[Storyteller] We last left the party inside Finn's Family home in
Meryod. A kind old wizardess from Tamur, named Aibone, created a barrier around the house to protect
them for the evening.
Finn's Dream
[Storyteller] You find yourself walking along that same shoreline as before. Again, up ahead you spot the same woman, an etherial form of Susannah... The wind blows her hair around as she walks. This time, she's not rushing, obviously waiting for your dreamself to catch up with her.
* Finn runs up to Susannah and touches her arm...
[Finn] It's you...
[Susannah] You're looking well, Finn.
[Finn] Heh, thanks... So are you, as always. Why aren't you running away this time?
[Susannah] I wantdd to talk... I miss you.
[Finn] Why don't you come back, then? I miss you too.
[Susannah] Oh Finn... You don't know how much I want to, but it's not allowed.
* Finn shakes his head...
[Susannah] Your path will eventually lead you to me, Finn... I can promise you that.
[Finn] The ring you gave me has been acting oddly.
* Finn sighs...
[Susannah] It's a special ring. It was made with a Dragon Diamond...
[Finn] As long as I get to see you again, somewhere outside of my dreams... A... dragon diamond?
[Susannah] A very small one, but yes, a Dragon Diamond.
[Finn] Where would you come upon something like that?
[Susannah] It came from a friend.
* Finn chuckles softly.
[Finn] Alright. One day do you promise to tell me what's going on?
[Susannah] The next time we meet in the waking world, I'll reveal everything.
* Finn smiles and touches his ring...
[Finn] I'll look forward to that.
* Susannah smiles, taking his hand.
[Susannah] I have to go now. I'll see you soon.
[Finn] Alright... Goodbye.
[Storyteller] And with that, the dream ends.
Salah's Dream
[Storyteller] As usual, you find yourself in that stark white thoughtspace. Again, the blue-haired man (who you now know to be Neal Tirulian, your brother) is seated on the ground. Seated in a chair in front of him as b
efore is that Vigo.
[Salah] Here... again...
* Salah blinks.
[Salah] ... Neal... Vigo...
[Storyteller] This time however, there's a slighty smaller chair, closer to the ground, set 60 degrees off from the other one.
[Tirulian] You learn quick, Salah.
[Vigo] Join us.
* Vigo gestures to the second chair.
* Salah apporoaches the chair, and sits down in it.
[Tirulian] I wanted to explain somethings to you...
[Vigo] Shall I take my leave, Master Tirulian?
[Tirulian] Yes, if you would.
[Vigo] Very well.
[Salah] Why, why doesn't Madeline remember? Why was I abandoned?
[Storyteller] Vigo's image, along with his chair, shimmer and fade.
[Tirulian] Questions are good.
* Tirulian smiles.
[Tirulian] Answer number one, I don't know. Answer number two, to protect you.
[Salah] Who... is Koran?
[Tirulian] A very old friend of mine, or... former friend I should say.
[Salah] He said something about that...
* Tirulian nods.
[Tirulian] It goes back further than I have time for right now...
[Salah] What is this relationship with your "Old Friend"?
[Tirulian] We used to serve together, before Lunar was Lunar.
[Salah] Before Lunar... was Lunar? How can that be?
[Tirulian] Humanity once lived on the Blue Star, long ago... It was destroyed in a war. A war that he and I were responsible for.
* Salah blinks then utters the word...
[Salah] Earth...
* Tirulian nods.
[Tirulian] But that's the past, I'll deal with the past when the time becomes right to do so...
[Salah] What's the pendant for?
[Tirulian] It's part of a machine. A fairly important part.
[Salah] Ma-sheen? That thing Will talks about...
* Tirulian nods...
[Storyteller] You hear what sounds like an explosion.
[Salah] What was that?
[Tirulian] What was what?
[Salah] That explosion.
[Storyteller] And with that, the dream ends.
Finn's Family Home, Meryod
[Storyteller] You're startled awake by another blast. You all roll out of bed as the whole house shudders.
* Salah sits bolt upright and tightens her fist.
[Salah] No!
* Lynna leaps to her feet, wide awake.
* Lamont is alone in the corner of the house... fell asleep drawing it appears.
* Finn jumps up and draws his sword...
* Miriamele is on her feet, very awake.
[Lamont] ... what... ?
[Storyteller] Finn smacks his head on the bunk bed in his old room.
[Finn] Damnation...
* Cassandra sits up.
* Salah looks around.
* Finn rubs his head gingerly.
[Salah] What was that?
* Miriamele goes to look out a window.
[Miriamele] I dunno, Lamont. A big exposion, or something.
[Storyteller] KA-BOOM! Mirimele sees the whole shield outside the house flare before dying down.
