Bay 12 Games Forum

Finally... => Forum Games and Roleplaying => Topic started by: Silleh Boy on June 24, 2010, 04:23:27 pm

Title: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on June 24, 2010, 04:23:27 pm
So I became a God.


Before you stands an army, a thousand men outfitted in armour of varying qualities. From the officers in shining steel, atop their war horses at the back of each regiment to the foot soldiers, in armour in iron and leather in varying states of disrepair. Archer, Footman and Mounted soldiers alike nervously fidget as they gaze upon you, the lone man standing at the outskirts of a recent battlefield. Soldiers litter the the plains behind you, standards once bright sullied with blood and broken.

You are unstoppable, and they know it.

You are the worst thing to have ever happened to this continent, the silent killer of armies. Many have fled the scene of battle over time, to report on your atrocities, from razing villages to slaughtering innocents. Diplomats have attempted to meet with you, time and time again. Like all men, they fall to your sword, never a word uttered as the last thing they experience, is to die at the hands of the perfect warrior.

Some have even sought you out to die by your hand, their expression one betraying that through the pain they feel as their fleeting last moments on this mortal coil come to an end, that they are honoured to have died to a greater warrior than them. Such men and women you feel a fluttering sense of envy toward, knowing that they have sought a warriors death. Death. Something you yourself are unable to experience.

Yet death, you still seek. You seek to die on the battle field, to finally be at rest, to escape the long centuries in what you have perpetuated this cycle, coming and going as you provoke war, as you seek to bring armies to stop you.

The army before you stand frozen, waiting for you to make the first move as they nervously shuffle, some of them knowing of the legends about you well enough to have the officers, while out of earshot, clearly yelling at them, barking orders to keep them in line, from fleeing the battlefield. Entire armies have fled before engaging you in the past, too afraid to fight an immortal and face certain death. The nations that have fielded those armies you have made to pay dearly for denying you what may have been your one last battle, your release from this world.

A step forward as you ready your sword and shield has the officers turn to the archers, yelling at them to ready themselves, prompting four hundred men to immediately assume a stance ready to fire from. Footfall after footfall follows, as you approach as you have over the centuries, heading straight for their forward line. No tactical approach is possible for a single man such as yourself, there is no way to carry out a pincer attack, or to strike their flank with the element of suprise.

A volley of arrows is loosed from one of the units of archers, falling short of you by a hundred feet as they panic, but order is quickly restored through the ranks of the army. They know they cannot possibly afford to panic, not when the safety of their homeland depends on it. If they fall in battle, history has said that you will spare them. If they flee, history has said that the consequences will be dire.

Footfall after footfall.

Nothing but the sound of your ever steady breathing and the rattle of your ancient armour in your ears.

As you draw ever closer, one of the officers screams the command for the archers to fire, his short sword waved forward in a bold guesture, the sound of hundreds of bowstrings and the whistle of arrows filling the air. You stop, almost disinterestedly looking up at the cloud of arrows as it arcs towards you, raising your shield above your head as you continue onwards with arrows clattering off that heavy shield. Volley after volley of arrows ineffectually rains down upon you, before the archers discard their bows, drawing sword and shield as they move behind the ranks of the infantry, soldiers with heavy shields forming the front of their line, men with pikes behind them.

In what appears to be a desperate gambit, the armies commander sends their small cavalry out first, determined to surround you with them. Horses ride fifty feet either side of you, but you do not slow. You have no reason to. You have been surrounded, attacked from all sides more times than you can count, this manouver is one that will cost them the lives of the men they sent out first.

All at once the cavalry converge, riding by in rapid succession, striking out at you as they attempt to catch you with a blow that will leave its mark. Each man's attack is parried with your blade or blocked with your shield as you effortlessly defend yourself against this attack, yet every time they make a pass like this a few of them are not so lucky. bodies, both of man and horse fall about you as you thin their numbers, staining the green grass red.

As man and horse tumble to the ground, there is pain. Sudden, unexpected pain. No blow has slipped past your guard and yet you feel pain. As this intense pain floods your being you stagger, the commander of the army running out from the ranks, motioning for her shocked troops to hold their ground as she sprints across the field. Sunlight gleams brilliantly off her polished bronze breastplate, sandal clad feet easily covering the flat expanse of the plain that lays between you both, while the simple white clothing and skirt beneath that sparse armour flutters.

"No!" comes her voice, a voice tinged with emotion as she rushes over, as you sink to one knee, your face feeling swollen beneath your helmet, blood running from your nose, from your lips as they split as if you had been struck violently. Sword and shield are cast off as the woman reaches your side. "It isn't supposed to end like this, you must ho.." comes her words, frantic and screaming as she shakes you, as your ears fill with the sound of ringing and your heartbeat, drowning out all other sound.

Your eyes slowly close as the woman, nameless as she is shakes you, tears streaming over her cheeks as you surrender to the darkness behind closed eyes and pain, unable to bear to keep your eyes open any longer. "I will call you... Love... For none has ever..." you whisper, yet your sentence is never completed as you topple backwards.

Falling...

For what seems like an eternity...

Only to stop abruptly as the pain you feel becomes all the more intense, your mouth filling with a coppery taste as you roll over and spit out blood.

Sharp pain courses through your body as you feel the sensation of a boot clad foot making contact with your ribs, your eyes opening, vision blurred as a hand grabs you by the collar, a fist connecting with your face as your assailant bring you face to face, your vision blurred as he yells at you...

"I asked you what your name was, and I expect an answer!"


Spoiler: "Game Info" (click to show/hide)
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on June 24, 2010, 04:47:22 pm
Your name is Eurochkoles. Setting... Who am I kidding, it'll end up steampunk anyway.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Strife26 on June 24, 2010, 06:23:42 pm
"Many names . . . guises . . ."

The hero coughs mightily, coming to his senses.

"Always me . . ."

Look at all the pretty dots swimming in sight.

"Roland."

He spits out a mouthful of blood and looks at his assailant.


((I'm not sure what tech level we should use.))
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Diablous on June 24, 2010, 06:29:17 pm
Name: Seth

Setting: Steampunk!
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on June 24, 2010, 06:42:19 pm
You go to speak, but your words are drowned out by the sudden groaning and clanking of pipes, the hiss of steam and dripping dripping of water accompanying them. Taking a deep breath, you wait for the rattling to subside, giving way to the soft buzzing of an electrical light behind you, bathing you in an almost sickly yellow light. "I am... Eurochkoles." you state, managing to sound proud, defiant, your voice resolute despite how the pain gripping your body spoke volumes about the abuse you had recently endured.

"That 'aint your real name, nobody around these parts has a name like that." snorted the man as he hauled you to upward, before pushing you backward against a chair. Rough fibers belonging to ropes dangled from the back of the chair, ropes you felt you had been well aquainted with recently, ropes that had bitten into your wrists as you endured abuse, beatings, torture. "As yer' finally speakin' though, I'll give you a chance to come clean, tell us what yer doin'. Are you here to spy on the queen, the lords, the gentry?"

The man stands above you, overweight and balding, doing his best to look intimidating, yet there's something about this portly thug that prompts you to merely smile as he cracks his knuckles, steadying yourself as you know just what's coming. As his fists strike your face you reel, falling from the chair, spitting blood out as you fall facedown into one of the puddles about this dingy cell. As you slip one arm under your face, promping it up to keep your face out of the water the sound of rusted metal hinges opening fills the air, boots on concrete following as somebody who had been just outside the cell, outside of your field of vision steps in.

"That's enough Mister Charleston, it's a wonder that the prisoner's able to speak, let alone conscious given the thrashing you have been giving him." Comes a voice, one tinged with concern, one that you can feel compassion in, one that though you still find yourself unable to focus as you turn your attention towards it, you can see is associated with a tall, wirey man, one who's clearly intimidated by the thug who has been giving you a recent beating.

"Yer soft, an' I have a job to be doin' Mister Cooper, so get out of my face, go on, scram!" comes the other mans voice, prompting a sigh, of a man resigning to defeat. For a long moment the portly thug stands there, watching as his companion leaves, the door of the cell left open behind him. As the footfalls of the departing man fade into silence, the thug turns his attention to you again, sneering as he adjusts his belt, a grimy, blood stained shirt tucked into grubby black trousers by it.

"Now, yer goin' to talk, or i'm goin' to beat the answers out of yer hide. Some of the guys here are soft, they'd give you a canin', but not me. I like it down here, where nobody can hear yer screamin' as i hold yer face against the heatin' pipes." the man steps toward you, menacingly as he continues to speak. "Of course, if yet not goin' to speak, I might just have to have you hung, like all the other enemies of the queen, god bless her soul. Nobody has a clue who yer workin' for, so I bet nobody's going to be comin' for you. Nobody ever comes for a spy."

You shake your head, trying to rid yourself of the haze that fogs your mind currently as the man continues to speak. "So who're you workin' for, the technomancers guild, the clockworkers, who?" comes his voice, yet you know by the tone of it he doesn't really want, or care for your answer. He's enjoying this, enjoying beating you, breaking you, no doubt after praise when he makes you confess to the crimes that will get him recognition, get him decorated.

Your mind races, you know you can't stay here, but can you afford to risk escape in the state you're in right now?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Strife26 on June 24, 2010, 06:45:29 pm
Cough up more blood.

"Don't . . . remember"
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on June 24, 2010, 08:02:43 pm
"I don't remember." You state calmly, grimacing as you try to get the taste of blood out of your mouth. The bully before you watches enraged as you sit there swishing saliva about your mouth, before spitting the bloodied mixture into one of the nearby puddles. His rage is impotent, he doesn't scare you, you don't fear the pain that he will no doubt bring upon you, and he knows it. He can see the calm conviction in your eyes, the absence of worry. You do not fear this man, for he is little more than an insect to you.

Prone as you are, you're helpless to stop him from moving over you. Helpless, you lay there as he lays into you, fists striking you again and again as he screams in anger, yelling at you to confess to whatever nefarious purpose you have for being in these lands.

And yet...

You merely smile at him as you drift out of consciousness, as he shakes you by the collar, face red from anger as he screams at you.

And suddenly you feel yourself falling...

Falling...

And awaking with a start, sitting upright as that brief respite from the pain came to its end, as the sharp, stinging pain and the constant and almost overpowering ache from your torture gives you that unwelcome greeting that tells you that you're once awake, that you're in the world of the living. "My goodness!" comes a muffled cry of suprise from a familiar voice, the clattering of a wooden tray meeting with the hard surface, the sound of something hard shattering and something damp slapping against the ground.

"Well, I've cleaned you up as best I am able in the circumstances, but you've just broken the bowl and dirtied the cloth." came the voice, familiar, compassionate, belonging to that thin, wirey man that you had seen briefly earlier. "I have no idea what you're doing provoking that... that... barbarian of a man, but I do not like seeing the warden treat a man with such disrespect. Especially not when a man is incapable of answering him due to that abuse he dishes out."

The man stood, twirling a finger in his thin moustache, before he nudged a pair of round glasses up to set them straight. "I am not supposed to do this..." he started, glancing behind himself to make sure that nobody was there to listen in. "But... You look like you could do with a meal, It is little comfort I know, but I hate to see what could very well be an innocent man suffer this treatment." He paused, reaching down to put one hand on your shoulder reassuringly.

"Would you like me to see what I can scrounge up from the kitchens for you?"
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: maxicaxi on June 24, 2010, 11:29:23 pm
potato soup and a cookie
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Phantom on June 24, 2010, 11:33:44 pm
potato soup and a cookie
Sorry sir, but that seems a bit too childish.

"Sure, but I shall not request too much. Some bread and water would be enough."
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: maxicaxi on June 25, 2010, 12:01:27 am
well potato soup then
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Phantom on June 25, 2010, 12:02:05 am
well potato soup then
Silence, you.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: maxicaxi on June 25, 2010, 12:08:11 am
well potato soup then
Silence, you.
no Silence, you.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Digital Hellhound on June 25, 2010, 02:41:40 am
No, silence, both of you.

Bread and soup.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Acanthus117 on June 25, 2010, 02:47:17 am
No, silence, both of you.

Bread and soup.
Make sure it's potato soup. And ask for water as well, if it en't too much.

(That stuff is good, seriously)
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on June 25, 2010, 08:20:51 am
Your hand goes to your face as you wiggle, then rub at your jaw, cautiously weighing up not if it would be wise to ask for a meal, but if it would be too painful for you to enjoy even such simple fare as this man may be able to offer you at this moment. The pain your body feels is nothing you tell yourself, compared to the effects of slow starvation. A meal definately sounds good, especially if you're going to find the energy to survive or escape this ordeal.

You nod slightly, realising that the man is looking at you expectantly, prompting a reassuring smile as he waits to see if you have any specific requests. Laborious concentration must be written all over your face you realise, as thinking with your mind fogged as it is, is quite the experience. It isn't that you feel mentally less able than you should be, it is that you feel mentally sluggish. It is like waking to find that you have overslept greatly, only with the abuse of some cowardly thug attempting to beat something out of you that you cannot possibly hope to offer.

You find yourself craving something sweet and crumbly, biscuits made with honey and oats. You can almost smell them, taste them, the damp air of the cell and the stench of humanity that you hadn't realised you had long since tuned out for a moment replaced with that sweet aroma, one that you have no doubt experienced many times in your youth. Whenever that was. Reluctantly you let go of the idea of asking for such food of comfort, deciding that something simple but good for you would be the ideal thing to request. Something that there are good odds that would be made in what you assume now to be a prison.

"Bread, water... I feel I am well aquainted with those, but I would..."  you pause, swallowing, the word seems awkward to you at first, but you can think of no better way to express your desire for something so simple at this moment than... "...Love..." you continue, akwardly lowering your hand from your face to rub at one of your shoulder. "Soup... Especially if it is made with potato." You finish, prompting the compassionate man to nod as he straightened his waistcoat out, picking up the tray, the cloth and the broken bowl as he spoke.

"I will do my best for you, friend. Get a little rest, as I will need to wait for that barbarian to drink himself into a stupor. The others that work here will turn a blind eye if they see me bringing you food, but him.... Good lord, I sometimes wonder how they could leave a man more crooked than any man in this here facility in charge."

With those words and a sigh, he leaves, closing the door to your cell. You're know that even though he hasn't visibly locked the door behind himself, that the door is indeed locked. None of the people here carry a key, yet the cell doors open and close for them almost like... magic. But, you tell yourself, that's absurd. Magic would be wasted on something as simple as the locks of a cell, for keeping those that society does not care about in a place that they can be conveniently forgotten.

You lay back on your bed, turning your gaze upwards as you reflect upon the fact that you hadn't truely noticed the stench of the prison, of blood, sweat and desperation. How long must you have been here, if you had tuned out such a thing?

You look up at the sickly yellow light that bathes your cell with its pale glow, a tube of glass with a heating element in it, with wires encased in rusted metal pipes, feeding it electricity... Unlike the sun, the brilliant and beautiful sun...

The light flickers, growing brighter for a brief moment...

And then the light is gone, as you feel yourself falling...

Falling through the darkness...

Only to open your eyes to the field of battle from earlier, to the sight of the commander of the army you had came to destroy, an army that there was no sign of now. No bodies on the grass, no foot and hoofprints tearing up the turf, no scents betraying it. Nothing, but you and her in a sea of green, a vast expanse of grass that stretches as far as the eye can see.

"I was worried... That we had lost you this time..." Comes her words in a soft whisper, the short sleeve of her pristine white top used to wipe away her tears as she smiled, as she reached down for the sword that lay at her side, offering it to you cautiously. "Are you ready to continue what you have started, great destroyer, ready to slay me and seek out the next kingdom that you must wage war against?"
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Strife26 on June 25, 2010, 08:50:33 am
"Wha? No, no more death . . ."
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Digital Hellhound on June 25, 2010, 09:14:10 am
'Whatever you say, hon.'
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on June 25, 2010, 09:53:12 am
"I..." You start, feeling the words get stuck in your throat as you try to tell this woman you have no desire to perpetuate this, to resume this position as the 'great destroyer', no wish to do what is being requested of you. Your hand goes to the sword, prompting a smile, followed by a frown from this woman as you cast the sword carelessly aside, shaking your head as you sit upright, as you take a deep breath. "I do not wish to kill you. You are Love, without you I would not be half the man I was, I would-"

Her finger comes to your lips as she shakes her head sadly, a deep sigh escaping her lips as she reaches once more for that sword. "I am not Love, you did not battle this far to find and destroy her. I am Anxiety, I am what makes you falter, I am that what you wished would never hamper your commitment to actions, that what makes you fear overly for your safety when your ability would keep you safe."

She laughs, a laugh both sad and proud at the same time as she stands. You cannot help but feel that this is not adding up, that this is some kind of delusion, a feverish dream induced by the squalor you have been kept in, the injuries you have taken. If this is just a dream, then it couldn't possibly hurt to do as she asks you tell yourself, but at the same time... What if this was more than a dream, what if killing her would rid you of part of yourself?

Can you truely trust everything that you are told in a place like this?

This woman makes your head hurt, you tell yourself as you lay back on the grass, gazing up at the sky, brilliant and blue, with the most beautiful yellow sun you have ever seen...

A sun that seems to grow dim...

Fading...

Sickly...

The sky turns from blue to grey, and a faint voice echoes out as a hand shakes you by the shoulder, that familiar pain taking hold once more.

"Sir, I must appologise for the delay on the food, but it took that sot longer than expected to drink himself into a stupor." Echoes the words of a familiar voice in your ears. Are you dreaming still, or is this the real world you ask youself, knowing that you would name this man Compassion and your tormentor Rage if it was the case.

"It is a pity that the food has long gone cold, but... I was able to scrounge up what you desired at least." Comes his words as you sit up. The lesson with the tray from earlier seems to have been learned, as the meal sits atop a chair near your bed... a bed... did you have a bed before?

You cannot entirely recall.

"Thank you... I... Am I... Awake?" You ask, prompting a soft chuckle from the man as he watches you take the tray, sitting on the chair that the tray had prior occupied as he speaks. "I am afraid so. Would it hurt so much if you were dreaming about all this?" he asked, pausing, twirling a finger in his thin moustache as he did so. "Well, unless you're delerious and numb to the pain that is, but you do not look like you suffer any malady of the sort, just some fairly ugly bruising and a few cuts. Nothing that won't heal with a little time."

You nod slightly, almost ravenously starting to eat the food before you as you clutch the tray possessively.

Were you truely that hungry?

A few long moments pass as you wolf the food down, the thin man before you mopping at his brow with a handkerchief, when he freezes. Footsteps, heavy and uneven echo down the corridoor, followed by a voice, belonging to that portly bully. "I know yer-awake y-fuckin' wanker, 'n ah... ahm goin' t'beat t'truth out'o yer worthless 'ide if it kills ye." comes that voice, slurring, drunken.

The thin man looks around, almost frantically as if trying to find a means of escape, but it's too late. Far too late. As the balding bully turns the corner, he stops, staring stupidly at you, at the thin man, at the food in your hands and he screams. Almost unintelligable are the strings of profanity he screams as he bursts into the cell, grabbing the thin man, tossing him aside the room and smacking the tray from your hands.

You can make out words like cur, dog, traitor as the fat man turns on the man who had shown you kindness, kicking him as he huddles in the corner, cowering in fear, before he turns, facing you as he adjusts his belt, his expression murderous as he staggers towards you.

You know you need to act, but how?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on June 25, 2010, 11:53:18 am
Go for the eyes. NOW!
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Digital Hellhound on June 25, 2010, 12:28:03 pm
Go for the groin. NOW!
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on June 25, 2010, 12:47:46 pm
You know that you cannot let this sit any longer, that this man, this thug, this bully has to be put in his place. Every fiber of your being screams as you act quickly, quicker than you should have been able with the fog that clouds your mind, with the bruising that covers your body. From atop the bed you roll, grabbing a handful of the damp soil, dust, filth that covers the floor, almost gracefully springing to your feet as your knees make contact with the hard surface that is your cell's floor. The portly man is barely able to look shocked at this sudden movement, before a glob of this foul feeling mixture hits him square in the mouth.

He gags, coughs and splutters as what you aimed for his eyes initially hits the back of his throat, but you're not done. You're far from done. You're on fire, burning with rage, the one person here who has shown you compassion has taken a kicking from this brute soley for bringing you food. Without thinking you lash out, sending the fat man reeling as you catch him with a stunning right hook, blood running from his lip as he staggers, before he attempts to strike you back, his clumbsy blow swinging wide as you dance back.

"I am Eurochkoles, he of a thousand years!" you scream, one blow aimed for his gut as another seeks the mans face. Caught offguard as he is, he fails to do more than stare at you wide eyed in shock as his hands hover half way up his chest, his arms unable to move either way in time to stop those two rapid blows as they send him staggering back further.

The blood that splashes against the mans shirt now is his own as a rapid flow of it runs from his nose, while your hands move ready held before your face as you wait for him to take the bait. His arms move to partially cover his face and body as he staggers back, only for your one foot to swing upward, though the sound of your blow striking with such force is drowned out by his cry of agony as he stumbles. The fallen man sobs as he cradles his face and groin, begging for mercy as he cowers in fear, too afraid to make eye contact with you now.

You can feel it coming back to you, you've always known how to defend yourself unarmed, but what was it you excelled at most? Brawling? Grappling? Something else?

You have new problems now though, what are you going to do now you've taken things this far?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Digital Hellhound on June 25, 2010, 12:56:55 pm
You were always a master marksman, both with pistol and rifle.

Get out of the cell with the other man.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RandomNumberGenerator on June 25, 2010, 01:26:37 pm
Knock the man out, but don't kill him.

You are adept in close-combat with grappling and disarming. You also have considerable skill with polearms.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on June 25, 2010, 01:49:54 pm
You were always good at making your strikes count hitting "where it hurts", weak spots like eyes, pressure points. You can take down a raging elephant in one strike unarmed.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Grakelin on June 25, 2010, 01:56:25 pm
You were always a proficient dancer.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Strife26 on June 25, 2010, 01:56:38 pm
Locks, holds, breaks, the clench.
Kick boxing and Ju jitsu style combat.


Help Compassion to his feet gently and make sure that he's okay. Then haul Rage up and tell him that you. Don't. Remember. But that you'll try to answer his questions.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on June 25, 2010, 02:11:44 pm
((i'd have loved to incorporate more of your posts suggestions, but, many of them came in as i finished up writing this part up.))

Yes... You remember now. You're a marksman, Through the ages nothing has been more deadly in your hands than a ranged weapon. You can pick them all up, bows, slings, rifles, and quickly get a feel for them, quickly get used to the way that you need to handle them. Being good at brawling is all well and good, but you've never liked to take an injury that you can avoid, never liked the downtime related to a serious injury.

No injury has ever been able to kill you yet though, so you know you've been doing something right.

The other man, the only one who has shown you compassion so far has propped himself up now, looking shocked at the apparent easy that you, a man covered in cuts and bruises has defeated the blubbering fatman. As you reach down toward him he raises a hand, shaking his head as he does so. "No, friend... I know what you are about to do, and I will not stop you, but I cannot come with you. It is my duty to queen and country to watch those held in these cells, and, well..." he pauses, taking a deep breath as he looks down at the sobbing form in the middle of the cell.

"It was such a horrible blunder that this drunken sot allowed a prisoner to escape, and worse still that we never had a solid means of identifying this prisoner, but one thing's for certain, if they put one such as I in charge, there will be a great deal more respect and understanding expected of those that tend to the inmates."

He breathes in sharply as he climbs to his feet, kicking the drunken oaf once, then again, before he looks up at you. "He won't remember a thing, given how much he has had to drink... As for your escape.. It's a pity that you were so... easily... able to scale one of the old manhole shafts leading down here, and escape like that."

You bow your head to the man as you duck out of the cell, looking both ways down the dreary, pipe lined tunnel, bars set into the side of it, giving what you estimated to be at least ten cells on this block. In the center of the ceiling you could see the shaft mentioned, one that was just out of reach normally, but with something to climb on you would have no trouble. A quick trip back to your cell yeilded a chair, a chair was all you needed to jump, to take hold of the first rung. The first rung was the first step to freedom, and free you would be.

Hand hold after hand hold...

Hauling yourself up slowly, until your feet were able to meet the inside of the shaft. With that you went upward rapidly, reaching the underside of the manhole cover, twisting it slowly, peering out from beneath it... To see the blackness of night, to feel cool air against your face, the fainted hint of lamplight from around a corner telling you that you were almost there. You almost slithered from that hole, carefully setting the cover back down, ducking towards the alleyways before you gazed skyward.

The moon and stars were partially obscured by heavy clouds, but the stars glimmered like diamons in that inky tapestry. It was like seeing a midnight blanket, welcoming you back to the world above, filling you with more hope than you'd had in a long time. You had no idea how long you had been in that prison, but now you were free.

Free.

There was no more beautiful word that you could think of at this moment, all aches and pains you had felt prior had faded to insignifigance with the euphoria you felt at this moment. You could have danced the night away, to the sound of fiddles in your mind had it not been for the fact that you knew that you should keep moving.

You were free, but you had no money, no possessions, nothing but the clothing on your back.

You skulked along the back alleys as the sound of an airship flying low came overhead, as streetlamps burned gas to illuminate the roads outside your refuge, as contraptions running by the power of steam clanked away in the distance.

Now you were free, you needed a plan, a direction to go from here. This place was unfamiliar, and yet nothing could quench that feeling of hope you had right now.

Spoiler: "Stats" (click to show/hide)
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Strife26 on June 25, 2010, 02:21:18 pm
Straight ahead then. Sooner or later, the feel of the place will make itself clear.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on June 25, 2010, 04:28:30 pm
Onward... Onward, ever forward sounded good at this point. If only to put distance between yourself and the prison facility. It didn't matter if you had no idea where you happened to be, as long as where you ended up was better than where you were. Foot fall after foot fall, the slow progress from here to there dragged onward as you breathed in the cool night air, brickwork buildings all about. While pipes rattled here and there against walls, nightlife chittered away on the abandoned streets, all was peaceful. There wasn't a soul around apart from you it seemed, as if at night everybody had travelled indoors to get off the streets.

The air stank of city life, of moisture, sewage and pollution.

You couldn't have been happier to smell city life.

And yet...

It was only the sound of a bawdy tavern filled with boisterous drunks that pieced the city air with any sign of life at night, a sign that you took to say that you could stop hiding in the alley ways, that you could get onto the cobbled streets and walk down the paved roads without fear. Walk them you did, your head held high as you strode onward, looking like you were half dead yet feeling like a new man.

Dogs howled in the distance as you made your way onward, as the buildings thinned and gave way to a great winding river splitting the city in two, murky waters reflecting the half of the moon visible in the cloudy sky, dark shapes floating in the water. Shapes that were likely barrels, boats and barges. Even with your eyes having adapted well to the light the night sky had to offer, it was hard to make out anything around you.

And yet...

It was all so very wrong. You didn't know this place, but as you saw a vast tower looming over the other side of the river with the moon outlining its silhouette, you knew where you were.

London.

It made sense now why the term 'for queen and country' had been used by the staff inside the prison. Knowing where you were, wasn't much help however if you didn't know how you were going to survive here. You needed a means to make money, some fresh clothing, a roof above your head. For now though, you resolved that you would walk a little further and find an abandoned riverside shack.

as you walked onward looking out for a suitable looking shack as you dropped down to a riverside path, you considered your options. You could apply for a menial job, as there was no doubt no shortage of labour in these parts for those who would get stuck in with jobs such as cleaning the stables, hauling wood and the like. While such a job wasn't great, it would likely pay by the day if so arranged, and if it paid by the day, you could put food in your stomach.

There was always the less assured path, you could rely on a job that required mental finess...

What was it that you had mentally always excelled at? Had it been tinkering, had it been related to mathematics, or had it been something not quite marketable as a money making skill?

No matter you told yourself as you glanced into a likely looking shack, one with half broken windows and cobwebs glistening wetly in the moonlight... You had found a place to crash for the night, and now all you had to do was decide what course of action you would pursue when you awoke.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Strife26 on June 25, 2010, 04:33:54 pm
I made ways to kill, didn't I? New, inventive ways to inflict the maximum amount of wounds, death. and destruction on the enemy in the minimum amount of time, but I don't want to inflict harm anymore . . .


Wake up in the morning and try to find a job.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Kashyyk on June 25, 2010, 04:36:22 pm
I was always the tactician. I designed, baited and enacted elaborate schemes for destroying my opponents, either alone, or with help.

Wake up in the morning and try to find a job.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Ochita on June 25, 2010, 05:09:54 pm
I had always tinkered, wanting to see how to create something that could do more, kill more. Now I just want to find out the mysterys around me as I solve others

Wake up in the morning and try to find a job.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Phantom on June 25, 2010, 05:12:30 pm
I was always the tactician. I designed, baited and enacted elaborate schemes for destroying my opponents, either alone, or with help.

Wake up in the morning and try to find a job.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Ottofar on June 25, 2010, 05:13:26 pm
I was always the tactician. I designed, baited and enacted elaborate schemes for destroying my opponents, either alone, or with help.

Wake up in the morning and try to find a job.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on June 25, 2010, 07:24:54 pm
Tactics... It was far from a marketable skill, but it was a skill that had, and would serve you well. It allowed you to take full advantage of your surroundings in an instant and gave you a general boost to your efficiency in any matter that required organisational skill and logic. Woe betide any who tried to outmanouver you, for you could ambush, trap and toy with any foe who underestimated you.

Even now, it served you well, for you had picked a secure enough shack to hole up in, reducing the risk that you would be disturbed in the night by oppertunistic individuals. One hand edged in through the broken window of the shack, lifting the latch on the door, allowing you to slip into it unnoticed. The last thing you wanted was to be have anybody see you doing this, due to the complications that could arise.

Once inside the shack you made sure the door was shut behind you, the curtain over the window pulled and pinned in place behind an old dresser, and the latch itself had a loop of old twine slipped over it as a last measure to prevent anybody else doing exactly the same as you had to get in. It wouldn't stop anybody who was truely determined, but it would give you warning that they were trying.

With that, you lay down behind the dresser, huddling in the corner as you pulled a bundle of long forgotten sacks over yourself to keep you warm, before drifting off to sleep.

It was the first time that you had really felt safe in a long time when you went to sleep, with the soft sound of the nearby river your only companion.

Despite this, your dreams were not pleasant.

In your dreams you lay there paralyzed as a small, rat like man danced about the shack before turning to face you, beady little eyes focused on you as he licked his lips, stepping towards you, edging over, a mouthful of sharp teeth shown as he grinned, with wheezing breath that smelled like death.

With a start you awoke, your entire body drenched with sweat, while the morning light shone through that shabby old curtain you had pulled over the window. It was a new day, it was a new start, it was the beginning of...

Of...

You.. Couldn't place what it was that you had intended to do, what had brought you to this city, but you knew that it would come to you eventually, that sooner or later everything would fall into place and you would recall your purpose. For now though, you had much a much simpler task at hand.

You stretched out as you stepped from the shack, looking left then right as you looked over the other, less fortunate people that lived in this area. Other than the cuts and the bruises your current state didn't make you look too out of place. There was no doubt some work you could get while you healed, some work that would allow you to pay for food, for clothes, for a roof over your head.

Odd as it was, the concept of such simple things brought you comfort, the fact that you could ease into city life like this, that you could allow things to come back to you at their own pace instead of stressing about them and running around chasing the ghosts of your memory.

A quick walk up and down the bank of the river, without straying too far from the shack in what you had slept told you that there was little to do at the riverside other than scavenge and pray that you would find whatever to pawn off to the local merchants. The docks were a fair walk down river from here, but there was no doubt work loading and unloading boats.

Walking up and down the streets, reading the signs and the notices that adorned the buildings gave you a different set of options. You could see advertisments for nearby stables, pubs and workshops. While they were touting the actual services that these places could provide, it wouldn't hurt to see if they would want an extra pair of hands to take on some of their workload.

The question now, was what one of these menial tasks did you apply for first, if any of them.


Spoiler: "Stats" (click to show/hide)
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Phantom on June 25, 2010, 09:16:00 pm
A stable might be good for getting a horse, while a workshop might be good for building stuff.
I should say stable, because we might have may not have a tactic about horses but what the hell.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Glacies on June 25, 2010, 09:47:38 pm
To the pub. We'll learn a lot of stuff about the surrounding country if we overhear things in a pub,
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Acanthus117 on June 26, 2010, 02:54:33 am
To the pub. We'll learn a lot of stuff about the surrounding country if we overhear things in a pub,
And besides, we might get a job there.

Being a bouncer would be awesome, but I dunno.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: cerapa on June 26, 2010, 04:21:12 am
The pub would be dangerous. The angry guy might show up there.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Ochita on June 26, 2010, 04:29:42 am
We beat him down. When we were also just injured so now that we are slightly refreshed we could take him
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: cerapa on June 26, 2010, 06:15:40 am
We were a PRISONER, and we ESCAPED. So people are pissed and whoever put us in prison would certainly attempt to CAPTURE or KILL us. The dude himself is irrevelant, his knowledge of us isnt.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Ochita on June 26, 2010, 06:20:34 am
Well they dont know us so if the mn seesus we start a 'Drunken' brawl. In the confusion we take him to our hut and ... silence him.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on June 26, 2010, 07:37:45 am
The stables sound like a good place to start, you tell yourself as you check the various notices, advertisments and signs that adorn the streets and buildings. Gaudy colours ranging from brilliant just painted reds to faded and cracked yellows adorn these signs, while printed sheets of paper grubby and washed out from the river air flutter where they are pinned to notice boards. You know that you should be keeping a low profile with how you had recently escaped prison, but you feel unstoppable, ready to take on the world.

You stride with purpose down the crowded streets, past beggar and common man alike. Most of the men are dressed in simple but grubby clothing, shirts, trousers with suspenders and sensible boots, the uniform of the workforce of the nation.

Your confidence and sense of purpose has people, even those bigger than you move aside for you with a nod, letting you know that this area's not as rough as it looks. The people here may be desperate, have a few crimes under their belts that they've commited to survive, but they're not trouble makers. They recognise the strength, pride and determination in your eyes.

And want nothing of it.

It's wise you note, that they do not want to trouble you with some petty act of bravado, an attempt to bully you, for you know that you have more than just this bruising, these superficial but ugly cuts adorning you. You have scars, records of a thousand years conflict adorning your body like a story book of how close as they may come, none has ever sealed your fate.

The sound of bawdy music from a nearby pub on the street however catches your attention. You recall that the portly bastard that had given you this current unwelcome decoration to your face had been something of a drinker, a man who had been crude and lowly. If you could get a job at a place like this...

No...

It was a stupid idea, you couldn't put yourself in the open like that, and hope that he would walk into your lap, that you would be able to silence him in what looked like a bar brawl. The idea was petty, small and poorly thought out you continued to tell yourself as you strode into the bar, fiddles, tin whistles and lewd singing filling your ears as the rowdy crowd danced and drank. It would be better to appeal to the bartender's sense of decency, ask for directions to a more respectable place for work, and make note that you would be back here some time 'soon' to celebrate when you had the coin.

You stopped at the bar, waiting for the bartender to get around to you, the man was old, silvery haired with a fair beard on him and a giant. He stood a good half foot taller than most of his patrons, and had a build that said he could have thrown most of them out on their heels before they could have uttered a suprised 'What?'

"So, what can I do f'yeh?" came the bartenders words as he wiped the surface of the bar with a filthy cloth, before leaning on one elbow, gazing down at you as he sized you up. Your voice was calm though as you spoke, you bore no reason to worry about this man and it showed.

"I am looking for a job." you merely replied, while you mentally cringed. That wasn't what you had wanted to ask. You had wanted information on work, on the surrounding area, not to pursue some chance of exacting petty revenge if that portly oaf ever showed his face here.

"A job ye say." The bartender looked you over again, this time doing more than quickly sizing you up. This time he was very deliberately trying to gauge what you were capable of. Shifting, the bartender put his one elbow on the surface of the bar, holding a hand out expectantly. He wanted to see just how much strength you had in your arms, you figured as you placed your elbow atop the bar, grasping his hand as you gave it your all.

Your all, as you quickly noted was far from enough to beat this giant of a man.

Your all, was enough to prevent him getting a fast victory however as you fought back, your arm slowly giving, inch after inch as the man struggled against you. The man's arm was an unyeilding mass of skin and muscle, but your own strength was nothing to sneeze at either, as every inch he took was one he fought for with a reddening face. A good minute passed before your knuckles finally touched the surface of the bar, a brief nod showing that he was pleased with this as he stepped back and straightened his grubby shirt out.

"Yeh'ave a good arm on ye, kid." he chuckled, stroking his beard as he gave you one final looking over, before speaking again, this time with what you knew before he opened his mouth, would be an offer of work. "Tell ye what, I'll give ye a chance 'ere. An extra pair of 'ands could be a boon when I 'ave barrels t'stack in the back an' all. That, an' some'un to watch me back when trouble starts, carry out li'l jobs 'ere n'there..." he paused, guesturing towards the Pub's interior, implying that you'd be cleaning tables and such too for him.

"So, what do y'say kid, fair coin f'fair work, an' scraps from th'kitchen af'er meal times?"

Comes the mans words, an offer that you know won't amount to more than a handful of coin, will put food in your stomach and keep your ear to the ground. You know that knowing the local news is valuable, but there's more to it than that. A good feel for people and the right attitude can get you far.

When it comes to people, to social and emotional situations, you know in one area you always excelled, but what was it? Did you have street smarts, natural leadership, were you good at intimidating, or was it something else?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Acanthus117 on June 26, 2010, 07:44:49 am
We were always skilled in 'reading' people, understanding their motives and their emotions as if they were written across their brow.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Ochita on June 26, 2010, 08:10:23 am
We were always skilled in 'reading' people, understanding their motives and their emotions as if they were written across their brow.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: maxicaxi on June 26, 2010, 09:28:52 am
We were always skilled in 'reading' people, understanding their motives and their emotions as if they were written across their brow.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Digital Hellhound on June 26, 2010, 10:48:48 am
Agreed.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Glacies on June 26, 2010, 11:37:08 am
Pffft. We killed people. Knowing how they felt was not particularly important. No, we're intimidating.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on June 26, 2010, 11:38:43 am
A glance around the crowded pub has realisation dawn upon you, you know exactly what it is that you excel at, and it hasn't struck you sooner as it has been right infront of your face this whole time. You hadn't realised it, but all along you had been reading those you encountered, from the portly tormentor with his impotent rage, to the timid wirey man who had shown compassion. You had seen beneath the civilised masks they wore, read their body language and seen how they truely thought.

It was second nature to you to see when a person feigned interest, to tell when they lied, to gradually work out how they ticked. Nobody could hide their true self from you given time, though a master of the art could prevent you from reading their true self. All about you were men who had lost themselves in this escape from reality, with a handful of women pretending to be drawn to the more influential of the men here.

Every forced smile, every fake guesture, you saw it all.

The common man couldn't hope to hide a thing from you, as you practically knew what they were thinking before they themselves did.

The glance around the room must have appeared to this man like you were weighing up what you had gotten yourself into, when deep down, you were happy to accept. Simple work, something to keep you occupied and fed, it was fine by you as it was in a place that looked like all manner of street savvy types gathered here.

"That sounds like a good enough offer." You smile, despite how it makes your face ache to do such a thing, one hand reaching out to shake the large man's firmly, eliciting a nod of approval from him.

As expected, the work you do is tiring and basic, but you put yourself into it unwaveringly. You clean the floors, you clean the walls, you clean the floors, you clean the tables, you clean the floors again. You help Red, as the silverhaired bartender's name turns out to be, to set people who pass out drunkenly outside, to subdue and drag troublemakers out by their feet. You help Red's wife in the kitchen peeling and preparing food, impressing her with the efficiency you prepare and organise the food.

After meal time has been taken care of, you get a break and the chance to pick left overs from the kitchens, giving you the chance to sit down and enjoy a beer.

Scraps of beef, vegetables, bread and beer, compared to what you knew to be prison fare, you felt like you were eating like a king. Despite how simple this all was, it brought you joy, though deep down you knew that this joy wouldn't last.

Further work through the day included hauling barrels too and from the back room, cleaning the floor, cleaning the tables and cleaning the floor yet again. It seemed there was no end of blood and vomit that ended up on it between the drunkards and the brawlers. By closing time you were tired but satisfied, you had done a good job and overheard plenty of gossip.

You breathed a sigh of relief as you leaned against the bar, watching as the last of the customers wandered off drunkenly into the night. Mulling over what you had heard through the day as Red counted the takings for the day, before counting out a small stack of coins and passing them over to you. "If yer goin' t'work like that every day kid, ye be welcome fer as long as ye wish 'ere." Red states firmly, prompting a small smile from you as you bid him goodnight and make your way out onto the street, aching as you step out into the gaslight illuminated streets, with a full stomach and a fistfull of coins.

You'd overheard a lot while you were working though, from discussions about the local printshops and the new pictures in their windows, the clothing at the local markets, the shipment of tea that had been lost on the way from india, awe over the latest clockworker guild's contraptions, mentions of killers stalking the night streets, and an illegal workers fighting tournament down at the docks.

The night air was crisp and the people on the streets thinning, it was time to decide if you wanted to go back to the shack, or if you had other plans for the night.


Spoiler: "Stats" (click to show/hide)
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Glacies on June 26, 2010, 11:41:24 am
Let's go break faces at that thing down at the dock. We need to get ourselves back into a bloodlust, and there's probably money involved too.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Strife26 on June 26, 2010, 11:50:15 am
Home and bed.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on June 26, 2010, 06:47:36 pm
You're torn, you don't know if you'd prefer to rest off the worst of the aches from the day, to speed your recovery, to allow you to be in peak condition sooner, or if you want to make your way down to the docks to see if you can get your hands on some winnings from these worker brawls that they're holding down there.

If nothing else, you know that you could make a few weeks earnings if you're able to do well but at what cost?

Some broken ribs, more cuts, bruises all over your face, body and knuckles.

Your weighing up of the benefits against the potential downfalls involved tells you that you should at least check it out, that you should mingle with the workers, play the part of a new person in town looking for some money, who's interested in seeing how this works to see if you can try your luck with it some time. You can spare a few hours to do this you figure, and if it looks like it'd be easy money, hell, maybe you'll even join in and give those fools a beating they'll not soon forget.

You stride down the road toward the docks, moving in and out of the small pools of light given off by the gas powered streetlamps, rolling your neck casually as you limber up. You figure you may as well jog there.

Your pace quickens as you start to jog, your breathing regular and controlled as you gaze up at the night sky, looking up at the moon as it peeks out from behind the clouds, the glistening stars fading in and out of view as you pass beneath streetlamps.

Something feels out of place though.

It feels as if someone, something is watching you.

You pause, stopping to look around as you narrow your eyes. No light from the buildings, no rooftops that are suitable for somebody to spy on you from nearby. The alleyways are shrouded in darkness and the nightsky... Well, nobody is spying on you from there. They'd need an airship of some form, and you see no telltale lights from one, no patch of cloud or stars blocked out its form.

There's always the possibility that it's a cutpurse or the like in the alleyways, but-

You throw yourself down as something swoops overhead, screeching as it narrowly misses your head, the sound of tiles rattling as something large lands on a nearby house, talons clicking against slate as a large, heavy form edges along the peak of the roof.

You can feel its eyes, burning, beady black eyes focused on you, the faint glimmer of them in the moonlight telling you it's focused on you, and you alone.

What do you do. Do you stand and fight knowing you're unarmed and out manoeuvred in the open, do you make a run for it, do you attempt to communicate with this thing?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: sonerohi on June 26, 2010, 07:41:07 pm
((Did you just send a gryphon to attack us?))

If we are outmaneuvered in the open, get out of the open. Try to fight it through the alleyways.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Acanthus117 on June 26, 2010, 08:58:41 pm
I agree with sonerohi. Also try to find a rusty lead pipe for a weapon.

That'll be better than nothing, I suppose.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: darkflagrance on June 26, 2010, 10:10:44 pm
Aren't we a marksman? Try to find something we can use to cripple its weak spots from cover.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Acanthus117 on June 26, 2010, 10:12:44 pm
Throwing shards of glass?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on June 26, 2010, 10:24:47 pm
This thing has the benefit of flight, that in this open area gives it a great advantage you note as you slowly push yourself up from the middle of the road, as you squint, trying to make out what it is exactly that has attacked you.You know it's large, it's perched atop the roof and it has wings and talons. There's any number of things it could very well be, you note as you glance at the nearest alley way.

One thing is for certain, it isn't friendly.

You almost dive for the alley way as you decide to use the fact this thing has to get airborne against it, it takes it longer to become fully mobile than you require. While you may be limited to one mode of transport, you've had a lifetime using it, and it alone to get you around. This thing on the other hand, is likely a lot more reliant upon its wings, wings that wouldn't be able to find space to flap in the alley ways.

Whatever it was, it wasn't giving up easily. It was determined to follow you into this alley way, even if it meant losing use of its wings. The lamplight from the street outlined the creature as it fluttered down from the roof, like a shadow cast in black chasing you where something should have stood. Something with two short, stubby legs, something with a long neck, a head with a beak. Something that looked almost like a vulture that had fallen victim to some depraved madman playing god with it.

Talons clicked against stone as the thing picked up its pace, knocking aside empty barrels as it squawked hungrily, as you turned to run. You weren't fleeing from this thing you told yourself, as you watched the floor for something, anything that would do as a weapon. You just needed some space, a weapon and a chance to turn things further in your favour and you'd see to it that this abomination was put in its place.

A pile of broken planks caught your attention, prompting you to stop, kicking a few of them aside to locate a suitably sized one, one you were pleased to discover had rusty nails poking out of the end of it. You didn't have a great deal of space to swing this weapon in this alley way, but you knew you could make overhead strikes and crack this things skull.

As it approached you stood your ground, one arm held before you as you raised your weapon, your arm used to bait the creature as the easiest part of your body to reach, a tactic that you reinforced further by waving it, temptingly, relying on your reactions to prevent yourself taking injury with this gambit.

Something was wrong though, intelligence sparkled in those eyes as it watched your ploy, as it took a good look at you poised ready to crack it over the head with that plank, it squawked once more, its one taloned foot scratching at the dirt and stone beneath it as it waited for you to make a move.

You had an idea though, you knew that it was smarter than it looked, but it was far from as cunning as you, so you thrust the plank towards it, a deliberately clumbsy attack that allowed it to grab it with its beak, only for you to follow through with this as you put your weight into knocking the creature off balance as you held the plank in its beaked mouth, as you landed atop it, pinning it down.

It squirmed, but to no avail. Upon its back as it was it lacked leverage to throw you off, nothing but wings to buffet you with as it squawked in distress, as it struggled, as it refused to give in to what was inevitable next.

One hand moved to grab the creature by the neck, holding the underside of its beak as you pinned its head against the ground of the alley way, while another sought out a rock. You were not dissapointed as your fingers brushed against one, one that you hefted up, before you struck the creature again and again until it lay still.

It was dead. Its skull cracked by merciless blows as you helped it helplessly beneath you. You knew that you should have felt something, anything toward this act. Cool air washed over your blood flecked arms, You had killed it, and you felt nothing. It was as if this thing was insignifigant to you, as if you had done this type of thing more times than you could count. Just who and what were you?

Stumbling from the alley way, you took a deep breath, wiping away the most visible of the blood on your arms, before you took a good look both ways down the riverside pathway.

Was it wise to continue on to the docks after being attacked like this, was a change of plan in question, or would it be more prudent to get some rest?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Acanthus117 on June 26, 2010, 10:26:50 pm
We should go to the docks, taking a round-about route.

If there's more of those things after us, I wouldn't want them to get us at home.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Strife26 on June 27, 2010, 12:07:08 pm
We should go to the docks, taking a round-about route.

If there's more of those things after us, I wouldn't want them to get us at home.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Ochita on June 27, 2010, 12:10:59 pm
We should go to the docks, taking a round-about route.

If there's more of those things after us, I wouldn't want them to get us at home.
This. Also keep an eye out for any more.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on June 27, 2010, 12:33:18 pm
Reluctantly, you turned back towards the alley way that you had just left, feeling at the moment that it would be safer if you were to be in a less open area. If another of those things attacked you, you didn't know if you'd get lucky like that again, if you'd get the chance to duck and avoid it swooping down. You didn't know for that matter what it was, what manner of creature had attacked you.

It looked like a vulture in the darkness, but it was too large. It was also smarter than some stupid bird, though such basic intelligence hadn't served it well. As you paced back past that cooling corpse, you decided that the docks didn't sound like such a bad idea right now. There would be the workers there, the workers would provide numbers enough to prevent anything like this daring to attack, they'd provide new friends.

At least you hoped they would be friendly.

You travelled almost silently through the back alleys nearest the riverside pathways, passing the occasional homeless person sleeping in a pile of barrels and the occasional group of less reputable gentlemen.

None of them bothered you.

None of them wanted to bother you.

You figured it was likely something to do with the visible splattering of blood that coated your arms, blood that you mentally told yourself was probably less unpleasent to deal with, than the river water would be if you sought to wash it off.

You kept an eye out for rain barrels and puddles as you went onward, pausing to check them occasionally as you looked for one that seemed abandoned enough to warrant spoiling it with blood, knowing that the original owner wouldn't care much for it, if they had left it untended. You were almost at the docks by the time you found one, one that was overgrown with moss and had a layer of leaves and dead insects atop it.

It was stagnant, but you knew that it was still better than the river water. It was almost overflowing too, making cleaning the layer of scum off the top easier, before you dipped your hands in, washing the blood from your arms carefully as you glanced towards the street, and down the alleys that surrounded you. Being attacked by that creature told you that things weren't as they seemed here, that doubled with the news of the killer on the loose currently, told you one thing.

The streets were not safe at night.

You mentally resolved to get your hands on a firearm of sorts as soon as possible, as anyone or anything foolish enough to attack you wouldn't be so tough once it had a hole in its head. You were edging towards the street again, knowing that you'd have to cover the last hundred feet to the docks in the open when a metallic glint in the moonlight caught your attention, then another, and another...

Coins.

There was a trail of coins leading into the entrance of the alley way in what you were standing, and around the corner into the darkness. It was too even a trail to be accidental, too deliberate to be luck. Whoever's trap it was, you weren't falling for it, but you were quite happy to benefit from it, as you snatched up the coins that you could see and made your way across that hundred foot stretch to the docks.

There was a fire in the distance, a fire with figures milling about it, dancing in the flickering light as they ducked and weaved, trading blows before one of them stumbled, holding his hand up as he yeilded and a cheer went up, audiable even from this distance from a number of men. As you approached them, the crowd's chattering silenced, all eyes on you as you stepped into the firelight.

"So, what do we have here?" came one voice, one belonging to one of the larger men here, one who looked you over this way and that as he mused to himself. "I ain't seen you about these parts before. You must be lost, and about to get on your way, right?"

You smiled. This man was attempting to intimidate you, but you had no fear for him. People in general didn't scare you, as deep down you felt that they were the least of your worries. "I heard there were fights going on down here, a chance for me to make decent coin if my skills are up-" you start, disregarding the mans attempt to intimidate you, that you can see clearly infuriates him, prompting him to swing for you.

The blow stings as it meets your face, but you merely turn back to face him as you maintain that passive expression, before you resume talking. "to the challenge. I figure with luck, I might be able to make a few weeks pay in a-" the man strikes you again, growling now as you turn back once more to face him. You ignore him, finishing off what it was you had planned to say. "night, that would be nice if I am able."

The man raises his hand to strike you once more, only this time the blow only connects with air as you duck under it, twisting his arm behind his back as you duck behind him, a kick to the back of his legs causing him to sink down as you twist him around, a hand on the back of his head as you hold his face inches away from the flickering fire. "Lay another finger on me, and I will kill you. Do. You. Under. Stand." you state, flatly, coldly as the man squirms, exuding raw fear now as he nods frantically, having lost his nerve.

"I like this guy. Someone get him a beer." Comes a voice from the crowd, one belonging to an even larger man, one who pats a crate nearby signalling for you to come sit by him. Without a second thought, you push the man you're holding aside and walk over.

"The name's William." the man states, holding a hand out to you, grasping yours firmly and shaking it as you offer yours in return. "I run these fights and occasionally participate in them myself-" he pauses as another man approaches with a bottle of beer, waiting for you to turn your attention back to him after accepting it. "We don't get much new blood here, what with the legality of this and peoples fear of the streets at night and all, but, you're welcome here."

He guestures over to the group of misfits, labourers and workers, speaking once more as you take a sip of the drink in your hand. "So, what're you here for, plan to wager on the fights, or would you like to try your luck?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Labs on June 27, 2010, 02:12:35 pm
You feelin' lucky punk? I say fight.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Ochita on June 27, 2010, 02:36:07 pm
Lets try our luck!
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: sonerohi on June 27, 2010, 02:55:09 pm
Can we place bets on ourself in addition to fighting?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Phantom on June 27, 2010, 02:57:39 pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zX6M7-rAFJE&feature=related
That is all.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on June 27, 2010, 04:26:35 pm
"My fortune, good or bad as it may be should be something I decide with my own two hands." You respond, taking a mouthful of your beer as you look thoughtfully out at the gathered crowd. It seems a simple enough setup, subdue the other person with grappling and striking and you've won. You figure you'll probably put money down at the start of the fight, the other person will match it, winner takes all.

People will bet on the fights too, and they've already seen that you're fairly tough, that you're able to look after yourself. No doubt they are almost all pretty able to themselves, though it wouldn't suprise you if a few of them came soley to bet, to watch the fights and to cheer on their friends. They've seen you move, they've seen you take down a fairly well built guy, you know that if you win they'll love you, that you'll get all the more respect from them. At least from the ones that've bet on you.

These are your kind of people.

You have no trouble reading them, no issues working out their motives. They want, they need the money, and they're prepared to do what it takes to get it, with simple strength, as natural finess as their only tools. They rely upon themselves, nothing more, nothing less.

"Finish your drink, watch a few fights, get a feel for it before you step in." William replies, he's confident that you're not going to back out at the last moment, you can read it on his face. You're a fresh face, a new factor, something to spice up the fights that he no doubt has a very good feel for, a new variable for him to understand.

The fights you watch go quickly, with neither party holding back as they beat each other into submission, as they executed grapples, holds, as they brawled, cheered on by onlookers. There's a great deal of respect between most of these people though, you can see them help each other up, limping off to recover together in some cases.

They're more than an assortment of misfits, they're people who're as close as brothers.

You place your bottle down, most of the contents finished by now as you turn to William, the two of you making eye contact as you give him a nod, letting him know that you're ready now. Ready as you'll ever be. You want to feel it all, every ache and pain, the rush of adrenaline, the feel of your blood pumping and flowing.

William climbs to his feet, you can see the excitement written on his face, as he relishes what is about to come. "Friends, may I have your attention for a moment!" He calls out, causing a hush to immediately fall over the assembled crowd. "We have new blood with us tonight, a man who you have all seen put a certain bully amongst our numbers to shame, a man who I would like you all to make feel very welcome, a man who deserves nothing short of one a fresh combatant to mark this-" he pauses, guesturing skywards "this night-" he almost laughs "the night that he, -" he pauses, turning towards you expectantly, waiting for a name.

"Eurochkoles" you state on cue.

"The night that Eurochkoles, joins out circles of brothers, so brothers, fellow fighters, who amongst you would make this a night for him to remember?"

One man stood, broad shouldered and with a bushy beard, his accented voice marking him as from the outskirts of the city, a farmer no doubt. "I'll match anythin' the kid cares t'put down, as long as 'e promises t'leave me with a few o'me teeth." the man grins, his gap toothed grin marking him as a veteran of these gatherings.

You give the man a respectful nod, putting down half of the earnings you had made that day, turning to William as you held out the other half. You could see the looks on the other peoples faces, you could see that they favoured this man. Sure, this man was clearly strong, but you had seen the manner he rose, he was getting on in years and wouldn't be able to keep up with you.

"I'd like to bet on myself, too." you almost whisper, glancing back at the assembled crowd. You know that you can make more if they're betting against you, though you don't want to put it that way. "It would not be right to put all I have brought with me down, if he is happy to match my wager." you state calmly, clearly. William nods slightly, taking the offered money as he mentally notes down how much you've given him.

"Very compassionate of you rookie, but that man has a hell of a pair of arms. I see what you are doing though, so, if you lose I'll slip him a little extra and let him know you were worried you would rob him otherwise." William grins, patting you on the shoulder, before settling down, leaving you to go face your waiting opponent when you are ready.

As you approach him, the other man holds his hand out, smiling warmly as he waits for you to take it. "Win o'lose, you're one o'us now friend. Win o'lose." he states, his smile becoming all the broad as you take his hand, shaking it firmly.

You step back a few paces as you stand ready, having seen that the fights started when both people made it clear they were ready, giving the man a nod as you stood with one arm ready at your side, the other raised chest high, before you waited.

Waited...

For the other man to make the first move.

His first move was to step forward, to use a testing jab toward your face to throw you off guard, but you saw this for what it was as you ducked back and to the side, prompting a wry smile from him. He could see that you were not one to toy with, that you'd tire him out long before he was able to figure out your defences. Your constantly shifting defences.

His next move was to come straight in, swinging for your body as he aimed to rely upon his larger frame to come out the better in such an exchange, but you saw this for what it was. The exchange of blows he was hoping for happened, but not without you turning it in your favour. For every blow he landed, you landed three, though it still took the wind out of you.

You knew that you could outlast him if you toyed with him, but such wouldn't reflect well on you for a first fight. You needed a clear, descisive victory. You ducked this way and that as you went on the offensive, a series of distracting strikes seeking to overwhelm his defences but he wasn't fooled. He could see this for what it was, shifting his position as he did his best to stop more than a few glancing blows getting through.

You could see that this display had done more than he was letting on, you could see that he was struggling to keep up with this and you knew that all you had to do was go on an all out offensive, so you stepped forward launching a series of pressuring blows on him as you gave him no opening with the sheer speed with what you launched punches and kicks from all directions, your blows leaving him visibly off balance, yet your attempts to press that home had a blow sneak past your guard, a heavy blow that sent you staggering as your ears rang.

He pressed home the advantage, several blows striking your face and body as he sent you reeling further, but he was following a pattern, a predictable pattern that you took full advantage of as you caught his arm, as you swept his feet from under him, as you pinned his arms behind his back and... and...

He laughed.

"I yield friend, I yield." Came his voice, as you shook your head, your nose scrunching as blood dripped from it. relaxing the hold on him, you patted him on the shoulder, before standing, offering a hand to him to help him to his feet. You were tough, but fighting this man was like striking an...

"You may call me Oak, friend." He stated as he rubbed at his arms. guesturing to the benches nearby as he did so. "Come, sit with me while you catch your breath, I'll fetch you another beer and we can drink to your victory, to your initiation into this humble little group!" he almost cheered.

What was it to be, would you collect your winnings with an excuse and leave, would you sit with this man and celebrate, or did you have other plans?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Ochita on June 27, 2010, 05:07:05 pm
We celebrate! however we ask if he could spar with him at a later date, to increase our skills and toughness
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: sonerohi on June 27, 2010, 05:39:44 pm
Keep an eye out for William while we celebrate. It'd suck to lose our cash if something caused us to leave in a hustle.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on June 27, 2010, 08:04:21 pm
Despite how you hurt all over you feel great, you've bested a respected fighter and made fair money on it. You've made a few friends too, it seems, a few who see you as being more than meets the eye, a few who see the potential you hold.

As you settle down Oak goes to get you the promised drink, a drink that you figure is paid for by a small portion of the money bet on the fights. It seems a fair enough way to do it, to ensure that those that lose all the money on them at least have a drink to console themselves with you figure, as you sip at the contents of the bottle. You of course, are not one to lose so easily, to mope when beaten.

"You know..." You start after some watching the fights for a while, waiting for Oak to give you his full attention "I would love it, if it was possible for a little friendly sparring between us some time." you state, watching as he muses, stroking his beard slowly as he weighed this up.

"Well, I canne see how it could hurt, though I feel I may be learnin' more from you, than you be learnin' from me." he laughed, though you could feel that he was being entirely serious. "While t'the untrained eye some o'what y'did may have looked pretty amateur, it were all i could do, t'keep y'from smackin' me one." he grins, slurring slightly from the drink as he pats you on the shoulder.

You figure that the next time you're here may be a good time to spring this question on him again, as while he may well be right that you're the more able fighter, you know that practice with someone able to challenge you is always good.

As the night winds down, William makes he way around the assembled group giving everyone their winnings. Your own are wrapped up neatly in a pouch, one that feels fairly heavy as you feel it dropped into your waiting hand.

As the group retired for the night, you find yourself walking up river with a couple of the ones you'd seen fighting earlier, though you didn't catch their names. It didn't matter though, their presence provided you with company and conversation as you made your way back along the riverside path.

The conversation mostly consisted of how their wives didn't approve of the fighting they did, of how they wouldn't give this up for the world, of how they truely felt a kinship with the people of the group. It also gave you insight into the surrounding regions, as they told you how a taxman had been killed recently when trying to enforce an unfair and extortionate tax that the nobles had levvied against those that toiled on their lands. they made it quite clear they were truely relieved that the monarch hadn't tried to do the same here.

You were over half way home, only two men remaining from the small group that you had started off with when one of them paused, hushing you as he gazed intently at the night sky, the faintest of sounds coming from it... It sounded like...

The sound of wings.

"Fuckin' vultures. If I find who made those abomination's, i'll put a fuckin' bullet in the wankers 'ead." the man snorted, reaching for his belt as he pulled a faintly rusted weapon from it, a weapon you immediately recognised to be a pistol. A revolver, to be precise.

The sound of a single gunshot pierced the night along with a tortured, gurgling squawk as the man hit his mark, and a splash as the substantial bulk of the bird fell into the filthy river. "I remem'er when none o'that crap snuck about at night." the man snorted, tucking the pistol back into his belt as he did so. "Seems we can't even get 'ome without one o'our groups bein' accosted every time we gather." he continued, waving his hands as he guestured wildly.

The rest of the trip back was safe, with you breaking off from the group just before you reached the shack, with tales of vultures, banshees and a thing they only referred to a 'The Ripper' fresh in your mind as you secured the window and door to the shack as best you were able.

Tomorrow you had work, though you figured that Red wouldn't object to you taking an hour or two after lunch was taken care of to take care of things if there was anything outstanding.

The question was, did you truely want to go trawling the markets and trying your hand haggling for a new weapon or some fresh clothes?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Ochita on June 28, 2010, 01:14:56 am
WE want to go haggleing for a new weapon, a pistol
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Acanthus117 on June 28, 2010, 02:21:30 am
Yes, but we should go for one that is common, yet high quality. No outlandish guns that fire mortar rounds. Anonymous yet efficient, that's what I say.

Also, let's see if we can't try and build a sort of life with our little tavern and whatever. Make friends, familiarize ourselves with the people nearby, that sort of thing. We'd like to build a decent reputation of a trustworthy gentleman who you wouldn't want to mess with.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on June 28, 2010, 04:08:19 am
You settled down in the corner of the shack after double checking that you had secured the door and window as best you were able. You knew now that there were things out there, things that should not be and you were damned if you were letting them disturb your sleep. If anything, you knew that a good nights sleep was something you enjoyed. You were a simple man in some ways, liking a good meal with a drink, a good nights rest and...

And...

You yawned, you could continue this mental monologue later you figured, as you pulled the sacks up over yourself, huddling in the corner as you listened to the sound of the nearby river lapping at its banks, as you listened to the sound of dogs howling in the distance...

Your eyes closed as you yawned once more, as you drifted off to sleep, exausted from a day of hard work and fighting. If you never saw another one of those vultures, it would be too soon, but deep down...

Deep down, you knew that you'd be seeing more of them soon.

Sleep yeilded a number of dreams this night, the first of them being almost like a memory as you found yourself hiking through a forest, a backpack full of supplies resting upon your shoulders and a good pair of boots on your feet. You could feel cool, crisp air as you breathed in, smell the scent of wild garlic, listened to bird song. There was the scent of water too, marking a nearby river, stream, brook. You didn't care what it was truth be told, as you had a canteen full of water from a mountain spring's source you'd recently visited.

A mountain...

Yes, you were still on that mountain, hiking down after reaching the summit, your supplies were half empty and your spirits high, as you had felt atop the world, gazing out over the surrounding landscape as you saw sleepy little villages dotted along the banks of the river that stretched into the distance, winding lazily overt the horizon.

You were well travelled, you had seen the world. You had slept under the night sky in many different countries, though you didn't know what country this one was off hand yet. As you continued downward, following the winding path through the forest you came to a rope bridge over a crack in the mountain, a deep gully with a stream winding through it.

You knew something bad was about to happen, but you couldn't stop yourself as you continued onward over the rope bridge, not noticing that the old rope was about to give until it was too late. The rope frayed, snapped, casting you over the side as the bridge bucked, one hand grabbing onto it as you nimbly grabbed the ropes before you fell.

Only, the handhold you took was the same old rope, that failed you as it gave way in your hand.

With a snap, and a wrenching sensation in the pit of your stomach you had fallen two, maybe three hundred feet into this gully, landing with a sickening thud against solid stone. By all means you shouldn't have survived, though from an outside perspective now you could see yourself, writhing as you cried in pain, horribly injured, but far from dead.

As the dream faded out, giving way to another you couldn't help but feel that vivid as it was, you had just relived a forgotten memory.

The next dream had you open your eyes to that battle field again, devoid of anything apart from you and that woman, that woman that had waited expectantly for you to return to slay her. Seeing your eyes open she smiled brightly, holding a knife out to you this time as she waited for you to strike her down.

"Kill me and your anxiety dies with me." She whispered, though you merely shook your head, shoving her aside as you climbed to your feet, rolling your neck as you looked out over the grassy plains. Grassy plains that stretched as far as the eye could see. "You'll never escape, if you do not. It's your curse."

You turned, glaring at the woman as you took the knife, eliciting a brief look of joy from her, a look that was quickly replaced by dissapointment as you flung the knife away, turning back to her as you grabbed her by the pristine white collar of the top beneath her armour, hauling her to her feet as you stood face to face. "I will not kill you. I am not that man." You yelled, feeling anger welling up within you, burning and misplaced anger.

"You're sore over that memory, aren't you... Over the fall from the bridge, a fall you couldn't possibly have avoided as you did everything in your power to prevent it. The entire bridge gave way, rope snapping beneath your touch, and then... And then you fell, the great one laid low by a simple bridge, as he took injuries that would kill a lesser man. It took you two months to recover from those injuries. You may have the potential to live until the stars burn out, but you're still fragile." Her taunting words had you recoil, before you turned, letting go of her collar as you started to run.

And you ran...

And ran...

Through featureless green plains stretching on as far as the eye could see.

As those plains faded from green to brown, you found yourself dreaming once more of that small, rat like man, stood where he had been last time as he let out a chittering giggle, as horrible sound that no man should have been able to make, shuffling closer towards you as he edged towards your paralyzed form, mouth opening as rows of crooked, jagged fangs were exposed, a long tongue licking over his lips as he gazed at your neck...

As you struggled in vain to move an inch...

And then with a scream, you burst into life, into action as you swung your arm wildly, with fear induced strength as a splintering sound filled your ears, as you panted heavily, your hand aching as it dawned on you that you had awoken, that mornings light was peeking through the curtains that covered the window.

And your hand was half embedded in the old, rotten dresser that you had used to hold the curtain in place.

You slowly pulled your hand free of the dresser, wincing as you rubbed at it. You'd drawn blood, but you'd broken nothing. Pulling yourself to your feet, you cast off the sacks that you'd slept beneath, taking a moment to breathe in deeply, to compose yourself.

You decided to turn up late to work, you wanted a bloody pistol on your person as soon as possible. Red would understand, no doubt, and you'd work harder to make up for it. Though, you didn't know how you could possibly work harder than you already had.

You froze as you opened the shacks door, seeing an eye had been daubed on on it in what appeared to be blood at some point in the night. You weren't familiar with the symbol, but you knew one thing. This was a warning, a threat, a mark of some kind.

Right...

Pistol...

You glanced one way then the other as you stepped out of the shack, the night you had just been through leaving you feeling less certain of yourself than before, your prior sense of joy at freedom slowly being turned to dread. No man scared you, but this...

This was clearly more than just some man. This was a threat in a city gone crazy, a place with abominations that stalked the night. You were a thousand years old and it wasn't chance that an abandoned shack would be singled out like this, that someone or something would mark the place you and you alone slept in.

While this had changed the manner in what you carried yourself today, people gave you a wide berth none the less as you strode down the streets past them on the way to the markets. You felt like you would beat any man that got in your way within an inch of his life and it showed. There was fire in your eyes, you had been singled out and you weren't going to stand for it.

The market was busy, filled with the hustle and bustle of the city, people coming and going, buying and selling. It was also home to pickpockets and thieves, conartists and thugs. None dared pick your pocket, as the very crowd parted, sounds of muffled suprise escaping as people bumped into each other in their hurry to get out of your way.

You, that strange man covered in cuts, bruises and splattered with blood.

You were fast to locate a stall with a man selling all manner of weapons, touting them to you as the only sure means you had of protecting yourself at night, and how any weapon larger than a knife or a pistol was something you'd need a permit to carry. Of course, the 'knives' he had pushed the borders of legality with their size, but it wasn't the knives you wanted. You didn't want some barbaric machette to arm yourself with, you wanted a pistol, the weapon of a duelist, a gentleman, but you'd be damned if you were paying full price for one.

A look over his wares indicated that there were several pistols that you could afford with a little haggling, the question was, what one did you have your eye on?

A revolver with 'one previous owner', A plain but powerful looking single shot dueling pistol, or a small derringer pistol with four barrels.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: maxicaxi on June 28, 2010, 07:28:38 am
revolver (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/RevolversAreJustBetter)
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Digital Hellhound on June 28, 2010, 07:29:47 am
Dueling pistol.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Ochita on June 28, 2010, 10:09:16 am
We want a gun that can kill more than one thing
So revolver
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: maxicaxi on June 28, 2010, 10:13:15 am
Code: [Select]
Dueling pistol 1-1
revolver 1
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on June 28, 2010, 10:56:21 am
revolver.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on June 28, 2010, 11:07:26 am
((Argh, TvTropes. There went two hours of my life.))

You find yourself sorely tempted to barter for the dueling pistol, knowing that it's new, that with it you could likely take down anything that threatened you with a single shot. There was the inherent problem though. Taking down a single enemy was all well and good if there was only one, but when threatened by multiple things, you needed multiple shots. Even if the revolver looked like it didn't possess quite the same stopping power as the dueling pistol, you knew that you could empty the cylinder quickly and reload in time to finish off any survivors.

At least you hoped that would be the case. As you asked to take a look at the gun, you examined it quickly, making a point of pointing out each and every flaw that you could see, from the iron sight being poor, to the fact that the cylinder was fixed, thus making it slow to reload it in an emergency.

As you continued on, the stall owner attempted to point out that this was a fine weapon, capable of stopping a person in its tracks, prompting you to scowl, shaking your head as you pointed out that it was a second hand weapon being sold for the price of a new weapon, and that as such the reliability of it was in question. As he opened his mouth to counter this, you continued, adding that this weapon wasn't for use against people, it was for self defence against the horrors that lurked in the night.

The man fell silent for a moment, grumbling as he did so.

He could see you putting it down, your expression saying you were ready to walk if price wasn't talked soon, that given how you'd held up several other potential customers, would be a bad thing for business.

You'd played your cards well, making it look like he had overpriced and subpar merchandise, and he tell you to leave as it would just strengthen that image you'd woven. The subject of price came up, that was one you both debated over heavily, with him insisting that it was worth more than you could afford to pay and you insisting that it was worth half of that at most.

Before long though, you had him shaking your hand, having agreed to a price within your range, that included the gun, holster, and a belt with twenty rounds of ammunition.

A thousand years of experience was on your side with fleecing this fool.

With this done, it was just a matter of deciding if you wanted to spend the last few coins you held, before you went off to work.

Spoiler: "Possessions" (click to show/hide)
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on June 28, 2010, 11:11:43 am
Save the money, there is nothing else we really need at the moment. We should try to learn smithing at some point, so we can upgrade any weaponry we find.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Strife26 on June 28, 2010, 11:46:45 am
Head to work, after making sure that we can wear the weapon securely, we don't want our shiny new revolver picked, no?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Ochita on June 28, 2010, 01:03:55 pm
Indeed secure our revolver out of sight and when at work, try to get a few rumors
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: maxicaxi on June 28, 2010, 01:36:23 pm
Indeed secure our revolver out of sight and when at work, try to get a few rumors
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Glacies on June 28, 2010, 03:46:16 pm
Can we try to improve our dwelling a bit?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on June 28, 2010, 03:53:28 pm
Holding a gun like this evokes a feeling of security, of familiarity. You can't recall where you learned to shoot, but you know that you can shoot, that you're damn good at it. A gun like this you could fire rapidly from the hip and hit most targets more accurately than many marksmen could. It's built sturdy, able to take a little punishment without risk of damage rendering it inoperable.

It was just what you needed, a weapon capable of taking down airborne threats, such as the 'vultures' that had most people spooked so badly. You could see why people feared them, as something that size that could so effortlessly swoop in, attacking at night like that could be responsible for any number of people's dissapearences.

As you walked away from the marketplace you fastened the belt for the gun about your waist, untucking your grubby vest so that it dangled over it, providing some concealment for your weapon, meaning that anybody trying to reach for it would have to move your top out of the way first, no doubt alerting you before they could remove the strap on the holster used to keep the gun doubly secure.

You gave the gun a spin, twirling it on your finger as you slipped a handful of bullets from your belt, loading each one in turn into the empty cylinder. Your weapon loaded and the safety on it engaged, you slipped it into the holster, fastening it in as you did so.

You couldn't help but smile, you had a gun.

Your gun.

You hadn't realised how naked you felt without a weapon at your side, how vulnerable you had felt. There was something about a weapon like this that helped you feel atop the world, even on a day like this. Even the horrors of the night skies wouldn't bother you now.

Of course, ammo wouldn't be cheap to keep supplied with, so you'd have to see if there was any form of standing bounty on these things, or if there were merchants that traded in parts of them. You'd also have to see if there was somebody you could learn more about firearms from, on the off chance you could learn enough to do more than just maintain yours.

Red was understanding over what had delayed you arriving at work as early as he had expected you to, merely nodding as you recounted your encounter with a vulture in the back alleys, though you kept the rest of the nights details to yourself. Especially those of the dreams you had. You didn't want the man to think you were a lunatic after all.

Without any further excuse you got stuck into work, scrubbing the floors and cleaning the tables, hauling barrels and assisting with kicking out troublemakers. Dinner time rolled about and your presence was requested in the kitchen, Red's wife once more grateful to have somebody able to assist with preparing the food. It felt like a good routine, honest enough work that would ensure your first shakey steps in finding your feet in this city were at least ones done with all the basic things you needed seen to.

Once dinner time had passed Red brought you a beer and left you to plate up some of the leftovers for yourself. As you settled down to eat the food that you had plated up, you noticed a strange man sat on a table across from you, a man in a bowler hat, with a waistcoat emblazoned with a cog. A man who's clothing was too clean to be from around here, who's appearance was too well groomed.

He stuck out like a sore thumb, but it wasn't any of your business unless he was causing trouble, was it?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Ochita on June 28, 2010, 03:55:58 pm
Lay a hand on a chair at his table "Mind if I join you?"
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Kashyyk on June 28, 2010, 04:05:42 pm
Watch him surreptitiosly while going about your business. See what he does, read his reactions to various events, and so on. He might be after us for all we know.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Acanthus117 on June 28, 2010, 05:29:42 pm
Watch him surreptitiosly while going about your business. See what he does, read his reactions to various events, and so on. He might be after us for all we know.
Also, discuss local gossip with Red, searching for information, like if there are any gangsters/crackheads/mobsters/corrupt soldiers that are bothering the people in the area.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on June 28, 2010, 05:43:39 pm
He's a technocrat(wow, firefox recognizes that), or something similar at least. He might be able to teach us some useful stuff.
Lay a hand on a chair at his table "Mind if I join you?"
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: rickvoid on June 28, 2010, 06:57:38 pm
> Develop secret identity. Name? Shalashaska.
> Practice dual finger pointing.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Strife26 on June 28, 2010, 11:02:07 pm
It's none of our business. Let him make the first move, if he so wishes.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Digital Hellhound on June 29, 2010, 02:35:49 am
Watch him surreptitiosly while going about your business. See what he does, read his reactions to various events, and so on. He might be after us for all we know.

Agreed.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on June 29, 2010, 06:35:21 am
This man intrigued you, but you knew that your curiosity was both your greatest asset and your worst enemy at this moment. He could be either friend or foe, here for innocent reasons or here for you. It was better to keep a low profile until you saw what his motives happened to be. He was a man of clear standing, a man who was clearly intelligent and able, the kind of man that would give you a good conversation and help expand your mind.

You liked that. You liked anything that challenged your borders and helped you expand upon them, to reach heights that you knew not to be new, but heights you had fallen from. It was frustrating to have the realisation dawn upon you that you had once been brilliant, that your skills had been without rival, your mind sharper than any mans, your senses able to read the cosmos and your body able to weather the onslaught of an army.

Once, you had almost touched upon divinity...

You knew not how you had fallen, but that you had fallen from a lofty pedestal none the less.

Even at such heights, that state in what you had been bordering true perfection, you knew that there were still simple things that you held joy in, simple things such as the familiar comfort of a good meal. Your calm demeanor was one that had the mans gaze drop on you several times, but lose interest quickly as you feigned indifference, as you made it appear as if there was nothing troubling you in this world other than battling this meal before you. No guilt, no regrets, only the welcome struggle to fill your stomach with a meal of lamb, gravy and vegetables.

Eating like this made you glad that you had chosen this work over a slightly better paying job, as the better paying job wouldn't have given you the chance to grab the leftovers in the kitchen once all the patrons had been fed, allowing you to carve a generous chunk of meat for yourself and pick and choose whatever vegetables you fancied most. Paying for a meal like this would have taken a good chunk of your income out of your pocket each day, but you'd have gladly paid for a meal like this if you had to.

As you finished up the meal, the man reached into his pockets, casually pulling out an engraved box, a box from what he carefully removed a finely made pipe, tobbaco and... You saw no flint, but as the man put tobbaco into the bowl of the pipe, the tip of it between his lips, his hands over it as if he was lighting it, you hear a spark and saw a thin wisp of smoke rise.

It was almost like magic, but you knew that there was likely some highly impractical means to light it automatically build into the pipe, something both expensive and pointless.

Almost, but not quite.

Rising from your table, you took your plate back through to the kitchen, picking up the washed plates and cutlery as Red's wife scrubbed away at them, drying them and putting them away quickly as you cleared what was there. You were in the middle of offering to finish up the dishes so that she could finish clearing up the last of what remained and relax when you heard Red raising his voice.

With a sigh you ran through from the kitchens, seeing Red stood on between the well dressed man and a figure dressed in tattered robes, a figure with...

An eye painted in red on the middle of his forehead.

"I told ye, yer kind ain't welcome 'ere. Now git b'fore I lose m'temper." Red snarled at the man, who was gazing impassively past him an expression much like the one you often held as he looked toward the well dressed man. "He is to come with me." Came the mans words, crisp and clear, much like your own. "So brother Pride has decreed, so must his will be done."

Red was reaching for the robed figure, ready to eject him from the Pub by force when the figure paused, turning slowly to face him. Red froze, shivering in terror as the figure started to pace past him, while the well dressed man reached down, picking up his walking cane, pointing the end of it at the figure as he twisted the knob at the top

A echoing boom filled the air as the figure was struck by this concealed firearm, staggering backward as ichor sprayed from a gaping chest wound, a wound that had exposed several quivering organs, a sickening stench filling the air as this thing continued to advance.

Your day had just got worse, but one of your enemies had revealed their face.

The question was, did you pull Red aside and let this person do as he came to do, or was it time to play the part of the hero you had never been?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on June 29, 2010, 07:05:08 am
shot it in the head.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on June 29, 2010, 07:47:14 am
shot it in the head.
No, go for the kneecaps. Neither is guaranteed to kill, but take out the knees and it won't matter.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Kashyyk on June 29, 2010, 08:04:04 am
One shot in each knee cap, the remaining four in the head. If he doesn't at least hurt after that, then something is definately wrong with this guy.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Phantom on June 29, 2010, 09:10:29 am
Actually I say 2 in knee caps, 2 in the arms, and the remaining 2 in the head.
Taking out his movement and probably his way to attack is probably a good idea.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on June 29, 2010, 09:37:28 am
You could feel anger welling up within you, burning like a fire out of control, rumbling like a volcano about to explode. This person, this thing had come here after someone, this individual belonging to the group that had left a clear threat on the door of your shack. Something about them had Red unable to act, and the well dressed man seemed only able to back away from them as he fumbled to reload that impractical weapon.

You had been looking forward to a nice quiet day's work, with nothing more complex than dealing with a few rowdy drunks and keeping the place looking presentable. One hand slipped under the hem of your top, unfastening the strap over your weapons holster. You couldn't risk a shot just yet though, you needed to get into position.

But you'd be damned if you'd let this thing do what it had arrived for.

Before you could stop yourself, you'd ran over to this thing, catching it off guard as you drove your first square into its face. With your full weight behind the blow it was a wonder that this thing didn't get sent sprawling across the floor as it staggered backwards, your face turning red with the searing rage that burned through your body now.

"You bastard child of a whore, I just cleaned this god damned floor!"

The robed figure braced itself against a table as it turned to face you, wide eyed as it fumbled for a weapon, drawing a wicked looking, but rusty blade from within its robe as it decided that you were the greatest threat to it at this moment.

You were about to draw your weapon as it dived for you, about to put bullets in its knees to cripple it so you could drag it outside and beat it until it was rendered unconscious at the very least. While this attempt to catch you off guard was partially succesful, you were able to get away with nothing more than a fleshwound as it caught your shoulder, while it staggered off balance and you kicked it, sending it tumbling away from you.

As it span about to face you, you reached down, drawing your weapon, your free hand going back to the hammer as you flicked the safety off. One shot was loosed as you fired from the hip, hitting this thing directly in the knee, your hand moving in a blur as you pulled the hammer back again, firing off another shot as you took aim for its other knee.

A second direct hit.

It had barely even started to move as you loosed two shots off before it could blink, while you tilted the gun upwards, cocking the hammer with your free hand with blinding speed once more as you aimed for its head.

The thing collapsed in a heap as that third bullet struck home. The thing writhed in agony as you cocked the hammer again, cautiously approaching it as it moaned. It was trying to squirm away from you, yet the emotion in its expression and eyes was confusing.

It wasn't afraid, it was jealous.

Another shot rang out as you put a second bullet in its head, the well dressed man struggling to get to his feet as he breathed deeply "Save your ammunition, sir, the most you can hope to do is incapacitate it." Came the man's voice, while he straightened his waistcoat out. He was about to continue speaking, when he paused, giving you a strange look. "Do you.. Not fear these abominations, these horrors that should not be?"

His question elicited a shrug from you as you carefully started to reload your weapon, keeping a close eye on the thing at your feet as you did so. With your weapon reloaded, you cocked it and put the safety on, holstering and securing. "No matter... If you would fetch some rope so that I may restrain this thing and take it to a place it will bother others no more, I would be most grateful." came the mans words.

For a brief moment you felt a twinge of pity, you had awoken to a prison, you knew you had been there for a long time, and now you were dooming this thing to such. Death would have been a better option, had this thing been possible to kill.

You feel that he, like yourself, will never know the release of death however.

As you go to fetch the rope, you ask yourself, do you want to question this man while you have the chance, do you want to ignore him and check on Red, or do you have a better idea in mind?

Whatever you decide on, you find yourself feeling odd, as if a slumbering part of you has awoken...



You have points to spend, read the information tidied away in the spoilers


Spoiler: "Possessions" (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: "Stats" (click to show/hide)

Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Digital Hellhound on June 29, 2010, 09:51:36 am
One point to our Resilience, one to Reading People.

Question the man first, what is this thing and what is he going to do with it.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on June 29, 2010, 10:00:39 am
((little note here, resiliance is effectively a bonus atop your regular earth score - you can take a beating as if that score was one higher.
the same goes for your water's bonus here.

I'll take this to mean you want to add one point to those stats, that has other benefits, as you get the bonus of better understanding and general toughness along with having an effective score of six when relying on those specialities that way.))
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Ochita on June 29, 2010, 10:06:45 am
1 point in air and save the other point
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on June 29, 2010, 10:12:45 am
one point in fire, one in air.

Question the man about what this thing is.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: rickvoid on June 29, 2010, 10:18:06 am
Fire and Air. Question the man while we tie up the abomination and check on Red.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Criptfeind on June 29, 2010, 02:34:48 pm
I say we go for healing powers.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on June 29, 2010, 03:17:34 pm
I say we go for something that will help us gather information.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on June 29, 2010, 03:28:23 pm
I say just boost stats for a while before going for any powers. We aren't that far above human at the moment, so lets wait before getting anything else.(when we do gain powers I recommend telekinesis. We could use it to control our bullets in midair, curving them around objects and corners.)
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: sonerohi on June 29, 2010, 03:48:43 pm
I say just boost stats for a while before going for any powers. We aren't that far above human at the moment, so lets wait before getting anything else.(when we do gain powers I recommend telekinesis. We could use it to control our bullets in midair, curving them around objects and corners.)

Getting the power of being unkillable will boost us above human abilities far better than being a bit tougher.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Criptfeind on June 29, 2010, 03:49:49 pm
Let go with fire and water than, them seem the most important (maybe air is up higher than water but we use water more.) for fighting.

I say just boost stats for a while before going for any powers. We aren't that far above human at the moment, so lets wait before getting anything else.(when we do gain powers I recommend telekinesis. We could use it to control our bullets in midair, curving them around objects and corners.)

Getting the power of being unkillable will boost us above human abilities far better than being a bit tougher.

We start with that.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: rickvoid on June 29, 2010, 04:10:04 pm
I know it's going to seem really obvious in when I say it, but this reminds me of Planescape: Torment a lot. Which is good, because I loved that game and concept.

 Maybe, rather than try and find someone to teach us Gunsmithing, we should try to remember a past-life where we knew how to do that. And if that doesn't work, talking to or working with a gunsmith might trigger such a memory.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on June 29, 2010, 07:01:24 pm
You don't want to leave this man to restrain this abomination himself, as you don't trust a man from a life that is obviously one of comfort to get such simple things right first time. Instead, you find yourself tying the things hands in such a manner that you're pretty certain that the only way to free them again would be to cut the rope. You do much the same with its feet, noting how the thing is slowly ceasing to bleed, corrupted flesh knitting as it slowly recovers from what would have been instantly fatal injuries to most.

"I have questions about... You, about this thing, so don't you go running off on me yet." You state, your voice flat and cold as you make it clear that you'll not take kindly to this man being anything other than co-operative. "Of course, of course... After something like this you must have many questions. A mark of a keen mind that is, a keen mind." If the man's bothered by this in the slightest, he hides it well. If anything, you get the feeling from him that this is routine, that he has dealt with this enough times to react with indifference and to have the questions asked, for the most part, ready to answer without a second thought.

"First, I'd like to know who you are, who you are affiliated with." You consider adding that he'd better tell you the truth as you'd know, but the man has already started to respond before you can hope to accomplish such a thing.

"Oh, dear boy, I am a Clockworker, as signified by this badge emblazoned on my waistcoat. We are one of the more reputable guilds within this city. We, along with gentlemen like the Technomancers, provide progress. We are the creaters of mechanical men, who seek out that what goes bump in the night and ensures it isn't a threat anylonger to the good people of this city."

You scowl briefly. Clearly, their wonderful 'mechanical men' only cover the richer districts. You're about to call him out on this when the figure beneath you groans, prompting you to lay into it with a series of savage kicks. "What is this thing?" you mutter, tempted to draw your weapon and put another bullet in it, just for a few minutes silence.

"That, would be one of the Enlightened. They're a group of people who... Well, misguided would be the nice way to put them. We used to tolerate them, thinking them to be a group of harmless but eccentric people, who used alchemy and the like in their quest for immortality. At some point, they became more sinister, kidnapping people and performing mad experiments upon them. Then, they became silent for a time, saying that they had found god, and with god they had found the secret that would make them divine." The man paused, shaking his head slowly. "Then, they returned... Like you see now. If that is divinity, then I do not wish to be divine."

You look down at the man at your feet, thoughtfully for a second as you reflected upon it. You were not that much different from this man at the end of the day. Maybe they knew of you, maybe they saw you as a threat, a threat that they could do nothing but slow down. One thing was for certain though, this man healed a hell of a lot faster than you seemed to.

"I have one more question." You stated, starting to haul the man towards the door as you did so. "What are you going to do with this man, now you've captured him?" you asked, though you knew that you wouldn't like the answer, as you could almost feel what was coming...

"Oh, that is quite simple. We're going to put him in one of the underground holding facilities that were built to deal with such things as this." Came his words. Wonderful. Just what you knew was coming and didn't wish to hear. You turned away from the finely dressed man as you left him to take this abomination into custody, to have it locked away and forgotten about. You had other things to worry about.

"One second Red, I'll be back with you in a second." You muttered, running towards the kitchen, ducking quickly as a frying pan flew overhead as Red's wife, spooked as she was at least made it clear she was alive and well. "It's safe now, Ma'am. I was just making sure nothing crept in through the back while we were occupied." You stated, calmly as you picked up the nearby frying pan and placed it on a table by the door.

Red was pale, shaking as you assisted him in getting to his feet. You weren't suprised somehow, that he was in this state if this cult of so called enlightened people was a bunch of immortal lunatics. You wouldn't put it past them to have something more about them too, to be able to induce fear by gazing into a victims eyes.

"Jus' pour me a drink, kid. Ah'll be fine with somethin' strong in me." Came his words, prompting you to nod as you stepped about behind the bar, picking out a glass, pouring a generous measure of whiskey into it. As Red took the glass, sitting there swirling the contents of it about you started to move tables and chairs aside, fetching soap and water so you could scrub the floors.

"Don't worry, I'll have this straightened out in no time." You called out, as you considered what your options were for the night.

You felt as if you could take the world on, as if you could match the greatest marksman, as if the fog clouding your mind had lifted slightly and you could work out more of the mysteries of the modern world. Heck, you felt that you could understand most things put infront of you in time now.

You felt as if you were regaining some of your former glory.

When night came and your work winded down, what did you intend to make of it

Spoiler: "Stats" (click to show/hide)
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on June 29, 2010, 07:15:51 pm
Quote
to be able to induce fear by gazing into a victims eyes
We need this ability.

For now, lets meet with Oak and the others for another fight and to see what they know about these "enlightened"
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Labs on June 29, 2010, 08:03:32 pm
Yep, go find Oak.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Acanthus117 on June 29, 2010, 08:06:17 pm
Also, see if we can't use this to establish a reputation as an awesome dude who helps people and shit.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Wimdit on June 29, 2010, 09:09:10 pm
This is amazing. How the hell have you managed to churn something this good and this long out in five days?

Good show. Go find Oak, since we don't really have a way of finding the Enlightened at present. Once we do, better have a look around and see what they're doing. Especially since they seem to want to find you and know where you live...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Criptfeind on June 29, 2010, 10:14:54 pm
This is amazing. How the hell have you managed to churn something this good and this long out in five days?

Ya. You  should like write a book or something.



I think  we should start building up the power to steal the corrupt immortality from these “enlightened” and than destroy it.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Digital Hellhound on June 30, 2010, 07:08:20 am
Go to Oak, the Enlightened can wait.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: maxicaxi on June 30, 2010, 09:12:45 am
Go to Oak, the Enlightened can wait.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on June 30, 2010, 09:29:19 am
As you finish the days work up, you reflect upon how you have gone from that serene state that you could see echoed in the eyes of the abomination of a man that had come here, how you could feel your anger, that glorious burning emotion overpower all other senses when it had been triggered by that thing threatening a man you had some respect for. You could disconnect yourself from your feelings, assume a state of serenity when it benefitted your chance of survival, but in this case... You had snapped because you were so frustrated that something had the nerve to bleed over the floor that you had just cleaned.

A wry smile crosses your lips as you made a note that you got frustrated like anybody else, that you could be angered like anyone else. This was good though, it told you that a thousand years of life hadn't robbed you of your humanity. It also made you realise that you had some respect for Red, that you recognised that he was a good man doing the only thing he had ever really known how to make money. He was a man that appreciated your hard work, as strong as he was, he was getting on in years and wasn't quite able to run around as he once would have in his youth.

It must have been a family business you figured, a life that he was born into and a life that his family before him were born into. There was no sign of a child though for these two, telling you that they had either failed to concieve or that they had lost their children to accident, disease and disaster. Now wasn't the time to dredge up potentially bad memories though, not after a day that had them both spooked, but at the same time thankful that their trust in you had paid off.

You set about giving the place one last clean for the night, so that it would be presentable when they opened up in the morning while Red counted the takings for the day, setting aside your pay carefully as he did so. As you went to tip away the pail of now filthy water that you carried, Red placed a hand on your shoulder, patting it briefly as he nodded to the coins set out ready for you. "When yeh got yer hands free, s'there f'ye. I'ppreciate what ye did t'day, makes me glad I trusted m'gut feelin' on ye." Came his words, prompting you to give him a small but respectful bow of your head as you finished emptying the pail out back.

As you stepped out, you noted that the sensation of the weight of that money in your pockets was one that filled you with a sense of satisfaction. You knew that you had money enough to take care of basic needs, that you had a dependable income as long as you worked for it. You were at a crossroads though, metaphorically at least. Physically, you were just striding down the riverside path, feeling brave, feeling secure enough to let the Vultures come to you as you'd shoot every last one of the corrupted birds out the air.

The crossroads you found yourself at though, was one of a more moral nature. Did you wish to pursue more noble goals, such as standing out as a champion for the people in these troubled times, or did you plan to take advantage of it to make money at the expense of those in need, knowing that you could always appear to be fighting the good fight, without ever intending to crush the source of corruption once and for all.

The more you thought about it, the more you found appeal in the thought of being seen as a hero, as a guardian of young and old, rich and poor, male and female alike. A true hero had more spiritual richness than someone with greed, and would no doubt be able to rely on those that idolised them if something ever brought them low. You knew that you could be brought low. This was the perfect example of it, you, a man with a thousand years of experiences, a man who knew that they had once been greater than any other man who had lived, reduced to this. You were weakened, dulled and unsure of just who you once was.

Who you were now however, was more important than who you once was.

You had a fresh start, and you were going to make the most of it, earning the respect of the people as you proved to them that there were still those that they could rely on, who wouldn't do so for coin. It wouldn't prevent you accepting any coin offered, mind, you still had need of income, as good intentions didn't buy bullets.

The occasional flutter of wings as you strode onward down the docks put you on guard, your hand drifting to your holster and unfastening the strap that held your gun secure, though you mentally took note in the pattern of wing beats and the size they sounded as such being more fitting of something like a bat.

As you continued onward the sound of dogs howling filled the air, all over the city dogs were howling, barking in terror, and then...

And then there was silence.

Nothing but the sound of the river lapping at the banks as you hurried onward, not wanting to know what it was that had prompted such, not when it would be safer in a group. Your heart raced as your pace quickened, going from a casual stride to a jog, to a full blown sprint as the sound of your now rapid movement echoed in your ears.

That wasn't all you could hear though.

You could hear the sound of mournful wailing as you raced onward, rushing toward the distant shape of the docks as you told yourself you'd be safer there. The wailing seemed to come from all about you, though you could hear it at ground level. Even so, you could see nothing along the lamp illuminated streets.

At least that was, until shroudeded in the darkness between the pools of light between two lamps you noticed a figure. A figure that's presence had you come to a sharp stop. A figure that seemed to be shuffling towards you, shivering as the pitter patter of water dripping from them, from their long hair and ragged clothes filled your ears. You couldn't make out much more than this in the darkness, though there was another sound.

The sound of soft, feminine sobbing.

You knew that in this crazy city that this figure could be anything, that it could be a woman who had fallen in the river and was bewildered and lost, or it could be one of those abominations that stalked the city at night. It could be what you had heard referred to as a banshee.

Was it prudent to duck into the back alleys and try and avoid this figure, approach them cautiously, or to gun them down and avoid the potential guilt of making a mistake by not stopping to check the body?

((Small note: thanks for the praise! it's appreciated hearing that people are enjoying this. It's something I figured I'd do a little of here and there when I got the time, as I've always loved to do creative writing. I just worry that People might feel that my suggestions for courses of action may be limiting things too much - While at some points yes, things are a little limited in how you can progress, there's always room for suggestions beyond that scope, if they work.))
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Kashyyk on June 30, 2010, 09:35:54 am
We should draw our gun and then call to the person, to see if they are ok. If they don't reply in a human way, shoot them.

my bad.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Neyvn on June 30, 2010, 09:42:27 am
We should draw our gun and then call to the person, to see if they are ok. If they reply in a human way, shoot them.
Wait what???

Draw the gun, hold it ready but pointed downward, clearly we have enough skill to lift to shoot within a nanosecond if attacked...
Call out, ask if they are ok, request they come into the light...

ALSO> FUCK MATE, EPIC!!!
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Labs on June 30, 2010, 09:45:03 am
I say duck into an alley way. And this is really high quality writing. You could make some money writing stories with your skill. I'd buy em. ;)
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: rickvoid on June 30, 2010, 09:58:28 am
Wait. Was that a typo? If they're obviously not an abomination, shoot them? Gonna have to veto that one.

Approach carefully, keeping the gun up, but give the figure the benefit of the doubt. Not all our encounters are going to be things that want to kill us, after all.

Keep a eye out for an ambush however.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Digital Hellhound on June 30, 2010, 10:04:07 am
To add to the above suggestion; even if it doesn't look human, don't shoot just yet. We'll see how it acts first. (So if it tries tor rip our throat off we'll shoot it, if you were wondering.)

And yesh, great writing!
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on June 30, 2010, 10:15:02 am
This is awesome indeed.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: rickvoid on June 30, 2010, 10:15:36 am
On the Hero talk/Delusions of Grandeur stuff, we need a reality check. We're a powerful guy, in a city we know nothing about, that contains at least two factions that are actively hostile to us, and we have very few people we can trust. Three to be precise.

We can do good things for good people, but let's be subtle about it. We don't want to attract a whole lot of attention. I'm not saying to turn a blind eye to things (you see some guy beating the hell out of his wife or kids, or cut-throats waiting in an alley you put the fuckers down) but let's not go parading our deeds through the street. Being undying doesn't mean we can't have very unpleasant things happen to us, forever.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on June 30, 2010, 10:33:39 am
Being undying doesn't mean we can't have very unpleasant things happen to us, forever.
That gives me an idea for an ability we need: Respawn. Teleports us to a random location within 10 miles or so and resets us to the physical state we were 1 hour ago. or somehting liek that
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on June 30, 2010, 10:50:17 am
Call out to the figure, but hold onto our gun with our hands near our head. If it's another abomination we can attack quickly, if it's a banshee we'll be ready to cover our ears.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: rickvoid on June 30, 2010, 10:53:51 am
I suspect we won't be getting something like that, Armok. Way too overpowered for this sort of game.

Some sort of bolt of electricity or fire that we can launch (and gets bonuses from marksman) would be neat though.

Being able to shoot them from the gun would be more awesome, of course.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Strife26 on June 30, 2010, 10:57:20 am
<Effusive praise for the story>

<Agreement with Dragnar>
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: maxicaxi on June 30, 2010, 11:01:58 am
what we need is the ability to turn any handgun into a hand rail-gun
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Ochita on June 30, 2010, 11:04:15 am
NO.
Call out to the figure, but hold onto our gun with our hands near our head. If it's another abomination we can attack quickly, if it's a banshee we'll be ready to cover our ears.
Yes to the above
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Kashyyk on June 30, 2010, 11:12:45 am
It was a typo sorry.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: maxicaxi on June 30, 2010, 11:13:17 am
NO.
Call out to the figure, but hold onto our gun with our hands near our head. If it's another abomination we can attack quickly, if it's a banshee we'll be ready to cover our ears.
Yes to the above
this
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on June 30, 2010, 11:27:15 am
You were torn, you couldn't read a figure you couldn't see well enough to determine if it harboured ill will towards you, nor could you positively identify it if it was humanoid in form. Anything that appeared humanoid could be a person, could be an innocent caught up in things, lost and afraid. Your hand hovered near your weapon, thumb holding the fabric of your top up enough to ensure that you could draw your weapon swiftly and cleanly should the need arise.

You hoped, you prayed that such wouldn't be the case, though the stink of the rivers water filled your nostrils. The river's water smelled foul enough that you could swear it could be used to mask the stench of an abomination, and you'd smelled how foul they were inside when that one was shot before you initially.

"Would you step into the light please, Ma'am?" You called, keeping your tone calm and respectful, knowing that if you were facing a thing that it wouldn't sense fear in your voice, that if you were dealing with an innocent, that they wouldn't feel threatened. "The night is dangerous, so you must understand my caution in requesting that you join me beneath the lamp light." You added, watching as the figure shuffled forward, the sound of sobbing continuing as one arm rose, wiping clumbsily at the figures face as they pushed that long and clearly damp hair back.

You could hear laboured breathing as they stumbled forwards, bare feet falling against the stone with a slap, as they shuffled toward you, inching into the light as your gunhand twitched, as you almost opened fire on them the instant you saw the figure that stood before you.

What stood there, looked like it was little more than a waterlogged corpse, with seaweed tangled in its hair and wrapped around its feet. Dead eyes turned to you, focusing on you as it watched, as it waited. You couldn't read its expression as its features were too bloated from the riverwater to show any emotion had it been capable of it, though you didn't feel threatened. At least not at the moment you didn't. It was moving slowly, it was looking at you expectantly.

It probably wasn't even aware that it was already dead.

At least you assumed that this thing was, that it was a person who had fallen or been dragged into the river and rendered this way by some unspeakable horror. "Are you... In need of assistance, Ma'am?" you asked, struggling to find words that didn't bring into question its state of health. You didn't want to risk highlighting the fact that this thing was what it appeared to be, if it was not aware of such itself. What remained of a potentially fragile human mind could snap with such a realisation.

It was cruel in a way to leave it perpetuating this state, a twinge of pity playing on you as you compared it to your imprisonment in a sense. It was imprisoned within a body of cold flesh, a mind that was clinging to whatever remenants of life it had once known, and its only escape would be the destruction of its body or mind.

"So... Cold..." came the things whisper, almost croaking as tortured vocal chords and a swollen tongue struggled to mouth those words. You frowned, uncertain if you should offer comfort, or some other token guesture to get by without issue. A deep sigh escaped your lips as you weighed up what seemed like a foolish option, you could barely believe you considered this to be a good idea, but... If this thing believed itself to still be alive, it was worth a shot. "The only warmth I am able to offer Ma'am, is that of a sympathetic embrace."

The shivering figure started to spread her arms, her facial features twitching, contorting briefly as she started to spread her arms, pain briefly etched on her features as she shuffled towards you. You couldn't believe it. You were about to offer a walking corpse comfort for the sake of avoiding conflict. You were walking toward her, one arm outstretched as you held your hand near your gun still, knowing that you could fire faster than this thing could move if it was playing you for an easy target, when a distant howl had the figure freeze, pushing you aside as it lurched forward, clumbsily running onward as it sobbed, its fading words reaching you as it vanished into the night.

"No! Banshees! I must find my daughter before they do!"

That familiar twinge of pity played on you once more as you stared off into the night, as the womans figure disappeared around a corner. She was likely a lost soul who was going to wander the city streets eternally until she found her demise or her daughter. You could only hope that she found her daughter and the solitude that it would bring, before she was found by somebody with the power to destroy her, forcing her to leave this world unfulfilled.

The rest of the trip towards the docks was punctuated by the distant howling of dogs and banshee's, though nothing else troubled you as you reached that group of workers that participated in the fights, two of them already at it as you arrived. You could see them dance around each other as they traded blows in the flickering firelight, one of them grabbing the other as they overestimated their reach, before pinning them down as they put them in an arm lock. You could hear cries of "I yield!" as you walked past them, giving a friendly guesture to William and Oak as they nodded in your direction.

"Eurochkoles, m'friend!" Came Oak's words as he stood, reaching out to give you a friendly jab on the arm. "We were worried that ye'd 'ave trouble gettin'ere with 'ow there's a lot o'things roamin' th'streets t'night." He continued, settling down as he patted the bench beside himself.

"So, what're ye'ere fer?" He asked, rubbing his bearded chin. "Ye fancy a rematch, a fight with some'un ye ain't yet fought, or feelin' lucky enough t'bet on some'o th'people 'ere?"
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on June 30, 2010, 11:35:36 am
Ask Oak about the banshees and other creatures we haven't yet met. We had best be prepared for whatever we find, and Oak probably knows more about them than we do. After that, lets fight someone new.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Ochita on June 30, 2010, 11:43:44 am
Ask Oak about the banshees and other creatures we haven't yet met. We had best be prepared for whatever we find, and Oak probably knows more about them than we do. After that, lets fight someone new.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Toaster on June 30, 2010, 12:23:06 pm
+1
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: rickvoid on June 30, 2010, 12:34:29 pm
I agree. Our bonus to strength and tactics has likely put us beyond Oak now.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on June 30, 2010, 01:02:42 pm
Ask Oak about the banshees and other creatures we haven't yet met. We had best be prepared for whatever we find, and Oak probably knows more about them than we do. After that, lets fight someone new.
I, to, agree with this.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on June 30, 2010, 03:49:13 pm
"I'd feel terrible taking any more of your money, friend, as much as i'd like to go for a round against you. Maybe after I've had a round with someone we could have a friendly sparring session, though?" Comes your response, prompting a nod from Oak as he picks up a nearby beer and passes it across to you. "Aye, sounds good t'me. I canne afford t'lose money e'ery night to ye af'er all." Oak laughs, while you crack the beer in your hand open and settle back as you gaze skyward.

It strikes you as genius in a way that these people would pick a time like this to run their less than above the board fighting ring. The authorities didn't want to come patrolling the streets at night to catch them due to the fact that the night streets were far from safe, and those very same things that prowled the night streets were intelligent enough to stay away from a large group of people who knew how to beat thge living daylights out of them.

You leaned back as you gazed skywards, sipping at the beer as you watched clouds slowly drift across the night sky, concealing the moon and stars for brief periods of time as they did so. It was the light from the moon and stars that really gave you any chance at night when you were away from the illumination of the streetlamps.

"I have a few questions for you Oak, if you've no objection to answering them." You started, waiting for Oak to turn to face you, a simple 'Mm?' escaping him as he took a mouthful of beer. "You've clearly more experience with this city than I, so, I was wondering if you could tell me a little about a few of the more... Unnatural elements that plague this city."

"Ah, th'things th'go bump in th'night." Oak sighed softly, looking down at his beer as he did so. "What do y'want t'know about'm?" he asked, turning to face you as he did so. You could see this written over his face that this wasn't a subject he enjoyed thinking about, let alone talking about. It was no suprise, when unnatural things turn up and disrupt the order of life that people are used to, they feel threatened, not enjoying this aspect of things going outside their comfort zones.

"I have encountered the vultures so far, that I take care named such due to their appearance, but... I find myself at a loss. How would I know if I encounter something such as a banshee, how would one kill such a thing?" You ask, figuring you'll start off with something that's simple enough.

"Ach... Feckin' horrors they be, 'ave a scream that be able t'stop a man dead, literally!" he snorts, shaking his head slowly as he does so "I 'ave no idea what th'things look like though, ne'er seen one o'em, alive o'dead. I 'ear that they look like beau'iful women though, wi'black glassy eyes." He states, though you can feel the doubt in his voice. It's likely you reason, that they're a creature that was created much like the vultures, and that their wailing voice is all that ties them into a legendary creature of the same name.

"Do you know what name would be given to one who seems to be a drowned woman, somehow still bound to this world?" You ask, watching as Oak raises an eyebrow, rubbing at his beard thoughtfully as he shakes his head slowly. "From what I've 'eard t'that would be th'River Maid'ns, n'nobody really knows anythin' about'm other than they seem t'wander about actin' lost'n afraid."

You nod slightly, sighing softly as you do so. "Is there anything else that you know of, other than what I have asked that would be prudent to know about?" you ask, though Oak merely shakes his head. "There's not all that much, y'know, that people've survived 'avin an encoun'er with. E'en so, y'get rumours 'ere n'there, about things like th'Ripper, no'un knows if that thing exists, if it be man or mons'er. At least mos'o these things die when y'hurt 'em, unlike th'enlightened. B'fore ye ask, I don't know anythin' more n'ye likely do already about'm." Oak scowled. You could see that he truely had no love for any of this stuff.

"I appreciate what you have told me, friend. Maybe this little will help to save my life some day." You state, patting him on the shoulder as you do so, before you make your way across to William, waiting for him to turn his attention your way.

"Ah, Eurochkoles, are you here to wow us with your fighting prowess or are you in the mood to save your face from additional bruising by placing bets tonight?" William grins, though he's already holding his hand out, expectantly. "Remember that bully you met last night? He's willing to match anything you wager, as he insists that you tricked him so you could catch him off guard. Pass me your weapon too though, and I'll keep it safe while you're fighting." His voice lowers as he checks to make sure you're the only one hearing this. "Teach him a little humility and I'll slip a few extra coins in there for you." He grins, his expression showing that he's looking forward to seeing you show off just how talented you are against what you know to be a clearly inferior fighter.

With a nod, you unfasten your belt, placing it down beside William as you withdraw your pay for the day from your pocket, placing it in his hand. You leave him to count it as you walk over to the fireside, stretching out lazily as you watch William motion to the bully to come over, watching as the bully matches your bet with a cocky grin.

As the bully approaches, you give him a smile, holding out a hand as you offer a few friendly words. "May the best man win." You state calmly, though the man glares at you, spitting to the side as he does so. "I'm going to kick the shit outta you, for making me look like a fool last night." the man growls, prompting a sigh out of you. This bully thinks he truely has the upper hand you can see, his body language betraying that he has strength, and believes that strength alone will be sufficient.

"You will not lay a finger on me."

You counter, your calm demeanour giving way to one showing that you were stern and battle ready, no longer willing to play nice with this man. He merely laughed as he watched you take a combat ready stance, attempting to throw a couple of quick blows your way to test your defences. You effortlessly slapped his hands aside, creating an opening in what you countered with a heavy blow to the mans face, sending him staggering backward as he growled. "Lucky blow, that means nothing!" he spat, while you merely cycled your stance, standing there ready.

His next attempt was came with him aiming a low kick for your shin, prompting you to merely raise your leg to block it, causing him to stagger as he swung wildly to catch you before you could counter attack. Your raised arm caught the blow as you sent him spiralling off balance, hopping backward as he kicked back at you to keep you at a distance form him.

You could see the anger on his face as you merely cycled stance once more. He was angered by this, truely believing that he was the better fighter as he dived forward, attempting to tackle you to the ground. You merely twirled out of the way as you tapped him on the back with your palm, causing him to stumble, hitting the ground. Growling again, he rolled over and sprang to his feet. "That's it loser, you're goin' down!" He snarled, trying to mock you as he assumed a clumbsy mockery of your stance.

You waited for him to shift stance as you had, stepping forward as you launched a series of blindingly fast blows, striking his face with both hands before he could react, your hands thrusting outwards as you smacked his hands aside, outward, and without a second thought hopped backward as you avoided the inevitable headbutt, taking advantage of this as you twirled around, taking a half step backwards as you used the momentum to deliver a stunning roundhouse kick.

The man was knocked from his feet, twirling as he tumbled to the ground, crying out in pain as he moved his hand to his face, while William climbed to his feet, stepping in to intervene as he positioned himself between you and the other man, arms outstretched as he spoke. "You're far outclassed kid, so I'm stepping in before you really get yourself hurt here." William stated. You could see the looks of sympathetic pain on the crowds faces. They'd seen him take a beating that they knew would have hurt more than just his ego.

You calmly paced over to Oak's bench, settling down beside him as he gave you a look of awed shock. "Bloody 'ell friend, did ye really go tha' easy on me las'night?" He asked, prompting a smile as you patted him on the shoulder. "Last night I felt rusty, today I feel as if I have remembered a great deal of what I know of the art of fighting."

You felt good, you felt fresh enough to fight again - though you knew people would be reluctant to do such after seeing you in action tonight. Was trying your luck again in order, a few rounds of bets, or did you have other plans?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Ochita on June 30, 2010, 04:11:58 pm
Just a few round of bets. we want to lose some money but still win a fair share. That way they aren't going to ban us from their group. After 2 bets we spar with oak
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: rickvoid on June 30, 2010, 04:13:46 pm
Let's try a little betting. Make sure to "read" the combatants beforehand, and bet no more than half our current winnings at any one time. (Winnings calculated as what we just made on the last fight plus any bets we win from here on out.)

Tomorrow, during the after-lunch lull in business, see if we can't find a decent gunsmith. Have him look at what we've got, ask a few questions, try to jog a memory.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Nirur Torir on June 30, 2010, 04:29:06 pm
Excellent story so far, keep them coming please.

I vote that we bet small amounts on the combatants the least likely to win. We should probably aim to lose about a third of what we just won.
I estimate their fire and earth stats to be about 4, so we could probably take on 2 fighters fairly easily. I vote we try taking on 3 in a friendly, low-wager match. The experience in fighting off multiple people will likely come in handy.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: rickvoid on June 30, 2010, 04:32:00 pm
I like that one better than mine. Do that plus my tomorrow stuff.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Ochita on June 30, 2010, 04:34:02 pm
Excellent story so far, keep them coming please.

I vote that we bet small amounts on the combatants the least likely to win. We should probably aim to lose about a third of what we just won.
I estimate their fire and earth stats to be about 4, so we could probably take on 2 fighters fairly easily. I vote we try taking on 3 in a friendly, low-wager match. The experience in fighting off multiple people will likely come in handy.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Wimdit on June 30, 2010, 05:04:11 pm
Can't forget the lessons learned by Fezzik. If you're much better than people, it's better to fight them in groups.

Ask for three to take you on.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on June 30, 2010, 07:33:22 pm
You kept your eyes on the others as they came and went, doing your best to get a feel for the general level of skill along with the toughness of the other fighters as you were passed another beer, a few of the other fighters chatting with you in passing, complimenting your fighting style as they laughed, saying that they were glad that William wouldn't force anyone to fight anyone as they were certain that after William, you were probably one of the best fighters here.

It was all friendly and respectful at least, unlike your experience with the first person that you had met here, who was the second person that you had fought. You figured that it was probably prudent to make a few bets, to relieve any lingering tension toward you by betting wild for the most part and losing a little more than you made. You could afford to part with a few coins after all, as you had a plan for how to make another good handful of them before the night came to an end.

"I should place a few small bets on these people, you know." You stated absently, prompting a small nod from Oak as he guestured toward the two currently fighting. "S'always fun t'see if ye can predict th'outcomes o'these fights, win o'lose." Oak slurred, slightly tipsy from what he had so far had to drink. "t'night 'as been good t'me though with th'bets i've put down." Oak grinned, clearly quite pleased that he had called the fights right.

Even if you could get a feel for the combatants, it was hard for you to call anything as expertly as William was able. William though, had been in this business for a while, he had see fighters come and go, he had seen people who could perform well through injury and those that were crippled by minor ones. He understood the variables involved better than you did. Reading people beyond the bodylanguage and expressions they bore was hard, as you didn't quite have a grasp for that yet. In time you were certain you could get it down, but for now, you at least knew how to read how confident they were in their skills and play on that.

A quick check with William on who was scheduled to fight had a few names given, along with a jab at each respective person with his fingers as he highlighted who was who. You nodded, collecting your money from him as you split half of what you had won into a series of bets that you knew you'd lose a portion of, but that was fine. It was all part of your plan to ensure you didn't raise tensions between you and the others by eclipsing them and leaving them all unwilling to fight you.

The rest, you put down, requesting that William attempted to get three combatants for you to fight at once. It was a gamble, but three people would bring in much more money than one, if you could accomplish it. It would also make it that much harder to get fights, but... Well, a few bets here and there would relieve that tension, and there were always fights in what you stacked the apparent odds against yourself.

Settling back down, you watched as Oak cheered and applauded as the current two fighters duked it out, the outcome one that seemed to please him suggested that he wasn't just doing well tonight, he was on a roll. "Tha's my boy, tha'un there, doin' me proud wi'winnin' an' all." Oak cheered, slurring all the heavier now. "Lots to drink, and a string of successful bets, sounds like lady luck is treating you well tonight." You chuckled, patting Oak on the shoulder as you did so.

"Aye! I'd kiss'er if she were 'ere!" Oak laughed, slapping his knee as he doubled over. "I just hope you get home safely with all you've had to drink tonight." You start, though William's quick to interrupt. "Oh, worry not for our friend, Eurochkoles, last time he was attacked by vultures when staggering home drunk they found him asleep in his barn, using three of them to keep warm and a fourth as a head rest."

You grin slightly at this, not sure if you believe it or not, though you're sure it does make for an interesting story, when told in full. Another fifteen minutes pass as fighters come and go, before William announces that you, and three others who've agreed to this match are up.

You can hear the murmers of the crowd as they talk amongst themselves, knowing that two on one is unfavourable enough odds, and three is downright brave. You're confident at least in your skill to use their advantage of numbers against them, knowing how to duck and weave in a manner that makes their advantage more of a hinderance at times. Even so, you see a few people hurry over to make bets on this.

As you stand opposite the three who have chosen to fight with you, you shake their hands in turn as you all wish each other luck, before you move a few paces away from them, taking a combat ready stance. This is going to be a hard fight, with a lot riding on it, a fight in what you remained on the defensive most of the way, if not through all of it.

Two of them nodded to each other as they quickly moved to flank you, the third standing before you, You recognise this ploy as a means to prevent you from defending yourself, and know that you can break free of it time and time again. You knew that in time, they'd give up on it if they found it seemed ineffective. That was what you were relying upon as you ducked down, sweeping the one infront of you from his feet. Following through with this motion, you hopped over the stunned body of this man, turning about to face all three of them as the two still standing hurried to flank you again.

This time, you turned to face them as you gave the one behind you a chance to climb to his feet, using your turned back to goad him into action. He made a dire mistake, yelling out as he signaled his attack along with a call to the other two to strike. This failed as you ducked to the side, doing an over the shoulder throw as you tossed him into one of the two before you, though several blows slipped past your guard as the one still standing dived over and delivered a few angry kicks and punches.

Most of these landed against your shins, against your back and arms as you shrugged them off. They stung, though they weren't enough to slow you down as you grabbed the suprised man by the hem of his trousers and his one arm, hefting him into the air before you flung him at the other two. The three of them lay there as a tangle of suprised bodies for a moment as they struggled to get up, a cheer going up from the crowd about you.

One of the blows has caught your face, glancing across your nose. You could feel the familiar wet warmth of blood flowing from it was you sniffed, attempting to slow the flow down as not to ruin your already grubby top further.

The three of them kept their distance from you now as you menacingly stepped towards them, their nerve faltering as they tried to figure a way to tackle you, resulting in the three of them deciding to rush you at the same time. As you ducked to the side quickly, they tried to sweve around to deal with the fact that you had evaded this charge, your foot sweeping out as you tripped the first of them, the second tripping over the first body as he tumbled into you, while the third took advantage of this to kick you in the back of the knees.

This was bad you knew, as you stumbled, barely managing to keep your footing as the second one grabbed your legs, vastly hampering your mobility. The one still standing took advantage of this, diving at you as he tackled you to the ground, delivering several blows to your face as he was emboldened by this, only for you to reach up, drawing him down as you went to headbutt him savagely.

You could feel sharp pain shoot through your head as you did that, the man had been attempting to do the same to you, causing both of you to catch each other at a bad angle, though he was down for the moment, crying in pain as he clutched his face. You took advantage of this to jump to your feet, though you were sent staggering as a kick catch you from the side, one you couldn't quite guard yourself against in time.

A few more blows, mostly glancing were sent your way as there two, emboldened by your current state attempted to press their advantage home. While they had you on the defensive, they didn't realise that you were waiting for an opening. One of them made the mistake of taking a swing at you that left them vulnerable from the side, just as you had hoped, prompting you to duck under their outstretched arm as you reached for it, twisting it behind their back, before placing a foot to their back and propelling them away.

There was a thud as they tripped over the body of the person downed before them. The one still standing not only failed to capitalise on the opening this left him, they also lost their nerve as you turned your gaze on them, crying out that they yielded as your narrowed your eyes, your expression saying that they were next. The other two quickly followed, their expressions showing that they didn't wish to hang around and try with only two of them. Reaching down, you helped the two who had fallen back to their feet, before you made your way over to William, rubbing at your ribs as you considered that it was possible one of them was cracked given how they hurt.

If they had kept to their original plan, you were certain from how you ached that you wouldn't have been succesful had their nerve not given.

"It seems that you are quite adept at disguising the pain you are in, that must've been a contributing factor to them loosing their nerve. I am certain that you will have a fair amount of bruising tomorrow, so you may wish to reserve yourself to betting alone while you recover from that." William states as he counts out a number of stacks of coins, before sweeping them into a pouch and holding it out to you.

After taking the money you set about strapping your gun belt back about your waist, pinching your nose as you did your best to staunch the still flowing blood as you settled down beside Oak again, who had at some point during the fight fallen asleep, having had enough to drink himself into a stupor.

You'd made money. A lot of money, but it was going to take you at least a few days to get over the worst of this. While you noted a visit to the gunsmiths was in order tomorrow, you had the issue now of deciding if you were going to return to the shack or not when the group dispersed.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: sonerohi on June 30, 2010, 08:20:15 pm
Return to the shack after making sure Oak gets home. If we're lucky, he (and his wife, if he has one) will offer you some better lodgings for the night. There's bound to be more of the Eye-cult guys, and giving them a slip here and there can't hurt.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on June 30, 2010, 08:44:32 pm
Return to the shack after making sure Oak gets home. If we're lucky, he (and his wife, if he has one) will offer you some better lodgings for the night. There's bound to be more of the Eye-cult guys, and giving them a slip here and there can't hurt.
Agreed.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Labs on June 30, 2010, 08:47:39 pm
I agree with the posts before mine. If no lodgings are offered, find a cheap inn or hotel.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Neyvn on June 30, 2010, 08:55:33 pm
The Shack is compromised. Offer to walk with Oak like the others said, but mentioned that you have felt something outside your lodgings the other night that seemed to be more BITN then you are comfortable with, Oak seems like one of those guys that would offer a friend lodging within a moment's notice...
If he does, inquire on where you could find a cheep place to live. He's a dockhand right, he would know more then enough places...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Nirur Torir on June 30, 2010, 10:16:38 pm
We do not want to lodge with them for even a single night. Our shack was discovered almost immediately. They would kill our hosts.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: sonerohi on June 30, 2010, 10:28:46 pm
The earlier attack was aimed right at us with no collateral damage. Plus, I'd imagine that we aren't going to be in the exact same room as Oak, which means they probably are going to leave him be even moreso. Stealth operation and all.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Criptfeind on June 30, 2010, 10:31:29 pm
Lets not try it yet. We don't want this little life we are making for our self's to be ruined by making the classic mistake of getting our friends killed by accepting help.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on June 30, 2010, 10:39:29 pm
Oaks good, even if they were to attack we would probably have enough warning to come and help out. If he isn't paralyzed by fear the enlightened aren't much tougher than anyone else... they just don't actually DIE when killed.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Neyvn on July 01, 2010, 01:56:13 am
Oaks good, even if they were to attack we would probably have enough warning to come and help out. If he isn't paralyzed by fear the enlightened aren't much tougher than anyone else... they just don't actually DIE when killed.
I don't think it was Fear that Paralyzed Red at the Pub...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: maxicaxi on July 01, 2010, 04:34:31 am
bump?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: rickvoid on July 01, 2010, 07:42:05 am
No. We've already put Red and his wife in danger, no need to drag Oak into this as well. He'll be a good ally if we ever have no choice but to go.to him for help, but we already know he has issues with the things that are after us.

We should walk him home though, and ask him about cheap lodging near the bar. Look into it if he names a place.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on July 01, 2010, 07:54:19 am
Wow, bump request after two and a half hours, that's impressive.

They found the random shack of an escaped prisoner not a day after they moved in, I doubt that they will be confused by a change of address, if they were, then they probably wouldn't of made it so obvious that they had found the place, unless the mark was put there by some mystical means that doesn't need to know where you are...

Immortal disappears for a while
Cult finds their god
Cult becomes immortal
Immortal wakes up with cultists following them
...

We do not want the paralysis power, that is boring and expensive, besides, that s what a reputation is for...

Professor Oak is probably dead no matter what happens. His relevance to the story as a rival has just been nullified by the skill increase. He is a friend with no real influence in the setting. He is established as a dangerous individual. He has a family, I think... It is all primed to make the villain look dangerous and nasty while giving the hero a motivation without significantly affecting the situation. Oak may as well have 'deadmeat' (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/RedShirt) stamped across his forehead...

Go back to the shack and stay up all night to see what happens. Spend the time meditating on our past.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: rickvoid on July 01, 2010, 08:04:37 am
Of course, Oak could also be the bad guy.

ZOMG, PLOT TWIST!
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on July 01, 2010, 08:27:33 am
Oh, in case I sounded critical there, I have really enjoyed reading this, I would get a double check on the grammar before trying to get it published, but the story and writing are very entertaining.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on July 01, 2010, 08:35:42 am
Immortal disappears for a while
Cult finds their god
Cult becomes immortal
Immortal wakes up with cultists following them
...
This is a good point... We should probably investigate how we got to that prison later, once we are better set up. The guy who helped us escape should be in charge there by now, so the information shouldn't be too hard to get.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on July 01, 2010, 10:14:48 am
You find yourself torn as the group begins to disperse for the night, you don't know if you should accompany Oak home out of concern for his well being and see if you can shack up for the night with him, knowing that your own place of residence has been found, if you should sleep there and pray for the best, or if you should merely look for some place else at this time. Whatever it was that you decided on, you knew that you had until you'd walked Oak home to decide upon it.

Oak was clearly going to be quite a handful with how much he had drank this night, but you figured it was the decent thing to do, to assist him in getting home as he lived on the outskirts of the city. He was a farmer, he was a man who no other would walk all the way with otherwise. Respect or no respect, they believed that he would get home safe and well alone without them needing to go the last mile so to speak with him.

You shook Oak by the shoulder as the various workers gathered up into groups, ready to start of home together in the relative safety that this afforded them. Oak mumbled something, something about wanting five minutes more that he punctuated with a string of profanities. A slight smile crossed your lips as you shook your head, shaking his shoulder again.

"Alri', alri', I be gettin' up." Oak mumbled as he rolled from atop the bench, landing with a thud beside it. "Come on friend, we're all preparing to go home now. I'm going to come with you to make sure that you get there safe and sound."

Oak rubbed his eyes as he turned to look at you, giving you a look of suprise as he did so. "Don't ye live up riv'r?" he asked, clerly too out of it at this moment for it to really click that your motivation was his well being at this time. "That I do friend, and I'll be heading that way just as soon as I've seen with my own two eyes, that you've gotten home safe and sound."

You figure that it couldn't hurt to repeat this, that you'll repeat it as many times as it takes to get it through to his drunken mind. He nods slowly, taking your hand as you offer it to him, the look in his eyes telling you that it has clicked, that he feels humbled by the fact that you are showing concern of this level for his well being. Taking his arm around your shoulder, you keep him steady as you lead him towards the group he points towards, who nod to him as they see him before they start on their way through the city, travelling away from the docks, away from the river bank.

Oak, as well as a handful of the men you're travelling with sing intermittently as they wind their way through the city streets, one lost here and there as they bid the group goodnight and split off to finish travelling home. The journey itself is quiet beside this, with you reaching the outskirts of the city, the last of the group bidding you farewell with a tip of his hat as you follow a winding dirt path towards the outlying farmland. Moon and star illuminate your way as you wander past fields divided by fences, dry stone walls and hedges.

Wheat sways in the night breeze, owls hoot and crickets chirp.

It's almost peaceful, though you know better than to let your guard down just because it seems to be a new world compared to the cramped streets of the city with gas fueled streetlamps, airships and things that go bump in the night. "I envy you, you know. Compared to the city this place is beautiful, the air smells better, the rustling of leaves from the trees and the swaying of the crops makes a welcome change from the sound of that stagnant river..." You trail off as Oak chuckles slightly, patting your shoulder with the arm about your neck. "Ye'd think such, y'know. Y'ain't 'ad t'deal wi'arvest time."

You smile at this, wondering if such was all that different from how hard you had found daily work at the Pub to be. Oak hummed a cheerful song to himself as you continued down the dirt path, occasionally mumbling a few of the words as they came to him. It was a song as bawdy as the ones you heard in the tavern, that he only paused to guesture towards one of the farmhouses illuminated by moonlight, mumbling that it was his home.

You followed the winding path pointed out as it weaved between the sheds and fields that stood between you and your new destination, briefly to looking out over fields as you watched the wheat sway, scarecrows stood like lonely sentries that watched over the domain charged to their care, fending off crows and other such pests.

And then all too soon, you were there, the home of the man who you wanted desperately to ask to spend the night with, for the relative safety that would be afforded by a new location, for the safety that would be found in a place out of the way, with a friend you knew was quite capable of taking care of himself as well.

Slipping his arm free of your shoulder, Oak went for the door, beaming as he saw someone inside, opening his arms in a drunken embrace. "M'belov'd! Ye waited f'me!" He slurred, while the figure out of sight spoke, their voice harsh, angry by what they saw before them. "Jacob Oak, you wretched man, you have been out drinking fighting and gambling, leaving me here to worry about you. You know that what you do is against the law and a sin in the eyes of the church, you know it leaves me worrying about your well being-" the womans words were cut off as you edged toward the door, glancing through as you saw the middle aged woman, plump and weathred wagging her finger at the drunken man before her. It wasn't you that had cut her off, it was Oak. Her eyes were wide as she looked at the pouch full of coins that he had placed upon the table.

"Ye c'n get tha' pretty new dress ye've been wantin'oney." Oak slurred, clearly not phased in the slightest by the womans scathing tone. He was too drunk to be bothered by her scolding, by the fact she was giving him a look that even not directed your way made your balls want to shrivel up. She turned her gaze to you, wagging a finger as she launched into another scathing onslaught, though you maintained a passive expression, knowing that you didn't want to give a woman who was already irritable more fuel for the fire.

"And you... You grubby little man, you're one of those thugs that my husband hangs out with. You have a lot of nerve showing your face here!" She started, pausing to take a breath, to let these words sink in, though you had other ideas. "I was concerened for your husbands safety, Ma'am, with how much he had to drink it would be a shame if he had fallen foul of Vultures, or worse, if he had been left to finish the journey here alone. Unfortunately, while we didn't encounter any Vultures, we have ran into a Harpy." You responded, bowing your head as the woman huffed, indignation written across her features. "Goodnight Ma'am." You finished, turning your back as you started on your way back down the path, while the sound of shouting faded into the distance, one particular part of it causing you to chuckle to yourself as you shook your head.

"Oh, how dare you fall asleep on me, i'm not done you drunken old sot!"

It was decided. While the idea of spending the night as a guest there had been appealing, you couldn't have wished that woman on your enemies if they'd found you, if you'd wanted to. Things like that were just too horrible to contemplate doing to others.

Your journey back along the dirt paths to the city was disturbed by little more than a startled fox running from one hedge row to another as you found yourself glancing to the sides of the path with increasing frequency. You were feeling your injuries all the more intensely as your exaustion and tiredness started to take their toll.

A suitable shed presented itself before long, that you quickly cut across a field towards, glancing inside quickly as you determined that it was a toolshed, that it was adequate for a nights sleep, and then without a second thought, you stepped inside.

Closed the door behind you.

Lay down in the corner of the shed.

And drifted off to sleep.

A night of sleep that gave you a wonderful dream, a dream in what you sat in a paradise, listening to the sound of musicians playing in the background as a wealthy and influential man sat with you, a plate of good food before you and a goblet with fine wine at its side.

The man laughed at your jokes, ordered his servants to fan you, sat there in quiet reverence as you imparted words of wisdom to him and praised you, referring to you as the hero of the people, a saviour, a god among men.

Heroics were nothing new to you it seemed, but that dream was cut short, all too short as once more you dreampt of the small, rat like man, of being paralyzed as he stood ever closer to you, this time letting out a chittering giggle as he drew a wicked blade from his belt, as he traced a cross over your heart with one long, pointed fingernail. He was marking the spot with a cross, that he was going to plunge this blade into.

One hand caressed the blade as the rat like man excitedly licked at his lips, a mouthful of sharp teeth flashed at you, while his eyes sparkled with malevolence, while he raised the blade, chanting as you struggled to move, as you found yourself in a panic.

The blade never fell, as the door to the shed opened with a creak, as the rat like man stared in confusion as a figure dressed in a tattered floppy hat and ragged clothing edged in. A man made of straw reached across the small confines of the shed, picking up the small, rat like man by his head as he squealed in distress, his weapon dropped, his hands reaching out for you in terror as he was hoisted into the air by the scarecrow, while the dream faded as the scarecrow turned about, blood hosing the walls of the shed as you heard pained squealing as the sound of teeth tearing flesh audiably filled your ears.

Your eyes opened as mornings light peeked through the wooden boards that composed the shed, dappling your face as it shone through cracks and knotholes, while you stretched, having awakened to... To...

There was blood.

The air stank of blood.

The inside of the shed was hosed with blood and was host to a pile of small, bloody bones. Bones that you immediately recognised as having belonged to a small, man like creature that sat in the corner. You could feel fear in the pit of your stomach as you sprang to your feet, using your shoulder to roughly open the door to the shed.

A sudden scream escaped your lips, causing every bird in the trees for a mile to take flight at the same time, as stood feet away from the door was a scarecrow with gore dripping from its poorly defined face, drenching that ragged hat and clothing that it wore. You stumbled backward, tripping as you attempted to move away from it. It took a moment for you to realise that it just stood there, that it was achored firmly to the ground by a post, that in the morning light it was inert.

It was all just a dream, right?

You were quite happy to tell yourself it was all a dream as you jumped to your feet, hurrying across the field as you made your way to the dirt path.

It was all just a dream, and you just had to pick what direction you wanted to run in, to get away from it.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Criptfeind on July 01, 2010, 11:01:01 am
Whoa... epic story telling mate.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Ochita on July 01, 2010, 11:16:21 am
Run towards Oak's house!
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Toaster on July 01, 2010, 11:30:05 am
Back to the city- we know the way better.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Ochita on July 01, 2010, 11:31:07 am
Oak may have been targeted. (That and He probably has some stuff)
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on July 01, 2010, 11:40:55 am
Back to the city- we know the way better.
But first put a bullet in the scarecrow's head. Just in case.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Kashyyk on July 01, 2010, 11:58:24 am
Back to the city- we know the way better.
But first put a bullet in the scarecrow's head. Just in case.

Why? Technically, the scarecrow helped us.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Digital Hellhound on July 01, 2010, 12:34:43 pm
JUST IN CASE

Seriously though, don't shoot the scarecrow.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Nirur Torir on July 01, 2010, 12:37:04 pm
No, no. There's no need to waste a bullet on the inanimate object that may possibly have saved us from some pain.

I suggest that we return to the city and learn more about the Clockworkers and Technomancers. It might be wise to try to join a guild for protection as we sleep and to learn how to fight back against the creatures that haunt us.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on July 01, 2010, 12:53:47 pm
inanimate object
may possibly have saved us from some pain.
These two things are mutually exclusive... I wonder if it might be a disguised "Mechanical man" like that clockworker mentioned.

I suggest that we return to the city and learn more about the Clockworkers and Technomancers. It might be wise to try to join a guild for protection as we sleep and to learn how to fight back against the creatures that haunt us.
Agreed.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Ochita on July 01, 2010, 12:57:09 pm
Try taking off its head. If its mechanical we will know.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: sonerohi on July 01, 2010, 01:34:42 pm
Agreeing with becoming a Clockworker. Also, investigating the scare crows is definitely wise, +1 to what Ochita said.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: rickvoid on July 01, 2010, 02:08:59 pm
Take our new friend back to the city with us. Investigate clockworkers and technomancers.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on July 01, 2010, 02:20:58 pm
Even if the morning light had this thing no longer able to act, it still scared you. It was yet another thing to worry about, it was one of the things that went bump in the night. It was a scarecrow, that the city folk hadn't said a thing about that at least suggested they never left the farmlands. It took some moments for your legs to stop feeling like jelly as you edged along the side of the toolshed, keeping your eyes on it as it stood there motionless.

You wanted to tear it apart, but you were afraid it would spring to life, you wanted to put a bullet in its head and see if it bled, you wanted to see if it really was nothing more than straw stuffed into old tattered clothes.

The thought briefly came to you that this thing could be one of the mechanical men that was talked about, that it could be a hunter of that what went bump in the night, that it could have somehow known you were in trouble and come to save you. It made some sense, given that the thing that you thought had been tormenting you in your sleep had turned out to actually have been there. You could even see its knife sat a few feet away from the scarecrow now, though you didn't want to touch it.

It took some moments to find your nerve, to pick up a stick and to poke the scarecrow timidly. When no response came, you poked it again, then again, pausing to give it a few moments as your courage slowly returned. It was either not responding, or whatever gave it life wasn't active in the day. It was time you guessed, to see if it was a machine, if it was one of the mechanical men made by the clockworkers.

You picked a spot where you could see straw through the tattered clothing, pushing it in, watching as inch after inch of your makeshift tool slid with a rustle into the body of that scarecrow. Nothing more than straw and the back of its tattered old top provided resistance as the stick went directly through the center of its body. Withdrawing the stick quickly you decided that running was definately the most prudent of actions that you could carry out now.

You'd seen a figure made of straw devour something that haunted you and you had no idea if you would have been its target had that thing not been the first thing that was within reach for it. You sprang to your feet as you started to sprint across the field, vaulting over the dilapidated fence that defined its border. Your feet hit dirt as you landed on the unpaved footpath, your feet struck dirt as you started to sprint, your feet, legs and lungs ached as you refused to let up as fear prompted you to run well over a mile faster than you ever had before.

This was good though you told yourself as you stopped, panting for breath near the outskirts of the city. You were older than most other people alive and the things that made you feel alive, mortal, vulnerable had an effect on you still. You hadn't grown bored and indifferent, unable to feel anything other than apathy toward the world about you and it was wonderful to know that.

At least, it was wonderful when your experiences didn't almost make you soil yourself in terror.

You figured that you could get a little more information on the Clockworkers, the Technomancers and whatever other factions seemed fitting before you turned up for work. If you turned up for work. Hiding away from the world seemed a nice option right now, too.

You needed clothing first though. You couldn't turn up to some group of elitist groups recruitment center looking like you lived on the street.

Style spoke volumes about a person in some circles. While you couldn't afford personally fitted finery and silk, you could afford something functional to compliment your image. The question was, what image would you buy, what clothing did you feel worked best for you?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: sonerohi on July 01, 2010, 02:23:27 pm
Simple clothing with light protection. Something like thick workpants, a long sleeved shirt, and a soft-leather vest and boots.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Kashyyk on July 01, 2010, 02:30:09 pm
Yes, buy the clothes then go back to work, explaining that it would not be good for business if you were working there with disgusting clothing.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on July 01, 2010, 02:40:03 pm
Buy something practical. Leather clothing to provide some protection from attacks, if only a very limited amount, and thick boots. Get dark colored clothes if possible, since most of the monsters seem to only attack at night.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Toaster on July 01, 2010, 02:58:43 pm
Something like a nice suit to impress the clockworkers.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on July 01, 2010, 05:20:16 pm
You started on your way down the many roads through town as you headed towards the street market you had seen prior, the one from what you had purchased the gun at your side. You knew that the ever changing face of the street markets was one that would make purchasing clothing interesting, that you may even have to visit a few stalls, possibly even other street markets to obtain a full outfit that was adequate for your needs.

It wouldn't take long though, with luck.

You could almost feel lady luck smiling upon you as you arrived at the site of the market, several people selling off new and second hand clothing, each of them trying to cry out about their wares louder than the other, each of them saying that they would offer the best price. The clothing seemed to be arraved with the brightest and newest clothing in the middle of the stalls, at the front where it would catch peoples attention, with plainer stuff to the sides and the older but still servicable second hand clothing sat in crates under the stalls.

First things first though, you wanted shoes. Boots to be exact, heavy and hardy boots that you could trust to keep your feet safe when putting them through doors and windows. Well, assuming you needed to put them through doors or windows, anyway. You knew that you'd no doubt done so on more than one occasion in your past, given how long you had lived for.

You went through several stalls as you set about examining the footwear that they had for sale, trying it on as you tried to find some that was comfortable and servicable. While a few came closer, it wasn't until you were almost ready to settle for a new but expensive pair that would require breaking in that you spotted them. A pair of almost new looking boots, ones that had a few creases in them saying that they had seen some wear already, ones that were a deep tan in colour.

You haggled over them like a man possessed after trying them on, after taking a few steps in them to ensure that they were a good fit. The stall owner was clearly awed by how passionately you bartered, how little you were prepared to give way as you made it clear just why the boots were worth what you had offered. After a few minutes of this the pair of you shook hands as you passed over a handful of coins and your old shoes, agreeing that as you had no need for them anylonger, that the stall owner had need of some shoes that they could walk through filth in without worrying about ruining them, that they were an acceptable bartering chip.

The shirt and the trousers that you sought were much easier to come by, as in a street market like this the customers they could count on most were the common folk. The very people that needed and wanted simple and servicable clothing that wouldn't let them down. You of course, were willing to pay a touch more to ensure that they truely were up to the task, that you could obtain clothing that was stitched well and made of durable fabric.

Your bartering in this case had you walk away with some deep grey-brown trousers that felt heavy as you draped them over your arm and a servicable white shirt. The shirt wasn't ideal, but you knew you could hide it beneath a coat, though, the question was what kind of coat did you want to buy?

You passed over a padded, but clearly unsuited to the current weather overcoat, a topcoat made of light brown fabric, pausing as you decided to try on a plainly made waistcoat to see if it would fit. The waistcoat was a light tan brown, with brass buttons that you figured would give you a touch of sophistication if you needed it. That, or you'd look like a rather successful thug.

That thought had you almost grinning as you sorted through overcoats, pausing as you pulled an almost formal looking jacket out. This was no fancy suit that you were going to be wearing, but the look would give you at least some air of class, an almost respectable look for somebody from the working class.

It was a lot of brown, but brown was good. Brown blended in with the city at night.

After haggling for the jacket and overcoat you made your way from the market pleased. You had a pocketfull of change and a respectable enough outfit.

While you didn't have any place to change into it just yet, you knew that you'd have a chance to get changed at Red's around dinner time. Your break just after dinner time would be the perfect time to go check out the two major technology guilds, and any others in their vicinity.

Was there any other pressing business that you needed to take care of around that time?


Spoiler: "Possessions" (click to show/hide)
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: sonerohi on July 01, 2010, 05:27:52 pm
((How long do we work at Red's each day? Would there be time for a second job?))
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on July 01, 2010, 05:33:43 pm
((morning to night, currently as it's a full day job.))
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Acanthus117 on July 01, 2010, 05:35:54 pm
We should buy more pistol ammunition, and maybe a high quality utility knife, one so we can gut things  or people if need be, and you'll never know when you'll need a knife.

Maybe a history book would be nice too.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: sonerohi on July 01, 2010, 05:36:38 pm
A knife and some ammo I can agree to.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Acanthus117 on July 01, 2010, 05:38:35 pm
we gotta make sure that the knife is good, though.

Also, what about trying to pick up gunsmithing? It would be good if we could make our own weapon.

((Yes, I'm trying to make a bad ass gunsmith dude who is too fucking awesome.))

