catchall estelle

[skyagain]

Comments

[mustbepurged]

You use magic, too? [Her eyes widen a little.] I didn't expect that...

[skyagain]

Back home, if they've got Materia, pretty much everyone can. Some just have an easier time than others.

[mustbepurged]

Materia? What's that?

[skyagain]

Crystallized mako. You could say it's... like a concentrated piece of the Planet's life force and memory. It's a little hard to explain if yours doesn't have mako.

[mustbepurged]

No, we don't... But we might have something similar.

What you're describing sounds a lot like blastia, a technology that people in my world used in order to use magic.

[skyagain]

Could be. Materia can form on its own in the wild, but most of it these days is manufactured. Guess that counts as technology.

What's blastia like?

[mustbepurged]

"Blastia are devices composed of two parts: a body and a core. The body is responsible for controlling the magic that is generated by the core."

[Yeah, she's definitely reciting that from somewhere.]

The cores are like gemstones made of condensed aer. And aer is like... magic energy, but it's also a substance the planet needs to sustain life. Blastia can be used to power machines, and when worn on the body, allow humans to use magic.

[skyagain]

... Yeah, I guess that's similar enough. You don't need anything to use materia with, though people equip them in weapons or accessories for ease of use.

[ he'll. gesture. in the two holes on his buster sword. materia slots!! ]

[mustbepurged]

Wow, that's kind of convenient... Are materia easy to come across?

[skyagain]

In nature, not really. And they don't come cheap. Unless you're out fighting monsters or working for Shinra, most people don't bother buying them. Can't afford it.

[mustbepurged]

I suppose that makes sense...

Who or what is Shinra?

[skyagain]

The Shinra Electric Power Company. Their reactors is what gathers mako to create materia and generate electricity. They're in the war business.

[mustbepurged]

Electric power, materia, and war? That's quite the company...

[skyagain]

If there's something they can get their hands dirty in, they've got it. Science division is the one to look out for.

[mustbepurged]

Why the science division...?

[skyagain]

Because of the guy who runs it.

[ explain? no ]

[mustbepurged]

... He's bad news, I take it.

[skyagain]

Worse than that. His favorite subjects are the ones still alive and kicking.

[mustbepurged]

You mean, human experimentation...?

[skyagain]

Anything that's sentient. Everything's a big experiment to him.

[mustbepurged]

That's horrible... Isn't there a way to stop him?

[skyagain]

Not so long as he's got Shinra backing him up and footing the bill. They'll keep providing him whatever he wants so long as he gets the results they're looking for.

[mustbepurged]

They're really that powerful...?

... No, I suppose I can't talk. There are people within the empire who seem to be completely above the law, too...

[skyagain]

[ well, he nods at powerful, but; ]

The empire?

[mustbepurged]

Yes, that's where I'm from. The emperor passed away last year without leaving an heir, which allowed opportunists within the Council and the Knights to seize power.

Members of the Council would commit atrocities, and because it's up to the Council to prosecute such crimes... You can probably imagine how that went.