Cloudsea - The Chronicle of Alice Van Vaugen

>Take the book. Snatch it a little quicker than is polite. The sheer mountain moving hunger for this book is nearly draconian. In your mind's eye, you see this book in your dragon's hoard of knowledge. Life without this book is simply not an option.

> This is odd. Too odd. Pinch yourself. This dream gone too far! You probably still dreaming.

Alice looks at the book. Then back to the... thing. She brings a hand up and pinches an ear experimentally.

"Am I awake? ... What time is it?"

The haze floats there, passively. When a moment or two has passed, Alice suddenly reaches out and snaps the book up. She begins to examine it's cover closely, looking for more information. Who made this book? Why is it in her possession now? What information does this book hold?

I assure you, Alice. You are not asleep. To be honest, you were not asleep on our previous meeting. You were dead.

Alice stops. Her hands grip the book harder for a moment.

"... Do not stand at my grave and weep. I am not there, I do not sleep. I am the thousand winds that blow... I am the diamond glints on snow..."

A fine poem, but perhaps not as appropriate. You have no grave, and considering the circumstances, I'm not entirely sure there are many left to weep upon it's nothingness.

A flinch. Alice glared at the figure now. She turned away and sat down on the floor of the void, and slowly opened the front cover. She began to read, and the figure watched.

To perchance change the subject... your voices, some of them are quite insistent, are they not? Is it the nature of mortals to have such powerful urges speaking to them at all times, or is your love of books that deep?

That got her attention back. A glance over her shoulder. She goes back to reading. The first chapter describes the void that she is in. Emptiness, endless eternity, owned by an entity- likely the one that was bugging her. ... Is this what it is like to be scrutinized and questioned by someone who clearly doesn't understand you? Alice suddenly felt a slight moment of guilt for how she treated visitors to her home all her life.

"I don't know. Some writers have thought as such: That mortals, humans, all creatures of high intelligence, are driven by genetic and biological imperatives. Eat. Drink. Sleep. Mate. Kill. I can't deny that I have a certain... I like books. Alright? You're in my head, right? You can just poke around, I'm sure. Books are just easier to deal with than other people."

You're right. I could. I could do a lot of things. The difference is that I will not, unless asked. Even then, I am limited by the level of our understanding of each other. In order to gain more power over you, or even just gain the ability to monitor you on a deeper level, I would have to give you the ability to monitor me. As it is, you do not even know what to call me, much less, what I am.

"Yes! And that's quite annoying! I- I agreed to all of this without understanding what it is you want. I still don't know. . . . I don't suppose you can tell me if Qhen is at least on the level with me?"

I can tell you. Would you like to know?

Alice has closed the book, just so she can level a stare at the floating haze. With a gesture, a table appears- at HER bidding. A small thing, big enough to put the book on, and then place a hand on to pull herself back up to standing. If floating haze could look impressed, it would, right about now. As it is, it continues to float there.

Alice has gained the most basic understanding of the Voidspace. She can now create and destroy minor objects made by manipulating the void. She also has a copy of The Void Manifest. You can examine those things later, at your leisure.

Impressive. It seems we will not be trapped here long at all. Which is good. I presumed you would not want to be stuck in this empty space for the rest of time.

"Yeah well, I read fast, and the theories are pretty easy to understand. Now answer my question, please."

The haze 'turns' to look where Qhen once was. Then back to Alice.

Qhen does not mean you any harm. However, the one inside their mind is not quite so benign. They do not wish you death, per se, but they intend to fight you. As soon as you leave this place, they will leverage their control over Qhen to fight you. To answer your next question: You can leave this place at any time. You just need to make the door. This place is as much your home as it is mine, now.

Alice's face goes through a few phases, and the haze, despite having a direct connection to her mind, has a very hard time figuring out what she's feeling. Alice herself, on the other hand, is getting overwhelmed. She needs to take a step back, and get some information. What does she need to know?

> Can she get rid of the power controling Qhen? If so how?

