Journey of the Elementals RP (Pm if Interested, Started)

[UnusualStranger]

As the Prime Minister had sat back, he didn't appear to really be paying attention until Alexander actually specifically called for him to explain his people. Finishing up the small bit of food he had, he gave a small grin.

"Well, that would largely depend on what exactly you want to know about. History is extensive, with ancient history, after the war, developing, and somewhat more current being those topics....and then as for culture, it would largely depend on what sections of the city you wanted to visit, as each has its own culture in itself. Even some of them have different ways of speaking and going about their tasks. So, would it be possible for you to narrow that down a bit? I would rather not be up all night trying to explain the city myself."

[hr]

As Seth nodded with Alexander with the laugh, he sat back for a moment, realizing that Fei had gone oddly...quiet while all this was going on. He knew Fei better than that to realize that she was obviously thinking about a lot of things. Perhaps things that shouldn't be thought about, though he figured she could not help it just like the rest of them couldn't help but wonder about the tasks they seemed to have been presented. Moving somewhat closer, he gave Fei a small nudge, hoping to get her awake at least.

"Hey Fei....you OK? Whats on your mind? I've not seen you so disinterested in sweets and foods before. Anything you need help with?" Seth quietly asked, not wanting to be interrupting the Prime Minister in his little...teaching lesson, or whatever it was.

 

[Sehnsucht Engel]

Phebe took a plate and started piling food on it. She wasn't picky and tried to get a little bit of everything, before she sat down among the other mages. The food on her plate didn't look that appetizing now that it was mostly just a large pile of random assortments. She had remembered to take a bottle of wine as well, which she opened and started drinking from. It tasted alright, even if she wasn't that fond of alcohol.

She listened to the conversation going on around her. They were talking about the portal. Someone asked the prime minister about his people, which made Phebe think about the wings again.

"I have a more specific question, actually." She picked up the fork and stabbed it into her food, picking up some fish and meat. "Are you born with wings or can anyone get them?"

She started eating her food, after she had asked him what had been on her mind since she had first seen the woman with wings.

 

[SkyeNeko]

"I'm fine. I'm not hungry."

The only thing she had in front of her was a bowl of water, but it wasn't to drink. She just turned it round and round, in sort of a whirlpool. Then she spun it over and under, like the ocean, circling the water. What can I do? What if it's too scary and I run away? Then she held it still, so the surface was as smooth as glass. The surface began to smoke with water vapor, the smoke curling up into whirls and loops. It was a simple exercise for water mages, to exercise control and precision.

Condense the vapor back into a few drops of water, and you could watch each sphere hit the surface, making a small crown, then a small backjet, then ripples. "I'm actually kind of tired. Drew...? Drew...? Drew...?" she tugged on her brother's sleeve until he noticed her. "I'm tired. Can you take me to our room?"

 

[Mr.Ivebeenframed]

Cale was glad that Nydia had arrived close by. He politely smiled at her and admired her pretty face as he tried to think of what to say but in truth, the quest laid out before them seemed daunting.

"Yes, they quite have. It's such a wonderful place here, you know?" Cale eat a piece of bread, finished it and returned to speaking. "About that quest to the ruins though, I should have known why they would ask of us to embark on such an adventure. It's as if we're the last resort to reclaiming whatever they need inside, don't you think? That's an awful lot to ask of a bunch of student mages."

 

[blaze96]

"Ah alright, my mistake then. I guess I should know customs for the academy and market areas, if only so I can talk to academics and possibly buy things without offending anyone. Just basic ways of carrying onself and rules of etiquette really." Alexander replied to start off.

 

[UnusualStranger]

The Prime Minister chuckled at Phebe asking about the wings, as he seemed to have been half expecting it. He then heard Alexanders request, and paused to think a moment before speaking.

"Well, the wings are indeed being born with. You could get them from the magical artifact of the trials if you wished, but I wouldn't think you to be very interested in that. Especially since you could pass the trails and still be ruled unable to properly handle the wings. However, nearly all that you see who have wings tend to be born with them. There are very few exceptions, and they tend to not want to attract attention."

