99 posts
Seer of Heart
Played by Harrison
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Post by faultycoordinator on May 18, 2016 6:28:01 GMT
((faultyCoordinator and wizardlyLuminary only - except if other players from their session are brought in either by being around or being called or being a time or space player and visiting))
Another buzzing noise, another notification blinking blue on the right side of your vision. Your eyelids were shut, so it stood out against the redness caused by the light shining from above lighting them up. It was smashingBrawler again. He'd said he'd try to get your session leader to come see you.
You opened it up as more notifications started popping up. You hadn't seen SB worked up this much in ages. You did a quick scan of the replayer chat, and realized the cause.
He was right. You refused to admit it. Except... you knew you needed to apologize. You'd also made no effort to check in on him - you even relished the chance to put him out of sight and out of mind. You had to admit it.
You stood up. At least you knew your own land well. WL was only one gate away, and despite not visiting you were pretty confident you knew which one you needed to take based on experience. You knew you had to go and take responsibility for the lowering of the intensity of the divide with WL which had only grown under your neglectful care. Your own problems could wait.
At least you'd alchemized flight gear - a set of mechanical wings to match your robotic sense of style - during all your free time caused by the lack of imps spawning. Freezing everything was very effective. You snapped, and as you did dozens of imp-sciles shattered into piles of grist. You collected the stuff that was on your way, leaving the rest behind to rot.
You made sure to grab a bottle of your finest antifreeze before leaving. You'd hoped to offer it to the doom player at the beach party, but you could tell from his posts in the session's thread that he clearly had no intent to come. You figured it might serve as a decent peace-offering, or at least a half-assed excuse for your visit. You also checked your encryption modus. You knew all the tricks. The weapon you always considered to be your worst case scenario tool was still exactly where it should be. Locked under a layer of encryption that you alone would take years to break break through, maybe even centuries. Your AI 'Adam', however, would be happy to oblige - but only if his own calculations considered it to be necessary.
A short flight later, and the warm beaches and cool fridges of your land were replaced by the cold and hard Land of Bones and Dust. You made your way to the replayee's house which SBURB had given to WL. You weren't sure where to start looking, but that would be as good a place as any.
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143 posts
Seer of Law
Played by Lucy
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Post by wizardlyluminary on May 18, 2016 7:34:43 GMT
Well, that didn't work.
You thought you'd had some clever ideas for some minor gamebreaking, to test the waters before you really started pushing the boundaries, but... They didn't really do anything. You'd cast [Shadow Transformation] on a crystalanth just to see what it would do. The crystal turned black and shiny, its lavender glow darkening to Derse purple, but... That was it. It still worked just fine. Once you removed the spell, it looked the same as ever. Likewise, attempting to use [Dead Shuffle] on it or on your second gate had failed to accomplish anything. You'd marked them as doomed, but... you guessed for [Dead Shuffle] to do anything, you had to deliver up on that doom yourself. No matter what the others thought, you were still a careful person; you weren't going to go do some stupid shit like blowing up your gate when you didn't know how it could be of any benefit.
That didn't mean you were going to give up, though. You just needed to work harder, gain more power. You were going to win against Sburb, and not in the way Sburb wanted you to win. You would snatch purpose from the jaws of futility and become more than the game wanted you to be.
First things first, you needed to get back to Derse and pick up some more tomes. The bigger the spell pool you had to work with, the easier it would be to figure out how to use shadow majyyk in unconventional ways, and then maybe you could even start freestyling a bit to do some things the game had never intended. You hadn't yet tracked down any land beds to sleep on, but you weren't too far from your dwelling spire, so heading back there for a nap was your best bet. Maybe afterwards you could pause and alchemize some more staves before heading out again, see if you could get any aspect effects beyond the Doom abilities of your Bone Staff and the arguably Flow-y abilities of your Staff of Fire.
You headed back to your dwelling spire on foot--the term "dwelling spire" had been strange to use in your first game, but since then, you could hardly think of any of the buildings you entered in as "your house." You should really try to figure out how to alchemize something that could fly soon. In your first session, you hadn't realized that was in option; in your second, you'd alchemized a flying broomstick (a little uncomfortable, but fun). Last session, you'd had Breath powers, so it hadn't been an issue. As you retrace the path to your spire, your mind wanders to what sort of ways you could get yourself airborne this time around. You're zoned out enough that you don't notice FC until you're only about twenty feet away from her.
You freeze. Something inside you is absolutely terrified of her and those eyes that will bore straight through to your soul, that will be able to see the seeds of corruption you can't admit are growing there. "Wh-what are you doing here??" you ask in a panic, a hand subconsciously flying up to cover your heart, as if it would be able to stop her from laying you bare.