>There are dangers involved in this stuff, there always are. What are they?

"I've read a lot of books. Not all of them are fictional- and there are always dangerous with... this sort of thing."

Alice indicated herself and the haze.

"I'm hoping you could tell me about any of those kinds of things before we go any further with all this."

And where would you have me start? Of course there are dangers, Alice of Vaugen. I am a strange entity of unusual power, and you are sharing your mind with me. The problem is, as I previously stated: The danger is based on knowledge. The more you know, the greater the danger, both to you and myself.

"Well that's real damn convenient, then isn't it? Does that mean you can't tell me if there's a way to... cleanse Qhen? Banish whatever it is that they are suffering from?"

The haze floats there.

Simply answering that question could be enough to advance our understanding of one another. It is not a question of simply being able to tell you these things. It is a matter of trust. Can you trust that my goals will always be aligned with your own, Alice of Vaugen?

"Well- Of course not! I don't even know what my own goals are, right now! You told me I was dead- and then you brought me back to life- I think? I was barely awake long enough to register it even as a dream, and then there was Qhen... I can't even really remember what happened previous to all of this. If you asked me, I'd say I've gone crazy. But I need to know-"

Do YOU need to know, or do the voices that speak to your urges need to know?

"You know what? Don't know. Don't care! That's on the list now. I need you to tell me about these voices."

... If haze could look defeated, this is probably what it looks like. Or annoyed. It clutches it's hands and 'stares' at them, then starts staring a hole through Alice. Alice briefly considers what the consequences of pushing her luck could be.

Very well. Tell me then, what is more important right now? Knowing more about the dangers, knowing about the voices, or knowing how to 'save' this Qhen? I'll answer any two questions you ask, if they are within my power to do so. I'll wait for you to decide, with your... vocal thoughts. After that, whatever happens will be out of my control.

>Danger is a very broad term. Focus on the Voices and then Qhen. In that order. Correct the haze if it tries to start with Qhen first, the disorganized thing.

Seconding.

Alice look very uncomfortable all of a sudden. Her shoulders shrug up and she places a hand against her ear, and tilts her head from one side to the other. Her brow furrows, and the haze watches her. It doesn't actually need her to say anything. It would be much more convenient if she didn't ask the questions bubbling up in her head. But she will ask, because knowledge is important.

"... I can hear them. It's really easy to just dismiss them as my brain's thought process wandering, but sometimes they're crystal clear. I'm hoping this is your fault, because I'm not ready to admit that... I'm... crazy."

The voices have always been there. They are a part of you. It is part of why I was drawn to you.

"Cool. Continue explanation, I'll have to ask about that some other time."

The voices that you can hear are manifestations of your urges, in a sense. They will encourage you to do things. They are part of the overarching narrative that is now your life. You will feel compelled to do the things they say. Think the thoughts they think. Say the things they say. As you did.

"So I'm not crazy, I'm just not fully in control of my facilities. Thanks... What keeps me from just... you know."

Nothing. The voices may ask you to do stupid things. Dangerous things. Deadly things. That is where my support comes in. I will do my best to make sure you understand that some things are just better left as thoughts.

Alice stared into the haze. She narrowed her eyes a little, as it flickered and shifted in front of her. She looked at her hands, then back at the haze. She stuck a hand into it, and wiggled it around, then pulled it back out.

"Well. Fine. I guess. It seems like something I just shouldn't worry about. I hope we get along together, voices- WAIT so is this like having other people in my head? Are they watching me? How much of my life are they aware of? I have privacy concerns!"

Sort of. Yes. Depends. Some may want to know more. Some might want to know less. Your concerns are not unwarranted- But think of your life as a book. A writer tries to gloss over things that are unimportant, in the grand scheme."

"Oh. So. Are they aware of this conversation?"

I assure you, Alice of Vaugen, this conversation is quite important. To you, to me, to them.

