Cloudsea - The Chronicle of Alice Van Vaugen

>"To be the one in control and walk my own path. You do what I say now."

> Something almost dead, gone and forgotten. Few people in Cloudsea know of its existence but you do. Of course you do. It's your very being, your very identity. Your soul. You will find the people who took it, and take it back by force, otherwise all you've got is the dregs of humanity you still have left. Who knows, maybe once you get it back, you'll find the true purpose you forgot.

SpoilerShow

To be the one in control... almost dead, gone and forgotten... walk my own path... your very identify... you do what i say now... find the true purpose you forgot.

"Heh... Are they always this... cryptic? Hard to read?"

( It really depends on the voices. They are myriad. Almost beautiful, like little stars of individuality. Still, they got quite close, didn't they? )

"Maybe. But they were off on one point. Listen up, voices. Even if I could, I would never make this thing do my bidding. I've been on the other end of the 'master/slave' relationship. Never again. You hear me? Any ideas like that again, and I'll just shut my ears and... try to ignore invisible voices that I can hear in my head, I guess. You'll find I have one hell of a stubborn streak. . . . That said, I like you guys, I guess. I hope we can have a fun and profitable relationship. Now, give me your power, I just want to be -"

The golem was getting even closer. Qhen and Empty had simply vanished into thin air. Viss was extremely displeased with this, especially since they hissed something about Qhen having 'that look' on their face. But that wasn't really a problem. The problem was that the golem was looking for them. Or rather, it knew where they were, because it emitted a high pitched squeal from the choir-pipes coming out of it's shoulders, and caused Alice to shriek in pain.

Viss looked at Alice. Alice was breathing heavily, and was curled up into a ball. She did not look good at all, and Viss was starting to worry about their chances for survival. Viss could probably run away and leave Alice here, if only to save their own skin- But Qhen probably wouldn't like that. No, Qhen would DEFINITELY not like it. Not that Qhen would know why. Viss has known Qhen for a while. Viss is very good at detecting moods. Alice and Qhen are both stubborn fools. That is all Viss will say on the matter.

SpoilerShow

"Viss hopes you really know what you are talking about, Aliss, because in a couple minutes, that golem is going to be on top of us, and then we'll be well and truly-"

"-FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!-"

There was a sound like fabric ripping as Qhen's voice returned to the world... but it was loud. So loud, and it echoed... and it sounded so... powerful. Crashing sounds. Cracking sounds. The sound of tearing metal, and a discordant cacophony of screaming voices that made Viss dizzy, before with another -crunch-, were instantly and permanently silenced.

Footsteps. Much lighter than the footfalls of the golem, but again- so much more powerful. Viss shifted over to block Alice, while bringing up her knife and-

SpoilerShow

"Tempest tossed, Qhen- what...-"

". . . Hey Qhen... Empty- Empty told me you found what you were looking for... How is it?"

Qhen's eyes were now just black pools set into their skull- A skull, which Alice and Viss quickly noted, had no skin on it. Or muscle. The same could be said of their body, which their clothes now loosely hung on. Alice's eyes drifted over Qhen's bone structure. It was... interesting. Fascinating. It was like they had a suit of bone armor under their skin. A cloak seemingly made of liquid blood wraped around their shoulders and head, and dripped down their back and onto the ground.

SpoilerShow

"Heh. You're just unfazed sometimes, aren't you, Alice? I didn't find what I was looking for- ... I just found what it was I wanted."

"... H-h-heheheehee..."

"Uh."

"You have so many teeth! You're like a SHARK- ngh- Ow- ... I wish my arm wasn't hurting... and that we were at the house. And that I had a pencil and paper in hand..."

"... Viss? What's wrong with Alice?"

"Choirbeast made a terrible sound. Aliss has been... dazed, ever since. Not sure what to do. Viss did not want to hit her."

". . . *sigh* Here. I got this. Get up and check the choirbeast's corpse. I think there are more coming, I need the two of you up and awake and aware. Hey. Alice. Hey. Look at me."

"Hi Qhen. You're pretty like this, but I like you with skin and those eyes of yours."

"... oh my god are you having some sort of weird breakdown again now is not the TIME Alice."

"I just... I just wanted to apologize for how I've been acting. I'm really messed up in the head, you know? Never knew my parents, spent my entire childhood being raised by people who claimed they knew or otherwise owed my parents everything."

". . .Alice. . ."

"I'm not good with people. But I like you, you know? It's not immediately terrible to talk to you. Or Viss. You're both good. But I-"

Qhen leaned down and grabbed Alice's cheeks, and Alice stared into Qhen's eyes.

SpoilerShow

"Alice. I do not have time for this. You do not have time for this. WE do not have time for this. I do not care right now. When we are all safe and sound, we can talk about your past, and what you think of me and all that, but I NEED YOU. HERE. Now. Do you understand?"

". . . Y-Yes. Sorry. You're right- I just. Give me a minute."

"If you're not up and with me and Viss in ten seconds, I am going to come back and get you."

"Yes'r."

Qhen stood up and walked over to where the... corpse? of the choirbeast was. It was mobile. It displayed some form of intelligence. Even if it was a mechanical thing, it was still alive, and thus left a corpse. Which made it all the weirder that Viss has climbed inside it and was hacking away with a knife. A few moments later- exactly 8 seconds, Qhen would like to note- Alice wandered over, holding her gun in her offhand still.

SpoilerShow

"Do I want to know, Viss?"

"Viss is dissecting the body, Qhen. You know that. Viss is looking for weaknesses. Viss has found a lot, but none of those. Or rather, Viss has found a lot of pieces of things. Whatever you hit this with... Qhen shredded it's insides. It's full of wires and tubes and various liquids that all smell biological and non-poisonous in nature, but Viss cannot be sure without checking. Also is not acid. Viss is not itchy."

"Alright... That means...?"

"If it's internals are in any way a weak spot, you must first hit it with a powerful, armor-rending attack."

"I- I can manage that. I'll reload with a piercing shell. Looking at the thickness of it's shell, It will probably go in one side and out the other without doing much other damage, but it should help give the two of you something to aim for."

