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#Post#: 414--------------------------------------------------
A Lifetime in Repeat
By: Marustika Date: July 10, 2015, 11:37 pm
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If I told you how the story ends, would you change the steps you
take? If you could relive all of your days, would they be the
same?
Drizz tightened the gears at the base of his "Magnanimously
Magnificent Machine" There it stood, the empty arch resting in
the center of the Kindlewood estate's basement. Alongside it
rested a console littered with buttons, gauges, and a few levers
for good measure. None of the lights flickered but that was to
be saved for the main event! The soft steps of his beloved
priestess were like music to the goblins ears as she entered his
view. Dressed for the occasion, Marus wore her finest set of
workman's boots and her best set of grubby clothes. A tool belt
hung at her sides, tinkling and bulging from the mess of
wrenches, pliers and whatnots. Drizz eyed her, open mouthed for
a good moment or two before he rose and wiped the grease from
his palms.
"There yah are, babe. Sorry to take the fun out of it, but she's
done!" He exclaimed, gesturing to the MMM with a flourish. Marus
squeeled with glee and threw her arms around Drizz, clamping
down on him tightly as she whirled him about in the air.
"Wonderous! Now you can show me Kezan in all its glory!" She
pressed her lips against his again and again, sighing
contentedly as he returned her embrace. She put him down and
watched him waddle over to the console, beckoning her over.
Marus followed and accepted the hand Drizz held out to her. He
guided them over to the biggest, shiniest red button in
existence.
"This is it, I can finally give a girl like you the life I used
to live. I can show you the home I used to have, I can take you
in rides along the beach in my jalopy, I can-" The goblin was
interrupted by another kiss. Drizz dropped his shoulders and
nodded. The two lovers met each other's gaze and, hands still
entwined, pushed the button.
The Arch came to life with a series of sputters and sparks! The
cables placed deep into the earth latched on to the selected
mana channel and diverted a bit of the flow. The duo were
showered with another set of sparks as the portal began to pull
them in. Marus yelled out but her words were drowned by the
cacophony of gears turning and the roar of the air as they were
pulled through the portal!
All we are is falling through the spaces in between. Endless
flight, a lifetime in repeat.
The sound of crashing waves and the tang of the salted air woke
the surly goblin first. Drizz groaned and lifted his head from
the damp grass. His vison was blurry and littered with flitting
shadows and stars. The mage rubbed his temples and eyes, trying
to get a clear view. What he saw was far from the flashy,
smoke-ridden ideal that was Kezan before Deathwing; Drizz looked
over the cliff that he and Marus had landed on to take in the
sight of a port where dozens of ships docked. Flags of an
unknown designation flapped in the wind and seagulls flitted
between the many castle-esque towers of this foreign city.
Baffled and completely dumbfounded, Drizz looked over to his
traveling partner. Marus lay face-down on the grass, snoring.
The goblin sighed and rolled her on her back, huffing at her
bulk.
"Sweetie? Toots? We's uh...we's uh.." He gulped, staring down at
her sleepy face as she began to awaken.
"We're home?" She asked, voice too hopeful for Drizz to stomach.
He looked away, eyes flitting back to the port. "Um...I don't
know." The mage bit his lip and grabbed the priestess' hand,
giving it a mighty squeeze.
#Post#: 415--------------------------------------------------
Re: A Lifetime in Repeat
By: Marustika Date: July 11, 2015, 12:39 am
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We skydive from walls we build, diving just to feel alive. It's
not love but it's better than dreaming.
Gold coins clattered in the purse as it was tossed onto the bar.
The brewman eyed the bag, elfish ears attentive as he looked the
goblin and his companion up and down. Dainty fingers brushed
over the purse before attempting to pull it close. The
diminutive patron snatched his gold back, narrowing his eyes at
the elf. Eyes locked as the sounds of frivolity, slurped beer,
and cheers in the background progressed uninterrupted,
unaffected by the showdown at the bar. The little one cleared
his throat, puffing his chest as he emptied the sack. Azerothian
gold coins piled up before the brewman, his eyes widening. He
licked his lips greedily as he picked up a single coin. Despite
his obvious confusion at the strange minting of the coin, his
greed won out and he looked back to Drizz.
Drizz Fexro smirked and ran his clawed fingers over the pile,
nails tapping the pieces. "How much will this get us?" The elf
licked his lips once more, babbling out, "T-two nights." The
goblin shrugged, pulling out a cigar from his breast pocket. He
ran his hands over his clothes, searching for something before
grumbling, "Got a light?" The elf nodded and picked up a box of
matches from under the bar. As he reached over to hand Drizz the
stick, the goblin lunged for his hand! Stubby fingers yanked the
poor sod over the railing and onto the stone floor. Without
hesitation he tugged the dazed elf up by the collar and held him
at eye level. "Cuz, yah know, I'd like a smoke before you try
and fuck me!" He yelled, spittle coating the brewman's face. The
bar grew quiet as the other patrons stopped to watch the
commotion. The priestess flashed the gathering an apologetic
smile before turning back to the drenched elf. "Th-three, no
four nights!" He squealed, pulled even closer to the goblin's
face. Drizz's scowl faded to an almost sinister smile. He patted
the elf's cheek and let him go.
