"I see. So, you've decided." The vast, formless mass of eyes, tentacles and teeth said as it carefully placed the crystal on the massive spell circle. "You do realize that if you follow this path, you'll cease to exist completely, right?"

"I know. Right now, I don't care what happens to me. I just want my friend back."

"And if they try again without our help, they could all very well be killed."

Silence.

"...there isn't any other way."

"Perhaps. Or perhaps not."

"You have something in mind...?"

"Honestly, I'm clutching at straws at this point, but you could seek out the Sixth Artifact."

"You know where it is?"

"Perhaps. When I absorbed the souls of the dead, I inherited all their combined knowledge - acquiring shreds and pieces of thoughts. Thoughts that tell me that the Final Artifact was brought to Avalon."

"Mikkael's party found Excalibur in there, I think... But isn't the Scepter of Selk what he found?"

"Its given us a foothold, yes. But to turn the situation around, we need to go on the offensive and secure the strongest Artifact of them all."

"I see."

"Don't throw away your life so recklessly. Your friends need you as much as you need them right now."

A pulsating tentacle drew a shimmering door in the endless void below.

"A new trick that you learned? Where does this door lead to?"

"Open it and find out."

"Then, excuse me."

He reached out and turned the bolt on the door, and it slowly creaked open, letting an orangeish-red light into the endless shadows as he walked through.

-

Entering the woods, they came across a camp worked with simple planks - taken from the damaged galleon that now lay beached - hauled on to the land by means of a simple pulley system worked by logs. With the pirates were several peasants, all looking particularly wounded - the worst off were being tended to by two healers that walked around the camp. The jolly roger fluttered defiantly in the wind, at half mast.

"Pirates!" Eiryk gasped.

They were in no condition to fight, but Eiryk drew the blade that once was Excalibur, while the Meridians also settled into a formation. The leader of the pirates, one man wearing a crude tricorne made of straw, also drew his scimitar... before his eyes bugged in recognition.

"Yar! You there! Ye wouldn't be the great sea-dog Mikkael's first mate, right?" he shouted, as he lowered his blade. Then he raised his blade again. "Ye landlubbers had better not be forcin' her to march or anythin'! For ye harm the great sea-dog's kin, ye'll face the wrath of the greatest pirate crew to ever sail the Grand Oceanic Line!"

With that boast, several pirates appeared from the camp, armed with a variety of weapons from sword to staff to what looked like an arm-mounted cannon while the peasants that sat around them quickly retreated from the confrontation. Eiryk spotted Karliah sitting on a shattered rock, her head bowed in utter despair.

_________________

Eiryk thought to himself for a moment and sheathed his sword.

"Philena, you're the closest thing to a team lead right now, given the circumstances... Why not talk on our behalf."

Philena nodded and stepped up, explaining everything that she remembered...

...

"... It seems, though, that I am one of the few who remembers seeing what happened above Cyndar. No one else here in my team has seens what I have... However, I probably shouldn't say." She finished.

Eiryk nodded, "So, as you guys can tell, we're not exactly enemies."

_________________

Philena must've have some major oomph with these guys, Eiryk decided - the moment she called for both sides to stand down, the pirates had immediately complied. Given this truce (and the fact that upon closer inspection, the pirates appeared to be helping the victims of the disaster), it would have been unwise to continue to fight.

On the mention of Cyndar, a lanky boy with a trio of swords hanging from his belt grinned nervously. "Oh, right. Place's turned nuttier than the Skanky Waif in the middle of a barroom brawl. See, I was hired by one of the local nobles to beat the crud out of some stalker following his little girl around. So, I head there and the place looks like it's been burnt with black light! You ever see that? Black light? Like I said, nuts. I ran right back."

Information was exchanged, and finally Captain Sailsunder stood up. "I think, there be something ye landlubbers should see." he nodded to his crew as he walked to the edge of the camp. "Ye notice how almost all the water in the world's turned int'a disgusting sud of blood and gore, right?"

"Yeah... I was thinking, how long will our water reserves last?"

"Exactly. Take a look." With that, the pirate captain pushed aside a bunch of leafy vines and showed them a little alcove dug into a rocky mount. The sound of running water met their ears, and as their eyes adjusted to the gloom, they saw a small stream break from what looked like a subterranean fissure, spouting out pure, sparkling water.

"T'was that last quake we had yesterday that r'vealed this booty. If we didn't find it... I'd say 2 more days and we'd be drinking the blood-sotted sea water." he sighed as he turned to Eiryk. "Ye look like a scholar. Any idea what the source o' this bounty be, lad?"

_________________

Eiryk looked at the waters and thought for a moment, but shook his head, "I don't know... I've never seen waters like this before."

Philena tilted her head, "But, Eiryk, that's impossible."

"Huh?"

"You've seen the waters of Selk before, I know that for a fact." Philena continued. Eiryk shook his head, unsure of this.

"I guess not everything is exactly retained. I only knew once that I was a scholar of Lumbra, as the fae pointed out." He stated, but now he was met with skepticism, had the people not heard of the fae? The former scholar shook his head again.

