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 Posted: Thu Feb 28, 2013 12:48 pm
"In my opinion 'break'ing into either is an ill advised effort," Traveler answered with a slight drawl then shook his head. "If you want to know which I find less of a risk to gain unauthorized access to I would have to say the Archives at the Royal University. They are less tightly guarded and more populated. It would also be the easiest to gain honest access to. The Queen's fealty is mostly just a tax unless you've something else she desires but so long as you do not catch her notice it is a simple gold price. So long as there isn't another war," Traveler gave a slight shrug for the last but didn't seem to concerned with anything he'd said.
"For the Mage's Guild, it is pure folly to even think of breaking anything of theirs. In or otherwise." Traveler half laughed then tilted his head slightly and purred, "They are a proprietary bunch and take offense to simply having magic outside their membership. Imagine what they would do to one who stole from them." His tone again hinted a lack of respect for the guild and given his previous display of having magic paired with what he'd just said one was left to wonder what sort of relationship Traveler had with the Mage's Guild.
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Posted: Thu Feb 28, 2013 3:05 pm
Alana wasn't sure what she was more surprised by: the talk of magic, or the fact that her companion wanted to break into a library. "Are you serious?" Oh, she hadn't meant to speak aloud! She blushed as she ducked her head, but her mouth was drawn in a thin line. "N-neither of us have anything else but the clothes on our backs. We got lucky that Traveler found and took pity on us," for as much as that rubbed up against her pride, she was highly grateful for his intervention.
"We are dirt poor," but what else is new, "in a land of magic. I don't know how strict people here are against criminals, but I definitely don't want to test those limits..." Marfolious was either incredibly optimistic, arrogant, or he did not think about the potential consequences of his actions. Maybe magic couldn't harm people in his world, but she'd read enough Dresden File books at her library to realize the possibility of magic hurting someone. If arrogant, then she would definitely have to keep a closer eye on this man while in her vicinity. His foolishness could drag her into something she didn't want to do. And if it was the last option, then she was lucky that Traveler was there to be the voice of reason.
"That being said, I want to learn about things too, but I think I'd rather try the Archives. Does it cost gold to get in or is there some other price? And what kind of person is the Queen?" She did not want to learn magic. Not really. Right now, it sounded ominous and scary, so until she got a better idea of what it consisted of, she'd stick to trying to find out more about this place.
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Posted: Fri Mar 01, 2013 6:51 pm
"Huh. Too bad..." Marfolious sighed. He was dead serious about going for it, but from the sounds of it, he'd probably wind up dead. The Royal University may be less guarded, but one keyword made a large difference: royal. If royalty was as big of a deal as it was in Nordaft, they'd probably be elites and armed to the teeth. And he didn't even want to think about trying to steal from the mages. It seemed getting things done legally was the best option.
Running a hand through his hair, he mumbled to himself, "Legal means money..." And like Alana said, they were dirt poor, s'far as he knew anyways. He didn't carry money on him very often because he never needed it. Didn't seem like anyone else had any money on them either. Seemed like they were starting with a clean slate.
"Snrk." Dirt poor, clean slate.
In any case, "Yeah, I guess we should probably work within the law. But if we're going to 'swear fealty,' that means we need money for taxes," Marfolious broke out in a wide smile. "I don't suppose anyone is hiring in the Nibiru, are they?" He joked.
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Posted: Sat Mar 02, 2013 7:00 pm
Traveler just smiled as the two commented and questioned then he huffed a slight laugh for the last. "The dead do not hire. And if they did it would not likely be for a service paid in gold." He spoke a bit ominously then shook his head and turned toward Alana. "But you will need gold for most things. Or other valuables for trade. In the Queen's city there are many taxes - taxes to enter, taxes to leave, taxes to buy things, taxes to sell, taxes for inns, taxes for magic, taxes for transport. The Queen believes in little more than gold to line her pockets," the man sneered the last a bit.
