A Simple Transaction I
- Thread starter Rihaku
- Start date
- Original
Light of the Soul
Rihaku
The Internet
Light of the Soul
Hunger was tired.
Despite immense improvements to his swordsmanship and physical prowess, despite the advanced techniques of Pressure and Praxis that he had recently mastered... all seemed unsuitable, insufficient to the task of decisively overcoming Dien. When raw progression had failed to suffice, in the past he had turned to deception and treachery, but Dien's tactics were subtler and less direct than Hunger's own, leaving little room by which the Cursebearer could enact advantage by means of maneuver.
It was not that the Forebear had failed him, and certainly not the Accursed. The path he had taken, the path of the blade, did hold a solution to the problem of Dien Bravo. That he believed without fail.
He was merely, not far enough along to see it.
Nor would he be, at this close of Evening's Realm. Dien had spread too far, too quickly, and was so adroitly concealed that they had no leads whatsoever on his physical location - if the Foremost even had a primary body left. Hunger did not doubt that the Forebear, at the height of his powers, could have resolved this matter with a single stroke, a passing whim of Ruin mastered utterly and beyond mortal comprehension... but Hunger was not past mortal comprehension. Not yet, and not ever, if Dien felled him now.
His resolve had not faltered; he would see his vengeance through. But the constant tension between that indestructible resolve, and the apparent futility of his current situation, wore at him. It would take many mortal lifetimes to grind him down by despair, and Dien Bravo would fall or triumph well before, but it was - unusual - for Hunger to encounter an opponent so thoroughly draining. Even against Procyon's uttermost might he had kept his composure; that cool-headedness arguably had been the very crux of his victory, yet against this foe he saw only the empty pursuit of frustration.
Gisena approached, accompanied by the remainder of their companions. Behind her was a shimmering halo of condensed findross, starlight become synapse and transistor, turning like some worldly gear to bring all around it into interlocking harmony, focusing prism for the light of her magics. Channeled through the halo, the power of her Sorcery was refined and multiplied explosively, a leap as epochal as the gulf between brute awareness and sapient consciousness. Aobaru was uncharacteristically outside Novakhron, which was apparently being piloted by Aeira.
"You've completed another ascension," he noted. "Congratulations."
"Thank you, hun!" She preened. "But flattering as your adulation is, you should save it. For my work, the work of conclusively annihilating our Orcish foe, has only just begun!"
"That's a relief," Hunger scoffed, leaning back. "And here I thought I would have to kill him with my Sword."
"Oh, your sword still has a part to play," Gisena said earnestly, "As will all of you... but I will be the architect of this enemy's demise. Worry not Hunger, you will be the weapon through which my will is enacted, the creation of mystical Science that will eclipse and destroy Dien and his workings once and for all!"
"Put our faith in your genius, hm?" He smiled. "It's worked adequately in the past. Let us hope this attempt is more successful than the last time you tried to slay an orcish Hero, however."
She pouted. "As if a genius of my caliber would fail twice at the same task! That was merely a trial run, and myself without resources and alone. Now that I have this wonderful Ring you've gifted me, there is simply no reason to fear!"
"Though," she continued, glancing wistfully down at it, "I will miss it, after it's gone. Still, it was your gift to me, and it would be terribly impolite if I failed to expend this when your life itself is on the line..."
Expend the Azure? Hunger frowned. She would certainly not have successfully manifested her halo without its power of Artifice and invention, not at any reasonable speed. He was the Ring Crimson, and while the death of a rival was hardly cause for mourning, the Azure in its current state was more his subordinate for the present Age. Yet if even its bearer was resigned to its destruction, it would hardly be capable of resistance; not against such Rank as his party could muster, while its only channel of action was through that bearer herself.
"Enough generalities," he said. "Explain yourself, miss genius."
Gisena curtsied, and brought forth a drawn diagram. "By your leave, O King of Evening's Realm. Do you recall the Temple of the False Moon? Exciting to think it's not even been a year since you first felled it, including our time in this vacation Realm! Our lonely Azure was trapped within, enslaved by Plerion's artifice to produce and power the tenements of his tiny world, augment his forces with Soul Evocations. Such a versatile form of magic! I remember well when I first saved our lives by defeating that Groundskeeper Librarian, his array of effects so encompassing as to overwhelm your swordplay entirely!"
