FFd6 - Group 2 Part 2

Truce · 12-19-2009, 08:49 PM

There was no immediate answer as Ralts tried to reason with the book. Perhaps it was contemplating the mage's terms - possibly even considering that perhaps the man had a point.

"What a bother," the book finally 'said'. "Not that I really expected it to be that easy. Though, to think that you would believe that I am 'trapped'.

"Well, from your point of view, I suppose it would appear that way. And, until recently, it was. Unfortunately for you, I have no desire to change my terms."

There was a pause, as if it giving Ralts a chance to read over the message, before the words disappeared again.

"Little one, my entire life has been one of endless waiting. What is a little bit more of eternity to one who is immortal?"

Bard The 5th LW · 12-19-2009, 09:55 PM

A look of strong annoyance went across Ralts's gender-neutral face. 'Enough playing around, I'm getting my answers!'

Ralts then reach for his sheathe, "I'm sorry to hear that," he said as he drew his sword. "How would you like it then if you waited another eternity, cut into hundreds of pieces, and scattered around the vast expanse of Sinner's Horizon." Ralts said all of this in the same polite voice as he had used previously, which gave a somewhat creepy air about his 'negotiating'.

Admittedly, Ralts probably wouldn't do this, as he needed this book for money, but it didn't know that. In fact, it would probably assume that Ralts was just an impatient, murderous scholar, considering his fluency in Ancient.

Truce · 12-19-2009, 10:28 PM

"So then, I assume that you went into this crypt, which is - as I last recall - lost somewhere in the middle of a desert, went through the traps, for your own entertainment? I can only imagine how bored you must've been then, to give up the only prize worth taking from this dreary place."

For some reason, you get the impression that it isn't impressed by Ralts' threat. If anything, it appears to be egging the mage on.

Of course, that would just be silly, wouldn't it?

Bard The 5th LW · 12-19-2009, 11:03 PM

"Well ain't that a pity," Ralts said in a chipper voice with a fake smile as he lifted the blade, and lowered it towards the book. He intended to cut a piece out of the corner, the scholar wouldn't notice it, and the book would know he wasn't playing games.

He was half-way in his action when Ralts immediately stopped moving the sword. The obvious realization struck him: this book wanted him to break it. Ralts started putting the pieces together, the emperor's soul was trapped in a book, he was probably a bad guy. The Emperor was also trying to make him angry, even after he threatened to destroy him, breaking the book would free the man's soul.

The emperor also said that this was a crypt, and the two Galkas called them grave robbers, that meant that the emperors corpse was in this dungeon, destroying the book was liable to give it an opportunity to go back to its body, or take someone else's.

"Oh you almost had me there, a clever book, aren't you?" Ralts said tauntingly to the tome. "Unfortunately for you, I'm just a tad bit more clever, I'm not letting you go free, not by a long shot."

He then lifted himself from the ground and decided to inform his teammates of what his hypothesis. "The emperor wants me to break the book, probably to release his soul to go back to his body, which I believe is somewhere here, or take one of ours. What do you propose? I think we should destroy the corpse, but it may be easier to let our buyer handle this."

Krylo · 12-19-2009, 11:14 PM

"Our buyer almost certainly knows what that book really is. I really think we should try to discover more before we sell it," Jal said with a soft sigh. "This is the kind of thing that is going to come back and haunt us for years if we don't, you know?"

Jal stared at the book in Bard's arms then for a few moments, his mind slowly going over everything he had heard, analyzing it like he had analyzed the traps before--the spikes, the statues, the water, even the spiked ceiling. This was just another trap. Another obstacle between him and treasure.

"You're trapped," He said aloud in ancient. "You want us to think you aren't, but you can't move, or you would have thrown yourself on the torches by now. You can't even speak, only make your cover glow with words in a dead forgotten language," he continued as he paced around Ralts, slowly rubbing his chin as he worked things out in his mind. "You never wanted a soul, like the other man thought, you wanted a body, a hume body that moves and talks, and wields a sword..."

Stopping he looked directly at the book, "But, if you don't cooperate we're going to sell you away to a man who knows what you are. Who has already prepared for cracking your secrets, and I doubt he intends to do so by giving up his life. He had the gil to hire us, he has the gil to keep his own personal robot servant. I'm sure he has the gil to hire mages to work you over in unpleasant ways... or you could tell us why he would want you so badly... who WERE you? How did you end up in there?"

Jal shrugged softly as he finished, "Or we could just turn you over to him. The money he was offering wasn't the best, but it's better than what we're getting out of you now..."

Truce · 12-19-2009, 11:49 PM

The light on the book dimmed a little after Jal laid out his point of view.

