Musing Shadow

Merek
Overworld - 7 - 0 - 0

    The skies rain along upon the overworld of Yamato. It looks to be like Merek is relaxing while he finds potatoes as well as anything else that might be useful to gather for herbology. The man wears the dark attire which he often does, while he pulls the hood up on his features. There are twin blades which look like they are adjusted about the back of the hips. Shadow Eclipse isn't with the man.
Kauchemar
Overworld - 7 - 0 - 0

Kauchemar isn't bothered by rain but she has the hood of her cloak pulled up for the sake of keeping the droplets out of her eyes. For all appearances the Nightmare is just meandering through the area, but she is a Messenger by side profession. Things rarely are as they seem with her anyways.

She does stop, gazing off at unseen things though. "Hmmm... there's an odd sensation in the air yet..."
Xander
Overworld - 7 - 0 - 0

    Rain. The nemesis off all things.

Having to work in rain is also a reminder of past events in life.

... Damn rain.

    The Salamander walks down the path, ignoring his wet hair, wet cloths, and just general annoyance at how /wet/ everything is. Including his boots! At least though he could stow away his gear, so it's just the basics that are getting wet.

This is when he happens upon Merek, doing, well, Merek things, and he peers over. His draconic like eyes almost glowing in the dim-lit enviroment, as he twitches his nose a little. Then with a slosh of his boots on the muddy ground he walks over, "Yo." He says simply at first. "Find anything interesting?" Sadly not aware of Kauchemar; Not yet anyways.
Merek
Overworld - 7 - 0 - 0

    Merek looks up while he notices Xander would be about, then he nods to the man. "Potatoes, I am trying to find a few things," the man notes, while he takes a moment adjust the scarf which he wears, while looking to the place. It looks like he might notice the woman as well, nodding to Kauchemar.
Xander
Overworld - 7 - 0 - 0

    It is Merek nodding to Kauchemar that gets the Salamander to look over, with a still annoyed look on his face cause /rain/. "Huh... Hey Kauchemar." Then he looks back to Merek. "... Are you just trying to corner the market on odd and interesting foods of Yamato?"
Kauchemar
Overworld - 7 - 0 - 0

"You look less like the rain and more like a drowned rat in a whirlpool," notes the Nightmare as she strolls over after overhearing the two and giving Xander's wet bangs a playful flick.

Then Kauchemar turns her attention to Merek, demeanor turning a little more solemn. "You survived the wicked woodwinds as well."
Merek
Overworld - 7 - 0 - 0

    "That would be because I destroyed it with my sword," Merek then explains to Kauchemar, nodding then to the woman. "It managed to free the undead from the enraging, and it decided to fight the party except for me. That is, I then tried to persuade it to not fight. And while it was beginning to stand down... Well, the party went and killed it." Then he offers along to Xander, "I just really like potatoes."
Xander
Overworld - 7 - 0 - 0

    "Screee!" Xander goes playfully at Kauchemar, or tries anyways. Though when she flicks one of his wet bangs, he just shakes his head at her trying to get some of that water /on/ her.

The Salamander's tail flicks gently, be he raises a brow, "So, you two were at that mess? I heard a little over the radio. Those two /still/ haven't written a report on it." His arms cross over his chest, "What exactly /did/ happen?"

Then Merek explains some of it and huhs softly, "It probably would have gone after you next round... or it would have gotten away and then probably just added more undead to the undead melting pot that is that shit up north."
Kauchemar
Overworld - 7 - 0 - 0

Kauchemar nods at that. "I withdrew before its effect drove me to turning on the rest of you. Apparently Were Fang was still monster enough to feel it's audial effect." She's a mistress of elementals getting splashed on does little to bother her. "... A certain dark shroud seems to be absent from your presence..."
Merek
Overworld - 7 - 0 - 0

    "Not all of the undead are monsters. Some were once people of the land like anyone else. It spoke, I know that look. He wanted to be freed from what that woodwind was doing. And as one of the people that knows what it's like," Merek then nods a bit, while he watches the screeing Xander. "Anyway, now that I've managed to redisover where we can find a little coffea..." The man nods to Kauchemar, "I'm not wielding the sword," he notes.
Xander
Overworld - 7 - 0 - 0

    Xander rubs the bridge of his nose. "A monster is a monster, is a monster. If they don't have the people of the land icon, or the adventurer icon, they are a monster." He lowers his hand, giving it a minor shake to the side cause of the water.

