Re: Protaquest Main Thread

by **Mr. Fountain** Thu Aug 04, 2016 4:34 am

>HEY! Is that me?! That looks like it could be me!
>Hi, me!
>Say hi to me. -.-

by **Fi Skirata** Fri Aug 05, 2016 7:58 am

>If you're looking at yourself from the outside... isn't it obvious it's not you? Maybe you've been in this locket too much, mate.
>That's one o' them uh. M...matossa? Something like that. I am not a smart disembodied voice.
>Ask him who he is and what happened.
>oh. And what he wants.

by Seccom-Masada Fri Aug 05, 2016 8:35 pm

>"HEY! Is that me?! That looks like it could be me!"
>"Hi, me!"
>"Say hi to me."

You? I don't think that's you. Your voice ain't coming from him. Come to think of it... it doesn't even sound like you're inside my head anymore. More like you're beside me.

Oh! You are! I think? Hi..?

But who might he be, I wonder? Wait, he looks a little familiar. Is he the guy whose memories I took?
Hm, just to be sure.
"h-Hi, who are you?" I ask.

He opens his eyes, glares at me a little, then shakes his head.
Huh?

>"If you're looking at yourself from the outside... isn't it obvious it's not you? Maybe you've been in this locket too much, mate."
>"That's one o' them uh. M...matossa? Something like that. I am not a smart disembodied voice."
>"Ask him who he is and what happened."
>"oh. And what he wants."

He doesn't react to you guys at all. Somehow, I don't think he can hear you.

Hm. I can make you both out now, actually. Hello! Are there only two of you? It definitely didn't sound like it before.
Yeah, he's definitely a matossa, but I can't make most of him out in here. All I really see is a silhouette. I do, however, notice that his tail is missing. Anyway...

"Um. Okay. I'll try again. Who are you and why are you in-"
He interrupts me mid-sentence with a light smack on the top of my head from the pommel of his sword! It doesn't hurt, but I still flinched.
"Ah! Hey! What was that for?!"
He then says something in a language I can't... wait, no. I do understand him? What? I know I've never heard the words he's using, though!

"Foolish! There are countless better ways you could have handled that." He brings his other arm around and leans on his sword. "You may not have used magic before, but I figured you would use it more sensibly when I lent you my power. I see you don't even know the most basic thing about it! Energy conservation! Energy conservation is key!"
He looks down and sighs.

"I am sorry. I used to be sorcery instructor for the Naeriskan military. You're not my student, I shouldn't be so hard on you. But still! Much worse could have happened! Do try and be more careful next time... if there is a next time. Anyway, greetings, my name is... uh. Hmm."
He pauses. His solemn look turns to surprise and confusion.
"i-I don't know? I can't seem to remember! Come to think of it, I'm not even sure why I'm here! But who and... what are you? And why am I stuck in your mind? The last thing I remember was... a mace coming towards me. Oh dear."

Oh. Wonderful. Next to the voices in my head, I now have a confused matossa living in my mind.

by **Fi Skirata** Fri Aug 05, 2016 8:50 pm

>OH GOOD GOD YOU CAN SEE US.
I levitate my floaty fireball looking ass behind the matossa
>So you're dead, yeah? He can't hear me. He's dead, yeah?
>We're dead people.
>You see dead people, that must be weird.
>You should ask him to learn you some magic.

by **Mr. Fountain** Sat Aug 06, 2016 5:38 pm

I pop my disembodied cheshire-cat grin right in front of your face and stare at you with frog-pupiled eyes. I start poking and prodding at you with a disembodied tentacle.
>Ooooh, so this is what you feel like?
>So soft.
>So fluffy.
>I must have it!

by Seccom-Masada Thu Aug 11, 2016 8:23 am

Hm. I wonder if I can clear things up in here if I focus hard enough.
I concentrate... and things begin to come into view.

And then one of you starts rubbing up against me... Why.

>"Ooooh, so this is what you feel like?"
>"So soft."
>"So fluffy."
>"I must have it!"

Hey! Stop that! I know I'm soft and fuzzy but... eh...
Is now really the best time?

