hugtopia | The First | Text

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The First | Text | Help Pls

Hello my name is Ardbert. I need to learn how to cook immediately. I'm willing to pay with touching. Nothing inappropriate. Thank you.

((OOC: For the record, Ardbert is stupid, and has told no one that Emet-Selch/Hades is gone yet. He will accept multiple offers! Corresponding log is here.))

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[Ardbert's still getting used to the idea himself. He's been away from humanity too long to easily remember that kindness is a thing that can be shown to him. To others, yes, but not to him.]

Both free and paid help counts. But I have friends who are already chiding me for being a fool for trying to handle this on my own.

My own aether. I'm what my world calls a Warrior, and I'm strong enough that I can heal and protect myself to make it easier on my party's healer. Or when I do something stupid, like slice the back of my fingers open with a knife while cutting up vegetables.

Aether. I would like to know more about this aether, as well as healing abilities on your world. Do you understand how it works scientifically?

Er... [Right, this is a guy that's all about Science.] Aether's something that exists in all living things and throughout the planet. Without aether, you have have no life or magic. Which is why if you use up too much of your own aether, you'll die.

But if you're around too much excess aether, it can be just as bad, and can kill you or drive you mad. It takes time to replenish from the world around you, and how much aether someone can hold within them varies from person to person. Enough excess aether in an area can affect its weather.

Aether sometimes forms crystals if there's enough of a concentration of it. They can be used as an energy source and can be aspected to different elements. We've learned how to fashion large crystals called Aetherytes that you can use to travel to any place you've been to before with an Aetheryte using the aetheric streams that course through the planet.

... That's more or less all I know. I'm the giant axe swinging man, not a healer or mage.

Fascinating. You have been more than helpful. Would you be willing to show me how you control this aether at some point?

[Because this post about him learning to cook was all about Verstael satisfying his curiosity now.]

Aetherytes allow you to perform a type of teleportation, then?

I... suppose so? I mean, I don't even know your name, yet.

[This guy has completely forgotten about the start of the conversation because he's interested in aether. ... A little creepy, to be honest.]

Aye. You can follow a friend if you're close enough to each other, too. You don't have to individually pay the upkeep price that way.

Research Chief Verstael Besithia of the Imperial Army.

[He has no problem sharing that information. He was quite proud of it, actually. Even if he'd been here for a while, home still played an important part in his life.]

An 'upkeep price'?

[Ha! He was right about him being the researcher type. And he's quite proud of it. Which he should be, but a little humility went a long way.]

Just Ardbert here, like I said. Sounds like you're in charge of a lot of stuff back home.

[Ardbert shrugs, even though Verstael can't see it.]

Might not be the right term, but yes. I guess I misspoke a bit earlier. Aetherytes also have arcane machinery attached to them. Everything has to work right or people teleporting to that Aetheryte might not find their destination partway through. Which means they'd be stuck like that, maybe for all eternity, unless they get lucky enough that someone can find them and pull them out. You can count on one hand the people that can do that.

A pleasure.

[No reason not to be cordial. Ardbert was being quite helpful.]

I see. Does such an... error occur often in this mode of travel?

[At least there's that.]

No, mostly because everyone works hard to make sure it doesn't, and those who use them tend to have more money than those who can't due to their skills.

It must be known of from people who have suffered such a fate and then been recovered, correct?

As far as I know... there's never been anyone recovered. You're just gone.

[There's some side notes he's skipping with that, but eh.]

How do you know of the end result then?

[The shrug in his voice is almost audible.]

I'm just going by what the experts say. I know nothing of it myself, but you can almost feel it when you travel that way. That if you lose your way, you might never find your way out again.

I see. And what of those outside of your world? Are you able to detect the same aether within them as those of your world?

I haven't tried to sense too much, but it's different. Aether is life energy for us. It doesn't feel like it is for others. You'd have to ask someone more experienced with the arcane about the details.

Interesting.

[So it was different.

Which meant, there would be some way to measure that distance.]

In the future would you be willing to visit my lab for analysis? I would like to investigate this further.

[Ardbert almost asks "I'm going to be allowed to leave, right?" but thinks better of it out of not wanting to be rude.]

Maybe once I'm a bit more adjusted to, well, everything. I'll think about it. What sort of stuff would you be investigating?

[He's mildly creeped out but also brainy types can be like this, he knows. Nyelbert sometimes got into modes like this, unable to help himself.]

To some extent that would have to be discovered in and of itself. However, if you are able to sense a difference between yourself and me, then there must be something detectable there. Once I have my laboratory properly set up, I should be able to examine a number of variables and see if I can find any leads. Sometimes science comes down to trial and error.

It's quite fascinating, really.

[Ardbert sighs.]

Just as long as you don't try explaining the equations to me. I'm more of a projectile motion and lever man. Throw and cleave. ... I snuck into a lecture once while I was dead just to see what was going on and thought my metaphorical brain would melt out my ears. Rather would not see if it'd actually kill me trying to understand it all now that I'm alive.

[Yet he still remembers some general stuff. It was interesting because it was applicable to fighting.]

if not the equations, then how about the core concepts?

[Surely he must be interested in that, right?]

Concepts are good. Those are the most important part to most people anyways.

Excellent.

I look forward to working with you.

Right. Same to you.

[Wow this got... really off track.]

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The First | Text | Help Pls

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