Descending from the carriage with a small jump to the ground, Aldon straightens up, only to find himself face to face with a remarkably large statue of Aroden. Aldon frowns at seeing the eye, recognizing it from the crypts. He hadn't placed it before, not being much of a scholar, but now he makes the connection. His relieved expression, formed when the prospect of forgetting his troubles in exploring his new home became imminent, reforms itself into a respectful frown. It doesn't last long - Aldon bows his head, and then raises it with a smile and a quirk of an eyebrow. It was good to know that a patron of Lastwall was here with him... even if he was dead. Even then, it was still comforting. A little bit home.
Aldon listens attentively to all Hokuto has to say, wanting to be thorough in his knowledge of the place he was to spend all his time, apparently without ever leaving. He was rather surprised by the houses, having figured on some one, consolidated building to house everyone at Akrabahadran. It's a hopeful sight, that perhaps families may live here as they do in other places. Aldon had expected strangeness and wonders beyond his imagining. To be let down in such a way, well, it was rather a relief.
Besides, I imagine that there's still surprises waiting for me yet.
The Next Day:
Aldon rises groggy and disoriented. He hadn't been initially been comfortable finding out that they would all be bunking together permanently – it left a little too much room for potential mischief, unintentional or otherwise, but he was too tired to argue and couldn't imagine that he would win regardless.
The morning has come both welcome and unwelcome – dawn was not the time he would have chosen to rise, but a day spent being introduced to his new home that they had spent so much time and effort just getting to is, admittedly, an exciting prospect.
The first experience of the day confirms to him that he had made the right choice – the baths. Magic baths with steaming hot water.
Gods, this is a mercy after the road.
Aldon soaks for as long as he can manage without feeling like a layabout, head back and sighs of comfort coming regularly. When he does have to leave the bath, it's with reluctance and several forlorn glances backwards. He dresses quickly, not paying much attention to the style of the clothes until they're already situated on his person. When he does notice the style, however, Aldon can't help but be slightly wary. He had never worn anything like it, always keeping to simpler, rougher woolen clothing, and when wearing clothing of a finer cloth it had never been of such a cut. But again, there didn't seem to be a way out of it, so Aldon goes out in his attire with decent grace.
He smiles back at Hokuto when he sees her looking his way, but kicks uncomfortably as he does. But his mood lightens considerably when he receives his families' journals back, and with no slight amount of shock does he take the belt with the stuffed satchel. It's hard to keep his attention on Hokuto's words as he peruses the contents, eyeing the coins with disbelief. But once her attentions turn away from the money, he manages to pull his gaze away (though not without the occasional glance back down). He grins at her, trying and failing to put up some bravado to shield his nervousness.
"I'm glad that you're our representative. I can't say I'd be glad to going into this without you, ma'am. It's an intimidating prospect, all this. Now that I'm here... well, I'm not quite sure what to make of it. Always seemed like we'd be on the road forever, you know?" Aldon grins, then gulps. "And now we get a banquet. It's wild."
Although Aldon would rather his reaction to the death of the skull be relief, the splattering organs and blood only elicits a groan and a retch. His discomfort is only compounded by the screaming and the cold. As the noise peaks he tenses with anticipation, only for disbelief to wash over him as the temperature rises and he sees Hokuto and Ilesea standing before them. Not entirely sure that what he's seeing is real, Aldon looks back over his shoulder, preparing for a double take that would prove his eyes wrong, when he notices the hallways being blocked off.
Sorry, Alacarus. I really did mean to give it back.
Aldon takes a deep breath, turns back around, and exhales hugely in relief as he sees that Hokuto is still there. That he wasn't imagining things.
It's not until they've been hauled out that Aldon's composure decides to return itself to him, but he holds himself back regardless. He watches hawklike from a distance when Crowley tends to Erik and Anlessa, most concerned for their injuries. A smile manages to creep its way across his face as he sees them brought back from the brink. He listens attentively to Hokuto's telling of the story of the village, his skin crawling slightly. The gift of the pendant breaks his thoughts from darker places for a moment, and he wears it with slight reverence. After so long on the road and their most recent harrowing experience, it seemed impossible that they were finally reaching their destination.
