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Post by Neo on May 24, 2015 15:16:23 GMT -6
A cold dread woke Sonia from a dead sleep. She stared up at the tent ceiling, unmoving, her heart pounding. Sweat trickled down her forehead, and her hands were shaking. The pit of dread in her gut turned to cold, hard fear, and it took all her willpower not to scream. She had no idea why she was so terrified, but as she listened to the sound of her own heart, a wave of realization slowly and suddenly swept over her, leaving her eyes wide with terror. The ticking had stopped.
"Priam?"She whispered. "Are you there?" Please still be here... Please...
There was no answer. Sonia rolled over onto her side and shut her eyes tightly, wishing, willing, whatever was out there to go away. It didn't. Minutes passed, and the silence only grew. And then, suddenly, she heard it. The silence lessened, and she heard it; the faint sound, barely audible, of heavy footsteps and a low rumbling. Tears welled in her eyes. She had never before experienced such terror. She couldn't even move, couldn't even reach the only defense she had, and though she longed to feel the comfort of a magic tome in her hands, she dared not try to reach for it. Some voice in the back of her mind warned her that if she did, it would come for her. It would drag her out of her tent by her ankle, kicking and screaming into the endless night. So she waited, biting her lip to keep herself from sobbing, as the sounds grew louder, and a giant, impossibly large shadow fell over her tent, a shadow even darker than darkness itself.
Priam, oh Priam... Where are you? Nagi, Jet, anyone... Someone, please... I don't want to die here... Not like this...
Those minutes were the most terrifying moments of her life. And then, just like that, it was over. The shadow withdrew as suddenly as it came, and the relentless ticking resumed. Sonia slowly rolled onto her stomach and buried her face in her pillow, as a tremendous wave of relief unlike anything she ever felt washed over her. She would have broken down right then and there, but suddenly, she heard her tent's zipper being slowly undone. All her previous terror returned tenfold, and Sonia's eyes widened. She panicked. Then, before she could react, someone was inside the tent, and on top of her, and she was thrashing, and-
"You're safe," a familiar voice breathed gently into her ear. "I won't let anything happen to you," Priam tenderly shushed her, and Sonia abruptly relaxed beneath him, all her energy spent. Unable to hold back the flood of emotions any longer, Sonia broke down and began sobbing into her pillow.
Priam continued to tenderly console her, reassuring her that everything was fine now, and soon, her fear began to subside. When she was finally composed enough to speak, she was far too exhausted, both mentally and physically, to be angry at him for startling her. Instead she settled on relief. "You came back..."
She felt him nod. "Yes, though I wish I had gotten here sooner. Had I known they would send the Night Terror after you, I never would have left in the first place."
Sonia gulped. Night Terror? "What was that thing?"
"A demon of the old world," Priam answers quietly. "It's a primordial being that's existed since the First Age, and is believed to be the incarnation of fear itself. It cannot be fought or killed, and is more powerful even than a god. It feeds off fear, and can smell it from miles away."
"Then why are you purposely trying to scare me?!" She demands, choking back an angry sob.
His breath tickles her hair, and it felt like he was smiling.. "Because true fear is fear of the unknown, the fear of utter uncertainty. All other fears stem from this. I have told you what is out there, and armed you with knowledge."
He leans in closer and wraps his arms around her. "You cannot face fear alone. But with someone by your side, the knowledge of what you face, and courage in your heart, one can face anything without fear, even fear itself. I have given you two of those conditions, but the third must come from yourself, Sonia."
His words made a lot of sense, damn him. She tried to be angry, but realized he was right. Already, her fear had evaporated. Her anger at him melted away, and she sighed, allowing herself to enjoy being held by a man for the first time. At least until she remembered her sister.
"Wait, what about Eren?! Where's Eren?" She demanded, her panic returning.
"She's fine," he quickly assures her. "She's still fast asleep in her tent. For whatever reason, the Night Terror passed right by her. The girl must be fearless."
