7095/LI0: Manlet At Arms - Realchemized (Side)

LI0: Manlet At Arms - Realchemized (Side)
Date of Scene:	26 February 2020
Location:	Last Illusion
Synopsis:	Arthur sets up shop in Finaria to help people get equipped for the battles ahead.
Cast of Characters:	Shyra, 7132, Arthur Lowell, 7201, Tomoe, 7180, Alruna Greengate
Tinyplot:	Last Illusion
Tinyplot2:	Loop Zero

---

Shyra has posed:
    It's something of an unpleasant situation in the world of the Last Illusion. The spreading of corrupted area continues to advance day by day, already reaching the borders of Finaria. Within, unusual creatures roam, endgame monsters that are far more dangerous than anything found on the normal encounter tables.

    Finaria itself, however, stands tall in the face of the encroaching chaos. The town has been restored to being fully intact by Shyra, and the endless epic boss music everywhere else in the world has been reset in the town to the normal town music.

    For the moment, there is peace. Shyra seems to be taking a singular pleasure watching the now-existing-again people wander about and poking at the little plots of farmland nearby. Still, the location is as good as anything else as a gathering place, it's near where the Gate opens as it is, and there's plenty of room for Arthur to set up shop.

    She also has dragged a table out of the Tavern and piled it high with fresh butter cookies and milk.

I4 (7132) has posed:
I4 is here, having had a moment on the wall to collect data and put it with the other data.  IE: Everything is still pretty bad, but the town is at least safe for the moment.  They managed to do something, and now they have a chance to try and beat Haseo and his Demon-god thing.  Of course, who can say if they'll win?

Which is why Shyra is gathering people up, he guesses!  Walking by the table he snags a few cookies and munches on some.  There is a sigh from I4, this is all been an affair, and while the end is in sight, he wonders if fixing his own world's problems will be so easy?  Nah.

"So hey, what was this about Arthur making upgrades?  He doesn't seem like the weaponsmith type."

Arthur Lowell has posed:
    Arthur arrives. With him, he has a computer, monitor, keyboard, and mousepad suspended on a series of hovering rockets. With quick swipes of the mouse, he deploys a small cluster of important mechanisms: His CRUXTRUDER, his PUNCH DESIGNINX, his TOTEM LATHE, his ALCHEMITER. There are JUMPER BLOCK EXTENSIONS. There are PUNCH CARD SHUNTS. There's a HOLOPAD.

    None of these words make sense. None of these /machines/ make sense. One of them has what looks like an 80s-era typing system spliced into a punchcard puncher, another one has what looks like a giant laser mounted on a robotic arm. They are all plain, light steel devices with an angular construction, sometimes bearing circular pads with spirographic designs on them. They all descend from above, with no clear origin point, and thud heavily into the soil.

    Arthur dismisses the computer, then grabs a cookie. "I'm the AWESOME type." He explains. "And I got HELLA CRAFTIN' from VIDEO GAMES. Alright, I need t'see those ARTIFACTS, and I need some WEAPONS, and maybe some ARMOR, all for startin' off."

Arkae Zellar (7201) has posed:
Perhaps predictably, Arkae is drawn to the free food.

"Mmmh, these are good," the flamboyantly-dressed tengu says as she stuffs the third cookie in her beak, crumbs flying everywhere. "Sorry about the the corruption stuff and the world playing that ominous music everywhere - it's like one of those program things, right? Do you think someone could change it to a less repeaty tracklist?"

She goes for some milk, the red bird relic dangling from its chain on her wrist. "I mean, if I was stuck in place, I'd want something else playing in my head for weeks on end. At least some variety. Maybe we should hire some bards and see about some varied accompaniment, at least."

Tomoe has posed:
Tomoe is more than glad to swing by here she knows keeping one gear up to date and here she is. She's also seemingly in a better mood than yesterday, yes the idea of just kicking back relaxing is a good one she also sees the food that Shyra has put out. She grins at the healer and calls out.

"Hey Shyra! Arthur!"

The Salamander will head to the table to get some of the cookies she chomps away before she looks to Arkae.

"It could be worse, seriously it could be far worse 8bit music. It's pretty good. Also good to see you as well."

She look to I4 for a moment and grins.

"Oh you'd be shocked I'm still using the weapons he forged for me a long time ago."

Amelris Belthrone (7180) has posed:
     The current state of the world is incredibly unsettling. The place was already eerily unsettling to Amelris before but now the bugs, the strange monsters. Being on the front rows of watching a world just crumbling apart, one that was already in some pretty bad straits, is rather heart breaking.

     The Red Mage swings by, stepping into the safe haven of the town, holding up a box filled with some textile rolls. "Hello, hello!" Amelris exclaims, keeping a rather perky and good-natured air to him despite the circumstances. He sets down the textile next to the table, giving Shyra a smile. "Thanks you for the cookies. It's also good to see you in a good shape, Shyra." He says, taking himself a cookie and giving the Tengu a nod, as well as Tomoe. I4 gets a cookie-fingered salute.

