Episode 52
The humvee rolls into a spot upon the worn pavement of an old service station parking lot. The noon sun above heats up the rooftop solar panels of the main building in the middle of encircling fuel pump awnings. A faint breeze hardly moves even a few blades of grass in the empty fields near the lone stop along the long highway. The vehicle stops, the powerplant inside the humvee spins down, and a door opens. Hopping out, Sotalia dashes in a rigid jog around the side of the main structure and swiftly pushes through the front glass storefront doors. Cideeda calmly exits the cab, shaking her head of short, multicolored hair with a roll of the emerald green eyes, and shrugs, casually walking to the entrance. Aristespha steps out of the vehicle, slides her seat up, and clears the way for Dretphi to climb out. Nodding appreciatively, Dretphi catches up to Cideeda at the store doors. Aristespha slides her seat back and curiously observes Bach.
Silently staring out the window to the scenic fields and trees around, Bach sighs softly, maintaining an inner distance from the world around him. Aristespha steps up into the humvee, sits down in her seat, and stares inquisitively at Bach. "So... What is on your mind, Bach?"
Bach blinks a few times out of the stupor, turns his head slightly towards Aristespha, and awkwardly stumbles upon his words. "Uh... Well... I mean... Nothing really. Just enjoying the scenery, I guess?"
Aristespha lifts an unconvinced eyebrow, seeking further explanation with her focused stare. Sebastian's ghostly form appears in the aisle between Aristespha and Bach and levels a questioning glance towards Bach. "Oh, bullshit, bro. You've been spacing out the whole ride back since this morning. Something heavy is sitting on your brain."
He furrows his brow and tilts his head to the side. "What is it?"
Briefly squirming in his seat, Bach hesitantly gazes over towards Sebastian and Aristespha. "I... I don't know. It's well... I... I've just been thinking about yesterday. And, really thinking about... Well..."
He draws in a long breath, pauses in thought, and exhales slowly. "What am I?"
Sebastian cocks his head puzzled and blinks out his confusion. "Okay? Um. In what context are we asking THAT question?"
Bach crosses his arms uncomfortably, rolling his shoulders, and hisses in a nervous breath in. "Well, in the context of me using elder energy from whatever source it comes from for me. Yeah, so, uh, last I checked, people who tend to use that type of magic haven't been viewed favorably for a really long time. Vilified, even."
Glancing away briefly, he mutters to himself. "Especially if the puppet shows are to be believed."
Sebastian smiles proudly with a comforting voice. "Listen. You saved the life of our friend. I SAW you struggle and try your fucking damnedest to do everything else possible. You HAD no other option and did what you felt was the right thing to do. I don't think anyone will fault you for that."
He glances over to Aristespha and back to Bach. "I'm pretty sure anyone in that same situation would have done the same thing, bro."
Bach grimaces uneasily and averts his eyes away, examining his thoughts between flicks. "Yeah. I mean... I know I made the right choice and all."
Unfolding his arms, he grits his teeth, and sways his head, raking both hands through his head of longer, brown hair. "But... Gods... I still worry what thinking THAT WAY could eventually lead to. I mean, think about, how many Dark Lords before were honestly justified in what they did initially? And... How many still felt fully justified when they went off the deep end? And totally never knew how far they had gone?"
Sebastian ethereal blue eyes widen in concerned shock. Sliding around to face Bach from the center console, he cranes his head around and makes eye contact with his brother. "You are NOT a Dark Lord. DO NOT put THAT on yourself."
Reaching her arm out, Aristespha firmly grips onto Bach's shoulder and stares sternly compassionate into his worried blue eyes. "You have to understand that term is not some kind of official classification. It is a term that was born out of fear and the desires for manipulation of the masses. Ultimately, it is nothing more than convenient branding that ignorant masses use and the media and governments encourage."
Bach lowers his head and contorts his grimace, mumbling loudly. "Even so... It seems to have been really appropriate a bunch of times in the past."
Sighing long, Aristespha's violet gaze softens, a gentle tone coloring her voice. "Bach. Just because you have access to Elder energy does not make you some kind of Dark Lord. Or even destined to become one."
With a sincere smile, Sebastian nods in agreement and angles his head to meet his brother's eyes. "Yeah. And, if I have the score right, you've annihilated two Nightmare Geists and saved Sotalia's life with that power. I think you are far from any infamous Dark Lords at this point, bro."
Lifting his head up, Bach musters a halfhearted smile and sighs out his reserved acceptance. "Yeah... I'd like to think that, too."
He stares poignantly at the sword at Aristespha's side, fighting back the hints of dread bubbling out onto his face. "I don't know. In a weird way... Gods... It seemed a lot easier and safer for everyone to just live my life as some kind of lame mage. If I don't use that energy... I can't become something that would require..."
Wincing, he stammers with his inhale. "A special sword to take down."
