(This foreword was written a few weeks ago but edited for relevance at this point.)
So this is the longest I've been without posting a turn
ever, I believe. Well, except for maybe once.
A lot of things have happened in the past month that have just thrown my life into a whirlwind. Work has been mounting up, I've been volunteering more for different things, projects are starting to catch up to me, and relationships have been throwing me around as well. Exactly a month and a day ago, in fact, was both the worst and best night of my year, for two very different reasons. Right now, however, I'm the happiest I can be, and I have a lot more energy now, so I think I'm ready to post another turn. I would've posted earlier but I just didn't have the energy to complete a turn that felt
right to post. I'm spending more time now to create what I think is a good turn.
I'll probably be starting the next chapter soon.
I sincerely apologize for the wait. To be completely honest, it's probably not going to get much better during the next couple of weeks, as I have a big project that I must work on. After that, I will have all the free time in the world to post whenever and to the quality that I see fit. So hang in there for a while and stick around to see what happens on the next
episode turn of the
Medium.Thank you and I hope you enjoy the turn,
Artemis
TURN SIXTY-FOUR: GROWING, BURNING ROOTS
"I'm feeling fine right now, though I'm unsure of how long I'll remain In my current, sober-minded state. These hallucinations came along in such a sudden fashion, it MUST be fixed before it affects my work!"
Cat Schrodinger((I just noticed that I gave the doctor the same quote color that Schrodinger has. I usually try to avoid that if possible. Oh well!))
Dr. Mizou nods with understanding.
"I understand that you went unconscious out near the park. If you don't mind I'm going to be asking you a few questions to get a better understanding of what exactly happened and what it was caused by. Does this sound okay to you?" You nod in agreement and he smiles.
"Okay, good. You said you had hallucinations in a sudden fashion. Have you ever had these hallucinations before? When did this episode of hallucinations start? Could you describe these hallucinations to me?" He continues in this way, asking you a wide variety of questions and waiting for you to answer them before moving on to the next one.
"Are you taking any medicines at the moment that would present some side-effects? Have you ever consumed any substances that might produce hallucinations like these?" Before you answer his questions, you take a look out the window. As far as you can see, everything is normal. It seems that your hallucinations have subsided since you woke up. You have no telling of when they might be back, however.
((Giving you time to respond before I continue.))
"Generation? What do you mean by Generation? And my home might not be connected to the Medium? What? A-are you sure that I couldn't simply get back by, like, a boat or... I mean... I thought I got here by... I mean, that would explain why I haven't managed to find my way... But... Okay, okay, here and now, that's a later problem, I need to focus on now problems. You're told me lots about purple, what can you tell me about Dragonfly?"
LirianShe begins to speak before you feel a
wave go through the land. It's not exactly a quake, but it feels like some sort of distortion.
"Looks like it's almost time for you to go. You're probably about to wake up." Danielle turns back to you and tries to answer your questions as best as possible.
"Before the final battle started, I heard about the term 'Generation.' Apparently that's a term the others came up with to describe the different sets of idiots who came into the Guardianship. There were four unique groups from four different worlds - maybe even different universes, according to what the Dragonfly said. We didn't actually know where we all were in the whole timeline thing, but 'Generation' was what we stuck with. The Dragonfly's was the first, the Kite's was the second, mine was the third, and the Raven's was the fourth. They were numbered based on discovery, and since the Dragonfly was the one who was jumping worlds to connect all of the Guardians, that basically made up all of the Generations.
Your home.. your home.. I can't say anything about it because I don't know where it is. It's a lot harder to find because, well, the Medium kinda broke, and I'm not sure if it was put back together or something. I barely know the rules around here, as you can tell. I can't help you." She starts on the next topic before pausing.
"Next time you come here, we can try to figure this out. About your home, I mean. But we don't have the time now.
"Now, the Dragonfly..." Her voice falters slightly. She goes silent for a few seconds before another slight distortion in the land causes her to snap back to reality.
