The Rostical Users - Sceldrant's Comet

by Michael Rogers

  Teresa: (The power of healing? My memories-) *She placed her hand on her forehead in pain.*

  Lance: "Gah, how annoyin', everyone is so emotional." *He grunted and picked his nose.*

  Ashton: "Well-"

  Lance: "Who else is hungry?" *He scratched his belly under his shirt.*

  Teresa: *She looked over to each party member.* "None of you are wearing any bags?"

  Lance: "So?"

  Teresa: "Where are the consumables?"

  *The party looked at each other with hungry faces.*

  Alicia: "O-Oh no, I was so caught up with what happened, I forgot about food-"

  Lance: "Forgot about food?" *He grunted with disgust.*

  Ashton: "So did you."

  Lance: "W-Well-" *He sighed and looked away.*

  Teresa: "Fortunately I noticed, in the shack, contained several bags of nuts."

  Lance: "Ah man, I'm so hungry, I wanted to eat my favourite."

  Alicia: "What's your favourite?"

  Lance: "Watermelon, mmm." *He smiled with an open mouth and started to drool.*

  Alicia: "Eww." *She glanced at Lance in disgust before looking away.* "What about you Ashton and Teresa?"

  Ashton: "I like chicken salads yummy."

  Teresa: "I do not have a favourite food."

  Ashton: "You don't?"

  Teresa: "I consume whatever is needed, ensuring the correct amount of nutrients are digested." *She stood up and walked towards the shack.*

  Alicia: (Teresa.) *She silently watched Teresa walk into the shack.*

  Ashton: "What about you, Alicia?"

  Alicia: "U-Umm." *She held her pendant with both hands in thought.* "I enjoy vegetable soup."

  Ashton: "Haha, vegetable soup-"

  Teresa: *She walked past Ashton, holding several bags of nuts.* "This may not be the most enjoyable feast but it should suffice." *She sat down, handing a bag to each party member.*

  Lance: *He groaned and dipped his hand in the bag.* (They expect me to eat this?) "Pssht, this sucks."

  Alicia: *She grabbed a handful and crunched on one.* "I suppose it's better than nothing."

  Lance: "As if I'm eatin' nuts for dinner-" *He stood up and started to walk back to the shack.*

  Teresa: "You must ensure your nutrients are-"

  Lance: "I'm goin' back to sleep." *He grunted and slammed the door behind him.*

  Alicia: "Lance-"

  Ashton: "Don't worry about it." *He leant over and reached into the bag.*

  Teresa: *She stared at the shack with confusion.* (Such troublesome behaviour is a result of impulse emotions-)

  Ashton: "There's something that's been on my mind about the warriors."

  Alicia: "Y-Yes?"

  Ashton: "People say Consultants? Implying there's more than one?"

  Alicia: *She shook her head with confusion, before swallowing.* "I wouldn't have a clue-"

  Teresa: "It is speculated that there are more than one. But as of yet, only one active Consultant has made herself known."

  Alicia: "Th-The Consultant is a girl?" *She looked surprised, grabbing another handful from the bag.*

  Ashton: *He nodded his head in agreement.* (For some reason, I wasn't expecting that either.)

  Teresa: "Indeed."

  Ashton: "What else do you know?"

  Teresa: "Well-"

  ----------

  Lance: *Sunlight seeped through the cracks of the roof, waking him up.* "Hmm?" *He rubbed his eyes and stood up.*

  *The leaves bristled in the cool morning wind, as birds chirped in the background.*

  Lance: *He walked out of the shack, as his stomach wildly grumbled.* "Huh?" *He noticed the party standing up and ready to leave.* "So am I that bad? Tryin' to leave without me?"

  Teresa: "Despite the fact you were completely healed, the trauma your body has suffered lately-"

  Lance: "Wat? You make no sense-"

  Teresa: "The rest you endured was a necessary requirement-"

  Lance: "OK, OK, wateva."

  Alicia: "S-So now that everybody is ready, shall we head off?"

  Teresa: "Indeed."

  Alicia: (So East is-) *She spun around and faced the forest.* (This way.) *She walked forward, leading the party into the forest.*

  Lance: *He placed his hand on his belly and moaned.* (I'm so hungry.) *He whimpered and rocked his head back like a child.*

  Ashton: "Here." *He presented a small bag, causing Lance to look at it with confusion.*

  Lance: "Wat is it?"

  Ashton: "Leftovers from last night."

  Lance: "Pssht." *He snatched the bag and devoured the nuts in them.* (Thanks, Ash.)

  Ashton: *He walked faster and caught up to Alicia.* "Excuse me Alicia, I have a question."

  Alicia: "O-Of course?" *She looked to her side at Ashton in confusion.*

  Ashton: "How does Rostical actually work?"

  Alicia: "To be honest, I'm not entirely sure."

  Ashton: "I see."

  Alicia: "All I know is, if you have Rostical blood or if a Rosterology item responds to you, then you're able to use Rostical."

  Ashton: (Rostical blood? An item that responds to you?) "I see."

  Alicia: "And addition to all of that, you need to learn certain wording."

  Ashton: "Certain wording?"

