Zetaark

"Well, I'm not usually one for rum, but sure I'll have a little," Madante says, laughing a little as Myrdwyn tried to navigate her own story. He then takes the bottle and has a sip before handing the bottle back to Myrdwyn. "I'm not sure what I expected the taste to be, but now I'm reminded of why I didn't go for rum on the occasions I did drink," Madante remarks with a laugh.

"So long as you don't end up riding into battle drunk off your rocker, you can keep your stash," Madante remarks, rather indifferent to what the wyvern rider did in her spare time, so long as it didn't harm the others. "Now I'm reminded of an incident that happened once when I was still in training. Apparently one of the squad leaders had their own stash get discovered while they were grilling a troop about their own stash. And to make it worse, that squad leader's superior was around surveying his work. I wonder what became of that," Madante says aloud, trying and failing to recall what happened. "Actually, I don't think I recall hearing much about your prior endeavors. Have any interesting stories?"

"Oh no, don't worry, no official business. I just wanted to chat with you. It's been some time since I've actually spoken to a lot of you, so I figured I might as well start now," Madante says as he looks around the space by Myrdwyn. "So I can tell that its alcohol, but exactly what kind is it. And where exactly do you keep it?" he asks, mildly confused.

"Armor hmm? It's not quite my field, but I've examined enough types of it to at least be knowledgeable in the designs. Give me one moment," she says as she grabs the armor, making a noticeable sound as she picks it up. She looks it over a bit before grabbing some equipment from her person and examining it. After a few minutes, she hands the armor back to Belros. "Well its certainly bulky, though oddly it doesn't seem that suited for dealing with heavy blows. I will say that its somewhat enchanted, it seems like this piece was designed to ward off magic. Definitely a custom piece. I'd say it would be worth a decent amount, but it could also be pretty useful if your fighting a mage or two," she says, finishing her appraisal. (Provides 2 HP, 1 STR, and 2 RES to its user)

"Don't worry, provided I don't get my face smashed through the deck, you'll be the first to hear about it," Madante replies with a laugh, returning the fist bump before looking for Myrdwyn. It took a little while, but he eventually found her below deck, seemingly bored and very drunk. "Hello Myrdwyn. Do you mind some company?" Madante asked, trying not to sound awkward. "Generally we handle textiles for varying purposes. Sometimes we turn them into actual products for sale, other times we sell them unprocessed for the people who need them as such. Really it depends on the customer," Keanna replies.

"That's...certainly a plan of sorts," Madante says with a half-amused voice. "That being said, something tells me that Myrdwyn would get to you well before I could. And if that happens...I couldn't guarantee your safety. I'm also slightly unconvinced that Myrdwyn would think of me in a new light if it did work out, but that's something I couldn't really confirm one way or the other. That and I don't need you ruining your reputation around here any more than it already has been. How about I just go and have a chat with her and see where things go from there? Alright?" he asks, patting Belros on the shoulder.

"I never said I wanted you as my wingman, but I also didn't say that I wasn't at least somewhat interested in the proposition of the date itself," Madante replies before moving onto the next topic. "As for the special circumstances...an incredibly durable sword would be needed for my work since most of my money went towards paying off some rather nasty debts," Madante answered, muttering the last bit. "If I didn't need to spend money on replacement equipment, I could use my earnings towards the debt. That's all it really boiled down to, and that's why they commissioned the blade. Not nearly as incredible a story as you expected huh?"

"Well, the sword was custom made for me when I joined the guard. It was a special set of circumstances," Madante answered before frowning a bit. "Also...were you going to try and get me to go on a date with Myrdwyn?"

"Well if that's how we're doing it...then we fight!" Madante shouts as he draws his signature sword and strikes at Belros. Madante's first strike is a clean hit, taking Belros off guard for a moment. He refocuses quickly however, landing two of his blows in return. As Belros moved closer in for his attacks however, Madante was able to follow up with his second strike, which was strong enough to send Belros flat on the deck. "Well, I guess that's that. Your hits are certainly better focused than the last time we fought. I couldn't dodge them at all," Madante compliments Belros as he holds his hand towards him.

