Synchronization Complete
At last the onslaught of interesting times seemed to have abated for a span. Hunger awoke the next day to a fresh dawn, birdsong against a pink-gold sky, the world open and effervescent before them. A wind blew past, carrying the scent of lilies and roses, dewdrop lightness like a feather's caress.
He looked down to see the promised bouquet laid out around him. It was impressively bountiful and immaculately arranged. A smirk tugged at his lips. One ought expect nothing less from Lady Allria, though he wondered where she had gotten the flowers from. There was a card as well, made from creamy paper-stock which she must have scavenged from Letrizia's supplies.
To our hero, said the card, written in perfect calligraphic hand with a spontaneity and flourish that captured well the tone of its writer. He paused in his reading to look into the distance. The Sorceress really was frighteningly talented at nearly everything she turned her mind to. Did her powers of nullification somehow arise from that? As if to say, 'should this world be reduced to the human level, I would be Empress and none could stand against me?'
Idle speculation. Gisena was too irresponsible for that. He returned to his reading.
I hope you enjoy this lovely bouquet. I spent nearly half an hour on it! Also, I've worked on your Curses, about as well as could be managed. You should find that the times are slightly less interesting, and your Decimator's hunger more easily assuaged.
Love,
Lady Gisena Allria
Your Favorite Sorceress~
Truly a terrifying woman. He set the card aside and examined his arm, which one evening ago had been little more than ash and bone. Healed now, sealed perfectly and without scar, though the long-ago amputations of his other arm and eye persisted.
He was human again, the spirit entwined inextricably with the flesh, though the potential of his wraith-form slumbered beneath, ready to awaken when his mortal coil failed. With an effort of will he brought that ghostflame to the surface, channeling it through his cloak of stars so that their ambient glow might continue to heal Letrizia.
The girl was laid in a makeshift cot beside his own, and the passing night had done well for her condition. The ghostfire's curative light worked slowly, but its healing was profound, and the grisly mass of burns that covered her left side had improved considerably in complexion and texture.
Another passing breeze blew a flower into Letrizia's face, and she grumbled, blinking into wakefulness, pushing herself upright with an elbow. Her eyes were still bleary as she touched her face with only a minute wince of pain.
"Am I...?"
He raised an eyebrow. "Are you?"
"Ah!" she startled. "Um, hey! Don't tease me right now! Can't you see I'm injured!?"
He turned away. "Such a stoic pilot. A shining example for all who wish to join the Armament Corps."
She pouted. "As if there's such a thing! Anyway, I do feel a lot better. Guess I've got you to thank for that?"
"Maybe it was Gisena." He buffed his fingers against his chest.
"Hm!" She raised her palms to his cloak, as if basking in heat from a fire. "Feels nice, whatever this is. The light is so soothing, too... can I borrow this?"
"It won't work if I'm not wearing it," he said amusedly.
"No fair!" She snuggled against the soft drape, brushing her uninjured cheek against its cloudlike surface. "How come you get all the cool stuff?"
"...You saying Verschlengorge isn't cool?"
"You tell me, Praehihr." She stuck her tongue out.
"Rest." He patted her sternly on the head. "We've still got that blue swordsman to worry about. We'll stay at the lakeside for one day more to recuperate, then we need to decide on our next destination."
"Hm," Gisena came up from behind them, plopping herself down on his opposite side. "I've got a few ideas in mind!"
"Eavesdropping again?" He flicked a rose at her, which she dodged artfully.
"When am I not?" She asked, stretching languidly. "You, who are within Nullity's regard, should not expect to escape it so easily!"
"A shame," he replied. "And here I hoped we could steal away with the Armament before you noticed."
"And deprive yourself of mine august company?" She batted her eyelashes. "You can't fool me! You simply love my noble presence too much to go even a day without."
"And I thought Seralize was entitled," he observed. "I guess she can't compete with a Sorceress, and a noble lady at that."
"Naturally," Gisena preened, flicking her hair. She turned up her nose to expose her elegant neck, a haughty expression that was distractingly convincing. "Though, I imagine she was simply a solipsist. Entitlement only takes you so far, after all. To believe your enemy had given up and would simply let you kill him..."
"A testament to my acting skills, nothing more." He replied. "I did sympathize with her, to a degree. Many times we attacked the Tyrant only to be repelled with severe losses. I too would swear vengeance with blind sincerity..."
"Nonsense," Gisena shook her head. "Your Tyrant presumably lived up to his title. Whereas we haven't been bothering anyone!"
"There is Verschlengorge's Decimation," Letrizia said uncomfortably. "And his very existence is like a beacon in the Astral realm."
"That reminds me," he rose to his feet. It felt good, to be reasonably whole and free of wounds. Time to do that which he'd put off long enough. "Letrizia, if you're feeling able, I'd like to examine Verschlengorge today. We should investigate whether my Curse is in any way linked to his."
"Mhm!" She chirped, slowly rising to her feet as well. "Of course I can do this much. Just who do you think I am?"
"Don't know. But you do resemble... A certain redheaded pilot from a famous animated-"
"You!" She slapped his arm angrily. "H-hmph! Just get in the robot, Hunger!"
"Not helping your case," he smugly said.
Wounded as Verschlengorge was, its internals were mostly intact, and Letrizia, sporting fresh bandages, pointed out various systems of interest as they walked. The cockpit was reasonably spacious, a comfortably reinforced pilot's chair in front of an array of futuristic panels. A good portion of the array was cracked and badly seared, though no longer smoldering, the flames having desisted overnight.
Behind was storage space for the pilot's personal effects: pictures of Letrizia's family, various books and instruction manuals, an ornate military saber and a small fold-out cot.
