[Cherry Heart] Tyson's Trial

[Aix]

Tyson narrowed his eyes when he noticed the behemoth had stirred, but he was too late to do anything about it. He did not dare call out either in case he should rouse the beast into action. Then, Angela snatched the seed and bolted, perhaps their only real course of action in this situation. Tyson stayed at the back of the fleeing party as the rearguard. As guild master, of course, he was responsible for the well-being of his members, he did not believe in the other way around.

 

The behemoth neared, and Tyson swung around to smash it in the face with a fist of explosive flame to divert its path. He didn't dare tarry and hurried on to follow the girls after slowing the beast, but the behemoth recovered faster than he expected and he was immediately sent flying as it barged right into him.

 

"Go! Go! Go on without me! Meet me at the grave!" said Tyson in almost a snarl as he struggled back up. He turned to the behemoth again, and another fiery blast consumed his entire body. A giant of flame emerged from the explosion to wrestle the behemoth head-on.

 

Not long later, a phoenix descended upon the grave site where the girls had gathered. Despite the majesty of its being, it seemed almost limping in flight and it landed hastily on the cliff. It combusted and standing in its place was none other than their guild master. Tyson was hunched over slightly at first, but straightened himself and smiled at the girls. "I'm glad you all managed to get here without trouble. We can start the ritual now."

 

He pulled a tattered book from his robe. One could tell that it was once a beautiful leather-bound tome, but the ages have eaten away at it. Tyson frowned, as it was a bit more damaged than before from his confrontation with the behemoth, but he mentally reassured himself and turned to a page where a magic circle was inscribed.

 

"This book was written by an ancient vizier, a nobleman of sorts, of a long forgotten civilisation," he said, returning comfortably into his role as a teacher. "It was a most wretched work, filled with the author's nefarious dreams of power and domination. It was his key to immortality and he poured his tears and sweat into his research. What his fate was, I cannot know, but whatever dark designs it was meant for, this magical book now fallen in our hands is a tool for good."

 

In one swift motion, he tore the page from the book and lay it on the ground. Then, he took the seeds from Angela's hands and frowned slightly again. After a moment of deliberation, he chose one of them to place atop the page.

 

Tyson took a deep breath. Then, he glanced at the others before closing his eyes and beginning the incantation. "By law of nature that life beget life. Embers that smoulder, return alight," he murmured as the seed began to burn. He continued speaking as the fire grew. Then, it burst out and a tongue of flame lashed out, catching Tyson in the side. The fire went out and Tyson dropped to the ground unconscious.

 

[spoiler=OOC]He's still breathing, but very weakly. His body temperature is also dropping. The page and the seed are gone. Nothing seems to have happened.

 

[Wind Rider]

Angel looked behind her to see that the rocky behemoth was being held off by Tyson. "Go! Go! Go on without me! Meet me at the grave!" Angel didn't feel comfortable with leaving Tyson behind, but it was clear that the guildmaster could handle himself despite his lack of sleep as he formed a whirlwind of fire to combat the beast. Angel faced back to the exit of the cave and rushed out with Angela and Io.

 

Minutes later, the group had made it back to the grave but Tyson was nowhere to be seen. "I sure hope Tyson was able to handle the creature..." Angel said as she folded her metallic wings away so they could rest. She looked over to Angela and noticed that she had grabbed two seeds instead of one, Angel couldn't help but be a bit curious as to why Angela grabbed a second seed. After some time had passed, a Phoenix had flown in and landed by the grave, it appeared to have a limp wing to it. Seconds after it landed, fire engulfed the bird, and Tyson appeared where the bird was originally, so he could also turn into a Phoenix, the guildmaster certainly had some tricks up his sleeve. "I'm glad you all managed to get here without trouble. We can start the ritual now."

 

Angel watched as Tyson took one of the seeds Angela had brought and placed it on the grave. He also had gotten out an old looking tome, it had a rather gloomy aura to it. "This book was written by an ancient vizier, a nobleman of sorts, of a long forgotten civilisation, "It was a most wretched work, filled with the author's nefarious dreams of power and domination. It was his key to immortality and he poured his tears and sweat into his research. What his fate was, I cannot know, but whatever dark designs it was meant for, this magical book now fallen in our hands is a tool for good." Angel didn't understand the fundamentals of life exactly, but the fact that this once bad tome was now being used for a good purpose was good enough for her.

