Arcane Tales

Derek: <I take it you want to investigate?>

*Kentaro unloads his gun (I'm honestly not even sure why it'd have a magazine or anything as that'd mean they'd both have to wander around with a few thousand or so pounds of ammunition) and points it at Fahren, pulling the trigger.*

*They hear a clicking sound but nothing else happens. Fahren walks up to him and grabs the bullets*

Fahren: <I see. Good old magic bullets. Having a gun that auto-loads itself with your energy might be ...good, but using your energy to directly shoot magic will make you attack faster and harder. First, you need to learn how to actually channel magic into it without having a magazine that does it for you.>

*He turns around and puts his palms together by his chest. A blue glyph appears on the floor in front of him and a blue wooden door emerges from it.*

Fahren: <Step inside, please. Just you, though. One at a time.>

*He points at Kentaro and smiles*

=====

*She chuckles*

Aera: <Well, that sounds nice, that Aldanian captain lady seemed sad. A few other Sephiran ships flew by a while ago. Probably His Highness returning to Sephira. Oh lookie, it's almost lunch time. I'll go to the kitchen and have the cook prepair something nice. Will you and your friends eat outside?>

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*A massive shark-like creature darts out of the water, blasting water every which way. It twirls in the air before landing on the sand, Allina and Olympe having to run to avoid being crushed. It looks like a large greyish green shark. It has a dorsal fin and tail, but thick clawed arms instead of pectoral fins. It has three rows of very sharp teeth and skin that seems to be dead and falling off, all cracked up. A green glow emanates from the fissures that cover the skin, as well as from large holes where its eyes should be. It is about the size of an elephant, except a bit longer and shorter. It roars loudly and raises its tail, balancing its body on its arms. It jumps upward and dives down onto Allina, its mouth wide opened. She screams.*

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Kelphy: <Well I... I don't know. I don't think we have a choice, really, Crone must have noticed I fled by now... What do we do, Master Derek?>

A shadow hand yanks Allina back and Creed moves in for a decisive killing blow with a mighty swing.

"Undead Searaptor are nasty suckers" Lucien tells Allina.

---

"That'd be nice Aera."

[What did he just say?]

Kentaro:<Okay.>

*Kentaro steps inside the glyph*

Derek: <We keep going forward. I won't let you get hurt.>

*He walks forward and then looks back to Kelphy.*

Derek: <After you, princess.>

*The door leads to the square in capital Sephira he had been sitting at with Kari a few days earlier, and where they had fought the corrupted Efreet. There's a jumping rope lying around. There's no one else around, and he hears nothing but the wind and what sounds like very heavy breathing echoing around. The door disappears behind him.*

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Fahren: <What is your name?>

*He sits down by the small table with food and calls her over, pointing at an empty chair. He then pours some hot tea into two cups*

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Aera: <All right, then. Are you going back outside, or would you like to come along?>

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*A spike of compressed sand rises in front of Creed, blocking the attack. It swings its tail at him, and opens its mouth, shooting a jet of water at Olympe. It slams her into a palm tree.*

Allina: <No kidding!>

*She runs towards Olympe as the Undead Searaptor bites at Lucien with its massive jaws*

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*She smiles awkwardly and walks into the lab. It's a lot brighter inside, a glass capsule full of water like the one that contained the frozen crystal emanating an intense blue glow among a row of empty capsules. Walking closer, they see what seems to be a slightly oversized woman floating inside.*

Creed's attack bounces off.

Lucien dodges the attack made at him but only barely.

---

"I'll come with if you don't mind."

"...Kari Hitashi."

*She sits in the chair, her hands folded in her lap.*

=====================================================

*Kentaro stands about looking around before he starts walking around.*

"This is weird."

*Down some street he realizes every house's mailbox has gun shot holes on it. He realizes Kari's house is down an alley nearby. The heavy breathing seems to be closer.*

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Fahren: <That's a... rather exotic name. Then again, I'm one to talk. Fahrenheit Ubier, pleasured to meet you.>

*He smiles and tils his head towards her cup*

Fahren: <Go ahead. It's warm. Now, would you mind telling me about yourself and your friend some more?>

=====

*Down in the forecastle is an old kitchen. A couple of cooks in chef outfits are cooking a delicious stew*

Aera: <Hi, there. Do you guys by any chance have something me and General Crive can eat?>

Cook: <Oh, sure. I'll pour each of you a bowl of hot stew.>

Aera: <Thank you!>

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*It rams itself into the palm tree, Allina just barely being able to push Olympe out of the way. They get up and Olympe notices a cut on Allina's anckle that's covered in a gowing green fluid.*

Olympe: <Are you all right?>

Allina: <I think so. What about you?>

Olympe: <Fine.>

*She leaps upward and slashes at the monster, sending darkness blades flying towards it*

Creed and Lucien attack it in unison.

---

"There you go again, calling me General Crive" he smiles and laughs, "I am starving though..."

"He's my... friend. We met when he bumped into me when he was being chased by guards."

