then I set my focus back to Drakon.
"Huh... so I was being followed..."
I stand by the rest of the party, craning my neck at Gamma's cover up. Baffled by the events, I nevertheless adapt to the new scenario, thinking it may very well be a blessing to draw this man away from his own allies.
"Yes, it is as the others say. You've no reason to detain us, as we are mere travellers. The princess, especially. It would be a tremendous strain on foreign relations to hold a member of the royal family hostage, especially in times of peace. I'm sure we all seek to maintain this peace as much as possible, so I would urge you to overlook our ignorance just this once."
I give a respectful bow and kneel before the man, making side glances between each of my friends to see what expression was on their faces.
Huh, nicely done. And if theres going to be a boss fight with lightning I should be there. Go on ahead without me, we might need an escape route if things go very wrong. Don't get caught alright?
Noticing the guards begin to mobilize, I summon Mordred to cast heat riser on me before jumping and utilizing my laser blade in a hook form to climb to the top of the buildings to find the team. Once I do I crouch down. Staying on the rooftops and watching for now, I don't wanna mess up things if they are going okay.
I take a step forward and take off my hat to bow. It’s meant to be graceful and dignified, but comes off as a bit goofy with my nerves kicking in.
“What the... what the princess said, nya. Sorry about the trouble. We’re just fish outta water here. We’re just nyot used to the lay of the land or the culture so sorry if we offended you or anyone else, nya.”
I add the Cait-speak to get my innocence across. The lightning would fry me like a knight in a thunderstorm, so I’ll need all the good will I can get.
* I would watch as some guards start escorting people from the area. Welp. Seems the other found that boss fight.*
I won't. Wait, where are you...
* I would watch as PK Batmans his way... um... away, leaving me alone.*
God damn it. What do I do now?
* Everyone is gonna start fight. Again. Ok. What do I do? Uh... I guess I could help. I can use the Keraunos System to nullify that cool looking lightning breath. But it's likely that if this guy is like any general of an empire I've written that his powers aren't the only problem I need to worry about. And if he uses lightning it's likely he resists lightning which means I'm dead in the water. Again.*
But if I leave, everyone might get screwed over and captured by that loon. Grah...
*Ok, Gin. Calm your ass down. Think like the character. Bad idea, but what would I do if I were the people I've been writing for years. I exhale deeply.*
Yeah. Alright then. I do have a crossbow and an aim bot built into this eye of mine. Let's get dangerous.
* With the marketplace becoming emptier, I would look through the area, looking for my allies and anyone who might be assailing them. I would step into the shadows of the thin staircase while I did so in an attempt to try and stay hidden.*
I breathe a sigh of relief as the group deals with the general. A job well done. However, I nearly jump as I feel the chill on my neck. Trying to calm down as I look around for escapes but find none. I can't reveal myself as I'll risk the captain getting suspicious. Looks like I'll have to talk this out, maybe I can convince this assassin to help us.
Welp, you've got me. I'll be straight up with you. I don't know your sister. I'm not from here, but I'm guessing that you mean the girl that just passed through here in chains?
"We prefer to stay to ourselves so I'm not surprised."
I quickly give out an answer, taking another deep breath to steady myself as my usual nervousness begins to take effect. I hold my left hand in front of my chest as I continue on
"S.. I mean... The tales of Sinbad and his crew are doubtless noticed by the sands of time themselves. As such we were sent by my parents, the king and queen, to discuss opening relations. It should be considered a... sign of confidence that they would pull their only daughter out of her training as a Time Keeper for this errand."
Heh. Looks like I've got nothing to worry about.
*With a smirk, I would turn away from the group and start heading up the stairs.*
Then I'll leave Draco Malfoy to you lot. I have my own investigation to attend to.
Drakon’s in a good mood. I don’t know what that assimilation stuff is, but it might have to do with animals becoming more human. I don’t dare ask what it is. I instead smile and nod as Towa speaks.
“That’s the gist of it. The rest of us are here for moral and physical support, nya. Can’t let a princess be on her own~!”
That last sentence ends in a slight purr.
I internally sigh in relief. No fights to be had here, thankfully. I do wonder what assimilation is... Could be animals into more human-like forms or humans into more animal-like forms.
"Yuppers, that's pretty much all there is to it..."
I should probably fit to Cait's... Tic just because, it might make things a little less sus for all I know. Part of me hesitates to do it, but... I gotta do it to em.
"Nya."
Stands up and goes behind Gamma, sighing and stretching lightly before clearing my throat.
"I... Is this a joke?"
I'd sheathe my dagger, he seemed to be fine with the royalty part, but they still wanted more? I didn't really have the time to make up an entire culture and such to explain here, so instead I let my annoyance show through. I takes a deep breath, as to calm down a bit before continuing
"My apologies, I'm unused to being in a land where people don't know me. All I bring to offer is my service as a time keeper. All members of the Kamza royal family possess a special connection to time which allows us to manipulate it. Though I am still an apprentice I am sure that I could prove useful to you."
Damn it. I should prepare myself before anything bad happens... Wait, maybe I can think fast enough to help the point... Uh, come on come on, think. Ah!
"Well, you see, the people that cared for me... Something terrible befell them, and the queen found me and took me in. I'm living proof of the queen's benevolence, I've been by her side as she's done great things for Kamza."
Two sides of the coin. The rich area of royalty and higher class and the slums of the poor left to rot. This is starting to seem all too familiar...
* I frown slightly. I would look between the tent and the gate.*
AI. Give me a Map.
AI: ACTIVATING SCANNING PROTOCOLS.
*Like in the market, a small drone flies up, detatching from my metal arm. I'd watch it from the side street as it scans the area around the gate.*
What is beyond there I wonder.
Drakon’s words confirm what Niko mentioned. Complete happiness is what’s taken over this place. Perhaps it’s not so bad, but what about... wait, this is turning into a law vs chaos debate. And we have to kill the guy anyway. At least now I won’t feel as bad about it.
Everyone seems to have this under control, but it wouldn’t hurt to pitch in.
“Niko’s right, nya. I’ve known the queen since I was a kitten, and she’s been the best person I’ve met. And her daughter’s learning, but I bet she’ll be a great heir when the time comes, nya.”
I stand between the group and Drakon and shake my head at the discourse, waving my hands by my hips.
"I doubt we'll get anywhere on words alone. I'm sure we'll prove ourselves in due time. Meanwhile, why don't we see the sights and mingle with the locals? It'd be pointless to negotiate with a land we know nothing about."
I give a half-baked grin, standing still while counting the heads of my friends in my mind.
I draw a quick breath as I feel the blade inch closer, trying to get through to this guy is rough, I better talk faster before I'm not given another chance.
Are you delusional? I just said we don't know. And if you've been watching you would know that. All we saw was your Empress being carted towards the glass tower.
As for the allying shouldn't you be asking them? I split up a while back, I came here thinking they would be in trouble. Besides. I'm not your enemy. Sinbad is right? We've been looking for a way to kill him too. An enemy of my enemy and all that.
I then watch as the butterflies float back. Spies in the shadows I suppose. Damn.
Geez. First mission in and we've already hit the whole "heaven and hell" comparison
*I chuckle lightly before calling the drone back. I would combine the two maps together, giving me a better idea of where everything was. This place may actually be worse than anything I've written. At least Thundar didn't have a literal barrier between the two sides. Yeesh.*
Nevermind that for now. Let's go see if I can find the resistance.
*I smile before heading across the street and heading for the tent in the distance. In a hierarchy like this, no matter how content the people seem to feel, there is always a place for a resistance. Of course, whether or not the resistance are the good guys remains to be seen. I mean, there has to be one, yeah? I'd be more suprised if there weren't. Either way, if I can make it to the tent area without incident, I would look around at my surroundings.*
I put my hands behind my back.
"Well, you heard mister Drakon, let's go. I promise we'll bring you Hakuryuu. I'll even escort him myself."
I cover one of my hands so I can cross my fingers without some bird or something noticing the lie.
"W.. Wait a second, not so fast."
Feeling Drakkon's gaze makes me nervous, but I get the feeling I can't just do as he says. After all, I'm not actually planning to join them and whoever this Hakuryuu is might be helpful later. I take a second to think to myself, waving down Niko before giving an answer.
"I could ask you the same thing Drakkon. Needing help from foreign royalty to apprehend a common criminal? Perhaps my parents were mistaken in reaching out to you."
I can't bring myself to look Drakkon in the eye, instead I hold one arm to my chest, straightening myself as a show of willfullness
"Kamza has always protected itself with secrecy. After all, neither you nor Sinbad had heard of it before no? That should be proof enough of our security. The squabbles of these lesser rulers aren't our concern."
Nods and stands still, making eye contact with Gamma
Person with a cape. Sounds like PK alright. I note Niko’s odd gesture, but it takes a few seconds for me to realize what he’s doing. I draw my sword and step forward to be next to the catboy.
“I’ve seen you in action, princess, so if our scaly friend doesn’t budge we can handle the rifraff for ya. You’d just be bored with this guy.”
Hopefully I can at least get Towa through, if anyone, without needing said persons to fight.
(edited by Cait_Sith)
*I would look down at the old "staff". It's got nothing on the cane I'm using, but i guess in this place you get what your given. I pick it up with my robotic arm and offer it to the guy.*
This thing, yeah?
*That. was. trippy as fuck.*
So, can I assume you're a doctor then? Or a mage. Or both. Hey, I won't judge.
*So this place has spies as well. The birds are like drones except probably magically powered. I won't be able to hack it if that's the case. Not that I know how, but I'm sure the AI could do it for me.*
AI: NO SUITABLE TARGETS
Shut up.
*So it responds to my thoughts. That'll save time. Hopefully I can find a way to reduce the volume. I look back to the man.*
Sorry about that. This thing acts up every now and again. It's a work in progress.
* I hit my arm with my cane before spinning it in my hand and slamming it back against the ground.*
Anyway, I think I'm a bit... lost. Decided to go for a wander while my friends were shopping in the market and ended up here. Sorry for the intrusion.
I rub the back of my neck as the blade is recalled, hearing that we were caught and getting up. After taking a look at the assassin, I note how they look like someone who would be able to control fire, time and place though PK, time and place. Now regarding my friends...
Hm... I've known them for over a year, maybe two now, I've trusted them before but with how they've been acting...
You can't fully trust them. Better to run off for now.
Yeah, might as well come with you. Don't worry, I won't slow you down. At any rate, whats the pla-
Then, mid sentence, I watch as a blast comes towards the building, reacting on instinct I take hold of the man's hand and call on Mordred, grabbing them both before jumping off. Flying off towards the Glass Tower, using the rubble as a smoke screen If any stray bolts were to hit us they would by conducted into my beam blade to recharge it. Rendering the blasts harmless
Don't let go you got that?
I flinch at the sound of lightning coming from so close to me, though I try not to let it bother me. I’d take another deep breath before responding in a more even tone
“Very well, my retainers would have to wait outside anyways. At least this way they’re doing something productive.”
I jump back and my fur stands on end. My sensitive ears don’t help how startling the blast is. I brush my fur down and sheathe my sword.
“Alright, it’s go time. Gotta catch up with those guys first.”
I give Drakon a thumbs-up then dash off towards where the blast had been. PK’s beam sword was enough of a beacon for me to follow. I run through the streets while using that light and any footsteps as a guide.
“Oi Mr. Crow, how’s it going? You got a new friend? I’d love to chat but I can’t jump that high!”
"How sudden. Let's go, we move as one!"
I attempt to grab Niko's hand and run off in the direction of Cait, unless he was ahead of me, then I would simply start running. I then try and get as close to Cait as possible and start shouting orders to him if there was a moderate distance and whispering them if he was close enough
"Alright, Cait, if this turns into a fight I need you to draw the attention of the enemies but focus on dodging. If they refuse to listen, we may have to end up knocking them out first; If it comes to that, use any means necessary."
I then pause for a few seconds before resuming
"You get all that, slugger?"
"Alrighty let's- Wuh?"
I just watch as Alphinaud sorta drags me along I move my feet to make sure that I'm not dragging him down, but this feels a little degrading, not gonna lie.
"Hey."
When we arrive, I attempt to get my hand out of his grip.
"I've already got a plan, let me do the talking."
(edited by Raconteur)
Hey, I wasn't lying. I may not have said everything, but it wasn't a lie per say.
* I would shrug. Seems like someone doesn't get the concept of Exact Words.*
Either way, it's nice to meet you Yunan. In all honesty, I am just wandering. Knowledge is king and all, so I'm just trying to figure out more information on... where... we...current...ly...
*I would trail off as I look at the bird. I hate this thing. We know what you are. Classic villain technique is too make the drone leave when it's been found out. Not come closer. This thing is really activating my paranoia. I growl in annoyance.*
OK. I really don't like being watched or listened in on or whatever this thing is doing but I'm assuming shooting it wouldn't be a good idea. Is this flying security camera just gonna sit here or can we shoo it away or something?
I yell to PK.
"Hey! PK, come down from there! I have a plan!"
I drop my baseball bat off to the side.
trust is a rather strong word, at this point its more that I accept we're working for the same thing and will do my best to get them in a better position. I can only hope they do the same. I silently nod to Drakon as he guides me up
"..... Of course I trust them. they've been with me forever."
I let out a sigh and continue with the procession. I take note of all the people, but they don't seem to think much of me. Probably fo the best. I'd prefer to use this walk to get my thoughts together anyways.
So far it looks like Sinbad is the one running this world, which means he's likely their target, however that would be too simple, so for now its best to keep up this princess thing while getting more information about the place.
I look around the tower, noting all the different animals that seem to be lurking there, before my attention is brought to Ja'far. I smile as the name reminds me of the evil vizier from Aladdin, but get myself to focus back to a more neutral face before nodding to the man and gripping his hand in return.
