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Part 50d: Betrayals
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50d - Betrayals by Dworkin (GM)
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The guards move, pushing out into a larger circle, giving the General,
and the stranger he faces, a little more space. Their attention
though, turns in towards the centre of the circle.
The wizard signals to two of his own guards, and between the three of
them they carry the section of Broken God to the edge of the circle,
where they push back into the gathering crowd. More troops are
moving in now, attracted by the commotion - they're in an army
encampment, awaiting orders, any activity is a welcome distraction.
The two Archons, temporarily freed of their obligation to defend their
beloved General, move outwards, and higher, growling as they move above
the heads of the audience, discouraging interference...
Higher still, clouds are gathering, as another storm, a real one this
time rolls in across the broad valley. Not here yet, but soon...
The two face each other...
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Re: 50d - Betrayals by The Warrior in Jet and Gold
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Realizing that James does not plan on initiating, the Warrior nods
once, then shifts forward. Despite the armor, despite the size of
the blade, his movements are deceptively quick: a light tap to
Fangmir's tip to bring it just off the line and then a lunge, the point of his own blade lancing
forward to threaten James' chest. Just the point, mind. At
no time does the Warrior commit too much, bring himself close enough to
be grabbed, push himself so off balance that were James to lunge for
his legs he could not counter with the unearthly blade.
In the crowd, soldiers whisper and money of all different sorts changes hands.
The attacks continue, should James not respond. Deft, sure blows
that never bring the Warrior off his balance or carry him too close.
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Re: 50d - Betrayals by Aaron
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Aaron frowned and spat, spinning Ilse and sheathing her behind him. He
turned his back on the two fighters then, crossing his arms before his
chest and awaitng the inevitable result.
"Go to Hell, James." he whispered.
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Re: 50d - Betrayals by James
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The General opens with a simple beat attack. James parries
'sixte' just barely in time. The General is deceptively quick
under all that armour. James ripostes, more to force the General
to recover than anything else, and side-steps.
James continues to fight defensively. The General inadvertently
assists him in this. Fangmir's unusual size and the General's
unwillingness to close allows James to operate just outside a true
fighting distance. Ultimately, it's a losing strategy as James'
foe proves himself time and again to be a better swordsman. But
each engagement buys James a bit more information about his opponent
and Berd a bit more travelling time.
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Re: 50d - Betrayals by Dworkin (GM)
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In the makeshift arena, the two men face off against each other, while
thunder rumbles an accompaniment across the distant hills.
Both fight cautiously at first, and many of the spaectators start jeering at James, "Look at yer! Yer fights like a dressmaker 'stead of a soldier!"
Hardly fair, considering the General is fighting just as carefully, but
the audience could not, really, be referred to as "impartial".
The thunder grows louder as the duel continues, though many of the
troops don't notice, too tied up in their own noise. David,
though, is notably silent, eyes turned more often towards the gathering
clouds than towards the fight.
Left and Right still hang above the crowd, attention drawn to the
battle, even though they are ordered to stay out of it. They edge
slightly nearer, despite the fact that their senses would show them the
fight, in detail, from anywhere in the camp. Something there is
in the clash of blade against blade that almost mesmerises them.
Then it happens, a stroke of lightning reaches down to touch the earth
on a hilltop close outside the camp perimeter. The thunder roars,
and even the most focussed of the watchers has his attention snatched
away for a moment...
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Re: 50d - Betrayals by The Warrior in Jet and Gold
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The Warrior ignores the cries and insults from the camp - no matter at
whom they are directed, they are merely noise. Unimportant.
His concentration is set upon analyzing his opponant. Fangmir is
long, heavy, and the ease at which James handles it bespeaks of
strength. And yet he fights defensively. He gives
ground. If this is indeed a trap, set up by James and the
others...if Berd is possibly on his way, even now...then James may very
well be -
"Stalling." The General shifts his stance, takes the hilt in both hands. "As you wish, James."
There is a fallacy that fencing styles will always defeat the crude,
brutal fighting of heavy blades by dint of superior speed and
timing. Those who state such axioms have never seen a master at
work. The Warrior's patterns are tight and quick, despite the
power they hold. His timing is outstanding, his defense an
obsidian wall. And now his cuts and thrusts, driven by the new
grip, the new mechanics of motion, come with greater power to force
attention. It is one thing to trade a light thrust to the
shoulder for an outer forearm wound. It is quite another to lose
the arm at the elbow while sneaking in that thrust.
This is not brute power - this is speed, finesse, and strength, all
mating with that almost prescient sense of timing to create a web of
burning edges that now cuts more deeply into James' defenses. The
trial period, it seems, is over.
And neither does the General stand still, or shuffle about - he moves,
he quicksteps, he bobs and weaves with the attacks, in and out, back
and forth. And no motion is wasted. His footwork is
outstanding, and the armored figure attempts to force James into a
retreat, shifting his own position to prevent and even anticipate
attempts to sidestep or circle.
"No more warmup time, James," the Warrior rasps in the silent wake of the lightning strike, voice tight. "You will have to lift your game after all."
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Re: 50d - Betrayals by Chance
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Chance studied the echange with some trepedition. James proved to be a
better swordsman than Chance would ever be, yet the general looked like
he could dance circles around James if he cared to do so. That didn't
look good for James, yet the fact that James still lived carried some
meaning. Hopefully, the general wanted James alive, too.
He let his arm rest on the guitar, his fingers flat against the strings.
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Re: 50d - Betrayals by James
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James works hard to lift his game. All he needs do is hold his
ground and close the fighting distance until the General comes within
arms reach, but time and again he finds himself beaten back. The
time will soon come for desperate tactics, worse, the General surely
knows the same thing, but James is determined to give Berd every
opportunity.
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Re: 50d - Betrayals by Dworkin (GM)
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The two men fight, and more and more attention is drawn to them.
Word spreads through the camp that the General is involved in a duel,
and men flood to join the circle around the combat, desperate to see
this.
Somebody has lasted more than a few heartbeats against their General.
James circles away, avoiding the burning black sword, while still
seeking an opportunity to strike somehow, to turn the battle to his
advantage. And still Chance and Aaron stand by, seemingly doing
nothing to help either side.
And then the rain sweeps in across the camp, cold and brutally heavy,
hammering against the General's armour like the pounding beat of a
drum, and the ground underfoot becomes slippery morass... Left
and Right become whirling clouds of spray as the downpor splashes
against their revolving forms, and the men in the crowd huddle down
into coats and cloaks in a vain attempt to gain shelter. But
still their eyes are fixed on the duel...
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Re: 50d - Betrayals by The Warrior in Jet and Gold
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James is holding him, surprisingly well. Under his helm, the
General grins. And the tempo increases. The heavy blade
picks up the pace, then varies it, then drops it completely.
Rhythm shatters to pieces - there is no 'beat' to follow, no 'pace' one
can predict. It's a page from the Book of Five Rings brought to
life.
Simultaneously, the General lowers his stance slightly. Mobility
is a touch impaired, but not seriously, and stability doubles.
The heavy armor becomes a blessing in this weather, anchoring every
step more securely with campaign boots made for less-than-perfect
circumstances. And still the General moves to cut off James'
circling, still he presses forward to push James into a retreat.
But his blade is ready against a grab, a punch, or even a kick.
The message is clear - if an attempt at a grapple succeeds it will do
so at brutal cost.
Perhaps there are small openings beginning to show in the Warrior's
defenses - after all, how can one step up their assault without leaving
gaps?
A hiss rises over the drumming of the rain, and steam rises from the
black blade with the burning edge. Streaks of it form a mist
around the two combatants as drops are sliced in twain and vaporized by
the hot metal. It's easy to follow where the Warrior's sword has
been, by the trails of light and steam. It's harder to predict
where it will go.
Something has to give, and it's going to give soon. The earth
beneath their feet, torn by the passage of many boots over this area,
is turning into a swamp.
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Re: 50d - Betrayals by James
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James is running out of space. He has no doubt that those on the
edge of the circle will be less than forgiving if he comes within
reach, though in truth all they would need do is block further
backwards movement, the General needs no more help.
But there is a gap, there...and again. The General drops his
wrist slightly before recovering from his attacks. An unconscious
flaw or a lethal trap? James has few options left but to chance
it. As he parries the latest flurry of blows James plants his
feet as firmly as possible in the mud and, rather than riposte, he
fleches.
Rushing forwards, James leads with Fangmir. The General's lower
stance reduces the chances of barrelling him off his feet, but it also
reduces the General's chance of dodging away. With any luck, the
General will bring his blade across to parry, opening the way for James
to go for a hold. If he doesn't James is dead, but Fangmir, too,
will find its mark.
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Re: 50d - Betrayals by Dworkin (GM)
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The heavy blade swings back, but not to parry. Instead it reaches past Fangmir as the General ducks, lightning fast. James' sword glances off a
pauldron, and bangs against the side of the helm. While the
General's heavier weapon bites deep into Jame's arm, sliding through
the muscle of the forearm, from wrist to elbow, and forcing him back.
The two men separate, James dripping blood from his right arm, while the crowd roars its approval, the General shaking his head.
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Re: 50d - Betrayals by The Warrior in Jet and Gold
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The soldiers cry out at the display, then fall silent after the
exchange of blows, and the General's voice carries clearly over the
hiss of the rain. "Better than I expected - caught me in my feint."
The Warrior's vision isn't fully obscured - his sword flicks out at
James, warding him off while the General struggles with his heavy
helm. It doesn't seem to sit properly anymore.
Finally he gives up. "Strap," he says quietly, sword
still at the ready. And his voice changes, rising in pitch, the
intonation and flow altogether different. "And this, James, is why I myself detest heavy armor. Still, needs must."
His gauntleted hand reaches over the helm to grip it on the opposite
side. Muscles strain as the Warrior in Jet and Gold wrenches hard
and fast. A snap, and the remaining strap gives away, the helm
spinning off to land in the mud at his feet...
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Re: 50d - Betrayals by Cyan
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...and then the heavy, armored gauntlet drags back copper hair, hair
growing even more damp by the second. The grin on the face brims
with a certain satisfied mischief, but the pleasure only barely reaches
the eyes. The same shade as that of the blade the Warrior holds,
they absorb the light like dark pools.
"Hello, James." Cyan cocks her head to the side and studies her opponent with pitch-black, obsidian eyes. "We never did get that spar in, did we?"
She's older. Perhaps by a year, perhaps two, but there is a
maturity to her still-youthful features that was not present
before. She gives Aaron a quick glance over her shoulder, as if
checking the distance, then her attention returns to James.
"Care to do this for real, now? No more holding back?" she inquires, and without moving a muscle something changes in her
stance. Holes in her defenses close up, and her prepared angle of
attack is no longer even remotely apparent.
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Re: 50d - Betrayals by Dworkin (GM)
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The sun rises for the second time that day, but in the south. A blinding golden light on a hilltop beyond the camp's perimeter, below the storm clouds. An Archon voice howls, + HE'S HERE. DEFEND THE GENERAL! +
The rain slams down now, with a force which drives many of the men to
their knees, sheer weight of water pummeling them into
submission. Aaron and Chance are momentarily forgotten by the men
close to them.
The Archons move... one blocking James, + APOLOGIES, BUT WE MUST... CUT THIS SHORT. OTHER PRIORITIES HAVE ARISEN. +
+ GENERAL, THE DRAGON IS HERE! +
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Re: 50d - Betrayals by Aaron
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Aaron merely glanced behind him, his breath exhaling with a sigh. He nodded slightly, a small smile playing at his lips.
"My desires remain, as do my intentions. You have nothing to fear from
me, 'General,'" he said, and finally turned back around to face both
Cyan and James. "My loyalties are where they always were."
His look was serious, but focused, his eyes gauging the distance
between himself and Cyan, and then between he and James. Possibly,
possibly...
My loyalties lie with me alone... but possibly with you, if you are still you... and if I'm not dead to it already...
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Re: 50d - Betrayals by Berd
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Berd's arrival, meant to shock and disorient any opposition, yet keep
from the range of the Broken God until he can assess the situation, is
quite brilliant - physically speaking. Meredith and her companion
are now within a sphere of clear area that defies the rain. Able
to visually observe, the little dragon stares down with an avian
predator's eyes, focusing on the drama below. The General's
psychic barrier is no longer a factor. But, surprisingly, his
attention is first snared by something other than the General's face.
Deathiron!
Raw terror surges across the bridging for an instant, the fear for
James palpable. Strategies fall asunder at the sight, and Berd
begins to recalibrate his plans on the fly. Immediately he opens
up a dialogue to James, and their tenuous link grows into a full bridging - James does not need to devote any concentration to it, leaving him free to defend or attack.
James, you face Gurthang, the Iron of Death. I cannot - And Berd breaks off as he sees who, exactly, holds the Deathiron.
The little dragon reels in the air, his hydra-mind stunned.
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Re: 50d - Betrayals by James
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Fortunately, pain, on occasion, focuses the mind wonderfully and James manages to maintain a degree of composure.
"Hello Cyan. Well, we have now, but I'll have
to pass on your kind offer. We've already demonstrated who's the
better swords...person - and I prefer to stay alive."
Without taking his eyes off the General, James calls over his shoulder.
"Look into her eyes, Aaron. Looks like she beat me to hell."
Berd! Focus! Get us out of here!
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Re: 50d - Betrayals by Berd
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James whip-like response cracks across the bridging, jolting Berd from his shock. I hear...and obey, James.
Between the Barrier and Gurthang, the Warrior (it cannot be Cyan, it cannot)
is invulnerable to anything Berd might swiftly prepare. Berd
knows it might only be seconds before the hammer of the Broken God
falls upon him or James, walling them off from easy escape.
He chooses his targets.
Meredith - if you have any means to assist, I suggest you use it now! And he shows her his plan.
A swift swoop, carrying her and her companion, to enter range.
Then a spiritual snatch of three targets - James, Aaron, and Chance,
culminating in a dive into the Underflow.
The General is warded from physical threats and
spiritual ones. I cannot distract...her, but neither can she
assault us with anything but her blade.
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Re: 50d - Betrayals by Cyan
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Another smile, now dazzlingly bright even in the rain, and this one is
directed over her shoulder at Aaron. "Thank you, Aaron.
Truly." Oddly enough, there is a hint of relief in her tone.
But the smile fades at James' words, anger and frustration building in
its stead. "'Beat you to hell'?" Her voice lowers and the
gauntlets tighten on Gurthang's
hilt. "I have yet to start, James." The edge is back in her
tone, and she steps forward. "I have a bone to pick, and since
Aaron has been so good as to reconsider his allegience, I am forced to
turn to you." Now her voice rises, almost cracking, and hurt
betrayal echoes in her words. "How could you let him do it
again?!"
Gurthang comes up, steam boiling from the crimson edges...and the danioti swoop to come between. At their words Cyan steps back from James,
the sword coming up between her and the light flaring upon the
ridge. "BERD!" she screams in fury.
"LIAR!"
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Re: 50d - Betrayals by Chance
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Chance cringed as the sword bit into James. Not fatal, he realized, but
still enough to slow him down. That would be the turning point in the
battle. He couldn't help feel sorry for James, the only one who had
decided to stand up to the general rather than go with the flow. It
would probably go better for James than it would for the Chance,
really. There was only so far he could go at the general's side.
