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| Owner | Pose |
|---|---|
| Eryl Fairfax | Eryl's homeworld is a dusty, desolate place for the most part. Other places are becoming green and alive again, but 'desolate' is what they need right now. One does not invoke some horror from beyond space in a civilized area unless you want to cause havoc. The setting is a vast sandy plain, with only a single, rocky outcropping obscuring the horizon. Eryl has set up a respectable distance from the rocks, with many portable tables set up. Piled on them are books, scrolls, USB drives, CDs, even floppy drives. A bona fide buffet of information, all prepared for a non-Euclidian terror to show up and eat. The designated warpgate is a bit of a walk from this location though. Awaiting to greet the arriving Elites is a combination of Paladin soldiers and Eden Defence Force units. Scanning the area, it seems like they're prepared to rush in should things go south, but also keeping their distance, just in case. Once everyone has gathered, Eryl speaks. "Welcome. Thank you all for coming. To reiterate the plan, we are going to invoke this otherworldly creature. In my own time, I revisited the artefact and it generated a warpgate to this place. Thus, it is likely it will open a warpgate here should information be offered. To make sure, we shall have Flamel Parsons make an offering as he did once before." He begins to pace, pointing to people in turn. "Argast Wyrdseeker will use his experience with communicating with beings of this nature to try to negotiate. What we are looking for is if it is able to lift the psychohazardous influence it has shown to have, and what it might accept in exchange. Should negotiations break down for any reason, Velvet Crowe will attempt to devour a piece of this creature. The purpose for this is twofold; it will hopefully allow her to turn its power against it, and also give us some insight as to what it is." He stops, and looks among those he has not directly named. "Those of you without a specific role are expected to act as support. Should the being speak with you, make it clear and answer as diplomatically as you can. Should it attack, attempt to drive it back. Now, are there any questions?" |
| Staren | Staren arrives in the Star Hawk, just in case. The mecha is parked off to the side with the soldiers, and Staren climbs out for the briefing. He raises his hand when Eryl asks. "Yes, what do you want those of us on support to do during the negotiation phase?" The combat phase is the obvious one. |
| Argast Wyrdseeker | Argast was quiet as he listened to Eryl. Over his form, he wore more totems of his dark pantheon then usual, suggesting he had spent many days in preparation for this. Speaking with beings beyond the realm of mortals was always a taxing affair, even for one as skilled as he. At his side stood one additional soldier from his warband, a large man, armored up in a red and brass tinted color wielding a greataxe. He also stayed quiet, but he seemed ready to explode at a moment's notice. |
| August Kohler | In the distance, there is a rocky outcropping obscuring the horizon. Behind that rocky outcropping is a redheaded teenager, dressed for desert combat - a t-shirt, jeans, and a shard of glass. August Kohler thinks that negotiating with a nightmare-inducing terror that creates artifical warpgates based off people's memories is an /awful/ idea, especially if either faction learns how to harness those powers. Therefore, he wants to kill the Warp Iris before anyone can get information off of it. He doesn't have much in the way of allies, but if it goes terribly hostile, the other factions will probably be forced to put it down. Hopefully without a corpse, August thinks. For now, he just glances out from his cover with a pair of binoculars, waiting to see if they can even lure it here in the first place. If not, well, this was a bust. |
| Velvet Crowe | Velvet looks awkward and uncomfortable. The young woman, with her tattered 'outfit' made of several layers of rags that really don't add up to more than rags even together, and her long mane of black hair that almost touches the ground, is constantly glaring left and right, keeping careful tabs on the movements of those she knows to be Paladins, or those who keep eyes on her too. Agitated, paranoid, restless. Those are all words too. Even with Eryl's word she wouldn't be captured, this still felt like walking right into a trap. A high risk, high reward trap, but a trap nonetheless. She stretches her left arm and shoulder, the one covered in bandages seemingly from shoulder to fingertips, not an inch of skin visible. "No questions." At least, not yet. It's a pretty straightforward plan. |
| Dorian Pavus | It really is a horrible idea. Summon a thing that eats information, that can find your homeworld and suck it dry of every piece of information it holds... and then try to have a pleasant chat with it. When he'd heard the plan being discussed on the open band, he'd rolled his eyes, intent to stay well away from it, because he KNEW how that was going to end -- with everyone involved getting stripped of all the information in their heads and left there to their fate. And now? He's not too far from where August is, crouched behind a separate piece of the scenery. Stealth isn't his thing, but he knows how to hide in one place and be quiet. Which he does, no matter how much he wants to grumble about how stupid this whole thing is. Oh he knew how this would have gone, as soon as he heard August speak up on the Watch radio -- August would get hurt out here, the Watch find out he was nearby and didn't go, then complain that he didn't go and help a fellow Watch-man. ...Actually Dorian just didn't want August to possibly have to face this thing -- and maybe the Paladins and whoever else decided to show up -- alone. Though he'll never admit that. Can't have him getting altruistic, oh no. |
| Kotone Yamakawa | Kotone Yamakawa has not been to Eryl's home world in a very long time but this was not under the best of situtions mind her she was clad in stealth armour in the event there was trouble and it might have become an uncommon sight to see her on duty in anything else. Kotone was very uneasy about Argast being here butseemed to control herself for the moment. She did not look to be to hostile to anyone ele but really Argast and she was controlling herself for the moment she took a deep breath and would simply wait for the moment. "Understood, sir. Don't lip off to the eldrich thing. None sir." |
| Theurgus | "None from me." says the rather plain(If ont can use such a term for her) woman with the pointed witch hair, interlocked with gears, and blue hair. Theurgus looks to Flamel, "You encountered this being before? Could it be a new plot by The Organisation?" she asks the Psychonaut. She does keep her staff to hand, and idly fingers the smooth shaft of a Relay Beacon, should she need to deploy it, with the other. She has a bad feeling about all of this, but the promise of new knowledge, and the chance to observe these 'Elites' in action overwhelms her contritions and stokes her curiosity. She does give Eryl a very thorough look over. Such a plain looking man. He must be rather dangerous if angered. But that would likely be nothing compared to this being, if even half of what she had heard of it is to be believed. |
| Flamel Parsons | Agent Parsons is here. His desert-ized version of the MIB outfit is once again on display, the one with the gasmask and the looser, more nomadic-looking version of the MIB suit. He's hiked here, or at least levitated here, from the look of it, but his appearance is sudden and abrupt. A dispelling of invisibility! This is in spite of logging his passage with the Paladin and EDF troops. Apparently being suspiciously absent and then present is part of his whole Gimmick. "Righto!" The agent calls out, brightly, to Eryl. "I'll start scanning for the psychic signal!" He did this the last time, so it should work this time, right? He's going to give everyone time to get their stuff together, while he scans. He's almost acting... Normal this time? No, never mind, he just opened his mouth again. "I've done a lot of work with Paladins so far, but it's great to finally get to do some work with the replicant government leadership machines personally." He says, idly, as he plants two fingers from each hand on his temples. His brain begins to emit sonar-like pings, small waves of light, as he tries to lock onto the psychic residue left by the warp iris in this area, and to get his target for the broadcast of data. The pinging sonar waves might actually present a sort of issue to the Watch membes here. One assumes Flamel might detect them if the waves hit them! A little footwork or use of some abilities to avoid the glowing waves coursing over the sandy dunes might be a good idea, but it's not actively directed at them, so the stealth shouldn't be difficult for them to manage. A few relevant people. Velvet is noted, with a wry but nervous smile. "Hey, you're gonna have my mind in your hands here." He says. "Paranoia's good! I mean, with how many groups advancing secret agendas are always watching. But don't let it get so bad you lose focus! That's one of the secret agendas in the first place!" It's a KIND of support. Kotone gets a wave too. Familiar! Less familiar than Staren, but Flamel knows her well enough. And still thinks she's a synthetic alien infiltrator, probably. Theurgus gets a confident explanation! "I have! It tried to devour my brain! If it were me, I'd guess it could be one of the assortment of alien lifeforms that regularly affect the minds of humans to further their secretive agendas. Who knows what sort of Organization plots could be connecting with that sort of thing!" He begins describing an elaborate hypothetical connection network between a new world order group, a mysterious organization, an ancient cult, and the Warp Iris, precisely none of which is true, while he locks on. Assuming he can, he'll hold for Eryl Fairfax's order. And then begin to broadcast the same psychic presence of memories that he did before... "Oh, hand off any of the storage devices you have to me as soon as you want them broadcasted. It just ate them without permission before, though! So that might not need doing." |
