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Post by Hitotsumami on Jun 1, 2013 21:28:38 GMT -5
There are legends and civilizations that have been lost to time, forever forgotten, forever lost. Records of ancient civilizations that have been buried by the earth, destroyed by nature, or decimated by man itself.
However, there are some civilizations that have survived the test of time, ones that have managed to sliver through the seams in history and still stand to this day, however, they remain separated from the rest of the world, making them living history. One civilization in particular is still thriving in their frozen wasteland. They are a stationary people, but a highly religious one, and the god they pray to is the only thing keeping them alive and the rest of the world from destruction.
Now, however, there is a disturbance in the balance of these forgotten people. A man and his companions approach this place and wreak havoc, for he wants to control their god, to become it.
This is only one chapter in the history of a famous guild, but an important one and one that will shift their future forever. The scene is the Renascence Guild. Here, the Guild Master, Elrond, lay in bed, still in a coma that has lasted for over two weeks. Taken care of by his fellow Guild mates, it is still a mystery why he suddenly fainted and why he still hasn't woken up. His conditions seem to only worsen by the day. However, there is another emergency in a land far away that the Guild Members will soon learn of, one that may be dangerous, but one they'll need if they wish the Guild to continue. While Elrond stay resting in the Guild Master's room, a mage was running up to the Guild. Anyone outside or looking that way would notice her clothing had been ripped and tattered and blood was splattered across her. In addition, she was limping quite badly. She collapsed at the front door on the Guild, on the porch, and banged both her fists against it, yelling at the top of her lungs. "Anyone! Please, I need your help! Hurry!"But who was the girl? Upon closer inspection, the others would realize she was Sarah, the mage from the Atrum Guild located in the same town, the exact Guild that tried to exterminate them the day they formed.
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Post by CJ on Jun 2, 2013 22:20:44 GMT -5
"SHAKE RATTLE!"
Snake, the incredibly slender woman that served as one of Qi's summons, brought out two rattles and shook them furiously. The sound shook the whole room in intense sound, making even Qi squeak as she brought her hands to her ears.
The two had been doing this once every day since Elrond slipped into his coma. The technique woke up and startled mages with power lesser than Qi's. Unfortunately, Elrond was most definitely more powerful than the summoner.
Still, she felt she had to try.
"I'm so sorry, Master," Snake said, lowering her rattles and frowning as Qi knelt beside the bed. She moved some of Elrond's hair out of her face and sighed.
"Don't worry; it's not your fault," the summoner said. She turned around and smiled sadly.
Qi sighed again and paced about the room. She tried not to rely on her cane too much but ended up using it anyway. It had since been glued and fixed enough to be useable She looked back at Snake, who almost hit the ceiling due to her ridiculous height.
"So how is Jan- er, Monkey?" she corrected herself.
"He is like this one," Snake responded solemnly, looking down at Elrond. "That is, he is constantly sleeping. He has not woken up since you sent him to our world. We haven't been able to get him to talk about his experience. It would be useful to know what happened a hundred years ago in case his former master ever tried to do the same thing to any of the rest of us. All we know now is that one day, he simply disappeared. We're glad to have him back but it's been frustrating."
Qi frowned and looked away, remembering how quickly John left after the confrontation with Janus/Monkey. She felt embarrassed over the whole thing, especially when it came to Alden. Yeah, she eventually sent Janus to the Celestial Realm but that would have never happened had Alden not literally picked her up and carried her to him. She was terribly weak.
"Excuse me, Master," Snake said sadly, noting Qi's silence. "I should have known you shouldn't be more than somewhat interested in our insignificant dilemma."
"No, no. It's alright. It's just... a lot is going on."
The two paused, hearing the commotion going on by the front door.
"Master," Snake said cautiously.
"Snake, go to the main room," Qi said nervously. "I'll stay here with Elrond just in case."
"Yes, Master."
---
Snake ran into the room, likely after another guild member had opened the door. She put her hand up to her mouth, surprised at the girl's injuries.
"What happened?" she asked.