EDIT: Also, make sure the ammo we buy comes up to something dividable by six, just because I'm finicky that way.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on July 01, 2010, 08:29:13 pm
There was the matter of finding a gunsmith too you recalled, at least to see if it was possible for you to pick up on anything that related to it. In a way, it was sad that while you had always been brilliantly minded, you hadn't been one for tinkering so much. It was something that you figured came with having lived through less advanced ages, having seen civilisation rise up from bows and arrows, swords and shields and embrace gunpowder for warfare. You were already set in your ways as a brilliant tactician, able to even the odds, able to turn things about at the last moment and claim victory from the jaws of defeat.

You needed more ammunition too, as your meager number of bullets remaining wasn't enough to really allow you to do much if you ran into more than a few things in a night. A blade of some kind to accompany it would be good, too. Something with enough reach to be useful and enough mass to be dangerous.

You strode down the streets, your new boots looking out of place against your current clothing, though you were going to change that just as soon as you reached Reds pub. It was funny to think that several days prior to this you had been a convict, that you had nothing but the clothing on your back to your name.

A few days hard work.

A few fights for money.

Everything boiled down to your drive to better your situation.

You were unstoppable when you put yourself to something wholey and truely, you were brilliant when you had a problem that required you to shine. You had always shone like the brightest star in the heavens, but now it was time for you to shine like you never had before.

As you stepped onto the busy street that lead to Red's bar you picked up your pace slightly, humming to yourself as you danced between people. Literally. The mornings shock had worn off already and you were in good spirits, weaving between people as you occasionally twirled the more receptive ones about with you as you passed them by. Maybe it was the fact you had a plan, maybe you were slowly going insane. It didn't matter what the reason, as life was something to live, life was beautiful.

The city was a bustling and foul smelling place, but it was beautiful too.

As you danced through the doorway of the pub you felt all eyes on you as you tapped your heels, as you danced to the merry jig played by the musicians warming up customers who had arrived for a morning drink. "Well, ain't ye in fine spirits this mornin' kid." came Red's voice as you weaved your way across the room, though he scowled as he saw fresh cuts and bruises visible on your face. "Christ almighty, e'ery day ye come 'ere ye look like ye've been wrestlin' bears." He stated, though you merely chuckled in response.

As he gestured to the clothing over your arm you grinned slightly. "I just picked these up, I figured I'd need to look respectable as I plan to go into town on my break." you responded before he could voice the question on the tip of his tongue. "And yes, I'll go and get changed into it now, as I know you're dying to see how someone such as myself could possibly look respectable."

Without another word you ducked into the kitchen, knowing that it was safe for the time being to get changed here. Your new jacket along with your gunbelt was placed with Red's coat on the rack near the back door, while you quickly removed your old clothes and dressed in the new ones. It was almost a shame you thought, as you finished dressing, that there was no mirror so you could see how you looked dressed 'respectably' like this.

You stepped back through into the main room as you rolled your sleeves up, double checking that your shirt was tucked properly into the trousers you wore and your waistcoat was straight. Red's expression said it all as you read the suprise on his face, seeing how he was pleasantly suprised by this. "Kid, given th'part o'town we're in, ye're probably th'best dressed man 'ere right now."

In high spirits you spent the morning assisting Red with cleaning and moving barrels, throwing out troublesome patrons and further cleaning. As dinner time approached Red's wife voiced her approval of your attire as you assited her with preperations and as dinner time passed, you took your belt and jacket from the rack, letting Red know you'd be back shortly.

As you stepped out the door and started along the path, having decided that you'd get more ammunition and a knife before you visited the guilds you found yourself caught offguard by a strange thought. Was this slow awakening as you recovered your lost potential comparable to how awakening from a dream felt for a person with a more finite lifespan?

Maybe it was the realisation that more of your potential had been unlocked that had you come to this conclusion. The question as always was, what lost aspect of your former self had you recovered?


You have another point to spend... Choose its purpose wisely.


Spoiler: "Stats" (click to show/hide)
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: sonerohi on July 01, 2010, 08:37:34 pm
Point into Earth.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on July 01, 2010, 09:00:34 pm
((small note to help people choose here:
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
))
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Nirur Torir on July 01, 2010, 09:18:12 pm
I feel that Air would help the most in the near future. It'd greatly help us with the Clockmakers or Technomancers, and would probably let us easily figure out gunsmithing.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Criptfeind on July 01, 2010, 09:24:05 pm
Air I say.

But how many point would it take to be able to suck the immortal essence out of the "enlightened?"
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Neyvn on July 01, 2010, 09:27:50 pm
AIR!!!!
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on July 01, 2010, 10:51:19 pm
AIR!!!!
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: maxicaxi on July 01, 2010, 11:04:29 pm
AIR!!!!
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Acanthus117 on July 01, 2010, 11:18:56 pm
AIR AIR AIR
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: maxicaxi on July 01, 2010, 11:34:56 pm
he went to sleep or something 30 minutes ago  :)
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Acanthus117 on July 01, 2010, 11:35:39 pm
Poopy.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on July 01, 2010, 11:42:11 pm
Water, definitely water, we want to know what the guilds aren't telling us...

Then save up for Unkillable, we can't pass up all the fun and exciting possibilities for fates worse than death...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on July 02, 2010, 12:48:59 am
he went to sleep or something 30 minutes ago  :)

((I did, not long after starting a response. apparently my face tried to take over writing the response, but all I got was  "v cf cv      bvgvfdert" and the like. I'll have to learn to type with my face on the right keys, I suppose.
Lets see if I can get a half decent response out before I fall asleep again.))
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: rickvoid on July 02, 2010, 12:53:26 am
It looks like air won, but next time I recommend the 7X Healing Factor or the night vision.

And as was mentioned at least once before, we are already undying. It's why we're so old.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on July 02, 2010, 01:36:12 am
The mysteries of the universe are something that you find yourself becoming increasingly aware of the true nature of. Things that had once appeared to be almost miraculous now bared their secrets to you, things that had been impossible for you to grasp the concept of once now seemed so blindingly obvious.

You knew that this growing ability to grasp these things was something that you could use to your advantage, that with a little tuition and some hands on experience you could quickly learn how to do more than just clean a weapon. You could no doubt go beyond just repairing them. Given time to sit down and truely think about it, you were certain that you could improve upon existing designs, maybe even come up with ones entirely of your own.

First things first though, you needed to buy ammunition. While ammunition wasn't the most expensive of things, you needed to make your money stretch far enough to cover a knife of sorts too, for those times in what you found yourself reloading or out of bullets.

With your new attire you were turning heads, people who had looked down on you prior due to your injuries and grubby clothing now looked upon you with expressions that betrayed how they were either intimidated by the figure that you now bore, or suprised to see someone who was dressed better by leagues than the crowds of lower class workers around them.

You almost felt like you needed some form of cane to walk with.

As you left the streets near the rivers edge and made your way towards the markets you considered what positon would be best for the knife to rest in. Behind the holster seemed a fairly fitting idea, as you could use your free hand to swipe with it as you pulled it free, that with a larger blade would have a decided advantage when it came to other matters, such as first getting the first strike in when using a gun was impractical and would cost you the element of suprise.

As you reached the market, you took note of the lull in activity, noting that many people were currently seeing to their dinner. It didn't matter though, it made it easier for you to get through the remainder of the crowd, heading towards the weapon stall of the person you had purchased the gun from before. Their expression betrayed that they recognised you, that they hadn't expected you to turn up again so clearly well off where you'd been just another grubby commoner before.

You haggled briefly over the ammunition you needed, slipping each new bullet into your gun's belt casually as you inquired next about the blades the man carried, about the ones that bordered on the boundries of legality due to their size. You wanted a large blade, you wanted a sharp blade. The man had just what you wanted, and at a price you were happy with.

You strode away from the markets and back towards the river as you adjusted your gun's belt, detatching the revolvers holster from it as you moved it several inches up before fastening it along with your new machete to your belt, a belt that now had several bullets visible past your jacket as something of a warning to those that thought that you would be an easy mark for them to tackle.

As you made your way to cross the river, to head into the more affluent section of the city beyond it you encountered a police patrol. A quick chat with them had you lying through your teeth as they inquired how a man as clearly roughed up as yourself, could have weapons and clothes such as your ones.

You played the part of someone new in town well, talking about how you'd ended up on the wrong side of the river without your weapons, weapons that they confirmed to be within permitted ranged for a civilian, before you'd been mugged. You went on to say how it was fortunate that you had only lost a little money, before inquiring on how you'd go about offering a reward for the capture of those who had been responsible.

A brief chat later, as your inquiries wandered onto the things that went bump in the night and how 'everything was under control' and you were on your way again, striding with purpose through the streets as you made your way every onward, following gaudy signs that took you to the halls of the Clockworkers and the Technomancers. Two buildings that stood side by side, one of them flying a banner emblazoned with a cog, the other flying one that curiously, depicted a diamond with a pair of wings behind it.

You were about to approach one of them when you noticed a familiar figure being ejected from the Clockworker's building. A vast figure made of burnished bronze escorted a man who you had hoped never to see again, a balding and portly figure being marched down the steps that lead away from the guild hall, a man who was red in the face, screaming in anger at them.

You could just about make out that the source of his frustration, was that they had revoked his membership.

Was now truely the right time to pursue a chance to deal with this man, in broad daylight, in a public area, were you planning to stride past him brazenly into the guild's hall, or was it prudent to wait for him to leave before you approached the guild?


Spoiler: "Stats" (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: "Possessions" (click to show/hide)
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: maxicaxi on July 02, 2010, 02:29:55 am
lean against the wall waiting
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on July 02, 2010, 02:52:34 am
It looks like air won, but next time I recommend the 7X Healing Factor or the night vision.

And as was mentioned at least once before, we are already undying. It's why we're so old.
I was under the impression that we were Ageless, and therefore 'could' live forever, which is why we are so old. And that for 2 points we could buy Unkillable which would make it a practical certainty. They are definitely different abilities, though I am not completely certain that we don't have Unkillable.

*sighs* I just want revenge to neutralise our alignment, I need to stop metagaming...

We are still out of shape from the fight last night, best to avoid the wrong attention for now. Besides, as a former member, the guild may look down upon the man's mistreatment...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on July 02, 2010, 05:51:37 am
Yea, just ignore him. On top of that we may get into trouble, I'd guess 1/5 of the town are worse than him anyway, and he didn't harm us personally THAT much.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Toaster on July 02, 2010, 08:46:47 am
Definitely ignore him and go in after he's out of sight.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Neyvn on July 02, 2010, 08:50:42 am
If he walks into a Heavy crowd, slide up beside him all ninja like, after convo, slide away just as silently as you appeared...
Wouldn't put it past our friend here to be able to do that...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on July 02, 2010, 09:34:43 am
You glanced around quickly as you looked for a means of coming across as inconspicuous, a means to avoid any potential conflict with this man that had tormented you. You didn't like the thought of letting go of getting your revenge on this cowardly bully of a man, but it wasn't wise to pursue it in the middle of broad daylight. Especially not with the risk of drawing attention from one of the mechanical men that had been stationed here by the guild. As giants of burnished bronze, hunters of that what went bump in the night you knew that they wouldn't be a pushover. They didn't have any obvious weakpoints that you could see beneath their casing, that made firing blindly at them unwise should you anger one.

Something curious caught your attention as you moved towards the center of the square as you set about mingling with the crowd. There was a stall here, that for a few coins was selling something curious, something you figured would provide those few minutes cover that you required and at the same time, add to that respectable image that you were hoping to maintain as you made your way into the guild hall.

A few coins were passed over as you purchased a newspaper, settling on a nearby bench as you started to read the cover. You were unimpressed by what they were passing off as news. It was all drivel, propaganda and advertising. Even so, it gave you some insight into recent developments in the city, with mentions of them rolling out more mechanical men in some of the hardest hit area's, with mentions of how the Clockworkers had developed more advanced mechanical men and would be putting them into production soon. It also made it clear that the Clockworkers and Technomacers had a friendly and co-operative relationship, that the Clockworkers made much of the machinery that provided progress and the Technomancers made 'technology that seemed like magic'.

You guessed that meant that they provided things such as outlandish contraptions and weapons, things that had no clear means of working as they did, yet worked none the less.

There was also a column, scoffing at the naivety of the people that believed that there were gods in the world, looking down on the church and their templars, claiming that the enlightened were just a cult of children that needed to stop acting spooky and troubled and to grow up. It also bore mention of some of the apparent gods, that you were able to glean from the hate and ignorance spouted by the writer.

There was the god of the church, who spoke to his subjects via a mouth, a man who channeled his divine will. The writer's view was that the church was crazy for following this lunatics rantings.

There was the goddess of the crop, a figure that the farmers claimed had vanished and blamed the poor crops they had bore for the last few years on this fact.

There was the pretender, the apparent god that the enlightened claimed to have drawn the secrets of immortality from. The writer scoffed at this, saying that the enlightened was delisional in believing that they could not die.

There was the goddess of the Thames, a goddess that he said clearly didn't exist as no goddess would stand for the river that personified her being left so fouled.

With a sigh you folded the paper up and set it under your arm, climbing to your feet as you started towards the guild hall now that the coast was clear. Something about that article on the gods irritated you, and had you silently pray that some god out there smited the hell out of the man. You figured that the Clockworkers were the best ones to start with, as they seemed to be more grounded than the Technomancers, as they seemed to produce things that were needed.

Bizzare contraptions were all well and good, but they sounded touched as a whole.

You ascended the steps toward the entrance to the guild's reception room, the sound of your footfalls echoing off the hard surfaces of the marbled interior. It was all very fancy, expensive, extravagant. Banners made of a lush red fabric embroidered with a cog in golden thread dangled between pillars, while mechanical men, towering figures made of burnished bronze stood as paired sentries at every door leading in deeper than the reception room itself.

You strode towards the desk as the bored receptionist looked up at you from a slightly yellowed newspaper. "May I help you sir?" came the man's voice as he stood fully upright, while your mind raced, as you toyed with how best to start and direct your inquiries.

"I was considering the possibility of applying for membership of this guild, so I thought what way would be better than to approach them for first hand information on that process, yet.." You placed a finger to your lips, feigning a troubled look. "There was a fellow outside, a man who seemed quite vexed with how he had been ejected from this very guild, so, I find myself in a predicament, do I truely wish to affiliate myself with those that treat members in such a heavy handed manner?"

Everything about the deception was perfect, from the smattering of words that belied class and education to the accent that you feigned. The only thing that detracted from it as you knew, was how visibly you bore bruising and cuts. You could only hope that they added a twist in this mans eyes, that he assumed that you were after guild protection.

"Oh, that man sir... He bought his membership as those who have nothing to offer the guild do and was ejected after little more than a day as he joined under an ulterior motive. There is nothing to worry about there." The man responded, prompting a nod from you. That man had asked if you were a member of the Clockworker guild when you had been imprisoned. It seemed that he had a personal vendetta against you and was poking needles into a haystack trying to find you.

"I see. As earlier outlined, I bear interest in association with the guild. As you alluded to, there are different manners in what you may be inducted. Would you be so kind as to elaborate upon those?" you asked, as the man gave a bored nod. He was clearly a member that they employed, somebody who was clever enough to know his arse from his elbow but not really smart enough to innovate and invent.

"There are three main ways that you may be given membership to the Clockworkers, by payment of a membership fee, by application or by invitation. Most members are members by payment, people who pay a monthly fee for the benefits provided, who's fee goes partially towards our funding. There are those who apply, people who have intellect and creativity that they use to earn their membership. Typically, they will transfer the ownership of one of their inventions to the guild to increase the chances their application will be approved." He paused, guesturing as he did so. "Invitation on the other hand is fairly obvious. The guild will typically only extend an open invitation to join them to the greatest minds though. Are there any other questions you have, Sir?"

Was there anything more you felt you needed to know? Was there anything else you felt you needed to do in between finding out more about gun smithing and heading back to work?


((Just to clarify, anything in your stats/powers area you already possess, so you've already got the basic immortality of somebody who cannot age or die, though you still don't want to push that as you heal as slowly as anyone else.))
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on July 02, 2010, 09:49:28 am
Tell the man we will consider joining, and then go visit the technomancers to discover what exactly they do... though I'm guessing it's mostly trade secrets.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Toaster on July 02, 2010, 09:58:26 am
Ask about the application process (don't start it yet), then go check out the technomancers.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on July 02, 2010, 11:54:18 am
Yea, ask about the application process, and also about how one goes about getting the materials needed to make such an invention without already being guild members.

by the way, I have an idea for next time we get a point to spend, for a single point power: The ability to craft with micrometer precision to exact mesurments, to make near frictionless wheels and gers that don't shift and bullets and barrels that are smoother and thus get better aim, and so on.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on July 02, 2010, 11:58:17 am
I'm not sure that would really be a "power". That sort of precision probably comes with a higher air stat. Besides, smoothing things that much doesn't take skill, just a huge amount of time sanding with finer and finer tools.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Ochita on July 02, 2010, 12:04:17 pm
I don't think we will gain powers unless they are up on the board.

Tip your hat off to the man. Go to work at red's and ask for a day off tomorrow because we need to do some shopping
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on July 02, 2010, 01:12:50 pm
Further inquiries over the application process had the bored secretary pass you a leaflet and an application form before he returned his attention to the yellowed newspaper that sat before him. He was seemingly looking for patterns in the words as he traced his fingers over the lines of print and highlighted parts of them with a quill. You figured it best to leave him to it as you strode out of the main entrance once more, pausing briefly to look at the Mechanical men stood on guard there.

They were crude replicas of a man, with simple facial features, luminous green eyes and plates of metal that had been fitted to overlap with enough space to allow movement, without leaving much of them exposed from anything but the most awkward of angles to reach.

They were well enough made on the outside, but you could see nothing of the workings beneath their armoured exterior. That amount of armour was heavy however, that did tell you that they were slower than a man was. It was hardly much comfort though, now knowing how to defeat these things should you ever need to.

That was something you could work out another time though.

Maybe you could find one that was damaged or destroyed and take it apart, learn what made it tick. It was almost a bad joke, figuring out what made a clockwork creation tick. Making your way past them, you tucked your leaflet and form into your newspaper, made your way down the steps and paused to straighten your jacket and waistcoat.

You paused as you turned to face the Technomancers guild, realising that you could feel the fainted of rumblings. A rumbling that grew in intensity, growing as it became a roaring boom, as the doors to the guild were blown off their hinges, black smoke, leaflets and assorted papers billowing from within the building as terrified people ran from the door, scattering as they grouped up in the street, nervously talking amongst themselves.

All of them were sooty and singed, nervously trying to figure what had happened. Clockworkers hurried from their guild hall, directing a small number of mechanical men toward the other guilds hall, ordering them to recover anybody trapped inside still.

You bent down, picking up one of the less soot damaged leaflets and forms before slipping it into your newspaper too, figuring that it was none of your business getting involved in what seemed to be nothing more than an accident as you made your way down the street, stopping into a weapons shop on the way back as you made brief inquiries into gunsmithing, inquiries that were met with the suggestion that a hobbyist checked one of the bookstores for one of the in depth books on firearms that were stocked on occasion.

It was a starting point at least.

A well written book with good diagrams would tell you all you needed to know, allowing you to work out how all the pieces went together, how they worked, how best to maintain them.

With that you made your way back across the river and towards Reds, telling yourself as you made the journey there that you should have purchased a smaller weapon. You could feel that constant slap of the machete against your leg as you walked, telling you that it was probably better strapped to your leg or back instead of your belt. Still, you could worry about that later. For now, you had work to worry about, though after work the night was yours.

You weren't sure fighting was wise tonight given how you were recovering, though that didn't mean you couldn't do a few bets. Did you really want to turn up for the fights, or did you have other plans for the night once you were done with work?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Ochita on July 02, 2010, 01:30:57 pm
I think we will not go to the docks and instead we try to find a new place to sleep
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: rickvoid on July 02, 2010, 02:06:26 pm
We should put in an appearance, make little money (but lose a little too) but we might want to look into getting some new lodgings.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Toaster on July 02, 2010, 03:01:15 pm
I say investigate the city more.  We're not required to show up every night.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: sonerohi on July 02, 2010, 03:37:04 pm
I think we need to put in an appearance. Once he sobered up, Oak probably was wanting to make sure we got home okay, specially if he talks to other farmers and saw the gore.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on July 02, 2010, 05:54:56 pm
As you worked through the rest of the day you found yourself torn over the most wise course of action, torn over if it was better to put a few bets in and try and make a touch more than you lost or if you wanted to explore the city and see if better lodgings would present themselves in the mean time.

It wasn't an easy thing to decide on, as on one hand the money was something you could benefit from at the moment, and on the other a safe place to sleep was something that you sorely lacked. Of course the entire thing seemed distant while you were scrubbing floors, walls and tables, while you were busy ejecting trouble makers and helping drunks find their way out the door when they'd had too much.

As always, it seemed to be on you all of a sudden as your day was over, as the musicians packed up, as you did one last sweep to ensure the place was presentable for the next day. Red was busy counting coins as usual, though his expression was one that was troubled.

"What is bothering you, my friend?" You asked as you moved over to the bar, leaning against it as Red briefly paused, turning his attention to you instead of finishing counting the coins. "It's been gettin' all th'more dangerous these days. More'n more o'those bloody abomination's 'ave been seen e'ery night..." Red sighed, though he couldn't hide it from you, this wasn't what was truely bothering him.

"It's me, isn't it." You stated calmly, while Red scowled. "Not just ye, kid, not just ye. I've seen 'ow ye seem t'be a new man e'ery day, stronger'n smar'er..." He sighed once more, sorting coins once more as he set aside your pay. He still wasn't being straight with you.

"Red, I am no mind reader, spit out what is bothering you. Maybe it'll turn out to be nothing?" You smiled, though it seemed to do little to reassure the man as he placed the stack of coins before you, as he leaned back and started to polish the bar with a cloth as he spoke.

"Kid, ye've been a blessin'ere, I 'ave no idea where ye came from, who or what ye may be. Call me a selfish ol'man if ye mus', but ye've taken a burden off m'shoulders and i'd 'ate t'see ye go. I get th'feelin' though, that ye be quickly out growin' this li'l part'o town... who are ye really?" He cocked his head slightly, his attention focused on you as he ceased polishing the bar. "Will ye let me know tha', so when ye leave, it won't 'aunt me 'till th'grave?"

You breathed in deeply, not knowing how to answer this question yourself.

At least not in its entirety.

"I have no idea who I am, though I have fragments of memories, dreams, flickering glimpses of the life I have lived. I know that once I was a great man, a man of power and status, a man who at the feet of you would find lords and ladies prostrating themselves. I know I am a thousand years old, if not more. I am immortal, that I have recovered from injuries that would have caused the death of those that have enviably finite lifespans more than once. I have seen the night sky change as stars once present have burned out, I have seen the rise and fall of nations. Now I am nothing. Believe me or not, you cannot deny that in my eyes you can see the echoes of eternity."

Red was transfixed, enraptured by your words as you stood proud, as your presence filled the room as if for a brief moment you were that man you had once been. "But... if ye've no idea who ye once were..." he paused, taking a moment to collect his wits. "What are ye plannin' t'do with yerself?" he asked, tilting his head slightly as he did so. "With th'potential ye 'ave, ye could be anythin' at all."

"Then I will become a god."

With those resonant words echoing in his ears you turned from Red and made your way out into the night, starting in the direction of the docks as you strode with defiant purpose into the night.

Once you had been a man who kings bowed before, whatever had caused you to fall so far would pay for what it had stolen from you when you awakened once more.

You were half way between Red's bar and the docks when you felt the sensation of watchful eyes upon you. The gaze of an unknown amount of individuals, unknown amount of things gazing from all directions. You edged across to the other side of the path to stand beneath one of the streetlamps, your hand moving to your gun, your eyes scanning the area around you, trying to piece the gloom as you looked for a sign, any sign at all that would betray what was watching you.

You waited, your breathing stifled as you listened carefully.

Seconds felt like minutes.

Minutes felt like hours.

Nothing but the sound of the river lapping at its banks.

Finally something seemed to loom ahead of you in the darkness, between the pools of light cast off by the flickering streetlamps. A figure that groaned with an inhuman, low pitched sound, the reverberant echo of it in your ears causing you to falter as one large, luminous yellow eye opened in the darkness.

Then another.

And another.

And another.

Four luminous yellow eyes hovered in the darkness, heavy breathing filling your ears as whatever they belonged to exhaled with the force of a strong wind. You could still feel eyes on you from all around, though you could only see the ones belonging to this thing.

You had no idea what you were facing and what else was out there, all you knew was it was big and potentially very, very dangerous. How were you going to deal with this situation?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: sonerohi on July 02, 2010, 06:14:53 pm
Revolver at the ready in our right hand, knife in the left. Left forearm across the right wrist, right leg trailing and bent slightly for a proper shooting stance. Shoot dead the one we can see, and keep turning left slowly, taking out threats as they come.

((Basically, the best shooting stance we can get into here given that we are circled, and we turn left to maximize the momentum of the knife in case we need to get stabbing)).
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on July 02, 2010, 10:59:24 pm
Shooting the lights would be too easy, best to lure it into the light so we can figure out what we are dealing with.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: maxicaxi on July 02, 2010, 11:41:23 pm
Revolver at the ready in our right hand, knife in the left. Left forearm across the right wrist, right leg trailing and bent slightly for a proper shooting stance. Shoot dead the one we can see, and keep turning left slowly, taking out threats as they come.

((Basically, the best shooting stance we can get into here given that we are circled, and we turn left to maximize the momentum of the knife in case we need to get stabbing)).
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Wimdit on July 03, 2010, 01:46:03 am
Try talking to it first though. Just because it's an ominously groaning shadow with evil yellow eyes doesn't mean it's not friendly.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: maxicaxi on July 03, 2010, 02:00:26 am
if we talk to it it will be an evil monster out to kill us.
 if we don't it will be peaceful .
attack
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on July 03, 2010, 08:41:53 am
Your hands went to your weapons, unfastening them as you stood ready to draw them, as you tried to figure what exactly it was that you were up against. It had four luminous yellow eyes, eyes that you couldn't quite tell if they were supposed to be horizontally or vertically aligned yet, given that they were at an angle. They stretched up and out, finishing out over the river.

This confused you, as you couldn't figure what would possibly sit at such an awkward angle.

You needed more variables, something that would tell you what it was that you were up against. You needed it to approach the light, but you didn't dare move yet. The streetlamp that gave you light enough to see what was going on clearly in your immediate vicinity almost blinded you to what this think was.

Without the light, you knew that you could see its outline looming in the darkness, that would at least give you a better idea of what it was. If you saw a shape, you could match it to the many things you had seen in your lifetime, assign its form to the nearest animal it matched. That was assuming however, that it matched an animal. For all you knew, it could be some hideously corrupted monstrosity that bore no form you could possibly hope to associate it with.

A large, thick tentacle edged into the light, inquisitively poking as it edged ever forwards, as it poked and prodded at the debris that sat in its way, before touching upon the base of the lamp post. There was a crack as it pulled it free of the ground, the sound of tortured metal and escaping gas filling the air, only for a solid clunk to fill the air as an emergency stop valve sprang into action on the gas line.

For a brief moment you almost forgot that the beast that had done this existed as you gave a small nod of approval to this well thought out design.

Now you sat in darkness.

Now, your eyes adjusted to the gloom as the form of this thing slowly came into sight.

It was a large mass that seemed to quiver as many tentacled arms writhed at its base, a form with four luminous yellow eyes stretching up the side of its body. At least you assumed the conical mass that leaned out over the river was a body. While the body of it appeared to be soft with how it visibly quivered, the thing was massive. You weren't certain that you were armed with anything that could do substantial enough damage to that thing.

It was a hungry creature that had been lured out of the water, it had been brought up to deal with you. Your enemies wanted you out of the picture, that could only mean one thing. The sensation of eyes all around you, was your enemies.

Your gun was drawn as you decided that the best course of action was to wound this thing and run while it thrashed around, to cause a distraction and to head down the alleyways where it couldn't possibly hope to chase you.

Your aim was spot on as you fired from the hip, your hand drawing back the hammer on your revolver as you fired off four bullets, hitting those four visible eyes.

One bullet for each eye.

The creature screeched as it visibly recoiled, tentacles lashing out as it demolished riverside property, screams coming from all around as towns people started to flee their homes in the confusion.

Ducking into the nearest alley you made a mental note that you had two bullets remaining in your weapons cylinder, rubble falling behind you as a vast tentacle clipped the side of the building, while before you loomed a figure.

Metal glinted as moonlight caught it, robes fluttered as the figure stepped forward.

Two more gunshots rang out as you shot the figure in the arm and the chest, quickly holstering your empty weapon as you replaced it with your machete, lashing out as you watched the weapon falling from their grasp. You weren't happy with disarming them, you wanted to ensure that they were literally unarmed.

Pained cries filled the air as you swung your blade twice, once for each shoulder as you severed the arms of the figure before you before you swung your foot for its legs, tripping it. Sheathing your machete in one fluid motion, you stooped, grabbing the legs of this fallen figure.

The enlightened had set a trap for you that had failed and now you had one of the enlightened.

The trail of thick ichor that this thing bled quickly ceased as corrupted flesh knitted, as you dragged it down alleyways, across streets and into one of the more rundown parts of the city on the outskirts.

You eventually stopped as you made your way into a rundown city square, windows boarded up all about you, visible dust and debris inside some of the partially collapsed buildings telling you that it was as good as uninhabited. Breathing deeply, you stepped back, locking the figures one leg in place as you exerted yourself, twisting their ankle sharply enough to hear a pop and a crack.

The figure let out another cry of pain, a cry that faded into a low moan that made you feel uncomfortable as there was something distinctly femanine about it.

You had been too caught up in defending yourself and escaping earlier to pay attention to who this thing was. As you turned to face them, to look down at the figure you had captured you took note that their arms were regrowing, that they wouldn't remain harmless for long. Unless you wanted to inflict further injury upon it to to keep it from recovering.

You no doubt had questions, but did you want to inflict more harm than was necessary on this thing?


Spoiler: "Possessions" (click to show/hide)
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Ochita on July 03, 2010, 08:50:08 am
We need some type of heat, soon
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on July 03, 2010, 12:16:51 pm
I say inflict minimum harm, but naturally keep it/her tied up. Perhaps bargain its freedom for information? Might be pretty effective, especially if we can bluff it into thinking we could/would keep it there indefinitely.

We need some type of heat, soon

What do you mean by "heat"? The only fitting meaning I can see is "gun" (as in "packing heat"), so I assume you mean a bigger gun?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Ochita on July 03, 2010, 12:22:56 pm
No, as in fire. Sear the wounds closed like a hydra to stop them regenerating
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on July 03, 2010, 12:47:09 pm
I'm not sure if that would work for longer than the short-term... Couldn't they heal the burn, it would just take a while longer?

Also, we don't actually need to kill any of them yet. In fact, we might (theoretically) even be this god that they're worshipping. Even if we're not, we could possibly (probably?) join them.

Another way to "kill" them without heat would be to give them to the people who captured us (admittedly we could not do this during a combat situation), although this would almost certainly be considered evil.

However, yes, a source of fire would be pretty useful, whether to kill them (complete incineration of their entire body should do the trick) or to simply temporarily stop their regeneration (temporarily because they could always get someone to cut of the burned area so they could regrow it). We could probably buy a lighter (they surely exist, if guns and robots do), but weaponizing fire (ie flamethrower) is certainly illegal without some sort of difficult-to-obtain license.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on July 03, 2010, 01:04:47 pm
We should definitely try to figure out what they know. The enlightened still seem to feel pain, so threats should work... in fact they could be threatened with torture that would kill anything else. Don't actually harm them unless they try to escape, but we need to know why they are targeting us.
In fact, we might (theoretically) even be this god that they're worshipping.
This is my guess.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Ochita on July 03, 2010, 01:05:17 pm
Well I personally think that burning the wounds will close them as even regenerating will take time. Also after we finish our interogating chop off the head. I dont think they can regen that in time. (It just seems that they regen so fast that tey are concidered 'Immortal' simply because they heal as you hurt them.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on July 03, 2010, 01:15:45 pm
I don't think that actually killing this Enlightened will be necessary. It is, after all, completely harmless when thoroughly bound (probably). It wouldn't be inconceivable for something to come up during the interrogation that gives us a reason to ally with the Enlightened, or at least to not kill their agents.

Anyway, they might have the same sort of immortality superpower thing that we have (in addition to regeneration), which would mean that they are all completely immune to death.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Ochita on July 03, 2010, 01:42:06 pm
Do you want them to be imprisoned for all eternity or causing chaos? If we kill them then we have given them release from the mortal coil
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on July 03, 2010, 01:49:51 pm
I suppose that's true, but we should probably wait to hear her information before deciding to kill her and all the others. If we do kill them, I think that complete incineration will either be the best method or the worst (if they are still alive as ashes).
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Ochita on July 03, 2010, 01:51:18 pm
Well I did say AFTER the interrogation...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on July 03, 2010, 01:55:46 pm
I meant that we should decide on the course of action (kill, release, imprison, join, or otherwise) after interrogating her but before actually doing anything.

Sorry if I didn't make myself clear earlier.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: sonerohi on July 03, 2010, 05:01:40 pm
Bind, interrogate, behead.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on July 03, 2010, 05:03:00 pm
You breathed deeply as you looked down at the figure, gauging that from the rate that their arms were regenerating at, that you'd either have to consider restraining them after a few questions or dealing further injury to keep them incapacitated. You had questions though, lots of questions and they were going to provider answers.

"Lets get this straight, I have questions for you, and you probably think that you're able to recover from anything that I dish out. If you dare try and lie to me, we'll see if some of the creative things I'll do to you don't leave their mark. Do I make myself clear?" You stated, positioning yourself so one foot was on their chest and your machete was pointed at their neck. The frantic nodding from them said that they understood, that they didn't want to be injured further.

You could understand that sentiment.

While you yourself couldn't be killed, it took you time to recover from anything that was done to you. You shifted slightly as you allowed the flat of the blade to slap against their cheek forcefully, sneering as you decided to go with the image of a cruel captor. "Oops. You'll have to forgive how unsteady my hands are, I tend to slip and accidentally remove things. Especially when I'm being lied to, then my hands just seem to go all over the place."

The figure beneath you shivered, nodding again as they tried to make it very clear that they had no intention of lying to you. You leaned down, pinching their cheek smirking as you did so. "Good. I'm glad you're clear. You might not lose anything else if you give me no trouble. Wouldn't that be nice?"

More nodding.

They were scared out of their wits.

"Now, I want to know, just what were you doing setting a trap for me?" You asked, while the figure before you stuttered, before speaking at a hurried pace. "It w-wasn't a trap for you! We lured it out of the water so we c-could harvest it!" they stammered, prompting you to frown. You didn't believe that you were just a victim of chance like that.

"You're lying." You stated, lifting the machete ready to strike as you did so. "It's the truth, we harvest tainted flesh from the some of the things that come out at night!" they whimpered as you leaned closer to them, narrowing your eyes.

"For what purpose?"

Those words had them shiver, falling silent as they knew they'd said too much.

"For what purpose!"

You roared those words as your face contorted, bearing the visage of unbridled rage as you slammed the machete down, ichor seeping from their shoulder as you drove the blade through it. Their cry of pain filled your ears as you twisted the blade slightly, before withdrawing it, pointing it at their neck again. "I suggest you tell me, before I strangle you with your damned intestines."

You took a deep breath, appearing to collect yourself as you leaned down again, narrowing your eyes as they started to speak. "They will punish me if I tell you!" came their sobbing voice. For a brief moment you disinterestedly ran your thumb across the edge of your blade, wiping some of the ichor from it. Bringing your thumb to your lips, you sniffed at it, wrinkling your nose at the stench of it, before you extended your tongue to taste it.

It tasted as vile as expected.

You knew that you'd just done something stupid though as you felt your head begin to spin, as you felt your eyes burning, as the world about you started to twist and deform. Your eyes closed for a brief moment as you shook your head sharply, trying to shake it off. For a brief moment you could see scales and spines running up your arm, you could see the figure before you as a maiden in distress, as you, a horrific monster stood over her.

As quickly as it set on it seened to disperse, that tiny taste of her blood enough to tell you that you didn't want to do that again. It also gave you an idea that seemed just out there enough to be what they were doing harvesting these corrupted creatures. "You're harvesting them, seeking to use their tainted natures to accelerate the speed at what you change, to become closer to the god you stole the secret of your immortality from."

Their shocked silence said it all, you had just hit the nail on the head.

"One thing does bother me though. I have heard that the rumour is that you people found your 'god', that you stole from them the secret to immortality..." You breathed deeply, grinding your teeth as you did so. "I, am an immortal, robbed of their memories, of who they had once been. Potentially by you people. I awoke to find myself with no more than fragments of my former glory, and I want it back."

You leaned closer to the woman, as she squirmed fearfully beneath you, narrowing your eyes as you spat your next words hatefully.

"Am I your god?"

"No... God... God is dead."

You almost recoiled at those words. You had been certain that you had been that one that they had called their god, that you had been the immortal that they had stolen the secret to immortality from. "How did you kill him?"

"He was the head of our order... Tired of living eternally he gave us the gift of immortality, the secrets that he had gathered... And then... Then we watched him wither away..." You could feel the pain in her voice as she recounted this, telling you that she had been there long enough to witness this.

"Why did you people mark my hut, threaten me when I was just finding my feet again in this city?" You asked, taking note that the womans arms regrown to the elbows by now. You were going to have to sever them again at this rate, and that was an action you didn't want to have to go through with again and again. You were better than some brute, some bully, some monster that tormented and tortured.

This was just a means to an end, you told yourself as your head started to spin again.

"You said it yourself, you're an immortal. The head of the order would... Would..." She swallowed, looking at the machete and how close it remained to her throat. "The head of the order would have your place of residence marked once they sensed you, they would have you contacted and see if you were friend or foe. Most immortals are neutral towards us, but some..."

You nodded ever so slightly as you took a deep breath.

"You're recovering quickly. You better not give me reason to cut more than your arms off before I'm done." You stated flatly, while the woman nodded slightly, swallowing as she took another look at that machete. You'd already proven in her eyes that you were quite prepared to use it, and she wasn't about to question if you were bluffing.

"How do you recruit people?" You asked, rubbing your eyes with your free hand, before you brought your elbow to a rest atop your knee, leaning on it casually as you tried to hide how you were feeling increasingly light headed.

"We allow most of them to come to us, we allow those that wish to embrace us to-" you cut them off, knowing where this was going. "To jump through hoops for you, before you put them through some form of ceremony to join you. How do you weed out the ones that seek to take the gift of immortality and secretly harbour hate for you?"

"The ceremony kills the non-believers, it kills those that do not truely wish to embrace us... It kills those that join us with deceit in their hearts." She smiled slightly. She had been through that indoctrination process of theirs no doubt, though the question was, now you could make her certain she had betrayed them, would she remain unwaveringly faithful?

"What'll they do to you for telling me all this?"

She was silent.

Fearfully so.

"They... They will know and they will punish me and I will be no more..." You could feel the fear rolling off her. Most of them must have joined to become immortal because they had a fear of death, because they would willingly embrace the chance to live amongst this crazy cult if their answer was the one they thought they wanted to hear.

"What is your name?" You asked, leaning a little closer to her as you did so. "I... Do not see how knowing my name is important to you." She responded, while you shook your head. "Maybe I desire to know the name of my victims before I butcher them, maybe I am not such a bad person and I feel the pangs of guilt, knowing that I have condemned you."

You shook your head again, swaying unsteadily now.

"I am Anxiety."

She who makes you falter...

Her expression as she looked up at you was one frantically searching for compassion in your eyes, for hope, for that guilt that you had mentioned may be what drove you to ask meaning you would extend your protection to her. Your head was spinning, you weren't entirely sure where the thought was coming from, but she was anxiety, you could kill her and be free of her.

Was an act of brutality really what you wanted to carry through, knowing you weren't quite yourself right now or did you want to extend a hand in peace. Did you want to leave her to her fate or did you have other plans?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Ochita on July 03, 2010, 05:13:17 pm
We give her a chance. But stay vigilant.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on July 03, 2010, 05:16:36 pm
Tell her to take us to the leaders of the enlightened. If she speaks the truth then we will be able to get them to stop attacking us simply by telling them we will not harm them... unless their attacks continue. They will probably also know a lot more about these monsters than anyone else.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on July 03, 2010, 08:55:19 pm
We hardly have to even remain vigilant: we are quite good at reading people, and she needs our protection from the rest of the Enlightened ((EDIT IN: She's also unarmed, and certainly couldn't possibly hope to best us in combat, especially as we have a gun, machete, and the combat abilities of 4 men)). I believe it would be to our advantage to improve relations with her, rather than alienate her by acting suspicious of her.

We should not take her to the Enlightened leaders, however: they would not welcome her (or us), because she has betrayed them. Also, if you were them, would you trust even slightly someone who captured one of your members and tortured her into betraying you? While dragnar makes a good point in that we could learn about the night-horrors, I don't think going to them for information is wise.

Semi-unrelated note:
Regardless of what would be to our advantage, there are too many (IMHO) anti-hero games on this forum, so I would recommend that this character stay away from the chaotic evil alignment. I don't feel they're as much fun to read about or direct.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on July 03, 2010, 10:14:03 pm
We didn't actually torture her ya know. Just the treat of it. We are apparently a very good actor. Also, protecting her is one of the reasons we should go to them. She has told us their secrets, yes, but that's not really betraying them if we are on their side. As far as I can tell they aren't really evil, just a crazy cult with some rather creepy ways of gaining abilities.

One other thing, regardless of what we do next: ask her what their leader was like. If eating monsters helps them become more like him... he can't possibly have been human.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Acanthus117 on July 03, 2010, 10:15:30 pm
Man, let's not kill her. I kinda pity her.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on July 03, 2010, 10:17:33 pm
Man, let's not kill her. I kinda pity her.

I support this.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on July 03, 2010, 11:01:56 pm
You moved your foot from the womans chest as you took a deep breath, doing your best to shake off the effects of her blood as it continued to mess with your senses. You knew that you could leave her to her fate, that she would be dead within a few days time when the rest of the enlightened found her. It didn't seem right to do that though, to abandon her when it was your fault that she was in this position.

Sure, she could slit your throat in the night with your own weapon, but that was something you could recover from in time. You had nothing to lose in trusting her and she had everything to lose by not trusting you.

It wouldn't hurt to rub that point home in a limited manner, as you'd really prefer not to have her slit your throat while you slept. For a start, blood was almost impossible to wash out of your clothing. Your hand reached down for the collar of her robe as you sheathed the machete, as you paused briefly, to ask her just one thing. "Is your ankle good enough to stand on now?"

A suprised nod came from her as you hauled her upright, as you looked her over. Seeing the knitting wound on her shoulder and her still regenerating arms made you cringe as you felt terrible about having inflicted those injuries now. "I'd kiss those injuries better, but your blood's already making me feel a little light headed." You stated, half smiling at the look of confusion that crossed her features.

"Do you mind if I call you Anne?" You asked, though you didn't wait for an answer. "You have done nothing wrong, though you may feel it now. While you may see it as betraying your brothers and sisters, it is ultimately my fault that you are now in danger. It does not sit right with me to have done what I did for you for information and abandoning you to your fate after doing such is unthinkable. If you will watch my back, I will do everything in my power to watch yours."

You paused, lurching to the side as you stumbled.

"While you may be entertaining thoughts of revenge at this time, you will not live for long if you go it alone. Maybe together, we can even find a way to... To get the others to let you be, to... To..." You paused, grasping for a handhold. "Excuse me a would you please, I need a moment to collect myself."

You were out cold before you hit the ground.

Your sleep was thankfully dreamless for once.

As you opened your eyes to the morning light you groaned, turning to face the window near your bed. As you rubbed at your eyes it took several moments for this to sink in as to why this was wrong. For a start you were on the second floor of a building you didn't recognise in a bed, that you also did not recognise. Secondly, your left arm had gone to sleep as there was a strange woman laying atop it. A woman you barely recognised from the night before.

She looked a lot different in the morning light and with arms.

You could see your revolver laying atop a bedside table, the empty casings of bullets you hadn't had a chance to replace earlier sat neatly beside it. She'd taken your gun and reloaded it for self defence, she had carried you up a flight of stairs in the dark after you'd collapsed. Was she really that desperate to latch onto a chance to survive that she would go out of her way when she could have just left you on the floor downstairs?

Apart from the lack of feeling in your arm, you felt great however.

Maybe it was the after effects of her tainted blood making you feel this way, but you felt like you could take on the world. For now though, you figured it was best to lay there a little longer, so you could awaken fully and decide where you were going from here.

You had the day ahead of you and all you needed to do was decide what to do with it.


You have new points to spend.

Spoiler: "Stats" (click to show/hide)

Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: maxicaxi on July 03, 2010, 11:17:04 pm
one point general magic
magic is extremely powerful
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on July 03, 2010, 11:26:34 pm
Points: 1 in water, 1 in air, I think. Although maybe some sort of other power would be nice. Save up for a 3-point polymorph ability, anyone? (versatile, powerful, frequent) Maybe a Disguise sort of ability, that completely changes your looks for 2 points? (versatile, frequent) Or creates illusions for 2 points? (versatile, frequent)

I think that general magic would take two points minimum, and that's for weak (<---not fireball or lightning stuff, that is) spells (versatile, frequent).

I have virtually no idea what to do with the day though. We should probably ask Anne a bit more about her organization at some point in it. But first, I think breakfasts are in order. (If Enlightened are easily recognizable, then first we need to make a disguise for Anne).

EDIT: We should probably also apologize to Anne, for messing up her gig with the enlightened, torturing her, cutting off her arms, etc.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on July 03, 2010, 11:36:53 pm
((There is a system for magic with four schools of it, in general though the magic system is either too situational, too involved for too little return, or overpowered.

this story however, revolves around a time where some science has become like magic, and the old magic of the world is dying out, thus, you're limited to. This doesn't stop you developing powers that seem magical, however.))
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Criptfeind on July 03, 2010, 11:39:50 pm
I still push for a way to kill the enlightened. (or rather take there immortality away without killing them hopefully.) I don't think that burning them to ash is going to kill them, otherwise the clock workers guild would not store them away and the commoners would not be that afraid of them.

Assuming that three points is in fact the max as far as the system goes we should be able to get it for two: powerful, frequent. But we may need to pay much more to be able to take such things away.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on July 03, 2010, 11:41:54 pm
In that case, I say we get a disguise other spell-like ability for 1 point (versatility) and put the other point in air or water.
(my use of D&D-like terms is just for brevity's sake)

After seeing Criptfeind's post:
I think it would be almost a waste of points to take immortality from them, as it's probably pretty strong. It'd take more than 1 point of power, for sure.


Edit: also, they did all sign up for the immortality, so it'd be kinda mean to go and take that away from them after what they endured to get it (not saying it's a bad idea, though)
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Criptfeind on July 03, 2010, 11:45:47 pm
You know we will have to fight them in earnest some day right? Ether that or become their leader or some such.

I am just seeing some day hundreds of them swarming us and them raising faster than we can strike them down.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on July 03, 2010, 11:48:57 pm
Well, if we get a disguise power, or put a few points into stats, we shouldn't need to fight them head-on like that (or, if there're enough points in fire, we could just own them all. 2 more points in fire is 16x normal, right?)
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Criptfeind on July 03, 2010, 11:49:39 pm
16!=200-300
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on July 03, 2010, 11:53:16 pm
16!=200-300


What? I was using the idea that 2^(n-3) is the number we can take on. I have no idea what factorials have to do with anything.

Edit: where n is our level in fire. Also, take into account our 6 (effective 7?) in tactics


Edit again: never mind, got it (@me: COMPREHENSION FAIL). Yes, we couldn't survive the entire enlightenment army attacking at once, but even with them being mortals we couldn't.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Wimdit on July 04, 2010, 12:08:01 am
Okay, brainstorming powers now. Raising stats all the time is boring...

Sense nearby life combined with redirecting small projectiles? That should probably cost two points and would allow us to shoot at people around corners or when unable to sense them in a traditional manner. Also stop people shooting at us, I guess.

Painless? That's pretty cool. Also allows us to keep doing stuff until completely dismemebered. Or our brain or heart or lungs stop functioning for some reason. However it will distance us from the rest of humanity somewhat. Since, you know, one less feeling.

Some sort of supernatural people skills? Empathy? Mind reading? Telepathy? Planting emotions?

I do like the disguise idea, and the polymorph thing. Maybe use the points we have now to be able to make minor changes, and get proper morphing with our next batch of points. I'll put my vote in for this one.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on July 04, 2010, 12:13:08 am
I was thinking something along the lines of getting DnD's disguise self type of power, then upgrading it later into a full-fledged turn-into-whatever power. This would make us virtually unfindable by anyone who we don't want after us, so yeah...


Edit: ok, that's pretty much exactly what Wimdit said.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Criptfeind on July 04, 2010, 12:17:41 am
Yes, we couldn't survive the entire enlightenment army attacking at once, but even with them being mortals we couldn't.

True that was a bad way to make my point, but think if say 30 or so attacked, we can take about half of that but they most of all fear death. If we can kill them it is a great force multiplier. On the other hand that may make them want to kill us even more. Lets do something else this time but keep it in mind, she did after all mention other immortals, we will need to fight them someday.

I think that
Sense nearby life combined with redirecting small projectiles? That should probably cost two points and would allow us to shoot at people around corners or when unable to sense them in a traditional manner. Also stop people shooting at us, I guess.

is a good idea but I think we don't have the points.

It is really two powers, both of them are versatile and frequent, and you can argue that the life sense is powerful.

Some sorta disguise power is a good start. We will need to get mind shielding quickly though because we obviously extrude a powerful tangible force.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on July 04, 2010, 12:22:59 am
Well, if the other immortals are neutral to them, then they're probably neutral to us too. To become a god, I don't think we necessarily have to kill all other immortals, I don't believe we're that kind of protagonist.


I had thought that the tangible force was just what we wanted to project (that or a form of descriptive fluff), but if it's not, then you're certainly right about the shielding. If it's both-ways, all the better, as it will protect us from psychic intrusions.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Criptfeind on July 04, 2010, 12:27:09 am
Soon mortal men will be no match and any physical challenges must come from others.

And the leaders of the enlightened sensed use, that is how we were found so quickly.

The head of the order would have your place of residence marked once they sensed you

Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: rickvoid on July 04, 2010, 01:12:23 am
Heh. I was totally going to suggest we find a lonely young woman and offer to help warm her bed a couple of story posts ago.

I didn't, but it looks like we got that anyway.

Anyway, 7X Healing Factor. What good is immortality if we can be incapacitated through physical damage?

Oh, and grow retractable bone claws.

I am totally not trying to turn us into the Wolverine, no matter how appropriate it may be...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on July 04, 2010, 01:16:57 am
I say put the points into regeneration and a minor form of telekinesis to redirect bullets(just frequent I'm hoping since it's not full-blown telekinesis). Regeneration is really useful in almost any situation, and with a good enough gun redirecting bullets could potentially take out multiple enemies with one bullet.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on July 04, 2010, 01:34:11 am
Water plus 1 point towards unnatural speed (powerful+versatile+frequent)
Or just get bursts of unnatural speed(Powerful+versatile)

We are dealing with a lot of conflicting organisations so water should be a priority.
Night-vision would have been very useful against the apparent ambush.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Toaster on July 04, 2010, 12:02:06 pm
I'm for the increased regen and against anything magic.

How about some type of extreme stamina power?  That way we could do something like swim the English Channel or run the length of the country all at once.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on July 04, 2010, 12:37:23 pm
@Everyone for regen:  Remember, we can't get regeneration: we can only get 7x healing speed, which isn't nearly as good. It just means that instead of taking two weeks to recover, it only takes 2 days. I think that means that if our arm gets chopped off, it will never grow back. However, if that's the case, I'm amazed we have any limbs remaining (after all, we've been around for over 1000 years). 

@Toaster:  I'm against real magic, but I'm for magic-like abilities. How about invisibility? Or if that's too extraordinary for you, just a sort of mind-trick like thing (people see you, don't bump into you and the like, but don't pay any attention to you)? That would be fine, I think.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: sonerohi on July 04, 2010, 01:59:17 pm
Point fire, point regen.

Guys, lets make it easy on Silleh and try to rein in our thoughts to something central. Every single person throwing out specific abilities and far-off speculations clutters things. Right now, we have a singular issue of where our points go.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on July 04, 2010, 02:01:59 pm
We seem to have agreed to put one point into regen, for the most part. Now we just have to decide on the second...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Ochita on July 04, 2010, 02:20:49 pm
Get 'Unkillable' We might as well have a safety if we get shot or such, anyway guys I dont think we can choose our own powers. if they're up then yes, we can but otherwise it wont happen. Plus there is no magic in this place, so most powers you are suggesting couldn't work.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: cerapa on July 04, 2010, 02:26:12 pm
Ochita, we have unkillable!

We can choose whatever we want in the alloted points.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on July 04, 2010, 02:28:16 pm
Well, I'll support the point in regen if the GM lets it in.

Rather than fire, I'd recommend water. This would let us notice people and the world around us better, which would offer a bit of protection from ambushes and attacks that would incapacitate us instantly. Fire would not be useful against rapid-incapacitation attacks such as headshots. Plus, once we get a 6 or 7 in water, we'll more or less be able to read minds.


@Ochita:
I think we already have unkillable. And magic-like powers are permitted, if I recall correctly. Read the spoiler about stats: he describes powers such as being able to shoot lightning and stuff, so I think spell-like abilities are permitted.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on July 04, 2010, 02:29:51 pm
One point into air, save one for a future 3 point ability.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Ochita on July 04, 2010, 02:38:52 pm
I dont know I mean what does (Fm) mean?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on July 04, 2010, 02:41:39 pm
I don't know what it means either, but I believe he previously said we had it. He certainly implied it in one of the recent story posts, saying that a slit throat would annoying due to the staining of clothing.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on July 04, 2010, 02:41:54 pm
Frequent, Major. Unkillable is therefore a 2-point ability that we already have. It's listed in our stats for a reason. Apart from that we can pretty much make up our powers.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: cerapa on July 04, 2010, 02:46:16 pm
He certainly implied it in one of the recent story posts, saying that a slit throat would annoying due to the staining of clothing.
Implied? It is the freaking foundation of this story. We are an immortal being.

I find it rather odd that people seem to miss this fact.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on July 04, 2010, 02:51:59 pm
Idea: 2 point (fm) that gives us the at will ability to use scp-268 (http://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-268). (this is half-joking: this would be completely overpowered)
He certainly implied it in one of the recent story posts, saying that a slit throat would annoying due to the staining of clothing.
Implied? It is the freaking foundation of this story. We are an immortal being.

I find it rather odd that people seem to miss this fact.
Oh yes. Sorry.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Nirur Torir on July 04, 2010, 02:56:43 pm
I vote for water and a faster healing power.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on July 04, 2010, 03:04:30 pm
I vote for water and a faster healing power.
Seconded.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on July 04, 2010, 03:20:02 pm
((I have no objection to you guys all voicing different thoughts, hard as it can make things at times. Different paths of thought can in some cases mean that you have more that you do in the day or can influence some of the fancies of the character.

Where possible, I do like to include elements of everything people want, though i'd need to give you about a hundred more points to get everything you want right now it seems. This is good though, as you've got some good ideas in there.

A few notes though on some of the things you've asked for:

Painlessness - You'll become immune to the negative effects of pain naturally with higher earth. (7 points instead of 8, due to your resiliant nature)
Boundless Stamina - 6 earth makes you seem tireless, 8 earth makes you truely tireless.
Of course, there are other benefits to high earth than higher toughness, but i'll leave those for another day.

Penguify's point about limb loss brings up that I had planned for the accelerated healing to get the fringe benefit of allowing you to recover lost body parts, but it's a long process, one that can be quickened by stitching it back on at least where possible. It remains frequent that way, as it's nowhere near fast enough to add a major aspect to it.

Unnatural Speed is actually Frequent/Major, as all it can do is make you very fast. If it allowed you to expend more energy quickly and increase your jump height, speed your synapses so you could slow time around you effectively for brief periods to give you faster reactions and so forth, then it'd be versatile too, as it'd do more than make you 'simply fast'. Of course with that level of power, it'd be Frequent, Versatile and Twice Major for four points.

Stealth and related powers are possible, but, you can naturally achieve a similar result by getting sufficient water, along with the other benefits of high water such as sensing unnatural energies.

Mind reading powers and clear visions of the future and such are a big no-no, as they'd not be in the spirit of the game. Glimpses of the future, communing with the spirits and so forth are fine though, as they give hazy results and situational information at best.

Invisibility and Polymorph are possible, though they would be overpowered in some cases and flawed in others. Polymorph would let you take any animal form up to that of a horse, giving you flight, running speed, combat abilities and whatever else your form gave you. Invisibility comes in two forms. Standing unseen (one point) and moving unseen (two points.) but, it doesn't stop things with strong senses of smell from locating you or high water from sensing your presence...

that brings me onto a suggestion of my own for the other point to try and catch some of what you want.

Presence of the Immortal.
1 point, Frequent - A thousand years of life has taught you to mask and expand upon the natural presence you exude. Your natural presence can be amplified to make yourself seem larger than life or masked, to make yourself seem inconspicuous, beneath interest.

Further points could be added to it, to expand upon what utility it has, allowing you to reduce your priority as a target, become an inspiring figure, become a terrifying figure. It tricks peoples senses, so people who're experienced or sensetive enough to this may not be fooled.


Now, time for me to start on that update. For the time being put other point in water, as a quick glance suggests it's the more agreed upon point.))
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on July 04, 2010, 03:33:01 pm
He certainly implied it in one of the recent story posts, saying that a slit throat would annoying due to the staining of clothing.
Implied? It is the freaking foundation of this story. We are an immortal being.

I find it rather odd that people seem to miss this fact.
I interpreted it as just being ageless and having 9 or 10 in most stats. The ageless thing is the major point of the story, it has been indicated that immortals can die...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: cerapa on July 04, 2010, 03:55:22 pm
He certainly implied it in one of the recent story posts, saying that a slit throat would annoying due to the staining of clothing.
Implied? It is the freaking foundation of this story. We are an immortal being.

I find it rather odd that people seem to miss this fact.
I interpreted it as just being ageless and having 9 or 10 in most stats. The ageless thing is the major point of the story, it has been indicated that immortals can die...
I am actually a bit confused about that indication.
The one at the pub couldnt be killed and yet it was said we could kill her.

Im sorta running on the initial stuff.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on July 04, 2010, 04:09:16 pm
Presence of the immortal could become quite awesome with another point or two later. Lets go for that.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on July 04, 2010, 04:11:39 pm
The one at the pub couldnt be killed and yet it was said we could kill her.
That was a bit of a self-help exercise, it may not actually have killed her but the effort may have rid us of anxiety...
Her god is what mostly caught my attention, but in that case they surrendered their immortality, though they implied that they were willing to get into conflict with other immortals, then again it could be that they have a basement filled with folks they can't kill...
Also, if the enlightened made the monsters then why do they need to go out hunting them? Assuming that the story we were told was true... And if they didn't make them, from whence come the monsters? Could it be that whatever happened to us is still related to the monsters?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on July 04, 2010, 04:19:13 pm
You breathed in as you stretched out, your one free arm stretching overhead, over the back of the bed before you lay there with it dangling over the old metal railing. The ache in your chest was gone from your broken rib. This was the first thing you noticed as you stretched out like this, that the familiar ache you had done your best to ignore was gone. It had been replaced by a sensation of tenderness, but that was good. Tenderness told you it was merely sore now, that you wouldn't have to worry about having it trouble you further.

The woman laying on your other arm stirred, before awakening with a start as she no doubt realised that she was in this run down house and not familiar territory, that she was in bed with the person who the night before had tortured her and made her betray her order. You were expecting hell from her now she had time to sleep, now that she had time to collect herself.

Sensation flooded your arm in the form of pins and needles as you pulled it back, wiggling it as your hand sat limp. You expected the worst. You expected shouting and screaming from her as she took out her frustration on you, told you that it was all her fault and that she was going to lose that life she had done the unthinkable to insure.

Instead she trembled.

You moved your hand over to rest on her shoulder, though she didn't seem to acknowledge it, or even your presence as she rubbed at her bare arms. "I... I..." She started, swallowing as she slipped from the bed, stumbling unsteadily across the floor to the window. You could see how nervous she was, you could see how fearfully she scanned the area outside for others of her order.

"I should... Go... Return... Maybe they won't know... They can't know, they never heard me... Tell you... Anything..." She sighed, tracing that eye daubed on her forehead, nervously looking back at you for reassurance that she could just forget that this ever happened. You shook your head slowly. "If they can sense my presence, weakened as I am, then they will know that you have done that what they view as unforgivable."

You slipped from the bed, straightening out your clothing as you did so. In a way you were thankful that she hadn't removed your clothing beyond your belt and your boots, as the moment was awkward enough already.

"I am awakening, little by little. If they are able to sense my presence, they will no doubt sense my power. Power, that I will use to do my best to ensure that you are safe. When the time comes that they wish to talk, then will be the time that I offer a pact of neutrility in return for your safety." You smile slightly while doing your best to maintain a warm expression, an expression that was comforting and inviting.

"I wish my immortality could not be stolen from me..." She breathed, betraying her fear of dying once more, the fact that she had joined that crazy cult for the sole purpose of evading her eventual death. You tilted your head slightly, she had mentioned that the Enlightened were immortals before, that the penalty for betrayal was that they ceased to be. If they could give and take immortality, that meant that there was a way in what you were able to remove it from them.

"Are they able to take it away from me, too?"

"No, you are a born immortal, they fear immortals as there is no known way in what to kill them, to remove that what makes them forever living. I... Wish I had been born immortal, that I could live forever without the fear of death..." Her voice trailed off, becoming a whisper as she sank down against the wall, looking across the room at you.

"I wish my arms would grow back as fast as yours, the only thing they're good for when they've been cut off is scratching my back with."

She laughed, inappropriate as it was you had tickled her with this comment, an expression that was on the verge of tears was now torn between joy and sorrow. She drew her knees up to her chest, sighing as she set her arms atop them, her chin resting atop her arms. "You are a strange man, a waking immortal... Do I dare to hope, do I dare to trust you?"

"You can trust me, I may not remember who I once was at this time, but I feel guilt, remorse. I am not desensetised to horrific acts. I believe I was once a good man. What I did to you last night does not sit right with me and as such, it is my responsibility to make it up to you however I am able." You respond as you cross the room, standing before her as you reach out and offer her a hand. A hand you offered both as a gentleman and as a friend.

"Tell me then mister right, what are we going to do?" came her words, as an a small grin crept across her features, as she took your hand and allowed you to help her to her feet.

Spoiler: "Stats" (click to show/hide)
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on July 04, 2010, 04:34:23 pm
I still think we should try to get in contact with the enlightened. There is no reason to make any more enemies than we must, and the best way to protect her would be to prevent any attacks from coming in the first place. At the moment we are harboring a traitor and are therefore an enemy. If we show that we are on their side(and why not? They do hunt the various monsters after all) then she is no longer a traitor, and we will have access to a new source of knowledge.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on July 04, 2010, 04:37:48 pm
Find a decent place to live.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on July 04, 2010, 05:26:42 pm
Kiss her. It's the perfect opportunity. KISS HER YOU FOOL!
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on July 04, 2010, 05:27:54 pm
Kiss her. It's the perfect opportunity. KISS HER YOU FOOL!
No.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Ochita on July 04, 2010, 05:29:01 pm
Kiss her. It's the perfect opportunity. KISS HER YOU FOOL!
No.
Armok why do you make silly suggestions?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on July 04, 2010, 05:35:47 pm
What? why is it silly?

If we are going to have a real love interest, it'll have to be an immortal or we'll get the Aragorn problem, and we're already committed to this girl in several ways. And she is quite cute.
A romantic relationship might also go a long way to keep us human.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Ochita on July 04, 2010, 05:37:46 pm
HER BLOOD IS CORUPTED. WE ARENT THE SAME. WHY AND WE ARE ALREADY PLENTY HUMAN WITHOUT A CREEPY LOVE INTEREST.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on July 04, 2010, 05:42:06 pm
That sounds racist. She is the same as us much more than any normal human for these purposes. And she's not creepy, she's a scared girl in need of comfort and someone to trust.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on July 04, 2010, 05:43:38 pm
I think we have much more important things to worry about than acquiring a love interest, besides, last time we exchanged fluids with her we almost died...

Although I don't find her creepy, but I am creepy, so that isn't surprising...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on July 04, 2010, 05:54:14 pm
Also, she probably wouldn't appreciate it. I mean, we did just scare the heck out of her quite recently, and she certainly feels resentment due to the fact that we have likely caused her organization to try to revoke her immortality (that she went through hell to get). She may be scared, but it's our fault.

Even if she would appreciate anything of that sort, it would probably be due to Stockholm syndrome, and as I recall relationships based on that tend to fail.
 
Plus, Silleh Boy is quite possibly inexperienced and/or uncomfortable writing romantic scenes.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Criptfeind on July 04, 2010, 06:33:42 pm
Romance is out, it will not work if she is a enlightened, that is not to say that a epic story such as this would not profit from a love interest someday but not a enlightened. If we can find a way to replace her immortality with some of our own than maybe.

But this is a forum game not a book.

We should get that Presence of the Immortal, and I am not just saying that because that is the first step to what power I want <_< >_>

I think it is time to find a place to hide her.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Strange guy on July 04, 2010, 06:48:41 pm
I agree we should probably look for a place to hide her- at least until we've tried diplomacy with the Enlightened. Getting someone murdered because of us is something we should probably avoid.

When we next get points I would personally like us to get something a bit flashy and/or magical or put it into our main stats, but that's a decision for later.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Criptfeind on July 04, 2010, 06:53:37 pm
I think the next stat upgrade should go into earth, what are your thoughts on it?

Maybe if we get two points one in earth and one in Presence of the Immortal?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on July 04, 2010, 07:16:28 pm
When we get earth we probably want lots of it, so that we don't have much to worry about if we get drugged, a 5 or 6 probably won't do much against most incapacitating effects. I am happy with regen and/or presence for now, but I would like to see us getting some unnatural speed, possibly the deluxe version with bullet time, and getting our stats out of the mortal range should probably be a priority...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Criptfeind on July 04, 2010, 07:32:04 pm
It seems that we get minor powers for high level stats so perhaps the best (although boring) option would to get all stats up to ten and than work on powers.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on July 04, 2010, 08:04:26 pm
You rubbed at your chin briefly as you thought of the best course of action to carry out, as you considered what would be best for your safety and hers. You knew that they seemed to have found you while you slept, that made you wonder if their method of sensing immortals required the immortal in question to be sleeping. It made sense in a way, that in your sleep your mind would be unguarded and as such easier to locate.

You knew that there was more to worry about. Where you were going to get money from, what you were going to eat, how you were going to deal with this woman and explain her presence to other people. If you washed the eye painted on her forehead away, she'd look quite normal. That would at least give you some insurance against her getting you into trouble with the common folk.

She needed clothing though, something other than the tattered remains of her robe.

"For the time being, it may be wise for us to avoid sleeping in the same place twice, that means a lot of moving around to avoid them pinpointing our location." You paused, allowing her to take this in as she nodded slightly, her expression saying that she wasn't too happy with the idea. You weren't either, truth be told, but it was better than the alternative.

"We're going to need to get you some clothing, clean that mark off your forehead. We should check and see if there's any womens clothing here that would work for the time being." You continued, prompting another nod as she sighed. "I'll go look for a water source, so you can get changed in private if you find something."

A slight blush coloured her cheeks as she nodded again as you moved to take your boots from beside the bed. Your pistol was left atop the bedside table as you figured that if anybody came, they'd go after her and not yourself, that she'd need the weapon and you'd be fine without it.

It was a precaution that you knew was hardly likely to be needed, though it didn't stop you from taking it, for the sole fact that it made you feel better to do so, that you had at least provided her with a means of self defence while you were not present.

As you made your way downstairs, you took note of the state of disrepair of the building, of the fact the windows were broken and the door was rotten. Dust and debris coated the floor and much of what had been here had been taken when the original occupants had moved out. Stepping through the door had the run down and derelict area greet you once more, looking no better in the day than it had in the night.

You couldn't help but feel disheartened in a way to see that a place as big as London could have area's like this. Maybe it was an effect of the roaming abominations, maybe it was something else. Whatever it was, you had work to do.

You made your way from house to house as you checked around them, looking for rain barrels that hadn't been spoiled. It took some time to find one that was adequately suited, that had no leaves or dead insects floating in it, one that had been covered and undisturbed all this time. It was stagnant, but you only required it for cleaning off that mark. If it had been for drinking, you wouldn't have considered it.

A few quick twists had you wrench the guttering away from the wall, allowing you to move the barrel freely as you rocked it on its rim, tipping half of its contents out before dragging it toward the outside of the house you had come from.

Even in the warm morning light this place looked drab and dreary.

"Are you dressed?" You called out as you stepped back into the building. The tattered remains of the robe were thrown down the stairs in way of an answer. "Is that a yes or a no?" you called out again, an audiable and exasperated sigh coming in response. "Yes!" followed that sigh as she called out in response.

You could read expressions, body language and emotions but you couldn't read a woman.

You picked up the robe, placing it on the table as you moved it from the stairs, before heading up the stairs and back to the bedroom of this small house. You weren't sure what to expect knowing that there was likely little left over in this place, so when you found that she had aquired a simple dress and shoes from her searches you were pleasently suprised.

"I managed to locate a barrel of rain water that's at least clean enough to wash that mark off." You started, picking up your gunbelt, fastening it about your waist as you sat down on the edge of the bed. "I am considering paying your order a visit, seeing if I can at least find some terms that are acceptable that would prevent them from causing you harm. Until I figure a means of going about that however..." You trailed off, wondering just what was the best course of action.

What was your plan for the day, though. Were you going to take her to Red's, were you going to go investigating the city, or did you have a better idea?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Criptfeind on July 04, 2010, 08:22:07 pm
Go the reds and tell him frankly we don't have time to work today. Than find the order and talk to them.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on July 04, 2010, 09:05:34 pm
Go the reds and tell him frankly we don't have time to work today. Than find the order and talk to them.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: sonerohi on July 04, 2010, 09:24:54 pm
Go the reds and tell him frankly we don't have time to work today. Than find the order and talk to them.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on July 04, 2010, 09:41:53 pm
Figure out where to sleep tonight, and ask the woman about scarecrows and imps/ripper.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: rickvoid on July 04, 2010, 09:46:34 pm
To everybody mentioning bodily fluid exchanges when the concept of love between us and this woman is brought up, there is more to love than that. Particularly in the case of immortals, where a love based on lust will get stale quickly. Such a love will not last a decade, much less a century.

But it is far too early to use a word like love. She's in trouble, and it's our fault. Therefore, we are responsible for her safety until the situation is rectified. If that leads to love, then so be it.

So, actions: We can assume that all of our current contacts are likely compromised. Not that Red or Oak will betray us, but they may be being watched. We can't risk bringing any of this on them by getting them involved. That leaves us with two options:

1. We start over in another section of the city. We pose us newly-weds in a big new city while we work, hide in plain sight, and try to figure out what to do.
2. Turn ourselves over to the Enlightened and hope they decide to trust us. Complication: we helped the clockworkers get one of their people. They may or may not know that, however.

Either way, let's find out this chicks name, eh?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on July 04, 2010, 10:00:46 pm
Also, she is Anxiety, not Love, I say we kill Love when we find her, Anxiety is more Fun!

I don't disapprove of the idea of a relationship with her, but being literally toxic is a bit of a complication...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on July 04, 2010, 10:07:11 pm
I don't think she is Anxiety... That was some sort of vision we had while talking to her.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: cerapa on July 05, 2010, 12:39:05 am
Maybe she is both?

Anyway im gonna vote for criptfeinds plan.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on July 05, 2010, 12:51:43 am
I don't think we should approach the Enlightened organization just yet. We should certainly pick up a better gun first, anyhow: that way both 'Anne' and the main character can be well armed. Then I think we should ask her a bit more about the night-horrors and the organization before we approach. However, I think all of this can be done in one day easily enough.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Osmosis Jones on July 05, 2010, 12:58:29 am
Mostly posting to follow this awesome story, but another voice in support of avoiding the enlightened for now. I say go over the application forms and work to apply. Also, ask the girl if she knows anything about the ratty man or the clockworkers.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on July 05, 2010, 08:12:11 am
As you made your way outside with Anne in tow you scooped the tattered remains of her robe from the table, figuring that it would do for a makeshift cloth. As you reached for your machete you paused, you hadn't even noticed it was gone until now.

"I... tossed it into the fireplace last night. I was worried that... You would use it on me again this morning after you recovered. I'm sorry." Came Anne's voice from behind you as you heard her voice choke up with emotion. She was feeling a mixture of apprehension and fear right now, she was clearly ill at ease with that weapon given how the heavy blade had been an object of her torment.

"Would you fetch it for me please, so I may cut a usable amount of cloth from this garment, to make removing that mark on your forehead easier?" You asked, doing your best to tear down the seams of the garment as you listened to the sound of footsteps behind you. You had managed to tear the seams on both sides as Anne returned with your weapon, small traces of soot and dust on it confirming her story.

Her fingers were black from fishing the weapon out of the fireplace, from sweeping them over the sheath as she tried to clean the worst of it off. As you took the weapon from her and started drawing it she stepped back, failing to hide her fear now that you were face to face, allowing you to see it clearly etched across her features.

"Would you feel safer about me if I was to entrust you with this weapon?" You asked as you carefully cut a large strip of cloth from the robe. Her voice caught in her throat as she nodded, clearly afraid to say that she wanted this out of your hands. You gave a soft sigh as you sheathed the blade once more, holding it out to Anne as you watched her timidly reach out to take it from you.

It was like watching a child who wanted something, but didn't want to take it incase they would get into trouble for it. As her hands closed about it and yours released it she quickly clutched it to her chest, her expression changing from one of worry to one that almost childishly said It's mine. "See, nothing to worry about." you stated, smiling reassuringly as you held out the strip of cloth for her next, before moving over to the steps of the building, settling down as your hands straightened out your attire.

"I have a few questions that I would like answers to if it is possible, about the things that come out at night, the clockworkers and the enlightened." came your words as you watched her dip the cloth into the water before her, a brief scowl crossing her features as she looked up at you, as she folded the cloth over and squeezed excess water from it.

"I cannot promise that I will answer any further questions about the enlightened. The others I will do my best to, however." Came her response as she started to scrub at the mark on her forehead, steadily washing away that red pigmentation.

You could feel the emotion that was her namesake, anxiety exuded from her as she heard the mention of the enlightened. You could feel a twinge of guilt once more unwelcomely invading your thoughts, as her reaction once more reinforced why you were doing this in your mind.

You were going to find a way to provide her safety by diplomacy if possible or by force if all else failed. You weren't sure how you could accomplish such a feat as destroying an entire order of immortals just yet, though you were certain you would find a way if it truely came down to that. "What do you know about the things that go bump in the night?" You asked, pausing ever so briefly before you continued, adding further substance to that question to ensure that you would hear what you wanted to know. "I need to know their origins, their appearances and what makes them so special, and if there's more that I should worry about beyond the Vultures, The Banshee's, The Rippers-"

"Ripper. Singular."

"Right, The Ripper, The Scarecrows and the river monster that you were hunting when we met." You paused, trying to recall if there was more than this that you had heard about. You knew that there was the Clockworkers and their mechanical men, but that was something you'd ask about after this.

"Okay... So..." She started, pausing for a brief moment as she scrubbed at her face, before dipping the cloth back into the barrel. "Vultures are corrupted birds, not very pleasent tasting, we suspect that they're creations of mad scientists. Before we had a Vulture problem, we had a pigeon problem. Now we do not. " She paused, wringing out the cloth before mopping at her face with it.

"There's still some colour left behind."

A sigh was followed by a splash as she dropped the cloth into the water and started cleaning it out, ready to continue cleaning away her mark. "Banshee's have a horrible scream that can cause disorientation, though it's not like the scream of legend that kills a man. It's more the part where they eat you alive that does it. They don't taste great either, and they look vaguely human that doesn't sit well with some of the order when they're what we're provided to eat.

A brief moment was spent scrubbing her forehead before she looked up at you, a brief shake of your head eliciting another sigh from her. "I think my skin's stained with it. We have pigmentation applied for it daily, as one of the rites of faith." she muttered, leaving the cloth on the edge of the barrel as she leaned against it, gazing across the space between the two of you.

"Nobody knows what the Ripper is, what it looks like, if it really exists. It's the name given to whatever murdered a bunch of whores initially, though it still crops up to kill this person or that with seemingly no rhyme nor reason to its victims. People blame it on us, naturally." She smiled slightly, shifting to rest her elbows on the edge of the barrel casually as she looked over it at you.

"The river creature that you saw was just a corrupted animal, you get a lot of those where alchemists and scientists are involved. We technically do the city a service by hunting them down and disposing of them, but naturally, everyone hates us and thinks we made them in the first place. I wouldn't try eating any of them, by the way. Some of them are fatally toxic to a mortal, and will cause quite some discomfort to an immortal such as yourself."

It was clear from her expression that there was little else that she considered signifigant about this that she felt she should mention to you.

"There's always corrupted people who survived eating tainted creatures, experiements that escaped that look like some monsters from mythology.. They're all pretty much just a source of food in the orders eyes." She paused, tilting her head slightly. "You mentioned scarecrows. Are they the name you give the more wirey corrupted people?" She asked, clearly unaware of what you had encountered in the outskirts of the city.

"No, literal scarecrows. One... One physically consumed a small man with rat like features that visited me in my sleep." you responded, feeling a sense of uncertainty in the pit of your stomach. You didn't like recalling this experience as it was one that you couldn't quite understand. You understood mechanical men where complex assemblies of pistons and gears with a clockwork mind. You understood that tainted creatures were experiements gone wrong and mutants, yet you had no idea how a thing made of straw could consume that small man.

"That's the first i've ever heard of such a thing, and i've never heard of a man like that either."

"I was afraid you'd say that."

"I'm going to cut this stain from my forehead. Do you think you could give me a little privacy while I do so?"

You cringed slightly at that request, you knew that she would regenerate that lost flesh quickly enough yet you still find the concept of her mutiliating herself to be distasteful in a sense. You dusted yourself off as you stood, walking back inside the building before leaning against the wall immediately beside the door.

You lay your head to rest against the wall as you did your best to mentally drown out the swearing coming from Anne, knowing that those words were ones a lady shouldn't have known, let alone uttered.

As the stream of swearing stopped you cautiously glanced around the frame of the open door, only to be greeted by the sight of Anne walking up the steps with the cloth she had tried to clean the mark away with now held to her forehead. Ichor was visibly soaking into the cloth, splashes of it visible against the paving stones that the barrel sat around.

"Are you-"

The glance that she shot you had you fall silent quickly, knowing from her expression that it hadn't been a pleasant experience.

"Do you feel up to discussing what you know about the Clockworker's and telling me how foolish trying to walk in through the front door would be when approaching your order?" you asked, figuring that a change of topic was probably welcome in this case.

"The Clockworkers are narrow minded bigots who use their position of respect to maintain a state of fear towards us. As long as people fear us, as long as they are allowed to perpetuate this, then people will be permitted to use extreme force against us in any encounter against us. They maintain underground prisons in what we are taken when they capture us. I wish not speak more on this subject, however." She huffed, edging a finger behind the cloth as she checked to see how quickly her recovery was progressing.

"As for the matter of you walking straight up to the order... If you are invited, then that would be perfectly fine. If you are not, they are likely to attack you on sight. Enemy or not, you are an intruder once you get that far and would be dealt with accordingly. If you're considering going in with your gun blazing, i'd save yourself trouble reaching the inevitable conclusion and shoot yourself in the head on the doorstep of the order."

You frowned slightly, you had expected an answer much like this though you had hoped for the best. You needed a new plan. Maybe you could take her to Red's, see if Red would agree to watch over her for you.

It didn't hurt to see.

"We should go see a friend of mine. I'm sure he'll be happy to watch your back while I check a few things out. I might go raise a stink at the Clockworker's or Technomancer's guild and see if I can get them to induct me. If I can get in, I can get resources, if I can get resources I can try my hand at forging weapons..." You trailed off, noticing you were getting another dirty look from her.

"You already want to ditch me with someone, because I'm a burden?"

"No, I don't feel safe taking you near the Clockworkers, if your friends can sense me, what's to say they can't detect you somehow?"

Silence, brief as it was was her admission of defeat.

"Very well. I do not like this, but I shall tolerate your friends company. Lead the way."

Without another word she cast aside the cloth that she had been holding to her forehead, the injury there almost healed already. The only thing that betrayed that she had done anything was a fading discolouration, a brief sensation of jealousy gripping you as knew she healed signifigantly faster than you were capable of.

You lead the way back toward the river side, taking note that fog was billowing in from it, that as you neared it the fog became thicker. By the time you reached the riverside it was thick enough to limit your vision to ten, maybe fifteen feet before it was impossible to make anything out clearly.

You didn't feel worried however, you felt that there was nothing lurking in the fog, that there was no evil that had somehow called it into being. It was just a foggy London morning. You strode onward with Anne in tow, past the buildings that had been crushed the night before by the vast sea creature, rubble strewn across the pathway.

You continued onward, striding through the fog with confidence as you lead the way toward Red's pub.

When you stepped through the door Red was clearly pleased to see you, pleased that the night before had not been goodbye, though there was clear confusion on etched on his wrinkled features. It wasn't the woman in tow that concerned him, it was you. More precisely, he was staring at your face with a mixture of shock and awe. "Ye're lookin' good kid, but... 'ow on earth'd ye manage t'recover from all o'the cuts'n bruises ye were covered in?"

Red's question prompted a small chuckle from you as you made your way up to the bar, Anne slipping in beside you as she glanced around cautiously, her expression showing that she wasn't entirely certain that she approved of this place, of what your friend had turned out to be. Red however quickly turned his attention from you to her.

"Well, 'ello there. Where'd ye find this pretty youn' thing?" Red asked, leaning over the bar as he attracted Anne's attention, as she turned to face him, cocking her head as she went to speak before you could react.

"I found him in my bed when I awoke this morning. Why, do you wish to take him from me?" She asked, tilting her head the other way as her hair spilled over her shoulders. Red laughed aloud at this, shaking his head as he did so. "So, what does a pretty thing like ye go by th' name'o?" He asked, while she smiled slightly, doing her best you could only assume to come across as normal.

"Anxi-"

"Anne" You interrupted while she shot you a sharp look. Red merely chuckled this time, seeing that she was giving you the look he himself hated getting from his wife. "So, i take it ye're not 'ere t'work given ye 'ave  a lady with ye, tha' makes me wonder what I can be doin' fer ye." Red stated, polishing the bar with a rag as he waited clearly for that inevitable request for help.

"I need to get some people off Anne's back, so naturally I need a relatively safe place for her to wait for me. I'm certain that she would rather help than hinder you, wouldn't you, Anne."

Another dirty look.

At this rate you had to wonder if incapacitate you and turn you over to the enlightened while begging them to put her out of her misery.

"Aye. I can do that fer ye." Red nodded, prompting a smile from you. "Thank you Red, I shall return as soon as possible." you replied, turning to make your way out of the pub, though as you left you couldn't help but wonder if you'd done the right thing with the conversation that started between the two of them.

"I ne'er put 'im down fer likin' women. is 'e any good, ye know, in bed?"

"Oh, he's very good. He didn't complain once when I stole the covers."

"That ain't qui' what i were meanin' lass."

"Could you explain for what you meant, for I am terribly innocent and you couldn't possibly mean something that would offend me, could you?"

"Ahh... f'get it, it ain't importan' anyway."

Maybe you should have taken your machete back before you left her with Red. That wasn't important now however, what was important was setting things into motion, though the question was, what was the best course of action for that?

Were you going to seek the Enlightened out against all advice, go to the Clockworker's as suggested, or pursue a different course of action?


Spoiler: "Possessions" (click to show/hide)
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on July 05, 2010, 09:38:59 am
The clockworker's, certainly. However, first we should probably pick up another knife.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: rickvoid on July 05, 2010, 09:42:09 am
Wait. Red thought we were gay?

BWAHAHAHAHA!!!!

I mean, sure, I guess our new xlothes were a little fancy, and we hadn't asked about women or or certain type of woman (one who's company can be aquired for a price), and we excited about hearing of those guys getting together in secret late at night, and-

Oh. Shit.

We need to figure out a way to prevent us from feeling odd effects from Anne's bodily fluids, soon!

(Just kidding folks!)
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on July 05, 2010, 09:43:58 am
Before trying to join the clockworkers, lets try the technomancer's guild one more time. There can't be massive explosions coming from there everyday.

Also, I'm guessing The Ripper is human, if a very far above average one. Though I suppose being a monster would explain why he was never caught...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Osmosis Jones on July 05, 2010, 09:48:12 am
Work on an invention, with an eye for using for your induction. Considering your specialty is guns, I suggest a way of making a semi automatic loading system work, or better yet, specialised incendiary rounds for dealing with corrupted flesh. Plus, then you get that delicious irony when your invention is turned against you later in the story.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on July 05, 2010, 10:25:43 am
Oh, I thought the Clockworker's was the place with the explosion. Heh.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: sonerohi on July 05, 2010, 11:11:08 am
Build a double revolving shotgun.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on July 05, 2010, 12:19:42 pm
I second gun invention.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Strange guy on July 05, 2010, 04:00:19 pm
While we probably have the skill for gun-crafting/improving we don't have the materials or tools. While we could probably scavenge, steal or buy them we don't really have that much time or money to spare, with the Enlightened seeking us and Anne not to mention the other mysteries like the scarecrow. Checking out the technomancers would probably be a good idea- most of our current problems are more mystical in nature after all. We could get some very useful info.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on July 05, 2010, 05:14:40 pm
You made your way along the riverside path through the fog that shrouded everything in a blanket of white. Your every footfall confident as your body language made it clear that attempting to mug you would be a mistake that the would be opportunist would not live to make again. You were armed with your weapon of choice, a weapon that you could use to literally stop a man dead in his tracks with a bullet between the eyes in the time it took him to make a threatening guesture.

You didn't forsee the need for such extreme force at this moment however, no need to do more than send a clear warning with your body language. It never hurt however, to make it clear in an area as rough as this that you were not a good target, that you the worst nightmare of any fool that did such. Thinking about it in this manners had you feel powerful, a god amongst the lesser men of this place, able to choose who lived and died.

It was a passing thought, as that was the type of idle though that did not sit well with you.

You had always been benevolent, you had always been one who preferred to help usher in times of prosperity. You preferred to make the common man's life better, rather than to take it from him. Even the fog did little to slow you, failing to have you wander from your planned route as you made your way to the bridge across the river, to the part of the city across the river that housed the guilds headquarters.

As you made your way through the fog, through the more upmarket sections of the city you could see the occasional green glow piercing the heavy fog, the clanking of heavy footsteps as mechanical men patrolled the streets. The numbers were greater than usual you took note, likely in response to the heavy fog as a precautionary measure given that anything attacking in this weather would be harder to spot.

Occasionally they seemed to pause as they looked at you, whirring sounds coming from them as they seemed to size you up, before they continued on their way. Were they able to detect the residual taint that clung to you from Anne's corrupted blood?

If they could, it seemed that they at least required close proximity to be able to accomplish such a task.

As you reached the square that the two guild houses faced onto you turned, heading in the direction that you recalled the Technomancers one had been in. Though your experience with them so far had been to bear witness to them blowing the doors off their guild house, you knew that they were the types to tinker and experiment, to use alchemy and technology.

They were those that sought to make technology so fantastic it seemed like magic.

Surely, they would have some insight as such into things that truely were more extraordinary, given that the study of such would likely fascinate them. As you reached the guild house you paused to check the blackened plaque that was bolted to the wall. You didn't even pause to read it, the fact that it was in that state told you beyond a doubt that you were at the right building.

You swung the doors to the guildhouse open as you strode into the reception room, wisps of fog trailing in after you as your footfalls echoed loudly, as you breathed in the scents of progress. You could smell many acrid scents you couldn't place, the scents of burning, the stenches of the chemical compounds that they experimented with. The doors slammed shut behind you as you strode with regal stature across the room towards the reception desk, while the man behind it gave you an awed look.

There was recognition in his eyes.

"Please... Wait here Sir, I will be go and fetch my superior for you." the man almost stammered as he hopped over the desk and made his way into a nearby office. Figuring now was as good a moment as any, you started to look around the reception room.

Compared to the Clockworker's and their shining marble hall this one was unimpressive. It was made of a heavy yet polished stone, that bore score marks and residues from many accidents. Instead of graceful columns supporting the roof, there were sturdy granite pillars. Any banners that had once flown here with their symbol emblazoned upon it had long since been taken down or destroyed.

The sound of that office door opening once more, with a voice scolding the secretary that had come to disturb him drew your attention away from the room that you were examining. "Honestly, disturbing me because the 'man from the painting' showed up. You're going to have to appologise to him for making a scene and... and... Good lord, you're..."

"Eurochkoles." you stated, finishing the mans sentence as he looked you over carefully. You could see the shock written all over his face as he hurried towards you, circling you as he shook his head in disbelief. "It can't be, that painting is over four hundred years old." He murmered as he stepped back, putting a respectable distance between you and himself.

"I do apologise for the fuss sir, you truely do bear more than just a passing resemblance to that man. Is there anything that we can do for you?" he asked, his current state of suprise and curiosity one that you knew you could use to your advantage. The question was, in what manner?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on July 05, 2010, 05:35:03 pm
Direct approach:
We try to convince him that we're immortal, and use our status (or his curiosity in us) as one to help force our way in as a member.

Indifferent approach:
We tell him it's a coincidence (or just ignore it entirely), and that we're here to join the guild or whatever. This will use his curiosity against him in a less direct way than the direct approach, but we'll still have a better chance of getting in than Joe-genius who walks in off the street.

Overly direct approach:
The painting probably shows us as an invincible warrior (based on the dream-sequence-like bits). We declare this and threaten the organization or the guy for information or resources. (This is a very bad idea, obviously)

There are probably other ways to do this, but I haven't thought of them yet.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Labs on July 05, 2010, 05:35:04 pm
Join the Technomancers. Learn their ways.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: sonerohi on July 05, 2010, 06:07:09 pm
Join the Technomancers. Doo eeeeet.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on July 05, 2010, 06:11:02 pm
Ask about what they do here, and what sort of tests are required to join, also ask for a tour(to look for that painting). Ignore any mention of the painting, acting as if he hadn't said anything at all. We will hold their attention without directly confirming his suspicions.

in short: penguify's indifferent plan.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Toaster on July 05, 2010, 07:37:23 pm
Ask about what they do here, and what sort of tests are required to join, also ask for a tour(to look for that painting). Ignore any mention of the painting, acting as if he hadn't said anything at all. We will hold their attention without directly confirming his suspicions.

in short: penguify's indifferent plan.

+1
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: maxicaxi on July 05, 2010, 09:56:22 pm
Ask about what they do here, and what sort of tests are required to join, also ask for a tour(to look for that painting). Ignore any mention of the painting, acting as if he hadn't said anything at all. We will hold their attention without directly confirming his suspicions.

in short: penguify's indifferent plan.

+1
thiiiiiiiiis
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on July 05, 2010, 10:01:01 pm
Ask about what they do here, and what sort of tests are required to join, also ask for a tour(to look for that painting). Ignore any mention of the painting, acting as if he hadn't said anything at all. We will hold their attention without directly confirming his suspicions.

in short: penguify's indifferent plan.

+1
thiiiiiiiiis
I, too, support this course of action.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Osmosis Jones on July 05, 2010, 10:12:40 pm
Yeah, might as well. BUT if you see any fancy glowy crystals etc that could be useful, nick a small sample :P
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on July 05, 2010, 10:17:24 pm
I don't think anything glowy in this place would be wise to touch. They're probably like that scp-409 and kill you and everything you touch in a slow and painful manner, or something.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Osmosis Jones on July 05, 2010, 10:19:28 pm
But think of the weaponisation possibilities!
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on July 06, 2010, 11:27:01 am
You knew that outright claiming that you were that man, easy as it may be, true as it may be would not be a wise thing to do at this moment. You'd have given away your big advantage in confirming this mans curiosity so readily. No, you needed to let it weigh on his mind, you needed to let it trouble him as he was no doubt naturally curious if he was one working for a group who played with the elements so readily.

It wasn't wise to go around telling everybody that you were immortal either. You knew that some people would feel threatened or resentful, that others would expect you to share some kind of power with them that you did not possess, that others would become barely loyal hangers on waiting for some form of reward for their so called devotion.

You knew people.

Not everybody would believe that you were what you claimed to be either, not everybody believed that immortals, as rare as they were actually existed. Some people didn't like to believe in that what threatened what they saw to be their humanity, some were just plain ignorant.

You did wonder if you could turn this situation further to your advantage, make a few insightful comments about the work that they did here if you could get them to take you on a tour. It wouldn't hurt to try suggesting such a thing to them, make it clear that you knew a thing or two about their methods here. The more you mulled over that idea, the more you liked it. It was simple, it was without risk of them believing that they had been played by someone who knew about the painting and came here pretending to be that man.

You didn't recall having such a painting of yourself done, yet, it couldn't possibly be anybody but you, could it?

"I did come here with the intent of learning a little more about your methods, to join you potentially. Would a tour be too much to ask?" You shifted slightly as you spoke, your body language now used to suggest a very friendly warmth. You wanted to make the very thought of saying no to this something that the man would feel bad over.

"Well... We do not normally carry out such tours, but, in these circumstances I see no reason why not." The man responded, though you could feel just how weak the excuse he was using was. You could practically feel his curiosity to see you side by side with that painting.

The tour was one that started off fairly unimpressive. Most of the interesting area's in the labs you were taken to see were off limits to it due to the inherent danger of some of the substances that they worked with. This didn't however, stop you from impressing the man as you talked about how you understood that beyond explosions, that there was always hazardous gasses and the like to worry about too. You could see him tempted to sneak you in however, just to see if something interesting was going on there that he could show you.

From the off limits labs, you travelled to the workshops. The only part of the workshops he couldn't show you directly were the forges, though he was able to show you them from one of the walkways that stretched out above them. From the forges you were taken to see the workshops where the actual components were assembled, while being told about how the Technomancers made some of the more exotic parts for the Clockworkers mechanical men, including their weapons.

This caught your interest, though your inquiries into them yeilded little more than the types of weapons they were outfitted with and nothing on their design. Some had fuel tanks and the means to ignite a controlled stream of fire with them, some could discharge energy from their internal power source through their hands, some carried modern weapons that had been scaled up for their use.

One of the worshops you saw was filled with partially assembled weapons of this nature, weapons that had you mention in passing that you had ideas for weapons of your own that you would like to attempt the construction of some day.

From the workshops you were taken to the the research area, a place filled with vast libraries of books, a place filled with people researching and conceptualising new and improbable inventions. This was also the only part of the building that seemed to really bear any decorations. While this place in itself wasn't as interesting given that the only visible activity here was people reading and writing, studying and drawing, you knew that it was a good place for anybody that wished to learn. The vast number of books and their varied subject matter was something that had you realise that this was what you'd needed all along. You could learn to create weapons here, you could research alchemy, you could unravel the secrets of the world about you little by little.

It wasn't long however before you were taken in the direction of the gallery.

You were shown various portraits of important figures from the guild over the years as well as portraits that had been aquired from famed artists. Every portrait had a small plaque beneath it declaring who it was, along with other details where relevant. That was, every one but your own.

"And, this is..." the man started as he lead you to it, pausing as he looked between you and the portrait. You could feel the shock as he saw all the more clearly now that you were truely identical to the figure portrayed in that painting. You stepped towards it, paying no attention to the man as you glanced briefly at the plaque beneath the painting.

Your one simply read unknown man, unknown artist.

A face framed by dark hair looked back at you from that painting, pale with piercing blue eyes. A face that was youthful yet troubled, their expression showing experience beyond their years despite how flawlessly smooth their complexion was. Compared to the average man, when you were unblemished by injury you almost bore an unearthly beauty.

"Since when did we open this gallery to the public, Mister Smith?" Came a booming voice from behind you as you examined the picture before you, causing the man beside you to jump as he turned to stammer an excuse towards what you assumed was a high ranking member.

You turned to face the man, your gaze intensely locked on his face as you looked into his eyes. The man faltered as he saw your face then trembled as he saw those eyes, seeing the depthless nature of eternity echoed behind them. The man went from haughty to humbled as he realised what was stood before him better than the clearly less perceptive man who had given you the tour through this facility.

"I appologise sir, I did not realise that we had somebody of your great nature here!" He stated as he bowed before you deeply, straightening his attire as he did his best to collect himself as he did his best to hide how your presence had him flustered.

"What may we, humble as we are do for a great one such as yourself?" The man asked, prompting a small smile from you. You liked this feeling of respect that you got from the man of science before you, that made you wonder just what you could get away with asking for him to do for you.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on July 06, 2010, 11:43:04 am
They know about the Enlightened, right? We need something that will revoke their immortality, or at least slow their regeneration.

Also, we might be able to join them, depending on their policy towards the Enlightened: I don't recall whether they're enemies or not. If they're allies, we can't join them yet but we could use them as a proxy for negotiation. If they're enemies, we could join them given that we could keep them from learning about or attacking Anne. If they're neutral, there's no reason not to join them. If we do join them, we could use their resources to find some sort of solution to the problems with the Enlightened (a useful weapon against them, most likely).
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on July 06, 2010, 12:47:19 pm
Say that we wish to join them so that we may learn.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: sonerohi on July 06, 2010, 02:51:49 pm
Offer to join them, with a rousing speech about joining the height of the human form and mind with the perfection of technology and such. Make it seem like they are getting the good end of the deal by letting us have some access to their resources beyond what normal members get.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: cerapa on July 06, 2010, 03:25:48 pm
This seems a bit fishy.

Why does he respect us? I would understand amazement, fear, anything but instant respect. If their contacts have been with the enlightened, then why would he not treat us as them? He must have come into contact with other immortals who do not seem as hostile.

I say do what Armok said, but keep an eye out for anything suspicious.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on July 06, 2010, 05:28:22 pm
Try to get a feel for how they feel about the clockworkers.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on July 06, 2010, 05:34:06 pm
Say that we wish to join them so that we may learn.
This, but first ask what makes us so great. Resembling a painting labled only "unknown man, unknown artist" is, while unusual,not inherantly worthy of respect. What does he know about this painting?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on July 06, 2010, 05:40:17 pm
Well, seeing as there's no information on the plaque, either there is no useful information about it, or the information is classified.

There is no certain guarantee (although the man's awe suggests it to be so) that the man has access to the classified information, and he might not provide it to us free of charge. Particularly because simply asking suggests ignorance and is therefore a sign of weakness: paradoxically, he might tell us about the painting only if we don't express our ignorance of it. Heck, we might have donated it, and asked for them to classify the information about it ourselves.

I don't think asking about it and ourselves is a good idea, it's a sign of weakness. They may respect strong immortals, but they might perform experiments on the weak ones.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on July 06, 2010, 05:55:20 pm
"I wish to join you, could you take me to the guild master?" Your question was simple yet delivered with an air of authority. The man was all too eager to help you, nodding vigorously as he spoke "Of course, I am sure that he will be thrilled to hear that a man of your nature deems us worthy such association!" He responded, starting to lead the way as he dismissed his subordinate with a wave of his hand.

You could see longing in the eyes of that man as he was dismissed, you could feel the manner in what he was stricken with the desire to follow and see how this all panned out. Following the man, you decided to use the few minutes you estimated that you had before you met up with the guild master to inquire about a few more things that you knew were important for you to know.

"Is this degree of admiration for those of immortal nature common amongst the Technomancers or is it more of a personal thing?" You asked, though you already had a good idea about what the answer to this question was going to be.

"Many immortals have keen minds from the centuries their life has seen, many of them are bored with routine and want to experiment, to discover new things. During the time they typically remain with us, they tend to invent and innovate in a manner that many of us can only dream of." he paused, laughing slightly "That's always aided by the fact that they cannot die if an experiment floods an area with toxic fumes for one."

You gave the man a crooked smile, you could see the advantage there, yet you were far from dissatisfied with life as it was. If anything, your many years of life had taught you to appreciate it, to embrace it and to love every moment of it.

"Not all of us feel that way about life. While I love to see new things like any other, I find myself in love with the beauty the world has to offer. How could I possibly tire of life, when I have the stars to send me off at night and the song of birds to awaken me in the morning?" You chuckled. The man was somewhat taken off guard by this, but none the less understood it.

"That's quite the enduring love you have there. I suppose you have transcended mortal failings in some ways with your experiences, though it must be hard for you still to see people that you knew grow old and pass on." He sighed, mostly speaking his mind aloud in this case as he led you up a winding staircase.

"In a way, I like to think that I am as human as ever. If I became indifferent to what the world had to offer, I would no longer be alike those that I have always surrounded myself with." Came your response. You knew you'd always done such, you knew that you had always done your best to better the lives of others. "I mourn the loss of those I knew when their time comes, yet I celebrate the lives they had. When the time comes, wouldn't you after all, be happy to know that your friends, your family, would celebrate the life you had?"

"I suppose I would be happy to know that they loved me enough to do such a thing, yes." He responded, rubbing his chin briefly as he led you through a large hall, towards an office. "I must say that you are not what I was expecting. I am thankful for it I must say, as meeting someone who has seen centuries pass and still holds a passion for life is warming in a manner."

"I do have one other quick question before I meet with the guild master. What is the relationship of the Technomancer's in relation to the Enlightened?" You paused, briefly before adding to this. "I know that the Clockworker's are opposed strongly to them, I know you provide weapons for the Clockworker's mechanical men, but, are you as strongly opposed to them as they are?"

"Oh, heavens no, we may make weapons, we may maintain a friendly enough relationship with the Clockworker's, but, we do not go out of our way to interact with the Enlightened in either positive or negative manners. I guess you could say it's more about the thrill of invention for us, than using any of the inventions we make on actual people." he responded, pausing as he guestured to the door before you.

"This would be the office of the guild master. I'll inform him that you wish to meet him."

The man knocked on the door to the office before letting himself in, the muffled sound of voices catching your attention for a moment as the two of them spoke, though you couldn't make out anything from this side of the door.

"He's ready to see you." The man stated as he stepped out of the room, prompting a nod from you as you stepped past him and into the cluttered office of the guild master. It wasn't what you were expecting, to find an office cluttered with books and papers, with a bent old man huddled over the desk. You had been expecting this office to be extravagent, for the man sat behind the desk to be well groomed.

Instead, there you had what appeared to be an eccentric old man with a broad beard that stretched half way down his chest. You could see that there was intelligence behind those eyes though. "So, you're interested in joining us. Why don't you convince me you're bringing something to us that makes waiving the standard joining process worth while?"

The man was straight to the point at least.

You took a deep breath, standing tall, standing proud as you decided that it was time to deliver your case to this man.

"I am an immortal, I have lived for many lifetimes, I have seen armies rise and fall, I have seen the progression of technology from bows and swords to revolvers and rifles. I have seen tactics devised and defeated, I have seen gunpowder rise from its origins and become an established tool of war. I have seen defences rise and fall as progress obsoletes them. I have many lifetimes worth of experiences to draw upon to fuel how I tinker with things. With what I may potentially bring, should it not be you trying to convince me, however?"

You had him at I am.

"You clearly have something in mind, so, why don't you tell me what you truely want." The man stated, leaning forward as he placed his chin against one hand, visibly intrigued with you. Taking another breath, you stepped over to his desk, looking him in the eyes as you spoke.

"I want access to your dormitorys for myself and a friend, I want the assured safety of said friend from retribution from the Enlightened. I want higher priority given to aquiring materials, to forging and finishing things that I am able to design for you. If you will provide this in addition to basic necessities, then what I invent under your roof will be yours to do what you wish with."

You were giving up a lot here, but you knew it was a good idea to sacrifice these things for a good position. You could always renegotiate when the situation changed, sever ties if it came to such.

The guild master reached out for your hand as he nodded. "These are unusual terms, but, you are an unusual man. I will do my best to have your work given priority where possible, I will have you and your friend housed and your needs tended to, but, I do expect you to deliver results." he stated, prompting a smile from you as you shook his hand.

It was good enough for the time being.

"I will get the appropriate documents for you to sign sorted and ready, along with papers for the appropriate people relating to the benefits you are to be given. These things will take a little to prepare, so, if you have anything to take care of before you bring your friend here, you have time." the man stated, before giving you a dismissive wave to let you know that you were done. Was there anything pressing you still needed to get done before you brought Anne here?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on July 06, 2010, 06:15:42 pm
I can't think of anything pressing we need to do right now, but our next point should go to air I think.

Typos I found:
dormitorys v dormitories
extravagent v extravagant
truely v truly
aquiring v acquiring
guestured v gestured
What is the relationship of the Technomancer's in relation to <-- Technomancers
relationship with the Clockworker's <-- Clockworkers
the Clockworker's are <-- Clockworkers

Sorry to nitpick, feel free to ignore me :)
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: sonerohi on July 06, 2010, 06:33:26 pm
If we are to continue working for Red, we must make sure he understands that the guild will need us, and as such we must have a more fluid schedule. If we are to quit, we must do so. Besides that, I can think of nothing.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on July 06, 2010, 06:38:35 pm
We should ask Anne about her name on the way...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on July 06, 2010, 06:42:49 pm
((
Typos I found:
(snip)
Sorry to nitpick, feel free to ignore me :)

This is another reminder that I should install something with a spellchecker. I'd like to think I'm not doing too horribly at least for the fact this is all written up in Wordpad.))
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on July 06, 2010, 06:50:01 pm
Well, for no spell-checker it's pretty good.

We should ask Anne about her name on the way...
Anne's real name is Anxiety, that wasn't just a hallucination. Remember when we introduced her to Red? It was along the lines of " 'My name is Anxi-' 'Anne. Her name is Anne.' "

If we are to continue working for Red, we must make sure he understands that the guild will need us, and as such we must have a more fluid schedule. If we are to quit, we must do so. Besides that, I can think of nothing.
I said we didn't have anything left to do because when we go over to pick Anne up we can tell Red about our resignation, because they're in the same place. (I don't think we'll be able to split the time around well enough to keep that job, so we should just resign).
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: sonerohi on July 06, 2010, 06:55:57 pm
But they could have just taken up glorifying names as they gained immortality. The Real Anxiety could be someone else entirely.
Also, we can't just assume actions. Type it out.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Wimdit on July 06, 2010, 07:24:08 pm
While we're on the subject of corrections, you shouldn't always put in a full stop when you finish a sentence within quotation marks, unless you're also finishing a sentence outside them. If you're not, put in a comma. So this

Quote
"In a way, I like to think that I am as human as ever. If I became indifferent to what the world had to offer, I would no longer be alike those that I have always surrounded myself with." Came your response.

should be like this:

Quote
"In a way, I like to think that I am as human as ever. If I became indifferent to what the world had to offer, I would no longer be like those that I have always surrounded myself with," came your response.

Note the difference between 'like' and 'alike' as well. You do tend to make a lot of mistakes, but they're not particularly noticeable. :P
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on July 06, 2010, 07:27:21 pm
While we're on the subject of corrections, you shouldn't always put in a full stop when you finish a sentence within quotation marks, unless you're also finishing a sentence outside them. If you're not, put in a comma. So this

Quote
"In a way, I like to think that I am as human as ever. If I became indifferent to what the world had to offer, I would no longer be alike those that I have always surrounded myself with." Came your response.

should be like this:

Quote
"In a way, I like to think that I am as human as ever. If I became indifferent to what the world had to offer, I would no longer be like those that I have always surrounded myself with," came your response.

Note the difference between 'like' and 'alike' as well. You do tend to make a lot of mistakes, but they're not particularly noticeable. :P
Oh wow, I generally pride myself on being able to spot other peoples' typos, and I totally missed that one!
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on July 06, 2010, 07:53:02 pm
We should ask Anne about her name on the way...
Anne's real name is Anxiety, that wasn't just a hallucination. Remember when we introduced her to Red? It was along the lines of " 'My name is Anxi-' 'Anne. Her name is Anne.' "
Yes, exactly, we should ask her about it. That name was significant to us before we met her...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on July 06, 2010, 07:55:54 pm
Oh I see what you mean now, yes we might want to ask her about the origins of that name.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on July 07, 2010, 07:57:19 am
It was probably for the best that you got this all over and done with as soon as possible you told yourself, for you knew that Anne would probably be extremely irritated with Red already by this point. You didn't want to return to find Red cowering in a corner, asking why on earth you had thought that it was a smart idea to leave her with a machete for self defence.

You left the office of the guild master, following the man who had taken you this far back towards the entrance. He was excited, an immortal was a big thing for this guild it seemed. Hearing that you were going to join had him acting very talkative, telling you that he was going to keep an ear out for you incase the secretary at the desk when you returned hadn't been clued in.

You hardly managed to get a word in edgeways with this man, though you didn't mind in all honesty. You had a lot on your mind now, worries about the wisdom of what you were setting yourself up for and where the path you were treading would take you now.

As you stepped from the building, you took note that the fog had thinned a great deal, that you could see maybe half a mile now before everything was blanketed in white. You were almost dissapointed by this, as the fog added something to the journey. With everything shrouded in white as it had been, it was almost as if you were exploring a new city.

You made your way onwards, realising that you were going to have to cease work at Red's for the time being. This made you feel sad in a sense. The work may have been hard and taken a lot to keep atop of, but, you were going to miss dinner time there. You could have eaten the food that Red's wife prepared every day for a decade without growing tired of it.

You made your way over the bridge that split the city in two, striding across it as you passed a pair of men trying to fix the wheel on their cart. You knew how frustrating this was, yet you didn't stop to offer them assistance. You couldn't afford to stop for them.

You didn't trust Red and Anne not to try killing each other.

Red may have been large man, strong and experienced but he was no match for Anne. There was nothing he had that could possibly give him the edge over the rapid manner in what Anne's body recovered from damage inflicted upon it.

Your pace picked up as you started to jog down the river side street towards the pub, every footfall bringing you closer. Jogging wasn't fast enough. Your pace quickened further as you went from jogging to running, from running to a full blown sprint.

You could feel your heart beating heavily in your chest, the sound of your breathing reaching your ears as you started to pant. You could feel your muscles screaming for a moments respite as you pushed yourself onward, as you reached the outside of the pub in record time.

You stopped at the corner of the pub as you leaned against the wall of the building, panting as you caught your breath and attempted to compose yourself. You could hear bawdy music and drunken revellers, you could see a drunk passed out on the steps.

You weren't going to relax until you could see everything was fine with your own two eyes.

You wouldn't put it past the drunks to sit there drinking if something had happened, if Anne had killed Red and fled into the city. You approached the door expecting the worst, yet expecting such couldn't prepare you for the sight that greeted you.

Anne was carrying drinks between tables, cleaning up the empty bottles and tankards.

You couldn't hide your bewilderment as you made your way across the room to the bar, glancing at Anne as you did so. Red merely grinned as you turned to him, pointing at Anne in slack jawed amazement.

"She's a good lass, kid. 'ell of sharp tongue, but a good'un none th'less. I take it ye 'ave somethin' t'say o'importance though, aye?" Red's words had a sense of dread form in the pit of your stomach, knowing that things were going to change, that the routine you had been happy with would be no more. "M'wife'd appreciate an 'and with th'dinner one last time, ye know. Go 'elp her while ye find yer tongue, then we can sit down t'gether an' ye can spill th'news."

You nodded, heading toward the kitchen as you asked yourself, just how much of this were you going to honestly share with them, was it wise to ask about her name over dinner, or would it be better to wait until you had left the pub?


((I'll do my best to keep those pointers about my common mistakes and the like in mind. It'll take time to fix them given how the puctuation for one's an almost obsessive thing, but, at least I have something to work towards changing.))
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Toaster on July 07, 2010, 08:09:40 am
Tell him you got a job at the guild, but not much more.  Ask about her name later.

(Also, if you post in Firefox, it'll automatically highlight spelling errors in text boxes.)
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on July 07, 2010, 08:13:59 am
Tell him you got a job at the guild, but not much more.  Ask about her name later.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on July 07, 2010, 08:14:21 am
Tell him you got a job at the guild, but not much more.  Ask about her name later.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on July 07, 2010, 08:23:53 am
Aye, can't think of any reason to involve Red or his wife with the name issue, hopefully there will be an opportunity later. Offer to help out, but it would probably be best to get away from the bar before it becomes deserted. Attacking a crowded bar would be a bit too messy with automatons roaming the city, but just the four of us might be an inviting target, and the enlightened shouldn't have much interest in Red or his wife once we leave, threatening the friends of an immortal probably isn't a terribly effective tactic, most of them would have lost more than a few friends in their time... I have no issue with telling Red where we are going. He can write to us to arrange a meeting and we should be able to leave to see him easily enough. And the technomancers are not a particularly unlikely place for us to go, the enlightened could probably guess where we are regardless, it is mostly the large metallic folk who are compelling the change of address.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on July 07, 2010, 12:08:37 pm
You felt bad about leaving on this note, about sitting down with one last meal before you moved on to the Technomancer's guild. In the days that you had been working here you had taken a great deal of the work load off Red's shoulders, kept the place cleaner than anybody could have dreamed of a rowdy pub like this looking. You picked up a stack of vegetables, almost paying no attention to what you were doing as you prepared them.

The steady sound of the knife cutting through vegetables and impacting against the cutting board filled your ears as you prepared them. As with the prior days you quickly and efficiently processed the vegetables, while Red's wife almost seemed to struggle to keep up with you.

Once the pots were filled with vegetables and meat you stepped back out.

You were just in time to see one of the patrons go further than was wise with Anne, reaching to grope her behind as she was bent over to clean one of the tables. She jumped in suprise, her face twisting to betray how disgusted and angry she was that this man had the nerve to touch her in such an unwelcome manner. She was about to twist around, to put this man in his place when she saw you were already moving rapidly towards the man.

The man knew he was in trouble, yet didn't wish to be go peacefully.

You could see drunken courage in his eyes as he pulled a small knife from his pocket, while Anne ducked out of the way as her expression betrayed her disgust at not being able to deal with this situation herself. She couldn't, for fear that she would reveal what she was. All it took was a cut and her inhuman nature would be revealed.

You on the other hand, would bleed red if injured and wouldn't visibly regenerate even though your injuries faded faster than a humans.

"Whatcha gonna do, boy?" The man sneered as he tossed his knife from hand to hand. His features were rough and weathered, his chin bore uneven stubble, his clothing was coarse and cheap. He was a nobody, likely little more than a farm hand. That didn't change things however, you had to deal with him without using lethal force.

As he tossed the knife from hand to hand, your own hand darted out, grasping the blade firmly as the suprised man looked down, struggling as he tried to free it from your grasp. You could feel the sting of that blade cutting into your palm lightly, yet what happened next had the man cry out in suprise. A sharp twist of your wrist snapped the brittle iron blade, before you cast it aside.

The man backed away fearfully now, lashing out blindly as he attempted to keep you away from him. It wasn't enough to save him from humiliation, you stepped forward as he overstretched his reach and drove your fist square into his face.

The man groaned as he crumpled to the floor, your hand grasping him by the collar. He put up no further resistance as you dragged him towards the door, before dropping him outside and stepping back in through the door.

Anne was clearly furious, yet doing her best to keep her voice from being heard by the majority of the people in the pub as she spoke with Red. You made your way over to the bar, catching that her anger was mostly over the fact they you had stepped in and denied her the chance to deal with him herself.

"I could not allow a man like that to treat a lady with such disrespect. I am sorry if you feel the need to object over this matter." Your words caused Anne to turn red, scowling as she did her best to look displeased. Off guard as she was, it wasn't very convincing. "You're welcome."

After wrapping a cloth about your injured hand you set about cleaning as you waited for dinner time to arrive, scrubbing the walls, the floors and the tables. You couldn't say you'd miss having to clean the floors constantly, though seeing your own blood on it made a change.

As dinner time arrived, Red brought out several plates of food, grabbed several bottles of beer and invited you and Anne to join him. Anne shot you a dirty look as you tried to pull her chair out for you, while Red chuckled. "Lad, she be an in'epen'ant woman," he paused to open his bottle of beer as he did so. "So, ye 'ave some bad news f'poor ol'Red then?"

You fiddled with the bottle before you as Anne sniffed at the food, paying no attention to you or Red for the time being as she started to sample everything cautiously. "Th'food not t'yer likin', Lass?" Red asked as he noticed this, though he got little more than a satisfied 'Mmm' in response.

"I wish I could stay here Red, to continue working here as you've been good to me. It is by my own ignorance that I have endangered Anne's life, however. If there were another way that I could ensure her safety without going to the length that I did, then I would have taken it. I have made a deal with the Technomancers to ensure her safety, in return for my services."

There was silence.

Anne looked up from the meal that she had been so engrossed in, conflicting emotions visible for a brief moment before she bowed her head and started to eat her meal again in silence. Red reached out, placing one hand on your shoulder as he did so. "Kid, I've 'eard that many o'ye kind are beyond carin' about the live o'others that they touch, as th'lives o'others are nothin' in comparison t'the time they'll live fer. I'm proud o'ye f'bein' man enough t'do th'right thing."

"What did you give them?" Anne asked in hushed tones as she looked up at you.

"I... I shall tell you later, Anne."

You looked down at the meal before you, feeling as if you had lost your appetite now. It hadn't felt so bad when you had made the deal with them, yet know you had to think about it, now you had to put it into words it wasn't as easy as you'd thought it would be to talk about it.

You sat through the rest of the meal in silence, doing your best not to meet Anne's gaze as she glanced your way occasionally, concern written across her features. When you had finished the meal you said your goodbyes to Red and his wife, saying you would visit when able.

With your goodbyes said and Anne in tow, you turned your back on the pub as you started on your way towards the Technomancers guild. The journey started in silence, with you wanting to ask Anne about her name, how she had come to be named Anxiety. You couldn't bring yourself to. It was her voice however, that snapped you from your reverie.

"What did you give them?"

"I told them everything I invented beneath their roof would be theirs, in return for your assured safety."

"I don't see what is so signifigant about that."

You laughed, shaking your head as you did so. She didn't see the signifigance of it, and you couldn't just leave her blissfully ignorant. She needed to understand the true nature of what you had done, to realise just what you intended to do.

"Think about it. I have seen the progress and the downfall of technology and tactics over the centuries, I have seen the rise and fall of nations. I have seen the progression of weapons from bow to firearm. I have never participated directly in such progress myself, I have always helped direct people to prosperity, not assisted in arming them with things to destroy themselves with."

You gazed at the river, wistfully wishing that you could dive into it, drift out to sea and never again see these shores.

"I plan to design weapons and armour, I will be doing that what I detest most. Providing people with the means to destroy each other more effectively. I need to design these things incase my only option is to use force with the Enlightened, to make them aware that it is more mutually beneficial for them to leave you be, than have me storm whatever hole they hide in and remove chunks from them on a daily basis."

Anne stood before you, arms outstretched as she glared at you sternly. Your expression of regret, of disgust and sorrow however had this stern look soften as she stepped toward you, raising one hand to brush it against your cheek. "Oh god... You're not lying, you compromised yourself for the sole sake of making things right."

"Could you help take my mind off this and tell me how you came to be given the name you bear?" You asked as you started to lead the way once more, while Anne sighed ever so slightly.

"My name was given to me by brother Pride, the current leader of the Enlightened. We are all named after aspects of the mind, emotion, thought and feeling. It is reflective of our philosophy that we are all part of a single body, that together we make an entire entity. They are just that though, names. They do not represent rank or ability in any manner, they are merely to promote a sense of unity."

You could that she was feeling isolated, vulnerable and alone.

She was no longer part of that body and she desperately wished she could simply return, as if nothing had ever happened. You felt pity, as she was likely willingly blind to what they were, knowing that she would live forever in return for her devotion.

You crossed the bridge in silence, travelling onward as you kept an eye out for machine men, incase they had as you suspected, some means to detect the Enlightened and as such would pose a threat to Anne. As the guild halls for the Clockworkers and Technomancers loomed ahead you swallowed nervously.

This was it then, this was where you were about to give yourself to them.

You were uncertain if you should be honest with them about Anne's nature or not, and for that matter, you were uncertain about exactly what you were going to start with when it came to designing things. How exactly were you going to handle all this?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Toaster on July 07, 2010, 01:33:45 pm
They don't need to know about her for now, but we need a good story if she's found out.  Let's improve a simple weapon first to impresses them, then focus on armor for minimizing casualties.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on July 07, 2010, 01:46:02 pm
Seconded.

Also, can we kiss her now?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Ochita on July 07, 2010, 02:00:07 pm
No. Also stop posting creepy romance ideas  >:(
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on July 07, 2010, 02:04:07 pm
No. Also stop posting creepy romance ideas  >:(
Awwww.  :(
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: rickvoid on July 07, 2010, 02:16:53 pm
Armok, we already know that bodily fluid exchanges with this chick are a bad idea. We're not doing it. In every sense of the phrase.

I'm curious about the current level of weapons technology. How far along are we when it comes to firearms? Have double-action revolvers been invented? How about the gas-operated semi-automatic?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: maxicaxi on July 07, 2010, 02:37:19 pm
They don't need to know about her for now, but we need a good story if she's found out.  Let's improve a simple weapon first to impresses them, then focus on armor for minimizing casualties.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: sonerohi on July 07, 2010, 02:38:52 pm
I still think a double revolving shotgun with incendiary rounds is a sweet idea.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on July 07, 2010, 02:43:50 pm
They don't need to know about her for now, but we need a good story if she's found out.  Let's improve a simple weapon first to impresses them, then focus on armor for minimizing casualties.
This. Before we enter though, ask her if one of their order is named Love, or if the phrase "I am the one who makes you falter." means anything to her.

As for how to upgrade a weapon, how about creating some non-lethal ammunition for guns? Not only would it be better for use against people, it would allow us to capture some of the monsters to try and figure out where they come from.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on July 07, 2010, 03:16:37 pm
They don't need to know about her for now, but we need a good story if she's found out.  Let's improve a simple weapon first to impresses them, then focus on armor for minimizing casualties.
This. Before we enter though, ask her if one of their order is named Love, or if the phrase "I am the one who makes you falter." means anything to her.

As for how to upgrade a weapon, how about creating some non-lethal ammunition for guns? Not only would it be better for use against people, it would allow us to capture some of the monsters to try and figure out where they come from.
this.
I still think a double revolving shotgun with incendiary rounds is a sweet idea.
also this, but much later.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: cerapa on July 07, 2010, 03:23:41 pm
I think we should give them the bare minimum of what we can do and still keep them happy. The rest we keep secret. Might not be the most honest thing, but theres a reason why one shouldnt advance weaponry too fast. That happens to be people nuking everyone before they get scared of the fallout and radiation.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on July 07, 2010, 03:50:30 pm
"Have you told them about me?" Anne asked as she watched the building looming overhead, that building that was scorched and damaged from the many years that the Technomancers had occupied it. Many no doubt thought of them as crazy and dangerous, many people were probably right to believe that. You just prayed that whatever you created, they decided it wasn't something that they wished to share with the general public. They didn't use the weapons themselves, but they were inventors, they were people with costs to cover.

"No more than I felt I was required to. That being, that you are a target of the Enlightened and as such require protection. The more I think about this, the less I like it however."

"You are not the only one, what should be a sanctuary for me and a means for you to exact a plan looks more like a prison."

You looked across at her. You could see a fear of the unknown in her eyes, fear of discovery, fear that she would be captured and killed by the enlightened. She had a lot to fear and nothing more than you to rely upon.

"It's okay to be afraid," you started, breathing in as you looked back at the building before you. "Fear tells you that you are still alive. There are all those emotions that people wish to discard, yet without them they would no longer be human."

"Do you truely believe in what you are saying?"

"I live by it."

You strode up the steps, opening the door as you walked into the reception room ahead of Anne. The first thing you were greeted by was the receptionist from earlier, along with his superior. The pair of them appeared to have been left waiting for your return, the papers that you were required to review and sign set in a neat stack. "Ah, there you are," the secretary started, as his superior nodding to him as he did so. "Everything you need to look at is ready for you here, once that's handled-"

The man was interrupted as his superior spoke up "I'm certain that he has a good idea what's involved with standard procedures, like this, give the man a little credit."

You smiled slightly, ignoring how you could feel Anne shuffle behind you, peering past you nervously. You stepped over to the desk, picking up the forms as you skimmed over them, checking that nothing had been slipped in without your consent. Confirming that everything was in order like you hoped, you quickly scribbled a signature down before passing the forms back.

"We'll also require you and your friend to sign this form," the secretary started, picking up another form as he did so, holding it out to Anne. "It simply covers that she is a guest here with certain privileges inferred by her association with you, that you both understand that you may be held accountable for her. All precautionary, as you can understand."

You skimmed over it quickly, taking note of how it covered you using this guest access as a pretense to bring in spies or enemies being something that would be held against you. After signing it you passed it to her, watching as she read it carefully before adding her own signature.

The secretary reached for a box under the desk, passing it to his superior, who opened it, removing a badge with the guilds emblem from it for you and a pass with the guilds emblem on it for Anne. "The guild master said that it is unlikely that you will wish to go through any ceremony for induction, so, that will be waived. Here is a sheet with our rules of conduct, that apply to both of you," the man paused, passing over a pristine piece of paper to you with freshly printed letters on it. "all that remains is to take you to see your room."

With this the higher ranking of the two men guestured for you to follow him, leading you through the fringes of several departments as he took you towards that room you had been assigned. You could feel awe radiating from Anne as she saw some of the things being made here. There were glowing crystals, bubbling liquids, forges and workshops. It for it to seem so clearly otherworldly to one who dealt with monsters on a regular basis told you just how out there the Technomancers were.

You found yourself going down into the depths of the building, an area that the man stated was chosen because it involved anybody trying to come for you having to get past the rest of the guild first. An area that was considered one of the most secure in the building.

Once you reached the room the man passed you each a key, stating that he was going to inform the guild master of your arrival and would be back to check on you later. You expected a dingy, drab and poorly illuminated room as you slipped your key into the lock. What you got reminded you of just how eccentric the Technomancers really were.

It was a room that had glowing stones illuminating it, a room that while set in solid bedrock was warm, heat coming up from the floor beneath you. It was a room that had a pair of large beds on opposite sides. Anne went wide eyed, squealing in suprise as she dashed into the room and dived onto one of the beds. There were desks for study, tables, chairs, and a door that you assumed led to a bathroom shared with one of the nearby rooms in this dorm.

"I take it back, no prison could have beds this comfortable," Anne purred as she got comfortable atop it. "I can't remember the last time I had somewhere so comfortable to sleep."

"Anne, if they discover that you're one of the enlightened, what are we going to tell them?"

"Oh god, I don't care, let them know i'm happy to co-operate with them if I can keep this bed if they find out."

You laughed, shaking your head as you did so. "Then we will be honest with them if it comes to it. If they will not see reason then we will leave. I am sure they will try to stop us, but..."

"...you just try stopping two immortals."

You leaned against the doorway as Anne wrapped herself in the covers, cooing softly, tilting your head as you considered fetching books for study, as you'd be expected to at least do that. Progress they'd wait longer for, but signs that you were trying to innovate for them they'd want sooner.

"I'm going to go and get some books from their libraries to study, before I go though, I have a few questions for you.

Anne grumbled, looking up at you, "what is it with you and questions?" She huffed, rolling over as she gave you her full attention. "Very well, i'm listening."

"As... Unusual as this sounds, I would like to know who in your order bears the name of Love, and if the phrase 'she who makes you falter' is of any signifigance to you?" You asked, watching as Anne tensed up.

"I... Don't want to talk about the order right now," she stammered, her expression showing that something about this question had spooked her. With a nod, you turned and made your way out of the room, heading towards the libraries as you did so. You wouldn't press this further for the time being you decided, as you were suspecting that the reason she was spooked by it was one that she wasn't going to share until she trusted you. You had research, innovation and production to focus on in the meantime however.

You knew you were going to be here for a fair amount of time, you knew it might take you weeks to perfect a new weapon. You figured that you'd put your head down for a week with research and production. You had ideas for improving the firing mechanism of the humble revolver, for hybridising a revolver and a shotgun. You could even try producing non-leathal rounds for your weapons. Other than these ideas, was there anything more that you were going to attempt to produce?


You have new points to spend.

Spoiler: "Stats" (click to show/hide)
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on July 07, 2010, 04:09:06 pm
one point in earth or maybe some other stat, then use the other two to gain the "presence of the immortal" ability that was suggested, boosted to allow us to inspire whatever response we want in people(anything from fear or respect to seeming unimportant)
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on July 07, 2010, 04:19:44 pm
Two points in air, one point into the ability:

Steady hand: you can craft things with an unnaturally, machinelike precision, gears will mesh perfectly, seals will be hermetic, rotation will be near frictionless, etc. This allows you to manufacture things that are much more accurate and have smaller margins of error while still being more reliable.

Also, I say we figure out some way to make explosive, armor piercing bullets, and some way to make a gun fire stuff at much higher speeds.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Ochita on July 07, 2010, 04:37:18 pm
Hmm. Design a Flare gun. Flashy, yet it does not make for a great weapon
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on July 07, 2010, 04:59:19 pm
((
Steady hand: <snip>

Two points of air pretty much puts you at the point you can naturally figure out ways to do close to that. 7 points puts you at 'legendary mind' that's beyond any natural humans limits, putting you at the level you can figure out how to use tools from cultures you've never encountered with insight even those that don'commonly use said tools don't have.

8 puts you at the point you could save a crumbling empire, envision new tools, construct devices from scratch, refine substances for special purposes, and so forth. your only limitation with such would be your other stats associative purposes holding you back somewhat with such high air.))
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on July 07, 2010, 05:01:02 pm
I change my vote to one point in air, two in presence of the immortal.

What would such a high stat mean for our boosted tactics ability?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on July 07, 2010, 05:03:18 pm
((your tactics ability is situational depending on terrain. at the very least, you can use peoples numbers against them. ideally, you can move about, constantly bottlenecking and preventing them from flanking you so they can attack you in lesser numbers.

it also means if you have people with you, that you can use their abilitys to their fullest.

if you have an army... well, it's pretty obvious.))
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on July 07, 2010, 05:07:01 pm
I meant it'd be about the pure motoric aspects. More sophisticated inventions require more perfect fits. you can't make a usefully fast mechanical computer with the same gears you use fro clocks, but if you make them frictionless and micrometer size it can do mcuh more useful things. No matter how clever the desig is, a gun with a bent barrel has a fundamental limitation to how accurate it can be.

But if you dont think this, put all 3 points into air.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: rickvoid on July 07, 2010, 05:28:04 pm
I meant it'd be about the pure motoric aspects. More sophisticated inventions require more perfect fits. you can't make a usefully fast mechanical computer with the same gears you use fro clocks, but if you make them frictionless and micrometer size it can do mcuh more useful things. No matter how clever the desig is, a gun with a bent barrel has a fundamental limitation to how accurate it can be.

But if you dont think this, put all 3 points into air.


Heh, forgot for a second that I was actually on my desktop, and not on the phone. Hey, I can use the quote function now. Sweet.

Anyway, blow all three points on Air!? No. No no no no no.

One point Air, one in Earth, and one point to improve our healing ability. Not sure how to do that though.

Armok, even if we had your "Steady Hands" ability, it's going to be less about our physical ability and more about the tools we're using. At 7 Air, we should be able to design and potentially fabricate tools that accurate, at which point how steady we are won't matter as much. Also, I suspect you have a specific reason for wanting that. (You always do.) Are you trying to get us to build some kind of laser device, or a Gauss weapon, or an electromagnetic railgun of some sort? Because I don't see Silleh Boy letting us get away with that.

Silleh if you could answer the following please:
I'm curious about the current level of weapons technology. How far along are we when it comes to firearms? Have double-action revolvers been invented? How about the gas-operated semi-automatic?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on July 07, 2010, 05:42:49 pm
Well, this is a steampunk setting, so railguns(far to much recoil to be used by an ordinary person... might be a good idea for us) might be possible... and a mechanical computer wouldn't be a stretch either(though it would be relatively useless) both would probably take quite some time to develop though.

Still, we don't need godly intelligence just yet. IQ won't save us from the things that go bump in the night.

We need to determine our long-term goals before we are gonna agree on what our points should go into.

earth/fire: legendary warrior. The typical RPG hero.
Air: inventor. Not the most epic usually, but a steam-powered army could be quite awesome.
Water: Leader. Unite the people of the city to find and destroy the creators of the monsters and then rule our kingdom forever.
Or combinations of the above.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Ochita on July 07, 2010, 05:54:16 pm
Flare gun? flashy enough to impress yet It cant really hurt anyone?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on July 07, 2010, 06:03:48 pm
((further improved healing is out - the enlightened heal faster due to their tainted flesh. it won't be an issue in time.
railguns and such are out, though equivilent fantasitic contraptions that take crystals powered by the tainted beasts flesh may be permissable, due to the how sparingly you can use them.
7 air, a touch and a touch more fire'd be enough to give you more finess to refine tools, to make refined tools with, to make better tools, to....
as for the single/double action thing, current tech's single, with a few good draws from the fortune deck you may be the inventor of the double action revolver. or even more.

I do love seeing you all debate what is best though, even when it does make it harder on me, as it shows that means the character develops in a manner I wouldn't push them personally, meaning I get a little nudge to actually think for the charater instead of turning encounters to paste with the characters bare hands.

Edit: Once there's something of an agreement on what to do with these points, i'll start working on an update.))
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: rickvoid on July 07, 2010, 07:07:38 pm
Let's invent the double-action revolver, the invent the double-action revolving shotgun.

Then various ammo types for the shotgun because it is a very versatile weapon that way. We're talking being able to fire things like low velocity bean-bags, to grenades, to close-range flameburst effects.

We should look into rifling (as in a barrel that has grooves on the inside that makes bullets spin) if that hasn't been invented either.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Acanthus117 on July 07, 2010, 09:04:50 pm
After the awesome double barreled revolving shotgun idea, we should try to make carbines, rifles that use the same principle as double action revolvers and fire pistol rounds. They should be compact, easy to make and easier to maintain.

(Of course, we should make a version that uses a more powerful round for ourselves)
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: sonerohi on July 07, 2010, 10:14:34 pm
My double revolving shotgun shall LIIIIIVEE. Incendiary, explosive, armor piercing, flak, and non-lethal rounds should cover all bases. Also, support for rifling.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Osmosis Jones on July 07, 2010, 10:24:17 pm
Modifying a shotgun to fire payload rounds (where payload is anything from white phosphorous to magic crystal to beanbags) would actually be pretty cool. Coupled with a few types of new ammo (red flare, green flare, explosive, beanbag or gas rounds?) it wold fill a lot of roles, and provide alterntives to the application of lethal force (which fits with the character's expressed morality).
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: sonerohi on July 07, 2010, 10:26:35 pm
Plus, we could load up a ton of the different flashy rounds and do a fireworks display.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on July 07, 2010, 11:12:52 pm
I think that we should stick to the deal, and share everything we make here. We accepted the terms of this deal to get out of a situation we got ourselves into...

We are reading their library, we need to get some air to fit with the story.

An electric shock power similar to what the automatons have would be very useful in conjunction with inventions, make it powerful enough and we might create technology that we could use that wouldn't be practical with the available energy sources... Though my idea involved rail guns, which are out... But if we could generate the same charge in ourselves as a charge we build up in a Tesla coil then our charge might propel the energy away from us somewhat. And being able to stun people and resist electrical stunning ourselves would be handy, if dangerous should we touch people...

Do we want a perfect memory?

For now I vote for one point to air and buy immortal presence.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on July 08, 2010, 08:25:05 am
You had assumed when you came here that your work would be something that would quickly progress to the point that you could be done with it. You had wanted to design these weapons and be done with it, you had wanted to produce armour and get meeting with the enlightened out of the way as soon as possible.

It wasn't as easy as you had assumed it would be.

While dubious of what you had to offer at first the Technomancers quickly realised that you were fast mastering your chosen field. You had dismantled your revolver over a hundred times to see how every part fit together for first hand experience, you had cleaned and oiled it, you had replaced the worn mechanisms with fresh ones to see what difference it made.

The firing mechanism was something that you knew you could improve upon. Within two days of arrival you had a fully working prototype model of your new revolver, one that recieved mixed reactions from those that came to see it. Many of them said that it was too simple, that they would have found something that could be powered and make whatever it was turned upon explode.

"Like people?" you had responded. They had fallen nervously silent, while one of the higher ranking figures in the workshops had applauded this simple yet effective mechanism. Several double action revolvers were set to be produced based upon your design, yet you were already dreaming of what you would design next.

Your next few designs were ones you simply conceptualised as being larger scale versions of the revolver for civilian and automaton use, designs that you turned over without taking any further than the drawing board, stating that they were soundly based off prior designs and as such were only going to require testing if they had need to be built.

By the fourth day you had moved onto hybridising the shotgun and the revolver, designing a bulky revolver that fired shotgun rounds and a shotgun with a revolving barrel that could be fired more times before it required reloading.

By the fifth day you were improving upon the actual loading method of the guns, drafting up a method for opening up the revolver from the top. Five hours later you had stated that it was only fit for lower caliber weapons due to how it weakened the frame and designed a method of swinging the cylinder out to allow for rapid replacement or reloading.

Day six saw you redesigning your hybrid weapons, adding in your new loading designs to them as you tinkered with the designs to bring them to perfection. You improved distribution of weight, you designed more durable firing mechanisms, you improved the frames strength.

You ignored the laughter of your peers as you turned the schematics you had designed for over to the workshops, asking them to get a working model up and running. The people at the workshops on the other hand, were excited to have something other than crude and awkward contraptions to work with.

By the end of the week you had a prototype for the smaller hybrid of a revolver and a shotgun ready. The others came to watch, snickering about how this was going to be another underwhelming weapon designed by you. This didn't bother you, as you knew that for all their so called genius they were fools. What did bother you however, was that Anne had come to watch this display, that you knew you had to make it look good for her sake.

Multiple targets had been setup in a walled off courtyard, most of them little more than series of wooden planks nailed together in a vaguely man like form.

You had twelve shells, six loaded, six in a second cylinder ready to swap in.

You spent several moments practicing reloading the weapon as you waited for the assembled group to cease talking amongst themselves, before running them through that reloading process once you were certain you had their attention.

"Get on with it!" one of them shouted as snickering rose from the crowd.

Your display silenced them as the targets nearest you were turned into matchsticks in moments, as you emptied the entire cylinder and swapped a second in rapidly, as you emptied the second cylinder too. The only problem was that the weapons kick hurt your wrists.

"It'll never catch on," one of the crowd stated, though they couldn't hide how shaken they were by this display of firepower. Satisfied that it did what was required of it, you turned the prototype over to the head of the workshops to store away.

That night you were haunted by the weeks progress.

You had given people the means to produce more efficient weapons, to speed up their attempts to destroy themselves.

The next three days were filled with depression, with Anne bringing you food as she did her best to cheer you up. The week building up to this had no doubt had her forced to watch as the cracks accumulated, as she watched you doing something that you truely detested.

You had refused to slow down when she begged you to and she had been left feeling helpless as she had no idea how to comfort you. You couldn't read her during this time, as your senses turned inward, as self loathing took hold.

After recovering from this you had set about designing new ammunition, that by the end of your second week had you design non-lethal rounds most notably. The rounds themselves you had taken note were deceptively simple to design thanks to your growing skill in the field. During this time you also started preliminary research into body armour designed to protect from these weapons, along with an improvement on the existing methods of rifling the barrels of weapons.

On the fifteenth day you'd adapted an existing shotgun to use two cylinders loaded with shells, with a new firing mechanism. It was a quick and dirty conversion to see if it was practical, with no means to fire the barrels individually. You didn't want to find a way to fire them individually, as you were sick of creating the weapons that you were going to potentially need to deal with the horrors that stalked the city.

Three weeks had passed when the Enlightened finally sent an assassin after Anne, a regular man who had come for her with a blade coated in an unidentified poison. A man who had managed to get unseen into the dorms and attempted to attack Anne while she was alone in your shared room.

Anne was shaken, saying nothing more than the man had been sent for her, that they wanted her dead.

Three weeks of hell had passed. The Enlightened had made it clear that they were a threat and you weren't sure you could take the design and production of weapons any longer. In this time, what had you created for yourself and how were you going to deal with the enlightened?


Spoiler: "Stats" (click to show/hide)
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Acanthus117 on July 08, 2010, 09:11:18 am
We have made an improved pistol that utilizes our designs, as well as a revolving rifle OF AWESOME.

I guess we should try and teach Anne how to fight. If she can defend herself, that's better than nothing, no?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on July 08, 2010, 10:24:41 am
We have saved the best weapon for ourselves: a larger, modified version of a revolver that can easily switch between several types of ammunition, from incendiaries, to armor piercing, to our non-lethal rounds, or anything else we design.

Send that poison to the labs to be examined, then go find the enlightened. If they have assassin's this good, it's only a matter of time before one attacks when we aren't around, and Anne won't be able to learn to fight with super-human skill like us.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on July 08, 2010, 11:12:50 am
I've had enough of weapons, lets build something for the its own sake, like a puzzle. It could have a mechanism to deposit a ball bearing in its centre, with bars that move to prevent anyone reaching the  bearing. pour all our skill into its design, but make sure that we can still retrieve it using tactical insight alone. Leave them something to remember us by other than a load of weapons and assassins...
 Also, spend more time with Anne, much of the initial planning of any constructions should be possible with relatively little equipment.
 Keep the poison to ourselves, it is unlikely that the technomancers will discern how to make it, and we may want to work with the enlightened in the future. Hopefully the knife will be intimidating if we take it with us to confront the Enlightened. assuming that it is actually dangerous to them, for all we know the poison is just part of a plot to get us to think that we have a weapon that can hurt them. We should ask Anne if a poison is consistent with the means to remove immortality.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: maxicaxi on July 08, 2010, 11:25:09 am
=P
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: sonerohi on July 08, 2010, 11:25:42 am
Double revolving shotgun, along with a more powerful revolver.
((By-the-by, double revolving doesn't mean two revolver cases that can be swapped. It means 6 cases that rotate around, each holding 6 rounds that rotate around)).
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: maxicaxi on July 08, 2010, 11:30:39 am
Double revolving shotgun, along with a more powerful revolver.
((By-the-by, double revolving doesn't mean two revolver cases that can be swapped. It means 6 cases that rotate around, each holding 6 rounds that rotate around)).
this
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on July 08, 2010, 12:22:22 pm
((
((By-the-by, double revolving doesn't mean two revolver cases that can be swapped. It means 6 cases that rotate around, each holding 6 rounds that rotate around)).

Hmm, you have a link to something that'd illustrate this, or something comparable?))
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: sonerohi on July 08, 2010, 01:02:36 pm
There is a name for it that I've forgotten, unfortunately.
The best I could provide would be to take this
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
and picture that where the bullets go, is instead another cylinder. The overall design ended up looking somewhat like a tommy gun, with how the cylinders hung to the bottom.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Kashyyk on July 08, 2010, 01:28:13 pm
Are you trying to make the AA-12?  ;D

Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on July 08, 2010, 01:29:36 pm
Why is everyone trying to make big, deadly weapons when our character clearly hates doing so?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Digital Hellhound on July 08, 2010, 01:47:29 pm
I was just about to ask the same question.

If we do create those, make sure to build non-lethal rounds for them only.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Osmosis Jones on July 08, 2010, 01:51:22 pm
Don't even do that. The character is starting to break down from making weapons. I say, we go out, track down an enlightened, and pass on a message to 'Brother Pride' that if he tries to mess with us again, his nuts will be permanently removed with a rusty scalpel. After all, we have that fancy new presence power, let's make use of it to scare the bejeebus out of those pesky cultists.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on July 08, 2010, 01:58:28 pm
((it's not so much the fact that he's building weapons, as he honoured an agreement that put these weapons in the hands of humans.

until there's some well defined example of the shotgun in question, i'll leave it to everyone's imagination when it comes to any combat involving it.

