Tales of Alidaire: The Corruption Disc 2

"First you appear out of nowhere, attack us and in the process knocking one of us out and freezing most of us half to death, and now you ask for our help?" Zero asked, her eyes narrowing into a venomous glare, "I say we just kill her and be done with it already."

Apparently Zero disagreed with Lily's idea of helping this woman, who had just introduced herself as Julia. The Windwalker kept her dagger held in front of her, ready to lash out at Julia. She was being slightly fidgety, as if she couldn't wait to strike at the woman and deliver the fatal blow to her. Evidently she slipped up with her finishing move earlier, for the woman was still alive. But this time Zero didn't intend to miss any vital organs.

Annon seemed to be busy watching the exchange happening ahead of where he sat, too focused to notice Sonia at first. He'd started rubbing his chin before he saw her and grinned widely, then noticed the hat she held. The trickster, now charlatan's eyes lit up and he jumped to his feet. Annon quickly removed his white hat and replaced it with the new one.

"Mm, quite preferable." He replied, twirling a little. He turned back to Sonia with a cheeky grin. "What do you think Sonia? Like my brand new bag?" Annon didn't really wait for a response, fluffing his collar and putting some swagger in his stance, the old hat seemingly forgotten on the ground at his feet, along with its accoutrements.

"Very fitting."

Sonia smiled as the Trickster began to fluff his collar and show his appreciation. It seemed he was rather happy he had received the new accessory turned weapon. However, when he finished fixing himself, her smile quickly faded; Something was missing.

It was then that her eyes fell upon the previous hat which had ben tossed to the ground. Forgotten. She looked up for a moment, gazing mostly at the new hat before reaching down to pick the previous up. Taking the tassel and the note from the old thing, she quickly went to work on the new one. She stepped back a few seconds later, the tassel and note effectively placed in the same spot they had been.

"Perfect."

The trickster allowed Sonia to reach up and replace his hat's accessories, giving a little half-smile as she did. As she stepped back, he touched the beaded tassel he'd taken from Elder, then the note. Frowning slightly, he took it down and unfolded it. His fingers spread across the faded, illegible words and he looked back at Sonia, opening his mouth to say something. " . . . ." As no random or vaguely understandable words came for the second time, he simply shook his head to himself and replaced the note.

Instead he indicated the conversation happening between Valincar, Lily, and their former opponent. "Looks like we've found another rabbithole. Tick tock, you think?"

"It would appear so. W... would you like to join them?"

Sonia looked back over at her allies, who had been joined by Zero during her moment to fix Annon's hat. Dissatisfied. That was all the summoner got from the Windwalker, only a strong distaste for their foe turned ally. She didn't blame her, after nearly being wiped out by the woman's attacks, she wasn't thrilled either. But from the little pieces of the story she had listened to, it seemed she had a good reason. Why bring others into something if they couldn't help?

Annon hummed in response, already moving towards the others. Scrutinising the one he'd refused to battle, he had a kind of . . . bad feeling. He wasn't sure what it was about, nor did he know how to express it. He just knew whatever was coming, they were in for something huge and probably bad. Annon stopped next to his ghostly friend, putting a smile back on his face as he looked the glyphographer over. "Peter Rabbit needs a new friend?"

Julia looked appreciatively towards Lily, a hopeful light in her eyes, but at the comments of the one with the dagger, her gaze became wary. Her giant glyph had given her the power to endure their attacks, but now that it was gone, she'd have problems staying alive should they all decide to finish her.

"We'll be doing no such thing!" Valincar shouted suddenly, his face becoming stern. He turned to Zero. "Rash were her actions, but it is as she said before. We are no Escuridao Pulsante. This guild of ours was not made to put people to death. Did your mind not comprehend the reason or are you just so thirsty for blood that you would go so far as to ignore it?" He shook his head and sighed. "The rest of us aren't like you, so put away your weapon. Majority rules."

"Th-thank you for being so understanding," Julia said a bit bashfully. When the nightshade spoke of her actions being rash, she knew he was right. A more tactful approach may have been best, but it looked as though this at least worked. "Are you sure you don't mind helping? You won't be doing it on your own; I'll be joining you as your guide, and as you obviously know, I can hold my own in a fight."

