The Duality Wars: The Alien Wars 6
Key: S = Session. Sty = Story. M = Mini. (more may be added with time)
Part I: Ebb and Flow
Arc One:
Verse 1, S.1: Session 21: The First Mountain
5.6.5990 CE
Meeting with Lu, the group gets it's new mission, a rather free form demand to meet with the Summoners and Monks of the Spiritualist Faction and engage however the party chooses. They're to ask for their advice and wisdom in regard to the Kumen Mining Operations. They're to find out if there has been any changes in the world of spirits from the Monks and to learn of any changes to the world from the Summoners. While gathering intel they're free to seek out their own leads, research interesting things, etc. However, they're told to stay away from the Magi ruins and not go artifact hunting.
The group packs up and Yu allows them to get ambushed by their Tamaes, after which they load up on the carriage and fly off.
5.9.5990 CE
Gwen stops the carriage in the middle of a lava flow to review the map, noting that to get to the lower mountain they need to find a way around it to get to the entrance. Alita suggests the small sliver of land below the mountain and they skirt the ocean to get there.
5.12.5990 CE
Gently crashing into the snow when the cold gets too much for the machine, the party disembarks and sets off into the town at the foot of the mountain. Here they get a room at an inn and relax a little, the elder of the village meeting with them and helping them gear up for the trip up the mountain. After getting the necessary items: two pieces of rope, a horn, a single pair of special shoes that look to be light weight, and finally monster bait.
5.13.5990 CE
The group begins their journey in the morning, having to climb with the rope, navigate special pathways, nearly losing Sasha in a misstep in the ice. A giant white hand attempts to kidnap Kito, however a blow of the horn scares the beast off and it drops a golden ring which Commodus pockets. Gwen does not handle the cold well and the group tries to figure out how to get her to go male so her human side will be better for the climb. It turns out telling her about the change does not actually trigger anything, Kito is able to trigger the change with a chemical herb balanace, though the male Gwen complains of a headache.
They arrive at a castle and using the monster bait to distract a horde of wolves and make a run for the gate. They arrive in time, however, Commodus falls behind. Gwen races back out to get him and the two come up over the wall, bloodied. Alita heals them up as guards come to question the group.
Verse 2, M1
The group stays at a mansion of a high ranking Summoner, or Summoni as they call themselves, until they get permission to enter. There, Kito buries herself nude in Sasha's bed, refusing to move an inch, and so does Neekito for part of the night until she moves to Vyvy's bed and curls up there to get closer there. Gwen does exercises in the snow to build up muscle and energy, apparantly not minding the snow much and the others do various things to entertain themselves as well.
Verse 3, S.2: Session 22: The Summoni
5.14.5990 CE
After a short the stay at the inn, the group is awakened for dinner, man named Harold joining them, Harold says he will lead them to the Summoni and in the morning they are under way.
5.15.5990:
Taken on a carriage further up into the mountains to a western style castle, where they are taken in, seeing various summoners doing menial tasks and are taken to meet the Summoni Order.
The Order consists of a female Asmos, a male werebear, and a female Dragoon who introduces herself as Kalam. Sasha briefs them quickly on why they are there, to discuss what the Kumen mining operations, assisted by, for a still unknown reason, the Great Light Spirit, will do to Geyze. Kalam says that it may be someone, specifically the Hapian royal family, controlling her though she finds it unlikely, and leads the group down to the library to study up more.
After a long night of study, learning some new information about Aska, such as a cooler temperament and her elusive nature, and the nature of spirits, such as killing too many will kill a world, as well as some plans made by the group, having Vyvy train under the Summoni, and a close call by Gwen. The group exits the library meeting an unnamed sassy Gladius who slaps Commodus and Gwen for perceived pervyness, as they were investigated the dagger she turned into when frightened. The group is led to their quarters and they turn into the night, going over what they have learned and considering their next move carefully.