Aldon's relieved to get back into the carriage, where things made more sense.
In the carriage.
Aldon steps onboard gratefully, but his expression switches to concerned as he sees the look on Ilesea's face. He pauses to place a hand on her shoulder and grin at her. "Don't you worry yourself. We all got out fine, didn't we? Just be thankful for that, and don't bother with guilt." He leans in to whisper, before straightening up and heading towards his own seat.
He settles himself near Erik, his posture only slightly better. The cavalry saber sits point down, held parallel to his right leg. It's a comforting weight in his hand.
When Hokuto suggests that they look outside for themselves, Aldon does so with an eagerness that belies the weary slump of his shoulders and downturned eyes. Alight with happiness, Aldon can't hold back a huge grin that he flashes around to the rest of the group before peering back out. It was beautiful. Sort of creepy and ominous, but beautiful. When Hokuto mentions home, Aldon's smile falters a bit. The word brought flashes of lakeshores and hills, the open doors of churches letting hymns ring out into the streets, and knights astride tall horses to mind. Darker things, too, that came after. He hadn't felt homesickness in a long while, but it comes back with a vengeance at the sight of what was to be his new home.
It's something he's not keen on experiencing, and he swallows it and the small lump in his throat with a grimace. In the moment he takes to gather himself, Erik comes out with a welcome comment.
"Erik the Bigheaded, maybe. Personally, I like Aldon the Glorious and Handsome. Now that's got a nice and truthful ring about it."
Aldon looks sideways at Erik, grinning and winking to show that he means no real offense.
See you later, Shenhua. It's never pleasant to lose someone - hope that things soon stop getting in the way of fitting a game in.
And speaking of things getting in the way... hey, everyone. Sorry about my absence recently. Been busy with the holidays and family and all, you know how it is. I know I should've spoken up sooner, but I didn't expect the house to as crowded as it has been for the past couple weeks. I should have a post up by tomorrow, or Friday at the latest.
Think I'll be going with the Harrow gift for Aldon.
1d54 ⇒ 26 I think that's the Liar? Seems ominous.
Edit: and of course, a resounding Happy New Year to you all.
Growing wearier as the fight drags on, Aldon doesn't put as much into his next swing and it shows. The saber goes wide, arcing underneath the skull. The attempt was intended to be a distraction rather than an attack, of course, but it still stings his pride. If they both survived this, he might have to apologize to Alyona for not being much help.
Aldon curses, but is at least appreciative of the fact that the skull listened to him... well, appreciative might not be the right word. He imagines that later on he'll regret the decision to attract its attention.
The boy continues his attempt at harrying the skull, whistling sharply. He looks towards Alyona and jerks his head towards the skull.
Aldon sighs in relief as he sees Erik manage to get away, hoping to goodness that the boy would manage to remain conscious throughout the rest of this.
The relief is soon spoiled by the advent of Anlessa getting bitten, and further color drains from Aldon's face. Now there's no more yelling; Aldon's regained control of his emotions, somewhat. His breathing is coming quick and not at all even, but it's an improvement.
"Anlessa, just get away! Leave this to us!"
The words belie his thoughts, which are tinged with urgency and fear.
Gods, at this rate we're not going to make it!
The memories are coming thick and fast. The skeletons were gone, sure, but even despite what Deriku had said (and Aldon, admittedly, had not paid much attention when he did), Aldon could not reconcile the idea that the skull was any different than the undead horrors that had besieged and beset his people. They had bitten and ripped, the same as this thing.
No, can't panic. Panicking won't help.
Nodding distractedly at Alyona, Aldon waves his sword threateningly and whistles sharply. "Oi! Over here! I said to face me!"
____________
Aid Another:1d20 ⇒ 8 Dammit. Maybe I should've gone with the Yo Mama jokes.
Thankful at someone coming to his assistance, Aldon flashes a grin at Erik as he enters the fray, though he does groan when Erik misses. Still, everything seems to be coming under their control... until the skull moves. Lips that were turned upwards into a smirk at Erik's taunt veer sharply downwards as Aldon watches blood splatter on the floor.