"Good. I can... Feel the next one coming. It's bigger, but I think it's the last one. Last actively moving one anyway... We need to finish this up fast. Losing all your blood has a- diminishing effect on your strength, over time."

"Right. Viss will need to hear more about this. Later."

"... Later... Right. Okay. I'm loaded. So where is this... Oh."

The ground began to shake, and the sound of something metal dragging itself through a tight corridor began to emit from the ruins, until a single large leg burst forth, puncturing the ground and tearing up a chunk of the ruin, before the rest of it's body ruptured forth, creating a large hole in the ground.

The large, mis-shapen blob, halfway between worm, spider and... birthing chamber heaved on the ground. a glass bubble on the outside of it's half-buried body exploded, and a choirbug flopped out, shaking itself clean and testing it's wings by making a high pitched tone.

SpoilerShow

"aaa."

"Viss- Viss, tell Alice everything you can do right now."

"...wwhhhhyyy?"

"Because- Because there is a large number of voices in her head, unique, individual, ghost-like personalities, that can hear things that we're saying, and they offer advice, which makes Alice our commander by right of a Legion-like mentality."

". . . OH. OKAY???"

"And be fast. We don't have long before we need to act."

Things just get better and better.

COMBAT vs STRANGE PRECURSOR, MECHANICAL, BIRTHING-POD/QUEEN INSECTOID
(And currently One Choirbug)

RUNDOWN OF THINGS ALICE NOW KNOWS:
She is tired.
She may have said some more stupid things.
She is injured, and thus probably can not even take one hit.
Unless you really think it's a good idea, she's going to just burn all her Ammo Pool on AP shells until she's out. That will be... 5 shots in total, counting this round.

Qhen is LITERALLY BLEEDING OUT TO FIGHT. No real explanation as to why yet, but at Qhen's current power level, that's apparently all they can really do. Their blood is used to summon weapons to attack with. On the upside? They MIGHT be indestructible. All orders to Qhen can be summed up as 'Summon (Weapon Type)' This might be a problem if Qhen didn't know much about weapons, but Qhen assures Alice... they have seen a LOT of weapons in their short life.

Viss has a knife. It can be used to kill the Choirbugs, but anything bigger than that... She also has a grenade! Just one. It's essentially a firework cannon ball with a hole drilled in it and a fuse stabbed into it. So it's a bomb. But she's pretty strong for her size and can chuck it pretty well.
She can throw together some alchemical concoctions- or rather, she could, but she didn't bring her kit with her. She really didn't expect to get into a fight in the morning, the first day she was here.
Viss also has a- uh- a 'breath weapon'. Which is to say, Viss has a number of alchemical formulae that they inhale into their craw, and then she expels it from her mouth while secreting some form of natural chemical oxidizer in her mouth glands, allowing her to breathe all sorts of things.
She currently has 2 Frost Bottles, 2 Poison Bottles, 1 Fire Bottle, 4 Electricity Bottles and 1 Web Bottle.

The weird mechanical monstrosity. It has a head, attached to a thorax, with 4 legs, and a massive abdomen, covered in glass blisters. The blister which exploded earlier has gotten a new shield on it, and it is slowly filling up with a glowing green ooze, which is, for the record, apparently something like blood for these things.

Alice is trusting you to give her some ideas.

ALICE> 5/10 Health - 5/15 Morale - 20/20 Ammo
QHEN> 70/100 Blood
VISS> 15/30 Health - 10/30 Morale - 30/30 Create (Creativity)

Viss Should probably Web and/or Freeze The Queen Pod to keep it more or less still (can you combine two bottles at once? Because an electroweb might be handy), then y'all should probably Skeddaddle. Y'all have an Airship With Cannons a'loading. You don't need to do all of your murdering your own bad selves. As long as you can get to somewhere you won't be pasted by the Cannons, Everything is A-OK.

That said the universe probably isn't kind enough to allow any sort of retreat. In that case, Qhen and Alice should Probably work on drilling a hole into the Boss Beast and then heft the Bomb into said hole and (hopefully) pop Queen Bug like a zit

I vote we freeze, before we web. Might stop the ooze!

Alice, this is absolutley unimportant but do you happen to like Qhen in a certain way

( EDITOR'S NOTE AND ALSO TO BE ADDED TO THE FIRST POST JUST FOR REFERENCE FOR NEW READERS, IF ANY: There is now a discussion zone thread, for asking questions about the story and my terribly planned out writing. ' <' Come fight me IRL at THIS PLACE! )

Web it down, electricity should be good if it's all fulla metal. Quen could perhaps create a hammer and start smashing, give it spikes, a tenderizer if you will. Alice should try and make as many holes as possible.

One of the other voices has a good point, there is an airship about to launch cannon fire your way, a hit and run might be the best thing to do right now.

>Okay, they're like bugs, so maybe they follow a pseudo hive-mind mentality. If you take care of the big one, the others should go down too. Two of you should focus on the large one while the third keeps the little ones away. The two heavy hitters focus on the big one and the quickest one to shoo away the small ones.

>Remember, fight smarter not harder. Since Qhen can summon weapons, why not summon a catapult or cannon large enough to hurl the big one away. Maybe off the whole island, if it goes far enough.

>Alice, don't panic. You have the soul of an action hero. You were born for this.

> Alice: Fire off your AP bullets at the birthing pod at the most vulnerable looking point, try to hit all in the same spot. After you think you've done all you can, considering those blisters look fairly vulnerable, smash a couple with one of your weaker shots.
> Qhen: You're the heavy hitter. Attack that same point with 15 blood worth, with a single point weapon (perhaps a javelin?). Hopefully having it weakened beforehand should make it easier to pierce.
> Viss: Attempt to freeze the inside of the blisters after they've been popped, and kill choirbugs whenever they appear with your knife. If you've nothing else to do, immobilise one or more of its legs using your web bottle. Then, if possible, use the electricity bottle on it.

Nobody attack using fire in case it burns up the webbing.

