FFd6 - Group 2 Part 2

[Truce]

There was no immediate answer as Ralts tried to reason with the book. Perhaps it was contemplating the mage's terms - possibly even considering that perhaps the man had a point.

"What a bother," the book finally 'said'. "Not that I really expected it to be that easy. Though, to think that you would believe that I am 'trapped'.

"Well, from your point of view, I suppose it would appear that way. And, until recently, it was. Unfortunately for you, I have no desire to change my terms."

There was a pause, as if it giving Ralts a chance to read over the message, before the words disappeared again.

"Little one, my entire life has been one of endless waiting. What is a little bit more of eternity to one who is immortal?"

[Bard The 5th LW]

A look of strong annoyance went across Ralts's gender-neutral face. 'Enough playing around, I'm getting my answers!'

Ralts then reach for his sheathe, "I'm sorry to hear that," he said as he drew his sword. "How would you like it then if you waited another eternity, cut into hundreds of pieces, and scattered around the vast expanse of Sinner's Horizon." Ralts said all of this in the same polite voice as he had used previously, which gave a somewhat creepy air about his 'negotiating'.

Admittedly, Ralts probably wouldn't do this, as he needed this book for money, but it didn't know that. In fact, it would probably assume that Ralts was just an impatient, murderous scholar, considering his fluency in Ancient.

[Truce]

"So then, I assume that you went into this crypt, which is - as I last recall - lost somewhere in the middle of a desert, went through the traps, for your own entertainment? I can only imagine how bored you must've been then, to give up the only prize worth taking from this dreary place."

For some reason, you get the impression that it isn't impressed by Ralts' threat. If anything, it appears to be egging the mage on.

Of course, that would just be silly, wouldn't it?

[Bard The 5th LW]

"Well ain't that a pity," Ralts said in a chipper voice with a fake smile as he lifted the blade, and lowered it towards the book. He intended to cut a piece out of the corner, the scholar wouldn't notice it, and the book would know he wasn't playing games.

He was half-way in his action when Ralts immediately stopped moving the sword. The obvious realization struck him: this book wanted him to break it. Ralts started putting the pieces together, the emperor's soul was trapped in a book, he was probably a bad guy. The Emperor was also trying to make him angry, even after he threatened to destroy him, breaking the book would free the man's soul.

The emperor also said that this was a crypt, and the two Galkas called them grave robbers, that meant that the emperors corpse was in this dungeon, destroying the book was liable to give it an opportunity to go back to its body, or take someone else's.

"Oh you almost had me there, a clever book, aren't you?" Ralts said tauntingly to the tome. "Unfortunately for you, I'm just a tad bit more clever, I'm not letting you go free, not by a long shot."

He then lifted himself from the ground and decided to inform his teammates of what his hypothesis. "The emperor wants me to break the book, probably to release his soul to go back to his body, which I believe is somewhere here, or take one of ours. What do you propose? I think we should destroy the corpse, but it may be easier to let our buyer handle this."

[Krylo]

"Our buyer almost certainly knows what that book really is. I really think we should try to discover more before we sell it," Jal said with a soft sigh. "This is the kind of thing that is going to come back and haunt us for years if we don't, you know?"

Jal stared at the book in Bard's arms then for a few moments, his mind slowly going over everything he had heard, analyzing it like he had analyzed the traps before--the spikes, the statues, the water, even the spiked ceiling. This was just another trap. Another obstacle between him and treasure.

"You're trapped," He said aloud in ancient. "You want us to think you aren't, but you can't move, or you would have thrown yourself on the torches by now. You can't even speak, only make your cover glow with words in a dead forgotten language," he continued as he paced around Ralts, slowly rubbing his chin as he worked things out in his mind. "You never wanted a soul, like the other man thought, you wanted a body, a hume body that moves and talks, and wields a sword..."

Stopping he looked directly at the book, "But, if you don't cooperate we're going to sell you away to a man who knows what you are. Who has already prepared for cracking your secrets, and I doubt he intends to do so by giving up his life. He had the gil to hire us, he has the gil to keep his own personal robot servant. I'm sure he has the gil to hire mages to work you over in unpleasant ways... or you could tell us why he would want you so badly... who WERE you? How did you end up in there?"

Jal shrugged softly as he finished, "Or we could just turn you over to him. The money he was offering wasn't the best, but it's better than what we're getting out of you now..."

[Truce]

The light on the book dimmed a little after Jal laid out his point of view.

"Ah," it wrote, it slightly less polished than before. "And here I thought you were just a group of lucky fools who had somehow stumbled onto me. Well, when you put it like that, I can hardly decline your request.

"Still," it continued. "You should not make light of a man's memories. If you truly desire your answers, simply place your hand on my cover. I care not for the pledge anymore, if things are truly as you say...but, to explain everything would not be done justly through words alone."

[Krylo]

Jal looked at Ralts for a moment, as though pondering the risks associated with this, and then let out a roguish smile as he pulled off his glove and stuck his hand directly on the cover of the book.

He really really hoped this wouldn't be the last time he'd be in his body.

[The Argent Lord]

Vit prepared to cast another Stop spell on Jal at the slightest sign that anything was going wrong. His companion might be reckless, but Vit didn't intend to let him endanger everyone else with his actions.

[Truce]

There was a bright flash as Jal put his hand on the book - enough to blind everyone for a few moments. However, there didn't seem to be much of a change; the only difference was that the book was no longer glowing.

Then, suddenly, Jal felt himself suddenly become heavier - nearly a hundred pounds so. In his head, he heard a voice speak to him, sounding somewhat bored.

"Well, it would've been preferable to be in control of your body," it said to him. "But, it's better than been picked apart by some amateur sorcerers who want to pry my secrets from me."

[Bard The 5th LW]

Ralts motioned towards Vit, "be ready to cast at any time."

He then put a hand on Jal's shoulder, the other hand gripping his sword, "is that you in there?"

He then flicked his eyes at the book, it wasn't glowing any longer. The emperor's soul was gone from it! "Guys, the emperor's definitely not in the book anymore, be on your guard!" Ralts then took a few steps away from the thief, and brought up his sword, hoping it wouldn't be necessary. He rather liked Jal, and didn't like the idea of hurting him.

[Krylo]

Jal held his hands up and took a step back from Ralts.

"It's still me... I'm in control, but I did get his secrets... just, give me a few minutes to sort it out," Jal said slowly, hoping the others would back down and NOT cut him in twain.

'No mention of me?' the book spoke into his mind, its 'tone' if such a thing could be said to exist in mental voices echoing in someone's head seeming to give the effect of mock sadness.

'Well, if they believed I was in control they'd be naive, if they didn't I'd be dead, so...' Jal thought back, his mind wandering to how odd it was to have a conversation with his own mind. He should have let someone else touch it.

Jal glanced over at Jade, 'Maybe that Jade woman, she already seems insane, what's a little more?'

A bit of a chuckle rippled through Jal's mind at this, before the emperor's thoughts came through, 'Well, at least I'm not riding in a total moron... though you know, I CAN hear your other thoughts as well. ...And ugh, a petty thief? Really? We must do something about that... can't you aspire to greater goals than a few gil? Power? Prestige?'

Jal groaned outwardly at the book's constant chatter in his head, 'Whatever... just tell me what we wanted to know. You agreed to that, didn't you?'

Another small chuckle rippled through his head as the annoyingly calm voice responded, 'Tell you? You already know. We share a mind now... I know what you know, and you know what I know... well, whatever I allow you know, anyway. Just... remember it.'

Moving at the speed of thought, the entire exchange took only a few moments and Jal looked about at the group, "Our... emperor. He wasn't a very... friendly person... but the real treasure, it's that book there. Now that he's out of it, it can be read... and, the contents... they're... well, you'd best read it."

'I can be friendly when I want to be,' the voice returned sounding mock hurt.

'Yes, I can see that. You were so filled with remorse as you tortured and executed unarmed prisoners and forced the assassination of your king.'

'Yes... I did have fun, didn't I?'

If Ralts went to retrieve the book, he would find that not only had it stopped glowing, but it was also considerably lighter, and the pages turned normally.

[Bard The 5th LW]

Jal seemed to be OK enough, but Ralts still held his sword in hand as he walked over to the book and picked it up, seeing that it was much lighter.

He then turned a curious look to Jal. The thief looked like he had a serious head-ache, and not like a hang-over, but like he got smacked by a blunt object.

"So whats the news on the emperor," Ralts asked Jal as he sheathed his sword and gingerly turned a page in the book, overjoyed at the chance to read it without interruption.

---
Ralts reads the book.