  Alicia: "To make the Rostical up to three times stronger."

  Ashton: "Three times stronger?"

  Alicia: "I've also read, that some powerful Rostical only work with the correct symbols or incantations."

  Teresa: *She closely walked behind Ashton and Alicia.* "Everything on this continent has Neurons and Astragons."

  Lance: "Neuwrongs? Astragongs?"

  Alicia: "I-It's really surprising neither of you know this?"

  Lance: "Well it sounds like I'm in science class or somethin', how borin'." *He sighed and ignored the conversation, placing his hands on his head.*

  Ashton: "Neurons, Astragons. Please continue."

  Teresa: "Everything living and non living have either Neurons and Astragons."

  Ashton: (Even non living things have them?)

  Teresa: "People that can freely use Rostical are born with both Neurons and Astragons."

  Alicia: "Y-Yep." *She enthusiastically nodded her head, as she continued to lead the party through the forest.*

  Teresa: "If a Rosterology item responds to someone, it means they either contain Neurons or Astragons."

  Lance: *He watched the party walk in front of him, giving them a sleazy look.* (How can that make sense to anyone-?)

  Ashton: "But you said everything has both?"

  Teresa: "Perhaps I said it incorrectly? The Rosterology item will respond to those whom have a certain level of Neurons or Astragons."

  Ashton: "Wow, then do the Rosterology items contain both as well-?"

  Lance: "So that means we can use some magic too?!" *He had a mischievous grin on his face.*

  Alicia: "Magick?"

  Teresa: "Not exactly, it becomes even more complex here."

  Lance: "More complex? I'm outta here." *He quickly stared up to the trees, pretending he couldn't hear anything.*

  Teresa: "Let us say Alicia only has Neurons, the pendant will need Astragons to activate."

  Ashton: "Or vice versa?"

  Teresa: "Precisely."

  Alicia: "..." *She looked down and observed the pendant.*

  Teresa: "In regards to what Alicia said about symbols and incantations, there are several ways to boost the base power of a Rostical."

  Ashton: *He had a flashback of the swirling fire Millard used.* (A stronger version of that?!)

  Teresa: "One way is using the correct incantation, which is the easiest and most logical way of boosting it."

  Ashton: "So how exactly does the Rosterology items work?"

  Teresa: "If a user had only Neurons so to speak, then the item would draw the opposite ons which would be Astragons closer to the user."

  Alicia: (I'm getting confused-)

 
Teresa: "When the required Astragons are absorbed, it then mixes with the Neurons resulting in the bending of space, alterations to physical form and an energy source to do so."

  Alicia: (That makes no sense at all.)

  Ashton: "So to speak, it draws the opposite element needed to use Rostical."

  Alicia: (He's amazing, he can keep up with the conversation.)

  Teresa: "Precisely."

  Lance: "Gah, my head hurts. I failed science for a reason." *He sighed and dragged his feet in the dirt.*

  Alicia: "I-I thought you weren't listening-?"

  Lance: "Shut it-"

  Ashton: *He gave Teresa his full attention.* "P-Please continue, what do you mean physical form?"

  Teresa: "For example Alicia's Icicle Edge. She would need to gather the energy, Neurons."

  Ashton: "Okay." *He nodded his head in understanding.*

  Teresa: "And Astragons, to manipulate the space to form a physical ice lance."

  Ashton: "In physical laws that seems impossible, but I have no information on these Neurons and Astragons to work with!" *He mumbled to himself, deep in thought.*

  Teresa: "Rostical is hard to grasp if one was never around to witness it."

  Ashton: "Can you tell which one you have?! As in, can Lance or myself use Rostical as well?"

  Teresa: "Even though I have told you basic understanding of Rosterology items and Rostical, one is still needed to have a natural gift at it."

  Ashton: "Oh?" *His excitement slightly faded away.*

  Teresa: "You see, with all these requirements it is essentially very rare to have Rostical Users."

  Lance: "Well if it can use Rostical." *He looked towards Alicia and pointed at her child-like.* "Then it can't be too hard?" *He tripped on a rock, causing him to stagger forward.*

  Alicia: *She ignored Lance and looked at Teresa.* "Even though I am able to use Rostical myself, what is the difference between Neurons and Astragons."

  Teresa: "Neurons are essentially an energy source, without Neurons the user would have no power to effectively use Rostical, it also determines how powerful a Rostical is."

  Ashton: (I have mixed feelings, one side is saying this is all fake, but the other side is curious to know more-)

  Teresa: "Astragons are essentially an alteration source, without Astragons the user would not be able to manipulate the space."

  Alicia: "Manipulate, space?"

  Teresa: "Indeed, how else do you think you are able to gather so much ice for your Icicle Edge?"

  Alicia: "I-I don't know, in the air?"

  Teresa: "Materialising ice from thin air, is due to the Astragons. The Astragons gather the particles needed to create ice and bends them into a solid object."

  Alicia: "..." *She silently nodded her head, as her face filled with learning.*

  Teresa: "Since Neurons determines how powerful the Rostical is, Astragons determine the level of Rostical the user can use."

  Ashton: "How?"