"And you hope to awaken such an Evocation in one of us?" Hunger raised an eyebrow. "Of power and utility sufficient to contest Dien's science?"
"Hope is the province of the ignorant and the meek," Gisena dismissed. "I would hardly gainsay it, but relying on it when superior methods exist? One hopes not! Surely you've learned by now not to underestimate a genius?"
"Who could ever underestimate your skills of self-promotion?"
"But in this case, it will be you receiving the promotion!" Gisena replied, segueing instantly into the topic at hand. "For I've reconstructed Plerion's device, and improved upon it. No drawn-out agonizing servitude required: simply the consumption of the Azure, and all its potential, to fuel the awakening of a Soul Evocation whose power will be truly unmatched! And the chief component of this device will be none other than your Forebear's Blade."
She flipped a page in her diagram. "Recall the tines which held the Ring in place? Your blade will serve as the central prong. I will infuse the entire construct with findross, while Aobaru reinforces it with Vigorflame. Verschlengorge, Novakhron and Adorie will all channel their Rank to power the device, while Adorie's Oath of Winter weakens the Ring's own resistance to the consumption effect. Novakhron alone is countless orders of magnitude more powerful than Plerion or Stenallon ever were, so the energies channeled will be truly incomparable to the Temple's attempt!"
"Impressive," Hunger acknowledged. "You'll certainly create something of immense power, but how do we know it will be applicable to Dien? From my understanding, a Soul Evocation is unique to its individual, and there is no guarantee that the light of my soul will be of a form that can counter Dien's abilities. If it makes me an even better swordsman, that will not help us find or reach him."
"Still you underestimate me," Gisena sighed. "I've already calculated all of our potential Soul Evocations - mine being Nullity-related, of course... Adorie's is promising, and Aobaru's would be truly heroic, but yours wins out by virtue of your own excellent Rank, and because of some special circumstances, O King. Even if it hadn't, you are Lord Hunger and the Ring Crimson! Your preeminent powers of abduction and consumption mean that only you would receive the full benefits of consuming a rival Ring."
At this, Adorie stepped in. "Gisena has determined that your Soul Evocation is that of the Imprisoner. Which does not directly help us here, until we consider the rest of your panoply! The Tower of Sky was once my prison, and now is part of your Cloak of Sky; and the Cloak of Sky is itself the Realm of Evening, of which you are the uncontested master. As a Soul Evocation increases in power, it advances in both breadth and depth, as we saw by the 'Librarian' manifesting the abilities of a powerful magus. An Imprisoner of sufficient power, carries the nature and attributes of his prison with him, and the domain most suitable for you - which has acted as a prison before, and of which you are king and warden - is nothing less than the Realm of Evening itself!"
"Ambitious," Hunger said. "If we could overlay the Realm onto ordinary reality, even in part, it would grant almost arbitrary control over any number of factors. Time, space, matter, energy... more than simply finding Dien, we could undo all the horrors he's committed. But to extend the power of the Imprisoner so grossly... are you certain this outcome would actually occur?"
"Under normal circumstances," Adorie shook her head. "Absolutely not. But as you said, the Soul Evocation awakened by this method will possess immense and absurd power. It will have progressed many epochs beyond any reasonable standard or limitation. And, if we maximize the sympathetic connections involved by re-imprisoning me in the Realm, we have a very good chance!"
Hunger frowned. That...
"Now," Gisena cut in, "As warden you'll be able to let our darling Adorie out for the great majority of the time, and even when she's 'trapped' you'll be entirely capable of conversing or interacting with her at will, so this is not such a great sacrifice for our Queen of Winter. However, don't believe that you'll be able to control the material realm to the same degree as Evening's, either: a Soul Evocation is fundamentally limited by the Rank of its wielder, so you'll 'only' be able to manipulate every facet of reality with the same proficiency of control you hold over the domain of blood. Rather than an Imprisoner, you'll effectively be some sort of archmage, whose magical prowess at least equals the sum total of your other powers combined. I'll augment you further with support Graces, so that your effective Rank is elevated by full saturation with findross in both the physical and Astral realms. The perfect complement to my own embodiment of magical nullity!"
"I see your scheme," Hunger said, hefting the Blade, "but it's worth a try, if my Blade is willing. No tool less will suffice to destroy a Ring of Power. But the blade is still injured, and the power of Artifice the Azure embodies could be the quickest practical route to repairing it..."