| Eryl Fairfax | "Excellent question," Eryl says as he points to Staren. "Essentially, try to keep a running commentary of your own condition while in the being's presence. Report on whatever you might observe from it, using as many senses as you can. We know very little about it, so the effects it has on people and environments may offer a clue." He looks among the others who have no questions to ask. He's thankful that Argast decided to bring his own security, but he does hope he won't attack until commanded. Velvet draws a raised eyebow. He gets that escaped convicts don't exactly get a range of apparels to choose from, but /good lord./ He silently notes to make sure a complete outfit is included in whatever reward she gets for her service. Kotone gets a firm nod. "Leave it to the professionals," he says, gesturing to Argast who looks... very professional, yes. Theurgus gets a long stare, especially when she starts talking conspiracy theories. Oh dear, they're multiplying. Meanwhile, August and Dorian hunker down behind the rocks. It sure is a bunch of rocks. A place like this is certainly suited for this kind of operation... but why this place? Everywhere else seemed to have some kind of significance.But finally, Flamel begins at Eryl's command. He's taking the comment pretty well in-stride honestly. It's hardly the worst thing he's been called, especially lately. The psychic signal spreads out... and the tiny holes in the world are there again, waiting. The signal slips inside, and one of them begins to widen. The black warpgate opens again, and everyone in the field is struck by that vague sense of fear. The kind where the cause is unknown, but obviously frightening. There is no baleful eye this time, only a mass of tendrils that goes after the information offering with gusto. Every individual item is grabbed by one. Those who might be paying attention may notice that the words on the books and scrolls are vanishing at the touch. On another level, the information stored digitally is being consumed too, leaving the objects themselves as if they had been factory reset. Now's the time. |
| Argast Wyrdseeker | Argast watches silently as he see's the tendrils emerge from the black warpgate. He starts moving towards the gate, but stays well enough away to not be scooped up. "Great being within the Black warpgate. My name is Argast Wyrdseeker, a mere servant to the God of Change. I seek to speak with you, as your hunger for knowledge makes me believe we serve the same master. I wish to know what it is that you seek, and how I may assist you." He says, both through words and on through the use of the winds of magic. |
| August Kohler | As Flamel fires out his sonar pings, August begins moving through the sand, diving to narrowly miss them. He pulls himself up with a faceful of sand, spitting it out as he wipes it off his face. "Ugh, fuck this." As the negotiation works and that feeling of fear strides over, August bites his lip almost hard enough to draw blood, and glares at the tendrils through the binoculars. "Let's wait to see if it comes out more. If it pulls itself back in, we're just fighting the Paladins and the League, and that's a problem I want to avoid." August begins moving further through the outcropping, trying to be able to hear the group talking, if he can even just pick out a few words. |
| Staren | Forced fear annoys Staren. He mentally reminds himself that this thing will be understood and controlled -- or at least killed -- like countless others before it. Everything he sees and hears is recorded, but he hasn't noticed anything noteworthy yet... |
| Dorian Pavus | Dorian doesn't know what those waves from whatever Flamel is doing actually are. But 'don't get hit by something a possible enemy is firing off' is a pretty simple concept. So yes, he'll dodge around them as well as he can, while trying not to reveal his presence just yet. And suddenly... there it is. The strange sense of fear is kind of unexpected, but not totally. It's an eldritch horror; of course its mere presence is going to cause fear in 'lesser' beings. Which makes it all the more laughable that this lot intends to try to 'negotiate' with it. Predators don't 'negotiate' with prey. The prey either is eaten, gets away, or kills the thing trying to eat it. It's as simple as that. Dorian tenses where he is, trying to force down the vague, unfocused fear. August's comment over the radio gets a nod. He has to agree. Still. <<Give them time to see it's not going to work. Then we can help them clean up the mess they made,>> he returns over the radio. Quietly, so as not to be heard by the rest of the group. As August moves closer to the group, Dorian stays where he is. August can relay things to him via the radio if they're important enough for him to hear. But he's not getting any closer to the eldritch horror that eats information. |
| Theurgus | Fear. A feeling the DCC knows intimately well. Fear of losing everything she, and her mentor strove to protect. Fear of losing her friend, Charta, and everyone in Locus. It actually takes some effort not to jam the Relay Beacon into the sand, transform into her Digital Divinity form and blast the monster with everything she has, due to that fear. Instead, after mastering herself, she merely takes what information she can from her senses, seeing those tendrils, watching the worods in the books vanishing... and suddenly, she's very glad a certain other DCC isn't around. "Such a waste..." |
| Velvet Crowe | Secret agendas within secret agendas. Velvet is already lost. The greater intricacies of the world are still lost on her. She vaguely understands this is an attempt to cheer her up, at least, she's not that dense. She looks at her bandaged hand, then back towards Flamel without her expression changing much, remaining that sort of uneasy but stern stare. "This isn't a hand you should want your mind in. I'd reconsider if I were you," she warns, this sort of blurry line between a threat and a poorly worded warning. Glares are exchanged with Eryl. She'd judge him harshly for his outfit but he's dressed so... /fine/. There's nothing to really say. Actually, his calm demeanor and expression is a bit unsettling, but that's not really an insult. Finally they're ready to start. Less social contact for Velvet. More doing what she knows she can handle. She watches with curiosity as tendrils appear, ripping themselves out of the black gate and devouring books and whatever those slim pieces of metal are. Phones? She seems to recall they're called phones. 'Better radios'. There's fear in the air too. As if the daemon needed more fuel for her paranoia. She's even more uneasy than before. Briefly entertains jumping for Eryl's exposed back, even, before shaking it off and just getting pissed at the 'infovore' instead. Can that thing even be talked to? Doesn't look like the sort of thing you expect to talk. |
| Kotone Yamakawa | Kotone Yamakawa looks over to Flamel for a moment and is oddly glad he's here given his skills dealing with things that invade the mind? It could be a sanity saver after all. She was still uneasy she had had bad experiances with the supernatural from the get go on her arrival into the multiverse. She looks to Eryl for a moment and listens to what he has to say to her. She's more tech, mechanics and support these days but she can talk if it's needed. She'll let the best people suited to talking to be able to deal with the talking aprt. She also keeps note of Dorian and August who she does count on in a tight jam. So things could be a lot worse but whe this thing tentrils appear a deep feeling of panic builds up inside Kotone and she attemps to bite it back but her skin feels ile it's crawling she feels fear but she's not sure if it's the tentacles o the being it self that is causing it. She takes note it's consuming information and she takes a deep breath wonding if it would slup her mind up like a slushie. She's just looking like she might snap ... at some point from this... |
