Cloudsea - The Chronicle of Alice Van Vaugen

> Thank god that you didn't make banana flavoured ice cream. Those Flash rounds were a bad idea. You used to really like banana, now it makes you sick just thinking about it.

> Maybe do some examination of Qhen when they get back? The whole bone thing is weird... but if you're honest it's kinda badass too. Perhaps you could come up with a man made version of their claws? They seem useful.

> Alice, are you okay?

> Take a few breaths, ok? Deep ones. In. ....Out. In. .... Out. A lot of things have happened in such a short period. Maybe you should check yourself over while you have the time? If it hurt when Qhen put their hand on you, that might be a good place to start? Self-care is important.

You're gonna go far, kid

>It went incredibly well, after you do the dishes, you should make a small fort out of books. What fun it will be.

Alice was breathing, right? She actually had to check. Why the hell is talking to people so difficult, and why is Qhen making it even harder by being cool and smart and reasonable? Washing the dishes caused more discomfort in her shoulder and she decided to check that out when she was done.

Hmm. Banana... She'd be fine with banana FLAVORED ice cream. It's actual bananas she has a problem with. The texture is just kinda- eh...

She thinks of her weapon for a little bit. That's... a problem. She was thinking the same thing- about how she should work on some different round types- but it's... complicated. Magic levels of complicated. You see, the ammo pouch was a present from one of her 'unrelated relatives' when she finally decided on a weapon type, and built one of her first weapons. The ammo pouch binds to the weapon, and gives it a convenient place to be stored at all times, no matter the physical size. It also contains an 'AP' or 'Ammo Pool'. Basically a self-regenerating magical focus that creates ammo for the associated weapon on command. It's super convenient, and means she doesn't have to carry ammo on her person... but it also means that if she wants to carry a different weapon, either she needs to build the ammo for that by hand... or rebind the pouch.

Now -THAT- isn't necessarily a problem either, except she has no control over what ammo will be generated by the pouch when she binds the weapon. The instructions mentioned something about 'source', 'quality' and 'materials' mattering when binding a weapon. To wit: Her pop-gun is basically a 'handmade - medium grade - makeshift' weapon. The barrel is a piece of piping she found... the handle was carved out of wood, by herself, with a pocket knife, and the mechanisms were built from an old busted clock.

. . . Her teachers were really weird people, okay? She's gotten to handle a bunch of weapons, and is basically aware of the different 'grades'. A Source is either Handmade, Mass Produced, or Artisanal. Quality is Poor, Medium, and Great, and Materials can be Makeshift, Purposed, or Specialized.

... That was probably really boring, sorry! Just something to keep in mind. She's sort of helping to find another weapon while searching the town, but Siege weapons are rare, and Siege-Firearms even rarer. So she might find a rifle... or a portable ballista... She could try to build one again. Hm.

Alice blinks. She looks at the book fort she was in the middle of making. Oh. Good. Last time she did this, she much younger, and had thrown a fit after getting into an argument with one of her teachers. A sigh. She continued working on the fort. It took a lot more books, but she had a LOT of books. Books she wouldn't really care about. Do you know, when your main intake of commodities is books, and you sometimes spend up to four thousand royals a month, book printing companies will send you books to hopefully keep your business? She has SO MANY dictionaries and the like. She climbs into the book fort, pulls her knees up to her chest, and closes her eyes.

". . . Empty?"

( Yes, Alice of Vaugen? )

"Can Qhen see and hear you... or do I just look crazy?"

( I believe you still look crazy, even if Qhen can see me. )

". . ."

( I believe you are angry at me again. )

"Just- I need to take a nap."

( Qhen will not disturb your sleep unless it is important, I imagine. )

"Thanks."

. . .In her dreams, she watches movies. Memories. Things she hasn't thought about in a long time. You know, she's never met her parents? She may as well be an orphan. She may as well not be Alice Vaugen. In her dreams, she IS someone else. Someone interesting. Or maybe... someone uninteresting? She never understood why she had to live alone for so long. Was it to keep her safe? From what? She died. Some weird monster that haunts the corners of her thoughts ran her through with a big claw. The only reason she's still alive is because of Empty. . . In her dreams, she tries to be Empty. What is it like? What is it's motivation? It's reason for existing? Why did it pick her?

In her dreams, she feels... em-- What is that sound?

