Zapdos

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

Zell's answer was completely unhelpful to Adam and made him wonder if the swordsman cared about his friend at all. So confusing. Then James responded and it suddenly all made sense. Well, enough of it, at least. The two of them had done something dumb and MacKensie was mad at them for it. Considering the Fighter was involved, it might have something to do with that “unbanning” business. Finishing his meal, thanking Frederick and giving him the dishes, the Druid responded to the Cleric's information, taking a measured approach.

“I see. Well, I won’t bug you two about it.” Whether or not he would ask the Ranger about this was an open question. She could more than handle herself, so Adam figured he would just be there to be supportive if needed. Whatever that meant would depend on how things proceed. “Considering everything…”

The red-eyed man trailed off. He was going to add “you may have done more harm than you realize” but he reconsidered. If these two did in fact cause MacKensie to be unfairly maligned somehow, Adam knew in her eyes it would be a stain on her honor, and that of her family. The Druid could relate, despite living on a different continent and social class than the Ranger. In his small town, people still talked about things that happened decades before he was born. Reputations were built on honorable behavior and crushed by the opposite.

That all would be very wordy though, and risked creating unnecessary tensions at a time when there were bigger things to worry about. Like an invading army, for instance. So instead, Adam skipped that part and finished his sentence with “if you both make things right, that's good.” Zell's approach to the situation seemed dumb to the fisherman, but he trusted James to get things patched up.

Now, what was he going to ask their group leader? Whatever idea it was, it was gone now. Maybe it would reappear sometime. Oh well, better to be honest. “I forgot what I was going to ask, sorry. I should probably get that letter sent though.”

Leaving the money for the meal on the table, Adam said his goodbyes to both teammates and proceeded to the Guildhouse. Trying to remember what he was going to ask, the Druid completely missed a certain French woman walking in the opposite direction. He did, however, see Lucy Bottrill talking to a bartender he did not know.

The fisherman walked up to them and when there was a pause in the conversation, he proceeded to ask the question he didn't forget. 

“Excuse me Lucy, could you please show me how to send a message using the Source Mail? I'd like to send something to my friend Glee and I've only used it to view the one from yesterday. Of course, if you're busy now, I can come back later.”

Adam mentally cringed as he remembered what he was going to ask. Of course it would pop back up in his mind when he was talking about the Emperor's message. This was something for the team leader to decide, though. 

The Druid was just contacting someone he cared about.

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

"So Adam, how did your last Ascension go? Got anything fancy? since my last one I got some new spells"

James Sirius

The food and conversation was pleasant. James asking about the Ascension made sense, though Adam hadn't really thought about it. Searching his mind, he was able to respond completely. 

“No new spells, though I feel like my Druid “senses” are heightened, if that makes any sense. Like, take that painting,” he said, pointing to a cityscape of Valheim nearby reminiscent of Vincent Van Gogh's The Starry Night. “The frame is made of maple and the paint itself is derived from at least ten different types of seeds. Dunno how practical that'll be in combat though. I did get something else useful, at least.”

After searching through his bag, the Druid pulled out a certain wand and showed it to the Cleric. “The mustached guy - George, not the gnome - gave it to me. It has a wind blast spell, but only a limited amount before it has to be ‘recharged.’ If we ever see Lillianna again, I plan on giving it to her. How about you, what are your new spells?”

Listening to James as Zell joined them, Adam was grateful for the peace in the days before conflict would erupt. It felt like it was inevitable that he would be fighting once more, so the fisherman appreciated these moments more as a result. When Zell asked James about teaching him stuff, the Druid nodded. After the Cleric agreed, the non-weapon user indicated his agreement. “Good idea. I learned stuff from a few people and I'm not sure we would have made it this far without them.” An idea occurred to him, just now. “Actually, I should go to the Guildhouse and try that ‘source mail’ thing to send a message to one of them.” And another one. “James, do you think-”

Speaking of things he was grateful for, MacKensie Trydant was very high on that list, and she briefly appeared to say hi and bye to everyone (and he responded similarly, of course). It was strange, though. The Ranger was her usual radiant and cheery self around him, but harsh to the other two members of Second Chance.

“Huh, MacKensie seems upset. Would either of you know why?” 

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

“You mean a lot to me too, Adam.”

Those words had made the man think he was blushing even more in that moment than he was. That and her smile made him over the moon. Such a shame that it couldn't have been in the context of a more positive story about his family. At least it seemed to help MacKensie though, and that was the whole point. She saw the battle for what it was, and thought that Second Chance would also. This was a nice thought. The Druid would fight that army alone if he had to, but he did not want to. Combat was not thrilling to him; it was a means to help people.

