All for Naught? [Solo | Celestial Arms III Part II]

[Icyferno]

Status: Healthy / Rested

~

One moment, he was staring out at the city of Lune, the pristine medieval structures like what a true fantasy world should have; structures of stone, people, guards patrolling, and so on.

He blinked, and the next moment, he found himself back in Londinium at the square where he met the Sage apprentice, the ruined backdrop a far cry from the buildings of before. This time, however, it seems that the Sage apprentice brought a friend along, yet another hooded individual, plus a bunch of other unhooded Sages who were discussing something at length. Hmm, maybe it was 'friends'.

The party approached them, and as they did so, one of the Sages looked up and glanced at them. Through some hidden telepathy skill, all heads turned, and to be honest, it was kind of creepy to have a bunch of hooded folks suddenly turn to look at you with no warning. Especially since it was somehow now noon, and he could not see their faces. Real creepy.

Thankfully, as though they had read his mind, the Sages began to pull back their hoods one by one. He noted that apart from the Sage apprentice, the rest of the Sages were pretty old; the youngest (apart from the Sage apprentice, obviously) probably in the late fourties. Not sure if the Sages are having a bad recruitment period, considering that they only have one apprentice. Maybe that was why he had never heard of them earlier: They were declining.

The more surprising thing which immediately grabbed their attention, however, was one Sage, in particular. Someone who should no longer exist.

Magistrate Zaffre.

~

Word count: 270
Total word count (Swashbuckler): 270 x 1.1 = 297
Notes: Post 1 of 3 for part 2 of the Celestial Arms III Questline.

[Icyferno]

Status: Healthy / Rested

~

The party gaped at the man who technically lived in the era of the destruction of Lune: For a brief moment, they wondered if they had truly succeeded, and they also wondered how long the lifespan of a Person of the Land was. They wondered if there were going to be cool rewards or something.

The Sages walked towards them as they walked towards the Sages, their soft, flowing robes a sharp contrast to the dirtied combat gear of the party after all their fights, and the regular clothing of the people nearby whose clothes resembled modern fashion.

They got into speaking distance, and then the questions began.

Before the Sages got into their 'welcome back, we have more things for you to do' speech which many NPCs always do (that, or eternal thanks), Icyferno blurted out his words first. "Are you that Zaffre guy we met? Does that mean we saved Lune?"

Sadly, reality was harsh. The man, who even sounded like Zaffre, replied, "Hah! No, it is not over yet. I am but Magistrate Zaffre's descendant. His wife, carrying a child in her womb, fled Lune alongside a few others, and managed to survive the carnage by seeking refuge amongst the other cities. In fact," he added, sweeping his hands across the other Sages. "All of us, are, in some way, connected to those who managed to escape Lune. History has, unfortunately, not been changed. The being you defeated, the [Praesepe Hive], was merely the beginning: Meant to cause extreme loss of life, but was not enough to overwhelm the city. It would, at best, destroy three Districts. Its main purpose was to remove key figures in Lune's politics from play, but it seems that even though it was destroyed, Lune still fell." Not that he knew what a District was. He supposed he would find out later.

~

Word count: 310
Total word count (Swashbuckler): ( 270 + 310 ) x 1.1 = 638
Notes: Post 2 of 3 for part 2 of the Celestial Arms III Questline.

[Icyferno]

Status: Healthy / Rested

~

"One thing is for certain, though. The death of [Praesepe Hive] did nothing but delay the destruction of Lune. I'm sorry, but you haven't saved Lune." The Swashbuckler could have sworn it sounded similar to the phrase, "Sorry, but your princess is in another castle." Hmm. He wondered what the Merchant Princesses looked like. Probably elegant ladies in their fourties or something, he guessed.

The Sage who looked like Zaffre continued. "I believe the Pebble should be able to bring you back into the past again if you desire to return. Of course, I cannot force you, but if you do choose to return, please prevent the 'Banquet of Revolution'. If [Praesepe Hive] was the start, then the Banquet is the killer." The Banquet? Sounds familiar. Icyferno took out the letter from the mysterious figure known as The Red, and quickly scanned the contents. There. The Banquet of Revolution was mentioned there as well. Could they be related? Most likely. There were no mentions of the letter's Banquet being a similar event, meaning it was probably the first of its kind. Does that mean that the Adventurers' involvement was to blame for the destruction of Lune? Are they simply muddling through some time paradox?

He set aside the question for now, and continued to listen to the Sage. "We can't control the Pebble, but we do know that the Pebble has yet to achieve its full potential. While you continue your investigations in Lune, we will attempt to prepare the materials necessary to conduct a ritual which will bring out the Pebble's full potential. We hope you will accomodate us."

Sounds like the best quest he had ever gotten in a while, but they would need to prepare. Icyferno told the group that he needed to pick up some new gear: his current ones would not cut it. He quickly cut a path straight to the Funeral Parlour as the others went off to resupply. They would figure out how to get back to Lune later.

And there, waiting in a box inside the shop, was the things he had ordered. He wondered what would happen if someone stole them: There was probably some form of surveillance nearby, he hoped. It was not like the secretive crafter could lock the basket to restrict access: His or her name would appear when the permissions was checked. Well, at least the gear was of a high quality. And he was going to need all the quality he could get if he was planning on living through the tough times of the past.

~

Word count: 430
Total word count (Swashbuckler): ( 270 + 310 + 430 ) x 1.1 = 1111
Notes: Post 3 of 3 for part 2 of the Celestial Arms III Questline.