[Truce]

When Ralts began to read the book he found the schematics and notes of a man called Dezil - whoever that was. They covered the theory and plan of some sort of invention, though it uses language that even Ralts of - presumably, they were technical explanations and namees of the parts. It was all very hard to understand, but one thing was clear - the Atrocity of Grace was likely this invention.

It also makes the mention of crystals and magic, both as a power source and an integral part of its function. You can tell that, whatever it is, it isn't going to be very powerful.

Finally, there is a warning at the end of the book. It mentions that, whatever the invention was or did, it had not been successful - or, perhaps, it had been too successful. Neither really bodes well.

[Krylo]

Jal moved over to a wall, leaning against it so he could look over the entirety of his small group, so that he could better speak to all of them. Ciaran took it as a chance to size up 'his' assets.

'Well this IS disappointing...' the book said a bit dejectedly.

Jal was able to tell what it meant, of course, now that he was getting the hang of this, and replied quickly, before speaking, 'I'm still in control, remember? We aren't taking over the world.'

Letting out a sigh at his new 'traveling companion', he began to relate what he knew, "The emperor used to be a mere general, with his hands in all sorts of underworld dealings. Bloodsports, slavery, drugs... you name it, he had control of it in his country's capitol. He enjoyed nothing more than acquiring power, however, and the struggles required to take it... and that's how he became emperor. He conquered two countries in under a month with only three battles," Jal said, holding up three fingers to drive his point home.

"I'm sure you don't care about all the details, but the crux of it is this--under the banner of N'Revat he repaired a Rab airship that had been used to attack his army, and used THAT to land in the Rab capital, tearing it apart from the inside. This, effectively, ended the war and put Rab under N'Revat rule. He then returned home only to have his king assassinated, and seize control of the throne in the confusion--executing all of his enemies afterward," Jal contined, making various arm gestures to emphasize his story.

"He was cunning, devious, AND cruel. His greatest achievements, however, were made possible by his engineers. Nearly impenetrable anti-magic fields, death fields... and that book... that book has to do with the continuation of the death fields. A zombification field, a true anti-life device that not only killed all within its scope, but then raised them again as undead," Jal said, curling his lip up in a sneer of disgust as he waved a hand at the book.

'Oh come now, it's not all that bad... It's not as though I had a lot of choice in the matter, now was it?'

Jal shook his head in response to Ciaran's objection before continuing, though on the outside it would probably appear as though he was clearing his head, "But his rule apparently came at the very end of the ancient's society. They were under assault by god-like mages capable of destroying entire armies on their own, and demons--demons that had destroyed the precursor to even THEIR society. I can't tell what happened exactly... it's not here... but I do know that it involved the device in that book, and their society no longer exists."

[Bard The 5th LW]

"This book is about a machine... magitek to be specific, I don't quite understand enough of it, but it seems to be a weapon, the end of the book gives a warning to, wither this failed completely, or went horribly right." He explained to the others in the room."This scholar wants to make a weapon, and he almost definitely has the resources to do so." Ralts concluded.

"I personally don't feel comfortable about handing the schematics over to the man, but it is our job." Ralts then made his next observation, "the scholar claimed he didn't want us to read the book so we wouldn't damage it, this book is in fairly good condition, he obviously didn't want us to know about this, that's just about gives it away that our buyer wants to build a weapon of possibly mass-destruction, and I think that our job does not take priority over letting a mad-man get this weapon."

"I propose that we alert the guild or other authorities of this, let our mission be damned." Ralts informed the others. "Lest we have a fate befall us like the past that our friend here informs us of," he said, in acknowledgment to Jal's new found information.

[Krylo]

Jal nodded toward Ralts, "Of course we can't let anyone else get ahold of this, but..."

Producing some paper and a pen from his cloak (bottomless pockets=awesome) he laid them out for Ralts, perhaps spurned on by the 'voices in his head' as it were, "The information could be invaluable, his android enforcer is waiting for us to return with the book just outside, and any authorities we inform of this will simply want the weapon for themselves, anyway. I propose we tear out any pages that seem particularly important, and copy down the rest of the technical information. We can sell them the damaged book, and pretend as though it had always been like that."

[Bard The 5th LW]

"You make many a valid point," Ralts responded as he lifted the pen and began to translate some important details from the book into common, occasionally making a sketch of some of the images in it.

"If any of you know anything about machines, the nit would help if you took a look at this, he said to the rest of the group as he continued to write.

"There is also the matter of destroying the pages," he added, "we must do it in such a way so that it seems less suspicious." While Ralts said this calmly, he was in truth rather disturbed about what was happening, but also excited. This was an adventure! Who knew what great things he and his friends were doing, or how many lives they were saving.

[The Argent Lord]

Vit walked over to take a look at the diagrams. "I know quite a bit about mechanics, I'll look it over." He began to take and peruse the sheets one by one as Ralts finished translation.

"Hm... this is a bit confusing," he said after a minute. "I don't know if it's the diagrams themselves or your translation, but I can't make heads or tails of this. I'd say you should copy them in Ancient and we'll try to figure out the meanings later."

---

Systems check, and activating Machine Savvy

[Krylo]

Jal nodded as Vit mentioned his problems and leaned down with Ralts, helping him to copy down pages, and occasionally tear out a page that, to their limited understanding, seemed to be important. Ciaran would give advice, now and then, at what to remove, though his motives for helping with their plan were unclear, Jal elected to accept his advice, as he seemed to understand the documents better than Ralts or himself--though Jal could tell, through their shared mind, that not even Ciaran would be able to actually build this contraption. It was the work of one of the best magitek engineers to live.

They worked quickly, but carefully, scrawling each diagram with as much precision as they could muster, knowing any mistake could be fatal if they were ever faced with this mechanism--or, Ciaran pointed out, were they ever to attempt recreating it, though Jal was quick to admonish the emperor's idea on that matter.

It took many hours, but finally the work was done and they placed the combination of torn pages and freshly inked copies in a neat stack, each page marked in the lower left hand corner with its order, before placing it carefully into one of their packs, lashing it closed as tightly as possible.

-----

A few minutes later and the small band of adventurers stepped once more into natural sunlight, squinting or covering their eyes as necessary. Jal kept his hood pulled far over his face and seemed a bit silent, but otherwise at ease.

'Stay quiet for a little while, ok? We can't afford the android to notice there's something unusual about me,' he thought to 'himself'.

'Yes, yes, I realize. You shan't 'hear' a sound from me until this business is concluded. Emperor's honour, came the mildly sarcastic reply, nearly illiciting a sigh from the Mithra, but, he caught himself at the last moment and managed to internalize it.

The actions, however, still elicited a mental chuckle from his 'passenger'.


(OOC: Don't care who has the book, but I figure Icon should be noticing us and asking for it soon.)

[Truce]

The android had been tending to the chocobo while your group had been inside the crypt. However, when he hears your group accend the steps, he turns from his task waiting for you to come to him. Immediately, though, you notice that he is now carrying a sword with him - a katana that none of you had taken notice of before.

His hand rested on the hilt until he confirmed that it was in fact your group that was coming to the surface. Relaxing as much as an android like himself could, he then walked over - scanning your group.

"It took you longer than I expected it would," Icon said. "But I assume you have successfully retrieved the artifact."

[Bard The 5th LW]

"We ran across some minor set-backs, but we did succeed in recovering the relic," Ralts informed the android and, with the book gently in his arms, extended it out towards the android.

Ralts was trying his best to lie his way through the situation. The katana unnerved him though. If worst came to worst, they may have to kill him and take the Chocobo's back to Rios themselves, and Ralts wasn't sure if he could navigate or ride that well.

---
Ralts Gives the book to the android
Acting Check

[Truce]

Icon took the book. Immediately he noticed something off about it, lifting it as he took it as if he measured its weight. Then he brought the cover up to his face, scanning its name.

"Yes, this is indeed the book we were searching for," he said. "However...it appears that someone else had already gotten to it first."

He glanced towards the group, as if to accuse them. But he took no action greater than that towards them; instead, he stepped back, opening the book outside of Ralts' shadow. Quickly flipping through the pages, his eyes skimmed over every page - only pausing when it reached a place where one had been torn out.

"It is unfortunate," he said. "But it appears that what we were looking for isn't here. My master will be displeased, but you have earned your fee. Even you, Jade," he said, glancing over the newest member of your group. "Though you were later than expected."

Then, holding the book over his head, he muttered some words. The treasure that all of you had risked your lives for was suddenly engulfed in flame, burning to ashes in a matter of moments. As the remains were scattered by a passing wind, Icon then clapped his hands together - as if to rid himself from the dirt.

