Scene #8635: Soul Reaver: Janos Audron

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Raziel	After the fight with the Sarafan, and the revelation that they were less noble warrior-priests that were enlightened and fighting an uphill battle against Nosgoth's vampire population and more efficient butchers. In fact, it seems Vampires were more on the backfoot against these marauders. Voradore's contempt for humanity may not be so misplaced, nor were Kain's haunting words... 'Can you grasp the absurd beauty of the paradox? We're the same. Sarafan and Vampires. With our holy wars, our obsession with Nosgoth's domination. Who better to serve me than whose passion transcends all notions of good and evil?' Words uttered to Raziel, made to try and pull back the veil, while the words were not held in reserve for Raziel... they do now hold a heavier weight. Pushing through the caverns and the valley they found themselves in... They finally came to an open chasm. The first thing to grab your eyes upon entering are more stakes vampires, but these ones were not alive. Not only staked but burned alive, nothing but their charred bodies remained. Even if they were returned to their bodies... it is very likely their flesh would be far too fragile to sustain them. These vampires, staked upon true death live in constant torment on the other side. Their souls unable to pass, their bodies unable to die... held in perpetual twilight. With their bodies, are Sarafan banners. Why were they left here, of all places? Well... 'After our long journey, we finally stood on the threshold of enlightenment. For here was Janos Audron's mountain retreat, intact and unblemished. The upheaval that would one day topple this edifice had not yet occurred. And while I had no certainty that Janos still lived, this scene boaded well. I presumed that the cataclysmic event had followed the ancient vampire's demise.' The SECOND thing that grabs your eye is a terrace, high above where you are now. Built into the cliff face, is a statue of a winged figure with cloven hands seemingly bracing the terrace and perhaps even the mountain with his back. Two pillars extend down, where his claws would connect with the mountain making it look like he is using those pillars for support. The terrace is your obvious goal, but... Well, flying there is not impossible, but anyone with magic sense can tell that it's dangerous, and magical traps would try to shoot anyone down. Scattered bones below tell the story of 'brave' (RE: foolish) Sarafan who tried and failed. Exploring around you find a way toward the back, and... a clever series of traps and puzzles. Something that everyone contributes to in small ways. It's necessary to climb higher through passageways from interconnected buildings. These locations were probably where humans and the ancients once lived in harmony, given the design. Eventually, however, you push through and a single door stands in your way, the only magic tied to it is something similar to the Reaver. So Raziel steps forward, holds a hand out and the wraith blade extends. He inserts it into the door like a key and unlocks the door. Entering... it's nothing like one might expect. It's clean, spotlessly even. The walls are made of high-quality stone, and then reinforced by some means lost to time, it is clear no human hands had constructed this place. There were no blood splatters, no bones, no creepy skull statues... Turning a corner, you will eventually come to the terrace you saw before, and standing there, looking out over the balcony is a single person. His hair was black, his skin blue and his hands and legs cloven like Raziel's. He spots two large black feathered wings and holds a sort of... solemn grace about him.
Raziel	"Janos... Audron?" Raziel speaks, surprised at what he sees, almost disbelieving of what his eyes are telling him, but something indelible resonates. How he speaks, how he acts... this is a true believer, someone who's waited a very long time... for this very moment. "It is heartening, after all these years, to hear my name spoken without contempt..." When he turns, it's graceful, and he looks at each person with respect... eventually looking at Raziel. He looks taken aback, knowing immediately something is wrong. That Raziel is no longer living. "Raziel, my child... what have they done to you?" he looks concerned as if seeing a son harmed and wants to offer aid... but somehow looks unable to figure out just how. "I have been dragged through hell and back," he says, mournfully, claws balling into fists as he closes his eyes in regret at what has happened to him. One could imagine what would Janos have done had he seen Raziel as he once did... tied to his still decaying body. "All it seems to reach this moment... but I don't yet know why..." Janos speaks again, perhaps to give some background. He looks at each of you in turn, "You all have questions... but allow me to address this one first..." he says, politely to each one... fatherly almost. A very lonely man, who has waited a very long time, and has just reached the moment that seemed to have been beyond his reach for beyond time memorial. "For thousands of years, I have waited..." his voice grows tired, heavy, "Alone... here... losing faith," he continues, head lowered, but his tone recovers. "At the time of the binding, nine guardians were called to serve the pillars, and I was summoned as the Tenth guardian. The Keeper of the Reaver, the weapon of our salvation. Over time, our race died out. Until I, alone, remained." Once more, that loneliness creeps into his voice, sadness beyond comprehension, but also that same resolve. The desire to see something to its completion. "Sustained only by my obligation to you," he says motioning towards you all, "And by my guardianship of the blade," he says, motioning you towards the terrace to look over the balcony. It seems you have finally found the legendary vampire, Janos Aurdron. The one vampire in Nosgoth with the answers you seek. He also seems more than willing to speak to you about his experience and answer any questions. For those who have the ability to see into people's minds/hearts/emotions/thoughts... He is completely on the level, he does not hide anything from you. Why? Because it is his duty. His duty is to inform you of his history, to protect the Reaver, and to guide Raziel to his destiny. He is, for all intents and purposes, an honest actor. It's not just through his mind, but his movements, his actions, and his words... this man genuinely wants to help you and Raziel. "And the other nine? Why did their guardianship not sustain them?" "I... don't know."
