Scene #3247: Dining with the Devil

Owner	Pose
Steve	It had been some time, perhaps a week or two, since Steve had agreed to grant the visitors from the world of devils a plot of land to build and experiment with. After some initial frustrations, he had also come to tolerate and quietly appreciate the help from his new live-in servant: She can follow much more complicated instructions than a golem can, even if that also means she has a mind of her own, sometimes. That doesn't mean things have been completely smooth sailing, though: Steve watched a gigantic tower rise, just to the south of his property, and then just as mysteriously become disassembled. Just what were those devils up to? Did they have designs on his overtaking his world with these structures? What exactly is a devil's favorite food, anyway? It is for these matters of import that Steve had sent out a golem with his preferred method of correspondence, a book of full length that wastefully contains but a single page actually written on, with an invitation to a representative of the Devils to come for dinner. A certain Lezard Valeth, that Steve had spoken with on various topics of interest to them both, but had yet to properly meet, had received much the same. The golem, a being composed of wicker straw, had unfortunately stalled out immediately after the delivery, and would have been left to Lezard to dispose of as he wished. Its simplistic degree of imbued intelligence could not work out how to actually return, with the multiverse's warpgates nuances standing in its way. Perhaps the clay token embedded in its chest, the agent that seems to have animated it, could be a fun trinket to keep around. (Found 1 Golem Animation Core: Deliver.) Regardless of how they had arrived, the sun is just beginning to set on the Flat Earth, with the warp gate mercifully closeby. Steve is already at one corner of the defensive wall surrounding his compound and headquarters, eschewing magical implements for an old hobby. Every so often, a skeleton or zombie will rise up from a shallow grave, or emerge from behind a rock. And each time, it will shortly be pelted with arrows from Steve's bow. At times, it does take a few shots, however, especially for the skeletons, whose bones often let the projectiles fly right through. The few not immediately felled shamble and rattle towards the still open door to the base, not out of intelligence, but out of a desire for the fresh blood that only a human can provide. Oddly, any devils that might be around, they completely ignore.
Lezard Valeth	It's right about when they clump up that a voice speaks out of the night. "Flame Blast." There is a sudden eruption of fire, and the explosion blasts the minor undead apart, probably spraying XP orbs and rotten flesh and bones wherever. From the shadows, a man in dark clothing steps into the moonlight, holding a black, twisted staff in one hand and his other hand flipping a familiar-looking clay disc like it was a coin in his fingers. Casually, he approaches Steve's house, looking up at the man on the wall. "Greetings, Steve. I have recived your... invitation." He calls up with a small smile. It seems he considers the current situation of walking dead nothing more than a nuisance.
Shinki	As one of the devils takes the book from said golem, it's immediately delivered to Louise. "Mistress! It's a book, some sort of ... thing... delivered it!" she shouts estatically, Louise taking the book and giving it a quick thumbs over, a nod. "You girls stay here and you..." as she pats the book deliverer on the shoulder, "You're coming with me." A grin on both of their faces, "I've been meaning to ask Steve for a few things myself, so let's take this invite." As the rest of the devils get to work, hoping that Steve doesn't find the gigantic hole a few miles out from where they're building, Louise and the escort devil make their way towards Steve's house, flying of course. "Mm, so many undead. Dear, go take care of those while I head to the house. It's over that way when you're done." a pause, "And take the bones back to the camp, we'll need those for trees!" The one devil nods and suddenly colorful shards of danmaku rain over the undead while Louise hurries along, only soon floating up near. "Hi, Steve! I got your invitation. How are you?" she grinned, "Looks like you have an undead problem. I have one of my girls working on a small little horde afew hundred yards out."