Alice stirred from her sleep- and was instantly aware of weight on her. She tried to move. Soft. Blanket. But more weight than that, because she couldn't move. Also the sound, like... a purring. Alice squinted her eyes shut even harder. She adjusted to try and go back to sleep- and the purring stopped.

She slowly opened her eyes... and found herself staring eye to eye with a blue scalekin. Alice stares into their eyes. Blue. Scalekin. Horns. Fins? Fins. Horn-Fins. Shiny eyes. They watch Alice. Then a long thin tongue snakes out of their barely open mouth and pokes Alice on the nose.

*Gentle Tone*
= Alice's Brain is currently unavailable. We have enabled the emergency suggestion system. You will have to interpret the current parser yourself and figure out which option to pick. Thank you. =
*Gentle Tone, Descending*

( ) Aaa.
( ) Aaa?
( ) Aaa!
( ) AAA.
( ) AAA?
( ) AAA!
( ) AAAAA(cont.)

> Aaa?

( ) Aaa.
(✓) Aaa?
( ) Aaa!
( ) AAA.
( ) AAA?
( ) AAA!
( ) AAAAA(cont.)

> Aaa?

Then, an hour later

> AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

>The buildings shake, the moon shudders, the forests still. The sound barrier breaking shrill cries carry to many islands where many confused listeners hear. Alice's terrified screams pass into legend. Many grandchildren shall hear of this for generations to come. Thus begins the heroic tale of Alice Van Vaugen.

"Aaa?"

They coo in response, tongue-tip boop Alice on the nose again, and put their head back down and begin purring- well, really, it was more of a rumbling.

"Hello..."

*Hissssthpthp. They flick their tongue a couple times in response.*

"Do you speak... my language?"

*. . . They continue rumbling.*

". . ."

Alice sighed, and just laid there. She stared at the ceiling-roof of her book fort. If she closed her eyes, it was like she had a really big cat on her chest. That she could deal with. For now. She could feel the panic fit growing, but she was going to hold it in, because this scalekin hadn't done anything yet to warrant the panic. Again, Yet. The purring was calming. It was helping her maintain her composure. Probably something to do with the vibrations. It was very relaxing. It's not like she locked her doors. Crime wasn't something she really had dealt with.

She lifted her head, ever so slowly, and looked back at the scalekin. She thought about pulling out an arm and petting them. But that would be rude at the least, and super improper at the most. Come to think of it, why are they here? Are they a survivor? Maybe they're from the forest? That would be interesting. Alice was not aware of anyone living in the forest. Not that she ever thought about it. Also, she doesn't even know the kind of people who lived in the town. Maybe they were from town. What are their motivations? What is their name?

"Do you even have a name?"

The scalekin's head suddenly shot up, and they looked into Alice's eyes.

"Yes."

Their voice was soft, and they were so close, that as they spoke, their tongue darted out invisibly fast and poked Alice on the cheek.

". . . Wh-What is it? Your name."

"Viss."

"Viss... that is a nice name... I think? Um- so you do speak common... why didn't you say anything earlier?"

. . . Viss laid their head back down.

"Viss does not like to spend energy answering silly questions."

"H-Hey! I didn't know! How should I know?! I don't even know where you came from!"

*Hissstphpt.*

"Fine, be that way. I have an important question for you. Do you have sensitive ears?"

. . . Viss lifted their head and looked at Alice. They looked incredibly confused.

"Because I've had a really bad few days and I've been bottling up a bunch of stress and you presumably breaking into my house and laying on me while I slept did not help but you licked my face and I'm just going to start screaming and flailing. Okay? Also as long as I'm being super honest, I have a gun and I've already got a hand on it, so please get out of my house."

"UH- WAIT, VISS SAYS WAIT-"

~One extremely brief, violent and sudden explosion of stress later~

Alice is laying outside, in the grass. It's bright outside, which means she slept through the night, yesterday. Assuming that was just yesterday. Does time mean anything anymore? God, her head is a mess. Qhen is just standing there trying to get her attention. ... OH. WAIT.

"Huh? Qhen?"

"Oh- You're finally... lucid. Are you okay? Did you hear anything I said? I didn't hurt you too badly, did I?"

". . . No... I'll be fine, right? That's what this little monster is doing."

Alice looks over, balls her hand up into a fist, and gently noogies Viss on top of the head. Viss is laying in the grass next to her, curled up against her arm, and prumbling loudly. The pain in her arm from where Qhen grabbed her and trip-threw her to the ground slowly fading.

