Tales of Alidaire: The Tragedy

Duke kicked. A gentle kick, though, more of his shove. One person was holding his down and the kick moved the obstacle (could have been Evan) out of his way. He rolled and twisted into an upright position. "You know, that was actually kinda fun. Except maybe the near decapitation part, but everything else was fun." He reached over and dragged Roger out by an arm before the boys greatsword found itself in rather... unfortunate places. "And hi Iwa," he added as he brushed dust and other things from his clothes. "Sorry I never got around to greeting you earlier. Too busy playing dead and all, you see. Duke Castle at your service."

"That could have gone worse..."

Cage was next up off of the group, having been able to get out from under Duke after he finally was up. He looked down at Roger, who had been pulled free from the heap of rebels. It was quite funny to see them all in such a situation, not that he would say anything out loud, that was Duke's job. He turned to Quartz, nodding at his statement. Duke seemed to ignore him, which wasn't a surprise for the gambler. However, he would treat the lord of time with a little more respect. As was deserved considering he had helped them escape with their lives.

"A little reverse time magic would be nice."

Roger was extremely happy to be free of the pile of allies even if it meant that Duke had to touch him. Anything would be fine as long as it helped him get out of that predicament. A few of them were pretty banged up, and Cage was requesting some assistance from the powerful Quartz whom Roger gazed at nervously.

The time lord paid no heed and instead closed is eyes. The air became distorted and things grew heavier in the area. Eventually, things returned to normal only to find that all of their wounds had been healed, though not actually healed--just reverted back to their original state which is nonexistence. "And there you have it, folks," he said jovially. "All patched up and ready to go...though before you do, you should probably do some shopping. We recruited a new alchemist recently and I hear he can do some crazy stuff with his powers. I think his name was Ane...er, Ivan...er, Ian...or something like that. I'm sure you'll find him." The time lord's gaze then fell upon Cage and something triggered a thought.

"Oh, you're probably worried about your possession, correct? After you do some shopping, stop by the Research Tent at the back of the encampment. It's the only green one here. I'll be waiting there with the results." With that, the mysterious man disappeared.

Roger thought he was a bit over the top, but he would never say something like that out loud.

Iwa sat up from his position on the ground, popping a couple joints as he did. The sudden whirlwind was unexpected. What he really thought was that Ruby would lop somebody's head off and then get someone to raise him or her. Still, he kept his thought processes in check, in case Ruby should still be listening.

He nodded at the one greeting him and rubbed his head where there should've been a lump but now wasn't. Interesting man, the time lord. Always coming and going as he pleased, making Iwa wonder how and why Ruby put up with him. Putting that thought away as well, he grabbed a handful of dirt and manipulated it into different shapes while he waited for the group to make a decision to move. 'They're awful slow, what with all the conversation.'

Free of Duke's grasp, and not really the focus of attention at the moment, Roger snuck off. It was true that he had bonded with the group, but interacting with people wasn't something he was used to; he prefered to be alone. Quartz had mentioned something called "shopping." He didn't quite know what it meant, so he started to search about the encampment for some idea of what it could be.

~ E V E N T S ~

Sometimes, you'll find perfect opportunities to interact with your allies in any spare time that you have. Though they don't have any effect or bearing on battle, they're still nice to progress the relationships between characters. I will personally be keeping track of these events, and if you would like to keep track of it for your character (which would help me out a lot), then post it in your profile like thus:

Events:

[Name of Ally]: [Number of Events had with ally]
Etc, etc...

Roger will have this in his profile regardless. I encourage you all to do the same, even though it's optional. You might be asking what the point of this is. If you reach a certain number of regular events, you will have a chance to have a Special Event where the characters form an inseparable bond of some sort whether it be a great, long-lasting friendship or even a bond of love. Whatever floats your boat. Of course, both sides must agree to what the bond will be. So there you have it. INTERACT!!

~ R U B Y ~ R E P ~

Whether you like her or not, you will ALWAYS be reporting to Ruby. She is your immediate supervisor. Though angry most of the time, she does respect those who succeed. As you know, she uses her All-Seeing Eye ability to keep a constant watch on your actions. If you take good actions (being nice to the right people, succeeding in missions, etc) then Ruby Rep will increase. If you fail or make the wrong decisions, she will see it and get pissed which will lower Ruby Rep. The higher the Ruby Rep, the less she beats your characters up and the higher the chance that she might give you special rewards or priveleges. So just keep that in mind.

[NOTE: Can be found in the first post of the character profile thread under Current Gold.]

~ M Y S T E R I O U S ~ A L C H E M I S T ~

As if you don't know who it is already. If you don't, you'll find out. This guy will be taking your materials and transmuting them into items, like Synthesis. However, this is very different than synthesis in the way that you will NOT be aware of the result. Your job is to collect materials and unload them on him. Returning at a later time will result in you obtaining any equipment or items he could make using the materials you gave him. Note that you may want to give your old equipment to him instead of selling it for a better chance at getting new, transmuted equipment.

