Serious Plots 7: Why so srs?

[ChaoticHarmony]

Cyclopean Ruins

"You would be devastated if even a single piece of your collection was lost or stolen, but you have no regard for what the Heaven's Light is to the Guardians. What makes you think you DESERVE the quintessence over them? What right have you to devestate these people?"The double rolls back with the tackle, offering no resistance to Ellrin's momentum. As Ellrin moves above him, he shoots his legs out, to propel Ellrin even further, hopefully flinging him onto his back a few feet away. "She would be disgusted with what you are doing, with what you have become."

[bc56]

Cyclopean Ruins

"You know full well why I would be distraught. Nowadays, I don't collect archaeological curios. I have a stockpile of doomsday devices, cursed artifacts, anything that I can't destroy but needs to be locked away, so that the fate of Rveltri is never repeated. I have all that's left of our culture, what little art and literature I could salvage from the ruins, and recordings of our music. I have the bodies, all of them. They are dead, but not forgotten. Lastly, I have anything, ANYTHING that might have THE SLIGHTEST CHANCE of raising the dead. That's where this fits in. I have an artifact which serves as a map to another artifact, which houses the secrets of the multiverse. With that, I might be able to bring them all back. I just need quintessence as a power source." Ellrin grips the double tightly and is not thrown. He brings his own blades down towards the shadow's face.

[ChaoticHarmony]

Cyclopean Ruins

"Listen to yourself! I have all of your knowledge, but none of your emotion. I know your pain, but you are tampering with a force beyond your reasoning. That mage can tell you how delicately balanced the mechanisms of the multiverse are. You could just as easily destroy the fabric of reality as soon as control it!" the double blocks the impending blades with his own, holding back his death firmly, but he is unable to push them away any further. "You might not be able to bring any of them back. You might not be able to bring HER back. But there are better ways than this. You don't need to control everything."

[bc56]

Cyclopean Ruins

"There aren't enough diamonds in the universe to resurrect them all by conventional means, and secrets of the multiverse doesn't mean control of it all. I just want to bring them back. All of them, but most of all, her." Ellrin jabs down at the double's face again. "Resurrection, no strings attached. No gods to owe undying loyalty to, no souls sold, and everyone returns in their proper bodies, without being undead, or in an android frame."

[ChaoticHarmony]

Cyclopean Ruins

The double easily blocks the second jab. "You are blind to what is in front of you! This is the Nexus! You can just...." the haunting music of Ophiuchus suddenly stops, and the double vanishes into a puff of shadowy smoke when it does. "YOU HAVE PROVEN YOUR COMMITMENT TO YOUR CAUSE. I, AS GRAND GUARDIAN OF THE HEAVEN'S LIGHT, HEREBY DEEM YOU WORTHY!" Ophiuchus nods his approval, though if Ellrin looks closely, he may notice something different about his eyes. "GO FORTH TRIAL GOERS. AND MAY THE RADIANCE OF HEAVEN'S LIGHT STAY WITH YOU." Ophiuchus and the snake slowly dissolve into the shadows. If Ellrin suspects this may be false, all indicators at his disposal assure him that this is indeed reality.

[Deathkeeper]

[Riverside Ruins]

If Michalson checks, the vessel does look as though it would fit the niche. The scalpel is comparably very complex... there is a series of broken, unsettling sigils rendered in miniature across the blade with impossible precision. This is foul magic... a wicked tool meant for cutting a person more deeply than in their physical flesh.

"Perhaps something more in Sticks' venue," says Eschelle, though she isn't certain what...

The lady's head perks up suddenly. She picks up her hammer from nearby, where she had left it leaning against a wall. "Do you hear that?" She asks the men.

There is a sound of struggling and labored breathing emerging from within the black crevice on the right-hand side of the cave. A person pushed to exhaustion, heaving themselves forth with an ugly drag-thump as they move and give out over and over again in an agonizing cycle. The sound grows closer and closer still.

Riverside Ruins

The combination of the scalpel's nature and the sudden sound is enough to put even a seasoned adventurer on edge.

"I can hear it alright," he whispers. "There shouldn't be anything alive in here." He stands up, hiding his tools and exchanging them for his sword and revolver.

[Riverside Ruins]

Jim swallows and readies his bident. With one hand, he forms a small sphere of light and chucks it into the passage, letting it bounce and slowly fade away. He'd rather put the two experienced adults between himself and any of Sticks' old monstrosities.