Aristespha and Sebastian trace the path of Bach's stare upon the sword. Sebastian briefly frowns, and Aristespha pats her hand on Bach's shoulder, calmly explaining. "There has been no properly done research that has shown that Elder Energy has any effect on the minds of its users. In fact many at the Grand Library believe most of the infamous Dark Lords had serious prior issues well before they came into their power."
Sebastian grins reassuringly at Bach and nods with Aristespha's statement. "Exactly! You have the power, and you avoid using it as much as possible. That sets you apart from a lot of people."
Bach summons up a full smile towards his brother and shrugs his shoulders. "I guess. But, as much as I'd like to not use it at all..."
Rocking his head between his shoulders, he twists a grimace. "It might be best to get some idea of what exactly I have. I mean, if only just to not accidentally fuck things up. "
Aristespha leans an analyzing gaze towards Bach and confidently smirks. "I most certainly can help you with that. If you want. The Grand Library has done plenty of research in related fields of study, and I may be able to contact an expert or two, discreetly. I promise we will take it slow and careful."
Drawing in a long breath, Bach exhales out his nerves, relaxes into his seat, and nods appreciatively at Aristespha. "Yeah. That sounds pretty good. Maybe in a few weeks? Gods. Still a little shaken up right now to focus on something like that."
With a final few pats, Aristespha smiles kindly and glances over to the store corner. "Of course. I do think we all need a rest before anything else."
She watches Sotalia round the corner of the building with a large coffee cup in one hand and collection of sweeteners, creamer cups, and seasoning packets in the other. Sliding down off her seat onto the pavement near the humvee, Aristespha places her hands on her hips. "Well. I think I might need something to drink anyway. Do you want anything, Bach?"
Bach thinks for a moment, visibly searching his desires. "Um. Yeah. I guess a milk tea-"
Patting his stomach, he winces consciously of his figure. "Uh, the unsweetened kind."
Sebastian glances over, perks his brow, and rolls his eyes. "Oh, live a little, bro. You've been doing damn good about getting in shape anyway."
Sebastian fades back towards the sword, and Bach sighs playfully with a tinge of sarcasm. "Okay, the regular kind. Live a little dangerously today."
Laughing, Aristespha nods and walks towards the storefront entrance. She pauses after an off step, wiggles her leather booted foot around on the pavement, and mutters Evuukian curses under breath, adjusting her pace. Bach leans his head side to side, stretches his body out in the seat, and works the stiffness in his neck. The front passenger door opens, and Sotalia places her large cup of coffee in a center console drink holder. Dumping an assortment of extras in the beverage, she glances over to Bach flexing the tension out of his shoulders and smirks. "Maybe you should walk around and move, instead of sitting motionless staring out the window for hours?"
Rolling his eyes at himself, Bach reaches for his door handle. "Yeah... Probably not a bad idea."
He carefully steps down from the humvee, walks out, and places his hands on his lower back. With a slow, careful motion, he leans backwards and stretches his spine, brief grimaces appearing on his face. Bach stares out into the tree filled perimeter around a grassy field. Sotalia steps up to his side and gazes over. "So. How are you doing?"
Bach blinks back to awareness, meets Sotalia's golden eyes and darkened sclera, and attempts to nonchalantly shrug. "Well, I'm still pretty sore and got bruises all over. But, I'm okay enough at the moment."
With an amused smirk, Sotalia gradually nods and lifts a curious eyebrow. "Hey, question. How much do you remember after I woke up?"
Furrowing his brow, Bach sorts through his thoughts and twists his mouth. "Ah, well, I guess, most of it. I think? Why?"
A genuine, gentle smile graces Sotalia, and her gaze softens, brushing back her fiery orange, wavy hair over her black swept-back horns. "I just wanted to make sure you heard me on our way back up. I know you risked a lot to save me. From what I saw and... felt."
Shyly averting his eyes from her attention, Bach chuckles awkwardly and scratches the back of his head. "Ah, well, it was nothing, really."
He cringes briefly and groans at himself. "Oh gods. I can't believe I just said that."
With a giggle escaping, Sotalia shakes her head slowly. "Oh. Don't worry. You'll say plenty worse ones, soon enough."
She sidesteps in front of Bach and concentrates her gaze upon him. "I can only imagine what a monumental pain in the ass it was to save me, from everything Sebastian told me..."
Moments of silence fill the air between the two. Sotalia reaches her arms out, slips them underneath Bach's, and leads him into a hug. Leaning down, Bach wraps his arms around Sotalia in return. Sotalia nestles her head upon Bach's shoulder, presses her horned head close to his, and squeezes him. Bach smiles with a happy sigh. Sotalia angles her head and directs a gentle, grateful whisper into Bach's ear. "Thank you again..."
She tightens her embrace. "For being my hero."
In stunned silence, Bach blue eyes widen and fight vainly against the welling of tears. Sotalia feels Bach's attempts to stifle his sniffles, quietly closes her watery eyes, and softly rubs his back comfortingly.
