Author's note:
I don't own Xenoblade Chronicles and all characters belong to their rightful owners.
I just realized I forgot to put the disclaimer in the last chapter... Oops. It's been too long. Oh well.
Sharp eyed readers will know exactly what's going on in this chapter!
Enjoy!
The tree lined path opened up to a small open space. Teanna grinned as she finally broke out of the dense foliage. The walls of the crater dropped off into sheer faces and the swamp swept out below. The ether fog floated up into the air and brilliant blue and purples illuminated the night. Ripples of reds and greens shimmered across the wavy surface.
"Whoa…" Reyn breathed as he took in the beautiful sight. "It's even better than Satorl Marsh."
"I thought so too." Teanna grinned. "Maybe this was how Satorl March looked from above."
"Sparkly sparkly!" Mogigi cheered. He sat down and immediately began to write in his notebook.
"This sight never grows old," Rhodri gazed out at the ether for a short moment. He bent down and began to start a fire with the sticks he had collected. The group began to settle down for the night. Reyn glanced up to see Pate still staring at the ether. Reyn got to his feet and went over to the High Entia. His expression was a mix of worry and awe.
"Pate?" Reyn's voice made him jump. Pate quickly turned to look at him and on reflex took a hurried step backward. Reyn resisted the urge to reach out to him, having learned that Pate didn't like to be touched. "What's wrong?"
"W-wrong? N-nothing's wrong!" He spoke hastily and immediately looked away from Reyn. Silver eyes went back to the ether cloud and Reyn could see the concern in them.
"Why don't you get some sleep? You must be tired."
"Oh…" Pate slowly looked back at him. "Y-you're, um, right."
Reyn went back to the spot by his bag. After glancing at the Ether Swamp one more time, Pate trailed along after him.
'- - -'
Hochipu bent over her desk and busily corrected the articles for Nopon Wood. Her inbox piled high with papers and her outbox simply lacked the same height. She tossed a completed article into the outbox and frowned down at her watch. She let out a low sigh and sat back in her chair for a moment. It was common for her to work late into the night, deadlines didn't wait for anyone.
The loud clanking of the wooden printing press trilled into her cluttered office. With a wing she grabbed the next article off the pile and readied her red pen. Her lips pulled into a slight smile when she saw it was from Mogigi. It was another article about the Valkyrie, but this time one about the Homs' scientific research. Hochipu's expert eyes zeroed in on any mistakes as she quickly read through the interview. The pen in her paw flicked about speedily. Her dark eyes alighted on a note in the margin and stopped. Her mouth pulled into a smirk. With a quick flip of a wing, she opened a desk drawer and pulled out a sheet of paper. She scribbled down a note and called in her assistant.
A green Nopon hurried into the room. Hochipu closed the desk drawer and held out the paper. She continued to read Mogigi's article as she spoke.
"Straight to gossip."
"Yes yes." Hochipu's assistant took the note and hurried away, into the cluttered office space. The door swung closed behind him, causing a few papers to lazily drift off the filing cabinet. Hochipu glanced up to watch him leave and chuckled to herself. Nopon Wood would be the talk of the colonies.
End note:
Finally finished up Teanna's arts!
15. Glare
A terrifying glare stops an enemy in its tracks
Attribute: Ether
Target: Enemy
Range: Individual Target
Distance: Medium
Damage: N/A
Cooldown: 27.5 seconds
Effects:
Inflicts Paralysis on target
- Effect Time 19.9 seconds
16. Metal Dance
A flurry of kicks with powerful knockback
Attribute: Physical
Target: Enemy
Range: Individual Target
Distance: Close
Damage: 1425
Cooldown: 29.2 seconds
Effects:
4 Attack Combo
Suffering Paralysis: Daze
- Effect Time 2.0 seconds