Fantasy Mountain Magic Mayhem (Luc/Sazz)

[St. Clover]

"Semi-auto, low recoil. Eight rounds in the mag, one already in the chamber. Doesn't have too much of a punch to it, but like I said earlier, 's already loaded with hollow-points," the dragonborn explained as she handed Erro the handgun. It was somewhat weighty. "And like I also said, I'm really not too sure how well these'll do against that thing's scales. Usually I'm fighting things with only light natural armor, or nothing at all. So take some caution."

She reached into her coat and withdrew two more magazines.

"One more hollow-point, one standard. If it comes down to it, you can at least piss the thing off."

 

[Anshelical]

Erro moved the gun about his hand, thumbing each ridge. "Neat. I think this'll pierce some soft flesh indeed." He then sighted the other magazines. "If it isn't already pissed, though."

Liernoine knew that in due time, the chief would want them to send in another letter. And he would have to be the one to write about Diger. Of course, now wasn't the time to think about that, as they were about to head off to revenge his killer and retrieve him. Yet, Liernoine still knew there was another trial waiting on the other side -- the cold, hard truth.

"Right," Lier said. "Let's just hope it's not there at all."

 

[St. Clover]

Not wanting to waste anymore time, Milianor reached into the cube once again. From its shadowy depths she produced a compact machine pistol. Checking it for any signs of damage, she nodded approvingly and tossed it over to its new, temporary owner. "Yeah, well, I've come to learn that expecting the worst is for the best," she groused. "Why I always try to come prepared when I can, y'know?"

 

[Anshelical]

Erro appreciated becoming the new owner of the machine pistol. "Mmhm. Thanks."

"Yeah, gotta be prepared," Vine said.

Liernoine had to interrupt himself again from replaying his guilt on Diger's fall, blinking back to the distribution of weapons. "Think that's gonna be it?"

"I-I don't need a weapon," Iso said. "Just to g-get Diger!"

"Yeah, we said that, Iso," Vine rolled his eyes. "Can't be saying that too long. We've got to get going with this."

 

[St. Clover]

"Yeah, the quicker we can get this over with, the quicker we can get out of its territory. Staying around longer than needed's a good invitation for shit to hit the fan," Milianor warned with a click of her tongue, prompting the cube to collapse into itself. She plucked it from the air and stored it in her coat. "Lier, take the lead if you don't mind. I'll follow behind you, we'll keep close and alert. Sound like a plan?"

 

[Anshelical]

"Yeah, I got it," Lier popped his fingers, the sharp noises having Erro cringe from behind.

"I hate it when you do that," Erro said.

"Whoops. Sorry." Lier looked left and right. "So, no satchel for me?"

"Guess not," Vine put on his own satchel. "Just kidding. I don't think we'll be out long. Iso, give yours to him."

"W-Why me?"

"Well, because you're probably not going to do much. Don't have a weapon. I'm the leader -- need to stay alive."

Iso was slow to remove his satchel, but with a huff, he wrung his head and hair loose from the leather strap's rub on him, handing it to Vine. "Fine. Here."

"Yeah, you don't have nothing to worry about. Got all that money anyway." He tossed it to Lier, who caught it on impulse but wished to return it to Iso. Indeed, the latter was still resentful.

"We'll start this trail down here," Liernoine pointed to a huddle of rock hills. "Just follow me." And he started off, leading Erro, Vine, and reluctant Iso who took to Milianor's side.

"A-After you," he said.

 

[St. Clover]

Nodding, Milianor sucked in a deep breath and closed her eyes. She felt power throb within her chest, exhaled moments later as a tiny puff of flame. "Let's do this," she whispered more to herself than anything, starting off down the trail. Her claws pushed out from the confines of her gloves. If this came down to it, she knew they wouldn't do anything. But she liked the idea of a dragon fighting a dragon enough to get a bit... Primal.

 

[Anshelical]

The sound of Milianor's claws chafing against her gloves had Iso flinch from behind. "Nghn!" Maybe she still had the plan to eat them. No, no, of course not. But Iso's anxiety worsened, considering that she indeed was a dragonborn. Or, better yet, what if she was the very addition to the Dragon Stones they searched for?