He then turned to Alexander, seeming to contemplate his next words carefully.

"Well, the Academy as you can be aware is already a somewhat more....odd place of the city. It would be hard to tell if you really offended someone or gave them an idea they will love to try. However, the market areas I am not sure you will visit much of due to their more...open nature. Unless you go the the higher tiered markets, which is perfectly fine. It will be mostly like other markets in your town, I believe. Be formal, speak clearly, thank the storekeeper for their wares and time....That is how you do things over there, correct? I must admit I did not exactly read up on how you deal with your merchants and other such things."

[hr]

"Not hungry huh? Uh...huh." Seth said, not being entirely convinced that Fei was telling him the whole story. Regardless, she seemed to want to get some rest, which was probably a pretty good idea. She had a rough day, and probably a rough tomorrow ahead of her. Would be best if she was well rested for it all.

In the meantime, Seth took the time to look about and note how Raven was apparently starving as she had grabbed most things on the table to enjoy. He couldn't help but grin at her...persistence in eating. Course, maybe things like this just drifted over her easily. Seth had finished his small meal, and was just contentedly sitting still listening to the conversations around himself.

 

[Sehnsucht Engel]

Magical artifact of the trials...?

Phebe raised her eyebrow and stopped chewing when he mentioned it. She hadn't heard him mentioning that before, maybe he had, but she hadn't been listening that intently to everything this man had said.

She quickly swallowed her food.

"What is the trials?"

The wings had been interesting on their own, but to actually get a chance to prove her worth in what she assumed was physical or mental tests, not magic ones, was appealing to her. An elemental could be more than tied down by the fate forced upon them. At least, she wanted to believe so.

He said that those who weren't born with wings didn't want to attract attention to themselves. She wonderded why, but before she got a chance to ask he turned to another of the mages. She hoped he would tell her more about the trials though.

 

[CounterAttack]

Drew's response to Gabriel's comments was a usable one. Perhaps speaking to someone in charge of observing or studying the temple was the next step before passing through its portal. As Gabe thought this over, continuing to eat, he picked up on another conversation... the topic of which was intriguing.

"Are you born with wings or can anyone get them?" Directed at the Prime Minister, this question came from one of the mages, to whom Gabe hadn't spoken. A woman clearly older than him, with darkish skin and blonde hair.

The Prime Minister's response explained both a lot and a little. Basic information on a variety of related topics. Gabriel was starting to form the impression that that was how the man worked as a general rule. Telling people the basics of what they needed to know, and not more. An interesting tactic for the one who ruled the city.

"Well, the wings are indeed being born with. You could get them from the magical artifact of the trials if you wished, but I wouldn't think you to be very interested in that. Especially since you could pass the trials and still be ruled unable to properly handle the wings. However, nearly all that you see who have wings tend to be born with them. There are very few exceptions, and they tend to not want to attract attention."

Interesting... Gabriel had wondered earlier about what it would be like to fly, or just to possess a pair of great pinions like the ones he had seen on many people in many different shapes and, well, designs, for lack of a better word. It was almost as if they were specially grown based on the individual. But the trials, though... that sounded like something that anyone could attempt. Though the unexplained nature of these challenges concerned him. He would ask for more information if the blonde woman's following question did not give him enough to go on.

 

[blaze96]

"Alright, I just didn't want to offend anyone during my stay if it can be avoided. I would like to abide by the customs of the land that is hosting me rather than live in the way I'm used to and anger everybody." Alexander replied before eating the food on his plate.

 

[Mr. Omega]

He looked back at Fei. "Sleepy? Yeah, I think getting some rest would be a good idea." he took her hand, heading out of the hall. He waved to the others when he was at the door, not bothering to turn around. As the two walked down the hallway, he turned to Fei. "Fei... I know this is a lot. I'm still trying to wrap my head around it. You want to talk about it?" he spoke softer to Fei than he did to anyone else. "I mean I never imagined we'd wake up one day and have to consider all this..." He sighed. This was as much to vent to her as it was to help her.

