Tales of Alidaire: The Betrayal

Sayori frowned when she was pulled away and notified that she was needed elsewhere. It was so unfortunate since she wanted to get to be friends with everyone, well everyone besides that doll-napper who tried to hurt Akina twice. However knowing that it wasn't her choice, Sayori pouted and nodded to the guards then waved back to everyone as they took her away.

Meanwhile the redhead waited until the wolf girl was finished with introducing herself before stepping toward the group for her own introduction. She wore mostly green clothing and from the overall look of her she appeared to be an archer or ranger of some sort with that bow and quiver on her back. However within her quiver it was easy to see the absence of any arrows. Though usually people don't notice the lack of arrows, and thus immediately assume she was an archer or ranger. Though they wouldn't be wrong on that assumption they weren't exactly right either. It was true that her bow was her weapon but she used something else for ammunition than the mundane and boring arrows.

Now the group she was assigned to was interesting. She wasn't quite sure what exactly a Harmonizer did, it hadn't been explained in any of the books she's read while studying under the Institute. The other was a reaper, very original. Even though Keine had never ran into a reaper before she's met several necromancers at the Institute. They were all a lot like this man, dark, gloomy, quiet, and looking half-dead. As for the knight well, there wasn't much Keine could comment on about her. Though so far she was just like your average knight, boring! And finally the only one in this group with an interesting personality, Akari. The Arcane Fletcher wasn't quite sure what was wrong with the girl's head but watching her speak as if she were some sort of animal talking about packs and alpha-males was very amusing.

"Yes well if we're done with Akari's oh-so-formal-and-serious introduction, I believe it's my turn." Keine spoke as she approached, "As the King has already said my name is Keine. And well, I think that's just about it. I don't know what else to say. If you want to know anything about me feel free to ask."

Nina decided she was more comfortable with Keine than Akari. And still that wasn't by much. The only thing Keine had over Akari was that her behavior at least seemed more controlled. Still, the seraph knight fidgeted again, shuffling just a bit closer to Daskar in an unnoticeable fashion. He was really the only person in the group she knew well anymore. He made the discomfort of this situation bearable. Her gaze flitted over to Grey. "Introductions and all, the note said we have several more missions to complete. How about it?"

Figuring that Akari would be satisfied for now, Grey turned his attention to the other chick who turned out to be somewhat of a bitch. With her words, she definitely rubbed the harmonizer the wrong way. He gazed at her with a rather cold, almost eery stare. It was a good thing she didn't go on and on about herself because Grey frankly didn't give a flying shit. He didn't waste words on her and instead focused on Nina who had mentioned the other missions. "Yeah, I saw more envelopes in the Post Office last time I was there, but I only took one," Grey mentioned, now shifting his attention to the king. He took out the envelope and handed it to him. "Well, we were obviously successful since we're back and now snowclasp food." He shrugged his shoulders and strolled back to the group.

Infestation complete!

The Party receives 50 Gold!

The Party receives Shell Token!!

~ T O K E N S~

Just as you would think, Tokens are going to be a form of currency, so to speak. They will be awarded after completing missions and will remain with you forever. Taking that into consideration, you must be wondering what their use is. Well, everyone once in a while, a rare item, material, or piece of equipment will present itself in random shops. If you see the rare item, you're in luck...given that you have the appropriate Token! If you present the right Token to the shopkeeper, you will be given the item for absolutely free. It's a one-of-a-kind item, and each item will respond to exactly one Token. Let's take the Shell Token you just received as an example: there is only one item that can be gained by showing the Shell Token. Type of Token required will be shown in the item statistics/information when found in the shop, so no guessing games required. All in all, complete as many missions as you can and rake in those Tokens!

* * *

"Yes, you've done very well, my Royal Guard," King Ramone stated with a smile, taking the envelope and handing it to a nearby soldier who offered Grey the reward of some gold and a strange bronze token with a shell inscribed upon it that nearly made Grey toss it at the wall, but he didn't want to be disrespectful to the king. "As long as you're aware of the other missions, you have my permission to leave and get them. You might wish to do some shopping before setting out," he cautioned them all, moving back to his throne and taking a seat while the Royal Guard turned their backs and made their way out of the castle.

