Holy fuck. Okay so a couple interesting things- first off, the fact that Plague Doctor is genuinely wounded from Mlynar's attack, even if it was hitting Adam. Best DPS unit in the game status really fucking showing through right now and god I love it.
Right now, with the air of solemnity, its wound, and the way it seems to have just entirely stopped...I think it's realized its work is going to be unfulfilled. Something oddly tragic about two beings born of L Corp that both want to save people, but ended up tearing each other down due to their conflicting beliefs and ended in two incredible creatures accomplishing nothing of value.
In LoR, even in the starting part of WN's Realization, we fight against the Apostles; At first we're aided by the Prophet, and then it turns against us in the form of Paradise Lost. There are no Apostles left to fight. To heedlessly mark someone as one, as an act of self-preservation; That's an act Adam would consider, ironically, not the Plague Doctor. I think in the instance of this fic they might actually be separate abnormalities in mannerism, not just one disguised and undisguised. The Plague Doctor being something akin to the innocent wish to save people, and WN being the inevitable corruption of that as one's way to salvation becomes the 'correct' way and everything else is disregarded. It's also worth noting that in the Plague Doctor's descriptions, it in no way calls those it's helped its 'servants' whereas WhiteNight does so.
Long break followed by a tricky, open ended vote tends to result in outputs like this. I wouldn't worry too much about it - participation will chug back up as we regain momentum and people feel more sure-footed.
[X] Plan: Too many problems and you are one of them
-[X] The Plague Doctor needs to be as dead as an abnormality can get. New guy seems to be able to meaningfully damage him and we have our own abnormality if he's not enough. The Dreaming Current can also damage the abnormality but should be used as a last resort, we have already strained ourself enough.
-[X] Where is that distortion? The Khaganquest needs to be checked on to make sure it doesn't attack anyone or get away... assuming it can after the beating it took. The same thing goes for the apostles.
Decided to change my vote. The Plague Doctor is too dangerous to communicate with in my opinion. Any questions we need to ask it can wait until it is back in the Library.
I don't know if PD can even be suppressed conventionally, but recent events showed it's not completely invulnerable. I guess general strategy is to keep away while boxing it in and putting it down as fast as possible, unless the Library has some special anti-WhiteNight plan.
Plague Doctor can only enthrall one person at a time, right? So if he tries to Baptize someone we can just dogpile the target to hold them down while the rest deals with Birdface. Unless he pulls an Adam and starts coming to us. He won't, right?
I really hope the Library has a plan for this guy.
Long break followed by a tricky, open ended vote tends to result in outputs like this. I wouldn't worry too much about it - participation will chug back up as we regain momentum and people feel more sure-footed.
Scheduled vote count started by thenew on Oct 17, 2023 at 7:00 AM, finished with 32 posts and 6 votes.
[X] Plan: No Rest for the Wicked
-[X] That was definitely one of the more mentally taxing bouts you've ever endured, but the day isn't over yet. The 'Plague Doctor' seems passive for the moment, so you can spare some time to help sort out the chaotic aftermath of Adam's rampage.
—[X] Firstly, there are no doubt plenty of injured people, but ensure that the Apostles are both treated and restrained. Their current status is unknown, so best to account for all possibilities and ensure that they have no unnecessary holes and can't run off when nobody's looking.
—[X] Linette seems to have brought new company, and judging by the Plague Doctor's wound, they're nothing to spit at. Take a moment to fill them in on the basics of the situation as well as ensuring that the unhappy looking fellow stands by in case the the Abnormality stops being peaceful.
—[X] There's also a Distortion still on the loose. Have somebody figure out where Khaganquest is and what to do about the him if the creature has recovered from the Storm's battering.
-[X] Once everything has been taken care of, approach the Plague Doctor and attempt to communicate with it with the intention of figuring out what exactly is going on and if you're going to have to fight it or not. Also attempt to ascertain the current status of the apostles, if the Abnormality is willing to divulge that information.