 

[SkyeNeko]

"I want wings. Do you think they'd let me do the trials?" she asked. "Maybe we can both get wings. Imagine mommy and daddy's faces when we come back with wings and tell them that we went and did dangerous things. Maybe they'll even give us a reward at the Academy! Can you ask?"

She thought about their predicament while she asked her question. "We're with a lot of other mages. And a lot of them are already smart. Like you, and the scary Weaver... and we have a few Adepts already. Don't you think we could take whatever's wrong? I mean, they sent people who weren't good with magic... I don't think he would let us come if he didn't think we could do it..."

 

[NeoAC]

It was often said amongst Nightshades that you never know who the best gathers of information were, because the best never let on that they were actually gathering. So while Raven was enjoying the food provided by the outsiders, she was listening intently. When the prospect of acquiring wings came up, that's what really got her attention.

So there is a method...interesting. The young girl who frightened so easily seemed particularly interested as well. If I were able to get those wings, I could truly impose my will on those who oppose me. Pretty hard to do anything when you're dangling at 1000 feet. Yes....this is definitely something to look into. She thought about what the Prime Minister said though, about not being interested in wings if rewarded after the trials. Hmmm, perhaps there are other methods of power he's referring to...maybe I can learn to break minds too. That would show that bastard. That would show all of them.

She maintained her speed as she finished off the food on her plate. Once emptied, she got up from her seat to get some more food. It had been a longer trip than she realized, and she was still hungry. It helped that the food tasted exquisite.

 

[UnusualStranger]

The Prime Minister paused for a moment at the question of what the trials were. After sitting for a moment in somewhat silent nature, he had apparently come to an answer that he considered suitable.

"The trials are exactly that. Trials. They are not 'chosen', and there isn't a way to find out or cheat them until you have begun. The artifact will also sometimes exact vengeance on those who attempt to abuse its gift. And if you must know, there is a price to be paid for the trials, exacted and chosen by the artifact itself. You won't have a choice in the matter, and you WILL give it up to it, or you will walk away with nothing despite all you have done. Again, there is good reason why I wouldn't imagine you mages to be too interested in the trials, and would prefer it if you were to stay away from such ideas. While I won't necessarily try to stop you if you greatly persist, I am not responsible for anything that happens in those trials. I hope you understand that." The Prime Minister said rather firmly.

Taking a long drink and then setting it down with a sigh, the Prime Minister looked over the mages and grinned. He seemed rather well spirited despite most of the day slipping past himself. He turned and nodded to Alexander, noting the politeness that he was concerned about.

"Of course. It can be generally advised that politeness works with...most individuals. Just do not deal with most of the specialists, and you will be just fine in your etiquette." Standing up, he proceeded towards the doors to follow along slightly with Fei and Drew.

"I am going to go take care of some personal affairs. When you leave the guards can direct you to your rooms, and I am sure that you can find out which is meant for each of your....elemental preferences from there. A good evening to you all."

And with that, the Prime Minister stepped past Fei and Drew, calmly walking in the opposite direction and turning the corner to suddenly reach out and pick up Jade who was trying her best to stay hidden. As the he began walking, Drew and Fei distinctly heard the Prime Minister speak to his daughter.

"....and YOU should be sleeping, little missy. Shouldn't be eavesdropping like that on daddy and his guests."

[hr]

As Seth watched Fei and Drew, and then suddenly the Prime Minister, he noted that suddenly it was only the mages who were in the room. He wasn't sure how to feel about that, but he now took the time to roll over the new information that they had all just heard.

Trials to get wings, but a steep price to be paid? Seth was sure it would be a steep price. These wings were the first he had ever seen on people before, and imagine that the trials to get them probably just as difficult and rare. Also, how he referred to them so strangely wasn't exactly assuring either. In fact, the whole situation made him uneasy. Seth figured he would be better off keeping his feet on the ground rather than trying to take to the skies. Hard enough to handle things on the ground in the first place anyways.