* Finn then runs out of the house and looks around...
* Lamont shuffles around to close his drawing pad.
[Cassandra] What the hell is going on? I'm trying to sleep...
[Storyteller] Finn sees it too.
[Maddy] Morning, Finn.
* Finn slumps against the side of the house.
[Finn] Are you INSANE?
[Miriamele] Hmm?
* Maddy stands outside the barrier. Rather than the skirt and tights from before, she's now wearing heavy armor. The material of which is somewhat reminiscent of the walls of Firebase Alpha. Cradled in her hands is a r
ather large weapon.
* Lamont gets up and looks outside.
* Salah whispers.
[Salah] Madeline... ?
* Lynna runs outside.
[Lynna] What is going on out there?!\
[Finn] Are you trying to kill us?
[Maddy] Actually... No... I'm trying to get you out of there.
[Lamont] That barrier... There's something... dark... about it.
[Maddy] That field that Aibone bitch put up will take days to decay on its own.
* Salah scrambles out of bed and runs down outside of the house.
[Finn] Bitch?... Do you know something we don't?
* Lynna stops short, poised to strike.
[Lynna] What do you mean?
[Maddy] Yeah... Go back inside for just a minute.
[Lamont] ... nothing.
* Miriamele looks a little bit confused, but reluctantly complies.
* Cassandra finally stands up and joins the others. She rubs her eyes and yawns.
* Lynna backs away slowly...
* Salah looks out the window.
* Lamont takes a seat where he was sleeping. He hasn't moved from that spot since the night before.
* Finn sighs and walks back inside. He closes the door and braces himself.
* Maddy makes a few adjustments to her weapon, then fires again. The blast lances out, making much more noise than its size would indicate.
[Storyteller] The field shimmers one last time, buckles, and collapses.
[Maddy] You can come out now!
* Finn walks back outside.
* Cassandra follows Finn.
* Salah follows Finn.
* Lynna advances back out the door.
[Salah] How did you know?
* Lamont leaves last... still just as quiet as ever.
[Maddy] She locked me up in one on the other side of town two days ago.
[Finn] Oh really...
* Maddy nods.
[Lamont] Who put the barrier up... ?
[Finn] So... who is she, then?
[Lynna] That Aibone...
[Lamont] Aibone?
[Maddy] Not a clue... but I think she's in league with Koran...
[Salah] Aibone... why would she?
[Lamont] Enobia... backwards.
[Salah] Xenobia!
* Lynna looks at Lamont.
[Lamont] No one told me her name...
[Lynna] That woman from the base?!
[Salah] Lamont, you're a genius!
* Lamont shys away.
[Lamont] Not really. Just a lucky guess.
[Storyteller] One of the crazed citizens leaps from a roof of one of the buildings.
* Lynna fumes.
[Lynna] Rrr... I shouldn't have been so careless...
[Salah] Look out!
* Maddy spins and trap shoots it, the bolt of energy sending it back up and through the air.
* Cassandra looks at Lamont for a second and then looks at the others.
[Lamont] However... not to... sound... out of line...
[Salah] What is that you're using Madeline?
[Maddy] A gun...
[Lamont] Had anyone bothered to check on me yesterday... I would have seen through the ruse long before now...
* Lamont coughs.
[Miriamele] What's up with the people here? I heard they were strange... but this... ?
[Madeline> I'm not sure... But they're damned near impossible to kill.
[Finn] Geez, Maddy, where'd you get that gear?
[Miriamele] Then maybe we should get out of here, before more come along.
[Lynna] I don't think she was decieving us about something going on with this town...
[Maddy] Yeah... Where to?
* Finn hears Lamont and shuffles his feet, embarrassed...
[Salah] Maybe she was the one who tampered with the water.
[Lamont] No big deal though... At least we're all OK...
[Maddy] She mentioned something about a spring to the east.
* Miriamele shakes her head.
[Miriamele] I dunno. I'm not very good at geography here... so it's not my place to say.
[Finn] We should head there.
[Lynna] If I see her there, I'm going to rip her to shreds... metal parts or no.
[Maddy] I guess it's where this town is getting it's fresh water now...
[Lamont] ... I wouldn't be so... confident...
[Finn] Maybe we can figure out what's wrong with the water...
[Lamont] She was the leader of the Vile Tribe under Magic Emperor Ghaleon...
* Maddy slings the gun, resting it against her hip.
[Lynna] It doesn't matter Lamont... I don't have anything to lose anyway.
[Maddy] You know the way Finn?
[Lamont] Neither do I...
[Finn] Yeah, of course.
[Lamont] However... I have been thinking... Xenobia... wasn't alone... There were 3 Vile Tribe witches...
