TURN FIFTY-EIGHT: INERTIA OF THE ORCHESTRA
In between traveling around and trying to complete as much work as I can before the finals pounce on me, I've found some time to write! Hooray.
"The Shadows themselves can be individually defeated, but attacking them directly doesn't work long-term. Given time they will regenerate even seemingly fatal wounds. However, it does slow them down. You were able to develop weapons that increased this regeneration time, but they did not permanently put them down and were exorbitantly costly to manufacture.
Shadows are based on an individual's internal conflicts, and they attempt to seek out that individual. If they meet, a contest of wills or test of spirit of some kind occurs. If the host wins, the Shadow is permanently beaten. If the Shadow wins, the host falls under the Shadows control. There is a secondary way to permanently beat them that you discovered. A person other than the host can somehow transfer the Shadow onto themselves. In that case they can challenge the Shadow in the hosts sted, with the same risks and rewards but a reduced success rate."
LirianArtemis begins to pace around away from you as you talk. You keep your eyes on him, making sure that he does not attempt to come close and attack you, but you don't believe he has much interest in subverting you, even if he did before. As you approach the end of your explanation, he stops, turns to you, and returns to sitting down. He closes his eyes but continues to listen to you. When you finish, he stays silent for several moments, clearly digesting this new batch of information.
"If your information is correct," he begins,
"then I..." He falters in his speech, lost in thought once again. This time, he sighs and looks straight at you.
"I am already predicting, based on what you said, that what I am pursuing right now will not work. If, despite rare materials, willpower, and sacrifice, I failed, then I will have to find a different avenue. But what that avenue is -- well, that may very well be the question of the hour." He puts a hand under his chin and begins to muse once again, searching the ground with his eyes. After a short while, he stands up, inhales, and bows to you.
"I have a proposition to make."He straightens himself up and puts forth his offer.
'Based on what Dr. Kito has told me, you are not from this area. If you do not have anything else that would occupy your efforts and time, then I have something for you and your friend to consider. As you know, I have limited knowledge of these Shadows, and you appear to know better than I do when regarding this matter. However, I believe that I am close to finding something that may aid the both of us. With your knowledge and your proficiency in stealth, we may be able to uncover more about this issue." He stops and clears his throat.
"Now," he continues,
"There are some... caveats to this. If you were to work with me, you would have to accompany me on travels to potential warzones. You would be acting indirectly with the military of the Jaunatne Coalition, meaning that I cannot guarantee that you will be totally safe; I will assure, however, that my command entails a professional and renowned cadre of soldiers. I don't expect combat to strike us, but I will warn you nonetheless. There will also be information disclosed that can be considered confidential, so a proper contract of some sorts must be established. If you would oblige me, however, I would be happy to compensate your time and effort with money, status, transportation, or anything else of equivalent value to you."
Hate to admit it, but I think I need to go to my counselor again. It was a good streak, almost a year of peace. But they never stay away, do they?
Give her a call, tell her I'm coming in shortly, the failure that I am. Can't even sleep normally. How sad.
Cat SchrodingerThere's no shame in calling for assistance with mental issues. After all, you're pretty sure that you're not qualified to psychologically examine what happens inside of your head. Professor you may be, but a psychologist you are not. With this in mind, you head out to the University section of the town, where many different medical institutions are located. Your counselor's office is located in Carter plaza, to the southwest of the university. Hopefully, she should be able to clear your frazzled mind, or at least refer you to someone who can.
As you are on the way there, you pass by the university itself. The area is mostly deserted, save for a group of three people standing outside the main doors of the university. Two of them look at you as you pass by. You find them a little strange, but they're none of your concern right now. Soon enough, you make your way over to the counselor's office. There, you find your counselor, Stacey Maxwell, a middle-aged woman with lots of energy and an upbeat outlook on life. She informs you that she's busy, but she can meet with you later in the evening. Seeing as you have the day free, you accept and head outside to see what you can do until that time.
For now, perhaps searching around the university would serve to help you glean some information about your current predicament. Before you can enter, however, you are stopped by someone calling out to you.
"Excuse me, sir, but are you affiliated with the university?" One of the three people who you saw before is currently approaching you. You've never seen her or her group before in this area of the town.
Well, you've got time to kill. Might as well entertain her conversation.
A combination of sickness, work, and attempts to improve my personal life don't make for a healthy updating schedule for an RtD.