Alice walks away. The haze floats there for a moment, then turns to look at you. It floats, and watches you. It tilts it's head, then turns back to Alice, who has returned, nursing a cup in her hands.

You are taking quickly to your powers, here. Shall we continue? The voices were insistent that we spoke of Qhen after we spoke of them, and I agree- it was the correct order.

She sits down on a little stool, staring into the cup.

"Yeah. Sure. Qhen. Can we- I..."

. . .

"Is this a I, or a We? Are we a team? Are the voices part of that team? How does that work?"

. . .

"And don't give me anything about how you said two questions, or how the voices are asking about themselves and Qhen. You said this is about trust, right? Trust, like respect, power, money and fame, is only worth anything if you earn it. I mean-"

Alice looked down at her cup, suddenly realizing she was wearing a very angry look on her face. She took a drink. The contents of the cup are consistent with an herbal fruit tea. One sugar cube. One spoon of cream.

"I have the most terrible suspicion that I am being used with ulterior motives."

We are only a team, if you wish to be one. That goes for me, and your voices. We each have something to offer each other. The voices bring new, fresh, interesting ideas. You have a solid head on your shoulders, and an understanding of the world that the voices do not have.

"And what do you bring?"

Until you find a purpose or path where I cannot follow, I will keep you alive, to the best of my ability. No. You are not immortal. To wit- even if you were, you will likely find dying incredibly displeasing. I suggest you avoid it at all costs. Shall we talk about Qhen now?

Alice gets up again. Walks away. Comes back. Sits down.

". . .Okay. Yes. I don't know if Qhen goes in the 'trustworthy' list, but if they're being manipulated by something, against their will... It seems like a good idea to stop that."

It's quite simple. You will need to engage Qhen in combat, and then, when the opportunity arises, kill the specter that possesses them.

". . ."

. . .

"That's it. That's the advice?"

The ground- the void begins the shake. Alice suddenly looks up from her tea, and glances around. Great cracks begin to appear in the distance, spreading faster and faster as they approach, forming a great web as the furthest expanses of the white void begin to fall away, revealing a black abyss beyond.

Sorry, Alice of Vaugen. I said two questions for a reason. I do not say these things out of some desire to hide things from you. I was merely thinking of how much time we had left.

"What is happening...?"

We're being pulled into someone's zone of influence...

- BATTLE THEME INTENSIFIES -


Alice and Qhen stare at each other from across a grassy field floating in a black abyss. What now?

>Alright Qhen, put up your dukes, let's fight. It's for your own good.

"W-Wait- What's that music? What's going on?"

Qhen begins popping... ALL their joints. Which is a deeply unsettling process. Then they take a forward, low to the ground stance, and brandish their little claws, which look a good deal more threatening now!

Qhen> Pre-Battle Preamble: Silence is Deadly
{Alice has taken 5 points of Morale damage!}

Do not lose heart. You cannot see me, cannot hear me, but I am here. With you. Take a deep breath. Draw your weapon, and prevail, for you are- ( MEDDLER. I HAVE FOUND YOU. )

Just one slow, deep breath in, as Alice calmly pops the button on her holster with a thumb, the gun practically falling into her hand. She doesn't want to kill Qhen, so she automatically equips the Flash round for now. Slow, deep breath out. She raises her gun, looking past the barrel at Qhen.

Alice> Pre-Battle Preamble: Breathe In, Breathe Out
{Alice regains 5 points of Morale!}
{Flash Round Equipped - Light, Sonic, Explosive}

( ) "I don't want to do this, Qhen, we just met!"
( ) "I thought you said you were here to protect me?"
( ) "You're pretty adorable like that, like a kitten!"
( ) "Don't worry, I'll save you, Qhen!"
( ) "WITTY PHRASE!"

HP 10/10 - MP 15/15 - AP 18/20>

> "Witty phrase!!!!!"

>A very dramatic and heroic "Don't worry, I'll save you!"would be thematically appropriate.

>A very dramatic and heroic "Don't worry, I'll save you!"would be thematically appropriate.