Alice stands there, eyes closed, gun clutched to her chest, as she listened to the sounds of the universe around her. Ideas sprang forth like an endless fountain, and she reached down, sifted her hands through them, and drank deeply of the river of unrelenting consciousness.

SpoilerShow

". . . Qhen! Viss! Retreat!"

". . . What?"

"No time to explain! Twenty meters back! Now! I'll cover you!"

"I- What is that going to accomplish?!"

"Listen to Aliss, Qhen. But do not listen to the words. Listen to her voice.

". . . "

"I do not know what Aliss has gotten Viss and Qhen into, but Viss knows people. There is no hesitation. We must not hesitate either."

Alice fired just as Qhen turned, the bullet whizzing past. A little overkill maybe, as the Choirbug EXPLODES in a cloud or rapidly expanding green mist and metallic shrapnel.

Qhen and Viss began to retreat- and just as they were getting close to the distance Alice specified-

A thunderous noise filled the air, followed by a higher pitched stutter of gunfire... The airship's broadside cannons roared and spat flame and shot, while the crew on deck tended to a particularly nice piece of treasure of theirs: an 'automatic' rotary cannon, cranked by one person, while another loaded, and the last two held it in place to make sure it did not wobble with the shaking of the ship.

The ChoirQueen screeched and hissed, although it was hard to tell if that sound was it, or the sound of the metal shot tearing through it's carapace repeatedly... It began to leak it's strange green internal fluids onto the ground- then promptly stopped. A kind of mechanical 'scab' had formed over the wounds, meaning that any holes were temporary, at best.

SpoilerShow

"The Brasstack- I had forgotten all about Jules and the others!"

"And Aliss remembered."

"But- But I didn't tell Alice! Alice, how did you know-?"

"Aliss is thinking again, Qhen. But Viss can answer this question. Presuming Viss is to take everything you say at face value- which is safe, because Qhen does not like to lie to friends, yes?"

"Well- Yeah..."

"Qhen told Viss that there are ghosts, spirits, voices, whispering to Aliss. Telling her things. In Viss' culture, these are called 'Pshtah.' They are the whispers of the universe, heard only by sages and shamans."

". . . Viss I have known you almost my entire life, stop making fun of me."

"Khshsshhssss- Viss is sorry, Qhen. Viss could not resist. But still, the universe whispers to Aliss. It tells her things."

"Viss. You mentioned those vials, that you use to perform breath attacks. You have one that allows you to project web, correct?"

Viss looked at Qhen knowingly, then back to Aliss.

SpoilerShow

"I do, but I certainly did not have enough time to tell you that."

"Of course not. The voices- they know so much. Viss, make sure the web bottle, a frost and an electric bottle are handy. Qhen- your ability. It allows you to shape your blood into replicas of weapons, correct?"

". . . Y-Yeah."

"One of the voices wants you to try to use fifteen percent of your power. They also suggest piercing attacks... like a spear, or maybe just large crippling attacks, like a giant... tenderizing hammer?"

"Huh... I don't think I have that kind of fine control over my power, but I can try. Did they have any tips?"

"They said to use 'fifteen blood worth'. You have... seventy out of a hundred left?"

". . . Excuse me?"

"I have a pretty good idea of our... 'vital statistics'? At least right now. I don't think it's the same voices... It might be Empty. They've gotten unusually silent right now."

"... Fifteen blood worth. Fifteen percent... I'll... try. What's the goal, though?"

Alice, Viss and Qhen looked back at the ChoirQueen. It was still screeching at the Airship, which was now backing away, perhaps to reload? The ChoirQueen was slowly turning it's attention back to the foes on the ground. A couple more choirbugs emerged.

SpoilerShow

"It seems like the end game here- is to immobilize the big thing, using frost or web. The voices can't really agree on which. They also wanted to know if you can combine vials-"

"Viss cannot. Yet? Viss may have to research new chemical formulae."

"So we immobilize the big one, Viss keeps the choirbug population down, while Qhen tries to tear it some bigger holes. If we can make one big enough that it's slow to heal up- we might be able to light and dunk Viss's bomb into it. I'm going to try and destroy the... birthing chambers, to keep it from overwhelming us with smaller enemies. Any questions?"

"None that Viss would bother asking in the middle of battle."

"Yeah. I'm ready to do this."

"Alright. Let's do this! I'll keep an eye on the airship to see if they have a signal if they're going to fire again."

BATTLE-ROUND ----=====/\/\/-START!->>>>

---

Alice's gun rang out, armor piercing round punching one of the glass domes, shattering it instantly... impacting something inside the ChoirQueen and causing it to screech as a gout of green liquid exploded out of it's side! Also- that thing about Qhen- That's not important right now, IS IT? No! She can feel dumb later! She whipped her gun against her side, bouncing it in and out of the pouch's weird internal space, automatically loading it with another AP shell, since her good arm was still out of commission.

- AP Round has destroyed Blister C! -
- Reloaded = = AP Round! -

Viss ran forward ahead of Qhen, who was down on one knee, mumbling to themselves, hands down at their side as if they were about to unsheathe a weapon of some kind... Viss slipped a small, odd, wax bauble into her mouth, not even chewing on it, swallowing it whole like- well an egg. Viss wanted eggs when they got back to the house. Viss wondered if the crew had found any farm birds while searching. Her footclaws digging into the ground, she practically fell forward as she drew her knife and launched herself at one of the choirbugs, catching it right in the side with her blade as she used the momentum to come crashing down on another one, pulling her blade free and raising it to strike the next...

- Alchemist's Egg prepared. . . -
- Viss' Twisting Edge slays Choirbug B, C... -

Qhen's cloak unfurled slowly, threads of blood coiling into their grip as they stood up. This was too much concentration for Qhen's part. They didn't have any time to waste! If they used a little too much power, who cared?! They needed this monstrosity down and out fast! It was an interesting sensation, to 'ball up' their muscles, but not get the proper bodily feedback on the action- That's what happened to the golem by the way. In this form, Qhen has to admit, no matter how they try, they seem to give 150% all the time. They intended to just land on the golem and stab it a few times to distract it- but instead they smashed it into the ground, and their strike with the blood claws they had formed instead had rendered it into pieces.