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Post by Shark a' Pult on Jun 3, 2013 4:48:27 GMT -5
Since Snake can't open doors, it was Alden then who happened to find her first. In the time since Elrond's collapse, the guild was no great beacon of activity. It seemed a few of the people who had joined at first didn't really hang around too long, bringing the already low number even lower. On top of that, with the guild master out of commission, jobs were not really a focus at the time. None of these things Alden really minded all that much though; less mages was always a good thing, and less jobs meant more time to work.
On what? Well that, probably had something to do with all his time spent up in the clock tower of the building, clanking and hammering away at this and that. When he wasn't up there busy with who knows what, he was busy headed back and forth to the lower and ground floors, taxiing tools and various mechanical parts. In this particular instance though, he heard a banging at the front door while carrying a box of wrenches and other simple tools. Moving to the door, he set it down and went to draw his sword as he opened the door, not about to just let his guard down after past events here at the guild.
What he found though, he wasn't exactly sure how to deal with, and was at least somewhat glad that the summoned spirit had arrived on the scene.
"What happened?"
"Not sure, just found her like this, looks pretty bad. See if anyone else is around to lend a hand, we might need it."
Turning his attention back to the new arrival, he dropped to a knee, and went to put his hand on her in an attempt to get her to calm down or at least speak coherently.
"Hey. Whatever did this to you, did it follow you?"
Before he was about to just stick his neck out for this stranger and otherwise help her, or even bring her inside, he wanted to make sure they were safe. That she wasn't followed.
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Post by Hitotsumami on Jun 3, 2013 9:30:48 GMT -5
Sarah, still somewhat out of it, smiled as someone opened the door. She saw a woman she didn't recognize, and then she saw Alden. He kneeled down to her and offered help and her brow furrowed in confusion.
Did Alden not remember her? I mean, it had been a few weeks, but even she remembered his face. Curiously, she snuck a hand behind her back, placed her index finger and thumb together, and very lightly pulled something invisible. She felt a stress as she pulled, and she knew that the invisible string she had attached to Alden had remained attached to his leg all this time, and it was there now.
But she couldn't focus on that now. There were more important matters.
"No, they're not following me anymore," she said, exasperated. She managed to stand, but barely. One could clearly see she was really beat up. "But it won't be long before they come here. My guild, it disbanded just the other day. My Guild Master and one of the S-Mages killed almost everyone and then left. But I survived, and I heard where they're going."
Sarah stumbled forward and would have fallen if she didn't catch Alden on the shoulders, if he hadn't moved out of the way. "Please. Let me in. I need to rest."
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Post by CJ on Jun 3, 2013 15:11:06 GMT -5
Snake took a few long steps forward and leaned down to look over her. Her long neck craned to get a better look at her, as tall as she was. Her emerald eyes were bright and deadly, reminiscent of poison. She might have even frightened Alden.
"Why did you come here?" she asked cautiously. "Why didn't you see a doctor? I can't speak for Renascence but, while I'm sure they'd be able to help you, you shouldn't rely on them for medical help.
"I'm guessing you need protection. Otherwise you wouldn't have sought here first."
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Post by Shark a' Pult on Jun 3, 2013 16:24:50 GMT -5
Alden did in fact, not move, allowing Sarah to catch him on the shoulders. He could tell she was pretty low however, so he didn't subject her to walking or just dragging her the way, so he went to pick her up instead.
"Let's see if we can't find somewhere for you to rest then. As big as this place is, I bet we can find a decent room."
His intent was just to carry her to the nearest spare room, that was actually furnished with at least a bed. Better than just throwing her on a table in the main hall, but he also wasn't about to just carry her into the room where the guild master was. For all that this was, a trap was entirely possible, and he was not about to let a separate guild member into where the master was unconscious.
"Might be that a doctor isn't safe. They know this town better than we do, if she went to a doctor in town, they might just be able to find her again. Least here, we could probably hide her, or at least try and hold off..."
After kicking the door closed with his foot, Alden answered Snake before heading off to find a place for Sarah. Who "they" were, well obviously whomever was still after Sarah. Based on what little information she had given him, it sounded like she was still in danger. Chances were, if she simply sought a doctor in town, they wouldn't just stop because she sought medical attention. It was unlikely as well that some doctor in town could defend her against actual attacking mages, but at least here they might not even think to look in the first place.