>"OH GOOD GOD YOU CAN SEE US."
>"So you're dead, yeah? He can't hear me. He's dead, yeah?"
>"We're dead people."
>"You see dead people, that must be weird."
>"You should ask him to learn you some magic."

Yep! You look like the little wisps that float above those big crystals sticking up out of the Sea of Stars. Pretty weird. And a little spooky!

And yeah, definitely a matossa. I can make him out much more clearly now, and his eyes are very telling. He sits down on his knees and puts his sword beside him. His tail is indeed missing. I wonder why?

I introduce myself.
"My name is Licia Yilanoff, from the West Nadim Sultanate." I say, sitting down in front of him.
"We are still in Nadim? Hm... Wait. West Sultanate? I thought the continent was united."
"Not anymore! The kings had some... disagreements an- Ah! Nnnn... W-what?"

He's... gently grabbed one of my ears.
"Hm. Very soft. I'm very curious as to what you are! I have never seen such a creature. You look like... a rabbit!"
"I... I am a bremin. w-We may look like it, but we aren't like rabbits at all." I pull my head away slightly. He gets the idea and lets go.
"Mmm... But we've been here a while! Sure, we aren't native, but if you've never seen one before then you must've been around at least two thousand years ago." The matossa's eyes widen. His solemn look shatters, but quickly comes back.
"That long, huh? I figured as much. I suppose it is the price to pay. So this is what I am resigned to? Being your imaginary friend for the rest of your life? Hmph. Well, I suppose it could be worse." He sighs.
"Yeah. You could be wearing the amulet again. I'm seeing a few of the voices floating around and talking about you. You can't hear them?"
"Hm. No comment. But, no. I cannot." He says with a chuckle.

"I don't suppose you could teach me how to use magic when I wake up, could you? Might stop this from happening agai-" He cuts me off.
"Hahahaha!! Hehe... After what I just saw? I don't know. Your lack of self control made this happen in the first place." He looks me directly in the eye for a moment. "...We'll see. I will mention energy management once more, also... you attempted the magic missile with a very unorthodox technique. Try thrusting with the sword instead of swinging it. Your body won't suffer as much. That's all I will give you for now and we'll see what you do with it."

Hmm. Is there anything else I should ask him? He seems very different from matossa I've heard of. Much nicer.

by **Mr. Fountain** Thu Aug 11, 2016 5:47 pm

>Ask him about the amulet, about us!
I fly around him to see if he has any pockets I can fly into and see what he has.

by **Nexeria** Thu Aug 11, 2016 6:16 pm

>What happens if I fly into your mouth?
>Hey, Licia, I'm going to fly into your mouth.
>Don't mind me, just keep talking. Ask him about how he died or whatever?

by Seccom-Masada Sat Aug 20, 2016 3:23 pm

>"What happens if I fly into your mouth?"
>"Hey, Licia, I'm going to fly into your mouth."
>"Don't mind me, just keep talking. Ask him about how he died or whatever?"

Hold it!
I stop you before you have the chance. As I said, is now really the best time?

Ugh. I hope I wake up soon.

"So, do you know how you died? You mentioned a mace earlier." I ask.
"Ah, yes. That mace is all I can remember, unfortunately. Just the mace and not the wielder. I remember seeing many people around me. I was covered in blood... But that is all. I remember no more. It may have been the Second War of the White Throne, when the King of Madosakai was assassinated... again. I think I remember leading an army for one of his sons. I think."
"You... don't look like an army commander. You look rather plain, actually."
The matossa raises an eyebrow.
"Do I? I don't remember what I looked like at the time. I may have looked different. Even wore armor, perhaps."
He scratches his chin, moving his hand lower. He then grasps at nothing, as if he had an invisible beard. He squints, looking confused.
"Hmm?"

>"Ask him about the amulet, about us!"
>"I fly around him to see if he has any pockets I can fly into and see what he has."

Uh. I doubt he has anything. Isn't he literally a figment of my imagination with a consciousness?
Heh, whatever. Do what you want, little green flame.

"Seems there's quite a bit the scroll I read did not mention about the amulet... like this! I seem to have learned some of your abilities through your memories. How do you thin-" He cuts me off again.
"My memories? I did not give you my memories. I lent you some of my power. What makes you think you have my memories?"