Steve	It's true. In the Flat Earth, every night is a terrible one to have a curse. The only time the run-of-the-mill undead pose a serious threat, especially to any Elite, is when they come in large waves. That certainly isn't the case, on this leisurely afternoon. A few of the skeletons seem to recognize the threat, and turn to draw the half-rotten bows they all seem to be equipped with, but by the time their skeletal fingers can reach the full draw weight, they're already awash in flame. Their arrows, now alight, spring out on reflex, but fall well short of even hoping to scratch Lezard. The zombies, melee brutes, fare even worse. Satisfying sprays of both whole bones and BONE MEAL, as well as decaying, ROTTEN FLESH result. Steve pauses in his own latest arrow notching, instead letting the curvature of the weapon relax, as he calls down, "So that's what you look like. You look..." He pauses a beat, as he extends a torch out in a hand to light the ground below, "Exactly how I pictured. Huh." Let it not be said that Lezard Valeth is not possessed of a strikingly fitting voice. The devils soon are notified of their own invitation. This particular golem, being in the same world as its master, does at least have the good sense to follow along with Louise and her companion, after looking up with the blank dents that serve as its eyes. It isn't of much help against the denizens of the night, here, not having the right kind of animation core, but the good news is they completely ignore Louise and her friend, as well as the miniature humanoid. That is, until they are attacked, and some rudimentary sense of self-preservation kicks in. Certainly, to a devil, such low class monsters would be no problem? That is, until a creeper gets curious, and wanders up. Regardless of what becomes of her, back at the house, Steve is already waving Lezard in, and then waves a greeting to a familiar face, Louise, as she approaches. With just the vaguest tinge of boredom, he glances back out at the plains surrounding the keep, "It's like this every night. Can't even be sure where they all come from. Anyway, they aren't that strong, unless you're completely helpless yourself. Come on in and I'll show you to where we'll be dining." Assuming everyone makes it in, the sound of a lever being pulled comes from where Steve was stationed on the wall above, which is followed by the sound of pneumatic actuators, which close up the gap in the wall so seamlessly that one can barely tell an opening was there to begin with. Another devil, this being the one that has been living in Steve's base, leans out of a window up on the main keep, and calls down, "The food is finished. The method of cooking in this world is weird, though." Steve only flashes a thumbs up, "Good job, Izumi!" Once she leans back in, he makes his way down a stair ramp to his guests, and begins walking towards a more normal, wooden door to the main keep, "Maybe I'll be able to teach her basic alchemy. Get rid of the drudgery. Anyhow, it's good to meet you, Lezard, and see you again, Louise."
Lezard Valeth	Lezard enters, radiating confidence. As he looks over to note the devils, he pauses, looking over the small beings with a curious expression. "It seems like you have plans for an interesting event tonight, Steve." Lezard comments offhandedly, waving away the compliment. At least, he thinks it's a compliment and that's what matters. He follows along with Steve, watching the unusually blocky realm with an intent gaze. "You have an interesting taste in architecture, Steve. So this is where you engage in your research?"
Shinki	The little devil's having a bit of fun, flying in circles and away from those arrows, giggling and just enjoying this. Soon, she lands and blinks at the Creeper nearby. "Well, aren't you.." Sssssss BOOM The devil's standing there with a smoked out face now. "Well." Meanwhile, back at the house, "I'm sure she'll be fine. She knows not to poke her head into things." a turn towards Lezard and a wave is given. "Hiya." she greets, "The name's Louise. A pleasure to meet you." though, following into the house she watches the pneumatics and gives a bright grin, "Oooh, I'm going to have to try and find out how to do that. Actually, I was going to come over for one other thing but it seems like you have food first then we can talk trade and the like."