"Consents?" Gisena asked. "Aren't you the master of the Blade, its owner and wielder?"
"The Forebear's Blade is not just an implement," Hunger explained. "It is his legacy, moreso than the Tyrant ever was. He was the patriarch of uncountable dynasties, but only ever wielded one Blade. Through this weapon he channeled all his techniques, all the powers and magics of his long, painful procession. Nothing more than a murder weapon, yet nothing less than his praxis itself. I am its wielder, yes, and its owner by theft and wergeld. But its master? Not in truth. Not yet. Even if it so desired, I am simply not worthy of the title."
He held the sword aloft, gripped in both hands, pointed heavenward towards the sky of evening which encompassed and pervaded all their hopes for this occasion.
In the end, he mused, it had come down to hope after all.
"Once you were the instrument by which your wielder accessed a power beyond all reason," he addressed the Blade. "I ask that you act as such once more, and deliver victory, as you have against every foe I have encountered in the past..."
O dream of fairness, become his blade, that he may enact your impossible wish upon all that were raised against you.
Hunger closed his eyes. Long moments passed. The blade in his hands seemed to grow steadily in weight and heft, straining even his colossal might, become an unbearable anchor which eclipsed the world and even the Realm itself - yet still he held it aloft, held it by the Refinement of Purpose and the Refinement of War, by the very Praxis which the Forebear had mastered with it as channel and vessel. Every moment was excruciating effort, the burden ever-multiplying, as if he were attempting to progress, not in the Praxis, but the entire Praxis itself...
And then, suddenly and all at once, the Blade deigned to relent.
It was not in the nature of a sword, that its wielder should become a magus. Still less, an archmage. Yet at the end, it was willing, as it had been for the Forebear, and events ultimately proceeded as Gisena had foreseen.
The device was made, their powers channeled, the Azure destroyed. By the Ring of Truth sacrificed, did the truth of his own soul find its accession; and, moreover, the truth of his own blade revealed:
For this particular Blade had only ever had one master, one owner, and one wielder.
It had leapt to him, had maintained its stalwart loyalty, not because of his proficiency with abduction, nor the righteousness of his cause; but simply because he embodied its master in truth - that he was not worthy at present, mattered not, for he was, and always would be, its once and future wielder, no one less than the Forebear himself.
And upon his Blade, an inscription was burned, to match the runes across its obverse side, which had first given the Forebear his Praxis of the Sword -
O realm of splendor, great evening dark; become his will, that he may enact your impossible tyranny upon all who would seek to defy him.
---
The winner was [X] Sophont Halo and [X] Archmage. By imprisoning Adorie, the Queen of Winter, Hunger has also gained [X] November Sky. The vote update will be tomorrow!
If you'd like to discuss the quest in real-time or just chat, you're welcome to join the AST Discord!
A huge thanks to all my subscribers on Patreon! The amount of support has been truly incredible! Subscribers receive access to patron-exclusive content, such as the Blurb Library, early updates, Discord roles, Wishes, commissions, and bonus chapters.
Hunger was tired.
Despite immense improvements to his swordsmanship and physical prowess, despite the advanced techniques of Pressure and Praxis that he had recently mastered... all seemed unsuitable, insufficient to the task of decisively overcoming Dien. When raw progression had failed to suffice, in the past he had turned to deception and treachery, but Dien's tactics were subtler and less direct than Hunger's own, leaving little room by which the Cursebearer could enact advantage by means of maneuver.
It was not that the Forebear had failed him, and certainly not the Accursed. The path he had taken, the path of the blade, did hold a solution to the problem of Dien Bravo. That he believed without fail.
He was merely, not far enough along to see it.
Nor would he be, at this close of Evening's Realm. Dien had spread too far, too quickly, and was so adroitly concealed that they had no leads whatsoever on his physical location - if the Foremost even had a primary body left. Hunger did not doubt that the Forebear, at the height of his powers, could have resolved this matter with a single stroke, a passing whim of Ruin mastered utterly and beyond mortal comprehension... but Hunger was not past mortal comprehension. Not yet, and not ever, if Dien felled him now.
His resolve had not faltered; he would see his vengeance through. But the constant tension between that indestructible resolve, and the apparent futility of his current situation, wore at him. It would take many mortal lifetimes to grind him down by despair, and Dien Bravo would fall or triumph well before, but it was - unusual - for Hunger to encounter an opponent so thoroughly draining. Even against Procyon's uttermost might he had kept his composure; that cool-headedness arguably had been the very crux of his victory, yet against this foe he saw only the empty pursuit of frustration.