"Your reward shall be two thousand gil," he said flatly. "More than a fair price for less than half a book, wouldn't you say?"

[Krylo]

"T... Two thousand?" Jal started, stuttering a bit. "But we risked our li...!"

'Quiet! The money isn't important. We have the plans for an ultimate weapon, we can find someone to create it and then you'll never have to worry about money at all,' came the emperor's voice, chastising Jal's greed. Well, that and Ciaran was able to tell immediately that this Android was capable of destroying their entire group.

'Money... not important? But... I...' Jal's lip quivered a bit as he watched the little flakes of ash that had once been the book float away on the wind. If his hood hadn't been pulled down so far, one could see tears welling up in his eyes.

A sigh echoed through his mind, followed by the voice of Ciaran once more, urging Jal to move over to Ralts. The thief whispered in the red mage's ear, "Offer him the other three... maybe we can get more money if we give him their descriptions..." the idea, AND the thought to let the much smoother spoken Ralts handle the negotiation both coming from Ciaran, and not the impulsive thief.

[Bard The 5th LW]

"I do not mean to be pushy sir, but I would like to ask you to reconsider, we had a deal when we accepted the mission, 4,000 gil," Ralts said as politely as he could. He didn't want this android to cave his face in for being rude.

"Perhaps you will be willing to give us the full payment if we inform you of the three who we saw here before us," Ralts offered. He was treading into dangerous territory, he wasn't even sure if he could negotiate with an android, but his ambition drove him forwards, along with Jal's confidence in him.

---
negotiation

[Truce]

There was a slight grin when Ralts mentioned the contract - the first sign of any emotion on the android. That same grin disappeared when Ralts mentioned the other group, however.

"So," he said. "I suppose my master was right. That man already made his move."

Apparently, he already had an idea of who else had been after the book.

"Well then," Icon said, crossing his arms. "I'll offer you the full 4000 gil for the book and the information on the other group - as well as the events of what happened while you were down there."

[Bard The 5th LW]

The mage would have sighed in relief, but that would have conveyed suspicion, which was not what he needed. He was truly pushing it as it was.

He then casually made eye contact with the android's pitch black eyes, and told the version of the story that was most helpful for them. "When we arrived in the cavern, we made our way through the several different traps, but what stucj out more than the others was one pitch black room that the other group had to guess their way through, and accosted the life of one of their companions, a Galka. We then made a plan with the intent to ambush the remainder of the group, but that fell through with Jade's not so stealthy entrance. We then proceeded to fight the group of three over the relic, and we managed to capture a moogle gambler and keep him hostage before his two companions, Galkas, fled the dungeon." Ralts then paused for a moment, to let the android process the story so far and to catch his breath, "the moogle then caught us off guard with a smoke bomb, and fled to his two teammates, and one of them casted a teleportation spell and they evaded us," Ralts finished, leaving out details such as their attempted deal with the Galkas and Prasad, and the fiasco with the book.

"As for descriptions," Ralts continued, "the moogle was fairly average, he wore a rather fancy suit, and had a simple pistol, the two Galkas wore rather average jackets that bore an insignia of a cannon with upside down bat wings, and their weapons were rather exotic, one of them had a harpoon gun, and the other had a gunblade," the red mage informed the android, sure he kind of selling selling out Prasad, but its not like he would ever meet the moogle again. Right?

[Truce]

"....an unsatisfying story," Icon says. "But...I suppose it will have to do."

With a whistle, the chocobo he had ridden here walked over. Reaching into one of its saddlebags, he pulled out a bag of gil. Then, after making sure it was the correct weight, he tossed the bag to Ralts.

"Now then," he said, mounting his chocobo. "I'll head back now. Please pardon me for going on ahead - but do not worry. These chocobo will find their way back to the stables."

Then, Icon left, leaving you to decide how to split the money.

---

Rewards

4000 Gil
Party levels up
Destiny Point for Jal, Jade and Ralts
Jal shifts a point towards Shadow
Bello shifts a point towards Light

[phil_]

"I take it that we're all in agreement that we don't like that guy."

Bello stepped out from the shade of the tomb's entrance, absentmindedly tuning his lute. "Though, I think I could have told him better story, Ralts. Or, I could have told it better, anyway." He stopped fiddling with his lute and shrugged, looking up at the party. "Oh well, guess that's what I deserve for getting lost in thought, huh?" He pointed at the bag in Ralts's hands. "So, how are we splitting this up? A straight five-way split seems fastest, and I'd like to hurry back to Rios. I want to do some research on this emperor and see if I can find out anything about the symbol on those Galkas' backs."

[Bard The 5th LW]

"You probably could have told a better story," Ralts admitted, "I was running on luck I didn't think I had." That guy seriously scared him, and he seemed rather mild mannered when they first met. "First impressions aren't everything I suppose," he said as he lifted the bag he was given, "anyways, we'll split it even five ways when we get back Rios or another I suppose."

Ralts then proceeded to walk over to his chocobo, "Jal should know what we need to know about the emperor, but we definitely should look into information about our gambling friend and the two Galkas, along with the information from the book," he said to Bello as he climbed the bird, wanting strongly to leave this wasteland behind him.

[Krylo]

Jal watched the bag of gil with obvious hunger in his eyes as it jostled about with Ralts's movements, the coins inside making the most delightful sound. Like the singing of angels, or beautiful gold chimes, he thought to himself, slightly disgusting Ciaran in the process. He was just about to ask if he could 'carry' the gold when Ralts mentioned his name and the emperor, jostling back some memories.

"Actually," he said, as he mounted a chocobo, barely tearing his eyes from the bag of gil, "I... know of some places that should be full of treasure. Magical relics, ancient texts, spell books..." A hint of wistfulness entered his voices as he spoke, his eyes slightly glazing over as he 'remembered' the treasures of a hidden library hidden within an 'ancient' palace--though it seemed quite new in his mind. "The ancient capital of Preos... and a place belonging to a society even older than the ancients--I only know it as excavation site 223. I know where they WERE... but..."

He stopped and looked around him for a moment, "Things... were a bit different back then... but maybe we could find them if we did some research?"

[phil_]

Bello struggled to climb onto his mount, his little legs kicking uselessly for the saddle while he grabbed fluffy handfuls of feathers. The chocobo mostly ignored this besides a few more "WARK!"s than normal. When he finally got his leg over the beast's back, Bello gave Jal an excited grin. "Ha, so we might actually get a story out of that book after all. Are you saying you want to do some independent contracting, as in the employers are us and the job is adventuring to some ruins? Sounds like fun."

He paused for a moment and his face became more grave. "Though, if we're just doing what we want, I want to go after the Mog. I'm still not convinced that he was a bad guy." His face brightened again. "But, that's just me. Let's go home, for now."

[Krylo]

"But we still don't have the slightest idea where they went to... with that teleport they could be clear on the other side of the planet by now," Jal responded, as he waited for the rest of their little group to get ready to go.

After a moment of thought, though, he turned to Bello, "Hey, how about you and whomever else wants to find Prasad can try to dig up information on them as soon as we get back to Ilium, and anyone who wants to help me," Jal looked over at Ralts for a moment, assuming the Red Mage, at least, would be more interested in ancient treasures and relics than gambling moogles, "will try to research old maps and what not to see if we can put together where Preos and Excavation #223 are. If you guys figure out anything about Prasad, we'll go after him, if we find anything out about the ruins first we'll go there."

Jal smiled, for once a genuine, non-greedy smile, as he attempted to come to a compromise, "And if we both find out something well... I guess we DID kind of sell him out, and the ruins will still be there, so we'll go after him. If neither of us can find any information, we'll head back to Rios and try there--more people passing through and larger libraries means ONE of us should be able to find something out, right?"

[phil_]

Jal's smile was kinda comforting. It was nice to have someone seem to take him seriously beyond being a cute face.

"I'll be fine looking for the moogle by myself, guys," Bello said to his companions. "You all focus on Preos. I'll take care of this Prasad stuff. I mean, we probably can't rescue him without a bit more adventuring under our belts, right?"

[Truce]

Even though your party has decided to split up for the moment, you've got no choice but to return together to Ilium. Though you could risk going off in different directions, the amount of supplies that the android had left you wouldn't last long enough to wander aimlessly throughout the desert. The chocobo's know the way though - and your journey back is much quicker than it had been heading to the ruins.

After returning the chocobo's to the stables at the edge of town, you finally have the opportunity to tour the city as you wish. Unlike last time, there's no android hurrying you along the way. Located at the edge of the desert, it's a hub for many travelers and has several sights. You get a chance to visit the bazaar and pick up some equipment with your newly earned money, though you could spent some of your time searching for rarer artifacts; it's doubtful that you would have the money to acquire them legally, of course.