Sonia sighs, and groans. "I think I'm getting too old for this..."
Priam laughs, a light, gentle laugh, and Sonia freezes. That's the first time she's heard him laugh.
"That makes two of us. Go back to sleep, little one. The beast won't come back tonight, and knowing my master, he still has the beast on patrol, and none of the other inhabitants here will risk an encounter with it. And my master isn't the type of person to handle things himself. We've bought ourselves a brief respite. I'll keep watch and don't worry, I won't leave again."
Sonia nodded, and he left the bed, heading back outside. She thought about calling him back, but decided against it. Getting too close to him wouldn't be wise. There's still so much I don't know, and while I trust him, I'm not sure how far that trust extends, or if he even trusts me in return. And then there is his master... No. There are just too many unknowns about him. Still...
Sonia didn't get a chance to finish the thought before sleep overtook her once more. And this time, she wasn't woken until the morning.
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Post by Neo on May 25, 2015 23:21:55 GMT -6
The next morning was eerily quiet. Nothing burst out of the forest to assault them, and no fanged beast hounded their steps. All was still and silent, save for the incessant ticking of the clock trees. But that all changed at midday, when the world's giant twin Suns had reached their zenith, and the small group stopped to rest by a small creek. There was no warning. The dark, mysterious hero didn't sense something coming and whisk them away to safety, like in one of Sonia's beloved fairy tales. He just... Appeared. One moment they were resting and drinking, recuperating from the harsh heat of the day, and the next, Sonia was staring into the coldest, emptiest pair of eyes she had ever seen. She didn't move. She didn't know whether to scream in fear, run for her life, reach for her tome, or what. And then he smiled, and Sonia felt her blood turn to ice.
"There you are little bird," the man said, smiling cruelly, his voice smooth and angelic, and Sonia immediately came to two realizations; One, this must be Priam's master, and two, Priam's master was a demon from the old tales, the ones her grandfather always used to tell her when he was alive. He turned to look at Priam, and his face seemed to darken, and then, all hell broke loose.
In a flash of blinding light, Priam transformed before her very eyes, becoming a massive black dragon, and flattening whole swaths of forest in the process. The whole world seemed to go dark, as the dragon reared up on his hind legs and stretched his wings, blotting out the Suns. Sonia's eyes widened and she yelped in both surprise and fear, and even Eren, who had been too traumatized to utter a single syllable before, gasped in shock. The dragon roared, a deafening, world-shaking roar, and charged his master. Sonia scrambled out of the way, just as the dragon careened by her, his gigantic wings decimating row after row of trees. The sound of shattering metal thundered through the forest and beyond, and Sonia desperately clasped her ears, trying to shield herself from the horrible noise. Thankfully, they were mostly safe from the rainstorm of falling scrap metal. She scrambled over to her sister's side and hurriedly helped her up, then turned to look back at the scene behind her.
Sonia didn't know what to make of it. Despite the obvious size and power difference, Priam's master was just toying with him, calmly teleporting from one place to another. "RUN!!!" The dragon bellowed back at them. "NOW!!! Take this chance and flee! Go north! I'll hold him off for as long as I can!"
Sonia bit her lip as indecision tore through her. She wanted to scream at the unfairness of it all. She had to save Eren, but she couldn't just leave him...
Priam's master cackled, a gleeful, terrifying cackle that seemed to echo everywhere at once, and when he spoke, his voice was no longer angelic, but hard and cold and indescribably horrifying. Every word was like a needle in her eardrums. "You poor, delusional boy... I had guessed your mind was freed the instant I lost control of your mother, but I didn't think you had lost your senses as well. You know you cannot hope to defeat me. You cannot even hope to slow me down. Cease this pointless resistance and return with me, and maybe I will spare the life of your little bird. I might even let you keep her."