[bc56]

Cyclopean Ruins

Ellrin quickly exits. He has work to do. Tethrik sighs in relief. "I think now we should leave."

[ChaoticHarmony]

Cyclopean Ruins

A flicker of light may be seen leaving Armonia's eyes. He blinks, shaking his head slightly, as if only just now realizing where he is. He looks at Tethrik and nods. "Trog's?" He asks, knowing that may be the only thing he could say that Tethrik would understand right now. Armonia then proceeds to leave with Tethrik.

[bc56]

Cyclopean Ruins

As the pair exit, they see that a large object now stands outside the ruins. It is gunmetal grey and roughly conical, with curved struts supporting it underneath. A staircase leads up to an open doorway in the side. "This must be the spaceship he was talking about." Tethrik looks it over. "Looks pretty good."

[ChaoticHarmony]

Outside Cyclopean Ruins

"Eíste se thési na petáxete enó koimámai?" Asks Armonia. If it becomes evident that Tethrik can't understand Armonia, Armonia will point to Tethrik, flap his arms, point to the ship, point to himself, then place his head on his hands, pretending to snore.

[bc56]

Cyclopean Ruins

"You want me to... fly while you... sleep?" Tethrik boards the ship via the ladder, stooping to get through the entrance.

[ChaoticHarmony]

Unknown Spacecraft

Armonia nods his head several times, then pretends to snore, 'wakes up', then claps with one hand, then points to Tethrik and himself.

[bc56]

Spaceship

"I have no idea what you mean." Tethrik surveys the cockpit. There's an open door in the back which leads to a small bedroom where Armonia can rest. Tethrik takes the controls, closes the boarding ramp, and lifts off.

[ChaoticHarmony]

Spaceship

Armonia shakes his head and sighs. He follows Tethrik through the ship until they come across the small bedroom. Excitedly, Armonia jumps onto the bed and promptly passes our. Nothing short of the ship crashing will wake Armonia. He trusts that Tethrik will be able to get them where they need to go.

[bc56]

Spaceship

Tethrik takes off and heads for Inside and Trog's Tavern, where he hopes Armonia will be ready to explain everything. Along the way, he prepares his own explanations, as he feels Armonia deserves full disclosure about him.

[ChaoticHarmony]

Spaceship

Many hours later, Armonia wakes wakes with a start. He sits up and stretches widely, groaning softly at the strain. He rubs his throat quickly then speaks aloud. "Testing....one....two...three.....is Common back on? Oh thank gods I can speak." Armonia jumps out of bed and heads to find Tethrik. When he eventually finds him, Armonia will notice the ship is parked in a spot close to Trog's. "I don't know about you....but I could use a drink...." Armonia quickly walks to the exit, his sword strapped to his side and new rifle on his back, as he makes his way to Trog's

[Murkus]

Riverside Ruins

The combination of the scalpel's nature and the sudden sound is enough to put even a seasoned adventurer on edge.

"I can hear it alright," he whispers. "There shouldn't be anything alive in here." He stands up, hiding his tools and exchanging them for his sword and revolver.

[Riverside Ruins]

Jim swallows and readies his bident. With one hand, he forms a small sphere of light and chucks it into the passage, letting it bounce and slowly fade away. He'd rather put the two experienced adults between himself and any of Sticks' old monstrosities.

"You two any good with those things?" Eschelle asks the lads, indicating the weapons they carry without turning to look at them. Her voice is calmly concerned rather than judgemental, simply wishing to get an idea of their abilities.

Jim's ball bounces off the roof of the stony abyss, revealing slimy looking rock, and flashing a light upon the face of... someone who looks exactly like Sticks, though twisted in mortal agony. He is blue skinned, as he was before Lenai's change, and instead of red hair he has several long and bloody gashes traveling along a very bald pate. As though he'd been shaved for a botch surgery and left to die.

With a groan of pain he drags himself from the hole, eyes widening and alighting upon the trio. He collapses in a ragged heap, one leg bent badly out of shape... though his limbs still appear to largely be metal. This tall man is dressed only in unsightly rags and seems to have several key components missing from his alloyed parts, joints from limbs, pumps from artificial organs, valves from tubes that run above his skin... He leaks oil and a strange looking blood as he lays there, gasping. A chain around his ankle leads back into the crevasse, apparently still attached to something.