"Er...I have mixed feelings about just getting pressured into going on a date, but that aside, you as a wingman..." Madante continues scratching his head, unsure of how to word his next statement. "Forgive me, but I have a bad feeling about that. I may be wrong and things might work out but you understand my reservations, right?" "Not quite goodbye. I'll be around in Versidia once we get there, and you can visit me if you want. Right Ma?" he asks, looking expectantly at his mother. "Yes that's quite alright," she giggles. "I'm glad to see that Karik has gotten to meet some nice people from all of this. But yes, our main shop and home is stationed in Versidia, so if you ever want to see him, you'll have the opportunity. Alright?"

"Wait me?" Madante asks in a rather flustered tone as he scratches his head trying to think on it. "Er...I couldn't really say. Rayne's only really spoke to me in regards to various individuals she's roped in with her. Emilee...something tells me she doesn't think very much of me. Myrdwyn...well I knew of her a bit from before, and I guess she's alright at times, but I couldn't really say how I feel about her. As for the others...we haven't really spoken too much, so I can't say very much on that," Madante says, frowning a little, before grinning a bit. "I guess both of us don't have much for great relations with the ladies in this group huh?"

"O-oh...I see," Madante says, his mood quickly shifting. He then listens to Belros' statement regarding his relation with the other girls in the party. "Er...I'm not sure if this will come across as rude or not, but I wasn't expecting the ring to be for someone with us. As for how you think the girls think of you...I can't exactly say you're wrong," Madante scratches his head, unsure of what to say next. "So...what do you plan on doing with the ring now? Provided you're willing to answer," Madante asks, trying to swap the topic of conversation slightly.

"Before that rematch, you have a bit of explaining. You said that you didn't get a chance to use that ring. Does that mean you were going to?" Madante asks as he heads closer and puts his arm around Belros. "Don't think you can just gloss over that bit without anymore explanation. Tell me more about what you were going to use that ring for," Madante asks, getting more and more excited.

"Really now? Maybe if I were good at cards I'd be able to make tons of money too," Madante suggests in a half-joking tone before speaking again. "What did you end up doing with your winnings exactly? Did you save any of it, or did you spend it all on luxury items here and there? Or maybe something else entirely?" he asks, curious as to how Belros handled his money. "So you actually ran into them...I can only imagine what Karik had to go through on that pirate ship," she states in a solemn tone as she continues listening to the rest of the story. By the end of it she nodded to herself before speaking again. "It sounds like that storm caused a fair bit of problems for you if it got you this far off course. Though I have heard some horror stories of cargo ships getting blown well off course and stranded at some of the outer isles. Regardless, the weather for now looks to be clear, and we should wind up at your destination soon enough," she says with a smile.

"Ah, Belros. I suppose I have been training a bit more as of late, though I hesitate to call it my favorite pastime," Madante chuckles a bit before pausing his swings and looking at Belros. "How about you? What do you tend to do with your free time?"

Looking around, Madante sees that everyone is just about ready to leave the island. "Well then, I suppose our group is ready to head out. Shall we?" "Indeed. Oh, before I forget, my name is Keanna. I'm a merchant by trade, though I'm stationed in Versidia. I'm not sure how much I have in the way of spare supplies, but if you need to get things checked out, I can help with that." she finishes before heading aboard her ship. Having done all they needed to at Z'Ark, the party follows Keanna aboard the ship and finally heads off to Kabumu. Chapter 6: An Unfortunate Reunion Year 1638, 28th of Vembra A day of sailing passes as the group lounges on the deck. As they go about their business, Keanna and Karik come on deck, with Keanna having a request. "I've been speaking with my son for quite a bit, and he's told me quite a bit about what happened since he's been caught and wound up with you. Even so, I still want to hear a bit more about how you found Karik. Would any of you be interested in telling me about your travels so far?" she asks the group in general. Madante meanwhile is near the front of the ship, practicing his swordsmanship, while Helena is besides the railing reading some sort of tome.