There's also a library here - small compared to the ones found in Rios, but still grand on its own account. It's located a big building, stretching across half of a street, with several stories high - though it appears the upper levels act as more of a museum; the exhibit on the main floor is showcases some old M-Tek Armor models used in the war two centuries ago. The basement floors, however, is where the books and scrolls can be found, though to the deepest levels require special permission to enter.

[Bard The 5th LW]

"We'll split up for now I guess, Jal and I will go search for information about this weapon and the emperor, and I assume you," Ralts made a brief nod towards Bello, "will gather information on Prasad, seeing as how his 'employer' also wanted the book, and the rest of you can join up with whomever," he said. "When we have found out what we can, we will meet up back at the stables and chart our next course of action," he finished as he made his way to the library.

Once he arrived, Ralts was pleased to see the Magitek on display, it served to support the possibility of this place having the information they needed, but at the same time, he didn't see any books to read up on. Deciding it would be easier to ask rather than search, Ralts decided he would ask a worker or curator were the books were and scrolls were.

((OOC:assume that Ralts found someone to ask despite it not being in the post, seeing as how the GM posdt didn't give information of a person to ask or a location))
---
Inquiry Check

[The Argent Lord]

"I'd like to brush up on my Ancient and look into other books of their technology so as to better decipher that tome. That is, of course, assuming that the rest of you can handle the historical research?"

[Truce]

As Vit discovered his plans with the rest of the group, Ralts had already gone ahead to the museum. It wasn't very difficult for the mage to find help, with an information desk close to the exhibit he was looking at.

The information Ralts found out were that the books the library contained were located down the next floor. Simply by going down one of the hallways he could find himself at the stairs. These only lead to the basement though; to go up to the upper floors you have to take another path.

[Arhra]

"He had a really big pom-pom actually." Jade weighed in on Prasad's appearance, her only contribution to the conversation with Icon worthy of much note.

"I've got shopping to do." Jade contributed with a grin. She chuckled. "There's a sword I've had my eye on and I should be able to afford it with this paycheck."

"Anyway, research isn't really my thing, but I can ask around. I'll help you look for info on Prasad, eh little guy?" she said to Bellos. "Be too suspicious to be asking about Emperors and other things we're not supposed to know about."

OOC: Might as well make the Inquiry check now, so I can work the results into my next post.

[phil_]

Today's Itinerary:
•Go shopping for new weapons and armor. Ask vendors about the Galka's exotic weapons and jackets.
•Find a good place for busking.
•Open with part one of "The Tragedy of Poltrick, Prince of Prontera."
•Intermission with "Exdeath Went Down to Gyshal."
•End "Poltrick"
•Have the Mithra ask around in the audience about Prassad and the Galka.
•Spend busking money on drinks, get to know the Mithra.
•If there's time, test new revision of "Jakkoko and the Goblins;" get Mithra to ask audience about Prassad some more and get feedback on the story.
•Return to the stables.

After laying all this out, Bello clapped his hands once and asked, "You got all that? We have a busy day ahead of us, let's move." Bello started out to the street. He laughed to himself (though it sounded more like a giggle from him) and added, "It's been a while since I've had a beautiful assistant."

---
Er, Level up applies now, guess I'm rolling some Inquiry checks, maybe some Perform if Truce wants to let that help loosen people's tongues or get us a Gil or two.

[Krylo]

"I'm going to try and find some maps from Ciaran's time," Jal said as he waved to the others still discussing where they would go and headed off after Ralts toward the library.

As he arrived he looked over the M-Tek armors from the war with a mixture of greed, awe, and, as he realized they were probably non-functional, disappointment.

'They are little more than trinkets compared to the machines I commanded, anyway,' Ciaran 's voice echoed in Jal's mind, sensing his thoughts. 'The engineering of your age is so... pitiful.'

Jal chose to ignore the emperor as he silently wondered what other items might be on the upper levels--whether there were any items of wonder or magnificence up there. Or at least anything easy to pawn and worth a bagful of gil.

With a toothy grin he decided he would check the upper levels for easy marks, perhaps for tonight, before perusing the scrolls and books looking for ancient maps.

---

Awareness (Stealth thanks to treasure hunter) check to find a way to the upper levels, as they are apparently not in the same area as the way down.

Also, unskilled inquiry checks repeatedly until I either run out of time or find something. I assume Ciaran would recognize any maps that reflected what the world looked like at his time.

Stealth check, if necessary to access the lower levels--assuming it doesn't appear too difficult.

[Bard The 5th LW]

"The basement eh..." Ralts muttered to himself silently. He wanted to know more about the history of this machine. If he was lucky, he could find information about it in Common, and then Vit could learn something about it.

it was with these goals in mind that Ralts casually walked down to the basement. He would check the 'A' section for 'The Atrocity of Grace', and if that didn't work, he would check for N'Revat.

---
Awareness check to find the books I presume

[Truce]

Surprisingly, there was no mention of N'Revat or Atrocity of Grace in any of the titles in the public section - though, then again, all of the books in the first few floors are all in common. By checking the Library's Index, however, Ralts can see a list of all the books.

Unfortunately, even then, N'Revat and Atrocity aren't in any titles that Ralts can see.

---

Together, Bello and Jade went to the bazaar and bought their equipment. They even managed to catch their eye on a rather high quality jacket for sale - just the right size for Bello. However, it was suspiciously cheap, barely more than five hundred gil for a supposedly enchanted piece of clothing.

Out in the streets, though, they were able to gather some information on the moogle. Apparently, the gambler had passed through here a week ago, accompanied by a trio of Galkas...however, nobody had seen them return. The name Prasad however told you that he had been a gambler who had apparently wracked up quite a debt - and was apparently working it off.

As far as anyone could tell you, though, the moogle was still in the desert with the Galkas.

[Krylo]

Jal took his time exploring the museum portions of the library, but failed to find anything of interest, other than the fourth floor--which would normally have held various weapons and items of power had been damaged and had been emptied while that section of the museum was under repair.

Shrugging helplessly, he went down into the lower levels, scoping security as well as looking for maps of what the world before the destruction of the ancients, though he could find little of interest beyond a few books with illustrations of what the authors believed the world may have looked like. These books, somehow, found their way into his cloak, hidden away on his person. He, of course, had no idea how such a thing would happen, for to commit such an act purposefully would be stealing, and stealing, of course, was both illegal AND wrong.

There was little else of interest, however, in the floors which he could visit, except, of course, for a guarded door which Jal assumed would house the artifacts from the fourth floor, and perhaps some other riches as well, maybe even forbidden tomes. Of course, not even he would be able to open a door and sneak past two guards at the same time without being caught, and even if he COULD getting back out would be even more impossible.

Unless...

"Could you distract a pair of guards... for say a half hour?" Jal's voice whispered near Ralt's ear as the cloaked mithra appeared next to the red mage, his mouth curled up into a greedy and toothy grin. "I smell treasure... and maybe the books we need, but I need a distraction."

[Bard The 5th LW]

"Gah!" Ralts grunted in frustration, he couldn't find anything important, his excursion to the library was a waste of time. He wasn't even sure what he was expecting, if information could be found at the neighborhood library, then why would they be paid 4,000 gil to find a possessed book in the dessert.

Ralts was ready to leave and go wait for the others at the stables, but then Jal approached him.

"Could you distract a pair of guards... for say a half hour?" He inquired of the Red Mage. Ralts then moved his eyes left and right very quickly to be sure no one was listening in on his and Jal's more than suspicious conversation before replying back.

"Why I believe I can, I am not an entertainer by any means, but I believe I am up to the task," he responded. "Besides, its for the greater good that we have these books, is it not?" he said with a note of humor in his voice before moving out to find the guards or employees who may get in his friend's way.

---
Awarenesss check to find the guards.
Negotiation/charisma check to keep them in a conversation long enough for Jal to find what he needs

[Truce]

It would be relatively easy to find the guards that Jal was talking about. Standing in front of the stairwell down to the restricted area, there were two lightly armored elves there. Sitting in chairs, with their spears leaning against the wall beside them, they appeared somewhat bored but more or less on the lookout. As Ralts found them, one of the guards said he was going to take a quick break - leaving the other one alone at his post.

The stairs themselves were behind a door locked from this side. The guards themselves probably had a key to it, though getting it from them might be a tad difficult.

The door itself was pretty big. Appearing to be made out of wood, it could probably be broken down - if one were reckless enough to try that is.