". . ."

". . .?"

Alice takes a deep breath again... then sweep their free hand at Qhen, keeping her weapon at ready!

"Don't worry, Qhen! I'm going to save you!"

Qhen blinks. Those eyes focus on Alice's face, and their head tilts slightly. Then they smile and nod.

{Qhen has gained some amount of Morale!}

"I know. That's your job, right? Can't say I'm not in awe... or a little jealous. But-" ( DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME. THEY ARE ONLY TRYING TO DISTRACT YOU. YOUR VICTORY IS ASSURED. )

". . .Can you- hear that?"

"H-H-Hear what? Hear what? I can hear you! Or are you talking about the wind?"

"... There is no wind here.

"Well then what you hear is YOUR IMPENDING DEFEAT! RAAAH!"

{Qhen has gained some amount of Morale!}

Claws meet the side of Alice's gun, bringing it up just in time to block. A foot hooks behind her ankle, and the two of them go tumbling into the grass for a moment, Qhen using the momentum to shove Alice roughly against the ground and use her as a springboard to get back up on their feet. Alice rolls over, bringing her arms up over her head, eyes squeezed shut as she fires!

Light, sound, the wave of force, and the sudden heat-shock to her entire body... Not fire, mind you. Alice had learned the difference in chemical compositions required to ensure a sharp bang, a bright flash, but without setting herself on fire. Not too often, anyway. The ringing in her ears changed, and she reached the count of three in her head, so it was time to get up.

Alice scrambled as quickly as she could, still mostly deafened, and leapt at Qhen! The two of them tumbled again and Alice picked a spot and struck with the butt of her pop-gun! It felt like hitting a rock covered in skin- which is not a comparison Alice thought she would ever find herself making- and she jerked away as the shock shook her wrist, making it ache. Qhen's hand raked at Alice, knocking Alice to the side, and they stumbled away from each other while gasping for air and trying to clear their eyes and ears of the pain.

{Alice has taken 3 points of Health damage!}
{Qhen has taken some Health damage!}
{Alice has taken 2 points of Morale damage!}
{Qhen has taken some Morale damage!}

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?"

"WHAT?"

"I SAID- WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?"

"OH! IT'S A HAND-LOADED ARTILLERY RIFLE SHELL I MADE! I CALL IT FLASH!"

"FLASH? WHAT ARE YOU SOME SORT OF GUN Wizard oh I can hear now oh god everything still tastes like potassium."

"YEAH- Oh- Yeah. Sorry. It's a mixture I've been working on for a long time! Would you like to see another one?"

At that, Qhen got back down into a combat stance, although the both of them were quite shaky.

"I... wish I knew why I had to fight you... I just can't help myself..."

( ) "Like a voice telling you to do it? I have those too. Just focus really hard on telling them to shut up."
( ) "Like a presence floating nearby, urging you on?"
( ) "I know, I'm surprised too! I didn't think anybody would be in such a hurry to put their hands on me!"
( ) "We don't HAVE to fight. We could just sit here until one of us gets bored. I could make us tea- Although I could make an argument for trying alcohol for the first time now."
( ) "I think I was supposed to have something witty, helpful, or even interesting to say, but I'm coming up blank. Can you pretend I said something cool?"

Suggested Load?
Flash Shell (2) [Light, Sonic, Explosive]
Shot Shell (3) [AOE, Blunt, Explosive]
AP Shell (4) [Piercing, Piercing, Piercing]
S.Slug Shell (2) [Blunt, Piercing]
Flame Shell (3) [Fire, Explosive]
Reg. Shell (1) [Explosive]

To be honest, Alice REALLY wishes she had some non-lethal shells now that weren't just the Flash Shell. She makes a note to work on that provided she ever gets to go back to reality. Also she's very much against using AP and S.Slug. Shot, Flame and Reg., used properly (IE: shot against the ground, or timer-adjusted to explode in midair) could do some damage without leaving any (hopefully) lasting scars.