All Ultimate Weapons will be transmuted, however, and you will get a list of what is needed when they pop up in terms of availability. The mysterious alchemist, along with other high-ranking members of the RF, will have a certain item needed to create the Ultimate Weapon for a given character and will need to be defeated in order to get that item. I will go into further detail when it arises.

~ O R D E R S ~

These are your current tasks as are assigned by Ruby. These take priority and the story will NOT continue until these orders are completed by either success or failure. If materials are needed, the Map Exploration is available, but ONLY AFTER orders have been completed. Orders can be found under Key Items.

~Item Shop~

Herb (Heals 10 HP upon use) / Gold: 50 / Number in Stock: 4

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: 2

~Weapon Shop~

Orthros (A large knightsword tempered with steel and heated at extreme temperatures. Increases ATK by 5 and INT by 1; equippable by Roger) / Gold: 600 / Number in Stock: 1

Steel Lance (A very sturdy, but rather heavy lance made of steel. Increases ATK by 2; equippable by Ryu) / Gold: 200 / Number in Stock: 1

Alloy Blades (Pair of blades created with a special alloy that make them difficult to break. Increases ATK by 2; equippable by Evan; Immune Weapon Break) / Gold: 300 / Number in Stock: 1

Standard Playing (Just a deck of standard playing cards. Increases ATK and INT by 2; equippable by Cage) / Gold: 400 / Number in Stock: 1

Wooden Clogs (Heavy wooden shoes that make the feet hurt while walking but deal some nice damage to those the wearer kicks. Increases ATK by 2; equippable Duke) / Gold: 200 / Number in Stock: 1)

Clean Bandages (Some nice clean bandages that come in handy even if the wearer isn't wounded. Increases INT by 2; equippable by Iwa) / Gold: 200 / Number in Stock: 0

~Armor Shop~

Noble's Coat (Rather fanciful in nature, this coat depicts affluence of the wearer. Increases DEF and SPR by 2; equippable by Roger) / Gold: 400 / Number in Stock: 1

Scale Mail (Mail forged from the scales of some miscellaneous beast. Increases DEF by 3; equippable by Ryu) / Gold: 300 / Number in Stock: 1

Patchwork Clothing (Just an outfit patched together by an RF seamstress. Increases DEF and SPR by 2; equippable by Evan) / Gold: 400 / Number in Stock: 1

Thundercloud Cloak (A cloak of a dull grey hue that was designed to make the wearer fade into the background and to not become the center of attention. Increases DEF by 1 and SPR by 2; equippable by Cage; Immune Center of Attention) / Gold: 400 / Number in Stock: 1

Green Vest (Simple vest created to help the wearer blend in with foliage. Increases DEF by 2 and SPR by 1; equippable by Duke; +10% Evasion when in Forest environment) / Gold: 450 / Number in Stock: 1

Brown Robes (Robes of a monotonous brown hue. Increases DEF by 1 and SPR by 2; equippable by Iwa) / Gold: 250 / Number in Stock: 0

~Mysterious Alchemist~

Materials in Possession: Broken Blade x1 / Crab Shell x1 / Mechanical Gear x4 / Fairy Dust x4 / Hardwood-Heeled Shoes x1

3 Items expected upon next visit.

ITEMS CREATED!!

Fairy Potion x1 (Recovers HP by 15 and MP by 10 upon use) / Materials used: Fairy Dust x2, Crab Shell x1 / Repeatable: Yes

Deus ex-Machina x1 (They look like plain ol' red sneakers on the outside, but have an internal gear mechanism working to give more umph to the wearer's kicks. Increases ATK by 5; equippable by Duke) / Materials used: Hardwood-Heeled Shoes x1, Crab Shell x1, Mechanical Gear x2 / Repeatable: No

Glorious Archaea x1 (A brilliant, aureate knightsword of overwhelming proportions, it is an ancient relic from an era of peace that has been long since forgotten. Increases ATK by 6 and INT by 4; equippable by Roger) / Materials used: Broken Blade x1, Mechanical Gear x2, Fairy Dust x4 / Repeatable: No

Current Gold: 55

Iwa noticed the effeminate boy slip away from the group and piqued his curiosity. The dirt in his hand had become a miniaturized statue of the soldiers walking around, but when he dropped it, it simply became dust again. He quietly left the group as well, leaving them to ponder the time lord and each other, and followed the boy. He held the term loosely in his head, still having a hard time believing the 'boy' was a boy at all. There was just something off about him . . . or her. It?