"Ah," it wrote, it slightly less polished than before. "And here I thought you were just a group of lucky fools who had somehow stumbled onto me. Well, when you put it like that, I can hardly decline your request.

"Still," it continued. "You should not make light of a man's memories. If you truly desire your answers, simply place your hand on my cover. I care not for the pledge anymore, if things are truly as you say...but, to explain everything would not be done justly through words alone."

Krylo · 12-19-2009, 11:54 PM

Jal looked at Ralts for a moment, as though pondering the risks associated with this, and then let out a roguish smile as he pulled off his glove and stuck his hand directly on the cover of the book.

He really really hoped this wouldn't be the last time he'd be in his body.

The Argent Lord · 12-19-2009, 11:57 PM

Vit prepared to cast another Stop spell on Jal at the slightest sign that anything was going wrong. His companion might be reckless, but Vit didn't intend to let him endanger everyone else with his actions.

Truce · 12-19-2009, 11:58 PM

There was a bright flash as Jal put his hand on the book - enough to blind everyone for a few moments. However, there didn't seem to be much of a change; the only difference was that the book was no longer glowing.

Then, suddenly, Jal felt himself suddenly become heavier - nearly a hundred pounds so. In his head, he heard a voice speak to him, sounding somewhat bored.

"Well, it would've been preferable to be in control of your body," it said to him. "But, it's better than been picked apart by some amateur sorcerers who want to pry my secrets from me."

Bard The 5th LW · 12-20-2009, 12:03 AM

Ralts motioned towards Vit, "be ready to cast at any time."

He then put a hand on Jal's shoulder, the other hand gripping his sword, "is that you in there?"

He then flicked his eyes at the book, it wasn't glowing any longer. The emperor's soul was gone from it! "Guys, the emperor's definitely not in the book anymore, be on your guard!" Ralts then took a few steps away from the thief, and brought up his sword, hoping it wouldn't be necessary. He rather liked Jal, and didn't like the idea of hurting him.

12-19-2009, 08:49 PM	#1
Truce Lakitu Join Date: Nov 2003 Posts: 3,856	FFd6 - Group 2 Part 2 There was no immediate answer as Ralts tried to reason with the book. Perhaps it was contemplating the mage's terms - possibly even considering that perhaps the man had a point. "What a bother," the book finally 'said'. "Not that I really expected it to be that easy. Though, to think that you would believe that I am 'trapped'. "Well, from your point of view, I suppose it would appear that way. And, until recently, it was. Unfortunately for you, I have no desire to change my terms." There was a pause, as if it giving Ralts a chance to read over the message, before the words disappeared again. "Little one, my entire life has been one of endless waiting. What is a little bit more of eternity to one who is immortal?"

12-19-2009, 09:55 PM	#2
Bard The 5th LW Feelin' Super! Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 4,191	An offer he can't refuse A look of strong annoyance went across Ralts's gender-neutral face. 'Enough playing around, I'm getting my answers!' Ralts then reach for his sheathe, "I'm sorry to hear that," he said as he drew his sword. "How would you like it then if you waited another eternity, cut into hundreds of pieces, and scattered around the vast expanse of Sinner's Horizon." Ralts said all of this in the same polite voice as he had used previously, which gave a somewhat creepy air about his 'negotiating'. Admittedly, Ralts probably wouldn't do this, as he needed this book for money, but it didn't know that. In fact, it would probably assume that Ralts was just an impatient, murderous scholar, considering his fluency in Ancient.

12-19-2009, 11:14 PM	#5
Krylo The Straightest Shota Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: It's a secret to everybody. Posts: 17,789	"Our buyer almost certainly knows what that book really is. I really think we should try to discover more before we sell it," Jal said with a soft sigh. "This is the kind of thing that is going to come back and haunt us for years if we don't, you know?" Jal stared at the book in Bard's arms then for a few moments, his mind slowly going over everything he had heard, analyzing it like he had analyzed the traps before--the spikes, the statues, the water, even the spiked ceiling. This was just another trap. Another obstacle between him and treasure. "You're trapped," He said aloud in ancient. "You want us to think you aren't, but you can't move, or you would have thrown yourself on the torches by now. You can't even speak, only make your cover glow with words in a dead forgotten language," he continued as he paced around Ralts, slowly rubbing his chin as he worked things out in his mind. "You never wanted a soul, like the other man thought, you wanted a body, a hume body that moves and talks, and wields a sword..." Stopping he looked directly at the book, "But, if you don't cooperate we're going to sell you away to a man who knows what you are. Who has already prepared for cracking your secrets, and I doubt he intends to do so by giving up his life. He had the gil to hire us, he has the gil to keep his own personal robot servant. I'm sure he has the gil to hire mages to work you over in unpleasant ways... or you could tell us why he would want you so badly... who WERE you? How did you end up in there?" Jal shrugged softly as he finished, "Or we could just turn you over to him. The money he was offering wasn't the best, but it's better than what we're getting out of you now..." __________________ I am very tired.