Lily eyed Zero warily. Valincar told her off, and he was right. Zero was the only one here thirsting for blood. Lily began to wonder why she hung around this girl, though Lily hardly knew her as it was. Making sure to keep a safe distance away from the dangerous woman, Lily redirected her attention to Valincar and Julia.

"We are in a bit of a hurry," Lily mentioned. They still had the whole thing with the world ending and whatnot...that strange book Valincar was guarding long ago that Lily forgot the name of. She seemed to be forgetting a lot of things lately. "But I think sealing away a curse this serious is just as important. I certainly don't want to be infected by this contagion."

"So yeah, we'll help you for sure." Lily smiled at Julia, attempting to be comforting and confident. "If any one of us doesn't, then they don't have to." Lily glanced at Zero for an instant, a bit too eager to be rid of a threat within their own party. She quickly averted her gaze back to Julia, quick enough to be noticed only by those watching her.

"...fine." Zero said after a long moment of silence.

The Windwalker lowered her dagger, slowly sheathing it. However her glare remained, only now it was toward both the woman and Valincar. If everyone else wanted to help this woman then Zero didn't really want to argue with her entire group. Chances were the rest of them, along with the woman, would easily take her down. And she was fairly sure quite a few of the members of their group, at least on an emotional level, would be rather glad to be rid of her. It was best for her not to take any chances with the others and quell her bloodlust, for now.

"If the others agree to your silly request then I'm in no position to disagree."

"YES! I'm so glad you all are so understanding," Julia said, losing her composure once more to jump into the air excitedly. She coughed into her hand and bowed. "I promise you won't regret this. Together, we'll save the forest and the people of my village with no problems at all."

Julia joins the party!

Julia waved a hand in a gesture for them to follow, and thus they did. The warm night's breeze continued to caress the party, carrying a massive load of wonderful aromas from the wildflowers of the meadow. As they continued along the eastern path, however, they soon came upon a forest. The trees were less tropical like the ones of the Coracao jungle and more deciduous. The path went on through the trees, nice and wide. They didn't seem to out of the ordinary, but the farther they traveled, the worse things became. The trees were...a sickening green in color. Well, the bark was at least. There was hardly any foliage remaining on them. A disgusting, vibrant green ooze leaked from their trunks and splattered into puddles on the ground near their roots. They passed by quite a few animal and monster carcasses littering the sides of the path.

Valincar had noticed that Julia had taken a cloth out of her pocket and placed it over her mouth, a disgusted look upon her face. He was surprised at the condition of the forest. After all, it wasn't too far away from the Antigo Ruins which he used to call home. It was disturbing. What kind of force could be causing it? That passed through his mind, but there was also something else Julia had mentioned, and that was about how the party's own little branch had gained a bit of fame through their ventures. Then again, the Elder had trusted them and only them with an important task that would probably involve the fate of the world hanging in the balance, but whoever had the book at this point seemed to be a bit inactive. Were they a collector? Did they not know the true strength of the book? Impossible. He remained deep in thought as they traveled.

The night was still dark and waning by the time they reached the decently-sized cluster of modest village homes and shops that must have been the town of Maldicao. Julia halted them when they had traversed the main street all the way to an intersection. "You guys are welcome to stay at my place tonight. It's by the northern exit which will be the one we take tomorrow. When you get up, do a little shopping around here and we'll head out, okay?" She turned to head down a different road that didn't lead to her house. "The door's unlocked, by the way. There are only a couple of beds and couches. Some of you can share or take the floor. Whatever works. I'll try not to wake you when I return. I'd like to do a quick patrol around the time. Catch you tomorrow." With that, she bowed and went on her way.

In the morning, all the shops were open.