The geomancer sighed. His internal dilemma might never be solved but he followed anyway, watching the boy walk and looking for any signs that might support his suspicion. Maybe ten seconds later, Iwa realized he was closer than he'd intended. It was an unintentional perfect chance to speak with him/her/whatever.

"Roger? That is your name, right?" Iwa's head tilted to the side and he set his hands on his hips. A thoughtful frown pursed his lips. "Are you sure it's Roger?"

Duke tested his limbs and once again marveled at Quartz's mastery. If you had to face Ruby, or any other experience with a high chance of death, a time lord was essential. He kicked at some imaginary foes to work out the kinks. "I propose we spend to most on Iwa," he said as he practiced a guillotine swing. "He is the newest member and that warrants a bit of special treatment. Besides, he may need more of an edge to keep up"

He spun and thrust a knee into his imaginary foe and slammed his heel into the ground to finish his practice. He through a hand over Evans shoulders. "And while Iwa gets his shopping in, Evan and I can pay a visit to the Mysterious Alchemist." He added a little inflection to his words. "I could be fun. You up for it?"

Roger had just been meandering along. The soldiers were so busy that they hardly paid any attention to him. A few spared some interesting looks at the curious boy, but quickly went on about their work. It made it difficult to find the information that he was looking for: what in the world was this 'shopping'? That's when an unexpected voice surprised him causing him to jump forward a bit, turning mid-jump, so that he could face his would-be attacker, a mask of fright on his face. Then he realized that it was their newest addition, though that didn't quell his fear. He left a makeshift battle stance, but he still appeared really tense.

"Y-yes, sir. M-my name is Roger," he replied timidly, his legs shaking slightly. "I-I've had the n-name for 15 years; I am positive that it is correct." His answer might have passed for indignant if he wasn't so scared while stating it.

Iwa shook his head in slight disapproval. "Don't call me sir, please." His eyes traveled the boy's form again, scrutinizing. Roger looked ready to bolt any second, and Iwa couldn't help putting a hand on his shoulder to discourage any attempt to do so. "You don't have to be afraid of us, you're one of us now." He lifted his hand to pat Roger's head. The corners of his mouth turned up in a small but genuine smile before he turned away to scan the tents for wherever they'd moved the shop this time.

Duke grinned at Evan for a few seconds, then frowned as he considered something. "Ah, never mind!" he said happily. He patted Evan on the back and grabbed Cage's shoulders from behind. He started pushing the gambler away, a wide grin on his face.

"I'll take my chances with him," he said. "Besides, he has and appointment with Tick-Tock. I've never had a good enough excuse to get into the R&D tent before." He leaned over Cage's shoulder. "Besides," he breathed gently in his ear, "Blonds are much more fun~"
He guided Cage eagerly away, around the corner of the tent. "Shopping Spree!"

How had he gotten himself into this? It was kind of Evan's fault, not answering the trick step. Of course he, himself was also to blame, he hadn't left when he had the chance. Taking Duke's hands off of his shoulders, he began to walk on his own, keeping a slight distance, but not walking off. It would be rather rude, though the companion in question was also quite rude himself.

"We don't want to spend all of our money. We barely have enough as it is. Why don't we stop off at the Alchemist? I'm sure if we just leave our materials there he can conjure up something of value."

"Fine, fine," Duke grumbled, "since someone apparently never heard of window shopping." He perked up immediately though, and pulled his old shoes from his bag, looking a bit moldy. "Luckily, I had the foresight to carry my dress shoes with me. I'd rather not sells these if I can have someone tinker with them." He dangled them by the laces as he spoke.

"What about you?" he asked. "Up to leaving those tattered cards with him? It would be a gamble," he added teasingly.

Roger shrunk back from all the physical contact, still looking rather frightened. He didn't sense malevolence from the guy, but he still just couldn't understand what it was that he wanted. Maybe he just wanted to introduce himself personally? Desperate for answers, Roger seized that and stuck with it. Then, he decided to pose his own question.

"I-Iwa...," he spoke carefully, making sure not to call him 'sir.' "Do you know...what shopping is?" He felt a bit embarassed. Something inside of him told him that it was common knowledge, but he couldn't quite remember what it was. The word itself was so familiar. Whatever it meant, he must not have done it in a long time.

Cage ignored Duke's crummy pun, shaking his head slightly. He had a bad feeling about getting rid of the cards. He wished to leave it up to the others as to who would get a new weapon. If he ended up leaving his cards, he would have to get it, and he didn't want that to be a forced thing.

"I'll stick to what I have. We need to decide as a group who gets to buy a new weapon. Anyway. Let's head to the Alchemist."

After searching for a short while, the duo came upon the tent that was said to be the Alchemist's little workshop. Pausing, Cage hesitated going in, unsure of how this guy was going to react to them. Deciding he couldn't just sit and think, he made his way into the tent.