He suddenly snapped his fingers, and the ground opened, spewing dozens, no, hundreds of skeletons, each crowned in dazzling gold armor. They would be surrounded in mere seconds, and Sonia knew that would be the end. She only had a few moments to react, so whatever she was going to do, she had to do it soon and it had better be amazing. She would only get one chance.
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A: Break north. Trust in Priam's words and try to escape. If you can find just someplace off the ground to take cover, your lighting magic might come in handy...
B: Stay and fight. Focus on creating distractions and aiding Priam from afar, using the many broken trees and piles of metal for cover.
C: Surrender peacefully. Some battles just aren't meant to be won.
D: Try and escape with Priam. If you can force his master into an aerial battle, he won't be able to summon legions of undead warriors...
Hint1: Dragons are tricky, and they love Opposite Day.
Hint2: All roads lead to...
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Post by grayjack on May 26, 2015 3:32:10 GMT -6
The D.
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Post by SummerCrow on May 26, 2015 13:37:35 GMT -6
Ffffff-C.
Just in case no one's figured it out yet. I'm terrible at riddles and cryptic hints.
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Post by Golurkcanfly on May 26, 2015 14:34:30 GMT -6
Well, all roads lead to Rome, and the opposite of Rome is...
Emor?
Wait, Rome is 41N 12E, so that means its opposite is 41S 168W, meaning that it's in the middle of the ocean.
The Ocean is the Sea, so...
C.
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Post by HHDeception on May 26, 2015 14:43:59 GMT -6
D because fairness, trust, and lol skeleton army.
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Post by Neo on May 26, 2015 15:07:33 GMT -6
D because fairness, trust, and lol skeleton army. That tells me you don't remember/know who you're up against. It's Ephidel, just fyi. |
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Post by GX1997 on May 26, 2015 15:19:23 GMT -6
C
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Post by empireoffire on May 26, 2015 15:21:13 GMT -6
Brought to you by the letter D. I may change my mind under certain circumstances. *nudge* I keed, C. |
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Post by Neo on May 26, 2015 16:02:17 GMT -6
www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JVwo3D72ccA deceptive choice, A seductive voice. Can you uncode, Given time, The meaning of life, Lost to the Nine? Or will you do, as lights and illusions do, And reduce your number back down to two? Hurry now, tarry not. For the clock is ticking, on the hangman's knot. 0/7The counter has fallen. Seven chances remain.Yay! C is locked! The update will have to wait until tomorrow though, cause I have to start getting ready for rehearsal in an hour. And you know... If someone would just solve my blasted riddle, I wouldn't have to be so, uh... Direct with the hints.
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Post by SummerCrow on May 26, 2015 16:53:32 GMT -6
www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JVwo3D72ccA deceptive choice, A seductive voice. Can you uncode, Given time, The meaning of life, Lost to the Nine? Or will you do, as lights and illusions do, And reduce your number back down to two? Hurry now, tarry not. For the clock is ticking, on the hangman's knot. 0/7The counter has fallen. Seven chances remain.Yay! C is locked! The update will have to wait until tomorrow though, cause I have to start getting ready for rehearsal in an hour. And you know... If someone would just solve my blasted riddle, I wouldn't have to be so, uh... Direct with the hints. I... uh... riddle? I... what? Uh... Yeah, nah, I got nothin'. I just keep thinking of LoTR. And then And Then There Were None. |
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Post by Deleted on May 26, 2015 16:56:02 GMT -6
C.
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Post by Deleted on May 28, 2015 15:34:10 GMT -6
C
riddled this riddle me that who's afrid of the big bad bat???
Well I have no clue about this riddle but Anna is a reasonable goddess.
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Post by Neo on May 28, 2015 16:12:22 GMT -6
"When your mind doesn't know what to do, your heart does. What we humans call instinct... That is the voice of your heart. Follow that voice when you are most lost, and it shall guide you true, my child. You merely need to listen."