~Sammy's Sundries~

Hi-Potion (Recovers 50 HP upon use) / Gold: 250 / Stock: 5

Mana Shard (Recovers 25 MP upon use) / Gold: 360 / Stock: 3

Antidote (Removes Poison upon use) / Gold: 60 / Stock: 10

Anti-Hallucinogen (Removes Confusion upon use) / Gold: 90 / Stock: 3

Breath of Life (Revives fallen character with 40% HP) / Gold: 825 / Stock: 2

Chest Key (Unlocks treasure chests) / Gold: 120 / Stock: 5

~Decay Specialties~

Oathbreaker (Polished ebony bow made of wood with a fragrant aroma, its elegant carvings of plants on the body were modeled after Deadly Nightshade. It is a bow for the truly ruthless. Increases ATK by 10; equippable by Lily; Added Effect: Poison; Added Effect: Curse; holder loses 1% Max HP per turn) / Gold: 3450 / Stock: 1

Perish Slasher (A slasher with a blade, white in hue, surrounded by an aura of demise that can be passed on to those who are unlucky enough to be assaulted by it. Lures the user into a deep slumber after holding it for a long time in battle. Increases ATK by 8 and INT by 4; equippable by Shadow; Added Effect: Severe Poison; Added Effect: Weak; inflicts Deep Sleep on the holder after 10 turns) / Gold: 4325 / Stock: 1

Reverse Shade (Elegant staff practically shining with ethereal light that can remove vicious poisons and toxins by just touching the afflicted. Increases ATK by 2 and INT by 7; equippable by Sonia; Removes Poison/Severe Poison/Venom upon attack; Immune Poison/Severe Poison/Venom) / Gold: 4740 / Stock: 1

Forsaken Kiss (Professionally crafted kris with a purple rose motif that severely debilitates the holder significantly strengthens and sharpens the mind. Increases ATK by 4 and INT by 8; equippable by Czeslaw; inflicts Misfortune on the holder at the start of battle; Magic damage output +50%) / Gold: 4135 / Stock: 1

Current Gold: 17725

Sonia had opted for one of the couches, despite wishing she had taken the floor. Had it not been for her need for at least a little comfort, she would have been fine. But alas, nothing could be changed about the sleeping arrangements; She doubted the others cared much anyway. When the party had assembled, she looked over each one of them for a moment before speaking.

"I... I'm going to check out the shops."

With that said, she turned to leave, but faltered. Turning back, she looked at each of them once more, as if one of them was keeping her there. Her eyes settled on the Trickster who was still radiating mana, still experiencing the full effects of the experiences he had. She also looked over at Valincar with a small smile. While they weren't keeping her there, she would feel more comfortable going with them than by herself.

"Annon, Valincar... would you care to join me?"

The trickster glanced up from his position on the floor, his feet up on the back of a couch. Grinning as he usually did, he hung his legs over until he flipped backwards onto his knees, and hopped up to join Sonia. He held out his arm to her, still seeming like he wanted to say something but remaining silent.

Sonia's smile extended to Annon, and she gladly took his arm and began to walk. Something told her in the back of her mind that Valincar likely would have preferred to check something else out. Julia must have had something interesting to report, as the de facto leader, he'd likely want to hear it. If not, he could catch up with them; She knew that he moved rather quickly due to his being a spirit. So, leaving the rest of the group behind, the duo began to walk off in the direction of the shops.

However, along the way, Sonia seemed to be moving almost half-heartedly. There had been something she had meant to do yesterday, something she hadn't done. They were almost to the weapon shop when she remembered, reaching her free arm into her bag quickly. Pulling out the potion vial which still contained the product of the pastes mixing together, she held it up for him to see.

"Say Annon... what do you suppose those pastes made?"

Valincar had taken the floor, not that he needed sleep or rest or comfort. The morning came and he had some trouble pulling himself together for some reason. Sonia was up and ready to venture into town to see the shops. He waved a hand wearily in response; he'd catch up to them in a few minutes, for she took Annon and made her way out the door. He wondered where Julia was, for she didn't appear to be in the home. Valincar closed his eyes and tried to sense her presence; she was nowhere nearby, but he could feel traces of her mana in the town somewhere. She must've been on the outskirts of the town still performing her patrol. Did she ever sleep?

Hovering in place, Valincar bid the others farewell, reminding them to meet up at the northern exit of the town after shopping or looking around. With that, he fazed into the ground. A few seconds passed before he caught up to Sonia and Annon, listening to her question. His laugh resounded through the air coming from beneath the ground. He popped his head out and looked up at Sonia.

