Lev Tahor
- Thread starter Rickshaw
- Start date
- Original Fantasy Mature
Rickshaw
Officially a Boss Mob
- Location
- The Land of Boots and Ten Gallon Hats
Unless specified? Something like his Taint activated, he defeated two of them and let the third escape, and while you were reverting him you got lost. Absolute minimum of information.
The Holy Shoggoth of Weirdness is still chilling in both of you, though Anna's is in her Seals and Den's is ??? from the Taint madness.
Aoinfinity
Unlimited Blue Works
- Location
- a blue Infinity
[X] Truth
-[X] Full, Blunt and Honest
Not letting him know what happened could come back to bite us later.
-[X] Full, Blunt and Honest
Not letting him know what happened could come back to bite us later.
Act I - 18. The Labyrinth
Rickshaw
Officially a Boss Mob
- Location
- The Land of Boots and Ten Gallon Hats
Late tonight because I was on the final mission of Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel. Tried my hardest to finish it, but it just wrecked me over and over again. Finally gave up around midnight to start writing and I now regret the amount of sleep I sacrificed by prioritizing that game.
-:-:-;-:-:-
[x] Truth
-[x] Most, Vague Details
Day ???
???
"We won," you draw it out, debating how to deliver the news. "You lost control of your Taint and it sorta went berserk on them. I was stunned for most of it so I didn't get a good look." Which was true, you weren't able to see very much of the rampage until the end. That didn't mean you couldn't hear what happened, or that what little you saw wasn't terrifying on its own. "But you took down two of them before Lo-Ru ran off."
Den scrunches his brows together. "Lo-Ru?"
"The leader, with black hair. Her name is Lo-Ruhamah." You never thought you'd feel pity for a bitch like her, let alone save her from becoming a Taint. Some part of you laments the irony that could have been had you let such a bigot become the thing she hated. Another is just angry that she'll come out the victim in this story, with you and Den as the horrid Taints that tried to kill her.
You know some side of you that still believes in heroism should be happy that you saved her, counteracting the crueler side, but it just feels empty. You could have saved them, it says, like a spoiled child frustrated that she got a horse instead of a carriage. You don't think there was anything you could have done to save Deborah and Priscilla, but that pessimistic corner of your mind prattles on that there should have been one.
"How'd we end up here, then?" The brunet's question brings you out of your reverie.
"I was trying to get you back to normal." You say, doing your absolute best not to shudder. You'd had your adrenaline crash hours ago, but just thinking about those last moments made your heart pound with anxiety. "I stumbled down a weird corridor, caught you with a spell that resealed your Taint, and then carried you down these halls for the last few hours."
Den seemed alarmed at that. "Hours?" you nod. "Well into evening then." He puts his head in his hands. "Can't believe I missed my own gig."
When he doesn't elaborate, you stand and clear your throat. "Well now that you're up, I don't have to carry you, so we can probably clear through this place a lot faster."
He nods and stands. "Yeah, wherever 'here' is."
"I think it's called the Labyrinth." The two of you head down the corridor, the same way you were walking before, with you in the lead. "It's the tunnel system underneath the Synagogue. It has a bad habit of shifting around every so often to confuse visitors, but generally, it takes you to wherever you want or need to go. The first seven floors are relatively stable, so we can put up decorations and stuff. If you try any deeper, things begin to outright disappear instead of just moving around. To prevent people from disappearing or dying down here, we have a rule not to go deeper than floor seven."
"And where are we?"
You look at one of the crystal lights. "Far deeper than that, I'd guess. The upper floors are lit with oil lamps, and floors six and seven have torches. The glowing rocks are a new development."
He hums. "It's called the Labyrinth, it shifts at random, and people disappear if they go too deep."
"Yep," the 'p' pops in your mouth.
"It wouldn't happen to have been designed by a man named Daedalus, would it?"
You shrug. "Nobody knows who made it. Or much about it at all. It's one of those things that doesn't make sense when you study it, but it's useful, so you sorta just go along with it and ignore the weird bits." You look around the plain hall you're in. "Sadly, it looks like those bits are all we've got to work with."
With that, a silence settles over the conversation. You can tell Den has something to ask you, since you can feel him staring at the back of your head every so often. You have a feeling it's about his Taint going berserk, and you really hope he doesn't pry. You know you promised yourself that you'd tell him what the Tainted really were, but you don't think right now is the best time. Not so soon after it had taken him over. Plus, you could use a little bit of peace and quiet after everything.
You climb a few sets of stairs, and you drop down a similar amount. You run into a dead end and double back to find the path has changed, You pause against a wall only for it to swing away, a hidden door behind which a new trail appears. It's only after a few more hours of wandering and the both of you finally admitting to being helplessly lost that you come across a plain wooden door at the end of a hallway.
"You think this is the way out?" Den asks, for the umpteenth time in the last hour.
You grab the handle and push it open. "Who knows?"
On the other side of the door, you don't find a path leading back to the familiar halls of the Synagogue. Instead, you're in a giant room, larger than the chapel on the first floor. Its ceiling is invisible to your eye, the glow from the crystal not quite reaching it. It's incredibly wide as well, enough that you doubt you could hit the far wall if you threw something at it. And occupying the space in between was… well…
You're pretty sure it's a giant brain.
It's a pale, translucent mass of flesh that fills an entire half of the room, and you notice the floor is cut away from it to fit the rest of its form beneath you. It pulses in a slow rhythm, and you can see veins expand and contract within its structure. Deep within the mass, you can see some sort of light filter through, giving the thing an ethereal glow.
"Den, you're seeing this too, right?" You turn around only to find he's no longer following you. You twist your head around and catch him against the far wall. Before him are three black mirrors cut into rectangles, and beneath each one is a pedestal with a silver orb. You move towards him as he examines the center artifact. "What'd you find?" You ask.
He looks at you with something like hope and worry all jumbled together. "I recognize these."
"What are they?" You ask, intrigued.
He looks at the orb, hesitant. "They're windows to other places. A view into another part of the world. But I've never seen controls like these." He seems to struggle over something you can't figure. Finally, he sighs. "I think I can figure it out, but it'll be a while. It might even help us find the way out of here."
"Do we have any other choice?" You say it only half sarcastically.
"Well, we could just keep wandering around. I don't know how long it will take to learn, but if it turns out that just asking for the directions to the exit isn't a part of its system, we'll still have to go out and explore anyways. Or we could just rest here for a while." He looks at the giant brain. "Besides that monstrosity, this place is relatively calm, and it's been a pretty hectic day."
You hum in agreement. Truthfully, you're fine with any of the options, but you know that you should probably choose one soon. Den looks just as tired as you feel, and the sooner you two escape this place, the easier it will be to rest deep and easy.
What do?
[] Mess with the artifact
-[] Hit the mirrors
-[] Spin the balls
-[] Yell at it (Write-ins of what to yell appreciated)
[] Examine the giantMother Brain
-[] Poke it
-[] Talk to it
-[] Watch it
-[] Have Den play it a Song
[] Go back to exploring
[] Rest
-:-:-;-:-:-
-[x] Most, Vague Details
Day ???
???
"We won," you draw it out, debating how to deliver the news. "You lost control of your Taint and it sorta went berserk on them. I was stunned for most of it so I didn't get a good look." Which was true, you weren't able to see very much of the rampage until the end. That didn't mean you couldn't hear what happened, or that what little you saw wasn't terrifying on its own. "But you took down two of them before Lo-Ru ran off."
Den scrunches his brows together. "Lo-Ru?"
"The leader, with black hair. Her name is Lo-Ruhamah." You never thought you'd feel pity for a bitch like her, let alone save her from becoming a Taint. Some part of you laments the irony that could have been had you let such a bigot become the thing she hated. Another is just angry that she'll come out the victim in this story, with you and Den as the horrid Taints that tried to kill her.
You know some side of you that still believes in heroism should be happy that you saved her, counteracting the crueler side, but it just feels empty. You could have saved them, it says, like a spoiled child frustrated that she got a horse instead of a carriage. You don't think there was anything you could have done to save Deborah and Priscilla, but that pessimistic corner of your mind prattles on that there should have been one.
"How'd we end up here, then?" The brunet's question brings you out of your reverie.