Steve	There is a moment's pause in Steve's steps, as he hears a distant explosion. Mentally gauging that it was quite a few hundred yards out, at least, he gets the idea. It's a devil, though, so she'll probably be fine, just as Louise reassures. "Heard there's things like healing magic in the multiverse, if she does need it, but I don't have anything of the sort." His usual regimen for healing injuries is to eat his fill and then tough it out, though he has been reading absolutely riveting details of a thaumaturgical device that can actually absorb health from other beings. After the hesitation, he pushes the door open, with it settling into place before he enters what appears at first glance to be a quite elaborate and almost maze-like complex, one whose stone walls have likely been added and changed several times over an extended period of time. "Sure, sure!," he responds to Louise, with a slight and hopefully friendly grin, "I have some things on my mind, too. We'll get down to business soon enough." To Lezard's comment, it seems to pass right over his head for a moment, before he glances to Louise, himself. "Gotta admit, if you'd asked me a month ago that I was going to have a dinner party with devils, I wouldn't have believed it. Guess you get used to things that aren't exactly routine, when you perform the Ritual of Unification." Heading up some stone stairs, he places the torch he had been carrying onto the wall; even though there had been no visible fastener for it, it seems to affix itself there quite securely. The bow joins some other weapons, mainly swords and axes of varying materials, against a wall. There'll be no need for such cumbersome things at the dinner table. "I've heard that a lot," he gives a hearty laugh to Lezard's remarks on the architecture, coming to another door much like the exterior-facing one, and pushing it open. "Yeah. Well...I actually do most of the more dangerous work in the basement. It makes a bit of a mess, y'see." The room he leads both Louise and Lezard into next seems to be arranged as a dining room. Izumi, his familiar servant devil, already has the table set, and waits for others to be seated. It's not exactly the finest furniture anyone but Steve might have seen, but it's serviceable. "After dinner, I'll show you around down there, if you want. I'm in the middle of renovating the place, though, so you'll have to excuse the mess." While it is fairly simple fair, Steve has spared no expense for his guests this evening. The finest pork chops fresh from his best hogs, with a side of baked potato and carrots. There is also a large bowl of mushroom stew, for anyone that doesn't fill up on those, as well as enough for second helpings of any. The miner-wizard, himself, pulls out a chair and plops down in it. "I understand this isn't as fancy as the dinner some places have, but it's the usual here in this world. Have as much as you like!"
Lezard Valeth	Louise introduces herself, and Lezard brings himself up to a halt in order to give the devil a bow. "Lezard Valeth, Sorceror of Midgard. It's a pleasure to meet you, Louise." He doesn't seem discomfited by the nature of the devil at all, instead remaining as suave and polite as if she was a normal person. Then again, Lezard might be a lunatic. But who's counting? "I do possess the ability to mend injuries, though I do not use it very often." He comments as as they are seated. "I would be most interested in perusing your work." He begins cutting into the pork chop with a knife. "Your hospitality is appreciated, however. None can say you are lacking." He smiles, before setting to on the food, eating with a precise, careful manner.
Shinki	Louise nods, "She'll be fine after a rest." she smiles "My girls seem to not mind the structures they build. Sorry about the weird towers that popped up. They were experimenting with how best to use the material and how to use it.'" Louise continues to follow along and as they reach the dining table, she sits down in one of the chairs as well, taking in the sight of the food. Definately not normal Makai faire. "Oooh, this looks good. Our Master doesn't cook..." she comments, taking a look between the two, "It's also rare to have an invite honestly. Good none the less. So what brings you to invite us to your table?"
Steve	"Hmmm," comes a thoughtful chin scratch at Lezard's interest in his works so far. "Well, guess there's nothing too secret about what I've got going. Best as I can tell, most of the instructions were written down by some group of people a long time ago. They're called 'the Eldritch' in the grimoire they left behind. Doesn't say much else about their identity." In contrast to at least one of his guests, while he had provided tableware - something he'd found was customary for most of the worlds of the multiverse - he seems a bit more clumsy at their use, hacking away at his cut of meat like it's one of the zombies outside. "You can have a look at it. It hasn't steered me wrong, yet," he says, around a mouthful of half-chewed pork, before swallowing. "Izumi! C'mon and sit down! No need to be a stranger, this is your house now, too." The live-in servant devil had hesitated a moment, but when she's put on the spot settles down next to Louise, poking lightly at one of the carrots. On a similar thread as Louise, she side-whispers to her, "He grows these, out of the ground." In a tone that suggests she can scarcely believe it, and also wondering if it's really that safe, even if she has managed so far. Once Louise puts forth that question, though, Steve decides to boil things down a bit, even though she had already volunteered some information: "...is that all they were doing?" He pauses in his feasting to give a laugh, the kind that a man might at a joke he only had spoken in his own head. A knee might be slapped in the process. "Ahaha, excuse me. A voice was trying to convince me that you devils were trying to take over the place, but I know that's unfounded now." Izumi looks a bit curious, "A voice? I haven't heard anyone else, though." The miner looks a bit more serious for a moment, in a slight bit of emotional expression whiplash, "They don't speak aloud, 'Zoomy. Best as I can tell it's in my head. Nothing I can't handle, though." He clears his throat, to bring back the jovial atmosphere, "Anyhow, what is it you devils need? Figured you could divine the rest once you got the crafting benches down."