"Atta boy, see, I knew you wouldn't fuck nice folks from outta
town, huh? But make it Five nights. Me and my dame wanna see the
sights." The elf begrudgingly nodded as he watched Drizz scoop
up half of the gold on the counter and stuff it back within his
deep pockets. Marus bent down to retrieve one of the fallen
matches and lit Drizz's cigar. He took a puff, blowing a bit of
smoke in the brewman's face before snatching a key to one of the
rooms. He and Marus sauntered down the hall, occasionally giving
her buttocks a squeeze in full view of the collective. "See that
hun? Your man don't take no crap!" She nodded, flushing. "Now
we's got a foothold in dis crazy place. It ain't no Kezan, but
it might just be before I'm through with it," he scoffed. The
priestess nodded once more, pursing her lips.
"Tonight, a room. Tomorrow, we learn where we landed," she
mumbled, still musing.
#Post#: 417--------------------------------------------------
Re: A Lifetime in Repeat
By: Marustika Date: July 12, 2015, 6:27 pm
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The morning drizzle pattered and smacked against the window,
lent force by the whipping gale outside. Marus rose shortly
before sunrise and crept out of the bed, taking great care to
not awaken her comatose bed mate. She threw on her ragged
workman's clothes and peered into the hallway of the inn. A few
men and women bustled about, probably off to the market or to
the docks for another day's work. It felt so off-putting for the
priestess to see so many people comfortable and content, not
displaced or out of sorts. She hugged her arms to her sides and
followed a small group, creeping down the slick wooden stairs
and out into the chilling breeze. Faint hints of sunlight
twinkled on the horizon as they arrived to what could only have
been a bustling marketplace. Merchants were setting up their
stalls, neatly arranging their baubles, trinkets, and baked
goods hot from the ovens. Marus wiped a trickle of drool from
her mouth and rubbed her stomach. Following her nose brought her
face to face with a giant humanoid, large enough to make a
draenei shudder. Seeing a possible patron, the giant spread his
green arms wide and donned a smile.
"Well hello there little missy! I see yah've been drawn to
Moenbruda's Salty Treats! Today's pastries have been mixed with
a bit of today's catch," he bellowed, gesturing out to the
docks. "But, Hydaelyn forbid, if you don't much fancy the bounty
of the sea, we've got a bit of Dodo Souffles and some Grilled
Coerl Biscuits." The names were completely foreign, yet the
smells were heavenly. Marus pulled out a couple of gold from her
pocket and held it out to the man. He clapped his hands together
and with another bellow, "Well lookie here! We've got one hungry
little miss! Lads," he chuckled, looking to his feline-eared
assistants who were stacking boxes. "Fetch me our nicest paper
box! This little darling is asking for a feast." The cat men
greedily obliged, holding out the biggest one they could find to
Marus. She gulped and started selecting a few pastries, taking
care not to drool excessively. After the transaction was
completed, Marus proceeded to stuff nearly half of the boxes'
contents into her gaping maw. The merchants watched with a
mixture of disgust and horror as she gulped it all down. One of
the felines shakily handed her a napkin once she was sated. She
accepted with with dainty grace, no longer a ravenous horror.
Marus turned her attention back to the giant merchant who tried
to quell his unease. "Ahem, sorry about all that. Pray kind sir,
would you be able to direct me to a possible Library? I'm
looking for a lexicon or two for travelers," she asked, voice
sweet. The merchant gulped, pointing down the market.
"Um, past the Coral Tower, yeh can find the Arcanist's Guild.
They ah, they've gotta have some texts you can browse," the
giant replied, glancing at the now half-empty box. Marus gave
him a bow and made her way down the walk-way, stuffing the
occasional pastry down her gullet. Upon nearing her destination,
the unmistakable presence of mana grew stronger and stronger. At
the source, Marus found a rather hefty wooden door with a sign
that was ornately decorated with little silver books. She gave
the door a shove and was greeted with another bustling scene; So
many new humanoid races were crowded around a small desk,
chatting with each other or trying to nab the attention of the
child-like humanoid who sat in her high chair behind the desk.
Behind the desk rested shelves upon shelves of tomes, some
requiring rolling ladders to reach. Completely unsure of where
to begin, Marus wriggled from side to side, looking about like a
small child would when separated from its mother. As her
discomfort was beginning to peak, a large hand was rested on her
shoulder, accompanied by a soothing voice.