[X] Plan: Feathers Clean Up
-[X] Explain how Plague Doctor works to everyone present...And put emphasis on your demand of Can everyone please leave the bastard alone? That includes trying to talk with it.
-[X] The Library is here to retrieve abnormalities right? tell them to start doing that. you don't want to see this fucking bastard ever again, that includes the white hair fuck of a man in it. The faster it goes back to the library, the faster you don't need to worry about it anymore
-[X] Request Rhode Island to bring some heavy restraining equipment or industrial chains to lock up the Apostles, take them back to the main ship and await further developments from them, there is a slight chance that something might happen, but we are not sure.
-[X] Fuck that official statement shit. tell the PR department to worry about it. You are just a guy with a sword.
-[X] hug your goo friend and screen head friend, you lots going back to Rhodes Island main ship and having a pizza party.
[X] Plan: Too many problems and you are one of them
-[X] The Plague Doctor needs to be as dead as an abnormality can get. New guy seems to be able to meaningfully damage him and we have our own abnormality if he's not enough. The Dreaming Current can also damage the abnormality but should be used as a last resort, we have already strained ourself enough.
-[X] Where is that distortion? The Khaganquest needs to be checked on to make sure it doesn't attack anyone or get away... assuming it can after the beating it took. The same thing goes for the apostles.
Oddly, I don't feel that worried about Sieg talking to Plague Doctor, especially with how he's sort of...blocked the Voice out. Even if it appreciates his presence, I highly doubt it'll actively try to mark him- he doesn't really desire a savior or any form of 'salvation', after all.
A piece of Andoain's hand lands next to you- his index finger. What is left of him is essentially a pile of meat, but it's already putting itself back together.
It's far too late for me to vote now, but if the Apostles are reviving via the "reassembling" method instead of the "regrowing" method, it'd probably be a good idea to get them into chunks to put in separate sealed containers whenever the opportunity to do so arises. Or I guess in Andoain's case, scooping into different containers.
Someone called the series it's from (Kagurabachi) peak, despite the fact that it had all of one manga chapter at the time. The image has been a meme ever since.
Kagurabachi is currently #2 on MangaPlus, Shueisha's official translated website. So it's either actually pretty good, or this singular meme has carried it further than Morbius (when Sony re-released Morb, it was a complete flop despite the meme).
Someone called the series it's from (Kagurabachi) peak, despite the fact that it had all of one manga chapter at the time. The image has been a meme ever since.
[X] Plan: No Rest for the Wicked
-[X] That was definitely one of the more mentally taxing bouts you've ever endured, but the day isn't over yet. The 'Plague Doctor' seems passive for the moment, so you can spare some time to help sort out the chaotic aftermath of Adam's rampage.
—[X] Firstly, there are no doubt plenty of injured people, but ensure that the Apostles are both treated and restrained. Their current status is unknown, so best to account for all possibilities and ensure that they have no unnecessary holes and can't run off when nobody's looking.
—[X] Linette seems to have brought new company, and judging by the Plague Doctor's wound, they're nothing to spit at. Take a moment to fill them in on the basics of the situation as well as ensuring that the unhappy looking fellow stands by in case the the Abnormality stops being peaceful.
—[X] There's also a Distortion still on the loose. Have somebody figure out where Khaganquest is and what to do about the him if the creature has recovered from the Storm's battering.
-[X] Once everything has been taken care of, approach the Plague Doctor and attempt to communicate with it with the intention of figuring out what exactly is going on and if you're going to have to fight it or not. Also attempt to ascertain the current status of the apostles, if the Abnormality is willing to divulge that information.
3.26 - Penitence
The Plague Doctor continues to stare off into the distance. It seems almost mournful. Its wings lower themselves- it is not making any moves to fly away.
You wait for a second with baited breath.
It does not budge from its spot.
Then, it lowers its head. And then, the whole body. It sits on the ground.
It seems that the Plague Doctor has been defeated- at least for now.