"NO!"
Aldon's yell is high enough to cause his voice to crack, but he pays no notice. He swings desperately at the skull, but whiffs once more.
"Face me! Face me!" He roars at the skull, gesticulating wildly, teeth bared.
His head turns back once, quickly, to glance at the rest of his companions. Fear is evident in his eyes. He lets out a ragged breath and then a plea. "Help him!"
Aldon's eyes widen hugely, shocked and afraid, as the skull lunges towards him. Thankfully, he manages to bring his blade up in time, thwarting the attempted attack. As the skull jerks back, Aldon draws a shaky breath before glaring swiftly around at his companions. His expression is both furious and indignant, upset that his bodily well-being is rather less of a concern than the feelings of some ghostly girl.
"No, I'm not all right! Don't know what you're all thinking, trying to talk sense into a flaming, flying, biting skull! She said it ain't her friend, and it certainly ain't ours, so stab the thing!"
Aldon twists back around towards the skull, huffing like an angry bull. Unfortunately, this does nothing to assist his aim, and the blade swishes underneath the skull. Aldon curses, the hilt of the saber clutched in sweaty palms.
Taking a moment to pant over the fallen remains of his shattered skeleton, Aldon's attention wavers for a moment. It's hard to believe what they're fighting. What he just defeated.
He's jerked back to reality by the screaming and wail of pain. Whatever had made that sound was out of sight, and the only other kid he couldn't see was Alanar. Which meant, most likely, that he had forged on ahead without them. Again.
He really is crazy.
Aldon barrels forward, leaping over rubble and skeletal debris. When he rounds the corner, the source of the screaming becomes apparent. At least, he assumed the skull was the source of it. There did not seem to be a wounded kid anywhere around it, thankfully.
There were no more skeletons; the only threat in sight was the screaming skull trying to snap and gnash at Alanar. There wasn't much of a thought process going through Aldon's head. He got to that skull, he killed it, and maybe Ilesea would be beyond it. Then they could leave.
Leaving would be real nice.
Screeching to a halt next to Alanar, Aldon hauls the saber back and then up and over, crashing it into the skull.
____________
Standard:Attack Move:I'm unsure of the distance between Aldon and the skull, but I think I can reach it in one move. If I can't, Aldon will just double move to it. Attack:1d20 - 2 ⇒ (18) - 2 = 16 Damage:1d6 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5 Confirmation:1d20 - 2 ⇒ (3) - 2 = 1
The increasing creepiness of the place is unsettling, but Aldon manages to keep a smooth face as the group progresses deeper. The walls and ceilings are admirable in their craftsmanship, but Aldon is unable to reconcile this with the disgust he feels roiling quietly in his stomach. The sobbing is disquieting; it makes Aldon want to rush, but he is wary of any noise or disturbance he might create.
When the others begin to speak of hurrying, he takes in breath to respond. Then they enter into the chamber, and his attention is taken by the chandelier.
It'd be amazing if it wasn't so gross. Wonder who would go through the trouble of making such unpleasantness.
He's only able to ponder for a moment, when his eyes are captured by a different sight.
Aldon's eyes widen in terror as his gaze meets the empty sockets of the knife-wielding skeleton. A shaky breath is drawn, but he does not panic. He'd seen walking skeletons before... and those had been more fearsome than this.
"Alanar, get away!"
Dashing forward, he heaves the saber towards the neck of the skeleton with the knife. A lot of awful things had happened at the hands of those skeletons. Even if these were falling apart... he wasn't about to let it happen again.
_____________
Standard: Attack Move: I'm not sure which skeleton is the one with the knife, but that's the one Aldon's moving towards. He'll attack diagonally, so that if Alanar does move he isn't trapped between the two. Attack:1d20 - 2 ⇒ (20) - 2 = 18 Damage:1d6 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7
Aldon stumbles back from the twitching spider as Alyona brings the prybar down. He groans at the sight, before clearing his throat and spitting out to the side. He wipes his mouth on his sleeve.