- Qhen attempts to channel 15 points of blood. . . -
- Qhen's Free-Form: BLOODLUST adds an additional 5 point cost which is spent on maximizing Qhen's physical attributes! -
- Qhen begins channeling the Thread of Life. . . unraveling. . . measuring. . . -

Viss looked up at the towering metallic insect as it screamed down at her, lifting one of it's large, sharp pointed legs and trying to bring it down on her! She kicked off the corpse of the slain choirbug, rolling backwards, bringing her hands up to the sides of her throat- finding that wax bubble she swallowed- and crushing it. She could feel the liquid mixing with the bile in her throat, and she took a deep breath of air... and exhaled a massive cloud of icy fog, obscuring the area from view as crystals of ice began to jut up into the air. . .

- Viss' Twisting Edge has slain ChoirBug D! -
- Viss overextends themselves to dodge. . . -
- Viss unleashes Alchemical Art: Breath of the Chimera: Frost! -

That was the signal, as far as Qhen was concerned! They 'gently' pushed off the ground, and launched up out of the cloud, as their arms came up behind and above their head, crushing the ampules of blood they had gathered, the threads exploding back, forming a long handle, then blossoming out like a beautiful flower for a moment before crashing down in on itself and making a strange, rose-like mace head. . . Qhen let the weapon spin them backwards slowly as they felt their momentum change... and as they dropped, they HAULED on the massive cudgel with all their might, flexing parts of their body that didn't even technically exist at this moment as they spun once... twice... three times... and CRUSHED the ChoirQueen's thorax. . . Then, dangling at the top of the handle, they shoved with all their might, and drove the hidden spear blade down into the ChoirQueen's body, handle and all!

- CUT! The Bloodline has been measured, and found not lacking! Let them taste your fury, Qhen! -
- Qhen's Free-Form: BLOODLUST explodes with power, maximizing Qhen's attack! The strain costs another 10 points of blood. . . -
- Qhen unleashes the full force of the Blood-Rose Hammer... and it's Hidden Thorn. . . -

SpoilerShow

"Qhen!"

"I'm... Fine! I'M FINE! I only need one more good-"

"Qhen! MOVE!

" w h - . . . "

From inside the fog of quickly fading frost, came a massive fist. The sound of metal against bone rang out, and there was an explosion of blood, both red and green, as Qhen came flying up and away from the ChoirQueen, trailing blood behind them before they landed on a tree, smashing it into pieces.

The fog cleared. The ChoirQueen's midsection was practically destroyed, but it's head has become... disconnected, and now floated overhead, screeching and squealing. . .

It's abdomen even took a large brunt of the damage, almost splitting completely open, but it was starting to 'scab' over again, and the thing that hit Qhen... was a choirbeast, emerging from the broken open body before it sealed off completely. With Qhen removed from the immediate premises, the choirbeast jumped off the back of it's producer, grabbed one of the now useless legs from the smashed body.. and ripped it off, hefting it like a massive, long club.

- ChoirQueen has been defeated? It is now ChoirConductor (head) and ChoirStage (body/birthing pod). -
- A choirbeast has been produced, and has equipped a long, reaching club for a weapon. -
- Qhen has taken another 5 blood points in damage! -
- The steady production of choirbugs has stopped. The ChoirStage is now... throbbing, and glows with a deep light. . . -
- The airship is coming around slowly, but has not signaled anything. -

ALICE> 5/10 Health - 5/15 Morale - 12/20 Ammo
QHEN> 35/100 Blood
VISS> 10/30 Health - 10/30 Morale - 30/30 Create

"You know, voices? I really gotta know- why is everything so hard?"

"Also, next plan? Are we still going to try to bomb the body?"

> There's no explanation why everything's hard. Life is just a whole jumble of curcumstance where you're caught in the middle of.

> Unless anyone else has any other ideas, I say Alice attack the head somehow, while Viss webs over the body.

> Qhen should rest, they're taking too much of a toll.

> Or... flee and run? You're bound to fall at this rate! The air ship is close by, all you need to do is signal it!

>Why is everything so hard? You walk in a different sphere now than you did before. You're in the sphere that adventurers and heroes occupy. Even the most simple tasks are monumental efforts. One step forward and a hundred steps back. That is why all the legendary sagas are legendary. You can't have a good ballad without strife.

>Bomb that sucker!

>The final blow is within your grasp, Alice. Adrenaline and excitement course through your veins. With this, your status as a budding legend is solidified. There will be songs of this. Or there would. Unfortunately before you can finish the thing off yourself the ship sends another shot dispatching it before you can. Completely stealing your thunder and taking the wind out of your sails... Maybe next time.

The Universe speaks in whispers. Alice searched the nearby trees for sign of Qhen, and let out an internal sigh of relief when Qhen picked themselves up, muttering vulgarities loudly to themselves.

She went over the information she had. She didn't know what would happen when Qhen ran out of blood- which was a phrase that instantly made her slightly afraid of the fact that she was probably going to find out. Viss was probably doing the best out of ALL of them, and she only had a basic understanding of Viss' abilities.

She wanted this. She wanted an 'interesting' life. Of course it wasn't that easy. At this rate though, the 'legendary saga' was going to be a short story about how some idiots got themselves killed by some weird mechanical monsters buried deep in an island for who knows how long.

You know what? She's fine with this, for now. She isn't sure if she really wants to be 'legendary' though. Legends are for people who know what they're doing. Or at least are better at pretending like they know. Alice put a plan together.

. . . Done! Okay.

SpoilerShow

"Viss, I need you over here! Qhen, you still good?"

"Viss will be there promptly."

"I think I chipped a tooth."

"You have many teeth. Aliss even said as such."

"Qhen- What happens when you use up all your energy?"

". . . Free says I will likely fall unconscious, because I am too weak for their true power. Mmh."