"I believe you're looking for the word 'found'. Caught implies I'm a prisoner, but I assure you I come of my own will."
Once he lets go of me I would give the man a polite curtsy before following him into the tower
"I'm not surprised you haven't heard of us. We haven't made contact with the outside world in such a long time its become little more than legend. I would imagine whatever references to us there were go by a different name, if they're not lost completely."
With that in mind, I put one finger on my chin in thought before giving my answer
"I'll gladly answer any questions you may have, however I'm afraid I cannot give any information that would help you actually find Kamza. Not without explicit permission from the king and queen. To do so would be a breach of my people's trust."
...
I watch the dragon head appear and stare into it. Scrunching up my nose and clenching my teeth, I'm not impressed nor scared, I can't show those emotions. Weakness is suicide. At any rate I desummon Mordred and take my laser blade back into my hand
Well I had no idea! All I knew was that lightning was coming and I'm immune to it. If your confidant in your abilities then you should be able to do it alone.
I then think about his proposal, do I trust a random who almost killed me or my friends who might have let me die. It's a rough decision, but I shake my head
No, I can't do that. You'll have to do it on your own. We won't stop you if we can help it, but if you get in our way of killing Sinbad we'll have to fight. No hard feelings.
I then take off and jump off the side of the building, using the laser blade to slow my fall near the floor by jabbing it into the wall. Once I'm down I would run toward the direction of where I last saw Teddie
I sheathe my sword and skid to a halt when I see PK running towards us. That’s one person caught.
“So, Ted, we got PK here. But I’m guessin’ we’ll need the other guy too?”
"You there!"
I point to the assassin and casually approach them, lowering my tone of voice.
"I suspect you have the good sense not to trust us, but you can't honestly expect to survive alone. No man is a mountain, after all. What are your aims? Perhaps we can come to an accord?"
I relax my stance, smiling at the listener and opening my arms.
I wasn't actually going to do anything to it. I just hate being watched.
*I would shrug before nodding. Let's get serious then.*
I'll keep this quick. I want to know what you can tell me about this place. Why is there such a disparity between this old place on one side of that wall and the gilded haven beyond the other side? Is there a rebel movement in this place? Most importantly, Who is Sinbad? Knowledge is power, so I will collect all I can. Anything can be helpful, but stick to the most important details.
* I would close my eyes.*
In return, I'll tell you anything you want to know in return. I don't expect anything like this to be given for free. So. Please. As you say, we don't have the time to waste.
I hiss and attempt to leap back, but I can’t avoid all the vines. I draw my sword and hack at the ones entangling me.
“Well, crap. Diplomacy’s out the window. Any bright ideas, Niko?”
Hakuryuu’s back on ground level now, which makes half my magic much easier. Whether or not I got free from the vines, I would swing my sword thrice.
“Force Dance!”
Luckily, all three tornadoes converged towards the target, one swirling in towards his left, one to his right, and the third straight at him.
"! If it's a fight you want, it's a fight you got!"
I try sidestepping the vines and getting to the clearest area, beginning an incantation on my grimoire. Beforehand, I activated an ability, preventing me from being interrupted or even knocked back. Should I not be instantly murdered, the incantation would summon forth a fox-like magical creature which stands to my defense, increasing my aethereal capabilities as well.
"Hey, PK! Can you protect Cait and Niko?"
"Yeah, I've got an idea."
I smirk as I try to reach for my evoker, hoping that I can.
"Though the choice of knocking him out or killing him is up to you guys."
I continue to follow Ja’far, looking out through the building. He said he was a spymaster, which meant these panels were likely how he watched people. I wonder if I could see how my “Vassals” were doing through them, but don’t find anything of interest. I am content to walk in silence, focusing instead on the information in front of me. I am a bit slow to notice Ja’far’s invitation, sitting down only after he has begun speaking to get my attention.
“I can see why Sinbad trusts you, your attention to detail is admirable.”
I begin playing with my hair again, a bad habit that I could never seem to let my hands be idle.
“Though my decision to let my vassals go was a strategic one, rather than one of preference. They’re straightforward and honest to a fault. So I was more than willing to let them work on something potentially helpful rather than resist Drakon’s request.”
I close my eyes for a second, taking a deep breath before nodding to Ja’far
“You’re talking about how empty the city seems now, in spite of the crowds, aren’t you? I will at least hear your suggestion before making any solid decisions. Still, I don’t want to cause unnecessary trouble and you have no reason to trust me. So let us both be wary, no?”
(edited by -Toki-)
I nod to my friends, taking a second to breath first though
Mm? So what if this plan of you-
Noticing the vines come up I jump into the air and draw my laser blade, using the excess charge in it from earlier and drawing a long thin firey edge from it before trying to cut the vines in one swing. I should of known it wouldn't have been that easy.
Let me ask you this before we fight. Do I truly have any valuable information about you? Any information I could have is fairly irrelevant, or already seen by the guards. If Sinbad is so good of an interrogator he would already know your the brother of the empress. We also hold similar objectives, so sabotage would hurt both of us.
If you still want to fight after all I've said, then I won't hold back.
I then spin and trace my hand in the air, cracking open a rift for Mordred to walk through, the hulking armour reverberating as a pale mirror surronds Niko. Reflecting an instance of physical damage
My name is PK, with the power of Mordred I'll protect with my friends!
I would not say it is. When you remove pain and strife, happiness and joy soon follow. If there's no evil to contrast good, colour leaves and all that is left is grey.
* So, this Sinbad is a classic case of absolute power corrupting absolutely. So it isn't quite the same of the survival of the fittest nature of my creation. Then I suppose this wasn't due to me being here. Good to know. Still, this is problematic. I look at the bird, now back under the control of the enemy. I growl lightly. Let's see if you're paying attention, bird.*
But what is a god to a non-believer. A race needs to evolve. That can only be done through progress. Progress is ugly. It brings war, slavery, disease. But in the end it brings good. Technology. Medicine. Society. No-one has the right to stop that. Not even someone who calls themselves a god.
*Where did that come from? Whatever. It got my point across. But I really need to learn when to stop talking.*
Well, whatever. I promised you a question too, didn't I. I don't mind answering in front of prying eyes, so ask whatever.
With Ja’far’s story I’m starting to get a clearer picture of the situation. It supports our running theory that Sinbad is indeed our target, and even if he isn’t is likely too dangerous to leave be. However outright fighting doesn’t seem to be an option...
I’ll need to think of something later, for now I simply nod to Ja’far before responding.
“I’ll make sure to keep that in mind. We had intended to invite him, but if even half of what you say is true that seems hazardous for my people’s safety.”
I close my eyes once again as I try to work out a plan, but it’s ultimately fruitless to attempt without experiencing it myself.
“Whatever the case I can assure you that I intend no harm towards you or the people of this city. As such I look forward to meeting you again.”
Sinbad enters the domain with a relaxed stride and an easy smile on his face. He approaches Toki as if the two are close friends casually offering a hand covered in various rings. Each of the rings on his fingers are of different style and substance, yet anyone can get the feeling that they are more than just fashion statements. His high quality robes and many jeweled decoration on his body also signify high status. Though his eyes and calm certainty never give the impression that he looks down on anyone.
So you must be that princess I have heard so much about today.
His voice easily calms anyone who hears it and the cadence of it is meant to put anyone at ease.
I have been very interested in your kingdom and those companions of yours. It's a shame you didn't bring them to meet me. Oh well more time for me to get to know you~
I stumble to the ground and shake my head as it begins to feel foggy. I then look at my allies, blinking confusedly as they had taken the appearence of a dastardly villain
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D06YT0yU4AAOyzW.jpg
Just by looking at him, I lose the will to fight and fail to pull myself off the ground.
*I would look in a mix of suprise, confusion and annoyance at the bird. What you want to be my pet now? Geez, what a mess. I would scratch the bird's neck with my thumb. Dumb bird. Still, I doubt I can just short circuit the camera control with out frying the thing. Shame really.*
I dunno. But, if I'm fighting for my life and I have the means to fight back, maybe I will have to. Or maybe someone else will do it before I even get a chance. Well, I doubt my allies have been quiet while I've been in here, so I should probably go and find them. Or check somewhere else out. Depends on how lost I get, really.
* I would laugh before turning to leave. I would look over the shoulder that doesn't have a bird on it, which thankfully seems to be the flesh one, and look back at Yunan.*
Look after yourself, Yunan.
I wince and flatten my ears. It feels like those eyes are staring right into my soul...
“Well, wind’s out of the question. I say we don’t kill him, but we’ll play it by ear. Fire Dance!”
Three pillars of fire rise up from the ground, but only two actually target Hakuryuu. That should buy a little chatting time.
“So what’s your plan? The best I can come up with is the modified version of ‘how fast do you need to throw a beanie baby to kill someone with a headshot.’”
I take a deep breath, closing my eyes for a moment before hearing the doors open. I would quickly turn to face the sound, before closing my eyes to make a full and proper bow. From what Ja’far said it sounds like avoiding looking at him might help mitigate Sinbad’s effects, so I would actively seek any opportunity for such,
As the man offers his hand I kneel, looking closely at his rings before moving to kiss one of them. It was a sign of respect I’d only seen in books and movies, but it seemed applicable here. Once pleasantries had been observed I would stand back up, letting a little irritation show in my voice. Though I have to actively try to work myself up for it.
“A shame indeed that they would get caught up in one of your messes.”
I take a deep breath with my eyes closed, making a show of needing to steady myself before opening my eyes again and continuing in a calm tone.
“The kingdom of Kamza has taken an interest in you as well, so I hope we can come to a satisfactory conclusion. But first, mind if I pace as we talk? Moving makes it easier for me to think.”
.... Whatever you say friend. Let the person with the stronger will turn out on top.
I shake my head a little, I don't exactly get the logic behind Hakuruyuu, but I suppose it would be hard to reason with my would be killer. Ah well.
I watch as he transforms into something new, feeling the stare write my soul. It burns almost. But I won't give up now, I cant. I clench my fist and more waves fly from Mordred, covering Niko this time in a blueish mirror to reflect the next magical attack. Taking some time to discuss with the party while Mordred casts the spell
I agree, pacifying would be nice. But I won't put his life over our safety. I'm not sure if this is helpful. But I noticed a circle around the head of his spear, it seemed to be special and transforms, perhaps its like a persona and we can break it?
And Mona... Get off the ground...
Sighing, I take up the offensive, deciding I wanted some range of my own I shape my laser blade's laser into a spear head and try multiple light jabs at the red eyes, mainly testing the defenses and not committing.
I put the evoker to my head. But before I use it, might as well explain what I had planned.
"Well, it would've been simple, have PK give his beam sword to me so I can hide it, bring PK and Hakuruyuu in far enough, use the beam sword to take them out of their restraints, then free Hakuruyuu's sister because I'm nice like that, plus we need all the allies we can get. Guess that ain't happening now since he feels like he needs to murder us."
I summon Kumiho again.
"Let's just hope this actually does something this time."
I snap my fingers as seemingly parts of reality open up like two tiny doors behind Hakuruyuu, a springloaded boxing glove launches out of it then it disappears after it lands, the doors close after the fact. Although lucky punch doesn't do much damage, hopefully I get lucky enough to get a crit.
(edited by Raconteur)
You speak to me with such a harsh tone princess yet you show me traditional respect from a bygone era. You are really interesting! I'll give you that~
Warm, golden eyes meet yours as this is said and you feel the pricking of happiness in your mind. Having kissed Sinbad's rings you came in close contact with the slight vibrations of his magic and your heart may have already been warmed. To not get lost in the sheer meld of Sinbad's projected calm and friendly magic you may already have to begin to struggles against his current.
Sinbad then makes the pull worse by gently grabbing your hand in a trusting gesture and bowing his regal head to you.
I can do you one better princess and give you a tour around the grounds. I'm sure Kamza would appreciate it if I treated their princess like the gallant queen she will be. Along the way i'll even let you jabber on about trade or perhaps setting up shop here.
He raises his head once he finishes and another wave of calm attempts to suddenly catch you. The many frequencies of it attempting to push you into simply agreeing to anything Sinbad says. If you manage to pull away long enough you will noticed the increased presence of golden butterflies circling around you and Sinbad. Not that Sinbad seems to mind, but just looking at them is enough to soften your senses and mental guards.
I feel a harrowing pain, as if it were to make me throw up at any moment.
"What is this... sensation. Urk, they must've used some kind of magic. Lucky for us, I couldn't fight even if I wanted to."
I shake my head and place a hand on my forehead as I close my eyes, breathing deeply and grinning all the while. Due to Aphinaud's magical aptitude and connection to his familiar, I was still able to detect its presence despite the facade.
"I guess I've underestimated the power of illusions."
I channel Aether into a curative form around my hand, trying to dispel the affliction with the spell Esuna.
Drat!
Seeing Haku grab my blade and then strike using his back arms puts me in a precarious situation, deciding to make the most out of it I tank the scythe, using this opportunity to overcharge the laser blade as I shift the element to wind. Sending green bolts bolts through me and to Haku
Your not the only one who'll fight through pain! I'll do it too! Mordred! Ziodyne!
Raising an arm into the air, a clap of thunder is heard as dark clouds converge above before letting down a giant bolt of lightning on me, conducting the full force of it through. Like thousands of sharp knives singing through the air. Cutting over and over, hopefully even feeding the fire from Cait with all the air flow
*So much for not being suitable for pet birds.*
Don't worry. I have no intention of dying.
* With a wave with the back of his hand, I would leave the tent. I would sit down down the road and look at the wall.*
Next problem: Reaching Sinbad. Hmm... I wonder...
* I would look at the bird, narrowing my eyes slightly. Let's see what I can do then. AI. Don't say talk but activate Scanning Protocols. I wanna see if I can see what this security spell is and if I can Override it,*
AI: UNDERSTOOD.