 

Tyson tore a page from the book and laid it on the grave with the seed and then started speaking an incantation of sorts. "By law of nature that life beget life. Embers that smoulder, return alight," Tyson continued to say these words until the seed began to light on fire, seconds later the flame from the seed lashed out and hit Tyson before fading away. Tyson was knocked unconscious, Angel rushed over to see if he was alright, but it wasn't good. He was alive of course, but barely. "Oh no, I... I brought some medical supplies with me, we need to help him quick!" Angel started searching her pack for anything that could, she also couldn't stop thinking about the ritual, was it a fluke? Did Tyson put himself through this for nothing? Angel grew more and more nervous as she frantically searched for something that could help the situation.

[Maeriberii Haan]

---

 

"Huff...hufff....somehow we managed to get out..."

 

At what cost though? Tyson had to handle the behemoth himself and all Angela could do was just to sit there and be useless after causing the trouble by awakening the monster. Did it matter if she had no other choices? She still screwed everything over. That was entirely her fault, and all she could think of was performing a selfish act by stealing another seed for her own purpose.

 

Nevertheless, as Angela cursed herself silently, the ritual must still be carried on. Tyson followed them not long after, looking absolutely tattered and drained, and Angela's feeling of guilt got even worse. She simply smiled at him to hide what she was thinking however, and with no other thing happening at that time, the ritual was then started with the four of them after Tyson narrated the function of the book he was holding.

 

He noticed that Angela took two seeds instead of one, and he frowned at her. Angela's smile turned into shivering, her guilt for the selfish act she did grow more and more. But something overtook her mind almost immediately. The book. She must find a way to get it. Tyson tore a page from it and started a chant. If she wished to do what she wanted, then she had to take the book from him.

 

At any cost if it's necessary.

 

Yet, deep in her thoughts, something unexpected happened later on that snapped Angela back to reality. Tyson started to convulse in the middle of chanting the incantation for the ritual, and fell on the ground, with Angel immediately focusing on finding medical supplies to help him. Angela, however, was consumed by her own thoughts, and rushed forward too as if she was also trying to help Tyson, but the immediate thing that she did was using her wind magic to make it so that as if a sudden harsh wind had appeared just as Tyson went unconscious, and she made it such that the book ended up loosened from his grip to be blown away off the cliff, hopefully in a direction that she could reach later.

 

She hated herself for it, and in no way she could forgive herself for stealing from the guildmaster himself, as a man she admired. But her desire had consumed her mind, and with the way of fulfilling it just inches away from her, Angela could not control herself from doing what she did.

 

---

[Astolfo]

---

As the group fled from the Behemoth, Tyson stayed behind, punching it in the face with a fiery fist. Io turned around so she could watch the ongoing fight, lightly skipping backwards to stay a safe distance away with jumps that seemed almost unnatural in their duration. Unfortunately for their guildmaster, the Behemoth wasn’t about to go down from just a little punch, and it proved that by tackling Tyson, sending him sprawling. Tyson still had a few more tricks up his sleeve though, and Io snapped multiple photos of him transforming into a massive flamebeast. As much as Io would’ve liked to keep watching from a safe height, perhaps by climbing a tree or so, Tyson still was the guildmaster and he was doing this out of some valiant notion that he should protect the girls. Sighing, she vowed silently in her head she’d get as much juicy information out of Tyson as she could when everyone got back safely.

Turning back around to face the path ahead, Io leaned forward, almost till she was parallel to the ground. Exploding off the ground with a powerful jump, Io raced past the trees, almost as if she was flying with every massive leap she took. Soon enough, she too rejoined the other two girls back at the gravesite they had first went to. An injured phoenix joined them not too long afterwards either, before revealing itself to be Tyson. Watching with a hawk’s eye as Tyson pulled out an unusual worn old tome, Io tuned her ears as he mentioned what it was. The description certainly wasn’t an encouraging one however, but Io momentarily shifted focus when she noticed Angela had plucked not just one, but two Seeds. Io’s eyes narrowed as she scrutinized Angela’s face.

Tyson starting the ritual brought back Io’s attention however, leading Io to take several photos. When the conjured fires whipped out and smashed into Tyson’s side, Io couldn’t hold back a brief smirk, muttering to herself quietly.

”Silly humans always try to mess around with things far beyond their understanding. Haaah… Now look at where it’s gotten this fellow. And what does that Angela girl hope to do with another Seed…? Humans always cling so much to what’s dead and gone…"

Io stayed back as the other two girls rushed to their guildmaster’s side, watching. What caught Io’s attention was when a hard gust of wind blew the magic tome off the cliff. By itself, it wouldn’t have been suspicious, but with the timing of it being just as the Angela girl rushed forward along with the earlier recollection of her having had an extra seed, Io’s eyes narrowed. Nothing was definite yet, and it wasn’t something Io would want to directly question Angela about, but it was certainly a reason for Io to perhaps observe Angela a bit more, until she could gain more proof of either or.

