Code: Select all
,------------------------------------------------------------------------.
(_\ \
| |
| The final flight, fight and fatality |
| |
| As the dust settled, the Schmalian Inn slowly rebuilt and the citizens |
| even less enthused about their existence, time marched as it always |
| has. The Bards performed at the very cusp of their abilities as they |
| breathed life to their latest strokes of genius, serenading the |
| courage and hardships of the Holy Trio to all who would lend ear. |
| Their storied heroics even made it as far as the Rainbow City of |
| Schneraka and the Slackhisis worshipping Griffonarmies. The unfairness |
| served by the Immortals as a cold, slimy dish hit them like daggers to |
| the heart, spurring physical contention, warranting a call to arms. |
| |
| Rearen, the freshly appointed General of the Pink division and the |
| ever maturing General Annabell of the Turqoise, even though at times |
| in severe disagreements on the philosophical approach to the care of |
| Schnerakan Flora and proper griffon rearing, were able to offset their |
| petty differences and engage in adult conversation on how best set the |
| world on the correct path again. |
| |
| "Our far allies in the Sunny Mountains have perished to the vile |
| arcanes of the Schmalian Favoured! We must act, and we must act now! |
| Lest we all be subjects of those cursed monsters!" cried Annabell to |
| which Rearen, not yet the orator of repute agreed, muttering "Evil. |
| Bad. Good. Best." |
| |
| "Summon soldiers and griffons! We fly to Schmalia in throngs. Let's |
| put an end to those vile warmongers before they end us all!" shouted |
| Annabell and blew her whistle. |
| |
| The griffons landed gracefully by the dozens and twice the amount of |
| pink and turqoise clad soldiers mounted the magnificent creatures with |
| swords and halberds in hand. "The time for solemn reflection and |
| tranquility must pause! Summon your anger! To Schmalia for Justice, |
| men!" shouted Annabell as the griffons took to the skies. The |
| cacophonous shrieking and roaring of the powerful and honourable |
| mounts served as further boost to mind, body and soul; not only to the |
| riders atop them, but also to the people of Schmansalon who dwelled |
| below in awe and worship. |
| |
| In an effort to emulate the General in torquise and spur his own pink |
| soldiers to action, Rearen yelled "Dead friends. Dead clerics. Die!". |
| The men lauded the chaining of words and even dared dream of a future |
| with orders served in full sentences. |
| |
| Meanwhile in Schmalia.. |
| |
| Mad Elise, although enjoying some days in solitude after Dix was |
| dispensed of in such a relieving matter, commanded the bus boy in |
| disguise, Dildy, to her bed-coffin. Dildy happily complied, but fully |
| charged from past events he was unable to keep lips sealed. "Honoured |
| Lady Elise, my undercover friend in Schneraka has just informed me |
| that the Pink and Turqoise griffonarmies ride their beasts here. By my |
| estimation they will land shortly before nightfall tomorrow" he |
| muttered, realizing the errs of his timing about halfway through. Mad |
| Elise gestured at the floor. "She'll thank me at the end" Dildy though |
| to soothe rejected ego as he crawled out of the bed-coffin and |
| succumbed to sleep on the floor. |
| |
| That night no words of gratitude were shared, and such Dildy had to |
| find comfort in only knowledge that his intel bore fruit. As the bell |
| struck the darkest our, Mad Elise summoned the Devious Five and |
| proceeded to lay ghoulish plans of a pre-emptive strike. Her eyes |
| sparkled with vicious malice in anticipation of what could only prove |
| a humdrum, but oh so joyously fatal, tactical exercise. |
| |
| |
| The griffonarmies touched down on Schmalian soil as day drew close to |
| pause, the griffons landing in the midst of a moor, damp with |
| perspiration after a long an strenuous flight. Immediately after |
| dismounting the men naturally started smelling the flowers and |
| caressing the local fauna, only to snap back to action as Annabell |
| ordered tents be pitched, for the flight had indeed been long and |
| demanded they sought urgent respite. The two armies worked tirelessly |
| towards erecting their temporary and spartan domiciles while loudly |
| disagreeing about the length of their poles and where to put them. |
| At one point, Annabell had to intervene in fear of succumbing to |
| debauchery and utter chaos. |
| |
| As the sun beamed it's very last rays over the horison the men |
| finished. Exhausted and unbeknownst of the sleeping patterns of their |