* Of for fuck... Whatever. My robotic eye would spring to life, scanning the bird. If I can, I can determine what this spell is. If it's any sort of technological, which I fully doubt it is, I can hopefully see if I can override it. While I'm scanning, I look at the bird.*
So, do you watchers have a microphone or shouting spell or whatever so you can speak to me? I wanna have a conversation. Stop trying to be secretive. I don't care your watching me. It's not gonna change anything I'm doing. I mean, I talk to myself anyway, so you know...
I hear the sound of the scythe flying towards me, but instead of ducking I dive to the floor. Thank god for these cat ears and the fact that I'm not listening to music.
"Goddamnit, I wish I could do something else other than hope I get a crit..."
I get off the floor, not before picking my bat back up.
"Show me something else, Kumiho."
I snap my fingers... I can't believe my eyes, finally a different skill from what I can tell it's...
"Psiodyne."
I sent a blast of psychic energy at him, it might not be too effective, but I don't care, at least it's something else.
“B.. Bygone? You mean you don’t do that anymore?”
For a second I was worried my cover’s blown, but Sinbad takes it pretty well so I feel relieved. That means it’s fine, we’re fine...
Wait, no. This isn’t fine at all. It might be the thing Ja’far warned me about.
I’m distracted once more when Sinbad brings my focus back to him. I nod without thinking.
“Y.. Thank you. That sounds wonderful.”
Its a good thing to let him take the lead for a bit. That means I don’t have to make things up. I can just... No, there it is again. I quickly pull my hand away and take a step back, flustered.
“Right... Um... Anyways..”
I hide both my hands behind my back, where my dagger’s case is conveniently stored. I’m legitimately shaking a bit, shifting my weight from side to side as I pull out the edge of my dagger, and slide my finger across it. The cut is a little deeper than I’d’ve liked, owing to my nervousness, but either way it helps me focus.
“S.. Shall we get started?”
I hardly notice the butterflies that seem to be floating around us. I’m simply too occupied trying to keep my guard up to even notice them.
This guy takes the hit like a champ. Having edge that strong must help him ignore it. That, or he's just really pissed. I sidestep towards Niko as I let loose a simple Maragi to obscure the two of us once the scythe's done with its thing.
"Hey. Niko. You know the beanie baby thing I mentioned earlier? I want you to yeet me towards one of his wings with your korean fox."
Brilliant plan. Not a good one, but crazy enough to possibly work better than my mid-level spells.
"Whoa, what the heck happened?"
...is what I would say, but it just rings out as a thought. At first I think the guy turned the lights out, but I can't even tell if my eyes are open, much less feel my way around. The heightened smell and hearing of the Cait Sith body are completely and utterly gone. It's just me and this black void.
Okay, calm down. This is just complete sensory deprivation. That, or I'm in some actual void dimension. I'm more inclined to go with the former. So now what? I hope this isn't permanent. I'd go insane if I was like this for too much longer. The only real danger aside from that is Hakuryuu coming in and finishing us off. I never saw what happened to him so I'm not sure what that dude's doing.
So for now, I'm just reciting song lyrics in my mind to get a better sense of time, since counting proves futile due to nervousness. The song's punctuated by bursts of worrying what's going to happen, but it still helps.
* So it truly is purely magical. Not even magitech. Bugger. I would sigh deeply. So that plans a bust. He would look towards the gate.*
The gate? Seriosuly.
* He would feel the talons tapping on his shoulder.*
Are you mocking me? Urgh. Fine. But know I can handle myself if this is a trap.
* I would stand up and grab my staff from it's place leaning against a crumbling wall and spin it in my hand before using it to help me walk. As I headed over to the gate, I would hear the explosion from the fight.*
What are those idiots up to now? Whatever. I'm sure Gamma and the others can handle themselves.
* Shaking my head, I would approach the gilded gate. Looking up at it, I would whistle in amazement.*
Gaudy as hell. Hope it was worth the cost. Both the money and all these ruins on this side of it. Anyway, what is it you want me to be here for, Bird?
Yes we shall my princess~
Sinbad seductively whispers this in one of your ears before pulling away and laughing. He then initiates contact with you again by gently grabbing one of your hands. Thus, placing you in the midst of his calm waves as he walks you past the doors from whence he came.
You enter another hallway, but this one is grander and filled with support structures from a variety of locations. The tapestry of a ceiling above is hold up by roman-like pillars while the walls are carved with intricate etchings of plants you have never witnessed before. Lining the hallway until it's very end are various portraits of different people each appearing different from the next. What all the portraits share in common is the appearance of a blue skinned entity appearing behind them. Some with claws on the humans shoulders or ears perked as if listening to wicked tales. The blue skinned entities emanate from some sort of weapon, jewelry piece, or random metallic object that is held in the cupped hands of the people.
Sinbad brings you to a nearby portrait depicting a young man with blond hair and a certain fire in his golden eyes. The young man has a thick ahoge in his hair and a smile on his face that can be classified as very carefree. In his hands lie a dagger with a circular marking on it as a blue entity with the appearance of an older, regal man stretches from it to whisper in the young man's ear.
That was once my young protege Alibaba Saluja. He was a hard working young man that had all the makings of a future king, but his belief in free will eventually led to the ruin of his people. He even challenged me one day and lost. Bet everything only to lose it. Including his life as well as his closest allies.
Sinbad tells you this in a sad tone allowing you to feel some sadness well up inside you for him. A glance he gives you is tense enough to make you feel lightheaded. Everything about Sinbad in this moment simply screams power and you will find your own spirit slowly encroached by it. The power behind Sinbad's very being carefully trickling in any faults of self you may have. Finding your weaknesses to fill them with something more pleasant. A new calmness that makes it less important to think. Sinbad's hand tightens around your, but you may not even notice with this secondary onslaught of emotions.
Princess allow me to help you out with your future and we can avoid such incidents. I seek only the best for you~
(edited by Sinbad)
Everything's gone dark. I feel entrapped in some sort of void... But even if I can't feel, even if I can't see, I'm still gonna fight. I send out another psiodyne. It might hit him, it might hit someone else, or it might just hit a random building. I won't give up. I can never give up.
I watch as my opponent transforms again, holstering the inert laser blade that's been discahrged as I fall to my knees, being consumed by the dark void. My thoughts racing as to what this is. Trying despretley to find something in the dark. However, after what feels like a minute I calm down a little and focus on breathing, closing my eyes and trying to get some rest in this chamber
“I have a boyfriend!”
Are the first words out of my mouth. Also kind of a lie but Sinbad was getting way too close and Towa IS engaged so in case some incredibly huge coincidence occurred it was technically true.
Still, it leads to me being awkward enough that I don’t resist his pull, letting Sinbad lead me further along the hallways. My mind is somewhat hazy as I hang on to his every word. It’d be a lot easier and more peaceful if I just did what he said.
“And what have you done to earn that peace?”
Essentially nothing. I look up at the painting, staring in silence. This Alibaba has friends and lost them all against this foe.
“It must have been hard. Alibaba was a fool to challenge you.”
As Sinbad grabs my left hand, he might notice a thin cut along it from earlier as I slip my right behind my back. In a split second, I have my dagger out just enough to cut myself again, granting a moment of clarity.
But a moment in time is all I needed to focus, not on Sinbad, but myself.
If I can get even that much, there’s only one thing to do.
time comes to my aid and boosts my power. By slowing my own passage through time, the world around me moves at a crawl
With greatly enhanced speed and almost no warning, I attempt to finish unsheathing my dagger and slash it through the throat of the man before me
I don't even know what hit me. Thus, I have no response to it. I can't even feel anything.
("Hmm, i'm alone in my thoughts. I might be dead but I might as well just do what I always do when i'm alone. Hmmmmm, do I think about power fantasies or hentai fantasies? Tough call, but who knows how long this'll last. May as well just let my mind drift.")
Your slash tears through Sinbad's throat opening a gaping wound that easily decimates his windpipe and allows rivulets of blood to flow down his neck. He pathetically rasps for breath as his once charismatic voice gives out causing you to feel a pleasant shiver down your spine. You enjoy watching him suffer, feel elated as his blood flows free, smile with the instant loss of life, revel in the death. Until ...
Ha~ Nice try little princess, but I didn't become king by being easy.
You feel two fingers pointed at the center of your forehead. For some reason everything around you is moving so slow like a dragged out image almost seeping from you feet. You know that you hit Sinbad and watched his blood spill, but looking at where you struck the image bends itself. On one side you see what you expected to see and on the other you see Sinbad's neck perfectly intact. His necklace now turned into a golden collar with white hair flowing past it. You can barely process what you are exactly seeing until Sinbad proceeds to flick you on the forehead causing sheer agony down your body. The simple flick burns as if it is pulling apart your body while your mind is as slow as the pictures surroundings around you.
You seem like a a smart princess so i'll let you go now.
With a secondary flick the pain is gone as soon as it came and the world once again speeds up to its normal pace. The Sinbad in front of you is very much alive though his appearance momentarily changed to some nine-tailed fox entity with pure white hair and a third eye.
What do you have to say to me princess~
(edited by Sinbad)
I pause in my time-wasting activities to wonder how Gamma and Gin are doing. Maybe they’re in more trouble, although that’s more likely for Gamma. Gin might be alright. I should find them when and if this ends. Still, if Hakuryuu can do this, what about Sinbad? Could we even hope to beat him?
The answer is probably no.
Back to Country Roads I go. Every so often, I try to focus and see if any senses are back. Even the slightest twitch would be comforting.
time spells remaining: 2
Oncd my dagger has torn through Sinbad’s throat, I finish my proclamation, one of defiance against one who seemed to treat others like toys
“He shouldn’t have let you fight back.”
I can’t believe that actually worked. At least it seemed to at first. I simply stand there, stunned when suddenly I seem to hear his voice again. Sinbad is both dead, and alive at the same time. An instant later I’m falling back, with even the slightest flick being enough for Sinbad to knock me off balance, leaving me writhing in pain. Even when it’s done, I would just remain on the floor for a bit, staring at him. It takes me a few seconds to finally make my voice, meek as it may be, heard.
“I... Honestly never thought I’d make it this far.”
I'm still in the dark, but it doesn't matter, as long as I can do something I'm fine. I attempt to send another psiodyne in a random direction. I won't back down from any of this, even if none of my senses work. I want to keep on fighting... So my friends can get out of this place.
What the- you again kid? Bird vendor. Right.
*Ugh. Go figure.*
So, this is your bird is it? Huh. Interesting. I think currently it's being used as a living security camera by someone who wants to keep tabs on me and previously some old guy who lives in a tent. I don't really like being watched, but I guess I can't really do much about it either.
*I would shrug before leaning on my staff. I would look at the bird pecking at the gate.*
Still, I think I need to get through here. My allies may have past here already one way or another while I was wandering around and I'd rather not be too far behind them.
*If I were really Sam, I'd just use my portals to bypass the thing entirely. Unfortunatly, it seems the entire portal network is down for me. Guess our lovely host isn't gonna make it that easy for me. Shame that. Either way, i would rub the back of my neck with my robotic arm. I'd be curious to see how the kid responds to my... plea? No, I don't think that's right. Well, my whatever it was.*
"So, I take it the negotiations didn't go as planned?"
I try to move around as much as I can despite being restrained, looking around the cell.
"Now, what would Tatsuya do if he were here? ...most likely consider his options at least."
I then face my comrades and speak quietly let clearly
"Alright, guys."
I then begin doing some light dance moves in place
"We can work, work, work this out."
Sinbad lowers himself to your position and trails the underside of your chin with a ringed finger. Through this simple motion you can feel his power hum through to your head eliciting a dizzying effect. His current form slips off revealing his original purple hair and brown eyes that meet yours with similar intensity to the finger.
Princess it is very impressive that you made it this far. Absolutely astounding that you were brave enough to pull such a move on me.
The red jewel on the ring beneath your neck glows with a golden power and right in front of your eyes Sinbad transforms into an impish creature. He becomes smaller than you and his legs change into a tiny set of hooves. While small dragon wings spread out from his back as a tail lashes out from his spine and a third eye forms on his forehead. To complete the transformation a big belly develops on his person and two stick like horns grow from near the third eye. Yet he retains his same low voice despite his extreme alterations.
That ability of yours to slow things down can be very useful to me. I should be grateful that you offered yourself up like this~
Sinbad's minuscule clawed hand comfortingly pats your cheek.
We'll have so much fun.
Sinbad then screams right in front of your face revealing an intricate circle within his mouth. Though you have little time to really study the mark as you feel the calming waves that once hit you suddenly flood in with the noise. You can feel the torrential downpour of forced feeling try to consume every shred of your thought process as it attempts to push out things that define you out. Your memories, your thoughts, and personal feelings are drastically shoved down as the sound waves produced by Sinbad mute all. It is unknown if your constitution is strong enough to defend against this direct "command". All you know is that once Sinbad is finished screaming there is something terribly different in your head.
(edited by Sinbad)
I just look around at everything around me, not really making a sound or moving a muscle. If that son of a bitch hadn't unleashed that move, we would've had a fighting chance. Stupid motherfucker.
"Well, any ideas?"
I look around at myself to see what they confiscated from me... If they confiscated anything that is.
I come to and try to gather my senses, checking my legs as I speak to the others, trying to ignore mona
Ideas? Nope. Guess we outta figure something out, I know Mordred might be able to cut these chains and bars, hey, wait a second...
I then look and see someone with red hair, aren't they...
Hey, you there, the girl with red hair, aren't you Hakruyuu's sister?
Wait, their in prison?
*I would groan and shake my head.*
Are you serious? I don't even think I was gone more than a few hours.
*I would chuckle. Prison break, is it? You guys don't make it easy do you?*
Alright then. So then. Which way to the prison tower? Don't know who is where but I think I can trust everyone to keep their heads on their shoulders while I come to bail them out.