"Viss is-was your crewmate on the airship, and a doctor. Her species makes her well suited to this, as this pleasant vibrating against my arm is helping my muscles mend. I'm pretty sure you dislocated my shoulder, by the way. When you said you were staying, and explained the situation, Viss demanded to stay as well- and the crew agreed to help with the search and salvage operations. A skeleton crew on the airship is slowly doing laps of the island, calling out and looking for survivors. The other half dozen or so- the toughest on the crew- are slowly passing through town, clearing rubble and loading a cart with supplies. Their cut that you agreed to- without asking me- was 50% of all royals found, all the perishable foods they wanted, and when everything was said and done, I would look through all the things they've recovered and give them a cut of the things that I don't think will be missed, provided we even ever find hide or hair of any of the people from town. They're on the honor system not to swipe anything. When I had my breakdown, I tried to Flash Bomb Viss, almost set the downstairs library on fire, and when they ran out of the house, I followed them, as she assumed I would, and ran right into you, and now here I am. Totally fine. You can stop pinning my legs now."

Qhen scratched their cheek with a claw idly, then rubbed the top of their head, and nervously picked at one of their horns.

"First, Viss isn't a monster-"

"Of course not. She's a scalekin, of the Drahke species, because she lacks wings."

"AND- You were listening, I guess. But I'm going to just stay here for now, if you don't mind."

Qhen had to find a way to pin Alice down, and went with the direct method. After disabling Alice's 'shooting arm', and with Viss clinging onto that arm to assist it's healing, Qhen is essentially kneeling on Alice's legs. It's very uncomfortable. Qhen is heavy.

"I kinda do mind. And it's not just because you're heavy, and it hurts."

rude "And why is that?"

"Because I currently find you appealing."

". . . Ah. I'm not sure if I like direct-to-the-point Alice."

Qhen got up, and sat nearby.

"It's a coping mechanism. If I remove myself from the emotion, then nothing can bother me, and I can take time to properly assess the situation."

"Right... That sounds healthy."

"Hmph. So. While I'm like this, I was curious."

"About?"

"Hitting you is like punching a hardwood door. I was going to say like a rock, but you're more... pliable than stone? Your body is very dense, and rigid, but there's still bend and give. What's that about?"

"Oh. I have- What you might consider 'too many bones'. Imagine something like a snake, except most of my body is like that. A series of interlocking bone joints that form a kind of... internal armor. It protects my organs. It also makes me incredibly flexible, because if I focus really hard..."

Qhen brings up their arms, and closes their eyes. Slowly, their arms begin to bend. But not at the 'elbows', but... they're curving. They curve their arms backwards and over their own shoulders. Then back again.

"... That was mildly disturbing to watch."

"I know. And I'm not particularly good at it. I never got formal training in how to use my... 'abilities'? As I understand it, there have been others with my strange bone structure that were essentially like watching humanoid-shaped-water flow on the battlefield."

". . ."

". . ."

*Rumbles quietly.*

"Don't suppose we can pretend I didn't say something incredibly stupid just a little bit ago?"

"If you can, I can."

"... I can try. Look, over there, a change of subject. How about, in a little bit, when Viss is willing to let go of my arm, we go into town, help search... and then we figure out what to do tomorrow. One day at a time, until it's done."'

Qhen stood up, dusting themselves off. They reach down to grab Alice's good arm.

"Sounds good to me. C'mon, Viss. Let her go. You can check her shoulder again tonight."

*Hissssthpthp.* "Fine. Viss will not keep Alice from being a busy body, but if Viss sees Alice hurt themselves again, Viss will tie Alice down to a bed and make them rest. Viss clear?"

"... Sure."

The rest of the day went fairly uneventfully.

Alice, Qhen and Viss helped the airship crew load things into the cart, then brought it back to the house, sorted through it, divided up food and money found, and then Qhen and Viss helped Alice load it into the voidspace, where Alice spent some time and energy constructing rooms.
They had a simple dinner of bread and cheese and dried fruits, then Alice wordlessly excused herself to go to bed.

15% of the town has been searched.
5% of the town has been salvaged.
0% of the forest has been searched.

Alice will not do anything for the time being that is unrelated to her goals re: the town, so for now we'll be changing the format a little.

*TIME SHIFT: Day to Day mode activated*

For now, and possibly continuing on forever from this point: You will be given the date, anything important that was supposed to happen that the party knows of, and a list of options that you can assign to each character for each time period. Please ask questions if this is not clear.

