Protectors of the Crystals, a Final Fantasy RP (Dead)

Redlin5_v1legacy

Better Red than Dead
Aug 5, 2009
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Did this just happen? Was a higher power listening? Did Dagon just redeem himself?

"You have no idea how much I need this." said Gerhard, downing the mug in seconds before filling a second for himself.

I won't light you on fire if you keep doing things like this.

Gerhard had no idea what he was drinking, nor could he care. It was alcoholic and that was all he needed. The sweet buzz of intoxication replaced the lingering mana headache from their tower encounter. Five down. Seven down. He was finally starting to feel human again. The voice was gone and his lead lined stomach encouraged him to indulge further.

"If we can survive this, I'm sure we'll make it through our adventures together!" he said, laughing slightly.

Damn the discipline, damn the world! They'd just made their way out of a hell!

By the gods, I needed this!!!

With a solid dozen in his gut he slouched back against the railing. While he wasn't at his drunkest, he was well on his way.

"Now I feel battle reeady." he said, tipping his hat at nobody in particular. Forcing himself up, he walked across the deck intent on getting down to his bunk. He shook Dagon's hand and saluted Mira sarcastically.

"I'm going to get a few of my things. I shan't be long." he said, downing the remainder of his 13th mug. Upon reaching the stairwell, he fell down them. Not deterred, he picked himself up and made his way to his hammock.
 

SkyeNeko

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"Well, both of you look perfectly content with the fact we're now flying on a ship that's been altered by magic."
"Hey, as long as it keeps flying I'm good. Sides, if it stops, I can get back to Alexia on my own w-i-n-g-s." Lilianna examined the mage who walked up. "Do you have a name to go with that smell?" She waved dismissively, looking out to the horizon.

It was true. They had no idea what more was out there. But being mopey about it want going to change things. What would change things was the vinegar the monk brought up. It took all her composure to not throw all of it overboard. "Moderation", no doubt, was not present in their vocabulary, as demonstrated by the now drunk black mage retiring to his hammock. She took a tally in her head of who she would haunt in the afterlife if they failed to get back alive.
 

UnusualStranger

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Jan 23, 2010
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Roderic was completely certain that what had been brought up was probably terribly cheap wine, or some other kind of cleaner for the ship seeing as there was a lot of it. However, it seemed that the mage who had earlier been annoyed by him being less than flustered over the horrible mess that they had evaded. Roderic grinned at the mage as he slowly made his way down the stairs...in a very satisfying drunk fashion.

"What a way to go..." Roderic muttered with a grin, and stepped over to grab a mug and have a small sip. It wasn't....the worst kind of stuff. Quite the kick to it, if you were to shovel the stuff down. Turning to the nearby mage who looked like he had been through several types of hell, he figured that this fellow could use this kind of drink.

"Here. You look like you could actually use something like this. It'll take off some of that terrible...well, what you've been through." Roderic said, pushing the drink into the hands of Engbyr. At least he would likely feel a bit better.

Grabbing another mug, he took a quick dunk of the liquid once again, and took a small step over to Lilianna and offered the drink.

"So, gonna have a taste? Might take a bit of the edge off of...well, whatever it is we should be waiting for now. Just a sip, of course. Couldn't recommend this stuff in any long term...and will help pass the time faster." Roderic offered, now hoping this could help pass the trip...for some of them, at least.

Lilianna seemed to be less than happy with the drink. Even less so with the offer. After taking what he could probably count as death threats and several knives, she then turned and walked away, obviously not happy.

"Well, I'm sure there will be something left for you later." Roderic said a bit after her as she left. He was going to make that knife the most expensive knife possible.
 

Doc Gnosis

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The Black Mage?s head tilted at Roderic?s initial words but said nothing, keeping his gaze back at where the tower once was. He still felt part of his vision washed out from the excursion. A mana withdrawal created from being saturated in it from the tower perhaps. It?s not an impossible idea due to the way mana can affect things living and inanimate. Oversaturation led to peculiar mutations and growths depending on the subject - some dangerous and some benign - yet there was still the theoretical backlash when mana levels were normal. Fatigue would be common, but so was temporary debilitation; the principle of the effects cause would have been similar to having one?s eyes exposed to bright light after they were used to seeing in the dark. Not even those sensitive to mana were completely safe from the supposed backlash, but that lack of awareness works to their advantage.