…Well, you'll keep an eye on it. But for now, there's other matters to handle. If the Doctor- not that one- is content to stand there, unmoving, there really is no reason for you to do the same.
"...right." you mutter, and look at the people scattered around the arena. Everyone seems to be okay so far, for a given meaning of okay.
You turn towards the knightess on the ground. Her eyes have lost that purple tint they had before. Mont3r seems to have stopped pinning her down.
"Is she well?" you ask Kal'tsit.
The medical officer takes a deep breath and sits to take the girl's pulse.
"Despite the damage she suffered, her body seems to be healing already."
You tilt your head and take a better look. Her ear is still missing, and there's a painful-looking gouge on the side of her head. You wince at the wound you inflicted. That's going to leave a nasty scar.
The second the Doctor stopped moving, Kal'tsit was in action, it seems.
You've got to pick some of that for yourself eventually. Maybe you'll ask if there's someone in Rhodes Island who can give you training.
"Given by the fact that her wounds are still there, I presume that she is not healing at the rate from before." you note, and Kal'tsit nods.
"Our enemy seems to have stopped applying its healing Arts on her, yes. But she is still recovering abnormally fast." she says, her pistol emitting a different shade of light. "But even at this rate, it's unlikely the damage we inflicted will heal in anything less than a year. It seems that… the less damaged areas have slowed down their regeneration to the levels expected to an unaugmented individual. I will require more than a cursory scan, but that is essentially what is happening to her."
"...where are her companions…?" you mutter. You can't seem to find them anywhere in the arena.
You look around. True to your word, there's a few unconscious knights around the entrance. It seems the winds pushed them around, after they were knocked out. How did that happen, anyway? You didn't see Adam attacking any of them. Some sort of mental backlash caused by his Corrosion?
It's best if someone checks up on them, you think.
Kal'tsit looks in their direction for a second before searching the arena for someone.
Ah, you think you know who she's searching for. The Doctor doesn't seem like the kind of person who would handle this storm very well… wasn't he with Amiya? There was no time to think about it in the fight, but were they separated?
"I think it would be better if you didn't interact with that creature, at least for the time being. It seems to have reverted to a passive state for now, Kal'tsit. I'll go and talk to it soon enough."
She nods to you.
"Are you sure of it?"
"Yes, I believe I can handle it. We should still inform everyone, of course, but-"
Your musings are interrupted by a squelching sound. A gigantic slug creature- Ayam's pet, you think- rises up from a hole in the ground. On its back, a thoroughly incapacitated Doctor, covered almost completely in sticky-looking red fluid, plus his shortsword-wielding bodyguard, who looks a bit baffled at the entire situation.
Frankly, you don't blame her for it.
Amiya, who was paying close attention to the Plague Doctor until you spoke, nods to you. She then goes off to speak to the Doctor and his bodyguard. X finally finishes his regeneration and stands up, a dazed look on his eyes.
He wanders off to speak to the Librarians, and you look at the second- or first, you guess- of Adam's Apostles. The Plague Doctor seems to not have moved around since it sat down, and neither has Andoain, remaining immobile on the ground. His wounds are severe, but he doesn't seem to be any close to death yet. Perhaps some effect of the transformation into an Apostle?
His eyes seem to carry a profound exhaustion. His halo's light has grown somewhat dimmer. His eyes stare off into nothing, and his breathing is ragged, but it is still there.
Who was this man, you wonder.
Who were you, "Andoain?"
Was his transformation something he brought onto himself? He was forced into this, you know for sure- and he resisted the Plague Doctor until the bitter end. But how did he come into its claws? Was he lied to? Was he simply claimed by force? Taken away from his home in the night?
Did he have family, friends? Was there anyone left to mourn his disappearance? You don't know.
You wonder if you will ever know.
Perhaps not.
Something tells you that… perhaps. Just perhaps. Had you made a different choice, you would have had a chance to know, or something like that. But that choice has been made already.