Put my vuln in convoy, get a new one and Steel Halberd for 250 on Ecquis

Ritsu: 37/50 Revving her chainsaw once more, she turns her attention to one of the officers. Basic Attack on Officer A for [3d4+ STR(21) +1d6] damage and drops enemy RES by 2 Ritsu Stats:

Opening the chest, Darius finds an assortment of tomes, each with a lighter cover than any he had seen. Selia’s Inventory Obtained! Having acquired all of their equipment and having no desire to stick around, the party manages to escape to the stairs before any of the other guards arrive to catch them. [Victory] Final Results: As the party heads up the stairs, they find themselves not back in the main manor that they entered from, but what appears to be a smaller meeting room. Apart from themselves, nobody else was present, and there were a set of doors in the back. "Well, let's see if these will budge," Madante remarks as he pushes the doors open. And for the first time in a while, the party ends up outside, with the manor at their backs. "Finally, we're out of this place, but we can't bask in the sun for very long. We need to find a way to get back on course. Given everything that's happened I'm concerned that the incident back at Kabumu is more serious than anyone expected. Let's head back to port and see if we can catch a ride" He states, as the party heads towards the port. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Reaching the port at around midday, there were a few ships stationed here and there, and most of them cargo ships. After a bit of asking around, most of the ships weren't heading anywhere near the group's destination, and the ones that could asked for exorbitant fees. Finally, the group reached the last ship currently docked, and Madante again tried to negotiate with the ship owner. "Excuse me ma'am? My crew is trying to get to Kabumu as fast as possible. Could you perhaps take us?" "I'm afraid that we only came here to pick up a few things and planned to head back to Versidia. We have no plans to go to Kabumu at the moment. I'm sorry." "O-oh. Is there anything we can do to change your mind." "Have any information about the whereabouts of my son perchance?" she asks in a half joking, but still sad tone. "But no, I'm afraid you won't-" as she begins to finish her statement, Karik begins walking up towards the woman, his face showing great disbelief. "I knew the voice sounded familiar but...ma, is it really you?" Karik asks. "Hmm? What are you...o-oh..." the woman's eyes go wide as she walks towards Karik, examining him a few times. "K-karik...is it really you?" "Yeah...its me ma." Karik says as he hugs the woman, trying and failing to hold back a few tears. "Goodness, it really is you... I can't believe it," the woman responds, embracing Karik with a few tears present. "When you were captured we spent so much time trying to find any information about where you were taken, but we couldn't find anything. We were so worried," she continues, tearing up more as she pulls him closer. After a moment, she eventually looks back to Madante and his group. "Where did you even find him? How did you find him? Well I suppose that can wait for a moment. You said you needed to go to Kabumu correct? We can talk about things on the way there. How does that sound?" she asks the group.

As Belros opened the chest, he found a collection of tomes in various colors, a clear sign of anima specialization. Helena's Inventory Obtained!

Opening the chest, Selia finds a host of tomes, though they appeared to be of the dark magic family. Darius' Inventory Obtained!

[Enemy Phase] The mercenary, finally coming to the realization that there is no way out of the situation he's in, drops his weapon and proceeds to start sobbing in the corner. Anyone near the doorway would hear the echoes of muffled despair. Mercenary 13 Moves to O22 Soldier 13 Moves to P22 Reinforcements Arrive [Ally Phase] Madante Holds Helena Holds Karik Holds Turn 17 Karik Heals 3 HP Cheat Sheet:

Myrdwyn's lance strike, though filled with strength, fails to hit the mercenary. Seeing a chance, the mercenary retaliates with two hefty blows, only to find out that neither of them left so much as a scratch on the wyvern rider. He then realizes that he has no way out. Cheat Sheet:

(for elite guards these two died like chumps) Cheat Sheet:

[Enemy Phase] Mercenary 12 Moves to E14 and attacks Cadence The newly arrived mercenary tries to strike the fencer, but is unable to connect. Meanwhile Cadence strikes him with her knife, which poisons the man. Soldier 12 Moves to F14 and attacks Cadence (maximum kek) Mercenary 13 Moves to T22 Soldier 13 Moves to U22 [Ally Phase] Karik Moves to C14 and attacks Mercenary 12 Moving to finish off the last of the reinforcements, Karik tries to toss an axe at the mercenary. Seeing it coming, he bats it aside with his sword. Madante Moves to C16 Helena Holds Turn 16 Karik Heals 3HP Cheat Sheet: