"Yes and no," Drake admits, "If they recognize the form you've taken, then they'll probably leave you alone. If not, zap them hard and they won't touch you again." He inhales, preparing to brave the rank smell of body odor and beer, and pushes the door open.
They're hit heard with a wave of musty tavern air and rowdy chatter. Those nearest to the door pause in their conversations and offer the newcomers a wart once-over. The eyes of a few of the men do linger on Victi's figure, but Drake was right; most of them wouldn't touch even an attractive lady chimera, at least not while she has her cold eyes fixed on them and their potentially wandering hands.
It doesn't take Drake long to get comfortable here. It's been a long time since he'd passed through this town and stopped at this tavern, but he recognizes the man behind the bar and greets him with a big smile as he slides into a stool.
"Hey, long time no see!"
"Ah, same here, though I can't recall yer name?"
"Drake, my name is Drake."
"Aye, I remember. You're the chimera lad who-"
"Benjamin, I have an employer with me today and would really prefer she doesn't hear that story."
The barkeep's eyes light up as he finally notices Victi. "Ah, and who may this young lady be?"
They're hit heard with a wave of musty tavern air and rowdy chatter. Those nearest to the door pause in their conversations and offer the newcomers a wart once-over. The eyes of a few of the men do linger on Victi's figure, but Drake was right; most of them wouldn't touch even an attractive lady chimera, at least not while she has her cold eyes fixed on them and their potentially wandering hands.
It doesn't take Drake long to get comfortable here. It's been a long time since he'd passed through this town and stopped at this tavern, but he recognizes the man behind the bar and greets him with a big smile as he slides into a stool.
"Hey, long time no see!"
"Ah, same here, though I can't recall yer name?"
"Drake, my name is Drake."
"Aye, I remember. You're the chimera lad who-"
"Benjamin, I have an employer with me today and would really prefer she doesn't hear that story."
The barkeep's eyes light up as he finally notices Victi. "Ah, and who may this young lady be?"
Walking into the tavern was a bit of a shock to the senses, but compared to the charred... everything they'd been dealing with until then, it wasn't bad. She kept her eyes watchful. Most would probably see it as paranoia, but mostly she was making sure her tails stayed hidden. They were.... still there, if invisible, and she REALLY didn't want to have to explain them or have them stepped on. At least looking over her shoulder cautiously would be more normal here. Another plus side, they'd reach the tails before they reached her rear if someone did try to get handsy. Early warning system and high voltage rolled into one.
"Vivatia, natural philosopher with a focus on magic" she says in introduction, using the alias they had agreed on (not her actual name, something that vaguely sounds like a name, and something she'd actually remember to listen for. It had taken a while to choose one). "I'm curious about that story now, but maybe I'll let his dignity stay protected. For a bit, " she says, sounding disturbingly genuine.
"If I may cut to business," she says, slightly uncomfortable in the busy tavern, "I'm looking for a recommendation on who to hire for a job. The... low detail version we're willing to tell is that we found something that's much more trouble than it's worth, and some other people of... questionable motivation are looking for it. We need someone who can protect it for a day or two. Not small-time, either. Some very dangerous people are interested in this find. Strong magic, keen weapons... They have them, we need them."
Like me, for example she thinks to herself sarcastically.
"We have resources and I'm a good enchanter, very good, even. We can pay for whoever we have to."
"Vivatia, natural philosopher with a focus on magic" she says in introduction, using the alias they had agreed on (not her actual name, something that vaguely sounds like a name, and something she'd actually remember to listen for. It had taken a while to choose one). "I'm curious about that story now, but maybe I'll let his dignity stay protected. For a bit, " she says, sounding disturbingly genuine.
"If I may cut to business," she says, slightly uncomfortable in the busy tavern, "I'm looking for a recommendation on who to hire for a job. The... low detail version we're willing to tell is that we found something that's much more trouble than it's worth, and some other people of... questionable motivation are looking for it. We need someone who can protect it for a day or two. Not small-time, either. Some very dangerous people are interested in this find. Strong magic, keen weapons... They have them, we need them."
Like me, for example she thinks to herself sarcastically.
"We have resources and I'm a good enchanter, very good, even. We can pay for whoever we have to."
Adriannu nodded slowly when the Magistrate complimented her on her logic on then waited to see how he would address her concerns. She was honestly rather curious to see how he planned to defend his actions. As such, she listened to him silently and without interrupting him even once, albeit she looked completely lost at some of the very high tech points. Though this shouldn't be surprising considering the technological state of her world. However her ears twitched when he mentioned coming to compensate them more usefully, clearly showing her interest at the sound of that.
"Ships into...orbit? Don't you mean into the sea? Also your people are alchemists then, capable of turning lead into gold, or apparently dust as you mentioned. Anyway I'm not even going to pretend I understood what you mean by umm...hydrosycamore gigaworks? Also what do you mean by war crime? There are no rules in warfare, just winners and losers. Putting the two words together makes as much sense as a fish with feathers. Also how would you death fleet even do anything this far on inland especially when you saw what happened to the coast...don't think it would be safe to dock for a while. I get you have magic, but unless your boats have wings, how could they even reach us? Now I'd normally I'd find it hard to believe that your bracelet is a weapon, but you did send me that disc with a magic illusion embedded in it, so I suppose I can take your word for it. Regardless, I have no desire to steal it as it probably just slide off my wrist and better a weapon I know how to use then one I don't." At that, her hand would gently graze the hilt of her right dagger to further illustrate her point.
Then as for the explanation how why she might be more effective then his soldiers due to being a scorpion rather than a beast as he explained it. It did make some sense as reluctant as she was to admit it. She had managed to use her unassuming appearance to kill a few adult beggars who tried to steal the food she had rightfully stolen. An overreaction? Perhaps, but by trying to steal her food, weren't they also trying to indirectly condemn her to death by starvation? Regardless, she made no attempt to argue that particular point.
However what truly served to appease her was when he brought out the daggers with grips that were visibly better suited to her hands. Kylarion would be able to see her eyes intensely focusing on them, clearly extremely intrigued on them. Yet even as he held them out to her, Adriannu still proved rather cautious, approaching rather him slowly and warily. The second her hands closed around the daggers, she'd instantly jump back to a safe distance. Yet this behavior likely wouldn't be a surprise to him depending exactly how much he knew of her history. After all, today's chance encounter with Lisa was the most positive experience she had had with an adult in quite some time. Naturally this meant that her suspicion of adults was deeply ingrained into her personality.
Now with the daggers in hand, Adriannu listened to his explanation with an expression that could best be described as being suspiciously hopeful. Wanting to believe he was telling the truth, but still clearly having a hard time simply taking his word for it. As he spoke, Adrainnu experimentally slashed and thrust with the daggers, still securely sheathed so she could test the grip. The result of this being that her grip felt much more secure and her attacks being significantly faster, but without any drop in finesse or accuracy. Already impressed, she carefully set one down on the counter before drawing the other to inspect the blade. Seeing the gray color definitely took her by surprise as it was so unlike anything she had ever seen before. However she quickly recovered and started to very carefully run the pad of her thumb across the blade to feel the edge as her father had taught her. The smoother the edge, the sharper the blade which left her looking astonished as she felt how incredibly smooth it felt. It made the edge on her carefully maintain daggers feel like utter crap and Adriannu was even more surprised when she removed her thumb and saw a thin line of blood on the pad. She knew her blades and hadn't cut herself testing a blade's edge in ages, yet the crimson line told all. Now the very end result of all testing was a kitty girl who looked like she had got the cream.