Ambient dusk light illuminates the clearing under a reddening evening sky. Within the confines of a large encampment, Chrome Crusader personnel and Next Adventurers of Nexus crew mingle between tables of festive, rustic cuisine. Samantha directs Gerald's camera aim in between bites of a sandwich. Deedri converses with a gathering of medical team members. A bravado filled Chad and energetic Maxon exchange tales to the enjoyment of those around. Veevi attempts to garner some attention with her additions to diminishing returns. Between her antics, she sneaks peeks towards Deedri. Sitting quietly at the corner of a table, Trakenthin slowly scrolls through a familiar aethersite on his aetherphone and occasionally glances up, watching some change of surrounding activity. Modoran nonchalantly strolls through the area, casually spots a card game, and smoothly slips into an open spot at the table.
Next to a roughly fashioned entry point into the area, Tassilda casually sits upon a wooden perimeter fence with her legs crossed. She idly picks at the aged lumber with her long fingernails and sighs with a tinge of boredom, observing the festivities from a distance. Tossing back her raven black her over swirling horns, she settles her balance upon the timber beam and stretches her body slowly in her form accenting blouse and dress. A tall emin man steps up to her side behind the fence and speaks with a clear, calm voice. "My lady. Whatever are you doing all the way out here?"
Tilting her an ear towards Daedrican's voice, Tassilda's interest piques, and she smiles in delight. "Well. After all the excitement this week, I quite fancied a little peace and quiet."
Daedrican rests his dark gray hands upon the wooden fence rail and taps the lumber with his naturally long, thick black fingernails. "Oh. That I can certainly understand. It has been an interesting patrol, so far."
Sneaking a glance, Tassilda's light blue on black eyes follow Daedrican's strong arms to the rest of his physique. Quickly noticing the lack of armor, she distracts herself with his tight fitting shirt and athletic shorts. "Um. Yes. It certainly has been. I do hope our group hasn't proven too burdensome in your team's efforts."
She musters some semblance of composure and calmly aims her head towards the center of the encampment, her eyes attempting to study Daedrican out from the corners. Daedrican chuckles lightly and slowly shakes his head. "Not at all, my lady. You all seem quite capable, each in your own ways. But I must say, I am especially impressed with the skill you have demonstrated."
Blushing slightly, Tassilda attempts to discreetly work the color in her face back to normal. "Oh. You are ever so kind, Paladin."
Daedrican cracks a grin upon his face and scratches his masculine jawline. "Only Junior Paladin... Well, for now."
Resuming her stealthy analysis, Tassilda ponders and swaps the crossing of her legs. "I have to ask, do the Chrome Crusaders usually have end of mission parties like this?"
Distantly surveying the plates of food, gaming, and mingling, Daedrican shrugs his square shoulders. "Our division does at least. I can't rightly speak for any other division. Maxon implemented such events to keep morale up during long quests. It helps to relieve some stress before the return trek back."
Stretching his back out, Daedrican gazes down towards Tassilda with a pleasant smile. "While we certainly cleared out the path here, we still need to be on guard on the way back. We have had far rougher trips back before. So, a little break to release some tension is appreciated by everyone and allows everyone to focus afterwards. Give everyone a chance to breathe."
With a slight twist of her body, Tassilda slowly turns her head and faces Daedrican. She watches the distant lights reflect off his long, straight silver hair. A few locks slip over the cleanly cut bases of Daedrican's thick, black horns and drape down upon his pointed dark gray ears. A suggestive smile widens upon Tassilda, and her eyes trace the shape of his high cheekbones and square jaw. Below silver eyebrows upon a dark gray, evenly toned skin, she focuses her gaze into Daedrican's eyes.
His golden pupil and white sclera eyes.
Tassilda blanks abruptly into a distant stare. She blinks between moments of visible twitches, hinting the mental shock against the deviation of expectation. Daedrican curiously perks his eyebrow and tilts his head slightly to the side, allowing a few silver strands to slide upon his muscular chest. "Anything wrong, my lady?"
Tassilda's posture stiffens, and she directs her empty stare forward at the encampment rigidly. Seconds later, she startles back to awareness and response to Daedrican with a deadpan cadence. "Um. No. Nothing is wrong. I just realized that I am quite famished."
Nodding, Daedrican points over to a specific table with large pans of sliced meat and cooked vegetables. "Oh. Yes. If I might suggest, the venison the scouting team hunted a few days ago is delicious."
Nodding slowly, Tassilda coasts through a mix of emotions. Fighting brief twitches and a trend to grimace, she maintains her neutral composure. "That sounds lovely right now."
She slides awkwardly down off the wooden fence rail and walks uncomfortably to the festivities. "If you will pardon me. I would like to partake in the food... and... see what the rest of my party is doing. Um... Goodnight."
Tassilda continues to meander towards the center of the encampment. Daedrican crosses his arms and cocks his head, puzzling to himself. "Completely understand. Good night, my lady."