Wait. I see now, another memory has popped up. How coincidental.
This might surprise him...
"Your name is Yun Min-Aidaza. I can recall you as you were in some bits of your life. You were a Matossan High Mei-Xia, a highly skilled Archmage. I'm even speaking to you in a language I shouldn't know! I never knew Masaka-No before now. Are you sure you know what you did? Your memories are seeping into mine!"

He stares at me blankly for what feels like half an hour. He then looks down, whispering something to himself.

"...Your brother is calling." He says quietly, never looking back up. He sounds very... dejected.
"Huh?"

I am suddenly stricken with a massive headache! It feels like my head is being yanked around and hundreds of people are screaming in my ear!

Kaz wrote:Liz! Wake up! Are you alright?!

M-my eyes...
The world suddenly flashes back into view.

I'm still in the woods, leaning up against a tree.
Kaz is here... up in my face, shaking me around.
And someone else? Who is this? There's a very old-looking human sitting near Kaz.

And Snow has Ailin off in a corner. She's just staring at him and not saying anything. Creepy.
My head hurts...

by **Mr. Fountain** Sat Aug 20, 2016 3:56 pm

>Aww, damn, no more floating crystalline body...
>Anyway, stereotypically ask 'Ugggh aghgh... gaaaghh what happened..?'

by **Fi Skirata** Sat Aug 20, 2016 4:33 pm

>Ey, where's Snow?

by Seccom-Masada Tue Aug 30, 2016 1:08 am

Mr. Fountain wrote:>Aww, damn, no more floating crystalline body...
>Anyway, stereotypically ask 'Ugggh aghgh... gaaaghh what happened..?'

But I know what happe-
"Liz? You awake? I thought you... nevermind. Are yo-" Ow... Why is he yelling?
"Nngh... Kaz. For the love of any gods above, please put a sock in it." I say, rubbing my forehead and lightly pushing him. "My head hurts enough already."
"Cute... THIS girl saved us? She seems as green as they come... and a little too soft. The other one's a liar, I say." The old man cuts in.
"Uh. Who are you anyway, sir?" Kaz asks. The old man crosses his arms. Gods, his face is covered in scars. He had some fun...
"Altan el-Vahem. CAPTAIN Altan. Formerly of the Frontier Guard... condemned to guard caravans for the rest of my life." He sighs.
Then a look of shock falls on him and he stands up, looking around frantically.

What's with him?
"Ah... Any'a you see a dwarf around?" He asks.

Fi Skirata wrote:>Ey, where's Snow?

Huh? Snow? She's on the other side of the clearing, near a busted caravan. She's squatted in front of Ailin, just staring... very intently at him. Other than a visibly broken jaw, Ailin's face is blank, but wide-eyed. Looks like he's in trance or something. w-Weird... Oh. She still has Dad's sword too.

Hmm... I feel much better, strangely enough. I guess it doesn't take long to recover from something like that. Or maybe Yun did something?

"Well, are you alright, though, Liz?" He asks. "And who's that woman you came here with?"

by **Mr. Fountain** Tue Aug 30, 2016 9:02 am

>Talk to your bro and tell him you're glad he's okay
>Oh, and tell Old Man Alty that you haven't seen a dwarf

by **Fi Skirata** Tue Aug 30, 2016 10:43 pm

>do that stuff in a hurry, take us over to Snow, I wanna see what's goin on

by Seccom-Masada Thu Sep 01, 2016 2:54 am

Mr. Fountain wrote:>Talk to your bro and tell him you're glad he's okay
>Oh, and tell Old Man Alty that you haven't seen a dwarf

Dwarf? Aren't those the huge fluffy guys who live underground? Always wondered why they were called "dwarves" if they were big. Never seen one though. I wonder why one would be up here.

"Sorry, old man. I didn't see any dwarves on my way here. Had a run-in with Ahmez's two goons, though. They're out cold a little up the road."
"Ah, fuckin'ell. Where'd he run off to now?" He says, turning away. "Dunn!! Fher e Bhnell sidh arr khol?! Where'd ya go?"
Uh... aaand now he's walking off yelling gibberish.