But yes, it's the standard fare of "I've been busy," basically. No matter, though.
[...]
Author's Note: Once again, I'll try to keep the updates coming as quick as I can. Sometimes, it'll have to come through several weeks. Sometimes, it's a matter of days or even hours. I'm not gonna use that as an excuse for being late, though. My heart is totally put into making this as quick and flavorful as possible.
Thank you for your patience and I hope you enjoy the update,
Artemis
((You're an amazing person with an amazing attitude that I'd like to meet or in the least aspire to one day.
Wish I could develop that kind of
determination Also sorry for the long posts. Still busy from being totally busy.))
Eleri fanned herself with a broad leaf, before dropping it and getting back to Flynn to hoist him up (upon his consent or notification that he's ok to get a move on).
"I've been dwelling on the thing your father said. He's right, you know. You aren't alone in this in the world: Take me for example, I thought I was alone and better off that way. It just came to me that I'm better off with other people who care, seeing how I've been lately. I was apprehensive on meeting anyone due to reasons, and now I'm apprehensive to not meet anyone since I've known you. You can tell me when you're comfy with it anyway, I've got a pretty strong will and a powerful belief system I call Hope...the thing that lets you believe in many good things even if you can't sense them.
"How're you feeling up, now?"
Eleri examined Flynn's body, happy that he was healing and in a better shape after just a day or so since their meeting. She was happy to see him able to smile and laugh, and talk and shiver--those subtle emotions all shown in a physical word. She missed that breadth of feeling from talking to people.
"As an aside, I doubt you're out of meeting people who'd aid you even if they knew what you had intended to do. There're always good people in the world here, even if all you met are those who just don't know how to be good."
Get moving once he's rested! Consume basic resources for health and vitality.
EleriYou sit down next to him and talk to him for a short while, attempting to both build up his hope and your own. What you're most worried about is that his wounds might worsen internally; it's not like you've had a sterile environment to work with in order to patch up his wounds. Additionally, you're careful to make sure that you don't put too much stress on his body. He'll need the energy to recuperate. There's a fine balance to be had right now, but you believe that you can manage it. You'll just need to trust that he can believe in that, too.
He laughs ever-so-softly while rolling his to the other side.
"I don't know if I'd be alive without you here, so... thanks. Not much else I can say, really. I just hope that I can make it through this. It's been stressful - real stressful - in the past few days. I guess things just seemed to work out well enough." After he finishes, you ask him about his health. He looks down at his chest and feels his left side with his hand. He winces, letting you know that he's still, at the very least, sensitive.
"Well... it's getting better. A bit." He laughs nervously.
"Still hurts a lot, but I'll manage. I don't really have that much stamina, though. I think I can walk for about five minutes on my own before I tire. But we're on a better track now. We should be able to get to the cabin well before sundown." He inhales deeply and closes his eyes.
You respond to him with some words of encouragement, trying to show him that not everyone will treat him so harshly as he has come to believe. He smiles weakly, and looks at you. He tries to muster some sort of statement, but comes up empty. A few seconds later, he whispers,
"Thanks." With this, he tries to push himself up from the rocks, but collapses back. You assist him up to his feet, and he nods in appreciation.
"I think I'm fine," he states.
"We should get moving." With that said, you collect your supplies, hang them over your shoulders, and continue the arduous journey.
* * *
Two more hours and you've made it. The two of you have been changing between having him walk on his own and having him rest on your shoulders. You're
exhausted now, with the fatigue practically running through your veins. Flynn lets out a cough that shakes his body. You instinctively try to help him, but he waves you back, saying that he just needs to catch his breath. You examine your situation in the meantime. Behind you, the path curves around the mountainside, with the same sort of steep drop visible in front of you and from the cliff behind you. The grass here is shorter, darker, and wilder, with the grass becoming entangled by itself. The mountain itself begins sloping far out, eventually becoming flat terrain and merging with the ocean. You can see the tiny structures in the distance that make up the major town of the island. About four hundred meters down from where you are, several cabins and houses dot the tree lines. Undoubtedly, one of them must be the one that holds the family Flynn was talking about earlier.
The sun appears to be approaching the horizon now. You've plenty of time to get Flynn down there, but next comes the question of how you will work through the night. You have most of your supplies with you, so surviving based on necessities is not an issue. Shelter and protection, however, will be. You put this into the back of your mind for the moment. Right now, getting Flynn to someone who can properly help him is your priority.