Perhaps the Elezen may still be hallucinating much like the rest of the crew had upon leaving the tower. If he indeed saw his face then the scope of the Black Mage?s job would have to change. Then came the question of whether the rest of the party and crew had seen it. If the worst scenario had indeed occurred, nothing short of a catastrophe would have to happen in order to complete these additional objectives; to do otherwise would lead to death or failure. If it was just Roderic - if he indeed see his face, then this new objective would soon get a lot simpler.

The Black Mage?s tangent was shaken from him by the Elezen rogue in question. He proferred a mug in his hands - shoved really - with the expectation to drink its contents. From the distance between his nose and the strange fluid, the Black Mage could smell something horrid and alien emanating from it. It overpowered his nose and sent him in a fit of coughing, holstering his rod just to cover his mouth. When that subsided, he looked back at the mug containing the caustic liquid, and looked back at the people who appear to be drinking it. Methodically, he put the mug to his lips and sipped the strange liquid. It had a taste that matched how noxious the smell was, and he felt the inside of his mouth dissolving from the ?drink.?

Afterward, nothing happened. At first.

Then the Black Mage was face first on the deck floor, the rod prodding against his sides. He wasn?t sure what happened - strike that he did. He somehow lost his balance against the uneven deck and the wind current, and for some unfathomable reason his body could not even react to these events. Some key part of the Black Mage's mind was cut off from the rest of his functions, and he could only assume that the liquid was to blame.

"Can't..." The Black Mage uttered as he tried moving his arms. They felt limp, like a knife was ran along them both. "Can't..." His arms were flailing in their attempt to push himself back upright; his grip would slip and he would have to re-position his hands again. His knees were stuck on the ground unmoving, like they had fallen asleep.
 

NeoAC

Zombie Nation #LetsRise
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Rowen nodded a thanks towards the white mage who had properly fixed up his ankle. Least there's another person around here who's competent...and quiet. As the ship pulled away from the cursed source of mana, it appeared things were settling back down to normal. Save from the bleeding all over the place, but it was nothing the White Mage didn't seem capable of handling.

At first the solution seemed to come from the rarest of places. The birdbrain had procured some alcohol from below the decks. Despite his teacher's abstinence from the stuff, Rowen was more then happy to partake in a fine drink or two from time to time. It was clear this was not fine stuff however. The smell was absolutely putrid, and it looked more fit for weatherproofing the ship's deck rather than consumption by regular people. Still Knives was taking to it, as was one of the black mages, so it had to do the trick.

Rowen stepped up to the keg, grabbed a leftover mug, and poured out a glass of the stuff. It smelled even worse up close. Means it has to be hard stuff right?

The Ranger took a big gulp...and immediately regretted it. The solution trickled down his throat and as soon as it started hitting his stomach, it was like dumping baking soda in Grandmama's vinagarette. He struggled not to spit up the drink then and there, but he had enough time to hit the side of the deck. Holding onto his hat, he spit up the rest of the strange brew, and it was followed by the contents of his stomach. Fucking.....fucking damn it...I'll never complain about Uncle Cesar's homemade wine again... Once he was certain he was done speeding right to the end of the drunk process, Rowen collapsed on the deck, not wanting to move again until he was sure he would be over the ill effects of the booze by then.
 

wilcoblackflame

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Seeking to prolong her distraction and not wishing to partake in what appeared to be some very unsavoury wine, Vaila began to make the rounds of the ship, tending to those who had been injured in the escapade, both in the tower and those who remained aboard the airship fending off the monsters. It was largely simple work, true, but it kept her occupied a while at any rate and they had a considertable distance to travel back to the city in any case.

Afterwards, she found one of the quieter places on the top deck to sit down and lean against the wall. With her tail curled close and her hood pulled down over her eyes, the rat took some comfort in the (undoubtedly) brief solitude and tried to get a proper handle on events.

At the very least Cristof had given them a few leads about this Empire. She could only hope it would be enough of a tip to find some more solid information on their enemy. But before any investigation could be done, they would have to return home and frustratingly enough, that gave her far too much time to overanalyze things.
 