"You really think you're going to get a straight answer out of this guy? Though I have noticed you speak his language pretty well," Valincar commented. "You made a potion, didn't you? May I see it?" He kept his form hidden in the ground with only his head popping out, but extended an arm so Sonia could place the potion in his hand.

"He's smarter than he looks."

Sonia wasn't surprised by Valincar's sudden appearance, having been able to sense a good deal of his mana after they had left Julia's place. Being careful with the vial, she handed it over to the Nightshade. While the Trickster hadn't said anything about the potion yet, she knew he probably would say something when he finished thinking.

"It's made out of those wildflowers we found."

With that said, Sonia dug back into her bag, having carefully placed the two flowers in a separate pouch. She pulled both the Truth Tulip and the Moonlight Rose out, holding them out for the spirit to see. He might not know the potion off hand, but he could maybe recognize the flowers. He had been around much longer than she had, and he had more experience with the area.

"Do you recognize them?"

Valincar hovered out of the ground and placed the vial of potion to his nose to take a whiff before Sonia pulled out the wildflowers. He hadn't paid much attention to them during the fight, but his eyes seemed to light up upon seeing them. "You made a truth potion?!" he exclaimed. His visage melted into something akin to pure glee as nostalgia seemed to overwhelm him. "I haven't been to Silvestres since I was alive, so last night was the first time I've been in a long time, but the meadow is famous for those very wildflowers that you're holding. When me and my sister were kids, she would take me out to the meadow and we'd gather the flowers. She wasn't sick back then. She'd sit me down and tell me legends about how a potion could be made out of the flowers that, when mashed into a paste and mixed, would become a potion that could force the truth out of anyone."

The nightshade sighed and smiled. "It was just a myth back then, but some of the herbologists, druids, sages, and apothecaries figured out that they did indeed possess this quality. I've never seen it for myself. Me and my sister would make the potions, but never get the gall to try them out on someone. Back then, it was just about spending time together, a luxury we lost when she became sick..." his voice trailed off. He offered the potion back to her. "Regardless, I'm positive that is what you have made here."

Sonia could only smile as Valincar began to reminisce, nostalgia could do some crazy things. She listened intently, despite wanting to mull over the thought of the potion itself. It was nice to see Valincar in such a good mood, and she paid attention to every word of his surfaced sentimentality. When he finished, concluding that she had indeed made a truth potion, she nodded, taking the vial back from him.

"Interesting."

Tucking the potion and the flowers safely back in her bag, she paused for a moment to think it over. If it really worked, then they had two potions they could use at any time. Useful to say the least, no doubt it would come in handy somewhere down the road. It was rather unfortunate that Julia had frozen and destroyed the other flowers, she would have liked to have grabbed some more. Had she known what they were, she would have been picking them from the start.

"It's a shame I couldn't get more..."

The summoner's voice trailed off as she noticed the weapon shop window. Front and center was an elegant staff, in much better condition than her own. What was more, it seemed to shine with a unique radiance and something else. Looking at her own weapon, she quickly nodded and made her way over to the shop.

"I'll be right back."

Making her way into the shop, she went over to the window, tilting her head slightly. It was the only thing in the entire shop that gave her the faintest sense of light, but that wasn't why she tilted her head. 4740 gold... pricey to say the least. Though she had enough money for it, she hesitated, the group might not prefer her spending that much.

Straightening her head, she moved to turn around and leave, but she couldn't. Looking back at it, she paused once more. It was the only thing that gave her the briefest sense of light amongst all of the other weapons in this shop. It didn't have the dark aura she sensed from everything else. It would be worth the price, she knew it. Taking it from the window, she moved over to the shopkeep and placed the amount of gold on the table. As soon as the staff was her's, she placed the previous on the table with a nod and waited as the man returned with payment for the weapon.

Sonia buys and equips Reverse Shade! -4740 Gold!

Sonia sells Oak Staff!

As soon as she had her money from the old weapon, she headed back towards her allies, new staff in hand. The previous small smile had expanded to a rather large grin. She felt more power with this weapon than she had before.

