Joseph immediately notices that a ring has materialized on his finger. Once he has it off he looks it over for engravings, cocking an eyebrow he looks around and finds that most of the others have received a similar ring. "Hey, you guys... Nobody had a rings on before this right? Not matching at least." Looking down at the engraving he shrugs.
Can't hurt to try. He speaks to the ring. "I wish I knew who my last relationship was with in this world, If they're still alive."
A wild wind blows and a scrying screen appears before Joseph. Within its depths his sees the image of woman with a lean acrobat's body, a shock of white hair, and a sour look on her face as she looks upon her companions, a large man in golden plate and a teenager with feathery blonde hair, in annoyance as the pair argue about something.
Her face, with it's wide eyes, thin red lips and button nose stir feelings of familiarity and longing in Joseph.
Ashley Tendragon. A spectral voice whispers to him.
Joseph feels that this is a current image and that the woman is relatively nearby.
"I don't know where it came from. It just showed up on my finger. It looks pretty on you though!"
"I don't know where it came from. It just showed up on my finger. It looks pretty on you though!"
"Thank you Kei!" Babey coos happily, turning in a circle to show everyone her new necklace.
... He wasn’t entirely sure what to think about this entire situation.
There were so many different elements involved. The Lady’s explanation did make sense, a significant amount of sense for certain, but he wasn’t sure that he believed that it was entirely true. He didn’t go as far as Alyssa did, and discarded the situation completely... but at the same time, he knew that he was more than likely going to have to look into the situation in greater detail. To look into the Apogee Society, and whenever or not they actually did have a magic-less planet as a rehabilitation planet. To find out just how much of the Lady’s words were true... and how much of them were false.
But that was only the tip of the iceberg.
This... Kami of theirs. Not only was he the one that summoned them, looking for a key that could unlock any lock. Claiming without too much reason for suspicion that he was attempting to access a demiplane where the essence of a dead god rested, in order to free his sister from her prison. But he had made... enemies. Powerful. Powerful enemies.
Kanzen. Demon Lord of Kilk’Ill, Princess of the Jaaku. Even one like himself would hesitate to have someone like her as an enemy. If it came to a straight out fight, he was rather confident that he would be able to defeat her. But Demon Lords rarely fought fair, especially when going against threats that they themselves respected. Hence why her mere presence was more than enough to put him on edge. The fact that the party sought her out as an ally, and willingly made a deal with her made further confused matters. In all likelihood, they did not actually realise her true nature. That they simply saw her as a being of power, and not a being of infernal might. Otherwise, they would not have made her into an ally.
Yet... he could not be certain about that, and that was worrying. They were acting in an unpredictable fashion, despite how he had believed he had been getting a strong read on their personalities leading up to this revelation. Especially not when they did not just reason with the Ogre squadron sent after them but actually swayed them to work for themselves instead. Albeit at the rate of twice as much pay as Kami had been offering them. Neither did the spontaneous appearance of what seemed to be magical rings on their persons exactly ease his nerves in regards to this group...
They were different than anything he had ever come across before...
... It took him quite a while to realise that what he was feeling wasn’t anxiety.
It was excitement. There was no question about it anymore: He was going shadow this group, no matter what they did.
"Alright everyone! Before we head to the city. I'm going to do something to bring us somewhere, to a person that was apparently very dear to me. Maybe she can shed some light on the events leading up to my imprisonment and by extension yours." He looks over everyone present, even the band of giant mercenaries. "Is that okay?"
"That is quite alright young one. If it means we can figure out who we truly are, or in my case who my worshipers were, then I wholeheartedly support the decision."
The big warrior nods. "Of course, man. Good job!"
"Now we might actually be getting somewhere," Bage says. "I think I would actually trust information from a magical ring more than people right now."
"Very well, she should be close. So making way to the city shouldn't be a problem from there." Joseph raises his hand to his face and says to the ring. "I wish we where all transported to Ashely safely."
"Very well, she should be close. So making way to the city shouldn't be a problem from there." Joseph raises his hand to his face and says to the ring. "I wish we where all transported to Ashely safely."
A flash of blue light engulfs the party and teleports them into a campsite clearing in a niche of trees off a cobblestone road. The sun shines bright and the grass is warm under your feet.
To one side three sturdy warhorses are tied to a tree by their reins and happily munch away on oat bags that have been hung from their snouts.
In the center of the clearing is a campsite fire just beginning to burn, smoke trails away up from it and the slightly sweet smell of wood smoke already fills the air.
