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

[knowsmorethanyou]

"Far enough that we can't get back," Aralu answered before turning to Loki. "And he only did it if it was a projected dream. That's all the magic he has." She considered. "Or at least all the magic he had back home."

[yumemi_no_ou]

Shin blinked, head tilting just a touch at Loki's reply before turning back to Aralu. "Friend of yours?" he asked, tone a touch dry before shaking his head slightly. "And I don't know what you're even talking about. I can't do anything like that. Even a projected dream..." he trailed off, running a hand through his bangs. "Would that even work? It'd be like projecting myself but bigger, right?"

[sorcerous]

"So you're in the middle of the 'magically repaired' castle, and yet you're entirely ignorant as to the cause, the means, and the purpose."

Loki is somewhat doubtful.

[knowsmorethanyou]

Were it not-- well-- Shin, Aralu would completely share those doubts.

"Most people, when they get here, appear in Schwanheim. You being here is... unusual."

[yumemi_no_ou]

There was a ripple as the formless white of the dream shifted to be the throne room. "Magically repaired, huh?" Shin asked, tone dry again before he sighed, again running his hand through his bangs. "Look, not to be a pain, but I have no idea what you're talking about, where that place is or anything. I was just talking with Gij less than ten minutes ago when I wound up ripped out of that dream into this one, so I really don't know what's going on anywhere so I don't think 'unusual' really covers it..."

Again, he ran his hand through his hair. "Sorry, I just... I can't feel any Dreamers, Aralu," he explained, tone edged with distress. "So I'm really not in the mood for playing 20 questions about things, okay?"

[sorcerous]

A wave of his hand. "Then wake us up, and let's all be going. There is more to investigate."

[knowsmorethanyou]

Aralu nodded agreement. "And since we don't know what we're up against, I don't want to be here longer than necessary."

[yumemi_no_ou]

Shin nodded, the dream and himself seeming to dissolve.

Moments after, a somewhat ghostly apparition of the young man appeared in the throne room, looking around it with a touch of a frown.

His body, however, remained asleep.

[sorcerous]

Loki continues looking over the throne room. Examines the footprints. He seeks the cause of what happened here; what could have restored the castle? Made the barrier? Summoned this ignorant creature?

[knowsmorethanyou]

"The body is down here, boy," Aralu said, snapping and pointing as if she were directing the attention of a puppy. She was eager to be off searching like Loki was, but couldn't until Shin was taken care of.

*just shoves the narration in here too because LAZY*

[yumemi_no_ou]

The footprints are chaotic and many, all different sizes and variations in design, as if innumerable amount of people had made them. There was one part where it looked almost as if a duel had taken place, a spot where it looked as if something had fallen and disturbed the dust supporting it.

But as for anything helpful, Loki would be sadly out of luck. The throne room held nothing that suggested anything supernatural had happened.

Except for the still unconscious body that Shin wasn't inside at the moment.

He turned, raising an eyebrow at Aralu before pausing, the other eyebrow joining the first.

"... the hell is going on," he wondered, voice carrying a touch of an echo to it as he floated over to hover by his prone form. "...Why is that here and who the hell dressed me in that?"

[sorcerous]

"I think it's well established that we don't know."

He feels ... alone, now. It would be best to have Sif here.

"What is the last you remember?" he asks Shin.

[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.

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.