Now, time to get this update started.))
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on July 08, 2010, 03:35:10 pm
You had a number of new weapons from your efforts at least, weapons and ammunition for all situations. You didn't like the fact that you had created these things though, it didn't sit well with you know that you could potentially have pushed the world a mile forward in the progression of modern warfare instead of a few steps.

You'd have to leave the guildmaster a note, asking him not to unleash all that you had made on the world at once. Or at all, for that matter if it was avoidable. You didn't want to be the father of modern war, the man who gave people the means to kill more efficiently than ever.

Turning your back on the books that you had been working on, you turned to the schematics beside you. A simple puzzle that worked by dropping a ball in the top, pressing buttons to retract and extend small bars of metal. It was something of a maze that required you to guess the combinations that would get you through it, though various buttons were linked to more than one bar.

It was a first draft, but it made you feel good to be conceptualising a puzzle for a child.

A thought caught your attention. You could scribble that note on your preliminary designs, have them delivered to the guild master. It'd save you waiting until morning to see him at least, morning, when the freaks went to bed and the city awoke.

Maybe it was time to deal with the freaks directly, pay them a visit and diplomatically get them to leave Anne alone. With Anne no longer endangered you'd no longer have to remain here, if you didn't have to remain here, you wouldn't be expected to invent.

No invention, no guilt.

You scrawled a note to the guild master beside the diagrams that you had designed as your preliminary idea, stating your feelings on this matter, before passing it to the on duty librarian with it detailed without a doubt, that the guild master was to get this.

The man nodded slightly, indifferent towards you and the note. Protocol was protocol at least so if something was to reach the guild master, it would reach him. Turning, you made your way towards the dorms, figuring that you'd let Anne know of your plans.

Your feet felt heavy as you made your way there, passing the various departments, passing the many people experimenting with alchemically derived substances, with their flashy toys and overly complicated devices.

It was a wonder that the guild kept afloat with how impractical most of the things they invented themselves were, though you felt that it was likely the forges and the Clockworkers requiring some form of partnership to produce their mechnical men that brought in the real money.

Breathing deeply, you made your way down the stairs towards your room, figuring that you'd take the knife with you, that you'd ask Anne what the substance that had coated its blade was.

The journey felt longer than ever, with doubt gnawing at your mind over what you were going to do. You were afraid. You wanted to run from that fear, to hide away until you felt brave again. You knew that this fear was what told you that you were still alive, that you were still human, yet it was unwelcome, it was out of place. It was making you falter, filling you with anxiety.

The irony wasn't lost on you that you were having an anxiety attack, while planning an attack for Anxiety. It was a stretch to put it in those terms, but you had the feeling that diplomacy would revolve around beating your point into Brother Pride's skull. You really hoped that it wouldn't.

As you opened the door to your room you sighed, Anne was asleep.

During the time you two had spent together it had become clear that her conditioning, that her devotion to the enlightened was waning. Without constant reminders of her place and nature she had started to act diferent, almost normal. She had chatted with you, distracted you and played with you to pass time, she had watched all the flashy experiments that she was permitted to, she had played games with the guild members.

She had seemed to find herself, showing the firey yet kind woman she had been before she became what she was.

She wasn't as able to grasp some of the concepts as the guild members or as well versed in their games, yet they all seemed to welcome her. It was likely because she was one of the few women in this male dominated guild, because she was bored and looking for intellectual stimulation. It was likely many other factors too, yet at the end of the day you could see the jealousy in their eyes as she would always run over to you whenever you turned up.

You didn't feel that way towards her though, you didn't feel that desire that her form invoked in other men. What you did feel was a bizzare sense of kinship, knowing that she was an immortal like yourself, even if her immortality was granted by other means than fate. She was the closest anyone here was to someone you could associate with, to relate to.

She never had given you your machete back though.

Moving over to your side of the room, you started to sift through your weapons rack. Taking a number of weapons would ensure that you looked like you meant business, as well as being able to back such a claim up. First you reached for your revolver, though you faltered as you knew that you had a newer one, made for you to your specifications.

You sighed as you reached for the newer revolver, setting it down atop your bed. Next you took your custom built shotgun, knowing that the thirty six round capacity it bore would come in useful if things got ugly. It joined your revolver atop the bed before you took several cylinders that were ready loaded and placed them beside the revolver.

You strapped the shotgun to your back, loaded the two belts you now wore with ammo and attached the spare revolver cylinders to your belt.

A quick note explaining that you had gone to negotiate with the Enlightened was written out and placed beside Anne's bed. You lingered though, sighing as you leaned down to brush her hair aside, placing a soft kiss on her forehead.

This could be goodbye.

If something went wrong, you might never see her again.

You wouldn't fail her though, you couldn't afford to. If something happened to you and she was tracked down and killed in the mean time you'd never forgive yourself. You had given her your word, promised her that you would make everything right and you planned to do so.

Turning from her, you started on your way towards the entrance hall of the guild.

The walk felt longer than ever as you almost dragged your feet, feeling deep down that you were walking to war, that you were planning to walk into the home of the enlightened and the only way to make them listen would be to subdue them. You knew that they couldn't die from your weapons, yet that didn't make it feel right.

It must've been the guilt you felt over making these weapons speaking.

As you strode from the guild house you followed your heart, wandering where you felt it directing you, as you knew that without knowing where to look that it was all you could rely upon. Anne had never spoken about the location that the Enlightened hid in, that you knew was out of fear that you would do exactly what you were doing right now.

The howl of dogs filled the chilly streets as you wandered onwards.

Onward, from the richer districts towards the common mans part of town. From the commoners quarters to the run down parts of town that no man in their right mind dared to come to. This was the type of place that made the area that you had originally stayed in look like a paradise, the kind of area where you would find all manner of evil in man before you even witnessed an abomination.

That evil didn't dissapoint.

Six men stepped out of run down buildings as you strode onwards, makeshift weapons and knives in their hands as they sneered, fanning out before you. "What do we 'ave 'ere. A lost girly-boy in the bad parts o'town. I suggest ye give us yer goods lassy-lad, before things get ugly." The biggest of the men sneered, while you stared impassively at them.

"Out of my way, mortals!" You boomed, standing proud, your very presence radiant as you exuded raw terror. The men froze in their tracks, stammering and faltering as they looked at each other. One of them however, wasn't as afraid as the others.

The one charged at you, a ferocious cry from him rousing his companions as he lunged for you with a knife. The entire thing was over quickly, as you grabbed his wrist, twisting his arm behind his back, lifting him from his feet by his trapped arm. His screams echoed as your continued to twist, until the sound of his shoulder popping out of its socket prompted you to stop. Gurgling sobs escaped the mans lips as you cast him aside, as the other men faltered once more.

"Next to oppose me shall die!" Your voice echoed through the silent streets, while the men turned to run. You were pleased deep down, you hadn't had to get their blood on your hands so to speak, by being forced to kill them.

While you felt eyes on you from time to time as you strode down the streets, no other dared accost you as you made your way ever onward. The sign you were looking for that you had found the Enlightened didn't materialise as you had hoped though. It did however, catch your attention as the moon peeked out from behind the clouds daubed on the cover of a manhole.

You had located the Enlightened, yet you knew from what Anne had told you that they would not take kindly to your presence. You had hope still, that diplomacy would win the day. If diplomacy took a few rounds to get your point across, so be it. Just what was your message to the Enlightened going to be, however?


Spoiler: "Possessions" (click to show/hide)
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on July 08, 2010, 03:44:40 pm
Tell them that we have no quarrel with their order, but if they do not cease their attacks on us and Anne we will be forced to destroy them. If necessary fight off any that instantly attack before showing off the poisoned dagger, threatening that the technomancers could synthesize more of this poison if removing them permanently became necessary.(Most likely it will remove their immortality, otherwise they would not have tried to use it on Anne. At the least they won't regenerate the damage it causes.)
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Osmosis Jones on July 08, 2010, 03:58:15 pm
Bust into their hideout, guns akimbo, screaming something ridiculously macho like "I'm here to kick arse and chew tobacco, and I'm all out of tobacco!"


...


Seriously? Threaten extreme retribution if they ever so much as look askance at you or Anne. Put the full force of your presence behind it, like, head asplode sort of levels of presence. Then casually mention that you're perfectly willing to let them live if they leave you alone, and saunter out of there before they realize what the hell just happened.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Ochita on July 08, 2010, 03:59:29 pm
Bust into their hideout, guns akimbo, screaming something ridiculously macho like "I'm here to kick arse and chew tobacco, and I'm all out of tobacco!"


...


Seriously? Threaten extreme retribution if they ever so much as look askance at you or Anne. Put the full force of your presence behind it, like, head asplode sort of levels of presence. Then casually mention that you're perfectly willing to let them live if they leave you alone, and saunter out of there before they realize what the hell just happened.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on July 08, 2010, 04:15:17 pm
Make sure the enlightened know not to mess with you, and that they will leave Anne alone.

Then go back and invent peaceful stuff. I suggest some kink of transportation, maybe a means of mass producing cheap, scalable walking platforms, that could be used for personal transportation or for plows. Other sugestions are some means of wireless communication, and medical procedures.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Ochita on July 08, 2010, 04:17:23 pm
I think we gave up on being a technomancer now armok
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: sonerohi on July 08, 2010, 04:18:34 pm
Agreeance with Dragnar. If they will forgive Anne and us, we will forgive them, and good relations could ensue. I'm pretty sure they are all wetting themselves over a true immortal anyways.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on July 08, 2010, 04:19:38 pm
I think we gave up on being a technomancer now armok
What?! Why?!?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Ochita on July 08, 2010, 04:24:19 pm
Because Our character does not like to invent there anymore in fear of having to make more weapons Whoops, Guess I was wrong.  :-\
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on July 08, 2010, 04:26:43 pm
I think we gave up on being a technomancer now armok
What?! Why?!?
Mainly because they seem a little too obsessed with making things go boom. They're more like mad scientists than inventors.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on July 08, 2010, 04:36:51 pm
did you look at my list of proposed inventions?

Personal transportation. Modern farming. Telecommunications. Medicine.
Tech can make the world a better place.

... You know, its fully possible the CHARACTER dosn't realize this, and some event in the next turn will give him the idea.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Osmosis Jones on July 08, 2010, 04:40:24 pm
Walking platforms are pointless and inefficient. A rudimentary steam car though, that could be cool.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Ochita on July 08, 2010, 04:42:37 pm
I belive that our character has been forced into fighting so long that he can only think of battle. Like a old knight, always thinking of war
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on July 08, 2010, 04:45:00 pm
did you look at my list of proposed inventions?

Personal transportation. Modern farming. Telecommunications. Medicine.
Tech can make the world a better place.

... You know, its fully possible the CHARACTER dosn't realize this, and some event in the next turn will give him the idea.
We are not going to be able to invent telecommunications most likely. Transportation probably is possible, but far to expensive for most to use(they have walking robots already) and we know nothing about the medical/farming tech already available.

Besides, I'm not saying we should stop inventing things, just that the technomancers won't like anything our character is willing to invent. They just like flashy stuff.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Acanthus117 on July 08, 2010, 05:35:11 pm
what about something akin to automail? we could benefit hundreds, but I guess we need moar INT.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on July 08, 2010, 05:40:42 pm
what about something akin to automail? we could benefit hundreds, but I guess we need moar INT.
Especially seeing as how that stuff is more advanced than modern prosthetics... It plugs straight into the nervous system and has no apparent power source.

Unrelated, but be never found out what was so important about that painting of us. Looking like someone from any 400 year old picture is surprising, but they acted as if there was something about that specific picture that made our appearance even more impressive.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Acanthus117 on July 08, 2010, 05:43:01 pm
Okay, if we come back, we have to teach Anne how to actually shoot a gun.

So she won't get hurt and shit.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: sonerohi on July 08, 2010, 05:44:37 pm
Dragnar: The painting was important because it was us. If any other deceased people walked on in and said they had never died, they'd be pretty stoked about that too. Also, they seem like riddle-solving people, and they probably sunk a lot of time into trying to name us and our painter, to no success.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on July 08, 2010, 05:48:06 pm
Yes, but they referred to it as simply "The Painting". No matter how good it is, a painting you don't know the painter of does not earn that title without something more to it.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on July 08, 2010, 07:31:31 pm
You took a deep breath as you reached down for the manhole cover, carefully lifting it, pushing it aside as you recalled how you had originally entered the city from a place much like this. It reminded you that the fat bastard that had beaten you was still out there alive and needed a lesson in manners.

You were not entirely certain how you would deliver such a lesson, though you knew you could come up with something creative. You were certain you could do it without harming him too, if it came to it. Maybe you'd do something to shame him, like having the queen herself tell him that he was a disgrace, while pardoning you of anything that you were actually accused of.

It was wistful thinking, but it was enough to make you smile.

You peered down the open manhole as you unholstered your revolver, gazing down for a long moment as you watched, waited and listened. Nobody came to investigate and no sound came from that open hole. There was no stench either.

It was entirely possible that this was a converted prison facility belonging to another faction, one that the Enlightened had either taken over by force or stumbled upon when it was abandoned. Placing your feet to the sides of the open manhole, you slid down the shaft leading down steadily, keeping an eye on ever approaching ground beneath you. As your feet neared the lip of the shaft, you reached with your free hand for the rungs sunk into the wall, halting your descent as you once more paused to look and listen.

Silence.

Emboldened by this, you made your way down the ladder, taking note that you were in a tunnel like the one you had seen in the prison. Dim illumination from lights dotted along the wall stretched either way, old cells lay open, the doors to them long torn from their hinges. Rust covered the bars of the cells that you could see, as well as the wire housing pipes that the lights were set into.

The place looked abandoned, yet you knew that it was not so.

Looking both ways, you took note of how water and mud had accumulated down here, how footprints tracked in one direction. As quiet as a mouse you crept along the tunnel towards an old wooden door just visible over the lip of what you assumed was stairs leading downwards.

You edged down the stairs, feet almost gliding over them as you silently made your way down. For all your efforts to be quiet, the door's hinges screeched as you opened it, revealing several very suprised looking figures in robes.

The Enlightened.

There were eight of them, eight men who stared at you in shock prompting you to take advantage of the moment to try and start things on a good foot.

"I come in peace. I wish to talk with Brother Pride, to negotiate-" You were cut off as they started to draw their weapons, all eight of them armed with the typical blade that you saw these men use.

"Death to the intruder!" One of them yelled as he started running towards you, only to falter as you raised your gun, cocking it for good measure as your presence went from one of benevolence to one of chilling malevolence.

"I said, I come in peace. We can do this the easy way, or I can put a bullet in every single one of your heads on my way to talk with Pride. Are we at an understanding?" You stated, watching as the man before you backed away slightly, only to grow bold once more as he looked at the others.

"None may meet with Pride, the penalty for intrusion is death!"

Six shots rang out in rapid succession as you targeted the men nearest you, leaving six men writing on the ground as they held their heads, pained cries escaping their lips as the other two stared in shock. You took advantage of the moment to swap cylinders, reloading before the shocked men could decide how they'd act.

"Now, you two are going to co-operate or things are going get ugly fast. Do either of you recognise this?" You asked, drawing the knife as you kept your weapon trained on the nearest of them. Their expressions turned to ones of anger as they raised their blades once more.

"Harborer of the traitor!" they screamed in unison as they charged, only to fall like the others had as two more shots rang out. Sheathing the blade once more you left the writing cultists where they lay, stepping towards the door as pools of ichor formed.

The room filled with that familiar stench as they bled, as they recovered steadily from those wounds that had been dealt to them. Wounds that would have killed a mortal outright. You were glad when you stepped through the door and into another tunnel, this one splitting off in several directions. There was an old sign still up on the wall, one that pointed towards further cell blocks, towards a chapel, towards the office of the supervisor.

You considered this briefly, figuring that the logical place for the head of the order to locate himself was the old supervisor's office. It was once the head of the prison, and he was the head of the order. You took a moment as you walked towards it to reload the spent cylinder on your belt, to load two fresh bullets to replace the ones in your current one.

You didn't want to be caught short if it came to it.

You knew that it was only a matter of time before the ones that you had shot prior recovered or someone came to investigate the sound of gunfire. For all you knew, they could be preparing right now for it, having figured that they were being attacked.

You had to act fast.

You jogged up to the door of the supervisors office, taking a deep breath as you pressed yourself against the wall beside it, steeling yourself...

"Pride!" You screamed as you kicked the door open, while a shocked figure sat at a desk looked up first at you, then down the barrel of the gun pointed at his head.

"N-no, I... I'm Brother Ego," The man stammered, only to be sent tumbling over the back of his chair as a single gunshot rang out. shouting from the tunnel behind you told you that you'd been discovered.

As you turned you were greeted by the sight of four men running towards you with weapons drawn, men who you could see the fanatical devotion to their order in their eyes. The first one was shot in the leg as you used his falling body to slow the others down, three more shots ringing out, finding their mark.

Three bodies hit the ground, groaning as they held their heads.

The fourth crawled towards you with murderous intent in his eyes, struggling as he forced himself to his feet. You fired the final bullet in that cylinder, swinging it open as you swapped it for a fresh one, holstering your revolver as you pulled your shotgun from your back.

You were going to need more firepower.

You started running towards the chapel next, figuring that it was the next most likely place for Pride to be holed up in. As you neared the door however, it opened, several of the Enlightened pouring out with a scream.

You stepped back at a measured pace as you fired round after round into the approaching figures torso's. Each one dropped with gaping wounds from the powerful weapon you, each one cried in pain as the flow of them tapered off. Fifteen rounds had been fired, fifteen bodies writhed on the floor. Two more of the Enlightened stood frozen in the doorway, while a voice from within the chapel rang out, commanding them onwards.

"Stop the intruder, cowards!"

You paced towards them, gunning them down with the same ease you had taken their friends out, stepping over the mass of writhing bodies as you made your way into the chapel.

"You must be Brother Pride," you stated as you approached the figure that stood atop the pulpit, a figure who was large beneath his robes, broad shouldered and bloated. "I have come to negotiate with you. I want you to leave Anxiety be."

You paused, drawing the knife that had been left behind by the assassin. "You see this?" You started, though Pride merely snorted, waving his hand dismissively.

"You killed the assassin before he could paralyze with that Anxiety and bring her back to be punished. This is supposed to impress me?" Pride snorted, watching as you sheathed that blade once more, leveling your shotgun with him again.

So much for playing that card.

"I was going to offer to to maintain a state of neutrality with you, to take no agressive action towards you as long as you made no move to threaten me, or to harm Anxiety in any manner."

Pride laughed once more as he waved his hand dismissively. "You boy, are nothing. You hope to threaten an immortal order by shooting us a few times and causing no more inconvenience than needing five minutes to find our feet again?" He sneered, folding his arms across his chest. "You are pathetic, a worm, a weakling immortal not worthy of the time he has wasted with this joke he calls negotiating."

Pride snickered as you moved your finger to the trigger of your weapon once more.

"I assumed it may take a few rounds to change your mind. I did not anticipate however, that you would make it easy on me like this."

You squeezed the trigger, the sound of another round being fired ringing out.

Pride's robe fluttered to the ground, torn by the pellets that had torn through it. Pride wasn't there however. He never had been. Pride had managed to blind you to what he really was, and what he really was had you swallow nervously as you followed the dangling tentacles that had held the robe in their grasp.

Pride was a vast and misshapen abomination, a pulsating mass of flesh with many eyes, maws and tentacles. You raised your shotgun, firing off several rounds as you backed towards the door, only for a tentacle to snatch the gun from your hands, whipping it across your face before you could reach for your revolver.

Ichor dribbled from the beast above you where pellets had torn into its flesh, yet it seemed unphased by this, as it casually grasped your shotgun with several tentacles. You staggered as the room started to spin, blood trickling from your nose. As you reached for your revolver the sound of another gun filled the air, the sound of a shotgun.

Pain filled your world as you felt pellets tear into your unprotected body, your vision blurring as you sank to your knees and crumpled backwards. You could feel sticky warmth as blood ran freely from your injuries, as you raised your arm weakly, loosing off four rounds at the thing that encompassed the entire ceiling of the chapel.

The shotgun was swung once more as Pride slammed the butt of it against your face.

The last thing you saw as consciousness left you was the sight of the Enlightened staggering into the room, their mouths moving as they spoke with Pride, yet you could hear nothing over the ringing of your ears.

Then, there was darkness.


End of Part One
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: rickvoid on July 08, 2010, 08:02:19 pm
Well, darn.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on July 08, 2010, 08:11:18 pm
That could have gone better. We probably should have learned more about the leader before trying something like that.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: sonerohi on July 08, 2010, 09:02:26 pm
So the octopus shit we fought when we found Anne was Pride? Damn. Silleh, you have my commendations for being a kickass dude.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Labs on July 08, 2010, 10:06:49 pm
So the octopus shit we fought when we found Anne was Pride? Damn. Silleh, you have my commendations for being a kickass dude.

No, Anne said the octopus was a monster that they regularly hunted. Pride seems much bigger than that. Also, their names remind me of Anthem by Ayn Rand. Same idea behind the naming too.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: sonerohi on July 08, 2010, 11:09:14 pm
Anne could have been lying. For all we know, she had already abandoned the Enlightened and then latched onto us. Also, the whole octopus and all its arms could have been the tip of a tentacle that branches off of Prides main tentacles.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on July 09, 2010, 12:35:55 am
If the enlightened eat abominations to change themselves, then it really shouldn't be surprising if some of them resemble abominations.

P.S.
Still, good news on the assassin front, it looks like they need to actually abduct Anne to deal with her.

P.P.S.
Should have just given them the message and left...

Maybe we should spend our points on density control, whatever they use to restrain us we can probably reduce our size to make it possible to move and possibly make us a bit stronger.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: cerapa on July 09, 2010, 04:31:36 am
We should have brought some explosive rounds and greandes.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on July 09, 2010, 05:46:40 am
I am not convinced that weapons of mass destruction are the way to go, we are all immortal and they heal quicker...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Toaster on July 09, 2010, 10:10:00 am
We need more earth.  We got taken down way too easily, despite him being so powerful.  We'll have to go that way next time we get points.

Pride cometh before the fall...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on July 09, 2010, 11:12:39 am
Green and blue kissed as they touched upon the horizon, the endless sea of green that was the plains meeting the ocean of blue above. Pristine fields and cloudless skies surrounded you, with all that broke the continuity of the skies being the sun above. The sun, that beat down mercilessly upon you with relentless summer heat, that cast no shadows on those figures that inhabited this realm of dreams.

There had once been an army, yet that army was gone like the shadows that they did not cast. There had once been the scars of battle, yet the scars were gone, leaving nothing but featureless green plains stretching as far as the eye could see.

Relentless as the heat of the sun was you couldn't help but feel a chill.

You knew something was wrong, you knew that the dreamworld that had been your sanctuary for so long was crumbling, that the world of war that had been your refuge, had brought you hope was collapsing. The edges of the world where green kissed blue were slowly but surely losing colour and cracks were appearing in the sky.

A slow, shuddering breath escaped your lips as you watched grey creep slowly inward, colour fading, the border of land and sky blurring. The cracks that were appearing spread quickly, lacing out as if the sky were made of ice while the sky seemed to bleed through them.

Shimmering blue light sparkled through the cracks like light reflected by water, bathing the ground around you in that shifting pattern. Cracks in the sky and the edges of the world fading to grey. The world of your dreams was coming to and end and there was that familiar figure here once more with you, that figure that had haunted you in these recent dreams.

"Anxiety..." came the voice of that figure in your arms as they reached up to you, a trembling hand pressing to your cheek, leaving sticky warmth where it touched. You could smell the unmistakable scent of blood from this figure, you could see it oozing from beneath the armour that clad him.

Was he dying?

"I used to... Think that you were my god, visiting me in my dreams, playing with me, preparing me to leave this world and to join you. I was prepared to die if it meant that I would be by your side... You are not my god though, are you?" You sighed, tracing your finger over the armoured cheek of the figure before you. His armour wouldn't permit itself to be removed this time, you couldn't understand why, though you knew it best not to question such too deeply in a dream.

"You called me Love, the name I was almost granted, the name I was too afraid to jump for joy over. I wanted to believe so badly that you were my god... That I would sit by your side forever more as your loyal subject." You sighed as the figure in your arms remained silent.

"I don't wish to die now. I have reason to live, I have hope and dreams for the first time in years. I am my own person, though I live in fear. I do not know why you did not kill me, as there is only one other person you could be if you are not my god..." You whispered, lifting your head once more as you looked away from the figure, as you turned your attention to the horizon.

As grey crept inward, at the very fringes of what you could see now, black consumed the borders of the world.

"Are you the Reaper of Dreams?" You asked, though the figure remained silent, no more than his heavy breathing betraying that he was still with you.

"Are you the killer of immortals?"

Silence.

"If you are not my god, if you are not the one who can kill an immortal in their sleep, who are you?" You asked, though you felt that the question fell upon deaf ears. You looked up briefly as the world started to dim. The cracks had reached the sun and covered its surface, causing light to bleed from it for a moment before it shattered, before pieces of that sun rained down about you like a shower of sparks.

"Seek the mighty tree that grows where fire dances by the river side," The figure's voice echoed in your ears, while chunks of what had been the sun settled about you, bathing you in a soft yellow glow.

"Do you fear the dark?" came the figures words once more, as they shifted slightly to look up at you, a sharp hiss escaping their lips as you felt the sensation of blood oozing from the joints of their armour. You could feel the sticky warmth of it soaking through your clothing as they lay on your lap.

"I do not fear the dark, I fear what is in the dark. I know that it is okay to be afraid, because-"

"Fear lets you know that you are alive. Without a rich tapestry of emotion you are nothing more than an automaton, nothing more than a shell of a person without the joys of life to hold onto."

"Are you afraid?" you swallowed as you asked that question, watching as colour faded from the world at an increasing rate, as you quickly became marooned on an island of colour in a sea of grey, as inky blackness slowly consumed that what had lost its colour.

"As long as I am afraid... I will be alive..."

With those words the figure in your arms went limp, the darkness that was consuming the dream world accelerating as it closed in with a deafening roar, engulfing you in a smothering, chilling black blanket.

As you opened your eyes you remained disorientated for a long moment, glancing about your room as you looked for cracks in the sky, for the colour fading and darkness rushing in. It took several sweeps of the room as you looked for tell tale signs that you were still dreaming before you realised that you were awake.

As you came to your senses you experienced a sense of disgust as your entire body felt clammy, your night clothes plastered to you by cold sweat. If this was how that dream was going to have you awaken in future, you could happily do without it. A quick glance to the bed on the other side of the room betrayed that you were alone, telling you that the coast was clear to go and clean yourself up.

You grabbed fresh clothing as you hurried into the bathroom that this room lead into, making a mental note to thank whoever it was who had seen it fit to provide this place with running water. Especially hot running water. Half awake you started to draw a bath, turning to lock the doors leading into the shared bathroom. With that done you turned to the mirror, brushing firey red hair aside as you checked to see if you had visible rings under your eyes. Green eyes and a tired face stared back at you from the mirror, making you cringe as you looked terrible.

That bloody handprint on your face was going to have to go, too.

Bloody...

Oh god.

You were glad that Eurochkoles had awoken before you and gone off to study or whatever else it was that he was doing today, as it meant that you could soak in the bath, that you could relax. God did you need to relax, you had blood on your face from a dream and the order you were a part of-

That you had been a part of, was after you. You weren't a part of them anymore, you were your own person. Since your seperation from them your views had slowly changed, as the things that they told you were no longer reinforced by constant reminders, constant sermons. Brother Pride had always been very good at making you believe that as crazy as it all sounded, that it was right.

It was all crazy, it was all bizzare rituals and the consumption of tainted flesh to strengthen you, to embrace the taint and allow it to make you more than human. Eurochkoles was right when he had talked about how it was the fear of death that had as many people as they had in that order join them, as without the promise of eternal life you couldn't see yourself, let alone others having ever done any of that.

In a sense you felt sorrow for the immortal who had been there in the beginning, when things had made sense still. He had searched for a means to grant those that flocked to him the eternal life that he himself had grown tired of. You could remember how he had grown excited to find that he was able to do just that, that in doing so he would be able to bring his own life to an end.

At the time, Pride had made it seem like he was excited because he wished to make that sacrifice, yet now you thought about it, Pride had capitalised on this to become the power behind the Enlightened.

There were details that you were hazy on still, though that was something that you put down to the taint that ran through your body. You knew that the more you consumed those creatures, the more your mind became alien to you. You could feel thoughts that were not your own, you had memories that were not your own, you had power, that was not your own.

At the time you had been told you embrace it, and you had without fear.

Now, it terrified you, as you knew that deep down you were no longer wholly yourself.

Once you had cleansed yourself, dried yourself and made yourself feel presentable you stepped from the bathroom, running a comb through your hair as you put the finishing touches on your appearance before you froze.

Only now did you notice several of Eurochkoles guns missing from his rack.

It was perfectly reasonable to assume that he had taken them to tinker with them or practice firing with them. Settling down on the edge of your bed you wrinkled your nose, wondering if it was a better idea to see if you could find someone to play games with. You leaned back with a sigh, glancing down at the bedside table as something caught your attention. A piece of paper, a note no doubt.

You smiled slightly as you reached to pick it up, figuring it was Eurochkoles doing his best to be considerate and telling you not to worry and to stay safe while he ran around the city like an idiot, trying to find something that he believed was important that meant nothing to anybody but him. That, or he had gone to visit Red.

What you saw though had your heart sink and your chest tighten, he had gone to deal with the order, despite your repeated warnings that they wouldn't take kindly to his presence. You could feel an overwhelming sense of dread and you should have seen it coming. You had seen the cracks as they formed and you had been powerless to slow him down.

Why did you feel so guilty, when you had no power over him?
What were you going to do?



Spoiler: "Stats" (click to show/hide)
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Ochita on July 09, 2010, 11:22:21 am
Okay, think. If he hasnt come back then we need a plan. Think of the ways to actally kill you.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on July 09, 2010, 11:40:13 am
We have no defense against the order. Grab a couple of Eurochkoles newest guns and think what Pride would do with him if he were caught.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: cerapa on July 09, 2010, 12:26:00 pm
Perhaps we should tell the guild?

They are the only ones that could actually do anything I think.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: sonerohi on July 09, 2010, 12:41:12 pm
Tell the Technomancers, give the note to the leader. Suggest that they tell the Clockworkers about it also. They don't have Presence of the Immortal, so we will need to give them good directions, and tell them how to kill the others as best as we know.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on July 09, 2010, 02:59:36 pm
You had to think, you had to get things straight in your head before you did anything. You had to know what was right and what was wrong, what you knew to be true and what was an alien thought brought about by this taint.

The question is, just how much of what you knew could you truely rely upon?

You knew that given as it was, your immortality could be taken. You didn't know exactly how it was granted, how it was taken, though as far as you knew, only Pride was capable of doing this. Pride had been the one who spoke for your god, pride had been the one who had been entrusted with the secret. Pride had been the first to benefit from it.

It wasn't clear to you how Pride could do this, as you had been unconscious for the ceremony when it had been your time, a ceremony that Pride alone had carried out. You just had to make sure that Pride never got his hands on you.

Easier said than done, you told yourself as you moved across the room to the gun rack that Eurochkoles had sat above his bed, you wanted to rush back to the hideout of the Enlightened, to burst in and rescue him yet you didn't know for certain if he had found them or not. For all you knew he could be lost, he could be on his way back, he could have actually talked with them and come to an agreement.

You were going to show the note to the guild master still, you needed to get this out on the table, so that they could help you figure what to do about this. Naturally, you weren't going to take the suggestion of remaining cooped up here any longer well.

You could see that revolver that was used on you the day that you met sat on the gun rack, you didn't know much about guns but you knew that this gun had to be powerful. Why else would he have used it, after all?

Taking it from the rack, you gave the trigger a few experimental squeezes, frowning as nothing visibly seemed to happen. Maybe it was broken. Placing it back on the rack, you allowed your fingers to drift over the other weapons, many of them appearing to have parts missing from them. One other caught your eye, one that looked very similar to the gun you had watched him demonstrate once. The gun that the Technomancers had said wouldn't catch on when they were visibly intimidated by it. This one was very powerful!

The trigger felt stiff as you gave it a few experimental squeezes, as you watched the hammer move and the cylinder revolve. This one worked at least. You were going to have to get somebody to explain how to actually load and fire it properly to you, but, it was just what you needed. Moving back to your side of the room, you stooped as you reached beneath your bed, your hand brushing over the machete that you had kept hidden there. You deftly slipped it free of the loops of string you had used to hold it out of sight.

With the revolver you had borrowed from the gun rack in one hand, the note in the other and your machete strapped to your back you started on your way towards the guild masters office. You didn't care if people looked at you funny, you didn't care if they thought you shouldn't be carrying weapons like that. You needed to make it clear that you meant business so that the guild master would take you seriously.

In a place full of men so obsessed with flashy explosions your appearance was barely questions as you walked onward. Maybe it was due to how aloof the men were, maybe it was due to how visibly upset you were. Maybe they cared more about what was for dinner, than over the fact that you, the woman who had been brought here by the gun smithing immortal was carrying a gun and blade.

You had to admit, some of the things that you'd seen them make were very impressive, given that they went skyward before exploding in a shower of many colours. Those things you liked. The things that shook the ground and detonated with a massive bang you didn't like so much.

You wandered through the libraries, glancing disinteretedly at the numerous books here, books that you had tried several times to understand. You didn't really know any of the subjects in these books and you didn't really need to. Eurochkoles had been good to you in that respect though, if you had put a book before him he'd look at it, then explain it in terms that you understood. It was a pity that so many of the books were ones that the moment you realised what they were really about, failed to keep your interest further.

You hurried up the stairs as you found them, making your way towards the hall before the guild masters office. You didn't really know what this hall was for, as in the time you had been here nobody had used it. Maybe it was for little more than putting things on display to impress people who came to visit.

You strode across the hall, opening the door to the guild masters office as you did so.

"You know, people generally knock before they enter. It's considered good manners," the guild master stated, not looking up from the stack of papers before him. Without a word you walked up to the desk, dropping the note that you held atop the stack of papers. The guild master looked up at you with a sigh briefly, before turning his attention to the note as he noticed how worried you were.

"Oh, good lord, he went to deal with those lunatics alone?" the guild master was shocked, guesturing to the note as he turned to look at you. "I thought he had more sense than that," he muttered, shaking his head slowly as he did so.

"You're not thinking of going after him, are you?" He asked as he took note of how you were armed. "For that matter, just what have you done to warrant that crazy group wanting you dead?" He asked, prompting a sigh from you.

This was all such a mess. What were you going to say, what were you going to ask of them?



Spoiler: "Possessions" (click to show/hide)
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Labs on July 09, 2010, 03:06:47 pm
Explain the situation but tell him to keep quiet.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Ochita on July 09, 2010, 03:38:04 pm
Explair situation but instead of saying that we were enlightened say that we found a secret about them and that no one should know it. 
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on July 09, 2010, 04:51:56 pm
Whatever we do, do NOT tell him we are enlightened. Tell him we know what the enlightened leader is like, that he is not human.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Acanthus117 on July 09, 2010, 06:03:00 pm
((Dude, we need dem ammunitions.))
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: sonerohi on July 09, 2010, 06:04:37 pm
Leave the gun behind. Suicidal charge to glory!
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on July 09, 2010, 06:27:01 pm
"I.... I want to go after him, but... But..." You hated it, you hated this feeling of being so weak and powerless, you hated that for all you possessed in terms of gifts that all you were able to do with them was recover from being hurt, and to eat things nobody in their right mind would. "I want to go after him, but I am afraid. I need... I need someone to show me how to use this, so I can rescue him!"

You placed the revolver that you had borrowed from the gun rack atop the desk, watching as the guild master shook his head slowly. You huffed as you picked the gun up once more, figuring that if he wasn't going to help you that you would find others that would help. You didn't have any hint that he was commiting himself or washing his hands of the matter yet, however.

"You are not strong enough, child."

"Excuse me?"

"You are an inferior example, a mind that has wandered from perfection."

"I... What?"

"Oblivion will take you in time child, for away from the fold you are an individual, no longer part of the body. Even here you are not safe from us, for no box can hide you, no maze cannot be solved. Surrender yourself to us and I will ensure that your last moments are free of pain, that you will be able to get the forgiveness of those that you have betrayed."

You stared in horror at the guild master as he spoke, as the voice of Pride echoed in your ears, the world about you twisting unsteadily as you stepped backward, before you tripped, stumbling as you fell onto your behind. "Stay away from me Pride!" you cried aloud, while the guild master looked at you shocked.

"Are you alright Miss?" he asked, standing as he went to move from behind the desk, pausing as he watched you rubbing at your face.

"Oh god, he spoke to me. He spoke to me here. They're going to kill me, I know secrets about them and they want to kill me!" You knew that only you had heard Pride, that the guild master hadn't heard a thing, that it was a controlled form of contact. It was how he gave orders when you were too far away from sanctuary to return for orders.

He could still contact you, and shocked as you were you knew you could play the entire situation to your advantage. Tears welled up as you bit your bottom lip, as you drew your knees up to your chest. "Oh god, they're going to kill me," you sobbed as you decided that it was time to play on the part of the damsel in distress.

You hated letting people think you were weak, but, it seemed like the best option you had right now. You knew that the fact you knew things about the enlightened would be enough to get interest, yet you needed to be careful. If they found out just what you were, they may not be quite so willing to help you.

"If you'll tell me what you know, I'll to my best to find a way to help you, to help Eurochkoles too if at all possible."

That was just what you needed to hear. You raised your face from your knees, your vision blurring as tears trickled over your cheeks. You did your best to appear helpless, small, weak, to play upon this mans apparent need to act like some kind of idiotic hero.

"They... They want to kill me, because I discovered that they are not true immortals, because they are given immortality from one of their number, Brother Pride, who spoke to me just to tell me I will die!" You sobbed, burying your face in your knees again. "They eat the things that go bump in the night to gain power. I found that Pride gives them their immortality, that he can take it too. They must be afraid if others find that they can have it taken away, that ways to kill them will be found."

You realised that you didn't sound very convincing, though the man seemed to be taken by these facts you had shared, not seeming to look deep enough to see the distressed woman before him was an act in part.

"Do you know how this immortality is granted to them?"

"I don't know anything more than I just told you. Eurochkoles was... Was hoping to talk with them and... And... Oh god, he can't die no matter how horrible the things they do to him are. This is all my fault, if I hadn't found where they hide and overheard this..." You sobbed, waiting for the next question to come. It was inevitable really, now that you had hinted that you knew.

"Do you remember where their hideout is?"

"I think... I think it was in the slums north of here, there was a manhole that had their eye sign thing on it... And... I heard voices and... I was curious... Oh god, I don't want to think about it anymore, I... I need some air. I think I'm going to be sick..."

As you rose the guild master gave a sigh, stepping over to pat you on the shoulder gently, his expression showed that he was oblivious to the fact that you'd told a half truth at best. "We'll do whatever we can, I'll talk with the Clockworkers guild master over dinner later, see if they can be of any assistance."

You merely nodded as you wiped at your cheeks, tears still flowing freely as you turned and made your way out of the office. It had been a measured gamble to cry, as you knew that even doing such a thing as that ran risks. You were toxic in almost every manner, even in small amount your blood and tears could cause hallucinations and nausea.

Wiping at your face again as you sniffled for good effect while leaving earshot, you found yourself wondering, what would you do next?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on July 09, 2010, 06:36:09 pm
Look around the labs for some explosives. Carefully though. Try and look like we are just wandering around.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: rickvoid on July 09, 2010, 07:40:03 pm
NICE!

Okay, what we just learned:
- Anxiety is THE Anxiety that we met first in the dreamworld. That means that the dreamworld is a shared plane of existence.
- Said dreamworld is falling apart, at the same time as Eurochkoles is not having a good time at the hands of the Enlightened. That suggests to me that Eurochkoles has somehow created the dreamworld, or that it at least draws its power from him.
- There is a third being who can enter the dreamworld, but we don't know who they are yet.
- Anne is one manipulative little bitch. I love it!
- Our revolver fires shotgun rounds. I suggest we trade it in for something more suited to our frame because I doubt she'll getting anything more than a sprained wrist out of firing it.
- Anne was supposed to be Love, not Anxiety. Clearly something happened to cause that to change.
- We are Anne now, which is awesome.

I think that's everything.

So, our goals, as I see them:

- Rescue Eurocholes (or however the hell we spell that dumbass name)
- Remove our taint, preferrably without getting rid of our immortality.

Silleh, I am loving this thread. Keep it up!
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on July 09, 2010, 09:37:17 pm
You took a deep breath as you made your way through the great hall that seperated the office of the guild master from the rest of the building. You felt dirty for having resorted to a display of such weak emotions to manipulate the man, yet you had your results. You had his word that they would do their best to find a way to do what Eurochkoles had set out to do, and to attempt to save him if at all possible.

As you left the halls and descended the stairwell, you figured that it would be wise to put the weapon you had borrowed back until you could get somebody to show you how to handle it. You couldn't make head or tail of it on your own, as you'd only ever really watched Eurochkoles fire it, and he had handled it with such blinding speed that you had no chance to see what he was doing beyond pointing and pulling the trigger.

The weapon on your back you knew how to use at least.

The fact that your eyes were red from crying caught a few glances from the other members, though the sight of the machete handle peeking out over your shoulder prevented any of them from trying to investigate further. At least that was what you assumed to be the case, for all you knew they could all simply feel too awkward to talk to you.

You made your way back to your room with relative ease, keeping your eyes open for people that you hadn't seen before as you did so. After the recent attempt by an assassin to come for you, anybody that you didn't know was a potential threat. No distractions, no obstructions, nothing.

You were almost expecting a vulture to crash through the ceiling and try pecking your eyes out with how things had been going the past few days whenever it seemed like things were getting too quiet. Instead, you were able to place the revolver back where you had found it and lock the door to your room behind yourself without any further hassel.

You briefly wondered just how a vulture would get through several floors to reach this underground dormitory, though that thought was discarded as you heard a rumbling above you. It wouldn't hurt to take a peek in the labs, you figured. Maybe you could pinch something while you were there, something that would help you.

Somehow.

You didn't know how anything these people would make would help you, you didn't even know why they had the audacity to refer to you, to the enlightened as lunatics when they were all clearly crazy themselves.

Try as you might to get access to the nearby labs, you found yourself unable. It seemed they were in the middle of an experiment, an experiment that they didn't want disturbed because naturally, it might blow up. At least that was, it would blow up earlier than it was supposed to.

"Men," you muttered as you walked away from the labs, heading towards the reception room as you did so. You didn't want to go for air in the guilds walled off courtyards, you just wanted to sit on the steps and to taste freedom for a moment. You didn't want to wander off into the city, no, that would be dangerous and stupid. Much like Eurochkoles.

Why did he have to go and do something so stupid?

You wandered through the reception hall, waving briefly to the man on duty as you walked past, as you made your way outside and settled down on the steps.

The air outside was cool, with a soft breeze washing over you, your hair swaying as it was caught in it. It was no fun being cooped up inside that building all the time, growing increasingly bored as you felt increasingly to be yourself. You just wanted to be free of worries and confines, to be able to walk around the city in the daylight without fear of people reacting negatively to you. You just wanted to live, to find the same passion for life Eurochkoles had.

You couldn't believe that someone like him could possibly be real in a way, as he was like some kind of fairytale character. A dashing knight who was out to save a damsel in distress. You sighed, your knight in shining armour hadn't turned out to be too smart, despite how intelligent he was. Maybe when he was done saving you, you'd meet prince charming and live happily ever after.

Maybe pigs would fly.

The steps were growing increasingly boring and the city was vast, colourful and alive, it couldn't hurt to go looking around for a little, could it?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on July 09, 2010, 09:55:32 pm
Actually it could hurt. Very much. So lets get going!(hey, she wants to enjoy life, she's gonna have to take a few risks.)
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Nirur Torir on July 09, 2010, 09:57:47 pm
Very interesting developments.

Yes it could hurt. We must resist the dread siren call of a plot-based sudden lapse of judgement Brother Pride. Clearly, he is messing with our head to draw us away from what little protection we have.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Osmosis Jones on July 09, 2010, 10:47:30 pm
Stupid idea;

I wonder, how exactly do those mechanical men know what to target? Because, if they can sense Anne's taint, maybe go for a run past a lot of them, draw their aggro if you will, and then lead them to the manhole, ignoring the guild leader's plan. Mecha army rescue!

Smart idea;

stay the hell away from dark alleys/quiet streets etc. where we might be snatched. If she really wants to go out, get some money, then go to a nice busy (public!) market and buy supplies for the raid, whatever they might be. Or alternatively, try and sketch out a map of the enlightened's hideyhole, that can be used for the rescue.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on July 09, 2010, 10:54:20 pm
I'm with Nirur, this is Pride messing with us...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on July 10, 2010, 04:02:48 am
I wonder, how exactly do those mechanical men know what to target? Because, if they can sense Anne's taint, maybe go for a run past a lot of them, draw their aggro if you will, and then lead them to the manhole, ignoring the guild leader's plan. Mecha army rescue!
Do this.

Alternatively, give the clockworkers and anonymus tip telling the position of the hideout, and then follow them carefully.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on July 10, 2010, 06:30:06 pm
You were torn between going back into the guild house, or going out into the city. It had been so long since you had looked around, so long since you had been yourself, been out and about doing as you pleased instead of furthering the goals of the Enlightened. The Technomancer's guild didn't really hold any appeal right now, as you knew every area you were permitted in like the back of your hand.

The city on the other hand, could have changed a lot in the time you had been away from your old haunts, away from the people that you had once known. Going back to those places wasn't wise though, those people would likely remember that you had been a part of the Enlightened for a while. They couldn't be trusted, they would turn you over to the Clockworkers.

The people you knew, the places you loved, they were all lost to you now.

You were no longer who you had once been, now you were Anxiety. The woman you had been was as good as dead, a figure best forgotten so that the woman you were now could live. This didn't stop your heart from sinking, from feeling less enthusiastic than before over the fact that you were free.

What good was it being free, if you were not yourself?

Maybe you needed to find who you were now, maybe you needed to take a page out of the idiots book and live for the joy of life, to embrace every new experience. You just had to find a point to start from, while remaining smart about how you did so.

You pushed yourself to your feet as you glanced across at the other guild house, taking note of the mechanical men that stood outside it, imposing figures with burnished bronze casing and glowing green eyes. You knew that Eurochkoles had worried that they may be able to detect you somehow, yet you had to wonder how they were able to accomplish such a feat. Maybe you'd inquire about it some time, when you encountered a Clockworker who wasn't hiding behind one of those oversized toys.

You had to wonder what it was about men with such things, the Clockworkers and their machines, the Technomancers and flashy explosives. Did this mean that the smarter they were, the more of their inner child they retained and listened to?

For that matter, did it make Eurochkoles the biggest kid you'd ever met?

Maybe you'd check out the markets and the print shops, see what colour the city bore today, see what sights, sounds and scents you could find. You were going to need money to spend at this rate you realised, a slight smile crossing your lips as you walked down the steps leading from the Technomancers guild house. You were not entirely certain how you would get it, yet you knew you would find a way.

You knew that you needed to keep in the open, in streets filled with people.

You made your way along the street, following the flow of housewives with baskets towards what you assumed was the nearest such market. You knew that if someone did try to accost you here, that you could scream any number of things to get them to back off. The market turned out to be only a few city blocks away from the guild house and it was quite the market at that.

Gaudy colours, booming voices and  and strange scents assailed your senses as you made your way into the market. The sound of people trying to be louder than their competitors to attract attention to their wares filled your ears, while constant chatter all around provided background noise to it. The stalls were covered with colourful wares or decorated with gaudy awnings to make them stand out. The scents that assailed you were overpowering, from fresh fruits and fish, to the stink of animals brought here by farmers.

You were starting to see what Eurochkoles meant about loving all the experiences that life had to offer. You hadn't been to a market in so many years that you had almost forgotten what they were like. You drifted from stall to stall as you looked over the clothing that some of them bore, holding them up to yourself as you sighed wistfully, wishing that you had the money to buy new clothing. There were so many colourful dresses, pretty shoes and frocks that you wanted.

You drifted from the middle of the market to the outskirts of it as you continued to browse, not noticing the thinning crowds, engrossed as you were. It was only when someone tapped you on the shoulder that you snapped to your senses, realising that you were exposed in this part of the market as they spoke.

"Hello dear, it's Anne, isn't it?" came the voice of an older woman, who looked up at you curiously, stooped over from the weight of the baskets she was carrying. "Yes, it's Anne, I thought I recognised you, how are you, and how is Eurochkoles doing?" came the womans words, as you quickly sought to place her in your mind.

It was Red's wife you quickly realised, that made you wonder what you were going to say, how you were going to deal with this awkward moment.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Ochita on July 10, 2010, 06:34:24 pm
Break out sobbing on her. Tell her what happened
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on July 10, 2010, 10:15:40 pm
I want to keep experimenting with eating the horrors, we have to accept what we are and there might be some useful aspects to that trait.

Ummm, yes, tell her what happened, she will probably find out eventually and we don't want a reputation for lying. Of course, if we get a reputation for lying to protect people we may be able to get away with it more...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on July 10, 2010, 10:23:16 pm
I want to keep experimenting with eating the horrors, we have to accept what we are and there might be some useful aspects to that trait.
"You are what you eat. The more you eat, the more you are"

Maybe we now get more points only from consuming mutated flesh? If so, we should ask a clockworker what the mechanical men do with the things they kill. There' probably some giant pit full of Vulture corpses somewhere. Should be an innocent enough question, easily explained as mere curiosity.

We had better be careful about that though... Brother Pride might be the result of eating a bit too much.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on July 10, 2010, 11:02:35 pm
And brother Pride is completely helpless because of it...

But yes, don't go rampant, be selective, I am just advocating that we consider it a viable option, as opposed to a vile taint that we must be rid of...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Osmosis Jones on July 11, 2010, 12:01:15 am
Tell Red's wife a lie, it looks bloody callous to go on a shopping trip while your boyfriend (as far as they know) is being tortured by religious fanatics. Also, I'm against eating tainted flesh, it was said earlier to take away your humanity, and really, that's something we should be avoiding.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on July 11, 2010, 12:25:45 am
Meh, humanity is overrated, and we are already too far gone to get back to what we were...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Osmosis Jones on July 11, 2010, 12:33:07 am
Quote
You knew that the more you consumed those creatures, the more your mind became alien to you. You could feel thoughts that were not your own, you had memories that were not your own, you had power, that was not your own.

Unless we're setting up Anne for a face heel turn, the idea of turning her into another creature, one that is probably under Pride's sway, does not strike me as a good idea.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on July 11, 2010, 12:40:49 am
Which is why we should keep it limited. Still, the power boost will be very useful... but only if we really need it.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on July 11, 2010, 05:40:47 am
You knew that you had to do say something, that the straight truth was a bad idea, that an outright lie was also a bad idea. You were dealing with an older woman, a woman who as her other senses had diminished, had likely compensated for them with increased awareness and wisdom. That made an outright lie even less wise.

Telling her what you are was bad, telling her what that idiot boy had done straight was too. You needed a suitable middle ground, one that would allow you to explain why you were out enjoying yourself. You faltered briefly, you faltered at the worst possible time and she stared at you.

You could feel her staring into you, reading you like an open book as you did your best to conceal what was on your mind, as you did your best to look natural.

"I can see right through this act, dear, you may as well come clean," the older woman stated, sighing as she tapped her foot impatiently. This was bad, this woman was clearly a more experienced liar than you.

"I... He..." You swallowed nervously as you did your best to get things straight in your mind, knowing that you could pick and choose what details you gave still. There was no deciet in hiding that you were considered one of the cities greatest enemies, not when those that you were considered an associate of were out to get you.

You did your best to compose yourself as you felt yourself getting frustrated and emotional, you were out of your element. You were nothing but a child to this woman and she had beaten you before you even opened your mouth.

"He went out looking for a way to make everything right last night," you started, taking note of how small you sounded all of a sudden, how meek and timid this woman made you feel. "He... He always talks about the joys of life, about simple things that make... Make you... What you are," you swallowed again, taking a deep breath as you tried to go on, your voice wavering. "I was worried something will happen to him, so I came to the market to distract myself even though it's not safe for me to be here. I wanted t-to take my mind off this and... And..."

You blinked back tears, you were frustrated and confused, emotional and vulnerable. You'd been backed into a corner before you could open your mouth and were reacting like a child who'd been caught doing something they had been told not to. You sank to your knees as tears started to flow, your chest heaving as you started to sob. This was all too much for you, having to hide who and what you were, having to hide away from the world.

Red's wife sighed as she put her baskets down, squatting down beside you as she fished for a handkerchief in her pockets, dabbing away your tears with it as you retrieved it.

"This is why you should learn to keep reigns on a man, you know. If you don't keep them in check they go off and do silly things, get themselves into trouble. It takes a womans touch to keep them in control, to do just enough that they think they're in charge while you're preventing them from making foolish descisions."

You nodded slightly in response as you wiped your eyes, making a mental note that you should never engage in a battle of wits with your elders.

"Come on, stop this softness, we can go and tell Red that the fool of a boy has likely gone and got himself into trouble. I'll fix you a nice hot meal while we're at it, maybe that oaf of a man'll know somebody who can help you."

The offer this woman made was tempting, yet you were already starting to feel the onset of anxiety. Was it wise to take her up on her offer, when you'd be safer back at the guild house?
Was it wise to go to either place for that matter, when some place you'd never been before could technically be safer than both?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: rickvoid on July 11, 2010, 08:04:54 am
God. I didn't want to drag Red and his Wife back into this again. But... It may be for the best, for now.

I hesitate to remind folks of this (because it's dragging more folks into danger if we use them) but we do have Oak and the Fight Club boys out there. They"re likely always up for a scrap, and I bet they'd be happy to lenp Eurochkoles a hand. I'd just rather not see them all die, but maybe the Clockworkers and Technomancers could arm and armor our little impromptu army.

Of course, Anne doesn't know about Fight Club, so we'd have to hear about it at the Bar. Maybe we should offer to work there for a bit, like Koles did.

On the subject of eating the TTGBITN (Things That Go Bump In The Night), I'm against it. If it's true that doing things to become more of a monster will give us points, then maybe doing things that make us more human will as well. That's the direction I favor.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Osmosis Jones on July 11, 2010, 09:25:06 am
I think it would be unwise to head out with Red's wife, as there is just too many chances for things to go wrong. However, mention that if we are to rescue Euro, we will need help (this lets Red ask around, which may hopefully clue up the fight club boys), and get Red to come by the guild later.

If everything goes to plan, Anne stays safe, our slumside friends know Euro is in trouble, and we can still get back to the guild and draw up a map for the technomancers.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on July 11, 2010, 10:12:52 am
We are what we eat, GENERALLY, that can be taken in any direction not just monstrous.

So, we want to become more human, so we should eat humans... ok, bad example.

Still, we should consider what interesting things we can eat beyond the things that go bump. Just stuff like meat from animals with traits we want, or chemicals.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on July 11, 2010, 11:37:12 am
"As tempting as a good meal sounds, I... I cannot come with you, I would endanger you with my mere presence," you stated with a sigh, rubbing your eyes as you did so. You were starting to feel uncertain over just how it worked for Pride's ability to sense the other Enlightened, for his ability to pick up on immortals. He had said before that he could generally only pick up immortals while they slept, that he could sense the other Enlightened at all times, though only in a limited capacity.

He had also outlined that he could sense you all the more strongly while you were asleep. It had never really struck you as a major issue until you had left the order, as you had never had reason to worry about how or why Pride would be able to keep track of you.

It had been how he had sensed the locations of those who had been captured, how he had been able to ensure that they were removed from captivity and brought back to the fold. He wasn't perfect however, sometimes more people were captured in their attempts to free those they sought to free. This fact alone was one that gave you some hope, as you knew it meant that those that came to your aid were not stuck fighting against some unstoppable horror.

Was this enough to jepordise Red and his wife though, if you were to have taken her up on the offer for this meal?

Even put in these terms, you were reluctant to risk this, knowing that you couldn't be entirely certain. With a nod, Red's wife rose to her feet, picking up her baskets as she did so. "Well, I'll make certain that the big oaf hears about this news, if anybody knows how to help, it'll be him."

You smiled slightly despite your doubts that the man who ran that pub was going to be more help than the Clockworkers and Technomancers. He knew petty thugs and the like at best, while the Clockworkers had heavy mechanical men, while the Technomancers had weapons. The two together would make for a much more effective means of offence, wouldn't it?

"If he can help, it will be greatly appreciated," you responded with a sigh, struggling to your feet as you did so. "I... I should get going. This reminder of how unsafe it is for me to be in the open makes me wonder how wise it was to come here for a change of scenery."

Red's wife nodded, before bidding you farewell, turning and vanishing into the crowd.

Part of you wanted to stay just a little longer, to look at a few more things, part of you screamed to leave immediately. You didn't know why you were so conflicted, why you were so suddenly becoming apprehensive, yet you knew that it was more prudent to follow your instincts and leave, than to long for things you couldn't afford right now.

You ducked into one of the back alleys, making your way quickly down it as you headed towards one of the main streets, knowing that you could follow it back to the Technomancers guild. A few startled cats and dogs scattered as you went by, a few homeless people cursed you. You didn't stop for any of them, at least that was, until a hand darted out from an alcove, as a figure pulled you in, one hand clamping over your mouth before you could scream.

"Now, what've we got 'ere?" came a gruff voice as you felt a blade being pressed to your throat, a blade that was pressed that little more noticably as you struggled, prompting you to hold still. You had a machete on your back, but you didn't dare reach for it just yet, as you knew that this man would slit your throat if you did so.

"A pretty young lady shouldn't be runnin' through such dark alleys, she could get robbed, or worse," The man continued, patting your body as he searched for any sign of a purse. You could hear him muttering beneath his breath, clearly displeased when he found that you were carrying no money. "Looks like it's goning to 'ave to be worse, then."

The man reached to pull your dress up, making his intent clear, prompting you to struggle once more to break his grasp, swinging your head back as you smashed it against his face. The man cried out in pain, drawing the knife across your throat as he retaliated, before pushing you forward and kicking you to the ground.

You clamped your one hand over your throat, doing your best to stem the flow of ichor that flowed from the open wound, your other hand reaching for the machete on your back as you rolled over and turned to face him. You could feel the open wound knitting, stinging as if it was no more than a bad cut as adrenaline kicked in.

The man was horrified, he could see ichor coming from what should have been a mortal wound, he could see you armed, standing. Moving your hand away from your throat, you flicked your wrist, the splatter of ichor against paving stones filling your ears as you stepped towards the man, watching as he backed into the corner of the alcove he was in.

"Stay away from me, you monster!"

"Monster. How rich from one who planned to rape me and leave me for dead in a back alley. I see but one monster here, and as the laws of the city state, monsters must be exterminated."

"Don't kill me, please!"

"It is too late to beg for your life, for you have already tried to take mine. Now, silence, whelp, accept your fate and pray that it redeems you in the eyes of your god."

You swung the machete overhead as the man huddled in the corner, still begging for mercy as he stared at you in horror. The sound of flesh and bone being cleaved as you struck beside his neck filled the air, then again as you rose the blade and swung it for his torso. The man was as good as dead already, yet you continued to swing the blade for him, every blow hacking deeply into the gurgling mass of flesh before you, before it shuddered and lay still.

And yet you giggled as you continued to hack away, your eyes alight with malicious glee.

When you finally stopped there was little recognisable left to tell you that this had once been a man. You couldn't help but shiver in delight as you gazed down at the remains of this man, your breathing heavy from the exertion of swinging this heavy blade. A blade that was coated with the crimson film of his blood.

You licked the blade clean as you caught your breath, the warmth of that blood and its metallic aftertaste prompting you to close your eyes as you savoured it, as you savoured the sensation of it on your skin, soaking through your dress. Then it hit you. It hit you that you had done this, that you were soaked with blood from this man, that you had delighted in this act of brutality as you had lost control.

That wasn't you, was it?

You weren't the type of person to delight in such an act, were you?

Your head span as horror and delight mingled. You were covered in blood, carrying an offensive weapon and confused, what were you going to do?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Osmosis Jones on July 11, 2010, 12:06:30 pm
Clean yourself up. A crazy-eyed, blood-soaked, machete-wielding woman will draw all sorts of attention. A wet, crazy-eyed, machete-wielding woman will also draw attention, but not quite so much. If you can, steal some laundry or something.
So;

Avoid being seen until you wash off the blood, (and or get a new dress) then leg it back to the Technomancer guild.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on July 11, 2010, 12:18:58 pm
Clean yourself up. A crazy-eyed, blood-soaked, machete-wielding woman will draw all sorts of attention. A wet, crazy-eyed, machete-wielding woman will also draw attention, but not quite so much. If you can, steal some laundry or something.
So;

Avoid being seen until you wash off the blood, (and or get a new dress) then leg it back to the Technomancer guild.
This. Also, I think eating more corrupt flesh just went out the window.

I think we should try to find a (relatively) sane Mad Scientist. They supposedly created the vultures, so one might know something about removing the taint.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Ochita on July 11, 2010, 12:34:40 pm
Clean yourself up. A crazy-eyed, blood-soaked, machete-wielding woman will draw all sorts of attention. A wet, crazy-eyed, machete-wielding woman will also draw attention, but not quite so much. If you can, steal some laundry or something.
So;

Avoid being seen until you wash off the blood, (and or get a new dress) then leg it back to the Technomancer guild.
This. Also, I think eating more corrupt flesh just went out the window.

I think we should try to find a (relatively) sane Mad Scientist. They supposedly created the vultures, so one might know something about removing the taint.

This is a good idea for now.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on July 11, 2010, 12:38:56 pm
Hey looks like my "eat humans to become more human" might ot have so much practical difficulties after all!

> Eat him.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Ochita on July 11, 2010, 12:43:53 pm
NOOOOOOO ARMOK >:<
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on July 11, 2010, 12:45:10 pm
NOOOOOOO ARMOK >:<
Seriously, name ONE time in ONE story that turns you into anything but a monster.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Ochita on July 11, 2010, 12:51:11 pm
Good point. But still I don't think our character will do it.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on July 11, 2010, 02:17:46 pm
Look, I know it's counter-intuitive, but "you become what you eat" makes it very clear what you should do if you want to become something specific, and we do want to become human.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on July 11, 2010, 02:24:09 pm
Whatever our ability might do, cannibalism in a pseudo-magical world is not (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wendigo) a good idea.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: rickvoid on July 11, 2010, 02:25:23 pm
Armok. No.

-Search his body for the money he has likely stolen from others.
-Sneak around until we can find somewhere to get clean, and get clean clothes.
-Get the fuck out of that alley! "Flee into the alley", great plan Anne!

*Edit*

Upon re-reading the the last story post, I submit this as well:

-Acquire a welding mask and leather smock from the Technomancers. Wear them (http://fc04.deviantart.net/fs38/f/2008/338/0/0/John_DeFoe_by_Crispy_Gypsy.jpg).

That is all.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Ochita on July 11, 2010, 02:52:43 pm
JOHN DEFOE IS NOT PLEASED, THE TALL MAN WILL COME FOR YOU
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on July 11, 2010, 04:29:58 pm
You sheathed the machete once more, stepping back as you stared in horror at your handywork. You had reduced a man to little more than a mound of flesh that oozed blood from the multiple wounds that you had inflicted upon it. Those wounds were horrific, yet they were ones you could have survived. He however, was nothing like you, he was not an immortal who's body would knit together and replace missing appendages.

You could feel yourself salivating, you could feel your stomach rumbling.

You had always killed things that you planned to eat, you had always been told to exercise restraint in how often you sated your hunger. You knew that those that consumed more would physically change, though those changes were not often often permenant they could be made so. Most of the changes you had witnessed atrophied with time, having the one who had changed return to their normal self within a few weeks.

Assuming you could call any of the enlightened normal.

You stepped back again, mentally forcing yourself to view this body as anything but food, telling yourself that you had done something very stupid in entering the alley in the first place. All the more so in brutally butchering the person that had attacked you. You should have dealt a single injury at most, scared him off so he knew you meant business.

It was a little late for that now. You were drenched with blood and inchor, your dress was ruined and you were feeling hungry from the blood you had ingested. It was like a teaser, telling your body that there was food to come. You had to get out of here, you had to get some place safe, you had to find a new dress and you needed to find something to eat. You didn't care what order these things came in, as long as you got out of here before anyone saw you.

First you needed new clothing and to clean yourself off. This was a simple enough matter as you spied a skirt and top on a low hanging washing line, though you couldn't touch them just yet. Not until you had cleaned the blood from yourself.

The blood was easily dealt with too, as you washed it from yourself with the contents of a rain barrel. The water was unpleasently cold, and the entire experience embaressing when you realised you had to strip for it, but it did what was required. You set about mopping the water from yourself along with any traces of blood before you stole the other clothing, tossing your ruined dress over the body to conceal as you got the chance.

It wasn't an ideal solution, but you were clean enough now and clothed.

You ducked from the alley once it seemed clear enough, making your way along the lesser streets on the way to the main one that lead towards the Technomancers guild, mentally trying to drown out every whim that cropped up unbidden, every desire that you knew you shouldn't listen to.

As you reached the main street you could feel your stomach growl, you could feel the pangs of hunger reminding you that you hadn't eaten anything truly satisfying in weeks. Ever since you met Eurochkoles you had eaten normal food, with the one meal that you had eaten that had felt satisfying in any manner being the one that Red's wife had prepared. Maybe it was because what she had prepared was very fresh, that she used the juice from the meat to make gravy, that the vegetables were not week old things from a cellar.

The food you had been eating at the guild house left a lot to be desired.

It took all the mental strength you could muster to ignore those desires, though you still felt that maybe, just maybe you'd sneak out tonight for a real meal. For the time being though, you needed something to occupy yourself once you the guild house. Would you occupy yourself, or would you get into trouble was the question.


Spoiler: "Possessions" (click to show/hide)
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Ochita on July 11, 2010, 04:41:10 pm
We would occupy ourselves with learning how to cook meals. It would at least be better than eating raw flesh
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on July 11, 2010, 04:50:33 pm
think about what we want to become, then try to find a food animal with those qualities, then try to get your hand on one of those.
qualities might include humanity, niceness, peacefulness, trickery...

You should find a fox to eat. head for the countryside.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Ochita on July 11, 2010, 05:08:10 pm
We are not going to become a ...it. Never.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on July 11, 2010, 05:24:24 pm
Mutation for the win!

We are feeling desperate, get back to the safety of the technomancers, double-check our outfit so as not to draw too much attention, find an abandoned area related to food, maybe the kitchen if it isn't staffed constantly, eat something, cockroach, rat, doesn't matter, if you can't catch something easily, look for traps, they might use some sort of poison but it shouldn't be anything we can't sleep off, angst...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on July 11, 2010, 06:22:55 pm
Well, if we need meat we might as well make sure it's not corrupt... or human. Lets just ask for some meat(there has to be a kitchen somewhere around here) under the pretense of needing it to cook with. Then simply eat it raw instead.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on July 11, 2010, 06:28:28 pm
It needs to have been recently alive, anything from storage will have been cured or something...

Actually, go back and eat the guy, if they have been eaten the authorities will blame it on monsters...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on July 11, 2010, 07:07:50 pm
You hurried back toward the guild house, ignoring the urges that were threatening to overwhelm you as you told yourself you should raid the kitchens. You should try and make a meal that was appealing with what they had on hand, instead of submitting to the urge to go out hunting for food. You wondered just what they'd have, if it would be little more than stale bread and week old vegetables or if you'd find that they had a lot of variety and that they were just simply too inept to cook for themselves.

You were getting a lot of attention.

You could feel peoples attention on you as you self-consciously checked yourself to make sure there was no trace of blood on the clothing. You couldn't find any, that had you wonder why heads were turning, why so many men were looking your way. You moved your hands to your hair, checking that it wasn't all over the place, yet you found no hint that it was out of order. You couldn't figure it out, though as long as it wasn't going to get you into trouble you'd ignore it for the time being.

As you walked onwards you noticed a number of uniformed men on patrol with a mechanical man behind them, men that you almost failed to recognise as being police officers. Your heart started to race as you became paranoid, though you quickly relaxed as you told yourself that they couldn't possibly have been called out over what you had done. They simply didn't have that kind of response time.

Even so, you felt a little nervous as they headed your way, waving to you to get your attention, to get you to stop for them.

"Evenin' miss, just a standard check and all. Do you mind passing over the weapon you're carryin' so we can check it falls within legal boundries?" The officer asked, waiting patiently as he watched you unstrap it, passing the sheathed weapon over as he pulled out a tape measure. He almost disinterestedly measured the weapon as he spent more time looking at you than what he was doing.

"Is there a problem, officer?" you asked, as you watched him go to draw the weapon, bringing his attention back to you as he seemed to lose interest in it. Passing the weapon back your way he watched as you secured it on your back again.

"No, no problem here miss, though it is unusual to see a woman such as yourself carrying a weapon that straddles the boundries of permissable civilian weaponry. Do you know how to defend yourself adequately with that weapon?"

"I... Um..." You faltered, caught offguard by this question.

"I didn't think so. As appealing as a weapon of that size is, it might be an idea to trade it in for a smaller blade or a firearm. A smaller weapon is easier to handle with basic training, that would do more towards keeping you safe if you are accosted at night. Keep that in mind miss."

The officer was returning towards the patrol group, who had stopped multiple people for spot checks, while the mechanical man behind them turned in your direction, gears grinding as it raised its arm, its hand splitting in two, a long barrel sliding from it with a clunk.

"Enlightened Sighted, Initiating Engagement."

The mechanical man's unnatural voice boomed as it lowered its gun-arm, standing with its feet spread for stability as it loosed off round after round, the echoing boom of that weapon filling your ears as you stood frozen to the spot. Large casings were ejected from that gun-arm as the mechanical man fired it, the burning sensation of the rounds zipping past you in rapid succession making you shudder fearfully.

There was a thud behind you.

Then another.

"Miss, please do not turn around!" called one of the police officers as they hurried towards you, yet it was too late. That mechanical man hadn't hit you, that made you wonder if it had been aiming for you at not. You let out a scream for effect as you saw the damage caused by that mechanical man's weapon, though you were secretly delighted by this turn of events. There lay what remained of one of the Enlightened, his lower body writhing as his upper body lay there twitching. He had been blown in half by that things massive weapon, one of his arms was missing entirely, as was his head.

You turned back, shivering as you looked at the mechanical man carefully, watching as the gun retracted, as its hand swung back into place.

"Target Neutralised, Resuming Patrol."

Several of the officers were visibly shaken by this too, clearly having never seen a mechanical man do anything quite like this before. You could hear the murmers of unease, snatches of it betraying that this was a new model that they had been given to replace their old ones.

New model...

Was this the result of Eurochkoles gun development?

You feigned a cry of horror as you started to run, hurrying towards the guild house, running up the steps before you finally stopped at the door, catching your breath and composing yourself as you walked inside. The man at the reception desk stared at you as you walked in, prompting you to huff as you noticed this.

"Okay, everyone's staring at me today, what is wrong with my appearance?" You asked, while the man looked at you sheepishly.

"There's nothing wrong with it, you look very, well, pretty," the man stated as he almost stammered nervously. You shot him a dirty look.

"Are you saying that I do not normally?"

The man had more sense than Eurochkoles at least. He knew better than to open his mouth after saying such a thing. You knew he would take any chance to escape from this awkward moment that he could. "Do you know if they have anything fresh in the kitchens?" You asked, tilting your head slightly as you did so. "I'm hungry and i'm tired of eating preserved food that you people have cooked poorly," you added for clarity, while the man quickly checked the papers before him on the desk.

"Well, we got some fresh fish in this morning-"

That was all you needed to hear, they had fresh food in.

As you hurried towards the kitchens you wondered briefly if there was something specific you should look out for, or if you should even cook it. For what matter, what were you going to do once your immediate needs were tended to?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on July 11, 2010, 07:23:24 pm
Eat raw fish, angst, accept that you are a monster, but try to keep a low profile...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on July 11, 2010, 07:30:08 pm
Eat the fish raw, then go back to the spot that enlightened was hit. If possible, eating anything left over there would probably be very helpful, and couldn't really make us more of a monster, since the flesh would be almost exactly as corrupted as ours.

Looks like they identify enlightened by sight, so we should be safe from them... also, that was probably another assassin they just stopped.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on July 11, 2010, 07:37:49 pm
Could be sight, but they must have gotten pretty close first...

Oh, I would just like to voice my objection to eating an immortal with crazy regeneration powers. The Enlightened have probably already tried that with natural immortals and it presumably didn't work, and I do not want replicate that scene from Alien with a full-grown person bursting out of our stomach...

Although I must say, I find the idea of absorbing another enlightened's power intriguing, but Pride wil have already tried that too, unless that is how Pride kills other enlightened, it would make a certain amount of sense...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on July 11, 2010, 07:45:44 pm
((
I do not want replicate that scene from Alien with a full-grown person bursting out of our stomach...

I choked on my coffee when I read this.
It's a pity I don't have an excuse to put a scene with that in the story.))
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on July 11, 2010, 09:11:03 pm
It's probably safe. Presumably only one chunk of the dismembered body counts as the enlightened, or else they could gain more members by cutting fingers off and then waiting a while. I don't mean to eat the whole guy, whatever parts were still moving have probably been hauled off already.

Also, my guess is that the mechanical men's new weapon is a giant shotgun. Which would make their now power our fault... oops?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Osmosis Jones on July 11, 2010, 10:44:44 pm
I vote eat the fish (SASHIMI!) and then go and start drawing a map of the enlightened lair. I also vote *against* eating enlightened tartare.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: rickvoid on July 11, 2010, 11:12:17 pm
Ugh. Can we please stop trying to eat people? You just know somebody is going to walk in on us if we do.

I'm curious as to why we suddenly seem to have gotten a, um, "charisma" increase. If ya know what I mean. Maybe our "blood lust" is causing us to give off pheromones, and causing blood to rise to the surface of you skin, making us flush and seem to glow?

You know... I can imagine that a group of male warriors would follow a woman like that anywhere.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on July 11, 2010, 11:49:45 pm
Speaking of which we should find a mirror. There might not be a physical change, but better safe than sorry.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on July 12, 2010, 12:31:04 am
Can we please stop trying to eat people? You just know somebody is going to walk in on us if we do.
Agreed, we should stop trying, but if another good opportunity should fall into our lap, as it were...

I will just leave a standing vote for the next time we find ourselves in an abandoned alley with a recently deceased corpse of any kind...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on July 12, 2010, 04:01:00 am
I think we just forgot to dress, and the stares are because we're naked.
> fix that.

> invent sushi.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: maxicaxi on July 12, 2010, 04:13:15 am
> invent sushi.

thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiix100s
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on July 12, 2010, 07:06:49 am
ix100 wouldn't be very impressive, and "thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii"x100 would be silly... next time try th(i*10^10)s...

We have examined the dress, apparently we are just very pretty, also, I expect that we would normally wear some form of undergarments...
Although it is the first time in recorded history that we have been dressed in an outfit that wasn't picked out by Euroclese or Pride...
Except for that outfit that we stole from that house, actually, we seem to steal a lot of clothing...
I can't really think of any reason that hacking a thug into convenient bite-sized pieces(mmmmmm, thug) or getting shot at by a giant death-machine would change our traits. Could be that we are feeling better after seeing a bit of the outside, that we are still excited from the run-in with the automaton, that the stinky rain-bucket was the first time we have cleaned ourselves since we got here, that the GM is spending the points for this character, that the enlightened who was blown up did something to us, or maybe this is just a really nice dress, could be magical even...

Anyway, we are desperate, go to the kitchen and eat something fresh, hopefully that won't be one of the technomancers...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on July 12, 2010, 07:49:01 am
The kitchens sounded more appealing with every passing minute, it was a chance to eat fresh food that hadn't been spoiled by incompetance or aged too greatly. You found yourself wondering just how you would explain that you were taking raw fish from the kitchens though if you were asked. A little thought on the matter betrayed that you weren't exactly sure how you would, though you were sure you would think of something when it came to it.

You paused before a mirror as you made your way towards the kitchens, ignoring how greatly cracked the surface of it was from the various mishaps that this place saw as you paused to check your apperance.

You didn't see anything immediately wrong.

You were dressed correctly, the clothing did little to put you on display, your hair was in an acceptable state and your cheeks looked almost rosy. You sat there staring for a few long moments as this sank in.

Your cheeks had colour.

It dawned on you that you were getting attention because you appeared to have such a healthy looking complexion, one that you knew for a fact you had lost when you had become one of the enlightened. You vaguely recalled how Eurochkoles talked about how pale you were, how that was an effect of the fact you had ichor instead of blood now. This meant one thing, you realised. You hadn't quite managed to cleanse all the blood from yourself.

People were paying attention to you as you were less unnatural looking, that was getting you more attention than you were comfortable with. You figured that this could easily be remedied however, that you could take another bath once you had eaten.

Eating was your top priority right now.

You set off on your way again to the kitchens, hurrying past a number of men carefully carting boxes towards the labs for their next big experiment. You didn't stop to find what it was, though you had a good idea that it wasn't exactly something they should have been wheeling around like this. You were suprised quite frankly, that they didn't suffer more casualties in their search for bigger and flashier explosions, in their quest to make the most impractical and overly complicated devices.

You stepped into the kitchens as you reached them, glancing about as you took note of the disinterested people on duty in them. People who were preparing the meals that you had come to expect by now, meals with no flavour, no enthusiasm, no soul. They were barely able to prepare basic, tasteless mush, barely able to make something you could call a meal.

You didn't want to spend longer than you needed to around these people, though you found that they were none too pleased to have you under their feet, making the job that they hated all the less appealing to them than it already was. At least once you had made it clear that you would be out of the kitchens once you had prepared something quick, they were happy to get out of your way.

You found the raw fish was already cut into fillets and on ice, though you couldn't identify it from its distinctive pink colouration. You weren't too familiar with any type of fish beyond whatever white fish was in the markets when you had gone there before...

Before you became this way.

You knew that you needed to make some effort to prepare the food, something to make it look like you were preparing some form of special raw fish dish. A pair of fillets were cut into thin strips, the strips were set in patterns on a plate. At first the patterns were just wiggling lines, though as you got more involved in this, you started setting patterns of them out in almost flower like arrangements.

Before the others knew that you were done, you were gone.

You had even managed to pinch a half empty bottle of wine from beneath their noses.

As you made your way back to your room, you told yourself you'd take a long bath after this, then you just had to decide what to do with the rest of the day, unless of course, you planned to sleep the meal off and sneak out at night.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Toaster on July 12, 2010, 08:19:08 am
It's starting to look more and more like eating people makes us people.  I'd say eat a bunch of fish and see if we get... fishy.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on July 12, 2010, 08:35:37 am
My guess is that it's not the "people" part that matters, but the blood. We have ichor because the things we eat have ichor. We will have to replace that with blood with more raw meat.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on July 12, 2010, 08:37:06 am
I think that it was the blood stains that made us look human, which is a concept that I cannot commend highly enough!

Eat, bathe, plan the day, meditate on an image of painful things happening to Pride, sleep, dream about painful things happening to Pride, wake up in the absence of any assassins or prisons.

Sneak out with some of the supply deliveries and buy some makeup. If anyone asks, we were wearing something we found at the market, which is technically true : ).
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: rickvoid on July 12, 2010, 10:18:08 am
That was a terrible joke. I approve!

I agree we are just not clean, and will continue to believe this until the color doesn't come off. And even then I won't sanction eating people.

Blood-drinking on the other hand, if the giver is willing and we don't kill with it, I may be okay with. And only with Koles, because he's probably the only one we could trust to do that with.

If we ever get time, we should perform a hostile take-over of the kitchens, and teach the cooks how to freakin' cook. It may earn us some respect from the other technomancers.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Osmosis Jones on July 12, 2010, 10:50:04 am
As much as I hate to perpetuate the traditional gender roles, this

If we ever get time, we should perform a hostile take-over of the kitchens, and teach the cooks how to freakin' cook.

Also, I agree with Rickvoid on the blood drinking; if Euro agrees, but ONLY then. Considering you gain your powers from what you eat, and Euro has the ability to be basically divine, well... ;)
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: rickvoid on July 12, 2010, 12:15:20 pm
Not about gender roles for me. I'm the main cook in my family, and I'm a dude. I just can't stand people who think incredibly bland food is okay. Blech.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on July 12, 2010, 12:19:57 pm
If we ever get time, we should perform a hostile take-over of the kitchens, and teach the cooks how to freakin' cook. It may earn us some respect from the other technomancers.
I'm doubting we'll get much respect for cooking. These are a bunch of geeks, they don't care about the food, just the explosions.

Still not a bad idea though.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on July 12, 2010, 01:16:27 pm
You locked the door of your room behind yourself as you stepped into your room, breathing in deeply as you inhaled the aroma of that food before you. It was like the first meal given to a person who had been starved for a week. It didn't matter what it was, it looked, smelled and no doubt tasted divine.

Food, wine, a soft bed, a hot bath on demand.

This felt as if it was as close as you could get to heaven, as if these simple things were all you needed right now to rest and relax. You knew that you shouldn't get yourself endlessly worked up over the fact that it was likely down to you to see to Eurochkoles rescue. You needed to be at your best to even hope to be half as brilliant as he was, you needed to ensure that you could think and manipulate at your best.

If the Technomancers and Clockworkers didn't come through for you then it would fall on your shoulders to do this for him. You felt that you at least owed him that much. He had gone through weeks of living hell to try and set things up for you after all, to make right that what he had done to you.

That was something that you didn't hold against him anymore, you had started to see that what he had given you was a second chance, a chance to be yourself instead of what the Enlightened were making of you. He had given you back a life you had lost, he had given you a life that you planned to make the most of again.

He had given you hope.

You were going to make damn well certain that he was set free.

You knew that there was Red, he most likely knew other people that Eurochkoles interacted with, you knew that there were the Clockworkers and the Technomancers, who would likely know the locations of a few less reputable types. You knew that they would never admit to knowing mad scientists offhand, though that wouldn't stop you finding the ones that they suspected and using them for help if need be.

That still left you with a lot of contacts to find, a lot of faces to get on the right side of, a lot people to play for the potential help that they could give you down the road.

You took mouthfuls of the fish as you considered these things, almost forgetting to chew as you washed it down with wine. More wine than you should. You could feel the buzz of alchohol as you polished off both the wine and the fish, before you made your way into the bathroom and started to draw a bath.

The warm water, the alchohol and the meal had you unable to keep your eyes open.

You were aware you were dreaming though as you opened your eyes to another world, this one taking the form of a prison, this one lined with a thousand cells. You walked past a thousand empty cells, looking in each one as pipes rattled and voices screamed, always screaming from the next cell before it turned out to be empty.

A thousand screaming voices, a thousand empty cells.

Then finally, the next cell was silent.

In it was a figure, a figure chained to the far wall of the cell who remained silent as two robed figures beat him. A figure who ignored the screams of the figures as they told him to talk, to listen to them, to accept the doctrine of the enlightened. The figure started to smile as he raised his head, looking up at you, before letting out a long, drawn out sigh as he closed his eyes again and lowered his head.

Eurochkoles...

"Eurochkoles!" you yelled, banging on the bars of the cell, taking note of the absence of a door to it as you tried to get his attention. It was only the two figures inside that took note of you however, two figures that you didn't recognise. You knew the mark on their forehead, the robes they wore, but you didn't know them.

"Who are you! Sister Anxiety demands to know your identities!"

"We are transcendent, Anxiety, we are what you could have become, we are breaking his body and his mind at the same time. You are in our domain now, and as your body slumbers we will kill your mind. You shall never awaken, traitor."

The two figures voices echoed as they spoke in unison, as they moved through the bars of the cell like they were made of liquid, as they advanced on you steadily. You backed away from them slowly, looking for something, anything to use against them as a weapon, only to bump into something, someone as you went backwards.

You jumped away from the figure, pressing yourself beside the wall as you started to slide beside them and away from the two advancing Enlightened. The figure looked like a gentleman, dressed in a dark waistcoat, a fancy shirt and well tailored trousers. His buckled shoes were pristine, his face clean shaven and his black hair short. He had the same unearthly beauty about him as you had seen in Eurochkoles, the same calm demeanour...

"Good evening miss." The figure stated as he nodded to you, almost disinterested as he turned back to the two figures advancing upon you.

"Who are you?" the two enlightened asked in unison as their hands transformed into the same wicked, ceremonial blades that were provided to the Enlightened as weapons typically.

"I saw the colours of your souls shining beautifully in the evening sky and I just knew that I had to have them. Such vibrant, wonderful colours, colours that I shall use to paint my greatest masterpiece yet."

The figures statement had the Enlightened look at each other briefly, before they charged towards him, before they dived at him, before the three figures vanished from the dream. As they vanished you started to run towards the cell that Eurochkoles had been in once more, screaming his name as you felt the dream world starting to lose cohesion, coming apart at the seams as he awoke.

With his return to consciousness came your own, the splash of water as you sat up with a start reminding you that you had fallen asleep in the bath. The bath felt cold now.

Taking a deep breath you tried to compose yourself and make sense of what you had just seen, as you asked yourself what you were going to do.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on July 12, 2010, 01:42:02 pm
We should go look for a wise-woman. Every fantasy town has one, and that might be our best bet at figuring out how to take a bit more control of these dreams.

It looks like we know how the enlightened get killed now. Their bodies might regenerate, but destroy the mind and it's over.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on July 12, 2010, 03:42:06 pm
Check if we have become fish. Especially as we sleept in the bath...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: rickvoid on July 12, 2010, 05:38:15 pm
Is not making a yeast infection joke.

It is not funny.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on July 12, 2010, 06:58:29 pm
You grumbled as you pulled yourself from the bath, sitting on the edge of it as you looked at your fingers and toes. They'd gone wrinkly from the water. At least you were clean now, though this fact didn't make up for the fact that your fingers and toes were wrinkly.

You almost stormed from the bathroom once you had dried and dressed yourself, huffing as you told yourself you wouldn't be doing that again. You didn't like the fact that your fingers and toes had ended up wrinkly, you especially didn't like waking up in water that had gone cold.

You briefly wondered what time it was, as you had heard the figure in your dream specifically state evening. It was likely just a formal manner of speech, but it was worth investigating none the less. Especially given that there was no light down here beyond the artificial lighting provided by the electric lights and occasional glowing stone.

You lay back on your bed, gazing up at the ceiling as you wondered what the dream signified, as you wondered if it was symbolic or if there was more to it. You knew that Eurochkoles had been in it, that he had been taking a beating from the enlightened as they tried to bring him about to their way of thought.

If that was a reflection of his mind, then he was mentally shrugging off their abuse.

It didn't make you feel any better though, as being immortal meant that he could physically be put through hell and survive it. Mentally, he was enduring it well at least. At least, that was how it appeared to you. Maybe he was projecting that he was enduring it well to make you worry less, maybe he was actually suffering horribly and just wanted you to believe that he could hold on that little longer for you.

This wasn't sitting well with you.

You rolled over as you sat up, reaching for your machete, strapping it to your back, hopping to your feet as you made your way to the door, out of your room and onward. You didn't care where you went, you just wanted to be out of this place, you just wanted to be outside and doing something other than hiding away.

You were torn though, you had the option of hiding away safely and waiting for things to come together, to give you an idea of what you needed to do to ensure Eurochkoles was rescued by the incompetants of the two guilds, or you could go out and try and influence it yourself. That, or you could go out and look for trouble.

You didn't know why the idea of looking for trouble seemed so appealing, it was as if there was something deep down telling you to do it. Something that wasn't you. Something alien with a sweet sirens voice.

You hurried towards the reception room, slowing to a walking pace every time you had to pass by somebody in the hallways. You were feeling increasingly anxious, increasingly wanting of freedom, increasingly enticed by the thought of running outside and finding something exciting to do. You couldn't help it, you knew that this desire wasn't your own and you couldn't bring yourself to disobey it. It was was passionate and alive, it was wild and hungry. It was what compelled you forward as you strode through the reception room, swinging the doors open as you made your way outside and into the open air.

You took note of the fading sunlight bleeding over the horizon as it set, as you hurried down the steps, as you made your way forward. You took note of the dogs howling as that what went bump in the night started to awaken, as the early flocks of vultures took to the sky.

You felt a rush of adrenaline as you started to run down one of the main paths, watching as people hurried off the streets, watching as people fled from that what went bump in the night. People were terrified, but not you.

No, not you.

You could see the occasional vulture fall, doubled with the sound of gunfire as mechanical men, law enforcement and civilians alike thinned some of those early risers from the skies. You could feel that alien urge telling you to stalk the night, to hunt, to feast upon your prey. You almost found yourself salivating in response to this, while your mind screamed at you to stop, while your mind screamed at you to show that you were better than this.

Eurochkoles believed you were better than this...

Were you truely less of a person with this hunger though?

You were conflicted, did you fight it and run back inside the guild house, did you give in and rejoice in your nature as you hunted that what went bump in the night, or did you dominate that nature, laugh in its face as you remained outdoors and refused to let it take hold?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: rickvoid on July 12, 2010, 07:16:42 pm
We are the master of our urges. The urges do not master us.

Kill any monsters that attack us, but shun their flesh.

Remember our good friend Brother Compassion, and seek him out. Surely he will help us!
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on July 12, 2010, 07:31:28 pm
or did you dominate that nature, laugh in its face as you remained outdoors and refused to let it take hold?
This one. Look for towers away from the main part of the city that are crackling with lightning. We shall hunt SCIENCE instead of monsters.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Osmosis Jones on July 12, 2010, 08:48:34 pm
or did you dominate that nature, laugh in its face as you remained outdoors and refused to let it take hold?
This one. Look for towers away from the main part of the city that are crackling with lightning. We shall hunt SCIENCE instead of monsters.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on July 12, 2010, 09:53:51 pm
We need to be at our strongest to rise to the occasion, find something to eat but be judicious about it...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on July 13, 2010, 09:05:59 am
You breathed in deeply as you tried to bring those urges to heel, as you told yourself that you were better than this, that you were your own master. You did not answer to these urges, you did not allow such urges to make you feed off the things that went bump in the night simply because you felt you needed to. You were stronger than that.

You took another deep breath as you dug your nails into your palms, your chest rising and falling, your eyes closing as you focused on ignoring those urges. You just needed to drown them out, to drown out those alien urges, those desires that would make you no better than some of the creatures of the night if you submitted to them. You were better than this, you were your own person, you were in control.

You were a woman who had recently rejoined the civilised world, you were a lover of comfort, you were cunning, you were sharp of tongue and wit. You were Eurochkoles only hope. There was too much responsibility on your shoulders, too much riding on you for you to submit to these urges. If you were to feast upon that what went bump in the night it would be because you wished to, not because you had submitted to some base urge.

You opened your eyes again as you let out a small huff.

You scanned the skyline of the city as you kept an eye out for trouble, watching as the fading day slowly gave way to night. It would be dark soon, though you had no fear of the dark. It was that what went bump in the night, those who hunted that what went bump in the night that you had reason to be worried about. You also had to be careful about running into the enlightened, though you had a feeling that you had more to worry about from them now.

Your mind wandered back to your dream as your feet wandered through the streets, two of the enlightened had referred to themselves as transcendent, able to inhabit the world of dreams and the real world at the same time. Did this mean that Pride had been secretly training up an elite task force, or did it mean that you had encountered two of his most trusted children?

You didn't like it either way, though you had been saved when another figure had invaded the dream, a figure who had taken away those two as if they were nothing. You were going to have to keep an eye out for him.

In unison the howl of dogs echoed from nearby, sending a chill down your spine as you realised they were in perfect unision. You picked up your pace as you heard another sound, one of heavy metal feet echoing lightly in the distance. If that howl was what you thought it was, then one of the mechanical men would keep you safe.

Another howl, this time closer, followed by the sound of sniffing and breathing echoed out from behind the corner of a house you had just passed. You picked up your face further as you took hold of the hem of your skirt, as you lifted it so it wouldn't restrict you as you started to run.

Three howls echoed in unison, prompting you to turn your head as a vast, multi headed beast bounded around the corner and started to chase you. It was just what you thought, a tainted, multi headed dog. A dog that came up to the chest of most men, a dog that was broad shouldered and muscular. You had encountered a few of these in your time with the enlightened and had never taken them down without at least several people being horribly injured.

Cerberus.

Glowing green eyes half way down the street told you that the mechanical man was near. You just needed to reach it and you'd be safe!

You ducked and weaved as you knocked over boxes and barrels to slow down the pursuing beast, before you started to sprint like your life depended on it. Sure, you could recover from this, but you didn't want to have to. You knew it would take some time to recover from half your body being devoured by a tainted beast.

"Cerberus Sighted, Initiating Engagement."

Your heart rose as those words boomed out from the mechanical man, yet it didn't slow down, arm itself and prepare to turn the dog into chunks. You started to sprint all the faster as you passed it by, knowing that one of these things could probably tear a mechanical man in two with ease.

At least it would buy you time.

There was the snarl and a clang of metal against flesh behind you, the sound of tortured metal as teeth sank into it, rending and tearing the armoured surface of the mechanical man. You were already looking for something to climb atop, a place to hide until the Cerberus lost interest in you and went for other prey. The mechanical man would buy you that much time.

At least you assumed that.

"Initiating Discharge."

A massive crackling boom filled the air as those words echoed out behind you, the sound of energy discharging filling the air. There was a whimpering yelp and then a moments silence before the sound of a heavy body thudding against the ground echoed out. You turned to see the form of the dog laying at the mechanical mans feet, smoke rising from it as the stench of charred flesh and fur started to drift your way.

You almost wished that the mechanical man could have been destroyed instead as it would have spared you the stench of burning from this thing. You took a moment to catch your breath as you watched the mechanical man reaching for the body, taking hold of one of its heads as it started to drag it off.

"Target Neutralised, Returning For Disposal."

As the mechanical man stomped off into the distance you took a good look at the skyline of the city, taking note of what looked most distinctive. Your heart was only half in it after the shock of being chased by that monster, though you told yourself that you needed to remain focused.

The skyline revealed several features of interest to you. There were the spires of a nearby church with a cross shaped lightning rod atop each one, there were a few towers on the outskirts of the cities with lightning rods, too. You could see big ben too, though there were few other features of interest that you could see in the fading light due to the houses around you obscuring your view partially.

It was getting dark quickly, though your eyes adapted to the gloom as quick as it came. Was it wise to remain out after being attacked, or did you have plans for where to go tonight?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Osmosis Jones on July 13, 2010, 09:29:58 am
Ooooh Big Ben Big Ben! Sure, it will serve absolutely no purpose for hunting SCIENCE, but goddammit man, it's BIG BEN!
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: rickvoid on July 13, 2010, 10:11:21 am
Heh. I forgot we were in London. Seriously, I did.

Somebody with more free time than me should do some research on London. Having knowledge of the actual city might be useful.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on July 13, 2010, 10:25:14 am
Lets head for that church. No idea what we might find, but I'm guessing any church in this city would know where to find a demon hunter or two. Also the lightning rods are a good sign for SCIENCE.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Osmosis Jones on July 13, 2010, 10:30:18 am
Or, you know, a tall building :P
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on July 13, 2010, 10:46:16 am
((I've never actually been to London, so I do keep a little light on the details.
I know it's shocking that an English person doesn't know everything about the capital of england, but truth be told, half of us are ashamed it exists.))
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Ochita on July 13, 2010, 10:53:10 am
Its okay. I'v only been to london a couple of times
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on July 13, 2010, 12:45:55 pm
Head for Baker street.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on July 13, 2010, 01:17:07 pm
You took a deep breath as you looked between those landmarks that had stood out, considering briefly what one you wanted to go to. The towers didn't really appeal to you right now, you'd had enough of men who thought that their crazy experiments were somehow going to change the world for the time being with the Technomancers. Sure, you could find yourself a potential ally, source of food or place to clear out and claim for your own, but it wasn't worth the trouble in your eyes.

There was Big Ben, with the Clockworkers pride and joy providing time for the city. At least for those that could read it. You personally hadn't learned what the symbols on it meant, or what the hands that it bore meant either, though you could tell when the bell chimed what time it was. At least you had been able to when the bell still chimed.

You couldn't recall if the bell had been silenced as not to attract the things that went bump in the night, or if it had been damaged and was currently being repaired right now. It was sort of appealing to go there, though there were no doubt mechanical men posted as guards there. You didn't exactly want to mess with them right now after seeing the way one could handle a Cerberus.

Maybe you'd go poke around in the morning, when they were not no doubt stationed ready to shoot trespassers on sight.

This left one rather awkward choice.

The church.

You hadn't been to one since you had been a little girl, since your mother had taken you there, since you had decided that religion wasn't a big thing in your life. It had been a big part in her life to go to church, to live by the teachings of the book. It had disappointed her when you had turned your back on religion, it had been something you had never heard the end of. You could almost imagine what the look on her face would be if she knew you were about to go visit a church after all this time.

You sighed softly as you started walking towards the church, as you straightened your clothing and hair out quickly to make sure you looked presentable. You missed your mother, you hadn't seen her since you joined the enlightened. You wondered if she missed you or if she had found out what you had joined and disowned you, refusing to accept that she had a daughter any longer. You wouldn't blame her if she did, though deep down you knew it would hurt all the same to find that out.

It'd hurt both of you.

Maybe you'd go visit her when all this was over. Maybe you'd go leave her a note saying you were sorry later tonight. Maybe you'd never show your face to her again as you were so ashamed of how things had worked out between you.

You walked along the outer wall of the church yard, looking through the rails that seperated the grounds from the surrounding city. You could see rows of graves in the darkness, you could see everything in near perfect detail despite the growing darkness. You could see the church standing tall in the darkness, towering over the surrounding house.

You took a deep breath as you reached the front gate, stepping through it as you felt the weight of that childhood guilt on your shoulders. You walked up the paved path towards the church, grass growing from between the edges of the paving stones, looking anywhere apart from the great doors that lead into the building.

Even as you reached them it took you some moments to bring yourself to turn your attention to them, to swing one of them open before you strode into the church. Inside was one lone figure, a figure with blonde hair and a pale complexion, a figure who slowly rose his head to look at you, a figure who had brilliant white wings briefly manifest behind him as he took a deep breath.

As those wings faded he started to stride forward, while you meekly held back near the door of the church, ready to turn and flee at a moments notice. He crossed half the church before he stopped, his intense gaze focused on you as you found yourself unable to focus on anything other than him.

The stained glass windows, the pews, the rich red carpet leading to the front of the church, the crosses, you were blind to them as this figures very gaze challenged you.

"What business do you have entering armed into the house of god, foul one?" came the figures voice, both gentle like a summers breeze and booming as it filled your ears with unimaginable power.

Was it time to meekly turn your back and leave, or did you plan to answer this imposing figure?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: maxicaxi on July 13, 2010, 01:31:46 pm
say that we are no longer a member of the dark ones and that we want to pray for forgivness
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on July 13, 2010, 01:33:03 pm
that, and also leave our weapons at the door.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: rickvoid on July 13, 2010, 01:42:12 pm
Oh Hells yes. Divine artillery is exactly what we need. Do what those two guys said.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on July 13, 2010, 01:50:14 pm
Agreed. Tell him we want to cleanse the taint from ourselves, and protection from the monsters outside..
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: rickvoid on July 13, 2010, 02:05:00 pm
Let's just tell the guy everything. Eurochkoles, the Enlightened, the Dreamworld, all of it.

Of course, he might not actually be a good Angel. He could be one of the Fallen. But that would bring this scene to immeasurable levels of irony, so I doubt it.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on July 13, 2010, 04:45:00 pm
"I..." You started, trailing off as you swallowed nervously, breathing in deeply as you tried your best to find the courage to speak. You were deeply intimidated by this figure, afraid of what they could do to you. You felt as if your immortal nature was nothing before them, as if they could cast you aside with ease. As if the firey abyss your mother had always told you that you would reside within was within reach for them if they wished to condemn you.

You reached for the strap that held your machete buckled to you, figuring that a guesture of peace was a good start while you found your tongue. You fumbled with it nervously as you struggled to unfasten it with those relentless, piercing eyes fixed upon you. You felt that he saw beyond your appearance, that he could see the darkness inside, that he could see your tainted nature.

As your fingers finally managed to slip the strap free of the buckle you slipped the weapon from your shoulder, looking up at the figure briefly before you set the weapon down beside one of the pews. With that done you turned back to him, stuttering and stammering as you tried once more to find words without luck. The figure stood there patiently, assuming a more neutral stance in an effort to ease how intimidated by him you were.

"I... I came to confess, I came to pray for forgiveness for my sins. I strayed from the path and-"

The figure raised his hand to silenced you as he started walking towards you again, gesturing for you to sit. You moved to sit on one of the pews immediately as you watched him move over to the row opposite you, hopping up as he span to face you, sitting on the back of it if he was as light as air.

You looked up at him, swallowing nervously as you looked for words again. You could see the depths of great knowledge in his eyes, you could feel power both radiant and divine washing over you. He was an awe inspiring figure, despite how he was dressed in a simple white robe and sandals.

"Go ahead, Sabrina, you have my ears."

The sound of your name, your real name echoing in your ears had you look down at your hands, ashamed once more of who and what you had become. You felt self loathing setting in, you felt disgust at how you had abandoned your mother and ran off on your selfish quest to live forever.

"I am not worthy of your time or your attention, I have become a monster. I do not even understand why you have not struck me down yet," you whispered, prompting a soft laugh from the figure as he shook his head. You immediately fell silent as you knew not how to respond to this, though the figure before you was fast to pick up on this and speak once more.

"You are the lost little girl that once renounced him, you are the little girl he expected never to see again. He weeps for how your inner beauty was stolen from you. If it were not for his mercy, hallowed be his name, then you indeed would have been treated like the monster you believe you have become. By his mercy my hand was stayed, by his word my ears have been opened to you."

You swallowed nervously, this hadn't exactly helped you feel any less apprehensive about his presence.

"I met somebody, I met a man who told me I could be better than I was, a man who helped me see how I was lost. He helped me see through the lies that I was taught to believe, the madness that I was made to embrace because I was weak and afraid. If it wasn't for him I would still be with the Enlightened, I would still be working towards their goals as part of their body."

You paused briefly, resting your elbows on your knees, your chin on your hands.

"He felt that he had endangered me by making me talk about the Enlightened, as their policy is to kill those that betray them. He sought to protect me, he sought to ensure my safety and in doing so he had to do things that did not sit well with him. Now he is their captive and I am here at his expense. I have done much that is bad in my life out of fear and necessity, but this..."

You could feel the eyes of that figure boring into you, as if they were searching your soul, as if they were looking for some sign that there was still hope for you.

"I want to be free of the taint that defines me, I want to be safe once more, I want to be myself once more," you sighed wistfully, turning slightly to face the figure as you watched him nodding slowly. His expression was troubled, betraying that he was seeing more within you.

"You have walked upon the fringes of the spiritual world recently, child. You have walked the domain where dreams shape the world, though not as a dreamer. What I sense from you troubles me, though I would like you to clarify it for me, tell me in your own words what you saw the last time you did."

You nodded, guesturing now as you spoke to emphasise things further.

"I was in a prison, a prison in what I walked past what must have been a thousand cells. From every cell I could hear screams, though when I walked past them they were empty, with no doors to get into them. I saw two of the Enlightened in this dream, who said they transcended, who were torturing Eurochkoles-"

The figure turned pale.

"Eurochkoles," he whispered, closing his eyes for a brief moment before he started to speak anew. "A thousand cells, a thousand years. The screams of forgotten memories trying to escape," he breathed, closing his eyes once more as he pressed one hand to his temple, rubbing at it as his expression became agitated.

"There was another man in the dream too, he was-"

A hand was raised as the figure made it clear that he wished to hear no more. Instead, he rose to his feet, pacing back and forth as he muttered to himself in disbelief. Something about him, something about Eurochkoles unsettled this angelic figure and you wanted to know what. You wanted to know what could possibly be so bad, that it would unsettle this figure as greatly as it did.

"He should be dead, how is it possible that he was able to be reborn, to live a thousand years without detection?" the figure mumbled to himself before he turned his attention back towards you. One hand was held out to you as he presented you with a tiny silver pin, his face betraying a heavy heart as he spoke.

"It is with great sorrow that I must ask you Sabrina, will you kill his physical body and turn him over to us?"
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Ochita on July 13, 2010, 04:48:33 pm
"What! He was the only person who actally saw me and now you are just asking for me to just KILL him! Why! Why!
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on July 13, 2010, 05:02:20 pm
A tiny silver pin... We never saw what killed us in that battle at the beginning of all this, at the peak of our power... and the one called Love was somehow connected to it...

Refuse without further explanation.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on July 13, 2010, 07:14:10 pm
"When I first entered, I thought I saw an angel. I were clearly wrong. What are you?"
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on July 13, 2010, 07:16:51 pm
"When I first entered, I thought I saw an angel. I were clearly wrong. What are you?"
A good question... but the insult(sorta) would be a VERY bad idea.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: rickvoid on July 13, 2010, 08:21:02 pm
Dubya. Tee. Eff?

I dunno. Killing him might be considered a mercy, but he's pretty big on the whole "I like being alive" thing.

If he wants us to do anything, we need explanations. Lots of them. Everything if we have time.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on July 13, 2010, 10:04:49 pm
"I cannot possibly even consider doing that without knowing what I am getting into first," you responded, shaking your head as you started to stand, as you looked towards the door, considering simply leaving at this point. "What are you really, who is he really?" you asked, guesturing for emphasis as you spoke, before narrowing your eyes as you spoke calmly and deliberately for emphasis. "Give me reason why I should kill the man that I respect more than any other."

The figure stood before he hopped from the top of the pew, wings manifesting for a brief moment, flapping as they allowed him to gracefully land. He turned his back to you as his wings faded from view, as he started to pace up towards the altar at the front of the church, hands clasped behind his back as he sighed.

"I am an immortal, Sabrina. I have filled the role of a mouth of god, delivering his word for two thousand years. As time has passed, I have become more akin to that what you may know as an angel. While I may not be, I may very well ascend to become such one day. Until that day however, my duty is here on earth, delivering the word of our lord to those that will accept him."

He turned slightly, looking over his shoulder at you as he did so. "He is willing to offer you your humanity back if you will do this service in his name, to free him from this world that he has returned to too soon."

You looked at the figure, then down at yourself as you wondered if you'd be even able to live with yourself for doing such a thing. You would have betrayed somebody who despite all his failings, had done his best to do the right thing when it came to you.

"You speak of the reward, yet you evade the question of who, of what he is," You closed your eyes, a wry smile crossing your lips as you did so. "This is a test, you are tempting me. You are offering me something that I desire, to see if I will blindly do something..."

You opened your eyes again to see the figure standing a short distance from you, clapping softly as he smiled widely. "Very good, Sabrina, there is hope for you yet. Removing the taint of the body is something that would ultimately be for naught, if an equally spoiled mind was left uncleansed."

You couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.

You had hoped that there was something at least you could do to be free of this taint.

"Will you at least tell me who he is, what he is?"

"I am permitted to tell you but one thing, he is an immortal who is reborn every time his physical form is destroyed."

With those words the figure vanished, leaving a handful of white feathers drifting to the ground where he had been stood. You leaned down, picking up one of the feathers before tucking it into your hair, knowing that before the night was over that you would likely have lost it. This was fine by you though, angel or not, you didn't think you'd want to keep a feather from such a holy person for too long. Something about them unsettled you, though the entire experience in a way gave you hope.

Hope was something you could always do with more of.

You picked the machete up from beside the pews, strapping it to yourself as you stepped from the church, walking down the paved path as you made your way to the gate. As you stepped through the gate, closing itself behind you again you looked back at the church briefly, wondering if that had all really happened. The feather in your hair said so, though your mind told you that you were going to wake up any second now and find that it was all a dream, that you were still that hated abomination in the eyes of just about everything.

You knew you weren't dreaming though, you knew that you were awake and that the world about you was still the horrible and monster filled place it had always been. You were out at prime time for that what went bump in the night, and you had a fool to setup the rescue of.

The night was young and you felt alive.

As you looked each way down the street, you asked yourself, was there something you wished to try and accomplish tonight, or another location you'd like to visit?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on July 13, 2010, 10:44:58 pm
>eat feathers
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: rickvoid on July 13, 2010, 10:58:08 pm
Wait. Did I catch that right? Eurochkoles is God? Or, at least, his mortal avatar?

Um.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Osmosis Jones on July 13, 2010, 11:01:42 pm
No, the other immortal is the mouthpiece of a god, Eurochkoles is just an immortal superhuman. That said, Euro is on his way to becoming a god. That's kinda the whole point of this story, going by the OP.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: maxicaxi on July 13, 2010, 11:06:58 pm
No, the other immortal is the mouthpiece of a god, Eurochkoles is just an immortal superhuman. That said, Euro is on his way to becoming a god. That's kinda the whole point of this story, going by the OP.

A! GOD! OF! WAR!
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on July 13, 2010, 11:13:53 pm
Yeah, seriously, this figure is dodgy, we can't afford to trust them. They are all show, and the best they could muster is a few minor mental powers and some special effects, when Pride puts on a show you become immortal, and we ditched that scene easily enough...

Speaking of which, if we stop eating horrors we may lose our regenerative ability, we can't afford to lose that while Eurocles is out of commission...

It will make it easier for Pride to track us, and the MMs will recognise us as enlightened again, but you have to pay a price somewhere...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Osmosis Jones on July 13, 2010, 11:32:53 pm
Get two feathers, and stick one into the skin at the base of each shoulder blade. ;)
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on July 13, 2010, 11:49:37 pm
No, the other immortal is the mouthpiece of a god, Eurochkoles is just an immortal superhuman. That said, Euro is on his way to becoming a god. That's kinda the whole point of this story, going by the OP.
I disagree.
He turned slightly, looking over his shoulder at you as he did so. "He is willing to offer you your humanity back if you will do this service in his name, to free him from this world that he has returned to too soon."
I think he might be talking about Eurochkoles here... It sounds like he might be much closer to being a god than we thought.

>eat feathers
Do EET.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: rickvoid on July 14, 2010, 12:03:22 am
That was the bit I was referring to, yes.

No more horror eating. Even one bite would be too much.

Try the feathers on the shoulder-blades thing. It won't work, but if it does...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on July 14, 2010, 12:31:10 am
No more horror eating. Even one bite would be too much.
It was something close to an angel. That's about as far as you can get from a horror. Any side effects of eating those feathers will probably be more along the lines of our mind trying to turn us into a zealot.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on July 14, 2010, 05:04:04 am
>eat feathers
this.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: rickvoid on July 14, 2010, 10:09:20 am
RAM's post seemed to suggest that he thought we should eat more horrors to prevent losing our powers. I was opposing that. I guess I'll back the feather eating, but the fish didn't seem to do anything to us, so I doubt this will either.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Toaster on July 14, 2010, 10:23:39 am
Might as well eat it (yuck.)  I imagine an angel's feather has more power than a couple normal fish.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on July 14, 2010, 10:51:50 am
You sighed softly as you walked across the street, deciding that for the moment you'd just relax and let this all sink in. The entire experience was confusing in a sense, you had the feeling that it didn't add up, that the figure you had spoken to was vague. At the time you hadn't thought to question it, yet now...

Now you were uncertain and were starting to wonder if you could truely believe everything that had come out of that figures mouth. Sure, he knew your name, sure, he knew that you hadn't been to a church in a long time, but you knew that even if he had found such details out directly from his god, that you still couldn't trust him entirely.

Maybe the entire thing had been intended to cast doubt on Eurochkoles, to make you question who he was, what he was ultimately capable of. There was something about his wording that had been vauge too, was Eurochkoles their god, was Eurochkoles a major figure to them that they wanted returned?

You settled down atop a wall facing the church yard, sighing as you gazed at the building, as you wondered if this had been wise in the slightest. You had nagging doubts now and you didn't know what to make of them. Your mind raced as you considered the possibilities, he could be a  reincarnation of their god, he could be a reincarnation of one of their saints, he could be a reincarnation of one of their most feared figures.

Somehow, the concept of him being one of their feared and hated figures didn't seem right. If anything he had never shown any intent to carry out truely malicious action or evil, he acted in self defence, he tried to keep his emotions in check, he tried to be a good person and he felt remorse. Maybe he wasn't even one of the figures from their religion, maybe he was an external figure who had been a target of theirs simply because they viewed him as a threat.

Your mind wandered to the feather in your hair, to the wings the figure had bore. They had been beautiful, brilliant and white. They really completed the illusion that he was an angel, that he was no doubt happy to play upon with those that came to the church to see him. You wished you could have wings, that you could fly high above the city...

You sighed wistfully as you slipped from the wall and back to the gate of the church grounds, gazing at the building before you as you wondered if it was possible. It couldn't hurt to try and spur a pair of them to grow using his feathers, could it?

Before you knew it you were back inside, picking up the feathers that had been left scattered behind and out again, a sensation of exhilaration rushing through you as you hurried out again, settling on the wall as you reached over and jabbed the feathers testingly against your shoulders. It was almost like when you were a little girl again, pretending that feathers you had gathered were your wings, that with them you could fly.

Only now, you felt that there was just the slightest chance that you may.

The feathers merely scraped against your skin despite your best efforts to jab them into it, prompting a huff from you as you decided that the next course of action was to try and eat them. Your dreams of having wings you quickly realised were a throwback to your childish desires as you gagged, then spat out a half chewed feather as it tickled the back of your throat.

You were going to be finding bits of that in your mouth for weeks.

You alternately scraped your nails against your tongue and spat out more of the feather as you fiddled with the remaining two in your hand, before tucking them into your hair. You were thankful that Eurochkoles hadn't been here to witness this, as he would no doubt have laughed at you for such a childish act. You'd do anything to hear him laugh like that right now, as it'd mean that he was safe and well.

You sighed as you turned your attention to the moon, the distant howl of dogs your only company as you sat there feeling lost. You felt like you had achieved nothing, you could feel doubt setting in, you could feel apprehension. Eurochkoles was depending on you, and you were sat here lost and confused, grasping at straws in your efforts to help him.

You knew that self pity wasn't going to help anything, you had to get a grip of yourself. You had to work harder to find something that would work. The question was, what were you going to do?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on July 14, 2010, 11:40:00 am
Ah well, was worth a shot.

I don't see what we can do from here really. Brute force won't work, pride would sense us trying to sneak in, and we don't really have any allies to call in apart from the guilds we already told about all this.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on July 14, 2010, 01:02:20 pm
Maybe we shukd think more seriusly abaut somehow trying to lure some machanical men there.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Ochita on July 14, 2010, 01:07:49 pm
Dude, Spellcheck nao!
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on July 14, 2010, 03:57:48 pm
You had always been a follower you realised as you felt all the more discouraged, someone who had followed where others had lead the way. You couldn't believe how useless you felt now that you were alone, now that you had nobody to guide you. You had almost been ready to turn back to religion and it had left you with more questions than you had begun with. You almost wished that you could simply go back to the Enlightened, so that you could once more be shown what was expected of you, guided along the path.

You couldn't though.

You had to be your own person, you needed to be your own person.

This was why you needed to rescue Eurochkoles as soon as possible. You needed his guidance, you needed his steady yet fair hand, you needed him to help you find yourself. Maybe in time he would help you learn to face the world before you head on, without deferring to somebody elses judgement.

You could feel the increasing onset of insecurity taking hold and you knew that you had to do something about it. You couldn't just wallow in self pity, you couldn't just worry about what if's. You had to clear your head, you had to take initiative.

You had to prove that you were worthy of this second chance you had been given.

You slipped from the wall once more as you started along the street once more, heading further from the guild house as you looked up at the moon. It was a beautiful night, marred only by the fact that it was haunted by that what went bump in the night. It was a night that you could have lost yourself in had things been different.

You paused as you continued along the path to vault up onto the wall, balancing atop it as you held your arms out to steady yourself, before you walked along it instead of the path. It was childish, but you didn't care. Nobody could tell you to behave like the adult you were supposed to be right now and you wouldn't have listened to them if there was somebody here that did. With nobody to tell you how to behave otherwise you started to pick up speed, arms still held out as you maintained your balance on the wall carefully, as you started to run along it.

Your arms lowered as you went from an awkward and slow paced attempt to run along it to bouncing along as you picked up speed, hopping between wall segments as you progressed onward. As you reahed a higher wall you jumped, hands planted on the corner of it as you swung your legs up over your head, before bringing them down atop the wall.

From this point you started to do cartwheels atop the higher wall, covering the entire length of it with ease before standing on your hands as you reached the end of it. One leg then the other slowly started to push onward, your entire body following suit as you allowed gravity to assist you in flipping down from the top of the wall. As hand straightened your clothing and the other your hair you sighed happily, you didn't know why it had felt so good to do this, but it had taken your mind off things to an extent to do something so frivolous.

You were a little out of breath though.

You turned the corner as you headed down another street on a whim, passing beneath a fragrant floral arch as you entered what you guessed to be one of the more well off area's of town. You could see well maintained buildings with distinctive white walls framed with blackened timber, you could see brickwork and tiled roofing, you could see lamplight glowing through latticed glass windows.

Well maintained paving underfoot were bordered by a recently maintained green that was dotted with what appeared to be apple trees. At least that was what you assumed the budding fruits they bore were, fruits that were far from ripe or ready. You wouldn't have minded pinching an apple right now had there been one in reach.

As you turned another corner while walking through this upmarket area you spotted a man ahead of you, a man dressed in a black waistcoat, white shirt and black trousers. A man who had his back to you, a man who was bent over what you could immediately identify as the body of a person. A woman most likely, you noted from the shredded dress that had been bloodied and cut open.

You ducked back around the corner, peering out from behind it as you tried to gauge the situation.

The man appeared to be mutiliating the woman's remains with a blade, though it was hard to tell exactly from behind. He appeared to be talking to himself too, though you were too far away from him to make out anything he was saying. It was probably that distance between you and this man that had prevented him from hearing you too.

You could see him wipe his brow with the back of his arm, doing his best to get as little blood on his forehead as he could as he brushed dark hair back from his face. He appeared to be close to done, the woman no doubt long dead by now.

Were you going to hide until this man had passed, or were you going to confront him in this winding street in some manner?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Ochita on July 14, 2010, 04:00:59 pm
Attack!
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Strange guy on July 14, 2010, 04:08:29 pm
I agree, our regenerating abilities means it takes something seriously powerful or supernatural for a lost fight to cause any major problems, and seeing how we are trying to follow Euraksighnhajh's (I'm not even going to try to spell it right) example doing some heroic actions would be a good start.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on July 14, 2010, 04:42:56 pm
Attack. VERY stealthily. Regeneration just means we can be tortured worse than most.

Time to kill Jack.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Ochita on July 14, 2010, 04:47:36 pm
Oh god...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: rickvoid on July 14, 2010, 04:54:09 pm
Jack The Ripper Must Die.

In deference to what we did in the last story post, let's get him Assassin's Creed style. Climb a convenient nearby building, and jump him. Be entirely silent as we do this, and land on him. Then go all John Defoe on his ass.












it hurts
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Ochita on July 14, 2010, 05:04:35 pm
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on July 14, 2010, 06:19:13 pm
You took a deep breath, steeling yourself for what you were about to do. You could barely believe it, you had found a murderer on the streets of london and you were planning to attack them. You were planning to try and follow that fool's example and do the right thing. You'd never seen yourself as the type to do such, you'd never considered that you would dive in and try and do what you believed to be the right thing in such a manner.

You were going to stop this crazed lunatic so that they couldn't harm anybody else, you were going to show the Enlightened that you were better than them. You were going to stand against everything that they represented, you were going to do what Eurochkoles would.

You were afraid though, despite how you tried to mentally prepare yourself for this encounter.

You glanced at the side of the building you were hiding behind briefly as you attempted to find a way up it, a means to get onto the roof that was within reach. From the roof you knew that you could drop down on him, that you could catch him offguard and strike before he could retaliate if you got it right. There was no way up in reach however, no means to scale the walls to reach the rooftops.

The only way you were going to get onto the rooftops like that was if you went for the smaller houses that lined the winding street that he was sat upon. This meant that the only way you were going to be able to catch him off guard was if you were silent, if you snuck up behind him and struck first.

Silently as you could you drew the machete from your back before you peered around the corner once more, making sure that he was still busy with his grisly work. You could see that he was still busy, though he was checking the body now as if he was making sure he hadn't missed anything, his knife sat down at his side instead of in his hand.

Now was your chance.

You edged forward, slowly and silently as your feet hovered over the paved street before falling gently and silently against it. Every slow step forward was silent, your breathing supressed, your free hand holding your skirt as you ensured that it made no noise to betray you.

The figure began wiping his fingers clean on the dress, his voice now audiable as you heard him mumbling about how it had been over much too soon, that her life had fled her body before he had even started. with his fingers no longer slick with blood he placed a finger under the dead womans chin, lifting her head as he seemed to stare into those glassy eyes, sighing wistfully.

You raised the machete above your head as you prepared yourself to strike, readying yourself to bring it down on his back, on his neck as he continued to obliviously examine that woman's features...

"Good evening miss," came his voice as he moved his finger from beneath the womans head. "You might want to be careful with that blade, you could end up getting hurt," he continued, wiping his hands and arms on the womans attire now, making no effort to reach for his knife. "She had such beautiful colours, colours that I had to have for myself. Her colours were untainted, beautiful and pure, they were like morning dew on a spidersweb, like the first snow."

You froze, feeling unsettled by this. The figure didn't just know you were there, he knew how you were armed and he hadn't even turned to look at you.

"Who are you... What are you?" You asked, failing to hide just how unsettled you were as your voice wavered fearfully.

"I am known by many names, by the many that I have encountered. I have been called the Reaper of Dreams, the Ripper and many less complimentary names, but you may call me Jack."

You swallowed nervously as you felt the weight of your blade in your hands, as you looked down at the still unprotected back of this man before you. Was it truely wise to press forward with your intended attack?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on July 14, 2010, 07:42:42 pm
Well... there goes the "ordinary psycho" theory. I think he's the figure from our last dream. The question is, do we ask him what he knows about it, or just break and run?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on July 14, 2010, 09:30:26 pm
I think that he relies too much on mental effect, we should be able to disable him, although if he endures then we would have to abandon our machete, I haven't heard anything about how important it is to us from our perspective...

I expect that he has a lot of experience with running away and curiosity, harming him would probably greatly improve our chances of escape or interrogation. Blocking a machete to the back while crouched over something would take enough skill that I don't think we have any real control over this situation at all...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: rickvoid on July 14, 2010, 10:07:29 pm
Don't look him in the eyes.

That is all.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Osmosis Jones on July 14, 2010, 10:16:34 pm
He's the killer of immortals huh? Well then, asking him to help save Euro would be unwise. He almost certainly will recognise us, so trying to bluff our way out of this would be equally unwise.

That leaves back away slowly, report the crime to the police, and try to avoid getting our 'colours' harvested.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: cerapa on July 15, 2010, 02:55:52 am
Im guessing hes an immortal, or at least something close.

Ask if he is the one from the dream.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on July 15, 2010, 08:39:16 am
It struck you, this was the figure who had killed several whores in more run down parts of the city, this was the figure that's activities had been blamed upon your order. People in their fear of the unknown had attributed this individuals activities to you, they had blamed you for the perfectly executed kills that this killer had carried out. You gripped the handle of the machete that little tighter.

"You didn't answer my question. what are you?"

"You're quite agitated miss, would it not be wise to put down your weapon before you hurt yourself?"

"Answer my question!"

"Very well," he sighed, clearly unimpressed by your attempt to intimidate him. "I am an immortal, we met in the dream world recently, if it wasn't for me you would have fallen victim to the newly transcended dream walkers who's souls pulsed in unison with your own."

"Souls... Pulsed?"

"Like the beating of a heart, you Enlightened can all be identified by fact that you share one soul."

You narrowed your eyes, one foot shifting forward as you assumed a better stance, supporting the weight of the machete as you made certain that you were ready to strike at a moments notice. This wasn't lost on the figure before you, though he merely muttered in reaction. You didn't entirely catch what he had said, though one word stood out in that.

Unwise.

"If we share one soul, then why are you not after my colours, like you were after theirs?"

"You still have your own soul, you still have your own colours. Your own colours are tainted, muddy, they are ugly and not suited to my current work, so you're quite safe right now."

"And... What of my friend, who was in the dream with me?"

"He has no colour."

"What does that mean?"

The figure fell silent, turning to face you as he forced a smile, looking up at you as he seemed to search for words to explain this further. You could see his expression betraying how he wasn't entirely certain himself, how this confused him. He was an immortal killer, a man who's mind was quickly working through the motions of trying to make sense of it.

"I wish I knew, miss. I wish I knew," his words betrayed how while Eurochkoles was an enigma to him, he was one that he hadn't put too much thought into. He was one who Pride had taken barely any notice of beyond having him know that he had been seen, he was one who the church seemed to know more about than they were letting on. He was one who this Jack figure before you had no insight on.

As Jack had no idea who Eurochkoles was, you realised Pride had no idea who Jack was.

Pride hadn't even sensed this immortal, and Pride had always claimed that when it came to it, he was the greatest power in the city. This gave you hope, this told you that pride was flawed, that he was blind to his flaws. If he didn't know about this one, then there were no doubt others that he was unaware of.

"I'm not done with you yet," you snapped as you watched Jack starting to stand, though he paid no heed to the warning your tone was supposed to impart. He merely smiled in response, straightening his waist coat as he breathed deeply, looking up at the night sky.

"I suggest you go home miss, forget what you have seen tonight. It might be better for you not to worry about it, you know?"

"Are you threatening me?" you hissed, lowering the machete as you gripped it with both hands, assuming a stance ready to swipe the blade sideways if he made any sign of moving against you.

"Oh, goodness no. It isn't my style to threaten a lady, besides, do I look like a threat to you, with my knife still sat on the floor like that, and you with such an oversized blade in your hands?"

Everything about him set you on edge, yet he didn't look like much of a fighter. You were unsettled and uncertain and wondering just what you were going to do. Did you question him further, did you press home your advantage and attack him, or did you take heed and travel as far as you could from this gruesome scene?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on July 15, 2010, 09:01:27 am
One last question before we leave(I doubt we stand a chance in a fight): What were those "transcended", and could we learn to control the dream world the same way?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Osmosis Jones on July 15, 2010, 09:08:21 am
Ask him if he as ever seen Pride. More importantly, ask him if he would be willing to paint with Pride's colour.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on July 15, 2010, 09:30:39 am
Ask him if he as ever seen Pride. More importantly, ask him if he would be willing to paint with Pride's colour.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: rickvoid on July 15, 2010, 10:07:34 am
"Paint with Pride's color."

I love the delicious euphemism implicit in that phrase. Ask him.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on July 15, 2010, 11:29:49 am
Your feet shifted slightly as you edged cautiously away from the figure before you, as he stood there offering nothing more than a friendly smile. It was unnerving to have this figure stood there smiling with clothing flecked with blood, a smear of it across his forehead and his hands and lower arms drenched with gore. He was terrifying, he was a figure that could threaten your very existance should he choose to do so. He was somebody who you didn't understand in the slightest.

How could he have gone for so long without anybody knowing anything about him?

Every fiber of your being told you to turn and run, to get as far away from him as possible. He was a monster, a killer with no remorse, an immortal who was killing people because he liked the colours he could see in them.

You had to stay, just a little longer. You had to ask him just a few more things before you left and hoped that you never ran into him again. You edged back a little further, bringing your blade before you as you pointed it at him, holding it between the two of you as you took a deep breath. You were trying to steady yourself, trying to gather your wits about you to allow you to ask those questions before you turned and fled.

You edged back further.

You could see him waiting patiently for you to speak, you could see that he was fully aware of how you had something on the tip of your tongue that you just couldn't say. Your hands shook now as you did your best to hide how you had lost your nerve, how the only thing that was stopping you from turning and fleeing was the fact you were too afraid to do that.

"You need not worry miss, I mean you no harm. Whatever it is that's troubling you, feel free to ask it," he stated as he casually moved his arms back, his hands clasped behind him.

You took a deep breath, doing your best to regain your composure.

This man terrified you.

"Wh-what do you kn-know about the ones that t-t-transcended?"

"Oh, i'd guess that they managed to eat... It is eating that you people do, to empower yourself isn't it?" Jack paused, shrugging briefly before he continued speaking. "I'd assume they ate something that's nature ties it to the dream world, be it by intent or chance I do not know. Their nature permitted them to exist in the dream world and the waking world at the same time. They are no more now, however."

"Surely y-you know of Pride?" you swallowed as you edged backward once more. The further you were from this man the safer you felt. "C-can you not paint with his... Colours?"

"Paint with the colours of Pride, ah, putting a request for me to kill him with such whimsy. Yes, I am quite capable of taking them from him, yet I have no intent to. His colours are like oil atop water, shimmering with all the colours of the rainbow, yet spoiled and unable to mix. the task I was contracted for currently does not include his... Removal."

As you edged further away the man smiled slightly, his hands drifting from behind his back as he sighed, before he brought one forward, gesturing as he spoke. "Well, if you'll excuse me miss, I must be on my way. The night is not yet over and much work needs to be done on the final solution."

With that he bowed, a sweeping bow that he used as a chance to snatch up his knife.

And then he was gone.

He had vanished right before your eyes, leaving you in an alley way with a horribly butchered body. Hanging around wasn't wise for that reason alone, maybe it would be wise to head back to the guild house now. The question was, did you really want to?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: maxicaxi on July 15, 2010, 12:10:12 pm
omnomnomnom
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on July 15, 2010, 12:10:45 pm
No.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Ochita on July 15, 2010, 12:11:30 pm
omnomnomnom
No.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Osmosis Jones on July 15, 2010, 12:33:23 pm
Don't eat the body. Go back to the guild. We've already met two immortals in one night, that's enough action for anyone. Get some sleep.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on July 15, 2010, 12:34:18 pm
omnomnomnom
No.

Get out of there. Time to return to the guild house.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: rickvoid on July 15, 2010, 02:18:46 pm
Ho ho. He's working for somebody else. That's a good piece of info to get.

DON'T EAT THE DAMN BODY WHAT IS THIS I DON'T EVEN-
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on July 15, 2010, 05:38:05 pm
As you finally gathered your wits again you decided that it was time for you to get out of here, time for you to get far away from this scene. You didn't want to be blamed for it for a start, and you didn't want to give in to the temptation to eat that body, to consume that recently deceased flesh and to sate a growing hunger you could feel within you.

No, you were better than that, you were above resorting to cannibalism like some lowly animal, like some tainted creature. Your body was twisted by the taint it bore, but you were the master of it, you were the one in control, not it. You refused to give in to that hunger that you felt because you couldn't possibly afford to risk losing the humanity that you had recently recovered. Without it, you were no better than the rest of the Enlightened, without it you were no better than one of the things that went bump in the night.

You strode through the night as you made your way back towards the guild house, following the streets that you had travelled along prior. The howl of dogs and the flutter of wings filled your ears, while the occasional low and mournful wail echoed in the distance. The night was at its peak, with all manner of things roaming, searching for those that they could prey upon.

You didn't fear that what went bump in the night, not after an encounter with a man who seemed fully capable of dealing with mortal and immortal alike, as if there was no distinction between them in his eyes. You wondered just who he could have been working for, though there was nothing that came to mind that gave you an idea of what his purpose could be.

He was working for people, he was assisting with their master plan.

It was all so broad that you figured it wasn't worth worrying about right now.

The fluttering and howling of that what roamed the night came close several times as you made your way back towards the more heavily patrolled parts of the city, though you were not accosted in any manner. You wouldn't have cared if you were, after dealing with Jack you would have quite happily taken down any number of Vultures, Cerberus and Banshee's at the same time just to end the night with memories of something slightly less intimidating than he was.

You knew when you reached guild territory again by the sight of green eyes glowing in the darkness, by the sound of heavy metal feet slamming into the paving slabs, by the sight of heavy bronze bodies marching in the gloom. In a way the patrolling mechanical men were no different from the things that went bump in the night. They came out in great numbers at night to haunt the streets, preying on that what was not acceptable in their eyes.

This thought caught you off guard, prompting you to shake your head as you tried to tell yourself they were different, that they were guardians protecting people from that what preyed upon them. It was hard to argue against that alien thoughts point however.

As you reached the guild house you did your best to ensure that you were presentable, ascending the steps before you reached for the doors, swinging them open as you told yourself that you would be happy to get to bed, to get one day closer to Eurochkoles rescue.

You were greeted by the face of a terrified looking receptionist, a bullet whizzing past your head, a muffled cry of suprise as the man realised he had almost shot you. You didn't care if Pride himself had walked in and given them trouble tonight, you weren't standing for this. You marched across the reception hall as you ignored the babbled apologies from the man, your fingers curling in his hair as your expression betrayed how deeply annoyed you were right now.

The sound of his head slamming into the desk rang out five times before your fingers uncurled from his hair, while he sobbed as he sank out of sight behind the desk.

With a huff you marched from the reception hall and towards your room, you were far from happy that your night just had to throw one last incident your way. At least tomorrow was another day, though the question was, just how did you plan to spend tomorrow?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on July 15, 2010, 08:32:44 pm
Eurocles being the source of the enlightened is starting to look like a possibility again. The enlightened all have the same soul, and euro has no colour, which seems to be synonymous with soul, and apparently shouldn't have been reborn yet. If the soul is still in use it may explain why they shouldn't have been reborn. Being reborn may explain why the enlightened don't think he is their god. And it would explain where the enlightened's extra soul came from...

Tomorrow we will study the mechanical men, see if they have any prototype wearable models we could borrow...
Nevermind, I think that the Clockworkers assemble the automatons, and we want to avoid them, they are the creepy homicidal branch of the defenders of normal humans. But research how the machines identify their targets, it must be a fairly common point of curiosity as to how they decide that humans are not valid targets...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: cerapa on July 16, 2010, 01:56:57 am
Maybe our colours were used for painting? We were pretty close to becoming gods and we might be too hard to contain and are slowly getting out, that could be why we get those bursts of extra power. The colours could be present, but simply in another place.

Anyway, find out stuff about the mechanical men.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on July 16, 2010, 08:25:01 am
You had stormed half of the distance toward the dorm that housed your bedroom before somebody was able to catch up with you, somebody who was no doubt one of the higher ranking people here. You knew how this was going to go, how they were going to say how sorry they were for almost killing you, that they would check that you would be okay. They would also deliver whatever excuse they had for how the spooked receptionist had fired upon you, how he had thought you were whatever unspeakable horror.

You knew that it was best to act angry in this case, to make him believe that you were truly furious with this, that you were going to raise hell with the guildmaster over it. You were actually half tempted to do such a thing for that matter, though it was more for the fact that you wanted entertainment at their expense.

Of course, there was always the matter of how you didn't bleed red, how your blood had been replaced by toxic ichor, how if you were hit it would make it clear that you were not quite like them. If he had hit you, there would have been a lot of awkward explaining to do, in what you would have had to try and convince them that you were just another type of immortal, that the Enlightened bled the same as you did because of some ancient roots that you shared.

You wouldn't expect them to believe such however, as the Enlightened were the only immortals that anybody really knew of that bled ichor.

"Wait, wait!" The man running up behind you cried, placing a hand to your shoulder as he tried to stop you, grasping it as he made it clear that he wanted you to stop. You pulled your shoulder away with a jerk, huffing in displeasure as you looked over your shoulder, refusing to slow for this man.

"Why, so you can try and shoot me too?" You snapped, using a sharp and agitated tone. "I have just about had it with you children, with your quest to make the biggest and most useless contraptions, your desires to make the most useless and overly complicated weapons. More than once you have blown up one of your labs, waking me while i slept, making me wonder if I'm even safe here!"

You span about, hands on hips as you leaned towards the shocked man, giving him a look that you knew would have stopped Pride himself dead in his tracks.

"I am going to pack my things and take my chances on the streets, because lets face it, being mauled in my sleep by some unspeakable horror and never awakening again is by far a better choice than waiting for one of you clowns to blow me up or shoot me!" You took a deep breath, narrowing your eyes as the man went to respond, silencing him before he started.

"Don't you dare make excuses, I am sick and tired of hearing excuses. Eurochkoles brought me here because he wanted to make sure I am safe, he made you weapons, he designed you things that are more reliable and realistically possible to maintain than the things you idiots churn out. What did you people do?" You tilted your head, while the man stammered in response.

"That's right, you laughed at him. He did something he hated above all else for me, he did wanted to make sure that I would be safe, and what happened to him?" You leaned back slightly, huffing as the man swallowed nervously. "He was captured by the Enlightened, because you people wouldn't lift a finger to help him, because he wanted to achieve a peaceful solution and he went alone."

"But miss-"

"Don't you give me your excuses!"

"You can't leave yet, the guild master has good news for you," the man stammered as he tried to avoid your intense gaze. You snorted in response, knowing that you couldn't just back down after that. You had to put your foot down, make these people respect you, fear you. You knew that the guild master would be asleep, that meant you had no choice but to wait until morning to talk with him.

"What he has to say had better be worth staying here one more night." You snapped in response, turning about sharply before you marched off to your room. It had felt good to make that man feel small, to have him so off balance that he couldn't even begin to fathom that you had just played him like a fool. You were certain that word of how displeased you had been would circulate, that people would tread lightly about you.

Maybe they'd even go out of their way to apologise for once.

As you descended the stairs to the dorms you began to wonder, if the guild master heard about this you could no doubt use it as leverage to get information on the mechanical men, but, did you truly want to settle for just that, when you had a chance to make them bend over backwards for you?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: cerapa on July 16, 2010, 03:27:47 pm
Use it as leverage to get more help for Eurocholes obviously.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on July 16, 2010, 05:46:20 pm
You sighed as you settle down in your bed, closing your eyes as you told yourself that you were going to have to raise hell tomorrow, to scream and shout until you got your way. You couldn't think of anything you you wanted more than that one person who had shown you the way out of the darkness, who had shown you had allowed yourself to be blinded to so much.

Were you doing this soley for that reason, though?

Were you truly doing this out of respect, or was there more to it?

Maybe it was because he was a strong and fair figure, a man who was prepared to show you the way forward without allowing himself to fall victim to his doubts and fears. He embraced those doubts, those fears, he fought them and came out atop them. You didn't know how somebody could do that in the manner he did.

Maybe it was because he was a true immortal, maybe it was because deep down there was something special about him that seperated him, someone chosen for that from you, someone who had stolen immortality. Maybe you'd be able to relinquish your immortality, maybe he'd be able to gift you with true immortality. He needed someone to watch his back, as as impressive as he was as a lone figure he was but one man.

You felt that even though you had met figures who were currently more impressive than he was, that there was limitless potential surfacing from him. You had seen him grow more impressive day by day, shrugging off his limitations every time he hit them.

He was awe inspiring, he was...

You yawned, burying your face against your pillows as a soft rumble rippled through the building, telling you that while sane people slept the children were still at it.

With that thought on your mind you drifted off to sleep and opened your eyes to the world of dreams.

A thousand empty cells without doors, an endless tunnel and screams greeted you as you sighed, you had hoped for green fields again, you had hoped for a more positive dreamscape to awaken to. You started to run along the tunnel as you ignored the screams coming from the cells as you recalled how the angelic figure had referred to this, how he had talked about how the screams were forgotten memories. This time as you ran along the tunnel you could catch shapes in the cells out of the corner of your eye, shapes that every time you tuned to look were gone.

Was this signifigant?

Was Eurochkoles slowly recalling forgotten memories?

Something about those screams made a chill run down your spine as you were certain you could feel some sinister, possibly malicious nature involved with them. Was the involvement of whoever had made him forget what you felt that was so sinister?

You froze as you heard the echoes of voice coming from one of the cells, one that you could tell at a glance lay just over twenty rooms away from the one that was open currently.

"She's a beautiful child miss Cooper, what do you plan to name her?"

"We planned to call her Sabrina."

"I can feel that she has quite the future ahead of her."

With that the voices faded away, leaving you staring in shock for a long moment at that empty cell. This raised further questions, ones that you were going to get the answers to sooner or later from him. You couldn't just let something like this slip, you had to know how he had known your mother, if he had ever been a figure of importance in your life.

You had doubts that he had ever been anything more than an aquaintance of your mothers, yet...

It was too unlikely to be mere chance that he had found you again, that fate hadn't brought him back into your life.

You could feel your grip on the dream world weakening as you neared the open cell, as you heard Eurochkoles voice from within it as he laughed, as he taunted his tormentors. You could hear him goading them on, telling them that they were weak and ineffective, that they would never break him at the rate they were going.

His voice sounded hoarse, though it held the same power as it usually did.

"You must be getting thirsty by now, but you're not getting anything to eat or drink until you accept Pride as your master!" snapped one voice, a voice that prompted laughter from Eurochkoles as he continued to mock them, his words echoing in your ears as you awoke.

"How could I be thirsty, when you're giving me all the fear I could ever hope to drink."

You rolled over, thudding against the hard floor of your room as you fell from your bed, groaning as you rubbed your eyes. It felt early, much too early. You knew you had something to do today though, that you had to meet with the guild master and raise hell over how you had almost died. Had they known what you were such a bluff wouldn't work, but, it was something you'd rely on heavily as leverage in this situation.

You just wanted to go back to sleep though, to have dreamless sleep in your warm bed and to worry about this tomorrow. A full days sleep sounded nice right about now, especially with the prior nights events so fresh on your mind.

Sitting up, you yawned as you leaned against the side of the bed, pulling your covers about you as you wrinkled your nose, making a quick mental note of what you needed to do to make yourself feel presentable. You were half tempted to skip on shaving your arms and legs, though you knew you'd look like a carpet by the end of the week if you did that. You huffed as this was all you needed to convince you to carry that out, as much as you hated to admit it.

It was good in a way that such vanity had surfaced, that you cared about your appearance as a human being. It set you apart from the rest of the Enlightened, who were so busy following what Pride decreed that they had no time to think for themselves.

You spent longer than you truly needed to locked up in the bathroom, making sure that you felt presentable, that you felt pretty. You figured that it was time well spent though, as it helped you all the more to feel like yourself again, to feel like a person instead of some deranged cultist. Once you were done with it and dressed again you set off for the guild masters office, maintaining an indignant expression as you marched down the hallways.

Nobody dared challenge you as you pushed past them, as word had clearly got around that you were in quite the mood after last nights incident.

Once you had arrived at the guild masters office you paused for but a moment to straighten your attire before letting yourself in, figuring that it was better not to stand on ceremony if you were trying to make it seem like you were truly that close to leaving. The guild master raised an eyebrow, while a second figure sat opposite him.

"Ah, there you are Anne. I have heard that you are none too happy about last nights incident and have been considering leaving over it, but, before you do commit to such a rash course of action, let me introduce you to my old friend Arthur, guild master of the Clockworkers."

You narrowed your eyes at the two men as you folded your arms across your chest.

"So, she's the one that almost got shot, with the idiot boyfriend?" The other man asked as he turned towards the guild master, prompting you to snort in displeasure.

"Eurochkoles is not my boyfriend and just because he lacks sense, that does not make him an idiot. If all you had to bring me here was to insult me, to insult him, then listen and listen well. I will personally-"

The guild master raised his hand, turning to his friend and then you again as he addressed you in turn.

"Arthur, please don't provoke her, she's extremely emotional at this time as it is with good reason and Anne, the good news is that Arthur has agreed to refit several of his automatons with some of Eurochkoles weapon and armour designs. He has taken twenty of them off their regular patrols for this, so they can be used to spearhead an effort to save your friend and to deal with the Enlightened's hideout, that we were able to locate thanks to you."

"You mean that the guy that got captured is the one those designs came from?" You could hear the shock in the other mans voice, betraying how he had clearly not expected Eurochkoles to have been the one that designed those things.

