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NebulaQueen
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(10/20/06 5:46)
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 Re: Being sick is the suck x_x
"I have a question," Kei said softly, as she looked towards Myrnal. "You said earlier that this god had control over you, yes? I know this is a different situation...but how were you freed?"
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Kai 
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(10/20/06 8:23)
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Re: You're mad, too. Or you wouldn't be here.
Myrnal stared sullenly at Kei for a few moments before taking a reluctant breath to answer her question.
"After fighting my own allies, they turned me over to the god of freedom, and I do mean in person. From what Kazeros told us, Nikumu left me of his own volition once he couldn't use me to slaughter my friends anymore. I had a-uh... he... had branded me as his at some point in the whole mess, and Kazeros removed it, replaced it with this. In case you were wondering if this was a tattoo, it isn't." She jerked her thumb toward her chest, just above the neckline of her gi, to the four-pointed arrow shining silver on the surface of her skin.
"He left on his own. From what I hear, it kind of requires some unusual circumstances to actually get the god of hate off your back. Why. You think we've got unusual enough circumstances to pull it off?" She asked incredulously.
(Yeah, I know that was a goofy and waaaay melodramatic example, but that's totally what it looks like. To the max.)
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NebulaQueen
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(10/20/06 16:53)
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Re: Being sick is the suck x_x
Kei muttered darkly, "This whole thing has been nothing but 'unusual', if you asked me."
She sighed, and said, "But there has to be some way we can help them, even if we cannot take them to Kazeros himself. All this...all this telepathy, all these enchantments, all these people taking a look into the minds of others...surely some of it can be used for healing instead of harm?"
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Kai
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(10/20/06 17:21)
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Re: You're mad, too. Or you wouldn't be here.
Archmagus Lee, apparently feeling that the focus was on him now, chewed his lower lip as he considered how he might assist. "I... do not know enough to judge what can be done for them. I can tell you little about them as they are now, and by the time we brought them back and I decided they could pose a problem, it would be too late." He sighed, plainly disappointed.
"I'm sorry, Kei," he said. "There are many things that can be suffered and yet can never be repaired, whether the source is magical or mundane. I would like to say one way or the other about the children, but I... cannot. If you are willing to take the risk, if you believe that something can be done, we will do everything in our power to assist you. The other children will have opportunities here as long as they want them, but I honestly do not know that I am capable of personally solving this beyond that."
Myrnal sighed. "Look. About the god in question. People get away from him. They do," she said. "But I'm telling you right now that we don't have time to piss away talking. If you want to bring them back, do it. Now. The more time they're left unaccounted for... the more time that divine bastard has to make them his, make them stronger and more dangerous. He can. It goes way beyond whatever he did to me. He may well actually have them and you don't fuck around with that."
"Stephan," she said to him. "I know that you don't like this. I know this choice sucks. But unless we can go ahead and decide yes, and quickly, we need to just say no and walk the fuck away."
Archmagus Lee gave a grim nod. "I can't argue with that logic. If we really intend to bring them back here, we have to retrieve their remains, repair their bodies, perform the ceremony and, what's more important, decide what happens to them next. I don't see an answer for the last question, however regrettable their deaths may be."
"They aren't staying with me, I can tell you that much right fucking now. There's no way," Myrnal stated. "Stephan, if you're looking to adopt the twin pyro-kids and oversee their education and upbringing personally, go for it. Kei, same goes for you. Damian? You said you had a little brother. Looking for another one, and a sister to go with it? Well? Is anyone actually going to decide to do something?"
Malachi Lee looked totally at a loss. He didn't have the answer either.
Edited by: Kai at: 10/20/06 17:22
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FF Fanatic 80
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(10/20/06 17:53)
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Re: Being sick is the suck x_x
If Stephan did not already look upset, he is certainly brining it to a whole new level at that moment, once Myrnal finishes speaking to him.
"...so this shit is all on ME now, huh?" he tells her, a very slight twitch to one of his eyebrows as he glares at the fellow mercenary, "Last time I checked, all fucking five of us were making this Godsdamn descision, not just me. So don't you DARE try to words this like I'm the end all of this fucking discussion, because you and James are just as bloody responsible as I will be for this."
With that out of the way, he turns to Damian and Kei, his temper starting to subside a bit. Just not by much, as his next choice of words shows the pair.
"As far as you two... if either of you can convince me there's no way in hell this will get me killed, my family killed, or the rest of the Godsdamn world fucked over, I'll take the damn kids in myself if I have to. Otherwise, there is no bloody fucking way I'm putting everyone I care about in that much danger. You have two minutes, so make it damn quick."
He stands there, waiting for either of them to speak up.
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Nakibe
Mmmmm... Chaos Sandwich. ^_^
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(10/20/06 20:12)
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Re: You're mad, too. Or you wouldn't be here.
Damian wanted to say yes. He really wanted to. But it seemed that the tide had turned while he wasn't watching. Thoughts of Solis after all this time made Damian finally come to a decision.
"... no." started Damian. "I'm starting to see where James was coming from with this. More importantly... if I were still, what? 8 or 9? and I was revived after all this... my first thought would be to hide out until I could strike back." Damian sighed and leaned back, idly watching as his shadow drifted among the kids while holding up a spoon. "I can handle that myself. After all, its part of the job, right? Solis, though...no. As much as it pains me, I don't think we should revive the kids."
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Kai
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(10/22/06 16:14)
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Bored GM=NPC attention-whoring
So... what now? What was Eve supposed to do? She couldn't trust herself right now. Eve knew what was in her blood, what she was capable of, but she also knew what needed to happen. She couldn't trust herself to make the decisions Lym would have wanted, and so she decided to take away the temptation. She wiped the tears from her face with both hands and stood. She turned and opened the door. She'd only made it one step into that room and knew that she wouldn't be able to sleep there tonight.
