Honestly I think my favorite part of this quest is Heidi's totally unique perspective, what with her friendships on both sides of the war.
Honestly, Heidi's ability to get along with paragons and monsters alike is really neat.
Also Lu and Lucy seem to have come to the agreement that the name Lucifer will stand beside Defiance in whatever time she finds herself, and that's just...really sweet, and kind of intimidating.
Honestly I think my favorite part of this quest is Heidi's totally unique perspective, what with her friendships on both sides of the war.
Honestly, Heidi's ability to get along with paragons and monsters alike is really neat.
Also Lu and Lucy seem to have come to the agreement that the name Lucifer will stand beside Defiance in whatever time she finds herself, and that's just...really sweet, and kind of intimidating.
Alright. A little short of a cycle again, but I kind of doubt there will be that much more, if any at all. And the monastery has a big-enough lead to close it here.
Adhoc vote count started by Naron on Jun 9, 2020 at 10:37 AM, finished with 17 posts and 14 votes.
[X] There is a monastery on the mountain, time to investigate
[] There is a monastery on the mountain, time to investigate
"I was meaning to ask", Lucy starts, "what brought you to be UD-aligned in the first place? After what I heard from Lu, you do not strike me as the evil, no, the type to thrive in their society."
It is just the two of you, a few hours after you decided to stay, sharing tea while Gabriel and Lucifer the older went out to explore the base. You made sure not to call it a date where they could hear, though Lucy laughed when you mentioned that later. Now you shrug. "Not much of a choice, really. My only option to get out of there was to use this completely uncontrollable spell and hope I don't bring myself somewhere worse."
"That makes sense." Lucy takes another sip from the sweet tea before adding a curious question: "And why did you not defect during that episode on Valhalla I heard about?"
A good question, one you have trouble answering. The thought to just switch sides never crossed your mind. To abandon your team, abandon Paoras of all people... ah, that explains it. You just shrug again and nurse your own cup. "I know you're at war and everything, but the UD has some decent people around. Not that many, I think, I don't even know because no one can actually speak their mind or do as they wish unless they are super powerful."
It is getting away from you there, so you take a sip to organise your thoughts. "Anyway, I met some good people and they just... grew on me. Decent people trying to make do in a horrible place."
"I see."
Lucy thinks that over while you take a sip of your own. Both of your cups return to the table with audible clinking noises, but you are the only one who speaks, albeit reluctantly. "That aside, I'm planning to go home soon. To my own time." After a moment, you also point at the surprised Angel's face. "And if you're calling us friends, then you better not go and die before I get to meet you then!"
She laughs at that, a quiet cackle that holds on for quite a while. You meant it, but even you can see why she finds it funny.
"Naturally," is the response you receive after a few seconds. "I am not planning to die, and this I promise you. Until we meet again, I shall stay alive no matter what."
The words immediately worry you, with her giving such a promise, but then your mind parses them and you just shake your head. "Did you just fake out the system?"
"Why, because I made a promise that might make me fall, but which would only do so after I am already dead?" She grins at you, well aware of what she did and completely unrepentant. "Why should I not? I meant every word either way, we will meet again in your time."
You can not help but return the grin and show her a thumbs up. "Sure thing."
The comfortable silence after that holds for a moment, which each of you uses to empty her respective cup. This time, it is Lucy who speaks up with another question. "Back to the previous subject, what will your return to your own time mean for your alignment?"
You make to respond, but halt and think. "Good question." You do not really have any interest to keep fighting in this war, at least not really. There is something about it that just feels off, though you can not put your finger on what it is. You do not want to hurt and maim and kill when you do not have to, and now it is definitely your choice. But if your friends are still there in your time?
"I honestly don't know," is the only truthful answer you can give. "Have to think about it. I never thought any further than actually getting home."
"I can not blame you. Would you care for more tea?"
She quickly refills both cups and you consider what to ask her next. It is quite the pleasant day so far, although you do want to find the other two soon.
. . .
IDENTIFIED BREAK LINE . . .