"Still, I have known worse monarchs. She at least realizes that to keep her pockets lined she must keep her people fed." Traveler shrugged. "If you are willing you may find work through the Queen's Agency. They will find you employment. And take half your pay for it." He paused briefly to pull out his black flask again. "Or you could join any of the many guilds for whatever trade you prefer." He took a long drink from the flask, "Or find your own way if you can."
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Posted: Sat Mar 02, 2013 9:13 pm
Seemed like there were jobs aplenty, so finding work shouldn't be a problem. Marfolious was no businessman, but it seemed like working through the Queen's Agency was a bittersweet victory. Jobs would probably be easy stuff, but no money. But with guilds, the pay could be mediocre to amazing, but the potential for a good pay was a game of luck, both for availability or your life. Jobs came easily enough if you were asked for specifically, but that required you to build up a good reputation, but with a good reputation, came more difficult jobs, and in this situation, potentially the Queen's eye. He still wasn't sure it that was a good thing or a bad thing. But they needed money, and if he had the chance to get a good payoff, he should probably take it. You didn't go anywhere in life without taking a few chances, and that was one thing Marfolious knew better than anyone else.
"Seems to me like we should try and join up with a guild, and use the Queen's Agency as a plan B in case we can't." He suggested. At least they'd be able to do what they liked doing to make a living. "So with that idea being thrown out..." Marfolious looked over the group. He had the distinct feeling Traveler wasn't going to help, not that he had a reason to. If he did, it was probably going to be in a roundabout way. Alana on the other hand was in the same boat as Marfolious, and it seemed like she could handle herself. He turned to look at her. "What'd you do before you got thrown into this crazy place? Maybe we can join the same guild or sumthin'." He shrugged.
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Posted: Tue Mar 05, 2013 6:49 pm
Alana pursed her lips at the information she received. She wasn't sure how she felt about working for zombies, but she was interested in the prospect of money. She gave Marfolious a half smile and said, "I went to college and worked as a paramedic. I was trying to work my way into becoming a nurse or at least a really well paid paramedic." She slightly tilted her head towards him as she asked, "What about you? What did you do before getting here?"
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Posted: Wed Mar 06, 2013 10:22 pm
"Paramedic?" Marfolious scrunched his brow puzzledly, and repeated the word to himself. He'd never heard of one of those before, but considering it had 'medic' in it, it was probably some kind of medical profession, which was a boon for the group in case they didn't have one of those crazy, magic rivers and a fire. He shook his head to clear his mind out. "I was an explorer/archaeologist for my city's own Royal Library. To put my job simply, I run around unknown environments and ruins, map them out, takes notes on local fauna and flora, pick up shiny things; real fun stuff." He unslung his satchel and placed it on the ground between him and Alana. "Most of the tools in my trade are in there. You're free to look through if you'd like, s'long as your careful with it of course."
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Posted: Thu Mar 07, 2013 8:12 am
"So a healer and an adventurer," Traveler purred with a wry grin across the fire to the two new companions. "I am certain you could find work with the Queen. If you wish to live underneath her yoke," there was enough sneer to the statement that it was obvious Traveler was not so willing himself. But he didn't outright say as much or even advise against it, just his tone teased at the notion. Instead he leaned back slightly and tilted his head toward the vast darkness around them and spoke much too calmly for what he said.
"First we must escape this place. I am afraid I may have pulled you from the frying pan into the fire," he purred, nearly a laugh. "But at least this death is less certain," he shrugged, unconcerned, then pushed himself up again to stand. "Rest now," he commanded them. "I will look for an exit. Stay by the fire and do not listen to the whispers in the dark," he gave them a slight bow then started to step away.
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Posted: Mon Mar 11, 2013 10:13 am
As soon as it was suggested, Alana scooted a little closer to the fire. Sure, it was quite hot, but it vastly preferable to the cold. She then looked at Marfolious as she reached for his bag. "Archaelogist huh? I didn't think they had very exciting jobs at all...the archaeologists in my world searched for ancient cities and artifacts. They had a more limited role than yours - flora and fauna were dealt by other professions." She hoped his bag and pulled out things one at a time to get a closer look at his tools. "Still, your job sounds like fun."
