Mid-event, evening; audio only

[mustknow]

These.. crystals we're collecting.

How vital will having all four be, really? And if this train stops every two weeks to pick up more passengers.. what of all those yet to arrive?



[And then, a little bit later:]



Do any of you have a dog onboard the train?

Comments

[zombiemessiah]

They'll just have to rely on the kindness and generosity of overachievers, I guess.

Or hope to god our hallucination buddy decides to go take over a world without sentient life or something and leave us the hell alone. Unless doing something like that is too boring for them.

[mustknow]

...In questionable fairness, looking at it from the perspective of a presumably evil creature seeking to take over a world, one without sapient life on it wouldn't really be worth the time or effort.

I wonder if anyone's working on overachieving.

[zombiemessiah]

Have you met half these people? They're probably going to come back on this train blinged out like royalty, five different sparkly necklaces, a psychic protection ring for each finger, and a pimp cane encrusted with mental anguish crystals. "Oh this? This was nothing."

[Murphy misses his sword cane again. He should try to get it.]

And yeeeeah, solid point. The technicolor asshat must not be satisfied unless they've murdered a whole civilization for one goddamn house.

[mustknow]

I've met ... perhaps a dozen or so.

[Which is apparently extremely unreflective of the true nature of what's going on on the train, and a mental note is made to find out more about the people he's dealing with.

Was Murphy one of them?]

Hopefully with all their potential ... ah, 'bling', they do indeed share with others. I have my one, and it will have to do. ... But you sound as if you've actually encountered this being. Tell me; was it really a rainbow.

[zombiemessiah]

Then I would guess at least six of those twelve are down there getting multiple stones. Of course it ranges from the safe end of genuine friendly support to the shit end of moral superiority. Containing that nice middle ground of 'needing to prove thyself'.

They were... colorful, yes. But then again, someone could say the same of me. [Since it's audio, he might not know he's red. Unless he's seen him around.]

So, have you heard of the Wizard of Oz? Old classic story where I'm from. If you haven't, though, the 'wizard' used a bunch of lights and special effects to make himself look bigger and more impressive than he actually was. And to hide his true location. I think it's a Wizard of Oz scenario, personally.

[mustknow]

[Xehanort has no idea whatsoever that he is speaking to someone of very unusual skin color. The train is vast, and he hasn't even spotted the giant spider yet.]

Not a story I've heard, no. Although I'm sure you're just using it as a comparison, if this being is using illusions, then lights and special effects might not actually be far off the mark, for illusions are only a step away from the common hologram. How was this wizard defeated in your tale?

[zombiemessiah]

The hero's dog found him and then they dragged his ass out from behind the curtain he was using to hide.

So we need to find a dog more perceptive than the whole bunch of us, I guess.

He wasn't so much defeated as he was called out and agreed to help them to the best of his ability once they pointed out what a dick he was being. Turns out some assholes can be cooperative if you appeal to them in the right way.

[That asshole is Murphy. He is an asshole that can be cooperative.]

audio

[jingyeets]

Why, are you stuck on one?

[mustknow]

Why, did you effortlessly defeat them all? If so, do it all again and set aside the results so new arrivals have a chance if we fight the .. heh, rainbow again.

[jingyeets]

Wow, so you did get stuck on one. It is a rush, three days is nothing for training. Anyway, it's not like we can't set aside extra crystals, I just don't know if it matters who got them or not, the monks talk in circles on that point.

( A pause. )

Wait, we're fighting a rainbow?

[mustknow]

A hostile rainbow. With illusion powers.

[jingyeets]

... We're fighting a hostile weather occurrence with illusion powers.

[mustknow]

We're here on this planet learning what we are because the people onboard the train did not exactly win the last time they fought aforementioned hostile weather occurrence with illusion powers.

audio

[blitzcheer]

There's the meditation they're teaching us, right? Well, more like... that weird water that starts making you imagine things. Think they'd let us borrow some so we can help other people how to stop getting your head messed with?

[mustknow]

I already have some saved in bottles! ...Specifically the lake outside the trials, that is supposed to bring peace and tranquility. Unfortunately the effect does not seem to actually be part of the water, but the location itself. It's worth a try to see if the other effects are localized or not, but it would also have to be carefully monitored if the fear effects do travel with the water. If I can think of a few people who'd use it as a joke upon others, I'm sure you know a few too..

[blitzcheer]

Sounds like a problem with your company. [ But it's said in good humour. ]

Would you be able to do a lot with just a lil' anyway? Seems like something you'd need to bring out for actual training sessions than anything you could just get away throwing a glass of the stuff on someone with. That lake's pretty big, right? At the temple.

[ Since there's quite a few of them. ]

[mustknow]

If Braig ever appears on the train, I'm going to introduce you two. And then get out of the way.

You wouldn't need too much to give someone a case of the shivers, though something more impactful might require ... probably more than we could easily bring onboard. Didn't the full effects require complete submersion? I'm not sure just getting illusory creeps is going to be effective in training on fighting illusions.

[blitzcheer]

Hmmm... maybe we should ask the temple people? I dunno. I mean, we don't know how effective the crystals are either, right? Especially if we're getting them after a single trial... and we've only been here for a couple of days.

[ Not that he really wants to put a bummer on his own suffering here. ]

[mustknow]

You don't by any chance know anyone who can cast illusion spells? Testing it out might be the way to go - or maybe just face these trials with the crystals on hand.

[consider8]

Crystals...?

[No, she was not aware of any crystals.]

Did we receive another message?

[There is so much to learn. She understands so little.]

[mustknow]

... No. We briefly made a stop at a very aquatic world, which had monks that offered four illusion based tests. Completing the test right earned a crystal. Four tests, four crystals.

[consider8]

[...right... the water world... she very much would have had to sit that one out. Ugh.]

Is there a purpose, or is this more a practice for spiritual enlightenment?

[She wouldn't be opposed if it was the later... and would be quite upset if it was the former.]

[mustknow]

Yet to be determined, I'm afraid! But there are others offering more practical methods of combatting illusions in the future than a three day crash course in tackling things that may take months or years to master.

... I admit, I'd wondered how those would fare that couldn't partake in such.. tests. I suppose you will be in a prime situation to find out.

[consider8]

[That last sentence puts her very much on edge for some reason...]

What do you mean by that?

[mustknow]

[And his tone is utterly guileless.]

You don't have a single one, right? So you, and all those who will be arriving soon, don't have these sparkling prizes. If they're mere decoration, then nothing lost for it.