Re: Chapter 1 Side Quest: Before The Trial (Vaz'Kar, ADAPA, Marek, Tank)

by **Kanzaris** Mon Sep 05, 2016 4:24 am

"Yes, yes, yes! That's him! Hey Aro! Hi!" Aya says, waving her arm frantically as she approaches the counter, where Cadence still is. "This is...uhm..." she looks at you, a bit helplessly. "He...hasn't told me his name yet. But he's good people! And he says he's looking for you!" She adds, quickly perking up.

by Han Mon Sep 05, 2016 4:32 am

Han: Cadence scribbles her name down, in the same illegible and unrecognizable writing as before.

"Here you go. Thank you so much... how soon do you think it will take for me to get started?"

by AccelR8 Mon Sep 05, 2016 4:39 am

Adel: "Wh- Oh where are our manners?! I'm Adel, and my big buddy here is Tank! And-" Adel stops mid-thought and notices the familiar girl Tank saw moments prior. "OH! Hey there, Cadence! Fancy meeting you here!"

Tank is momentarily puzzled that Aya had forgotten their names already, but dismisses the thought, opting to acknowledge Cadence.

Tank: "Guy upstairs is quite the gunsmith. We need better hardware and turns out, this may be the place to get it. What brings you here?"

by Han Mon Sep 05, 2016 4:44 am

"Tank! Adel!" Cadence shouts in excitement as she sees the 'pair' approach, and quickly moves to give them a hug. "This nice Grazziati told me I could join his guild to help people! It sounds like a lot of fun, and it would give me something to do while Kris takes care of what he needs to."

by AccelR8 Mon Sep 05, 2016 4:56 am

Tank relents as he is hugged a second time, slightly less uncomfortable than minutes prior.

Tank: "That's good! Maybe we'll even wind up working together. You handle yourself very well in a fight, from what I saw. I can imagine you'll do well here, if the work they offer is anything like I'm expecting."

Adel: "Mhm! And if we do wind up working together we can do what we do best, what with the shooting and the making a bunch of noise to keep the bad guys focused on us! Then you can make with the cool water stuff and-"

Adel continues like this, excitedly describing their basic battle tactics like it was the most thrilling thing he'd ever seen. A pang of relief hits Tank as he realizes Adel has restrained himself from frantically pantomiming as "they" speak, this time.

by SovietOmega Mon Sep 05, 2016 5:12 am

If it was a case the smith wanted, Marek could oblige. "My needs should not take much of your time. I am a lawyer by trade, and have an important trial coming up in the near future, but my attorney's badge has been shattered. There were a number of places I could have gone to fix it, but this was the first one I chose to visit. If you lack the time or capability to help me, please tell me now so that I might go elsewhere."

by Han Mon Sep 05, 2016 5:15 am

Cadence, a little caught off guard by Adel's choice of words, finds her mood faltering.

"Fighting? I... didn't think the work here would involve so much fighting."

by **Kanzaris** Mon Sep 05, 2016 5:20 am

(Marek)

"...An attorney's badge, huh. Hand it over." The heat and lightshow dissipates instantly, and you see the Inferian smith extending a hand towards you. "That's not something I get everyday. You a defense attorney or a prosecutor?" He asks, as he examines the badge, then makes a noise of disgust. "This one's done. Nothing I can do with just this scrap, lawyer. It needs a new soul."

---

(C&T)

"This will do," Aro murmurs quietly, as he takes the page. "We'll find you."

At the same time, Aya studies Cadence with an odd look on her face. After a moment, the white-haired girl speaks up. "Hey Tank...is she your girlfriend?"

by AccelR8 Mon Sep 05, 2016 5:33 am

Tank: "Y- what? Wait a minute, this is Cadence, we worked together on a job recently, it's not like- we're not in that sort of-

Tank grows uncharacteristically flustered. It wasn't that he harbored any feelings like that for Cadence, or for anyone for that matter, he is incapable of such an acquaintanceship. He simply did not know how to handle this line of questioning with the appropriate tact.

