[Celestial Arms Quest 2-1] Invisible Monsters

[Capsule]

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Tired, bedraggled and slowly recovering health and mana, Capsule reappeared in Londinium. She was still on the back of her polar bear, so it was quite the entrance. Bosco was dropped onto his paws to the ground below, but Capsule did not join the dog. She urged Aleksei on, paying no heed to the people around her. A few Adventurers called out in indignation as the bear practically slammed into them, while others hurriedly shuffled out of the way. The Enchanter was in no mood to deal with any of their crap. She had almost been crushed by a crab man, for crying out loud.

The Sage was entertaining a tiny werecat when Capsule descended upon him, eyes wild and teeth bit back into a grimace. The little werecat squealed when the great big polar bear grabbed the thin man by his collar, and hoisted him up into the air. There was some tension in the air, as the Sage was left to dangle a few feet above the ground. A few Adventurers were inching towards the bear riding Enchanter, but the Sage waved them off. "So, Capsule! I take it you found something of interest?"

Capsule was almost caught off guard by that response. You would think he would be intimidated by the bear, or nervous, at the very least. Instead, his eyes were gleaming with inquisitive enthusiasm of a child. "You want to know if I found something?" She shoved the Pebble of Philosophy under his nose. "I found this in the fountain. The crab called it--"

"The Pebble of Philosophy! How did you manage to retrieve it? And may I see it?" After a nod from Capsule, Aleksei released the Sage, and then tossed the Pebble over to him. While he turned the Pebble over in his hands, Capsule launched into a brief explanation: how she found the pebble, the sudden shock of foreign memories, and the monstrous crab that jumped out to fight her. The Sage had an interesting reaction to this news, especially in regards to Brachyura. "My word… you discovered more than I anticipated." After a moment of silence, the Sage nodded. "Quite the mouthful, indeed. Do you have anything you would like to ask?"

The Enchanter slipped off of the bear's back. Her legs were a little shaky from the Brachyura incident, and would only grow numb if she remained on the bear. She took a moment to collect herself, and forced back her irritation. "Yes. I wish to know everything." God help him if he left anything out.

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∝: 426
♫: A Promise
✏: I should actually read that.
@: Capsule

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[Capsule]

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The first thing Capsule asked about was the Pebble of Philosophy. "What is it? And why did it… divulge so many memories into my mind? And what did it have to do with Brachyura?" One question at a time, she was told. The woman sighed and folded her arms across her chest, leaning against Aleksei as she waited for a response from the Sage.

"As you know by now, the Pebble of Philosophy is no mere pebble. It is actually a mass of anima, condensed down into a tangible form. This pebble carries the memories of the people from the ancient civilization." He paused for dramatic effect, waiting until Capsule had leaned forward in anticipation. "The civilization was tragically destroyed, torn apart by its city-states could not come to a peaceful agreement." The man closed his eyes and issued a deep, melancholic sigh. "Truly a waste…"

"Okay, but what about Brachyura?"

"Brachyura! We have searched long and hard for the Geniuses." He paused, searching Capsules face for some sort of recognition. When she only continued to blink back at him in confusion, the Sage went on. "They are called Geniuses because they were once monsters…" He trailed off as he glanced at the polar bear. "Monsters that developed sentience, even going so far as to share consciousness and memories. They also gave themselves names. Like Brachyura; there have been sights reported of the creature near the Thames Coastline. Based on what you told me, it seems he was prowling the coast for one thing in particular: the pebble, and someone capable of retrieving it for him. In other words, he needed your assistance. Without someone to find and unlock the potential the pebble it possessed, it was a useless bauble."

Capsule looked away from the Sage, an eerie smile plastered on his face. She did not understand why the crab was so hard for the pebble, but was glad to have thwarted his plans. Whatever cases he could wrought with the pebble in hand (or claw?) she would have been responsible for. The Sage, unperturbed, went on to describe a few other Geniuses. None of it made any sense to her, but something ]did catch her attention. "Hold on a sec. You mentioned Red. I… I know that name."

There was an event from a few months ago: the Palate of the Ages. Many crafters worked -- together or independently -- to supply the mysterious Chef Van Rouge with crafts for some banquet. It all seemed to be pretty harmless stuff; things you would expect to see at a party, no more no less.
"There was an event, not so long ago. This person calling himself Chef Van Rouge… Rouge is French for red, ne?" She covered her mouth with a hand, mystified. Was the chef really a Genius?