"Okay. The choirbeast? I need you to hit it as hard as you possibly can. It has to be out of the way for the next part of the plan."

". . . Do you care how many pieces it is in?"

"Impress me."

"I can do that. Watch me."

"I'm sure it will be quite easy for Qhen to impress you-"

"VISS-"

"I got this, Qhen. Get ready to hit it. Viss, when Qhen hits the choirbeast, I need you to be prepared to use that web thing. I want you to use it to grab Qhen and pull them back. If we have to go out there to retrieve them, we won't have enough time for the rest of the plan."

"Is that... it, Aliss?"

"The part that I need you two to worry about. I have the rest of this.

Viss and Qhen looked at each other... and back to Alice. They nodded, and turned away. Qhen began to weave threads of blood into the palms of their hands, their cloak turning into little more than just a hood at this point. . .

SpoilerShow

"I know Qhen is getting tired... But we DO have to finish this thing off now, and that means using all our available resources... because I'M tired too. This is not going to be graceful, but it should work. I think. I hope."

Alice quietly fiddled with one of her gunshells while she waited for Qhen and Viss to make their move...

BATTLE-ROUND ----=====/\/\/-START!->>>>

---

Alice went over everything in her head, over and over again. This SHOULD work. She chambered her modified shell, discarding the shell she cannibalized to make the first one. It dissolved into smoke behind her, and she brought her gun up, aiming... at the ChoirStage.

- Alice uses Slight of Shell Level 2 -
- Alice takes [FIRE] from a Flame Shell and places it inside a Flash Shell. . . -
- Alice aims, and waits. . . -

Qhen was now running at the choirbeast, screaming at it, as they hefted a large two handed sword. . . The choirbeast shifted it's weight, and brought the scavenged club back, swinging for Qhen- The two of them met weapon-to-weapon, the sword cutting through the end of the leg-club and splitting it as Qhen kept moving, the hood splitting away into threads before dissolving on the wind. When the sword hit the choirbeast's hands, Qhen twisted and pulled straight up, cleanly removing the head of the choirbeast- the sword twisted again, and came straight down on it's neck stump, bisecting the beast- twist, and strike and twist and strikeandtwist and-

- Qhen channels the Thread of Life, unraveling, measuring and... cutting! -
- Qhen's Free-Form: BLOODLUST maximizes their power, draining anything left of their energy. . . -
- Qhen lets loose with their Bloodsteel Blade, and DECIMATES the choirbeast! -

While the choirbeast exploded outwards in all directions as it's pieces were strewn about, trailing green fluid, Qhen raised their blade to make another strike, and slumped. The blade melted in their hands, leaving a large patch of blood on the ground as their skin and clothes faded back into view. . .

Viss- well, spat up a cloud of webbing, the material flying out and striking Qhen hard, actually causing them to fall over faster. Viss wrapped her hands around the end of the webbing before it finished coming out of her mouth, and began to haul as hard as she could, dragging Qhen down and into the grass, pulling quickly to move them clear. Good. Alice was so far pleased with how everything was going. . .

- Qhen's Free-Form has ended, and the additional costs they had accrued have taken their toll on Qhen's body. . . -
- Viss uses Alchemical Art: Breath of the Chimera: Webweaver! -

Now for the hard part. And the painful part. Alice brought her gun up to aim at the ChoirConductor, which was focusing on her, it's mouth opening up, revealing a horrible maw full of teeth... or... sawblades? Alice could not tell from here, and was not about to find out. She fired - and missed. The ChoirConductor, anyway.

The shot, burning brightly, began to trail sparks as it arced down and hit the ChoirStage, exploding into a shower of light and sparks and a brightly burning fire- which the Brasstack took for a signal and promptly fired upon! Shot rained down again, cracking open the ChoirStage. . .

A bright beam of light lanced out from the ChoirConductor's mouth, and Alice fell to the side. She could feel the burning sensation, and hoped she had enough energy to finish the job. She began to focus, and time began to slow down. Her other arm wriggled free of the sling, and she could feel her body being very angry at her as she took the gun in her now free hand. She could see the airship making a sharp bank, turning heavily to expose it's other side. . .

- Alice fired the Signal Flare! -
- The Brasstack fires both of it's broadside cannons, loaded with handfuls of shot. . . -
- ChoirConductor uses piercing beam! Alice is hit! -
- Alice begins to consume Morale and Health as she takes herself partway into the voidspace. . . -

Alice could see Viss, hauling Qhen out of the sporadic firing pattern of the Brasstack, up onto some rocks. Another beam lanced out and narrowly missed Alice. She thought back to some things that Empty and her had talked about. What happens if she dies here? Can Empty prevent that? Will it? She loaded a regular shell. Another beam began to build up in the head's mouth.

So she fired. Every time she pulled the trigger, she manipulated the voidspace to reload the gun for her, and so she kept firing. . .

- ChoirConductor uses piercing beam! It misses! -
- Alice uses voidskill: auto-fire! Ten Hits! ChoirConductor is destroyed! -

The puff of fire up in the sky assured Alice that she had hit her target at least a couple times. By now, the Brasstack had come about and promptly fired it's other broadside on the ChoirStage. . .

ALICE> -4/10 Health - 0/15 Morale - 0/20 Ammo - UNCONSCIOUS
QHEN> 5/25 Health - 0/10 Morale - UNCONSCIOUS
VISS> 5/30 Health - 5/30 Morale - 30/30 Create

But Alice just assumed that would happen. She was unconscious now. She really was making a habit of this. What was she going to dream of this time? She really hoped it was something nice.

Also if you wanted to ask Empty more questions, now is probably a good time.

Sit down and have some dream tea, in your dream chair, and read your dream book. You earned that breather. That reed defuser smells nice too.

> A pristine white beach, with a pastel hammock, a rainbow beach ball and a tropical umbrella. It's an amazing view, except for the shadow people. They're silhouettes, strange ghosts of the denizens of your city, who disappeared after the attack that killed you. Kind of ruins the mood.

>So Empty, you ever play chess? I've heard a lot of you mysterious mentor types refer to your position as 'playing chess'. I prefer dominoes, myself.