Oh right, the guildmaster. A quick photo revealed he was just barely alive. As she read however, Io’s eyebrows raised slightly. The ritual he had cast apparently tried to take away part of his lifeforce as well. Io wondered if that was intentional on the tomemaker’s part or if the ritual had just been faulty, but pushed that thought away for later. While no particular individual human’s life mattered that much to her, considering Tyson still was her guildmaster and he was a fairly decent human at that, him dying really wouldn’t be convenient for her. As it was, the group being in the middle of nowhere didn’t really make for an encouraging chance of his survival. The guildmaster having fallen at a gravesite while trying to revive the one it was meant for was darkly ironic.

---

[Aix]

"Stasis."

 

There was a flash as a glowing sword suddenly appeared out of nowhere embedded into Tyson's chest. Something like a transparent film appeared over Tyson's skin, giving it a shiny blue tinge. A hand grabbed the sword's hilt, and pulled it out, leaving not a mark on the body. Standing before them now, holding the sword, was a chestnut-haired girl in knight's armor with a satisfied smile on her face. "Ouf, I made it in time."

 

On closer observation, it was possible to see right through the girl, her form did not seem entirely tangible. "Come on now, Tyson wouldn't want to see you guys distraught. Your mission, in part, was a success," she said with an accent. Her expression turned sombre as she knelt down next to the fire wizard. "Poor Tyson, t'ere was no need to push yourself so far for my sake. You knew t'e seeds were lacking, you should not have proceeded with such a risky ritual, especially not while injured... I know not how long it will take, but I shall return your goodwill and seek a way to restore you." She turned to the others and stood up. "It was not t'e fault of you guys. Tyson took t'e gamble himself. I have frozen his condition to give us time to find a way to heal him, but it will not be easy. Life is such a complex and fragile t'ing, it cannot to be tampered wit' lightly, even a sword-swinging brute like me knows t'is."

 

"Ah, I have not introduced myself. I am t'e Guild Master of Cherry Heart. My name, you may have guessed, is Jeanne Quichotte," she said. "Tyson has told me much about you guys and I have been able to take my glimpses from the other side. I am much indebted to you all for taking part in my restoration."

[Astolfo]

---

As Io sat back, relaxing on the grassy field, her eyes watched the rest of the group intently, widening slightly. It seemed as if the ritual was not a complete failure after all. Taking several pictures as the person who they were presumably trying to revive manifested, Io made sure to take several of the person themselves. Even without the photographs telling her everything about the girl however, it was easy to tell that something was off. Perhaps the ritual had failed or perhaps it hadn’t and this was the correct result, just not one Io expected. After all, the girl was semi-transparent, and the waves beating against the rocky shores far below the cliff could be seen through her torso. The girl’s voice was quite a curious, old-fashioned tongue, and Io’s ears perked as they tuned in.

As expected, the girl was Jeanne - or at least the attempt at reviving her. It seemed as if the seeds were faulty, which took Io by surprise. Well, so much for my plans to go filch a few later. Jeanne went on to talk about how she could still perceive their world from what she described as “the other side”, presumably being a post-death realm. Dismissing Jeanne’s words of thanks with a flick of her palm, Io strode up to her boldly. However, being a solid ten centimeters shorter than the other girl, the intended effect was lost, causing Io’s ears and tail to ruffle back and forth slightly in annoyance. Pasting on a smile on her face, Io greeted the new girl cheerfully.

”Welcome back, Jeanne!"

Io leaned in closer so that the other girls would not be able to hear.

”Or do you prefer… ‘Minerva’? Or perhaps… ‘Goddess of Victory’, for old time’s sake? For someone that’s been alive so long ago, you don’t look a day over sixteen. Although from the looks of it now, you’re not quite all there, are ya? Seems like the ritual’s got done corked up a bit."

Io walked around, scanning Jeanne’s body closely, reaching out to brush her armor and skin, curious as to whether she’d be able to actually feel her. As her fingers passed right through, Io pulled back, out of some small sense of respect. Jeanne still was a legendary hero in the past, after all.

”For an immortal, bein’ a revenant’s like as close to a darned human as you could get. But I guess beggars can’t be choosers. I betcha’re wonderin’ how I know all this. Don’t worry, I’m not looking for a fight. Getting hit by your Runeblade Magic isn’t on my bucket list~"

Io skipped backwards lightly to rejoin the other two girls, feigning innocence. Despite the somewhat sharp tongue she teased Jeanne with, it’s not like as if Io had a grudge against her for what happened to Tyson, nor did she really care as much, with the reassurance of Jeanne putting him into some sort of magical stasis. In truth, Io was quite interested to see what awe-inspiring tales Jeanne would put in the books this time. For a human - or someone who at least used to be one - Jeanne wasn’t all that bad, and - to be honest - she’d certainly achieved a lot more than various other beings Io had seen across the ages. And teasing new people with the information she could grab from her camera was always a fun and novel experience.

