Topic: The Mana-Verse

[Blue Valkyrie]

((At this point Mar has little to worry about, he just needs to wait for us to do his work for him. Then slaughter us all  ))

[Sakura Leic]

((At this point Mar has little to worry about, he just needs to wait for us to do his work for him. Then slaughter us all  ))

(Exactly. )

[Fxeni]

Fxeni hadn't followed the group. He opted instead to start prepping the airship for the long journey ahead of them.

[Dr. Wily II]

"The first shard has surfaced in the north, Mask Master tells me there is a community called Heimdall there. Our plans have not changed, however I do not desire to be blind to our enemies actions so I want you to keep an eye on Aya and her friends and keep the illusion that we desire to steal the shard, do not give them reason to suspect we have our own plans.

Mar leans back casually. "Oh and Pandora's automated repair constructs should have kept the old airships docked here intact, use them however you wish from now on.

((One or two military warships are still docked at the floating city, Albertus can use them how he wishes.))

"Tank joo milord, I vill make ze preparationz..."

Albertus got up from his knee, and exited the throne room. Once back in his research lab, Shadow Master teleported in.

"Master... Is it wise..."

"Joo zhut up! Ze wallz haf earz..."

Albertus walked over to a familiar armoured knight, and pulled on the spear to reveal a swirly blue portal. Both Albertus and Shadow Master entered said portal, and were instantly back in a familiar large cavern. They were back at Albertus' hidden lab in Skull Cove Citadel.

"Joo fool! Joo nearly jeopardized us!"

"Sorry Master... However... This Mar character just cannot be trusted!"

"Joo think I don't know zhat!? However, all ze Precurzor technology iz now within my grazp! I CAN FINALLY BEGIN MY PLAN!!"

"... You don't mean..."

"YEZZZZZZZ! MY INSTRUMENTALITY PROJECT!!"

As if on cue, a huge sealed glass tube rose up from the ground. It was filled with what looked like a thick orange fluid, the multiple bubbles within slowly floating, and popping at the fluid surface. Suddenly, a human hand pressed against the glass tube from the inside...

[Sakura Leic]

(Wait are we going to have like Eva stuff coming and Aya clones?)

[Dr. Wily II]

(No. Mar is still the main villain here.)

[Sakura Leic]

(Fair enough.)

[Quickman]

"Don't worry I'm not sitting idle either, this meditation is an art used by guardians and mages in the old empire; we allow our mana to mingle with the world's like a stream meeting a river and through this connection we can sense--if things are amiss. Normally we use it to trace down chaos, however with the Omni-Gem shattered I should be able to track the abnormal amounts of mana at the points these shards fell." Aya paused. "Hmm--Professor are you certain you do not possess any magical abilities I'm sense an odd mana within you actually."

The Professor blinked a few times.  "Really?  I've, I've, I've never trained in m-magic... only in alchemy.  It, it was what, it was what my m-master knew."

He cast his gaze to the horizon, feeling foolish for his concerns about Sakura.  He didn't mean any ill will toward her, he was just concerned.  He saw her as a party leader, as the one who took charge and made all the decisions, but he wasn't entirely sure if anyone was the leader.

Deciding to address those concerns at a later time, preferably with Sakura herself, he pushed the thought out of his mind and brought his gaze back to Aya.  "What do you mean, an 'odd mana'?"

[Blue Valkyrie]

"This world has a natural order, the way things should be; when something is pushed out of whack the whole world--reacts to it. Mana flows around this world, like a river imagine if someone pushed a boulder into it, or redirected the flow. The Omni-Gem is the eye of the storm so to speak, the order in the chaos that surrounds our world, when it shattered the balance in our world was also shattered. I can home in on the places where the mana is flooding and use that to pinpoint the shards--in theory."

Aya isn't quite sure if she was explaining the situation very well.

[Sakura Leic]

(I think he was referring to himself not the world when he mentioned odd mana.)

[Blue Valkyrie]

((Aya is mostly trying to clear up her own unique view on the world. She was created to see mana like the gods do, and she worries that sometimes her explanations fly over people's heads. Trained mages likely don't have an issue understanding mind you.))

[Sakura Leic]

(I guess that's true, and it's probably in her character in that she get's confused about what the Prof is really talking about.)

[Blue Valkyrie]

(You have to understand she comes from a civilization thats one thousands years old, this world is new and strange to her, as is how a lot of people think.  )

[Sakura Leic]

(Fair enough and to be honest I expected as much, I won't really bug you about it anymore unless it comes up in story with either Sakura or Calien.  But I won't do it here at least.)

[Quickman]

"This world has a natural order, the way things should be; when something is pushed out of whack the whole world--reacts to it. Mana flows around this world, like a river imagine if someone pushed a boulder into it, or redirected the flow. The Omni-Gem is the eye of the storm so to speak, the order in the chaos that surrounds our world, when it shattered the balance in our world was also shattered. I can home in on the places where the mana is flooding and use that to pinpoint the shards--in theory."