UnusualStranger

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Jan 23, 2010
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Roderic had given up on the drink after his initial sip, as the stuff was pretty much used to clean decks he was sure. But damn if the stuff wasn't extremely strong. So, while it was probably one of the foulest of drinks that he could have chosen, it seemed to help out some of the crew as some fell down, if not completely lost their lunch.

No self control at all, it seemed. Then again, I can't really claim to have seen what they saw so...maybe it is just what they needed.

"Well, that went about....as well as anticipated. A well deserved break before the break back home, I guess." Roderic said, and went to sit over next to their fallen gunman, figuring if there was someone to chat with who wasn't planning on drinking more most likely.

"So, insane enough of a trip yet? Cause when you drink like that, it makes me think you saw....something more than I probably did. Or maybe not, I couldn't tell ya a goddamned thing that I saw." Roderic said, leaning back to enjoy just sitting down for a bit. He hadn't really had a chance to relax in a while, and this was as good an opportunity as any.
 

NeoAC

Zombie Nation #LetsRise
Jun 9, 2008
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Rowen's stomach was still in turmoil as he laid sprawled out on the deck. He right hand was resting on it, trying to settle it down, but it wasn't doing the trick.

"So, insane enough of a trip yet?"

"Insane is one word," Rowen choked out. He was too sick to keep the gravel rolling in his voice, but luckily the aftereffects of his stomach's evacuation kept the effects somewhat in his words. "I tell ya Ears...they don't prepare you...for shit like this...back in Arnetis."

There was a half thought to get the white mage from earlier to try and cure his ailments, but as she walked around and he actually got a look of who he let touch his leg while in a state of delirium, he quickly ruled that out. Even if she was competent at mending bones, the rat girl probably thought that swill was a perfect nightcap.

"Ugh, I just wanted...to shoot things. Is that so wrong?"
 

Mr. Omega

ANTI-LIFE JUSTIFIES MY HATE!
Jul 1, 2010
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"So, insane enough of a trip yet?"

"Such a peculiar set of circumstances. But DAGON SETH was able to overcome!" he said, striking the most dramatic pose he could without standing up. "Thanks to his mighty compatriots, of course..." As Roderic and Rower spoke, he took the first barrel, lifting it up and finishing the remaining contents. He threw it to the center of the deck, where it split apart, right as Rowen finished speaking.

"I had come to show these vile ones righteous fury. But this Empire thing certainly sounds dastardly. Perhaps I should have asked that custodian fellow what the actual name of the Empire was..." he shrugged, wobbling over to the second barrel. "Well, I'm not as familiar with the world as I am the ways of DIVINE RETRIBUTION, so it probably wouldn't have meant anything to me..." he sunk back down with another mug, taking a few gulps before talking again. "To have access to such technology... thank the crystals the gods showed us such favor to allow us to escape that storm."
 

UnusualStranger

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"Ugh, I just wanted...to shoot things. Is that so wrong?"

"Ya know what? I think it might be, after what we've done. Not sure if you looked behind us, but we left a personal pocket of death on this plain, and I don't think it is going to go away any time soon." Roderic said, deciding that he would prefer to address Rowen mainly before going with....Dagon.

"And to be honest, I don't think we could have gone anywhere to be ready for that. Arnetis, Ersyr, anywhere probably wouldn't do it. And Dagon...." Roderic shook his head as the barrel was tossed and broken. "Would it kill ya to maybe not destroy everything? I mean, I can't say I would have complained if you had hit the custodian fellow before the metal piece of junk, but it might be a good idea to use a little more....force than diplomacy next time. Just saying."

And maybe next time we won't have to worry about another damned machine showing up causing problems. Then again, I would hope next time we break the thing before we cause another one of...these. I don't know what it is, but I imagine we make enough of those there won't be a home to enjoy.

"Right now, I would just rather go home and have something to actually drink, and not...well, what this is. You're free to come along, I know a pretty good bar in the city. Nice place, great girls, and a couple other forms of entertainment, if it strikes you."
 

SkyeNeko

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A barrel flew through the air, splintering against the deck. The remnants of the foul stuff splashed against her greaves. Lilianna made a disgusted noise and walked up to Dagon, snatching his mug up. She pulled back her arm and chucked it off the ship. "Sorry, monk, I'm cutting you off there."
Our heavy hitter, sitting here, drunk.
"In case, you were uninformed, being battle ready means being qualified to carry out combat operations. Can you even stand right now?"
She glanced over at the black mage, and guns. Both face down on the floor. They had barely even drank any: most of it had disappeared down the monk's gullet.
 