Pausing a moment at Daedrican's response, Tassilda awkwardly resumes her exit. Daedrican smirks with amusement and mutters to himself intrigued. "Interesting."
Heavy mats cover the entirety of the dining table surface. Carefully probing her claw tips through boxes of spare electronic parts, Cideeda inspects the splayed out components of her laser pistols upon a blue rubber pad. She grumbles in frustrated fvalian and plucks tiny pieces off a controller board into a nearby garbage can. Dretphi removes the barrel out of her submachine gun and shines a flashlight down the bore, inspecting its condition. Her steely gray eyes narrow in annoyance, and she groans a few choice words in grath. Placing the separated barrel down on a heavy cloth pad, she reaches a hand into a metal case filled with mechanical parts. With a wince, she pauses a moment, adjusts the cold pack wrapped around her shoulder, and gently flexes the joint.
Bach steps through the hallway archway into the median between the dining and living areas of the large room. Pausing for a long yawn, he shifts his focus over to the dining table with Cideeda and Dretphi sitting opposite to each other. He notices familiar weapons in pieces upon the table, approaches curiously, and presents a confident tone. "Well, so how did everything hold out?"
Cideeda lifts her head up, meets Dretphi's glance across the table, and smirks out of view of Bach. She sneaks a wink, and Dretphi lifts an amused brow. Both Cideeda and Dretphi slowly turn their heads in unison, sternly stare at Bach, and remain silent. A shallow wave of nervous anxiety washes over Bach. Examining the attention upon him carefully, Bach verbally stumbles with an uneasy tone. "Uh... Okay... So, I guess there were problems... Correct?"
Maintaining a serious tone, Cideeda picks up an electronically encased crystalline tube and holds it over to Bach. "You could say that."
Sitting down at the end of the table next to Dretphi and Cideeda, Bach takes the component from Cideeda and carefully inspects the device. He rolls the tube in his hands, studying a number of blackened spots in the crystal, melted power contacts, and discolorations on the electronic board. He grits his teeth, hints of embarrassment trickling into his voice. "Oh... Yeah... That doesn't look good, heh, at all."
Dretphi offers the barrel section from her submachine gun. Bach gives Cideeda back the crystalline part, grabs the metal part from Dretphi, and examines it. Seconds of searching the exterior for issues later, he eyes down the bore and puzzles at the interior. Thinking a moment, he furrows his brow confused and searches his mind, approaching his suspicions cautiously. "This looks... Too smooth. Shouldn't there be-"
Dretphi stares coldly. "Rifling."
Nodding slowly, Bach stiffly returns the piece to Dretphi. He bites his lip, sighs, and lowers his head, a bit ashamed. "Ah, shit. Sorry about that. It was an emergency situation and-"
He feels a familiar five claw points gently squeeze on his arm, and Cideeda meets his gaze with a toothy grin. "Oh, don't worry! We're just fucking with you. You got nothing to apologize for."
Dretphi lightly pats Bach's shoulder and warmly smiles at him. "No complaints."
With a hint of color in her cheeks, she momentarily averts her eyes. "It was exhilarating to fire."
Bach relaxes and snorts out laugh, shaking his head. "Damn. You had me going. But...
He glances around at the array of parts upon the tabletop. "It still looks like those parts are done for."
Flicking her long, fluffy tail, Cideeda nods quickly with a shrug of the shoulders. "Oh, gods, yeah. That laser tube is no better than a damned laser pointer at this rate. But, it's not the first time I've changed out a laser tube."
She rolls her emerald green eyes at herself, grumbling. "And, well, it won't be the last. But..."
Flashing a sly grin, she perks her furry ears. "This was the BEST use of a tube I've ever had."
Dretphi flips open the lid to a wooden, rectangular box and removes a fresh barrel in a cloth wrap. She unrolls the fabric, examines the replacement part, and smiles at Bach. "Ammunition for this gun is potent. Not gentle to barrels. They need to be changed. Periodically."
She eyes down at the old barrel, quirks her brow and twists the corner of her mouth. "Happened early on this barrel."
Shrugging her acceptance, she glances over to Bach and smiles. "A worthy sacrifice. Thank you for your help."
Bach drums his fingers on the table top in thought and puzzles over the non-functional parts. "Well. Back to the drawing board on those enchantments. I'll try to figure out something a little less destructive on the equipment they're put on."
Nodding in agreement, Cideeda locks replacement components into her laser pistols. Her emerald green eyes gaze prospectively to Bach, and a scheming smirk graces her light brown face. "Definitely work on those enchantments... But... I actually have something I'd like to look into more with your help, if you can."
Lifting his head up from closely watching Cideeda and Dretphi's projects on the table, he glances inquisitively at Cideeda. "Um, yeah, sure. I mean, what would that be?"
Cideeda grins toothily and her long tail brushes purposely along the top edges of a box filled with old tools, raw materials, and crystal infused metal and stone mechanical parts.
