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Post by Mana on Jan 28, 2018 20:43:22 GMT -6
"And here I am... Hunting dark creatures...again..."
Mana complained to herself. Why couldn't she stay away from deadly monsters and nether creatures? The last mission didn't end well for her. The mission had ended with failure, the target had escaped and she had been beaten. If not because a strange thunder superwoman, Mana would have joined many victims of that Arum monster in the land of the dead.
The Sacaen swordswoman raised her head and stared at the ruins in front of her. She had gone this far to the mountains in the Sacae-Ilia border just for this ruin. Well, technically she was here for whatever inside the ruins. There was rumors about dark creatures sighting around this area. Some adventures and soldiers who departed to find the truth never came back. They were simply disappeared and probably...died when searching inside the ruins. Mana herself had caught the wind of this rumors from a bar in Bulgar. She suspected that Arum, the mysterious dark entity, might be involved.
It wasn't a job and she wouldn't get paid for it but Mana couldn't allow whatever inside the ruins cause more victims. "I should have brought an expert of dark magic or an army at least... Why I am so impulsive..." she lamented, chuckling. The girl then did a little stretching before finally approaching the ruins.
It looked like hundreds old temple. Vegetation had been slowly creeping into the walls and most parts of the building itself were destroyed. Some vague carvings could be found on the walls but most was barely recognizable. It was noon and the sun were still high but the deep forest of the mountains surrounding this place as if preventing the light to eradicate the darkness in this place. Only a minimum of the sunlight had penetrated into the forest but it was enough for Mana to see the outer part clearly. Getting inside where the light couldn't reach would be tricky but Mana had prepared some torches for this dangerous journey.
Walking on the only dirt road toward the ruins, Mana made sure to keep an eye to the forest around her. Carelessness would be dangerous here. There might be enemies hiding between those old branches and bushes. Her hand was kept ready on the hilt of her sword.
Now she had reached to some kind of garden. And as if they were greeting her, some corpses lay around her looking scary and intimidating. Mana noted that some of those bodies still hadn't completely decayed, probably just died for a few days.
"Poor guys. I will stop whatever madness that have robbed your life," she said.
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Aura
Priest
Posts: 117
Profession: Hereticus Exterminatus
Affinity: Light
Profile: Aura
OoC Alias: Vincent
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Post by Aura on Jan 28, 2018 22:20:46 GMT -6
Another day, another adventure, and Aura was out to investigate some ruins said to be seeped in darkness and to him this meant there was a small chance that Vadis could be involved. He doubted it and had he really believed it he would have asked Althea and Drei to go with him but they were predisposed at the moment.
As he traveled the dirt road that guided his feet he pulled his cloak tightly around himself and kept his hood high on his head. His head was on a swivel as he watched the areas on the sides of the road and kept cautious all the while. His overly cautious steps proved to betray his intent as he fell over a gnarled root peeking just above the surface of the earth. "OOF!" thump. "Ugh!" He pushed himself back to his feet and brushed himself off with a sigh. "This was a terrible idea..." he was about to turn back when he noticed her, a woman near the ruins and standing over what looked to be corpses!
His heart raced in a sudden panic! He hurried himself into the treeline before creeping closer. Was she saying something? If only he wasn't so far away or could read lips! He cursed his personal 'failings' before bumping his shoulder into a tree. "Mmmmmph!" That was a lot harder than he had expected. He sucked his teeth trying to keep silent but in reality his floundering around and crunching leaves beneath his feet did nothing to aid him in his endeavor.
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Reed
Squire
"If some feller gives me a lance, I'm'ma fight tooth 'n nail for what I reckon is right."