Hellwarming Trio	The new information regarding the Sarafan has certainly given the youkai trio plenty to think about. Humans being wary of their existence isn't anything new, but knowing that they could go to such lengths to eradicate their chosen inhuman foe doesn't sit right with any of them. They're quiet on the way through the caverns and to the valley, with Utsuho and Rin mostly grimacing and looking angry after what they're seeing while a colder look settles on Satori's face at the sight of the staked and once-immolated vampires. The statue, in comparison, doesn't quite get their hackles raised in their respective ways, although the temptation to just fly up there is rather strong. So strong, even, that Satori and Rin both have their work cut out for them making sure Utsuho doesn't just fly off to head up there, defenses be damned. "It'll be fine! I'm tougher than whatever ancient stuff they've got!" "No you're not! Lookit all the dead dudes!" "We'll have an easier time... Tch. Destroying things as a group!" "Come ooon! ... Wait." Satori's words have Utsuho and Rin both settling down in confusion at first, then excitement as they realize they've been given permission to unga bunga through the obstacles laid out through the retreat. Predictably, Utsuho's still charging straight ahead, but in a more grounded manner as she first relies on her destructive force to just start melting the most obvious traps. Rin, too, joins in with her own controlled application of fire to activate conspicuous objects by blasting them gently, and the pair of animal youkai even swap to their animal forms when navigation of smaller passages might even be necessary. Once the door to that particular room appears before them, meanwhile, Satori does have to take another moment to calm the pair down so they don't wind up blowing a hole in that wall or something stupidly/obviously dangerous and create unnecessary hostilities. Between that and hearing Raziel speaking to the figure inside, they do even calm down enough for her to get them into the room easily enough. Sensing his honesty compared to nearly anyone else since she's come here, Satori actually lets out a relieved sigh before nodding towards the youkai besides her. Taking that as their cue to speak up, Utsuho and Rin both look to Janos and Raziel with excitement and actual focus in their eyes. Satori, meanwhile, continues to look on with a duller, almost skeptical expression and tone. "Great! So now that Raziel's here... What now? You gonna join him and all of us in savin' this world?" "Does the Reaver do anything? Like... What's he gotta do next?" "Whose salvation? Who would be saved by this?"
