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It's Turbin' Time (Library of Ruina Modded/Arknights)

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drearyArchon said:
@thenew If an Infected got into the Library, would Angela be able to remake their body such that they aren't Infected anymore?

I know she's remade Roland's body, or at least his limbs, at the start of the game. And she did manage to reconstruct everyone who died in the Library (albeit, that was by releasing the Light). Would Angela be able to leverage that to remove Originium from the Infected?
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Regarding the interactions between Originium, Infection and the Light:
Wait and see.
 
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    • Scheduled vote count started by thenew on Dec 27, 2022 at 12:58 PM, finished with 60 posts and 35 votes.
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    • I knew this was coming, and yet I am still disappointed.

    Still, it'll be interesting seeing what Wympe and Arabella have been up to at least.

    Would someone mind explaining who is Bishop Quintus by the way? I know he's a bad guy and probably a boss fight, but other than that...?
     
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    Think Eileen (not personality wise but motive) but instead of gears is horrible sea monster.
     
    Bishop Quintus is one of the three major leaders of the Church of The Deep, a religious cult that worships the Seaborn. The Church of the Deep works together, but aren't truly unified in vision. Quintas is by far the most direct cultist we've seen so far, giving infected food to starving civilians while talking about loving thy neighbour. The important things that differentiate him from the other cults we've seen are:

    1. He sees Seaborn as truly holy beings, not just evolutionary superior to humanity.
    2. He holds creatures that have Seaborn blood but don't accept the Church as Heretical abominations.

    These views are completely and utterly destroyed by the end of Under Tides. The First To Talk (A Seaborn that evolved to communicate with humans) reveals that it views the Abyssal Hunters (Not!Space marines with Seaborne blood) as kin equal to Bishop Quintus even if they try to kill them, which leads him to a psychotic rage.

    He then transforms into a very powerful Seaborn, which is when his perceptions truly shatter: he may be strong, but now he can't change himself, no matter how much he tries. The Seaborn constantly evolve to greater forms, but evolution is done over generations. And now he is stuck, with roots instead of legs, faced with enemies he knows he can't defeat. He doesn't even have a mouth to scream with anymore. His divine beings did not care for his veneration, and even apotheosis could not save him from death.
     
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    NottheCrabs! said:
    He then transforms into a very powerful Seaborn, which is when his perceptions truly shatter: he may be strong, but now he can't change himself, no matter how much he tries. The Seaborn constantly evolve to greater forms, but evolution is done over generations. And now he is stuck, with roots instead of legs, faced with enemies he knows he can't defeat. He doesn't even have a mouth to scream with anymore. His divine beings did not care for his veneration, and even apotheosis could not save him from death.
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    That would be an interesting moment.

    Since that is probably when Carmen would swoop in for the "kill".
     
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    Interlude: The Bloodfiend and the Bishop
  • Sidestory
    • Interlude: The Bloodfiend and the Bishop

    In the city of Sal Viento, there is a cliff.

    Sitting atop of that cliff, alone and grandiose, is a chapel. It is a simple chapel, despite its aura of authority. On the front step of the stone building, awaits a single man.

    "…the sea is silent today." he says to nobody in particular.

    …he is waiting for someone, it seems. But that person will not come for now. It has been two weeks since that person departed. She left to seek someone, and she has likely taken them already.

    It will probably not take long for her to arrive in the forgotten city of Sal Viento.

    "Abandoned even by God, this city shall remain forsaken until the end of time." says the man, again to nobody in particular.

    This man is a bishop. Nearly every inch of his skin is obscured by layer upon layer of clothing. His robes are long, their green-gray colors evoking the ocean. His face and his skin were left hidden.

    His green eyes stare into the ocean, obscured by his hood and his long, shoulder-length hair that had looked exactly like a pile of algae for the last decade.

    "...We have yet to forsake it, however. We shall remain stalwart until the time for the water's rise. We shall endure the waves, and rise higher for it. And in the end, we will be rewarded."

    …there is only silence. There is no one to hear the bishop's sermon. He taps the tip of his golden staff with a pale finger. He is alone.

    …or is he?

    "How is your friend, Sarkaz?" asks Bishop Quintus. "Is she well?"