"I was trying to get you back to normal." You say, doing your absolute best not to shudder. You'd had your adrenaline crash hours ago, but just thinking about those last moments made your heart pound with anxiety. "I stumbled down a weird corridor, caught you with a spell that resealed your Taint, and then carried you down these halls for the last few hours."
Den seemed alarmed at that. "Hours?" you nod. "Well into evening then." He puts his head in his hands. "Can't believe I missed my own gig."
When he doesn't elaborate, you stand and clear your throat. "Well now that you're up, I don't have to carry you, so we can probably clear through this place a lot faster."
He nods and stands. "Yeah, wherever 'here' is."
"I think it's called the Labyrinth." The two of you head down the corridor, the same way you were walking before, with you in the lead. "It's the tunnel system underneath the Synagogue. It has a bad habit of shifting around every so often to confuse visitors, but generally, it takes you to wherever you want or need to go. The first seven floors are relatively stable, so we can put up decorations and stuff. If you try any deeper, things begin to outright disappear instead of just moving around. To prevent people from disappearing or dying down here, we have a rule not to go deeper than floor seven."
"And where are we?"
You look at one of the crystal lights. "Far deeper than that, I'd guess. The upper floors are lit with oil lamps, and floors six and seven have torches. The glowing rocks are a new development."
He hums. "It's called the Labyrinth, it shifts at random, and people disappear if they go too deep."
"Yep," the 'p' pops in your mouth.
"It wouldn't happen to have been designed by a man named Daedalus, would it?"
You shrug. "Nobody knows who made it. Or much about it at all. It's one of those things that doesn't make sense when you study it, but it's useful, so you sorta just go along with it and ignore the weird bits." You look around the plain hall you're in. "Sadly, it looks like those bits are all we've got to work with."
With that, a silence settles over the conversation. You can tell Den has something to ask you, since you can feel him staring at the back of your head every so often. You have a feeling it's about his Taint going berserk, and you really hope he doesn't pry. You know you promised yourself that you'd tell him what the Tainted really were, but you don't think right now is the best time. Not so soon after it had taken him over. Plus, you could use a little bit of peace and quiet after everything.
You climb a few sets of stairs, and you drop down a similar amount. You run into a dead end and double back to find the path has changed, You pause against a wall only for it to swing away, a hidden door behind which a new trail appears. It's only after a few more hours of wandering and the both of you finally admitting to being helplessly lost that you come across a plain wooden door at the end of a hallway.
"You think this is the way out?" Den asks, for the umpteenth time in the last hour.
You grab the handle and push it open. "Who knows?"
On the other side of the door, you don't find a path leading back to the familiar halls of the Synagogue. Instead, you're in a giant room, larger than the chapel on the first floor. Its ceiling is invisible to your eye, the glow from the crystal not quite reaching it. It's incredibly wide as well, enough that you doubt you could hit the far wall if you threw something at it. And occupying the space in between was… well…
You're pretty sure it's a giant brain.
It's a pale, translucent mass of flesh that fills an entire half of the room, and you notice the floor is cut away from it to fit the rest of its form beneath you. It pulses in a slow rhythm, and you can see veins expand and contract within its structure. Deep within the mass, you can see some sort of light filter through, giving the thing an ethereal glow.
We LcO me, C hi LdR eN.
"What is that thing?" You take a step forwards, morbidly curious. As you look closer, you can see things like insect legs poking from its form, folding out to prod the air for a moment before collapsing inward to rest. Maybe legs is the wrong word. Antennae, perhaps? Whatever, it's gross and cool at the same time and you can't do much but stand there and wonder what the hell this thing is supposed to be."Den, you're seeing this too, right?" You turn around only to find he's no longer following you. You twist your head around and catch him against the far wall. Before him are three black mirrors cut into rectangles, and beneath each one is a pedestal with a silver orb. You move towards him as he examines the center artifact. "What'd you find?" You ask.
He looks at you with something like hope and worry all jumbled together. "I recognize these."
"What are they?" You ask, intrigued.
He looks at the orb, hesitant. "They're windows to other places. A view into another part of the world. But I've never seen controls like these." He seems to struggle over something you can't figure. Finally, he sighs. "I think I can figure it out, but it'll be a while. It might even help us find the way out of here."
"Do we have any other choice?" You say it only half sarcastically.
"Well, we could just keep wandering around. I don't know how long it will take to learn, but if it turns out that just asking for the directions to the exit isn't a part of its system, we'll still have to go out and explore anyways. Or we could just rest here for a while." He looks at the giant brain. "Besides that monstrosity, this place is relatively calm, and it's been a pretty hectic day."
You hum in agreement. Truthfully, you're fine with any of the options, but you know that you should probably choose one soon. Den looks just as tired as you feel, and the sooner you two escape this place, the easier it will be to rest deep and easy.
-:-:-;-:-:-
What do?
[] Mess with the artifact
-[] Hit the mirrors
-[] Spin the balls
-[] Yell at it (Write-ins of what to yell appreciated)
[] Examine the giant
-[] Poke it
-[] Talk to it
-[] Watch it
-[] Have Den play it a Song
[] Go back to exploring
[] Rest
Last edited:
- Location
- St. Petersburg
Hey, you broke one of your own rules!
It doesn't sound it was designed that way, Den. Not by a human, at least.
The church likely was founded on top of this place.
So, to reiterate what we know:
- Zak is the only place that knows Spiritual Magic
- Only a few groups of people can wield SM: the Innocent, the Entwined, and the Tainted
- The Labyrinth is said to the the foundation of the nation
- The source of "Magic" (one of the sources?) lies within the Labyrinth
- "Magic" didn't start 'talking' to us until we took the wrong turn and entered the Labyrinth.
- All magic seems to be connected to "Magic", not just Spiritual.
I wonder where the source of corruption lies. A strange interaction between two types?
[x] Mess with the artifact
-[x] Turn them around on the pedestals. Maybe the controls are touch-based?
-[x] Take a hold of one and try to think hard about some place.
-[x] Ask the Brain if maybe it could activate them for you? It's so big, it must be better at thinking!
Last edited:
[X] Examine the giant Mother Brain
-[X] Talk to it
-[X] Talk to it
Rickshaw
Officially a Boss Mob
- Location
- The Land of Boots and Ten Gallon Hats
I have no idea what you're talking about. Those sevens are clearly colorful.Hey, you broke one of your own rules!
Also, added a new option under interacting with the definitely-not-a-highly-advanced-alien-AI-hellbent-on-restoring-the-universe-to-nothing. What? It's not!
- Location
- Brazil
[x] Mess with the artifact
-[x] Turn them around on the pedestals. Maybe the controls are touch-based?
-[x] Take a hold of one and try to think hard about some place.
-[x] Ask the Brain if maybe it could activate them for you? It's so big, it must be better at thinking!
-[x] Turn them around on the pedestals. Maybe the controls are touch-based?
-[x] Take a hold of one and try to think hard about some place.
-[x] Ask the Brain if maybe it could activate them for you? It's so big, it must be better at thinking!
Act I - 19. The Black Mirror
Rickshaw
Officially a Boss Mob
- Location
- The Land of Boots and Ten Gallon Hats
Day late due to filming and editing a short film before the Sunday night deadline. Those things are incredibly fun to make, but man are they time-consuming.
[x] Mess with the artifact
-[x] Turn them around on the pedestals. Maybe the controls are touch-based?
-[x] Take hold of one and try to think hard about someplace.
-[x] Ask the Brain if maybe it could activate them for you? It's so big, it must be better at thinking!
[x]Examine the giant Brain
-[x]Talk to it
Day 87 Or is it?
Midday
Poke
…
Poke poke
…
Poke poke poke poke poke poke poke
"I don't think that's doing anything."
"Shush! I am doing science!"
…
Poke poke poke poke poke poke poke poke poke poke poke poke poke poke poke poke poke poke
An explosive sigh from Den. It seems he does not appreciate proper Maiden procedures for dealing with spontaneously appearing objects within the Labyrinth. You shake your head. The poor man, so well traveled and studied, yet so ignorant of correct methods of study of anomalous structures. It's not his fault, you're certain. He simply never had someone like yourself to instruct him in the proper forms of scientific evaluation. As such, it is to your goal, nay, your duty, to show him the true path to Enlightenment.