Shutting the door behind her, she walked out into the hallway and opened a window that overlooked the front courtyard. Eve hopped up onto the windowsill and leaned out over the open space, gazing down into the open grassy area below. With a short laugh she realized that here was another way to prevent herself from doing anything regrettable, but immediately rejected the idea.
Eve reached into her spacially-improbable backpack and pulled out the broom she used for most of her short-distance travelling. Her home was a bit of a trip for the broom, but Eve had to preserve her strength for when she got there. She'd have plenty of time to recharge later. She slipped the broom under her legs and pushed herself away from the window. Once she was airborne, she flattened herself over it like a falcon and dived down toward the courtyard. She arced back up again, willing the broom to carry her as fast as it would go, willing it to take her home.
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NebulaQueen
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(10/25/06 19:34)
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Re: You're mad, too. Or you wouldn't be here.
Kei sighed, and said, "I...I cannot answer that, Stephan. I would gladly take them on myself, but I have no home-or at least, no permanent home. I..."
The nekojin was shaking visably now. How can I do this? she thought bitterly to herself. Here I am, demanding they be brought back...and I can't do a damn thing for them myself. No home, no place for them - hah! That's a fine excuse, isn't it?
I'm such a hypocrite.
"...unless I - I should say we - can stay here, I am afraid - afraid I cannot help them." The tone of her voice, the look on her face, the way her shoulders sank - it all spoke of defeat.
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FF Fanatic 80
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(10/25/06 23:38)
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Re: Bored GM=NPC attention-whoring
Stephan doesn't really know what to tell the feline blade-wielder, or the others, at this point. He wasn't much for comforting most people, even when he liked them a bit. Truth be told, he's still not sure he can deal with all this himself. So he just turns to look at the nearby ArchMagus.
"Well... there's your answer." he says flatly.
There was nothing else to say, really. Just a lot to think about.
For a very, very long time.
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Kai
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Re: You're mad, too. Or you wouldn't be here.
The Archmagus nodded slowly, gravely. "There it is."
Myrnal sighed and folded her arms in front of her, but her relief that a decision had been made was evident. "I'm glad we've actually decided that whether we want to help or not, we can't. And, Stephan, we all have limits to what we can do, and this shit isn't just about you. If you're pissy because I forced people to use their damned heads and consider how fucking naive this is... go ahead and be pissy. But as long as you're alive and pissy, you can just go have a good long hate at my expense. It's not all that important to me."
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FF Fanatic 80
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(10/26/06 0:25)
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Re: Bored GM=NPC attention-whoring
There were a lot of things he could say to her right that moment. Not including the one or two violent acts asking to be carried out in anger at her condescending attitude. But by this point, Stephan has just about had it with everyone and everything, and just wants to get the hell out of the room.
"...if we're all done, I'm getting the hell out of here. I need some Godsdamn sleep."
He turns and starts out of the room. Unless he's stopped, has every intention of going to his room and calling it a night.
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Kai
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Re: You're mad, too. Or you wouldn't be here.
Archmagus Lee held out a hand and called to stop the swordmage. "Stephan! Wait."
Malachi scratched the back of his head. "Listen, while I have as many of you here as possible, though I know Miss Eve has already left, as has Master Hunter, and James is presumably also on his way, I wanted you all to know that we appreciate what you've done. No one here underestimates the choices you've had to make, and no one here will doubt the worth of your accomplishments."
He looked from Myrnal, to Kei, to Stephan and Damian. "You have... sacrificed much... to preserve the world you know. You deserve more than our thanks, more than words of gratitude. I don't know precisely what I can offer you as a demonstration of that, but if any of you ever require anything, I would feel personally slighted if you did not come to me."
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FF Fanatic 80
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(10/27/06 0:22)
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Re: You're mad, too. Or you wouldn't be here.
Stephan stops to listen, and is half tempted afterward to snap at the Arch Magus.
What the hell do you say to that? Does he think that will make everything Godsdamned better? It's so damn easy for him to just say "thanks". He didn't have to choose to kill those kids. He doesn't have to remember that last, terrified look on the little girl's face. He won't remember the feeling as that little girl's body slides off his blade.
...But screaming at him over it won't change any of that. And truth be told, he is one of the reasons Dawn didn't wipe the floor with all of them. Maybe at another time, Stephan would have thought things through more. But right now, only a few things are on his mind. He knows it's not Lee's fault this happened, and that the man is genuinely thankful. More importantly to him, he still just wants to get the hell away from everyone and talking about this.
"...thanks." Stephan simply says, before turning and continuing out of the room.
Edited by: FF Fanatic 80 at: 10/27/06 0:25
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Archmage144 
Hyper-scientific Bishounen
Pharmacist Brian
Season III!
Posts: 4741
(10/30/06 17:22)
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Re: You're mad, too. Or you wouldn't be here.
James stared at the post-it notes for a moment before steeling himself to meet the Archmagus' gaze directly. There was a frightening expression on the wizard's face, something that in any contemporary, non-Gunnir setting might have earned the man a one-way ticket to the local insane asylum. Instead, James surmised, the man's warped but enthusiastic grin had probably earned him a great deal of favor. The half-incubus quickly attempted to piece together some sort of logical explanation for what was happening to him, failed, and decided that it was always acceptable to just throw something off the cuff.
"Well, sir, I believe I might. I have wings, and they have often been compared to that of a dragonfly. My hairstyle is occasionally compared to a thistle, and thistles are a thorny weed. And," he concluded, grinning like a loon (more than anything else as an attempt to fit in), "I have quite a set of fangs on me."
The note about crabs and grapes still puzzled him, but as far as James could tell it wasn't meant to be relevent to him, either, so he could ignore that particular bit of madness for now and move on to more pertinent brands of lunacy.