"You... fought them?" Kaz asks.
"Yeah. I used your dad's sword. Blasted'em with some magic!" I give him a little grin as I say this.
"But how? Since when do yo-"
"Not important! I'll tell you later. But you..." I grab him by his collar and yank him close. "Why did you leave me alone in that ruin?"
"Why did you run off to that ruin just to look for a necklace? I didn't expect to get mugged, y'know? I'm surprised you didn't!"
"Hmph. Well played, brother." I ring his neck with a hug. "But I'm glad you're safe."

"Hehe. Thanks, Liz. But really, who is that other bremin? She sorta gives me the creeps."
We both look at Snow. She's still crouched in front of Ahmez, staring at him.
"Oh... She's a friend. I think. Her name is Snow."

Fi Skirata wrote:>do that stuff in a hurry, take us over to Snow, I wanna see what's goin on

"Speaking of... One sec." I say, standing up. Yes, definitely feeling better now.
"I'll see if I can help the old man then, I guess. Be careful around that Snow woman. And let me know if you find the silver. I dunno where they put it, but we need to find it."
"Huh? Oh, right."
He pats my head and walks off toward Altan.

I head over to Snow and her "friend". As soon as I get near, she stands back up. Ahmez's eyes close and he goes limp. Snow starts prodding him with her foot, eventually knocking him over. She scoffs and turns around, seeming a little surprised to see me.
"Oh! Yer up. You feelin' better? You just sorta collapsed." She says.

I look over at Ahmez. He looks dead...
"Hm? Ah, don't worry about him. He's alright... kinda. He won't remember much when he wakes up, though. Oh yeah, here's yer sword back. Pretty fancy thing. Wonder who ya stole it from. Hehe." She hands me Dad's sword. I pull the scabbard out from my jacket and sheathe it.
"Uh. Thanks. What... were you even doing to him?"
"Nothin'! Just makin' absolutely sure he didn't know where my... where someone was. But it's fine now, eh? We both got what we came..." She pauses and looks off into the woods. "Did you hear that?"
"Uhhh. No?"
"Quiet. Someone else is here. Very close." She puts a finger over her lips.

b-But... I don't...
I don't hear anything!

by **Mr. Fountain** Thu Sep 01, 2016 8:26 am

>Dawww! Lizzy loves her onii-chan.~
>Ooo! Ooo! Is it the dwarf?!

by **Fi Skirata** Fri Sep 02, 2016 1:30 pm

>probably had enough bad surprises. I trust Snow's ears more'n I trust yours. Something must be coming.
>Keep that sword at the ready and stay behind Snow. Just in case.

by Seccom-Masada Wed Sep 21, 2016 7:05 pm

Mr. Fountain wrote:>Dawww! Lizzy loves her onii-chan.~
>Ooo! Ooo! Is it the dwarf?!

You're damn right I love my onii-chan!
Uh... I assume that means 'brother' where you're from?

Hm. I really don't hear anything though.
"Hehe. Yeah, I know just what it is... It's big too, fer sure." Snows says.
"Uh, then what is it?"
She says nothing, but puts a hand on my shoulder.

Fi Skirata wrote:>probably had enough bad surprises. I trust Snow's ears more'n I trust yours. Something must be coming.
>Keep that sword at the ready and stay behind Snow. Just in case.

If you say so. Better safe than sorry, I suppose.
And my ears work just fine...

I un-sheath the sword again and... Snow grabs my wrist with her other hand, stopping the draw.
"Stop. No need fer that, girl."
"Huh? Well tell me what it is, then!"
"Nah. Go! Sacrifice yerself fer yer savior, whelp!" She yells, all giddy and giggly.

As she says that, she grabs me by my collar and belt.
a-AH! What?! She then tosses me into the woods, cackling all the while!!

h-Ha... huh? I... I hit something soft. Where did I go..?
s-Something is holding me! Whatever it is, it's making a very faint humming noise.
It also gasped. No doubt in surprise.

by **Mr. Fountain** Wed Sep 21, 2016 7:21 pm

>HOLY FUCK WE FOUND A YETI

by **Fi Skirata** Wed Sep 21, 2016 7:41 pm

>Well, Snow betrayed us. We're going to be eaten. Trusting her was all your dumb idea, Prota!

by Seccom-Masada Thu Sep 22, 2016 6:29 pm

The thing holding me doesn't even look at me, but he adjusts his hands so I'm not dangling from his fingers.
He's... really fluffy. Real strange lookin'. How does he see with his hair all up in his eyes? I guess he's the dwarf. Never seen one before. I don't really know much of anything about them, strangely enough.