Mr. Omega

ANTI-LIFE JUSTIFIES MY HATE!
Jul 1, 2010
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"Would it kill ya to maybe not destroy everything? I mean, I can't say I would have complained if you had hit the custodian fellow before the metal piece of junk, but it might be a good idea to use a little more....force than diplomacy next time. Just saying."

"I'm a destroyer! A weapon of justice! It's what I do! I punch things until they break! I just happened to dedicated my life to destroying EVIL! And that guy was working for someone else really evil! We should go to that empire and punch THEM until THEY break!" he said, getting ready to drink a little more when Lilianna snatched it away.

"In case, you were uninformed, being battle ready means being qualified to carry out combat operations. Can you even stand right now?"

He managed to get up on his feet, swaying a little until he was steady. "You aren't the captain. And as you can see, I'm able to stand. And DAGON SETH is ALWAYS ready to fight wicked ones!" He threw a few punches in the air, then did a few kicks, but misjudged the distance and ended up hitting Gria in the stomach with the last one. "Whoops..." he said, taking a few steps back.
 

Doc Gnosis

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?Can?t...? The Black Mage still could not right himself after that caustic drink. His mouth felt dry and cracked and the liquid had left an acidic trail down his throat. His eyes were squeezed shut in his head as his hands held solid ground again without slipping. That time progress was being made getting back up; his legs were pushed in front of him and was in a seating position. From there getting back on his feet was simple but focusing.

His stance was uneasy, but upright; the subtle air currents and small sprays of water were rocking him to and fro. Opening his eyes and bracing the cold air was harder than getting back up, as a dull throb was robbing him of that movement. Opening them by a sliver sent a pain the Black Mage was not used to, only by keeping his gaze down minimized what he could feel. He adjusted his hat to hide his face as his gaze loomed downwards an saw the mug that once held the damnable liquid, and mingled with some other unsavory substance. The Black mage kicked the mug off the deck, not wanting anything to do with that substance anymore. His eyes went on to Roderic - the dubious rogue; then to the human rogue who still appeared crippled as he was; then to the Yuke - who brought that nasty drink to begin with; and finally to the knight.

Or as close to seeing them as possible; it still hurt too much to look them straight.

Then things escalated, and The Black Mage pointed his rod at the Yuke. Ice gathered at the Yuke's legs before he could leave. "That... is not acceptable..." The Fat Bird spoke up, willing himself to say those words.
 

UnusualStranger

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Jan 23, 2010
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Roderic could only place his head in one hand with a small shake as Dagon went again into his...thing. He wasn't sure what to make of the Yuke, especially whenever he tried to converse with the man. Whatever was going on in that head wasn't made any clearer to Roderic, much to his disappointment in hoping that the bad drinks would do something to shake something loose. However, that didn't mean that he was free to avoid the 'authority' of the ship....which in this case was a very unhappy Lilianna. While Roderic looked up in interest, the mage, Engbyr, decided that he was going to start casting again.

This was enough to get Roderic to stand up, make his way over to the mage, give him a strong push, making the mage who had already been teetering falling to the deck, which Roderic then took quick advantage of to snatch the waving staff away from the dangerous hands.

"That is damned dangerous, AND foolish, my good Engbyr. No more magic until there is damned good reason to. I think we've had enough magical problems for today." Roderic said, easily towering over the fallen mage as he gave the stick a small spin.

If there is one thing I am quite done with at this point, its spells and their effects blowing things to bits. Or in this case, setting our ride on fire and sending us plummeting to the ground.

"Of course, if you think you should be allowed to wave this stick around dangerously, you are more than free to try me for it." Roderic gave the small challenge with a grin. Maybe he could have a bit of fun out of all this yet.
 

SkyeNeko

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The monk hit her. He hit her in the stomach. And of course Dagon Seth (which she assumed was his name) wasn't one to pull a punch. The force was enough to make her stagger back, and she was grateful the armor offered her protection against that cheap shot. Before she could make a move, however, the black mage struck again. Even though it looked like he was drunk out of his mind, he managed to freeze yet another pair of feet to the floor. "MAGE! You were just told to keep your weapon holstered! And you!" Lilianna clenched her fist and punched Dagon straight in the face. From the way he was drinking, he wasn't going to pass out any time soon. At least if she laid him out cold, he'd be ready to fight when he woke up.
 