     As for Arthur:

     "So! I am told that you can make some rather impressive sorts of things for the travails that lies ahead of us! I've had something of an idea."

Arthur Lowell has posed:
    Arthur immediately identifies the RED BIRD RELIC. "Yo! Bird-lady! Lemme see that RELIC, I gotta get CODES." He says, waving Arkae over towards his PUNCH DESIGNIX.

Arthur Lowell has posed:
    Tomoe gets a wave. "Yo, T! Good SEEIN' YA." He greets her. "You remember who had the RELICS? I gotta get at 'em." He's already hefting out some kind of weird camera, some sort of instant-picture polaroid-looking son of a bastard image-taker, but with a weirdly wide slot and an unnerving green color where most cameras are black.

Arthur Lowell has posed:
    "You lay that IDEA on ME." Arthur to Amelris, jabbing his own chest with his thumb and relishing the reputation that precedes him. "I'll show you how the REALEST CRAFTING goes, homie, ain't NOTHIN' that PUNCHCARD ALCHEMY can't do for the right PRICES."

I4 (7132) has posed:
"Huh, really?" I4 says to Arthur, and then looks at Tomoe.  This is curious, and he's more interested.  Looking back at the cool kid, he considers what could be done.  

"Could you make a sword that can do hacking damage?" He asks because that's just silly.

Arkae Zellar (7201) has posed:
Arkae glances over at the PUNCH DESIGNIX and then at the relic she's wearing on her wrist.

"I'm sorry, codes? Like... North East West South puzzle codes? Or..."

She glances up again. "Sorry, did you say alchemy?"

Alruna Greengate has posed:
"Oh, what do you need the relics for?" aska Alruna with a quizzically raised eyebrow as the camera pans slightly left from Arthur to reveal her presence.

The paladin looks better for a week or so of convalescence - in a zombie and eldritch horror-infested seaside village. She does look somewhat... careworn, though. She unfolds her arms and steps closer, eyeing the table full of refreshments. She'll get to that soon enough.

Shyra has posed:
Shyra, of course, looks both proud and flustered at the praise of her cookies. It doesn't take long before she's as pink as her robe. Ah... Thank you all! It's just a cookie reciple, nothing special... It's also the only recipe she knows.

    Speaking of things Shyra doesn't know, all the gear Arthur has brought to the town causes her to shuffle over and look at it curiously, poking lightly at things but not really doing anything untoward. So this is how you are going to do the crafting? She asks Arthur, but it's pretty obvious this is the case. She plops down on the ground next to it and watches intently.

    Arkae asks about changing the music, and Shyra shrugs. I tried. But the music keeps changing back at random times. I can't quite figure out why. She does, however, wave to Tomoe and anyone else showing up. Hello! She calls to Tomoe. She looks kind of confused about the 8-bit music comment, but she nods and smiles, just letting it pass.

    Amelris gets a little giggle from the healer. Everything is fine. She says, and she actually kind of means it this time. Almost. I'm just thinking about a lot of things right now. She glances over to Arthur with a little /concern/ face for a moment before she glances at the ground.

Arthur Lowell has posed:
    "PROBABLY NOT." Arthur says, waving his hand vaguely at I4 to clarify things. "Unless you got a HACKING MODULE. You got, like, a HACKING MODULE that you can pop outta you? Gimmie that shit." Otherwise, it's likely he can't. "Need a SWORD for that too, though. MOST IMPORTANT thing we're doin', though, is, we're puttin' the ARTIFACTS in with the GEAR."

Amelris Belthrone (7180) has posed:
     "I've got the Black Warrior Relic." Amelris says, bending his back a bit to make a pop sound out, his ears wriggling as he straightens up again. "But here's my idea: I'm a weaver. I don't know what your, uh, PUNCHCARD ALCHEMY can do to be perfectly honest but I know how to weave aether into fabric just fine. I've also got," He says, taking out a pouch to make it wriggle. "A large load of aether crystals."

     Amelris turns about, giving Alruna a wave. He couldn't sit still. Besides, his wounds weren't TOO bad in the end.

     "SO! I weave fabric with aether then I'm sure that's a great basic material for you to play with."

Shyra has posed:
    The mention of needing a SWORD or something to use with the process gets Shyra tapping her chin. Umm... If you need equipment to work with, I can help.

    Promptly, she begins simply pulling gear out of nowhere, swords, lances, gauntlets, mallets, and armors of various archetypal types popping into the area and forming a growing pile next to Arthur. I have all the gear that we collected when we... came through the first time. She says, smiling a little. Maybe you can use it if you don't want to involve your own equipment?

Arkae Zellar (7201) has posed:
"Oh!"

Arkae also pulls out a sword from her bag of holding. It's the curvy, almost c-shaped blade she has in her character art.

"I've got a sword!"

And then she glances over at Shyra's growing pile of gear.

"I mean, I've got... more than that, too," she adds, fending off the urge to turn this into some sort of pile-of-generic-rpg-gear-measuring-contest.