"You've both ridden with me in the cockpit, so I don't need to explain the basics. You've mostly seen me use the manual controls, but there's another control scheme that can be employed when the Armament's Rank is sufficiently restored."
She pointed at the constellation of runes that covered the ceiling of the cockpit. "Totality. Merger of self and consciousness with the Armament. A much smoother means of control, as Verschlengorge has tactical reflexes many times faster than those of humans. It also prevents injury to the pilot, as our bodies are transposed within the Armament's Astral shadow."
"Hm. So the best way to learn any secrets, or unusual connections with the Armament-"
"Would be that, yes." Letrizia nodded. "I'm not sure how we'll actually pull it off, though. We need some way to heal Verschlengorge, and I don't think your ghost-light is up to the task."
"And in the meantime, his Curse of Decimation..."
"Well," Letrizia temporized. "It's really not so bad for short durations, and the range should be low since he's so badly weakened... but, yes. It's active, unless there's an interaction with your Curse that I don't know about. Verschlengorge can sate its hunger by hunting powerful opponents, though it weakens him somewhat. It's in no state to do that right now."
We're more alike than you think, he mused, placing his hand on the Armament's control array. "So this cockpit is mostly human technology, but the ceiling is directly connected to the creature's flesh."
"That's right," Letrizia nodded. "The flesh and its runes are Foremost work. We don't understand it that well, to be honest."
He raised his hand, tracing his fingers across the runes, watching as they flashed blue at his touch. Something compelled him to place his palm against the center, the sense of affinity intensifying rapidly...
He did so, and a rumble of movement rippled through Verschlengorge, every rune suddenly alive and flaring, again the icy blue that cut across sight like a knife-wound in the real, the stencil-pattern of their arrangement carved into his mind, into his soul -
"Curse synchronization complete. Onwards, to the shining tomorrow. Welcome, Cursebearer."
The sense of affinity had solidified, become almost like a tangible thread between them, an umbilical cord of the spirit that apprised him of their relative locations. He understood instinctively that the Armament's ownership had been transferred to him, that it would obey his commands without question, and that the Curse that afflicted it was no more, merged seamlessly into his own without any increase in effect, so long as the leash between them was unbroken. There was a limited range, but it was vast, more than a planet's worth.
He narrowed his eyes. "The shining tomorrow...?"
Letrizia fidgeted. "You can understand it? A translation function built into your connection?"
"It's speaking in Foremost still?"
She nodded, eyes wide. "This is the most I've ever heard it say."
"Letrizia is still your pilot," he said to the machine.
The creature responded, its booming voice rattling the cockpit in which they stood. "Of course. She is more skilled than you, and We like her."
"Tell me what you know," he addressed the giant. "About Cursebearers, about the Foremost, the shining tomorrow. Tell me everything."
"Disclosure is restricted. We tire."
"Restricted to what? How do I qualify? Am I not a Cursebearer? What further is required?"
"Means of disclosure are restricted."
And with that, the runes lost their glow once more, and Verschlengorge went inert, speaking no more, no matter what was asked or how. The machine would still respond to manual commands, fighting as ably as ever, but the beast within was silent.
Well. At least they weren't being doubly decimated any more.
---
Navigating to the [X] Temple of the False Moon is no trivial task! According to the map, there are a number of routes one could take:
[ ] The Scenic Route - This route seems very safe and quite beautiful, but its cumbersome circumlocutions will take several days to navigate. Plenty of time to get to know your companions better.
*Travel time: 7-9 days
*Danger level: Low
*Bonus: +Letrizia +Gisena
*Gain Experience enough for 1 (+1) generic selection from Astral monsters defeated while guarding Verschlengorge.
70% chance of relatively uneventful journey
20% chance of minor additional bonus
10% chance of major additional bonus
[ ] The Quickest Route - This route promises passage in less than a day, though it's fraught with danger, passing through several agglomerations of monster lairs.
*Travel time: 1-2 days considering sleep, meals
*Danger level: High
*Bonus: I Am The Danger - 10% effectiveness bonus for the duration of this journey and until the Temple is completed or forces you to retreat
*Penalty: Letrizia will not be fully healed by the time you arrive at the Temple, if you arrive.
50% chance of moderately eventful journey (fighting monsters grants Experience worth 2 + 1 selections)
20% chance of highly eventful journey (As above, but suffer a moderate complication)
20% chance to be interrupted by a highly dangerous monster
10% chance to be interrupted by an exceptionally dangerous monster
[ ] The Really Scenic Route - This route of medium length passes through a horrifying expanse of murderous beasts and perilous traversals. It is the suggested route on the map. The scenery does look rather beautiful.
*Travel time: 5-7 days
*Danger level: Extreme
*Bonus: Death or Glory. +Gisena, +.25 Rank if you survive.
*Bonus: Halcyon Expanse - +1 Arete from inspirational landscapes
50% chance to be interrupted by an exceptionally dangerous monster
25% chance to be interrupted by an epically dangerous monster
20% chance to be interrupted by multiple dangerous monsters and other hazards
5% chance of death
A highly dangerous monster is worth 3 (+ 1) picks and usually offers at least one 3-pick option. An exceptionally dangerous monster may offer a 4-pick option. An epically dangerous monster will unlock multiple 3- or 4-pick options.
We will not be using the forum roller for this.
What will be your strategy upon reaching the Temple?
[ ] Conservative - Letrizia in Verschlengorge, Gisena to Protect Them, Explore Temple Yourself
[ ] Risky - You + Gisena in the Temple, Letrizia in Verschlengorge by Herself
[ ] Abandon Verschlengorge - All humans in the Temple, Verschlengorge by Himself
The latter options are quite dangerous to Verschlengorge. The former is quite dangerous to you.
