Cloudsea - The Chronicle of Alice Van Vaugen

Try and armor yourself as much as you can in the front and get your butt in there!

>Try and be clever, Qhen. You should get in the way, but not let it rip you in half. Divert it's attention long enough for Alice and Viss to do something? You'll figure something out, I'm sure.

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"You are an idiot, Fenrose."

Qhen and Free often talked, in Qhen's mind. They had gotten better and better at it- to the point where, to this conversation, the world was moving in slow motion. It was fascinating, watching that creature move ever so closer, massive claws outstretched. . .

It was all part of the training, of course. Qhen and Free needed to be of one mind if they were going to fully explore the extend of their powers. Mind you, this didn't expect the two of them to see eye to eye. Qhen thought being 'of one mind' was more about being able to understand each other without words. Being in agreement did not necessarily mean you shared the same mind. Two creatures can share the same general idea and see it from completely different viewpoints. . .

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"Only a fool would follow an idiot."

"I never claimed to be wise. After all, I am a part of you."

"HA! You're getting better at this. I'm going to be real disappointed if this kills me before we get a chance to explore that sense of humor you're developing."

"Then why are you doing this? Your cloak is running quite threadbare. Even if you survive the attack, you will be defenseless."

"I don't know. Because. . ."

". . ."

"Because Alice is a very good friend to me, and this is the only way I know how to repay her. Just like with Viss."

"Hmm. Not exactly the truth- not exactly a lie. Interesting. Brace for impact."

CRACK. The claw smashed into them- quite heavily. Their exposed skeleton strained and fractured under the force of the blow, as threads of blood wove themselves into the wounds, mending them quickly. . . Which is why Qhen had not bothered wasting any energy on defending themselves. The rest of this would go towards getting some sort of counter attack in, while they were at the perfect range.

. . .Point blank. The perfect range for Qhen is point blank.

. . .Qhen knows what they're about!

Free-Qhen uses Freeform- Hah? Wah-GAH!

Someone grabbed them and HAULED backwards, pulling them down to the ground. Gunfire- That was Alice's gun! It barked loudly- almost as loudly at the wolf-beast did when it roared in response to the explosive shell crushing against it's chest moments before detonating. A pop- the sound of an empty shell hitting the ground, and another shot.

Which means that was not Alice pinning Qhen down against the ground.

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"And which one of you do I thank for foolishly trying to save my life? I HAD them-"

"Who do you think it is, you idiot?! The only thing you had was a stupid plan to STUPIDLY use the last of your energy. I doubt you had any idea if it was going to actually work."

". . . Viss. . .?"

"WHO ELSE would waste their whole life taking care of you!? Who else would risk everything just to keep you alive, you- STUPID is not a good enough word for you! Alice! Words!"

"A-Ah.. Uh- - .. Um. . .dull, dumb, foolish, irrelevant. . . ludicrous. . . naive, senseless... shortsighted, simple-"

"Thank you, Alice. Those words, Qhen! Those words! Alice, it's getting up again! Keep it down while I lecture this- shortsighted, naive simpleton!"

POP-POOM! The beast roared again. It was further away.

Qhen flexed their hands and feet. They could still move. . . They had energy left. Not a lot, but some. Probably could just get up and push Viss off- But Qhen was not THAT stupid. Viss would not forgive an insult like that. . .

Oh well. The longer they laid here, the more minute fragments of energy they were slowly regaining.

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"And where is everybody else? Is it just you two...?"

"Extenuating Circumstances. Sebastian has gone missing, and Judith was keeping an eye on Earl. He was having some sort of religious breakdown. And don't change the subject. What would I do if you did something dumb like injure yourself, or worse? Hm? What THEN?"

"That actually kind of hurts- could you not dig your elbow directly into my shoulder blade like that- and besides. . . You told me after our argument that maybe I should just stop being so close. . ."

"I-DIDN'T-EXPECT-YOU-TO-AGREE!"

"Really, I didn't- but you were really mad at me at the time-"

"I WAS MAD BECAUSE YOU WEREN'T MAD! I've essentially been leading you around on a leash, and I've killed people that have gotten too close to you for my own comfort! I was using you to make myself happy by giving myself purpose! And you acted like it was all in the past!"

"It >IS< in the past. Unless you planned on killing Alice or something if I expressed interest in her, or something like that."

"Uh- What was that?"

"DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT. JUST KEEP THAT THING AWAY FROM US. QHEN. FENROSE."

"Ooh. Are you mad at me again? I already told you, Viss. Being sorry isn't going to fix those things you did, or bring back Mister Fenrose. I appreciate that you told me the truth, but I don't want you to be sorry. I just want you to move on. We'll never find what we're looking for if we just live in the past forever."

". . . Well, I'm- -HSTTTtt- SORRY if I'm just not that kind of girl, Qhen! I'm a terrible little monster who gets her kicks out of being a sensual tease and making people bleed for stepping out of line- especially when it pertains to threatening the people I want to learn how to love! I live in the past! It shaped me! It made me what I am today! I cannot just ignore it because it's inconvenient!"

"I didn't tell you to forget it- I just-. . .Apology accepted. Now what did you just do?"

"Do you. . . feel better?"

". . .VISS. . .?"

"Oh shut up. It's just a little blood. I wasn't sure if this would work. Hmm. It's kinda pretty. It's mingling with the fibers of your cloak and growing out a bit. . . So I'm PRESUMING it's working. . . Is that enough?"

"Viss please stop bleeding on me, this is weird, and also why would you even think to do that."

"I mean- You're POWERED BY BLOOD. It's pretty obvious, and actually, This cut's a little deeper than I intended, So I don't think I can just- Ahh- HEY-"

Qhen rolled out from under Viss, knocking her over, while bringing an arm up to catch her. Alice loaded another shell, a little absent-mindlessly, as she watched Qhen pull Viss closer.

Viss stared at Qhen, who grabbed her bleeding hand, and pulled it up to their face. Okay. Good. This was happening. Alice was watching this and it was happening. She fired again, and checked her pouch. Using just the weak exploding shot. . . She had 4 more left. Okay. Oh wow. That is an interesting use of that power. That probably feels weird. Viss doesn't look unhappy with- Oh DAMN-

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"GUYS? I HAVE FOUR-" *pop-BOOM!* "THREE more shells left! If you're done cleaning each other's wounds, could you please HELP?"

". . .There. It stopped bleeding. We'll talk later."

"Uh- Yeah- Yeah. Later. We can talk later. Um- That was kinda cool. I didn't know you could do that."

"To be fair, Viss, you know a lot about me, in reference to our time in the Pit. You haven't spent much time trying to get to know me recently."

". . .Well- I didn't know you'd gone and reinvented yourself or-"

"TWO LEFT!"