"I guess there are some things I've left behind in this calamity."

--------------------------------------------------

"So from what I have gleaned, there's no longer any such place as Cyndar or Wynd Bay." He finished, speaking clearly with everyone, "However, there were two towns near here from what I could gather when I went over the mountains. That would be Frenga Village, which I do recall as my birthplace, and some other town just near the northern peaks."

"So that tremor... Could the Velian Island have floated northwards, I wonder?" Karliah questioned. She spoke to Eiryk and stated, "You and I will have to check it out. There could be survivors."

"If I may," The quiet Philena had begun, "I would like to head to Selk. There is... That is, Mikkael and I..."

"Say no more," The Girls spoke up, "As the new Sand Shark Queen, you are given our protection. I'll escort you to Selk."

Ivor voiced further regard, "Plus, ah'm sure the Cap'n would like ta hear from da big boss."

"Aye lad." Sailsunder confirmed.

"Dat said, ah'll be headin' down ta Cita Den. Ah needs ta figure out all ah can ta avenge da boss."

"Right..." Eiryk agreed to this plan, "Captain, Altans, Alta-ira, can we count on you three to maintain the safety of the survivors as well as heal any injuries?"

"Need you even ask? I'll make sure these guys are capable of walking the Magma Valley barefoot by the time you guys get back." Altans agreed, the other two seemed okay with the plan as well.

Philena also remembered very clearly one other thing, "Eiryk!"

"Yes?"

"If you happen across a blue-haired scholar in Vel Da Ir, assuming Karliah's hypothesis is correct... Tell her what happened, and where we are. She was a dear friend of Mikkael as well..."

Eiryk nodded as he continued on with Karliah.

_________________

Another quake struck a few minutes Eiryk and Karliah left the camp. And by the dull roar that resounded in the air, it sounded close. As he grabbed a sturdy branch for balance, he noticed Karliah's eyes widen past her slouch of despair.

Oh, that can't be good, he thought to himself as he slowly turned around to follow her gaze, and his stomach wrung itself out like a washcloth.

It was huge - towering over the treetops as it lurched slowly on too many legs. Its shimmering, jet black skin was adorned with hundreds of small, independent mouths and piercing crimson eyes that moved this way and that as it walked westwards. Its body hidden by the massive barrier of tendrils that appeared to be made of human hands reaching this way and that. Eiryk drew his sword... only for the moving mountain of flesh to ignore him and walk/roll/crawl right by - close enough to swat him down with one of its arms/legs.

Given a view of the monster's rear, he noticed just how vibrant and verdant the plants, flowers and trees were growing in its wake - like something out of a shadow play from Selk. He stepped out of the way as a large coconut tree went from sapling to fruit-bearing tree in seconds. Everywhere the monster's grasping tendrils touched, the air began to look cleaner - the soil lost its reddish hue and life was returning to the red-tainted forest.

Its footsteps faded into the distance, and he finally exhaled painfully.

"What in Lumbra's name was THAT..." he found his voice at last. Perhaps they should get to the Frenga Farms first.

Karliah still didn't say anything. In fact, she had stayed unusually silent the whole time, her arm gripping a strange little talisman that she kept on a necklace.

_________________

Eiryk had been walking for many hours with Karliah. He finally found his way to a construction site surrounding the farmlands. Ditches were built all around, and bricklayers were at work, setting in new stones. Among the workers were knights abound. They had the Cyndar insignia engraved on their chestplates, but many looked sleep-deprived and weary.

Eiryk approached what appeared to be the leader of the knights and gave a wave.

"Hail comrades! Would you happen to be..." The knight's voice trailed off, "C-Captain Karliah! You're alive!"

"Surprisingly yes, Commander Aodhan. What's going on here?" She responded, "How do the knights fare?"

"It's tough, we lost the majority of our troop fleeing Cyndar. There's maybe twenty knights left among us, and we've set up base here since we had already established a quarantine here." Aodhan stated, "We're planning on using our resources to convert the farmlands into a full township."

"Excellent." Karliah responded, "I am certain that the survivors out in Lake Forkheads will find this to be quite helpful."

"There's more survivors? In that case we'll need to send out some rescue teams..."

Eiryk, who was silent up until now asked, "Sir, do you know anything of Vel Da Ir?"

"Now that you mention it, the island has shifted north from the cataclysm. If you're headed there, you will need to be well prepared. The cliffs hold it in place, and I believe they've already finished clearing out the caves, but they still hold monsters. As you are right now, you should be able to hold."

"Perfect, in that case, Karliah and I will be making our way there."

The knight leader nodded, "Right then, please be sure to come back as soon as you can, our last scouts who went out have yet to return. If you find them, it would be a great help if you brought them back. Samuel Frenga, the new lord of the area, paid them quite handsomely."

"Right." Eiryk agreed, "I'll see what I can do."

_________________

Yemhelch and Yemhelch walked side by side through the corridor carved in glittering starlight. They had kept silent - not much needed to be said anymore as they walked towards their destination. As they opened the door and stepped forward, Yemhelch looked back at his mentor.

"Huh, why are you coming with me?"