Lambi

Yuki-Onna
Oct 20, 2009
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Instead of following the others down to have a drink, Yuria helped Vaila with healing those that needed healing. Of course, there wasn't much for her to do as Vaila and the other white mages there had plenty to deal with, so she mostly just kept herself somewhat close to Vaila.

She followed her to where she found a somewhat quiet place on the ship, and leaned against the wall with her. "That was quite the thing to take in, huh?" she said, referring to the tower and what had happened there. "Good thing we came out of that unscathed. For a moment, I thought we were done for when that giant machine appeared, but some teamwork got us through it." She stretched a bit and looked up to the starry night sky. "Wonder if that's all we're going to be doing, though. I have a feeling that once we're back home, we'll be given another mission by the King."
 

Doc Gnosis

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Time started to flow like oil and vinegar; things looked choppy and abrupt in transition.

The Black Mage found himself shoved back on the floor again, eyes squeezed back shut and hands clutching his head. Wait a minute?

His hand checked his pockets - all of them - and found something to be missing: His rod.

The Black Mage?s golden eyes shot open, darting around the floor. There was the horrid liquid mingling with the pungent fluid, debris from a barrel, but no rod. Words were being said, but he could not hear them. The throbbing in his head and stinging of his eyes took up most of his attention. Then another fight appeared to have started between the knight and Yuke.

?Unacceptable.? The Fat Bird spoke up. Had he his rod, he?d freeze the both of them in their tracks before things escalated further, but that luxury was not possible. By sheer will he forced his clumsy body back on his feet to look for the fight-ending rod, only to find it in the Elezen?s hands.

?I insist you give back... my rod.? He said, clumsily approaching Roderic hand reached out for the wand.. ?Quarrels... have already become violent.? His gaze gestured to the Gria attacking the Yuke.

When no response came, the agitated Black Mage started making a grab for the rod.
 

UnusualStranger

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Jan 23, 2010
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"I insist you give back... my rod."

"Uh...huh. And I think that our good companion just told you that you were expected to keep the weapon put away. Probably because you keep hitting everyone else with it all the time." Roderic said, giving the stick a small spin. When the mage finally had himself back up on his feet, he tried to say he was going to stop the fight. Then, he made his grab for the stick.

With quick hands, Roderic smacked the hands with the stick, then a quick glancing blow to the head of the mage. In a drunken state, and a mage, without his staff, he knew the mage wouldn't be able to keep up...or stay standing for very long. Taking a few quick steps around the mage, which he was amused to see that he had difficulty turning quickly due to the already suspect nature of him standing, he pushed at him with the stick this time.

"I get the feeling the 'quarrels' will take care of themselves without you launching magic everywhere at everyone you please." Roderic said, once again pushing the mage, a bit harder this time, with the stick to get him to fall over.

Wonder how long he'll keep this up? Or if I'll eventually need to give him one good hit to that stony head of his to make him relax....
 

Doc Gnosis

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One moment the Black Mage reached out for his rod, the next he was back face first on the floor. His hat parted from his head for a second before lightly dropping back where it came from. A new pain throbbed in his head on top of the ache. His knuckles stung violently and made it more difficult to unclench them. Oddly enough it became a hidden blessing for him, as some degree of coordination returned to his limbs. He righted himself back up and was about to lunge forward, only to find the rogue nowhere to be seen. The Black Mage paused trying to figure out where this troublesome man went, a haze filling over his mind.

"I get the feeling the 'quarrels' will take care of themselves without you launching magic everywhere at everyone you please."

A turn of the head - and fixture of the hat?s brim - revealed Roderic?s position, and once again made another lunge, slightly more alert than before. He would not be fooled again...
 

Redlin5_v1legacy

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Finding his bunk took Gerhard a few tries but eventually he stumbled into the right spot. Leaning against the ship's wall, Gerhard failed to notice the air-sailor who was glamoring at him from the top hammock. When he bent over to open his medicinal bag, a large metal canteen struck him in the head from above.

"What in the seven hells?!"