Arthur Lowell has posed:
    "No, like--" Arthur shakes his head exasperatedly at Arkae. "Nah. Here, like this." He moves to try to get her to lift her wrist by just grabbing at her arm, so he can take a CAPTCHAROID of the item. The CAPTCHAROID should print out an image of it in washed-out monochrome, but hopefully it'll also contain the CAPTCHA CODE for the item on the back -- in some state of severe distortion.

Arkae Zellar (7201) has posed:
"... Oh!"

Arkae points at the thing that got printed out.

"I know what those are!"

"Those are photographs."

Arthur Lowell has posed:
    "It's a CAPTCHAROID, actually." Arthur says to Arkae. He displays the unusual thing to Alruna, as if to demonstrate what he's talking about. A weird rectangular display, with a corner bitten out of it like a punchcard. He looks at the back and transcribes its randomly generated RED BIRD RELIC CODE.

Alruna Greengate has posed:
Alrun nods - not so stoically, with that grin - to Amelris and joins the party, swiping up a glass of milk.

And she puts down the Blue Dragons Relic in its place for Arthur to do his thing. Whatever the thing might be. "Healing up well?" she asks Amelris, clapping him solidly on the back.

Amelris Belthrone (7180) has posed:
     The Miqo'te grunts at the clap, his tail snapping behind him. "Mostly healed up, got beat up," He eyes Arkae, "Again but came out alive and fine. You're looking less pale, yourself."

     Amelris takes out the Black Warrior Relic, putting it down as well. "So the squiggles are a CAPTCHA."

Tomoe has posed:
Tomoe looks to the Red Mage has he arrives grinning and then takes another cookie. These cookies are dangerously good she muses now she finally stops for the moment. She looks to Arthur ith interest and she grins.

"Been ages since I have done this and I love the armour I got last time."

She thinks for a moment "I think Alruna had one too."

She pauses at Alruna as she arrives and she grins at the Palaaind she'll pull something out of her inventory and set it on the table a container of sea salt taffy or caramel from the looks of it.

"I brought something to share? Shyra? Go ahead and try some. As for cooking maybe we can swap some recipes later?"
D She looks to Arthur now pawning a little of the taffy for herself.

Tomoe will pause as Shyra shares some of her gear stockpile. She'll take a look at one of the spears for the moment as she seems to test it for its weight.

Arkae Zellar (7201) has posed:
Arkae shrugs at being eyed. "Sorry, it was just a job."

Not really, nobody was paying her, but they don't need to know that.

"... So what happens if you, um, capcharoid something that's not a relic?" she asks, pulling out a corked potion bottle full of a clear liquid. "Like... if you alchemy alchemy?"

I4 (7132) has posed:
I4 nods once, "I mean, I could...but I wouldn't want to do that outside of a sealed environment.  Also not in public.  So I'll keep my insides inside, but what about magic enhancing?  Enhance the focusing capabilities of the weapon?  I tend to use mine as both a weapon and a focus for magic."

I4 also waves towards Amelris.  They fought a...he looks at Arkae.  There is a long pause and then, "So any more stories about that captain legend of yours?  You know, without a brawl with a false narrative."

Alruna gets a wave, "Long time no see.  Thanks for the bail."  Shyra seems to be overthinking things, but he doubts telling her to stop will do anything productive.  "I think it simply just might be an encroachment.  It tries to force its way in, and whatever you did is forcing it back out."

Amelris Belthrone (7180) has posed:
     "Hey, no offence." Amelris replies to Arkae, shrugging. "It was a pretty good fight, all things considered and... it got handled fine. Even fast enough that Eggman didn't get anything out of it! I call it good."

Arkae Zellar (7201) has posed:
"Oh, there's tons. The story of how Pirate King Trarrchogh sunk thirty ships with just ten swings of his sword is a pretty good one," says Arkae.

Arthur Lowell has posed:
CAPTCHAS:
RED BIRD RELIC
BLUE DRAGON RELIC
BLACK WARRIOR RELIC
BIRD SWORD
SWORD
LANCE
GAUNTLET
MALLET
ARMOR
AETHER TEXTILES

    Arthur turns to Amelris. "Yo, gimmie that RELIC! Oh shit, you got NICE THREADS? Lemme at THAT TOO." He picks up one of the TEXTILE ROLLS and then immediately CAPTCHALOGUES it into his SYLLADEX. It enters one of the large green cards he displays for his inventory, sorting into the TREE and compressing into something that he can pull down and read the back of.

    Flipping over his game interface, he examines the CAPTCHA CODE and inserts the card into the PUNCH DESIGNIX, typing the code and punching it. He also takes another CAPTCHAROID of Arkae's sword, since she seems to be presenting it, then ones of each RELIC put on display, though it seems one is currently missing. Then he also also CAPTCHALOGUES many of the pieces of stray NG 0+ equipment into his SYLLADEX, punching their codes as well. He has a small but growing stack of punched codes now.

