sub-quest four | ☰☰RE☱☱☱UT☳☵☶☷☳☵IC☱

[bbqchim]

CHARACTERS | everyone!
DATE | November 5th~8th
RATING | N/A
SUMMARY | There's a few NPCs gathered around a strange glitch in a wall in the Alchemy District, across from the Gondolas. At first it appears it's some sort of reflection off the water, but brick isn't reflective... Do you dare to investigate?

LOG |

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[enduringwinter]

Richter had chosen to remain behind in the Ginnungagap after everything was said and done because... Well, he had never planned on returning to the surface world anyway. So imagine Richter's surprise when, after bidding Emil farewell, the half-elf blinked and realized that he wasn't standing at the Ginnungagap anymore. Some hours spent exploring quickly revealed that this world wasn't that different from Tethe'alla- Aselia. More or less the same, bar the Relic and how his weapons and artes were 'locked' away for the most part.

... To think that he'd be forced to re-learn his artes and spells. How strange.

Eventually, wandering around Mac Anu brought Richter to the crowd of NPCs and the strange wall. After all the ruins he and Aster had traveled through, the half-elf was more than a bit suspicious of the area and wholly unwilling to enter. At least until he got pushed towards the wall by a few NPCs. So here he was, standing at a canyon and looking more irritated than anything.

"Some welcome this is."

shall we critter them, y/y?

[highwind_knight]

Despite his misgivings about his apparent change of profession, the city he found himself in, and most everything else about his current situation, Kain could not help but explore his new surroundings. And then, being the knightly sort he was (even if he had more than his share of rough edges), he couldn't help but look into how he could assist the NPC that had hailed him.

What he didn't expect was to be directed at a wall, then ... whatever had happened. It was like the Devil's Road only not at all --

But, it seemed, he was at least not the only 'victim'. With a wry, wintry little smile he offered Richter a lazy salute.

"Welcome? It smacks more of a very clever trap, to me."

Can do!

[enduringwinter]

The half-elf turned around before scoffing quietly. Well, always nice to run into someone with a similar sense of 'humor'.

"Never thought people would drop as low as pushing strangers into places such as... this." Here, Richter gestures to the dry canyon area that the two Blade Brandiers were stuck in. He'd honestly never seen such an abrupt relocation save for that one instance where Ratatosk had warped Decus and Solum's Core to the Temple of Earth, but that was it.

"All the same... What purpose does sending us to a place like this serve?"

Suspicious? Just a little.

hey guys is this where the blade brandier convention is? am I late?

[longskirt]

It seemed someone else had received the rough treatment when he stumbled into the middle of some sort of canyon, with two others nearby. Albel looked back over his shoulder with disdain, only to find no trace of the entrance he came through. A bit of angry pacing around the spot and a handful of curses later when nothing seemed fruitful, his attention turned back to the two nearby with a scathing assessment.

"Cowardly worms. To bring outsiders in to take care of their problems without a second thought. Disgusting. I suppose you ended up here the same way, as well?"

join the party, the madness is fine ~

[highwind_knight]

"If it's a purpose you're looking for, I'm beginning to suspect that your quest will never end. There's no sense to this place even setting aside a suddenly-appearing Teleport."

"Though perhaps an answer lies hidden in the valley below --"

Any further commentary is abruptly halted by Albel's appearance ... and colourful demonstrations. Kain's brows soared into his hairline.

"I was under the impression that I was answering a request for help; I can't speak for you or anyone else."

No guns, RPG only, FINAL DESTINATION

[enduringwinter]

Colorful demonstrations indeed.

"Hmm... Looks like two of us are in the same predicament, though our armored friend here," a gesture to Kain, "has the best plan for dealing with this predicament we've found ourselves in."

Richter was using the term 'friend' as loosely as he could. There was no profit in insulting random strangers, particularly in a place as foreign as this. The Blade Brandier was much more used to traversing through ruins and temples than... wandering through open canyons. All the same, if the requests by the NPCs at the teleport point were anything to go by.

"If not an answer, then the least we can hope for is an exit."

[longskirt]

Sharp eyes took in the surroundings as he listened to the other two nearby, squinting against the sun as he followed the canyon walls up. It was familiar... almost like the world they were on before they went to that "fourth dimension" or whatever it was called. It just wasn't teeming with angelic creatures. It was well enough. While certainly not the most religious person, superstitions were still ever present in his culture when it came to things like that. So much so that it even affected Albel the Wicked, albeit vaguely and subconsciously.

Heh. Friends, were they? He'll play along. They didn't seem as annoying as those two brats the other day, anyway.

"And what plan is that?"

[highwind_knight]

Kain took the use of 'friend' in stride, accepting the word for what it was clearly intended to be; a polite description, nothing more.

"'Plan' may be being just a touch excessive, or possibly flattering. Be that as it may --"

And here Kain gestured at the canyon floor, taking in the length of it with a sweep of his arm --

"-- we have little to no chance of returning the way we came. That being the case, we've been left with two options: stand here and rot, or go forward and perhaps find another Teleport."

