Ashwood Cross

---

...Cat?

> CAT!!!!!!

BEFRIEND THE KITTY

Forget imaginary Brain Kittens. Actual kittens all the way.
Granted, you've got no idea how a Cat got stuck in this Pipe?
But you could use another buddy. And this place definitely isn't safe for them!

You've got to get them out of this thing... but how?

Time to either open the shutters, or find a way to muscle them open!

Use our latent cat-in-trouble-activated super strength to wrench the shutters open with our bare hands.

...but it doesn't work. Get Clax to help.

Yeah, as much as you'd like to, there's no way you can get this Shutter open with your bare hands.
It's sealed too tight. There's nowhere you could grab on to. And if you could, who knows how strong this thing is?
You'll need to find another way to get this open.

---

Hey. Clax. Can you help me out over here?
I don't think I can open this thing by hand.

Could you Magic this too, really quick, or...

---

You look over to Clax for help, but it looks like they're still busy working on the Radio.
They don't seem to acknowledge your presence, even after you started talking.
Apparently this Artifice thing takes some time. And focus.

---

Okay, cat buddy? I can't get this thing open yet.
But, er... don't worry! I'm going to figure it out. Don't go anywhere!

---

...

Honestly?

Traveler. If you cannot unseal this. And do so quickly?
You may wish to move.

---

---

---

Let the cat use it's super sainyan powers to blast open the shutters.

... Step aside and bra ce yourself

> that is not a cat at all, is it

>MOVE

>Are you a sagely cat or a sage with a cat?

>Await impact.

---

>Are you a sagely cat or a sage with a cat?

---

Hey. Uh. Just to get this straight...

Is there a cat and a person in there? Or are you just, like... a talking cat?
I mean, at this point I'm ready to accept either, but I...

---

...Move.

---

Okay, okay! Sheesh!

---

Let the cat use it's super sainyan powers to blast open the shutters.

>Await impact.

Whatever they are, you guess they've got some kind of plan to open this Shuttered Pipe.
Part of you is worried that mean lasers or explosions or something. Another part of you is honestly kind of... intrigued?

... Step aside and brace yourself

>MOVE

The rest of you is shouting to get your ass as far away as possible, so you hurry out of the Pit.

As you climb the stairs, you catch a flicker of something in the corner of your eye.
You pause a moment, and turn to see a ring of shimmering light coalescing in front of the Iris Shutter.
Soon, more rings of light swirl around it, glowing with a steadily increasing intensity.



You find yourself staring instead of moving again, and resume your hurried climb out of the Pit.

This could be dangerous, and you should probably take cover, but you don't know where to head.
You make it halfway to the entrance leading down into the Nearby Structure, when you hear something behind you.

The screech of metal, straining and buckling under great pressure...
...followed by a sudden, thunderous boom.

Results:Show

Oh shit oh shit oh shit oh shit oh shit oh...

DODGE TEST: 2 Grace + 2 Wit + 2 Athletics ☆☆☆☆☆☆ <VS> Difficulty ★Show

...SHIT!



Success! ★☆☆☆☆☆

In the chaos of the last few moments, your quick reflexes and muscle memory kick in.
Without thinking, you narrowly dodge a flying piece of shattered masonry.

You find yourself sitting on your behind, moments after the chaos. You must've fallen backwards.

Did things just... explode?

As you sit there getting your bearings, you see a Small Cat step into the light of the Chamber.
They look around briefly, before casually perching at the now Very Open mouth of the Pipe.

They look completely unfazed.

> that is not a cat at all, is it

---

Meow?

---

You doubt it.

You doubt it very much.

---

---

BEFRIEND THE KITTY

GIVE THEM THE PATS

> Well, what are you waiting for? Greet the nice cat!

Immediately ask them to teach you ki attacks

Question the cat about why they bother meowing when we already know they can talk.