"Yeah, I'll make sure to give this back... it's only right, now that I owe him." Aldon nods towards the corpse of Alacarus, perhaps in a manner more respectful than the way in which he had taken the saber. "It'd be mighty rude to come racing out of here without returning what's his."
He gestures Shen Hua and Anlessa forward with his free hand, taking a spot in the back. With Alyona and Erik up front with the other weapons, it seems the best place for him.
"You're right, we don't." Aldon goes to back up Erik and Deriku, moving cautiously, grasping the hilt of the saber by both hands. He raises it high, eyes narrowed. The quickness of the spider and the rather lackluster attacks made by all of them were disheartening, but victory was imminent. He can feel it.
Aldon swings downward with as much force as he can muster whilst still maintaining control.
For the love of all that's good, please let us kill this creepy frickin' spider.
This time his swing seems to be more on target, and Aldon breathes in through his teeth, hoping for success.
Spurred on by Anlessa's impressive performance, Aldon moves in to swing at the spider plaguing Erik, teeth gritted. The hilt of his sword is cold, chilled by what must have been many years in the tomb. It does not seem a condition long to last, however, as Aldon's rising temper and the sweat beading on his palms warms it nicely.
He heaves the sword towards their venomous little opponent with a grunt, but in his haste the sword goes wide. "Dammit!"
The miss is frustrating, Aldon having hoped to end this irritating and unnerving encounter with one blow. He now chastises himself for the thought. It's arrogant and impractical, not suited to keeping the others out of danger.
Aldon exhales in whistle between his teeth. With one of the skull spiders down it seems less like a fight that he's involved in and more an extermination. Hopefully they can finish it quick and then get after Alanar, if only to save him from himself. If any of them swings true, that is.
_____________
Move:10ft - 1se, 1e Standard:Swing at the spider. Attack:1d20 - 2 ⇒ (4) - 2 = 2
He can't stop his eyes from widening at the sight of the spider. He thinks it's a bit more than gross, to be sure. Disturbing, certainly. Disgusting, surely. Dangerous, most probably.
"S!@*."
And then a second one shows its face.
"Double s&+*."
Aldon thinks he probably shouldn't be swearing right now. Doesn't really help the situation. His mother had told him not to do it, period, and had reinforced the lesson with soap. On the other hand, he was under threat by spiders in skulls. He can't imagine she would blame him too harshly.
And there was at least something he could use to defend himself and the others. Hopefully, anyway. He wasn't fully confident in his ability to use it well... but he could certainly try. It would be a blessing if it was even still keen.
He moves south and west, past Deriku and into the alcove. He scrabbles onto the slope and grabs the hilt of the saber. He hesitates a moment. This was probably going to bestow him with a curse or something similar, wasn't it?
"Sorry about this, pal. Er, sir. Alacarus? Whatever."
He doesn't imagine that a half-assed apology would be enough to cover him from any beyond-the-grave malevolence, but better safe than sorry.
Aldon pulls the saber from its scabbard, looking briefly down the blade. He frowns and then huffs exasperatedly. It was keen, yes. The bane of his enemies, no. Still, it should slice well enough.
_____________
The door slams to the ground in the midst of Aldon's reading of the inscription, leaving him staring into the tomb. The others file in before him. Eyebrows raised and one hand in a pocket, he follows them in, taking a glance backwards into the gloom and a rather more regretful one down at the door. Hopefully this wouldn't be all for naught.
As the others talk over the torches, he meanders about the mausoleum (as much as one can meander in such a small space). The shelves are a mild curiosity. Aldon wonders who was the last person, other than themselves, who had visited this place. He hopes that it was whoever brought the dead down here to be buried, and not something that fancied making a home here.
He nods when Alyona speaks, and turns to the group.
"We don't know what horrors might be a-waiting for us down there, do we? Might be something all hungry and rabid, yearning to feast on our tender flesh."
Aldon's face is deadpan as he says this, though one can infer from the subject that he's mostly joking. He takes the rear when the others begin to file down the stairs. It takes a serious force of will for him to not shoot nervous glances over his shoulder every time a wayward noise makes its way into his ears. If anyone glances back, however, they would be lucky to catch him breaking his facade of casualness.