"Well then.....Thoughts? Ideas? Inspiration? Wings? Anyone else have any idea where we stand in this place? Cause I don't have a damn clue as to what I should be thinking about yet. Except this food, which is pretty damn delicious." Seth said out loud, largely because at this point he was just wondering where they all stood on this half thought journey.

....And where are the soldiers? I would expect there to be a barracks right here, this place being so paranoid.....but I have yet to see training places, no where to really test my blade skills....Of all things, I want to be able to defend myself without looking mage-like. Regardless....We'll see what the group holds now....

 

[NeoAC]

Raven finished piling more food on her plate sat down back down, closer to the group this time. "It seems too damn perfect here," she said in a low voice. "Like evil perfect. One big happy community, getting all these technological boosts and everything. I don't like it." And what's the point of having wings if I can't abuse the ability to fly? Rotten justice system.

 

[CounterAttack]

It seemed that the trials were dangerous... that was the impression Gabriel got from the Prime Minister's words. Prices to be paid, challenges that one could not know about beforehand... it sounded like a lot had to be done in order to obtain the gift of taking to the air. Before he had a chance to properly reflect on it, though, Seth spoke up. He appeared to be lacking direction.

Taking a last mouthful of food, he spoke up after swallowing it, during which time one of the other mages spoke quietly. She sounded paranoid... Nightshade-ish behaviour. Gabriel elected not to comment, instead choosing to speak in response to Seth.

"I'm not too sure either... I think a priority should be to investigate the temple a bit more before we pass through it into the unknown. Maybe take some time to get used to being away from the Academy... that might just be me. And... well, I wanna find out a bit more about these trials. There's got to be something that someone can tell us, even if they can't be determined beforehand. I doubt they'll need to be solved through magic, since the people of Kerbones favour a technological approach... what if they need technology, though, which we might not have? And fighting? I don't know... I'm no good as a fighter. And what did the Prime Minister mean by prices? Does he mean a monetary cost... or something worse..."

Gabe realised he was rambling, and quickly stopped himself before he let his mouth run away further. Getting in over his head was not one of the best things to do, especially when talking to older, more skilled mages.

 

[Mr. Omega]

Drew was somewhat surprised by her request. He did know that Fei had always been fascinated by the very limited levitation he could pull off, and she herself had wanted to use air magic as opposed to water. "I... I'm not really that interested in wings. And I'm not really sure if you could get them. But if you want, you can go ahead and ask. Perhaps we could try talking about it after we've dealt with what we were brought here to do."

He was somewhat hoping she listen, and then forget the wings while they were busy. I really wouldn't want to explain to Mum why my little sister suddenly has wings. Still, I'm probably worrying over nothing. I doubt they'd just let a bunch of foreigners get wings because they asked, if it's even possible in the first place... He then addressed the second part of her statement "Anyway, once we deal with this, I imagine we could handle whatever it is. The issue is how the others would fare. Still..." He sighed, slowing down "You need to promise me that you'll be careful. Don't do anything stupid, got it?"

 

[Sehnsucht Engel]

Phebe listened to him explaining the trials, even if he was more warning her and explaining why it was such a bad idea to undertake them. The prime minister eventually finished his speech, got up from the table and left them.

She continued eating, with a grin spreading across her face. He was a fool if he thought she would be scared away by mere words.

"Well then.....Thoughts? Ideas? Inspiration? Wings? Anyone else have any idea where we stand in this place? Cause I don't have a damn clue as to what I should be thinking about yet. Except this food, which is pretty damn delicious." Seth said loudly.

Phebe stopped eating, halfway through the food she had on her plate.

"I don't know about the rest of you, but I think I'll request to take the trials, first thing tomorrow morning. He's not going to scare me away so easily."

It was getting late now and some sleep would only be good before doing anything of the sort.

