Cipher/Stories
When a group of pirates attack the ship Alk has been assigned to protect, a mysterious witch named Cipher appears to assist him. However, she ends up doing more harm than good and flees the scene. Upon catching up with her, Alk and the others discover that her intention was to join them in order to explore other worlds.
Alk: Whew! Nothing hits like that fresh ocean breeze, huh?
Stella: Indeed. It is rather strong, however.
Ship Captain: Aye. This ain't yer average transport ship! She's a real speed demon, lemme tell ya.
Ship Captain: Honestly, havin' you and yer crew here is just a formality. Ain't no pirates catchin' up to this baby.
Alk: No need to apologize. We get paid either way, right?
Ship Captain: That's surprisin'. I thought you mercenary types loved to get scrappy.
Alk: Er... I dunno about that. Honestly, I'm just happy to be out on the open seas again.
Stella: We're actually pirates ourselves.
Alk: Only a technicality, of course! The Crimson Blades actually—
Ship Captain: G-gunfire?!
Alk: Where?
Pirate Captain: "Finally... FINALLY! I've found that little punk!
Pirate Captain: Forget the cargo—I want ALK!
Pirate Captain: FIRE AT WILL, MEN!
Ship Captain: "Forget the cargo?" What the hell are they playin' at here?
Alk: Uh-oh... This one might be on me, actually.
Ship Captain: Wha... Yer a damn liability!
Ship Captain: Spare me the details—full sail ahead, men!
Ship Captain: Curses! The engine... it's dead!
Stella: Rest its soul.
Alk: Th-they might actually board the ship at this rate. But taking the head-on might actually be the better option here...
Alk: Hmm... What SHOULD we do here?
???: In a spot of trouble, are you?
Alk: Huh? Who are you supposed to be?
Cipher: You may call me Cipher. I am a witch—with the power to freeze time and space!
Stella: Very cool.
Cipher: Ice cold, even. But thank you, darling. Now then... allow me to take care of this.
Ship Captain: The Ivory Reaper?! What's the Scourge of the Seas doing here?!
Pirate: Cap'n! Our cannons be blocked! And there's, uh... she's... it's...
Pirate: It can't be... The Ice Queen!
Pirate Captain: Don't just stand there and gawk, you nitwits! Keep that hag away from the ship!
Cipher: ...Excuse me? I don't think I like your tone. Ice Coffin—bury them!
Cipher: I do hope you take the time... to reflect on your behavior.
Cipher: That ought to take care of the baddies.
Cipher: Now, now. No need to thank me all at once.
Ship Captain: Wh-what the hell have you done?
Cipher: Say what now?
Ship Captain: You've frozen the damn sea! How the hell am I supposed to get this cargo delivered?!
Cipher: Oh, but I... You, er—
Ship Captain: This shipment ain't ever gonna make it at this rate! We had insurance for pirates... but this?!
Cipher: Th-that's really outside my field of expertise...
Cipher: S-so sorry! I, uh, I must get going now!
Alk: Wait a second! Aw, geez...
Alk: You don't need to pay us or whatever, so, uh... good luck with everything!
Ship Captain: ...Why, oh why couldn't it just have been pirates?
Alk: There you are! Why'd you run off?
Cipher: Y-you saw what happened there. They were furious!
Alk: Yeah, well... You did freeze the ocean.
Cipher: I did what I had to—that ice would've never melted if I'd stayed. Not only in space, but time!
Alk: You can't break it yourself?
Cipher: Heh... I suppose you could put it that way.
Alk: Now that I think about it, there was no reason for us to run in the first place...
Cipher: I just can't help myself when I see a soul in need, you know?
Alk: She really went in there without thinking, huh?
Stella: Commendable, but unfortunate.
Cipher: Our meeting was no coincidence, however. I'd... actually been following you for some time.
Stella: Us? But why?
Cipher: Is it true that you're associated with the Crimson Blades?
Cipher: They were one of the most infamous crews to ever sail these seas. One day, they just... vanished. Since then, rumors of their demise have begun to spread.
Cipher: I had to discover the truth for myself. Is it true that she's crossed to another world?
Stella: Indeed.
Cipher: I KNEW it! Please, allow me to join! This may come as a surprise to you, but I'm quite keen to visit other worlds myself.