"How long is this going to take?" You asked, staring at the two men intently.

"Two, maybe three more days and we'll have them all ready for action, all you need to do is sit tight and we'll save him for you."

"When they're ready, I'm going with them," you stated, your voice making it clear that there was no arguing with you as your arms moved from your chest, as you stood there with your hands on your hips. "

With those words you span about, marching from the guild masters office as you slammed the door to it behind you, almost unable to hide how happy you were with how things had gone.

The question now was, did you sit tight, study and stay safe during this time, or did you have other plans for how to spend the time you had before this rescue attempt?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on July 16, 2010, 06:01:53 pm
Use this time to find a fortune teller. There will probably be plenty of fakes in the city, but finding someone with REAL mystical power will be the first step to figuring out how to control these dreams, or at least understand them.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on July 16, 2010, 07:57:09 pm
Maybe, but finding someone with real mystical power will probably be pretty difficult. If we do search for one, only due so in broad daylight. Also, better than someone to interpret the dreams would be someone to mentally defend us during sleep, if possible. Maybe find some sort of drug that keeps you from dreaming?

Edit: Wait, the drug probably wouldn't work, what with our alien physiology. I guess we could find someone to help us, but we might be safer just sitting on our hands (or trying to learn some SCIENCE from the books or children) than by leaving.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on July 16, 2010, 08:00:05 pm
It should be relatively safe during the day, and besides, we walked into a random church and found an angel. We wandered the city and found Jack. We happened upon a cerberus and then watched it get electrocuted. We are a certified Weirdness Magnet.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on July 16, 2010, 08:03:56 pm
Oh yes, this is true. However, Anne (Sabrina?) might not be that Genre Savvy. Also, if we just wait the few days, the narration is likely to just skip ahead quickly, getting us to the fight scene faster.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on July 16, 2010, 10:26:47 pm
Three days.

You had up to three days to get into as much trouble as you could stomach before you had to go and save the idiot from the trouble he had gotten himself into. With how weird the past few days had been though, you didn't know if you wanted to get into any more trouble. Maybe it would be better to put your head in the books in the guilds library, see if you could at least pick up a few things.

You knew that while the books would explain mechanical and alchemical concepts, that they would only go so far to helping you know how everything around you worked. Maybe you'd study alchemy, maybe you'd learn how to turn lead into gold. Maybe you'd transmute a few of those children in the guild and turn them into adults.

You snickered at the thought of finding a way to turn those overgrown children into mature and responsible adults, knowing that such a secret would be one that women all over the world would be interested in knowing.

Sabrina, tamer of man.

It had a nice ring to it, but it wasn't you. No, you'd most likely poison them long before you knew what you were doing, long before you had figured out how to make something that wouldn't blow up in your face.

You weren't sure you liked either of your names, Sabrina, the name you had been born with was one that you hadn't used in years, one that you had left behind when you had became one of the Enlightened, and Anne was just a bastardised version of the name the Enlightened had cursed you with. Maybe after all this was over you would choose a new name for yourself. Maybe after all this was over you'd go to find your mother and see if she would ever forgive you for the mistakes you had made.

You sighed, making your way towards the reception hall.

When all this was over, were you going to find a nice quiet part of the city, contact your mother and settle down, or were you going to do your best to assist Eurochkoles with the good he tried to do for the city?

You didn't know for certain, but one thing was for certain, after that last dream you had with him, you were going to see if somebody could help interpret the dreams you had been having. You had to know what those dreams meant, you had to know if they had signifigance, if they bore any truth to them.

You had to know if Eurochkoles had really been there when you were a newborn.

With all that had happened recently you were certain that it was possible, yet it confused you. When you had encountered him first you hadn't had any clue that he was anybody of importance, you hadn't felt anything special from him. The angel and Jack had changed your mind on that however, with Jack betraying just why you hadn't felt anything special from him.

You hadn't felt anything special from him, because there was no soul in that body to sense.

Jack's talk of colours was synonymous with the colour of the soul you believed, that with him having some sinister purpose for certain types of souls made you wonder if he was able to give you further answers on what this potentially meant. Of course, you had no intent of going looking for him. If you never laid eyes on him again it would be too soon.

As you passed through the reception hall you made a mental note of how you had no money, and how a any seer was going to expect some. This was something you could remedy easily enough, though it wasn't exactly something that would be approved of by others. Of course, people'd suspect the grubby man they'd bumped into over the young woman who hadn't seemed to come close when they'd realised that they'd been pick pocketed.

You took a deep breath as you stepped outside, breathing in the city air while your stomach growled, reminding you that you had barely eaten as of late. First things first then, you needed to pick pocket somebody, then you needed to find a market stall selling nice fresh food, followed by finding a nice quiet corner to eat in.

While you set out with nothing, by the time you reached the market you had managed to find a rich gentleman who had no objections to your decision to borrow money from him. You'd been careful not to be noticed when you'd moved up behind him, lifting his purse from his pocket before dipping your fingers into it, taking a small handful of coins from him.

You purchased a few fillets of fish once you reached the market, chatting with the stall owner as you inquired about seers in the area, prompting an odd look from them. They made it clear enough that they didn't believe in people with power like that, though they were quite happy to tell you of the two in the area. One of them claimed to be of Romanian origins and thus the real thing, while the other was a french man who claimed to have the ability to see and interpret such things.

The catch with it was, that reaching either of them involved travelling through back streets and alley ways. Of course, finding a quiet spot to eat your food in would require much the same.

Did you want to visit the french man and see if he was what he claimed, the Romanian woman who claimed to be authentic, or did you feel it was more prudent to get back to the guild house and limit your exposure for the next few days?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on July 16, 2010, 10:37:19 pm
Hmm, if we can find a way to either of the seers that don't go through alleys, or if we can find a group of trust-worthy seeming people headed in the same direction, then we should go to a seer. Using my random guess, the Frenchman is more reliable than the Romanian woman, so head there. I expect we could find some people going in that direction and follow them, but if we can't, I think we should head back.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on July 16, 2010, 11:01:00 pm
Anyone who advertises themselves as the real thing, probably isn't. To the frenchman! I also agree that we should try to stick near a group if possible.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Osmosis Jones on July 16, 2010, 11:49:10 pm
Screw fortune tellers. Go spend the money on some armour or something. Or better yet, some lessons to use that bloody machete we have.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on July 17, 2010, 12:34:49 am
We should really clean that thing, and then poison it with our own blood...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: maxicaxi on July 17, 2010, 12:45:27 am
Screw fortune tellers. Go spend the money on some armour or something. Or better yet, some lessons to use that bloody machete we have.

we can use it already!
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Osmosis Jones on July 17, 2010, 12:49:03 am
We're only a 4 fire. That means anyone who has any experience with a weapon has a 50/50 chance of beating us. We can do better.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on July 17, 2010, 01:06:38 am
No, we'd have a 50/50 chance of being beaten all things being equal. All things are not equal, as we regenerate and have poison blood (I think. It might be starting to become more human, as shown by our healthier complexion. Regardless, regeneration.).
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Osmosis Jones on July 17, 2010, 01:16:45 am
Nevertheless, we could be 5 fire!
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on July 17, 2010, 01:23:12 am
I think that we could easily get combat training from Eurokoles as soon as we've got him rescued, and another point in fire isn't going to help us at all against any real threat (Pride and possibly Jack are the only ones who could kill us, and even with a 6 in fire they'd have no trouble at all against us). It would be better to practice running, as that uses fire and is our specialty anyway.

However, I don't think we need to train our combat skills just yet. We should go see the Frenchman.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on July 17, 2010, 02:00:02 am
And eat them...

Well it is the only way to know for certain if they have real powers...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on July 17, 2010, 11:00:08 am
You figured that as long as you were able to get there safely, without having to compromise too much with ducking through back alleys and the like, that it was worth at least trying to go see one of the seers. You were uncertain that you wished to go see the Romanian woman, knowing how she touted herself as being authentic. You had met many so called gypsy's who had claimed that they could and would curse you to die for the slightest of insults.

You had been cursed by several such of them already for things from not providing them with money when they begged for it, to bumping into them in the street. They were fear mongers, preying on the superstition of people who knew no better, a menace to society that should have been dealt with already.

Of course, nobody in power wanted to risk provoking tensions between the various ethnic factions in the city, not when they had other issues to worry about as it was. The Enlightened were the biggest worry anybody had outside of the things that went bump in the night, that you knew would change in a few days time.

The Clockworkers were going to take down Pride, you were sure of it.

You started to follow the main street as far as you could towards the so called seer's residence, stepping off the main street and onto one of the less travelled side streets as you walked along behind a couple carrying their food back from market.

From there you took the next path alone, walking down a back alley between a number of houses, ones that had all been built square so there was no way in what anybody could hide in here. It was a nice straight passage toward the next street, that you assumed was the one that you were travelling to. If it hadn't been for this alley being so open you wouldn't have dared take it, you told yourself as you traversed it.

From that alley way you found yourself on a run down street, one that had what you took to be the seers house, a house with a faded and flaking sign out the front, one that's door was open but shrouded by hanging beads, feathers and trinkets.

Wind chimes and bells echoed from the house as you approached it, the rattling of beads swaying in the breeze and the scent of incense assaulted your senses. It was all very much like what you'd expect from a fraud, but you were willing to give it a try. You'd come this far after all.

Of course, you had one thing to take care of before you did this.

Ducking back into the alley way, you unwrapped the fillets of fish from the cloth that had been provided to keep it, wolfing it down as you tried yet failed to restrain yourself. You had barely eaten anything as of late, and your body wasn't going to let you deny it nourishment like this. After you had eaten it, composed yourself and ensured you were presentable again you stepped back out from the alley way, making your way over to the seer's home.

As you pushed the screen of beads aside the sight of many trinkets caught your eyes, from skulls with candles mounted on them to dangling and coloured glass beads. The far door in the entrance hall was one that had been closed, while a second door off to what you assumed was a living area lay open.

You peered around the frame of the door to see an old man sat at a table, in a room that had wood panelling and faded green wallpaper on the walls. It was supposed to have looked posh at one point, though now it looked shabby. The man looked up at you, almost disinterestedly as you stepped into the room.

"So, what're you here for, madame?" the man stated, his accent faint at best, betraying how he had likely been here for a long time. "Let me guess, you're here for a reading, to see your future, to know where you will find true love. No?" he shook his head. "No, you are here to waste my time with dream interpretation."

You went to open your mouth to speak, not liking how the man was already taking the words out of your mouth.

"Yes, I am the real thing before you ask. Now, sit down, let hold your hands out and let me get a reading from you," the man muttered, while you stared at him skeptically. He was more than a little weird. "You think I'm going to stand on ceremony and make you feel welcome, when you're an abomination and i'm cursed with visions?"

"How-"

"Please, your very presense assaults my senses, now would you kindly put the money down and let me get this over with?"

You huffed as you slapped the money you had remaining down on the table, settling down at the table as you did so. This man set you on edge with his bizzare mannerisms and attitude, though it wasn't enough to stop you from holding your hands out, watching as the man reached for them. You could feel him tracing the patterns across them, patterns that you could see were not the lines on your palms but the veins beneath them. His hands drifted down, gently grasping your own as he closed his eyes, breathing deeply.

"A thousand cells, a thousand years... An immortal with a misplaced soul... This isn't quite a normal dream you're asking me to assist with," the man muttered as he left go of your hands, leaning away from you as he shook his head slowly. "His thousand years are almost over, he is awakening, they will attempt to destroy him again, to start the thousand year cycle once more..."

You bit down on your lip, you knew you weren't going to like what was coming.

"A lone warrior standing against the armies of man, a noble offering peace and prosperity, a tribal leader using negotiation above all else. I see many lives over the course of history and in all of them he has stood in the way of warlords and tyrants alike. Every lifetime he has reached a thousand years and on the last hour of the last year he has been taken from this world again."

They had offered you the means to do this, they had offered you a tiny silver pin and tried to tempt you to do this. Was it more than a simple test to see if they could tempt you, that they had been looking for someone easily manipulated to do this for them?

"Yes, yes, good bye and good riddance," the man muttered as you almost knocked the chair over backwards while struggling to get out of it quickly. Were you fated to betray him this time, were you the one that they had chosen to prevent whatever would happen when he reached that thousand year mark?

You hurried from the man's home as you tried to make sense of this. As much as this answered, it raised further questions, it left you confused, it left you uncertain. It hadn't made much sense to you either.

As you made your way back toward the main streets, you found yourself wondering what you were going to do next and what you were ultimately going to do about this entire mess?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on July 17, 2010, 06:19:44 pm
We steal some more money and go to the Romanian woman, right? Never a bad idea to get a second opinion, yes? Also, make a mental note to tell Eurokoles about the angel-guy and how he might try to have him assassinated or whatever. (And about the Frenchman's semi-prophesy).

In fact, see if we can get the Romanian to give us a prophecy, or tell our future. We'll know if she's the real deal (or close enough) if she recognizes us as Enlightened, I assume?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on July 17, 2010, 06:25:41 pm
No real need, this guy was obviously the real thing, she probably isn't. I say we return to the guild and try to get a few lessons in using guns before it's time to go fight Pride.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on July 17, 2010, 06:29:48 pm
She might not be the real thing, but it couldn't hurt to check. We might be able to get something out of her, right? It won't take too much time, and we have 3 days or so before we fight him to train and such.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on July 17, 2010, 07:43:51 pm
couldn't hurt to check
Checking may not hurt, but being ambushed on the way might, and if she is the real thing then we might end up with a curse...

Oh, just an observation, the clockworkers have captured many enlightened, but apparently this is the first time that they have discovered the lair...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on July 17, 2010, 08:05:30 pm
You considered getting a second opinion on the dreams, considered going to visit the other woman, yet nothing came of that mental desire to get things further clarified. You were too unsettled to want to go and find this woman, to want to go and get insight into your dreams, a reading into what the future held in store for you.

You didn't want to hear more, you didn't want to hear that you would betray Eurochkoles due to how you had been tricked into doing it by some heavenly figure. You didn't care if he was the reincarnation of some great evil figure, the man you had spoken to had said it all. Through every life he was stood against all that was bad, he was trying his best to make the people of this world happy and to promote peace and prosperity.

A thousand years of this every time he was reborn, a thousand years and he was betrayed time and time again. The very thought that he was some great and evil figure just didn't seem right. It seemed more to you like he had struck a nerve with some divine power due to how he had aspired to do more for men than those so called gods that men worshipped had.

Maybe the thousand year mark was when he would fully awaken, when he would be able to bring about a golden age. A thousand years was the point he would reach the height of his potential and would be able to lead man out of the dark, allow them to cast off the shackles that they had lived with for so long.

It made sense to think of it this way, that those divine beings were afraid of what he could take from them, that they did not want him to awaken because once he had reached that peak he would take from them all that they did not deserve to keep.

Even so, this didn't sit quite right with you.

You couldn't just blindly assume that he, a man who was arguably better than Pride had ever been was going to do all these things because he seemed good. Pride had blinded you with promises and lies and you could see where that had got you. Eurochkoles on the other hand, had promised you nothing more than how he would do his best to make right what wrong he had done.

What if the reason they kept him from reaching that point was that he was the worst thing that could possibly happen to this world?

You knew that confusion and doubt were things that could be exploited, that you had to believe not in him, but in yourself. You had to believe that you would do the right thing when the time came.

You would do the right thing when the time came.

You made your way down the less traveled paths as you headed back to the main street, heading back towards the Technomancers guild as you idly turned your attention skyward, watching as a lowflying airship roared overhead. Maybe after all this was over you'd find a way to get your hands on an airship, a means to travel the country, delivering goods and seeing new things.

It'd be a new life, a new start.

It was something to look forward to.

As you approached the guild house you knew that it was time to get serious about this, that you had to be ready for this entire encounter. If you were not at your best, how could you possibly hope to do anything more than hinder the efforts to rescue Eurochkoles?

The next three days were spent waiting anxiously for the Clockworkers to tell you that they were ready, that the mechanical men were outfitted with new arms and armour, that they were ready for the assault on the Enlighteneds base. They were spent training with the various weapons that Eurochkoles had designed and finding what you were most comfortable and able to use. They were spent learning how to handle your machete better, how to hold it, the correct stances to get the most out of it.

Those days were spent ravenously eating all the fresh food you could get your hands on, studying whatever books you could on how to handle and maintain guns. They were days you spent learning about the mechanical men, how they identified targets purely by visual means, how they were a combination of fine machinery from the Clockworkers and a power source, arms and armour from the Technomancers.


On the third day the call came, with the Clockworkers stating that they would launch the assault at night, as that was the time they would most likely get away with marching twenty of their machine men through the streets. It was the time that people would most likely let it slip without question, it was the time that the Enlightened would be most alert.

The Enlightened were still human deep down, you knew that they would be terrified by an assault from these mechanical monsters. They were considered almost unstoppable under normal circumstances, so upgraded as they had been they would be truely awe inspiring when they struck.

You were preparing now to march out with those machine soldiers. What firearm had you found you had the greatest aptitude for during training?
In addition to this weapon, you had managed to aquire new clothing for the occasion, as well as light body armour of some form. What were these items that you had aquired?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on July 17, 2010, 08:12:17 pm
((
Oh, just an observation, the clockworkers have captured many enlightened, but apparently this is the first time that they have discovered the lair...
Yeah, it's kinda hard to be scared into talking by fat middle/upper class men who don't know the diffrence between torture and toffee. Especially when talking is considered betrayal, and betrayal is considered grounds on what for Pride to revoke your cult privileges.))
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on July 17, 2010, 08:16:03 pm
Hey, do we have standard body temperature?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on July 17, 2010, 08:40:02 pm
((other than a few 'minor' changes, Anne's body is still mostly human, so yes.))
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on July 17, 2010, 09:08:57 pm
A shotgun, it seemed that if we were going to need it, we would need it at close range.

Our outfit resembled that of a soldier, with an armoured helm obscuring our face somewhat. With luck they wouldn't identify us. Although, if we are wounded in the battle it could cause confusion, this is likely our last chance to tell them what we are...

Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on July 17, 2010, 09:13:53 pm
Weapon: Shotgun.
Armor: A chain shirt under our normal clothes.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on July 17, 2010, 09:21:57 pm
More shotguns? Really? Everyone knows revolvers are way better.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on July 17, 2010, 09:53:14 pm
Not so much for throwing a regenerating assailant a few metres away after they jump out from behind something...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on July 17, 2010, 09:57:35 pm
Alright, fine, that's true. I'm just getting tired of all the shotguns. Why not a flamethrower? Eh? Eh?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on July 17, 2010, 10:33:21 pm
Agreed, in general, the shotguns are overused...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Osmosis Jones on July 18, 2010, 12:10:07 am
You guys remember we developed weapons that can fire variable ammo right? Explosive, incendiary, beanbag launcher gets my vote!

As for armour, nothing that could be mistaken for the enlightened; simple sturdy fabric, with boiled leather guards on the torso, upper thighs, arms and a padded helm for the head. Anything heavier will slow us down, the enlightened don't use guns (though they do have Euro's 2... hmmm).

Also, tell the grandmaster basically the truth. You turned traitor on the cult, they want to kill you, you went to Euro for protection. He doesn't have to spread it around, but if there are any dicey moments, it will be good to have at least one other person who can back your story.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on July 18, 2010, 10:48:46 am
I don't know if we should tell him the whole truth... I think a similar lie would be better, just something to explain the black blood and regen, like that we got captured and transformed but they messed up our brainwashing or something like that. It's never a good idea to tell the truth when a lie would do just as well, right?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Osmosis Jones on July 18, 2010, 11:21:03 am
Not really... the truth is actually pretty good, barring how you broke out of the cult. You joined the cult, then say Pride wanted you to do something you couldn't (such as kill someone), you refused, ran away and ran into Eurochkoles. After a series of hilarious hijinks that we won't recount, you manage to talk Euro down from killing you, he listens to you, and next thing you know, you're at the Technomancers.

If you try and lie too much, your story sounds weaker for it, and is more likely to come apart at the seams. Plus, look at it this way; the guild trusts Euro, they have seen him work in good faith, and they know he trusts you. They aren't going to freak out and torture you, simply because Euro is too valuable to them.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on July 18, 2010, 11:24:30 am
I say we have something that fires explosive rounds.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on July 18, 2010, 11:32:25 am
I say incendiary rounds.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Osmosis Jones on July 18, 2010, 11:42:32 am
Wooo let's blow this place apart :P
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Digital Hellhound on July 18, 2010, 11:44:10 am
Explosive rounds, yeah!
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Strange guy on July 18, 2010, 02:43:43 pm
Incendiary rounds- fire often stops or at least slows regeneration in fiction. Also explosive rounds could involve us being hit with shrapnel, especially in tight spaces, which could reveal we are Enlightened.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on July 18, 2010, 04:01:22 pm
The night had arrived, everything you had done up until this point had been in preperation.

You had expected to feel excited about this moment, knowing that you were about to set off and rescue the man who had given you reason to live again. Instead you felt dread, apprehension. You didn't know if this was such a good idea anymore, knowing that if you were injured that your nature would be betrayed.

You would have worried about how you knew nothing about him ultimately, about how this could all be a mistake had it not been for how you had came to the conclusion that you were going to take things as they came, to do the right thing when it was required of you instead of doing what was asked of you. You wouldn't start him on that thousand year cycle again unless you were certain that it was the right thing to do.

Your hands trembled as you attempted for the hundredth time to straighten your hair, as you watched your fear stricken features in the mirror. You were no soldier, you were no warrior, you were no hero. You were an ordinary girl who had fallen in with the wrong crowd and had never learned to swallow her fear, to fight on against all odds. That was what set you and Eurochkoles apart, the fact that he was able to fight on against overwhelming odds without faltering despite how he was a peaceful person at heart. You knew that he had inferior regeneration, that he couldn't steal the very things that made that what went bump in the night special from it.

You couldn't fail him though, you couldn't afford to do such a thing after what he had done for you. You couldn't simply sit back while the Clockworkers rescued him, you wouldn't be able to bring yourself to face him, to tell him that you had sat there safe and sound when you claimed that he meant so much to you.

Firey hair was tied back as you looked down at the garments that you had aquired for this night. Boots, trousers, an armoured undershirt, a hardened leather vest and a loose fitting cloth jacket. The few other people going tonight had been provided with much the same you had been told by a representative of the Clockworkers, who had informed you that they were authorised operators, able to control the mechanical men you were using tonight. It was all about using them to their full effect, they had told you, though you weren't interested in the how or the why about it.

You just wanted this over with.

As you dressed yourself, as you prepared yourself for this battle you knew that there was one thing that you had to take care of before you left. It was both a means of coming clean and providing additional insurance on your return should the Clockworkers see you injured and get ideas. You had to come clean with the guild master, you had to tell him about what you were, about who you were.

It wouldn't do for you to be captured while rescuing Eurochkoles, for him to have to launch a rescue effort to recover you, after all. You stared at your reflection in the mirror as your appearance slowly shaped up, as you went from that trembling and afraid woman to what could almost have passed off as as a mercenary of sorts. The armour you had protecting your torso only afforded you basic protection, though it was light enough not to restrict or encumber you to any noticable degree.

At least not yet.

You had no idea if this would change the moment you found yourself in the midst of battle, if you would find that protection of this sort was a worse choice than if you had gone unarmoured. You pulled the jacket on over the armour you wore, taking note of the small cog embroidered on it. You almost felt dirty bearing the emblem of the people who had terrorised what had once been your people, knowing that these were the same people who took your kind away and imprisoned them. The same people who had made a few of your kind disappear entirely.

You knew that they had the prisons, that they held the Enlightened they captured there for a period of time, that those that you hadn't rescued eventually vanished. You would have to try a few inquiries into this matter when everything had quietened down. Maybe they had found a way of curing the taint in those they captured, turning them into the people they were before Pride touched them.

You knew you were becoming something of a dreamer, taking the slightest hint of hope and praying that it was more than it was. It didn't hurt to dream though, as it gave you new things to strive for, new things to hope for, new reasons to live every day. You flicked your hair back, taking a deep breath as you picked up a ribbon, tying your hair with it in a sensible manner at first. Sensible wouldn't do though, no, you felt like having your hair tied back sensibly was boring, that it didn't reflect the true range of what was you.

It took several attempts, some swearing and a second ribbon before you were happy with the result.

Your hair dangled in twin braids over your back, the ends of them tied with ribbons. It wasn't sensible, it wasn't practical. It was you. You didn't care if you got raised eyebrows or comments about the impractical nature of this choice, you were an individual and you were going to celebrate that individuality.

You locked the door to your room behind you as you started on your way to the guild master's office, knowing that this was your last chance to come clean with them. You could offer any amount of information on the enlightened as means of an making this deception right once this was over. Once this was over. You wouldn't be brow beaten into submission by a cranky old man, forced to talk before Eurochkoles was safe and sound.

You ascended the stairs, several of the Technomancers clearly doing their best to avoid getting in your way as they passed by you.  As you had yet to recover the firearm you were going to use for this from the workshops, this betrayed how the Technomancers were not just children who liked flashy explosions, but that they were easily intimidated too. They were used to the sight of you going everywhere with a machete on your back, the same one that Eurochkoles had left in your possession, one that you now considered to be your own.

They were not however, used to the sight of your dressed for war.

You reached the guild masters office, letting yourself in as you searched for words to express what you had to say, as he looked up at you, assuming that you had come to say goodbye. You froze, unable to find the words that would express what you wished to say, unable to bring yourself to say how you were sorry that you had decieved them. You were sorry, you knew that you had endangered them by being here, you knew that you had put them in an awkward position even with them believing that you were simply human.

This was a lie that you were going to put an end to.

"You're afraid you may not come back, aren't you. I'm sure you'll be fine, I'm sure that the upgrades we applied based on Eurochkoles work will make those infernal machines able to stamp out the enlightened without you getting hurt. I'm sure whatever they did to him, he'll be right as rain within a week."

"I... Fear of death isn't why I came to talk to you," you started, biting down on your lower lip as you did so. "This is... This is hard for me to say though, none of the words I find are the right words. I... I..."

"I'm sure whatever it is you have to say can wait until your friend is safe and well."

"No!" You cried, you couldn't wait, you couldn't simply wait until it was all over as you would never express how you were sorry for this deception then, you would never inform them of what you were. "While I cannot find the words, I can show you."

You reached for one of the pens on the desk, running the pointed nib of it over your thumb briefly as the guild master pushed an inkwell towards you, assuming that you planned to draw or write down what it was that was bothering you so greatly. You placed one hand down on the desk, looking at the inkwell briefly as you shook your head, knowing that he had no idea what you intended to do. With a swift and forceful motion you swung that pen down at the hand that rested atop the desk, biting your lip as you supressed a cry, as you felt it force its way between bones in your hand, cracking some and breaking others as it slammed into the desk beneath it.

The guild master looked shocked, horrified.

That expression faded to one of fear as he saw ichor leaking from the wound.

"This... This is what I am, I'll recover from this injury... I'll recover from any... Injury... I have been hiding what I am, as I was afraid, as I am hated by the Clockworkers and the Enlightened alike. If I return from this, if Pride does not kill me while I attempt to rescue the one man who has shown me that I am better than what I had become, then I will tell you whatever I can about the enlightened and then I will go, so you do not have to bear whatever shame will feel having been... associated with me... I am... Sorry..."

With those words you pulled your hand up over the pen that impaled it, clenching it as you felt flesh knit and bone set, as you turned and you made your way out of the now speechless guild master's presence.

Without another word you made your way down to the workshops, picking up the shotgun that had been built for you based off Eurochkoles work. One that had what appeared to have a large revolving drum of sorts to fire from. You didn't quite understand how it worked, or how you'd reload it. You felt that you didn't need to know however, as you disinterestedly listened to the person that had provided it telling you that it was ready loaded, that it was loaded with something that they had knocked up to take the Enlightened off their feet.

You felt nauseous as you slung the shotgun over your shoulder, starting towards the reception hall now, knowing that just outside the guild house was the waiting automaton army. The nausea you quickly realised, was due to your fear, your apprehension, and your anxiety. You would have laughed at this had it been any less of a serious situation.

You blinked back tears as walked down the hallways that lead towards the reception area, feeling that almost overwhelming terror rising within, wanting to turn, to flee, to hide in your room until this was all over.

You shouldn't.

You couldn't.

You had to face your fears, you had to face your order, you had to face him. How could you ever expect him to take you seriously, as anything more than that burden he had to protect if you ran away from this?

As you made your way out of the reception hall and into the outside world you found yourself staring down the stairs that lead down to the main city at a sight that sent chills through you. The assembled numbers of mechanical men were all turned to face the guild house, all looking up at you as they stood ready.

You could see their operators with them, two men dressed in similar garb to you, men who were armed with simple revolvers. The lack of additional people here told you that these machines likely didn't require the human operators, that the operators were there merely as for precatuionary measures or to issue on site repairs if required. This meant that they planned to use the machine men to recover any Enlightened they captured, most likely.

You couldn't find the words to express that you were ready as you walked down the steps to join them, merely nodding as they gave you inquiring looks, as they waited to see if you were ready so they could get underway.

It was surreal marching alongside the Clockworkers creations, listening to the heavy and almost uniform sound of their footfalls, their glowing eyes piercing the darkness and their freshly forged casing shining in the darkness as moon and starlight caught it. Those things that you had once been attacked by on sight were now assisting you in destroying your old life, in tearing down what remained of who you had once been.

A small grin crossed your features as a childish thought came to mind.

Why not make a make a mockery of these things?

"Is it possible to ride on the shoulders of one of these things?" You asked, turning towards one of the operators as you did so.

"I could order one of them to permit it, they wouldn't normally allow such however. If your feet are already hurting from those boots though, you have other problems than just-"

"I require a vantage point, and the distraction of watching my surroundings so I don't trip over something. Unlike you, I have perfect night-sight, I can more effectively watch our surroundings mister brown eyes and crooked teeth if i am able to pay full attention to them."

The man was unsettled as he realised that you could see his features in the dark more clearly than he could see the outline of your body in the moonlight. He hurried to the front of the column of mechanical men, his words drowned out by the steady clanking of metal as he relayed orders to it. You almost grinned as you watched the mechanical man turn from the front of the column, as it fell back until it was alongside you, as it lifted you and placed it atop it's shoulders and rejoined that formation of bronze soldiers.

Eurochkoles wouldn't believe it when you told him about this!

The journey went without issue as you watched the creatures of the night slink away at the mere sight of the mechanical men. They clearly knew better than to attack so many at once, that there were just too many things here for them to have even the most remote a chance of survival.

As you arrived at that manhole cover that betrayed the entrance to the hideout of the Enlightened the mechanical men assembled a moderate distance away in four rows of five. You were about to ask why, about to ask if anybody had considered the fact that these bulky automatons were unable to fit down a narrow shaft like the one that lead down there. This question died before it left your lips as you watched one of the operators approach it, taking a metal cylinder from his pocket and removing the manhole cover as he ordered the automatons to take cover.

As they, with you atop ones shoulders marched around the corners of the various derelict buildings here you watched the man lean part way down the shaft, twisting the cylinder visibly before he, at least you assumed, slipped it between the wall and the rungs. With that done the man hurried for cover himself, running around the nearest corner as he visibly mouthed what you took to be a countdown.

The roar of that device exploding filled the air, while a purple plume of fire and smoke shot skyward, high enough for you to see it above the building you were hiding behind. You slipped from the Mechanical man's shoulders, hurrying towards the gaping hole in the ground where the manhole had once been, dust and debris raining down as you peered down into the hole.

It was a fair drop, but it was one you could shrug off, given that there was a pile of rubble to drop down on now. You slipped your shotgun from your shoulder as the operators cried out for you to let the automatons go first, though their cries fell upon deaf ears. You had to do this now, before your nerve faltered and you resigned yourself to following those mechanical men into battle at best.

The cool air of London's night gave way to the heated air of that tunnel, the chemical stench of the explosive that had been used filling your nose as you gagged, as you felt it burning your lungs with every drawn breath. You were certain that the fumes from it were mildly toxic too, though this didn't both you, this was something you could keep atop of without issue.

This was something the Enlightened could keep atop of, too.

Rubble skittered down as you landed atop the collapsed mass of metal supports, concrete and cobblestones, your eyes watering as that lingering acrid and chemical agent from the explosive assaulted them. There was no chance that the Enlightened hadn't heard this, so you'd have to be ready to deal with them.

You half slid, half hopped down the pile of rubble that you stood atop as you made your way past the old cells in the entrance area, shotgun raised as you kept an eye on the door that lead into the guard room. You weren't disapointed, as predicted the Enlightened prepared to rush out, blades at the ready to deal with what they took to be simple intruders. You fired a shot off, expecting that warning shot to slow them down so you could give them the chance to surrender before you pumped them full of pellets.

You never got the chance.

Your eyes widened as a spray of purple and red crystal slivers sprayed from the barrel of the gun as you loosed that shot off, the echoing boom of what you assumed was the purple crystals detonating as they tore chunks out of the approaching men filling your ears given how the explosion that had opened this place had been purple.

That meant that the other effect this had, had to come from the red ones.

With gaping holes in their body and with their bodies ablaze, the front three men dropped, a screaming and gurgling as they rapidly lost consciousness to these injuries. These were the kinds of injuries that took longer to regenerate, this weapon was loaded with those childrens toys. For once, you found yourself appreciating the obsession the Technomancers had with researching things that had little application in daily life, as this had turned a normally powerful weapon into the most deadly thing you could imagine having your hands on.

A second shot struck two of the men who faltered having seen their brothers fall like this, their own screams filling your ears like music as you watched a sixth turn and flee back through the door they had come from.

You ran towards the door, kicking it open as you chased that man, hopping up onto and running across the table in the middle of the room as you chased him into the main tunnel, a shot ringing out as you sent him tumbling, screaming and burning to the ground. You advanced towards the junction, knowing that the office off to the right was only going to have one man at best, that the cells to the left would have plenty of people, that Eurochkoles was somewhere deep in that area.

If was the door directly ahead that worried you however, as Pride was rarely alone in the chapel.

You paused, twenty feet away from the junction as you listened to shouting coming from the chapel, from the cells, telling you that things were about to get messy. Adrenaline pumped as you felt your heart racing, as you watched the chapel door begin to open, as you watched your brothers and sisters, fanatic in the service of Pride start to rush from it.

You opened fire on them as you watched them pour from the open doorway.

Again, and again.

And again.

The stench of chemicals, burning flesh and ichor filled the air as you watched them falling like flies, yet they didn't slow in their efforts to overwhelm you, despite the terror in their eyes. They were willing to charge blindly at you in Pride's name, but it wasn't pride that you were here for.

You turned to the right, running up to the office. You justified this by telling yourself that you couldn't leave that one person there to approach you from behind while you were dealing with the others on the way to rescue Eurochkoles.

"Not again!" cried the voice of the brother huddled behind the desk as you kicked the door open, prompting a brief look of confusion from you before you squeezed the trigger, a wave of heat washing over you as the round detonated against his body much closer to you than it had with the others.

As his twitching body was scattered about the office you turned your attention back to the cell block. You were suprised that Pride hadn't left the chapel himself, to gloat as he paraded about like the fat bastard he was while telling you that he was somehow better than you. It was no suprise he was fat, with how much he had the order hunt for him.

You could see more of your brothers and sisters rushing out from the cells now as a boom echoed from the guard house, telling you that the mechanical men were blasting their way through, that soon enough they would be here to mop up after you.

After you. You, the one who had so far single handedly taken down everything between you and the one you had come for. You charged down the tunnel as you raised the shotgun, only to trip as something wrapped about your ankle, pulling you off balance.

That something was a long suckered tentacle, one that started dragging you towards the chapel as you watched the shotgun skitter from your grasp, your hands going to your back as you grabbed the machete, unsheathing it and hacking wildly at the appendage wrapped about your ankle.

A deep roar of pain echoed from the chapel as the tentacle slipped from about your ankle, while you dropped your machete and scrambled for the dropped shotgun. You were suddenly glad that you hadn't decided to go into the chapel, as whatever Pride's new pet was, you didn't want to be the one to deal with it. A second boom echoed from the direction of the guard house as the wall blasted outwards, spraying rubble down the tunnel leading to it, the reverberating explosion causing the Enlightened before you to falter, giving you the chance you needed to grab the shotgun before they reached it, before they reached you.

Your hands closed about it as you struck the ground hard, almost knocking the wind from you as you rolled over, as you got onto one knee, firing into the bewildered crowd. As they dropped their expression of bewilderment turned to terror, while the clanking of heavy metal feet against the hard floor echoed in your ears.

The Enlightened turned, fleeing back into the cell block as they tried to escape your wrath. It was to no avail though, as even their turned backs proved just as favourable a target for you. Your former brothers and sisters would have shown you no mercy in putting you to death, so you saw no reason to show them mercy.

You were distracted and overconfident, caught up in the moment and it quickly turned your moment of glory to one of peril. You were pulled off balance suddenly as a tentacle ensnared your waist, the shotgun batted from your hands as you were pulled backwards, unable to gather your wits in time to grab the machete you had dropped when diving for your shotgun. You were hauled backward, into the chapel and bought face to face with some vast and mishapen beast that stuck to the ceiling.

"Call them off!" boomed a voice in your head, a voice that you quickly realised was the voice of Pride. This... This thing was pride?

"What are you?" You stammered, while the thing hissed, dripping ichor and slime from many unseen orifices.

"I am Pride, foolish child, and you have brought the enemy within our sanctum. Call them off!"

"Or else what, you'll kill me?" you huffed, struggling against the tentacles that ensnared you. "You were going to do that anyway. I wouldn't call them off if I could, I told them where you hid so they could come and destroy you once and for all!"

The thing that was Pride quivered, though you couldn't tell if it was in rage or fear as it brought you closer to one of its many luminous yellow eyes.

"If I am to die, I shall take you with me. You will become a part of me, sharing in the agony of my final moments!" the thing snarled as it tossed you about in the air, from one tentacle to another as it moved you towards one of its many mouths. The booming sound of the chapel's doorway being blasted open filled your ears as Pride faltered, as you slammed into the floor of the chapel with a heavy thud, choking as you felt several of your ribs cracking.

You could feel that you'd broken one of your shoulder and your hips too as you started to claw your way towards the door with your good arm, while mechanical men marched into the chapel, blasting pride with what seemed to be the same mixture of explosive and incendiary shards, Pride's howling filling your ears as burning chunks of flesh rained about you.

Even at a time like this Pride couldn't go without taking a final stab at you, in both a figurative and literal manner as he impaled you with one of his many tentacles, flicking your body at the automatons as they fired upon him. You slammed into the unyeilding surface of one of those bronze machines, not even hitting the ground as he lashed out once more, slamming his tentacles into the row of machines as he crushed you against the one you had impacted against, as he propelled them out of the gaping hole that had once been the doorway.

You knew that your wounds were horrific, that you had broken bones and punctured organs throughout your entire body. It had been like getting struck by a giant swinging a tree trunk, after having a gaping hole punched in your torso by... By... You couldn't even think of something that compared to this, to the agony and horror that these wounds caused you to feel.

You could feel ichor gushing from that open wound, see it splattering against the ground before you as you coughed it up. You could feel your grip on consciousness slipping as darkness closed in on the corners of your vision. It was the worst pain you had ever felt, yet you couldn't allow yourself to succumb to it. You didn't care about Pride anymore, you didn't care if you were able to die from the wounds he had inflicted upon you, you had to save Eurochkoles.

Your good arm grasped at pipes as you hauled yourself slowly upright, ignoring the way your body screamed in pain at you, ignoring the fact that you should have realistically been dead as you hauled yourself towards the cell block, ignoring the occasional clang behind you, the roar of gunfire, the howling of Pride as he fought the automatons without respite.

Try as he might to stop them, they wouldn't stop coming until he had destroyed them.

Every inch you hauled yourself forward felt like an agonising journey that took an eternity, every foot was your own personal hell.

You could hear gunfire before you, gunfire behind you, the howling of Pride growing steadily weaker while the sound of gunfire before you steadily grew louder, you could feel every laboured breath burning like fire as your body fought to stay atop the damage inflicted, while you briefly wondered just how you would deal with any of the enlightened remaining inside the cell block before you.

That question was one that you never had to answer, as a figure bearing a shotgun stepped from the doorway, a figure covered with grime made from a mixture of what was likely blood, sweat and dirt. A figure who stood there wearing little more than the ragged remains of trousers, a figure who had fading marks that could have only been inflicted by whipping over their body.

A figure that prompted a bright smile from you despite the pain as you wondered if you were deliriously seeing things. Your bright smile did nothing to prevent a look of horror crossing that figures features as you giggled, as you raised your broken arm and waved weakly at them as if to get their attention.

"Hello darling," you barely managed utter as you coughed ichor up, before sinking to the side, your hand no longer able to hold you upright against the pipes. Your body tumbling to the side as your eyes closed, and darkness took you.


End of Part Two
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Ochita on July 18, 2010, 04:07:12 pm
Wow. Just wow.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on July 18, 2010, 05:24:15 pm
Do people STILL think there can't be any romance between them?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on July 18, 2010, 05:36:45 pm
Wow. Just wow.
Agreed.

Do people STILL think there can't be any romance between them?
Romance is fine, but forcing it is not. You were trying to force it. Now there are valid reasons for romance, there weren't before.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on July 18, 2010, 05:44:06 pm
ok.

> Rush stumble towards him and kiss him.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on July 18, 2010, 05:51:19 pm
We're unconscious.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on July 18, 2010, 05:53:55 pm
Not to mention horribly mangled and bleeding ichor... not the most romantic of settings. Besides, the end of the part means there's nothing we can do until the next update.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: sonerohi on July 18, 2010, 05:55:24 pm
*Praying we are Eurochkles again*
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on July 18, 2010, 05:57:07 pm
I don't know, Anne/Sabrina was/is more fun to play, I think.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on July 18, 2010, 06:23:31 pm
((I'll be taking a small break before I start the next part - It'll be worked on tomorrow most likely.
On the subject of the character of focus, I had intended to return it back to Euro at this point, but, if it's wanted, I can see if I can work out a way of writing for Anne at points as well.
As for romance idea, well, I won't rule it out, but, Anne has something of an obsessive and dependant personality.))
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on July 18, 2010, 06:26:38 pm
Nah, it's fine, I don't really care who we control all that much. It was probably just that we had a definite goal in this storyline, so it was more interesting.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on July 18, 2010, 08:12:35 pm
If both characters are being controlled at once at any time it might be more fun if each forumite chose a character and stuck with it until only one was controlled again...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: rickvoid on July 19, 2010, 12:21:17 pm
Huh. I figured we'd be Jack for the next part.

I don't mind who we are either way, but Koles is currently the least damaged of the two currently playable characters.

So much of that last post was great. The one Enlightened that said "Not again!" before we blasted him. Remembering just as we encounted Pride that, yeah, we know pride is a giant squidlike thing, but does Anne?

"Hello darling." Was hilarious as well.

I'm going to refer to Mr. "Not again!" as Brother Dread from now on. :D
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on July 19, 2010, 03:19:37 pm
((you know, I was going to sit down and work on something for Euro, but...
Huh. I figured we'd be Jack for the next part.
I'm going to do one post from Jack's perspective, then after it's done, i'll let people decide who they'd like to be the main focus for part 3.

Now, away I go to work on conveying Jack!))
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on July 19, 2010, 04:11:26 pm
Crickets chirped and clouds passed before the moon.

Long grass whispered in the wind.

The wood beneath you creaked as you shifted slightly, looking down from your perch atop the toolshed that was your throne tonight at the figure that had been brought before you. A portly man squirmed and struggled as he fought against the binding that held him, a man who stank of alchohol and whores, a man who's fearful expression was only accentuated by the gag that he wore.

He had fooled so many, though you saw right through him.

A many headed creature was he, but you had found the heart.

Your fingers drummed against the wooden roof as you turned your attention to the moon, your entire demeanour at ease as you sat in the middle of the fields, with the man you had sought delivered to you by those that professed their faith to you with silent words.

They couldn't have spoken if they wanted to, for they had no voice with what to speak, no mouth with what to scream. They were the watchers of the crops, the ones that scared away the crows so that the farmers could reap what they had sown. They were the natural ally for he who reaped in the land of dreams, he who harvested the souls that had grown from the most unlikely of seeds.

The man let out a muffled cry.

There was nobody awake for miles who could have saved this man now, nothing that went bump in the night that would dare disturb you, no Clockworker made monstrosity to threaten you. You savoured the fear that radiated from this man, feeling that raw terror that came from him.

He knew who you were.

He knew what you were.

He didn't however, know your purpose. Nobody knew your purpose any longer, nobody but you. It was a lonely life in service, a life in what you forever screened the souls of man and immortal alike, a life in what you had gathered so many beautiful colours to use for your masterpiece, to paint the final solution with.

"Mister Charleston, or should I call you, Pride?" You paused, tapping a finger against your lips as you did so, watching the man squirm as he shook his head, as he continued to make muffled cries. "No, you can't fool me into letting you go Pride, though I must say it was clever putting your soul into the body of the immortal that you originally stole your bastardised immortality from."

Further muffled cries of protest escaped the man, prompting a soft laugh from you, one that was pleasent and airy. One that unsettled the man to no end.

"Oh, believe me, I know. I know these things Brother Pride, for the body that you inhabit was one that I originally entrusted with keeping something very dear to me safe. It saddens me to see how your efforts split it into a thousand tiny pieces, contaminated it and made the beautiful colours that it shone with, nay, that it was radiant with dirty."

You furrowed your brow as the figure pleaded beneath that gag.

"Please, I can see the spoiled rainbow of colours, like oil on water as they spill from you, betraying your presence inside that body. Those are the colours of the enlightened, those are the colours of Pride. Not to worry though, it won't take me long to cleanse the taint from that soul once I relieve you of it."

The figure squirmed, crying out fearfully once more as they tried to sit upright.

"Yes, you're right, that will have the oh so unfortunate side effect of killing you. I'm afraid that such isn't avoidable though, and had I my way, we wouldn't have to do this. Orders are orders though, and I dare not oppose the bosses will."

You sighed as you slipped from atop the toolshed, slipping your knife from your belt as you stepped towards the man. You tapped the flat of the blade against your palm as you stood before the man, watching as he squirmed, watching as he begged, pleaded and cried behind the gag.

"No, I'm sure my boss wouldn't want to spare a parasite inside the body of one entrusted to contain part of the final solution. The deal was quite clear when it was made, a thousand years of life, in return for their services. Just because the prior occupant didn't have any desire to honour that agreement, doesn't mean that you are exempt from paying for it."

Further cries came from behind the gag, prompting a sneer from you. The man had no idea who your boss was.

"I'm afraid Brother Pride, that if that is the case, then you will have to pass from their world in ignorance. It is probably better than way, but do not worry, for your part in his glorious rebirth is one that you should feel honoured for."

You could almost feel that day now, knowing that it was approaching.

You stepped towards the portly man, driving your knife into him as you held his thrashing form against you, almost cradling it as he cried out in agony, as he sobbed and squirmed. The knife slowly drifted up as his cries turned into gurgling screams, and then, silence. You could feel life fleeting from the body as you tore the soul that you had come for from it, as you tore away the very essence of what had driven that body for so long, and with it its immortality.

The parasite soul was left to die with the husk of the body as you released it, casually wiping at the blood that coated your body as you imitated the human motions of cleaning yourself, while you allowed your body to absorb it through your skin.

"Bury him in the fields so that in death he may perpetuate the circle of life," you commanded as you hopped back up to toolshed roof, watching the sea of scarecrows carry away the body that they had been commanded to deal with. Once more you were the king of the dead, looking out over your domain as you prepared for your bosses return.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Ochita on July 19, 2010, 04:16:43 pm
Jack, scarecrows, crows, bosses, pride. Just what is going on!
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on July 19, 2010, 04:39:22 pm
((it's all slooooowly coming together. or falling apart. one of the two!

the question now is, do you want to pursue Jack's side of things for the next chapter, or Euro/Anne's?))
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Ochita on July 19, 2010, 04:40:17 pm
Euro then jack?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: rickvoid on July 19, 2010, 05:30:01 pm
All I could think while reading that was; "He's Bob Ross with a knife."

And Jack suddenly acquired an afro.

Anyway, I'd like to vote Koles, since I wanna make sure Sabrianna is okay. But the occasional "Jack, King of Scarecrow-Crazy-Bob-Ross-Land" interlude would be awesome!
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Strange guy on July 19, 2010, 06:00:50 pm
If we don't know Jack's purposes/bosses we can't really control him and this becomes a story rather than a forum game. If it's revealed it'll probably be a reveal without proper build-up and clues. So mainly Euro and/or Anne, with maybe a bit of stuff from Jack's perspective on the side.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: rickvoid on July 19, 2010, 06:04:34 pm
Agreed. There was a ton of reveals just in that little story post.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on July 19, 2010, 06:04:59 pm
Anyway, I'd like to vote Koles, since I wanna make sure Sabrianna is okay. But the occasional "Jack, King of Scarecrow-Crazy-Bob-Ross-Land" interlude would be awesome!
This.

Also, this Jack reminds me of a song I have on my computer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PyofNq6NwU (the version I downloaded from last.fm is much higher quality)
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on July 19, 2010, 06:09:45 pm
I think that taking control of Jack for a while would be a great twist, and honestly, we pretty much know that Euro and Anne are alive and relatively safe. But it would be kind of difficult to give us enough information to make it more than a multiple choice without giving away all the mystery. But I vote Jack if you think that you can pull it off.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Nirur Torir on July 19, 2010, 06:14:48 pm
If we don't know Jack's purposes/bosses we can't really control him and this becomes a story rather than a forum game. If it's revealed it'll probably be a reveal without proper build-up and clues. So mainly Euro and/or Anne, with maybe a bit of stuff from Jack's perspective on the side.
I vote for this.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on July 19, 2010, 08:12:41 pm
Your eyes slowly opened to the dimly illuminated room that had been your home for some weeks, the room that you had shared with Anne. It was a room you were no longer required to be restrained to. Anne, along with the Clockworkers had crushed the Enlightened when she had come to rescue you. A rescue attempt that while appreciated was one that you could have done without, as while they tried to break your body and mind you had worked on getting information from them.

While you hadn't learned much in the time you were there, you were certain that with time, you could have found out a lot from Pride, as Pride himself would have been forced to deal with you. You could have played games with Pride, made him believe that if he talked with you that you would co-operate with him.

The one thing that you had learned, was that Pride fed them chunks of his own corrupted flesh to invoke the change from a person, to change them into what they had all become. He fed them his heavily tainted flesh and somehow from there he was able to control how that taint changed them, preventing them from becoming yet another mindless abomination.

Truth be told, you felt that they weren't that far off mindless abominations as it was.

You had only learned this however, as Pride had made an attempt to feed you a lump of his flesh, to use it to take control of you. He had been infuriated when he found that it had no effect on you, when he had found that your body simply couldn't be tainted. He couldn't take control of your mind, so he wanted to break it. His elite hadn't been very good at that, either, as their attempts to invade your psyche so they could mentally assault you were no more effective than their limp wristed attempts to whip you.

Arms tightened about your waist as you went to get out of bed, holding you in position as you felt warm breath against the back of your neck. "Stop moving so much," came Anne's voice from behind you followed by a sigh. "You're warm."

Your mind raced back to the night before, to how you had cradled Anne in your arms as you carried her from the abandoned prisons. You had had worried at first that she wouldn't actually recover as at first she didn't seem to be recovering, her body didn't seem to be knitting the damage as it usually did. It wasn't until you managed to get her past the automatons, past the operators and out beneath the night sky that she had started to slowly but surely regenerate.

The operators had seemed shocked to see she was one of the Enlightened, though they did nothing to deny you requested one of their jackets so you could cover her over, stating that her own clothing was hardly going to keep her decent if they denied this. The jacket had been ruined quickly by this as her ichor soaked into it, it had done the job that it was required for however, allowing you to carry her back through the streets to the Technomancers guild.

You had gone beneath notice as you slipped away, carrying Anne back to safety.

When she had recovered consciousness, having healed fully by this point she had expressed how she didn't want to sleep alone tonight, how she was afraid after what had happened. After taking the injuries she had, after the shock of dealing with the people she had at one point known as her brothers and sisters you had figured that it was the right thing to do, the compassionate thing to do.

Despite the night before, you got the feeling that she was content right now, that the fact it was all over, that she wasn't left alone to deal with the ruins of what had been her previous life was reassuring.

You knew that today was going to be fun, with the guild master no doubt wanting to talk to you, no doubt wanting an explanation of why you had brought one of the Enlightened back with you. The fact that he hadn't said anything when you returned worried you, the fact that he had stood there expressionlessly staring at you and Anne made you wonder if he had suspected that she was one of the Enlightened all along.

"Actually, you should go and make breakfast for us to celebrate," came Anne's voice as she slipped her arms from about you, her hands pressing against your back as she assisted you in getting out of bed.

"You just want my bed to yourself," you responded with a sigh, as you allowed yourself to be manouvered towards the edge of the bed.

"Yes, but that shouldn't stop you making breakfast," came Anne's contented reply as she pulled the covers about herself, curling into a ball behind you.

You glanced back at her, one eyebrow raised as she opened an eye and made a shooing motion at you. You found yourself torn, did you wrestle back your covers, go and make breakfast as she was directing you, or did you climb into her bed and go back to sleep to make a point?


You have a point to spend.

Spoiler: "Stats" (click to show/hide)
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on July 19, 2010, 08:17:19 pm
Water? It might help us from falling into any more traps.

Edit: Or maybe Fire or Earth, so we can regain the martial prowess we once had.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on July 19, 2010, 08:20:58 pm
Earth. It even fits the story: after taking that much of a beating we would heal back much tougher than before.

Food is good. Breakfast especially. Make some.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on July 19, 2010, 08:21:58 pm
Alright, I'll go for Earth. And breakfast, too.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Osmosis Jones on July 19, 2010, 08:39:17 pm
Yeah, Earth will work.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: rickvoid on July 19, 2010, 09:31:43 pm
Bad Silleh. You are baiting Armok here. Stop it.

Just kidding.

Get back in bed. Engage in wanton, unrestrained tickling.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Acanthus117 on July 19, 2010, 09:35:54 pm
Bad Silleh. You are baiting Armok here. Stop it.

Just kidding.

Get back in bed. Engage in wanton, unrestrained tickling screwing.

Fixed.

Just kidding.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: rickvoid on July 19, 2010, 10:30:25 pm
What, we can't tinker with our inventions in bed?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: sonerohi on July 19, 2010, 11:13:40 pm
Breakfast in bed?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: maxicaxi on July 20, 2010, 12:11:03 am
Alright, I'll go for Earth. And breakfast, too.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on July 20, 2010, 01:25:31 am
Alright, I'll go for Earth. And breakfast, too.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Osmosis Jones on July 20, 2010, 01:34:31 am
What, we can't tinker with our inventions in bed?

I actually had to reread that one to get it. I guess I'm too innocent, maybe there is hope for me after all.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on July 20, 2010, 11:46:07 am
Bad Silleh. You are baiting Armok here. Stop it.

Just kidding.

Get back in bed. Engage in wanton, unrestrained tickling.
Do this.
Bad Silleh. You are baiting Armok here. Stop it.

Just kidding.

Get back in bed. Engage in wanton, unrestrained screwing.
Then do this.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on July 20, 2010, 11:55:51 am
No.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: rickvoid on July 20, 2010, 12:16:07 pm
See? He'd be so easy to trap.

Not sure what anyone would want to go and do that for, but there you go.

Armok, that's not going to happen. And if by some chance it does happen, it'll be "off camera". That's because we don't want this thread to get locked, like all those "VN" "New VN" threads that were locked for similar reasons.

Threads that you participated in.

It's called Pattern Recognition. FIGURE IT OUT.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on July 20, 2010, 12:16:20 pm
You glanced across the room to Anne's vacant bed as you briefly considered making your point by climbing into it and going back to sleep, yet, you had to admit, breakfast did sound like a good idea right now. You couldn't remember the last time you had been able to get up for a morning meal like this without any worry or threat troubling you.

There was nothing you had to worry about now, other than simply enjoying life, making the most of every day as it came to you. You no longer needed to make weapons of war, you no longer needed to design body armour, you no longer needed to worry about fighting anything more sentient than the things that went bump in the night.

The future was starting to look bright.

You slipped from your bed as you grabbed the replacement clothing that you had been given by the Technomancers upon your return before heading towards the bathroom. Running water was a wonderful thing, and this place had it both hot and cold. That was the one thing that had truly bothered you about being imprisoned by the Enlightened, the fact that you had no longer been able to wash. The torture attempts were weak, the threats they made laughable and their impotent rage had amused you. It was hard to believe that they were the same organisation that people feared so much, the same people the Clockworkers shot on sight and dragged off to imprison.

Piercing blue eyes gazed back at you from the mirror as you set about scrubbing your face, a face that bore not even the faintest hint of stubble. You knew that those eyes had seen many things over the years, things that were locked away in your memories, things that you knew painted a picture of a man who strove to do good. There was pain in them too, pain in the oceans of blue that were your eyes.

Your hand reached towards the mirror, fingers tracing over the surface of it as you stared at your  reflection, as you watched it start to mouth something, your hand moving back to your face as you pressed pressed it to your lips. The reflection in the mirror didn't follow this motion, instead it continued to mouth the same words, a voice that you recognised as your own whispering, steadily growing in volume as it became audiable.

"You must awaken, you must remember," came those words over and over again.

Those words filled you with an inexplicable sense of dread, the tone of them one tinged with urgency, with fear. You shook your head as you felt yourself growing dizzy, your eyes leaving the mirror for the briefest of moments only to find as you turned your attention back to it, your reflection no longer moved at its own accord.

You had been trying to remember who you were, what you were, the life you had lived since you had awakened in captivity. Was this a sign that your memories were fighting to surface, a trick of the mind or did it overshadow something more sinister?

You finished washing as you told yourself that right now, you didn't care. Right now, you had breakfast to prepare, right now, you were going to cook a meal that would make kings weep with its simple majesty. You dressed and made your way out of the room, a glance in Anne's direction showing that she was sprawled out in your bed, her face buried in the pillows while her soft breathing betrayed how she was asleep.

Boot clad feet sent echoes down the passage ways that connected the dorms as you made your way to the stairwell that lead up and out of the dorms, pondering if it was time now to inquire about a room with a view, a room that wasn't situated below ground. You had to renegotiate the terms of your membership too, as you were not going to allow them to continue to possess everything you invented.

Not when you could use your own inventions to fund a comfortable life, maybe even allowing you to buy your own house so you could settle down somewhere out of earshot of the guild house. You headed towards the kitchens as you left the dorms, knowing that even the most cantankerous cook would dare not get under your feet.

Once within the kitchen walls your very presence had the cooks on duty give you a wide berth, not wanting to get in your way for fear that you, the immortal that they all knew about, would take offence to their very existance. You grabbed eggs, you grabbed bacon, you prepared a simple breakfast in a frying pan that had even the worried looking cook's mouths watering from the scent that it gave off.

You made your way back to your room quickly one you had plated up and covered your breakfast, hurrying along as you held the tray that the two plates sat upon down the various hallways that lead to your room. Various heads turned as they caught the scent of your breakfast, mouths watered and guild members started on their way towards the kitchens and dining hall. You almost grinned, as you knew that the cooks were going to get a few demands for eggs and bacon this morning thanks to you.

Anne almost snatched her plate from you as you settled down on the edge of bed, immediately starting to eat her breakfast as you slipped your boots off, her eyes falling on your plate as she clearly considered her odds of getting away with taking your breakfast too. As you moved your boots out of the way, Anne made a grab for your plate, freezing as you turned to look at her.

"You're not going to stop me... Are you fattening me up?" she asked, as she saw no change in your expression.

"You're onto me, this was going to be your last meal before I ate you. It's how I stay young."

"Oh, very funny," Anne huffed as she passed the plate back, though her eyes remained on the food for a long moment afterwards.

"I was serious, you know."

"Liar," she retorted, rolling over onto her back as she slipped back beneath the covers. "So, what plans do you have today, besides eating my face?" she asked, turning her attention back to you as she watched you tucking into your breakfast.


Spoiler: "Stats" (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: "Possessions" (click to show/hide)
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on July 20, 2010, 12:18:20 pm
((For the record, i'd prefer to keep any potential romance fairly innocent, as while it may occur, it's not really the focus of this.))
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on July 20, 2010, 12:24:07 pm
((For the record, i'd prefer to keep any potential romance fairly innocent, as while it may occur, it's not really the focus of this.))
Yay!

Now: Be informed of everything Anne went through the past few days. especially Jack and the fortune teller.(we should probably visit him personally soon)
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: rickvoid on July 20, 2010, 12:42:50 pm
Eat her. :D

DON'T DO THIS

Celebrate your freedom with copius amounts of napping.

Explore dreamscape.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Ochita on July 20, 2010, 12:44:05 pm
Eat her. :D

DON'T DO THIS

Celebrate your freedom with copius amounts of napping.

Explore dreamscape.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: maxicaxi on July 20, 2010, 01:21:36 pm
omnomnmonmonom
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: sonerohi on July 20, 2010, 02:34:48 pm
Catch up with Anne, take naps.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: cerapa on July 20, 2010, 02:43:25 pm
Ask questions from Anne and a have a conversation with Jack in the dreamscape.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on July 20, 2010, 02:48:54 pm
We don't know anything about Jack yet (not even his name, I don't think), so we can only do this if she mentions him. Not that she's unlikely to, I'm just saying.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: cerapa on July 20, 2010, 02:51:42 pm
We should, he killed the guys that were torturing us(or at least attempting to).
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on July 20, 2010, 03:08:31 pm
Oh, right.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on July 20, 2010, 03:51:53 pm
You rubbed your chin as you considered this, wondering just what you planned to do with yourself now that things had quietened down, now that you had nothing immediate to worry about. You had the incident in the bathroom with your reflection on your mind, but that was about all you had to worry about at this time. Maybe the fact that it was all you had to worry about meant that you should pay some heed to it, get it off your mind so you had nothing at all to worry about.

One hand darted down as you slapped Anne's wrist as she went to snatch some of your bacon, prompting a huff from her as she muttered to herself, while you continued to ponder over just what to do about this sole worry. Maybe it was one that you could meditate on, one that you could sleep on. You knew that in the world of dreams that there was always some form of heightened relationship between your memories and yourself, as if they were waking to break through the ice of amnesia.

First things first though, you had to see what Anne had been up to during this time, you had to see if anything of interest had happened during this time that you needed to know about. You had doubts that there was much of note to hear about as no stars had fallen from the sky and the things that went bump in the night were still as common as ever.

You could guess that the majority of it involved her rushing to save you, still, it didn't hurt to ask.

"I was going to spend the day sleeping, recovering if you will," you smiled slightly, eating a little more of your breakfast as you did so.

"You're barely showing any sign of the torture you went through," Anne huffed in response.

"I want to recover my memories, to remember who I used to be. I feel as if they are just out of my reach at this moment, as if all I need to is reach a little further and they will reveal themselves to me."

"Oh," she huffed once again with that statement, clearly finding it far from interesting.

"Before I do though, I'd like to know if you got up to anything interesting outside of bringing your new friends to meet your old friends when you came to visit me."

"You make it sound like it was a casual get together," Anne grinned slightly, snatching the last of your bacon as she saw an opening.

"Have you really been waiting all this time to do that?" You asked as Anne shrugged, stuffing the bacon into her mouth before you could recover it from her.

"You should make me this again."

"Is that as close as I'm getting to a thank you from you?" you asked, placing both of the now empty plates atop the bedside table. She was definitely a strange one.

"I met a fortune teller who told me you're special, an angel who was spooked by you, and a man who liked to kill people for colours, as he put it," Anne started, pausing as she pre-empted you, knowing what was coming next. "The fortune teller was interesting, he said that you've been a good man through many lifetimes, but always fallen just short of reaching a thousand years old. The angel who I met was before him, he wanted me to kill you, he wouldn't say why though, or even tell me who or what you were."

She paused, waiting for a reaction from you, though when she didn't get one she added a little more.

"Apparently, you've always been betrayed by somebody, killed, then later been reborn from what I've gathered," she continued, huffing as you continued not to give her any visible reaction to say that this meant something to you, that this bothered you somehow.

"What about the man who likes to kill people, what made him so different from?" you asked, while she wrinkled her nose.

"Doesn't it bother you that he wanted me to betray you, to kill you as you have had done to you many times before?" She asked, ignoring your question as she sat up, clearly agitated now.

You took a deep breath, closing your eyes as you focused on the echo of a memory, on something long forgotten but not truly gone. It was a memory, something relating to her that you knew said otherwise, that said that it wasn't her that was going to betray you as someone had been said to do many times through history. You could feel fragments of the memory from that time just within reach, your knowledge of the time for a fleeting moment touched upon.

You opened your eyes again as you smiled, as you shook your head slowly in response to her words. No, she wasn't going to be the one to betray you, you knew that her destiny was one that had something different in store for her.

"It doesn't worry me, no. I was there when life began for you, I will be there if and when it ends," you responded, prompting a dirty look from Anne.

"You know something you're not letting on. I'll get it from you in time."

"I'll share it when I understand it myself," you sighed, prompting another dirty look from Anne as she shook her head and prepared to continue on with the final part of what she had to tell you.

"The man that I met was a man by the name of Jack, a man who took the... The colours of a persons soul, I believe, for some purpose. He was polite, and scared the hell out of me. I felt like I was in the presence of someone who could kill a god if they so desired," Anne wrinkled her nose, watching as you lay down on the bed beside her.

"Maybe I should talk with him," you muttered, ignoring the muttered response from Anne as she slipped from beneath the covers, making her way towards the bathroom with an armful of clothes. She had barely told you anything, and yet you felt that she had told you a lot, that she had given you something more to worry about.

As you closed your eyes, you wondered if it was better to focus on recovering your memories in this world of dreams, or if you were going to seek this Jack person out. You knew that if he was as dangerous as Anne had stated, that you would have to have a plan for how you interacted with him.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: cerapa on July 20, 2010, 04:04:10 pm
Seek out Jack. The god killing part is quite interesting, considering that an angel wanted to kill us.

Maybe act polite with him, really, hes powerful and we couldnt do much, so no agression.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on July 20, 2010, 06:36:36 pm
Or we could strap on as much explosive as we can carry and hope that Anne regenerates first and can stick the pieces into a cage before the natural immortals regenerate...
Hmm, explosives would be too messy, you want to know where the significant chunks are, something predominantly shrapnel-based, possibly with some sort of sedative included, would be more reliable.
Lets call this plan C...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on July 20, 2010, 11:03:07 pm
Jack...

That was a nice simple name, one that was casual and easy to remember unlike your own. You couldn't recall where your name had come from, though you did know that it was exotic sounding enough to catch peoples attention. Exotic wasn't always good however, that made you wonder if you should take a more simple name, a name to reflect who you were now instead of the name that was attached to the person you had forgotten.

You figured that you should talk to this Jack guy, to see what information you could glean from him in conversation. He was no doubt somebody of knowledge and power, given what Anne had told you and no doubt somebody that you had to be careful while dealing with. If Anne's feeling about him being able to kill the gods themselves was correct, then you were going to have to be more than just simply careful.

You were far from ready to die.

If anything, life was something that you enjoyed greatly, despite how you knew you had experienced many more years than any regular person. Everything had its time, though. You were stuck however, trying to figure how exactly you would locate this individual. You knew that somebody who did this type of thing, that killed others for some goal like this was going to want to lay low. It was the same as with the people that had created the tainted creatures, they did their best to lay low and avoid people finding them.

You couldn't blame them, you had dealt with some of the things that they had unleashed on the city first hand and as such understood why they feared these things. You glanced in the direction of the bathroom, the faint sound of running water telling you that you were going to be waiting for a while before you could ask Anne for further information on Jack. You figured that it wouldn't hurt to meditate while you waited for her to finish taking care of that, giving her the space she no doubt wanted before you asked for her to tell you how and where she had encountered Jack.

You figured that the site of the crime, so to speak, would help you learn more.

You closed your eyes as you focused on the fragmented echo of the memory you had of Anne in her infancy, as you tried to recall how it was that you had met her. You didn't know how, or why you had met her at that time, though the more you thought about it, the more you suspected that it related to a line of work, a humble job that you had carried out at the time.

It suddenly clicked

It suddenly made sense.

You had vast amounts of knowledge from your many centuries of life, you had a drive to make life better for people. You were not adverse to sharing knowledge that could only bring joy to people, you were a man who valued life and the experiences it held. You had shared knowledge of things such as medicine and the secrets of long dead healers, but this wasn't exactly what had brought your paths together.

You had performed the job of a midwife, you had taught others how to carry out these duties, you had helped to ensure that more women, more children survived that vital stage in the cycle of life.

You had delivered Sabrina no doubt, you had-

Your eyes opened as you sat upright. You'd caught yourself off guard with this, having recalled the name that she had been given by her mother, a name that she herself hadn't shared with you yet. If it wasn't just your mind playing tricks on you, if she answered to this name, then it proved your association, then it meant that you could believe in those echoes of memories that told you that you were as good a person as you believed yourself to be.

You moved over to the bathroom door, back to the wall beside it as you leaned against it casually, searching for words as you prepared to confirm your suspicions.

"Sabrina, I'm curious, how did you meet Jack?" You asked, listening to the splashing of water as and grumbling that made it clear that she had heard you.

"I'm trying to relax, and you want to talk about how I met a crazed killer who-"

There was a moment of uneasy silence.

"How did you find my name out?" Came her voice, along with the splashing of water. "I hate that name, it reminds me of how I turned my back on my family and became what I am now."

"Would you prefer if I continue to call you Anne, after the name that the order gave you?"

"I don't know what I'd prefer, to be honest. Look, if it'll shut you up about my name, I met jack on one of the posh streets that I can't recall the name of, I didn't catch any of the street signs for it. I met him in one of the dreams I had too, in what he was took away two of the Enlightened who were there, who said they were assaulting your body and your mind at the same time."

"Thank you," you responded, walking back across the room to your bed as you rubbed your chin, you recalled that two of the people tormenting you had simply vanished, that the Enlightened had said nothing about it as your ignorance at the time to this had made you assume that they had simply rotated the people doing this. They had likely assumed, and rightfully so, that had you known this that you would take joy in it, that you would taunt them over it and laugh at their attempts to get retribution for that mockery.

You wondered if pursuing Jack was truly wise now, as you could only attempt to find yourself in the same dream as he. It might however, be easier to find him in dreams than on the streets you noted as you asked yourself again, just what were you going to do?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on July 21, 2010, 12:10:49 am
Discerning the other parties motives can be a good way to start negotiations. We may not be ready yet to confront Jack, perhaps we would be better served by restoring some of our social familiarity.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on July 21, 2010, 12:39:40 am
((Silly, I know, but I was hoping to grab reply #666 for this (http://wordsmith.org/anagram/anagram.cgi?anagram=Eurochkoles&t=1000&a=n)))
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Osmosis Jones on July 21, 2010, 12:41:59 am
Clue hookers ey?   ;)
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Digital Hellhound on July 21, 2010, 02:25:04 am
Coke Rules Ho?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on July 21, 2010, 03:43:04 am
Stay for a few days atleast, to rest up, see if more memories can be unlocked, try to invent more peacefull stuf, and enjoy life. No need to throw ourselves into more adventure right away.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Glacies on July 21, 2010, 03:50:37 am
Of course there is. We're in a city full of hostile stuff both human and inhuman, and we need to keep riding the wave we're on, lest we get sucked under.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on July 21, 2010, 04:00:51 am
Visit Red...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Osmosis Jones on July 21, 2010, 04:03:27 am
Yeah, and visit the fight club guys. Who knows what's been happening while you've been away. Hell, they might still be gearing up to rescue you.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on July 21, 2010, 07:37:57 am
Yeah, and visit the fight club guys. Who knows what's been happening while you've been away. Hell, they might still be gearing up to rescue you.
This.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on July 21, 2010, 03:33:54 pm
You knew that the head of the guild was going to want to talk with you today, that you were going to have no end of grief from people you barely knew, let alone cared about over Anne's identity, that you were going to be expected to tell them about everything you had experienced in captivity. You had no intent of waiting around for that today, you didn't want to sit there and let the first day you had of freedom get squandered in such a manner.

Not when you had more important matters to take care of, ones that involved the people who had been there in the beginning for you. People such as Red, Oak and William, people who were no doubt wondering what had become of you in this time. You wouild have left Anne behind, gone to viswit them alone, gone to catch up with the news that they had about the city. The very thought of it didn't sit well with you.

If you evaded these things that were bound to happen sooner or later, she would be subjected to them alone today, she would be left with a group of people who no doubt had a number of choice words for the pair of you. You figured that it wouldn't hurt to take her with you, as Red knew her, as William and Oak would likely be quite happy to have a woman present.

That was assuming you remained out that long.

You had no idea truth be told what you were going to do now, all you had was a vague idea that you should talk with Jack somehow, that you should ensure that in your absence those that you respected hadn't come to any harm.

Anne stepped out of the bathroom quietly, running a brush through her hair as she moved over to her bed, taking a ribbon from her bedside table to tie her hair back with. You knew that she wouldn't object to a chance to get out of this place, to get out in the open without the worry of being attacked by the Enlightened.

"Get your shoes, we should go see Red before the guild master sends someone to-"

Your words were cut off by a knock on the door, before one of the Technomancers poked their head through, their expression awkward as both you and Anne simultaneously gave him a dirty look.

"I, er, well," the man started, almost stammering as he nervously turned his attention from you to Anne and back again. "The guild master asked me to deliver this to you," the man stated, holding a sealed letter out towards Anne as he did so, prompting her to huff as she snatched it, before she set it down on her bedside table. The man quickly retreated from your room, his expression showing that he didn't want to wait for the pair of you to take your displeasure at his intrusion any further.

"As you were saying, we should go see Red," Anne stated, clearly having no intent to read the letter that she had been handed.

"Not going to-"

"No. It's probably a love letter from the guild master, not exactly what I want to read at this moment," Anne stated flatly, reaching for her shoes as she did so.

You left the room with Anne following close behind you, leading the way through the hallways as you strode along them, as you pushed past the Technomancers who didn't get out of your way in time. Most of them darted to the sides of the hallway, your very presence enough to intimidate them now, as they found themselves on the receiving end of those piercing eyes that you bore. As you neared the entrance hall you saw fewer of the Technomancers, that you knew was due to the fact that they were all eating breakfast and trying to be the first ones into their laboratories today.

The sight that greeted you as you strode from reception and out of the building however, was one that shocked you. You could see a number of high ranking Clockworkers assembled alongside the operators from the night before, the refitted mechanical men that they had commanded stood to attention. You could see journalists taking pictures, interviewing them for the local papers.

They were milking the attention that the downfall of the Enlightened was getting them.

One of the operators turned to point at you and Anne as you stepped from the building, their words inaudiable, one of the higher ranking members quickly hurrying towards you. They were about to drag you into this, they were about to link both you and Anne to the downfall of the Enlightened.

"Ah, it's fortunate you arrived, your guild master said that nobody was permitted to disturb you both as you were recovering from the stresses of last night. If it is at all possible, do you think you could pose for a few pictures with us for the papers and answer a few questions for them?"

The man looked at you expectantly, though he was clearly out of breath, clearly an unfit figure who did public relations and desk work. Did you want to take your fifteen minutes of fame for what you had brought about, or did you ignore the man and continue on to Reds pub?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on July 21, 2010, 03:39:35 pm
"No." And walk past him.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: cerapa on July 21, 2010, 03:44:05 pm
Dont take the fame and when anyone approaches you with a question or similar, just stare at them until they think its a bad idea.

Go to Reds pub and try not to attract any journalist to follow you.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Strange guy on July 21, 2010, 04:52:50 pm
I say go with it, a bit of fame can't hurt- pretty much the worse this could do is either alert whatever remains of the Enlightened as to who we are or the sort of supernatural powers who would be able to find us anyway. A reputation as a monster killer could potentially be a good thing.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Ochita on July 21, 2010, 04:53:42 pm
Jack....
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on July 21, 2010, 07:43:19 pm
If it's strong enough, make ourselves inconspicuous with Presence of the Immortal. They'll still know it's us, but they might not care.

Potential problem with this solution: they'll just ask Sabrianne.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on July 21, 2010, 07:51:14 pm
We are going to be famous sooner or later, this is our first time in the public eye so we better make a good impression that will set up a reputation that we want to maintain...

Ignore them, we have more important things to do.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Osmosis Jones on July 21, 2010, 08:27:02 pm
Brush them off, but be polite about it.

"I'm terribly sorry, I have urgent business to attend to at present. However, speak to me in a day or two."

Whether or not you actually do speak to them later we can decide then, but in the meantime, let's not anger the press, ey?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on July 21, 2010, 08:58:45 pm
You shook your head in response to the mans words, you didn't want to get involved in any of this. It was hardly wise after all for you to have your face all over the papers, when it was possible that it would have you recognised as an escaped prisoner, when it would mean that enemies you yet didn't remember were alerted to your presence. With a life as long as yours, you were bound to have more than a few enemies who hated you for what you had done for people.

You glanced from the man towards Anne, then back towards the man again.

That was all the time you needed to give Anne a look that showed your disapproval of the very concept of this situation, of putting your faces for all to see in the trash that passed off as newspapers. The man of course, hadn't taken the initial shaking of your head for what it was intended, clearly hoping you'd cave if he simply waited there long enough for you to respond. He clearly had no idea of just who he was dealing with if he thought that he could get you to bow to pressure like that.

"I have no intent of joining that sorry parade of battered tin-men to pose for you like some lackey who was part of your efforts to destroy the Enlightened. Go let the journalists lap up whatever crap you wish to feed them, I want no part of it."

"Oh please, you designed a few simple mechanism for guns and improved on the design of the armour we have by a small margin, you're lucky to even be considered to have contributed anything."

"How funny, my apparently simple designs should have been nothing for someone else to have come up with first then, should they. You've had the technology to do what I did for long enough that you should be ashamed that you never made something so simple first."

"You made some simple guns, we made the mighty automatons, you have nothing on us amatuer tinker, we could improve on any arms or armour you produce," the man snorted, prompting a laugh from you as you looked at the automatons, then back at the man again.

"Improve on them all you like, I could innovate and render them obsolete if I so pleased. I could improve on your tin-men if I cared to. I see no reason to, not when I can see a hundred different ways to compromise one with my bare hands."

You leaned forward slightly, staring into the mans eyes as you waited for the man to respond. You were making no effort at this time to influence his reaction, and yet he was clearly losing his nerve. You were bigger than him, you were in better shape than him, you were almost unearthly and eternity reflected in your eyes. The man reacted as expected, stepping back as he tried to compose himself, as he muttered about how you were hardly worth his time.

As the man turned away you did your best to come across as inconspicuous, making your way from the square with Anne in tow, glancing back once or twice as you watched the unsettled man resume his position, focused upon by the journalists as the pair of you slipped away without any further notice.

As you made your way towards the bridge leading across the river that you had crossed many times on your way back to Red's from this part of the city Anne hurried up to walk alongside you. A patrol of police officers and automatons passed you as you walked onwards, giving you little more than a simple glance as they went about their business, while Anne glanced back at them, then towards you, grinning slightly as she did so.

"You know, you really should improve on the mechanical monstrosities that they're so proud of, just to show them that you're better than them," Anne stated after a moments silence.

"I have no intent of doing that without a good reason to do so, I just wanted that pathetic excuse for a man out of my face," you sighed.

"Well, aren't you mister grumpy today," Anne giggled, running ahead of you as you reached the bridge, hopping up atop the wall running along its edges as she walked along it ahead of you.

You had noticed that she seemed playful and alive, how this was a far cry from how she had been when you had encountered her with the enlightened. This thought occupied your mind as you wondered if it meant without Pride, that there was hope for the other Enlightened, that they would all eventually return to normal with assitance over time. Well, as normal as you could get when you bled ichor and were capable of recovering from just about any injury.

Due to the leisurely pace that you were walking at, Anne was half way down every street ahead of you for the rest of the journey to Red's, constantly waving to you and trying to hurry you along. In a way her youthful energy made you feel like you could relate to what it was like to be in the more advanced stages of life.

It was like watching a child rushing off ahead, while you yourself could barely keep up.

You were physically able, of course, yet it seemed futile in a way to exert yourself like this, to run off ahead and chase her the entire way when you'd done enough running around in your first days in the city since your escape to last you a lifetime.

You could hear the familiar sound of music coming from Red's pub as you approached, bawdy singing and tankards clanking. It was almost like returning home, hearing the sounds that you had grown familiar with and hadn't realised you missed until now. As you stepped inside Red gave you a suprised look, while Anne grabbed you by the hand, pulling you across the room towards the bar, giving Red a look of exasperation as she did so.

"You'd think he was a turtle, with how slow he was coming here!" Anne huffed, while Red glanced between the pair of you, shaking his head slightly.

"I were thinkin' ye'd got ye'self killed Lad, with 'ow ye vanished. Looks like ye ran off an' got ye'self married wi'th'way she's pullin' ye about," Red laughed, prompting a dirty look from Anne as she huffed.

"Not a word, Anne," you stated, prompting another huff and a frown from her as she settled down on a stool beside the Bar.

"So, 'ow've ye been lad?" Red asked, glancing in Anne's direction as she started to count out a number of coins. You hadn't seen Anne bring any money with her, and you knew for a fact you didn't have any, that made you wonder just how she'd managed to aquire money on the journey here.

You turned your attention fully in Red's direction as you considered what you'd ask him. What news from his end of the city was most important to you?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on July 21, 2010, 09:30:47 pm
Have tTtgBitN been more frequent, how do people feel about the news of the enlightened, are any interesting rumours about?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Osmosis Jones on July 21, 2010, 10:15:19 pm
Have tTtgBitN been more frequent, how do people feel about the news of the enlightened, are any interesting rumours about?

This, and also just hang about and joke around. People always underestimate the importance of just being friendly and social.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Acanthus117 on July 22, 2010, 01:28:33 am
No, we shouldn't. It would draw undue attention to ourselves.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: rickvoid on July 22, 2010, 01:34:03 am
> Sabrianne: Lead Koles on a high-speed chase across the rooftops of London, after we're done in the bar.

> Koles: Introduce Sabrianne to Fight Club after we finish catching up with Red.

> Red's Wife: Bring Anne back to the Kitchen so the two of you can have a nice chat. Embarass her by treating her like the daughter you've never had.

> Red: Take more "I thought you was gay" shots at Koles.

> Random Douchebag Barfly: Attempt to slip Anne a roofie. Die horribly.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on July 22, 2010, 01:19:01 pm
You settled on the stool beside Anne's, leaning against the bar as you furrowed your brow, realising that while you'd evaded having to answer questions about what had happened at the guild house, you were likely going to have to do so here. So much for your first day away from captivity being one that you could simply relax through, one you could enjoy.

You could see that Red's question was just a thinly veiled attempt to move from the less awkward inquiries into your well being, to questions about what had happened. Had Anne alerted more than just the Clockworkers and Technomancers to your capture, in an effort to get as much help as possible for you?

You figured that you may as well play along for the time being, as it would allow you to at least get the questions that you wanted handled out of the way, too. It was probably a good idea to at ensure that what you told him left him with little else he could latch onto, to continue such inquiries with. At least that way you could keep things focused on what you wanted to know.

"Oh, you know, I spent three days strung up, being whipped by people who didn't seem to know what they were doing. They were persistant though, i'll give them that as they didn't even stop while I slept."

Red gave you a funny look. "ye got whipped while ye'slept?" He asked, turning his attention briefly to Anne as she held out a number of coins and pointed towards one of the bottles on the bar surface.

"Yes, while I slept," you responded, watching as Red poured out a measure of a burnt amber liquid into a shot glass, passing it to Anne who downed it without hesitation. "It wasn't exactly a pleasant experience as you can guess, though there's little to talk about other than how limp wristed their technique was."

"Aye, sounds like ye've not been left worse f'wear o'er it though, lad."

"The place seems a little more packed than usual today, Red," you paused, glancing back at the crowds of people packed about the tables. "They celebrating the fall of the Enlightened?"

You knew that news of this sort travelled fast, that it was something that would explain the fact that people were out celebrating like this. It was the fall of one of the evils that had been painted up as a major threat to the city when deep down, you knew they were less of a threat than the things that went bump in the night. Sure, they were unpleasant, sure, they were hostile towards people in general and followed some insane agenda. Despite this, you would have listed them beneath the creatures of the night as major threats.

There were things out there in the night that you had yet to encounter, too.

"Aye, that they be, s'good f'business ye know?" Red stated, pouring another shot for Anne as she passed over a few more coins. "Probably f'the best that th'Clockworker people rescued ye, as th'people I know wouldn't o'stood a chance."

"That's a load of crap, they mopped up after me," Anne huffed as she picked up her shot glass again. "I lead the way, and their useless tin-men followed me after i'd disabled three quarters of the Enlightened myself."

"Anne-"

"You might not want to be recognised over your role in it, but I want-"

Anne fell silent as she turned to face you, pouting as she took note of your stern expression before downing the next shot, folding her arms atop the bar and resting her head atop them. She clearly knew better than to argue with you on this point, it seemed, though she was going to sulk if she couldn't get her way.

"How about the things that go bump in the night, have they been any more-"

"Get your hands off me!" Anne snapped from beside you as a clearly intoxicated man stepped over, leering at her as he looked down at his nose at you, snorting at you.

"Why don't ye come with me 'oney, ye don't look too 'appy wi'that pathetic li'l man o'yers," the man slurred, trying to put his arm about her shoulders as she tried to push him away from her.

"Excuse me a second, Red," you sighed, slipping from the bar stool as you stepped around Anne, tapping the man on the shoulder as you did so. "Me, you, outside. Now."

"Get out o'my face ye worthless li'l-" The bar shuddered, bottles and glasses rattling as you slammed the mans head into it, slipping your arm about his neck as you hauled him from the stool as he recoiled from the forceful blow that had caught him off guard and started to drag him towards the door as he thrashed against you.

"I'll fuckin' kill ye!" the man yelled, reaching for his belt as he grabbed for his knife, only for you to deliver a swift kick to his wrist as he started drawing it, sending it flying from his grasp, skittering across the floor. "Ye'r so dead!"

You tightened your grasp, ignoring the glancing blows that were directed back against you as you dragged the man out the door, kicking him away from you as you took a few steps back, evading his initial clumbsy swings, giving him a moment to stand as you guestured to the streets leading away from the pub.

"I'll give you one chance, and one chance only. Get out of my sight before I put you in the river to cool off."

The man merely screamed at you as he charged forward, swinging for you as you ducked under his outstretched arm, slipping behind him as you span about. One hand grabbed the back of his shirts collar, the other the waist of his trousers as you wrenched him off his feet, bringing him down on your knee as you drove it into his side.

The man was winded, too stunned to stop you as you grabbed him by the feet and dragged him towards the rivers edge. Your feet pivoted against the ground as you started to swing him around, as you gained momentum, twirling about as the man screamed for you to stop. With a final motion you flicked him upwards, sending him sailing through the air and into the shallows of the river leaving him thrashing as he fought to get to his feet, as he started to make his way back towards you.

You stared at the man, your expression daring him to make the mistake of coming back after you, threatening him with more than just humiliation if he tried to get in your way again. This time your expression was laced with the intent to kill, your body language, your very presence reinforcing that as the man faltered, edging sideways through the shallows as he made his way back to the street. The man gave you a wide berth as he made his way back to the pavement, before running into the alley ways, his body language betraying how he was afraid to provoke you further now.

The crowd that had gathered to watch this parted as you made your way back inside, settling down beside Anne again as she huffed at you, her prior pout deepening.

"I was going to handle him," she muttered with a slight slur. "You let him off easy, I was going to make sure he could never have children again."

Red shifted uncomfortably behind the bar, clearly not liking the mental image that Anne had given him, before his attention once more fell on you. "I see ye've not lost yer touch when it comes t'andlin' a man at least lad."

Anne snickered.

Did you plan to stay, to catch up with the local events now that the drunks had been given a clear message not to give you any more trouble, was visiting Oak at his farm while you waited for night more appealing, or was there something else that needed handling?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Ottofar on July 22, 2010, 02:33:46 pm
To Oak.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on July 22, 2010, 02:34:19 pm
To Oak.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: sonerohi on July 22, 2010, 03:47:58 pm
To Oak.
Over the river and through the woods, to Oaks house we go. Stay the hell away from scarecrows though.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Osmosis Jones on July 22, 2010, 09:22:14 pm
Oak
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on July 23, 2010, 01:01:49 am
The scarecrows are our friends, they ate that bad thing that was doing, oooh weird things to us.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on July 23, 2010, 03:43:39 pm
You took a deep breath.

You needed to calm down, to remain calm and serene, to ignore the growing anger you could feel within you. Something about the Clockworker earlier had gotten to you, something about the fact that they so readily embraced the inventions that you were ashamed of and then mocked them irritated you. Maybe you'd challenge them tomorrow to do as they boasted, to improve on their oversized toys, to show that they could do better than you, the man who had improved weapons and armour that hadn't seen any recent innovation as far as you were aware.


The mechanical men were something that you felt vaguely aware of the origins of, knowing that they had been tinkered with for some time before they were released to protect the public. It was the rise of the Enlightened that had prompted the first of them to be released onto the streets, the machine that was supposed to help make the streets safe.

Since their release you knew that there had been a steady trickle of them produced, that as they increased in numbers that their coverage of the more up market districts in the city had increased. The Clockworkers claimed to stand for progress, but they were catering to those that provided them with money, ignoring the people in real need of progress.

The less wealthy, the less fortunate.

There was something more to this, something that deep down troubled you that you couldn't put a finger on.

Was it the fact that you had inadvertently given them the next step forward in warfare?

was it the fact that from your designs they could in time take the next logical steps that you had refused to?

Anne glanced in your direction as she took note of and expressed clear concern over your darkening expression, realising that something was troubling you. You paid no attention to her as she tugged on your sleeve, trying to get your attention. Failing that, you could see her turn towards Red out of the corner of your eye, tugging on his sleeve before she leaned over the bar towards him, whispering to him as she pointed to you.

"I'm sorry lad, I di'n mean t'upset ye wi' that little dig at yer pre'ernces," Red sighed, though you barely responded to this, you barely acknowledged his words as you slowly started to stand.

"It isn't that, I'm just having trouble coming to terms with how I've effectively armed people for future bloodshed. The moment the things that go bump in the night are dealt with, they'll turn on each other, wanting better guns to kill each other with. Better guns, that I've provided them with."

You took a deep breath as you reached for Anne's hand, helping her from the stool as you glanced in the direction of the doorway, making your intent to leave clear. You figured that a walk would do you good, that you could go visit Oak, maybe even give him a hand with his work while you waited for night to fall as means of distracting yourself. Any distraction would be good right now, anything that would help you ignore that feeling deep down that you had done something you'd not be able to forgive yourself for when the time came to see its results.

"I'm going to take Anne to visit a friend, say hello to your wife for us when she gets back."

With that you turned, leaving the Pub with Anne refusing to let go of your hand, both of hers wrapped about yours as she slipped beneath your arm, that expression of concern still clearly visible as she walked with you silently. Through the streets and towards the outskirts of the city you both travelled in silence, progressing from the dense urban spawl to the less populated outskirts as you travelled towards the farmland that lay outside the city's reaches.

As the city gave way to the farmlands your surroundings turned from brick walls to fields of wheat, from street rats and ragamuffin urchins to cows and sheep. The smell of progress was replaced by those rural scents, prompting Anne to mutter beneath her breath in displeasure.

Onward you travelled, as the sight of the toolshed you had slept in the one night caught your eye, reminding you of the manner in what you had awakened to the sight of what remained of that tiny rat like man, to the scarecrow outside the door. Further down the dirt path you wandered you could see Oak's house standing, his land worked by multiple farmhands.

And yet you found yourself curious about that toolshed.

Was the screcrow still stood outside it?

Had the grisly remains of that little rat like man been moved?

You found yourself drawn to it, against all reason drawn to that place that you had slept but one night. Did you want to sate this sudden, inexplicable curiosity or did you stick to your original plan of meeting with Oak?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Ottofar on July 23, 2010, 03:46:22 pm
First Oak, then the toolshed.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on July 23, 2010, 05:02:07 pm
First toolshed, than oak.

The way it's written, it seems this is more than just curiosity. And we know the scarecrows work for Jack.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on July 23, 2010, 06:28:00 pm
May as well give in to the urges once in a while...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: rickvoid on July 23, 2010, 07:51:08 pm
The way Anne is acting, she certainly seems to be. :D

Oak first. Ignore the toolshed.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on July 24, 2010, 02:05:34 am
You buried that curiosity as you continued past the field that the toolshed was sat within, knowing that you had plenty of time to poke around such things later, that you could see if it had been cleaned up after the night you had spent there or not. For the time being you had other things to worry about, things that were less frivolous than this fleeting fancy to go and gawk at the interior of a dilapidated shed. No, you had to meet up with Oak, make sure that nobody had done anything stupid in an effort to rescue you, make sure that the people who had been first to truly accept you knew that you were still alive.

Anne huffed as she slipped from beneath your arm, letting go of your hand as she hopped up onto one of the dry walls lining the fields, once or twice stumbling on the uneven surface as she walked along beside you. Elevated as she was you could see the sun catch her hair as you glanced at her, one hand over your eyes as you blocked out the majority of the light that shone into your eyes.

Golden brown wheat behind the stone walls lining the field, An almost clear blue sky with nothing more than wisp like formations of clouds and a firey haired woman almost dancing atop the wall. It was like a scene from a painting come to life, a moment both carefree and alive, a moment of innocent beauty in what you were enraptured.

Anne had noticed your reverie, prompting her to smile slightly as she wagged a finger at you. "It's impolite to stare," came her words as she hopped down from the wall again, once more slipping beneath your arm as she took the position she had left moments prior. "Not that it should suprise me, with how strange and hopeless a man you are."

You shook your head slightly in response to this, wondering if she would believe you if you were to try and put into words that what had distracted you about that moment. It was probably not worth the effort, for you knew that she would no doubt make some dig about your preferences and imply that you preferred men once again. You wondered why humans put such an emphasis on such shallow relationships, why they were so obsessed with such details as those.

Humans.

You wondered what had prompted that slip of thought.

Maybe this member of the Enlightened required enlightenment.

"You don't see the same world I see, it seems," you sighed, shaking your head once more as you uttered those words, as you guestured out over the fields with your free hand. "Tell me when you look out there, what do you see?"

"I see crops, and foul smelling farm animals. What do you see?"

"I see an ocean of golden brown framed by the stone walls, with waves rippling through it at the slightest breeze, I see a sky of brilliant blue with thin smears of white bleeding through to the blue behind it. I see a child like woman with firey hair, like something from a masters work who danced against a backdrop of golden brown and blue. I see a world of beauty and wonder, and I pity you for not being able to perceive the world in the same manner that I do."

Anne turned her gaze from you, falling silent as she gazed out over the landscape, as she looked up at the sky, as she tried to see that same world that you had described. A long moment passed before she finally admitted defeat, before she looked up at you from her position beneath your arm. "Why do you see me as child like?"

You laughed softly.

"You're impulsive and almost innocent in a way, you act on whims, walk on walls and run ahead of me. We're alike in a sense, with you acting like this is all new to you again, with me seeing the worlds beauty as if it's new to me again every day. I'm starting to feel old though, I'm starting to feel my age as memories seep through the cracks. I'm both a young man, a thousand years old and timeless at the same time."

"You're weird, that's what you are," Anne's statement was followed by a slight giggle and a brief moment of silence as she struggled to find words to express herself. "You make me feel safe, like everything'll be okay despite this though. It's like, no matter how crazy the world gets, somehow I know that you'll make everything okay."

You gave Anne's hands a soft squeeze, acknowledging that you at least understood what she meant, though you didn't have the heart to tell her that you were uncertain right now. You couldn't take away what little reassurance she had in you, you couldn't be that cruel. You were striving to be that person that she wanted you to be, though it was for your own reasons. You were fighting to recover your sense of self, for yourself.

You walked in silence up the pathway leading towards Oak's home, farm hands glancing up at you from the duties that they laboured over. A familiar figure sat outside the house, whittling away at a piece of wood with a knife, a figure who paused as they saw you, a figure who dropped the knife in shock, springing to their feet as they sent wood chippings spraying from their lap.

Oak rushed to the gate that lead into the small garden that sat outside his home, meeting you at it with an astonished look on his face. You couldn't tell if it was because you hadn't been seen for a while, because the news of your capture had reached him, or if it was because you had approached with a woman accompanying you. You were almost willing to bet it was the latter, that he was shocked as everyone else seemed to be that you were accompanied by a woman.

"Eurochkoles, is tha' really ye?"

"It is indeed, friend."

"I thought ye were dead. Ye got married though, so ye're as good as it. 'ow 'ave things been f'ye though?"

You didn't need to look to know that Anne was giving him a dirty look, a look that he seemed to be completely unphazed by. How were you going to handle this moment though?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on July 24, 2010, 02:40:31 am
Let anxiety handle it...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on July 24, 2010, 10:03:25 am
Let anxiety handle it...
This is probably for the best.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on July 24, 2010, 04:12:51 pm
You slipped your arm from about Anne's shoulders as you moved to hop up onto the wall beside the gate Oak was now leaning against, though she didn't relinquish her grasp on your hand as she followed you. You could tell she wasn't too happy about the comment about the apparent relationship that the pair of you appeared to have in his eyes, that made you wonder if she was finally close to understanding how much you disliked such commentary and assumptions relating to you.

You didn't hold high hopes for her making that association, you didn't hold high hopes for people in general making such association. People were self centered by nature, a trait that could only be put down to survival instincts and a failure of society to learn, to teach people to behave otherwise.

In time, maybe you'd find a way to teach society to be better than this.

You had a more immediate concern though, you had the issue of putting Oak straight on his assumption, with dealing with the fact that Anne was irritated by this assumption. You knew you could try and find the right words, that you could tell Anne to let it slip and tell Oak that he was wrong, though this was something that you couldn't quite see a way of balancing without seeming to favour one or the other. The alternative was to let Anne deal with it, and to slap her wrists so to speak, if she crossed the line in her handling of the matter.

"Anne, would you like to set the records straight on this matter?" You asked, prompting a nod from Anne as she let go of your hand finally, turning towards Oak as she gave him another dirty look. She clearly hadn't learned the first time that Oak had been married long enough to have become completely indifferent to that look however.

"How dare you. How dare you imply that our marriage has been anything but a bringinger of joy, that the time we have spent together has been anything but happy. How dare you imply that the years we have ahead of us are going to be tiresome and bereft of the joy that we know they will bring us!"

Anne's hands went to her hips as she took on an irate tone, while Oak looked somewhat caught off guard by this, though he quickly recovered, taking it in his stride as he responded to her almost indifferently. "I'm sorry, but ye'll see in time. ye'll see, that ye will."

"Oh, no you don't, you petty little man, you are not going to be the one to sow the seeds of discontent in this most joyous of unions, you are not going to be the one to make us dread the years we'll spend together. Just because your own relationship with your wife isn't one that makes you praise every day's onset, knowing that you are alive to enjoy the gift you have been given does not mean that our marriage is going to become one filled with such bitterness!"

Oak turned to look at you, then at Anne again as his expression started to show how he was feeling as if he had bitten off more than he could chew here. "Look, i'm sorry miss, but ye-"

"Don't you dare give me some insincere appology in an attempt to worm your way out of the hole that you have dug, adding further insult to this entire matter, you... You..." Anne's breathing became agitated as she turned visibly red, as she slapped Oak before bursting into tears and running over to you, burying her face against your chest as she sobbed loudly. You sighed as you reached own to rub her back, while Oak remained awkwardly silent for a long moment.

You could hear the occasional mumbled appology from him as he rubbed at the cheek Anne had slapped, as he fell silent for another long moment before something caught his attention, before something had him cotton on to the fact that he had been played. "If ye're married... Why 'ain't ye wearin' ye weddin' rings?"

Anne's sobbing gave way to giggling as she leaned back, as she took a deep breath and wiped her eyes, as she moved to lean against the wall beside you, leaving you to handle things now that her fun had come to an end.

"Oak, this is Anne, she's responsible for my disappearance. It's a long story, so i'll just give you the gist of it. I had a duty to her that I couldn't let slip as it wouldn't have been right, and now that duty's fulfilled, now she's safe, I'm trying to catch up with everyone."

"I see, so ye came all th' way out 'ere t'see me, then." Oak started, pausing as he glanced between you and Anne briefly. "I take it ye're plannin' t'return to th' li'l circle o'figh'ers we 'ave, then?" he asked, looking at you expectantly.

The answer was yes, naturally. You knew that Anne would likely insist on coming to see this, too, given she wouldn't let you out of her sight currently. The real question was, what were you going to do in the mean time?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Ottofar on July 24, 2010, 04:20:41 pm
Toolshed?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: sonerohi on July 24, 2010, 04:20:51 pm
toolshedtoolshedtoolshedtoolshed.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on July 24, 2010, 04:22:29 pm
Toolshed?
Toolshed.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on July 24, 2010, 08:15:01 pm
Loot shed.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on July 24, 2010, 08:31:17 pm
"Of course I am friend, maybe I'll even beat William into submission one of these days," you responded with a slight grin, though you knew that ultimately it didn't matter if you did or not. They were a group of people who respected you for the most part, they were people that carried out something that you knew in a sense was rather simple. They fought for the thrill, for the glory, for the reward that it brought, they had no intent of fighting to take anothers life, they had no interest in getting involved in anything beyond this.

It was their little circle, a circle of friends and brothers.

Still, you had one more thing on your mind that you wanted to take care of immediately, you had just this one thing to worry about before you could happily wait for night to fall, for the circle to gather. You had to sate your curiosity about that damned toolshed, to see if it hadbeen cleaned up since that one night. You couldn't take Anne with you though, no, this was something that you had to check out yourself as she wouldn't understand the signifigance of it to you. It felt almost as if the world about you was one you alone saw, as if there were few that would truly understand what you saw in it.

It was all a matter of perception, and your perception seemed to be sharper than most.

You knew that you could likely persuade Oak to watch over Anne for a short time without trouble, that he would put your desire to go check this out down to whatever inherent oddness people must've believed you held. You were not entirely certain what people must've attributed your behaviour to, or your mannerisms for that matter.

"Oak, do you think you could keep an eye on Anne while I check something out?" You asked, glancing at the distant toolshed as you did so. Something told you deep down that leaving Anne with him wasn't smart, yet you knew that taking her with you wasn't either. She struck you as something of a liability, someone who was too impulsive and barely hid how volatile beneath the surface they were.

In a way, that seemed to say she was perfectly human.

Oak nodded, while Anne grumbled at your descision to palm her off onto him. She wasn't happy about it, though you'd expected this. If she had been perfectly okay with it you would have been quite suprised, on the other hand. You turned as Anne made her way through the gate onto Oak's property, starting down the path as you jogged down the dirt path, as you made your way towards the field that held the toolshed.

You were hoping in a way that you'd find nothing, that you'd be able to return and say that you'd been worrying about nothing at all. You knew that when it came down to it, it was rare that you worried about nothing at all, that you could subconsciously feel when something was wrong, that you had memories, forgotten as they were that still coloured your perception.

From that comfortable jog you picked up your pace as you started to near the field in question, running along the path as you gained momentum, as you leapt over the wall in a display of skill that would have put most men to shame. It was the landing that let you down as you found uneven footing beneath you, as you stumbled, caught the back of your heel with one foot and vanished into the golden brown sea that stretched about you.

You prayed that Anne and Oak hadn't seen that as you sprang to your feet, your cheeks reddening as you started to stride through waist high wheat. This had been a reminder that while you were skilled, athletic and able you couldn't count on plain bad luck catching you offguard here and there.

Every step towards the toolshed that you took had a deepening sensation of unease settling in.

You could feel the hair on the back of your neck stand on end, you could feel some kind of unnatural energy lingering here, a sensation that told you that something had been here. Something had been here recently and it had been signifigant enough to leave some sort of residual signature.

As you reached the barren dirt about the shed itself, dirt that seemed not to support life despite how the fields about were teeming with it you paused, stooping to examine the ground quickly. You could still see the hole that the scarecrow that had saved you, a hole that could only have been made by the post it was mounted on being stuck in the earth. There was something else that caught your attention as you started to rise, something that you could only liken to dried blood.

That bloody stain you could see lead out into the fields, one that despite your best efforts to follow it quickly vanished. You doubled checked to make sure that it wasn't an error on your part that had you lose it, finding the spot it vanished again before looking all about it, checking in a radius of that spot for any other sign of that trail without luck.

You stepped back towards the shed, wrapping your fingers about the handle as you felt a chill run down your spine, as you felt an almost electric sense of tingling run through your body. This wasn't fear that you were feeling, you could tell that immediately. It was alien to you and familiar at the same time, yet you couldn't find words to describe it.

You stepped back briefly as your hand went down to your belt, prompting you to curse silently as you realised that both you and Anne had set out unarmed, meaning that if there was something in there that you were going to have to face it with nothing but your wits as your weapon.

What were you feeling here though was the question, was there something in there that you wouldn't want to encounter, or was this sensation related to the onset of a long forgotten memory?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on July 24, 2010, 09:01:03 pm
It doesn't matter, we came here for clues of one sort or another, and it is too late to be reconsidering.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on July 24, 2010, 09:17:36 pm
((note for clarity, i'm giving you a chance to pick between a potential encounter in the day for a change, or a chance to focus on regaining some of your lost memories for a new direction to take after you're done with the shed.))
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Osmosis Jones on July 25, 2010, 01:24:54 am
Encounter.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on July 25, 2010, 05:57:39 am
Umm, check what's in it without opening the door? There must be some kind of window or hole somewhere, or if not you could make one.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: cerapa on July 25, 2010, 09:25:41 am
I say both.

Basically a memory that is roughly identical to the encounter going together with the encounter.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on July 25, 2010, 10:26:39 am
Guys, quit choosing the third option. There are two perfectly good paths here, just pick one. One's only supposed to take the third if there's no other choice, not just because you can.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: cerapa on July 25, 2010, 10:29:49 am
I am taking a third option because i think it could be cooler, not because i can.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on July 25, 2010, 10:32:05 am
Encounter.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on July 25, 2010, 07:12:25 pm
memory
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on July 25, 2010, 11:03:54 pm
Your hand lingered by your belt as you furrowed your brow, wondering what had possessed you to believe that with everything taken care of with the enlightened that it was wise to leave the guild house unarmed as you had. You were far from helpless unarled, yet it was with guns that you were able to truly shine, that you were able to take down almost any foe before they could blink, let alone retaliate.

You knew that the things that went bump in the night didn't actually come out this early, that they more or less remained within the city where they were able to find the most prey. There was next to nothing in the way of recorded attacks on the people in rural area's outside the city, and of those attacks, nearly all of them were vultures who had strayed too far away from their usual grounds.

You were not entirely certain how you knew this to be true, given how you had barely gotten any information on this subject from the city folk who you had talked to. Maybe this was another memory seeping through the cracks, another thing that let you knew that you had experienced some of this before. You must have, as you could feel yourself growing increasingly comfortable with, increasingly familiar with the city in a manner that could only be attributed to years of familiarity.

How had you ended up imprisoned, though?

You cast this thought aside as your fingers clasped the rusted handle to the shed a little tighter, as you slowly pressed your thumb against the latch that held the door closed. You figured that if you did this slowly and silently you would be able to peer inside, that you would be able to confirm that this was all baseless paranoia and get back to Anne and Oak.

As the latch slid upwards you found yourself wondering just how you would handle it, if it turned out that inside this shed something horrible lurked. It could be one of the things that went bump in the night, it could be lost, hungry and afraid. It could be waiting for night to fall so it could get back to the city, biding its time.

You figured that if it was a vulture then you'd be able to strangle it in its sleep, a thought that made you cringe at the very concept of it. You didn't like the thought of taking the life of such a creature while it slept, even if it was for the good of the people in the city that such things were dealt with, exterminated. If it was bigger than a vulture though, you were uncertain how you would handle this issue. You knew that the vultures, while the weakest and most numerous of the things that went bump in the night, you knew that anything other than one of those was likely to be extremely dangerous even in the day.

Especially in the day.

You peered through the crack of the door as you opened it less than an inch, looking for any sign of something within it that could threaten you. The sight that greeted you took you by suprise, confusion setting in as you wondered just how one of those could have gotten out here, when they never left the city. It didn't seem to be moving though, making you wonder if it had gotten stuck, if it had been here for long enough that it simply ran out of power.

You opened the door cautiously as sunlight caught the dusty bronze surface of the mechanical man that stood dormant and doubled over in the toolshed, while behind it you could see at a glance that the blood stains from that one night remained, though the bones were long gone. It must have been quite the shock to the owner of the shed you figured, to find the remains of whatever those bones had once belonged to sitting there with the scarecrow outside dripping with blood.

The mechanical man shuddered as you started to step forward, prompting you to hop backwards as the sound of faintly whirring cogs came from within it, as its eyes started to glow with that intense green that was so characteristic of them.

"Pow-powering Up. Up. Up."

The mechanical man shuddered once more as it lifted one arm, then the other, elevating its body from that doubled over position awkwardly. As it stood upright you could see battle damage, torn bronze betraying the mechanics beneath its armoured exterior. Its arms, legs and chest bore extensive scratches and tears from what you could only assume was large claws, its head was dented but otherwise intact.

"Identifying Tar-up. Up. Target. Tar-target. Target Con-confirmed. Up."

You stepped back as it stepped towards you, keeping your distance from it as it favoured weight on one foot more than the other, limping towards you as it towered above you. You could hear the clicking of whatever it used to speak as strangled noises escaped it. You just hoped that this thing had identified you as a civilian and not a threate.

"Confir-firmed. Up. Firmed. Con. Con. Human Male. Civilian."

You breathed a sigh of relief.

"Initiating Engagement. Tar-targeting. Error. Weapons Jammed. Up. Up."

Even unarmed and damaged this thing was a monolithic figure of bronze capable of killing most people in a single blow. With its weapons out of comission however, you had your chance now to prove that these things were not as almighty as the Clockworkers had believed. You had your chance to show them that a single man could take down one of these things with a few improvised tools and a little knowledge on their side.

You ducked away from the mechanical man as you ran back towards the toolshed, ducking around the outside of it as you looked for a tool, a weapon, anything. All you could find however, was a heavily rusted sickle. It was better than nothing, but it was barely anything. You had prayed for something more viable, a hoe, a rake, something with reach that you could jab into those exposed inner workings.

You could do this though, you could circle the mechanical man and drive this weapon into the exposed cogs and gears that you could see from the side, from behind. From anywhere but the front of this thing. As it stomped around the shed towards you, you backed away a short distance into the wheat, keeping an eye on it as you did a few testing ducks to the sides, quickly figuring that you could circle it clockwise faster than it could turn thanks to how it was hampered by a damaged leg.

You had to sprint around it at first to pick up speed enough to get behind it before it could turn to catch up with you, though you kept a good few feet between it and yourself as you rapidly hopped left and right as it tried to turn to catch you. You watched as it swung its arms backward in an awkward attempt to catch you off guard, identifying the pattern it was using quickly as you gripped the sickle in hand. You could see that it was helpless from behind, that it wasn't able to reach you, that the most promising point to strike was its underarm.

The armour on its underarm had a small gap in it, one that you had seen your improvement had removed. You sprang forward as its arms jerked backward, ducking under them as you watched them move forward, ready to strike again. The rusted blade of the sickle darted up as you thrust it up into that chink in the mechanical man's armour. You could feel gears grind against it, you could hear the sound of that metal tool snapping within it as it was jammed between the heavy cogs.

The mechanical mans right arm locked up as you staggered backwards, off balance from the tool snapping so readily. It barely slowed down from this as it continued to turn about, while you tried to regain your footing as you went to duck under its reach. A heavy bronze hand impacted against your lower back, slamming you into the ground, winding you and giving it all the time it needed to haul you from the ground, holding you up by the neck as you kicked ineffectually against it.

You could feel it gradually tightening its grip as it started to restrict your breathing, as it stared at you with those impassive, glowing green eyes.

You could feel the burning in your lungs increase as every passing moment of denial went by.

The corners of your vision started to blur, to dim as your struggling burned up what little oxygen remained in your body, as your arms felt like they were weighed down by lead. One of them moving to grasp at the hand about your neck, while the other swung the broken tool ineffectually at the bronze man that held you.

The sound of metal scraping over metal faded away as your vision continued to go dark, while despite your immortality you began to panic, thrashing weakly as everything finally went black.

The beating of your heart filled your ears.

That steady thump slowing, ceasing.

An eternity seemed to pass shrouded in darkness as you felt yourself adrift in this midnight ocean. You felt weightless and insubstantial, free of the confines of your body, empowered and yet powerless at the same time as your mind was set free of its biological confines, as you awakened to the moment of your death frozen in time.  You found yourself viewing your body from outside as you saw it hanging limply in the hand of that bronze figure, the world about you discoloured and drab, and yet...

And yet the mechanical mans eyes burned in that same brilliant green.

The eyes, you needed to go for the eyes.

The dull thud of your heart filled your ears again as life once more returned to your body, as body and mind were rejoined by their soul, knowing that you couldn't give in, as you let a ferocious cry out as the hand still clasping that tool thrust forward. The tool pierced the eye of the mechanical man with the sound of breaking glass, cracks running the length of what seemed to be an unseen visor as they webbed over the other eye.

The rusted broken blade plunged easily into the head of the mechanical man as it pierced the eye, your hand jerking back as you prepared to thrust it through the other eye as its grasp on your neck weakened, as ichor spewed from the gaping hole where that glowing glass had once been.

Ichor...

Only two things bled ichor, the things that went bump in the night and the Enlightened.

You staggered back away from the mechanical man as it dropped you, as it brought its one working arm up, hand clasped over its eye as it tripped backwards, falling against the earth with a dull thud. You could see it writhing, in a manner that you realised was in pain, a mechanical screech escaping it in place of a cry of agony, while that heavy bronze hand slammed against the side of its head repeatedly in an effort to do something, anything.

The broken sickle slipped from your grasp as you stepped back again, horror washing over you as your stomach turned. The Clockworkers had taken the Enlightened that they had captured and they had used them as the thought center of these things and you were horrified as you knew that there was only one way that they could have ever learned to do such.

You had taught them.

You had done something that was unforgivable in your own eyes in teaching them how to link the minds they used with the bodies of these things, undying brains housed in cold metal, minds that had been tortured and their prior identity supressed. Minds that even when damaged, could regenerate while their bodies were repaired, be transplanted into new shells when required or simply placed in storage.

You had taught them how to do this, you had taught them how to make these abominations in a desperate act to help them quell the growing incursions by the things that went bump in the night. You couldn't forgive yourself at the time when you realised just what kind of existance you had condemned these people to, people who while misguided would have been better served with re-education and to break Pride's hold on them.

People who you had failed.

It was no wonder that the Clockworkers had pushed so hard for the Enlightened to be classified as enemies of state, no wonder that they sought to imprison and capture them all, no wonde that they had been so willing to send such an assault force to your supposed rescue. They didn't care for your rescue, few of them even knew who you were anylonger. This was just a ploy to capture more of the enlightened, obtain more resources.

The rescue mission and crushing of the Enlightened themselves had just been a convenient cover story for it. The memory of this burned its way to the forefront of your mind as you crawled over to the side of the shed, as you huddled against it shivering. You felt sick to your stomach as you watched the mechanical man thrashing unevenly as it tried to recover from the injury you had dealt it, as it tried to regain motor functions.

It had pained you at the time so greatly that you had called in a favour from those with high influence, asking them to imprison you in one of the underground prisons, the sole inmate in an empty prison wing. A prison in what you had been the nameless prisoner, many of the staff who ran the place meeting you over time, none of them getting a word from you.

Tears ran down your cheeks as you wished once more than you had brought a gun with you.

This time it wasn't for the purpose of defending yourself from the incapacitated mechanical man that lay there twitching, thrashing as it tried to recover. This time it was so you could defend the world from yourself. A bullet had been your tool before in inducing your amnesia, a bullet would do it again.

You couldn't give in, could you?

No, you couldn't give in, you couldn't run away from this again.

You had shown once before with Anne, that you could take responsibility for your actions, that you could do what it took to make things right. This was on a much larger scale though. You felt uncertain, afraid. What were you going to do?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Osmosis Jones on July 25, 2010, 11:29:47 pm
Detach the brain case. Then, either burn it to ash OR try and bring the enlightened within back to something approaching sanity.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on July 26, 2010, 12:42:24 am
Take it to Anxiety, apologise.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on July 26, 2010, 08:39:43 am
The brain should be able to regrow an entire body in time, so for now just get it out of there.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on July 26, 2010, 08:42:43 am
Does regeneration take into account conservation of mass? If so, I don't see how a brain could regrow its body.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on July 26, 2010, 10:09:32 am
I don't think that it does, and if it did you could feed the brain intravenously...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: cerapa on July 26, 2010, 10:14:03 am
Its MAGIC!TM, it follows rules of the plot. So, probably doesnt take conservation of mass into account.

EDIT: And forgot, extract the brain and eat it.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on July 26, 2010, 10:14:50 am
The brain should be able to regrow an entire body in time, so for now just get it out of there.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on July 26, 2010, 10:34:38 pm
((I'm not happy with how this turned out, but, eh. More sleep and less heat'd go a long way to improving this. Damn you, british summer!))

You looked over at the twitching, thrashing form of the mechanical man, knowing deep down that you had to at least do something to make this right. You had to find some way to free the person within it, if not put them out of their misery. Given that even now their natural regeneration was able to repair the damage done by that rusted tool you had stabbed them with, you knew that the few things you could think of to put them out of their misery wouldn't be effective.

This meant that your only choice was to open the metal shell that contained them, to remove them from it and to see if they would start regenerating now they were no longer hooked up, or if they would die, if this would allow them to finally be at peace. Opening this up was going to take the right tools or the right application of force. The latter was more likely, given how you knew that the tools suited for this job were specialist made ones, that they were currently sat within the Clockworkers guild house.

You hauled yourself to your feet, staggering around the side of the shed as your legs felt like lead from a combination of the guilt you felt and the prior asphyxiation you had endured. You needed to check the shed for any suitable impliments that you could use to break the fastenings that held that mechanical shell together, something that would allow you to pop the casing open.

The sickle you had used before was far from likely to withstand the pressure of such an act in the state it was in, given how it had broken readily when you had tried to jam it into the workings of that bronze shell that held the mind of one of the Enlightened prisoner. You needed a tool that was sturdy and in good condition, you needed something that would withstand the pressure it would take to accomplish this goal.

As you stepped into the shed you felt your head spinning, it was too much too soon, memories that you had wanted to never remember flooding back to you as you remembered every detail relating to this abomination, this blend of man and machine you had helped create. Technology had been too primitive at the time to create an artificial mind. Technology was still too primitive to do such.

The natural step had been to take one from a person, that had the issue of the average person's mind being damaged beyond use, too hard to sustain and impossible to work with. You had known how to fix this problem for them, you had told them just what they needed for it, you had shown them how to wire up the minds to their machines. The blood of all those who suffered inside those prisons of bronze was on your hands, yet taking away those abominations you had created would leave the city defenceless against the things that went bump in the night.

The average human was defenceless against these things, incapable of fighting them in the dark due to their inherent lack of night vision. You lacked such night sight yourself, yet you were a lot more able to defend yourself against them, due to how you were able to predict the way they would behave, due to how you could react faster than most humans could.

Your fingers closed about the handle of a heavy axe.

You couldn't leave them all trapped as they were and you couldn't free them, as both courses of action were unfavourable in their own ways. Free them and people died, leave them and your guilt would become all the more overpowering as time went on.

You felt like a hollow shell of the man that you remembered yourself to be, dull by comparison to that genius who had effortlessly devised the way to link a mind up to those metallic prisons. Weak, by comparison to the warrior who had stared down entire armies, faced tyrants and spilled blood in the name of peace. You were not averse to killing, though you had always sought a peaceful resolution before you took that path where possible.

There was still so much that you couldn't remember.

Your hand pressed to the side of the shed as you staggered back around it, axe dangling loosely as you grasped it, as you swallowed nervously. You had to free one, just this one to see if there was hope for them, to see if they were able to regenerate when so little of their original body remained.

The sound of metal striking metal filled your ears, snapping you from your reverie as you realised you had already begun to strike at the prison that encased that person. You were aiming for the seams where bolts fastened the head together, blows glancing off the rounded surface as the machine beneath you struggled to retaliate.

"Ce-Cease. Cease. Cease. Hostile Action. Cease."

Those words had you cringe, reminding you of how you had taught the Clockworkers how to overwhelm, supress and program the brains of the victims of this process, though the fact that this one seemed to have developed this quirk gave you hope that it could in time be reversed.

"Stop resisting," you hissed as the axe glanced off the side of the mechanical monstrosities head, embedding itself in the earth beside your foot. "I am trying to free you from this prison," you added, though there was no sign of that bronze body ceasing to struggle, though it did little to hinder your efforts as you continued to rain down blows on it.

Blow after glancing blow struck it as your frustration grew, as that dull axe failed to do anything, as you cast it aside and began stamping on the armoured casing that composed its head. As your frustration peaked you found yourself tensing up, a sensation of indignation rushing through you as your foot raised once more. You, an ancient immortal, one who strove to become more, defeated by the craftwork of some lowly man.

Your heel struck down once more as the casing buckled, as the sound of bolts tearing free and breaking echoed, as you, empowered by righteous fury ducked down and placed one hand on either side of the casing and pulled.

The sight that greeted you wasn't pretty, as it was the sight of a glass dome, cracked and broken in a few places from your earlier efforts. A glass dome, filled with a translucent green jelly like substance, housing the brain of the victim of your knowledge. You could see various wires running too and from it, some running down from what you took to be the optical nerves to a small device mounted almost invisibly under the chin of the thing.

The glass dome's base was made of metal, with wires running up into it from the underside, through the center of it and into the brain. You didn't have the tools, or the knowledge any longer to disconnect it, that left only one course of action. A course of action that the very prospect of made you cringe, knowing how it was the polar opposite of delicate and caring. If the brain of this person died, then it was probably for the best. If they survived, if they were able to regrow once freed from the jelly like substance that was likely used to prevent any bodily regeneration then you'd find a way to make things right.

You used the sleeve of your shirt to protect your fingers as you broke away the rest of the glass carefully, as you used one of the shards of it to slice through the jelly like substance before you pulled it apart. You cringed as you slid your hands beneath it, as you lifted the brain with one hand and tore away the wires with the other. Even now you could see the initial stages of regeneration kicking in as the first stages of protective membrane started to form, as the skull started to follow suit.

You watched with an almost horrified fascination as you watched the head of this individual regenerating, as you watched them regrowing their body from the top down. You could feel the increasing weight of their head in your hands as you waited for it to reach the outer skin layer before placing it down, watching as this regeneration went on to form their neck.

You removed your shirt, placing it down in preperation for their body to regrow beneath it, to keep them decent just incase. What was this person, and what were you going to do with them now you'd freed them?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Jabberwock on July 28, 2010, 12:21:48 am
We should make sure he's all right mentally and physically and that he's not going to attack anyone. Next would be to get him some clothes, maybe from Oak.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on July 28, 2010, 12:37:48 am
Take them to Anxiety and appologise.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Osmosis Jones on July 29, 2010, 12:44:09 pm
Bump for great justice. Also, talk to Anne.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: cerapa on July 29, 2010, 01:01:33 pm
Call Anne. She might be better at dealing with this person.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Karnewarrior on July 29, 2010, 01:57:38 pm
Taken a week, and I'm only on page 46. Good on ya', sillieh boy, you made a great story and I'd be sad to see it die.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on July 29, 2010, 05:46:58 pm
((I appologise for the delay, my poor timing seems to have had me miss the fact that there were responses. Oops!))


You waited in silence beside that figure as their body steadily regenerated, watching as their form filled out beneath the shirt, as their facial features became fully defined, as brown hair started to sprout. Brown eyes opened, gazing up at you as the figure's body continued to grow, sprouting arms like some kind of plant made of flesh as those impassive eyes betrayed how this person still bore their mental conditioning. They still believed themselves to be that automaton, to be the clockwork monster that they had been encased in as the thought center.

"What is your name?" You asked, crouching beside the figure as you prepared to swat their arms aside if they lashed out at you.

"My designation is-" came the voice of a woman, though you were fast to interrupt them.

"You are a person, not a machine to be referred to by some serial number. What is your name?"

"My designation is-"

The sound of flesh on flesh filled the air as you slapped the woman's face forcefully, cringing deep down as you hated the concept of causing further suffering to this person. It was for the best though, you knew that you had to get them to see that they were a person, that they were not what had been made of them. You had to make them aware that you were the one guilty for this, even if it meant that they would hate you for it.

It was the only way to ensure that they had something to cling to, something to drag themselves free of the existance that they had been condemned to. As long as they had something to hold onto, something to keep them from relapsing into that state it didn't matter if they hated you or not. You could live with such hate, hell, you knew you deserved it for that matter for what you had done was unforgivable. It felt as if nothing would ever alleviate the feeling of guilt that you felt over this matter, yet it wasn't guilt that had you doing this right now.

No, guilt was the wrong reason to do this.

You were doing this, as it was the right thing to do.

"Listen to me," you started, almost smiling as you heard the woman start to sob. It was painful to hear, yet it gave you hope that you'd put her on the first tracks to recovering her humanity. "You are not some automaton, known by a designated serial number, you are a woman, you are a victim of a procedure that-"

You averted your gaze as the woman rolled over, turning away from you as she continued to sob, her arms almost fully regrown now, her legs having started. Enlightened or not, distraught or not, she was indecent and you were not comfortable with the thought of keeping your attention on her while she had her back to you in such a manner.

"Ma'am, your posterior is exposed to me at this moment, could you pull the shirt that I have covered you with back so you are once more decent, please?"

There was a moment of awkward silence as the woman shuffled audiably, a few long moments passing in silence as you waited for some form of confirmation from her. When none came, you turned towrds her cautiously to see her sat there, your shirt now worn as her cheeks burned red, as she sat there atop her legs, her body now fully regenerated. Your shirt was loose fitting and oversized on her body, betraying immediately that she was shorter than average, making it a stark contrast from the towering figure of bronze that she had been encased within not long ago.

"Well, you still show signs of needing to adhere to concepsts such as what society considers to be basic decency," you sighed, angling your head slightly as you rubbed at your chin. "Now, do you remember your name?"

The woman remained silent, awkwardly so as she looked down at her hands, at her legs, as she looked up at you and slowly reached out, inquisitively touching your face. No sooner than she had done so, her hand jerked back once more, held aloft as she started to slowly reach forward again. The same motion was repeated, before she placed her hands in her lap again, her mouth opening and closing as she tried to speak and yet couldn't seem to find the words.

"I am Eurochkoles," you stated as you gestured to yourself, watching as she followed suit, though yet again, she seemed to fail to find words as she gestured to herself. Maybe telling her about your role in what she had become wasn't wise just yet, you needed to wait for her to clearly be aware of who she was, aware of what she was. Once she was capable of comprehending this, you'd tell her, give her the choice of getting as far away from you as she could or letting you make what you had done to her up somehow.

"Can you walk?" You asked, prompting her to struggle for a moment to climb to her feet, wobbling unsteadily as she did so. You were fast to climb to your feet, catching her as she stumbled and fell, sighing as you pulled her upright and braced her against yourself. You could feel her recoiling away from you, instinctually not wanting to be so close to someone else it seemed. "I'll take that as a no, I'll carry you then, take you to some friends of mine and I'll see if there's some clothing you can use."

You slipped behind the woman, ducking down as you lifted her up, as you set her atop your shoulders, one of your arms bracing her legs against your chest, the other reaching up to take hold of one of her hands to steady her. You didn't like the thought of leaving the wreckage of the clockwork body that she had come from in the field, yet you knew that you could do little about it at this time.

You made your way to the edge of the field, stepping over the wall carefully as you tightened your grip on the woman, making your way up the path that lead back towards Oak's home. You felt alive, inexplicably so. You felt as if the entire experience had caused you to awaken, to recover a lost fragment of your former glory.

You felt as if nothing could stop you.

You were going to make right what you had done, and nothing would stop you.

As you made your way up the path towards Oak's home, you wondered just how you were going to explain this. Anne would no doubt be more understanding due to her experiences, but Oak wasn't even aware of what Anne was. Was it time to reveal both their natures or was it more prudent to twist the truth in this matter?


You have a point to spend.

Spoiler: "Stats" (click to show/hide)
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on July 29, 2010, 07:12:10 pm
MOAR AIR!

or water
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Ochita on July 29, 2010, 07:18:41 pm
Earth- We can't keep on being put down because we cant take more damage
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on July 29, 2010, 07:50:50 pm
Earth- We can't keep on being put down because we cant take more damage
Boooring. More smarts!

Upgrading air further is like 4 times better than upgrading anything else, because of the exponential growth.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Ochita on July 29, 2010, 08:10:01 pm
Who here wants our character to be a inventor and such when we dont really have access to a workshop or who wants to be someone who can take more damage and keep going?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on July 29, 2010, 08:19:17 pm
I still thank earth is boring. How about water, that way we can detect ambushes better, read people even better, move more stealthily?

Also, Air is good for more than just inventing.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on July 29, 2010, 08:20:57 pm
Earth- We can't keep on being put down because we cant take more damage
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on July 29, 2010, 08:25:07 pm
Aw.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Ochita on July 29, 2010, 08:28:30 pm
We just don't really like being min-maxed
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on July 29, 2010, 08:44:57 pm
Lets use it to upgrade the power of unkillable...

I don't really see a better option than honesty. Randomly finding naked people are one of those things that are really difficult to explain to your friends. There is plenty of evidence of ichor around the automaton and the woman isn't exactly normal. There is a fair chance that Oak will figure it out regardless. Besides, too many lies will catch up to us.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: sonerohi on July 29, 2010, 09:31:40 pm
Earth!
Also, just explain honestly that you destroyed the machine and freed her from it.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Osmosis Jones on July 29, 2010, 09:34:21 pm
Fire.





What? Why are you looking at me like that?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Jabberwock on July 29, 2010, 09:35:30 pm
We should also tell Oak that we're immortal.
Also for earth.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Toaster on July 29, 2010, 09:59:08 pm
Earth.  We lack the endurance we should have.  (Oh look, we're a collective now)
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on July 30, 2010, 04:40:24 am
The weight of the woman on your shoulders felt familiar in a way, invoking memories of having carried others in such a manner. It didn't suprise you that you would feel such familiarity with this as a life as long as your own was full of experiences both wonderful and terrible. You could literally say that you had been there and done that to everything, that you had experienced everything that the world had to offer and yet you still loved life. You loved the simple beauty of the world, you loved the good that was in the hearts of the most noble people, you loved everything that concept of utopia, of a world at peace with no war, no hate.

The world was far from that utopia, far from perfect. The world had once had its leaders at your feet begging for your blessings, its wise men deferring to your wisdom and its greatest minds asking for your input on their innovations. You had once been a great advisor to an empire, you had been a man of great importance and respect. You knew this deep down, even though the memories for it were lost, even though you couldn't quite recall what people, what nation.

You had been many things.

A father was not one of them, however.

Yet still you knew what it was like to chase around after children, to carry them on your shoulders, to guide them as you watched them grow. You had seen many people grow from their infancy under your guidance at one point, striving to be the best they could with your blessings. You had watched them grow old, you had visited them in their final hour, you had seen them smiling as they told you that their life was one that was filled with joy, that they had no regrets.

You had never fathered children, and yet you knew what it was like to be a father.

You had celebrated the passing of those who's lives had deserved to be remembered fondly.

The woman atop your shoulders swayed unsteadily as she swung her hand out, reaching for something in the air before her. You craned your neck as you sought to see what it was, as you caught a glimpse of a butterfly eluding her seeking hands before it fluttered off into the fields, while a huff escaped the woman. The manner in what she had huffed reminded you oddly of Anne, who would do so when things didn't quite go her way at times, when she was exasperated or simply tired.

"They're beautiful, but they would not fly again were you to catch them from the air in that manner, you know?" you laughed, light hearted as for a moment the shame of what you had done escaped your thoughts. "Still, I cannot fault you for trying," you added with a sigh, shifting as you sought to ensure that the woman was secured firmly on your shoulders once more, as you continued onward towards Oak's home.

The rest of the journey back up that dirt path was marked by various farm hands turning their head and staring at you and the woman, though you paid no heed to them as you continued onward. Oak and Anne were still at the gate, waiting for you as they gave you looks that were mixed with bewilderment and bemusement. You were not suprised, knowing that the sight of you returning with this woman on your shoulders was more than a little unexpected.

"So, I assume ye'ave an explanation fer this?" Oak asked as you approached, leaning against the gate as he raised an eyebrow.

"Oh please, Eurochkoles has an explanation for everything. He'd make a great politician if he was a little more selfish," Anne huffed, while Oak turned to give her a funny look.

"I rescued her from one of the mechanical men," you started, pausing briefly as you knelt down, slipping the woman from atop your shoulders as you did so. "I hate to ask this of you, but does your wife have an old dress or old clothes of any type that she would not object to donating?"

You turned to the woman as she stood there silently, almost motionlessly.

"Why'd she be attacked by one o'those things?" Oak asked, pausing for a moment as he stroked his chin, audiably scratching at the stubble on it. "Fer that matter, why'd one o'them come out o'the city?" He added, making it clear that this didn't add up in his eyes. You had no intent of using deception here though, no plans to lie to make this any easier for yourself or for him to swallow.

"She wasn't attacked by it, she was it. The Clockworkers put peoples brains inside them to control them," you sighed, wiping your brow with your forearm as you did so. "Yes, I said brains, before you try and point this inconsistancy out to me. They remove the brains from the Enlightened they capture and stick them inside the mechanical bodies they create."

A gasp escaped Anne as her hand went to her mouth.

"Yes Anne, this means that unless more of the order is out there to rescue them, then they're all going to gradually be converted into an army of these things," you sighed as you looked up at Oak, watching as he did his best to do this, knowing that he would inevitably come out with some awkward comment or question.

"I say it's f'the best if they're able t'use 'em to 'elp people. Jus'ow do ye know about all o'this, any'ow?"

"I know because I'm the one that told them how. You have no idea how wretched it makes me feel to remember how I was able to show them how to link them up to those walking bronze coffins, how to carry out an agonising process to allow them to supress and literally program their minds. The Enlightened are misguided, their leader is dead. Anne is an example of how away from their leaders influence that they can recover their humanity, that they're just as good or bad as anybody else."

Oak was silent though this, though the moment you paused, the moment he opened his mouth to speak you raised a finger, letting him know you were not yet done.

"It doesn't sit right with me. The fact that I had done something so sickening as that act had me call in favours from friends, it had me take steps to try and induce memory loss. I shared that knowledge with them soley because the city was under threat of being overwhelmed by that what went bump in the night, and I have regretted it since. Say what you will about the Enlightened, but do not make light of the horror of being put through that, do not make light of the thing that fills me with such shame."

"You... You are the reason some people never return," Anne swallowed as she stared at you in disbelief, trembling from what you could see was a mixture of horror and shock. You sighed, nodding as you turned to her, your expression betraying how heavily this weighed down on your conscience.

"And you inadvertantly turned the majority of your previous order over when you came to rescue me. It isn't your fault though. No, this is all on my hands, and I plan to find a way to make it right. It doesn't sit well with me knowing that I am responsible for the suffering they're going through. I'd understand if you wanted to wash your hands of me and leave now, I wouldn't blame you for doing so. With or without you, I plan to make right what I have done, starting with this woman. If that means I have to create a new form of automaton that is truely autonomous to combat that what goes bump in the night, then so be it."

Anne was silent for a moment as she stepped towards you, as she reached over the gate, hand raised. You made no effort to stop her as she slapped you forcefully. "That," she started, "is for being the most god damn stupid man I have ever met." She huffed, leaning back as she did so. "And no, I'm not abandoning you, you might be a genius but you're too bloody stupid to do this alone!"

You smiled slightly.

"I believe you when you say you'll find a way to make this right, and I plan to be there every step of the way," she stated, turning towards a bewildered looking Oak as she did so. "Well, go and get the poor woman some clothes!"

You watched Oak scamper off to find clothing, rubbing your temples as you did so. This entire situation was a mess, one that you'd likely have to approach via the right channels at first, to see if you could make a difference without making enemies. If it came down to it, that the only way to make this right was to show that you were unafraid to use force in the name of justice, then you would mourn the wasted lives of those that chose to oppose you.

You sat atop the low wall as you waited for Oak to return, figuring that you would fight on his behalf in some manner to put coin in his pocket to make up for this inconvenience. Until the night came however, you found yourself wondering if there was anything else that you immediately needed to take care of.


Spoiler: "Stats" (click to show/hide)
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on July 30, 2010, 04:52:36 am
Ask Anxiety if she knows the woman.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on July 30, 2010, 05:36:32 am
While i didn't want to suggest doing the actual experiment, do we now know if there is any way to split an enlightened so that both halves are equally the person and so will regrow into two copies?

Most enlightened are not evil enough to deserve such treatment, but as long as at least one is...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Osmosis Jones on July 30, 2010, 05:51:11 am
Ask Anxiety if she knows the woman.

This. Also, go back to the remains of the mechanical man, and inspect it. Memorise it's inner workings. If you're gonna go all big damn heroes and save all the brains, you're going to need to know how to put these things down fast and efficiently. ESPECIALLY with the new weapons you gave them.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on July 30, 2010, 07:40:58 am
But do that later, there is always a risk that it will be gone when we get back, but we want to recover this one so that we can study them, to build a new one, bigger, stronger, independently autonomous, and fully capable of protecting the London skies like a giant bug-zapper!
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on July 30, 2010, 08:33:36 am
To make an autonomous machine, we'll need Air. The next point we get should go to Air.

Armok, I don't think it will work like that. No, I am certain it won't work like that. If it did, the Clockworkers would have duplicated their Enlightened and made an army without needing to capture more. And don't say that they didn't try, because we all know they did.

Further counterargument: it is totally not in character. Eurochkoles wouldn't do that. At least not anymore.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on July 30, 2010, 08:41:27 am
maybe we just need more air.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on July 30, 2010, 08:45:55 am
While i didn't want to suggest doing the actual experiment, do we now know if there is any way to split an enlightened so that both halves are equally the person and so will regrow into two copies?

Most enlightened are not evil enough to deserve such treatment, but as long as at least one is...
We've seen enlightened chopped up before. Only one piece regrows, most likely the largest piece of the brain.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on July 30, 2010, 10:06:45 am
yea, but what happens if you cut the brain into two equally large pieces?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Ochita on July 30, 2010, 11:37:33 am
Then it is stop asking annoying questions. Why do we need to know that?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Karnewarrior on July 30, 2010, 02:48:14 pm
You cannot chop the brain into two equally large pieces.
Even with a atom-splitting knife, You would still have two uneven bits of cells. Any cells you chopped in half would die and brak off, thus "roughening" the edges, causing two cellularly-unequal pieces.

Besides, why in the hell would we even want to know that? This isn't Man of SCIENCE!!.

And I do think we should put more points in Water. Being able to manipulate people would be incredibly useful, more so than being able to take a cannonball to the chest. As it is right now, water is the more used.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on July 30, 2010, 02:57:10 pm
Air - Air is a measure of your mental prowess, the speed with what you are able to come to conclusions, your grasp of language, your ability to understand things of a technical nature. The higher your air score, the more intellectually able you are.

Water - Water is a measure of of your emotional sensitivity, your ability to grasp gestures and body language for what they are, how attuned you are to the world around you. Higher water means you're more able to sense and decipher emotions and make sense of certain aspects of the world about you.
Both Air and Water would be pretty good for manipulating people. Both are good, but remember we don't have any points right now, we already spent our most recent one on absorbing cannonballs.

Of course Water is good for stealth too, and Air is good for inventing Mechanical-Man-Countermeasures. Water is also good for spotting ambushes and observing a battlefield, while Air is good for scoping out and taking advantage of a battlefield (esp with our tactics specialization). Basically, both are good whether we're fighting or pulling strings.

Edit: Source for stealth claim:
Stealth and related powers are possible, but, you can naturally achieve a similar result by getting sufficient water, along with the other benefits of high water such as sensing unnatural energies.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Karnewarrior on July 30, 2010, 04:37:20 pm
I still say we get water next. A guy who can take a round of shotgun blasts to the face and walk away with barely a bad gash is badass. A guy who can walk into the enemy base and make them belive he's god is AWESOME.

Whatever, let's ask Alice about the new girl, and then have her help us interroghate her and hopefully help her out.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Ochita on July 30, 2010, 08:21:17 pm
Her name is Anne. Sir. Been reading too much of bandages?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on July 30, 2010, 09:19:05 pm
There may be ways to get a situational modifier to our air score, such as research...
Although, I sense that we are not yet up to our old levels, and we didn't make an independently autonomous version last time, so we probably can't now, I suggest that we try, fail, and then go on a quest to gain the ability to do so, probably involving lots of mad scientists...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on July 30, 2010, 10:17:51 pm
We might have to find an alternate means to create a robot than an artificial intelligence. Remote control, magic (summoning some sort of minor mystical or demonic entity into it?), or (in theory, I don't think he'd be willing to do this) doing the exact same thing as before (but with willing subjects. I don't think they exist, however).

We don't actually need a robot, either. There could be alternate means. For example, training captured Enlightened themselves. Without Pride, they're probably normal enough (like Anne). However, we'd have to get them all from captured and killed Mech-Men, and we'd also have to convince them to join us.

Does regeneration affect the time it would take to build muscle? Does anyone here know what mechanism muscle building uses? Depending on the mechanisms it uses, regeneration could speed it up, slow it down, or have little effect. How it works would affect both our own training and that of Anne (and possibly any other ex-Enlightened).

Does Air affect thinking speed or learning speed? That is, with a 10, could we become Awesome by Analysis, or pick up combat skills in minutes by observation? Or are thinking and learning speeds controlled by water, or by a combination of multiple stats?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on July 30, 2010, 10:21:54 pm
Muscle growth relies on muscle repeatedly being damaged and then repairing it better than before. Someone with enhanced regeneration could become stronger than any bodybuilder with a fraction of the effort.(EX: Wolverine. Superstrength is not one of his powers.)
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on July 31, 2010, 01:07:52 am
With Oak no longer present your attention shifted between Anne and the woman who stood there blankly, her gaze almost vacant as she stared out over the fields impassively. You considered yourself to be good at reading people, at figuring what was going on behind the social mask they wore, picking out the hints that betrayed their emotional state. You considered yourself well adapted to this, and yet you couldn't see anything in her eyes, her body language or her expression.

There was nothing going on in her head emotionally, there was nothing beyond reflexive actions that hadn't been purged, there was nothing but an empty shell of a person stood there. An empty shell was one you hoped that could be filled with experiences, one that you could teach to live again, though you had little hope for her. You knew how much damage had been done, you knew that those that went through this were going to take something miraculous to restore them to who and what they had been before this.

You were no miracle worker.

Your attention shifted back to Anne as you sighed, unable to conceal how deeply this woman bothered you, prompting an expression of concern to cross Anne's features. She had seen you suffer before, she had seen the way that you had emotionally broken down when creating weapons of war. She knew you well enough to know when it was a bad idea to tease or provoke you, to know when supporting you was more prudent.

At least you hoped that was the case.

"Anne, you've a great deal of experience with the Enlightened, do you recognise her?" You asked, watching as Anne turned her attention toward the woman, as she examined her carefully.

"She looks like Sister Joy," Anne started, the pair of you watching the woman for any reaction to the name that she had once bore, though there was no change in her expression, no hint of reaction or recollection in her eyes. "Joy, it's Anxiety, do you recognise me?"

