TURN TWENTY-THREE: SEEKERS OF THE KNOWLEDGE
Summer takes a toll on people, y'know? That's alright. Time will go forward, regardless of the circumstances.
Tryto find some people. The Theyins took Atis
Alex RamanYou reach the edge of the snow bank and observe the area, particularly looking for people to take your vengeance out upon. Oh, you find plenty of people, alright - but you're not sure if these are the right people to start hamming out on. What you find is that this is appears to be a mining operation taking place in the deeper parts of the mountainside, with various workers all mingling about and transporting some minerals in several sleek, black trucks. Beyond the mine, you can see that there is a long, winding path that leads along the mountain range and towards a giant walled-off area, filled with buildings and houses that would resemble a city. That should be one of the major cities of the Theyin Empire, then.
The weather is very cold and the air is brisk. You can feel a charge within you, which disturbs you a bit. You can sense some sort of energy within the ground itself, but it's not a positive sort of atmosphere around here. It seems to be very dark and foreboding, as if your body knows that something is off here.
Off in the distance, you can see several armored vehicles leaving the walled-off city. Once again, these vehicles also carry the insignia of the Theyin Empire. Very inviting, this icon seems to be.
This... this was... madness... Rune could make no sense of this. He shook it off. He'd try to understand it more at a later date. In the meantime, he clambered out of this hole, and then tried something new. He tried to use his affinity with clay to locate it underground mentally, and then order the golems to dig towards it. Rune knew that soon he would have a massive, unstoppable army.... but he didn't know where he would use it for good, or for bad.
Rune[2+2 (focus + domain successful) = 4] [golems = 5, 3, 5, 3, 1, 1] You clamber out of the cryptic chamber of secrets from the past. That's enough of that for a while. Now to get to work building an immeasurable army of clay subordinates to follow your hand's will! You start by calming your mind down and focusing your will into the ground - hopefully, this will work like some sort of wave that bounces back and tells you where the clay is. You send out your consciousness and search out the specific texture, density, and material of clay. The ground answers back to you by allowing you to locate a few decent deposits of wet clay under the ground, near the southern side of the island. This will do for now.
Having located the collection of wet clay beneath the soil, you have the golems begin digging downwards and to the south, where the clay should be. This proves to be somewhat difficult, however. You can't seem to get your mind sold on the idea of splitting its will into six different objects at one time again, so only four of the golems really do any digging. Two of those golems perform exceptionally well, digging a couple hundred meters or so south. You uncover the first edge of the deposits of clay and begin ordering the golems to retrieve the clay. Almost there: now, to take the clay and mold it into something usable.
Okay, new city Cecil. Let's take a look around.
Explore. Make sure to find a library or a governmental administrative building. Or whatever is akin to a gas station in this realm, and ask for directions to Perith.
You take a short walk around the city, admiring the choice of architecture. Compared to Aecrocia, this city appears to be based around a cell-grid style of planning properties. Along with that, the skyscrapers seem to be made with angles in mind and planning, allowing for the city to make its own mark in the skies. The dock also seems to be rather welcoming and angular, as if it is grasping in for a warm hug at sea. Something that you notice about the citizens of this place is that they are all varied. Unlike Aecrocia, where people generally follow the same guidelines to clothing (light long-sleeved shirt, flat-soled shoes), these people wear anything and everything - from jackets to dress shirts to dresses and skirts and everything in between. It's incredibly disorientating to be in a new environment like this.
You find a sign that shows Perith being about 35 KM down to the south. However, it appears that you do not have transport to get you anywhere near there - unless you plan to hike it along the shore.
Eh Ah
"It is not easy being a person of interest, it seems. Very well."
Step inside. Walk this way. She knows me, babe, hey, hey!
Eh AhYou stride through the revolving doorway and make your way up into the third floor of the Government Complex, using the central staircase. As you go past the first and second floor, you can see the various communication centers that used to host the various systems of control for the Aecrocian government. Health, power, water, food - it is all managed in this one building. The various communication centers seem to be built like mini-auditoriums, leading down to where the manager of that department would be. Unfortunately, this is no longer the embodiment of Atis' government.
This is now the temporary home for the Empress of the Theyin Empire, who invaded the island with her own motives and standings.
You stand in front of the dark-tinted glass doors that lead to the presidential office of Atis. Taking a deep breath, you slowly open the doors and walk through. The entire floor spreads out in a circular fashion, leading to window-walls in front of you that lead out to the bay of Aecrocia. In the center of the floor near the windows is a large half-circular desk and a seat that has been thrown to the side. The Empress stands with hands on the desk. Looking out to the bay. Overhead, you can see two flags that have the symbol of the Theyin Empire emblazoned upon them.
"Funny, isn't it?" the Empress murmurs, eyes still fixed on the calm waters of the Miransa Ocean.
"I come to this island looking to establish some sort of order, to uncover the truth." She runs her hands over the dark wooden desk, taking in the texture of the desk.
"And then," she breathes,
"Heaven and hell clash and destroy my landing fleet, completely annihlating my hopes of liberating the minds of those who do not know." She turns around finally and looks at you, arms crossed behind her black cloak.
"There is more to this island than I would have thought. Something that does not march to the drum of reality. You were there when Pirmai Kether was let go. Tell me, how was I out of my mind to let her go like that?"
Warren Drake
"Fantastic. I'm going to die here, aren't I?"
Try to shake off as much water as lizardly possible. The muscle work should also raise the temperature a little.
Also, are you a reptile or an amphibian? A proper lizard or more of a salamander or newt? This is a very important question for many reasons, and there appears to be a little confusion on the matter.