Posts: 79
Profession: Farmhand
Affiliation: None
Guild: None
Affinity: Light
Profile: Reed
OoC Alias: Ardent
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Post by Reed on Jan 28, 2018 22:41:18 GMT -6
Reed was trembling so much that he could barely keep himself from dropping his lance had he not been clinging to it with both hands. "O-Oh dear... Come on, Gracie, do ya gotta walk so fast here? There's somethin' in here, darn it, I just know it!" he anxiously rambled as his steed simply walked onwards through the desolate ruins. An uneasy, terrifying aura hung throughout the air as the squire felt his breath getting heavy despite not even being inside the ruins yet. Rumors had spread across Bulgar that a mass disappearance of adventurers exploring the ruins had occurred, and what with him not letting anyone in his family know where he had disappeared to, it was as if he had written his will himself: that is, if he could write. Illiteracy aside, Reed had a death wish as Gracie the horse moseyed onward.
If one were to have seen the alert and wary horseback lancer, they would have just found a boy wielding a pitchfork while clinging tightly to the saddle of his mount. It would be rather pitiful until discovered that he had come through his own will. Despite the danger, however, Reed was determined to find something, anything that would reveal the truth (no matter how morbid it may be, though he hoped it wasn't serious) about the ruins. Though, in retrospect, the trainee hardly knew what he would be getting himself into.
After a while of glancing around with absolute fear present in his eyes, he came across a dimly lit forest area. Through closer inspection, he could spot a peculiar woman standing amidst entities he could not yet recognize. Though he was grateful to finally see another human among the desolate and dark ruins, he simply gripped his pitchfork and slowly trotted ahead. As a precautionary measure, he made sure to remain near the trees to make use of his green clothing for a camouflage effect. Weak camouflage, but camouflage nonetheless. "Okay, Reed... M-Maybe she's just one-a them fellers that got lost. Yeah, just a lost lady!"
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Post by Midori on Jan 29, 2018 9:17:23 GMT -6
It had been a long time since either Midori or Lady Lucy had been this far north. They had a slight detour on their way to the City of Heroes. The duo normally stayed away from monsters. But, the village the rest of the troupe had been staying in were desperate for help. The invasion had made it difficult for anyone to really intervene. The women agreed to scout the location and see if either of them could seal the evil with in. Midori's own spiritual power had grown a bit since she obtained the holy relic of her people. She was not anywhere near the level of spiritual power needed to seal anything. But, for the sake of the people, she'd figure she'd try something. At the very least Lady Lucy's holy magic could help thin out the population of the undead.
Upon arriving to said ruins, both women quickly realized that they were in over their heads. The air of the place was cold. And Midori had a hard time keeping herself from shivering. The horses could sense something was off with this place and they routinely expressed their discomfort. The women had to gently coax their mounts into proceeding forward into this cursed place.
"We aren't alone." Lady Lucy spoke as her eyes spied a few other individuals. A woman with black hair. And a boy with curly hair. And another sir with black hair who appeared to be another healer. Lucy wasn't sure who this group was, but she had to commend their bravery. Or scold them for their foolishness.
Midori leaned her head to the side a bit. The woman with the black hair felt familiar to her. She squinted a bit as her mind slowly pieced together where and when she had seen this woman before. The spiritual training involved in the whole Kiseki incident had muddled her memories a bit.
"Wait.. I think.. that's Mana." She pressed her horse Ashes forward.
"It is Mana!" What she's doing here!? The pink haired priestess suddenly found herself going past Lady Lucy and coming up behind Mana.
"Mana!"
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Post by Mana on Jan 29, 2018 14:49:49 GMT -6
Normally she wouldn't even hear the faint sound of someone bumping against the tree and some leaves but this ruins was eerily quiet that she had become more attentive everything. Mana didn't immediately turn around. A sudden movement might startle whoever creeping toward her. Instead, she turned her head only a bit toward the direction of that sound and quickly searched for any trace of movement. A clink sound and sparks of electricity followed when Kirin, her thunder sword, was drawn. She was going to shoot thunderbolt to the mysterious presence. Okay, maybe whoever hiding there wasn't hostile but Mana had a painful experience of being ambushed by a demon so she was kind of prone to making hasty judgement now.
But then another voice surprised Mana, although it was actually a good surprise.