| Flamel Parsons | Parsons is blasted with fear, even more than the others due to his psychic open-ness. It grips his stomach like one of the tendrils themselves. But he keeps bringing the creature in. He stumbles back, but does his best to gently pull from psychic connection before it takes a bite of his mind too. If it still intends to, anyway. Not severing it aggressively, of course, it's cautious and careful. Hoping, in this case, that Argast will calm it down enough to make sure another incident like the last doesn't happen. He can't pull away much, though. While this is something that makes him deeply terrified, he's also deeply curious. It's dangerous, but he stays close, watching, peering, examining the Warp Iris monster. The last time he did this nearly got his mind eaten. So it should go well this time!! He watches with abject fascination, even while he gently works to extricate his psyche from the engagement. Will the creature willingly let it go? Even that's a curiosity of sorts. He's done his primary duty here, though, and seeming quite proud of it. He'll wait for Argast's efforts to bear some kind of fruit, before he speaks. |
| Yuna Kagurazaka | Somebody ran a little late due to a combination of 'a live appearance that she couldn't get out of sooner' and 'last-second uncertainty about whether this was remotely a good idea' ... but ultimately, Yuna Kagurazaka did turn up. She's already in her Light Suit; the danger of the infovore getting its teeth into Elner is such that the robo-faerie is very pointedly *NOT* accompanying Yuna. Neither is any of the rest of the Matrix of Light. Yuna nods apologetically to Dorian, sees that August is already sneaking closer, and just shuts up and hunkers down, letting the other two do most of the looking and listening. She's going to be way too recognizable if she has to step in directly - just being here is more of a risk to her public image than she's happy about - but at least she can make an excuse as to how she found out that doesn't go through the Watch ... and this Warp Iris, even if it is sentient, is way too big a risk for her to ignore. That's what it really comes down to for her. If this entity is intelligent enough to hold a conversation, and has enough of a conscience to not devour whatever information comes its way willy-nilly while understanding *why* it's not good for others, then maybe it can be reasoned with. (Maybe it's more than just an 'it' - and that doesn't mean 'more than one'.) She's hoping that persuasion will be enough - not persuasion to cooperate with one of the factions, but persuasion to *stay the hell away* from this part of the Multiverse. If that persuasion has to be delivered through an aggressive assault ... she might actually feel a little better about being part of the fray in that case. |
| Eryl Fairfax | "Worry not," says Eryl to Theurgus. "It's all copies. The information exists elsewhere." Flamel's attempt to detangle himself from the creature's voracious hunger for information is thankfully pretty easy. It seems that the feast offered has it less focused on him. But as Argast speaks to it, the tendrils stop and swivel to regard him. No answer comes. Was Velvet correct? Can it not talk? Suddenly, Flamel's link is pulled on sharply by the creature, as it reaches along it to get right at Flamel's brain! At the same time, Argast fills his mind being filled by it on some level, a sensation he is likely familiar with. In both of them, the alien power starts poking at their brains, causing random parts of it to start firing. Vision becomes strange as it oogles at the occipital lobe, random memories come it mind as it taps the temporal lobe. But finally, it locates what it's looking for. The Brocas and Wenicke's areas of the brain have a large role in the development of humanity. The sections responsible for the production and comprehension of speech allowed humanity to exchange complex ideas. This allowed for the sharing of complex plans that gave them one-up over the physically superior species on the planet. It is not an understatement to say that they are the parts most responsible for allowing human society to exist. And now the two are finding their deliberately triggered over and over, the information that springs up with each firing neuron swallowed up by the beast. This looks little different from some kind of seizure. And then the being reaches out to everyone else present, even those behind the rocks. The same areas are reached for, and possibly not found in the case of Theurgus. At that point, the being starts rooting around for whatever equivalent exists in a DCC. Either way, unless something is done quick, who knows what long-term effects this may have? |
| Argast Wyrdseeker | Argast grits his teeth as his mind is probed and the desired section of brainmeats found. "What is it you want?" He asks, gripping his staff for balance. His bodyguard growls as he feels his brain probed at. One thing about khornites is that they HATE when their brains are messed with, but he somehow manages to remain 'calm'.....ish. |
| August Kohler | The negotiation is a failure, as August expected - the Warp Iris is attacking. As soon as the tendrils lunge for the rock they're hiding from, August is jumping backwards, pulling his mirror shard up to his eyes. "Alright guys, MOVE! PERSONA!" A burst of blue energy brings forth his Persona, a robotic soldier covered in burns and with a gun for a leg. The Tin Soldier immediately points that gun upwards, moving to set the tendril on fire, as August begins moving for cover. A radio transmission is sent to everyone in the area. <<"This was incredibly stupid! Do you see now why this was a /terrible idea/, Paladins, League? We need to kill that thing, fast, before it can do any more harm!">> And as August transmits, the Tin Soldier is continuing to pray and spray, fire gushing out silently, attempting to burn away the tendril. It is now a present and obvious entity. |
| Dorian Pavus | Dorian is not about to hide his relief that Yuna showed up. He offers a nod to her in return. Things are looking a little better anyway. At least now it's THREE people versus the world instead of just two. It's still fools' odds, but that's why Dorian's 'The Good Tevinter'. Because he has a conscience, and wasn't about to let August take this on alone. And then the thing starts reaching into his mind. No, Dorian is not having that. Dorian's used to things trying to root around in his head and pull things out; a mage of Thedas has to beware of demons entering through their connection to the Fade. And so he was taught preventative measures. This might not exactly be a demon, but its attack is close enough. So the thing will doubtless find itself running in circles in Dorian's mind. By the time August calls out to move in on the target, Dorian's already moving. He stands up from behind the rock and heads closer to where the rest of the group is. He's targetting... not the Warp Iris itself, but Flamel and Argast, who seem to be the closest to the beast. Dorian targets the two of them, those that seem the closest -- and possibly in the most amount of pain -- with a Barrier apiece. There's no way to tell if it'll actually work or not, but it doesn't hurt to try, does it? |
| Staren | Staren feels it trying to do something in his head -- and more alarmingly than some directed telepathic contact... his medical nanites are alerting him to warnings of seizure-like activity. Like it's just creating random brain stimulus to see what happens. Thaaaaaat is not safe! "Nope..." Staren holds his hands to his head and backs away, activating his teleporter to send him to the mecha. After a few seconds it activates... hopefully putting him out of reach. Just because he retreated to his machine doesn't mean he's going to attack immediately, though. He will wait for the order, unless Eryl and Flamel are clearly incapacitated. Or it tries to kill August or something. |
| Theurgus | Theurgus feels her primary signal trunk being coiled, and wrenches herself away. "The Organization shall not triumph here!" she declares, as the others are basicaclly being eaten alive. She slams the Relay into the sand, the smooth bar of metal unfolding into a receiver dish, and firing a beam skywards. "Grimoire, begin the transfer." The DCC is engulfed in multi-hue light, resolving into a stream of code fragments, and then shattering into voxels. The form that emerges is a garish rainbow. A 'white' robe that seems to shimmer like an oil slick as it flutters in the breeze, once blue hair now flowing in an unseen wind, a rainbow of colours that shift like oil atop water, this is accented by collections of clockwork and magi-tech that hang over her hips, around her feet, shoulders and atop her head. Gears, springs, cogs and a gemstone in each, which are a bright green in hue, and mismatched red and blue eyes with a symbol instead of a regular pupil. "If it is information you desire, allow me to show you the culmination of my scientific theory!" Diamond Soul lifts off the ground, performing a gesture with her arms and staff that forms a sphere of code around her. "Now, let me hear your final words." She throws her right hand forwards, and a large spell seal appears beneath, and around the Black Gate, before erupting into a series of energy spikes, then erupting in a 'fountain' of unaspected energy. While this happens, she twirls in place, and brings the non-Euclidian cap of her staff to bare, forming a tightly packed 'well' that distorts the space around it. She fires this point of light into the iris, before it detonates. |
