Turn 10, A Glimpse Into InfinityEmilia, sensing that things are obviously not as they may appear to be, looks at Reen. Reen, naturally, does not look back, though Emilia can sense a particular uneasiness about her as the gaze of God settles on her along with that of the prophet's. And by divine providence, Emilia is struck with a sudden insight into the mind of Reen.
Images and words swim through her head, through Reen's head, and Emilia perceives a strange thing within the confines of the woman's mind. There are thoughts of many kind. Greed, to a degree. Love for what she does, which seems to be theft of a sort, or perhaps scavenging. A deep desire for relevance and power over others, which manifests as a constant push she tries to exert on her companions, who seem to acquiesce to her requests, and a steadfast refusal to stop moving around for long. But nowhere, Emilia notices, is there an angle. Her true motives are the same as her apparent motives, she can detect.
"Less talk, more looting!" she commands from atop the cart, and Ziph and Erta only grumble in response, going onward to the next house. Ziph kicks the door, Erta standing right behind him.
The house, in turn, responds by collapsing toward them. The two yell and try to move out of the way, and do indeed escape much, but not all of the falling building, ending up in a pile of rotten, broken wood, groaning in pain.
"What was that? Did the entire building just land on you?" Reen asks incredulously as she listens in on the pained sounds emanating from within the collapsed facade.
"Er, not the entire building," the boy corrects.
"Maybe we should go help them?"1 MP spent!* * * * *
Edwin, still mightily peeved by the way things are currently working out, locates a dry, relatively safe spot atop a dry, relatively low alder in the area, and gets quite comfortable on its mossy branches. Sleep comes easily to one as tired as he is, and he dreams fine dreams as he rests.
Well, not fine dreams, exactly. Dreams of a mighty voice in the heavens, in the air, in the earth, within and without his own head, just about everywhere around, screaming to him about his stupendous lack of progress and his unspent divine favor that gives him absolutely no excuse - the nagging becomes bothersome to the point that Edwin wakes up at one point, his unconscious dignity evidently having had enough of the great and merciful Orange Pekoe's haranguing. He feels slightly drowsy, and it's currently sundown, but he can move onward, he thinks - he probably won't get any more lost at night than he would during the day, anyway. And with the setting sun to initially orient him, further travel should be as simple as the swampy terrain allows, which is to say not very.
* * * * *
Brennus, after getting up and looking at the things happening outside his room, finds everything to be in a state of preparation - the gravedigger seems to have prepared a rather full breakfast along with her father's help, and Brennus finds the food inoffensive, if not entirely palatable just like at dinner. And after that bit of food, he goes forth to help with the digging of graves for money, though the urgency of his greater task does not elude him one bit.
Over the course of the first half of the day, Brennus already manages to partly exhaust himself both physically and emotionally as he digs several graves and stands by several funerals, one of which, amusingly enough, seems to be for a stabbed relative of somebody he remembers killing several towns away. Small world, he supposes. Nobody recognizes him, it seems, though he also finds that grave digging lends itself to very little information gathering. In fact, he is no richer in intellectual resources now than he was this morning. In fact, with this fatigue descending over him, he may in fact be poorer in them now. And there's still lots of work to be done, if the gravedigger woman speaks truly.
* * * * *
Derek, thinking hard about his future prophetic prospects, considers Mrs. Sweetie, himself, Ehran and Karse, and where one ended and the other began, and what each could give the other, and how burning nudity figured into all of it.
"Mrs. Sweetie. It occurs to me that you know about the burning, and the magicking, and all that. You learnt all about it, I imagine," he begins, causing Sweetie to incline her head and smile.
"Mrs. Sweetie. Karse is a womanly god, and a kindly if harsh and somewhat fascinated with nudity one. I have served her faithfully for some time now, although I sadly admit I have never yet lifted myself above the throng of middling prophets. Would you join me in my quest, if Karse so deems me to be worthy of your aid?" he asks, kneeling, lifting his arms up to the sky, speaking to the heavens.
"Oh Karse, my Wondrous Lady of Burning Righteousness and Naked Judgement! I have served you as thus far I might, and wish to serve harder! Please! Show us a sign of your judgement and power, and show me that I am worthy to become more than just a middling prophet in the herd of other professing gibberers! I know now what befits someone as lowly as I, but please, grant me, grant us a sign!"As Derek speaks, Sweetie begins to draw closer to him, extending a giant hand toward his kneeling form. And, as Derek beseeches the power of God, he gets a strange urge to grab Sweetie's outstretched hand, and this he immediately does. And as it often is with sudden impulses like this, something unexpected happens. Derek, for his part, feels nothing at all. But Sweetie, from the looks of it, does seem to be experiencing something entirely strange to her - the beckoning smile on her face has disappeared, and she appears to be staring up at the sky in silent wonder, and Derek wonders for a moment what it is she sees, but then he realizes that to wonder is foolish - from the look of her, it is obvious that she now sees Karse where she once did not.
"Er... that's looking a tad strange," Ehran comments as Sweetie stares blankly at the sky, mouth hanging slightly open. The field they are standing in is almost entirely silent apart from the crickets making noise, and maybe a distant owl or two. This lasts for roughly two minutes, at which point the large woman blinks once, then again, and lets go of Derek's hand, lowering her gaze to meet his in a serious manner. One of her hands goes into one of the folds of her robe, producing a tiny box-like artifact, which she pushes a button on, causing a small hook to extend from its surface. Pulling out a chain from another fold of the robe, she creates an impromptu necklace of sorts, which she puts around her neck immediately. And then she takes her robe off, though this somehow makes her look even more strangely dignified than before.
"You're going for it! I knew you'd be going for it!" Ehran triumphantly proclaims, then stops.
"Hm. Well, I'm guessing I shouldn't be letting myself be left out now, eh?" he says at last, slurring a bit, then quickly takes off his set of clothes, leaving all three of them standing naked in a field, sharing in the chilly evening breeze.
2 MP spent!
Nudity successfully promoted x2! 2 MP gained!As a result of Derek's actions, Divine Knowledge has been given a new additional parameter - who is affected by the revelation, and at what range!
Derek: 5 MP
Wilhelm: 6 MP
Emilia: 4 MP
Edwin: 5 MP
Brennus: 5 MP
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Topic: Birth of a Deity: Turn 17, Multitudinous Failures of Words (Read 26108 times)