". . .Captain is gonna be mad if we don't do our job, Qhen."

"Mm. You're the one holding onto me, still."

"Shut up. Don't get punched by a terrifying canine-beast again."

"If I don't, then one of you two will, and that is just something I can't allow. You're both-. . . Special to me."

"I'll take that. Okay- Alice! Let it get back up! Qhen, can you pin it without getting killed?"

"Probably."

"Good. Do that. Especially the not dying part. Or Alice and I will die of grief."

Free-Qhen got up and sprinted right at the monster. They channeled some of their energy into their hands- creating sheathes of energy around their claws. . .Hm. It really was pretty. This swirling mixture of rich, red blood and bright, almost luminescent light-blue blood. . . It solidified, and instantly, their arms caught fire.

The beast got up, looking almost no worse for wear, despite the number of explosive shells it had taken to the face and torso. There were some marks that resembled burns, and the air was start to smell like burning. . . Fur? Fur and something rotten, and it's eyes were glowing a furious red. . . Some of the pipes sticking out of it's flesh were cracked, leaking fluid of- various types on the ground. This was actually kinda gross.

The impact was solid, and Free-Qhen grabbed the beast's claws, and essentially just tried to push back against their overwhelming force, the two of them being locked in a violent shoving contest and- Oh.

Qhen actually sorta forgot that this thing had a face with a mouth full of razor sharp metallic teeth. It's head swung down and began to chew on Qhen's right shoulder- the sound of grinding bone and metal was also kind of horrible.

Alice was at a loss for words.

First, Qhen was currently locked in combat with this monster straight out of her nightmares. When it had first come barreling at her, she had frozen- and if not for Qhen and Viss' intervention. . . She put a hand over her chest, and her torso began to ache. . . She heard a dull dump in her ears that almost sounded like a heartbeat, and for a brief second- she could almost taste blood. . .

Second, despite all of what was going on- when Qhen left to get into a fight with that- thing. . . Viss fell to the ground! She was bent over, kneeling, propping herself up with a single claw, the other gripping her dagger, which she had plunged into the weird ground underneath her. She wasn't sure if they were all seeing the same thing- but to Alice, it looked like she was fighting in-

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A graveyard, Hm? Interesting, and appropriate. I will enjoy burying you- Meddler.

Alice whipped around, and came face to face with- someone she did not recognize. She wanted to scream, but couldn't. The clawed hand at her throat helped repress that urge. Their other hand wrapped around her back, and held her in place. They were a little shorter than her, but were leaning up, staring into her eyes with a truly terrifying visage on their face. It wasn't just that they were smiling. It wasn't just the terrible ill-fitting suit that smelled like someone had died in it. It wasn't even just that they were clearly in a position to kill her.

It was those eyes. They were beautiful, almost alluring. . . but behind them, she saw. She understood that kind of flowery prose now, where someone looked into someone's eyes in a story- and saw something. Some saw love. Some saw fear. Some saw insanity.

Alice saw nothing. It was like she was staring into the voidspace.

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Hello, Alice van Vaugen, I am- *quiet cough* "Sorry. I'm sure it was hard for you to understand me like that. Hello. You are Alice van Vaugen, yes? The girl who died one day. One night I had a dream, where if I killed you, I would finally understand why the universe was so unfair. So here we are. Of course, I get your situation- you have many allies. As do I. So- I wanted to leave it up to a game. We're going to very quietly walk this way, while your friend desperately tries to fight her darkest natures. . . "

"And we're going to watch them futilely fight against my Volf. If they win, I'll let you go. If I win, I'll squeeze a little harder. Of course, I haven't exactly disabled your ability to fight back- so if you'd like to reach for that gun, we can see if you're even half as good to deserve those that serve you. . . Oh! If it helps sweeten the pot, we can talk while we watch them fight. I'm sure you have some questions. I also have some caramels, if those literally sweeten the pot for you at all. How about it?"

. . . Alice would actually really like it if maybe she could get a message out to Viss or Qhen, but they're both- busy. Breaking their concentration could be really bad. Mm. Uh- Don't suppose the ghosts care to weigh in on this decision?

( ) Go with [Suit].
( ) Go for the gun.

>Act like you're going to go with the [Suit], then shoot him. The perfect plan.
>Get a message out? Sure thing. Hey Viss and Qhen, if you can hear this, Alice is going to do something incredibly reckless and possibly-maybe clever, but don't worry, she probably has it all figured out. Just keep doing what you're doing, and she'll take care of the rest. Anyway, good luck.

[X] fake going with suit, pop him.

> Please don't die, Alice needs you both. Winning helps you all at this point. Focus on your battles.

Alice looked deeply into those eyes. They stared back. Unblinking. Unflinching. Unresponsive. She looked over towards Viss and Free- then let out a slow sigh, and looked back to this person. She shrugged.

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"That's it then? Hm. Do you trust them that much? Or are you just trying to stay cool in the face of death?"

"I just don't care. Look at you. Look at this. It's all- ridiculous."

". . .Excuse me?"

"I don't need to 'believe' or 'trust' in Qhen and Viss to know that they're not going to lose. Not just because they're strong, and smart, and much better at fighting- but you just don't care if you win. Not right now anyway. If this was just about- putting me in the ground or whatever, you would have just done it. There's something you want to know, which is why you're even allowing this exchange of information. You're hoping I'll tell you something that you want to know, or want to hear."

"Huh. That was- you talk a lot."

". . . S-Sorry."

"Why are you apologizing? Damn- That was really good. Okay. So you don't care. So is that why you're not fighting?"

"Nah. I actually was hoping to just get some questions answered. You seem to know more than I do- and I like knowing things! It makes me feel- . . ."

". . .Feel. . .?"

"- Nevermind- I just was thinking to myself. So. You said we could talk, right? I have to know- what was your plan if I decided to fight? Just kill me?"

"What? No! That would be incredibly boring. It had crossed my mind to release the other Volf I have at my disposal- but after seeing your reaction to the first one, I didn't think it would be fair. I was just going to fight you."

". . .Oh. Well then."

She snapped her wrist past her side and fired the flash shell into Suit's chest while flicking her head downward to knock her goggles back down over her eyes.

There was a bang, and a flash, and a roar, which was quickly drowned out by a powerful ringing sensation in her head.