But then, the battle stops, and the warrior makes her revelation. Pieces click into place and Chance curses himself for not
seeing it earlier. Of all the possibilities he'd considered, this was
farthest from it. The warrior had shown uncanny knowledge and
understanding of their group, except for Chance and Meredith. He should
have constructed a timeline, but it didn't make sense until now. No, he
couldn't have guessed this, never.
Then, Berd is there, and Chance is ready for that. He's been ready for
this. This was where he'd make his stand, no matter where the pieces
fell after. Should Berd fail to get them out, it would be torture and
worse, but that didn't matter compared to doing the right thing.
As soon as the dragon is there, Chance's hand lifts casually from the guitar, up to shoulder level.
"James," he calls out in a calm, practiced voice. "Grab her." Of Berd's limitations or the general's defenses, he knew nothing. He
only knew that an army without a head is much less effective. He'd seen
for hours that everything revolved around her, and he meant to take out
that keystone. No matter who she might be, or might have been.
First the distraction; keep them from giving too many orders; keep them off balance.
He brings his hand down sharply, striking the guitar's strings. Except,
instead of a cacophony of harsh guitar sound, a deafening peal of
thunder cracks with jarring force, as if a massive bolt of lightning
had struck the ground right there where Chance stood.
In the overall scheme, he didn't suppose it would do much, except give
him room to maneuver. It might distract others, or disrupt orders, but
mostly it was meant to create chaos and give him that precious little
room.
Even before the echoes of the sonic boom fade, his clothes flutter as
if hit with a sudden burst of wind. As they flutter, they change
quickly. Cloth and silk becomes hard metal, jet and gold. The chest
swirls and takes on the image on the general's chest. The collar slides
up over his head and hardens into the same helm the general had worn
moments earlier. In a matter of moments, Chance is a close replica of
the Warrior in Jet and Gold- in appearance only.
As the armor is changing, so is the guitar, the weapon. It remains
long, but turns to black. Strings, fingerboard, frets, bridge and so
forth all vanish into the emerging shape of a hand and a half sword,
mimicking the general's weapon.
Even as they're changing, Chance is striding forward. Cowboy boots
changing into black combat sollerets as they stomp through the mud. He
can feel the added weight press down on him, but it's overall still
surprisingly light, not much worse than his clothes. The shape is just
a special effect- but he uses it well.
He can't mimic the general's voice perfectly, but he's studied the
general the entire time they've been together. Using his best imitation
of the voice, he yells out, "Hold your fire. Stand down." At best, it might be no more than a moment's distraction. He'd seen how
well disciplined and prepared the army was. He couldn't hide that he'd
drawn attention to himself with a clap of thunder moments earlier. He
could only hope the confusion and shock hid the change somewhat.
Perhaps it might only save him a few arrow bolts. Mostly, it covered
his whole body and that was what mattered to him right now.
He draws toward the general; he uses his best imitation of the
general's step and mannerisms. In a lower voice that still tries to
come close to the one he'd heard earlier, he says, "Not a move, girl."
How many in the camp had seen her face? Did she always wear the helm?
Should he be using her voice instead of the masculine, altered one? It
didn't matter. He'd studied the male voice, so he used the male voice.
It was a ploy of hesitation, not total deception.
He wasn't using a combat stance. That would betray his prowess, or lack
of it. Instead, he was open but at arms length. He counted on the fact
that any move towards him would leave her back or side open to James.
He also counted on his armor to be as tough as it always had been.
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Re: 50d - Betrayals by Dworkin (GM)
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Chance is fast... but so are the Archons. One had been already
blocking James' path, making it extremely difficult for him to get
closer to Cyan, the other drops around the General, around Cyan, so that she is contained within a fence of whirling metal.
+ COME NO CLOSER, OR WE WILL SEE WHETHER YOUR ARMOUR IS AS STRONG AS THE GENERAL'S, OR JUST A PALE IMITATION. +
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Re: 50d - Betrayals by Dworkin (GM)
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Everything seems to freeze then... at least as far as the main
protagonists are concerned. The rain continues to lash the camp,
and thunder and lightning hammer across the sky in an almost continuous
barrage.
And the shadows seem to flow across the ground as a light, bright as a piece of the sun, hurtles closer...
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Re: 50d - Betrayals by Aaron
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(This post takes place moments after Chance's action and prior to the freezing of consistent reality...)
Cyan yelled the Truth as she sighted Berd, Aaron grinding his teeth in agreement with her. His eyes (both eyes, so, so nice to have both eyes again...) seeking each probable target as he unsheated Ilse and moved.
Chance moved as well, shifting... the Archons also moved in Cyan's
defense. Aaron noted them, his own blade shifting, snapping and lashing
as he too moved towards Chance's rear, intending to use Ilse's
eight-and-a-half foot length of deadly blade to full effect, if it
called for it.
Yet Chance and James were surrounded on all sides by enemies, with the
only thing in their favor being the timely arrival of Berd... and then
reality froze.
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Re: 50d - Betrayals by James
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So Chance was playing games after all. No, is playing games.
James has a moment to study the situation as other events draw
everyone's focus away from him. Fangmir hangs limply from his
nerveless right hand and he clasps his forearm with his left to stem
the bleeding. He can still defend himself if needs be, but he
won't be swordfighting for a while.
James focuses on sending Berd an updated mental picture of the chaos surrounding the command tent.
Take all of Luke's tent: I don't know where he is in there. Leave Aaron, he's turned.
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Re: 50d - Betrayals by Berd
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Luke will receive what he needs to escape
this. As for Aaron...I will not leave Arianne, James. But
they cannot be separated.
Aaron can make his choice after this - assuming I am capable of taking him.
A wave of force preceeds the drake as he blazes down toward the knot of drama, Meredith and her companion in tow. I hear you, Meredith. It shall be as you say. And where there were there, there are now two. Berd's minds reach for a grip on the others, hooking onto James, to Chance, and making a
stab at catching Aaron, while yet another mind reaches out to a tent in
the middle of the camp....
And for an instant, Berd looks full on the face of Cyan, and she stares back with obsidian eyes. ...it is her. My daughter.
His etheric voice speaks in a way they once shared, a pulse of emotion
and knowledge, thoughts flowing as they do with no other being.
But she is barred. A barrier of blackened glass stands between
them, and Berd's pleas scrabble off it like claws on diamond.
There is no time. The Underflow beckons. And Berd dives deeply.
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Re: 50d - Betrayals by Cyan
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Chance's startling display of power manages to do the impossible - it
tears Cyan's attention from Berd, and she faces about, dark eyes
widening at the sight of his change. A laugh, half of disbelief,
half of amazement, spills from her lips as the tip of the black sword
droops for an instant.
Then Aaron's presence is registered, coming up behind her, and the
sword rises again. She now faces in such a way that Aaron is on
her flank, James on another, and Chance before her. Then Right
drops down to shield, and bitter anger twists her features. "I
told you! No interference!"
She is surrounded. Ilsefravnir is out, cobra-deadly in Aaron's hands. James is hurt, but not down. Chance...the armor means little enough to Gurthang,
and his skill? Well, she can see enough of that to judge in broad
terms. But his arcane abilities, of those she knows nothing.
James is hurt?
Cyan glances back, face puzzled, and her eyes fall on James'
forearm. She blinks once, looks at the sword in her own hand, and
then stares at Aaron as if searching for confirmation.
Then Berd erupts into the campsite and Cyan eyes snap to him. The
Deathiron's tip comes up, and she stares at the drake, at the thin girl
held in the grip of his power. Rage blooms. She never even
feels his attempts, doesn't even know he tries to bespeak her.
All of this in seconds.
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Re: 50d - Betrayals by Dworkin (GM)
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A few moments of light and fire.
Mere instants.
David's voice echoes through the sudden silence as the bubble of calm surrounding Berd enfolds the group around the General, "Now!", and the air is suddenly filled with the whir of crossbow quarrels.
Somewhere another voice is chanting.
And then the Underflow is all around them, dark and cold.
Aaron is there, with Ilse unsheathed and extended reaching for a target that is no longer even there...
Chance, with the strange weapon, wearing armour so similar to that worn by Cyan...
James, bleeding and injured, still clutching Fangmir...
Luke, still on the very edge of sleep...
Berd, burning like a beacon in the darkness, overflowing with rage and confusion...
And Meredith, a surprised look on her face, holding a small piece of stone with a single red spot on it...
And so they fall...
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Re: 50d - Betrayals by Berd
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Never has success (if one can call it that) been such a bitter pill for Berd.
Eyes dull, he navigates the Underflow in silence, as quickly as
possible. Energy is burned at a fearsome rate, his only purpose
now to find a world where they might be safe. And there is
one. One where he knows Cyan will not follow. He ignores
any discussion, any attempts at communication. They go deep, far
down into the Underflow, until the Worlds themselves, above in the
void, have vanished. Then the drake resurfaces, and with blinding
speed shoots toward a single, brightly glowing sphere....
...and out, onto a small island. The air is cool, and salt water
lashes against the outcroppings below. The island itself is some
thirty or forty feet in diameter, and of broken, crumbling rock.
Around it there are other islands. Some have small, stunted trees
upon them. Others are like this one - the bare bones of a
once-fertile land, poking up from its undersea grave.
In the distance lies a coastline. One might see green there, if
one is farsighted. Berd wonders if that has ever been the case
with him. Exhausted from battle, shock, and flight, he flops down
on a nearby boulder.
The air around the group begins to warm, and a small fire suddenly
ignites within the shelter of another boulder. There is moss
beside it, suitable for one or two people to lie down, should it be
necessary.
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Re: 50d - Betrayals by Luke
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Luke openned bleary eyes and stared up at the tent top. Something
was different. Something was right. He closed his eyes
again and slowly faded away, vanishing into nothingness.
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Re: 50d - Betrayals by Cyan
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Back at the camp, a lot of people are left with blinking eyes. An
unfortunate number are left with crossbow bolts sticking out of their
bodies in less-than-interesting ways. The General, however, has
neither issues.
Cyan reaches up and touches the small scrape along her cheek. The
crossbow bolt lies dozens of feet past her, scored by the mark of
Right's blades. "Thank you, right," she whispers quietly, before
turning to stare thoughtfully at David, who stands beside his own
little cohort of soldiers. "Excuse me."
Right shifts over her head as Left begins to descend on David and his
cronies like a blurred, bladed halo. Cyan shakes her head as she
walks toward the group, many of them attempting to reload their
crossbows, others drawing blades, several looking reproachfully at
their leader.
+ I COUNT FIFTEEN. +
+ THAT MEANS EIGHT FOR ME, SIX FOR YOU, AND DAVID FOR THE GENERAL. +
+ YOUR MATH IS NOT EQUAL. I PROTEST. +
+ YOU WERE RUDE. +
+ I WITHDRAW MY PROTEST. +
"David, David," Cyan croons, her eyes black as pitch. She sounds
distracted, slightly, as though thinking of something else. And
she is.
...Aaron moves behind her - why? James is bleeding. And she stares at herself, a black-armored form.
Then Berd, with a girl.
Cyan blinks. Her gauntlets fall into the mud, revealing pale,
skillful hands. Reaching down, she draws two small, black objects
from her pouch and fits them in her ears.
...Aaron moves behind her - why? James is bleeding. And she stares at herself, a black-armored form.
Then Berd, with a girl.
Music blasts into her ears from the MP3 player as Right and Left come up beside her.
You're cynical and beautiful
You always make a scene
You're monochrome delerious
You're nothing that you seem
"Don't bother talking, David," Cyan says dreamily. "I can't hear
you." His face is twisted, now, mixed fear and anger. She
reads the words on his lips, despite her assurances of moments before,
and shrugs. "The Lord of Pestilence can't help you now,
David. He isn't here."
"I am."
I'm drownin' in your vanity
Your laugh is a disease
You're dirty and you're sweet
You know you're everything to me
One of the men, finished reloading, brings up his crossbow and
looses. Cyan twitches her head, and the bolt flies by close
enough to disturb her coppery hair. Left and Right snarl, a
metallic clash audible over the sound of the music, and dive.
Cyan continues to close as David backs away, his own sword now drawn.
Everything you are
Falls from the sky like a star
Everything you are
Whatever ever you are
Still the size of her two fists, Left punches straight through the
archer, leaving a dinner-plate sized hole. The Archon spins into
another man as he draws his sword, and the weapon hits the ground
moments before he does...three times. Right falls into a small
knot that begins to split and run, and the Archon expands suddenly to
an eight foot diameter field of death. Blood sprays across the
faces of the horrified loyalists who watch from what they thought was a safe distance.
Gurthang comes up, burning in the rain. And Cyan plants it
tip first in the ground, bending to snatch up the broken sword cast
aside by Left's attack.
Broken sword....
Berd swoops toward her, and around his neck he wears the hilt of a shattered blade, like a pendant.
A shattered blade....
Cyan blinks again, and the smile returns.
I wanna kick at the machine
That made you piss away you dreams
Tear down your defenses
'Til there's nothing there but me
David, seeing the foot-long, blunted weapon in her hand, slaps his
helmet down and drops into guard. An arm flies past his head, and
he swallows thickly, determined not to look at the carnage Left and
Right wreak on either side. He has one chance, one hope. If
he kills her, then Left and Right might, just might hold off while they
await new order.
Perhaps his own patron might be the one to give them.
Cyan shakes her head, closing into reach. He doesn't understand Left and Right at all.
You're angry when you're beautiful
Your love is such a tease
I'm drowning in your dizzy noise
I wanna feel you scream
Perpared, David balances, waiting. Cyan slowly cocks her head to
the side. "Letting me make the first move, David? Not a
wise decision." David's teeth are tight, lips peeled back in a
snarl of fear, and Cyan realizes he can't make the first move.
So she does.
Everything you are
Falls from the sky like a star
Everything you are
Whatever ever you are
As David's body slowly topples, Cyan drops the shard of a weapon beside
it. A faint sigh seems to rise from the people who watch at the
sight of her, standing blood-spattered and weaponless in the middle of
a crowd of corpses. Left and Right have finished, and slip up
behind her, their own blades cleaned and mirror-bright.
"One chance," Cyan calls. "Any who served another master than
myself have that, no more. Come forth. You will tell me
everything, then be penalized with a demotion, nothing more.
Those who do not come forward will be found and slain."
She holds this army in the palm of her hand. They believe her, even the ones who serve other masters. They know. A
man pushes his way forward through the crowd, and drops to one knee
before her. "I was with him," he grunts. "But I'll stay on,
if you'll have me, General."
The dam is cracked. More people move toward her, and Cyan raises
her face to the rain, closing her eyes and letting it wash her face
clean of blood. Cold rivlets trickle through her hair, and down
across her naked hands.
Everything you are
Falls from the sky like a star
Everything you are
Whatever ever you are
...Aaron moves behind her - why? James is bleeding. And she stares at herself, a black-armored form.
Everything you are
Whatever ever you are
Whatever ever you are
Whatever ever you are
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Chance
-----------------------------------------------------------
Chance lets the tip of his sword fall, as he looks around at the
island. His eyes move to Aaron, and he keeps a safe distance. The armor
skitters, but doesn't change. The color merely bleeds from it, becoming
regular steel armor. He watches Aaron warily, but doesn't make a move.
"Thank you, Berd," he says with sincerity. "Sorry for the
deception, they were monitoring my message to you. I could only slip in
that image of the girl that wasn't Cyan when I said her name, hoping it
would be enough to tip you off. I... I'm sorry, I didn't realize she
was really there. I knew there was something off, but..."
