melodiesoflife | Event || Revelations

Entry tags:

Event || Revelations

Characters: All the Heroes of Light and their Moogles.
Where: Order's Sanctuary, The Interdimensional Rift and their Homeworlds.
When: August 03rd - August 30th

Summary: Following the battle against Palitutu, all the Heroes of Light were transported into the Interdimensional Rift. They were told by Palitutu they would have to find her to prove they can break the cycle-- But before they could reach their destination, a malevolent entity from the Rift stripped them from their immortality...

And now, they woke up in a decaying and dying world, most specifically in a place called Order's Sanctuary. From there they are ready to jump... Into their homeworlds! Feel free to use this post for the Mingle at Order's Sanctuary and should your homeworld be the stage for the Heroes of Lights' next adventures, feel free to make a thread for it and as many sub-thread as necessary! Please refer to the OOC Post for questions and plotting.

Warning: Whatever you come up with.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Stepping through the portal brought with it the usual dizzying shift in environment. There were no bright city lights in this place, no rumble of airships. It was a dense forest packed with pine trees. The smell of the air was rich with damp earth, and the dripping of the pine boughs was indicative of a rain shower that had recently passed. The evening sky was choked with thick clouds, blotting out any hope of seeing the moon and stars.

But there was light. Distantly glimpsed down the winding trail of packed pine needles and muddied earth, there was no mistaking the warm orange squares marking the windows of small homes and buildings. The village was small and rustic, but there were definitely people there.

Rialynn moved through, swaying unsteadily as she struggled to adjust to the sudden change of scenery. She frowned at first, tense, then her hand slowly rose to mop over her face when she found herself staring at the pathway that led to the very place of her birth. "Schornburg," she murmured, her brow flicking. It was hard to say if she was surprised or nervous. Perhaps both. This wasn't a place she'd really expected to see again, having turned her back on her hometown a few years back before she would eventually wind up dumped into Crystallis.

She looked back at the others with her. It was almost worth suggesting that they just dive right back through the portal, but they had to find the exit in order to get closer to locating Palitutu, right? It was dark, so most people were likely asleep. It was just a matter of sneaking through while the villagers slumbered. Easy.

...Who was she kidding, nothing in this world or the next one had ever been easy!

The young bard took a step forward, but suddenly froze at the sound of voices engaged in conversation and the soft thud of horse hooves. Quickly she ushered everyone off of the trail, herding them back into the trees to take shelter. And a good thing, too. A trio of men rode past, decked out in armor and colorful tabards. All of them wore rapiers at their hips.

"Soldiers..." Rialynn whispered, frowning. "All the way out here? That's new."

[OOC: Feel free to make branching threads as well if you want to explore, get into bar fights, steal horses, etc.]

Looking around this new world and hearing the approach of large beasts of burden, Ramza cursed himself for not having brought along a real sword. He pulled a woefully inadequate dagger from his boot and placed himself between Rialynn and the noises.

"Until we know what purpose they serve, best to stay quiet," he murmured.

K'pandolu frowned, leaning forward to try and observe the riders, one ear twitched towards the others. "Do you recognise their colours?" she asked Rialynn.

Better a dagger than a rock. Rialynn nodded in silent agreement, waiting until the soldiers had passed before she let herself relax. Turning to K'pandolu, she shook her head. "I'm not sure. One of the lords, maybe. All I know is that it wasn't the king's colors, or the Holy Man's."

She edged a little closer to the road and peered down it, looking both ways. "It doesn't seem like there are too many, but we've never had patrols out here before." She stepped forward, her pace brisk, but quiet, arms held out slightly to the sides as if that might improve her stealth.

"Maybe there have been monster sightings nearby," she reasoned. She couldn't think of any other reason why a lord would dispatch his own guards to such a small town. If it were the neighboring city a few miles away, she wouldn't have questioned it. "They might have also stopped by to commission swords from the blacksmith. The one we have is really good."

Maybe they could buy a decent sword for Ramza while they were at it.

Duster remained behind the group, closer in the woods. Judging from Rialynn's reaction to the soldiers, they weren't exactly good news. Soldiers in general ruined things, in Duster's experience. Monsters were more likely to hide in the wilderness and attack from behind, and he had to fight them off before they reached the noncombatants.

Those men carried swords rather than guns, which should make fighting them simpler, but the way they carried themselves was nothing like the ineptitude of the Pigmasks. These soldiers were a threat.