"Ships into...orbit? Don't you mean into the sea? Also your people are alchemists then, capable of turning lead into gold, or apparently dust as you mentioned. Anyway I'm not even going to pretend I understood what you mean by umm...hydrosycamore gigaworks? Also what do you mean by war crime? There are no rules in warfare, just winners and losers. Putting the two words together makes as much sense as a fish with feathers. Also how would you death fleet even do anything this far on inland especially when you saw what happened to the coast...don't think it would be safe to dock for a while. I get you have magic, but unless your boats have wings, how could they even reach us? Now I'd normally I'd find it hard to believe that your bracelet is a weapon, but you did send me that disc with a magic illusion embedded in it, so I suppose I can take your word for it. Regardless, I have no desire to steal it as it probably just slide off my wrist and better a weapon I know how to use then one I don't." At that, her hand would gently graze the hilt of her right dagger to further illustrate her point.
Then as for the explanation how why she might be more effective then his soldiers due to being a scorpion rather than a beast as he explained it. It did make some sense as reluctant as she was to admit it. She had managed to use her unassuming appearance to kill a few adult beggars who tried to steal the food she had rightfully stolen. An overreaction? Perhaps, but by trying to steal her food, weren't they also trying to indirectly condemn her to death by starvation? Regardless, she made no attempt to argue that particular point.
However what truly served to appease her was when he brought out the daggers with grips that were visibly better suited to her hands. Kylarion would be able to see her eyes intensely focusing on them, clearly extremely intrigued on them. Yet even as he held them out to her, Adriannu still proved rather cautious, approaching rather him slowly and warily. The second her hands closed around the daggers, she'd instantly jump back to a safe distance. Yet this behavior likely wouldn't be a surprise to him depending exactly how much he knew of her history. After all, today's chance encounter with Lisa was the most positive experience she had had with an adult in quite some time. Naturally this meant that her suspicion of adults was deeply ingrained into her personality.
Now with the daggers in hand, Adriannu listened to his explanation with an expression that could best be described as being suspiciously hopeful. Wanting to believe he was telling the truth, but still clearly having a hard time simply taking his word for it. As he spoke, Adrainnu experimentally slashed and thrust with the daggers, still securely sheathed so she could test the grip. The result of this being that her grip felt much more secure and her attacks being significantly faster, but without any drop in finesse or accuracy. Already impressed, she carefully set one down on the counter before drawing the other to inspect the blade. Seeing the gray color definitely took her by surprise as it was so unlike anything she had ever seen before. However she quickly recovered and started to very carefully run the pad of her thumb across the blade to feel the edge as her father had taught her. The smoother the edge, the sharper the blade which left her looking astonished as she felt how incredibly smooth it felt. It made the edge on her carefully maintain daggers feel like utter crap and Adriannu was even more surprised when she removed her thumb and saw a thin line of blood on the pad. She knew her blades and hadn't cut herself testing a blade's edge in ages, yet the crimson line told all. Now the very end result of all testing was a kitty girl who looked like she had got the cream.
"Yes, starships. Craft designed for travel among the distant stars, as the name suggests," He replies to her, his tone suggesting wonderment and adventure, "I can, perhaps, show an image in a moment of my command vessel, the Agate Breeze. These vessels are indeed capable of flight, though through more sophisticated mechanisms than wings, and travel quickly enough that you see them pass by before you even hear them coming. As you can learn from the delay between distant lightning and thunder, an image is much faster than a sound. Objects can do so as well, though only if propelled forcefully enough, which is understandably rather challenging."
"Ah, yes, war crimes are not a concept here yet. Some day they will be, I suspect and hope, when the weapons become too terrible to behold," he begins, clearly having given this particular heartfelt, or at least presented as heartfelt, spiel a few times in the past, "When every soldier can carry tools which can end dozens of lives in moments, from a distance and with minimal training, machines can slaughter thousands of those soldiers with nary a scratch unless specialized weapons are used, and those in power have command over devices which could evaporate everything from here to the horizon in an instant, and they issue those orders from beyond the sea, with no need for anyone to travel and carry such a thing out, rules of warfare become important, as, in the face of its obliteration, the value of life sometimes becomes more clear. You are not here to listen to my treatise on the costs of warfare, however," his continuatio is also probably part of the same treatise, in spite of what he just said, "For now, simply understand that we have rules of war and that, in a sense, they are a form of legislated honour. Things such as 'Do not harm civilians,' 'Do not kill healers,' 'Do not force conscription of children or those of monoplanar civilizations,' 'Treat prisoners of war with courtesy and respect,' essentially don't torture or starve them, it isn't a useful interrogation technique, in any case, 'do not damage the fabric of reality,' 'Avoid causing excesive suffering,' 'Forbid the use of weapons of mass destruction on living worlds,' and so on. They are not about making wars fair or any such silliness, but simply about recognizing the enemy as people and not stripping a region of every trace of life just because your enemies have a stronghold there. On the rare occaision that these laws are thrown aside, at least from where I come, it means entire planets are reduced to nothing and casualties are in the tens of billions. Let us not dwell on such thoughts, however. They are irrelevant and unpleasant."
He picks up the bracelet, and puts it back on, hidden under his sleeve, before withrawing another device. It comes to life as a much smaller holographic projector, showing an image of a large crimson vessel which, by the size of the windows and their vertical separation, must be nearly the size of a town. "It is currently stationed above us, beyond our sight. A shuttle, like a smaller boat some larger ships will send if there is not a good port where the sailors wish to make land, will come to retrieve me once we are done here, and you will hopefully understand what I mean, seeing its flight for yourself," he explains.
He'd been speaking as Adriannu explored her new tools, watching her with an appreciation of her knowledge and exacting standards. Those blades having been nanomanufactured as they had, and enchanted by an expert, he had no doubts that she would be pleased with the edge and the enchantments. "I take it you enjoy the blades. Fortunately, they are yours now. In fact, the enchantments should have imprinted to you, providing their opposite effect to anyone else who attempts to use them, making them sluggish enough in their strikes to let you retrieve the blades easily." he says, unable to keep a slight smugness out of his voice. Those enchantments were his work, after all.
"If you have further question, feel free to ask. I would, however, encourage our gracious, if nervous, host to voice any further concerns she may have," he says, turning to Lisa and nodding politely.