Sotalia searches through the laundry hamper on her bed with one hand, keeping the aetherphone on her ear with the another. She picks up a shirt, inspects it briefly, and tosses it into a pile of others. Pausing a moment, her focus shifts to the person on the other side of the conversation. She smiles and sighs out her relief. "The trip went... Okay. We got some really good information that we're sorting through right now. And, Aristespha is going to call up her contacts at the Grand Library and see what they can provide."
She waits a moment, listens to the response, and squirms uncomfortably a bit. "Well, yeah, it got a... little... hectic. And crazy. But, nothing we couldn't handle, of course."
Sorting through the contents of the clothes basket, she flips out a few undergarments into respective piles upon the bed and puzzles a moment, furrowing her brow. "Huh? Oh. Yes."
A gentle smile warms upon her light tan face, and she nods slowly, staring inside herself for a moment. "Yeah. He really came through for everyone... And, me."
Seconds of silence later, Sotalia's golden eyes spring wide open and surprise reddens her face. "Mother!? Really?! Gods! You know how I don't like to have conversations about THAT part of my life with you!"
Twinges of irritation distort Sotalia's demeanor, and she grits her teeth, rolling frustration across her shoulders. "THAT was different! It was just the two of us years ago. And, it was just a really nice fling that ended with us still being great friends today..."
She shifts the aetherphone against her pointed ear, straightening her posture. "Mother. Can we NOT have this conversation right now?"
Exhaling apologetically, she settles down to a smile with a calm tone. "Gods, I'm sorry. You know I love you. It has just been quite the week."
She flutters her golden eyes with a faint shudder. "And, gods, it's only Wednesday!"
A laugh escapes her, and she rolls her eyes in amusement. "OH! You've got to send me pictures and videos of that. That reminds me. If you talk to Maelvia and Talelia before I do, let them know I'm about to send another care package for the little ones."
Sotalia grins and stands up proudly with a chuckle. "Oh, you know Aunt Sotalia is not going to let them go without."
With a few nods, she shrugs nonchalantly and snorts with a smirk. "Don't worry. If father is in the shop, he can call me later. Otherwise, he'll just be absolutely distracted the five to ten minutes he manages to stay on the call. There's no use expecting a meaningful conversation from him when he's got a project waiting for him in the shop."
She hoists up the laundry hamper, dumps out a few pairs of yoga pants on to bed, and dons a happy smile, glancing at the aetherphone upon her ear. "I love you, too."
With a faint sigh, she nods slowly. "I'll take care. I promise... Bye."
The phone displays the end of call screen and flicks back to the home screen. Sotalia slides the device into the side pocket of her shorts and surveys the assortment of clothing upon her bedspread. Her gaze wanders, and she mulls over a starting point. Side stepping, she picks up her belt of pouches near the head of the bed. She flips open each pouch after another, inspecting the contents, and snaps the flap back shut. She halts, and her eyes narrow to the dim illumination radiating out of a particular pouch. Pinching onto an object inside, she removes a small, blue tinted crystal with a faint glow. She puzzles the artifact, her eyes flicks through recent memory, and a spark of recognition lights up her face. Her attention falls upon the small crystal, and she places her belt of pouches back down. Glancing around her room suspiciously and cautiously eyeing the doorway, she kneels down next to her bed and reaches a hand underneath.
With a bit of effort, she slides out a finely crafted wooden box, gestures a quick incantation, and lifts the lid open, a faint wave of magical miasma dissipating from the exterior. Inside the normal container, trinkets, baubles, and knickknacks of questionable magic potency fill the interior. A golden disc, a jar of golden fragments, a translucent green plate, a coil of magical cable, a stabilized energy spoon, a practice wand, and a neatly folded mesh of blue and green magical fibers contrast the other contents of the chest. Sotalia opens a pouch on her belt, retrieves a cleaning cloth, and wraps the dimly glowing crystal inside. She places the bundle inside the box and admires the collection.
Curiosity guides her attention towards the magical cable, and she inspects the length in her hands. Losing herself in the examination, she pulls it as hard as she can and observes the fluctuations in the stabilized flows. She ponders, furrowing her brow, and quietly contemplates. Her investigations subside and interest wanders over to the folded mesh.
She lifts up and unfolds out the blue and green weave of fibers, a rough garment matching her figure closely. Comparing the diameters of the pair of cut magical cables at the shoulders, she rotates the magical mesh and holds it next to and over her body. A sensually amused smirk creeps from the corner of her mouth. Awareness of her surrounding sparks with a hard blink, and she quickly glances around her room, a hint of pink in her cheeks. Folding the magical mesh neatly back into the chest, she closes the lid, casts a quick spell, and slides the container back under the bed. Fighting an awkward smile, she stands back up and resumes sorting her laundry.