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99 posts
Seer of Heart
Played by Harrison
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Post by faultycoordinator on May 18, 2016 14:48:41 GMT
You saw it. Thankfully, Rhyme dulled your reaction and he was focusing on something else, affording you just enough time to think things through before WL noticed you. The guy had been bombarded about corruption from the start of the session. He didn't need you to nag at him, that would only add to the fire. No, you were here to give the guy some rest, a break. You knew that you could use [Ice Cream in the Veins] to force him into being ready for a hug, but you refused to take the easy option. You made sure to look at him, and not stare at his shiny, when he turned to you.
"H-hey. I've been feeling terrible for being part of the whole 'WL's gonna get corrupted' thing. I figured maybe I could come over, maybe give you a hand with your research." A quick break as you put a password into your encryption modus, putting the antifreeze into your hand. "I brought this, thought you might like it. I've heard it's pretty good if you're a doom player."
You paused, doing everything you could to listen to the pieces of the Soul that were stuck to you. "Would... that be okay?"
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143 posts
Seer of Law
Played by Lucy
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Post by wizardlyluminary on May 18, 2016 16:34:01 GMT
You watch FC with eyes full of fear and uncertainty as she speaks to you. She wasn't tackling you and trying to force a voidshake down your throat, but... she had still brought up the corruption thing, even if it was just in reference to how she'd been nagging him about corruption. She's holding something out to you, forcing you to approach her close enough to take it from her. ...Antifreeze, huh? That was ironic, considering her aspect. "...Thanks," you squeak, captchaloguing the bottle of toxins for later.
"That, um... th-that would be appreciated," you say, your tone tight and constrained. "But, um, I was actually just about to go take a nap, so I could g-go to sleep and find some more tomes on Derse. If... if you wanted to help, maybe you could go to Prospit and look for stuff on aspect majyyk like you offered to before?"
Your heart is beating a mile a minute as you struggle to avoid looking like a deer in headlights, forcing a weak smile on your face. Was that really why she was here? What was she going to do?
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99 posts
Seer of Heart
Played by Harrison
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Post by faultycoordinator on May 18, 2016 17:17:02 GMT
You needed to think. Where to go next. "I get that you wanna keep working, but... I dunno, I thought it might be nice if we just chilled for a bit first, maybe... actually got to know each other?"
You still weren't sure how powerful his magic was at this point - it'd be decently strong if he'd gotten to the point of corruption but the question was of how powerful. Last time you'd tried this you had three times the people and still wound up with a hole through the middle of your stomach, though that person had already melted a gate. Far as you could tell all of WL's gates were intact.
He needed a hug, she knew he needed a hug. You just needed an opening. The Shade was telling you to hold back for a little bit longer. You just had to wait for the bit of the Soul you carried with you and the Shade to agree.
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143 posts
Seer of Law
Played by Lucy
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Post by wizardlyluminary on May 18, 2016 17:31:46 GMT
You fold your arms, clutching them tightly to your chest as if it was a means of defense. You don't want to just deny her; you're a caring person at heart, and it's hard not to be nice to the people who act nicely to you. And yet, you want to get away from her so badly; the corruption is warping your subconscious, trying to save itself from the threat of being erased.
"I... Um..." you say, faltering. "L-look, I know it'd be good for your ARC to get other people to chill out with you, but all this majyyk I've been working with is great for my ARC. A lot of it is really compatible with Doom, and... and the key to succeeding as a Bane is to be true to what you want, right? And I want to keep researching and experimenting." You take a step backwards, away from her. Worst case scenario, you could run away and find a land bed to get to Derse from. She hasn't been to your land yet; you know the terrain much better than her.
"If you need to chill out with someone to build up some ARC, maybe go find TG? She's nuts, with the explosions and the alchemizing with the Grimoire of the Zoologically dubious, she could probably use it."
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99 posts
Seer of Heart
Played by Harrison
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Post by faultycoordinator on May 19, 2016 3:40:35 GMT
His arms folded, and you knew you had your chance. It's hard to cast magyyk when one's arms are covering each other, thus blocking somatic spell-casting actions just enough to give you your chance. At least, that's how it worked in D&D - surely it would be the same here. You let him finish talking first, though. You still had a bridge to mend either way.
The second he stopped though, that was it. You jumped at him to lock him into a tight hug. Only then did you finally cast [Ice Cream in the Veins] to bring the situation to a calm state. "I want to get to know you WL. Magyyk can wait. Now, c'mon, let's go in and talk it out."
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143 posts
Seer of Law
Played by Lucy
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Post by wizardlyluminary on May 19, 2016 4:06:21 GMT
Your reflexes aren't fast enough to save you as FC lunges forward and pulls you into a hug. You shriek, struggling against it, but your mangrit level is negligible and her grip is strong. "N-no, get--get off--" you protest, only to be cut off by a sudden rush of coolness all through your body. Your heartbeat and breathing slow from their panic-driven race and you just stand there, trembling slightly in FC's arms.