"Just meet up at the town exit when you're done with what you have to do," Grey stated simply, giving them a nonchalant wave as he took off on his own, much like he had done the last time they had a chance to shop earlier in the day.

~Item Shop~

Herb (Heals 10 HP upon use) / Gold: 50 / Number in Stock: 5

Mana Shard (Heals 10 MP upon use) / Gold: 80 / Number in Stock: 2

Life Shard (Revives fallen character with 10% Max HP) / Gold: 150 / Number in Stock: 2

Antidote (Removes Poison upon use) / Gold: 60 / Number in Stock: 4

Chest Key (Unlocks treasure chests) / Gold: 240 / Number in Stock: 3

~Weapon Shop~

Stinger (A pair of gloves with bristling needles that stab anyone who comes into contact with them. Increases ATK by 3; equippable by Grey) / Gold: 325 / Number in Stock: 1

Mighty Spear (A powerful spear made for those who ascend the rank of novice. Increases ATK by 3; equippable by Nina) / Gold: 325 / Number in Stock: 0

~Armor Shop~

Leather Coat (A long coat made of rough and durable leather. Increases DEF by 2 and INT by 1; equippable by Grey) / Gold: 325 / Number in Stock: 1

Mourning Trenchcoat (A dark trenchcoat usually worn by those who are in mourning. A sadness seems to linger around it. Increases DEF by 2 and SPR by 2; equippable by Daskar) / Gold: 375 / Number in Stock: 1

Iron Chainmail (Chainmail crafted from high grade iron. Increases DEF by 3; equippable by Nina) / Gold: 325 / Number in Stock: 1

~Synthesis Lab~

Shell Chainmail (Metal chainmail that also consists of the hard shells of Snowclasps. Increases DEF by 5; equippable by Nina) / Gold: 160 / Materials: Light Chainmail x1, Hard Shell x3

~Post Office~

Infestation (There's an awful lot of Snowclasps out in Amplo Neve recently. Can someone take care of them?)

More Guards? (We thought the guardian of the Polar Ruins was defeated, but there are more apparently and archaeologists can't get through to do their jobs. We need them removed immediately!)

Fiery Soul (A perpetual fire blazes somewhere in the middle of Amplo Neve...)

Current Gold: 430

Nina nodded to Grey with a small grin, another nod following once her gaze shifted to Daskar–who was already leaving. Without waiting for their new teammates, she took the extra payment from her ally and stepped back out into the city, her target being the items shop she had skipped over previously. It was sort of refreshing to walk through the city without much care in the world, and there was a greater peace found inside the walls of the store. There was not anything to make her uncomfortable–a feeling she did not feel often and did not wish to feel again any time soon–just a nice stroll and simple transaction. It was a mere five minutes before she was headed toward the exit with two herbs in tow.

Nina buys Herb x2! -100 Gold!

Akari wasn't sure what to do now. In a new world with her human body, there were plenty of things she could do now that she couldn't before. She could walk into cities and even the palace. When she first entered the place, she was nearly overwhelmed by the sight. Seeing things with a human perspective was different from the perspective of a wolf. Akari still wasn't sure how she felt about her powers as a familiar. She hardly remembered her encounter with the spirit.

Akari stood back up as Grey handed the king something. What was it? She had no idea. They kept talking about envelopes though, so maybe that was it. Akari never experienced such a thing before, so she was still confused by it. She made sure to follow at a reasonable distance. The alpha male in her pack from before didn't like her being too close to him unless he was lifting her tail.

Even when Grey told them to meet up later, she followed him. What else could a female wolf do? She was no leader, and was very new to thinking for herself. It was definitely not something that came naturally, so her primary instinct was to follow the alpha male of the group in silence.

Akari followed her new master wherever he was going, but that didn't mean she wasn't paying attention to her surroundings. In fact, she couldn't help but look around in awe and wonder. She saw the other humans greeting Grey as he passed them by, and wondered how people from a different pack could show respect to an outsider. Unless...

"Master," Akari spoke up, still looking around, "how is it that people from different packs be so friendly towards each other? I don't understand. Where I grew up, we lived in small packs and had to defend ourselves from rivals all the time. Could it be that all these humans are in the same pack together? Is that man that you call 'king' the alpha male over everyone here?" If that was true, Akari would be incredibly impressed. Never before has she seen so many people part of a single pack. Her own pack consisted only of five females, including her, and two males, one was the alpha male. That was as big as any pack got before civil scuffles broke out and the pack split.

