Card StatsVignette
Want to Repay My Debt (Part One)
Courtyard
 |
Uuugh, this can't be happening. Why's the tournament gotta be broadcast on TV? Just THINKING about having cameras pointed at my face has me shaking in my +10 Boots of Shut-In. What to do? Think, Idia, think... It's 7PM, so the school store should still be open. Eureka! I'll buy a welding helmet and use it to hide my face tomorrow! |
SFX |
*rustle* *rustle* |
|
Whoa! D-did something just move— |
 |
Halt! Who's there? Identify yourself at once! |
|
Eek! I-I'm not suspicious, I swear! I-I'm Idia Shroud from Ignihyde! So p-put down that baton! |
|
Oh, Idia. Then you are not a suspect. |
|
Y-you're the sus one here, jumping out of a bush and waving around a baton... |
|
What are you doing wandering around at this hour? Students should be having supper in their dorm around now. |
|
I was on my way to buy a welding helmet. |
|
For some sort of engineering experiment? |
|
Urk... H-hey, as long as we're playing twenty questions here, what are YOU doing walking around in your ceremonial robes? |
|
Because these are most suitable for blending in at dusk. It's a little hard to move around in them, but circumstances prevent me from accessing my dorm uniform at present. |
|
What? Why're you going all stealth mode? Are you some kind of ninja? |
|
What is a ninja? |
|
Warriors who hide in the shadows and gather intel or undertake dirty jobs. It's said they live in a far eastern country. Surely you've heard of shuriken? Or a good ol' fireball jutsu? Ninja show up a bunch in anime. And in games, they're always the job that rivals the samurai! |
|
I think that's the most I've ever heard you speak, Idia. |
|
Oh... Sorry, I was kinda nerding out. |
|
I understand now what you're talking about, but unfortunately, I'm not one of these ninja. |
|
Something about the ultra-serious way you just shot me down makes me wanna crawl into a hole. Anyway, you didn't answer my question. Why're you wandering around under cover of night? |
|
The school will be receiving many guests for tomorrow's Spelldrive tournament, including dignitaries from foreign countries. Some spies may try to slip in amid the commotion, so I'm keeping watch. I cannot let anything happen to Malleus. |
|
That's going kinda overboard, isn't it? I mean, Mr. Malleus is like game-breakingly OP, so I don't think anyone's gonna PvP HIM out. |
|
Malleus will one day become king of the fae and rule over Briar Valley. Before coming to this school, he was so well- protected that he never set one foot outside the castle without a whole cadre of guards. |
|
Huh... |
|
As unlikely as it is, if something were to happen to him, it would become an international incident. So, no, I am not going "overboard." |
|
Not sure I buy that, but go off, I guess... I mean, I'm pretty sure spies and international conflicts are like, exclusively video game stuff. |
|
This isn't a game. This is our reality. |
|
W-wow! Man, that was totally protagonist dialogue! I wish I could say cool stuff like that... |
|
Hm? Then go ahead and say it. |
|
No, no, it only works when you say it. If I tried, people would just ROFL. |
|
I'm...not sure I understand, but I'm sorry. Well, I need to return to my post. Do be careful not to draw unnecessary suspicion. Sebek and Lilia are also currently patrolling the school grounds, you see. |
|
O-okay. I'll try to drop into stealth mode, too. See you later. |
|
Yes. Until next time. Perhaps I should find Sebek and Lilia to inform them that Idia is wandering near the courtyard. If Sebek ran into him, the consequences could be an incident all in itself. |
Want to Repay My Debt (Part Two)
Courtyard
|
*siiigh* Class is finally over. Why's the weather gotta be so nice right now? It's an affront to my shut-in lifestyle. Days like today just make me wanna curl up in bed and do all my dailies. |
| ...... |
|
Um, is someone there? |
|
M-Mr. Silver?! Why're you dead in the courtyard?! |
|
*snore* *snore* |
|