Verse 4, M2
That night, drama hits many places. Kito curls up naked in Sasha's bed due to the cold again and Neekito does as well at first. They are there when Alita confesses her feelings for Sasha, seemingly out of nowhere to Sasha and throws her off guard so that her dismissal of them seems harsh, making Alita leave crying. Neekito goes to her bedroom and curls up with her, letting her hold her to get a good cry out while Kito remains with Sasha. Gwen, turning back into his female form, almost goes over the edge of the wall due to being disoriented by the location and the cold/ice, but Liana manages to rescue her with a piece of rope.
Pulling her up, Liana and Gwen bond and she asks her if her name is Qui, which after reacting violently, Gwen confirms that it is, and seems to confirm more information, that she thinks she had a brother but can't remember who and that her mother was someone important. Falling asleep in Liana's bed, Qui sleeps there, looking to be exhausted from the information she did learn. Neekito eventually goes back to Vyvy's bed to curl up but only after Ceilia joins Alita's bed and curls up with her sister.
Verse 5, S.3: Session 23: Ain't No Journey Far Enough
5.16.5990 CE
The next day, Alita seems a bit more calm, although still moody, as everyone goes for breakfast. Liana checks on Qui, who ends up telling the party about her name. Eventually, Sasha asks the team about what tasks they'll be taking in their investigations, with Qui, Liana, Vyvy, and Commodus going to observe Summoners while the others return to the library.
Kalam greets the first group, allowing them to request what summons they'd like to see. After some confusion, Liana requests Shade, causing Vyvy to jump. Now summoned, Shade seems a bit confused until she sees Vyvy, confirming that summoned Great Spirits are indeed much like the real ones. Shade's presence seems to help Vyvy feel a bit more at ease, and they eventually ask about Aska, although Shade unfortunately can't help them, merely warning them to be careful what they ask. Kalam expresses doubt about the bonds between Summoners and Great Spirits, while Vyvy considers furthering her training.
Down in the library, Sasha and the twins look over the books they had set aside yesterday, finding some hearsay information on what happens to a world when the spirits are wiped out, albeit from a diary written by Ja'han Cry'tok as best they could decipher the name. Looking through books related to the Crytok Empire reveals more of the same, and they also begin looking through more books related to Aska, particularly in relation to the Hapian royal family. They finally find an ancient book written in First Civilization language, titled Spirit Births, and while there's no one able to translate it, they remain intent on finding out its contents.
Meanwhile, Aska has been summoned. As the Summoni try their best to stay out of things, Vyvy begins to speak with her, although she quickly finds that Aska is uninterested in answering her questions about the mining operations, even coming off as hostile, claiming she is not here to speak of what may be happening with Aska's main body. Though Vyvy tries her best, Aska simply refuses to help or teach Vyvy and soon disappears, telling Vyvy to seek out other Great Spirits instead. Kalam admits that Aska was being evasive and dishonest.
Alita decides that there must be a way to translate the book, discussing ciphers. She decides to take it on herself, working hard as the night goes on, possibly to keep her mind off of what happened. The team discuss the their next move, with some consideration toward the Magi relics due to the First Civilization nature of the book they're translating. Although the team can't agree on the specifics, it's decided that they should at least visit the monks, which was next on their list anyway.
Amidst this, Vyvy announces that she's decided to take a pilgrimage to further her abilities and become strong enough to gain Aska's trust. The idea of Vyvy leaving results in a very sad Qui, who quickly goes to her room, while the others suggest it's not the right time to talk about this, considering the journey ahead.
Verse 6, M3
5.17.5990 CE - ??? CE
Qui is distressed at the news that Vyvy plans to leave the team and go on a pilgrimage to visit all the Great Spirits if the Academy will allow it, to learn more about them and possibly get Aska to open up more. It seems Qui considers her a good friend, possiblely a best friend or something more, and seems very distressed at the idea of her leaving. Kito, too, seems upset, though it could be from being called a pesky fox, laying out in the snow and looking sad, while Neekito looks sad as well at Vyvy leaving. Both fauna seem to behaving differently since the news and being quiet like they were when they first joined the group once more, in any case.