> Fall in love with cute and dangerously powerful and smart kitty

>SUSPICIOUS

---

Question the cat about why they bother meowing when we already know they can talk.

---

So, it's just you in that pipe then, little guy?
That means it really was you doing the talking, earlier.
Not sure whether that, or the Laser Explosion thing, is weirder...

Since you can talk, though, what's with the meows?

---

Oh, pay it no mind. A simple charade, nothing more.
I wished to get a sense for who you were, Traveler. What you knew.
And it's far easier to study an unwitting subject, no?

Pity that you failed to open the way, and forced my hand.

---

Riiiight...

---

Perhaps it's for the best. We've little time for games.
As you've no doubt discerned, Null Shards are unsafe for your kind.
Thankfully you're still alive, which makes this task much easier.
Besides. I doubt anyone would appreciate the rescue of a corpse.

...wouldn't you say, Traveler?

---

> Well, what are you waiting for? Greet the nice cat!

---

I do have a name, and it isn't "Traveler". It's Hana.
And whatever's going on, I don't plan to be a corpse any time soon.

---

Good. Then we are agreed. We should leave shortly.
But first, Hana... perhaps another introduction is in order?

I am called Leto. Patron and Guardian of the Leto Clan, naturally.
I come to aid you, at the behest of our mutual acquaintance.

---

Acquaintance? You mean the guy from the radio?

---

Ah, yes. I understand you two conversed, albeit briefly.
This "guy" of whom you speak is one Leto Octavo, my Ward and present misfortune.
They informed me of your... current condition, and sent me to investigate.
I am to find and deliver you to them, at Ashwood Cross.

I would appreciate, and indeed expect, your full cooperation.
However, know that I do not strictly require it.

---

> Fall in love with cute and dangerously powerful and smart kitty

BEFRIEND THE KITTY

GIVE THEM THE PATS

---

Look, uh... Leto. I get that you're trying to sound menacing.
Guessing you want to scare me into going along quietly or something.
But it's kinda hard to take you seriously when you look like that.

---

Oh, really?

It's a rare thing, to meet one who hasn't learned proper fear of my kind.
One would need a measure of courage to address a Great Spirit as such.
That, or a great deal of foolishness. And no sense of self-preservation.

I wonder which is more likely, in your case...

---

Don't get me wrong! The Energy Blast and Vague Threats are way menacing.
However, the fact remains that you're also a fuzzy little cat guy.

When I see you sitting down there, talking all big and threatening?
Part of me just wants to walk down there, and pet you on the head.

...you know what I mean?

---

I... what? No, I do not "know what you mean!"

I am a Great Spirit. An ancient being of tremendous power.
My claws have cut down armies. My Arcana has shattered mountains!

If you value your life, you will never touch me unbidden.
Never. Do you understand?

---

Easy there, tiger! I didn't mean any harm.
As far as I know, a few tummy rubs here and there never hurt anybody.

Why all the hostility? Is something wrong?

---

*sigh*

Speaking frankly? I would very much rather not be here.
Yet, duty compels me. As Patron of the Leto Clan, I serve it's Elder.
I don't particularly care if you live or die. But for some reason, they do.

And so, they chose to squander my capabilities on this. It's insulting!

---

Kinda rude there, guy... but no one's asking you to care.
Bummer about the whole "misuse of your talents" thing though.
If nothing else, you still got to blow something up though. Right?
That's got to be worth something to you.

---

Oh, absolutely. Destroying that Iris was very cathartic.
Possibly the most fun I've had in weeks.

---

That all happened pretty fast. And I was busy taking cover at the time?
But in hindsight, yeah. That was pretty dang rad.

---

Presuming "rad" is a good thing, I'm pleased you think so.
My current Ward so rarely appreciates my Arts for their own sake.
But you seem to understand. Perhaps I've judged you unfairly, Human.

---

Immediately ask them to teach you ki attacks

---

Hey, speaking of that Energy Blast thing?
Is that, er... a thing you could show me how to do? Hypothetically?

