BoZV - Arc 5

[Swim]

Terra yawned again feeling perplexed with Alriik's surplus of energy. She knew by now that his solution to awkward silence was filling it with awkward words, and while normally she'd be up for throwing puns back and forth with him, her mind was still groggy. Alriik had gotten less sleep than any of them, he shouldn't have this much spunk. Terra supposed he spent all night coming up with Dawnbringers and was just excited to share.

"I'll give it some thought as we walk but I think Dawnbringers is fine," she responded.

[Bloodbane]

Rion simply smiled and gave a quick nod in response to Silver. It seemed she might have been trying a little harder to push herself than he expected, but who was he to argue with that? By this point, her resilience needed no further evidence, but if that was who she was then he wasn't going to stop her from trying to keep going. "I wouldn't have blamed you if you felt a need to rest a bit more... that fight was rough on all of us, but I'm glad you're doing all right." he stated. He looked in the direction of Arne, having a brief chuckle at Hien's attempt to gather food for his companion, before looking over to Alriik after he brought up something that Rion was... a little hesitant to respond to.

"The Dawnbringers, huh..." Rion appeared almost conflicted as he crossed his arms. "Hm... it's, uh, it's not bad. In fact, I kinda like it, but... but whatever we pick let's, um... keep it amongst ourselves." The logic was something he could not argue with, and he certainly did not want to step on any attempts for anyone to throw in ideas, but the idea of giving the group a name was something he was uncertain about, for with names came reputations, and from reputations came consequences, and he had to look no further than his armored arm to remind himself of that. He looked to Aqua at that point. "Whenever you're ready to lead the way... Captain."

... he thought about calling Aqua 'Princess' again, just as a subtle sign that he wasn't blind to what she was doing, but decided better of it.

[Sorrum]

~

Night had fallen in Meribia, but that didn’t mean everyone was inside sleeping. The city had several restaurants and bars for the denizens of the night to enjoy, and one such individual found himself amidst them. Vile Rai swung open the door to a bar called The Queen’s Chalice and assessed the customers within. Despite it being a weekend night, the bar had only a few customers and low energy. The patrons inside kept to themselves and were of the older generation, talking about their kids problems and the struggles of growing old.
"They don't come home until morning, and won't tell me where they've been.."
"That's normal for teenagers.."
"But it's been like this every night for weeks now.."
Sitting at the bar and drinking from a glass was a man in a long black coat with a large sword fastened to the back. He had shoulder length brown hair swept back from his face and tucked behind his ears. He had a full goatee and beard that covered his lips as well as most of his neck, though the cut in his black undershirt revealed he was wearing a silver chain necklace with a light blue crystal at it’s end. His black pants were covered in spots of dirt, especially near the bottom, and black boots that reached up to his knees, recently polished and shiny. Lines on his face and around his eyes made him fit in with the older crowd, and had several scars on his hands, face, chest and neck. When he opened his mouth to take a sip of his drink, one could see his fangs were slightly but noticeably larger than an average human’s, due to trace amounts of beastia blood within him. He looked over at Vile as the man approached him, assessing him through his glass as it pointed toward the ceiling and covered his hazel eyes.
“You started without me?” Vile said, raising his eyebrow. The man set his drink down, tapped it twice, and gave the elf bartender a look.
“Another round, and one for my friend here as well.” The rough man spoke, then turned back to Vile. “It’s been some time since I’ve seen you, kid.” Tyven said. “Enough time for you to hone that arch magic of yours, I reckon.” Vile sat down next to Tyven at the bar and waited for his drink. The bartender did bring them both their drinks while the men sat in silence. They clinked their glasses together, shot the dark liquid back and passed the glasses back to the elf bartender. “I’ve got a pocket full of princesses so keep em coming lass.” He said. The girl nodded and poured them more drinks. “Earth magic comes in handy Vile. You can do just about any job with it. I’ve been helping repair the roads in the human residential district and have even worked on some of the bridges crossing into the market. Even a novice mage can find some-”
“If you’re going to try to tell me to give up the search, just stop.” Vile said, taking a drink and setting it down. Tyven grinned at him.
“Never thought I’d get you with a sales pitch like that anyway..” he said, taking his own drink. He looked forward. “Have you seen our other friend? She’s doing well too. Couldn’t be here on account of work, though. Big backlog she said.”
“Yes, I saw her before I thought to come see you.”
“Yeouch. Don’t jab at me like that when I’m drinking, kid..” Tyven said, playing Vile’s words off. Vile smirked at him.
“I’ve missed you old man.”
“Don’t get sappy on me, that’s for us old folks to do.” Tyven said. “Anyway, I know you wouldn’t be here unless something was up.”
“Well.” Vile started, setting the empty glasses aside. “I put the pirate Calico to work, but he came up with nothing. He said he wasn’t able to get his men into The Frontier on account of the political disruption here in the capital and the result border lockdown. I wanted to know what was going on in that mountain, seems to be the talk of the town among other things.”
“It’s not what you think it is. He isn’t there. We checked already.” Tyven said.
“Then what is there?”
“Who knows. Maybe one of those save the world ones that lock themselves away so the power doesn’t seep out. There’s a lot of history in Remorse though.. could be looking for something else.”
“You didn’t do anything?”
“No, we didn’t. The mountain hasn’t been touched by human or elf in centuries. The whole place is a deathtrap. None of us want to be buried under tens of billions tons of rocks.”
“But the mage?”
“Will probably end up that way if we leave them alone. I’m not sure how far along they are in the transformation as there was only ever the one report of the late farmboy stealing chickens and scaring the daylights out of some old man, but he didn’t actually hurt the man. Mages get hungry too.”
“..I feel like you aren’t taking this seriously, Ty.”
“Hey now. I, no, we have been through plenty enough. He wanted us to live normal lives when it was all over, and for us it is. We got out.”
“..It isn’t for me.”
“That.. kid. You’ve been chasing shadows for years, aren’t you tired at all?
“Of course I am, but I can’t give up. The enemy is still out there and we can’t say we’ve won yet. And the way things ended, I just..”
“It wasn’t your fault.” Tyven said, putting a hand on Vile’s shoulder. “He did it, not you. Strange how these magics like to evolve in us at the most dramatic of times, and he chose to get you out instead of himself..”