Whatever secrets hide behind the tale of Andoain, the First Apostle, they will remain beyond your grasp.
You lower yourself to the ground and close his eyes.
Now, the Third Apostle was hurled into the side of the arena. You can see his body- he's not a threat for now. He's been thoroughly mangled- his armor has shattered almost completely. He still holds onto the flag with bloody and mangled hands, even now.
But what does it mean, even? The flag is stained dark with dust and blood. The pole is on the verge of snapping in half.
You sigh. He's alive, but he's no threat.
"Boss!" someone calls.
It's Linette. You grin.
Her two friends are around her. That sullen-looking blonde fellow is still keeping an eye fixed in the Plague Doctor. Good decision, frankly. They carry themselves in a way that is unmistakably… how would you say it? Knightly. Warriorly, perhaps?
Well, whoever they are, Linette seems to trust him.
You scratch your cheek. There's some stubble here again. You haven't shaved recently- you don't think you've been taking much care of yourself.
Well, you'll have time for that after this is all over.
You breathe out and look the other guy up and down.
The brown-skinned one has a Fixer look, you think. Deeply mercenary. Unlike his companion, meanwhile, he's more easygoing. While the blonde's hands seem to be one inch away from grabbing the hilt of his sword, this one is already extending his hand at you.
"Toland. I'm a bounty hunter. Guy by my side here is Młynar. Say, you're Linette's boss, right?" he asks. "Sieghart?"
"Yes." you say, shaking his hand. "Thanks for coming by, you three. I assume you don't have the full picture of this situation."
"Not really, no."
Not unsurprising- you haven't had time to tell Linette much of anything at all, much to your dismay.
"That guy in the middle is responsible for all of this. Those people lying unconscious around the arena- that girl, the knight tossed into the side, the Sankta- they were under his direct control. But the guy essentially completely lost control of the thing that was backing him up, so it possessed him- and now that his soldiers are down and you've cut off its escape..." you say. "It seems to have given up? I wouldn't trust it to not fake that, but it just doesn't seem to be doing much by now. Not gathering power, not preparing anything- it just dropped down."
Linette frowns.
"Well, sorry for arriving right at the end, then. I could have helped more."
"No, no," you wave her off. "If your friend hadn't slashed through the Plague Doctor- that's its name, by the way- it would have escaped. You got here just in time, Linette."
You smile at her. She can't see it, but she knows you well enough to smile back. It's reassuring to have her with you again- how long has it been, for her?
You notice that Toland is staring at the Apostle knightess in horror and recognition. He runs off towards Kal'tsit. It seems that he knows her.
You look at the Plague Doctor again.
It's given you a lot of trouble, but you wonder how guilty it truly is.
The Dreaming Current's presence is already melting back into the book, and your tail is still here- it seems that you're just going to have to deal with being a shark-man for the rest of your life. You don't really feel like cutting it off.
You sigh.
You think you understand Abnormalities a little bit more, now.
So you can't just call the Plague Doctor guilty. It doesn't think, and it never had any choice. Choice is not a thing that really computes on what passes for a brain inside of that avian skull it has.
Abnormalities, you think, are stories. Complicated, layered stories, but still stories. The story itself has no input in whether or not it will be told, or how it will be told.
It simply is told.
It looks sad now. Perhaps that is just a facade it is putting on, but you feel like the Doctor truly is as sad and mournful as it can be. It cannot escape- it barely stood up against you, nevermind the Librarians, Rhodes Island, Linette and everyone else.
It will not reach its advent, of that you can be sure. The tale will never reach its close. You will not allow it to.
But there's another story you need to worry about. That Distortion.
Where is it? It seems to be gone entirely.
"Have you seen a… a centaur, Linette?" you ask.
She tilts her head.
"I don't think I have? What's it like?"
"An enormous, monstrous centaur creature. Armored and helmeted, with the helmet opening like a mouth. Possibly beaten to shit. A Distortion of that knight who was fighting earlier- the Nightmare Knight, I think."
