 | Name | "The Isle of Darkling Clouds" |
| Type (Ingame) | Quest Item | |
| Family | "The Isle of Darkling Clouds", Non-Codex Series | |
| Rarity |  | |
| Description | (test)小说手稿后 |
Item Story
Author: Sawada Extract I ... ... A man arrived in Tatarasuna around three in the afternoon. From afar, he spied laborers walking along the mountain roads toward the factories, their shoes scuffing along the jutting stones. They walked like people convinced that so long as they reached the fire raging in the mountain's belly, they might extract from it gems beyond price. The mood that the sight inspired was ineffable, beyond mere description for those not present to witness it. The man barked a cheerful greeting and sprinted to join the procession. There, a towering character who stood half a head taller greeted him with a heavy slap on the back, and yet, his words were filled with respect: "Do my eyes deceive me? Sir Miyazaki! I cannot think that the return trip here from Inazuma City could have been easy on you." Miyazaki smiled like a young man taking the first steps on their journey, expression relaxed. "Why Katsuragi, Inazuma is the realm of the Almighty Shogun. I sailed upon the fastest ship, strode upon the swiftest sea routes. What dangers could I have possibly faced?" "And what about the good news?" "There was some... Naturally." The two burst into uproarious laughter, roughhousing with the other workers until the path's end. A young man dressed in a linen shirt and wearing a headscarf gazed into the dancing flames of the furnace before him. Now, the flames of a forge are unlike any other, for their intensity affects the resulting integrity of both metal and blade. So too, then, was the flame-watcher an unusual individual. At his fingertips sat a lizard, and on his face he wore a smile. The workshop was huge, and the furnace was deeper within. A reasonable person might think that there should have been many working alongside the watcher, yet he stood alone. Only when Katsuragi and Miyazaki strode into the room did the watcher turn. This watcher was Niwa, Armory Officer and administrator of Tatarasuna. Born to the Niwa Clan, which served as one of the three pillars of the Isshin Art, Niwa never argued with his siblings and was a worthy successor by all accounts. The post he received as a result of his high standing with those in power served as a statement unto itself. Miyazaki handed a well-bundled text to Niwa as he adjusted his expression and said: "It is as you have said, sir. The elders of your clan in the city do not think highly of our plan. Yet I still believe it to be worth a try. As such, I have found the proper vendors and procured the materials that you requested." Niwa studied the text and nodded. "We should try some of these new forging techniques, whether Kaedehara says yea or nay." Katsuragi frowned, and with a sigh he said: "Forging is a precise and difficult undertaking. You know this better than most, sirs, and still, you seek improvement each day with terrifying drive! Ah, should my lord Nagamasa hear this, the sourness in his face shall be hard to miss." Niwa smiled, replying: "And how goes the forging of your lord's great blade, Katsuragi?" Katsuragi neither wanted to shame his master nor lie to his two friends, and yet he could not think of any way to deflect, and so groused: "I see your ears are as keen as your hands, Sir Niwa. The jokes of us unlearned men are as nothing before you." Extract II ... ... The stranger, a foreign mechanic, stood next to the coast. Sunset fell to the accompaniment of darkness. The bands of twilight showed themselves naught, for in their place did thunderclouds roil, grumbling the omens of a coming rainstorm. Darkness filled the flesh of the sea and the dusk bade the clouds to kneel upon the land. But the man stood uncowed, merely gazing into the distance, radiating bloodthirst. None passed him by, and none knew what he was plotting. Time passed, unmeasured and uncounted, till a black cloud suddenly tore free from the sky and began to circle the mechanic, bearing down on him like an omen. He then caressed the dark mist, as if it was a part of his flesh. Outbound, a fishing boat drew near, the lights of its bow flickering in and out of sight beneath falling sheets of rain. A mist unspooled across the area, stealing sight from the fisherman. Repeatedly, he exclaimed: "It is but dusk. How are my eyes darkened? Is there anyone that can deliver my boat upon safe tides?" Extract III ... ... Katsuragi rushed to the doorway and shouted: "My lord! Things go ill at the furnace. I have searched for Sir Niwa, but there is no trace of him. And much time has passed since Sir Miyazaki left to seek aid, but he has yet to send us any missive. Look..." Mikoshi Nagamasa turned slowly, his face grave as one attending a funeral. He spoke then, his words heavy-laden: "I wish not to say such words, Katsuragi... But Sir Miyazaki may never return." Katsuragi peered past Nagamasa's broad, stiff shoulders, beyond the windows. The clouds above boiled in waves of black, as if darkness now was the only weather, and might even morph into an abyssal beast and devour Tatarasuna whole. Over ten people had already perished. That was why... Why... Katsuragi recoiled as if struck. Yes! It was coming back to him now, in dribs and drabs... That was why they had to set out to seek aid! Miyazaki had been the first to set sail. The clouds had only just begun to form then. Traveling from Tatarasuna to Inazuma to ask for support was normally no great feat, and yet, there had been no sign of his return. Niwa was gone, and none could find him. Afterward, Nagamasa led a search party into the mountains and the area around the furnace, all to no avail. Folk began to wonder if Niwa might have encountered an accident, but worry soon turned to suspicion, and they wondered if he had fled, unwilling to bear the sin of having caused these incidents. The people grew ever more suspicious, and Nagamasa himself strained against his discontent and fury. His face had grown to resemble the rumbling clouds above. Suddenly, a figure flashed by. Their presence did not go unnoticed by Nagamasa. He drew his blade and cut, but in a flash, the evil spirit had shifted behind him, laughing darkly: "Are you seeking someone, my lord? Niwa, perhaps?" Nagamasa bellowed in fury: "You dare address Sir Niwa directly?" Yet, the figure parted like mist before his falling blade, only to re-materialize beyond reach but not beyond sight — a ghastly apparition indeed. "Was it you who slew my people?" Nagamasa howled and charged, held back only by Katsuragi's desperate grip. As his senses returned to him, he realized he was but an inch away from falling into the furnace. (It seems that the rest of this work remains unfinished... From the existing text, however, it is apparent that this is a novel of fantastical, colorful sensibilities, born from an imagination well-utilized.) |
110-120%, it really depends of the team and the particles generated