"Ah, yes, war crimes are not a concept here yet. Some day they will be, I suspect and hope, when the weapons become too terrible to behold," he begins, clearly having given this particular heartfelt, or at least presented as heartfelt, spiel a few times in the past, "When every soldier can carry tools which can end dozens of lives in moments, from a distance and with minimal training, machines can slaughter thousands of those soldiers with nary a scratch unless specialized weapons are used, and those in power have command over devices which could evaporate everything from here to the horizon in an instant, and they issue those orders from beyond the sea, with no need for anyone to travel and carry such a thing out, rules of warfare become important, as, in the face of its obliteration, the value of life sometimes becomes more clear. You are not here to listen to my treatise on the costs of warfare, however," his continuatio is also probably part of the same treatise, in spite of what he just said, "For now, simply understand that we have rules of war and that, in a sense, they are a form of legislated honour. Things such as 'Do not harm civilians,' 'Do not kill healers,' 'Do not force conscription of children or those of monoplanar civilizations,' 'Treat prisoners of war with courtesy and respect,' essentially don't torture or starve them, it isn't a useful interrogation technique, in any case, 'do not damage the fabric of reality,' 'Avoid causing excesive suffering,' 'Forbid the use of weapons of mass destruction on living worlds,' and so on. They are not about making wars fair or any such silliness, but simply about recognizing the enemy as people and not stripping a region of every trace of life just because your enemies have a stronghold there. On the rare occaision that these laws are thrown aside, at least from where I come, it means entire planets are reduced to nothing and casualties are in the tens of billions. Let us not dwell on such thoughts, however. They are irrelevant and unpleasant."
He picks up the bracelet, and puts it back on, hidden under his sleeve, before withrawing another device. It comes to life as a much smaller holographic projector, showing an image of a large crimson vessel which, by the size of the windows and their vertical separation, must be nearly the size of a town. "It is currently stationed above us, beyond our sight. A shuttle, like a smaller boat some larger ships will send if there is not a good port where the sailors wish to make land, will come to retrieve me once we are done here, and you will hopefully understand what I mean, seeing its flight for yourself," he explains.
He'd been speaking as Adriannu explored her new tools, watching her with an appreciation of her knowledge and exacting standards. Those blades having been nanomanufactured as they had, and enchanted by an expert, he had no doubts that she would be pleased with the edge and the enchantments. "I take it you enjoy the blades. Fortunately, they are yours now. In fact, the enchantments should have imprinted to you, providing their opposite effect to anyone else who attempts to use them, making them sluggish enough in their strikes to let you retrieve the blades easily." he says, unable to keep a slight smugness out of his voice. Those enchantments were his work, after all.
"If you have further question, feel free to ask. I would, however, encourage our gracious, if nervous, host to voice any further concerns she may have," he says, turning to Lisa and nodding politely.
The keep continuing serving his patrons and cleaning up around the bar as he works. "Ah, you'll find that my place of business sees very dangerous people on the daily, many of 'em perfectly happy to take on the task for the right price. I can point toward a few of them right now." He sets down a glass he'd just wiped clean and nods toward the far corner of the room, where some outwardly human men talk quietly in the corner. They wear discreet traveler's clothes and are armed to the teeth; the rest of the crowd gives them a wide berth.
"Those are skilled bounty hunters and regular customers of mine. They're more or less used to taking yer enemies out of the equation, but I don't think it'd do any harm for ye to fire an offer at 'em for yer gig."
Drake follows the gesture and sees some...familiar faces. Not a group he's personally met. Are they skilled? Yes, so he has heard, but he still has some concerns.
"Ben, to make sure we don't get stuck with someone unqualified, I'd like to make one thing clear."
He clears his throat and lowers his voice. "Among these people are at least one, uh... let's say at least one person of unusual magical heritage. As in when Vivatia says 'strong,' she means...how do I put this?"
"Go on." Benjamin raises an eyebrow as he picks up another glass to clean.
"Demons. We might have demons on our tail."
The keep stops what he's doing, and just stares, incredulous. "Did ye honestly expect to find a hire willing to fight demons here in my little tavern?"
"Ah, close?"
"Those are skilled bounty hunters and regular customers of mine. They're more or less used to taking yer enemies out of the equation, but I don't think it'd do any harm for ye to fire an offer at 'em for yer gig."
Drake follows the gesture and sees some...familiar faces. Not a group he's personally met. Are they skilled? Yes, so he has heard, but he still has some concerns.
"Ben, to make sure we don't get stuck with someone unqualified, I'd like to make one thing clear."
He clears his throat and lowers his voice. "Among these people are at least one, uh... let's say at least one person of unusual magical heritage. As in when Vivatia says 'strong,' she means...how do I put this?"
"Go on." Benjamin raises an eyebrow as he picks up another glass to clean.
"Demons. We might have demons on our tail."
The keep stops what he's doing, and just stares, incredulous. "Did ye honestly expect to find a hire willing to fight demons here in my little tavern?"
"Ah, close?"
Alastor stirred, clearly not used to being woken up before he was ready. He begrudgingly opened his eyes, hearing something about moving. He blinked for a moment, still slightly delirious and letting out a yawn as he looked at Jules. "Well ain't that a great view to wake up to...." No sooner had the words left his mouth, he quickly rolled to his side and stood up. "GAH! Uh... Let's just forget that happened, yeah?" Great start, idiot. Very graceful. Nine hells, this is why I don't do anything of a morning...
Trying to recover, he quickly changed the subject. "*Ahem*, so, you said something about moving? What'd I miss while I was asleep?" Alastor glanced over at Neo. "Why does Neo look like he's been through the ringer?" An annoyed expression fell over Alastor. Damn it, don't tell me it happened again. "....Were we attacked?"
Trying to recover, he quickly changed the subject. "*Ahem*, so, you said something about moving? What'd I miss while I was asleep?" Alastor glanced over at Neo. "Why does Neo look like he's been through the ringer?" An annoyed expression fell over Alastor. Damn it, don't tell me it happened again. "....Were we attacked?"
"No we were not attacked." Liliath spoke well she tried to stop the bleeding of her finger "I don't know what he tried to do, but it didn't work out." She said climbing down "But he is a bit stupid." She giggeld
"In here? Only if we were very lucky," Victi pipes up, a smug look on 'Vivacia's' face, "But not everyone you know or know of is here. I know finding people who are skilled and willing to handle something like this is tricky, at least compared to just skilled or just dumb enough to give it a shot, but I'd be surprised if there was nobody at all. A larger unit, maybe? Mercenary contracts come in more than just 'solo bodyguard' and 'small squad,' I know that much. Defected military units, bandit clans willing to be hired, ships of experienced sailors who are used to dealing with the ocean's nasties and like to line their pockets while in port... that kind of thing. And to add to that..."
Her iris-layers swap, and she looks around carefully for a few moments, hoping to confirm what she expected: the lack of magical practitioners. Mostly, yes. Some people had fancy gear, a supernaturally keen weapon here, a fireproof jacket there, but no signs of the magical 'musculature' of someone who used it much themselves, so to speak. Oh, one exception, actually, but that was fine, he seemed mostly like an.... herbalist? a poisoner? potion maker maybe? Something where magic use enhanced already magical plants, compared to raw magic. Hmmm... actually, maybe a bit of spellcasting, too, but not enough for her to consider him.
"You've only got one person in here with much magic outside of equipment," she states in a way that might give away some of her actual experience in dealing with sell-swords, "Flaming swords, energizing bows, and wound-healing armour are good and all, but I'm almost certain you know other full magical assets. I know those don't run cheap, but with the kind of hazards we're dealing with, and, as I said, resources to spare, it's what we'll need and can manage. Wandering wizards and things like that. You seem like the type to at least know of them, and where they might be, even if you can't put us directly in touch."