"I'm told that you're a time mage of some skill, and these notes may be preminatory in nature. Preminatory that you would meet me, that is. I need your assistance, because as it turns out I'm terribly displaced in the time stream, and while I'm hardly an expert at chronophysics or temporal cartography, I think I know enough about where I'm supposed to be that you might be able to help me get back there."
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Nakibe
Mmmmm... Chaos Sandwich. ^_^
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(10/30/06 17:49)
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Some say the world will end in fire. Others say in ice.
A mumbled "Thank you" was all the Archmagus' speech managed to wring from Damian right away. "Maybe.... maybe I'll get back to you on that..." But you came here for that warp thingy stuff! ... don't need it. But that means. Yeah. I know. "I... probably won't be needing that planar research. Suddenly it doesn't seem that important."
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Kai
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And here's a pile of NPCs.
Archmagus Thiellock released James and nodded. "Exactly. Of course you are. And of course we can. I mean, all the theories have been laid down." He walked backward a few steps, trailing his hand over the slips of paper covering the wall like the densely-overlaid feathers of a bird. He stopped with his hand over one piece seemingly torn from the corner of another document. It had an hourglass on it, a common motif on the pinned notes. He handed it to James with the statement, "Certainly we have the knowledge necessary, but we've never had any assurance that our experimentation could cause anything but harm."
When James looked down to the scrap of paper, he saw two words on it. "Apprentice. Research."
Thiellock snatched the note back from James as soon as he was sure the incubus had gotten a look at it. "Pay that no mind. I believe it was transcribed incorrectly. You see, it closely resembles the name of a former student here, and for some time I've suspected that he was due for a visit. Shall we call him and get things moving?"
-----------------------------------------
Myrnal watched Stephan go, an irritated eyeroll the only expression to mark his departure.
Malachi turned to Damian. "If you're absolutely sure. Should you change your mind, I'll keep an eye out for the slime mold's next fission in case that volume turns up."
-----------------------------------------
The wind screaming in her ears, Eve drove her broom to greater and greater speeds until she could barely see and the wind took the tears from her eyes even as they fell. She didn't stop anywhere, because there was nothing she needed to do. Quite simply... there was nothing else for her. Her inheritance had been settled out and most of it would go toward a scholarship endowment at Gunnir. Her family was gone. Her would-be lover was gone. These people left... they were no friends of hers and they all knew it.
When she touched down in front of the mass of writhing vines that served as her front door, she stood and gazed at the entrance to her home. She was going to be here for a while. Not that she hadn't done this before, but always it had been to escape her sister. Always the period of time had been definite. She had food enough to ensure that in a year she could still eat, but... was she really going to do this?
Eve looked over her shoulder at the little town on the horizon. No matter what happened to her, no matter what happened to her sister or Lym or a couple dozen kids... the fates of strangers never mattered much to anyone. Sure, she could go back to town. Live there. Live anywhere she wanted... but it wouldn't matter. Their lives had nothing to do with hers anymore because, to her, there was nothing left tying her to the world everyone else lived in.
She walked in past the vines, through the tunnel she'd carved into the side of the mountain, and into her home. Eve locked her door and dropped her backpack onto the floor, taking a seat next to it on her mattress. She took a deep breath. She closed her eyes, and willed everything to stop. She willed her breathing to slow, then her heartbeat. As she enforced her power over her own body, her body went numb and she fell backward.
Eve would wake herself eventually. Then again, maybe she wouldn't. The last thing she saw was the palm of her hand as her eyes closed and her heart stopped.
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Archmage144
Hyper-scientific Bishounen
Pharmacist Brian
Season III!
Posts: 4742
(10/30/06 21:24)
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Re: And here's a pile of NPCs.
James nodded, not entirely certain what was about to happen, but assuming that it was going to help. Somehow. "Absolutely."
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Kai
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(10/30/06 21:32)
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Re: And here's a pile of NPCs.
Archmagus Thiellock sat down behind his desk and flipped through a slim volume, occasionally sliding his finger down the page as he read. "Prentiss....Prentiss... where is he? I know that I had a beacon for--ah!" He slammed it shut. "Well, if you'll give me just a moment. I need to step outside for a moment." He slipped past James and out the door, shutting it behind him.
James was left alone in the man's office until his return about three and a half minutes later.
"Well, my good sir. I suppose the less I know about you the better, but I would like to know when you're headed..." he paused at the awkward phrasing, but moved on. "And as I couldn't get hold of Darin myself, I had to send his young lady friend to find him. I presume he'll be here quite shortly, as I advised him to use the gate in Doma castle."
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NebulaQueen
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(11/6/06 5:40)
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Re: And here's a pile of NPCs.
Kei just shook her head, and said in an empty voice, "I think I should be going as well. I...I suppose I will be seeing you again soon. Right now, though, it would be best if I left."
She stood up and walked to the door; however, before she opened it, she said, "Oh, and Mister Malachi...thank you for the offer."
After that, she was gone.
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Archmage144
Hyper-scientific Bishounen
Pharmacist Brian
Season III!
Posts: 4750
(11/8/06 0:08)
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Re: And here's a pile of NPCs.
"The short answer, considering the fact that you do need relatively specific information," explained James, "is that I'm from Doma precisely twenty years into the future." The half-incubus closed his eyes for a moment and waited for the impending crash of paradox. After he had counted to ten in his head and was satisfied that creation was not going to collapse if he continued his story, he breathed a sigh of relief. His hypothesis that ten seconds was an adequate amount of time was mostly based upon the assumption that if time itself were going to collapse, it would do so very quickly. Time waits for no man, he assumed, so there was no reason to believe that it would wait to implode if the right conditions were met.
"I came here to do something very important. I did it already. I don't need to tell you what it is, and it's probably better that you don't know. The point is that I'm done, so I'm hoping that you and whoever else you recruit will be able to return me to where I came from."
