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Post by Nayru Al-Saiduq on Jul 3, 2016 20:22:15 GMT -6
"Well... I'm not good at complicated, but punching I can do." Nayru chuckled, as much at the irony of what she said as the truth of it. And at the irony of that as well; even she couldn't help but recognize the dichotomy of intelligence and stupidity that in some ways defined her, or perhaps it'd be more accurate to say knowledge and bad judgement. She wasn't particularly brilliant after all, just lived long enough to pick up a lot of info... and had all the necessary personality flaws to waste her gifts on a truly impressive level.
All joking aside, though, she still didn't entirely understand what Veigue was saying, he'd been kinda vague on what 'it' was, but at this point she could at least figure that it was an enemy of some sort, human or otherwise, and Veigue - for better or for worse - had decided to fight it. So really, it actually was pretty simple. He had a problem, and she was gonna help fix it. Turned out you COULD break every problem into smaller, punchable problems. It didn't really matter if the problem was complex or too serious to take lightly. Not because she was just being a goof, but because she wasn't doing either of those things. Nayru had simply decided to place her trust in Veigue, and so she had to believe that they would figure things out.
"Not even Vandolf?" Nayru's eyebrow raised a bit at that name-drop, though. The man she'd met so many years ago seemed like the sort to solve any and all problems one way or another, by force of will... or stubbornness. It was hard to tell them apart sometimes. If Veigue's little family problem had been too much for even him, it must be pretty serious. She crossed her arms regardless, unwilling to back down. Just because it was a bigger deal than another angry ghost sword didn't mean they couldn't handle it, just that it might take some more time. "Well, as the unofficial self-titled Magnus family guardian, I guess that means I'll need to work extra hard to keep you alive." The dragon grinned, either reassuringly or arrogantly depending on your perspective. "Just trust me, alright Veigue? We both have our pain-in-the-ass family issues, but so far we've gotten through them together. This one may be harder than the last, but we'll beat it together too."
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Post by Deleted on Jul 26, 2016 22:08:39 GMT -6
"Guess we'll just have to find out whenever something happens," He said, feeling wary of the idea that he should take any sort of comfort when the resurfacing of his family issue all hanged on a tearing rope that kept it tied until it finally snapped; anything could happen at any moment, and his sister was MIA. Perhaps Lena truly was the main part of it that worried him to death. "But I know one thing for sure: I can only agree with that mentality. My desire to crush this obstacle burns just as strong as my fear of it. Failing isn't an option this time."
Because failure this time meant certain death. Might as well say he was up against the Grim Reaper; even Death himself had to get in on the fun.
Remaining calm was the first step to winning the conflict, however. With his nerves settled, Veigue paced a little from the window — standing in that one spot with his head in the clouds only delayed things. All the swordsman could do was plan and go along with his original decision: following his gut and listening to the voice that sent clear whispers through his ears, as if a river in his mind carried them to the brain so he could store that warning there to keep himself motivated and prepared.
Of course, being ill-prepared for the journey itself wouldn't be a good idea, either. He recalled both he and Nayru running low on supplies, and it'd be rude to restock in a town that tried their best to recover from the chimera's wrath. That only left the question of where, and something else unrelated to their supplies occupied his mind as he remembered part of why he needed to be in Bern in the first place. Didn't help that he'd only been to the country once before meeting Nayru, and he didn't stay for very long, either. His sense of direction was lacking, but as he searched for more solutions, the most simple of them all lied in front of him, pinned on the wall in a frame.
"A map... How convenient."
Didn't know what he did with the one he had before, but having an outlined path from where they were to his old village in Sacae helped a tremendous amount. Studying the path was simple, but getting a copy of the map from the Inn Keeper would have been a great idea. He already located a nearby village still in Bernese territory where they could stock up and be en route to Sacae, but what caught his attention even more was another small village mere miles away from it. He recognized the name in inked words, knowing that was the other destination he needed to embark on. However, they couldn't afford too many detours, hence another idea sparked.
"We should probably restock our supplies first, so getting that done at this village, Velder, seems ideal. However," He paused, giving Kenji a glance before turning back to the map and pointing at that other village. "There's some information about a very famous and proficient blacksmith living in this neighboring village here. I've been looking for him ever since Kenji's powers were brought to light, because while we know it's linked to your power via the awakening, it's own power still remains a mystery to me, and I'm certain that voice I hear comes from within it as well. It's only logical that I seek out this blacksmith while we're still in Bern, for I hear he's an expert with magical equipment as well."