    Behind him, a woman unsheathes her blade.

    "Du hast gute Sinne." mutters Arabella, the Bloodsoaked Swordswoman. "Your senses are sharp, asshole. How's the weather?"

    Bishop Quintus slowly turns around, his obscured eyes carefully examining the newcomer. She is a pale, red-eyed woman with silver hair. Her lips are stained with a few drops of blood. The bishop of the Church of the Deep smiles softly, even though his clothing obscures his face.

    "Ah, ah. It is only polite that you answer my question before I answer yours, no?"

    "...very well. Wympe is safe. Not because of you. She can handle herself, you know."

    The Bishop tosses his ornate wand into his other hand.

    "I am glad to know that she is unharmed. Now, for your question…? The weather…" he chuckles. Or at least he tries to- the sound that comes out of his throat is more of a wet squelch then any kind of laughter. "It is fine. The waves come, and the waves go. I believed that today, someone important would arrive. It seems that I was wrong- it was you, Sarkaz, who arrived instead."

    The Bloodfiend remains silent, sword pointed at the ground. It is a peculiar blade. A long-hilted thing, with a losangle crossguard that made it look more like a decorative tool then anything actually usable as a weapon, at a first glance.

    But after that, the illusion shattered. Besides the bizarre crossguard and a few bandages on the hilt, It was a very straightforward longsword, its blade red and single-edged. It was very old and very sharp. It had no other ornamental or impressive features. This was no magical sword, no vampiric weapon carrying any dangerous sorcery from the depths of Nosferatu's ancient castle.

    It was not designed to drain a target's blood, or anything like that. Any such properties could be blamed solely on its wielder.

    This sword was very obviously a sword created to slice, chop, cut, preferably kill, but, failing that, irreparably maim a very large number of people in a number of horrifyingly graphic ways. It carried a palpable aura of bloodlust and hunger.

    Arabella clasped the hilt in her black-gloved hand, and tapped the rocky ground with the edge.

    "Oh? Jumping to violence already?" asked Bishop Quintus.

    "I will not attack unless you attack back." answered the Bloodfiend. "Or will I?"

    The two of them awaited for a second, sitting at an impasse.

    "...Ah. The news on the tide has arrived. The children begin to stir yet again…" mumbled the Bishop. "Oh, forgive me. You do not understand, not yet. How peculiar. Even though you have partaken in the blessings of the sea, you have not grasped its beauty. You are yet to touch the expanse of the ocean, and be touched by our brothers and sisters."

    Arabella remains silent.

    "But your sister has. How strange. I have not spoken to a Vampire Sarkaz before. Forgive me if I am insensitive. Is it a peculiarity of your organism? Is it natural for your body to reject the blessings of the ocean?"

    Arabella's eyes narrow.

    "My… sister? Do you mean Nio? Yes. It was for this reason that I marched here to meet you. Sie trägt nicht meine Last." she sighs. "We have hungered. Your "brothers" feasted upon the coast and left nothing for us to eat. So we hunted and devoured your kin. Are you not angry at these senseless deaths? Wie seltsam du bist."

    The Bishop smiles with his eyes. It is a genuine smile.

    "Ah, traveler. Forgive us for this mistake. It is only natural that an organism will seek food and water to preserve their own body. Perhaps we took it a little too far. When the time comes, our bloodkin becomes agitated, spirited, to give those in land a warm welcome. When we go on our merry way, perhaps we grow a little too rowdy. But fear not. We do not forgive you- for there is nothing to forgive."

    The holy man of the Church of the Deep extends his arms, giving the Bloodfiend a warm welcome. His eyes carry true mirth, and he walks towards the sea. Arabella follows.

    She cannot help but find the way Quintus walks strange. Like his legs are deformed, or his joints are missing. It almost feels like he is hiding something behind those long robes. It almost reminds her of certain cases she had…

    Yes, yes. The Case of the Forest of No Trees, and the young humans who gathered around the forsaken alley where the Prophet of Damnation made its nest. When the misshapen abomination stitched from the corpses of three men emerged from that place to seek prey, they would feed it innocent victims. Hoping to become part of it, one day.

    No one shed any tears when the monster hacked them to pieces with its dagger.