| Flamel Parsons | Flamel Parsons goes into a seizure. The good part of being a psychic is that when this happens, he can float. The bad part of it is that a seizure is much more pronounced with psychic abilities. His body begins to float into the air, and convulse horribly. He rattles off words in a strained way, calling out its intentions. "Psychohazard, psychohazard!! Infovore effect!! Wait wait wait wait wait wait wait, it's... Trying to learn speech, trying to learn how to--" The translucent hands that represent his telekinesis appear, beginnind to aggressively flail around his body, clawing at the sand and dirt, wrapping around him, chaotically distorting and frizzling. His mind can barely maintain enough to telepathically shout, "No!! Wait a minute, it's trying to... It doesn't understand how to say anything! Speech! It doesn't know /how/ to speak, it's trying to learn! I just... Hrrrrrgh, need to tell it how to..." His head shocks out of the curled, convulsing position. Both hands have two fingers on his temples. "Learn. Speak. Tell me. I need to know. Need to know. Need to know. Need to know." His brain SPARKS. That's not what a human brain is meant to do. Something inside his skull just emitted a physical, real spark that pops out of the side of his head. He's... Trying to teach it. He's trying to learn from it. He begins to speak like a mantra. "Tell me. Need to know. Tell me. Need to know. Tell me. Need to know." Yep, Parsons is just gonna go ahead and let this thing torture him for information because he wants to hear it talk. |
| Velvet Crowe | What is it DOING to them? Is that how these people communicate? Because that doesn't look like communication. Actually it doesn't really look like negotiating either. It looks more like a horrible, tentacled horror having its way with people trying to reason with it. Flamel says it's 'trying to learn speech'. Velvet wouldn't know the difference. She manages to stand her ground regardless, until the creature turns on more people. Orders or not she won't let something attack her. She'll do what she came to do. And lucky her, the creature is extending a hand. Velvet's left arm bursts out of its bandages. It grows into a large, glowing, black and red clawed arm and hand, several times the size of her other arm now. She reaches for the tendril oozing towards her head, to grip it as tightly as she can. And then she devours. The arm pulses, veins like straws trying to absorb the very essence of the creature. Its 'HP', but also its power. Will it pull away? Avoid the hand? There's no guarantee she can secure a hold, but if she can, she starts eating. She lacks clever commentary or threats. |
| Yuna Kagurazaka | Wait, that thing knows where the rest of them are well enough to literally reach *everywhere* for them?! Yuna literally leaps backwards, the Matrix Divider flaring into existence; she does *NOT* want to find out what happens if any of those make sustained contact with her. Never mind that she barely needs to find out first-hand; Flamel is calling out in, if not pain then extreme discomfort, and Argast Wyrdseeker - a Chaos-worshipper with whom Yuna has previously crossed paths - explicitly wants this monster here. Yuna opens fire with a surprising amount of discipline, hitting the tendrils headed for *her* with focused bolts of concussive radiance; she's basically trying to deliver enough of a sting to make the Warp Iris pull back. She'd be much happier charging up a full-power blast and driving it into the monster's central body .... assuming it HAS one. She'd almost be happier NOT to find out. Either way, though, Yuna is still the Savior of Light; she *can't* turn her back when a monster is hurting people. And even if she didn't have her title, she *still* couldn't stand to see others suffering. |
| Kotone Yamakawa | Kotone Yamakawa nods about it being copies but is more than a little scared for herself given part of her mind is digital. she just trues to keep hr mind focuse and she's more and more nervous now but she does not move to attack, she does not move to attack, yet she's very spooked. She then sees as the Tin Soldier goes into action, oh god this just went to hell in a handdbasket and there is little that Kotone can do other than attempt to back the heck up now, and cloaks her self for all the good it will do. <<Eryl? orders?!>> |
| Eryl Fairfax | A lot of things happen very quickly. August rushes out, the Tin Solider setting a tendril alight. Yuna also rushes forward, blasting at them with bolts of light. The afflicted thing flails, and that presence in everyone's mind seems to retract with a noise. Not a pained scream but more an inquiring 'eeehhh?' than anything. Like this being doesn't really understand the sensations it's recieving. Eryl starts barking orders, pointing his finger at the attacking Watch even as he recovers from that seizure-inducing attack. "August Kohler. Dorian Pavus. Yuna Kagurazaka. Stand down at once, or face arrest." An order is issued over the radio to Kotone. "Arrest them at once, Chevalier Yamakawa." Those who are not Paladins are free to interoperate or ignore Eryl's order as they please. Theurgus also begins her attack, suddenly shifting forms and pinning several tendrils with the energy spikes she produces. The follow-up, the space-warping point of light actually makes the black warpgate flicker for a moment, which makes the trapped tendrils wiggle. Is that fear? Or excitement? Meanwhile, Flamel does the equivalent of just throwing more food at the being, while Argast keeps himself open, so the sensation returns to him. It seems a bit... reluctant suddenly. Maybe just because last time this happened, it experienced pain? But it takes what is offered from the men either way, until it seems somewhat satiated. At this point, it backs off. And then suddenly, the Infovore experiences what it's like to get eaten itself. The pinned tendrils writhe again, in that unclear way. In this instant, Velvet experiences what holy men spend their whole lives looking for. Enlightenment, the sense of oneness with a universe. But it's not this one. In that moment, nothingness washes over her like a black tide, immersing her in a universe that was never meant to be. A brilliant flash at the beginning of time that failed to live up to the standards required for a functional universe. Some aspects of physics came out malformed, if at all. Space and/or time failed to assert itself. And what she is eating is the result of that attaining limited sapience. Hopefully, someone somewhere makes antacid for the soul. The black warpgate has been growing slowly this whole time, and it's big enough for what comes next. A shape emerges, filling out the whole outline. A horrible, gaping maw, with teeth as tall as a man, caked in effluvial grime. What was believed to be tendrils are actually several tongues extending from this godforsaken hole. In a single motion, the mouth bites down on them, severing the pained, trapped things. The stumps ooze ichor that sizzle on contact with the dust, throwing up acrid smoke. And then, it speaks. More on the mental plane than physical, as it never went for the motor centers for the mouth. WHAT IS THIS PLACE |
| Theurgus | Theurgus' assault does... all of not very much. It pins the tendrils down, some of them anyway, and the void spark just... seems to fizzle, at least from the DCC's perspective. She was expecting more reaction, /any/ reaction really, but this. And then the Iris becomes a Mouth, full of teeth caked in the infinite grime of a universe not formed. "... Facinating..." is all the DCC can say, as she hovers a few inches off the ground, just, staring at the thing... until it speaks of course. "This is... well, I did not exactly pay much attention, it is a world... what are you?" she enquires, her tone a one eighty flip from the imperious, aggressive declaration from before. |
| Argast Wyrdseeker | Argast watches as the last of the creature's desires are sated, and the mouth falls out. No different then the way a deamon is birthed. With a quick glance towards the khornite, a nods. "If anything comes near here with the intent to attack Thorgar, kill them." "Of course, Lord Argast." Thorgar turns and howls out in bloody rage. "NONE MAY HARM LORD ARGAST!" As for argast himself, he takes a knee next to the creature. "We call this place, 'The Multiverse'. A plane where multiple worlds exist in one space." |
| Dorian Pavus | This is... going about as well as Dorian expected it to. But, for all his altruism he won't admit to, there is a limit to it. He knows that one can't help someone who doesn't want help. And this lot? Doesn't want help. As Eryl orders his arrest along with the others, Dorian scowls. He ends his spell, and the Barriers around Flamel and Argast fall, leaving them to whatever fate they've chosen. Not that the barriers were really doing all that much good anyway, from the looks of it. Dorian has been completely, totally, and fully useless here, and the knowledge stings. It also prompts his response to be a bit sharper than it probably should have been. "Well, then. I take my leave. Do tell the infinite madness I said hello, won't you? If you can, after it's had its way with your minds," he says, his voice a rather sarcastic hiss. Then his body seems to dissolve into blue-white energy. That vaguely Dorian-shaped mass of energy streaks away from the site. It happens so fast Dorian doesn't even have time to hear the thing speaking. Whatever's going on, it's no longer any of his business. |