Gisena approached, accompanied by the remainder of their companions. Behind her was a shimmering halo of condensed findross, starlight become synapse and transistor, turning like some worldly gear to bring all around it into interlocking harmony, focusing prism for the light of her magics. Channeled through the halo, the power of her Sorcery was refined and multiplied explosively, a leap as epochal as the gulf between brute awareness and sapient consciousness. Aobaru was uncharacteristically outside Novakhron, which was apparently being piloted by Aeira.
"You've completed another ascension," he noted. "Congratulations."
"Thank you, hun!" She preened. "But flattering as your adulation is, you should save it. For my work, the work of conclusively annihilating our Orcish foe, has only just begun!"
"That's a relief," Hunger scoffed, leaning back. "And here I thought I would have to kill him with my Sword."
"Oh, your sword still has a part to play," Gisena said earnestly, "As will all of you... but I will be the architect of this enemy's demise. Worry not Hunger, you will be the weapon through which my will is enacted, the creation of mystical Science that will eclipse and destroy Dien and his workings once and for all!"
"Put our faith in your genius, hm?" He smiled. "It's worked adequately in the past. Let us hope this attempt is more successful than the last time you tried to slay an orcish Hero, however."
She pouted. "As if a genius of my caliber would fail twice at the same task! That was merely a trial run, and myself without resources and alone. Now that I have this wonderful Ring you've gifted me, there is simply no reason to fear!"
"Though," she continued, glancing wistfully down at it, "I will miss it, after it's gone. Still, it was your gift to me, and it would be terribly impolite if I failed to expend this when your life itself is on the line..."
Expend the Azure? Hunger frowned. She would certainly not have successfully manifested her halo without its power of Artifice and invention, not at any reasonable speed. He was the Ring Crimson, and while the death of a rival was hardly cause for mourning, the Azure in its current state was more his subordinate for the present Age. Yet if even its bearer was resigned to its destruction, it would hardly be capable of resistance; not against such Rank as his party could muster, while its only channel of action was through that bearer herself.
"Enough generalities," he said. "Explain yourself, miss genius."
Gisena curtsied, and brought forth a drawn diagram. "By your leave, O King of Evening's Realm. Do you recall the Temple of the False Moon? Exciting to think it's not even been a year since you first felled it, including our time in this vacation Realm! Our lonely Azure was trapped within, enslaved by Plerion's artifice to produce and power the tenements of his tiny world, augment his forces with Soul Evocations. Such a versatile form of magic! I remember well when I first saved our lives by defeating that Groundskeeper Librarian, his array of effects so encompassing as to overwhelm your swordplay entirely!"
"And you hope to awaken such an Evocation in one of us?" Hunger raised an eyebrow. "Of power and utility sufficient to contest Dien's science?"
"Hope is the province of the ignorant and the meek," Gisena dismissed. "I would hardly gainsay it, but relying on it when superior methods exist? One hopes not! Surely you've learned by now not to underestimate a genius?"
"Who could ever underestimate your skills of self-promotion?"
"But in this case, it will be you receiving the promotion!" Gisena replied, segueing instantly into the topic at hand. "For I've reconstructed Plerion's device, and improved upon it. No drawn-out agonizing servitude required: simply the consumption of the Azure, and all its potential, to fuel the awakening of a Soul Evocation whose power will be truly unmatched! And the chief component of this device will be none other than your Forebear's Blade."
She flipped a page in her diagram. "Recall the tines which held the Ring in place? Your blade will serve as the central prong. I will infuse the entire construct with findross, while Aobaru reinforces it with Vigorflame. Verschlengorge, Novakhron and Adorie will all channel their Rank to power the device, while Adorie's Oath of Winter weakens the Ring's own resistance to the consumption effect. Novakhron alone is countless orders of magnitude more powerful than Plerion or Stenallon ever were, so the energies channeled will be truly incomparable to the Temple's attempt!"
"Impressive," Hunger acknowledged. "You'll certainly create something of immense power, but how do we know it will be applicable to Dien? From my understanding, a Soul Evocation is unique to its individual, and there is no guarantee that the light of my soul will be of a form that can counter Dien's abilities. If it makes me an even better swordsman, that will not help us find or reach him."
