Lionel wasn't after a philosophical debate, not with Adrianna. She didn't know enough to even consider including in that sort of discussion. He'd give her this much though: she understood people were a product of their experiences. Though to say that adults were merely that - to suggest their actions or faults were a product of how they were raised - that was a farce. The whole point of growing up was to learn and better oneself, not to cling to the idiotic beliefs and ideas you held as a kid. The world wasn't quite as friendly and forgiving as most children believed and it was a lesson that many people learned too late in their lives. Or some far too early.
"True, but there's willful ignorance and there's just plain ignorance. I hate the former more." Regarding the first idea with a loathsome expression, Lionel shook his head and sighed. "People die on the streets on the cities, some beg for money and just a simple meal while wealthy citizens, fellow citizens, pass them by. I don't know if that's willful ignorance or just callousness, but I hate it." People in Adelon were far too content to look at themselves and themselves alone. Regards for your fellow citizen was all but gone, what should be a common trait was now a rarity among the kingdom's people. And what reason was there for that? Why did people suddenly turn on one another? Why were cries for help ignored? No matter how you cut that pie Lionel always found himself coming away with the same answer: the Church.
For perhaps the first time since their meeting Lionel found himself short of words to retort with. Adrianna was critiquing the royal family and the young Magi had to bite his tongue as not to yell at her, forcing a smile and placating her musings with nods of his head. So that was how people viewed the royal family? People just sat in a room, hiding themselves while the rest of her people suffered? Was that how everyone in power was viewed as well? He'd never really thought much about that before but there had been enough examples that he should have been full aware by now. Angry townsfolk screaming for a mayor to do more when they were at their wit's end, soldiers demanding their general send off for a mission that their leader knew full well would fail. It was a disconnect between those in charge and those who followed and it seemed to appear everywhere, even within Mutebo. Was it inevitable, or was it just poor leadership?
"I know the Church is clamping down on Magi but you make it sound like some conspiracy," Lionel laughed, waving a hand at Adrianna's claims, "There's just no use for Magi anymore, not really. The world isn't like it was when the first king formed the kingdom. Beasts are gone, there's very little if any fighting among Adelon's people, and Adelon is still powerful enough that other kingdoms don't threaten her. Maybe its just time Magi are done away with. Out with the old, in with the new." Thrilling though their conversations were Lionel gestured for them to stop as Mutebo's walls were soon within sight. A small chorus of cheers sounded from the group at their flank and he chuckled throatily, amused by their excitement. "It's sad really though when you think about it, and I get why some Magi are angry," Lionel muttered, stopping at the gates as guards came to meet and inspect the group, "You were all so proud and revered once. Now you're like rats, scurrying to whatever hole you can find just to stay alive. No wonder some are fighting back."
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What should he be doing right now? Ethan watched Amuné tearfully dismiss herself and run off but made no moves to chase her, sat on the grass with a conflicted expression. He could imagine it being frustrating for her, being stuck with a man like Gage, and by no means was he 100% comfortable with leaving her like that. But they all needed training desperately even if Nymira might be reluctant to admit to it. The Church's Magi had attacked them a handful of times now and it was only by sheer luck they'd gotten away each time. And that wasn't even to mention the beasts either. None of them really
wanted to be doing it but it could be the difference between making their next trip alive or ending up lunch. They had time to train though, and Amuné needed someone right now. Getting to his feet he started to make his way off the training grounds until Nymira called out for him to stop.
"If you keep coddling her she'll never grow, Ethan. Leave her be." Really from what the Dimuran could see the only problem was Amuné disliked her teacher. If the girl was going to run away from every single person she disliked then she'd spend her entire life on the run. "Besides she wants you to find her once we're finished, so let her have time to her own. Maybe she'll realize how ridiculous she's being." They didn't have the luxury of coddling a sensitive child right now. Sooner or later Amuné would have to learn to fight, if not for the sake of the group then for her own. She, Ethan and Cecil wouldn't be around forever and clearly this kingdom wasn't quite as civil as she first thought, certainly not if you were a Magi. If Amuné had any hopes of finding her parents and surviving until then she needed to know how to protect herself.
"Yeah but... Is it right to let her be upset like that? I mean she's just a kid." There wasn't much of a response from Nymira and Kensen didn't seem terribly fussed either, leaving Ethan alone with his sentiments. Maybe it was a Dimuran thing, he got the impression they expected kids to be made of much hardier stuff. But here was a little girl without her parents in a place she didn't know, anyone would be afraid and upset. Yet as guilty as Ethan felt for remaining here he knew he needed to train, and gauging Kensen's reactions to his efforts he still had a long way to go. Rubbing the back of his neck Ethan exhaled and clasped his hands together, returning to the training grounds and to his sparring dummy. He had to get better to help Amuné find her parents, and to help Nymira and Cecil too. And he needed to get better as to have any hope of getting answers about Cedric.
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"Ah, right. A cannonball is a heavy ball of metal, sometimes iron, sometimes steel, sometimes whatever can be found lying around, melted down and cast in the shape of... Well, a ball. They're fired from a cannon and used against walls or often times aboard ships as a way of inflicting heavy damage. In effect your shield is as strong as a reinforced castle's wall!" Which was nothing to thumb one's nose at! Combined with the mobility and the quick regeneration and self-repairing nature of the shield it was a nigh impregnable defense. Assuming the energy sources never ran out. Looking at the Machina confused as he walked away after being congratulated Norman smiled and lifted his shoulders in a shrug of defeat.
"Magic? Afraid not, none of us here are Magi. Though there's no shortage of them in Mutebo, finding someone to test it for you wouldn't be too hard I imagine," Norman mused as he rubbed his chin in thought, "Why not try finding your friends and asking them? I'm sure Ethan or Nymira would be happy to, er... Blast you." Putting it that way didn't make it sound like nearly as positive as it should. But this was cause for celebration and the engineers in the room were doing as much, with Norman himself barely containing his excitement. Beneath his bubbling enthusiasm was a slight hint of concern however, not for Cecil nor any of his friends. He'd created that shield based upon a prototype his company had worked on ages ago, working largely from memory and improvising where memory failed. If he'd managed to recreate it then surely the company had completed the technology as well. And if they were pushing for more models to be made...
"Here's the Demacite you asked for sir!"
"Ah, thank you! That was fast," Norman remarked as he accepted a wrapped wooden container. "Since your shield runs independently from your core power I figured we should give you a few spare batteries, just in case. Its not the most pure Demacite in the world but it'll hold a charge all the same." Handing the container over to Cecil then he smiled and removed his gloves, setting them aside and gesturing for the Machina to offer over his gauntlet. "All you need to do is loosen the latch and replace the crystal inside the casing, simple as that. The Demacite's aspect doesn't much matter either since it converts any to raw energy. You do lose some power in the process from the shard but so long as you can find a supply you'll never run out of power. And in a pinch you can let it run off of your core power as well. I put an inhibitor on that circuit though, so you don't accidentally drain yourself."
"I think that should conclude our work for today, assuming you don't have any questions about how it works? Otherwise I think it'd be a good idea to go find your friends and test it's magic defenses. If there's any problems I'll be here for a while longer, we can take a look at it and try to work out any kinks."
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