The sight of Ilesea's body at the bottom of the pit is wince-inducing. He mutters quietly, kneeling at the edge of the hole and running a hand through his hair. "Gods." He straightens when Alanar begins to head off, and nods at Erik when he stops him.
"Erik's right. Stick with us. None of us are going to get far without anyone else. She didn't, did she?"
Aldon pauses after he says this, realizing the callous nature of his comment. He opens his mouth for a moment, before looking sideways and then down, kicking at the ground. "Sorry. But, jeez, Alanar. We gotta do this right. Together, yeah? You were asking for help before, and we're giving it. We'll get down to her, don't fret. Even if that means crypt-raiding."
He jerks a thumb towards Deriku and Alyona. "Let's wait for them. Mayhaps the door won't even open. Best we know for sure."
At first Aldon watches Alanar call around himself with only mild interest, but as his calls become more desperate, he begins to pay more attention. It's with surprise and then not a small amount of chagrin that Aldon looks about and finds that, indeed, Ilesea has disappeared.
"I don't see her." He shakes his head at Alanar's question.
He ducks low, peering under the wagon. He straightens up, shaking his head again. He didn't really think she'd be under there.
"Alanar, calm down." He rests a hand on the ifrit's shoulder as Alanar's speech becomes more fearful. "Getting scared won't help."
Aldon looks about, noticing the scuff mark and searching for any other markings.
"Maybe she followed after Hokuto? She's small... maybe we just didn't notice." Even as Aldon says this, it's obvious he finds it unlikely.
He sighs. This was bad, very bad. Rushing off into the fog, perhaps even more so. But if they didn't...
"If you're going, I'll come with you. But if we get lost too, we won't be of any use. Most likely, we'll just get all turned around and then we'll need finding. Does anyone have something we could leave behind us, to use as a trail? Maybe there's some rope in the wagon?"
Aldon has dawdled slightly behind the others, waiting for them to dismount from the wagon before he gets out. The scream is the first thing that he hears that isn't at a reasonable volume, and he jumps towards the door and hangs out, one hand holding onto the frame and a foot on the step. This is just in time to hear another scream and see an explosion of butterflies before Taeo pops back up and grins at them all. It doesn't take much to put two and two together, and Aldon throws a glare towards the half-elf.
"Are you an idiot?" It seems like there should be a statement to follow-up this question, but Aldon doesn't bother with any.
He hops down from the wagon, swiping non-existent dust from his person and peering around. The place surely wasn't very pleasant, but it had a certain spooky allure to it. Reaching up and backwards, Aldon groans in appreciation at the opportunity to stretch. The last glimpses of Crowley's lantern disappear, and the atmosphere becomes slightly more eerie with the absence of the adults.
Aldon observes Alanar quietly as the ifrit talks, maintaining what he believes to be a respectful silence. He holds in a snort at Alanar's finishing sentence. "I don't know that it'll be all beautiful jewelry and sunshine, even at Akrabahadran."
With this, he turns towards the newcomer.
"Real-people death? Yeah, I've seen some "real-people death". Countless ones." Aldon glares for a moment at Taeo, but can't meet the half-elf's eye for long. He casts his gaze about the wagon, before settling it in the region of his knees. When he speaks again, his voice is quieter and more restrained. "My home, Vigil, was besieged by a horror more unspeakable than any you've ever seen. My people are courageous and strong, but... well, there were thousands of them. We weren't prepared. Many knights fell. But at least they got the chance to fight. Not many can count that among their blessings, these days. Seems like the world is just... just tryin' to be rid of us. Of good folks."
Aldon looks up, meeting Taeo's eyes. His expression is less angry than it was before. Now it seems frustrated, and perhaps a little hopeless. "You should hope you get back home, fairy boy. If you don't, you'd best be prepared to see real death. You won't be having fun all the time. It ain't likely that anyone will, for the time being. Maybe ever. The world's messed up, and it's going to take some serious elbow grease to mend it all."