=====================================================

*Kentaro smirks at the sight of the mail boxes recognizing what is probably his work while he approaches Kari's house.*

Derek: <This... almost looks like something beyond human. Perhaps an Aeldi?>

*Kari's house is empty like every other. One of its windows is broken, and Kentaro remembersa Dark Trodent did that by jumping into the house through it. There is still a hole on the wall at the end of the alley, the one that leads to the abandoned garden surrounded by the back of some houses with an old fountain with the statue of a lady sitting on a crescent moon at its center. The sun is shining straight above him and the heavy breathing is now echoing around him quite loudly.*

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Fahren: <I see... What about the others?>

*He sips some tea, staring at a clock on the wall*

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*They sit by a wooden table at the corner, where the cooks usually eat their meals, and each of them is served a bowl of hot stew*

Aera: <Sorry. So Ge--Alto, who exactly did you find at that tower?>

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*Their attacks make some of its skin fall off, revealing its insides to have completely turn into green fluid, except for its bones, as its rotting ribs can be seen sticking out of the fluid through the wound. Allina staggers to her feet and runs in front of Olympe just in time to cast a barrier and block the Undead Searaptor's tail. A glowing green fissure opens up her left leg, though she fails to notice it. The monster turns to Lucien and Creed and two large fists of sand emerge from the sand, punching at each of them.*

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*The woman's eyes snap open and she stares at them silently for a few seconds, before speaking with an ethereal voice that doesn't sound muffled at all, despite her being underwater.*

???: <Who are you and why have you awoken me?>

"I don't... really know them."

=====================================================

[I guess I can only ignore it for so long.]

*He enters the area with the garden, hand on his gun.*

The two are knocked back.

---

"Crone's mentor, an elf named Fahren."

*Derek jumps back and draws his sword.*

Derek: <My name is Derek Emeraude. We stumbled upon this room, so that's why we awakened you.>

*There doesn't seem to be anything in there. He hears a familiar voice coming from inside*

Kari(?): <Kentaro...!>

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Fahren: <I see. But then why are you two with them?>

*He narrows his eyes to look into hers, smiling*

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Aera: <I see... Did he do or say anything important other than give you the scroll?>

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*The monster turns around and runs towards Lucien to ram him.*

Allina: <My leg feels we--Ahh!!!>

*Her leg is now covered in glowing green fissures, and acquiring a greenish taint. She falls on her ass and starts rubbing it gently, hyperventilating in panic*

Allina: <Guys... Guys!!!>

*Olympe widens her eyes upon seing her leg*

Olympe: <Lucien, watch out or it'll infect you too!>

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Kelphy: <K-Kelphy Colsun. You're an Aeldi... right?>

Undine: <Indeed. I have been sleeping for hundreds of years... I never expected someone to get here... how did you two get through the magic barrier around the island?>

Kelphy: <The what?>

Lucien grins as shadow hands erupt from under the Zombie sharp and curl around it as Creed pops up from the sand. The Creed that the creature had sand fisted before turning out to be an illusion. Creed flips over the seperator and drives his sword downward towards it's skull.

---

"He talked about the Aeldi Luna..."

"I don't know... It just kind of happened. Kentaro's been with me the entire time, so I guess it's okay..."

=====================================================

*He takes his hand off his gun and turns around going inside Kari's house.*

Derek: <We were brought here by a man named Crone. Do you know him?>

*Kari is sitting on a couch, staring at the floor blankly, trembling. Crone is standing behind her, grinning at Kentaro.*

Crone: <Sure took your sweet time, didn't you, rag?>

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Fahren: <I'm sure it hasn't been all that bad. Too bad he isn't coming back, isn't it?>

*He smiles, still staring at the clock*

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*The cooks walk out with the stew to feed the crew.*

Aera: <...I don't get it. Why would Crone do all of this?>

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*The monster roars, whipping its head against Creed, Allina's skin continues cracking up and becoming green, her eyes too glowing green. She starts squirming and moaning. Olympe dashes forward and jumps onto the Undead Searaptor, slashing at it with both swords. A large whirpool rises from the sea and darts towards Lucien.*

Allina: <...Ahhh!>

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Undine: <That name... sounds familiar. But it has been so long... I...My master asked me if I could let them study me... They wanted to know more about the magic world... When they perished, I was left here, sleeping what I thought would be an eternal sleep. I am Undine.>

Kelphy: <"They"? The people from this village?>

Undine: <Village? Orion was a city, one bigger than you can imagine. No, not a city. A country.>

Kelphy: <Orion? ...I've never heard about it before.>

Undine: <It has been a long time since I have last spoken to anyone. ...I will tell you the story.>

Creed flies and eats sand. Lucien quickly moves out of the way and attacks with shadowy fists.

---

"I don't know why..."

"What?"

=====================================================

*Kentaro draws his gun and points it at Crone.*

"Get away from her!"

*Derek sheathes his sword.*

Derek: <And we'll listen.>