It was impossible to not recognize that beautiful pink head. Mana lips formed a genuine happy smile as she put pack her sword to the sheath and waved at the charging healer. "Wow! Is it really you Midori??" Now the voice of two girls broke the eerie quietness of the ruins. And as usual, being a her single-minded self, Mana had completely forgotten about the earlier presence. It was a good thing that Aura and Reed weren't monstrous hellhounds who were going to attack her...
The black-haired Sacaen ran toward the healer, brushing the horse gently as she stepped to Midori's left. "Hey...it's been quite a long time since that day. It's nice to see you here but what are you doing here? This place is...not safe you know." Maybe Mana shouldn't lecture Midori about safety since she herself had come here without much care to her personal safety. Anyway, the girl was simply overjoyed to see a friendly face, especially because Midori had been a nice friend for her. Noticing a older woman riding not too far behind Midori, Mana was a bit wary at first but quickly realized that she wasn't a threat. Showing her respect to the older healer, Mana bowed her head and smiled at her.
Aura and Reed didn't need to feel neglected for too long because Mana then caught a glimpse of those guys. Those guys hiding spots weren't too far from each other so they entered her eyesight at the same time. The Sacaen frowned and stepped forward as if putting herself between Midori and those guys. "Whoever you are...if you are not undead...just show yourself or I am going to attack!" she threatened.
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Aura
Priest
Posts: 117
Profession: Hereticus Exterminatus
Affinity: Light
Profile: Aura
OoC Alias: Vincent
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Post by Aura on Jan 29, 2018 22:31:30 GMT -6
"Okay, okay! Just put the weapons down please! I am unarmed after all." Aura stepped out from the treeline with hands up in a gesture of surrender. His poor image was compounded by the foliage that stuck to his clothing and in his hair. He pulled the twig out and tossed it aside. "I was here to investigate some rumors I was hearing about this place and... well there are a lot of people here so I'm starting to wonder if its true."
He looked at Midori and her guards then back to Mana and her still sheathed blades. Well, it did not appear that she was going to suddenly strike him down, so that was a real plus, and the women were cute. Wait! Stop that Aura! He shook his head a moment before straightening up again and lowering his hands. "Uh, my name is Aura, and I am a priest." He did not exactly look the part but it was his usual story so it was easy to stick to. "And this will sound like a strange question but you guys aren't uh... well... heroes and villains are you?" He hunched his shoulders and gave Mana a skeptical squint like he was conveying a message. He got the feeling that no one here knew what the heck he was talking about, par for the course, but it did raise the question of why were so many people converging on this one same place all at the same time?
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Reed
Squire
"If some feller gives me a lance, I'm'ma fight tooth 'n nail for what I reckon is right."
Posts: 79
Profession: Farmhand
Affiliation: None
Guild: None
Affinity: Light
Profile: Reed
OoC Alias: Ardent
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Post by Reed on Jan 29, 2018 22:56:37 GMT -6
Reed's pulse froze as cold as ice as he was addressed. As soon as the swordmaster demanded his reveal, almost as if on cue, Reed's horse decided to buck and throw her rider off the back. The squire yelped as he was hurled off of the saddle, hitting the dirt on his back with a thud. As the fallen rider groaned and sat up, the steed simply moseyed over to the pitchfork that had landed ahead of the duo with a curious sniff. "Ngh... G-Gracie, what was that for?! I was gonna tell 'em myself, darn it!" he complained to the horse as he pushed himself back up to his feet. Gracie snorted and walked over to meet her master, motioning for him to take the reigns and walk over to the group.
Who were these people? Why was one of them hiding like he was? Were those bodies around the swordsmaster? These questions and more swarmed Reed with no clear answer to any of them until he trudged closer. Picking up his pitchfork and balancing it on his shoulder, it took all of his courage to finally get closer. Though a bit startled by the discovery that the "objects" upon the ground were human bodies upon closer inspection, the farmhand took a shaky breath and continued onward at a slow pace. "Sorry for spookin' ya a lil', I just... Y-Ya didn't attack these here fellers, didja? I'm hearin' mighty scary stories 'round these parts, and..." the Arkyan farmer struggled, paling slightly at the thought of exchanging casualties with the possible cause of the ruins situation.