At least it is making his dark scales all nicely reflective and shiny!

    "They kill the landers. They kill adventurers. They turn landers /into/ monsters, and now, you know, adventurers-- /somehow/. So, really, they need to be killed before that whole population becomes monsters or some passing lowbie." The Salamander raises a brow at Merek. "Or does the idea of some low player adventurers becoming undead /not/ bother you?"

As for the lack of sword, he crosses his arms over his chest as his tail flicks once more. "So, you broke the curse or something with it?"
Kauchemar
Overworld - 7 - 0 - 0

"That would be it, yes." The look she gets when staring at things not obviously visible fades from Kauchemar's eyes. "Good you finally broke that embittered blade's grasp. It was fiendish even by my standards."

While rain and wet do not bother her she pulls her cloak fully over her shoulders just the same. "They were once creatures, or landers... But the Humanity that lingers is a slow trickle of sand betwix the cracks." Now she's gone back to being the Ominous Muse. "For many a proper death will be a release from suffering rather than punishment."
Merek
Overworld - 7 - 0 - 0

    Merek looks then to Xander, "Yes, I don't know why trying to change what my words meant will grant you any favors." The man nods a bit, "We can't just take the stance of massacre every monster we see because of an icon. There are a lot of them that are intelligent. And not every monster can do what you said anyway." There's a look to Kauchemar from the hood, "... I took the weapon and I destroyed it." The man lifts up the bracelet which he wears, looking to be inscribed with Enigma Runes upon it. "I have a way I think that I can take away a lot of their army without fighting, if I can take a bit to speak with Auther. For all of the talk of Landers and Adventurers, no one seems to remember Scale Emblem brings about every Wave when they fight with the Tower Boss. I have watched entire groups be wiped out by the Waves."
Kauchemar
Overworld - 7 - 0 - 0

"That may be easier said than done... But if a means to ending conflict is found..." Kauchemar trails off a little. Though it's hard to tell if it's to inspect Merek's trinket bracelet or the rising tension between the two men. The way her tail flicks suggests she is at least aware of it. Bards are off fairly empathic. "Interesting how those artifacts seem to turn up in relation to things being corrupted in some way..."
Xander
Overworld - 7 - 0 - 0

    Xander rolls his eyes at Merek's first statement and makes a low rumbling in his throat; A warning perhaps. He looks over to Kauchemar. "Exactly. You end them as a mercy check, if that is what makes you happy... and spare any landers suffering that same fate."

His jaw clenches a little. "Hell, we still can't find that god damn adventurer that got turned. We have no idea /where/ he is."

Then Merek goes /there/, and the Salamander slowly looks over. His claws dig slightly into his arm and then he grins, before a gentle chuckle escapes his lips. That grin, almost becomes a sinister smile, as he looks directly at Merek. "... You want to run that by me again, /sir/?"

He then lowers his arms. "Did you forget who is spear heading this god damn issue? Which is the group that is sending a good deal into this shit to try to help? Who has the /best/ combatants when it comes to guilds and raiders?"