Their discussion continued, with a few more drinks had between the pair. Tyven stood up, holding the bar to steady himself as he did. “A princess for the kind barmaid. Keep the change, hun.” he said, slapping a crisp bill down amid the empty glasses. Vile stared into the remnant of his last drink. “Vile. Don’t tell me the liquor’s taken hold of you.” Vile looked up slowly at Tyven, focusing on the man. “In the morning, you’ll be able to take that sword of yours to get fixed. I’m sure our little friend won’t mind patching it up. But you look like a mess. Come on, I got a place for you to stay.” Vile simply nodded, and followed the beastman through the bar’s exit.

[Vic Alriikerson]

As the others spoke, the light in Alriik's eyes, the energy he gained from the sunrise... Began to vanish. When he was younger, the idea of giving his group a name, of solidifying their legends together and becoming a singular force, was an inspiring moment to him. He'd put up a sad smile, before looking around "... Don't sound too excited, guys..." He'd sigh, and would simply go ahead and get his things together. These things meant a lot of him. Titles. Names given. Apparently, they meant the most to him. His demeanor darkening, he'd keep his glance away from the team. "Look, just don't worry about it. We don't need a name." He'd get his things together, and would draw Shirosame, gathering water around the blade and swinging it at the fire, dousing it. He'd sheath the katana, and would begin to walk ahead. "I'll go scout ahead. Make sure there's nothing dangerous." He would proceed away with a brisk pace. He didn't expect this to mess with him so much, but... Last night was a lot, and that bit was the straw that broke the camel's back. It...

... It was a good name, wasn't it?

[Sorrum]

Aqua fumbled with her belongings as the others conversed. She heard Alriik propose a name for their little group, and she smiled at it and went to collecting the last of her gear. After hearing the mixed responses, she frowned a bit. It was a good name, she thought. A lot must be on everyone's minds. Alriik left early to scout ahead, but Aqua called after him. I think it's a great name!" After which, she and the others quickly caught up to the elf. She'd seen it had affected him a bit, so she'd try to take his mind off it.