He then proceeded to the actual plan. "But it'd be pointless for both of us to go to the blacksmith, because it could either prove that we'd get results or it could be a blank trip that wastes time. So, what I had in mind is that we can split and manage our time, then rendezvous at Velder. You can make it there first and get a head start on restocking, while I can go check this guy out to see if he's the real deal. Shouldn't take any longer than a day to go there and get business done, then I'll be right behind you."
While splitting up may not have been the absolute best option, the voice of the sword was subtle, but clear that his time was limited before things could get real nasty at home. Plus, not like he'd actually run into trouble from a two or three mile detour. Certainly wouldn't have to worry about dealing with a potentially crazy/annoying little girl and her skeletons-in-the-closet problems...
Yeah.
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Post by Nayru Al-Saiduq on Jul 27, 2016 6:41:24 GMT -6
"A famous blacksmith, huh?"
There was approximately a snowball's chance in hell of her admitting it to anyone, but privately Nayru had to agree the idea was kind of intriguing. It wasn't really relevant to her right now, but she memorized the location nonetheless. Maybe in a few months or years she'd have to pay it a visit of her own and see just how great the guy was. It wasn't something that would have interested her a mere decade ago, but the more she got into this monster-hunting, fiend-slaying, combat wombat sort of lifestyle, the more that learning more about weaponry appealed to her.
...But she was in no hurry, for what was time to an immortal? No, now was the time to simply live, to work with Veigue and enjoy what time she had. To work towards her goals and give something back to Elibe. To learn more about herself, and her past, so she could finally put it behind her. Her plans might not be entirely worked out yet, but they did not have the benefit of awaiting eternity on their lonesome, and so she had to prioritize.
"Understood." Veigue's plan was solid. If they were going to be doing a great deal of traveling, whether it be to investigate Veigue's problems or search for the source of the chimera or heading to Arcadia, it only made sense to prepare. Normally Nayru didn't worry about that too much, preferring to take things as they went, but... well, this body was a lot more human and had many of the assorted weaknesses, and she was in the companionship of an actual human, so problems like exhaustion, need for sleep, and the like were far more prominent. Thus, it behooved them to prepare well. "I'd like to do a bit of research on my own along the way about where that chimera might have come from, so it'll give me time to ask around a bit as well. Let me know if you hear anything on your end as well. Regardless, let's plan to rendezvous in Velder."
"And Veigue?" Nayru turned from the map to him, her smile teasing and her tone a little goofy, but tinged by a bit of very real worry. "Try not to get involved in anything too dangerous without me around. You can't hog ALL the fun - leave some for me!" As seemed to be rapidly becoming par for the course with her, it was a mixture of humor and seriousness that in some ways defined her, Nayru's old positive outlook and tendency to deal with stress and seriousness alike with humor mixed with some level of maturity born of all she had experienced. She had no doubt in her mind that Veigue would find a way to get involved in some sort of death cult, be targeted by mercenaries, get into a fight with a superpowered skeleton, accidentally unseal an ancient god, or worse yet set Elly loose - that was just how he worked, a man surrounded by more disaster than the average Scouring hero. But she did trust him, even if trust was still a bit of a new concept for her, so she didn't belabor the point further. They'd both get to the meeting place safely, she had to believe in him... and try not to discover any ancient plots, fight any super chimeras, or take any detours to other continents along the way.
A task easier said than done...
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Post by Deleted on Jul 28, 2016 1:11:40 GMT -6
"Sounds good to me," He said, "I'll be sure to keep my eyes peeled as well while I'm meeting this smith."
He could only hope another one of those chimera weren't roaming Bern in secret. But knowing Veigue's rotten luck, he'd be the first one to run into it. After all, everything hated him, it seemed, and he could only assume Father Sky was enjoying himself with laughter from above at the Sacaean's never-ending torment. Now that almost made him not want to step outside ever again, imagining some devious eyes and mischievous smile peaking out the clouds as if the skies were actually alive or something. Oh, how the mind wanders.
Evil skies aside, their plan was due to set in motion at any appropriate time, giving Nayru a reassuring nod before turning back to her. "I should say the same for you. Try not to punch any gaping holes of mass destruction into things... Or people. Unless they deserve it."