Uh. His hands, despite being massive, are quite gentle.

"h-Hi?"
He's not talking at all.
Just cocking his head around and shifting his ears.

Mr. Fountain wrote:>HOLY FUCK WE FOUND A YETI

w-WHAT? WHY ARE WE YELLING AGAIN?? THE HELLS IS A YETI?
...Are you having another freakout session again?

Fi Skirata wrote:>Well, Snow betrayed us. We're going to be eaten. Trusting her was all your dumb idea, Prota!

Eaten?? a-Are you sure?
I heard dwarves only eat cave fish and mushrooms.

Betrayed?! I... Oh my...
"Hehehe. Sorry, little'n. Couldn't resist." Snow says as she approaches. Oh... "You alright, big fella?"
The dwarf says nothing. He just nods. Snow looks back up at me.

"Found'im tied up a bit up the road fer some reason. Man of few words, apparently."
"I think the old man was looking for this guy." I mention.
The dwarf perks up. Heh... He's still holding me.
"Cap'n Altan?" He finally says. His voice is so quiet for such a big guy!
"Uh, Yeah. He was here a second ago. He walked off with my brother a few minutes ago looking for you. He your friend?"
Again, he says nothing. He just nods.
"Huh. Thought the cat had his tongue. Hehe."

"Why don't you go meet up with yer friends then, eh? I'm gonna gather up Ailin. His bounty'd be nice ta have." Snow says.
"Uh, hey. Little girl. What's your name, anyway?"
"It's Licia. And Miss Snow... Is that your real name?"
Her big, toothy grin turns into a little smile again.
"Fer you, it is. Go to yer brother, Lizzy. I'm sure he's been worried 'bout ya. And don't worry about yer sword, I'll be joinin' ya in a sec and I'll bring it around."
"Oh yeah! Let me know if you find a really big, heavy bag. Me and my brother kinda nee-" The dwarf cuts me off with a grunt.
He shakes his head at me, then bounces up and down. As he does... I hear jingling. I then notice the strap around his back!
"You have it?" The dwarf nods and smiles.

"Hm. I guess I have all I need then. Oh, Snow. By the way. If you're hungry, we have food back at the temple up the road."
"Looking forward to it. Go on, then."
We leave. The dwarf still hasn't put me down! I guess this is a thing that's happening now. He walks us out back to the crossroads. Kaz and the old man are not here, but the stuff I left here is gone. They must've took it.

The dwarf suddenly grunts. It sounds like he's in pain.
"You alright?"
He just nods...
"That doesn't tell me much, y'know."
He smiles and cocks his head. Ugh.
Hey guys, which direction should we go? They might've gone back to the cart.
I'm not too sure.

by **Mr. Fountain** Thu Sep 22, 2016 6:39 pm

>You should see if Bat Boy can here the old man and the your brother from here

by Seccom-Masada Sun Oct 09, 2016 12:30 pm

Mr. Fountain wrote:>You should see if Bat Boy can here the old man and the your brother from here

Huh? Bat Boy? Oh right, dwarves have hypersensitive hearing or something, don't they?

"Hey. Your hearing's real good, yeah? Can you hear where your friend and my brother ran off to?"
He shrugs and walks us to the middle of the crosswords. He starts making that faint humming sound again and twitching his ears around.
The dwarf eventually stops and shrugs again.
"No one?"
He shakes his head silently. Great... NOW where did they get off to?

Hmph. Hypersensitive indeed... Hm?
He starts sniffing the air, pointing towards the old temple.
"Saw cart. Got bandages?" He asks, almost with a whisper. Saw? How the hells did he see the cart from here??
"Uh. Y-yeah, probably. Didn't have time to look at everything inside. Was just food and tools, mainly. Why? You hurt?"
He sighs wheezily and nods.
"Oh! Why didn't you say so sooner? Want to go check and see?"
He nods again, starting up the path.