Grinning at Jeanne, Io raised her hands and shrugged, hoping it conveyed the idea she meant no real harm or offense. Now, how would she respond?

---

[Wind Rider]

Angel was about to give up as she didn't bring any medical supplies for someone getting knocked unconscious when Tyson was suddenly enveloped in a strange light. "Ouf, I made it in time." Angel looked to see that a rather transparent lady in armor was standing over Tyson's unconscious body. "Poor Tyson, t'ere was no need to push yourself so far for my sake. You knew t'e seeds were lacking, you should not have proceeded with such a risky ritual, especially not while injured... I know not how long it will take, but I shall return your goodwill and seek a way to restore you." The mysterious woman went on to say that Tyson was alright for now, but he had given some of his own life for the ritual, wait, that means the woman is...

 

"Ah, I have not introduced myself. I am t'e Guild Master of Cherry Heart. My name, you may have guessed, is Jeanne Quichotte, Tyson has told me much about you guys and I have been able to take my glimpses from the other side. I am much indebted to you all for taking part in my restoration." So this woman was none other than Jeanne herself. Angel flustered up a bit and scrambled to get up on her legs before putting her bag of supplies on her back. "It's an honor... to finally meet you miss Jeanne," Angel said rather nervously. "I had thought the ritual had failed but... I'm glad it didn't, but Tyson..." Angel said looking down at Tyson's frozen body, to think he gave part of his own life just to resurrect Jeanne. Angel looked back at Jeanne to see that Io was taking a closer look at her, Jeanne didn't look like she was even there, she was almost transparent and Angel could feel an odd presence from her, it seemed that the ritual was successful, but Jeanne was lacking a physical form.

 

”For an immortal, bein’ a revenant’s like as close to a darned human as you could get. But I guess beggars can’t be choosers. I betcha’re wonderin’ how I know all this. Don’t worry, I’m not looking for a fight. Getting hit by your Runeblade Magic isn’t on my bucket list~" and there Io goes again, knowing more about someone that she just met, her camera was an usual object, but something like that does have its advantages. Angel could only chuckle at the confusion that Jeanne probably feels towards Io, it's funny because Angel felt the same when she first met Io too. "It's good that your back miss Jeanne, but what do we do about Tyson, I failed to bring anything that could help a person who's been knocked unconscious on this "hike"."

[Maeriberii Haan]

---

 

No...why...why?

So close to everything...my wish...

 

While the two other girls were of course had their attention taken by the unfolding event, Angela could not bear to look at the newly "resurrected" for long, immediately shifting her gaze to the unconscious Tyson so that the others could not see what were on her eyes. She tried her best to stay quiet, but just a little closer look would reveal the feelings she had right now. Frustration, powerlessness, anguish, as much as she tried to hide them, her own body language betrayed her.

 

Was the book full of garbage that would've never worked? Why did Jeanne return in a state like that? The eyes behind her opened wider, and the wind that was supposedly trying to drop the book to a nearby cliff turned into a razor wind that scattered its pages through the air, into different directions. Perhaps it was because of the lack of body for them to return her soul to. But...that would make her attempt to do the same similarly as fruitless. Perhaps it was due to the defective seeds? But...that was her doing. She was the one that took the seeds. If she took the defective ones due to not checking first, then it's her fault.

 

Of course...that would always be the end answer.

 

It's always her fault.

 

Even without her...it was always her fault.

 

Giggling to herself as the realization hit her, she turned around to face Jeanne, and waved at her. The thought of helping Tyson had disappeared from her mind, although perhaps she wasn't really thinking about anything right now.

 

"Nice to meet you, miss Guildmaster!

How does it feel, returning half-baked like that? 

Geez, to think that we're having a revenant as our new guildmaster. Or should I say old?

 

You sure your body isn't holed up in a tree as a seal somewhere, miss Jeanne? Although that's better than rotting, I guess."

 

---

 

[Aix]

These girls may be a bit different from their first impressions. Was it because Tyson gave off a fatherly or teacher-like aura? Perhaps some day she should look into ways to make a revenant like her look older. Jeanne smiled through the snark. "T'ose titles are rather embarrassing, I'd rat'er not you use t'em," she said sheepishly. "After spending so long wit'out a form, being able to at least partially materialise into t'e living world is refreshing. I am going to need your help carrying Tyson's body back. If you are not too rough, the t'ree of you should be able to carry him just fine wit'out breaking t'e enchantment. Let us be off, it's been a long time since I personally set foot in the guild hall."