He looks toward Hokuto, trying to maintain an even expression. "You think the world will find us, at the College?"
The mite's appearance causes a small jump and a look of surprise from Aldon. He had known the new kid was weird, but summoning little blue men was a bit beyond that. His appearance only exacerbated this, but having been travelling with Alanar for many months, it didn't affect him overmuch. At least he seemed distracted enough with Alyona and their discussion. Aldon didn't much fancy having to meet any other strange creatures the kid might pull from somewhere. A phooka, whatever that might be, sounded both amusing and mildly intimidating.
Aldon looks over to and grins lazily at Alanar as Hokuto mentions the wagon-swallowing horrors that lay in wait for foolish trespassers such as themselves. "Gah, and the fire gets vetoed! It's too bad, at least it might've warmed us up a bit. The wind out there is blowing something fierce. I guess getting eaten before we ever arrive would be a plain tragedy, though."
He glances interestedly at Hokuto's brooch, and then down at his feet. While his own religious ties were rather shaky, he did not wish to give them up. They lived in dark times, and the gods were powerful allies and benevolent patrons. To have to hide any prayers he might wish to offer would be something he would find disturbing. As for these unheard-of faiths, well, he just hoped they weren't introduced too strongly. He didn't much aspire to being a cult member.
Trapped between Ilesea, quiet as ever, and Alanar's lower half, which protruded as the ifrit peered out the window, Aldon found his patience beginning to dwindle. The day had been spent in listless daydreaming, with the occasional glance outwards to the desolate but impressive landscape. The temperature and clouds of dust were less enjoyable, though they certainly added to the feeling that they had simply driven off the face of the earth and were now meandering in a world completely composed of endless wasteland.
While Aldon still held out hope that Hokuto's assurances of being "almost there" were not fabricated simply to stave off complaints, it had been a long time traveling on both road and sea. He hoped to reach his new home before the feelings of being an insurmountable distance from Lastwall, feelings that had already begun to set in, became firmly cemented. A distraction would be welcome. Admittedly, Aldon hadn't been traveling as long as some, and the wagon was very comfortable, but the homesickness preyed upon him nonetheless.
The only interruption to his retrospection was the reading, and what an interruption it was. The emotions Hokuto displayed came thick and fast, and were not always well hidden. It was surprising to see her so affected. Personally, Aldon didn't set much (or anything at all) in the Harrow, but it being the cause of such agitation didn't seem reasonable. The predictions, were they to be believed, certainly seemed noteworthy, but they were only cards. Aldon didn't wish to doubt his benefactor, but how these cards gave anyone insight into anything he hadn't yet discovered.
Perhaps thankfully, Alanar chose the end of their dire warnings and hopeful tidings to plop back into his seat and ask his question. Aldon looks sideways at him, exhaling loudly through his nose.
"I dunno, are we? You're the expert, being the last of us out there. Did you see anything other than dirt? I'd be glad to hear if you did. Would certainly help to keep my spirits high." Aldon shoots a glance toward Hokuto as he says this.
He turns fully towards the woman, running a hand through his blond hair, which only serves to perpetuate its gravity-defying style. "I'm glad that that's only illustrative. At least illustrations can be erased."
Excellent! Very happy to be here, considering the extremely strong nature of all the submissions. I'm glad that Aldon stood up to such scrutiny. I'm looking forward to this hugely, so thank you.
I think Aldon's all set and finished, but I might switch some minor things around. Nothing of note at the moment, though. I was considering trying to make him combat-worthy, but with eight+ eidolons and summons and whatnot, he'd probably just take up space.
The archetypes are very flavorful, but nothing that suits Aldon. He'll probably stay straight Summoner, though I do love archetypes.
@Aldon: Very nice background, I love the final scene between he and his father. Also that is a crazy avatar, I've never seen that one used before.
Thank you very much! I'm glad you liked it. As for the avatar... well, to be completely honest, it was the first result for child or kid or something similar... maybe it was youth? Anyway, it fit my vision of him and it has a certain style to it, so it was just a lucky find.