Around the fire stand three beings; a middle aged man in golden plate with a salt and pepper beard, a youthful pretty-boy with long blonde hair and a double pair of belts around his waist, and a very slim, tightly muscled woman with snow white hair.
All three turn in surprise as you teleport in, the man and boy dropping an argument and the woman's eyes growing wide as she sees Joseph.
Joseph looks at the group, his eyes stop when they reach Ashley. He smiles, raises his hand in greeting and speaks. "Yo, I've been told I know you? Ashley right?"
Thankfully, in his life long since past, Liriiestil had teleported plenty, both via himself and due to others, so he did not experience any of the disorientation, or sickness that was common for those who teleported for the first time.
Upon arriving at the campsite, he eyes each of the three carefully, just in case.
He can't but chuckle at Joseph's abruptness "Well, that's certainly not the way I would have introduced us, but I suppose it works." He says a sort of apology to those they have suddenly intruded upon.
Joseph looks at the group, his eyes stop when they reach Ashley. He smiles, raises his hand in greeting and speaks. "Yo, I've been told I know you? Ashley right?"
"Aevitas?" She says, using Joseph's formal name, seeming awed.
"Who?" The man and the boy say, simultaneously looking at each other.
"You're alive?!" Ashley exclaims, slowly walking toward Joseph with tears forming in her eyes.
"What?" The man and the boy say, simultaneously looking at each other again.
She gets right up in Joseph's face and leans in as if to kiss him.
Suddenly her face grows stormy and her tears turn into angry tears.
She slaps Joseph across the face and he realizes she is quite strong, given that it hurts a lot more than it probably should.
"You jerk! I thought you were dead! Where have you been these sixty years!"
Joseph is properly walloped by the slap, his entire body being turned from it in it's state of unpreparedness. Turning back to Ashley he simply cocks an eyebrow and squints. "Just sixty? Hm, thought it would have been longer than that." Joseph straightens up and rubs his cheek, only then realizing he's covered in blood from his escapade with the giant. But since she hadn't seemed to notice he goes on. "I don't remember a thing about this world. The only reason I even knew you where connected to me is because this ring told me you're important to me, so Who are you... Too me? Hell, who am I!?"
Joseph flops down into a sitting position to get out of slapping distance once his line of questioning is complete.
Joseph is properly walloped by the slap, his entire body being turned from it in it's state of unpreparedness. Turning back to Ashley he simply cocks an eyebrow and squints. "Just sixty? Hm, thought it would have been longer than that." Joseph straightens up and rubs his cheek, only then realizing he's covered in blood from his escapade with the giant. But since she hadn't seemed to notice he goes on. "I don't remember a thing about this world. The only reason I even knew you where connected to me is because this ring told me you're important to me, so Who are you... Too me? Hell, who am I!?"
Joseph flops down into a sitting position to get out of slapping distance once his line of questioning is complete.
At first she looks offended that Joseph could have forgotten her, but it quickly melts away to concern.
"Always covered in gore." She sighs happily, just glad to see Joseph well, despite his apparent amnesia. She pulls out a handkerchief and kneels down, wiping his face clean in small careful strokes.
Looking upon his freshened visage for a long moment she leans in and kisses him deeply.
Joseph is stunned by the sudden kiss, his face going so red you can hardly tell the blood had been cleaned off. "Oh, haha. Ooooh ha. H-hey you guys, lil heee-." Joseph faints before he can finish the sentence. Flopping back onto the grass, he gurgles softly.
Lir can't help but grin at the display of love between Joseph and Ashley. He decides to lend a minor assist to his friend, and with a slight wave of his hand, and a mumbled word of arcane power, he finishes cleaning the blood and gore off of the immortal man.
Teleported along withe others, Zaidel is amazed how it all plays out: the kiss, the slap, the faint.
"Real sorry to barge in on your campsite." Zaidel holds his hands up in nonaggression. "We mean you no harm. It's just that Joseph..or Aevitas is such an excitable boy!"
Bage stumbles a bit as he surroundings suddenly change. He is even more caught off guard as the woman suddenly approaches Joseph as if she knows him. "Well...seems someone's a lucky fella," Bage comments.
Kei blushes and turns away from the moment of affection.
Joseph is stunned by the sudden kiss, his face going so red you can hardly tell the blood had been cleaned off. "Oh, haha. Ooooh ha. H-hey you guys, lil heee-." Joseph faints before he can finish the sentence. Flopping back onto the grass, he gurgles softly.
"Huh...I guess you're excited to see me too." Ashley says in surprise.
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Teleported along withe others, Zaidel is amazed how it all plays out: the kiss, the slap, the faint.