However, one circumstance snapped him out of the fearful trance: Midori, the Chaklai healer that he had met in a pub one day, was right there in front of him. "W-Wait, hold on a gosh darn minute! Midori?! What in the name-a dragons are you doin' here?! Ain't you heard them rumors 'bout a couple-a disappearances 'n such?"
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Post by Midori on Jan 31, 2018 19:08:53 GMT -6
"My mentor and I are here.. on behalf of the nearby village. They wanted to know what was happing with these ruins.. and see if we could find a solution to all.. this undead." Midori explained. Ashes, the spotted horse gave Mana a quick sniff. The scent of the black-haired woman was familiar with the horse. Ashes, let out a pleasant grunt as Mana petted her.
"So you are Mana. I remember Midori mentioning she met a young swordswoman. But, you were foolish to come to such a place like this alone." Lady Lucy explained. She returned Mana's bow with one of her own.
"Ah. I don't remember if I ever introduced you two. Lady Lucy this is Mana. Mana, Lady Lucy." Midori did a quick motion of her hands as a means of introduction. It was this point Midori noticed the other two guests.
"And you.. Aura. Do we look like the type to be either heroes or villains?" Lady Lucy spoke as she gave the man a once over. No apparent injuries. And there was something about his story that didn't sit right. Most priests carried themselves with a certain level of dignity. The blonde then turned to the curly haired boy. The same boy they met at an Inn not too long ago. Midori had shown him some kindness. But, now meeting him here again in such a short amount of time. This drew the older Ilian's suspicions. Perhaps this boy was not the mere county bumpkin she thought he was.
"Ah! Reed, what are you doing here?" Midori was genuinely concerned and surprised by his sudden appearance. This was no place for a young farm hand.
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Post by Mana on Jan 31, 2018 22:07:21 GMT -6
Mana didn't have any counter argument for Lady Lucy. She rolled her eyes as she admitted to have making rash decision. Her impulsiveness had led into trouble more than she could remember. The swordswoman really needed to learn slowing down a bit. "I...didn't think clearly about it when I rushed here," Mana said, looking a bit embarrassed.
Mana rubbed her chin as she stared at the others. Aside from Midori And Lady Lucy who came together, it seemed the rest didn't plan to meet up here or something. They all knew about the situation concerning the undead of this ruins though so maybe they shared a same cause. Her gaze switched to Aura. It wouldn't be strange to have a priest coming here to cleanse the ruins from foul undead but Mana had a feeling that he wasn't a simple normal priest. By the way, the word "priest" itself made her wary of the pale guy. Priest was usually what people used to refer to Etrurian clergy member so Aura was probably an Etrurian. Since experiencing the aggression of the extreme religious country directly and facing their army at war, Mana had become skeptical of anyone from Etruria.
"We are not villains, Aura." Well, Mana just picked a simple answer from the choices given to her. She wouldn't call herself heroes but she didn't want to be seen as criminal or such. "I am here to investigate about the undead problem and it seems these ladies come her for the same reason," she explained. Honestly, Mana felt a little uneasy touching this subject again. Hopefully Lady Lucy wouldn't bring up her recklessness again.
"And no...of course not. These bodies were already there when I arrived. Maybe one of the lost adventurers," she replied to Reed. Mana's voice sounded a little sad when she mentioned the victims. "The young boy looks out of place. I mean...he doesn't look ready to face this kind of danger. He shouldn't have come here but maybe I doesn't really have any right to judge him," she thought. Reed looked like a rabbit entering tiger den. Mana wasn't sure what his reason but she should praise his bravery. Looking at him stuttering like that reminded the Sacaen sword maiden about her younger self.
"Alright.Aura and...Reed, right? I am Mana of Hawkeye tribe and you can just call me Mana. Just in case you still wondering, my reason coming here is probably the same as you guys..." Mana explained, one hand on the waist. Unlike Aura, Reed hadn't properly introduced himself but Mana had caught his name from Midori earlier.