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Post by Kuro on Jun 5, 2013 20:19:44 GMT -5
"Wait wait wait wait, wait for me! I'm not ready, not ready!"
When he heard the knocking on the door, he wanted to go down and greet the visitor with all of his circus-bred hospitality and flair. However, he had not even woken up from his nap yet and wasn't wearing any of his clown-apparel, not even the mask. When the sounds had began, he had jumped out of bed and rushed to get all of his stuff on, determined to make sure that he was the first one any potential new guild members would see. After all, who doesn't love clowns?!
When the commotion got near his room, he burst out through the door behind the group with a frantic tone in his voice. "Wait wait wait, I want to see the new guy!" He still wasn't properly dressed, not wearing the colorful top-half of his outfit. Even his hair wasn't properly braided up and adorned with bells; it was just a big, blonde, shaggy mess. His lean, pale chest and arms were clear for all to see, as he only had on his smiling mask and his huge, poofy pants, which he had to keep holding up so that they wouldn't just fall to the floor.
"What's happening, what's happening? Where's the show, what's the show, why's the show? Oh wow, she looks really hurt! She must have worked super-hard to get that level of pain. Do we even have a doctor? Hey, maybe I can conjure up a doctor from my trusty old hammer! All I would need to do is kidnap a doctor, stuff him in there, and then I can take him out for the audience member to see, eh? Would that be a good introduction to today's show?"
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Post by Hitotsumami on Jun 6, 2013 12:33:30 GMT -5
Sarah had been placed on a bed in an unoccupied room. All that was there was the bed with a few old sheets and an empty dresser set crooked in the corner. A window sat above the bed, shining in the morning light.
For the next few minutes, while Dofun showed up and asked what was going on and any other mages in the Guild who grew interested showed up, Sarah was silent, her eyes closed.
Then, however, she jolted up, her face pouring with sweat. She took a few deep breaths, looking about the room as if there was a hidden evil, then looked towards the mages that surrounded her bed. That being Alden and Dofun, along with Snake.
She then lurched over, clenching her stomach and moaning in pain. In clenched teeth, she said, "You have to listen carefully. Your Guild is in danger. Every Guild is in danger. My guild master's name is Cruckus and he has with him one of the most dangerous mages in the world, Atrum. Together, they're going north, to a forgotten frozen land. There they plan to take control of a terrible magic and destroy all other Guilds, this one included. You will not be safe, no mage will be safe."
She violently coughed, tilting her body over to one side. "Please. If you head north, in a few days time you'll come to a huge mountain range. It may seem impassable, but there is a hidden valley. Go there and you will find them. You must stop them before they reach that ancient city and take control of their magic. You must or else--!"
Suddenly Sarah fell backwards, thrashing around on the bed as if she were having a seizure. Then a spiked pillar of ice erupted out of her stomach, constantly growing in rapid speed. It pierced through the ceiling, through the second floor, and even broke through the clock tower before blasting through the roof. This central ice spike then shot out many more similar spikes horizontally, each one piercing the Guild. Once these mini spikes pierced the guild, the surrounding parts of the buildings began to glow blue before being frozen solid.
At no point did it seem to be slowing. At the rate the ice was taking over, it would consume the entire guild in less than half an hour.
From the view point of the mages, they could choose to fight back the ice, but if they would be victorious was unknown and unlikely. The best choice might be to run, to escape the Guild before they were frozen as well.
And if they went to the Guild Master's room to fetch Elrond, they'd find him missing, gone with no trace.
---
Standing outside the Guild on the old dirt path that lead up to it was a man. He wore a red cape, thick boots, striking red hair spiked in the back, and a steel chestplate. At his side was a deep red sword and any person approaching could feel the heat irradiating from it.
He watched as the ice began spreading across the Guild. "How many will survive that," he muttered to himself. "Lets see who escapes with their life. And then we will leave, for a kingdom is in danger."
---
In the far distance, Astral Lance was putting out a fire from his camp. It had been a few days since he visited Renascence, and he was on his way back to the Magical Council. But even from his distance he could see the ice spike in the sky.
"What the hell is that," he said. Pony Love, if she was still around, would have also seen it. If she was there, he told her to stay at the camp or continue on to the Magical Council without him as he dashed into the surrounding forest.