She placed a purse of coins on the counter, that it isn't Drake's may worry him even more than if it were, and opens it to reveal a fair amount of varied coinage, like the purse contents from a dozen random people in one bag, "Let me be very blatant here and say that this is to encourage you to talk about people you'd usually not discuss. Magic users can be... well, weird. Trust me, I am one. I'd try some euphamism, but I don't handle alcohol well, so anything about overpaying for drinks is out, and I don't have much experience with this kind of thing." She smiles happily in a way that definitely confirmed her 'weird magic user' statement, waiting to see what happens.
Her iris-layers swap, and she looks around carefully for a few moments, hoping to confirm what she expected: the lack of magical practitioners. Mostly, yes. Some people had fancy gear, a supernaturally keen weapon here, a fireproof jacket there, but no signs of the magical 'musculature' of someone who used it much themselves, so to speak. Oh, one exception, actually, but that was fine, he seemed mostly like an.... herbalist? a poisoner? potion maker maybe? Something where magic use enhanced already magical plants, compared to raw magic. Hmmm... actually, maybe a bit of spellcasting, too, but not enough for her to consider him.
"You've only got one person in here with much magic outside of equipment," she states in a way that might give away some of her actual experience in dealing with sell-swords, "Flaming swords, energizing bows, and wound-healing armour are good and all, but I'm almost certain you know other full magical assets. I know those don't run cheap, but with the kind of hazards we're dealing with, and, as I said, resources to spare, it's what we'll need and can manage. Wandering wizards and things like that. You seem like the type to at least know of them, and where they might be, even if you can't put us directly in touch."
She placed a purse of coins on the counter, that it isn't Drake's may worry him even more than if it were, and opens it to reveal a fair amount of varied coinage, like the purse contents from a dozen random people in one bag, "Let me be very blatant here and say that this is to encourage you to talk about people you'd usually not discuss. Magic users can be... well, weird. Trust me, I am one. I'd try some euphamism, but I don't handle alcohol well, so anything about overpaying for drinks is out, and I don't have much experience with this kind of thing." She smiles happily in a way that definitely confirmed her 'weird magic user' statement, waiting to see what happens.
Did she...? Of course, she did. Hopefully, she snatched the extra coinage from corpses. Drake does not like looting bodies, yet he's done it himself during desperate times or as the job demands. Besides, the idea that she may have robbed innocent people who'd lost everything but their lives feels so much worse.
They don't need the money anymore, anyways.
"Vivatia's" demeanor as she takes over the conversation, especially the way the colors in her eyes switch places as she makes shrewd observations of the other tavern-goers, sees Benjamin fidgeting uncomfortably. She's creepy, to say the least. He eyes the bag warily as she slides it towards him, then makes the mistake of looking up. He flinches at her too-cheerful and perhaps accidentally predatory smile. His gaze returns to the coin purse with some mixture of disgust and fear making his features twitch; he doesn't want her money, but he needs to find a good excuse to reject it.
The keep takes a moment to fully compose himself before shaking his head and sliding it back to her. "You'll...want to save yer bribes for your new hire, should ye try her."
Drake suddenly seems a little concerned. "Her?" His looks away, tugging at his shirt collar like the idea of dealing with a female mercenary makes him nervous; it does, but not for any of the obvious reasons.
"Aye, her group goes by a few names: The Foothill's Lost Souls, Bloodied Talons, Eyes and Claws of-"
"Goddammit." Drake curses under his breath; he knows exactly who Ben is talking about.
"...though chances are she'd take on this job alone."
Drake slumps on the bar, laying his head on his crossed arms. His voice is deadpan as he says, "Aurora, the leader of these crazy bandits who stalk the foothills up north."
Benjamin, apparently enjoying the chimera's disappointment, allows himself a smug smile. "I hear her mark has been sighted on the edge of the foothills- hell, some tell me her shadow's been seen in the night sky. Those hills be only half a day's travel opposite the sea. Go there, being what ye are, she might just find you."
At that, Drake's ears fall flat against the side of his head as he growls. "You really can't think of anyone else?"
"I can, but for demons, I guarantee she's yer best chance."
They don't need the money anymore, anyways.
"Vivatia's" demeanor as she takes over the conversation, especially the way the colors in her eyes switch places as she makes shrewd observations of the other tavern-goers, sees Benjamin fidgeting uncomfortably. She's creepy, to say the least. He eyes the bag warily as she slides it towards him, then makes the mistake of looking up. He flinches at her too-cheerful and perhaps accidentally predatory smile. His gaze returns to the coin purse with some mixture of disgust and fear making his features twitch; he doesn't want her money, but he needs to find a good excuse to reject it.
The keep takes a moment to fully compose himself before shaking his head and sliding it back to her. "You'll...want to save yer bribes for your new hire, should ye try her."
Drake suddenly seems a little concerned. "Her?" His looks away, tugging at his shirt collar like the idea of dealing with a female mercenary makes him nervous; it does, but not for any of the obvious reasons.
"Aye, her group goes by a few names: The Foothill's Lost Souls, Bloodied Talons, Eyes and Claws of-"
"Goddammit." Drake curses under his breath; he knows exactly who Ben is talking about.
"...though chances are she'd take on this job alone."
Drake slumps on the bar, laying his head on his crossed arms. His voice is deadpan as he says, "Aurora, the leader of these crazy bandits who stalk the foothills up north."
Benjamin, apparently enjoying the chimera's disappointment, allows himself a smug smile. "I hear her mark has been sighted on the edge of the foothills- hell, some tell me her shadow's been seen in the night sky. Those hills be only half a day's travel opposite the sea. Go there, being what ye are, she might just find you."
At that, Drake's ears fall flat against the side of his head as he growls. "You really can't think of anyone else?"
"I can, but for demons, I guarantee she's yer best chance."
Lisa takes an opportunity to find something she can eat from her own stores, not because she’s hungry- in fact, she feels quite the opposite -but because she needs to. She refuses to eat the Magistrate’s cooking out of sheer paranoia, and instead finds sustenance in a small jar of rabbit jerky. She forces herself to chew on it while Adriannu and Kylarion talk. She goes through several phases of horror and bewilderment, interspersed with moments of being pleasantly surprised by Adriannu’s shrewdness as Lisa starts to come to her senses. Now that she knows exactly where Raven is- on the table, repeatedly dipping her paw into the bowl and licking off the sweet, soupy stuff -and having come to terms with Kylarion barging into her home, she manages to maintain some semblance of emotional control.
Speaking of Raven, she seems so totally immersed in her treat that the others may safely assume she isn’t paying attention. It isn’t until Adriannu starts testing her new daggers that she reacts to a piece of the conversation. She ducks, afraid of being whacked, then cautiously raises her head and stares in awe and envy.
Lisa, on the other hand, has the face of a mother who’s absolutely mortified by her child’s unruly behavior, yet she can’t exactly say anything as the Magistrate carries on, describing sky-travel and crimes of war. Then he pulls up a projection, much like the one he’d first used to communicate with them, to show them the marvel of engineering that is his spacecraft. The Crimson Agate- she silently admits that he named it well; the blood-red vessel shines like a crown jewel. It draws her familiar’s eyes in seconds. Raven’s sticky soup-stained paw follows, reaching to prod at what she knows she literally cannot touch. Lisa reaches forward and gently pushes the paw away.
And finally, after he explains the magic of Adriannu’s new blades, he addresses her. She sets the jar of dried meat back on the shelf.