| August Kohler | Well, it seems like the Paladins want to /arrest/ August for this. He just shakes his head and shouts back. "Are you truly incapable of seeing why this is such a terrible idea?!" The Tin Soldier, meanwhile, burns away the tendril, but then, it happens - the monster raises from the iris, a terrible sight that just radiates 'darkness'. August visibly shudders, before calming himself, the Tin Soldier staring up at the beast... And charging, flamethrower aiming at the thing's mouth. Bullets join it, the Tin Soldier unleashing everything it has on the Warp Iris. It's trying to destroy that mouth, damage it as much as possible. "With what you're capable of, what you've /done/? I'm not letting you survive, even if you have gained intelligence. You're a monster, plain and simple!" |
| Velvet Crowe | Delicious, delicious infovore. Sadly, Velvet is still hungry, no creature will quench that. Now on top of being hungry she's... momentarily confused, a bit overwhelmed. What did it show her? How do you even process something that big so quickly? She puts it in the best words she can, but it still feels like it doesn't do the experience justice. Luckily, the creature stops attacking. For the time being, anyway. Velvet lowers her daemonic arm, taking a few steps toward to join those who advanced and get a better look at the... mouth. Yeah that's a mouth. A really big mouth. She'd complain she just got herself into something way beyond her, but that ability to see memories might come in handy, however long it lasts. If that's what it was. Hopefully she doesn't digest this one too fast. Whatever happens now is out of her hands though. August can keep attacking all he wants, and people can fight over the right to talk to this thing or kill it, it's none of her business until Eryl says it is. A deal's a deal. Doesn't stop her from being curious admittedly. Maybe another go at it might reveal more. |
| Flamel Parsons | Mr. Parsons completes his effort. The overstimuation of his brain ceases, and all at once, he no longer has to hold on to his /life/ to survive. This means his energy promptly dissipates. He falls to the ground, onto his knees, then onto his side, gasping like he'd been drowning. He has barely enough energy to look up in awe at the creature. Eldritch power is something he can't deal with. The unknowable is something that psychic powers have trouble defending against, for very obvious reasons. But now it's at least no longer hurting him. He can barely manage to speak, but he does, still. He gets one hand up towards the infovore and whispers, telepathically and physically, trying to call out a response. "Another place." Is all he can manage, all that makes sense. He's trying to approximate it from the Infovore's perspective: This is a place that is Another, one that would be unfamiliar to one that had only had one place to exist in, or possibly even to /be/, before. Then, he manages to ask, in turn: "What are you?" He's incredibly fearful, not just from the creature's oppressive psychological effect. This thing sure did have 'cruel amusement' as a feeling before... It may be cruel. It may be. |
| Staren | The Star Hawk zooms forward, clearing the distance in a few seconds before transforming and trying to interpose itself between the maw and the Tin Soldier. "WAIT! Morg, can you guys have a little PATIENCE?!" And then, Staren focuses on his thoughts as he says, "It is a place. Tell us what you WANT. It's urgent!" |
| Yuna Kagurazaka | So the Paladins want to arrest her now. There goes her image. Yuna might think about it at greater length when she's not being abjectly terrified - because the form which the 'Warp Iris' presents itself in is something that makes Yuna's usual nightmares take one look and run away screaming. Savior of Light or not, Yuna is still quite susceptible to being utterly terrified, and judging by the scream she lets out at the first sight of the infovore's actual 'body'? Yeah, 'utterly terrified' is a pretty good summary of her mental state at the moment. At least the tendrils seem to have been stopped. Yuna grasps the Matrix Divider tightly and starts focusing her energy into the weapon - but it's slow going, much slower than it *should* be. Mostly that's because Yuna is so scared that she can't concentrate properly - a thing she's going to have to work on later, if she remembers and has a chance. Partly it's because she heard Kotone ordered to arrest her, and in lieu of focusing on the Warp Iris (which, understandably, she REALLY doesn't want to), she keeps half an eye out for Kotone or other Paladins who might approach her to carry out the arrest. Either way, in fits and starts, a greenish-gold glow begins to grow around the Matrix Divider's blade/barrel assembly. It flickers like an unprotected candle at first, sputtering and threatening to go dark again - but the charge starts to take hold, a little bit at a time. It's going to take a while before Yuna can even muster as much of a shot as she was using to drive off the tendrils which were stalking her. And if this entity has learned to think and to communicate ... she has to try. "As much as you may want to learn about us and our worlds, this is a place where you don't belong. If you can understand how you make us suffer when you root through our minds for knowledge ... if you can understand what it means for others to suffer ... then please, withdraw your presence, and never venture into the Multiverse again ... !" Maybe they can get the entity to retreat without beating the hell out of it. Gods know Yuna's no longer sure they *can* beat enough hell out of it to make a difference. |
| Kotone Yamakawa | Kotone does not like this, she does not like this at all as things go to hell in a hand basket from all accounts? Then the others attack she gets the order she odens't lke it but she's got a job to do for now. Afterward they may be several piles worth of proest related forums on certain decks because she's really out of sorts with this she isn't the one to talk however. She's moving in on Yuna, Dorian and August. "I don't like this anymore than any of you do so." However some things improve Dorian backs off, he's not a man she'd want to have to fight she knows how dangerous he is. That's one problem and one less interal conflict to worry about. She also knows what damage they can do and she springs on August, her body has Eel ware as he might no which turns Kotone into living taser and she's going to try to grab August to disable him first. Yuna will get longer and she's more prone to talk than August is. Kotone right now hwoever is questioning her life choices here, in signing on with the Paladins. For now though she knows how foolish it would be to act now. Memories of the flith, Kingsmouth and Rory's home world flood back to her as she moves in to well taser August. |
| Eryl Fairfax | This horrible creature from beyond the stars is suddenly the centre of attention! Theurgus, who had pinned its tongues, speaks up, as does the exhausted Flamel. Thankfully, it doesn't seem too upset about it. And that feeling of cruel amusement is not present right now. I AM MYSELF It's a difficult question to answer when you have no concept of 'other.' After all, it is /everything/ from its home reality. YOU BEND SPACE LIKE ME? Argast speaks to it, using words it doesn't quite understand. Once again, it probes the Chaos worshiper's mind to properly grasp 'Multiverse.' It's stumpy tongues flail as it takes it all in. OH OH OH! SO MUCH Its attention also turns to Velvet, even though she doesn't seem to care any more. Though the words it projects are devoid of time, it almost seems excited to talk with her. YOU EAT KNOWLEDGE LIKE ME? But now, August is attempting to burn it again. Its lips sizzle as those tongues tense up. WHAT IS THIS FEELING? The thing has no concept of pain. After all, nothing else exists over there to hurt it. And now, Eryl has had enough. While Kotone goes to arrest August, he stands before Yuna, acting as a shield between her charging shot and the Warp Iris. "This being is sapient, without the foundation for morality we all take for granted. It has the same right to even-handed treatment as everyone. I will not let fear-mongers drive it away." He looks to those carrying on the discussion. "Please, continue. You are doing fine work. Leave this part to us." He turns and stares hard at Yuna. He's not attacking, but he's not moving either. Daring her to take the shot. |
| Argast Wyrdseeker | "Yes. So very much." Argast says, leaving his mind open for the being. As for what he hears behind him, he growls. "Great being, We have little time. There are beings that want to hurt you...kill you. But I will offer you a place to learn so much. Serve my god, Tzeench. Probe and explore my mind to learn what the lord of change can offer you." He says, hand moving in an offering gesture. Behind him, Thorgar moves to stand between August and the being. "YOU! DIE! BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD!! SKULLS FOR THE SKULL THRONE!!" |
| Theurgus | Diamond Soul grumbles a bit at the screaming Khornite Berserker. The marble atop her staff, within the non-Euclidian matrix, changes to a gleaming yellow, and with an almost dismissive gesture. "Be silent." A bolt of lightning lances out from the marble straight at Thorgar's back, cracking the air with a thunderclap to go along with it. Way to shut the noisy thing up by making MORE noise, Theurgus. Good job. |