Oh, wait, he's just sleeping. That's what I get for jumping to conclusions. Wow, he's seriously handsome. He looks like a prince when he's sleeping. All he needs is a bunch of little forest animals to start gathering around him. He's like a whole different character from when I met him the day before the tournament. That baton of his was super scary. If it hadn't been for that, I probably never would've spoken to him. |
|
Mm... Mmm... |
|
Eek! M-mob respawn! |
|
*yaaawn* I thought I sensed someone. So it was you, Idia. |
|
N-no! I absolutely wasn't staring at you while you slept! Not me! Nope! |
|
Huh? Slow down. You always get so flustered around me. |
|
Well, I AM an ultra-introvert, so... I mean, anyone would be startled if you brandished a baton at them. Y'know, like you did to me? |
|
Yeah, that's true. Sorry about that. |
|
Urk... Now I feel bad for making you apologize. You're kind of weird. You're way more loyal than any of the students in my dorm. |
|
Am I? |
|
Yeah. No one in Ignihyde would go on patrol at night to keep ME safe. Oh! O-or maybe Mr. Malleus rules Diasomnia with an iron fist and you're all scared to defy him? That would make all the pieces come together. Did he force you to go stand guard that night? |
|
Malleus doesn't need fear to lead anyone. We went out the other night of our own accord. I don't know much about Ignihyde and its students, but I will do anything for the man I have pledged my loyalty to. Without Malleus and Lilia, I wouldn't be standing here today. I simply want to repay my debt to them. |
|
Wow, zero emotion on your face, and you just delivered the most impassioned caping I've ever heard this side of a chat room. So cool... |
|
And if some trouble were to befall Malleus, I'd like to avoid a war between the human countries and Briar Valley at all costs. I may be limited in my abilities, but I want to do what I can. Father drilled into me that war should always be avoided. |
|
Whoa. That sounds so wise. Your dad must be, like, one of those wise mentor characters with muscles all over and a mind like a steel trap. |
|
Yes. He is one of the royal guards who serve the rulers of Briar Valley. I have heard that his martial prowess is widely recognized and that the queen trusts him greatly. He has stepped down from the front lines now, but he once earned medals for his myriad feats in battle. I am certain he has far more experience than I could possibly imagine. |
|
Sounds like something straight out of an open- world RPG. |
|
An open what? |
|
It's a type of online game. But I guess normies wouldn't know that. Sorry I'm such a nerd. |
|
No, I'm aware of online games. Father often plays them late into the night. |
|
WHAT?! My image of your dad just went from bronzed legend to like...rando dude. |
|
He has always been into the latest fads. In fact, I heard he got a Magicam account recently. |
|
Whaaat?! What happened to the imperial knight leading soldiers into battle?! |
 |
Silver. What are you doing idling over here? I thought you promised to do that ultra-hard quest with me after class. |
|
Fa— *ahem* Lilia. I apologize. I'll be right there. |
|
Hm? If it isn't Idia. It's not often I see you two together. |
|
O-oh, M-Mr. Lilia. I'm, uh... |
|
He happened to stumble upon me while I was taking a nap here. Anyway, I will see you later, Idia. |
|
Yeah. Bye... It was fun hearing about Mr. Silver's father. He's a distinguished warrior but he grinds MMOs and has a Magicam account. LOL. I normally avoid people like the plague, but honestly, he sounds like the kinda guy I'd actually like to meet someday. If he exists. |
Diasomnia Dorm - Hallway
|
I must gather mats for that new item. Oh, and there's a seasonal event next week, so I'm going to be very busy. |
|
You always look so happy when you're talking about games. |
|
That's because online games didn't exist when I was young. Now people across the world can play with each other, breaking down the barriers that divide them. What a blessedly placid era we live in. |
|
Indeed. And I, for my part... ...will do everything I can to protect that peace. |
|
That's a bold statement. Let your vigil begin, then. Step one: gaming with me all night long! For peace, of course. |
|
P-Please Father, anything but that. |
[]
| |||||
| ||||||||||||||||
