>> @SWORDARTONLINE | @ALL

[prizeneck]

[At the equivalent of 03:45 AM, you're getting a voice message because fuck your text feature. ]

Right, question.

Actually two.



First: Imagine you're being chased for a long time. You're unarmed, and yer injured. About to keel over. You can only carry one thing as you're running: a cell phone [a pause, and a rustle - he's waving his hand] or whatever you people use to communicate; or some food.

Which one do you take, and why?



Second question: who here can deal with high tech gadgets? I got a thing that needs checking before we head to the next mission.

Comments

[prizeneck]

Air... horses... was that from a previous mission, or...? [He's so confused.] And what is this dragonglass?


[He pauses at that. As a swordfighter, he has a bit of an interest and he doesn't really bother to hide it.] So you think that death comes easier to those you don't have to look in the eye?

[northerndragon]

Dragonglass, it's another name for obsidian. It's rare, but so brittle that until recently, we thought it nearly worthless. The air horses... from what I've heard, others are calling them hoverbikes. Are there other kinds of bikes?

[He doesn't know what a bike is. Every day here involves some internal concession that he really knows nothing, more frequent and simple concessions than he's had to make in years. It's frustrating: at home, he's considered sharp, most of the time, extremely able in all sorts of ways, good at sums and history and the way the world works, with a fine clean hand when he writes a message and a fine way with a blade, too.]

I think killing comes easier to people who don't have to look each other in the eye. But they aren't the better for it. Doesn't mean I wouldn't use arrows in battle, though. I would, and I'd light them on fire, if the conditions were right for it.

[prizeneck]

You’d use a brittle material as a weapon? You’re not telling me something, here.

And yeah, there are normal motorbikes or bicycles. Ain’t an expert, but I’ll tell you that those don’t fly. Not unless you have some sort of cutting-edge tech up your sleeve.

[At that last part though, he frowns. While he’s not an adept of killing - it just isn’t his style and death always seems too easy an escape for the people he deals with.]

Sounds like you’re a soldier, but not a killer. That correct?

[private from here on out]

[northerndragon]

The stories of what's coming are so old that half the men at home don't believe them. Why would I expect anyone here to? Dragonglass is no good for ordinary weapons, but it kills the White Walkers and the Army of the Dead, where good steel is useless.

All soldiers are killers, whether they like it or not — or they must be prepared to be. I command them now, but I was a soldier in my turn.

[prizeneck]

You're traveling through time on a spaceship stranded on a flying fish. What are these White Walkers? Some kind of Unit?

[northerndragon]

[Point.]

What's a Unit?

The White Walkers are soldiers that come down from the far North. They look a little like men from a distance, but they aren't men, and there aren't many of them. They raise the dead to fight for them, and they're hard to kill. Fire kills a wight, dragonglass kills a wight, a rare sort of blade kills a wight, but the White Walkers may be immune to fire.

Their army is 100,000 strong.

[prizeneck]

A group. Sometimes part of an army specialized in one thing. Other times a militia. Like... [What was it that the regal speaking girl had said...] "sell swords"?

Ever heard of zombies? [Can you tell he's frowning?]

oh hey pretend those last few were in the right typeface for voice! I hecked up.

[northerndragon]

Zombies?

[He sounds baffled, but when he continues, it's more rueful and exhausted.]

No, I've never heard of them. But I have heard of sellswords. I don't think they'd be of much help against the White Walkers unless they understood that they were fighting for themselves as much as anyone else.

no problemo I imagined it would be like that

[prizeneck]

[A shift. This guy really comes from a place where all references are off. It's intriguing.]

A monster. Well, a myth. Undead rising to walk again and... eat brains, I guess. [You can tell he's no expert on this. The most experience he had with any of the sorts were people so drugged up they couldn't even feel pain and were influenced to attack him.]

If they're that big a threat, why are they not easily convinced?