RE: MORITURI TE SALUTANT!! [S!4]
09-12-2014, 03:01 AM
As Chad and his company made their way back to the library, their way impeded by losers and thugs, but repelled by his princely presence, the time traveler mused some more on the wicked theater they were in.
What he had said to Carlie was what he believed to be the truth, Il Maledicta was not the work of dark magic or otherworldly intervention, but only the result of humanity's inherent predisposition to chaos. He didn't understand how Carlie could delude herself against the truth, but he supposed that she also thought of this battle as something that could only happen through divine or devilish intervention, an idea Chad scoffed at. It didn't matter if these beings were gods or how they came to be, because the point was that they had power. An immense power, one capable of taking people from their own universe into another for whatever petty tasks they had in mind. If he had that kind of power he wouldn't be lying around moving pawns on a board, but no, he was going off track...
Chad stared back at the native carrying a familiar urn and started judging. She wasn't enthused, and it wasn't because he was bringing her with him against her will, she was, for some absurd reason, against Il Maledicta! How absurd. So if there were people like her around, how did the place work?
As they reached the library, Chad wondered how he would get the answers he wanted. It wouldn't be enough to ask, he doubted that even the last enthused citizen of the theater would dare speak of any of the more out of character aspects of the place, but he was certain that she could be swayed, one way or another...
Hector was already back and Nestor was perching, looking immensely satisfied with whatever he had been doing.
"Hey Chad! Did you get everythi- Oh wow, who are they?"
"This is Carlie and this is a local, we can deal with pleasantries later, did everyone get what we needed?"
Hector nodded and Nestor swooped down towards a pile of valuable objects. As Chad began to walk towards it, Carlie grew tired of co-operating and asked, "Alright so what’s the deal then?"
Chad stopped and half-turned, staring at Carlie through his sunglasses, obviously disappointing, "Carlie, I've already told you, but I suppose that we can't all be blessed with a stable memory."
While he transformed into full theatrics mode, under the black lens, Chad's eyes went to the local, who seemed uncomfortable, but uninterested, something Chad hoped to change.
"Now my dear, what you see before you is the means to Il Maledicta's end, and how we will fulfill our assassination contract. What may seem to be a pile of trinkets, paper, and garbage, will, with a Bibliomancer's touch, become the one and only true copy of In The Company of Full-Stop Angels. With it, the play that's been on everyone's mind, that's warped their views on life and entrapped them, will come to a close, for the first time in history."
As Chad's show ended, Nestor cackled, Hector's gasped in awe, Carlie grimaced but decided that she wanted Chad to shut up more than she wanted to argue with him, and lastly, the local girl made just the reaction Chad wanted, one of shock, with a hint of fear.
As he was already in the moment, Chad beckoned Hector to come to him, "Alright Hector, I'm asking a lot from you, but I believe in you, we're only going to get one shot at making the play and it might take a bit out of you. Are you prepared?"
Hector clenched his fist, shook it a little, and then nodded, staring into Chad's sunglasses and saying with the utmost sincerity, "I believe in us, Chad. We can do this, together." He held out his hand for Chad to hold, as he placed his other hand on the materials that would soon become the most vital script.
Hector and Chad began to focus, the two of them pooling their energies together on the now glowing materials, Carlie and the girl looked in awe and wonder as ink, paper, and gold started to float in the air, spun around, and began to slowly mix together... words from Chad and Hector's minds, carrying everything they learned and gathered from the various scripts in the library, along with a few original additions and some thematic necessities from Chad. As the script was forming, Chad opened his other, gloved hand, and added something else to the equation.
To risk understating his joy and amusement, Nestor was having a fun time watching Chad attempt to turn the wicked playhouse into his plaything, there was just no one quite as interesting, especially not in this group. The bird looked down on the other three humans standing around, none of them truly catching his eye, except for, something about the girl with the urn. Nestor felt looked at, but there was nothing looking at him.
Focusing back at the event occurring in the middle of the library, Nestor saw Chad slip in the seal into the equation, something that he did not anticipate! The bird squawked and smiled, this was sure to be something interesting.
Chad of course didn't toss in the seal for nothing, if his thoughts about the majority of Il Maledicta were true, then for those whose hearts believed in their place and ability to lead this play to a conclusion wouldn't just be swayed by an item that, in their eyes, didn't truly exist, it would take a bit more... and if the seal was the true artifact of the ancient beings who built this place, then whatever essence of them was in it, would soon go into this script.