"If we don't want to be spotted, we shouldn't stay so close to the road," Duster piped up as he followed the others. "If we know where we're headed, we can walk fifty paces beside the road."

Ramza nodded at Duster. "Would everyone be able to travel off of the road. The terrain here does not look too difficult to traverse..."

Monsters would attack on the road or off, but keeping out of sight would keep the soldiers from being a problem, just in case. Ramza would rather err on the side of caution than gamble with the lives of his friends.

K'pandolu tilted her head, focusing on the ground ahead of them, and nodded. "Between all of us, we should be able to manage," she said, and glanced over the others briefly. "Which way is the city?"

Rialynn turned, about to warn them that there might be wolves hanging out in those woods ready to pick off an unwary night-time traveler...

...But then she reminded herself that this little band had just fought a giant deadly war machine and had slain horrific tentacle monsters, ravenous plant creatures, and other such deadly creatures. Wolves looked like puppies in comparison.

Feeling a little dumb, she made herself relax and nodded slowly. It hadn't taken long for her to fall back into her old habits the moment she was back on familiar turf.

"The city is five miles to the northeast," Rialynn said hesitantly. "But just up ahead is the village. Where I grew up." She shot an uncertain glance at Ramza, as he was likely the only one who had read her file and might understand why she both wanted to go there, and also run like hell in the other direction. She took the hat off of her head and passed it to K'pandolu with an apologetic smile. "Here," she said. "Hide your ears. In my world, everyone is human, and extremely superstitious. I don't want anyone to freak out just because they don't know what you are."

Ramza steps closer to Rialynn and lowers his voice. "Do you wish us to go there, or set our course elsewhere? We shall abide by your decision."

He understands why she would be reluctant to return, and that reunion is not one anyone else could rightfully force. Five miles northeast and possible wolves were no insurmountable obstacle, and they could brave them if need be.

Duster beckoned at the group to come closer, near the forest. Discussing plans in the middle of the road would draw attention.

He hadn't heard Rialynn add the comment about growing up in the nearby village, but he weighed both choices in his head. He glanced at the moon above him. The moon moved across the sky differently depending on where in the world they were, but general judgement on the time of night could be made with a quick survey. Once everyone was a safe distance from the road, he spoke.

"It will be easier to find a place to stay in a city, and people are going to be suspicious if we stop in a small village. But judging from the sky, it's getting really late. Depending on how fast we walk, we might not be able to reach a a city inn before it's too late."

He stares at the stars for a minute. A city would be better to hide in, but a village would be of less interest to an army.

"How tired are you guys? The choice is up to you." Duster wouldn't be able to make the decision on his own anyway.

K'pandolu nodded and accepted the hat, tucking her ears under it. "Thank you," she said, before taking her tail in hand and considering before tucking to tuck it into her pants as best she could. She understood the need, but that didn't make it much less annoying.

She hummed, gaze drifting between the others. "I could manage, I think," she said. "But- we could claim we'd encountered some trouble on the road?" She shook her head, frowning, and looked to Rialynn. "Is there anything that ought to lead us to one over the other otherwise?"

Rialynn met Ramza's gaze, holding it silently. She could see that he probably knew why she was hesitating, and she appreciated his confidence. Then she looked back to Duster and K'pandolu. "Give me a minute. I need to think it over. But you're right, getting off the road comes first."

It would give her a chance to collect her thoughts. She never thought she'd be facing the sight of her hometown again. Then again, she thought she'd never face her father again, but he'd been right there on that stage, albeit with a different name and a different set of memories.

She steepled her fingers together and pressed them close to her mouth as she walked. By all accounts, staying away from this place was the easiest thing to do. On the other hand, if they were to find the portal, then there was probably a reason why they'd wound up here specifically.

Moreover, she might not have this chance ever again. There was no guarantee any of them could return to their homes even if they did manage to fight the Calamity. And if they failed, this could be her last chance to say goodbye, and apologize. She exhaled, her breath shuddering, and she looked at the town again. "My house is here," she finally said. "I don't think an innkeeper would accept gil, so...if you're okay with it...I can see if my father will let us stay. Is that all right with you guys?"

"...If you're fine with it." They may be family, but Duster knew well enough that ties of blood were not always positive. He was fine with either decision, and left it up to the others again.

He shuffled his feet and looked at the faces of the remaining party members, switching from person to person as if to read their body language for a response.

Ramza nods. "We can go to your Father. But we also have equipment we can barter if we need. We are not without options."