It really doesn't matter. He can only imagine what Berd is going
through right now. He wouldn't wish that on anyone. He leaves it at
that, and stops talking. It's a time for silence.
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Meredith
-----------------------------------------------------------
It all happens so fast... they arrive, Cyan is revealed, the rock with
the spot of red is acquired, and then they are whirling through the
Underflow again to be deposited on a world of Berd's chosing. She is
sure the drake is beside himself so she lets him be. Her arm was
screaming in pain as she rose, but James was bleeding, the only one
showing injury. The stone forgotten for the moment, she lets her right
arm fall like dead weight to her side, the movement bringing an intake
of breath and tears to her eyes. Her face still shows the story of the
beating Luke took from the undead at Samhain. She rips the glove off of
her left hand with her teeth and offers the now bare hand to James. "Please let me help you" she had promised not to touch him without his permission, it seemed so long ago, but a promise made was a promise kept.
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Aaron
-----------------------------------------------------------
"No... no. Please, Aaron. It's pointless now. Why?" Arianne's voice came from Aaron's side. Her eight blades rotated
independently of one another upon their mystical linkage, indicating
potentially anything.
Aaron's hair hung long and wet, hiding his eyes in darkness. He gripped
the hilt of his sword with white-knuckled strength, and he deftly
manipulated the blade to curl up and around him in a loose spiral.
He sighed, exhaling and raising his head. Dead leaves spiraled through his eyes, his gaze equally devoid of emotion or life.
A slow smile played across his lips as he sighted Berd, and then Aaron
began to laugh, Ilsefranvir whipping into a solid form with a
sharp-sounding "snak!" The laughter rolled on and on, the leaves in his
eyes changing from dead brown to burning red to flaring gold. He held
the blade out to his side, every muscle in his body tensing, preparing
for the initial strike that would begin his final dance of death...
...and then he lowered the blade, as well as his head. He spun her,
sheathing Ilse behind his back. Raising his lowered eyes to Berd, the
colors froze in mid-motion, creating a kalideoscopic effect within
their alien depths. Aaron spoke then, in a voice raw with restrained
emotion.
"Make it quick, Liar," he said in a voice filled with gravel. "I have extremely important buisness to attend to."
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by James
-----------------------------------------------------------
James drops Fangmir finally, but he doesn't allow himself to sit just
yet. Holding a hand up to forestall Meredith for a moment, James
turns to Aaron. There is more than an edge of angry scorn in his
voice.
"No need, Aaron, we won't keep you, you've made your
intentions clear enough. I told Berd to leave you behind but he
wouldn't abandon Arianne. For his sake I'll ask the same thing;
at least ask her opinion before plunging off again."
"For my part, just go. You can make your own way back to Cyan, or
whereever else you want to go, easily enough. I don't know where
we are, but it shouldn't take more than a week to walk back if you
start now. That time will at least reduce the damage you can do
by betraying us."
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Meredith
-----------------------------------------------------------
Meredith looks at James dumbly for a moment and then a small smile
pushes up the corners of her bruised lips. The tears that had gathered
in her eyes spill over, tracing lines through the sooty grime that
stains her face. After the battle at Samhain, and then Nairans, the
young woman is filthy. She turns slightly to regard Aaron, the smile
fading from her lips as the look in her eyes deadens.
"Harbonah will not be deterred from His goal, the destruction of this Node. His Army will simply be the last to die" her voice is hollow and emotionless. Meredith pauses, not to create
drama, but out of a deep set weariness that can now be heard in her
soft voice "I have Seen it"
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Ilsefranvir
-----------------------------------------------------------
"Thank you, James, Meredith," Arianne said quietly from behind Aaron. There was a moment of silence, but she continued.
"None of you know anything about Aaron. Not at all.
You think things, yes, you assume things about him because of the
actions he has taken part in, as a member of your brave company."" There was sadness in the beautiful, wise-sounding voice. Aaron, for his
lot, remained stolidly silent and chose not to respond to James.
"Arianne..." he began, but she cut him off.
"Enough!" The sword flexed, splitting
the sheath into pieces, Ilsefranvir falling to the ground behind him.
Aaron turned, surprised, head cocked to the side as he gazed at his
blade.
The blade impaled into the earth behind him, glowing, burning. The pattern etching upon its flat shimmering as the free blades turned on their own.
"I have been with you for uncountable years. My
loyalties and love lie entwined with you. At first, it was magic, duty.
I, your humble and devoted servant, your guardian and... yes, your
mistress in those long, hazed days upon San Anyn. Even after you killed
your wife with my own enchanted hand, though I knew not why, still I
remained loyal to you, Ara'an," she said, her voice quiet and still.
"Before we were exiled, I used my remaining power to build the geas that would keep your mind constantly chaotic, hiding the true reason
for the guilt you could not comprehend. Did you ever wonder where that
ghostly woman came from? The one whom the woman Lexy and your original
comrades 'purged' from your mind?" she said, the sword freezing,
then moving counter-clockwise. Aaron remained silent, absorbing, though
his eyes were ablaze with swirling color.
"But as time wore on, I came to forgive you for your
sins... and to care for you beyond what was once a mere dalliance.
Aaron of Ald Thiriel, a part of you still remains a vicious beast that
only now is kept in check. There are times that I still believe you
capable of violence on an awesome scale. Yet, you are also a man of
astounding depth of feeling, one who has a sixth sense for emotion and
a deep-seated relation to pain. If there is one redeeming quality I can
choose for you, it is that people who suffer greatest usually grow
tallest. When the shadow is viewed in the light, even a dwarf can seem
as great as a king."
Now the blade stilled, but it burned ever brighter. From the glow of
the blade emerged a pale-blue shade, irridescent and translucid. Her
hair was long, flowing, her eyes sharp and green and beautiful. All
around her, behind her through the sword-born flames, frozen petals
fluttered, hitting the earth with a metallic tinkling sound.
"The Truth must be known. Cyan is blind, has become
blind by the efforts of our enemies. I will not also have you become
blinded just because..." and then the shade stopped, her voice catching. "I will not watch you fall to them just because you love her, you fool."
Arianne's hands flew out from her ethereal sides, the eight blades of
the sword expanding outwards in a protective sphere around the ancient
woman. Aaron had never known the sword could do that, nevermind that
Arianne retained so much of her magical essence from San Anyn... he had
assumed that her weakness had been due to the distance from her home.
Perhaps he had assumed too much.
"Just as you stand there, I could kill you with a
thought. I would, if it meant saving everyone else. But I have been by
your side for this long, and I will not shirk my responsiblities. I
deisre the Truth, just as much as you do. Cyan is blind, Aaron... and I
believe that you are the only one she will listen to. If you do choose to go to her, to join those who wish to crush all that we know and love, then know that I will still follow you."
The blades sealed themselves, becoming solid blade once again. Arianne disappeared, the sword glowing a blinding white.
"But know this: Though I follow you, you do not own
me or rule me. When the time comes and I am free, flowing through the
Underflow in the form that our minds have agreed upon, I will show you your Truth. If it kills you, then know that it was your hand that killed you, and not mine. For now, if I deem that you are a
danger to everyone, I will never again stand by and be used. I will refuse you, with my body as this blade, like a woman can refuse a man. We are
bound like none others are, Aaron. You cannot complete your task
without me. Such is the Truth."
And then she was silent, and Aaron stood with eyes closed.
"So be it."
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Chance
-----------------------------------------------------------
Chance stands by, doing his best to keep silent. At some point during
the exchange, knowing he barely belongs here as the newcomer, he eases
away from the others some distance. The sword in his hand slowly
relaxes back into the shape of a guitar.
He sits down with the guitar in his lap. "Yep," he says to himself, with a small sigh. He glances back down the beach at Aaron and the sword and pats the guitar gently. "That'll be us in another ten years, eh?"
Now that he's away from the others, far enough that sounds won't bother
them, he begins to pluck absently on the guitar strings and think.
Pieces of the puzzle always fit together in the end. There was just one
left that didn't quite sit right in the picture. He'd pluck away at
that one a while.
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Berd
-----------------------------------------------------------
Berd stares out over the waves, his eyes somewhere in the past.
Somewhere not so long ago, as he counts things, when this broken island
was part of a vital land. Was that less than ten years, as he
counts things?
I/Berd {understand/comprehend}, (Edgedanger/endsinger). I/berd {hold/feel} no (rancor/lingeranger), for (cleverplan/deceptivethought) or (Cyandaughter). You could not have known.
Meredith. His eyes find her. How he wishes Serena were here
with them at this time. She could help the girl, and heal
James. He, he can do nothing. A wave of self-pity strikes
him for a moment, but the drake pushes it away with an effort.
The time is long-past for wallowing. He stretches his neck, his
back, and studies the pattern of the waves absently, while many minds
begin work on an impossible problem.
Danger flares, and Berd slowly looks over his shoulder at Aaron as the
man speaks. One eye-ridge rises, ever so slightly, and the dragon
slowly shuffles around to face the ancient wanderer. A glance to
James, and a nod. I could not leave him and Arianne, James. I am sorry.
Not sorry that he did it. Sorry that they were at odds on that
matter, that he felt it necessary to countermand James' instructions in
the midst of battle.
Still, he does not answer Aaron.
Meredith weeps silently, and Berd sees the gratitude as James refuses
to heap more pain upon her head. He wonders how much longer the
girl can continue. She is as strong as any here, and in many ways, stronger. Better to ask how she could not continue.
Then speaks a voice he has waited to hear for some time.
Understanding is required and, as always, Arianne is the key to Aaron's
mind. And what pours forth is a story of tears. And
love. An old, old story, this; so much a part of what makes man,
man. He listens in silence to its painful conclusion, and Aaron's
acceptance. The drake wonders how much more can be heaped upon
the wanderer before he breaks.
Chance, not surprisingly, has moved off. The man has an odd sense
of decorum, but Berd is beginning to understand. A Deathsinger
must know when to leave a family space...even a family as cracked and
dysfunctional as this one. A family twisted up in its relations
to gordian proportions, but Berd is no Alexander.
Thank the heavens he has changed his armor again.
James, Meredith...I believe you will find a
small first-aid kit from Cyan's old gear behind that rock.
Mundane means might suffice to prevent James from passing out.
There is faint irony in the tone, an echo of the old Berd. A
little weary, a little too clever for his own good, and always open to
talk or help.
And perhaps, on occasion, a little wise. Only a touch.
And what now, Aaron of Auld Thiriel? I
had nothing to say to you. I was prepared to listen, not speak,
and listen I have, to discover that James was most certainly
correct. But I find I must speak.
What now?
Many things now become clear, thanks to Arianne's disclosure. I
had suspected something of the sort, but suspicion is nothing more than
that. How long your feelings have lingered, I know not, but I
expect you have hidden them, and hidden them well, for some time.
And now it is you who has a choice. Walk away, Aaron, and join her. Pain, there, in his words. Join
Cyan, when she is not herself. Join her and watch her fall more
deeply as her army helps Harabonah shatter the Myriad Worlds.
Join and be there when everything dies, including her.
Or stop Harabonah.
I would rather you choose the second than the first.
He cannot comprehend how Aaron could turn his back on Arianne,
so. The woman had suffered so much for him, loved him for so
long. That has been more than apparant, for unlike Aaron, Arianne
has always carried her heart in her eyes. But love can be a
fickle thing, and while Arianne may love Aaron, there is nothing to say
that Aaron must love her in return. Certainly he cared for her,
and perhaps more at some time. But love?
An old, old story indeed.
Oh, and one more thing.
I have lied, and regret doing so. I have done terrible things in
madness, and regret them, too. I have struggled to find a way to
heal the injuries I caused, and dug myself more deeply in the doing.
I suspect that you, among all of the persons here, can understand that the best?
My name is Berd, not liar. Use it, unless you wish to be known as Forsaker, and wake with spiders in your bed. He looks out over the ocean. I am not so grand in my own mind that I will not stoop to petty retribution when driven beyond my patience.
Aaron. Arianne. Chance. James. Meredith.
All that was left of the core of the quest. Arrogance, perhaps,
or self-absorption - why could Serena and Devlin not be considered the
core, and the rest of them outliers? Or Dorian? Still, it
is how he feels, and now Berd wonders if they stand to lose two more.
Chance, quiet and unsure of his place within the questors, though he has proved it more than sufficiently.
Meredith, perhaps uncertain of her place within herself, but seeming
certain of where she believes she stands within the quest - as a
servant of something greater.
Arianne, hopeless within her love and unable to stop the avalanche, she follows in its wake, a terrible decision before her.
James, his feelings hidden behind a stoic exterior, holding back his
pain and rage with iron-hard will. Even, perhaps, from himself.
And Aaron. Who needs to make a choice.
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Aaron
-----------------------------------------------------------
"My choice..." Aaron said quietly, turning away from Arianne and considering Berd and his thoughts.
"I need time." he said, and then walked away, to consider all that had been said.
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Dworkin (GM)
-----------------------------------------------------------
Gulls wheel overhead, crying their raucous, mocking cries, in voices
that sound like the laughter of demons. Perhaps they feel they
have a right to mock.
A trap sprung, and a daring rescue from the very jaws of defeat.
And yet, in the process of the rescue, the revelation of dark secrets,
wounds received, friends lost for a second time, and the realization of
a dangerous enemy. And now the group seems to be divided again,
perhaps on the brink of a permanent split. A split which could
weaken them beyond their ability to compensate.
Place final victory in the hands of the Archons.
On the surface, sitting here on an island which is, itself, part of a
destroyed land, long since gone, it would seem so, at least.
And yet, in the last instant of the rescue, a piece of Broken God was
retrieved. A weapon of the enemy, captured. Available for
study. For the forst time they have access to one of the enemy's
most powerful tools.
And still, the danger of a split.
Possible defeat, in the midst of victory, in the midst of defeat.
Is it any wonder, then, that the gulls laugh?
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Aaron
-----------------------------------------------------------
Finally, Aaron approached. Held within his left hand was a
steel-and-leather sheathe. He removed Ilsefranvir from the ground, held
her aloft for a few moments as if considering her weight in more ways
than merely the physical, and resheathed the weapon. Strapping it to
his back, Aaron sat upon the ground and considered.
"Aaron, there is another thing. When we were on that
world, when we were with Cyan and you drew forth the blade... I could
not sense her. Cyan, as a target to defend or attack, was not there."
Startled, Aaron glanced behind him, over his shoulder at the hilt of his weapon.
"You're sure of this," he asked, and felt her affirmative. He looked to
the rest of the group, questions in his eyes. "Do any of you concur
with that? Did anyone else not sense Cyan?"
If so... if that was the case... then he could only honestly make one decision.
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Berd
-----------------------------------------------------------
Before you leap to a conclusion, Aaron, I
believe that was a barrier against psychic senses and assault.
Protection, as it were.
Berd glances over. His voice his held emotionless, with rigid
control. It gives no hint of the feelings roiling under his
surface. Cyan
is...very, very strategically and tactically competent. She would
know we have Dorian, and myself. She would find a way to protect
herself from psychic intrusion. It must be capable of
deactivation - she did use your palanquet, after all.
He seems ready to speak further, but then holds off. Waiting for Aaron's choice.
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by James
-----------------------------------------------------------
James listens to Arianne's story without showing an overt reaction,
mute testimony to the amount that James has witnessed since joining the
quest, for surely the woman emerging from the blade would otherwise be
worthy of some remark.