HP 7/10 - MP 13/15 - AP 18/20>

> "We don't have to. Do you want some tea, or something? And biscuits?"
> Flash Shell, light.

>"Like a presence floating nearby, urging you on?"
>Flash shell, light

>Go into full action hero mode. If you've got any shades, now's the time to use them.
>Give 'em the ol' flash shell.

"We don't have to fight. I could make some tea... and biscuits?"

". What? I mean, I DO want to fight you, but I don't know why I'm doing it now! Fighting is how I make friends! Usually."

"Oh... Is it like there is a presence floating nearby, egging you on?"

"Ssssssort of. I guess that's one way to put it. It's hard to explain and- I'm not sure you would understand."

"Try me. The last few totaled hours of me being conscious have been a real trip. YOU would not believe what I've had to put up with."

". . . Is this a Weird-Off? Because floating presences are kinda weird but-"

"Also I was technically dead until I woke up today."

Qhen blinks. They stand up and brush their hood back, rubbing at the top of their head, fiddling with one of their horns.

". . . A-Ah. Well- Okay. Maybe you WOULD believe me. Or at least understand... But I really can't talk about it! It would be rude to- uh- talk about it... if it... wasn't here.. You know what I mean?"

"Not a clue. I'm just taking a shot in the dark because I've apparently sold my soul to a floating black mist and that book you passed me was some sort of primer on how to utilize an endless void where time doesn't exist. Also I have voices in my head that tell me to do stuff like THIS!"

"What- What ARE you doing, anyway?"

"Oh. This? It's- Well. It's another one of those Flash shells. I've opened it up, and I'm stripping out the elemental tablets that enhance the BANG and HEAT parts of this. Most of my shells are basically fancy fireworks. Isn't that neat? Don't worry- I know it's boring. All my hobbies are boring. That's why I don't have any friends- but I'm not really that bitter about it because books are cool! Books don't expect stuff of me and I don't need to know how to talk to books

"oh my god are you having a breakdown right now i don't think this is the time for that"

and I was really hoping that maybe I just had a really bad dream but I have a real terrible looking scar right in the middle of my chest where I'm pretty sure some horrible half-metal, half-meat monster eviscerated out some of my organs and now It's bad enough that it's hard for me to relate to others but now I have another awkward hangup about how I look and talk and act and- ... Anyway! I have a plan! It's not a good plan but it's the best I have so I hope it works."

Qhen's eyes dart back and forth. They look to the side, then up, as if looking at something. They nod just a little, and their fists open and close a few times.

"R-Right. I know." "So... what's this plan of yours? Is it to- uh, talk me to unconsciousness? Heh...?"

Alice reaches into her pouch. She forgot these, but she remembered now. One of the voices reminded her. Oddly enough, it was the one shouting at her angrily earlier, she thinks? She can't discern between them yet. But she's trying. She spins the dark glassed riot goggles around on a finger before stopping to slip them over her eyes, also casually slipping the modified shell into her pop-gun when Qhen isn't looking that closely.

"Nah. You got big ol eyes. Probably really good for hunting- some sort of genetic hereditary thing, I'm sure. So they're big, and also your skin is even worse at keeping light out than my own, right? So I'm just going off a book I read recently, but I think you've been possessed by some sort of angry or vengeful spirit? I'm not sure why it wants a piece of me, but that's something I can figure out after I've hit you with enough of these modified flash grenades that you pass out."

"what" "What happened to saving me?!"

"Don't worry! Still intend to do that! But you said it yourself, you're not entirely sure why you're fighting me now! That suggests to me that you're not entirely in control of your body, even if you think you are! The best solution is to knock you out then fight whatever is inside you. Either that, or you gotta really buckle down and FIGHT it."