*CURRENT DATE - First Charmsday under Canned - Morning*

Party Members Available: Alice, Qhen, Viss

Actions Available: Explore, Salvage, Sort, Rest, Interaction
Explore Options: Forest, Town
Interaction Options: Alice, Qhen, Viss, Airship Crew
Special Actions for Alice: Upgrade voidspace
Special Actions for Qhen: Recon Duty
Special Actions for Viss: Alchemy

(For Example: Alice - Explore Town, Qhen - Salvage, Viss - Interact Qhen)

(EDITED NOTE: You can, of course, suggest other actions! Don't let this be the be all-say all. Most 'other' actions might even just fall under interaction, so feel free to suggest how that should go: Although only Alice can be directly influenced for now.)

(Just making this it's own post so it's more noticable.)

Alice - Salvage (completely fail to forget you said something stupid a little while ago. Dwell upon it. DWELL I SAY)
Qhen - Salvage And Interact with Alice at the same time (y'all can chat while digging through piles of rubble, yo(Also completely fail to forget Alice said something stupid. You said you would if she would and she's failing to uphold HER end of the bargain)
Viss - Explore Forest (might be some neat Alchemical Reagents in there. YOu should ALSO also fail to forget Alice said something stupid. You never even promised that you would)

Alice - Upgrade voidspace, Qhen - Salvage, Viss - Interact Alice

>Explore the forest with Qhen and Viss. Maybe you'll find some ancient, forbidden ruins. Always a good time to put your nonexistent wilderness skills to use.

*First Charmsday under Canned - Morning*

Alice slowly walked, leaning slightly to the side, cradling her wounded arm in a sling. Viss demanded that she use it as little as possible, since Alice was now refusing to let Viss 'snuggle up' on her while she slept. Viss insisted that calling it that was just making things difficult, but Alice was stubborn. That's also why Qhen wasn't here. Alice said she was going to explore the forest, and Qhen said she could come along in case there were wild animals, and in response, Alice had just grabbed her ammo pouch and strapped it on her opposite side. Qhen could take a hint. Viss, on the other hand-

"... Why are you following me?"

"Viss is insulted. Viss is no dog, Viss follows their own path. Viss is their own Drakhe."

"Well, at least you didn't just ignore the question. Fine- What are you doing out here, Viss? I thought you'd be helping the others in town. What if someone is injured?"

"You worry too much, Aliss. They are not children. If they need Viss, they know how to get Viss. Besides- Viss needs alchemical reagents. Very low on some basic plants. We have been out of dock for far too long, supplies low all around."

". . . If I had known that... I never would have asked..."

"Aliss needs to stop worrying about others right now! Aliss is injured, and Aliss is refusing to rest when Aliss needs it! Maybe Viss find anesthetic while we are out here, make you sleep good for once!"

"What does THAT mean?"

"Viss imply that Viss will drug you if you don't stop being such a meddler."

"NO- not- The OTHER PART. I sleep just fine!"

Viss stopped walking. Alice went a couple steps more before realizing the faint steps of Viss' footfalls had ceased. She turned and raised an eyebrow.

"... Aliss tosses and turns like someone suffering from intense illness, but Aliss has no illness of the body. Aliss suffers from illness of the heart."

". . . Oh, Hey! Stypic!"

Alice wandered over to the base of a tree and crouched down, gently cupping a plant in her hand and examining it.

"It's a good specimen. If we had the tools, we could probably dig this up and plant it in a pot. This the kind of thing you're looking for, Viss?"

Viss grumbled under her breath, and hissed at Alice with an annoyed tone, then wandered over and kneeled down, and blinked a few times.

"Viss does not appreciate Aliss avoiding such an important subject, but Viss is surprised. This is a good specimen. Qhen did not mention you were a 'chemist.

"I'm not. Not- in any sort of practiced meaning of the word. I just know a lot. People used to come buy and ask me to identify plants and things. We can take half these leaves, and the plant should be fine- and if you cut them at the base of the leaf instead of taking it off at the stem, less damage is done to the plant."

"Well now you are just being patronizing. Viss knows what they are doing."

"Huh? No! I just- I got a lot of information in my head. Sometimes it just... unpacks more than I intended."

Alice and Viss worked on gathering some plants, and then continued walking.

*....hissspfft*

"Hmm?"

"So, how long has Qhen been 'appealing' to Aliss?"

"...said was gonna forget that..."