"The world is fucked, and I think you could do with backup."

"How bad?"

"Bad enough for Great Morphos to give you a bad spot of trouble the way you are now."

"... really, now." Yemhelch sighed as he walked through the endless darkness. "Thanks, I guess."

The doorway opened and they walked in.

-

Somewhere just outside Avalon.

Yemhelch grunted in pain as he staggered to the grassy knoll, clutching his head and shaking it to get a handle of this new sensory input. As his mentor stared at him in barely-hidden surprise, even he groaned as his body adapted and activated the new sensor palps to seek out the Final Artifact.

"What power..." the man wearing the poncho gasped. "Its like I'm standing right next to a jet engine on full throttle."

"Jet engine...?"

"N-never mind."

Was that a hint of embarrassment that Yemhelch spotted in his mentor? Stepping away from the dune, they saw Avalon in the horizon and began to walk towards it.

"So, the final artifact. Aside from us nearly getting blinded and struck deaf just by looking at its general direction, you have any idea what it could be?"

"Truth be told, no. But once we follow this massive magical signature, we'll know what it is for sure."

"Hm."

They trudged along towards the city... and they began to notice just how verdant and green the area was.

"Didn't know you had dug your fingers this far" Yemhelch nodded to his mentor.

"Ah... well, to be honest? No. Furthest I scouted was the Bandit isles..."

"Oh?"

"While you were off having fun and being a defense attorney, I decided to explore my surroundings a little more. And... eeeeeerrrr... I might have spooked the locals."

At this, Yemhelch couldn't hold in his laughter - his mentor followed suit and they were both laughing soon enough.

Arriving at Avalon, they noticed the large crowd of civilians who had gathered at the gates. Yemhelch went ahead while his mentor stayed behind, ready to help at a moment's notice in case the crowd got violent.

"What's happening here?"

"Haven't you heard?" the farmhand replied. "Something dire happened to the world and now most - if not all the water in the world now tastes like week-old fishguts. Except, apparently - this place."

"Make three orderly lines at the fountain and have your pots." an older knight told the gathered crowd. "There's plenty enough for everyone, so don't push."

"I see. Anyway, we're here to look for someone. May we pass through?"

"Sure, but remember - don't cut this line." the knight replied. "Or else they'll cut you up before I can well reach for my sword to arrest you."

"Of course. Thank you."

The knight waved the two travelers into Avalon.

_________________

"So I see they've tried to keep the people safe... What they don't know is that there are two relics in my grasp, and even in this form, I can corrupt them. As the new god of destruction, none shall come to live upon this planet..."

--------------------------------------------------

As Eiryk and Karliah continued to Vel Da Ir via the Siren's Path, Philena and The Girl headed for Selk. With worry in her heart, they finally happened upon the Selkalon Grasslands, a new feature of the Selkie Islands.

"What could have caused such a transformation?" Philena wondered. She then noticed something about the trees that had sprouted, "Are those apples?"

The Girl looked up and picked one, "Hey, that's so cool! These fruits are supposed to be rare!"

Enjoying the light snack on the way to Selk, Philena couldn't help but wonder about this new phenomenon. Each lead up in a chain of events. Why did she feel so worried before the cataclysm? What was the urge of fear she felt within herself. Why did Yemhelch also have a bad feeling? These thoughts swam through her mind as she looked over the rolling hills. Before the two of them knew it, they were approaching Selk.

"Hail, Philena!" Bellamy shouted out, greeting them at the gates, "It is good to see that more of our kind have survived. Scorpio is keeping everyone calm, and tending to the sick and wounded. We ourselves are currently in control of water distribution."

"This is good to hear, Captain Bellamy. Captain Sailsunder was worried you had been taken by this... calamity." The Girl spoke up.

Philena looked in the direction of her old house that she shared with Mikkael, Bellamy rubbed the back of his head, "Your egg, Philena... It's still there. We made sure to keep it safe."

Finally, Philena let out a sigh of relief, "Thank you, Captain Bellamy... However, I bear unfortunate news. Only Alta-ira and Antals have survived. New Meridia, and all of its inhabitants are..."

"Dead. I know... I had figured when I saw many of the people here fall into puddles of gore." Bellamy admitted, now taking on a serious tone, "Still, what of Princess Taltanis?"

"Dead as well."

"You jest, she had the protection of the chalice!"

"No..." Philena answered, shaking her head, "It was taken from her. Further, Mikkael... He was killed in combat with that thing that has cast a shadow over Cyndar."

"What thing, you mean Cyndar is fallen?" Bellamy questioned with even further shock.

"Yes... I fear as though there is no hope for our race, but the Nekor - or, as they call themselves now, the Kemonor, have survived, and from what I could tell passing by Avalon, the humans still stand tall. Do you know of the other races?"

"I know not. However, the Reptal are alive and well here... Yet I know not of those in Vel Da Ir..."

"Right then..." Philena sighed, she gave a slight bow to Bellamy and moved towards her home.

Bellamy shouted after Philena, "Philena! What do you plan on doing...?"