Lezard Valeth	"Fascinating." Lezard replies as he considers Stever's find. He eats steadily, and he nods to the demon as it arrives. "Well then." He comments, studying Steve intently as he speaks of voices in his head. "I would be most interested in looking at that documentation when the time arises." He doesn't seem to be in any hurry, mostly watching the interplay between Louise and Steve. "So you are here on behalf of a Master?" He inquires of the devil.
Shinki	Louise leans in to Izumi and nods, "Strange. Usually it's just conjured up..." she whispers back before a nod is given. "Yeah, that's all. We're not going to take over your world, just that plot of land you let us have." she smiles, "In fact, we... actually kinda don't know how to make doors here... so. We just have gaps and devils that stand guard." she nods, "They don't seem to be attacking them so, that's good but.." a pause as Lezard gets her attention with the inquiry, "Ah, yes. I am. She's a kind one when her own realm isn't invaded. Plus her daughter's been in the Multiverse as of late, quite popular she is. She was in the WMAT too!"
Steve	The boisterous laugh that Steve is, by now, quite fond of bellows out again, echoing lightly down the hallway. It's not deafening, it just tends to carry, his broad chest quivering to contain the rest. He's just too amused at Louise and Izumi's carrying-ons about the food. "If there's a way that I can just duplicate or conjure up food, I'll find it eventually. For now, if you want to eat in the Flat Earth, you have to grow it, or kill it." He takes a deep breath, his tanned cheeks' color fading back to normal after becoming a bit red from the amusement making. The pause gives ample time for Louise to explain the troubles her people have been having, here, and he sits and listens, stopping his eating to lean his elbows against the table and prop his chin his hands. "Doors, huh? You can get fancy or simple. For the simple ones, you can just place some wood on the crafting bench in a rectangular shape. It'll fuse into the right shape, after that, if you did it right. There are also iron doors, but, I'll let you guys try this first." He does think on it some more, and notes, "Some guards around still might be a good idea, though. I don't know what it is, but the zombies love beating down any door they find. Guess they see a door and some synapse in their rotten head fires, 'there might be brains in there.'" Lezard is also regarded, though he lets him get his answer directly from Louise first, returning to finish the rest of his pork chop. After that, he leans back, giving a resounding series of thumps to his stomach, the universal body language for 'I'm full.' "Izumi mentioned something like this, but I guess I wasn't paying close enough attention." The so-named devil girl adjusts her glasses at this, "It would do you well to, Master Steve. The Arcaneum was an absolute disaster when I arrived." "...yeah," he sighs, "And now it takes me forever to find my research notes. Ah, yeah. Lezard, this is Izumi. She lives here now." Izumi gives a slight lowering of her head, but otherwise continues poking at the food in front of her. "And of course. Anything I have you're free to take a look at. As long as it goes both ways! I've been aiming to see what your lab looks like, too."
Lezard Valeth	"I see." Lezard replies to Louise, rubbing his chin. "I wish I had paid greater attention to the tournament, perhaps I would have caught a glimpse of them. Would you be willing to share their names?" Steve explains the matter of doors, and Lezard squints for a moment. "The fundamentals of your world are quite unusual, even by my standards. I am sure we will both have much to offer to each other, but of course any serious study would take far longer than a simply social call. Please, feel free to come by my Tower at any time. I have left information on how to reach it safely with the central Confederacy information vaults."
