Highlands surprises.
Hello everyone welcome back to the adventures of our nameless protagonist, I'd just like to say that while we're following a singular clone, the rest are fighting every second in the basin, so her skill and physical fitness are constantly improving from the nonstop battle going on, so imagine that you had six of you constantly working on improving one thing for twenty-four hours a day seven days a week, you'd end up pretty decent at whatever that is fairly quickly. So this character is going to eventually be a swordswoman so dangerous that she'd give Yun Ka-fai a run for his money. With that said here's the chapter.
Nord highlands, Septain Calander 498.
Cutting through the head of a monster, Vincent sheaths his sword, and turns to me. "So do you know where we're going?" Flicking my blade before sheathing it, I shake my head, "No we barely know what Erebonia, is. But we think that the first chapter can be found in a quarry."
"How sure of this are you?" Vincent asks. "It's possible it's not in there, but it's our best chance at finding the first one." I say before stopping for a split second as new memory's flood in. Pushing past them I look ahead of us and as Vincent says "I hear water." and sure enough after a little bit a major river blocks our path.
"Know how to swim?" Looking at the water I say "One way to find out." and I jump into the water, and start immediately struggling not knowing how to swim. Not saying anything Vincent dives into the water and starts dragging me through the river and eventually hauls me onto the other side.
Coughing and hacking trying to get rid of any water inside my lungs. "Are you okay?!" Vincent shouts worried, I start nodding quickly. "Please never try anything that idiotic again." Looking up and seeing a small and very tall hill with stone pillars way in the distance I point outwards and say. "We can get a vantage point from up there."
"Going to be difficult traversing the Highlands without a horse" Vincent remarks as he sits up and offers me a hand which I take as he pulls me to my feet. Starting are journey along the way Vincent speaks up and says "So, have you remembered anything else?" Shaking my head, I say "No, everything's blank since the basin, and what happens with the rivalry's"
"a shame." he says slightly downtrodden. Finishing the rest of our journey in silence and avoiding the path to the top of the hill and climbing up the side, we're left with a stunning view of the highlands once more. "There was a path up here." Vincent says exasperatedly. Looking out to the highlands I point to a path leading further into the highlands and say
"Past that should be a village, we can ask them for the directions to the quarry." nodding Vincent starts walking down the path, taking a few shortcuts by jumping off of slight inclines, following shortly behind, we start heading to where the village should be.
Stopping for a second as a memory suddenly comes to me. That of a young man with black hair, standing Infront of Zector, and myself asking him his business. "I've come to seek the aid of the Palatinate Knight." looking him dead in the eye I say "Zector lays dominate if you seek his aid, you must prove yourself worthy, if you wish to do so we'll be your opponent but we will not hesitate to kill you."
And the young man pulling out a spear, suggests his choice, lunging out in a thrust of his spear, I parry his blow, and swing for his throat, pivoting out of the way, he lashes out while regaining his footing, side stepping his thrust, I knock his spear up with my sword, and slash out to him, hitting the man in the arm lightly.
Lifting his spear up, the man suddenly in a burst of speed flies past me, cutting into my side, turning back towards him, I slightly shift my stance, moving to a one-handed grip on my blade, and as he goes for a cutting swing with his spear, I grab onto his weapon and pull him into my blade killing the man.
Coming back to myself as Vincent starts to turn to face me worried, I say "Someone found Zector." Looking surprised at the sudden mention of Zector Vincent says "Really what happened?" Shrugging my shoulders, I say "We offered to duel him, and he died, considering how fast the battle was he most likely wouldn't have woken Zector in the first place."
Looking down Vincent says "Too bad Zector could use another worthy awakener." Looking at him with curiosity I ask "Actually why did you give up Zector?" stopping suddenly Vincent doesn't say anything for a moment before saying "Nicholas... the awakener of Valimar, he died in battle, with him gone, I figured that I should leave the knights for the next generation."
"Sorry for bringing it up" I say sensing his regret. "No, it's fine not like not talking about it will change the past." Its unknown whether or not we'd continue that conversation as we're interrupted by a tanned woman with long brown hair saying "Hello!"
"Uhm, hi?" I say unused to her cheerful attitude. Smiling brightly, she says "Hi, what brings you to the highlands?" Vincent ever the charismatic person he is says "We're looking for a book called the black record." tapping her finger against her lip the woman says "Never heard of it, maybe the chief has though"
"Follow me!" she shouts, as I glare at Vincent, and whisper to him "Really just telling her about the records?" Vincent just smiles nervously before, catching up with the Nordic woman. She leads us through the village and into a tent near the center of it.
"Go on in!" the overly cheerful woman says motioning for Vincent and I to enter, and sitting in the center of the tent is a older man, looking up at us he says "Ah hello, please sit down." Sharing a glance Vincent and I sit down.
"Would you like any tea?" the man asks while lifting a tea pot, shaking my head I say "No thank you." As Vincent shakes his head, Smiling the man asks "Not many people from the empire come here, may I ask what brings you here?"
"We're here looking for a text that could hold some historical significance." I answer withholding the full true from the man, smiling the man says "Is there anything we can do to help?" Smiling Vincent says "No that's alright we have a idea of where it is."
"Oh where might that be?" the man asks needing to shut this down I say "Near the giant statue." nodding the man says "feel free to borrow some horses for your journey" shaking my head I say "No thank you, it wouldn't do to overstep your hospitality."
Leaving the tent Vincent and I head off.
Line break Septain Calander 498.
Standing In a outcropping among the mountains, past the husk of the Sept-Terrion of earth, stands Vincent and the nameless woman, currently standing in the place of which a quarry would be built hundreds of years later.
