thebastion | Spell 2: Runtime! [Day 249]

Entry tags:

ibuki mioda,
zulf

Spell 2: Runtime! [Day 249]

Who: Megaera D'Ashland, anyone who would be out and about in the evening.
Open?: Open
When: Day 249, morning
Where: The communication network, or out on the Skyway.
What: Redhead's first shard run! ... It will probably not be the best first try.
Format: Anything, can match
Warnings: Mild violence.

[Network, Morning]
[Megaera's voice is fairly light and calm for... Well, someone in her entire situation.]

Okay, so. I have a place to sleep, I have space for keeping what little stuff I've got, and I've got a goal: Get right back to mastering magic. That's going to take... A lot of things. Many of which I'm only going to know about as I get close to needing them.

And the best way to get things around here, correct me if I'm wrong, is with these 'shards' you get from heading out and beating up monsters. Not much other loot, it seems, unless I find interesting things out in that weird space, but that's all right.

Anyone have any particular advice for a newbie to heading out there? In particular, does anyone who knows teleportation magic know if it's possible to use it to get back here safely? I'm cautious about messing with anything involving dimensional manipulation out here without being sure it won't end horrifically. I'm sure you understand.

... Might be good to try and get a weapon, too. I know my way around quite a few, at least. Any advice there? Especially for getting magic weapons? Psionic weapons would also be okay.

[Action, Skyway]
Megaera's first trip out, ultimately, was unarmed. Though she does seem to know her way around fistfighting... At least a little. Pointedly, whenever she finds any monsters, she seems to stick to open hand strikes, using her nails as a basis for doing damage. They're decently effective... Somehow.

She'll probably either need or want some help if she finds anyone while on her travels, though. She's being awfully quick to flee, for one, which is keeping her from getting many shards.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"... What."

Megaera was still running, though the pile was less urgent now. "I... Never mind. I don't want to know."

She really didn't, she decided, upon thinking of each of the individual objects involved.

"How territorial are these things, anyhow?!"

"Extremely. They view- ah, stop, stop!" He scrambled to do so himself as swampweeds came into view. Carefully, he maneuvered himself around them, talking as he did so. "Peckers view everything as their property, and they're fairly greedy as well. Some members of the Bastion seem to be unpopular with them enough that they leave them alone... Unfortunately, I can't count myself amongst that number."

As Megaera was told to stop, she quickly did, looking at the birds and the weeds, quickly following ZUlf's path. "Lemme guess. these explode if you touch 'em?", she quickly asked.

"As Swampeed is wont to do," Zulf confirmed dryly, hurrying as quickly as he could. Once he was past the patch, he bent down to pick a rock and see how far the Pecker flock had gotten. "They burst, and the resulting cloud is a hallucinogenic. Very bad to be caught in, but if you can get past them, they can make a handy trap..."

"... Of course, to hit enough of them at once to create a wall so we're safe, I'd need a bigger area of effect spell than I've got. Or a bow. Why didn't I think to grab a bow."

Megaera sighed. "Get what we can, then we keep moving."

"I'm not really thinking of so much a wall as-" Ah, there was the angry cawing. He waited for just a moment before throwing the rock to pop one of the weeds and booking it. With any luck, it would catch one of the Peckers in one of them and cause a bit of confusion and ruckus.

Megaera watched as... Aha. Put one into confusion, and the pack focused on it. Good to know.

Only after that did she think to keep running after Zulf.

"Please tell me you know the way back to the Bastion from here! I'd really prefer not to be lost!"

"Don't worry! If there's two things I'm good at, it's running and navigation!" And with that, he refused to stop until it sounded like the noise of flapping wings was far behind them. It was only then that he tentatively began to slow down.

"That's not quite the best impression for a first meeting... I apologize. My name is Zulf."

"Megaera D'Ashland. Wizardess... Though not good enough of one, it seems."

"Don't worry..." He gave a dry smile, gesturing to himself. "At least you have a rather extraordinary talent like that. I'm afraid I'm really rather average in that regard. I only have the advantage of being born to these lands."

"... Wait, so you were here on the Skyway and in the Bastion before?", Megaera asked, obviously more than a spot surprised at that little reveal - or at least, her interpretation of Zulf's remarks.

...Well. That wasn't what he meant, but it wasn't exactly a lie either.

For a brief moment, he looked uncomfortable before he gave a small shake of his head. "I'm afraid you misunderstood me. Most of the Skyway was once whole and firmly connected to the earth instead of floating like it is right now. Places like the Mancer's Observatory and the Rippling Wall- areas you might discover out there- were also a part of those lands. They were all once known as Caelondia, a prospering city, the Wild Unknown which lay beyond its walls, and the Tazal Terminals far to the East- quite a ways from here. It was there I was born, although I came to live in Caelondia. Does that make things clearer?"

"I.... I see. Makes me wonder if the entire disaster started here, then," Megaera considered after a few seconds. "I had figured we were largely in remnants of a bunch of different worlds, but now that you mention it, there is some similarity, to say the least..."

"It... did, although that's a fact none of us from Caelondia or the Terminals are happy about such a thing." Zulf sighed and shook his head. "It's a rather heavy discussion, however. We should probably have it back in the sanctuary of the Bastion instead of out here in the Skyway."

"Good choice," Megaera observed. "Shall we scoot back, then?"

"Gladly." Brushing himself down again, he started to head back to the Bastion. It really was a good thing that it was usually visible from most of the Skyway so long as you didn't wander too far off... "How long have you been in the Bastion? I've been a bit busy, so I'm afraid I've been a little oblivious to any new arrivals."

"Two days only, so far. Figured I needed to get right out hunting, since shards are the closest we've got to local currency and all..."

"That's right... You can do other basic trading with some of the others, if you have the items or skills to pay with but don't want to risk going out onto the Skyway. Not everyone can, after all, and many in the Bastion are understanding about that."

"True. But if I can... Well, frankly, I should. And I can, so... That's what got me out here."

"Fair enough." A smile crossed his face before it was replaced by a more serious look. "You might want to find someone to come out with you, however. There are worst things out here than just Peckers. We've lost plenty of people to the creatures out on the Skyway."

"Most people don't have the kind of tricks I have up my metaphorical sleeve," Megaera observed. "But you're probably right, in the future. For now, though, let's get back to safety."

"Of course."

Soon enough they're stepping back onto Bastion soil, Zulf gesturing to the distillery nearby. He's... not exactly happy to answer some of the questions, considering the dark history behind some of the answers, but he is willing. He's just found it easier if the person he's talking to has access to a seat and alcohol, if that's their preferred poison.

"Want to get something as I answer whatever questions I can?"

"... Nah, I'd rather be at full awareness," Megaera said after a few seconds.

"So the Calamity started somewhere in this world?"

Well, if that was what she wanted, Zulf wouldn't push her. He gave a nod.

"That's right. It takes a bit of explaining... I mentioned there were three particular areas that make up the Skyway, didn't I? Caelondia, a relatively new city, known for its tall powerful walls that protected it from both the Wild Unknown and the Tazal Terminals. The Wild Unknown was exactly that- everything outside of Caelondia, filled with beasts of all sorts and even fauna that might turn against you, as you saw out there. Then, the Tazal Terminals, all the way on the far east... But underground instead of above it.

"Do you follow so far?"

"Three big regions. Makes sense so far," Megaera considered with a nod.

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