----------------------------------------
<02/17/1972 – 20:00 | Eldora Tower Fl. 950, Eldora City, Junon, Sprawn Valley>
With the fountain system supplying the chamber's most beautiful aesthetic having been shut down, the only noise coming through the air was the solid heating system meant to comfort the air temperature during this time of the year. After an entire hour's time of passing, Danton remained unchanged in his state. He only stood still, wielding the inert Mega-Staff in one hand with his head turned to the metal ground below. Pondering one of his strongest moments of memory, Danton leveled his breathing, waiting patiently on any form of updates from his subordinates.
It's only been a few days since Jane and her partners left Sprawn Valley, and despite this, the world has been nothing but a silent sea of chaos spurred by the evil organization of the Scarlet Cult. Good timing to go on vacation Jane. Still, why would the Scarlets want the symbol? They've proven its importance by capturing the developer alive before everyone's eyes, and the Mage Council still won't leave the government alone about the events preceding Operation Restore Outback. Jane is just an innocent bystander who got too close to the wrong crowd. Why must she be targeted for capital punishment?
The sliding elevator doors echoed through the entire area of the chamber, lifting Danton's head and attention to the zone behind him. Perhaps someone has come to update him on something, though it wouldn't be very likely that anything new would develop. Danton's eyes lifted just slightly upon realizing who it was. It's Mainne, and her referee Pilpy.
Mainne held herself high and firm walking alongside Pilpy towards Sir Danton, who is still wearing that robe as if the championship is still on. Since the material offers some level of natural magical protection, it wasn't too surprising. For specific reasons though, the national event has been put on hold by executive order. Mainne felt the difference in air temperature again, this room being set warmer than what he usually sets it to. Again is this another sign that something just isn't right. Danton has been acting strange again, more docile and isolated than usual.
Just as Mainne stepped close enough to speaking range, Danton asked for any updates by projecting his voice through the room. "Mainne... And I see you brought Pilpy with you. Are there any changes in any of the reports or activity within the council?"
Mainne answered first, after having put Pilpy on surveillance duty to the Mage Council. She stepped much closer so that she wouldn't have to raise her voice, and stopped short to study Danton more closely. "Nothing new. Our search teams have checked everywhere now, all except for the Brunus region."
How is that possible? Danton pondered this mystery and the other at the same time juggling the case further. The lighthouse incident still bothered everyone deep to the core. The Scarlets were defiantly searching for something very specific by stealing the data from that facility, but they've not necessarily acted on their new data yet. Now they're two steps ahead of us. "And what about E-7 Mark 64?"
Danton was referring to the deep layer scans being conducted from DNA sampling material he collected on Jane while in Alpha Zero. Mainne was actually assigned to keep track of any new developments and post Sir Danton on the findings. "Sadly," she began, "the marking still seems to be as mysterious as before. No matching data of any kind has been found. It has our analyst's heads spinning."
I'll make their heads spin faster if they don't do better than this. Danton could barely control his frustrations today, and gripped the staff tighter as a simple means of controlling his tension. "Pilpy?"
Pilpy, the older male assigned to be Mainne's personal referee reported the changes observed in the council. "The council is only adding our recent attempt to shut down the championship battles to their investigation. But ever since Jane went missing, they're more confused on what to actually do right now."
That is really the only good thing about Jane leaving Sprawn Valley. The council can't touch her if she isn't here, not that they've gathered any legal grounds to work on it. Danton pardoned the girl himself while under full executive control of an operation, and that means she should be free of such capital punishment even if she does have that symbol on her. But the council would attempt to disagree, naturally. At least things are calm where she is. "So then there is nothing new." Danton concluded this to be true without really expecting an answer to the question.
"Sir Danton?" Mainne wanted his attention, but she soon forgot what she could even ask. Why is be being so distant lately?
"I'd like to ask you two to leave me be," he requested.
Mainne protested quickly with a firm tone and gesture. "Sir Danton! We need you helping us out there. You're not accomplishing anything by locking yourself in this room."
Danton didn't even advert his eyes or gaze towards Mainne when he replied in denial. "Right now, this room is the safest place for us all, less I mess things up again."
If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.
"What is he talking about?" Pilpy didn't understand any sort of the context, but somehow Mainne seemed to be much more in sync with Danton's motives than anyone else was.
"I'm talking about one of my many mistakes I made so long ago."
Mainne nodded her head, ashamed that Danton still blames himself for that dark past. "I told you a thousand times that it wasn't your fault. Everything you did back then saved both of us, a lot more than you realize."
"But it didn't save the others," he retorted. Mainne was dead silent, and Danton now regretted trying to argue with her. Mainne wasn't put in her place, but rather mourning with him about the horror that took place a decade ago. "Regardless of who is to blame, I won't stop thinking back to that moment." Danton knew this is where he wanted his thoughts to reside right now. They are his worst and best moments combined. "Ten years ago, we gave birth to the most incredible team I'd ever had the privilege of being a part of. And like an idiot, I believed magic to be this all-loving wonderful thing. I think we all did at that time; how naive we both were." Danton didn't hear any replies from either of them. Pilpy would be hearing this for the first time, but Mainne wasn't new to this story. It's one of Danton's darkest moments, a painful past just won't leave him alone!