She did like the name. There was a captain with a similar name for his ship in The Frontier whom she admired the adventurous tale of. "There's an old legend about a Captain Dawn who was the first to sail across The Gyre to Empherashia, an archipelago near the South Pole. His dream was to sail through the storms of The Forbidden Island and land on it's fabled shore, but somehow he missed it and ended up on seas in the Lunar Hemisphere. He was an elf from Vane, but he was a great explorer and was kind to the natives there and gained their love by slaying a monster that lived in their waters. His return trip through the rest of the world was an epic tale, and some say he was the first to create an entire map of the world. I think that's a great story, Alriik. she said as they walked. It was a great tale, one that she had heard more often as a kid but was interesting that many young boys and girls would join The Frontier's navy to be like Captain Dawn. Fitting, she thought, though they fought against blight and not against epic ocean storms.

As they continued, the forest life would be continue to be peaceful. Predators rested during the day in their nests in the deep thicket of the crystal woods, thus they would see crystalline rabbits, birds, foxes, wild goats, and other such critters running about with shimmering coats and eyes like gemstone. However, soon the grass would turn from pink to tan, to green, as they approached an oasis of sorts in the forest.

In a clearing ahead, several small and long buildings with dirt paths between them, glass domes and metal walls broke the scenery of the forest. Crystalline plants and other formations could be spotted in rows sitting atop silver plates, a herd of goats grazed outside a barn, white and grey from years of erosion by the sun and the rain. Several people could be seen wearing white coats with blue and gold trim, inspecting the trees and carrying strange, metal devices.

"That's the research center!" Aqua claimed happily. As they approached, the researchers would look up from their work in surprise at the group's sudden appearance. One cleared his throat and called out to them.

"Is that Captain Aqua?! My gods, it's been years!" Aqua waved to the man, squinted his eyes and focused on him, and soon realized who the man was.

"Doctor Harkins!" She yelled back at him. A man dressed in a white coat waved back at her. As they approached, they could make out his appearance more clearly.

Doctor Timothy Harkins was a tall being born of both human and elf, a half-elf. He had long grey hair that was slicked back and fell down to his mid back, an unblemished face and no facial hair. His human physiology crafted lines on his face but his elf heritage prevented wrinkles and a few other signs of age. He had dark blue eyes behind a pair of round black glasses, fair white skin, pointy ears, and a sharp look on his face. He wore a light green tunic under his white lab coat, knee high tan boots and wore two black rings on both hands, which carried one of the metal devices and a clipboard.

Doctor Harkins opened his arms wide and greeted the party with a smile. "Welcome back! I had heard you left to explore the world as most young elves your age do. I had thought that by the time you'd return I'd be ready to retire, but here you are now, only an odd month or two later. What brings you back so quickly, and to this part of The Frontier?"

"Well, a few things, but you must know by now.." Aqua frowned.

"..Ah. Yes. Word came in this morning. I am sorry about your father, dearest Frida. Itham has always been a great supporter of our work in this isolated part of the country, and it hurts me to hear of his troubles."

Nearby, sounds could be heard of magic being used. Fire, lightning, all of it could be heard breaking the scenery of the peaceful forest as researchers tested new crystals. "Work continues here, as always. Is there anyway I can help you? I owe it to your father to assist his daughter in anyway I can."

"My friends and I," Aqua said, motioning to the people behind her, "need to reach Meribia quickly. I was hoping that you would have access to the fastest route through the forest, as my Visor was destroyed and this is generally remote territory I'm not all familiar with."

Doctor Harkins grinned. "I think I have quite the solution for you, my dear. A faster mode of travel that our young protege has been working on as of late, though I believe some time will be needed before it's ready for it's maiden voyage. Would you be able to rest here for a few hours? I assure you, it will be worth it."

Aqua looked back at the others. "That's fine. We haven't eaten anyway, so we may as well stick around and hit the cafeteria."

Doctor Harkins chuckled. "Excellent. Though, I would like to show you some of our progress as of late. I notice that your magitek spear is only at half strength." He said, pointing at Sharksbane which was missing one of it's crystals. Aqua looked down at the holstered spear on her hip and tried to brush it off.