"Right. The Dragonfly. He is - er, was - the first Medium, at least in how we think the timeline works. He started off with Mr. Purple and struggled with him for a long while. he never told me everything about what happened, but he always seemed a little lost in thought. I don't know what he did, but he almost seemed to regret something. Anyway, he... when he came to my world, he was very helpful. I wasn't very cooperative back then. I didn't want any part of anything. I just wanted to be alone. But he persisted, and he took me along to show me what the Shadows were and everything. He taught me how to be a Medium, but I was still not sure about it. I was... unstable. I wasn't ready for it. But he convinced me to keep going. In a way, he helped me to become better at.. everything, really. He helped me to be a little more social where I normally couldn't. I still didn't care much for the others, but he was very helpful. He was like a distant brother, almost."She sighs and waits a few more seconds before finishing her answer.
"It didn't help enough. It didn't matter what he tried to do. I couldn't be helped." She seems as if she wants to say something more on that line, but she changes her subject.
"Anyway, after the incident on my world, he left. In terms of his powers, he used his staff to create shards of light in the air. He could throw them around, merge them, destroy them - he had control. He said it was his way of bringing the Medium to real life. That's the best way I can describe him. A lot of the rest is.. vague." While she is answering, the distortions in the land grow in frequency and magnitude.
"You're waking up now, I think. You're fading away. Hope I helped, somehow. Remember, try to find the physical gate to the M-"Her speech is cut off as you are pulled away from the Medium. Everything fades to black; you open your eyes to find yourself staring at a grey, featureless wall. You turn your head to the left side and find that you're in a minimally-decorated room, with large windows on the left side. You're currently curled up on a bed only slightly larger than your entire frame. At the opposite side of the room are a desk and a chair. There is a stack of papers on the desk, along with a couple of thin folders. Near the door on the right side of the room is a metal shelf, mostly empty save for a few books. There is a note posted on the door. You don't recall moving from the car to a room; someone else must have moved you. Does the Medium dim your senses that much? You had assumed it was like a dream. Perhaps you were just exhausted beyond what you estimated.
As he was pulled along, he couldn't help but make a small smile. If the guard hadn't noticed, he might have gotten an infection, or even lost a limb. He would allow himself to be taken.
Alex RamanYou're taken back to the same exact medical center you were at when you escaped. It's an odd turn of events, seeing yourself back at the same place you started. This time, however, you're not as confident with your powers, seeing as you're still quite fatigued. Additionally, your wounds make it even harder for you to escape if you wanted to. You might have to be a bit more sly in the way that you try to navigate this situation; you don't have the tools to be more brash like before.
The guards take you first to the front desk and then to the familiar hallway from before. A couple of medical practitioners walk by you but don't say anything. You're starting to feel uneasy, however. It's almost a sense of déjà vu. You feel like you're forgetting something about this. The guards let go of you and begin to exit the hallway. However, a familiar and chilling voice dissipates any hope you had of a peaceful escape.
"Guards!" the doctor from last night shouts as soon as he sees you. The guards behind you turn around.
"That man was the same one who killed the guards last night! He assaulted us!" The doctor points at you and backs down the hallway, clearly afraid of you. You look behind you to find the guards walking toward you. One of them begins to talk into his radio, trying to confirm your identity. The other orders you to stop where you are and to put your hands up.
Warren Drake
"Oh, you see, the feturmai of Ziksa Vass are willing to open up passage for me and my reptilian overlord. To go there, we need to go to the Ssartha Vressuli. Simplicity itself, really," Warren explains to Adio with utmost gravity. "Also you're the same kind of mystical person I am from what the master tells me. A Guardian, to be specific."
"Also also, the Guardians are leaving. Across the ocean. That might mean you. Want to come along and find out?"
Invite Adio to suffer through this confusing business with me.
Warren DrakeShe tilts her head, even more confused than before.
”I don’t.. I don’t understand what that means.” When you tell her that she is a “Guardian,” she blinks and puts a hand to her forehead.
”Where.. Where have I heard that before? The last thing you said - Guardian - it sounds familiar.”You then forward Darzenis’ proposal to her, telling her that the Guardians are embarking on an adventure across the wide blue expanse. Her eyes open wide at this, and she half-smiles with excitement.
