Open Exploration: The Old Capital.

[thequestgiver]

Where: The Old Capital
When: RD6, all day
What: The Hero of the Mountains has come and gone from the Old Capital, just passing our heroes on the way. Time to explore the city in her aftermath?



On the surface, the Old Capital looks much like Schwanheim, only without the two rivers flanking the castle. It's much smaller, the houses father apart and older looking that the more crowded capital, and far more ordered. It has the feel of a city that was planned out. The castle stands in the center, simple, yet impressive, navy blue banners flapping from the the towers that grace each corner, acting as gateway to the 4 wide streets that slice through the circular town like the spokes of a wheel, dividing it into sections. One quarter is the market and craftsman district, the road leading to the castle lined with stalls and merchants with goods on blankets, side streets winding down towards the less sightly businesses. Flanking it on both ends are two housing districts, the smaller homes closer to the market, getting larger as they head for the 4th district, full of large mansions and an impressive church.

There's a large clock tower in the market district that matches the one back in Schwanheim, and a bulletin board much the same.

The clock is stopped, the board blank, and there is an eerie feeling as if something is just... missing. A lack of bird song. A lack of breeze. An odd feeling of stillness, almost as if one were walking through a ghost town even though there are still people about their daily chores as if nothing's wrong.

Comments

[yumemi_no_ou]

"I was talking with a friend in his Dream. Then I got ripped out of the Dreaming and back in my own, only the rest of the Dreaming wasn't right." The ghostly young man again ran his hand through his hair, clearly agitated. "It's one thing for me to be here, but not for my body to be... it should be back at the castle! I can't--"

He made a frustrated sound. "Aunt Elaine is going to have a fit..."

[sorcerous]

"Perhaps this world has decided you are to be a ghost, and vulnerable, both," Loki suggested. "It seems fond of playing tricks, that way."

[knowsmorethanyou]

"If it wants heroes, it's going about it all wrong," Aralu replied dryly. Her eyes skipped to Shin. "Inside the body, boy," she repeated. "I'm not carrying it back to the capital with you floating around me."

[yumemi_no_ou]

"The hell does that even mean? If it wanted a ghost, why the hell did it bring my body-- that I haven't been in for over a month, Aralu," Shin turned to scowl at her a moment. "with me?" he finished before turning to face the redhead properly.

"And remember that whole 'Aura too big for the body' talk we had before I ascended? Pretty sure that hasn't changed. How the hell am I supposed to get back in there if I couldn't stay in there last time?"

[sorcerous]

"Try." Loki's patience was running thin. Not that it was particularly abundant to begin with. He was not a patient sort of man. "If I can help, I will."

If you want Loki to go ahead, perhaps Aralu and Shin can catch up later?

[yumemi_no_ou]

There was a long pause before the translucent figure vanished.

And an even longer pause before the solid form of the young man seemed to shift, a finger twitching.

Much more than that might take some more waiting...

Sure

[sorcerous]

After not very much waiting, Loki wandered off again. Through the castle, exploring the various passageways. He was incensed that there was so little to find here.

[ofchaosandorder]

"What you are looking for is gone. Why do you waste your time still?"

The voice came from above, the faint scent of smoke twisting with the sound to lead the eye upward where the woman sat on an outcropping of stone.

[sorcerous]

"It is my time to waste."

He knows that voice, and his teeth grit. This, likely, will not be a balm to his annoyance.

He glances up, finds her, and stands calm with his eyes on her.

[ofchaosandorder]

"There is not much of that left to waste." She puffed at her cigarette, seemingly just as annoyed, if not more so.

[sorcerous]

"Explain." One word, the simplest way for Loki to express his anger at her, at this entire situation, at the understanding that seemed just out of his grasp.

At least she wasn't talking in poetry.

[ofchaosandorder]

She rolled her eyes. "Have you not see how time has been distorted? What do you think happens when it has been pulled and warped as such?"

[sorcerous]

He went tense.

"It fails," he murmured. Time. The nature of this magic was time. That was magic so terrible that Loki himself would only use it in the greatest of need.

[ofchaosandorder]

She settled, taking another slow drag of her cigarette, exhaling slowly, the smoke wrapping around herself. "Do you know now what you must do, if you seek to preserve yourself?"

[sorcerous]

"Go." There is nothing left to do here but to escape it. He is not of enough power to stabilize a tear in time.

[thequestgiver]

"Stop the one who is causing the distortion. Idiot," she scowled.

TIME SKIP after the Anya thread.

[yumemi_no_ou]

It was an almost unreasonable amount of time later when Shin managed to find his feet, leaning very heavily against Aralu as he shuffled along, looking more dead than he had as a spirit.

[knowsmorethanyou]

"Dear lord," Aralu murmured. "How are we ever going to get you back to the capital?" She had forgotten just how bad his back could get.

[yumemi_no_ou]

"Magical power chair?" Shin's voice was already exhausted and it seemed to be taking all his effort to keep on his feet. His body felt like it was made of lead, ill fitting and stiff, like an old set of amour that hadn't been kept up. It'd been months since he'd been in it, and relearning how to do basic things like walk with out his back hurting seemed like climbing a mountain.

[knowsmorethanyou]

"Magic power wheelchair has to wait until we get back to the capital," Aralu grouced. "Hence, we have the same problem. I'll have to hire a cart and a lot of hay or something. Really, what do they do with cripples in this kingdom."

[yumemi_no_ou]

"Set them up in old houses to die or be prophets," was the dry, almost bitter reply. "...sorry," he mumbled a moment later.

[knowsmorethanyou]

"Why are you sorry?" Aralu asked. "You're probably right." She looked around and then sighed. "And toting you, I don't think I can keep up with looking around. Let's get out of here and figure out the way home."

[yumemi_no_ou]

"Any time I start sounding like Gij in my head..." Shin smiled, a touch bitter. "Hate that I'm back to being useless again," he muttered, trying to get his feet to be more stable on the uneven ground.

[knowsmorethanyou]

"You're just useless until we can get you home. Then you can do all the floating around that you want. You're just not allowed to be dead weight until I get you to Hawk."

[yumemi_no_ou]

"He's here too?" Shin blinked, wincing as he stumbled slightly. "Is Kim?"