NENGO 327年11月30日 11:25 AM - 31 Days Until Culmination
AXEM: "Now what do we do?"
TRITHAL: "We need to avoid fucking around and get moving. By the time we get to the Gates of Hell it may be too late. Vankar is obviously moving faster than we expected if he already has people trying to overthrow the government in Sabretooth."
Kuta: "Yeah, but what for? He hasn't collected the rest of the Dragon Crystals yet, so he is in no position to launch an attack. This doesn't make sense."
Anri: "Maybe it isn't Vankar who's behind the uprising in Sabretooth."
TRITHAL, AXEM, THRAX: (in unison, a'la Chris from Family Guy) "eauWHAA??"
Anri: "Well, think about it... if it's illogical for Vankar to be making this kind of move right now, maybe Vankar isn't doing this."
Kuta: "Well, I can't argue with the fact that that's a sound theory... however if it isn't Vankar, then who is it?"
Adeth: "What about that one guy that the Sensai and the now-dead dude were talking about in Episode 24 and 25? The guy who's the evil genius living in the land north of here?"
TRITHAL: "You mean Macha-Chet? Well, I guess that would be a possibility... although it would be anyone's guess as to how he's involved in all of this. This whole mess seems to get more and more complicated everyday!"
Phalax: "It looks as if you guys have quite a tangled mess to deal with. If there's anything we can do to help, please feel free to let us know."
THRAX: "Now that you mention it, we do need to stock up on supplies. That's the whole reason why we came to this town."
TRITHAL: "Our weapons probably could use sharpening as well."
Phalax: "Okay then. Make a list of everything you will need, and we will form a sub-party, go into town & procure your supplies. As for your weapons, I'm real good friends with a blacksmith who happens to live nearby. You can bring your weapons to him for repair."
The party thanks Phalax for all the help, then proceed to gather their weapons and take inventory of their supplies, and determine what they will need during the two-week long trek through the Dark Labyrinth. Phalax escorts TRITHAL, AXEM and Adeth down to his blacksmith neighbor's house with everyone's weapons, where they are promised that the weapons will be sharpened and cleaned before the end of the day.
Later, TRITHAL, THRAX, Elric, Xaklafor and Jarsar, accompanied by Phalax and one of his servants, make their way into town to find the supplies they need. The party relies on Phalax's connections in Lockhart to locate what they need, since most of the merchants in town would most-likely not do business with unfamiliar Humans. Despite the negative resistance, the party does manage to find enough food, items, spells, and potions to sustain them for at least the next two weeks.
While in the magic shop, THRAX accidentally let slip that the party was headed through the Labyrinth to the Gates of Hell. The shopkeeper, being a trusted ally of Phalax, let the group in on a secret:
Shopkeeper: "There is a guy who lives about a half-day's journey northeast of here on the grounds of an old castle that was destroyed nearly 2000 years ago. On his property is believed to be an alternate entrance to the Dark Labyrinth, which will place you very near the Gates of Hell."
TRITHAL: "Wow! That's certainly unexpectedly helpful! Thanks!"
THRAX: "Who is this person who lives on that land?"
Shopkeeper: "He goes by the name 'Smaug'. He's an eccentric fellow who's a few eggs short of an omelet. One would have to be to buy that piece of land! That land is believed to be cursed ever since the castle fell there. Nothing will grow in that land, and there's a nasty odor coming from somewhere, that no one is able to determine. That land isn't fit for any being to live on, Draconian or otherwise! If you go there, be aware of your surroundings, and don't turn a blind eye to Smaug. He's been known to act a bit 'unstable' at times."
TRITHAL: "Well, if it pans out, that would definitely shave some time off of our mission."
Shopkeeper: "Tell me, what could a group like yours possibly want at the Gates of Hell? There's nothing there but a fire pit, and some old dragon guarding it."
THRAX: "We have reason to believe that a very important item may be hidden there. We're going there to retrieve it."
Shopkeeper: "Well whatever. It's of no consequence to me. To each his own, I guess."
The group thanks the shopkeeper for the information, and after they made their purchases, head back toward Phalax's house to finish preparing.