[Bard The 5th LW]

"How convenient," Ralts said to himself joyfully as he watched one of the guards leave for a break from the other side of the room. he knew what he was going to do, and it was made possible by the fact that he now had only one guard to interfere.

You see, Ralts appearance was rather gender-neutral, and the only way that you could easily realize he was a guy was if you had known him previously. This trait had big advantages for some Red Mages.

Ralts then proceeded to remove his hat from his head and and pulled down his face scarf, leaving his whole face visible as he proceeded to move over to the unfortunate guard.

"Oh, hello there good sir," Ralts said in a more feminine voice, with a smile on his face that conveyed no ill intentions, "I'm new to this town, and I would like to know if you would like to show me around, maybe to a good restaurant," he continued as he gave a wink to the Elvaan. Ralts didn't truly care much for being an efficient flirt, he didn't have to be. He was currently employing a more underhanded ability of the Red Mages, Steal Heart, with it they could charm and manipulate those of the opposite gender, but for Ralts, it could extend to either gender, and he had no problems using that to his own benefit.

---
Ralts expends a Destiny Point to activate Androgynous
Ralts uses Steal Heart to get the guard out of the library.

[Truce]

The guard was flustered at having such a person approach him. His heart began to beat faster as Ralts winked at him, and he self consciously began to fix his hair. As Ralts continued to speak though, more or less asking him out, he stood up.

He glanced back to his partner's empty seat. He hesitated for a moment, but decided that his partner would without a doubt return shortly - and what was the worst that could happen in that short period of time?

"O-of course I can show you around town," he finally said with an awkward laugh. "Is there anything that you want to see?"

[Krylo]

As the guard left his post Jal waited for the perfect moment and turned around, walking directly into them, and causing both Jal and the guard to stumble back a few steps. With a few quick apologies from the Thief, however, the guard went on his way, a toothy grin developing over the mithra's face as he surreptitiously twirled a key about his finger once before hiding it in the palm of his hand as he waited for Bard to distract the guard.

Making his way to a bookshelf near Ralts and the remaining guard, he pretended to look over a few books quietly, as he waited for him to lead the guard away.

'A petty thief... but at least a skilled one. Hrm, if I weren't in your body, I'd have plenty of uses for a man such as yourself,' Ciaran's voice echoed in Jal's mind.

With a soft sigh, Jal replied, knowing all too well what the emperor was thinking, 'Oh yes, I would love to kill a few regents for you, and then maybe after that you could attempt to have me killed by bandits? Sounds like a good time for everyone.' The sarcasm was laid on thickly enough in the mental communication that it was almost perceptible to those outside his head.

'Now now, that was just some worthless blue mage. You have talents. I most certainly wouldn't sell YOU to the wolves like that.'

Ignoring him, Jal glanced back to where Ralts was flirting with the guard. 'Come on... the quicker you work the more I can lo... research. The more I can research.'

[phil_]

Meanwhile, Bello and Jade were taking a break. They sat across from each other at a small table in the corner of a pleasant enough cafe. Or, as pleasant as one could find in Sinner's Horizon.

Bello took a sip from his drink. "Ahh! Well, even if we didn't find out anything useful, we at least found a nice place for a drink. 'Spend busking money on drinks:' check!" He made a little V-shape with his index finger for the check. "However, that still leaves 'Get to know the Mithra.'" He set down his drink and knitted his fingers and smirked slyly over his glass as he continued. "The rest of us have known each other for a little while now, but you're a mystery. How exactly did you get tangled up in our little group? What's the background? What's your favorite color? We have all the time in the world, or, at least, as much as exists between here and sunset, so let's chat."

[Bard The 5th LW]

"Why thank you," Ralts said, keeping back his amusement. Who would have thought that a 'mighty' Elvaan would have been so easily swayed and tricked to leaving his post, "this is very polite of you sir."

"Would you mind showing me to a local tavern or restaurant that is nearby?" he inquired in the most polite he could speak in. This was going very well. Who would suspect that the kind 'girl' asking for directions was taking part in theft?

As the guard proceeded to lead him out, Ralts made a brief hand signal, without looking, to tell Jal to get to work on this crime of theirs. It was up to the Thief now, and if he failed, Ralts would probably have to pretend that he didn't know him. Ralts may consider Jal a friend, but he wasn't going to shoot himself in the foot like that.

[The Argent Lord]

Vit wandered the library, searching for books about the Ancients. First he sought out books on the Ancient language, absorbing them in a matter of hours thanks to his efficiency with language. Then he began to search for tomes on Ancient technology and the workings thereof, even the most passing of hints. The Magitek armor seemed like it could be useful, but with it on display in front of everyone there was no way he'd be able to examine it for the moment.

---

Untrained Inquiry checks for Ancient tech books of any sort.

[Truce]

Ralts is lead by the Elvaan out of the building - though he had to sneak out since he was supposed to still be on duty. "If you're looking for a restaurant," he said, holding the mage's hand tightly. "I know a great cafe close by."

It was a short distance, leading down several streets to another building. Though it was just in the first floor of a larger building, it was calm and quiet - rather nice for the city. Of course, its comforts were exactly why Bello and Jade were there - Ralts would even catch sight of them as he and the Elvaan entered.

The Elvaan led Ralts to a table, where he sat down. "By the way," he said, running his hand through his hair once again. "My name's Evoir. I haven't caught yours yet."

---

Vit surprisingly couldn't find anything on Ancient technology. He did discover the reason for that in a few history books - most of the technology was similar to Magitek's systems. In fact, most of the authors believed that Magitek based their technology on the Ancient's, but nobody could provide any concrete proof.

[Bard The 5th LW]

'Bell and the Mithra are here? They may mess this up.' Ralts thought to himself as he sat down with the guard. 'How will I explain this,' he wondered to himself. He was hoping that he wouldn't have to inform the others of were he and Jal had antiquated the goods from the museum. He wasn't sure how they would react to learning that the two had basically committed grand theft.

Deciding to put them out of his mind for now, Ralts turned his attention back to Evoir, who had asked him his name. Ralts had been prepared for this, he normally had an alias to go by, this one he recalled once reading on a painting or something. "My name is Relm," he told the Elvaan, seeing as how last names seemed unnecessary. Ralts decided that this guard being an Elvaan, he would be prideful, and would like boast about himself. So that's were Ralts decided to drive the conversation. "Why don't you tell me about yourself Evoir."

---
Possibly a negotiation check
Possibly an Acting Check to disguise his worry at Bello and Jade

[Arhra]

"Even if we didn't find out any useful information, we certainly found some things that are useful." She fingered the striped Tiger Mantle she wore. Jade had burned through her reward money and gil reserves, even throwing in her own sword to close a deal for the new kit. She knew Bello had done much the same. The Mithra smiled. "I've had my eye on that sword for a while. Gigas made supposedly." Then she frowned slightly. "It's a bit heavier than I expected, but I guess I'll toughen up."

Chuckling, she thumped her head. "Sorry, I'm rambling. I got hired by Icon too." Jade said. "He seemed to be worried about needing more people and there weren't all that many available on short notice." She shrugged. "Got lost finding the ruins; the directions I was given were no good." She smiled a little, thinking back over the day's events.

"Although it looks like I was just in the nick of time. Do you often try to take on Galkas by yourself?" she asked Bello half teasingly.

"Favourite colour? Can you guess?" the green eyed, green clothed Mithra named Jade asked in the same tone.

Ralts made an entrance, an elvaan guard accompanying the red mage.

"Huh?" Jade said, bemused by the scene. "Thought she was a boy." The Mithra shrugged. It made her think of something else. "While I think of it, how did you meet this group?" she asked Bello, ignoring Ralts for the moment.

[phil_]

Bello laughed at the Galka comment. "Jade, I wouldn't be much of a performer if I got nervous in front of just two people." He stood up in his chair and made a dramatic sweep of his arm, his voice taking on the mien of a monologue. "My job is to stand in front of the the world and say, 'This is the world! These are heroes! This is adventure!' and then ask them, 'Now, what are you?' Alone on the stage, it hardly matters whether the audience is two Moogles," he held up two fingers, "or one hundred Galkas." He held out both arms. "The show, as they say, must go on." Bello gave a little bow, then grinned as he sat back down and continued as if nothing had happened. "Usually, there is a bit less shooting involved, I'll admit, but sometimes the audience goes sour. That's why it's nice to have some strong arms around to help when wits and charisma fail."