The next day is set for an excursion out to the monastery cast into the mountain overseeing this base. The same mountain apparently also houses various mines where elven miners dig for precious resources, and that is why the Empire has an outpost here, to protect them from any incursions.
"What about the monks," you had asked when that was explained. Lucy laughed at you.
Half an hour into your visit up high, you understood why. Those are not the usual ascetic prayer monks, though that is part of their daily duties as well. They are warrior monks, the kind you see in those old Japanese -or are they Chinese?- karate movies, that jump up onto trees and break walls with their bare hands.
"As you can see, everyone is quite diligent." One of the leaders of the monastery, you forgot his name already but he has a neatly trimmed beard and quite a few wrinkles, motions for the rows of exercising Elves. From acolytes freshly recruited to the old masters, everyone is gathered for their morning practice.
Elven warrior monks. The things you see...
Gabriel nods with a kind smile for all of them, her presence magnifying her approval to the point you think it makes them punch and kick harder.
That is also odd. You had one of those before, but it has not shown itself ever since you woke up here on Reluxus. Going by your friend's explanation, these presences require a certain reputation even after having been earned; with only a handful of people remembering so much as your name, and even with The Dragonslayer remaining as a legend, that is not enough to sustain yours.
You have no problems with that; it saves you a lot of explanations for why no one knows you but you have a presence that requires them knowing you.
The tour of the monastery Gabriel got for you is honestly somewhat... boring. Boring in the sense that while you find the architecture and combat forms and everything interesting, it is only for a minute or two at most. You are no geek for architecture or hand to hand combat, even Lu is not particularly into it.
After a time, once the elder is done explaining how the monks grow their own fruits and vegetables, you speak. "I was wondering about something." He immediately turns his head to you, so you ask straight away: "I'll freely admit I'm not the most, uh, invested in unarmed combat like yours. But from what I heard, you guys here are pretty strong. What's the trick there?"
He grins a grin of several missing teeth and motions for you to follow. "Why, a good question. The Stardust Mountain Sect is quite well known for it, so I am surprised you did not hear, young lady." There is no insult there, though his tone bothers you for some reason. Or maybe something he said?
It takes a few minutes until you reach wherever you were going, which he spent in silence with an impish grin. Gabriel and Lucy are chuckling while Lu looks around with open curiousity. The old Elf led the way into another, wider, and deserted courtyard facing out toward the countryside and the base far below. A single strawman is placed close to the edge.
"Now, it is about time for me either way, so I might as well give a demonstration. Watch closely."
He steps forward with measured steps, which you only now realise are not signs of old age, but of a raised guard. He is ready to defend himself at any time, never off-balance, never unaware of his surroundings. You only barely suppress a whistle and watch him approach the dummy; his stance changes fluidly, hands up and legs bent for stability.
Another late realisation is that the shroud of mana surrounding him is flowing gently, and now surges from everywhere to his right arm in a heartbeat.
Then his fist snaps forward and-
(Essence of Stardust: +2000 Base Damage 1728000000 Laser, dice ignored = 1,728,000,000 Total Damage
Strawman: +20 Base Resilience, no dice, -20 Face Annihilation = 0 Damage Reduction
1,728,000,000 Final End Damage
Strawman is dead. He was not alive, but he is still dead. Also vaporised.)
-the dummy explodes. Literally.
Not only the dummy, the sudden discharge of mana from his fist tears it away and completely destroys everything in front of him with a loud boom. Now you understand why this place is set up at the cliffside; the entire energy slams into the air instead of tearing up the monastery, sending a strong gust of wind your way as it fills the hole his strike left.
There is no trace of the dummy, aside from the first foot of the pole it was attached to.
He bows toward the blowing wind and does not seem to mind how his beard flutters, then rights himself and returns to you with a serene smile. The whole sight is so at odds with what you just saw that you wonder if it really happened. Lu is just as wide-eyed next to you while Gabriel chuckles.
The old Elf returns to his impish grin when he stands in front of you, hands hidden in his long sleeves. "As the grand master of the Stardust Mountain Sect, I can channel and store power for a bit over a hundred days. Any acolyte who completes their first year achieves ten days at the very least. It is quite the potent response to just about anything, and we are quite capable of defending ourselves even without our Essence of Stardust."
