The Mana-Verse

[Sakura Leic]

"Oh really where is it?" Sakura asked.

[Blue Valkyrie]

"I feel the shard is in a community to the north, I sense a lot of other mana there too, I'll be able to pin point it if we get closer though."

[Sakura Leic]

"Okay so our plans for now probably won't change too much since we were going to head North anyway." Sakura nodded. "We were think of starting at a place called Heimdall."

"Speaking of the North, Aya, how well does someone like you handle cold, particularly when it's snowing?" Calien asked. "Also did the Spoon helped with the 'Bug Bite'?"

[Quickman]

"I, I do, I do have some salves for that... err, b-bug bite, if needed..." the Professor spoke up, stumbling over his words.  The image of Aya acquiring the mark returned to his mind and he cringed.

[Sakura Leic]

"Eh you would need either a cold or warm compress for something like that, since it causes a swelling.  So I've heard at least." Calien nodded.

"Why do you know how to treat this bug bite so well dad?" Sakura asked him.

Calien blushed at the question Sakura asked him in response.

"Oh uh well....." Calien said caught off guard as he rubbed the back of his head "I heard about it in the human settlement I was in many years ago......."

"Doesn't sound like you just 'heard about it'." Sakura countered. "Sounds more like you got one."

"You could say that......." Calien laughed nervously "I just don't want to explain it right now, it's too embarrassing."

[Blue Valkyrie]

"I don't really feel the cold, so don't worry about me; as for the bite well--it's fine."

[Sakura Leic]

"Given that you heal much faster than us the bite should be gone by a couple of days so you don't have to worry." Calien said still blushing in embarrassement "Also Professor do you have any equipment for the cold or do I need to make you some."

[Quickman]

The Professor nodded. "I have a cloak.  We do have, we do have seasons, and, and m-members will sometimes go on m-missions, which take them to, to different climates.  I do, I do have a cloak, for cooler weather."

[Sakura Leic]

"Good, my fingers thank you both." Calien nodded though still red.

"Oh Prof by the way I heard some things you might be interested in, it's about Hob Goblins!" Sakura smiled.

[Quickman]

The Professor's eyes widened and he quickly took a seat at the table. "What?  What??  What about them?"

Meanwhile, Riagan was conversing with another Dwarf and giving them a list of supplies.

[Sakura Leic]

"Well you were wondering if they were Fae earlier and the answer is yes they are Fae!" Sakura answered "Since they are Fae they also have a common weakness to Iron so you should avoid touching Iron like from Epee's new Horseshoes."

(I'll say the next parts next post so it flows better and the Prof doesn't get overloaded thinking about it.)

[Fxeni]

"Boy, you really thought of everything, Mr. Fxeni. How many days of travel until we make it to High Doll?" Pema asked, taking a bite of mutton afterwards.

Fxeni looked over at Pema. He momentarily thought of inquiring about where the mutton came from, but he decided against it.

"Two or three days, I reckon. We could probably do it faster but it would depend on the weather, which tends to be a bit more unstable the further north we go," Fxeni replied.

[Quickman]

"I'm... I'm fae...?  Doll M-master... they, they said I was a... hobgoblin." The Professor dropped his gaze to the polished surface of the table and studied his reflection.  He touched the tip of his nose and then examined his profile.

After a moment of inspection, he glanced up. "My master... he said I wasn't human... nor an elf.  But, but, but he n-never said what I was.  He said it didn't m-matter.  He... he... he said I was his son..."

[Blue Valkyrie]

"Professor--does it matter what you are? In the end you are our friend, thats all that really matters." She places a hand on his shoulder as the news sinks in.

[Fxeni]

"Indeed, that is all that matters. In my travels, I have met many people that are far less... human... than you are Prof, for a lack of a better word," Fxeni chimes in.

[Sakura Leic]

"Your Master was a really good man, and to be honest it doesn't matter to me either since you're my friend too.  But I know how much this has been bothering you since even before Doll Master taunted you about it and I want to help you because you're my friend.

Also believe it or not I also might have an explanation of how and why he found you.  One of the Dwarves told me about it, along with the other thing I learned." Sakura told him.

"Even if it doesn't matter what he is, it can be very worrying on a personal level not to know where one comes from or what one is." Calien told Aya "I can tell you that if I had no idea what I was.....some of the aspects about myself would probably be terrifying."

[Blue Valkyrie]

"Perhaps, but it's what you do that determines who you are not what you are born or made as, if we all knew would it change anything?"

[Sakura Leic]

"That would depend on the individual." Calien stated "To be honest I have heard of a story about such a person who's parents died so he had to be raised by a different race.  The results....were heart wrenching at times....."