"Okay, here, just let me try." Den steps beside you, interrupting another series of investigative pokes. He stares at the pedestal for a moment, looking all the while like a child who's just discovered one of the most valuable tomes of an ancient culture. Which is to say, completely baffled as to what the actual hell he's looking at.
"Pedestal" was a somewhat misleading word. It would be more accurate to call it a miniature monolith. And if that name seemed self-contradicting, it reflected just how confusing the thing itself was. A solid stone column, maybe the width of a handprint, cut diagonally at its top about waist-height. From its highest edge to the point it met the floor were inscribed glyphs. Thousands of them, all arranged into perfect rows and columns. So perfect, in fact, that you couldn't tell whether to read them horizontally or vertically. And yet, the writing looked familiar. Not only the symbols, but you felt like you'd seen the same "handwriting" elsewhere.
The Purification Chamber you realize. The script was the same. Well, probably not the exact same, but they're similar enough for you to recognize it as the Old Tongue. You look at the other two stone pillars and, sure enough, they're completely covered in the ancient language. You can't be certain from a first glance, but you think they have different writings on them than this one. If Father Absalom were to someday visit this place, he'd have a field day studying them.
Inset to the slanted edge at the top of the miniature monolith is a silver sphere, engraved patterns twisting all around its surface. In its center is a glowing green hole, yet when you go to poke it no light reaches your hand. Den slaps it away, frowning. Along the ring of the hole is a single phrase, repeated thrice:
כִּשׁוּף לֵב טָהוֹר
For some reason, these glyphs feel heavy in your heart. Have you seen them before? You don't think so. Then why do you feel like they're important?
"Well, it is a lot bigger than us, so..." You give it a thoughtful look. "It's gotta know something." You get up and walk towards it without a hint of worry.
Holy shit this thing is terrifying.
You observe the translucent creature, with its many antennae twitching in the air. One reaches towards you, almost touching your face, and you stare at it completely unfazed.
Don't touch me don't touch me don't touch me oh god don't touch me
You definitely don't give a sigh of relief as it folds back into itself. You also don't nearly vomit when the antennae begin to dig into the flesh of the brain and burrow inside. Not at all.
"H-hey, Mister Brain?" You confidently pry.
"D-Do you have any idea how to work the weird magic mirrors?"
"Um, h-hello?" You try again.
"Well, at least we can rule that out," he consoles, continuing to spin the sphere.
You step up beside him. "Can I try something?" You say, an idea forming in your mind.
"If you go on another poking session-"
You roll your eyes. "Not this time." You place your hand on the orb and close your eyes. Your mind drifts to Father for a moment. Has he ever seen any of this? Does he know about what really lies underneath the Synagogue? You have a feeling he knows a little but has he roamed its impossible halls and discovered its secrets? Has he spoken to the great mind behind you and gleaned its wisdom? Has he stood in this very same spot as you, uncovered the words embedded in these pillars? You doubt it. But you know he would love this place if he did.
You wonder, will he ever get to see it?
"Hey," Den nudges you with an elbow. "Look at the screens." You open your eyes. For a moment, you're too stunned to say anything.
There in the mirror sits Father Absalom, writing something on his desk. The angle feels familiar, and you realize it's coming from the seat you were in when you visited him yesterday. It's hard to believe that was only a day ago. So much has happened since then.
There is no sound to accompany the visuals, but even so, you can see that Father is in the middle of a conversation. As it goes on, he grows increasingly frustrated. You have no idea what he could be talking about to make him so angry, but whatever it is must have been serious. Father looks up suddenly, before standing and shouting. He waves his arms frantically, as though screaming. When he pauses, his face slowly begins to pale with horror, before he raises an arm filled with Spiritual Magic.
It's not quick enough. A yellow bolt slams into him, forcing him back against the wall. He bounces off and collapses to the floor. You watch for another minute, uncertain to what you just saw. During all that time, you and Den are silent as you wait for Father to stand up again.
He never does.
"What were you thinking of, just now?" Den quietly asks. "Right before this started."
"I was thinking of Father Absalom, how much he'd love this place." You reply, honestly. "I wondered if he'd ever get the chance to see this place, and then you told me you saw something."
Den, to his credit, hides his shock until you connect the dots. Your stomach is heavy with dread.
"So, what, can this thing show you the future?"
You shrug. You don't feel like responding with more than that right now.
Den sighs, "Well, anything else you want to do here?"
-:-:-;-:-:-
What the man said.
[] Mess with the artifact
-[] Think of a different person and question about them
-[] Let Den try
[] Examine the giant Brain
-[] Watch it
-[] Have Den play a song
[] Go back to exploring
[] Sulk/Rest
-:-:-;-:-:-
[x] Mess with the artifact
-[x] Turn them around on the pedestals. Maybe the controls are touch-based?
-[x] Take hold of one and try to think hard about someplace.
-[x] Ask the Brain if maybe it could activate them for you? It's so big, it must be better at thinking!
[x]Examine the giant Brain
-[x]Talk to it
Day 87 Or is it?
Midday
Poke
…
Poke poke
…
Poke poke poke poke poke poke poke
"I don't think that's doing anything."
"Shush! I am doing science!"
…
Poke poke poke poke poke poke poke poke poke poke poke poke poke poke poke poke poke poke
An explosive sigh from Den. It seems he does not appreciate proper Maiden procedures for dealing with spontaneously appearing objects within the Labyrinth. You shake your head. The poor man, so well traveled and studied, yet so ignorant of correct methods of study of anomalous structures. It's not his fault, you're certain. He simply never had someone like yourself to instruct him in the proper forms of scientific evaluation. As such, it is to your goal, nay, your duty, to show him the true path to Enlightenment.
"Okay, here, just let me try." Den steps beside you, interrupting another series of investigative pokes. He stares at the pedestal for a moment, looking all the while like a child who's just discovered one of the most valuable tomes of an ancient culture. Which is to say, completely baffled as to what the actual hell he's looking at.
"Pedestal" was a somewhat misleading word. It would be more accurate to call it a miniature monolith. And if that name seemed self-contradicting, it reflected just how confusing the thing itself was. A solid stone column, maybe the width of a handprint, cut diagonally at its top about waist-height. From its highest edge to the point it met the floor were inscribed glyphs. Thousands of them, all arranged into perfect rows and columns. So perfect, in fact, that you couldn't tell whether to read them horizontally or vertically. And yet, the writing looked familiar. Not only the symbols, but you felt like you'd seen the same "handwriting" elsewhere.
The Purification Chamber you realize. The script was the same. Well, probably not the exact same, but they're similar enough for you to recognize it as the Old Tongue. You look at the other two stone pillars and, sure enough, they're completely covered in the ancient language. You can't be certain from a first glance, but you think they have different writings on them than this one. If Father Absalom were to someday visit this place, he'd have a field day studying them.
Inset to the slanted edge at the top of the miniature monolith is a silver sphere, engraved patterns twisting all around its surface. In its center is a glowing green hole, yet when you go to poke it no light reaches your hand. Den slaps it away, frowning. Along the ring of the hole is a single phrase, repeated thrice:
כִּשׁוּף לֵב טָהוֹר
tHe Ya r E th EaN sWEr ToE ve R y tH iNg
Den takes a deep breath and places a hand on the orb. For a moment he rotates the orb around, but all it does is spin without effect. He sighs. "You think the giant brain knows anything?""Well, it is a lot bigger than us, so..." You give it a thoughtful look. "It's gotta know something." You get up and walk towards it without a hint of worry.
Holy shit this thing is terrifying.
You observe the translucent creature, with its many antennae twitching in the air. One reaches towards you, almost touching your face, and you stare at it completely unfazed.
Don't touch me don't touch me don't touch me oh god don't touch me
You definitely don't give a sigh of relief as it folds back into itself. You also don't nearly vomit when the antennae begin to dig into the flesh of the brain and burrow inside. Not at all.
"H-hey, Mister Brain?" You confidently pry.
CaL LmeA StaR Oth
The enormous mass pulses to the same heartbeat it always has, utterly silent."D-Do you have any idea how to work the weird magic mirrors?"