She looked up at him with a small smile. "What kind of places have you been to?" Marfolious' jovial nature made Alana relax a little, and being near the fire helped even more. "Would you mind talking about some of the places you've seen?" As shy as Alana was, she was curious about other worlds.
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Posted: Mon Mar 11, 2013 9:02 pm
"In my case, it's basically just killing two birds with one stone. A lot of ruins and old cities are in places that haven't been fully explored, or haven't been touched at all. It costed more to hire both a Nature team and an Exploring team, than to hire one who could do both. That extra bit of money usually goes towards hiring more guards in case any nasty animals come by, or worse." Marfolious added, shuddering a bit. After he straightened himself out, he stuck his arms out behind him so he could lean on them. "Either way, I get paid more than I would if I only specialized in one department." He said with a grin. "I ain't in this for the money though, I'm in it because it's my favourite thing in the entire world to do."
His grin only got bigger at Alana's last question. "Not at all! I love talking about this stuff just as much as I love doing it. The only problem I have is where do I start?" He laughed. "Alright, think of the coldest cold of your life, multiply it by 100, and then add in ravenous wolves, towering behemoths with claws the size of a man, winds strong enough to tear down buildings with ease, and with those winds, giant chunks of jagged ice flying around. That's one place in my world called, 'Zileziel,' which means 'frozen nightmare' in Tillian." While he explained, he made exaggerated arm motions not unlike that of a child.
"Then there's another place called, 'Lowoem,' which we haven't translated yet. But it's a really pretty, sparkly place. Everything is crystalline, and it's the home of the Faeries. They're a really nice bunch, and if you don't have a Travel Guard with you, they'll usually walk you from one side of Lowoem to the other, free of charge. They're maybe as big as your index finger, but jeez, if they hit you, you're going to feel it for awhile. Doesn't help that they're naturally better with magic than humans either." Remembering one particular time, he rubbed his cheek with a pained expression. "The real interesting part though," He paused and raised his hands, palms facing inwards, "is that there's only about 3 hours of walking separating the two lands. We, humans and the faeries, have come to the conclusion that the distinct crystalline trait of Lowoem is an after-effect of prolonged exposure to massive amounts of ice magic, which lead us to the conclusion that Zileziel was actually much larger than it was now, and because of the gigantic reduction in size, that's why the creatures there are so violent and territorial. We've actually made a couple breakthroughs on that particular subject thanks to," He jerked his thumb towards himself proudly, "yours truly."
Realizing he had been rambling for a bit, he scratched the back of his head embarassedly. "So, uh, yeah. And that's just two different parts on Dantalus. There's hundreds more. and some we haven't even discovered yet." He leaned back on his arms again. "Should I let you digest that all first?" He added with another laugh.
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Posted: Thu Mar 21, 2013 8:58 pm
Alana smiled and stated "I think you should. That was a lot of information to process you know." She supposed it was nice that he got to explore for fun, and wasn't stuck doing a job that he hated. "I think in terms of jobs, my world tends to react the opposite way - the more specialized you are, the more demand there is for you. That is, of course, if you can find that special niche of what people really want." Her eyebrows furrowed a bit as she said, "I guess you're lucky that you get to do what you love."
While Marfolious leaned back on his arms, Alana took a good look at the man. From the two places that he described, there was a certain amount of risk involved, and you could never be sure how dangerous a place might be. He didn't seem particularly stupid, which gave him a bonus point in her list of likable people. Bravery was certainly a good trait to have in a traveling partner. "I don't think I like the sound of Zilezel..." she fumbled. "The cold and I have never gotten along." She glanced at the fire for a split-second before looking at the adventurer.
"As for 'Lowoem,' that place sounds strange." She held her hands up in a friendly gesture as she said, "I'm sorry, I'm not trying to insult the place. It's just that fairies don't exist in my world except in stories. So to actually hear you talk about them is like listening to a fairy tale--a uh, a made up story. But it's really neat to know they exist." She let out a tiny scoff as she said, "you make my world seem really boring."