“Thank you-” For what? She’s still miffed he’d broken into her home, but he’d not done any harm so far and he may have saved their lives by even sending a message in the first place. She chooses to leave her gratitude at that and pauses to think.
“You see…” she scrambles to find words. “You’ve given us a lot of information. I-I appreciate it, but I don’t know what to-to think right now.” She scrambles some more, opening and closing her mouth, eyes lighting up when she thinks she has an idea only for that light to die when she realizes her train of thought is going nowhere.
She sighs, frustrated, and sits at the table. Raven slinks into her lap, but instead of petting her, Lisa lays her head in her hands. “I just need some time to process everything. Your Magistrate, thank you for your time. If you have anything else to add, I suppose I’ll hear it.” Her voice is hollow. She hunches over as all the pressure of today’s revelations have finally broken her back. Raven mews and nudges her elbow; the chimera lets one hand fall to rest on Raven’s shoulder.
Speaking of Raven, she seems so totally immersed in her treat that the others may safely assume she isn’t paying attention. It isn’t until Adriannu starts testing her new daggers that she reacts to a piece of the conversation. She ducks, afraid of being whacked, then cautiously raises her head and stares in awe and envy.
Lisa, on the other hand, has the face of a mother who’s absolutely mortified by her child’s unruly behavior, yet she can’t exactly say anything as the Magistrate carries on, describing sky-travel and crimes of war. Then he pulls up a projection, much like the one he’d first used to communicate with them, to show them the marvel of engineering that is his spacecraft. The Crimson Agate- she silently admits that he named it well; the blood-red vessel shines like a crown jewel. It draws her familiar’s eyes in seconds. Raven’s sticky soup-stained paw follows, reaching to prod at what she knows she literally cannot touch. Lisa reaches forward and gently pushes the paw away.
And finally, after he explains the magic of Adriannu’s new blades, he addresses her. She sets the jar of dried meat back on the shelf.
“Thank you-” For what? She’s still miffed he’d broken into her home, but he’d not done any harm so far and he may have saved their lives by even sending a message in the first place. She chooses to leave her gratitude at that and pauses to think.
“You see…” she scrambles to find words. “You’ve given us a lot of information. I-I appreciate it, but I don’t know what to-to think right now.” She scrambles some more, opening and closing her mouth, eyes lighting up when she thinks she has an idea only for that light to die when she realizes her train of thought is going nowhere.
She sighs, frustrated, and sits at the table. Raven slinks into her lap, but instead of petting her, Lisa lays her head in her hands. “I just need some time to process everything. Your Magistrate, thank you for your time. If you have anything else to add, I suppose I’ll hear it.” Her voice is hollow. She hunches over as all the pressure of today’s revelations have finally broken her back. Raven mews and nudges her elbow; the chimera lets one hand fall to rest on Raven’s shoulder.
"What, an old girlfriend with whom things went sour?" Victi asks Drake teasingly. Based on his earlier interactions with, well, herself, him falling for some bad-bitch bandit queen seemed preeeetty probable, at least to her.
"Sounds like she's what we need, though," she says, nodding to the barkeep, "Since my guide seems to know enough about her, and we are being at least nominally pursued, we'll head out and not force a contract on any of your clients by being attacked in here. Come on Drake!" She gets up and begins to walk out.
Sassy demeanor aside, her mind is mildly racing. Whoever this Aurora is sounds like interesting trouble, and, knowing bandits, more apt to ambush them and try and.... probably do something unpleasant to them? before thinking about talking to them Also, same name as Victi's family line.... well, after translation. Close enough. Amusing!
Shadow in the night sky is interesting data. Suggests she's a large flyer. Maybe some sub-varients of Drakes species can shift to a flight capable form? Or the females can? Then again, she could be something completely different. A demon herself with a hate on her own kind, or some kind of semi-rogue angel of battle, for instance. The 'claw' and 'talon' parts of two of the names.... actually, you never knew with angel or demon variants some demons liked being pointy, and some angels were just weird, but it seemed less likely than her Chimera, or other mortal shapeshifter, thought.
She was apparently a magical asset, though, so magically powered flight craft would be neat and possible. Best to let Drake tell her, honestly. Speculating was not going to be productive.
Time! Travel timing! A day's ride by horse could be up to... 80 kilometers if you were in a hurry and had a real swift one, if she remembered her analysis correctly. So about they had about forty km to cover, which meant.... about twenty minutes by Shriker. Fifteen if the terrain was real nice and she could open it up more. Her tired brain ran through those calculations one more time to make sure. Yeah, seemed right. Unless he meant on foot, then....
She would continue her distracted train of thought until Drake addresses her.
"Sounds like she's what we need, though," she says, nodding to the barkeep, "Since my guide seems to know enough about her, and we are being at least nominally pursued, we'll head out and not force a contract on any of your clients by being attacked in here. Come on Drake!" She gets up and begins to walk out.
Sassy demeanor aside, her mind is mildly racing. Whoever this Aurora is sounds like interesting trouble, and, knowing bandits, more apt to ambush them and try and.... probably do something unpleasant to them? before thinking about talking to them Also, same name as Victi's family line.... well, after translation. Close enough. Amusing!
Shadow in the night sky is interesting data. Suggests she's a large flyer. Maybe some sub-varients of Drakes species can shift to a flight capable form? Or the females can? Then again, she could be something completely different. A demon herself with a hate on her own kind, or some kind of semi-rogue angel of battle, for instance. The 'claw' and 'talon' parts of two of the names.... actually, you never knew with angel or demon variants some demons liked being pointy, and some angels were just weird, but it seemed less likely than her Chimera, or other mortal shapeshifter, thought.
She was apparently a magical asset, though, so magically powered flight craft would be neat and possible. Best to let Drake tell her, honestly. Speculating was not going to be productive.
Time! Travel timing! A day's ride by horse could be up to... 80 kilometers if you were in a hurry and had a real swift one, if she remembered her analysis correctly. So about they had about forty km to cover, which meant.... about twenty minutes by Shriker. Fifteen if the terrain was real nice and she could open it up more. Her tired brain ran through those calculations one more time to make sure. Yeah, seemed right. Unless he meant on foot, then....
She would continue her distracted train of thought until Drake addresses her.
Alastor Kain wrote:
Alastor stirred, clearly not used to being woken up before he was ready. He begrudgingly opened his eyes, hearing something about moving. He blinked for a moment, still slightly delirious and letting out a yawn as he looked at Jules. "Well ain't that a great view to wake up to...." No sooner had the words left his mouth, he quickly rolled to his side and stood up. "GAH! Uh... Let's just forget that happened, yeah?" Great start, idiot. Very graceful. Nine hells, this is why I don't do anything of a morning...
Trying to recover, he quickly changed the subject. "*Ahem*, so, you said something about moving? What'd I miss while I was asleep?" Alastor glanced over at Neo. "Why does Neo look like he's been through the ringer?" An annoyed expression fell over Alastor. Damn it, don't tell me it happened again. "....Were we attacked?"
Trying to recover, he quickly changed the subject. "*Ahem*, so, you said something about moving? What'd I miss while I was asleep?" Alastor glanced over at Neo. "Why does Neo look like he's been through the ringer?" An annoyed expression fell over Alastor. Damn it, don't tell me it happened again. "....Were we attacked?"