#Post#: 418--------------------------------------------------
Re: A Lifetime in Repeat
By: Marustika Date: July 14, 2015, 7:23 pm
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Fourth Astral Moon, 17th Sun of the Eorzean Calendar
I, Marus, being of sound mind and steady hand, have decided to
take up the hobby of personal writing. Never really had the time
back home, too many papers and reports to deliver and review.
After a lengthy discussion with the Matriarch of the Arcanaist's
guild, Thurbygeim, Drizz and I were provided with boundless
information about where exactly we had landed two days prior; In
the bountiful land of Eorzea, our make-shift portal to Kezan
brought us to the coastal capital city of Limsa Lominsa. What
was once a haven for pirates and slavers is now a prosperous
member of the Grand Company Federation, a collective union
betwixt the major cities and their governments. Rather unlike
our skirmishes between the Alliance and the Horde, the GCF has
held a sustained peace for decades, though I suspect that is due
to their mutual foe; The Garelean Empire nips at Eorzea's
borders and has been a dangerous threat. But more on them and
their desires later. For now I feel the various races that make
up this land are a bit more fascinating, if only to me.
Limsa Lominsa seems to house a majority of the Roegadyn, or
pseudo-giant, population. Ranging from green to cream-colored
skin, these folk rival Draenei in size and strength only. They
are much more enjoyable to be around, and most in this city have
a history of piracy, much to Drizz's delight. Then there are the
Mi'quote, a mostly human race of folk that have feline ears and
tails! They look incredibly normal and at first I believed them
to just be wearing costumes, though never ever ask them such a
question. Drizz thought it rather humorous to tug on a tail
which landed him in cold water, literally. Following them are
the Elezen, basically elves. They have similar lifespans to the
hyur, or humans, and come off as a bit less stuck up (for lack
of a better phrasing). From the desert come the Lalafell, a most
adorable race of diminutive folk who rival gnomes in their
stature and intellect. Personally they look like the children of
elves and aside from the occasional mustache, they all look like
children. From the north, past the city-state of Coerthas, hail
the Au'ra; Dragonesque humanoids who hold little record in the
history books. I hypothesize that this is due to their nomadic
and recently adapted culture. Then there are the more beastly
races, but they can be discussed at length the next time I set
pen to paper and after some interaction.
(Will pause this here because the guild event is about to start
and I can't focus!)
#Post#: 424--------------------------------------------------
Re: A Lifetime in Repeat
By: Marustika Date: July 21, 2015, 12:03 am
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Fourth Astral Moon, 20th Sun of the Eorzean Calendar
My last entry was a hasty scrawl, brought short by exuberance
and a fervor to resume my studies. I shall try and keep this one
consistent, lest these writings find their way home without me.
The remainder of our week was spent within the confines of the
Arcanist's Library, plotting our trip! Drizz remembers most of
the components for the MMM and assures me that Mark 2 can be
constructed. What holds us back is Aether and a good deal of it.
Our quantity, however, is unknown. The running theory is the
aether behaves differently than what flows within Azeroth and
using previous data to proceed might be catastrophic. We can't
afford another explosion. Now to study the behavior of the
aether is somewhat simple, if only on paper. Each major city
hosts a magical guild of some sort, each more unique and varied
than the last. If we can get a good grasp on the fundamentals,
then theoretically we'll be better equipped for the trip home.
Aside from the Arcanist's Guild, there are the Conjurer's of
Gridania, the Thaumaturges of Ul'dah, and the Astrologian's of
Ishgard. I dread our journey only for the wear and tear upon my
limbs, extended, non-flying travel never having been my forte. A
few more days under the tutelage of Thurbygeim and I should have
a basic grasp of the ways of the arcanist, if only at
entry-level comprehension. Drizz and I are still bickering about
where to go next. He wants to speak with the thaumaturges or
black mages as is their professional title, whereas I want to
meet with the healers on the other side of the nation. We're
going to flip a coin, though I have no desire to spend a week or
two in the desert. Light help me.
I find myself drudging up thoughts of home, it interrupts my
trains of thought during the day without fail and dread grows in
my gut. I worry for my companions, though I doubt that my
presence would do much to avail them of any trouble. Up until
our departure, I was a volatile mess, fighting battles within my
own mind. Without Caleb's aid, I'm not sure what would've
happened. That spawn within my mind has been silent ever since
we locked him away and its blinded gaze gives me relief. But
even without the creature, I never seemed to do much aside from
stitch Caleb back together. I entertained the thought of
teaching an apprentice in hopes of her efforts bringing joy and
aid, though that certainly devolved into a putrid mess. The
child scurried away, though I doubt it was fault of my own. I
may be horrendous, but never in public. From time to time my
mind flits over to visions of Sila, the sickly woman who was the
reason for many of my shed tears. If nothing else, I want to
return home to see her before she passes, to thank her, to
embrace her, to tell her how much I love her.
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