| Velvet Crowe | "No. I eat people. Sometimes I can process what I eat to do what they can do. By eating a part of you I guess I gained that ability," Velvet answers honestly, now a little taken aback that the... world... is holding a casual conversation with people like a toddler would. She glances towards her left arm, wondering what it is exactly she gained. It's not like she can just run tests. The more she uses what she takes, the faster she digests it. Might need to be conservative with this one. "You huh... you have a name, or something like that? Something you refer to yourself as?" Calling it 'that world' is pretty impersonal if it's a person. Person-world. Look, it doesn't make much sense to her either, but she's trying. |
| Yuna Kagurazaka | Like this wasn't already hard enough? And it shows - the look that Yuna gives Eryl is one which reflects exactly how torn she is. On the one hand, *she knows* exactly what Eryl is already telling her: the Warp Iris, whatever it really is, is intelligent enough to hold a conversation, is aware that the rest of them exist, and is slowly starting to understand the rest of it. All of that adds up to her biggest and best reason not to take the shot - that as terrifying and unnatural as the entity is for her to look at, it still has a choice of whether to be destructive or not. It just needs time to learn what those options mean. On the other hand, the Warp Iris learns, at least so far, by riffling (very very painfully) through people's minds, and eating information and knowledge - if not from those same minds, then from paper, digital storage, whatever media it can lay a tendril on from the sound of things. And it's already learning violence - August's Persona is trying to damage it, to little effect thus far, and Argast's summoned minion is attacking August in turn. Giving it time enough to learn the basics of 'good' and 'evil' and decide between them may give it long enough to decide on being evil, and learn how to hurt them. And all of that is before getting to the *known* variables - the people whom Yuna has met before, fought alongside or against as warranted at the time. August, who means well; Kotone, a valued friend who's doing what she needs to do; Staren, ever the scientist; Dorian, who did what his conscience allowed and is leaving because *he* has no other choice .... and Argast Wyrdseeker, Chaos-worshipper, who has made no secret of what he wants with this entity: he *wants* the Warp Iris to unleash its nature, to spread Chaos. Just hearing Argast invite the Warp Iris to serve Tzeench prompts a look of anguish to cross Yuna's face, and the glow from her weapon starts to brighten more quickly. "If nothing else," she says pleadingly to Eryl, "get the Chaos-worshipper *away* from here. He's the last person, the worst person, to bring to this kind of first contact - do you know what he does, what he's done in the past? Do you hear him *now*? If he keeps leaning on the scale, then this 'new arrival' will become an enemy that the Paladins don't stand a chance against ... !" |
| Flamel Parsons | Eryl assures them that the group will be protected. Parsons sees fire. He sees fighting. He can practically -- or rather, psychically -- feel the hostility in the air. It hurts. But there's a point made. He needs to... To teach this thing how it can best help. He has to try. His brain sparks again, like something just blew a fuse, and his whole body shudders. "Auuuugh... Hhhhh..." He clamps two fingers from each hand on each temple. "Please... Please..." He says. Then, he tries to link his mind with the creature. Neurons fire and link. As do, it seems, ideas. He tries to amass a package of ideas. Connect them enough to give context. He can't... Do much with it. Not much more than, well, just normal shouting with his voice would do, really. But it's at least a little quicker and a little more fitting to the situation. What gets broadcasts back at the creature is a little hard to express. +---------------------------------------------------+ |The experience of pain at the hands of the creature| +---------------------------------------------------+ | | +-------------------+ +---------------------+ |The feeling of pain| --------- |The failure of action| +-------------------+ +---------------------+ | \, | `'. | `'., +-----------------------+ `-+--------------------------+ |The threat to existence| | The concept of hostility | +-----------------------+ +--------------------------+ -, ,/ `', +---------------------+ ,-'` `-|The concept of safety|-'` +---------------------+ | +-------------------------+ |The concept of protection|-----..,, +-------------------------+ `'-, /\ `', / \ `. / \ \ +---------------------+ / \ +---------------------+ \ |The concept of allies|- -|The concept of offers| \ +---------------------+ +---------------------+ \ | . | \ | ` | | | ,' | \ | / +-------------------------+ | | ,' |The concept of conditions| | | / +-------------------------+ \ | ` . | | | ,` .` | \ | - .` +-----------------------+ | ,' .` |The concept of promises| | / .` +-----------------------+ | .' .` , | ` .` / +-----------------+ .` / |The offer to help|-` ,` +-----------------+ ,' -,, ,-` `'-.,,_ ,,-'` ```'''''```` |
| August Kohler | August knows that he's jumping the gun, inside. Perhaps this thing can be a person, can learn good. But he doesn't care. He's not taking the risk that it isn't. This thing has powers that no creature should have. It is dangerous to everyone, especially those he loves. Some things do not deserve a chance. Some things need to die, especially if they're a danger to everyone around them. The same thought August holds of himself. But then, he's intercepted. Kotone knows that his physical body is his weakness, and goes in to taze him. He immediately drops to his knees, the Tin Soldier seizing up in response, before it stops moving for whatever reason. That reason is that August meant what he said when he said he'd fight back - slowly lifting himself up and fighting off the pain, August lunges up at Kotone, moving to jab his mirror shard straight into one of her eyes. Her body is mechanical, and she /should/ be able to survive this, but it should also give him the chance to keep fighting. "I-I don't care if you're sorry...I will not let this THING TO EXIST!" And as he says that, the Tin Soldier slowly begins to stand back up. Slowly prepares to fight again. |
| Staren | The tin soldier goes down when Kotone shocks August. Oh. Is that how it works? Staren just grabs the soldier while it's stunned, then. It will have to escape a metal hand before it can attack. The Star Hawk turns towards the... the thing. "What do you want? What do you /desire/? What do you wish?" He has /one question/, that matters so much, if he could just get it to answer it... not that he knows how. |
| Inga Freyjasdottir | Better late than never. Probably. From what she's heard, this whole situation is a...what would Harry call it? A Shit Show? Yes, that sounds about right. The cloaked woman limps into view, leaning on her staff, taking it all in. She sighs heavily, spotting August. She'd said she'd protect him, and she will try to do just that, even if she thinks he's foolish for attacking without too much support, against something so ...Outside. Yet, welcoming this creature from the utgard isn't exactly a plan she much approves of either. Everyone is bound to have their reasons and explanations, but for the time being? Stop people from being hurt or getting killed. That's the plan. So, she bleeds. Quickly she cuts into her arm and flings a bit of the blood toward August, a bubble of protection forming around him that will help to heal him and soak up incoming damage. "This is bloody madness," she curses, still trying to get a handle on what is happening. There's a couple of very familiar, indeed friendly, faces present. Namely Kotone and Staren. Inga purses her lips and wonders who she should ward or heal next, and if this creature will turn hostile. |
| Kotone Yamakawa | Emotions are a wild and dangerous thing when out of Control such as they are for Kotone right now. she's got enough focus to keep herself on her job though she's not happy she's not happy at all rega4rdss of whats gong on and she prays she's got enough to knock August down without hurting him too much. Also how would this work his world isn't really aware of the multiverse at large is it? Oh that could be a nightmare but it might be one that might end up with August getting set lose. there is no real time to think about it. She's got to worry about August she doesn't want to hut him, but she may have no choice. He's fighting off the teaser it seems she'll have to up the power but theres a concern there. Then comes the attempt to lunge at her she's mechanical ye and he coming at her with the intent to maim. Hell if he hits the right angle he could kill her get into her brain case. Given his supernatural abilities? She's not actually sure how strong August is she moves to deflect him with inhuman speed and it catches her in the shoulder burowing int to her body, not as deeply as it would into flesh but it's got in past her light armour and she's bleeding something red, it's not blood,. She moves traying to hold on to August when comes the freezer foam grenade. She triggers I up close and it may end up containing both Kotone /and/ August in the fairly powerful and rapidly expanding Freezer Foam, she serious rigjht now and may end up injured but that stuff can seriously hold people in place. She's at least attempting to keep it non lethal here. She's also clearly in a good deal of pain right now. |