Sonia closes her eyes, just for a moment. She was terrified, and her mind was filled with doubt, but as she closed her eyes, she was overcome by a sudden sense of serenity. She listened, just as her grandfather once taught her, and she heard it; a faint spark, a tiny reservoir of wisdom, hidden deep inside her. It was like listening to a drop of water splash into a crystal clear pond. That tiny drop caused a small ripple, and the ripple spread and spread, growing ever larger, until it highlighted the furthest shores of the pond. It was a... Strange feeling, like meeting someone you knew and loved a long time ago for the first time in years. A part of you had forgotten about them, while some innermost part of you still remembered.
Sonia knelt down before the pond and saw her reflection in the calm, silent waters. She smiled. Thank you, Grandfather. I remember now. I finally understand. And I know what I must do.
She opened her eyes and was immediately ripped back into reality, into the harsh loudness of battle. Master and Servant clashed like demons. One refused to back down, despite his obvious disadvantage, and the other refused to allow the battle to end, merely because he found it fun. Sonia cried out, but her voice was different now; it was both unyielding and resolute, sure and firm, yet also shaky and scared. She did not attempt to hide her fear. Instead, she embraced it, and used it as a weapon.
"Wait!!! Wait, please!!! Stop fighting!!!"
Both Master and Servant were so stunned by her sudden plea, that they did just that. Sonia rushed over to her dragon, and threw her arms around his massive leg. "It's alright, Priam. You can stop now."
He blinked down at her, too stunned to speak, and Sonia turned to the cruel being in front of him. "I surrender... On two conditions. One, my sister is allowed to go free, unharmed, unmolested, and unpursued. You only need one of us for your little trap to work. Two, Priam is granted his freedom. Agree to this, and you may do whatever you wish with me. I will not resist."
"Sonia, don't! You don't understand who you're speaking to-!"
"Your boyfriend is right," he interrupts, amusement flickering in his black, soulless gaze. "You truly have no idea about anything, little girl. You are so blissfully ignorant it's laughable. However... Your courage has impressed me, if only slightly. Surely you realize I could splinter you into tiny pieces without even a second thought."
His face suddenly hardens, and his eyes darken. "Your second condition is denied. You ask for the freedom of a corpse. But I will grant him leave to escort your sister to the Veil's border, and I will grant him leave to stay with you... Should you survive."
His lips twist into a cruel grin. "I like your courage, girl. You might make a worthy piece to add to my collection. So, I propose a little test, if you will. Survive, and... Well, your life here will be comfortable. Fail... You're a smart girl. You get the idea."
So, one way or another, he has no intention of releasing me... I'll just have to pass his little test and bide my time, then. Nagi will be here soon. I know it.
She inwardly shuddered at the thought of becoming a piece in his collection, but firmly nodded. "Agreed."
A bright flash of light momentarily blinded her, and she suddenly found herself in Priam's arms, her back against his chest. "You don't have to do this," he whispers, breathing against her hair.
She smiled and leaned back against him. "Yeah... Yeah, I do. But don't worry. I'll be fine."
He opened his mouth to say something, but whatever he was going to say was lost in that moment. She was abruptly torn from his embrace, and everything went dark.
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Post by Neo on May 31, 2015 19:48:20 GMT -6
Sonia slowly awoke on a cold stone floor, her body sore and aching. She blinked, her eyes trying to adjust to the room's dim light. She vaguely recognized the sound of metal hitting wood from somewhere in the room, and the sound of a roaring crowd somewhere outside.
"You're finally awake. What's your name, girl?"
