Silly Plots 2: Electric Boogaloo

[Deathkeeper]

Message's World

"The Lady whose world you're invading!" Koshal demands, dropping the slow rifle and drawing his pistol, loading those special bullets from Aelfisborough into it while he waits for it to come around again.

Though really, did the boar really mistake him for Message earlier? Does that mean she had been going around as a Minotaur? Koshal assumed she was just trying to make him feel better that one time. He wonders what's going on with that. He's noticed that he always seems to make odd observations in the heat of battle.

[Recaiden]

"Invading?"
The boar shakes fallen branches and crystal flakes from its head, stops to catch its breath.
"Is not this my home? Just over that hill is-is..."
It runs forward again, tearing up the earth beneath its feet. It's ready this time for him to leap aside, prepared to turn and strike if it must.

[Deathkeeper]

Message's World

"No! It's not!"
Koshal leaps up like Wenomir taught him, boosted with his levitation, and tries to land on the hog's back so he can put a burst into its skill point blank.

[Recaiden]

Briefly, it wonders how Koshal jumps so high.

Then it's shot.

The boar vanishes like before, taking one bullet with it out of the world, and leaving Koshal to fall through it to the ground (or levitate down gracefully, perhaps). As it happens, it confused him with someone entirely different from Message. Plenty of minotaurs in the multiverse, after all.

[Deathkeeper]

Message's World

Koshal steadies his fall with levitation and then falls normally. He quickly hurried back to the Crystal to make sure it's properly smashed and can't revive the boar again.

[Recaiden]

That's not how any of this works.

But another shot! The crystal is well and truly shattered now. Waiting around for several minutes confirms a lack of boar-monster reappearance.

[Deathkeeper]

Message's World

Koshal collects some pieces of Crystal as a trophy and goes to return to Message, he and Faye as cheerful and satisfied as possible over their win.

[Recaiden]

The crystal fragments are a reddish-pinkish color, and it breaks into smooth curving (but no less razor-sharp) pieces.

Message can be found where and as she was, turning to greet Koshal and Faye right as they return. Perhaps she was busy with something else, perhaps she wasn't here except in the instant before they arrived.

"What do you two have to tell me?"

[Deathkeeper]

Message's World

Faye barks, explaining everything.
"You were being invaded by talking boar monsters. So I killed them and smashed their magic portal Crystal thingy." Koshal explains as he presents Message with the pouch of crystal pieces.

[Recaiden]

This account is of course distinct from the truth, where a single talking boar-monster was projected here from the dreamworld because it had a connection to the original builder of this world, getting sent back when it suffered fatal damage. It kept showing up at the crystal because that crystal was a memorable landmark. It couldn't speak clearly because it was, after all, asleep, and had a malfunctioning alien war machine affecting its memories.
Faye probably does a better job keeping to the uninterpreted facts.
But what Koshal said is basically correct.

Message nods and smiles, taking the crystal pieces into her outstretched hand.
"Good work, both of you. Did you figure out why they came here, of all places?"

[Deathkeeper]

Message's World

"It thought this was its home. It must be from somewhere similar. Or close to this place." Koshal is only guessing. He doesn't know how worlds work. Can they be close? Is this a planet or a universe?

[Recaiden]

They can be closer or further. As for planets and universes, this one is both.
"Well, that's something. I'll look into it more and find out. For now, this place is safe again."
"I'll be sending you two on home, and remember, in the next few days you're to go meet my other Charities and learn from them."

[Deathkeeper]

World of the Lynx, the Kestrel, the Tigress

Koshal nods, stepping back from Message. "You're welcome, Ma'am. I'll look for Miss Anchor and Miss Hunter." he says dutifully. Hunter isn't around reliably but he's sure she'll turn up. He'd love to give his very kind tiger-taur (a different kind from the usual) a hug but she's not a very huggy person except to Mist.

[Recaiden]

Message waves goodbye and Koshal should cleanly disappear and end up back in the Skullfort temple.

[Deathkeeper]

Skullfort Temple

Koshal gets up from the altar after giving his head a moment to clear. He'll ask around to see if anyone's seen Anchor. He would really like to relax and lay down for a while but he has to stay dutiful to his goddess!

Though Anchor might appreciate it more if he showered before meeting her. He's been training and fighting for a while. Decisions, decisions...

[Recaiden]

The consensus seems to be that no one's seen Anchor since she went off to the Good League of Good a couple weeks ago. But if he's looking for library things, Softquill is around, and if it's about magic, he could probably see that spider-sorceress, Sarina. Or Jeanne.

[Deathkeeper]

Skullfort

Koshal thanks his peers, making a note to look for Anchor. He doesn't think he's up for a long journey to GLoG without knowing if she's even there. He'll head back to his room to peel off his armor and clean the sweat off of it, and to the shower to clean it off himself.