| Eryl Fairfax | Things are going south very quickly. Argast immediately proposes the Warp Iris join him in worship of Tzeench. Obligingly, it starts to poke at his brain, digging up the concepts attached to that. With no grounding to think other than this, it would actually be the perfect convert. But others object, as shown by Theurgus smiting Argast's protector with lightning, the shouting that echoes across the plain. The being is confused, so it focuses in what it can answer. NO NAME CALL ME ANYTHING It's asking to be named? Who's ready to take that responsibility? Meanwhile, it starts to consider what Staren is asking, when Flamel nails it with that package of interlinked concepts. It pauses, absorbing it all. It is... hurting people? And so they in turn mean it harm? But these people are willing to... help it? Support it? The atmosphere turns heavy as it regards the field. Right now, it's trying to sort friend from foe. It's easy to assume that it would be able to tell that August is a foe right away. But this is a gargantuan creature, and his little flames do not seem to match what someone like Flamel would describe 'pain.' It's the equivalent of explaining why a splinter hurts so much to a rhinoceros. Finally, it sees fit to answer Staren. I WANT TO BE Eryl has been having a crisis himself, but he's better at not showing it. Someone whose help he accepted is trying to indoctrinate the being, and now the Watch is making what could have turned out to be a simple negotiation much more complex. He is going to need to offer them an olive branch to tidy this up. And one presents itself. Staring hard at Yuna, he shifts his position just a bit. He's still covering the Warp Iris, but Yuna now has a clear shot at Argast, prostate before it. The look he gives her is Significant. |
| Yuna Kagurazaka | There's no way for Yuna to really know what Flamel is 'saying' to the entity, but she can hear - and in some cases, see - what else is going on. And she can 'hear' the entity's halting, telepathic 'speech'. If the circumstances weren't so dire, Yuna might offer a name herself - but there's a bigger problem. And at the same time, a solution. Argast is still trying to petition the entity to serve his god of Chaos ... and while Eryl hasn't really said anything in response to Yuna's desperate plea, that look is an answer in its own right - and there's nothing to stop her from taking a shot. Not at the Warp Iris, but Yuna's still not sure if she wants to hurt it; it's unfathomably alien but there's an ever-growing chance to make a friend of it. Rather, she has a chance to shoot at Argast, to shut the Chaos-worshipper up hard - and her resolve solidifies. The glow of the Matrix Divider goes from sputtering and unsteady to pure, bright, and stable as she shifts her aim ... Her finger closes on the trigger, and a powerful blast of hard light is unleashed straight at the Chaos-worshipper. There's no uncertainty: Yuna *wants* Argast unconscious, *now*. (She doesn't harbor quite enough malice to want him dead - 'unconscious' will be fine, 'hurt badly enough to flee' will do just as well.) |
| Inga Freyjasdottir | Inga soon finds the next target of her healing. Kotone is looking very beat up. How much of that was done by August she doesn't know, but Inga is very much in a "Heal them all and sort it out later" mind-frame at the moment. So, Kotone is the next to get the blood magic healing. She thinks she's figured out what this situation boils down to. There are those who are willing to give this being a chance, for you cannot condemn something you do not understand simply because it is foreign. Then, there are those who believe letting this thing into the world will lead to horrible consequences. It is rather a moral quandry. Unfortunately, probably for her, there might be something she can do to solve this problem. Resigned, Inga begins to walk closer to the reaching tentacles of the being. She turns her eyes upon, and with a sigh and a quick prayer, she opens her third eye. She relaxes her control on her Sight and lets whatever tapestry of fate this thing has stretch out before her, following the threads that flow into the future, multiplying with every moment, every decision that is made. It isn't a sure thing, the future never is, but the /probability/ perhaps, she could get a better grasp on. It might break her brain a little, though. |
| Argast Wyrdseeker | Thorgar was ready to rampage at anything that came his way, but found himself disabled thanks to theurgus. He drops down, axe clanging to the floor. He was done...for now. As for Argast, he grinned to the being. "You seek a name? I know one. The name of a great legend I have heard. I shall name you be-" He started, until he was shot down. Cast down, he looks to the being once more. "Do you see.....I offer you friendship.....and they curse me. For my beliefs, as they would curse you.....Join me...and you will....be free..." He says, trying to use his words to twist the being into his service, or at lest turn it against his assailant. |
| August Kohler | The Tin Soldier would fight back against that metal hand, if it could. Sadly, August is being freezerfoamed, and is only barely able to keep his head out of it, trying to struggle and remove his hands. He keeps pushing, keeps /fighting it/, refusing to let it just hold him tight. "Rrrrgh! Lemme /out/, Yamakawa! Don't you understand that this is insanity?!" |
| Theurgus | Diamond Soul shifts her aspect to ice, the marble atop her staff shifting to a pale blue-white, but the Sorcerer is down... and still talking. "This will not do. Simply be quiet now, please." she says with a sigh, gesturing with the staff at Argast. "Coctys." A wash of subzero water vapour erupts around the fallen Sorceror, and almost instantly freezes, attempting to encase the Chaos servant in a block of ice. She turns then, dismissing her staff to speak to the entity. "This man is a corrupt and decadent being, driven only by his own personal goals and gains... I grant you leave to search /my/ mainframe... and take what you will from that. Curiosity. A drive to find new knowledge, but only in ways that do not harm others. Knowledge is to be shared, catalogued and collated. Knowledge, and information are for everyone. Look into everyone who is willing here, take all of this, and form your own opinion." |
| Velvet Crowe | A name, a name... Velvet sucks at names. This is an established fact. It's probably telling she manages to focus on that while everyone else is arguing and apparently shooting at each other. It's agitating, sure, but it's also Not Her Problem. Granted she has half a mind to shut the two loudest ones up. The guy who wants to put the universe down because it can't control its collateral, and the guy who seems to think everything revolves around his world and his gods. Her right hand rubs her forehead in annoyance. "I'm not good at names. I think you should pick your own name. It's something pretty important. What I'm good at is threatening people, though, and I can tell you if you listen to that guy barking about gods you're going to gain a lot of enemies and a lot of pain. I've known him five minutes and I can already be sure of that." Another glance cast towards Argast, and the daemon clicks her tongue. "If you want to be, you need to start by deciding who you want to be. Or something like that. Don't let anyone tell you who you can't be either." Oh, great, now she's giving life advice to a... world. That's still refusing to register. |
| Staren | "You already are. Just by being here." Staren points out. "Unless you mean you want to a small fleshy thing with arms and legs." Staren takes a deep breath. "What do you want to do now, now that you are?" |
| Kotone Yamakawa | Kotone Yamakawa has some limited experiance with Chaos and gets what bad news it's worship honestly is. However right now she's stuck up with August or maybe she's stuck alone she uis however stuck. She can't move for a moment. "This is all insane!" She is howeve mostly worried about the chaos worshiper here. Given her limited experiance with chaos? She's learned enough to know they make the Aztecs look like nice people when it came to relgious ... zeal. She will accept the healing though she sees some of her damage displays start to recover from the dfamage. She's just folloing orders and now she's had some time to see what's going on here she's got some better idea of what's going on. This thing come in wrong? It wants to ... comply with realoty at least as she seems to understand there's a heck of a lot more going on. Theurgus also makes one heck of a flee and the thing's asked for a name? A name? She doesn't feel she has the right to offer one right now. |