Sonia's eyes focused and her vision cleared, and she looked around her new 'prison cell'. The room she was in was very large, even surprisingly so, and shaped like a giant rectangle. Various weapons were lined against the walls on racks, and bits of broken and rusted armor were scattered around the floor. Several wooden training dummies were set up against the far wall, and a lone swordswoman mechanically practiced a few swings against one, which accounted for the sound Sonia had heard while regaining consciousness. Sonia studied the woman briefly before she realized someone had just asked her a question. She looked around for the source of said question, and quickly found him, sitting cross-legged not far from her. The man who had spoken appeared to be in his mid fifties, maybe early sixties, and he was clearly a warrior. His body was deeply tanned and well muscled, and his arms were covered in scars. He wore a simple bronze breastplate that covered only his chest and hard leather leggings that had definitely seen better days. A scarf made from white wolf fur hung around his neck, and what appeared to be a Hand Axe rested beside him. It too had seen better days.
The man's hair was cut short and styled like that of an old soldier's, and his eyes were a deep sea green. A long, jagged white scar covered the entire left side of his face. "Pardon?" Sonia asked, confused. She had missed his question.
"Your name girl," the man grunts, his voice deep and gruff. "I asked for your name."
"Sonia," she answers. "Where... Where am I?"
"The Coliseum," he answers, staring at her with an almost uncomfortable intenseness.
Sonia blinks again. Am I supposed to know what that is?
His stare softens into one of disbelief. "Never heard of a coliseum before?"
She shakes her head. "I'm from a small island tribe. All I know about the outside world is from books."
A wistful, nostalgic look crosses the man's stern features, and he looks away. "Aye, I can relate to that. A coliseum is a place where people known as gladiators are forced to fight against monsters, animals, or other people either for freedom, money, or other reward. This particular coliseum isn't your typical one, however... This is the Coliseum of the Dammed. Here, the fallen are forced to fight pointless battles over and over, eternally, with no hope of escape or relief, and the reward for winning is a second chance at life. Of course, no one ever wins, so the 'reward' may as well not exist. Sorry to break this to you girl, but the sooner you get used to it, the better. If you're struggling to cope with denial when they call your name, you'll be in for a world of hurt. You may not be able to die here, but trust me, you don't want to find out what happens when you lose."
By the tone of his voice, she didn't doubt that. So is this the test Priam's master spoke of? I just have to survive this, and I pass? But for how long? If the battles are eternal... Wait, do these rules even apply to me? I'm not dead... Well, technically, I DID die, but it was only for a couple minutes, and Priam revived me... Priam... Eren... I hope they're alright... No. I need to pull myself together. If I don't focus and get my head on straight, I may not live to see them again.
"Where are the ranged weapons?" Sonia asks.
The man gives her an incredulous look. Then he points over to the far left wall. "There are a few bows and javelins over there, but if you're looking for a tome, you're out of luck, girl."
Sonia opened her mouth to ask how he knew she was a mage, then bit her lip and looked down at her dirty robes. Crap... What do I do now? I used to practice archery with Eren and Vex sometimes, but that was years ago. And I barely know the basics of swordplay. I haven't even touched a sword since I was a kid, back when Juan and Jet were first learning to wield a blade...
"Can you use anything else?" He asks, taking pity on her.
"Not really," she says hesitantly, silently cursing her situation. "I used to practice archery when I was younger, and I had a couple lessons of swordplay... But other than that... I mean, I'm good with a knife, but that's it."
He grunts, and turns to the woman behind him, who was still beating up a defenseless dummy. "What do you think, Nyx? Could you teach her the basics, enough to survive today?"
The woman, who was apparently called Nyx, stopped attacking the dummy and turned around, and Sonia was immediately struck by her appearance. She was beautiful, but more than that, she looked eerily similar to herself, just older. Her skin was of the same color as Sonia's, and her hair was the same sparkling gold. Her eyes too bore an uncanny likeness to Sonia's, and when Nyx looked at her, her eyes widened ever so slightly. It happened so quickly the action was barely perceptible, but for a brief moment, she seemed to recognize Sonia. Then, the look vanished, and it was replaced by a cold impartiality.