“I.. Don’t really...”
I stammer our nothing of substance as I remain there, frozen in fear until that fear is replaced with a sudden calm. Maybe it really wasn’t so bad.
I offer no further resistance as my mind falls further into a haze......
”I can wait.”
I hiss and close my eyes. The shock to my senses forces me to take a minute to let the overwhelming sensations pass. My movements are accompanied by the clink of chains. I open an eye. Definitely chains.
“I’m guessing negotiations didn’t... go too well? I’m all for a prison break, PK, but we need to strategize first. I realized a few things while I was all conked out.”
I sit up and feel around for anything that might be missing.
Glad to hear it.
Sinbad switches back to his original form and gently places one hand on your shoulder. He guides you down a set of stairs and to a window facing to the left of the tower. What you see in front of you from there is another shorter tower made of brick and earth. It doesn't stretch into the sky like the tower you are currently in, but the traditional design of it gives it an unusually abandoned feel. Sinbad doesn't allow you to ponder too deep on it before stating.
It took a while to bring you all together again but i'm sure your allies will be glad to see you now~ Maybe you can convince them to join me. If they are anything as interesting as you then I would love to rule you all.
So what do you say?
He glances down at you for a poignant minute yet continues drowning any answer you may give.
I'll send you to their cell to convince them princess. Tell them to give and allow me to decide a better future for them.
Sinbad playfully grabs a strand of your hair and watches it slip his fingers.
If they don't listen then you just have to punish them like any good ruler would do.
Give them the stick until there is not much left. Understand?
Sinbad once again points your chin up at him as he gazes into you with an intensity you can palpably feel in your head.
Nope, no evoker, no bat. At least I've probably got my phone. I definitely have my headphones, though. I'm pretty much defenseless at the moment... Well, not entirely, I could probably still choke a bitch with these cuffs. Now's the time to start discussing ideas.
"Well guys, any plans? I've made up a few, if Mona doesn't need an external item or whatever to heal someone, he should probably heal Hakruyuu's sister. Meanwhile, I don't have my evoker, so if we do attempt to break out, Cait and PK are gonna have to be our guardian angels. Also if we do break out, we need to save Gamma, he's definitely "Holding Out for a Hero" because I assume he's already with Sinbad at the moment."
Now, what else is there to think about? Ah, yes.
"Also if we find Drakon again, I can attempt to convince him, I might not have luck... But we did catch him reminiscing about things before "complete happiness". So we might have a chance if I can think of some sort of charismatic speech. At least I hope."
Neither am I.
*I turn to leave but stop after a few steps.*
Last two... three... eh...
*I move my head from side to side.*
Yeah let's go two questions. Is there a easy way into of the prison? Like a disguise or something. Also, does this witch warden person use a specific element or is she annoying and doesn't?
* I would look at the girl, not really expecting anything but still curious to see if she knew.*
Making it three. What's this about "my princess"?
* Is any of the people the others are inhabiting a princess? It's not PK or Cait. Alphie is a dude, so that's not it. Is she talking about Gamma? Is Gamma a princess? Who even IS Gamma possessing anyway? I need to ask these questions later. And I'm falling into Sam habits again. Good. Great. Awesome. Outstanding. AMAZING. Ugh. Oh boy, this could be bad.*
“You’re on your own if you’re convincing the dragon guy. I’m not risking getting fried since cats are weak to electricity apparently.”
I try to gesture as I speak but the cuffs make that difficult. If I had my sword, using that would be harder too. Not that I knew how to use a sword anyway.
“Anyway, so let’s say the plan is ‘break us and Hakuryuu’s sister out and then save Gamma.’ What’s next? I know for a fact that we can’t beat Sinbad. If Hakuryuu beat us in under five minutes then imagine what fighting the big guy’ll be like. But maybe we’re going about this the wrong way.”
I give the girl a concerned glance then continue.
“I doubt our task is impossible. So maybe we need to go about our plan for Sinbad in a roundabout way. The kinda exploiting the game stuff. Maybe find a bigger fish so to speak by locating more rebels. That, and our attendant said something else. Something about hurting the soul... That’s another possibility that’s not a conventional kill. But anyway, if we’re gonna jailbreak, the short-term plan is get ourselves and our neighbor out then escape, right?”
I shoot smug side glances at the strategizing felines
"Are you a fool, Niko? We couldn't even convince Sinbad's own dearest enemies to help us, let alone his closest allies. I'll give you props for drawing on the prisoner's desperation to force them to help us, but who's to say they'll not attack us like the last? I'd wager we're entirely on our own. Who knows, maybe the arrogant Sinbad will bring us before him himself in an attempt to convert us?"
I shake my head.
"I'm not forcing them to help us, it's their choice if they want to or not. Don't think I'm some sort of manipulator, yes their best option would to come with us, but they don't have to, I just hope that they'll come with us, and I hope that Drakon would ally himself with us if I can convince him. Maybe I am a fool, but in the end, I want to have hope that we can have allies outside of our group... Or friends. Doesn't much matter to me."
"Oh.. Um.."
I stutter a bit as I'm lead along, though I don't offer much resistance. That tower's a prison then? And my friends must have messed up to get in there. But maybe its better that way.
I wait a few seconds before nodding to Sinbad. I'd rather not disappoint him if I can.
"I'll try, for sure. Just.. Don't expect too much from me."
“Plus, I don’t think she’ll try to kill us like her brother.”
I point at the girl, who looks like she’s been through Hell and back.
“Attacking us is the least beneficial thing she can do. At worst, it’ll be a temporary truce till we’re home free, so heal her? Please?”
I give Mona the best sad cat eyes I can.
Whatever the plan is I'll do my part. Mordred should be able to break our chains in sword form when we are ready, hell, maybe we can convince the assassin from earlier if we are with the sister. If they are the sister that is. Hell, there's too many variables.. I can also heal if need be, but I'd rather try and hold onto some SP. Just give me the signal and I'll break us out?
Sinbad confidently smiles at you.
Nonsense, i'm sure a capable princess like you can work wonders. All you have to do is tell your allies how kind I am and we could work things out together. I'll make sure you and your vassals receive the best treatment as long as you respect the order of things. I really don't want you to crush them should they refuse but if it must be done then you are responsible enough.
With these words the commands you must follow are interwoven into your thought process as if they were always there. When you see your allies again they will awaken and influence your action but until then you feel the remnants of your original personality take hold. Before you can completely wake up from the calmness forced upon you things suddenly go black.
I'll be waiting for you.
Is all you hear for an undefined period of time.
You then awaken in a series of dark and damp corridors with chains tying your hands together. A lady with blue hair guides you down the series of interlocking corridors until you are in front of a series of cells stretching down. You can see the iron bars that block off the prisoners from where you stand. The lady behind you apologetically states.
Sorry I have to do this but we can't have your comrades be suspicious. You have to make things work out for the sake of everyone.
The lady's voice has a nice rhythmic flow that is almost comforting even if she is about to toss you behind a cell. Your thoughts are a bit muted and you still feel slightly calmed but your almost back to how you were before. At least enough to convincingly be you. The lady makes herself invisible before leading you down the row of cells.
Finally, you are in front of a cell containing the red haired girl you saw being dragged across the market and are tossed in by an invisible hand. Should you recover quickly from the landing and actually look around you will see your companions in a cell across from you.
I lean against the bars of the cage and raise my voice so the girl can hear better.
“Yeah, we saw him! He kinda... wasn’t fond of talking but we saw him. He was trying to rescue you, but I don’t know where he is now. You- wait, Gamma’s here, too!”
My tail sways when I see our princess friend. They’re being put behind bars too, but at least they aren’t dead. I give them a sheepish smile.
“Guessing things didn’t go too well? But that means we’ll have to deal with that cell regardless, so PK or Mona, I don’t care who, heal Gamma’s roommate up, would ya? The poor girl needs a break before we do the thing.”
“I.. Wait, I don’t really get the plan shouldn’t...”
I’m brought to the cells before I can finish voicing my complaints, which ends any chance of talking. It’s a bit of a rough landing, and I’d remain there motionless for a bit as I pick myself back up. I can overhear some of the others talking, and quickly reply.
“Towa. It’s Towa, remember? It kinda went a little too far and I’m worried about what might happen if I’m found out.”
I take a deep breath to think to myself. Obviously being in chains isn’t the best indicator of everything working out fine, but if I just shared my suspicions...
“A... Anyways. I was digging for info and I don’t think Sinbad’s our target.”
Upon hearing Gamma's word, I shrug and then smile at his feminine persona.
"Well, i'm glad we can agree on something then. Sinbad was probably just a red herring, so far he hasn't done us any wrong.
...At the least, reasoning with him seems far more likely than with anyone else in this world. The key to any good prison breakout is patience anyways."
I look at Gamma for a second. He was in the belly of the beast for a bit... But who knows what happened to them there. I raise my eyebrow.
"Aha, really? Where exactly did you dig for info? Did you ask Sinbad himself if he was the bad guy?"
I'm not gonna not trust Gamma... But if he got in there with Sinbad like said... Then where else would he dig for info? I think this might be off.
"Ah yes, nothing says "done us no wrong" like putting us in prison for defending ourselves."
I look back at Mona for a second before looking back down and shaking my head
“Why do I get the feeling that you agreeing with me only makes things worse.”
After a brief moment I let out a sigh and turn back to Teddie
“While that would certainly explain us being in jail, just how dumb do you think I am?”
very as it turns out, but I’m gonna keep that bit to myself
“I actually met with his spymaster, who seems to share my suspicions that there’s something else going on here. Think about it, Our target is supposed to run the world right? But think about it. There are still people like Hakuryuu who resist even in his main stronghold. And if I’m not being lied to Sinbad’s influence gets weaker further from the city.”
No. I know who you're talking about, I just wanted information about what she's... Oh forget it. She's not exactly "my" princess anyway. Me and her retainers just so happened to be going the same direction.
*Nice save attempt. I would sigh before walking off towards the stone tower.*
Thanks for the help kid. It'll come in handy.
*So she uses only water does she. The barrier module might come in handy. I should wait before activating it though. I actually don't want the enemy to know about this one. Either way, I would approach and hopefully get inside the prison tower as long as no-one stops me. Ha. Like I'm gonna be that lucky.*
"You... actually have a point. We thought it was Sinbad we're after, but we were never told exactly which powerful god-ruler-guy we were after. Or maybe you're wrong and it's a case of whatever that razor is called. But since we definitely can't beat Sinbad, this is worth looking into."
That reminds me, are we the only ones here? I swivel my ears to see if anyone's making noise in another cell, and to pinpoint where the guard is. This place is smelly enough to make a good sniff useless.
"Spymaster, eh?"
I still feel somewhat suspicious.
"Well, how do you know the spymaster didn't lie to you? Did he give you one piece of advice that you were able to follow and it worked?"
Oh hey, your finally awake, got caught in a ambush like us huh? Er, I didn't exactly catch that. Damn. Screw patience! Mordred! Diarama! We have Gamma with us now so let's break out! We can decide what to do after we escape.
Swinging my arms in as long of an arc as I can muster, I throw open a rift and Mordred's armoured gauntlet seeps through, sending green healing waves towards the other prisoner. Once that's done the gauntlet shifts and reforms into the familiar blade, flying over and attempting to break the chains and then the bars of all the cells by slashing at them repeatedly
"Yeah he did actually."
I chuckle to myself a bit before letting out a sigh.
"He suggested I cut myself as a kinda distraction whenever I'm around Sinbad, and it did work for a while. Until I stabbed him anyways."
I let out another nervous chuckle before clearing my throat
"I think I might have figured out why we're in here."
The screeching forces me to cover my sensitive ears - an action made easier once the metal gives.
“Ow ow ow... don’t do that all of a sudden...”
I open my mouth to ask where we’re most likely to find Hakuryuu, and to ask Gamma to clarify, but the rushing water is quickly at top priority. I uncover my ringing ears and attempt to grab the bars. I know I can swim unlike most cats, but having something to hold onto will keep me from being rapidly fatigued if the water gets to where I can’t stand. Which probably will be soon.
“Okay, change of plans, nobody told me about this thing! Whose bright idea was this?!”
*I would walk throught the prison halls. Welp, I guess the welcoming commitee is out for lunch. Not gonna complain. Don't like crowds anyway. Upon reaching the keys, I would look at the keys and the robes. So these would be the keys to the cells or at least the rooms over there. Are the rooms the cells? Ah forget it. I can go look in a moment. Anyway, as for the robes, they seem like they would work as a disguise, though I imagine wearing one over this coat of mine would be somewhere between uncomfortable and impossible. I would look over at the bird as it returns to my side.*
Geez. So loud. I get it, alright. Too easy.
* Way too easy. Did that girl say invisible or invincible? Let's assume Invisible and deal with invincible later. Either way, she only uses water, right? If I remember rightly, the code for that was...*
Barrier Module: Lapis
* I watch as a dark blue field envelops my body for a few seconds before vanishing. I tighten my grip on my cane, my eyes looking from left to right. I would exhale deeply before looking back to the bird.*
So bird. Are there traps in this room or is it just the warden?
(edited by Sam)
Notices the water flooding the room.
"Nice going, geniuses. Now my socks are gonna get wet. Now think, PK probably sprung a leak in the walls with his rampage and that must've caused the water to pour in. Now, since we'll probably just be revived i'll joke leisurely about this."
I then clap my hands together and start singing the super mario bro's water theme
"I guess your brother must have done some re...."
I'm interrupted by a horrible screeching noise as I turn from the red-haired girl with me to my..... Companions is a strong word. The people I am currently stuck in this situation with. I let out a loud irritated sigh before muttering
"ok yeah just ignore what I'm saying why not. no one puts any kind of security in their prisons no siree."
“To be fair, prisons don’t usually have stuff like this. I was expecting someone to show up and beat us up instead. Now we have this and, uh... hey, guards! Which one of you has the off button for this thing?”