Trakenthin's tall, muscular frame walks past the border of the forest clearing and into the middle of a small circle of tents. Kneeling down, he unloads the bundle of firewood out of his arms and starts arranging the small logs within a makeshift fire pit. Towards the edge of the site, Samantha stands next to Gerald and waves her hand across the area. "Okay. I want you to get a good shot of the camp setup, and, then, see if you can get a few bits of what everyone else is doing."
Gerald resettles the camera on his shoulder and nods, adjusting the lenses. "Sounds good to me. It's been pretty uneventful after that last bandit encounter. Don't know if there will be anything worthwhile."
Examining the ongoing call status on her phone, Samantha shrugs her shoulders and snorts, mildly disappointed. "I KNOW. Still, we could use some filler footage between the main segments. But... I really do hope good things are coming..."
With a flick of activity on her aetherphone screen, she glances down. "Any good news, Howie?"
A voice sounds out from the phone speaker, and Howie ponders out loud with plotting cadence. "Yes. Actually. I have a few options for interesting missions for our adventurers to go on. I'll send over the quest descriptions. I'd also like to get some input from the crews on those."
A sly smile widens on Samantha, and a happy tinge lightens her tone. "Oh, I can't wait. I think the crews wouldn't mind a little bit of action. Or... At least, something entertaining to film."
With a long roll of his dark brown eyes, Gerald groans and shakes his head of short, dark blonde hair. "Well, let's not get too crazy here. I think there's some beauty to the simple and boring. Also, I'd prefer anything I can record from a distance. I do have telephoto lenses, for a reason."
Howard chuckles, dripping with dry amusement. "Oh, why Gerald! I've always thought your best work came from some of your most daring moments."
Gritting his teeth with an upper lip sneer, Gerald loudly grumbles and aims his camera towards Tassilda and Veevi. "Just because it DOES, doesn't mean it SHOULD."
A sigh of faux disappointment resonates from Samantha's aetherphone, and Howard relays his understanding. "True. Very true. That's why I want everyone to review the possible missions and figure out what you all are up for recording. Regardless, I think we can spin anything from those for an episode or two. I'm certain all of you will find those PERFECT moments for me."
Samantha's hazel eyes flash with a sinister glint, a dark giggle slipping out from her. "Oh, you know us too well, Howie."
Howard hums to himself, the sounds of paperwork and keyboard clacks echoing out from the other side of the teleconference. "Oh, I DO. One more thing before I go... I might have a surprise for Trakenthin. Well, once my inside sources confirm all the difficult little details. It's proven a bit hard due to certain complexities of grath houses."
Both Samantha and Gerald gaze at the aetherphone, exchanging curious glances between each other.
In an open area next to the campsite, Tassilda groans loudly while crossing her arms, berating Veevi in a harsh lecture. "You CAN'T cast that spell yet! How do you expect to summon up destructive energies without knowing the basics of proper insulation and protective spell elements?!"
Tossing back her pink hair defiantly, Veevi grips her hips into an obstinate pose and petulantly pouts. "Oh. My. Gods! You keep making this whole magic thing hard! Practice THIS. Practice THAT! And, there's NOTHING that's related to the FUN spells!"
Tassilda narrows her light blue on black eyes at Veevi, sneers her upper lip, and commands. "Once you can DEMONSTRATE a basic flow barrier, you will be taught a safe practice spell befitting of your ability. Until then, you practice strictly what I have shown you!"
Veevi grits her teeth, revealing her pointy canines, holds hands out close together, and curls her sharp nailed fingers around a center point. "Once I demonstrate MY ability, HUH?! Let me show YOU what I can DO!"
Tassilda hoists up a dismissive eyebrow and scrutinizes the faint thread thin flows of energy streaming down Veevi's arms and condensing in between her hands. Her eyes open wide, and she raises a finger at Veevi with an assertive, demanding tone. "STOP. RIGHT. NOW! You are going to hurt yourself trying to cast something like that!"
A rebellious grin spreads on Veevi, and she strains, flowing more into the red-orange centimeter wide sphere of energy in between her palms. Tassilda steps forward, reaching her hands out. The miniature ball shakes and quivers. A brilliant flash of orange illuminates the area, and a bubble of fire billows out from the space between Veevi's hands, dissipating quickly into the air. Stopping in place, Tassilda awaits Veevi's reaction with obvious concern. Trakenthin snaps his head up from building the campfire, searching around confused with a furrowed brow. Stirring in his Flames of the Phoenix branded tent, Chad mutters loudly. "The fuck was THAT?!"
Veevi remains still, only managing to blink her pink pupil eyes. Slowly lowering her stare at her hands, she carefully rotates her palms fully into view. Noticing the reddening skin, her awareness of the fresh pain piques. "... ... Ow ow owowow!!"
Vigorously animated, she cringes, squirms, and whines, tearing up. Her puffed out tail flails in a clueless panic. Attempting to seize Veevi in place, Tassilda barely directs Veevi towards Chad, emerging from his tent. Chad snaps a glance to the frantic Veevi and levels an accusatory glare at Tassilda. "What the hell happened?!"