It had been some time since Darin Prentiss had gone out of his way to speak with anyone from Gunnir aside from his former roommate. This did not mean that such conversations had not happened, as it was inevitable for a Gunnir student to run into other Gunnir students as he travelled Igala. He had simply decided that it was probably best not for him to interfere in the private madnesses that most Gunnir students acquired during their education, and as a result, that it was generally a good idea for him to stay far away from the institution. General Silvar's eccentricities were more than enough for Darin under most circumstances, and while he considered Hakaril to be a dear friend, Darin knew that his behavior could be very trying for those unaccustomed to it, even if the archmage always meant well.
In any case, thanks to the magic of teleportation, Darin had returned to his alma mater for a bit of...well, it was unclear what he was wanted for, exactly. Tassi had relayed the message from Archmagus Thiellock, but the message was fairly short on detail. Darin figured that he had no right to ignore a polite request from one of his old instructors, and the half-celestial most certainly believed that Archmagus Theillock had a good reason to summon him, whatever it was.
Darin stood at the door to Archmage Theillock's office and rapped softly, hoping that had both gotten the mage's attention without disturbing him by banging too loudly.
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FF Fanatic 80
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(11/9/06 22:51)
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Re: And here's a pile of NPCs.
Stephan only makes it about halfway to his room, still fuming over the Archmagus. Well... not just him, really. All of this is too much, he was bloody sick of all of this. Maybe he can get a good nights sleep, and try to calm down for the trip home.
...then he runs into a small group of Gunnir children. They run down the hall past him, giggling as they chase what looked like glowing multi-colored butterflies. He turns, continuing to watch them as they disappear down the hall. For a brief moment, his thoughts starting to drift to memories in Doma, on the afternoon he bought two young children some snacks. Just as quickly, they drift to the site at Dawn's estate, those same two children lying dead at his feet....
...He can feel some of his control slipping, blinking his eyes a few times and clenching his teeth.
He can't stay here anymore.
He has to leave, and he has to get the hell home now.
When he arrives at his room, Stephan spends several minutes packing up his things. He knows that staying won't help anything. He also fears his reaction, should he remain.
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Kai
Virtually Transgendered
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(11/9/06 23:04)
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Re: And here's a pile of NPCs.
While Stephan was in his room packing, he heard a hard CRACK into the doorframe of his borrowed room. Upon closer inspection of the hallway, there was no one around, and no evidence that anyone had even been there recently other than Stephan himself.
There was, however, something sticking out of the wooden frame around his doorway. It was a dagger, and that could only mean one person had left it there.
Pinned to the doorframe, pierced through the center by the razor-sharp blade, was a small rolled-up piece of parchment.
It read,
"Hey, Stephan.
Was an honor to work with you, and hopefully
we'll get a chance to do it again sometime.
Take it easy...
~M.
P.S. Keep the knife."
(Stephan acquires 1x note and 1x masterwork throwing knife. In case you're curious, that's 1d4/19-20.)
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Nakibe
Mmmmm... Chaos Sandwich. ^_^
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(11/11/06 3:59)
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 Moooving right along.
After finishing the meal, Damian headed back towards his room. It was finally time to go, he felt. All that could be done was done. Even so, it all felt somehow... wrong. Maybe it wasn't his hands that dealt the final blow, but even so... two children were dead because of his actions. It was almost as if his past was catching up with him once more, and that thought was perhaps just as bad. Did we even do the right thing? Have we only "saved" these children so that they could be ruled by someone else later?
For once his shadow was silent. A Blessing and a curse in and of itself. Two things were clear as he stuffed his meager posessions back into his strange little pack, though. First and foremost to him was that it was most definitely time to go. Remaining here and watching the kids would be just as bad as anything else he could do. It would be too much of a reminder of his old life... a life spent ending lives, be it figuratively or literally. Perhaps this was something he just couldn't escape no matter what he did to avoid it.
The other thing was how little he'd appreciated the time spent here in this foreign but very hospitable world. The only real reasons to continue his search for a way back "home" in this light were pointless. Why go back to a place where only pains like this would await you? Where most likely he would be a hunted man yet again? No... wait. Solis might want to go back. Perhaps... he thought its a sign that I've been too stuck in the past lately. How COULD I forget Solis? Yes, Solis might still want to go home. Might somehow need that option, that ability to go back where he was born. Hopefully to people that still loved him and cared for him, and not into the grasping clutches of those deranged "Paranormal Research Scientists", or whatever they called themselves.
Either way, it was best not to think about it. With everything finally packed and ready to go, Damian finally went to find Archmagus Lee.
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NebulaQueen
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(11/11/06 20:24)
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Re: And here's a pile of NPCs.
The first thing Kei did was go to her room, and layed down on her bed. As she began to doze off, her thoughts began to wander, her imagination preventing her from reaching sleep completely.
I wonder... she thought, if I even belong here.... When she first began wandering, she had been searching for revenge. However, that was long in the past. Over time that motive eroded, and she began to realise something: she could do so much more good wielding her blade for others instead of for vengeance. So, she found herself becoming a temporary protector, righting wrongs where she saw them.
But now...now she was tired of wandering. Her thoughts drifted back to the person she left behind and needed her the most. Sadly, she was too blind to see it earlier.
I'm sorry, Mother, she thought as she got up. Giving up on sleep, she began to pack her things, and went to see one more person before she left...
Edited by: NebulaQueen at: 11/11/06 20:28
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Kai
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(11/11/06 20:28)
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Re: Moooving right along.
Damian found Archmagus Lee back in his office, sitting on the floor in a ring of open books. The little psicrystal Veritas was creeping in and out of the empty slots on the archmagus' bookshelf. The door was open, but Archmagus Lee must not have had the best peripheral vision, as it was Veritas who announced the man's entry.