"I... I--I..." you start, but you can't figure out what you're trying to say. Something inside you feels weird, other than the Rhyme psybuff; it's almost like something is becoming... lighter? You nod meekly and allow FC to direct you back into your dwelling spire.
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99 posts
Seer of Heart
Played by Harrison
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Post by faultycoordinator on May 19, 2016 5:29:22 GMT
Adam is already sending SC confirmation that she had won the bet as you enter the home alongside WL, with a short video clip as well. "Having the tugging stop is a pretty weird feeling, eh?" You turn to give him a gentle smile. "Sorry about the ice cream in your veins, I just needed to be careful. Wasn't sure what magic you'd throw down when startled."
You walked with him to a couch, and then finally lifted [Ice Cream in the Veins].
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143 posts
Seer of Law
Played by Lucy
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Post by wizardlyluminary on May 19, 2016 5:48:54 GMT
Were in not for the [Ice cream in the Veins], you might have flinched at that comment. You still didn't want to acknowledge the tugging just yet. "I... I wouldn't have hurt you," you say, strained and stilted. Had she really been so wary of you?
You lightly crumple onto the couch next to her, still not really doing anything beyond what she directs you to do. Then the psybuff is gone, and your face is pale. You're shaking, breathing quickly and unsteadily as you clutch at her as if for dear life. ""Wh-what..." you trail off, voice choked. What was happening? What had happened to him? What had almost happened, just now?
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99 posts
Seer of Heart
Played by Harrison
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Post by faultycoordinator on May 19, 2016 6:34:37 GMT
You gently pat WL's arm. "Hey, hey. It's okay. Everything's alright now. You just had your first real run in corruption. You didn't hurt anybody. smashingBrawler tipped me off, he gets pretty upset when people dis his philosophical ramblings. Anyway, good thing he did, he got me to actually start doing the heir thing and take responsibility for the deescalation of tension."
You continued your gentle smile. "So, following that, let's talk about this."
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143 posts
Seer of Law
Played by Lucy
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Post by wizardlyluminary on May 19, 2016 6:55:09 GMT
You flinch as she pats you. You're very overwhelmed, suddenly getting that wave of fear back after the buff repressing it was dispelled, coupled with the corruption dissipating from your soul as FC holds you and talks to you.
"Co...corruption...?" you echo waveringly. "B-but... But I was being so careful..." It's not really a protest, not anymore. You know you had been corrupted, even if you don't want to admit it. "What... is there to talk about...?"
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99 posts
Seer of Heart
Played by Harrison
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Post by faultycoordinator on May 19, 2016 7:24:12 GMT
"Welcome to the club. I was thought I was being careful with my own corruption back in the day. It's one of those things where you give it an inch and it takes a mile. Once the seed is planted, everything goes to crap unless you've got somebody on hand for a hug. Void shakes are only for the strongest. And rain players. After all this I can pretty much guarantee you that neither of us fall into the 'safe from corruption' thing." You took a deep breath, gently rubbing WL's arm.
"You just went through a pretty crazy situation. We can talk about something that feels closer to normalcy, we can talk about how things got to where they did. Lots of stuff."
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143 posts
Seer of Law
Played by Lucy
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Post by wizardlyluminary on May 19, 2016 8:15:21 GMT
"I--I just... I don't even know where I gave it an inch," you say in a small voice. "Was it the shadow majyyk? Talking with HT? Those were... those were supposed to be fine. Other people do those and don't get corrupted at all." Was there something else that you were forgetting about? Were you just unusually susceptible? Remembering that the voidshake is still in your sylladex, you pull back for a moment and uncaptchalogue it. The first sip makes you shudder a bit as it flushes the last clinging bits of corruption from your soul.
"H-how... did you even know? I didn't... I didn't think I was acting any differently than usual..."
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99 posts
Seer of Heart
Played by Harrison
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Post by faultycoordinator on May 19, 2016 8:46:41 GMT
"It was the avoidance, really. The beach party was my way of trying to get a sense of how much corruption was going on. It wouldn't help with angel stuff but I'm an expert with that anyhow. Anybody seriously effected would have to go out of their way to avoid it, instead of crumbling to peer pressure and societal expectations." You paused, thinking.
"Or be such a shut-in that they'd have rolled space or explorator." You were on a tangent. Talking to SB too much tended to do that to you. "Some people are more susceptible to corruption the others, but the most important thing is to be around other people. Going it alone is basically asking to be corrupted. That's probably why SC made that bet - she probably realized that we'd all be off in our own little worlds."
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