Liernoine, despite treading up front, had the same thought. If Milianor was truly a part of the Dragon Stone Crisis, or at that a distant relative of the family, then they would at least have some living proof that they still existed. And, for him, that would be even more interesting considering how he, a supposed human, came out. With the longblade a practice twist, he swiveled it about his wrist.

And indeed, how primal fate can be.

Vine was right beside Erro, watching the parallel path on his soiled map. "Hey, don't forget to pass that arch. Don't go through it."

"Got it," Lier said.

 

[St. Clover]

Hearing the sound that came from Iso as her claws came out, Milianor raised a brow ridge. What was that for? Was he losing his nerve suddenly? She then glanced down and realized it. Her claws. Like most folks who'd never seen her kind before, two inch long knifes for fingernails weren't normal. Especially if they were owned by a fire breathing lizard. It wasn't the first time someone displayed an adverse reaction to her more inhuman features.

"So," Milianor began, hoping to ease some tension. "what do you all plan on doing when you get home? Kicking back and sharing a drink with your friends? Gotta be a helluva story, huh?"

 

[Anshelical]

"Eh," Vine shrugged. "Probably just gonna get back to Chief 'n' start a new assignment... get new details." He whisked some pesky bang strands back. "And then probably get a few drinks."

"Joinin' 'em," Erro said.

Iso trailed just behind Milianor, right to her side to watch between them all as they interacted. He probably was going to try to make use of his time without Diger by going back into his financial haven: his parents. Or, he could find something more useful with his time, such as find out the truth about Liernoine and his influence on the city.

"Surely tell the masses about this trek," Liernoine twisted the sword still. "And then, yes" -- he chuckled -- "Gettin' some drinks. Can't have enough cinnamon liquor."

"Nah, nah, too strong for me." Vine said. "You'll have to enjoy that with someone else."

"Someone will." And he knew that someone would also be willing to hear this story.

 

[St. Clover]

Chuckling at the responses she got, Milianor decided to add her own future to the pile. "Thinking I'll do the same myself," she began. "Once this is all said and done, I figure a couple friends of mine would love to hear about this. Know this one kid, Xavier, who eats this kinda stuff up. He's always going on about adventurers and all these old legends. Major fan of the old world."

 

[Anshelical]

Dense fog blurred the path ahead, leaving a chilling breeze as the five of them went further down the trail. The valleys about seemed dead quiet save their existing lifelessness. Yet, scarce plants waited at the dry soil's surface, awaiting the right conditions to bud; reptiles hibernated in their nooks. This particular memory lingered with Iso, the path backward to where Diger was lost, almost as though they were traveling through time.

Liernoine was quite elated to have Milianor along to retrieve Diger, to at least have some concern. Yet, he was also hesitant at his own motives, that to run away from his mistake -- to hide it from the city as his own identity.

"Xavier, 'uh?" Lier kept note of the rock archway ahead, leading them around it.

"He's not of the old world?" Erro frowned. "Well, guess he is a 'kid.'"

 

[St. Clover]

"He's about a hundred years old, give or take," Milianor explained as they descended further downward. She pulled her coat tighter around herself. "Pretty young for a half elf. He hangs around the bar from time to time, looking for work or just hanging out. Doesn't really have much to do, since he apparently ran away from home thirty something years ago. Looking for something, he always says. Never goes into detail, but I've picked up on a couple things being around him..."

She shook her head, sighing. "Kid's lost. Wants to find somewhere he fits in, but he won't let himself get attached long enough to do that."

Her eyes lifted up to the archway as they went around it.

"He gets by well enough, though, I suppose. Has a gig doing delivery routes for the New Light Tribune."

 

[Anshelical]

"Oh, so he's not a kid," Vine frowned. "Busy and everything."

The sedimentary ridge darkened with more igneous finishes, the lower half of the trail heating up. Liernoine avoided each pothole in potential they were a geyser waiting to happen. Erro still took notes of his surroundings on his canvas, noting each little detail as they went along. Iso felt the heat emerge, so he put his jacket on his shoulder.

"Yeah, them elves can live a long, long time," Vine said. "It'd be cool to meet one."

"What?" Lier sneered. "You have."

"I have?"

"Yeah, remember the client who wanted the Gold Serpent meat?"

It took a bit for Vine to remember. But, for that client they received heaps of money, and thus he remembered. "Oh, oh! Yeah! I remember now. When it was just us two and the army, haha."