"We're here to hand over our supplies.... We think you may be able to make something out of it..."

Iwa turned a surprised eye back at Roger. It wasn't the question, more that he'd spoken at all. "I believe it's looking for things to buy. Haven't done much of it myself, what with growing up in the monastery and all."

The geomancer looked away suddenly, fiddling with the dirty bandages that passed as wraps on his hands. "The monks didn't really care for material possessions." Iwa idly wondered at his own awkwardness but filed it away to ponder another time. "Well, come on. We won't know for sure until we find it and try it, will we?" He slowly walked away, patiently waiting for Roger to follow. If he remembered correctly, the shop tents generally stayed fairly close together so they shouldn't be hard to spot.

Inside the tent of the alchemist was rather wondrous. In the back was heaps of materials...mountains that reached the top of the tent. In the center was a rather plain wooden table with nothing on it. Everywhere else was composed of random furniture with odd trinkets. Standing behind the table was a young man with spiky white hair and a bored look in his eyes. His white garments accentuated his tanned skin. Myriad forms of jewelry adorned his figure whether they be necklaces, rings, or something else. A sigh passed escaped his lips as Cage entered.

"Of course I can," he spoke condescendingly, waving his hand casually. "The fact that you said you 'thought' I could implied that you had doubt. Foolish. I am an alchemic prodigy." He gestured to the table. "Just place the materials here. You'll have to come back for the completed result later; I have tons of work already piled up." Strangely, he didn't make any physical hint to the heaps of junk behind him. "I've been busy since I got here, so if I am not in this tent, my secretary, Eris, will be. He doesn't do alchemy and he doesn't know what I do with finished products. Just ask him to talk to Ein; he'll know where to find me."

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Roger certainly saw the logic behind Iwa's statement, so he didn't object. He just followed the guy reluctantly, eager to experience shopping for himself. Within minutes, they reached a particularly busy part of the encampment which was the cluster of tents containing the item seller along with those that sold equipment. The amount of soldiers walking around surprisingly didn't frighten Roger; he had become used to that from his time at Nara's castle. He actually found it comforting in an odd way. Regardless, he just kept following Iwa to see where he would go. Both had never truly shopped before. It would be nice to figure it out at last.

Iwa raised a hand in returned greeting, glancing at Roger so as to gauge the probability of him running away in sudden fear. 'He'll be fine. He's went this far with the others, no reason he would bolt all of a sudden.'

He stopped in the middle of the tents, hands on his hips again. What would they need to buy? New equipment probably, and a couple healing items wouldn't hurt. What he really needed was someone else's opinion, and luckily the guy with the tantalizing ponytail had caught up to them.

"So, what do we need, Mr . . . ?" he asked, fishing for a name.

"Evan," Roger spoke up, his voice still rather quiet. He had caught sight of Evan out of the corner of his eye and it seemed the guy made it evident that he was approaching. Roger had been worried that someone malicious might be following him, but was definitely relieved to see that his suspicion was incorrect. "His name is Evan."

Duke itched to touch something. He itched to touch something bad. But he did occasionally learn from his past. He mentally filed Jangles in the same category as Red-gem and the Tar Queen; Volatile, handle with care. He laid his worn shoes on the table with a slight smile. So much could be said about Bangles & Jangles. So much...

"Hey, Cage," Duke said questioningly, "you think It'd be all right to drop of the junk and stuff we picked up in the sewers?"

Iwa nodded at the sentiment. If he focused, he could feel a well of power nearby, coming from the direction of the Alchemist's tent, but it didn't draw him near like other wells would. That couldn't have been a good sign.

"Cage is the one in black? And you're Evan. That leaves the one in the armor." He mused aloud, recalling Duke introducing himself a few minutes ago. A rather dubious name, he thought. It sounded more like a stage name than a real one. Pushing yet another thought away, Iwa studied his bandages. They weren't likely to stand up to real, heavy wear. "I could use some new wraps, but that would be more of a request than a necessity." He half-turned to study Roger. "What about you?"

Roger looked a bit shocked and just shook his head. "I don't really understand...," he managed to say. He didn't really have any opinions of his own; there was nothing ever to form an opinion about. That's when a thought came to him. "S-since the rest of us have had some training on the field, m-maybe we should get Iwa new stuff so he can kind of catch up to us in strength," he muttered, afraid of not making sense or sounding stupid. He hadn't been around people a lot, but he found that they were rather fickle.

"Definitely. If there is anything to be made, it'll be ready when we get back."

Cage quickly took his bag, which contained the stuff the group found in the waterway. He set the bag with everything they found down on the table, adding Duke's old shoes to the mix. With that he turned to the rather peppy Trick Step and forced him out of the tent. It was his turn to be a little pushy.

"Let's catch up to the others, then I can go find Quartz..."