Steve	"Hmm," comes the miner's response to the unusual properties of his world. He rises up from his seat at the table, having basically finished his business there, and goes to one of the holes in the wall, barred by wood, that serve as the windows, glancing out at the night creatures stirring beyond the walls. "A lot of people have the same opinion of this world, but like the devils here, they adapt to it quickly. I guess I'm just used to it, since this was the only world I'd known, before the Ritual of Unification." He glances back, trying to gauge how full everyone is. Izumi has barely touched anything, still unused and uncertain, so she gets the call, "Start cleaning things up, would you, Zoomy? I have some more interesting things to show Lezard, and Louise if she's interested." He does aside to the latter in a lowered voice, once Izumi has started packing things unused and uneaten things off to an adjacent room, "There something that devils in particular like to eat? I'm worried that girl is going to starve at this rate, but she hasn't complained." He leans against the stone block wall, after, waiting for everyone else to finish, before he steps back out of the dining chamber door. This time, he makes a turn in the hallway down an additional set of steps. Ones which seem to lead far deeper, into the earth itself, where the smoother stone blocks are replaced by cobblestone, some complete with mossy accents for flavor. The torches keep things moderately safe from nasty surprises, "I try to keep most of my lab work separate from the living spaces. Cuts down on accidents, from when I used to have them in the same place." Perhaps one such accident would explain one door passed on the way down, that is hastily boarded up, and the stone around it looks scorched. No progress worth making is without risk! The next door branching off, at a landing, Steve pushes open. This room looks far neater and organized than most of the spaces that could have been seen, and the walls are absolutely piled full of books. Mostly esoteric research notes and solved puzzles involving alchemical riddles. "This is the Arcaneum, as Izumi took to calling it. Strange girl." He moves over to a somewhat crude desk, similar to the dining room's furniture, which has one such half-finished riddle perched atop it. "This is where I do most of my actual thinky-type research. The Eldritch seem to leave most things in the form of these puzzles." While Izumi is out, a golem made of baked clay tends the room, instead. Though only a meter high, it still has a full-sized broom clutched in its hands, and is currently cleaning up the inevitable dust that collects. It does pause briefly in its work to glance at the newcomers with its blank eyes, adjusting its bowtie, before resuming the thankless work.
Lezard Valeth	Lezard has no complaints. He stands and follows Steve into the depths. "I can absolutely understand. When things go awry, it pays to have some measure of separation." The Necromancer replies, smiling. He glances at the scorched boards and hums for a moment. "The pursuit of power is always frought with risks." Lezard concurs. When they enter the Arcaneum, such as it is, the Necromancer grows a little more animated about the matter. He looks around the area, running a hand along the shelves as he passes over the books and gives them a glance. When Steve mentions the riddles, he moves over to look over the riddle on the desk. "Is this... " He squints, narrowing his eyes and adjusting his glasses as he looks closer. "A cipher that is using interrelated magical affinities as a lock?"
Shinki	"You know, I don't know what they eat..." Louise chuckles, "I think she'll be fine. Just let her go where she pleases at times and she'll take care of herself so don't worry. It's not like she'll drain your spiritual energy from you." she lets out a cute laugh, shaking her head before wandering off with Steve and Lezard. "What's behind the scorched stone or should I bother to know?" she questions, turning towards the two once more. The mention of Arcaneum gets the demon to perk up, "Ah, it's something simliar to what we have in Makai." she states, "Is she helping you with magic?" she questions once mnore, turning towards the Necromancer, "Hweh?"