"Real sorry to barge in on your campsite." Zaidel holds his hands up in nonaggression. "We mean you no harm. It's just that Joseph..or Aevitas is such an excitable boy!"
"WHAT?! HOW DARE YOU THREATEN US WITH NOSE HARM!?" The blonde boy declares as he stalks over with his fist raised.
"Stop! He said 'no harm'!" The bearded man yells at the boy hastily.
The bearded man yells more loudly when that doesn't appear to stop the boy.
"Oh.." He says, lowering his fist, he raises his hand again as if to shake hands with Zaidel, then, deciding that might not be the appropriate gesture of welcome with these strange friends of Ashley's he leans in and gives Zaidel a big kiss.
Slightly fluttered, Zaidel leans back and says, "Well..I misjudged that. Let's try a handshake." The big warrior holds out his hand. "The name's Zaidel. Zaidel Michigan."
The big warrior also goes around the group introducing the names of his companions.
Slightly fluttered, Zaidel leans back and says, "Well..I misjudged that. Let's try a handshake." The big warrior holds out his hand. "The name's Zaidel. Zaidel Michigan."
The big warrior also goes around the group introducing the names of his companions.
"Well hello there friends of Ashley." The boy says, shaking Zaidel's hand.
"My name is Saren, nice to meet you!"
He moves to the next person to kiss and shake with while Ashley and the armored man stare on dumbfounded.
Bage takes a step back as the boy walks up to him. "Handshake will do," Bage says, not wanting to end up like Zaidel over there. "So...how does Ashley know Joseph, and do any of you know the rest of us? We're all sort of in the process of trying to find our pasts."
Bage takes a step back as the boy walks up to him. "Handshake will do," Bage says, not wanting to end up like Zaidel over there. "So...how does Ashley know Joseph, and do any of you know the rest of us? We're all sort of in the process of trying to find our pasts."
Saren looks confused but gives a handshake.
Ashley looks over at Bage. "I knew Joseph a long, long time ago, the rest of you though, I have never seen." She says then looks at her companions.
They both look at each other and shrug.
Lir will also offer Saren a handshake, and introduces himself to the three 'adventurers' "Well met, I'm Liriiestil."
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Joseph mentions meeting a few friends, so she agrees, nodding slowly. People here seem to be making things rather seriously, though truly, Alyssa doubts all of it. Makes no sense.
When they are suddenly transported, Alyssa starts- surely, this dream was incredible! When the lady rushes over to Joseph, she's all in a gush- it's obvious that the happiness on Joseph's face in genuine, and it make Alyssa very happy.
She gives a small curtsy,, indicating Saren, Ashley, and the unknown man. "I am called Alyssa. It is quite a pleasure to meet you."
The Vulture King, having not had time to retract his wings, is a little concerned to be interacting with humans in his semihuman form. Despite that, he extends a hand and says, "I am the Vulture King. I greet you with due respect. I apologise for my...odd appearance. Better this though, than another one of my guises."
When he is introduced by Zaidel, Kei bows respectfully, but remains silent.
Joseph's eyes flutter open as Saren goes about introducing himself to the rest of the group, he takes a moment to take in what just happened before speaking up. "T-that... Was nice." He sits up and touches his lips, giving Ashley side glances. "I'm sorry for blowing up at you there. I'm sure you're just as confused as I am, hell maybe more." Joseph turns to look her full in the eye, takes her hand and speaks again. "I feel like I love you, but I don't know why I feel that way. So, we need to talk. Privately."
Saren seems to realize that the kiss he witnessed was a fluke and instead offers everyone a firm manly handshake, the type he often witnesses Roderick offering.
People are so strange... He thinks without a sense of irony.
"I am Sir Roderick of the Order." The large armored man says, approaching, he offers a firm handshake to each person as well.
Joseph's eyes flutter open as Saren goes about introducing himself to the rest of the group, he takes a moment to take in what just happened before speaking up. "T-that... Was nice." He sits up and touches his lips, giving Ashley side glances. "I'm sorry for blowing up at you there. I'm sure you're just as confused as I am, hell maybe more." Joseph turns to look her full in the eye, takes her hand and speaks again. "I feel like I love you, but I don't know why I feel that way. So, we need to talk. Privately."
"Definitely, Come." Ashley says, taking Joseph by the hand and leading him into the woods. Once there she looks at him expectantly.
"Tell me what is going on as best you can and I'll help you as best as I can. Do you really not remember anything of our life?"