 

[St. Clover]

Army? That piqued the dragonborn's interest. "What's this about the army?" she spoke up, looking over to Vine curiously. "You two soldiers? Don't really look the type. How long were you in there for? What'd you do?" she continued to ask, interested in hearing more about this world.

Along the way she fished around her satchel for a plastic wrapped bar. She tore the top off and sunk her teeth into the granola inside.

 

[Anshelical]

"Well, not army," Vine raised a finger, "Wrong word. It was more like a defense squad."

"Sounds like the same as an army to me," Lier said. "I would had called it the same thing."

"Whatever. We weren't really soldier soldiers, but we definitely were doing a lot of defense against the Seconds. Just a neighboring clan bitter about our tech bleeding into their land. These people contended against us as long as I can remember my whole life, but more like five times that long. And I had to get into the military at a young age to put some food on the table."

"Yeah, same here."

"Well, you waltzed up in there and made yourself a knight."

"That's true, too. Still needed money, though. Defending the Governor was a hassle when Seconds teamed with warlock assassins. And then they were able to tame their beasts, too. I'll never forget when they summoned a literal demon to play the Governor's temporary bodyguard."

"Oh yeah, that was big news."

Liernoine's strength was almost ripe, each step down the trail strengthening his being and motivation. Continuing this journey with a strip of luck was a miracle, that which he could restrain from protecting his pure intent. He spun the longblade again about his forearm, plotting the next hundred meters -- the ones with the heaviest fog -- ahead.

"Wait, did you say we didn't look like we were from the army?" He smirked. "Years of traveling couldn't have sapped my brawn."

 

[St. Clover]

Milianor found it impossible not to roll her eyes. "Yeah, well, most of the soldiers I've seen tend to be hard asses. Granted I've never really seen that many, but still." She shrugged. "Most of the time it's just Enforcers or Radiant Guardsmen you run into where I'm from. The Arbiters if you've screwed with the Guilders. And Red Screen if you're into underworld shit. Also, what's this about a demon?"

 

[Anshelical]

"Haha, she thinks you're a hard ass," Vine chuckled.

"She might be talking about you," Lier pointed back. "Anyway, our Governor was to be escorted to another city, and the Council made this big ol' drafting process for civilians to join. Don't know why they did that because it was a rather foolish idea. They ended up drafting a demon with a human disguise to help escort him. But then a priest sensed the demon's aura and notified the Council. And then there was a big fight with the demon, who revealed herself. In the end, we found out it was drafted by the Seconds."

"Yeah, it was a big deal," Vine said. "That demon was a fighter."

"Good thing I wasn't in town when it happened," Erro said. "Would've been killed."

"And ever since our city's been in real turmoil against the Seconds," Lier said. "Now we're starting to follow their footsteps and ask any other lower entities for their assistance."

"Pff," Vine scoffed.

 

[St. Clover]

Surprised by their story, Milianor found herself at a loss for words at first. She blinked a few times, then shook her head. "This is exactly why you can't be too careful when it comes to magic," she stated. "When you live in a world where someone like me can shoot fireballs at people, you need to take precautions against shit like that."

"If they'd been cautious enough, they'd have screened everyone around that guy before leaving. Hell, it's what they do at major functions where I'm from. Sometimes they even have these metal detector looking things that scan for any active spell on a person. Handy as can be when it comes to sniffing out would be cultists or rebels."

 

[Anshelical]

"Yeah, we're not that technological with the magic stuff," Lier said. "But you're right; things like what happened happen because there's no precautions at all. The more people who use magic the more they take precautions. But people like the Seconds are so much more magically advanced than us; it's a problem, really."

"M-Metal detectors?" Iso shuddered at the thought of Milianor throwing fireballs.

 

[St. Clover]

"Ever considered trying to make peace with them?" Milianor suggested. "It's how we ended up getting the Empire of the Isles on our side way back when. Citiria had been at odds with them for a bit, then Shaluna ended up making a treaty with their Emperor. Ever since then they've been part of the Republic... Kingdom... Whatever the hell we are." She shrugged, then twirled her hand around. A flicker of flame formed at her fingertip. "They helped us recover a lot, and their understanding of magical technology, combined with Citiria's ample Places of Power made another industrial boom possible. One that, ironically, is still going on today."