"Damn it!" I shout disappointed in the one lead not panning out, Vincent placing a hand on my shoulder says. "It's fine this lead was unlikely to pan out anyway." grimacing I say "it's not that, it's just we don't know how we know any of this, looking for the black records gave us a purpose beyond the battle."
"so that's the text you were looking for." a voice rings out behind us, turning quickly and drawing our swords, standing there is the chief of the Nord's. "What are you doing following us?" holding out both hands in a non-threating manner the chief says. "I'm a leader I must make sure that you're not a threat to my people"
"And?" Vincent says prepared for the worst. Smiling the man says "I didn't believe you to be threats, but I need to know why do you want the black records?" not letting my guard down I say "To help prepare the awakeners against the great twilight." surprised the man says "And how do you know about such an event?"
"Because I was the awakener of Zector." Vincent answers trying to gauge the situation. The man nodding his head says "With the use of past-tense I assume you gave him up?" he asks getting a nod in response from Vincent. "Hm, I see. Very well, your goals are noble, but I can't give up the record just yet." he says before pulling out a well-crafted spear from nowhere.
"So, I shall test your two's strength and conviction, prepare yourselves!" he says before jumping back slightly waiting for us to make the first move, taking a step back I wait as Vincent charges forwards, and swings toward the chief who deflects the strike off his spear. Now off balance from the heavy strike, I create a clone right by him, and before he can recover, she sweeps his legs from under him, going for a swing on the now falling man, Vincent misses as the man plunges his spear into the ground halting his fall.
Charging forwards, I thrust my blade out attempting to make the man retreat from his weapon, but missing as the man dodges into me, and knocks me aside with the shaft of his spear, before the other me, starts attacking in quick barrages, giving Vincent the opportunity to swing to the mans back, and hitting with the flat of his blade. Sending the man flying back.
Taking the opportunity, the other me quickly places her blade to his throat, halting all movement in him. Only to drop the blade as my own blade pierces her throat. As she's fading, I place my own blade to the man's throat with Vincent on the other side of me.
"I give." the man says calmly, sheathing my blade I pick up the extra blade and deciding not to send it back stab it into the ground here. "So we passed the test we take it?" I say while placing the blade into the ground. "Yes, you have." he says standing up slowly.
"So what do you know about the black records?" I say demanding an answer, still keeping our blade against his throat. "All I know is that a copy of the book was given to my family to keep safe till a certain time" he says showing very little concern with the blade against his throat
"And you believe this to be that time?" Vincent asks, nodding the man says "What could the time be if not a former awakener looking for the record to help prepare the future for the coming end." lowering my sword from his neck I sheathe it as I sigh in disappointment.
"Unfortunately, the time you're waiting for is not now." looking confused slightly the chief says "What do you mean?" lifting my arm I point outwards to where the quarry will be and say "When a quarry is built in this spot that's when you will place the record inside."
"If such is the case then why were you going to take the record?" pulling out a blank book we got from Ymir I say "we we're planning on copying the records we could find so that if we failed the records could still be found by the future awakeners"
"I see, the events the record speak of are far to pass, how do you intent to make sure the future awakeners are able to find them?" he says, curious, looking him dead in the eye I say "We, were going to entrust a family to deliver the records when the awakener who'll need them, when the time comes"
"Very well I'll let you copy the contents of the records, please follow me." Following the man, we finally made some progress on finding the first record.
Line break Septain Calander 498.
Reading through the first chapter. Copying it down, as Vincent is basically interrogating the village chief, about anything he knows about the records, or possible whereabouts of the other chapters, focusing on the last line of the chapter, once finish I reread it to make sure there's no mistakes.
In the beginning, there were two great gods.
One boasted unrivaled courage,
the other unparalleled fortitude.
They descended from the heavens with their kin,
and it was upon the dark land below that they first met.
Calamity. Their opposing natures incompatible,
the two were drawn irresistibly into battle,
and thus began a struggle that shook heaven and earth.
The Goddess and the spirits' laments were for naught.
As the land quaked, the skies were torn asunder,
and the gods' kin could only tremble in fear.
After what seemed like an eternity, their clash came to an end.
But it was an end of mutual defeat.
Their power spent, the empty shells of the two celestial titans were flung into the furthest reaches of the dark land.
All that remained were terrible their kin, and the Great Power.
"Hm." looking through the records copy I come to a slight realization, "Vincent, we're unsure if the language will be the same to the awakeners who'll need it." Stopping his questioning and turning to us, Vincent says "If we're going to be entrusting a family to deliver this, we can probably trust them to translate it as well."
Nodding in agreement, and now finished with the book. I start to look through my memories attempting to find anything related to the black records. Having no luck and being left with pain for my efforts of attempting to traverse the endless fog of our memories.
Lightly blowing onto the ink to dry it, I shut the book, and stand up, and turn towards Vincent. "We're finished, we should start heading out, who knows how long it'll take to find another chapter." Nodding Vincent leaves the chief after a quick goodbye.
"May the winds bring fortune on your perilous journey, former Awakeners" the Chief says in goodbye, mistaking us as an awakener alongside Vincent. Leaving the tent. As we're walking Vincent asks "So, do we have a heading?" shaking my head no, I say "We have no idea, where to go next, we were lucky with the first one." I say looking out towards the vast highlands. Wondering where the next record could be.
Okay that's it, our nameless protagonist found the first chapter of the black records, yay! Also I know that Magic knights where not created yet, but I didn't when I started writing the scene and I could justify it as a test run or something from Alberich. I also kind of realized half way through the chapter that someone with the ability to clone themselves wouldn't likely refer to themselves as I so I went back and changed a lot of the sentences in which she says I to we so if some of those parts seem kind of odd, good because so is someone referring to themselves as we.