Please let there be an off button please let there be an off button
I take precautions to not drown and stuff and get fatigued, blah blah blah, it's all just a blur because I'm not focusing on it much. What I'm focusing on is my rage. Might as well let it out.
"PK YOU FUCKING IDIOT WE COULD'VE WAITED OR PERHAPS PRISON BREAKED ON A SIGNAL BUT NO PK MAKES THE RULES NOW APPARENTLY PK IS THE LEADER PK HIGH AND FUCKIN' GLORIOUS! YOU HAD ONE JOB. ONE JOB."
I sigh in relief as I let all that ranting out.
"Much better. Anyway we're boned."
PK watches as the water begins to rise, somewhat suprised the chains and such withstanded the strikes, well, maybe if they can't be broken they can be bent! Summoning Mordred again but this time in it's full form, casting heat riser. Once the stats come in I clasp the bars alongside the giant knight, using all that I can to bend the bars.
Fuck it! Nothing's going to happen if we just sit here!
I sigh.
"Goddamnit, PK."
Alright gotta think fast... Wait, Cait's shorter than me. That's not good. I swiftly grab Cait and put them on my shoulders. That should let them... Y'know, not drown.
"I gotcha, Cait, don't worry."
“Whoa, er, thanks.”
I can handle myself, but considering how different my body is from my human one, swimming might not be as affected. I place a hand on a bar to keep my balance on Niko’s shoulders and shout to PK.
“There’s a time and place for everything, but I think we’ve reached our limit, so maybe follow Professor Rowan’s advice now, nya?”
I keep an ear open for whoever this Yamiraiha girl is. With all the ruckus we’re making, she’ll probably be here soon.
... Damn it all. I hate feeling useless..
I try one last time to smash the glass with Mordred, using his sword form like a chisel and slamming down with both hands, doing all that I can to try and crack even a small dent into it, otherwise I step back and shake my head and simply wait. Breathing out a heavy breath with my nostrils
You win this time...
Huh. Neat. Well, if that's all it is...
*I tap a few keys on my holographic ar, causing my scanner module to spring to life. It flies down the hall before scanning the area. I would go for the keys, putting them in my lab coat pocket if I can take them without triggering any sort of trap. I then start progressing down the hall before stopping. If my plan worked, I'd have a map of the hall showing me the real doors and their exits and allowing me to avoid the traps all together.*
default dances
I think for a moment before saying... Oh, and I also let Cait off my shoulders.
"Sorry, but I don't work with your type."
Without looking at either of them. I look over to the woman who just stopped us from drowning, I then walk out over to the woman outside the cell...
"Let's do negotiations..."
Then I attempt to grab her staff and push it back into her face, hopefully aiming at her eye.
"My way."
(edited by InterNiko)
* I look over to the door as it clicks shut. My eyes narrow. But, as I start heading for it, the bird flies off.*
Hey! What the- Come back here. Damn it.
* I take another step towards the door before growling and chasing after the bird through the other door it went through.*
I swear if you're leading me into a trap...
My tail lashes in barely-restrained annoyance. First I’m thrown in prison for no reason, then I become a soaked and cold kitten, then some person has the audacity to default dance in a situation like this, and now everything’s about to go to hell.
“Yeah uh... you guys have fun. I’m just gonna chat with the princess. ‘Scuse me, coming through...”
Cats are good at getting into small spaces, so I sidestep my way over to where Mordred had attempted to bend the bars and try to squeeze through. Hopefully this was big enough for a wet furball like me.
For a brief moment I look over to the red-haired princess, letting out a sigh
“Is this what it’s like to work with your brother?”
Unsurprisingly one of those idiots lunges forward to try attacking our captor without an actual weapon
“Because I swear these idiots are doing whatever they think I’ll hate most.”
"Oh great, first PK almost drowned us to death and now Niko is Leeroy Jenkinsing. I'm supposed to be the comic relief!"
I then sneak up behind Niko and try to pull him back away from the woman.
"No, bad kitty! That is not how you treat our hosts!"
I then awkwardly smile at her, trying keep Niko as far away as possible while speaking.
"Sorry about my friends, they're not trained for this. Now, let us meet with Sinbad posthaste. I'm sure he can offer some perspective."
I simply watch this one play out, I've been scolded once and I'm not getting scolded again. Personally my allegiance is with the red hair, but I didn't exactly see a way to help her right now. However I do send Mordred in sword form next to Niko incase he wants to use it, but otherwise I act innocent and stand back, trying to dry off a little.
It takes a few seconds for me to realize that the bars are gone. Nice nat 1 on perception, me. I take the walk of shame over towards Towa.
“So... what were you saying before PK went crazy on the bars?”
As I’m still in my part of the cell, with both the red and blue-haired women nearby I’d bend over to whisper to Cait
“I feel like this might not be the best time to talk about me stabbing Sinbad with one of his officials here.”
I say a little bit too loudly as I nod my head at the blue-haired girl
“Ah, I see... maybe we should just go elsewhere to chat while she’s busy with Niko.”
I look around the area in search of an exit, side room, or even anywhere our stuff might be. I’m fine without a weapon but... oh right...
“Speaking of Niko, I may have to help him out in a bit. He’s without his Evoker.”
*I would look around. The place was quite a nice place, in all honesty. If it weren't for the fact I was in enemy territory, I would probably stick around for way longer than I need to. I like places like this. My smile fades as I see the girl.*
You have got to be kidding me. You again, bird girl?
*I sigh in annoyance before chuckling and smiling. Still, this seems like a safe enough place as any. I take out my screwdriver and start fiddling with my mechanical arm, performing long overdue maintenance. Whoever this girl is, seems she is a frequent visitor to the palace side of the city, judging by the key and the amount of birds here. Must live nearby.*
Guess I shouldn't be surprised to see you here. You did have a key to the gate after all.
(edited by Sam)
Of course it doesn't work. Well, think for a moment... Perhaps you can try something...
"Oh, you want something to be said? Well, okay."
I smirk.
"Your mind is quite like an area filled with quicksand, at some point in your life, it was probably a better place, but Sinbad's implanted so many of the grains that created this deathtrap, and every day you are around Sinbad you grow closer to your death, so I leave you with one thing... I hope it sucks you down. Or alternatively I hope you could open your eyes to how pure "happiness" is not the best thing in the world. Whichever comes first."
I attempt to shrug even with the water swirling around my limbs.
"Seriously? You could have just said that without invading my personal space. Ah well, I guess that means Sinbad knows we're searching for a god. If you know any, feel free to tell me, ma'am."
I shake my hands to get some of the water out of my fur.
"So, Towa, back to our conversation..."
"Oh come on why do I have to be lumped up with these... People? I've done nothing wrong!"
I mean, I stabbed someone, but that's fine. Apparently. A lot's been happening all at once and its getting pretty disorienting. My eyebrow twitches as I breath a heavy sigh to calm myself
"There's really not much to talk about Cait. I stabbed him and he was perfectly fine. Didn't seem very upset about it either. Now can we PLEASE talk about something more important, like moving on with our lives?"
I get wrapped up in the tentacles and sigh before spotting the sharpened rock. following Niko's lead at distracting the aqua lady, sending the sister Mordred incase she wants to use that instead of the rock
Hmph! Good luck trying to get me to talk! I've seen the error of your ways! Sinbad has corrupted your mind! He has corrupted all of us! Only by rebelling can we free ourselves of his grasps! The Villian will never succeed!
"For the love of... Why can't we just calm down and talk like rational people for once in our lives? Is that REALLY so hard?"
I take another deep breath, muttering to myself as I watch the red-haired princess out the corner of my eye. She'll probably try something soon enough but for now..
"You know what, can we just throw Niko and PK back in jail and move on? I'm not that attached to them so you have my royal permission."
I take a long and heavy facepalm, glaring at Niko and scoffing while holding an arm to his chest to obstruct his path
"Honestly, Niko, I question your inteligence. You do nothing but post complete garbage..."
Well that’s just great. The group’s in shambles and our only real way out right this moment is the emperess. I don’t trust Sinbad enough to bow down to him. Be passive, maybe, but not fully cooperate.
A small plan begins to form in my mind. I give the girl a small nod, and wait. I flatten my ears to block out Towa’s chatter.
Yes, conflict, exactly. Distracting conflict is what I need.
"Awww, is the wittle pwincess offended by me calling her big "charismatic" Sinbad a bad guy? Is her mind just the same as watergirl over there?"
I also turn my attention to Mona.
"Oh, apologies for being a fool. It's not like I attempted to risk my own life to do something for the group or anything. And what have you done? Healed someone once. Then there's the time where you went traitor, but oh let's just brush that under the rug, I guess. If I'm a fool for using my own life, then what are you? Something worse."
"PLEASE just call me Towa."
I let out an audible groan and shake my head. This princess thing has already gone waaaay too far, yet I find myself trapped, unable to free myself from this cycle of suffering
"In fact, that goes for everyone. The fewer people call me Princess the better."
"What am I? I... I... I'M A GOOFY GOOBER!"
A magic guitar forms in my hands and creates a giant explosion. I can do that because magic, unless the GM wants to cock block me. Assuming they don't, I also create a bunch of lightning strikes from the guitar which destroys the helmets that Sinbad used to control everyone, singing all the while. Of course, if magic isn't a good enough excuse for these events then i'd just play an air guitar.
My time to shine.
"Yes, humanity has its problems... But have you considered that suppressing free will in favor of what will make them "happy" only causes suffering. Free will may not be perfect, but then again, nobody is perfect. Nobody will ever be perfect. Humans may do bad things, but there's good in the world too. Sinbad isn't completely good, but nor is free will. Neither side is "good" or "evil". It's a grey area in reality, and if you still choose to say Sinbad is the better option, then I respect that. Because truly, no matter what side you pick, no matter who you listen to, someone will oppose that in favor of their views..."
Think... Thiiiink...
"...But I have a dream that everyone will be able to do what they want, to be unhappy with those in power, to say what they want to, not what they're allowed to. I have a dream that every person can express themselves. And even if some people are unhappy, at least they can think for themselves and not look to a... Cult of personality. A person that uses all sorts of techniques to make the public think they're some sort of heroic and idealized person when in reality they're not. People should stand up for what they believe, not what the big leader in a some tower tells them to believe."
Nailed it.
"Wait, free will?"
I set my air/magic guitar down for a second.
"I thought our motivation was that we wanted to get back to the world we came from by killing Sinbad like the guy in the blue suit... told us to. Come to think of it, couldn't he just as easily be manipulating us?"
I clench my fist as I listen to their spiel, she's been consumed by her propaganda, I speak this time with a strong voice, not to distract, but to give a piece of my mind
No. Your wrong. The only thing in this world that is true no matter what is that the strong consumes the weak. The mighty will destroy the meek! The powerful overwhelm the powerless! And I seek to break that cycle. I don't want anybody to hold anybody else down, everybody should be on the same footing regardless of their background! And it looks like Sinbad wants all the power to himself. That makes him my enemy.
I then look to Mona and sigh as I hold myself back from stabbing him
“Will everyone just...”
I shake my head and bite my tongue. I’m over all this debate at this point. I try to relax my rising fur and struggle against the water around me.
“Personally, I’m on the side of free will, although some control isn’t bad. But who cares what I think? What I believe doesn’t matter right now. I’ve got something to do and I gotta get it done. Not my place to argue philosophy. Mazan!”
I can’t do Force Dance with my movement restricted, so I’ll have to settle for this. Three small tornadoes whirl around me and attempt to draw away the water holding my body.
“I’m guessin’ I gotta choose right now, so Kou lady! On your side for now!”
(edited by Cait_Sith)
“Oh.. We’re sharing now, right?”
I close my eyes and take a deep breath, letting everyone around me continue talking. All I seek to do is calm down and gather my thoughts. So once it has gone silent I speak up again
“It’s nice to see we’re starting on the same page. Humanity is inherently evil, ‘For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God’. Left on their own they tend to cause pain to themselves and those around them in their constant desire to take from the world. Hardly better than beasts. However...”
I open my eyes again, my previous nervousness switched to a more basic curiosity
“Is it better to be born good, or to overcome one’s evil nature through threat effort? What makes mankind different is our ability to struggle against ourselves in search of a better way. If you didn’t believe some people could rise above that then you wouldn’t be following Sinbad, no?
By granting people happiness at the cost of free will they’re being denied something far more important than their lives. You’re denying them [the hope to be a better person], and thus become worthy of that happiness.”
Pisti, aye? Hmm. Alright then. That's how we're playing it, is it?
* Not really threatened by the supposed General of Sinbad, I continue with my maintance. Having it lock up before a fight would be a detriment to me after all. I glance up at the bird girl*
We make mistakes because we're both human and don't want to be here. Hell, I've already said that the place I come from is far cooler. I didn't lie when I say I hate when it's too warm like it is here. As for dangerous, we have a cat and wannabe super hero. Emphasis on the wannabe.
* I spin the screwdriver in my hand before pointing it at Pisti.*
If I could get outta here both alive and without fighting, I'd count that as the perfect scenario but judging by the fact most to all of my allies are in jail right now, I doubt that's gonna happen.
* Planting my cane in the ground, I stretch and roll my neck.*
Oof. Didn't realise how tensed up I was. Ugh. This place is too peaceful. I like it. Anyway, as for why I was following your bird, It worked so far and I have no clue where I am. I'm sure you've noticed my ability to steal your airspace with my drone, but it's scanning capabilities gets blocked by walls and doors. Without a map, I can't do much so I'd rather follow a guide.
*I lean on my cane, my face becoming serious. *
Now I know who you are though, let me ask you a question. Why do you follow Sinbad? We've both seen that run down area outside the gate. Are you happy with people being left to rot like that? Are do you use those birds of yours to watch them because your some sort of sadist?