Turning her nose up, Tassilda firmly places her hands at her hips and growls back. "OH? You should ask HER what she did to HERSELF!"
Groaning in frustration, Chad pinches the bridge of his nose and sighs out his irritation. "Gods dammit. Not now. First things first..."
He searches the immediate vicinity, quickly pulls his aetherphone out, and taps in a few commands, keying up the radio. "Deedri?"
Veevi freezes mid panic, and her posture stiffens. Deedri's voice crackles over the phone. "Yes! What happened? I think I heard Veevi crying?"
Chad rolls his eyes and nods. "Yes. That was her. Something happened when she was practicing magic. Could you come over, please? I think she burned her hands."
Deedri replies immediately. "I'm on my way! I'm not far!"
Worry infiltrates Veevi, and she dons a teeth gritting grin. "U-u-u-uh, I'll be okay. Yeah, um. I just need to wrap them up for a little while. I'll be fine... Really!"
Puzzling at the sudden attitude change, Chad places a hand upon Veevi's shoulder and leads her towards an empty camping chair nearby. "Deedri will be the judge of that. Just sit for now, and calm down."
Rushing out from forest brush, Deedri scans the area. Trakenthin catches her glance and immediately points out Veevi in the chair. In a single fluid motion, Deedri tosses off her apron filled with freshly picked herbs, snatches up the large first aid kit next to her tent, and dashes over to Chad, Tassilda, and Veevi. With a calm, neutral demeanor, Deedri stares directly at Veevi, systematically analyzing her condition. Her full attention locks onto Veevi's hands, and her auburn eyes illuminate. "Mild first degree burns from a magical source. From between the hands, I guess. Okay."
Deedri kneels down in front of Veevi and opens up the first aid kit, beginning treatment. Chad pats Veevi's shoulder and glances down to Deedri appreciatively. "Thank you, Deedri."
Granting a quick nod, Deedri resumes her task. Chad motions Tassilda over and away, towards the black sports utility vehicle nearby. Midway through the walk, he glances over with an annoyed sigh. "Okay. What exactly happened?"
Veevi remains still, cooperative, and quiet through the treatment. Averting her eyes away, she suppresses her reflexive flinches. Deedri cleans the burns, applies an ointment, and casts a spell. On both of Veevi's hands, she places hers around, and flows of magical energy radiate into the wounds. Veevi's discomfort gradually subsides, no longer wincing with every motion of her fingers. Minutes later, Deedri finishes wrapping up Veevi's hands with a thin protective bandage. "Well, good news. You were lucky. The application should keep the swelling down, help heal any damaged tissue, and keep the pain dulled. I'll need to do another treatment to help facilitate healing, but that will be before you go to bed tonight."
Veevi respectfully nods and meekly replies. "Yes, I understand. Um, thank you. And... Uh..."
Pausing a moment, Deedri inquisitively stares at Veevi. A few failed attempts to start the sentence later, Veevi glances swiftly around and quietly apologizes with an authentic, sincere tone. "I just wanted to say... I'm really sorry for how I... treated you before."
Deedri blinks blankly, bewildered. Regaining her composure, she gathers up enough of her thoughts into a response. "Well. Yes. I will accept your apology. But... I'd suggest you treat people with a bit more respect in the future, too."
Veevi's pink pupil eyes wander into her thoughts. Moments of introspection play blatantly out upon her face, and she nods with a genuine smile to Deedri. Deedri stands back up. Veevi hops back up, bows respectfully to Deedri, and walks over to Chad and Tassilda. Stepping closer to the discussion between the two, Veevi dons a smug smirk, summoning up her typical prideful demeanor, and assumes an assertive posture. She quickly slips next to Chad, sparking the debate into a bigger argument.
Staring in utter confusion, Deedri slowly scans around the area. She halts her gaze upon Modoran leaning against a tree close by. Cocking her head to the side, she droops her furry ears and contorts her perplexed stare at him. "Did you... Um, see that?"
Modoran nods slowly, shrugs his shoulders with his hands out to the side, and grimaces uncertainly. "Yes. And, gods, I wish I knew what to make of it."
Deedri sighs, shaking her head, and kneels down, reassembling her kit. Modoran steps on over, squats down next to her, and offers to assist. Trakenthin rolls his hazel eyes away from the fresh squabble and focuses upon lighting a campfire.
Dim evening light sneaks through the closed window horizontal blinds of a nicely decorated inn room. Finely crafted wooden details encompass the lodging with a well made bed, table, chairs, and other furniture. Isaac sorts through a number of drying pictures on folded towels upon the bed. Examining one photograph of himself, he closely inspects the prismatic aura with intermixed streaks of white threading through. Scanning over another collection of images, he pauses and focuses upon each photograph. He studies weathered golem parts in a courtyard, heavy manufacturing equipment in a large dark area, debris surrounding a ransacked building, the massive central platform structure over a deep pit, and colorful speckles of twilight covering a tall cavern ceiling. Faint, hazy hues of color cloud surround objects in the pictures, barely standing out from the rest of the scenery.