"Malachi! It's Damian. Hello, Damian! Did you need something?" the psicrystal asked.
Then Kei stepped up to the doorway behind Damian. The sudden crowd caught Archmagus Lee's attention.
"Good heavens!" he exclaimed. "I'm so sorry! Did you need anything?"
Edited by: Kai at: 11/11/06 20:31
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NebulaQueen
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Re: And here's a pile of NPCs.
"Ah, I am sorry if I surprised you," said Kei. "I was just wondering if you could pass along a message for me, before I leave."
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Nakibe
Mmmmm... Chaos Sandwich. ^_^
Posts: 1272
(11/11/06 20:36)
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Re: And here's a pile of NPCs.
"Yes, I... " Damian started. "I guess... that is. I'm sorry for being a bother but... perhaps I might need that planar research after all. Although if it makes things easier... I don't think i'll need more than one person." This was still difficult for some reason, but perhaps that was just Damian's imagination.
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Kai
Virtually Transgendered
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(11/11/06 20:40)
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Re: And here's a pile of NPCs.
"Oh, oh, certainly. I can do that. None of that should be a problem," the archmagus replied hurriedly.
Kei heard someone discreetly clearing her throat about two feet away from where the Nekojin was standing. When Kei looked to her right, there was a young woman in black leaning on the wall next to Archmagus Lee's doorway.
"Y'know," Myrnal began. "You could probably get anything you wanted out of him right about now."
Archmagus Lee overheard this statement, and after a brief frown of confusion, decided to be good-natured about it. He shrugged. "Oh, probably. But honestly, it's no trouble."
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NebulaQueen
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(11/11/06 20:42)
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Re: And here's a pile of NPCs.
Kei shook her head, and said, "No, the message will be enough. I assume you can get it to Nekonia fairly quickly, yes?"
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Kai
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(11/11/06 20:49)
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Re: And here's a pile of NPCs.
Archmagus Lee nodded. "Not a problem."
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NebulaQueen
VACANT
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(11/11/06 20:54)
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Re: And here's a pile of NPCs.
Kei fishes out a small scrap of parchement from one of her pouches, and hands it to the mage. "Here it is," she said. On the paper was the name of a location ("Honda Residence, Three Springs Village"), a person ("Kusanagi Izumi"), and a message.
Mother, I'm coming home
-Kusanagi Keiko
"Also," she said, after a pause. "perhaps if you could arrange some transportation for me...?"
Edited by: NebulaQueen at: 11/11/06 20:59
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Kai
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(11/11/06 21:04)
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Re: And here's a pile of NPCs.
Archmagus Lee nodded and held up the scroll of parchment. Veritas extended another couple of long spidery appendages and took it, skittering down the bookshelf and carrying it out of the room.
"It'll be delivered. It should be there by the end of the day. If you require transportation, go ahead and tell the planar teleportation and cartography department that Malachi Lee insists you be given transportation to whatever destination you choose. Actually..." He tilted his head and stared off into space...gazing into a corner.... and then abruptly snapped out of it.
"There, now they know. They should be ready by the time you get there, Kei. They're in the wing directly west of this one; take a right past the toothbrush hedge outside the botany lab. Safe journey, and I do hope to see you again back here under slightly less stressful circumstances."
"Fine odds of that for a pack of mercenaries," Myrnal commented.
Lee nodded once again but held out a hand as if to stop her from further comment. "An eventful life is more likely to lead you back to my office than an uneventful one. So, whatever works."
Edited by: Kai at: 11/11/06 21:06
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Nakibe
Mmmmm... Chaos Sandwich. ^_^
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(11/11/06 21:17)
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Re: And here's a pile of NPCs.
"Hmmm... I could ask him for more, couldn't I?" thought Damian aloud. For some reason that struck him as odd. Maybe you're asking for too much, boss. Huh?
Now why would he have said that? And then it hit him. A short laugh later, Damian nodded at Myrnal and then at the Archmagus. "Enlightening. Thank you. You don't know how much I needed to hear that." With that, Damian waved and started what he hoped would be a journey of a thousand miles. Or something vaguely like it. But as he left, he felt the urge to say. "But what could you get for a man who has everything? Whether I deserve it or not."
Maybe after all this was a sign that he should finally just enjoy himself for a while. Get lost in some foreign country or another. After all, I hear that Nekonia can be interesting this time of year... Or maybe Inustan. Yeah, but I bet they probably can't cook half as good as right here. What? You wanna stay? Naah. But the food IS good. And how would YOU know? Because YOU know, duh.
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Kai
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(11/11/06 21:22)
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Re: And here's a pile of NPCs.
No one seemed interested in stopping Damian, as they all presumably had their own duties, obligations, and plans to attend to.
As he left, Myrnal raised a hand in a brief apathetic wave. "Stop by sometime. Shining Blade in Vermilis. It's my family's tavern. My grandmother'll probably want to make you cookies."
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NebulaQueen
VACANT
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(11/11/06 21:33)
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Re: And here's a pile of NPCs.
"Thank you very much," she said to the mage. "I will...think about it." Kei glanced towards the others in the room, before saying, "Goodbye, everyone. I hope your journey treats you well, Damien. Oh, and Myrnal? If you see Stephan, please, send him my best regards."
She then walked out of the room, and towards the last destination in her long journey.
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Kai
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(11/14/06 0:27)
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Re: And here's a pile of NPCs.
Archmagus Thiellock busied himself with tacking several dozen tiny scraps of paper to his chair and one side of his desk. He was crouched on the floor next to his desk with a mouthful of pushpins when Darin knocked.
He spat the pins out into his palm. "Come in! For the gods' sake, Prentiss my office is a public space. Just come in."
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Archmage144
Hyper-scientific Bishounen
Pharmacist Brian
Season III!