Mana returned her attention to the bodies on the ground and she then approached them. With one knee on the ground, Mana carefully touched and flipped over one of the bodies to learn more about what happened to them. "Just like I suspected... They died from external injuries. Could be from blade or claw," she said loudly so the others could hear.
"By the way, what you guys know about this ruin? From what I heard, this ruins was just an old excavation site before people began disappearing mysteriously since a few weeks ago," Mana asked her new companions.
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Aura
Priest
Posts: 117
Profession: Hereticus Exterminatus
Affinity: Light
Profile: Aura
OoC Alias: Vincent
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Post by Aura on Feb 3, 2018 20:30:30 GMT -6
"Well, uh... no I guess you don't, but I mean I've had some strange run ins in the past." He just offered a sort of shrug to that and decided to try and let his question rest. But if they weren't a bunch of Vadis's cronies then why were they all here in the first place? Were they a group here just to clear out whatever rumors were giving this place a bad name? No, they all seemed surprised by each other's presence. What kind of coincidence brings so many unrelated people together all at once like this? Most curious.
The closer Mana got to him the more uncomfortable he grew. Women always made him uncomfortable but at least they all seemed to be on the same side. "Mana it is." He suddenly chuckled a little. "Funny, a name like that I'd think you would have been a mage of some kind." He smiled but there was little time for a conversation like that. There was an exchange about their purposes here and what they knew about the situation in the first place to be had. Then the reveal that the bodies of the dead were still fresh was certainly of the greatest concern. Aura cupped his chin in thought as he looked the bodies over.
No one was calling him their king so he was immediately at ease with these people, despite the bodies. Oh goodness, he was becoming like Althea, uncomfortable with the living but the rest was simpler. "Well, I don't think its true anymore but I came out here to look into a rumor that there was some sort of cult acting out of here. Beyond that I just know the same story about people going missing."
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Reed
Squire
"If some feller gives me a lance, I'm'ma fight tooth 'n nail for what I reckon is right."
Posts: 79
Profession: Farmhand
Affiliation: None
Guild: None
Affinity: Light
Profile: Reed
OoC Alias: Ardent
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Post by Reed on Feb 3, 2018 21:03:10 GMT -6
Reed planted his "weapon" into the ground below him (luckily not into the remains of a man, otherwise he would have gagged), placed his hands on his hips, and pouted at Midori's reaction. "Whaddaya mean 'what am I doin' here', Midori? I'm probably not one-a them hero types or whatever, but I can still check out the ruins that I hear a bunch-a fellers got up and disappeared in. Got Gracie all saddled up, I got my lucky pitchfork, 'n everythin' was comin' up roses 'fore y'all scared me half to death!" the boy reassured the priestess as he patted his horse, which gave a resounding nicker as it turned and approached Aura with an odd curiosity and wonder toward the priest. Reed would have brought and old barrel cover for a "shield" had it not had three large holes and two or three arrows sticking out of it. He and his steed basically screamed "new" when it came to combat any way that you look at it. With little armor except for some light leather padding and a weapon that looks as if it was plucked off of a ranch, it was clear that the rider was in for the long haul if he was staying.
Mana's reassurance put the farmhand slightly more at ease. Fortunately for the squire, he might not have as much of a problem as he originally thought he would. Though still rather disturbing that he was amidst such a scene, at least the cause of it was not likely to be around. "Phew, that's a relief... Er, n-not where they ended up, but y'know what I mean, Mana!" he stammered with an anxious chuckle. "Still... If they probably kicked the bucket from sword or claw or somethin'-a that nature, 'n if they ain't been here that long, then I dunno how much of a relief it is after all." Grabbing his pitchfork and pulling it out of the ground with two hands, he carefully turned it back over to have the tongs facing upwards and set it back at his side like a child trying to look like a soldier. At least his nerves had settled before any further startling or potential danger.