"Distortion?! They're here, too?"
"Yep. Seems that way, and they're growing more common. We'll have to find that one before it causes too much trouble."
A Librarian in the blue-accented suit- the same suit the members of the Reverberation Ensemble wore, you're quite sure- walks up to you, Roland by her side. Her hands seem to be made of a strange substance- is that wax? Uh. That sure is something.
"A Distortion's on the loose." you say to them. Roland's eyes immediately shoot up to stare directly into yours.
"The Nightmare Knight." he says.
"Yes. I'm not exactly sure on what level he was on- you guys fought him for a longer time, didn't you? Around a Star of the City?"
"Lower levels of Star of the City. Freshly promoted from Nightmare after it pulled off something big, probably." he muses. "But if it's out, we're going to have to go searching for it. We can't let it just go freely."
You agree. There is no telling how much devastation a Distortion capable of sweeping area-of-effect attacks like it can cause, if it's left alone to its own devices for even a short period of time. But you're not too keen on the Librarians walking away when the Plague Doctor's still here.
The Librarian in the red suit, whose hat has long since fallen off his head, and is probably lost somewhere around the arena now, shouts something at you.
"WHAT?" you shout back.
"IT LEFT!" he screams at you.
It- it left?
"WHEN?"
"NO IDEA, BUT THERE'S A TRAIL. IT LEFT SOME FOOTSTEPS ON THE RUBBLE!"
"We can go off and hunt it, I think," says the other librarian. You don't think you ever got the names of all of them? You might simply have forgotten. "Boss, I think Tatyana should stay here. Pluto's going to be useful. We'll take the rest."
The man nods, and the Librarian departs shortly after. The blue-haired man- one of their leaders, Chesed if you remember it right- looks back at Roland in concern, but the Fixer simply waves him off.
There's more people to check on, now- but the worst parts seem to have been handled.
Amiya and the Doctor are talking to one another- he's introducing Ayam and their leech to her. Still curled around your arm, Joe wriggles- and the leech creature turns around to face it, waving with its clawed arms, as the Doctor's bodyguard caresses its head.
Joe seems pleased with this. It slithers out of your arm and finds a comfortable spot inside your jacket. It seems to recognize that the worst of the conflict has passed- and thus, that it can now rest.
You suppose that's just something you'll have to deal with from now on.
Arabella spontaneously manifests in your senses. She's right behind you- grinning like a lunatic. It's a bit worrying you didn't notice her approaching. Your senses are… slurred, for the lack of a better word. You're a bit tired, too.
"Gut gemacht." she whispers in your ears.
You roll your eyes.
"Is Ayam well?" you ask. You're still going to get that explanation.
She pauses.
"Yes. Thankfully. They had their creature shield the Doctor- so I had to shield them from the storm's ravages myself, you see." she shudders. "My clothes are ruined."
They indeed are- her coat is basically in tatters, now. The undershirt is just rumpled and stained with blood from her lacerated face, but you don't think she'll be able to recover the coat at all.
"I'll get you a new one." you say.
"No, no. I'll have to make one myself. It's not the same otherwise…" she says, before looking wistfully at her… child. "They grow up so fast…"
You're itching to get the explanations for this entire business. If you had some more time, if you were in a more peaceful set of circumstances, you'd have grabbed her shoulders and demanded answers already.
But it isn't time for that, so you'll have to do that later. You turn towards Młynar. Arabella waves you off and goes on to join her child.
"Can you keep an eye on the birdman? I'm going to have a talk with it. You hurt it before, and I'm not sure why you were able to." you say. "It should be near untouchable."
The Kuranta swordsman nods, before muttering something to themselves in a language you don't recognize.
The Book of the Dreaming Current, once again nestled comfortably inside of your jacket, next to the spot where Joe is sleeping now, seems to pulsate uncomfortably. The presence has left you behind entirely by now. If the Plague Doctor decides to go back on the offensive you'll need a second or two to grab it again…
You take a deep breath, and approach the creature.