When they get there, they find that Tsukiko had put the rest of the party to work chopping firewood, cleaning rooms, and helping with dinner. AXEM made the comment that they always manage to get suckered into cleaning houses they stay in. TRITHAL reminds him that he should appreciate the hospitality of their hosts, and be glad he can assist them in exchange.
At around 7:00 in the evening, after the sun had set and the air grew colder, the party gathered in the dining area for dinner. The tension between Anri and THRAX is as apparent as ever, as they sit at opposite sides of the table, avoiding eye contact with each other. Feeling the tension building, TRITHAL attempts to break it up with conversation...
TRITHAL: "I say, Tsukiko, this pot roast is wonderful! It's certainly both surprising and refreshing to find food this good this far out here."
Tsukiko: "Why, thanks for the warm compliment! It's the first time in a long time anyone's complimented my cooking." (glares at Phalax across table)
Trying to avoid a conflict of his own, Phalax says to TRITHAL, "Say, there appears to be some unspoken argument in progress between a few of your party members. What a buzz-kill!"
TRITHAL: "Tell me about it. If only the parties involved would be less pig-headed and at least try to work things out."
Danika: "That might be too much to ask for, considering who's involved and such."
AXEM: "Yeah, yeah, true, true. If only certain someone's were a little less stubborn and asshole-ish, I'm sure things would work themselves out."
Amidst all the anonymous finger-pointing, THRAX gets a frustrated look on his face, stands up and walks out of the room, slamming the door behind him. The rest of the group sat there, semi-stunned, but soon returns to eating.
Danika (to TRITHAL): "Should we go after him?"
TRITHAL: "No, let him cool off and think things over. When he's ready, he'll come back."
With that, the party finishes their dinner, then retires to the living room.
-----
Meanwhile, THRAX is out wandering the streets of Lockhart, with a pissed off look on his face.
THRAX (thinking): "Who the hell do they think they are? What do they know about me and Anri? Does everyone think that she should be with Kuta? Damn my so-called 'friends'!"
Eventually, THRAX locates a bar and goes inside. The room falls silent as he walks in and sits himself down at the bar, all the while with a pissed-off/rejected look on his face. THRAX doesn't seem to notice how the other patrons are reacting to his presence as he orders a round of whiskey.
By his second round, THRAX begins to notice strange shifts in time and space, and begins to hear strange voices around him. By his third and fourth rounds, he loses his ability to think and control his draconian powers. At some point during the evening, he partially morphs into his dragon form and belches fire, igniting some of the liquor behind the counter and blasting a hole in the floor.
Sometime after that, he's being escorted by a Lockhart Village constable back to Phalax's house. Once there and back inside, he falls unconscious on the floor.
-----
At some point around 10:00 in the evening, the local constable rings the doorbell at Phalax's home. Tsukiko opens the door to find the constable carrying the unconscious and incoherent THRAX on his back. Tsukiko shows the constable into the house and helps to lay THRAX on the floor on his side, so that he doesn't suffocate on his own vomit.
Constable: "He's very lucky he's a friend of yours, Lord Phalax... or else he would be spending the night in jail... or worse."
Phalax: "Please accept my apology for his behavior. I can assure you it won't happen again."
Constable: "Good. It would be in his best interest if he weren't seen in town again. Good evening, sir... ma'am."
The constable excused himself and left the house. Anri goes over to where THRAX is laying on the floor and feels his forehead.
Anri: "He's burning hot! What happened to him?"
Elric: "From the smell of him, I would say he's been out drinking. It would also be a safe bet, given his current state, that someone has slipped him a mickey."
TRITHAL: "What kind of 'mickey'?"
Elric: "Probably the extract of a wild flower from around here, believed to be poisonous to humans."
AXEM: "His life isn't in any danger, is it?"
Elric: "I don't think so. While he's spent the past 29 years in Human form, he's still Draconian. He may feel sick for about a week or so, but he should be ok."
Tsukiko, Anri and Danika commenced to cleaning the vomit and alcohol off of THRAX's body, and placed a cold wet washcloth on his forehead to help combat the fever. All the while, THRAX slipped in and out of consciousness, not really able to see or speak.
The rest of the party each took turns taking showers, and made sure they got plenty of sleep. Tomorrow, the party heads for the Gates of Hell.
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