Wait... Is that really your name? It sounds like a fighting game character that I--
[Kotarou was going to say so much more, but he first notices Kadoc's ticket crumbling away and looks down to notice that his was crumbling too. The magical dust was surrounding Kotarou as well! Ah, here we go! Here we go! So this was what was to occur based on the rumor itself! Whenever the dust clears, Kotarou looks around to see that they were in a very high-class lobby with a golden fountain in the middle of it.
Now this was a twist that he wasn't expecting at all! For sure, he would've thought that they'd have to hitch a ride over to this castle... But what do you know!? It looked like these tickets were made of some kind of transportation magic. That's what Kotarou theorizes at least!]
Whoa! Whooooooa! [Give him a moment as he heads over to the fountain all sparkly-eyed. Not even Chihaya had a fancy fountain like this at her mansion!] Hey, Fish Eyes! Are you seeing all of this?! This Black Knight dude knows how to live in luxury!
[Why did Kadoc not realize that going on the actual excursion with this guy was unlikely to change the way he acts . . . he's still calling him Fish Eyes! Come on! Kadoc doesn't even bother correcting him this time; it seems pointless. If anything, if this guy is a bully, it'll only encourage him to do it more.
But he's got to admit he doesn't actually seem like a bully. Just an over the top weirdo, and Kadoc's known plenty of those. And right now, his reaction isn't even that over the top: this place is actually impressive as hell. Kadoc's also spent some time living in palaces semi-recently, but this is on another level—maybe because it's so shameless, alive with excess in a way his Lostbelt could never hope to touch.
He follows at a short distance, and once they're at the fountain, he does a slow circuit around it, taking in the sight.]
. . . This is so weird. What's the point of all this . . . ?
[He'll be following Kadoc step-by-step as he takes further glance around. Kotarou keeps his hands in his pockets looking rather relaxed, but he's paying attention to his surroundings too if there's any sudden danger. Being in Guardian and just being thrown into a lot of life-threatening situations in general has sharpened his instincts enough to be careful. He could take it easy right now because he didn't feel any bad vibes around here yet.]
Not sure... There's usually a catch to go with all of this. This definitely feels like the set-up for a dunegon crawling quest, y'know?
[It certainly makes Kotarou want to explore the castle a little more. For better or worst, he had an adventurer's spirit!]
Hey... What's your primary magic, anyway? If we're in any potential danger, then we should know each other's abilities just in case.
[Silently, but not subtly, Kadoc rolls his eyes at the dungeon-crawl remark. Come on! This isn't a video game! It's on the tip of his tongue, only for Kotarou to follow it up with . . . an actually relevant question. Huh. It would seem that this guy has a head on his shoulders, even if that head also sports eyes that see the world in a twisted way.
So he comes back over, arms folded.]
. . . It's Light magic. That's the only one I've got, so don't count on anything else from me. I'm no good for combat, but I've at least got a handle on what I do have.
[It's not like he has anything else to practice but the one field, so by now, he's done an agonizing amount of practice. Kadoc's hopes had been high for a time that if he only mastered Light enough, his secondary magic would reveal itself later. No dice.]
My name is Tennouji Kotarou. You can just call me Kotarou, though. Or Kota-san. Or even "Kotarou-sama" if you're into that!
[Even Kotarou had enough arrogance to use '-sama' for himself sometimes. But hearing that Kadoc was a light magic user makes his eyes glitter in pure excitement. He had heard that this magic was a rare element, but to think that he was starting to meet more people with this power! Compared to back home where he had to keep his superpowers a secret, Kotarou felt relieved that he didn't have to keep everything under wraps. If people here weren't so welcoming to magic, then Kotarou would've been more hesitant on speaking openly about what kind of abilities he had.
For once, this power wasn't something that he felt conflicted about having. He felt that having superpowers were both a blessing and curse.]
So you're a Light magic user too?! No waaaay! That means we can be Light Amigos! It's actually a far more useful power than you think. I suck at projection, but I'm really good at hardening light! I can definitely make up for combat for sure!
[He says, pointedly. It's got nothing to do with culture; Kadoc is just a habitual family name user most of the time, especially at first. There are times it feels or sounds weird and he relents, but this is definitely not one of them. Nice to meet you, Tennouji.
But that's all that needs to be said about that. Light Amigos, huh . . . sheesh, this guy. He's so excited by something so disappointing: not the Light magic, which Kadoc actually likes just fine and wouldn't want to give up, but the fact that he has only one. But Kotarou didn't even mention that part. He just got hyped up about the Light Amigos thing. Here Kadoc was all ready to be defensive! This throws him.]