As quickly as he could he ran. But even with his lightning fast speed, Astral Lance still took over an hour to reach an ancient cave. As he approached the cave he looked inside it to see huge spiking crystals which glowed blue. Further in, the crystals would grow plentiful and create light. This was the place his life changed.
This was the place Asmoday once dwelt.
But it was also the meeting place. He hoped that man would show up because every minute was crucial.
"Where are you, Pollux?"
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Post by CJ on Jun 6, 2013 22:23:52 GMT -5
Qi collapsed outside the guild as it slowly became covered in ice. Carried by Snake in the turmoil due to her disability, she couldn't do anything to assist the other guild members.
"Something like this has happened before!" she screamed, holding her head. "No, what am I talking about. It can't be. The last thing anything like this happened was a hundred years ago."
She looked around, realizing something.
"Elrond. Oh, Elrond. He disappeared! I was watching him in his room but when the ice covered the walls, he vanished. What if he was swallowed by the cold! It's all my fault!"
Qi sobbed as she knelt on the ground. Snake embraced her without saying a word. The summon seemed incredibly distraught about the whole situation, especially over seeing Sarah's violent death.
---
A man in a flowing blue coat entered from the shadows. It seemed he had been there the entire time. A layer of thin ice partly caked his hair, face and hands. His skin was so pale from the cold, it was hard to tell if he was completely human.
"Hey," Pollux said, as though he had recently just seen Lance. In reality, he had been gone for an incredibly long time. Unlike Lance, who actually did something to influence this new world they were forced into, he kept to himself. Who knows what the mage did in his spare time?
He looked tiredly at the largest crystal structure.
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Post by Shark a' Pult on Jun 8, 2013 17:19:30 GMT -5
Once it looked like the explosion of ice issuing forth from Sarah would expand to encompass the entire building, Alden let no time go to waste. Immediately he bolted for the top floor, climbing up the flights of stairs while trying to avoid the pillars of ice that were tearing their way upwards through the building. He had been through a slew of dangerous and difficult situations in the guild thus far, and quite frankly he was tired of it. He was going to get all his stuff this time around, before they set out.
That, and he wasn't going to just leave his things to get encased in ice.
---
After awhile, the ice would probably have engulfed most of the building, great spikes protruding out from every which way. There was a shatter though from far above, and it wasn't caused by the ice. Alden could be seen smashing out through one of the windows a ways up the clock tower, holding onto a bag as he went. Sliding the way down and hitting the roof, he rolled off in a tumble and landed on the ground outside on his hands and knees, a large amount of glass falling about him. The bag came after him, and he grabbed it and his helmet as he stood up, slinging the bag over his shoulder and slapping the helmet on his head. Giving one last look to the guild building, he turned to face the others.
"Looks like we're headed north, looking for that hidden valley."
Assumedly he had missed what the others had said or been talking about, as he arrived late on the scene, having fled the guild building. He remembered what Sarah said though, so there seemed to be little choice other than to see what was the cause of this whole situation.
"We don't all have to go though, if anyone wants to stay here and mind the guild. Other people might show up looking for help, if that other place was taken out, so it might be good to have someone stay in town and keep an eye on things."
He wasn't really speaking to anyone in particular at this last part, though seeing Qi and how she was, was what made him bring it up. He knew people dealt with things differently, and he wasn't about to force anyone on some sort of journey northwards if they weren't up for it. Of course he didn't mind if they came along, but from what he understood, time was of the essence.
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Post by Kuro on Jun 8, 2013 21:59:13 GMT -5
At the sound of Qi's sobbing, Dofun sat down next to the girl and joined Snake in hugging her. Along with a few pat on the backs to comfort her, Dofun attempted to say some helpful words to the poor distressed one, his voice not nearly as energetic as it usually was.
"Hey now, don't worry, don't worry, don't worry. Elrond's our big, bad guild master, isn't he? He's got that cool magic, the really strong one. He couldn't have just died so easily. Plus, like you said, you didn't see him. He couldn't have been swallowed up by anything; he must have already left, maybe teleported somewhere. Just know that he's safe, okay? You have to believe that he's safe, that's all that matters now. He's safe...and we're going to find him. He's our guild master, after all."