[spoiler]Link from Ocarina of Time obviously.[/spoiler]

[Dr. Wily II]

Fxeni looked over at Pema. He momentarily thought of inquiring about where the mutton came from, but he decided against it.

"Two or three days, I reckon. We could probably do it faster but it would depend on the weather, which tends to be a bit more unstable the further north we go," Fxeni replied.

(And given the outside interference, way more unstable than usual~ )

[Quickman]

"I, I just want to know something.  Just something.  It would give my studies focus," the Professor nodded, glancing up again.  Of course, knowing what he was wouldn't change who he was, but he would feel better with a little light shed on his identity.  Throughout his years, the Order had sheltered and secluded him due to his looks, but they wouldn't say why.  They didn't tell him what he was or why it was a problem.  It confused him and he hoped to find an answer some day.

[Blue Valkyrie]

"I wouldn't know about parents--I don't even have a soul, I'm a vessel remember?" Aya shrugs. "Anyway, perhaps we'll find out the truth as we travel; Arcadia is full of secrets waiting to be unveiled.

((Guardians are soulless vessels since they need to be empty for the gods or in the case of Mar a soul of some sort to inhabit it. But who knows if thats true of Aya anymore, how much of the Aya you know is really her or Reva talking?    ))

[Phi]

Pema paused for a moment, then looked at the Prof, "I am interested in what you are, too. But at the same time, I wouldn't mind not knowing. Who you are... you're whatever you create yourself to be."

She idly twirled with her bangs, "The adorable, cuddly monk who says really weird science-y stuff and is kind to us! You chose to be that person and to be our friend. So... that counts as an identity, doesn't it? I mean, it has to count for something." She smiled, swinging her short little legs back and forth in her seat.

Fxeni looked over at Pema. He momentarily thought of inquiring about where the mutton came from, but he decided against it.

"Two or three days, I reckon. We could probably do it faster but it would depend on the weather, which tends to be a bit more unstable the further north we go," Fxeni replied.

She pouted, "I really hope it doesn't take three whole days..."

[Sakura Leic]

"Well the Dwarf said that Hob Goblins, and Fae in general it seems, had a habit of switching their babies with human babies at birth.  The Fae baby switched with the Human Baby is called a Changling." Sakura explained.

"Wait....they switch babies.....why would they do that?" Calien interrupted as he felt disturbed by this practice since he was a father himself.

"It seems Faes are envious of humans and their lifestyles so they felt they would give their baby a better life if they switched with a human." Sakura replied.

"Huh....that's an unusual way of thinking." Calien pondered as he had a hard time believing that, especially with his experiences and things he heard he had a hard time justifying that in his mind.

"But there is a way to get them to switch back, the human has to mistreat the Cahngling baby so the Fae parent will rescue their baby and switch with the human baby they took.  Otherwise they raise each others babies, in the end the Fae parents just wants whats best for their babies, though I don't know how well the Fae raise human babies....."  Sakura pondered a bit.

"I honestly don't know if there would be many human who would willingly raise a baby that wasn't theirs in exchange for losing their own child.  I'm sure there's some exceptions, especially if the human parenst aren't very aware of this process, but in this day and age I think that would be 1 in 100, if not 1 in 1000."  Calien shook his head "Sorry I'm rambling and I'm sure you had more to tell about this."

"Indeed I do." Sakura nodded "The Dwarf said there was a Hob Goblin tribe close to here that does such a thing.  One day many years ago they switched their baby with one from a family from Iron Gate.  Now here's the kicker, instead of mistreating the poor thing to get their baby back the human family decided to outright abandon the poor thing in the hills!  I get the feeling they didn't know about the tales of Changlings like we didn't before I learned it today."

"Probably....still the humans were pretty cruel to the Changling in the end since they didn't choose to raise it and left the poor thing without it's parents. That's why the whole switching babies from birth thing bothers me a bit." Calien stated.

"Yeah it sounds really tragic but considering the circumstances and how the Prof's Master found him it could be plausible that the Changling from the story could be the Prof right?" Sakura stated.

"It could be, but we don't know for sure, anything else you learned?" Calien asked.

"Well other than Hob Goblins being really good at Magic not much." Sakura stated. "Oh and to prevent the switch in the first place put a Horsehoe above the crib."

"I see." Calien nodded.

[Quickman]

"So, I'm... I'm a changeling..." the Professor nodded slowly, allowing Sakura's words to roll around in his head.

Though, there was something prior that Sakura mentioned that he wanted more clarification. "What, what was it, what was it that you said about, about iron?"

[Sakura Leic]

"The Hob Goblins and Fae in general are weak to it." Sakura repeated "I don't exactly know what it does to them, you or someone else has to ask about it, but you should stay away from it or bad things will happen."