>You are indeed on a beautiful, pristine beach (what's the equivalent of a beach in a world with endless skies instead of an ocean?) with lovely sands and comfy chairs. That comedian's there again, enjoying a drink at the outdoor bar. Most importantly, you are being serenaded by a musical band of young men with nice hairstyles. Their song "Help Me" might have a cryptic message to it...

Beautiful white sand stretches out behind Alice, and a large body of water stretches out in front of her. She sits there, blinking. Her eyes scanned, without moving. Beside her, a small table, with a book and a glass of... tea? With ice cubes in it? Normally Alice wasn't in the habit of drinking cold tea, but the sun was beating down pretty hard, and so she was tempted to reach for it. . .

But first, she looked around some more. Strange trees. Cloth strung up between them. Pretty color fabric. Strange ball on the beach... A big umbrella is set up next to the hanging fabric, casting a delightful looking shadow over it.

There's that comedian again. Alice allows her a soft laugh. That guy gets no respect. Ahhh. She notes the bar. Maybe more sleep-drinking! The music is alright. It's very... interesting? They're singing about someone named Rhonda. . .

( Chess... I understand the game. Dominoes, as well. A variety of entertainment. Sadly, I've never had anyone to play with. As for my 'position'. . . I would hardly call myself a mentor. I am doing everything in my power not to fall into such a role. It is. . . Dangerous. For Alice, and especially myself. )

Alice stared at the people that walked past. They seemed familiar, but strange, shadowy ghosts... Memories? She can't help but wonder if they were people she once met before. Maybe they were the townspeople. That would be weird, considering she hasn't seen that many of them. . .

"Hey! Zoning out on such a nice day?"

Her head snapped around and-

"...Qhen? What are you doing here?"

Qhen sat down in the strange chair on the other side of the little table. They put a large multicolored drink down, in an equally large and beautiful glass cup. They settled back, crossed one leg over the other, and folded their arms behind their head... all while wearing an ankle length red robe.

"Better question- What are you wearing?"

Qhen looked at Alice. They picked up their glass, and took a sip from a straw- but not one made of metal. It looked like the same material that the ball was made out of. They put their drink back down, and went back to reclining, putting some incredibly dark glasses over their eyes.

"I think I could ask you the same thing."

Alice looked down at themselves. A moment later, she was curled up with her knees up against her chest.

"What AM I wearing?! And where are we... and why are you here?!"

Qhen sat calmly and shrugged.

"I dunno. Where are we? You tell me, Alice."

Alice looked around. She thought hard for a moment.

"... Sand... Water. It goes on forever... I guess- a dream? My dream? I recognize that guy over there from the last time I was asleep... When we fought. So- yeah. A dream. Or we're dead."

"What is the difference?"

". . . If this was a dream, I would like to think I would be wearing more clothing. None of this makes sense. Then again- if this is a dream, and I'm conscious of it. . ."

She concentrated, and a moment later she was laying back, a little more relaxed now that she had a long sundress on. The tea was delicious. She wondered if there was a construct in her head that was responsible for that tea. She would like to thank them.

"I don't know what the difference between death and dreaming is, for us. There might not be much of one. I also don't know why you're here. Can you do me a favor and forget- everything, starting from us showing up here, to just a couple minutes ago?"

"Does that mean I can still talk about how you were giggling about how many teeth I had when you were all loopy from the sound weapons of the choirbugs?"

". . . You must be really Qhen, because if this was a dream, you would be easier to be around."

"I'll take that as a comment. So. Is this it? Hang out here until we wake up?"

". . . I think so."

"Well, that sounds boring. I'm going to go take a walk. See how far your dream goes. Maybe I'll go swimming."

With that, Qhen gets up and leaves Alice to her thoughts. She pulls her knees up to her chest again, and stares off into the distance. She wondered if Qhen couldn't see all the shadows walking around, considering they walked through on on their way. She also realized they WEREN'T just walking around... some of them looked like they were... playing? There were a bunch laying around on the sand, and there were even hazy shapes floating in the water.

". . . You're there, right? Voices? Empty? One of you is there. If not both. Where am I? What's with all this sand and water? What's with the book, the tea, the shadows not quite recognized, not quite forgotten? Are you trying to show me something?"

"and what am i wearing and why is qhen here? if that was your doing, we are going to need to have a talk about that"

>What you are experiencing is an exercise in utility. There are cryptic messages that need to be dispensed. The kind of message where the meaning doesn't become apparent until later and you go, "Oh. So THAT'S what they meant." You also deserved a breather after the trials you've been having, a little R&R. We're short on time, so why not do both at once?

>As for the outfit... That has nothing to do with us. It's most likely a piece of your subconscious mind showing itself in your dream. Tut-tut, Alice. You must have some really risqué thoughts buried away.

>Also, Qhen's just there because we wanted to tease you.

> I had absolutley no part in this Miss Alice, but I'm glad Qhen is here. It's fun to watch.

"Oh god. One of you is a 'CRYTPIC MESSAGES' type. Well. . . If you were going to show me a cryptic message-"

Alice sat back in the chair and picked up her tea. Sip.

"... I guess you could have picked a worse place. Still- At least you admit you're responsible for Qhen being here. And you admit that you are enjoying this. Do you know something I don't know?"

. . . Alice looked at her glass. It was empty. She put it back down, and picked up the book.

"I won't deny- Qhen is nice to have around. Just not sure if I needed to have them around now- Especially in my head! What if they see something untoward?! I have a hard enough time concentrating on keeping you guys from wandering away, and I still can't keep Empty in one place! Furthermore- I didn't need Qhen seeing- whatever THIS is."

Alice looked down into her dress, and plucked at the full body diving suit she was wearing.

"It's interesting material, but- Ugh- It's a little tight. and- Hold on."

She put the book back down and stood up, walking around a few of the milling shadows, to walk to the edge of the water. . . . She appreciated that it was slightly warmer than she presumed it would be.

"QHEN! What are you even DOING out there?!"