"I... I can't! You don't understand what this thing is! It just wanted me to test you... but now it's hissing in my ear and threatening to hurt you and I kinda wanna hang out and read more of your books-"

POOMF. -FWASH!-

Alice charges in, right through the flash and the resulting cloud of smoke. Qhen has an arm up to try and cover her eyes, but it still stings. Alice makes a note: ("Possibly light sensitive?") She remembers that Qhen is also hard as a freaking rock and immediately realizes that she did not in fact have a plan for AFTER the flash shell. Oh well.

Qhen and Alice roll around in the grass for a few minutes again, Qhen making closed fist punches on Alice instead of open handed claw attacks, while Alice flails away with her gun-butt, quickly trying to think on what to do next... She makes another note: ("try and learn a traditional melee weapon art" "maybe cudgels? a rifle butt would make a pretty good club-aaaaaa")

Alice goes tumbling across the grass as Qhen kicks her away with both feet, and when she lands, she's already scrambling for another shell. She gets back up on her feet and Qhen is waiting a short distance away.

( FINISH HER. THE MEDDLER IS WITHIN OUR GRASP. ) "you said we could be friends when this was done!" ( IF YOU CANNOT FIND THE MEDDLER, THEN SHE MUST DIE. ) "im TRIED! i don't want to do this anymore! i'm so tired please let me sleep." ( YOU CAN SLEEP WHEN SHE IS- )

"SHE is right here and she can hear BOTH OF YOU, you know?!"

"aaa. Librarian- I-..."

"I get it. You're tired. I'm tired too. This has been a lot of garbage to take in. As soon as we're done here, I'm totally going to take- Well, a bath now, I guess. Grass stains and sweat and blood and all that. But then I wanna just- sit down, have some tea, read a book, and nap until I can't nap anymore. The voices in my head are trying to help me save you. Which is why I have a new plan. Okay?"

"What is it...?"

" - "

{Alice has taken 1 Health damage!}
{Qhen has taken some Health damage!}
{Alice has taken 3 Morale damage!}
{Qhen has taken some Morale damage!}

if you really exist, and you're not just another part of some crazy hallucination i'm having... please help me. if we have another serious tussle, i might not be able to get up again. i'll shoot her if i have to- but that would be really sad, i think.

( ) "I'm going to knock you out."
( ) "You're going to knock me out."
( ) "We're going to knock each other out."
( ) "You're going to refuse to fight me."
( ) "You're going to have to trust me." (Custom Plan Suggestion Here)

HP 6/10 - MP 10/15 - AP 16/20>

> Qhen, if you trust me, I need you to resist the voice and the urges.
(This may go terribly wrong, but who's counting)

>Custom Plan: it seems the thing possessing Qhen is really interested in your books. Here's a plan that's a combination of several. Tell Qhen to fight the entity controlling them, then you knock Qhen out, the shock and trauma should be enough to expel the entity out of surprise and anger. Then when it makes a beeline for one of your books you can trap it inside by slamming the book closed on top of it. As you know, one of your culture's traditional methods of trapping evil spirits is stuffing them into books. Maybe the mysterious book you have is good at trapping spirits, maybe it gets more powerful the more spirits you put in it, maybe YOU get more powerful the more spirits you put in it. I don't know, try it out and see what happens. Should be interesting either way.

>You and Qhen can go get ice cream when this is taken care of. Nice way to round off the day.

>Custom Plan: it seems the thing possessing Qhen is really interested in your books. Here's a plan that's a combination of several. Tell Qhen to fight the entity controlling them, then you knock Qhen out, the shock and trauma should be enough to expel the entity out of surprise and anger. Then when it makes a beeline for one of your books you can trap it inside by slamming the book closed on top of it. As you know, one of your culture's traditional methods of trapping evil spirits is stuffing them into books. Maybe the mysterious book you have is good at trapping spirits, maybe it gets more powerful the more spirits you put in it, maybe YOU get more powerful the more spirits you put in it. I don't know, try it out and see what happens. Should be interesting either way.

>You and Qhen can go get ice cream when this is taken care of. Nice way to round off the day.

Seconding this one instead.