Warren DrakeYou are indeed a lizard with reptilian background. For reference, the
Carolina anole would probably be the closest lizard to what you actually are.
Without waiting for the water to make your temperature drop further, you spin around and try to get some of the water off by drying yourself on some leaves. Hey, if you're in the middle of the wetlands, might as well use the environment to your advantage. You manage to get some of the water off of you, but not enough to allow the sun to warm you up sufficiently. In order to encourage the heat, you position yourself on the top of some branches where you can get some sunlight.
You wait there for several minutes, trying to let the sun warm you up. As you are waiting, you notice an odd sensation: it feels as if the branch is becoming slippery. You look down, searching for any sign of moisture or drooping from the branch. However, it appears as if the branch is completely solid and dry, yet you still feel as if the branch is almost liquid. That's when you notice it: the branch is starting to show slivers of a green glow from the lower parts of the tree, making its way up to you. In fact, you begin to see this glow come from below the tree and outwards, too. It seems to be spreading from the tree to other trees, connecting outwards and expanding to other areas. Time will tell if this is a blessing or a curse.
Lirian
"So, I see you've done some landscaping. I like it, it's a big improvement from the barren volcano of last time."
I get up and lok around, locating a nearby tree that looks climbable, climbing up a couple branches, and then leaning back against the treetrunk, partly hidden by the branches, and look out and around at the nearby area from my perch.
"No then, first, could you tell me what we're trying to acomplish here?"
after getting whatever cryptic answer or total lack of an answer I get from that question, I move on to my next question.
"Well, I think the first order of buisness would be a basic primer on what element I'm assocciated with and how I can work with it. Oh, and the person I'm traveling with, is he a guardian? what element is he associated with? and what's up with his cat?
after it is confirmed that I am associated with shadow:
"So, what exactly is shadow anyway? and how is shadow related to The Shadow?"
Liran"So, I see you've done some landscaping. I like it, it's a big improvement from the barren volcano of last time."You wander your way nearer to the village, following the treeline as you go. As you draw closer, you can see that the village has a simple and beautiful look: the buildings are all small, tile-roofed, and have warm colors for the aesthetic value. They also seem to follow a pattern of arched doorways and windows, and they all are arranged on a single path leading down to the center of the village, marked by a single fountain that is running with water. The fountain is gray and cracked but still holds the water in well. It rises up with a single, castle-like pillar that spews out water on all four sides. A dragonfly, a falcon, a crow, and a bat are all carved onto the fountain at various intervals.
Having observed the village, you climb onto a tree next to you and partly hide in between the branches.
"So then, first, could you tell me what we're trying to acomplish here?"You receive no response for a minute as you keep watching over the area. At first, you think that she might not be here at all...
"Oh. The village, that's... that's not much. Just a little.. little side thing that I made while waiting.."You nearly go into combat mode before realizing that Danielle is the one who's talking. You quickly look around you and find that she is sitting on a branch not too far from you on the tree opposite of you. She shrugs and holds her left hand out, allowing a tin can to materialize in that hand.
"If there's one thing that I miss about the Dragonfly's world, it's these tin cans." She brings up her right hand and flicks open a tab on the can, which makes a soft "fizz" sound as Danielle sighs and takes a sip.
"And from my world, this drink is pretty nice, I guess." She takes a few more gulps before letting the can vanish and getting her attention back on track.
"Well, if you mean the short run, we're trying to find out what that little kitten knows about this whole place. Because, frankly, I have absolutely no idea what your world's like - except for whatever you've seen so far. I can only see so far in front or behind you; the rest comes from your knowledge and your sights." She takes a moment to admire the volcano.
"In the long run, I am trying to find out what the hell happened to the rest of my group. Y'know, the other Guardians from the past. You, though? Well, you're trying to find your place in this world as the Medium." She laughs softly, although her face doesn't show much enthusiasm at the moment.
"Well, I think the first order of buisness would be a basic primer on what element I'm assocciated with and how I can work with it. Oh, and the person I'm traveling with, is he a guardian? what element is he associated with? and what's up with his cat?""Your element?" she echoes.
"Well, seeing as you carry a bunch of knives around, maybe you're some kinda master of sharp pointy things that can kill people, mm?" She gestures toward your knives while smirking.
"Your element, or whatever it is called, has to do with something that represents you and your calling. If that means knives or daggers, then it will be knives and daggers. Pretty simple, uh?" She thinks for a moment more when you mention your traveling partner.
"Oh, him? Heh, he may be a Guardian. I mean, he talks to his kitten, and not just in a cute cuddly-wuddly way. Hell if I know what element he stands with, though. His kitten seems to have a bit of knowledge on some people or places better than I have the knowledge about. This means that you pretty much have to rely on the kitten's instincts if you wanna go anywhere other than nowhere.""So, what exactly is shadow anyway? and how is shadow related to The Shadow?"She twiddles her fingers for a bit before answering. She doesn't seem to be very confident in her answers.
"Okay, you would think there's a difference between your shadow and the Shadow, right? Well, I don't really think that. Look, the Dragonfly told me that he believed that there was a link between every dimension. This meant that, although a shadow exists in the mind, it can also be messed around with in the real world if you believe it can happen. I didn't believe him at first, but... I don't know..." She takes a deep breath before saying her next words.
"I will say this though: other than the Dragonfly, you're the only Guardian or Medium I've seen who can physically interact with the shadows. It's probably a coincidence, but I just have to say it anyways."
No author's note today.
As always, have a great week and I'll see you again soon,
Artemis.
Author
Topic: Roll To Medium: Awakening [Chapter VI] (Read 145762 times)