”I’ve never been anywhere out of this area. This has always been my home. That sounds like fun!” She then changes her tone to a more uncertain one, saying,
”Well, what will we be doing? Why do we need to go across the ocean? Is there something important? Oh, and how will we get there?”((Since this is entirely dialogue I’ll quickly respond to you. I would put more but most of what comes next depends on your own responses.))
Eh Ah
MUST HAVE ALL THE LISTS
Okay, so get myself some of these impounded journals and give them a close read.
Eh AhYou request the some of the personal records of the royal family from one of the nearby guards. Some time passes before he returns with eight assorted journals or diaries. With a cursory inspection, you determine that seven of them are personal in style; the last one is written in the style of a military journal. You start with the most obvious object of interest, which is the journal of Queen Sijha-Crown. You set the rest of the journals to your side, lean against the wall, and start reading through the personal record. Most of what the Queen has written down mainly consists of short, introspective messages detailing various experiences throughout her personal life. Unless you’re interested in her personal relationships, rise to power, and some other unsavory details, you don’t seem to find much that would be of use to you. You do, however, find that the Queen apparently had some short-lived dealings with the Theyin Empire near the date of the invasion of the island. Her references to the Empire seem to fluctuate between fear and respect for the Empire. The journal ends abruptly; it seems as if she started a thought, finished a paragraph for the day, and then dropped the subject and the rest of her writing altogether. The last entry was during the day of the invasion.
Most of the other personal journals follow the same pattern. They talk about mundane experiences, muse about personal developments, or record memories of people and meetings. Only two of the journals really have anything out of the normal, as far as you can see. One, belonging to a man named Adam Crown, seems to detail some rather interesting dealings with the Jaunatne Coalition, particularly with someone named “Twilight.” It appears as if he knew of reconnaissance positions set up by the Jauntane Coalition to warn of a potential Theyin attack. Apparently, the assistance must not have come in time for the invasion. The journal also delivers a rather scathing opinion about the (at the time) current Queen and the Sijha family. It seems that there were divides even within the royal structure of the kingdom itself.
The second of the two interesting journals offers a much more puzzling message. Belonging to a girl named Yulia Sijha. While almost all of the journal is standard for who you presume is a teenager, the final couple of pages appear to be very disturbing. She had scrawled all over the page, drawing, with pencil, various distorted-looking creatures with sharp teeth and multiple large eyes. Additionally, the word “
NOTHING” is written over and over to the point of overlapping several times. The next page features an assortment of self-deprecating and harsh words scribbled in a hurried fashion. Some of them appear to be even nihilistic. Several shapes and blobs are drawn over the words, but you can’t make out what sort of creatures or other objects they are supposed to be. Three-quarters of the way down the page, the writing simply stops. At the bottom of the page, a simple message is written, and a word from the sentence is scribbled over and replaced with another. It reads: “
I want to die NOTHING.” The message simply stops there. Nothing else is written beyond that point.
((I can continue detailing the minor parts of the rest of the journals if you’d like. Otherwise, it’s up to you.))
"My ambition, sir?"
MacDigget pauses for a moment and appears to think, to give the impression that he hasn't always had one goal he held exalted in his mind, that being the relentless pursuit of greater power.
"My ambition is success, sir. May sound rather vague, but let me elaborate. I believe that the worth of one's life can be measured by how much of an impact he or she has on the world. Successful people are those who bend history over their knee and make as much of it revolve around them as possible. You're one such example - you built this company with the sharpness of your mind and steel of your will, and the leadership to attract the best to support you as you made your vision reality. I shopped around figuratively before I came to Regis - you and I actually have more alike in our life stories than you'd think - and I've seen that you and what you've made are the best things I can participate in to be a successful person, to make my mark in the annals of history. In short, I intend to do whatever I can to make Regis' fortunes grow - the more I do, the more I have to look back with pride at upon my deathbed."
All this is spoken with the utmost sincerity and passion of a true believer in a cause, which he partially was. Regis was the best shot he had at accumulating more and more importance and power towards himself, and as long as it continued to benefit him as massively as it had up until this point, he'd do whatever he could to benefit the company.