O fCo uRs E
Its translucent skin remains as pale as always, even the light deep within does not shift."Um, h-hello?" You try again.
OFf erY o Urw iLL
Nothing. The thing does not respond if it can hear you at all. You sigh, looking back to Den and shaking your head. He shrugs."Well, at least we can rule that out," he consoles, continuing to spin the sphere.
You step up beside him. "Can I try something?" You say, an idea forming in your mind.
"If you go on another poking session-"
You roll your eyes. "Not this time." You place your hand on the orb and close your eyes. Your mind drifts to Father for a moment. Has he ever seen any of this? Does he know about what really lies underneath the Synagogue? You have a feeling he knows a little but has he roamed its impossible halls and discovered its secrets? Has he spoken to the great mind behind you and gleaned its wisdom? Has he stood in this very same spot as you, uncovered the words embedded in these pillars? You doubt it. But you know he would love this place if he did.
You wonder, will he ever get to see it?
"Hey," Den nudges you with an elbow. "Look at the screens." You open your eyes. For a moment, you're too stunned to say anything.
There in the mirror sits Father Absalom, writing something on his desk. The angle feels familiar, and you realize it's coming from the seat you were in when you visited him yesterday. It's hard to believe that was only a day ago. So much has happened since then.
There is no sound to accompany the visuals, but even so, you can see that Father is in the middle of a conversation. As it goes on, he grows increasingly frustrated. You have no idea what he could be talking about to make him so angry, but whatever it is must have been serious. Father looks up suddenly, before standing and shouting. He waves his arms frantically, as though screaming. When he pauses, his face slowly begins to pale with horror, before he raises an arm filled with Spiritual Magic.
It's not quick enough. A yellow bolt slams into him, forcing him back against the wall. He bounces off and collapses to the floor. You watch for another minute, uncertain to what you just saw. During all that time, you and Den are silent as you wait for Father to stand up again.
He never does.
"What were you thinking of, just now?" Den quietly asks. "Right before this started."
"I was thinking of Father Absalom, how much he'd love this place." You reply, honestly. "I wondered if he'd ever get the chance to see this place, and then you told me you saw something."
Den, to his credit, hides his shock until you connect the dots. Your stomach is heavy with dread.
"So, what, can this thing show you the future?"
You shrug. You don't feel like responding with more than that right now.
Den sighs, "Well, anything else you want to do here?"
-:-:-;-:-:-
What the man said.
[] Mess with the artifact
-[] Think of a different person and question about them
-[] Let Den try
[] Examine the giant Brain
-[] Watch it
-[] Have Den play a song
[] Go back to exploring
[] Sulk/Rest
Last edited:
- Location
- St. Petersburg
Sorry, I am not following this. Why did a question whether Father Absalom would like/see the place lead to his sudden demise? What is the connection?
...
For a moment there, I wondered if we could
[x] Mess with the artifact
-[x] Think of the Brain. Can you communicate that way, perhaps?
-[x] Think of this place. What is it for? How did it come to be?
-[x] Think of a way out.
Also, this place is said to "take you to wherever you want or need to go". Does it mean that it can take you out of the city?
Or to Den's homeland he is so eager to return to?
In fact, why wouldn't he try it? We are in control of Anna, but does Den want to do/ask anything?
Rickshaw
Officially a Boss Mob
- Location
- The Land of Boots and Ten Gallon Hats
She asked the artifact if Absalom will ever see this room before he dies. The only portion of that query which it found a result for was "He dies." So no, he won't ever see this room.
A Song for the Idiot God! Keep Him still, keep Him silent, do not let Him Awaken lest this Dream unravel!
On a separate note, you can always ask Den what he wants to do. It will usually result in fun for the whole family such as playing music, exploring the city, ignoring his crippling self-esteem issues which refuse to allow him to accept any form of affection, and baking!
Last edited:
Rickshaw
Officially a Boss Mob
- Location
- The Land of Boots and Ten Gallon Hats
Okay, so not enough votes to write another update, but I've been working on a sketch for a while now and want to leave it - WIP as it is - here as thanks to all of you for sticking with the quest this far. I've been having a blast writing this past month, and from the looks of it, you guys have been enjoying the ride as well. Here's to many more months of Den and Anna's antics!
Last edited:
Act I - 20. An Unexpected History Lesson
Rickshaw
Officially a Boss Mob
- Location
- The Land of Boots and Ten Gallon Hats
Eh, two days with as many agreeing votes. Not ideal, but I'll pump out a chapter anyways.
[x] Mess with the artifact
-[x] Think of the Brain. Can you communicate that way, perhaps?
-[x] Think of this place. What is it for? How did it come to be?
-[x] Think of a way out.
Day ((INTEGER_OVERFLOW_ERROR))The End? Or the Beginning?
???
You're shaking, even as you turn back to the strange orb. You're quite upset, to say the least. A little in denial, as well. It's understandable, considering you just saw a vision of Father's death. Den claimed it showed you other parts of the world, and you'd like to believe it just revealed the future too. A much more comforting thought than it being the present, that is.
You think it was your intent which showed that. You wanted to see if he would ever find this place, and it showed you his death. That… really made no sense. If it couldn't find what it was looking for, shouldn't it have just stopped instead of showing you something completely different without warning?
What if I asked for a way out, and it showed me something different? you wonder. If you'd asked it for directions out and it instead showed you a path to your death? The idea terrifies you. It also significantly decreases your trust in the anomalous monolith. How it interprets your questions into the mirrors, you're unsure, but you'd rather figure it out with something innocuous than mess it up on something so important as your escape.
A thought clicks in your mind, and you grin. Should be simple enough, you think. You once again close your eyes and focus, though this time not on Father Absalom. Rather, you focus on the Brain in the center of the room. What is it doing here? Can it sense you in the room? You think it can if the way its appendages reacted to you is any indication. Could you communicate with it through this, or is it a dumb creature despite its size? You have no idea, but you intend to find out, and that is enough for this device to work its magic.
You open your eyes, staring at the black mirror. The previous image of the High Priest's office shifts into one of this room, though without the giant Brain. Actually, from the way the room is angled, the mirror is probably showing the space from the Brain's perspective. On the far right side of the room are two people, a man with dark-brown hair in torn up pants and a stained shirt standing next to a shorter woman with blue hair and a torn-up white robe covered in bloodstains.
You look down at yourself, only just noticing that you're still in your ruined clothes. You look like death itself, ragged and falling apart. You hear Den shuffling beside you, probably going through his own revelation of his looks. He'd lost his jacket when his Taint went berserk, as well as his scarf. Somehow, he'd kept hold of the absolutely massive book latched to his hip, and the instrument on his back, albeit the strap seemed on the verge of breaking.
You blamed that particular bit of nonsense on Magic. It did that, sometimes.
The image in the mirror starts to shift, moving in reverse at a ridiculous pace. You two are in the vision one moment and gone the next. As the history of this room plays out, you see just how isolated this place is. There is a long time where nobody enters the room, and you can only tell time is passing because the strange feelers continue to move in and out of the frame. It must be an hour or so of this accelerated time before people can be seen. At first, it's only a few elderly people, coming in to use the artifact and then leaving. Slowly, more and more people appear, younger and in greater numbers. Almost all of them wear something resembling the Synagogue's Priestly garb. Those who don't are gone far too fast for you to identify the specifics of their outfit.
The vision begins to slow until it stops with the room empty. You notice that, at this point, there is no artifact in the room. It also doesn't look like a room - the walls and floors are fleshy, with veins running along the floors mid-pulse. Surrounding the brain is a milky liquid, filling the gap between it and the edge of the floor. It plays forwards once again, at a normal pace.
Three people enter the cranial cavity - which at this point in history it looks much more like one - all on edge. The one on the left is a red-haired woman in a dress you recognize as belonging to royalty. It's not as pretentious and impractical as those described in the romance novels which Sister Naomi keeps finding in your floormates' beds. It's designed very similarly to your tunic, with just a few fancy flow-ey bits and embroidered gold that make it look expensive. The man on the right is vastly different, black hair and farmer's clothes and armed with an emerald sword. Despite looking very well out of his depth, he seems the most alert of the three.