Xander's voice gets a low growl in it. "So, run that shit by me again or shut the fuck up before I make you..."
Merek
Overworld - 7 - 0 - 0

    "Using threats doesn't make the point," Merek then notes to Xander, while he watches the man. "I've watched you all in action, some of you treat it like we're still inside a game. You're not the best combatants just because you say you are, you are not the ones leading everything just because you say you are. We have three Guilds, all needing to work together. Your way of thinking isn't making any progress. Amalthea? She fights for what's right, she tries to keep the Guild working to fight the bosses when it's convenient. She doesn't go in like some of you, killing everything in the path with no regards for the truth of any situation. We are in this war because of that mindset. I apologize if that upsets you, but it's something you need to know."
    The man takes a look to Kauchemar from the hood, while thinking about it. "I suppose that's true... Anyway, we still need to find the Soul Mirror. In addition, well there's a lot we need to know."
Kauchemar
Overworld - 7 - 0 - 0

Kauchemar takes a step back out of waryness in case the two men come to blows. In the wilderness it would go to PvP rather than the dueling code and she'd rather not be randomly in the middle of it. There is no sense of fear from her, just caution.

"The Tower may not be the solution, but may still hold the path to answers." Hwyaden stance in general there. "It is a resource not to be ignored either."
Xander
Overworld - 7 - 0 - 0

    Xander chuckles lightly, "You are a little shit, you know that?" There was a bit of smoke coming from the side of Xander's mouth, as he peers directly at Merek. "I don't disagree that some of the guys do treat this like it's a fucking game still, but here is something you learn when you're in the Army."

He steps directly in front of Merek. "Even if they are pieces of garbage, they our garbage to deal with, not someone /outside/. We can talk shit about our own, but someone outside... ah no. You don't talk shit about my family."

"You also don't know /shit/ about me or how I think. You don't know my fucking past. You don't know how I view this world or the shit I've sacrificed. No. We are in this fucking war cause of what has come down to a god damn territorial dispute between the /Landers/ and those /fucking/ undead, and we, the adventurers, got our noses deep shit in it cause of people like /YOU/." He then goes to press his finger directly against Merek's chest.

"You had that cursed blade. You tried to play nice with the enemy. How far has that gotten you, huh?! How many more adventurers... Landers... /PEOPLE/ will /DIE/ because you keep that shitting mindset of yours. Good. Fucking. People." Xander bares his fangs with that draconic growl emitting in his voice. "So don't you dare try to act like some mighty then thou. Don't you /dare/ try to fucking preach to me. You are damn ass lucky I don't punch you right now-- and I only hold back cause I got enough sense in me to /NOT/ start a fight for the sake of holding together what little thread we got-- and that is cause I /do/ respect Amalthea and she is the only reason I don't. So back the fuck off the Scale and let us do our damn jobs."
Merek
Overworld - 7 - 0 - 0

    Merek would permit that Xander will be poking him. The man doesn't look like his emotion changes even a little, while he waits for the man to finish. When he does, there's a nod along to him, watching him from the hood. "Xander, I've no idea what you went through. That doesn't make you the only one to make sacrifices though. I sacrificed my life to see friends to safety while fighting the undead. By talking with the enemy, I've learned a lot of things. You weren't there, you didn't look into the eyes of the undead knight, when he was killed standing down after I offered him a way without fighting. I'm not saying your work isn't important, I am just saying that everything that aren't Adventurers are people too." The man takes a moment to place a cigarette into his mouth, then he begins lighting that.
    "You know, I don't tell a lot of people about the past. I don't think that I want to at the moment. I apologize if I upset you and insulted your family, it was not my intention. I'm just asking for a little bit of... Consideration when we are fighting." There's a look to Kauchemar, "Anyway, we learned why the world language changed months ago, when we couldn't understand anyone."
Xander
Overworld - 7 - 0 - 0

    "And this damn war is claiming more lives than any wave ever has." Xander snipes back with a low rumble. "And long as it continues to go on. Long as people /like you/ keep thinking we can make fucking peace or some other shit going around in your heads. More lives /will/ perish-- and I am NOT talking about just adventurers you idget. I am also talking about Landers as well."

The Salamander inhales deeply, his fist curls, but he steps back. "So you know what, keep playing pussy foot. Keep trying to be the god damn hero to whatever story you have in your head." He then goes to move away, before looking over to Kauchemar, "... And sorry /you/ had to be here for all that."

Then he goes to walk off before he does do something he'll regret.
Kauchemar
Overworld - 7 - 0 - 0

Kauchemar belongs to neither Alliance so she has little reason to get into the middle of the debate beyond passive observation. And note to herself how Olympus' ideals seem to be the middle ground.