Wandering down the main street, Grey passed by quite a few people and was a bit surprised to see them all waving at him. He was fairly new to the Royal Guard, yet people already knew him by appearance. It was somewhat off-putting, but Grey indulged their greetings and gave them waves and shit like that, but in truth, he just wanted to get to his destination. Veering onto a slightly less populated side street, it was then that he realized he was being followed. Taking a swift, subtle glance back, he realized it was one of the new people: Akari, the one who called him 'master.' Now that was even more off-putting. Regardless, he pretended not to know that she was following him, even though she seemed pretty distracted herself, looking about at all the buildings and the people and such. The post office was coming into view now, but before he could reach the door, Akari finally deigned to speak to him, but unfortunately, it was regarding human culture as if she wasn't one which was something he could somewhat relate to.

Grey stopped in his tracks, hovering near the door to the post office. "Eh, people don't live in packs; we're not like...er, wolves, I guess," Grey tried to explain, making his point very clear. "Everyone living in this city kinda works together to keep things runnin' and such. The Holy King Ramone Iveylia leads us all--everyone in the city. He is the ultimate authority of this city, Cidade." He spared a glance at the castle where said king resided. "I guess you could call him alpha male, but it wouldn't be too farfetched to have a queen ruling over the Holy Kingdom," the harmonizer purposed. Though it didn't mean much to him and seemed like pretty standard information, he had no idea how the mysterious, intriguing Akari would take it.

Nina, pleased with the short amount of time it took her to complete her errand, found herself strolling easily through the city to the exit. She liked Cidade. Though it was absolutely nothing like her home, it had its own charm that she had grown fond of. Working for the king as a member of the Royal Guard had only made the experience better for her. Sure, she missed her family–what was left of it anyway–but who could resist experiencing the world for one's self. This was truly a blessing, even if it did have some rather negative aspects.

The seraph knight's stroll came to an end as the exit finally was upon her. She smiled at what she saw. Daskar had taken to building something out of the snow that blanketed the grounds of Cidade. It was kind of precious in a way. He barely had the foundations for whatever it was he was building up, but he looked... cute. Almost like a child, which was strange since he was older than herself, or at least appeared so. But she did not mind, in fact she felt inclined to join him.

She didn't though; best not to interrupt.

She had a feeling she wouldn't see this again if she did.

Humans didn't live in packs? Akari frowned, even though she was still unfamiliar with that expression. She thought it meant disapproval, or something like that. She was confused when Grey mentioned a queen, she didn't know what that word meant. But she didn't ask, it wasn't really what she was curious about anyway. "Human culture is so strange," Akari said aloud, looking behind her at the people they passed.

Then a thought crossed her mind. If the king was the alpha male, then how is it that the other males are so peaceful here? Wouldn't they want to show dominance in any way they could? The ones that she knew were called soldiers were sometimes male, and what stopped them from taking over the alpha male position? Unless...the king was actually very strong himself. Strong enough to defeat all the males in the city.

"The king must be pretty amazing to be able to lead all these people," Akari said in her wonder. "Especially if none of the males are rising against him." Another pause, and Akari looked at Grey, that same, curious expression as before gracing her face. "So does that mean the king is lifting everyone's tail?"

"Er, people don't have tails."

Grey left it at that for the moment because he seriously had no idea what this chick was talking about. If she wasn't satisfied with that, she could inquire further, but he needed to get a move on, so he opened the door and let Akari in before entering the establishment himself allowed the door to swing shut behind him. Moving down the aisle leading up to the front counter, he veered to the right wall post office boxes and located the one designated for the Royal Guard. Taking the key, he jammed it into the lock and opened the door, retrieving the two envelopes inside. He gazed at their descriptions briefly and shrugged. He opened up both envelopes to get a better idea with what they were dealing with. More Guards? gave plenty of details. Apparently they were on the Cidade side of the Polar Ruins, close to the actual ruin site itself. The guards were supposedly golems made of snow. That certainly sounded like fun.

