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Arise from the depths my child! Let your wall of text tower over this board!
Go inside. If there's anything menacing in there, brandish bacon sandwich threateningly!
Choo Choooooo! I kid, of course. Glad to see this is back.
Go inside since we seemingly have no choice.
Go inside. But grumpily.
“Alright, alright, I get the point.” You turn around and throw open the door before stomping in.Tik.
Tik.
Tik.
Tik.
From inside the church comes the rhythmic, echoing click of something being repeatedly opened and closed. You examine your surroundings as you search for the source. The place seems to be deserted and a bit more run down than you imagined from Ankh’s description; about a third of the statues on either side are smashed and the pews are in various states of disrepair. Dust and the plaster powder from holes in the walls cover practically everything. The only clean thing in the building is the man sitting on the final pew on the right side, though he is a bit scruffy-looking.
Tik.
Tik.
Tik.
He seems rather relaxed with one hand lazily draped over the back of the pew and the other playing with a butterfly knife. The knife is the source of the clicking; giving off a slight tick every time he twirls it open and closed.
Tik.
Tik.
As you approach, he turns his head and you get a better look at his face. The first thing you notice and the most remarkable thing about him is his right eye which bears a heavy, straight scar stretching over it. The scar starts below his nose and travels straight up until it nearly touches the hairline. He has a rather squarish, unshaven face, slicked back hair, and a hooked nose, altogether the sort of looks that you would expect to see on someone who has too close a relationship with the wrong side of the law. The sort of look that implies a frequency of visitation similar to that which most people associate with annoying neighbors who bear a gap in their internal dictionary right where privacy is supposed to lay, or perhaps a dear relative lying on their deathbed.
Tik.
"Took ya long enough." He sighs and flicks his knife closed without turning around to face you fully. He speaks with a heavy accent, though you can't quite place where it’s from.
"Sorry 'bout the rough ride, but I can't start the heist without ya and Tengu's already gotten started. Can't let 'im beat me, see?" He gestures with the knife-wielding hand and indicates that you should sit down.
You respond by waving the sandwich threateningly in his face.
He leans back, perplexed, and you move the sandwich closer.
"Nuh-uh, sorry mister, but I am not taking part in any heist of any sort, especially after what your pet did to my house, do you realize how much those statues were worth!" He tries to move out of the way again, but you are merciless in your assault with your pork-and-wheat based weaponry.
He doesn't seem to know how to respond to this and blinks a few times before snarling:
"Well I am sorry 'bout the statues; the darklings don't seem to like them much." He leans backward further in an attempt to avoid the sandwich.
"And you're not part of the heist anyway, I just got ta give something to ya as per the contract, see?""Contract?""Yes, contract; get that thing away from me." He pushes the sandwich back.
"And no you're not supposed ta know. The ancients get a clueless champion an' I get an army of shadow creatures in exchange for a part of myself. Old Laws and all that, see?" He waves his knife in the air; an act that in most situations would seem suave, but the awkwardness brought about by the sandwich-waving reduces the effect somewhat.
You look at him blankly for a moment, unclear on what he means.
"...No?""Well, don't worry your pretty little head over it, miss. The less of that you do, easier it'll be for me to finish you off before you can do the same to me, see? Now, all you haves to do, see, is sit there and listen to me read off what's on this paper” He holds the paper up and flicks it,
“And then I make with the shadow magic and you get a nice shiny present to take home."You're nearly yanked off your feet as his shadow suddenly reaches up and grabs you by the ankle. You try to kick it off, but it quickly grabs the other leg and holds both to the ground. Axel scoots across the pew until he can stand up and his shadow makes you move your feet to face him.
"Ahem!" He clears his throat as he pulls a folded piece of paper out of his pocket.
"Alright, here goes nothin': 'Champion of the Ancients, Guardian of Fire, Hero of Light,' note the capital letters on those miss, 'you have been summoned to ‘dis place to fulfill the contract as set up by the Old Laws, to be provided wit’ what information you can be and a means wit’ which to dispatch your opponent.'
That would be me, 'Your opponent has optioned for gaining minimal power in exchange for minimum information on your part, what can be informed of is as follows: Your opponent, Axel Oubliette, will gain the power to control beings from the realm of shadow known as darklings, new types being given at regular intervals over the course of four months, for whatever purpose he sees fit, as well as invulnerability to all normal weapons.
