melodiesofeternity | Cram Week [Player Plot]

Patches returns to the others and raises his voice to get their attention.

"Good news, everyone! Looks like The Tantarian likes the dustiest, nastiest hiding spots! But uh, just so you know... I'm about 96% sure the book's going to be haunted."

...And then he's distracted by the crackle of static near where Kanji is cleaning up. Could it be Ramuh trying to show them the way?

"Oho? What have we got over here?"

Should the party investigate the row of shelves, they'll find it long, winding, and extraordinarily dusty--it's difficult not to choke on the air as they delve deeper within. Furthermore, the books grow both more sparse and ancient as they continue, until after two minutes of walking through eerily empty shelves, they come across it: the Tantarian.

Kuja follows when Uendo points out that particular aisle, reasoning that Eidolons quite likely know what they're talking about.

The air is tense. The shelves being empty- that shouldn't be, should it? And of course, when he comes level with the ancient tome in question he has to pause, something he can't quite put his finger on tugging at his recollection. Where has he heard the name 'Tantarian' before? It seems like something he heard once and forgot about, somehow... "Well, this is it..."

"The Tantarian", huh?

Well, it was likely going to be like the other times before going to get the previous summons...

"Is everyone ready to press forward? Satisfied with equipped jobs and loaded ammunition in certain cases?"

Whoof. At least he didn't shock himself too much. But there it was, the book they'd been directed to find. But the way Kuja hesitated, and the way Naoto seemed to warn everyone was enough to put him on edge. He raised a hand to his glasses and muttered a command for a job change.

In a flash, he'd decided to equip the Paladin asterisk, give it one last go before he stored it away for a time. His hand went to the greatsword at his back, grasping the hilt. He nodded to the group.

"Ready as I'll ever be."

"Ditto." The staff was planted in the ground and she leaned against it, donned and just a little dusty in her White Mage gear.

"But do remind me to fetch a library card for this establishment after. I never realized how desperate I was for a source of fresh stories!"

While Madhuri had a staff ready, Naomi had a hand on her large Chemist bag. The top rose slightly, letting a fluffy head peek out and chirp that all too familiar 'kupo!'.

"If someone thinks they'll need some extra potions, ethers, or other items, now's the time to ask."

It's too dusty. Minimus feels a small, unpleasant charge travel through his frame at the sight of shelves that had not been maintained for months on end. He wasn't an employee. It was not his job to perform the work of the employees. He had no wiping rag.

...He gripped the sides of his iMog Slate. Mogsuan looks on worryingly and tapped his leg. "Kupo," he said apologetically.

Minimus squinted at the book set so tightly in its shelf. Somehow important despite its placement designed to be overlooked. He supposed that was meant to be poetic in some manner. "Enough. One of us check for any traps and carefully remove the item."

Later one, he'd have a word with the library establishment, ask that it seek more staff members to clean the aisles.

The closer they get to the Tantarian, the more unsettling the library becomes. Once they're back they're really going to have to warn the staff about this area; it looks like it's in desperate need of maintenance. And, of course, the haunted book; they'll need to do something about that.

Corrin likewise has donned her Nohr Noble attire, and Shadow Yato is in her hand. "Ready as I'll ever be." She nods. "As long as we've got each other's backs, we'll be fine."

"Haunted eh?" Castor mutters, checking her asterisk to ensure it's still set to her custom preference. "Considerin' all the shite we've dealt with up te now, and all the shite still on our plate, I ain't like te think a ghost'll give us too much trouble, eh?"

Nevertheless, she's tense and ready to throw down with whatever popped out at a moment's notice.

"There's worse things than ghosts in libraries like this," Vimes muttered. He was stretching, taking the time to limber up, pulling his truncheon with the air of unsheathing a sword. "Could be it's nothing and it's just an old book. Could be we're about to run into something what should've been left alone. Either way, best to be ready."

The Berserker asterisk is helpful here, at least. He dips into the cold fury of [Vengeance], ready to meet whatever threats appear. "Who wants to be the one who touches the book?"

Sephiroth had just about overheard when Uendo first raised his voice to the group; quietly finishing the page he was reading before abandoning the research he'd set for himself.