    "Anyone got that LAST ONE? The uh... WHITE something?"

Alruna Greengate has posed:
"Tigers." Alruna supplies helpfully.

She nods to Amelris. "Got my blood back." she smiles, leaning on him while she knocks back her glass of milk. "Are you following this at all?" she murmurs, watching Arthur work.

Amelris Belthrone (7180) has posed:
     The TEXTILE ROLL are some damn sweet silk and velvet choked with some aether treatment, just waiting and ready to be cut into some sort of outfit.

     "Kind-of." Amelris admits, wobbling a hand. "He's taking measures of the objects and I assume that theses," The punchcards are point at, "Are what the things' information and tells what they 'are'."

Arthur Lowell has posed:
CAPTCHA CODES:
RED BIRD RELIC
BLUE DRAGON RELIC
BLACK WARRIOR RELIC
BIRD SWORD
SWORD
LANCE
GAUNTLET
MALLET
ARMOR
AETHER TEXTILES
UNENCHANTED POTION

    Arthur is already cranking something. "Hey, someone help me get this CRUXITE all CRUXTRUDED." He asks, wandering over to a big tube-looking part and turning a huge wheel on it. As he turns it, the top emits the top portion of a large green crystal cylinder. He answers I4 as he works though. "It's about what you can COMBO. I can't just CRANK NUMBERS UP, it's about CREATIVITY. You got anything MAGIC-ENHANCING?" He manages to crank a fresh CRUXITE DOWEL out, and then he goes to clamp it into the TOTEM LATHE.

    None of this is, so far, likely to make a single fucking lick of sense.

    But for now, he grabs up the cards again. "Let's try the BASICS." He says, placing the BIRD SWORD and the RED BIRD RELIC cards both into the punchcard-reading slot on the TOTEM LATHE at the same time, which configures the TOTEM LATHE'S various carving tools to carve the CRUXITE DOWEL into a CRUXITE TOTEM. He places it over on the ALCHEMITER and tries casting while he stops to grab the UNENCHANTED POTION and punch it as well.

    How expensive is relic-item combination at its most basic level? The weapon will likely dilute the duplication of its massive BLESSING to reduce the price, but how much would that dilution ease the drain on Arthur Lowell's GRIST CACHE?

Arkae Zellar (7201) has posed:
"..."

"That is some really nice fabric," comments Arkae, reaching down and running a hand over the stuff Amelris has brought with her.

When Arthur starts spouting off MORE WORDS that she DOESN'T UNDERSTAND, more of her attention is lost from him and starts shifting to the VERY NICE fabric that is MOST CERTAINLY not triggering her TENGU AVARICE.

Then something Arthur says catches her attention. "Oh! Um... magic-enhancing? I can try infusing something? But it usually only works on my potions..."

Alruna Greengate has posed:
Alruna nods to I4, glad to see him back on his feet as well. "We're all hale and hearty then." she surmises. "'Tis good to see."

She takes her weight off Amelris, no doubt to his relief, and gets closer to Arkae to nudge her. "How has your practice with the relic come?" she asks quietly, so not to disturb Arthur while he works his KEYWORD smithery.

I4 (7132) has posed:
"So hey...what happens if we try to bless a blade with all of the relics?  That might make the individual blessings weaker, but to something weak to all of them.." I4 theorizes.  "Also can you scan uh...my rapier and POD?" he motions towards the black box with arms floating near him.  It seems to stare at your very soul.  

"Yeah, I am!  It took a little bit, but yeah...all my bits are back where they belong.  Sorry about that.  Maybe I got a little too greedy with Haseo."

Towards Arkae, "Ooo, I wanna hear about that one.  Are any of these written down?"

Amelris Belthrone (7180) has posed:
     "Thanks!" Amelris straightens, indeed to his relief with his tail stretching out. Woman's heavier than him. It's just not wise to VOCALIZE that fact. He take out one of the rolls of fabric, a nice deep, rich blue. "It's velveet, silk and some cottoon. Most from Gridannia. I've made it a little while ago when I heard of this. A bit of an experiment as I tried to shove in some aether as starting treatment for enchantment."

     He tugs at his cape. "Just to make it stronger and protect you from ills and foes. A mage's gotta protect himself too, you know?"

Arkae Zellar (7201) has posed:
"They're campfire stories. They're a lot better told fresh than written down in books," says Arkae.

"But alright... Pirate King Trarrochogh and the Thirty Ships..."

She clears her throat, and starts in on a long rambling tale about the aforementioned tengu pirate getting challenged by the captains of thirty ships - including his own mutinous crew, who left him with nothing but his sword and a single rowboat.

I4 (7132) has posed:
I4 shakes his head, "So you say, but that means the stories will be changed as they are shared, and worse...if something happens to the people who know them...well.." he looks, well saddened, "Losing something like that would be terrible.  In books, it could at least be preserved."

However, he listens, to him, it was very interesting, a chance to see into a new culture, and listen to the stories of people they have pride in.  