| enemies, the men crawled into their tents expecting a full nights |
| rest. |
| |
| Rearen, half asleep, woke as he felt the ground shake. He thought to |
| go reprimand his soldiers for not prioritizing their alotted respite, |
| but realised shortly after that the rhythm appeared very unlike |
| previous witnessed escapades. As he but glanced through a tear in his |
| tent he paused for breath as he laid gaze upon a gigantic stone golem |
| thundering slowly towards the camp, with four different shapes |
| obediently in succession. |
| |
| As Rearen struggled to keep his heart from jumping out his throat, |
| he panicly threw his belongings aside in effort to find his whistle. |
| Then he heard a loud whack as the first blow from the golem struck, |
| followed by a sound of a tarp containing men and some tent-poles |
| crashing into the ground a ways back. "Auraka!" shouted Rearen |
| enthusiasticly as he leaped out of his tent and blew the whistle as |
| hard as he could, alerting both men and griffons to the imminent and |
| unavoidable battle. The men drowsily exited their tents, only to be |
| greeted by a monster cast in stone. As they laid eyes on the airborne |
| tent passing by on primed course for solid ground, their hearts sank, |
| their morals deflated and all hopes of victory extinguished. |
| |
| The surprise attack had granted Mad Elise and Sabretooth enough time |
| to join hands as they whispered words into the wind while body and |
| mind formed unbreakable bond. Lector and Dildy followed suit while |
| calling out to the golem "Protect us, Samoarana!" |
| |
| The golem rumbled in a completely failed attempt at whisper, and |
| following a short gesture all four shapes blinked out of existence, |
| only to re-appear in locations free from swinging swords and piercing |
| halberds. |
| |
| Annabell and the men who had barely managed to rub the sleep out of |
| their eyes quickly found themselves manning the front line, pressing |
| for first strike at the golem. As they skillfully thrust their weapons |
| with as true an aim as they could muster, they found no weak spot in |
| the golems natural defences and struck nothing but stone leaving them |
| disheartened with dulled blades. The golem rumbled in amusement as it |
| struck a group of men, swatting them like insects, sending them flying |
| across the battlefield. |
| |
| Lector and Dildy, out of harms way, closed their eyes and started |
| chanting, and as eyes sprang wide open a barely visible sonic wave |
| hits the armies, leaving them confused. The men, as children to |
| behold, now freshly filled with an irresistable urge to sheathe their |
| weapons. Completely stupefied by the sonic assault, they succumbed to |
| the urge and proceeded to disarm themselves willingly. |
| |
| Timed with deadly precision following Lector and Dildy's cue, Mad |
| Elise and Sabretooth began to glow fiery red as they closed their |
| eyes. As eyes popped open a terrible wave of fire emanated outwards |
| from the duo, consuming moor, camp and men in bright magical fire! |
| |
| The flame spread rapidly and in seconds both engulfed the men, and set |
| the tents aflame. After the wave died down, half the men lay blackened |
| in the ashes of incinerated tents, crispy as only burnt corpses can |
| be. |
| |
| As the effects of the sonic wave dissipated and senses returned, |
| Annabell and Rearen felt the sting of their injuries and realized they |
| stood no chance against this onslaught, and thoughts of retreat forced |
| it's way through valor, pride and aspirations of justice served. |
| Luckily timed with the landing griffons they commanded their men to |
| mount up, and just as Rearen took the reins and gave command, another |
| fiery wave struck, igniting fur, feathers and flesh in a blazing |
| inferno. As they ascended to the sky aflame, the shapes couldn't help |
| but smile as the added airation agitated the fires to the point of |
| combustion. What looked like a local meteor shower littered the |
| battlefield with still burning medium rare human and griffon remains. |
| The shapes looked at eachother and nodded contently as their thirst |
| for blood was quenched and the smoke slowly died out. The Schmalian |
| moors now decorated in a grotesque manner only a Schmalian Cleric |
| would appreciate. |
| |
| |
| Moral of the story: As we struggle to understand the concept of combat |
| aid and how it is distributed within and amongst guilds - comparing |
| what we know about gondorian guilds of old and in need of serious |
| tender, loving care - the outrageousness of it all reveals itself. |
| |
| Any ability, designed to hit all opponents, accumulates combat aid by |