---

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( I can't hear what they're saying past the god-awful sounds of this thing slowly trying to grind my shoulder blade into dust. Is it important? )

( Not important enough to bother you with it. Whatever happens, you need to keep your mind here. You're quickly running out of energy. If your concentration falters, at best you lose an arm. )

( I wonder if Jude would make an arm for me if I did? )

( Please do not plan ahead to lose an a limb. I would prefer you just didn't. )

( What, didn't plan? That doesn't seem like you to say- )

( I meant don't lose a limb, and you know that. You have 15 threads left. You know, if you hadn't spent so much on summoning those claws. . . )

( Then I would just be healing a shoulder AND my shattered hands at the same time. I know what I'm doing. )

( That remains to be seen. )

( C'mon. Trust me. )

( You're starting to sound like a certain insufferable woman. )

( Hey. She is not insufferable. She is- ... )

( . . . )

( Fascinating. . . )

( *snort* Yes yes. Of cour-. . . What is. . .? )

There was a loud bang, and a bright flash behind Free-Qhen. They didn't dare turn their attention- But the roaring- two voices intertwined, caught their attention. Especially as it drew closer. . .

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( . . . We just dead here, Free? )

( Not quite. . . ! Qhen! Switch your left hand grip, pull towards you, kick your right leg out, and pivot on your left while rolling to the side! )

Not even a moment to think, but an eternity to act. Free-Qhen kicked out, and connected, while they spun their wrist around and PULLED- the beast actually stumbling for a moment as the countering forces was turned into a countering offensive. For a brief moment, as Free-Qhen rolled, they could see a flicker of blue flame, and as the sound got closer, it was the sound of roaring, but with a shrill, bloodthirsty scream underneath it.

For a moment, Qhen was a child again, watching his best friend cut down person and beast, one after another. They were not one to relish the loss of life, but it was inevitable. They were after Qhen, and Viss refused to let Qhen fight them. The pattern of blood was pretty though-

Then Free-Qhen realized that was the blood of the beast that was now on top of them, and it screamed in pain and rage, letting go of Qhen's shoulder, and they both shoved against each other as hard as they could, the beast skittering away, running behind a large chunk of blank wall- presumable to lick it's wounds. So they turned to look at-

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". . .Wow."

---

(Note: This next section got spoiler-d because this post is MASSIVE and IMPOSING, and this section takes place inside Viss' mind. Sorry I keep fiddling with the formatting. ' <';)

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". . .Hey Viss and Qhen. . . Please Don't Die. . . . Alice is going to do something. . . . Alice needs you both. . . She probably has it all figured out. . . Winning helps you all. . . Just keep doing what you're doing. . . Focus on your battles. . ."

"That would be so much easier... If you would just LEAVE ME ALONE!"

A sharp pain, the sound of tearing fabric and flesh- Viss goes rolling across the arena. The sands of the pit were made of a mineral powder that clumped up when it got wet. That, and ground up salt shards harvested from the CloudSea. It burned like hell when it got in your wounds. It was to keep your brain sharp. Get back up. Parry. Roll- Damnit- more sand in the wounds. Although, the mineral powder also acted like a kind of impromptu scab. Parry- Twist- SLASH- Damnit! The flames twisted and contorted at just the right time- every time.

This was bullshit. She knew that it was a part of it, and in her mind- that meant that it probably knew what she was thinking when she thought it. . . Fighting purely on instinct is what got her here in the first place. Viss saw what would happen if she went down that road again. Never again. She would not give in to the darkness. Never again. She was also not interested in making friends with a hallucination in her own head.

Viss started to circle the mass of flames, getting further and further away as she ran around it, watching it for signs of attack, dodging just at the right moment. . . She could do this- which means that her line of thinking was correct. She could DO THIS.

Getting to the outside wall of the pit, she ran, until she saw what she wanted. She took weapons off of racks, and stashed them underneath her cloak. Her 'kill memento', the cloak of her muse. It took those weapons and greedily ate them, concealing them from sight until she needed them. Yes. Hunger. Flames always consumed as much as they could.

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"I hope you're ready for me, you bastard. I'm going to end this, and then I am going to save the others."

Save the others? You can hardly take care of yourself. Do not tell me such unbelievable jokes.

"The only joke here is you. You think you can corrupt me? Control me? Maybe just kill me? I've fought worse. To me, you're just another body waiting to assume room temperature."

Such vitriolic words. If you think you can force me to submit, then please- show me your strength.

Viss ran straight at the flames. It lashed out with a tail. A sword slipped out of the cloak and she flipped it around her arm, grabbing the handle and the blade and bracing against it hard- the impact of the tail drove the blade into her palm, but it also sheared a large chunk off of the beast. . . The chunk hit the sand and sputtered and hissed until all that was left was a glassy crater- but Viss was already continuing to move.

It struck out with a claw. The blade was already abandoned. This creature burned so ferociously that regular weaponry melted within seconds of making contact with it's body. A pair of axes, she dropped to her knees and brought them over her head, catching it's claws at the soft inner joints, cleaving it open, flames spraying all over the ground. . . It was the same color as her blood. This was not lost on her. But she had other things to think about.

The momentum of the blow, she transferred to one hand, letting go of the other axe- she flipped up onto it's arm, cringing internally as her feet burned, she ran up towards it's back, bloody tears starting to stream down her face. . .

It's wings. They were large, and she could not decide if they were there to mock her, or to just be big and impressive. Either way, they made perfect targets. Knives, attached to chains. She swung them around and hurled them as quickly as she could- the flames burning her legs, as well as the head of the flame beast turning slowly towards her, exhaling a cloud of deadly fire. . .

If this was at all real, this wouldn't work- but her steely resolve- she put it into the blades and chains, striking the beast and the ground around it- she held onto the ends of all the chains with her other hand, and pulled as she turned and ran up the back of it's neck. . .

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Your capacity for violence is almost an art form. . . just think what we could achieve together. . .

"Shut up. I don't need your HELP- I need you to just be MINE!"

Viss leapt for it's head. She grabbed onto it, pulling out her own dagger, and swung for it's eye.

It screamed. It and Viss plummeted to the ground- and when Viss landed, she brought her blade up and-

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"How dare you."

Viss' entire body burned with pain, but it was nothing compared to the blinding rage she was suffering from. The beast had taken Alice's form- albeit a very blue and... burn-y one. It's left eye was shut, where Viss had stabbed it earlier, and it just laid there.

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"You realized you couldn't win, huh? So now you're going to cheat?"

"What are you talking about? I'm right here. Just finish me off, and claim my power. Easy as that, right?"

"I don't have TIME for this! Qhen and Alice are in trouble!"

"Oh please. You don't actually care about Alice. She's just like Qhen- something to fill the void in your heart because you refuse to let me-"

The dagger struck the ground. Viss got up and walked away- a very difficult feat considering her feet were screaming at her in pain.

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"We're done here."

"Aww. Don't be that way. Would it have been easier if I took YOUR face? You're very good at being self destructive after all."

". . .Yeah. It would have been. I may have been able to even contend with seeing Qhen's face- just not hers."

"And what makes this 'Alice' so special to you- hm?"

"It's- She's special."

"That's not evasive at all. You can talk you way around everyone else, but >I AM YOU<, Viss Durrah. I know everything about you."