Thirding above

...... possessing qhen............ books....... knock qhen out............ expel........ trap it inside.............. stuffing them into books............. trapping spirits........... maybe you......... i don't know, try it out and see what happens. Should be interesting either way.

"...That's STUPID. You're STUPID! I am going to DIE and-" ( No, this should work. ) "EXCUSE ME?"

You want Qhen to trust you. I trust the voices, and to that end, I want you to trust me. Just once. This plan will work, but you need to commit to it.

"But... Trust is hard, you know?"

"Uh. Yes? I suppose?

"I have put up with a lot of stupid people who want things from me, when all I've wanted to do is just... do my own thing."

"I can understand that, I think." ( WHAT ARE YOU DOING, DESTROY THEM. ) "I'm just tired of wandering around by myself. Even with the ship I'm on, I don't really mingle well with the crew..."

"Cool! Then this works out! You just trust me long enough to make this plan work. When we're both safe, I can go home, you can hang out and read books, and maybe we can see about locating some ice cream or something. Bath, tea, books and ice cream. Cool?"

"Um... Really?"

"Do you have any reason to doubt me right now, outside of a weird creepy voice shouting at you to kick my ass?"

"No?"

"Okay. Then my plan is simple. You're going to do everything in your power to resist that voice, including not moving, and I'm going to knock you out. Where's the softest spot I can hit?"

"This sounds like a terrible plan and that's a really weird question!"

"Then don't worry about it! Just, no matter what you do- HOLD STILL!"

Alice ran straight at Qhen, a third series of voices screaming in her head. Her own. This was stupid. This was all stupid. But you know what they say about plans. If it works, it wasn't stupid! And besides... Alice could feel herself smiling. A swipe at her side, and her gun was back in it's holster, button snapping back into place as she slid a pair of s.slug shells out of her pouch, putting one in each hand for weight. Some people believe it is a curse to wish 'an interesting life' on someone, or to live in 'interesting times'. But maybe those people weren't trapped in their own town, in their own house, in their own head.

Alice fell upon Qhen, knocking the both of them down into the grass. ( STOP RESISTING! ) Alice knew she wasn't strong, so she'd have to make these blows count. If Qhen's biology was anything like a human... Her hand struck the side of Qhen's head, hand aching already as she aimed to daze Qhen in case this plan didn't work. ( FIGHT BACK! SHE CAN'T HELP YOU. ONLY I CAN HELP YOU. YOU DON'T NEED ANYBODY ELSE, QHEN. ) She struck again and again... and it wasn't working. Damnit- Think, Alice! Think! What can you even do? No- 'What can YOU do?' Not 'What are you even good at?' but "What are you GOOD at-

"Qhen!"

"Alice, I'm sorry! I can't do this much longer!"

"No, that's fine! Launch me!"

"... Ah?"

"I need the distance! I'm gonna take you out in one shot! Just kick me back and then come at me with everything you got!"

"A-... That-... This is stupid! I'm going to hurt you, or worse!

Alice tightened her stomach muscles, and closed her eyes. This was going to hurt. She didn't have anything left in her, so she was going to have to MAKE this wor-HURK. Qhen's knees crack as they pop back with superhuman speed, and she barely registers the feet against her torso before she is sent flying. Master Kui was a fencer, a swashbuckler, and a scoundrel, and taught her that if you had to take a hit... Roll with the blow, and make it look good. She hit the grass and immediately kicked her legs up like she did so many times when she was younger, rolling once- twice... and then ending up on her feet. Which was good, because Qhen was already coming this way.

Alice was good at one thing. Learning. She wasn't good at respecting authority, or good at understanding other people, or even really good at having a conversation where she didn't feel awkward and out of place... But every tutor, trainer, teacher had always taught her something. She read that strange book. The Void Manifest. She understood where she was. A sort of... crawlspace between reality and every other world that might exist. It didn't matter that this crawlspace didn't belong to her or her Possessor. She knelt down and touched the ground. She began to feel tired as she channeled her own energy, her very stamina into the 'ground'... Qhen drew closer- and closer- and-

She was also fairly fast herself. She timed it as close as she could, then grabbed a handful of the ground and pulled. Her fist twisted around as she brought it up, making as if to uppercut Qhen- Except she was a split second early. But that's okay. She probably would shatter her hand at this point. Instead, she was going to let Qhen punch herself in the face with the steel bar she was pulling up out of the ground.