The nightshade named Raven sat down closer to them and whispered her displeasure with the town they were in.

"I can't say I like many large towns..." Phebe commented on what Raven had said.

It was true that she didn't like crowded towns which humans liked to build and live in, but as she got older she didn't think about it as much. She had probably gotten used to it. Maybe it would feel strange if she returned to living outside.

Phebe went back to concentrating on her food. The flavour of her meal felt like it differed with each bite, likely because of the amount of different things on her plate.

Another mage spoke up about the trials. A young short man with brown hair. She hadn't talked with him before, but that could be said about most of those she traveled with. She had planned on doing something about that, might as well start here.

I doubt they'll need to be solved through magic, since the people of Kerbones favour a technological approach... what if they need technology, though, which we might not have? And fighting? I don't know... I'm no good as a fighter. And what did the Prime Minister mean by prices? Does he mean a monetary cost... or something worse..."

He raised some interesting questions, but she sneered when he mentioned technology being used in the trials.

"I would hope that the Kerbones aren't so cowardly that they would choose to use technology when being tested."

It was a bit worrying if they actually did. Would she be allowed to borrow any of their technology if they allowed her to take the trials?

"He probably meant something worse than coin as the price."

If it was a monetary price, she imagined rich eccentrics showing up just to buy themselves wings.

She was about to return to her food, when she remembered that it would be rude to not give her name.

"..Oh, and my name is Phebe."

 

[SkyeNeko]

Fei stopped when she saw Jade, waving frantically again. They found their room easily, partially due to the fact that it was the only room that was shared between 2 mages. A door connected the two rooms. A stream of water ran around the perimeter of both rooms, flowing under the wall and around. There was a single, large window in both of the rooms on the north wall, that opened without a screen for the wind to flow through. The rooms were almost identical, done in muted blue and grays.

"Aah!" Fei dropped her bag at the door and ran through the rooms, jumping on the beds. "It's so nice! My room's right next to yours too!" There was a small bookcase and a desk, and drawers underneath the beds. "Isn't it nice? Isn't it nice?"

 

[UnusualStranger]

Seth looked over at Phebe as she spoke of how she was going to take the trials right away. Seth didn't think much of the idea, and figured that rushing to get wings was an odd idea to have. Especially since that was not even close to why they were here in the first place.

"Trials? You in that much of a hurry to start falling into the dirt? I imagine those wings won't just fly you cause you feel like it. But hey, if wings suit you, then go on ahead. I think I'll stick with my feet on the ground for now." Seth replied to Phebe, happy that this wasn't going to be silent meal with them just chewing on the foods they had.

"Besides....I think the price for those trials wouldn't be worth it. I mean, how much would it be to HAVE wings? That just seems like a very odd....thing to want, with probably an even stranger price. I would much rather find out what our mission brings with it. All this magic, gods, and....well, everything. Its a different world around here, so I think it might be nice to enjoy it as I am now before going off adventuring." Seth continued, figuring that this was largely going to be the best time to have an open group chat about all that they had learned. No telling when a more private moment could occur among the mages, and this would do nicely over a good meal in the night.

....Course, no telling what is going to happen tomorrow. Maybe we can put everything off? Like those trials would delay us or something? That would give a chance to wander about a bit and find out what this town is filled with.

 

[Sehnsucht Engel]

She turned to Seth, with a smile.

"I've more reason to take those trials than simply getting wings."

It had become a question of pride and a chance for her to prove herself, hopefully without the use of magic. She didn't know what price it would demand her to pay, if she did succeed, but she had something she could give away for wings. The wings would at least be of her choosing and something she earned. This wasn't the group to confess such things to though.

"It might give the rest of you time to learn more about this place and the portal, before going into it. Well, that's assuming they want all of us to enter the portal at the same time. It would also answer questions we might have about the trials..."

She gave those reasons as excuses, since her real reasons were much more selfish. The portal bothered her too. What if they wouldn't return after going into it? Then this would be her only chance to take the trials.