"Still you underestimate me," Gisena sighed. "I've already calculated all of our potential Soul Evocations - mine being Nullity-related, of course... Adorie's is promising, and Aobaru's would be truly heroic, but yours wins out by virtue of your own excellent Rank, and because of some special circumstances, O King. Even if it hadn't, you are Lord Hunger and the Ring Crimson! Your preeminent powers of abduction and consumption mean that only you would receive the full benefits of consuming a rival Ring."
At this, Adorie stepped in. "Gisena has determined that your Soul Evocation is that of the Imprisoner. Which does not directly help us here, until we consider the rest of your panoply! The Tower of Sky was once my prison, and now is part of your Cloak of Sky; and the Cloak of Sky is itself the Realm of Evening, of which you are the uncontested master. As a Soul Evocation increases in power, it advances in both breadth and depth, as we saw by the 'Librarian' manifesting the abilities of a powerful magus. An Imprisoner of sufficient power, carries the nature and attributes of his prison with him, and the domain most suitable for you - which has acted as a prison before, and of which you are king and warden - is nothing less than the Realm of Evening itself!"
"Ambitious," Hunger said. "If we could overlay the Realm onto ordinary reality, even in part, it would grant almost arbitrary control over any number of factors. Time, space, matter, energy... more than simply finding Dien, we could undo all the horrors he's committed. But to extend the power of the Imprisoner so grossly... are you certain this outcome would actually occur?"
"Under normal circumstances," Adorie shook her head. "Absolutely not. But as you said, the Soul Evocation awakened by this method will possess immense and absurd power. It will have progressed many epochs beyond any reasonable standard or limitation. And, if we maximize the sympathetic connections involved by re-imprisoning me in the Realm, we have a very good chance!"
Hunger frowned. That...
"Now," Gisena cut in, "As warden you'll be able to let our darling Adorie out for the great majority of the time, and even when she's 'trapped' you'll be entirely capable of conversing or interacting with her at will, so this is not such a great sacrifice for our Queen of Winter. However, don't believe that you'll be able to control the material realm to the same degree as Evening's, either: a Soul Evocation is fundamentally limited by the Rank of its wielder, so you'll 'only' be able to manipulate every facet of reality with the same proficiency of control you hold over the domain of blood. Rather than an Imprisoner, you'll effectively be some sort of archmage, whose magical prowess at least equals the sum total of your other powers combined. I'll augment you further with support Graces, so that your effective Rank is elevated by full saturation with findross in both the physical and Astral realms. The perfect complement to my own embodiment of magical nullity!"
"I see your scheme," Hunger said, hefting the Blade, "but it's worth a try, if my Blade is willing. No tool less will suffice to destroy a Ring of Power. But the blade is still injured, and the power of Artifice the Azure embodies could be the quickest practical route to repairing it..."
"Consents?" Gisena asked. "Aren't you the master of the Blade, its owner and wielder?"
"The Forebear's Blade is not just an implement," Hunger explained. "It is his legacy, moreso than the Tyrant ever was. He was the patriarch of uncountable dynasties, but only ever wielded one Blade. Through this weapon he channeled all his techniques, all the powers and magics of his long, painful procession. Nothing more than a murder weapon, yet nothing less than his praxis itself. I am its wielder, yes, and its owner by theft and wergeld. But its master? Not in truth. Not yet. Even if it so desired, I am simply not worthy of the title."
He held the sword aloft, gripped in both hands, pointed heavenward towards the sky of evening which encompassed and pervaded all their hopes for this occasion.
In the end, he mused, it had come down to hope after all.
"Once you were the instrument by which your wielder accessed a power beyond all reason," he addressed the Blade. "I ask that you act as such once more, and deliver victory, as you have against every foe I have encountered in the past..."
O dream of fairness, become his blade, that he may enact your impossible wish upon all that were raised against you.
Hunger closed his eyes. Long moments passed. The blade in his hands seemed to grow steadily in weight and heft, straining even his colossal might, become an unbearable anchor which eclipsed the world and even the Realm itself - yet still he held it aloft, held it by the Refinement of Purpose and the Refinement of War, by the very Praxis which the Forebear had mastered with it as channel and vessel. Every moment was excruciating effort, the burden ever-multiplying, as if he were attempting to progress, not in the Praxis, but the entire Praxis itself...
