Choice Made:
[x] Plan Better Late than Never! A Networking Villainess!
-[x] Thursday Afternoon
--[x] Write In: Go see about acquiring the services of a Lime Magical. Talk to Elly first and see what she's found out so far so that you're not searching blind.
-[x] Night
--[x] Read a Book (Free Action)
---[x] On Grendel and Beowulf (30 % Chance of Adding a +10 to Training Rolls relating to Grendel's Arm)
--[x] Inspect your new rift plane thing. The one with your castle in it. (100 % Complete) (NOTE: Gain a free action, pick something else to also do after you search thanks to time dilation) (Advances Captive cooperation by 5% (60% Currently )
---[x] Focus on exploring. (15 % Exploration, 5% Cooperation)
-[x] Free Action
--[x] Go out and hunt a rift (Can take up to two).
---[x] Tier 2 (x2)
-[x] Purchase from N20's Shop
--[x] Healing Potion x2 (4 shards)
Rolls:
Book Roll: Grendel = 8 = Failure
Macro Effects:
- Rift Exploration Reaches 100% - Explore Rift Action Replaced with Take Another Action (You can now do two actions during the night thanks to Time Dilation)
- 2 Tier 2 Rifts Cleared (Gained 20 Shards)
- Bought 2 Healing Potions
- Rift Exploration Reaches 100% - Gained Access to the Timeless Armory. All Training actions receive a Bonus 10% Success Chance.
- Gained Access to the Timeless Armory. Storing Weapons or Items inside it may have unique Effects.
- Found ??????? (More to be revealed next chapter)
School runs as usual. That being that nothing goes wrong.
No explosions. No sudden rifts. No Magical Girls busting through the wall all of a sudden.
Its… honestly kind of peaceful.
Sure people whisper and stare at you.
Sure you don't really have any friends other than the Maybe Friend in Yellow and Alice's eternal friendship.
But that doesn't really matter to you…
The normality is a good break from the craziness of magical girl life.
Just girls chatting about girl things…
Even if Alice's conversations have mostly been about… uh… stuff…
Does it make you a bad friend if you tune out when Alice starts to ramble?
It probably does…
Hmm…
You ponder that question as you sit on a roof, basking in the sunlight that streams through the slightly cloudy sky.
The shadows and light shift and move. And you spend a few minutes more relaxing in the warmth of the roof and sun.
But eventually, you slip back up, and get on your feet.
Elly's still on your shoulder, lying down on it through your ascent as though gravity's only a suggestion, but you suppose to someone as powerful as her, it might as well be.
You asked Elly if there was a way to help find that Lime, and her brief reply had been…
'It would certainly help if you would stop attempting to rip reality apart with the multitude of twists and turns you continue to bring about… but that is not something in your control, and we both know that Fate's meddling hands do so enjoy pulling on strings it should not.'
An idle thought considers not training your cores for a bit, but Elly shakes her head at that.
'I assure you, any gripes I have with your ridiculous rate of growth are canceled out by your ridiculous rate of growth… it's astounding just how quickly your cores have reached their current levels. That would take most years to reach the same level of mastery…'
A question on if that was time shenanigans influencing you comes up, but Elly waves it away with a shrug.
'I would not stress on the issue, it's certainly possible that it's less of your learning and more of you regaining what was lost. But it's also possible that there's something artificial at play. It could also be that you just have that much talent… as most stories go, this could be a Once in a Lifetime talent idea. Heh, you certainly do seem to have the background for that, no?'
You wonder if it's healthy to consider your life an anime at times… probably not, but it's honestly the only thing that makes sense really.
Like seriously, Argents a powerhouse, cheery and brighter than the damn sun.
Azure's the dark, cool girl who's obviously got a horrible backstory and on something of a redemption arc.
Luma's got the whole church thing going on. Maybe leading to a betrayal arc, in either direction.
Nightmare… you haven't really interacted with her… but who knows what skeletons she's got in her closet.
Then there's Knight. The wise uh… elder? You guess, she's got that vibe, and the power to back it up. Though it's less hidden then that archetype usually is…
'I do believe the phrase… is life reflects art, and art reflects life.'
You don't know if that's the phrase…. You don't think it is.
Elly pouts at you, and you silently giggle as she rolls her eyes.
'Yes, well, you humans have such odd sayings, do forgive an [NAILS] entity who hasn't indulged in human culture in quite a while.'