Trudy Grimm	The overlook with mutilated and destroyed bodies gives Trudy pause, and she hangs back as the others move on with Raziel. Partly because she's only just stopped bleeding but everything still hurts and partly because she wants to sift for any bones worth keeping. One adventure through trapped and puzzle-filled caverns later-- The Black Knight leads the way, his armor pierced with dozens of arrows and one ballista bolt, broken off through the left torso. He still stands by virtue of it missing his spine, the wicked flanged head protruding through the back of his darkened armor. He leads the way unperturbed, only stopped by the door that Raziel must unlock. On the other side, when it becomes clear there is no further danger, the Black Knight steps aside, then slumps down against a wall. For a moment he looks like he just died, though it isn't long before he starts fussing with the ballista bolt, trying to dislodge it without making too much noise. "Mister Janos Audron," Trudy repeats the name after Raziel and after the man confirms it. By way of introduction, she dips at the waist, sweeping one hand to the side with her grimoire dangling, "Trudy Grimm, a humble witch and quite pleased to meet you." Shooting a glance at Raziel, she doesn't lower her voice at all, "You never said he was handsome. Though..." As she straightens her posture, she touches a finger to her chin in thought, "Not my type, I think." Trudy returns her attention to Janos, folding her arms behind her back as she listens. She seems to be looking for something while he speaks, though the look on her face not only suggests she didn't find whatever it is, but that this was a surprise-- if only briefly. Her usual smile returns fairly quickly, almost apologetic on her face. "At last that faith has been rewarded. It's a big day for you, sir. Fulfilling a prophecy doesn't happen on the regular, especially for an... immortal? Such as yourself." She realizes suddenly that her interaction with Nosgoth's vampires has been very limited. This man's presence is nothing like them. Not even Kain. "You seem to know quite a lot about us, though. That saves me some trouble~," Unfolding a hand, she holds it out, "Can you tell us much about the Reaver or Moebius? Your coworker or your charge, I'm not picky nor greedy."
Timespace Riders	Sougo has already made peace with the fact that the Sarafan simply do not see the vampires as worthy of any dignity or kindness, and recognize nothing resembling humanity within them. Knowing this, believing it to be true, accounting for it in dealing with their warriors, does not make any of this any easier to see. He forces himself to look, anyway, even though his stomach turns and a lump forms in his throat. Past this gruesome display, Sougo retrieves the Fourze Ridewatch from the pocket of his khaki pants for a moment. He considers, peering at the space-shuttle themed fighter on the watch's face, the benefits and risks of simply obviating the long way entirely. The sight of the skeletons (and the sizeable drop) fail to convince him. The Zi-O II armor sounds its triumphant tenor-baritone duet, before its symmetrical wristwatch motif gives way to the white and orange space-shuttle theming of the Fourze watch. The two bands of those watches become white solid rocket boosters, which roar to life and carry him through the air. Tight loops and rolls carry him away from the worst of the magical traps, while others crash into his armor. Zi-O's ascent up the mountain is clumsy, and more than a little explosive--both from direct hits and glancing blows. After the airborne gauntlet is done, Zi-O lands on the terrace and removes both Ridewatches. Sougo Tokiwa pants, wiping a thin sheen of sweat from his brow with the sleeve of his mint-colored dress shirt. Janos Audren awaits, in a palatial retreat with a view of the violence below. That makes it worse, doesn't it? Putting all of that horrible brutality on display where Janos would have to see it every time he stepped onto that balcony. "I'm Sougo," he says softly. "What's going to happen to you, once you've done what you're prophesied to do?" Woz had already told him--but the question is useful for what it might prompt from Janos.
Angela	The Information Team is supervised by Angela today. Sal, M.O.M, and Chewie are as they ever are. Naturally, nobody in that grouping is going to be surprised by racism--even against Bloodfiends--nore are they terribly surprised that the Sarafan and the vampires were both violent historically. People from the City expect this kind of nonsense as a matter of doing business. None of them are, however, telepaths so they mostly complain about having to do a lot of walking. M.O.M and Sal in particular are complaining about how much walking they had to do while Chewie is mostly agonizing over his hunger which means it is indeed still a day ending with Y. None of them can...actually fly? Sal directs the Agents inhelping solve puzzles, largely following the lead of their friends but occassionally Angela performs some kind of impossible mathematical calculation in her head over the span of a few seconds and just outright gives the answer. And then they finally find Janos. M.O.M waves, ansi8, "Hey Jan!") Sal karate chops him in the head none-too-gently. "He's someone important at least treat him like that." Chewie stares at Janos without saying anything. Angela sclears her throat and all three of them stiffen because ANgela doesn't need to clear her throat so if she cleared her throat she is making a statement in doing so. ''For thousands of years, I have waited...'' "You must've been SO bored, Ha ha ha..." M.O.M says. Angela just look at Janos, not saying anything.