Aside from a creature like recently, Veigue wasn't too worried. Velder wasn't too far away, and he had faith in Nayru's overall strength — not just the physical — to keep herself in one piece before they reunited. They've been through enough and had their own separate adventures, then came back all fine and dandy. What was a mere day? If only he knew...
Veigue didn't have much of anything to pack; just to take his sword and the journal. He walked back towards the edge of the room bed, reaching for his father's slim coat before throwing it across his shoulder. The more he thought about the journey ahead, the more he felt like he was in his father's shoes. He still couldn't fathom the anxiety that his old man harbored, but if it was that deep-rooted, then even Veigue could feel bits and pieces of it without comprehending, and he only feared that the uneasiness would grow by the passing days. Perhaps the slight detour would do a world of good for keeping his sanity in check.
"I'm going to take a little walk before getting a head start there. I'm more than well enough to get going," Except, the sting of his self-inflicted wound earlier reminded him to not ignore it any further, nearly dropping his coat before catching it again. But he could always bug a healer to get that out the way, if they were willing to stop what they were doing for a few seconds to patch up a man with a dark cloud of misfortune over his head, only to get injured again at some point within the next twenty-four hours. "...After I get this taken care of first."
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Post by Nayru Al-Saiduq on Jul 28, 2016 20:39:59 GMT -6
"But punching is, like, ninety-five percent of what I do!" Nayru thought that one was pretty clever, even for her. It seemed she had a knack for self-effacing humor and an even greater gift for talking about how dumb she was, neither of which was... entirely inaccurate admittedly. Going by her track record, she DID do a lot of punching and wasn't very intelligent. Hmm. Actually, when she put it like that, Nayru realized, taking up a hobby like basket weaving or knitting didn't sound like such a bad idea.
She was a little worried about Veigue given his tendency to attract trouble even more than she did, but as thins were, Nayru could do naught but smile and hope and believe in him. To do anything more would be to put the lie to her claim - to prove that she DIDN'T trust him. And if only to prove that she could, she didn't want to be wrong there. Also probably wouldn't do much for that whole mutual trust thing. So even if she had her misgivings about the situation, she was stuck with it for the time being. And that, in turn, meant that she needed to do the best she could given the circumstances. Make the best of a bad situation as the saying went. She had plenty of experience with that at least!
Nayru started herself out of that little downwards spiral though, smiling veiguely at Vague. Hm. That sounded wrong for some reason but she had no idea why. "Who knows, maybe we'll be able to go two full days without getting into trouble." It DID seem like she got into a lot more trouble with Veigue around, maybe she'd get a nice quiet journey? "I've got some more work to do around here, then I'll prep and head out as well." Her body was still somewhat sore, but she was in decent condition overall, so a stir-crazy Nayru had volunteered to help with some reconstruction and rubble-clearing efforts as a combination of physical therapy and having something to do rather than sit there and feel sorry for herself. There wasn't even anything to read in this damn town! As Nayru walked out the door, she waved behind her, cocking her head to the side to speak over her shoulder back at him. "Catch you in Velder then, Veigue. Safe travels, and may the Sky watch over you."
And with that she was gone.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 5, 2016 14:12:15 GMT -6
If only it'd be that easy. Who knows? Maybe he wouldn't run into trouble at all.
"Just wishful thinking."
Nonetheless, Veigue gave his friend a slow nod before she made her exit. Veigue's plan to see the blacksmith was indeed something he wanted to do, and he was positive that nothing bad could happen with their separation. Well, bad in the regard of his family squabble. Couldn't promise anything else, though in truth, he also hid a minor, secondary reason of wanting to go it solo: to test the waters.
No doubt some eyes other than Jaquio's have been on him as of late, and perhaps the presence of another at Veigue's side kept them from revealing themselves. All for mixed reasons, and he had no idea what went on in the shadows, unless he delved into them himself. Lots of things he had to keep to himself, all to avoid coming to any negative conclusions. There was no guarantee that his little "watchers" were hostile or not, not seeing the need to make a big deal over it yet. Not like he'd have an army of angry bounty hunters in the shadows or anything — Veigue knew he wasn't that dangerous...
With readying himself, Veigue proceeded to checking out the Inn and relished in the brilliance that was fresh air. Even with the reconstruction and all going on, it was better than staying holed up in the room while doing nothing of value.