I like my magic just fine. God knows I've busted my ass practicing it these past few months. It's just not as offensive as some of the others. I use it mostly for defense and illusion.
Defense and illusion, huh? I can't even make a cool sword like I'd want to, but poles come pretty easily to me. And making a shield is pretty rad too... But illusions are still a no-go for me.
[He's read about how light magic can make yourself invisible and set up illusions to trick people, but Kotarou can't seem to pull that off very well yet. A part of him wondered if it was a personality thing since he has the subtlety of a dumpster truck coming down the street. But he doesn't hate this, though... It just gives him more opportunities to show people what light magic can really do. Doing things that no one has ever seen before and impressing them was a good motivator for Kotarou.]
I still don't know what my secondary magic is. Something tells me that it isn't Elemental Magic since that wouldn't suit me at all.
[It's an odd statement for him to make. One would think that Kotarou would be gunning for that and he wouldn't had been against it... But that felt too 'worldly' in a sense. Something that came from inside of him felt like that would've suited him better.]
[Maybe it is a personality thing. Kadoc wonders the same, letting out a quiet little snort when Kotarou says he's no good at illusion . . . that makes sense, doesn't it? It's hard to imagine this guy pulling off a stealth mission down a guarded corridor or some shit. Kadoc, in contrast, has gotten pretty good at making himself invisible by now, and he has been well aware the entire time of how on-the-nose that is.
He wanders a little, over to take in the finery adorning the walls of the chamber they ended up in. Are they supposed to do something here? It feels like they must be, right? It can't just be a tour like they advertised.]
I don't have a secondary magic. I thought I was the only person here in that position, but maybe you're as unlucky as I am. It'd be weird that we both started with Light. . . . What's wrong with Elemental?
I guess... If I had to describe it, Elemental feels like something that's for people who've been blessed by the world. But that's definitely not me... If anything, I feel like I fall more into the realm of someone who's been rejected by it. So if I have a secondary magic, then it should come from inside me and not from outside.
[Kotarou feels like he's been rambling about nonsense, but he felt like this made sense to him. Yes, he feels like his secondary magic should be something that represents his desire to fight against the world's unfairness from within. Just like the old days... He's not sure if that's really the case. But that's what his heart tells him.
His thoughts are cut off whenever a pair of sharply dressed gentlemen arrive before Kadoc and him from behind a corner. Their faces are covered in creepy masks which makes this feel all the more unsettling.]
Uhhh... H-Hi there. Nice castle you got here! We were the lucky winners for this little contest, so we were curious about the reward that comes with it?
Yes, yes. The lucky winner happened to be a pair.
So this is the reward that we declare!
You can have anything you want without any limits.
But in exchange... You must offer your blood to us for a few minutes.
For the sake of our god and his dead worshippers...
We will need your help! Surely a few drops of your essence wouldn't hurt?
Your souls will be bind to him for quite sometime!
But tis a small price to pay for the sake of unlimited gifts till the end of your lives!
[That answer isn't anything like whatever Kadoc expects. It feels—familiar, in the tone and psychology of it, and he wants to pry into it more, maybe think about that a little more deeply than he has thus far. It's always been hard for him to wrap his head around this place's version of magic, where you literally can't access anything other than what's been mysteriously assigned to you, but there are times it feels more like home, and that's . . . interesting. He's all about to dig into that, a little more gently than he may have been inclined to a minute ago, but then they're interrupted—
By, uh, this. Kadoc turns slowly, slooooowly in the direction of the creepy rhyming gentlemen, eyes widening little by little as they go through their routine. When they finish, he doesn't say anything immediately, that's how much he's expecting a "just kidding!" to get tacked onto the end of all that there. But it doesn't. The silence stretches on for a bit too long, until finally Kadoc turns to Kotarou to address him instead. He literally doesn't even know what he'd say in response.]
Please tell me you're not dumb enough to agree to this.
[Kotarou looks over to Kadoc with a more startled expression. Sometimes, he wishes that he could keep the cool and stoic look like certain heroes on TV, but Kotarou tended to wear his emotions on his sleeve. For sure, he felt that he saw a scene like this in a movie called The Shining. The twins there were little girls waiting for the little boy at the end of the hallway. And this certainly carried the same vibe...
As much as Kotarou was fascinated by the supernatural, he could still be very shaken up by things like this. Awkwardly clearing his throat, he shakes his head rather comedically at Kadoc.]