The following hug and the subsequent chatter between Adam and the Ranger brought his mind at ease, or something resembling that at least. If nothing else, he felt that MacKensie would be there for him, whether as a friend or something more. Would it be appropriate to ask someone out before an invasion, he wondered. Though he was not new to being in a relationship, the red-eyed man had never asked anyone out before. This was new territory for him, and in a new world to boot! Even if she said no though, he knew he would do his best to repay her kindness.

-----

The next morning started with a shower and clean clothes, followed by the return of his orb along with a short letter simply thanking the team. Not much help, but it didn't phase Adam much. Some instinctual, Druid part of his mind told him this item was uniquely his and its function was something he would have to find out on his own. This aspect of the man would have surprised him earlier in his time in Mytheria, had it been more apparent. Now though, it was becoming second nature - pun not intended. The wood the Mended Drum was built with is oak, he had observed last night when he walked into the place. Was it an Ascension, time spent in the class, or maybe something else entirely? 

There would be time to think about it later though. Right now, Adam was thinking about breakfast, and he saw the team's Cleric and leader ordering something. With that in mind, the Druid sat down and politely ordered whatever he was having, then turned to James and spoke to him.

“Good morning! How are you?”

It was a standard thing to ask, of course, though in this case they had received a not-so-standard letter yesterday. Therefore, the state of his healer friend and everyone else on the team was an important thing to enquire about.

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

@EnduMakyr welcome to Roleplayerguild.com - like Zool said, our GM will probably contact you as soon as he can.

@Loksfjoer sorry you've been so busy, I know how that is. I look forward to your post!

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

My Hider

Since at least my collab with Crusader Lord, I had been thinking about Adam's extended family in the back of my mind. At some point, the idea that he had a relative take their own life took shape, and that it would influence Adam's thinking some time (indirectly through his father). Zool's most recent post made me think David's life in the army would be a good contrast to the war in Mytheria and the actions of Second Chance, and it seemed like an interesting aspect of Adam's family to pursue.

Just wanted to share that, I suppose.

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

What a puzzling development. Even the woman who was banned didn't know why? There was no way she was lying, so the Druid would have to ask her about it again later.

-----

So many questions. So much pain. Adam could hear it in her voice, even if MacKensie hadn't been blatantly asking him about it. He knew he would do his best to relieve her of those feelings.

“My heart is telling me a lot of things, including a reminder of some personal family history.” He glanced at Lucy; sure, she didn't seem like she was eavesdropping, but why risk anything? She seemed like a decent person, though for all he knew, the elf could have been subtly listening in on them the entire time. “We should discuss everything in a more private location.”

Guiding the Ranger to a bench in a quiet back alley near the Guild hall, the Druid motioned for her to sit down next to him. Once she did so, he looked into those beautiful blue eyes and spoke from the heart. “First, you are a wonderful person. You aren't killing for the fun of it, it's to help people. Hommas and Cherrad's citizens are alive in part because of that. And me personally, I'm not sure I would have made it this far without you. You mean a lot to me.” After the last part, Adam's cheeks turned a bright shade of red, as if he just realized that this might have been more forward than he intended. This isn't about you, tone it down, Adam.

“Anyway, that history.” The man sighed, then turned himself towards the front, staring into the distance as he told MacKensie everything. “My Uncle David was a great man. Honest, intelligent, could lighten up the mood anywhere. He wanted to serve his country, so he joined the army when he was 18.”

The sadness in Adam's voice was palpable. “He came back a completely different man. Just abrasive all around, to say the least. I'll spare you the gruesome imagery, but he saw atrocities overseas. Horrible things, caused major PTSD. And a year after he came home, he took his own life. Of course, this was all before I was born - my father was 13 at the time. I just can't imagine…”

The red-eyed man drifted off for a moment before resuming his focus, this time looking at his blond friend once more with conviction in his voice. “The point being, I think that this - our part in this war in Mytheria - isn't like that. Whatever the political stuff is that's going on here, we aren't bad people doing bad things. I don't enjoy killing people. And if the Emperor or whoever tries to get us to do evil things, we have the power to say no. This is going to sound super conceited, but we are special here, I think. The way Barracker spoke of us, and what Glee has told me, convince me of this. That means we have some latitude here. Whatever we were brought here for, we can choose our own path.”