At least you managed to pick up your jaw. After taking in what he said, you point back at where the dummy once was. "So you're saying everyone here can do that every few days?"
"Quite." And he keeps smiling like that. You are really not sure whether to call that whole matter insane or impressive.
"I can't really imagine how you do it, to be honest. Most I ever charged something was fifteen hours, and that sent me into a week of bed rest." And a vacation that you figure will do some good to you, too.
His smile falls away and old eyes open fully to take you in. "Fifteen hours, truly? And with enough power to exhaust yourself in such a manner?"
"Yes?"
"Hm." He strokes his beard. He's doing the old man pose where he strokes his beard and you get to see it for real! The realisation almost makes you miss his next words. "That is quite the feat, especially as one who is not part of our monastery. If I may offer a piece of advice, pacing yourself is often quite useful. Do not attempt to push as much power into it as you can in as short a time as possible, but keep the flow constant and manageable."
You almost tell him off because that is easy to say for someone who has no limited transformation to use his powers, but bite down on it. Instead, you lower your head. "I will take it to heart, thank you." He is only trying to help after all.
"Now," he continues with a lot less gravitas, "shall I show you to the mural?" It is a rhetorical question, seeing how he already leads the way again, but you do wonder what kind of mural that is supposed to be. You also wonder why Gabriel is snickering.
At some point on your journey through the many halls, Lucy's eyes widen and she starts to cackle quietly, too.
Of course the old master does not miss their amusement. He curiously turns his head without so much as changing the rhythm of his steps. "What exactly would be so amusing to you, Lady Gabriel? Lady Lucifer?"
They both wave him off kindly. Lucy points to you with a smile. "I can still not get over our young friend's reaction to your display, grandmaster."
"Ah!" He huffs softly and offers them a smile of his own. "Well, we were all young once."
"...if we weren't guests here, I'd have some choice words about that."
Now all three of them are laughing, but you do keep it down to just grumbling; it shows how far your self-control developed, you would have torn into the old man if he said something like that to the you from a year ago.
Silence settles again after that, but you can not get their stupid grins out of your mind. Just what is so funny to them?
You are still pondering that when sweet incense fills your nose, the entire group's measured steps beginning to echo as you enter a large chamber. The far wall is filled with a twenty metres high mural and other artifacts are arranged around the room. You can see fine lines of Brand Craft snaking through the stone, connecting each of the display cases with some kind of array beneath. Probably to prevent any adventurous thieves from making off with the stuff.
Magic-wise, that mural is just as interesting; there are at least three layers of wards spread over it.
Turning off your magic sight entirely to take it in, your steps slow and eyes widen. Your guide chuckles. "Quite the sight, no? This is our legacy, the very origin of our sect."
You are on Reluxus. On a mountain.
"We call it 'She Who Brought The Emerald Sun', for in old legends it says that our ancestors beheld a figure wreathed in the most beautiful light atop this very mountain. Inspired by her radiance, they devised the techniques we still use today, chief among them Essence of Stardust."
It is the mountain. And before you is a larger than life depiction of yourself, completely historically inaccurate. They did get the colour of your blade's charge right, a tone almost emerald but somewhat lighter. Yourself? Well, you had no wings last time you checked. And you wear no floaty white dress. Or carry the gathered mana in your bare hands.
"I was meaning to ask, as Grand Archangel, would you know how true these legends truly are? Even at the risk of destroying my own faith in our mysterious forerunner, I would like to know."
And, well, you are not an Elf. Those ears are pretty pointy.
"It is quite alright. I happened to meet the woman in question personally. She is The Dragonslayer, although I have to admit that there was a lot of, ah, artistic freedom, taken with her depiction here. I assume the painter either did not get a good look at her, or took a few years before creating this mural."
You created a sect. The thought keeps repeating in your mind while you stare at the giant painting.
"My, truly? The Dragonslayer, who would have thought we are related to a figure of legend. I-"
A distant boom interrupts the exchange next to you, making the grandmaster pause and turn away while a rumble goes through the stone below. "I believe I should make sure nothing precious was broken. If you would excuse me?"