And it is not as if Ramza has never camped out before. He does not plan on asking Rialynn to do anything she is not ready for, just for their comfort.

K'pandolu glanced at the others, and nodded. "That would be fine by me," she said. Of course, they could camp if things turned out that way, though she hoped it wouldn't be absolutely necessary.

Rialynn nodded slowly as she took each person's preference, then her eyes slooooowly grew wider as she realized that she might actually be the party leader for this merry little band. She looked back at the road. Looked at the others.

Crap!

She turned back toward town and pressed forward, surreptitiously tugging at the end of her bandanna. Butterflies abounded in her stomach, for she'd never really been the leader type. She was the one who followed, gathering information and staying off to the sidelines unless danger demanded she leap in to help.

"It can't hurt to just talk to him. We should conserve what we've got for now, save it for an emergency, right?" At least, that seemed like the best plan to her.

She fell silent as they moved through the woods. She found herself squinting in the darkness, trying to make out familiar items as they moved. Over there should be the weird dirt hills with the small craters at the top, over there would be the big boulders she'd climbed on and jumped off of, and somewhere around here was the fallen log she'd walked over pretending it was over a perilous ravine filled with spikes...

It didn't take long to reach the village perimeter. It wasn't a very big place, holding maybe thirty homes, an inn where a couple more soldiers lingered and casually conversed, and a low circular stone wall in the center of the village, presumably where people sat when the mayor called a town meeting.

Rialynn's gaze was fixated on a small house situated next to a blacksmith. One of the windows glowed with light. Part of her was relieved, as it meant her father was definitely still alive. But it also meant that she had to go face him and admit everything she'd tried to forget about herself.

"Okay. Wait here. I'm not sure how long it'll take, so I guess if it's more than an hour or so, uh... Actually I'm not sure. Just wait here." And she crept closer to the building, keeping it between her and the inn, slipping away toward the front until she was out of the group's sight.

There was no point in disobeying his friend's orders, whether she was the leader or not. It was her family and her town, so she decided what she would do. Duster rested his back against a nearby tree and slid down until he was sitting. The armor rubbed against the aging bard and scraped several splinters which clung onto his back harmlessly.

The spear was laid on the ground, and he waited.

K'pandolu settled down to wait, tail swishing aimlessly. "… I don't suppose either of you have a pack of cards on you?"

Ramza shook his head. "I do not. But I doubt they would do us any good in this darkness anyways."

He sat as well, his thoughts focused on the village and Rialynn as he let his body rest from all the trials they had faced these past few days.

No one knew when Rialynn would be back, and the first suggestion that came to Duster's mind (to take a nap) wouldn't do while in the middle of a mission. However, when he and his friends couldn't sleep during the dark nights, talking was the best solution.

"...The stars are out tonight." Thankfully, while the skies were cloudy, the wind provided the group plenty of chances to admire the small lights above them.

K'pandolu glanced up, and nodded, humming. "It's a different world, but- is there anything you see in them?"

Duster hummed to stall for time as he craned his neck upward. The constellations from the Nowhere Islands and Crystallis were gone, but it left a blank slate for them to project onto.

"Those stars, over there." He pointed to a group hanging above the distant forest, his other arm planted to the ground. "It sort of looks like a bird's head...viewed from the front."

If he squinted, the brighter stars in the middle formed an upside-down triangle. Therefore, a bird's beak.

It was probably somewhere around half an hour before Rialynn's familiar form came back around the corner. Her shoulders were hunched forward, her gait slightly shuffling and awkward, as if she were carrying a great embarrassment on her back.

"So um..." She cleared her throat, which was a little tight with emotions. "We don't have many beds. But we have two wood chairs, some extra blankets, um...well, it's nothing great. I can put my mattress on the floor if we want to lie across it the wrong way and have our legs stick out..."

Apparently the meeting had gone positively.

(OOC: But feel free to keep bonding over stars if you like, I don't mind!)

Ramza hurried to his feet when Rialynn returned, leaving off where he had been imagining constellations forming all manners of weaponry.

"Wonderful. We can make do. I will happily take a floor in a warm house over the chill night air." He will not say anything that will malign the hospitality offered at Rialynn's household.

K'pandolu was slower to rise- she'd been enjoying the tales of the constellations, and trying to see the forms the others saw while sketching out her own.

"That will be enough," she said, offering a smile, eyes on Rialynn. "I'm sure we weren't expected, after all. But I'm glad he's willing to take us in."

Rialynn Kollmann - Home of the OCs

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