(edited by Raconteur)
My wind spell vanishes and I press myself against the wall to avoid the serpent’s jaws. I lift up the brim of my soaked hat. This just got real. I can’t see our warden, but I can see her staff. But just in case...
“Force Dance!”
I make a few poses as I dash forward. Three larger tornadoes fly out, but I make sure to not aim them directly at the staff. Rather, I’m trying to cover as much of the end of the hall as possible in case she tries to dodge. Plus, this could divert any water coming my way.
When a lion gets hungry, it hunts an antelope for food. It does not hunt another lion. Your analogy is flawed.
*I shake my head.*
No. In nature, it is not the role of the prey to be hunted. It is the survival of the fittest. The prey is weak and so gets devoured by the predator. What you claim is nature is simply unnatural. If the cast are given roles, it's a play not reality. Sinbad chose the roles, not nature. He's halted progress and no man, beast or so called god has the right to do such a thing. Everything must move on. Everything lives. Everything dies. Everything is created. Everything is destroyed. THAT is nature.
* I pull my cane out of the ground, and put my robotic hand in my pocket, holding on to the top of the cane with the other.*
There was no divine right that put humans on that pedestal you speak of. At the top of the food chain. We fought like everything else did and won. You fight for someone who goes against nature. Like no divine right pulled us up, no king should be forcing everyone else down. I don't know Sinbad, so I can't tell if he has good intentions or is simply another tyrant, but this isn't the way to help people. You don't like it, which means you can see that as well.
* I simply smile at Pisti.*
Honestly, I'd love to speak to Sinbad one on one. Understand where he's coming from. Hell, maybe he'll change my mind on this entire situation. You think that's a possibility, Pisti?
*It's doubtful, but it's worth a shot at least. I don't want to fight her and she doesn't want to fight me either. So if I can just get her to take me to Sinbad, maybe I can end this peacefully. I just hope my allies haven't messed the situation up so much already that peace isn't an option.*
Damn you!
I watch as the initial strike from Kou is deflected rather easily. Watching the serpent come in closer I opt to throw Mordred at Yam and get blasted back into the wall, coughing from the force applied to my chest
Gack! Hopefully that worked...
Being pushed against the wall, I wait for the water to subside until I turn to address my allies.
"Alright, gang, let's split up! Niko, PK, I trust you'll be able to break Gamma out? Whatever happens with the rebels, i'll leave that in your hands as well. Cait, i'm gonna look for Gin. Whether you wanna join me or not is up to you, but that's our best bet for standing a chance. Once we're all together, we can confront Sinbad."
I then survey our surroundings, taking note of any possible passageway and/or any weapon that we can use.
I get blasted back into the wall unexpectedly as well, it knocks all the air out of my lungs, and it takes a few moments for me to even breathe any back in.
"Nnnrgh..."
I notice that water witch getting away. She'll definitely be a problem later, but I don't really care at the moment.
"Who died and made you team leader? I'd say we actually get our stuff back before we attempt to do anything stupid."
Once again I'm caught up in everyone else's mess. I really shouldn't be surprised at this point. For now, I simply take a deep breath. I'm forced to the back and stand there for a bit before pushing myself off the wall. I don't have my dagger for some reason that's beyond my mortal understanding, but I do what I can, beginning to chant as I hold my arms behind my back
"For the air and the current to fulfill the ancient pact I call upon thee...."
I close my eyes for a bit so no one's quite sure what I'm aiming for, but the faint glow and crackle of lightning make the idea obvious.
*Ha. Nice. Now all I have to do is talk him down. Easy. I smile. Then the woman appears. And my smile fades. No. No no. No no no. Not now. GUYS THIS IS VERY BAD TIMING! I flinch at the birds cawing. I grip my good hand around my metal shoulder, close my eyes and rapidly tap my finger against the metal.*
Those idiots...
* Of course they would pick now to act out. Of course. That's just my luck. Unbelievable. I sigh. I glance over to the woman and then back to Pisti. Let's weigh my options. Currently, I'm in a roo- on a balcony with two of Sinbads men. Assuming the water wielder is the warden Pisti was talking about before and Pisti lives up to the title she gave herself, two powerful people in his repertoire. On one hand, the water wielder can't touch me while my Barrier is up. Bird Girl is an unknown. Apparantly, there's some dragon guy who breathes lightning and looks really cool doing it somewhere else, so we know they have reinforcements. On the other hand, so do I if the other made a prison break. But if they were thrown in prison, they lost likely to one of them so I don't put good chances on them. But if I do side with them, I'm the traitor and- FUCK ME! I growl in annoyance. Neither side is good. I breath deeply. No. I am not letting my plans be ruined by imbeciles. Let's keep playing the bit.*
I'd much rather stay neutral in this affair, but it seems I have no choice. As I said, we're not really allies. More two groups of people going in the same direction that happened to travel together. I can try and talk them down, but there's no guarantee they'll listen to me. Just know that I, at the very least, don't want to fight you.
* I throw my cane into the air, catch it and point it in the warden's direction*
So, you can stop doing whatever it is your doing. By arm doesn't get shorted out by water, but the coat is dry clean only. I can't fault you for preparing to fight someone with unknown allegiances. I'd do the same in your shoes. It's the smart thing to do so I'm not offended. Don't worry.
* I smirk in the warden's direction chuckling lightly. Oh, this is gonna suck.*
(edited by Sam)
“No turning back now! Right behind ya!”
Since I’m already partway there, I’m through the exit in no time. All that’s left is for me to follow our new guide and an excessive amount of noise. I pay no heed to what Gamma was doing as I exit and plan my next move. The second I see that witch, I’d leap into the air and send out a Force Dance. Simple enough.
Should I see my target soon, that plan would play out. Only two of the three tornadoes would actually target her due to the almighty RNGesus in that case.
And unsurprisingly the kids were trying to run straight through. Typical. After the Kou princess leaces, not really my problem, I finish my spell
"... Thunder Spirits."
shouting out the final phrase as I let the magic loose. As before, a faint crackle can be heard above my target before a bolt of lightning strikes them down.
And as Cait was the first to run for the door, Cait becomes the target, getting only a brief warning before being struck by lightning
"How about we all take a minute to breathe before you idiots go and screw things up worse for Sinbad huh?"
I go to follow Cait... Only to see what had happened and to hear the words that came out of Gamma's mouth.
"...I fucking knew it."
I feel like punching Gamma, but that might not fix anything. So I decide to talk to him instead, perhaps I can get to him.
"So Sinbad got you brainwashed, huh? I know you've still got some sort of control, so resist against Sinbad's control! Fight back! I know you can do it!"
I’m halfway through the doorway when I hear a crackling noise. Does the lady have electric powers? That’s can’t be right, she’s a water ma-
A high-pitched screech fills the room as white-hot pain courses through my body. My body doesn’t respond once my brain manages to focus on anything else, instead flopping to the muddy floor. My entire body throbs with pain even when the initial strike has passed. Being struck by lightning is painful, but even worse with my natural weakness.
“W-why...”
Why did Gamma turn on us? Why did he feel he had to strike to stop me? I can’t get the words out but I struggle to push myself off the ground anyway. Something tells me to run and I sluggishly half-dash, half-crawl towards the exit and to any possible cover.
"nonononononono"
I rapidly shake my head, and bring my hand down to my dagger... Or rather where my dagger WOULD BE if it hadn't been taken. Seeing as I no longer have that, or the ability to freely use my arms, I settle for breathing out a sigh
"We are NOT doing that 'I know you're in there somewhere' cliche. What we are doing, is standing here patiently, preferably in your cells while I clean this mess up, ok?"
I sigh.
"So, we won't do this with conventional power of friendship stuff, then? Okay..."
I go for a punch instead then. Maybe enough pain will clear their head.
"Then how about you face my two little friends, this one's named "friend" the other's named "ship"."
I take a deep breath after coughing up the rest of the water that went into my lungs before rushing forward, reaching for my laser blade and flicking it to life, watching as Gamma presumably turns on the party, pointing the glowing blade at his direction
I'm telling you right now, if you strike us again I won't hesitate to kill you too. I can't have you sabotaging our objective!
I then look to Niko and see him attempt a punch, debating between staying or trying to fight the water maiden. Taking my chances I attempt to run past and towards the exit, Mordred at my side.
Noticing my grimoire on the ground, I run over to pick it up. I would see Cait getting electrocuted out of the corner of my eye. Looked like he took some damage, but it couldn't have been that bad. Thinking quickly, I instinctively create a magical tether between Cait and I, pulling him to my side in an instant.
"Don't be rash, we won't stand a chance the way we've been fighting."
I then cast an incantation that slightly aliviates the damage dealt to the feline.
"You're in no condition to get hit by another big attack. Focus on staying alive and let the enemy focus on PK. Get in attacks when you think you're safe. It'll be much easier if I only have to worry about one of you at a time."
I then look back at Niko and give him a wave before following behind PK.
Didn't I just tell you they aren't my- hmm?
*I would turn to see several of my allies run in. I would smile and wave at them.*
Hi guys. Been a while.
* My smile immediately drops and I take a more serious tone. Just have to talk them down. How hard can it be? I mean they'll listen to reason. Ha. Yeah right. I place both hand on the top of my cane and give everyone what I assume to be a stern look.*
So, I hear you guys decided it would be a wonderful idea to fight the city guard and got your dumb asses thrown in jail. I mean, seriously? Who's idea was that? Sorry. I didn't realize I was the smartest person here. I though at least that "princess" of yours had a level head on... wait a minute. Where's are they?
* I look through the four, realising we're missing two, and sigh before shaking my head.*
Ugh. You know what? Forget it. I've been spending the last couple of hours wandering around and gathering information and I am TRYING to look for a peaceful solution to this mess you've gotten us in and I am not letting you imbeciles ruin it. So do me a favour and stop thinking with your fists and start actually using what little grey matter you seem to have. If you could calm down and stop trying to get yourselves killed, that would be great. Thanks.
(edited by Sam)
".... I'll take it."
at least the classic fist joke is better than the cliche. Nonetheless I'm going to have to deal with it. I'm not really that comfortable fighting, especially up close, so I just catch his fist as Niko leans forward for the punch and reflexively kick him back, hoping to knock him on the ground. As soon as the coast is clear I'd run for the items near the door in order to get my dagger back.
I smirk.
"What can I say, bad jokes are my thing."
I'm taken a little off guard by the sudden kick, but I do something absolutely stupid in return. I attempt to grab the leg. Maybe high school wrestling is finally gonna come in handy.
The healing is nice, but before I can express any annoyance towards the comic relief, my arm’s torn up and I’m soaked by another flood of water. I cough a bit once it clears, covered in mud and water and cursing my luck with each breath.
“In... in our defense... we only got jailed because of Gamma... bleh, mud in my mouth.”
I shake myself off and get to a crouch. If that bird tries to eat me again, I’ll be pouncing on its head or whatever it attacks with and clawing like a very wet and angry tiger.
*That's suprising.*
It was their idea?! Y-You're kidding me. God, you all really are hopeless, aren't you? For that matter, where actually IS Gamma?
*Covering my eyes, with my hand I shake my head. Clearly, this is all going very well.*
You know what? That doesn't matter. Just... stop so we can all talk this out. Open a dialogue. Turn over a new leaf. Whatever. Please. Just don't do anything else stupid.
(edited by Sam)
I didn't have any actual experience fighting so I didn't really have a plan for when Niko grabbed my leg. What I end up doing is jumping a bit and turning in the air in hopes of using my full weight to bring him down with me.
"Hm?"
Thinking quickly, a magical dome erects from the palm of my hand, halting the surge of water and negating a fraction of its effect. After it passes, I sprint behind the enemies and rush to Gin's side.
"Maybe you should hear the whole story before you judge us. Listen, it's most likely past the time for a peaceful resolution. They both think the other the aggressor, so neither one will back down. Now, get off your high horse and do something for once."
* I would frown and glare at Alphinaud as he leapfrogs over the mud towards me.*
Coming from one of the people who started this whole ordeal, I don't think you have a leg to stand on here, Alphie. I used my time to gather intel to figure this entire situation out while you lot ran in Leroy Jenkins style and got punished for it. Call it what you want, I don't give a damn. I'm being pragmatic. Maybe you should give it a shot. But if you want to get locked up again or hell, worse, killed, be my guest. I can't stop you.
"We'll be killed right now if we do nothing. So why don't you be 'pragmatic' and get those goons to stand down. Unlike you, I can't stand by and watch people slaughter themselves."
Think I haven't tried that already, genius. Undying loyalty is a bitch. The only way this ends without anyone getting hurt is for you to stand down first. Bird girl over there has already said a meeting with Sinbad is possible. Hell, if you dolts didn't try a break out, I'd probably be talking with him already.
* I gesture to the two of Sinbad's men behind Alphinaud.*
I was told one of these guys beat all six of you. Do you really think you take two of them with less people? Swallow your damn pride.
I didn't expect that either, and I have no way of defending against that so, yeah. I after that I attempt to get up and grab my stuff.
"We'll get back to this later."
If all goes to plan, as it usually doesn't, then I'll go out and face whatever's waiting on the other side of the door.
I bare my teeth at Sam.
“It was some other guy that did that, not them! And you try fighting someone who can sever your senses! And meeting with Sinbad ain’t an option. Gamma tried that, and look where that got him.”
I unsheathe my claws and glare at the bird as I ready myself for its strike.
“We can’t negotiate with the enemy, Science Boy. We gotta take ‘em down eventually since we’ve already come this far. I’ve actually got a plan for later, but it’s nothing if we don’t beat this roadblock.”
I shake my head at Gin, looking to the fight in the side of my eye
"It'll mean nothing for me to stand down. Hell, i'm just a healer to begin with. Answer me this, can you even guarentee we'll all be safe if we give up now?"