    "...it is not a mistake on your part to seek satisfaction for your hunger. The only mistake is your ignorance. And even that can be forgiven, corrected."

    "I tire of your extravagance. I tire of your tripe and meaningless babbling. Du redest zu viel. I came here to ask: what has occurred to Nio's body? This is no conventional poison. What is occurring to her body is some sort of internal change. I did my best to drain the toxins…" she spits on the floor. What falls from her mouth is a thick glob of bluish-green substance. Something drawn from the corpse of a Seaborn. "And yet, the changes do not halt their march. A mutative agent? You will give me explanations, priest, or you will perish."

    Quintus laughs. It is another disgusting, wet sound. To Arabella, it feels like some sort of deep-sea creature's poor imitation of human speech.

    "Ah. Nothing happens in this city that I do not hear. Yet, I did not predict this. Yes, yes. The changes in her body are far quicker than usual. Even now, she dreams of the sea. She does not hold the tainted, corrupted blood of Ægir in her veins. Much like you, in time she can learn… in time, she can join her brothers and sisters within the sea."

    Arabella sneers.

    "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised." she says.

    Her mind is whirring with thoughts.

    This man has ears all over the city- likely the corrupted citizenry, or the creatures that erupt from the sea.

    Wympe has been tainted by eating these bizarre fish. If this corruption is allowed to grow, she will become one of these monsters. Has… has every single one of these monsters she killed a former human, transformed by a foul influence? No. It cannot be. The Bloodfiend cannot believe that each of these creatures was a human- it is simply unworkable.

    The priest of these monstrosities holds the belief that existence as one of them is higher than the life of a human being. Arabella wonders if he is corrupted himself. Yes. It is very likely that he is- one can gather that from the strange physiology he seems to carry. There is no telling what distorted appendages might hide behind those heavy robes.

    …these creatures existed beforehand. They came to this abandoned city. "Sal Viento." As the city was forsaken by the outside world, let to rot and die, the denizens of the sea offered them food. In exchange for something. It is stupid to believe that their "deal," one single human every once in a while, in exchange for the lives of dozens of monsters… would be the true price. It is simply not cost-effective.

    These monsters could, at any moment, emerge and drag each and every human in Sal Viento to the unknown depths below. But why do they not do so?

    …there is something they want from this city.

    "What do you want from this settlement?"

    Quintus shakes his index finger at the Bloodfiend.

    "You had your chance to ask questions. Now, it is my turn, no? I assure you. I am as curious about your mysterious appearance as you are at mine. Who are you, Vampire Sarkaz?"

    The Bloodfiend smiles.

    "My name is Arabella. My designation is Fjorten, or simply "Fourteen." Will you tell me yours, priest? It is impolite to remain nameless when one's company has revealed their own names. Wie unhöflich von dir…"

    The truth is- as much as Arabella might make a show of displeasure, she is actually very happy. Oh, she is certainly angry. Whatever the Seaborn did to Wympe, it was not good. And that makes her furious.

    But the truth is, Arabella has a bit of a… flair for drama, to say the least. There is nothing she finds less enjoyable- besides the taste of blood- then some good, old-fashioned overdramatic banter. She is still silently fuming, obviously, but it's not like this isn't fun.

    "Oh, forgive me. My name is Quintus. I am the Bishop of this church. Would you mind coming in? I can offer the two of you some dinner, at least. It will not be any sort of rich meal- these are some hard times. But it might be enough. I was even expecting a guest today… but I do not think she will enjoy the food."

    "Unfortunately, I might have to reject your offer. Wir sind nicht hungrig. We both had our fill tonight." she says, sheathing her blade with a click. "Now, I have my question, Bischof von Sal Viento."

    "You may ask me anything you desire." answers the bishop.

    He lifts his hand at the Bloodfiend, but then blinks. There is no hand.

    All that is left is a bloodied stump.

    "Your friends are seemingly content with being devoured, in the name of some greater cause. I ask you, Quintus. Are you the same?"

    Quintus remains unmoving. He takes a look at the floor. Surely enough, there is his hand, sitting on the floor. His blood slowly flows from both sides of the wound. The Bishop of Sal Viento is not fazed by the gruesome sight.