| a factor of how many enemies one opposes. Subsequently and obvious to |
| all who bother reflect but a mere minute, this far exceeds even the |
| most daring of distributions in this little world of ours. |
| |
| While the effects and results described in the fictitious story above |
| are exaggerated to the point of lunacy, a downplayed version of the |
| fight exists within the realm of possibility. The collective power and |
| vast arsenal of five elementals is unrivalled in this game, and I dare |
| say breaks it in properly motivated, capable hands. |
| |
| I completely fail to see the logic behind allowing what in reality |
| amounts to five guilds in one - while also allowing a further |
| expansion of available arsenal in a state of cooperation - to continue |
| its existence in it's current form. |
| |
| Fade out.. |
| |
| |
| This will be my last public outcry against what I can best describe as |
| inequality of opportunity. I will fully admit to having 'mocked' |
| certain individuals who bears remarkable resemblance (in name only) |
| with unflattering and made up characteristics. I claim to have done so |
| with humorous intent, designed only to entertain while attempting to |
| paint a picture of the absurdity that is the guild mechanics of the |
| Elemental Clerics. |
| |
| So, if you read this and feel I made a personal attack on you, know |
| that such was not my intent. I chose this 'format' because while we |
| may (or may not) have our differences, play on opposing sides of the |
| alignment spectre and/or by the nature of our chosen paths fully |
| embrace base hatred towards eachother (to further immersion, |
| obviously), I firmly believe we would still laugh and drink together |
| as friends come opportunity in the real. I attribute you all with both |
| minds and backbones fully capable of shrugging off the scribbles of a |
| mouthy dilettante as just another attempt at attention whoring through |
| whiny, self-serving texts of at best mediocre quality. |
| |
| I can live with that. |
| |
| |
| Lastly, some have approached me with the "whys" and "hows" of this |
| wordy project of mine, and I can only answer that I am a firm believer |
| in equal opportunity, fairness and transparency. The fact that those |
| beholden to the aforementioned powers make attempts to force self- |
| censorship upon me only emphasizes the project's legitimacy. |
| |
| It also baffles me that the same beholders make claims that I reveal |
| "knowledge I should not possess" and proceeds to claim it ill-gotten, |
| while simultaneously nodding vigorously in agreement when the gossip-y |
| nature of Genesis is commented. Know that the "possessed knowledge" |
| shared is the culmination of lengthy talks in various fora and stem |
| from several sources. I press that not a single claim made or word |
| written are neither provided nor confirmed by a developer. |
| |
| Honestly, some of it has even either been pure speculation or based |
| very loosely on rumour and hearsay. The complete absence of denials, |
| contradicting information or (serious) attempts at rebuttals, coupled |
| with threatening letters from the beholders, past-deed, serves now as |
| confirmation of said hearsay and rumours' validity. Moreso it further |
| validates the need for transparency in current and future brilliant, |
| creative and profound genius designs, such as the Elemental Clerics, |
| to grace our beloved bubble of escapism. |
| |
| The game itself, the magic veil of secrecy that shrouds its content, |
| the paths not yet taken, the arbitrary secrets that but lies there to |
| be discovered should never be illuminated publicly for it serves only |
| to rob others of welcome discovery or valued journey. However, I claim |
| that the terms and conditions set upon contest between us bubble- |
| dwellers are best viewed under high capacity floodlights. |
| |
| My mission has been to entertain, illuminate and enlighten, but also |
| enrage those unbeholden - untill now ignorant or already long in the |
| know. The secrets that served but few now dance in the spotlight, and |
| the public is free to either |
| -Sit idly by and watch as the dancer draws towards its inevitable |
| death. |
| -Forge a new, yet unthought of, approach. |
| -Commit to rioting. |
| -Depart in anger and seek greener pastures elsewhere. |
| -Engage in proper discourse on the future face of inequality with the |
| floodlights providing much needed transparency. |
| |
| I choose the latter. |
| |
| |
| Over and out. |
| |
| Penned by the Nils |
_| |
(_/______________________________________________(*)_______________________/
\\
))