WHUD.

"HJRRAARK-"

Alice stumbled to her feet as she let go of the metal she had pulled into existence from the fabric of the void. She stumbled not because she was surprised that worked- but...

( YOU FOOL. DID YOU THINK KNOCKING MY AVATAR UNCONSCIOUS WOULD STOP ME? )

A mist, a- A haze... not unlike the one she was familiar with, began to swirl around Qhen's unconscious body. This one was crimson in color, and it began to rise ( WRITHE. ) up and solidify, becoming a large crimson cloud of haze, with a blood red hooded cloak pulled around it. It began to extend an uncountable number of arms from under it's cloak, each clutching another weapon in it's grip.

( DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHAT YOU ARE ATTEMPTING TO FIGHT? CAN YOU COMPREHEND MY MIGHT? )

"Look. I'm really tired. I don't have anything left in me. I don't know what your beef with me is and I don't care. It probably has something to do with how you look like a terribly written villain or something. I'm just going to take Qhen and we're going to go back to my house, oka-"

( TERRIBLY WRITTEN VILLAIN?! I AM BEYOND 'GOOD' AND 'EVIL'... AND QHEN BELONGS TO ME! I AM THE MUSE OF THE ANTI-HERO AND YOU DON'T EVEN DESERVE TO BE IN MY STORY! )

Alice suddenly looked and felt even more tired. The Alice in her head was still making a racket- but... she wasn't just screaming. She never was. She was screaming with laughter. This was everything she wanted. To see things. New things. Thought provoking things. Impossible things. She looked at the haze which floated beside her. It wasn't as dark as it used to be. It was more of a grey color. Like a cloudy afternoon. If she plunged her arm into it, would it be cold?

"What the hell have you even gotten me into? If you had said from the start that this was some sort of weird immortal grudge match, I probably would have said no."

( No, you wouldn't have. You would have said yes without even asking any important questions, and you wouldn't have the knowledge you have now. The knowledge you need. )

"I would not! I would- ... Did... Did I get outsmarted by a cloud?"

( I would allow you the 'out' of admitting that I was a very old cloud, but to me, the reckoning of time is meaningless. I just am. )

With a defeated sigh, Alice touched her pouch. It was still there. She feel it's power. The book was actively asking to be used now. She looked at the thing that menaced her. The Muse. She wondered if that was a title, or a description. Was the thing that was helping her also a 'Muse'? Hm. Oh well. She promised Qhen ice cream and- Crap. She just remembered that the city was attacked. She wonders if she can make good on that promise... She does have a recipe, and if any small markets or even just animals survived... Maybe! She's never milked an animal before! That would be... probably gross. Anyway. She gripped the book with her hand.

( ) "Your shouting is giving me a headache. It's time to take a nap."
( ) "I need to get Qhen back to my house so I can make sure I didn't give them permanent brain damage."
( ) "What makes you think this is your story?"
( ) "Why don't you come over here and find out what happens?"
( ) You're just too tired to even think of anything witty. Just trashcan this idiot already.
( ) You know what? Make ( ? ) deal with this. You're tired. How tired? THIS --v TIRED.

{Qhen took some Health damage!}
{Qhen took some Morale damage!}
{Alice took 8 Health damage!}
{Alice is now holding on with her willpower!}
{Alice took 2 Morale damage from the rollover!}
{Qhen has been rendered unconscious!}

HP 0/10 - MP 8/15 - AP 16/20>

( ) You know what? Make ( ? ) deal with this. You're tired. How tired? THIS --v TIRED.
(Then flip it off.)