"Qhen agreed to that. Not Viss. It is also clear to Viss that you have been dwelling on that, because it is obvious to Viss that you are the type to dwell on everything. Aliss needs to loosen up."

"Maybe I was just trying to get Qhen to get off of me? It worked, didn't it?"

"Right, and Viss is secretly a Draegon."

"I refuse to talk about this!"

"If Aliss is suffering from... 'repression', Viss also has something for that...?"

"WHAT- No! We are not having this conversation!"

Alice stomped off ahead. Great. Great. Great great great great great great GREAT GREAT great Great. Gonna just go live in the woods. THIS is why she hates people! People are so STUPID and caught up with stupid things and-

Viss took her time to catch up, but clearly was quite amused with themselves.

"Khhhhisssssshssshss... Aliss, Viss was merely offering to mix you a drink. It might help you relax, and Viss is also quite handy around a tavern counter, considering alchemy and brewing are essentially the same disci...pline..."

Alice and Viss stared at the old structure, buried deep in the woods. It was... certainly old, but had barely decayed. It appeared to be made of metal, and descended down into the ground, an overgrowth of plants and vines and a couple of nearby trees obscuring any further inside.

". . . Viss takes it you did not know this was here."

"Not at all. I'm wondering if anybody from town knew it was here. Surely someone did. It would be impossible to have missed this."

"Yes, Viss agrees. Perhaps we should be returning to the house?"

". . . Viss? Why are we whispering?"

"Because, we are not alone, Aliss."

---

Qhen shifted another rock, and with that, the entrance to this building was clear. These imperial made houses were pretty sturdy. Despite parts of the town looking like they had undergone sustained bombing, well over half of these buildings were only lightly damaged, and a smaller number had sustained damage, but not even really collapsed at all. Makes you wonder what these houses were made out of. Stone to be sure, but it looks man-made. Each large brick is just a little too heavy and a little too uniform to be a natural formation. She turned and whistled, waving a hand, and the airship crew nodded and headed in. One of them offered Qhen a canteen and they sat down to enjoy a drink of water... That spring in town is amazing, and did not make Qhen regret their decision to tell the captain that they were going to stay, even after the job was done. This town was very impressive. Well made, sturdy buildings that could handle becoming a war zone... A lot of these buildings had hidden structures too. Deploy-able gun emplacements, and hidden basements and tunnels that connected all the houses... The spring was powered by some powerful aetheric gemstone and produced beautiful, clean, cold water...

Qhen was a little put off by how Alice was acting, though. Qhen had learned that Alice wasn't exactly a social kind of person, and Qhen knew how that felt... But Qhen didn't think they deserved the treatment they got this morning! It's not like Alice had said anything incredibly weird, had they? Qhen has always been 'appealing'. Something about their weird bone and muscle structure always made curious, scientific types want to examine them closely. It was kind of irritating, really. There was the one time where they had to break someone's arm in two places because they had a syringe and- it was just a big mess- and then they got thrown out of that city for good and-

"Did one of you whistle just now?"

"No? Didn't you see that, Qhen?"

"See... what?"

"It looked like a firework, it was loud and then popped really big and bright for a second, almost like a little sun. It looked like it came from the forest, maybe- uh- Okay- -Qhen! I was about to ask you to help us shift these rocks..."

Qhen really could move when they wanted- and right now, they wanted to make sure that their crewmates weren't about to end up dead. Alice could have shot that anywhere and it would have made enough noise to draw at least a little attention, but doubts she would have fired it straight up for no reason. ... Crewmates? Crewmate? Viss was certainly on that list- but- Whatever. LATER.

Looking overhead, Qhen heard the engines of the airship, and as it approached, they saw someone on board haul a rope over the side. Qhen focused for a second, balled up all their muscles and joints in their legs, and 'pushed' the ground away, grabbing onto the rope as the boat made for the forest.

As they passed over the forest, Qhen could see a strange structure that they remembered seeing previously, but didn't make any real note of it because from higher up, it just looked like an overgrown rock of some kind. They also looked around for Alice and Viss, and noticed that they were---

( ) Waving the airship down excitedly!
( ) Hiding behind a rock as something drew closer...
( ) In the middle of fighting something!
( ) On the ground?!
( ) Not there. . .
( ) Surrounded by people!

(X) in the middle of fighting something

( ) Waving the airship down excitedly!
( ) Hiding behind a rock as something drew closer...
(✓) In the middle of fighting something!
( ) On the ground?!
( ) Not there. . .
( ) Surrounded by people!