Liliath had decided that she was bored and wanted a good old adventure, she turned around to Alastor. "I wanna go deeper in the woods, do you wanna go with me?"
Alastor scratched the back of his head while considering the young girl's offer. A quick glance over at Jules decided it, slight embarrassment showing on his face. "Yeah, sounds good. Might not hurt to split up and meet at the town. Jules, you got Neo? We'll meet up with you later." Alastor gathers up his gear and throws his coat on. "Alright Monkey, lead the way! Let's see what we can discover!"
Victi Aurora Silverfur wrote:
"What, an old girlfriend with whom things went sour?" Victi asks Drake teasingly. Based on his earlier interactions with, well, herself, him falling for some bad-bitch bandit queen seemed preeeetty probable, at least to her.
"Sounds like she's what we need, though," she says, nodding to the barkeep, "Since my guide seems to know enough about her, and we are being at least nominally pursued, we'll head out and not force a contract on any of your clients by being attacked in here. Come on Drake!" She gets up and begins to walk out.
Sassy demeanor aside, her mind is mildly racing. Whoever this Aurora is sounds like interesting trouble, and, knowing bandits, more apt to ambush them and try and.... probably do something unpleasant to them? before thinking about talking to them Also, same name as Victi's family line.... well, after translation. Close enough. Amusing!
Shadow in the night sky is interesting data. Suggests she's a large flyer. Maybe some sub-varients of Drakes species can shift to a flight capable form? Or the females can? Then again, she could be something completely different. A demon herself with a hate on her own kind, or some kind of semi-rogue angel of battle, for instance. The 'claw' and 'talon' parts of two of the names.... actually, you never knew with angel or demon variants some demons liked being pointy, and some angels were just weird, but it seemed less likely than her Chimera, or other mortal shapeshifter, thought.
She was apparently a magical asset, though, so magically powered flight craft would be neat and possible. Best to let Drake tell her, honestly. Speculating was not going to be productive.
Time! Travel timing! A day's ride by horse could be up to... 80 kilometers if you were in a hurry and had a real swift one, if she remembered her analysis correctly. So about they had about forty km to cover, which meant.... about twenty minutes by Shriker. Fifteen if the terrain was real nice and she could open it up more. Her tired brain ran through those calculations one more time to make sure. Yeah, seemed right. Unless he meant on foot, then....
She would continue her distracted train of thought until Drake addresses her.
"Sounds like she's what we need, though," she says, nodding to the barkeep, "Since my guide seems to know enough about her, and we are being at least nominally pursued, we'll head out and not force a contract on any of your clients by being attacked in here. Come on Drake!" She gets up and begins to walk out.
Sassy demeanor aside, her mind is mildly racing. Whoever this Aurora is sounds like interesting trouble, and, knowing bandits, more apt to ambush them and try and.... probably do something unpleasant to them? before thinking about talking to them Also, same name as Victi's family line.... well, after translation. Close enough. Amusing!
Shadow in the night sky is interesting data. Suggests she's a large flyer. Maybe some sub-varients of Drakes species can shift to a flight capable form? Or the females can? Then again, she could be something completely different. A demon herself with a hate on her own kind, or some kind of semi-rogue angel of battle, for instance. The 'claw' and 'talon' parts of two of the names.... actually, you never knew with angel or demon variants some demons liked being pointy, and some angels were just weird, but it seemed less likely than her Chimera, or other mortal shapeshifter, thought.
She was apparently a magical asset, though, so magically powered flight craft would be neat and possible. Best to let Drake tell her, honestly. Speculating was not going to be productive.
Time! Travel timing! A day's ride by horse could be up to... 80 kilometers if you were in a hurry and had a real swift one, if she remembered her analysis correctly. So about they had about forty km to cover, which meant.... about twenty minutes by Shriker. Fifteen if the terrain was real nice and she could open it up more. Her tired brain ran through those calculations one more time to make sure. Yeah, seemed right. Unless he meant on foot, then....
She would continue her distracted train of thought until Drake addresses her.
"Ooooh no! There's such a thing as too hot, literally speaking," Drake's face flushes with indignation at the very idea of him being attracted to someone like the rotten Queen of the Foothills. As Victi turns to make her leave, he halfway leaps, halfway trips out of the barstool to follow her. He mutters some curses on the way out for a few different reasons:
1) They didn't actually eat at the tavern; both of them, in the rush to take care of business, must have forgotten. Oh well, they can eat on the road. He probably has some bread and cheese in his pack.
2) They're going to meet Aurora, dammit. And with the way Victi practically flew from the room just as the crow flies, he's certain he can't talk her out of it.
3) Oh, yeah, that bread of his is probably stale. Blech.
"So, Victi," he has a sudden thought. "You're gonna drop or tweak your disguise before we go to meet her, right?"
"Why?" she asks, her straightforward tone indicating genuine lack of understanding "Something wrong with this one? I mean, not the most intimidating look if she demands toughness, sure, but I figure I could make it more battle-ready if I'm in combat or whatever. A bit less clothing to expose a bit more muscle, maybe some battle markings along my arms and face or something.... that kind of thing."
Then she pauses. "That's not the reason, huh?" She asks eventually, speaking calmly, in though, "Something about this form would upset her.... What's the danger?"
Then she pauses. "That's not the reason, huh?" She asks eventually, speaking calmly, in though, "Something about this form would upset her.... What's the danger?"
Alastor Kain wrote:
Alastor scratched the back of his head while considering the young girl's offer. A quick glance over at Jules decided it, slight embarrassment showing on his face. "Yeah, sounds good. Might not hurt to split up and meet at the town. Jules, you got Neo? We'll meet up with you later." Alastor gathers up his gear and throws his coat on. "Alright Monkey, lead the way! Let's see what we can discover!"
"Alright, wait I need to keep my plushie with me!" Liliath climbed back in the treehouse and grabbed her plushie then she climbed back down. Liliath start walking forward "Maybe we find treasures!" Liliath looked around, but didn't found anything intresting. "Maybe we find a secret town or we meet new people."
Adriannu listened to Kylarion explaining what spaceships were with clear fascination written all over her face. When he explained how light was faster then sound, she quickly piped up with. "So the ship is like a flash of lightning while the sound it makes is the thunder...If it's going that fast, wouldn't it hurt to be inside it? I have jumped from trees into the river before and the fall is pretty intense, so if you are going so much faster than that, wouldn't it be even more intense? Also how does it fly if it doesn't have wings?"
Now as she practiced with the new daggers that had been had given to her, her pleasure with them would be damped slightly by Lisa's mortified expression and thus narrowed her eyes. "You have a problem with someone getting a feel for their new weapons?" Adriannu asked, almost if daring Lisa to try treating her like a child so she could deliver a harsh rebuke.
Once Lisa's issue with her had been dealt with one way or another, she'd return to listen to the Magister as he explained war crimes to them. As the child listened, some noticeable fear appeared in her eyes, but even so, still seemed to take the idea of such terrifying weapons and wars better than expected, especially when one considered her age. Now despite having been clearly frightened by such ideas, that still didn't stop her from asking questions. "But...what keeps someone from breaking these rules? I mean the losers in a war can't generally complain about the manner in which they were defeated since the winners hold all the power. I mean I have heard it say that it is the winners that write the history books even if I can't read."