Still hugging Qi, Dofun looked up to Alden, his smiling mask hiding any somber emotions.
"I'm going with you. I can definitely help. After all, I am Dofun Gofundo, the best clown that ever was. If I see a frown on one of my guildmember's faces, well, then I will do whatever I must to turn it upside-down, right Qi? I will make sure you smile so much from this journey that it will counteract all of that sad that you're feeling right now, and its okay to feel sad right now. Just know that it will be better, okay?"
He let go of Qi and stood up, one hand on his chest and the other pointing forwards. "In the name of happiness and cheer, the Renascence guild will succeed!"
And with no hands holding them up, his pants fell down. He had not had enough time to pick up his things, so all he had was his hammer, mask, and pants. He was barefoot and his unbraided hair was all over the place. After a few moments of not realizing what had happened, he pulled up his pants with a quiet "Excuse me."
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Post by Hitotsumami on Jun 9, 2013 9:33:24 GMT -5
While the few mages stood outside their frozen guild, the man who had been watching from outside approached them. He gave a small bow and smile, his eyes resting on one of the mages before moving on to the other.
"So, just this few managed to escape? Or is this all there is to this Guild? Ah, it matters not. Let me introduce myself, please."
He bowed, then stood up straight, resting his palm on the hilt of his blade. "My name is Samson, and I come from a far away land. Once part of a fantastic Guild, I am the only one left now. I haven't worked these old muscles in a long time, but I can tell there is danger. Let me tell you something."
Samson took a few steps over to the Guild and looked up at it. Slowly, but steadily, more of it was getting covered in ice.
"I knew this Guild a long time ago when it was called Fable. Though there seems to be new mages in it, it hasn't changed that much at all. Fable was a powerful and interesting Guild, and I'd hate to see it fall like this."
He then turned back to the group of mages. "I know where the pass in the snowy mountains is. I know where that ancient city is. Come with me, and I will help you there."
---
Astral Lance sighed in relief as he saw Pollux appear. Pointing up at the ice structure in the far distance, he hoped Pollux would get it right away.
"It's just like before," muttered Astral Lance. "100 years ago when we were fighting alongside Fable against... it... we vanished. But the magical signal and the magical strength, it's identical!"
Astral Lance was silent a moment, then continued. "I know it's not my style, but maybe we should check it out. It was a day that changed everything. If it's going to happen again then maybe we should at least check it out from a distance. What do you say, Pollux?"
He gave a quick look back towards the crystal cave. Of course, he was still looking out for someone else. Someone more important than Pollux or even himself. Though he hadn't yet found that person, he was still on the search.
Asmoday must be alive, in some form, somewhere.
But for now, he had to concentrate on the present. An old threat had appeared.
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Post by CJ on Jun 9, 2013 19:25:34 GMT -5
Qi's eyes opened when Dofun embraced her and Snake. She looked up and stopped crying. Despite her summon looking a little weirded out by the clown, Qi seemed completely comfortable with him.
"You're likely right," she said, wiping a tear from her eye. "He is wonderful. He's been fighting this coma for so long, maybe he was strong enough to escape in his sleep."
Now she was being ridiculous. But there was something odd about her story. Why didn't she see Elrond leave or become consumed by the ice?
Though she was comforted by Dofun before, she shook her head at the notion of going on the journey with them.
"I shouldn't go with you," she muttered with her head held low.
Snake placed her hands over Qi's eyes as Dofun's pants fell down. When her eyes were opened again, the small woman first saw Samson. The summoner was very confused by his sudden appearance.
"You knew Joan," she said quietly, wondering how he could have known Fable in the first place.
Leaning on her staff, she pulled herself up shakily. Snake stuck right by her.
"You guys go. I'll stay here. Alden is right. Someone has to watch the guild. With Horse, I could protect it from weaker predators. After all, I'm too weak to go along with you guys. I'll only get in the way. Last time I went on a mission, Alden had to carry me all the way back. I can't do that again."
Despite what she said, she really did seem to want to go with them.
"Though why would you guys leave, especially to a place like that? What happened in the guild? What's going on here?"