Posts: 4757
(11/14/06 0:35)
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Re: And here's a pile of NPCs.
Darin looked at the floor, as if intently studying his shoes. "My apologies," he mumbled. "I...did not mean to cause a problem by...not opening the door myself." The time mage slowly walked into the room, glancing at James, and then looking at Archmagus Theillock. "How...can I be of assistance?"
James stared at Darin for a moment in shock. "Darin," he began, "this is going to sound absurd, but you're my godfather, and you need to send me back to my own time. I've come back to deal with the Dawn problem, and I'm sure General Silvar has mentioned that to you at least once. Now that she's dead, I need to go back before something terrible happens with the timestream. Do you understand?"
The half-celestial nodded. James and Darin were, on some bizarre level, opposite sides of a coin, one half-demon and the other half-angel. Nevertheless, in James' time, Darin was his appointed guardian in the event that Hakaril should ever be unable to care for his son. Darin frowned just slightly, studying James's features, and then slowly placed a hand over his mouth. "Oh, my...you...you are...you must be..."
"Yeah, I am," affirmed James. "But we probably shouldn't mention that here. I need to go twenty years into the future. Can you and Archmagus Theillock manage that? If it'll boost your confidence any, you're the one who sent me back here in the first place."
James decided not to mention that the act of doing so had cost Darin his life. He figured that there was less urgency this time, and that he would have more help. In any case, discouraging the half-angel would do no good.
Darin nodded resolutely. "I...believe that Archmagus Theillock and I can manage...to do that. Archmagus, I...think we may need...some of your students. And...I will need enough powdered silver to draw...an appropriate ritual marker on the floor. If you could...also...please get me...some sand from hourglasses, about...twenty hourglasses' worth...and I think we may also need a pound of caterpillars."
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Kai
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(11/14/06 13:29)
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Re: And here's a pile of NPCs.
True to his purpose as a department head, Thiellock managed to get the components together for what promised to be either a useful and groundbreaking ritual... or at least a way to make a whole lot of caterpillers into butterflies.
The powdered silver was requested from the alchemy department, who sent over a burlap sack of it, just to make sure there was enough. They'd gotten used to Thiellock's bizarre commands that "could not be explained without jeopardizing the very fabric of space and time! The very FOUNDATION OF OUR EXISTENCE!"
They just brought the bag of silver in a wheelbarrow, walked away, and tried not to think too hard about it.
The caterpillers were brought in a basket with a woven lid. The man carrying them was none other than Archmagus Seamus Bailey. Rather than handing them to Thiellock or Prentiss, the conjurer handed them to James.
"Don't even ask why I learned to conjure these, son. I just did. So, uh... enjoy whatever it is you're doing." He didn't stay long, knowing right well that he'd be chased out by busy time mages if he tried.
The hourglasses... were all in Thiellock's closet. "My private collection, Prentiss. They should all be up to standard, and this is probably easier than tracking them down anywhere else." Thiellock nodded to himself. "Right. Well. With my connections and your talent, Prentiss... I think we should be all right."
Edited by: Kai at: 11/14/06 13:29
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Archmage144
Hyper-scientific Bishounen
Pharmacist Brian
Season III!
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(11/14/06 16:57)
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Re: And here's a pile of NPCs.
Darin opened the burlap bag filled with silver, reached inside, and strained some of the dust through his fingers, nodding with satisfaction. "This...is most excellent quality silver, and...I believe it will do...very nicely. Thank you for...your donation of hourglasses, Archmagus Theillock." The time mage lifted the sack out of the wheelbarrow and slowly walked around the room, sifting argent dust through his fingers as he did so to draw lines on the floor in the shape of two equilateral triangles placed vertex to vertex. In short, the half-angel had constructed a ritual "hourglass."
"James," instructed Darin, "you will need...to stand here." Darin pointed to one end of the triangle, and James, still holding the caterpillars, obliged him. James was too preoccupied by thoughts about what Archmagus Bailey might have wanted caterpillars for to protest any request for activity on his part. The best theory that he had was that silkworm caterpillars were some kind of delicacy, somewhere, and maybe these were too, but James had difficulty imagining that anyone would want to eat the writhing little creatures. He poked at them idly with a finger while Darin continued his preparations.
"I...apologize for your hourglasses, Archmagus," announced Darin as he began to toss them onto the triangle opposite where James was standing, shattering them and allowing the sand to spill out within the boundaries of the silver lines. The mage gestured deftly, causing the silver sand to glow with an ominous light, and the ordinary sand oriented itself quickly to fill the boundaries of the triangle, glass and wooden bits flittering away into a neat pile elsewhere in the room. The sand began to glow faintly, as well, and Darin took his place at one of the bottom vertices of the opposite triangle. "Archmagus Theillock...I would like for you...to stand here," noted Darin, gesturing to the other unoccupied vertex. The archmage obliged, an enthusiastic and potentially somewhat mad grin on his face. Other students of time magic filtered into the room, and Darin instructed them to encircle the hourglass and sand.
"James, when I and the others...begin to cast the spell...you must pour the caterpillars...onto the floor." The half-incubus nodded in response, holding out the bucket at arms' length in preparation.
Darin's body flared with a sudden blue aura, and the half-angel began to draw arcane symbols in the air with his fingers, each motion trailed by a whisp of blue light that persisted just long enough for each sigil to be formed before dissipating. Archmagus Theillock and his students began to focus their magical energies, pouring strength into Darin so that the effort of the ritual would not exhaust him. After several minutes of ritualized hand movements, Darin thrust both palms forward, and a ripple of energy washed over the room from his location. "Now, James!" he called out, just as the sand from Darin's side of the triangle pattern began to be sucked through to James's side as though it were falling through a real hourglass. James quickly turned the bucket of caterpillars upside down, dumping them all over the floor. In a mere instant, they metamorposed from their wormlike state into an array of pupae that whirled about in the ensuing storm of magical energy. James was caught in the midst of a miniature sandstorm as the grains whipped toward him at an absurd speed, occasionally scratching his face and whisking themselves into his nostrils. The half-demon coughed noisily and closed his eyes in an attempt to expunge the sand that had chosen to invade his respiratory system.