You take a deep breath and rub your eyes slowly.
"Of course, there is no need to rush. I believe our friend will require some time to take in the majesty of this piece."
Your hands stop minutely, but you can not look at it again just yet.
"I see, I see. Take your time, I shall be back shortly."
Steps move past you, an almost inaudible huff, and you lower your hands to look at this... this a while longer. The doors fall shut in the distance, leaving you alone with the three Angels. All of which you give a flat stare, while ignoring that Lucy's cheeks are red from suppressed laughter. "A word of warning? Just, just one word? Was that really too much to ask for?"
As if on cue, both Lucy and Gabriel break down and laugh, echoingly, loudly while you glare at them. Lu just stands at the side, visibly exasperated but grinning as well.
"You're assholes, both of you."
Nope, more laughter. You sigh and turn back to look at the mural. At least they got the skin colour right? And your gender? That's something.
When the two idiots are done laughing, Lu speaks up from the side: "So our dear friend created a cult because she felt like rearranging the landscape. Are there any other semi-religious movements regarding any of us that we should know about?"
Lucy falls back into giggles while Gabriel straightens up, face flushed. "Ah, I needed that. Now for your question, I believe there are at least two." She raises a finger. "The UD's Angel Slayers still invoke your title, The Fallen One, in combat." Another one. "And, but do not quote me on that, many melee-focussed Demons see The Dragonslayer as their patron and forerrunner. I can not say that one for certain, but I did hear the title mentioned a few times over the years."
You just sigh, unsure what to make of all this. Being some kind of mysterious, legendary figure never even occurred to you a year ago. Life is weird.
But then an idea presents itself and the mix of emotions you feel is overridden by glee. "And how many were inspired by you?"
The question throws Gabriel off and, incidentally, renews Lucy's laughter. The younger Angel is actually on the ground by now, wheezing and choking out a "T-Too, ahaha, too many!" before devolving into giggles again. Gabriel herself is quickly counts on her fingers, reaches ten, and panics while trying to figure out a better way to keep counting higher.
Now it is you who laughs at her, and that is good enough for you. You can sort your feelings about this out later.
. . .
IDENTIFIED BREAK LINE . . .
The rest of the day, which you spend at and around the monastery, is more calm. You slowly begin to accept that yes, you left a more or less permanent mark on history. Perhaps you should head out and find mentions of yourself in old history books when you get back. Maybe you actually will.
To think you were just a normal teenager a year ago still makes you feel odd. Just when did you change so much? Or maybe, you figure, you were always different and just lacked the power to truly stand out.
Either way, you calm down as the day goes on and, after another day spent mainly looking around the base and the mines, end up taking a longer expedition with Gabriel two days after visiting the Stardust Mountain Sect.
Meaning, she carries you in her arms and flies over half the continent to oversee an Elven legion march through the Reluxus Hypergate.
Mind, what the Elves call a legion is probably more like a demonic one, not a human one. Soldiers in absolutely identical armour march in sync, shoulder to shoulder, row upon row. Every single step is so clearly audible that it feels as if a single giant makes them, not millions of men and women. You watch and try to spy a piece of ground, but find none even while they continue to step through the active gate, hundreds of metres wide and tall as it is.
"Impressive, is it not?" Gabriel is gazing down with a fond smile while your thoughts go elsewhere. She does not seem to notice. "Its construction was finished a few years ago. They power it from the active supervolcano located just beneath."
The insanity of that aside, you can see the use of it. Powerful natural phenomena usually come with a lot of mana available to power great constructions like the elven hypergates; they only have a handful of them, but those have a great range and can transport entire armies in as long as it takes for the soldiers to march through. "This is the Empire's road to the war." Something about that makes you feel weird, and it draws your mind back to the thing you were trying not to think about.
Gabriel merely nods thoughtfully. "I feel a little small looking at such a marvel, but I also see a great weakness they will have to shore up greatly. If this gate is lost, the Empire's ability to contribute in the war will be crippled." She pauses momentarily, as if unsure whether she should even say it. "If the gate is taken, the entire Elvin Empire would be in easy reach of UD-forces."
