Wow, reviews...Apologies for not updating, as I've been preoccupied with real life.
I've also been meaning to write up how Hawk and Riesz get Wisp, but like I've said, preoccupied with real life. But I think I can write save state 1 for this scene.
"Ugh..."
Angela slowly woke up to a blinding headache and unfamiliar surroundings. Nearby Carlie was stirring, whining about hammers in her head.
And no Duran.
Abruptly the princess leapt to her feet, looking around. "Duran? Duran!"
"Silence!"
The princess jumped out of her skin at the Beastman's roar. She narrowed her eyes as he approached.
"Do you realize who you're holding? The Crown Princess of Altena!"
The Beastman snorted. "So what?"
"So..." Good point. "Never mind."
As the Beastman walked away Angela heard a snicker. She whirled around. "Duran?"
"Ah, no, not quite. Might've seen him though - knight-type fellow, shaggy orange hair, big sword?"
"That's him!" Angela yelled. "Where is he?"
The speaker paused. "Well, do you know what Square is?"
"Uh, not really..."
"Well, I won't bore you with the preaching and the 'save your soul now' bit," answered the speaker. "Do you know what a save state is?"
"Yeah," said Angela, now intrigued.
"Well, I'm from there. I think I swapped places with Duran."
"What's your name?" Angela asked suspiciously.
"Hawkeye of Navarre, master thief, what - "
"DAMN YOU, HAWKEYE, YOU'RE THE ONE WHO SCREWED UP THIS LIFE!"
"Euh...wha?"
"You killed the Priest of Light!"
"I did not! How could I?"
"Well, he's dead, and I blame you!"
Hawkeye snorted. "Right. You do realize that death is just an illusion, right? All you need is an Angel's Grail. And I'm sure that the Temple of Light has at least one."
"But they seemed frantic," protested Angela.
"Hmm...then it was probably a cutscene and unavoidable."
Angela decided that, while this 'Hawkeye' sounded much like some cultist, his logic did make a bit of sense.
"So, um, what do we do now?" Angela asked.
"Don't you know your lines?"
"Huh?"
"There should be a loose brick on your side of the cell," said Hawkeye. Angela could hear him getting up and scrabbling at the wall. "Give it a good kick?"
Angela got up and easily found the brick - not only was it loose, but a different colour too. She complied to Hawkeye's request and gave it a good smack.
"Whoa!" On the other side there was a loud crack as brick crashed against brick. "Nearly took out my hands there!"
"There's nothing here," Angela said, peering through the hole. Through it, she could see Hawkeye's cell, but only if she bent at an angle that wasn't at all suitable for young viewers like Carlie.
"I've found something," Hawkeye responded. He dug around. "Lockpicks! Why didn't I think of these before?!"
"Seeing that you're a master thief and all."
The princess cocked her head as she listened to an unfamiliar tinkling sound. She went to the bars and peered out sideways, barely able to shove her head through the bars.
"What are you doing?" she demanded.
"Breaking out," muttered Hawkeye. "Haven't seen locks this ancient since the vault at Byzel..."
More tinkering, then a click and a loud squeal as the door edged open.
"Freedom!" hissed the master thief.
"Hey - wait, how do I get out of here?" demanded Angela as the Navarrian sped past.
Hawkeye spun around to meet his cell neighbour. He was thin and tanned, unlike anyone Angela knew at Altena. His clothes were the loose style that desert people definitely favoured.
Even more startly was hiw hair - just how many people out there had purple genes? No, really?!
"Why don't you break out?" Hawkeye asked.
"Hello? Crown Princess of Altena here?"
Hawkeye stood there. "And..."
"Get me out!"
Hawkeye turned and popped open a convenient green treasure box, which held weapons. He dug around and put a few things in his sleeves, muttering about how stupid 'NPCs' could be in times of danger.
"Look, um, I've got another save state to get to," Hawkeye said uncomfortably. "If I leave my partner in limbo too long, I'm worried that she might start beating on your Duran guy or something."
"THEN HOW DO I GET OUT?"
Hawkeye rolled his eyes, then gave the cell door a sharp kick. Angela jumped back as half of the door abruptly flew off and smashed against the far wall.
"Happy?" he asked.
"Plenty. Come on Carlie," Angela said, giving the elf child a sharp prod with her reacquired cane. "We've got to go find Duran."
"Carlie sleepy," was the response.
Angela groaned. While the normally-upbeat child was deminitely not wanted back any time soon, she certainly couldn't stick around and wait for some guard to come along and find them.
This called for drastic action. "Carlie, I'll give you a Round Drop if - "
SWIPESHOVECHOMP
"Carlie all better!" cackled the child. She grabbed her mace and bounced up the stairs, where she bashed an unwary Beastman guard. By the time the monster had vanished in a puff of cartoon sound and golden experience number the girl was already wreaking havoc upstairs, dealing out twirling attacks with sugary velocity.
"So...um...see you around?" Angela asked.
"Yeah, I think I'm due for another cutscene or two," Hawkeye said. "Well, I'm headed to the docks."
"Why? You could stick with us - "
A decapitated Beastman was flung down the stairs, poofing into golden experience before it could bowl Agnela over.
"Um...no. Docks are triggers for boring cutscenes - I'll probably be able to get back that way," explained Hawkeye.
Angela was impressed. If she had been trapped in an alternate world she would be having a nervous breakdown. But Hawkeye here was taking it all in stride, even knowing how to get back to wherever he came from. "How do you know this stuff?"
"Do your really want me to start babbling evangelical nonsense?"
