Mangrale

Brave Frontier: A New Legacy [Started/Always Accepting]

Viranti

He wasn't the most discreet invader there ever was by a long way, but at this moment he was the happiest, doing away with the some of the last vestiges of his former incarceration and replacing them with articles belonging to his homeland. He was especially glad to wear his sleeveless, relatively ornate shirt. He felt one step closer to home.

The good feeling wouldn't last though, as he heard the sound of approaching footsteps coming from downstairs. His head darted for a trapdoor on the floor near him among the storage of apparel and materials. "Why, what on Grand- ack!" spoke the elderly bespectacled tailor as he began to open said door, which Viranti immediately slammed a box on top of. Having done what he came here to do and with no further delay, Viranti departed through the way he came in, retaking position on the roof, but finding the crowd that was once by the tavern, dispersing. Oddly enough, he noticed a trio of armed travelers were running in a rather panicked manner away from the tavern and next to the shop he himself was on.

Not wanting to let the opportunity slip, the dragonute pounced on one of them, picking him off the ground by the collar with his right hand as the others protested. "Hey! Let go, monster!" shouted the one in the dragon's grip, his associate to Viranti's right lifting his sword and spacing his legs into position. His stance and balance would be broken by Viranti's tail, which swiped his ankle and sent him to the stone-paved ground.

"What is this pla-! (growl)" Nevermind that for now... "Where is the Oracle!?" Viranti asked his temporary hostage impatiently but otherwise in a subtly good mood.

"Th-the Oracle of Lucius?! Aaaahhh!" the thug asked before getting the hint as the dragon used both hands to swing him around with enough force that his dangling legs swung around and effectively kicked his second comrade in the face, incapacitating him for a little longer. "Okay! Okay! Ugh... She left with a group of others! Sh-she said something about the church! That's all I know!"

"And what in all Dust is a church!?" Viranti roared, stomping his foot down in an intimidating fashion, getting ticked off at being led through more questions.

Now sufficiently scared out of his mind, the thug resorted to pointing a shaking finger at the church's general direction. "Thank you..." Viranti spoke as gratefully as he could, dropping the thug back down to his knees, he and his friends running with even more vigor than before, their assailant making his way for the church. He would arrive just several yards away from the place of worship, gazing bewilderingly at the odd, overly elaborate structure. Suppose this is the place...

Camp Castaway

@LiegeLord
"Really? That's good to hear," she said cheerfully. Either this was a truly good day for James, or the bar was set so amazingly low with everywhere else he's been that even a possibly mixed day like this was great by comparison. No matter the case, she was overjoyed that she could spend the day with him. Cecilia took a fair amount of personal pride in making it to the other side of the lake, although as she saw his face, she knew she could take all the credit. "Well no, I guess it kinda didn't for me either," she started, brushing a bit of her hair to the side and placing her oar on her lap also. "Honestly, I didn't know what to expect. But even if I did try and guess, I wouldn't have imagined anything quite like this, let alone all the amazing things I've seen," she reminisced fondly, despite everything.

Brave Frontier: A New Legacy [Started/Always Accepting]

I guess I have some catching up to do.

Camp Castaway

@LiegeLord
Cecilia blushed as well when he said he enjoyed spending time with her. It made her happy and actually a little excited for what lay ahead of them in the coming days. She noticed James slow his pace for her, she then easily coordinating her rows in response. Immediately, she could tell that the canoe was moving straight ahead once more. "Yes, yes it is. Thank you James," she said graciously, taking a moment to tug at her vest near her collar to let some hot air out. It was summer after all. She stole a moment or two to look behind her, seeing everyone do their best with their respective canoes. What stuck out to her was a pair of watery claws that appeared to hold the boat down for Kyle. As remarkable as it was, Cecilia knew she couldn't afford distractions at the moment and so resumed looking ahead. "James, did you imagine before coming here that your first day would be like this?" she asked curiously, feeling confident enough that she could afford a conversation and hoping James wouldn't mind the question.

Brave Frontier: A New Legacy [Started/Always Accepting]

Viranti

"What is this place?" the red dragonute muttered to himself, the village beyond the entrance of a kind he had not encountered in all his years. Its people especially seemed to be a mix of all kinds, not just the dragons and humans he was familiar with. This he could tell after just barely passing under the stone brick archway of an entrance in between merchant stands on either side along the adjacent walls. Viranti wandered near a set of kiosks and was soon subject to eager sellers, newly opened for the day and more than ready to do business.