Arthur Lowell has posed:
____________________________________________________________________________
|        Arthur successfully alchemized BIRD SWORD || RED BIRD RELIC         |
|                                                                            |
|                       8000 STEEL  200 RUST  5 COBALT                       |
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____________________________________________________________________________
|                                                                            |
|                             MANDAPALA'S TALON                              |
|                                  (lesser)                                  |
|                                                                            |
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    MANDAPALA'S TALON is a curved blade that bears a disturbing resemblance to a massive bird of prey's talon. Conducting significant amounts of solar energy naturally, it's ready to conduct even more in dangerous, relic-blessed blasts. Upgrading it at a later date may allow it to come into its full power.

    Arthur picks up the blade and gives it a few fiery swings. "I don't usually use SWORDS, I'm a BATTLE-BROOMS kinda guy. Who had this sword earlier?"

Arkae Zellar (7201) has posed:
In the story, Trarrchogh, standing in his dinky rowboat and having swung ineffectually at the hull of the lead mutinous pirate ship for the last nine strikes without doing much more than scratching the wood, draws back his sword for the tenth strike-

"Oh, those were mine!" Arkae cuts off the story, waving to Arthur. "The relic and the sword. I've still got the originals right here- I'm not sure how that works..."

Tomoe has posed:
Tomoe gets an idea as she watches people work and she does notice the fabric checking it out herself. It does feel really nice and she gets some ideas looking at the ARMOR and the AETHER TEXTILES. She thinks for a moment and the UNENCHANTED POTION. She'll also think since they are dealing with a boss who has a certain elemental affinity? She's going to try and see what happens if she mixes them with the Black Warrior's Relic.

"Time to see what this does!"

She will wait her turn before attemping this combination!

"I got to wonder what the hell Haseo is thinking."

Arthur Lowell has posed:
CAPTCHA CODES:
RED BIRD RELIC
BLUE DRAGON RELIC
BLACK WARRIOR RELIC
BIRD SWORD
SWORD
LANCE
GAUNTLET
MALLET
ARMOR
AETHER TEXTILES
UNENCHANTED POTION

    "Oh, I spent my GRIST on combinin' 'em." Arthur explains, flipping the sword around and deftly catching it by the flat in one hand to hand it off to Arkae by the hilt. "Bee-tee-dubs, if you make anything EXPENSIVE, I'mma need it BACK afterwards, so I can GRIST-GRIND it. THAT, I need back after the BIG FIGHT, ain't got tons of COBALT GRIST."

Amelris Belthrone (7180) has posed:
     Amelris have no idea how the hell all that worked. Yet, here we are.

     "And that 'GRIST', how y'get more of that, if it comes to it?"

Arkae Zellar (7201) has posed:
Arkae swings MANDAPALA'S TALON around a few times, testing it.

"I like that it looks like a bird thing," she says.

Arthur Lowell has posed:
CAPTCHA CODES:
RED BIRD RELIC
BLUE DRAGON RELIC
BLACK WARRIOR RELIC
BIRD SWORD
SWORD
LANCE
GAUNTLET
MALLET
ARMOR
AETHER TEXTILES
UNENCHANTED POTION
RAPIER
POD

    "We hit ONE THING with ALL THE BLESSINGS, it's... I mean, probably gonna be EXPENSIVE." Arthur explains to I4, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. "It's a GOOD IDEA, but it'd need to be something we ONLY USE ONCE. Otherwise -- this is just me guessin' -- it'll fuckin' drain everything all the way down to my STAR GRIST, and I got like SIX of that left." But he does captchalogue each, read their code, and return them from his SYLLADEX.

Arthur Lowell has posed:
____________________________________________________________________________
|  Arthur successfully alchemized ARMOR || (AETHER TEXTILES && UNENCHANTED   |
|                      POTION) || BLACK WARRIOR RELIC                        |
|                                                                            |
|                       10000 BONE  300 GOLD  1 CLOTH                        |
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____________________________________________________________________________
|                                                                            |
|                            DARKSEA VARMAN (II)                             |
|                                                                            |
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    Complex wire-like tubing filled with gleaming fluid holds together the two large shoulderpieces that are most prodigious on this armor, and multiple sets of metal shape the helmet into a distinctly eastern visual profile. As this armor suffers damage, physical attacks are improved over time. As damage is done, physical defense improves, to a degre, all enabled by the enhancing fluid conducted along the wire-like tubing. Protect the tubes, otherwise it will lose much of this power! Mail armor underneath and at the joints, crafted out of an aether-like substance, is almost impossibly light, in comparison to the heft of the armor.

    Arthur has to put his back into lifting it off the ALCHEMITER CASTING PAD. "Yo, T, get this in your INVENTORY!"

Arthur Lowell has posed:
    Amelris asks a pertinent question. "Well, technically, TECHNICALLY, you don't. Not anymore." Arthur explains. "GAME OVER, so I'm not supposed to DO THIS anymore. But, I had a HUGE STOCKPILE left over. But it's FINITE. I can GRIND LOOT in my GRISTGRINDER, but it ain't great RETURN ON INVESTMENT, so I try to stay STABLE on the STOCKPILE, hear me?"