We come back to the temple entrance, the cart still in its place. The dwarf sits me on the seat of the cart.

Uh. And as he pulls away, I notice a very large bloodstain on his shirt. He doesn't seem all that bothered by it; he just takes a deep breath and heads to the back of the cart and starts rummaging through our stuff.

"h-Hey, you really shoulda told someone about that. That looks bad... whoever you are."
"Dunnvaidh Na-Eiodhann Òd Dunnkanh." He nearly whispers yet again.
"Oh, that your name? That's a bit of a mouthfull... And Altan called you 'Dunn'?"
He nods silently yet again.
"Not one for conversation, are you, Dunn?"
He smiles and shakes his head.
"Is that typical of dwarves?"
He shakes his head again, then points at himself.

After about a minute, he picks up a big roll of white cloth and a bottle of... South Nadim wine?

Oh gods, he then pulls his shirt off and reveals his wounds. He's got a big slash from his stomach to his left shoulder! Oh... he's also got a half-healed little cut on his face. His ribs are showing... I think they starved him, too! Good gods, do I even want to know what they did to him?

by **Mr. Fountain** Sun Oct 09, 2016 4:54 pm

>Damnable animals!
>What a poor bat!
>See if he needs any help.

by Seccom-Masada Sat Oct 22, 2016 11:56 pm

Mr. Fountain wrote:>Damnable animals!
>What a poor bat!
>See if he needs any help.

Yeah, that cut does look pretty deep, but I don't know the first thing about dressing wounds. I bet Yun has some fancy magic spell he could teach me to make that cut go away. Still, I'll ask if he needs my help.

"Hey, Mister Dunn?"
He points his ears first, then looks in my direction. Meanwhile he pops off the cork on that wine bottle.
"Think you might need help with that?"
His ears point at me then back at the wine. He holds up a finger, I guess telling me to wait a moment. Dunn then takes a sip of the wine, grimaces, and pauses for a moment then looks back at me.
"Pour'is on it while I wrap, whoever y'are." He says, smiling... I think. Hard to tell when you can't see his whole face.
"Okay! And... It's Licia. My name, I mean."

I climb over the seat into the back of the cart and sit on the side bench in front of him. Gods, he's big.
Dunn hands me the wine... Why does he want me to pour wine on a cut? Whatever, I'm sure he knows what he's doing. I pour on the wine and, unsurprisingly, he grunts in pain. He starts dressing the cut and, before the end, his hands begin shaking. We spend the next few minutes patching up that wound. After he finishes, he plops down on the ground with his back to the wagon, breathing heavily.

I jump down off the cart to check on him. Dunn smiles.
"Thanks, wee Lizzy." He half-whispers, letting out a little chuckle.
"Heh, well, I couldn't help but feel worse since I was thrown at you, so I kinda had to-" I pause. Dunn suddenly gets rigid and his ears perk up, pointing at the temple entrance.
"What? What is it?"
He sits silent for a moment, intently watching the temple door.

After about a minute, Dunn sits back and smiles at me again. He shakes his head.
"Friends." He says, pointing at the entrance.
"Huh? Really? h-How can you tell with your eyes all covered up by that hair of yours."
Dunn cocks his head. He then starts laughing for some reason, then starts pulling his hair back and reveals... oh gods! I step back a little in surprise. He has no eyes! d-Did you guys know this?

"Ne'r seen a Dorzhaila, lass?" He says, almost at a normal volume this time. I thought he didn't talk much!
"Uh... well, all I knew was that you were big and lived in caves! i-I guess there's more."
Dunn leans back and nods.
He sighs, then covers his ears with his hands and starts whispering.
"Cannae talk n'more, Lizzy. Makin' me 'ead hurt."
Huh? His own voice makes his head hurt? Weird. I wonder if they're all like that. Wow, dwarves having no eyes just sorta threw me off completely. Anyway...
"You just gonna sit there and rest, then?"
Dunn nods his head once again.

I look back at the temple entrance. I guess I have to go back in there, then. Wonderful.
Wait! I hear footsteps!

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