Saren watches them go then says to the rest; "So he has amnesia? How did that happen? Did he get hit on the head? You know I read a book about amnesia once and it said that the brain is a very delicate organ!"
Roderick looks at him in surprise. "You've read a book?"
"Of course!" Saren declares. "It said that if you suffer amnesia from a blow and your head's all messed up, the best way to fix your brain is to suffer another blow that brings it all back, it is science!"
"Are you sure it is science?" Roderick asks. "Are you sure it isn't...nothing?"
Saren thinks for a moment, rubbing his chin. "Oh yeah!" He agrees.
Lir chuckles at the young man's enthusiasm "We all apparently have memory issues, though most of mine have been restored. It's a long story, but we're hoping to learn some about our pasts, and what happened to us within the nearby city's library. Assuming it has a well-stocked one." He says this last with an easy smile.
"We all apparently share that trait, the amnesia, I mean", explains Zaidel. "Whatever our 'true' memories were, are replaced with 'false' memories and experiences. We're on a journey to get our true selves back."
"Oh, that's awful." Saren says. "To have all hit your heads at once, what brutal bad luck."
Roderick looks sideways at the group. "You...all have memory issues?" He inquires.
The elven king laughs aloud at Saren's comment "No lad, we didn't all hit our heads at once. Our memories were messed with, intentionally. We're not entirely sure why however, so that's one of the things we're going to be looking into"
The elven king laughs aloud at Saren's comment "No lad, we didn't all hit our heads at once. Our memories were messed with, intentionally. We're not entirely sure why however, so that's one of the things we're going to be looking into"
"Who messed with your memories?" Saren inquires, looking shocked.
Roderick just looks at the group speculatively.
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Joseph shakes his head once Ashley finishes her question. "Not a thing, again I only knew about you because of this thing." He holds up his ring for her to inspect. "It told me I knew you, when I asked it to bring me to you it dropped us off here." He puts a hand on his chin and rubs it. "It's been, almost a day I think, since I woke up like this. After I awoke I found myself grouped with this motley crew, I stuck with them, thought they'd help me figure out the goings on. After that we got a key to everything from a guy named Kamii that hired some mercenaries to kill us when we didn't give it back. We got them on our side though."
Joseph rubs his chin with his free hand. "Let's see, we sorta killed Kamii? Maybe? Meet with some crazy Lady of the woods who told us we where prisoners that where recently freed from some utopian society that doesn't exist anymore, and then we came here." He smiles at Ashley before ending. "So there it is, a quick summary of my day."
"We're not entirely sure. That's another thing we plan on looking into" He says evasively, not entirely sure these three could be trusted.
Noticing the reactions of both Saren and Roderick, Kei says "The important thing at this juncture is that we offer you no harm that you do not offer us first. I do not think that we need to be enemies, or wary of each other. We should just pretend that we are two ships passing in the night for now, and then deal with anything else that might come up."
"Sir Roderick, please tell us about the order you belong to", asks Zaidel. "Are you guys paladins!?" The big warrior brightens.
"We're not entirely sure. That's another thing we plan on looking into" He says evasively, not entirely sure these three could be trusted.
"Hmmm, very interesting..." Says Saren, though you aren't quite sure if he is actually following the conversation.
Roderick is still looking speculatively at the group.
Noticing the reactions of both Saren and Roderick, Kei says "The important thing at this juncture is that we offer you no harm that you do not offer us first. I do not think that we need to be enemies, or wary of each other. We should just pretend that we are two ships passing in the night for now, and then deal with anything else that might come up."
"Sounds fair." Roderick says, relaxing.
"Mmmmm, yes, fair." Saren agrees, nodding enthusiastically.
"Sir Roderick, please tell us about the order you belong to", asks Zaidel. "Are you guys paladins!?" The big warrior brightens.
"I am a paladin, yes. There are actually three military Orders within the Church of the Sleeping Goddess; The Demon Slayers, The Sacred Assassins and the Arcane Wardens. We have taken such causalities in recent years however we simply refer to ourselves as the Order collectively, as the distinction isn't very important on a practical level these days."
Roderick informs with a sigh.
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Alyssa looks around. Definetly a good idea to keep that to ourselves, she thinks, as Liriiestil deftly deflects questions about their origins.
"I know the meaning of the word paladin, and you seem to smell just like him," she says, indicating VK. "Just not as strong."
"In fact, some of you smell more..... divine, now, than others," she says, looking around at Lirriestil, Zaidel, Sir Roderick, and Saren.
She shakes her head. "I'm sorry, just imagining things. So, what do you do, Sir Roderick?"