[Recaiden]

But nothing bothers him on his way to get cleaned up (except perhaps a steward-bot verifying that he really is Koshal). The squire can enjoy a well-deserved (?) rest before getting on with this project.

Eventually, he'll have to get to it, though . If they don't check in at the Skullfort soon enough, he'll have to go find them. On the off chance he's willing to chase even fainter clues, Anchor is known to like books and bakeries. Hunter, of course, lives in the Hunting Grounds. But she can also be found in the Acheronal endless battlegrounds of the Inside Red Zones. And of course, all of Message is drawn to crash sites, when things fall from the sky. Maybe he could...no, no, that's crazy.

[Deathkeeper]

Skullfort

Koshal is a bit put off by how difficult it is just to find these Charities. He wonders if he could just ask Lady Leah where they are since they're connected but that seems like cheating if Message intended this to be a quest.
So questing he'll have to do! Koshal fills a satchel with food, gears up, and sets out with his horse and Faye in search of Hunter and Anchor. He thinks he remembers hearing about a meteor shower last week. Maybe he can find the field where they landed and wait for the Charities...

[Recaiden]

If he checks in at the Observatory, I'm sure he can get the way to where any meteorites landed. (It's funny how many small meteors make it to the Nexus surface, an how few apocalyptically huge ones).

On our squire rides! There's always the possibility that they will be waiting for him. Or that something else will...

As he comes to the top of a hill and sees the little craters that the space rocks have dug for themselves (no longer smoking or glowing hot, not after all this time), Koshal & Co. might get the sense that they're being watched. Is it from one of those prairie trees? Something in the tall grass? Inside the meteors? Just a feeling with no basis in reality?

[Deathkeeper]

MeteorQuest

Koshal hops down from dune with a little sack from his saddlebags. Even if neither Charity are here, he can still snag a space rock or two. One for him, one for Hunter. Or Anchor? Maybe he should get three...

Faye looks around, sniffing the air. She would likely be able to recognize Anchor by scent as she's somewhat similar in body to Leah, minus the cat-smell. Hunter is not so easy to sniff out when armored up.

[Recaiden]

Anchor doesn't seem to be around here, Faye. Just the faint metallic and burnt smells from the meteors and some other assorted things.

Once Koshal has taken a few steps away from Dune, Hunter moves. She rolls up to her feet out in the grass and disappears, to land right behind Koshal and try to grab him, one hand around a horn for leverage, the other, claws extended, at his throat. Should she manage that, she'll say '"I win."'. Otherwise, they might have a bit of a fight ahead of them!

[Deathkeeper]

Meteor Field

Koshal does instinctively drive an elbow down upon being grabbed but it Hunter is armored it's unlikely to do anything even if it hits.
"I guess you do. Hey, Miss Hunter." Koshal says, unphased.

[Recaiden]

Of course Hunter is armored; this isn't her home or an occasion to wriggle through a small armor-non-admitting space. And she twists away from the blow, even if it wouldn't have hurt, before releasing Koshal and stepping back.

"You're Squire Koshal. I guess you recognized my voice; I don't think we've met in person, have we?"

The black fox pops up over the edge of a crater and gekkers warily at Faye.

[Deathkeeper]

MeteorQuest

"Yeah you sound a lot like Message. And I kinda knew you'd be here." he admits to Hunter while Faye barks happily to the fox.

[Recaiden]

"Yeah. Sooner or later, plus I'm supposed to meet you."
"First lesson! You can be killed by completely unfair things at any time."
"I'm betting you already know that, in theory, but don't really know it in your heart."

The fox hops up out of the hole and slinks carefully closer. They were both made by Message in similar ways. Maybe they can get along.

[Deathkeeper]

Meteor Quest

Koshal nods.
"Yes Ma'am. Is that what you wanted to teach me today? Unfair things?" Koshal asks, while Fate offers the fox the honor of first sniff.

[Recaiden]

"Well do you know them or not?" Hunter asks. One can't see it, but she's rolling her eyes behind that helmet. Then she retracts her claws and gives a shake of her head. "Either way, no, that's boring. So I am the most important part of Message. Who she would have been. The Message part."
"Tell me, why did you want to be a knight? And what would you have done otherwise?"

[Deathkeeper]

MeteorQuest

"I think I know them." Koshal says, ignoring the flagrant insult to his Lady. "I wanted to be a knight because I wanted to fight, like my father and my uncle. And I wanted to help people and do justice stuff and also have cool armor. Without it, I would have probably convinced Uncle Krayger to train me himself, even though he didn't want to get me into the mercenary life. I don't think I would have been as happy." he explains honestly.

[Recaiden]

Is it an insult if it's true? (Yes, yes it definitely still is).

Hunter nods.
"That's not the best idea. Wanting to fight, that is. 'Live by the sword, die by the sword' and all. But it puts you in good company. Wouldn't give it up for...nearly anything."

"Do you two have any questions of your own?"