"I've just been in a lot of fights as of late.. you know how it is." Aqua said.

"Perhaps we can restore it. But for now, I'll let you rest and eat. You must have stayed the night in the forest, no? That's suicide for non-mages. Go take a rest, and come find me around the campus by our testing site. Harkins pointed toward a building not so far from the barn. "We have plenty of food stores now with the development of a new product, combining several crystal types and magitek. I like to call them Ice Closets, but others call them refrigerators. Nonetheless, it is good to see you again Captain. I will go wake our 'mad scientist' and inform him he has volunteers." With that, Doctor Harkins nodded respectfully to the group and turned and headed toward one of the metal buildings.

[Swim]

Terra enjoyed the bit of folklore that Frida provided as they marched. Normally she would have enjoyed the tale for its value as a story but not taken it at face value, but after the spectacular tale of General Aqua and all of the other incredible things she'd heard last night, it was certainly possible that the adventures of this Captain Dawn were historically accurate. She was quickly becoming enamored with The Frontier, everything seemed too spectacular to be true. This trend would only continue at the research center, where they seemed to be able to manipulate the crystals in such a way that they could artificially summon the various elements. Terra wondered how many of these scientists were also mages. This seemed to be along the same lines as what Lucas Boltin had been trying to achieve. It also reminded her of the way the Altiim used the silver to channel magic through their weapons. She looked to Alriik to see what his reaction to all of this was.

It sounded like Frida had secured them some sort of transport if they were willing to wait a couple of hours. Dr. Harkings had pointed towards a cafeteria and that suited Terra just fine. After lunch though she'd like the opportunity to poke around the testing and development centers. Even if she couldn't pick up a magitek weapon like Sharksbane she was eager to see what was possible. These new Ice Closets sounded amazing. Terra already had some ideas of her own for improvements she'd like to make to her gauntlets but maybe this place would spark some more.

Terra knew that Arne was also looking to upgrade his weapons and so she fell into step beside him as the party made way to the cafeteria. Hien noticed her approach and drifted closer, seemingly demanding a head scratch which Terra obliged. "Since you can already charge your weapon with magic," she said to Arne "Did you have any particular sort of upgrade in mind?"

[Tony]

Arne kept quiet when Alriik brought up naming their group, not feeling such a thing was necessary... though, he did feel that "Dawnbringers" was one of his more reasonable names.

After the events of last night, Arne enjoyed the rather peaceful through the forest... taking in how it different it looked during the day, as well as the uniqueness of the wildlife, while enjoying another amazing story from Aqua.

When the finally reached the research center, it didn't take long for Aqua to get them a way through the forest quickly... all that was need for the group to wait a bit. First things first, they needed to get some food... and Arne was quite curious about these "Ice Closets" that were mentioned. As they headed towards the cafeteria, Terra approached Arne... asking him about what he was looking for in regards to a new weapon. "Well... right now, I can only really change them with wind or lightning magic. If it's possible, I would like to see if I can get it so my halberd can be changed with other elements... maybe from one of you casting a spell on it."

[Arashi]

Silver trailed along in silence as everyone headed toward their next destination. The dragon was rather slow and ended up being towards the back of the group, as walking was painful...but she would bear it. She couldn't help but be fascinated by the forest and all its inhabitants; it was a beautiful place and in her travels she had never really seen anything quite like it. She would listen as the group chatted and smile to herself. She thought Alriik's group name was pretty cool...and felt a little bit sad for him when he seemed to back pedal on his choice, as if his idea was bad. She didn't really have the energy to say it wasn't, though.

As they reached the research center, Silver would look around in curiosity. Labored curiosity, but it was still there. She would, however, shuffle herself to be slightly behind Rion as she took notice of all the people. Her weakened state made her feel exposed, and while these people were more than likely trustworthy, it would be a long time before she would be able to totally shake that general wariness she had of others.

She watched as Aqua spoke with a nice man in a white coat that seemed very happy to see her. He would mention a cafeteria, and rest. Both of those things would probably be good.