You can not help but grimace as you stare down at it. You know how far the defense of this place will go.
Two thousand years from now, the woman holding you will make her stand here, together with an elite unit from the First Host. The greatest warrior of the Light, lost. And, again, with nothing you can do about it.
"...I see."
Her sudden comment makes you look up, to find Gabriel looking at you sadly. "You need not say anything, I can read it right out of your face. This place will be heavily fought for one day."
She has no idea yet but you nod anyway, mutely. Telling her of the future, this future in particular, would be too cruel.
You wonder if there would be another Gabriel after that point. A new woman, thrown into this horrible war carrying such a burdensome name, the same way Lucy was. What kind of person might she end up being?
You shake off the thought, there is a Gabriel right here, right now. Lu and Lucy are somewhere else, having separated from you earlier. But the thought of your fallen friend does remind you of something you were meaning to ask: "Say, did you manage to get fallen Angels treated better by now?"
The change of subject is most welcome on top of sating your curiousity. Sadly, Gabriel merely shakes her head after processing the question. "No, I am afraid not. Even the Grand Archangel can not undo millennia of prejudice and fear. I can give orders, but I know they are often ignored the moment I turn my head." She hangs hers as she says it and you pat her shoulder. "Lucifer's crusade reinforced the stigma and made progress nearly impossible, but I am still working on it. Slowly, surely, it will get better in time. I hope to see it one day."
You both exchange smiles and nods about it. She is Gabriel after all, and she has a lot of time to make it happen.
By yourself, you hope that there will be no heavy topics during the second half of the week; that would be a nice change of pace.
-------------
Again, you manage to have some time to spend; but what to do with it? There is little to do in a military base. Pick one:
[] There is a monastery on the mountain, time to investigate
[] You heard there are Elven Champions around and go to find out more
[] Practice with Gabriel
(No write-ins for this one)
[X] You heard there are Elven Champions around and go to find out more
I would really like for Defiance to incorporate some Stardust sect style fighting into her own fighting style. She may be the founder, but she can obviously learn something from them. They have a different persepctive on the same subject. It´s called blowing things up in melee.
__________
"Now, it is about time for me either way, so I might as well give a demonstration. Watch closely."
He steps forward with measured steps, which you only now realise are not signs of old age, but of a raised guard. He is ready to defend himself at any time, never off-balance, never unaware of his surroundings. You only barely suppress a whistle and watch him approach the dummy; his stance changes fluidly, hands up and legs bent for stability.
Another late realisation is that the shroud of mana surrounding him is flowing gently, and now surges from everywhere to his right arm in a heartbeat.
Then his fist snaps forward and-
(Essence of Stardust: +2000 Base Damage 1728000000 Laser, dice ignored = 1,728,000,000 Total Damage
Strawman: +20 Base Resilience, no dice, -20 Face Annihilation = 0 Damage Reduction
1,728,000,000 Final End Damage
Strawman is dead. He was not alive, but he is still dead. Also vaporised.)
-the dummy explodes. Literally.
Not only the dummy, the sudden discharge of mana from his fist tears it away and completely destroys everything in front of him with a loud boom. Now you understand why this place is set up at the cliffside; the entire energy slams into the air instead of tearing up the monastery, sending a strong gust of wind your way as it fills the hole his strike left.
____________
Clumsy Edit: That is the part I am interested in. The Master is channeling a shroud of Mana. Could Defiance maybe channel the mana swirling around the battlefield in small doses or over the time of the build up charges of Mana around her like some kind of Combo?
Come to think of it, can Heidi use mana in her civilian form? And if yes can she improve her mana control? That could be an avenue of research.
We should probably see the elven champions, even if I'm incredibly curious about the results of practicing. (If write-ins were allowed I wouldn't be, but that they aren't means there's a specific thing Naron wants to do and I want to know.)
Interesting that OP doesn't apply. It does take away the comedy of just appearing out of nowhere with one in our own time (Heidi's poor father), but it's probably a good idea.