It is only after Aaron leaves and returns that James responds.
The anger has leached from his manner, leaving him sounding flat and
weary.
"I wouldn't know, Aaron, I was concentrating mostly on staying alive at the time."
"But for what it's worth, I believe it was Cyan. She has been
bent somehow, broken and remoulded perhaps, but nothing else
fits. I don't believe that we have been under such constant
observation that they would know that Cyan and I discussed a sparring
match on Fiona's ship."
"And winning Cyan back would certainly be a worthy goal if you cannot
bring yourself to support us anymore. If you do go back, look for
the duffel bag I was carrying. It contains Cyan's harp and
sketchbook, you might be able to use them to reach her. Just be
careful, I'd rather not end up looking into two pairs of obsidian eyes."
James doesn't wait for, or even expect a response. Instead, he
walks towards the place Berd indicates for the first aid kit.
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Meredith
-----------------------------------------------------------
Like James, Meredith takes in Arianne's manifestation silently and
without much physical reaction. She had fallen back on mannerisms
learned many years ago, the threat of a confrontation between Berd,
Aaron, and possibly James driving her to do her best to stay beneath
notice. If James' theory about Cyan, the woman with the glistening
copper hair and once jeweled rainbow eyes, was correct, Meredith may be
able to help. If she could touch the other woman, see if there was any
of the original Cyan left from what Harbonah reforged, she may be able
to pull it up and over come the Archon's doings. But there were a lot
of 'maybes' and 'ifs' in that thought and no one asked. Meredith
certainly was not about to offer that at this point. Tensions were
still running high.
Instead she follows James to the area where the medical kit was. She
does her best to assist him in locating, openning, and using the kit.
She forces herself to use her right arm, tries to tell her mind that
the elbow is not shattered, but it is not listening and the pain is
great. A few times a low hiss or intake of breath betrays the pain...
that and the tears. Try as she might, Meredith cannot keep them from
streaming down her face, a silent testament to the pain in her arm. She
does not say anything aloud, for her suffering is a paltry thing when
compared to the torment Aaron and Berd are experiencing.
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Aaron
-----------------------------------------------------------
Aaron closed his eyes, one hand resting on bent knee as he considered
all that had gone on. He sighed, wishing he had a cigarette, but
noticing that his pack had disappeared at some point.
"As I told Cyan, my loyalties are where they've always been; my
loyalties lie with myself alone." Aaron opened his eyes, the colors
slowly turning.
"Because I know my loyalties, I know how far I must go. I know what I
must do, and what I must do... is stay here," Aaron said, shaking his
head. "I can't leave you. If I did leave, I would certainly be taken by
Harbonah and tortured, doing none of you any good."
Clenching his hand into a fist, Aaron gritted his teeth. His stress was
apparent, though he no longer seemed exhausted or disenheartened, as he
had in the cave... as he had when he first ran into Cyan with Chance
and Luke beside him.
"Trust has always been hard for people who meet me, isn't that right,
Berd?" Aaron smiled slightly, glancing at his fingertips. "I don't care
if none of you trust me. That doesn't matter. What matters now is
effectiveness and truth. Cyan is lost, yes, but there still is hope.
Whether she exists or not, whether she is shielded or died and was
reborn, whether that is our Cyan or another... it does not matter."
Aaron shook his head again. "No. Either she must be saved or, failing
that, she dies. Either way, we must make sure Harbonah pays for every
inch of ground we've given, every friend and world we've lost."
"Yes, I change my mind like it's going out of style... but have I
really changed at all?" Aaron smiled, standing. "I continue to grow,
becoming more and more adept at understanding the world around me,
rather than being focused solely on myself. However, my understanding
of myself still remains, as the core of my existence. I am because I fight for my existence... perhaps Cyan has lost her true reason for existing, her true will to fight."
Aaron turned, staring skywards, considering the entirety of all that has come before, as well as that which will come from this.
"Harbonah is going to pay for this. He has tortured and
manipulated us long enough. And now..." Aaron said, turning and
gesturing to the strange, cleaved piece of bloody stone. "Now, we have
a weapon of our own. A piece of Broken God for us to study and
master. I still maintain manipulation of Harbonah's orbs, and I'll
continue to twist any I come across. That, in effect, will slowly
weaken our piece of Broken God as well... or perhaps strengthen it, if
I wish to turn it just-so."
Lowering his arm, Aaron looked upon each of them in turn.
"Arianne was right. None of you 'know' me. There was a time when I
didn't even know myself, and if you've never been in a place like that,
then you can't possibly understand where I've been. Jack..." Aaron
stopped, a sadness overcoming him. "He understood me, and I hated him
for it."
Bitterness welled up in Aaron's voice, his eyes widening in rage.
"But Harbonah struck, even at Jack. Cyan, Berd, Jack, Kalika, myself.
For a time that was my world. Now, now it's just me. Or, rather, Berd
and I," he said, and laughed a quiet, tired-sounding thing. "Sorry,
Berd. Sorry... for everything." Aaron stopped then, letting silence
take over. He let it hang for a moment, then decided to get it over
with.
"Let's get some rest. We need it. If any of you have issues with me, if any of you want to have words, or even feel like breaking my nose for the Nth time, go ahead and try. I might even let you succeed. If
not, get some sleep, let it go. We'll find Cyan or kill her. Either
way, just like Meredith said, Harbonah's going to die for his ignorance."
Aaron's eyes flared, the red of burning leaves.
"So be it," he said in a barely-stable voice. Aaron stepped back and
away, sitting himself in the darkness to rest and to think of the
present, the future. The past...
"Cyan," he quietly whispered, and with his head in his hands, began to weep.
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Chance
-----------------------------------------------------------
Chance let his tune die out on the wind. He'd remember it and work on
it later, but it seemed things with Aaron were cooling down a bit. That
was good. Maybe things had been resolved or maybe not, but at least
some tension had gone out of the scene, like air out of a bagpipe.
He stands and casually walks back to the others. As he walks, he strums
the guitar and sings a quaint song about finding things behind bushes
and rocks- things like a picnic basket of fresh foods, blankets, tents
and a bottle of bourbon for Aaron. The song briefly ponders the odds of
finding such things, before Chance begins to pull aside some bushes and
produce the exact items his song had just described.
Wordlessly, he approaches Aaron and proffers the bottle.
Then he begins to spread out the blanket and open up the picnic basket,
pulling out sandwiches, fruit and other portable foods. He sets the
tent aside for later.
He does all this without speaking, offering only the occasional friendly nod of comforting smile to the others.
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by James
-----------------------------------------------------------
James stops when he realises something is wrong with Meredith. He
had assumed that she would be able to assist him, having two good
hands, but her response to the pain in her right arm is too reminiscent
of his own to miss.
James takes Meredith's right hand with his left and moves it cautiously away from his own injury.
"You've been hurt, but I see no wound. What happened? Is your arm broken?" Realising the latter possibility, James shifts his grip so that it is supporting the weight of Meredith's arm.
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Berd
-----------------------------------------------------------
Berd silently listens to Aaron's unburdening. It sounds as though
the man has come to some kind of balance, for the moment.
Hard-won, but there, nonetheless. And it deserves response. I trust you to be yourself, Aaron. That is all I can ever ask of people.
I trust you will continue to fight. I thought you might, but
could not be sure, of course. Nothing is certain. You might
be surprised how much I understand about not knowing oneself - you are
not alone, Aaron. Remember that. As for yourself and
Jack...if that is true, then it is good that Jack understood something.
Harbonah will be stopped. If he dies, he dies. I suspect he will, given the position in which he placed himself.
I do not... Berd trails off, realizing he has
again begun to ramble. Aaron has lapsed into tears. The
drake attempts to imagine what might be going through the man's mind,
but cannot even guess. There are too many possibilities, and his
own thoughts are fractured. The hydra-mind has lapsed into a
single entity, cold and empty.
He thought his sorrow had burned out when his daughter died. Now
it sits in his chest like a blackened coal, slowly strangling his
breath. He will do something to help Aaron, perhaps...but in a
few minutes, when the broken sword about his neck does not choke him so.
Aaron.
Of the first generation, there is only himself. Of the second,
there is Aaron - he has been with them the longest. All others -
Lazarus, Jack, a few others - have fallen away. Of the third,
James alone remains with them. Dorian? Who knows?
Following, they have Serena and Devlin, off upon their own quest, and
the duo of Meredith and Chance.
And Luke, of course.
Aaron will fight. The revelations have not changed that - they
strengthen it. He will find a way, and with his new knowledge he
will slowly poison the heart of the enemy. Will it be quick
enough?
James will fight. The man never stops forging on in his stoic
way. His knowledge and terrible experience have served him in
good stead, and will continue to do so...but not so much as his strong,
compassionate heart.
Chance will fight. Perhaps not physically, but he has proven
himself cunning in deception. They need that, both to see through
the plots of the enemy and to sow discord and disruption in their ranks.
Meredith will fight. She fights because she thinks she
must. A poor, painful reason for doing so, and Berd hurts for
her. She will suffer agony tenfold what she had experienced
before this finishes, he knows. She will try to take all of
theirs into herself, as well.
And him?
Can Cyan be saved? He needs to know more. Aaron's hopes may
be in vain, but Berd will not give them up. It will be the death
of him, he suspects. Unlike Aaron, Berd knows he cannot slay his
child. He understands that the need may exist, but he will never,
ever stop trying to bring her back, even as the Deathiron sweeps
through his barriers.
But what else can I do?
Thank you, Chance. I have been...remiss, bringing everyone here without offering any succor from the elements. The drake raises dull, grey eyes toward the Deathsinger. For myself, perhaps later. I am...not hungry at the moment.
He will have to eat soon. His exertions have been tremendous.
Ares' armor, no doubt there. Gurthang. The rage in her voice. Her body's movements. It was her. Others might doubt, but Berd does not.
The drake's head swings toward James.
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Luke
-----------------------------------------------------------
"So we're back to discussing? Everyone happy with their places in life?" Luke got up from his rock and moved over to crouch beside Chance. "Right
now would probably be a very bad time for another 'I told you so', I
guess. I'd rather not add to my lingering hangover." He rubbed his forehead.
"Are you doing all right, Chance? I'm starting to feel pretty damned sorry I dragged you into this." He grinned, a woozy expression. "People will say I'm going soft."
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Chance
-----------------------------------------------------------
"Yeah," Chance agrees. "Bad time for that line. The funny thing about that line is it rarely needs to be said. I've got just the thing for a headache."
He pulls another bottle out of the picnic basket and hands it to Luke, this one is merely a good red wine.
"And don't be crying for me, Argentina. I got some good
information out of that tour, and now we have an important lead. I
think overall it was a profitable trip- too bad you had to take a nap
through half of it." He grins playfully.
He leans back onto his hands, and the smile fades slowly into thoughtfulness. "Something
has been bothering me, though. Maybe I'm just being paranoid, but I was
a bit perplexed why the Warrior was putting so much trust in Aaron and
me. I mean, there was reason enough to suggest either of us might turn,
and we both played well on that, I think. But a good general- and she
is a good general- would be wiser than to give such a recent turncoat-
one of unknown ability- a weapon of indeterminate power. Sure, we were
well gaurded, but.... I dunno."
He gazes out over the horizon. The breeze plays gently through his hair
as he adjusts his sunglasses, which had earlier been a helment of jet
and gold.
"That, and... the plan was to restart the broken god immediately
when Berd appeared. I don't know how far inside the circle Berd ever
got. I was focused on her and trying to keep things distracted, but I
saw no attempt to restart the thing. My distraction wasn't that good. I
think...."
He sucks on his lip a moment longer. He hated to sound foolish, but it
was probably better than saying nothing in this circumstance.
"I think she let us go. Maybe her heart just wasn't in it, I don't know, but it just didn't seem like she did it right."
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Aaron
-----------------------------------------------------------
"She's confused, lost," Aaron said quietly. The bottle of bourbon that Chance had given him (which Aaron had swiftly accepted with a look of undying gratitude) sat hanging from limp fingers. His eyes were distant, questing.
"Even if that's the case, I think Cyan let us go because she's not
totally defeated. Somewhere inside is the Cyan we know, trying to get
out. It's like the 'thin person in a fat body' analogy," Aaron said,
and couldn't help a sour chuckle. He took a long draw from the bottle,
wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. Aaron grunted, nodding as
he considered the past.
"They had us. If she had wanted us captured, she would have done it, no
question about it. Cyan left way too many things open for it to not be
a setup favoring the Questors."
It all was slowly fitting into place, Chance getting his instrument
back, Aaron getting Ilse... and then Berd showed up and somehow, Broken
God hadn't been activated again.
That was all they had needed. Once Berd was in place and Broken God was
up and running, that would have been the end of it. BUt it didn't
happen. They escaped with a piece of Broken God, and now they had a small, but powerful advantage for their side.
Aaron raised glowing eyes to Berd.
"We'll get her, Berd. We'll save your daughter," Aaron said with quiet
honesty. He took another pull, crossing his wrists before his knees and
plumbing the depths of the campfire.
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Meredith
-----------------------------------------------------------
Meredith closed her eyes and took a few moments to settle her
breathing. The techniques taken from Whesawhorl, along with James'
holding her arm steady, allows her to get a better handle on the pain. "I
carry only the pain from the injury, not the injury itself. A creature
was struck down by Berd while moving against me. Its arm was shattered.
In the aftermath I took the pain from it, making the burden my own" her voice is a raspy whisper. She clears her throat and smiles thinly "Its language is rough on the throat" she offers by way of explanation.
Overhearing the others Meredith turns her head to regard Aaron with
solemn eyes. Still she remains silent, and returns her attention to
James "Truly it will fade with time and I will endure... your wound on the other hand is in need of more immediate attention m-" she cuts herself, her cheeks coloring under the coating of grime and
dust. A sign of how tired she was, that she almost called James 'my
lord.'
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Luke
-----------------------------------------------------------
"Funny. I've always liked it. Then again, I'm not well liked myself. Perhaps one follows from the other?"
It could have been sarcastic, but it wasn't. Luke picked up a
pebble, bounced it thoughtfully on his hand before tossing it out into
the waves. "I needed a rest. Besides, I would have angered the 'general' and received her sword in a most painful manner." He shook his head. "Her speech changed. Every time she became angry or tense, it changed. I should have guessed."
"As for why she made mistakes, I cannot even begin to fathom. Perhaps you both are correct, and we were meant to escape." He turned his head to stare up at the sky. "I was resting at the time, and didn't get a good look."
His eyes rolled toward James and Meredith, sitting quietly together and worrying about each others' arms. "Meredith,
I might be able to help you with that pain. Like you did for me,
back in the mountain. I'm no healer, but I could probably assist
with a psychic wound." The man kept his voice diffident as he offered.
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by James
-----------------------------------------------------------
James is dissatisfied, but there's little he can do. His
expertise is with physical wounds not psychosomatic pain. Even
then, if he's honest with himself, his real expertise is in causing physical wounds.
Meredith is right in saying that his wound needs more immediate
attention. The gash still oozes blood sullenly and the bandage
they have managed between them to apply is already stained red.
The blood loss is unlikely to be damaging in the long term, but here
and now he's gradually getting weaker.
Part of the problem is that he's unfamiliar with many of the drugs in
Cyan's medical kit and he's already weak enough that guessing might be
dangerous. He's also a little concerned about how well Meredith
will be able to stitch the wound closed with one arm injured, though
he's not too worried about cosmetic scarring.