Oh Those Wacky Precursors and Their Angry, Angry Golem Guardians. Such Zany Misadventures they have!

>Hiding behind a rock as they fought something, at range, that was slowly approaching while they were being surrounded by a chittering group of spectators. Were they playing music?

Oh Those Wacky Precursors and Their Angry, Angry Golem Guardians. Such Zany Misadventures they have!

I'm totally gunning for this one. Alice is having some trouble due to her arm though, looks like they need assistance asap.

Qhen's blood ran cold. A fantastic feat, considering their blood pumped much faster and hotter than a regular human, to properly get oxygen and nutrients to their unusual muscular system. You wouldn't know it from looking at them- not just them in the sense of Qhen, but the entire crew- They have ventured out into the CloudSea a couple of times. They stopped mostly because they couldn't make enough to make ends meet with supply costs. That and the captain died. Technically they had a new captain, but they refused to officially accept the position. Come to think of it, maybe being stubborn is just a human thing.

But Qhen remembers seeing one of these once. Like a cricket, but made of metal and crystal. Qhen could remember the sound of it's vibrations, carrying through the air- like... like a buzz, and a hum... while also uncannily sounding like someone singing in some sort of chorus. One was bad. Qhen could count about five, and their droning cries began to echo up into the sky. Up the rope, they climbed, as quickly as they could. They did not recognize the big thing. The little things? The crickets? They were... harmless. Sort of. They disorient the senses. It was the big thing that worried Qhen. They got a hand on the edge of the railing.

"Jules! There's a pack of choirbugs down there, and some sort of golem!"

"I can hear them! We're loading the cannons!"

"Alice and Viss are still down there! I need a hammer! Someone grab me one from the toolbox!"

"If you can get them clear, we'll just hit forest with a broadside!"

"Right- Thanks. Hold us steady for a second-"

Qhen looked over their shoulder. They focused on the big thing. It glistened in the sunlight. Metal. Glass. Probably crystal. Probably the same materials as the choirbugs but... well- but bigger. They tried to guess how far up they were. They tried to think about what would happen if they missed and landed directly on the golems. They were sharp, and very hard... Qhen's skeletal structure was tough- but not that tough. Hopefully the high altitude strike combined with the small impact-zone of the hammer, and Qhen's own muscular advantage would be enough to damage it. At the very least, they would get it's attention with this stunt.

Qhen exhaled, and let go of the airship. All of their muscles tensed up, and while nobody else could see it to appreciate it, Qhen's skin almost seemed to harden into a kind of vaguely translucent, shimmering shell as they fell, hammer in hand.

---

Alice was breathing heavily. When the first of the strange insects came come out of the ruins, Viss hissed something about 'choirbugs'. Alice didn't have time to ask questions because it started to emit a loud droning noise... It's not like the noise itself was bad- in fact, it was almost beautiful, entrancing... and it made thinking really hard. Her first shot went wide, and it was only through carefully aiming that she blew the thing to pieces with a slug shell. Then more started to scurry out, and Viss practically dragged Alice back behind this rock. They sat there and listened, as they began to 'sing' with one another. One. Two. Three. Four. Five... and then, a stomping noise, and the ground began to shake under them.

"Viss... Why can't-"

"Choirbugs. We have not observed more than a couple specimens, but our last captain had heard of them. Or perhaps seen one before. The sound they emit disrupts thoughts. Sufficiently simple minded creatures or those with impressive mental fortitude do not seem to be as affected. In case Aliss is wondering, Viss is in the second category. Ha ha."

". . . Never would have... said- otherwise. What's the. . .p- po-...-p...-pa...p... pl..."

"The PLAN... Aliss, is that hopefully that shot you fired off caught the attention of the crew. The crew will... mobilize the airship... and at best... they will find a way to extract us from this situation..."

"At. . . ... Best...? Dare I ask.... worst..?"

"At worst- Aliss, We die... like the last captain... when they bombard our position with the ship's broadsides... The fact-"

Viss closed their eyes. They kept flicking their tongue, and their neck kept flexing. Alice could only guess that it meant that they were not enjoying the song any more than she was. Alice had tried to call for Empty- but if they were here, she could not hear them.

"The fact... that there is so many- means that either there was a small... dormant... nest- Or... Your townspeople... were hiding autonomous weapons... from the Cloudsea."

"I would rather... worry about that... after we don't die."

