Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[IamanElfCollaborator]

The dark-skinned man glares at the Warriors who insult him, but Lucy catches him off-guard.
".....you kill my blood brother, and then you FLIRT at me?!"

Of course, the Warriors don't even take the time to pause and grace that with a response, heading up the stairs into the station.

Normally, their path would be barred by small gates that have to be activated using a tram pass, one of the innovations of Ishim's technological sector. By paying a certain sum, the pass could be charged with enough magic to pass the gate up to a week, which paid for the public transport system. Similarities to similar systems used by Revivians in their own realm are, of course, coincidental. Similar systems have been considered for adoption in other cities, though with the prohibitive costs, only Dernier, the capital of Penultia, has made any such headway.

of course, this being so late at night, the gates are open, including the larger gate ordinarily intended for letting in bicycles, luggage and the occasional horse. Wyverns are generally banned on the Magitram lines, though for obvious reasons, those with flying mounts tend to eschew the trams.

A crystal hangs off some rusted bolts on the platform's ceilings, with timers showing when the next tram will arrive; right now, it's blank, as the tram currently in the station is the last tram of the night. THe tram itself is a line of carriages fashioned from wood and steel, with crystals lighting the inside revealing tacky velvet seats. The tram is practically abandoned, and the doors are ajar.

"The tram's about to leave! E-everyone, get on!"

The Warriors make their way at a sprint, the Chiefs hot on their heels and running up the stairs. Anya stumbles on the way, only for Owyn to yank her to her feet, almost tossing her into the tram, helping Anna onto the tram and waiting around to ensure nobody else is left behind, before jumping on.

"The doors are now closing."

The Chiefs make it up the stairs just as the announcement ends and the tram pulls out of the station, leaving Fiorina Station behind.

The dark-skinned man glares at the back of the tram.

"....I have to know....what did they mean by that, being framed? Have I been played? Dammit. Brutus, Scipio, bring your men. We're going after that tram."
"With what, sir? We don't have horses or pegasi!"
"Have the Chiefs ever shied away from a challenge? Let's go!"

[IamanElfCollaborator]

Chapter 4: Tramspotting
(2:00 AM)

The Magitrams of Ishim are, surprisingly, one of the greater attractions of the city. Nowhere else in Generia hold anything quite like it. Easy, widely available public transport is a rarity in Generia; while airships allow transport between countries, they remain rather expensive and out of the reach of most adventuring parties at the start of their adventures, and horses and wagons have to be maintained. For this reason, many businesses have begun to make their new home in Ishim, as well as many adventuring guilds, who can use the transports to get them to the edge of the city towards their next quest.

Of course, late night, the trams are generally home to drunks, the terminally exhausted, and the unfortunate who work night shifts in the city. Tonight, they're home to the Warriors.

The time is 2:00 AM.

The tram you're in smells faintly of beer. Nobody else is in this carriage, or in the surrounding carriages, save what appears to be a homeless man, sleeping soundly across one of the rows of seats. The crystal lighting flickers, as the rolling streets of Ishim's outer districts flash by, the occasional wagon or pegasus making its way across. In the distance, the lights of Ishim city proper can be seen, getting closer and closer. The moon grows lower in the sky, as morning continues to approach.

Nico takes a seat.
"Okay. This should be a....fifty minute trip. It'll stop a few times and then it should take us into Roux Street Station in Aviane."
"I hope my lads made it home alright. I can't believe they ditched us like that to run from the Annas."
"My, my. You Warriors lead an....interesting life."

[SirAston]

"Fifty minutes... That's wonderful."

Largo takes one of the nearby twin-seats, sits down on it and crosses his arm.

"... It sure sounds like a nice opportunity to sleep, but..."

He sighs and closes his eyes for a few seconds, moving his head to crack some tense spots before turning towards Lagata.

"Yo, Gata, take a nap. You have an important day tomorrow, with the test and that, right? I'll keep watch."

[Dwarmin]

Xerxe was not, it seemed, immune to the limitations of human endurance. He promptly took a window seat with a nice breeze, threw his cloak over himself like a blanket, and slumped into a soldiers uneasy half sleep-snatching a paragraph of rest, between chapters full of battle. Given the laxity of his body, he had been far more tired than his previous state would have been indicated-he had been pushing himself further and faster tonight, diving into danger without a thought for personal risk.

"..."

[IcyTea31]

Lastelle leads Bowler to the wheelchair spot and takes the seat beside it.

"Fifty minutes, huh? Anyone up for a game of dice? With me and Bowler, we only need one more for anything exciting."

[SirAston]

"No dice here, but I do have a deck of Hanafuda cards in my bag. One of the few times Revivians didn't screw up art."

[kj1225]

Tomo collapses into a seat, leaning back as he finally allows the adrenaline to leave him. He sighs for a bit considering whether or not to mention the "art" comment before just shrugging.
"I only know Mahjong, unfortunately."

[IcyTea31]

"Sure, I know Koi-Koi. I assume we'll play Generian-style so we can have three players?"

[SeriousConcentrate]

"That was uncalled for Largo."

Lucy, of course, took it personally. He had no way of knowing that she used to be a manga artist herself before becoming an adventurer, but disparaging Revivian art hit a sore spot with her. With a huff, she sat down next to Xerxe.

[SirAston]

"I prefer Hachi-Hachi, but that'll take too long to teach, so let's go Koi-Koi, L."

Largo looks to Tomo, remembering he actually was Revivian.

"Oi, oi, nothing personal, Knuckles. I'm not one of those dumbasses who see a few rotten apples and then decide to chop down a forest because of that. I just haven't seen any Revivian stuff that I found nice to look at, aside from Hanafuda."
"Then again, I do prefer art about nature over art about civilization, so that might be a factor... Mahjong has some nature stuff on their stones too, right? Might take a look at that game in the future, feel free to teach me anytime, buddy."

Then, he leans over to look in Lucy's direction.

"Eh, maybe. Like I said, haven't seen much that I personally found good. Feel free to convince me otherwise if you happen to know the good stuff though."

[IamanElfCollaborator]

"You'd think that. A few Revivians in my classes have some creative minds. They'll be great when they grow up."
"You're a teacher?"
"Kindergarten. I was an adventurer in a past life, but that's behind me now."

[IcyTea31]

"I don't think bad art is a solely Revivian thing. It's...an interesting culture, but even their worst art is hardly any worse than I've seen from others. It's like there's a universal rock bottom one can hit when it comes to bad art, after which it becomes so-bad-it's-good, and it's the same for everyone."

"Anyway. You're killing me, Big Blue, when you talk about how beautiful the cards are without actually showing them. Deal us in."

Lastelle makes no effort to explain how Bowler is going to play the game, or even hold the cards.

[Dwarmin]

"That was uncalled for Largo."

Lucy, of course, took it personally. He had no way of knowing that she used to be a manga artist herself before becoming an adventurer, but disparaging Revivian art hit a sore spot with her. With a huff, she sat down next to Xerxe.

"Mmmrf..." Xerxe said, resisting the urge to use the surprise neck snap attack open his eyes. He was sure Lucy would soon fulfill her threat of 'keeping him up all night' with, of course, her conversational skills.

[SeriousConcentrate]

"You can go back to sleep, Xerxe. I'm just here if you want a pillow."

She patted the sleepy Warrior on the head.

[SirAston]

"Yeah, yeah, on it."

Largo shuffles the deck, sets up the board (or, in this case, a vacant seat used as a board) and deals the cards.

"You're a good man, Owyn. A real man. I like that, keep at it."
"Sorry again for beating up your crew. Unusual circumstances and all that."