Everything Adam said was true, yes. It was good to lead with that, because the next part might be tougher to accept. “That being said, I think the hacked letter is at least highly suspicious, and probably an attempt to kill us. Melina could have sent her own message with the source mail, or had Zigmund give us a letter instead of attacking us. Lillianna knew of the danger we were in and where it came from, and I trust her. Personally, I plan on defending this city, even if it kills me. I don't know everything here. I just know that if I do nothing, innocent people will die, and I couldn't live with myself that way. Then maybe I can go to Capital City and get some answers about all this. If the team feels differently, that's understandable. This is just what my heart is telling me to do.”

Adam smiled at MacKensie, then concluded with “and whatever does happen, I know you'll be okay.”

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

@Teyao that sounds rough, sorry you're going through that.

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

Sorry for the delays, heat broke our electrical transformer, been without since a couple hours ago

@Teyao

I hope you get power back soon!

You are due a string of good fortune, @Teyao, if there's any justice in this world.

@Zool

True! Hint hint @xenon nudge your dice rolls accordingly lol

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

@Zool no kidding!

I figured the best route was to have Adam's reaction mostly internalized, so that everyone else can have a chance to write out their reactions without too much influence from me.

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

James had communicated the important part; he had intelligence that could change the course of this siege. Even if they did nothing else as a team (and that was incredibly unlikely), this would be something of great value. And it seemed that the officials in the meeting were taking Second Chance seriously, offering some sort of “alarm receiver” for each of them. Adam grabbed one, placing it in his bag for future use. Neither of these things, however, meant as much to the Druid personally as Barracker vouching for the group. The red-eyed man smiled at the vampire, nodding once as a silent way of thanking him for his words.

Much less certain than those feelings was a mystery brought up by a request; one to borrow any equipment Second Chance had shown up with. Adam at first thought he didn't have any, but then he remembered it. A certain orb, one that contained a rainbow-colored leaf inside. Yeah, figuring out what that did was probably important. Taking a moment, the Druid could not think of anyone else on the team who didn't know how their equipment functioned. So with that in mind, he left the mystery item with the officials from Valheim.

-----

And one mystery appeared soon after the other was left behind; MacKensie had been barred from the Guildhouse? Adam was incredibly confused. Sure, Zell being banned made sense. He was the one who almost fell off the tree-bridge because he decided to walk to the edge of it. The ever-proper Ranger, though? No explanation, or even anything remotely close to one, appeared in the Druid's mind. There was only one way to solve this.

“If you don't mind me asking, how did you get banned?” Adam's question was delivered quietly, with the skepticism in his mind apparent on his face. And he would listen to MacKensie's answer, taking all the time that was needed in spite of his curiosity about the source mail message. He knew she was as curious (if not more so) than he was though, so the Druid would not linger on the subject.

-----

The reward for Second Chance's mission was welcome, but not the focus of Adam's attention right now. It was the much-anticipated message, the one that caused the team to fight a Wraith in the first place, that the Druid was looking forward to. 

A million questions seemed to flood into Adam's mind, all at once. At least one of them would require talking to MacKensie about. Though in the end, the primary emotion he felt was disappointment. New information, sure, but not the kind the red-eyed man had been hoping for. Like his brother might say, the group had been “haxored.” And the promise of a return home from the Rightful Empress? Highly suspect at best, and most likely a trap to kill them. If she had benevolent intentions, why not send her own message via source mail instead of hijacking the one of this other Emperor? And why send Zigmund in the first place? Even if it was necessary, instead of attacking with a water blade, he could have just given the group a letter and safe passage. 

Absent-mindedly, Adam found himself holding onto the wand he planned on giving Lillianna. Wherever she was now, the mage was still part of Second Chance, and she knew of the danger facing the team - and where it came from. Trust forged from conversation on a rooftop and literal self-sacrifice in the Mazy Hillocks informed the Druid's decision. He would not go east, he would stay in Valheim and defend it from whatever forces the Witch Queen sent after the city.

However, he said none of this.

Adam knew the feeling of having hope pulled away. The momentary hope that yes, we can go home yanked away and replaced with the reality that no, this is just a trick. And the Druid knew that whatever the Ranger was feeling, it had to be more intense than what he was going through. The way she spoke of her family reminded him of his. Even if a fancy life in Paris was far and away different from growing up in rural Michigan, the fondness was the same. Therefore, he asked her another question, this time not out of confusion, but a desire to be there for someone he cared about.

“That message…it was really something, wasn't it?”

And, if necessary, break the news to her gently.