Rakisha/Stories
Alk and Nimbus meet Rakisha, a traveler who uses a water-manipulating brush to irrigate the fields of a borderlands village. When a monster attack forces Nimbus to bare his claws, the villagers begin clamoring for him to lead an insurrection against the royal family. Rakisha, knowing that war only causes destruction, cautions the villagers against violence and sets out with the Starview crew in search of another form of salvation.
Nimbus: Hey. Flame newt skewer's done.
Alk: Nice. Your food's always got this roughing-it-in-the-wild flair to it.
Alk: Mm
Alk: Need. More. WATER!
Nimbus: Hate to break it to you
???: Not necessarily.
Water Summoner: Voila.
Nimbus: The hell are you?
Rakisha: Rakisha. Just a simple traveler.
Rakisha: And you're the Hellcat of the Dunes. Rude moniker
Nimbus: How do you know my name?
Rakisha: Oh
Rakisha: I miss him too
Villager: Rakisha? Rakisha
Villager: You traveled all the way to the west border
Rakisha: Villages are being snuffed out like candles in the dark. I think the royals are just getting started.
Villager: No... What'll happen to the fields you created?
Villager: I-it's the Hellcat! What's he doing here?!
Rakisha: Calm down. This is Nimbus. He's my friend.
Rakisha: How are those fields doing anyways?
Villager: F-fine
Rakisha: Follow me. There's something I'd like you to see.
Nimbus: Is... Is this a mirage?
Rakisha: It's as real as the water you drank earlier. This brush of mine came from the ruins. It's magical.
Rakisha: It can locate wellsprings and draw out water.
Alk: That's amazing! You could turn this desert into a giant oasis.
Rakisha: I wish. The brush controls water—it doesn't produce it. I could barely squeeze out enough to irrigate these fields.
Rakisha: And anyways
Rakisha: ...Is it true you two aren't from this world?
Rakisha: Is there really a place out there where the soil is fertile and the wind soft with dew?
Nimbus: We...
Villager: Rakisha! M-monsters!
Rakisha: Get back! You could've been hurt! Leave the fighting to me.
Alk: Nimbus!
Nimbus: Yeah
Rakisha: Everyone safe?
Villager: Yeah. The Hellcat sure can fight...
Villager: Rakisha
Nimbus: What'd you say?
Rakisha: No. Insurrection is not the answer.
Rakisha: One governor
Rakisha: Destruction. The loss of more lives and more villages. The desert winds are harsh enough. We don't need people stirring up a storm.
Villager: But even if we don't act
Nimbus: Is that what this is about? Not knowing when you're gonna die scares you
Nimbus: You think that's agency? That's power? It's stupid
Alk: Nimbus...
Rakisha: He's right. Starting a war will be like digging your own grave.
Rakisha: We're not killers. We're not fighters. We're survivors. If
Rakisha: Nimbus
Rakisha: I'd like to apologize. I shouldn't have brought you to that village.
Nimbus: *sigh* It's fine. What I expect from humans around here anyway.
Alk: You're not staying with them?
Rakisha: No
Rakisha: And having a miracle worker living among them could attract unwanted attention.
Nimbus: Is that why you travel so much?
Rakisha: It's part of the reason. I'm searching for a new beacon to guide this kingdom to peace and prosperity.
Rakisha: You didn't get a chance to answer my question from before. Were Rolan's stories true?
Nimbus: Yeah. We're living them right now.
Nimbus: You might not find what you're looking for
Rakisha: Thought you'd never ask. My journey is far from over.
Alk: Glad to have you aboard
Rakisha: Thank you for having me.
Rakisha: ...I won't let defeat overtake me.
Rakisha and co. save a young man who traveled to the Kaleidoscope in search of elemental gems, which can be turned into fertilizer. After she teaches the man to fend for himself, Rakisha sets her sights on the Arcane Arts Academy, hoping to glean more information on gems and their agricultural value.
Rakisha: So this is the Kaleidoscope. What a strange place...
Light: Strange barely describes it. It shifts and turns with time like a living creature
Rakisha: Mysterious
Rakisha: If only the royals would let hunters wander in and out of the ruins just as freely
Nimbus: Helps that Palpebra's not a country in the first place.
Rakisha: AND there's no drought.
Rakisha: Haha. Here
Rakisha: And I am just your average traveler. Everything is so different...
Man's Voice: AAAAH! S-STAY AWAY!
Rakisha: Can you stand? Get back!
Rakisha: Phew...
Young Man: Y-you saved my life!
Rakisha: Looks like you're unhurt. Thank goodness.
Light: You are no adventurer. What brings you to the Kaleidoscope?
Nimbus: If it was on a dare
Young Man: N-no! Of course not! I need elemental gems!
Young Man: The topsoil
Rakisha: What's soil got to do with gems?
Young Man: Huh? I mean
Rakisha: It can?!
Young Man: Y-yeah... I don't know much about the process
Young Man: That's why I'm not going home until I've gotten my hands on at least a shard!
