Today you Join the Everwar Pt. 3

-Today you Join the Everwar Pt. 3-
by Waterway the Wordsmith

[A4A][Preparing for War][Quartermaster Speaker][Surprisingly Relaxing]

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For the first time, your trip to the quartermaster isn't filling you with dread. It's taken time, but you're finally starting to feel like you're in control a bit more. Most of all, you feel capable. You might actually be able to learn to be a hero after all.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------(QUARTERMASTER): Ah, welcome back! One moment, I was just polishing this armor…

So, how has training been going? Last time you were here, you were a bit downtrodden, if I recall. But you don’t look quite as forlorn today.

So, has magic practice been a bit easier on you than weapons training? It’s less intuitive, sure, but it has its charms.

Why, that’s fantastic! I had a feeling you’d take a shine to it. Magic’s not for everyone, but for some people, it just clicks.

You’ll still need to brush up on your weapons training, of course, but you can use magic to make things easier. As long as you know how to defend yourself, that’s all you really actually need.

I’d say this is the point where you start to really feel out your place. It’s always a bit strange here at first, but once you get your feet under you you’ll start to understand why the oracles chose you.

Well, if magic’s got you this excited, then you’ll REALLY love what we’re going to go over today.

Today you can pick out a mount. Having one is very important, as you’ll want to be able to reach Lifefoes as quickly as possible. Part of the reason we maintain such an advantage is our swift reaction time.

It’s only relatively recently in the Everwar that mounts became one of the personalized choices a hero could make. It used to be that transportation was standardized. Any given detachment would all use the same modes of transportation.

It did make sense at the time - when the Lifefoes existed in larger numbers, it was crucial to have soldiers stay together. Moving at the same speed facilitated that.

When we finally made the transition to controlling Lifefoe populations, rather than defending against them, it became much more important for individuals to be able to move from place to place at their own ideal pace.

Since then, the variety of mounts has grown dramatically. What didn’t make sense for a large group might make perfect sense for a lone rider.

I must say, you’re quite lucky to be entering the Everwar in such an era. It’s become very accommodating to all sorts of heroes in recent years.

Now, let’s take a look at the options, shall we? Pay close attention, because a mount isn’t always just a mode of transportation, it’s often like a companion.

First, we should go over the non-combat mounts. These are the absolute best for getting from point A to point B, but contribute relatively little aside from mobility. You can choose to dismount them to fight, or learn to fight while mounted.

To begin with, we have the brighthorse. It’s a special breed of horse bred specifically for this war. They’re larger, faster, and more tenacious than any horse anywhere else in the universe. They’re the best all-rounder steed you could ask for, and they’re very low-maintenance as well.

And on the inorganic side, we have hoversteeds, machines built to hover just off the ground. Mud, sand, or other difficult-to-traverse terrain means nothing to them. They’re very useful, but they require direct piloting at all times unlike living mounts, and you may need to learn to maintain it, as well.

And finally, there’s the dustbirds. They’re large, flightless birds that run faster than you could believe, and for far longer. They can practically turn on a dime, as well. Aside from their speed, they can even glide, so they’re excellent at dealing with hilly or mountainous terrain.

We also have some mounts that are meant to be ridden into battle. They’ll help you with some of the fighting, though they’re not as effective without the help of your weapons and magic.

For starters, we have the classic dragon. Beginners don’t get to ride a full-sized dragon, but we have some young ones available - though they’re still bigger than a horse.

There are a few different varieties, but they all share the same core abilities - a breath weapon, flight, and nearly impenetrable scales. Very reliable, and thus very popular.

We also just received a pack of crystal wolves from Raster. They have natural magic crystals which can amplify your own magic. They can be a touch demanding, but they’re incredibly loyal if you keep them well cared-for. It’s a bold choice, but a worthy one.

And this is a more unusual one, but we do have one blade sprite - it’s a magical creature formed from the soul of a sword. They can cut things around them with nothing more than the power of their minds. They’re certainly not as friendly as one of the living mounts, but if you want to deal out lots of damage, this is the mount for you. Might even be a bit overkill, but it never hurts to be prepared.

Those are the basics, but there’s one more thing I should go over, and that’s the potential for some mounts - specifically, living ones - to change over time.

I’m not talking about ordinary aging - it's an effect of the Lifefoes themselves. When living things are continually exposed to them, and especially the substances left behind after they’re slain, it can trigger odd changes in the body.

If this starts to happen, bring your mount in to a stable - they’ll help your mount adjust and adapt as they begin to take on a new form.

Once upon a time, these changes could be frightening, monstrous even. But we’ve learned how to guide the transformation on a safer path, and I’ve never seen a mount become sick or weak as a result of one.

Nevertheless, the changes are unique every time, even among members of the same species. Some think it may have to do with personality.

It doesn’t seem to affect anything with intelligence, so you’ll be just fine. It also has no effect on machines or objects.

It’s not something you can always count on, but it’s worth considering. If you’re split between living and nonliving mounts, the potential for a living mount to grow could tip the scales.

Now, which one would you say calls out to you the most? No wrong answers, naturally. It’s all about what fits best.

Well, well! That was my first choice as well. By now, I’ve ridden just about everything there is to ride, but I think that’s still my favorite.

I don’t have much need for a mount anymore, but I still have fond memories of my time out on the battlefield, wind rushing by as I raced to the next battle.

I confess, I do still take my mount out for a spin every so often. It’s not really recommended to wander around outside the camp, but I haven’t ever run into any serious trouble.

Well, after I fill out the paperwork, you can do the same if you’d like. I’d have someone supervise, of course. You don’t want to get carried away to who knows where because you don’t know what you’re doing.

You can drop by anytime you like if you’d like tips on riding. I have quite a bit of experience with that mount, so there’s plenty I can do to help you with your training.

We really seem to think alike, don’t we? It’s nice to know I have a kindred spirit here on Darkcastle.

Before you go, there was something I wanted to tell you. I know they’re already doing their best to prep you for battle, but there’s one thing I think you should do that they won’t tell you about.

There’s a cave in that big rock at the center of camp. During your free time, I recommend visiting it. It’s just used as a storehouse, but that’s not what’s special about it.

All you need to do is turn off the lights, and just… sit there. When you’re in the dark, surrounded by stone, it’s almost like… you can feel something about this planet. I can’t describe it, but it gives you perspective on what our enemy really is.

Anyway, it’s just a thought. You’ll do fine either way. You’re just the sort of person people want to see succeed, you know? I wanted to do what I can to boost your chances.

We need lots of people like you - good, honest heroes who aren’t out for glory or bloodlust. Just people who want to do the right thing.

Maybe someday you’ll even be the one to figure out how to end this war. Honestly, we’ve strangely benefited from the Everwar - hundreds of worlds work together to keep us all safe. But I do hope that someday we can be freed from the fear of our advantage waning.

You’re almost there. You’re going to be quite a hero, I’m positive of it.