"I know," Mainne recalled.
Danton put another possible consideration to play, though it hurt just to even try. "If those two are really in charge of the chaos that's been happening here, then I blame the very existence of Leray magic." Ten years ago; that's when all of this really started. It was ten years ago when everything came together, only to crumble to pieces before his very eyes...
----------------------------------------
<10/21/1962 – 21:01 | Junon, Sprawn Valley>
----------------------------------------
Chapter Theme Shift: Gemstone Caves ~ Derek Fiechter & Brandon Fiechter [Fantasy Realm]
----------------------------------------
Lennith City, Sprawn Valley. This is the location where he began his journey. Born and raised from Nabrook Town just northeast of Lennith City, Brash Danton prepared himself for the beginning of his tests in 1962. Having a skinnier flex and darker hair, Brash's training felt near completion. After being trained personally by his father, Brash learned how to control his own aura and connection with the Leray veil of energy. After his father fell too ill to leave home, one of the local gradyents took over for his training, showing Danton how to better concentrate and focus his own power together.
That's essentially how it all began. Brash planned the first few outings too, living in Lennith City for a while, making short trips to and back from Route 96 to selectively challenge tougher opponents to battle. His winning ratio soon rose to eighty-three percent out of six people if he reached the quota in a day. Battling was soon made easy for Brash, but his true goal was already set out for him. Becoming a Leray master is a very long challenge, one with a difficult road to transcend to.
Going to additional school wasn't needed, as Danton was trained personally by part of his own family, and a retired gradyent who sought to help out during dad's battle with cancer. No medical miracle in the world could cure such an illness, and for that ailment, magic was useless. Everyone knew this when it came to the rules of Leray magic. It cannot be used to heal diseases that lie outside of magically inflicted issues, which also didn't seem to exist very often.
Danton learned everything firsthand instead of what would normally be picked up by books of spells and classwork assignments. Though since he still needed a basic wielder's license to legally use magic, he simply took a test at Lennith's school to determine if he was ready. Coincidently, it isn't technically illegal to use magic as a child or teenager if you are doing so for training with the supervision of your family, provided that your family also has a legal license to practice. But there are not many loopholes for this either, and people asked him questions before testing as a result.
Still, he learned a great multitude of solid spells and their associated power levels, effects, MP consumption, and everything else. Due to the nature of such personal training, Danton learned how to fight both unarmed and while wielding a lightweight sword. His martial arts acquired from his father was quite impressive to anyone he demonstrated them to, though only useful at a closer range to opponents. Wielding a saber - only felt right if the other target had a weapon drawn of their own. Regardless, Danton prepared seed money for his ultimate journey, placing it only on the essentials, and using his earnings to generate small amounts of additional credits each time.
The system of the economy works in this wonderful way. Unless you are a high steaks gambler, the best way to make a living as a Leray wielder is to win most challenges of Leray battles and channel the earnings back into something that would help you fight better for next time, after gathering more food and water to support yourself should things go south. Most of the younger generation ends up traveling like this alone or without their families. However, this is not a requirement, and the legal minimum age to do so is set at fifteen years old. Since Danton was actually twenty-three years old, there was hardly an issue. He had been training since turning sixteen, thus is there plenty of room for rapid growth.
Some people formed teams and traveled together in packs, while Danton and a few other of his opponents traveled solo. But one night on Route 96, there was a group of people who stood out apart from the rest. Even now, Danton couldn't recall why they were so different from ordinary people. They were truly impressive fighters, not that he learned of that before such introductions.
After getting much closer on the mission run to Monoc Port, Danton eventually met a group of four individuals who were all hanging out by a drum fire, right at the edge of a cement incline which made up for the lack of fencing on either side of the wild lands beyond the official road line. Since it was already past nine P.M. with a slightly brisk temperature, the fire for warmth and light made clear sense. But despite Danton's attempt to walk by them, the group nearly harassed his destination path to discover identity. There was already a strange atmosphere in this specific spot. Most people are nearly tired or in bed by this time of night, but these four folks are full of energy, anyone can just tell by the way they stand or walk.
This is normal too for Leray wielders. People can challenge whomever they want however they want, and despite the initial appeal, Danton wanted to be stopped for a challenge, so long as the opponents were tough. Three men, close to his age, one with the same height and age as Danton approached, and then one beautiful adult female filled the rest of the group. Their faces were all well lit by the nearby fire they kept going, and the flicker of the flame created amazing shadows behind all of them. With little delay, they soon introduced themselves to Danton.
Danton met with all of the members of their official Trujima Gang, impressed by their confidence in what there was to say, and how well they could flex their Leray powers in theory. Danton remembered being captivated by the audacity of the gang, who thought they were the though leaders of this entire route, which couldn't really be true. Aside from the official gradyent he had yet to rematch, Danton won his battles with many of the other route leaders, and even said as much to the Trujima Gang members in his own statement. Perhaps both were impressive to each other. Whatever was in the air that night, a very rough battle was already destined to build legitimacy to such strong claims. The very thought of a Leray battle gave Danton a level of excitement he could reach no other way. There had been a bit of a dry patch for skill lately. These people appear as if they would make up for all of that lost skill. The Trujima Gang will be the next greatest challenge!