Present myself as a valuable asset to Rembrant's ambition
Chortleton MacDiggetJackson observes you with a careful gaze, seemingly analyzing you. A few moments later, he stands up fully and smiles.
”That’s the kind of smooth-lipped flattery we need right now. Actually, that brings me to my point.” He stares out the window once again.
”We have a leviathan task ahead of us. The Imperial Ministry of Technology has invited representatives from our corporation and others around the empire to a summit at an undisclosed location. From what I’ve been told, there is a whole new branch of technology that is about to be unveiled to us. It has to do with some recent findings from the Western Front. I think you already know how much it means to me - and everyone else who works in this company - that we stay ahead of the innovation curve.”He turns fully to you and gestures with a hand.
”One of these representatives will be you. Specifically, I trust you to not only attend this meeting, but to find out in advance what this technology is about. More importantly, I want you to find out how this technology was obtained. If we could attain a source, we would be able to independently develop and sell these functions for our own benefit. Would you be willing to accept this task?”((A little on the short side but the rest depends on your response. I will respond as soon as possible with more dialogue.))
Eleri decided to act calm yet vigilant. She knew this feeling from familiar excursions back on her homeland, in many...varied situations. While fleeting and misplaced at times, it usually was connected entirely with what was to come. She stretched and strode along the clean, clear grass calmly, very aware that if she was watched by a villager, her appearance would tell her off on first impression. She bit her lower lip in wonder; villages usually had hunters or farmers awake and about early in the isles, and as far as she knew the feeling she had was connected to something or someone important.
Also break into a quick jog/run into a hiding area, then wait a few seconds--depending on the situation, head to a perimeter near Flynn's location to keep watch over the general area.
EleriThe feeling of discomfort you have continues to grow. You continue to walk along as if you were aware of nothing, but your eyes wander to the treelines. You feel as if you’re being watched. The sounds of the environment seem to be almost muted now; save for the wind and the rustling of the trees, the natural rhythm of the birds and insects seems nearly silenced. You know that this isn’t anywhere near normal.
Your reflexes kick in before anything else. As soon you hear the thump and clink of a projectile being fired, you dodge to your right side. You flinch as what appears to be a weighted net narrowly misses you, spreading onto the grass behind you. Wasting no time, you break into a sprint away from the origin of the projectile. You look around frantically, trying to identify where you’re being attacked from. You can see and hear multiple people around you. There is a figure in the treeline to your front-right; one in the field to your direct right; and the one behind you who shot at you with the net. They are all more than thirty meters away from you. However, they seem to be organized, as they are moving to cut your escape path off. Figuring out a quick path, you sprint as fast as you can to the left. You hope to have all of them far behind you before two of them can cut off your path.
You have no idea if there are any other aggressors hunting you. You continue to watch your surroundings as you weave between trees, hop over boulders and rocks, and drop off of short ledges. You begin to turn down the mountain, hoping to use your momentum to get as far away as possible before you figure out where to go next. A thought passes by in your mind: If you have people actively pursuing you, then what has happened to Flynn? He said before that he was sought after by different organizations for his father’s knowledge. Did they manage to find him at the house of the Prescotts? If he really is valuable to powerful groups, then what does that mean for you? You put this in the back of your mind for now. Your priority right now is simply to escape. You can’t afford to be captured at this point. Your freedom and peace was barely guaranteed for a week. Losing all of that now would be unthinkable.
Author’s Note: I’ll try to stay on top of things as much as I can, despite the amount of difficulty I’m going to be having in the next couple of weeks regarding the work I have to complete. The work, however, is counterbalanced by the fact that I have a lot more energy now, so things may go faster than I expect them to. It’s still very chaotic, so take my word with a grain of salt. Still, don’t hesitate to post your turns. I love reading them and will always do my best to try and respond in a timely manner.
Thank you for reading and hope you have a wonderful week,
Artemis
Author
Topic: Roll To Medium: Awakening [Chapter VI] (Read 146591 times)