The man leading them, you realize, is not a man at all. You've heard of him in history books and horror stories, but you'd never thought you'd ever get to see him. That flaming red mane of hair, cascading down his back like a thick cloak, the black skin with the faintest tint of green, red eyes against black sclera and slit like a cat's. That combined with his enormous figure would have been enough on its own, but then you saw the sword on his back, arguably more famous than he was. A wicked instrument of death, roughly carved from crystalized Brimstone and stained red with blood. Even through the mirror, you felt uneasy looking at that thing. It did not belong here. It was unholy, blasphemous, alien. It was Eden's Gate, the infamous blade of Nome the Demon King.
As the other two cautiously examine the room, Nome strides towards the Brain with confidence. He says something to the others, and they join him. They debate something for a moment, with the farmhand flailing his sword towards the creature before the princess - at least, you assume she's a princess - stays his hand. She says something to him, and he tears himself away from her, angry. Nome continues to stare down the mass with an unreadable expression. As his companions argue and yell at each other, Nome bends down onto one knee, putting a hand into the fluid surrounding the brain. When nothing happens, he starts to stir it around, absently looking around the room. He says something that causes the other two to stop fighting, and the three share a look.
The vision suddenly twists and distorts, shaking and dimming.
The angry text overlaps the screen, for only a second, then it is gone, replaced by the vision. The fleshy room begins to wither and die, hardening into stone. The liquid turns the color of fire, and Nome continues to wear that chiseled expression.
The Demon King's companion's stare at their leader horrified. They scream and shout at him, but he ignores their pleas. Something crosses his face, some emotion that momentarily escapes his control before he schools it back into submission. A flicker of feeling you remember seeing over and over again on Lo-Ru's features: cruel pleasure at the suffering of another.
The farmer dashes forward, without warning, emerald sword flashing. Just as suddenly, Nome is standing, deflecting the slash with his own blade. The two cross swords and you immediately correct an earlier assumption. Whatever his clothing, that man is no farmer. He moves with a grace and fluidity that you've not even seen the Temple Guards display. His blade is unerringly accurate, every strike lethal to a normal man were it to land. Even when he "misses," a small flash of green can be seen pushing against the Demon King. His sword is not his only weapon, either. His hands and feet are tools to upset the King's balance and rhythm.
Nome is no pushover, either. Where he lacks the quickness of his opponent, he makes up in pure power and stamina. Every swing of his blade leaves a trail of hellfire in the air, and the force of his blows are enough to push the young man back a few feet every time he blocks or deflects one. The few times Nome fails to stop a strike from his opponent, he takes the blows with little more than a flinch, using it as an opportunity to strike at an extended opponent.
The fight seems even for the first half a minute, but it quickly begins to move in Nome's favor after his first successful strike. It's little more than a scratch against the swordsman's cheek, but he begins to falter. His attacks become sloppy, and Nome easily deflects them. The man looks more and more distracted, as though his mind were fading.
The princess, for her part, begins to cast some sort of spell. You're surprised to recognize it as Spiritual Magic, at least considering the length of the chant. The swordsman seems to recover from his fugue, but it's too late. He's on the back foot, and he can't regain his momentum. Come on! You find yourself cheering the guy on. You're pretty sure he's been dead a couple of centuries, but your eyes are still glued to the mirror, hoping and praying he comes out victorious.
Spoiler: he doesn't. At some point, their positions reversed and the swordsman finds his back to the Brain. The princess begins to shout something, and the swordsman cuts her off. Nome doesn't give him any time to finish his speech and cuts him down. His corpse collapses beside the pool, which has at this point turned crimson. The princess screams, collapsing to her knees. Nome stows his sword and grabs the princess by the throat. She chokes, unable to get out a single word. You know this is where she died. Whenever this was, this was her last moment of life.
Then, inexplicably, her eyes glow golden.
She grabs Nome's arm, moving her lips to a chant you're certain she can't actually be speaking. Not with how tight the Demon King is gripping her. At his feet, you see the swordsman weakly reach a hand towards his boot. The moment his finger makes contact, Nome jerks his head towards him, surprise clearly written upon his face. A thousand glyphs surround the Demon King, spinning in concentric patterns and locking around him. They wrap around his form, glowing brighter and brighter until he fades away, disappearing from reality.
The princess collapses beside the swordsman on the edge of the pool, unmoving.
Feelers extend from the edges of the vision, slowly reaching towards the duo. They gently touch their forms before pulling. The limp corpses drop unceremoniously into the viscous fluid. More feelers grab at them, dragging them into the depths of the slowly draining liquid.
A few minutes later, the pool falls out of sight of the vision. The room in general looks very close to its present-day counterpart, if a bit rougher. And still lacking the device you were currently operating.
The vision fast-forwards. Priests enter the room, freaking out at the sight of the brain. They study it for some time, arguing amongst each other. They bring in a myriad of devices, artifacts you've seen before while cleaning the Collections of the various Libraries in the Synagogue. At one point they set up three pillars like the ones you're using, though without the Old Tongue written on them. The moment they're set down, however, they melt into the floor, and the script begins forming. The Priests begin to freak out, but the vision begins to fast forward before you can see anything more.
All the other artifacts are removed, and the Priests begin to study the device and room for what must be decades before the numbers begin to dwindle. The vision cuts forward to the present before the mirror darkens completely.
That… that was a lot more than you were expecting. You lift your hand from the orb and hold your head. So, you're in the corpse of this thing? And all that's left of it is that Brain, and its connection to this artifact/memorial? Because Demon King Nome killed it? Wasn't he only a threat to the south? You're almost certain he'd never been recorded coming this far north. Just what the hell was going on here? And why are you getting roped into it?
You know, it's shit like this that explains why you hate Tuesdays.
Still to do:
[x] Mess with artifact
-[x] Think of escape
Any addendums?
[] Artifact
-[] Let Den try
-[] Write-in
[] Brain
-[] Play it a song
-[] Write-in
[] Go back to exploring
[] Sulk/Rest
[] Write-in
-:-:-;-:-:-
[x] Mess with the artifact
-[x] Think of the Brain. Can you communicate that way, perhaps?
-[x] Think of this place. What is it for? How did it come to be?
-[x] Think of a way out.
Day ((INTEGER_OVERFLOW_ERROR))The End? Or the Beginning?
???
You're shaking, even as you turn back to the strange orb. You're quite upset, to say the least. A little in denial, as well. It's understandable, considering you just saw a vision of Father's death. Den claimed it showed you other parts of the world, and you'd like to believe it just revealed the future too. A much more comforting thought than it being the present, that is.
You think it was your intent which showed that. You wanted to see if he would ever find this place, and it showed you his death. That… really made no sense. If it couldn't find what it was looking for, shouldn't it have just stopped instead of showing you something completely different without warning?
What if I asked for a way out, and it showed me something different? you wonder. If you'd asked it for directions out and it instead showed you a path to your death? The idea terrifies you. It also significantly decreases your trust in the anomalous monolith. How it interprets your questions into the mirrors, you're unsure, but you'd rather figure it out with something innocuous than mess it up on something so important as your escape.
A thought clicks in your mind, and you grin. Should be simple enough, you think. You once again close your eyes and focus, though this time not on Father Absalom. Rather, you focus on the Brain in the center of the room. What is it doing here? Can it sense you in the room? You think it can if the way its appendages reacted to you is any indication. Could you communicate with it through this, or is it a dumb creature despite its size? You have no idea, but you intend to find out, and that is enough for this device to work its magic.
You open your eyes, staring at the black mirror. The previous image of the High Priest's office shifts into one of this room, though without the giant Brain. Actually, from the way the room is angled, the mirror is probably showing the space from the Brain's perspective. On the far right side of the room are two people, a man with dark-brown hair in torn up pants and a stained shirt standing next to a shorter woman with blue hair and a torn-up white robe covered in bloodstains.
You look down at yourself, only just noticing that you're still in your ruined clothes. You look like death itself, ragged and falling apart. You hear Den shuffling beside you, probably going through his own revelation of his looks. He'd lost his jacket when his Taint went berserk, as well as his scarf. Somehow, he'd kept hold of the absolutely massive book latched to his hip, and the instrument on his back, albeit the strap seemed on the verge of breaking.