"I must... I must raise my child, as the new queen of the Meridians." She turned and said with a somber smile, "Mikkael, I know, would want me to be strong, like he was. Even though I am still young, I promise my rule will be fair, and we will save this world..."

Bellamy smiled, "Alright, my queen. Then know that we of the Pirate's Guild support your cause."

Philena nodded again, and The Girl followed her closely as they walked into the Golden Sand Dune.

The place had puddles of red gore, and many furnishings were overturned. Yet the top floor was still in-tact. She walked over to their room, and in the tank, she found her egg. It was about time that it hatched, now fully grown, and she looked to the vault, having The Girl carry as much goods as she could out of it. Yet one thing struck her as odd. Mikkael had a map, and on it, he had marked an island that neither herself or The Girl recognized.

Returning to Bellamy, she asked if he knew about it.

"Oh, yes... We passed by that island long ago, back during the escape. We could swim there from here, as it's not too far off. Further, the water is easier to breathe somehow, despite being blood red as we see now..."

Philena made note of it, and decided that when the time was right, she would venture with her new comrades. For now, she just wanted to head back to Lake Forkheads...

--------------------------------------------------

Eiryk gasped as he coughed up blood, the creature he was facing, just moments ago watching normally with a blue mechanical glow, now stood towering over him and Karliah. It had two glowing halos and black limbs that felt as sludge, yet its claws tore throw his flesh like parchment.

Excalibur and his new sword alike were useless against the construct, its mechanized parts now glowing red as its red eye focussed in on him. Karliah herself could do little as they were facing off against this new adversary, the likes of which neither they nor anyone had seen before. It jumped high using its six lower arms, crashing down on the Paladin before targeting Eiryk once more.

Just when it seemed he and Karliah were doomed, from behind the creature two ninjas struck it in the eye. They utilized a synchronized art to dismantle its casing before stabbing at the throbbing red core inside the black mass, tearing through as it exploded into a red and black mess. It grew silent in the seconds that followed, and exploded.

"Are you okay, nya?" The Nekor ninja asked. Karliah recognized that voice clearly...

"K-Kazeko! Thank Lumbra you came... That thing had us nearly defeated."

"You should thank Santiago as well." She grinned, "He was actually the first to uncover one of those guys..."

"Santiago...?" Karliah questioned, "You don't mean."

"The very same..." He answered with a grin, "It's okay, Karliah... I've moved on, and there are more important matters now, wouldn't you agree?"

"Y-Yes... I suppose..." She answered. Eiryk limped up to Karliah.

"Mind telling me who these guys are...? Tending to my wounds would also be of assistance..."

Kazeko picked Eiryk up and hauled him over her shoulder, "Nyo time, come on, Vel Da Ir is just this way!~"

_________________

"So, here's the plan. We're both wandering healers and we came here to help the needy. I'll search the South - you keep an eye on the north. And whatever you do, please - no theatrics, no getting into fights and most of all, we don't want to alert anyone of our presence right now."

"You better not gout your black claws either." Yemhelch replied with a snarky edge to his voice as he smiled. "Fine. Its for the best, anyway. So, once one of us finds the target... what next?"

"We meet back here at the sundown today." the man in the priestly garb answered. "... it was kind of a shock. But I looked at it but I think it was two, perhaps three. Never saw anything like it. Three suns?"

"But before this little problem... you saw what it was like, right?"

"What do you mean?"

"If you've explored Bandit Isles and Frenga, then surely you must've seen how wonderful this world is." Yemhelch replied. "The gentle caress of the breeze. The light of the first rays of sunlight bouncing in and out of the ocean. The glimmering stars in the night sky..."

"Yeah, it's a great change of pace from absolute nothingness that we all knew for what seems like several billions of years."

Finishing his drink, the man in the priestly robes stood up. "I'm off. Good luck to both of us."

Yemhelch, likewise, finished his drink and stepped out of the tavern... and almost groaned in pain. Whatever this final artifact was, it exuded such a powerful aura that even now, it was sufficient to cause him actual distress. As he staggered, he felt powerful hands stopping him from reeling over. Looking to the side, a young woman in solid silver-steel armor looked at him with concern.

"Look, we all really appreciate your help, Father, but please - learn to pace yourself." she chided him.

"I-I'm sorry. It's just that... truth is, I'm unused to this level of work..." he let a certain tone of embarrassment slip into his voice. "The scale of this disaster is unlike anything we've ever had to work on before."

"Indeed. That's why you should perhaps, rest a while. Get some fresh air?"

"But I..." Yemhelch began, letting his voice turn a little indignant, then almost instantly switching over to a more subdued "Oh, alright - but only for a while. Besides, you looked like you were just about ready to toss me right out of the medical center at the church just now."

That did it. The knight's stern face melted into a knowing smirk. "I just might do that if I catch you over straining yourself again."

"That's... actually a good call." Yemhelch smiled. "Thank you. I do have a horrible tendency to get lost in my work."

The tension on her face eased off and she nodded. "You can count on me. I catch you working yourself ragged, I'll personally drag you out. You be careful now, Father." the knight made the holy sign with a gauntleted hand and walked off.