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Post by Midori on Feb 5, 2018 19:27:20 GMT -6
"Roses have thorns though. You should be more careful." The priestess spoke softly. She didn't want any harm to befall the young man. Midori had a small frown on her face as Reed explained his appearance in this dangerous place. She was also given brief introductions to everyone. The pink haired priestess sighed softly. She took a moment to glance over Mana's shoulders and spot the dead bodies that everyone seemed to be talking about.
She wanted to investigate them. The scent in the air wasn't too pungent which meant they haven't been dead long. The priestess wasn't sure to count that as a blessing or a curse. To be honest the priestess was not yet familiar with all of the in's and outs of the world of monsters. Sure, she knew how to perform a cleansing with smoke and charms to ward off evil spirits. But, when those evil spirits took on a physical form, she was not quite sure how to approach the whole situation. She was a healer, not a fighter. The priestess could hear Skai's voice in her head. I dunno Mido, you hit pretty damn hard with that staff of yours. The priestess shook her head.
Lady Lucy, ever vigilant, decided to ask the all-important question.
"Does anyone know what we are dealing with? Or what caused these bodies to be here?" She had hoped that at least someone from the group knew what they were up against. If it was one monster or a group of them. If they were undead or some other monster.
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Post by Mana on Feb 7, 2018 9:09:14 GMT -6
Mana sighed when Aura made a remark abut her name. She had gotten used to it so the girl didn't feel troubled or insulted. Instead she followed his chuckle with her own and then spoke to the pale priest. "Yeah, I've heard that a lot." The word "Mana" was sometimes used by magic practitioner to refer to the magical prana flowing in this world. Maybe her parent had hoped her to have some kind of magical ability or whatever but Mana herself didn't want to think about it too much. It was a good name and that was enough for her.
Watching Reed reacting to this situation reminded Mana about the first time she had encountered this kind of danger. It was never easy. She could sympathize with him. Maybe this time it would be her turn to help the younger boy just like how those knights had helped her. "Anyway Reed. Just make sure not to...do anything reckless. I won't lie to you. This is dangerous but just stick close to us and everything will be alright," she said, trying to reassure the farm boy. For some reason the girl felt a bit embarrassed for acting like a mentor figure. She wasn't even that experienced, especially not in things involving undead or dark magic. Anyway, Mana simply couldn't let Reed alone so she will watch him and make sure the boy wouldn't get into too much trouble.
Mana hoped Midori would tell her what happening. The healer was smart so she probably could figure out something. However, it was Lady Lucy who threw the question to the group. Mana then stood up and turned at the lady. "Just what I have said before, Lady Lucy. I only heard some rumors and they are crazy ones. Someone mentioning a zombie dragon and the other one screaming that Hargus is back. Seriously, there isn't any good clues about this...madness." The black-haired Sacaen shrugged as she explained, seeming a bit depressed by their lack of information. She might not the type to overthink things but she didn't like surprises either. "However, I have a hunch that it's not as crazy as the rumors say. Maybe just some group of Bonewalkers or something...."
And just after Mana finished speaking her guess, she sensed a shift in the air behind her. The spirits might be trying to tell her something. Her gaze traced the way toward the main temple in the center of the garden where she could sense some kind of unpleasant energy flowing out from. "Thank you, Falcatta!" she said to her dear spirit sword, giving it a light appreciative tap on the scabbard.
The Sacaen swordgirl looked at the three mages as she expected them, who familiar with magical things, to sense the same malicious energy she had felt. "Well, I am going there, into that temple. I believe the answer of this mystery waiting inside," she said to the group. Mana couldn't hide her excitement. This wasn't a fun adventure obviously but the thrill and expectation for battle always lifted her spirit somehow. If the undead, or whatever causing these deaths, was really inside the temple then she would have to solve this problem the hard way. Just let her sword do the talking
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Aura
Priest
Posts: 117
Profession: Hereticus Exterminatus
Affinity: Light
Profile: Aura
OoC Alias: Vincent
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Post by Aura on Feb 8, 2018 23:51:30 GMT -6
“Oh, iiiiiiii guess you probably would have... yeah... sorry if I made an annoying jest. I just kinda say dumb stuff a lot. I’m sorry.” His face flushed as it felt like his tongue grew heavy in his throat. He did not want to say anything more for fear of saying something worse.