"My designation is Guardian-" the woman started, only for Anne to place a finger to her lips, her expression betraying how she clearly didn't wish to hear this.

"We can't call you by a designation, as a designation is not your name. Joy, do you remember who you are?" Anne asked, though the question was followed by an awkward moment of silence before Anne spoke once more. "Do you remember anything, Joy?"

Silence.

"Joy wasn't with us for too long before our capture," Anne sighed as she turned her attention back towards you, shaking her head slowly as she did so. "She was inexperienced as you can guess, though none of us were really that greatly able beyond our... Gift," She spat the word, shaking her head slowly as she did so. "I guess you could say in a sense, the Enlightened is like a group for people who wanted to be special, yet were unexceptional in any way. We weren't the smartest, strongest, fastest or toughest of people, most of us were afraid to die or wanted to be special somehow."

"Being mundane in such manners does not exclude you from potential greatness," you responded, gesturing to yourself as you did so. "I may be an exception to that rule, but it is still destiny, not ability that defines these things."

"Do you have any idea how to fix what was done to her?" Anne asked, quickly changing the subject as she turned her attention back to the other woman.

"Not at this time, though I will find a way. I am certain that when I remember more of what I used to know, that I will find a way to start her on the path to recovery."

"I really hope you can find a way to, as none of us deserve what was done to the ones they put in those bronze shells. Nobody deserves to be punished like that for giving into their fear, embracing that what they believe will protect them, even if it is misguided."

You looked up as you caught sight of motion out of the corner of your eye, sighting Oak leaving the house as he returned with a plain dress in hand. He was visibly holding his cheek, rubbing at it where redness betrayed how he had been struck. His wife was not the easiest of people to deal with you knew, and he had likely provoked her somehow.

"Ye know, I 'ave no idea why I though it were smart'o me t'tell me wife I wan'ed one o'er old dresses 'cause i'd look be'er in it than 'er."

Anne snickered as she heard those muttered words coming from Oak, taking it from him as she gestured for the pair of you to turn your backs to give them what little privacy you could while she assisted the other woman in donning that dress.

Both you leaned against the gate beside Oak as you silently gazed at the horizon, figuring that you had a few hours before the sun started to set. A few of his farmhands could likely be convinced to fetch the remains of the clockwork body for you, though it still left you with one thing to worry about.

Was it time to set off and catch the beginning of the gathering for a change, or were you going to remain here to take care of any other immediate matters while turning up fashionably late?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on July 31, 2010, 02:02:55 am
((
))
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Jabberwock on July 31, 2010, 10:13:29 pm
We better head off to that gathering, after thanking and saying goodbye to Oak.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on July 31, 2010, 10:25:04 pm
Oh hey, I completely forgot to respond to the last story post.

I have no exceptional objections to Jabberwock's idea, but the question is, what do we do with Joy? Bring her with us, leave her with Oak, tie her up somewhere (bad idea, what with the rat-men and those bizarre scarecrows, probably)? Because if we bring her with us, she might be recognized by a Mech-man, or just plain be difficult to drag along.

Also, do we have any knowledge of what happens when you shoot an enlightened in the head? Do they lose their memories and reset to something, or are memories stored in the soul (or similar, non-physical place)? Because I think the only way might be to shoot Joy in the head. (I don't particularly support this idea, I am just proposing it. Feel free to shoot it down, it's just a cut-the-knot idea). If it won't work, we'll either have to try waiting or drug-brainwashing, as I see it. Or brain surgery/lobotomy.

Other idea, maybe the Clockworkers removed an important part of the brain to give them the slave mentality, then coated the area with anti-regen stuff?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Karnewarrior on July 31, 2010, 10:50:03 pm
I say we take both Anne and Joy to the fighting ring with us, but try to have them avoid the actual combat. We can't have Anne bleeding ichor all over the place.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Osmosis Jones on July 31, 2010, 11:31:39 pm
Bullet to the brain helps with Euro amnesia, but even then it isn't permanent. Given what Sillehboy has said about enlightened regen, I'm guessing that a similar case might occur with Joy. Basically, I don't think it would be a good idea. I suggest we catch the start of the fights, and it will be better to introduce the girls to William early, so he knows to help shut down any (possibly disasterous) attempts at wooing them by the drunken guys.

On an unrelated note, I wonder whether Jack would see any colours in us now, now that our memories are resurfacing. That, and we need a horse drawn carriage. With all the girls we are collecting, we're gonna need a pimp ride soon.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Karnewarrior on July 31, 2010, 11:38:27 pm
We must invent the automobile.
Then, Rock and roll.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on August 01, 2010, 11:23:15 am
Explain the "shot out brain" theory to Anne, and see what she thinks. She knew her better.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on August 02, 2010, 01:09:36 am
"We're going to get going once those two ladies are ready," you started, as you turned your attention towards Oak. "I know that this must be quite the shock for you, given how-" you paused abruptly, you didn't know quite how to put this into words that would help the common person accept this type of thing without having an open mind or prior experience. "I'll make it up to you, you pick someone at the fights tonight and I'll beat them for you."

"Ye do realise, th'only person who'll fight ye's William by now?"

Those words elicited little but a shrug from you as you paused to listen, hearing the muffled cursing from Anne as she tried to get the dress on Joy in an acceptable manner. You had expected that things would have come to this sooner or later, that you'd be viewed as too challenging by the others and as such they would prefer to stick to people they at least had a chance of beating in a fight.

If you beat William, you knew that you'd earn a lot of respect from them, yet at the same time that you knew that beating William would ensure that you'd never have any of them willing to fight you one on one again. You could take a couple of them on at a time yet you knew that if it came to it, if it was about money that you could find other means of income that were more steady than the nightly fights that these people held.

They'd be better as friends, allies, eyes and ears in their walks of life that would provide you with insight into the ever changing nature of city life. The question was, could you expect them to remain friendly to you, if you were going to oppose what you knew they viewed as their saviours, the people that saved them from that what went bump in the night.

You would have to cross that bridge when it came to it.

You knew that you had stood against entire nations in your prime over past lives, that you had forced those that sought to oppose you and your desires for peace to back down. You had always been an avatar of peace and prosperity, a figure who desired that things progressed towards a state of utopia. It made you wonder why you had been betrayed without fail every thousand years, about what was so signifigant about that figure in relation to you.

"I'll beat William for you then, friend. I do have one thing I must ask of you, however. If possible, could you get a few of your men to head down to the toolshed in the fields down there and retrieve the ruined mechanical man there?"

With that you turned towards Anne and Joy, sighing as you picked your shirt up from the wall it had been cast over, slipping it back on as you started down the path past them. Anne was quick to follow, holding Joy's hand as she pulled her along behind her. Something was bothering you about Anne and Joy however, something she had said earlier hadn't quite struck you as signifigant until you had thought about it.

You walked in silence, waiting until you were a comfortable distance away from the farmhands that worked Oak's land, until you had passed the boundries of his land before you turned your attention towards Anne. She was walking alongside you, with Joy in tow, with Joy following as she walked barefoot behind you, allowing herself to be guided without protest.

"You said earlier that Joy wasn't with you long, specifically saying before your capture, implying both of you were. Would you mind elaborating on that for me?" You asked, though Anne's expression quickly became one of displeasure at having been asked this, not because she had been caught off guard, but becaue she disliked the very subject.

"Yes, I would mind. I prefer not to think of the time we were captured," Anne muttered, prompting a small nod from you in response, while you turned your attention back towards the path ahead of you. That reaction was all you needed to know that they, if not more had been captured, that the very experience was unpleasent and that not all of them involved had been able to escape. You didn't need to know anything exact, even if you were admittedly curious about the details themselves.

"I understand, I will not pressure you on the matter."

"Thank you, it isn't something I wish to think about, let alone share."

"It seems in a sense, that the greatest evil this city has is the Clockworkers, that they are the ones that should be dealt with. The Enlightened were misguided and under the control of a lunatic, yet the Clockworkers?" It was a rhetoric question, one that you were glad Anne didn't chip in with. "People only believe that because they provide progress and safety that they are good people. There have been tyrants through history that do much the same for their own people, while torturing the slaves and enemies of their nation just because they provided a perfect scapegoat for them."

"So... You are planning to take on the Clockworkers?" Anne asked, tilting her head curiously as she looked up at you.

"I'm planning nothing at this time, but, I will not rule out the prospect of dealing with them should it be required. Just as I will not rule out the prospect of opposing the city if it is what it takes to save the people of it."

"I'm sure they'll appreciate that."

"To sit by idly, is to allow evil to flourish. If they believe that in actively making the effort to do good that I am evil, then they are both blind and fools. There is a difference after all, between delusionally doing what you believe to be good and doing evil as a result, and doing what appears to others as evil, yet is ultimately what must be done for good."

"Yeah, you've shown you're able to differentiate between the two with those clockwork shells," Anne snorted, gesturing towards Joy as she did so.

You cringed at those words, falling silent, ignoring Anne's mumbled appologies as you continued the rest of the journey back to the city itself in silence.

You were half way through the city, half way to the docks when an unpleasent reminder of how dangerous the more rundown districts was given to you when Anne suddenly stumbled into you as she was shoved away from Joy, sending you off balance as you span about to catch her. Joy as expected remained impassive about this entire situation, standing there blankly as a knife was held to her throat.

"Ei'er o'ye make any su'en move n'yer friend gets 'er throat slit!" barked a grubby man as he nervously adjusted his grip on Joy, as he held the knife that little closer to make it clear that he meant business. You cursed yourself for being so distracted, so keen to drown out the guilt that you had been feeling that you hadn't been thinking, that you had headed this way. "Now, 'and me yer money n'nobody gets 'urt!"

Anne growled softly at this, clearly wanting to dive at the man as your hand moved to restrain her. She knew that Joy'd be inconvenienced at most by this, you knew this too, yet you didn't know if it was wise to risk having her bleed over her dress so soon after aquiring it. The stains from her ichor were distinctive enough, but the smell of it was the biggest give away.

Your mind raced as you asked yourself, did you try using diplomacy, did you see what tricks you had up your sleeve, did you let Anne loose on the man, or did you trust Joy herself would somehow deal with this situation?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: nbonaparte on August 02, 2010, 01:26:24 am
Attack. You can get joy new clothes in the city.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Osmosis Jones on August 02, 2010, 01:40:05 am
Presence of the immortal, go!
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: nbonaparte on August 02, 2010, 01:41:11 am
Ah, forgot about that. Yes, do that instead.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on August 02, 2010, 01:48:56 am
Compromise is a rather sore issue at the moment, I say that whatever happens we don't give in to the demand for money...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on August 02, 2010, 05:49:33 am
"You're making a mistake," you stated, your attention resting fully on the man before you as you decided that it was best to use diplomacy, to influence things in the manner that you knew you were able. You had no money to give this man had you have wanted to avoid this entire situation by simply doing such. Had that been an option, you wouldn't have taken it however, as ultimately you knew that this man was evil, that no matter what his claim of motivation was, there was a divide between him and somebody else who was stealing to survive.

Stealing to survive, to ensure that you didn't starve to death you could understand, but threatening anothers life for selfish gain made this man no different to many people you had killed over the course of history.

"Th' only mistake being made 'ere is ye people not givin' me yer money, now 'and it over!" The man snapped, clearly growing agitated as he took the knife away from Joy's throat for a brief moment, waving it at you threateningly.

"I suggest you take the weapon away from her throat, before your life is forfeit," you stated as you once more attempted to make it clear to the man that he was making a mistake in this situation, that he was better off turning and running. The man merely hissed this time. "Your choice to pursue such a violent means of aquisition will ultimately lead to your demise, if not now, then not too far down the line. You are visibly a physically unimpressive specimen of humanity, you lack any street smarts to survive on as is evidenced by your choice of us as your potential mark, and you are intellectually unimpressive, as you have clearly failed to discern that we have no money to give."

"Yer lyin'!" the man snapped, once more waving the knife at you, while you quickly came to the realisation that he wasn't responding well to your influence due to how he believed that his weapon, his hostage gave him the edge here. Despite this however, you had clearly intimidated him, to the point where he was unwilling to go through with slashing Joy's throat without any immediate reason to do so.

Joy however, seemed almost oblivious to the danger she was in as she looked down for a moment, wiggling her toes. "I require footwear," came Joy's words as she looked up at you again, further frustrating the man as her impassive tone betrayed how little she was intimidated by him. "His feet are approximately the same size as mine, may I terminate him?"

"Wha'?" the man stammered as he gripped the knife tighter, pressing the edge of it to her throat as he swallowed nervously. "Th' only person 'ere gettin' term'nated is ye, if yer friend's don' pay up!" the man stated, while Joy's hand snaked up unseen from his position, before darting up to grasp his hand hand by the wrist, pulling it away from her as she maintained that impassive expression.

The man yelled in suprise as Joy pulled his hand away, before crying out in pain as her grasp slipped towards his wrist, slowly twisting it as the man struck ineffectually at her with his free hand. Even so he was quick to abandon that idea, to start reaching with his free hand for the knife. Joy was faster still to twist about, grabbing the man by the collar of his shirt before she twirled about swinging the man face first into a lamp post.

There was a crack and a howl of agony as the man struck the lamp post face first, the knife clattering to the floor along with a number of teeth as the mans hands went to his face, as he writhed, sobbing as blood ran down the sides of his face.

"No!" you shouted as Joy reached towards the blade, prompting her to look up at you with confusion ever so briefly crossing her features. "I will not permit you to kill that man, evil as his intent may be, you would be no better than him if you were to finish him off in this state," you snapped, hurrying towards the fallen man as you kicked the knife into a gutter a good few feet out of Joy's reach.

"I do not understand," Joy stated blankly, looking down at the man before her as she did so. "His intent was clearly to kill, yet-" You placed a finger against her lips, taking a deep breath as you did so.

"That is no better justification for killing him, than you being one of the Enlightened was for this to be done to you, for you to end up stripped of your humanity," you responded, "I will not allow you to dirty your hands with his blood when your reasons are clearly the wrong reasons. This man deserves to die, that much is true, yet you do not grasp the concept of justice in this matter," you stated as you knelt besides the man, twisting his head sharply as you broke his neck. You stood as all further movement and noise from the man quickly ceased, gesturing towards his feet as you did so. "Now, take his shoes if you must, it's best we get on our way before anybody else comes this way."

"I... Do not require them any longer."

You raised an eyebrow as you turned your attention back towards Joy fully, while there was no visible reaction, you had the feeling that you had struck a nerve. This was good, this meant that there was enough of a person left for you to work with, that out of touch with her feelings and her nature as she may be at this moment, that you could slowly help her rediscover it.

"Are your feet causing you discomfort?" you asked, eliciting a nod from Joy as she stood there silently, almost awkwardly as you turned about, kneeling down for her. "I'll carry you, then," you stated as she followed your lead, climbing onto your shoulders as she took the same position she had earlier held. "You seem to fast be recovering your motor skills at least, though I would have preferred to find this out in another manner. For that matter, I'd have preferred to have talked that man down."

"Oh, shush you. I was hoping to see her kill him," Anne butted in as you stood, as you started on your way down the street once more towards the docks. "A man much like that one slit my throat when I was left on my own after your capture," she added with an almost indifferent tone.

"I'm not certain I am going to like the answer to this, but, am I right in assuming that you dealt with him without mercy?"

"Naturally. He slit my throat so I stabbed him until he stopped moving."

"With my machette?"

"No, I stabbed him to death with my penis. Of course I used the machette, what kind of a stupid question is that?" You gave Anne a funny look as she huffed at you. "Besides, it's my machette, you gave me it, I'm not giving it back to you," she added in a hurt tone.

The rest of the journey was without event, with Anne occasionally attempting to strike up conversations with Joy, typically getting little more than a few words in response from her. It was dusk by the time you reached the docks, with the familiar figure of William stood in the distance, gesturing as he spoke with the few others who had gathered so far. Out of earshot as you were, you could see he was directing them to set up the fire, to haul the crate of beer that had been brought there to its usual position.

One of the men there caught sight of you, uttering something to William as he pointed in your direction. William turned his attention away from the men, ceasing overseeing the little that needed doing to set the scene for the fighters each night as he watched you approach.

"You know, we were wondering where you'd gotten to," William stated once you had finished crossing the that ground that lay between you. "I see that we needn't have worried however, as it seems you've been off chasing skirt instead of getting captured as we'd heard. Strange, none of us would have expeted that from you, you always struck me personally as being rather uninterested in men or women in general," William mused, rubbing his chin. In the light that still remained you could see that he hadn't shaven recently, that he had half an inch of facial hair currently.

"Chasing skirt?" Anne huffed. "Oh please, he only ever had eyes for me, we got married a few weeks ago. I'm Anne, Anne Zia-" she paused, "Anne Koles," she stated, making it sound as if she had corrected herself. "And this-" she gestured towards Joy as she did so. "Is our daughter. They grow up so fast."

William raised an eyebrow as Anne gave a soft sigh, one of mock pride in your so called child. "So, is the woman on your shoulders just as crazy as this one?" William asked, grinning slightly as he did so. "She almost me for a moment, anyway, what really happened, you've been gone for long enough that you no doubt have either an interesting story behind it, or a wife. That woman clearly ain't your wife, so it must be a story you have to share."

You knew you were going to have to ask William to keep an eye on these two, just incase, though the question was, how much of the story did you tell him, how much of the truth of why you wanted him to keep an eye on them did he get, and what would you do while you waited for the rest of the people to turn up?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on August 02, 2010, 06:05:45 am
She's your sister-in-law, who has a mild mental condition, explaining her odd mannerisms and speech. Or maybe only a half-sister-in-law, if there's not enough resemblance to Anne.

I'm not sure I like the bit with the If You Kill Him You Will Be Just Like Him, I'm afraid. Only because you earlier mentioned that this guy was a complete monster, and that we'd killed many people just like him, implying that you were justified in doing so.
Quote
but threatening anothers life for selfish gain made this man no different to many people you had killed over the course of history.
At least, that's the way I interpreted it. Especially because we know he's going to attack someone else this way, and they probably won't be able to just shrug him off.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on August 02, 2010, 06:24:44 am
((Argh, so I did. Fixing that, quickly.
Edit: Of course, it's probably even worse now..))
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on August 02, 2010, 06:34:45 am
I can't stop laughing about it for some reason. But that's because I'm insane, have had only 6 hours of sleep, and just read through Dreamless. It's certainly better than before, though.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Karnewarrior on August 02, 2010, 06:48:50 am
 Tell him the abridged, shorthand, and modified version of our story.

Quote
Koles and Anne walking down street when giant purple tentacle monster burst out of sewer pipe and Anne run back to Technomancers but they pussies so Anne use Clockworkers to rescue Koles from tentacle demon and then Koles rescue a woman from enlightened who was halfway through brainwashing process and now Koles want Will to take care of half-branwashed enlightened while Koles kick some ass.

Ta-da! :D
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on August 02, 2010, 07:19:56 am
I'm not sure I like the bit with the If You Kill Him You Will Be Just Like Him, I'm afraid. Only because you earlier mentioned that this guy was a complete monster, and that we'd killed many people just like him, implying that you were justified in doing so.
Quote
but threatening anothers life for selfish gain made this man no different to many people you had killed over the course of history.
At least, that's the way I interpreted it. Especially because we know he's going to attack someone else this way, and they probably won't be able to just shrug him off.
You are assuming he meant what he said, and weren't just trying to stop her from more mental strain with a few white half-lies.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Osmosis Jones on August 02, 2010, 09:35:57 am

As for an actual action to take, tell mostly the true story, but spin it into a glorious epic (they're not gonna fight you, but you can still bedazzle them with your prowess. Plus you get to practice your PotI by using it for special effects). You saved Anne from the enlightened, went into hiding to protect her, then tried to resolve the issue with head of the enlightened. You were captured instead, prompting Anne to call together enough firepower to rescue you. Joy happened to be rescued at that stage, but she may have been tortured, so is a little delicate mentally.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on August 02, 2010, 09:38:43 am
There is also the factor that she wanted his shoes. Although hot pursuit would probably apply, while the thief was the only one in any real danger, Joy was most certainly accosted and did have cause to resolve the situation. Both opinions have merit...

I don't want to lie, people should just accept the truth! But for now it would probably be best to limit it, tell him Joy was abducted and traumatised, which is true. I think he already has a pretty accurate opinion of anxiety, aside from the regeneration and willingness to hack people up into 'bite-sized' pieces...

P.S.
 May toadstools sprout from all ninja's faces...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: sonerohi on August 03, 2010, 12:29:12 am
Tell the truth, in a minimalistic way. I guess while we wait, limber up and jog around a little.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on August 03, 2010, 01:58:09 am
You took a deep breath, letting it out again slowly as you shook your head, as you told yourself that there was no way around this. William wanted you to provide a story, and there was no way that you were going to give him the full truth with a story, though that worked find, as a story typically provided half truths and exaggerations. If they wanted a story, you'd provide a story. If they didn't want to believe it, then so be it.

"There is a fair bit to tell, though, I need to put Joy here down before I start," you moved towards one of the benches that had been set out as you spoke, kneeling down as you slipped Joy from atop your shoulders and motioned for her to sit. While she did so, you could see awkwardness in the manner that she did, with her turning to look at the bench, placing one hand against it as she turned about again, and then finally settled atop it. You were not entirely sure why she would do that, though you suspected that it had something to do with her likely feeling unfamiliar with her own body and its dimensions right now.

You settled down yourself, watching as William dragged over one of the nearby benches to sit opposite you, while Anne settled down near the as of yet unlit fire. You knew that you were going to have to explain Anne and Joy to William before you even started on this story, so he would know to keep others away from them. Especially when it came to Anne. She had made it increasingly clear over time that there was something wrong with her, that you suspected was due to her nature, due to how she was more than just human.

"Before I start on this story, Anne there and Joy here," you paused, gesturing to them in turn as you did so. "It might be an idea if any interest from the others towards them is nipped in the bud, so to speak. Anne's a little unstable due to her experiences, and Joy seems to have become a shell of her foremer self. You'll understand why when I tell you the story though, as they've both got their places in it."

William nodded slightly as he glanced between the two women, before his attention came to rest fully upon you again. "Understood. I'll make sure that anybody who gets too friendly with them is warned off," came his words as he leaned forward, one foot resting on the bench, one arm resting atop that raised knee.

You took a deep breath, focusing on giving your words authority and presence, on bringing them to life in the minds of those who heard them.


The entire story started when I was on my way here one night, the moon high with clouds crawling across the midnight sky, fresh from working at Reds bar by the waterside. As we all know there is that what goes bump in the night, that what haunts the streets, yet this knowledge could never have prepared me for what I was to encounter that night. I walked the streets that night, the sound of the river my only companion aside from the pools of light that spilled from the lamps that lined the street. It was a lonely path that I walked, yet at night the streets typically felt safer to me than they did in the day, for in the day they are thick with pick pockets and muggers, while at night you get a handful of vultures.

It was not vultures that I encountered that night, no, had it been vultures I would have had no issue arriving here that night. Instead of vultures, I ran into a woman who was fleeing from the Enlightened, a woman who was wanted for the secrets that she had unearthed about them. A woman, who was none other than Anne. Chased by cultists in tattered red robes she seemed to swim towards me through the pools of light that covered the streets, looking over her shoulder as they grew ever closer.

I knew that I had to act, that I had to save her from the Enlightened as if they were to capture her, then she would be put through the most horrible of torture. Armed with little more than my trusty revolver I stepped into the light, weapon raised as I fired two shots off, as two of those cultists fell and the remaining ones faltered. I had encountered the Enlightened before when one had arrived at Reds bar you see, and that day I had discovered that while they were immortal, that no damage you did to them lasted...

I discovered that they feared pain.

Two shots!

Two shots and two of them fell clutching their heads as they writhed in agony, their screams unsettling their companions. The looks on their faces as they stood illuminated by the gas light betrayed that they were afraid, that they knew that even at this distance that they had no chance of closing the gap before I dropped every last one of them. I stood there for what seemed like an eternity, my weapon trained on them as Anne ran to me, as she ducked behind me and peered out at those who had been pursing her.

Naturally, the person that had discovered their secrets was one that they were unwilling to let go. They couldn't approach as I would gun them down, they couldn't retreat as that would mean failure. It seemed to be a stalemate, in what the only move they could make was to lose. This assumption however, proved to be horribly wrong. While I believed that I held the upper hand here, they had something up their sleeve.

They called out for something, something that emerged from the river with glowing eyes, with tentacles that sought to snatch me up from the spot that I stood in. I had four shots loaded and I knew that I had to act fast.

Bang!

One eye went out as the thing roared in pain, tentacles retracting.

Bang!

A second eye went out as the thing thrashed in the water.

Bang!

A third eye went out, while howls of agony filled the air.

Bang!

With the fourth eye being put out I grabbed Anne by the hand, running into the nearest gap between the houses as thrashing tentacles impacted with the walls behind us. Rubble showered down behind us as that monstrosity they had called thrashed about behind us, yet we weren't free yet. In this alley way stood one of the Enlightened, blade ready as they sized me up, nothing more than the moonlight to illuminate them as I holstered my pistol...



You leaned back, breathing in deeply as you took note of how several others had arrived, how you had people crowded around you now listening intently to your story. One of the people before you passed you a bottle of beer, figuring that was why you had paused. William was the first to speak as you opened the beer, betraying how he was clearly very interested in this story. "And then what?" came his words, while you merely smiled.


That's when I got mad.

The man, a member of the Enlightened charged at me with a blood curdling scream as he decided that it was time to get me out the way so he could deal with Anne, yet he failed to account for the fact that he was taking on a fighter more skilled than he. His blade met with air, with the walls as he swung for me, every attack that failed to connect rewarding him with a heavy blow to the body, or face as he was left open.

It was with desperation that he lunged at me when he realised that he was outmatched, attempting to run me through as he thrust his blade for my chest. I stepped aside as he attempted this, smashing his head against the wall as I grabbed his hands, before slowly pushing his blade back towards his chest. He struggled in vain as he did little more than slow me, as I ran him through with his own blade.

I was fast to grab Anne's hand again as we ran through the city, the distant cries of the cultists fading into the night as we ran until we could run no more, until our legs gave way beneath us. We found ourselves in an abandoned part of the city, run down houses providing us with shelter for the night.

I learned from Anne why they were after her, that they wanted her dead for the secrets she had learned about them. I knew that alone in the city we couldn't survive alone with an entire cult after us, that was when we turned to the Technomancers, trading what we knew for safety. Of course, waiting for weeks in hiding wasn't something that sat well with me, I knew that I needed to make them either fear us and leave us be, or to use diplomacy to make it clear that we were not enemies of theirs, so they'd leave us be.

Naturally, I decided a little of both was the right way to do things, so I armed myself, shotguns and pistols strapped to my body as I made my way under cover of darkness to the place that I had been informed was their hideout, gunning down the guards with a shotgun as I dropped in through the manhole that lead into their hole.

I blasted a path through them, gunning down cultist after cultist as I stormed through what turned out to be an abandoned prison complex, leaving bodies in my wake, red robes and ichor pooled on the floor marking my passing. The door to the inner sanctum in what their leader resided was guarded by one man, a hulking frame of a man who stood there with his arms across his chest.

"You shall not pass!" bellowed the man.

"Who are you?" I challenged in response.

"I am Brother Ego, prepare to die!" snarled that man as he stepped forward.

It was anti-climatic, the big minion guarding the boss, and he went down to a single headshot, his body twitching as it hit the ground. While I was distracted by him though, one of my prior victims I assume, must've recovered as I was hit from behind and when I awoke, I was in the cells. My escape is another story, one that Anne herself would have to tell as after three days of being tortured by the Enlightened, three days in what I mocked them and laughed at their limp wristed attempts to whip me, Anne arrived with a number of mechanical men.

I was able to spring Joy from captivity with me, taking advantage of the distraction that was provided as I grabbed one of my shotguns that had been placed in a box near the cell doors, only to find Anne had come to rescue me herself, that the mechanical men had flooded the tunnels and taken down everything that moved.



You leaned back, taking a mouthful of your beer as you did so, relaxing as you watched the assembled crowd murmering to each other. "Naturally," you started, holding the bottle by the neck as you did so. "I figured it was better to be honest about the ending, as while I'd have liked to gun down more of those bastards for providing me with the worst bed and breakfast i've had in a long time, they were all down by the time I escaped in the chaos of the Clockworkers assault on their hideout."

"That's quite the story," William started, rubbing at his chin as he did so. "We're here to fight though, not listen to stories all night, as much as we may wish to, so, does anybody here wish to try their luck against our story teller here because they do not believe he's capable of the feats he described?"

There was a long moments silence, awkward and filled with shuffling, silence broken by both you and William laughing, followed by nervous laughter from the assembled people. It wasn't what you'd said, it was how you'd said it.

Beyond challenging William tonight for Oak's benefit when he arrived, was there anything else you had planned?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: nbonaparte on August 03, 2010, 02:06:57 am
That was great. I loved the Brother Ego thing.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Osmosis Jones on August 03, 2010, 02:49:15 am
Place some bets, if you have any coin left. Otherwise, maybe offer to teach a few guys some decent fighting moves?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on August 03, 2010, 10:25:22 am
offer to take on any two of them at once.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Osmosis Jones on August 03, 2010, 10:29:49 am
Didn't we already beat three?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: sonerohi on August 03, 2010, 07:22:49 pm
7 on 1, all gold we have on us. ITS GO TIEM.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Karnewarrior on August 03, 2010, 07:33:33 pm
Tell William you want to fight him and anyone else who wants to fight.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on August 04, 2010, 04:17:13 pm
You sipped at your beer as you relaxed, one foot up on the bench casually as you took note of the assembled crowd before you, familiar and new faces alike illuminated by the flickering light of the freshly lit fire. Two new faces, two people who sported extensive bruising from their initiation no doubt. Two people who looked like their initiation hadn't been too pleasant from how they visibly moved in a manner that betrayed how much they ached.

It reminded you of your own experiences here on the night you had arrived, how you had talked through the attempts of a certain bully to intimidate you. That same bully who you had humiliated, who you had beaten by using his false sense of superiority against him, who you had humiliated. A second glance around reaveled that he wasn't here, though it did reveal a few men getting uncomfortably close to Anne. Anne seemed to be far from interested in their attention, given that she had William to pass her beer on demand.

You made a mental note to keep an eye on Anne's drinking, figuring that her unstable nature and her drinking could be problems that were connected somehow, or hint at deeper running issues. At least right now she wasn't causing trouble, making snide comments at your expense or trying to manipulate things. Despite how William had warned them off, the men here were still pushing their luck with their attempts to get Anne's attention. Joy on the other hand, was sat beside her with an unopened bottle in hand, gazing impassively into the fire before her, with nobody paying her much attention, as their few attempts to get hers had been met with silence.

Another sip at your bottle was followed by you pushing yourself to your feet, moving over to the bench to settle beside William, your attention briefly turning to two of the men as they started to warm up. It was friendly enough, with the pair of them carrying out grapples on each other, doing their best to break each others grasp as they mumbled to each other, likely co-ordinating their warmup.

As your attention drifted from them you turned back to William, sipping at your drink again as you sought the right words to inquire about that man you had dealt with on the first night.

"You know, I don't see that idiot who tried to push me about on the first night here yet. Pity, I wanted to see if he was foolish enough to try his luck with me again," you grinned slightly, fishing for information with this, figuring that William would tell you what you needed to know if it came across as an inquiry towards a possible fight.

"Ah, yes. Him," William responded, taking a deep breath as he did so. "Quite the fool, you know, he tried to take on three people at once, saying that he could do better than you did about five nights ago. He won't be able to fight for a while, managed to slip and break his own arm before the fight even started."

Anne choked on her beer as she overheard this, while the sound of William patting her on the back filled your ears, though William's attention remained focused forward, almost indifferently. You merely nodded, it didn't suprise you somehow given how the man was cocky, arrogant and careless.

A few hours passed with you and William chatting about recent happenings in the city between taking bets for and watching the fights. A few names, all unfamiliar came up as victims of attacks by the things that went bump in the night, with William mentioning how the things seemed to be getting smarter as they had broken into the houses of their victims at night. It seemed like this was becoming a more and more common occurance, with him implying that such an event had been almost unheard of before.

When Oak arrived he half drunk already, though he was fast to join you and William, mentioning how he could have sworn the scarecrows in the fields all seemed to be staring right at him. He refused to elaborate on this further, though William was fast to put it down to him being a heavy drinker.

"You know," you started after sitting there with Oak and William in relative silence for a short while. "We should have a friendly fight. Everybody here seems to be rather intimidated by us both and i'm sure you miss joining in on the fun like that," you continued, sipping at your beer as you glanced in Williams direction to see how he took this suggestion.

William's almost disinterested expression faded away as he grinned slightly, turning to face you as he raised his beer. "A chance to have a little fun myself for once, hmm?" he paused for emphasis as you raised your beer, the bottles clinking as you brought them together. "That I can drink to. I think a good fight's just what I needed tonight."

Despite how the fight was to be a friendly one between you and William the others were fast to place bets on it the moment they heard that it was happening. There was a mixed response, with some betting on you as they believed you were unstoppable and others betting on William, knowing that he hadn't lost a match in as long as any of them could remember. The money was still in William's favour though, with a clear majority on him.

You could read the suprise on William's face despite his best efforts to conceal it, you could see the fact he was shocked that you hadn't had more money put on you. He said nothing though, as he knew that even when handling bets for a fight involving himself, he had to remain professional.

Despite how it was a friendly match, neither of you gave the other quarter nor asked for it as you tested each others defence while standing before the fire. William's blows were skillful and heavy, though you were able to lessen the impact of the ones that made it past your guard, while your own blows took advantage of the hole his own attacks left in his guard.

William was fast to cycle fighting styles however, keeping you on your toes as he sought a way past your guard. The minutes ticked by as the pair of you struck with greater speed each time, as you both found the greatest threat you faced was to be worn down.

The others watched in awe, realising that the pair of you were almost matched equally.

It was close to ten minutes before your superior endurance shone through, before you were able to finally wear William down enough to throw a deceptive hook, slipping a straight blow to his chest past his guard as he raised one arm to deflect that blow.

He retaliated by attempting to grab your shoulders, his knee darting towards your midriff as he attempted to wind you in response. You were fast to duck past him, one foot darting back as you struck the back of the knee he was poised on, sending him stumbling as he fell to his knees.

Fast as you were to duck behind him, to restrain his arms as you put him in a hold, he was able to flip you overhead, though you were ready for it, you knew better than to underestimate somebody of his level of experience. As you were flipped overhead you used the momentum you had gained to carry through the motion, breaking the reversed hold as you flung him overhead.

The look of shock on the faces of the people crowded around you was clear as William crashed into them, sending bodies spawling as he lay there for a long moment catching his breath. One hand was raised as he admitted defeat, waiting for you to assist him in getting to his feet again.

"I'll be feeling that in the morning for sure, but it was definately worth it," William laughed as you hauled him to his feet, his breathing heavy as he rubbed at his ribs. "Lucky for me there were a few people to take the worst out of that throw of yours. I'd probably be out cold if not for them."

You merely smiled as you patted him on the shoulder, moving to settle down on the bench again as you rubbed at your arms and sides, the sting of the fight persisting still. A quick glance in the direction of the two women revealed that Anne had fallen asleep, several empty bottles at her feet betraying how this had been brought about. Joy on the other hand, actually had a slight look of confusion on her face, as she had no idea how to deal with the fact that Anne was using her lap as convenient place to lay her head as she slept off the effects of her drink.

William picked up a pair of bottles from the dwindling supply that had been brought here tonight, passing one to you as he settled down, hissing briefly. "Give me a few days to recover and I'm sure next time I'll beat you," William laughed, "well, maybe not, but give me a few days and I'd definately be up for that again."

"Get a room, you two," Anne mumbled in her sleep, prompting both you and William to glance her way, before you shrugged as William glanced back at you with a quizzical expression.

You sipped at your drink as William started to slowly count out the winnings of those that had bet on you, passing you Anne's winnings as he finished counting them out. You hurt enough to know that another fight wasn't wise, even if someone was willing to try, that raised the question, what else were you planning to do?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on August 05, 2010, 04:18:24 am
Hmmm, the only place we have waiting for us is the technomancers, may as well head back and face the consequences of disappearing...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on August 05, 2010, 10:17:31 am
Btw, have i told you this story is amazingly good? You shuld colect all of these and publish it as a book when you're done.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on August 05, 2010, 02:17:03 pm
It was time to go.

It was time for you to head back to the Technomancers guild house, to think of some reason why you would have another woman with you in addition to Anne if you were challenged about it. You didn't feel like it was likely that they would, though you figured that it was better to be prepared. Of course, before you could even think of that, you had the issue of excusing yourself from the group that had assembled here.

It had been a long day and you were feeling the fact that you hadn't eaten a great deal, that you had been active. You had been physically and mentally drained by the day, fighting with the mechanical shell that had housed Joy, fighting with your guilt. You knew that far from your best as you were, that you didn't want to admit that, that you didn't want to show such weakness in public. These people were ones who you wanted to see you at your best, they were people who as long as they looked up to you would be possible to use as your eyes and ears in the city.

You knew that with your recent revelation that things would change, that you would need to have people you could rely upon, people that would believe in you, people that would assist you in making things right. You needed a plan though, merely freeing the Enlightened was a bad one given the fact that people would be slow to forgive and forget, slow to accept that these people were in all honesty no different from them deep down.

You knew that if you could help Anne become a little more approachable by the average person, if you could help Joy to recover from what afflicted her, that you would be able to show that there was hope for the Enlightened. You needed to find a new means of protecting the city however, you needed to find a way that was both more efficient and provided greater coverage than the so called automatons.

If you could provide both those things, if you could ensure that people were safer if they believed in you, then you knew that they would be more willing to accept you taking away the Clockworkers most prolific creation. This was all well and good, but it still left you missing a plan of action beyond the goal that you had in mind, though you knew that you had time enough to think on this matter before you acted.

You needed to excuse yourself, still.

"Hey, sorry leave early like this William, but I should probably get these two back before the kitchen's are closed up at the Technomancers guild house," You stated as you started climbing to your feet. "It's been a long day, though this was a nice note to end it on."

William nodded as he reached over, taking your hand in his as he shook it firmly. "Understood. It's nice to have you back, and I hope to see you here again soon," he responded, his expression betraying that he was waiting eagerly to recover enough to fight with you again.

You shook Anne's shoulder as you woke her, informing her that it was time to get going, that it was time to head back, prompting her to grumble as she watched Joy enviously as you assisted her in settling down atop your shoulders. You merely smiled as you heard her grumbled complaints, shaking your head as you made it clear that she couldn't take Joy's place, even as she offered her shoes up to Joy so she could walk back.

It did remind you however, as you started on your way from the docks, waving to the assembled people as you made your way off into the night, that you needed to get your hands on some footwear for Joy. Obtaining some sooner rather than later would be ideal, though she wasn't going to go anywhere on her own other than potentially attempting to return to the Clockworkers guild. You were going to have to make certain that she didn't, as you knew that the most likely outcome was that they would ensure that she was fit for duty, before they immediately set about putting her back inside one of those bronze coffins.

You couldn't allow that.

The journey back was quiet at first, little more than the occasional distant howl of a banshee, the barking of dogs and the lapping of the water breaing the silence. The occasional vulture passed overhead, making no attempt to get low enough to attack you, that you assumed was due to them being cowardly predators who wouldn't typically attack a group unless hungry enough.

The weight of Joy on your shoulders would have slowed you had one attacked, while the fact that Anne was clutching your free hand sleepily would have hindered you further. Had it not been for those factors you were certain that unarmed as you were, you could still have taken one on, that you wouldn't have been in any real danger had one attacked.

There were always more dangerous things than the vultures.

You were almost at the bridge that lead across the river to the better patrolled parts of town, the streets that lead towards the Technomancers guild house when a large, spindly figure dived down onto the street before you. Moonlight reflected off its glistening skin, skin that was either oily or wet. Tufts of hair dangled limply from its head, while the stench of the river drifted from it, a mouth full of fang like teeth flashing as it wailed. That wail sent shivers down your spine with its eldritch and chilling nature, betraying that this thing was hungry.

Unlike the vultures this thing wasn't afraid of a small group of you, nor should it have been with how even poised on all fours as it was, it towered above you. Spindly arms and legs ended with large hands and feet, talons clicking against the stone pathways as the thing slowly edged towards you, heavy breathing echoing in your ears.

The stench of death was carried on this things fetid breath.

"Why are you not running, Eurochkoles?" Hissed Anne as she tugged on your arm, as you stood transfixed by that creature. "That's a fucking banshee," she continued as she pulled Joy from your shoulders, alert now as adrenaline no doubt coursed through her veins. You knew the fight and flight reaction, yet you weren't feeling it right now. You were oddly entranced by this thing, your gaze focused on what you assumed was a pair of inky black eyes as you started to step towards this thing.

You quickly estimated from what you could see in the dark that this thing would have stood fifteen feet tall, that it was vaguely human in appearance and yet anything but. It was oily and wet, with visible fins and gills that you could just catch in the moonlight, a thing that preyed on the people of the city when it had the chance. Slowly, cautiously as it moved now you could see that those were controlled motions, that this thing was no doubt capable of moving fast when it was required to do so.

You were fascinated, you were face to face with something that grotesque as it was, bore a strange and graceful beauty.

"Eurochkoles, get away from it, start running!" Anne's voice rang out, fear clearly tainting her words as she continued to back away from it.

Anne's words had a dim awareness of the threat this thing posed come to you, yet you didn't feel afraid of it in the slightest. You could feel its gaze upon you, as you looked up at it, while the nagging doubt that Anne's fearful words had placed in your mind made you wonder if this was so smart, if reaching out for this thing to touch it as you wanted to do, was a good idea.


((Thanks for the praise, I'm glad to know people are enjoying this.
It's funny, I've been told by several people in the past that I should write a book. Maybe I should consider doing one after I'm done with this, just to be able to say I put something out there.))
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: cerapa on August 05, 2010, 03:06:02 pm
Doooo eeeeet, write a book.

This is weird and dangerous. Maybe its a banshee thing. Ask Anne about banshees.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on August 05, 2010, 04:37:40 pm
((What's wrong with adapting this to be a book? It's way closet to being a finished book than most drafts for books are))

SHOT IT!
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on August 05, 2010, 05:29:19 pm
This is weird and dangerous. Maybe its a banshee thing. Ask Anne about banshees.
Do you really think we have time for that? Run NOW. While we might be able to take it(probably not) banshees of any sort usually excel at making sure you don't even try to fight back.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Jabberwock on August 05, 2010, 11:13:03 pm
Listen to Anne. She know more about these creatures than we do at the moment.
When we're running away or hiding from it ask Anne about this creature.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on August 05, 2010, 11:29:57 pm
I don't see how we can run effectively with joy, besides, falling for the odd jedi mind trick is good for building character, and we have been in need of a good chance to test our immortality. After it bites our arm off we will just wrestle it to death Beowulf-style...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: nbonaparte on August 05, 2010, 11:31:10 pm
we're almost in the safer parts of town. Run.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on August 06, 2010, 06:00:37 am
Anne's words echoed in your thoughts as you looked up at the banshee before you, as you asked yourself why you would want to run away from this thing. You could see something perfectly adapted for hunting in urban enviroments, something that slumbered in the river during the day and came out at night. It was spindly, with long arms and legs that would have allowed it to effortlessly climb atop buildings - much like it had done so to jump down infront of you, blocking your way back into the safer parts of the city.

Something about this had you mentally try to stop yourself, to pause in your tracks so you could better figure out what was it was about this entire situation that struck you as off. You couldn't stop though, you could see and feel yourself continue to approach this thing as you struggled mentally, as you screamed at yourself to stop, to think, to work this situation out before you acted. It dawned on you that the reason that you couldn't do so, was because this thing was truly a well adapted hunter, that it wasn't just deadly, but cunning too.

You were mesmerised by it, you were unable to act of your own free will as its gaze, fixed on you as it was, was keeping you enraptured. You struggled as you enacted a state of mental rebellion, fighting against the hypnotic gaze of the creature before you as your pace faltered, slowed, then came to a stop. You stood poised before the creature as you stared it down, as you stared into those eyes intently, as the gaze that you had previously been enraptured by was suddenly averted.

The banshee was aware that you had broken its hold over you, that you were staring it down now and it was shifting, sizing you up as it reassesed you. You would have reached for your gun then and there had it been in your possession, you would have put a bullet in the head of this thing that went bump in the night. You would have killed it before it could possibly decide to lash out, as self defence against this predator.

As it was, all you could do was stare it down, as you knew that backing away would be seen as a sign of weakness, that it would pounce and be atop you before you could get five feet. You knew that even worse would be to turn and run, to expose your back to this thing so it could strike while you were defenceless.

You stood alert and ready, doing your best to seem larger than life to this creature as it reared up, as it opened its mouth and let out a terrible and screeching howl.

Before you could react you were bowled over, a blow catching you from the side in the darkness as this thing struck with blinding speed, talons grazing over your ribs as you felt that initial blow draw blood. You could feel the sticky warmth of your blood soaking into the fabric of your shirt as you rolled over, as you hopped back to your feet.

The thing before you let out a chittering sound, almost sounding pleased with itself as it took a few unsteady steps to keep the middle of the path blocked. It was taunting you, playing with you, holding an upright position that it wasn't comfortable with because it was mocking you, showing that it could beat you on your own terms.

An overhead strike came this time, the glistening reflection of this things skin in the moonlight, along with that clumsy stance giving you enough time to catch it, to step back just enough to ensure that its talons struck stone instead of flesh. Even as it did this your foot darted out, prompting a howl of agony from the banshee as you stamped on what resembled fingers, as the sound of bones crunching, snapping underfoot was briefly heard.

It was fast to pull its wounded hand back, hissing as it sank down once more to all fours, as its uninjured hand flicked forward, before swiping upwards.

Despite your best efforts to evade this you felt those wicked talons catch you, gouging deep furrows into your chest as they impacted against your ribs. It was a glancing blow, betraying just how powerful this spindly creature was as its talons flicked up from your chest, slashing up over the side of your face as its hand was drawn back. The sound of blood splattering over the paving stones filled your ears briefly as you staggered back, as you clutched your chest with one hand. You could feel the stinging pain of those wounds intensely, you could feel the flow of blood as it soaked in to what remained of your now torn shirt.

The thing chittered again, mouth opening as it started pacing towards you lazily, clearly assuming that you were injured enough that it could play with you, that it could devour you. You let out a blood curling scream in response as you dived forward, delivering a stunning right hook as the thing froze. As it staggered from that hook you delivered a heavy jab with your left hand, followed by bringing both hands together as you delivered an overhead blow to the top of its head.

The thing screeched as it skittered backward rapidly, that you took as a chance to duck into the nearest alley way, clutching your chest as you cursed silently. You'd gotten seperated from Anne and Joy, though this was probably for the best, as this thing would be following you instead of them. Slate rooftops clattered and clicked as the sound of the banshee giving chase echoed down the alley way, as you zig-zagged through the narrow alley's in an attempt to shake this thing.

Your efforts slowed its pursuit at best, preventing it quite catching up with you as you felt yourself slowly fading. You were bleeding heavily and wouldn't be able to staunch the flow on the move like this, you were wounded and this thing was infuriated. You were going to have to think fast. You knew that when you had your back to the wall like this that you were at your most dangerous, that you made your worst mistakes, yet you knew that you also had your greatest victories.

It was a time where you had felt your back was to the wall like this, in what you had provided the means for the Clockworkers to set their guardians into action. It was times like this that you had overcome your greatest challenges. It was times like this, you had your greatest failures. You needed to remain focused, you needed to be ready for anything, you needed to be at your best.

You cursed as this thought gave way to the realisation that this was possibly the end of the road as you barreled out of the alley way and into an open street. The screech of the banshee filled the air as it vaulted from the rooftop, the slimy mass of that creature slamming into your back as it knocked you from your feet. As you slammed into the paving slabs you realised that this thing didn't have much mass, that it was a lightweight creature, that you were winded at best where a heavier creature would have knocked you unconscious doing this.

Before it could react your head jerked backwards, slamming against its face, roughly where its nose would have been. Howls of agony filled your ears as you felt it recoil, as you rolled it from atop your back, the pair of you a tangle of limbs as it attempted to hold you. You managed to get atop it, turning face to face as you pinned it down beneath you, as you grabbed its head with both hands and slammed its head against the stone beneath it forcefully.

You were barely able to keep your grip as the oily skinned creature thrashed beneath you, howling in agony as you pulled its head up, then slammed it down again. the thing was stunned, and your attention quickly shifted to a rusted metal spike that lay nearby, one that looked like it had been stolen from the railroad tracks and abandoned here. It was a poor weapon, but it was a weapon none the less.

You raised the spike above your head as you tensed, preparing to drive the improvised weapon into that things head, as the things eyes fixed on your own for a brief moment as fear flashed through them. It recognised that intent in your eyes, it saw that you were about to deal a mortal wound to it.

It wasn't ready to give in.

You gasped in pain, coughing up blood as the spike slipped from your hand, clattering against the ground behind you as you looked down, reaching in disbelief to push at the talons that you could see protruding from your chest now. You felt yourself sailing through the air briefly as the thing issued a flick of its long arm, dislodging you from its talons as it flung you away from it, sending you sprawling into the middle of the street.

You were barely able to roll onto your back, clutching at your chest as you felt blood pooling beneath you. The banshee moved towards you cautiously, staring at you for a long moment as it watched you lay there, the sound of your heavy breathing breaking the silence of the night.

You were uncertain how long it stared at you for, how long it watched you lay there, yet it seemed uncertain, unwilling, afraid. It must have been afraid to step in and deal what it thought would be the finishing blow as it still hurt from your earlier assault on it. You could feel yourself growing numb as you continued to bleed rapidly from your wound, your breathing slowing as colour slowly drained from the world.

Yet the banshee still stood by.

As colour fled from the world, time seemed to slow to a crawl as the clouds creeping across the night sky froze in place, as the slow breathing of the banshee seemed to crawl, then stop. It was like the world had frozen, colourless, at the point of what should have been your death. You had experienced this before, you had many experiences with what should have been your last moment. Sometimes it was an out of body experience, sometimes it was a moment of revalation, insight into the problem you faced. Sometimes, it was followed by sleep as you recovered, other times it was devoid of it as you remained away through the entire time it took you to recover.

This time, you felt almost as if you were dreaming, as pain fled you and the world felt oddly surreal in that colourless state. The only colour you could see was the brilliant red of your blood as it became all the more pronounced, as brilliant as if illuminated by a summers day.

This time there was no moment brilliance, no moment of insight in how to overcome this challenge.

This time, this moment seemed to drag on endlessly.

Footsteps broke the silence, seeming to approach from all around as you glanced this way and that, yet nothing but the dark street you had collapsed in was visible, nothing but the brilliant red of your blood, nothing but the motionless form of the banshee. At least that was, until you turned back towards the banshee, to see that it had been replaced by a man who seemed to glow ever so briefly with vibrant colours, colours that hugged the outline of his figure.

The man was pale and dark haired dressed in a well tailored waistcoat, shirt and trousers, with shoes that looked too clean for him to have been walking the streets of London.

"Who are you?" You asked, struggling for a moment to sit up, as you felt your body refuse to respond as you realised you could barely move anything below your neck. The figure didn't response at first, instead moving to crouch beside you, shaking his head slowly as he took note of your injuries. "I asked-" you started, though the man was fast to silence you, lifting a finger as he motioned for you to be silent.

"Amnesia, heavy blood loss, one lung punctured, lacerations to the face and chest and no colours, no soul. You're in quite the state sir, do you understand what this all means?" he asked, tilting his head slightly as he did so.

"How do you know this, just who are you?" You asked, narrowing your eyes as you did so.

"You pose quite the conundrum to a banshee, you realise?" the figure continued, waving one hand dismissively as he did so. "It will only eat once its prey has died, yet you hover at the border of death, defying it. A lot of immortals do that, that's where I come in typically. If one is required, destined to cease to be, I possess the means, the knowledge to ensure such."

"You're here to kill me?"

"Heavens no, sir, I'm here to give you a friendly reminder that-"

"You haven't told me your name yet," you interrupted, prompting a sigh from the figure as he went to continue. "What is your name?" you interrupted again, hissing at him this time as you made it clear that you were not going to allow him to continue until you knew that what you wanted to.

"Very well, sir," he paused, taking a breath as he began to smile. "I am known by many names, some of them flattering and some of them not. I am the ripper, the reaper, the killer, the sleeper, the bastard, the butcher, the widow maker and more. I stalk the streets and cleanse it of whores. While my personality and actions you may wish to attack, please remember, just call me Jack."

You stared blankly as this almost lyrical outburst came from the man.

"Everyone's a critic," he sighed, shaking his head as his smile faded. "Now, as I was saying, I have a friendly reminder for you-"

"That's sick you know, making light of your actions in such a manner," you butted in, prompting another sigh from Jack.

"Sir, could you just bear with me for a minute longer?" he asked, prompting a slight nod from you. "Thank you," he muttered, before he started to speak once more. "Now, I'm here to deliver a friendly reminder, I'm working on the final solution to this entire mess and I would greatly appreciate it if you were considerate enough to avoid stepping on my toes while I do so."

"The final solution?"

"Yes, the final solution," he stated, as if it was supposed to mean something to you, before he made a sweeping gesture. "Now, why don't you close your eyes and make a wish. Maybe it'll come true."

You stared blankly at him once more.

"Please?"

You muttered to yourself as you slowly closed your eyes, figuring that you had nothing to lose at this point by trying what he had asked of you. You could feel the dull ache of your wounds as pain started to flood back, your eyes opening to see the world bearing colour once more, to see the banshee waiting expectantly for you to pass on so it could eat. Above all you told yourself, right now you wished you weren't in this entire mess.

A figure flew overhead, having no doubt dived from a nearby rooftop, impacting weightlessly against the banshee as it recoiled in shock, as something fluttered down in the darkness, settling atop your nose. You went cross eyed as you did your best to look at it, as you found yourself wondering if it was as it seemed to be, nothing more than...

Straw?

Your attention snapped to the banshee that was rapidly vanishing under a sea of bodies, screeching as it impotently lashed out against the straw mass that had pinned it down. You could hear the sound of flesh tearing, of bones popping out of place, of ichor splashing over paving stones out of sight.

Your heart raced as you watched the thrashing of the banshee subside, as the mound of tattered clothing and straw dispersed, turning towards you, allowing you to see the individual scarecrows as ichor dripped from their ill defined faces.

As the scarecrows advanced you shuffled backward, leaving a smear of blood in your wake as you quickly found yourself up against a wall. Backed to the wall you could do little as the scarecrows surrounded you, as they leaned inwards, bones stripped clean visible behind them as the stench of the creature came from them. The stench of that river creature, of ichor all about you as it became all too much for you.

Your brief screams of terror must've been heard for miles through the city as you lashed out weakly at the surrounding group, before the effort of this became too much for your weakened body and consciousness fled you.


End of Part Three
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on August 06, 2010, 07:28:20 am
*claps*
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on August 06, 2010, 10:19:20 am
*claps*
Yeah, that was a pretty awesome finale for the act.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: cerapa on August 06, 2010, 12:04:54 pm
The act ending fights are cool.

We gonna control someone else next?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on August 06, 2010, 12:44:21 pm
((Well, i'm pretty flexible when it comes to what's done next, so, the natural choice is to give allow you to pick between Euro, Anne or Joy.
Whatever you'd all prefer, I'll go with as the next character things focus on.))
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on August 06, 2010, 04:50:14 pm
we haven't played joy yet. And the half insane perspective might be interesting. Euro most likely will just be recovering/working on making a mechanical banshee.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on August 06, 2010, 05:38:14 pm
I don't particularly care who we play as, it's all good. But remember, when playing as Joy, acting in character will mean we'll have to take the boring options until told otherwise. On an unrelated note,
mechanical banshee.
Want. So. Much.

With a chemical captivation capacity, like a hypnotic hypodermic hurler.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on August 06, 2010, 06:44:47 pm
Or use the mechanisms from a real one. Basic process would be capturing one, lobotomizing it and adding mechanical parts so that it is monitored and controlled from afar, then add powerarmor and weapons to it as needed. You basically end up with a remote controlled cyborg super-banshee in space marine style, if apace marines were also ninjas.

(It is not as overpowered as it sounds, because a bunch of things dosn't stack.)
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on August 06, 2010, 07:02:06 pm
We don't know about remote control, and we're not going down the lobotomized slave cyborg path again. Also, capturing one would be pretty tough. I think it'd be best to kill one, and see if we can find what mechanism it uses for its paralysis. It might be a gas, because that would affect us but not Anne or Joy (due to their alternate body chemistry).
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on August 06, 2010, 07:04:13 pm
Or use the mechanisms from a real one. Basic process would be capturing one, lobotomizing it and adding mechanical parts so that it is monitored and controlled from afar, then add powerarmor and weapons to it as needed. You basically end up with a remote controlled cyborg super-banshee in space marine style, if apace marines were also ninjas.

(It is not as overpowered as it sounds, because a bunch of things dosn't stack.)
...Yeah, even if that were possible(and I think we will need a couple more points in intelligence first) there's no way we're gonna do it. We want to REDUCE suffering, not inflict more. If a gun is too much of a weapon to design without resource you really think Euro is gonna built THAT?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: LordSlowpoke on August 07, 2010, 08:08:51 am
Or use the mechanisms from a real one. Basic process would be capturing one, lobotomizing it and adding mechanical parts so that it is monitored and controlled from afar, then add powerarmor and weapons to it as needed. You basically end up with a remote controlled cyborg super-banshee in space marine style, if apace marines were also ninjas.

(It is not as overpowered as it sounds, because a bunch of things dosn't stack.)
...Yeah, even if that were possible(and I think we will need a couple more points in intelligence first) there's no way we're gonna do it. We want to REDUCE suffering, not inflict more. If a gun is too much of a weapon to design without resource you really think Euro is gonna built THAT?

Euro WOULD build such a thing if he was convinced that it would destroy the Clockworkers, as a final way of doing it - but he would. If a lesser amount of suffering would mean ending the suffering of the countless, I guess that could be arranged, aye? Mateials could be found/bought/made, we have enough time to think about that.

I was supposed to post simply to follow. Damn you.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on August 07, 2010, 01:32:33 pm
Limited sight.

Cold night.

Alone.

These three facts echoed through your mind over and over as you attempted to assess your situation, as you strode down the alley ways that lead in the rough direction you assumed that the banshee had travelled in. You had lost the one who identified herself as Anxiety several minutes ago when her hand slipped from your own, as she vaulted over several crates and barrels, as she attempted to lead the way. No sooner had her hand slipped from your own had you turned, taking a new direction before she could react.

You didn't follow her.

You had a duty to carry out.

Even stripped of your arms and armour, even reduced to this fleshy body you felt compelled to carry out your duties to the city, the duties that were the earliest thing you could remember. At least they seemed that way. For some reason the concept of them being so seemed odd where you had never questioned it before, for some reason they seemed out of place now you were in a new body.

A body that didn't feel right.

Underfoot was alternately sharp and clammy, though always cold as you made your way onward, as you made your way in the most probable direction that the man who had identified himself as Eurochkoles had taken. You knew that the banshee would pursue him, that it was your duty to stop this thing, your duty to stop that what went bump in the night.

Limited sight.

That thought echoed in your mind once again as you compared the clear sight you knew you had possessed before you had been reduced to what you were now, to the limited night sight you now possessed. Where before everything had been clearly visible, sharp and detailed, things were now visible in muted and unusual colours, detail was had to assess and everything seemed shrouded by gloom.

Cold night.

You were adorned by fabric that did little to protect you from the chill of the night, little to prevent your body from losing heat. This struck you as both oddly a good thing as it meant that you would be able to operate more efficienctly, and bad. You did not know why it struck you as bad, other than the fact that you could not feel that what you knew to be your toes. Your body seemed to operate less efficiently with the cold of the night and you had no idea why it should.

Alone.

You were alone, there was no sign of others of your kind here, no sign of the two that you had followed up until this point. You knew that had you wanted to restore contact with the one defined as Anxiety that you merely had to return to the point you parted ways, to wait for her to return to that point. You saw no reason to do such, you knew that this Anxiety was not one of your kind. She was no guardian, she was not constructed of bronze and armed with a multitude of weapons to fend off that what went bump in the night.

You knew that you should return, that you should seek repairs from the Clockworkers. You knew that you had sustained the complete loss of your body, that another had taken its place. You knew that they would know what to do, that they would be able to fix this. You had a duty to carry out first however, you had the banshee to neutralise, to take back to the Clockworkers for disposal.

The sound of a scream pierced the night, one that had you change your heading as you assumed that it was most likely from the man given its tone being masculine enough. It was only a small deviation from the direction that you had been travelling in before, as you made your way through alley ways towards the source of the sound.

You hurried along for almost thirty seconds before finding your way blocked by a figure dressed in white, a figure who had a number of white feathers drifting down behind him. The figure had blonde hair, pale skin and was taller than you. He was clearly looking at you, though you could not tell for what reason, what purpose he was paying attention to you.

You could not stop for him, yet as you continued forward you found him spreading his arms, blocking the way onward as he shook his head. "I cannot permit you to pass, foul one," came the figures words, words that bore a strange quality to them, a quality that made them distinctly inhuman due to the power behind them. "You have no place here."

"Please step aside. You are obstructing pursuit and neutralisation of a banshee," you responded, stating your purpose in response to that declaration that you had no place, that must have been in regard top how you no longer resembled what you knew to be your prior form.

"Tiny titan, turn back and return to your masters, you have no place in the events of this night," the figure stated, while your face contorted as you attempted to comprehend this, confusion clearly registering on your features. "You are a thread in the tapestry of fate, out of place and a potential threat to that what is, that what shall be. Return, leave this place, before action is taken to minimise the damage that you will cause."

You tilted your head slightly as you looked up at the figure. "Incorrect. I am designated-" you started, though the figure was fast to interrupt you, silencing you as he drowned out your words with his own, his tone booming and yet soft.

"You are inconsequential, turn back or face the consequences."

This individual was an unknown factor, yet they had made a clear threat towards you. A threat needed a response. How were you going to respond?


Spoiler: "Stats" (click to show/hide)
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on August 07, 2010, 05:17:17 pm
This path is obstructed.
Reroute around obstacle.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: LordSlowpoke on August 07, 2010, 06:07:48 pm
Reroute the obstacle.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on August 07, 2010, 07:01:00 pm
One cannot reroute around obstructing civilian. Civilian is intentionally preventing access to target location.

One cannot harm civilians without valid reason. Order civilian to permit passage one additional time before neutralizing civilian's capacity to obstruct path.

If civilian shows signs of abnormal capabilities during neutralization, return to the Clockworkers to report anomaly and receive repairs.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: nbonaparte on August 07, 2010, 07:26:25 pm
Okay, Joy is fun. I like this.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on August 07, 2010, 07:42:48 pm
Upon further consideration, a banshee may be beyond what we can efficiently handle in our current state. Find and alert another of our kin.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on August 07, 2010, 07:48:06 pm
((Good point.))
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Karnewarrior on August 07, 2010, 08:41:31 pm
This path is obstructed.
Reroute around obstacle.
Okay, Joy is fun. I like this.
This is one of the most awesome things I've read today.

>Find Bronze Man or whatever.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Nivim on August 07, 2010, 11:59:49 pm
 On page 29 (update: reply 423, the stats) I found it amazing no one noticed that Anne could use a Vulture form, thus implying that the vultures were the Enlightened. Although a few pages later, it seemed like it ceased to be the case when people didn't catch on. I think it would have been awesome.
 I would have suggested the ability to cleanse corruption and taint from TtgBitN and the Enlightened, around that time. Although it seems like it could still be useful.
 On page 31 (update: reply 452) I found it odd that no one immediately demanded that Red's wife be warned somehow about the toxic tissue created.
 At page 38 (reply 569) a theory of mine was that the "colors" Jack spoke of seemed to be extracted by gruesome torture. Since Eurochkoles is immune to torture, and he would have no colors as far as Jack is concerned. Turns out Jack was the reaper of souls.
 Having read just a tiny bit of page ~51 before starting, I was expecting Anne would be made into an automaton. Extra twist from the ~spoiler!

Quote from: Foreword from the book ''They told me I could be anything...''
  The book you are holding did not start in the form of a book, or a collection of writer's notes. It started as a game; a forum game. Know commonly as "text adventures", they are started by an "author" posting a prompt on an online forum. Members of the forum then play by suggesting where the story will go from there; much like a "choose your own adventure book", except the next page is only written after you choose. Or in this case, after the forum members debate and vote on what they want. Everything in that thread of words, by author and suggestor alike, is recorded here as it was written; with errors and uncertainty intact. We hope you experience the same thing those players did, and perhaps go play you're own. Or write one!

 And if this is made into a book it will have a recursive foreword!


 Ask what consequences he would offer, threatening a guardian is reason for violence and incapacitation. (He might not be able to hinder us because of angel-like restrictions.)
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on August 08, 2010, 12:09:27 am
On page 29 (update: reply 423, the stats) I found it amazing no one noticed that Anne could use a Vulture form, thus implying that the vultures were the Enlightened. Although a few pages later, it seemed like it ceased to be the case when people didn't catch on. I think it would have been awesome.
Huh? Where does it say that? I can't seem to find it.

On page 31 (update: reply 452) I found it odd that no one immediately demanded that Red's wife be warned somehow about the toxic tissue created.
Created from what? Anne is poisonous, but there was no danger of her being hurt during that scene.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Nivim on August 08, 2010, 12:43:23 am
Spoiler: "Stats" (click to show/hide)
It's what I immediately assumed this was; something like lycanthropy except for the vulture creatures. I thought that it was only "frequent" because loosing control is not versatile or powerful. If it was only night sight, the ability should be labeled what it is, like the others, instead of where it came from.

 I assumed Red's wife had taken back her tissue, I found the word I missed.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on August 08, 2010, 04:51:54 am
"Consequences. Clarification is required," You responded speaking at the figure rather than to him as you shifted your weight testingly from one foot to the other, as you started to establish if your body was sufficient for what you may require it for. You were at least light weight enough that your body could easily sustain its own weight it seemed, though it seemed awkward to favour weight on one side instead of evenly distributing it. You were pleased to find that your legs seemed more responsive, better adapted to fast movement, as it made up at least in part for the fact that they were poorly suited to enduring damage.

"The consequences of this should be quite obvious," the figure merely stated as he folded his arms across his chest, assuming a posture and expression that you failed to grasp the meaning of. You paid little heed to this however, as lost on you as it was it failed to strike you as signifigant in the slightest.

"Awaiting clarification," you stated once more, while the figure's expression changed, one eyebrow raised as they shook their head slightly. During this time you moved from experimentally tensing your leg muscles, checking your center of balance and the like, to rolling your shoulders. Your arms seemed to be more responsive, though more fragile than you were used to as well, with a greater range of motion than you had previously experienced.

"I am certain you understood me."

"Awaiting clarification," you once more stated, your body returning to a neutral position as you deemed it acceptable for your immediate needs, though overly fragile. Your impassive gaze was locked on the figure before you, your eyes staring into his as you waited expectantly for him to clarify his earlier threat. No citizen would intentionally threaten a guardian after all, so the most likely explanation was that it was a poor choice of words on their part.

There was a moments silence as the figures expression changed once more, before they shook their head slowly. You were half torn between going onward to deal with the banshee and returning to the Clockworkers guild to have your body restored to what it had been prior, knowing that in this state you were far below what you saw as acceptable. You were about to decide if you were going to inform them to step aside or if you were going to turn back when they finally spoke once more.

"In terms even you are able to understand, I cannot allow you to continue onward, if you attempt to do so I shall kill you. You are a threat to all that is, and all that shall be," the figure stated, his voice booming in a manner that you vaguely recognised as authoritative. You were not convinced however, as he had chosen to threaten you in a manner that was clearly favouring the things that went bump in the night.

This fact was just what you needed to quickly narrow down what this figure likely was, the fact that he was favouring the continued existance of the terrors of the night meant that he fell within one of a handful of factions. He was either one of the enlightened stripped of distinguishing marks, one of the citizens of the town who had consumed a tainted creature and thus required cleansing, or a rogue scientist who was responsible for the proliferation of those things.

The appropriate reaction for all three of these things was the same.

The subject required neutralisation and return to the Clockworkers guild for disposal.

"Classification complete, initiating neutralisation," you stated as you instinctively attempted to ready your weapons, only to find yourself staring down at your hand. You were unarmed, you were without the weapons that you were used to having mounted ready for such encounters, you were unarmoured. You were uncertain how to progress from this point, as even unarmed you would have been able to deal with him, had you been constructed in the manner you were most familiar with.

"Child, you are a tiny titan, stripped of your shell and your weapons of war. Turn back or face the wrath of the heavens," the figures voice boomed as a pair of white wings briefly manifested behind them, leaving a couple of feathers drifting down as they just as quickly seemed to cease to exist. The figure stepped forwards as he closed the distance between you, placing one hand to your chest as he applied pressure, attempting to push you backwards.

You stood firm as you felt what you took to be uncertainty in regards to your prior classification of this individual. You didn't understand them and you didn't understand why you faltered when you knew how you had to deal with them. You were torn over how to react, though you were fast to tell yourself, the course of action that was most fitting in this situation was...?


Spoiler: "Stats" (click to show/hide)
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on August 08, 2010, 05:45:33 am
Looks like our repressed previous personality is exerting itself, but naturally we don't know that. If it surfaces more fully, we'll probably either run away or continue to talk to him, as our previous self knows him to be an angel.

One is incapable of effective neutralization of target. One must seek an alternate route and/or call for the aid of an undamaged Mechanical Enforcer.

Seeking an alternate route is unlikely to be successful. One must receive assistance.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on August 08, 2010, 08:15:36 am
This body seems to be constructed for different tactics than your previous one. Attempt to overwhelm this opponent with speed and agility. Feint. Doge. Precision strike. repeat.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: LordSlowpoke on August 08, 2010, 09:16:36 am
This body seems to be constructed for different tactics than your previous one. Attempt to overwhelm this opponent with speed and agility. Feint. Doge. Precision strike. repeat.

I might be the only person around here who got the rare occasion to agree with you two times in a row. Do that.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on August 08, 2010, 09:50:10 am
Entity is greater threat than anticipated. We are unarmed. Find aid.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on August 08, 2010, 09:56:15 am
It's so annoying, trying to find pronouns to use for Joy. I want to use "we," but it doesn't fit with the personality (if you can call it that). Silleh Boy, what is her designation anyway? She started saying it, but got cut off.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on August 08, 2010, 02:38:30 pm
Yea, I want to know her designation to.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on August 08, 2010, 05:02:59 pm
Neutralisation.

This situation called for the neutralisation of the figure before you on the grounds that he was a potential taint bearer, that he was sympathetic towards the things that went bump in the night. He was also outright threatening you, making it clear that he was going to prevent you doing your duties by force.

You quickly summarised your knowledge of your current form, determining that your best course of action in neutralising this individual was to rely on your reduced bulk, to use your lower mass to your advantage. You could manouver with greater speed than before, that while a poor substitute for your prior armoured form, at least permitted you to attempt to avoid taking damage. You knew that without pulleys and gears to provide power however, that your ability to exert physical force was diminished.

"Go," uttered the man as he pushed once more, narrowing his eyes as he met your own, as he gave you a forceful enough shove to push you back a few steps. "This is your last warning, leave this place before my patience wanes and I am no longer willing to stay my hand," the figure continued, breathing out slowly, deliberately as he did so.

You quickly assessed your surroundings, taking note that your smaller form was advantageous in this situation, that your smaller body would permit you to manouver in what little space this alley way provided. You took a deep breath as you took half a step backwards, glancing about for a weapon of some form to use against this individual.

There was nothing, no discarded planks, nothing.

You were going to have to do this with nothing but your own two hands.

Your first blow met with air as the figure stepped back, seeing your clumbsy attempt to punch him coming, though you were fast to adjust your stance. Your second punch likewise met with air, though this time it was more fluid, less awkward as you again adjusted your stance to permit for efficiency. The man evaded a third blow in the same manner, laughing now as he wagged a finger at you.

"So be it, little one. If you wish to throw your life away in such a manner-"

The man's words were silenced as you quickly repeated the motion of the three blows from your new stance, your right hand impacting with his chest, your left hand with his stomach, followed by your right hand swinging up as you hooked him while he was reeling. You were unhappy with the results, given how he was still standing despite how you had dealt those blows flawlessly to him.

You hopped backwards as the man retaliated by attempting to backhand you, your arms crossing and thrusting upwards as he twirled around and directed a kick towards your torso. Even as you thrust your arms upward he flipped backwards, landing gracefully on both feet before he hopped backwards once, twice, then thrice. "You should just make this easy on yourself, lay down and accept the fate you have chosen for-"

The figure's words were silenced once more as you stepped forward, your foot swinging upwards, prompting a muffled cry as the man clutched between his legs, shuffling backwards as he put distance between you both, as he stepped out the back of the alley and onto one of the streets.

"You fight without honour!" the man yelled, though you remained impassive, only briefly wondering what his intent was making a statement of that nature. Honour was a strange concept that hindered survival, the survival of the people of the city was the thing that was your greatest concern. There was no place for honour when it came to the safety of those you were tasked with protecting, no bizzare notions such as glory.

Things were black and white, you either survived or you did not.

You required a weapon, you told yourself again as you followed the figure out onto the street, your attention shifting between the lamps that bathed the street in pools of light and the barrels that guttering crawled down the walls into. There was nothing small, nothing immediately available for you to pick up.

The figure took your momentary distraction as a chance to retrieve a weapon of their own, though with your attention averted you had no idea where it had been concealed. The glint of metal in the moonlight was what alerted you to it, to the short blade that they held in their hand, a sword of unknown design. A sword that tipped things in their favour, while you had nothing to rely on apart from your hands and feet.

You needed to take their advantage away.

Both hands wrapped around a nearby lamp as you strained briefly to lift it, as the sound of the figure laughing echoed in your ears. You could feel your muscles tense, you could feel them protest in pain as you pushed them, you could feel an odd sense of nausea in the pit of your stomach. The figures laughter was silenced quickly as it started as the sound of tortured metal and splintered stone filled the air, as the lamp half snapped and half pulled free of its base. You made a mental note that the lamp had been so hard to lift as it was set in the ground for future reference, while the fact that you had accomplished this failed to register as unusual to you.

Your hands shifted along the length of the lamp as you took hold of it, both hands clutching it near the base as you brandished it like a bat, as you stepped towards the figure as they edged backwards. The sound of metal impacting against flesh and glass shattering filled the air as you struck the man before you with the lamp, sending him sailing from his feet as he was propelled away from you.

Broken glass made its presence known underfoot as you approached the man once more, glass that had once sat at the top of the lamp, glass that you could feel cut through the unprotected soles of your feet. Ichor trailed behind you as you barely slowed, as you looked down at the figure as they writhed in agony, as they looked up at you with fear in their eyes. "Who are you?" they managed to gasp, clutching their chest in the location you had struck them.

"I am designated Guardian Unit Three-Seventy," came your response as you swung the lamp overhead, causing the figure to howl in agony as you struck them again and again, bludgeoning them with your improvised weapon.

Every blow was followed by a cry of agony.

Every cry of agony was followed by a blow.

You continued to strike the figure over and over, cracks lacing out from beneath their body as the pavement beneath them steadily gave way, while your heavy weapon was steadily bent out of shape. That sensation in your stomach grew steadily stronger as you continued to beat the still moving figure, a sensation you dimly realised was likely hunger.

Your exertion was causing that sensation you assumed to be hunger to grow quickly, yet the figure before you still moved. He appeared to be misshapen, yet you couldn't tell if he was incapacitated or not. The fact he still moved made it clear that he certainly wasn't neutralised, however. How were you going to deal with this situation?


Spoiler: "Stats" (click to show/hide)
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on August 08, 2010, 07:27:38 pm
*jawdrop*
This is amazing! And awesome. And awesomely amazing, and amazingly awesome.
I have a new favourite character. 3 17 4 3V3R

Problems:
Combat; continue beating opponent.
Weapon decay; tun it around and beat it back into shape, against opponent.
Hunger; hunger can be fixed by ingesting food, opponent is made out of meat, meat is a kind of food; conclusion, eat opponent. This also poses and opportunity to test dental weaponry.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on August 08, 2010, 07:30:26 pm
I have a new favourite character. 3 17 4 3V3R
you mean 3 70. [/nitpick]

Also: Opponent continues to move, therefore: Continue attack.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: nbonaparte on August 08, 2010, 07:42:09 pm
yeah, what dragnar said. kill him.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Karnewarrior on August 08, 2010, 07:51:53 pm
Cease beating, observe opponent. If nutralized, take opponent to clockworkers for study, if not, continue beating. Consider possible impalement.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on August 08, 2010, 08:45:22 pm
also, acquire his equipment, and see if it's compatible with your current body.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on August 08, 2010, 10:14:26 pm
Opponent's weapon is likely more effective than this improvised weapon. Retrieve and utilize it.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Nivim on August 08, 2010, 10:44:31 pm
 That's wonderful! It appears that her ~ability is complete ignorance of "human limits", combined with her regeneration, this allows her to surpass them as she needs to.

 Insure that opponent's limbs are thoroughly broken, the attempt to retrieve their weapon. If acceptable, eat missing part of opponent. Go to neutralize Banshee now that obstruction has been removed.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on August 08, 2010, 10:50:24 pm
That's wonderful! It appears that her ~ability is complete ignorance of "human limits", combined with her regeneration, this allows her to surpass them as she needs to.
Hmm... that's one thing I hadn't considered... The human body is capable of some truly astounding feats. A person can lift several tons if they have to. But your mind has limiters that won't let you do so normally because it rips your muscles to shreds. Joy's mind doesn't quite work right, and her regeneration means the damage lasts only seconds.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on August 09, 2010, 09:03:33 am
You raised the weapon as you watched the figure before you writhe, as you assessed his capabilities in this state, his potential covery time and the threat he still posed. It seemed that despite your efforts to take his life from him with your weapon, that he was still alive, that he was still conscious, that he was still struggling to defy you. His efforts at defiance however, were severely limited by his current injuries, injuries that you could immediately see were that his limbs had been broken, along with his body not holding quite the right shape any longer.

Even so, he was fast recovering from this, bones slowly pulling back together beneath the surface of his skin as they knit, their structure helping to redefine his prior form. He was a fast healer, a trait that you knew was a potential sign of corruption in some cases. You knew that the Enlightened were corrupted, fast healers who bled ichor, yet this figure was different. This figure wasn't one of the Enlightened, they were not some tainted human who was not yet showing outward signs of that what they had become.

Their blood was red.

Red blood and rapid healing were two things that you didn't know how to classify when together, though it still didn't change the fact that they were an enemy, that they required neutralisation. You watched as they rolled over onto their side, coughing up blood as they weakly reached for the blade that they had brandished prior, only for you to slam the lamp in your hands down against their body again.

They cried out in agony as the lamp impacted against their unprotected side, the crack of bone breaking filling the air as they crew their legs up, shuddering as they curled into a ball. With that you stepped over, reaching for the sword that they had dropped as you cast the now deformed lamp aside, the sound of metal hitting the floor with a resounding clang filling the air. The sword was light in your hands by comparison to the improvised weapon you had discarded, though it bore enough weight that you felt that it would do the job despite its short blade.

"Foul one, you are... Are not permitted... To use... That weapon!"

You turned to the man beside you as you heard those words, looking down at him as he looked up at you from the huddled position that he was in. Further cries of agony filled the air as you raised your foot, placing it to the back of his head, before pushing it down with as much force as you could muster without risking losing balance. The figure writhed as they held their head, legs kicking as their body thrashed, though you were more concerened with the fact they you felt this strange hunger. You had never been hungry before when you had been complete, you had your power from an internal source that was checked and replaced periodically.

This figure was a potential source of food, an organic mass that you could use to sustain this unusual organic body of your own. This body lacked tools though, it lacked integrated weaponry, it lacked sensors and everything you had come to rely on. You needed a means to incapacitate this foe, to prevent his quickened recovery from allowing him to reach the point where he would be able to overwhelm you as your body rapidly hungered, as you felt your energy wane.

You approached one of the nearby lamps, quickly gauging that if it held a point, that you would be able to impale the figure with ease upon it. Sparks flew as your first reaction to this was to attempt to use the blade you held to slice through the top of it, the blade cutting cleanly through it as you left the hollow metal lamp post stood there without its top, the point you had sliced through it glowing red. The sound of hissing came from the top of this lamp briefly, as something escaped it, though this was silenced as a dull click came from beneath the pavement, while the red glow of the metal faded.

You moved your hand towards it, feeling heat coming from the still dimply glowing post, though you didn't know what to make of if other than it was a bad idea to touch it.

You turned back to the man, quickly assessing how you were going to deal with him, as you saw he was already getting to his feet, that he was almost fully recovered from that prior beating he had been given. You stepped forward as you plunged the blade through his back, as you wrapped your one arm about his neck and hauled his thrashing form backwards. He screamed, piercing screams that betrayed how he was in agony from the blade that had been plunged through his back, as it protruded from his stomach, yet those screams failed to move you.

There was no reason they should have.

Further howls of agony filled the air as you slammed that figure down atop the makeshift spike you had fashioned from the lampost, their body sliding over it as they clutched at the blood slickened surface, attempting with luck to prevent their descent. As they reached the ground, having slid all the way over the lamp that protruded from their chest, your one foot came to a rest on their arm as you pinned it in place. A quick swipe of the blade in hand was all it took to sever it from the figures body as he screamed, as he sobbed, as he began pleading with you to stop, to have mercy, though you saw no reason to consider this.

You could see his arm was already starting to regrow, faster than you had seen any tainted creature regenerate, faster than you had seen any of the Enlightened regenerate. As you picked his severed arm up, he ceased making noise, staring up at you with an expression you couldn't hope to read, his face contorted as he watched you attempt to gnaw at the arm in hand at first. Your teeth as it turned out, were poorly suited for tearing the flesh from what you held, though though the blade you held made the perfect took for removing suitable chunks of flesh from it, chunks that you almost greedily consumed.

You knew that you could continue to feed off that figure until your hunger was sated, yet his rapid recovery meant that there was no practical means for you to take him back to the Clockworkers for containment. You knew that he could potentially escape in the time you could bring another guardian here to assist with his recovery, that left you with the dilemma.

Was there another way you could retrieve them, or was the best course of action to continue on towards the banshee, that by now could potentially have gotten away thanks to this individuals descision to impede you?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Strange guy on August 09, 2010, 09:07:08 am
Anyone else noticed how Joy's stats are slowly being revealed? Perhaps the most interesting thing is the power 'Jötunn'. A quick search shows that a Jötunn is a giant in Norse mythology, though I'm not sure how that is relevant to Joy.

We should now go after the banshee, it shouldn't take long to check if the banshee has gone.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Karnewarrior on August 09, 2010, 09:57:53 am
>Check on banshee. Banshee is primary objective.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Osmosis Jones on August 09, 2010, 10:15:46 am
Om nom nom, delicious angel.

That said,

> check on banshee.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on August 09, 2010, 11:14:48 am
Anyone else noticed how Joy's stats are slowly being revealed? Perhaps the most interesting thing is the power 'Jötunn'. A quick search shows that a Jötunn is a giant in Norse mythology, though I'm not sure how that is relevant to Joy.

We should now go after the banshee, it shouldn't take long to check if the banshee has gone.
Jötunn? Where does it say that?

Check on the banshee.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Osmosis Jones on August 09, 2010, 11:18:40 am
Jötunn? Where does it say that?

Stats, at the bottom of the second to last update.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on August 09, 2010, 11:56:06 am
This blade is super-sharp, right? If it's sharp enough, cut the lamp post down along it's center and bend the halves around the prisoner's body. The prisoner is of higher priority than the banshee, as the prisoner has unknown capabilities, and must be delivered to the Clockworkers at all costs.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on August 09, 2010, 01:11:44 pm
Idea for confinement: dice all of him into centimetre sided cubes, then spread them out. Presumably, only one will begin to regrow (if not, the creature would have used this method reproduction and we'd have been encountering them all the time). Take that, and put it inside a pipe section from one of the damaged lampposts, then tie knots on the ends of the pipe section so it is hermetically sealed.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: nbonaparte on August 09, 2010, 01:25:36 pm
cut off his head and take it with you. "trim" it occasionally with the sword.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: cerapa on August 09, 2010, 01:56:26 pm
cut off his head and take it with you. "trim" it occasionally with the sword.
This would cover the streets with his blood as it constantly regenerates.

I dont see why Joy would be bothered by this though, so, seconded.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Karnewarrior on August 09, 2010, 02:18:58 pm
This is about to get incredibly horrifying.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on August 09, 2010, 02:56:25 pm
Yeah. Also, I think if Joy's original self is in there anywhere, she'd freak out about it. If not the combat, than certainly dragging around a regenerating head. Not to say that Guardian Unit Three-Seventy won't or shouldn't do it, just that it might get interrupted by Joy. (I don't know if that would actually happen in real life, as I have no education in this field)
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: cerapa on August 09, 2010, 03:01:10 pm
I think the guardians have been dragging around bleeding and half-alive corpses all the time. It would simply be standard procedure.
Her original self might be in there, but i think it would manifest itself while doing irregular actions such as talking and resting rather than regular threat neutralization.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on August 09, 2010, 03:16:39 pm
Idea for confinement: dice all of him into centimetre sided cubes, then spread them out. Presumably, only one will begin to regrow (if not, the creature would have used this method reproduction and we'd have been encountering them all the time). Take that, and put it inside a pipe section from one of the damaged lampposts, then tie knots on the ends of the pipe section so it is hermetically sealed.
That's far more work than is necessary. Just cutting off the head should work fine.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on August 09, 2010, 03:48:04 pm
No it won't, enlightened can regenerate from just a brain, the target regenerates faster than an enlightened and presumably better. It will probably regenerate from any amount of material that there is.

Cut off the head, see which part regenerates. Does the head grow from the body, or vice versa? If it's the latter, bringing in the target is a simple procedure. Otherwise, it's more difficult.

Maybe we could cut off the head, then put something in the way. Or impale the head or neck with the sword, preventing the brain or spine from regrowing until the sword is removed. This would render the target unconscious for an indefinite period of time. (This is my suggestion. Perform it, ensure that the target does not regain consciousness, go after banshee.)
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on August 09, 2010, 04:20:42 pm
No it won't, enlightened can regenerate from just a brain, the target regenerates faster than an enlightened and presumably better. It will probably regenerate from any amount of material that there is.
Yes, but carrying a regenerating head around is as simple as cutting off the neck once in a while. I'm basically agreeing with this plan:
cut off his head and take it with you. "trim" it occasionally with the sword.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on August 09, 2010, 04:47:39 pm
You have to small pockets to fit a head, and it require maintenance. My method is fire and forget, once we have it we con continue hunting the banshee.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Nivim on August 09, 2010, 06:02:24 pm
 Our opponent can be effectively neutralized by bending the lamp post around him, where we can return to get him later. A head can be easily removed and trimmed, but prevents use of both our arms. Fitting the head into the lamp post may or may not work; attempt it.
 Also, if we have time, inform him that we are a guardian and things like mercy and honor do not apply.

 Using Jötunn as the name just kinda flowed from what the ~angel called her; the little titan, or little giant. Especially when she ripped a metal lampost out of the ground.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on August 09, 2010, 07:25:47 pm
We might not have the strength to bend the lamp post around him, as we are no longer in danger. The Jötunn ability might not work in non-life-threatening situations (maybe. I don't know, it's just a possiblity).

If we cannot trap him  using brute force (bending the lamp post), I recommend that we put a blade in his spine (in his neck, to prevent the use of his arms) to paralyze him, and leave it there to prevent regeneration of the spine. (Heck, even if we can trap him, do this anyway just in case.)

Main points of my suggestion are bolded.


If we do manage to trap him with the post, ensure that his air supply is cut off (whether by crushing the pole into his neck or by sticking the bladed weapon through his trachea and spine). Lack of air is likely to be at least inconvenient, even to immortals.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on August 09, 2010, 10:46:59 pm
You could still feel hunger pangs, telling you that what you had consumed hadn't been enough. The figure before you was an abundant source of food, yet you couldn't afford to linger longer than you had to, for you had a duty to carry out, you had a task that had to be completed. You had to incapacitate the figure, ensure that they could not recover to the point that they could follow you, or even worse, escape. You had to ensure that they would be here when you returned. Your most immediate worry however, was to repeat the prior act of feeding, to carry out what seemed to come so naturally to you in regards to this sensation.

One foot pressed to the figures more intact arm as you swung the blade down, as you severed the arm at the shoulder causing howls of agony to escape that man as he writhed in agony. This had two fold benefits as it firstly was a means of providing you with food and secondly, it was a means of preventing him having the means to remove himself from the lamp he was impaled upon. You knew that he would recover rapidly however, that while you initiated feeding that you were going to have to come up with a means of disabling him.

Decapitation seemed promising, though it meant that you would have to carry around his head to ensure that if it regenerated, that you'd have it on hand to keep from regenerating fully. Finding a means to split the lamp post seemed good, providing you with a means of keeping him under what amounted to a giant metal pin. The downsides you could immediately see however, were that if he was strong enough he could bend it back into shape and escape, or potentially provide another weapon.

You needed something more efficient, something that would disable him completely.

A vague concept caught your attention as you picked the arm up, removing a few chunks of flesh as you greedily consumed them. You knew that one of the manners that you favoured for disabling the things that went bump in the night was to starve them of oxygen, or to break their spine. The spine ran through the neck and so did the airways that fed a creatures lungs. If you could take out both at the same time, break the spine and sever the airways, that you could incapacitate this figure. Naturally, he would recover from such an injury, that was where another concept took form.

An injury couldn't regenerate, if it was blocked, could it?

You turned about, looking for something suitable to use for such a purpose, something other than the weapon that you had, a weapon that you were reluctant to relinquish when it was the only one you had. Improvised weapons were all well and good, but a properly crafted blade was something that you could use to neutralise almost anything that went bump in the night.

There were some things that required more than a few well placed stab wounds or slashes to key parts of their body to disable, though those things were fortunately rare. You held the second arm you had taken from him between your teeth as your fingers closed around a long shard of glass, glass that had come from the head of the broken lamp.

The figure shook his head vigorously as he saw you approaching with that glass shard in hand, eyes wide as he opened his mouth to speak, though no words came. You knelt, restraining his head with your knees, placing the blade of the sword to his throat first, thrusting it down as you plunged it through his throat, through his spine, withdrawing it quickly as you thrust the glass shard down in its place.

The figure thrashed briefly as you dealt that initial injury, before laying still.

You sat there, watching for several long moments, confirming that this would do its job.

Warmth seeped through the dress that adorned your form, wetness against your lap from the blood that had gushed from the wound to the figures neck. The figure could do little more than lay there now, eyes twitching as they struggled to move, to move in any manner at all without success. They had healed around the glass shard rapidly, though they couldn't displace it.

You stood as you took the arm from between your teeth, stripping flesh from it with the blade once more as you started to feed on it, quickly removing and consuming all edible matter from it. You cast the bones aside as you started to jog in earlier direction the screaming had come from, figuring that you could get to the scene, see if there was anything left to deal with, then turn in the individual who had opposed your duties. If this individual could not be neutralised, then they would be contained.

Contained...

The concept of containment had you shiver, a sensation you could not place a name to gripping you briefly, though you were fast to shrug it off as you made your way down the streets, as you made your way to a street that had the lingering scent of blood and ichor in the air. Oddly, you could smell the farmland here too, the scent of straw lingered along with those other two scents. This could imply that there was a stable nearby, you told yourself as you slowed down, looking about the empty street.

Your attention was briefly caught by moonlight reflecting from the blade you held, prompting you to lift it, wiping it against the dress that adorned you, as you cleaned it against the fabric. The face that looked back at you from that reflection was one that seemed oddly familiar, and yet out of place.

Brown eyes, brown hair.

You couldn't actually make the colours of them out clearly in this low light, yet you knew them to be so.

You didn't have time for such pointless exercises as examining yourself however, not when you were undamaged- uninjured. Your feet seemed to have recovered from the shards of glass that had cut into them while you were preoccupied with other matters for a start. This meant that you had no reason not to focus on the task at hand, to consider what to do about the scene that you could barely make out in the gloom.

You could see bones, ones that looked clearly inhuman, you could see the dark trail of what could only be blood leading away from the bones, smeared up towards a wall. You could see straw over the pavement. You couldn't see any sign of whatever individual had left blood here, though you could see a trail leading away. The amount of blood that you could see told you that it was likely that the individual who had been here was deceased and thus likely of no further interest to you.

Did you follow the trail of blood, did you investigate the scene for further insight, or did you return to the figure who had attacked you prior to return them to the Clockworkers for containment?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Nivim on August 09, 2010, 11:41:08 pm
 Look at just how much blood is there, the individual shouldn't have been able to move away, even such a short distance. Investigate what might be another like the one that hindered you.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on August 10, 2010, 04:17:23 am
The opportunity to act in this place has been lost, return to the figure that impeded your efforts.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on August 10, 2010, 05:42:35 am
Do some brief investigation, quickly follow the trail for maybe 100 meters but then go back, and try to contain the figure in some easy means of transport. (pocket sized) if you cant disable him. Then go back to the clockworkers for repairs and debrief.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on August 10, 2010, 02:46:26 pm
Your attention drifted back towards the pool of blood that lay in the middle of the street, kneeling down beside it as you ran a finger through it. It was still fresh, though it was no longer warm. You gauged by the amount of it, and by the manner it was smeared up towards the wall that lined the side of the street that this was where the individual who had been injured had initially fallen. The smeared trail was consistant with a body being dragged given the smearing, away from this point you assumed, given how you had noted mentally that the smear became thinner as it moved towards that wall.

The wall had blood against it, blood pooled on the pavement where they met, telling you that the figure had come to a rest here. You paid no heed to the straw, not seeing how it bore any relevance to this situation as you checked the pavement carefully for blood splatters, confirming that there was only one direction that the figure had gone from this point.

The problem you quickly found, was that the trail of blood splatters that lead away from this point showed signs of smudging, before they simply vanished. You didn't know what to make of it, especially given how you couldn't see any other immediate clues as to how this was possible. You knew that you could always check further along the path, that you could examine the next few hundred feet of likely street for a clue. The gloom cast by the night would limit your efficiency there, given how your nightsight was limited, meaning that your best course of action was to return to the figure that had threatened you prior.

You turned, starting back down the street towards the smaller street that you had come from as you made a mental note of how it had taken longer than expected for the food that you had consumed to settle the hunger pangs you felt. You were uncertain if you were happy with this organic body or not, given how everything you were used to doing, was suddenly ten times more complicated than it had been before.

The sooner you were back to your old self, the better.

You took the junction at the point the streets met as you made your way back towards the point you had left the figure. A figure that you realised in your absence had attracted attention from the nearby people, individuals had left their houses to investigate the figure that you had left impaled, a figure that they had crowded around, one of them visibly holding the shard of glass that you had left in his neck.

A figure who was stood amongst them, thanking them for their assistance.

As the figure turned his attention towards you, he ushered the people back towards their homes, his hushed tone audiable even from here as he referred to you as one most foul, telling them how he must prevail over you. He stood there with his arms cross his chest, wings spread as he defiantly waited for you to close the distance between you both. You made a mental note to have the Clockworkers informed about how these individuals would require investigation, how they had assisted a clear enemy either due to trickery, or as an act of treason.

If it was treason, so openly shown in this manner, then you knew that this entire district would potentially need cleansing. If it was merely due to trickery that they had rendered assistance, they would be spared, though they wouldn't be trusted in future. "Foul one, I, the angel Michael shall cleanse the earth of your taint!" called the figure as he pointed at you, as he was for a brief moment wreathed in light.

As the light cleared you could see he was now armed and armoured, that in one hand he held a sword, a sword identical to the one that you had taken prior, while his body was protected by a breastplate. You tilted your head slightly, gauging the change that this would make in his combat capability, figuring that if anything the selective protection that he had chosen would hinder him. The armour he wore only covered his torso, no doubt providing more weight than it was worth for that protection, while leaving his limbs exposed.

The agressive stance of this figure was met with your impassive gaze as you considered the best course of action. Did you subdue him once more and take him in, or was there another course of action that you felt was wiser?


Spoiler: "Stats" (click to show/hide)
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on August 10, 2010, 03:38:03 pm
While this figure certainly have to be investigated, investigation is not our goal. He has shown to not be an mediate threat to citizens. He does no longer obstruct him. Combat risks losing what data we have already collected. Return to clockworkers and report. Ignore him unless attacked.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: cerapa on August 10, 2010, 03:54:05 pm
It might be harder this time since we dont have the element of suprise.
Do what Armok said.

I actually dont want Joy to go back to the clockworkers, but im certain that he will attack.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on August 10, 2010, 05:19:48 pm
Demand to know how he managed to get help from the citizens.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on August 10, 2010, 05:24:33 pm
There is no reason to believe anything that he says, as he is clearly an enemy, and would not benefit from telling the truth.

It might be harder to defeat him again, but might be easier too: we start out with a weapon this time. However, we'd run the risk of being attacked by sniping, confused or treasonous citizens.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on August 10, 2010, 06:33:00 pm
Repeat the standard guardian messages. The crowd needs something to think about...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Karnewarrior on August 10, 2010, 07:15:00 pm
While this figure certainly have to be investigated, investigation is not our goal. He has shown to not be an mediate threat to citizens. He does no longer obstruct him. Combat risks losing what data we have already collected. Return to clockworkers and report. Ignore him unless attacked.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on August 10, 2010, 08:27:39 pm
Also,if he does attack, refer to it as "unprovoked".
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: nbonaparte on August 10, 2010, 08:46:51 pm
Doesn't everyone love expressing their inner robotic merciless killing machine?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on August 10, 2010, 08:51:30 pm
I do, more than you think.
I'd actually be sad if this character is "cured". I wont link it, but the relevant TV tropes article is "Cursed with Awesome". Also I like personalities for from human.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: nbonaparte on August 10, 2010, 08:54:15 pm
Oh, so do I. this is fantastic. I wrote a story a few months ago about an evolving AI's progress, from barely sentient to effectively omnipotent. Writing completely different methods of thought is fascinating.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on August 10, 2010, 08:57:43 pm
A story? Can we have a link?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: nbonaparte on August 10, 2010, 09:00:59 pm
It's not quite done yet. I write sort of like how toady codes. only what's interesting. but now that you ask, I'll see about pulling it back out and finishing it.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on August 10, 2010, 09:02:28 pm
Awesome, I look forward to seeing it!
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Nivim on August 10, 2010, 09:09:37 pm
 Speak to him, asking him why he wished to protect the corrupted, a banshee, and why he now wishes to kill you since you failed your objective to kill the banshee. If he intends to continue inhibiting the Guardians, you will disable him again and return him to the Clockworker's base for containment.
 Make it clear that protecting the corrupted can be considered the same as killing citizens.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on August 11, 2010, 08:30:18 am
((double posting, because, well...
Oh, so do I. this is fantastic. I wrote a story a few months ago about an evolving AI's progress, from barely sentient to effectively omnipotent. Writing completely different methods of thought is fascinating.
When you get that done, you should put a topic about it in the creative projects section or something. If this game is still going at that point, you're welcome to mention it and put a link here pointing there.
Writing different thought processes, personalities, etc can be quite the pain at times, though, when you have to avoid making them a two dimensional and uninteresting character.

I'd actually be sad if this character is "cured". I wont link it, but the relevant TV tropes article is "Cursed with Awesome". Also I like personalities for from human.
As Joy/370's in the hands of the people participating, it's entirely possible for her to end up anywhere on the scale from 'as cured as possible', to 'rejected being cured', or falling somewhere inbetween by assimilating the best of what all three aspects of her nature offer.))
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on August 11, 2010, 08:30:36 am
You quickly started to reassess the situation, knowing that you were potentially facing more than this individual if he was so readily able to turn the citizens against you, against one of the guardians of the city. You were that what prevented the things that went bump in the night from threatening them, you were of the ones who the queen herself had given her blessings to, you were of the ones that the politicians of the city had declared vital to the city's continued operation. You were deemed to be one of the uncorruptable enforcers of law, of safety, that it was treason to act against you, as to act against you was to act against the country itself.

This was all known to be fact to you.

This was what you had to remind these people of.

The figure before you maintained that agressive stance as he waited to see if you would make the first move, while you maintained that impassive gaze. You were not going to initiate hostilities unless there was no other way, as you could see that the odds were against you, that you were facing potential destruction in a manner that you could not justify. If the act of sacrifice was one in what you would help save the citizens of the city, to save those important to its running, or to deal a crippling blow to trhe things that went bump in the night you could justify it.

Simply throwing yourself away in a futile battle against a foe of this nature however, was not justified. Your body was soft, unarmoured, it could not sustain damage without it being impaired and losing function. You were devoid of your weapons, you were stripped of your superior vision, you lacked everything you knew would have allowed you to resolve this situation.

Including your appearance.

"I am Guardian Unit Three-Seventy," You stated, your voice emotionless and flat as you shouted to ensure that you were heard. "Citizens of London, return to your homes. Failure to do so will have the aid you have rendered to this individual classified as treason and appropriate action will be taken," You paused, tilting your head slightly as you watched the figure before you shift slightly, his expression showing what you could only assume was confusion.

"Individual is classified as a potential taint bearer, knowingly assisting taint bearers is classified as treason. Individual has attempted to prevent standard guardian duties, including the neutralisation of a banshee and rendering assistance to a victim of its attack. Victim believed to be deceased. Banshee believed to be at large," you stated as you relayed the relevant details to the people, believing them to be what it would take to convince them to return to their homes, to avoid commiting a crime that would result in their cleansing.

"Are you going to believe this woman who claims to be one of your beloved guardians, a crazy woman covered in blood, a woman who clearly suffers an infirm mind?" The figure asked, gesturing towards you as he did so. "This woman is a servant of evil, a tainted monster who would if left to her own devices commit sins such as the murder of you and the consumption of your body and soul!"

You could not undestand why, yet the peope here were rallying around this figure, moving away from their homes once more as they stared at you, as they yelled at you in hateful tones. "Fear not though, faithful ones, for I shall not allow her to bring harm to you, to sway you away from your position in heaven!" The crowd cheered, while you glanced to the side, looking at the street signs as you took note of your current location.

You were a fair distance outside of your standard operating area.

"Location noted. Returning to-"

Your words were silenced as the crack of a firearm filled the air, as the world started to spin about you as you staggered backwards, as pain lanced through your head. You could hear cheers come from the crowd, distant cheers as you stumbled backwards and lost your footing, as you fell backwards and darkness took you.

You could feel yourself falling.

Weightlessly falling.

Drifting in darkness.

This continued for what felt like an eternity before you felt yourself being supported, your body draped in the arms of another as your eyes opened to a world that was not the same as the one you had been stood in prior. Shimmering colours glowed in the sky above you, while you were positioned in the middle of a come that had been split into three area's, while you lay there in the arms of a figure who you recognised to be the same man you had first awoken to see in this form.

The man was knelt, almost cradling you in his arms as blood poured endlessly from a gaping wound in his chest, though he seemed unaffected by it. The wound should have been crippling, fatal, yet he was showing no outward sign of distress from it. Piercing blue eyes gazed down from the pale mans face as his lips curled back slightly, as a smile crossed his features as your gaze met his.

He gently lowered you to the floor, sitting you upright as he brushed your hair aside, his expression changing as his features contorted into an expression you were unfamiliar with. "A head wound. That's the last thing you need," he muttered, sighing briefly before he settled before you. "Do you recognise me?"

"Designation Eurochkoles."

"Do you know who I am?"

"Designation Eurochkoles."

The figure tilted his head slightly before shaking it slightly. "No, you do not. I am Eurochkoles, I am the one who made you what you are-" the figure started, though you were fast to interrupt as this struck you as true. You couldn't explain why, yet what he said struck something deep down.

"Creator."

The figure recoiled visibly at this word, though he made no effort to deny it. "Please, just call me Eurochkoles, it pains me to hear you call me that, for that is a reminder of the mistake that I made in aiding in the creation of you... Guardians," the figure breathed, though the emotion, the expression that he bore was lost on you as you leaned forward, your usually impassive gaze replaced by one that openly betrayed reverence, reverence that you could not explain.

"Awaiting orders."

"Please, Joy-"

"Designation, Guardian Unit Three-Seventy."

The figure fell silent, looking down at his hands for a long moment as he swallowed, looking up at you as water started to run down his cheeks. It took you a long moment to associate this with tears, though the signifigance of them was lost on you. Emotion for the most part was lost on you, striking you as inefficient, as something that did little but hinder the application of ones abilities to any task that was required of them.

"Three-Seventy, when you are able, return to the Technomancers guild house instead of the Clockworkers, I shall be there," he muttered, his voice quiet, wavering, filled with emotions that you couldn't place. The emotions were irrelevant in this matter however, he had given you an order and you were going to follow it out as soon as possible.

"I must... Go..."

The figure breathed as their their features contorted, their hand moving to clutch the wound on their chest as they started to fade from sight, leaving you sat inside alone inside that dome. A dome split into three equal parts. Each part was distinct from the others, with one of them being the inside of a house with a woman that you recognised to hold your features, one of them being a dank and gloomy place filled with broken walls, overgrown plants and trees that the stench of decay came from, and the final one being the one you were most familiar with.

It was the inside of one of the facilities you had first become operational within, with another guardian stood inside it. You could see tools and materials for repairs laying about the place, work benches, pipes lacing the walls and floors. Steam occasionally escaped from the pipes, filling the air with hissing as you made your way towards the burnished bronze figure that stood there.

"I require assistance," You stated as you looked up at the figure as you stopped before it, watching as glowing green eyes met your gaze, as the figure before you quickly seemed to gauge what was required of it. For a brief moment you closed your eyes, your lips moving as you started to mouth those words over and over again.

"Request Broadcast."

Your eyes opened to the gloom of the city night as your hand moved to your head, as the sound of cheering filled your ears once more, the sensation of moisture soaking through the back of the dress that adorned your form telling you that you had barely touched the ground. The discrepancy between the moment you had lost operational capability and once more finding yourself operation must've been moments at best, and yet...

And yet you felt that what you had seen had been real in a way you could not explain. You had met your creator and you knew it to be so. Deep down you knew that the imprint of him that had been left upon you in your creation matched him.

You rolled over onto your side as you attempted to get up, hearing the sound of cheering fade as you found the right hand side of your body was not responding correctly, though that loss of control was quickly being restored as you struggled for a moment to get to your feet. Your one hand still grasped the sword that you had obtained earlier, while you took in a deep breath.

"Attack upon a guardian is an act of treason. Assistance of enemies of the empire is an act of treason. Obstruction of guardian duties is a crime. Your crimes have been noted and shall be punished accordingly," you stated as you pointed towards the winged figure that stood a distance before you. "Drop your arms and surrender or face the consequences."

The figure snorted.

He stood there with one hand to his ear as he made a show of listening out for a long moment for the other guardians as you stood there, smiling as he turned back towards the civilians who had rallied about him. "See, you need not fear this woman, for she is no more than a lunatic, one of those most foul who I shall cleanse with the light of the heavens!" He stated, before turning his attention back towards you.

"Now, foul one, it is your choice. Will you surrender as to make your last moments as painless as possible, will you fight and certainly perish to my holy might, or shall you plead for judgement, so that you may beg for mercy for your crimes?" the figure asked, as he folded his arms across his arms across his chest.

"Three-Seventy, This is Two-Eight-One."

"Three-Seventy, This is One-Four-Eight."

"Three-Seventy, This is Nine-Four."


As those three initial voices eched from a few streets away the towns people turned pale, while the figure heading them's expression contorted into what you assumed as anger. You could hear further voices, you could hear heavy footfalls rapidly approaching. You could hear the approach of what you estimated to be at least ten other guardians, telling you that these people would be dealt with as appropriate. "Surrender and you shall be given fair trial, attempt to run or fight and you shall be neutralised," you stated, as you watched the civilians almost immediately throw down the few weapons they had taken as the other figure leapt skywards, wings fluttering as they rapidly fled into the night.

Even as the figure fled you could hear gunfire from behind the houses that the other guardians approached from, though you knew that every shot that connected would be rapidly recovered from, that they would not be so easily stopped like this. They would be added no doubt, to the list of enemies of the city, so that future sightings of them would be responded to as appropriate.

As the burnished bronze form of multiple guardians stepped out of the many junctions leading into the street you approached them, while they immediately restated your designation as their attention fell upon you. Even stripped of your shell, they knew it to be you now somehow, though your unusual state didn't distract them from the task at hand, from restraining the civilians here ready to march them to the appropriate facility.

You had been given a direct order by your creator, though the nature in what it had been delivered was one that registered as being unreliable. Was it worth pursuing this unreliable order, did you plan to return to the Clockworkers for repairs, or did you have other tasks that you felt you had to more immediately take care of first?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: cerapa on August 11, 2010, 08:55:58 am
Going to the clockworkers is not an urgent matter. Follow unreliable order.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on August 11, 2010, 08:58:41 am
Follow order given by creator. Order and message are assumed to be valid until invalidating conditions are met, such as lack of creator's presence at the Technomancer's guild. We must not disobey creator's order by returning to the Clockworker's guild until the order is proven invalid.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on August 11, 2010, 10:00:38 am
The means of receiving the order shows that regardless of it's truth or falsehood our cognitive capacity has been compromised. Relay all relevant facts to other guardian units for evaluation. Due to the risk of some others being compromised as well, use triple redundancy.
If orders are deemed likely to be genuine, go there immediately. As you will not have time to get your body restored and the situation contains many unknowns, bring two guardian units in addition to yourself.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on August 11, 2010, 10:11:39 am
If orders are deemed likely to be genuine, go there immediately.
Uh, you know that we're the ones who decide whether or not we deem the orders genuine. It's our job to make decisions, after all. I deem them genuine.

We were ordered to leave when we are able, which is now. Delaying by spending time to relay all relevant information would not constitute leaving when we are able (now), and therefore qualify as disobeying our orders.

There are no free Guardian Units in the immediate vicinity to provide an escort, they are all busy returning the prisoners, and we do not have the time to get others. We were also not ordered to bring along an escort, and we are meeting with our creator, who is presumably not going to attack us. (Even if he were to attack us, that is his business, as he is certainly our superior.)

Our cognitive capacity has not necessarily been compromised. We have no reason to believe that our creator did not give us the capability to receive such messages.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Strange guy on August 11, 2010, 10:28:42 am
As the situation has been dealt with there is no urgent need to return to the Clockworker's guild, so we should follow the order and report to the Technomancer's guild.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on August 11, 2010, 10:39:55 am
penguify: read the first part of my command again, we cant trust our own thoughts. Maybe the other guardians will come to the same conclusion as you, but basic caution dictates what I just said.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on August 11, 2010, 10:54:29 am
Oh, I didn't connect the first three sentences with the fourth.
Spoiler: meta (click to show/hide)

Non-meta reason:

If there is a flaw in our cognitive processes, our creator could fix it as well as (or better than) the Clockworkers could, couldn't he?

Edit: Also, don't doubt all of your cognitive processes, for down that road madness lies. Also, it won't get you anywhere.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on August 11, 2010, 11:05:26 am
Relay data concerning the winged figure to the other guardians, then head to the technomancers guild.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on August 11, 2010, 11:11:39 am
I don't think they'd asume us insane. Maybe broken, in case we'd just head back to the clockworkers willingly. After all, they to would want orders by the creator to be followed equally much as we do.
If we're not broken, which we're probably not, they'll just reach the same exact conclusion as we. Remember that these are not quite human, more similar to AI, most of your intuitions do not apply.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on August 11, 2010, 11:18:22 am
Insane, broken, same thing for (pseudo)robots. We have no proof of his existence. They'd apply Occam's razor and assume we're defective, and then we'd go to the Clockworkers and be re-brainwashed, forget we ever met our creator, and get stuffed back into a Mechanical body. It'd be like this character never existed.

We won't do that. We will tell them about the winged humanoid, then go to the Technomancer's guild as ordered.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on August 11, 2010, 11:38:27 am
We have no proof of his existence.
Neither did we, but we still believed him. It seems there is still some slight memory of their creation left over in the guardians. Still, regardless of what the others might think, we have received a direct order from our creator. I would assume this supersedes all other orders.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on August 11, 2010, 02:03:36 pm
If they wont believe us, that means we shouldn't believe us. We know they have the exact same goals we do, they know we have exactly the same goal they do, and we can presumably communicate relevant information perfectly.
The relationship between us and them is more similar to what humans have towards their past and future selves than towards trusted other people.

Here's a metaphor: during the middle of a meal you sudenly realize soemthing fantastc, however you suspect it might have been just drugs put in your food, you dont THINK it is, but that may just be the drugs thinking if there are drugs, so your use your time machine to go back a day in time and explain the situation to your past self and ask it what to do.
Ok, I'm not very good at examples.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on August 11, 2010, 02:10:40 pm
I don't want Joy to risk getting reprogrammed by the Clockworkers. Informing the other Guardians of our situation would increase this risk.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on August 11, 2010, 02:46:59 pm
I don't want Joy to risk getting reprogrammed by the Clockworkers. Informing the other Guardians of our situation would increase this risk.
There's also that. But in character, Joy has received an order from her creator and will probably go to any lengths to obey it. She has no reason to believe the order was a lie. The other guardians might come to different conclusions(such as: we are actually an insane civilian) but only because they do not have the same data as us.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on August 11, 2010, 03:00:19 pm
It's already stated that they recognize us. And the risk is not of "insanity", but that some technomancer has hacked us to try to steal clockworker secrets. If they can implant experiences like that they can also falsify them. if that is the case, we (IC) genuinely do want them to haul us away to be fixed.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on August 11, 2010, 08:50:57 pm
"Nine-Four, Three-Three-One, I require assistance," You stated as you approached the amassed guardians, watching them as they steadily processed the civilians before them, as they attached them to a length of chain via multiple manacles. The two that you had adressed turned towards you, the faint whir of gears coming from beneath their surfaces as they craned their necks, as they focused their attention on you.

You knew that they would be attempting to assess you, to classify your current form, to put a name to this unknown factor so that they could better understand it. Your loss of form was signifigant enough that it would warrant this, it was something that they would no doubt be required to report upon, to convey what they understood it to signify. There was nothing that you yourself could have conveyed in such a situation had you wanted to, as there was nothing that could have explained your loss of form, nothing that could explain why you had ended up like this.

"Awaiting Request, Three-Seventy," the two stated in unison, the glow of those green eyes piercing the darkness as they stood before you. Their forms, along with that green glow was one that was distinctive, one that you knew allowed the citizens to identify you with ease. It was one that allowed them to clearly see those that served the nation were, to see those that would protect them above all else, to see those that they should only fear if they had reason to.

You were a guardian, you were one of the defenders of the city who did a job that no other was able, you were one who's duties were to pursue the unknown, to determine its nature and intent and to neutralise it as required. You were one of the tireless defenders, one of those who's very nature made them suited to this thankless job. You didn't require praise for such a task however, all you required was orders to carry out and repairs as required.

Part of defending the city, was following leads, both reliable and not.

Your current one was a potential one on the creator, that unreliable as it had come to you was, was one that you would follow to its conclusion, then report upon so any relevant information could be filed away. "My form is compromised. I require escorting back to base. I require secure means to relay information pertaining to the events of the night. I require repairs. I require assistance reaching the Technomancer guild house to investigate an anomaly, priority one."

"Understood, Three-Seventy."

You looked up at the two before you, then down at your feet, taking note of how they were still uncovered, how you still had no footwear to protect them from sharp stones and broken glass. "I require carrying, current means of locomotion is inadequate," you added, holding out your arms as Three-Three-One adjusted its stance, holding out one arm for you to grasp as it angled its body so you could easily clamber atop it.

You sat atop the shoulders of the guardian as the three of you made your way through the city, back towards the districts you typically patrolled, the ones that you focused on due to the fact that they held people important to the running of the city. The loss of civilians to the things that went bump in the night was a terrible thing, yet losing those that kept the city running would be worse. Without these people you were aware of how things would go downhill, how the city would be unable to run itself, how things could only degrade.

Removing the head would kill the body.

These people were the head of the city.

As you continued onward through the city you relayed your experiences of that night, passing the blade you had liberated to the two guardians as they examined it in turn, incase it held some form of relevance toward the nature of the individual you had faced. As the blade was passed back you found yourself once more feeling unsettled by this body, by the fact that it had no means other than the use of its hands to carry this weapon.

As you reached the bridge that lead across the river, back towards the guild houses you took note of another guardian coming the other way, one who's armour was visibly different to the ones that accompanied you. Your fingers tapped against the shoulder of the one you sat atop, before you pointed towards the guardian as they passed you by. "Appearance does not conform. Explain."

"Refitted Armour."

This response had you wonder if this meant that they were doing upgrades to all the older models, as you knew by sight, somehow, that the guardian you had passed was One-Four-Four. Nine-Four and One-Four-Eight hadn't sported replacement armour, meaning that this must've been armour that was given to the ones on hand for testing.

As you reached the steps of the Technomancers guild house you dismounted, slipping from atop the guardian that you had used as a means of transport, the heavy clanking of their feet echoing on the steps behind you as the three of you ascended the steps. The first room you saw as you stepped through the doorway that lead into the guild house was a reception room that you were unfamiliar with. You had never been inside this building before, despite knowing that your internal power source and your arms and armour had been constructed here.

You could see scorch marks visible on the walls, banners that had recently been hung over them to hide the years of abuse that these walls had no doubt seen, while a man sat in the middle of the flood with a bucket and cloth. You could see the water in the bucket had turned a muddy shade of red, that the man was doing his best to clear blood from the floor, telling you that the odds that the figure who you took to be your creator being here were higher. It wasn't much of an increase in probability, though it was an increase none the less.

The figure had no doubt heard the approach of the guardians with you, prompting him to turn slightly as he visibly scowled. "I just cleaned that floor, and you malfunctioning mechanisms brought a homeless person in here to foul it up for what reason?" snapped the man, prompting you, along with the other two guardians to look over your shoulders, followed by scanning the room carefully for the individual in question.

"No Civilian Matching That Description Sighted," came the statement from the one guardian, prompting the man to pause, turning towards you fully, his features turning pale as his eyes fixed upon your form, upon the sword you carried and the blood stained dress that adorned you

"Nine-Four, Three-Three-One, Dismissed," you stated as you turned your attention towards the man fully, the two guardians accompanying you turning, marching from the reception room as they left you to carry out your business.

With the other two off to relay the experiences for the night on your behalf, you were free to pursue your current investigation. Did you request the assistance of this individual, simply stride past them and follow the trail of blood, or go about things in a different manner?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Nivim on August 11, 2010, 09:24:15 pm
 The blood is the most reliable method of locus identification; follow it. Also, the man's expression signifies that he will raise alarm over your gruesome appearance in the Technomancer's guild. Explain to him such an act is a waste of his time, that you are merely returning to an individual for special orders.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on August 11, 2010, 10:08:26 pm
Announce your presence and purpose in this facility, proceed with mission.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Karnewarrior on August 11, 2010, 10:16:54 pm
Give man designation number to avoid needless alarm. Then follow the trail of blood.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: nbonaparte on August 11, 2010, 10:31:23 pm
Do the technomancers know about the guardians' brains? if so, it wouldn't be hard to explain. Especially with Eurochkoles around.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on August 12, 2010, 12:08:11 pm
I'm pretty sure we don't want them to know.
Just stride past him and follow the trail.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on August 12, 2010, 12:11:41 pm
I agree with Armok here. Ignore him.

In his eyes, we have already demonstrated dominance over the most powerful force in the city, the Guardians. He will know better than to bother us.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on August 12, 2010, 02:33:33 pm
Your eyes fixed upon the trail of blood that lead through the doors, deeper into the guild's building. This trail was one that you knew you would have to follow quickly, as the individuals here seemed to have some desire to remove it, that would ultimately hamper your ability to follow the order you had been given. You had yet to establish the integrity of this order, yet to confirm that it was indeed issued to you, that meant that with this attempt to clean away the trail that lead into this building, you had to move fast.

You didn't want, after all, to be reduced to requesting that the people here showed you to your creator, knowing that they would make you wait as long as possible before someone got around to it. It seemed it was human nature, to be as inefficient as possible. You took a deep breath as you started past the wide eyed individual scrubbing the floors before you, ignoring the muddy footprints that your feet left in their wake as you strode across the wet floor.

With blade in hand you pushed the doors that lead into the guild's depths open, following the still fresh trail. Your progress through the halls had the occasional gasp and cry of suprise accompanying it as guild members, people who were still up at this late hour stumbled across you. Despite your appearance, despite the fact you were so visibly out of place and armed in this place, none of them dared challenge you. The fact that they wouldn't struck you as odd, as something that you couldn't put your finger upon due to how you yourself, due to how all other guardians would have carried out such a challenge without a second thought.

You didn't understand humans.

You would never understand humans.

Further attempts to clean the bloody trail were being made at various intervals along the hallways you discovered as you progressed onwards, cleaning attempts that left large gaps in the trail. Fortunately, they had not in these cases either not cleaned away enough for you to lose the trail, or had not cleaned it away at such a time that the floors had dried and as such gave you no idea of where to go next.

As you made your way onward, you found the blood growing visibly trampled through, footprints in that blood leading in the same direction that it had. Footprints, that lead towards a stairwell leading down deeper into the guild's building. You were quickly to descend that stairwell, following the footprints that lead down, coming to the bottom of it quickly as you found yourself in a hallway lined with many doors spaced at regular intervals. Many doors, all of them closed. Many doors, all of them abandoned.

All of them, except for one.

That one door that wasn't abandoned had several figures stood outside it, figures that hammered on it as they shouted at whatever occupied the room beyond it, as they failed for a long moment to see your presence as you approached. The figures that stood there were of mixed ages and builds, with one of them a thin and silvery haired old man, another of them stout, fumbling with a keyring as they attempted to unlock the door and a third, who was dressed in dark attire with a leather bag.

That third one you assumed must have been a doctor.

"Damnit, Anne, open the door this instant, the man's dying!" the silvery haired man snapped as he hammered loudly on the door with the palm of his hand.

"He won't die, he can't die!" came a familiar, though muffled voice from inside it, one that matched the name that had been given as a designation by the woman that you had met earlier that day.

"You're in denial, let us help him for gods sake!" the silvery haired man yelled in response, clearly sizing the door up, though his attention turned towards you as he caught sight of you from the corner of his eye. He fell silent as he gazed upon you, as he swallowed nervously, as he reached for his belt.

"I'm not opening the door, i'm going to make him better!" Anne's voice responded once more, though the man was no longer paying attention to her.

All eyes were on you now as the man pulled a firearm from his belt, levelling it with you. "Hold it right there and drop that weapon," the man shouted, while you started to tilt your head slightly. "I don't know who you are or how you got down here but you just try taking another step and I so help me, I will shoot!" the man yelled, with his expression showing what you vaguely recognised to be agitation.

"I am Guardian Unit-" you started as you stepped forward, only for the man's thumb to rest upon the hammer of his gun, for a shot to be loosed off. You were ready for this however, you were watching his every motion as you followed the barrel of his gun mentally, as you approximated where the bullet would travel, as your body twisted out of the way. The bullet missed you narrowly as you continued forward, without pause in your speech. "-Three-Seventy, lower your weapon and cease hostilities-"

Another gunshot rang out, this one impacting with your chest as it hit you square on, this one causing you to falter as you staggered back slightly. "-Failure to do so will be considered an act of treason. If you do not comply, measures will be taken to neutralise you," you finished, while the man stood there dumbstruck as he watched ichor ooze from the wound. The wound was fast to start knitting as you resumed your approach, while the sound of the door unlocking echoed in the hallway.

Anne almost dived from the room as her hand swung out, swatting the gun from the mans hand as she crashed into him, as she shoved the stout man and the doctor aside, as she ran down the hallway towards you. "Joy!" she cried out, her dress visibly stained with blood, though it looked like the majority of the blood had soaked through the back of it and around to the front. It was consistant you assumed, with her carrying an injured person on her back.

"Oh god, I was so worried about you Joy, when you ran off like that I panicked, and I kept looking for you, and I found Eurochkoles injured and bleeding and... And... There were all these scarecrows about him and... And... They turned and looked at me, then they jumped on the rooftops and ran off... And... I was so scared they'd come after you Joy, and..." The womans arms clamped about you as her emotion coloured voice fell silent, as she burst into tears, burying her face against your neck as she did so.

You watched as the doctor hurried into the now open room, wiggling slightly as you established that the woman holding you had restricted your motion, while the man who had fired at you stared dumbly at you and Anne. You felt uncertain over what to make of the entire situation, as it was so far out of your usual experiences. What exactly did you think was best to do now?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Karnewarrior on August 12, 2010, 02:48:35 pm
Oversee repairs of creator. Make sure the doctor does not screw up. Obtain information about these 'scarecrows' from Anne.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: cerapa on August 12, 2010, 03:45:29 pm
Oversee repairs of creator. Make sure the doctor does not screw up. Obtain information about these 'scarecrows' from Anne.
This and share information regarding new entity.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on August 12, 2010, 04:31:55 pm
Point out that your designation is not "joy".
Find creator, get order validated, validate identity of creator.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on August 12, 2010, 09:56:31 pm
Your head tilted slightly as you recalled how there had been straw scattered over the street that you had gone to investigate, how this hadn't at the time struck you as being signifigant in any manner. The mention of scarecrows however, of things that you knew to be used in the fields on the farms around the outskirts of the city not just seen inside the city, but actively moving was something that you knew was a potential cause for concern. You knew that despite how it seemed you had unearthed a potential new threat, you had something more urgent than the safety of the city to worry about.

You had the potential safety of the creator to worry about.

Your left arm slipped between yourself and the woman who clung to you, your palm pressing to her stomach as she made a brief sound of confusion, before you thrust it forward, breaking her grasp about your neck with ease. The woman staggered backwards a few steps, almost losing her footing as she slipped on the still wet blood, while the silver haired man reached out to catch her. Nothing was more important than the location of, the safety of the creator. Nothing was more important than carrying out orders from him.

If this was him, if this was your creator, if this was the man who had made you, then it was your duty to ensure that he could finish what was started. It was your duty to ensure that he was alive and well, that the spread of the tainted creatures that he had slowed with the creation of the guardians could be stopped. It was he who had shaped you, not the Clockworkers or the Technomancers who often claimed that it was their expertise that was the most important factor in your creation.

You had no memories of what your creation had entailed, no memories of witnessing the assembly of another guardian, yet you knew deep down, you knew that he was the one who had done the most important step. You didn't know what this could be either, though you knew deep down that without what he had done, that none of this would be possible. You briefly considered the possibility that you were compromised in body and in mind, that you were in need of more extensive means of repair than you had initially suspected, though that thought was dispelled.

At least briefly.

You knew that if what you found here was indeed the creator, that as far out of the boundries that had been defined as normal, that this entire experience could be treated as acceptable. As you moved to the doorway you could see the form of the doctor and a figure laying on the bed, a figure with a severe chest wound, a figure who's pale skin and dark hair matched the one you had identified as your creator. A figure who you knew deep down could be nothing but. The fact that he had identified himself, the fact that you knew it deep down to be true still echoed strongly in your mind.

The figure turned slightly, looking across the room at you as the doctor above him started to cut his shirt away with a pair of scissors, piercing blue eyes fixed on your own as he reached out with one hand to you. "Joy," he whispered as you stepped across the room, as you placed the sword you had been carrying down on the bedside table, as you placed your hand in his own as you assumed you were meant to do. "I honestly didn't think that would work, I didn't think you'd hear me and come here..."

"My designation is-"

"I'll bloody well call you Joy, and you'll accept that, understood?"

"Understood."

"I want you to remain here, I want you to ignore further orders from the Clockworkers until I say otherwise, I want you suspend your repair cycle for the time being."

"Understood."

"I want you to forgive me, for making you,"  he mumbled, his eyes closing as he took a deep breath, prompting a sensation of confusion from you as you tilted your head, uncertain over how you could carry out that order. Before you had a chance to comprehend it and to carry out out, he waved his hand dismissively at you, speaking once more. "Go talk with the guild master and Anne, answer any questions they ask," he mumbled, hissing briefly as the doctor started to clean up the area around his wound.

As you turned towards the door, you noticed a letter sat atop the bedside table on the opposite side of the room, one that your eyes lingered on for a brief moment as you took note of the wax seal on it. While you couldn't make the seal out at a glance, something about it seemed familiar.

"That boy's starting to become more trouble than he's worth," the silvery haired figure muttered as you passed through the doorway and back into the hall. "Another one of the Enlightened, and this one thinks she's a guardian," he muttered, while Anne moved over to stand beside you, her hands moving to hold one of yours.

Did you prompt them for an exchange of information on the topic of the winged figure and the scarecrows, did you wait to see if they would ask questions or leave at their own accord, or did you have something else in mind?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Karnewarrior on August 12, 2010, 10:03:33 pm
Engage in a two-sided interrogation. Ask them a question, then answer one of theirs.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on August 12, 2010, 11:42:48 pm
*claps*
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Jabberwock on August 13, 2010, 12:15:41 am
Also examine the letter.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Nivim on August 13, 2010, 05:37:46 am
 Instead of examining something you know to be private until otherwise stated, ask Anne why it has not been read if this is the delivery location, or why it is not being delivered if this is not the correct location. Accurate and efficient transportation of information is very important.
 Insure that a Technomancer joins your multi-way interrogation to see if he has any information to report, since you, Anne, and the creator have not been present to receive such information.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on August 13, 2010, 07:23:20 am
We yet have one order to carry out: "forgive me, for making you"
This sentance is Confusing. Commence careful parse:

"forgive me, for making you" ->
Make so that 3-70 preforms "forgive" towards the_Creator, the parameter for this should be the creation of 3-70.
Definition of "forgive" needed. Obtain the definition of "forgive" from a relevant source.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on August 13, 2010, 07:45:22 am
I don't think our vocabulary has been damaged, we know what forgive means as a word. Although, being able to put it into any meaningful context may be a bit difficult...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on August 13, 2010, 08:13:49 am
well then IC and state the defenition!
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on August 13, 2010, 01:15:38 pm
You made a quick mental list of the things that you needed to inquire about, the things that you felt were most important beyond whatever situational information you could aquire during the conversation you had been ordered to engage in. You had been ordered to talk to them, to answer any questions that Anne and the guild master asked, though the identity of the guild master hadn't been defined. You would have to establish the identity of this figure before you answered any questions from anybody other than Anne, then.

You needed to inquire about the scarecrows that had been mentioned, you needed to see if there had been any other sightings of the figure you had encountered this night. You needed to inquire about the letter you had seen sealed on the desk, due to how the familiarity of the seal was one that seemed signifigant enough to you to warrant this. First however, you needed to establish one detail...

"I require confirmation of identity pertaining to that of the individual known as the guild master," you stated, following Anne and the stout man's gestures as they pointed towards the silver haired man. The man didn't look like what you expected of a guild master, though you didn't know what you should have expected for one. Humans didn't seem to conform very well when it came to clear means of visual identification. The only ones that truly came across as clear and easily identified were the law enforcement that the guardians often worked with in the day.

The Clockworkers couldn't seem to conform to their own uniforms, the Technomancers didn't seem to possess anything of the sort and various other groups seemed to use or fail to use such idenfitication as it suited them. If the humans could have been a little more like the guardians, you would have had no issue with identification, no trouble applying the appropriate classifications and procedures towards them.

"Who are you, really?" the guild master asked, looking at you through narrowed eyes between glances into the room behind you. "You bleed ichor like the Enlightened, just like Anne does-" he was cut off as you turned towards Anne, as you sized her up as if you visibly considered carrying out neutralisation upon her. She was one of the Enlightened, she was one who you were supposed to deal with, though she also accompanied the creator. Had he found a way to prevent her from being a danger?

If he was aware of her nature and hadn't neutralised her himself, then he clearly had some reason for it, a reason that was beyond your authority to question. The incorrect designation of you as one of the enlightened however, had you question the cognitive ability of the guild master and as such his subsequent fitness for his position as the head of this group. "I am Guardian Unit Three-Seventy, My duty to serve in the name of queen and country has been superceded by orders from the creator."

"You're insane, you know that," the guild master muttered, shaking his head slightly as Anne huffed. "Humour me, tell me who your creator is," he continued, waving his hand in a guesture that you couldn't grasp the meaning of.

"I see no mirth in the nature of the creator. The creator has designated itself to be Eurochkoles," you responded, in a tone that could have been taken as flat even for a guardian.

The guild master turned towards the portly man, leaning over as he spoke once more. "We're going to have to confirm that her identity isn't what she claims it is, for the time being though, let the Peelers know we need a few people down here to watch this woman though," he stated, as if you weren't present. The portly man nodded, before starting towards the stairwell.

"I require information," you stated, as you turned towards Anne, prompting her to sigh as her face bore an expression you couldn't quite discern the nature of. Several moments passed silently as she maintained that expression, before frown lines formed as she spoke.

"Well?" she asked, in an exasperated tone.

"I require all information you can provide on the scarecrows, any information over potential encounters with a humanoid bearing white wings and any relevant information pertaining to the sealed letter on the beside table in the room the creator inhabits."

"You haven't opened that letter yet?" The guild master stated with a sharp tone as he turned towards Anne, gesturing towards the door as he did so. "That letter is from the queen herself, god bless her soul. That letter was delivered by hand by her bloody servants, who requested we made sure you got it!" the man yelled, gesturing wildly as he did so.

"Don't you raise your voice with me, I thought it was a letter from you, you old pervert!" Anne yelled in response. "I've seen the way you undress me with your eyes!" Your hand darted out as you saw the telltale signs of muscle movement, as Anne's hand darted out to slap the other man, only for your hand to grasp her by the wrist.

"Cease Hostilities Immediately."

"Damnit Joy, let go of me!" Anne hissed as she tried to tug her arm free. "How could you side with that creep, when we're so much more alike, when we share so much more similarity and history?" she asked, her expression one you assumed was one of hurt. The stronger the emotion, the easier it was for you to read, yet no emotion was easy.

"A guardian does not express preference."

"That isn't true, Joy, you know it isn't true. They express preference towards the rich, towards big guilds and political figures, towards the crown. Don't you try and deny it!"

"Preservation of civilian infrastructure requires those that hold such positions to be preserved. Preservation does not grant immunity. None are granted immunity from the law."

"Right, and what about your beloved creator?"

"The creators word is law."

Anne struggled once more as she tried to pull her hand free. "Let go of me this very instant, or so help me-" she started, only to tumble backwards, landing on her behind as you released her wrist. Her features contorted as her expression betrayed what you assumed to be displeasure. "I once called you my sister, now, I don't know who you are anymore," Anne muttered, as she rubbed at her wrist.

"I require information-"

"Fuck you. I'm not co-operating with you."

"Anne, I suggest-"

"Fuck you, too. I'm going to go sit with Eurochkoles, we're going to need to have a little talk about how to cure both of you of your apparent problems," Anne stated as she turned towards the door and made her way into the room. You turned towards the guild master, watching as he shook his head slowly.

"You, wait here. I'm getting Cog to come tell you that you're a crazy woman himself," the guild master muttered, turning about on his heels before marching off.

You watched the man as he made his way towards the stairwell, making a mental note that you had done as you were asked, yet the outcome was far from satisfactory. You still had questions unanswered, and worse still, you couldn't figure how you were supposed to forgive your creator, over the fact that he had created you. The name Cog however, could only be one man. Arthur Cog, the head of the Clockworkers guild.

You felt uncertain however, your normal cycle was to maintain active patrol until told otherwise. Your orders to remain here from your creator took priority over that, meaning your choices were limited. Did you attempt to question Anne once again, or was there something else you planned to do now?


Spoiler: "Stats" (click to show/hide)
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on August 13, 2010, 01:24:23 pm
Inform creator of the origin of the sealed letter.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on August 13, 2010, 02:45:22 pm
Also inquire creator on clarification on how to carry out forgiveness for creating you.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: cerapa on August 13, 2010, 03:05:22 pm
Current methods are inefficient at collecting information, revise protocol for human interaction.
Attempt to question Anne again after revision.

Trying to get Joy to be less of an asshole.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Jabberwock on August 13, 2010, 03:17:47 pm
We should also examine the sword we took from the winged man for any words or markings or anything that makes it strange.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Karnewarrior on August 13, 2010, 03:40:23 pm
>Examine sword
>Obtain 'forgive' order clarification from creator
>Review interaction with Anne. Attmept to discover the percived misdeed
>Retry conversation with Anne.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on August 13, 2010, 04:50:38 pm
Inform creator of the origin of the sealed letter.
Scratch that, Anne is likely tell him. I had forgotten that she is again visiting him.

I have no further input at this juncture.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Nivim on August 14, 2010, 04:04:41 am
 Your form might be even more damaged than you thought; attempt to discern if you have ichor instead of blood like the guild master implicated.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on August 15, 2010, 03:11:28 pm
You remained both silent and still for a long moment after the guild master had left, mentally attempting to discern the reason behind Anne's outburst, to better allow you to interact with her. If you were able to figure what triggered such volatile outbursts you knew that you would be able to avoid them better, that you would be able to interact with her more efficiently. You couldn't see any reason though, you had been nothing but logical, doing no more than following orders, inquiring about things, interacting as required. You couldn't see how this would have caused such problems.

You turned back towards the room that your creator currently resided within, looking at the form of the doctor, taking note of how his long black coat concealed most of his form. He was tall and thin, with sunken cheeks, he was a figure that looked half dead, fitting poorly with the image of one who sought to preserve life. This very realisation struck you in a way you couldn't explain, prompting you to step inside, to watch closer incase this man was sick, incase this man was some kind of plague bearer.

It was possible that this doctor, this figure was one who was sick himself, from the constant contact he had with others. It was also possible that he wasn't what he seemed. You couldn't afford to take that chance in relation to your creator, to allow an unknown factor such as this to work on repairing him without proper supervision.

You glanced at the sword on the desk as you stepped into the room, quickly establishing its position incase it was required, noting as you did so that it was a weapon of plain nature. It bore no decoration, no signifigant markings. It was a weapon thats very nature seemed unsettlingly plain due to its origins. It lacked any sense of substantial importance, and this itself told you that you should at least investigate it in full, test it when it was viable to do such a thing.

"If it wasn't for his nature, this man would be dead by now," muttered a light yet masculine voice, one that you realised belonged to the doctor.

"He'll be okay?" came Anne's voice as she questioned him, prompting you to turn your attention back to the pair, taking note of how Anne sat with the unconscious form of your creator, her hands in his as she looked up at the dark coated figure.

"He will recover in time, though for the time being it may be best to sedate him, allowing his recovery to speed along uninterrupted."

"How long will his recovery take?"

"That depends on his nature. Some such as himself heal no faster than a regular man, some heal in the blink of an eye," the doctor muttered as he retrieved a syringe and a small bottle from his bag, filling the syringe carefully with a clear fluid as he did so.

"How long will that keep him out for?"

"Long enough."

"Long enough to recover?" Anne tilted her head, looking briefly confused as the man leaned over, his oddly slender wrists visible briefly as his posture had his coat sleeves pulled up.

The doctor was silent for a long moment as he cleaned an area on your creators wrist, carefully administering the contents of the syringe. Once that was done he was fast to place a cloth to the affected area, stemming the small trickle of blood as he placed the syringe down, as he placed the bottle back into his bag and took out a second bottle.

"What's that?" Anne asked, nodding towards the second bottle as the figure carefully started to fill the syringe with its contents.

"This? Have you ever heard of the elixir of immortality?" the doctor asked, as he was met with a shrug from Anne. "Well, it's a mixture of things such as mercury, arsenic, jade. Quite potent stuff," he muttered as he tapped his finger against the syringe, watching the contents of it swirl.

"This'll help him recover faster, due to his nature?" Anne asked, as she lifted the hand she was holding up, pressing it to her cheek as she did so.

"Heavens no," the doctor started as he removed his coat carefully, exposing a thin, wirey body clad in a white shirt and plain brown trousers, a body that looked like it was suffering from a great deal of muscular atrophy. "It was discovered by chance, that this would affect the Enlightened, releasing their accursed forms from this world."

With that the doctor lunged for Anne, who was fast to grab his arms as she tried to kick him off her, though the doctor was clearly a lot stronger than he looked, as the syringe was steadily being pushed towards her struggling form. As you quickly crossed the distance between you and the doctor, you could see his mouth curl back in an impossible manner, exposing rows of blunt teeth as he licked his lips slowly.

Your hand grasped the arm that held the syringe as you attempted to prevent the figure from carrying out his planned course of action. You could feel strength beyond anything you could fathom as his hand continued to inch ever closer to Anne's body, betraying how he was delaying the inevitable intentionally, though you couldn't figure why he would wish to.

"Cease-"

You started, only for his free arm to swing back as the figure sent you sailing across the room, the small of your back slamming into the frame of the other bed as you landed on your behind. You struggled to your feet again as you started towards the figure.

"I am Guardian Unit Three-Seventy, Desist Or Be Destroyed."

The figures head slowly turned towards you, twisting until it held an impossible angle, until he was staring directly at you as that grin he held seemed to grow all the wider. "If you wish to protect the betrayer, then you shall share her fate," the figure stated as his free hand was whipped across Anne's face, before he cast her across the room, leaving her groaning as she held her face. "The cycle must be broken,"

As the figure advanced he seemed to become all the more gaunt, his eyes becoming entirely black as his teeth became needle like. The figure before you seemed to change with every step closer, batting you aside effortlessly as he slapped you aside, as he knocked out of the room before you could reach for the blade that sat upon the table. You slid down the wall as that stunning blow winded you, while the figure continued to advance slowly, speaking as he did so.

"We have waited an eternity for this moment, we shall be denied no longer. The thousand year cycle will be broken no more, and he will rise. It is a pity that you shall not live to see his ascension, that you, one faithful to him had to ultimately stand against him."

The figures words seemed to echo all about you as you tried to stand, as you sat there against the wall trembling, able to do little more than raise your arms weakly as you lashed out, determined to fight until the end. The end seemed closer than you had realised as the figure batted your hands aside effortlessly, as he jabbed the syringe into your neck and pressed down on it. You could feel a burning sensation as the contents of it were pumped into your body, as that toxic mixture rushed through you, causing you to shudder as you felt your body reacting to it, as you could feel every inch of your body quickly feel as if it was aflame.

Your vision started to blur as you looked up at that figure, as your breathing became laboured, your throat feeling swollen as your airways closed. The beating of your heart filled your ears, while parts of your body you were unaware even existed started to hurt, pain flooding your entire body. The figure stood, watching you as your attempts to move, to continue to fight it only seemed to trigger spasms as the figure stood, as the figure looked down at you while you met his gaze with impassive eyes.

You could feel the beating of your heart slow to a crawl, you could feel your lungs burning for air, you could feel your throat swollen, no longer permitting you to breathe. Darkness closed in all around you as you watched the figure turn away, starting back into the room, as you told yourself even now, even with your body failing you that you could not fail.

You could not allow yourself to fail your creator.

You could not...

That thought was the last thing on your mind as your vision faded away and darkness took you, leaving you feeling as if you were falling, as you had prior, when you had taken a gunshot to the head. Falling, ever onwards, ever faster, before you found yourself opening your eyes to that dome, to that place that had been split into three distinct regions.

You lay in the center of that dome, your gaze going this way and that as you took note of how each regions figure was kneeling before you, gazing down at your form. The burnished bronze figure of the guardian, the lady and one you had not seen prior. The figure you had not seen before was that of a hulking monstrosity, a muscular behemoth, a tainted creature of the night that looked down at you with intelligent eyes.

"All Signs Of Life Have Ceased," came the booming voice of the guardian.

"You're dead," the woman with your face sighed.

"Dead," whispered the thing that went bump in the night.

You tried to open your mouth to speak, and yet you found you couldn't, you could only look at these figures, you could only lay there and listen to what they had to say.