The sound of Qhen impacting caused the choirbugs to shriek, and then go silent. In those excruciating moments, Alice takes a moment to blindly reload her gun, while Viss pulls out a knife and runs out from behind the rock, falling upon one of the choirbugs and stabbing it a few times. Alice stumbles out from behind the rock, leaning on it, as Viss and Qhen disengage and move beside her.

One of the strange mechanical bugs has been dismembered, and while the golem hasn't been destroyed, one of it's shoulders has been very badly damaged and is spitting sparks everywhere... probably because Qhen buried the hammer inside it.

"Hey, Qhen. What took you so long?"

"Wh- I- YOU didn't want me to come along! That was made abundantly clear when you grabbed your gun and ran off in a huff!"

"-- I - I was just trying to be cute about you showing up and saving the day..."

"Viss would like it if this waited until maybe after we were safe?!

"And you went with Alice! I told you not to bother, but you insisted on following her because you were worried she was going to get in trouble!"

". . . BUT- she said-"

"Aliss WAS in trouble! Aliss IS in trouble! Viss is in trouble! Qhen is in trouble! WE ARE ALL IN TROUBLE!"

( Is now a bad time? )

"A GHOST?!"

"Empty! Oh goodness- NO, thank you. Please tell me you can help us."

Empty looks from Alice, to Qhen, to Viss, then back to Alice.

( I have a method to make you or Qhen stronger in combat, yes. I lack what Viss needs to enhance their power. )

"Great- No time to hesitate, Help-"

( ) "Me."
( ) "Qhen."
( ) "Viss? Somehow?"
( ) "All of us?"
( ) "Can you fight?"
( ) [insert words]

> all of us?
> Do what you can, Empty. All we want is Alice and her companions to be safe.

>Give Qhen a power up. In a split second they become the Incredible Hulk crossed with the Tazmanian Devil. A lightning quick whirlwind of unstoppable destruction.
>Well Qhen, it seems you've reached god hood, or at least it feels that way. You've had dreams like this. It's pretty nice.

( ) "Me."
(✓) "Qhen."
( ) "Viss? Somehow?"
( ) "All of us?"
( ) "Can you fight?"
( ) [insert words]

Qhen doesn't seem to be nearly as affected by the Choir Bugs as Alice is. It doesn't matter if you're suddenly overflowing with the power of the Cosmos if you can't think to use it. Though I would like Empty to be able to wreck some shit their own bad self.

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"- all of us?. Help us, Empty. I don't care how you do it. I can barely fight right now."

( As you wish, Alice of Vaugen. Please, retreat to the cover of the boulder. Take Viss with you. They cannot hear me yet. Qhen. )

"Y-Yes?"

( Do you trust me? )

". . . I trust Alice."

( I appreciate your honesty. What was the biggest mistake you've made in your life? )

". . . I..."

Alice's legs gave out just as she got back behind the rock, pulling Viss down with her. The golem was starting to recover, and the choirbugs were climbing up onto it's shoulders, shivering and melding into it's structure. Qhen seemed to not care, instead intently staring up at Empty.

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"Aliss, what is happening?! Why did we retreat? Qhen is all alone out there!"

"Just- trust me. Empty will fix this."

"Empty. What is Empty? Do you speak of that shade, Aliss?"

"Yeah. That's Empty. They're my very important comrade. And my tool. And my master."

". . . You make no sense, Aliss. But you have started talking in a way that humans do when they mean what they say. Even if that thing is misleading Aliss, Aliss trusts it implicitly."

"It helped me save Qhen from making a terrible mistake."

*hisss-snort* "Did it now. Viss wonders if the universe conspires to make you live an interesting life."

"Thanks.

". . . Viss takes it back. YOU are interesting, Aliss. I will trust your judgement. Come here. I will check your shoulder. We may still need to assist Qhen and Empty."

Qhen stared up into Empty's hood. Empty floated there, and time felt like it was stretching out into a single infinite moment. Is this what Alice felt? Is this what it was supposed to feel like...? It's name suggested powerlessness, but it took everything Qhen had to not just drop to the ground.

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"My biggest mistake..."

They looked down at their hands. They flexed them a little bit. Memories began to play out in their head. Everything they've ever been ashamed of. Most of them were little. Lying. Stealing. Envy. Qhen was shocked as how many of their recent memories played into that. Especially around Alice. Even now, with that... 'corrupting influence' gone...

Qhen hated Alice so much.