Raziel	Janos turns his head to Rin and then Utsuho, "Of course, I will join him. I must guide him on his journey to save Nosgoth and the Pillars before they are corrupted and destroyed. The first step, however, is to answer the questions... after that, I will retrieve the Reaver Blade and offer it to him." "The Reaver...? It's here? Why do I sense nothing from it..?" Raziel asks, but Janos holds a hand to pause the line of questioning. "In a moment, your friends have a lot of questions, do they not? So do you..." 'Who's salvation? Who would be saved by this?' "I know what you mean, and no... it is too late to save the ancients as I know them. I am the last, and I will remain the last. Perhaps forever... but I know the vampires that exist have it in them to become like us, they can grow themselves... even if we have bestowed a dark gift upon them. It is necessary." Trudy's jape is given a shrug by Raziel, he had only just laid eyes on Janos, and the fact that he recognized Raziel immediately is... well that's the real mystery! "Yes, an Immortal..." Janos continues to answer the unstated question from Raziel, though he does keep Trudy's in mind first. "As our race dwindled, the humans prospered. I have watched over the centuries as our history faded into myth and finally receded altogether. The humans have forgotten us entirely and claimed the pillars for themselves, wholly ignorant of their true purpose. To them, I am merely a devil, the origin of their vampire plague." "Why would the pillars summon human guardians if they are meant to be served by vampires?" "The Pillars chose their guardians from birth, Raziel. And Vampires are no longer born. This is the crux of our dilemma. And this is the terrible irony, with their vampire purge the members of the circle have assaulted the architects of the pillars they have sworn to protect. They have embarked on a treacherous path. With every vampire they kill, the humans are slitting their own throats." He looks down at the impaled vampires, sighing. "They know I'm up here... beyond their reach, and it terrifies them. You can see how they flaunt their kills to torment me, or perhaps simply to lure me out. They have this foolish notion that destroying me will somehow topple our entire bloodline. Heh... thankfully, we are not that fragile."
Raziel	Janos does pause at Moebius. He sighs, shaking his head. "I am unsure what happened to cause that young man to become who he is... or what grudge he bears against us that is so extreme that he has forced all of this to occur... but he has. In the end, it is not up to me to forgive or condemn him, but for his soul to go back to the wheel and perhaps a better life will be sought for him in the next turn." The subject of the reaver will need a moment, as Janos seems to want to wait about it... especially with Sougo's demanding question! "A pleasure to meet you, Sougo. What happens to me..? I do not know, exactly. I know that I am to guide Raziel to the blade, and then to his destiny... what happens exactly is not known by me, or by the prophecy, only the results." Janos looks down towards the valley... he seems to be in thought. "We've seen them mustering their forces in the valley below," Raziel points out, but Janos waves it off. "Yes, I don't know what they're plotting, but our time here may be bitterly short. No matter what, I am here to guide and assist you and your friends. I shall do so until the last breath I have," he says, with a calm smile and focused demeanor. Janos takes note of Angela and her screen appearance, but he does note her stare. He holds a hand up to the others of her team. "I would be more careful of your words," he says, sternly but not irreproachably. "I can see it in you too, you too wait for... if not prophecy, but for something. A chance, or a moment where you too will act..." he thinks upon this. "I thank you for your assistance in this matter, given your own situation," he says, closing his eyes and bowing his head to her. From one immortal to another, to one watcher and waiter to another... it's meant as a motion of respect and acknowledgment of her choice to aid Raziel. "Mankind seems to have only brought you torment and grief... you must hate them..." Raziel says, wholly ignorant of what Angela might feel on this topic more than Janos should. "They fear what they don't understand, and they despise what they fear. But... no I do not hate them..." Remembering his lessons from Kain, Raziel speaks a name they haven't met yet. "Voradore does..." "Mm... he has suffered much at their hands. He can not forgive them." "Should they be forgiven?" "They don't understand what they're doing. They are simply unenlightened and vulnerable to manipulation." "So it's all true then... what Woz's book and Kain have told me. I really am some kind of unholy Vampire Messiah." "Unholy..? No. Messiah..? Perhaps." "I don't like that word," Raziel says, sagging slightly, eyes closed and head shaking. "It smells of martyrdom." "Raziel... your role in this world's destiny is more crucial and more benevolent than you've allowed yourself to believe. Your journey will not be easy, dark powers are allied against you. But... you already know that..." he says looking at each person in the room beside Raziel. "You've both been cruelly tested and allied yourself with those who are strong enough to resist those dark forces, haven't you?" he says, with a knowing smile. Sure that if something were to happen to him, that they'd step in.