James does have one last trick up his sleeve and he's about to suggest
it to Meredith when Luke offers to help, which could solve some of
their difficulties, so he waits for Meredith's response.
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Berd
-----------------------------------------------------------
Berd sighs at Luke's appearance, a faint note of relief in the
exasperation. He listens to silent communications, gathering
information and impressions from Chance and James. He could do so
from Aaron, as well, but now is not the time to disturb that man with
questions regarding Cyan.
Chance's memories are near-perfect, similarly to Cyan's. A
learned trick, for a Bard or a Deathsinger. James' opinions,
given his familiarity with Cyan, paint them from another angle.
So many signs, he finally says, if one looks at them in HINDSIGHT. At the time, it would have been impossible to see the forest from the trees.
And snippets of conversations follow.
"Omniscience isn't my bulwark; I knew someone once
who pretended to it, but failed when it counted. I try to avoid
such claims, myself."..."The way of things. Allies fall away,
dragged by hooks of personal issues, of injury, and by the barbed thorn
of death. And we shrug them off, don't we."..."Mockery is cheap,
easy, and the last resort of fools."..."We are more alike than some
people might think. In certain ways."...
And you and she are, Chance, in your interests,
your skills...and James, this between you and her. Twice
now. You said it to her on the ship, and she returned it to you
now.
“You've already practised this morning, haven't you? Damn. Going to have to lift my game."..."You will have to lift your game after all...."
Other small things, small comments she made, are familiar to me. Many things. And here, the crux of the matter.
"Giants playing in the sandbox. They
build what they desire, then break it down. They shatter
worlds. They control...everything. Everything in Shadow is
subject to the whim of Amber and Chaos. They twist entire
civilizations, create to destroy, and steal away the very freedom of
the people of Shadow...."
"We'll probably all die. But the universe will be FREE.
Someday, something will rise up in it, usurp it from the Archons.
Or perhaps the Archons themselves will change. But whatever grows
from the ashes of the old..."
"...think about it, Chance. To give the universe a shot at
finding its truth. It's too late for this one. But a new
one...ahh, wouldn't that be something..."
She has always felt that 'Shadows' are mistreated. And her recent revelation of my part in her life, her reaction....
Which brings us to this, of course.
""Who is this 'Meredith'?"...
"From whence did she come?" he asks, voice still taut. "Did you
see her arrive? Did you just...happen to meet her?" The
finger curls into a fist. "Just a bit of coincidence this young
girl trundled along right at that time?"....
"'Recent addition'. 'Significant' abilities. 'Paired with
Berd'. And none thought to consider the timing of this?"
The Warrior shudders under his armor, and the hand pointing at Aaron
rises to rub against his helm. "I hold few illusions."
“I have a bone to pick, and since Aaron has been so good as to
reconsider his allegiance, I am forced to turn to you." Now her
voice rises, almost cracking, and hurt betrayal echoes in her words.
"How could you let him do it again?!"
The visions, the words wind down. When Berd finally speaks, his voice is heavy.
She believes Meredith to be my creation. Another like her. Meredith may be in grave danger.
Berd sighs. Black eyes...when she
used to be consumed with anger, her eyes would change to that
colour. It was the only predictable shade, given her emotions,
save for the diamond of her berserk fury. That grew from fear,
more than anything else.
James has noted her fury, her constant anger. He has theories, and I believe he is right. Perhaps she was lost, but she has been given a purpose, and it drives her.
Is there still some of her within? I cannot say. I-
The drake breaks off, turns to study the waves for a long moment.
She played a game. Cutting the Broken God
in twain. Not recognizing James. Inviting a duel.
Holding back, and yes, she did. She said as much, and Cyan was
never given to boasting.
But she did attempt to utilize the Broken God after my arrival.
Something went wrong, and I was able to snatch that fragment.
He slants a look at Chance. Do not try your armor against the Deathiron's edge, Chance. It will provide no protection.
She had a plan. Was it for the Seraphim? For an inner
desire to see us escape? For both? Some other reason?
Is she herself, within, or not? Wheels within wheels, and I
cannot...
...I cannot think.
I pray Aaron is correct, that we can save her. But what do we do now? Where do we stand? Metatron spoke of the Charyx. We hold a piece of the Broken God. And now this.
Mind a maelstrom of emotion, Berd withdrawl partly from the bridging.
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Meredith
-----------------------------------------------------------
Meredith turns and smiles a greeting to Luke through chapped and broken
lips. Her manners truly were atrocious, that she would fail to greet
another friend. His offer, no matter what his lack of tone implied, was
gracious. Like father, like son she thinks to herself, the smile accompanying the thought only shining
in her eyes. In... out... in... out... even breathing, keep the pain at
bay. It was lessening now, as more time passed. She frowns slightly,
for this meant the pain must be returning to the creature. Hopefully he
had found proper medical attention or was close to it. Thankfully she
still carried the majority of the burden.
"Luke" a greeting, an acknowledgment, wrapped
up neatly in a single word. She used the appellation he seemed to be
currently favoring and wondered vaguely at its origins. "Your
offer is kind and well timed, yet this is a burden I took upon myself.
If your assistance would banish the pain then I would welcome it so
that I may be able to better serve. If your offer is to take the pain
and carry it yourself then I cannot accept" she bows her head and keeps it lowered, waiting for his reply.
Berd speaks then, sharing a piece of his thoughts on the copper haired
woman, Cyan. Meredith keeps her head bowed, even when she is mentioned.
She is quiet after Berd finishes, long minutes of slow, even breathing.
Then she looks up at the drake, her grey eyes hard to read. Her face is
set with resolve and acceptance, almost peaceful "Send
me to her. Let us try to end this quickly. If she believes me to be
your creation she will not kill me on sight. She will want information.
There is little she can do that I have not or will not be able to
endure. A touch is all it will take, to locate any piece of her old
self and bring it to the surface. If I fail" she shrugs nonchalantly "As it stands I am little more than a power boost for Berd, not a crippling loss" she says, her voice quietly intense.
She looks up at James and a touch of sorrow softens the stone of her eyes, but she knows she speaks the truth.
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Luke
-----------------------------------------------------------
"Best if you stop kicking yourself, Old Man," Luke pointed out to Berd. "Like you said, hindsight is twenty-twenty. Don't expect that of yourself if you don't expect it from others." He turned back to Meredith, the fact that they now held a piece of the Broken God turning over and over in his head.
"Well, I fear I can do little for you then,
Meredith."<blue> Luke nodded his head. <blue>"I
would never be so rude as to offer to take your burden away. Hold
strong." He paused, then leaned a little closer to stage whisper. "I've
always thought it was better for someone to bear up responsibility for
their choices, rather than to have another swoop in and save them from
the consequences." His grin was wicked, stopping just
short of being malicious. An inside joke with her, or something
that pretended to be so.
But his face grew serious at her next words. "I
can't say anything that James won't say, and probably far more
poetically. But in a few, poor words: I vote no. If you
think you're nothing more than a power source for Berd, you sell
yourself considerably short. And I'm a man who knows quite a bit
about prices. I don't measure worth by power or feats of
might. Any fool can manage those. But don't believe me...." He twiddled his thumbs for a moment, then glanced at James with a grin that showed teeth. "How
many people do you know who have shown the kind of bravery she has,
James? How many people step forward to save another without a
second thought? How many humans give of themselves so totally,
even to strangers in need?" His smile tightened. "Blessedly few, wouldn't you say?"
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Berd
-----------------------------------------------------------
I could fight a thousand battles, win them all,
and still not stop the Archons. And that will never happen - even
now, they are no doubt considering their loss.
This war will be won by the people with the wisdom to know what needs
to be done, the perspicacity to grasp the proper moment, and the will
to carry through. Berd's eyes flicker with light for a moment. It will come down to those I see before me, I suspect, including yourself, Meredith.
You are worth more than a sacrifice. All of you! I have no
right to prevent you from doing offering yourselves up, and I do not -
but I will never agree!
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Aaron
-----------------------------------------------------------
"I agree with Berd," Aaron said quietly. "Trust me. I know what it's like to want to sacrifice yourself for what you think is the immediate gratification of your plan." Aaron held up his left
hand, clenching it into a fist almost reflexively. The fact that he had a left hand was only thanks to Jack.
"It is foolishness to throw you at our enemy, just as it was
foolishness to believe myself capable of joining them. I see that now."
Taking a swig from his bottle, which was nearly empty by now, Aaron
slowly shook his head.
"No, I will not see you lost in the very introduction of
your lifetime. I don't know how long your general lifespan is, but if
you're anything like myself or some of my other comrades, then you'll
certainly have a long, long life ahead of you." Aaron said that
with deliberate ignorance of their enemy, his optimism not allowing him
to take into account the absolutely insane odds they were facing. Aaron
cleared his throat, taking another drink before staring at the girl
with distant eyes.
"Find the strength to rise above this, Meredith. Rise above it and become more than what you are now."
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by James
-----------------------------------------------------------
"How many people have I known, Luke?
None. How many humans might there be? Blessedly few's one
way of putting it."
James looks away, a trifle embarassed at being asked so directly.
"It is tempting to think that in one simple move we could restore Cyan and save her, but it is not that simple."
"I can't say for sure what they know of you as yet." James glances rather pointedly at Aaron. "But
I am sure they will be working hard to find out. If they so much
as suspect that you could restore Cyan's mind, her Archon minders would
never let you close to her, Cyan herself would probably not allow
it. Even if you succeeded you would be alone amongst a hostile
army who still possesses a piece of the Broken God and other sorcerous
resources. It is illogical."
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Meredith
-----------------------------------------------------------
Meredith keeps her gaze fixed on the ground as their opinions fall,
each one adding to the weight on her shoulders. Failure was assumed,
did they truly think so little of her? Perhaps it was that they
understod her and her abilites too well... better than she herself did.
Arguments, rebuttals, replies, denials, all fly through her mind, but she lets them all pass her by. "It will be as you wish" she replies simply, the sharp accent that had been slowly fading was back in full force.
Meredith inclines her head to the group in a gesture of compliance and obedience before returning her attention to James. "I
fear I am too filthy to dress your wound properly. You had mentioned
another method, or perhaps Luke would be so kind as to consider
stitching the wound?" her eyes flick to the other man, their depths still devoid of emotion.
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Chance
-----------------------------------------------------------
Chance remained quitely aside, though he may have been caught with a
knowing smile as he listed to the other talk. For the most part, he
kept his attention on his sandwhich and wine for a while and didn't
interrupt.
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by James
-----------------------------------------------------------
Strangely, James responds to Meredith's suggestion by settling down
until he is sitting comfortably. He then grips his right forearm
in his left hand, covering the wound, closes his eyes and doesn't move.
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Meredith
-----------------------------------------------------------
Meredith looks thoughtful "Please hold that thought Luke" she says politely before turning her attention to James.
Meredith reaches out with her still bare left hand and gently touches
his uninjured hand. She sets her fingers on the top of his hand lightly
so that he can move away and easily break the contact at any time.
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Berd
-----------------------------------------------------------
Berd sits on his rock in silence as the others speak, staring out over
the waves. Everyone is talking again, and that's a good
thing. He turns his head to shoot a sharp glance Luke's way at
one point, then turns back to the deep waters.
With an effort, he calls up his defenses. Weary now, he slowly
slides a curtain of shadows between the group and any searching
powers. Aaron appears to have calmed himself, which is good - the
man was like kerosene, apt to erupt at a spark. 'On edge' was an
understatement.
Finally, he reaches out, through the Myriad Worlds.
Drusilla. We yet live.
Upon the bridging, to the group, he continues to speak. To them alone.
I will bespeak Drusilla, inform her of our
condition. I also consider telling her that the General will be
coming to save her army.
Drusilla needs to defend her worlds, and survive in order to assist
us. Should she battle that army, and the power of the Archons, I
feels reasonably certain that eventually they will discover the force
that leads the resistance, and obliterate it.
What say you?
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Chance
-----------------------------------------------------------
Whoever Drusilla is, I think she can hold out for a short time. I
think some of you need some rest, before we do any more saving of the
universe and all that." He looks pointedly at Berd and then Meredith.
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Aaron
-----------------------------------------------------------
"Though I've yet to meet Drusilla, I agree with the both of you," Aaron
said, gesturing to Berd and Chance with the bottle. "We can't be nearly
as cautious as we'll need to be in our current states, nor will we be
able to level the amount of strength necessarry to defend a world or
defeat an army." Aaron shook his head.
"Rest first, Dru later," he said, and yawned.
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Berd
-----------------------------------------------------------
Consider me resting, then. His dull eyes slowly close. I will still be 'here'. At least in part. But my body will sleep, and much of my conciousness will drift.
The hydra-mind slowly falls into slumber, leaving only one or two of its constituent parts 'awake'. The body follows.
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Luke
-----------------------------------------------------------
"Give us a song, Chance." Luke grinned,
a devil-may-care expression. Things were pretty grim, but that
was where he was at his best. There was a bottom to every fall,
and assuming you survived it there was nowhere to go but up.
"Something heartfelt, but uplifting, I'd say."
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Dworkin (GM)
-----------------------------------------------------------
One by one the group slide down into rest. Exhaustion makes any
alternative unthinkable. The island is small, too small for any
danger to be present without being seen. Chance sings for a
while, a song of hope and loss and hope once more, but eventually even
he must sleep.
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Berd
-----------------------------------------------------------
Berd lies still, but occasionally his whole body shudders.
Finally, having had enough, his waking mind pushes the others to full
awareness. The dream shatters like glass, and the little dragon,
breathing heavily, shakes himself an sits up to stare out over the
water. His dulled eyes hold dark depths of misery and fear.
Justice. But please, not just yet.
A drop hits the windswept water, then another. A third, and Berd
pushes a bubble of force outward to shield the island from the gentle
rain that falls from the grey skies above. The fire gives warmth
to the sleepers, and the little drake bows his head. He misses
her. But even if, through some miracle, they managed to save her,
would they be together again?
How unfortunate; this body cannot weep.
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Aaron
-----------------------------------------------------------
Aaron slowly opened his eyes, sleep, even an exhausted one not seeming to come easy. He felt restless, the urge to move, to do. It was no doubt the result of the prior excitement, but he felt a disturbance.
He sat up. It was raining "outside", he noted. Their protection no
doubt the work of Berd. Aaron was almost sad for it; he missed the rain.
"I had a dream."
"As did I."
She told him of it, and he nodded. She knew his already, his
unconscious laid bare for the moment. They were both silent for a
while, Aaron watching the distant storm.
After while, he rose and found the beach.
"I wonder. Is she here, now?" he asked absently, his thoughts
wandering. "If our dreams are to be believed, then you will leave
before this storm has passed, and I... well, we already know."
"If you were Cyan... what would you do?"
Closing his eyes, Aaron considered the question, and he smiled sadly.
"If I were Cyan, I'd find me and kill me before I got any stronger."
He unsheathed his blade and began to dance then, alone and silent on
the beach. As he did, with the sand moving beneath his feet, he recited
a sad song to himself. There was no music to it, he spoke it like haiku
or prophecy, its dirge-like lyrics breathing life into his dark
dreamscape this night.
You take a knife and carve it in
Want to see your faults
As a part of your pretty skin
Everyone has a tragedy
I want you to wear yours in vain
He spun, the dance always moving. The air around him whistled, singing sad harmony to his choice of poetry.