He also needed to concentrate most of his willpower into keeping Adel from blurting out something that would only make the situation more awkward.

by Han Mon Sep 05, 2016 5:35 am

"Girl... friend? I mean... yes?" Cadence replies, a confused look on her face.

by AccelR8 Mon Sep 05, 2016 5:41 am

Tank: "Wait! What are you saying?! Are we- ...I didn't think it was like-"

The big guy tries to take a moment to collect himself. He could talk his way through a conversation, and out of sticky situations if need be, but not when it came to stuff like this. Further, his continued efforts to suppress Adel from literally jumping for joy had taken up the lion's share of his focus.

by SovietOmega Mon Sep 05, 2016 5:44 am

"Defense. I help those who have been unjustly wronged by society." Marek replies. "I must admit, I am not familiar with what you mean by 'soul' in this context. Could you elaborate, please?"

by **Kanzaris** Mon Sep 05, 2016 6:21 am

(Marek)

Chaka crosses his arms, thinking about it for a moment, his blazing eyes lost in thought. This is a concept that does not come easy to him, from the looks of it. "Most Inferians treat the people and objects they care for as investments. It's a good philosophy, but I take it a step further. When a good craftsman works on a piece he is satisfied with, he puts a part of himself into it. It gains a small Zero Field of its own...me, I call that a soul. This thing's clearly good enough that somebody put their soul into it, but I can't feel a field surrounding it. It's lost. It needs a new one, and I can't just give it to it like that. I'm going to need something more...something to make me care about this badge beyond its craftsmanship before I'm good with making that kind of investment." He looks up at you, dead in the eye. "That's your job. Give me a reason to go the extra mile here, lawyer. Otherwise, I'm not touching it. I don't make objects with no soul."

---

(C&T)

"Oh-oooooooooooh. Ooooooooohhhh..." Aya squeaks, raising a hand to her mouth for a moment, before grabbing Cadence and pulling her quite forcefully to the side.

"He's sooooo confused!" She whispers, so excitedly that she can barely keep her voice down. "He doesn't know you're his girlfriend yet. You've got to kiss him, kiss him, kiss him! That way he'll get it and stop being so confused." She looks at you, impatiently. "Well, what are you waiting for? Go go go!" With that, she shoves you in Tank & Adel's direction and waits, expectantly.

by SovietOmega Mon Sep 05, 2016 7:10 am

"I see, I see...so something important enough that warrants investment by both parties. I think I have just the item you seek. In point of fact, it would have been part of the equation even without your interesting philosophy."

Marek pulls out the crystal shard he had earlier shown Aro. "This is Crystalian in origin. I am unwilling to go into the specifics, but I can say that it holds within it a very important truth that has shaped and continues to shape my life. I can not imagine that this is not a prime candidate for the 'soul' you speak of. Will this meet your requirements?"

by **Kanzaris** Mon Sep 05, 2016 7:54 am

"So it's a truth that you can't share? What makes it any different from a lie then?" Chaka shakes his head. "I don't think you're lying to me, lawyer, but just knowing that your convictions are strong is not enough to light a fire in the soul of a smith. In all my years of life, I've only found two ways to test a man's convictions: actions...or sacrifices." You feel the full intensity of Chaka's gaze upon you know. "So what will it be then? Will you do something for your 'truth'? Or give up something to show me how much it matters to you?"

by SovietOmega Mon Sep 05, 2016 9:18 am

This was easily the most philosophical smith Marek had ever encountered. Marek had to admit, the set of 'smiths Marek has known' was pretty small to begin with, but it was nevertheless true. Here was a person who took deep pride in their work, seeing deep inside an object to uncover the hidden truths buried inside. In many ways it was not so different than Marek's own views, except what Marek saw in people, Chaka saw in objects.

Marek nodded. "This is no simple transaction then, you have placed my beliefs themselves on the line. You say that knowing of my convictions is not enough for you? Then it logically follows that I will have to demonstrate them personally for you so there can be no doubt."

Marek's gaze wanders around the equipment seated around the workshop. "I wasn't always a lawyer, truth be told. In decades past, I was known to invent a thing or two. More than a few items in this room are passingly familiar to me. To get right to the point...I am willing to assist you in the reforging of this badge. On your other commissions too, should my skills meet your satisfaction."

Marek certainly did not intend to afford this much time to the task of getting his badge, but he was not about to let himself passively stand by when his truth was called into question. Besides, Cadence really did have a great many forms to fill out, so it should be fine.

by **Kanzaris** Mon Sep 05, 2016 9:30 am

For a moment, Chaka just stared at him. Then, he broke into a wide, toothy grin.

"That's a way of doing, alright. If that's how you want to handle this, then I think I know of something you can do to help out." Turning his back on Marek, Chaka took a couple steps forward, and extended his great, clawed hand. When he pulled it back, there were the two halves of the badge, made whole once more, floating gently in mid-air. He walked past them, until he and Marek were equidistant to the badge once more, then turned around to look at him.