"Then I don't need to tell you why she's important to me!"

A hand grabbed Viss' shoulder. She turned around and stared into the dragon-like face of her muse. It was- it was like her. Just taller. Bigger. More imposing. On fire. Has-wings. Really, all the great stuff.

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"Yes, I do. You may not acknowledge me as anything but a tool- a figment of your imagination given form. . . But I am a figment with thoughts. A tool with free will. If you take my power for the wrong reasons. . ."

"I get it- I lose my mind, I give in to the darkness, and I do something I regret- because it's not actually YOU doing it, it's me."

"Besides- you've gotten so good at lying to yourself and others, that it's nice to acknowledge that you're actually capable of telling the truth."

". . .I-. . ."

". . ."

". . .It would be so much easier for me to just- go back out there and get killed. I don't actually care what the voices think."

"Ah- but you DO care what ALICE thinks."

". . ."

". . .I understand. You're just not ready yet. I was hoping I could convince you to actually take the other path- but you need more time, don't you?"

"please."

*huff* "Fine. The price of my power will be quite painful, however."

"What has a little pain ever stopped me from doing what I wanted? If a little pain could stop me now, then I don't even deserve this power."

"Hm. Maybe we'll see eye to eye yet."

---

Viss stood 'over' Free-Qhen. Her size had not changed, but her stance certainly had. The tattered, flame-like remains of her muse's cloak was wrapped around her head and neck like a hood and scarf. Also-

She was on fire.

Her head-fins were hidden within the confines of the hood, but two large straight spikes stuck up out of the top of her head, pointed back slightly- made of flame twisted into a horn-shape. . . Her claws were longer, like talons now- on both her hands and feet, which also burned with pale blue flame. The blade she clutched was long and straight, and it's handle curled around her hand- and appeared to go through her arm multiple times. . .

But one could not really ignore the wings. Her back was drenched in her own blood, having seemingly split open at each shoulder to give her a pair of fairly large wings of fire. . .

She looked Free-Qhen in the eyes. She felt the same- she had somehow tapped into her power, without actively summoning her muse. She FELT the same, but she carried herself with. . . Purpose?

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"How much time do you have left?"

". . .Minutes, at best, if I keep getting hit."

"It's wounds are not closing- I can smell it nearby. Try to immobilize it again. I will finish it."

". . .Right. Nice of you to have my back."

"I can be helpful once in a while. It is- excruciating to maintain this form however. Please, do not waste too much time."

"Gotcha."

Free-Qhen leapt in towards the beast, weaving between walls, while Viss launched herself up into the air. . .

---

Alice and Suit watched Qhen and Viss move towards the Volf. Alice looked back to Suit, who was pointing a long tubed artillery piece at her.

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"It seems- beyond coincidental that you use the same weapon that I do."

"Oh- absolutely. My power allows me to read someone and fight them with the same weapon they use, at ALMOST equal footing. I compensate by- well, overcompensating."

"Huh. That's weird. Hate to disappoint you, but I'm out of shells."

"That is- a pity. Did you bring another weapon? If not, I can give you one. Go ahead. Name your weapon of choice."

Alice thought about that for a moment. She did not think calling for Empty would be wise right now- which means she was limited to- well, real weapons. Something about this guy in the ugly suit was starting to tick her off though. It was a strange sensation- to be utterly annoyed.

Provided there wasn't a trick here- and again. . . If they wanted her dead, she gets the feeling she would be already. . . What should she ask for?

( ) Another Gun? She's versed in both Rifles and Siege Weapons of... all types.
( ) Something more personal? She knows all sorts of armed combat, though she's really only good swinging a rifle around. Something about the weight makes it different than just a club.
( ) Insert Weapon Here.
( ) Are we just buying time here, hoping the others get here sometime soon?

(X) we're just buying time, but also, maybe it's time for close range

>If he's going to copy you, make him regret it. Request a siege weapon powerful enough that it would kill you both regardless who used it. Mutually assured destruction, my favorite tactic.
or
>Keep your options open, don't bank entirely on Qhen and Viss, try to deal with him on your own, but backup is a nice safety net to fall back on. Request a rifle that's a good shot and doubles as an excellent melee weapon.

Dumb Ideas you shouldn't do, unless you really want to:
>Make him do a double take. Pick insults as your weapon. You're a well read librarian, you can sling insults he's never even heard of.
or
>Can't go wrong with scissors, paper, stone. Get the ol' cherry bomb ready.

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"I choose Child's Play."

". . .Context, please."

"It's like advanced rock paper scissors. Really advanced."

". . .Fighting? It's this thing you do, with like, weapons. Or, just violence in general? Is this violent?"

"If it makes you feel better, we can make it so loser of each round gets slapped in the face."

". . .This has to be the dumbest way to buy time I've ever heard of."

"I have chosen my weapon. Childish games. I did invent the rules for this one myself, however."

". . .Oh- fine. My desire to know the dark secrets of the universe is not nearly as strong as my desire to find out where you're going with this."

"Cool. Okay, here's the rules-"

. . .

Empty has been silently and secretly hiding nearby, waiting for Alice to call them for aid. Instead, for brevity, Empty will relay the short version of the rules of Child's Play to you.

To start: Alice wrote the rules for this game at age 16, after getting annoyed at her instructors using the phrase 'child's play' too many times in regards to insulting her ability to perform tasks that were outside of her standard skill set. It is, as stated, a variant of Rock Paper Scissors. . .

With somewhere in the range of ~25 symbols. It would be a lie to say she didn't spent WAY too much time on this, she even has a small paperback manual, and cards with cheat sheets of information on them. . .

And decks of cards. Really, it's only like rock paper scissors that some of the symbols defeat each other in a fashion that could be considered logical.

You reveal two cards, or if you're in company of others with hands that can perform the signs, there is a list of hand signals that equate these cards. Alice did make sure that this game could be played by just about anybody, however. Mostly because she wanted to use it as an excuse to get out of doing actual work.

So. Two cards. The cards are divided into three types: Offensive, Defensive and Support. Some Offense cards defeat Defensive. Some Defensive cards defeat Offensive. Support cards do a variety of things, usually modifying what your other card does.

No- We will not be getting into the full list. Alice isn't even REALLY asking for advice? She made the game, she has a pretty good idea of how it works. . . She hopes that 'Suit' isn't very quick on the uptake, that's all.

You are welcome to suggest that she play say- two offensive, or one defensive and a support, or a offense and a support. . . Anything really. More importantly, while this is happening, who should we check in on?

(?) Please submit any two of the following: Offensive, Defensive and Support cards.

- List of side bits to examine while this is going on:
( ) Viss and/or Qhen
( ) Earl and/or Jude
( ) Katie and/or Seb
( ) Hard cut back to the island to check on the progress of the crew. . . new villagers? What should we call these people?
( ) No, we really want to see what goes down with Alice and Suit.