The opponent will not be able to directly attack or interfere wit’ you for a period of one-hundred and twenty-eight days during which time you will attempt to find a way to defeat him using the weapon provided by the opponent. The type of weapon given will depend on which part of him/herself the opponent gives up. The weapon by itself will be insufficient to defeat the opponent and must be completed or supplemented in some fashion.'"He finished with a sniff and stuffed the paper back into his pocket.
"Now, if you don't mind miss, I'll be startin' the ceremony." He walks around you and up to the crumbled ruins of the altar. He stops for a moment.
Then he begins to speak.
Only his voice does not come. Instead out from his throat comes a hissing, crackling sound like the static from a radio interplayed over the hiss from a phonograph and magnified a dozen times.
░░░░░ ░░░░░░ ░░░░░░░░ ░░░░░░░ ░░░░░░░ ░░░░░░ ░░░░ ░░░░░░ ░░░░░ ░░░░░ ░░░░░ ░░░░░ ░░░░░░ ░░░░░ ░░░░░░ ░░░░░ ░░░░░ ░░░░░ ░░░░░░ ░░░░ ░░░░░ ░░░░░░ ░░░░░ ░░░░░░ ░░░░░ ░░░░░ ░░░░░ ░░░░░░ ░░░░░░ ░░░░░░ ░░░░░ ░░░░░░ ░░░░░░ ░░░░░ ░░░░░░░ ░░░░░░ ░░░░░░ ░░░░░░░░ ░░░░░░ ░░░░░ ░░░░░ ░░░░░░░░ ░░░░░░░ ░░░░ ░░░░░░░ ░░░░░ ░░░░░░░ ░░░░░░░░ ░░░░░ ░░░░░░He spreads his arms out ceremoniously and looks up and the ceiling. You look up as well. Through the holes you can see the sky above. Dark clouds have gathered, obscuring the sun and releasing a few small droplets of water back down to the earth. You're not sure what, but there's something off about it. It's like the entirety of the sky is shifting in and out of focus.
░░░░░░ ░░░░ ░░░░░░░ ░░░ ░░░░░░░ ░░░░░░░ ░░░░░░░ ░░░░░░░ ░░░░░░░ ░░░░░░░ ░░░░░░ ░░░░░ ░░░░░░░░ ░░░░░░ ░░░░░░░ ░░░░░░ ░░░░░░ ░░░░░░░░░░ ░░░░░ ░░░░ ░░░░░░ ░░░░░ ░░░░ ░░░░░░ ░░░░░ ░░░░░░░ ░░░░ ░░░░░ ░░░░░░░░░ ░░░░ ░░░░░░ ░░░░░░░ ░░░░░░ ░░░░░░░ ░░░░░░░ ░░░░░░░ ░░░░░░░░ ░░░░░░░░░ ░░░░░░ ░░░░░ ░░░░ ░░░░░░░ ░░░░░ ░░░░░░░ ░░░░░░░░ ░░░░░ ░░░░░░Axel places his hand on his scarred eye. He winces slightly, as if in pain and a bright light begins to shine from beneath his hand. He slowly removes it revealing a brightly glowing sphere that clings to his palm. You notice that his eyelid seems to be sunken in now. He closes his hand partially around it and the air in the room seems to become tighter somehow.
░░░░░░░░ ░░░░ ░░░░░░░ ░░░░░░░ ░░░░░░░ ░░░ ░░░░░░░░░░ ░░░░░ ░░░░░░░ ░░░░░░░ ░░░░░░ ░░░░░░ ░░░░░░ ░░░░░░░ ░░░░░ ░░░░░░ ░░░░░░ ░░░░░░░░ ░░░░░ ░░░░░░░░ ░░░░░ ░░░░░░ ░░░░░░ ░░░░░ ░░░░░░░░░ ░░░░░ ░░░░░░░░░ ░░░░░░ ░░░░ ░░░░░░░░ ░░░░░ ░░░░░ ░░░░░░░ ░░░░ ░░░░░░ ░░░░░░ ░░░░░ ░░░░░░░░ ░░░░░ Tendrils of shadow wrap around the light in his hand cocooning it and muffling it. Every instinct you have is telling you to run, but the grip of Axel's shadow is as strong as ever and it seems to be steadily growing darker, to where it’s more like looking into a deep pit than a shadow. Axel himself seems to be caught up in a trance as his hissing grows louder and he begins to make large gestures with the arm that isn't holding the shadow orb.