The other envelope was a complete mystery. The description was vague and inside was only a piece of paper with a strange runic symbol painted in crimson that, in the ancient language, meant 'vigilance.' "Wow, these are terrible. I guess we'll tackle the golems one first. I don't even know about this other one," Grey muttered mostly to himself, but he allowed Akari to take a look at the missions as well since she was around.

No tails? Akari blinked a few times, then looked over her shoulder and down her back. She was hardly able to, but she could wave her hand over her butt. No tail. Grey was right. Akari felt like she just learned something very important about the human anatomy. She was confused though, if humans didn't have tails, how did they protect their butts from being punctured by unwanted males? She noticed other strange things about her body as a human, but decided not to ask Grey about them. Something about the way he spoke told her to be a bit more careful.

When he handed her the envelopes, or so Akari thought they were called, she merely looked down at them. There was a bunch of strange, black scribbles on the envelopes that she didn't recognize. With a blank expression, Akari looked back up to Grey. "I don't know what those markings are," she said, almost sadly. Akari felt like she was missing something important about the human culture, something she could not understand or participate in. It made her feel lonely.

Akari shuffled her feet, which were bare. She wasn't sure what to do now. What did humans normally do at a time like this? Akari didn't know, she wasn't human to begin with, and only recently became acquainted with them. Her hands traveled back to the fur cloak on her back. The fur was very similar to that of her own in her wolf form, so it gave her a sense of familiarity.

Grey was about as shocked as he could be to hear the words coming out of Akari's mouth. He took the envelopes gently back from her and gazed at the one with the actual writing--the one with the symbol for vigilance on it really didn't mean anything to him. It looked easy enough to read to him leading him to what didn't seem to be a plausible conclusion, but it was most likely the truth. "You're telling me that you don't know how to read?" Grey asked quizzically. How could she not? Grey was fully aware that the chick was pretty weird, but not being able to read? That was a bit of an impediment that should probably be rectified, even though everyone else could read just fine. Should Akari be separated from them, reading would be a valuable asset to her--one that she really needed to possess in her repertoire of whatever else she could do.

He didn't wait for an answer. "That was a rhetorical question. We're going to have to do something about that," he said decidedly, nonchalantly gesturing for her to follow him out of the post office and into the streets, the perpetual chill greeting them as it always did. Most buildings were kept nice and warm, but that cold always waited to bombard those who sought to go outdoors. "Someone's going to have to teach you how to read," Grey stated as he made his way down the side street and back to the town square, turning right and heading down the main avenue towards the city exit where hopefully the others would be waiting. His mind was still boggled by this newly obtained piece of information from this new Royal Guard member. He wondered if he should share it with the others. As much as he hated to admit it, he didn't really want Akari to be embarrassed by the fact that she couldn't read.

Grey groaned mentally.

Grey's questioning hurt her at first, but Akari quickly got over it. She didn't understand half of the emotions she was feeling then. Her body changed to that of a humans, and now she was beginning to feel human emotion. Back when she was a full-blooded wolf, she never had these sort of problems. It was like she gained some sort of awareness of herself, mentally and emotionally. Akari turned her gaze away as Grey moved past her. He was so close, she could smell his scent. It was warm. Comforting. No wonder her wolf instincts told her he was the alpha male of the group.

The natural attraction that made Akari follow Grey to the post office made her follow him out, though closer now. She still stayed a few paces behind him, but close enough for him to feel her close proximity. If she wanted to be like a human, she would have to learn how to read, or whatever Grey called it. Read...that word seemed to fit. Akari smiled a little, though still unfamiliar with such expressions.

"You're kind," Akari said quietly, directing her words towards Grey. She hardly understood what they meant, but her voice was so quiet he probably wouldn't have heard her anyway. Akari stayed close to Grey as they made their way through the human city. She didn't want to get lost, though she was positive she could just revert to her wolf form and sniff her way back.

"Well, that was a rather cold reception. Oh well." Keine stated after everyone had left then shrugged. The others could think what they thought about her, she's gotten quite used to it. Even back in Balmamusa at the Institute those with the title of 'Magus' weren't all that well liked. Keine smiled to herself and gave the king a wave without turning her head back, "Goodbye Your Majesty."