12-19-2009, 11:54 PM	#7
Krylo The Straightest Shota Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: It's a secret to everybody. Posts: 17,789	Jal looked at Ralts for a moment, as though pondering the risks associated with this, and then let out a roguish smile as he pulled off his glove and stuck his hand directly on the cover of the book. He really really hoped this wouldn't be the last time he'd be in his body. __________________ I am very tired.

12-19-2009, 11:57 PM	#8
The Argent Lord Master of Silver Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Silver Keep Posts: 1,433	Vit prepared to cast another Stop spell on Jal at the slightest sign that anything was going wrong. His companion might be reckless, but Vit didn't intend to let him endanger everyone else with his actions. __________________ Dovie'andi se tovya sagain

12-19-2009, 10:28 PM	#3
Truce Lakitu Join Date: Nov 2003 Posts: 3,856	"So then, I assume that you went into this crypt, which is - as I last recall - lost somewhere in the middle of a desert, went through the traps, for your own entertainment? I can only imagine how bored you must've been then, to give up the only prize worth taking from this dreary place." For some reason, you get the impression that it isn't impressed by Ralts' threat. If anything, it appears to be egging the mage on. Of course, that would just be silly, wouldn't it?

12-19-2009, 11:03 PM	#4
Bard The 5th LW Feelin' Super! Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 4,191	"Well ain't that a pity," Ralts said in a chipper voice with a fake smile as he lifted the blade, and lowered it towards the book. He intended to cut a piece out of the corner, the scholar wouldn't notice it, and the book would know he wasn't playing games. He was half-way in his action when Ralts immediately stopped moving the sword. The obvious realization struck him: this book wanted him to break it. Ralts started putting the pieces together, the emperor's soul was trapped in a book, he was probably a bad guy. The Emperor was also trying to make him angry, even after he threatened to destroy him, breaking the book would free the man's soul. The emperor also said that this was a crypt, and the two Galkas called them grave robbers, that meant that the emperors corpse was in this dungeon, destroying the book was liable to give it an opportunity to go back to its body, or take someone else's. "Oh you almost had me there, a clever book, aren't you?" Ralts said tauntingly to the tome. "Unfortunately for you, I'm just a tad bit more clever, I'm not letting you go free, not by a long shot." He then lifted himself from the ground and decided to inform his teammates of what his hypothesis. "The emperor wants me to break the book, probably to release his soul to go back to his body, which I believe is somewhere here, or take one of ours. What do you propose? I think we should destroy the corpse, but it may be easier to let our buyer handle this."

12-19-2009, 11:49 PM	#6
Truce Lakitu Join Date: Nov 2003 Posts: 3,856	The light on the book dimmed a little after Jal laid out his point of view. "Ah," it wrote, it slightly less polished than before. "And here I thought you were just a group of lucky fools who had somehow stumbled onto me. Well, when you put it like that, I can hardly decline your request. "Still," it continued. "You should not make light of a man's memories. If you truly desire your answers, simply place your hand on my cover. I care not for the pledge anymore, if things are truly as you say...but, to explain everything would not be done justly through words alone."

12-19-2009, 11:58 PM	#9
Truce Lakitu Join Date: Nov 2003 Posts: 3,856	There was a bright flash as Jal put his hand on the book - enough to blind everyone for a few moments. However, there didn't seem to be much of a change; the only difference was that the book was no longer glowing. Then, suddenly, Jal felt himself suddenly become heavier - nearly a hundred pounds so. In his head, he heard a voice speak to him, sounding somewhat bored. "Well, it would've been preferable to be in control of your body," it said to him. "But, it's better than been picked apart by some amateur sorcerers who want to pry my secrets from me."

12-20-2009, 12:03 AM	#10
Bard The 5th LW Feelin' Super! Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 4,191	Ralts motioned towards Vit, "be ready to cast at any time." He then put a hand on Jal's shoulder, the other hand gripping his sword, "is that you in there?" He then flicked his eyes at the book, it wasn't glowing any longer. The emperor's soul was gone from it! "Guys, the emperor's definitely not in the book anymore, be on your guard!" Ralts then took a few steps away from the thief, and brought up his sword, hoping it wouldn't be necessary. He rather liked Jal, and didn't like the idea of hurting him.