░░░░░ ░░░░░ ░░░░░░░░░░░ ░░░░░░░ ░░░░░ ░░░░░░░ ░░░░░ ░░░░░ ░░░░░░░░░ ░░░░░ ░░░░ ░░░░░ ░░░░░ ░░░░░ ░░░░ ░░░░░ ░░░ ░░ ░░░░░░░░░ ░ ░░░ ░░░░░░ ░░░░░░ ░░░░░░░░░ ░░░░░ ░░░░░░░ ░░░░░░░░░░░ ░░░░░ ░░░░░░ ░░░░░ ░░░░ ░░░░░░░░ ░░░░░The air shifts.
All the tension that had been building seems to relax all at once, its absence somehow more noticeable than the slow buildup.
The shadow beneath Axel's feet begins to boil and suddenly shoots up, releasing your feet. It tears through the ceiling and rockets up into the sky. You cover your eyes as boards and plaster fall down around you. None hitting you luckily.
After the rain of boards is finished, you look up into the sky again and at first all seems normal. Then your eyes catch a strange shimmer.
Shakily, as if something is holding it back and with painstaking slowness, a large slit begins to open spreading from one horizon to the other. The sight reminds you of a gigantic sleepy eye opening.
It stops and seems to collapse in on itself for a moment, then flings open again until it takes up nearly an eighth of the sky above. It looks like some colossal beast has torn the sky open like it was no more than a large door and left it sit ajar.
As you gaze up at it, it seems to fall down to meet you and you can see stars within, thousands of them. They seem to gently shift around and blink out now and then, beautiful and somehow sinister.
No...
Those aren't stars.
They're eyes. Thousands of pairs of eyes opening and closing as their owners shift position. Thousands of pairs of eyes that are coming closer and closer as their owners drop down from the sky. Thousands of pairs of eyes paired with thousands of red glowing mouths attached to comically large heads.
"Ahem."You seem to fall back to earth with a thud, losing your balance and falling to the floor. You look up to see Axel standing there tapping his foot impatiently, dark tendrils swirling around his hand. He opens his hand and throws the orb within in front of you. The shadows disintegrate, revealing a triangle-shaped object made of light that quickly grows and changes shape until there is a sheathed dagger laying there.
"Well there ya go miss. Ya can only unsheath it four times, so I wouldn't be brandishing it around everywhere if I were you." He hisses toward the door:
░░░░ And the darkling shambles in the through the door, then glides to his side. It hisses and smashes an already broken piece of statue when it lands.
Axel taps his foot. In response, plaster and dust swirl away in a cyclone around his feet and he slowly lifts up into the air, hands in pockets.
"I would wish you best of luck miss, but that would mean bad luck on my part, so instead I hope you trip and break yer neck." He lets out a hoarse laugh and flies away, shadow gargoyle close behind.
You watch as he quickly disappears from sight.
Well, now what?
GP: 8/8
HP: 9/10
MP: 10/10
LP: 0/9
Experience: 7/?
Inventory:-
Work clothes-
15 copper coins-
Gear necklace-
A wrapped up bacon sandwich (Held in hand)-
Stonecutter's chisel (Held in hand)-
Sheathed Dagger (Held in hand)Abilities/Spells:? ? ? Passive
? ? ? Uses left: 1
? ? ? Cost: ?
-Acquire Fumes of Humorous Disposition.
And with this there's only one, maybe two updates before the prologue ends! Thanks to the people who PM'ed me, (and yes monk, I do read the Gamer's Block thread) its encouraging to hear from people that they like the game!
Just a couple of notes:
First of all, Axel is supposed to have an American mobster accent, the original reason for the delay was me trying figure out how to write the dialect. I still think it sounds too much like an American southern accent, but oh well.
Second, the original character creation should not be regarded as canon any longer, it was stupidly obfuscated and most of the mysterious stuff in it ended up getting thrown out after I finalized the lore an update or two in. The other reason I hesitated posting this for so long was because I was planning on rebooting the entire thing with a character creation that actually matched the lore. I finally ended up just saying: "screw it" and posting the update that's been sitting on my hard drive for the past... year? Year and a half? I can't remember how long it's been anyway. You'll see what it should have been when you create the other three Champions though, so don't worry!
Finally, me and a real life friend are going to be starting another suggestion game here (hopefully within a month) so keep an eye out for it!
Author
Topic: (TSG) A Sky and ░░░░░ Torn Ajar: Chapter 0-10 (Read 23074 times)