". . . Swimming?"

" . . . . . . . . . "

Qhen slowly drifted towards the beach, and got up. Alice looked back at her chair and wished she had not even started this conversation. Qhen had abandoned their heavy robe, and was wearing some sort of... shorts and sleeveless top. It all clung a bit awkwardly.

"Never been swimming, Alice?"

"I don't even know what swimming is!"

"Alright, You need to get in this water."

"UMMMMmmmmmmMmm?!"

"It's a survival skill! You never know when you'll be out exploring and find yourself in a large pool of liquid that you need to cross! You can't fool me, I know at least half those books you've read- we have the same fictional tastes, Alice!"

"wait wait wait wait - OKAY stop PULLING my arm, Qhen! I'll get in the water myself!"

Thus, did the afternoon slowly tick on. While Alice learned how to swim and how to deflect any and all awkward conversation by pretending to flounder-

Empty sat at a table. A large mug of coffee sat in front of them, which they stirred idly with a stirring stick, having just tossed a couple sugar cubes and a splash of cream in. The table had other seats, and cups, and spoons, and a pot of coffee, and a pot of tea... Although that was largely Empty being polite for the guests. Empty watched Alice and Qhen swim around, take a break, do some stretches, swim some more, take a break... getting a little farther out each time.

( Interesting that you would tell Alice that it was your fault that Qhen is here. I suppose it's not entirely untrue- I suspect in time, Viss will also start to 'sleep' here. I'm not sure what the diving suit is about though. Or the beach. Or the cabana... or the beach boys. What exactly kind of 'Cryptic Message' were you actually hoping to convey... and were you intending to leave Alice the Void Manifest to read? Because it doesn't look like she'll be getting any time in with it. )

( . . . Sorry, I have poor manners. I would offer you a seat- but I hadn't known what the situation would be. Next time I will consider having spare cloaks on hand so you can sit with me. Tea? Coffee? I'm sure the cabana has alcohol or juice- or probably even soda, knowing the memory set you're drawing from. Maybe you're just water types? )

> Do we appear physically to you, Empty?
> And, oh! I personally would like some tea with lots and lots of sugar and milk!

> Honestly, I just wanted Alice to have a break for once. She seemed extremely tense. The shadows were a reminder of that mystery remaining unsolved, and I think Alice needs closure.

As for the drink, apple juice from a crazy straw.

>Hello Empty, as for the drink, if I could just have a bottle of barbecue sauce to swig from, thank you. The cryptic message? There isn't one. It's an old tactic. The mind will find meaning and messages even when there isn't any. Where soul searching and character are concerned, the best conclusions are the ones you make up yourself. Like those tribal vision quests where they conclude an eagle catching a fish means you should travel north. Give someone a bag of breadcrumbs and they'll make a path, as the old saying I just made up goes. She'll puzzle out something useful from the nonsense eventually, I'm sure. Not to mention, it's good to have people believe you have a plan even when you don't. It's also good to have people believe you don't have a plan when you do.

>If Alice is waking up soon: "Hey Alice, I'm glad you're having some time off, learning a new skill, and hopefully having fun, just watch out for that massive and fast approaching tsunami level tidal wave that showed up just now. Anyway, as you were."

> Oh just relax and have some fun, Alice! No need to overthink about your new closest friend suddenly poppin up in your dreamscapes!

> Hello Empty. Oh, we'd get our own cloaks here? That would be interesting. Can I have some ginger ale? And obviously the beach and everything is so they can have a nice breather while sleeping. Beats dreams where they are running for their lives some more. .. Oh, the cigar-man just kind of.. invoked that. Oh dear. At least she's got a new skill that will help with that????????

The afternoon turned into evening. Alice floated on her back, staring up into the sky, which was turning some interesting shades of orange and blue and purple. . .

SpoilerShow

". . . Qhen?"

"Yes, Alice?"

". . . What was your childhood like?"

"A-heh... Heh... Mmmmmnnnnooo. No, not yet, Alice. We might be stuck in a situation together for the foreseeable future, but you're not quite good enough to know my life story. It wasn't good though, if that's the kind of answer you were expecting."

"Oh- Sorry. No, I. . . I guess I did want to know more? But that was the kind of answer I was expecting, yeah. I was just wondering. . . You and Viss. You two seem like you're a lot better at... all of this. Fighting, exploring- I mean, you apparently are or... were... crew on an airship. . ."

". . . How much do you know about how the Imperial Sphere governs it's islands?"

". . . . . . . . ."

Alice and Qhen floated out in the ocean, staring up at the sky as stars slowly started to come out, and the last sliver of the sun started go go down. . . And Alice desperately tried to ignore the fact that she was now minutely aware of Qhen floating less than an arms length away.

Meanwhile, back at the table, a figment of Alice's mind had just arrived, setting down a large mug of apple juice with a fairly crazy straw in it, a few bottles of varied flavors of barbecue sauce, a glass of ginger ale, and had finished serving a cup of tea that was probably more sugar and milk than tea.

( No, you do not appear physically to me, but I am aware of where you are, at all times. Like myself, you are part of the narrative. We are tools, means to an end, so I am made aware. It is nice of you to try and give Alice a break. Certainly, it is no secret that she suffers from some deal of poor stress management. I also like your way of thinking, {typeandkey}. And you're right. It's probably time Alice and Qhen got up. Please. Enjoy your drinks, and the stars, for as long as they last, for we return to the shapeless void when they awake. )

Alice stared up at the stars. It was dark now. And cold. But somehow, the cold of the water did not bother her. Nor did it being dark. Nor the knowledge she had received from Qhen about the kinds of things one can find in deep pools of water. She was... at peace. So at peace- that for a brief moment, she considered what it would really mean if she just... stayed. . . asle-

SpoilerShow

"... You must be feeling better."

"Sorta. . . How can you tell?"

"The shadows have faded away. I could feel them watching you, but the feeling I got from them was the same feeling I get when you get all quiet after saying something you don't mean. You can't punish yourself for things outside of your control. That's no way to live."