---

Hah! You request this so casually. You truly have no idea, do you?
I must admit, your irreverence is a little bit charming.

What you witnessed was my Arcana. Your kind call me a "Spirit of Power".
My Arcana governs aspects of the physical world, and it's forces.
Were you to seek my Patronage, I may be able to share this ability.
Unfortunately, I am presently bound in service to the Leto Clan.

Perhaps we could strike such a Contract in another lifetime.
Until then, I'm sorry to say that the matter is out of my hands.

---

Don't worry about it. It's all good!
For the sake of everyone, I probably shouldn't be trusted with that kind of power.

Anyway, you said we should get going, didn't you? Can we start doing that?
We can always talk as we go.

---

Oh, of course. We shouldn't prolong our stay.
There's no need to further errode what's left of your mind.

If you like, lead the way to whatever Gate you arrived here by.
From there, we can cross out of this Shard, and return to Ashwood.

---

---

---

I think we ought to wait on Clax before leaving, but there wasn't any visible gate where we woke up. What's wrong with the pipe Leto came from?

>Erm... What is Ashwood?

Politely Inform the most excellent speechcat you haven't the foggiest as to where it is you came in from. Your memory appears to have gone the same way as the dinosaurs; Trapped inside an evaporating train. You could show the wonderfully verbose feline where you woke up, if it would help

Politely Inform the most excellent speechcat you haven't the foggiest as to where it is you came in from. Your memory appears to have gone the same way as the dinosaurs; Trapped inside an evaporating train. You could show the wonderfully verbose feline where you woke up, if it would help

^^^ This

>You didn't see any gate, you just found yourself in a mining cave and that's all. Would Leto know any hypothetical ways one might just teleport to somewhere with no recollection whatsoever?

"Yeah, about that,"

---

"Yeah, about that,"

Politely Inform the most excellent speechcat you haven't the foggiest as to where it is you came in from. Your memory appears to have gone the same way as the dinosaurs; Trapped inside an evaporating train.

---

Yeah, about that...

I don't have any memories of anything, before I woke up.
Where I came from, how I got here, any of that.

---

Ah, yes. Octavo mentioned your Soul had been damaged.
You truly don't remember anything, though?

---

Nope. Except for who I am. I think?

---

I see. I hadn't expected you to be this far gone.
Let's not dwell on that, though. We should focus on how...

---

Oh, no, we're not doing this again. No more vagueness!
Before we do anything, you're gonna tell me what's going on.

...okay?

---

Very well. To delay further poses no risk to me.
Therefore, if that is your wish, Human? So be it.

---

It's what I want, yeah. Just try not to be wordy about it.

And keep it simple. This is all new to me.

---

Fair enough. To speak plainly, then...

By the sound of it, you are approaching a condition of Ego Death.
Your Soul- that is, your memories, identity, and essence- has been damaged.

---

Okay. This is that Soulfray thing?

Why would that have happened to me, though?
And what does this mean? Is my memory... sick or something?

---

Oh, how should one put this?

Exposure to the raw energy of The Dreaming has this effect on the living.
This happens for reasons that don't bear getting into, unless you insist?

Suffice it to say, the bond between your Body and Spiritual Gate is damaged.
As a result, much of your Soul has broken free from you, and been swept away.
With it have gone your memories, identity, and what else made you who you are.

---

But, like... this is temporary?

---

With luck and time, your Will and Spiritual Gate may recover.
And your Soul will continue to grow, as you live, learn, and experience.

As for lost parts of your Soul, and the identity you've forgotten?
Those have been taken, and claimed by the flow of free Will surrounding us.
That is, the shining Astral Sea you may have seen past the edges of this Shard.

So, no. That, at least, is not temporary. Your past is simply lost to you.

---

...