And then, suddenly and all at once, the Blade deigned to relent.
It was not in the nature of a sword, that its wielder should become a magus. Still less, an archmage. Yet at the end, it was willing, as it had been for the Forebear, and events ultimately proceeded as Gisena had foreseen.
The device was made, their powers channeled, the Azure destroyed. By the Ring of Truth sacrificed, did the truth of his own soul find its accession; and, moreover, the truth of his own blade revealed:
For this particular Blade had only ever had one master, one owner, and one wielder.
It had leapt to him, had maintained its stalwart loyalty, not because of his proficiency with abduction, nor the righteousness of his cause; but simply because he embodied its master in truth - that he was not worthy at present, mattered not, for he was, and always would be, its once and future wielder, no one less than the Forebear himself.
And upon his Blade, an inscription was burned, to match the runes across its obverse side, which had first given the Forebear his Praxis of the Sword -
O realm of splendor, great evening dark; become his will, that he may enact your impossible tyranny upon all who would seek to defy him.
---
The winner was [X] Sophont Halo and [X] Archmage. By imprisoning Adorie, the Queen of Winter, Hunger has also gained [X] November Sky. The vote update will be tomorrow!
If you'd like to discuss the quest in real-time or just chat, you're welcome to join the AST Discord!
A huge thanks to all my subscribers on Patreon! The amount of support has been truly incredible! Subscribers receive access to patron-exclusive content, such as the Blurb Library, early updates, Discord roles, Wishes, commissions, and bonus chapters.
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Zampano
🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈
- Location
- Simping for DSB
i've only read it once but that hits like a punch in the gut
i thought the Ring was needed for Gisena's Halo advancement??
maybe this is a punishment for not earning enough Arete, despite getting well past 80,000 words
Anyway, my hubris has Progressed into Regret, and the wailing and gnashing of teeth will entertain the jeering crowds (for at least a day or so until i'm over it)
Tyrant_Rayne
Probably Not Evil… Maybe
- Location
- Canada
... What?
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- Location
- US
Huh.
Hunger was the Forebear all along. I guess that means the Forebear did end up dying. Wonder who was that powerful, to strike even the Forebear down—
But of course, who else could it be? It was the original villain of the quest, the Hidden Ones.
I thought the Accursed was sending us to kill gravity after a rock squashed our friends, that was my reaction when I initially heard how strong the Hidden Ones were.
Now? Turns out it was entirely proportionate.
Hunger was the Forebear all along. I guess that means the Forebear did end up dying. Wonder who was that powerful, to strike even the Forebear down—
But of course, who else could it be? It was the original villain of the quest, the Hidden Ones.
I thought the Accursed was sending us to kill gravity after a rock squashed our friends, that was my reaction when I initially heard how strong the Hidden Ones were.
Now? Turns out it was entirely proportionate.
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Aabcehmu
Confusion as a Natural State of Being
- Location
- Chicago, IL
- Pronouns
- Any/All
We locked the Queen of Winter into our sky-realm, allowing us to imbue it with her power. Thus, November Sky.
Lealope
Not yet invincible
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Fuck yeah, what a rad update and even radder reveal. It's so cool to see and the knock on implications of this confirmation are immense. Can't wait to see how Hunger reacts to it. So glad we took Never Better. Burningly curious as to what the next Once and Future will tell us.
Catherine was adopted since the Tyrant was sterile.
Catherine was adopted since the Tyrant was sterile.
Rihaku
The Internet
It was, that's why she got it first! Afterwards of course Hunger's Soul Evocation can easily fill a similar role.
An interesting theory...
Does Ulyssian get bored anymore?
ImperatorV
The Laughing One
- Location
- The Voyaging Realm
...I'm blown away by this update honestly. There's so much here - the true nature of Archmage being imposing Pillars of Creation upon reality by means of Imprisoner. The true nature of Hunger being the Forebear - however that works. Perhaps... the Procession of the Forebear is a cycle. If Hunger had died on Isekai World, he would have dropped down and over many eons become the Forebear in a stable time loop, and the Accursed used his reality-rending power to break the loop by offering the Forbear/Hunger a transaction.
Or Hunger is an alternate universe version of the man who would become the Forebear, but I like my "Broken Time Loop" idea better.
Or Hunger is an alternate universe version of the man who would become the Forebear, but I like my "Broken Time Loop" idea better.