Hellwarming Trio	Satori raises an eyebrow at Trudy's comment on Janos' appearance, and she nods once absentmindedly without saying anything else on that matter. She's pretty sure nobody saw that, anyway. Sougo's question gets Utsuho to look over in confusion at first, and then she settles into an understanding 'aaah' noise that has her wrinkling her nose after a few moments. "Oh yeah... If it sucks, might as well until the last minute so you can hang with us, right?" She asks while slowly stroking her chin like she's trying to look wiser than she is. Sal chopping M.O.M on the head, meanwhile, has Rin realizing something, and she slowly floats away from where Satori's standing. Her floating becomes just a bit faster when Satori, noticing this, nonchalantly slides closer by an inch. Janos answers the animal youkai plainly enough, and Rin seems satisfied by his answers. She's certainly not going to turn down having an extra body between her and everyone trying to impale her, after all, but Utsuho isn't so easy to satisfy when Raziel mentions not feeling the weapon. She's impatient, too, so she doesn't look all that happy about having to wait for an answer. Satori, meanwhile, doesn't look too surprised by his answer. "I imagine it'd be hard to spread further with just yourself and no others... But if your descendants can prosper, that's..." She trails off, still not looking fully convinced while moving over to that balcony to get a better look at everything outside and that giant statue that she had only seen from further below earlier. Utsuho and Rin join her there as well, and the trio turn to listen again as Raziel and Janos speak about what's to come next in still vague enough terms that Utsuho's looking confused as ever. "So once he gets to the Reaver... Uh. I still don't know what it does." "Must be something powerful, right? But if it's really that strong, then won't that make those humans even more freaked out?" "What will happen will happen. As long as we can help the vampires' chances of survival after all this, all the better. And if they go further than tipping scales..." Satori shrugs, and she looks over at Janos. "We're not human, either. Should we expect having to resist anything ourselves?"
Trudy Grimm	Trudy lifts her arms and shoulders, eyes closed, "I'll admit I asked after the Timestreamer in the pursuit of a personal, petty grudge. Though I imagine he has a lot of those at this point." As her arms lower, the witch's eyes open just a touch, staring at the floor in contemplation, "If I get my way, he wouldn't return to the Wheel. No, I'd very much dictate exactly where he goes if I see him again." She wanders out onto the terrace as the Serafan enter the conversation, placing her hands on the railing and leaning her weight upon them, "Self-styled heroes seeking your blood, unwilling to ask questions and self-assured in the purity of their crusade... is something you and I have in common, mister Janos." Her gaze falls, resting on the grimoire now hanging at her hip, "Though I think there's ... definite differences, the situation is pretty much the same." They only see him as stained. He actually isn't. Unlike... Turning in place, Trudy leans against the railing, hands resting to either side now to face the ancient one, "I have my own selfish motivations but I'm in this until the end. Raziel has more than earned that from me at this point." One hand lifts, gesturing casually towards Janos, "So if your mission puts you in alignment with him, that means you've earned that from me too." "'Dark Gift' would be the vampirism, no?" Her smile, previously faded, returns, "I thought there was something unusual about you. Your presence doesn't feel like the vampires I've met. But to pass your gift to others so they can become like you, they have to be changed first. Is that right? Into something capable of that sort of... metamorphosis." "With two races so intertwined, this matter with Moebius and the Serafan sounds very much like two hands on the same body. With one trying to cut the other off without realizing what it's doing."
Angela	Angela appreciates a stranger telling her what her deal is today as much as she ever does--which is to say, not at all. She doesn't so much as open her eyes though her frown deepens when Sal, swinging the pad around, guides Angela's sightline away from Janos himself, when he swings it back Angela's normal again. How does Angela feel about humans? Angela doesn't speak about that, but she knows that humanity actually HASN'T only brought her torment and grief. She kind of hates the Sephirah but even if you were to count them as humans... It's only a 'kind of' hate. She lets the debate on human nature proceed without comment though Sal says, "Fair number of humans right here." ''Your role in this world's destiny is more crucial and more benevolent than you've allowed yourself to believe'' That line is about Raziel and so goes through one of Angela's ears and out the other. "Raziel, you do not particularly need to be crucial or benevolent if you do not want to be." Angela says. "We are not supporting you for the purpose of a more benevolent world." Chewie finally speaks up. "Are you hungry?"