You blamed that particular bit of nonsense on Magic. It did that, sometimes.
The image in the mirror starts to shift, moving in reverse at a ridiculous pace. You two are in the vision one moment and gone the next. As the history of this room plays out, you see just how isolated this place is. There is a long time where nobody enters the room, and you can only tell time is passing because the strange feelers continue to move in and out of the frame. It must be an hour or so of this accelerated time before people can be seen. At first, it's only a few elderly people, coming in to use the artifact and then leaving. Slowly, more and more people appear, younger and in greater numbers. Almost all of them wear something resembling the Synagogue's Priestly garb. Those who don't are gone far too fast for you to identify the specifics of their outfit.
The vision begins to slow until it stops with the room empty. You notice that, at this point, there is no artifact in the room. It also doesn't look like a room - the walls and floors are fleshy, with veins running along the floors mid-pulse. Surrounding the brain is a milky liquid, filling the gap between it and the edge of the floor. It plays forwards once again, at a normal pace.
Three people enter the cranial cavity - which at this point in history it looks much more like one - all on edge. The one on the left is a red-haired woman in a dress you recognize as belonging to royalty. It's not as pretentious and impractical as those described in the romance novels which Sister Naomi keeps finding in your floormates' beds. It's designed very similarly to your tunic, with just a few fancy flow-ey bits and embroidered gold that make it look expensive. The man on the right is vastly different, black hair and farmer's clothes and armed with an emerald sword. Despite looking very well out of his depth, he seems the most alert of the three.
The man leading them, you realize, is not a man at all. You've heard of him in history books and horror stories, but you'd never thought you'd ever get to see him. That flaming red mane of hair, cascading down his back like a thick cloak, the black skin with the faintest tint of green, red eyes against black sclera and slit like a cat's. That combined with his enormous figure would have been enough on its own, but then you saw the sword on his back, arguably more famous than he was. A wicked instrument of death, roughly carved from crystalized Brimstone and stained red with blood. Even through the mirror, you felt uneasy looking at that thing. It did not belong here. It was unholy, blasphemous, alien. It was Eden's Gate, the infamous blade of Nome the Demon King.
As the other two cautiously examine the room, Nome strides towards the Brain with confidence. He says something to the others, and they join him. They debate something for a moment, with the farmhand flailing his sword towards the creature before the princess - at least, you assume she's a princess - stays his hand. She says something to him, and he tears himself away from her, angry. Nome continues to stare down the mass with an unreadable expression. As his companions argue and yell at each other, Nome bends down onto one knee, putting a hand into the fluid surrounding the brain. When nothing happens, he starts to stir it around, absently looking around the room. He says something that causes the other two to stop fighting, and the three share a look.
The vision suddenly twists and distorts, shaking and dimming.
IwAs meA nT To Die, tHeN.
The angry text overlaps the screen, for only a second, then it is gone, replaced by the vision. The fleshy room begins to wither and die, hardening into stone. The liquid turns the color of fire, and Nome continues to wear that chiseled expression.
NOME s HouL dh avE Con su MedM y SOUL.
The Demon King's companion's stare at their leader horrified. They scream and shout at him, but he ignores their pleas. Something crosses his face, some emotion that momentarily escapes his control before he schools it back into submission. A flicker of feeling you remember seeing over and over again on Lo-Ru's features: cruel pleasure at the suffering of another.
buT iW a s Sa Ved.
The farmer dashes forward, without warning, emerald sword flashing. Just as suddenly, Nome is standing, deflecting the slash with his own blade. The two cross swords and you immediately correct an earlier assumption. Whatever his clothing, that man is no farmer. He moves with a grace and fluidity that you've not even seen the Temple Guards display. His blade is unerringly accurate, every strike lethal to a normal man were it to land. Even when he "misses," a small flash of green can be seen pushing against the Demon King. His sword is not his only weapon, either. His hands and feet are tools to upset the King's balance and rhythm.
Nome is no pushover, either. Where he lacks the quickness of his opponent, he makes up in pure power and stamina. Every swing of his blade leaves a trail of hellfire in the air, and the force of his blows are enough to push the young man back a few feet every time he blocks or deflects one. The few times Nome fails to stop a strike from his opponent, he takes the blows with little more than a flinch, using it as an opportunity to strike at an extended opponent.
The fight seems even for the first half a minute, but it quickly begins to move in Nome's favor after his first successful strike. It's little more than a scratch against the swordsman's cheek, but he begins to falter. His attacks become sloppy, and Nome easily deflects them. The man looks more and more distracted, as though his mind were fading.
The princess, for her part, begins to cast some sort of spell. You're surprised to recognize it as Spiritual Magic, at least considering the length of the chant. The swordsman seems to recover from his fugue, but it's too late. He's on the back foot, and he can't regain his momentum. Come on! You find yourself cheering the guy on. You're pretty sure he's been dead a couple of centuries, but your eyes are still glued to the mirror, hoping and praying he comes out victorious.
Spoiler: he doesn't. At some point, their positions reversed and the swordsman finds his back to the Brain. The princess begins to shout something, and the swordsman cuts her off. Nome doesn't give him any time to finish his speech and cuts him down. His corpse collapses beside the pool, which has at this point turned crimson. The princess screams, collapsing to her knees. Nome stows his sword and grabs the princess by the throat. She chokes, unable to get out a single word. You know this is where she died. Whenever this was, this was her last moment of life.
Then, inexplicably, her eyes glow golden.
She grabs Nome's arm, moving her lips to a chant you're certain she can't actually be speaking. Not with how tight the Demon King is gripping her. At his feet, you see the swordsman weakly reach a hand towards his boot. The moment his finger makes contact, Nome jerks his head towards him, surprise clearly written upon his face. A thousand glyphs surround the Demon King, spinning in concentric patterns and locking around him. They wrap around his form, glowing brighter and brighter until he fades away, disappearing from reality.
The princess collapses beside the swordsman on the edge of the pool, unmoving.
iT Was TH eir SA cr iFi ce WH ich SA veD Me.
Feelers extend from the edges of the vision, slowly reaching towards the duo. They gently touch their forms before pulling. The limp corpses drop unceremoniously into the viscous fluid. More feelers grab at them, dragging them into the depths of the slowly draining liquid.
I Am H eR e BecaU se NO me KillE d My B oD Y. I CanN ot LeaV E.
A few minutes later, the pool falls out of sight of the vision. The room in general looks very close to its present-day counterpart, if a bit rougher. And still lacking the device you were currently operating.
But TH ose T hR ee KE pt My M ind AL ivE.
The vision fast-forwards. Priests enter the room, freaking out at the sight of the brain. They study it for some time, arguing amongst each other. They bring in a myriad of devices, artifacts you've seen before while cleaning the Collections of the various Libraries in the Synagogue. At one point they set up three pillars like the ones you're using, though without the Old Tongue written on them. The moment they're set down, however, they melt into the floor, and the script begins forming. The Priests begin to freak out, but the vision begins to fast forward before you can see anything more.
This IS ThE Mem oR iaL I Mad eT heM, The Ch osE N, The Ro yaL, ThE UN borN.
All the other artifacts are removed, and the Priests begin to study the device and room for what must be decades before the numbers begin to dwindle. The vision cuts forward to the present before the mirror darkens completely.
That… that was a lot more than you were expecting. You lift your hand from the orb and hold your head. So, you're in the corpse of this thing? And all that's left of it is that Brain, and its connection to this artifact/memorial? Because Demon King Nome killed it? Wasn't he only a threat to the south? You're almost certain he'd never been recorded coming this far north. Just what the hell was going on here? And why are you getting roped into it?
You know, it's shit like this that explains why you hate Tuesdays.
-:-:-;-:-:-
Still to do:
[x] Mess with artifact
-[x] Think of escape
Any addendums?
[] Artifact
-[] Let Den try
-[] Write-in
[] Brain
-[] Play it a song
-[] Write-in
[] Go back to exploring
[] Sulk/Rest
[] Write-in
Last edited:
Rickshaw
Officially a Boss Mob
- Location
- The Land of Boots and Ten Gallon Hats
Fun behind-the-scenes tidbit before the next update is released tonight: Lev Tahor was originally written as a side story to a book series focusing on the royal line of Zoroaster. In this (currently in-progress) series, Nome is a central character in the first book, Arcana. Aurelia and David are descendants of the first book's heroes and the protagonists of the second, Royal. One of the Angels you've interacted with is integral to the plot of the final installment, Hero. Finley (from the gag interlude) has his own side story: Isekai. He is one of three characters in the entire series called a "Traveler" and the only willing one.