[Bloodbane]

Rion gave a small frown as Alriik seemed to falter just a bit. Everyone else had either kept quiet, or given a similarly lukewarm response, but he couldn't help but wonder if that would have changed had he given a stronger reaction. One thing was for sure, Rion definitely did not dislike the name, but considering what Alriik had gone into last night with his past and his attachment to things, he did feel a bit bad about his response as he watched Alriik take off to scout ahead. As such, he left with the group at the tail end, mulling over whether there was a better way to make his point, or if it was really a point to make at all...

Before long Rion turned his head, somewhat surprised to find that he wasn't the farthest back in the group. "Still doing okay...?" He asked Silver briefly, still unsure about her current condition, though he wouldn't begrudge her attempt to push on. When the group reached the research center he listened quietly, finding the notion of an 'ice closet' interesting, and perhaps something that would be useful in a place like Eulene, though as Doctor Harkins walked off he looked at Aqua with a wary glance.

"He... uh... he is just referring to the travel method, right?" Though it was somewhat in jest, Rion wasn't sure about being a "volunteer" for anything else just yet, even if the place seemed interesting enough. He looked around, taking note of the individuals and their odd devices... hopefully he wouldn't set anything off inadvertently.

[Vic Alriikerson]

Alriik would quickly make his way from the team and into the opening in the crystal forest… And at the back of his mind, he hoped for a battle. That some blighted beasts from last night were still out there, that bandits were awaiting him, that some SIlver Knights were hiding behind the rocks. But there was no blight, no bandits, no flashes of silver. Just… Him, and his thoughts. But.. That feeling of being watched… Never quite left him.



---

The sounds of heavy footprints echoed through the quiet halls of the Academy. Rushing by the classrooms, up the massive spiraling staircase, past the offices and through the guards guarding the High Educator, was a young-looking, thin elf. Clad in ornate crimson clothes with ornate, gilded decor, his hair a matching red, and brilliant green eyes, this man was single-minded, focused on his task. “MOTHER!”, He shouted, as he threw his weight into the double doors between the guards and forced them to swing open violently and revealed the massive chamber they obscured.



The walls were painted red, as were the four massive pillars near the center of the chamber. A large, beautifully decorated bed set across from the doors, between a pair of massive armoirs. In the center of the room was a large table, notes and formulae neatly organized for study, flanked by 4 chairs. On the opposite side of the room, to the left of the door, was a massive circular basin, 6 foot across and 2 foot tall, that a tall, thin, cloaked figure crouched beside. The elf would dash to the person obscured, wrapping his arms around their shoulders, a look of fear filling his eyes. “Is-Is it true? Is he...?”



The figure would gently place their hand on the elf’s shoulder, not even turning to look to him. He would look down into the basin, into the Silvered Water, and would see the image she displayed. Alriik, in the open, in the Crystal Forest. The elf would simply stare in shock. “… He’s not even sticking to the trees. He’s not in his disguise, he’s not wearing a robe… How… How brazen could he be?” The figure would give off a chuckle, before answering in a deep, feminine voice. “My dearest Exalus… Your concern is valid, but do not fret. He is not coming yet. We still have time.” Exalus, concern still wrapping his face, simply stared at the image on the water, as Alriik’s allies approached him. “If I shouldn’t worry about him… Then what about them?” The mother would let off the same laugh once more. “My dear boy… There is no threat to us. All he brings… Are new curiosities…”



---

Alriik would sigh as Aqua ran up… But she struck at his weak point. She showed her enjoyment of the name in the form of a story. As she told the tale of Captain Dawn, a smirk would slowly spread across Alriik’s face until he was grinning like a child. When she was done, Al would wrap one of his arms around Aqua’s shoulders and pull her in for a hug. “Thanks, Cap. Needed it.” He’d pat her on the back, and continue forward with new vigor as they stepped by the crystalline creatures… All the way til they reached the clearing. “It’s the research center!” Aqua would shout. Whelp, good bye good vibes.