"Greetings newcomer! Might I interest you for a lovely tunic?" offered a lively vendor holding said green article, their face brightening at the site of his abysmal rags.

"My, you are a big one, aren't you? And a warrior at that! Come and peruse my collection of blades, guaranteed freshly sharpened and more than capable of handling your needs!" called another salesman from a booth away.

Viranti was less than interested in any of their sales pitches and was getting more and more irritated at their exuberant presumptuousness. Still, the offers persisted as he made attempts to get information, but only receiving more spiels in return.

"Care for a sampling of perfume?" a female seller of fragrant oils charged with giving complimentary samples spoke to him from behind, he immediately turning but already not in the mood for any more foolishness.

"No, and for the last time, I need to know the location of the Orac- arrghh!" he winced as the lady sprayed him with a mist of lavender from a bottle she was holding. Viranti broke out in a fit of coughing, the fit itself keeping him from making the lady's first day on the job her last. "Why yooouu...!" he snarled, his voice muffled somewhat due to his left hand clenching his snout. His other hand rose to unsheathe his sword and would have surely put it to use if not for the intense sound of an explosion from high above another part of the village. Viranti, along with the gasping crowd around him, all gazed in unison at the violent spectacle until it dispersed into nothing.

Alright! Now we're getting somewhere! Viranti grinned, now with something to focus on instead of the burning floral scent in his nostrils. The young desert dragon traveled with renewed purpose straight for the tavern, running and then scaling to the rooftops of any establishment in his path. He may have received the occasional odd look by a villager who couldn't help but notice his swift moving shadow from overhead or the sounds associated with his jumping from one roof to another. But he couldn't care less at the moment.

What did however cause him pause, was the audible and immediately observable rips and tears of his prison rags, most notably a split in his shirt's left shoulder that grew worse with time, making good on its threat and riving apart as he landed on top of a tailor's shop with a view of the tavern in the distance and the diverse crowd at its entrance. Part of his chest exposed, Viranti sighed angrily, knowing at least that he couldn't continue like this, and so sought out a secluded space where he could change to his extra pair of clothes. He didn't have to search long as he spotted a wooden hatch to the shop's attic, not believing anyone would mind if he quickly made use of it.

Camp Castaway

@LiegeLord
"But you are doing well, James. Very well... Um... but it may help me a little if you could stick to a slower speed, a-at least at the beginning," Cecilia shyly requested, still eyeing his oar as an example for herself. The idea of her slowing them down would always loom over her on some level, but she was grateful to James for being so courteous to her. "And... thanks for letting me be your partner, James. I... hope we get to do things like this all throughout our time at camp," she said genuinely, smiling widely again. She found it remarkable that when they started their hike earlier, she didn't think she'd the end up with James for much of that event and then this one. She couldn't help but feel a little lucky.

The 20th Floor ~ Sword Art Online

Changed things a bit. I guess you already know where I'm going with this. Sorry if it doesn't make a lot of technical sense. I said I'd do this until the end of the arc, didn't I? :)

Camp Castaway

@LiegeLord
Cecilia began to focus more on her rowing after hearing James explain himself. Truthfully, Cecilia did appreciate what he was doing, although she may have had a little difficulty keeping track of his changes in speed. "It's okay, you're doing fine. I'm just still getting the hang of this. I'll try and keep up," she told him, not ready to tell him to change his approach just yet. Also, she recalled how she also had to keep into account the length of his strokes and try and match it. This was something that occurred to her when she noticed the canoe turning minutely to the right, her paddle making contact with the water for a second or so less than his. "S-sorry about this..." she apologized, making it a point to examine his paddle for a time while she tried to sync their rows together.

The 20th Floor ~ Sword Art Online

@Noodles
Right thanks. My head must have been somewhere else.

The 20th Floor ~ Sword Art Online

Sorry for the wait. I was wondering something actually. I know I should probably know this, but I wanted to be sure. Anyone can see anyone else's name so long as they're within close enough range, right? It kinda slipped my mind and if I'm wrong, I'd like to rewrite my post. Boy do I feel ridiculous. xp