Chapter 4: Training GroundsThe path back to Junon was as uneventful as their passage towards the temple buried in El Verloon. Though there was a fair larger number of summons about than usual, it did not interfere with the party's progress. Galexy, LoPan, Xyler, and XiaoYingWu entered the city easily and headed towards the elusive training grounds as instructed by Starburner.
A clan, quite sure of themselves in the wake of their growth and power, had set up a sort of headquarters there, stockpiling and selling their hoard of "salvage" acquired from throughout the lands. Though split between the factions and the God's raging war, many of these clansmen were neutral in the wars. Coin spoke louder than anything.
They entered the training grounds cautiously, fully aware of the lame KOS protocols that seemed to envelope those that visited the area. It was a place for Heroes to practice their skills against one another in fair combat and learn from one another, but as all things in life, it was not always the case. Random attacks were frequent as were the mini-wars that raged between willing and unwilling participants. Here, anything - and anyone - was game.
Lexy's heart thudded in her chest. She was sure that everyone was able to hear the sound and see the fear that gripped her. Still unsure of her powers out in the real world with her altered UI, the Cleric was not ready to put to the test. Her eyes scanned the open field, looking for the clan that Starburner had mentioned.
There, sprawled about the stairs that led down into the field, sat the modern day Hero-pirates. They laughed gaily and toasted one another as they drank heartily from the draft of liquor spilling forth from the brown barrel seated between them all.
LoPan, the Dealer among the Starburst, started to approach the lazing clan. As one of their expert negotiators, it was agreed that he would take the forefront of their bargaining, with Xyler to back him up.
"Wait," said Lexy, interrupting their progress. She squinted her eyes at the Kyoudai clansmen seated on the stairs. "I know some of them...I think" She took a few steps closer and a new smell assaulted her nose. "Yes," she said, her nose wrinkling in distaste. "I definitely know at least one of them."
"Ugghhhh!" cried Xiao, who had followed up behind Lexy. "What is that SMELL?!" The knight flipped open his User-Interface screen and toggled through the menus. In a few seconds a fresh Rose Bouquet was in his hands. Crushing a few of the roses between his gloved hands to increase the rose smells' intensity, he proceeded to bury his face in the bouquet of flowers.
"You carry
roses with you?" asked the Mercenary incredulously.
"Not just one," replied the Knight, not bothering to remove his face from the flowers. "You never know when you might run into a ..ma-..damsel in distress. You never know when you might need it. I bet you're wishing you had a bunch right now."
The rest of the conversation was lost as Lexy outpaced the two and approached the clan, Xyler at her side. The Hawker she approached looked up languidly. His face broke into a genuine smile. "I knew I smelled something quite smelly around here," he said, nodding at Galexy. "What brings you to these parts, Stinky?"
Lexy frowned and held her nose with her right hand as she gestured wildly with the other. "I'm not the one that hasn't taken a shower in AGES!" she cried, pointing the greenish waves that came off his body. "It looks like there's a cloud of poison floating around you."
"Nonsense," he replied, all smiles still. "I smell Goooood. Ask anyone. You still haven't answered my question, Stinkypoo." His gaze flicked to the trio gathered behind her before returning his attention to the Cleric.
"Why can't friends visit friends, Hellis?" called another Hawker further up the stairs. He dropped a large crate of items ontop of the already large pile collected there. Ohsyris wiped his brow and winked at Lexy. "Have you brought some friends to join us, Ohlexy?"
"Perhaps another time," she demurred. She looked back and forth between the pair and flashed her best smile. "We're here on business, actually."
"Ah, business," Hellis repeated. He shifted forward in his seat. "Now that's something more familiar. What prank are you guys pulling this time? Will you be needing smoke bombs? Fireworks? Fire crackers?"
"Get away cars? Salon coupons? Transgender coupons?" piped in Ohsyris. "Masks? Costumes? Ancient gear to disguise yourself as a different profession?"
"We've come for weapons," interrupted Xyler as he stepped forward. "We've heard you've..acquired..a special chest from the Oblivion Temple lately."
"You've heard of that, have you?" asked Hellis, frowning. He glanced at the clan master, who shrugged. "We've other weapons, plenty of high end, durable items. The chest thing isn't for sale."
"Only cause you can't open it, Smelly," Lexy countered, still smiling. She reached for the chain around her neck and pulled it from beneath her shirt. Hanging next to her flower pendant lay an ornate looking key. She unhooked the key from the chain and dangled it before the Hawkers. "And I just happen to have the key.â"
"How do we even know that's the right key?" asked one Hawker.
"Where did you get that?" queried the other at the exact same time.
"Oh, you know me," Lexy said smiling coyly. "Ever the connoisseur of collector's items."
"Pffft," snorted Hellis. "You were never able to afford anything remotely collector's worthy."
"I always brought the best stories," she said, referring to the other form of currency that was bartered across the planets. "And the majority of them were true!"
"What great stories have you brought us this time, in order for us to let you try your key on the chest?" asked the clan master, smiling. "Any new grand adventures to tell of?"
Lexy's smile faded. "I have an adventure to share. Of course I do. Don't I always have the best stories?" She paused and sat down on the grassy field as her friends ranged around her. "I'll tell you about my recent adventures for a chance to open the chest and take half the loot inside."
"HALF?!" exclaimed the neutral pirates. Though the price was higher than they had wanted, all other methods of trying to open the chest had failed. "This had better be one awesome story."
"It is, in its own way." Not all of it was happy and exciting, like her other stories, but it was real enough. "You may not believe all of it, but every bit of it is true..." They nodded absently and motioned for her to continue. "It all started off as a simple prank to bypass Alfonso's level-detecting robot."
Edited by Galexy, 01 August 2012 - 08:49 PM.