However the magister got the greatest reaction when he revealed the hologram of his Ship; The Agate Breeze. For at that moment, Adriannu immediately ceased in her weapon's practice and threw caution to the wind to quickly approach it with a face that personified the phrase childlike wonder. Her eyes were wide open, her mouth an open circle as if she'd go oooh at any moment as she just started at the image of the Agate Breeze. For a brief moment, the little warrior had reverted back to the child she had once been, the one that Raven had seen before, but this time in the actual presence of adults. "How big is it? It's obviously much bigger then shown here, but how big is it truly? I see it has windows, but I still can't sell how big it is as I have seen some very small and very big windows. Also how big is the smaller ship and will I really get to see it?"
Yet once the subject returned to the blades, her demeanor instantly returned to that of the small warrior. At hearing how the blades were imprinted, she smiled in a somewhat sinister manner before saying. "Maybe I'll have to see if I can trick Victi into stealing one in the middle of a fight so I can take advantage of her sluggish movements to cut her hand off and steal it back. Besides stealing an opponent's weapon to use against them sounds like a way she could be tempted to "play" with her opponent right? Anyway it should make it almost fun the next time some stupid adult tries stealing from me because I'm just a "weak little brat" that they can bully."
At this point however, Adriannu would follow his lead to give Lisa a chance to voice any concerns she had. Once that was done, she quickly started to ask for more info about Victi. "You mentioned that she likes to play with opponents that she doesn't deem a threat? Do you know if she has any prefered methods of playing with them? Something I can try to plan for and figure out a means of exploiting? Also does her body contain any unusual weak spots? I mean I know that the throat and stomach are prime targets, but is there anywhere else I should give special attention to? Like maybe any old injuries she has?"
Now as she practiced with the new daggers that had been had given to her, her pleasure with them would be damped slightly by Lisa's mortified expression and thus narrowed her eyes. "You have a problem with someone getting a feel for their new weapons?" Adriannu asked, almost if daring Lisa to try treating her like a child so she could deliver a harsh rebuke.
Once Lisa's issue with her had been dealt with one way or another, she'd return to listen to the Magister as he explained war crimes to them. As the child listened, some noticeable fear appeared in her eyes, but even so, still seemed to take the idea of such terrifying weapons and wars better than expected, especially when one considered her age. Now despite having been clearly frightened by such ideas, that still didn't stop her from asking questions. "But...what keeps someone from breaking these rules? I mean the losers in a war can't generally complain about the manner in which they were defeated since the winners hold all the power. I mean I have heard it say that it is the winners that write the history books even if I can't read."
However the magister got the greatest reaction when he revealed the hologram of his Ship; The Agate Breeze. For at that moment, Adriannu immediately ceased in her weapon's practice and threw caution to the wind to quickly approach it with a face that personified the phrase childlike wonder. Her eyes were wide open, her mouth an open circle as if she'd go oooh at any moment as she just started at the image of the Agate Breeze. For a brief moment, the little warrior had reverted back to the child she had once been, the one that Raven had seen before, but this time in the actual presence of adults. "How big is it? It's obviously much bigger then shown here, but how big is it truly? I see it has windows, but I still can't sell how big it is as I have seen some very small and very big windows. Also how big is the smaller ship and will I really get to see it?"
Yet once the subject returned to the blades, her demeanor instantly returned to that of the small warrior. At hearing how the blades were imprinted, she smiled in a somewhat sinister manner before saying. "Maybe I'll have to see if I can trick Victi into stealing one in the middle of a fight so I can take advantage of her sluggish movements to cut her hand off and steal it back. Besides stealing an opponent's weapon to use against them sounds like a way she could be tempted to "play" with her opponent right? Anyway it should make it almost fun the next time some stupid adult tries stealing from me because I'm just a "weak little brat" that they can bully."
At this point however, Adriannu would follow his lead to give Lisa a chance to voice any concerns she had. Once that was done, she quickly started to ask for more info about Victi. "You mentioned that she likes to play with opponents that she doesn't deem a threat? Do you know if she has any prefered methods of playing with them? Something I can try to plan for and figure out a means of exploiting? Also does her body contain any unusual weak spots? I mean I know that the throat and stomach are prime targets, but is there anywhere else I should give special attention to? Like maybe any old injuries she has?"
"What you feel is actually acceleration, the change in speed, rather than speed itself. You notice that there is no pain or discomfort in a fall until the impact, where your speed changes dramatically from the speed of the fall to nothing in a mere instant," he explains, seemingly pleased at her curiosity," A gradual change in speed alleviates this. That said, we have ways of working around it. Starships have systems that isolate their internal sections from the reality around them in various ways. I do not understand the mechanics of them fully myself, as I am not a specialist in the understanding of those things. They are complex enough that several years of higher learning are required to even begin to examine how they work, and those fields are not a path which I have pursued. Some of the details of a starship's flight are the same, relying on gravatic fields and inertial-frame redefinition, though the way in which it actually moves is simpler, taking advantage of the fact th--" He's abruptly distracted by something in his vision, and he grimaces slightly. A very close look may reveal a small bit of light on one eye before it flicks off. "My appologies. One person coming to a realization of the way certain things truly works can transform an entire society. The concepts I was about to present will be discovered on this world, almost certainly relatively soon as these things go, but we have laws against 'uplifting' cultures. You must grow and learn on your own. My appologies."
"Speaking of that issue, your concern about these wars..." he goes into detail about MAD and the ways third-parties enforce the laws.
((I did write that description, it is very long and unrelated to the game. If you want to read broad descriptions of hypothetical warcrime law enforcement for hyper-planar civilizations, let me know, and I can send it to you.))
"Yes, it is an impressive vessel," he agrees as those gathered admire the image of his ship, "for a sense of scale, each level of window is separated by about the height of this cabin." This puts it at ~120m tall and ~550m long. "The shuttle is much smaller. Perhaps twice as long as your home, miss Adeptus," he nods to Lisa, "and likely no taller than it. One thing I can say regarding your earlier question is that those engines," he gestures to the enormous structures on the back of the craft, "are its source of propulsion, forcing it forward. And yes, when I depart, you will see the shuttle I will be taking. No entering it, mind you."
"She.... has used others' weapons in the past, though we shall see if she does so here. It is not her typical way of opperating, though," he says, "perhaps as a finishing blow, but I do not know if she would kill someone who is incapacitated in this case, when she could simply take their shard."
He pauses to listen to Lisa fumble through her confusion and the overwhelming flood of information. "Take your time," he tells her gently, "I understand that this is quite stressful."
"She is fond of illusions," he says, returning his attention to the young warrior, "Deception, misdirection, and presenting a false reality. Normally, any image you see of her in combat will be false. If she believes you have figured that out, one of them will be real.... unless she suspects you have anticipated that as well. She is observant, cunning, and likes to make sure she knows her opponent before actually engaging them. Additionally, she is very mobile, using her magic to flit around the battlefield, flanking her foes by herself, and using those same magics to redirect foes. If she can stop you from trusting even the fact that a straight line is a straight line, and convince you that nothing is as it seems, she will."
He pauses for a bit as he considers his next words, finally saying, "The issue with vulnerabilities is striking the body itself, and I do not mean piercing her veil of deception."