After she left the proximity of the palace Keine closed her eyes and sighed. When she opened her eyes they were gazing up at the sky. The original plan for her was to go back to Balmamusa after this quick little trip but now it looked like she was going to be here for a while. Not that she minded all that much but Rubick and Nortrom would be furious that she was holding up their plans. Ah well, she'll deal with them when she gets back, it's not like they couldn't wait a month or two. Regardless Keine still assumed it would be good to send word of her current status so they won't think that she died somewhere and then replace her with someone else. She snapped her fingers twice, and as if on cue a white owl descended from the sky and landed near Keine.

"Tell Rubick and the others I won't be able to come back for a while." Keine said as she retrieved a small piece of paper and quickly scribbled something down. Then she tied the note to one of the owl's legs with a piece of string and it took off into the sky as she headed to the gate, leaning against a wall and waiting for the others to arrive when she reached there.

Getting closer to the city exit, Grey couldn't help but feel a bit...unnerved. There was something intruding on his personal space, and it didn't take him long to realize that it was actually a someone--Akari. She was following him a bit more closely than she had before which he figured was for the best so she wouldn't get lost presumably being new to the city and all. She had muttered something, his ears twitching in a manner that probably couldn't be noticed. Was he really all that kind? "Gah, don't say that. I'm not exactly the nicest guy around," he told her in a more indifferent manner than anything. His tone didn't belie the slight irritation which was probably bad; she wouldn't be able to tell anything was wrong. But was there anything wrong? The member of the Royal Guard says he's not the nicest guy around. As if going around risking his life for the well-being of the kingdom as a whole wasn't nice. He felt his face get a bit hot and he grimaced. "I've decided that you shouldn't tell the others you can't read. I'm just going to teach you in any spare time that we get, all right?" He didn't know why he bothered making it a question. If she really felt him to be her master, then she would obey regardless, but there was just something really unsettling about ordering her around. She wasn't a slave; she was a member of the team.

Reaching the others at last, Grey felt all the awkwardness he felt around Akari evaporate as he realized that Daskar was...what the fuck was he doing? Grey nearly deadpanned as he noticed that Daskar was building some kind of fortress out of the snow. Was he really that bored? Nina seemed content in just watching, and Keine didn't seem as if she had been around all that long. Ignoring the spectacle for now (dear Torcrea), Grey meandered over to Nina and handed her the envelopes. "Here are the new missions," he spoke loudly enough for everyone to hear. "Our first stop happens to be the Polar Ruins. Apparently the snow golems are giving the archaeologists trouble." He frowned. "And after that, we're going to have to do some roaming because apparently we're looking for some weird fire in Amplo Neve. Don't even get me started on that..."

Akari couldn't help but feel happy when Grey said he would teach her how to read. She didn't understand half those words, but she did understand happiness. That and hunger were two things that, as a wolf, Akari knew well enough. A spring returned to her step, though hardly noticeable. When they did reach the gate to the city, Akari saw something rather strange. Daskar, the reaper, was sitting inside a large den made of snow, which she only knew as sky-powder.

Akari drew closer to the sky-powder formation, but didn't touch it. Her curiosity merely lead her to look around the walls that Daskar built. She wanted to ask lots of questions, but held her tongue for now. They were about to leave, and Akari didn't want to be the one holding them up, asking questions that probably didn't mean anything to others.

They meant a lot to her though.

She didn't know how long she had been watching Daskar build his fort. All she knew was that he was finishing the fourth wall when the sound of the other guard members drew near. Nina didn't turn to greet them as she would have though; her eyes remained locked on Daskar and his fort. He didn't seem to be fazed by the coming of their allies either, merely looking up and then going back to his work on the snow fortress. The seraph knight's eyes would have remained on the hard working reaper had something not been handed to her.

Envelopes.

She forced herself to look away from Daskar and focus on what Grey had handed her whilst also listening to his explanation. When he finished Nina took a closer look at the paper containing the mission he detailed first. She read it twice before nodding, clearly satisfied with what the task entailed. "Sounds good to me." she answered with a smile. Her gaze moved back to Daskar as she tucked the envelopes in her knapsack, but quickly returned to the snow plains surrounding the city. "Everyone ready?" she asked, although she didn't give time for an answer; she didn't expect one.

"Then let's go."