As such, he's one of the last of the group to come along the winding, dustier set of shelves towards where it became emptier and finally they'd all stopped. It seemed that finally the elusive book had been located. Sephiroth straightened himself up -made sure with a steady breath that he'd adjusted to the downright musty environment in here- and spread a loose combat stance out, his short-katana already out and ready in his hand.

With absolutely no fanfare whatsoever, Tyzias walks straight past the people who are preparing for combat and grabs the book. "Alright, let's see what this little fucker has--"

The Tantarian flies out of her hands and begins floating, hovering around each member of the party for a few moments. "Hmm, hmmmmmm. The distinct aura of the melody resonant," a tired, resigned voice says, coming from the book. Its pages rustle, as if heaving a sigh. "Guess you're here for Alexander, huh? And I thought I'd be able to live out my retirement in peace."

Cor himself was doing last-minute adjustments on his gear when Tyzias grabbed the book. He was about to say something when the book itself began to hover...and speak. That name...is not unknown to him.

"...sorry. But we kind of need him right now, since the world is at threat. Can we summon him? Or do we need to prove ourselves first?"

O-oh. The book was talking. Um. "...Sorry."

Yup. Apologizing to objects, but if there were ghosts inside...

"Yeah, ya won't be able to retire when Bahamut breaks every world over his knees. We need everybody's help to drive him back and keep everything in one piece."

"I know it sounds hard to believe, but the gentlemen speak the truth. If there's anything we can do to prove Alexander is truly needed and we intend to call him for aid, we're all fully prepared for anything you may have for us."

She canted her head. "I'll also personally see to your resting space's upkeep. Surely you don't want to sit on a dusty shelf when you can retire in something freshly-polished and tidy, something that won't wear your covers and pages and subject them to pests."

"Are you kidding me? This place is heaven," the Tantarian snaps at Maddie. "No other books to bother me, too remote for anybody except you imbeciles from finding me... Right, right. Speaking of."

"Hem-hum. Pretend I'm clapping my hands imperiously right now." The Tantarian stares down the collective party. Imperiously. "You know, I'd gladly help you, but... some idiots ended up stealing a few of my pages. If you get them back for me, I should be able to open the door to Alexander's temple for you."

Oh good, they were past the point of lip service. She shrugged.

"O-kay. About how long ago were the pages stolen, and might you recall the manner of being said idiots took?"

Vimes grunted. Well, here at least he was on firmer ground. A notebook was produced, ready to take notes. "Don't suppose you happened to see the perpetrators, either? Could be helpful." Bunch of idiots running around stealing magic books, what was the world coming to.

Megatron strokes his chin thoughtfully. "They'd have to be pretty dedicated thieves to have found this place. We have a large group and even we needed help. And they'd have had to have known this particular book was valuable as well." He might wonder why they wouldn't have just taken the whole book but that was before it began speaking; any item that could shout that it was being stolen would needlessly complicate any attempted theft.

"What was in the pages that were taken?" He asks. "I assume they relate somehow to the Temple?" Possibly someone on-staff might have been the thief? But there's currently no evidence to support that beyond the purely circumstantial so he doesn't voice that for the time being.

"Well, my thirty-second page... I lost it when those imbeciles built the history section! I think I remember something about Ka'pandol..." The Tantarian starts, gently clapping its covers in an imitation of tapping its chin. "The 128th page... a freaking lalafell ripped it out to write down a love letter to her Lulutu! And the last one... I remember as if it were yesterday when I lost my 256th page! That idiotic bangaa was so scared by what he read, he ripped it out and put it in the forbidden tome section with the Gourmand books."

There's a pause as the Tantarian thinks. "Yeah, that's all of 'em. Now go on! Shoo! I can't do anything about this Bahama Blast malarkey until you get me my pages back!" The Tantarian forcefully opens and closes, letting out a gust of wind that blows the party back to the eidolon section's study area.

Edited 2019-02-07 00:42 (UTC)

Cram Week [Player Plot]

no subject

sorry this took so long

no worries m8

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

encounter threads incoming soon

no subject

no subject

no subject

ENCOUNTERS INCOMING NOW SORRY FOR THE WAIT