Timespace Riders	Sougo nods. "I thought it might be something like that," he says. The Demon King looks away, pointedly, before nodding at Utsuho. It probably does suck. "Moebius is the way he is because it benefits someone powerful for him to be that way," says Sougo. "Someone who's happy with the way things are now--who'd be just as happy if Nosgoth were dead and barren, as long as it meant they got their cut. And just like 'humans, generally,' he doesn't know that he's being manipulated, and wouldn't believe anyone who tried to tell him." The Demon King smiles wanly. "It takes a lot, for me to write someone off. But I have. The Moebius of this time isn't going to change unless the times force him to." "That's what's more important to me than Raziel fulfilling some prophecy. If the prophecy means peace and harmony between humans and vampires, great. But I'm here, working towards that, because it's right, not because it's written down somewhere." "Is that what's foretold in your prophecy?"
Raziel	Janos looks more bemused by Utsuho and Rin's shenanigans, and patient with Utsuho's eagerness to see the blade. To Rin he nods, "Yes, quite... though I feel it will 'suck' less with more companions to keep me company than it would to wait even longer. I am... excited to travel again, I must admit." Satori gets his words, and Janos nods to her with a smile. "I will never see my loved ones, my friends... but that era is over. I weep over what I lost, but I also want to spread the seeds to what comes next. I can never forget, but I will also honor those I have lost the best that I can by making sure the Vampires are not gone to the pages of history." He also agrees that what will happen, will happen... He walks back towards the inner sanctum, without a hurried pace as he speaks. "The binding must be secure, Raziel. The Pillars are the lock..." "And the Reaver is the key..." Raziel says, finally getting the Reaver's importance in all of this. Like a holy relic, there is a box with iconography of the reaver on it. It sits, on an altar... but above it... Is the clam markings of Clan Raziel, this moment was predicted for a long, long time... and they even knew the markings of his lost clan. Janos can not help but laugh slightly at Trudy's words about a personal grudge against the Timestreamer. "Don't we all... don't we all," he says, knowing the feeling of holding a grudge against that man, but he has the sense to let it go. His purpose is different, and what happens to the Timestreamer will not be something he has control over. He turns to Trudy fully, as she asks her questions, taking a moment to think about it. "It is... different. They see Vampirism as a disease, or rather, have been fooled into believing it. Though... I suppose it isn't as far off as they might think. Curse or blessing, what we did was to keep the Hylden at bay, to keep them from destroying all life as we knew it..." Janos sighs, those scars still weigh on him. The choice to pass their gift on, the choice to turn Voredore. "You see... when we defeated the Hylden, they inflicted us with a blood curse. We needed to drink the blood of the living to survive, but... their real curse was the second effect. Immortality. Sterility. We could no longer birth vampires, and we were blocked off from the wheel..." "Some took their own lives, unable to handle separation from our god, but others like me knew that it was the price we had to pay..." "And so you passed the curse on..." Janos nods, "Yes," he admits.