As the greetings were drawing to a close the woman seemed to use some sort of magic. No, she said Falcatta? Who was Falcatta, he wondered to himself. There was a rather great surge of magic in their vicinity as well. It was only faintly felt and yet strikingly distict. He never felt that before, and he’s met people running the full gamut of magical spells. Even the hyped up Ereshkigal. Most curious indeed. He would watch this Mana closely.
As he thought about this he found himself looking over her features unconsciously. The moment he realized what he was doing he tore his eyes away only to see more women. Agh! This would be the death of him! Then he saw Reed! There we go! He walked up to the lad and gave him a silent wave. “If the others are concerned for you then don’t worry. I’m a healer!” A healer with no staff who could barely even tend to his own minor training cuts but eh... if people could think he was impressive then that was fine, just try not to let them all down like usual.
“Wait! You’re going in just like that!? Shouldn’t we make sure we know what we’re up against?” He paused realizing she thought she was coming alone and he came alone expecting to find mad cultists. His face shifted and showed a new expression as he considered all of these facts until he raised a single hand to wave off his outburst. “Know what, don’t know why I asked. Let’s do this.”
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Reed
Squire
"If some feller gives me a lance, I'm'ma fight tooth 'n nail for what I reckon is right."
Posts: 79
Profession: Farmhand
Affiliation: None
Guild: None
Affinity: Light
Profile: Reed
OoC Alias: Ardent
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Post by Reed on Feb 10, 2018 20:39:34 GMT -6
"Yes'm," the farm-bred squire nodded over to Mana. Though the idea of exploring said ruins to discover what had happened to the fallen adventurers was appealing to him, Reed certainly knew that charging in and leaving the others in the dust would practically guarantee that he would end up just like they did. The corpses scattered about had much better equipment than he himself and fell, meaning that under normal circumstances this would be no place for him to be in the foreseeable future. Then again, that also meant there was no better place to be to begin more advanced training than just how to swing the pitchfork without swaying like a tree branch in the Sacaean breeze. Being a son of a lancer meant that he would have some skill on foot should there be a situation where riding his steed would be a detriment, but from the looks of the temple entrance, there wouldn't be much of an issue in the beginning. "Just, uh... Don't hog all the fightin'? I was born to tussle, y'know!"
Turning to see his horse that had wandered off to inspect the priest, he hurried over to take her lead and soothe her for the potential (and very dangerous for him) action to come. When Aura addressed him, something seemed rather off to the mounted trainee. Granted, he had actually never met many Etrurians in person, but something about them always rubbed him the wrong way. His lack of magical affinity still caused him to be fascinated by their abilities, but the stories about the Prophet and whatnot always seemed to confuse him to the point that he gave up trying to decipher history. In a mix of the varied opinions on them from others and plain ignorance on his end, the only two nations that Reed really knew about were Sacae and a small part of Ilia. He didn't even want to try and guess what Lycia even was at this point.
With a small shake of his head, the curly-haired ranch hand snapped out of his trance. "Huh? O-Oh, uh, sorry 'bout that! I get a lil' bit spacey sometimes, heh," Reed apologized with a nervous chuckle. "But hey, that makes two-a ya here! Midori's a pretty good healer too, 'n she patched me up real good last time we met. With you two 'n yer magicky stuff, we got a mighty good lookin' shot at this whole mess bein' solved!"
Blind optimism would probably be his downfall someday, but for now, it was no time to question it. Mana had already drawn her attention to three mages at the front of the temple. Reed grabbed the reigns to his horse and jumped onto her back with a bit of difficulty due to his rather small stature, readying his pitchfork as he watched the spellcasters prepare. "Oh dear... Uh, whaddaya want me to do again? Pretty sure those magic things're gonna hurt a lot more than Pa smackin' me around with his spear in trainin'."
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