[Game thread] Skull Ruins Pokerole

[Dragonstrike]

Spoiler

Despite the discontent bubbling within Shiva that ended up lacing her words with sharp bitterness/frustration, Ventus let her speak their mind to the emotionally vulnerable boy. The reason he did so were simple: If he stopped her from releasing her negativity it would only grow and fester in her ,  he mostly agreed with what she had to say on the matter (Though he though the boy was capable of preforming the ritual, given his extraoridinary amounts of compassion) , and that, sometimes, 'some anvils needed to be dropped' if he or the group was going to make any significant progress together through Cheshire, let alone on their current quest. Regardless of the good of his mystical friend's words, they still carried potent feelings that could (and most likely would) weigh Nathan down even further into the mire of doubt and self resentment he's experiencing, so he spoke up soon after she finished speaking her piece on the matter, placing a hand on her should while he did so.

" I believe that is enough for the time being, Shiva. We've made our case and presented what evidence we had that this ritual would meet our expectations, so let us not overly pressure him about this anymore than we already have." Ventus then looked over at boy crying, and gave them the best worried smile he could muster in bleak times such as this one. "I'm sorry that we've been so....insistent on our method in getting to the 'Ends of the Earth' , Nathan.....we just thought that our findings would be enough to help rekindle your spirits, and got incessed when that wasn't the case. Still, I understand why your skeptical of this, as we only have old, circumstantial evidence supporting our claims and no definitive proof that summoning the 'Southern Wind Incarnate' would actually be a successful endevour. I know better than most of the overwhelming pressure you feel right now, and the weigh of responsibility that comes with it, so being critical about this is perfectly reasonable."

He took a deep breath then, and did his utmost to release as much of his own negativity in his exhaulation so that his next words would not come across bitter or hurtfull. ".....But Nathan....what do we stand to lose by trying this summoning ritual that is not already on the line? It may be a longshot effort, yes, and the time we have to solve this crisis of Vine is crucial, but if we leave Arrowroot now for the location implied by Tandel, Stair City would almost assuredly be lost unless Dagney and Stable Z succeed in quelling the Vines by themselves. Staying here to conduct the ritual, in the grand scheme of things, would not significantly affect our chances of stopping the vines. If we fail in the ritual, we proceed to the next set of clues to solve this crisis, and are given more time to open Kirlia's heart more to outsiders. If we succeed, though, all of us will be taken to our desired location, and can proceed to the next stage in solving the vines."

"In light of all this, would it not be preferential to try the ritual and move on regardless of the outcome, rather move on right away?"

Kirlia actually gives Ventus a small smile.  Ventus was actually doing a decent job of talking with Nathan right now.

"I didn't say...*sigh*..."

His head's still hanging, and he still feels rather defeated, but he's stopped crying...

"...how long do you think it will take?  We have a week.  At best.  If we don't reach a solution by then...Max will likely be..."

He's had barely any input, Shiva seemed set on doing this herself regardless of whether it was to help him, he's out of ideas after digging for details (he doubted they'd be able to get an exact location), and he has what he considers close family in the affected area...Nathan's had a pretty miserable time...

...but there's little else he can do right now...it seems to be out of his hands for now, and not by his choice...

(Want a hint on how to help him out, Windos?  Ask who Max is.)