"One of my main tools is light. Luminians are one of a very few species who can emit it on any reasonable level, and nobody else has the natural control of light beams that you have." He widened his legs and spred his arms out, his hands taking on a claw grip. "Look up, lawyer. I want you to think of your name and give it voice with your beams. When you're certain of who you are, let your first beam out."

by SovietOmega Mon Sep 05, 2016 9:54 am

The request was certainly not one Marek was expecting, but there was a ritualistic quality to it that Marek understood on a more primal level. To the unassuming viewer it might seem like the mad requests of a silly smith who already completed the repair and just wanted a light show before moving on. But Marek felt something more in the request, even if he lacked the proper data to back him up.

So it was with genuine thought as to the nature of what Kristian Marek was that Marek was thinking as he tilted his view of the sky, this impossibly encapsulating constructed world filled with distance unimaginable. All Luminian learn from a very young age how to express their names as wavelengths of light, indeed, for a Luminian, the two were essentially one and the same. Marek would have to struggle more to not voice his names in light, but he wasn't going to tell the smith that.

Marek gave the request its due diligence though, and after some more thought on his relation to his name and his name's connection to his beliefs, let loose a powerful flash of multicolored light, expressing the various wavelengths of his Luminian name.

by **Kanzaris** Mon Sep 05, 2016 10:07 am

The light blast soared upward into the heavens, carrying Marek's true name with it. Before it could lose coherence and dissipate throughout the sky, however, it arced down, coming back to earth. With his hands held up into the sky, Chaka manipulated the beam with pinpoint precision, bringing it crashing down onto the badge. Instead of shattering once more, however, the little proof of attorney exploded into a bright, colourful flare.

"Kristian Marek! So that's what I'm supposed to call you!" Truly there was more to this smith than met the eye. How could he have puzzled out a single strand of information out of an entire light beam? "That's good! But it's not good enough! Not yet!" he said, grinning madly. "Now we have to reinforce it! Think of all the people who matter to you! Give me one blast for each and every one of them!"

by SovietOmega Mon Sep 05, 2016 10:26 am

Another odd request, but it was in tune with the first, so did not strike Marek as harshly. Marek had lived well over a hundred years, and in that time had come to know a number of people well, but time does have a way to erode connections and the people that mattered to the Marek of old would not all be the same as the Marek of now.

So it went that Marek reviewed his life in brief, noting influential names both beloved and despised, real or fictional, although with the passage of time, far more names were contemporary than otherwise. Of particular note, the names of his recent travel companions and those of the wordtech. Cadence, Vaz'kar, ADAPA, Adel/Tank, Sakra, Vadimar, and Endursaga. Each of these and more Marek sent skyward with a pulse.

by **Kanzaris** Mon Sep 05, 2016 11:06 am

This time, Chaka made no effort to catch the initial light bursts as they rose up into the sky. They began to lose coherence and slowly fade away...until at last Marek was finished. Then, his hands which had been raised skyward were brought down, and at once, all the pulses came down upon the badge like a shining fusillade. In response, the badge itself began to glow. For a moment, Marek thought it was his imagination, but then the entire roof was enveloped in iridescent light!

"Almost there!" Chaka growled. "Marek! This badge has its soul now! But now it needs its purpose!" He clasped his hands, and the very air around him began to take on a light of its own, turning a deep red hue. A powerful pressure descended upon Marek, threatening to crush him. It was little wonder now that the Hunter's Guild had been so highly recommended. Within his area of expertise, Zhirgo Chaka was a truly masterful Cipher!

"One last time! Think of the reason why you became an attorney! Think of why you fight tooth and nail for each of your cases! Put everything you've got into a light that will be seen throughout the sphere!" He let out a bestial roar, as the light contained within the badge struggled to escape him. "NOW! SHOW ME YOUR SPIRIT! SHOW ME...ITS...POWERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!"

BGM: CIPHER POWER

by SovietOmega Mon Sep 05, 2016 12:23 pm

Was this not just a simple badge reforging? The spectacle seemed too grandiose for such a mundane task. But then, what was life if not a celebration? To deny the vibrant colors that permeate the galaxy was to invite blindness, a cardinal sin for a Luminian.

Now the smith wanted to know why Marek became an attorney. It was a recent choice, only happening within the last decade. For quite some time after the War of Remembrance, Marek had been a wanderer among the stars lacking a true home, but fate conspired to enfold Marek once again into society's embrace. Among the reasons Marek chose his current path was his innate desire he'd always had: to seek the truth no matter where it lay hidden. In this regard, the path of a Lawyer and Scientist were aligned. Beyond raw data though, lay a desire to right the wrongs unfairly thrust upon an innocent person...to connect with them and be able to genuinely help them, to make a difference in their life. In some small way, it reminded Marek of the sort of heroic stories he read as a youth, of the great Luminian explorers exploring the treacherous high land. While many accounts were surely much exaggerated, the mythic spirit of such an ideal explorer never left Marek, even if reality often enforced a different perspective.

