Things were otherwise fairly quiet at the inn's balcony. The cleric who'd passed out the potions earlier was simply making sure that those who'd passed out were comfortable, and those who were conscious were able to see what was going on.
It was a kingdom of magic, after all. Danger and wonder could both be found regularly. Best to get the idea across now.
It wasn't until the cleric returned and spotted the item in Rin's hands that everyone's attention went from the distant battle to the sputtering priestess.
"Child, where - how did you get that?" asked the priestess.
"I don't know, I think it was after the chocobo ranch," said Rin, looking at the thing she'd kept mainly in her purse. It was just that it felt somehow right warmed by her hands.
"It isn't going to hurt her, is it?" asked Miyuki.
"It's not poisonous or cursed, if that's what you mean," said the priestess, peering closely at it. "It is as I thought. A shakti. Well now, this certainly changes a few things."
"A 'sha-ku-ti'?" asked Miyuki, now curious herself.
"An item of powerful magic," said the priestess. "It has three forms, depending on the will of the wielder. The statuette form, which is its current form, is where it rests and recovers its energies. The second form is of a vehicle, a holy chariot which can cross the sky. The third form is the only one that poses a danger to the wielder - for if you use a shakti in weapon mode beyond the charge within it - it begins to leech away the wielder's own strength."
"Oh, well, then it must belong to someone else," began Rin.
"Hardly child. A shakti chooses its own wielder," said the Priestess, considering the young girl for a moment. Then she smiled and curtseyed. "I am Jazelle, child, a loremaster. Since destiny has chosen you, it will be interesting to see what that destiny is - and whether you turn from it or embrace it."
"A weapon?" asked Rin, hoping it was one she'd trained in.
"Depends on which shakti this is," said Jazelle, the feline-looking priestess as she bent over to examine the figurine. "I know the basics, but the specifics are not those I'm familiar with. My lore specialty is alchemy, not holy artifacts. Don't worry child, this isn't some bard's tale. Nobody expects you to go into battle without even knowing the mantra to unlock its potential."
"Ah," said Rin.
"My wonder is if you have this, what other surprises might the other candidates have up their sleeves?" asked Jazelle.
Being a cameraman carried its own perks and rewards and hazards. Generally it was the guy on the other end of the camera who got the large salary, the fame, the girls. The cameraman could usually dress a bit more casually and didn't have to spend time with the makeup department.
Straining bugs out of your morning coffee in Cambodia, learning to dump your boots before putting them on in the morning in the Phillipines, frostbitten in the Himalayas - you went where the story was and you suffered the environment while the "on air personality" usually got the better tent and perks.
For Pak Tu Tranh, ace cameraman of NBS News, this assignment was a lot better than it could have been.
"Tea, honored herald?"
"No, miss, sorry. I'm filming," answered Pak, though he appreciated the offer. Didn't happen very often. Attention from an attractive young girl, even if she was a blonde with pointed ears. As it was he was mainly distracted by what he was observing and recording. Never mind covering some outbreak of disease among the mountain sheep in the Himalayas or some terrorists operating in the Phillipines.
Being able to film a DRAGON the length of two buses lashing out at a giant crystalline spider?!
"HAH! NOW I'LL KILL YOU!"
Pak swiveled to see some tusked guy in leather charging forward, sword raised. Coming towards him?!
SLASH! SLASH! SCHWING!
Pak blinked. When had the teagirl drawn a sword? When did a sword leaving a glittering trail like a figure "8" in the air behind it. Fortunately, he was an ace cameraman and could keep the tape rolling while he was being surprised.
The orc mercenary stopped. Or at least parts of him did.
"So inelegant," said the tea lady. "So inconsiderate too. Now I've got to tidy this up."
Meanwhile:
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(Posted Wed, 02 Feb 2005 08:46)
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らんま1/2 © Rumiko Takahashi
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