"What do you think?"

The trickster had started to take the vial from Sonia, but paused as he heard Valincar's voice. Noticing he seemed to be forgotten among the two, he slipped away to wander around. To him the town seemed just fine. Perhaps a little quiet, but sunny enough. No birds to fly above him and poop on his new hat, he was just fine with that. He smiled at what few children he saw and the downtrodden people he passed. Annon tipped up his hat to look up in what sunshine there was this morning, eyes closed, skin absorbing its warmth.

"Well aren't you a sight!"

Annon stopped in his tracks and glanced over at the woman who'd spoken to him. She had long blonde hair that framed pretty, green eyes, all accompanied by a small grin. She stood beside a small cart filled with colorful flowers, seemingly the only ones in the whole town, hands on her hips. Annon tilted his head. "You . . . you wouldn't happen to make pancakes would you?" He frowned slightly, as always with the rather serious question.

The woman tilted her head to the side also, now considering the colorful man in front of her. "I can, if you like. Are you hungry or something?"

Annon simply shook his head and smiled again. He stuck his hands in his pockets, scuffing his boots as he edged closer to the woman. "Not a flower of a name I find in you, yet a slight breeze winds in the fields."

At this, the woman laughed, plucking one of her flowers from the wooden cart. "Oh, a poet are you? Not a flower of a name, hm? Well mine is Lara Clover. A bit of vegetation in it, though still not a flower I'm afraid." She held the little white flower to her lips, as Lara seemed a little taken with the trickster. "Might I ask your name," She looked him up and down. "Sir Poet of Rainbows?"

Annon gave a huge grin, maybe even blushing slightly, before he doffed his new hat and bowed low. "I find not a flower of a name in myself either. Though others seem to like bananas anyway." He handed her the note containing his peculiar name, eyes on her as she read it out.

"Annon Jac. Odd, suits you though." Lara handed the wrinkled note back, watching as he reached in his hat instead, arm miraculously all the way in before he pulled out a beautiful bouquet of flowers. The blonde giggled playfully as they traded, blushing herself now. "A mysterious one you are, but a gentleman. Are you staying in town?"

The trickster's answering grin faded as he shook his head. "Other directions . . . different places." Traveling with a group now seemed to have a drawback.

Lara frowned in response. "Oh, well that's too bad." She sighed, settling the bouquet safely in a corner of her cart. As she settled her hands on her hips again, she got an idea. Taking one of the white flowers, she held it out to Annon. "Here. A souvenir for your time. Perhaps, if we meet again, you could give it back to me and tell me of your travels?"

Annon smiled once more. He took her hand with the flower, and kissed the back of it before releasing her. She giggled as he tucked the bloom into his breast pocket. He bowed again, but with a playful flourish this time. "A farewell to you, Ms. Clover."

Lara Clover curtsied in return, as was the proper response. "And a farewell to you. I hope to hear more of your poems, Sir Jac."

The trickster's eyes narrowed a fraction as he heard the name. It sounded . . . familiar. Right. But as he couldn't place it, like many other things he heard, he simply smiled back and began to walk away.

"It's...really shiny," Valincar spoke up, a bit dazzled by the staff that appeared to be so infused with light. It made him a bit uncomfortable. "I've never been to Maldicao before. I'm not familiar with their specialties, but I'm glad you were able to find something great." Valincar drew his katana and held it out in front of him, inspecting the blade. He remembered a time where he favored the tome over a bladed weapon, but the mind is a fickle thing.

"You didn't happen to see anything in there that would interest me, did you?" he asked, though he was sure there wasn't anything in there for him. The shop itself seemed pretty small. Looking over his weapon once again, he found himself rather happy with it. Something about the store's name unsettled him anyway. Decay Specialties. Interesting. He looked around for a moment. The trickster was missing.

"Wait a minute. What happened to Annon?"

The trickster let out a peal of laughter as he poked a hand through Valincar's translucent form. He waved it at Sonia and the others, before pulling it back though and pretending to lean on the phantom. "Mayhaps not a new field, but a new breeze I found." His smile was more on the suggestive side than vacant today. "What do you think?' He asked, gazing at each of the others.