Oblivion can no longer shade you
Reminded by the tattered tissue
Bleak silence
Errors stigmatized in you
A weak worn out friend
There's nothing left for me
He spun, decapitating an invisible enemy. Then he lunged, the blade
shifting, and he continued the dance as sand flew through the air.
Again and again
Your face reminds me of a bleak future
Despite the absence of hope
I give you this sacrifice
You were my teacher, more than you could ever know... Teeth clenched, he charged, rolling. He stood and flinging the blade up and out, extended it to its farthest reach.
You're so far behind
Be my hero.
Drift away.
Save yourself.
Don't end up zero.
Cause I'll look the other way...
Aaron moved, stepping into the dance, whipping the weapon around him
with an audible "snicker-snack." It flicked to its razor end and he
sidestepped, moving further, deeper into his understanding of the
blade...
I will crawl into your vault
Passing snakes and old rotten thoughts
Leaving a hotbed of virulence
Your world inside slowly redesigned
...becoming one. He focused his anger, his rage and fury, purifying it;
pouring it into his art. Aaron would focus that, but he didn't need to
give it to the sword. He was the sword. Slowly, it began to burn...
Again and again
Your face reminds me of a bleak future
Despite the absence of hope
I give you this sacrifice
Then he and Ilse were wreathed in flame, the weapon a burning serpent
that licked at the damp air. Aaron's eyes reflected the light in the
darkness, shining gold and red like some hellish beast. He felt it
then, Ilsefranvir itself...
You're so far behind
Be my hero,
Drift away.
Save yourself!
Don't end up zero!
Cause I'll look the other way.
Save yourself...
...and then it was gone, and Aaron stood straight upon the shore of a
beach somewhere far, far from anywhere he could even consider 'home.'
Ilsefranvir steamed, dull and black in the dark, thick air.
"I miss... your music, most of all, I think," Aaron said to the dark sea before him. "Chance is good, but he's not you."
Sighing, Aaron let Ilse slide from his fingers, where it embedded itself in the sand beside him.
There he stood, quietly staring... remembering.
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Meredith
-----------------------------------------------------------
After the healing attempt with James, Meredith withdrawls pensively.
She does her best to hide the fresh pain that is screaming down her
right arm. The wound on James’ arm had closed, but she had still taken
the pain. It was a burden she would gladly bear for her friend. She
hoped that he would not be too upset with her.
Sleep soon claims the camp and Meredith is no exception. She awakens
with the dawn, moving from sleep to full consciousness in a blink of an
eye. It is not an easy way to greet the day. Despite the full night’s
sleep, dark circles underscore the haunted look in the young woman’s
eyes. The bags, in combination with the healing bruises she took
from Luke, have her face looking like hell warmed over. Her right arm
is a column of pain, the fresh from James’ slash blending
seamlessly with the dull ache of the shattered elbow of the creature.
Meredith staggers to her feet and presses her right arm against her
body tightly, as if the pressure will keep the pain from hitting her so
hard.
She then moves out of camp and the protection of Berd’s bubble, into
the rain. As she retreats her voice floats through the bridge like a
feather floating in an errant breeze. Please excuse me for awhile. If my services are needed before I return, you need only ask and I shall return.
Soon she is soaked through the bone, and her slight figure is swallowed by the light mist formed by the rain.
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by James
-----------------------------------------------------------
James all but collapses once he is finished attempting his healing
work. The technique is extremely tiring at the best of times and
this is the most severe injury he has yet attempted.
James wakes late, blinking bleary-eyed as he rouses. He is
satisfied to see that the gash on his arm has healed. Looking
'round he recognises Aaron coming to the end of his exercises.
James scowls. Sooner or later, he needs to have words with Aaron
and it's not likely to be pleasant.
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Luke
-----------------------------------------------------------
Luke woke silently, as was his habit. He wasn't given to much
sleeping at the best of times, and he had already spent a large amount
of the last day in slumber. Enforced slumber, to be true, but
sleep nonetheless. "Never happened," he muttered against the fading shards of his dream. "Just a dream."
But for a moment he had been his old self again with his old friends
beside him, and this time the door to the throne room had broken before
them. Zaph crouching at his feet, grinning that devil-may-care
smile. Lyle, leaning casually against the marble arch.
Lilly, his on-again, off-again lover, poking Zaph with her foot.
Al, fooling around with his weapon, as usual. Gary taking up
position at the door as they entered, the everpresent gatekeeper.
And Abby, little, terrifying Abby, with her hand on his shoulder and
screaming oblivion in her eyes.
It had been so very real. Even down to the copper-haired woman opposite Abby. Curse it all, he knew her.
"A liar ought to know better than believe in lies." He shuddered. "Funny thing, how we're always caught in their webs."
Now he slowly stood and stretched. He took a moment to watch
Aaron, and watch James watching Aaron. With a pat on the shoulder
for the sleeping Chance, he slowly ambled over to the bleary-eyed
soldier.
"I see you have something on your mind, James.
But seeing as you are our best strategist at the moment, what with
Aaron more than a little distracted, I thought I'd ask. How do
you see us fighting this war in the future? Strategy-wise, rather
than tactics." Luke had his own ideas, of course, but
these days he was unsure if they were correct. The lingering
malaise the dream had brought certainly didn't help.
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Chance
-----------------------------------------------------------
Chance awakes slowly and awkwardly. Waking isn't his favorite activity,
and spends some time drifting in and out of sleep. Finally, he seems to
decide that sleeping is more trouble than its worth and he sits up. He
doesn't talk or even look at the others. He just sits and stares at the
ground. He hardly looks rested.
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Berd
-----------------------------------------------------------
Berd sits and watches Aaron's dance. Deadly and beautiful,
simultaneously. He has improved, the little dragon notes.
One could not help but improve, given the stresses the group has been
under, and Aaron, while crumbling in other ways, has risen to the
occasion in terms of skill.
His spirit, though...that may have been struck a mortal wound.
The others are waking now. All of them show the after-echoes of
their dreams. Berd wonders what they had seen when they
slept,wonders if any would speak of their visions. A glance to
James - but Luke is already there, discussing matters of consequence
with the soldier. Berd hoped that James would keep from
throttling Aaron when next they spoke. The acrimony the warrior
held for Aaron was almost palpable, the tension between them taut as a
wire. Meredith has left the group to wander the island in the
rain. Searching for what, the Drake knows not, and nor will he
interfere, despite the woman's obvious bitter agony. Berd sighs,
notes Chance's empty-eyed awakening, and makes to leave the rock.
Before he does, he pauses to turn his head toward the pair on the small
beach. Aaron and Arianne.
Fortunately, Cyan is not you. I doubt she holds lethal intentions toward yourself, Aaron. Or James and Chance.
The drake breathes a small cloud of multicoloured vapour into the air,
watches as it slowly twists and turns before vanishing. Which is not to say she does not wish to meet you, face to face...Meredith, on the other hand, may be in grave danger.
Then he scuttles from the rock to huddle by the fire. What ails you, Chance? The fire flares more brightly, giving off more heat.
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Aaron
-----------------------------------------------------------
"Our dreams say that Cyan will kill Aaron with his own blade, and I will vanish amidst a storm that calls his name." Ilsefranvir shimmered in the dimness.
Aaron sighed, removing the blade from the sand and resheathing it.
"I put little trust in dreams and portents, Arianne." Aaron turned and
approached the fire as well, sitting beside Berd. "If I ever do fight
her, I'll welcome the test."
He stared into the fire, glancing at everyone else as he did so, save Meredith.
"We need to think of a way to keep Meredith safe while planning our next move against Harbonah," he said quietly.
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by James
-----------------------------------------------------------
"I'm still convinced that we will have only one shot
at victory, Luke. I think Dorian's actions have proved
that. I don't see any sign that they are weaker; just more pissed
off. We need a one shot kill or at least a one hit K.O."
"The only lead we have that might give us that shot is this charyk
thing that Metatron mentioned. I had thought maybe to use the
distractions provided by Berd on Nairans and the two Dorians, wherever they are, to drop out of sight. Instead, coming after you three just
put us all firmly back in the spotlight. That will make things
harder."
"That, as I see it, is the big picture. But I still think we
should warn Amber. If nothing else they can give Cyan's army
something else to worry about."
James gets slowly to his feet. His face is grim as he adds, "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to have words with Aaron."
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Berd
-----------------------------------------------------------
Berd, sitting by the fire, ponders what he hears. When he replies, it is to Aaron, now seated beside him. Our
dreams seem to be keyed to our own fears and desires, Aaron. I do
not know if they are a sending, a portent, or merely the result of
sleeping on a wind-lashed, damp rock after a stressful day with little
food.
I would not be surprised if some of them were true. I do think, though, that Cyan would avoid using Ilsefravnir against you. If she does come, it will be with Gurthang in hand.
He pauses for a long moment, considering Aaron's comment regarding
'testing'. Then he sighs. He is rather certain that Aaron
isn't trying to say that he would win. He seeks
destruction. How many of his crimes gnaw away at his guts, so
that he harbours this deathwish deep within? Witness his dream,
close to Berd's own.
Guilt can drive such thoughts.
His head comes up as James speaks. There
is nothing preventing you from doing so again, James. If you
wish, I can 'offer' you another distraction - something showy, but
without any true danger.
I would like to remind you, remind everyone, that there is someone out there with a palanquet.
Worse still, that someone is skilled with their usage, beyond mere
communication, and is connected to minds of terrible strength.
Even if we had access to palanquet or Trumps, we could no longer trust their use. As the saying goes, none of us are now taking calls.
He looks up toward Luke and James then, as James evidences a desire to speak with Aaron.
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Aaron
-----------------------------------------------------------
Aaron rose again and stepped away from the fire, removing a surprisngly
dry cigarette from his pocket and lighting it with a match.
"At your leisure, James." Aaron exhaled, taking in the distant sights. "The nose is prepared," he said, and laughed to himself.
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by James
-----------------------------------------------------------
"That won't be necessary, Aaron. I think your nose has suffered enough. Probably you have too."
"Back in the camp I heard enough to know you switched sides.
Chance said much the same thing, but I'm willing to accept he was
acting. You, though...I don't think so. I think you would
have tried to capture me and if I resisted you probably would have
killed me. And that was before you knew the General was
Cyan. A new path to walk. No bitching, no
bull-shitting. Remember?"
"Now you come back and say your loyalty is to yourself, but that you're
coming with us. And you expect that to be good enough. Well
I'm not satisfied. I can't stop you coming with us, but let me
put this plainly: I don't trust you anymore. I don't want you at
my back in a fight. Matter of fact, I don't want you anywhere
near me in a fight. Fair enough?"
James speaks plainly, without raising his voice, but there is a hard edge to his words.
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Luke
-----------------------------------------------------------
"Agreed," Luke quietly said, still crouched
down where James had left him. Nothing more than that - this
confrontation was James', not his. All he wished to do was make
his own position known, that it was in accord with James. He had
been 'asleep' much of the time in the camp, but had heard enough from
the others to know what had transpired. Others might have been
experts at forgiving anyone of anything, but that was a trick Luke had
never mastered.
He was not especially known for his compassion toward trespassers.
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Chance
-----------------------------------------------------------
Chance nodded at Luke's statement, but he also refrained from speaking.
To him, the difference was that while he pretended to switch sides, he
made the effort of hidding a message within the message to Berd. And
when Berd arrived, he moved to confront the general, Cyan, where Aaron
- by all appearances - moved to defend the general.
However, this wasn't his argument to make. Let the others sort it out.
As long as they weren't accusing him, he saw no need to bring up
details.
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Aaron
-----------------------------------------------------------
Aaron took another seat, this time somewhat distant from the remainder
of the group. He smoked, listening to James bring about his statements,
nodding here and there.
"Yep," he exhaled. "That's about right."
The cigarette hung from his mouth, and Aaron removed it, stubbing it out into the ground beside him.
"You know what, though, James? The thing is, since I've started this little journey nobody has trusted me." He sighed, exhaling the last of the smoke from the
butt. "Saying you don't trust me and having everyone agree, spoken or
not, doesn't really phase me much."
He frowned, considering it. "Yeah. See, Cyan lost half a hand because
of me, once. I've fought with Jack more times than I can count. My own
children tried to kill me, and I've killed members of my family and cut off my own hand." Aaron chuckled, shaking his head. "The truth is, I hardly trust myself."
Gesturing out towards the beach, Aaron expressed his opinion of all things in general.
"I've only trusted two people in my long lifetime, James. One's at my
back and the other joined the side of our enemy, so that goes to show
how much it's gained me." He sighed. "As for why I wanted to join
them..." and his eyes took on a distant, sad look.
"I'm tired. Jack knew the feeling. Berd knows it, Luke knows it, and
you're probably starting to feel it too, James. I think... I just
wanted to see what it was like on the other side of the fence..." he
smiled, "...while still sitting on the fence."
He was quiet for a moment, considering the truth of those words and agreeing with them.
"Yeah, I'm tired, but that's a bullshit excuse anyway. We're all tired, right?" He spat. "Yeah, we are, and Harbonah knows it, which is
why Cyan didn't kill all of us when she had us in her hands. She's trying to turn us, and damnit, I would've joined her if just to fight beside her again and to hell with which side I was on."
Aaron pushed the heels of his hands into his eyes and rubbed them
furiously, getting the grit and dirt out of them. When he removed his
hands, his eyes were red and bloodshot.
"But my Bard is dead, it seems, so what's the point of joining them?
Screw that shit." He frowned and slowly shook his head. "Nah. Like I
said, I don't care whether all of you or none of you trust me. I'm still going to fight Harbonah whether you're behind me or not, and I'm not going to stop until it ends."
Nodding slowly, Aaron made a promise then.
"Yeah. I'm going to fight him. I'm going to bring him to ground and
then I'm going to erase his ass so hard that the universe will forget
he was ever here. If Cyan wants to hang her hat with him and doesn't
want to hear the truth, then I'll put her down too." Aaron looked to
Berd then with an accusing glance. "And don't think I won't do my
damndest to make it happen, Berd, Gurthang or no Gurthang."
Aaron clenched his left hand reflexively.
"I'll fight beside you lot, but when the shit's over and done, I'm
gone. I've got plans that span lifetimes, you see, and I intend to see
them come to fruition. Harbonah, Cyan, Ygg, Chaos, Amber... I don't
care who gets in my way." Aaron nodded. "I won't break and I won't bend. I'll grow around those bastards and absorb their sorry asses into my path of life. You guys might not like it, but
we're bound by this damned quest, and I'm going to see it to its end."
"I'm going to make sure that if anybody dies, it'll be our enemies first and us last. Trust me or not, that's the truth."
Removing another cigarette, he lit it and took a long drag. He exhaled, watching the smoke mix with that of the fire.
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Chance
-----------------------------------------------------------
Chance wanted to speak up and warn the others about pretty speeches and
all that, but he let it hang in the air, unspoken. If anyone knew how
well a skilled orator could spin perceptions around, it was Chance. But
he had done enough talking to last a lifetime recently, and he didn't
know Aaron, Berd or Luke like they knew each other. It was best to let
them sort the matter out themselves.
Still, this time he didn't wander off, like last night. He wanted to be
here, to study Aaron's mannerisms, language and inflections. It might
be the last time he got the chance, and he might need to contact the
man, later.