Alice wasn't perfect, but Alice seemed to just be... better. Better at taking all of this in stride. Qhen was terrified. If Qhen didn't bring that thing down, then others were going to get hurt. If Qhen wasted too much time, maybe the airship would be discovered and attacked. Qhen had no idea what the strength of the enemy force was. Alice seemed to always know things. Qhen always felt like they knew nothing. Go here. Do that. Lift this. Break that. "Kill me, Qhen." Qhen was never in control of their own life. There was always someone there to tell them what to do, and how to do it. When to do it. why to do it.

Then Qhen remembered something, and was suddenly grateful that Alice and Viss had retreated, and that Qhen could not see them peeking out behind the rock. Qhen choked something back and swallowed the memories down, clutching their hands into fists so hard that they were threatening to cut themselves open on their claws.

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"I... can't tell you that..."

( Then you must tell me why you cannot, Qhen. )

"I thought it was because- Maybe- if I admitted what I did, that suddenly everyone would know what I did. I would be judged, and condemned, just like always. But that is just cowardice. The things I've done, I've always done for the right reasons. I've been dealt a shit hand by fate, and I've played every wrong card at the right time to get by."

( But that is not why you won't tell me. )

"No... I won't tell you..."

Qhen's eyes opened up so wide, that the yellow coloration disappeared. At this distance, they could make out every wavering mote of smoggy light in Empty's form. It was a good intimidation tactic. It helped Qhen fight in darkness. But it also kept Qhen from crying their eyes out. never again.

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"Because if I do something, it is because >I< WANT to. I don't have to tell you anything. You don't own me. My past might be a little monstrous... but I'm my own monster."

( You are no monster, Qhen. )

"hhhhh..."

Qhen could hear their own heartbeat. Time had all but frozen, and Empty was gone. The voice that spoke to them floated between them and the golem. The thing that threatened to hurt Qhen's friends. The long, blood red cloak fluttered in an invisible breeze, and every beat of Qhen's heart in their ears saw drops of blood falling to the ground underneath the cloak. It was unusually empty of haze, instead just a garment, floating there, speaking to them.

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"You-... We defeated you... You're gone."

( WE defeated me? Don't kid yourself. That was all the work of the Girl and her Meddler. But we do not have time to ARGUE, Qhen. Listen to me, and listen well. YOU are no monster. )

". . ."

( You merely... lack purpose. Others will- others HAVE used that lack of purpose to twist you to their desires. Others will be twisted. Used. Less than tools- which can serve a restricted, but long, useful life- they will be like matches. Lit once and burned to feed something greater. But you are no matchstick... )

". . . No. I'm not."

( In becoming the thing you wish to become, you will likely continue to do 'monstrous' things. For every truly good deed you perform, there will be someone that curses your name, sometimes with their dying breath. For every crime you commit, you will invariably be helping someone. Not because you must, but because you can. )

"And what do you know about what I want to become? Because of you, I nearly killed Alice."

( You still might, someday. That all depends on her, and the meddler, and the voices. You've started to hear them, have you not? )

" . . . "

( I know what you want, because it is what >I< want. )

". . . Truly? How can I trust your words?"

( You cannot. I will not sugar coat it, Qhen. I will lie to you. I will tell you things you do not want to hear. You will eventually be confronted with things you wished forgotten. But as long as you pursue your desires with all your heart, I will never betray you. )

Qhen reached out for the red cloak. They ran their hand along the Hem. It was positively soaked through with blood. An uneasy feeling in the back of Qhen's head, told them that this blood was their own.

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"Heart, huh? What does a god know about hearts?"

( Hmhm. The girl and her meddler have already rubbed off on you, I see. Just like you, I certainly know nothing about all hearts. They are mysterious, closed off, and forbidden to us. But that's not every case now is it? I know one heart. You mistakenly opened your heart to me and now we are bound for eternity. )

". . . Are you implying that Alice and I are now bound for eternity as well?"

( You mortals are fickle creatures, and I am no fortune teller. I know, what I know. And what I know, is you, Qhen. Your existence is known to me, and as such, I am bound to you. You need only reach out and seize my power, and together we will carve your name into the pages of history with the tip of a bloodied dagger. )

". . . What do I call you anyway, Muse of Anti-Heroes?"

( I am what we desire. What you cannot have without bloodshed and sacrifice. Hmm... Hm Hm. I have an idea. Let us have our new guests see if they can guess what it is you desire, Qhen. Let them know what you -Desire-. )

". . .I. . .desire. . ."