The deed was done. The script holding what seemed to be the one and true In The Company of Full-Stop Angels almost shone, brought to life by a biblomancers power and a time travels ambition. Carlie couldn't help but feel awestruck by the creation, unfortunately feeding into Chad's smugness. He reached for the tome and smirked, "With this, the odds are in our favor, Imago will soon die at the hands of this theaters power... but first... there's the matter of you..." Chad looked at the local girl, who had been petrified at the magic that had occurred before her eyes, if she was supposed to play an angel, then it was obvious that Chad's role was that of a devil.
"Now my dear, I already know that your enthusiasm for this... performance isn't very high, so I'll share a secret. As you may have gathered, we aren't from here, and our goals are different from those of, possibly everyone you've ever met. I doubt that you want a role in this play, but unfortunately we still have a few acts to go. Now, you can either help our plan go through and tell me what secrets this theater hides, or you can go back to where you came from and lose out on this chance to help end it all."
She silently stood for a moment, weighing her options and wondering if this was true, if this was worth it... Could this be too good to be true? They did magic, actual magic not that faked shit, but at the same time the promises that the man kept saying seemed absurd, and impossible.
There are a lot of impossible things, but this is not one of them.
She took a few more deep breaths before nodding. "Alright... I'll help you."
---
Chad entered The Den, one of the largest hidden portions of Il Maledicta. According to Zia, the local girl who had now joined him, it was also of the oldest. People in Il Maledicta were not quick to lose hope, after all you don't seal yourself in a theater under the impression that everything's going to be over in a few weeks, but apparently some people began to worry. Back, way back at the start, when the eternal rehearsals were still referred to as such, a few of the more knowledgeable, powerful, and cynical members of the community feared the possibility of dissent, of even a fraction of the people in the theater wanting to leave before the job was done.
They decided to take preventative measures, getting herbalists and the like to create something to help keep the people stabilized. Over time, the drugs were refined and eventually perfected, their usage becoming a known secret of sorts, as well as a threat to any dissenters. If you didn't need to have the drug used on you, then for all intents and purposes, you didn't know it existed.
Chad chuckled at the concept, glad to have another card to play if Carlie tried to argue against his view on the human condition.
"I can't believe this."
"Please Carlie, I think that you should just give in, it is just as Zia said, they did this to themselves. Now, for business."
"I still don't see why I couldn't stay with Hector and the bird..."
"We all have our roles to play, and I, the wonderful Prince, must enter with the angels at tow, to ensure that everyone plays their role... Now..."
Chad weaved through various suspicious looking eyes as he made his way to the center, with Carlie and Zia sharing very little of his confidence. The time traveler once again played thespian, "Members of the Hidden Den, if I may break character for a moment, I have something to show you."
Chad produced the script, still lovely, still new, but still holding the sanctity that everyone would expect it to. The various den members recognized it instantly for what it was, and flocked to Chad's side. Various murmurs and whispers and exclamations were made, but it was obvious that Chad had done enough.
Carlie could not believe what she was seeing! She didn't know what it was about the situation, but seeing Chad smugly claim victory just made her feel... wrong. Despite that feeling, there wasn't a lot she could do! She was trapped in more ways than one, and had only now realized that this was Chad's plan all along. If she didn't play along, she'd be drugged, and she didn't think they'd use the fun kind.
As he was winning the crowd over, Chad looked out in the corner of his eye and spotted someone who... who seemed familiar, but who he had never seen before... "You."
The girl stopped in her tracks, surprised at being noticed despite not quite fitting the Il Maledicta aesthetic. She was wearing a heavy cloak, much too practical for any playhouse resident, not to say that her odd, barkish skin helped her blend in. It was honestly a bit amazing that she had made it this far, given that in a world where everyone tries to stick out like a sore thumb, anything else is a bit noticeable. Chad was not only unimpressed her overall garb, stance, and appearance, but also felt as if he should pity her, as if she was a poor innocent creature. Lavi on the other hand, took one look at Chad and felt an inordinate amount of contempt for someone she'd never seen before now.
"Stay there," Chad made motions towards the various den members, "I will take care of this one, follow the plan as I have instructed, we will start the true production of In The Company of Full-Stop Angels immediately."
They did as they were told, dispersing along and out of the den, with copies Chad had prepared for them, off to ensure that the play would begin and continue as he wanted. Carlie and Zia were also dragged off, to be dressed as the angels they were to play.
"So, did Imago send you?"