N-No way! Anyone with half a brain would know that this is a terrible offer! Besides... Blood offerings to ancient gods usually leads to dangerous resurrections! You guys tell the Black Knight that he should offer less shady and creepy deals!
[The men don't say a word and don't even move. It was as if the world was on mute. Kotarou had to wonder if they were even breathing right now. After a long pause, they finally start speaking again.]
You have rejected temptation. You have passed the test.
There was no right or wrong answer. You simply did your best.
The two of us shall remember your valiant souls.
Continue your adventures here. We await to see what your futures hold.
[They both bow simultaneously and lift their hands to snap their fingers. In a flash of light... Both Kotarou and Kadoc will return right in front of the convenience store that they were in front of eariler. Kotarou is looking around fanatically in a rather animated manner.]
--Huh? Huh?! What the hell just happened?! Were we just spirited away and back again like nothing!?
—Oh my god. One of the trials? Are you kidding me? That dumbass crap?!
[It's the nature of these trials that, while it was going on, the knowledge of the trials happening at all this week was withheld from Kadoc's mind; he would not have been able to place what was happening no matter how hard he tried. But now that limiter is off, and the truth occurs to him immediately when he thinks back on the phrase you have passed the test.
For real?! Kadoc grumbles and pushes his hair out of his eyes, then rubs the bridge of his nose.]
If anyone fails that, we all deserve to be invaded by Celliwig yesterday.
Kadoc
Wait... Is that really your name? It sounds like a fighting game character that I--
[Kotarou was going to say so much more, but he first notices Kadoc's ticket crumbling away and looks down to notice that his was crumbling too. The magical dust was surrounding Kotarou as well! Ah, here we go! Here we go! So this was what was to occur based on the rumor itself! Whenever the dust clears, Kotarou looks around to see that they were in a very high-class lobby with a golden fountain in the middle of it.
Now this was a twist that he wasn't expecting at all! For sure, he would've thought that they'd have to hitch a ride over to this castle... But what do you know!? It looked like these tickets were made of some kind of transportation magic. That's what Kotarou theorizes at least!]
Whoa! Whooooooa! [Give him a moment as he heads over to the fountain all sparkly-eyed. Not even Chihaya had a fancy fountain like this at her mansion!] Hey, Fish Eyes! Are you seeing all of this?! This Black Knight dude knows how to live in luxury!
no subject
But he's got to admit he doesn't actually seem like a bully. Just an over the top weirdo, and Kadoc's known plenty of those. And right now, his reaction isn't even that over the top: this place is actually impressive as hell. Kadoc's also spent some time living in palaces semi-recently, but this is on another level—maybe because it's so shameless, alive with excess in a way his Lostbelt could never hope to touch.
He follows at a short distance, and once they're at the fountain, he does a slow circuit around it, taking in the sight.]
. . . This is so weird. What's the point of all this . . . ?
no subject
Not sure... There's usually a catch to go with all of this. This definitely feels like the set-up for a dunegon crawling quest, y'know?
[It certainly makes Kotarou want to explore the castle a little more. For better or worst, he had an adventurer's spirit!]
Hey... What's your primary magic, anyway? If we're in any potential danger, then we should know each other's abilities just in case.
no subject
So he comes back over, arms folded.]
. . . It's Light magic. That's the only one I've got, so don't count on anything else from me. I'm no good for combat, but I've at least got a handle on what I do have.
[It's not like he has anything else to practice but the one field, so by now, he's done an agonizing amount of practice. Kadoc's hopes had been high for a time that if he only mastered Light enough, his secondary magic would reveal itself later. No dice.]
You didn't give me your name yet.
no subject
[Even Kotarou had enough arrogance to use '-sama' for himself sometimes. But hearing that Kadoc was a light magic user makes his eyes glitter in pure excitement. He had heard that this magic was a rare element, but to think that he was starting to meet more people with this power! Compared to back home where he had to keep his superpowers a secret, Kotarou felt relieved that he didn't have to keep everything under wraps. If people here weren't so welcoming to magic, then Kotarou would've been more hesitant on speaking openly about what kind of abilities he had.
For once, this power wasn't something that he felt conflicted about having. He felt that having superpowers were both a blessing and curse.]
So you're a Light magic user too?! No waaaay! That means we can be Light Amigos! It's actually a far more useful power than you think. I suck at projection, but I'm really good at hardening light! I can definitely make up for combat for sure!
no subject
[He says, pointedly. It's got nothing to do with culture; Kadoc is just a habitual family name user most of the time, especially at first. There are times it feels or sounds weird and he relents, but this is definitely not one of them. Nice to meet you, Tennouji.