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Berd
-----------------------------------------------------------
James has made his point clear. Now you
have had your say, Aaron. Dorian is not here to speak, Luke has
agreed with James, and poor Meredith and Chance know little of your
past and are no doubt quite befuddled.
I suppose it is my turn.
The little dragon crawls away from the fire and laboriously climbs up atop a nearby boulder.
You missed a few reasons why we should not
trust you, Aaron, but I shan't bother hammering that stake in any
deeper. As you say, it is likely a good thing you do not care
whether or not we trust you.
A good thing...but a sad thing.
Trust is earned, Aaron, but it must also be given. I find it
dispiriting that in all of your time in the Myriad Worlds only two
people have been capable of earning yours, and been given it.
What that says about your experiences horrifies me. What it says
of your character is equally disturbing.
Given that you do not even trust yourself, small wonder you have only ever trusted one who is bound to you, and another you consider to be yours. Berd's voice bites off the last word, cold and hard.
Worse still, at least half of that trust was wrongly placed. And here I do not speak of my daughter.
Let us be frank. You speak of our enemies in one breath, and your desires in another. You wax eloquent regarding our quest, and then preach of your plans.
The truth is in the singular, I suspect.
I trust you, Aaron. I trust you to be exactly what you have
proven yourself to be, over and over again. You built that trust,
yourself. You have ever cared for your own issues before
others. You have always viewed yourself as above us. We are
'behind you'. You have spoken of 'your quest'. This, when
you have left both us and the quest in the past.
Perhaps this is a pot and kettle situation, but looking back from a
detatched perspective, I am heartened to say I do not believe it to be
the case.
So make your plans. Support us when you choose. Leave us
when things do not suit you. I trust you to do that - it is the
pattern, and in your own words you give proof that you will not even
attempt to change it.
Those are my words. Long and windy, as usual.
His tone lightens. I wonder, Luke, if any of this sounds familiar.
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Luke
-----------------------------------------------------------
Luke grimaces at Berd's comment. That particular barb hits a little too close to home. "Yes, well. Enough of that."
"Perhaps Chance and Meredith want to chime in. If not, it might
be good to decide where we're going next, and if we're going to split
up again. James' idea had a great deal of merit. He could
search 'undercover'."
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Chance
-----------------------------------------------------------
Chance sits with his arms hugging his guitar. "Well, if we're done declaring our trust and lack of trust for each other," he ventures. "Can
we talk about what we're doing next? I know we have this Charyk as a
clue, but I've got to say I'm not very comfortable with knowing Cyan is
out there after us. She knows too much about us and that's dangerous to
leave unchecked. Can we do anything about that? I mean, the last thing
she's expecting is for us to return for some kind of tactical strike
and take her out of the picture - no, I don't mean kill her, guys -
well, I'm not tactician. I can't say how to do that; I'm just saying I
think it needs doing, if there is a way. If not, I really think we
should find a way to warn the others - Devlin, Serena and the Dorians."
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Meredith
-----------------------------------------------------------
Meredith sits at the opposite edge of the island, soaked in rain, away
from the others, lost in her own thoughts. For awhile it is peaceful
and quiet, and much is sorted out, but as the others rise and begin to
speak their voice carry across the small isle and the peace is broken.
She opens her eyes and takes in the expanse of water before her and
then rises.
Silently she makes her way back to the others. She crosses the boundary
into Berd's sphere of protection from the rain. She does not notice
that she is shivering slightly from the rain. She stops on the
outskirts of their gathering and keeps her eyes fixed on the ground.
"Please excuse my interuption. May I examine the piece of the Broken God while our plans are determined?" she requests in a politely respectful tone of voice.
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by James
-----------------------------------------------------------
James simply nods. Berd has, once again, summed up James feelings
quite well. Although 'expanded on' might be a more apt
description than 'summed up'. Regardless, he doesn't feel like
pressing the point.
"Chance has a good point, Luke. Undercover
would be ideal, but how to do that when Cyan and her allies seem able
to pinpoint us individually? I'm assuming everyone else dreamt
while sleeping?"
"I don't know that anyone's going to be granting permissions for the
group right now, Meredith. I figure that one's up to you,
anyway. It's just blood-stained rock to me." James gives a half-shrug apologetically.
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Aaron
-----------------------------------------------------------
Aaron turned his head, narrowing his eyes at Meredith.
"No," he snapped, though he didn't mean it to come out as biting as it sounded. He frowned, and didn't speak for a moment.
"Sorry. I'm not trying to order you around, but Broken God is insanely dangerous, Meredith." Aaron shook his head. "I'm sure we're all thinking about studying that bloodstain. I know I am. But I don't want you touching it while it's still a giant question
mark to the rest of us. God only knows what could happen if someone of
your talent came into contact with it."
"I'll be investigating it eventually." Looking to everyone else, he chuckled. "That is, if anyone will let me anywhere near the thing. I have some ideas regarding
Broken God, and I think that piece will help us greatly."
As Chance mentioned steps towards their next pathway, Aaron nodded in
agreement at a few ideas, but frowned when he mentioned Devlin's name.
"Not to sound the hypocrite," he said, knowing he'd be thought of as one anyway, "but Devlin is a proven servant of Harbonah, is he not? I think that if we go anywhere near
him, it'll be to resuce Serena and take him out if there's no other
choice."
"As for Cyan, while I agree that striking at her so soon after seeing
her would be a good idea, since she is certainly a threat to us, we
must remember that she has considerable backing. You've seen it yourself, Chance." He nodded. "Despite the fact that I'd love to get into a good scrap, the odds are leveled against us quite
significantly. If we did strike, it would have to be swift and sure."
Aaron shook his head as he considered it. "No. We should wait until we
understand more of Broken God and, if we can, use its abilities against
our enemies to strike at Cyan. If we do fight her again, I want it to
be final and absolute." He frowned. "I think we should find Dorian
first, both of them if it's possible, and then take care of our loose
ends. Dorian is an asset we can't afford to be without."
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Meredith
-----------------------------------------------------------
Meredith does not shrink back or flinch from Aaron's sharp denial of
her request. Instead she raises her head and stares at him, the look on
her face and in her eyes unreadable. Long moments pass and then she
addresses the others.
If information about the Broken God is needed, my
touching the stone will bring it to us quickly. I will abide by the
consensus of those present in this matter she says quietly.
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Berd
-----------------------------------------------------------
Cyan can locate us, as far as I know, by using the same means some of us have used in the past, Berd states quietly. Palanquet, of course - she can make some for all of us, including Chance, now. And the Broken Pattern. He sighs a gust of crackling, seething mist. She
has mages in her army, now. These men and women can use both
Sorcery and the Broken Pattern to locate us. But it is not so
easy when one is moving and shifting through the Myriad Worlds.
And palanquet can be blocked - I believe the mental strength of those on this island is more than sufficient.
I am not saying to disregard the danger. I am merely pointing out
that while it has increased, it is by no means a reason to toss aside
plans. I know much of Cyan's capabilities, and I saw little to
indicate they have dramatically increased.
The dreams...as far as I can tell, the dreams were nothing more than
that. My waking mind examined the one I experienced while it
occured. I could be wrong, but...stress can do terrible things.
For myself, I am not surprised at my dream.
I agree that we should find Dorian - he should at least be
warned. The trick, of course, will be carrying out that
task. He is devilishly difficult to locate, as Luke will attest.
But Devlin? Berd frowns. Since
what point was Devlin decided to be a proven servant of Harbonah?
I am curious as to that reasoning - my thought was that Devlin left us
to fight the war his own way, through study of the vhuulad. I seriously doubt Harbonah would wish for such an occurance. I would be more inclined to contact Devlin, in that new information regarding the Broken God might push him back from releasing more of the vhuulad.
There is a small pause as Aaron and Meredith have their facedown.
Berd lets out a small, chiming laugh, without rancour. Wisps of
brilliant steam slip from between his tiny teeth. I
trust Meredith and her capabilities. They have served her well
thus far. If she has an idea on the matter, why not allow her to
try?
As I have stated before, this is the time for answers and risks,
not slow, deliberate action. If both Aaron and Meredith can
garner us information, and both volunteer, I see no reason not to allow both to make their own, separate attempts.
Meredith, as I recall you hold the piece of the Broken God. By all means, do so. And when you finish.... He sighs again. When
you finish, and have regained your strength, I would ask that you
attempt to discover more about the secret of the Broken God from me.
I still cannot fully access my memories from my time of madness.
And as Metatron said, I was there when the Archons found the Broken
God's remains.
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Chance
-----------------------------------------------------------
"I agree," Chance said slowly. "That Meredith makes her own decisions, though if she's wise she will consider the advise of her peers, as well." He avoids looking at the girl, as he says this. "I don't think any of us have the right to boss her in such a foreceful manner-- though any of us, if making a terrible mistake, would expect such a snap response, I'm sure."
Always with the fences, Chauncey, he thought.
"But I was wrong," He ventured. "Upon further consideration,
I am quite certain that our first step is forgiveness. At this point,
we cannot continue without all of us being willing to both ask it and
give it, and not just to those present but to those who have, shall we
say, gone astray."
He sits up a little more straight.
"That being tha case, I'll start. Though I professed to join the
enemy, I feel my loyalty was proven by trying to slip Berd a secret
message and by moving against the enemy when it mattered. But in other
matters, I have made some errors-- mistakes of judgement... meddling,
perhaps..." Now, he is looking at Meredith. "I'm quite sorry for that. So for that- and for anything else I may have done- I ask forgiveness.
And in all other matters, I consider the rest of you to have a clean slate."
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Aaron
-----------------------------------------------------------
Sighing, Aaron listened intently to all present. Upon consideration of Berd's statement, Aaron slowly began to agree.
"Hmm. You may be right then, Berd, about Broken God." He then looked to
Meredith and nodded. "If you don't mind, I'd like to investigate Broken
God alongside you. That way, if anything dangerous were to occur, at
least I'll be there to assist." He chuckled slightly, shaking his head
in disbelief. "Look, I'll be honest here. Broken God scares the crap
out of me. Thinking about someone messing with it by themselves just
seems crazy to me, but I hadn't considered a tandem assignment." He
shrugged, looking tired. "Didn't mean anything by it, Meredith. Sorry
about that."
He seemingly ignored the comments about Devlin, his attentions taken with other matters, though he hazarded one response.
"Perhaps I'm wrong in my assumptions about Devlin. However, regarding
Dorian, if he finds out that Cyan has joined the enemy, do any of you
believe he would be more or less willing to assist us?" Frowning, Aaron
considered it. "Honestly, I can't come to a conclusion until one of us
asks him, I think."
Gazing skywards, Aaron considered Chance's comment and chuckled quietly.
"I'm always one for forgiveness." Aaron laughed then, a sharp sound in
the night. "True forgiveness can be granted almost instantly, if one's
heart is deep enough..." Closing his eyes, Aaron considered those
words, and he quietly spoke again.
"Though I hope against it, I fear our hearts may be far more shallow.
The true cost of this journey may be greater than any of us can fathom,
and mere forgiveness may not be enough." He raised his eyes and smiled.
"But, I'm a great supporter of group connectivity, so I say why not? If
the lot of you can forgive me for having second thoughts, then I know
I'd be able to continue on quite a bit easier... though I doubt I'll
forget thinking about #1."
Maybe I'll ease off a little. Standing alone has always been my
forte... but how much has standing alone cost me? Did her 'death' and
betrayal destroy me that deeply? Aaron was quiet then, considering his thoughts.
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Dworkin (GM)
-----------------------------------------------------------
The sky is blue, filled with wheeling seabirds, the morning sun shines
brightly, still quite low in the sky. And then the air falls
silent, the birds gone.
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Chance
-----------------------------------------------------------
"Well said, Aaron," Chance comments, distractedly turning to
survey the area around him. His clothing bristles and then becomes
chain mail and boiled leather strips. He cautiously eases up into a
crouch, as the guitar becomes a long sword.
"Anyone else sense anything?"
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Berd
-----------------------------------------------------------
Chance, I believe you can consider yourself forgiven for the situation in which I was involved. I understand, completely. Berd scratches behind one ear with a claw. Aaron...true forgiveness can indeed be granted instantly, but it must be requested with sincerity. Nowhere....
Berd stops, stares up into the sky.
Meredith, if you wish to check the Broken God,
I suggest you do so soon. It is possible we will be interrupted
shortly. I sense...something. A threat. Not a serious
one, not yet, but a threat nonetheless.
He grins at Chance's words. Apparantly, I am not quite so far gone, yet. Perhaps we are being watched.
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Aaron
-----------------------------------------------------------
"I agree with Berd, Meredith," Arianne chimed from Aaron's back. "Either someone has been watching us, or something stirs that we did not anticipate initially."
Aaron looked to Meredith then. "I'll help you with the initial research, if you want to start now."
He smiled slightly then and glanced at Berd. "I think you've forgiven
me more times than I can count, old man. It wouldn't surprise me if you
were past being tired of it," and he laughed quietly.
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Meredith
-----------------------------------------------------------
A consensus reached, a decision made. Meredith nods and speaks softly
as she fishes the blood soaked stone from within her cloak. If anything has passed between us that would warrant my forgiveness please consider it granted
It is easier for her to hide the wince of pain as she settles herself
on the ground. She places the stone on her knee and then pulls the
glove off of her left hand by holding the fingers in her mouth and
pulling her arm away. Her soft sigh of relief is easier for her to hide
as well. Meredith tucks her right arm into a less painful position and
then speaks again. She keeps her eyes on the stone and does not look at
the others.
I have never done this with someone else before. I
am not sure what is to be expected. Please forgive any... uncomfortable
moments she says, clearly addressing Aaron.
Meredith then takes a few deep, calming breaths, and then picks up the blood soaked stone with her bare hand.
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Aaron
-----------------------------------------------------------
Aaron kneels, eyes rolling back into his head and closing as he focuses on the link.
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Dworkin (GM)
-----------------------------------------------------------
There is a sudden loud clattering of falling rocks from somewhere below
the edge of the cliff, and then a brief silence before a second fall,
this one followed by a barely heard curse, "Dammit! Stupid place to camp!"
"This'll be the handbag's idea, I bet! Just because he can fly."
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Berd
-----------------------------------------------------------
The little dragon, watching Meredith intently, suddenly snorts, and
coughs out a puff of sooty smoke. Berd's voice is dry over the bridging. Joy.
Everyone, prepare to welcome Shade. I suspect you will be much more tolerant of Luke after this encounter.
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Aaron
-----------------------------------------------------------
Opening his eyes, Aaron looked to Berd, a nondescript look on his face.
"'Handbag.' Why does that sound so damn familiar?" Raising his eyes, he
frowned. "Should I just unsheathe my blade now, Berd, and be done with
it?" He said it with a small smile, though it didn't touch his eyes.
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by James
-----------------------------------------------------------
James remains blank-faced and impassive as Chance and Aaron
apologise. Privately, he feels that asking forgiveness is all
very well, but it only means something if you repent, or at least
regret, the conduct and it doesn't seem to James that either applies to
Aaron.
When Berd and Chance give warning, James takes guard quickly. He
is still unsure of Cyan's capabilities, but if she has reconsidered
their 'escape', the counter-attack is likely to be vicious. He is
only marginally reassured by Berd's later remark, since he doesn't know
Shade and somebody who makes Luke seem more tolerable, well, he'd been
rubbed the wrong way quite enough for one day.