_________________

((So it came to my attention that there may be some people/NPCs in Cyndar. Due to the new nature of the town, I am letting anyone not comfortable enough escaping the hard simply way leave the town, as it's now pretty much the hardest dungeon in the game. Either you can rematerialize outside the city or rematerialize inside and go on an escape mission.

To recap, here are the effects of playing or even having a character during this world event...

-All players +6 quests!
-All players may reset any of their stats within their next post if they so wish.
-All players may reset their job points within their next post if they so wish.
-All players may change to any same or lower level class within their next post if they so wish.
-All players may change to another race within their next post if they so wish.

Like I said as well, all of your current quest progress is kept, and I apologize for any inconvenience during your own stories this may have caused. That said, all current factions and guilds, and so on are still very much alive. Just that their numbers have dwindled severely due to the nature of the apocalypse. So it is most likely that anyone can still pursue their story lines. By all means, please refer to the new map download as well, which I am also currently adapting into a smaller size.

Again, I apologize. I hope this helps anyone out.))

_________________

(OOC: Played Final Fantasy 6, haven't you?)

-

Perhaps the monsters disappearing was an early warning. Needless to say, no one had anticipated an attack on this this scale and magnitude. It had begun at the stroke of midnight and rapidly overwhelmed the combined forces of the Guild and the Knight of Cyndar with horrific ease. Only the few blades consecrated with holy water, and holy-element spells seemed to even cause the horrific demons that defied description even some amount of pause.

Despite this discovery that pushed three competing organizations - the Church of Lumbra, the Magus Guild and the Knights of Cyndar to an alliance of convenience; it was far too late. For every fell beast that somehow was defeated at the hands of a large party using the environment and traps to their advantage - ten more demons leaped from the shadows that danced in the moonless night sky, howling like rabid animals in their thirst for human flesh.

Slowly but surely, the few defenders left were slowly pushed back from the walls, fighting desperately through the blood-soaked streets, and finally to Castle Cyndar. Once in the thousands, the defending army had been slowly but surely whittled down - both from getting eviscerated by the screaming forms and others who had simply exploded into blood and gore. The solid walls and massive steel gates and doors would hold... for a short time.

Natsuki stumbled down onto the cold flagstones as she watched the knights slam shut a pair of heavy iron doors - with massive interlocking steel pillars rolling into place to serve as a lock. She shuddered to herself as she felt the vibrations of the monstrous screams echo from the ground floors.

A healer was by her side almost instantly. "Are you injured anywhere?" she asked, quickly getting out a small satchel of medical herbs and compresses.

"No... just... winded..." Natsuki managed a reply, trying to control her breathing. Learning those elemental spells and weaving it with holy water was easier said than done - but she had managed to fight off a few of the weaker ones that stood bigger than a tiger. The guild's vocation was the study of magical arts - not outright street-to-street fighting. The worst the church had to deal with was shadow-tainted criminals engaging in lewd behavior in public. The worst that the Knights had to fight was some barely-organized bandits with copper/iron weapons and leather armor.

So used to the long years of peace... clearly, they were all outmatched here. Pulling back her sleeves, her stomach churned as she saw the bruise on her arm. "Oh, right. When I fell down the stairs as I ran in here..."

"In any case, it is quite the important blade, nya?" Kazeko remarked, "So it is best you take better care of it. Its former owner, would be quite ashamed were to to fall into the wrong hands."

Eiryk turned away, taking Excalibur back from her, he looked up to the peaks of Vel Da Ir and rubbed his head. He was bandaged all over, and was in a new set of clothes. Trainee wear for the typical ashigaru. She looked to the boy with concern. He had been through more than just a reawakening in a new world, but a reawakening of himself.

Somehow, despite everything, he was still weak compared to the challenges he faced, and yet here he stood in Vel Da Ir, the place that he could vaguely recall Mikkael directing him to. Yet now that he was here...

"I'm uncertain, Sensei Kazeko. What should I do with myself now?"

"I cannot answer that, Eiryk. I just knyow that you are here, and that your journey is only starting." She answered. She gave him a weak smile which he felt he couldn't return.

He walked through the town thereafter. He found that he had new skills that he could exploit. Yet he couldn't figure why he was always referred to as a former scholar. He lacked all magical prowess, and so he only knew himself as a skirmisher, a scout, a class of people that one could call a rogue among men.

He hated it.

Yet, he came to a decision once again.

"The answers aren't here. I will wander the world until I find them for myself."

Karliah walked up behind him, "So, you're running again?"

"Like you can say anything. I only remember the two of us running, and you at least have your answers."

"Lumbra has closed his eyes to me, Eiryk. However, I will continue to be a Paladin with my own strength if I so must." She responded firmly. He closed his eyes to her and continued walking. "Eiryk! Where in the name of the Lord are you going to even go!?"

"I shall go where I must to find the ultimate truth. This world needs to be returned, and while I do have some of my memories, I must find the remainder of what was. Perhaps, along the way, I can find the truth behind it all." He stated. Not another word came from him as he continued on his path.

"Spoiled brat..." Karliah uttered before deciding to heed Kazeko's own words and begin making her way back with the escort team.