"But, now that I've had my fun, I guess I'll just give a straight answer on how I came to be in my current company. I left Tarut lands in search of new stories, and I made my way to Rios. I joined the Adventuring Guild, and the four of us just gravitated together after a while. I don't remember any time when we actually said, 'Ok, we're a team now;" we just became one. It's kinda like how you're part of the team now, actually, assuming you're sticking with us. I hadn't really considered that you wouldn't until now, to tell the truth." Bello gazed into his cup. "You are sticking around, aren't you? We could use a strong blade, plus it's nice to have a woman around who isn't Ralts."

[Truce]

The guard didn't seem to notice Ralts' momentary distraction. Of course, that was probably because the guard himself had been too busy worrying about himself. It was true that he was a proud warrior - but then you had to consider the fact that he was also working as a guard in a museum of all places.

But then again, it would be a horrible mistake to underestimate the importance of his job. Who knows what would happen if he left his post?

You know, like right now.

"My name Evoir," he repeated, laughing heartily. "Nowadays, I guard the treasures of the city, but before that I was an adventurer you know. One time, I was even part of a group that went to defeat the legendary dragon Shinryuu you know!"

Naturally, he seemed to avoid mentioning actually defeating the dragon itself...though, recently, there had been no mention of any sightings of the dragon.

"Besides that, though...well, I'm supposed to be helping guard a special parcel that apparently was discovered in the wastes. There's even someone coming down from Cornelia to inspect it - though, from what I heard it isn't anything but a bunch of bones.

"Still, everyone says it's dangerous. It's an important job - you could even say that it's my duty to protect the world!"

That was actually true.

Unfortunately, that was a duty that he had already failed at - mostly due to the efforts of a certain pair of thieving adventurers.

---

Tal was still searching through the books when he heard a noise come from one of the lower floors. It seemed that there had been some sort of an explosion downstairs - but he didn't have time to run down there and see for himself. By the time he could prepare himself, a man dressed in crimson armor appeared from the staircase, wielding a black sword that seemed to draw in the light around it.

The man doesn't pay any mind to Tal however, as he continues up the stairs. It seems, however, that the museum staff upstairs has started to panic. The man himself, however, didn't seem concerned at all.

[Bard The 5th LW]

This seemed easy enough. Ralts just had to keep up a conversation until he saw Jal leave the building. He would then end the Steal Heart and Evoir would realize that he should head back to the museum. in truth, Ralts did feel a little sorry for the Elvaan, it was possible that the man would lose his job.

This parcel intrigued him though. Maybe Jal would get a look at it. But just in case, Ralts wanted to ask Evoir about it. "It's that serious?" he said, with genuine curiosity. "What does --- *BOOM*" Ralts was cut off by the explosion nearby at the library.

"What was that!" Ralts yelled as he got up from his seat. 'Did Jal trip some kind of alarm!?,' he wondered to himself. In any case, this was worth concern. "I think it came from the library!"he said as he got up from his chair, "We should go see what happened!" Ralts also made a motion towards Jade and Bello to signal them to go aid him. Jal needed help! There was also things to loot!

[Truce]

There was a lot of shouting in the museum/library. While the explosion didn't seem to have caused too much damage, it had been loud - the noise carrying itself for quite a distance in the city. A few curious people were heading towards the source of the commotion - though most people were not sure quite what to expect.

The Guard Evoir, however, had an idea - his face becoming pale when he realized where the noise had come from. The shock was enough for Ralts' to lose his charm over the elf, who rose up from his seat. "Just stay here," he said, already drawing his weapon. "It might be dangerous!"

Might be, however, was an understatement. Still, he charged out of the building, hoping that it wasn't what he thought it was.

---

Unfortunately, it was. The armored man who had appeared from the basement seemed only concerned with strolling out of the building. He didn't so much as glance anyone - except for whoever stood in his way. Most smartly chose not to remain that way for long.

Still, Ilium was a city that was not without its guard. Though only a small group of three was close enough to react, they stood in front of the museum - weapons ready to attack him. Those in the vicinity could see the guards shout at the man, trying to tell him to stop - but he didn't pay much attention to them. Instead, he looked up at the sky - staring at the sun with a happy smile.

It seemed that he was taking this chance to enjoy the fresh air.

[Bard The 5th LW]

"Just stay here," Evoir said, already drawing his weapon. "It might be dangerous!"

"...fine, go ahead," Ralts said as Evoir hurried, appearing resigned to the guards orders. This didn't last long, as when Evoir made it a good distance away, Ralts quietly uttered, "I'll be right behind you in a moment though."

He then hurried over to were Jade and Bello were sitting and told them, "I'm going to head over to see what happened, Vit and Jal are still in that area, and Jal might get caught, you guys can do whatever you please." Ralts then turned and sped off towards the museum.

When Ralts arrived, he was surprised to see a man in red armor being shouted at by the guards. 'Hey, we were here first!'he yelled at it, but only mentally. This guy was stepping on their toes, and Ralts didn't like that. At the same time, Ralts wasn't sure how he quite stacked up against this guy, as he looked pretty confident and intimidating, so he decided to hang back a few yards behind the guards and watch what happend, his hand on his swords handle as he tried to stay unnoticed.

---
Awareness check to get an idea of the enemy's strength

[phil_]

Bello took one last gulp of his drink while Ralts ran out the door. "Adventure calls, Jade. Let's see what all the excitement's about." With that, he kicked out of his chair a marched out the door, humming an adventurous tune.

Of course, when he got there, he was a head shorter than the crowd. More accurately, a head, most waists, and a few knees here and there shorter. In short, he couldn't see what was going on. "Stupid people and their height..." Bello pouted with a stamp into the road.

[Arhra]

"It's kinda like how you're part of the team now, actually, assuming you're sticking with us." Bello said. "I hadn't really considered that you wouldn't until now, to tell the truth." The tarut gazed into his cup. "You are sticking around, aren't you? We could use a strong blade, plus it's nice to have a woman around who isn't Ralts."

"Come for the book, stay for the company." Jade chuckled.

There was an explosion!

Bello took one last gulp of his drink while Ralts undermined his previous attempts to pretend he didn't know them with his furtive but desperate gestures and them ran out the door. "Adventure calls, Jade." Bello said. "Let's see what all the excitement's about."

"Sure." Jade replied easily, swigging the last of her own drink. "Probably just a Bomb escaped from their zoo or something." The possibility someone she knew was directly involved had not crossed her mind. Libraries and explosions did not really go together. Neither did optimism and the belief that somehow this was their fault.

At the scene, Bello was struggling with the crowd.

Jade stepped in.

"Make way!" she shouted as if she knew what was going on and in a position to do something about it. The warrior held her blade angled out in front of her like the prow of a ship, the sharp side facing her, and plowed into the crowd ahead of Bello like an icebreaker.

[Truce]

The guards continued to yell at the armored man, reasonably unnerved by the whole situation. Evoir, however, pushed himself ahead of the crowd - only to stop as he finally recognized the man for who he was. By then, however, it was too late.

As he warned the city guard to back away it was too late. They took a few steps forward, as if they were about to charge the man - but stopped quickly as they noticed an aura begin to cover him. Suddenly, he looked in their direction and they raised their weapons just in time to block his attack - not that it had helped them.

The distance between them had been closed in an instant. With a sudden thrust of his leg, the group was kicked upwards into the sky - landing some distance away beyond some buildings.

It was then that the crowd decided to run. Whatever spectacle they had to expected to see, it was too dangerous to remain here. Or rather, that's what most people thought.

Evoir stood firm though, remembering his duty. Gripping his weapon, he stood firm, even as the man turned to face him.

It was clear to Ralts - and even Bello and Jade who weren't actively trying to judge the strength of the man - that he was strong. Perhaps not as strong as their android employer, but possibly strong enough to defeat them in their current state.

There was something that all of them would notice, though. While he seemed rather confident, after attacking it seemed that that attack had hurt himself as well. His body seemed strained, as though he had pushed it beyond its limits for a moment.

As for Evoir...he was clearly weaker than the man, but he seemed to have some sort of plan. Raising his sword up to the sky, the clouds themselves parted to make way for a divine light that encased everyone who remained.

"Holy Circle!" he declares as everyone's weapons start to glow with the enchantment "Undead Killer", and for a moment you see the armored man actually frown.

[Arhra]

In front of the museum, Jade emerged out of the panicking crowd like a rock appearing out of a receding wave. Ignoring the chaos about her, she steadily advanced to stand at the ready next to Evoir.

"You!" the Mithra thundered, resting her heavy blade on her shoulder and pointing at the crimson armoured antagonist before them.

"I don't like your face!" she told him with grim finality, swishing her sword down for emphasis. "What kind of man are you to blow up museums and causes panic in the street?"