Upon strolling through the town, Veigue passed by a priest, who seemed to be fiddling with his staff. He paid the guy no mind, remaining oblivious to something of importance that kept slipping away from him. The frantic young priest leaped from his seat on the porch and pulled Veigue's left arm in a rather abrupt manner. Well, since when was yanking on a stranger's arm considered the norm these days?
"Hey, where ya going with your arm all cut up like that? It's still bleeding, for god's sake!"
"Oh."
That wound just loved to come back and bite him. Veigue didn't resist, though, remembering he wanted to get that taken care of before leaving. That'd be interesting, at least, imagining himself strolling down the merry path to his next destination while still unaware that his right arm was leaking. Even the dumbest person alive would have to keep reminding him, if he didn't pass out from blood loss by then.
"I appreciate it. Sorry for the trouble," Veigue said, feeling the soothing light mending his torn flesh like new.
The priest didn't say anything but nod with a smile and continued doing whatever he was doing... Okay then. Looks like Veigue wasn't the only weirdo in town.
Continuing with his travel through town, the swordsman arrived at the village entrance — what was left of it, anyway. That was one hell of a saga he went through, but going to another turbulent trial only made his heart tense at what was to come. Maybe the tranquil of the short, quiet journey ahead of him would help clear his mind and relax a little, all in order to brace for the wave of nonsense.
As he put his father's coat back on, Veigue took his first few steps out the village, though his progress met with a halt when a strange man leaned against a fallen structure from the corner of his eye.
"Really?" Veigue's eyes narrowed at the thought of dealing with someone else now.
A better look at the chilled out man caused Veigue to stiffen a bit before realizing who it was: Concealed armor of silver with a cloak that acted as a coat, and his head and eyes also masked with a helmet. Veigue's shoulders relaxed before turning to the man and walking slowly towards him.
"...Haust." Veigue said in a low tone.
"It's been a few years, Mr. Magnus." The man said, grinning a bit.
"Don't call me that."
"My apologies," Haust began to chuckle as he pushed himself off his leaning place to walk closer. "I'm flattered you remember my name, though."
Well, surprised would be an understatement, but Veigue managed to maintain composure. Haust, huh? He ran into the guy several times throughout his travels, and Veigue suspected the man may have been stalking him — all for reasons unknown — and Haust denies it every time he asked. Just that it was mere "coincidence". Guess walking in on teenage Veigue while he slept inside a cave several years back counted as a coincidence. Veigue didn't even know what the guy wanted with him, just that he had some kind of fascination with the Magnus clan.
"I see you've grown a lot stronger since we last met. Keeping up with your training and walking out overwhelming obstacles, eh? You and your dear sister always put on an entertaining show for me to watch. It almost makes me want to pit my sword up against yours again; to see where you stand against me this time. Last time, I almost chopped off your arm by accident."
"Get to the point." Veigue grew a bit impatient.
"Hah hah. You're just like both of them," Haust said. It puzzled Veigue as to who 'them' was, but he didn't say anything. "No doubt you've grown stronger, but I can tell from that fire in yours eyes that you're aware that it's still not enough. After all, you seem conscious of the next obstacle ahead of you. How about I go on and dispose of that Jaquio character for you, so you can rest easy until the time comes? Shouldn't be too much trouble, and you've no need for distractions like that, anyways."
"Thanks, but I'll pass," Veigue said, "Jaquio's head is mine alone. I'll take care of that idiot whenever he finally stops hiding behind his mutts. What I'm more interested in is... How much do you know of him? I'm beginning to catch onto why you're so obsessed with my sister and I."
"Fair enough. However, no need to be so hasty," Haust began to walk away on the leftmost road. "You've got a very sharp mind, but you allow it to wander and focus on too many things at once. You won't defeat him if you can't center that concentration and harness it. You've still got much to learn, but the coming days will teach you that better than I can. Keep up your physical and mental training. Fare thee well for now, Veigue Magnus..."
Ever the king of cryptic. Haust was always an enigma, and his exits always end the same: Keeps Veigue in the dark, imparts some kind of wisdom, then just disappears. The swordsman knew that the man had some degree of experience as a veteran under his belt, for that armor he wore was Lycian; he knew Haust was some kind of ex-soldier. While that'd be a problem with him walking around in other countries, the insignia of his old army had a cross engraved over the silver, sending Veigue all kinds of mixed signals about Haust. Distinguishing between friend or foe held it's greatest difficulty with the man.
With much more to think about, Veigue allowed things to linger over his head in order to ponder as he set off on his next journey...
[Support end]
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