But the situation resolved itself in a manner and the Salamander tromps off. "I have seen worse of people." Strange shit happens in nightclubs trust me.

Her attention turns back to Merek when he brings up an interesting topic though. "Oh really?"
Merek
Overworld - 7 - 0 - 0

    "No one said anything about making peace in the whole war. We still need to fight the Queen, we still need to fight the Commanders, we just want to consider that not all of them want to be in the war. Not everyone wants to be a hero, we just don't all want to be in a war that no one asked to be in," Merek states. The man waves to Xander, "Be safe."
    The man seems to honestly care about Xander, all the same he nods to Kauchemar while letting the man take time to himself. "Yes, the Babylon Signal in Babylon took interference. It seems to be a special signal that permits the understanding."
Kauchemar
Overworld - 7 - 0 - 0

"Speaking in tongues, like the Tower of Babel." The name references do not escape Kauchemar either. Japan loves to borrow from other cultures and mythos even if they do not regard all the religious connotations. Her nostrils flare in a bemused snort. "Or maybe Rosetta Stone is more accurate these days."
Merek
Overworld - 7 - 0 - 0

    Merek nods a bit to Kauchemar, while he seems to think about it, "I don't know what to make of that all. Anyway, we're learning a lot of things," the man notes. There's a nod along while he takes a look along at that rain.
Kauchemar
Overworld - 7 - 0 - 0

"Though some answers simply bring deeper questions," Kauchemar muses. The equine woman grips the edge of her hood to give it a flick and dislodge some excess water building up in the creases. "But such is the way of this world."
Merek
Overworld - 7 - 0 - 0

    Merek nods a bit to Kauchemar, "Anyway, apologies about all of that," he offers, while he takes a moment to look from the hood to the fields. "There are a lot of projects to assist with, building new things. Do you have any questions?"
Kauchemar
Overworld - 7 - 0 - 0

"Think nothing of it. I was a nightclub DJ, I've seen worse when emotions run hot." Kauchemar puts a hand thoughtfully to her chin. "I wonder how this Babylon relates to music being more effective at certain communications with Landers than normal languages..."
Merek
Overworld - 7 - 0 - 0

    "No idea, anyway it's likely that it's related to a lot of things," Merek admits, nodding a bit along to Kauchemar. The man watches that rain in thought, "I came up with an interesting theory, because of things we learned. Anyway, it's not a nice theory exactly. About why we are in ETO."
Kauchemar
Overworld - 7 - 0 - 0

Kauchemar tilts her head a bit at the man. "Not everything can be sugarplums and sunshine," she replies. "But humor me and go on."
Merek
Overworld - 7 - 0 - 0

    "It is possible that Earth was destroyed, and we were all transferred into a simulation. Also possible we are on Earth either in the past or in the future," Merek would note, while nodding a little bit along to Kauchemar. "The evidence at least supports there are other worlds."
Kauchemar
Overworld - 7 - 0 - 0

"An interesting take on things, that is certain." As one of darkness and ideas beyond the conscience mind Kauchemar doesn't seem all that bothered by the notion. "And why no one has come to 'save' us... But we have no way of knowing for sure." Lavender eyes turn to Merek with a somber gaze.

"Unknowing scares men more than death does."
Merek
Overworld - 7 - 0 - 0

    "I don't know. I am wondering what the truth would be, either way it's little reason to not keep working towards goals." Merek nods a little bit along to Kauchemar, "Anyway, I should probably be back to things, was nice talking to you for a little while."
Kauchemar
Overworld - 7 - 0 - 0

"Information is meant to be shared." As one would expect a messenger to say. Kauchemar nods. "Likewise. I do have a duel to prepare for. Hopefully your search for potatoes brings an a-peel-ing result." And you thought you escaped puns with the serious topics.
Merek
Overworld - 7 - 0 - 0

    Merek nods a little bit, while he offers a wave, and makes a way along from the place.