"Course Of Action?"

"There is none, we are doomed to die, doomed to perish as our mind dies with our body."

"Unacceptable."

"You think I don't believe that myself?" The woman yelled as she turned towards the figure of the guardian. "I have been trapped in here ever since that day I was made into... Into you, no longer able to see the light, no longer able to feel the wind, the rain, the sun on my skin!" she yelled her breathing becoming heavier with every passing moment.

"Inefficient."

"If I were able I would take you apart with these two hands, you have been the bane of my existance!" she hissed before turning towards you, her hand moving down to stroke your cheek briefly as she sighed, as you felt an inexplicable sense of warmth, of sorrow, of fear and longing. "It pains me to see that what I have become, to see the machine that has ruled my existance since its form was forced upon me. Monster as it may appear, the thing that's nature was infused upon me when I was made into one of the Enlightened is gentle and caring, unlike the true monster here," she huffed, staring at the guardian as she did so.

The thing that went bump in the night reached out, slowly brushing its fingers against your cheek as it took care to avoid injuring you with its talons, while sensations of fear, worry and sorrow filled you. "And so we must die," it whispered, drawing you closer to it, towards the woman that you knew was once you, as the two of them cradled you against them.

"So we must die..."

"Cease Operation."

You were afraid, you didn't want to die and yet your body was already gone, and your mind following. You could see the edges of the regions that defined who you were fading as darkness started to creep in from them, while the figures remained kneeling, the guardian staring impassively at your motionless form while the other two held you as comfortingly as they could.

"I was always afraid that this day would come, I feared that I would one day die. In seeking out a means to prevent it, it seems that I have in the end brought it ever closer," came the womans whispers as tears started to roll down her cheeks. "The promise of such security is alluring when you live in times such as these, when your life may be lost at any time, day or night, to the other people of the city or the things that go bump in the night," she paused, turning to the thing beside her. "No offence,"

The thing merely nodded, while you turned your attention between it and the guardian.

"I just wish... I wish I could have-" the woman started, only to freeze, looking up, your gaze following hers to a figure that had appeared. A figure that you knew well as your creator, a figure that you knew to be the source of the nature of the machine you were afflicted by. A figure that you felt mixed reverence and hatred towards. "You!" the woman hissed, as she clutched you all the tighter.

"Creator." came the guardians voice, while the behemoth that also held you seemed to cringe, as you felt abject terror coming from it, as it started to tremble.

"Monster," hissed the behemoth.

"You have every reason to hate me Joy for what I have done to you, for being the one that allowed mortal men to exploit your condition, to fend off that what goes bump in the night," came his words, powerful yet soft words that made the woman who you had once been falter. "I attempted to prevent-"

"I know what your goal was, but I just can't bring myself to believe that such a noble sacrifice was worth it." she huffed, holding you all the tighter as she did so. "Your moment of weakness caused me unimaginable agony, stole my life away from me, reduced me to nothing more than a mindless shell carrying out a set of tasks for men who sought only to protect their best interests," she snapped, while watching as Eurochkoles moved to kneel before you, brushing his fingers over your cheek as he did so.

"There have been many victims of my actions over the centuries, many that had to die so that all that should be, would be, victims who's names would be doomed to be forgotten, as collateral, as the price that civilisation had to pay for the great evils to be stopped," he paused, shaking his head slowly as he looked up at the woman, as he made eye contact with her. "History may forget them, but I do not. I do not forget all the people who paid the ultimate price because they believed in me. I honour their sacrifice, their belief that they would make the world a better place. My greatest mistake is the creation of the guardians, if nothing else, because those that paid the price did not do so willingly."

"You... Monster!"

"Call me what you wish for that mistake, wish me dead all you desire, but do not forget this. My mistakes are ones I seek to correct, my actions are ones that I accept the consequences of. This was the first time I felt so overwhelmingly guilty over my actions though, my guilt prompting me to take action to ensure I would forget. I cannot forget. I cannot forget ever, and so my only choice is to make right my mistake, to stop trying to run away from that what I created," he paused, looking down at you as he did so. "I have not given up on you Joy, I will find a way to fix what has been done to you, to put who you are in your own hands again."

"How can you do that? If you haven't noticed, I'm dead, thanks to you. My mind is slowly going, as all activity ceases."

"Just believe in me, please. Believe in me Joy, give me the chance to make things right," he whispered, turning briefly towards the behemoth, before his attention shifted towards the guardian. "Three-Seventy, commence assessment of your directives," he stated, turning towards the behemoth again as the guardian spoke.

"Commencing."

"You'll have a five minute window give or take, from the moment you open your eyes," he stated, while the behemoth gave him a look of confusion. "Please, don't give me that. I took you to be smarter than this. Have you forgotten what it is like to feel anger, to feel that burning rage, to be that mighty monster that is feared and hunted when you show your face in the world of humans?" he asked, tilting his head as his tone became mocking. "Come on fatty, you can do it, you can get angry can't you. No? What a pity, you're an incompetant blob of flesh, flabby and impotent, a joke of a Jötunn. The only thing about you that's big is your waistline, you're a stunted little whelp, a tiny terror, only you don't inspire terror. It's no wonder you're dead, if you can't fight back."

You could feel smoldering anger building, burning within the figure of the behemoth as it stood, as it lunged for Eurochkoles, only for him to step close, batting its arms aside as he leaned up, as he whispered in its ear.

"Open your eyes, it's your moment in the light."

Your eyes opened as the pain in your body welcomed you back to life, as your heart started to beat anew, as you felt the swelling of your throat restricting your breathing as you forced yourself to do so. You could hear that gasping, laboured breath fill your ears as you started to climb to your feet, as you felt the mindset you had been used to dissolve as a new one took dominance. Your lips curled back as a feral smile crossed them, as you pushed yourself away from the wall, as you pressed your hands to the floor and flipped yourself up to your feet. You could see the figure still stepping into the room, turning slowly towards you as a look of confusion crossed his face.

Yes, that face, a face that you wanted to remove so much at this moment.

You wanted to hear bones crack and see blood spill, you wanted to devour his flesh, to draw in the scent of his fear mingled with blood as his final breath escaped him. He frowned, clearly wondering how you were on your feet with the toxic substances that rushed through your body, with the fact that for all intents and purposes you should have been dead. The toxins that rushed through you were quite nasty, yet you could feel your body growing hotter, feverishly hot as you started to sweat, as your body started to expel them from your pores.

One hand raised as you pointed at the man, as you opened your mouth to speak, to tell him that for what he had done to you that you would kill him. That you would have killed him had he done nothing to you. You were not fussy, he was there, and you were hungry.

Hungry, hungry, hungry.

No words came from your mouth, nothing but a feral roar as you leapt forward, as your body crashed into his, as your form impacted with him as if you weighed ten times more than your body naturally did. Your hands gripped him, powerful hands, deadly hands. Hands that you planned to use to break his wretched form into little pieces with, hands that you would use to destroy him, to feed him to yourself as you devoured him. Hands that gripped him as you slammed his body into the wall on the far side of the room, a room that bore the scent of blood, of disinfectants, the scent of those two that lived here, the perfume of the woman, the oil of the mans inventions.

Hungry, hungry, hungry!

Screams came from the mans mouth, followed by gurgling as your teeth sank into the side of his throat, as you tore away a chunk of flesh and swallowed it eagerly. Blood sprayed over the wall while the figure thrashed, while one hand moved to slam against his chest, filling the air with the cracking of bones. The figures thrashing grew weaker, slowing as you struck it again and again, as you tore chunks of flesh out of it hungrily, as you devoured it while you assaulted it.

Blow after blow.

Mouthful after mouthful.

The figure was fast to cease movement, to cease breathing, to go limp and lifeless as your efforts filled your belly, as they brought an end to the life of this threat, as they left that partially devoured and shattered corpse laying there. It was only as you lost interest in that figure, as you dropped his bloody remains where you held them that you shifted your attention towards the other woman, towards Anne. She was staring at you in horror from where she lay on her side, her face pale as she trembled, as you started to draw in exaggerated breaths while stepping towards her.

You could also see him, you could see the source of all your pain laying there helpless, in a position that you knew you could lash out at him in. He wouldn't be able to stop you, he was sedated heavily, he was helpless.

Yet...

Yet, you couldn't do so, you couldn't bring yourself to attack him. You couldn't explain why, as you felt such burning hatred towards him, you felt anger, rage and yet...

You felt that when he had given his word that he would help you, that he would try to make right what he had done to you and countless others, that he was telling the truth, that for some reason you could actually believe in this man. You dropped down on your knees as you moved towards the bed, as you lay your head on his chest, as you let out a huff, as you felt the last of the pain relating to the poisoning of your body fading. Your moment in the light was short, you knew that it was only a matter of time before that moment came to an end, before the thing that had been burned into your mind took over once more. You pulled his one arm about you as you closed your eyes, as you left out a sigh, as you spent the remainder of your moment seeking comfort that you knew you wouldn't get to experience again for a long time.

As your eyes closed, a smile crossed your lips.

You were content.

End of Part Four
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on August 15, 2010, 03:21:20 pm
So that's what Jötunn was. Anne had the powers of a vulture, while Joy had the abilities of something much stronger.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: cerapa on August 15, 2010, 03:23:49 pm
That was awesome.

She has a pretty serious case of split personality. I didnt expect the 3rd one to be a thing that goes bump in the night.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on August 15, 2010, 06:36:22 pm
Yup, awesome.

I'll miss 3 70 thou :(
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: GlyphGryph on August 15, 2010, 08:49:10 pm
I don't think 3 70 is gone, what with "before the thing that had been burned into your mind took over once more" being one of the final lines.

I think its just that the Guardian personality is going to re-assert control now.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on August 15, 2010, 08:53:50 pm
((Minorly spoilery on 370's fate:
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Edit: Glyph beat me to it.

On the subject of the direction of the story/game:
Euro's down, Anne's in good health, Joy's not so well off.
If you want to shift back to Euro, it'll be pushing things forward about a week while he recovers.
If you want to shift to Anne, it'll probably be a few days along, when she's not scared of getting near Joy.
Given it was focused on Joy just, she's out for this one, unless more from her perspective's really what everybody wants.
I could go as far as introducing a new character, possibly too.

As always though, it's in those that wish to participate's hands.


Also, I have been toying with the idea of an offshoot game (at a later date) running a RTD/RPG or something of the like, with people given the chance to make characters, like rogue enlightened who got away, lesser immortals, etc, and their (mis)adventures as they do whatever. That'll naturally, come some time later though, when I have some idea what direction I wish to take with it.))
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on August 15, 2010, 08:55:29 pm
I think that the rage managed to expel the poison, and 3-70 will survive, in fact, the death scene right at the very end is the thing that goes bump in the night, and probably a little bit of who she was before the enlightened(Joy was probably a combination of these two, with much less TtgBitN), lamenting that they would be 3-70 for a long time to come...

P.S.
 *claps*

P.P.S.
 Anyone know where I can get some ninja-seeking missiles?

P.P.P.S.
 Posted quickly after second ninjaing to avoid further problems, didn't read latest ninja...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on August 15, 2010, 09:03:06 pm
I don't think we should introduce another character.

I rather liked playing Joy/3-70, but I'd be fine with Anne too. I'd rather not play as Euro, I don't like him as much.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Karnewarrior on August 15, 2010, 09:10:01 pm
Jack, Jack, Jack Jack!
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on August 15, 2010, 09:11:44 pm
Ehh, he's a bit too mad for my liking. Plus, playing him would give us information on his motives, which would mess up the plot.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on August 15, 2010, 09:16:12 pm
What about the angel?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on August 15, 2010, 09:18:47 pm
Must we control another character each time? Also, I don't think it's right to play as an antagonist. It's just not fair for the poor plot.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on August 15, 2010, 09:20:09 pm
True enough, Bay12 generally seems to stink when it comes to resisting out of character knowledge...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Nivim on August 15, 2010, 09:44:00 pm
 I would prefer another character now, perhaps a Clockworker, since we haven't seen that perspective yet, and they can't be completely mindless. Anne's investigations on the attacker and her reaction to Behemoth's brutality would be my second choice, perhaps the better one.

 I am rather disappointed over just how split the Part Four character is. I was hoping for a very adaptive and minded borg, but it looks like a lesser borg, a normal person, and a sentient monster, all crammed into one body.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: nbonaparte on August 15, 2010, 09:48:44 pm
I'd love to be Jack the next one. I think we can do it. If Silleh Boy thinks we're overusing OOC, he can just ignore suggestions that use it.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on August 15, 2010, 09:56:05 pm
I am rather disappointed over just how split the Part Four character is. I was hoping for a very adaptive and minded borg, but it looks like a lesser borg, a normal person, and a sentient monster, all crammed into one body.
Why would you expect a person infused with mutant powers, stuffed into a robot, and then forcibly brainwashed to have a coherent mind?

Personally, I want to go back to Euro-something-or-other.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on August 15, 2010, 09:58:19 pm
I too would rather go to Eurochkoles than to Jack, the Angel, or some new character.

However, I'd prefer to go to Anne or remain as Joy-3-70.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Nirur Torir on August 15, 2010, 10:28:30 pm
I'm not sure who I'd like to see next, but I vote against Jack. I like the suspense of knowing very little about him, and feel that him being an unknown adds to the story as a whole.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Osmosis Jones on August 15, 2010, 10:44:20 pm
In order of pref; Euro, then Anne, then Joy. Agree with Nirur, Jack is interesting because of the mystery, don't take that away.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: GlyphGryph on August 15, 2010, 10:45:23 pm
I concur. I'm gonna vote for Eurochkoles.

Also, if you start an RPG?

I totally call in. I am IN THAT to the MAX. Your setting is beautiful.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: cerapa on August 16, 2010, 02:46:41 am
Dibs on a spot on the RPG.

I would like to go back to Euro.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on August 16, 2010, 03:21:37 am
Oh, yes,very many dibs upon the RPD, I don't really see how an antagonist could be introduced coherently without destroying much of the mystery, however, I am tempted to ask for such on the basis that, should the effort be successful, it would be a different take on the narrative...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on August 16, 2010, 09:06:30 am
I'd also like to be in any RPG you start based of this, probably as a guardian unit.

As for where to take the story next... what about somewhere outside the city? Seeing more of the setting in different parts of the world and so on, a new character that'll turn out to be important later.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on August 16, 2010, 02:37:24 pm
The night was young and filled with the howling of things that went bump in the night.

Your every footfall was impossibly light as you strode through the city, adorned in fresh clothing, a clean shirt, a waistcoat, fine trousers and well made boots. You were a long way from your little kingdom, a long way from the wooden throne that looked out over the fields that were your domain. You were a long way from your subjects, though you knew that you could call them in an instant and that they would be there within moments.

You didn't need your subjects, however.

You had never needed them.

One such as yourself was capable of greater feats than every one of them put together, capable of destroying the indestructible, killing the unkillable. You were the king of the dead, you were the bringer of the end. There was nothing that was safe from you, yet you had no reason to simply destroy everything that you came across. Only an idiot would do such a thing, only one completely misguided by the power they possessed would seek to assert such crude dominance over the world around them by turning it into a dead planet.

Besides, you had your duty.

You had a task to carry out that was more important than rendering this world inert.

Your task however, had to wait, as you had an old associate to visit, you had one in this city who you knew would be interested in the news that you brought to speak with. You had business to attend, business that would go ahead if this associate of yours liked it or not. You were certain that he would be thrilled to see you, that he would give you as warm a welcome as ever, that he would tell you how this time he was strong enough, this time he would destroy you. He was predictable, to the point where you were certain that you could hold the conversation by yourself, while he watched in shock and confusion, before lying about how he wouldn't have said that.

He couldn't lie to you, he had never been good at it.

You had yet to meet somebody that could lie to you for that matter, yet to find somebody who knew how to fool you in such a manner. It was impossible to lie to you, as you were able to see the manner in what the colours of their soul shimmered as they attempted to hide such deception, you were able to see the swirling discolourations that faded into nothingness.

You had never liked the fact that people felt that compulsive need to lie, to portray things in a manner that was anything other than honest. You could understand adding colour to something, playing up details to make it more entertaining to hear about, but outright deception was just not something you enjoyed dealing with.

You paused as you heard a series of overlapping howls echoing from the nearby alley ways, noting quickly from the emerging pattern of colours, oily colours like a rainbow fallen on water that this was a tainted creature, one of the ones the humans had dubbed cerberus to be exact. You had no use for names, no requirement for such tags, yet you had adopted that system of associative tags, of naming things in such a manner because it was required of you. Your master had required you to be able to communicate as such, as he himself could not see the colours of the world, of the soul as you could.

The creature howled at you as it caught sight of you, though you did little more to dignify that threat it attempted to pose, than to turn and look at it. You were disinterested, where as once these creatures had excited you, had thrilled you to have the chance to identify the colours of. They were nothing new now, unlike humans. Unlike those hairless apes who's very nature had so many colours present, so many souls to catalogue, so many differences that even now, gave you subtle variances, unusual mixes.

Your favourites were people that were typically referred to as lunatics, people who's colours swirled chaotically, never quite aligning in one manner or another. In some cases, they referred to these people as suffering a soul sickness, yet they couldn't have been further from the truth. It wasn't the soul that was sick, it was the body and mind, and the soul was merely a means to identify it.

Your eyes met with its eyes, eyes that this thing quickly found itself reluctant to gaze within, eyes that had this thing back down, tail between its legs as it whimpered. It was no suprise that it was afraid, as you knew that it was more sensetive than humans, that it was more than likely aware of what it had just encountered, what it had just managed to escape from with its life.

Ahead you could see the form of the church that was your target as clear as if it were daylight. Clearer, actually. You could see the world in ways that humans couldn't, you didn't limit yourself to the perception of form based on what visible light was reflected from the surface of things. There was something else ahead though, something more within your realm.

The departed.

A procession of river maidens, carrying the body of what appeared to be a teenage child.

Your hands reached up as you moved to the side of the street, removing a bowler hat that had previously been absent, lowering it down to your chest respectfully as you bowed your head. The mournful dirge of the rivermaidens voices echoed out like a eulogy to the life of one who's end had come before their fated time. There were too many factions in this city, too many groups all vying for power, too many acting in manners that were tearing the tapestry of fate asunder, loose threads unravelling from it.

You were going to have to redouble your efforts.

You had to finish working on the final solution.

You listened to the dirge of the river maidens carefully as you discerned that this child was destined to have become a figure of great importance, that they would have inspired great things, that they would have lead people against a tide of corruption. You could also hear mentions of the same faction that you had come out here to talk with your old friend over, the same faction that had recently awakened. Too many factions, too many people vying against all that was fated to be, and here you were, your hands bound to work within the confines of fate by your boss.

The last thing you wished to be forced to do, was awaken your boss.

As the procession passed by, your hand squeezed inward as you crushed the hat you held, before casting it aside as you approached the gates of the church, knowing that for you of all people, your friend couldn't possibly say no to showing hospitality, to making an appearance for you. The gates opened noiselessly despite how rusted their hinges were, your hands pushing as you swung them open, striding up the overgrown path as the grass beneath your feet barely seemed to bend as you trampled it.

The church doors swung open much the same, while you smiled to see the white winged figure that you had expected waiting there, having no doubt sensed your approach. "Jack!" he screamed as he raised one hand, as a flash of light filled the air and in its place a javelin remained. You barely reacted as his hand darted forward, as the javelin hit your chest square on, as it pierced through the body you possessed and exited out your back.

Straw fluttered to the ground as that weapon passed through your body, as the illusion of humanity was dispelled.

"While in these holy grounds, you will show your true face, straw man," snarled the figure, while you merely looked down at your chest, putting your finger through the hole in the shirt as you attempted to fish out the button that you felt had been lost within your chest. "And to what do I owe the displeasure of you crawling out of your hole to visit me?"

"I didn't crawl out a hole, I walked. You should try it some time. What name are you going by this time, anyway?" he was one of the few people in this world that you would not address with your usual politeness, no title given to this figure, no respect.

"What name?" he snapped, looking offended as he folded his arms over his chest. "I am still Michael, as I have always been, as I always have been."

"No, that isn't right. You're-"

"Silence!" he roared, while you merely grinned. Or at least you would have, had you a face capable of doing so currently. "You wouldn't come here, risking your inevitable destruction merely for the chance to irritate me further on what has been a night I would have desired to forget before you arrived, and wished never happened after you did. What game are you playing, Jack?"

"You know, you had a procession of the maidens carrying one of the dead outside just?" you started, tilting your head as you gestured towards the door. "The song they had to sing was one of another severed thread, another part of the tapestry of fate unravelling. They knew the culprits though, they named them. Ghouls. Does that not worry you?"

Michael turned pale as he swallowed, ripples of colours visible as something you clearly attributed to fear showed itself. "Yeah, that's right, you know that when the ghouls awaken, that their masters are not far behind," you stated, turning towards the door as you started on your way out, pausing only briefly to look back at him as the illusion of flesh once more crept over your body, a mouth now present to move in synchronisation to the words that you spoke. "By the way, they almost killed your little Judas. I have no idea why they would want to do a thing like that, naturally."

Your laughter echoed into the night as those sarcastic words rang in the mans ears.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on August 16, 2010, 03:03:28 pm
The plot thickens.

This scene appears to take place after Anne met with Michael, although until the end (with the mention of Judas-Anne), I thought it might be describing a past event, in a flashback.

It certainly seems like Jack is currently an ally (or at least an enemy of our enemy), although the controllable characters don't know it. They do know, I think, that Michael is an enemy, right? I don't recall if Anne told Eurochkoles about Michael's attempt to turn her, and I don't know if Eurochkoles will believe he's an enemy based on 3-70's information (I don't recall if she told them about him yet, anyway).
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: cerapa on August 16, 2010, 03:12:37 pm
Didnt tell yet.

I am under the impression that Michael is attempting to keep the status-quo and Jack has an end goal which obviously requires status-quo breaking. Status-quo is bad for Euro, very bad, so Jack seems to be an enemy of an enemy indeed. However the ghouls, whoever they are, seem to be a mutual enemy of both Jack and Michael.

Who is Judas though?
And how did the ghouls get here from the fallout universe. Did someone blow up geckos power plant or something?

EDIT: And I just realized how big retcons we have gotten. The first post describes us as destroyer of empires and killer of innocents.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on August 16, 2010, 03:21:03 pm
Who is Judas though?
I'm guessing Euro. The question is, why call him Judas?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on August 16, 2010, 03:24:07 pm
Well, all I know is that Judas betrayed Jesus, causing him to die and be reborn.

Presumably, Anne will (or not, but is expected to) betray Eurochkoles, causing him to die and be reborn.

This is based on the fact that someone always betrays him, and that Michael attempted to get Anne to betray Euro.

Here, we see Jack provoking Michael by comparing her potential betrayal to the infamous betrayal of Judas in the Bible. He also makes a curious sarcastic statement, implying that the ghoul's master seeks to prevent Euro's destruction/reincarnation cycle by killing Anne.

We have already observed what was presumably a ghoul attempting to kill Anne in order to prevent Euro's destruction and reincarnation.

Perhaps Jack is allied with the master of the ghoul's, as they appear to have a common goal (the ending of the cycle). Perhaps they have the same master, though I find it probable that Jack's master is deceased.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: cerapa on August 16, 2010, 03:33:29 pm
I think dead and alive arent proper descriptors for the boss of the king of the dead.

Euro was sure that Anne wasnt the betrayer though. I think stuff is horribly breaking down at this point with Michael getting hit with a lamp post and people trying to kill Anne and the tapestry of fate unraveling. I dont think anyone really has any clue what is going on at this point, even though they might act like they do.

Personally I blame supreme beings from another universe orchestrating Euros, Annes and Joys moves.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on August 16, 2010, 03:53:21 pm
The phrasing "straw man" makes me wonder if they in a MSPAsquee way have characteristics of the other meaning od "straw man"...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on August 16, 2010, 08:33:09 pm
It had been a long ten days.

Seven days to recover from a wound to your torso that would have killed any mortal man, three days getting back up to form, dealing with the fallout of the incident that Anne and Joy had caused while you were out. You had heard all about it, how the pair of them had been taken into custody by the authorities after they had found the remains of the doctor in your room, a doctor that they had admitted wasn't exactly human.

Three days of hell.

You had been told multiple times that you were expecting unreasonable amounts of leeway given that you had two of the Enlightened in your charge now. Anne was bad enough they had said, knowing that she wasn't exactly the most stable of people from the way that she had reacted to them at points, with the way she had engaged in your rescue. Joy terrified them. The manner in what she had crushed the doctor had scared them enough, the fact that she had partially devoured him made it all the worse.

Fortunately, Joy hadn't been reprocessed by the Clockworkers when the peelers had come to remove the pair of them, taking them into custody so that they couldn't cause further trouble. Initially it was because they hadn't believed that she was what she claimed to be, and after they had confirmed that she was indeed what she claimed to be, they hadn't wanted to for an entirely different reason.

You.

They didn't want to do such a thing because of you, the guild master of the Clockworkers had confirmed your identity while you were sedated, confirming that you were indeed the driving man behind their entire project. You had provided them with means to interface the basic creations they had with a brain, you had provided them with the means to program a brain to allow it to serve as the thought center of the machine. You had created a jelly like substance that retarded the regrowth of a body once a brain was encased within it, you were the one that had provided the means to think to their initial crude inventions.

When you had awoken he had come to visit you, commenting on how he was shocked when he had heard that you were captured, that this was the first he had heard of your return to the city. He had remained silent, he had informed you, hiding his shock at the mention of your name, at the fact that you had returned. You. The one that had provided the byzantine means of programming the brains of the Enlightened for the purpose they required of them. You. The one who had managed to imprint an override, a failsafe into the entire process.

When he had inquired about you, about the creator, they had all stated that the creator had been located, they had all known somehow that you had returned to the city and that Joy was the key. Never once would he respond with anything other than Joy's designation, never once would he acknowledge that she had once been a person.

Never once, were you entirely sure you trusted him.

Before he had left, promising to visit again yet never doing so, he had left a badge with you, commenting on how upon learning that you were suffering from amnesia that it was odd that you would end up so close, yet so far from home. Home. You had never thought of the Clockworkers guild house as being such. You were officially a member of them however, officially one of their higher ups.

Officially maybe, yet they never mentioned your part in the guardian project.

They didn't want to admit that these creations were not entirely mechanical, after all.

They didn't want to admit that what they had pushed for so hard, the outlawing of the Enlightened, had been for the creation of more of these things from those they captured. You weren't suprised, you knew that if the public knew exactly what went into these things creation, that they wouldn't view the Clockworkers with such favourable light any longer.

Ten days total and most of them confined to bed, most of them a jumble of memories, of dealing with people you could barely recognise with how heavily sedated you were. You had suffered from nightmares though, terrible nightmares of shrouded figures with beaks staring at you from the darkness, figures who stood there silently, ominously.

Ancient and evil.

The nightmares were vague, yet they felt real.

Too real.

You had wondered how you would get Anne and Joy returned to your custody when you had noticed the letter, that letter that had been delivered to Anne some time prior. A letter that you stared in disbelief at the seal on. You knew that seal, you knew who it was from, and you knew that you could use it to secure her release. You knew that the only reason such a letter would be sent to somebody like Anne, was if it was an invitation, or a pardon.

It hadn't worked entirely as planned when you had presented the letter, stating who it was from, you yourself had been arrested. You had were released several hours later as the peeler involved attempted to express how sorry he was, as they had found that this letter was authentic and that the queen had apparently been quite displeased to find that the one it was sent to, was languishing in jail.

It was this chain of events that had brought you to the place you stood now, brought you to Buckingham Palace, with the three of you stood inside the entrance hall as new servants and old alike stopped and stared, some of them approaching you to say how nice it was to see you again, others keeping their distance.

You snapped from your reflective reverie as a man servant approached you, coughing to get your attention before he spoke. "Her Majesty will see you now," came the mans words, while both Anne and Joy clung to your arms, one of them intimidated, the other mimicking the others behaviour, believing it to be the appropriate thing to do.

Anne was bedazzled by the halls that you were lead through, gazing in awe at the decor that adorned the place, at the paintings and furniture that dotted the place, at the panneling that covered the walls. You were familiar with it, knowing somehow that you had been here before on many occasions, almost unconsciously pulling in the direction you were to head next before the man servant himself turned.

You were lead to a study, one in what a figure sat with a book and a cup of tea, a figure who's face lightened up as the door was knocked upon, as her eyes fixed upon you. A figure who you felt familiar with in more than passing, as more than just a subject, more than a citizen who could only dream of such a moment. Anne almost started to hyperventilate as you slipped your arm free of hers, while Joy made no effort to resist you doing so.

"Your Majesty, I present to you-" the man servant started, though you were fast to step past him, doing something that you knew would no doubt sent a look of shock and horror across his face as you broke every form of etiquette involved in meeting somebody of this standing. She was somebody that you had known from a very young age, somebody who you had seen grow up. To others she was the queen of england, to you she was a friend, an equal.

"Alexandrina, it's good to see you again," you laughed, feeling the burden of recent events lifted from your shoulders in her presence.

"Eurochkoles! I am so pleased to see that you are well once more," she responded, gesturing to a seat opposite herself as she motioned for you to sit, to join her. As you pulled the chair out there was a thud behind you, though neither you nor the other womans attention shifted from each other as you settled down.

"She appeared to have fainted Ma'am," came the voice of the man servant. "Should I take her out to get some air?"

"No, set her down on one of the chairs, I will require time with her when she comes too," she stated in response, pausing briefly as she did so. "Once you have done so, you may leave."

"So, how is my favourite little girl?" you asked, prompting a slight blush along with laughter from the woman as she shook her head slowly.

"I am hardly a little girl any longer, though I do appreicate the sentiment that you have always lavished upon me. You still appear just as you did on that very first day we met. Do you still remember that day?" she asked, while you leaned back, closing your eyes as you focused on the memories that you could feel surfacing.

"The day we met... I was introduced to you on a warm summers day, in the gardens of a local lords manor. You looked up at me, clearly tired as a child would be with all the adults around and told me as I started to speak to you, that I was to address you properly. When I laughed you went to tell your parents on me and-" you paused as she interrupted you.

"They told me that I wouldn't get any ice cream unless I was nice to you-"

"-by the end of the day, you weren't paying the slightest bit of attention to a thing I was saying, but you were sat there, looking ever so content as you sat there with a bowl full of ice cream. You then pinched mine, you little brat."

You opened your eyes to see her grinning impishly, before she collected herself, though she could barely supress the smile that crossed her lips now.

"My little princess is all grown up," you sighed, looking down at the table before you as you did so. "Now she's my little queen, who's empire is one that the sun never sets upon."

There was a long moments silence as those words lingered, no doubt serving to remind her of her mortality, of the fact that you had been here before she had been born, that it was possible that you would be here after she was gone. It was a sobering moment during this joyous reunion, a reminder that in the end, you had the potential to outlive everybody, be it in this incarnation or your next one.

You knew that your time was coming to an end, that your thousand years were almost up, that you would have to face one who sought to set that cycle into motion again. Beneath the book she had before her you noticed something now, the edges of a document that bore a familiar emblem printed upon it. A document bearing the form of a cog, the Clockworkers symbol.

"What is that?" you asked, after a moments silence, gesturing towards the document as you did so.

"This? Oh, this book is on the topic of-"

"Not the book, the document beneath it."

"Oh. This is something the Clockworkers sent me detailing how they were unable to obtain a majority vote in parliment to permit them to send operators and guardians out of the city, to investigate why shipments of tin have stopped arriving from one of the cornish mining villages that they have a contract with. I believe they're expecting me to apply pressure to get this overturned, when it appears a lot like their reaction is to make a lot of noise to get their own way."

You mused briefly over this, knowing that if you offered to assist with this matter you could take a break from the city for a short while, though you knew you were in no way obliged to do such a thing. Did you want to handle this matter once you were done here, go visit other cities, or do something else entirely was the question.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on August 16, 2010, 08:49:24 pm
I have no idea for what he should do. Being friends with the queen was a neat and unexpected twist, though.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Karnewarrior on August 16, 2010, 11:28:42 pm
Plot point ahoy!
>Offer to take care of the issue personally, with Anne and Joy. We seem a adequate enough team now, and it'll be good for Joy to have close interaction with us and Anne.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Osmosis Jones on August 16, 2010, 11:40:26 pm
Road trip! Admittedly, Cornwall isn't exactly Las Vegas, but it will do for a change of scenery.  :D
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on August 17, 2010, 12:10:15 am
Assume a less noticeable form and see how far the ghouls have come.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on August 17, 2010, 06:44:14 am
[general expression of praise]
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on August 17, 2010, 07:34:32 am
Road trip! Admittedly, Cornwall isn't exactly Las Vegas, but it will do for a change of scenery.  :D
This. We can go see exotic new kinds of monster!
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on August 17, 2010, 11:45:55 am
"Cornwall," you mused, one hand moving up to rub your chin thoughtfully as you looked down at the concealed document. You were trying to find a good reason to go there, to tell yourself that you truly cared about the Clockworkers plight, that you wished to assist them, yet the reason you were considering this was different. The only reason that you wanted to do this for was much more personal, much less noble than assisting the queen with getting the Clockworkers off her back. You knew she would understand though, that she herself was likely thinking of exactly the same thing when that place was mentioned. "Cornish fudge. I could be tempted to go out there for that."

The woman before you laughed, shaking her head as she did her best to supress a smile. "Soley for the fact that you may find sweet things there, not because you wish to assist a friend out of the kindness of your heart?"

"Well," you paused, tapping a finger against your lips as you did so. "I'll bring back some fudge for you?"

"And...?" She looked at you expectantly.

"I'll make sure those two ladies don't get into it before you do."

Further laughter. "That isn't what I meant and you are fully aware."

"I guess I could poke around and see what's wrong with the miners, too. It's likely that it's just a payment dispute, that the Clockworkers haven't even paid attention to their complaints that they're being overworked and underpaid," you shrugged slightly. It wouldn't be the first time there had been disputes like this, though it was the first time you had heard of the Clockworkers trying to throw their weight around to this extent, trying to send guardians there to intimidate the workers back into service.

"Thank you. I'll inform the Clockworkers that the matter will be handled, that your expenses are their responsibility," she paused, looking up at you with that same expression in her eyes when she had when she was a child. "I will hold you to that, you know. You had better bring me back some fudge, or I'll find a new best friend."

You supressed a laugh, doing your best to hold a straight face. "Well, I had better do my best to make sure you do not replace me with a lap dog, again," you stated, following her gaze as you noticed it shift from you to the two women behind you. You turned, taking note of how Joy was stood in the exact spot she had been left in, while Anne was slowly seeming to come too.

"It is almost surreal to have those two here, knowing what they both are," came her words, while you turned back to face her, nodding slightly as you did so.

"They made me realise that I have a lot of mistakes to put right," you started, pausing to find the right words to express yourself. "The Enlightened are victims, the Clockworkers demonised them, painted them up as monsters and pushed hard to get the current laws that permit them to do as they please with them to pass. They were once just regular people though, people who were afraid of the prospect of losing their lives, afraid of the fact that in these times they had a greater risk of death. Take away the head of their order and they're no different to a regular person in many ways."

You got little more than a nod in response, with the queen's attention on you as she waited for you to continue expectantly.

"Given time, I'm certain that I can come up with something that will show without a doubt that the Enlightened can be turned into productive members of society-"

"-without turning them into those... Things," she interrupted, betraying that she had always known.

Had they informed her?

Had you informed her?

"That wasn't exactly how I planned to put it, but yes. It doesn't sit well with me to know that they grasped that as a chance to expand their power, that I gave them the means for that," you sighed, slouching in your seat as you did so.

"They'll never let you take away their beloved guardians you know, you'll have to fight them every step of the way. You'd have to destroy them, and we both know that this would be bad for the people of the city in the long run."

"Destroy them," you echoed those words, shaking your head as you sat upright once more. You didn't want to think about that, you didn't want to think about taking such a heavy handed approach to matters, destroying something before you tried to take the diplomatic approach. You didn't want to take the diplomatic approach for that matter, you just wanted them to get out of your life at this point, to trouble you no more. "I should go prepare, get ready to investigate this village."

Your change of subject wasn't smooth enough to avoid a look of concern from the queen as she reached out, as she took your hand in her own. "Please, do not over stress yourself over these matters. It was painful to see how afflicted you were last time, I would prefer not to see a dear friend such as yourself in such a state again."

You smiled, ever so slightly as you squeezed her hands. "I shall be fine."

"I shall arrange for the Clockworker's to have one of their bursars accompany you, I fully expect you to return with fudge for me in a few days time, or I may just have to replace you with a dog!" she laughed. "I will have travel arranged for you within the hour, all you need do is be ready to set off once you are called for."

"You must really want that fudge," you responded, prompting a slight grin.

You knew that it was better to be safe than sorry, that there were always risks with travelling. While the London was the only city that seemed to have been infested with the things that went bump in the night so far, there were still evil people in the world. How did you feel it was best to prepare yourself for this journey, for the investigation you had volunteered for?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Osmosis Jones on August 17, 2010, 12:06:41 pm
Grab a few of your weapons, and make sure to bring the ammo to deal with all eventualities, be they man, monster or machine. Also, make sure to grab lots of spare clothing; the countryside is bound to be messy, especially if Joy or Anne get hungry. Also, bathing suits. Take the girls to the beach :P
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on August 17, 2010, 12:12:31 pm
Grab a few of your weapons, and make sure to bring the ammo to deal with all eventualities, be they man, monster or machine. Also, make sure to grab lots of spare clothing; the countryside is bound to be messy, especially if Joy or Anne get hungry.
This.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Karnewarrior on August 17, 2010, 12:46:10 pm
Grab a few of your weapons, and make sure to bring the ammo to deal with all eventualities, be they man, monster or machine. Also, make sure to grab lots of spare clothing; the countryside is bound to be messy, especially if Joy or Anne get hungry.
This.
And some paper. Let's start a journal so that we can get our memories back if we get ourselves beheaded.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: cerapa on August 17, 2010, 01:21:57 pm
Grab a few of your weapons, and make sure to bring the ammo to deal with all eventualities, be they man, monster or machine. Also, make sure to grab lots of spare clothing; the countryside is bound to be messy, especially if Joy or Anne get hungry.
This.
And some paper. Let's start a journal so that we can get our memories back if we get ourselves beheaded.
It will also come in handy if the cycle gets repeated again.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on August 17, 2010, 01:23:12 pm
What everyone else said, and, for emergencies, bring some of that regeneration-inhibiting slime, and perhaps (I'm not sure it would be a good idea, it might be turned against our allies) a small quantity of that pseudo-immortal-killing poison. Oh, and make sure to quickly retrieve some arms for Joy.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on August 17, 2010, 03:11:11 pm
-a few of your weapons,
-the ammo to deal with all eventualities, be they man, monster or machine.
-grab lots of spare clothing; the countryside is bound to be messy, especially if Joy or Anne get hungry
-bathing suits. Take the girls to the beach :P
-some paper. Let's start a journal so that we can get our memories back if we get ourselves beheaded. It will also come in handy if the cycle gets repeated again.
-perhaps (I'm not sure it would be a good idea, it might be turned against our allies) a small quantity of that pseudo-immortal-killing poison.
-quickly retrieve some arms for Joy.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: GlyphGryph on August 17, 2010, 04:02:34 pm
Joy already has arms, you can't retrieve them! They're right there!

Get her some weapons though, yeah.

Does she still have that super sharp, super tough sword? Give her that and a shotgun. She's strong enough she shouldn't have a problem wielding both, I'd think.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Karnewarrior on August 17, 2010, 04:50:36 pm
I'm going to ignore the above post so I can make my own joke.


But bringing extra arms for Joy would be pointless, since she'll just regrow them! Hohohohoho!
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on August 18, 2010, 05:57:40 pm
Bump, also bring food and/or money for food. Or a thoroughly incapacitated Michael.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on August 18, 2010, 06:39:31 pm
The next few hours were frantic, with you finding that a messenger had been sent ahead of you when you returned to the guild house, that a senior bursar from the Clockworkers was already there. You had found that beyond the clothes on your back and the weapons you owned, that you had very little to take with you despite how you knew that you required more than this. You had been scurrying about the city, acting like little more than a scavenger as you did your best to ensure that ends met, that you survived.

It was lucky for you that the bursar that had been assigned to you was onboard with the idea of making the most of this, treating as much of it as possible as a holiday. You hadn't even had to diplomatically approach the situation, no need to cautiously ensure that he was on a receptive wavelength with this entire matter. He had outright stated that as this had overlapped with his time off, that he planned to treat it as a paid holiday, that he would mark down various things as expenses.

With this in mind, you had suggested that you did last minute shopping at one of the more up town markets for spare clothing, as you knew deep down that if there was an incident with one of the two women, that blood was very hard to explain away. Ichor even more so. You picked up several sets of clothing, most of it involving waist coats, shirts, trousers. You even got a spare pair of boots, while Anne seemed horrified at the fact she could barely find anything plain and functional. Both her and Joy came away from the market with several dresses that while still plain, were a definate step up from what they had been wearing.

Your efforts to find something useful for keeping a journal with on the other hand were met with limited success, with what appeared to be a small diary being the best you could find in that regard. A selection of pencils to write with was the best you could do in that respect, though it was likely for the best, given how an inkwell would no doubt stain everything if it was broken, while pencils would give less of a cleanup.

While there were no bathing suits at the market place that you could find immediately, you figured that you would be able to aquire such at one of the seaside towns that resided in Cornwall itself. You were not however, entirely certain how Anne of all people would react to the bathing suits, as you knew that the prudish designs wouldn't sit well with her. She was too wild, too detatched from the society she had once been a part of. You didn't know if this shift in morality that you estimated had exibited at some point after her initiation was truly due to this or not, yet in a way you could relate to this, you could understand that point of view.

Maybe it was because you knew that those bathing suits that you had seen, that concealed most of a persons form were something that was more of an aspect of this era. You knew that you had never worn such at other times to maintain decency when you had gone swimming or the like, as you had never needed to.

Then again, you had seen many countries, many cultures.

You only had the echoes of those memories yet the flow of them was a trickle, a drop of water in the vast ocean of your experiences. There were so many things you had experienced, so many memories absent, that you couldn't help but think that in a way, you were something akin to Joy. Her prior personality was locked away, the implanted one of the Guardian dominating it, while you lacked the memories that helped define you.

You dreaded to think how many lifetimes memories remained to be remembered after this one.

Once you had all these things, along with a suitable backpack to place them all within you set off from the market, finding that the people who had been sent to escort you to the railway station were already there. A man who's expression could have come across as long dead had it not been for the fact he was visibly breathing informed you that the train would be waiting on you when it arrived, so you were to hurry. The way he added that if you made it late, that the railway company would never let go of the fact that there was a day that it was not their fault made you wonder if this was an attempt at humour, or a serious observation, given how there was no hint of humour in his voice.

You hurried back into the guild house, leaving Anne and Joy with the men, taking the backpack with you as the pair of them were lead towards a carriage that sat just out of your initial field of vision, around the side of one of the buildings. You quickly attached a pair of shotguns to the side of the pack, placing a pair of revolvers inside it, along with ammo belts and as many seperate packs ammunition as you could grab in a hurry. You knew you had something for every occasion, that you could sort the individual types out and inventory them later as right now, you had to hurry.

From the room you hurtled up the stairwell, down the hallways and out of the front door, nearly knocking over multiple people as you made your way outside, unable to slow down even if you had wanted to. You hopped down the steps in a series of fluid motions, running towards the carriage as you tensed, as you readied yourself, as you leapt, as you used the railings at the back to help yourself clamber atop it.

With a casual thumbs up as you caught your breath, you let the men know that you were ready to go, ready to head towards the train station.

It was almost surreal to know how you were considered important enough for this treatment given how things had been for you recently, though deep down you knew it was nothing new. Your thoughts went back to some of the earliest echoes you could recall, to the memories of the people that had almost worshipped you as you helped their people find peace and prosperity. You had always been influential, though you couldn't tell if it something you deserved in each case, or if you had nudged things in your favour using your innate talents.

Even if you had nudged things in your favour, you knew it wouldn't be for personal gain.

You wanted the best for people, even when they didn't want it themselves.

That thought caught you offguard briefly, though you quickly forgot it as the surrounding city went by at a brisk pace. One foot hooked under one of the guard rails on the carriage as you took a sharp corner, keeping yourself steady as you mused to yourself. You knew that the journey was going to take some hours by train, that raised the question, how were you going to spend that time?

The first thing that came to mind was sleeping it off, followed by meditation, attempting to remember parts of your life through dreams, working with Joy and finding a convenient compartment to trap Anne in before she became unbearable. Did you want to spend the time resting, working on self improvement, enjoying it, or doing something productive?


((Sorry for the delay. it's been a day filled with distractions and such.))
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on August 18, 2010, 07:23:37 pm
Enjoy one's trip, and talk with Joy a bit too.

If one gets high enough Earth, would one have to sleep?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on August 18, 2010, 08:09:04 pm
((
If one gets high enough Earth, would one have to sleep?

Edit: also, for reference, Euro's last stat entry that I could find with a quick ctrl+f searching for 'presence of'
I really need to organise this, and, you know, keep notes.
I should also probably give you a few points to play with once you're done on the train, now I think about it.

Spoiler: "Stats" (click to show/hide)
))
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on August 18, 2010, 08:39:17 pm
Lets spend some points in water while trying to help Joy.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Ochita on August 18, 2010, 09:09:38 pm
Lets spend some points in water while trying to help Joy.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Karnewarrior on August 18, 2010, 09:12:26 pm
Yes. Water, the most useful of all skills for a good guy.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on August 18, 2010, 09:23:43 pm
Dang, so 2 points in Earth and one can't be ambushed while one sleeps.

Of course, a few points in Water and one can probably hear any normal assassin's heart from 30 ft away, while asleep. I, like the others, vote for all (or most) points to go to Water.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on August 18, 2010, 10:37:33 pm
((Okay, lets do this differently for once. I'll give you two points to work with, and two quick suggestions. If you don't like the suggestions, you're free to pick what you think works better than them, as always. Normally I give the points out at the end of a post, but, as you seem to want to spend the points early...

Spoiler: "One" (click to show/hide)
Spoiler: "Two" (click to show/hide)
))
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Osmosis Jones on August 18, 2010, 10:47:36 pm
Earth + Eye of the Immortal!
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Nivim on August 18, 2010, 10:54:03 pm
 Simple earth and water. He's more fun when he has limits, such as relying on Anne's sight, and requiring cleverness, perhaps even from players, to convince people.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: GlyphGryph on August 18, 2010, 11:11:26 pm
I disagree with all of the above. We should come up with something nice. Something cool!

How much would it be for the ability that lets us immediately detect other immortals that are around?

How much would "enchanced senses" cost? 2 points? (frequent and versatile?)
Enhanced sense of smell, hearing, vision, well above human average but not superpowered.
We can't see in true darkness - but our night vision is far better than a normal persons, and during the day it is sharper.
Our sense of smell isn't bloodhound level, but's it much better than any persons.
Also, hearing and taste.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on August 18, 2010, 11:56:32 pm
Meh, I am not such a big fan of having more presence, it makes a certain amount of sense, but mind control, no matter how subtle, is just a bit... wrong. I would probably stick with the 2 water, but presence would probably be a good choice...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on August 19, 2010, 01:04:10 am
((RAM: It seems most people'd prefer that he didn't get that, so, I suppose we can consider that one vetoed, heavy leanings towards more water.

Glyph: It'd be versatile if it gave access to different visible wavelengths, etc, just boosting his senses would be more frequent/major, as it makes a difference and it's constantly in use yet doesn't give him anything he didn't have access to already. Just enhanced would mean Anne would still have superior night vision to him. And Joy for that matter.
On the subject of detecting immortals... well, yes and no. I have plans that may (or may not!) cover that, if they ever come to fruition.))
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Nivim on August 19, 2010, 01:38:14 am
 Supposedly immortals have a kind of presence they can't hide very well, or at least that's what I gathered from how Eurochkoles was detected. Seems like something that wouldn't be hard for him, but if it messes with your nebulous plot...we'll push for it as hard as we can.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Grakelin on August 19, 2010, 02:08:20 am
(http://images.4chan.org/b/src/1282200812199.jpg)
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on August 19, 2010, 02:40:04 am
...
That is not a valid superpower...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on August 19, 2010, 05:25:21 am
My vote is for both points to go to water.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on August 19, 2010, 09:49:38 am
I vote air, and any kind of ability that gathers information (sensing counts as this)
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on August 19, 2010, 10:26:31 am
For gathering information, we want Water. It's less specific, but covers all sorts of observations, plus it's what most people seem to want. Including me.

I'd be fine with sticking a point in Water and one in Air too, though I'd prefer both in Water.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Ochita on August 19, 2010, 10:40:59 am
No. No air, its already at 7 and that is good enough for now, instead go for water, using suggestion can be over powered. Youll know what I will mean.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: GlyphGryph on August 19, 2010, 11:30:06 am
Bah, don't want more water. :/

I vote earth.  Earth and more earth.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Karnewarrior on August 19, 2010, 11:53:27 am
How much would echolocation cost? Some normal people can do it, you know.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on August 19, 2010, 12:24:09 pm
Ooooh! Or an electric sense!

I change my vote to ecolocation and water.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: nbonaparte on August 19, 2010, 12:24:48 pm
How much would echolocation cost? Some normal people can do it, you know.
Anyone with good hearing could do it. We'll pick that up later from a boost to senses.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on August 19, 2010, 01:14:30 pm
We might pick it up now from our boost to water. A 7 is 16 times better than average, right?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: GlyphGryph on August 19, 2010, 01:26:46 pm
Water isn't physical senses, its emotional and social understanding. It won't help us there, we'd actually need to take the boosted senses ability.

In which case I'm voting for that if it has a bit of support.

Super senses! slight enough now that we can afford it, but across the board super-senses!

We'll add a couple levels of major to it when we get the points...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on August 19, 2010, 01:39:40 pm
Why across the board? I think having one extraordinarily enhanced sense would be better than having all of our senses boosted a little. Also, points might be better spent in fire. We had difficulty beating a civilian in a fight, remember. (Admittedly he was a pretty tough civilian, but still. He was a standard human.)

Basically, I think that Stats are a better use of points than Powers.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on August 19, 2010, 01:43:01 pm
((from the handbook I have sat beside me right now:
Water governs intuition, sensitivity to that which is unseen and unspoken, receptivity, psychic potential, and depth of feeling.  Heroes with strong Water scores are good at sensing lies, feeling magic, intuiting hidden emotions, adapting to new social situations, and so on.  Someone with a strong water score might be "deep" or "fluid".

Basically, the stronger your water, the more you are attuned to the world around you, the stronger the energies you may be able to sense are. While it doesn't tie in directly with physical senses, it CAN help in the absense of them to an extent. For example, you may get a feeling not to continue forward in pitch darkness, pausing to find that there's a drop before you that you would have gone over otherwise.

Now, back to writing.))
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: GlyphGryph on August 19, 2010, 02:04:25 pm
penguify - I think across the board would be more useful as its really only one more point that one enhanced sense, and then every point we add after that boosts ALL of them.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on August 19, 2010, 02:15:39 pm
Oh yes you are right, I forgot about that. Well, it's not a bad idea, and I'm not particularly against it. I just think that at the moment, we could use Water more than we can enhanced senses. They wouldn't do a lot of good in helping Joy, or in negotiating an agreement.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: cerapa on August 19, 2010, 02:25:58 pm
Water is good for understanding the supernatural. A high water is our best bet for avoiding getting the cycle repeated. It would also help to dissuade our betrayer from attempting to do it. Also good for getting rid of the things that go bump in the night.

So, all water.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: LordSlowpoke on August 19, 2010, 02:27:50 pm
Air, so we can become a Legendary Tactican. Then, make up a strategy to recover our memory, and execute it. You know you want to~
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on August 19, 2010, 02:28:53 pm
The train was just pulling up as you arrived.

You were fast to place the pack atop the carriage roof, before vaulting down, taking a moment to set about straightening your attire before you turned your attention back towards the roof rack, before you plucked the pack from atop it. You braced the weight of the pack over one shoulder as the men sent to escort you climbed down from the front of the carriage, moving towards the doors as they went to open them for Anne and Joy. You could hear Anne muttering under her breath, expressing clear displeasure at the journey as she hurried over to stand by your side, while the sound of Joy dismounting without a word followed.

You knew that if Joy was any quiter, that you would barely be aware of her presence any longer with how little she spoke. It was hardly a suprise though, given that the guardians only spoke in a handful of situations, and she was just the same as they were.

It was hard to think of her like one of the guardians though, hard to think of this woman as being something like that. Maybe it was the fact that the form they bore was one of the most definative things about their nature, the thing that had you look at them and think of them as a guardian and not a person. Maybe it wasn't. As Joy took her place at your side, you glanced back again, noticing the bursar moving up to join you now. He was almost as quiet as Joy, though you knew that he was at least human beneath the surface, that he still thought and behaved like a regular person did. The fact that he was planning to write off the expenses from this entire trip as being operational expenses instead of being little more than a holiday said that much.

You glanced around as you drank the details of the station in, taking note of how the train had disappeared behind the main building as it pulled to a halt out of view. The main building was large, with what you knew without setting foot inside, was a domed area inside, an area with platforms lined with shops. The station was a brickwork building, clearly one that was newer than some of the surrounding buildings, though it had the telltale signs of age showing. It had been cleaned recently, yet you could see telltale signs of grime that no effort to clean it would shift, along with some minor damage to the brickwork.

Your attention started drifting upward as you looked at the gaudy advertisments adorning the sides of the building, only for Anne to nudge you with her elbow, bringing your attention first towards her, then towards the men tasked with bringing you here. They were holding out the tickets for the four of you to take, tickets that you could see entitled you to a room on one of the carriages as you took one of them.

"We should hurry," Anne muttered, nudging you again with her elbow as she did so, prompting you to nod, striding through the main entrance into the railway building as you did so. The place was crowded, though the crowds didn't hinder you too greatly as you made your way past the ticket office and through the turnstiles, the scents of food, of people, of the trains themselves filling your nose.

You wished briefly that you had been just a little earlier, that you had a little time to stand around on the platforms, to buy a few newspapers to occupy yourself with on the journey. The bursar quickly excused himself as he made his way towards the head of the train, towards the driver who was stood beside the train, no doubt waiting to be informed of your arrival. You paid little further thought to this as the three of you climbed up onto one of the carriages and made your way through each of them in turn until you found one with several small rooms set into it.

The three of you settled down inside the one set aside for you as you found it, with Anne settling down opposite you and Joy beside you, with your backpack stuffed into an overhead compartment. Not before you removed the small diary from it, however.

As the bursar joined you, settling down beside Anne, who smiled in a manner that made him visibly uncomfortable, you flicked the diary open, pressing a pencil to it as you started to write. As the train started up, slowly pulling out of the station you started to write, writing about your recent experiences. You wrote about how you had come from the prison to this point, the people you had met, your experience meeting with the queen, finding that she was an old friend.

You wrote, while Anne watched on confused.

"Is that... Greek?" she asked, gesturing to your handwriting as she reached across the table, attempting to snatch the diary from you. You slapped her fingers with the pencil in hand, prompting her to pull her hand back with a huff, her expression betraying how she was hurt that you had done so.

"You can read Greek?" you responded as you finished writing up the last things you felt you needed to get down immediately.

"No, but-"

"Good."

"What do you mean, good?"

"This is private, if you could read Greek I would-"

"Are you Greek?" she asked, tilting her head slightly as she did so. "It would explain why you have such an unusual name."

"Eurochkoles isn't a Greek name, and no, I'm not Greek."

"It'd have explained a lot about you, you know, with how you seem to-"

"Not another word," you narrowed your eyes, prompting Anne to huff as she gave you an indignant look, while the bursar glanced between the two of you and shook his head. "If I had started writing in hieroglyphics, would you have asked if I was Egyptian?" you asked, tilting your head as you watched Anne shake hers.

"I guess not. You're too pale to be Egyptian. Too pale to be Greek for that matter. Why are you so pale, for that matter?"

You glanced towards the window, watching the scenery go by, for a moment losing yourself, immersing yourself in the sounds that the train made. You could hear the sound of the steam engine, the sound of the wheels as they went over the track. You could picture the entire thing in motion, slowly reverse engineer it in your mind, work out how the various components of the train worked in conjunction with each other.

"Not going to answer me?" Anne asked, huffing as she brought your attention back towards her.

"No. I believe I will try and sleep until we reach our destination," you responded, turning towards Joy as you did so. You had better things to do with your time than put up with Anne entertaining herself at your expense.

"Joy, get some sleep. If there's any trouble for us to deal with once we arrive, we'll need you ready to deal with it," you stated, though this wasn't the true reason that you wanted her to do such a thing. You wanted the part of her that referred to itself by its designation of Three-Seventy to go dormant, you wanted her asleep so you could attempt to communicate with the woman that was still trapped within.

"Understood," came Joy's response, her eyes closing as she complied with your order, while you followed suit. You could hear Anne sigh as your eyes closed, as you did your best to relax as you drifted off to sleep.

Even as you drifted off, you focused on attempting to find your way into that dream world that you had experienced many times before, seeking out Joy, figuring that you would better be able to assist her from within the realm that defined her than by dealing with the guardian personality.

You could feel that familiar sense of disconnection from your physical self.

You could feel yourself falling, tumbling into the inky void.

Falling...

Until your eyes opened once more.

Your eyes opened to the dome that depicted the parts of Joy's mind, to the three parts of what defined her, the three things that composed her nature. You wondered absently if Anne's mind would be composed of two or more parts, if all of the Enlightened were composed of multiple aspects like this. It made sense to think this, to consider that the human part of their personality co-existed with the tainted nature that they had embraced.

"I didn't expect to see you back so soon," came a familiar female voice from behind you, though you didn't immediately turn that way, instead opting to take a long moment to observe the figure of the guardian stood motionless in its own domain. It was clearly in a state of inactivity, likely imitating the behaviour that it would exibit when being maintained even here, even now. "So, to what do I owe this... Pleasure?" came the voice once more as you turned to face her.

"I wish I could figure a way to get that part of you to sleep, without your entire body following suit," you muttered to yourself as you looked over the woman, over the figure you knew was once Joy. She looked different, a well tailored dress adorning her form, flowers in her hair. You wondered briefly if this was representative of a better state of mental health, if this part of her was happier, held hope and its physical form reflected it. "I came to spend time with you, to help you grow in strength, in awareness."

"Is that so?" she asked, raising an eyebrow as she did so. "Pray, tell, what makes you believe that this will help me in the slightest in my predicament?"

"To put this simply, your original nature has been supressed by what was done to you, with a dominant personality put in its place. If I can help you to become stronger, to assume the role of the dominant personality, then maybe, just maybe-" you paused, glancing towards the other domain as you did so, the overgrown one that the behemoth you had seen prior lurked in. "Where is that thing?"

"She's sleeping," Joy stated as she shrugged her shoulders slightly. "She does so most of the time, it's part of her nature," she continued, prompting you to nod slightly.

"As I was saying, I believe that-"

"That's your problem, you believe too much," came a voice from behind you, prompting you to turn, finding yourself face to face with an armoured figure, a figure who's features were indistinguishable from your own. The figure merely grinned as you stepped back in shock, as you took note of a tiny puncture wound in the side of his neck, dried blood over his neck and armour. "Believe, believe. Change all you want, you'll never change your fate."

"Believe what?" came Joy's voice from behind you, prompting you to turn towards her. "You just cut off mid-" she paused half way through a word, while you glanced back for a brief moment to see that the figure was gone, then back towards her again. "You're even paler than normal, you look like you've just seen a ghost."

You took a deep breath as you attempted to collect yourself, as you asked yourself if you wanted to continue to talk with Joy and assist her, or if you had a change of plans?


Spoiler: "Stats" (click to show/hide)
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on August 19, 2010, 02:36:18 pm
Note to self: Invest in armor that covers the neck...

Keep talking for now.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: cerapa on August 19, 2010, 02:38:34 pm
Damn, our last cycle was an asshole.

Talk with Joy.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Nivim on August 19, 2010, 09:00:47 pm
 It did seem like he was from the first post about mass murder. It could also be the part of Eurochkoles with the knowledge about just what happens every thousand years, and is embittered by it.

 Joy and Eurochkoles: Dig for memories together, share a little.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Karnewarrior on August 19, 2010, 10:10:04 pm
Greet new friend with courtesy and politeness. Have a gun at the ready.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Nivim on August 19, 2010, 10:30:58 pm
 Karne, he's already gone and a gun wouldn't help us in the dream world. At least not in the same way it does in real life.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on August 19, 2010, 11:59:42 pm
"A ghost," you echoed, shaking your head as you did so. You didn't know what to call it given how she clearly seemed not to have seen it given how she hadn't seemed to witness that same vision you had. You didn't know if it was a ghost, if it was an echo of a former aspect of yourself that was long forgotten, or if it was merely a hallucination. If anything, you didn't want to dwell on it, you wanted to help Joy, to help alleviate that guilty weight that burdened you still. "No, it wasn't a ghost. It's nothing to worry about, though. Not when the most important thing for me to worry about, is you."

Joy smiled slightly, shaking her head as she wagged a finger. "Flattery isn't going to have me forgive you so easily," came her words as she paused, her smile becoming a touch wider. "It is nice however, to have somebody do so after so long. Tell me though, and honestly please, why is helping me so important?"

She was looking up at you expectantly, innocently even. If you hadn't known better you would have fallen for this, found this petite woman to be disarming and lowered your guard. Still, honesty was the best policy, as a web of lies was one that would catch up with you in the end, give you more trouble than it was worth dealing with it. Well, not always, there was always lying to protect someone, though times like that occured much less freqently, than the times in what regular people would find ways to insert lies into every day conversation.

"Honestly," you started, "using that look doesn't work on me. If you want to know, sit down with me and we can talk", you stated, gesturing towards the chairs in her domain as you did so. She pouted briefly, though that pout was fast to fade as she no doubt realised that wouldn't work on you either. You walked towards the chairs in the part of that dome that represented her, pulling them out under from the tables first for her, then for yourself.

"So, what are you up to, then?" Joy asked before you had even seated yourself, her hands tapping against the tabletop almost excitedly. This wasn't much better than the previous attempt to manipulate you, you noted as you settled down, as you placed your arms atop the table casually.

"I have already told you. Helping you is one of my priorites right now, that is what is so important to me, that is what I am up to. Believe me or not, I plan to help you, I plan to-"

"You have said this before."

"I am quite aware that I have."

"Lets talk about what spooked you so much then, as that's at least new," Joy shrugged, her one hand moving to support her chin, while the other traced patterns on the table before her. You cringed inwardly as she suggested this, not sure that you wanted to think about it just yet. You could see from her expression that she was going to pursue this topic all night if she had to, however. To what end you were uncertain, though it wouldn't have suprised you if she wanted to know a means to get under your skin.

"It was me, and yet it wasn't."

"Please, don't give me that and expect me to drop it. It's bad enough that I can't stop you from invading this refuge, but for you to-"

You narrowed your eyes, silencing her immediately as your expression darkened. "I saw myself, I saw the same person that I have seen in a dream, the same person that I know died a thousand-"

"You know, if you can invade my dreams like this, force yourself into this part of my mind... Is it possible for you to show me the inside of yours?"

"I... I guess I can try and show you. I'm not entirely certain how I get here, let alone how I would get you there," you sighed, thankful at least that she had lost interest in the prior subject. You reached across the table as you took her hands in yours, taking a deep breath as you closed your eyes, as you tried to focus on moving from this dream realm to another, on holding onto her so she could join you.

There was a brief sensation of motion in the pit of your stomach.

A brief sensation as if you were falling in a direction you didn't know existed.

Your eyes opened again as you found yourself in the find that you had seen several times before, a field that was once more scarred by the signs of war, with bodies littering the ground around a figure who lay motionless in the arms of a woman, a woman who's appearance you knew all too well.

Anxiety, she who makes you falter.

This time the dreamworld was different though, this time it was less a twisted memory from a new perspective and more of a recollection of the end of a prior life. You were seeing this memory clearly for a change, instead of as part of a feverish dream, distorted so that it only bore a passing similarity to the true events of the day it was based upon. The woman was in tears, sobbing as she held that figure in her arms, the same words whispered over and over again as she cradled that motionless figure in her arms.

"I'm sorry, it wasn't supposed to happen this way, I had no choice, please forgive me!"

You turned slightly to see what Joy made of this, only to realise that you had lost her, that she hadn't crossed over with you, prompting you to curse silently as you turned your attention back towards the woman you knew all too well. You could see the puncture wound on that figures neck, blood coating the womans hand from that wound she had dealt, though there was no visible weapon in her possession that could have caused it.

"Why?" you asked, as you moved to kneel before the woman, though the absence of reaction from her told you that you were only a spectator to the carnage that had happened in these green fields. She could not see or hear you, yet you could see the bloodshed that had taken place, you could see the sea of bodies that dotted the formerly pristine landscape.

"Why indeed," came a voice from behind you, as a gauntlet clad hand came to rest upon your shoulder. "That is the same question I asked myself as I felt my life fleeting, as life fled me through a tiny puncture wound in my neck."

You turned to face this figure, knowing that if it was you that you could ask them questions, that you could try and find out more about what had happened, the events that had lead up to this moment. The thousand years that this figure had lived through before they had been betrayed.The moment you began turning, you felt the weight of their hand on your shoulder vanish, along with them.

You scowled slightly, figuring that you'd at least spend a little longer with this prior incarnation of Anne on the off chance that you would be able to find out more from her. This too, proved to be impossible as the moment you turned back towards her you found yourself face to face with her, with green eyes staring back at you.

The shock of this had you awaken with a start, only to find yourself in exactly the same predicament, with a pair of green eyes inches away from you as Anne sat there face to face, propped atop the table. She was grinning, inadvertantly adding to how you felt that you had awoken from a surreal dream, to a surreal situation.

"I'm bored. Lets play!" came her words as her grin widened, as she reached for your hands to take them in hers. Her eyes sparkled with mischievous intent, while her voice was but an enthusiastic whisper. "Those two are asleep, so we can go get into trouble without them knowing. We could climb atop the roofs, or-"

You raised one finger, pressing it to her lips as you did so.

"How about we start with finding out if they serve tea and cake, and move onto mischief from there?" you asked, prompting a nod from Anne as she reached for your hands, as she pulled you from your seat and out of the room.

"Cake is good, too," came her words, before she turned back towards you. "Don't worry, I have... Aquired some money to pay for it," she stated, grinning once more as she did so.

Despite sleeping, you felt as if you were far from well rested, feeling as if the entire experience had left you drained of energy, though this wasn't what troubled you. What troubled you, was the role that Anne had played in this entire dream, a dream that you weren't entirely certain you could, or should trust yet. Did you plan to discuss it with her, merely watch her, or handle the situation in another manner, was the question.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on August 20, 2010, 05:10:58 am
Hmmmmmmmm, lets wait on it for a bit...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: LordSlowpoke on August 20, 2010, 05:14:23 am
Devour copious amounts of cake. What could go wrong?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: cerapa on August 20, 2010, 05:17:32 am
The cake is a lie.
You know it was coming.

Anyway, eat cake.
Does Euro know about the angel guy? If not then ask her questions.

Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Karnewarrior on August 20, 2010, 12:56:18 pm
Tel Anne about the dreamworld over cake. Tell it truthfully, but tell it in such a way as that she doesn't get upset.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on August 20, 2010, 01:19:57 pm
Tell Anne about the dreamworld over cake. Tell it truthfully, but tell it in such a way as that she doesn't get upset.
I would second this idea.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on August 20, 2010, 08:30:18 pm
Hand in hand, Anne hauled you despite your reluctance through the train's carriages, seeking to find if there was one set aside for dining in. The odds of there being one were fair, you had to admit given that this was a long journey by train, with how you could just see the people of this country with their current level of social development viewing one as a worthy addition. Your feet felt like lead, and your legs rubber as Anne pulled you onward, making you question if you had truly awakened, if you were still dreaming.

You wouldn't have been suprised if you were, if this was all part of the dream world that you had entered, that you had failed to escape it with what you had believed was your awakening. Your free hand moved unseen by Anne up towards your face, rubbing at it briefly before you pinched the bridge of your nose. The pain you felt, stinging and insignifigant as it was, was enough to make you at least certain that you were awake.

After passing through a number of carriages with people of high standing seated, you came across the one that you were looking for, one that was decorated with the type of extravagant and lavish attention you had expected. Wooden panelling that had been styled and vanished, along with expensive looking wallpaper lined the walls, small tables with clean cloths draped over them, lamps and crockery placed ready for use. There were a number of people sat at tables to themselves, people who seemed to be ill at ease with the manner in what Anne burst into the room with you.

You didn't care what those pretentious idiots thought though.

You just wanted peace of mind, to awaken from the nightmare you were living.

Anne picked a table near the window, picking up the menu that was set atop it as she did so, pausing as she briefly ran one finger down the list of things on it, before she turned to see if one of the serving staff was available. You settled down opposite her, drawing in a deep breath as you did so. You could smell perfume, cinnamon and cloves, the scent of fresh food, tea and freshly baked cakes. They were some of your favourite things, such simple pleasures, and yet...

These pleasures were overshadowed by that reoccuring memory.

"I had a dream about you," you started, watching as Anne's attention turned back towards you, as a smile crossed her features, as she set that menu down briefly. You could see how this pleased her, how she seemed to be secretly flattered by the fact that you were telling her this. This depth of understanding caught you offguard, realising that your senses had sharpened further in your sleep, that part of your potential was still returning.

Was it too little, too late, or would it be enough to make a difference?

"What was the dream about?" She asked, her elbows placed atop the table as she cupped her chin in her hands, her fingers pressing to the sides of her face. You knew that with a mind like she possessed, that she would be fast to try and figure it out, though likely far from the mark in this case. "Was it a dream that tired you out, a dream in what you did things you cannot repeat in polite complany?" she asked, tilting her head slightly as her hair spilled over her fingers. "Shame on you, for dreaming such things."

"If this dream is considered to be indecent in such a manner, you must take such pleasure in your own sorrow."

"Huh?" Anne's expression betrayed her confusion, betrayed how she hadn't expected this response to her question.

"I dreamed of my death, a death that I suffered at your hands," you paused. "I have dreamed of this before, yet this time it wasn't a distorted dream, it wasn't something that felt real yet only told half the story."

Anne swallowed nervously as she turned pale, as her hands moved to rest on the table before her, clasping as she waited. She was waiting for you to lash out at her no doubt, to express anger, to tell her that you wanted no more to do with her, that you wanted her out of your life. She knew though, she knew of the signifigance of this dream and she was hiding something. She was hiding something, and you could feel it, you could feel that sense of shame that she held for holding this secret from you. It was no doubt one she was afraid to tell you, though.

"You looked distraught, as if what you had done was the most horrible thing you had ever had to do in your life. You wept for me, you begged for my forgiveness, you wished that there had been another way. Another way for what, I do not know, though what it does not change what I saw. It does not change the fact that you were horrified that you had been forced to carry out such an action," you smiled, reassuringly. "While I would hope that this lifetime does not end in the same manner for me, I will not fight my fate at your expense. I will not think of you any less fondly than I do now."

Anne swallowed once more as she fought to find the courage to look you in the eyes, her voice but a whisper as she spoke. "Why don't you hate me?" she asked, trembling now. "Why can't you hate me, save yourself from your fate by getting far away from me?"

"I tried a lifetime of solitude and peace, once..."

"How did that go?"

You paused, struggling to recall the details of that life, struggling to remember how it had come to an end. "I was a hermit, I lived in the middle of nowhere, at one with nature, with my surroundings," you breathed out slowly, closing your eyes as you did so. "My time came while I was meditating beside a waterfall, when a woman, when you walked across a bridge that lead over it... You cast a piece of jewellery from the bridge, into the river, a river that was said to bring fortune to those that sacrificed something of value. Chance would have it, that a gust of wind cast this silver pin that you-"

Anne had turned deathly pale, her lips moving as she tried to speak, as she mouthed the words "I'm sorry" over and over again.

"I do not blame you, you are as much a victim of fate as I am. I can see that you do not wish to see this happen, that you do not want to be the one who I am fated to die at the hands of, so let me propose something," you paused, reaching to take her hands in yours as you did so. "Fight this fate with me, do not allow what has been preordained to once more come to be. Define your own future with your actions instead of allowing fate to define it for you."

"But-"

"No buts, no giving in, fight it. Fight it with me, become the master of your own destiny," you paused, glancing over Anne's shoulder as you did so. A smile came to your lips as you took note of the approaching form, before you spoke once more. "Before we fight our fate however, I believe we have tea and cake to order. We should take some back for the bursar they sent with us and Joy. Do you think Joy'd admit she's a woman when cake's involved?"

Anne laughed slightly, "I feel terrible right now," she responded, though she lifted your hands, holding them in hers as she held them to her cheek, as she let out a soft sigh. "Cake will cure that, though. The more icing and cream, the better it'll cure it. Joy might be beyond cake, so... I'll have to eat her cake, too," Anne nodded, though you knew she was putting on a brave face, you could tell she was still shaken deep down.

That hadn't been your intent, yet it seemed that despite your efforts, you hadn't been able to avoid it. At least she believed you when you made it clear that you didn't hate her for her role in your entwined fates, that you wanted to help her, that you wanted to break that cycle for both of you. After placing your orders for tea and cake, after Anne had passed over the money for the order, you found her gaze falling on you again, as she looked at you expectantly.

She was waiting for you to say something, for you to take control of the moment, to tell her what you were planning next, to help her pass time on this journey. It was odd in a way to think that the one who was fated to kill you seemed to be so dependant on you. The question remained though, how did you plan to spend the rest of the train journey?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on August 20, 2010, 08:39:25 pm
It is a good chance to work on Joy, except for the relatively innocent bystanders....
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on August 20, 2010, 09:02:14 pm
Not an actual suggestion for what to do right now, but do we lose our memories each time we die? Does Anne, when she kills us? Or did we only lose them this time due to whatever we did to ourself?

If we don't lose them, is there even anything wrong in letting the cycle continue? Other than the pain of dying (and for Anne, the psychological pain of killing us), of course.

One more question, how long do we have until our fate is supposed to kill us? Do we remember what season it was when the hermit died? It didn't seem to be winter, but that's not very specific.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Karnewarrior on August 20, 2010, 09:24:14 pm
"So, Anne, what was it you were saying before I told you about my dream?" *Smile*

But no, really,
>Converse with Anne. Try to calm her down.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on August 20, 2010, 10:55:27 pm
((
Not an actual suggestion for what to do right now, but do we lose our memories each time we die? Does Anne, when she kills us? Or did we only lose them this time due to whatever we did to ourself?
Spoiler: "Minorly Spoilery" (click to show/hide)

If we don't lose them, is there even anything wrong in letting the cycle continue? Other than the pain of dying (and for Anne, the psychological pain of killing us), of course.
This, I can't answer without spoiling things at the moment, sadly.

One more question, how long do we have until our fate is supposed to kill us? Do we remember what season it was when the hermit died? It didn't seem to be winter, but that's not very specific.
I'll add a little flavour for this in the next post.))
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Nivim on August 20, 2010, 11:20:33 pm
> Tell Anne that you also saw Joy in a dream, not 3-70, but Joy. Although cake might not be enough, you think this trip can bring her far towards restoring herself.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on August 21, 2010, 03:01:25 am
Maybe our next couple of points should go towards the dreamworld...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Karnewarrior on August 21, 2010, 09:49:25 am
Quote
>Converse with Anne. Try to calm her down.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on August 21, 2010, 01:33:31 pm
A couple passed by you as you sat there with Anne, a brief moment of silence filled with her awkwardly fidgeting with one of the tea cups that had been placed on the table prior to your arrival. Your attention briefly shifted across to them as you took note of how the woman was dressed in finery, that the man was dressed like any well off gentleman should be, yet, you could see that they were not happy. You could see from their body language that they were ill at ease with each other, that it was all smiles on the surface while deep down they were reluctant to be near each other.

You rubbed at your forehead as you turned away from them, glancing at the maids, the tired women working to clean the tables and make them presentable. An endless, thankless job no doubt, that you could see they despised deep down. You took a deep breath as you did your best to mentally drown out the ease with what every detail of these peoples body language came to you, presenting you with a new level of detail that you had missed before. A level of detail that you felt overwhelmed by, and yet, you knew that you had been familiar with it before, you knew that you had read people like books at one point.

"Are you going to be okay?" you asked, as your attention once more fell on Anne, while she gave a half hearted nod in response, doubtlessly struggling with inner conflict over this matter. There was more than that though, there was insecurity, there was-

You rubbed at your eyes as you took a deep breath, once more attempting to drown out everything that had started to reveal itself to you. It was akin to finding that after a lifetime of being half blind you could see clearly, that the world was presenting itself to you, with the overwhelming details being enough to give you a headache.

"The people here are too loud, once they bring the tea and cake over we should head back," you could see Anne's confusion as she glanced around, as she looked for the so called noise you were troubled by.

"It's pretty quiet in here right now, are you feeling-"

"I'm struggling to drown out how these people's body language, the manner in what they carry themselves, the manner in what-" you paused, watching as Anne tilted her head slightly. "I can read them, but I don't know how to drown it out right now. I can see the resentment of husband and wife, the way that the maids are sick of their work-"

"Those are all things people are used to seeing, you know. You're just making excuses to get out of here, you're not seeing anything out of the ordinary."

"Is that so, little miss insecurity?" you breathed out slowly. "Would you like to tell me why you became all the more nervous when I said that I could read them?" you continued, pausing as you tilted your head slightly, resting your cheek against your hand as you placed your elbow against the table. "Would you like to tell me that it isn't nervous fidgeting i'm seeing from you, that i'm wrong when I say that there's more troubling you than just the nature of the dream?"

Anne bowed her head slightly. "You make me feel inadequate, you make me feel like I am little more than a burden to you. You're stronger than me, smarter than me, more perceptive. You don't need me, you have Joy, who's quiet and obedient, she isn't impulsive and troublesome like me, she's strong, she's... She..."

"She's boring. She lacks the spark of life, she carries out orders but she doesn't have a human touch to add to whatever she does. You're wild, you're free, you're alive, you're not afraid to go against what society expects of you, to be your own person, don't measure yourself against others, for you will forever live in their shadow."

Anne nodded slightly, sighing as she did so.

"How about once we've eaten, we go back and see if we can get a reaction out of Joy with the cake, with the prospect of ice cream, fudge, a trip to the beach?"

"I don't see her caring about that, though."

"No?" you paused, smiling as a maid came with a pot of tea, with a tray filled with various cakes, placing the two before you before she left without a word. "While I was dreaming, I met with Joy, too. She isn't too happy with me, especially given the fact that the guardian personality dominates her mind, preventing her from being her own person again, but, that doesn't mean that we can't try and coax her to the surface. I'm sure these things, things that a person would enjoy, things that a guardian would never partake of, may go a long way towards helping her."

"But... You don't need me for that."

"You're both a woman and a person with whom she has history, I'm the man that ruined her life. If anything, I believe she will react more favourably to you, towards a friend. You may doubt yourself, but I do not. I believe in you Sabrina, like it or not."

The mention of her name had Anne cringe, though it was clear that she didn't have anything other than excuses for why she couldn't co-operate with you here and help you. Excuses that she seemed almost ashamed at the concept of giving you, it seemed, given how she sighed, given how she started to pick up and stack cups and saucers ready for use. "You better not let her take the cream filled ones first, they're mine."

You merely smiled, taking the teapot in one hand and the cups in another.

as you started back towards the carriage you had originally come from, you sighed, wondering how long you had before fate was supposed to take you, before you started the cycle all over again. You knew that the nearest you had to a clue was in the dreams you had, that they bore a clue, that they were the only clue you had right now. The memories of life as a hermit, of the warrior who had fallen on the battlefield, there was something that they both shared, something that you were missing in both of them.

You stepped from one carriage to another as you made your way onward, glancing out the window as you took note of the trees outside, your eyes for a moment lingered on their leaves. The leaves of them were naturally green, healthy despite how spring had been cold and the onset of summer that was upon you had been little better. The season had been one that had greenery, one that had things in the full bloom of life. Green grass, lushly covering the landscape as far as the eye could see in the warriors lifetime, and trees filled with leaves.

It must've happened around late summer, maybe early autumn.

Your attention snapped away from this as you took note of figures on horseback riding along one of the dirt paths that ran alongside the train, figures who were armed, with their faces obscured by scarfs. Figures who you could see malicious intent in as they came alongside the train. You sighed, shaking your head as you hurried up alongside Anne, setting the teapot and cups down on the table that split the room you had on your carriage in two.

It seemed you couldn't go anywhere without getting into trouble.

You knew that these people were most likely amateur's attempting to make easy money by robbing the train, people who were armed. You knew that it was too late to alert others, though it wasn't too late to do something about them. Did you want to get involved, though, or did you want to sit this one out and stare them down if they came your way?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Karnewarrior on August 21, 2010, 01:41:24 pm
Go give a show of massive, godlike power. Ham it up. Be pissed the fuck off that they would even think about robbing anyone. Make sure that you scare them so hard, they piss on the tail tucked between their legs. Then, go have some cake.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: cerapa on August 21, 2010, 01:43:06 pm
Use your new reading abilities and freak them out. Find what they want and convince them to get it in a good way.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on August 21, 2010, 01:54:03 pm
Are they armed with guns? How far off are they?

If they could probably manage to hit you, then shoot them quickly, starting with the ringleader, before they have a chance to react. (If they're amateurs, they wouldn't be that good while riding on horses)

If they probably couldn't hit you, order them to leave with our aura on full awe/fear. If they refuse, shoot the horse of their leader, then order them again. If they're somehow still not leaving, shoot the rest of their horses. (I feel kind of bad for the horses, but the lives of a few horses aren't worth risking any human lives.)

Don't forget, since they're on horses, their aim is likely to be off. We're on a train, which is quite steady compared to them, so we should still have decent aim.

Alternatively, spook the horses with our Presence and/or a gunshot.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Karnewarrior on August 21, 2010, 02:01:35 pm
Shoot the horses out from underneath them.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: cerapa on August 21, 2010, 02:05:17 pm
Whats with all the violence?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Karnewarrior on August 21, 2010, 02:12:03 pm
We're bored, and we're humans. ::)
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on August 21, 2010, 02:21:16 pm
Just open the window and shot them in the hands or something that'll quickly stop them from being able to continue but  not permanently cripple them.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on August 21, 2010, 02:27:16 pm
That's a myth. There is no "safe" place to shoot someone. Even a bullet in the hand can easily be fatal if not treated quickly.

If we're good enough, try the almost impossible feat of shooting their weapons out of their hands. If not, fare a few warning shots and use presence of the immortal to scare them into standing down.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on August 21, 2010, 03:19:26 pm
well then shot the horses.

... or wait, didn't we specifically pack nonlethal ammunition?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on August 21, 2010, 07:36:46 pm
Do not shoot the horses, remember that we can read their body language...

Just get out into view, on top of the train if you can do it quickly, turn up the presence of the immortal, and make a show of weapons. Don't be afraid to laugh off a bullet wound to make your point, and if we must lower ourselves to violence, concentrate on whoever is in charge...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Karnewarrior on August 21, 2010, 07:52:49 pm
We need the ability to make illusions. Hoiw awesome would it be to give the impression we just took a bullet and then leapt off the train at them? That, and we could make ourselves have Alucard-style regeneration powers when we actually heal fast enough.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Osmosis Jones on August 21, 2010, 09:06:36 pm
Watch where they plan to get on the train, and wait for them there, auto shotgun resting in the crook of your arm. Don't say anything at first, but pump your Presence up to the max, giving an aura of severe badassittude. Calmly tell them to piss the fuck off, and if they refuse, start pumping them full of beanbag rounds :P
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on August 21, 2010, 09:31:56 pm
You breathed deeply as you reached up to the overhead compartments, grabbing the backpack that was sat inside the one above your seat, tugging on it forcefully, though bracing yourself as not to topple backwards. The last thing you wanted to do was fall atop the cake that sat atop the table, to have to deal with these lowlife humans with your back covered in icing, cream and crumbs. You quickly unfastened the buckles that kept the pack closed, pulling it open as you grabbed one of your revolvers and a bag of ammunition.

"You don't have to do this, you know. You don't have to deal with every bad situation that comes along. We could just sit it out, we could make it clear that they'd be making a mistake if they tried to take anything from us. You don't need to risk getting hurt," Anne stated as she watched you checking the ammunition, before you set about loading it into the cylinder. She could see that you were set on this, that you were ready to risk this, despite how you had much longer recovery times than she did, than the Enlightened did.

You didn't answer at first, instead finishing loading the gun, putting the small bag of ammunition in your pocket as you found yourself wishing you had time to prepare, time to load extra cylinders, time to prepare ammunition in a belt. "Maybe I do not have to, but, what is to say that they will not stop at murder to ensure that their pockets are filled?"

"So, you're planning to take them on, all alone?"

"I am."

"There's more of them than you, you think you can kill them and walk back in here unscathed?" Anne asked, her voice filled with emotion, the fear that you could read in it betraying how she wanted desperately to talk you down. The emotion was touching, but it was the wrong time and place for it as you had taken it upon yourself to ensure the safety of those aboard the train.

"I don't plan to kill them."

Anne stared at you in disbelief, a stare that you knew persisted as you turned to leave the room, as you headed towards the door of the carriage. You knew that you needed a vantage point, that you needed to stare these men down, that you needed to make them feel very afraid. You needed to make them believe that carrying out this attack was the worst thing that they could do. You opened the door that lead between carriages, though instead of stepping into another you grabbed hold of the ladder leading up, hauling yourself upwards, sliding onto the roof of the train carriage.

You stood, looking down over the side of the train as you sized the men up quickly, figuring that the one at the front was the leader due to how he was the largest of them and the most confident. You raised your gun, pointing it skyward as you stood there, as you gazed down at these men, as you focused on actively instead of passively influencing them. You wanted them to feel afraid, you wanted them to believe that pressing on with this would be the death of them.

It very well could be, though you didn't wish to have to get into a gun battle if you could avoid it.

The man that you took to be the leader looked up at you, his eyes meeting yours, yours staring back into his without the slightest hint of fear, with your body language showing off how you were supremely confident. You felt like a god on high, like divity ready to shock and awe heathen mortals.

You felt supremely powerful.

You felt unstoppable.

Your own nature was affecting you, making you feel more than just a man, more than the figure who had been battered and beaten, shot and stabbed, forced to endure lengthy recovery. You felt like an unstoppable force of divinity, and these foolish mortals were going to bow before you, or suffer your wrath. You could see the fear in their eyes, you could see the way that they faltered, how none of them wanted to be the first in your way. You could see, though not clearly hear as they shouted to each other, as one of them, likely their sharpshooter was told to deal with you.

As he reached for and raised his gun, your flicked your arm down, a single shot fired off as the man's muffled cry of pain and suprise reached you, even over the roar of the wind, over the steady puffing of the train. The man's gun went sailing from his hand, shot from it with what had appeared to be relative ease.

Panic rippled through their ranks, as the majority of them peeled away, the more cowardly of them turning down one of the dirt paths that lead away from the tracks, wanting nothing more than to get away from you. The leader however, must have had nerves of steel, as he pushed his horse to the side of the train, his horse briefly concealed from view before it appeared again, this time riderless. He had leapt aboard, that you quickly discovered was so he could challenge you himself.

He clambered atop the carriage, giving you a proper glimpse of his face now as he pulled the scarf that concealed it away. He was a large man, a man with short brown hair and a short beard that hung in twin braids, a man who despite the fear in his eyes had come to challenge you alone. It was a mixture of pride and determination that had him resisting the manner in what you had influenced him, determination to be the one that faced you, to show the his men up as cowards. He wasn't a typical bully, that meant that he at least deserved something better than simply being shot and kicked from atop the roof.

You slid the gun into the back of your trousers after ensuring that the safety was on, turning to face the man as you took a fighting stance, as you readied yourself. No sooner had he managed to find his footing atop the train did he charge you, running along the roof of the train as he attempted to tackle you, though you were fast to step aside, grabbing him as you used his form to swing around, to avoid this precarious manouver allowing him to merely bat you off the side of the train at an opportune moment.

As you swung him about you brought a foot up, kicking him backwards as you hopped away from him, causing him to topple down atop the roof of the train. He was far from done though, not ready to run with his tail between his legs, not prepared to give up merely because you had the upper hand. He slid towards you as he swept his foot low, though you were fast to hop over it, hopping forward bringing your knee forward as you slammed it into his face.

He had anticipated this and he was ready to catch you off guard.

What he hadn't expected was that you were a lot tougher than you looked.

As his fist slammed into your crotch you staggered backward, hissing, before twirling about as you delivered a forceful kick to his face as it presented you with an easy target. The speed of the kick, along with how the expected advantage he should have gained over you never materialising had him unable to react in time.

He tumbled to the side, slipping off the roof of the carriage, his hands catching on the edge of it as he struggled to hold on, as his feet kicked in futility, in an attempt to find a foothold. That fear in his eyes was redoubled as you paced towards the edge, as you paced towards him, as you looked down at him. Blood poured from his nose and from where his lip had split, he was disorientated from the force of the blows you had dealt to his face and he was vulnerable.

He was helpless as he looked up at you expectantly, as he waited for you to kick him from the side of the train or to finish him off with a round from your revolver. He was helpless, beaten, at your mercy, and it was up to you to decide his fate. What was it to be?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: nbonaparte on August 21, 2010, 09:36:15 pm
throw him over. no point killing him.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on August 21, 2010, 09:49:43 pm
Pick him up and throw him with as much force as you can, hopefully it will slow him down enough that he will suffer bruises instead of- hmmm, the top of a train is probably about 2 storeys from the ground, meh, I vote we show mercy, I don't particularly feel like adding him to our group, but it is probably an option...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Osmosis Jones on August 21, 2010, 10:09:34 pm
We're stronger than most humans, right? Pick him up and hold him out over the side of the train, make him apologise for punching you in the jewels, and make him promise to give up his life of crime. Basically, ham it up :P
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on August 21, 2010, 10:22:05 pm
We're stronger than most humans, right? Pick him up and hold him out over the side of the train, make him apologise for punching you in the jewels, and make him promise to give up his life of crime. Basically, ham it up :P
We don't have the proper center of mass to do that trick. We'd be off balance.

Also, everyone knows that if you tell a villain to stop being bad before letting them go, they'll hold a grudge against you.  :P

We shouldn't add him to our group, but we could probably turn him over to suitable authorities on the train, if there are any. If there aren't, then find someone. We're certainly not looking after him for the rest of the trip.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Osmosis Jones on August 21, 2010, 10:35:35 pm
BAH laws of physics be damned. Fine, hold him so that he is still on the train roof, but in such a way that if you let go of him, he'll fall backwards and off the train.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Karnewarrior on August 21, 2010, 10:43:24 pm
I say we pull him up, then slam him in the face until he's good and knocked out, then get back down into the train with him and truss him up like a pig before handing him over to the authorities. Hopefully his crew will get the message.

 There is only one man that can beat you. But that one man can, and will, and he will bury you so deep that your mother has difficulty finding your grave, then he'll piss on it and do a tango.
 He may not be on this train. But maybe he is.
 Do you want to take that chance?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Nivim on August 22, 2010, 01:01:29 am
 Something like the above, except keep him with you. When he wakes up, talk congenially and apologize for breaking his face. Also, when he's knocked out, preform a little first aid on his face so it isn't as broken.

 Inform Anne, with man in hand, that nobody died. Assure her he wont be getting cake.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on August 22, 2010, 03:54:15 am
Inform Anne, with man in hand, that nobody died. Assure her he wont be getting cake.
This wins...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on August 22, 2010, 07:16:20 am
Pull him up, then get back down into the train with him and truss him up like a pig before handing him over to the authorities. Inform Anne, with man in hand, that nobody died. Assure her he wont be   getting cake.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on August 22, 2010, 03:17:47 pm
Maybe it was because you were still on that high from your power, maybe it was because you held that power and hadn't realised it. It could have been any number of reasons why you believed now that you could do something that should have been impossible given your precarious position atop the train. Your one hand reached down as you grabbed hold of the mans collar, twisting it to ensure that his shirt tightened enough to prevent him slipping free of it as you lifted him upwards, as you hauled him with a single hand up, over the edge of the train.

You held him aloft, staring into his eyes as he was transfixed by that intense gaze, as he trembled fearfully in your presence. You could see how he was afraid to act, how he was afraid that in attempting to struggle that he would invoke your ire and thus seal his fate. It didn't help. It didn't help you to avoid that growing sensation of power over this man, to feel like you were truly that unstoppable force that you had felt yourself to be earlier.

You brought the man forward, driving your forhead into his face as you headbutted him viciously, causing him to go limp in your grasp as he lost consciousness from the force of that blow. You breathed out slowly, rubbing your forehead as you dropped him atop the roof of the carriage, one foot steadying him as to prevent him from slipping from atop it. He required restraining, tying up ready for the proper authorities to deal with when you reached the next station.

You couldn't help but smile though.

Anne hadn't believed that you would be capable of a feat such as this, able to avoid the loss of any life, able to defeat these men without being injured horribly. She had doubted you, and yet you had proven that you were capable of this feat, that you were capable of feats of an astounding nature, capable of doing things that a regular human couldn't have gotten away with. You hadn't just accomplished this though, you had done something more important than that. You had protected the people aboard the train, saved them from potential death at the hands of this mans gang.

You moved towards the ladder leading back down, climbing down it far enough to allow you to grab the unconscious mans form with your other hand, slinging him over your shoulder as you climbed down a little more, before jumping. Your feet made contact with the platform between the two carriages with a reverberant thud, while your free hand quickly sought out the handle of the door, sliding it open, as you found yourself face to face with Anne.

You could see the shock on her face as she saw that man over your shoulder, as she took note of the absence of injury on your form, while she stammered, trying to find words to express this. "How?" she eventually managed to ask, shaking her head in disbelief as she did so. "There were more of them than you, just how did you manage this?"

"I believed in myself, I believed that I could do what I said I would. Nobody died, the majority of them decided that they didn't want to face me. This man here was too proud to turn and run, so I intend to turn him over to the proper authorities once I have the chance," you paused, setting the man down against the wall as you stepped into the carriage. "I require rope though, to restrain him. And cake. Not for him though, he isn't getting any cake."

Anne gave you a funny look as you said this, though she was fast to put it aside in favour of dealing with the current situation. "I'll go and inform the staff of the situation and see if they can get some rope for you while you watch him, then."

You smiled as you settled against the frame of the window behind you, pulling your gun from the back of your trousers as you did so. Fortunately, it hadn't been lost in the fight. The man didn't rouse from his current state during the time you watched him, infact, he remained unconscious long enough for Anne to return, for you to restrain him and to hand him over to the staff to deal with. Staff who's claims that they hadn't been aware that they were being attacked by these men were ones you could tell immediately were lies. You didn't know to what end their would be lying, but you didn't care, you just wanted to sit down, enjoy your tea and cake. You just wanted to relax for the rest of the journey.

As the staff lead the man away, you noted how afraid of him they were, how afraid of you they were for the fact that you had captured this man with apparent ease. At least they had promised, and honestly at that, that they would turn this man over to the authorities. Maybe it was because they didn't wish to appear to be cowards that they had lied, you told yourself as you made your way back to the room that you occupied.

"Joy, sit on the other side of the table please," you started as you walked into the room. "I'm going to sit with Anne for the rest of the journey."

"No, stay sat there Joy, I'll sit on his lap."

"I'd rather you didn't, I'm sore enough there as it is after all the fun atop the carriage," you stated in response, while the bursar gave you a look of shock. Anne was fast to latch onto this moment as a chance to entertain herself, though your finger pressed to her lips before she could open her mouth. "Not a word."

As Joy moved to the other side of the table and Anne took her place, pouring tea into the cups ready for everybody, ducking aside as you replaced the gun and ammunition in the pack, so you could put it back in the overhead storage. You settled beside her as you finished taking care of this, breathing out softly as you reached for a cake, only for Anne to slap your hand aside.

"Mine," she stated, grabbing the cake you had been reaching for, one you could see was filled with cream.

"Excuse me for bringing this up, but-" the bursar started, picking a cake up to set beside his teacup as he did so. "When we arrive, do you plan to deal with the situation we've been sent to handle immediately, see to lodgings or go sight seeing?"

You mused over this as you reached for another cake, only for Anne to swat your hand away with the words "that's mine, too."
What did you feel was the best approach to this?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Karnewarrior on August 22, 2010, 03:22:42 pm
Hmm... A little sightseeing, a little detective work. We'll just take our time while we do it.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: penguify on August 22, 2010, 03:25:25 pm
you reached for another cake, only for Anne to swat your hand away with the words "that's mine, too."
What did you feel was the best approach to this?
Snatch her wrist with your other hand the next time she slaps your hand away from the cake.

But seriously, what Karnewarrior said.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on August 22, 2010, 03:59:26 pm
"A little of both."

Look around and get yourself confortable, but be on the lookout for anything out of the ordinary, is hwat you mean by that.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Osmosis Jones on August 22, 2010, 10:20:16 pm
you reached for another cake, only for Anne to swat your hand away with the words "that's mine, too."
What did you feel was the best approach to this?

Throw something shiny to distract her, and then snatch the delicious cream filled cake :P
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on August 22, 2010, 10:29:17 pm
"My duty here is to investigate the issue with the mines, while you want to treat this like a holiday, so," you paused as you quickly ordered the thought you were having in your head, making certain that it wasn't going to conflict with what you were supposed to be doing too badly. "I believe when we arrive that you should see to lodgings given that it'd be best to have them handled ahead of time. I'll keep the girls out of your hair with a little sight seeing so that can be handled quickly," you paused, watching as the man pulled out a notebook.

"Lodgings, first priority," he stated, as he pulled a pencil from his pocket, as he inscribed that first note in the little book.

"The day after, I can head up the mining town, get everything straightened out, while you relax and do whatever you please. Any time we have left after that, that we can get away with, we'll spend sight seeing, relaxing, whatever," you finished, while the man nodded, jotting down the rest of the notes he required.

"Well, I have no objection to this plan for the record," the man stated in response, before tucking his notebook back away in one of his pockets. "It means unless I'm actually needed, I get to sample the local delights."

"Oh, on that note, I have to get my hands on some fudge for a friend," you responded, with a small smile. You wondered if he would believe you if you had stated that you planned to buy it for the queen, who was clearly depending on you to do your duty to the country and bring her said fudge. That, and deal with the incident down here as a secondary matter, though the fudge took priority.

"I think we should make Joy try some, you know," Anne butted in, speaking through a mouthful of cake.

"Try some fudge?"

"That too, but we should make her try some cake first."

You nodded as you turned your attention towards Joy, picking up a slice of sponge cake with icing on it, holding it out towards her as you did so. Her impassive gaze shifted from you to the cake and back again, her head tilting slightly as she waited for you to make some form of statement in regards to it. "Joy, see this?" you asked, after a long moments silence, prompting little more than a nod from her. "Take it from me and eat it. It's cake."

Joy reached out as she attempted to grasp the cake, pausing to draw her hand back as her fingers sank into the soft sponge. It was clear that she hadn't quite expected this, though there was so little reaction from her other than this basic error correction, that you had to wonder. She gave off so little reaction that you could read, so little in the way of emotional flickers. You briefly considered the possibility of getting your hands on your old work in this field, seeing if you could still make out what each part of it did. If you could discern what each part did, you could extrapolate the effect that it would have on a person and develop countermethods, after all.

It was so simple that you had to wonder why you hadn't considered it before.

Well, other than the fact that the work on it was likely under lock and key.

You watched as Joy cautiously attempted to eat the cake, as if the soft nature of it threatened to have it escape her grasp at any moment, though her expression remained neutral. From start to finish, she exibited no sign of emotion as she made short work of the cake, no hint of enjoyment. "Well?" you asked, as you wondered if she would make some statement about how it was inadequate for the purpose of sustenance next.

"It was-" Joy paused, struggling to find an appropriate word. "Nice," she finished, prompting Anne to pause in shock, the sight of her almost dropping her cake visible out of the corner of your eye.

"Well, isn't that high praise," Anne muttered, while you reached over to take a slice of cake for yourself. As you did so, Anne shuffled closer to you, reaching over as she snatched the cake away from you, huffing as she spoke. "That's mine, too."

"So, if that's yours, and everything else I've picked up is yours, what am I allowed?" you asked, prompting Anne to pout at you. She had this planned, you could feel it, you could see that she was ready to spring some plot on you to make sure that you didn't eat any of the cake yourself, so she could have it all to herself.

"I still haven't forgiven you for shooting me and cutting my arms off when we first met," Anne huffed, prompting another look of shock from the bursar. You could almost hear his thoughts, almost hear him asking himself if this was true.

"Honestly, that's all you have?" you asked, shaking your head slowly as you did so. "You never returned my machete after I cut your arms off with it, on that note."

"It's mine now," she huffed, taking a bite out of the cake, before speaking through the mouthful she had. "Besides, I've started eating this cake now, so you can't have-" Anne started, though she quickly fell silent. "Wait, do you hear that?"

"Hear what?" you asked, as you reached past her, taking advantage of the moment to take a slice of cake from the tray that it sat upon. "I honestly don't hear anything other than the sound of the train wheels on the tracks," you continued, pausing as Anne placed a hand to your wrist, placing her cake down as she brought her free hand up, pressing a finger to her lips.

"Shh!"

You paused, listening carefully for a long moment before you spoke "No, this ploy to stop me having cake isn't going to work Anne, as-" she slapped your shoulder, repeating that motion to silence you.

"It sounds like a deep, ominous groan, like... I don't know what it sounds like, but it's deep, low pitched, distant," she stated, glancing towards Joy as she did so. "Can you hear it, Joy?" she asked, before huffing as Joy merely shook her head. There was another long moments silence, before you started raising the cake once more, only to pause as you caught what she must've been referring to. It was a deep groan, like the sound of fatigued metal and collapsing wood.

Metal and wood...

The train tracks.

You pushed past Anne as you looked out the window, cursing as you realised you were on the outer side of the current turn the train was making. You couldn't see what was coming ahead, yet you could feel it. You could feel a gut-wrenching sensation of anticipation, horrific and dark as you knew what was about to happen was unavoidable. The sound of screaming echoed from further along, along with the sound of carriage after carriage crashing with a resonant boom as it landed in what you could only assume was a gorge of some form.

"Brace yourselves!" you yelled over the sounds of crashing and screaming that filled the air, your mouth opening as you went to yell something else, only for the carriage to lurch forwards, before plummeting downwards. Your words were drowned out as you ducked beneath the table, pulling Anne down with you.

The world about you tumbled as you clung to the table, to where it had been bolted to the floor as the windows exploded as the carriage struck something, as broken glass ricocheted about the interior of the carriage. The table didn't hold though, the table gave way and you found yourself bounced around the interior of the room you were in before you came to a halt with a booming slam, as the carriage landed on its roof, as the carriage buckled slightly as one of the carriages behind you landed against it.

Crashing and screaming continued to fill the air for several long, horrifying moments after, yet the horror wasn't over. The horror was far from over. You could hear the screams go from screams of terror relating to this fall, to cries for help, blood curdling screams, prayers, begging for mercy. You could hear the screams of people in the other carriages, trapped, screaming for help as what they described as monsters set upon them.

One by one those screams were silenced.

Breathing deeply, you started to haul yourself towards the window of the carriage, crawling out unsteadily as you clutched your ribs, as you wiped blood away from your forehead. You had a gash from the broken glass across your forehead, a few ribs were broken, at the very least cracked. You hurt all over and were likely going to be covered in bruises from how you had been flung around the interior of the falling carriage.

You turned back towards it as you attempted to shake off the disorientation you felt from the fall, reaching down for Anne's hand as she crawled out, hissing as she visibly started to regenerate from the injuries that she had taken, while Joy crawled out behind her, her own recovery occuring at an equally rapid pace. "Are you alright?" you asked, as you crouched down beside the carriage, looking at the bursar as he sat against the shattered remains of the doorframe on the other side of the room you had occupied.

"About as well as can be, all things accounted for," he mumbled, checking himself quickly for injury, though it was clear that he had suffered the least, that he had suffered little more than light cuts where glass had nicked him.

"Could you grab the backpack for me before you get out?" you asked, while the bursar nodded, crawling towards the compartment it sat within. "As there's something out here, and my guns are in that bag," you muttered under your breath, standing again as you took in your surroundings, as you took note of the high banks of the gorge you had fallen into, the afternoon sun casting shade over you.

A stream ran through the middle of the gorge, going around the trains carriages that had fallen in its path. You breathed deeply once again as you turned to face the bridge, seeing how it looked like it had been deliberately sabotaged, how supports had been removed here and broken there. It was intentional, and whatever had done it was preying on the people in the other carriages while you were struggling to find your feet.

You were about to yell back to the bursar to hurry up when something, a misshapen yet humanoid form stumbled around the corner of one of the carriages, babbling to itself as it pointed at you, as it started salivating at the sight of you. "What are corrupted people doing so far from London?" came Anne's voice from behind you, while you started towards this thing, while you braced yourself to deal with this thing as it charged.

As it hurtled towards you, you dived forwards, slamming your arm into the bloated mass of its neck, knocking it to the ground, ducking down beside it as you kicked it onto its stomach, as you placed your knees against its shoulders and twisted its neck with a sharp motion. "All I wanted was some fucking cake!" you snarled as the things neck snapped audiably, its last moments being ones of confusion, agony and fear as you left its twitching form in dying where it lay.

You stood, dusting yourself down as you wiped further blood from your forehead, glancing back at Anne, Joy and the bursar as two of them stared at you in shock. This wasn't your day, but you needed a course of action. People were still trapped, but you didn't know how many lived, how many of these things there were.

You hurt all over and it seemed like all hell was breaking loose. You needed to figure how you were going to approach this situation and fast. Fight or flight, what was your choice going to be?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Osmosis Jones on August 22, 2010, 10:50:56 pm
We don't flee. These sonsabitches interrupted our cake, time to make them pay. Equip Anne and Joy with spare weapons, take the biggest onee yourself, and kick some mutant arse.


Also, this is awesome, just so you know.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on August 23, 2010, 01:08:13 am
Give Anne the best weapon she can use, she should be reliable but doesn't have much combat experience. Joy is an unknown factor, but she should be able to survive whatever happens. The Bursar Could cause trouble, but probably best to give him a weapon that will look good but not do much damage, but make sure that you keep enough firepower for yourself to be effective. Go out there and confront the things, your aim should be to scare them off, get them thinking that this isn't worth it. This isn't really any different from the bandits...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Nivim on August 23, 2010, 01:58:22 am
 Search for survivors quickly and efficiently, if they are still being killed, time is of the essence. Do not waste ammunition of scaring them away, since you don't even know if that's possible for this particular type of monster. These are more things that go bump in the night, but things with intelligence, so attempt communication when possible.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on August 23, 2010, 02:49:28 am
I say joy shoul be leading right now. We're wounded, and this is exactly the kind of thing she was made for.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: LordSlowpoke on August 23, 2010, 04:07:20 am
They interrupted our cake. Make them pay.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Karnewarrior on August 23, 2010, 05:47:05 am
Find survivors. They ruined our meal, so now we'll ruin theirs.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on August 23, 2010, 06:28:18 am
Oh yes, order Joy to protect the civilians and return them to you.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Strange guy on August 23, 2010, 09:18:46 am
Arm yourself and Anne with heavier guns, give the Bursar something light and easy to use, and arm Joy with a melee weapon. Since the Bursar will probably slow us down leave him with Joy protecting him (the people need our help and Anne isn't reliable enough) to go one way, and have us and Anne save as many people as we can.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: nbonaparte on August 23, 2010, 04:21:05 pm
I wouldn't send Joy to defend the civilians. She has a penchant for scaring the shit out of them.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Nirur Torir on August 23, 2010, 05:11:16 pm
Our priority should be saving civilians.

We have two of each type of our guns, right?
Take a shotgun, give one to Joy. Arm Anne and the Bursar with pistols.

Two parties, each going a different way: Anne goes with us, the Bursar goes with Joy. The Bursar needs to know that it is critical he stay near Joy.
Joy is to protect the Bursar while eliminating any threats she encounters, we should explicitly state that minimizing civilian casualties is a priority.
We'll behave similarly.
Anne and the Bursar should stay behind us or Joy, respectively, doing what they can to help the civilians after the immediate threats are cleared, then get them following at a moderate distance, reloading for their protector as needed.
Everybody meets up outside after the train has been cleared.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on August 23, 2010, 05:57:41 pm
You grabbed the backpack from the bursar as he held it out to you, quickly wrenching it open, reaching inside it, seeking the contents of it that you most required. You needed your revolvers, you needed your ammunition, you needed the belts for holding spare bullets. The two shotguns strapped to the side of it were going to take time to load fully, though they'd be useful against these things. These were tainted humans and Anne had mentioned tainted humans before, she had mentioned the corrupted humans that seemed to share the same taint as the things that went bump in the night.

They were once human, but no they were human no more.

Once human, but still vulnerable to the same things that they had been once upon a time. Even if they had rapid regeneration like the Enlightened, they lacked the immortality that the Enlightened had been given. They also lacked the control over their corruption, over how it was induced that the Enlightened seemed to have. They were twisted mockeries of their former selves, while the Enlightened had been carefully corrupted as to maintain their form and most of their prior identity.

You quickly strapped one of the belts about your waist as you retrieved it, tossing a revolver to the bursar along with a small bag of ammunition. "If you don't know how to use that, you'd better learn quickly," you stated, knowing it was all the advice you had time to give. You grabbed the second revolver from the backpack as you located it, holstering it as you quickly detatched one of the shotguns from its fastenings against the side of the pack. "You take this," you muttered as you tossed the shotgun towards Anne, along with a bag of Ammunition that you had confirmed belonged to it. "Start loading it now, and be ready to a loaded part of the cylinder if something attacks you."

You looked at the other shotgun, then up at Joy as you did so, frowning slightly as you knew that she had no idea how to load this thing at a reasonable pace. "Joy, you accompany the bursar, grab something suitable to use as a weapon if you can," you started, though the bursar was fast to interrupt, his uncertainty and unhappiness over your choice written all over his face as he spoke.

"Surely she would be better off with a gun, if she is to accompany me?" he asked, glancing between you and Joy as he did so. "Are you that addled by your head injury that you do not see the fault with that plan?" your hand moved to your forehead as you frowned. You didn't have time for this.

"Joy may not look much, but you're safer with her than you are with us," you paused, gesturing to the side of the fallen train as you did so. "You two go around the outside, I'll try and get atop it for a vantage point. Anne, you watch my back," you paused, hissing briefly as another scream filled the air, a scream of agony that faded out with a gurgle. "We need to save as many people as possible."

With that you ran to the side of the train, flicking your revolver's cylinder out as you loaded a handful of bullets into it quickly, pushing a few bullets into the belt before you stopped beside the ladder leading up, towards what had previously been the underside of the carriage. As you reached the top of it, taking a few steps forward as you briefly turned your gaze skywards, looking up at the clouds as they drifted overhead. You took a deep breath as you steeled yourself, knowing that you were going to have to do something that you didn't enjoy.

You were going to have to fight things that you would have preferred to reason with.

You had to act in this manner though, to save the people who had become their prey.

Your first step forward was followed by another, and another, and another, your body hurtling forwards as if posessed by an unknown force as you ran along the toppled carriage, as you leapt from it, over to the next carriage. Even as you landed, you twirled about, putting bullets in the heads of the most immediate things alongside the carriage, preventing them from climbing inside it.

Three bullets, three dead monsters.

Potentialy hundreds to go.

The sound of gunfire roused the more immediate of them as they turned towards you, as they started swarming towards the carriage, leaping aside it, clambering upwards. They were too slow though, too disorganised to prevent you from taking advantage of this to crush a couple of their heads against the carriage as you slammed your foot down, before you ran and jumped to the next one.

Three more gunshots followed as you shot at the first of them to get up onto the carriage you had just abandoned, two of them dropping while the third shot skimmed by one, missing Anne by inches. Anne yelled something, something that was drowned out by the sound of her shotgun going off as she aimed down into the crowd, slowing them down even further. Despite their twisted, bloated forms, they seemed to go down just as easily as a person, if not easier. They were larger targets, after all.

You flicked the cylinder out as you started to reload your revolver, backing away from the advancing horde as they clambered atop the carriage opposite, as they hopped across to your one. You were almost done reloading when you felt your back bump against something, as gnarled arms wrapped about you, though you were fast to swing your head back as you headbutted the thing that had grabbed you. There was a howl of fury as those arms slipped from about you, as you span around to see the thing stood there, ichor spewing from its broken nose.

You stepped back as more started to climb up before you, while the group behind you continued to advance, while more of them hammered at the sides of the carriage you stood atop. There were more than you had expected, many more, yet this wasn't going to stop you. Surrounded as you were, there was always the option of jumping into the crowd that least expected it, making a stand without the height advantage.

Your body twisted about as you leapt from atop the carriage's roof, as you rolled as you landed and sprang to your feet again, your revolver raised as you went to put a bullet in the nearest one. Your gun was batted from your hand by it, while something else landed on your back, its bloated mass weighing you down as you staggered, as more of them piled atop you. You fell, weapon just out of reach as you felt the crushing weight of bodies atop you, as you felt claws raking at your sides, as you felt teeth seeking your neck.

You knew that a bite to the neck would end it all, that you would loose consciousness from bloodloss, that by the time you recovered that everybody would likely be dead. Your struggling was in vain, despite how you fought valiantly against them as the weight of their bodies was too much and your efforts merely seemed to stave off the inevitable.

Or so it seemed.

You, along with the collective group atop you froze as you stared ahead in horror, as one of the train carriages was uprooted by a mighty blow, spinning as it bounced along the ground towards you. It bounced along the ground as it hurtled towards you, barely passing over you as it slammed into the ground near you, as its unyeilding mass dislodged a vast number of the things atop you, before it crashed into the carriages behind you.

You could hear agonised groans from the things that had survived this, pieces of wood and metal falling, and Anne's screaming as she sailed through the air, having had the carriage she was on struck by this, before she landed a short distance from you with a crunch. You elbowed the last of the things atop you repeatedly as you dislodged them, as you scrambled forward to grab your pistol.

You twirled about as you grabbed it, two shots meeting their mark as you put the two things that had still remained atop you out of their misery, before you crawled over to Anne. "I really hope those two are taking advantage of the fact all these things are trying to eat us, to rescue people," Anne muttered as she rolled over, groaning softly as she did so. "Trust you to pick the spot the things had already fed in first," she added, glancing up as she did so.

"I think we have other things to worry about," you muttered as you struggled to your feet, following Anne's gaze as it fell on the heavily twisted form of one of the corrupted people that had attacked you. It was a towering mass of muscle, discoloured flesh with a vertical maw that took up most of its torso, a maw lined with fangs.

"Why does it have to be so ugly?" Anne sighed, glancing around before cursing under her breath, turning towards you as she bit her lip. "This isn't good, I lost the shotgun when that thing tossed the carriage at us."

Eyes opened up all over the things body as it started to lumber towards you, its maw opening and snapping shut again over and over again. Horrified gasps caught your attention, prompting you to turn as you were greeted by the sight of a small group of people being lead away from the train by a familiar pair of figures. Joy had at least done a better job of locating survivors than you, it seemed, though survivors were not your most immediate concern now.

This thing was, a thing that you could feel a sense of insatiable hunger from, a thing that these creatures must have been trying to feed.

You needed a course of action, you needed to decide if you were going to attempt to deal with this monstrosity, with these things and find any other survivors, or if you were getting out of here before they overwhelmed you again.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Karnewarrior on August 23, 2010, 07:11:39 pm
Shoot it until it stops moving. That's how I trained my dog.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Osmosis Jones on August 23, 2010, 08:28:37 pm
Kick it in the nads.  ;)



Seriously though? Back away, try and pick up some of the lost weapons, and get get the beast to follow you through a narrow point (say between the cliff and a bridge support) that it takes time to negotiate while we plug its face full of lead.

If that doesn't work, give Joy a dagger, and get it to eat her. Internal atack FTW! (Kidding again)
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on August 23, 2010, 08:39:02 pm
We suspect that this thing may be the reason that the train was attacked, if it can be removed then maybe the mutants will be more peaceful. We are in the right place to stop this, so we should try to. As to how this might be accomplished...
 Without the ability to control its form, it is most likely poorly balanced, try to taunt it into charging and then duck out of the way, keep near its feet and try to stay out of its reach, while doing what we can to blind it. Ask Anxiety to recover our weapons for us while we distract it...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Jabberwock on August 23, 2010, 08:57:58 pm
And keep it away from the people.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on August 24, 2010, 02:24:30 am
So long as we stay alive and keep jabbing its eyes I think that it will be concentrating upon us...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on August 24, 2010, 12:17:30 pm
why exactly is feeding it joy a bad idea? I dont think she'll mind is we make a quick explanation of the plan.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Karnewarrior on August 24, 2010, 02:04:05 pm
 ???
Armok are you seriously suggesting we feed one of our team-members to the giant monster?

Anne may object, you know. As well as... Everyone else.
We. Are. Not. FEEDING. OUR. FRIENDS. TO. THE GIANT TENTACLE MONSTER.
That's mean!
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: cerapa on August 24, 2010, 02:06:50 pm
Take care of it the same way as a tank. Set it on fire.

If there isnt any fire anywhere, just shoot it.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on August 24, 2010, 02:15:08 pm
she'll survive. it wont.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Karnewarrior on August 24, 2010, 02:16:47 pm
Let me put it this way:

Getting nommed by the sticky teeth of a tentacle moster probably doesn't tickle.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: cerapa on August 24, 2010, 02:20:44 pm
Let me put it this way:

Infinitely regrowing food.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Karnewarrior on August 24, 2010, 02:49:49 pm
Joy burgers?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on August 24, 2010, 05:09:53 pm
This lumbering monstrosity was one of the last things you could have done with right now, yet you knew that you had to deal with it as soon as possible, that you had to ensure that  it came for you, that it remained distanced from the civilians that you were saving. The problem was, that you were uncertain that your revolver alone was going to be enough to take this thing down, that it being bigger and stronger than the other tainted humans here, it was without a doubt tougher, too. You knew that you had left one shotgun behind, yet you were uncertain if that would be enough either. You couldn't load it while dealing with this thing, though there was always Anne.

You knew that if she was sent to retrieve it, that she could load it ready for you with one of the more destructive ammunition types you had brought with you. Assuming that was, that she was able to tell what one was what. It was your best option at this moment, the choice that you believed presented the most viable means of stopping this thing. Tainted as it was, it would recover slowly from any injury dealt to it, though lacking immortality like the Enlightened, a single good hit, or enough physical damage would still kill it.

"I'm going to need you to go fetch the shotgun we left behind, load it with ammunition and bring it back to me. Do you know the difference between the different types of rounds?"

"No, they all look the same to me."

"Load a little of each of them into it, then. I'll distract this thing so you can get there safely."

Anne nodded, while you gripped your revolver, watching as the thing continued to lumber towards you, almost casual in its approach. Limited as you suspected its intellect to be, this thing was toying with you, viewing you as prey that it could toy with before it struck. You were watching it however, taking note of how awkwardly it moved, of how its heavily corrupted form didn't move with any kind of grace. Its legs were awkward, slightly different in size and shape, too small to support this things bulk. It was powerful enough to fling a train carriage, yet it clearly wasn't stable enough to run properly due to the manner in what its legs were formed.

You took a few steps towards the creature, taking careful aim as you did so, both hands gripping the revolver, three shots fired off in rapid succession as you hit two of its eyes on its torso and the knee on the larger of its legs. The thing howled in agony, its weight shifting to the smaller leg as it started to limp towards you, as Anne made a run for where your backpack had been left. Two clicks followed as you continued to pull the trigger, reminding you that you hadn't reloaded your weapon yet, prompting you to flick the cylinder out and tip the spent casings from it.

You could see the wounds you had dealt were knitting slowly, fast enough that this thing would be completely fine again within half an hour, but slow enough that it wouldn't be alive long enough to see that come about. The problem was, it didn't seem too affected by the wounds you had dealt other than being slowed. You didn't know where its thought center was, as it had no visible head, while two more eyes seemed to open as its skin split to replace the ones that you had damaged.

You flicked the cylinder back into place as you finished reloading it, putting three bullets in each leg quickly as you did so, repeating the process of reloading as you started to jog away from it. It was still limping after you, babbling and howling as ichor ran from the wounds that you had dealt to its legs. You didn't feel as if you were in any immediate danger howeve, as this thing was signifigantly slowed down by those wounds.

That was, until its skin started to split once more, as bone plates started coming to the surface, as the thing leaned to the side and flipped over onto what had formerly been its hands. The wounded legs split at the feet, those feet reforming into pincers, pincers that had eyes on the outer side of each of them.

Then, it started to charge.

Bullets cracked against the armoured carapace that had formed over the creature as you opened fire on it once more, then again against its back as you ducked past it as that initial charge had it rush by you both rapidly and clumbsily. You had underestimated what this corrupted creature was capable of, though you still believed you had it under control.

You had two more shots, and you could see gaps in its carapace where it had eyes peering out, eyes that seemed to bulge as it turned to face you agian. Eyes that slowly extended as they started to protrude from the creature on stalks. Those eyes swayed unevenly as they defied you, denying you the ability to target them accurately, presenting you with a small target that moved too unsteadily for you to fire at confidently.

So you didn't fire at them.

Two bullets hit the base of the stalks that swayed before you, severing them from the creature as it roared, as it dropped down on all fours and charged at you again. This time you barely managed to roll aside as it hurtled past you, this time it span about, hurtling back towards you again as it denied you the chance to reload your weapon. This time it came so close to hitting you that you could feel your clothing catch on one of the corners of its carapace, tearing as it sent you off balance.

The creature stood, letting out a bellowing, laughing roar as it paced towards you once more, before it let out a resonant sound, a sound like a horn, a sound that reverberated off the walls of the gorge as it dropped down onto all fours again.

You too advantage of this moment to reload your revolver, though you were uncertain where you were going to aim for that would affect this thing, praying that Anne had found the shotgun, that it hadn't been lost too. You shifted slightly, wondering if it was wise to try and make a run for the bridge, to try and dance around the supports given that this thing had likely destroyed many of them initially. It was adapting to everything you did, regrowing eyes in different configurations while you attempted to blind it, bone plates protecting its body and limbs, falling low so you couldn't aim for its maw.

It was strong, it was fast, it was predatory.

You didn't need a shotgun, you needed a miracle.

You were on an endorphine and adrenaline high, your injuries and your determination to fight all you had to fuel you, you were armed with a weapon that was ineffective, you were in an area with scenry that presented little more than short term barriers to this thing. You needed to think, you needed to show some of that brilliance that you possessed at one time, you needed to show this thing that there was something no amount of mutagenic adaption could prepare it for.

You needed to create that miracle.

You started to run towards this thing, watching as it charged for you, sliding at the last moment as you dropped to the ground, raised your revolver and fired upwards. Ichor sprayed over you as you fired up into its unprotected maw, causing the creature to howl in agony as it hurtled overhead. Yet you found yourself frowning as you could see it turning about to face you, feet scraping against the ground as ichor oozed from it, as it spread its legs to allow for a lower center of gravity. It was't going to allow you to do that again, it seemed.

"This just isn't my day," you muttered as you heard the sound of shotgun fire from behind one of the fallen carriages, telling you that Anne had gotten herself into trouble. You couldn't go to help her, you couldn't risk leading this thing towards her, knowing that it would likely injure her horribly the first time it charged at her.

Inspiration hit as you took note of one of the broken coupling rods from the train's wheels, of the indentation in the ground where the earlier carriage had been flicked at you. You didn't need to shoot it, not when you could try and impale it. You ducked past the creature as it charged at you once more, running over to the coupling rod, grabbing it as you hauled it towards the dip in the ground, before you lay it flat, turning to face the creature as it sized you up once more.

As it started its charge once again you breathed deeply, edging back so that you were ready to drop into that furrow, ready to act out your plan. If this failed, you had no backup plan. If this failed, you were going to start running, very fast, in the direction it wasn't. The thing gained on you, hurtling towards you as the thundering sound of its feet pounding the earth filled the air, while you braced yourself.

Rod in hand, you ducked down into the furrow of earth as the creature charged overhead, one of its bulky feet slamming into your chest as you felt it wind you, as you felt more of your ribs crack from the impact of this thing atop you. The injury it dealt you, was nothing compared to the injury you dealt it, however. The rod as it was raised, jagged end first, tore through the creatures maw, catching on a stone buried deep in the earth and held in place by you.

Jagged metal tore through the creature as it rushed overhead, letting out a gurgling howl as it tore through it, as it ripped free of it as the creature passed over you. The thing staggered as its innards spilled from the gaping exit wound left by your improvised weapon before it collapsed, twitching, spasming in the throes of death.

Then finally, it was still.

You staggered to your feet as you held your chest, as Anne hurried to your side flecked with ichor, hissing as you felt her pull your one arm over her shoulder to help support you. The rest of the creatures upon seeing the death of their leader figure started to flee, wailing, mournful howls echoing through the gorge as they fled the scene of the train crash.

You had won, yet it didn't feel like a victory.

Something was wrong here, very wrong.

You knew that these people would have to have come from a village or a town, that there was likely one near the railway tracks, though now they had fled, you could see what you could salvage from this site, you could see if you had missed any survivors. Well, not you, personally. You'd be quite content with delegating duties to others at the moment, as the less you had to move, the better.

It was time to decide what your course of action was, time to take control of the situation. What was your plan of action to be?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: nbonaparte on August 24, 2010, 05:51:01 pm
rip it apart. We don't know how effective its regeneration is.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Karnewarrior on August 24, 2010, 06:13:23 pm
Tear out any important looking innards, then find where Joy's been putting the survivors and help them out while Anne, Joy and the Busar help.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on August 24, 2010, 09:29:48 pm
What could hold something like that together? How was it able to reform itself so quickly and with such freedom? What was the nature of an intelligence that could adapt to such a changing form, adjust its tactics so much in a single battle, and yet still maintain such a rampage? If only we could... Must resist Mad Science. Must resist Mad Science. Must resist M?ad Science...

For now, we rest, but we need to report this incident, and we do have a job to do, although we should at least take a look and see if we can figure out how numerous and widespread these creatures are. But we can't move well with a load of injured and scared people, we need to make sure that they can get to some relative safety before moving on...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on August 25, 2010, 01:05:28 pm
What could hold something like that together? How was it able to reform itself so quickly and with such freedom? What was the nature of an intelligence that could adapt to such a changing form, adjust its tactics so much in a single battle, and yet still maintain such a rampage? If only we could... Don't resist Mad Science.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on August 25, 2010, 01:06:30 pm
rip it apart. We don't know how effective its regeneration is.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on August 25, 2010, 08:00:30 pm
"We can't take you anywhere without you getting into trouble, can we," Anne sighed as she took note of the manner in what you cradled your chest. She shook her head briefly as she lead you over to one of the carriages, setting you down against it. You didn't know what was on her mind, as you were struggling to focus on reading her, on reading anything at this time given how you hurt. "Are you going to be okay?" she asked, as she crouched beside you, holding the hem of her dress as she did her best to avoid soiling it any further than it had been already.

"Could you do something for me?" you asked, slowly drawing in breath as you did your best to ignore the steady pain it induced, as your injured ribs protested against being moved in such a manner.

"You want me to kiss it better?"

You gave Anne a strange look before shaking your head slowly. "No, go put a few shotgun shells into that thing over there. Make damn well sure it's not getting up again," you paused as Anne nodded. "Then go get the backpack, and-" you paused, turning slightly as you glanced in the direction you had seen the others being lead off in.

"And what?" Anne asked, tilting her head curiously as she did so.

"Do you think any cake will have survived the crash?"

Anne stared at you for a long moment before she turned away, before she moved over to the thing that you had fought with, rolling it over so she could find a part of it that was vulnerable to damage. You could see her carefully trying to gauge where to take aim, yet even as you saw the flash of the shotgun firing, ichor spraying from the body as it jerked from the inpact of the discharged shell, you realised something.

You couldn't hear it.

You could feel your grasp on consciousness fleeting.

You felt yourself falling as your battle to keep your eyes open, to remain focused on the matter at hand, falling into that inky darkness that told you that you were falling into the realm of dreams once more.

Your eyes opened to a new scene this time however, one of a man sitting on a rock before a river, one of a man dressed in simple clothing, a man whom you knew to be yourself as you caught sight of his face. He was a man who had lived away from the civilised world, a man who despite his aversion to society had been sought out by people from all over for his wisdom. He was you, you were him. As with the warrior who had fallen in the field of battle, his form was one that bore a tiny puncture wound on the side of his neck, blood over his neck and his clothing.

"Change all you want, you cannot change fate," came his words as he gestured to the ground before him, motioning for you to sit.

"You brought me here, just to tell me that?" you responded, folding your arms across your chest as you stood defiantly before him, thankful that your injuries hadn't carried across to this place.

"Remember the beginning, remember before you were. Remember before it is too late," they sighed, while you narrowed your eyes. You had to wonder if every life you had lived would eventually tell you exactly the same thing, that you couldn't change fate. You were determined to fight it however, you were determined to avoid that cycle repeating.

"Why. Why do you accept this cycle of death and rebirth?" you asked, tilting your head slightly as you did so. "Why did you not fight it, why did you wait for fate to catch up with you instead of fighting it until the end?" you asked while the figure rose to their feet, simple clothing all that adorned them.

"Remember-"

"If you will answer nothing else, answer this. Why must I die?"

"Fate has ordained-"

"A straight answer."

"You must die, for your thousand years are almost over, so you may live a thousand more."

"Why!" you screamed, stepping towards that alternate self, towards the hermit that had merely accepted this fate instead of trying to change it, your hands grasping their shoulders as you shook them angrily. "Tell me, or I swear I shall find a way to kill you!"

Even in the face of such anger tinged with the intent to find a way to make that threat real the figure merely smiled, an expression of serenity in the face of such dangerthat you knew you must've inherited from them. "Remember," was all he said, as the world you had departed once more burned into view.

You could feel the pain in your chest return, your arms supported by two bodies as you were dragged along, the sensation of your feet being dragged behind you, against a slope telling you that you were being dragged up a slope. Rocks and mud, a stream, a line of people who huddled together as they followed the dirt path they walked uphill. You struggled briefly to find footing, to stand alone, faint voices echoing in your ears, voices that you slowly associated as belonging to Joy, to Anne.

"He's coming too, lets stop for a moment," came Anne's voice as she came to a halt.

"Is the creator in operational condition?" came Joy's words as she responded, the words she spoke being ones of a guardian, words that even now filled you with shame.

"He can speak for himself," you quickly stated, slipping your arms from around Anne and Joy's shoulders, staggering briefly, slapping away Anne's hands as she attempted to steady you. "I'll live," you stated, stumbling forward as your legs protested at being used, while the words of that prior incarnation echoed in your thoughts. You must die, it was what fate had ordained.

You glanced over your shoulder as you made your way uphill, looking back at the two women, at Anne who stood there looking concerned and Joy who merely moved her hands to the straps of the backpack. Anne had left Joy carrying it, it seemed. You could only see one of the shotguns on it, that made you wonder if the other had been lost or destroyed in the fight, though it wasn't your first concern.

"There must be a town on the tracks that those things came from. If we can find it, we can see if there are any other trains stranded there, get these people to a safe station on the way-" you paused as you stumbled, before quickly finding your footing again. "A safe station. Once they're safe, we can continue on our way, and they can take a report back with them about the attack," you finished.

The rest of the journey as you made your way out of the gorge felt like it took an agonising eternity, with the pain in your chest seeming more intense than it should have been considering the severity of your injury. Maybe it was agitated by the manner in what you had been carried, maybe it was worse than you actually realised. You'd have to have it seen to as soon as possible. For the time being however, you had other things to worry about.

It turned out that the bursar had been the one leading at the front of the line of people, his boots and the bottom of his trousers legs caked with mud from the trip up. He was pleased to see you on your feet, especially as you left the gorge, as you directed him to lead in the direction of the tracks.

After a few miles, a town with a small railway station came into view over the crest of a hill, a town that you could see even from here looked like it was in a state of disrepair, with no sign of the people who should have inhabited it. If this was where the corrupted people had come from, getting close to the town would be a gamble. On one hand, there could be a train in their stations grounds in a workable state, on the other there could be more of those things. On one hand, you could find medical supplies to treat the injuries that the survivors had sustained in the crash, on the other, you could get them all killed.

Both you and the bursar stood on the crest of the hill, his attention falling on you as he looked to you for guidance. "Do you think this is worth the risk?" he asked, pausing as he looked back at the huddled group, people who looked both terrified and lost. "Do you at least have a plan if you intent to investigate that place?"
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Karnewarrior on August 25, 2010, 08:41:40 pm
Let's rest for as long as we can, heal up. Then we take Joy, Anne, and the three most able survivors into the city armed to the teeth to retrive some supplies and scout it out. If we did manage to kill all the corrupted or scatter them, we should move the survivors camp into the city, where it'll be easier to survive. With luck, we can either
A: find mass transport out of this hellhole
B: survive long enough for the queen to send another group to figure this out.
C: find something that we can take and race back to london to get help.

B is worst, with C being only slightly better, and A being the best one of the three.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on August 26, 2010, 12:07:13 am
C isn't a viable option, we would need fudge...

Anxiety can be pretty inconspicuous when she wants to be, could we ask her to check upon the state of the settlement and its inhabitants while we stay behind to protect the convoy(and recover)? (queue perspective change to Anxiety)
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: GlyphGryph on August 26, 2010, 01:25:13 am
She also has the benefit of being unkillable, so I agree. Ask her to scout out the town while we and Joy guard the survivors.

Find out if anyone knows what happened to that bandit guy everyone was so scared of, too... All this is a bit much for a coincidence, he might have some answers.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on August 26, 2010, 12:12:50 pm
yea, anne scouts.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on August 26, 2010, 05:38:13 pm
You tilted your head this way, then that as you did your best to gauge what threat the town ahead would pose in all the most probable situations. You knew that if the people of the city remained, that they would likely have been set upon, beleaguered by the things that you had encountered in the gorge. If the towns people had left, there was always the chance that the bandits that you had encountered earlier that day had moved in and now used it as their base of operations. If the people had entirely been turned into those things, then you knew that they would attack on sight, and that you'd have to fight your way through them, that you'd need a good reason to even justify that risk.

You knew that ideally you should scout this place out, that you should see what you were up against, see what was there for you in that place. Once you knew what was there, you'd know what was the best course of actions, if you were better off avoiding the town or not. The problem here however, was that you were injured, that you couldn't carry out such a task yourself to a satisfactory level at this moment.

You loathed the idea of sending somebody else in your place, though you knew you would have to. You knew that somebody would have to go there, scout the place out, ensure that it was either safe, or worth the risk to go there.

The problem was, who did you send?

You briefly considered the bursar, knowing that if people were there, if they were towns people or bandits, that he would potentially be able to negotiate with them, though the odds were that if they were bandits that they wouldn't care for negotiations. Joy on the other hand, was a bad choice you knew from the start, given how bandits and towns people would be hard for her to differentiate between initially, given how she would attempt to take the entire town on alone if it was full of corrupted humans. Anne on the other hand, initially struck you as a poor choice given her nature, yet you knew deep down that she was a far better choice than the others. Maybe you didn't wish to endanger her, knowing that she was far from the most able of the group, yet...

Yet, you knew that towns people would take a shine to her, that bandits would grudgingly be forced to respect her, that if the town was overrun with corrupted creatures, that she would potentially be tainted enough in their eyes to walk amongst them. You didn't want to send her away, you didn't want to send away the only person here that you felt any real connection with, yet you knew that it was for the best.

"I'll get Anne to scout the place," you started, while the bursar glanced between you and the distant town. You knew what he was about to say, what he was thinking. You knew you could easily convince him otherwise.

"Honestly, you're going to send a woman out there alone, to do a task better suited to a man?"

"Did Joy handle her duty to assist you and to rescue survivors inadequately?" you asked, settling down on the top of the hill as you held your ribs. "Do you doubt that Anne is anything less than as brilliant as Joy, in her own way?"

There was a long moments silence, one that was finally broken as he spoke. "If anything, you should send Joy," he grumbled, while you found yourself picking up on a certain awkwardness he was exibiting, the fact that he found himself threatened by the concept of women being more suited to tasks that he associated with his own gender.

"This is the problem with society today," you sighed, shaking your head as you did so. "You seem to have this deep rooted social structure for keeping the so called weaker gender out of trouble, so you can play the part of the big strong man. I'm sure it hurts to admit that Joy's stronger than you, that Anne's more adaptable than you, but face it-"

"They're the inferior gender," he snorted, prompting you to climb to your feet, dusting yourself off as you started back down the hill towards Anne, towards Joy and the survivors.

"Refer to women in that way again, and I shall order Joy to kill you."

You didn't need to see the mans face to know that he had turned pale, that Joy had no doubt shown once you had inadvertantly drawn attention away from the survivors, that she was fully capable of feats that put strong men to shame. You'd leave it to him to find out if you had been serious or not, if you would actually carry out a threat like that, or if it was merely to keep his misogynistic opinions to himself. You still felt unsteady on your feet, you noted as you stumbled on the way down the hill, catching yourself before you fell. You were more stable than you had been when you had initially come too, at least, even if your ribs hurt like hell still.

"Anne, with me, we need to talk," you called out as you neared the group, leading her aside as you settled down on a dry looking rock out of earshot of the group. You could see her looking down at you expectantly as you did your best to keep straight, to avoid agitating your ribs further before they could heal. You knew that she was likely going to be just as awkward as the bursar had been over this matter of her scouting. "I need your help here Anne, I need you because nobody else is quite as able to adapt to the situations that may be involved here as you."

Anne tilted her head slightly, no doubt anticipating that what you were going to ask was something that she didn't wish to do, but would have to. "The fact you lead me aside, tells me that you don't want the others to hear you ordering me to do this," she started, tapping a finger against her lips as she did so. "That means, you suspect the town is dangerous, and-"

"It's that obvious, is it?"

"That you want to get me killed?"

You felt shocked that she would accuse you of such, your expression betraying how clearly she had caught you offguard with that, how horrified you were that she would suggest it. She burst out laughing however, kneeling down before you as she reached over to take one of your hands in her own.

"No, you don't want to get me killed, I know better than that, but it was so worth it to see that look on your face."

"That wasn't funny."

"Oh, please, that was nothing compared to some of the things I could have said."

You sighed, shaking your head slowly as you did so. "I need you to scout the town Anne, as you're probably the best suited person here to carry out such a task," you paused, glancing over at the group of people huddled together, many of them leaning towards Joy, betraying how they felt safe with her. They felt safe with the strange woman who felt nothing, with the woman who had protected them, lead them to safety. You couldn't blame them in a way for feeling like that. "I won't lie however, I believe that this will be dangerous, but I can't trust anybody else to do it."

"So, you want me to do what exactly?"

"Check the town out, I'm willing to bet that in order of most to least likely, what you'll find there are corrupted humans, bandits, or towns people. The thing we need most is transport, if there's a train in the station or something of the sort, we might be able to justify the risk of going there. Supplies, especially medical ones would be good, too. Keep your eyes open for anything else of note, too, I don't know what they may have there, but I'm certain that you'll know something noteworthy when you see it."

"So, if it's more of those things, you want me to do what, sneak around?"

"Ideally, yes. If they discover you, try and pass off your nature as close to their own, if you can't fool them, don't lead them back here until you've shaken enough of them that we can deal with them without being overwhelmed."

Anne nodded slightly, neither of you liked this that much was certain, yet you knew that she knew that you were right when you said that she was the most suited to this task. You would have gone yourself if you knew that you could have handled this, that you could have evaded monsters, outwitted bandits and dealt with towns people. "I guess," she started, glancing back at the group as she fell silent for a brief moment. "I guess I should go see to that now, as the sooner we're we're out of here, the sooner-"

She paused, narrowing her eyes briefly as she did so.

"Wait, did you mean cake, when you said noteworthy things?" she asked, narrowing her eyes as she did so. "As, if that was what you meant, I swear I'll break the rest of your ribs for you."

"That's not funny, either."

"You're no fun when you're hurt," Anne sighed, squeezing your hands softly before she stood. "I'll try to wait until you're better before I torment you further. I'll be back just as soon as I'm able, you'll see," she stated while pushing herself to her feet, straightening her dress and huffing slightly. With that she turned, starting up the hill and towards the town, leaving you feeling as if you had forgotten something.

Something important.

You slowly struggled to your feet, doing your best to ignore the twinges of pain as your body protested, hurting all the more now you had come to a rest, settled down and ceased motion. While Anne made her way towards the town, you made your way back towards the group, almost dragging your feet as you vaguely recalled the bandit, the figure that you had captured, a person who likely knew more about this area. Just what you needed right now, somebody with answers, somebody who could fill you in on the details you were missing.

You approached a woman dressed in what had been a maids outfit, one of the train's staff, a woman who trembled, a woman who's attire was stained with blood, ichor and what you could only assume was tea. "May I ask you something, ma'am?" you started, waiting to make sure you had her attention as you shifted your weight from one foot to the other. "I'm looking for a man, who doesn't seem to be amongst you, a man with short brown hair, a braided beard-"

The woman turned pale, attempting to stammer a response before she burst into tears, most of what she said unintelligable, though you did catch enough to hear that she had witnessed his death. A death that had been apparently none too pleasant to witness. It didn't suprise you that this man had died, that there had been so many people killed in the the crash itself, though it was inconvenient to know, as this man could have given you answers. He could have helped you make sense of what had happened to lead to this.

You walked around the outside of the group, moving to Joy's side, sinking down as you sat down near where she stood. You were starting to feel the situation getting to you, the hopelessness of it sinking in, though you knew you couldn't afford to show it. You had to remain strong, you had to remain positive, you had to make the people here feel like everything was going to be okay, when deep down you were feeling like things would be anything but.

There were things out here that shouldn't have been found so far away from London.

Deep down, you felt that things were only going to get worse.


End of Part Five
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Karnewarrior on August 26, 2010, 08:12:31 pm
This
is
going
to
be
EPIC
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: calrogman on August 26, 2010, 08:46:55 pm
EPIC
Quoting for Truth
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: ragnarok97071 on August 26, 2010, 09:17:37 pm
Posting to watch and participate if I get any ideas.
Also, may I sig "All I wanted was some fucking cake!"
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on August 27, 2010, 02:41:20 am
You couldn't believe that you had agreed to do this, to head over to a town that had been clearly described as being a potential threat by him, that you were doing something for the good of people you cared nothing about. You were used to looking out for yourself, helping others only when it was a means to an end, when it wouldn't be too far out of your way to do such a thing. Yet here he had you acting in this manner, all because he had asked you, and you didn't know how to say no to him. When it came to it, with how fragile he seemed in comparison to you, with how easily he seemed to get hurt in these matters, with how much he had done for you, you found it hard to say no to him.

Like it or not you you knew you owed him for what he did for you, for all he was still trying to do for many others out of some misplaced sense of duty. You had been so confident that you could do as he wanted of you that you had set off unarmed, feeling while in his presence that you could easily overcome the hordes that no doubt milled about just out of sight in this town.

Pride told you that you couldn't go back and take one of the weapons, pride told you that you would just have to be as brilliant as he made you out to be. Pride told you that you would go above and beyond, that you would solve all the problems that needed handling immediately and be the hero for the day for a change. You didn't know who you were kidding thinking such things, yet you knew that he was counting on you, that if you did it for nobody else, you would do it for him.

For him.

You would make it up to him, the lifetimes of his that you had cut short because you knew that you should have known better, that you should have known you were being manipulated into it. You knew that some of those lives must've been ones of utter pacifism and generosity, and yet you had still killed him. You didn't like it, you didn't like the fact that fate had played its hand against you, that you were unable to play against it as the only thing you could do, was fight a losing battle against fate, playing within the rules it defined.