  Teresa: "By the level of manipulation."

  Alicia: "I-I don't understand?"

  Teresa: "Another example would be to compare the Rostical Icicle Edge with another person with more Astragons."

  Ashton: "Okay."

  Teresa: "Their Icicle Edge would be far superior, longer, thicker etcetera."

  Ashton: "And if you were to compare Neurons?"

  Teresa: "Their Icicle Edge would materialise faster, would cause a stronger impact or possibly even explode to the touch."

  Alicia: "I never knew there was so much stuff behind using Rostical."

  Ashton: "Thank you so much, Teresa, you've been the only person to actually give us answers and an understanding to things."

  Teresa: "If my knowledge assists the party, then that is all the praise I require."

  Alicia: "It's amazing how often I use Rostical without even knowing half of it."

  Teresa: (Perhaps I will not explain Azures, Ougis, or even the mechanics behind Rasticsplashes-)

  Alicia: "My understanding about Rostical-" *She paused in mid-sentence and looked at Teresa.* "I appreciate the fact I can use Rostical even more, thank you."

  Teresa: "As I previously stated, my knowledge assisting the party is all the praise I require-"

  Lance: "How much more do we have to walk?" *He flopped his arms around as if they were jelly.*

  Alicia: "W-We're almost at the entrance of Maserio."

  *The party walked out of the forest and instantly noticed the beautiful beach.*

  Alicia: "The Great Coast is the largest and most exquisite beach across the land."

  Ashton: "It has bright golden sand and crystal blue water." *He spoke with amazement.*

  Lance: "It's just a beach-"

  Ashton: "It looks like a perfect tropical area, the trees from Igloo Forest contrast the colours furthermore."

  Teresa: "Rostical Users have been said to train here, the coast is protected by natural cliffs and is protected from the heat of Maserio if Scoldrants stray too far."

  Ashton: "The view, it's like eye candy where ever we go." *He looked at Lance with amazement.* "Lance aren't you amazed at the untouched beauty of these environments?"

  Lance: "Why would I be? It's just a beach-" *He gave Ashton a strange look, as sunlight shined on his shoulders.* "That's something a girl would say aye? Ashton, I wonder about you sometimes."

  Ashton: "Hey, hey, you don't need to be a girl to respect the ecosystem."

  Alicia: "Stop picking on him, Lance."

  Lance: "Whoa, whoa, whoa, have I missed something? Pickin' favourites now Alicia?"

  Teresa: "Lance, enough of this pointless dribble."

  Lance: "Y-Yes miss." *He lowered his head and looked away.*

  *Ashton and Alicia giggled to each other, as the party started to walk up a large slope.*

  Teresa: *She noticed the slope divided the coast and the land into separate regions.* "Ensure not to step near the edge of the cliff, the further we walk the longer the drop will be."

  Alicia: "Y-Yep."

  Lance: "Good work pointin' out the obvious-"

  Teresa: "Hoh?"

  Lance: "N-Nothin'." *He grunted and looked away, listening to the waves.*

  Ashton: "It's starting to get hot."

  Alicia: "We must be getting closer to Maserio."

  Teresa: "Indeed, the grass is starting to become dirt and sand and all signs of flourishing vegetation are near non-existent."

  Alicia: *She looked down the edge and stepped back against the rocky wall.* (Look how far down the beach is now.)

  Lance: (Man, that Teresa girl talks so weird.)

  *Enormous mountains to the East containing Maserio was now visible, as they were no longer hidden behind The Igloo Forest's trees.*

  Teresa: *She noticed the cliff's formation rise up, connecting to the mountain's wall.* (It intrigues me, what will happen once we reach Surpreon?)

  Lance: *He stared at a cave's entrance up ahead.* "Wat is Maserio again?"

  Alicia: "The only area on the continent that has unbearable heat, no flora and water."

  Lance: "Huh?"

  Ashton: "Pretty much like a desert."

  Lance: "Oh-" *He grunted, as he struggled to carry the bags over his shoulder.* (Teresa said she couldn't see any bags, how can you not miss these?)

  Ashton: (I wonder what Surpreon looks like, is it like The Library? Even better? I wonder what the people are like-?)

  Lance: "Oi, am I the only one that's startin' to get tired from holdin' all these blasted bags?" *He moaned and looked over his shoulder, noticing his sword poking out from one of the bags.*

  Alicia: "I-I agree, my back is starting to hurt a-and my bag seems like it won't be able to hold anything else."

  Ashton: (These bags are quite inconvenient.)

  Alicia: *She ran her fingers under the sack-like bag.* (And the Acro Berries are crushed, the bottom of the bag is damp.)

  Teresa: "Hmm?" *She looked at the ragged sacks they used for bags.* "It appears we require the RPG b
ag."

  Lance: "Ha, R-P-G bag? Ahaha."

  Alicia: "What's so funny?"

  Lance: *He coughed and stopped smiling.* "Nothin'."

  Ashton: *He glanced at Teresa with curiosity.* "What do you mean?"

  Teresa: "Due to the high Rosterology advancements at Surpreon, we can purchase the number one recommended bag, the RPG bag."