This all to say I have quite a bit of lore available should you choose to search for it. Don't be afraid to chase after it, Lev Tahor is the only point where elements from all the different drafts converge. Almost everything you learn about the rest of the world can help you on your own journey in some way.
This all to say I have quite a bit of lore available should you choose to search for it. Don't be afraid to chase after it, Lev Tahor is the only point where elements from all the different drafts converge. Almost everything you learn about the rest of the world can help you on your own journey in some way.
Act I - 21. The Bard's Turn
Rickshaw
Officially a Boss Mob
- Location
- The Land of Boots and Ten Gallon Hats
[x] Brain
-[x] Play it a song
[x] Artifact
-[x] Let Den try
-[x] Think of escape
Day ???
???
"Okay, I think I'm done for a little bit." You step away from the artifact, still holding your head. "The mirror-thing is all yours, Den."
"There's got to be a better name for this thing." He says, absently fiddling with his sleeve. "Farseer? No, those only show the present. Some sort of Sibyl-thing? No, this isn't that Dick-ish. Maybe a Looking Gla- nope, not going down that rabbit hole."
"Uhhhhhh" you take a step away from the rambling man. Is this how he is normally? You've really only interacted with him in high-stress situations, like fighting or being told he has Soul Cancer. The last few hours have probably been the closest thing to normal human contact you two participated in, and that was mostly filled with silence as you tried to escape an alien labyrinth. Then a giant Brain, a sudden vision of Father's death, and discovery that you're trying to escape a corpse created by the greatest threat to humanity ever.
That's still pretty stressful, you'd say. Now that you think about it, maybe rambling is how he copes? You've seen worse methods. Particularly from Naomi.
And that is why we will never garden again. Ever. You shudder at the memory of Incident Number Two-Hundred and Eighty-Seven. Think happy thoughts. Happy thought, Anna.
"SCRYING!" Den shouts. You jump out of your robes, literally. The force of your movement tears the last thread holding the front clasp together and it flops to the floor. You sigh, leaning down and folding the robe into a small pile.
"What-ing?" You ask, trying to calm your fluttering heart. You momentarily worry about palpitations, but it calms down when the sudden anxiety drops.
Den turns to you, an overly-cheesy grin smacked across his face. "Scrying orbs! They allow users to look into the future, as well as elsewhere in the present. Some tales even have them show their users visions of the past. This thing must be a Scrying machine!" He can't seem to help himself as he charges forward with his theory. "It's said that unlike most precognitive abilities and artifacts, what a Scrying orb shows is absolute truth. Whatever you see when you first look in is what you will see when the event comes to pass. It becomes a fixed point in time, unavoidable and irreversible…" His analysis peters out when he looks back to you. He rubs the back of his head, nervousness once again crossing his features. "Uh, sorry. That was rude of me."
You don't respond at first. Not until his guilty face starts making you feel bad for it. "'S'fine."
He nods, though he still seems pretty awkward. "Um," he starts after a minute. "I'm going to use the Scrying Orb now." He shuffles towards it, laying a hand on it. "Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who's the fairest of them all?" He asks, tone sarcastic.
The mirror starts to ripple, revealing a woman dressed as a barkeep. She's in her 30s, but her clothes and age belie the natural beauty of her vibrant red hair that frames her regal face. She cleans a table with a dirty washcloth, wiping it against her forehead when she finishes. She stands up and you can tell from her very posture that she must be a Prin-
"Joke, Mirror. That was a joke. Not… not serious." Den sighs as the mirror returns to black. "God, of everything I thought might happen today, quoting Grimhilde was not what I expected." He wipes a hand across his jaw. He looks tired. "Alright. Brainiac, you can communicate to us through this, right? What are you? Do you have a name?"
The visceral text scrawls across the mirror in an instant. Behind it forms a giant mass, like an earthworm or lamprey, standing against the stars. Centipede legs dot its form, grabbing at the air as, well, like a centipede does the ground. It looks a lot like it's walking through the sky, though it curves its body as it moves, giving the impression it slithers like an eel. It fades away with the words, returning the scrying surface to an onyx tone.
"Alright, I'm going to pretend that made sense. What kind of Magic?"
No accompanying image.
"Uugghh, yes but what kind? Divine? Demonic? Spiritual? I doubt it but Harmonic?"
Den gives the Brain with a look. The same kind of look you've seen on Naomi when she's just about ready to punish a Maiden flagrantly breaking a rule in her presence. The kind of look that says "I swear if you test me one more time I will strangle you." That look.
"Altered?" Den raises an eyebrow, "Okay, that's… that's actually very intriguing. Hold on." He walks away from the artifact and moves towards the Brain. He stops just before the break in the floor, staring at the remains of Astaroth. From his back, he pulls out his mandolin and holds it up. You just stand there, unmoving as he plucks his fingers across the strings. This one is a lot more complex than what he originally played for you, mixing finger patterns amidst strums and beats. At times you think you can hear bells and the faintest whisper of strings, but you write it off as a trick of the imagination. As you listen you feel something… melancholy in the melody. The taste of bittersweet memory on your tongue, a sound of some long-forgotten regret. Your heart aches as he plays, and you don't fully understand why.
You have to admit, his music is Magical. Skilled, true, but you've never really felt this moved by a song of the Choir, and they're the most talented musicians in Zak. You're almost certain the way he uses Magic in his music is what makes it so impactful. He's putting his heart into the music, and the Magic puts the music in your heart. To be honest, you're okay with that. It makes the melodies that much more meaningful.
It would seem you aren't the only one to feel that way. You can see the Brain relax, in some way. The pulsing of its veins slows, and the antennae along its length move in smoother, slower circles. Almost in time with the music itself. If you were a little more confident about your knowledge of giant magical brains, you'd guess it was being altered by the… what did he call it? Harmonic Magic?
A flicker on the mirror causes you to avert your gaze. You're surprised by what you see on it. Not the garbled words from before, but something calmer. As though shaped by the Magic affecting it.
You put your hand on the orb. "Yes," you say, barely a whisper.
Den finishes his song, just in time to turn to you and see the mirror's message. "Ah, good to know." He stows away his instrument. "Do you mind if I ask it one last question before we leave?"
You shake your head, stepping back from the orb. His hand replaces yours, and he looks towards the mirror. You think his song might have affected him in some way, as his expression seems distant. Almost lost, you'd guess, and just a little desperate.
The mirror begins to ripple before it suddenly jerks. There's a flash of runes on the screen, dozens that you can't read in time before the Scrying device begins to wildly flicker between images: A skyline far wider than any you've seen; a hulking figure hunched over blue-haired woman; a girl with red hair walking away; a noose; a thousand runes, gripping and wrapping around a man as he screams; a black military uniform; dozens more you don't catch in time to decipher. It flies by before you can process any of it, abruptly stopping on a single image that you faintly recognize. It's Den, lying in an infirmary bed, from the same angle you had sat in when you were watching over him. Except, this infirmary is very different from the one you have. Strange artifacts line the wall behind him, whirring and pumping and sliding around him. What they're for, you have no idea, but you get a sense of foreboding the very next moment when they all simultaneously stop. The image remains for a few seconds before the mirror once again darkens to an inky black.
Den looks pale. You have no idea what he asked the Scrying device, but you have a feeling it wasn't good.
Den doesn't answer. He let's go of the orb, turns, and leaves the room at the fastest walking pace you've ever seen. When you turn back to the mirror, the question remains burned into its surface. Even as you leave to follow Den, it remains with you, scorched into your retinas.
Dammit, Den, what the hell did you do?
This next vote will affect what you do until you reach the surface. You won't have any alternative paths to go down when you leave: It's a labyrinth, not a maze. There's exactly one path to one destination and it's decided by a friendly eldritch abomination.
Ask Den about his last question?
[] Yes
[] No
Other Action?