    "Hm. You are of a hostile sort, or so it seems. I would not know. There are unknown depths waiting in all of us." he sighs. "If you wish to face me in battle, I am afraid I will have to disappoint. I am not as physically strong as our Sire was. He could have met you in a duel."

    "Oh? How saddening. Then I fear I will not enjoy separating your head from your shoulders. Wie schade." she smiles.

    The bishop lets out yet another laugh. This one… this one sounds almost human.

    "Unfortunately, you will not have your fun tonight, Arabella. I have to receive a guest. Hear- she has arrived."

    Just as he says those words, Arabella can hear the sound. Someone lands on the ground, a few meters behind her. She lazily turns around to see. Oh. So this is it. How interesting. The newcomer looks slightly confused.

    "Bloodborne-looking ass." mutters the vampire.

    The newcomer is wearing a strange hat- whose pointed tips seem to evoke the sharp fins of a swordfish. Behind her, trails a long coat divided in half. She carries a long spear, safely held in her back. In her hands, she holds a pale, silver-haired woman, who seems long since asleep.

    Arabella has a pointed feeling winning this fight will not be easy. Yes. In theory, it is possible. If she prioritizes taking down the newcomer… no. She will live to fight another day.

    "The weird sisters, hand in hand," she singsongs. It feels appropriate for the moment. "Posters of the sea and land," why, yes, yes it does. "Thus do go, about, about."

    Then, she is gone. Gladiia stares into the bishop's eyes, asking for an answer.
     
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  • Sidestory
    • So Under Tides is happening... Right now? I'm not quite sure if this is concurrent with our side. Also things are looking real not good for Wympe.
     
    oh this is not good, Wympe has started to become a seaborn.

    There are degrees of stability, but it doesn't look like he has the ego to maintain his personality at this rate. Unfortuantely the scientific experts to create human seaborn hybrids with individuality are part of the church of the deep which is the worst, so it is up to like either raw willpower or making some deal with Carmen and the light.
     
    Well you can have a grasp on yourself for a remarkably long time despite eating Seaborn as proven by the Stulfitera Navis crew who persisted for around 100 years. Except its hellish on your body and even worse on your personality.

    As much of a badass as Alfonso was for holding on for that time, it's clear it did a number on him. He pretty much became a caricature of himself up until he was shaken out of it and then decided that suicide was the best option to die as a man. Not to mention what happened to Garcia. And those are just the two that made it until the ship was discovered again.
     
    How would making a deal with Carmen help? Distort Wympe and pray that perhaps this just won't create a horrible Seaborn-Distortion hybrid? Arabella is a Bloodfiend before she ate the Seaborn and remain relatively fine, but Wympe is human with clear willpower issue and is turning into one. I doubt Carmen can give a definitive answer on it, and I do not see how awaking an E.G.O can stop it as well. PERHAPS WE CAN SIMPLY PUT OUR FAITH IN SIR AYIN-

    I will bring it up for the sake of bringing it up. But the easiest answer and option would be killing Wympe before she turn into the foul creature. A mercy kill. And if Arabella also start showing sign, then Sieg would need to extend that mercy to her as well. It'll undeniably be bad for his mental health, a Distortion might occur, but perhaps he can show us why he's called the "Steel Determination" or if it's merely a misplace title.

    Of course we can always take the Specter route and shoved a Country worth of originium into their spine. But I do not need to raise the glaring issues with that. However, if Arabella is truly fine like this interlude suggest, then we can have "turning Wympe into a Bloodfiend" toss onto the table, but I do not know if that will merely make Wympe into something akin to a familiar, a mere puppet acting like her instead. There is another possibility if that option is taken, the Bloodfiend and Seaborn side fighting each other in her body, putting poor Wympe in indescribable pain.

    I can only see the negative, but perhaps someone else is able to shed a more positive light onto the situation.

     
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    It seems that arts and force of will help stave off the assimilation, not Arts the magic system but rather arts as in painting, music, etc. The connection between the two is very interesting but seeing as neither the Abyssal Hunters nor Wympe have those it's not entirely relevant.
    Come to think of it, most of the Ferranmuts we have seen also have a sort of connection to arts/creation/etc or if you want to put it another way the human condition. (don't really have any better way to describe it)
    I'm kinda just rambling here so take everything with a grain of salt, but arts have been very pervasive in Arknights side stories and reading through Lingering Echoes has me wanting to share my thoughts.