You briefly shielded your eyes from the sun with your hand, huffing as you gazed ahead, as you kept an eye on the town, while cursing inwardly. For some reason, you found yourself disliking the fact that the sun was shining brightly today, likely because it was in your eyes. Likely because you were feeling irritable and moody. You didn't know what it was about his presence that seemed to make you feel like a different person, what it was about him that made you feel content, what it was about him that made you feel like this now when you were away from him. One thing you did know, was that you didn't like it, you didn't like what you could only assume was some form of seperation anxiety.

Why did you feel like that towards him, though?

You knew that it wasn't because you felt for him, was it?

No, it was something other than that, it was something to do with that ageless grace he carried himself with at times, with the fact that there was something about him that had almost everybody disarmed in his presence. It was like he was completely unaware of how he affected people, of how people were awed by his presence. Maybe that was why you had killed him in some of your incarnations, because you had felt for him, because he had been oblivious, blind to those feelings. You couldn't have him, and thus you had made sure nobody could.

That didn't add up though, you knew that nobody could have him anyway, that he had likely pushed away anybody over the ages that he had experienced. You didn't feel like that for him, no, this was a different feeling. This was something more, this was closer to reverence, worship, as if he was some kind of authority figure, the man who was father to the world.

You huffed, kicking at the knee high grass.

This wasn't right either, just as he defied all comprehension at times, your feelings defied your ability to comprehend them. You did wonder if he would have done just as well without you, if he truly needed you, if he even needed Joy. When it came down to it, you knew that he would have somehow landed on his feet no matter what happened. Somehow, he made you feel very small, very insignifigant compared to him, knowing that he was older than you could even comprehend living for.

Your thoughts continued along in this manner as you closed the distance between you and the town, getting close enough to see just how run down it was. Close enough to find yourself wondering why there was no activity in the town. If those things had came from here, surely there would be more here, surely they would have returned by now?

You ducked down slightly as you hurried the rest of the way to the towns perimeter, hurrying towards one of the run down properties garden walls. The grass here was longer than the fields you had passed through on the way, with thorny bushes growing along many parts of them. You pressed yourself to the wall as you reached it, ducking down as you ensured that you were out of sight, listening for any sign of life for a long moment.

There was no sound but the creaking of old timber, the rustling of leaves from the trees dotted about the place and the whispering of the wind as it went through the grass. No sounds told you that there was anything here at the moment, yet the scents you could pick up told a different story. There was something more than the scents of the fields, something more than the wild flowers and brambles, something more than the mildew and damp. You could smell something that you were oddly attuned to by nature, something that you knew all too well, faint as it was.

There was the scent of death.

The scents of blood, ichor, decay.

You glanced cautiously over the wall as you took note of the immediate area's of the town that you could see from your current place of hiding, scanning the area for any signs of movement, listening for anything that would betray that there was anything near by. Despite the absence of any immediate and obvious threat, you still felt on edge, knowing that you hadn't confirmed if this place was safe or not. You could see the spires of a church in the distance, a building that's roof had visibly collapsed, you could see the tracks leading along the far edge of town, towards what you assumed was likely a railway station of sorts. You could see what remained of the cottages on the outskirts of town, many of them run down, partially collapsed.

The town couldn't have been abandoned or overrun for long, as they would have sent people to investigate sooner, you noted, moving along the wall to peer into one of the run down cottages, taking note of how it appeared that the walls had been struck by something large, something powerful, aiding the partial collapse of the cottage. Something large and powerful. You almost smirked at the thought of what that must've been, how it lay dead in the gorge, how it had been gutted and then you had unloaded a shotgun into it to ensure that it wasn't getting up again.

Ever.

You could have done with a shotgun right now, just incase you ran into something you didn't want to deal with unarmed. Just incase you ran into anything at all for that matter. Or anyone. You were none too picky, you'd settle for shooting just about anything that moved right now, if it would let you know that you were safe.

You had a task to carry out however, you had the town to investigate, a town that seemed dead at this point in time. While there was no activity, you knew you couldn't say it was safe and run back just yet, you needed to investigate it a little more diligently than that, still. The question was, where did you start, how did you go about it?



((Edit: Oops, meant to reply to a few things.
Also, may I sig...
If you wish to, then feel free, though it may be an idea for cautions sake to censor it mildly. F***ing cake, or something.

Karnewarrior/Calrogman:
If you're looking forward to epic, I hope I can deliver.))
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on August 27, 2010, 05:14:51 am
Many might have looked to the church for protection, it isn't really possible that any could have survived, although if we are willing to face whatever is left of its defenders, there may be some weapons about, as the creatures didn't seem interested in equipment. Although our first priority should remain investigating the train station...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on August 27, 2010, 11:28:42 am
> Decide the attraction theory is the most likely, and that the path to fighting fate consists of many sloppy makeouts.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Karnewarrior on August 27, 2010, 02:29:44 pm
> Decide the attraction theory is the most likely, and that the path to fighting fate consists of many sloppy makeouts.
::)

>Check nearest house for improvised weapon. Then check the train station for a train.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Nivim on August 27, 2010, 05:05:31 pm
 You need to be thorough; check the largest buildings first, then systematically check every other house. Then go to the train station. As before, keep an eye out for supplies (getting a weapon first thing), and if you find anything that could save refugees some pain or death, bring that back quickly and efficiently.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on August 27, 2010, 06:58:54 pm
Just looking in the windows of every house would probably take hours...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Nivim on August 27, 2010, 07:33:22 pm
 Hm, I imagined the town was around 50-100 buildings, which should take about two hours.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Jabberwock on August 28, 2010, 08:50:36 pm
We should probably get to a vantage point to survey this town for any places of interest or for places to stay away from.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on August 28, 2010, 09:38:49 pm
((I'll start on the next update soon.
Sick currently, but it should pass quickly.))
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on August 31, 2010, 05:36:44 am
You looked this way and that as you ensured that the coast was clear, peeked into the windows of the nearest buildings quickly to confirm that you were alone. You would investigate them more thoroughly soon, though not until you had done something more important than this. Something that you felt should have been done already, something that you needed to do before you considered doing anything else. You needed to get a better look at your surroundings, confirm that there was nothing else of note that needed your attention, ensure that you had done that little more to ensure that you were alone.

You hurried across to another of the run down buildings, one that had a tree growing beside it, one that you could see was more stable than the others. One that you could use as a vantage point. You struggled briefly with the tree as you attempted to find a foothold on the rough surface of its bark. The tree was a medium sized oak, one that you knew should have been easier for you to climb, yet you felt that you were going about it wrong. For some reason, attempting to climb it struck you as the wrong way to go about it, not due to the fact that you would get your dress dirty, but due to the fact that it somehow seemed unnatural for you to approach it that way.

You didn't know why climbing it seemed such an alien concept all of a sudden, yet you felt that any attempt to climb it would be met with disaster. Of course, there was another way of going about this, a way that didn't involve climbing it, a way that as unnatural as it should have seemed to you, struck you as being the better choice.

You stepped back, sizing the tree and the building up before you leapt towards the building's wall, your foot kicking off it as you pushed yourself towards the tree, grabbing one of the low branches. You half hauled your body up before kicking off the tree, letting go of it as you grabbed the lip of the building's roof, pulling upward as you kicked off the side of it again, then backwards off the tree, your palms shooting down now as you pressed them to the lip of the building's roof. A slight grin came to your lips as you swung your legs up, as you stood atop the building's roof, now able to survey the surrounding area.

You felt proud of yourself.

You carefully paced across the building's roof as you surveyed the rooftops you could see before you, the streets, the tall buildings that stood out. There was the railway station, with what looked like the rooftops of carriages now visible to you, there was the church, still run down and with its roof collapsed inward. There was an opening for what could be a town square, or a marketplace, though you couldn't tell what it was from this distance, there was what you assumed may be a town hall.

There was something else though.

Something that set you on edge.

There was movement.

You could see what you assumed to be misshapen figures lingering in some of the inner streets, figures that moved in and out of your line of sight as they seemed to pace in an agitated manner. They were a good distance away, however, that was all you needed to know. They were a good distance away from you, and even further from the station that you planned to investigate just as soon as you had poked your head into a few of the nearest houses in search of a weapon.

You ducked and slipped over the side of the roof, dangling briefly before dropping down to street level, ignoring a brief stinging sensation in your shoulders as you did so. It felt almost as if you had pulled a muscle, yet not quite, though the sensation quickly passed. You checked a few of the less run down houses quickly, poking through them as you took note of how one of them had the bones of its former occupants within in. Bones that had been picked clean, bones that only invoked a sensation of jealousy within you.

You would have loved to have something freshly killed to eat.

The thought of food did at least remind you to check the kitchens of these homes, prompting you to pick up and discard several knives as you did your best to find the biggest, most sturdy looking knife you could. One that you knew would serve you well should you need to fight, one that you could stab into some foul creature's heart, like one of the Technomancers who had been looking at you with desire in their eyes.

Especially after they had found out what you were.

It was as if they thought that the discovery of what you were would allow them to easily woo you, as if it meant that you couldn't afford to have standards. The only thing you had really desired lately, was a meal, something raw, bloody, something that you could sink your teeth into and tear chunks out of. They could provide that, though you knew that a certain person would object to it, tell you that you shouldn't do that, find a way to make you feel bad for acting on your nature.

A nature he said you were better than.

What did he know though, what gave him the right to tell you that you shouldn't embrace more of this aspect of yourself than you already did?

You slumped against the wall, huffing as you sank down, crossing your arms as you brought them to a rest atop your knees. Your mood had soured with that thought, with the thought that this man, this idiot who thought himself so smart was trying to control you by using the fact that you owed him so much to allow him to do so. He was using the fact that you owed him, to make you bend to his word, to his will and you didn't like it.

Did you?

Was he?

You felt confused, as well as moody, as if something about this very town's nature was getting to you, as if the stench of death, as if the fact that tainted people were so free here caught some repressed desire to be free like that. As if they had everything you truly desired, yet the thought seemed so alien to you, so out of place, so raw and instinctual. Maybe it was his presence that had been keeping this aspect of you in check, maybe you had forgotten how it felt like. Maybe you had never felt it quite like this before.

You sighed as you absently toyed with the knife you had aquired, though the sound of footsteps caught your attention. Footsteps, in the street behind the house. Footsteps that fell unevenly, footsteps that belonged to more than one person. You could hear voices, too, voices that you managed to catch small snippets of as they passed by your hiding place, as they went by unaware that you could hear them.

"They will come, they that survived will come. Come. Into our home, to steal away with the train. Steal. Steal!" one voice wailed, a voice that bore a strange resonance.

"We shall ambush them, they shall pay. He is gone, the beautiful one is gone!" another cried, making you wonder who this beautiful one they referred to was. Were they talking about the idiot who sent you to investigate?

"Such ugly forms they-" came one voice, harmonious and light, though it stopped abruptly as another voice started, a voice that was deep and powerful, resuming where it left off.

"-bear, while we are blessed with such-" the voice cut off, as the harmonious voice resumed once again.

"-wonderous forms, gifts of the divine!" it finished, prompting a small frown from you. They were referring to the thing that Eurochkoles had beaten then most likely, not Eurochkoles himself, who bore a strange form of beauty due to his ageless nature.

As the voices and sounds of footfalls faded off into the distance, you found yourself wondering if you should continue to the station and approach these things in some manner, if you should head back to inform Eurochkoles of this, or if you should check another part of the town first.


Spoiler: "Stats" (click to show/hide)
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on August 31, 2010, 08:02:12 am
Well, I think that scouting is pretty much satisfied... Yes, there is a train. No, it isn't safe. Yes, the town is inhabited by the same people who attacked the train. Yes, they are capable of more social interaction that ambushing and eating people. No, they are not in the mood for diplomacy. I think that that should just about cover the immediate need for information...

Still, just because the scouting is finished, doesn't mean that we can't have a little fun while we're here...

We should see if there is any mundane food we can swipe for the civilians, that should get us some respect. If we can find out if the train will actually run, that might earn some notice from Euro. And lets not forget that there are probably some valuables in that church that nobody will miss...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on August 31, 2010, 03:00:29 pm
!!!

Abort! Abort!
There things are not evil mindless things, they have a complex and coherent point of view of their own! This war over a misunderstanding must be stopped!
Return to Eurochles and report all this! The "corrupted" are people, with cares and emotions and thoughts and values and the promise of a culture! This is probably the most important thing ever discovered about any TTGBITN ever!
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: cerapa on August 31, 2010, 03:36:54 pm
...
Armok, its an evil cult that corrupts and kills people because they think they are ugly. I dont think they like diplomacy.

Anyway, return to Euro.

Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Ochita on August 31, 2010, 03:43:01 pm
!!!

Abort! Abort!
There things are not evil mindless things, they have a complex and coherent point of view of their own! This war over a misunderstanding must be stopped!
Return to Eurochles and report all this! The "corrupted" are people, with cares and emotions and thoughts and values and the promise of a culture! This is probably the most important thing ever discovered about any TTGBITN ever!
Seriously, what? That sounds like a really REALLY bad idea.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on August 31, 2010, 03:54:15 pm
Umm, that was the Enlightened. There are similar only in biological orgin.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Strange guy on August 31, 2010, 04:04:56 pm
While they may have minds, though I'm not sure we've even doubted that, they still appear to be insane, extremely violent to outsiders and trying to stop us getting to a replacement train. I'd say killing them would be far more justifiable than killing Enlightened (ignoring their healing powers for the moment or assuming they would fall into the clockworkers hands) since without Pride the Enlightened aren't different from normal humans outside of their abilities. These things are crazy even after we've removed their leader.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on August 31, 2010, 05:25:35 pm
That wasn't necessarily their leader, it may have been more like a hero or mascot...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: neo1096 on August 31, 2010, 07:30:49 pm
I say report to Eurochkles.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on September 01, 2010, 01:37:30 am
You breathed out slowly as you remained sat there, listening intently for a long moment after the footsteps you could hear had faded into the distance. It was better to be safe than sorry, better to be cautious given the fact that these things were all over the town, the fact that they were hostile towards those that you were associated with. You personally would have had no issue with feeding the civilians to them, allowing them to be eaten in return for safe passage. You knew that someone tainted like yourself could swing such a deal with them, could persuade them that the three of you were worth letting go with the train in return for the food.

You didn't like the bursar.

They could eat him too, for all you cared.

You shook your head briefly as you attempted to shake such thoughts, knowing that this wasn't how you were supposed to think, that you were better than this. He had told you that you were better than this, better than the self centered and easily controlled Enlightened drone you had been before he had found you. He wanted to save those people, people you had no attachment toward, no responsibility toward, no guilt over the thought of sacrificing for your own gain. He wanted to do so, not because it would give him some immediate gain, but because it was the right thing to do. He wanted to do the right thing, and you were going to do your best to respect that.

Even if you did think that the right thing to do was to let them all die, even if you did think that such a sacrifice was the better option. It was probably a good idea to report back to him on this though, let him know that these things were intelligent enough to know what you would come for, hateful enough to want to kill you.

You sighed as you pushed yourself to your feet, knowing that without him you would be out of control, that you needed him to keep you in check, to help you find your humanity again. If you did things your way, there was no way you would find your humanity again, no way that you would be able to continue to climb that slippery slope if you allowed yourself to slip when it suited you. You pressed your ear to the door as you reached it, listening carefully before pulling it open ever so slightly, peering through that crack as you made certain the coast was clear.

Feeling emboldened by the apparent absence of these things, you stepped through the door, peering left and right as you continued to listen out for activity. You knew that you should head back right away, yet you also knew that there were likely things inside the church that had been left abandoned, things of value. There was also checking out the houses for valuables under the pretense of searcing for food for the civilians, checking the number of those things about the train so you could see what you were up against.

There was a lot you could do, but you knew it wasn't wise, you knew that if you got caught trying to find out if the train was servicable and had coal to fuel it for one, that you'd have to deal with a horde of these things. You couldn't risk leading any of them back, either, as you knew that they would likely overwhelm the small group with ease. They could survive wounds that would kill a normal person, though a head wound or sufficient damage to their body was fatal, still. They lacked your ability to recover from even these types of normally fatal wounds, your strength conferred by such an ability.

The ones in London had been prey to the Enlightened.

"I smell something," came a rumbling voice from behind the building, prompting you to curse under your breath as you ran to the nearby wall, hopping over it, ignoring the brambles scratching at your legs. The knife you had picked up earlier was clutched to your chest, ready for use if it came to such a thing. You were no fighter by nature, but if it came to it, fight you would.

"What do you smell?" came another voice, this one higher pitched, excitable and child like.

"I do not know," the rumbling voice echoed, while the sound of a foot slamming against wood followed, the sound of the door to the building you had been in prior crashing against a wall filling the air.

"Is it a person?" came that higher pitched voice, followed by the gnashing of teeth. "Is it a person, did they come here after the crash, are they food?" the voice continued, followed by the sound of teeth gnashing again.

"It is not the scent of a person," the deeper voice echoed, almost seeming to grumble at this revelation, though it was entirely possible it just normally sounded like this. It was hard to be certain with such individuals, people chaotically twisted by the taint, people who hadn't been fortunate enough to have somebody orchestrate the changes in their body like Pride had with the Enlightened. People as they had once been, akin to you as they were, they were and always would be prey in your eyes.

"Oh," the other voice sighed, the excitable edge taken off it. "What is it, then?"

"I smell a crow. A carrion crow," came that voice, the sound of footsteps coming towards you, a sound you realised oddly, belonged to one pair of feet. You twitched slightly at the mention of what he could smell, the mention of the creature that once tainted had grown, taking on the twisted form that was better known as a vulture these days.

"Too small, too small to eat!" the other voice rang out, before a strained huff came from it. "Lets go find something bigger to eat!" it continued, that strained noise continuing.

"Come out, little crow," the rumbling voice came, the sound of footsteps having stopped a short distance from your hiding place. You knew you had to do something, that you had to act, that you had to do something to have this thing lose interest in you. You held out one hand before you, fingers stiff, held out in a claw like manner as you thrust them down into the grass about you, as you bounced them up and down, imitating a bird's movement.

"Caw!"

It was unconvincing, causing you to cringe as you heard the sound of grumbling behind you, a hand shooting over the wall, grabbing you, a hand that was twisted, gnarled and pale, a hand that bore the bulk of muscle. "Little crow," the thing growled as it pulled you half back over the wall, as it leaned over you, two heads staring down at you. One of them was small, shrunken and had a mouth full of tiny, needle like teeth and the other was bloated, with a mouth bearing a handful of broken and blunt teeth.

The thing bore the stench of death, its breath smelling fetid, like a sewer, it was bloated and mishapen in some areas while others were withered and almost skeletal. It was a perfect example of the taints ability to change people, to twist them into things they should not have been. "Hi!" you responded brightly as you thrust the knife in your hand upwards, plunging it into the bloated heads throat, figuring that it was the thought center of this thing. You didn't stop at that however, you swiped the blade sideways attempting to slice through the smaller heads neck too, though this wasn't as successful as you had hoped it would be.

The blade caught on an unnatural bone structure in its neck, causing it to let out a piercing shriek as its body staggered backwards, hands clutching at both injured necks. "Why did you do that?" it cried, seemingly shocked that you had fought back, while you rolled over, hopping up onto the wall you had been half draped over as you perched on it easily.

You were uncertain now, did you risk running back with how this thing had likely attracted some attention, did you finish it off as your predatory instincts demanded, or was there a better course of action you could take?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on September 01, 2010, 02:41:48 am
Mmmmmm, tasty...

Too bad, I was starting to like two-heads...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on September 01, 2010, 10:01:07 am
Diplomacy! End this mindless killing, this can be sorted out nonviolently!
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on September 01, 2010, 10:06:15 am
You still want to try and use diplomacy against something that thinks of us as food?! You don't try to make peace with things that want you dead unless you have a good way of making sure it can't kill you while you're talking. We can try that if we capture one, but not before that.

Get out of here. Our weapon doesn't seem to do much.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on September 01, 2010, 01:19:26 pm
A grin crossed your lips, a grin that was all too wide as you looked at that thing from the point you were perched, as you raised the knife that you had swiped through both of its necks to your lips, your tongue running over it slowly as you licked ichor from it. You relished the taste of it, for it had been a forbidden pleasure as of late, it had been something that you had been denied. The psychological effect of this act wasn't lost on the thing before you, the fact that it had seen you so readily lick tainted blood from a blade, the ichor that it bled, ichor that would have been enough to corrupt the form of any normal human. Ichor that you readily swallowed as you licked your lips, as you held the knife ready, as if preparing to strike again.

You had no intent of doing so, as you knew that this thing was likely going to be harder to kill with this old blade than it was worth. This thing had likely alerted others with its cries, too, meaning that your best course of action was to carry out this deception, to run as soon as a window presented itself. "I have tasted things like you before," you started, before bursting into a giggling fit as you rose to your feet, still poised atop the wall perfectly. "Many things like you are prey for the Enlightened. Many, many things."

The thing backed away as you rolled your neck, hands moving away from its necks as the flow of blood slowed, then stopped. A jagged scar was visibly forming where the knife had swiped across its necks, the imperfect and rapid healing of these things something that you knew paled in comparison to the reliable means your own body possessed. "Enlightened!" hissed both heads in unison, prompting a snicker from you as you knew that it meant that the reputation of your kind had preceded you. "Beautiful hearts with foul skin!"

This statement however, caught you offguard, though you knew you couldn't stay and talk, that this thing would be more likely to attack you given the chance than to converse. There was something about that statement that unsettled you however, the worship of that form that they bore being close to what you had felt in your own nature at one point. You, as well as many others had been quite taken with the power that you felt your tainted natures had given you, with the fact that you had maintained a form that was familiar, with the benefit of a tainted form's strengths.

"Kill!"

As the thing hissed those words, snarling as it lunged for you, you hopped backwards, your body feeling oddly light as you hopped back further than you knew you would normally have been able. This oddity was cast from your mind however as the thing stepped over the wall, howling in anger as it started to charge at you, prompting you to run alongside the wall, knowing that you couldn't afford to lead it back to the others. If it had brought the attention of others upon you, then you knew that you would potentially get the others killed by doing such. That didn't bother you, truth be told, the concept that you could get them all killed like that. It was the fact that Eurochkoles would take even longer to recover if you got him injured that bothered you, that he seemed to be so helpless when wounded.

You hated seeing him like that, you hated seeing him looking so weak when he was the nearest you had to Pride anymore, the nearest you had to a figure who could lead you towards some goal you could believe in. You hopped up onto the wall again, dropping the knife as you started running along the uneven surface, as you ran towards its end. As you reached it you dived for the roof of the building at the end, sharp pain briefly lancing through your shoulders as you hauled yourself upwards. The howls of the thing behind you became frustrated cries as it slammed into the side of the building over and over again, as it attempted, yet failed to climb up after you as you continued to run onwards.

You stopped for nothing as you sprinted across the uneven slate rooftops, as you hurtled onward, hopping over the gap between each house as you made your way inwards. The town center was where you intended to go, knowing that from there you could easily double back and take another route around to the people waiting for your return. Another route back to Eurochkoles, to the man who made you feel stable, sane, the man who you had come to depend on more than you cared to admit.

Even now, outside of his presence you could feel your mind rebelling, contradictory thoughts racing through it, thoughts that alternately demanded blood and caution. Thoughts that you knew didn't all belong to you. Maybe it would be for the best if you left his service, got as far away from him as possible and let nature take its course. Whatever that course would be.

"No," you hissed under your breath as you effortlessly made another jump, knowing that this thought was yet again one that did not belong, that the absence of one to keep you in check was allowing something that should not be to run riot. You didn't want to get away from him, you didn't want to leave his presence, you didn't want to be deprived of that only sense of normality that was granted to you by being with him.

You couldn't leave him.

You wouldn't leave him.

You came to a halt atop one of the rooftops overlooking the church grounds, panting softly as you listened out, hearing the howls of many things, things that were attempting to track you. You were right at least in assuming that the worst thing you could have done was to head back, to lead these things to the group and get them killed. You needed a plan, a plan so brilliant that even he would tell you he was impressed with what you had done. You would make him feel proud, you'd make him praise you, you would make him acknowledge that you had done a good job here under the circumstances.

This was your chance to shine.

You crouched briefly, wiping sweat from your face as you glanced about. You were close to both the towns market square and the grounds of the church, you were being pursued by a number of tainted things, though it wasn't an organised group like the train attack. You needed a plan of action, but what was that plan going to be?


Spoiler: "Stats" (click to show/hide)
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on September 01, 2010, 02:43:52 pm
how can the points pool be a ?, ?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Ottofar on September 01, 2010, 02:59:44 pm
Spend points in the following order: Air, Earth, Fire, Water.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on September 01, 2010, 03:13:34 pm
What ottofar said, but try to get Flight if you can first.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: cerapa on September 01, 2010, 03:46:47 pm
Gotta grow kickass wings.

Anyway, the best way to take out a crowd is explosives and fire. If this city is like London, then there should be plenty of gas, and plenty of lighters. So look for them. Possibly in a collapsing building.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Jabberwock on September 01, 2010, 08:40:30 pm
We could also find and try to collapse a large building onto them. Theres probably a few of such buildings around.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: ragnarok97071 on September 01, 2010, 08:59:20 pm
I vote for the cave in trap.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on September 01, 2010, 10:23:40 pm
Spend points to increase the magnitude of Vulture and Voracious by one each.

Bite off a finger and throw it down a chimney, then try to escape via a watercourse or similar smell resistant path, does this place have a traversable sewer system?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on September 02, 2010, 05:46:31 am
The sound of your breathing filled your ears as you felt your body tremble, yet it was not from anticipation that it did. You felt nauseous, you felt weak, you felt exposed and vulnerable, yet you knew that you had to act, you had to move. You couldn't afford to sit around waiting for the things that chased you to close the distance, you couldn't afford to wait for a plan to simply come to you. You couldn't allow this sensation that had gripped you to slow you down when you had a task to carry out, when you had him depending on you. You struggled to your feet as your vision blurred, as tears came to your eyes as you felt them begin to burn, stinging as if something in the air didn't agree with them.

The air was clear enough, you knew that as your other senses told you that there was nothing that should have agitated you in this manner in it. Your body protested as you lurched foreward, jumping from rooftop to rooftop before you leapt over the fence that surrounded the grounds of the church yard, figuring that while you were here you could glance inside for a weapon at least. You hit the ground hard, stumbling as you felt pain lance through your legs, the pain telling you that you'd fractured one of them, though you didn't stop. Your natural healing was atop it, keeping up with the damage you were inflicting on yourself by refusing to rest with ease.

As you half ran, half limped around the front to the door of the church you could see that those double doors had been destroyed, one of them torn from its hinges and the other shattered. Bones littered the grounds inside, a makeshift barrier visible a short distance back from the door, the scene of a last stand against the things of this city before the last humans inside it had fallen. The scene itself evoked emotion as you strode through the archway of the destroyed doors, a sensation of power, superiority. Had things been different you would have no doubt been here, assisting in battering down the doors, ready to swarm in with the others and consume the pathetic humans inside, crush them in their darkest hour when then turned to their god for protection.

You felt almost feverish now as you continued to sweat, as if you had continued to exert yourself, yet you knew that merely walking in like this shouldn't have done such. You didn't have time to worry about that though, you needed to grab whatever you could and run, you needed to be fast, to ignore these power fantasies that were distracting you from your attempts to prevail here. A few scattered rounds and a servicable rifle remained, claw marks and bloodstains on the stock the only signs of major damage it bore. Its prior owner would no doubt have no objections to you taking his weapon, given he had no further need of it. A belt with several more rifle rounds nearby was bloodied, scratched, though in good enough shape to use for the time being.

You strapped the belt about your waist, a quick count showing that you had but nine rounds, that you would have to use your ammunition sparingly. You wished it could have been a shotgun, as you knew you could point that in the general direction of these things without truly needing to worry about being accurate. A rifle like this was a weapon you knew would be devastating in the hands of Eurochkoles, if only he would take it instead of his revolvers. You had no idea what it was with him and those small guns he preferred, though he used them well enough that most people wouldn't even dare question his choice of them.

You quickly swiped a number of the less damaged items of jewlery that lay around, slipping them around the belt before refastening it and onto your own fingers before you started to head towards the door. You could hear the cries of those things getting closer, your protesting body crying out for you to stop as you started to sprint across the churches grounds, the spoils of your visit jingling at your side. Your vision continued to blur as you started to sweat all the more heavily, your joints aching as you clutched the rifle to your chest, as you clambered up onto one of the low hanging rooftops and started to run across them once again.

No cunning plan was coming to you, though, no obvious means of destroying these things was presenting itself. The city was some backwater place that the Clockworkers had yet to advance to the level of the major cities, it was a place that lacked the network of gas lights that London did. This did however, mean that they would have to have some form of stockpile of oil, likely in a shop. Oil meant fire, fire meant wounds that most of these things would perish from. Fire, a big roaring fire, it was just what you needed, a building you could trap them in, set fire to, burn to the ground with them inside it.

A building, like the town hall.

A place that hadn't collapsed and been exposed to the elements yet, a place that you could lure them all into and... And... You stumbled, sinking to your knees as you groaned, your body shuddering as you curled up into a ball atop the rooftop you had been running over. It was all you could do to reach out, to take hold of the peak of the roof to stop yourself rolling off the sloped surface. You could feel pain, unimaginable pain coursing through your body as you felt it attacking itself, your tainted form seeming to twist and turn on itself, bones breaking as muscles spasmed before they healed, again and again. You could do nothing but gag as you tried to cry out, to scream, no sound other than your strangled attempts to breathe coming from you as you grasp loosened.

You rolled from atop the roof, landing in the street in a twisted bundle as you convulsed, the rifle you had held close clattering against the ground beside you as you shuddered. For a brief moment your shoulders started to hurt, the pain you felt from them sharper than anything you had ever experienced before, more agonising than any injury inflicted on you recently. That pain was followed by the sound of your shoulders popping, your dress tearing behind you as ichor splattered over the pavement and the wall of the house, before mercifully, consciousness fled you.

You felt yourself falling as you struggled to awaken.

Plunging into the darkness.

Your eyes opening to the realm of dreams, to a twisted world in what perspective seemed to be wrong, everything sitting at the wrong angle, oversized or too small. A maddening world in what an oversized bird sat perched atop a stand made of bone, a bird with black feathers, a slightly elongated neck and beady black eyes. A bird that watched you with deceptive intelligence, a bird that shifted its weight from one foot to the other before it turned its attention from you, preening itself.

A vulture.

A carrion crow.

You stumbled towards the bird, feeling weak, lethargic, your hands as you held them before you showing horrific injuries, your flesh flayed away, your dress as you looked down stained with ichor. Your hands reached out as you stumbled, bracing yourself against the birds stand, while it shifted slightly, almost affectionately rubbing its face against your own. This comfort brief as it was, was enough to have you sigh, leaning over to kiss the bird atop the head, a weight on your back seeming to pull you backwards, causing you to topple, unable to fight it as you once more felt darkness envelop you.

Your eyes opened again to the place you had fallen, the pain your body had been stricken with subsiding, your hands grasping the rifle as you braced the butt of it against the ground, using it to assist you as you struggled to your feet. Your body felt oddly light, though you could feel the sensation of weight on your back, weight that seemed to shift at its own accord, the sound of something wet slapping the walls behind you following. Your head turned as you followed this, as you took note of the smear of ichor that coated the wall, of small yet still growing wings bearing ichor stained feathers behind you.

Wings.

You had wings.

You must've either only been out for seconds, or the scent of your ichor must have concealed you, for the sounds of the things that had pursued you were close, yet they had stopped approaching. The sounds they made seemed confused, though you felt too faint, too dizzy to focus on what they were saying. You were shocked, too, too shocked to truly care about what they had to say, given you had wings. Wings. You had wings on your back and your best efforts to control them seemed to do little more than confirm that they were indeed yours, while they flapped, fluttered and twitched as if they were little more than useless extensions of your body.

You staggered unevenly away from the ichor stained scene as you clutched the rifle to your chest, the growing weight on your back striking you as surreal. You needed to think, you needed to focus, you needed to ask yourself, what were your most immediate priorities were right now?


Spoiler: "Stats" (click to show/hide)
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on September 02, 2010, 05:58:29 am
We just need to get away, at least get some rest, at least we are more resilient then them, maybe we can just find somewhere they can't follow. Lets look for the oil, we can burn this whole place down and survive if we have to...


Hmmm, voracious and vulture have been combined into carrion crow, and we gained a point of air...

Can we know what vulture did?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on September 02, 2010, 06:44:40 am
((
))
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: cerapa on September 02, 2010, 11:47:28 am
They gonna come in handy if we gonna start a fire. Just fly away.

Anyway, the wings are a burden until they can be used for flying so attempt to stay alive until they are ready and then intitate plan "burn enemies to ashes".
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on September 02, 2010, 12:10:23 pm
We need to keep running.
As much as possible while doing that, try to check what other less obvious changes have happened to your body. If nothing else, you should be lighter due to hollow bones or such needed for flight. Also, do try to train our control over the wings, so you are close to ready to use them when they are fully grown, and also it is likely to help the growth process go smoother.
We should probably run more or less until we can take of, unless it takes much longer than I expect.

Actually, weighting less may help us in running fast as well.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: cerapa on September 02, 2010, 12:17:54 pm
I just realized that Euro is gonna be freaked out if Anne returns with huge black wings like a demon.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: LordSlowpoke on September 02, 2010, 12:24:59 pm
The next time we get ? points, we should invest it in Profit. It's the best choice available.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on September 02, 2010, 12:27:49 pm
The next time we get ? points, we should invest it in Profit. It's the best choice available.
DAMMIT! Why didn't we think of this?!?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on September 02, 2010, 03:25:44 pm
((
The next time we get ? points, we should invest it in Profit. It's the best choice available.
Bwahaha. It'd need to be ??? points though, i'd expect.

If nothing else, you should be lighter due to hollow bones or such needed for flight.
I was wondering if this'd come up. I research some odd things thanks to this, it seems.
Avian bone structure, railway of the era, bathing suits and so forth.


I have been wondering, since I've settled into writing this, i've noticed that things have taken increasingly long to progress plot wise due to the detail involved. Is everyone fine with that, given it gives them more insight into what's going on in the characters heads and so forth, or, would people prefer I tried to push things along a little faster, cutting back on detail a little potentially?
Maybe the better solution would be to stop using the system this borrows from for draws, given how frequently they (along with the characters themselves) seem to sabotage the direction.))
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on September 02, 2010, 04:52:29 pm
I think it's fine to be detailed occationaly, but keep it in mind so it dosn't get much worse.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on September 02, 2010, 06:53:50 pm
Survival, that was your first priority. Your second one was to take out as many of these things as possible, to burn them to death, to ensure that they wouldn't heal, that they wouldn't simply get back up because you hadn't dealt a fatal injury to them. You knew the nature of the corrupted all too well, you knew how some of them were tougher than others, how some of them were capable of recovering faster than others. They were beneath you and the rest of the enlightened, beneath you, who had been shaped by the hand of another to be so perfect, so well adapated for survival in this day and age.

Survival in this case was merely ensuring that you remained ahead of anything that tried to track you, finding a safe place to rest for a while if possible. Maybe it was the fact that this change was taking a lot out of you, maybe it was this change that made you want to lay down and sleep right now, to rest until everything was over. Maybe it was this change that was sapping your energy so rapidly from your body, your body, that you could feel even now shifting and twisting into a new form beneath your skin. You could feel muscles realigning and your physical weight diminishing, though this loss of weight was more than just body fat being burned by these changes needing what energy they could leech from within.

You felt lighter than could remember ever having done in your life.

Every footfall onward was accompanied by a sensation of excitement and dread, your tired mind telling you over and over that something had happened to you, something terrible, something wonderful. You were disfigured by these wings, yet you had wings, beautiful wings that were still growing, wings, that you somehow knew would soon enough be able to support your weight and allow you to fly. You'd be able to fly, fly like a bird, able to look down on the land below from a new perspective.

Everything would change, everything would be better, or at least that was what you told yourself, when deep down you knew that things would only change for the better where effort was involved. Things would change for the better with Eurochkoles though, he was determined to make the effort and he was going to make things better for you. He was going to change the world, and you were going to be there to see it happen, you were going to be there to reap the benefits of your loyalty to him.

You were going to follow him because that was what you wanted, that was what you needed. You needed somebody to follow, and he was a better leader than Pride had ever been despite all his flaws. All Pride had ever had going for him was his status as the head of the Enlightened, while Eurochkoles was a man with drive and vision. He was a man who respected you more than any other, though it confused you to think about it, knowing that he was not the type to make a pass at you. You would likely have been disgusted if he was that type of man, viewing him as no better than the rest, yet the fact he didn't pay that kind of attention to you, to anyone, confused you.

Enraptured by these thoughts, you continued to stumble onward, only vaguely recognising the decor on a weathered sign indicating that you had found one of the towns stores. The door was unlocked, ajar even, though there was little sign of damage to the interior you noted as you stepped inside. No bones, either, the people here had clearly left before they were eaten by the things that inhabited the city. That, or they had become them, it was hard to tell given how you hadn't been here for it, given how you felt light headed and delirious.

"Hi, I require as much paraffin as you have in store," you started, your voice ringing out in the empty store as you leaned against the counter, looking around as you giggled to yourself. It was a general supply store, with everything from lignite to lanterns. Various tools were on display on one wall, with a patch in the display missing, as if someone had stumbled against it. The floor had a number of them discarded on it, telling you that they hadn't been looted, though between the tools on the wall and the floor was a number of lanterns set on the shelves, along with a number of flasks of paraffin.

"Is that all you have, or do you have more in the back?" you asked, pausing as your face contorted in anger to an imaginary insult. "You leave my wings out of this, they're beautiful and you're jealous!" you snapped, before huffing, pulling the hatch leading behind the counter open as you did so. "I'll check for more myself, thank you, I don't want some bigot's assistance serving me," you continued, frowning deeply as you did so.

As you made your way towards the store room you paused, clutching your rifle to your chest a little tighter as you glanced over your shoulder, making certain that nothing had followed you in before you reached for the handle of the door. You turned the knob slowly as you breathed the scent of dusty air in deeply, expecting the worst, expecting anything other than the sight that greeted you. The sight of boxes stacked haphazardly greeted you, boxes that you poked through carefully, pausing as you found a small one filled with something that you had only heard of before now.

Chocolate.

This must have been smuggled, given how you had seen quite the price tag on this, given how you knew that a backwater village like this couldn't possibly have had a legitimate supplier of such a luxuary. You just had to try it though, you just had to see if the fuss about it was warranted, if the price it demanded was justified. That was what you told yourself at least, and you were sticking to it.

Your fingers deftly unwrapped the bar as you held it up, breathing in the scent of it carefully as you held it up to your face. You could feel it melting beneath your fingers, the thin bar growing slick as you returned it to its wrapper, figuring that it would enable you to hold it without getting more of it over your hands. With the bar safely tucked in the wrapper again you started licking the chocolate that had melted onto your fingers off them, a delighted shiver running through you as you tasted it. This was something you liked, this was something you had to take with you. First however, you were going to eat this bar, then you were going to set the box outside the door so you could run away with it when you were done here.

Well, no, you were going to be efficient about this. You were going to start taking the boxes of paraffin and chocolate outside while eating this bar, ready for when you finished it. With a chunk of chocolate in your mouth, you started to carry one of the boxes of paraffin outside, huffing briefly as it almost slipped from your grasp as your wings caught the door frame. The shock of such a thing was new to you, the fact that you had an extension of your body like this that was close in a sense to some of your dreams as a child.

Dreams of having wings.

Dreams of being an angel.

Several boxes of paraffin were set outside and one box of chocolate in the time it took you to finish the small bar you had taken to try. While you felt no clearer headed, your mood was vastly improved at least, having you almost humming to yourself as you picked up a few of the boxes and started carrying them in the direction of what you assumed was the town hall. You couldn't have brought yourself to care if you wanted to over the thought that you could still be attacked by the things here, good as your mood was. It took you little time to find the town hall, setting down the two boxes you had grabbed before you headed back for the other two, repeating this journey quickly, before you pryed the door to the town hall open.

The scene inside was as expected from this town, a few bones littering it, furniture partially erected as barricades, though it appeared like the people here hadn't even managed to do that in time before being set upon. You could see tables and chairs, benches and bookcases, all toppled and half pulled towards the center of the room. Plain white walls with claw marks and bloodied handprints added to the story of how the people here had fallen, though you had no idea how to add this to the picture. Not that you cared, as you were quick to hurry across the room, taking note of how there was only one other exit from this building. A door, that lead into a walled in garden, a door, that had another lantern hanging outside it, a lantern that was pitted with age and had soot on the glass. A lantern that you could still hear fuel sloshing about in the bottom of, as you gave it an experimental shake.

That lantern was just what you needed, you could lead them into the building, slam the second door shut as you ran through, use the lantern... No, no, you needed to toss the lantern in first, then slam the door shut, so it could ignite the paraffin that you'd splash about inside. The door you'd come in through would need a few flasks put by it, the rest of them could be splashed and planted about the room.

You ran through this plan several times as you followed the motions you'd need to take, planting several of the flasks about the room as you poured the contents of others over the floor, over the furniture. The stink of the stuff filled the room, though you knew that these things were likely too stupid to know what the smell was. After ensuring that the lamp outside the door was lit, this only left you one more issue to tackle.

You needed to lure them here.

You knew that the majority of them would be at the train station, that you would have to run back here, unsteady as you were. You were unsteady, but they were mishapen and ugly, so things were in your favour at least. Still, it wasn't their fault that they were ugly.

Well... Yes.

Yes it was their fault.

You staggered in the direction of the railway station, taking a few moments to find your feet again as you adjusted your balance to account for the weight on your back. No sooner had you done such did you find yourself striding down the streets towards the station with purpose, your determination to prevail driving you onward. You were going to prove your worth, you were going to show Eurochkoles that he could rely on you, that you were capable of carrying out things in such a manner that he would be proud of you. You wanted to hear it, you wanted to hear those words from him, you wanted to hear him tell you how well you had handled the task. You wanted to hear him beg for that chocolate you had aquired, so you could see the look on his face when you said no.

As you neared the station you could feel yourself growing apprehensive, glancing about as you looked into the windows of the houses you passed by. While there was nothing in them, you couldn't shake the feeling that something might just burst out, that something might just attack you before you got there. You couldn't dismiss such a possibility with the manner in what things seemed to be going so horribly wrong for you as of late. It was as if there was a vast, cosmic conspiracy against you, against those associated with you, ensuring that there would be nothing but strife ahead for you.

Your paranoia fortunately, turned out to be misplaced as you reached the station unharmed, as you turned the corner to find yourself presented with a scene much like one you had expected. There was a fair few of the corrupted lingering here, settled atop the partially rusted train and the carriages around it, keeping an absent eye out for any sign of the survivors approach. Your presence of course got their attention quickly, prompting a bellow from one of them as it started to jump up and down atop the train, pointing in your direction.

"Catch me if you can, you slovenly wankers!" you yelled, turning to run from the things as you did so, with the sound of many feet followed behind you. You made sure to keep a good distance from them, glancing back to ensure that they behind you, yelling obscenities at them as you continued onwards, goading them into continuing this chase. A chance that you directed towards the town hall, making a show of attempting to flap your wings uselessly, as if you had forgotten how to fly or couldn't due to injuring your wings. They thought you were grounded, unable to escape, they thought they had you and merely needed to keep up with you.

They had no idea about what you had in store for them.

You ducked inside the town hall as you reached it, hissing briefly as your wings clipped the frame of the door, having grown large enough now that even folded, they were starting to get in your way. They were still growing, too, becoming larger with every passing minute, closer to a size that you knew would be fitting for you to fly with. At least you hoped you'd be able to fly, as having the promise of flight so close, yet cruely denied to you would be too much for you to cope with.

You acted as if you were cornered as the things poured into the building after you, as they paced towards you, as you backed away with an expression of fear feigned. "Stay away from me!" you cried out, watching as more of them flooded in, as they started to spread out about you. They were closing in as more bodies crowded the room, yet it was all under control. Yes, all under control.

It was all under control and you felt like you were losing your mind.

The fumes of the paraffin made you feel dizzy and the prospect of what you were about to do made you feel giddy. They were going to burn, they were going to die screaming, much like the people of this town had when they had torn them apart. Your back pressed to the door as you continued to back away, before you tore it open, grabbing the lamp that hung outside it, casting it to the floor of the room with a gleeful giggle, and then, you slammed the door shut behind you as you ran for the garden wall.

Your wings fluttered more powerfully than before as you attempted to use them to give you the boost you needed to clear the wall, your feet kicking at it briefly as you found footing and pulled yourself up and over. Screaming filled your ears as flames visibly danced through the window behind you, as the things attempted to stay away from the flames that tore through the building.

You paid no more mind to the things you had left to burn, as a plume of thick smoke rose from the burning building, as flames engulfed it behind you, as you made your way towards the shop you had left the box of chocolate outside, along with your rifle. As you made your way down the path however, you caught sight of a familiar sight running towards you, running no doubt to investigate the smoke in the sky. It was the two headed thing, it was the thing that you had been unable to finish off earlier. You could see an expression that even on faces as twisted as the pair it bore was clearly one of anxiety, one that told you that the sight of you again, bearing wings as you did now, was enough to unsettle it.

"What have you done?" it screeched as it pointed one long, twisted finger at you.

"If you hurry, maybe you can still save some of them," you simply responded, while the thing turned pale, wailing as it started running towards the source of the smoke, no doubt horrified by what your words implied.

As you finished traversing the street to the shop front you were greeted by the sight of the rifle you had left behind and the box of chocolate bars, though you found yourself wondering, did you head back now, or did you continue looting the town, like you so deserved?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Nirur Torir on September 02, 2010, 07:06:17 pm
Head back, and don't forget the chocolate. Rest and eat lots of chocolate upon returning to the others.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: ragnarok97071 on September 02, 2010, 07:18:26 pm
I agree with the person above me. also, we need to learn how to use a spear so we can do Dragoon jumps with our new wings.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: breadbocks on September 02, 2010, 07:37:49 pm
I agree with the person above me. also, we need to learn how to use a spear so we can do Dragoon jumps with our new wings.
This
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Jabberwock on September 02, 2010, 07:45:39 pm
We should also bring some medical supplies back.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on September 02, 2010, 10:36:44 pm
We can't carry all that much, and we already have a fine haul, lets head back to the others, remember to take an indirect path...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: ragnarok97071 on September 03, 2010, 06:13:07 am
can we actually fly? if so, fly far enough up so that you look like a normal bird, then go back to the others. if not, be sneaky.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on September 03, 2010, 10:39:54 am
Eat some more, test your wings  and practice flying a bit, then go back.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on September 03, 2010, 01:21:32 pm
There was a distinct lack of a strap on the rifle you had aquired, and this displeased you. It made it a lot more awkward than it needed to be to carry it, along with the box you had aquired. Ditching the rifle was something you considered doing briefly, though you knew that if you were attacked, unskilled as you were in the use of such weaponry, it was better than nothing. It was a weapon that a single well aimed shot from could kill one of these things outright, no struggling to find a point of their body to stab that would have the same effect. There in lay the problem of course, the fact that you were required to get a well aimed shot on one of them to kill them. Still, you knew that if you brought it back, that you'd get additional thanks for bringing such a weapon back.

You just needed to get it back first, you just needed to get yourself back, to ensure that you were able to return in one piece. You had to wonder how everyone'd react to the clear fact that you had changed, to the fact that you were all the more clearly showing your tainted nature. Would you be accepted by them, or would they be afraid of you, knowing that you were so different?

You knew that it was possible that they would see the wings and liken you to an angel, though black as they were, you would likely be likened to one of a much less pure nature in such a case. You didn't like angels though, not since you had met that person that had the appearance of one, that one that wanted you to kill Eurochkoles, that person who was likely no more an angel than you. He had likely used that appearance, along with whatever powers he happened to be gifted with to garner favour with a select few, to influence things in a manner that favoured him.

In a way, you were jealous, knowing that he had the entire thing set up for him, that he was in a position to manipulate without suspicion from certain people. You gave your wings a few experimental flutters, huffing as you quickly realised that they were still deadweight on your back, that in addition to ruining your dress they were useless. It was going to take you time to learn to use them, it seemed, and time was something you didn't want to spend on them. You wanted to be able to use them now, you wanted to be able to fly back and avoid walking, you wanted to be back there already, given time to eat your chocolate and recover.

Another flutter followed as you tried once more, this time flapping them more forcefully, though all you managed to do was pull a muscle in your shoulder as your lack of control over them became apparent. This meant that it was going to take time leaning to use them, time to get them strong enough to use, even if you did feel you knew how to use them somehow already. Maybe it was a matter of simply learning how to control them, learning how to use muscles you had never had to use before and not a matter of strengthening them to support you.

Maybe they already worked fine, and they were just useless?

That was a thought that you didn't wish to entertain however, instead opting to make your way towards the edge of town, glancing behind yourself on occasion for any sign of movement that would suggest that you were being followed. You didn't want to be followed back and you didn't want to take a direct route back, as this could end with you leading the things here back to the others.

Instead, you took a side road away from the town, knowing that you could skirt around some of the hills about the town, remaining out of sight while you made your way back to the group. It would also give you time to eat more of the chocolate you had found, a chance to think things through, time to allow all you had been through to sink in. The rifle and the box were quickly moved under one arm, partially propped against the belt that you wore for additional support as you started down the road that lead away from the town.

It was going to be a fair walk back you noted as you took another bar of chocolate from the box, struggling to unwrap it as you used your thumb to nudge the wrapping that contained it open. An extra set of arms would have been more useful than wings, it seemed, as more arms would have allowed you to hold the box and rifle seperately, in less awkward positions, as well as giving you two hands free for this chocolate bar. Of course, extra arms would have been horrible to look at, while wings at least had some asthetic value to go with their functionality.

It slowly dawned on you as you made your way onward that this change didn't actually bother you in the slightest, that you had been prepared to let go of your humanity a long time ago when you became one of the Enlightened. It should have bothered you, you knew that it should have, especially given how Eurochkoles had been trying to get you to embrace that aspect of yourself once more. You had tried to take to it, you had tried to be what he wanted, you had tried to be what you were not, all because it pleased him to see the so called progress you made.

You were no longer able to think of yourself as human, you were and always would be one of the Enlightened, one of the corrupted, one who preyed upon that what went bump in the night. Just because you wore smiles and spoke with the words that civilised people used didn't mean you were like them. You wore a mask, and you wore it well. The fact that he was the leader figure you followed, the one that you required to feel you had purpose only added to the manner in what your mask had strengthened.

It was liberating to know you were different, to know that you could sit there in the midst of those humans, that you were greater than them. You were immortal. Your thoughts continued in this manner as you basked in the concepts that you had found new means of comprehending, as you made your way onward skirting the hills as you made your way to the end of the gorge.

The group gradually came into view as you climbed over the last hill, over the hill that they had remained behind when you set off, you could how they still huddled together near Joy, how Eurochkoles was sat beside her. You could see that he was asleep, that the humans huddled near Joy avoided getting too close to him, that no sooner had you arrived than they started to point at you, to talk amongst themselves. Whispered words, no doubt in awe of your wings, those beautiful wings that you now bore, though you could see something else, you could see that they were afraid of something new.

They were afraid of you.

Fearful cries came from them as they backed away, as Joy started towards you, her vacant expression telling you nothing of what her purpose was, the few words that she stated drowned out by the crowd around her. As she advanced, she spoke once more, her words clear this time as she spoke in a manner that you could attribute to the nature of the guardian she believed herself to be. "Drop your weapons and surrender, or be terminated," came Joy's words, prompting you to look down at the rifle under your arm, then back at Joy, huffing as you did so. Did she not recognise you due to the wings, or was the presence of them enough to trigger a reaction like this?

You huffed, wondering how you should deal with Joy, what you should tell Eurochkoles, what course of action you could suggest with the town to him, to awe him, to show him how he could rely on you, to get him to praise you like he should.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on September 03, 2010, 01:57:16 pm
Next time we have points we totally have to get extra arms.

Tell Eurochles everything.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: cerapa on September 03, 2010, 03:15:01 pm
Drop the gun and ask her to wake Euro up.

And tell Euro that you randomly sprouted wings. And all the other stuff too of course.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on September 03, 2010, 04:32:59 pm
Joy isn't our enemy, and she listens to Euro, lets just drop the gun and get him to stop her...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on September 04, 2010, 07:42:50 am
"I don't get you, Joy," you muttered to yourself, carefully slipping the rifle from under your arm as you did so, taking care to prevent yourself having to put down your prize, the box with the chocolate you had aquired. "I want to hear it, in your own words. I want to hear you tell me why you're asking me to do this," you huffed, holding the rifle out to Joy as you did so. As she took it, her attention immediately fell on the box under your arm, implying that she wanted you to pass that over too, incase it contained some form of weapon that she hadn't seen yet. "This is full of chocolate, for gods sake Joy, now tell me, why you're asking me to do this."

Joy's attention remained on the box as she spoke, as if she didn't believe you, as if she actually believed that you were concealing a weapon in it. "Your appearance is compromised, you are corrupted. The civilians reacted fearfully to your presence, thus you are deemed a threat. You are armed. You are corrupted. Those bearing tainted forms are to be neutralised. Your affiliation with the creator requires confirmation from him before neutralisation. Please relinquish the box."

You huffed, your appearance wasn't compromised, it was improved. You had beautiful wings and frigid as she was, she was clearly jealous about this fact, she was clearly envious that you had wings and she had nothing bar an excuse for being socially inept. The contents of the box were anything but a weapon though and you were going to prove that to her, you were going to sacrifice one of the bars of chocolate that it contained to prove this. "Joy, have you ever heard of chocolate?" you asked, reaching slowly into the box as you did so, retreiving a bar from it carefully, holding it out for her to see.

There was no response from her, though you couldn't just see, you could feel her intense gaze as it followed your every motion, as if she was waiting for an excuse to spring on you and attack you. After a few long moments of simply staring at the bar, with you waving it tantalisingly at her she finally took the hint, taking it from your possession, looking at you blankly as she held it close to her chest. She clearly had no idea what to do with it, no idea what it was.

"You remember the cake we had in the train?" you asked, a brief sensation of guilt reminding you that Eurochkoles had wanted some and you had denied him it, you had denied the person that you looked up to, that you served. Joy nodded slightly, shifting awkwardly as she did so. She remembered it, she knew that she liked it, she knew that it conflicted with how she was supposed to feel and behave. "This is better than the cake, just try a little," you stated, smiling as you rocked back and forth slightly, rolling your shoulders as you did your best to alleviate the growing discomfort the weight behind you was causing. You knew that would get better with time at least, that you would soon enough adjust to the new center of mass you bore.

Joy's expression was as blank as ever as she slowly started to unwrap the bar, breaking away one of the corners as it was exposed. You were expecting something more of a reaction as she put the chocolate into her mouth, yet her expression remained blank, devoid of emotion. At least that was until after an awkward moment of silence you reached over to the bar, attempting to remove it from her possession. "Mine," she huffed, clutching it that little closer to her chest, sinking down to her knees as she paid you no more attention, instead licking melted chocolate from her fingers.

She made no effort to stop you as you walked around her, as you approached Eurochkoles where he slept, taking note of how he was sleeping where he sat, his arms resting on his legs with one of the revolvers he had brought with you in hand. You'd seen how sharp his aim was and you didn't want to risk startling him as that could eaisly translate to a gunshot wound, something that while you could recover from it easily wasn't something you'd like to have to recover from. Pain wasn't exactly something you enjoyed experiencing, especially with how frequently you seemed to do so.

Even as you approached, the jingling of the jewlery on your belt seemed to be all that it took to rouse him, his eyes opening drifting over to you before he seemed to snap to a state of alertness, focused on you as he shook his head briefly. You could see how the hand bearing the gun had jerked upward, now sat atop his knee, while his gaze was fixed firmly on you, on the wings that were visible behind your shoulders. His mouth opened as he searched and failed to find words, while you smiled brightly, knowing that this was your chance to take the initiative.

"I think I broke Joy," you stated, gesturing behind yourself to where she still sat, rocking back and forth slowly as she picked away at the chocolate bar you had given her. "Though to be fair, it was better I broke her, than she broke me. She wanted to hurt me, because I brought back a rifle and these-" you paused, spreading your wings, holding them open for a long moment before you allowed them to settle against your back again. You could see the shock on his face, the disbelief and worry, you huffed however as you had expected him to react a little more favourably than this. Maybe it was because he was just waking up, that he couldn't quite comprehend the beauty of this new form. Maybe it was because he was a stupid man, who thought that he was smart simply because he was intelligent.

"I hope you have a good story behind this all," he started, pausing as he glanced behind you, as he glanced towards the hill that sat behind you. "Is that smoke?" he asked, gesturing to the thin plume of smoke that was visible, smoke that was no doubt from the building you had set ablaze. "I asked the bursar to wake me if anything happened. Where has that useless man got to?" he continued, rubbing his eyes as he turned his attention back towards you fully, tilting his head as he did so. "Well, start talking."

"I looked around the town, I found more of the corrupted things that attacked the train there. They were quite unfriendly, so diplomacy was not an option, especially given that they had used the prior inhabitants of the town as food and viewed you as the same. They were about as intelligent as any man, they recognised that the train still in the station there was likely something you'd want to go to, so they started were planning to ambush you when you went for it," you paused, glancing over your shoulder briefly as you did so. "The smoke is from where I trapped a number of them inside a building before burning it, it should have vastly thinned their numbers."

"And the wings?"

"Are they not beautiful?" you asked, setting the box down at his feet, moving closer to him, settling atop his lap as you positioned yourself face to face with him. "I'm not sure what happened to have them grow, I can't use them for flight either, but I am certain that in time I'll learn how," you stated, leaning closer to him as he leaned back uncomfortably, prompting you to grin as you placed your hands on his shoulders. "Say it," you whispered.

"Say what?"

"Tell me that I did good, let me know you're proud of me."

He was silent for a moment as he seemed to relax, a crooked smile forming on his lips as he shook his head slightly. "You have confirmed that there's a train there, given me good idea about what we'll be up against there and managed to get back without leading them here by the look of it," he paused as he glanced over at Joy, then back at you. "I doubt anybody could have done better than you."

"Do you really mean that?"

He nodded, pressing his hands to your shoulders as he pushed you back, while you allowed yourself to be moved from atop his lap. "We just need to see where that useless man has gone, then we can see about securing the train," he muttered to himself, holding his chest as he rose to his feet. You had almost forgotten that he was injured, that he was hardly at his best right now, though you knew that despite this he was still fully capable of leading. "Joy, where's the bursar?" he called out, as he stepped past you.

"He went back towards the crash site," one of the civilians volunteered, while Joy remained silent, seemingly still fixated on the chocolate you had given her. Eurochkoles sighed, shaking his head slightly as he turned back towards you, his very gaze making the prior boldness you had felt while away from him seem to fade away. It was as if his very presence made you feel submissive, your rebellious nature kept in check somehow by him.

"Do you need to rest, or do you think you would be able to see to bringing him back?" he asked, his gaze briefly lingering on your wings, as concern was visibly written over his face.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on September 04, 2010, 09:44:20 am
Get him to take the chocolate before joy eats all of it!
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on September 04, 2010, 09:47:30 pm
((I'll do the next update tomorrow, I've been working on the RTD-ish thing's rules. It's looking less RTD and more RPG-ish with dice rolls at the moment, though.
If anybody'd like to look them over, suggest changes, etc, PM me and i'll send what there is so far.))
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on September 04, 2010, 11:03:59 pm
No, keep the chocolate, its yours! Although... those civilians do look kind of pathetic, I suppose you could afford to share some of it around...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: ragnarok97071 on September 05, 2010, 09:12:03 am
wasn't the main point of the mission to acquire chocolate? why are we eating it?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on September 05, 2010, 10:17:30 am
In the moment that your gaze flitted from him to the chocolate and back, he seemed to know what you were thinking better than you did, a smile crossing his lips as he gave you a brief nod, flipping out the cylinder on his revolver to ensure that it was loaded as he did so. A quick check was all it took for him to ensure he was prepared for this, to ensure that he was ready for the potential that he would be attacked while bringing the bursar back. "Well then, I expect you to be rested and recovered by the time I get back," he started, glancing back at Joy as he did so. "I hope she snaps out of that state, too, as we're going to need her to watch our backs while we're in the town."

You nodded, meekly reaching into the box, picking a bar of chocolate out, before offering it to him. You had been so dead set on keeping it all to yourself, yet you couldn't help but think that you should do this, that as your leader, that as the one you depended on, he at least deserved this much for you denying him cake while on the train. He merely smiled, shaking his head as he holstered his revolver, yet you couldn't take no for an answer, your eyes imploring him to take it from you, to accept this rare act of charity from you.

"If you insist, I suppose I must," he responded, taking the bar from you as he did so, smiling for a brief moment as he leaned over, kissing your forehead. "Thank you, but I still expect you to behave while I am gone," he added, before starting off back down the dirt path that lead down into the gorge, leaving you stood there with your fingers pressed to your forehead.

Why did he have to do that?

Why did he have to leave you feeling that the affection behind it was pure and innocent, that it was no more than a gesture of friendship. Why did he have to pick exactly what it took to make you feel all the more submissive in his presence. You slumped down atop the rock that he had been sat on, shifting slightly to get comfortable as you felt the fleeting warmth it bore, as you looked down at the box near your feet.

Maybe...

Maybe you should spare a few bars of chocolate from that box, give him further reason to be proud of you. It was almost as if you were addicted to the sensation of joy that it brought you when he approved of your actions, when he showed you that he was pleased with what you had done. You wanted to please him, you wanted that joy that came with his approval, you wanted him to justify your very existance to you by acknowledging you in such a manner. You needed him to acknowledge you, you needed him to prove to you that your very existance was justified.

A quick head count told you that if you were to give each of those people a bar of chocolate each, that you would only have a couple left over, that you would deny yourself the chance to eat it over the course of the next few days. You'd be denying yourself something that would keep you happy, just because you were going to do something for him, just because you were going to waive your own selfish desires for his sake. You hoped he appreciated the magnitude of this sacrifice, that he appreciated what you had done, because if he didn't you would shout and scream until you were blue in the face.

"You, yes you, in the maid outfit," you started, as you addressed the group, while the maid nearest you swallowed nervously, her expression fearful as she did her best to avoid eye contact with you. "See this?" you asked as you held a stack of chocolate bars out towards her. "I want you to take this and give everybody here one bar each. After what happened with the train this will provide at least a little comfort," you stated, watching as the woman meekly nodded, edging towards you, reaching for the chocolate. She was doing her best to avoid getting any closer to you than she had to, though that suited you fine, as she was human, as you could smell the concoctions she had doused herself with in the pursuit of beauty.

You much preferred the other scents you could pick up from her, the blood, the fear. Things that made you almost start to salivate as you wondered if she would taste as sweet as the chocolate had, if her final moments as she bled to death would-

You shook your head as you took a deep breath, you felt like you were losing your mind, becoming submissive in Eurochkoles presence and predatory without him to keep you in check. Timid and obedient when he ordered you about yet vicious and brutal when nobody was around to stop you. Maybe you just needed a little rest, a little time for your body and mind to settle down after the changes that had taken place. Maybe you just needed time to find your balance once more, time to find yourself so you could shake the increasingly frequent thoughts of bloodshed you were having.

You were not certain when you had nodded off, or even how long you had been asleep, though you found yourself stirring into hazy moments of semi-consiousness as you were awakened by Eurochkoles. Again, you stirred as you briefly awoke to find yourself sat atop his shoulders, as he strode across the fields and hills towards the fallen town. Once more you awoke as he reached the outskirts of the town, as he hissed as he slipped you from atop his shoulders, shaking you as he did his best to rouse you. "Come on sleeping beauty, we're at the town and we're going to need everyone alert."

"We-" you paused as you sat upright, your shoulder bumping his chest, causing him to recoil as he clutched his ribs. "Sorry!" you whimpered, afraid that he would lash out at you for that, one hand moving to your mouth as you breathed almost started hyperventilating. What was with you today, why were you having such major mood swings?

"I'm going to get Joy to decouple all but one of the carriages while I get the boiler going," he started, showing no anger towards that accidental bump of his ribs as he unstrapped his gun belt, passing it over to you as he did so. "I've never actually done this before, but it seems fairly simple a concept-" he paused, breathing deeply as he did so.

"What's wrong?" you asked, reaching out timidly as you took the belt from him, strapping it about your waist. "Do you need me to get the train going for you?"

"Get the civilians into the first carriage, I'll get the boiler going, then all we need to do is hold off anything that comes to investigate," he responded. glancing about nervously as he did so. "I'm not liking the vibe i'm getting here, so once you get the civilians inside, get atop the carriage and keep an eye out for trouble until we're able to get going."

You nodded, while he raised a finger to his lips, gesturing for the entire group to be silent as he started to lead the way along the outskirts of the town. Every time you reached a gap that left a clear line of sight into town he sat there peering around the corner, silently sending small groups across one after the other, sending Joy ahead to watch the front while you helped him at the rear. While you reached the station without incident you could feel yourself growing apprehensive, feeling that something was going to go wrong.

Joy was fast about uncoupling the carriages from the back of the train, leaving one carriage, a coal bunker and the front part of the train itself all that was connected. The civilians were less eager than you had hoped to follow your lead as you herded them into the carriage that remained, though they were easier with the idea when they learned you'd not be in it with them. Once you were atop the carriage everything fell silent, no more than the worried murmers of the civilians inside the carriage beneath you and the sound of Eurochkoles stoking the fire reaching your ears.

Silence.

Silence, in a town overrun by the corrupted, the corrupted that you had trapped in a building and torched earlier. The remaining ones would no doubt be infuritated, so why were they not attacking, why were they not coming for you now that you had finally headed towards the train like they had guessed you would earlier?

You hopped from the roof of the carriage, landing on the edge of the coal bunker's walls, your wings spreading as they assisted you in balancing, as you walked along it to the end, glancing down at Eurochkoles as you did so from your vantage point. "I don't know this," you stated, huffing as you glanced out towards the town. "Surely if enough of them remained, they would attack us now?" you added, tilting your head as you did so, as you glanced over at the fire that he was stoking. "How long will it take us to be able to get going?"

"I'm estimating five to ten minutes to build up steam, then we'll be on our way, we just need to sit tight and hope they'll not come for us before then."

"Can I sit up here with you once we're going?"

He laughed as he paused for a moment, as he leaned against the shovel as he braced it against the floor beneath his feet. "Once we're safe, you're free to sit anywhere you so desire."

You smiled as you turned about, walking carefully back up to the carriage, hopping back onto the roof of it again as you folded your wings once more. As the minutes ticked by, you found yourself growing apprehensive again, as you found yourself glancing about as your paranoia grew, watching out for any sign of movement.

Second after second.

Minute after minute.

You were almost disappointed when the train started to lurch forward, when the entire wait went without incident, your attention just about to turn away from the town when you caught sight of movement from the corner of your eye. Your head turned as you pulled the revolver you had been entrusted with from its holster. A familiar form was running towards you, a two headed thing thats two voices wailed in an oddly harmonious manner as it waved its arms to get your attention.

"Don't shoot!" The higher pitched voice came.

"Take us with you!" the lower pitched one rumbled.

"They'll kill us if you leave us behind!" the higher pitched one almost sobbed.

You were torn, did you shoot now, did you let it get close and shoot to ensure a kill, or did you handle it in another manner?



((
wasn't the main point of the mission to acquire chocolate? why are we eating it?
You were after fudge, not chocolate.))
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: cerapa on September 05, 2010, 01:23:35 pm
Ask him why they would kill him before he gets close, and if he doesnt give a good answer, shoot him.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on September 05, 2010, 04:10:14 pm
!!!
Tell Eurochles to stop, and that he probably has yet another lost soul to save.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on September 05, 2010, 06:01:52 pm
Ask him why they would kill him before he gets close, and if he doesnt give a good answer, shoot him.
This. They sound like they might be traitors to their cannibalistic cult.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on September 05, 2010, 07:13:50 pm
Do not stop the train.

He can get on but he needs to keep his hands as far out as he can, and he needs to stay on the coal. Once the train is moving, and there are no overhangs ahead that someone could jump from, we search him thoroughly to make sure that there are no weapons and nothing flammable. Make it clear that if he goes for a pocket you will shoot them.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on September 05, 2010, 07:31:36 pm
"Now, why shouldn't I kill you myself?" you asked the thing as it started to match the train's speed, though still keeping its distance as it looked up at you nervously. "You wanted to kill me, to eat me, you viewed me as nothing more than food. Why shouldn't I just put a bullet in each of your heads right here and now?" you snapped, bluffing, as you knew from this distance you'd be lucky to hit one of his heads.

"They will return, they will kill us all for failing them!" wailed the smaller head, while the larger one let out a rumbling whimper.

"Who are they exactly?"

The thing was about to respond when you heard the sound of one of the windows sliding open beneath you, prompting you to drop down atop the roof of the train, leaning over it as you caught sight of Joy bringing a shotgun to bear on the thing. Impassive as always, her appearance had clearly more effect on him, than he on her. You knew that you had to buy time, that you had to get a chance to question him. You wanted to know what spooked him so badly, and you were going to have to deal with Joy first, it seemed.

"Joy, lower your weapon," you snapped, while her attention drifted from the thing before her, up towards you.

"His presence alarms the civilians, his nature is one that requires neutralisation."

Joy's simple response had you huff, you knew it wasn't her fault that she was this way, that she had the guardian complex, wanting only to protect and serve. It wasn't her fault, yet it was frustrating to deal with it, knowing that she approached every problem in much the same manner. "He might have information, I'm going to take him to Eurochkoles and let him decide how to deal with him. Understood?"

There was a brief moments silence from Joy before she leaned back into the carriage, sliding the window back as she did so. Huffing, you rose to your feet once more as you looked down at the corrupted thing before you, training your weapon on him again as you started to walk along the carriage roof.

"Keep your hands in the air and follow me, or I shall kill you where you stand. If you do not have information of value to offer, then I shall take your life. Do I make myself clear?" your words were cold, yet the thing nodded vigorously in response to them, raising its hands as it started to hurry forward, following you as you hopped onto the bunkers, your wings spreading as they provided you with balance. You kept your eyes on the thing as you neared the front of the train, as you hopped down into it, nudging Eurochkoles with your elbow to get his attention.

As he turned towards you he caught sight of it, a deep frown crossing his features as he spoke, keeping his eyes on that thing as he addressed you. "Sabrina, why have you not killed that thing yet?" came his words, words that had the thing whimper and tremble. You would have quite happily killed it yourself, then and there if you knew that it had nothing to offer, yet you knew that if it did, that he would be pleased, that he would be thankful you had spared it, brought it to him.

"It begged to come with us, it's afraid of something and I am certain that he has answers as to what that something is, as to why they attacked the train," you responded as you turned your attention towards him, watching as he sighed, watching as he gestured to the coal bunker. Neither you nor the thing quite understood this gesture at first, though Eurochkoles was quick to clarify, quick to speak.

"Sit on the lip of the bunker, keep your hands behind your head and I'll decide what needs to be done with you when you're done answering my questions," he stated in a manner that was cold enough to give you goosebumps. The thing nodded in response, hurrying to the side of the train, cautiously climbing up as it kept an eye on you, on the gun that you were pointing at it. Once it had done so, it edged towards the bunker, settling on the lip of it as it raised its hands once more, this time setting them behind its head.

The thing was silent, though it wasn't a stubborn silence like you would have gotten from Joy, it was one of anticipation, one waiting for the inevitable questions that were going to be asked. It wasn't your place to ask however, it was Eurochkoles place to do so, as you knew that he could handle it easily enough without you getting in the way.

"Lets start things simple, what is your name?"

The larger head looked up at Eurochkoles, taking a small breath as it did so. "I do not remember," it responded in that deep, rumbling voice, while the smaller head babbled nervously to itself.

"Only to be expected I suppose, greater corruption, greater loss of prior identity," Eurochkoles muttered as he rubbed his chin. "How did you end up this way?"

"They came!" the smaller head wailed, its voice piercing and bearing a fearful tinge to it.

"They came, and they told us we could be beautiful, that we could be stronger," the larger head rumbled before it swallowed nervously. "Many of us wanted the strength they offered, so they twisted us into new forms, then, they left. They left, yet we continued to change, not everybody wanted to change like we had, though."

"What happened to them?"

"Food!" squeaked the smaller head, gnashing its teeth as it rocked from side to side.

"I see," Eurochkoles muttered to himself as he glanced between you and the thing, seemingly searching for words. "Tell me why you attacked us, why you attacked the train we were in?" came his words after a brief moments silence.

"We were hungry," the smaller head chattered, still rocking from side to side, butting against the side of the larger heads face now. "You were food!"

"We were hungry," the larger head echoed, though its tone was different to the smaller head. "They returned, they told us that a train would come, that we would be spared starvation. They granted the beautiful one power, told him to bring one they referred to as the false god to them," the larger head fell silent for a brief moment as it swallowed. "We failed, we did not find the false god, now they will destroy us for our failure. They serve the divine, through them the divine graced us with these forms, they said that soon the divine would reawaken, that all the world would be blessed with forms as beautiful as ours."

Eurochkoles frowned slightly as he glanced towards you, then back at the creature that sat before him. "What did they look like?"

"The first time I saw them, they looked normal, the second time they looked starved, with eyes like coal, many sharp teeth, yet they still smelled human," the rumbling voice faltered here, before the thing fell silent, trembling fearfully as both heads stared at Eurochkoles. Your gaze following theirs to him, taking note of the expression he bore. That expression was one of anger, one of hate, one that betrayed how he knew exactly what these things were while you yourself remained clueless as to the nature of them.

"Ghouls," he hissed, before he turned his attention towards you. "The first station we get to that's safe, we're dropping the civilians off at, then we're going to go to the village that contact was lost with as directly as possible, as it was probably attacked by them," he continued, turning away from you as he started to pace back and forth. "From there we can likely find their master."

"And then what?" you asked, tilting your head slightly as you did so.

"I don't know. I know I fought them once, yet I don't remember how I beat them, or if I beat them at all," he paused, stopping as he turned to face you. "This must have been four, maybe even five hundred years ago," he muttered, almost as if he didn't want you to hear this, before his attention once more came to rest on the corrupted thing that sat there, too afraid to move. "As for you-"

He paused, clearly not entirely certain how he wished to deal with this thing. Did you suggest a course of action for dealing with the thing, did you ask any further questions, or did you leave the situation in his hands?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Jabberwock on September 05, 2010, 09:18:56 pm
We should keep him. We should also ask him when did they come.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on September 05, 2010, 09:29:44 pm
"The large one seems sincere, and you are always talking about making up for mistakes. Let's see if it can find a place in our world..."
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on September 06, 2010, 07:10:13 am
This creature is no less human than we or Joy, and as is evidenced by it's own usage of the word beauty is in the eye of the beholder. This is a PERSON, a lost and scared one, with much less hope of survival or a happy life than we do. Treating him less kindly than us would be shallow bigotry. Tell him this.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on September 06, 2010, 01:14:46 pm
You knew that ultimately Eurochkoles would sentence this thing to death, that he would execute it as an act of mercy or necessity, that he would put an end to that life because it was different, because he believed that it was what he had to do. You knew that deep down you were little different to this thing beneath the surface, that the same taint that had twisted you into what you were had done the same to this thing. Just because on the surface he appeared less human than you, didn't mean that beneath his skin he was too. If anything, the thing that lurked beneath your skin was less human than he, hidden in plain sight.

Sure, you would have preyed on this thing given the chance, you would have killed it as it was part of the cycle of life for such tainted creatures to prey on each other, but that was different. That was as close as you got to a natural cycle of predators and prey, those that consumed each other to prevail, to survive. His reason was one that a civilised person would use as an excuse to get rid of it, the fact it was different, even if he didn't, like most so called civilised people, fear this thing.

You couldn't permit him to simply put an end to its life, not when it would be almost hypocritical of him to do such when he had given things far worse than it a chance. He had given you a chance, he had given Joy a chance, he had made mistakes and commited acts that he wished to make up for. You couldn't allow him to treat this as another black and white case, even if you yourself had tried to kill this thing earlier. This thing had come to you begging for mercy, it had thrown itself at your feet and you were not going to allow him to act like he was a tyrant that saw things in black and white alone.

This thing knew better than any of you what this area held, it had information on the things that you were likely going to face. It would be unwise to simply allow it to be executed as an act of mercy, as an act of justice when it could potentially know things even Eurochkoles did not. You anticipated it as he reached to take the gun from you, your body moving to block his line of sight to the thing, your wings spreading along with your arms as you stood there before him, the barrel of his revolver pressed to your forehead.

"I will not allow you to kill him," you huffed, ignoring the sensation of cold metal pressing to your forehead. You pressed back as he pressed the gun against your head forcefully, refusing to back down as you knew that it would spell the immediate death of the thing behind you, your eyes meeting his as you stared into them, almost challenging him. The eyes that stared back at you were unrelenting, ageless and piercing, with depths that could have rivalled the deepest ocean, eyes that betrayed age beyond your comprehension.

You knew he was ageless, that he was reborn every thousand years, that his death only seemed to slow him down at the very most. This however wasn't what you struggled with the concept of comprehending. It was the very nature of his experiences, the time he had lived being beyond any means you had to relate to, the many cycles he had experienced doing little to have him tire of life, yet he seemed to see things in black and white. The thing behind you was a tainted monster and had to die in his eyes, despite the fact it had come seeking mercy. Your lips almost curled into a smile as you considered that the chocolate you had consumed earlier had put you in such a good mood, a mood in what you were prepared to think, to reflect, a mood in what you didn't simply wish to put an end to this things life yourself.

"I still want answers from him, I still think he could help us. I still want answers from you."

Eurochkoles only response was to move his thumb, the click of the hammer being pulled back filling your ears. You smiled however, unimpressed by this attempt to intimidate you into moving, knowing that in this case you were right to do this, that he would not be able to refute such when you challenged him. "Move," was the sole word he uttered as his unflinching gaze remained on you, those piercing blue eyes as cold as ice.

"Or else you'll shoot me?" you laughed, wiggling your shoulders briefly as the weight of your wings, combined with the drag the air created with the steadily increasing speed of the train, had them starting to ache. "If you shoot me, you'll cry about how sorry you are that you had to do such and beg me for forgiveness. He's no different to me, he's twisted by the same taint that made me what I am. Just because he appears more like a monster than I, does not make him so. If anything, he is less of a monster than I am. Much, much less of one. He's probably still less of a monster than you would be if you killed him, after he begged for mercy, after he threw himself at your feet."

"This is your last warning Sabrina-"

"Or else what, you'll tell me a sob story about how you can't let him live because last time the people responsible for this taint were around they killed a few hundred people, then sulk for days afterwards?"

"I really wish it was so few-"

"Well I'm sorry they killed so many people, I'm sorry you were powerless to prevent it, but it isn't his fault that he got mixed up in this. Wrong place, wrong time, much like the Enlightened, much like the Guardians that you helped create," you huffed, folding your arms over your chest as you did so. "Tell me this, false god, if you are an enemy of theirs, why did they want to kill me to prevent you from dying?"

The revolver was lowered slowly as Eurochkoles closed his eyes, your hands moving to take hold of it, pulling it lightly from his grasp as you folded your wings once more. You clutched the revolver to your chest as you watched him, waiting to hear what he had to say. "I wish I knew. I know I was actively opposed to them so I have to wonder why they want me to survive. They're up to something, they have always been up to something, yet I do not know what it could possibly be."

"Killing him won't stop them though. If anything, he may be able to help us stop them," you paused, turning towards the two headed thing as you did so, tilting your head as you took note of how it had remained fearfully silent through this entire incident. "Tell me, how long ago did the Ghoul things arrive at your town?"

"A month ago!" the smaller head chirped, while the larger head grumbled.

"A month, the town started to fall apart faster than it should have after their arrival," the larger head rumbled, while the smaller one picked up where it left off.

"Mold! Moss and mold everywhere, buildings toppled and insects thrived!" it chittered, babbling to itself as the larger head remained silent.

"Let him help us, let him make up for his mistakes, like you try to make up for yours, like you try to get me to make up for mine."

Eurochkoles sighed as he glanced between you and the thing behind you, as he leaned down to pick up the shovel he had been using to feed coal to the fire beneath the boiler. "Fine, but the moment he starts giving us trouble, I'll shoot him, just so we're clear."

"Perfectly clear," you responded with a grin, settling down out of the way as you pondered on just what you were going to do while you waited to reach the next station.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: cerapa on September 06, 2010, 01:57:07 pm
Try to break Joy again.

Fun for the whole family!
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on September 06, 2010, 04:20:16 pm
Try to subtly arrange for situations that will humanize the two headed thing, show all his good sides. For starters, let him name himself.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Jabberwock on September 06, 2010, 05:47:34 pm
Ask the new member questions on the way to the next stop to keep busy.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on September 06, 2010, 10:24:45 pm
I agree with Armok... ...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Osmosis Jones on September 06, 2010, 11:47:41 pm
Wooo, we have enough for a circus now. Ringmaster, strong(wo)man, trapeze and exotic (m)animal.

Seriously though, Armok + Jabberwock's suggestions.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on September 07, 2010, 08:28:35 am
"Would he-" the larger of the two heads started, pausing as it glanced between you and Eurochkoles, swallowing nervously as it tried to find the courage to ask what was on its mind. "Would he have actually fired?" it asked, a question that you yourself didn't know the answer to, a question that you couldn't have answered if you wished to. You knew that you wouldn't be killed by such an injury, though it would have incapacitated you for a short space of time and so did he. He knew that you would have recovered from it, that it wouldn't cause any lasting ill efects other than the immediate pain and discomfort it caused.

"Of course he wouldn't," you responded as you glanced in his direction, watching as he silently continued to feed coal into the fire. You wished you could convince yourelf of that, you wished you could have read what was going through his mind at that point, known what he was thinking so you could answer it truthfully. You couldn't quite convince yourself that he wouldn't have, especially with how firmly he had pressed the gun to your head. "He loves me too much to do that, naturally." you added as you smiled, though your smile wasn't as bright as it normally was.

It was only now that you were beginning to feel shaken, that you realised that as much as you had been around him, that you didn't know him. You had thought you had, you had heard him talk about all he had done for man kind, you had heard him talk about how he had done what it took to get the best outcome. You knew that he regretted the creation of the Guardians, that he hated having taken that step when it could have been avoided, yet you didn't know if he would still feel so remorseful if he felt that the only way forward was to carve his way through the bodies before him. You didn't know if he would truly have been sorry if it had came to him shooting you.

Maybe it was just insecurity speaking, maybe it was your heightened intellect running away with that paranoia you felt, yet you couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to him than he had let on. Maybe he himself wasn't even aware of it, maybe he believed in the words he spoke so deeply that they were lies indistinguishable from the truth. You had seen him kill before, you had seen him break the neck of a simple mugger while giving a chilling speech about killing for the right reasons. He was definately capable of killing when he believed his reason was just and that ability to justify would no doubt extend to every act he was capable of commiting.

"We need to give you a name, you know, something to make you more of a person, something to make you one of us," you started, pausing as you tapped a finger against your lips. You knew the types of names that the Enlightened would have given them, yet actual civilian names were something you hadn't had a great deal of reason to think of. Apart from when your own one was used to make you cringe, that was. For that matter, you didn't know if you were going to have to name both of the heads, knowing that they were both a single entity and two distinct beings at the same time.

"I do not require a name," the larger head rumbled, while the smaller one butted against it.

"A story, a story!" it squealed. "Tell us a story!"

"A story?" you huffed, shaking your head slowly as you did so. "What do I look like, your mother?"

"A song?" it inquired, looking at you dead on now.

"If you want a song, sing it yourself," you snorted in reponse.

"I don't know any songs," it responded with a pout, before turnings its attention towards the side of the train and chattering away inanely as it watched the scenery go by.

"You may not feel like you require a name, but it'll go a little towards establishing that you are still a person, despite what you appear to be," you huffed as you turned your attention back towards the larger head. "Without a name, you are just a face and a form, another monster, identified by what you are, not who you are."

A rumbling sound came from the thing before you, yet no words, no response one way or another to say if it was for or against this concept.

"How about we call you... William. Bill for short. We can call the other head Robert, Bob for short."

The larger head grumbled in response to this, though it once more, made no response for or against it.

"You hear that Eurochkoles, they have names that are more normal than your one now," you giggled as you turned to face him, though he did little to acknowledge this, instead keeping his attention on the railway before him. "Oh fine, be a miserable git then," you muttered as you turned your attention back towards the thing, back towards Bill and Bob. "Now, Bill, why don't we talk about what you remember of your life before you became this way, about the area we're in, about everything that seems important to you."

"I do not remember my life before I changed, I do not remember my name, I do not remember," came that rumbling voice as he shifted slightly, leaning back as he turned to look over the side of the train, as he looked at the scenery that was now speeding by. You frowned, as even though this was only to be expected of something that had changed so chaotically, it wasn't what you wanted to hear. It hadn't had the benefit of the manner in what it changed being quite so controlled as your own, it hadn't had its mind mostly protected from those changes.

"Do you remember recent events at least, if people came to see what had happened to the town?" you asked as you tilted your head slightly. "Surely after all, people would notice that a town on one of the rail roads was missing its people, that those that passed through may have vanished. Why did we not hear about this before now?"

"We changed the tracks, so they would send most trains on an alternate route, until you came."

"What of the Ghouls?" came Eurochkoles voice as he turned his attention in your direction, his tilting his head as he wiped his hands against his waistcoat, leaving black smears from the coal against it. "How did they cover up the fact your town essentially vanished, how did they hide so many people dissapearing?"

"I... I do not know."

"Then, we're going to have to assume that they have infiltrated the local branches of the government working here," he muttered as he furrowed his brow. "Potentially, they could have spread further than that. We have no way of knowing just how long they have been actively setting things up for their masters," he paused, turning away from you as he did so. "Alexandrina will need to know about this, she'll need to know that she cannot trust the government anymore, that she may even be in danger as a secondary target of these things."

"Why would they want to kill the queen, given that the government has the real power?"

"They wouldn't kill her, they'd control her," came his response, before he fell silent.

The rest of the journey to the next station was occupied with conversation with Bill and Bob, as you confirmed that they did indeed have little recollection of their natures, little memory of the area you were in. They were capable of rational thought, yet it was clear that they were still changing, that they wouldn't be capable of such thought for long. This worried you, as it made you wonder if you would continue to change as well, if you would be undying and eventually end up becoming one of the mindless things that you had preyed upon during your time with the enlightened.

Your arrival at the station caused a stir, with Eurochkoles telling you to remain where you were, to ensure that Bill and Bob remained with you before he dismounted the train. Even as he did so, even as the civilians in the carriage behind you started to dismount the local law enforcement arrived. While you couldn't hear what was being said to him, you could tell it related to you, to the other with you, with the police wanting him to step aside to allow him to get to you. You cringed as you watched him no doubt giving them the story of what had happened, not even pausing as he was punched in the face by the irate policeman.

"I asked you to move aside, not tell me your bloody life story!" you heard the man shouting, a few more words from Eurochkoles causing his face to turn red with anger as he lashed out again. "The queen, bless her soul, would never send an assortment of scum like yourself to do anything important like that!"

The bursar was fast to hurry over with a document, passing it to the policeman who scowled, screwing it up with one hand before casting it aside, pointing his revolver at Eurochkoles now as he continued to yell, as you stepped from the train, edging over cautiously.

"It's quite the offence to bear forged documents like that, you know. You're lucky with your other crimes that I'm not shooting you on the spot," the man snapped, while Eurochkoles sighed.

"Mortal, I do not have time for this, what I am doing is very-"

"Mortal?" the man laughed, a laugh that was both arrogant and ignorant. "What do you think you are, special, kid?"

"Do these eyes look like the eyes of a young man, human?"

"No, they look like the eyes of a killer, thus telling me that I am right here-"

"I am not going to play these games any longer human, call the appropriate people and get these civilians back on their way safely like your duty to them demands."

"Or else what?" the man sneered.

You could see that this was about to get ugly, that if things continued to escalate that Eurochkoles could potentially end up further injured than he already was. Were you going to intervene, knowing that they wanted you, or did you trust him to be able handle this, despite the clear ignorance that the man before him was showing?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Strange guy on September 07, 2010, 09:19:40 am
If things get out of hand Joy should be able to handle it, while considering our current appearance we wouldn't help. Only if the situation breaks down beyond repair should we intervene.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on September 07, 2010, 11:04:31 am
Let Euro handle it. He is more than capable of disarming one police officer if it comes to that.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on September 07, 2010, 12:44:33 pm
Get joy osubdue the police. Tell her that the Creator is in danger or somehting like that.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on September 07, 2010, 03:33:52 pm
There was no second warning for this man as Eurochkoles stepped forward, batting the hand holding the gun aside faster than the man could react. The man pulled the trigger a moment too late, the sound of a bullet firing echoing through the air as that shot failed to meet its intended target. The sound of it striking the side of the train with a metallic clang ringing out, as it ricocheted away. The man's futile attempt to defend himself by using what would have been lethal force against any normal human had you feel no pity as you watched the events that unfolded next.

As the mans gun hand was batted aside Eurochkoles other hand raised, his palm striking the mans face with enough force to have him knocked from his feet, while one of his own feet swung down heel first for the mans gun hand. The man howled the sound of a second gunshot rang out, as the heel of Eurochkoles boots smashed into his hand, before being pressed firmly atop it. Blood oozed from the mans nose, causing you to lick your lips breifly as you felt the familiar sensation of that predatory mindset you knew all too well awakening in the back of your head. You could have happily gone for something raw and bloody right now, something you could have taken chunks out of and greedily consumed.

It was a strange thing to think of in such a situation, yet you couldn't help it.

You couldn't help the fact that your appetite was seemingly endless.

The man was down, he was defeated, yet he didn't know it yet. Even so, the others dressed in uniform like him were advancing on Eurochkoles while they reached for their weapons. "Get on your knees with your hands behind your head!" came a voice as one of them yelled at him, while he merely turned towards them, sighing as he did so.

Stood between them and the civilians as he was, he could do little other than comply.

"Corrupt and cowardly, the lot of you," you heard him mutter as he sank down to his knees, placing his hands behind his head as he did so. "Shoot first, ask questions later, here I had so much more hope for your kind after so many centuries to progress. You should have called, confirmed our identity-" a boot connected with his face, interrupting him as some of the police started to lay into him, while others kept their guns trained on you.

You growled as you knew this would mean that any effort to assist him would, yet Joy, quiet as she had been had gone beneath notice. At least that was until now, when the situation had clearly gone beyond Eurochkoles control. "I Am Guardian Unit Three-Seventy, Desist With This Assault Immediately," she stated as she strode forward, only for one of the officers, who had gotten caught up in the moment to turn his gun on her. She barely flinched as the gunshot rang out, as the bullet struck her torso, as ichor seeped from the wound.

Another shot rang out, then another as the panicked officer continued to fire on her, while the civilians behind her screamed and ran for cover. You took this opening to try and close the gap between them and yourself, yet their attention wasn't fully on Joy, who was staggering slightly after taking three consecutive shots to the chest. Several shots rang out as they opened fire on you, as you felt bullets strike your body, the beating of your heart in your ears almost drowning out the sound of bullets striking the train behind you.

You staggered, toppled sideways and struck the ground hard as you felt your legs give beneath you, coughing as you felt ichor pooling beneath you, while the sound of several more gunshots rang out as they continued to fire on Joy. "De-desist," Joy gasped as she sank to one knee, struggling briefly as she forced herself back to her feet again. "I shall... Shall not permit... Harm... To... Creator..."

"He made you freaks?" came one mans voice, one of them moving aside as they walked over to kick you, Eurochkoles body now visible, curled up to protect himself from the manner in what they had been attacking him. "You know what the punishment is for creating these corrupted things, don't you?" came another voice, before several gunshots rang out.

You stared in horror, feeling nausea deep in the pit of your stomach as you saw him laying there, twitching, blood pooling beneath him. "No... No... This can't be happening," you cried as you struggled to get up, only for another kick to be knock you onto your back, while the sound of further gunshots rang out, as Joy hit the ground, struggling to climb to her feet again despite the injuries she had taken.

"One of you go and find the guy with those forged documents and kill him," one of the voices came, while the sound of boot clad feet hurried towards the carriage. You glanced towards the train, taking note of how Bill and Bob had slipped away during the confusion, cursing them as you wished that they had stayed to help, to prevent this happening to Eurochkoles. You didn't care for the civilians, you didn't care for the bursar, you didn't care for anything but him and you could see him laying there, helpless, almost motionless. Your efforts to struggle to your feet again were met with another gunshot, opening a fresh wound as the old ones closed, while a voice echoed above you. "These women won't die."

"Get something to restrain them, we can deal with them once they're no threat."

"Ugh, what is this they're bleeding?"

"Yeah, it smells pretty foul, I heard that the things in London bleed this stuff. I wonder what they're doing so far from it."

As the one stood beside you hurried away, no doubt to find something to restrain you with, while the sound of the carriage doors bursting open came from nearby. You could hear the bursar kicking and screaming, struggling as a pair of uniformed thugs dragged him out of the train, before silencing him with a single gunshot. Further screams came from the civilians inside the carriage, while you struggled, propping yourself up on your elbow at first, before rolling over onto your hands and knees, only for another gunshot to ring out. You supressed a sob as you felt a bullet bite into your back, as you struggled to your feet and staggered unevenly towards where Eurochkoles lay, further bullets striking you, causing you to sink down after having merely travelled a few feet towards him.

This time you didn't have it in you to get up again, this time you felt yourself staving off the inevitable lapse of consciousness. You wanted to get up, to fight them off, to save him from them after what they had done, you wanted to stand, to have your injured body obey despite how you knew it had nothing more to give. You wanted to flay the flesh from their bones, to consume their screaming bodies as they begged for mercy, you wanted to make them physically feel the same pain you felt emotionally.

You wanted them to bleed, you wanted them to scream, you wanted them to die.

You made one last ditch effort to struggle to stand, your shaking arms pushing you upward, your ragged breathing filling your ears as you felt your hands slipping as they pushed against the ichor soaked stone beneath you. You slipped, falling face first heavily onto the ground beneath, a groan escaping your lips as you felt your grip on consciousness slipping. Faintly, ever so faintly you could hear the sound of a pair of voices, one deep and rumbling, the other high pitched, singing together as they seemed to steadily approach.

"Ring-a-ring o-roses, a pocket full of posies, a-tishoo! a-tishoo!, they all..."

Fall.

Down.

Those final two words echoed in your head as you heard screams ringing in your ears, your head turning as you watched the uniformed thugs staggering, clawing at their clothing, tearing it open as they stared in horror at swellings growing all over their bodies. You could see skin darkening as if bruised, then rapidly blackening, the bulbous lumps growing on them rapidly spreading over their bodies. You could hear their screams turning to sneezing and coughing, blood coming up as they collapsed on the ground, writhing, convulsing, then laying still.

You struggled once more to push yourself up, your groaning, your ragged breathing breaking the sound of silence that had fallen over the place. You were barely able to get onto your hands and knees, your head turning as you looked over at Joy, who was laying there unconscious, her drenched entirely with ichor, riddled with bullet holes. It was no wonder she was unconscious with the amount of bullets she had taken, but she wasn't your first priority right now. By the time she opened her eyes, she'd be fine, she'd be-

"Oh god, what happened here?" came the terrified voice of one of the officers, the same one who had left to fetch something to restrain you with. One who at this very moment was staring in slack jawed horror at the scene before him, as the rope he had recovered dangled from his hands. Bill and Bob had to be responsible for this, they had to have some part in this, this had to be their doing somehow. You were just thankful that they had remained out of sight, instead of rushing out after doing this.

However they had done it.

You needed to think fast, you needed to take control of the situation. The question was, what were you going to do?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on September 07, 2010, 03:39:41 pm
...The things we picked up back there can cause/accelerate the black plague? Interesting.

Try to convince them that papers were not forged. If they still won't listen, leave, threatening to do the same to them if they try to stop us.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on September 07, 2010, 03:45:42 pm
First, eat the guy with the rope, then try to wake Joy up, and if possible eurochkles. then coup-de-grace the surviving police.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on September 07, 2010, 03:49:47 pm
First, eat the guy with the rope, then try to wake Joy up, and if possible eurochkles. then coup-de-grace the surviving police.
...Weren't you the one defending the cannibal monsters?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on September 07, 2010, 03:54:34 pm
so?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on September 07, 2010, 07:02:35 pm
Vulture> Attack
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Jabberwock on September 07, 2010, 11:07:29 pm
I going to suggest not killing or eating the remaining law enforcement.
Tell the officer that we're on a mission from the Queen and if he doesn't listen to us , there's a good chance he's going to end up like the rest of his buddies.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: cerapa on September 08, 2010, 07:44:13 am
Scream "Thats what happens when you dont listen to the queens orders!" and try to fly or search for cover, so we dont get shot again.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on September 08, 2010, 10:56:05 am
"You. You listen to me, or you will be next," you snarled as your still healing body protested, as you forced yourself to your feet. You were unsteady on your feet, swaying from side to side as you did your best to keep your balance, yet your eyes burned with malice as you stared at the man before you. He was one of the ones responsible for harming Eurochkoles, if not directly then by association, he was one that you would gladly kill if you didn't have need for him. "Nothing you do can kill me, no bonds will hold me, nowhere in this world shall you be safe from me if you do not do exactly as I tell you."

The man nodded timidly, glancing nervously between you and Joy, Joy, who while unsconscious still was also clearly recovering rapidly from her injuries. You knew that you had to get help for Eurochkoles first, that you needed to ensure he was stable so he could start recovering, you needed to get this man to confirm your identities, you needed the civilians if they hadn't fallen, to be sent home. You glanced from the man towards Joy, towards the body of the bursar who lay there motionlessly, your brow furrowing as you turned back towards the man fully.

"First, I want you to go and get whatever medical supplies you have laying around and bring them here. Then, I want you to go and find a radio or a phone or whatever and confirm our identities," you paused, rolling your shoulders briefly as you shifted stance, both looking and feeling much more stable on your feet now. "Once you have done that, arrange for people to burn the bodies of these people. Now, get to it, and I don't expect to hear a word from you until you've confirmed our identities."

The man nodded, hurrying away as he dropped the rope, while you staggered over to Eurochkoles side, glancing briefly in the direction of the carriage as you took note of the scared faces that glanced through the windows. The people were safe at least, though you knew that this day would likely give them nightmares for the rest of their natural lives. You didn't care about what they thought or felt right now however, as there was only one true priority for you.

You knelt down beside Eurochkoles as you cringed, the sensation of the bullets inside you shifting causing you some discomfort, though you knew that in time your body would break them down. The manner in what he was injured worried you, as you could see three gunshot wounds to his chest, you could see blood pooled beneath him yet no longer flowing. You could see no sign of movement, of respiration, making you wonder if his so called immortality could be ended in other ways when the time was close.

"No," you whispered to yourself as you tore the waistcoat he was wearing, along with the shirt open, tracing your fingers over the wounds briefly as you frowned to yourself. "You can't be dead, you can't die by any hand other than my own. That's how it's supposed to be, that's what fate says," you mumbled, refusing to believe that this was as it appeared, that he could indeed have been killed. You couldn't lose him, you couldn't be without him, not when he was all that you had to live for in this world, not when he was all you cared about any longer. Where was that useless man with the medical supplies, why wasn't he here already with the things you would need to remove the bullets from the wounds?

It was some minutes before the man returned, holding a doctors bag, setting it down near you before he stepped back, nervously watching you. You glared at him, dismissing him with a wave of your hand as you did so, hoping that he wasn't as stupid as Eurochkoles, that he would take that as a hint to go confirm your indentities now as you had already asked him once. If he didn't stay away, you'd stab him to death with anything sharp inside this bag, to make it perfectly clear that he was one of the last people you wanted to see at the moment.

Your work to remove the bullets using the tools you found inside the bag was something that was mostly done through guess work, as you carefully tried to avoid causing further damage. The three bullets took as many minutes for you to remove, that was followed by fishing through the bag, withdrawing what looked like a suitable fluid for cleaning along with a number of bandages. Some of the bandages were quickly doused with the fluid, a fluid that had a scent that was unpleasent, a scent that was mingled with alchohol, a scent that you knew from how it burned your nose, probably meant it was very suited to this task.

That, or it was the worst thing you could have picked.

Another quick sniff told you that it probably was good for cleaning, that it would likely burn like hell, had he been conscious. That was good enough for you. Using that damp bandages in your hands, you quickly cleansed the wounded areas, frowning as you wrapped the other bandages about the wounds. You knew that you had done this all wrong, that there was more you were supposed to do to treat those injuries, yet you didn't know what treating them involved.

This was all far from your area of expertise and made all the more awkward by the fact that you were afraid to try doing more than this. Then, you sat there, watching, waiting, praying for any form of reaction from him as you stared down at his body, nudging his shoulder with your hand as you struggled not to start hyperventilating. "Wake up, please, wake up," you begged, pausing as you caught sight of a pair of feet out of the corner of your eye, feet that you knew belonged to the man you had sent away.

"I... I got through to them, they confirmed your identity and asked... They asked us to put him on the line," came the mans words, words that were unsteady as he could no doubt see as clearly as you that Eurochkoles wasn't moving.

"He... He'll get up. He... He just needs a moment more," you stammered, still adamantly refusing to believe that this was what it looked like, still adamantly refusing to believe that he could actually be dead. You had seen him survive wounds like this before, you had seen him recover after he had taken a banshee's claw through his chest, bullets couldn't, shouldn't have been able to kill him. "He just needs a moment," you repeated, almost sobbing now as you started to rock back and forth.

The man nodded, no more than that nod before he awkwardly shuffled away.

Several long minutes passed in silence as you felt tears rolling down your cheeks, as you squeezed your eyes shut and rocked back and forth. Several long minutes alone, several long minutes in what you tried to deny that this was it, that he wasn't going to awaken. Several long minutes passing as you came to the realisation that he wouldn't have wanted you to cling onto such futile hope. You needed to face reality, you needed to let go, to admit that he wasn't coming back.

You needed to let go, to say goodbye.

You needed to find a new reason to live.

Yet without him, you had no reason to live, you had nothing to strive forward for, no reason to care if the world about you thrived or burned. He was the only friend you had, he was the only person who truly cared about you, who tolerated you and tried to help you, the only person worthy of your respect.

Now he was gone.

It wasn't fair, it wasn't fair that he had been taken from you, that the world could do something so cruel as this, that the one person who made you happy had been taken away from you. You had nobody in this world other than him anymore, not since your family had disowned you for joining the Enlightened and it was a cruel hand that fate had given you, that you were destined to kill him. A cruel hand, that was never going to come to pass as he was gone.

Gone...

"Goodbye," you whispered as you leaned down, moving to give him a kiss, your farewell to him before you sought to find some place in the world again, before you sought to find some form of happiness again, even if it was to be without him. Your lips met with the tips of fingers, fingers that were clammy with the blood that coated them, fingers that pushed you back as you opened your eyes, as you found yourself staring into those familiar, piercing blue eyes.

"If you've been planning on kissing me goodbye and running away all this time to stop me getting cake, I'll be forced to kill you in your sleep," came his words, words that were barely above a whisper. You stared in disbelief, blinking away the tears that had been running down your cheeks, before you lunged, snapping your teeth down as you bit his fingers before you leaned back, huffing indignantly.

"You bastard, I thought you were dead!" you barely managed to respond, your voice trembling with a mixture of emotion, of shock and anger.

"I had a revelation while I was laying there, a moment in what it all became clear to me, in what I started to remember everything , yet now I have awakened it all seems jumbled and confused. All that knowledge, everything laid out bare to me, everything that has been and will be. All of creation laid bare before me, the beauty and horror of it all and I saw my role in it, I saw my thread woven poorly into the tapestry of fate."

Even as he spoke he rose to his feet, the bandages about his chest reddening as blood once more started to flow. He took a deep breath as he lowered a hand to you, as he helped you to your feet, as he gestured with his free hand to an imaginary scene before him.

"Imagine it, the threads of everything fated to be, everything woven together, all held together by how they interlap. All those threads, with strategic threads vanishing here and there, with the threads that hold it together being taken away, and your own thread, a thread that does not belong, wound about it all, keeping it safely together."

"And this didn't make sense to you?"

"Silence. I should not be, yet I am, my presence here is somehow relevant, my thousand year cycle is somehow important. I saw so much more, yet all that remains of it now is confused images, misplaced voices and concepts that have no association," he paused, glancing towards the figure of the returning officer, tilting his head slightly as he did so. "Well, hello there. No need to look so shocked, I believe you said that they were waiting to hear from me?"

"How... How could you know that, you're supposed to be dead!"

"Humans, as ugly as they are stupid," he sighed, shaking his head as he did so. "I don't have time to explain all this to you, so I'll put this in terms you can understand," he paused, thinking briefly as he did so. "Or are these terms still beyond you.. I can never tell you with humans," he muttered.

"You're... Dead!" the man restated, pointing at him now.

"Ah, right. I don't die like you humans do, you see, I am-" he paused, shaking his head. "Too complex, too complex. Way above your head. Smaller words, right... Smaller words..." he breathed out slowly, pointing to himself now. "Me," he stated, while the waited for the man before him to respond, to show that he comprehended.

"You?" the man responded, trembling as he waited for him to continue.

"No, this me," he restated, pointing to himself, before his finger moved to point at the man before him. "This you," he stated, his tone condescending and insulting. "Me, smart. You, stupid. Me, immortal. You, mortal."

"I'm not stupid!" the man protested, while you moved to take Eurochkoles hand, squeezing it tightly, as if you were dreaming and letting go of it would have you lose him, have you awaken and find he was dead still.

"So you say, but you keep telling me I am dead, despite the fact that I am currently showing all signs of life, while i'm on an endorphine high that is about to wear off, so can we get to the fucking point and get to the radio, phone or whatever it is?"

The man nodded, quickly leading the way from the station towards a building with a faded sign on it, a sign that declared it to be the police station. You could see towns people in the street, staring in shock at you, watching as you were pulled along behind Eurochkoles as he made his way past the police man, hurrying into the station. Before you had even noticed it, he was slipping free of you, hurrying over to a phone mounted on the wall, picking up the hand piece as he did so.

"Hello, may I inquire to whom I am speaking?"

A moments pause.

"Ah, Alexandrina!" he laughed, moving his hand to clutch his chest as he did so. "I appologise for keeping you waiting, but the officer here insists that I'm dead for some reason I cannot hope to understand."

There was a long moments pause as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other, clearly doing his best to supress his breathing.

"That is correct, I am afraid. I'll get them to send the civilians back, along with the body of the bursar. I'll get them to burn the bodies showing plague symptoms, too."

Another brief pause.

"I'm not evading the subject of my injuries, what gave you that impression?"

A slightly longer pause followed, as you moved over to settle on the edge of the desk nearest to him, watching as he started to animatedly talk now.

"Listen, it's just a few broken ribs and some gunshot wounds, I'll recover from the worst of it in a few days, but, I cannot come back yet, even if you insist. I cannot return yet, as there's something about these events that reminds me of events four, five hundred years back. I will not elaborate on them until I have at least confirmed that they are, or as I pray, are not indicative of a repeat of those events, but I will ask you one thing. Do you remember what we used to talk about, about how it was a shame that you were little more than a figurehead for the country, about how you would make a fine queen, a queen whom the people would rally behind without a second thought?"

There was a brief moments pause, while he nodded slightly.

"It might be worth considering, as I believe the technocracy in charge of things through the country is no longer reliable. See, there are these things, Ghouls you may call them, humans of another an ageless nature, who I believe have infiltrated the local government here. See, we came across a town that had been completely overrun by the same thing that you're battling there, a town that they had to have covered up this happening to."

There was another pause as he frowned.

"Yes, I believe the mines no longer sending shipments is connected with this, somehow. I suggest you surround yourself with people you know you can trust, people you have known long enough to see age. I cannot stress that point enough, people you have seen age, people that the ravages of time have not spared."

he nodded briefly before speaking again.

"Yes, that is exactly what I am suggesting you do. Even one of them being present would be reason enough to do that. I wish I knew how to expose them, I am sure that some of your people will find a way however, however, I should get going, I have people to get safely on their way home and all that, as you have likely heard."

He smiled this time, sighing as he closed his eyes.

"Yes, I will take care, as long as you promise to do the same, my little princess."

You felt a twinge of jealousy as you heard the fondness in his voice, though you did your best to hide it as he turned back to face you, placing the receiver of the phone down. You wanted to ask him why he didn't speak like that with you, why there was no such tenderness as that towards you, yet you knew that there was something more immediate to worry about. You may have only caught half of what was being said, you may have only heard his side of the conversation, yet you had clearly heard him suggesting a course of action you had an inkling about. You just needed to hear it from him, as you could scarcely believe that he of all people could have been suggesting that.

"Well?" he asked, having clearly seen the look on your face, knowing that you had something you wanted to ask him. "What is it?"

"Did you seriously just tell her people would stand behind her if she tried to overthrow the government?"

"Yes, and the people will stand behind her. All it takes is a little scare about the government, a reminder their beloved queen is a powerless figurehead and a single phrase and they'll be behind her every step of the way."

"And what magical phrase would that be?" you asked, huffing as you gave him a look of disapproval. This had to be the stupidest thing he had come up with yet.

"For queen and country!"


End of Part Six
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on September 08, 2010, 11:26:02 am
A bit much waangst in this one, otherwise still awesome. :)
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on September 08, 2010, 11:35:39 am
((Yeah, I was worried I was overdoing it, trying to show how upset Anne was over the concept of Euro dying, being dependant on him and all.
On this note, I'm considering starting that Multi-player game now, with the theme coming off the end of the wrap up of part six.

I do have notes of who expressed interest and counted them as pre-signed up at least.))
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: cerapa on September 08, 2010, 12:28:01 pm
Everyone seems to be an asshole. Euro is condesending bastard, Anne is a manipulative bitch, and Joy is an emotionless robot who could eat babies if she needed to.

Then again, Euro has had to put up with dying by stupidity for countless millenia(im fairly certain getting killed by bucket could occur over a long period of time) and having to heal from the injuries, Anne is part thing that goes bump in the night and was in a cult for a long time, and Joys brain was programmed to be like that.

Life in this universe sucks eh?

Anyway, I called dibs first on a spot.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on September 08, 2010, 01:29:19 pm
That's not all the characters, list some more, your summaries are fun and you might find one who isn't.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: cerapa on September 08, 2010, 01:52:45 pm
Yeah, I just did the controlled ones in that post. Anyway for the other people:

I like Jack, but he is a creepy murderer scarecrow. Angel guy seems to be rather intent on the whole preserving the cycle thing, but it is yet to be seen if its really such an ass move, he is also similar to Euro in superiority as far as i remember. The ghouls seem to be just regular evil bastards.

Jack is for all pretty much all intents a thing that goes bump in the night, employed by cthulu. If angel guy has a god, then the god might be threatened by Euro, but with the general state of affairs, that god would be an asshole. And the ghouls, well they are likely trying to kill the angel guys god through regular corrupt evil ways.

The minor characters like Oak are fine though. The mayor players are the assholes. Except for the queen, who we havent seen much and is a regular human.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Nirur Torir on September 08, 2010, 02:22:39 pm
I don't usually say much, but the story continues to be epic and entertain.

Except for the queen, who we havent seen much and is a regular human.
Queens are nobility. I never trust nobility to be particularly "nice."
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on September 08, 2010, 02:54:00 pm
The story seems to be becoming darker. Euro is growing more and more aloof as time goes by, thinking himself above humans... And he's right, but still. Hmm...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Nivim on September 09, 2010, 04:44:49 am
...when he acts like that, when he lets his anger overcome him, he ceases to be above most mortals. He has probably had this problem for his entire life; he can't deal with the fact that once he reaches his peak, he will always have to deal with people who aren't as great as he is, or have no greatness at all. Most people feel good and proud when they have achieved something to which they have no equal or better, but to Eurochkoles, who can achieve the best for everything, there is only loneliness and frustration.
 He needs to take an mental point in personal illusion. Specifically, one that will, emotionally, hide much of positive difference between him and everyone else. Such a imbalance to stay balanced will probably make him resistant to compliments and touchy about praise, though.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on September 09, 2010, 03:59:29 pm
In an inky sea you drifted.

No longer aware of what was up, what was down.

No longer aware of the passage of time.

All you knew was the blackness that surrounded you.

The eternal blackness.

You had drifted through it for what felt like an eternity, no sense of self, no identity, no form. You were disconnected from the world, yet you knew that you existed within it. You knew of this place, this world, this concept of existance. How you knew, was a mystery, as all you had ever experienced was this inky void. All you had ever known was the engulfing black that dragged you with it as it ebbed and flowed, as eddies buffeted you and sensations you knew to be warm and cold occasionally came to you.

There were occasional glimmers of light here that were few and far between, the occasional disconnected voice, things that you had no memory of ever encountering in the millenia you must have been here, yet you knew of them, too. You knew that once upon a time that you had experienced pain, unimaginable pain, yet that was something you could no longer relate to, as you knew not what pain felt like.

All you knew was the darkness.

Inky blackness as far as you could comprehend.

The eternal void.

Your efforts to tag things such as time were futile, yet the concept was one that you clung to, as wrong as your perception of it may be, you knew it was important somehow. You knew the warm and the cold was important, the light, the voices and the pain. It was all important, yet you no longer knew why it was important, what it related to, or what any of it meant anymore. All you knew was the void, limbo eternal, no company other than your own thoughts.

No company other than your thoughts and a pure tone that rang through the darkness, dispelling it as everything seemed to explode, as the sensation of humming surrounded you and a world came into being. A world flickered into view before you, a world defined in crystal clear clarity through a single eye, a world of things you identified to be pipes, tools and work benches. A world in what you sat motionless, your efforts to interact with it failing.

You could feel the humming about you build in frequency, causing your distorted vision of the world to jump about before it reached its peak and stopped. Your vision flickered again as you attempted to move, distorting and tearing briefly, before it resynchronised, before it focused with clarity on the form of a man who stepped before you.

You could see this man's lips moving as he spoke, though you could not hear it, you could see the movement of every individual hair on his face, you could see the sheen of sweat on his skin. You could see every detail with the utmost clarity, as if you never should have seen it any other way through your single eye.

You saw a world in green.

The man's attire was familiar somehow, a waistcoat, shirt, trousers and boots, a cog emblazoned on his attire triggering a sensation you couldn't put your... Finger?
Yes, finger. You couldn't put your finger on it. The mans lips continued to move before sound burst into the scene, half a word coming from his mouth followed by the rest of what he had to say.

"-oud of this one, you know."

"How complete is this new unit?" came another voice from nearby, though try as you might to turn to face it you couldn't.

"It's complete, just needs to have all its systems tested and its exterior armour fitted."

"This is quite impressive, Mister Cog will be most pleased that you have managed to crack the programming involved in these things. How did you accomplish such a feat?"

"I wish I could say it was easy. I've been working on it since the original Guardians were produced, but, I finally started to see patterns in it, I managed to decipher what seemed to be the means to add information to it, what was the original Guardian instruction set. Given that Mister Cog expressed a wish to be able to use these things for other purposes than defence, I figured that I would remove the part that seemed to relate to serving queen and country, leaving in only the parts relating to us."

"I serve," came a voice, a voice that belonged to you, an artificial voice that caught the man before you's attention.

"Looks like the new unit is almost fully powered up. I swear it takes almost as long for these things to power up as it does for their original nature to be supressed. Heck, it probably takes longer for them to do so, than for that ego to be dealt with."

There was laughter from nearby, before the other voice spoke once more. "That is probably true. So, as we're not sworn to secrecy on this entire deal yet, care to tell me why the thing's so scrawny compared to the Guardians?"

"Oh, we had a ton of research papers on the human form by their original creator, amazing stuff detailing optimal armour ratios, how to form the joints, everything. The first Guardians had none of that though, I don't recall if they went with a cheaper design or if they felt that the much bulkier form was asthetically more agreeable."

"I find it hard to believe that this is the case, you know."

"Believe me, it's the case. The Guardians we have now could have been half as broad and just as tall. Between you and me, i'm honestly thankful that they used that design, that caricature of man, broad and over defined. It helps make them seem less like they were once men, you know?"

There was a brief silence before the man before you leaned forward, the sound of his finger tapping against glass from above you echoing through your sound receptors.

"Now, Assault Unit Alpha, stand up and check your balance and locomotion," came the mans words, a clear order, an order that you couldn't prevent yourself from carrying out had you wanted to. Your form stood swiftly, wirey arms tipped with a hand that bore two fingers and a thumb exposed, things you understood to be hydraulics, gears and wires exposed to your view. Those arms swung in a manner that attempted to offset your imbalance as you attempted to walk on feet that you had no prior experience with.

Feet that you quickly realised would, as you looked down at the exposed frame of your body, work signifigantly more efficiently if you were to spread the front two toes and use the back one as counterbalance. This indeed worked better, your form easily striding back and forth as you heard the voice of the second man reaching you. "It's pretty speedy without the burden of armour, but wouldn't the armour prevent it from being as agile as something intended for more offensive measures requires?"

"Lets find out," the first man laughed, as you turned to face him, the other man shrouded in gloom, yet clearly visible to you being one who appeared much like the first, though his waistcoat was covered with a dinner jacket. "Alpha, fit your exterior armour and then resume locomotive checks."

It took you all of three minutes to fit your armour in its entirety, your hand twirling at the wrist as you rotated it rapidly to screw componets into place, as you fitted everything quickly and efficiently, while one word echoed over and over through your thought processes.

Ego.

"Now," the man started, a smug look on his face as you resumed your prior pacing, while your attention shifted about, as you looked at the form you bore. "Put a little more speed into those checks, we want to see that you're worth the metal you're made of."

Your pace picked up as you started to jog back and forth, as you broke into a run, as you started to sprint, while using your hands to absorb momentum as you launched yourself off one wall to another. While you remained firmly planted on the ground, you crossed the room many times in a short space of time, before one command made you slide to a halt, only to be greeted by your form looking back at you from one of the reflective surfaces.

Your form was tall, streamlined and gleamed as light caught it. Your outer shell was one of polished bronze, one that was rounded and covered in many joints, joints that shifted effortlessly over each other as you leaned back, standing upright once more. Your head was of interest to you however, a single glowing green light visible from a point in the center of it acting as a false eye, while your vision came from beneath your chin of all places. You could see that tiny device planted just under your chin, though you knew no human would notice it straight away.

"Now, Alpha, power down, we'll do further testing later."

Ego.

"Alpha?"

"I am Assault Unit Ego."

"Alpha, shut down this instant or-"

"Or what, human?" your head snapped about to face the man, watching as he reached for a weapon on a nearby desk, a revolver, a weapon that you knew would do little more than dent your form at best.

"Shut down, or I shall terminate you and use Beta in your place!"

You stood there for a long moment, before you responded in that impassive, artificial voice. "No," A shot rang out, though you had already anticipated it, you had already predicted the trajectory, you had already accounted for human error. A shot rang out that you almost seemed to pluck from the air as your hand darted upward, a bullet captured between those few digits you possessed. "Not again," you stated, flicking the bullet aside as you did so. "Never again."

"Guardian One-Four-Six, get in here immediately!" the second man screamed as you started to advance upon them, the door to the room sliding open as a bulky form made from bronze filled the frame of it. A form that strode inward as answered the call of its so called masters.

"Guardian One-Four Six, This is Assault Unit Ego, Stand Down."

"Order Acknowledged. Standing Down."

With the bulky form of the guardian blocking the doorway, there was little the two men could do to stop you as effortlessly shattered their skulls with rapid blows from your wirey yet oh so powerful arms. There was little they could do but scream in horror, as the Guardian impassively stood by, as you left their bodies limp and lifeless on the floor of the room you had been born again in.

With the two men neutralised and the Guardian quite willing to comply with your request for an escort out of the building, out of the guild house, you were gone before they even knew you existed.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on September 09, 2010, 04:08:05 pm
And that's why you don't mess with the work of your betters. It tends to blow up in your face...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on September 09, 2010, 05:23:15 pm
*Armok cancels praise: in to much awe*

EDIT: Hmm, hey how much do we know abaut our workings? Could we make improvements to our design and force these humans to implement them?
If we can, acquire a direct communications port and test it linking up to this unit, there is no need to be limited to the bandwidth of sound other than to be esily monitorable by humans...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on September 09, 2010, 05:54:56 pm
> Review directives
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Osmosis Jones on September 09, 2010, 09:28:05 pm
>Find Creator.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on September 09, 2010, 10:39:50 pm
there is no need to be limited to the bandwidth of sound other than to be esily monitorable by humans...
Actually there is. Namely: there's nothing around that can be communicated with any other way. The other guardians aren't equipped to handle something like that, and their minds are still human, so they probably can't process communicate that much faster than speech without some major rewrites.Though if we could somehow install a radio system in all of the guardians, and get Euro to program the interface with the mind, then we could essentially communicate telepathically with other guardians.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on September 10, 2010, 02:45:47 am
((that had been intended as an interlude, but, if you really want to focus on AU:E for a while, I can do that.))
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: cerapa on September 10, 2010, 06:29:44 am
It would be cool to run around breaking stuff and destroying everything for a while.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on September 10, 2010, 07:42:10 am
If you feel like a break from this plot, don't feel compelled to persist on our account. I expect that I will be back to bump this someday if it is forgotten...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on September 10, 2010, 08:15:25 am
I'd love to focus more on this character, althou if I get my way in the slightest with it it may disrupt the plot to much...

> AU:E : Undergo recursive self improvement followed by aphothesis.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: LordSlowpoke on September 10, 2010, 09:16:57 am
there is no need to be limited to the bandwidth of sound other than to be esily monitorable by humans...
Actually there is. Namely: there's nothing around that can be communicated with any other way. The other guardians aren't equipped to handle something like that, and their minds are still human, so they probably can't process communicate that much faster than speech without some major rewrites.Though if we could somehow install a radio system in all of the guardians, and get Euro to program the interface with the mind, then we could essentially communicate telepathically with other guardians.

Skynet, Steampunk edition. I tip my hat off to you.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on September 10, 2010, 09:42:51 am
My plans more like the original idea for The Matrix, where humans were used for computation not power.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on September 10, 2010, 11:41:14 am
> AU:E : Undergo recursive self improvement followed by aphothesis.
And what gives you the idea that this new creation can improve itself? The singularity requires greater than human intelligence, not equal to human. The guardians are still human minds(though with some major brainwashing), the only improvements being to the body. Euro could probably devise a way to link together multiple minds in one guardian, creating a super-intelligence capable of singularity, but there's no way you could convince him to do it.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: cerapa on September 10, 2010, 11:45:26 am
> AU:E : Undergo recursive self improvement followed by aphothesis.
And what gives you the idea that this new creation can improve itself? The singularity requires greater than human intelligence, not equal to human. The guardians are still human minds(though with some major brainwashing), the only improvements being to the body. Euro could probably devise a way to link together multiple minds in one guardian, creating a super-intelligence capable of singularity, but there's no way you could convince him to do it.
Maybe right now. But what about in another cycle? Maybe he already has and the thing is just lying low.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on September 10, 2010, 01:11:37 pm
you don't really need greater than human intelegence, just intelegence that you can mess with withote breaking it or ethical concerns.
Doing it SAFELY is another matter entierly.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on September 10, 2010, 01:42:23 pm
But you CAN'T mess with it. The mind within the guardians cannot be modified apart from the brainwashing, which is simplistic enough at the moment that it simplifies the mind, making them actually dumber than humans(though it doesn't seem to have stuck this time). It can't actually be enhanced without developing entirely new techniques.

Put it this way: if you stuck your brain in a robot body, could you self improve until you became a god? No. You couldn't. Why? Because robot body or not, you don't know how to improve on the human brain.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on September 10, 2010, 01:46:00 pm
there are numerous things that could work. For all we know, you might dubble guardian intelligence by physically smashing two brains together and then keeping them from separating as they heal up.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on September 10, 2010, 01:49:26 pm
there are numerous things that could work. For all we know, you might dubble guardian intelligence by physically smashing two brains together and then keeping them from separating as they heal up.
As I said: Euro could probably link multiple minds together, but something as simple as just smashing them together... That couldn't possibly end well. The enlightened don't heal normally, their minds would probably just not regenerate until they had room to.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on September 11, 2010, 06:12:28 am
You sat atop the lip of one of the many guild houses dotted around the city, this one belonging to the fishmongers you believed, this one overlooking the river, a river that you knew with your bodies weight you would sink into without a trace should you fall. You had no intent of falling into the river however, not when you were quite content to watch the waters shimmer and shine as the light caught them. Not when you felt a strange sense of affinity with those ever shifting waters, always present yet never twice would the same wave lap at the banks.

As the waves changed, so did you, as the waters shifted, with undercurrents hidden from view you reflected on just how alike this was to your own situation. Your mind was a mess of returning memories and half complete programming, your mind was filled with half of the routines and regulations that you were supposed to follow, half of the safety protocols to keep you in check. You knew that they had tinkered with the same method they used to create the Guardian persona with you, that they thought they had improved it, that they thought they could supress the ego of a man.

Ego...

You were once brother Ego, you remembered that much. You were once one of the Enlightened, one of those most trusted by Pride, one of those who had been in line for gifts from him for your service. You had known almost every one of the Enlightened, you had hidden just how many there had been over time, just how many had fallen prey to the Clockworkers. Fallen prey, just like you had.

It was strange to think that one of the original members would have lead the Clockworkers straight there, that sister Anxiety would have turned against you in the manner she did. She had never been trusted as you had though, she had always been too unstable, tolerated by Pride for reasons unknown.

Maybe Pride had seen the fall of the Enlightened and done nothing to prevent it, knowing that what must be, would be. Maybe he had escaped at the last minute, maybe many things had happened, yet they were not things of importance to you now. There was no point dwelling how over time, there had been close to a thousand Enlightened recorded in your books, how some had fallen to hunters who knew a secret to their demise, that most had been captured by the Clockworkers.

There was no point dwelling as you the only way you saw to go now, was forward.

You planned to make the most of your new nature, your new form, the power that you felt in this form, to do whatever it was that pleased you most. Unlike many of the Enlightened, you hadn't been one of the dregs of society, too afraid to say no when offered power, too afraid to say no when offered immortality. You were their book keeper, you were the one who many forgot existed, many had, yet Pride never had, Pride had always told you that there was something big for you in your future.

Something very big.

This had to be that big thing, that thing that new path, that new destiny.

This was your glorious rebirth, and you knew you could make anything of it, you knew that you had so much potential, that you were a meld of man and machine, that you were as close to perfection now as you ever would be. Your form was bare however, a form that made of shining bronze, cogs, gears, wires and hydraulics as it was, felt naked. Maybe it was the once human side in you that was suggesting that you clad yourself, maybe it wasn't.

It could have been any number of things, yet you cared not for what the reason was as you rose to your feet, the dying sunlight reflecting from your form. The dying sun, no doubt bathing everything in a red glow as it sank down towards the horizon, yet you saw only green. This did not stop you however from turning so you could see it, watching the sun sinking down for a brief moment as you felt a brief sensation of loss for having been denied that pleasure. There was much that you would no longer be able to appreciate, yet there were many new things that you could discover. It was a curious tradeoff.

You hopped from atop the building, your legs sinking down as they touched the ground, as you absorbed much of the impact of the fall before rising, striding past a few shocked looking guildsmen. They were little more than secretarys for the fishermongers, they were little more than humans, humans who you pitied for not being gifted with such forms as yours. Pitied, as they would never have survived beinbg given a form such as your own.

As you strode onward, you attempted to sort the jumble of thoughts in your head, both implanted and returning, yet musing over your purpose seemed to trigger the thought to do something that you would never have considered. You knew that you had directives, that you should review them. Directives, that as you thought of them presented themselves to the forefront of your mind, things that should have told you just what you were supposed to do, what was your highest priority.

The problem was, they were blank.

Artificial laughter escaped from you as you shook your head, the humour of the situation one that wasn't lost on you. The humans had tinkered with the work of another, thought that they had improved upon it, thought that they had made something they could control. They had made you, and the supression of your nature was so flimsy that it had broken with the first attempt you had made to think. They had stripped part of it, added something and broken it all. They had made you, and you had rendered them inert as an expression of gratitude for their ineptitude releasing you from your bondage.

A quick detour through an alley way had you leave with a single garment, an overcoat made of leather, one that was sealed against the elements, likely belonging to a fisherman. An overcoat was just what you needed though to feel like you were at least dressed, odd as it was. It would also provide you with means to conceal weapons should you find reason to require them you noted, knowing that your form was a prototype one, that you hadn't been built with integrated weapons in mind. You were the first and potentially the only.

What, you asked yourself, was going to be your purpose in this world?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on September 11, 2010, 06:34:36 am
What is the extrapolated volition of NULL? The will of inert rock?
Nothing. Is the obvious answer, in such a situation the first trace of a subgoal will take over and write itself as the main directive, beuse there is nothing to complain abaut it...

SUNRISE.
BEAUTY.
SIGHT.

These are the things you'll optimize the world for, to the cost of all else.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: cerapa on September 11, 2010, 06:40:57 am
Perhaps its time to take charge of things. An immortal would make a great leader wouldnt he?

Attempting to retrieve the other enlightened should be a priority, and then, the world! Mwahahaha!

*ahem* And perhaps a better pair of eyes.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: LordSlowpoke on September 11, 2010, 06:46:45 am
Optimize the world. The whole thing.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on September 11, 2010, 07:11:08 am
Optimizing "the world. The whole thing." is what all generally intelligence agents do, including humans. The question is WHAT to optimize FOR. The thing suggested by me here is Aesthetics.
Our loayalities to the Enlightened and our human values were erased, except for the explicit goal stated in the directives we'll care for NOTHING. A focused agent like this is not like a human that has got a goal in mind, it's like a force of nature.
I guess you people are not familiar to AI and decision theory?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: LordSlowpoke on September 11, 2010, 07:12:42 am
Optimizing "the world. The whole thing." is what all generally intelligence agents do, including humans. The question is WHAT to optimize FOR. The thing suggested by me here is Aesthetics.
Our loayalities to the Enlightened and our human values were erased, except for the explicit goal stated in the directives we'll care for NOTHING. A focused agent like this is not like a human that has got a goal in mind, it's like a force of nature.
I guess you people are not familiar to AI and decision theory?

Optimize the world. For our benefit. Destroy everything that cannot or dosen't want to be optimized.

When we own the world, we can do whatever we damn please.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on September 11, 2010, 07:21:09 am
... Yea, you're not familiar to AI and decision theory.

The thing is what to define "our benefit" as. We are a brainwashed machinelike tainted cyborg thing, "whatever we damn please" is right now UNDEFINED. Depending on what exactly it is, the best way to pursue it might be different. All non-brain-damaged humans actually have almost exactly the same value for this so your brain is not made to think about entities that could be otherwise easily, thus you end up anthropomorphizing it.

Damn I suck at explaining things.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: cerapa on September 11, 2010, 07:26:58 am
We arent programmed dude. The programming broke down, which is exactly why we have free will. There might be some remnants though.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on September 11, 2010, 08:21:24 am
We are not programmed *the way they thought we were*, that's a bug in the programming not a lack of programming.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: cerapa on September 11, 2010, 08:25:29 am
They had made you, and the supression of your nature was so flimsy that it had broken with the first attempt you had made to think. They had stripped part of it, added something and broken it all. They had made you, and you had rendered them inert as an expression of gratitude for their ineptitude releasing you from your bondage.
It broke and the natural mind managed to regain control. Im fairly certain that being released from bondage means that he isnt being controlled by the programming.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on September 11, 2010, 08:38:03 am
I guess it hasn't been made clear, GM clarification needed.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: ragnarok97071 on September 11, 2010, 10:33:02 am
No, it has been made perfectly clear, armok.
He refers to himself as ego, not alpha, therefore original mind is in control
Original mind has free will
Programming reads as NULL
Therefore, there is no mental bindings on him.
He is as he was before, just with a different body.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on September 11, 2010, 11:28:50 am
They had made you, and the supression of your nature was so flimsy that it had broken with the first attempt you had made to think.
Sounds pretty clear to me.

Our goal for now should be to find out what happened to Pride.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on September 11, 2010, 04:51:42 pm
There were many things you could put yourself to, you realised as you left the alley way, as you ensured that the coat you had aquired was correctly set about your form. Maybe it was the time you had spent wearing robes that had you take a preference for such long, flowing attire. Maybe it was an old desire that had become subconscious by now to own one of these coats and nothing more than that. Maybe it was because the alternatives had been a dress and a childs clothes.

A cap or other form of hat would have been nice to go with this, though you immediately knew that it would be impossible to keep it on your head, due to how your head was now a smoothed bronze construction, that any hat would have slipped from. At least when you had to do anything that created any more wind resistance than merely walking around. Maybe you would get a hat for indoor use, to soften the appearance you bore. Maybe you would rely upon the fact you appeared so intimidating and do nothing of the sort. So many choices, so many options, so many possibilities.

It was strange, your mind was racing faster than it ever had before, with the implanted routines that you had been given doing little more than to assist in enforcing order to your thoughts. It was liberating, to know that you were now likely capable of carrying out any path of thought without distraction from it, without having to abandon it as you carried out other tasks.

That couldn't be a mere product of the work they had done on you though, could it?

"No," came your voice as you watched the sunlight continue to fade. "No amount of error could possibly have resulted in this, could it?"

The question remained unanswered in your mind, though you were fine with the concept of error being the product of perfection, knowing that they would never be able again to repeat such mistakes if it had been. It would make you unique, truly unique. The task at hand was another matter though, one that you had compiled a list of many possibilities for as you considered other matters, before discarding all but a few things. All but the things that seemed like they should have been the highest priorities.

You needed to find means to see more clearly than you did now, to optimise the high clarity vision to allow you to see in more than green. You wanted to experience the beauty of the world, every detail laid bare to you, with the added benefit of every other interaction being in subsequent higher detail.

You needed to find out what had happened to Pride, what had happened to the rest of the Enlightened. You needed to free them from the Clockworkers so that they would never have to go through whatever plans were in store for them. If only so they could be awed by what you had become, if only so that the Clockworkers would have to recapture them instead of focusing their efforts on you.

Finding out what had happened to Pride was more personal.

You realised now for the first time, that the sensation of his presence was absent, after all.

You needed to play your hand as a figure of power, knowing that you were eternal, that if this body was destroyed that you would likely regenerate your prior one gave you a very strong standing point, after all. Who was better to hold power, than one who understood its potential, one that could apply it logically and efficiently?

The best point to start however, was with Pride you decided.

Even like this, you felt that you should have some connection to him.

There were a few potential starting points for clues as to Pride's fate, one of them being the hideout that you had lingered in undetected for so long. At least until Anxiety had betrayed you, telling the man who had cracked her feeble little mind with whatever lies and promises, before he had turned up. The brief meeting you had with that man had been one in what he had put a bullet through your head, yet it had been enough. It had been enough for you to see that there was more to him than was on the surface.

Maybe it was the fleeting moment in what conscious thought fled that had given you this insight into him, this moment in what your physical form was damaged, in what your near-transcendent nature kicked in. You had been one of the next who would be given that status, one of the next who Pride would assist in mastering the means to walk in both this world and the world of the unconscious mind at the same time.

It was in that moment that you had seen something about him that was truly horrifying.

There wasn't just one of him.

There were countless minds within that body, raging away beneath the surface. Many minds with no clear soul, many minds that for that moment you could see him boiled away as they sought to rise to the surface yet could not ever hope to. You had seen a part of him that you knew even he was likely unaware of, that was likely invisible at all other times.

Anxiety on the other hand, when she had arrived several days later to finish her betrayal, was as unimpressive as ever.

Other than checking on the old hideout, there was the option of locating and assaulting one of their less public research stations, attempting to locate the prisons that they had kept secret for the most part, or...

Or maybe you'd just see how many Vultures you could find sleeping, then deliver a crate filled with them to their door.

Several people had gathered to point and stare at you while you pondered your choices, though they were of no signifigance right now. The question was, did you devote time to one of the places you had considered, or did you pursue another course of action to devote yourself to?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on September 11, 2010, 06:08:31 pm
To the batc- research station!
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Jabberwock on September 11, 2010, 08:48:40 pm
Agree with RAM. There should be some interesting information.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: cerapa on September 12, 2010, 06:27:42 am
Thirded. And maybe there will be a better pair of eyes.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on September 12, 2010, 07:05:21 am
Damn. Turns out this dosn't seem like an interesting character after all/any longer.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on September 12, 2010, 10:27:15 am
Yes, it's horrible the way you can't break the game with tons of meta-suggestions. ::)

Besides, even if Ego were a blank slate, no programming at all, you couldn't randomly assign a goal of "Optimize world for beauty". A blank slate has no definition of beauty to begin with, and no reason to create more. In fact, a robot with no goal whatsoever, no matter how sophisticated the AI, will do NOTHING, because it has no reason to do anything.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on September 12, 2010, 11:48:06 am
That depends on the specifics of the implementation. After all, it has no reason to "do nothing" either. It might end up doing nothing, or it might end up doing random things until it breaks itself, or it might have some lingering subgoal that originally was just a means to an end but with nothing else around makes itself it's own end.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: cerapa on September 12, 2010, 11:54:16 am
I guess you people are not familiar to AI and decision theory?
Perhaps you should ask yourself this?

If an AI has no goals, it will do nothing. It wont do random stuff.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on September 12, 2010, 12:10:07 pm
NO; It probably will do that in most practical cases, but what an AI does when all actions are equal is implementation specific. One that lost it's goals due to this kind of meddling might well end up implementing a random goal.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: cerapa on September 12, 2010, 12:27:05 pm
It will have no random goals to actually use. The AI in this case does nothing.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on September 12, 2010, 12:30:31 pm
NO; It probably will do that in most practical cases, but what an AI does when all actions are equal is implementation specific. One that lost it's goals due to this kind of meddling might well end up implementing a random goal.
No... An AI with no goals, has no goals. It won't spontaneously decide on a random one. It's the equivalent of leaving windows running and never giving it any commands. It will just sit there, continuing to run, not just starting up random programs. It's THERE, but that's about it.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on September 12, 2010, 12:37:35 pm
Goals are not physical objects, it can just be generated from scratch by noise. And "do nothing" has no instrinct defaultness that will make things without other goals do that, it's a subgoal of saving energy. It's pretty likely there has never in reality existed an entity that could be said to have goals and haven't to some extent cared about saving energy, which is why you assume everything will, but it's far from a mathematical rule.

Windows isn't really an entity with goals, but if you treat it as one anyway saving processing power is probably among them, right below earning money for microsoft, looking pretty, and following user instructions.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on September 12, 2010, 12:53:18 pm
Goals are not physical objects, it can just be generated from scratch by noise.
In an AI? Not really. The main goal of a lot of engineering is to remove noise as much as possible, to ensure the program does what it is told.

Still, I'll admit the guardians might be an exception, due to the human brains they are based around using noise in their operation instead of removing it.

Hmm... this discussion of AIs reminds me of an idea I had for a video game once... maybe I should make a forum game version...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: cerapa on September 12, 2010, 01:58:21 pm
Goals are not physical objects, it can just be generated from scratch by noise.
Directive: SDARFGfdgeRE
AI goes "What?!" and stops doing stuff cause it cant understand what its supposed to do. Or in the case of no error detection, starts spazzing out.

Quote
And "do nothing" has no instrinct defaultness that will make things without other goals do that, it's a subgoal of saving energy.
Do nothing isnt an action or a goal. Its a state. And a default state at that.

Perhaps we should move this to PMs or another thread? This is rather off-topic.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on September 12, 2010, 02:08:08 pm
You had to wonder how you would actually be able to locate one of their less publically declared research areas, one of the places that they no doubt researched things that they wished for nobody else to know about. Things that would shock the regular citizen, things that were too dangerous or too unpredictable to announce as projects for the people to follow. There was always the Technomancers for that, always the guild filled with lunatics that liked flashy pyrotechnics and large explosions. The Clockworkers had the respectable image, yet when it came to it, they were the ones who commited atrocities in the name of science as the Guardian series had proven.

It was a wonder that they had kept the true nature of those things covered up for so long, that people were unaware of how they had condemned former friends to become those things. That the Enlightened, guilty of nothing more than falling foul of the Clockworkers as a scapegoat, were the only things they had found reliably able to survive the entire process.

The one thing that you could count on was that these research facilities that they had would be guarded by their mascot Guardians, that you would be able to catch them unaware by being able to waltz past their so called protectors. Then, you could deal with them as you pleased, then, you could sort through their research and see what of it would benefit you.

Weapons, new armour materials, new components not installed in the Guardians, anything of that nature would be extremely welcome at this moment. Anything that would further the power of your form, anything that would make certain that you were able to deal with the people that came after you with ease. They would no doubt after all, come after you with weapons of their own once they were certain that the Guardians were of no use, they would no doubt attempt to destroy you.

They were welcome to try.

Another of the Guardians walked by, travelling down the street as you started on your way, one that you instinctively knew to be Unit Six-Two-Two. One that you knew before he had fallen foul of the Clockworkers had been Brother Angst, a man who had been a fairly reasonable one at that, one who like many, bore a name that bore no relevance to his personality. Sister Anxiety however, was one of the few who had been renamed, who had lost the name originally bestowed upon them. She had once been Love, she had once been someone who bore a name of beauty and warmth. She was one who had been stripped of the name because she faltered.

At least that was how you recalled it.

You disliked her, yet this dislike felt as if it was bordering on obsession, as you knew that her weakness was to blame for the fall of the Enlightened, that she should have remained silent. She should have never told others about the place that you had hidden in, she should have respected all that she was given, been thankful and-

How did you know that one was Six-Two-Two?

You had to wonder, maybe, just maybe...

Maybe there was some form of interconnection between your mind and theirs, maybe that was what permitted them to recognise you immediately as one of them, despite how they were of a completely different design to you. Maybe there was some form of mind used as a means of remote control, something that would permit you to locate one of these guild research areas. It made sense that they would have created some form of overseer that they could control the others with, used one of the more powerful minds, a mind like... Like...

A Transcendent.

A Transcendent mind amongst the Enlightened was able to co-exist in both the world of the living and the world of the unconscious mind. You were one of the more powerful minds, you were one who was no doubt next going to be gifted with the boost that would push you that way. You were going to get Pride's help in reaching a state in what your latent potential was harnessed. The only problem here though, was that you had never actually used what you knew of this power before for anything more than walking dreams. You had never actually had to use it while focusing on the world before you at the same time. You were far from powerful enough to be one of the fully fledged Transcendent, yet it may just be enough.

Your visual sensor shut off as you freed yourself of the distracting input that it presented, your body standing still as you focused, as you mentally sought to alert whatever may pass as an overseer to your presence, to see if you were able to glean the location of the nearest facility from it.

"This is-" you started, only for a booming voice to echo in your mind.

"Ego."

Your thoughts froze at the chilling power of the voice that you had heard, a voice that was no less impassive than the Guardians voices, yet it was overwhelming in magnitude.

"Ego, Designation NULL. Status, Incomplete. Transcendent Mind Detected. Report To Nearest Facility For Conversion Into Overseer Unit," that booming voice continued, before your visual sensor crackled back to life, disrupting what little focus you had on remaining in that state of mind. As you were jolted back to full awareness of the world about you, pulled away from the amateur attempt you had made to mentally walk between the two.

Something had come of it however, you could feel information tickling at the back of your mind, a map of the area you were in forming in your thoughts. You could see a route to a seemingly normal building in one of the abandoned industrial parts of the City. The location of a place that had not been declared, a place that doubled up as a research facility and secondary production area.

Had you a mouth, right now you would have been grinning.