----------

"Lizards are the target for today..."

He now stood in the Siren's Path, or rather, the new Siren's Path. He was preparing for a duel with as many Lizards as he could encounter. He had to do his best to make his way in this new world. That much was for sure.

He was not going to fail.

BATTLE: LIZARD x5

FORMATIONS
B[Eiryk]-[X]F

F[Lizard 1]-[Lizard 2]B
F[Lizard 3]-[Lizard 4]B
F[Lizard 5]-[X]B

ORDER
1. Lizard 1 | 505/505 | 100/100
2. Lizard 3 | 505/505 | 100/100
3. Lizard 5 | 505/505 | 100/100
4. Eiryk | 2400/2400 | 700/700
5. Lizard 2 | 505/505 | 100/100
6. Lizard 4 | 505/505 | 100/100

Spoiler: show

The front three lizards launch a coordinated assault!
Eiryk suffers 105 damage!

> 1. Lizard 1 | 505/505 | 100/100
> 2. Lizard 3 | 505/505 | 100/100
> 3. Lizard 5 | 505/505 | 100/100
4. Eiryk | 2295/2400 | 700/700
5. Lizard 2 | 505/505 | 100/100
6. Lizard 4 | 505/505 | 100/100

Eiryk deeply wounds Lizard 5 with Bash!
Lizard 5 is defeated!

1. Lizard 1 | 505/505 | 100/100
2. Lizard 3 | 505/505 | 100/100
> 3. Eiryk | 2295/2400 | 685/700
4. Lizard 2 | 505/505 | 100/100
5. Lizard 4 | 505/505 | 100/100

New Formation!
B[Eiryk]-[X]F

F[Lizard 1]-[Lizard 2]B
F[Lizard 3]-[Lizard 4]B

The back lizards jump and bite into Eiryk!
Eiryk suffers 70 damage!

1. Lizard 1 | 505/505 | 100/100
2. Lizard 3 | 505/505 | 100/100
3. Eiryk | 2225/2400 | 685/700
> 4. Lizard 2 | 505/505 | 100/100
> 5. Lizard 4 | 505/505 | 100/100

The front two lizards muster up a multiplicative attack!
Lizard 1: THREE HITS!
Lizard 3: TWO HITS!
Total: 175 Damage!

> 1. Lizard 1 | 505/505 | 65/100
> 2. Lizard 3 | 505/505 | 65/100
3. Eiryk | 2050/2400 | 685/700
4. Lizard 2 | 505/505 | 100/100
5. Lizard 4 | 505/505 | 100/100

Eiryk enters an evasive stance...
Eiryk fails to dodge the first three attacks but dodges the final attack! He retaliates viciously!
Eiryk suffers 105 damage!
Lizard 3 suffers 266 damage!

> 1. Lizard 1 | 505/505 | 65/100
> 2. Lizard 3 | 239/505 | 65/100 | Slash Count 1
> 3. Eiryk | 1945/2400 | 685/700
> 4. Lizard 2 | 505/505 | 100/100
> 5. Lizard 4 | 505/505 | 100/100

Eiryk takes out Lizard 1 with a mighty attack!

1. Lizard 3 | 239/505 | 65/100 | Slash Count 1
> 2. Eiryk | 1945/2400 | 670/700
3. Lizard 2 | 505/505 | 100/100 | Unprotected
4. Lizard 4 | 505/505 | 100/100

New Formation!
B[Eiryk]-[X]F

F[X]-[Lizard 2]B
F[Lizard 3]-[Lizard 4]B

The remaining three lizards coordinate three multi-attacks!
Lizard 3: TWO HITS!
Lizard 2: TWO HITS!
Lizard 4: THREE HITS!
Total: 245 Damage!

> 1. Lizard 3 | 239/505 | 30/100 | Slash Count 1
2. Eiryk | 1700/2400 | 670/700
> 3. Lizard 2 | 505/505 | 65/100 | Unprotected
> 4. Lizard 4 | 505/505 | 65/100

Eiryk has suffered 700 damage so far!
Eiryk takes out Lizard 3 with a regular attack!

> 1. Eiryk | 1700/2400 | 670/700
2. Lizard 2 | 505/505 | 65/100 | Unprotected
3. Lizard 4 | 505/505 | 65/100 | Unprotected

New Formation!
B[Eiryk]-[X]F

F[X]-[Lizard 2]B
F[X]-[Lizard 4]B

The lizards go with their guts and launch multi-attacks!
Lizard 2: TWO HITS!
Lizard 4: TWO HITS!
Total: 140 Damage!

1. Eiryk | 1560/2400 | 670/700
> 2. Lizard 2 | 505/505 | 30/100
> 3. Lizard 4 | 505/505 | 30/100

Eiryk uses bash to take out Lizard 4!

> 1. Eiryk | 1560/2400 | 655/700
2. Lizard 2 | 505/505 | 30/100

New formation!
[Eiryk]-[Lizard 2]

Lizard two gets in two more attacks! Eiryk suffers 70 damage! Eiryk takes out the final lizard with two regular attacks!

