Cloudsea - The Chronicle of Alice Van Vaugen

{Alice takes 2 Morale damage to stay standing.}

So tired. Alice's vision gets hazy for a minute, then she blinks it out of her eyes and tries to stand up straight.

"Why... Don't you come over here... and see what... happens?"

That sounded better in her head. She didn't realize she was hyperventilating. The kick she took from Qhen there at the end may have done some serious damage. Hopefully this package deal comes with medical care. Doctors are expensive, and good ones tend to ask questions that would be really hard to answer right now. The Muse floats there, staring at you with a hood devoid of eyes or face.

( YOU CAN BARELY STAND. I COULD KILL YOU WITH BUT AN ARROW. BESIDES, YOU'RE PLANNING SOMETHING. THAT MUCH IS OBVIOUS. )

"You're- ... Right. I am... I'm planning to let this one take care of you for me. Then when you're weakened, I'm going to finish you off, and make sure you don't torture anybody else with your presence ever again."

For an empty void with no wind, Alice could hear the tumbleweeds roll by. The Muse looked at her. Then where she was pointing. To ?. Then back to her. ? just continued to stare at her. She thinks. Ever since they first met, she could tell when it was gazing at her. It didn't seem to be angry, but then again- every time she thinks of it being emotional, that's just her brain playing out scenarios. It's turned out to be quite passive, for the most part.

( . . . You could probably just finish this one off yourself, you know. The damage that Qhen took has transferred, in part, to it- And you did strike a fairly good blow with that last attack. The Muse of Anti-Heroes is much stronger than you- but it does not know what your plan is. Additionally, you know by doing this, you are dragging yourself deeper. If you defeat the Muse, and give me the book, there is still a chance for us to part ways- )

"What, trying to get out of our deal now? I thought it was pretty clear. In exchange for my life, you would help me pursue my goals. Right now, my goal is to stomp this blowhard, and for that, I need your power."

( . . . . . . . . . )

"Well?"

( YOU BELIEVE THIS- WILL STOP ME? )

The Muse thrusts a sword in ?'s direction.

( THE MEDDLER DOES NOT HAVE ANY POWER. THEY DO NOT EVEN HAVE A NAME. AN IDENTITY. THEY ARE JUST A WHISPER, WORSE THAN A BLANK BOOK, THEY ARE A BOOK WITHOUT PAGES, AND ANY PROMISE THEY HAVE MADE TO YOU WAS- )

Alice pointed a finger at the Muse.

"One. I am talking. Two. If you talk crap about my friend here one more time, maybe I'll reconsider kicking your ass myself. Three- LET US FINISH."

( I... do not know what to say, Alice of Vaugen. You know I cannot just leave. Even if you did not immediately drop dead on the spot, The Muse would kill you. Even if I wanted to leave, by giving you the power to continue living without my presence, I would either need to take the life of Qhen, who you adamantly insist on saving, or I would need to give you enough power that we would be inseparable anyway. )

"You don't have to say anything. Just choose. I'm not going to make you do this, after all. I just thought you'd appreciate the trust I'm putting in you to handle this situation."

( Some might interpret that as guilt. )

"... I'm SORRY I'm bad at talking, okay?! Keep it up and I'll only communicate with you through writing and it'll make everything really slow and awkward!"

. . . ? looked at The Muse. Alice was no longer talking with either of them. The Muse stared back at ?. They could not understand what the Muse was thinking. They were so... emotional. Even if it was a single note that was being played, they had given in to these base instincts. That made them vulnerable. But not weak. ? could feel the power radiating from The Muse. Even though they had divided their energy into a nimbus of weapons, each weapon had more than enough power to destroy a mortal creature with but a touch.

( I do not like to do this. But I have made an agreement with Alice of Vaugen, and her heart does not yield. I must fight you, and I must win. )

( . . . Hah. Are you so attached to this mortal, that you intend to be unmade first, so you do not have to watch it die? I suppose you truly are a Nothing. )

( Perhaps you misheard me. I intend to win. It pains me to destroy you, but you will not see any other way to this. That much I can tell, by looking into your heart. )

( My heart? You have spent too long watching these creatures too closely. You and I, we do not have hearts. We are immaterial, at best, inflicting our will on others for our own enjoyment. I do not know how you have failed to understand that for so long. )

( No heart? I think you are the one that does not understand. I have a heart. It is why I dislike how our kind uses others for their own entertainment. Or rather- I had a heart. I gave it to this Alice of Vaugen, so that she may continue to live. Our thoughts may not be one, but my purpose is hers. Besides, Muse of Anti-Heroes. If you do not have a heart, then what am I going to impale on my sword? )

( Insolent FOOL! I WILL CRUSH YOU BEFORE YOU CAN TRY! )

The Muse leapt forward, it's limbs coming around itself from all sides, like a hand with a million fingers reaching out to crush the grey haze in it's grip, arms like fingers with tips of blade and bludgeon. The haze... stood? there while the moments ticked by. The Muse drew closer. Alice was transfixed by this scene. A hooded cloak containing grey mist, being menaced by an approaching cloud of red mist dressed the same, but the way it moved, the way that light bent around it, the way it's cloak fluttered, the way that it's weapons seemed to drip with power...

It was like watching a wall of blood come crashing down on a cloud.

Then it was over.

The Muse fell upon ? and began impaling it's weapons, one after another, through the grey haze, until it reached out with a glowing, clawed arm... and grabbed The Muse by it's... face? Alice's brain was hurting trying to comprehend everything, as these massive of vapor moved like they had bodies. ? pushed backwards, and The Muse began to move, but only their cloak- the sound of their arms breaking away from it's body was horrifically close to the sound Alice imagined a person losing their arm would sound like. Separated from their limbs, which remained partially inside ?, weapons and all, The Muse was placed down on the ground in front of Alice and placed in what could only resemble a choke hold.

"W-What just happened...? Are you-"

( I do not have the luxury of entertaining your emotions right now, Alice of Vaugen. You must use the knowledge you have gained from the gift you were so carelessly given. Bind this one to your pages, and claim your new power. )

She looked from ? to The Muse. It was silent. They both stared at her. While ?'s gaze was as placid as ever... she could feel the hate coming from the red hood. If she waited but even a second longer, this thing... she could feel those arms just picking her up and pulling her apart and-

Alice pulls the Void Manifest out, and the book just falls open in her hand. Her other hand plunges into the hood of The Muse, and it feels exactly what she thought it would feel like, and is deeply displeased. She digs around in the pool of what she is telling herself is NOT blood, until she finds it. A small object. Long. Thin. She pulls the pen forth and writes one word on the page.

FIN.

Then she falls asleep. Which is good. She needs to sleep now. Her energy is all but exhausted, and any further exertion might kill her in a way that she could not be brought back from.