I then get closer to Gin and lower my voice.
"Look, in all honesty, your best bet here is to run away. There's a good chance that even if you do nothing, they'll lump you in with all of us anyways. I'll cover your escape, even."
*I grit my teeth and look back at Alphinaud, voice a mumble.*
Just try not to die.
* I then spin on my heel and groan.*
Gah, you're all so annoying to deal with. If you won't listen to reason, I'm not helping you. If you want to get tossed back in jail, I'm not joining you either. But I'd still rather not fight you either. Ugh. Wait a pain...
* I glance back at Pisti as I start heading for the glass tower.*
Pisti. I'm bowing out. I can't talk them down but I'd aslso not fight people I know so I'll leave them to you and the Warden. Try not to kill the idiots. Oh, by the by. Anywhere I can wait this out?
* Hopefully, no-one will stop me. If anyone will, it'll be the warden. She doesn't trust me. Bird girl gave me a pin though. Might come in handy if I can make it inside Sinbad's part of this palace. Ah, first things first. Gotta make it there first.*
(edited by Sam)
I successfully brought Teddie to the floor, but without a weapon neither of us are likely to be doing any real damage. He's a little closer to the door than I am, so though we get up around the same time, he'd reach the weapons first and then I'd be in danger. So rather than just chase after him, I take a deep breath, closing my eyes and calming myself as I focus.
Rather than looking inward, I identify Teddie's spirit, the only other one nearby, and focus on it
time latches on without fail, by stopping their progression through time, I bring my enemy's movement to a halt.
Though I only had a matter of seconds for it, its more than enough time to calmly walk past him, and to the various weapons. I pick up my own dagger, looking over its blade to ensure its fully functional, as well as his Evoker. Its the only gun around after all. I hear a sound like a clock winding down, a sure sign that the freeze is about to end. Once it does, I toss the evoker back without looking at Teddie
"There, make yourself useful."
before heading out the door myself. Now we were in the prison tower, and supposedly one of the towers had something that would help defeat Sinbad. So that was my starting point. I'd hide along the walls while looking for stairs or anything that would lead away from both the fight and the dungeons.
time spells remaining: 1
...What the fuck just happened? That was strange.
"That felt wei- wuh?!"
I notice Gamma tossing me my evoker, which I catch. That's something that surprised me more than anything else.
"T-thank you..."
Before I go out, I grab my baseball bat. But then I notice Cait forgot their sword, so I grab that too. I head out, hoping for the best, and preparing for the worst.
I run out into the garden and barely dodge the second water strike by holding onto Mordred in the air, barley hovering over the water before letting myself down, giving the others plenty of time to talk before I get to work
Talk is nice and all, but at the end of the day there are people you can't negotiate with. The pen might be mightier then the blade, but the blade is how stuff gets done! Now die like the sheep that you are for your blind faith!
Taking Mordred in my left hand I rush foward to Yamirahara, using the persona's force rather then my own as I bring it down diagonally to the right, then with my laser blade in my right I swing horizontally to the left, using the momentum to spin around and run Mordred across the ground before bringing it up diagonally again to the left
Your pacifism will be your end!
“Seems like a good place to start.”
I hear the shouts of the guards in other parts of the prison, but they seem like a distant cacophony, not a problem for me. Getting into the fight is useless, so instead I check out and start down the crumbling staircase, laying no heed to Teddie. What he does isn’t my concern after all.
I leap forward to avoid the torrent, but that just leaves me in another mud puddle. Now my fur’s all brown and the mud stings like hell.
Wait a minute...
Time for a new plan.
Since the birds are ignoring me, I try my best to slip off to the sidelines under the veil of feathery beasts, covering myself in more mud as I creep on all fours so I’m more of a swamp monster than a cat. Once that’s done, I begin sneaking around towards the back of Yam. Between this new camouflage, cat stealth, and PK’s distractions, maybe I can set myself up to pounce on her. Well... I’m knee-deep in mud but hopefully some wind will let me decently pounce.
(edited by Cait_Sith)
* I nod to Pisti as I head for the glass door. My robotic eye would automatically dim my eyesight as I approach the door. I roll my eyes as the bird returns once again.*
Still not leaving me alone, huh bud. Heh. Alright then. Let's get out of here before they draw me back into a fight, shall we?
* The hole pointed out to me, I go to open the door to try and get into the glass tower.*
I smile as my blade draws blood, backing off for now, once the second wave comes around I stand my ground, using the blades to block a bit of it as it splashes against my side, however the real damage comes as the birds begin to swarm, my face protected by the mask but otherwise they peck everywhere. To deal with them I jump into the air and toss Mordred to the side, reforming it into the Giant Knight as I raise my laser blade into the air. As the sky darkens again lightning strikes me, frying any bird that gets too close, I then point the blade at Pisti, shooting off a large beam of lightning
Your cowardice is pathetic! Using others to fight for you is a sure sign of weakness!
Quickly and precisely, I go through the steps to summon Carbuncle. Naturally, the familiar would pounce at the birds attacking me, providing me some small measure of relief. Not wanting to sustain any injury that would obstruct my ability to heal, I immediately follow up my summoning with the delivery of toxic magic directed towards any bird that would come close to me, one by one. If I am chanced to come by an opportunity of relief from assault, I would cast a healing spell on myself should I sustain any injuries.
Well, it's time to head through the door and rejoin my allies. I keep myself on-guard because there's most likely a fight going on out there.
"This is gonna fucking suck."
The scene playing out in front of me causes doubt to creep into my mind. If I can really do this, or if I can really trust them or... myself. I gnaw at air and barely restrain myself from lashing out at nothing. I appear angry, yes, but it’s a different emotion that’s taking over me.
See? Even she knows you’re worthless. You’re just some stupid cat.
I snap out of it when I feel myself falling. Just before I hit the ground, I snarl and summon another whirlwind to launch myself at the witch’s back in a muddy blur with claws out to dig in.
*As the door opens, I smile. The smile becomes a hell of a lot more nervous as someone else stands before me. Oh come now.*
Woah now. Pretty sure you have the wrong guy.
* I'd raise my cane in defence in order to block the lazy swing coming my way.*
Yeah, you're probably not gonna believe me, but I actually have permission to come this way from that bird girl, Pisti, over there. I really don't want to fight and I'm not even exactly with those others losers causing a commotion anyway. I mean look at me. My leg is a complete mess. Do you really thing I do well in a fight? Please.
* Am I rambling? I think I'm rambling. Ah forget it. Let's just hope this one listens as much as Pisti. Hopefully, we won't have an issue though this one doesn't seem so willing to listen to reason.*
(edited by Sam)
".... Philemon?"
I don't really expect the butterflies to answer me, but I follow them anyways. I remembered them from my earlier encounter with Sinbad, if nothing else it was obvious they were important. Though for what I may not know for sure, in the end that much is irrelevant. The butterflies are leading me, and confirming my suspicions. That's what matters.
Soon enough, I stumble upon a large, room with more of these butterfly things running through a large contraption. I don't know what its for, but in the end, does it really matter? I let out a sigh.
I start by waving to the only person I can see, walking a short distance ahead of them.
"Hello? Nothing? Ah well. Lets see..."
I slip out my dagger, and attempt to slash through the plastic tubing connecting him to the larger machine. A good start to see just how much this messes things up.
"Ouchy ouch."
Having sustained moderate damage from the birds, I quickly run away and cover my face, confronting Yam and witnessing the spectacle of her attack.
"What, you've used up all your strongest attacks, and are now resorting to cheap parlour tricks? I guess you can say... you're all washed up!
...Bazinga!"
Immediately after, I use my ability to instantly pull in Niko to my side.
"Niko, why don't you take on Ocean Woman over here? PK's got The Vulture. Speaking of which..."
Aiming at PK, I shoot a magical energy locked onto him which hastens his healing process for a brief moment, resealing his wounds. Carbuncle also slowly increases my own body's capabilities, making the damage I sustained from the birds negligible.
Say what you will, but what will you do when you have nobody to rely on! In this world you have only yourself to trust! Trusting others makes you vulnerable! Mordred! Give me more power! Ziodyne!
Calling down more lightning to charge my laser blade, I stop my beam and drop to the side, using the excess charge to generate a gust of wind to push backthe surrounding birds, I then throw Mordred into a rift. Running towards Pisti as I point my laser blade at the ground in front of me in ice form to harden the mud into terrain that is walkable. The lesser of my wounds being healed thanks to Mona. Once I get close enough I pocket the inert laser blade as I jump into the air, placing my hands over my head as I open a rift once more. Instead of a sword or a knight coming through though, a giant battle axe large head appears, nearly as large as me. Using the sheer weight and size of the weapon I attempt to bring it down directly on Pisti's head, if unblocked my plan would be to chop her into two pieces
WITNESS TRUE STRENGTH!
Phew. Thanks. At least someone listens to me.
* I joke before following Ja'far. I steal a glance at the video screens as I pass by. So, they've been watching us all the time. Camera's everywhere and I doubt just on the birds. Knowledge is power after all. I keep following boy and follow his directions, going on ahead.*
This... seems long. You need some sort of elevator. You know. Platforms that go up and down between floors and are much faster and less strenuous than stairs. My leg is no less shot than I last mentioned it after all, y'know? Whatever. I can deal with it.
*AI. Silent mode engage. Activate KINGMAKER protocals. Prepare to release Magnetic lock. If this guy tries something, I want to know. Text appear from my mechanical eye.*
KINGMAKER activated. Magnetic lock prepations complete. Waiting on final confirmation. Scan pulse active. Target lock on the man behind. Confirmation required.
*Scan pulse confirmation confirmed*
Confirmation accepted. Target scan beginning.
*I smile. Remembering some of those names from Arc 4 I made up is working out well. Having access to the big guns I still have my barriers and the Keraunos System If I need it. I just want this to be a peaceful meetin with Sinbad but better to be safe then sorry.*
"Oh good, someone else who wants to kill Sinbad."
I chuckle a bit to myself before letting out a sigh. Since this new person was alive they seemed like they might be useful. So I would once again raise my dagger and ask
"please hold still while I finish cutting you loose. It would be annoying if we had any accidents."
After waiting for his response, I'd slowly go to his straps and cut them one by one. after he's freed, I'd breathe out another sigh
"Anyways, back to the matter at hand. I'm needing to kill Sinbad, you have any ideas?"
I land in a puddle of mud that reaches my knees, but the rest of me is still mobile enough to cast something. In all the chaos, I'd nearly forgotten our princess friend here. I wipe some mud off that's covering my eyes and nod.
"Let's just take her down now. I'm a cat, but even I know messing around will only make mistakes more likely."
I inhale and hold out my uninjured arm. Even as I cast the spell, I close my eyes at the last second.
"Force Dance."
Three waves of my arm, but only two whirlwinds converge on Yamraiha. It's not the spell's full potential, but it should blow her around enough to leave her open to our new ally's strike.
If we don't kill him here we will die ourselves! We don't have a choice! Either we kill him or he kills us!
I keep the pressure on as I wield the axe. When I see the flute begin to crack and the look of terror I smile. I only need to push this advantage a little further.
Fight! Or be forgotten! Death bound!
Energy then condenses around the axe head, spinning around it rapidly like a saw as I try to cut through the flute. I know casting a spell in this form will be risky, but I only need a little more to finish this!
Noticing my supposed allies violent attitudes, I jump back in terror and flock to the wounded enemy.
"That's not your decision to make!"
I hold out my hand, creating the same bubble like barrier from before around Yamraiha and myself.
"Yamraiha, run away. There's no point for you to die here."
I don't even go to fight, everyone seems to have it handled so I watch and ready myself.
"Yeah, yeah."
But then, I notice that Mona's deciding to help the enemy, again. God I wish I could strangle him. I put Cait's sword in a backhand position and I rush with Mona, staying near him so I can see whatever he does.
"It is our decision to make, dumbass! We're the fuckin' victors here!"
If I successfully make it into the bubble with Mona, then I'd plunge Cait's sword into Yamraiha's chest... But just to be sure, I'd also push it down after because if I've learned anything, a simple stab probably doesn't kill these things.
"Carbuncle, sic 'em!"
The hard as steel familiar dashes through the air like lightning and headbutts Niko in the chest, pushing him back as if he was caught up in a tsunami. At the least it would impede his movement. I then hold out my hand to Yam, letting the green healing magic flow through her.
"You didn't do squat. If the only victory you'll be satisfied with is won on a path of blood, what makes you different than Sinbad? At least Sinbad cares about the people here. What do you fight for, then? Getting back home? For the hell of it? I bet you wouldn't say half the things you did if it wasn't for the sword in your hand. If you truly want to win, don't let me stop you. Beat me down a thousand times, if you wish. Until then, you haven't won. Because I won't allow you to claim a life without knowing what it means; I won't allow you to spit in the face of justice and claim everything you do is for the sake of it. This is my conviction, my justice!
It hits me square in the chest, as it was meant to, but it doesn't phase me too much.
"I fight to get all of you back home, even you, as you pull another traitor move. I'd say everything, with or without a sword."
I wish I could get past that shield.
"I never once said anything I do is "justice". So why don't you stop spouting about it like you're some sort of superhero? There isn't any justice. There are no demons or angels to be found here. Only survival matters, and if survival means carving a path of blood, so be it."
The scalding hot vapor hurts a fuckton, but I have to focus. I hear the princess shout a spell. I sure as hell don't know what it'll do, but if it's supposed to hit someone invisible, then it'll surely hit all over the battlefield. So naturally I grab Cait and run to any sort of cover. Us weak-ass cats gotta stick together. And when I do get into cover... I reflect on how I felt after stabbing Yamraiha... I felt pretty good... Weird.