She gives you something of a playful glare, all imposing, all very cute, a thought which gets her blush a little as she huffs.
'Shush you. I do believe you wanted to help correct? Then you can assist me by placing these in the nearby area. Preferably somewhere infuriatingly hard to reach.'
You raise an eyebrow as Elly hands you a few Shards… though they seem a little different.
Normal shards glow in every color, both those that exist and don't.
Looking at them draws you in, sucks the light from the world around you and makes the shard a shining sparkle of radiance that you can't look away from.
These… shine in every color… but they're less somehow…
It's… strange… like, you can tell they're shards. But they don't seem like them either.
You give Elly a questioning look, but she shakes her head.
`These are just bait if you will. Ideally, our Lime will arrive here in a few days. I've been tracking her progress, and she's quite the spirited one. The tongue on her is rather acidic when not in the presence of others hehe.'
You ask why you can't just meet her now, and Elly shakes her head.
'There are rules to this. One such as I cannot just… appear in front of someone, at least in the visual spectrum. They must pass a test, a challenge, and then be rewarded with my presence… and while I may not be necessary for you to meet a Magical Girl, this is one that requires resources and such from us. To steal a phrase from the Mechanors. Profit is an endless expanse. There is no end. No beginning, only more opportunity.'
You furrow your eyebrows at that… but decide to let Elly keep at it… she hasn't led you astray yet. And you hope she won't later.
She gives you a smile at that. Incredibly smug, yet genuine at the same time.
'I certainly do hope not to. If she continues at her current pace, rather quick I should say, we'll most likely meet on Monday… if you wish, I would recommend stocking up on shards. Limes are expensive, but their gear is usually rather unique, especially a high leveled one such as ours. An added bonus as well, or perhaps an incentive, Did you know the System rewards group actions? There's a bonus fifty percent to any experience gained when working with a partner, and that compounds.'
You raise an eyebrow and Elly shrugs.
'The system is complex, a web of other systems working together for a greater whole, at least that is my interpretation of it so far… why it only tells us this now, I do not know, more Fate meddling I imagine, but it's there for you to consider if you will. More experience for a Magi, means more shards for you, considering that shards are a combination of dimensional flux and crystallized experience.'
You thank Elly for the advice, and she grins back at you, teeth sharp like a shark as she giggles.
You wonder why every talk with Elly has somehow turned into an info dump in some way… but push that thought to the side.
You have a job to do, so might as well get to doing that.
Time to find the most gremlin-y locations you can put these fake shards.
Collectables ahoy!
You stare blankly as you come to a realization.
Mainly that you think you've explored all of your castle.
Or at least, all of the important parts of it.
Well, except the very ominous doors that sit in front of you.
Honestly… it'd probably be a 'Boss Door' if they were any more elaborate.
A dark purple, almost black wood. Patterns edged in gold.
Two large handles made of that same wood with gold lining it.
There's a… slight mist around the doors. A chill that travels over your form as your hands touch it.
Yet… it's not.. A bad thing?
It's a weird feeling, not fear, not worry, not something negative. No… it's more… anticipation?
Something wants you to open this door. To see what's inside…
You look out the window nearby, noting just how high you are.
This might be the highest point in the castle. High enough that you can see over the walls, see the many different uh… biomes? The many different landscapes that surround the castle.
You see the lake, crystal clear and glassy as usual.
You see the field, stretching out into the distance from the front of the castle.
You see the mountain in the distance, its snowy forest looking like a winter wonderland of enormous proportions…
Something flickers by you.
A memory.
A girl in red lying in the snow, smiling brightly as you sit next to her.
You gently stroke her hair away from her face.
Her eyes are closed, but you can feel the warmth she radiates even now.
Snow falls, slowly coating her form as a smile settles on your face.
You sigh. Slowly standing up as yet more memories flash by.
Old memories. New memories. Memories not yet made. Memories not to be made.
Blood stains the snow. Red and deep.
A blade stains the snow, broken and shattered.
Once ice, then flame, then light… now extinguished.
Red and Blue on a puddle of red. Always together. Always complimentary… yet once they're pulled away, they're easy targets.
… Or at least they were…
The cut on your arm stings. A reminder, a promise.
A warning, a curse.
Perhaps it's time to break things one more time.
End this failure, lose yourself. Become yourself. Become something new.
Your head hurts. Searing and hot. Yet chilling and cold.
Swords don't help you. Knives don't help you. Axes don't help you. Crosses don't help you.