Lavi's face contorted into disgust at the mention of Imago's name, allowing Chad to waste no time in follow ups, "I see, well, whatever your relation to him is, it doesn't matter anymore I'd say."
"What are you planning," Lavi said with increasing amounts of disdain.
"Nothing really, just... a simple three act play."
"How did you and your group get here, what do you hope to achieve with all of this?"
As Lavi blabbed on and on, Chad began to prepare one of the syringes, "What are you doing? Put that down!" Lavi, who was unrestrained, slapped the syringe out of Chad's gloved hand, her own hand recoiling at the unexpectedly hot metal.
Lavi took a few steps back, wondering if running was an option, as Chad picked up the syringe and wordlessly turned to her, still smirking, his eyes hidden by tinted glass but no less transmitting a feeling of disgust. She was against a wall, with nothing her powers could affect. She should have ran.
Chad grabbed Lavi by the neck with his gloved hand, and calmly asked, "Pardon me? What did you say there? Were you giving me an order? Hah."
Lavi answered by spitting in Chad's face.
Chad dropped her to the floor, his smirk now gone. Lavi attempted to kick him, but as her leg moved towards him, he moved out of the way instantly. She got up, and tried to run, but before she knew it, Chad was grabbing at both of her hands.
"How pitiful. Didn't anyone teach you how to take care of yourself, these hands look awful."
Lavi didn't know what was worse, that Chad had effortlessly subdued her, or that for some reason he felt the need to just insult her hands.
"Don't they have lotion where you come from?"
"What is wrong with you? This... this is absurd. Why are you focusing on my hands?"
"Oh, to distract you from the fact that I've already given you... your lines, so to speak."
"Whatever dosgh... wha--.."
Lavi looked around, and saw the syringe empty, and had only now noticed that other than the pain on her wrists, there was the pain of a prick on her side. When did he get the chance to do that? Why was speaking suddenly so... difficult.
Chad let go, no longer worried, about any outbursts, "Seeing that you aren't from here, you may be wondering what that drug does... You see, with this simple substance, any problematic citizens of Il Maledicta would see things in a new light, in a few minutes, the world will seem a bit... different to you, you won't see this disgusting and downtrodden playhouse, but instead the small town that it is supposed to emulate, the words that will come out of your mouth will no longer belong to you, but to the script and to the theater itself. I'll see you on stage..."
What he had said to Carlie was what he believed to be the truth, Il Maledicta was not the work of dark magic or otherworldly intervention, but only the result of humanity's inherent predisposition to chaos. He didn't understand how Carlie could delude herself against the truth, but he supposed that she also thought of this battle as something that could only happen through divine or devilish intervention, an idea Chad scoffed at. It didn't matter if these beings were gods or how they came to be, because the point was that they had power. An immense power, one capable of taking people from their own universe into another for whatever petty tasks they had in mind. If he had that kind of power he wouldn't be lying around moving pawns on a board, but no, he was going off track...
Chad stared back at the native carrying a familiar urn and started judging. She wasn't enthused, and it wasn't because he was bringing her with him against her will, she was, for some absurd reason, against Il Maledicta! How absurd. So if there were people like her around, how did the place work?
As they reached the library, Chad wondered how he would get the answers he wanted. It wouldn't be enough to ask, he doubted that even the last enthused citizen of the theater would dare speak of any of the more out of character aspects of the place, but he was certain that she could be swayed, one way or another...
Hector was already back and Nestor was perching, looking immensely satisfied with whatever he had been doing.
"Hey Chad! Did you get everythi- Oh wow, who are they?"
"This is Carlie and this is a local, we can deal with pleasantries later, did everyone get what we needed?"
Hector nodded and Nestor swooped down towards a pile of valuable objects. As Chad began to walk towards it, Carlie grew tired of co-operating and asked, "Alright so what’s the deal then?"
Chad stopped and half-turned, staring at Carlie through his sunglasses, obviously disappointing, "Carlie, I've already told you, but I suppose that we can't all be blessed with a stable memory."
While he transformed into full theatrics mode, under the black lens, Chad's eyes went to the local, who seemed uncomfortable, but uninterested, something Chad hoped to change.
"Now my dear, what you see before you is the means to Il Maledicta's end, and how we will fulfill our assassination contract. What may seem to be a pile of trinkets, paper, and garbage, will, with a Bibliomancer's touch, become the one and only true copy of In The Company of Full-Stop Angels. With it, the play that's been on everyone's mind, that's warped their views on life and entrapped them, will come to a close, for the first time in history."