The Plague Doctor surprises you a bit with how quickly it responds. The second you step near it, it seems to shake off its stupor. It's almost instantaneous.
"...at last, you have arrived." The Abnormality says, sorrowful. Its voice is soft and soothing. You stare into its eyes.
It stares back, once again unmoving.
"Let's start with the basics, Plague Doctor. Who are you?" you ask. Just some starter questions. Testing the waters.
Its clawed legs rake against the ground, and wings raise themselves with a bit of pride. Then, it sinks back into its sadness shortly after.
"I am a doctor." it says. "I have come here to cure disease."
You click your tongue.
"What happened to Adam?"
"The fragment lays dormant within this body of Light. I will soon dissolve into the ether. You need not worry."
Alright. You don't really care much about whether Adam lives or dies, but you suppose it's a shame you won't get to drag any information about Carmen's plans out of him.
You think of the girl, of Andoain, of the Flagbearer Knight.
"What will happen to your Apostles, Plague Doctor? You've lost, after all."
The creature's head drops down, with its dark eyes staring into the ground. The very air is thick with hopelessness.
"They will perish."
Ah.
Yes.
You had thought of that.
"Just like that?"
"When I fall, they too will. I have bound my fate to theirs."
You see.
It's unsurprising. You think of the young girl. It's a shame... but not strange at all.
"You're in control of this body, now. But you have no intention of fighting? You won't retaliate against me?"
"I will not. I have no hope of defeating you. Perhaps my pale-self would have. But I am not it." it laments.
"So why did you fight me, later?"
"One last attempt to carry out the fragment's mission. It failed to bear fruit, and so I have nothing left but to await an end. I will... I will not insist upon a meaningless quest."
The fragment's mission? Adam's mission?
You believed Adam and the Doctor were opposed- their raging internal conflict certainly gave you that impression. They were tearing each other apart for control of the body, after all.
"Were you not Adam's enemy?"
It pauses and seems to consider the question.
"My pale-self was. I believed he could do well. I believed he could attain a worthy goal. Thus, I allowed him my power, even if my other self denied its full use."
"Are you and WhiteNight different entities?"
"No. In our natural state there is no separation, or little separation. He is the natural consequence of me." it says. "I would not realize this myself. It is… something to do with this body. This human body. A different perspective. An ability to choose. It is strange, and unlike me. I do not... I do not find it displeasing."
"So you chose to assist Adam? All that he did?"
"Yes."
You pause. It isn't human.
But it is closer to that, now. It can feel. It can, somehow, choose. So. The question you're thinking of wasn't aplicable before. But it is, now.
Now, it is a question you can ask.
"Do you feel any remorse?"
The Plague Doctor considers the question. You gaze upon the scars and lacerations inflicted upon it by the Kuranta's blade, and by your own assault. Its feathers are matted with blood.
"No." it says, after a lengthy silence.
Shocker.
You look at Roland- he is speaking to someone on his phone. In his hand, there is a book- a book with nothing on its cover at all. On the other hand, the phone to his ears- the line of communication he has with the Library's director.
You know what he is about to do.
The Plague Doctor's eyes shoot up.
It releases a sound that is almost a whine and almost a squawk.
"I have… I have made my promises. I have yet to break them." it speaks. "Please- please do not allow me to return to the Library. Take me for yourself."
You shake your head. You can't do that. Not here. They'll know.
"Collect a single feather, before I am taken, so some trace of me may remain. The machine will never let me go otherwise. I do not wish to break my promise. If she takes me…" it begs. "I will never leave the Library ever again. I will never escape her timeless grasp, her cold hands. Please. I have not ever broken my word. Not once. I will give you life everlasting- my Apostles ' lives shall by yours, too. And I promise that I will never make you into one of their number. I will not change who you are. I promise you. Allow that single trace of me to exist, allow my mind to exist in yours. Please. I do not wish to lose this."