But that's all that needs to be said about that. Light Amigos, huh . . . sheesh, this guy. He's so excited by something so disappointing: not the Light magic, which Kadoc actually likes just fine and wouldn't want to give up, but the fact that he has only one. But Kotarou didn't even mention that part. He just got hyped up about the Light Amigos thing. Here Kadoc was all ready to be defensive! This throws him.]
I like my magic just fine. God knows I've busted my ass practicing it these past few months. It's just not as offensive as some of the others. I use it mostly for defense and illusion.
no subject
[He's read about how light magic can make yourself invisible and set up illusions to trick people, but Kotarou can't seem to pull that off very well yet. A part of him wondered if it was a personality thing since he has the subtlety of a dumpster truck coming down the street. But he doesn't hate this, though... It just gives him more opportunities to show people what light magic can really do. Doing things that no one has ever seen before and impressing them was a good motivator for Kotarou.]
I still don't know what my secondary magic is. Something tells me that it isn't Elemental Magic since that wouldn't suit me at all.
[It's an odd statement for him to make. One would think that Kotarou would be gunning for that and he wouldn't had been against it... But that felt too 'worldly' in a sense. Something that came from inside of him felt like that would've suited him better.]
no subject
He wanders a little, over to take in the finery adorning the walls of the chamber they ended up in. Are they supposed to do something here? It feels like they must be, right? It can't just be a tour like they advertised.]
I don't have a secondary magic. I thought I was the only person here in that position, but maybe you're as unlucky as I am. It'd be weird that we both started with Light. . . . What's wrong with Elemental?
no subject
[Kotarou feels like he's been rambling about nonsense, but he felt like this made sense to him. Yes, he feels like his secondary magic should be something that represents his desire to fight against the world's unfairness from within. Just like the old days... He's not sure if that's really the case. But that's what his heart tells him.
His thoughts are cut off whenever a pair of sharply dressed gentlemen arrive before Kadoc and him from behind a corner. Their faces are covered in creepy masks which makes this feel all the more unsettling.]
Uhhh... H-Hi there. Nice castle you got here! We were the lucky winners for this little contest, so we were curious about the reward that comes with it?
Yes, yes. The lucky winner happened to be a pair.
So this is the reward that we declare!
You can have anything you want without any limits.
But in exchange... You must offer your blood to us for a few minutes.
For the sake of our god and his dead worshippers...
We will need your help! Surely a few drops of your essence wouldn't hurt?
Your souls will be bind to him for quite sometime!
But tis a small price to pay for the sake of unlimited gifts till the end of your lives!
no subject
By, uh, this. Kadoc turns slowly, slooooowly in the direction of the creepy rhyming gentlemen, eyes widening little by little as they go through their routine. When they finish, he doesn't say anything immediately, that's how much he's expecting a "just kidding!" to get tacked onto the end of all that there. But it doesn't. The silence stretches on for a bit too long, until finally Kadoc turns to Kotarou to address him instead. He literally doesn't even know what he'd say in response.]
Please tell me you're not dumb enough to agree to this.
no subject
As much as Kotarou was fascinated by the supernatural, he could still be very shaken up by things like this. Awkwardly clearing his throat, he shakes his head rather comedically at Kadoc.]
N-No way! Anyone with half a brain would know that this is a terrible offer! Besides... Blood offerings to ancient gods usually leads to dangerous resurrections! You guys tell the Black Knight that he should offer less shady and creepy deals!
[The men don't say a word and don't even move. It was as if the world was on mute. Kotarou had to wonder if they were even breathing right now. After a long pause, they finally start speaking again.]
You have rejected temptation. You have passed the test.
There was no right or wrong answer. You simply did your best.
The two of us shall remember your valiant souls.
Continue your adventures here. We await to see what your futures hold.
[They both bow simultaneously and lift their hands to snap their fingers. In a flash of light... Both Kotarou and Kadoc will return right in front of the convenience store that they were in front of eariler. Kotarou is looking around fanatically in a rather animated manner.]
--Huh? Huh?! What the hell just happened?! Were we just spirited away and back again like nothing!?
no subject
[It's the nature of these trials that, while it was going on, the knowledge of the trials happening at all this week was withheld from Kadoc's mind; he would not have been able to place what was happening no matter how hard he tried. But now that limiter is off, and the truth occurs to him immediately when he thinks back on the phrase you have passed the test.
For real?! Kadoc grumbles and pushes his hair out of his eyes, then rubs the bridge of his nose.]
If anyone fails that, we all deserve to be invaded by Celliwig yesterday.