Raziel	"No I do not think you will have to resist anything," he says to Satori. "I understand and meant no disrespect to you," Janos says to Sal, "But I am referring mostly to the humans of this world..." he says, having some knowledge of the Multiverse. 'Are you Hungry?' "What an... odd question to ask me. No, I am fine..." Janos says to Chewie, not sure why he asked him. He doesn't know Chewie's backstory. Raziel just fives Chewie a stare. Raziel's attention is stolen by Angela, who has likely been around him enough lately to know he's been searching for something. Some... purpose, and being a martyr isn't the one that screams at him to pick up. However, she is right... his reasons SHOULD be his own... Janos listens to Sougo, frowning but understanding. Moebius is different than the average human, he SHOULD be enlightened, and based on things he knows, he is... he made these choices. He sought vampires and humans to fight each other, he engineered the extinction of the vampires themselves... However, he lays a hand on the shoulder of Sougo, "I am sorry you had to make that choice, King Sougo. It is never an easy one or a pleasant one to make. I also hope you never have to do it again." Slowly, though, he breaks away from Sougo and approaches the ornate box. "Somewhere, along the line, I hope that it is so... but the prophecy only tells us how the world may be saved... not how the vampires are rescued. To... us that was more important, and to us the two were one and the same. How vampires and humanity find their place to get along..." Janos sighs, opening the box. "I don't know. I have been gone from the world for far too long, and I feel my opinions would be out of touch. Perhaps I will have something to say, at the end of our journey," he says, with a smile. Slowly, he picks the sword up with the reverence of a holy icon. "The most formidable weapon ever forged by our swordsmiths. They infused the blade with vampiric energy, empowering the reaver to drain our enemies of their precious life's blood." Slowly he turns the hilt of the blade towards Raziel, presenting it to him. 'As Janos presented the blade to me, an inexplicable sense of dread fell over me. More palpable than anything I felt before. I was once horribly repelled by the sword, but irresistibly compelled to touch it, to take it up...' Raziel recoils from the blade, snapping out of some near-entrance state as he nearly touches the hilt of the blade. Shaken by this, he speaks to Janos again, "Please, take it away from me..." Janos does so, placing it back in the box, and closing the lid. Janos takes it in stride, assuming the weight of the responsibility is what caused Raziel's repulsion... To everyone else, though, they could see his hands shake, his body looking almost ill. As if he just had to fight the urge to take it with everything he had... much like how they got here. The difference..? There was no displacement effect. No time displacement, as if something were missing from the other blade.
Hellwarming Trio	Angela's comment gets a nod from Satori, perhaps a bit too easily. Utsuho and Rin nod a little while after that, perhaps not getting it right away, but still getting it sooner rather than later. Utsuho in particular seems to have gotten herself fired up at what Sougo says, pumping her fists with a little flare of light going off behind her briefly (and getting a startled jump from Rin while Satori just shields her eyes indifferently). "Yeah, we're here for you, bro!" "Your presentation so long ago struck a chord, after all. That your choice might help anyone here is... Coincidental, at best." "If it helps someone else on the way... Cool, I guess! But whatever, you know? Prophesies don't matter as much as us wanting to make something happen!" They take a bit longer to comprehend what's being spoken of between Raziel and Janos, mostly because Satori has to explain it to them in the meantime while the altars and markings are shown around. She points at the different markings a little after everyone has probably already seen them, and there's a little fatigue evident from doing that so often. Trudy's and Sougo's thoughts on Moebius's fate and writing him off, too, get a firm nod from the trio. This time, they're in unison in doing so. "Yeah, screw that guy. He sucks, anyway!" "He's due for getting his ass blown off hard!" "Yes, f... Screw him, indeed. Whatever happens would be too good for him." When the Reaver comes into view, Utsuho and Rin naturally hurry over to get a closer look at it just before it's hidden away again. They notice the effect it has on Raziel, and they take a few seconds to exchange thoughtful looks before turning to Janos. "Does he have to-" "-be the one to use it?" "Would it be easier to... Prepare, if others wielded it first?" Satori's question gets a brief glance from the animal youkai, but they eventually realize that she's trying not to blow up Raziel's spot there after listening to Janos' own thought on the matter. Better to keep it vague for now.
Trudy Grimm	> "Some took their own lives, unable to handle separation from our god..." "Mm~... As I understand it, that's no god in the first place, but that's in the past for you and not worth admonishment at this point." The witch closes her eyes with a little shrug, "You seem to have suffered enough, regardless." "A curse lines up with my understanding, though the nitty-gritty is quite clearly different," She touches a finger to her lips in thought, "What you say, if memory serves, was depicted in ancient reliefs too. Someone was at least trying to remember the whole story." She glances aside at Raziel, then back to Janos as he puts this time period's Soul Reaver back into its case. Eyes narrow slightly in thought as she looks over Raziel's reaction to the weapon, then flit back to the encased weapon. Eyes closing, she reaches into one of her fuzzy sleeves, drawing out a modest green crystal. Lifting this to the light, she closes one eye and squints into its viridian depths, "Still got some left, do you?" Who she's talking to isn't clear, "Well, let's put that to use, then." "Mister Janos, if you'd hold the weapon out please? I believe our ghostly friend might be worried that an empty vessel like that will devour him if he touches it. So perhaps we should fill it with something of similar make." The way Trudy smiles this time casts her eyes in shadow from her bangs, making the faint glow of her eyes more obvious, "You know. Satisfy the hunger."