(edited by InterNiko)
They’re invisible right now and that only adds to my anger. Alright. If you wanna play like that, I’ll just AoE you jerks. I still don’t feel confident about this killing thing, but I won’t be dealing the blow, right? Before I can cast Maragi, our new ally prepares something. Field-wide attack! Perfect! That’ll hit them and...
and...
oh no.
“Let’s book it, nya!”
I cling to Niko while praying that we don’t become a victim of bullet hell.
Despite being invisible, a hearty chuckle would reveal my position in the middle of the battlefield.
"Smart, but you're yet to witness the true power of a Leveilleur."
Aether radiates throughout my body, ascending to the atmosphere above. For every spear that was summoned, a fiery meteor forms below it, laying suspended in air in a defensive manor. Noticing Sinbad's other general was in danger, I order my carbuncle to rush in defense of them. Glaring at the princess, I summon another meteor slightly above my right shoulder, slightly more massive than all the other ones. Immediately after thrusting it towards the princess, I then towards the door Gin exited the arena from and ran towards it as fast as possible.
"Gotta blast!"
I let out a sigh, shrugging my shoulders as I glance around the room once more
"I don't really care who you are. But I can answer questions if it gets us done with faster. So here we go."
I begin pacing around the room to help me think, not really caring about the wand being pointed at me as I let out what information I safely can.
"You're in the basement of one of Sinbad's dungeons in the main city. I don't know how long you've been here. Why I want to kill him is irrelevant, and for our purposes knowing his weakness would be great. I'm willing to guess it has something to do with those rings of his."
once I was done, I'd turn back to the Magi and cross my arms before slowly shaking my head
"Now then, if you think you're ready can we get a move on?"
As the blade gets caught at the throat, I bring the blade out before bringing it down once more to chop through it fully, fully coating myself in red. My technique could use some work, but I actually did it! Haha! However I only got the bird, I can still perfect the dunk...
Now you see why. You have only your weakness to blame.
I then walk towarda Pisti and ready Mordred, once close enough I bring the axe head up to her neck, giving her a second before trying a spinning slice, and then rising to the air. The blade shining before being brought down, this time hopefully right through. That is, if it connects
(edited by Pancake_Knight)
Carbuncle, noticing PK moving in to strike, instantly jumps up in front of Pisti and fires an oppresive wave of magical energy, creating an explosive force that would knock back PK upon collision. Hearing the loud explosion like noises from this magic, I quickly let out a magic tether to pull Pisti instantly to my side. Grabbing his hand, I continue running.
Oh, he's one of those. I see.
* I chuckle at my own joke. As I walk, I would notice my scanners gradually seeing less and less the higher up the tower I go. I narrow my eyes slightly and hum lightly. Active SRM I command. Text scrolls across my robotic eye.*
Activating Self Reality Modulator.
* With this device, anything that may alter the reality around me is rendered moot. If Sinbad can do some crazy things like stopping time or flipping gravity or whatever, I'm prepared for it. Now it's just a matter of not getting into a fight. Speaking of fights, I hope Alphie, Pisiti and the others aren't killing each other. As I enter the room, I raise an eyebrow at the sight. As Ja'far takes his leave, I do a dramtic bow for the king.*
You must be the "noble" king I've heard so much about. My name is Samuel Blitz, genius, inventor and scientist. I would say I'm sure you've heard of me, but apart from my wanderings, I'm quite sure that you haven't.
* I would stand up straight and plant my staff in the snow, folding my arms and smirking.*
But please, call me Sam. May I ask you humour me for a conversation?
*I would watch dumbfounded as Alphinaud and the warden fly into the room. My mouth hangs open in a mix of confusion and disbelief at the sudden sight and.*
What... the... fuck? Alphie? Remember when I said NOT to get yourself killed? What happened after I left? Ugh. Whatever.
* I shake my head and sigh.*
King Sinbad. I come with a message from a wizard in the ruins of the city outside called Yunan. You see, there are people suffering because you only choose to acknowledge a select few. What you are doing halts progress by denying the natural order of things. As a scientist, I cannot just stand by and say nothing. But Yunan seems to believe your a good guy and doesn't want you to die. So I want to end things before they get out of hand. And so, I have come to ask you to change the way you rule or at least explain to me why you are doing the things you do. Pisti seems to believe you can change my mind. So try me.
*I close my eyes.*
I know it's not my place to question your rule. I'm just an outsider. But I also can't just let people suffer and say nothing. What sort of scientist would I be if I let someone stand in the way of progress? Look, all I ask is that you consider it otherwise I'm afraid the other idiots who want your blood may try and change this kingdom by force. That's why I'm searching for a peaceful solution where everyone comes out happy and, more importantly, alive. Yunan believes it's possible and I promised him I would try. That's all. I've said my piece.
(edited by Sam)
Landing in Sinbad's room, I brush myself off and look solemnly in his direction. Waiting for Gin to finish.
"I'm still alive, aren't I? However, those bloody idiots will stop at nothing to ensure a peaceful resolution isn't possible.
Thus, my case for standing up in defense of the crown is furthered."
I turn to Sinbad.
"In addition, I would like to make both a confession and a request. It is possible that you may already know, but we don't come from this world. Those who I traveled with and I were called to it, each of us from individual background. Now, in all your alleged powers, would you by any chance happen to have anything that could give us knowledge as to our circumstances?"
Now that we’re under cover, I keep my grip on Niko while examining the surroundings. The sounds the spears make against the statue are worrying, but hopefully it’ll stay standing long enough to protect us. Mona and the water sorceress are probably safe by now. That tether I noticed confirms that.
PK and the girl he’s fighting, though, aren’t so lucky. My chest heaves and I close my eyes. Just breathe. It’ll be over soon.
Sam, Mona, Gamma... you guys better have good luck. You’ probably have ours.
"H.. Hey, watch it! Don't drop me."
I never liked heights, and without my feet on the ground the distaste would only grow greater. I close my eyes and try to ignore it, though Jadar would probably feel me shaking a bit
"Down. We're going down. Now."
I take a deep breath, trying to steady myself for a bit before we actually go
"If you really know how to kill Sinbad I can guarantee you an opportunity. The sooner we're done here the better."
I watch and fear floods my mind, even if we can't die I can't help but... The fear in me is starting to go away already... My mind starts to fill with a deep hatred, a rage. Hatred against this dumb fucking traitor in our group, a rage against Sinbad. Anger against every single opponent. I should really go out and help my friends defeat Sinbad and his goons. When I see them... I'm going to make them feel every bit of pain I can give them. But first...
"We should probably check on PK."
I gently put Cait down as I run over to PK, hoping he's still alive.
What th-?!
As the axe gets caught I try my darndest to cut through, although having no luck. When it finally begins to cut into her head though is when I realize the sky is filled with spears. With the axe very much embedded in Pisti's skull, and my laser blade struck in the ground I have no more tricks up my sleeve that can save me.
As the spears come flying down I finish what I started, cutting through Pisti like the bird before her as I get stabbed multiple times, dropping the axe as I fall backwards onto the floor
D-damn you, bird girl.. Ah..
I then lie there for an excruciating second before the body gives. Cold. Wet. And bloodied. Mordred fading as the owner of the axe fades.
*I grit my teeth, angry. But then I do what I always do whent the going gets tough. I laugh.*
Of course. All this was pointless after all.
* I give Sinbad an analytical look and a half smile, placing both hands on the top of my cane.*
After everything, you're just another stubborn idiot who won't listen to anyone else. The only differance between you and the others fighting you is that you have a god complex. Ha ha. Even if what you say is true and you turned from a man to a god, all that makes you is another person who thinks they have all the answers but in the end have none and just decided to run away from his own mortality. What right do you have to decide who is allowed to "evolve" and who rots away? No man should decide humanitys future. No God has that right either. You can talk about doing what's right for the human race all you like , but who asked you? Who asked you to decide who lives and who dies? Who asked you to chain the freedom of humanity and claim it's for it's beneift? Who asked you to force your ideas on them? Do you act on good intentions? I'm sure a lot of other tyrants started out with good intentions too. You'll go down in history as evil all the same.
* I shake my head.*
But don't think that I think that I'm any differant. I'm a human. I know I'm not perfect. A stubborn idiot among stubborn idiots. Hell, I'm probably worse than you. But, even if I think I'm right, I would never force someone to abide by what I think is right. People are past the point of needing gods.
* I frown.*
You're an idiot and those who follow you are idiots. We're not going agree on anything. Send us back.
I stifle a yelp as Judar has his fun. At this point it’s obvious that he’s wanting a reaction out of me and the way to get back to business is to not give it to him. So instead I leave my eyes closed as I remind him.
“I’m still not on the ground.”
Yup, he's dead. That doesn't get me angry at the princess, it gets me more angry at Yamraiha and Mona for escaping like that which forced her to use that spell. I should move back a lot because there's no telling what will happen. Just gotta move back in case that mind takeover fate happens to him.
"I'd recommend staying away from the corpse for now. Just give him a moment."
I look up at the newcomers. Gamma and some other guy, I think the princess called him "Judar".
"Heyo!"
(edited by InterNiko)
"God complex, huh... that may be true, but Sinbad is just another human, isn't he? Thus, I think it only fair we apply the same rights we think we deserve. If any change is to occur, the majority must be of one mind, lest we switch one tyrant for another. And, as we are not citizens, we have no right to meddle in the affairs of this world.
...
If I am to be sent back, I want to be sent back along with the others. I can't, in good conscious, let them wander around in this world."
* I would give Alphinaud a lazy side glance.*
Some people are far to eager to let someone else control them.
* I would murmur. Release Mag Lock I would watch as a confirmation message enters my vision.*
Acceptance recieved. Mag lock released.
*I would move to stretch, stifling a yawn as I do so. As I stretch, sparks would spill out some of the joints in my metal arm as some of the magnetic restrictors come undone.*
Man, I didn't realise how tensed up I was. Geez.
*I let out a sigh of relief.*
Well, anyway. I doubt this spell that conveniently let's us all go home with objective completed comes for free. I'll accept you sending us home with the others, as Alphie says. So, what's the catch?
“He- he’ll- he’ll be back.”
That’s the best reply I can give the princess. The sudden arrival of Gamma and this new guy makes my fur stand on end, but I relax and creep out from under the statue once I realize they’re not hostile. I don’t feel like talking much right now so I just wait for the others to explain everything. My gaze wanders towards the places Mona and Yamraiha could have fled to. Maybe I can catch a glimpse of anything interesting.
I tip toe over to PK... And I poke him. Hopefully this is just PK and not someone else controlling him.
"Hey, you alright?"
(edited by InterNiko)
Upon the mention of a door, my eyes alight themselves giddily.
"Yes, please let me destroy the door."
*I find my gaze drawn to Sinbad. However, as I do, the AI makes it's presence known once again, speaking out loud this time.*
Error. Mental Instability detected. Activating counter measures.
*A short and sudden shock hits my mind, breaking me out of any control Sinbad may have had. I growl, grabbing my head with my normal hand.*
Gah. Fuck.
* I'd hiss. I'd open my fingers and glare at Sinbad through them.*
And here I thought we were having a pleasant conversation. But no. You just had to resort to parlour tricks. You know, your request is reasonable enough with applying mental force. Issue is there's at least one guy with I would assume as much or more power as you who wants said door still standing. That would also be the guy who holds our lives in the palm of his hand. So, either we can't do it anyway because for all we know it's indestructible, we can't do it because we get killed before we can do it or we can do it but we ruin our chances at getting out of this situation alive. Either way, I'm not doing it. Even if I could, you decided to try brainwashing instead of asking nicely first. Why would I ever try to work with a guy like that?
* Steadying myself after being shocked, I stand up straight again.*
Besides, if you just give us what we're looking for and send us back, it's likely that whoever is using us to bother you will stop bothering you. As such, sending us back is within your best interest anyway.
The person in the window sends chills down my spine. It’s as if I’m staring at a god from afar, or even a chesire cat with great power in its paws. PK’s sudden painful-looking revival only startles me more and I hide behind the princess.
“E-erm, anyway... he’s coming back as we said... That’ll probably happen to me too by the way this day’s going...”
Now firmly on the ground, I takes a deep breath and step away from Judar. Don't want to repeat that experience if I can avoid it. I look around the rest of my companions, noting the princess and recently revived PK
"I wouldn't worry about it. It sounds like we're almost through here."
I cross my arms and look between the princess and Judar, they probably had a fair bit to adjust to and considering that they were our ticket out of here it seemed best to let them do so.
"If you have any questions I suppose I can answer them. Just make sure you're ready before we go kill Sinbad."
I sit and reflect in my stay at the beyond. Past memories and regrets mainly. What could I have done better? It seems like the perfect time for self reflection. What brought me here to the end? Bloodlust mainly, I could have let her go right? If I had been more observant. It was a human like me. Dead, by my hand....
What does it matter? She tried to kill me, and she payed the price for it. It was self defense. Yeah.. I stare at myself, what I'm doing is right.
I then feel myself slip away from this realm and back into the real one, crying out as the body gets stitched back together, once its done I simply lay there for a second, ragged breathing as I wait for my nerves to stop firing. Once its done I stand up slowly, moving to retrieve my laser blade as I respond to Niko
K-kinda? Hurts like, the worst thing in the world but I think I'm in one piece. Whos the new guy?
I sigh in relief.
"Oh thank god you're alright. I mean, I knew you were going to come back, but I had to make sure you didn't get fucked over in some way which might've led to me dying."
Then I shrug at his question.
"I dunno, princess said his name was "Judar" I think."
I take another look at Judar then back to PK.
"...I like him already, though."
Yeah I suppose that makes sense. I suppose I did get pretty lucky.
I then look to Judar and nod
Judar huh? Nice to meet ya, its uh, an odd first impression but hey, we just broke out of jail.
And uh yeah, like Cait said. We aren't exactly normal. Call us undead or whatever but our physical bodies won't die, can't say as much for our souls though.
(edited by Sinbad)