OctarineShrike
Avatar of Mandos
I theorized a while back that hunger was a past Self of the Forebear. I guess we were a reincarnation instead or something? I'm fuzzy on the metaphysics.
This update is like... Wham.
This update is like... Wham.
ImperatorV
The Laughing One
- Location
- The Voyaging Realm
So hey. Aren't the Amarlts descended from the Forebear? Doesn't that make a certain angry armament pilot our great^(lots) granddaughter?
Rihaku did say we'd regret not taking her way back during character creation... Is this why?
Rihaku did say we'd regret not taking her way back during character creation... Is this why?
DarkSideBard
Flying, without moving on
Now THAT is crisp as hell.
I mean, Magegang taking this one is an amazing redress for my long-nursed InkSky grievance, but the character arc coming due is even better. I know Hunger=Forebear is a long running theory, but wonder how much we'll find out about the actual specifics of that relation?
I guess it could take more OAF flashbacks, but surely using high rank to mess around in domains like Time, Mind, Spirit, Life/Death, Union, and Essence would allow some glimpses? I guess that depends on Hunger actually being particularly curious about it, though.
Rihaku
The Internet
Glad you liked it! This one took a while.
That would require the specific circumstances of the Forebear's passing to be within the remit of mere conceptual dominion! Which, given his ultimate level of power, seems extremely unlikely...
- Location
- some computer lab
Man, Hunger's Accretion synergizes amazingly with his singular blade. next time around we can skim the proficiency of The Archmage like he did by skimming it like he did Sword Praxis from his previous emulation of it.
Wow. Destroying Azure hurts a tad, even if I know rationally that we aren't really losing any capabilities. Well, better it than one of our other companions/Artifacts! Guess we'll need to find another Ring for Gisena.
And we finally learn more about the Hunger-Forebear connection. I doubt this is simply one of his resurrection powers at work, and nothing seems typical about the situation... there is surely more to be discovered. For example, Hunger is the Forebear, but is he only the Forebear, or does he Imprison more?
And we finally learn more about the Hunger-Forebear connection. I doubt this is simply one of his resurrection powers at work, and nothing seems typical about the situation... there is surely more to be discovered. For example, Hunger is the Forebear, but is he only the Forebear, or does he Imprison more?
Holy hell, Hunger really was Forebear? And to think people actually thought Never Better was bad, smh.
Feels bad to abandon the path of the blade, but what is the point of implement if not to accomplish it's wielder's goals? Even if it has to come through indirect means.
Also, Hunger the Imprisoner used to be the Forebear, who could be said to have been imprisoned by the Procession. How poetic. Hopefully, the Imprisoner manages to fulfill his ultimate goal by imprisoning and extracting his vengeance from the Hidden Ones.
Feels bad to abandon the path of the blade, but what is the point of implement if not to accomplish it's wielder's goals? Even if it has to come through indirect means.
Also, Hunger the Imprisoner used to be the Forebear, who could be said to have been imprisoned by the Procession. How poetic. Hopefully, the Imprisoner manages to fulfill his ultimate goal by imprisoning and extracting his vengeance from the Hidden Ones.
There's been speculation that Hunger was the Forebear since at least the first Forebear interlude so it's nice to get it confirmed.
Hunger is the Forebear, but perhaps it goes back further than that. Before Hunger was the Forebear. Maybe before the Forebear was someone else, a different person with the same soul who became the cosmic janitor, rose to power, descended down the Procession for countless ages, then finally died and was reborn as the Forebear. Maybe the cycle is eternal, maybe this is a story that's been told an infinite number of times before.
Maybe there is only one qualification to be the cosmic janitor, and that qualification is being Hunger/The Forebear and having the Imprisoner Soul Evocation. We know that Hunger contains multitudes; maybe all those multitudes are his past lives.
Hunger is the Forebear, but perhaps it goes back further than that. Before Hunger was the Forebear. Maybe before the Forebear was someone else, a different person with the same soul who became the cosmic janitor, rose to power, descended down the Procession for countless ages, then finally died and was reborn as the Forebear. Maybe the cycle is eternal, maybe this is a story that's been told an infinite number of times before.
Maybe there is only one qualification to be the cosmic janitor, and that qualification is being Hunger/The Forebear and having the Imprisoner Soul Evocation. We know that Hunger contains multitudes; maybe all those multitudes are his past lives.