Alk: Huh. I mean, you seem like you mean well. Just... try not to freeze over our town, okay?
Stella: Welcome, Miss Cipher.
Cipher: Rejoice, friends. The one and only Cipher, mistress of the ice, is now on your side!
Alk: I don't know about this one, guys.
Cipher takes Alk and Stella to her hometown. The two are introduced to her sister Rei, who was frozen in time and space while Cipher searched for a cure for the deadly disease afflicting her. Despite Rei's wish for Cipher to live a life free of such burden, Alk and Stella still believe in her effort to break the spell.
Cipher: Huh...
Cipher: Uhh...
Cipher: Yeah, nope. I don't understand this at all!
Cipher: Why does every witch and warlock have to be so cryptic in their writing?! Would it kill them to write in plain text for once?
Stella: Is it that difficult to understand?
Cipher: Totally! I mean, you'd have to be some kind of super nerd—
Cipher: Er, I mean, uh... Stella! How long have you been here, dearie?
Cipher: S-something like this is mere child's play for a witch of the world such as myself!
Alk: "Voluntas Academy, Elementary Foundations of Magic."
Alk: This one here's a Catfolk book. "Cursebreaking: Where to Begin?"
Cipher: "E-even a master of the arcane arts needs to return to the basics every now and then, right?
Alk: I wondered why you were up so late, but it turns out you were just studying...
Alk: I'll put on some tea. Want some?
Cipher: Y-yes, please.
Alk: So you took interest in other worlds because you wanted to deepen your understanding of magic?
Cipher: Wh-why, yes, of course! I suppose that's one way you could put it.
Alk: Well, that's good. It was pretty hard to get Light out of that ice cube last week...
Cipher: Oh, well, uh... the past is in the past, right?
Stella: Did these books not exist in the Endless Blue?
Cipher: I thought I'd be able to obtain higher knowledge from other worlds.
Cipher: You see, there's a very specific type of magic I'm hoping to get a better understanding of.
Cipher: I suppose it was my fault for not telling you in the first place.
Cipher: Allow me to show you myself. Come with me for a field trip?
Alk: It's freezing here... What happened?
Cipher: You'd do well to bundle up.
Stella: What... is this?
Cipher: This is Rei. She's my twin sister.
Cipher: We've always been together. The world wasn't always kind to us, but at as long as we had each other, we were okay.
Cipher: But one day... she fell ill from a fatal disease.
Alk: So you mean to say that you—
Cipher: Yes. It was I who stopped time for her.
Cipher: I still haven't found a way to free her from this spell. I'm so close... but I need more time.
Cipher: I've imprisoned her in a cage frozen in time.
???: Beautiful, just beautiful. Totes got the waterworks going that time, didn't ya?
Alk: Who said that?!
???: Sorry, friends. She can be SUCH a drama queen sometimes.
Stella: Alk, it seems that Rei is communicating with us somehow.
Cipher: She IS a magical genius such as myself, after all. Even when frozen in time, she can still communicate telepathically.
Rei: Sup. You can call me Rei or whatever, I guess.
Alk: Wow... Talk about nonchalant.
Cipher: And that's how I ended up traveling with these fine people.
Rei: For REALS?! Other worlds? That's, like, totes outta this world—literally!
Rei: So, like, you find any hotties yet? Gimme the dish, Ciph!
Cipher: Ah, yes. Many things of beauty indeed... If only I could show you myself.
Rei: Are you STILL playing the tragic heroine role? Sorry, friendos. Bet you're all tired of her theatrics, aren'tcha?
Rei: She wasn't always like this, you know. In fact, back then—
Cipher: I'm gonna have to stop you right there.
Rei: You wouldn't BELIEVE how she used to talk before this—
Cipher: Ahem! I BELIEVE we're all well acquainted enough for one day. We really must get going.
Cipher: But I WILL find the cure for you one day. Just wait a little longer, dear sister.
Rei: "Dear sister?" Yikes. On second thought, just end me already.
Rei: Sorry, friendos. Don't worry about little old me, okay?
Stella: What do you mean?
Rei: I can't believe that dummy had to be such a downer and bring you all here.
Rei: I'm fine, really! She'd honestly be better off forgetting about me, you know—
Stella: We believe in her.