As sand continued to pour from one side of the triangle into the other, Darin visibly struggled to maintain the arcane energies required to hold the ritual under control. An apprentice in the back of the room abruptly fainted as his stamina failed him, and another student began coughing hard enough to rival James. The half-celestial's brow was covered in sweat, and the enormous blue aura around him flickered momentarily. His expression was twisted into a determined frown. No matter how much of his energy it required, he would return James to the future. Darin briefly thanked the gods for providing him with Archmagus Theillock as support.
Darin began waving his hands rapidly, shouting at the top of his lungs in a deep and powerful voice that was clearly somehow enhanced by the immense mana flow he was currently struggling to command. "I will thee, sands of time, to carry this young man on your accelerated journey! Transport him across the vast wastes of your expanse and deposit him safely in the oasis of his homeland! Though you are a harsh master, time, and you wait for no man, I humbly beseech you, obey my request! May he be shielded from your abrasive touch in his attempts to reach his destination on the shores of time immemorial...TEMPORAL FLUX!"
An enormous surge of energy erupted from Darin's body, the remaining sand within the confines of the ritual lines following the surge forward, as though one side of the hourglass were rapidly emptying and the other filling. It was no longer possible to see James, as the whirling sandstorm obscured him from the vision of all the participants. The sound of a deafening crash knocked several students to the ground as the sand in James' side of the ritual diagram exploded outward suddenly, showering the mages involved in the casting of the spell.
James was gone, and in his place were thousands of butterflies, each quickly taking flight and filling the room with a shower of radiant color and iridescent dust as their newly-formed wings beat against the air in defiance of gravity itself.
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FF Fanatic 80
Imposter Brit
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(11/17/06 22:08)
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epilogue goodness
Stephan can't help a slight smirk, giving Myrnal's note another quick read as he leaves the main gates of Gunnir. For the briefest of moments, he's tempted to go talk things out with her. But, there's really not much more to be said, really. There's no hard feelings, and meeting again won't involve blades drawn. At the least, it's not likely. Maybe the next time he see's her, he'll offer her a pint to drink over.
For the first couple minutes, as he makes his way to the nearest town, he's just glad to finally be out of that school. But as he begins to get out of view from Gunnir, something else occurs to him.
He's finally alone.
No party members to argue with, no school full of crazy mages, and no little kids yelling and screaming. All he can hear is the sound of the wind, and the thoughts in his mind.
With nothing left to distract him, those thoughts quickly turn to recent events once again. He thinks of the two young lives ended, one of them by his own hand. He told himself the entire time leading up to it, that he had no choice. If it meant saving Dan, Mid and everyone, he'd do what was necessary. Just like any time he has to choose life or death.
...But this was different. This wasn't a grown man or woman making a stupid decision. This was two kids, who owed everything they had to Dawn. All they wanted to do, was protect the one person in the world who gave a shit about them. Just like he wanted for his own family. And now they're dead. And probably somewhere far, far worse...
He can feel something starting to well up, glancing around to see if anyone's around. With no one in sight, he moves himself over to a nearby tree, leaning his forehead against the bark. Unable to keep it in any longer, Stephan takes a deep breath, and starts screaming into the tree trunk. He keeps going, until he feels his lungs starting to give out. All he can manage now are a few coughs and sobs, as tears continue falling down his cheeks.
"...why....the fuck...can't I stop doing.. shit like this..." he chokes out, slumping down to his knees, "Why can't I... get away from it... Why the fuck... did they have to die...?"
There was something else they could have done. Something. Anything. Maybe he wasn't thinking hard enough. Maybe this was just the easy way out. Just like all those other times he killed people, long ago. Is this all that he's good for? What the hell is the point of giving a shit, if all it's going to lead to is more shit like this?
A gust of wind picks up, Stephan startled as a stray leaf smacks him in the face. He jumps up from the ground, instinctively looking around for what just hit him. He doesn't find any adversary waiting to strike him down, but as he looks up he does notice something odd. Some kind of large cloud coming out of Gunnir, slowly making it's way toward him. He wonders if one of the students just had a mishap. But as it gets closer, he finds himself in awe of the view above him.
Butterflies. Hundreds, maybe thousands, all flying over his head. A rainbow of colors, fluttering and darting about in the sky. For a moment, Stephan finds himself staring at them, even briefly thinking that it's quite a beatiful sight.
...about 3 seconds later, he can't fucking believe he's thinking of this shit at a time like this. Two kids are dead, and he's noticing bloody 'pretty' things in the air. What would possess him to think of something like that, at a time like this? But as he takes another look up at the fluttering creatures, his next thought makes that clear.
He wishes Mid could be here to see this. He also realizes what Mid would say about it. He'd say that it's a good thing, noticing the beauty in the world. Mid is good like that, always reminding him that he's not a complete bastard. Even Daniel, though he tends to be a stubborn, pain in the ass for a brother, does so in his own way. That was why he agreed to all this in the first place, wasn't it? Because he isn't a complete bastard. He cares about them, and wants to make sure they're safe. He even wanted help complete strangers have their shot at a normal life, like Joss. It didn't completely work out that way, but he knows the alternative was far worse. His family is safe, and most of those kids will now have a chance. Joss especially, if he can just grow up a little. They were all Ok, and this will have to be enough.
When another wind gust picks up, he finally realize how long he's been standing there, staring up at the butterflies and thinking. He imagines how he must look to a random passer by, unable to help laughing out loud at himself.
