A debt repaid (Frontdated to after 'The Magic Flight')

[not_a_prize]

Kliiment! You've got some nerve coming here!

[Well folks there's an unexpected visitor to the Unity Group. Peola's would be groom and all around pompous jerk. One could only wonder what sort of trouble was ahead with his presence... something the Princess was not willing to deal with as she stormed forward to break his face-]



"Hup-up-up-up! Wait! WAIT!!!"

[The Magnolys blueblood is quickly holding out a scroll in front of him like a shield, cowering behind it from the Princess' wrath. Something which in fact made her freeze in place before she snatched it out of his hands, her eyes quickly flitting across the carefully scribed ink before looking at the now deeply breathing noble.]



All of this. All of. This. Its all true?

[Kliiment quickly dabs away at the sweat that had developed from the panic attack before nodding.]



"Every word down to the last letter. I already had its authenticity verified by a number of scholars... and before you ask... Yes. I spoke to his Highness about it before I came here. I also have... This."

[He pulls out a second scroll with a wax seal bearing the royal insignia. Something Peola quickly snaps before speed reading the contents.]

"There were already a few messages I ensured were passed on to what passes for leaders around here. But that one. Was for you specifically."



If this is some kind of power play Kliiment...

"Just using this to make sure my family is welcomed back to the Royal Court is enough for now. After all... the King would appreciate the chance to settle this... personal matter... along with obtaining that trinket your... charming companions seem to need direly. But if its any comfort to you Princess I have quit the field. I would rather not die an early death all things considered. I wish whomever the poor fool is your intended all the luck in the world. Hah!"

[As the arrogant Magl leaves, Peola looks between the two scrolls with some anxiety...]

[1]

[Magnolys. Peola's homeworld. It was something of a surprise that the search for pieces of the Discovery of Self would bring people all the way over here. Especially to the Princess herself. The capital city itself was a sprawling anachronism to say the least as it combined medieval and modern sensibilities with a crash of a dozen cultures. The journey to seek out the Discovery Artifact itself however at the King's insistence would take some preparation... so for a while - both the Unity Group party, along with the tech team that would safely extract it were guests of the Royal Family - with free run of every part of the city.]

[From the cosy, if rowdy lowtown taverns and noisy market places, to the intricate high class shops and amphitheaters, the sweeping statue filled temples and cathedrals, to the looming convent-libraries, wide sparring arenas for both men and machina, to the vast forges where the machines of Magnolys themselves were crafted together - mecha and ships alike.]

[Be it a guided tour from Peola, Ourania, Harunn, Monika or Salwah... or perhaps your own independent exploration. The doors of the city were open to you.]

[2]

[The journey to the resting place of the Artifact was a quiet one. Machines loaded up on what was essentially a massive floating barge, yhe Unity Group was not alone in this endeavor it as Unathi along with his personal guard  accompany you all. But there was an air of uneasiness among the Royal Guard... some seemed to be breaking out into shakes or were anxiously observing the surroundings. The King himself seemed to be brooding as he looked out into the cloud covered distance. Sighing heavily the King regards you with a dire expression on his face.]



"...I must ask of you a favor of great import. Should anything.... anything... go wrong. I implore you to protect Peola at all costs and take her and anything left of my Guards to safety."

What exactly has got the king this worried?

[3]

[You've arrived close to the location of the Artifact... the many mecha accompanying you all spreading out and readying weapons. The area itself was the cold, desolate and mountainous north of the Planet... far beyond the steppes that a good number of the more martial clans of Magnolys, along with a number of Brotherhood Lodges made their homes in. Fog drifted through the area and the ground and the dark stone of the steep mountain faces were coated in snow and frost.]

[The further the party made their way... bones of terrifying beasts scattered the ground, as did a number of machines resembling that of the royal guard. The fog seemingly growing thicker, denying vision.... before the bright light of the sun broke through.... and... green. Lots of it. This place was once a battlefield a long time ago... many bones and devastated machines littered the vast expanse of the valley - plant life growing off of them and animals resting or nesting upon them. Though off in the distance...]



This is....

[There was a ship partly embedded into the ground... the more that the group moved to it... the more noticeable it became that there were far less wreckage and much more bones until there was no longer any sign of the Royal Guard at all. The remains of the creatures slowly forming a makeshift path and corridor leading to where the artifact undoubtedly was.... and where the corpse of a truly gigantic monster lay. There upon its skull was a battered Regalis. Its armor cracked and the gold luster of its frame long since faded. Yet covered by moss as it was and worn by the sands of time... the tight grip it retained on the spear that was lodged deeply between the eye sockets of the great beast spoke only of triumph. The way to the artifact long cleared by the late queen.]

[As the various crews made to recover the artifact from the ship, Peola sits by her father. The king cradling something in his hands... seemingly unsure.]

Father...

"I'm not sure if it would be wise to do so..."

...They may be Aunt Verana's last words...

"......"

[Peola notices your presence and is quickly moving over to you.]

I need your help.