Eiryk is victorious!
Loot: 350 Legens, 3x Leather, Horn, Infernal Leather

Eiryk faced five more in a similar fashion... He collects the following loot.
Loot: 350 Legens, 3x Leather
Total Loot: 700 Legens, 6x Leather, Horn, Infernal Leather
Status: Eiryk | 720/2400 | 610/700

Eiryk had relative success against the lizards, and made his way back to Vel Da Ir. He went to the tavern and turned in the quest for a total reward of...
Total Rewards: 1400 Legens, 6x Leather, Horn, Infernal Leather, +1 Level

Eiryk rejoiced at this, and after getting some food to recover from his small side quest, he decided it best to save up some money and help the thirsty in the process...

"Let's see if I can't hurt some Morpho. I may not be able to get a quest done for it, but I sure can fight them off."

Little did he know, morpho were quite the dangerous creatures. Surprisingly moreso than he expected. Thankfully, he had the defenses to deal with them. However, he did take some minor damage. Regardless, he brought plenty of urns to the tavern, where they were stored away in the back.

"Thanks kid, but what's all this for?" The tavern owner asked. Eiryk smiled, "I wanna mine."

"Mining, hm? You remind me of the meridian bandit Mikkael a little... Do you have the funds for a pickaxe, kid?"

"Not sure, but hopefully."

He headed off for the blacksmith who looked at him briefly. The man smiled and asked, "What can I get for you?"

"A pickaxe, please."

"Planning on mining then? Alrighty. There are actually some quests you can do in regards to that... We have a lot of orders for our gold and iron over at the Cita Den Metalworks."

"Cita Den Metalworks?" Eiryk inquired.

The man continued, "It's a facility where they refine ore into weapons. Apparently the new golems have gone awry in their back area, and so it's also a bit of a dungeon..."

"Interesting..." Eiryk noted. He'd have to make a trip there for sure. He turned before leaving, noticing a rack of bows, "Hey, are bows difficult to use?"

"They take a steady aim and a strong arm." The smithy noted. He nodded to some practice targets, "If you buy one, you can practice on those." In an instant, Eiryk decided to sell his sword. He didn't know why, but he felt as though he had to. Perhaps a memory had come back to him, a reason why he mustn't use blades, but regardless, he had felt compelled to sell it back, even though he would have less money, and instead use a bow.

"That one, the best one you have." Eiryk stated.

The smithy nodded, "It's a fine piece of work yeah? The recurve bow bends away from you as you draw it. It's more powerful than a regular bow, too. Still, maybe it's better you practice with another kind first."

"No thanks," Eiryk answered, "I like the look and feel of it in my hands." He noted, feeling its weight and checking the aim. The smithy smiled and nodded, "If you insist."

After some practice shots, he was prepared to head out once more...

_________________

The sun had set some time ago, and Yemhelch sat at the tavern. He made sure to look exhausted - after all, he had been tending to the injuries of what seemed to be an endless line. Of course, this had allowed him to pick up several interesting rumors.

A young scout, barely older than 12 ran into the tavern. She looked around the place with one eye, the other bandaged by his own hand and she smiled as she recognized him. "Ah, h-hey..." she waved as she walked up. "Your friend asked me to pass you a message... we're setting up some consecrated magefires down south of the town and we need your help in the preparation of holy water..."

"Ah, alright then." he replied. "I'll just pay off my tab and be there. Thank you..."

"Lilij!" she beamed proudly, giving her chest a fistbump.

"Thank you, Lilij."

-

Something was wrong. It was unlike him to suddenly change plans in the middle. Did he perhaps take the artifact and wanted to run? Or... maybe he was getting into the healer roleplay a little too much if he was dabbling in holy water...

With these uncomfortable thoughts in his head, he stepped out of the south gate... and found himself falling onto some obsidian brickwork.

"Whoa!"

"Yo. Change of plans, but I didn't expect the Final Artifact to be... anyone like this."

Shaking off the jarring sensation of having fallen from a 20-storey building, Yemhelch stared at his mentor in shock, then to the girl floating in the crystal orb before him. She looked familiar, he realized as his mind rushed to recall the images. Fine blonde hair, soft brown eyes, pale skin unblemished by the horrors of the world...

"You kidnapped a villager?!" Yemhelch gasped. "What happened to 'dont cause a scene'?"

"I didn't expect the Final Artifact to be a human girl either. Can you feel that? The power?"

Yemhelch sighed and walked closer - and groaned in pain as he staggered backwards.

"Do you feel that? Its like we're already being unmade from the world..." The man in the suit whispered, impressed by the sheer amount of energy the girl was exuding just by her mere presence. Yemhelch took a careful step closer to the orb, shielding his eyes from the raw energy that was seething from the orb to the point it now looked like a miniature sun.

"Who is she?" Yemhelch finally whispered.

"An echo, of the most powerful artifact ever created by... something... even stronger than the two gods that once held dominion in this world."