As he saw the deformation of natural land by sickening, cold steel, the massive orbs to keep others out, and those those men in their fancy coats with the gold trim… He’d raise an arm and rest it on Shirosame’s hilt. He immediately missed his disguise… If they knew about him, would they want to research him? Experiment on him? No, not again. Never again. Beads of sweat would form across his face as his eyes darted around. The elements weren’t meant to be controlled like this… This place was an atrocity. He tried to keep his cool through Aqua’s talk with her friend. He listened. ‘Magitek’. ‘Mad Scientist’. But the most terrifying thing he heard… Was of the state of Aqua’s weapon.



As soon as the pertinent talking was done, he’d look to his friends and flash a nervous smile. “So, uh… History’s taught me these eggheads and me are less than compatible.” He’d motion behind him with his left hand, keeping his right firmly on his katana’s hilt. “I’ll be at the barn, grab me when it’s time to leave.” And with that, Alriik would briskly make his way towards that area… As far away from the domes and metal as he could get.

[Sorrum]

Aqua thought for a moment about Rion's question. "Harkins isn't the type to put us in any sort of danger. Of that you can be certain. Though, I suspects he's referring to Damian as the "mad scientist," his son. I've never met him personally.. but I hear he has good aptitude for the type of work done here." Aqua took a glance at Sharksbane. The damage it had suffered could be repaired here hopefully. So long as they can reach Meribia quickly, she would make an effort to fix the arm here. When Alriik walked away for the barn, she wanted to say something but let him go. They would be back on the road before long, and she didn't want to annoy him.

Aqua led the entourage to the building pointed out by Harkins. Upon closer inspection, one could see the walls were a cheap metal that had several patches drilled in to fix damages. Rust and dirt were present along seams and doorways. The doors were made of the same material and had glass windows. The doors opened with a flimsy creak into the room, and the first thing they would notice was the change in temperature. The room was quite cool compared to outside, where the morning sun was beginning to beat down on the forest. Inside the cafeteria, several tables and chairs sat inside. Sounds of dishes clanking and food sizzling could be heard from behind serving areas where the staff cooks were preparing meals for the many workers. The whole room was white, save for different colored chairs, tables, brown bulletin boards by the door, and two pairs of black doors on the opposite side that lead to the kitchens.

Aqua quickly pulled a paper from the bulletin board and passed it around to the party. "This looks like what they've got on menu here. We shouldn't expect much though, seems they're low on a couple things at the moment." Aqua had accepted the hospitality Harkins extended her and her comrades, but did not want to consume more of this outpost's resources if she had to. Between potentially fixing her weapon and securing them a faster route to Meribia, eating them out of pantry was the least she could do.

Before long, a chef, donning a white apron, coat, boots, a red handkerchief and a greasy brown mustache approached the group who'd wandered into the building. He'd flung the black double doors open wide and strutted over to the party. "Ello there." He looked the party up and down once, and then took particular notice of Aqua. "Is that..?" He squinted at the elf.

"Yes. Hello there, I am Captain Aqua." As she said this, several hushed voices could be heard coming from the kitchen doors, which had slowly filled with peering eyes, now lit up with excitement. The door swung open as the kitchen staff came forth, wanting to get a closer look at the country's "princess." The chef before them turned and shouted at the approaching staff, stopping them short. "Get back to work you bums! We've got a high profile guest!" Aqua sighed, before ushering her friends down to a nearby table.

The chef, a human male in his mid 30s, took the groups orders and later reappeared with a serving cart full of food, but it was not what they had expected. Before the party was a feast. Honey covered ham, fresh vegetables, multi colored jellies, fresh bread with garlic dip, and the chef's specialty: an assortment of different cheeses which poured from a metal fountain, shaped to resemble the Statue of The Savior, Aqua's Mother. The food looked and smelled amazing. Aqua stared wide eyed at the assortment before them. "Sir.. what.. this isn't what we asked for.." Aqua said calmly. The chef waved his hands in dismiss.

"My dear, I, no, my fellow employees and I wouldn't waste an opportunity like this to cook for a woman like yourself. Everyone loves The Princess! Gosh, I'm going to tell my kids about this!" The chef laughed. As he did, another cart came from the kitchen, atop it could be seen several tea pots and several large glass container. Within each had been brewed a different tea, and inside the containers were different colored juices.