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Sorry it took me so long to update! Between lack of sleep and muscle pains, I just hadn't the energy to put together an idea. Also this one is pretty short! Also I am clearly unsure of what is happening. ' <'

Sorry. '> '

(X) Defensive and support

(X) Katie and/or Seb

(X) Defensive and support

(X) Katie and/or Seb

>The best defense is a good offense and the best offense is a good defense.
>Earl and Jude.

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"Earl- We gotta get going."

"I don't need to go anywhere, Jude. If you have somewhere to be, don't let me stop you."

". . ."

Earl's house was a mess. Judith had to wedge her way in, which is a bit of a worry in itself. Most doors were oft to submit to Judith's advances. Her muse chuckled at that. She could still make jokes, so that means it wasn't absolutely dire. . . but . . .

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"Alright Earl, I'll drop the pretense. You're scarin' the crap out of me. This is- Unnatural. Even for you."

Earl's living room, which was already quite sparse, was practically empty. Everything had been thrown own or otherwise stuffed into other rooms. Judith could only figure that it was Earl's current level of power that had made it so hard to push her way in here. It was like he was projecting a shield. . . Or a field?

Earl was floating. He glowed with an internal light, as little flickers of electricity jumped from his body to pages of paper, keeping them aloft with the static energy in the incredibly dense, heavy air. . . His muse was curled around him, practically a real, physical creature with the nimbus it currently put off- Jude wondered if she could touch Fatalism. That was then followed by wondering how hard she'd have to swing to dislodge the muse. . .

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"That may be the case- but this is important. I need to find it. What I've been missing the whole time. . . How does a young girl and her strange friends just show up and put everything we've known into upheaval? Even for a main character. . ."

"Earl, I keep telling you, that's not- that's not how people work."

". . .Jude. . .You don't understand. You've seen my writing. The books. It's not just coincidence, right?"

". . .Right."

"I can't see my time anymore."

Judith shifted uncomfortably. She didn't like this line of conversation anymore. Earl's books were not perfect by any means. . . but they had so much information. So much stuff fit, just right. In some cases, he described events perfectly. Things he could not possibly know about. Things that, for example, only Judith knew.

He was also 'incredibly lucky' as Katie would put it. But Judith has seen the kind of things he's subjected himself to. He really shouldn't be alive- and his explanation for it- no matter how ridiculous, how insane. . .

Judith thought about Alice. Cute girl. Nice, polite smile. What little she has heard of her makes her so much more interesting. So much more. . . appealing. But then she thinks about those eyes. And she thinks about Earl's eyes. And how he would always glance at his right hand before doing something stupid. She thought about how she could just get lost in those eyes of Alice's. . .

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". . .What are you looking for? Maybe I can help?"

"I don't think so. If you get any closer. . ."

"I know. I can feel it. This energy, it's oppressive. Is this what they have to put up with?"

"I think this is the weight. . . of one's darkness. It's a weight we're each used to- our own, that is. But to feel the darkness of someone else. . ."

"Earl, you're still scaring me."

". . .I'm trying to find two things, Jude. The first, is what danger Alice poses to us. Is she the danger herself. . .? Or is it something pursuing her? Like a storm. . . A storm. . ."

"What about the storm. . .? There's one rolling in- it should hit by tonight."

". . .Are you as afraid of Alice as I am?"

"Well- I mean, come on- that's not fair. You know my type- if she was normal, I wouldn't be so seriously interested-"

"The second thing I'm looking for- is a reason."

"A. . . reason. A reason to what?"

"A reason to care about the coming storm. A reason to help. A reason to do something other than just accept that the life I've lived is the life I needed to live and that's all there is to it. I just want my life to be. . ."

Earl blinked. His sunglasses had slid down his face, and whatever he was smoking last had long turned into ashes between his teeth. Everything stopped. The hum of static, the movement of the dissected book pages around him, the swirling of the small inexplicable clouds over him. . . He blinked again, and his shoulders shook with something between a sound of utter shock and terrified humor. His muse shivered, and turned into something resembling grey haze, before dissolving back into his body.

His feet touched the floor and he started brushing himself off as the ashes scattered across his shirt. He shook his shirt until it was rumpled and crumpled just right. He fished his smoking pen out of his pants pocket, and rolled something into the end of it. Pages started to flutter to the ground, and Judith felt a great weight lifting itself from her- like some sort of large beast had her pinned and was told to move.

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"It's as easy at that, is it? Huh. . .Jude."

"Ah- Yeah- Hey-"

Earl had wandered over. He leaned up and smooched her on the cheek, then grabbed her mechanical hand and manipulated the thumb so that it ejected flame so he could light his cigarette.

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"Ew! Augh- Earl- Why would you do that?!"

"Just thanking you for being such a good friend to a cranky old man."

". . .Yeah- Yeah well, someone has to watch after you. You can barely take care of yourself on your best days."

"Right? And I can barely walk, but we need to find the others and get to Alice as soon as possible- so you can carry me, right?"

"Oh for fucks sake, Earl."

"You don't want to leave me here by myself, you don't want to let the others possibly be left along by themselves, and you're at least a little worried about Alice, even if it's only because you think you have a chance with that literal hell spawn."

". . .Damn it, I am too nice to you people."

Jude reached over and hefted Earl up. . . and put him under her mechanical arm, carrying him like a chunk of debris. In response, Earl reached up with a hand and batted at her face. She resisted the urge to toss him out the front door.

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"Don't forget, Miss Jude. You're one of us 'people' too, you know. Just like how I'm still one."

". . .For the time being."

"Yeah yeah, for the time being. Let's go find the others. Alice can handle herself, I suspect."

"That is dangerously close to a compliment or positive remark."

"Would YOU like to be some ancient powerful evil challenging her and her harem face to face?"

". . .No! No I would not. Also don't call them a harem! That makes it sound. . . indecent!"

"What would you prefer we called them then, Hmm?"

"We are done talking about this. Let's go find the others."

The sky was dim, and dark clouds hung in the distance, obscuring the world around the island. . .

Earl was already back on his feet, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a short punching dagger that resembled a sharpened pencil. Judith's mechanical arm opened up, a barrel sliding out into her palm.

They barely even registered the shadows.

---

Sebastian spiraled around, deflecting a claw strike with his blade, a series of shadows following up behind him as he wavered and flicked back and forth up and down the street, blades of concentrated shadow stabbing into these strange masses of meat and metal. . .

A large arm knocked him over, slamming face first into the ground, he rolled and stood back up, spitting blood as one of his shadows flickered out of existence, torn into shreds by the claws that would have easily killed him had he not been manipulating the light to obscure where he was actually standing.