Looking closer, he finally recognized her - the girl that Mikkael, Timmy and the pirates had busted out of prison on the jailbreak from Cyndar. He didn't have much of a chance to formally introduce himself, though. Standing here, he felt like an oak tree in the midst of a massive flood. The roots would hold, but only for a moment. If he were to stop focusing on weaving his own existence, he felt as if he would be blasted to pieces in the torrential flood of power.

"I'm going to release her from the orb. We'll need to ask her for help."

"What makes you think she'll help us after that stunt you pulled?" Yemhelch countered.

"I don't know... but its the only shot we've got."

He gulped audibly as his gnarled hands reached for the orb.

_________________

CLANK!

CLANK!

CLANK!

The sound of Eiryk's pickaxe echoed in the Siren's Path. He wiped the sweat from his brow and collected the ores deposited at his feet.

ROLLS: 45 - 34 - 44 - 85 - 66 - 82 - 95 - 11 - 19 - 85 - 7 - 12 - 67 - 32 - 69 - 55 - 100 - 74 - 63 - 52
Loot: 12x Iron, 28x Gold, 4x Shade Ingot

Leaving the Siren's Path, he gained access to the Velian Mine and decided to mine for gold.

ROLLS: Always yields gold.
Loot: 40x Gold

He went back to the smithy to deliver his goods, and collected the reward associated.

Iron Stacks: 1
Gold Stacks: 6
Total: 650 + (6 * 6500) = 39650 Legens

He smiled at this new acquisition and decided to consider his next move carefully. He needed some more armor if he was going to travel. He also needed more inventory space. Thus, he started by completely upgrading his backpack to a full carry bag. This left him with about 33000 Legens. He decided to use the two shade ingots to his advantage and make a helmet, paying the service fee as he did so. He also bought some new gloves to assist in his adventure.

If he was to continue, he'd need to get serious.

_________________

Like water flowing away from a wet cloth, the orb melted away from the girl and she slowly descended to the floor. Her eyes began to move as time began to flow in the deepest reach of the distant cleft in space and she stood back up and stared back at the two men wearing the robes of the Church of Lumbra. Her hand reached for her sword with a warning look in her eyes and Yemhelch raised his hands in a gesture of surrender.

"Uh, hi." he started - a hint of real nervousness creeping into his voice. "We're not really members of the Church or the knights or the Vex Vinas sorcerer's guild..."

An impasse. She said nothing, and neither did the man who now appeared in a suit and tie. "Your skill at introduction needs some work" he grinned as he adjusted the tie.

"This coming from the moron who decided that abducting her... in order to ask her for help was a great idea." Yemhelch countered, lightly bonking his counterpart upside the head. "Get your act together!"

Her tense expression gave way to a barely-there smile at this impromptu gag. Her hand still remained on the hilt of her sword.

"Yeah, my buddy there has a messed-up moral axis - but anyway, I'm Yemhelch. You can call him the same, too. I was with the crew that busted you out of prison, but we never did get to introduce ourselves, right?"

Nodding, she finally let go of her sword. Still, even if she didn't say anything - the look of questioning in her eyes said it all.

Reading her look, Yemhelch nodded. "Yeah, we're not on Jungalore anymore. So, what's your name? I figured that if we're gonna ask you for help, we'd at least start off with introductions."

She shook her head.

"You haven't spoken a word this whole time..." Yemhelch asked her. "Is something wrong with our language? Should we switch to Meridian or Elvine?"

She shook her head again, then looked away.

"Look, we're sorry about this whole kidnapping thing. When we started our hunt for the final Artifact, we had no idea it'd be a human girl. But please listen - I need your help desperately."

She considered these words for a moment, then finally came to a decision. Motioning for quiet with her hands, she hesitated for a moment before slowly opening her mouth. Yemhelch cringed and the man in the sombrero shook his head, while sighing 'no wonder'.

Where her tongue would be, a mess of scar tissue has formed - someone had cut her tongue off a long time ago.

-

Coughing slightly, the man wearing the robe broke the awkward silence. "Well, that is a problem, isn't it? I guess I'll have to learn sign language myself..."

To this, the girl shook her head no one last time and made more motions with her hand.

"A book, writing..." Yemhelch followed through the signage. "...Aha, you can write words on a book!"

She nodded.

"Yeah, then... we'll need writing materials..." Yemhelch nodded back. "Allright then..."

"... please, follow us." the man in the tracksuit completed the sentence as he waved his hand and a door appeared in the inky darkness. He turned the handle and light flooded the dark chamber. Unused to such a change, she shielded her eyes as she compensated for the sudden change of atmosphere.

Following the two men, she entered the door... and out into a street. Conversation filled the air as people in strangely-dyed clothes wandered around, going this way and that. Every now and then, a strange, metallic, horseless carriage would move by - passengers clearly visible behind the glasswork and steel doors. She looked around to see massive, glimmering towers in the distance adorned with brilliant lights reaching for a clear blue sky.

"Welcome to Eternis City." The man in the t-shirt and pants smiled as he spread his hands around the vista. "You are the first, brave human! No others have made the trip..."

"Lets go look for a convenience store." Yemhelch interjected. "You said there was one nearby."

"Indeed. It's just around the corner."

_________________