Snake bit her lip, looking toward the others. Should they really tell Qi about the horrible sight that were Sarah's last moments especially when she was so emotionally wrecked?
---
Pollux wiped some ice from his face. As he though, more ice crept in and covered his cheek.
"That time... we were transported to this new time and I lost the last remainder of my family. I hate to admit it, but it will be no easy task to confront that again."
Placing his staff on the ground, he leaned back onto a wall and crossed his arms.
"Still, I suppose you're right. We should go. It's no use to dwell on the past. The only thing history is good for is to secure our future."
Looking back at Astral Lance, Pollux seemed strangely apathetic, even more so than usual.
"Have you ever wondered what happened to her?" he asked with a sigh. "Asmoday, I mean. And the rest of them? I can't imagine my brother was able to use that spell on all of us."
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Post by Shark a' Pult on Jun 13, 2013 3:29:57 GMT -5
"What, is there anyone who doesn't know about this Guild a hundred years ago, or who wasn't a part of it?"
Alden was not sure he liked the idea of the clown tagging along, partly because he didn't know the fellow all that well, but mostly because he dropped his pants. If there could be expected to be more antics like this, then he could guess that he wouldn't like this journey. That said, he'd at least give him a chance to see what happened first, being that they were in the same guild now.
"Though why would you guys leave, especially to a place like that? What happened in the guild? What's going on here?"
"Do we really have much else a choice? That girl we brought in... she was the cause of this, at least indirectly, but she said the way to fix it all was to go to that place. It's all we have to go on, and unless someone can come up with a better plan, I think we should go with it."
Qi raised a good point, why should they go off on some wild chase, to a place that may not even exist and was surely a trap? That said, what else could they do? The guild had been overrun, the guild master spirited away, and now apparently Atrum had also disbanded? What they had to go on, was cryptic for sure, but it beat the alternative; waiting in town at one of the inns until things sorted themselves out. Alden didn't care that the aggressors were trying to harness the power of some ancient civilization to wipe out all the guilds. In fact, he was a bit annoyed that they were closer to eliminating all the magic users than he was.
But in the process, they had attacked the guild he now found himself a part of, and as well now called his home for at least the time being. Until his friend arrived, it was his duty to make sure the place was functional, otherwise she wouldn't be able to locate him. Thus, he was intent on getting to the bottom of all this.
"What I really want to know," Alden turned to the older fellow whom arrived on the scene at this part "is how you knew what she said, or at least know exactly how to solve our problem here? You sure seem to know a lot about it for a stranger, a stranger who only just arrived no less. Even if you knew this Guild in the past, as apparently everyone does now, that doesn't make you not suspicious..."
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Post by Kuro on Jun 13, 2013 23:46:03 GMT -5
"Ooh! Ooh! I didn't know about the old guild! I wasn't a part of it! Do I get a cookie? Do I get twoooooooooo cookies?! Oh, but hello there! Welcome to the show, as of now you have the best seats in the house! Of course you can come with us! All questions and suspicions can be negotiated on the way to our destination, right Alden? After all, its not like we're losing time or anything in our quest to stop someone from killing off all the guilds or anything, nooooooope!"
Alden was bouncing around now, holding up his pants as he did so, not a tinge of sarcasm in his high-pitched voice. The newcomer's entrance and knowledge didn't seem odd or unsettling to him at all; if anything, Qi's ideas on staying at the guild got more interest from the clown. "And Qi, thank you so much for staying. It is the smart idea, as you said! Smart girl you are. Very smart. It's such a shame you can't come and have adventures with us, but don't worry! I'm sure that by the time we get back you'll have had a little story of your own to tell us, right?
We do kinda have to go to the ice place, though. At least, i'm assuming its an ice place what with the ice and all. Ice. Ice. Iiiiiiiiiiiiiccccceeeeeeee. Like Alden says, what choice do we have? I mean, staying here is a nice, fine choice, but it doesn't feel quite as well as going into dangerous, unknown lands to fix up our guild! I don't see any other way of getting rid of that." He pointed his thumb back at whatever frosty terror had enveloped their guild.
"Don't worry, Qi! We'll be back before you know it! Isn't that right, Alden and Samson, my two tentfellows in this travelling circus jamboree?"
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