"I suggest the latter."

There was also the option of up, of course; but even if he could still make the leapfrogging jumps required, Kain somehow doubted his two unexpected companions could follow him ...

Matching actions to words, he shrugged and began to follow the canyon floor.

[enduringwinter]

At least the other two were sensible enough to realize that, with their abilities weakened, it would be to everyone's benefit to team up and get out of here as soon as humanly possible. Last thing they needed was to be trapped here without any resources...

Richter stood back to see if Albel had anything else to add before following after Kain. The half-elf only had the most basic spells at his disposal but if the other two could hold their own, then a simple First-Aid spell should be more than enough for the three of them.

[longskirt]

While he wasn't one to join groups on a whim, usually, he also realized that he was far less powerful than any of the nearby monsters and he wasn't too fond of the idea of dying, however flimsy death may be in The World. Albel gave a nonchalant shrug and a wave of his arm, speaking volumes with his smirk. Fine with him, go right ahead, he'll be following-- if you could call walking nearly in stride following. He'd caught up to Kain with a few long strides and kept pace from there, used to leading the pack.

So long as the other two didn't turn out to be insufferable maggots, their loosely working relationship might fair quite decently. Of everyone the blade brandier had passed in-game, not many looked competent, much less tolerable. Women, children, and idiots. The lot of them. It wouldn't be so bad if there were a few like-minded individuals around.

After passing a few loose hordes of monsters, however, he murmured almost inaudibly to the other two, "Something's wrong with the monsters here."

[highwind_knight]

"Nn. They seem ... flawed, almost. Broken."

For all Albel's posturing, as far as Kain was concerned he'd dealt with far more annoying ninjasindividuals and let his fellow brandier's bravado simply wash over him and away again. It could be so much worse, after all.
Richter he pidgeonholed into less of a stereotype but felt amiable enough towards.

Between the three of them, they might have a chance of dealing with the bizarre beasts.

"But broken may not mean harmless ..."

[enduringwinter]

"..."

Having done a fair bit of research on Aselia's own monsters and then partnered up with a Centurion, Richter was comfortable saying that he was familiar with how they worked. These monsters, however, were nothing like the ones he'd encountered back home. There was always a pattern to their movements and they chased any adventurer that could not outrun or surprise them but these ones...

"In that case, perhaps avoiding them might be the best course of action."

Ah, how strange it was to feel like a novice adventurer again.

time for aggro mobs? *A*

[longskirt]

The movements were occasionally jerky, similar to some of the undead monsters in his own travels. But while their appearances were varied and incomplete in some ways, none of them seemed... dead. Lacking the coherency of regular living animals, perhaps, but far from dead. Some seemed more aggressive than others, and Albel wondered in passing how much stamina they might possess.

"I don't know if I'd want to waste my time giving them such a wide berth that we wander off the beaten path. Besides, there were enough people gathered around, and I don't see any corpses dessicating in the sun yet. Who knows if they're even worth avoiding until we test their limits."

Logic, perhaps, but the bloodthirst may be clear for seasoned fighters. Maybe killing some things would take off the irritated edge from getting shoved in here in the first place to do others' dirty work.

aggro mobs! :D

[highwind_knight]

"'Testing' is not necessarily a wise choice."

Oh, he saw that look and recognized it all too well. That was the look Baron's false king encouraged in his Dark Knights. Kain was not well pleased to see it again, either -- but Albel seemed untainted otherwise.

Perhaps it is just his nature. Pity.

"But a fair point, nonetheless -- avoiding them would put us even further off what passes for a path."

"Let us see what the beasts can do, then --"

Allow me...

[enduringwinter]

Somehow, the expression on Richter's face read as 'unsurprised'. Majority won in this case so the only thing left for him short of arguing his case was to roll with it. Honestly, the half-elf would rather just leave but considering they had not been provided with even the most brief of instructions for navigation... Such is life.

"Then let us be the ones to land the first strike."

Up ahead, near a bridge leading to another part of this area was a group of monsters; two spearfishes without the spears on their noses hanging out with what looked like some sort of sprite... Perhaps one that would look much more intimidating if his body wasn't half sunk into the ground, leaving only his upper torso visible. Looks like sneaking up on this mob wouldn't be too difficult; it's just a matter of running behind them and giving them a good 'WHACK'!

[longskirt]

"Well if no one else is going to take that honor..."

His smirk turned feral as he lunged forward, long legs carrying him quickly and quietly on the powdery cover of the cracked ground and drawing his sword just as he came up behind the torso. He sliced horizontally above it, in a blow that should've split both swordfish in two-- yet with all video game physics, one blow wasn't enough for his level and he turned his swipe down across the back of the torso. But by then, the monsters were alert and had turned their attention on him, awkward blows dealt in a staccato of electricity.

But due to his previous run-in with getting paralyzed, he'd found an accessory that nulled it, not taking any chances. Whether the other two would keep up with him, he had yet to see.