"But.. we're only passing through? And this is not nearly what we were expecting to get. This is nearly a banquet.." Aqua protested again. The chef's chipper attitude did not falter however, and he ignored the girl's words.

"It's fine, I insist! Besides, we got plenty of food laying around here. Nature mages really got a way with the agriculture around here, you know? We haven't had a problem with the food ever since I started here 10 years ago. But I'll tell ya what, we don't ever get any visitors, especially like you. Well I mean there's the traders and the travelers, sight see-ers, scholars, the odd tribe that stumbles on us when they come through the forest doing whatever they do, and then I guess you've got those up and coming navy heroes wanting a crystal. Anyway, name's Flambe. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask!"

Aqua turned back to the food. It had been some time since she enjoyed a good meal like this.. she swallowed her pride for a moment, then turned back to Flambe. "Thank you, Chef Flambe."


~

Within the barn, Alriik would take note of his surroundings. There was in fact a horde of normal goats outside that were corralled by a fence that sat behind and away from most of the metal buildings. Inside, there were several other normal animals, including some not normal. Chickens, cows, sheep, and even some goats sat in pens that had been fabricated to simulate the natural fauna of the Crystal Forest. Crystal cows grazed on emerald colored grass, and some were even being milked and creating a strange, pink fluid. Crystal chickens laid crystal eggs, which then hatched crystal chicks under a warm light. Crystal sheep did not grow standard wool, in fact grew a strange, glass like fiber that a farmhand would pull off and wrap around a coil before placing it in a box among other like colored fibers. All critters and creatures behaved similar to their non-crystallized counterparts.

One worker glanced up from his work over at the elf. "He looks a bit, strange.." He thought when looking at his pale, almost silver like skin, but at the sight of the armory on his back he did not voice the thought, and quickly invested himself back into his work of wrapping up fiber.

~

Doctor Harkins made his way across the campus to a building smaller than the rest, though longer. This building was different from the others, as it had a large door on one side consisting of many folded panels. The building had several empty carts outside of it, tipped over and left strewn about like trash. Harkins opened a smaller door beside the large one and walked into the building. Inside, the building was much darker due to it's metal ceiling. Harkins made his way across the floor to the sounds and lights of a half-elf toiling away on small metal pieces. Scratching, drilling, zapping, blowing, a myriad of noise filled the quiet and empty building.

"Damian?" Harkins called out. All work stopped as a youth with spiky, red and white hair looked up at the doctor behind a pair of black and red goggles. Soot covered his face and blackened his lab coat, as well as his hands and wrists which held different tools. He stared at the Doctor in silence, turning once to zap a piece of metal into place and then immediately fixing his gaze back on him. "We have a guest who is interested in your wind runner." Beneath the blue and red goggles a set of white teeth grinned.

[Vic Alriikerson]

As Alriik wandered through the differing animals, the others feasted. As Alriik was again, pointed out on his differences, Aqua was lavished with praise. He felt eyes upon him, and fear from the farmhands. As he turned to look at them they quickly turned their eyes and continued their work. Alriik would gaze around the barn, his face turning stoic and firm. “… What's wrong? Gonna look at the weirdo and not ask any questions?” He’d turn, and slowly step towards the farmhand, weapons clanking on every step. “Why so quiet? Is it the swords? Afraid I’m gonna hear you? Do something? Well… Lemme tell ya, pal…” He would stop inches from the man, looking to him, a dark look across his face…

… Before all pretenses would fade, Alriik would drop the act, and loosen his stance, relaxing. “... I’m a bit of a weirdo, yeah. But guy, unless you intend to strangle me with that crystal wool, I’m not gonna use these swords on you. So you can relax.” He’d step back, giving the man some space. “I just don’t like the ‘big-brainy’ types. They tend to like to run…” He’d motion to his hair, and then to his skin. “… Weird experiments, ya know?” He’d give the man a chuckle, before patting him on the shoulder. “We’re cool, buddy.” He’d remove his hand, and look around to the crystal critters. “So, speaking of strange… These animals, you know why they’re like this? And do the crystal wool, eggs, and milk do anything special?” He’d look around. “This weren’t the work of the egg-heads, was it?”