". . . It's not fair. You and Viss, you seem to have a pretty good handle on what I'm thinking. Am I predictable? Simple? I feel like you're treating me like a child, sometimes."

"To be fair, you can get a bit... snippy, when confronted."

"That's-! I... I just don't understand people. I understand books. I understand science and magic and fiction and stories and- and..."

". . . . . . . . ."

Qhen floated there, and made no movement or reaction, lest Alice know that Qhen could hear the irregular breathing that came with suppressed crying. PERHAPS Qhen had gone a bit far- but Alice was going to be filling some pretty big shoes someday, Qhen thought. If she couldn't handle stuff like this, she was going to get taken advantage of, just like everybody else who lacks the power to control their own lives. . .

By the time she had calmed down, Qhen and Alice found themselves laying on the beach. The small waves had carried them here, and they continued to just watch the stars, and the moons...

SpoilerShow

". . . Life is a lot less fair, a lot less fun... but in the end, it's infinitely more interesting."

"How do you figure?"

"Well, first- how often do you get to personally fight a giant, strange mechanical monster in your books?"

"Well- I mean, in my mind..."

"You also are learning more about the world. About yourself. The world isn't a safe place, and you can't hide in a lonely house by yourself forever."

"I mean..."

"Also you get to meet new people, and learn how to talk to them, and learn what they think."

". . . What- What do you think, Qhen?"

"That's a pretty broad subject. Narrow it down. What do I think about what?"

". . . . . . . . .N-Nevermind."

Alice quickly scrambled up and was on her way back to her chair to get that dress-

SpoilerShow

"I think you're interesting."

" . . . "

"I think you're expecting too much of yourself, and thinking too hard about you, and me, and Viss, and the world around you, and focusing too hard on using every minute of every day to it's fullest. I think we woke up here because you were supposed to learn how to relax- and instead I forced you to go out into the water with me and learn how to swim. I think you need to stop thinking about what other people think about you, and just be you."

Qhen bowed deeply when Alice turned around, then reached up and brushed a hand along one of their horns in what Alice was learning was a nervous gesture.

SpoilerShow

"And- I'm sorry. I'm not always great to be around, and I'm generally pretty critical of others, and considering we just met a few days ago, that's incredibly unfair of me. I think you're alright, Alice. I think you got potential to be just as great as the people in your stories."

". . ."

"I wasn't that candid, was I? What kind of face are you- oh."

Alice was looking past Qhen. Qhen turned, and saw the roiling storm clouds, and a truly massive wave of water approaching. Qhen looked back to Alice. She was shivering, and Qhen wasn't sure if it was the rapidly dropping temperature, or the incoming destructive wave of water. Qhen was betting on the water. So Qhen did what they thought might help.

SpoilerShow

"Ha!? - Ah- Qhen?"

"Alice. The most important part of living life outside of books, is that there are people who can support you. Me. Viss, heck, the crew of the Brasstack is pretty alright with you. That's the most interesting thing about you. You just sort of- You're genuine. Even when you're trying to hide something like how you feel about someone, it's easy to see what you mean."

". . .O-Oh. I'm... sorry."

"None of that, Alice. I'm here, aren't I? I'm here, and thanks to you, I've found a way to pursue my purpose in life with conviction."

"Qhen. . . You're really good at evading personal questions, you know that?"

"I've been told it's my least appealing feature, second only to my terrifying visage."

The rumbling grew closer. It was now impossibly dark, and the two of them knelt on the ground because they couldn't keep their footing.

SpoilerShow

"Well, I can't say I like it! But I don't hate you for it, either! Can you just do me this ONE favor though?! We're about to wake up. . . How bad can a straight answer be?!"

". . .Depends on who you ask. Alice- I don't hate you. But I don't love you, and I don't think you really feel that strongly for me. We've only known each other a few days. You're great- but my heart tells me I'm not allowed to allow someone that close to me. Not yet."

". . .Can you hold me closer, at least?"

". . .Sure."

---

Alice's eyes snapped open. Oh god. Her limbs were half asleep again. Who was responsible for them being dumped into her bed like this?! Qhen was just about holding her- A thought, a brief flicker of a memory flashed through her head. Aw crap. Damnit- DAMNIT- Damnit.

She remembered that entire dream. Of course she did. Because she learned how to swim. So the secret to remembering a dream was to teach herself something new while in it. Great. That- That was the last thing she really wanted! Not the swimming part. That's useful- but the REST of it. She looked closely at Qhen, who was- once again, dead asleep, in her bed.

Thinking on it, Alice was now intently aware of the fact that if Qhen had a particularly bad dream on their own, they could probably break her back just by squeezing a little too hard.

Alice listened for a moment. Outside of the quiet noises of Qhen sleeping, she couldn't hear any shuffling in the house. ... She thinks they're alone now. Maybe she could just- No! That would be wrong- But- Nobody has to know! It's just her! . . . And Qhen. Plus she needed- She needed a way to wake them up! Right. This is a perfect plan, considering her arms are pinned, and she learned what happened the last time she tried to shout Qhen awake. So she just leaned in a little bit...

SpoilerShow

". . .So, Viss should come back later, Aliss?"

"Mnrnm-- Viss- That ymgmf??"

Some days, Alice regrets everything. Right now, she regrets these two. Viss, for being there, apparently the entire time while she thought out this plan and enacted it, and Qhen, who apparently wakes up when VISS says something! Qhen and Alice just stared at each other for a moment, before Qhen very awkwardly opened their arms. Alice rolled away and got up.

SpoilerShow

"BOTH OF YOU OUT OF MY HOUSE, WE CAN TALK LATER- I AM GOING TO TAKE A BATH AND READ A BOOK AND I REFUSE ANYONE THAT INTENDS TO BOTHER ME WHILE I AM DOING THAT! OUT!"

Qhen and Viss were now standing outside. Viss was still looking like 'the cat that ate the canary', as it were. Alice is somehow pointedly making an effort to shut out everyone and everything, including Empty and the voices. So it looks like it's just you, Qhen and Viss. What now?