With everyone pretty much set and determined, the Royal Guard departed the city, bidding a farewell to the soldiers posted at the gateway. They hadn't been in Cidade for long, but the frigid winds of the Amplo Neve had picked up a bit making it difficult to see as they made their way directly west to where the Polar Ruins would be nestled. With any luck, they would meet some resistance and get rid of it, for that was their goal. Grey still couldn't get his mind off of the quest regarding the so-called perpetual fire burning somewhere out in the Amplo Neve which seemed highly unlikely in this freezing wonderland. "What's the deal with that symbol? Who drew this mission up anyway?" Grey mumbled to himself, his already quiet voice drowned out by the now howling winds, for the closer they drew to the ruins, the more wicked the winds became, stirring up snow like crazy.

The earth shaking caused Grey to eventually snap out of his reverie. In the distance, he thought he could make out some snow-covered buildings which would undoubtedly be the ruins. The tremors ceased to stop, and two pits opened up in the snow in front of the Royal Guard members. From each pit emerged a large golem created completely out of compact snow. Their arms and legs were somewhat slender while their fists and feet were enormous, perfect for crushing things. Two coal-like eyes were embedded in their frozen craniums, and no other features could be seen. Grey slammed his own fists into each other and took a step forward. "Guess this is it guys! New members, take caution! Everyone else...throw caution to the wind!" Grey called out over the winds as he prepared himself for battle.

The others would follow suit or pay the price.

Mission 01: More Guards?

Location: Polar Ruins - Outer Fields

Objective: Defeat all enemies!

Background: ~The Guardians Defend~

{ } { } { } { } { } { } { } { } { } A
{ } { } { } { } { } { } { } { } { } B
{ } { } { } { } { } { } { } { } { } C
{ } {F} { } { } { } { } { } {G} { } D
{ } { } { } { } { } { } { } { } { } E
{ } { } { } { } { } { } { } { } { } F
{ } {E} { } { } { } { } { } { } { } G
{ } { } { } { } { } { } { } { } { } H
{ } { } { } { } { } { } { } { } { } I
{ } { } { } { } { } { } { } { } { } J
-1---2---3---4---5---6---7---8---9

Grey (Harmonizer)
HP: 45/45
MP: 25/25
DD: 0/10
Atk: 12
Def: 6
Int: 8
Spr: 7
Evade: 5%
Move: 3 cells

Farzon (Snow Golem)
HP: 120/120
MP: 60/60
DD: 0/10
Atk: 6
Def: 5
Int: 2
Spr: 4
Evade: 1%
Move: 2 cells

Excavate (Snow Golem)
HP: 120/120
MP: 60/60
DD: 0/10
Atk: 6
Def: 5
Int: 2
Spr: 4
Evade: 1%
Move: 2 cells

Players may start in columns 8-9!

Nina starts at E8!

Nina said nothing as the group made their way across the frozen plain. She would not have been heard anyway. The snow and wind picked up and their howling made it impossible. There was nothing to talk about anyway. She did however make a mental note to figure out how to make the winds less of a problem in the future; perhaps the King had a group of magicians or someone she could talk to?

All thoughts of improving their comfort level came to a halt when the earth started to shake. Nina immediately reached for her spear, muttering the usual prayer that conjured her wings of light. She lifted off of the ground just barely and relaxed; with the shaking no longer affecting her she was free to focus on the enemies popping out of the snow, which happened to be two enormous golems. She grinned and nodded in agreement with Grey's orders. This wouldn't be hard at all.

"Okay let's go~"

Keine followed without saying much else. One was because she didn't want to break the silence that everyone seemed satisfied with and two it was to conserve as much energy as she could. It was so cold here that Keine was surprised that most of the group were mostly unfazed by the weather. She wasn't quite as bothered by the coldness of the land because she had lived in Balmamusa for a while now where the climate was much like this place. But everyone else, how were they not shivering even a little bit?

Keine starts in cell G-8

When the golems appeared however and Grey announced for her and the other girl to stay back, a grin formed on Keine's face. Golems made of snow. It was always nice to see constructs. They were a personal favorite of many Magi and were often used to compensate for the Magi's lack of physical strength. However there being only two was strange, not to mention the complete lack of another wizard nearby since it was not common to find a practitioner of magic skilled enough to control constructs that were not within sight range. "Strange." Keine muttered, but then her expression lit up again, "Ah well, I'll figure it out once we disassemble them~"