2nd adventure: sightseeing and debrief

"I dunno, Snowstorm!" he exclaims, upset at the attention given to him by everyone, with no way of eliciting more attention from the statue. "It just looked at me when I got near it, and now I'm closer than I was before and it doesn't seem to care. Hmm...maybe I want it mad at me. Perhaps I should take the piss?" He hooks his thumb beneath the top of his leather pants for emphasis.

"Just let me get away from you first." - Mihai quickly adds, still standing his ground (i.e., he's saying it's a bad idea to start pissing in public).

Konrad looks back over the crowd. "Heh, just kidding. I'm not gonna deface a public monument just to get some answers."

He steps away from the statue. Further away than he was when he approached the guard. In fact, he's next to a guard now.

Mihai doesn't budge and just keeps looking at it.

"Don't suppose you'll give me a hint." - he mutters to the statue.

"Hey Alvo, you smell like seagull dun. You are also remembered for two things--courage in battle and cowardice in matters of the heart. "Brave Alvo Victivius-Victor at Zest's Gate, pillar of courage and first in the hearts of his countrymen-lost only one battle. And so his dearest Sara Strobel, never knowing his heart, loved another instead.""

The statue's head turns slowly, and its stony eyes are now fixated on Steve. The crowd gasps, and the guards instinctively put their hands on the handle of their swords.

"Steve, you made it move!" exclaims Breeze, really happy.

Its whole body, 15 feet tall, is now in motion. It steps down from the pedestal and takes a step towards Steve, and consequently, the rest of the party.

"Steve... you made it move!" adds the fairy, really worried.

"By Deremonda's neck..." mutters Zelk. She and Fedler back away a little, just like everyone else on the plaza.

Frowning, Steve crosses his arms stubbornly and waits for the statue.

For some reason, Mihai seems a bit stung by Steve's words. More so than the big statue advancing in his general direction.

"I'll never get over how well that works, kid." - Mihai acknowleges Steve, and stands his ground.

"Maybe a little too well," says Steve sidelong.

Konrad takes a step back, but looks on with interest. "At least we know it's smart. Try getting it to talk back."

"Try getting it to not hit you."

Once the statue is but a few meters away from the party, it suddenly raises its giant sword, and as it reaches its apex, green flames erupt from the blade. The crowd panics and immediately disperses, fleeing the apparent point of impact of the sword; Steve's head.

"IthinkIsawenough!" yells Breeze.

Zelk yanks on Steve's collar, dragging him away; Fedler takes Mihai's arm, saving him for goodness; and Breeze lands on Konrad's face, shouting at his left eye, "RUN!"

"Seriously!?" Konrad takes off at a brisk pace. "Great, now we just gotta reason with it!" He's not upset - well, he was, at the statue choosing to impulsively attack. But this is exhilarating. What did it expect? We curious creatures poke and prod until there's nothing left to do but jab, hoping for a reaction, in order to gain a better understanding of the world around us.

Mihai offers no resistance whatsoever to being dragged by his arm by Fedler, for some odd reason.

"Whoa!" exclaims Steve as Zelk pulls him out of the way. He didn't really believe the statue would attack. Some hero Alvo turned out to be.

All the party members have begun to flee from the impending attack, but after a few seconds, they realize that there's been no sound of impact. Whenever they decide to look at the statue again, they see the flaming sword immobile, still high into the air. The green flames go out. "Alvo" slowly lowers his weapon, turns around, and returns on the pedestal. Apparently indifferent to the terrified looks of the citizens of Zest and the random travelers, it takes its original posture, and stops moving.

No one on the plaza dares to speak.

Mihai stands still looking at it for several seconds without a word. When he finally speaks, he can only say - "Sorry. You can keep holding on to my arm if you want."

Fedler is too much in shock to respond, for now, and keeps holding onto his arm.

Konrad walks back to the statue to speak to it. What does the GM do?

Steve rubs at his neck where the collar dug in. "Pfff. I knew he wouldn't attack. HEY ALVO, GOOD ONE!" He starts laughing in relief.

Mihai lays his other hand on Fedler's arm - "Are you ok?"

Fedler looks absentmindedly at Mihai. "Uh? Yeah, yeah. I'm okay."

The statue doesn't respond to Steve, but the mage who was studying it does. He gestures to the guards to gather around him, and when he sees Konrad approach the statue again, he points at him and shouts, "Arrest them!" The guards put a hand on their swords and advance on the party to surround them. The crowd has now focused their attention on you.

"Great," says Zelk under her breath.

Mihai raises his voice - "What's the charge?"

"Disruption of public order will do for now," replies the mage. "Once you're in custody, the higher ups will take it from there."

The guards slowly close in, hands still on the handle of their unsheathed weapons.

"Yeah, what are you arresting us for? If you have a problem take it up with your boy Alvo. That guy is the one who's stomping around scaring people."