Alk: But it's dangerous for you to be here alone. Why didn't someone else from the village come with you?
Young Man: Everyone thinks the gem thing is just a hocus-pocus scam. But if I could just prove it actually works...
Light: Very well. We have some gems to spare—
Rakisha: Wait. Light
Rakisha: Give a man a fish
Stella: Then you taught him how to trawl safely for gems.
Rakisha: Yes. The shallows shouldn’t pose a danger to him anymore.
Rakisha: That man was a trailblazer. He'll be back to the Kaleidoscope.
Light: And the next time around
Rakisha: I just didn't want his journey to end.
Pur Lilie: If I'm gonna be completely honest though
Rakisha: Who knew gems could be so useful?
Pur Lilie: I mean
Pur Lilie: But their biggest contribution was to farming. Crops are the number one force behind Palpebra's economy.
Pur Lilie: By the way
Rakisha: The Guild offers that much support?
Pur Lilie: Apparently
Pur Lilie: But then they realized if they shared that power
Rakisha: This really is a strange place...
Nimbus: You still tryin' to find ways to be a savior to the desert? Thought you were starting to enjoy life as an average adventurer.
Rakisha: I was...
Rakisha: But it seems no matter how far I travel
Rakisha: Heh. I guess it's just part of who I am.
Nimbus: Can't say I understand.
Rakisha: ...Mind taking me to the Arcane Arts Academy sometime?
Rakisha: I need to learn about those gems.
Stella: I am also curious. Let's go together.
Rakisha: Thanks
Rakisha: Will you be joining us
Nimbus: Do I have a choice?
Nimbus: You've never taken no for an answer
Rakisha visits a borderlands village to find it destroyed. After an investigation, she learns that the villagers, now focused solely on survival, pulled through by escaping into underground ruins. Overjoyed at their new hunger for life, Rakisha gifts the villagers fertilizer made from elemental gems.
Rakisha: I feel bad making you trek out to the borderlands
Nimbus: Considerate
Rakisha: Always.
Alk: I wonder how the elemental gems will mix with the soil here.
Alk: Light? Something wrong?
Light: We should be close to the village. And yet
Rakisha: How did this happen?!
Light: Rakisha!
Light: Is that what destroyed the village?
Rakisha: You'll pay for this!
Rakisha: HAAAAH!
Rakisha: *pant* *pant* Isn't... Isn't anyone alive?!
Rakisha: Where are the survivors?!
Rakisha: Wait... I don't see any bodies. War always leaves a trail of human suffering
Nimbus: I smell something... Humans!
Rakisha: These ruins...
Alk: Recognize them?
Rakisha: I was the one who discovered them. There's a web of tunnels inside connected to other ruins and unknown danger
Rakisha: Just maybe...
Rakisha: You're all safe!
Villager: Rakisha!
Rakisha: You don't know how happy I am to see you! What happened? What forced you to evacuate to these ruins?
Rakisha: ...Will nothing quench the royal family's thirst for blood?
Villager: Well... They didn't get even a drop this time. Folks from the western border sounded the alarm
Nimbus: I didn't know borderlanders communicated between villages.
Villager: We didn't—until Rakisha.
Villager: I took a leaf out of your book
Villager: There wasn't a single village that would refuse shelter to a friend of yours. And I'd often stay up late into the night
Rakisha: You? A traveler?
Villager: What can I say? You kindled the spirit of adventure in me. And good thing too. It was someone out west who told me about these ruins.
Villager: We—as a village—did some thinking when you left. About how to survive
Villager: Right now
Rakisha: That's more than enough.
Rakisha: You're resilient. Far stronger than I ever gave you credit for.
Villager: Oh
Villager: I'd call this the opposite of okay...
Villager: Oh well. We're just gonna have to rebuild and resow the fields. Or actually
Rakisha: Looks like I had nothing to worry about.
Rakisha: Here. This dust was crafted from elemental gems. Mix it into the earth
Villager: I never knew gems had that kind of power...
Rakisha: It's not magic though.
Rakisha: You'll probably need to adjust the formula so it's compatible with the local soil. And that's going to take research and experimentation.
Rakisha: Also
Villager: You've brought us a seed of hope
Rakisha: I really need to stop underestimating you all.
Villagers: —How much should we use? —We should save at least half for research! —We'd better start collecting gems ourselves!
Alk: Things are looking up
Rakisha: I'd always thought the desert sucked the strength out of people and made them weak. But maybe I just never realized how deep their roots ran...
Rakisha: Seems like I wasn't a miracle worker after all.
Light: They grew strong because you cared for them
Light: You gave them courage and direction. There are few gifts more valuable.
Rakisha: You really are a sweet-talker
Villager: Rakisha? Mind sticking around for a bit? Just until we get things up and running.
Rakisha: Of course I'll stay.
Rakisha: From here on out
Rakisha: Do you think I could bring a few of these villagers to Starview?
Nimbus: As long as you keep it to a few. Stella's never been known to turn anyone away.
Alk: Yep.
Rakisha: ...You're the most generous souls I've ever met.