Isaac lifts up his picture and holds it next to another row of photographs, analyzing them attentively. Examining individual, distantly magnified pictures of Aristespha, Dretphi, and Sotalia, he pauses thoughtfully and focuses upon Cideeda's image. Moving Cideeda's photo above Sotalia's, he closely inspects the similar prismatic auras evident along with Aristespha and Dretphi. "Fascinating... That makes sense now... But, before she never..."
Glancing to an image of Sebastian and his muted aura, he stares at the picture of Bach with a prismatic aura indiscernible from the others. He tilts his head to the side, puzzling out his dissatisfaction, and grumbles quietly. Tapping upon a photograph of the dire wolf golem, he traces his finger along the green aura with specks white. A series of electronic chirps chime out from a wristwatch on the table, and he turns around to turn off the alarm. Upon the table top, a dark red, translucent field boxes in a series of trays, alchemical containers, magically enhanced photography equipment, and rolls of film. Isaac reaches his hand into the magical area, grasps a pair of tongs, and fishes out a blank piece of slick paper from the first tray of fluid. With great care, he lowers the sheet into a middle tub, settling the material into an alchemical bath. He carefully watches the sheet soak in the solution. A knock sounds out from the door, and a man's voice amicably calls from the other side. "Hope I'm not bothering you Mr. Huxley, but dinner is about ready. The wife cooked something special for all of us tonight. She's definitely bribing you for more of your stories."
Startling momentarily, Isaac regains a happy demeanor and raises his delighted tone. "Oh. I will most certainly be down in a few more minutes, Goff. I just need to finish up with the last part of a research task."
From the other side of the door, Goff chuckles. "Understand. The wife was curious if there's any photos you could show us. I told her I'd ask you, Mr. Huxley. But, I know academic research is serious business, so I understand if you can't."
Thinking a moment, Isaac surveys the photographs out on the bed, sets aside the images of scenery, and glances over to an unsealed, addressed envelope. He smiles kindly and directs his voice back towards the door. "I most certainly have a number I can share. And, I would love to take a few photographs while I'm here, too."
An appreciative laugh sounds out from Goff. "Not a problem. A little advertising wouldn't hurt, even if it's just academic. Thank you, Mr. Huxley."
Isaac rolls his gray eyes with an amused smirk and shakes his head. "You may call me Isaac, Goff. Do not let the white hair fool you, I'm not THAT old."
Goff's humored tone grows audibly distant. "Sounds good, Isaac. Come on down when you are ready."
Goff's footsteps disappear into the background din of the inn. Isaac smiles and chuckles quietly to himself. Turning his attention towards the middle tray, his gray eyes spring wide open. He squints through the dark red magical field and futilely searches out the details of the developing picture. Impatience manifests into eager fidgets. He grasps the tongs, hovers the tool in wait above the alchemical bath, and eyes the digits of the countdown running on the wristwatch. After muttering a tense count, he lifts up the image covered sheet and transfers it over to the final tray, settling it into the mix. Quickly gesturing out an incantation, Isaac holds his hand over the solution and releases flows of energy into the bath. The paper briefly glows, the fluid bubbles faintly, and the picture stops changing.
Isaac resets the wristwatch and focuses his full attention to the new image of Bach flying upwards with an unconscious Sotalia in his arms. His eyes search through the discoloring haze of the dark red magical field, and he grits his teeth in anxious anticipation. The minutes creep slowly by, and Isaac tightly grips the tabletop in between impatient taps of his feet and glances to the counting down digits of the wristwatch. A chime rings out, the tongs gently lift up the picture, and Isaac quickly summons a flow of magic. With a quick motion, he swipes his energized hand over the paper, repelling the solution back into the tray, and removes the excess liquid off the sheet. Without sparing another moment, Isaac retrieves his picture from the bed, removes the fresh photograph from the dark red containment field, and grins expectantly, comparing the two.
His face blanks. His eyes widen. His jaw drops. Blinking in sheer bewilderment, he tilts his head in astonishment. Putting both pictures into the grip of one hand, he traces a finger along Bach's aura. The image of Isaac showcases a prismatic aura with threads of white weaving into the flows. The photograph of Bach and Sotalia shows a typical prismatic aura around Sotalia. The picture reveals the faint prismatic outer shell of Bach's aura and the bright pure white the inner aura radiating out from him. Isaac remains speechless, wandering over to a seat on a nearby chair. Squinting, his mind scrambles to some kind of understanding. He recollects his composure, draws a deep breath in, and sighs out his expectations.
Staring at the photo of Bach, he calms down and musters up a mood swirling with wonder, confusion, and eagerness. "HOW?"