    Of the Ferranmut we know Kjera is the only (not evil) one that does not have a clear connection but you could make the case that she's as much the Goddess of Kjerag's people as she is the Goddess of Kjerag itself, or if you want to be funny, Maidery.
    with that being said the rest are easy.
    I recall seeing a compelling theory that the Sui siblings all represent parts of an old chinese book/manuscript/something detailing various human crafts, but I don't remember exactly how it goes so whatever. The First Brother has Warfare iirc though i'm not entirely certain on that one, The Second Brother has Pottery, Ling has either Poetry or Wine (was never truly sure which one), Nian has Smithing, Dusk has Painting and that one Brother mentioned in the cooking manga has Cooking, pretty safe to assume that the rest will follow suit.
    Alive until Sunset are a literal rocker band and whoever is leading the Crimson Troupe is pretty self-explanatory.
    And if we assume DBS is in fact a Ferranmut and not some other flavor of immortal being then you could technically make the same case as for Kjera, ish.

    Anyways more relevant to our current situation, non-Ferranmuts connected to the Seaborn
    Skadi sings, Gladiia is a dancer, Specter likes sculpting, Andreana likes.. guns? and if (and this is a very very very big if mind you) the translations of Deepcolor's OpRec is accurate then it has her going "lolnope" as soon as she realizes the Seaborn can't do art.
    on the non-playable side we have Garcia for example, who still clung to the scraps of their humanity and surprise surprise they played the piano, Alfonso is again more of a stretch but the man loved Garcia and you could make the case that the Stultifera is basically a piece of art.
    Sorry for the wall of text.
    TL;DR
    Art rules, Seaborn/Demons/Originium suck.
     
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    Gun and Powder said:
    And if Arabella also start showing sign, then Sieg would need to extend that mercy to her as well.
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    As a Bloodfiend Arabella is probably just fine. Even if it weren't for their probably quasi-Distortion or pseudo-Abnormality like relation to the Nosferatu Abnormality whose blood they descend from (however that works? Probably like the Black Forest where its castle bled into reality), Bloodfiend physiology is just most likely robust enough to take it.

    A bloodfiend in Distortion Detective has her circulatory system, as in veins, spread out around a hotel to better monitor and fortify it for herself and you could see what similar stuff Elena did. This is the level of body control they work with.
     
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    Gun and Powder said:
    How would making a deal with Carmen help? Distort Wympe and pray that perhaps this just won't create a horrible Seaborn-Distortion hybrid? Arabella is a Bloodfiend before she ate the Seaborn and remain relatively fine, but Wympe is human with clear willpower issue and is turning into one. I doubt Carmen can give a definitive answer on it, and I do not see how awaking an E.G.O can stop it as well.
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    Because distortion is a complete body overhaul and turning you into a Light spawn. With very varied abilities.

    The effects of a distortion entirely depend upon what is the reason for that distortion. So it would be better to rely on a different source of cure, like Sieg's Light abilities, rather than seeking to distort Wympe outright.

    As for not seeing how it would solve it. Distortions and E.G.O are so varied that it's practically impossible to predict how they would be.

    She could as you said, become a hybrid, similar to how Yan the Index Messenger became a typewriter. Or, through her own power, she could straight up become something more similar to Firebird where she can literally commit suicide and explode in an implosion of flame and revive herself as good as new.

    Or she can turn into something else entirely. A 100% metal elemental, who literally cannot be infected because she's literally just sentient magic rock.

    Who knows? The same goes for E.G.O too. Her E.G.O could be time reversal, it could be spatial manipulation, it could be perfect body manipulation like Capone, it could be resetting her body to a certain state like the WARP Train's restoration, it could literally be anything.
     
    Poetry and Wine come hand in hand, and Wympe could probably use both right about now.

    That aside, seems like we'll arrive at the very start of Under Tides since Gladiia just arrived. We'll probably arrive at the same time as Skadi, but she has the social skills of a literal fish so chances are Sieg won't really be able to work with her.
     
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