I4 (7132) has posed:
I4 thinks about this for a little bit, "So...something that we have only one shot on..." A beat, "Maybe something we can use on Discordia themselves? Or on Haseo in a last ditch effort. Yeah, but I see what you mean, that'd be a huge investment if that's the case..."

Amelris Belthrone (7180) has posed:
     Amelris cross his arms, furrowing his brows at that. "So, we are working on a Create-To-Lend Basis, here, then."

     "Not a bad idea, I4." The Miqo'te pours over the displayed objects, thinking of a combination that would be interesting. What DO we know about either that would be a strong bane for them? Haseo, we might have some clues somewhere. He's someone. But..."

     He reach for the Rapier, the BLUE DRAGON RELIC and the POD. "For what it's worth, even if it's a low return on investment, I'll be sure to give you some back so you can replenish -- even if a little."

Arkae Zellar (7201) has posed:
"So just... a bunch of general loot is what you need to replenish, right?" asks Arkae.

She rubs the underside of her beak. "Might be able to give you a hand... where I'm from the merchants are pretty cutthroat and usually only buy things for like half of what they're really worth, if that. If you'll get more value out of old loot, maybe we can work something out."

Arthur Lowell has posed:
CAPTCHA CODES:
RED BIRD RELIC
BLUE DRAGON RELIC
BLACK WARRIOR RELIC
BIRD SWORD
SWORD
LANCE
GAUNTLET
MALLET
ARMOR
AETHER TEXTILES
UNENCHANTED POTION
RAPIER
POD

    "Oh, shit, RAD. Yeah, you wanna gimmie some PAY on this, I ain't gonna TURN IT DOWN. Might SWEETEN THE DEAL some if ya WANT IT."

    He CRUXTRUDES more DOWELS, PUNCHES some fresh CARDS, and LATHES a TOTEM, all to make...

Tomoe has posed:
Tomoe is more than glad to swing by here she knows keeping one gear up to date and here she is. She's also seemingly in a better mood than yesterday, yes the idea of just kicking back relaxing is a good one she also sees the food that Shyra has put out. She grins at the healer and calls out.

"Hey Shyra! Arthur!"

The Salamander will head to the table to get some of the cookies she chomps away before she looks to Arkae.

"It could be worse, seriously it could be far worse 8bit music. It's pretty good. Also good to see you as well. Though to be honest there might be a place Arthur to get more grist."

She steps back to let others have their turn at crafting.

Tomow will then show off the specs ot hte armor that was create to everyone else who is interested in it.

Arthur Lowell has posed:
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|     Arthur successfully alchemized RAPIER || BLUE DRAGON RELIC || POD      |
|                                                                            |
|                        200 STEEL  200 ROCK  1 GLASS                        |
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|                                                                            |
|                             LIGHT AUTOCHAKRAM                              |
|                                                                            |
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    An exotic, single-use disposable wooden fish-like flying drone with a steel chakram-rimmed body that can be activated to fly towards a target and berserker-slash it with rapier-like strikes. These agile things shatter rather than retreat, but are outrageously hard to intercept, and strike with mildly blessed impact. Arthur has decided to make about a dozen. Useful stuff!

    Arthur regards one of these flying things with an unnerved look. He looks at the POD as well, and frowns, like he's discovered something troubling. "Well, here ya go! These are ALRIGHT STUFF, could be good for BURST DAMAGE." They're the sort of offense that Amelris is familiar with as a spellcaster, equivalent to a rather enhanced spell attack of a more familiar nature.

Amelris Belthrone (7180) has posed:
     Amelris lets out a whistle, taking one of the flying disposable drones to give it a look, appraising it with care to not get his eyes TOO close to the pointy bits. As stupid that's to say, that's the most important thing to do when looking at weapons.

     He testingly toss one up in the air, one gloved hand opening up to make it float above his palm, making it dance by wriggling his fingers. "Mmmhmmm. Yeah, this is feeling pretty good. It's going to work out fine." He agrees on, taking note of his frown. Something troubling with the pod, perhaps?

     He draws his rapier, taking a step back and just testing the stance, the Light Autochakram held up, hovering above his hand. "Yeah, this fits well. It'll flow fine into combat." He sheaths his weapons. "Good stuff. We can talk later after that to see how I can best help you refill your GRIST some, as thanks."

I4 (7132) has posed:
"Those are..." I4 says, before the pod chimes in.  

-Processing.  Entities do not look like this unit, they are the wrong shape, size, and serve only one function.-

"Haha...hold on there POD, they're not supposed to.  No need to get upset."

-POD unit is not upset, merely stating the facts.-

"Yeah yeah...so anyway, I have a better idea.  Why not instead of using the focused item as an offensive item, why don't we get a defensive item to synch all of the relics into?  Something to protect us?"