---

As for why this would happen... I cannot begin to know why you came here.
The Dreaming is a place for Spirits and Memories, not Mortals and their... meat-bodies.
For the living to physically enter a Null Dreamshard... that is a reckless madness!

As we speak, the world around us is slowly being reclaimed by The Dreaming.
Not only will the Astral Sea take your Soul. It will sublimate your body as well!

---

...

---

Even avoiding that, further Fray would most certainly lead to your Ego Death.
Your body would enter an unending sleep, as your Soul vanished into the Astral Sea.
This would be followed by your body wasting away, and ultimately to your physical death.

Honestly, at such an advanced stage of Soulfray, it's remarkable you are even cognizant.

---

...

---

*ehem*

My point is that at least something of you remains.
For that, you should consider yourself most fortunate!

---

...

---

Hana, I am attempting to comfort you. Please respond.

---

I'm gonna need some time to process this.

But ...we should probably get going already.

---

Certainly.

Nevertheless, I hope your curiosity has been satisfied for now.
Shall we get to the Gate by which you arrived?

---

>You didn't see any gate, you just found yourself in a mining cave and that's all. Would Leto know any hypothetical ways one might just teleport to somewhere with no recollection whatsoever?

What's wrong with the pipe Leto came from?

---

Leto, I don't remember any Gates.
We... we just talked about this.

---

Ah, of course.
Your failing memory. How ironic that I forgot.

I fear this will complicate our egress, somewhat. Still, my Contract remains.
We must find any means possible to return you from this Shard. Safely.

Tell me, what is the first thing you recall?

---

I woke up in a chamber near here. A cave entrance.
It was close to the outside, and all the... mindscrewy light.
Nothing Gate-like around. Just rocks, and my stuff.

Either I lost my memory a while after I got here, or I didn't come through a Gate.

---

No no, the later isn't even a possibility.

You must have used a Leygate to reach this place.

---

Well... what about the way you came?
Why don't we go through that Pipe, and take the same route back?

---

You do not understand. This is an impossibility for you.

As a Great Spirit, the energies of The Dreaming do not pose a risk to me.
I was able to Cross into this Shard directly through the Astral Sea.
Were you to attempt the same, there would be nothing left of you.

---

Then what do we do? Wander aimlessly looking for some kind of Gate?!
While that Astral Shit eats the world, and wrecks my brain some more?!?

---

Perhaps. We may have to.

Though, this Dreamshard appears to be of some sort of old facility.
Someone built this place with a purpose. There may be records around.

Shall we begin our search?

---

I think we ought to wait on Clax before leaving

---

Hold up just a sec.

Before we go, we should wait for my friend over here.
They're still busy doing... Magic Robot things.

---

Magic Robot? Friend?

---

---

Oh. That.

Some Pneumatech Relic, I presume?
And... you consider it a friend, for some reason?

---

Clax is my friend. Well, sort of?
Still, I'll carry 'em if I have to, but I'm not leaving them behind.

---

Human... Hana. It is a tool.
It may be a useful Relic, but waiting for it is a liability.
We should not further delay our egress waiting for it.

Can we not just return, when it's task is finished?

---

You said this place was being reclaimed, or sublimated, or whatever.
What if there's a cave in? Or what if the Astral stuff gets in here too?
I'm not gonna let Clax get wrecked or hurt. Period.

---

This is a mistake!

Who knows how long this thing may require, to do... whatever it's doing!
Every second is a risk we take, yet we could be waiting for hours, or...

---

*Beep!*

---

A simple electronic beep rings out behind you.
As you turn, you see a field of text rapidly scrolling past Clax's display.

Leto's nose lets out a cat-sized huff.

---

...oooor, they're already done!

---

...

Every second you waste with that thing is a mistake.

---

Someone's a sourpuss.

Paying Leto no heed, you take a quick peek at Clax's display.
Looks like another long string of unintelligible letters and numbers is scrolling past.
Doesn't make much sense to you.