"Getting all bloody emotional, and having my Godsdamn mood lifted by butterflies..." Stephan muses aloud, still smirking slightly as he dries up his cheeks, "...I really am a damn fruitcake aren't I."
Standing here isn't getting much done. He still has to get home, and let everyone know he's Ok. Let everyone know they'll all be Ok now. Whether or not he'll say what was done, he'll decide when the time comes. For now, he has a brother to fight with, a niece and nephew to spoil, and a lover to hold on to as long as he can. He continues onward for the nearest town, as the cloud of butterflies continues on into the horizon.
Edited by: FF Fanatic 80 at: 11/18/06 13:49
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Kai
Virtually Transgendered
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(11/18/06 18:29)
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Re: And here's a pile of NPCs.
Myrnal stood in Archmagus Lee's office for a few moments after the others left.
"So, Archmagus."
"Hm? Yes?"
"I think that now we've got everyone taken care of and my teammates have sorted themselves out that... we should go collect some remains from Dawn's base."
Archmagus Lee sighed. "Yes, of course you're right. How many are there?"
The ninja shrugged. "Two kids, one Dawn if we can get to her, and one of ours somewhere. I don't actually know what happened to Lym's remains."
Malachi rested his chin on his palm and stared at the cluttered surface of his desk. "Well.... I suppose we'd better get going."
Myrnal was the only one left who'd been in Dawn's base, and she helped Archmagus Lee navigate the base. Danny and Lyminali were nowhere to be found, and the basement had collapsed itself down to nothing. In the desaturated room where Rendon and Rilla Hevell had died, the door to the basement opened onto a smooth black wall.
Myrnal and Archmagus Lee did what they came to do, retrieving the bodies of the children and even seeing to Dawn. Unwilling even now to leave one of his former students in the ruins of her base, Malachi reduced what was left to dust, which he simply poured into the river at the back of Dawn's garden.
The children were brought back to Gunnir, and interred in a small plot generally reserved for Gunnir alumni.
Myrnal spent only a moment standing with the twins' headstones. She turned and walked away. The ninja had had enough of standing at gravesides, enough of blaming herself for the loss of those who had died because of choices she had made. In the end, that was what she found most ironic about this mission. She'd been approached in a weapons shop by a paladin who said that he needed her help. She had accepted because she owed too much to too many people to say no.
Her life had been too deeply affected by others for her to refuse her aid. Friends who had stood by her only to suffer at her hand, gods who had tried to destroy her or given her a chance at redemption. The little brother she should have saved. Perhaps the greatest debt she owed was to her own newly-discovered conscience.
Myrnal used to have no qualms about causing suffering to others if it furthered her own aims, and if she thought a course of action was just, the ends always justified the means. Since then, she'd experienced... and caused enough suffering that she'd had enough. When she found to her surprise that the fates of others mattered more to her than her own, when the happiness of others was a greater goal than her own wellbeing... she realized she only discovered this in herself because she had so thoroughly betrayed it up until then.
So this was her chance. Her chance to do better, her chance to risk her life for the sake of a pack of strangers who would probably never appreciate it. Even if her willingness to sacrifice everything for what she believed in was doomed to come to nothing, she'd at least know that she'd done it.
The great irony that forced a grim smile from the young woman was that her great cause, her great mission, her chance at redemption, had required her to stand at the side of people like Lyminali whom she loathed and protect them from children. Misguided lost and angry children whose only crime was to be less fortunate than she was at their age. She looked down at her hands, and marvelled that they would never be clean again. Ever since she was a child, accomplishing anything had meant someone else's death, and mercy was failure.
Even her redemption was stained with the blood of those she'd have preferred to save.
But these were all old wounds, old struggles and old defeats. If Dawn's goal was to build an army of children and use the ninja's self-loathing against her, Dawn had failed. It was the same uphill battle as always, and Myrnal was now certain that any attempt at making her hate her life and her unavoidable role in it... were doomed to failure. It simply wasn't possible.
If nothing else, though... there was hope. She could go home to her grandparents and know that she had dirtied her hands for good reason. Better by far that someone like her should bear the moral burden of her choices. Someone had to do it, and there were kids back at Gunnir she barely knew who had a chance at a normal life now, not to mention a better chance for the family of her friend, for a child who hadn't even been born yet.
Better that her hands be stained with blood than theirs. Her neighbors, her friends, those children, total strangers and even her enemies all deserved better. If she could give nothing else to the world, it was her willingness to sacrifice her life, her ambitions, even her self-respect to give a better life to the ones who really deserved it.
If everyone were willing to sacrifice what Myrnal could to preserve a life of freedom, there'd be no one left to live it. She shoved her hands in her pockets and began the long, slow trek home to her family, satisfied that she had secured for others what she could not keep for herself.
Several months after the new school year began at Gunnir Damian, Stephan, Kei, Myrnal and Kerov received packages in the mail. Kei was sent back the cloak she'd laid over Rilla, and everyone received a Gunnir yearbook from Malachi Lee. Several pages had been dogeared, and the names of all the cultists old enough to enter their first year at Gunnir had been circled in red pen.
There was no message from Malachi; he knew they'd understand.
(Philsys EXP and awards for each character:
Kei: 3,450 EXP and the "Voice of Reason" award.
Stephan: 4,284 EXP and the "Justifiable Means" award.
James: 2,647 EXP and the "hoping his next leap is the leap home" award.
Damian: 2,607 EXP and the "Good Samaritan" award.
I would like to offer my sincere thanks to everyone who played in this RP. I know that not everyone who began it was able to stay until the end, but without amazing players this plot wouldn't have been anything close to what it was. It was an honor to gamemaster for you all, and I hope that I'll be similarly graced in the future.
So, for the sake of closure...)
The End.
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