"Shut it mage, I'm trying to sleep here. It's bad enough you smell like a fishery, you don't ruddy have to make as much noise as one while you're at it!"

The canteen struck Gerhard's head again, knocking off his hat which revealed a mess of black hair. Gerhard stopped, folded the medical pouch once and breathed deeply. He pulled the irate sailor off his hammock and stepped back as the surprised crew member stood up in a hurry. Gerhard gestured quickly and the mouth of his neighbor moved in silence as he shouted at him. As the shocked man felt his throat in disbelief, Gerhard retrieved his hat off the floor as well as the fallen canteen.

"One: Don't touch the hat." he said, replacing it upon his head. He opened the canteen and sniffed. The aroma of Brown Flann torched his nostrils, causing him to grin.

"Two: I'm taking this." he said, slinging the canteen over his shoulder. He steadied himself against a nearby beam as the sailor, still silent, clenched his fists. The man looked ready to burst and clearly had the physique of a seasoned fighter.

"Three: If you try it, I'll shove a lightning bolt so far up your ass you'll feel like you have hot coals for brains."

Gerhard narrowed his eyes and stared intensely at the sailor who glared back, trying to figure out if it was a bluff or not. When Gerhard took a step back and had a demonstration bolt leap between his fingers, the expression changed.

Yeah, I ain't afraid of your shit. Give me a reason...

The arms slackened and Gerhard reversed the silence spell. It had only been the mildest of variants, one that would have only lasted an hour at the longest. The lightning spell Gerhard had been considering would have had much more serious consequences...

"Don't worry, I'll find another hammock. If you can't handle the smell of the sea, don't call yourself a sailor... Damn air fairy...." said Gerhard, grabbing his satchel leaving the crewmate fuming.

A few rows over (and a few long swigs later) Gerhard found another empty hammock, possibly due to a casualty. However, not wanting to be caught out without his medical gear again, he decided to be more creative when marking his bunk. Getting creative with magic while drunk was something his master had always warned against. Somehow Gerhard had never taken that lesson to heart...

It was supposed to be a block of extremely slow melting ice, a parlor trick Calamai had taught him as an apprentice. How Gerhard had managed to instead summon Sylph had even him scratching his head as three fairies found themselves entangled in his hammock. He groaned as they extricated themselves.

"Oh god, he's drunk again..." said one of the fairies, flying up to his face.

"Again?"

"At least we're in a ship this time. Remember when he was sick in th-"

"Enough!" said Gerhard, gesturing wildly as the canteen rattled against his chest.

"Why are we here?" they demanded in unison.

"I... need to mark this bunk as mine." he said, subdued. He'd never hear the end of this later.

"Why don't you use the residual mana in here?" asked the leader of the fairies. "It's everywhere in here, you stinking oaf!"

"It's fine, we can do this..." said another, causing leaves and thorns to grow all over the interleaving ropes that made up the hammock.

"They'll recede when you sleep on it and stay out and scratchy when you're away!" said the youngest, helping her sister finish the spell. The eldest flew directly into his face, staring at his eyes with a mocking expression playing upon her tiny face.

"Do you need us to change you too?"

"Begone." he said, pulling out the canteen as they vanished. He downed another large swig of the Brown Flann which caused him to sputter and cough for a minute.

At least I can't even remember why I started drinking like this. Probably a good thing...

"I need some air!" he said aloud. Nobody paid any attention.

After falling up the stairs, Gerhard managed to make his way over to where an amusing one-sided contest seemed to be underway. The other black mage of the ship seemed to be trying to lunge at R... R.ick? Whoever his name was, he was toying with the clumsy fool. The nimble Elezen easily dodged the odd mage causing Gerhard to guffaw and lose his own balance as the other fell once more. Rising shakily and still laughing, Gerhard asked the only question that could matter to him.

"I remember there being something to... to drink up here.... Where?" he coughed, pulling out the canteen and finishing the last drop of Flann. Unfortunately it came back to him as his dazed mind returned to troubled waters...

I... I hear a voice...

Suddenly solemn, he picked himself up and walked over to the rail.

"I won't cry damn you... It's supposed to be fun..."

Gerhard tossed the canteen overboard and made his way over to the Elezen.

"Can't c-c-cast or even dance!" he said, trying to return to cheerfulness. The shame could wait. It could always wait.