Angela	Chewie looks at Raziel. His eyes blink seperately at him like a Simpsons character. Angela doesn't have anything else to say, really. Ultimately, what she has to say is the same here as she'd say before. Angela is surprised to get a nod from Satori, though maybe she shouldn't be. At this point she knows she shouldn't be surprised by this general attitude of multiversals--among other not too atypical opinions. It still feels... uncomfortable in its own way. Her eyes slant toward Rziel and she doesn't say anything. SHe just looks at him. M.O.M looks right at Sougo instead. He seems to approve of what he says and offers the guy a big thumbsup.
Timespace Riders	Sougo shrugs his shoulders lightly, smiling weakly at Janos and M.O.M. "It's not great," he agrees. "But I'm putting my energy, my focus... 'forward,' if that makes sense." "Anyway..." Sougo's question trails off, at the sight of Raziel's repulsion. "..." A concerned frown appears on his face. "Felicitations, esteemed Raziel. Curious, is it not?" The retainer's voice arrives in the same instant as the sound of his scarf. A vortex of gray fabric unwinds and reveals him, straightening out and resting upon his shoulders as it always does. He and Sougo lock eyes, just for a moment. "That the same sense of queasy, dizzying weight should burden you again." Striding theatrically into view, he gestures with a grandiloquent sweep of his free hand to the sword. "Yet the dimension of time is not so tangibly felt beneath that weight. What an interesting suggestion Trudy Grimm provides..." Woz's penchant for leading questions and leaving breadcrumbs is probably at work here.
Raziel	'Does he have to be the one to use it.' "Yes, to others it would... be very detrimental. It drains the lifeblood of those who are not vampires, so it would quickly leave those who rely on blood... lacking," Janos explains to the Youkai trio. Raziel smiles at the three of them, both for asking to step in to take the blade and for their support about what the prophecy is and should mean to him. It wasn't fate that got their support, but his words and desires that brought them all together to save Nosgoth. "Thank you. All of you," Raziel says to Rin, Utsuho, and Satori. Trudy makes a guess at the nature of the blade. Janos holds it out to her. Nothing happens. However, as she looks through it, there is a reason. The blade... if you turn it over... Looks just like the blade that Raziel deploys when he ignites his own reaver. Also, if you look closely enough, the skull that rests on the Reaver looks /eerily/ similar to how Raziel looked before he was freed of his corpse body by Xion. This isn't a trap, however, at least not one set up by Janos. After all, Janos had no idea how Raziel would look, nor did he have reason to know about Raziel's other self. He also seems ignorant of the blade's, IF it could even do that, ability to drain him. Though, perhaps, if Raziel were somehow made to become more corporeal again this might not happen. Raziel stares at Chewie and shakes his head. Right. Canibal. As always, Woz is just in time. Despite his state, Raziel is relieved to see the young man there, because it might provide SOME clarification. That combined with Trudy's observations might reveal something about the blade itself. That is... The magics laid upon it, to make it a perfect sword for Raziel to use... did the job too well. When Raziel was sundered of his flesh, the blade now attempts to draw in his soul. When it does this, it forges Raziel's soul into a spirit version... Which is to say, This is only the Physical blade. Raziel himself... is the spectral part of the blade. However, before things can be said realizations can be made. The door to the place rocks. A battering ram appears to be hitting the door, trying to break it open. With each swing, the door breaks in just a little more. Soon, the Sarafan warriors are in... but this time it's a small group of six of them. Not an entire squad. These are easily commanders. "Brothers, a familiar voice calls out, we have our orders, we go for that one and the monster Janos. The master will handle the others!" With that, a second voice is heard. "Did you really think you could turn the tables of time on me, the Timestreamer? I knew your moves even before you did.." he says, probably to Sougo and Woz. "It was fun... but now..." "I will end this for you," Moebius says. Strangely... his staff is NOT in his hands. It lays in the hands of one of the six other Sarafan.