She rolled the mote down her elbow and knocked it into the air. "As for precautions, yeah, you all should do something about that. And yeah, metal detectors. These little devices that chirp when they sense metal of some type."

 

[Anshelical]

"Heek!" The fire within the dragonness' claws had Iso flinch. "I-I know what metal detectors a-are. You said th-that magic can be detected with a metal d-detector."

"Hey, calm down, man," Vine listened to the intensified stuttering. And that little shriek made him smirk. "She was talking about something like a metal detector -- not literally."

"I-I was asking her."

Erro shook his head, splatting more oily figures about his canvas as they entered a short cave tunnel full of weathered gaps. The humidity was built at the floor of the trail but cooled up top. Some reptilian wildlife appeared prevalent in the fractured paths. Plants fighting for light coiled about the archways. On the canvas, however, all of these things were a boring, stale representation of a long-lasting saga for honor's sake.

Erro took a small break from his art, allowing the canvas to dangle about the front of him on suspended rope around his shoulder, observing the gun Milianor gave him.

"The Governor's so stubborn," Liernoine said. "Knew that boy since childhood and still is hardheaded. I think he'll someday choose to just buckle down and allow the Seconds to at least have some of their land back. But, since they were the ones who constantly harassed us with their magical powers, we've been shying away from reconciliation to protect ourselves. Either way, I think it's meaningless to fight over the land. If anything, the Seconds are much stronger than us in regard to power. We've got the brains, though.

"It's good that your country was able to get past all the cultural blunders. If we could have an industrial boom for our country, that'd be so much nicer." Lier sheathed the longblade into the sleeve where his previous weapon was before he lost it in his fall, though it didn't fit entirely as it hung out. "I'd like to see one of them metal detector things sometime and show to Huujar. We need 'em 'cause we just recruit whoever the hell we feel like without doing this 'background' stuff."

 

[St. Clover]

At the sound of Iso's squeal, Milianor was unable to suppress the snicker that escaped her lips. She covered her snout and plucked the fireball from the air, twirling around to present it to the man. "Yeah, it sounds like you guys need to do some work on your own side of things before trying anything else," she agreed with a nod. "And to answer your question my squealing friend, yeah, they're like metal detectors. Except they're not. Got some fancy techno magic systems that can pick up on traces of magic that pass through them. Stadiums and courthouses use them to check for anything. Also, wanna hold it?"

She extended the mote out to Iso, smiling widely.

 

[Anshelical]

"H-H-H--!" Iso let off a shaky smile. "H-Hold it?!"

Liernoine beckoned Vine forth. "Hey, where is it from here?" He pointed out to a path with branching trails. "I think we came from that one over there" -- waving to the leftmost path -- "but then again I might be wrong."

"Uh..." Vine observed the map. "Shit. I didn't mark this down. This was where we started running from 'em, remember?"

"You mean the dragon?"

"Yeah, what else?" He observed the dark, spiky bushes edging about the cliff. "I think we came from the left, yeah. Because I remember getting a few needles up my heel."

"Gotta make sure it's right."

"Wherever the cliff was that..." Erro started. "Yeah, then that's where we're supposed to go. Left for me."

"Alright," Lier tightened his satchel. "We'll go left, then." He continued on with them and smiled at Iso's behavior toward Milianor, but only bittersweet knowing his quirks would show when Diger was around. He looked ahead. "Public facilities need to monitor magic the most, I'd think. You all are a step ahead of us for sure. Wonder if the Seconds have this type of tech, though."

 

[St. Clover]

Milianor's smile widened at Iso's sputtering, prompting her to toss the magical flame to him. It wasn't hot in the least bit, appearances saying otherwise. The spell, a slightly modified form of the one used by Lamplighters in the Empire, was more of a party trick than anything. She enjoyed using it to mess with people. "Unless you want to kick it around like a bean bag!" she exclaimed.

Swiveling her head, the dragonborn took in their surroundings with a wide, panoramic look. She made note of the way they were coming, making sure to remember for later. A quick turn put her back to walking normally. "Maybe," she said. "The tech's been around for a while in my world, far as I know. Originated in the Empire, only got better when the tech boom happened. Reminds me, one of you mentioned being a knight. What's the deal with that? Still got knightly orders and whatnot around in your world too?"