"Heard someone up here..." He wheezes, in Sticks' voice, in that distinct accent. "That wasn't him... Ah... h-hello there..."

Eschelle freezes for a second, then takes a cautious step forward. "Sticks?"

[Morty]

[Riverside Ruins]

"I manage, but I'm really not much of a fighter..." And then it turns out physical danger isn't the concern here. "What in the Lady's bladed hairdo..." Michalson stares at the... man who looks like Sticks in bewilderment. Sounds like Sticks, too. There's some possible explanations, none of them pleasant. "He looks like the boss and sounds like him, but... can we help him? He looks like he's one letter away from the dead-book."

[Artemis97]

[A Distant Village]

At the edge of the deep forest, where it butts up against the farmland, two Fey watch the villagers with interest. One was Ansel, a horse-legged man with a dark goatee. The other was his mistress, Nuara, a noble fey in a deep red dress with great wings like a hawk's. For now glamour conceals them. Who might they see?

[Deathkeeper]

[A Distant Village]

Many people (or what this village would consider many) bustle about the town, trying to finish errands before the afternoon ends. A fiery-haired lass sells fruit on the corner, anxious to get back out to train. Peddlers small and large peddle shoes and crafts and food. A square-jawed woodcutter drops off firewood. A handsome milkman leaves his products at doors, out of place, but that's the nexus for you. Farmhands arrange for their crops to be sold or seeds procured. And one soul heads off into the forest early, with a pack and a hood. They certainly have options in spades.

[Artemis97]

[A Distant Village]

Ansel sees the man in the hood heading towards the forest and nods towards him. Nuara sees him as well and mounts the nearby black unicorn, moving to intercept the man just as he reaches the forest's edge. Ansel moves swiftly by her side, one hand resting on the hilt of the strange silver sword he carried.

[Deathkeeper]

[A Distant Village]

The man in the hood is taken aback by the beautiful woman and her satyr bodyguard. He removes his hood, revealing a handsome, strong face with a mop of blond hair.
He bows dramatically. "Good evening, Ma'am. Might I ask what such strangers do passing through our humble town so late? I'm sure there's room at the inn should rest be your goal." he says politely.

[Artemis97]

[A Distant Village]

"Good evening, traveler. I wish to offer you a boon. Immortality, in exchange for your service." Nuara offers. "If you can prove yourself worthy."

[Deathkeeper]

[A Distant Village]

The young man smiles, looking the two up and down.
"Well, that's certainly something to be givin' away all easy to people you don't know, Ma'am. I hope you can pardon if I don't really believe you."
"You are certainly not from around here, and blessed with the fantastic ability to not need shoes, but that doesn't really tell me you can hand out immortality just like that."

[Artemis97]

"Insolent unbeliever." Ansel rumbled. "Show some respect. This is the Autumn Princess you're speaking to."

The lady raises a hand and Ansel falls silent. "He does not know us or our ways. He is right to be skeptical. How can I prove my strength to you?"

[Deathkeeper]

[A Distant Village]

The lad gives her a wry smile.
"Well, currently I'm a poor farmhand cleaning up after goats and cows. I think the owners think more highly of them than I. And that's why I go around in these." he says, indicating his meager attire.
"I don't suppose you could help me with any of that?" Maybe he'll get a nice new cloak out of this strange lady. Or at least shoes that breathe.

[Artemis97]

Nuara smiles. "I think I can do something." She raises a hand and the farmhand will feel itchy on his scalp, where a pair of horns begin to sprout. The itching spreads as fur grows from his skin. Soon he will be a goat standing on all fours on the forest path. When he next tries to speak he'll bleat, but Nuara and Ansel will understand.

[Deathkeeper]

[A Distant Village]

The lad yelps, his mass being compressed into such a small form. On the plus side, he's a very valuable-looking goat. Would make excellent wool.
"Ma'aaaaaam? Ma'aaaaam! You've made a pooooooint." he bleats, though without being able to tell they understand he just sort of stands their shrieking.

[Artemis97]

Ansel laughs, while Nuara smirks. She flicks her wrist and the farmhand should return to as he was.

"Well, mortal, what do you think of my offer now?"

[Deathkeeper]

[A Distant Village]

The lad gasps, clutching his bare-skinned neck, and kneels down before the woman.
"I'm so sorry, Ma'am. Please forgive me. What will you have me do?" he asks, bowing his head over and over.