Jade gripped the Giant's Knife in both hands and levelled it at him, the dark blade glowing with the divinely bestowed power to destroy the undead. "Whatever you're up to, I won't allow it!" she said, heated determination boiling from her body. She grinned with anticipation at the coming battle. "Surrender or face the blade of Jade Degaur!"

[Truce]

"You..."

Evoir tenses up slightly when Jade suddenly stands beside him, but he quickly shakes his head. At the moment, it appears he can't really complain about who decides to help him out. But, on the bright side, at least he could find comfort with the fact that the lovely Ralts would still be safe.

The man, on the other hand, tilted his head slightly as he looked at the hotblooded Jade. It took him a moment to decide that it seemed she was serious about asking her question - and she had already given her name. It would be impolite not to return the favor.

"Ahem," he says, clearing his throat. "I am a man simply escaping from his wrongful imprisonment - and am taking measures to deal with anybody who seeks to attack me first. If you must call me by name, it is simply 'Ripel'. Anything else people call me is merely propaganda."

"Don't listen to him," Evoir says to Jade. "That man is the Origin of Sin, the Shadow Lord - his words are nothing but lies! Even that sword he wields, Excalibur...it's tainted by his hands!"

"Like I said, that's all propaganda. I assure you."

As Ripel shrugs, your group has a better chance to view the sword. Its blade is an ominous black, seeming to draw in the very light around it; if the holy weapon had truly been tainted, then perhaps this is how it would appear. Ripel keeps a firm grip on it, however, and looks like he won't be easily disarmed of his weapon.

[phil_]

"Well, I've been against worse odds..." Bello smirked to himself as monster man kicked a bunch of guards across the street.

Bello called out to Jade. "Glad to know you feel like violence, too! Let's rock!" He strummed his lute dramatically, starting off Herculean Etude to bolster Jade's strength. His tiny fingers raced across the strings, plucking out a rapid staccato melody with expert skill.

"Even that sword he weilds, Excalibur..."

Bello hit a sour note. Excalibur?! THE Excalibur?! Resuming his song, Bello yelled, "Jade, I shouldn't need to tell you, but watch your tail!"

Wait a second, didn't she start our last scuffle?...

***

Bello played Herculean Etude, granting Jade +3 STR and one more use of those STR-based abilities she doesn't have.

[Bard The 5th LW]

'Who... who is this guy?' Ralts wondered silently. 'We didn't see him here before, how did he get into the town, what was with the explosion?'

He then looked at the man's blade. It looked particularly powerful, and rather evil. 'That is Excalibur!?' Ralts was decided, he would help Jade fight this man. Jade seemed determined to fight him, and Ralts knew that she couldn't do that on her own when against someone with that kind of sword.

While Ralts did intend on going to help her on the fromt lines, he decided that he should stay back for now and flank, if the enemy got a strike on Jade or Evoir, then he would be able to plan out his course of action after the fact.

Fortunately, Ralts could stay Back and attack the new foe without wasting magic. While shopping for supplies earlier he had come across an interesting piece of equipment, an electro marble. With this he could cast a bolt spell with no cost, and at a faster speed than average.

Quickly, Ralts fished the item out of his pocket, not keeping his eyes off of Ripel and his blade, he then lifted the marble in his hands, and activated it, sending a small series of blue sparks danced out towads the enemy , gaining at a rapid pace. 'Maybe,'Ralts pondered, 'I'll be able to get a hold of that sword'.

---
Ralts uses an electro marble on Ripel

[Arhra]

"There's no such thing as odds." Jade called back at Bello, blood pounding as he launched into his song. "There's only what happens, and what does not happen!"

Ripel had identified himself, protesting the darker picture Evoir painted of him. It was a complex situation. Jade needed only a moment to think this matter through, ears twitching thoughtfully.

There really wasn't any way this problem wouldn't be solved by beating him. It would either prove he wasn't really the dreaded Origin of Sin, or remove the threat of the dreaded Origin of Sin. Both were eminently acceptable.

"Well then Ripel, it looks like warring with words will get us nowhere." Jade proclaimed, still holding her massive weapon out in front of her body. "We're both warriors, so let our swords speak for us. Defend yourself!" As that last exclaimation burst from her lips, the Mithra warrior charged forward at Ripel, bringing her blade up to crash down on his defence and slice through this Gordian knot of conflicting stories in front of her.

OOC: Assuming Ripel's close enough, attack at ACC 6, damage is 26 + 2d6 factoring in Herculean Etude. Double damage if Ripel's undead.

[The Argent Lord]

Vit followed the sound of the explosion to the main floor, and then the sounds of the ruckus outside to the standoff. On the way out, he shot a quick glance at the Magitek armor. Just a few minutes to look it over, find out more about Ancient tech... surely the trouble outside would wait that long...
But knowing his teammates, they'd be involved by now, if they hadn't been the ones to cause it in the first place. Besides, if he became the savior of the town, surely they couldn't deny him a look at the inner workings.

This decided, Vit rushed outside where, predictably, he found Jade, Bello, and Ralts already squaring off with a mysterious, crimson-armored figure. The man's sword, black enough to absorb the light around it, would have been proof enough that he was behind this mess if Vit's allies' involvement hadn't.

Without a second thought, he began casting a spell to incapacitate the enemy. Even if the man was harmless, which Vit highly doubted, this would give them time to sort it out.

---

Vit casts Stop on Ripel.

[Truce]

Ripel remained calm as he saw the electro marble fly at him. Without even attempting to dodge, he let him strike him - only to realize at the last second that that was a terrible mistake.

"...!"

He staggered back, as the electricity jumped around his body. This weapon was different from his memory, more powerful...however, even if this had been advanced since he was last free, that doesn't matter.

"A toy like this won't topple me!"

He regained his footing, just in time to see Jade swinging her sword down at him. Grasping Excalibur in both hands, he raised his weapon to block the attack. Blades locked for a moment, and there was a momentary struggle - until finally Ripel was able to push her back.

There was no time to breath, figuratively speaking. The Guard Evoir, seeing the girl rush out at the, had muttered a curse unbecoming of a paladin before chasing after her. Now, he lunged forward with his sword, taking this small opportunity now presented to him.

Ripel had already begun moving to counter Evoir. Vit's spell came over him, however, freezing him halfway through the motion. The sword pierced Ripel's armor, embedding itself in his chest; had it been anyone else, it surely would have been a fatal blow.

Ripel's eyes widened in shock before narrowing in anger, as he forcefully broke the spell that had stopped him. Evoir, in turn, could only look in horror as Ripel jumped back - the paladin's sword still firmly in his chest.

It wasn't as though his injury didn't effect him. He looked around him, as if searching for a path to escape. Ultimately, though, he grit his teeth, towards the paladin.

It was obvious that, at the very least, Ripel intended to take that man down.

Pausing only to pull out the sword in his chest, Ripel charged at Evoir. Evoir, desperate for a weapon, pulled out his sheath to defend himself - but it was impossible for that to stop Excalibur. At the end, he closed his eyes, but the death that he expected never came.

When Evoir opened his eyes, he saw Jal standing before him, wielding a dagger that was holding Excalibur back.

"You," Ripel said, sounding as shocked as he had ever been.

[Krylo]

'You fool! You'll get us both killed! If you want to stop him, here and now is hardly the time!' Ciaran's voice echoed in Jal's head as he moved to parry.

'Yeah, probably, but I can't very well let him go slaughtering people either. Not while it's my fault,' the thief responded just as his dagger met Ripel's blade.

"Yeah, well, glowing black sword and killing people. I think I might have been lied to," Jal replied, attempting to get his point across without revealing too much of his involvement to the paladin guard behind him.

Ciaran's voice continued but Jal ignored him as he glanced back at the guard. "You don't stand a chance," he said quietly, before looking over at his team mates already started with the fight. "And neither do we for that matter!" he yelled to them, "We should really retreat!" He shook his head with a bit of a grin as he jumped back, "But I don't suppose it's ever that easy is it?"

He fell into a fighting stance, ready to flee or fight as his allies' actions demanded.

[Bard The 5th LW]

'So, the wielder of Excalibur isn't as powerful as he likes to believe,' Ralts noted as the electromarble managed to catch the warrior off guard. As long as he and the others kept up the assault, then he was sure they could take this guy down.

Ralts quickly abandoned that thought when he saw Ripel be almost unphased by a stab wound from Evoir.

"This is more serious than I believed at first," Ralts muttered as the man, no, the monster ran a charge at Evoir. Ralts was about to move in, to heal the paladin, but this proved to be unneeded as Jal moved in to block.