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". . . With a name like True, we really are a pair of liars, aren't we?"

"A paradox then, for you only speak truth, do you not? That was our trade. Your power in exchange for your ability to lie."

True guided Sebastian's hand, living inside the rapier, it was like they were holding hands. True brought Sebastian's hand to bear on the closest threat. Sebastian took control and rent it asunder, placing a series of shadow blades inside it's chest, then momentarily flaring his power. . .

These blades will cut you in half, monster. Let this truth be heard.

The rippling shadows cut the beast neatly in two, but as he drew away to dodge another attack, Sebastian could see tendons and organs and blood vessels and bits of metal that aren't normally inside meat pulling it back together.

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"Who decides what is truth? Who decides what is lie?"

"Why, you do, of course."

"Then what if I decide a lie is truth?"

"Another paradox. You cannot lie. Thus it never was."

"You know, a short lifetime of thinking I had everything figured out, put into contrast with the knowledge that not only am I probably tricking myself and others into believing falsehoods. . . But that I likely lack the power to actually make any impact on those around me. . . I thought I was going to save the kingdom, True."

"Then you will save the kingdom, will you not?"

". . .Not if I die here."

Sebastian crumpled to the ground. He raised his rapier to block an attack. . . Then laid it down at his side. The beasts hesitated for a moment. Assessing him. His leg was not in any condition to be described as working. One of them reached down, slowly, and took Sebastian's head into it's claw. It was. . . Unusually intimate.

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"Before I die, I would know something, True."

"You wish to know The Truth?"

"What is happening? Why does it feel like someone is playing with our lives? Where did these beasts come from. . .?"

"Those are many things. I only have time to answer you once."

". . .Who is Alice van Vaugen?"

"She is nobody, Prince Merriweather. A storybook character. A girl, scared, running from stories and legends. But if you are a character in this story as well, what does that make you?"

"Oh. . .Well. Fuck."

Ping. . .

Out of the corner of Sebastian's eye, a coin hit the ground, bouncing so hard that the small gemstone in the center of it shattered. A royal. The beasts also were paying attention to it, as it bounced off the ground so hard that it flew up so that the beast holding Sebastian in it's claw could see the barrel of a gun through the hole in the coin.

The bullet passed through the coin, the forces ripping the soft gold into shrapnel as the metal found it's mark. The beast screeched and let go of Sebastian, who rolled over and backed up as quickly as he can, while a colorful cloak of feathers drifted down in front of him, the gentle sound of claws on stone clicking away as Katie came to rest. Roost? Rest. Ha ha.

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"Need to borrow some luck, Princeling?"

". . .I would sooner ask for help from Earl."

"Then it's good you do not need to ask, Yes? Can you walk?"

"Not at all. I'm mending, but they broke my leg. . .And what are you doing here, anyway?"

"You tend to get caught up in details, and forget the big picture, princeling. You have been missing for far too long. Jude went to retrieve Earl. Then I helped them with a predicament. Now I am here to help you."

". . .So what's the plan?"

"These creatures have proven, so far, to be resilient. Annoyingly so. They have been a strain on my funds. . . I'll need to take a few of your paychecks to make up for this, princeling."

"And this. . .Is why I hate getting help from you. Damnit- What will this pay for?"

Sebastian pulled a small bag out of his pocket and tossed it up to Katie, who caught it with her free hand, the other one still training a gun on the beasts who had yet to make any moves. He wondered why. Katie clicked her beak, then gritted it.

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"Is this what your life is worth, Prince Merriweather?"

"A single life, is worthless, when weighed against the whole of a kingdom. It's also all that I have on me right now. You're going to have to make due."

". . .You've gotten unusually poetic. What did you do to these beasts? Why are they not attacking?"

"I- I presumed this was your doing."

The beasts shifted. . . then slowly turned away, and started to move away, then picked up speed and leapt away-

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". . .That doesn't seem good."

"No. No it is not. That is. . .Curious."

"We should go after them."

">WE< should catch up with Earl and Jude, then >I< should go after them."

"That is a terrible idea. Also, help me up."

"Well, we should figure out what we are going to do. Quickly."

( ) Continue to follow Katie and Sebastian
( ) Observe Earl and Judith's shenanigans
( ) Go back to observing Alice and Suit
( ) >_

>Maybe quickly check in with all three options. Perhaps mumble a few generic words of encouragement through mouthfuls of popcorn too, boost morale: "Doing great, buddy", "Keep on keepin' on", "Hang in there, baby".

> I think it is time for something completely different. We're somewhere far away. Its hazy. Ohh... is that an ominous figure in the distance?

Alternatively (if that breaks narrative flow too much):

> Boss would provide an interesting point of view right now. They stayed in one place, the city seems to be under siege... The Idle Amusement seemed to... suppress? Inhibit muses to an extent. Possibly because it is an extension of his muse. How is he fairing against these beasts.

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Sorely tempted to just go on a long ranty post about wild theories, ideas, and thoughts... Might actually do that in the Q&A thread, honestly. I have so many thoughts on the characters, what Viss's Muse actually is, and urghh.. I know I gushed some to Bear personally the other day, but this is just so incredibly good.

(X) Continue to follow Katie and Sebastian

Alice did not respond. She was actually playing the game now. She was going over every combination of cards in her head. She looked at the cards she had. She tried to imagine what cards Suit could have.

She thought this would be easy. It's a game she invented! By herself! Is it dumb luck that they were trading back points, preventing a conclusion from being reached?

Or was this. . . A plan? She peered at Suit. He was deeply engrossed with his cards. He looked tired. Was that a result of something he was doing...? Alice looked back to her cards.

Suit had no real idea what he was doing, but he had a voice. It whispered to him, always. It told him things. Things he wanted to know. Things he wanted to hear. He snuck a glance at his opponent. She wasn't very old. Not very young either, though. He wondered what she did to earn so much ire. . .

Not that he would dedicate many moments of thought to that. In the end, he was interested in one thing. Although he did give a moment of thought to wondering if her stalling tactic was going to work. Even if any of them survive. . . Hm. He decided to cross that bridge after he set fire to it.

---

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"Damn it all- whoever has been making all these plans. . . I kinda want to kiss them. This is some fantastic foresight on their part. Sorta wish it was me now. Not sure I'm cut out for extinction level evil though. . . What do you think, Jude?"

Earl continued chest compression, then checked Jude's breathing. She'd only passed out a few minutes ago, and she was still breathing, but only when Earl forced the air out of her lungs. Honestly, he was impressed. He didn't think he had the strength in him anymore to perform first aid, especially on someone as large as Jude. He always figured she had like, replaced her bone structure with metal as well. . . Probably not. That sounds like it would be painful.

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". . .Fatalism. I need a smoke."