| Flamel Parsons | A name? Parsons manages to come up with one. He struggles to speak it both telepathically and audibly, so the creature can learn it in both ways. "Until you pick your own. Loci." Then he says. "I'm Parsons." He tries to make this drive home the differences between individuals, to something that has lived in isolation for, presumably, a functional eternity. Allies are being shot, people are being burned, everything is chaos, but Mr. Parsons continues to try to extract information. "What are you trying to learn? What do you need to know that will help you be?" He's managing, almost, to get onto his feet now. "To be the way that this place with so many can be? We can help. To make... Harm... Stop. We can help. Help us. And we can help you." Chaos is growing around them, though. More Watch members, even if they're not attacking. This is turning into a fiasco. "We can contact. Again. We can communicate in the future." If the future is even a relevant concept to a malformed universe. "I don't know if this hurts you. But it might. In the future. More of this will... Mean... Pain like what I spoke about before. Please... For now...?" They need to get away from the Watch's attention and do this in a less horribly conflict-filled context! Assuming they can get away from the Watch's many eyes... |
| Eryl Fairfax | The Warp Iris is very confused, as Argast is put down by a shot to the back, and then perhaps encased in ice. But as Theurgus and Velvet explain, that to threaten ad promise harm is a bad thing, it seems to understand. That package of concepts Flamel threw at it is updated, the concept that to cause pain is a 'bad' thing. This also allows it to pick up the idea that there are things that are 'not bad,' which it uses the word 'good' for. These are new concepts to it, and it seeks to know more. Again, it reaches out. But with this newfound morality, it does so more politely and gently, as if gently rapping at the door of people's minds to announce itself before coming in. What it finds does not help its confusion any. August is here to protect others from a threat, which is 'good.' Argast is here to help his god claim another servant and extend its power, which is 'good.' Others are here to understand and support the Warp Iris, which is 'good.' But at the same time, these 'good' things are also 'bad' to others. August is being short-sighted and overly conservative, which is 'bad.' Argast is being cruel and manipulative, which is 'bad.' Everyone who wants to help it is being foolish and overly trusting, which is 'bad.' WHAT IS GOOD AND BAD? As people try to answer, it answers Staren. Its words are still pretty bad, so it tries again, struggling with limited vocabulary to put into words concepts it has only recently come to know. LIVE NOT EXIST And meanwhile, Inga peers to the creature's future. Eryl was so focussed on Yuna he missed the wisewoman's arrival. He's none to happy, but she doesn't seem to be doing anything untoward. It's wyrd opens up to her, its possibilities springing from a single line, vast and endless. In some cases, it does live in peace, only nibbling at information presented in a nondisruptive way. In others, it becomes a harbinger of destruction, tearing through worlds to get at everything it can. However, in every future where it lives peacefully, there is a recurring event. The Warp Iris is a being from a near-nonexistant universe. It, by its very presence, reminds those that live of the fear that is embedded in their very concept. Nonexistance. Death. Annihilation. The fear that people feel just standing here is not wilfully induced. It is only everyone being reminded of the ultimate equalizer embedded in them all. In every future where it tries to coexist, people continue to be stricken by fear and nightmares. People speak out, protest. And in response, the Warp Iris-Loci-will either lash out, or retreat into its eternal solitude. LOCI IRIS WILL BE NAME It's taking Flamel's suggestion and Velvet's insistence that your name should be one you choose to heart. The black warpgate wobbles as it beings to retreat. It has a lot to take in. WE SPEAK AGAIN THANK YOU |
| Inga Freyjasdottir | Inga has only healed a couple of people and, to the naked eye, just sort of stood there staring into space. It's not visually impressive. What she sees is, for the moment, her knowledge only. But whatever it was, it leaves her shaking. Inga closes her eyes and takes a few deep breaths. She doesn't live the futures as fully when she sees them. It's nothing like the concrete whammy of past traumas. Still, it is unnerving to say the least. Kotone suggested she speak to Eryl, so once she is relatively sure her legs will not give out, Inga makes her way over toward him. She bows her head in greeting. There's a bit of time now, as the creature as retreated. Time to let them know what she has seen, and decisions can be made from there. "I looked into the being's wyrd...to the possible futures. I would be willing to share what I have seen with all concerned so that decision may be made," she says. "This concerns more than one group of people. I ask that you let any who would be involved hear what I have to say." |
| August Kohler | August is calmed down not by the police, but by an ally over the radio. He stops struggling, only speaking up. "I don't plan on pursuing it at this moment. Please let me the hell out of this stuff?" After he says that, whether or not he's responded to, he turns to listen to Inga. |
| Flamel Parsons | Sort of exhaustedly lets himself collapse after that. With all the fighting and arrests and shouting and troubles with authorities and heroes, Mr. Parsons just kinda can't muster the ability to /fight/ so soon after a seizure. So he lets that go. "Thank you." Is what he says, to the Warp Iris. It understands gratitude, so it can receive it. He just sort of lies there, face-down, in the dirst and the sand, groaning and twitching a little while the rest of this business gets sorted out. He's like 90% sure that the Paladins, after this collaboration, do not have an arrest warrant for him. Nor, he gets the impression, would the Watch want to hurt him right now. So he's fine with just collapsing, pseudo-KO'd, for now. His adrenaline, after that seizure, is now dispersing... Time to let this go. Which means it's particular silly when one arm raises up, unsteadily, wobbling in Inga's direction. "I wanna knooooow...!" Because he wants to know everything, obviously. |
| Theurgus | Theurgus opens her ISD when the creature comes knocking. Her mind is a confusing mix of thoughts, emotions, desires. TWO different layers of them even! There's an analytical, logic-focussed 'layer' that seems foreign, then a more impulsive, creativity-driven layer that appears much more 'native'... like someone messily attempted to apply a patch to her program with a codebase that was similar, but has a slight discrepancy. It works, kind of, but has some glaring issues. As it retreats, and the threat and tension begin to ebb, the Digital Goddess releases her Transformed state, returning to the blue-haired young woman she was before. The Relay closes, then sparks and emits smoke as it bends at an odd angle, nearly snapping in half before shattering into voxels, its durability spent. She leaves Argast where he is. She turns her attention instead to Flamel, moving over to him and ensuring he is still breathing, not some psionic ghost haunting the broadband radio... though that would be pretty cool. "Grimoire, record this thought." she says into her personal radio to Locus, relating the thought she just had... much to the chargrin of her friend and assistant. |
| Yuna Kagurazaka | Argast is pretty much unconscious, which is a source of great relief to Yuna - and then Theurgus goes a step further, encasing him in a block of ice. Talk about cold storage ... Fortunately, Yuna doesn't giggle. And between shutting Argast up and a fairly pointed exchange on another channel, something else seems to have developed - because the Matrix Divider disappears from her hands. Yuna still finds it really, REALLY hard to look at the newly-named Loci Iris - but as the entity begins to withdraw, Yuna manages to look directly at it, even just briefly, and offers a polite bow. "The next time we meet, I would offer you a lesson out of my own mind and heart," she states. "Good luck to you until then." If the entity can 'read' her mind without one of those tendrils, then Yuna is concentrating on what she wants to 'teach' - friendship, love, happiness. The things *she* values most, and hopes to spread. She may still be afraid, but she's not going to let her fear direct her actions. |
| Kotone Yamakawa | Kotone Yamakawa feels the feal and she is staring to get it isn't wllfully doing it but she's worn out tired and feeling very emotionally confused She's just very exhayusted and she's got a lot of thinking to do and the name she woners where this will go but she's not sure? Hopefully they have given it a better start she knows August's fate isn't her call it's her superiors hence why she had suggested to Inga to go talk to Eryl. Hopefully something can be worked out... |
| Staren | "That's a complicated question..." Staren answers. Telling it the truth, as he sees it, is dangerous. It needs a more simplistic view, if it's going to learn one at all. Yuna or someone could explain... but it's leaving. "WAIT!" He opens the cockpit. He holds up a tablet. He downloads the text of Aristotle's writings on ethics into it and then has it wipe itself of most other data. And then he throws the tablet at the creature. After a moment's hesitation, he shouts, "There is more. People think many things are good or bad... people think different things! You will have to observe us. Observe people." |