"Dunno. Well, girl? You wanna try and learn how to swing a blade? Or d'ya want to stick with the smaller ones? You know how to use a knife, right? There should be a few daggers buried around here somewhere."
"Well... I know how to use a scalpel and a carving knife," Sonia admits reluctantly. "But they can't be that different from daggers... Right?"
Nyx scoffs. "The pointy end still goes into the target's fleshy area. Sounds the same to me."
Sonia bites her lip, unsure. "It's just for now," the old warrior assures her. "If you win a battle, you're allowed access to better gear."
He motions to a door she hadn't noticed before, on the opposite side of the room. "That there leads to the other storerooms and waiting areas. The more you win, the more privileges you get. No doubt you'll find all the tomes you'll need if you keep winning."
But for now, I just have to make do with what I've got, right? Guess I've got no choice...
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A: Learn to wield Daggers(Grants the Dual Wield Skill)
B: Learn to wield Swords(Grants the Swordart Skill)
C: Learn to wield Bows(Grants the Slayer Skill)
Note: All new weapon ranks start out at Rank E.
New Skills-
Swordart: All swords now use the Magic stat instead of Strength, and target the enemy's Resistance instead of Defense.
Slayer: When wielding a bow, all attacks become Light Magic, and Magic is used instead of Strength. All attacks with a bow now deal bonus damage to Undead enemies.
Dual Wield(In case you forgot): Allows this unit to always strike twice. Does not stack with the Brave effect.
Hint: Don't discredit using daggers simply because they use the Strength stat.
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Post by Neo on May 31, 2015 20:06:20 GMT -6
Quick status update, so you know what you're working with.
Sonia Lv 17 Sage
HP:63
Str:19
Mag:49+2(Capped)
Skill:45(Capped)
Spd:45(Capped)
Luck:39
Def:31(Capped)
Res:47(Capped)
Avoid 89 ATK N/A
Skills: Magic+2, Tomefaire, Miracle, Shadowgift, Luna
Weapon Level: Tome A, Staff B
Items: None
For this part of the Paralogue, while you're in control of Sonia, she will level up normally, despite only being a temporary character at this time. And don't worry about her stats being capped. You will get a chance to class change her or promote her soon. Also, right now, the enemies won't be too strong. HOWEVER. There are 9 bosses in total coming up, and they are all Legacy Bosses, and you DO have to beat them. Without OP dragons. So yeah. Have fun.
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Post by SummerCrow on May 31, 2015 20:12:17 GMT -6
Daggers. Daggers, daggers, daggers. A, innit?
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Post by Deleted on May 31, 2015 22:28:09 GMT -6
I kinda feel like going with B. Also, hey Mother. Fancy seeing you fighting. Thanks for fighting to see us in life.
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Post by grayjack on May 31, 2015 22:36:37 GMT -6
A.
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Post by Neo on Jun 1, 2015 13:10:09 GMT -6
~Let's do the Infobump agaaaaain~
Say hello to one of the only potential MCs you haven't met before! .... Yes, I did change the spelling of her name. Aaaaanyway....
Nyx: A former Mercenary Captain from the Na'am Archipelago who betrayed her own Company, in order to save her very young son. After a fierce battle with her Lieutenant Karen- only a young woman at the time- the Company was disbanded, and Nyx wandered for a time, raising her son on the road before being reunited with her husband, the Guildmaster of the Hunter's Guild, Percival. At his behest, they decided to settle down on a small island in the far reaches of Na'am, and they lived happily for a time. She gave birth to two daughters, both of whom took after her. However, on a routine family trip to one of the larger islands for supplies, their ship was caught in a violent and sudden storm and sank. Her three children washed ashore on a mysterious island far out at sea, and her husband managed to return to the Mainland, but what happened to her after that is unknown. She is a renowned Swordmaster who has a tendency to conceal her true skill, and, despite her rough demeanor and even rougher speech, she has a very kind heart.
Last call for votes before A is locked.
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