Steve	It takes a few moments, since Steve isn't used to hearing it put into words with that degree of precision. But after a few seconds elapse, he gives a nod of his head in agreement. "They definitely follow a pattern," he responds, crossing his arms over his chest, and not seeming to be bothered by Lezard getting touchy-feely with his research materials. "The trick is connecting different elements with the others. Kind of resolving their differences, so that they end up unified, I guess is the metaphor the Eldritch were looking for." There is another period of consideration, as he decides to share a theory, glancing at some of the tomes, himself, "My guess is it's a way to screen out stupid people from following in their footsteps, but I've given up making sense of what their intentions were. I don't even know what they looked like, or where they went." To Louise's explanation, he also gives a nod of his head. "I guess if she gets in trouble, she'll let me know. Just trying to keep things comfortable for her, y'know? If she's going to be my minion. Can't have any rebellions." He glances back out towards the landing outside, with that scorched doorway not so far off. "THAT, dear Louise, is what happens when you give a golem a fire wand focus for an arm, and the brains to use it. It's probably shut itself off by now, but I'm going to wait a bit longer before I find out." You know, on the subject of minions not getting too big for their breeches. Moving on to happier topics, he gives a sudden look of realization, scratching his beard stubble lightly with his fingers, "You devils are big on magic, then? Yeah, she has. She's a lot better at the riddles than when I started. I gave her some simple ones to check her work." Once everyone has had their fill of their curiosity, he steps back outside the door, wandering downward. The stairs seem to come to a far larger landing, with an enormous chamber opening up beneath. It looks like a cavern hewn straight from the stone. Two golems with what look like glass encasements atop their head aim dart launchers, before their glowing red eyes seem to gain some recognition, and they lower them. "At ease guys." Should anyone have followed, they would see the room is not so empty as it first appeared. Several boilers line the walls, with tubes and stills connected to boiling concoctions. Tucked away in a corner is a cauldron, suspended over an ever-burning fire. And the centerpiece is a grouping of 12 waist-height pillars, focused around four taller pillars, holding aloft a floating cube of glowing-runed stones. The apparatus itself absolutely radiates magical energy and potential, to anyone attuned to that sort of thing. "This here's what I've been working on. The grimoire calls it an infusion altar, and it seems to be where all this is leading." Golems, ones that aren't armed, seem to be doing menial tasks around the lab. Filling containers, emptying others and sorting them accordingly.
Lezard Valeth	"Are you so surprised?" Lezard replies to the surprised Louise. "My sorcery is unmatched in my world." He straightens, nodding to Steve's extended explanation, and he gestures. "It seems like it would be fairly basic for anyone who understands the relationships between magical elements in your world. suitable for beings who simply wanted to create a filter to keep out the stupid and weak." Lezard strides past the golems, looking over the infusion table. "aaaaah... The power of artifice." Lezard sighs. "You are truly taking steps into a world of power and wonder, Magus Steve. I look forward to seeing where this takes you."
Shinki	"Actually, you keep calling me a devil. I'm actually, despite my apperances, a demon." she smiles widely, this seemingly normal looking girl. "She'll be fine. They do take care of themselves so don't worry." she gives one more nod towards Lezard. "Well, I'm no sorceress myself, but my Master is. She's capable of creating life." she erps and quickly shuts it before moving towards the pillars, hmming softly... "Ah... perhaps I should see how you do things here in the future and maybe we can do something good in collaboration."
Steve	"Now you're talkin', Louise," he grins, and unless she shifts away, moves to give her a pat on the shoulder. "The simple trial infusions I've done so far have been pretty chaotic. Probably a result of tryin' to cram magic where it doesn't normally go, you know. Having some extra sets of hands around would be handy." He steps up to the infusion apparatus, and explains, though it probably would have already been guessed at by Lezard, magical genius that he is, "You put the target object to be infused in the center, and the magical traits of the objects in the outer pillars flow into it. You also need some boiled down essentia, to keep it going smoothly." He gestures at the alchemical devices along the wall, which even now, tended by golems, are making the distinctive sounds of distillery. "That's where all that stuff comes in." At being called by the title of Magus, his grin broadens considerably at Lezard. He definitely knows what buttons to push. His chest even swells a bit with his ego thus fed. "You seem to know your way around this sort of thing already. I'll be looking forward to what I can learn, seeing your stuff, Lezard." The answer is simple: Nothing good. But the aftermath will definitely keep Izumi on her toes. He extends a hand, "That's pretty much it, for now, but I'll be sure to have something impressive ready for your next visit, and I'll definitely look at those Confederate databases you were mentioning." Around this time, Izumi makes her way down the steps. A bit sheepishly, since she doesn't often come down this far -- some of this stuff looks dangerous, even to a devil like her. "Master Steve, everything is put away. Everything seems secure on the perimeter, as well. There was a 'creeper' crater a few hundred yards south...?" "Ah, don't worry about that. Good work Izumi! Go take a break." He beams a broad smile to his other guests, as she ascends, "I guess that's the end of our business, for now. Hope to see you all again soon." It's nice to have some voices to talk to that don't belong to creepy cloak-wearing ghosts.