'He can't keep that up for to long,' Ralts decided as he took a few steps forwards towards the fray. None of his allies were going to die as long as he was around. That even included Evoir.

"Crimson Seal," the Red Mage muttered to himself, an odd red circle appearing around him briefly, but only visible to those looking directly at him. "Blizzard," he declared more loudly, as the ice spell began to form, shooting the frozen shards at the foe.

---although it may be unnecessary now
Ralts moves a short distance towards Ripel
Ralts cast blizzard using Crimson Seal

[Arhra]

Blocking her overhead blow with a two handed grip on the King of Swords, Ripel moved past Jade to engage Evoir, the paladin disarmed but saved from the Shadow Lord's strike by Jal's unexpected intervention.

"Don't act like I'm not even here!" Jade demanded, infuriated by her chosen opponent's lack of acknowledgement. "Stand and fight!"

It was time to get his attention. She inhaled slowly and flung her body into motion.

Both hands clenched about the grip of her heavy blade, she stepped to the side and spun, dragging the weapon along with her. Her back was turned as her foot lightly touched down, shifting axis of rotation to this limb as she stepped off to complete the spin. The move brought her to the side of Ripel from her initial point behind him, sword pulled along with her like a comet's tail. She wouldn't try to cut him down from behind.

Her ancient blade continued the rotation as Jade stepped forward decisively to use this built up momentum in her attack. Her muscles strained to impart every bit of added force she could put into the attack, the Giant's Knife hissing through the air like a horizontal guillotine. Blood pumping, hair flying out behind her, she screamed her challenge at him.

"FALL!"

---
If it's still relevent... ATTACK. Same as before.

[phil_]

He wasn't thinking but, if he were asked later, Bello would probably say that he thought "I can't let Lover Boy die." Bello dashed through the fight, using his height to go under the swinging swords and blasts of magic, to grab Evoir's sword and pass it back to him so that they'd have as many blades available as possible.

[Truce]

It appeared not many people had decided to listen to Jal's word of advice. Then again, it seemed like they would have a chance to win against this so called "Shadow Lord."

As Jal jumped back, so did Evoir, knowing that he would be outmatched in a direct confrontation with Ripel. Ralts, on the other hand, covered their retreat - shards of frozen water flying at Ripel. Though Ripel raised his hands, to try to put up a magical barrier, the crimson seal allowed the red mage's spell to burst through it.

Spears of ice embedded themselves into Ripel's chest, but more than that they pinned his feet into the ground. Without any choice but to stand his ground, he raised Excalibur to parry her attack. No sooner than he had done that, however, that he realized his mistake.

A spinning blade, glowing with holy power. Stronger than the enchantment placed upon it was its users will. Jade's challenge was nothing less than an absolute command - she would cut him, and he would fall; it was impossible to defend against such an attack.

The giant's knife cut through Ripel's armor as though it were a flame sabre through butter. Flesh and bone offered no resistance at all as it was cut apart - but though Jade had forced Ripel to the ground victory was still just out of reach.

An arm had been severed - and with that Ripel had lost Excalibur. However, no matter how unsightly the sign of him was now, lying on the ground with all of his accumulated wounds, he had not been defeated. He refused to accept such a fate again.

"Damn you, damn you, damn you, damn you, damn you, damn you, damn you!"

His eyes darted around the area, to each one that had chosen to struggle against him. He squirmed, trying to bring himself standing again, but could not find the strength to do so. Even Evoir, now armed with his sword again thanks to Bello, approached the fallen Ripel confidently.

"It's over, Shadow Lord," he said, pressing the tip of the blade against Ripel's forehead. "I'm not aware of how you were freed, but it ends here."

Suddenly, Ripel stopped resisting. Looking up at the man, he smiled jovially - as though he were not facing his end.

"I suppose I should congratulate you then, for making it this far," he said.

Evoir frowned, before plunging his sword into Ripel's head. "Sanctify," he muttered, and there was a flash of light, temporarily blinding anyone in the vicinity. A multitude of unfamiliar voices followed the light, forming a chorus of anguished screams - and when everyones vision came back to them Ripel's body was gone.

Evoir looked to Excalibur, before nodding in satisfaction. It seemed even the severed arm had disappeared, and the holy sword itself had returned to its original color. Then, he turned to face your group, nodding his head.

"Thank you," he said. 'Whoever you people are."

[Krylo]

"Well, that was easier than I expected..." Jal and Ciaran said in unison, though only one was actually audible. The unity of their thoughts still sent something of a chill down Jal's spine, though, however random and unlikely it was to ever happen again. Ciaran's as well, for that matter, if he had one.

'Ugh, this body is beginning to get to me... well, at least take the sword. A holy artifact like that...' Ciaran's voice echoed in Jal's head.

'Would be worth a LOT of money!' came Jal's response.

'No, you moron. It's more powerful than any am... ugh. Yes, fine money, just take it!'

"Don't have to ask me twice..." Jal muttered as he walked over to excalibur, quickly flicking the toe of his boot under the sword and flipping it up into his hand.

"Well, this should be a suitable reward for saving your life, eh?" he said with a toothy roguish grin to the guard, before raising two fingers from his free hand to give a quick wave before turning and darting off, assuming, of course, that he'd be followed.

If he could shake him, or if he wasn't followed--after all they really should be sealing up Ripel properly--he'd simply use all his various thief skills to vanish into the city's crowds.

[Bard The 5th LW]

'And so the origin of sin bites the dust...' Ralts thought to himself as Evoir obliterated Ripel. Although Ripel seemed unusually unbothered before it happened, and as the groups current company implied, death isn't always the end of someone.

"Well, this should be a suitable reward for saving your life, eh?" Jal said, not really asking before darting off.

'Dammit Jal, don't you have any tactfulness!' Ralts yelled at the thief mentally. Ralts wanted the sword as much as the next effeminate guy, but Jal could have been discreet about it.

"He just took the sword!" Ralts exclaimed, hoping that pointing out the obvious would buy Jal some time. Ralts was still keeping up his Relm guise, and tried his best to act like he didn't know the others.

"Someone should go after him," Ralts said, trying to sound distressed, "do either of you think you can keep up with him?" He said this to Jade and Bello, acting as though they were streangers. If Ralts himself volunteered it may seem suspicious. Hopefully Bello, the actor of the group, would do the talking and race after Jal with Jade in tow, keeping Evoir and the other guards here to clean up, confident in that someone was trying to catch the thief.

[phil_]

Bello and Ralts' thoughts were strongly in sync today, it seemed. "Who are we?!" Bello started dramatically. "We are Adventurers!" With a fist on his hip and a finger to the sky, he continued. "Righters of wrongs, slayers of evil, we are the hope of Ivalice!" He followed this declaration with a spin, ending facing Evoir again. "And it seems injustice is still afoot! Lovely assistant!" His face snapped to Jade. "Come, let us after yon uncouth rogue!" His speech was starting to get a little confused. "Away!" Bello grabbed Jade's hand and started running after Jal as fast as his little legs would carry him.

Woo, free Doom Sword! He'd follow Jal until they were out of sight, then it was back to wasting time.

[The Argent Lord]

Vit approached Evior, electing to appear oblivious to the actions of the others. "I am simply a scholar mage who happened to hear the ruckus. I saw that fellow and thought I'd lend what little aid I could to the fight. What was he, anyways?"

[Arhra]

Willpower focused to a razor edge, Jade struck at the Origin of Sin a second time.

Her blade described a great arc, suspended in a single crystal-clear instant. It cut the horizon, made the sun fall from the sky and the stars come out.

Or at least that's how Jade would describe it later.

Impossibly the Shadow Lord fell, Excalibur clattering to the ground beside him.

Defiant to the end, Ripel was dispatched by Evoir, the taint upon Excalibur vanishing along with Ripel's body. "Thank you," the paladin said. 'Whoever you people are."

Panting heavily, Jade jammed her sword into the ground, leaning on the broad crossguard for support, both palms resting on the pommel. She brushed her fring out of her eyes as she let it sink in - she'd just helped defeat the Shadow Lord.

Before she could speak, Bello leapt in, the little entertainer spinning a speech. And talking over him would be simply uncouth. Regrettably, she found any chance for talking at all was lost, as Jal decided to run off with Excalibur.

"Come, let us after yon uncouth rogue! Away!" Bello grabbed Jade's hand and ran after Jal.

Slinging her sword on her back, Jade let herself get dragged along by the little tarut. Recovering from a stumble, she entered a full sprint herself. The Mithra stooped as she ran to scoop up Bello, intending to loop her arm around his waist and hold him tucked under that arm.

"Come back here you!" she shouted after the thief.