Alk: She's still getting a grasp of the basics right now, it seems, so it may take some time.
Stella: So don't worry about her too.
Cipher: Did Rei say anything to you guys?
Alk: Uh... "It's totes unfair that you're livin' up your hot girl summer while I'm stuck here, so get your butt in gear and save me already!" Or something like that.
Cipher: Heh... Is that so? I'll have to double—no, triple my efforts then!
Cipher: Thanks for coming along, you two.
A cold front has hit Starview Village—the apparent cause being Cipher's lowered mood. Stella comes up with an idea to bring Rei to the village in order to reunite the two sisters. The plan is a success, and despite their sibling sqabbles, Cipher seems happy to be with her sister once again.
Light: I-it's f-f-freezing!
Light: A-any much longer a-and my fur might j-just freeze right off!
Cipher: Ngh... It just doesn't make any sense!
Stella: Cipher is at her studies again it seems.
Light: What does that have to do with the sudden drop in—
Light: Wait. You mean to say she can somehow manipulate the weather...with her FEELINGS?
Nimbus: Alk, you gotta do somethin' about this.
Nimbus: Before we all die of frostbite out here, if possible.
Alk: Calmed down yet?
Cipher: Ah, yes. So sorry.
Cipher: It appears I'm still unable to reign in my magic past a certain threshold.
Alk: You're saying that you've become even stronger than before?
Cipher: My ice powers have, at least. I can even fabricate frozen orbs out of thin air now.
Cipher: But that's it. I've basically made no headway in actually getting it all under control!
Cipher: Believe me, I've searched far and wide for help—I even sought help from other wizards in Palpebra.
Cipher: But if an expert in the frozen arcane arts can't even master this, what hope do they have of helping me?
Alk: Hmm...
Cipher: Rei would've been able to do it.
Cipher: I'm hopeless... Perhaps we all would've been better off if I was the one who became sick instead.
Rei: Are you stupid or something?!
Rei: That is THE dumbest thing I've heard out of her mouth yet. Geez, I wish she'd unfreeze me right now so I can punch the stupid out of her!
Alk: Well, you know... she's just dealing with this in her own way.
Rei: Yeah? Well, she shouldn't be saying stuff like that in any scenario!
Rei: Like, there's no way I'd be able to save her by myself. Get real!
Stella: She said that if it were you, you'd be able to do anything.
Rei: She may act dumb, but I know she's smart. The problem is that she's a big scaredy-cat who won't get off her lazy butt to actually apply herself!
Rei: That useless idiot...
Stella: So it seems that you need her.
Stella: Understood.
Rei: Wait, wha—what did you understand?
Alk: Heh... Who knows?
Alk: But whatever it is, I'm sure she's on to something.
Rei: Uh, hello? I can't see a thing out there in this state, you know. What's the sitch?
Cipher: We're on a ship. And soon we'll be taking you to another world, by means of the ocean.
Rei: Hoo, boy... I'm getting the heebie-jeebies.
Rei: But those friends of yours are pretty cray, huh?
Cipher: Heh...
Cipher: Heh... Ahaha! I thought the very same... Oh Stella, you magnificent genius!
Cipher: What will you think of next?
Stella: Resuming operation: Move-in. Is everything under control, Cipher?
Cipher: Leave it to me, Stella. This amount of ice should be a piece of cake.
Nimbus: Damn, woman. That's some impressive magic!\
Rei: We've got all the time in the world, Cipher. I know I say a lot of stuff, but...
Rei: I believe in you, Ciph. And so does the rest of your crazy crew, apparently.
Rei: And maybe one day you'll live up to this personality you've made for yourself.
Cipher: Heh... Look who's prattling on now?
Cipher: But of course, that goes without saying! Hold on tight, Rei!
Rei: ...No, no, no! You've got the technique all wrong!
Rei: Geez, how sloppy can your magic get? No—not like that! Did you already forget what was on the last page?
Cipher: Will you let me work in peace already?!
Cipher: How am I supposed to concentrate on this with you critiquing every single thing I do?!
Rei: Oh, brother. Here we go AGAIN with the excuses...
Alk: Are they seriously at it again?
Stella: Yes. But I think... they both seem happier now.