You could take a moment from trying to save this woman to grab your own cigarette, you know-?

"No, I need you to make me one. Containing these ingredients."

. . .I see. You know, I don't think I see the point in giving you something so. . .Helpful.

"Then take more time. Take a day- hell, take a whole week off my life. Just give me the damn thing."

Earl stopped pushing down on Jude's chest long enough to hold out a hand. A terrible chill ran up his back, and he could feel Fatalism slowly wrapping their hands around his neck. . . And then a small tightly wrapped object dropped into his hand. He stuffed it into his mouth and waited until he heard the crackle of electricity- felt it shock him across the face and hands-

He breathed in deeply, reducing the thing to ash in moments, ignoring the self-inflicted lip burns- he only had a moment- He dropped both of his hands on Jude's chest as hard as he could, forcing what air she had out of her lungs and- well, gave her mouth to mouth with a lung full of horrible, spicy smoke.

She breathed it in automatically as he lifted his hands, and just a moment before he started to choke on the stinging sensation, she took in a deep breath- shoved Earl aside, and started coughing violently. The two of them just sat on the ground and did that for a couple moments.

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"Fucking HELL Earl- what was the big i-*HHHKK KH KHHH KHH* I should break your damn face, you crazy son of a- *KHHK HKHK HKH. .. * Oh god it tastes like I just inhaled an entire clove plant, dipped in sugar, and set on fire."

*hhhhhhh*"thats about what you did yeah"*hhhhhhh*"youre welcome by the way"* hhh hhHHhhh.*"one of the beasts poisoned you- stopped your lungs- katie killed it then went to check on seb"*hhh hhh*"oh damn this better be worth the trouble of saving you"

". . .Don't you-*KHH*-lie to me, Earl. I'm grateful you saved me, but I remember what happened. . ."

"only halfalie she did go to 'check' on seb"

"Ugh- You know- that girl is cute, but I'm not sure she's worth the trouble anymore, you know?"

"katie"hhhhh"or alice"

"Yes. C'mere. I'll carry you again. Just get it out of your system, you idiot."

---

Sebastian watched Katie. She stood over him, clawed foot digging into his broken leg. It hurt a bit- to be honest. Wasn't the first time Sebastian had broken something, however, and probably wouldn't be the last. He was hoping to at least chip Katie's beak here in a moment. . .

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"So- What's the angle? I know you're greedy, but I'd like to think the crap we've been through, and the number of times we've saved each other's lives would count for something. Not like we have a thieves or mercenary code, but still."

"Perhaps, Princeling. But Katie always keeps her books balanced. Everything hinged on you, you know? Earl and- well, Jude. It was easy to deal with her. Earl isn't exactly a threat- but you're right. I owed you one."

"And then you saved my life just when you showed up. Did you plan for that?"

"Not at all. What kind of low down cheating snake do you take me for? If you had been in a better position, Princeling, this wouldn't be a problem. But they offered JUST ENOUGH money to make it worth my while. . ."

"Uh-huh. Just money? They didn't offer you anything else? Seems kinda shallow, if you ask me. . ."

"Princeling should know better than any of us how powerful money is. Or do you conveniently forget who is currently sitting on the throne now?"

Sebastian flinched internally. He added that to the list of 'convenient lies' he was telling himself. He was building a case, against the truth. His own truth, anyway. They would have a long talk after this. After he had figured out what he would say. How does one make a case against themselves?

But first, he needed to live to see that time. He thought about making some sort of- cutting remark. A last biting attempt to put Katie off balance emotionally so he could seize a moment of truth and- . . . Hm.

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"So this is how you're going to do me, Katie? Laying on the ground, in the dirt, with a broken leg, unable to defend myself? Not exactly great odds, I gotta say. Where's your competitive spirit?"

". . .I look into your eyes, Princeling. Do you know what I see?"

"Your own reflection? A beautiful mind? My muse, crawling around in my head like the worm it is?"

"I see how much money you're worth to your cousin, dead. If I combined that money with the money I'm being offered to make sure none of you make it in time to save Alice. . ."

". . .Oh, this is about her, and NOT just a misguided assassination attempt? Interesting. Tell me more."

". . .There is no way your idiot family could control this kind of power. The darkness is. . .Strong. Smart. It knows things about us, Seb. . . It knows what we want. . ."

"Oh. I get it now. . . But that doesn't answer my question. Where's my fighting chance?"

"Please. I could kill you three times before you reached me with that sword, Princeling."

"Aw. We're back to princeling now? I was starting to think we were becoming friends."

"Kha! Ka-ha! Oh Sebastian. You wish you were worth enough to be anything more than a nuisance in my eyes. . ."

"Give me a chance, will ya? After all, they say the pen is mightier than the sword. . . I bet my words could reach your heart before your bullet could reach mine."

". . .Princeling said he would never use his power like that, didn't he? Taking control of someone else with his words. . ."

"Yeah well, it turns out I'm a liar. A really good one, if my hunch is correct. But if you're afraid your mind and heart isn't strong enough to resist this princeling's envenomed words. . ."

". . ."

Katie clicked her pistol's safety on. A flip of the wrist, and it spun up and back, and she holstered it. Then she clicked the safety back off, and buttoned the holster shut. Her claw lifted, and she took a couple paces away.

Sebastian grabbed onto a nearby wall and slowly hauled himself up. He grabbed his rapier- Katie twitched, but didn't draw. He pulled the binding up and around, threading it through the ornate cage handle, peacebinding his sword, so he could pull it off his belt, and use it and the scabbard as a cane. Katie watched him. They stared at each other.

He took in a deep breath. He reminded himself to apologize to Katie for what he was about to do. He reminded himself to take a gallon from True for every pint of blood that has been shed for his lies. . .

He reminded himself that at the end of all of this, he needed to consider what he really wanted to do. He opened his mouth. Katie drew her gun as the words left his lips, and she froze. Seb looked into her eyes, and saw terror reflected in them... then nothing. The bullet grazed the side of his head, and he moved in, lifting his bound blade. . .

---

Boss tilted his head a little bit. He was sitting in a private room under his bar. With all the chaos going on outside, it was pretty easy for someone of his- . . . 'stature', to get around unnoticed. His inkpot began to shudder, and he took a deep breath and grumbled to himself incoherently.

Eyes closed, he lifted his pen and began to write on the sheet of paper in front of him. As he wrote, his words vanished. . .Occasionally, words would appear in response, pitch black ink welling up and sinking back into the page contrasting against his soft green ink.

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It's a real mess out there. I wish had more time to prepare. How are things progressing on your end?

Do not worry yourself with my affairs. Instead, tell me how things are progressing on YOUR end, since you failed to secure the girl.