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Posted: Sat Mar 23, 2013 10:02 pm
Lucky to do what he loved? Didn't he know it. "Heh, looks like our worlds have one thing in common. A lot of people aren't as lucky as I am when it comes to work, and I thank my lucky stars every single day." Marfolious paused for a moment and scratched the top of his head. "Unfortunately, I think all the luck in my life went towards my job, I ain't lucky in much else." He laughed with a slight miserable tinge towards the end. His bad luck had landed him in hot water more times than he could count, but had gotten him out of it just as many times.
"I take it Zileziel wouldn't be your first choice for a vacation?" Not like it'd be his either. "It's not exactly fun, it's definitely interesting though, for all the wrong reasons of course." Marfolious couldn't help but smirk at Alana's explanation of a fairy tale. "Make it two things, we have fairy tales on Dantalus too." He waved his hand non-chalantly. "I don't take any offense at all, it's anything but normal for non-fairies. Your world probably isn't as boring as you'd think, if mine has things yours doesn't, the reverse is probably the same as well." Sitting back up, he dusted his hands off and placed his elbows on his knees. "So, d'you like being a, er... paramedic?"
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Posted: Thu Mar 28, 2013 10:36 am
Marfolious' words caused Alana to shrug. "Eh...It keeps food on the table, and I can actually afford to go to college thanks to it." Being unsure of whether or not he knew what a college was, she continued. "College is the same as a university. And you either have to be really smart or really rich to get in. Sadly, I'm not smart enough for a free ride scholarship nor did I have a college fund saved up to help me out. Getting into the paramedic program was the best choice for me." She grimaced and stated, "Don't get me wrong, I do like being able to help people. I'm lucky that I've got what I've got. But..." This isn't what I wanted to do with my life. "Life isn't always fair," she ended morosely.
She shook her head slightly to shake off her melancholic feelings. "Still, I get to learn a lot of neat things, and I know that I've made a difference in people's lives. Being a paramedic means that I am trained for medical emergencies and trauma. That's more than others can say, right?" She tried to smile and fake a positive attitude. Alana only hoped that Marfolious would either believe her optimistic facade or be tactful enough not to bring it up.
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Posted: Mon Apr 01, 2013 9:38 pm
Marfolious couldn't stop the small, gradual frown that spread across his face. He didn't like the tone of Alana's voice one bit towards the end there. He definitely wasn't going to go there. Not like Marfolious could complain about his life, he had it all made for him, and he only got in trouble because he chose to. Sounded like times were tough for her. Maybe it'd be for the best that they didn't discuss dream jobs and stuff. That did usually tend to be a downer when people didn't, you know, get their dream job. Again, he had no right to complain, and trying to empathize seemed like a self-righteous thing to do. Either way, this subject was over and done with.
Despite his frown, Marfolious couldn't help but smile at the college remark Alana made. "We have colleges in my world too." He sighed to himself shortly after though. "Although, they're the same there as they are in yours. You usually get these spoiled, pompous gnats who think they can do everything but after the first year," he snapped his fingers, "more than half of those idiots are gone. Schools rake in a hefty amount of well-deserved pocket change, most of those idiots fail because mummy and daddy did everything for them." Marfolious chuckled bitterly. "It's actually hilarious to hear them whine about it."
"Anyways," he waved his hand, signalling the end of another subject. "What kind of stuff do you do for fun? I stick my nose in books or eat stuff- not random stuff mind you." He rubbed his stomach with an uncomfortable expression. "That phase of my life is long gone."
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Posted: Wed Apr 03, 2013 9:34 pm
As Alana and Marfolious chatted by the fire they could hear faint sounds in the dark. The strange river burbled steadily and occasionally a light plink of dripping water echoed in the vast chamber. A low, rumbling hum came up from the depths, hardly noticeable but for the slightly uneasy feeling it caused. When Traveler first left they could hear his muffled footsteps in the dark but now he was silent though the strange hum grew louder the longer they waited. It wavered and changed pitch slightly, began to murmur almost and, if they listened, there were whispers in the dark.
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