Eh Ah
Markets still standing? Now isn't that something.
Reward their spirits of enterprise with my patronage, purchase some fresh food and make a fine breakfast. There is much work to be done.
((Apologies for missing quite a lot of turns. I get horribly inert at times.))
((No worries. It's not like I've been on point with updating either
))
Eh AhIt is indeed remarkable that many parts of the markets are still standing; then again, that astonishment should really be directed at the progress of the entire city -- perhaps even the whole island. Whether through the assistance of the Theyin Empire (who, admittedly, were at fault for the damage and destruction in the first place) or the resilience of the Atis population, many basic components of Aecrocia and the Atisi village have been restored. You're still unsure on the status of the Magis Kingdom; you didn't have enough time in the day to investigate fully there, and the matter of getting that strange woman back to Aecrocia was higher on your list of priorities.
Since you are in need of basic supplies such as foods and medicines, it would be prudent of you to visit the markets and see if you can purchase, at the very least, a decent breakfast. As you cross through the city, you notice that things seem to have quieted down in comparison to the last week. Homes have been at least partially rebuilt and people are returning to resuming their jobs in the city once again. The skyscrapers near the coast have been, for the most part, repaired. If this was truly the work of the Theyins in tandem with the local population, then perhaps Seira might have been at least partially truthful in her statements of remorse. Still, you're not entirely sure whether or not you can trust her completely yet. That remains to be seen through her actions, as well as the actions of those following under her.
The markets seem to be moderately active; you didn't expect much better. About sixty percent of the stalls that are laid out are occupied; the rest are empty or nonexistent. Luckily enough, there are several stalls with fresh fruits, vegetables, breads, and cheeses. Since the three ranches on the eastern side of the island haven't been restored yet, you assume that the cheeses are imported. Most of the foods, in fact, appear to be imported from as far east as Xiros and Thetos. You notice, however, that none of the foods seem to come from the regular exporters from places like West Liberon and Mesera.
For breakfast, you go ahead and purchase enough to make a couple of sandwiches with lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, and ham. Additionally, you buy orange juice, a bundle of bananas, and an extra loaf of bread to carry you through the day. If you need extra supplies, you can visit once again -- the markets usually stay open until about thirty minutes before sunset. At home, you quickly consume two sandwiches and drink some of the orange juice. It's not extravagant, but it will give you the energy to go about your day and still have plenty of food left over for dinner.
Warren Drake
One last sip. After that, goodnight. Need to get some damn sleep at last.
Warren DrakeYou haven't exactly cleaned the bottle out, but you're getting there. You reckon that you've got a little over half the bottle left. You're clearly inebriated now, with your movements being slow and your chance of stumbling rather high. You make it into the den within the tree and collapse on the floor of the place. You hear the girl calling out, saying,
"Hello? Is something wrong?" before you nod off from a combination of exhaustion and liquor.
Some number of hours pass before you wake up. You groan, a veritable headache pounding against your skull. The soft, fog-like light pours in from the outside, unfortunately irritating your sensitive eyes. You prop yourself up against a wall and back away from the light while rubbing your forehead with a hand. You notice that you had a blanket wrapped around you, which you don't recall donning before you passed out. To the right of the door, a basket is filled with some dried fruits and vegetables. Judging by the amount of light pouring in from outside, it's probably sometime during the morning, considering that you seemed to pass out for quite the while.
You grab a peach from the basket and slowly eat away at it, attempting to recover from your morning sickness. The girl doesn't seem to be around -- at least, not in the immediate vicinity. You can't hear her yet. Even if you wanted to, the buzz in your head still prevents you from focusing. Well, it is less of a buzz and more of a "warble" in your head. You turn around and -- wait, a warble? You attempt to concentrate. A few seconds later, you recognize something distinct within the noise in your head. It's aural and it has a pattern; it is not simply static. You sigh, thinking that it may either be related to your alcohol consumption or your more-than-magical occurrences in the past few days.
Author's Note: Nothing too major in this update; at least, not for everyone. At the very least, time dilation seems to be working well.
Soon, I'll be on my Winter Break, so I will have MUCH more time to update frequently. Perhaps I'll even get to update the Compendium again, whoo! Lord knows how long it's been since I've done so, even with my numerous promises.
I hope you all have a fantastic week. Thank you for reading the update,
Artemis