[] Write-In
[x] Interlude
-[] An Empty Escort
-[] A Doomed Dreamer
-[] A Curious Child
-[] The Fickle Father
-[] A Wailing Woman
-[] A Gentle Guard
-[x] Play it a song
[x] Artifact
-[x] Let Den try
-[x] Think of escape
Day ???
???
"Okay, I think I'm done for a little bit." You step away from the artifact, still holding your head. "The mirror-thing is all yours, Den."
"There's got to be a better name for this thing." He says, absently fiddling with his sleeve. "Farseer? No, those only show the present. Some sort of Sibyl-thing? No, this isn't that Dick-ish. Maybe a Looking Gla- nope, not going down that rabbit hole."
"Uhhhhhh" you take a step away from the rambling man. Is this how he is normally? You've really only interacted with him in high-stress situations, like fighting or being told he has Soul Cancer. The last few hours have probably been the closest thing to normal human contact you two participated in, and that was mostly filled with silence as you tried to escape an alien labyrinth. Then a giant Brain, a sudden vision of Father's death, and discovery that you're trying to escape a corpse created by the greatest threat to humanity ever.
That's still pretty stressful, you'd say. Now that you think about it, maybe rambling is how he copes? You've seen worse methods. Particularly from Naomi.
And that is why we will never garden again. Ever. You shudder at the memory of Incident Number Two-Hundred and Eighty-Seven. Think happy thoughts. Happy thought, Anna.
"SCRYING!" Den shouts. You jump out of your robes, literally. The force of your movement tears the last thread holding the front clasp together and it flops to the floor. You sigh, leaning down and folding the robe into a small pile.
"What-ing?" You ask, trying to calm your fluttering heart. You momentarily worry about palpitations, but it calms down when the sudden anxiety drops.
Den turns to you, an overly-cheesy grin smacked across his face. "Scrying orbs! They allow users to look into the future, as well as elsewhere in the present. Some tales even have them show their users visions of the past. This thing must be a Scrying machine!" He can't seem to help himself as he charges forward with his theory. "It's said that unlike most precognitive abilities and artifacts, what a Scrying orb shows is absolute truth. Whatever you see when you first look in is what you will see when the event comes to pass. It becomes a fixed point in time, unavoidable and irreversible…" His analysis peters out when he looks back to you. He rubs the back of his head, nervousness once again crossing his features. "Uh, sorry. That was rude of me."
You don't respond at first. Not until his guilty face starts making you feel bad for it. "'S'fine."
He nods, though he still seems pretty awkward. "Um," he starts after a minute. "I'm going to use the Scrying Orb now." He shuffles towards it, laying a hand on it. "Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who's the fairest of them all?" He asks, tone sarcastic.
The mirror starts to ripple, revealing a woman dressed as a barkeep. She's in her 30s, but her clothes and age belie the natural beauty of her vibrant red hair that frames her regal face. She cleans a table with a dirty washcloth, wiping it against her forehead when she finishes. She stands up and you can tell from her very posture that she must be a Prin-
"Joke, Mirror. That was a joke. Not… not serious." Den sighs as the mirror returns to black. "God, of everything I thought might happen today, quoting Grimhilde was not what I expected." He wipes a hand across his jaw. He looks tired. "Alright. Brainiac, you can communicate to us through this, right? What are you? Do you have a name?"
i Am AstaR ot H. Ia mM Ag iC.
The visceral text scrawls across the mirror in an instant. Behind it forms a giant mass, like an earthworm or lamprey, standing against the stars. Centipede legs dot its form, grabbing at the air as, well, like a centipede does the ground. It looks a lot like it's walking through the sky, though it curves its body as it moves, giving the impression it slithers like an eel. It fades away with the words, returning the scrying surface to an onyx tone.
"Alright, I'm going to pretend that made sense. What kind of Magic?"
Ma g iC.
No accompanying image.
"Uugghh, yes but what kind? Divine? Demonic? Spiritual? I doubt it but Harmonic?"
yEs.
Den gives the Brain with a look. The same kind of look you've seen on Naomi when she's just about ready to punish a Maiden flagrantly breaking a rule in her presence. The kind of look that says "I swear if you test me one more time I will strangle you." That look.
i Am MA gI c Be FoR eI t Is TH oS e. Be Fore I tIs A lteR eD.
"Altered?" Den raises an eyebrow, "Okay, that's… that's actually very intriguing. Hold on." He walks away from the artifact and moves towards the Brain. He stops just before the break in the floor, staring at the remains of Astaroth. From his back, he pulls out his mandolin and holds it up. You just stand there, unmoving as he plucks his fingers across the strings. This one is a lot more complex than what he originally played for you, mixing finger patterns amidst strums and beats. At times you think you can hear bells and the faintest whisper of strings, but you write it off as a trick of the imagination. As you listen you feel something… melancholy in the melody. The taste of bittersweet memory on your tongue, a sound of some long-forgotten regret. Your heart aches as he plays, and you don't fully understand why.
You have to admit, his music is Magical. Skilled, true, but you've never really felt this moved by a song of the Choir, and they're the most talented musicians in Zak. You're almost certain the way he uses Magic in his music is what makes it so impactful. He's putting his heart into the music, and the Magic puts the music in your heart. To be honest, you're okay with that. It makes the melodies that much more meaningful.
It would seem you aren't the only one to feel that way. You can see the Brain relax, in some way. The pulsing of its veins slows, and the antennae along its length move in smoother, slower circles. Almost in time with the music itself. If you were a little more confident about your knowledge of giant magical brains, you'd guess it was being altered by the… what did he call it? Harmonic Magic?
A flicker on the mirror causes you to avert your gaze. You're surprised by what you see on it. Not the garbled words from before, but something calmer. As though shaped by the Magic affecting it.
You wish to return to the surface, do you not?
You put your hand on the orb. "Yes," you say, barely a whisper.
Follow the path out of this room. The Labyrinth shall guide you home.
Den finishes his song, just in time to turn to you and see the mirror's message. "Ah, good to know." He stows away his instrument. "Do you mind if I ask it one last question before we leave?"
You shake your head, stepping back from the orb. His hand replaces yours, and he looks towards the mirror. You think his song might have affected him in some way, as his expression seems distant. Almost lost, you'd guess, and just a little desperate.
The mirror begins to ripple before it suddenly jerks. There's a flash of runes on the screen, dozens that you can't read in time before the Scrying device begins to wildly flicker between images: A skyline far wider than any you've seen; a hulking figure hunched over blue-haired woman; a girl with red hair walking away; a noose; a thousand runes, gripping and wrapping around a man as he screams; a black military uniform; dozens more you don't catch in time to decipher. It flies by before you can process any of it, abruptly stopping on a single image that you faintly recognize. It's Den, lying in an infirmary bed, from the same angle you had sat in when you were watching over him. Except, this infirmary is very different from the one you have. Strange artifacts line the wall behind him, whirring and pumping and sliding around him. What they're for, you have no idea, but you get a sense of foreboding the very next moment when they all simultaneously stop. The image remains for a few seconds before the mirror once again darkens to an inky black.
Your futUre iS bLeA kTr aV e Ler.
Den looks pale. You have no idea what he asked the Scrying device, but you have a feeling it wasn't good.
Your FA te is SE aleD. Do You S eE k To D efY iT?
Den doesn't answer. He let's go of the orb, turns, and leaves the room at the fastest walking pace you've ever seen. When you turn back to the mirror, the question remains burned into its surface. Even as you leave to follow Den, it remains with you, scorched into your retinas.
Dammit, Den, what the hell did you do?
-:-:-;-:-:-
This next vote will affect what you do until you reach the surface. You won't have any alternative paths to go down when you leave: It's a labyrinth, not a maze. There's exactly one path to one destination and it's decided by a friendly eldritch abomination.
-:-:-;-:-:-
Ask Den about his last question?
[] Yes
[] No
Other Action?
[] Write-In
[x] Interlude
-[] An Empty Escort
-[] A Doomed Dreamer
-[] The Fickle Father
-[] A Wailing Woman
-[] A Gentle Guard
Last edited:
- Location
- Brazil
Seems like he died or will die in a modern hospital.
[X] Yes
[x] Interlude
-[x] A Doomed Dreamer