He reaches into his robe and draws a long ornate knife, the edge of the blade that same dull gray of Adriannu's new weapons. "You see, she has many magical defenses, protecting her body from harm. If she did not, I would hunt her myself." With that, he drives the blade of his knife toward his own hand. It stops as if striking stone, a white crackling web of magic flashing in reaction to the blow. "Physical warding. If something would break the skin, the barrier activates and stops the blow. In terms of old injuries, she.... our technology and magic are sophisticated enough to repair injuries quite quickly, and memebers of... our species," he seems to be displeased in sharing a species with Victi, "heal very cleanly, contributing to our long lifespans. And she knows a very competent healer. If you can make her vulnerable, though, and she does not teleport away, her body is as fragile as anyone else's. I would say to strike her tails, but they will be the most defended parts of her body. Our tails are the wells from which we draw our magic, and damaging them, or especially removing them, is a near death-sentence to us."
"All of that said," he continues, "I would advise that death may not be the way to neutralize this threat, as a great many have tried and failed to kill her over time. The cost of life seems... likely to be high for you and the other denizens of this world, as it already has been with that cataclysmic spell she cast. That said, if her goal is made unachievable, or too high-risk to accomplish, that would likely entice her to abandon it. She is bold, overconfident, and determined, but generally not quite suicidal or blind to cost versus reward. My knowledge of this place and its people is still limited. It is up to you and the other shard bearers to use your knowledge and cleverness to safeguard your world, though I will offer as much help as I can."
"Speaking of that issue, your concern about these wars..." he goes into detail about MAD and the ways third-parties enforce the laws.
((I did write that description, it is very long and unrelated to the game. If you want to read broad descriptions of hypothetical warcrime law enforcement for hyper-planar civilizations, let me know, and I can send it to you.))
"Yes, it is an impressive vessel," he agrees as those gathered admire the image of his ship, "for a sense of scale, each level of window is separated by about the height of this cabin." This puts it at ~120m tall and ~550m long. "The shuttle is much smaller. Perhaps twice as long as your home, miss Adeptus," he nods to Lisa, "and likely no taller than it. One thing I can say regarding your earlier question is that those engines," he gestures to the enormous structures on the back of the craft, "are its source of propulsion, forcing it forward. And yes, when I depart, you will see the shuttle I will be taking. No entering it, mind you."
"She.... has used others' weapons in the past, though we shall see if she does so here. It is not her typical way of opperating, though," he says, "perhaps as a finishing blow, but I do not know if she would kill someone who is incapacitated in this case, when she could simply take their shard."
He pauses to listen to Lisa fumble through her confusion and the overwhelming flood of information. "Take your time," he tells her gently, "I understand that this is quite stressful."
"She is fond of illusions," he says, returning his attention to the young warrior, "Deception, misdirection, and presenting a false reality. Normally, any image you see of her in combat will be false. If she believes you have figured that out, one of them will be real.... unless she suspects you have anticipated that as well. She is observant, cunning, and likes to make sure she knows her opponent before actually engaging them. Additionally, she is very mobile, using her magic to flit around the battlefield, flanking her foes by herself, and using those same magics to redirect foes. If she can stop you from trusting even the fact that a straight line is a straight line, and convince you that nothing is as it seems, she will."
He pauses for a bit as he considers his next words, finally saying, "The issue with vulnerabilities is striking the body itself, and I do not mean piercing her veil of deception."
He reaches into his robe and draws a long ornate knife, the edge of the blade that same dull gray of Adriannu's new weapons. "You see, she has many magical defenses, protecting her body from harm. If she did not, I would hunt her myself." With that, he drives the blade of his knife toward his own hand. It stops as if striking stone, a white crackling web of magic flashing in reaction to the blow. "Physical warding. If something would break the skin, the barrier activates and stops the blow. In terms of old injuries, she.... our technology and magic are sophisticated enough to repair injuries quite quickly, and memebers of... our species," he seems to be displeased in sharing a species with Victi, "heal very cleanly, contributing to our long lifespans. And she knows a very competent healer. If you can make her vulnerable, though, and she does not teleport away, her body is as fragile as anyone else's. I would say to strike her tails, but they will be the most defended parts of her body. Our tails are the wells from which we draw our magic, and damaging them, or especially removing them, is a near death-sentence to us."
"All of that said," he continues, "I would advise that death may not be the way to neutralize this threat, as a great many have tried and failed to kill her over time. The cost of life seems... likely to be high for you and the other denizens of this world, as it already has been with that cataclysmic spell she cast. That said, if her goal is made unachievable, or too high-risk to accomplish, that would likely entice her to abandon it. She is bold, overconfident, and determined, but generally not quite suicidal or blind to cost versus reward. My knowledge of this place and its people is still limited. It is up to you and the other shard bearers to use your knowledge and cleverness to safeguard your world, though I will offer as much help as I can."
Victi Aurora Silverfur wrote:
"Why?" she asks, her straightforward tone indicating genuine lack of understanding "Something wrong with this one? I mean, not the most intimidating look if she demands toughness, sure, but I figure I could make it more battle-ready if I'm in combat or whatever. A bit less clothing to expose a bit more muscle, maybe some battle markings along my arms and face or something.... that kind of thing."
Then she pauses. "That's not the reason, huh?" She asks eventually, speaking calmly, in though, "Something about this form would upset her.... What's the danger?"
Then she pauses. "That's not the reason, huh?" She asks eventually, speaking calmly, in though, "Something about this form would upset her.... What's the danger?"
Drake shakes his head first, then, as Victi catches on, he nervously smiles and nods. "The danger is she might try to kill us before we get a chance to talk."
"To be blunt, she's a racist bitch with an explosive temper. You and I can drop all the clothing we like, but she won't like us unless we change our species." Lucky for them, Victi can easily change her disguise and Drake can introduce himself as her subordinate; that way, she might hear their proposal before blasting them into oblivion.
"Wow, sounds like a lovely critter," Victi says sarcastically, rolling her eyes.
"Fine, fine, once we're remotely in range or whatever, I'll drop the disg---- no. Well, yes," Victi says, hesitating for a second and tilting her head in thought, "yeah, it'll be easier to recast rather than transfer."
She thinks for a second, then comes back to focus and explains, "We can play the same game as we did tonight with the roles reversed, disguising you as one of mine. Unless you think that would also set her off. I'm fine with 'wary', the mutual lack of trust deal is stable enough for me, but I would prefer not to have to gut someone I'm trying to hire, especially when she's apparently the only one for the job. What else d'you know about her?"
"Fine, fine, once we're remotely in range or whatever, I'll drop the disg---- no. Well, yes," Victi says, hesitating for a second and tilting her head in thought, "yeah, it'll be easier to recast rather than transfer."
She thinks for a second, then comes back to focus and explains, "We can play the same game as we did tonight with the roles reversed, disguising you as one of mine. Unless you think that would also set her off. I'm fine with 'wary', the mutual lack of trust deal is stable enough for me, but I would prefer not to have to gut someone I'm trying to hire, especially when she's apparently the only one for the job. What else d'you know about her?"
You are on: Forums » Fantasy Roleplay » Bloodied Shards IC (CLOSED!)
Moderators: Mina, Keke, Cass, Claine, Sanne, Dragonfire, Ilmarinen, Darth_Angelus