Virtue, compassion, curiosity...these were the distillation of Marek's driving force, they were the light that guided his way. Perhaps his light would help guide others. There was only one way to find out.

Not holding anything back, Marek charged up the best dazzling display of optical energy that he knew how to manage. There was some pain, for it had been long since he had unleashed his maximum force, but it would not last long. It was good practice to brush up against his extreme limitations every so often anyway.

===========================================================================@

When Marek had stored as much as he dared, Marek unleashed his laser blast on the sky as if it were a raging fire and Marek the only firefighter in the sphere. Within the beam, one could find every color represented, though three principle ones representing his ideals predominated. If this obscene display of visual splendor didn't satisfied the smith, nothing would.

by **Kanzaris** Mon Sep 05, 2016 12:48 pm

(ALL: Marek, Tank, Cadence)

The beam rose up into the sky, one last time, and coalesced into a shining sphere. For a single, pregnant moment, it hung in mid-air, a thousand metres high. Then, it exploded outwards, and the beam came crashing down. It struck the badge head-on, and, Marek and Chaka were enveloped in a warm, brilliant three-coloured light.

Down below, on the ground floor, Aya, Aro, Tank and Cadence's conversation was interrupted by an all-consuming flash of light. "Ahh!" Aya cried. "What's going on? I can't see anything!"

---

(ADAPA and Vaz'kar)

A light exploded in the distance, illuminating the sky and causing people to stop and stare for a moment before it faded away. Had something happened elsewhere?

---

(Marek)

Slowly, the light receded, and Marek found Chaka standing before him, one closed fist stretched out. He opened it, and there it was: his attorney's badge, restored and repaired. There was something different to it now, however...the decorations seemed to be just a little bit more ornate, and a faint light seemed to emanate from the badge.

"That'll do it," the smith said, gravely. "This isn't just a badge anymore, lawyer. It's a shining spirit. It hasn't quite hit its full potential yet, but this should be good enough." He handed the badge over with no further comment. It was comfortably warm to the touch.

"You've got the skills to be a legendary attorney. Once you've won a case that people will remember, come see me. We'll see if we can't do anything more for your badge." Smiling, Zhirgo Chaka turned his attention back to his other commissions. This task was concluded. The master of a newly found shining spirit was dismissed.

Marek has acquired a new badge, Shining Spirit! In addition to all the normal properties of whatever implement he's chosen to acquire, it has been granted the following property:

Property
You gain the Lumen Laser Luminian racial power, if you did not have it already. In addition, it gains the following, new charge options: Once per encounter, you may spend a minor action to charge the laser and Daze yourself until the end of your next turn. If you do so and the attack hits, the enemy is blinded until the end of its next turn. Alternatively, once per encounter you may spend a standard action to charge the laser. If you do so, it automatically hits, and the enemy is blinded until the end of its next turn. You may only perform one of the above charge options per encounter, and if you are dazed by the first charge option, the daze may only be removed by letting its duration expire.

by Han Mon Sep 05, 2016 8:27 pm

Aya had Cadence thoroughly confused. As she was stumbling towards Tank, she thought on how it was odd that kissing was some sort of confirmation of friendship. Tank did not seemed confused about them being friends when she greeted him with a hug. And she had never seen any of her other companions kiss to conclude a friendship. Perhaps she was unsure on if they were truly friends. Or maybe this was a cultural thing, specific to this strange white-haired human species girl.

A kiss...

Before Tank could stop her from colliding into him, a blinding light was flashing and obscuring her vision. Her feet falter and she lands in a heap on the ground. However, she pays no mind to her fall, as images come to her mind.

A kiss...

As the commotion dies down, Cadence opens her eyes.

"Tank... Adel... I remembered something. I saw people... a bunch of girls, and some others... but mainly those girls. I..." Tears come to her face as she lies on the floor some more. Her mouth widens into a grin.

by AccelR8 Mon Sep 05, 2016 10:43 pm

As the situation grows increasingly dire for Tank, unpracticed in these sorts of social interactions, a blinding light would envelop everything, causing Tank to snap to alert. He refrains from drawing a weapon, but remains attentive for a moment. When the light clears, he notices Cadence on the ground. He and both Adel both gasp and move towards her with a start, but halt as they hear her words.

Tank: "A bunch of girls? ...Oh! Was it a memory? That's great! Do you remember anything else?" He kneels down to eye level to assure his friend is unharmed by whatever that light was. It appeared to have passed, whatever it was, so his immediate concern was Cadence, who seemed to be the only one affected by it, so far as he could tell.

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