As Chad's show ended, Nestor cackled, Hector's gasped in awe, Carlie grimaced but decided that she wanted Chad to shut up more than she wanted to argue with him, and lastly, the local girl made just the reaction Chad wanted, one of shock, with a hint of fear.
As he was already in the moment, Chad beckoned Hector to come to him, "Alright Hector, I'm asking a lot from you, but I believe in you, we're only going to get one shot at making the play and it might take a bit out of you. Are you prepared?"
Hector clenched his fist, shook it a little, and then nodded, staring into Chad's sunglasses and saying with the utmost sincerity, "I believe in us, Chad. We can do this, together." He held out his hand for Chad to hold, as he placed his other hand on the materials that would soon become the most vital script.
Hector and Chad began to focus, the two of them pooling their energies together on the now glowing materials, Carlie and the girl looked in awe and wonder as ink, paper, and gold started to float in the air, spun around, and began to slowly mix together... words from Chad and Hector's minds, carrying everything they learned and gathered from the various scripts in the library, along with a few original additions and some thematic necessities from Chad. As the script was forming, Chad opened his other, gloved hand, and added something else to the equation.
To risk understating his joy and amusement, Nestor was having a fun time watching Chad attempt to turn the wicked playhouse into his plaything, there was just no one quite as interesting, especially not in this group. The bird looked down on the other three humans standing around, none of them truly catching his eye, except for, something about the girl with the urn. Nestor felt looked at, but there was nothing looking at him.
Focusing back at the event occurring in the middle of the library, Nestor saw Chad slip in the seal into the equation, something that he did not anticipate! The bird squawked and smiled, this was sure to be something interesting.
Chad of course didn't toss in the seal for nothing, if his thoughts about the majority of Il Maledicta were true, then for those whose hearts believed in their place and ability to lead this play to a conclusion wouldn't just be swayed by an item that, in their eyes, didn't truly exist, it would take a bit more... and if the seal was the true artifact of the ancient beings who built this place, then whatever essence of them was in it, would soon go into this script.
The deed was done. The script holding what seemed to be the one and true In The Company of Full-Stop Angels almost shone, brought to life by a biblomancers power and a time travels ambition. Carlie couldn't help but feel awestruck by the creation, unfortunately feeding into Chad's smugness. He reached for the tome and smirked, "With this, the odds are in our favor, Imago will soon die at the hands of this theaters power... but first... there's the matter of you..." Chad looked at the local girl, who had been petrified at the magic that had occurred before her eyes, if she was supposed to play an angel, then it was obvious that Chad's role was that of a devil.
"Now my dear, I already know that your enthusiasm for this... performance isn't very high, so I'll share a secret. As you may have gathered, we aren't from here, and our goals are different from those of, possibly everyone you've ever met. I doubt that you want a role in this play, but unfortunately we still have a few acts to go. Now, you can either help our plan go through and tell me what secrets this theater hides, or you can go back to where you came from and lose out on this chance to help end it all."
She silently stood for a moment, weighing her options and wondering if this was true, if this was worth it... Could this be too good to be true? They did magic, actual magic not that faked shit, but at the same time the promises that the man kept saying seemed absurd, and impossible.
There are a lot of impossible things, but this is not one of them.
She took a few more deep breaths before nodding. "Alright... I'll help you."
---
Chad entered The Den, one of the largest hidden portions of Il Maledicta. According to Zia, the local girl who had now joined him, it was also of the oldest. People in Il Maledicta were not quick to lose hope, after all you don't seal yourself in a theater under the impression that everything's going to be over in a few weeks, but apparently some people began to worry. Back, way back at the start, when the eternal rehearsals were still referred to as such, a few of the more knowledgeable, powerful, and cynical members of the community feared the possibility of dissent, of even a fraction of the people in the theater wanting to leave before the job was done.
They decided to take preventative measures, getting herbalists and the like to create something to help keep the people stabilized. Over time, the drugs were refined and eventually perfected, their usage becoming a known secret of sorts, as well as a threat to any dissenters. If you didn't need to have the drug used on you, then for all intents and purposes, you didn't know it existed.
Chad chuckled at the concept, glad to have another card to play if Carlie tried to argue against his view on the human condition.
"I can't believe this."
"Please Carlie, I think that you should just give in, it is just as Zia said, they did this to themselves. Now, for business."