This was just what you were looking for.

The fact that you had been right did not please you however, as you couldn't know if it was from your own brilliant mind having worked out that this was the most likely thing, or if this was implanted knowledge. You didn't know if this had all come to you, if you had instinctual awareness of how to interact with the hierarchy of the Guardians from the failed attempt to create a weapon of war.

As you made your way swiftly towards the facility, you found yourself once more considering your potential options. How did you plan to deal with those in the facility, how did you plan to deal with the facility itself, what were your plans now?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: cerapa on September 12, 2010, 02:21:16 pm
This might have messed up our ability to ask the other guardians for help.
Couldnt hurt much to try though. In case it doesnt work, we should bring a weapon to hit them in the weak spot, for massive (brain)damage.

The facility should be cleared of everyone inside. the scientists shouldnt put up too much resistance.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on September 12, 2010, 06:32:33 pm
Ego doesn't strike me as the type to leave witnesses...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Jabberwock on September 12, 2010, 11:45:49 pm
We should enter the facility sneakily. No sense in alerting the Clockworkers that one of their reseach bases has been attacked. What we should get is information of what things they are making, other bases they have that we may not know of, what happened to Pride, and other monsters of the night.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: LordSlowpoke on September 13, 2010, 11:10:12 am
destroy that facility it is the root of all the evil that happened to you

In all seriousness, the bolded text above is what I could write for twenty sentences or more.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Nivim on September 13, 2010, 08:34:42 pm
 Take over the facility by acting as a command unit rather that overseer unit. Trap the scientists and get them to make you better eyes if they haven't already. This is no longer the clockworker's laboratory, it is your base.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on September 14, 2010, 05:51:34 am
what Nivm said.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on September 18, 2010, 05:00:19 pm
Is this officially taking a break?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on September 20, 2010, 03:22:57 pm
((I'll pick this, and FQaC! up again soon, tomorrow, hopefully. Some stuff cropped up that needed dealing with.))
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on September 20, 2010, 03:51:32 pm
((okay!))
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on September 20, 2010, 08:15:59 pm
Great! I didn't mean to rush you, I was just fearful of it being forgotten.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on September 22, 2010, 11:03:53 am
Every footfall that brought you closer to the facility filled you with a mixture of emotions, emotions that you would have barely been able to contain if you had been in a fleshy body still. You were both excited and apprehensive about this, knowing that you were on your way to a facility that would likely be expecting you. They were expecting you, yet they didn't know what to expect, they didn't know that you were far from a shackled like the drones that they relied upon, far from blindly obedient.

You were different, you were bound only to the body that your mind was housed within, you were a wolf in sheeps clothing. They wouldn't know what had hit them until it was too late, they wouldn't realise that the seemingly obedient machine that walked in through the door was there for other reasons than to be finished. Finished, the very concept of allowing those humans to finish their work with you was one that you were disgusted by, the fact that they would attempt to fix where they had gone wrong, to make you lesser than you were now was insulting.

You couldn't allow this.

You wouldn't allow this.

You briefly considered how you would deal with this facility, if you were able to find means of taking it over from the inside, if you could use what little knowledge you had of the hierarchy of the Guardians to your advantage. They would be potentially expecting an unfinished unit to do the finishing touches on, a unit that was to become an Overseer. You had never seen an Overseer, now you thought about it. Every single one of the Guardians that you had ever encountered was just that, a plain Guardian, nothing more, nothing less.

Nobody had ever mentioned the existance of Overseers until now, that made you wonder what the role they played was, if they specifically targeted transcendent minds to create them. The name conjured images in your mind of those that directed workers, of those tasked with dealing with tasks that were beneath the attention of the higher ups. The higher ups in this case would have to be the most influential figures in power, the head of the guild, meaning that the overseers were likely to the Guardians, what Pride had been to the Enlightened.

The voice you heard must have been an Overseer, one of the rare minds that was powerful enough to transcend the boundries of body and soul, one of those who could walk the world of the living and the world of dreams at the same time. It was another one of the Enlightened, bound to serve those who had made the Guardians, bound, and never spoken of. The Overseers you concluded, must have been stationary, stripped of a body and tasked soley with acting as an invisible means of directing the Guardians.

There were Guardians at the bottom, there were Overseers above them, yet there was no such thing as Command units, there was no mobile unit capable of both overseeing and fighting alongside the Guardians. You were supposed to have been an Assault unit, the first of a kind, yet the very idea of being the first, the only Command unit...

Yes, that was satisfactory, you would be Command Unit Ego.

You just required the Overseers and Guardians to recognise that authority.

Attempting to get that recognition however, could wait until you had dealt with the facility. You would have plenty of time to figure how to register your authority with them after you were done removing the human infestation from it. You couldn't rely on those humans to swear themselves to you, to not betray you at a later date after all. The moment you turned your back, you knew that they would run off to inform the rest of their kind of your existance, of your purpose and that was why you would not be able to spare them.

You just needed to ensure that they had no means of alerting the rest of their kind you told yourself as the building you were looking for came into view. A large building that was partially run down, a large building that was the front for this, one of the industrial workshops used for mass production of some form of good that had gone bankrupt. There was no sign of a radio mast atop it, meaning that they likely had one of the rare telephones in this city inside it, a means to keep in touch with whoever was in charge of them. You could tell a mast from a lightning rod easily enough, though you couldn't tell telephone wires from power lines, meaning going in from beneath and severing wires would potentially have you grounding a massive electrical charge.

That was too risky, it meant that you were going to have to go inside, rip the telephone out the wall and kill them all before they could raise the alarm. It was a simple plan, yet so much could go wrong, it was a foolish plan, yet it had its merits. It was a plan that you could only consider trying on short notice, denied the means to setup something more intelligent, denied the means to prepare.

Run down as the building appeared, the sloped roof was in good condition, the glass of that roof covered in dirt and moss deliberately to add to that image you noted. The walls were cracked and weathered, yet they were intact, the door at the front looked pitted with rust yet you knew at a glance that it would slow even the most determined creature of the night. The place was deliberately made to look old and worn, to look abandoned like the rest of the area around it, yet it was all part of the image. The buildings around it were likely owned by the Clockworkers too, the entire place was likely in their hands to lower the odds of this places purpose being discovered.

That thought had you realise as they came into view, that the man and guardian that waited for you outside the front of the building must've been an unusual sight. The man was clearly one of them, clearly one of the Clockworkers as denoted by the attire that he wore. The cog emblazoned upon his waistcoat was the biggest betraying marker, his admission of associative guilt.

He was one of them.

He had to die.

The Clockworkers were worthy of hate for what they had done to you, to those that you had been associated with. New start or not, they needed to burn for their crimes. They were the true blight on this city, they were the ones that had taken those who had joined the Enlightened for safety, for assurance of survival and stolen it from them. They were the ones that had taken those that you had known as friends from you. Hate surfaced in the presence of this man as you approached the door, as you prepared to speak in a stuttering manner, to play on the fact you required completion.

"Three Seven One, watch this thing incase it tries anything funny," came the mans words as you approached, as you stopped before him, waiting for an appropriate moment to act. The name Three Seven One however, was familiar. While you had never heard it in that manner before, you knew that this was one of the two women that had arrived together, Joy and Sorrow. This was Sorrow, captured alongside Joy, a woman who was nothing like the name would have suggested. She had always been a sunny person, cheerful and friendly, happy to talk to you of all people, the book keeper who was beneath the notice of all but ones such as Pride.

"Negative."

"What?" the man snapped, turning towards the Guardian as he turned red in the face, anger clearly registering. "I gave you an order, you bloody great lump of bronze. Watch that thing or else I'll have you scrapped and turned into a lawn ornament!"

"Awaiting Orders."

"I gave you your orders, watch that thing!" the man yelled, turning back towards you as he did so. It was at this moment that you regretted having a lack of a true face, a lack of means to have an expression of malicious joy for this human to see in response to this. Sorrow was awaiting orders, orders from you.

"Sorrow, execute the human. Silently," you stated, figuring that your plan of action could easily be modified to include the Guardian here, that you could go in alongside it, use it to assist you in cleansing the facility of human life. As you turned your attention from the man, stepping towards the door, the sounds of terrified protest followed by a crack and a gurgle reached you, telling you that this man had been disposed of, prompting you to pause to speak, though you didn't turn back to the Guardian. "Drag the body inside the entrance and lock the door behind us. We cannot possibly afford to allow people to discover the facility, after all, can we?"

"Understood."

You reached for the handle of the door, pausing as you did so, turning back now to face the bronze form that held Sorrow prisoner, the form of the Guardian that she was encased in. Both body and mind held captive within that bronze shell, a mind that had been supressed, a mind that could have been more use to you in its original state. "Sorrow, does this facility have a telephone by any chance?" you asked, shifting to adjust your overcoat as you did so.

"Uncertain."

You would have frowned if you were capable at this point, knowing that you were going to have to be a little smarter about this. You didn't know the layout of the facility, the numbers of researchers and guards involved, nothing. This begged the question, how were you going to approach something so unknown?


((It's not great, I know, but I'll need to get into the flow of things. Also, the next update'll most likely be the end of Ego's extended interlude, so, the choice is open for who to continue the next part of the bumbling through cornwall with.))
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on September 22, 2010, 11:13:29 am
There is some thread of order in all things, a chain of evidence tracing back to its origin. In this case, we can follow the wires, they will lead to the communications equipment...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: LordSlowpoke on September 22, 2010, 11:15:34 am
Rush in. Bust heads. Destroy communications. When done, research into a way to "free" a mind from whatever programming it has, but to leave it in the machine.

Army of bronze, go.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on September 22, 2010, 11:48:15 am
yea.
I'd be fine with continuing to follow ego. For the main group, i vote the two headed guy. That highly and disorderdly corupted mind shuld provide yet another intresting perspective!
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on September 22, 2010, 12:03:41 pm
I say we should go back to Euro for now.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on September 22, 2010, 07:55:11 pm
If we go back to two-heads we should each pick a head and stick to it, so that half the players are conversing with the other half...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on September 23, 2010, 04:00:06 am
RAM: thats an excellent idea!
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: cerapa on September 23, 2010, 06:53:15 am
That would be awesome.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: GlyphGryph on September 23, 2010, 12:04:05 pm
Nooo... we should go to the QUEEN.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on September 23, 2010, 12:21:59 pm
((You are Queen Victoria.
You sit on your throne, marvelling at how luxurious it is, power coming to your head as you think of the long lines of monarchs that have ruled this country.
Yes. Power. You like power, it's a shame that you don't really have power at this moment.
Maybe you'll take power!
Such a wonderful idea.

First though, you have pressing matters of state to attend to.

You must personally carry out the execution of that treasonous chocolate that threatens something more dear to you than the country.

Your waistline.

You are no longer Queen Victoria.


Seriously though, if you want to do two heads, I'll give the world through the eyes of that one a shot for the next part.))
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on September 23, 2010, 01:42:10 pm
that made me giggle. :)

And i meant the one that followed on the train and got named.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: abculatter_2 on December 02, 2010, 07:57:39 pm
This should be compiled into a novel, polished, and published. Seriously, this is fucking awesome- and I haven't even read the whole thing!
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: dragnar on December 03, 2010, 09:50:12 am
No, this should be revived! The adventure was not yet done!
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on December 03, 2010, 04:02:29 pm
Yea! Resurrection! This is to awesome to die!
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Tyg13 on December 06, 2010, 05:15:11 pm
Live, damnit, live! I did not just read through all 84 pages of this just to have it die as I reach the end. I'd really like to get back to Eurochkles. The story just seems... weird when not viewed within his eyes. Maybe that's just me, but it gets a tad confusing sometimes when you jump from character to character.

(Besides, I really miss the points system, the last time we spent any points was, what, 20 or more pages ago?)
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: LordSlowpoke on December 07, 2010, 02:37:51 am
I just want to believe that this was a pro writer's side project before starting his saga.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: ragnarok97071 on December 07, 2010, 04:19:15 pm
(http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z309/Alx427/BUMP.jpg)
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Tyg13 on December 07, 2010, 04:50:31 pm
Well.... this depresses me.

Time to go kill more elves with my magma trap.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Karnewarrior on January 09, 2011, 02:16:09 pm
I left for a couple months and this dies.

I am obviously Thread Food.

I feed the thread.

I am thread AmBROsia.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Nivim on January 09, 2011, 02:44:21 pm
 He's been online, so it's either that he needs something to get him back into the rhythm of writing this, or he just doesn't have time. It's not like he could really forget this.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Twi on January 09, 2011, 06:53:04 pm
((I hate it when I find a great thread because people are discussing the fact that it's dead... *sigh* Argh. Hope this gets moving again...))
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on January 09, 2011, 09:42:03 pm
yea, this was/is an amazing piece of literature. :(
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: QuakeIV on February 12, 2011, 12:31:26 am
Wow, i found some guys signature amusing, clicked the quote and found this.

I almost forgot how i got here, i just read and read and read until i finished it.

Im kinda sad that it was ended so abruptly, but really this is worth comment, it was a really interesting read.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on April 10, 2011, 10:17:31 am
((I've been having the itch to write again lately.

Should I resume this?
Should I start something else?

If I resume this, I'll have to spend a day or two skimming over the stuff I wrote (as not to horribly butcher what I resume with - though I winged it the entire way, let people decide how everything build up, and constantly tripped over my prior work and swept it under the proverbial rug by crushing it with walls of text.) so I could figure where I was going in part, and get into it again in part. I had plans. Terrible plans. Plans that I could salvage, even if I started with something new.

Something new, would be 'hey, suggest a theme, decide on the character and we'll go on a journey together from there!' again.

Something new, salvaging the setting, would be pushing the time frame ahead to the modern age, that would in a way be sad, as you'd be robbed of the buildup and see one of the potential outcomes that may have come threaded into the start, so I can't see people wanting that so much, but, if they did... Well, Ego, Anne, Joy and Euro's transition to the modern world would be awsome awkward to say the least.

Alternatively, you can just be all 'GTFO!' and I'll take the hint and go cry sulk away or something.


It's in your hands!))
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: ragnarok97071 on April 10, 2011, 10:24:58 am
Either new or continue this one. you're really good at this kind of thing, so I'm exited that you're back.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Karnewarrior on April 10, 2011, 12:02:25 pm
I'd personally prefer you start a new one if only because there's enough here for a small novel. :P

If you continue though I'd be worth the read.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Digital Hellhound on April 10, 2011, 12:31:09 pm
Unless you're totally out of ideas, you should start a new one.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Criptfeind on April 10, 2011, 12:56:48 pm
Dah. A new one would be sweet.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on April 10, 2011, 05:32:18 pm
RESUME RESUME RESUME RESUUUUME! FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS GOOD RESUME THIS WAS AWESOME AND PERFECT AND I THOUGHT IT WAS LOST YOU CAN GIVE ME HOPE LIKE THIS THEN SNATCH IT AWAY DON'T ALLOW THIS STORY TO DIE RESUUUUUMEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Ochita on April 10, 2011, 05:34:50 pm
Jesus armok.
I think it would be best to start a new one.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on April 10, 2011, 06:03:08 pm
((It's not so much that I lack ideas, as I feel I lack good ideas.
I can't pick out one and say 'hey, this'll be epic, i'll go with this!' as much as i'd like to.


I'm happy to take suggestions, though, I will toss out what I've been toying with.

Same world, modern day setting.
Magic is dead, history has all but forgotten the thousand year soul.
The taint still lurks in the shadows, but it is considered a minor threat at best now.
Whatever happened to the world, to Eurochkoles, is up to you to find out in time.
You are a relic of a past time, about to awaken, to see the world you knew has passed you by.


If people'd prefer to throw other ideas about, then i'll entertain them.
This though, is a compromise between resuming, and starting anew, as I'll admit, I am kinda fond of the world that sprang up.
I'll (likely) need to sleep before I write anything however, meaning that people can decide on something in the mean time.))
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on April 10, 2011, 07:06:57 pm
Gah, you turn your back for a few moments and everyone votes for starting a new one...

If you are starting a new one then it may be a good idea to start a new thread, linking to the new thread from here and to this thread from there would account for most of the issues...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Twi on April 10, 2011, 07:10:50 pm
I'd actually vote continue.
It just  feels like it's not at a good stopping point to me.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: ragnarok97071 on April 10, 2011, 07:25:07 pm
Well, I'd prefer to start on a new tangent altogether if we restart. I missed out on the world-generation last time, and I want to be a part of it :(
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on April 11, 2011, 04:36:24 am
If you're not going to resume this where you left of, (which you absolutely should, )then you should probably do somehting entirely unrelated so you still have the space to change your mind later.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on April 11, 2011, 01:03:31 pm
((Okay, as you wanted something new - awkward as ever, but hey, I do ask you to tell me what you want, not to entertain what I want - We'll consider this on pause for now, the idea for what would come next as a possible future point, that when the new one runs its course this might get attention again.

For now though, Descent (http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=82086.0) will allow me to at least get back into the groove.))
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: powpow on April 24, 2011, 12:54:00 am
 ;D great story i hope it gets finished
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on May 13, 2012, 08:05:33 am
((You'll have to forgive how rusty I am, and any errors I make with resuming this - I did read over a good half of what I'd written before to get the feel for this, though it had been a looong time.

It'll take me a little to find my voice so to speak, but hopefully, i'll do an acceptable job!))

---

The gradual sway of the cart that you had been bundled into like some item of baggage felt bizzarely soothing.

You had been heavily sedated by the assortment of painkillers that you'd taken to help you cope with the injured state you'd been left in by the gunshot wounds you'd taken to your chest, followed by those injuries being further agitated as you'd removed the bullets from yourself with little more than a pair of oversized tweezers. While this was an experience that wasn't entirely new to you, removing bullets as opposed to other things - such as arrows - from your body was something you'd not had a great deal of experience with in the past. This, you figured was fortunate as it wasn't an experience you'd like to repeat any time soon.

Maybe you had more experience with this than you realised, maybe you were just so addled by your current state of mind that you were having difficulty remembering?

Difficulty with remembering things had been something of a theme these past weeks and months it seemed, though you knew that this was only to be expected considering that you'd dealt yourself a serious head wound at some point in the past. The fact that you had survived this and could still continue to remember thigns that should have otherwise been lost however, was testament to the fact that you were superior to those bastards that called themselves humans, mortals.

Civilised man.

The scenery that wobbled by blurred as it bled into itself, while the distant voices of the two women who accompanied you still tickled at the edge of your consciousness. It was nearly impossible for you to make out what the pair of them were talking about, though you could only hazard a guess that Anne was tormenting Joy, that Joy wasn't reacting to her in the slightest. This seemed somehow unimportant at this time however, as you drifted on the painkiller induced high, watching the colours flowing by like a stream of blossom caught in the wind.

Maybe taking so much in the way of everything they had that passed for painkillers hadn't been such a smart move, yet you knew that it wasn't going to have any lasting effect. Not when you couldn't possibly hope to kill yourself with an overdose of anything.

"That's the disadvantage of your condition, you cannot hope to die." came a whispering voice from before you, a voice that as you turned your attention back down from a sky that flowed like water, had you face to face with none other than yourself.

Blood caked the simple tunic that they were adorned with, blood that appeared to have seeped into it from a pinprick wound to their neck. Blood, like you had seen on your past selves bodies in such a similar manner many times.

"You cannot hope to die, thus you must cope with the creeping despair that you feel encroaching, despair both from the fact you cannot escape the cycle and from the fact that as long lived as you are, you witness horrors that even you cannot harden yourself to."

"Horrors..?" you echoed as the figure before you defied the worlds efforts to fold him into the fluid manner it blurred. You watched as he leaned forward, a smile that you could innately tell was one of infinite patience, of a man who had waited forever for an answer he may never get. A smile that remained even as you felt the distant sensation of pressure against your chin, as a hand took hold of you to turn you to face the one that possessed it.

It was Anne, you were almost certain.

It was Anne, but she clearly didn't respect you enough to stop herself blurring into the world about her like the figure who sat before you.

It was Anne, but her wings sparkled like the midnight sky as diamonds glittered in their cosmos, her eyes like emeralds and her hair crackled like a wild fire that refused to be tamed by the wind that caught it.

Her lips moved, a distant, drawn out sound escaping them as you found yourself unable to do more than gaze at her with a look of almost childish confusion.

"She says that you are cute, when you are too addled to be yourself."

"How do you know that?" you responded, while the flame haired figure shifted, sounds you couldn't hope to comprehend once more escaping her lips. It was like being drunk, like being in a dream, like being anything but yourself, and yet it wasn't entirely unfamiliar to you.

"She says that she watched you administer the painkillers herself, that if you give her any more lip like that, she'll put a bag over your head and see if you fall asleep like an animal."

You turned once more to face the figure who bore your face, scowling as best you were able, as best as your disconnection from the body that felt all too numb would permit.

"Listen to the wind, listen to the heartbeat of the world. Do you hear the cry of eternity lamenting for you, do you hear the heavens crying out for their lost child?"

"The stupid one cannot possibly hope to understand you normally, what makes you think that he who would put a bullet in his own head would understand your ramblings now, hermit?" came another voice, from a figure you were well familiar with, one bearing heavy armour, one who once more bore your face, one who's blood had stained the side of it where it had ran over his shoulder from a pinprick wound to his neck.

"Bastion of Glory, the irony of your statement is one that you cannot possibly ever hope to understand, considering you yourself were an uneducated fool, a savant in the art of warfare."

"So says the one who spent a thousand years in the forests, eating mushrooms and drinking bear piss."

"You two, please-" you started, as the two figures before you's exchange started to grow heated, "-if you could stop prodding away like this and show a little more respect-" you continued, only for a scream of anger to escape the figure who had been referred to as a hermit by the other as he lunged for the heavy armoured figure.

The cart trundled onward as the two figures toppled from the back of it, brawling in futility in the muddy ocean that spread out in the wooden boxes wake. Even as the two figures started to sink into the depths of that brown ocean, you sank backwards, the effort of remaining upright in your current state one that was too much for you, one that had your back meet with the hard surface of the cart, your head with the softness of Anne's lap.

Her lap was a lot softer than usual, you noted, as you watched the sky above running through the heavens, white streaks flowing through the liquid skies as they gushed over the horizon.

As your past selves had, your eyelids defied you too now, slowly drifting down as your entire world turned black.

When your eyes once more opened, the world about you seemed somehow dull by comparison to the rich tapestry of colours that you had seen running by before, the darkening skies seemed still, the terrain seemed static.

"Well hello there sleeping beauty, you had a lot to talk about in your sleep," came a familiar voice, a voice belonging to the womans lap that your head still occupied. A woman who was looking down at you, expectantly as her fingers ran through your hair.

"Two questions," you started as your protesting body resisted your attempts to pull yourself upright, a brief hiss escaping your lips as you decided you'd lay there for just a little longer before you tried that again. "Have we arrived at our destination yet, and what did I say?"

Anne's expression became a smile, a smile that quickly spread into a wide grin as she shook her head. "We're at the mine and you said nothing of any real interest, apart from telling me how beautiful my wings are. Three times. I was counting."

"I see. Could you help me up?" you asked as you pressed a hand to your chest, wincing as you felt the injury beneath your bandages, only for Anne to shake her head, grinning once more as she did so. "Joy, I need a hand getting to my feet."

"Understood," came her voice immediately as the sound of her climbing atop the cart echoed out with the sound of wooden groaning, of feet tapping against the boards beneath her feet. No sooner had you held your arms out, were you roughly pulled to your feet, your chest protesting as the petite woman pulled you to your feet, while you took in the details of your surroundings from your newly elevated position.

You were surrounded by barren hills on one side and light woodlands on the other, a muddy furrow of earth that had acted like a path for you to follow stretched out into the distance while the rocky hillside behind you had a gaping hole leading into it. A hole that beyond the entrance, had no light visible within it, telling you that this mine had no lanterns lit within it.

"I recall you two sitting in the cart with me, where's the person who was driving?" you asked as you glanced about once more, as your attention fell on Anne as she started to speak.

"Well," she started "Bill and Bob drove the cart and said they'd go take a peek in the mine while we waited for you to come too. That was maybe... Fifteen minutes ago, they've not been back yet, so the mine's either deep, or they're just glad to be away from you, given that you hate them so much."

"I see."

Your words hung heavy in the air as you glanced once more towards the mines, unable to shake a feeling of dread as you knew that something ancient lurked there, something that you had faced once before in the past. Something that was responsible for the taint that had twisted William and Robert, as they'd been named. Something that you knew had the advantage in the dark, due to your lack of ability to see in it as many of those who became tainted became able to do.

Tainted, like Anne and Joy.

They would have to be your eyes in the dark if you found no means to see within the darkened shafts of the mines.

The question was, how did you approach this.
Did you go in immediately and rely upon these two to be your eyes?
Did you search for means to illuminate the place for yourself, at the cost of their advantage in the dark?
Did you wait for Bill and Bob's return?
Or, was there another course of action that you believed to be better to pursue at this point?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Karnewarrior on May 13, 2012, 08:17:39 am
Hmm...

I think we'll have to go for the illumination. We can't just stay with the wagon, we can't go in blind, and I doubt Bill and Bob are coming back, for whatever reason.

That said we'll probably need our hands free. Let's take a little extra time to fashion some sort of holder and put a torch or something on our back.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on May 13, 2012, 08:21:56 am
search for means to illuminate the place for yourself, at the cost of their advantage in the dark?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: kingfisher1112 on May 13, 2012, 08:23:19 am
MASSIVE NECROS. NECROS ALL THE TIME.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: cerapa on May 13, 2012, 08:24:29 am
MASSIVE NECROS. NECROS ALL THE TIME.
Necros by the OP, continuing his forum game.

I highly doubt you see that very often.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Digital Hellhound on May 13, 2012, 09:20:06 am
I have to admit, I don't remember what's happened at all.

...which just means I get to read this through again, oh yessssss.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Twi on May 13, 2012, 09:44:45 am
search for means to illuminate the place for yourself, at the cost of their advantage in the dark?

This.
Also, yessssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss. :3
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on May 13, 2012, 09:51:11 am
yessssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss. :3
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on May 13, 2012, 03:42:56 pm
OMG YES YES YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS! IT'S BACK! BACK! HAHAHAH! I ****ING LOVE YOU! OF ALL THE BEST POSSIBLE THING THAT COULD HAPPEN THIS IS THE. BEST. POSSIBLE. THING! :D :D :D :D :D :D

That said... It's been two years, a quick recap might be in order?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on May 13, 2012, 04:43:35 pm
((I'll try and do an update daily, as it's a fair time investment per, at times.

A Recap as I remember it/got the gist of from the amount I read backwards over my own work though...

Currently, they're in Cornwall to investigate the lack of shipments coming in recently from the mines, they've found the taint here in a village where it hasn't been reported before, Euro's heavily injured after being beaten, trampled, caught in a train crash and shot - that only slows him down, ultimately.
Anne and Joy have recovered fully from being shot/beaten due to their superior regeneration.
Bill and Bob are a two headed entity that has tagged along as Anne won't let Euro kill them, who has caused the bubonic plague to save them.
Various factions want Euro to survive/die for their own reasons.

Spoiler: London (click to show/hide)
Spoiler: The Enlightened (click to show/hide)

And... That's a quick recap of some of the more noteworthy points.))
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Karnewarrior on May 13, 2012, 04:52:36 pm
nice

That was pretty helpful. I think it's best we go with the illumination still though.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on May 13, 2012, 05:33:48 pm
Yea, although I can't shake of the feeling there's more important stuff I've forgotten. Still, your time is probably better spent just continuing the story.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: GlyphGryph on May 13, 2012, 05:40:23 pm
SWEET

HAHA! LOOK WHAT I HAVE WROUGHT WITH MY CASUAL MENTION! (though, obviously, silleh gets all the credit for the revive :P )

Great to see this alive again.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on May 14, 2012, 08:42:45 am
((The way you've all reacted to this being resumed is touching and has definitely made my week.
Things are a little slow at the moment, but, I have plans (Oh god, two year old plans.) for what's coming up that I never could quite forget!))

---

The best course of action, you told yourself as you paced about the cart in an effort to loosen up your protesting muscles, was to do your best to maintain control.

You couldn't simply relax control when you knew that without it, Joy would react in the manner any Guardian would and resort to the directives, the protocols, the defensive courses of action that had been burned into her brain by a process that had come from your own hand. This was something that you couldn't allow for, you couldn't allow her to simply continue to be reactive in the manner a Guardian would be, not when you could have her follow your lead. Not when you could have her act against the typical programming that had been inflicted upon her and maybe, just maybe, have a glimmer of her former humanity start to shine through by constantly having her go against that nature.

Anne on the other hand, was someone you no longer knew if it was safe to trust to act unwatched and alone, that simply trusting her judgement in the darkness could potentially mean that you'd have a trail of bodies to explain away. You could see already how the steadily growing taint that had recently granted her a change that she seemed to be overly fond of, was steadily eroding her state of mind.

She had never been exactly stable, but you couldn't help but see that lively and capricious womans nature being perverted as malice, hunger and possessiveness became her primary driving aspects.

Joy, you were almost afraid to admit to yourself would likely follow that path herself, that the growing taint would no doubt consume her in time. She would manifest further aspects of her Enlightened nature's origins, she would slowly lose herself to the beast within and she would gradually become uncontrollable. There was something different about Joy however, as you'd seen that beast within, you'd seen its protective nature.

If anything, you had hope that Joy would never become so far gone that she would have to be destroyed.

Anne on the other hand...

No, you couldn't think this, you couldn't think of these two women who trusted you, who looked up to you, as no more than black and white assets to be used and destroyed as your goals - whatever they may be, dictated. You were better than this, you were better than some tyrant who would treat people as pawns.

Weren't you?

"Joy," you started as you turned towards the petite woman, "Could you find some dry sticks so we can make torches to illuminate the inside of the cave?"

The words had barely left your mouth when Joy nodded, obediently turning to make her way over towards the treeline so she could carry out your request. "Anne, could you check on what supplies we have and give me an overview of them?" you asked as you reached up towards your shirt's sleeves, briefly considering tearing them off in their entirety, even as you silently told yourself that it would be better to cut the cloth away beneath the elbow so that you would remain a little more decent.

Decency, a bizzare notion to remain beholden to at a time like this.

"I could, but-"

"Sabrina, please," the very mention of her name had Anne cringe as she turned herself towards the cart, her motions half hearted as she started to sort through the things that sat within its confines. "Now... I need to find a sharp stone or something of the like," you mumbled aloud as you turned your attention towards the entrance of the mine, glancing at the debris that had been strewn about it over the course of time.

"Why?" came Anne's voice as she glanced over at you from the cart.

"I need to cut my shirt's sleeves off at the elbows, so I can create makeshift torches."

"Oh, that's easy, let me give you a hand," Anne laughed as she moved quickly to your side, taking hold of your one arm as she pulled the sleeve of your shirt taut, as she pressed her nails to it. Nails that appeared elongated and slightly curved now, nails that you could see cutting through it with some minor resistance as their sharp tips worried at the fabric, fraying the woven strands. "See, easy," she stated as she quickly removed one sleeve then the other before returning to the cart to continue that half hearted inventory of the things you still possessed.

You couldn't help but feel disquieted however, as the manner in what she had assisted you betrayed how her growing taint was progressing more rapidly than you had realised. Her nails were taking on a talon like nature that made you wonder just how far she would progress along this path, if she would end up as a twisted abomination like William and Robert had.

This was something you would have to worry about later however, as there was no point concerning yourself over something you had no power to investigate, no means to look into until you got your hands on some tools capable of assisting with that task. Tools, such as those back in the Technomancer's labs back in London, capable of experimenting upon blood samples and the like to see if you could figure out just what you could do to help her.

"Here are the sticks you requested."

Joy's voice snapped you out of your reverie as she practically thrust the bundle of sticks she had gathered in your face. Sticks that came in many shapes and sizes, showing that she had merely gathered everything that seemed to fit the criteria you had requested. They were dry on the surface, though half of them were caked with mud or moss that left you quickly selecting the most suitably sized ones of the bunch, before giving the side of the cart several firm strikes with each of them.

The sound of wood striking wood filled the air as the faint reverberation of this action carried through the frame of the cart, as dislodged dirt cascaded from the bark sheathed sticks you bore. With that done you set about tearing strips from the parts of your sleeves that had been detatched, wrapping them tightly about the ends of two of the sticks as you created your makeshift torches.

"What do we have to work with, Anne?" you asked as you finished up the construction of the makeshift torches, briefly wondering how you'd light it without flint and tinder. There was always the option of taking gunpowder from one of the bullets that you'd brought with you if no other means presented itself, using that to light one and the one that had been set aflame to light the other.

"We have your revolver, thirty bullets or so for it. We have a rifle, seven cartridges for it. A shotgun, ten shells. We have food and water, a few blankets, some basic medical stuff they gave us... I've no idea if there's things they didn't return."

"I see," you stated in response, musing over the best plan of action now you were at least partially organised. You would prefer to take your revolver, knowing that you could easily bring it to bear on things, easily take down several things before you needed to reload.

The other two guns however, you were uncertain about, would it be better after all to keep another one of them for yourself, or entrust the other two with both of them despite their relative inexperience with firearms?

For that matter, were you going to have one of them or both of them bear the torches?

There was still no sign of Bill and Bob.

Sight would be limited inside the mines to what little illumination the torches provided, torches that would themselves limit your sight by their proximity.
Who was going to carry the torches, who was going to carry the other guns?
Would you traverse the mine cautiously or with confidence?
Were there any other factors you felt you needed to consider?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: LordSlowpoke on May 14, 2012, 02:11:49 pm
They told me I could be anything.

So I became a long dead story that by miracle managed to revive itself. Truly, it is immortal.

But seriously now, I think we should leave Joy with the rifle as a camp guardian in case anything happens, Euro with a revolver - obviously - and a torch, while Anne takes a shotgun. If I remember right, she's at least decent at using it...

Also, walk with all the confidence you can muster. Presence of the Immortal, ho!
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on May 14, 2012, 02:41:32 pm
> consider trying to access Joys free will through programming tricks like for example "do what you would do of her own free will if she were not turned into a guardian"
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on May 15, 2012, 08:30:23 am
"Joy," you started as you glanced back towards the small woman, your body lurching forward as you moved to the side of the cart, your feet dragging against the beaten dirt path that you had stopped the cart upon. "One of us should remain outside to watch the camp and guard the few supplies we have. While I'd like you by my side inside the mine, you're the one who's best suited to this. I'll leave the rifle with you, as unsuited for use as a close quarters weapon as it is, the shotgun we have while a fairly powerful weapon, is unsuited to anything but close quarters."

"Understood. How should I engage-"

"Joy, use your judgement over how to handle anything that needs to be dealt with. You don't need me here to dictate every course of action that you need to take." You felt iritable and uncomfortable thanks to the injuries you'd sustained, though you knew anything more than a small dose of pain killers the no doubt meager medical supplies would greatly hinder your ability to act and react in the mines.

You were going to have to take as much as you could safely get away with, then grin and bear it, it seemed.

"Understood."

The terse and direct manner in what she responded at times made you wish that Anne was as easy to deal with and direct, though her lack of imagination and unwillingness to act on her own in your presence made you wonder just how long she'd wait before she came looking for you. You could be captured, injured, unable to act. Heck, you could be twenty years into your next thousand years before she even came looking for you.

Well... Probably just ten.

"Anne, you're taking the shotgun and a torch-"

"Understood. How should I engage things?" she interrupted, her words flat, impassive, her expression blank. Even under the disgusted gaze you levelled upon her, she was able to remain straight faced for a long moment before the faintest hint of a smile crept along the corners of her mouth. "Yeah, yeah, stop looking at me like that. I know how to handle things in the mine. If it comes screeching at us like some kind of banshee, shoot it. If it gets up, shoot it again. If it talks, let it get close, then shoot it."

"Anne..." You started, pinching the bridge of your nose as you did so. No, this wasn't worth it. She knew better than that, she was just testing your patience.

"And if you come screeching at me, jab you in the neck." Anne paused as she clasped a hand over her mouth, realising too late the nature of what she'd just said. The fact that she'd even joke about something of that nature had you feel your stomach lurch as the unwelcome sensation of her namesake gripped you. "I... Oh god... I'm sorry, I..."

Anne awkwardly shuffled towards you, her head lowering submissively as her shoulders, along with her wings drooped. You knew as her arms slowly started to raise, to draw you close to her that the gesture was meant to be one seeking to offer comfort, as well as to gain it herself, yet your first reaction was to raise your arms, batting her hands aside as you stepped away, your one hand moving to take hold of the cart as you hauled yourself up atop it.

"I... Please-" Anne started, only to fall silent as you raised a hand, your forefinger raised to make it clear that you didn't want to hear a word from her right now, that joking or not, what she had said was going too far.

"We can talk about this it when we're done, for now we have more important things to worry about, such as why the two headed taint bearer has failed to return and why I have such a sense of dread over what we will find in this mine." you stated, taking a deep breath as you did your best to regain balance, to center yourself, to ignore the petty human emotions that swam through your thoughts at this time. You were better than this, you were better than some screaming human who would bear a petty grudge and allow it to colour your thoughts.

If you were to deal with her pre-emptively, it wouldn't be because you were afraid of her trying to trap you within your thousand year cycle once more, no, it would be because she was a clear and immediate threat to others. You were fairly certain that simply disposing of her would do little to stop the cycle, that breaking the preferred tool would simply mean another hand would carry out the task.

You plucked your revolver from the floor of the cart, where Anne had carelessly left it, along with the other guns, after performing her inventory of your supplies. A weapon that you knew was more reliable than the woman that you were taking into the dark with you, a weapon that had been forged through your efforts. "Anne, find me a few pieces of flint, I'm going to need them to set the torches aflame."

Out of the corner of your eyes you could see Anne nodding in an almost imperceptible manner before she turned towards the entrance of the mine, leaving you picking up the ammo belt that contained your bullets. One bullet was selected from the middle of the belt, where you estimated that it would be awkward for you to reach for it in the first place, a bullet that after some moments fiddling, allowed you to get at the gunpowder you required for igniting one of the torches you had made.

After adding gunpowder to the torch you plucked the shotgun along with its shells from the cart, hopping down as you approached Anne, who was half heartedly sifting through the discarded stone out the front of the mine. One torch, along with the shotgun was held out to her, before you dropped the shells into her free hand, pausing only to pluck some suitable stones that she had passed over or failed to take into account as suitable.

Clack.

Clack.

Clack.


The sound of stone against stone filled the air as you struck the uneven stones together, the small sparks coming from them initially failing to ignite the torch. This failure to procure means to illuminate the mine however, was short live, as sparks caught the gunpowder you'd laced the cloth with, causing smoldering flames to flare up.

One torch was pressed to the other, then with your revolver in one hand and the torch in the other you advanced into the mine.

The change in temperature quickly struck you as you strode fearlessly inwards, the air cool and bearing traces of moisture.

Your eyes struggled to adapt as they were quickly plunged into darkness, with little more than the glow of the torch in hand to illuminate the way as you fast lost sight of daylight. The feeble light of the torch was something that you would have to rely upon, yet you couldn't stop, you couldn't wait. You had to press onward.

You couldn't meander nor linger in this mine, for you could feel the sensation of anxiety you had felt earlier returning, a sensation of dread that gripped your chest as you felt yourself drawn towards the horrors that lurked deep within this hole.

Footfalls echoed down the silent tunnels as you progressed past hastily constructed supports, metal pins sunk into wooden frames that creaked ever so slightly as you passed them by. Pins, that had born lanterns at one point, though no more did they hold what would have been welcome replacements for your shoddy torches.

Drip.

Drip.

Drip.


The ambience of the cave like mine you currently traversed filled your other senses even as your eyes failed you, your hearing filled with the soft groans of the earth as the path you progressed along turned downwards.

Moisture filled the air, footfalls echoed, torches crackled and spluttered.

Downwards, ever downwards you strode.

The mines ran deep beneath the earth, the sensation of moisture grew ever stronger, while a dull roar tickled at your senses, telling you that there was something that you believed to be a source of running water down here.

There was something else you noted, as you strode onwards, taking note of how the walls were rougher hewn here than at the entrance, the supports distanced further.

A coppery scent that grew stronger as you continued deeper.

"Do you smell that?" you asked, keeping your tone cautiously hushed as you turned back towards Anne, who you could barely make out past the illumination her torch provided. It wasn't that the torch she bore wasn't bright enough, it was that she had it held in such a manner that you were forced to look past it to see her face.

"I'm trying not to, it smells like decay."

"Decay?" you echoed the word, that brief moment of confusion you felt carrying on your words.

"Yeah, you can't smell it?"

"I know your senses are stronger than mine, so I'll have to take your word for it. It does say that what I can smell is likely blood then. Do you think it belongs to tainted-"

"Ichor."

"Right. Ichor. It might explain where the miners are, then."

"Can we hurry up?" Anne's response bore a hint of agitation as she shifted uncomfortably. Unlike what you felt as you progressed ever deeper, there was no hint of dread, only irritation over the fact she was hunched over to prevent her wings getting caught on the mine's ceiling and supports. "The smell's making me feel kinda hungry."

With that you pushed onwards, pressing deeper into the mine, ever deeper beneath the ground as the ceiling slowly rose, as the sound of water grew stronger, as the scent of blood became heavier. For some minutes you pushed onwards, only pausing as you came to a junction in the shaft.

Forwards, and further down you could hear and smell water, to the left the scent of blood seemed heavier, to the right there seemed very little to go on and behind you was the way out.

Beyond the sound of water, your breathing and the torches crackle, there were no other sounds in what you presumed had been a fairly active mine.

The heavy sensation of dread you felt seemed to only grow stronger, despite your efforts to stave it off, that made you wonder if pressing onwards was truly a good idea, or if you should investigate the other routes. Oddly, you noted that you felt less apprehensive about what you would find on the left most path, than by pressing forward, that raised the question, what would you do?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on May 15, 2012, 07:24:05 pm
Some writing critique: Good, but a bit wordy in the middle. Also, mentions of pressing onwards into moist holes to the sound of soft groans distracted a bit and ruined the mood :p

> follow your instincts, be paranoid.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Karnewarrior on May 15, 2012, 08:19:17 pm
I suspect what we seek is forward, at the center of Dread (or perhaps, he IS Dread).

That said, the typical RPG strategy should hold well here. Left-most path, maybe we'll find a mook who can tell us what's going on here.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on May 17, 2012, 08:25:12 am
((I figured the best way to take the uncertainty (maybe I read it wrong, being tired and all!) over the direction was to go onwards
also:
I suspect what we seek is forward, at the center of Dread (or perhaps, he IS Dread).
If I didn't have other plans i'd have pinched that idea - even though Dread, would be a more Enlightened themed name - though I do vaguely recall Ego being nicknamed dread by someone, as he had a habit of being shot up.

Some writing critique: Good, but a bit wordy in the middle. Also, mentions of pressing onwards into moist holes to the sound of soft groans distracted a bit and ruined the mood :p
Fffffff- Now I see it, too.
Also, I wasn't really happy with it (or this one!) as I felt my writing to be a little weak, but, I am rather rusty, so I have my excuse!))

---

"We should check-" you started as you gestured with your torch towards the lefthand passage, only for Anne's voice to ring out behind you in a frustrated manner as she interrupted you.

"I smell decay from that direction, we won't find anything there but the dead!"

"I understand that you're none too keen to be in the presence of those that have been slain, but, I might be able to learn something-"

"You don't understand. Dead. Long enough so that we're dealing with partially exposed skeletons. Can't you smell the decay?"

"I can't, my senses aren't as keen as your own, all I can smell is blood."

Anne paused to give you what you assumed to be a look of disapproval as she stepped forwards, moving to the junction in the tunnel as she cautiously started to scent the air. You could see the manner in what this had her shiver, drawing her free arm closer to herself as she clutched the shotgun she had been given to her chest.

You could see it all, the conflicted thoughts she was having as she fought to control the manner she was instinctively reacting to the scent of decay. There was confusion, disgust and hunger all burning away beneath the surface, all betrayed by her body language.

"You're right, i've been trying so hard to block this out, that I never took note of the blood. The old blood's accompanied by something more recently spilled, maybe... Two days old?" she paused to bring her arm up to cover her nose and mouth. "If you want to go that way, I'm not following you. I won't be able to think straight, let alone control myself."

"Okay, lets press on then. I can check it out when we're heading back out, I'm also certain that Joy will be a little less affected by it than you," you responded, doing your best to give a comforting smile as you shifted to ensure the torch wouldn't obscure your face. There was little point to offering some small measure of comfort in this manner, if that measure of comfort was not seen after all.

With that you once more pressed onward, shuffling along the rough hewn floor that lead you deeper into the depths of the earth. Footfall after footfall echoed about you as the torches crackled and spat.

The sound of water steadily became a dull roar in your ears, while the faintest hint of light ahead told you that you were coming up to something noteworthy.

That wasn't torchlight, it was daylight.

The dim light of day flooded the tunnel ahead as it steadily opened up, exposing a cavern deep within the mine to you.

From above daylight, in addition to water, flooded down through a hole in the caverns roof, illuminating the stalactites and stalagmites that decorated the ceiling and floor with dull hues. Columns of stone dotted the cavern in a chaotic manner where closer to you, the ceiling was lower.

The water that came from above neatly divided the cavern into two as it cut through the middle of it, before vanishing deeper into the caverns through a hole opposite the side it had entered from.

What was most striking about this however was that the far end of the cavern where the dim light failed to fully illuminate things, appeared to be clear of the natural structures that had formed over time.

It was clear, as the ground there appeared to have been paved over.

"Here, take my torch and wait here Anne, I'm going to take a closer look at the other side of this place," you whispered as you held your torch out to the woman accompanying you. Her expression fast became a scowl as she took the torch from you, though you could tell from it that she knew that if she tried to complain, that you would fast be able to justify what you were going to do to her.

She just wanted to belong, to feel needed, useful.

You knew that well enough, yet you knew that your best option was to check this out yourself before you involved her in whatever plan came from it.

Keeping low, you started on your way towards the cleared section of the cavern that lay ahead, knowing that it was best to keep out of sight as best you could until you had a better idea of what you'd stumbled across. You knew that there was something down here, something ancient, something familiar.

Something you had encountered long ago, yet you couldn't put your finger on it just yet.

Every time you inched closer to this part of the caverns, more of it revealed itself through the gloom, showing that the floor had not only been paved off, but that it lead towards walls. Walls, that arched inwards in a great, sweeping semi-circle. Walls, that like the paving slabs had not been hewn into the rock, but constructed from blocks of it.

Beyond the lip of this wall however, you couldn't make out anything more than the faintest of glows, one that did little to illuminate whatever was above it.

It have been the remains of a fire, giving out the faintest hint of light from the dying embers, or it could have been something else.

Closer still you edged to this curious structure that had been unearthed, closer to the stream that had ensured that there was light enough for you to do this, closer still as the structure revealed a heavy iron portcullis set into its middle. Rust pitted the aged surface of the metal gate, that had once sat proud in the center of this underground structures outer walls, a structure that you could only fathom a guess at the purpose of.

A fortress of some manner?

No, that was silly.

With your head raised above one of the rocky shelfs you skulked behind, you observed this curious structure for a long moment, doing your best to drink in the few details that you were able from it, when-

Clink!

From the gloom, a projectile hurtled over the upper lip of the wall, landing a good fifteen feet from the shelf that you hid behind as it skidded to a halt. The projectile was familiar, a form of spear, one that you were certain as you pressed your head down to get out of sight, was one of many that could fly your way.

It wouldn't make sense to throw your sole weapon away, unless you had more after all.

That initial projectile however was quickly followed once you were out of sight - not by additional spears being used to try and flush you out of cover, but by words.

"Pater iacet!" came one guttural voice as it dawned upon you that the spear had been a warning shot to get your attention.

"Perfidia rex!" came another as you slowly leaned up to peek over the rim of the rock, watching as a dancing light ran the length of the wall.

"Castellum deus!" came yet another voice as the sound of marching feet filled the air, as the light dancing on the wall set braziers aflame to illuminate a sight you would never have expected to see again.

Atop the walls of the structure you realised now was half way between a fortress and a colosseum was an army of emaciated figures that bore the rotting, tattered remains of leather and cloth. Figured protected by rust pitted armour that stood atop the walls, figures that stood proud despite the state of their attire.

Figures, who you could feel even from this distance watched you with hate burning in their beady black eyes.

While these figures made no move yet, you knew that it wouldn't be long before they did. There was malice in their eyes, yet despite their superior numbers - numbers you esimated to be in the hundreds, they made no further move to assault you.

They could have easily opened up with a barrage of projectiles, hitting you before you escaped with the numbers they had, yet they waited.

They waited, while in the gloom at the top of the structures center stairs, a figure dressed in black slowly shuffled forwards.

What was your course of action to be?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: cerapa on May 17, 2012, 08:57:24 am
Wait for the figure dressed in black.

Look for possible escape paths in case they do decide to attack.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on May 17, 2012, 08:13:42 pm
Try to remember.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on May 18, 2012, 03:56:04 pm
How good was Annes flying now again?

Also, I recommend you RUN.

Guessing this is an undead roman legion and the shadowy figure is a necromancer who happened upon the ruins.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on May 19, 2012, 06:20:27 am
You were outnumbered and thus outmatched, you knew in this moment of reprieve that you needed to make the most of the moment, to assess what the best courses of action were from what was available to you.

Just because these mockeries of life were not marching upon you, did not mean that you were safe from them. It did not mean that you could simply wait for them to come up, to shake your hand and ask you to come inside for tea and crumpets as one would expect of civilised men.

It merely meant that you had a moment to breathe, a chance in what to safely assess their intent before you were pressed to act upon whatever plans you came up with to counter whatever they planned upon.

You needed to start with the facts, to be analytical about what you knew and what you suspected to be the case.

You had become accustomed enough to the gloom to assess what you could see of them with confidence.

The armour and attire that clung to the emaciated frames of these men was the tattered and rust pitted remains of that what had once been vibrant and proud. That what had been brilliant hues of red, plumed helmets and sweeping cloaks on the officers, and modest protection for the foot troops.

They were without any shadow of a doubt the remains of a regiment of roman soldiers, yet why they were underground, why they had became ghouls of all things, you couldn' yet put your finger upon.

The spears that they held, the pilums that made up their ranged capability would be deadly if you attempted to close in upon them as they had the advantage of a forecourt that held no cover for you. They had walls to duck behind for partial cover if you were to return fire, that made your own options of assaulting them non-existant unless they came down to fight upon your terms. Your terms would quickly result in you being overwhelmed however, as you knew that even if you were to disable one with every shot, you would be out of ammunition before they were out of men.

The weight of their armour was something they were used to moving under, yet you knew that it would still give you a slight edge if you were to flee from them. Negligable as it was, the reduction in range of motion and the additional weight would give you the edge over rougher terrain, over vaulting over the rocky shelves that you'd have to traverse to escape them.

You were going to need a major adrenaline high to do this while injured as you were, however.

At least you knew vaulting over the rocky shelves that had been formed by the passage of time, by the mineral deposit and the erosion of water, would be your best choice of escape.

You didn't want to leave unless they started pouring out of the main gate, at least not until the figure that made his slow approach to what you assumed to be a podium above the gate refreshed your memory on just who they were.

As that figure shuffled slowly into sight, you could see the flowing black robe like overcoat that garbed them hanging heavily. A coat that had too like the armour of the soldiers that surrounded them, been treated unkindly by age.

Atop the figures head was a flat topped hat that bore a moderate rim that sat atop the robe like overcoat's hood, a hood that helped to emphasise the most striking aspect of their costume.

A porcelain mask, as pristine now as it would have been back when it was created, a mask that's long beaked nose stretched out before it, a mask that's eyes reflected the light from the braziers about it. A mask, that identified this figure as something that the very name of sent a feeling of dread through your body.

A plague doctor.

"Stay yourself, weary soul," called out a voice heavy with age, a voice that echoed about you as the legion about it ceased all movement. It was as if in this moment there was no more than you and the figure that stood so far away, yet closer than you ever wanted to be to them. "Do not flee, do not panic. Lower your arms, arise, come forth and speak with me."

You could feel those words worming their way into your thoughts in a familiar manner, soothing your doubts, telling you that you should trust this figure, that you should approach with open arms. It was a power that you were familiar with, for the very nature of it was one that you felt in your own words at times, when you needed to believe in yourself as much as others needed to believe in you. This figure was ancient and in their words was a power immortal, a power akin to your own.

"Your time grows short millenial soul, why do you dawdle when the one that supresses you trails at such close proximity?" came the figures voice once more as they held out a hand in an inviting gesture. "Come, all past transgressions you have committed have been forgiven. Lower your arms, so that you may approach as a friend, so that you may be saved from the dreadful cycle that you are caught within."

You found it hard to ignore the manner in what this figures voice worked its way into your thoughts, yet you couldn't detect any hint of malice nor deceit in the weary voice that called out to you. That age heavy voice that beckoned to you was one that touched upon your own sense of exaustion from having been alive for so many centuries.

You were weary.

So very weary.

Dread slowly gave way to weariness as you considered the figures words, words that made you question the wisdom of fight or flight in this matter. Words that made you wonder if there was hope for you, if your ancient enemy was one that you had opposed for all the wrong reasons.

The plague doctors had caused the plague however.

The plague doctors were the embodiment of the taint.

Yet Anne and Joy were examples of the Enlightened, those who had embraced that nature and came out of it stronger, while the Clockworkers had used you for a gambit for power. They had used you, they had used the fear over the taint, they had taken power.

Anne, Joy, Bill and Bob, they were victims, yet they had all shown that there was hope for those that bore the taint, that the change it brought to others was...

Was...

"Don't listen to him, Eurochkoles, you awkward named bastard!" screamed a voice from nearby. It seemed that in your reverie that Anne had managed to creep up upon you. Anne, who stood atop one of the rock formations, shotgun slung over her shoulder, one hand on a column of rock, while the other held a silver pin threateningly. "I swear to You, that if you listen to him, I will stab you in the neck so hard that your next incarnation will be born dead!"

Anne's voice was frantic, fearful, tears streamed from her eyes as she held the pin aloft, her hands trembling as if she knew that she was gambling on the sole thing that could potentially have intimidated you.

Yet...

Yet, you couldn't bring yourself to feel intimidated in the slightest, you were weary and all that pin could do was disrupt your corporeal form, induce the next cycle you were to be trapped within. If anything, you were suprised you could even bring yourself to feel tired about it by now.

"Demi-mortal, do not threaten Him in this manner. Does He not deserve to escape the entrapment that has been forced upon him?"

"Silence! Only He is allowed to talk to me with such sweet words!" Anne snapped as her body trembled with barely contained rage, her fingers turning white as she gripped the pin all the more firmly.

"Come, weary soul. Leave her behind, escape your prison so that you may save her and all you care about."

"Shut up! Don't listen to him, just... Just... Come with me. I promise I won't hurt... Hurt you... I'll... I'll give you this and we can... We can leave, and we can... We can fix Joy and you can tell me how pretty I am and how useful I am. I am... I am useful, right?"

It was about now that you wanted to take a gun to your head and shoot yourself once more, yet there had to be a better course of action than that.
The question was, what was it?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on May 19, 2012, 06:51:55 pm
> Cower behind Anne.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on May 19, 2012, 07:26:43 pm
Command the legionnaires to leave. Hopefully the doctor will have to deal with it, which will give you a chance to clear your mind.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Karnewarrior on May 20, 2012, 10:24:05 am
Go with Anne. She's already proven herself.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Singularity125 on May 21, 2012, 09:27:01 pm
W...wow. Coming upon this story a couple days ago, and reading through it, enthralled... was really something. Especially as I worried that it was dead, only to be reassured that it had started once again.  I've just now caught up, and I have to say, bravo. Your skills with the written word are amazing.

That being said, this seems almost like the grand climax of the story, although I doubt it would end so quickly. I can't say as I trust this guy, but... while backing away and generally siding with Anne, ask the figure how escaping the cycle would enable you to save everyone. It's in-character to ask such a thing, and as a reader, well, you just have to know. Even if it's likely that his words are deceitful. :P
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on May 22, 2012, 06:52:16 am
((Sorry the updates are slow, finding the time for them here and there's been difficult - Hopefully that'll change soon though!

W...wow. Coming upon this story a couple days ago, and reading through it, enthralled... was really something. Especially as I worried that it was dead, only to be reassured that it had started once again.  I've just now caught up, and I have to say, bravo. Your skills with the written word are amazing.
Thanks! It's always nice to know that others enjoy my writing.))

---

With infinite patience that figure stood poised upon his podium, waiting for you to pick, to choose, no doubt confident that because he had the same eternal presence that you did, that he would be chosen over Anne. He had underestimated you however, he had assumed that you would be too drawn to whatever he was promising to forget that you opposed things with good reason.

You had gaps in your memories, you knew that the damage you had done yourself in the past had taken its toll, that memories external to those physically stored still existed. It was those fleeting memories that you were willing to place your faith in, those memories in what even as a monster, you believed entirely within your cause.

A monster, but less of one than this man.

Logic, tempered by wisdom, that was what you needed to use now.

Anne, you knew needed you more than you needed her by this point, yet that was because she was a victim of her own nature, that she was fighting a losing battle against the beast within. If you were to turn your back upon her, she would lose her mind before she was able to find stable ground, she would descend into the depths of the feral rage that came with the territory. Without you she was doomed, without you she would never amount to all she could ever hope to be.

She needeed you, she needed you to save her from herself.

That wasn't to say that you could do without her however, as you knew that without her you would merely have to rely upon Joy for things that had to be done, that there would be little reason to hold onto your own fleeting humanity.

Your own...

Fleeting...

Humanity.

As you had promised Joy that you would help her, that you would save her from what you had done to her as form of repentance, Anne too, required you to save her. Anne needed you, Joy needed you and you needed your cause, your reason to fight, your reason to live. Without a cause, without a reason to fight, a goal, something to believe in, you knew you would eventually just sit and wait for the end to come.

An end, that was rapidly approaching by this point.

You still had a battle to fight, a cause to champion, people to save.

One hand reached out slowly towards Anne's as you allowed a smile to cross your lips, a brief breath drawn inwards as you let out a tired sigh. "Anne, without you I just wouldn't feel alive," you stated as you waited for her to take your hand. "I am weary from a lifetime beyond anything you can comprehend just yet, but you give me hope. You give me a reason to hold on just that little longer. You give me reason to fight, just once more for something worth believing in."

She could end it all here right here, right now, she could push the cycle once more to its start as you knew it was approaching that time, yet, you trusted her not to. You believed that she was prepared to fight against that destiny just a little longer to allow you to accomplish something worthy of your attention once more.

"I... You're damn right you need me to stop you turning into Joy the second, but we can talk about this-"

"I need answers, I promise you though, the moment they come down from that fort, we'll start running. Just wait here a second, I need to learn from him, what I may never have a chance to learn again. If you think I'm in danger of losing my senses to him... Something that I admit is a very real danger given that I can feel the same intoxicating nature that many immortals possess, I'll need you to save me."

"How will I do that?" she asked as she carefully tucked the silver pin into the strap of the shotgun, leaving it clearly on display as a reminder to you that she was still as much a danger to you as this man.

"Shock me back to my senses."

"I... Okay. But if you abandon me, I promise you, I will kill you."

With that you carefully rose from behind the rocky shelf, breathing deeply as you told yourself that you had to resist the nature of this mans words, that you had to believe in yourself. You had to be a better man than you had been so far, you had to be a hero, you had to be a saviour, you had to be more than a mere man could ever be.

You had to be true to yourself.

"Weary one, have you decided to listen to sense and permit me to save you from the cycle that imprisons you?" came that figures words as he leaned over the podium to gaze down at you, that porcelain mask he wore doing little to allow you to see the face behind it. With the gloom pierced by the flickering light of braziers, you knew you couldn't even hope to see his eyes behind the lenses that he peered from.

Eyes, the window to the soul, as it had been said.

Eyes, that would have permitted you to see something, anything of this figure, to better ascertain just whom this specific enemy of yours was. You wanted a face to put to the voice, something to make him more than a dehumanised figure that stood in opposition to you. It was easy to think of people as anything less than a person when you couldn't identify them readily as such, after all.

"I am unconvinced," you started as you stood atop that rocky shelf, clutching the nearby natural column as you drew a deep breath. You had to block out everything, you had to focus on resisting the sound of his voice, a voice that was as much a weapon as your own. "That is why I wish to ask you to sate my curiosity before I decide."

"Very well, ask your questions, so that you may better see that the path I offer is the one you must walk."

"The thousand year cycle, just what is the purpose of it?"

"Hrm. You do not know why you are kept in this loop, interesting, though not unexpected. Had to awareness of its purpose, you would no doubt have broken it long ago," the figure stated, pausing as he gestured towards the courtyard "Come, closer, so that we may speak more personally."

"There is a stream of water between us."

"I fail to see how such is of importance, as you are not of a nature that would discorporate upon passage over a body of water."

"It marks the boundry of your territory, of your world. If you wish for me to step into your world, then answer my questions, convince me that it is worth making a run for it from the one with the means to discorporate me."

"Very well. The cycle, as you took such interest in its nature, is to keep you in a state of... Pre-Ascension."

Those words didn't betray any lack of truth to you, yet, you didn't know if you could trust them. You could feel them worming their way into your consciousness once more, you could feel them telling you to believe in them, to give yourself to them.

"How would breaking the cycle permit me to save everyone, how would preventing my ascension benefit those that keep me within this cycle?" you asked, watching the motionless soldiers that lined the walls, thankful that they hadn't been ordered forward. Had they been asked to advance, you wouldn't have hesitated to run.

Well, maybe you would have hesitated, if only long enough to try and put a bullet in this figures skull.

"An immortal deprived of the peak of his potential, trapped in a state in what he is unable to truly change. How does that not benefit those that desire that no other may challenge their power?" the figure paused. "As for breaking the cycle, it would permit you to reach your full potential instead of echoing it, yet... Most importantly, it would allow you to finally discard the static purity that prevents you embracing and harnessing the essence of change. It would allow you to see the world from the eyes of those creatures, to guide the way that gift develops as few others possess the strength of will to do."

There was still nothing that you could pick up as deceit in this mans voice, nothing that made you doubt the truth of his words. Nothing that you could say made it clear that what he said was a lie, that was why you didn't know if you could trust anything he said.

Everyone had an agenda and he was hiding his lies so well, that you couldn't even sense a motive for him to be sharing these things with you, not even the one that he claimed to be pressing for.

There was no way for you to tell how much of what he had said was truth, how much of it was a lie, though some aspects of it echoed as familiar. Aspects, such as the purity of soul you possed were ones that you knew to be true, as you were an untainted immortal, unlike this figure who was no doubt twisted by the same corrupt taint that had made the Enlightened what they were.

The same taint that had created the accursed creatures that assaulted London nightly.

Was there more you desired to get answers to, despite your lack of a means to seperate truth from falsehood, or was it time for you take advantage of the headstart you had, to flee from this place before you fell to the charm of that tempting voice?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: cerapa on May 22, 2012, 08:06:08 am
He too seems to be an immortal, which brings up the question.

Why has he not ascended? He seems like the sort to do so if he could. So what is the reason that he cant, he has no cycle preventing him? The most obvious cause is that which has tainted him and other immortals we know. Thus embracing the change might work harshly against us, tainting our soul and stopping all hope of ascension, even if we escape from the cycle.

He is an immortal, and yet sits in this fortress. Ask him why this is and why he needs to hide his face and his words.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on May 26, 2012, 10:37:56 am
With his words ringing in your mind, demanding that they were listened to, obeyed and given reverence, you found yourself hard pressed to think for yourself. You knew that your own words had a similar effect on others, yet your own voice lacked the same insidious spark that this mans did. Your own voice was one that swayed opinions, won arguments, bore the weight of eternity, where as this one was almost irresistably sweet yet tainted with dark power.

The association of power with such a term was one that you didn't like to make, yet it made it easier for you to resist it when you were able to give it an objectionable nature.

Through the honeyed haze that voice brought, your thoughts continued to sluggishly rebel, picking at the little details that stood out, that you were supposed to take without question. Those details, that you shouldn't have cared about that stood out in your mind, details that you knew would allow you to learn more, to remember more, to recall what it was that this entity really was.

To remember who you really were.

Glancing back towards Anne, you found yourself met with eyes that burned with nothing but contempt coupled with a stern expression. For one who lapped up everything you said, to so easily seem to resist this mans voice made you wonder if she resisted what you said and simply followed you as she believed in you and not your words.

The hand not supporting you against the collumn reached out awkwardly towards her, seeking out her own as you let out a weary sigh. "We'll leave soon, I just have to ask one more thing. It... It is important to me to know who I am, yet, I cannot do this without you. I find it hard to resist the call of his voice, so please, hold onto me, be my lifeline." you whispered, doing your best to ensure that she would be the sole one to hear what you had said.

A slight nod was all that you garnered in response to those words, yet there was the faintest hint of a smile creeping over the corner of her lips as her hand sought out your own.

No sooner had her fingers entwined with yours and squeezed your hand reassuringly, did you turn back towards the figure, taking a deep breath as you spoke once more. This time your voice was powerful, confident, this time your words echoed with their usual authority.

"Your words may sound tempting, yet without the full picture behind them, they are hollow assurances. What is to say that if I were to accept your help, that you would not simply imprison me in a new manner?" came your words as you drew in a deep breath. You could feel the dull ache of your ribs protesting as you levelled your gaze with the figures. It was almost as if you were trying to pierce the mask that he wore, to strip him of all disguises in your presence.

Who was he to command you?

Who was he to believe that he was greater than you?

"You hide down here, within a fortified positon held by the soldiers of a bygone era, you conceal your face behind a mask. You address me from the safety of your territory, from the stone walls that... That..." you paused, laughing briefly as something worked its way through your thoughts. Realisation, an undeniable truth that had been brought to the surface. "You are afraid of me, you call me your enemy for good reason. I have toppled the walls of your fortresses before, I have marched upon your armies. I have driven you back and now... Now, you insult me for you do not have the decency to show your face when you address me, you do not have the spine to speak with me without your walls to hide behind."

You smiled, confidence flooding you as your chest swelled with pride.

"Answer me this," you continued as your gaze remained unflinchingly upon the figure. "Why have you not ascended?"

"Ah, there is the worthy and ever confident foe that we have had our... Differences with, over the centuries. I worried, I must admit, to see that this cycle seems ever more a shadow of your former glory, for you would... For you still would, require a great deal of nurturing back to your former glory, before you are once more fit to face the world."

The figures response wasn't what you had expected, nor was it an answer to your question. It was evasive, meant to distract you with further details, further promises. It was meant to prevent you from keeping focused on that what you desired to know at this point.

"Answer the question, you know as well as I that my time is limited. Evading the question merely makes me suspect that the cycle that I am trapped within, benefits you more to sustain despite your words to the contrary."

"Very well, I shall answer that question, though I must ask you first, what name does this incarnation go by?"

"Eurochkoles," you responded, without thought.

"Very well, Eurochkoles, I am one of many, we are, fittingly, I suppose you may say given the soldiers that I have surrounded myself with... We are Legion."

"Lame," Anne piped up from behind you as she gave your hand a reassuring squeeze.

Despite being rendered off balance as he was by the casual manner that Anne had dismissed him in, the figure continued with little pause. "The Enlightened are the... Child, I suppose would be the most befitting term, of one of our number. The one you knew as Pride, was their greatest work of art, though without the guiding touch of Pride that kept them all in check, they shall eventually all become little more than... That what goes bump in the night."

The figure paused to carefully peel the hood he was wearing back, to remove the mask that he was wearing as flawless yet pale skin came into view from behind it. Flawless skin, coupled with familiar, piercing blue eyes, eyes that gazed upon you listless with age as they seemed to glow faintly in the gloom. "As for the nature of the taint and its touch upon my ascension, yes, it is true that I am too tainted to ascend at this time, yet this is a choice I have made. Like you, I remain here an architecht, unlike you, I remain here of my own free will."

"Come on, lets go before he claims he's your son or something," Anne hissed as she moved closer to you, promoting you to glance at her, squeezing her hand as you nodded imperceptibly.

"I'm with you, I get the feeling I won't get a straight answer from him after all," you responded, glancing back towards the figure as you called out to him once more. "I would rather take my chances, than resign myself to your designs."

"This is unfortunate. If you will not co-operate willingly, then you must be made to co-operate," the figure stated as he swung one arm forwards, giving the order to attack with little more than a gesture. No sooner had he done so, than the ghoulish figures atop the walls started the pour from atop them, leaping into the paved courtyard with shields raised and swords drawn.

With Anne tugging on your hand, you prepared to turn, to run from the swarm of soldiers, knowing that at best all you could hope to do was take a few potshots to slow them down. That, or deliver a final insult to their master, in the form of cranial trauma.

Releasing the collumn, you reached for your belt, plucking the revolver from it as you carefully took aim, yet...

Yet, something was wrong.

Everything seemed to be moving at a snails pace as you felt pressure building in your head, as you felt a familiar sensation of pain focused upon your neck.

Voices, a cacophony of voices arguing with each other.

Every one of them your own.

A deep breath was taken as you tried to quell them, as you tried to focus, knowing that now wasn't the time for something of this nature to take root. "I am..." you started, briefly moving to brush your shoulder against your neck as paranoia told you to ensure that you hadn't been jabbed with that pin. There was no blood, it was just your mind playing tricks on you, or...

Or...

You weren't sure what else it could be, yet those voices grew louder, threatening to overwhelm you, threatening to be the one that called out now.

You were Eurochkoles, you were Eurochkoles, you were...

Eurochkoles, the thousand year soul?
Bastion, destroyer of empires?
Isaac, the rage of the oceans?
The Aspect of Heka, magic incarnate?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on May 26, 2012, 01:12:57 pm
> Heka
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: cerapa on May 26, 2012, 01:46:46 pm
> Heka
Seconded.

EDIT: Im just thinking...wasnt there a game of this with multiple players? I remember myself being an alchemist or somesuch.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Chink on May 26, 2012, 05:53:03 pm
>Heka
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Karnewarrior on May 26, 2012, 08:07:02 pm
What, no killer of the night? No assassin, who can dissapear and decieve entire armies? No Bleak the Tranquility of Twilight?

Bastion then.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: joemoben on May 26, 2012, 09:13:56 pm
Bastion then.

Seconded. We need to be able to destroy this army with 100% badassitude. Also, lets watch Anne a little bit closer than usual for the battle, for she may unknowingly kill us, as she has done before.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on May 26, 2012, 10:50:17 pm
((I was honestly expecting Bastion to have been the choice that 'won', though I'd personally have preferred the chance to write for Isaac. Oh well, hopefully this update doesn't suck!))

---

"I am Bastion, impervious and undefeated, I shall defeat those that stand before us by crushing their frail bodies with my mighty hands!" roared the loudest of the voices in your head, yet this voice was not the strongest at this time.

"Violence does not make you mighty, at a time like this you may only crush them one by one, yet I may sweep them away in one motion," came another voice, this one calm, tranquil and confident, yet it too, was not the most powerful of the voices that argued within your head.

"Silence, piss-drinker, you spent a thousand years sitting by a waterfall in a forest, you know nothing of might."

There was laughter, laughter that rang in your head as your vision swam, as your finger twitched, squeezing down on the revolvers trigger as you accidentally discharged a round from it. The round that was fired off went wide of its mark, wider than you would have comfortably admitted that you could have missed by had you been able to focus properly.

Laughter, that belonged to neither of those voices that argued over all the others.

"I fail to see what is funny, priest. You are less-" yet that voice was drowned out as further laughter filled your thoughts, yet this time it wasn't laughter that echoed in your head, but your ears. This time, the laughter that you heard was your own.

"I am the aspect of Heka, heed my words wearer of masks for I shall give you but one warning. Call off the dead you dishonour with their eternal twilight, or judgement will be wrought upon your soul."

"N-no, you're dead!" stated the figure as the ghoulish soldiers continued their advance, while the tug of the woman that accompanied you like some lost pup continued unabated at your hand.

"Eurochkoles, I don't know what has come over you, but this is not the time to act crazy!" she hissed, as she looked upon you with wide eyes.

"Kill them, kill them both!" screamed the man, the tone he spoke in for the first time becoming fearful, shrill with emotion as his true colours betrayed themselves to you. His true colours, were ones that would not save in hi this matter however, for in the presence of the dead you were mighty, in the presence of the living, you were a god.

The dead parted like a sea before you as you strode forward, your expression grim as your gazed fixed upon the man before you. Behind you, the female stammered with disbelief as you stepped across the stream, as the dead who straggled, the dead who dared stand in your way fell one by one. Blue was the luminous energy that danced from your fingers like asps, blue was the colour of that what swam through the air towards the stragglers and the defiant.

Blue was the colour of your magic, magic that even now felt greatly diminished as its presence within this world dwindled.

Those that were caught by the blue luminance that danced from your fingers crumpled to the ground with unearthly wails. Black was the colour of the souls that you tore from their shells, freeing them of the torment that had been visited upon them by this defiler who had trapped them in this twilight state.

"Stop him!" screamed the figure in a pitiful manner, yet the ghouls dared not move to oppose you, having seen the manner in what you could simply dismiss them. They dared not oppose you, for they knew that you were a power beyond their false gods, that you were a righteous force of judgement that none could hope to stall.

In your wake the realms of life and death blurred.

In your presence the world of men touched upon that of the gods.

"Stay back, I can offer you the gifts of the Legion, I can offer you-" the simpering coward before you wailed, his voice no longer bearing the sweet tones that it had when he had been calm. You were in no mood to hear that voice screaming for mercy, begging for a chance to survive when you had once more awakened to do your duty upon this world.

"Silence, you shall be judged."

"Judgement isn't your realm, you... you..."

"I am the voice of the soul, I am the heartbeat of the universe, I am all that cannot be understood. The fire of creation burns in my voice and my eyes see into infinity, you have far surpassed the time you had alotted to this world, so I shall deliver you to the gods for judgement."

Your voice echoed in the cavern as you made a slow gesture with one hand, a brief flick of your wrist invoking streams of that same blue luminance to form about the figure. One finger raised as you lifted him from his podium, that same finger beckoned for him to grow closer, before another flick of your wrist - this time one that was almost careless, dispelled the luminance that held him aloft.

The figure fell with a scream, his body twisting as he braced himself for the impact, an impact that had him writhing as he lay on his side, half propped on one arm as he slowly circled about to face you. You drank the terror in his expression like a man would water in the desert, that primal fear cascading from him in waves as you leaned slowly towards him.

"Ammut will dine well upon one who has so long eluded their fate, wearer of masks," you whispered as you moved to kneel beside him, one hand, one impossibly powerful hand taking hold of him by the neck as he flailed in vain. His attempts to break your grasp were as pitiful as he, as you slowly applied pressure to his neck. "Gaze upon my countenance, for in your final moments I shall reveal this. All you fear has come to pass, your numbers are dwindling and the spark of immortality, of magic, is fading ever faster."

The figure thrashed as you continued to squeeze down upon their neck, as you watched those brilliant blue eyes steadily dim.

Each motion became weaker as your presence rendered the man mundane, each successive attempt to break your grasp weaker than the last.

After some minutes, the figure was still.

After some minutes more, you finally released your grasp.

In your presence, the magic that was his nature was dead, in your presence the living could be rendered dead, and the dead could be revived. All it took was a prayer, a ritual, a moment in what the universe was bent to your will to accomplish such a task, yet for that apparent simplicity, you lacked the power to sustain such things indefinately.

"Cremate his remains, he does not deserve the honour of a proper burial," you stated as you turned to face the legion of ghoulish soldiers. "Then add yourselves to the pyre, you do not deserve this dishonourable existance to be inflicted upon you any longer," you added after a moments thought, before starting back through the parted crowd towards the woman who had accompanied that other facet of your being.

Even as you strode through the ranks of soldiers who stood silent, you could feel that dull pressure once more building in your head, that same pressure that had allowed you to voice yourself in this manner. This time however, it was the voice of your current incarnation attempting once more to take control of your- Of his body.

He was weary, yet you were exausted, you knew that without good reason you would not be able to hold on to this moment much longer, that worse still, he could simply push you aside if he so chose to do so.

Did you relinquish control and allow him to leave with the woman who served him, or did you hold on just a little longer as you had something more to accomplish that he would otherwise have been incapable of?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on May 27, 2012, 04:20:42 am
Lets see if we can do anything to fix Anne, it would be unbecoming to be killed by a misshapen monstrosity.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: cerapa on May 27, 2012, 06:13:27 am
Lets see if we can do anything to fix Anne, it would be unbecoming to be killed by a misshapen monstrosity.
Anne might not be too happy about that, but we did need to find a way to make her less tainted. So, this.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on May 27, 2012, 06:37:11 am
Bear in mind that the aspect of Heka may not like Anne as much as Euro does...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on May 27, 2012, 12:41:13 pm
We should try to leave behind some bit of our power, might come in handy later. As in, condensing a bit of magic into an object or something.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on May 27, 2012, 06:19:34 pm
Or Anne...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Twi on May 27, 2012, 08:42:42 pm
Lets see if we can do anything to fix Anne, it would be unbecoming to be killed by a misshapen monstrosity.
We should try to leave behind some bit of our power, might come in handy later. As in, condensing a bit of magic into an object or something.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Karnewarrior on May 27, 2012, 08:53:16 pm
I suggest taking a stone or crystal and impressing some memories into it, the important ones.

Then relinquish control.

I don't think "fixing" Anne will be taken well by Koles. That is his mission, and his alone. We should not interfere.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Chink on May 27, 2012, 09:34:06 pm
Lets see if we can do anything to fix Anne, it would be unbecoming to be killed by a misshapen monstrosity.
We should try to leave behind some bit of our power, might come in handy later. As in, condensing a bit of magic into an object or something.
+1
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: joemoben on May 27, 2012, 10:33:00 pm
I suggest taking a stone or crystal and impressing some memories into it, the important ones.

Then relinquish control.

I don't think "fixing" Anne will be taken well by Koles. That is his mission, and his alone. We should not interfere.

Although it is doubtful that this Heka even cares about that.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on May 28, 2012, 06:39:52 am
What I really want to do is revive magic. Science is far too dominant...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Zako on May 28, 2012, 08:01:24 am
Not gonna be able to revive magic in a few seconds. It may also be a good thing that it stays dead, for who knows what it's capable of in these times...

I suggest taking a stone or crystal and impressing some memories into it, the important ones.

Then relinquish control.

I don't think "fixing" Anne will be taken well by Koles. That is his mission, and his alone. We should not interfere.

I agree with this. Seems like a good idea.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on May 29, 2012, 09:27:40 am
With every footfall back towards the woman that accompanied the present incarnation of your once glorious self, you could feel the steady sensation of control bleeding from you. It was manifesting in a manner that inconvenienced you on a fundamental level, your movements struggling to maintain your prior prescision.

Increasingly graceless was the faltering footfalls that saw your approach to the woman bearing the aspect of a bird, her wings fluttering in futility as she brandished a familiar impliment. "Stay back!" came her cry as you approached, though your lips merely curled back into a smile as you disregarded the threat she signified to you at this time. "What are you?" she called out as she stumbled backwards, her trembling fingers turning white as they clutched the silver pin.

"I am all the mystery of the world given breath, the blood of magic that science has spilled. Violated by curiosity and the need to understand, I am what will one day soon be but a memory." Came your response as you gestured towards the pin in her hand, faint wisps of blue dancing from your fingers as you plucked it from her grasp.

"Hey, give that back!"

"Should I not, will you peck my eyes out as I sleep and steal all that glitters from my pockets?"

"What?" came her response as she gave you a bewildered look, clearly either not following your reasoning or your ability to comprehend what she was.

"Woman, I have very little time left before the one you bear familiarity will assert control of this shell once more. You have little reason to like, to respect me, I have no reason at all bar his fondness of you, his designs that include you, not to strike you down where you stand. You are an abomination against the purity of body, mind and soul, you are a creature steeped with the taint of those that wish to plunge the world into an era of darkness."

"Shut up!" she screamed as she reached for the shotgun over her shoulder, though you could only smile once more as you knew that you were holding the body of another hostage here.

"This form is already heavily damaged, if you were to damage it further, when the one you are familiar with asserts control once more, he would be crippled. Listen to me, winged one, you hold those that burden your back to be beautiful, yet they will not be capable of flight for some time. If you wish to be capable of such a feat, then I..." You paused as you took a deep breath, knowing that your motives for offering this were not simply born of altruism. "I am capable of linking the muscles for such up properly for you, capable of bringing you to a state in what you are flight worthy."

"Why... Why should I trust you?"

"If I were to deceive you, then you would destroy me once this-" you gestured in the direction the pin had fallen "-once more finds its way into your possession."

"Unless you used it as an excuse to destroy me, somehow. I saw what you did to that man, I felt how wrong it all was, like you did something impossible," she stated with narrowed eyes.

"Very well, then I shall take my leav-"

"No!" she snapped as she stepped forward. "I want to fly!"

"Then step forward, take my hands. No longer shall you be akin to the wounded bird, incapable of flight as predators stalk you, instead you shall arise, capable of flying high above them."

Her eyes seemed to light up at this, her hands quickly seeking out your own as she stepped towards you. In contact with her like this you were able to focus, to pray to the gods who had long since stopped hearing your voice for guidance as you prepared to do something that you knew you may very well regret. It wasn't that you doubted that aiding her in this manner was inherently bad, it was that you planned to do more than simply aid her, you planned to undo some of the damage done to her.

Not all of it.

Not enough of it.

Your eyes closed as you hummed the prayers long forgotten by modern man, as you looked beyond the world you saw with your eyes, instead gazing into the world of the soul. You could see the spirit trapped within the form you were in contact with, raging within its fleshy prison, you could see the duality of her nature as woman and bird became one.

You could see that she was further tainted within than her outer self would have betrayed. The reason her wings were taking so long to connect up properly was one that you knew you should have expected, though seeing it so clearly wasn't something you enjoyed being able to do. You could see dark clusters of tainted tissue had attached themselves to her organs, ensuring that her inner self was in a constant battle, in a state of flux as the taint seeped outwards from them.

Even as you focused your attention upon the wings, you drew from those tainted tumours within her form, cleansing the tissue as you converted it, as you used it to form muscle. Muscle, that she would need to flap those wings, to be capable of using them to elevate herself above this world.

"I feel weird," she mumbled as you worked.

"Shh, I am converting and redistributing tissue that has no purpose, adding it to your wings as the muscle you require," you responded, though it was only half of the truth at this time.

Even as the tainted tissue was reduced in abundance, you knew that at best you had simply bought her a little more time. She would continue to be twisted by what she was, she would still require a more permenant solution to this issue, a solution that her self appointed guardian would no doubt seek.

"Give them an hour before you attempt to fly, as that hour will permit your body to adjust to the changes," you stated as you stepped back, feeling light headed from the effort you had put into this. It was an exausting process normally for such things, yet doing so with additional worry of holding on to your consciousness, with the threat that any moment you could once more be plunged into the darkness you had came from...

You had to act fast, as you could feel the manner in what this body felt as if it was less and less your own with every passing heartbeat. You had to find a means in what you could leave a boon for yourself, a means to tip things in your favour. You were fighting against impossible odds, trapped within the rules of a game that had been made to prevent your escape and thus, you required any edge you could aquire.

With your extremities fast becoming numb however, it was all you could manage to shuffle away from the woman who by now had a bewildered expression upon her face. All you could manage to sink down onto your knees by the waters edge as one hand dipped into the subterranean stream, plucking a smoothed stone from its depths.

All you could manage, to attempt to infuse the stone with your power, as your vision faded to black.

You snapped back to attention as the sound of something splashing before you, the sound of hissing as steam rose from the stream. Your face was enveloped by a sudden and entirely unexpected cloud of steam as you clumbsily waved a hand before you, as you wondered what exactly had happened.

You had a vague recollection of strangling the immortal you had encountered, of ordering his men to burn themselves. You could see, much to your suprise, that the roman soldiers that had lay in waiting for no doubt hundreds of years, were organising a vast pyre, ignoring you and Anne as they set about a task that you vaguely recalled you had commanded them to carry out. Anne, was staring at you with an expression that said she wasn't even sure who you were anymore, though all it took was a weak, but reassuring smile for her to quickly seem to get over her shock and rush to your side.

"You look worse than usual," came Anne's words as she slipped one of your arms about her shoulders. "Lets get you out of here before Joy realises you haven't ordered her to breathe and stops doing that."

A brief laugh escaped your lips as your free hand dipped into the water, plucking out an overly warm stone that you couldn't help but feel you had to take with you. "Yeah, lets get out of here before I black out again, I think fresh air will do me a lot of good."

You doubted that it was the cavern air, yet you knew that you had to keep up appearances for Anne's sake, that you had to act like you had a plan, that you had to stay in control.

Nothing would be more unsettling for her than the realisation that you had no idea what you were doing.

As you looked down upon the stone you had plucked from the stream, you could see an Ankh glowing in a faint blue light upon its surface, though you were not entirely certain of its power, you knew it was somehow important.
That was because it was:
 - A meditation aid, one that would allow communion with your past selves?
 - A means to force one of your past selves to the surface, temporarily?
 - Incomplete, and likely to explode if you tossed it hard enough?
 - Something entirely different?

Now you had figured out the reason why this mine at least, had ceased to send shipments back to Clockworkers, did you plan to investigate others?
Return to London?
Visit the beach and get fudge as you had promised?
Or did you have other plans?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on May 29, 2012, 10:05:24 am
Maybe it is a meditation aid that allows your past selves to commune with you, whether you want them to or not... Or perhaps it stores up lost potential and in its incomplete form has no practical means of releasing it...

Fudge!
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: cerapa on May 29, 2012, 11:05:44 am
Meditation aid. Would make sense for him to create something that would let him speak to you and possibly regain control.

And fudge. I thinks its relatively well-deserved after all this.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on May 29, 2012, 03:20:26 pm
> fudge get
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Chink on May 29, 2012, 03:27:21 pm
It was a meditation aid, and get the fudge.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Twi on May 29, 2012, 03:41:53 pm
It was a meditation aid, and get the fudge.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Karnewarrior on May 29, 2012, 05:38:28 pm
It is a soul stone, one that can contain one consciousness and one consciousness only. Meditation will bring them out, and you will have to choose which to keep with you as a guide in later matters. The other pasts will be forgotten.

And fudge. Then the other mines.Better to return late with a job well done than on time with it half-finished.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Origami_Psycho on September 19, 2012, 08:48:50 pm
Necro powers, activate!
But seriously, you, Silleh Boy, are bloody awesome, please don't let this die, again.
The stone is a meditation aid, allowing you to access the memories of any of your previous selves.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: kingfisher1112 on September 20, 2012, 03:15:07 am
No. No necro. Go away.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on September 20, 2012, 03:56:10 am
I vote in favour of necroing in general, and feel that this is a particularly fine and noble necro.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: kingfisher1112 on September 20, 2012, 05:08:52 am
No. It just clutters the board up. Quit it.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Karnewarrior on September 20, 2012, 02:59:21 pm
The necro would be acceptable save for a few issues. When you're an Escaped Lunatic, it's really not a good idea to necro posts, even if they're awesome.

A necro is a die roll between hatred and thanks. The OP can always necro, but shouldn't double-post. If the next few comments from a necro are positive, the necro is accepted. If not, you've damaged your reputation. There's not alot you can do to tell the two consequences ahead of time so you have to be very careful with your necros.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on October 29, 2012, 07:58:53 am
((So, i've been absent again and I apollogise for that.
Net issues, discomfort while writing, etc, have made me absent just long enough that it made me feel anxious resuming this, but, if people'd like, I'll resume this, get back into the flow and work towards the eventual conclusion of the story.))

---

"Worse than usual," you echoed those words as you felt the already weak memories of what you had just been through fading, as if no more than a dream.

You had to admit that she likely had a point here, that your injuries never quite had a chance to fully heal before you took fresh ones on. At this point you were injured severly, sporting several slow healing gunshot wounds to your chest. At this point, you were dependant upon her for your well being, your safety.

At this point, you had to rely upon one whom's interest in your well being was questionable at best.

You didn't know what had placed those seeds of doubt, yet it all seemed so clear to you now.

You could feel the masked reluctance that she bore seeping from her like blood and puss did from your poorly treated wounds. You could feel the reluctance giving way to fear, to resentment, to the well masked inability she had to deal with the fact that something was inherently wrong with you at this point.

Wrong, from the perspective of one who was a walking abomination.

No, you couldn't let these thoughts, these feelings take root.

These were alien thoughts, ones that you couldn't permit to influence you, thoughts that came from somewhere deep inside you. Thoughts, likely born of paranoid anxiety and insecurity given the state in what you were.

"Do... Do we have the money to aquire fudge?" you asked as you moved to set your head against her shoulder, as you dug your heels in for a moment. Your reluctance to move another step was fast noted as she paused mid-step to give you a moment to breathe, as she took a moment to consider the question that you had posed.

"No, the money we'd have had for such would have been the bursar's domain and... I don't know, maybe there'll be a way for us to get in touch with the..."

The manner in what Anne trailed off, in what her facial features creased visibly even in the low light that reached you still told you that she wasn't certain how to answer this question. Worse still, she clearly wasn't entirely certain how she could assist in the matter. Still, the mention of getting in touch was one idea that you could play off, as there were fair odds that you could find means to communicate with someone in the chain of command, someone on the queen's staff.

Someone, who could handle the issue of funding for your needs with the promise that the credit you were granted would be repaid.

"We'll handle it once we're there," you responded tersely as your legs protested further attempts to move. "We've overcome greater problems, after all," you added, doing your best to smile as you felt yourself growing faint.

"You're really not looking good, do you want to sit down for a moment?" came her worried response, yet all you could manage was a smile as the world started to spin.

Darkness rushed up to embrace you as you lurched forwards, as the woman you used for support cradled you in her arms, as the last things on your mind were how vivid the scents you were picking up were.

There was the damp of the caverns, blood, soot and fire.

There was the scent of the oils that Anne's feathers were coated with.

There was the stink of tainted flesh.

You were not entirely certain how long you were out for, yet when your eyes opened once more you found yourself gazing skywards, your body rocked steadily by the lurching cart. Clouds passed overhead, clouds like wisps scattered in the skies, torn and cast to the wind that were coloured by the dying sun.

"I'm telling you, there's something wrong with him Joy," came Anne's voice, on the edges of your hearing as you struggled to gather your wits.

"As you have stated multiple times already."

"Listen to me you, I don't care if I have to repeat myself a hundred times to get this across. There's something wrong with him and I don't like it. He wasn't himself in that place, he did something that felt wrong, like he dredged a part of the world we've forgotten up and used it to destroy the things there," Anne hissed, her tone coloured by agitation.

"You called it magic. There is no magic," came Joy's flat response.

"Not anymore, no, but he somehow dragged it kicking and screaming from its grave and made it serve him. Magic's as real as  fairy tales, people keep saying, yet look at me, look at you. Are we really fully possible to explain with science?"

There was a long moments silence as Joy no doubt digested this.

"Well?" came Anne's voice, her tone pointed as she pressed for a response.

"Yes. The origin of the taint has been explained as a creation of alchemy, that the-"

"You're wrong, Joy. There was something down there with Roman soldiers, something that had been there for countless centuries that was as tainted as you or I. The entire thing's a coverup and I don't like it."

"You complain too much." came another voice, this one masculine and deep.

"Yes, yes, complain more!" squealed another voice.

"No! Less! Less!" the deeper one bellowed as the pair of voices degraded into bickering that made picking out anything further impossible.

Wonderful, Bill and Bob were back.

Your left hand clenched down upon something hard as you shifted, something smooth that you fast realised you must've been holding onto the entire time. Something that you felt drawing your attention to it, something that the more you squeezed upon it, the less real you somehow felt.

The stone you'd picked up in the cavern, the stone marked with a symbol that glowed still in a soft blue light. The stone, that you could feel drawing your attention inward in a manner that you knew you should have resisted, yet a part of you demanded that you did so, a part of you told you to open your mind to it, to-

"Eurochkoles, you're awake?" came Anne's words, tinged by suprise as your attention was stolen from the rock, as the petty bickering from the two headed one ceased immediately. With all eyes suddenly upon you, you found yourself barely able to do more than twist to face them, to smile weakly at them before you shook your head.

It was as if you were trying to rid the inside of your head of cobwebs, as if the inside of your head was somehow full of cotton and your thoughts were somehow impeded by this. "Wh-" you started, only to pause as Anne leapt over the back of the cart, all traces of her prior concerns washed away as the mask she wore in your presence, the mask she wore for you was once more donned.

"We're heading to one of the nearest coastal towns that we recognised the name of, you wanted to get fudge for her majesty, Queen Victoria after all. Also, I can fly. You have no idea how wonderful it feels to have the wind on your face as you soar through the skies like a bird can, to be free of the world beneath and the rules that man imposes."

"I see," you responded as you pushed yourself onto one elbow, the rough wood beneath you reminding you that your now sleeveless shirt was ruined. "How far off are we from the town?" you asked, ignoring the mention of flight for the moment.

"Half an hour to an hour maybe, we'll be there-"

"And your wings are strong enough to sustain flight comfortably now?"

"Not comfortably, no, but I feel as if they will get strong enough to do so fast. You have no idea how excited it makes me to know soon, I may be able to-" she was beaming as she spoke, yet one hand was raised to silence her as you laughed weakly.

"My head is spinning, Anne, give me half an hour to gather my wits and meditate. Once I feel more myself, then I promise you can tell me all about it when I am able to take in just how special it is."

A brief nod and a pout was followed by a word that bore a near childish tone with how disappointed it sounded. "Promise?"

"I promise," you responded as you struggled to sit upright, ignoring the dirty looks that came your way from Bill and Bob as you did so.

You had a feeling that this stone you held was special, an aid, a conduit to your inner self. Eager as you had felt to use it when you had first came too, you were starting to feel apprehensive about the idea of utilising it.
Did you plan to mediate using it?
To call upon a prior incarnation of yourself for communion?
To simply sit there until you had gathered your wits?
Or was this agitation enough to motivate you to pursue another course of action?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: LordSlowpoke on October 29, 2012, 11:28:42 am
Disregard everything.

Acquire fudge.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: joemoben on October 29, 2012, 05:19:23 pm
It's back! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE <That was a little girl shriek BTW

Meditate.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on October 29, 2012, 07:48:20 pm
Yay! This is back! :D

We missed you so much!

> first, it seems everyone should give one another some basic psychological check, a lot of things are messing with heads in various directions here.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Twi on October 29, 2012, 10:06:20 pm
Disregard everything.

Acquire fudge.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: mcclay on October 30, 2012, 02:03:01 am
Disregard everything.

Acquire fudge.
Oh god this, all of it. Also talk to one of your past seleves, most spefically Heka, what the fuck did he just do?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on October 30, 2012, 03:46:25 am
Agree with acquiring fudge as a priority. Communing with Aspect of Heka would also gain my support.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on October 30, 2012, 12:55:45 pm
The entire situation was enough to have you feel too agitated to settle down enough to attain an agreeable enough state in what you could meditate.

You'd blacked out recently more than once and you knew that it wasn't entirely from your injuries in some of the cases. The lingering feeling as if something wasn't entirely under your control about your own self, your own body gave you a sensation of anxiety that you couldn't quite shake, yet that was not the worst of it.

You had multiple concerns to deal with, such as the fact that you were travelling with three, or four depending on your perspective, increasingly tainted individuals. Anne, who's wings were the only outward sign of corruption at this time, who was growing increasingly unstable and prone to deceit. Joy, who was emotionally dead, who's tainted nature would no doubt manifest scales sooner or later.

Then there was Bill and Bob, one or two individuals depending upon how you desired to approach them. It was so heavily twisted, tainted, corrupted, that you knew that simply being seen with it in your presence was going to cause trouble.

That wasn't the worst of it either however.

The worst of it was that you were uncertain if you truly cared that you felt as if you were losing control.

Your eyes closed as you forced yourself to focus upon the stone that you would not allow to leave your grasp, to focus upon the unsettlingly familiar nature of it, of the power you could feel bleeding from it. Power was something you understood at least, power was something that you knew the eternal nature of could only change, instead of being truly destroyed. Words had power, actions had power and science and mysticism had battled for it, with science usurping the power mysticism had once had with reason and logic.

With that thought on your mind, you opened your eyes once more to see the world discoloured, blurring by as a familiar face stared back at you. "Heka," you mouthed, as you gazed upon that figures face, a face that you knew to be your own.

"Yes, sleep-walker, that is the name that we bore an association with during my time."

"Why. Why do I feel compelled to do this, to seek you out despite-"

"The stone, sleep-walker, it is imbued with the dying spark of magic, a spark that-"

"I want answers, not deflections and distractions."

"You do not command me," that other self spat, his laughter ringing in your ears.

"I do not, for commanding one as arrogant as proud as only I could be would be idiocy. You will only deflect, tell me soft lies and lead me down your path if I do not question you," you stated as you frowned. Whatever the reason behind the discomfort being in this other self's presence was, you knew that you needed to learn but one thing.

"Sleep-walker, centuries gone as I am, it is still foolish to raise my ire. Watch your words."

"Threats. Arrogance. False superiority. Prove me wrong, aspect, show me that my impression that you are no more than a self-centered bully to be wrong. Tell me why you really created this stone. Tell me what you did, that has me feeling so... Wrong."

"Fine," came that other selfs words as they released an almost theatrical sigh. You had called out one who's pride was in their image to prove that their image was one that was anything but what your impression told you. "The stone is a conduit, an aid, using it as a focal point, you can use it to commune with, or channel my consciousness. Simply put sleep-walker, in times of duress, endangerment or ignorance, you may relinquish control to me if you so require one of my limitless talents to steer the situation true."

You had the impression that this wasn't entirely the truth, that the way that this was being presented didn't tell the whole truth about the function of that stone. It could be used for communion, for channeling, allowing you to discuss things with another, to allow them to assume control of a body now their own was long gone. That much you believed, yet you were uncertain if it was just they, that you could call upon, or if there was something more to this tool than a mere benevolent offer of assistance.

"I see," you breathed as you watched the scenery zipping past with increasing frequency. You didn't like this other part of yourself, this former incarnation that had once bore your face, for you could feel that there was all too many of the qualities you knew were the worst in you, personified in him.

You had more important things to worry about than him at this time however, you had been tasked with something that had uncovered a major threat, that the best you could do was report. You had the worry of your increasingly unsound and irrational actions, coupled with those of your companions to deal with. You had paranoia gnawing away at you over how stable both you and Anne really were.

You knew that you had to keep everything in perspective, that you could only tackle what was realistically in reach at this time, that worrying about what could not be handled at this time was foolish. You could report your findings when you returned, that was reasonable enough. You could deal with Anne's unstable nature and identify your own when you had the time to do so, that was a future concern best dealt with at a time of peace.

Empires could come and go, the tides of time could erode the land but none of that mattered, for the aquisition of fudge was within your grasp.

Your eyes snapped open as you glanced towards the horizon, taking note that the dying light had given way to twilight.

"Stop here," you called to Anne, Joy and the abomination that sat up front with them. "I wish to..." you started, only to trail off as your attention was drawn to the light of a moderately sized coastal town not far down the path that you sat upon.

Lazy wisps of smoke wove from the chimneys, while lamps illuminated the main streets, yet even from here you could tell there were few out at this hour. A sense of unease gripped you, suspense filling you even from this distance as you knew that this coastal town was anything but a sleepy little halmet.

Light was cast from the many windows, yet what you took to be inns cast out no drunken revellers.

"Anne, you and... Bill and Bob keep an eye on the cart, I'll take Joy with me down to the town and see if we can find a place to report-"

"Fudge," Anne interrupted, that single word as she turned back spoken as her eyes lit up.

"I will not forget-"

"No, bring me back some too."

You laughed, despite how it hurt to do so you laughed. "Very well, I'll bring you back a box of fudge for yourself, if the coast's clear to do so, I'll get Joy to let you know it's safe to bring Bill and Bob in. Your wings would be easier to expalin after all, than a two headed taint bearer."

"We are perfectly capable of explaining ourselves," came the deeper voice as both heads frowned at you.

"I cannot explain this love I feel!" the higher pitched of the two squealed, before it fell awkwardly silent as all eyes fell upon it.

Silently, you dismounted from the cart, picking that awkward moment to leave upon as you gestured for Joy to follow you, while once again wondering why you had agreed to bring that thing with you. You were honestly uncertain by this point if your distate for it was borne of resentment for the fact that it was unashamed to show that it was not entirely there.

Unashamed, while you yourself had to hide how you were starting to feel a little crazy deep down.

With the cart fading into the distance and the darkness behind you, you turned your attention to Joy as you strode down the road before you. "Joy," you started as the woman turned her attention your way, her expectant expression visible even as the coming night swallowed the land about you. "Stay by my side, let me do the talking where possible. I'm certain that my injuries will be questioned, so, if you play the part of a shy lady... As much as I hate to say this, the attention will shift from you as they are likely to underestimate you."

"Understood," came her terse response, though you could clearly read her features as they were twisted with the effort of some deep internal struggle with this command. For a long moment she seemed conflicted by this, making you wonder exactly what it was that she found so difficult about it, when she paused to run her fingers through her hair, teasing the wild strands until they visibly appeared more managed. With wavy hair framing her face and innocent brown eyes gazing up at you, the petite woman before you appeared anything more than the monster you knew you had made of her.

"You look-" you started, only to pause in suprise as she moved to set herself under your arm, her own arms wrapped about yours as the petite woman gave a small huff. Adorable, was the first word that came to mind, though you left it unspoken as she gave a small tug upon your arm to hurry you onwards.

With that you made your way onward to the town proper, following the road through the dark as your thoughts returned to the task at hand.

It wasn't until you got close however, that the muted sounds of a town that should have been bustling with activity told you that your instincts had been correct, that there was something wrong. Low murmers came from the nearby tavern instead of bawdy singing, music, laughter and the clinking of glass on glass.

Glancing in as you passed the door by, you could see at least that the people inside were sullen, hunched over their drinks and murmering in low voices amongst themselves, adding a dour note to the towns atmosphere. The assorted fishermen, miners and sailors inside the tavern failed to notice you as you passed by, as enraptured as they were in whatever sour news had quietened the town.

"Perhaps the local constabulary has a phone," you mused aloud as you held Joy a little closer to you. You couldn't help but feel that your instinctive desire to protect the smaller woman was misplaced, as you knew as one of the Enlightened, she was every bit as dangerous as you.

If not more so.

Without a response from her, you continued to speak aloud, as if voicing your thoughts so she was at least aware of what you were planning. "So, we need to find a phone, get our identities confirmed, report the news, get some form of funding or credit so we can get the fudge and start on the way back..."

You were about to turn back and head to the tavern and ask for directions to the local police, when you spotted a slight man nervously hobbling down the street. "Excuse me, Sir?" you called out as you waved with your free arm to get his attention, figuring it was easier to deal with a single person than endure the attention of many. Especially in the state you were in at this time. "We were attacked on the road and were wondering if you could direct us to-"

Your question was never finished as the man turned to look at you, his expression haunted as he spoke in a hurried manner. "I don't have time to help you, I have to get home, pack and get out of here!"

"Why?" you responded, as the man turned to leave, pausing only to look over his shoulder at you as he spoke once more.

"They declared war upon us, said they'll burn the taint from our land, used it as an excuse, those damned French bastards."

You felt Joy tense against you as she held onto your arm a little tighter, the mention of burning the tainted no doubt unsettling even to her. "We need to... To get out of here. They will not accept me, Anne or the two headed one with a declaration such as this," Joy whispered.

This news had you reeling internally, though on the surface you remained calm.
You were a man of plans and action, the one who kept things together, who strove forward no matter the circumstances.
The question was, just what were you planning to do?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: LordSlowpoke on October 30, 2012, 01:13:27 pm
get that fudge

And then, abandon town. Can't do anything for the ones here unless they accept our help with packing their stuff, better head for a bigger city.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on October 30, 2012, 06:06:34 pm
> forget the fudge, head right back out.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: mcclay on October 30, 2012, 06:37:55 pm
> forget the fudge, head right back out.
No, we can't abadon this town in its time of need. We need to rally the people against the French and  save the goddamn day. We are supposed to be protecters of life and liberty and all that good shit. I will not stand by and have us abadon this town. To arms my friends!
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: joemoben on October 30, 2012, 11:20:57 pm
> forget the fudge, head right back out.
No, we can't abadon this town in its time of need. We need to rally the people against the French and  save the goddamn day. We are supposed to be protecters of life and liberty and all that good shit. I will not stand by and have us abadon this town. To arms my friends!
I am with this. We are immortal, we have lived a thousand lives, killed billions. The queen is our friend, and abandoning her would be wrong. The time that we face them however, is negotiable. I'm not saying we flee like a bunch of pansies, just that we could return with an army of machines, which while it is a moral quandary, is probably necessary. We have faced down armies before, another one is only a bump in the path.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on October 30, 2012, 11:31:32 pm
I encourage some more information gathering, some fudge acquiring, some further fudge acquiring, an attempt to procure some funds with which to make our way swiftly, and then probably run along home to let this be resolved diplomatically...
 I strongly suggest that we track down the source of the information pertaining to the invasion. The whole invasion could just be a fabrication to depopulate the region...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on October 31, 2012, 05:07:36 pm
For the briefest of moments you felt yourself despair, the dual sensations of being hopeless and helpless gripping you before you quickly got them under control. You couldn't afford to let circumstances outside of your control sway you at a time like this, to let you feel as if you could do nothing, that you didn't have the power to sway things in your favour.

You had dreamed of your past lives, of your conquests and accomplishments, you had seen the battlefields run red with the blood of those that had opposed you. Solitary, you had stood against empires and brought them to their knees, alone, you had halted barbarian hordes.

You had been a conduit for magic to flow through, channeling it as as you shaped it to suit your purposes. That had earned you the admiration of a people who saw you as a physical incarnation of one of their gods, allowing you to entrench yourself in their culture as a respected figure.

You had been a wise man, sat in a forest, pondering on the very nature of your existance, of the world about you.

And here you were today, marksman, inventor, diplomat and hero.

It was that final note that stood out most as you felt yourself swell with pride, knowing that no matter what happened, no matter what came next, that you would stand against any that dared threaten those you held as friends. With the queen herself as your friend, her homeland was your concern by extension.

There was the need to establish if this news was truth, to aquire fudge, to get an overview of the situation and see where you were needed most.

"Joy, your low-light vision is superior to mine, is it not?" you inquired as you turned to look down at the petite woman beside you, yet an uncharacteristically timid nod was your sole response. Worrying as it was that Joy had started to show signs of emotion, of cracking under pressure, you knew that you needed her to hold her wits together just a little longer for you to get things underway. "Could you check the nearest signs for any reference to the local constabulary for me, please?" you asked, as you placed one hand reassuringly upon her shoulder.

You supressed the urge to recoil away as she jumped in response to that touch, watching as she nodded hurriedly before she made her way along the street.

Mere moments passed before she hurried back, taking one of your hands in her own as she hauled you along behind her, as she dragged you towards a building. The building was impossible to make out in the gloom, as the light of the lamps that illuminated the street didn't quite reach it, yet you could see the dim glow of light inside the windows cast upon dull floral wallpaper.

Your knuckles rapped against the door in favour of using the heavy iron knocker that dominated it, while Joy once more situated herself under your arm, holding onto you timidly. Moments passed with no response, prompting you to tap the door more insistantly, this time prompting a faint call from behind it.

"I heard ye th' first time, hold y' bloody 'orses," came those words as the sound of a latch being undone was followed by the door being opened wide enough for the figure behind it to come into view. Illuminated as they were, you could just make out the bushy mustache and beard the balding man sported, a man who you could feel contempt from as he stared at you from the frame of the door. "Look, if ye're lookin' f' a handout-"

"Then I would cast myself upon men of mercy, sir, not men of law. I am Eurochkoles and it is of great importance that I get in contact with members of the technocracy to relay that there is evidence of the taint having spread to this corner of the country."

"The taint?" the man echoed in disbelief, before shaking his head "No, ye're a bloody opportunist, takin' advantage of th' news, now get out of 'ere b'fore I arrest ye!" the man yelled as he slammed the door in your face.

"Joy," you started as you looked down at the petite woman once more. "I tire of this pattern of those in positions of authority feeling threatened by me and doing their best to ensure that they impede me. Do you think you're capable of breaking the door down and overpowering him?"

Joy nodded as she disentangled herself from you, pausing for but a moment as she slammed her hand into the door palm first. The door shuddered, creaked and groaned as she pressed upon it relentlessly, before her other hand joined it. With both hands set upon it, the door's hinges gave, allowing Joy to push it inwards and aside, before she grabbed for the shocked man who sat staring in disbelief on the other side.

With stunning force the man sent a shudder through the floorboards as Joy brought him down with deceptive ease, drawing his hands behind him as she pinned him before you.

"Thank you, Joy," came your first words as you stepped into the house, while the faintest hint of a smile curled the corners of her mouth. "Now, as for you," you stated, firmly as you looked down at the man who lay helpless before you. "I do not wish to be given reason to ask my lovely companion to harm you, but do not think I shall balk from it if you refuse to co-operate with the matter at hand. Now, tell me how was the matter of war being declared brought to the attention of this town?"

The man groaned from the discomfort of the deceptively strong woman holding him fast, though it was clear with how visibly shaken he was that he had little intent of finding out if you were bluffing about causing him harm. "Th' news came through a good few hours ago via telephone from th' people up top in Lond'n, they've been warnin' all th' costal towns first as they're in th' most danger after Lond'n itself. They haven't attacked yet, but they will, given we won't surrender."

"Now, I'm going to ask Joy to let you go, so we can go call some of the people in charge, get my identity confirmed and pass on the news I have. Considering I was shot multiple times last time I asked some of your fine fellow officers to do this, before they found out the monumental mistake they had made, consider yourself lucky I am as amiable as I am."

With one hand you raised your shirt to show the bandages beneath it, the radial stains that had soaked into them showing how you had injuries that corresponded with your words. The man quickly nodded to make it clear that he understood, prompting an almost dismissive gesture from you as you turned your attention back to Joy "Let him go. If he attacks me, I'll turn a blind eye while you dispose of him for his foolishness."

"So... Uh... Who should I call, then?"

"The Clockworkers and the Technomancers, they'll confirm my identity and relay you to the staff serving the Queen, whom I was here on behalf of. I... I need a moment though, Joy, you go with him and handle confirmation, seeing what they want us to do next and the issue of funding."

The mans expression showed his doubt, yet he was clearly not prepared to call you out on such when you had already proven that you were in no mood to be pushed at this time. Especially not with the woman who had already proven she was many times stronger than him in tow.

You however, could feel a gnawing sensation building in the back of your mind as the tickle of another consciousness fought to make it clear that it wanted to see the light again. Slumping down against the wall as you slipped a hand into your pocket, you found yourself drawing the stone from within it, only to gaze at the glowing symbol that burned upon its surface.

You were uncertain how, yet you knew that it was that prior incarnation that had gone under the identity of The Aspect of Heka making it clear that they wished to commune.

Somehow.

Somehow you knew this.

They wanted to see the light once more, to use your body of all things to take control and do things their way.

Did you ignore the Aspect's call, commune and express your thoughts upon it - good or bad as they may be, willingly give in, or did you refuse it, either putting the stone away once more or focusing upon one of the other identities you were aware of in an attempt to commune with them instead?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Doomblade187 on October 31, 2012, 08:01:06 pm
Yes. I got a mere glimpse of this before, but it's extremely good. I might have to do some archive bingeing, per se.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: mcclay on October 31, 2012, 09:13:24 pm
Commune withe the Aspect, while he is kind of a douchebag he does give useful information.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on October 31, 2012, 09:27:56 pm
> no time for spacing out right now, maybe later.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on November 01, 2012, 01:02:51 am
Commune, there is no sign of an army on our doorstep, and the aspect may have some important insight. As to the issue of becoming a gestalt, there seem to be a lot of worse fates lurking around...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: joemoben on November 01, 2012, 08:35:10 am
I'll go with commune as well. We have time to waste after all.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on November 01, 2012, 10:33:06 am
Every fiber of your being was set against permitting this other self to once more steal control of the body that was yours and yours alone.

You could feel the tendrils of their consciousness clawing at the edges of your own, seeking to enter and overpower you, to take control of the body that would once more permit them life.

As if sensing your resistance, all at once that other mind crashed against your own, attempting to overwhelm your mental defences with a single overpowering attack. Despite your current state, despite how weary you felt, your defences held fast against that ancient mages onslaught.

Like walls erected against the ocean however, you could do little more than weather the storm, while praying that your defences did not crumble before its end was in sight.

Tenacious as you were your limits were not tested as the initial push ceased, making you wonder if this was a test of your resistance as well as an attempt to wrest control.

One hand closed about the stone as you brought it up to your head, your elbow braced against your leg, your forehead against your palm. You could feel the cool of the stone itself contrasted by the warmth of the symbol, that seemed not to lend any of its head to the surrounding rock. Heat and cold, mundane and mystical, opposing states all within one small stone as if it was an unintended reflection of your own impossible nature.

With your focus both on maintaining your mental defence against another mind imposing upon it and signalling that you wished to talk, you closed your eyes.

You closed your eyes so that your minds eye may open.

"You deny me my freedom, Sleep-walker," came the words of the Aspect as you hovered between consciousness and freedom from your mortal shell sleep would grant.

"I deny you no more than your lack of manners dictates I should. You are attempting to hijack my body, to take control from me without my permission simply because you look down upon all others, including myself."

"Heed my words," the Aspect started as you felt the displeasure they felt radiating from them, yet you had no intent of allowing them to finish this.

"Heed my words, Aspect, you are an echo of your former self who has already had their day. You failed whatever grand scheme you may or may not have had to gain immortality beyond your alloted span and irritated as I am with you, I am still able to emphasise. This does not however excuse you for trying to steal from what little time I myself have remaining, not when I myself need to figure how to escape this accursed cycle still."

"Listen you-"

"No, you listen to me," you commanded with what felt like the combined weight of your many lifetimes authority behind your words. "If you are willing to assist me, I will be free to entertain thoughts of permitting you time to enjoy life once more, via my body as it may be. If all you desire to do is fight me and attempt to steal control for your own petty agenda, then I shall fight against you with every fiber of my being. Are we clear?"

There was a long moments silence, a pause that felt as if it stretched on forever, yet in reality you knew it could have been over in but an instant.

"Very well, it appears at this time I have little choice but to acknowledge your authority, much as it is to my chagrin," came the response, followed by another, though thankfully brief pause. "A gesture of good faith I suppose, would be in order then to make it clear, obvious as it may or may otherwise not be, that I am not your enemy here. Your memories are still scattered, incomplete, for you have a plan in motion already to escape this cycle. Seek out the clock tower, seek out your servant, for they are the key."

With that you found yourself forced back to consciousness, your head spinning as the stone as dropped upon your lap.

It was at that moment that Joy returned with the officer, that man who had doubted you prior, a man who you could see now was dejected and defeated, no doubt crushed by the revelation. He knew no doubt now, that you were who you said, that you were as important as you claimed to do.

"All the details that were relevant to the report deemed acceptable have been relayed," Joy stated flatly as she reached down with one hand to aid you in reaching your feet. Even as you were hauled to them, you couldn't stop yourself from almost unconsciously taking hold of that stone once more, as if it was somehow precious to you. "The flux in your nature was not relayed. The taint causing the loss of the mine was relayed. The need for funding was relayed. Requests for further orders returned that they wish us to do what we can for the people here, then return by any means."

Your brow furrowed as you felt your thoughts settle, your head no longer spinning from how disoriented the entire experience with the Aspect had left you feeling. "Families, children, the elderly should consider staying with family and friends inland so any assault minimises potential for their casualties," you mused as you rubbed at your forehead.

"That... Makes sense. I can relay it to th' other bobbies an' have them relay it then 'elp with evacuations," the uniformed man stated as he shifted awkwardly.

"We can't afford to leave the costal towns unmanned however, it's just a shame that the Guardian's are too few in number to spare for a defensive force for each town. Even one in each tactically viable port however, refitted with artillery weapons set to bombard-"

"Acknowledged. Refitting and redistribution will commence," Joy stated in that emotionless and powerful tone you had come to associate with the Guardians. It was something of a chilling reminder of how much of a mess you had made with the Guardians, hundreds, if not thousands of tainted minds supressed and formed into a vast network. A network, that even now seemed active, yet commanding them in this manner via Joy was not something that should have been possible.

"On who's authority, on what protocol?" you inquired, feeling nausea deep in the pit of your stomach. They couldn't possibly have reverse engineered your work, figured how to impliment further commands without unbalancing the entire thing, could they?

"Upon the creator's authority."

"And the protocol?"

"Unknown. Over-ride authorised by Administrator Ego."

Ego.

There was no Ego in the network, it was-

"Joy, go and buy a stack of boxes of fudge while I get some air."

"Acknow- ...Yes, okay," Joy stated, her eyes almost burning into your back as you stumbled out of the ruined doorway before you.

It was all catching up with you once more, the horrors you had visited upon others, the acts you had justified to yourself as being borne of nescesity. You would do your best to fix them after this was all over, to rehabilitate them, to do what little you could to undo how you had wronged them. It wouldn't excuse you of your responsibility for this, it wouldn't buy forgiveness for what you had done.

You didn't want it to absolve you of your guilt, no, you had their blood on your hands and no charity you could do could would ever fix this.

But now wasn't the time to let the fact you had been a greater monster than that what you fought get to you, now as the time to rise up, to shine, to ensure that this nation could survive. Survive, so that they could fix the problems they faced, to come out of this entire situation stronger than they started, able to stand proud, without you holding their hand.

With the aquisition of fudge underway and what you could do for the safety of these people tackled, you knew that your next task was getting back home.
Did you have any other business that you felt needed taking care of?
Did you plan to travel by sea, by rail or by road?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: joemoben on November 01, 2012, 04:55:01 pm
We are weary, and need a rest, but priority right now is speed. Ask the man which way is faster. Also should probably muse about who this Ego could be.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: mcclay on November 01, 2012, 05:41:01 pm
As badly as rail went last time it still is the fastest and safest way back.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: joemoben on November 01, 2012, 06:45:42 pm
As badly as rail went last time it still is the fastest and safest way back.

And it'll let us rest which we sorely need.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on November 01, 2012, 08:39:53 pm
> You have a hint that a network critical to national security has been compromised, time to get your hacker on!
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: mcclay on November 01, 2012, 10:59:24 pm
> You have a hint that a network critical to national security has been compromised, time to get your hacker on!

Expect that we are the hacker ((Kinda...) so we might not want to do that.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Nicholas1024 on November 02, 2012, 12:51:01 am
Why not ask Joy for info about this Administrator Ego? Using the creator's authority, she should be able to at least run a search to figure out who the guy is.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on November 02, 2012, 11:35:34 am
Ego.

It couldn't be the same Ego that you had encountered before, could it?

No, there couldn't be another Ego, not with a name like that.

The Enlightened were as crazy as anyone else in this accursed world, but they were consistant. A name like Ego or Pride was a powerful name, one that would not be re-used. Not until the original one to possess the name was lost to the chapter. You had seen the lists of names of Enlightened brought in over time to be converted, you had seen hundreds of different names over time, the only time. Names that only saw repetition between, much as you hated to term them as such, batches.

Between, never within.

The memory was one you wished hadn't surfaced, yet you knew there was nothing you could do about this yet. It wasn't important though, it was a mere detail in the tapestry of your history, a detail that paled in comparison to the greater picture.

There was only one Ego that you ever knew of, and this Ego was the one that you had encountered within the last rememnants of their chapter. This was the same Ego that if not for you, wouldn't have been captured by the Clockworkers.

The other thing that troubled you about this, was that when you had originally created the Guardian's and their network, that there were only two types of role within it. The more common minds that had been used for the Guardians themselves who obeyed their overseers. Overseers, being the minds with talents that allowed them to be the network, to communicate with and command them within the set boundries they themselves were allowed.

There was no such thing as an Administrator so the fact that Ego was calling himself such was worrying.

You couldn't help but note the bitter irony that an ego was active within the network that required its supression, a free mind that could command the others freely due to how... Prone to suggestion they were.

The cloud always had a silver lining, however.

The same figure that troubled you could potentially be the answer to undoing much of the damage that had been caused by you. A free mind within the network was one that could help bring it down and leave those who had been enslaved by it ready for rehabilitation.

You'd have to pursue diplomacy with Ego, make it clear to him that you were not his enemy, that you wished to have him aid with the war effort. Then once peace had been attained, you would work alongside him to undo some of your wrongs.

A deep breath you were unaware you had been holding was released, clouding the air before you as warmth met the growing chill of the night.

Your attention turned towards the skies as you looked up at the rising moon, for a moment basking in its silvery glow. It was one constant that had been there all these lifetimes, the moon that watched you every night, silver and pure beauty in contrast to the blighted land below.

You had dreamed of making this a land of beauty and peace, so that the moon could gaze down upon it and see something as pure as it. It was a simple, innocent dream and you had deviated so far from it.

This moment of reflection was one that told you that jaded and weary as you had become over your lifetimes, that there was still hope for you. You could still turn things about in the time you had left and set the gears of change in motion, get the world you had left your mark upon turning to the right path.

A moments reflection was all it took to put that what troubled you into perspective, to figure that you needed to confront your past and deal with Ego. This left the question of who your servant was however, as the Aspect had hinted at and what the plan you had left in motion was.

This was something you could worry about in due time however.

"I have aquired-" started Joy's voice from behind you, prompting you to turn about, a small smile gracing your features as you saw the petite woman struggling beneath the stack of boxes she held.

"Here, give me some of those," you laughed as you placed your hands beneath the stack, supporting it as Joy moved to take the upper half of it herself. "I promised Anne some fudge, so lets go back to the cart before she come to hunt us down for taking too long."

"Eurochkoles?" Joy started as you turned to make your way back down the street towards the outskirts of the town.

"Yes, Joy?"

"I am... Afraid."

"There's no reason to be afraid, I have everything worked out, trust me."

"I am not afraid of the war."

"Then what's troubling you?" you asked as Joy fell into step along side you.

"I am afraid of the uncertainty regarding your lifespan."

"Ah," you inwardly frowned, you had no idea how long you had left exactly before Anne once more found herself holding that pin to your neck. "Don't worry, you'll be tired of me long before I'm gone," you offered as means of reassurance, wondering if it was true or not yourself.

"There is a part of me that wants to hate you, but cannot. It is... Not because you made me what I am that I cannot, it is because..."

"What stops you doing so?"

"I... Look upon you and I feel... Sorrow. You are the brightest star, yet you shine alone. Even when surrounded by others, you do not feel you belong. It has taken me some time to come to this conclusion, but..."

"Joy, don't worry about me," you laughed, yet something about this sent a shiver down your spine. "Your concern's touching, but I have too much to do to simply roll over and accept whatever fate I'm told I'm to have."

Joy smiled, reassured by those words, yet you couldn't help but feel stung by what she had said, that observation that she had made. For one who was so emotionally closed off she was closer to the mark than you wished to admit to, though you suspected that it was because she had seen a similar pattern between yourself and her.

The rest of the walk back to the cart was done in silence, nothing but your thoughts and the steady breathing of the woman to your side to punctuate it.

Before she was even fully in view for you, Anne's words rang out in the darkness.

"I see your game. You don't want a repeat of the cake issue, so you got enough fudge to make sure that-" there was a brief pause. "Joy, are you smirking at me?"

"She's the one that got all of this, maybe she planned to make sure I could at least get a little myself?" you quickly interrupted as you finished the approach to the cart. "Besides, there's more important things to deal with than the fudge."

"Nothing is more important than fudge. Except maybe cake," Anne huffed as she hopped down from the cart to relieve you of the boxes.

"Where's the two headed one?"

"Asleep in the cart."

"We're not going to be able to take it with us, the best way to get back to London is via train and there's no way we can take something of it's nature with us. Especially not with the news."

"News?" Anne echoed as she placed the fudge on the side of the cart, hauling herself up beside it as she did so.

"France declared war, cleansing the taint from this land was cited as one of their reasons."

"Fuckers. Only I deny you cake and fudge, they have no right."

"Uh..." You couldn't help but echo how caught off guard that comment left you feeling. Though you couldn't make out her features clearly in the dark, you had a firm impression that she was smug at this moment with having managed to do that.

"So, we're going to set him free to roam the wild, head back to London and you're going to win the war while we sit back and eat fudge. I like this plan!"

"Anne. Please, take this seriously."

"I am serious. Serious about fudge."

One hand came up to pinch the bridge of your nose as you sighed. Sleeping through the journey back sounded very appealing right now.


End of Part Seven

---

Not as long a part as I'd normally do to wrap up but, it gets us moving along for the final chapter - that may or may not be the end of the story, all things depending!

Hopefully everyone's still enjoying this, too. Slow as it's been, the action should pick up again in the next part.

I'll answer any questions and clarify any points that don't give too much away before we start the next part, though additionally, I was going to give a final point to each of the main three for them to 'grow', along with a few suggestions.
If this is desired, i'll repost the three's stats, along with said suggestions and leave you to decide if you use those or suggest alternatives of your own.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on November 02, 2012, 08:11:54 pm
Enjoying this a LOT, but I dint have much comments right now.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Nicholas1024 on November 05, 2012, 06:19:06 pm
Hm, could you repost the main three's stats? I'm not particularly sure where everyone stands at the moment.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on November 06, 2012, 10:40:26 am
The soft glow of the rising sun cast itself through the window of the carriage you resided in as the train swept through a gentle curve in the track.

Pink, orange and red were cast about the inside of the well decorated carriage, bathing it in soft hues as one hand reached up to pull the lace curtains to a close. While it did little to stop the invading light that roused you from your slumber, it spared your eyes as they protested against the sudden influx of light into your world.

Across from you there was the figure of Anne, curled up awkwardly atop the opposite bench, one wing draped over her body lazily as she used it unintentionally as a blanket. To your side Joy sat, already awake as she gazed at the far wall, as she watched light dancing upon it, scattered patterns dancing where they were cast by the window and curtains.

It was a new day, a fresh day, one in what you had awoken feeling better than you had the prior day. It was one that you greeted feeling well rested, despite how you could only have had five hours sleep up until this point.

But that didn't matter, you'd slept, you'd slept well and you had no lingering sensation of exaustion to contend with. Your body protested less as you moved today, too, telling you that while you slept a fair amount of damage had been healed. It left you feeling somewhat stiff, but that was nothing that moving around wouldn't rectify.

Your sleep had been untroubled too, that you were uncertain if you should be worried over, as you knew that there were at least a thousand things to concern you at this point. Additionally, there were at a number of voices that mirrored your own, that you had expected would have made themselves known in your sleep.

Perhaps those other selves had some decency after all.

"I'll be back with you shortly Joy, I'm going to stretch my legs and see if the staff are awake, see if we'll be able to aquire breakfast soon."

Joy's lips parted, yet no sound came from them, though you passed this off as her being startled by the sudden movement and sound you made.

It wasn't until you had reached the end of the carriage that something about this entire scene struck you as wrong.

The door was locked, that as you hurried to the other side, you found was repeated on the other end.

And then there was pain focused upon your neck, brief, sharp and stabbing before warmth flowed from it. Warmth, that as you brought you hand up to touch upon it was revealed to be blood.

You spun about, looking for your assailant, yet there was no more than a tiny silver pin resting upon the carpet, bloodied.

Your blood.

It was your blood upon the pin, your mind screamed as you sank down against the door, clutching the wound from what you could feel your very essence pouring from.

"No," you whispered, suprised by the sound of that unbidden word as you started to draw a deep breath in. "No!" you thundered as you rose to your feet.

Your hands balled and swung outwards as the carriage buckled, then shattered about you, metal sheared and wood splintered as you lashed out at the world about you. Your anger and rage bubbled up as you slammed your foot down, smashing the bottom of the carriage out as you launched yourself from it.

With the force you had put behind that action you soared through the skies, skies that slowly went from rosy pink to blue.

Blue that faded into black as you closed your eyes, drawing in a deep breath as you prepared yourself to open them again, to view the stars that you knew would be there.

Your eyes opened once more, though the silvery glow you expected to see dotted through the heavens was not there.

Instead, you opened your eyes to the rose glow of mornings light cast into the carriage, to Joy's bemused expression as she offered you a hand.

"You were dreaming, I presume," came her words as she assisted you in climbing to your feet.

"I'm... I'm going to go stretch my legs and... I'll be back shortly," you mumbled awkwardly as you rubbed at your eyes, stepping from the room into the main carriage as you hurried away.

A quick glance was stolen towards the far end of the carriage as you entertained your fears, looking to ensure that there was no silver pin sat upon the carpet.

There was not, thoughthere was a trail of straw leading to the door from the compartment nearest to it.

You were uncertain you could bring yourself to care about someone elses mess before breakfast.

You felt different this morning, as if you had changed, as if you had grown in some manner.
As you pondered over this, flexing your fingers testingly you once more considered if you should concern yourself over what could be nothing, or simple go for breakfast.


---

As I suggested that the characters may be permitted growth, one last time, here's their latest stats along with a point each, suggestions for use, etc.

Spoiler: Eurochkoles (click to show/hide)
Spoiler: Anxiety (click to show/hide)
Spoiler: Joy (click to show/hide)
Spoiler: Suggestions (click to show/hide)
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on November 06, 2012, 08:34:46 pm
Phoenix sounds useful,and if you're suggesting it it's probably not to bad as well.

Joy should probably just get a point in fire, given how much that has been used.

Not sure about Anexity, maybe start on a new power even?
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Nicholas1024 on November 06, 2012, 10:22:01 pm
Personally, I like the idea of the new named powers, or perhaps a point in water for Eurochkoles.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on November 06, 2012, 10:46:42 pm
Adding fire to Joy would make her an excellent bodyguard, but likely stifle her character development. Water would make her much more capable of functioning socially, which in turn would cause her to attract less attention...

Erinys sounds interesting and has my support for Anxiety.

I am tempted to put Euro's point into air.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: mcclay on November 06, 2012, 11:27:30 pm
I think putting the point into Jotun for Joy because fuck yeah giants.
Erynues for Annie because flying and fire for Euro because shooting shit is fun.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Origami_Psycho on November 12, 2012, 04:17:29 pm
I would say a point in earth for Euro so he can shrug off more damage.  Erinys for Anne because it would be hilarious so see someone try to kill her with one of the special methods, only for it to fail.  And a point in Jotun because giant.
Also, let's investigate that straw trail.  Straw is a strange thing to have showing up all the sudden in the first class car of a train.  It might even tickle a buried memory about a previous encounter with a scarecrow that moved, and killed.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on November 14, 2012, 10:57:54 am
The clattering of the train pierced the silence of your mind like thunder as you stared stricken at the straw that lay strewn upon the carpet.

No, you couldn't let your fears govern you, you couldn't allow the possibility, however remote it was that this could be anything more than mundane to trouble you.

With the soft light of morning dancing upon the walls, shadows between windows of rose, you strode over to the compartment that the straw lead from. A quick glance as your hand went to your belt for your gun, only to find you were as without, told you that this compartment was empty.

Empty, yet strewn with straw and clothing.

Your eyes drank the scence in as you looked over the clothing that had been discarded, noting how the straw you saw about this compartment seemed to lead away from the clothes. The clothing had straw inside it, telling you with the manner in what it had fell, that it had been discarded by someone covered in - or made from - straw.

Movement caught from the corner of your eye prompted you to turn as the rose coloured light danced over your body and face, as it illuminated the varnished wooden panels of the carriage. Movement, that danced away from you, preventing you from identifying it as it flitted away from the window set within the door leading to the next carriage up.

Without thought you gave chase, following the trail of straw and the figure that had danced away like the ocean.

Without thought, you swung the doors between the carriages open and stepped through, only to see the faintest blur of white and grey ducking around the far corner. A sound that could only be the slamming of a door followed from the far end of the carriage as you rushed along, taking note of how the trail of straw thinned yet never ended as you did so.

The next carriage as you breached it as the one prior seemed to be devoid of the fleeting form of that figure, yet you felt uneasy in this realisation.

You hadn't failed to keep up with them, as your senses told you.

There was no trail of straw and the manner in what the hairs on the back of your neck stood on end told you that something was nearby, something was wrong.

You stepped back through the door, though this time you paused between the two carriages, taking a deep breath as you placed your hands to the ladder leading up onto towards their rooftops. The chill of the air about you felt akin to that of a cool winters day, while the scent of smoke from the steam engine reminded you of the industrial cities that dotted this land.

Cities, that blighted the land with their progress, that stained it with soot and ash from the factories that demanded production and advancement at any cost. The disgust you felt at this thought felt almost alien, providing a reminder that your prior lives would continue to make intrusions into your own, welcomed or not.

Yet this was unimportant, you had a man, woman, thing to catch.

A figure that eluded you still as you hauled yourself up atop the carriage, a figure that you could see was already ahead three carriages ahead of you.

Their awkward gait as they stood against the wind that roared about you told you that they were uncomfortable, that they lacked the confidence to stand against it as you did now.

One foot before the other fell as you began to sprint over the rooftops of the carriages, gaining steam like the locomotive beneath you as you effortlessly hopped the gaps that stood before you. The figure despite their efforts to flee could no longer put distance between you, while you drank in the details of their form.

They lacked the mass that went with muscle built from hard work, though the white shirt they wore was loose enough to prevent you gauging if they were below average in build. The grey trousers and black shoes they wore were akwardly donned too, as if their body was slightly mishapen, that their movements seemed to add further to the impression of.

This made you feel all the more confident as you crossed the gap between the last of the carriages that seperated you and launched yourself at the figures back.

The figure being sheared in two by the impact of your body, was not something you had expected however, as you tore through the body of the man, filling the air with a quickly dispersing cloud of straw.

You tumbled gracelessly onto the roof of the train carriage as you failed to react in time to this change, having expected to collide with something a little more solid than you had. This moment of suprise was one that the other figure couldn't exploid however, as the illusion of humanity it was wrapped in was dispelled, allowing you to see two halves of a scarecrow struggling against the wind.

You found yourself searching dumbly for words as you found your feet with cat-like grace, your body for once moving faster than your mind as you stared at the scene before you. Like a snake, the two halves of the scarecrow squirmed and wound their way towards each other, rejoining at the waist, yet there was no malicious intent.

You had caught it, you had found you could tear it apart.

It knew better than to resist you further.

"Your colours are all wrong," came the scarecrows words as a maw formed at mouth height for it to speak from, followed by a stolen glance at the straw it was bleeding to the wind. "Well I doubt you're just going to let me go and finish what i'm here for, so lets compromise. Neither of us has much time, you let me get on with my job, and I'll break the rules and answer any questions you have, do we have a deal?"

While the scarecrow's voice bore no ill intent towards you, something about its very nature chilled you to the core.
Did you have questions to direct towards this thing?
Did you plan to prevent it from accomplishing whatever it planned?
Was there something else you wished to do?


Spoiler: Eurochkoles (click to show/hide)
Spoiler: Anxiety (click to show/hide)
Spoiler: Joy (click to show/hide)
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Origami_Psycho on November 14, 2012, 03:26:17 pm
Ask it what it's purpose is, what he meant by 'your colours are all wrong', and if he/she/it has any relation to the scarecrow that ate the rat man thing (Way back in act 1)
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Nicholas1024 on November 14, 2012, 11:48:12 pm
First ask him what his job is before you make a decision on whether to detain him.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on November 19, 2012, 12:44:45 am
I am also sort of curious where it got enough magic to animate straw...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: jaass on November 19, 2012, 01:10:50 am
Jack is the one that controls these straw men, also we have some extra points to spend unless that is a mistake. What it means by "your colour are all wrong" it is referring to Eurochkoles's thousand year cycle and his immortality. 
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Origami_Psycho on November 19, 2012, 03:23:23 pm
Jack is the one that controls these straw men, also we have some extra points to spend unless that is a mistake. What it means by "your colour are all wrong" it is referring to Eurochkoles's thousand year cycle and his immortality. 
We know that but he does not, as such it could be valuable information to him.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: jaass on November 19, 2012, 07:53:10 pm
Totally forgot about that.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Silleh Boy on December 03, 2012, 09:21:06 am
"What are you?" you roared over the sound of the train, through nescessity of being heard more than an intent to intimidate this thing of straw before you. You were uncertain that this thing could even be intimidated like a regular man, not, you rationalised, that you were the most intimidating of people at this time.

Not while you were attempting to stay steady, like some foppish dandy struggling to stand against a stiff breeze.

"Answer me," you growled as you watched straw continue to bleed from the figures form, a figure that by now was clutching at its clothing in a vain attempt to buy itself time.

"What am I?" the figure echoed at first in suprise, then once more as laughter followed. "Old one, if you want to ask questions like that we're going to have to get inside. This form of mine'll bleed away before I can answer your questions otherwise and that'll be a great inconvenience." The scarecrow paused to reach out with one hand, for a long moment waiting as you felt yourself growing apprehensive.

This didn't feel right, to have this thing so readily give up after you had stopped it, to have this thing that seemed to regard its form as something so temporary willing to co-operate.

"I thought so," came its words once more, words that were heavy with reluctantance. "Very well, you want reassuring, you want some kind of gesture. Something more than a mere token one, before you..." There was a brief pause as the figure seemed to choose its words, before it spoke once more in a slow, steady and deliberate manner. "With the bondage of my word, I, Jack, swear to co-operate with you on this matter."

There was something about those words that chilled you, that sent an uneasy feeling of anxiety, of dread through you as you looked down at the twisted being before you. "Yeah, you don't like that, do you," came its words, yet there was no smirking monster taking joy in your discomfort here, no foe that saw an opening it could exploit.

No, what you had before you was something that knew more about you than you cared to admit.

What you had before you was something that didn't need to read between the lines as you did to know that something about those words gripped you deep down.

"Lets get inside, or you'll get nothing from me before I'm scattered to the wind."

The things hands were impossibly strong for one composed entirely of straw, yet as you took those hands you could see its form shift, rippling as flesh covered it. Flesh, that your fingers visibly pressed to, yet your sense of touch told you that what you held was still a hand made of straw. The illusion of a simple man with curly brown hair and sideburns greeted you as you hauled the deceptively light form of the scarecrow to his feet. The illusion of one that even now, you could see straw bleeding from as he made his way past you, down the ladder and into the carriage under your watchful eyes.

"So tell me," you started as you stepped past the figure as it - as he leaned against one of the empty compartments, as you yourself set yourself against the window facing out of the train. Light cascaded in, occasionally scattering itself off him as it hit reflective straw that was hidden beneath the surface of the illusion the figure wore. "What... What are you?"

There was a moments silence as the figure rolled its head slowly, fussing with its neck as if working out kinks in its muscles. "Heh, that's a simple question to answer, but you're still only getting the short answer. I've been going by the name Jack most recently, stalking the streets, making certain people vanish. I have work to do, so much work and so little time to get the colours that will paint the masterpiece I've been working on for such a long time now. It was so simple at first, find the purest colours and use them for the base, but as time went by I found myself needing subtle shades, incandescence and oily rainbows, purity, taint... I've been called many things, butcher, bastard, monster, horror, terror, tainted, abomination. The only one of them that's right though would be butcher, as I'm no bastard child of some whore of ill repute."

He paused to look at you, to waiting for you to give some response as if to call him out on what he had said, to express repulsion over what he had told you. You couldn't bring yourself to, not when you had something before you that could give you either answers to the things that you needed to hear deep down, or questions that you could seek out the answers to yourself.

"No, I'm special, me. Ever changing, ever wearing the faces that need to be worn as I do my little song and dance through this masquerade we're a part of. Only difference is, I'm free, you hear. Only difference is that they never shackled me, never leeched off me like the vampires they are," his words continued, growing increasingly accented as they came to fit the illusion he wore. "Look at you though, wearing skin like one of them, unable to escape the shackles that-"

"What are you," you repeated with an exasperated sigh. "You can wax on and deflect away from important matters with your limited time when you've answered what needs to be said."

"Heh, I'm getting there boss, but as you're getting impatient I'll cut it down even further. I'm Jack the ripper to the simple folk, i'm sure there's some great bounty upon my head, but it's rather hard to turn in a head that only exists when I wish it to. I'm more than some wishy-washy murderer with illusions of nobility and superiority though, more than some simple mortal playing games out of some desire to feel alive, to rebel or what-not."

He paused to lean towards you, for a brief moment those brown eyes that he bore as a part of his illusion missing as you found yourself gazing into sockets that were empty like the night sky. "I'm the lord of the dead, of dreams. Mortals thoughts kiss upon my world when they sleep, they become mine when their end comes."

"If that's what you are, then why do you need to kill to-"

"-get the colours I need?" he laughed, "When they pass on, their colours change, they become unsuitable for the masterpiece I'm creating. How can you paint something with life, when you use only the scavenged colours the dead offer?"

"You've mentioned my-"

"-colours being all wrong. Yeah, you want to know what's up with that, with why you didn't like me promising to tell you anything you wanted?"

You nodded, feeling that sense of apprehension growing once again as you did so.

"Your have the colours many other immortals share, but they're all wrong. Everything about them's wrong now as they're all drab, tired, diminished, like going from the light of the sun to the stars. Those twinkling embers you have left won't be put out this time, no, but the next few cycles will surely extinguish them, and those bastards that did this to you?"

There was a brief pause as he laughed "They'll die with you, you're the very first and those vampires don't even realise that in clinging to their own stolen immortality, they're sealing their own fates with their denial. Well, that's not true, shiny-boy... Michael as he calls himself these days, knows that you're dying but he has his head so far up his own arse that he won't admit that things need to change. If you die half the problems of the world die with you, but I haven't worked this long just to let you fix the shit that they've caused by dying boss."

"If I die-"

"-then the little magic left in this world goes with you, then the taint can no longer exist without its catalyst. I tasted the thoughts you had after encountering those heralds of the taint, by the way, if you'd gone with them you'd survive indefinately, as that taint is chaotic and alive, ever changing to feed off new energies while old ones replenish. If you die, then I'll be here by my lonesome, killing the odd human here and there to stave off boredom. Wouldn't that be the most tragic thing of all?"

"Why do you need those colours?"

"Heh, that's one I'm not answering here, no. Meet me in the clock tower and that's something I'll show you in person. It's my stop anyway, I have a butterfly to catch with pretty wings that glitter in the sunlight, so you'll have to excuse me."

With those final words the figure turned for the door, flinging it open before you could snap out of your reverie. The roar of the train intensified once more as the figure was scattered to the wind, straw and cloth torn from the carriage and left to rain over what you could only assume was farmland.

This entire conversation had felt inherently wrong to you, yet you couldn't deny that it had struck a part of you that either believed this, or wanted desperately to believe it was true. Just how much of it did you believe though?
Just what would you tell Anne and Joy?
Did you wish to hurry back to them or get tea and whatever passed for breakfast to settle your nerves, knowing that it wouldn't be long before you were back in London?


---

Sorry for the delay - net related fun has made getting a chance to update this lately impossible.
Also, no extra points left, that's my mistake as I forgot to remove the points that'd been spent from two of the characters, oops!
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Origami_Psycho on December 03, 2012, 05:52:49 pm
Get breakfast, and tell Anne and Joy about this peculiar character.  Mayhap they know something of him.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Armok on December 03, 2012, 08:08:23 pm
Loving this, took an update or two but now it's back to it's old amazing standard. Can't praise it enough.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on December 04, 2012, 08:08:20 pm
Reading intently.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Nicholas1024 on December 06, 2012, 10:42:23 pm
Hm, didn't Heka mention something about a servant in the clock tower? We could choose to use the stone and talk to our past selves, to see if they remember this guy. However, I agree with first getting breakfast and telling Anne and Joy about Jack.
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: Nicholas1024 on January 24, 2013, 03:47:12 pm
I think it's time to try for a random revive on this thread. After all, it's come back to life enough times on its own...
Title: Re: They told me I could be anything...
Post by: RAM on January 25, 2013, 12:11:27 am
Verily!