"Let me guess -- the event involved crafting, did it not?" Capsule opened and closed her mouth, stunned. Was he serious? "I do not know much about the Red, sadly. All I can tell you is that he has lived for many centuries, and enjoys feeding on the creativity of crafters all over. He appears to have taken on a human form." The Sage narrowed his eyes, squinting at nothing in particular. "Allegedly, he was first seen hosting an event called the Banquet of Revolution. A banquet that led to the demise of the ancient civilization." His words sent a chill down her spine.

There was nothing else Capsule could think to ask the Sage, who handed her back the pebble. She started to tuck it into her pocket, when something caught her eye. The restored cuneiform she had left in the care of the Sage had a pebble shaped slot on the front. Moving almost out of her own accord, Capsule picked up the tablet, and slipped the pebble into the slot. It fit nicely, but she was starting to feel like anything but.

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∝: 654
♫: A Promise
✏: ---
@: Capsule

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[Capsule]

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With a groan, Capsule struggled to open her eyes. The last thing she remembered was the tablet, the Sage and the pebble… she had just connected the tablet and pebble together when she fainted. Was she really that worn out from the boss fight? Or had all the excitement simply gotten to her? More importantly, how long was she out for? Capsule sat up, fully expecting to see the Sage, Bosco and Aleksei staring down at her in concern. What she actually saw startled her.

She was in a room with a bunch of people dressed in what she guessed to be military uniforms. They were arguing among themselves. Bewildered and not seeing a familiar face, Capsule timidly pulled herself up to her feet. Was this the doing of the Sage? Or had another Adventurer carried her off? Was this jail?! No… she would be in a cell if that were the case, right? Letting a prisoner roam free was not a bright idea; assuming she was imprisoned.

"Um… Excuse me?" Ever the timid character, Capsule approached one of the men not arguing. He was observing the others in silence, so she figured it would not be too rude to ask him for assistance. "Where am I? Why am I here? I would like to leave, please…" She waited expectantly for the man to deny or approve her request, but he only dug into his nose. Capsule grimaced in disgust as the man tried to discreetly pick his nose right in front of her, and then had the audacity to flick the booger in her general direction. "Hey! That is very rude and disgusting… are you listening to me?!"

The man was now rubbing at his nose with the back of his thumb. He never once looked in her direction. Now assured that the man was utterly useless, Capsule decide to seek out someone else with some human decency. There were several men standing around a table, examining a large map. Capsule knew she might very well get scolded for interrupting, but she needed answers, damn it. So without further ado, she tapped one of the men on the shoulder… or at least tried to. To her horror, her finger went clear through the man, as if he were made from vapor.

"…this is just like Harry Potter and the pensieve." She ran her hands up and down the man, finding nothing solid. This included the table and some of the other gents. Was this a memory? She lowered her eyes to the map stretched out on the table. It was almost a spitting image of the Unfounded Kingdom she knew, albeit for a few differences. Lonsdale was unfamiliar to her, but she was aware of the Fairy Gate. One of the officers traced an area with his finger. That was near the Purple Mirror Mansion, right? It had been a good while since she visited that place, but she had an eye for direction.

Capsule was trying to put the pieces together when her mind began to go blank. This was oddly convenient, but not for her. "What are you trying to tell me…?" Her voice shrank, coming out as soft and tiny in her ears. She was falling...

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∝: 540
♫: A Promise
✏: ---
@: Capsule

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[Capsule]

[attr="class","solcap"]

When she came to this time, she was no longer in the room, but lying against something warm and a dirty shade of white. Her polar bear, Aleksei, had caught her as she fell, and was cradling her in his massive paws. The Sage, Bosco and Aleksei were staring down at her in concern. "Ah, good. You have finally awoken." In his hands, the Sage held the tablet. He offered it back to Capsule, who was slow to stir. "You look like you have just seen a ghost!" Buddy, you don’t know half of it.

Once she was capable of speech, Capsule explained to the Sage where she had gone, and what she had seen. "I think I may have been in the time when the ancient civilization was falling apart. There were military men, and they had a map." She gestured about in excitement as she described it. "And right before I blacked out, one of them mentioned betrayal, the Fairy Gate, and someone pointed out the Purple Mirror Mansion. They… well, maybe it was the pebble, may have been hinting at me to go there next." It was a stretch, but what else was she to believe from the memory.

The Sage provided no discouragement; on the contrary, he believed that she should follow up on this lead, but also take the pebble along for protection. There was no telling what would happen if it were to fall into the wrong hands. As the so called chosen one, it was her responsibility to look out for this lump of anima. Before heading off into another potentially dangerous venture, however, Capsule stopped by the nearest inn to fully replenish her health and mana. There was no telling what (or who) was waiting for her at the mansion.

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∝: 298
♫: A Promise
✏: ---
@: Capsule

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