"I still don't see why I couldn't stay with Hector and the bird..."
"We all have our roles to play, and I, the wonderful Prince, must enter with the angels at tow, to ensure that everyone plays their role... Now..."
Chad weaved through various suspicious looking eyes as he made his way to the center, with Carlie and Zia sharing very little of his confidence. The time traveler once again played thespian, "Members of the Hidden Den, if I may break character for a moment, I have something to show you."
Chad produced the script, still lovely, still new, but still holding the sanctity that everyone would expect it to. The various den members recognized it instantly for what it was, and flocked to Chad's side. Various murmurs and whispers and exclamations were made, but it was obvious that Chad had done enough.
Carlie could not believe what she was seeing! She didn't know what it was about the situation, but seeing Chad smugly claim victory just made her feel... wrong. Despite that feeling, there wasn't a lot she could do! She was trapped in more ways than one, and had only now realized that this was Chad's plan all along. If she didn't play along, she'd be drugged, and she didn't think they'd use the fun kind.
As he was winning the crowd over, Chad looked out in the corner of his eye and spotted someone who... who seemed familiar, but who he had never seen before... "You."
The girl stopped in her tracks, surprised at being noticed despite not quite fitting the Il Maledicta aesthetic. She was wearing a heavy cloak, much too practical for any playhouse resident, not to say that her odd, barkish skin helped her blend in. It was honestly a bit amazing that she had made it this far, given that in a world where everyone tries to stick out like a sore thumb, anything else is a bit noticeable. Chad was not only unimpressed her overall garb, stance, and appearance, but also felt as if he should pity her, as if she was a poor innocent creature. Lavi on the other hand, took one look at Chad and felt an inordinate amount of contempt for someone she'd never seen before now.
"Stay there," Chad made motions towards the various den members, "I will take care of this one, follow the plan as I have instructed, we will start the true production of In The Company of Full-Stop Angels immediately."
They did as they were told, dispersing along and out of the den, with copies Chad had prepared for them, off to ensure that the play would begin and continue as he wanted. Carlie and Zia were also dragged off, to be dressed as the angels they were to play.
"So, did Imago send you?"
Lavi's face contorted into disgust at the mention of Imago's name, allowing Chad to waste no time in follow ups, "I see, well, whatever your relation to him is, it doesn't matter anymore I'd say."
"What are you planning," Lavi said with increasing amounts of disdain.
"Nothing really, just... a simple three act play."
"How did you and your group get here, what do you hope to achieve with all of this?"
As Lavi blabbed on and on, Chad began to prepare one of the syringes, "What are you doing? Put that down!" Lavi, who was unrestrained, slapped the syringe out of Chad's gloved hand, her own hand recoiling at the unexpectedly hot metal.
Lavi took a few steps back, wondering if running was an option, as Chad picked up the syringe and wordlessly turned to her, still smirking, his eyes hidden by tinted glass but no less transmitting a feeling of disgust. She was against a wall, with nothing her powers could affect. She should have ran.
Chad grabbed Lavi by the neck with his gloved hand, and calmly asked, "Pardon me? What did you say there? Were you giving me an order? Hah."
Lavi answered by spitting in Chad's face.
Chad dropped her to the floor, his smirk now gone. Lavi attempted to kick him, but as her leg moved towards him, he moved out of the way instantly. She got up, and tried to run, but before she knew it, Chad was grabbing at both of her hands.
"How pitiful. Didn't anyone teach you how to take care of yourself, these hands look awful."
Lavi didn't know what was worse, that Chad had effortlessly subdued her, or that for some reason he felt the need to just insult her hands.
"Don't they have lotion where you come from?"
"What is wrong with you? This... this is absurd. Why are you focusing on my hands?"
"Oh, to distract you from the fact that I've already given you... your lines, so to speak."
"Whatever dosgh... wha--.."
Lavi looked around, and saw the syringe empty, and had only now noticed that other than the pain on her wrists, there was the pain of a prick on her side. When did he get the chance to do that? Why was speaking suddenly so... difficult.
Chad let go, no longer worried, about any outbursts, "Seeing that you aren't from here, you may be wondering what that drug does... You see, with this simple substance, any problematic citizens of Il Maledicta would see things in a new light, in a few minutes, the world will seem a bit... different to you, you won't see this disgusting and downtrodden playhouse, but instead the small town that it is supposed to emulate, the words that will come out of your mouth will no longer belong to you, but to the script and to the theater itself. I'll see you on stage..."