Amelris Belthrone (7180) has posed:
     "A gauntlet sounds pretty good to do that." Amelris chips in on that idea. "Most people got five fingers, good control scheme to synch with."

Arthur Lowell has posed:
CAPTCHA CODES:
RED BIRD RELIC
BLUE DRAGON RELIC
BLACK WARRIOR RELIC
BIRD SWORD
SWORD
LANCE
GAUNTLET
MALLET
ARMOR
AETHER TEXTILES
UNENCHANTED POTION
RAPIER
POD

    "GAUNTLET ain't a BAD IDEA." Arthur thinks. "But it's still gonna be HEAVY ON COST. I sure ain't gonna manage like TEN FULL-ON ENCHANTED GAUNTLETS. Maybe if I can..." He sorts through the cards, strokes his chin, and thinks. "We still want it to be ONE-OFF. A ONE-OFF DEFENSE. What's that like? Maybe..." He gets the GAUNTLET card, and the current three RELIC cards, plus one that's a bit more hidden. "Hey, who had WHITE TIGERS?" He's got a spark in his eye.

Amelris Belthrone (7180) has posed:
     "Last I heard?" Amelris says, pocketing the various little off-brand drones. "I think it was Raphael Cousteau."

I4 (7132) has posed:
"Actually...I have it," I4 says, pulling out the white relic out of his storage space. "I got wrapped up in uh...asking a bunch of questions about the theory."

Arthur Lowell has posed:
    Arthur CAPTCHALOGUES the WHITE TIGERS RELIC. "NO BIG. Alright, let's TRY SOMETHING." And then he begins to type.

Shyra has posed:
    Shyra has been puttering around, helping with some of the menial work, making sure there's plenty of CRUXITE on hand for the alchemization. She doesn't seem to have any problems with what Arthur is doing. She trusts in his hard-won expertise, it seems.

    Still, as they work, the healer seems to have something of a contemplative, slightly melancholic expression despite the bright and pseudo-pastoral surroundings.

    Finally, in between grazing lightly on cookies and milk, she finally comes out with it. Arthur... When you were talking about the tools I had access to... Was I wrong to use them? She asks, concern intensifying in her expression as she watches him work. Hopefully this doesn't completely knock him out of his funky fresh coolkid groove.

Arthur Lowell has posed:
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| Arthur successfully alchemized GAUNTLET || (RED BIRD RELIC && BLUE DRAGON  |
| RELIC && BLACK WARRIOR RELIC && WHITE TIGERS RELIC) || UNENCHANTED POTION  |
|                                                                            |
|                      500000 STEEL  20 MIRROR  1 GEAR                       |
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|                                                                            |
|                      AMPOULE OF LESSER KARNA KAVACHA                       |
|                                                                            |
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    This small off-hand utility glove bears a single ampoule of potion that can, for a single "turn", apply LESSER KARNA KAVACHA, defusing many instant-kill effects (hopefully any of Discordia's bullshit puzzle-boss-stage instant-kill-party-wipe wave attacks) before it is expended. It cannot neutralize the base damage, however. Arthur can afford to make one for each combatant -- but only one. Better block with your off-hand.

    Arthur carries these like fucking antiques. Better take good care.

I4 (7132) has posed:
"Holy crap!" I4 says quite surprised by this turn of events. Looking at the Gauntlet he is given and examining it. "So...enough to overcome a little bit of the thing's horribleness...but if we don't work fast.."

Tomoe has posed:
Tomoe says "We are going to have to take Haseo down, hard and fast." She seems pleased about the potion.

"Still this will give us an edge he won't expect."

Amelris Belthrone (7180) has posed:
     "Woah." Amelris lets out, looking at the gauntlet, taking it very carefully. "NOW that is something very impressive, alright."

Tomoe has posed:
Tomoe thinks for a moment "THE WORLD's a MMORPG humm I wonder about hacking Haseo, I4?"

Arthur Lowell has posed:
    "Yeah, I ain't makin' the FULL DEAL. That needs BIG ARTIFACT GRIST." Arthur says, stocking these up in cases for the upcoming battle. "Could GRIND it out of OTHER ARTIFACTS, but it's... I mean, ONE TO ONE. You gotta get BIG ARTIFACT for BIG ARTIFACT, and you need BIG ARTIFACT to deal with the HEAVY SHIT. Better to go with the ONE-OFF PATCH SOLUTION, just in case. Shit, maybe HASEO don't know SHIT about INSTANT-KILL POWER, still good to have around here. After STAREN fuckin' BOUGHT THE FARM, I ain't playin' around, even if he can RE-SELL IT."

Arthur Lowell has posed:
    Arthur also provides a short, quick answer to Shyra as he closes some of the last cases. He doesbn't like thinking about those tools. "I think the tools are wrong. I think... you did good things with the tools, but they're not supposed to exist. I don't think it'd be any better if you weren't using it. I just think it shouldn't exist, s'all." Arthur rubs his face like that'll brush away the ambiguity. It doesn't.