"No. Just...just go."
I've also been meaning to write up how Hawk and Riesz get Wisp, but like I've said, preoccupied with real life. But I think I can write save state 1 for this scene.
"Ugh..."
Angela slowly woke up to a blinding headache and unfamiliar surroundings. Nearby Carlie was stirring, whining about hammers in her head.
And no Duran.
Abruptly the princess leapt to her feet, looking around. "Duran? Duran!"
"Silence!"
The princess jumped out of her skin at the Beastman's roar. She narrowed her eyes as he approached.
"Do you realize who you're holding? The Crown Princess of Altena!"
The Beastman snorted. "So what?"
"So..." Good point. "Never mind."
As the Beastman walked away Angela heard a snicker. She whirled around. "Duran?"
"Ah, no, not quite. Might've seen him though - knight-type fellow, shaggy orange hair, big sword?"
"That's him!" Angela yelled. "Where is he?"
The speaker paused. "Well, do you know what Square is?"
"Uh, not really..."
"Well, I won't bore you with the preaching and the 'save your soul now' bit," answered the speaker. "Do you know what a save state is?"
"Yeah," said Angela, now intrigued.
"Well, I'm from there. I think I swapped places with Duran."
"What's your name?" Angela asked suspiciously.
"Hawkeye of Navarre, master thief, what - "
"DAMN YOU, HAWKEYE, YOU'RE THE ONE WHO SCREWED UP THIS LIFE!"
"Euh...wha?"
"You killed the Priest of Light!"
"I did not! How could I?"
"Well, he's dead, and I blame you!"
Hawkeye snorted. "Right. You do realize that death is just an illusion, right? All you need is an Angel's Grail. And I'm sure that the Temple of Light has at least one."
"But they seemed frantic," protested Angela.
"Hmm...then it was probably a cutscene and unavoidable."
Angela decided that, while this 'Hawkeye' sounded much like some cultist, his logic did make a bit of sense.
"So, um, what do we do now?" Angela asked.
"Don't you know your lines?"
"Huh?"
"There should be a loose brick on your side of the cell," said Hawkeye. Angela could hear him getting up and scrabbling at the wall. "Give it a good kick?"
Angela got up and easily found the brick - not only was it loose, but a different colour too. She complied to Hawkeye's request and gave it a good smack.
"Whoa!" On the other side there was a loud crack as brick crashed against brick. "Nearly took out my hands there!"
"There's nothing here," Angela said, peering through the hole. Through it, she could see Hawkeye's cell, but only if she bent at an angle that wasn't at all suitable for young viewers like Carlie.
"I've found something," Hawkeye responded. He dug around. "Lockpicks! Why didn't I think of these before?!"
"Seeing that you're a master thief and all."
The princess cocked her head as she listened to an unfamiliar tinkling sound. She went to the bars and peered out sideways, barely able to shove her head through the bars.
"What are you doing?" she demanded.
"Breaking out," muttered Hawkeye. "Haven't seen locks this ancient since the vault at Byzel..."
More tinkering, then a click and a loud squeal as the door edged open.
"Freedom!" hissed the master thief.
"Hey - wait, how do I get out of here?" demanded Angela as the Navarrian sped past.
Hawkeye spun around to meet his cell neighbour. He was thin and tanned, unlike anyone Angela knew at Altena. His clothes were the loose style that desert people definitely favoured.
Even more startly was hiw hair - just how many people out there had purple genes? No, really?!
"Why don't you break out?" Hawkeye asked.
"Hello? Crown Princess of Altena here?"
Hawkeye stood there. "And..."
"Get me out!"
Hawkeye turned and popped open a convenient green treasure box, which held weapons. He dug around and put a few things in his sleeves, muttering about how stupid 'NPCs' could be in times of danger.
"Look, um, I've got another save state to get to," Hawkeye said uncomfortably. "If I leave my partner in limbo too long, I'm worried that she might start beating on your Duran guy or something."
"THEN HOW DO I GET OUT?"
Hawkeye rolled his eyes, then gave the cell door a sharp kick. Angela jumped back as half of the door abruptly flew off and smashed against the far wall.
"Happy?" he asked.
"Plenty. Come on Carlie," Angela said, giving the elf child a sharp prod with her reacquired cane. "We've got to go find Duran."
"Carlie sleepy," was the response.
Angela groaned. While the normally-upbeat child was deminitely not wanted back any time soon, she certainly couldn't stick around and wait for some guard to come along and find them.
This called for drastic action. "Carlie, I'll give you a Round Drop if - "
SWIPESHOVECHOMP
"Carlie all better!" cackled the child. She grabbed her mace and bounced up the stairs, where she bashed an unwary Beastman guard. By the time the monster had vanished in a puff of cartoon sound and golden experience number the girl was already wreaking havoc upstairs, dealing out twirling attacks with sugary velocity.
"So...um...see you around?" Angela asked.
"Yeah, I think I'm due for another cutscene or two," Hawkeye said. "Well, I'm headed to the docks."
"Why? You could stick with us - "
A decapitated Beastman was flung down the stairs, poofing into golden experience before it could bowl Agnela over.
"Um...no. Docks are triggers for boring cutscenes - I'll probably be able to get back that way," explained Hawkeye.
Angela was impressed. If she had been trapped in an alternate world she would be having a nervous breakdown. But Hawkeye here was taking it all in stride, even knowing how to get back to wherever he came from. "How do you know this stuff?"
"Do your really want me to start babbling evangelical nonsense?"
"No. Just...just go."