Easier said than done without exposing myself. It was only thanks to you actually giving me what I was asking for that I was capable of convincing Greedy Katie to help me out. She is distracting and disabling the rest of the musers, so they will not come to the aid of this girl you want. Although I do not remember saying you could send some jackass in a suit to make trouble, much less these monsters. They could hurt someone.

That 'jackass' could, and might end up killing you, if you continue to talk back to me- and I didn't think you were so concerned with the well being of the other people that lived in that town. It would also be easier to believe that you're actually doing your job if you would just kill them and be done with this. I can always find you more pets.

I know you're some sort of terrifying cosmic power that thinks they can do whatever the fuck they want with others, but as long as you're letting me call the shots around here, we do this my

Stop. You're being watched. Hello. . . Hello. . .? There you are. . .

---

The approaching storm clouds. Quite distant, but quite large. . . Large enough to conceal one of those twisted abominations of meat and metal, it's 'whale' like form twisting and writhing, dozens of smaller, but still quite large fish-shapes floating beside it.

The approaching storm. The skywhale. Inside it, hallways of meat and metal. Muscle and bone and plating and tubes. Tanks and tubes dedicated to growing more of those... volf? volfs? volves? And other assorted creatures, all of the same twisted black flesh and gleaming metal. . .

Deeper inside, a room, which slowly pulsed, with the heartbeat of the skywhale, but also with the distant sounds of singing. Dozens of voices, imprisoned, singing out in despair. Their voices creating a keening, words and sounds weaving a tapestry of dark emotion, helping to hold and control these beasts. . .

Inside that room, sat a dark mass. To call it a blackened mass would indicate some way of telling that it had any color at all. It absorbed the light around it, and attempts to look at it just sort of slid away. . . It was truly just- darkness. It turned a bit and beckoned to it's 'visitors', the only color a silver pair of dots that were likely meant to be eyes. . .

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"Hello. Hello. . . How are you? I hope you don't mind keeping me some company for a little bit. I wouldn't want you relaying anything to those children. I'm so close to having what I want- you don't mind staying here with me, right? Of course not. Let's have a lovely little chat, mm?"

( ) ?
( ) ? ?
( ) ? ? ?
( ) ? ? ? ?
( ) >_

Mmm. This works both way... Void? I'mma call you Void. You're keeping us busy, we're keeping you busy. We just have to bet on our side not losing. We don't have to win, we just have to not lose whereas you're playing to win. Seems like you have more to lose from keeping us distracted then you gain from it.

> So you're keeping us here? Just so we don't help them?
> Then all i have to say is
> according to all known laws of aviation there is no way a bee shuld be able to fly its wings are too small to lift its fat body off the ground th bee of course flies anyways because it doesnt care what humans thunk is impossible were no strangers to love you know the rules and so do i a full commitment is what im thinking of you wouldnt hear this from any other guy i just want to tell you how im feeling gotta make you understand never gonna wake me up inside cant wake up wake me up and making my way down town walking faster

>Chats are nice, but you know what's better? Games. Games with stakes. Are you a betting man, Fred? Mind if I call you Fred? You look like a Fred. Last time we were in this situation we were offered drinks. Hint-hint.

>Chats are nice, but you know what's better? Games. Games with stakes. Are you a betting man, Fred? Mind if I call you Fred? You look like a Fred. Last time we were in this situation we were offered drinks. Hint-hint.

> Are you flirting with this guy
> Do Not.

> Hello. I'm going to call you Vanta. You seem rather cordial for someone who's trying to kill our entertainment.
> What's up with you going after Alice anyway? Poor kid just wants to sit and read and hang out with her new friends.

[VOID] reaches out in all directions. It touches the universe, and the universe recoils back. Things happen in places beyond observation- although notably, the music, the singing begins to change. The massive ship begins to pitch, a low, tortured howl echoing through it's depths.

'Keeping us busy, keeping you busy. Bet on our side not losing. We don't have to win, we just have to not lose. You're playing to win. More to lose.'

[VOID] makes a purposeful motion that just barely resembles 'checking it's nails in a bored fashion'. It's quite a feat considering it's almost impossible to determine it's contours and shape at the best of times.

'These words are representations of your commitment. I do not need to 'win'. What I am after is 'inevitable'. Eventually, like all things, Alice will 'end'. I simply am 'impatient'. But watching things happen out of one's control is so boring, isn't it? Stay here, and maybe you can 'distract' me or something, yes? That would be nice, wouldn't it? You don't really want to watch those mortal creatures suffer, do you? Of course not. You might become 'attached'.'

[VOID] turns away for a moment. It plucks at the insides of this creature again. Turns back.

'The significance of your words are lost on me, but they sound culturally significant. They were very nice words. Thank you. I will remember them until the end.'

[FRED] stretches out and collapses back in on itself again. Something not unlike a sigh.

'No. I would not say I am a 'betting man'. Also you are ephemeral, translucent hallucinations given form by a very, very dangerous power. You don't drink. If it will make you feel better, however, I can offer you something. All I have is blood, however, as it's the closest liquid on hand. How many glasses would you like?'

[VANTA] stops, halfway to reaching out and grabbing for some dark mass of the interior of this strange beast.

'Ah- yes. The crux of the problem. I want Alice dead, and you find her entertaining. It's a shame only one of us gets to have a meaningful impact on this universe, I would be much less likely to pursue her immediate death if I had something to actually hold my attention- but alas. What I want from Alice. . .'

[VANTA] stands? Stands. Oozes. Grows.

[VANTA] floats into the air, twisting around itself until it looks like it's about to snap, or explode, or rip itself to pieces. . . and settles into a flapping, fluttering black cloak. Not black. Dark. It continues to suck up light and attempts to view it's definite form. Even it's glowing eyes are black orbs, that reflect just enough of the ambient light for them to be visible.

'What I want, is what I was promised. She broke the contract. She is the reason all of this is happening, and I will consume everything that stands in my way until I get my body back.'

That's what this is about? How... vain. And possibly petty. You're the type of entity to make an unfair contract and then whine like a petulant child when it doesn't go your way. How very cliche. No wonder the universe recoils away from you so. You're so terribly uninteresting and uninspired. Blood as drinks? Tearing apart a creature? It is like you are checking off boxes from some edgy teenager's idea of what being evil means. 'Ooohh. Look at me. Look at how dark I am.' On the inside I bet you, whatever you are, are afraid and lonely. Like a little child. For all your proclaimed power. For all your grandiose displays of cruelty. You lost to Alice, didn't you? I bet that is what scares you the most. Your own failure of an existence.

I propose a new deal, creature. Us against You. Not directly, of course, since we lack the body to do so. You have your pawns, give us time to gather ours. We will then pit ourselves against each other through the use of our pieces. Or are you so much a coward that you fear losing a second time?

> gives a low, impressed sounding "Daaaaamn, Gloomy."