A kaleidoscope of color ripples by.
Your mind is made. Your choice is made.
Step up. Step down. Trudge towards the path laid before you.
One more brick in the wall, one more hit to bring it down. One more body for this endless crusade.
"You can take up the mantle, right ______?"
Your gaze snaps back, and you flinch as something looms behind you.
You spin, Curtana snapping to life and twirling.
You hit air. And nothing else.
Heat blooms in your chest.
Your heart thuds with a painfully fast cadence.
Ow… well… that's… never happened before…
Dream… vision? Your cores spooling… so probably a vision… but… of what?
You wish the things you saw were less vague sometimes…
Is that the future? Or the past?
You silently growl a little, annoyance bubbling at how cryptic this all is.
But you let it go with a shake of your head.
You hate to say it… but there might be some precedence to Elly's idea of poking around in your core… less training, more exploring.
Actions and Consequences though… maybe poke the doll? See what it does?
… That's probably not a good idea… though… maybe it is?
You silently click your tongue, shaking your head again.
Don't get distracted.
Your hands reach for the door. And with a deep breath, you pull it open.
Something tolls, a bell far in the distance.
It's loud, slow… powerful…
Yet… it feels right…
Really… really right…
Elly snaps into being next to you. Normally smug expression twisted into one of surprise.
You have to agree…
That's… a lot of weapons…
'...Certainly one way to put it… and it all happens to be Ultra Rare or higher… how? No, Why?'
Elly mumbles some more, and you let her question as you slowly enter the room. There's a mist on the floor, fluffy and cloudy, yet chillingly cold.
But again… it feels right.
Weapons line the walls. Every possible type of weapon in every possible orientation and design.
It's… an armory. An armory made up of many, many different pieces.
Swords, knives, axes, spears, lances, shields.
Pistols, rifles, shotguns, rocket launchers.
Hell there's a pair of miniguns in the corner.
'This room… is… incredibly saturated… massively so… there's so much temporal magic in the air that I would worry for anyone without a chrono core entering… '
You listen to Elly ramble more about how this room shouldn't exist, about how all this mana should have shunted it into a time between time, and how this is yet another impossibility….
Your eyes are instead drawn to something in the center of the room.
A pedestal, with a large blade cutting through the center.
It's imposing, so large that it looks unwieldy.
An exceptionally long and broad double-edged blade, made of gleaming, polished metal. Its edges,razor-sharp and finely honed to perfection seem to almost whine when you look at them.
The blade's surface is covered in etchings and intricate patterns, all the way up to the hilt where a large blue gem glows in the light. When you take a step back, the runes form a word… or perhaps a name… Fafnir.
The runes change, shifting across the blade's surface like water.
Siegfried.
They shift again, but you can't look at them. Something in your head blurs the name when you try to.
It hurts your head, so you continue looking at the rest of the blade, noting the runes shifting again when you don't look at them.
The guard itself is shaped like a flowing cross, mixed with some mythical creature, almost like a dragon if you look at it from the right angle. Yet it looks sturdy, small chips and breaks along it alluding to a long history of use.
The handle's large as well, easily long enough that you could fit two hands around it, and wrapped in a black fabric that seems both textured and smooth at the same time.
The black fabric fades to gray near the pommel, which then fades to silver, and a large blue gem sits at the end, shaped like a crystal eye, almost like a lizard if you look at it close enough…
The blade… calls to you…
Something in you, someone in you… wants it.
And before you know it, your hands are on the blade.
Something cracks, something roars. A voice you've heard before… but haven't.
It roars your name. It roars a name you have/had/haven't/won't/will.
Lighting crackles. Blue, purple, black.
And the world goes black.
You may not have gotten to finish that book, nor did you meet the Lime yet.
But I do think that this little... gift, might be well worth all that time spent exploring no?
Perhaps you know what it is, perhaps you don't.
You certainly might after next chapter.
But yes, Its history might indeed be useful to know.
Note that I'll not be posting TCOB tomorrow, instead, I'll be be experimenting with that RWBY story idea.
Uni has me drained, so I'd rather start something new then work on something with all of TCOB's numbers. maybe. Shall see.
Sidenote 2: I'll be skipping past your rift clearing. They were low level and nothing really happened in them. May not even have them happen, but as you spent an action for them, I'll be kind and give you the shards for them either way.
Next chapter, Infinite Bladeworks~ (Not really.)