"I'm afraid not, there were some interesting weapons... though I don't think you would want to wield them."

Sonia looked back at the shop, a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. The stuff that had been in there felt particularly evil and dark. The only thing that felt good or right at all had been the staff, and she was feeling the effects now that it was in her hands. She knew that if the others bought whatever else was in there, it might not be the best thing...

But alas, if they bought it, that was their business, not hers. If something bad happened, they would be responsible, and she may be able to help them. The summoner looked back over to the Nightshade, suddenly realizing that the Trickster had left. However, he was back in a blink of an eye, waving at Sonia through Valincar's translucent form. She smiled a little more, stifling a giggle and waved back. What she said next was clearly aimed at him, for it seemed to make little sense.

"As long as it leads to pancakes and not waffles."

Having been completely overwhelmed by the Battle Glyphographer's quickly sequenced techniques, the Ombre Skillblade had a valid reason to not completely trust the stranger. He did not say anything in the way through the forest, seeping with the unknown disease, for he might have spoken something bitter. Apparently, he was not the only one. With a completely different track now, he was now following the group in search and destruction of the cause of the so-called Malvine Virus, despite he not wanting to get anymore involved with this woman who had ambushed them... Still, he said nothing.

Parting from the group as they made their individual ways through the town, with a reminder from the Nightshade telling for them to meet up at the northern exit, he made his way nonchalantly towards the only weapon store on the village.

"Decay Specialties..." Shadow mumbled to himself as he read the rather unusual name of the shop, entering it. The atmosphere was somber, but welcoming somehow. The only source of light was the sunlight that was filtered from the only window in the shop, casting strange shades on the interior. He smirked. Shadow browsed through the many weapons available for purchase, but nothing piqued his interest.

They did not have his weapon of preference. As he was about to take his leave with slight disappointment, something glinted in the corner of his eye. A slasher. He approached the unusual slicing weapon, it had a blade so strangely white in hue it appeared to be made from crystal, but it was clearly metal, which lead to the conclusion it was enchanted. Shadow reached to grip the blade as his gaze darted towards the price, 4325 units of Gold. He immediately met a strong aura, one speaking of weakness, of slow decay of health, of demise. It was expensive, but it was sure to be worth the investment.


Shadow buys and equips Perish Slasher!

Shadow sells Irritation.


Shadow exit "Decay Specialties", brand new slasher twirling in his hand before rapidly sheathing it in a quick maneuver. If he recalled correctly, the northern exit was the point of regrouping, and so he silently made his way there.

Unlike Rosetta and Shadow, Zero wasn't one to keep her feelings to herself. Well, at least that was the case with hatred, malice, and spite. The only three things Zero ever really shared with the party. Although Zero kept relatively silent on the way to the village, Zero did take a few moments of her time to express her displeasure in the form of glares directed toward the woman.

That night, Zero was still sound asleep with nothing but a rag on the floor. She was used to uncomfortable living conditions due to having been kicked out of her own house several times when she was little. So she had no trouble spending the night on the floor. Zero also held her dagger in her had as she slept, never letting her grip loosen even a little. No doubt if anything, even a cute little bunny rabbit, came even relatively close to her, the girl would wake right up with her dagger unsheathed and ready to lash out at any intrusions.

As the others woke up one by one the next morning, Zero was still deep asleep, undisturbed. It was a rare sight, the Windwalker usually woke up very early, but today for some reason her body simply decided to sleep in.

"Interesting," Valincar said with a smile as he moved to the side to look at Annon who had been pretending to lean on him, so him moving away wouldn't really affect anything. "You seem rather happy about it, so I'm glad you found something great." He wasn't exactly sure what the trickster had stumbled upon, but it was probably for the best. In his heart, he agreed with Sonia despite it all being nonsense. Used in the context it had so often, pancakes obviously signified something good.

"Shall we head to the northern exit? I don't want to leave this place in such a condition for too much longer," Valincar suggested. He had seen people wandering around aimlessly, a vacant look in their eyes. They were victims of the virus, to be sure, just waiting to snap and fall to the ground. From what Julia had told them, there were likely to be others wandering through the Forest of Decay as well.