Are they still busy Artificing? You wonder how it's going...

ARTIFICE TEST: Logic 2 + Composure 2 + Electronics 1 + Artifice Gate 3 ☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆ <VS> Difficulty ★Show

10 Again! +3 Bonus!



10 Again! +1 Bonus!



Critical Success! ★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

As you look at the display, the stream of numbers and letters comes to a sudden stop.
There appears to be a series of small prompts. Clax must be writing to you again.

(Scroll to View)

Code:

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+--------+----------------------------------+----------------------------------+

JOB 01 PAUSED: COMBINE (GRASS_MANA, LARGE_BATTERY, RADIO)
TYPE "RESUME", "EDIT", or "CANCEL" TO MODIFY JOB 01.

> Flower Human, The Work proceeds apace. One is very nearly finished.
-- INVALID COMMAND: "Flower"

> By your request, The Work becomes a self-powering Handheld Communicator.
-- INVALID COMMAND: "By". FLOOD WARNING (1/5).

> However, by Fate, The Work exceeds it's potential. One could make it More.
-- INVALID COMMAND: "However". FLOOD WARNING (2/5).

> If you wish, One could make of The Work more than the sum of it's parts.
-- SYNTAX ERROR: "If you". BAD PARAMETER. TYPE "HELP IF" FOR INSTRUCTIONS.

> Were One to do so, One must also fuse the gifted Foreign Will to The Work.
-- INVALID COMMAND: "Were"

> To do so would also require more time. Thus, a choice must be made.
-- INVALID COMMAND: "To". FLOOD WARNING (1/5).

> By your leave, One will do so. But One must ask you something else first.
-- INVALID COMMAND: "By". FLOOD WARNING (2/5).

> The limits are unknown. One does not know your wishes, and lacks Creativity.
-- INVALID COMMAND: "The". FLOOD WARNING (3/5).

> Thus, One must ask; in what way would you have The Work become More?
-- INVALID COMMAND: "What". FLOOD WARNING (4/5).

---

> Flower Human, The Work proceeds apace. One is very nearly finished.
-- INVALID COMMAND: "Flower"

> By your request, The Work becomes a self-powering Handheld Communicator.
-- INVALID COMMAND: "By". FLOOD WARNING (1/5).

> However, by Fate, The Work exceeds it's potential. One could make it More.
-- INVALID COMMAND: "However". FLOOD WARNING (2/5).

> If you wish, One could make of The Work more than the sum of it's parts.
-- SYNTAX ERROR: "If you". BAD PARAMETER. TYPE "HELP IF" FOR INSTRUCTIONS.

> Were One to do so, One must also fuse the gifted Foreign Will to The Work.
-- INVALID COMMAND: "Were"

> To do so would also require more time. Thus, a choice must be made.
-- INVALID COMMAND: "To". FLOOD WARNING (1/5).

> By your leave, One will do so. But One must ask you something else first.
-- INVALID COMMAND: "By". FLOOD WARNING (2/5).

> The limits are unknown. One does not know your wishes, and lacks Creativity.
-- INVALID COMMAND: "The". FLOOD WARNING (3/5).

> Thus, One must ask; in what way would you have The Work become More?
-- INVALID COMMAND: "What". FLOOD WARNING (4/5).

---

You guess that means the Artificing is going well!

Sounds like they're making the Radio and Large Battery into some kind of Walkie Talkie.
But... huh. What does Clax mean by making it "More"? They talking bonus features?

Magical bonus features?

"Unknown limits" leaves some room for dreaming big too... but heck.
Is it worth Clax spending that weird Willpower Mana they got from eating your Duffel Bag?
Leto wouldn't be happy with waiting, either. Maybe you should get moving.

Besides... what more would you even want a Walkie Talkie to do?

---

---

Make it shoot bullets. Walkie talkie gun.

Have it tell you useful info

>Have it have a scanner feature! Point it at something and information comes out!