Amelris Belthrone (7180) has posed:
     "I... don't think I really know or understand the nature of your 'tools'." Amelris admits, getting used to the gauntlet, wriggling his fingers. This is going to be useful, to be certain. "But you've done and certainly tried your best to help your world, by my observation. That counts for a lot, in my mind."

Tomoe has posed:
Tomoe says "I don't fancy having to let Staren do that to me if Haseo were to leave anything left. She pauses for a moment frowning "From little I have seen it's almost like with Cardinal and my world. Save you give a damn about the people and it. So for what it's worth I'm with you still. I don't discount you Arthur but what are we to do? "

Shyra has posed:
    Shyra was clearly hoping for clear directions. But this is too complex for that, and Arthur knows it. His answer gets confusion from the healer, clearly, and she replies, I'm not sure I understand... But all right. She ponders for several moments again.

    Amelris puts in his two gil, and Shyra brightens a little. Yes, I am doing my best. I know it's been hard, but we're almost there. As for the nature of the tools... She shakes her head. It seems like they were used to make this world in the first place. But they can change the world... And the people in it. They can be very dangerous. I wasn't sure how much I would need to use them, but I have, because it seemed like it was needed.

    Shyra fidgets again, her eyes going to the ground. I don't know what to do about it. Maybe I could seal them away somehow? But what if I need to use them again?

Amelris Belthrone (7180) has posed:
     "I see." Amelris says, tilting his head at her. So, some sort of creation power, then, he assume. "Perhaps you could. However, it's rather clear that such power tend to be held on tightly." He frowns, thinking. "I can only offer my impression on the matter, it's something you'll likely have to decide for yourself." His frown vanish, with a smile that's wanted to be comforting. "I'm afraid that's one of the things that comes with free will."

I4 (7132) has posed:
"I think I have a theory on what might be going on, after collecting the data I have," I4 says finally.  

"When the game was completed the first time, things went...off kilter, but did you notice any change in yourself?  I think, before the first time, you had more in common with these NPCs than the Hero."

"So...for whatever reason you guys became more like the hero, right?  I dunno if we can actively understand the process, but it stands to reason that a second pass might actually have a more awakening effect.  This means there are going to be a lot of scared people realizing they have...selves for the first time."

"How do you feel about all that?"

Shyra has posed:
    The healer nods to Amelris, smiling back to him as he provides his support and a little bit of philisophical assistance. Thank you. I appreciate your help for this world... And everything else. I guess I might have to figure that out myself after all...

    I4 then chips in his learned information. She tilts her head at his question. When I saw The End, I began noticing things I hadn't before. Maybe you could be right, but how would we know the difference?

    I4 continues to move forward, and Shyra nods. You're right. I'm hoping that does happen... It will be scary for them, but we can help them get through it. Just like you helped me and Pazkar. This world is an illusion... It needs to be healed.

Arthur Lowell has posed:
    Arthur speaks up very suddenly. He laughs, and pounds a fist against his chest. "SCARED? HAH!" He takes a broad, joyous stance. "Who could be SCARED with some proper HEROES around? That's the point of a HERO. Whenever the WORLD seems wrong, you have someone whose WHOLE WORLD is RIGHTNESS!" His long hood even flaps dramatically. "Get enough HEROISM here, and they can't be too SCARED!"

I4 (7132) has posed:
"That is the question, isn't it?  How do you know?  We know what it is to be alive, to be a person...but can we describe it?  Can we actually reach into our hearts and find the part of us that is...us?  Can we describe it?  I think humans have been trying to figure that out for as long as there have been humans.  So, on that, don't feel alone, because nobody really has found THE answer, but rather their own."

He smiles at the comment on help.  "Hey, you'd both do it for me, yeah?" he says, and then...

"There is another side to this question.  What if this world really is just an illusion, and only your party and a few choice others are real?  I think you should steel yourself for this possibility.  Hold on to hope, but be ready to face reality."

He looks to Arthur, "You know it's not wrong or bad to be afraid right?  It's all apart of being human!  Even I get scared, and I'm not supposed to have feelings."

Amelris Belthrone (7180) has posed:
     Amelris lets out a laugh, unfolding his arms and leans back, his ears fluttering at it.

     "Now you're talking! Fear is a thing that's normal for everyone! There is a lot of unknowns ahead of us and quite frankly, that's not as bad as you think! Whatever lies ahead, it's important to be ready to greet it firmly!" He buries a fist into a palm. It's his gauntleted palm, making a metallic shuffle. "There will be a reality we will face ahead. When we come upon the facts, we can then deal with them, rather than being boggled down with what-ifs."

     The Miqo'te downs a cookie bite. "'Not supposed'?"

Arthur Lowell has posed:
    "Well sure. It's wrong for people to gotta FEAR THE WORLD, though!" Arthur says, asserting his position intensely with gesticulations and clenching of the fist and suchlike. "That's the point of HEROES. So dudes can be afraid of MISSING THE BUS or TALKIN' A SECRET, and not the GNAWING MEANINGLESSNESS OF AN ILLUSORY WORLD."