Aya isn't quite sure if she was explaining the situation very well.

The Professor nodded slowly.  "Much like, much like how certain things, certain things contain a resonance?  Vibrations?  Energies?  Different stones, they possess different energies, and what one is good for one purpose, it may, it may b-be wrong for another."

His gaze grew distant for a moment. "My master, he taught me to detect and harness that internal resonance.  Many, many believe, many believe that there, that there is no m-magic in alchemy... but, but, but, only certain people can be alchemists.  We just, we just harness that energy in a different way."

[Sapphire Knight]

Shuu just stood back and watched Sakura get used to using the equipment the dwarves attached to her steed.

[Sakura Leic]

"Hmm I wonder, if this equipment is common place does that mean riding without it is unusual?" Sakura pondered.  "If so then why?"

[Blue Valkyrie]

The Professor nodded slowly.  "Much like, much like how certain things, certain things contain a resonance?  Vibrations?  Energies?  Different stones, they possess different energies, and what one is good for one purpose, it may, it may b-be wrong for another."

His gaze grew distant for a moment. "My master, he taught me to detect and harness that internal resonance.  Many, many believe, many believe that there, that there is no m-magic in alchemy... but, but, but, only certain people can be alchemists.  We just, we just harness that energy in a different way."

"Exactly, there is mana in everything really; but not everyone has the ability to draw on it or even notice it's there. Sadly thats what created the caste system in the empire, and what allowed Mar to gain so much power."

[Quickman]

"Hmm I wonder, if this equipment is common place does that mean riding without it is unusual?" Sakura pondered.  "If so then why?"

Another Dwarf stablehand overheard and gave Sakura a nod. "Aye, weh doo soom-teems reed beerbach, boot fer loonger tracks, ye beest bee reedin' wee' eh sehddle, as eet's behttah fer ye an' yer herse."*

*"Aye, we do sometimes ride bareback, but for longer treks, you best be riding with a saddle, as it's better for you and your horse."

((I couldn't let the opportunity to write a really thick accent pass.))

"Exactly, there is mana in everything really; but not everyone has the ability to draw on it or even notice it's there. Sadly thats what created the caste system in the empire, and what allowed Mar to gain so much power."

The Professor nodded again. "So... so, what do you m-mean that, that you noticed an 'odd mana' within me?"

((NINJAS ))

[Sakura Leic]

Sakura took a minute to figure out what the Dwarf said until she understood it.

"So for long travels it's almost necessary, I guess that makes sense." Sakura nodded.

[Blue Valkyrie]

Another Dwarf stablehand overheard and gave Sakura a nod. "Aye, weh doo soom-teems reed beerbach, boot fer loonger tracks, ye beest bee reedin' wee' eh sehddle, as eet's behttah fer ye an' yer herse."*

*"Aye, we do sometimes ride bareback, but for longer treks, you best be riding with a saddle, as it's better for you and your horse."

((I couldn't let the opportunity to write a really thick accent pass.))

The Professor nodded again. "So... so, what do you m-mean that, that you noticed an 'odd mana' within me?"

((NINJAS ))

"I sense--power untapped in you, there is a raw mana inside you but you don't seem to know how to bring it out, or rather your alchemy is only a small example of what you are capable of. I've never encountered your species before, so I can't tell if thats simply unique to you or is common."

[Quickman]

"I sense--power untapped in you, there is a raw mana inside you but you don't seem to know how to bring it out, or rather your alchemy is only a small example of what you are capable of. I've never encountered your species before, so I can't tell if thats simply unique to you or is common."

The Professor shrugged. "I, I don't, I don't even know what I am.  Or even who my p-parents were.  M-mask Master said, Mask Master said I was a... hobgoblin?"

He lifted his robe to his knee and was about to reach a finger under the leather binding of his leg brace to scratch an itch until he remember the worn and dirty bandages covering his hands.  Instead, he dug in his pockets, found his quill, and used the end of it.

Covering his leg with his robe, he gazed out to the horizon. "My master never told me what I was."

Sakura took a minute to figure out what the Dwarf said until she understood it.

"So for long travels it's almost necessary, I guess that makes sense." Sakura nodded.

The stablehand nodded and waddled away to attend to another horse.

[Blue Valkyrie]

"Maybe it doesn't even matter, I consider you one of my best friends. Your race has no barring on that." Aya Smiles placing a hand on his shoulder.

[Quickman]

The Professor was silent for a long moment as he gazed out toward the horizon.  Most of the others had left the canyon, and while he saw a few Dwarves milling about, he didn't see Riagan.  The large man made him nervous, mostly due to the disdain for him and his affiliation that hung about Riagan like a cloud. 

He gave off a sigh and looked at his lap. "I had... I had studied a bit about, about the Fae Folk.  Though, though all I know, though all I know is that they're magical creatures.  Most of my studies were about, about the P-precursors."

[Sapphire Knight]

Sapph tapped is chin and turned to Riagan to see if the dwarf was done with his conversation yet.