[Swim]

Alriik's reaction had not been nearly as favorable as Terra's to the technological wonders of the research facility. She was glad she'd made the mental connection between their science and Altiim silver, but these scientists were completely unrelated to the people coming after her friend. Still, she could tell that he was nervous. Terra observed his reaction to it all, his eyes darting around searching for danger and face flushed with traces of blue. It was probably for the best that he isolate himself then, but she felt some twinge of sadness as Alriik excused himself and made for the barn. It didn't feel good to be excited knowing that one of her friends was uncomfortable. It'd only be for a couple of hours though, then they'd be gone.

Terra continued chatting with Arne as they made their way into the cafeteria. "If you could charge your weapons with all of the elements then your halberd would be a little like Alriik's swords. Maybe he could give you some ideas for new attacks. You didn't have any idea for extra enhancements though? Like Sharksbane's harpoon shot, or the way it can come apart and form other weapons?"

There was a pause in their conversation as Frida passed around a menu. Terra wasn't feeling picky, she just ordered eggs and some toast. As she returned the menu squeals of excitement were heard from the kitchen and the staff poured out of the back to crowd around Frida. Terra raised her drinking mug to her lips to hide a smile as she watched Frida manage all of her admirers. The girl tried to be humble and downplay her celebrity status, but it seemed like there was still a little bit of awkwardness in her response despite how regularly Terra assumed people were bound to react this way around her. Awhile later the kitchen staff prepared a feast for them, and heaped even more lavish adoration on her friend. Frida tried to take it all in stride and refuse their generosity but the kitchen staff were insistent. Terra could tell that regardless of Frida's feelings on the matter the people genuinely saw her as a princess and had nothing but love for her family. She had to fight back a laugh as she dipped a piece of bread into the fountain of cheese which flowed from the statue of Frida's mother. She wondered what the General herself would think of her tidal wave feat being recreated as a cheese fondue. Terra loaded a plate up with vegetables and honey ham and thanked Chef Flambe before digging in. It was all delicious, they'd have to think of some way to thank the kitchen staff before leaving.

[Tony]

After looking over the menu and giving the chef an order for both him and Hien, Arne thought over Terra's question a bit. He never really considered any kind of fancy alterations to his halberd beyond something magical. "It can be a bit cumbersome to use in smaller areas. So, maybe a collapsible pole would be a nice addition. It would also make it easier to carry it around."

Around this time is when the chef brought out a veritable feast, completely ignoring the group's previous orders. "Well... it would be rude to turn down such generous hospitality, right?" With that, Arne began to plate himself up a bit of everything available, with some extra slices of honey ham for Hien... who, after receiving one, would dip it into one of the cheese fountains before devouring it.

[Sorrum]

The farmhand was both embarrassed and nervous at Alriik's approach, one that he caught him staring at him and two that he was quite intimidating the closer he got. But once he dropped the act, the man felt a sense of relief. He stood up to stretch his back, letting the crystal sheep return to its grazing. "Sorry about that, sir. I sometimes forget my manners. As for the animals, ye' we've had the idea some fifty or hundred years ago that the crystal animals here could be domesticated same as regular animals. The "wool" here as you'd call it makes for a nifty conducting coil useful for magitek machinery. Harkins discovered it can be stored within weapons and create a kind of tether cable to magical conjurations, thus one could say, for example, loose an arrow from a magitek bow across a gap. The thread would conjure a rope that could be used to zip across the gap. It's bein' increasingly used by the eggheads as you call em to make new inventions. I think they're used in other things as well, but I'm not sure. All the researchers here have a hint of nature magic in 'em and I think they're the ones who really understand it." After realizing he had said a mouthful, the man apologized. "Sorry, not many opportunities where I'm the one doin' the explainin', sorry to talk your ear off."

"I uh, I don't know if it all was the idea of the researchers. I think some people wanted to try out this crystal milk and eggs, but it's a bit on the pricy end and makes my head feel funny. I think they're used in medicines and other things if not eaten, but that's more a question for the likes of Harkins and that weird kid of his."