[Lynna] She mentioned my family... what if she killed them all...
[Lamont] Only one of them... wasn't killed...
* Lynna shakes her head, glaring.
[Lynna] Let's go... Now.
[Maddy] I agree.
* Finn nods to Lynna and starts out of the town...
[Lamont] But... I guess it doesn't matter...
* Maddy follows Finn.
* Finn starts heading east, his head bowed...
Wilderness, Stadius Zone
* Lamont trots along... sighing to himself.
[Lamont] Oh...
* Cassandra follows quietly.
* Salah sighs heavily and looks up at the Blue Star.
* Miriamele falls in next to Lamont, ready to discuss a certain tail pulling incident...
* Maddy scans the horizon once or twice before dropping back beside Lamont.
* Salah follows everyone.
* Lynna walks onward, not being at all talkative.
[Maddy] Hey, Mr. Lamont... I wouldn't mind hearing about the Vile Tribe...
* Miriamele shuts up though.
* Lamont eyes Maddy with a little blush.
[Lamont] You... wanna what?
[Maddy] The Vile Tribe... All I really know about them is that they don't take a compression blast to the head very well.
[Lamont] Well... all I know is from my studies from Vane... But the Vile Tribe wasn't all evil...
* Finn smirks...
[Lamont] Only the faction led by Xenobia was... Royce, her sister, was another.
* Salah walks along quietly, behind everyone else.
[Lamont] However their sister, Phacia... didn't hate Althena... she wanted to beg for forgiveness... and... well... so her faction supposedly lives in a place on Lunar where they can't bother anyone...
* Lynna lifts her head a little at the mention of Vile Tribe info...
[Lamont] That's just what I read... So I could be wrong.
[Maddy] Hrmm... So, the Vile Tribe isn't all vile. 2/3 Vile, 1/3 plain ole' ugly?
[Lamont] I suppose you could say it like that, Miss Madeline.
* Lynna mutters to herself.
[Lynna] ... Why would that woman want me in the Vile Tribe?...
* Lamont walks over to Cassandra.
[Lamont] I am glad to see you're... better... today.
* Maddy shrugs as Lamont walks away.
* Finn keeps trudging along silently...
[Maddy] You're not gonna get us lost, right Finn?
* Lynna pulls her dark robes closer about her.
[Finn] Don't worry, I know this area like the back of my hand... We should be there soon...
[Cassandra] ... Okay... Well... Thanks for helping me out...
[Lamont] You knew I helped you... ?
[Cassandra] I only assumed you did... I doubt anyone else would've...
[Lamont] Well Finn might have... or Criz...
[Cassandra] I'm sure they would've...
* Salah moves along quietly, deep in thought.
Althena's Spring, Stadius Zone
[Storyteller] Just up ahead, you spot the second Althena's Spring. The small shrine erected outside is crushed to the ground. The water is faintly radiant, throwing sickly green shadows on the trees around the small gl
ade.
[Lynna] Even by my standards, that water is disgusting.
[Maddy] No shit...
[Salah] What... happened?
[Lamont] You don't seem to be yourself, Cassandra...
[Finn] See, I told you we'd make it...
[Lynna] Now how do we un-make it, Finn?
* Lynna scans the surroundings...
[Storyteller] A round metal cylinder floats in the center of the water. On either end is a yellow and black symbol reminiscent of the the one from the Reactor room in Firebase Alpha...
[Finn] Hmmm. I'll wager a guess... Destroying that metal thing?
[Maddy] Or at least pull it out of the water.
[Lamont] You do look a lot better today though... I... was... (mumble) worried...
[Finn] You're the one with the buffest armor, Maddy, why don't you try?
[Maddy] 'Cause I'm not crazy?
[Lamont] I'll do it... I guess...
[Finn] That's a bad idea, Lamont.
[Lamont] Why?
[Lynna] I know we can't blow that thing up... it could make this even more of a mire.
[Finn] What if you're poisoned by just touching it?
[Salah] I don't think we should touch that water, or even go near it.
[Cassandra] I'll do it... But how do I... I have an idea!
[Lamont] Well... For one... I have a snake ring... And second... Who cares if I get poisoned?
[Cassandra] I can get it out!
[Finn] I care...
* Lamont looks at Cassandra.
[Lamont] What's your idea?
* Cassandra gets her whip and snaps it at the cylinder.
[Storyteller] The whip wraps around the cylinder quite easily. However, it's not easy to pull. The cylinder obviously isn't floating... It must be attached to the bottom of the pool.
[Lamont] Hmmm...
* Cassandra tries to pull as hard as she can...
[Lamont] I'll go in...