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Meredith
-----------------------------------------------------------
After Aaron removes himself from the link, Meredith does not follow
suit. A serene expression is on her face... and then her brow knits
slightly, a look of deep concentration, as her fingers tighten into a
tight grip around the stone.
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Shade (NPC)
-----------------------------------------------------------
A hand rises above the rim of the island, accompamied by a grunt of
effort. A moment later a face appears, scarred and haggard... "That's alright... I can manage, I don't need you all to help."
Shade hauls himself over the lip and sprawls on the grass, and shadows
seem to pool around him. He looks about, breathing hard, "Well,
it's nice to see a few faces that I recognise, though there are some
strangers too. Where's Cyan? Hunting? Run off with
all the brandy?"
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Luke
-----------------------------------------------------------
Talk about forgiveness was pushed away by both Meredith's attempt on
the Broken God. That garnered Luke's attention for the moment,
until the visitor arrived. The lean man stood, prepared to back
James up, until it became obvious who the intruder was. With
that, he crouched again near Meredith and Aaron, perched on a rock like
some great, predatory bird.
Luke stared at Shade for a long moment, then grinned. It
certainly wasn't his 'talk politely to Meredith and Serena' smile, nor
was it his 'make an amusing comment to James or Devlin'
expression. It wasn't even a 'cutting remark to
Aaron/Dorian'. "Well, well. If it isn't the echo of change."
The 'man' might not know him, but Luke certainly knew Shade. He returned his attention to Meredith and Aaron.
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Meredith
-----------------------------------------------------------
Meredith pales visibly as the stone falls from her fingers. She opens
her eyes and turns to Berd and Luke, completely ignoring Shade for the
moment. She looks sad and stricken.
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Berd
-----------------------------------------------------------
Berd turns his glittering eyes toward Meredith - the others can deal
with Shade, if necessary. He trusts Meredith would not make this
request so urgently without good reason.
So.
The little dragon flits through the air and lands upon the stone before
Meredith. He takes a long look around the world, as if fixing it
in his memory, before his gaze meets the thin girl's own.
The bridging dissolves, and Berd's layered defenses rise around himself and Meredith.
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Chance
-----------------------------------------------------------
Chance smirks, and his clothing skitters, becoming a black version of
his usual t-shirt and jean's ensamble, down to his well-worn black
cowboy boots. The sword remains.
"Forgive me if I don't stand, but I can sense my comrad's tension at
your arrival, and that disconcerts me-- though I sense it when Luke is
around, too, and he's a decent fellow once you understand him, so I'll
refrain from judgement.
"I will give a bit of free advice, though. Walk lightly around that
particular topic, right now. You'll avoid additional ire from them. My
name's Chance. Who are you, exactly?"
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Meredith
-----------------------------------------------------------
Meredith looks at Berd with sad pewter eyes. She considers sharing her
fears, but the moment is fleeting. the possibility of her being
mistaken were too high and not worth the trouble they may cause.
Instead she nods to Berd, a silent acceptance of his terms. She shifts
her right arm to keep it comfortable and then closes her eyes, taking
in even, steady breaths.
After long minutes of calm, even breathing interupted only by a few
looks of concentration, Meredith reaches forward and places her left
palm on Berd's side.
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by James
-----------------------------------------------------------
James relaxes, but only marginally. He's not in the most amiable
frame of mind at the moment and it wouldn't be hard to persuade him to
throw the newcomer back off the cliff.
"Chance puts that more delicately than I would."
He pointedly waits for the answer to Chance's question before introducing himself.
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Shade (NPC)
-----------------------------------------------------------
"I'm... I'm Shade." the stranger replies. "Beyond that,
it's hard to explain exactly. I knew some members of this group a
while ago, many of them gone now, it would seem, judging by the new
faces I see around me."
He looks from face to face, pausing a moment as Meredith rests one hand upon Berd, "Where is Cyan? I have a message for her. A message from Jack."
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Luke
-----------------------------------------------------------
"It's a good thing I'm understood."
Despite a touch of amusement, Luke's voice was tense, low and grating,
and his attention jumped back and forth between the connection of
Meredith and Berd, and this newcomer. "Bad
news, Shade. Cyan isn't here to take your message. You're
about a week or a year too late, depending on how you're counting time."
The cold iron of his voice softened for a moment. "But you can tell Jack that this wasn't his fault." Then his eyes hardened and he returned to studying the pair beside James.
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Chance
-----------------------------------------------------------
Berd seemed preoccupied, and the others either too disgruntled or distracted to explain further. "Indeed," Chance continues. "We
have only recently learned that Cyan- who we thought dead for some
time- has been captured by the enemy and, through some means, made to
lead their army. The tale is a bit more complicated than that, but
there is the gist of it, I'm afraid."
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Berd
-----------------------------------------------------------
Berd twists in discomfort, eyes dull. But he maintains his place.
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Shade (NPC)
-----------------------------------------------------------
"Jack sent me with a warning for her." Shade shakes his head, "Frankly
I wasn't too sure... I mean he's not too stable these days. After
all, that's why he was left in that place, right."
"But he dreamed me back into existence, in there, so I guess I
shouldn't complain. Then he told me about the other dream.
The one about Cyan."
The dark man, seemingly cloaked in shadows, shrugs, "It took me a long time to track you all down though. Too long I suppose."
"If only I could have got to you sooner, before you went to Charryk."
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Meredith
-----------------------------------------------------------
A serene look enfolds Meredith's face as discomfort hounds Berd's. She
is used to the way information comes, even if it is disturbing, and
allows it to flow through her, to that place where she can review it at
another time. Right now she is focused, intent, and not easily deterred
from the path she has set for herself.
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Berd
-----------------------------------------------------------
Berd's tail twists, almost ties in knots. Slowly a shimmering
globe begins to form in the air around himself and Meredith, like a
heat haze - it gives off no light, but it is there.
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Chance
-----------------------------------------------------------
"Huh," Chance commented, his brow furrowing. "If you mean
Charyk, we haven't been there, yet. We only just heard of that from
Metatron as he died and then we were distracted by Cyan's attempt to
capture us. What made you think we had visited Charyk, I wonder?"
He really wished Berd wasn't so preoccupied with Meredith and the Old
& Busted God; Berd would know if this being was on the level or
not. To him, something was starting to not feel right. His clothing
stayed black. The sword stayed in his hand.
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Aaron
-----------------------------------------------------------
"Cyan is dead, Shade." Aaron said as he took a seat on a nearby rock.
Ilse was between his knees, sheathe and all. "Figuratively or
otherwise. Whatever message you have for her should probably be spoken
to us, anyway."
Raising mulitcolored eyes, he considered Jack's creation.
"Unless, of course, Jack's message is for the current Cyan. If that's the case, then you should most definetly give us the message."
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Shade (NPC)
-----------------------------------------------------------
"Charyk? Could be, though I'm sure he pronounced it Charryk." Shade ponders the slight discrepancy for a moment, "Not
to worry, this is jack we're talking about. He's not playing with
a full deck these days. Only last week he tried to tell me about
a dream where you switched sides, Aaron, so... as you can tell, not
everything he says makes sense."
"The message was, simply, to stay away from Charryk, or maybe
Charyk. It's dangerous for her, and she might even die
there. But if she's batting for the other team now, I'm not sure
he'd want it delivered." he shrugs, "Even
with everything that's happened, he's still committed...
Heh! Committed's right. Those monks do their best, but the
Broken Pattern did things inside his head that they just can't fix."
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Luke
-----------------------------------------------------------
"And there's your trap," Luke stated calmly. "Go
to Charryk. Maybe Cyan will come after us, there. Then all
we have to do is stay out of reach of that thing until whatever it is
deals with her." He looked over at Shade. "I
don't suppose Jack was a little more forthcoming with the
details? Or has the Broken Pattern cracked that little part of
him, too - the part that liked to argue over minutae?"
He leaned over and reached out with one hand to tap on the shimmer in
the air around Meredith and Berd. Ripples spread out from the
impact, but no sound. "Come on, hurry up in there," Luke said through clenched teeth.
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Meredith
-----------------------------------------------------------
The look of intense concentration settles on Meredith's face again. Her
hand moves up, her fingers grasping Berd's back and ridge firmly.
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Berd
-----------------------------------------------------------
Berd's eyes glitter under the rippling shield.
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Dworkin (GM)
-----------------------------------------------------------
"Oh, he rambled some. You know what he's like. There was
talk of fighting gods, and things that made even less sense." a sigh, and a shake of the head, "All he told me, by way of a message, is that Cyan would fall if she went there."
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Meredith
-----------------------------------------------------------
Meredith's grip lessens and her hand slides away, back to touching
Berd's scaly side lightly. Silent tears emerge from her closed eyes and
trace lazy trails down her dirty cheeks.
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Berd
-----------------------------------------------------------
Berd's tail twines gently around Meredith's wrist as he stares up at her tears. He has no hands to wipe them away.
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Chance
-----------------------------------------------------------
"It is interesting, but let's wait for Berd and Meredith to finish
what they're doing, first. This might be important- and I hope she's
okay." He kneels a safe distance from the pair, waiting.
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Meredith
-----------------------------------------------------------
Within the shimmering circle Meredith's eyes open, and the tears flow
more openly now. She is a neat, silent cryer, as her childhood dictated
she be. She smiles at Berd, and the expression is gentle and sad all at
once.
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Shade (NPC)
-----------------------------------------------------------
Shade nods his consent to waiting, then asks, "Spare
any food? It's been a long journey to get here. You people
are not easy to find. I suspect you've been taking shortcuts."
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Berd
-----------------------------------------------------------
Berd croons softly, a low, musical sound, and rubs his head against
Meredith's hand. Then he raises his head to stare into her eyes,
yet again.
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Meredith
-----------------------------------------------------------
A small smile breaks through the tears accompanied by a small laugh.
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Berd
-----------------------------------------------------------
Berd stares back at Meredith solemnly. Then his eyes begin to
burn, more and more brightly. He sits up and puts one clawed hand
upon her wrist - it feels like a set of warm, flexing twigs, delicately
settling on her skin.
On the other end of the island, the rock suddenly begins to twist and
warp. Water pours into the newly-formed tidal pool, and begins to
steam almost immediately. Crusts of salt gather on the surface,
scud across to the sides and lime the rock with their white crystals.
A smooth, clean bath of pure, hot water begins to form. Layers of
sand grow on the bottom, smooth and clean to assist with the cleaning.
Simultaneously, the rock around the pool rolls, grows, and crests into a small wall between it and the rest of the tiny island.
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Luke
-----------------------------------------------------------
Luke waved over at the others. "I'm certain that someone has something in their pack. Or can find something, if they look hard enough. I'm not really the bread and trout sort."
He lapsed into silence, considering the news. This was
interesting. It looked like Jack had been close with his visions
earlier. And now this place.
"Give us a description, Shade," he suddenly said. "Of this place. Charryk. We might have to take the long way to avoid detection, or to set up some nasties for if we are spotted."
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Meredith
-----------------------------------------------------------
Meredith does not flinch back when Berd wraps his claws around her wrist. She returns his stare with one just as solemn.
Meredith then rises, disengaging from the little dragon. She steps out
of the shimmering field that had surrounded them and begins to walk
towards the bath silently. She still does not acknowledge Shade.
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Berd
-----------------------------------------------------------
The protective aura collapses at Meredith's touch, and Berd scrambles
over the rocks after her. He does not follow her to the bath,
though; instead, he perches on a rock, near the fire.
Rather than speak, he simply watches and waits.
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by James
-----------------------------------------------------------
"You're right, Luke, I could always find
something. I guess I'm just a bit wary about attracting unwanted
attention by walking the worlds. But I suppose I could discreetly
locate a picnic hamper."
James sets out at a walk. Even at his sedate pace he quickly
circumnavigates the island - and continues walking. Either he's
being particularly ineffective or very subtle, but every so often a
careful observer would spot a new flower or a vanished stone.
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Berd
-----------------------------------------------------------
Berd glances toward James, and studies his movements intently, with a
touch of frustration. Almost as though watching something that
remains tantilizingly out of reach.
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Shade (NPC)
-----------------------------------------------------------
Shade grabs up a twig and pokes it into the campfire for a moment,
before withdrawing it and and staring at the tiny flames flickering on
the tip. He smiles, and holds one hand cupped around the
miniature torch.
"When I was dead, after that stupid mistake, I had an eternity to
think, you know. Oh, sure, Jack said it was only a few weeks, but
to me... it was literally forever. I was dead. I couldn't
speak, or move, and I don't think I even had a body to do either of
those things."
"All I could do, was think. Mostly I thought about how cold I
was. I also spent a lot of time thinking about how beautiful fire
is."
He tosses the twig into the flames, watching with hawk-like intensity as it is consumed, then continues, "When
Jack dreamed me back to life again, I was so grateful that I was happy
to listen to his rambling, even if some of it didn't make much
sense. Charyk, or Charryk, as he pronounced it, was one of the
things that didn't make sense."
"A single tower, half a mile high, with a whole army garrisoned there,
standing at a crossroads between different worlds. Surrounded by
forest, besieged by monsters, and defended by men and women from all
the different worlds which have an interest in keeping the roads open."
"Jack told me that there was great power there once, so far back that
it makes the time I spent dead look like no more than a
heartbeat. It dragged all those worlds into contact with each
other, and it was eventually destroyed. And then he sent me to
warn Cyan against going there."
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Meredith
-----------------------------------------------------------
It is the best bath Meredith has ever had. The grime of fire, fighting,
travel, and blood wash off leaving the young woman feeling refreshed
and truly clean. After a thoroughly cleaning, Meredith floats in the
water, savoring the feelings of floating and cleanliness. It is a
luxury she was never allowed at the Parish. Soon enough she would
leave, but she allowed herself a few selfish minutes first.
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Luke
-----------------------------------------------------------
Luke was quiet for a long moment after Shade's speech. "I'm sorry," he finally said. "I didn't know." He had been through something similar to what Shade described himself.
He drummed his fingers on his knee. "Well. In the spirit of never doing what we are told, I expect we'll be heading off to Charryk. After all, we don't have Cyan anymore. Metatron mentioned it. And now Jack. It's obviously important."
He glanced up at the others. "The quetion is, who should go?"
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Chance
-----------------------------------------------------------
"You know, I've been thinking about that. Maybe we shouldn't charge off into every trap that is offered to us?" He shrugs, knowing they will continue to do so, anyway-- and he will be right there with them, willingly. "Just a thought."
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Shade (NPC)
-----------------------------------------------------------
Shade merely shrugs at Luke's words, "No big deal. I'm back now, and it's over."
"With Cyan gone, I'm not sure I'm going to hurry back to
Glastonbury. Jack's still right on the edge, those monks you left
him with do try, but they're better at healing bodies than minds."
"Anyway, if I went back to him, and he asked, he'd know if I lied to
him, and learning about Cyan could really unbalance him again.
Trouble is, he keeps playing with Broken Pattern, and that seriously
messes with his head. He just doesn't have the same immunity
that... " he trails off.
"So... you're going to head for Charyk then? I probably won't
join you. Getting involved in this War got me killed, and that's
something I'd rather not experience again. I plan on finding
myself somewhere out of the way for a while. Somewhere that I can
avoid Jack for as long as possible. Mind you, once he realises
I'm missing, he'll just dream me back to him."
"Best I can hope for really is that, by then, he'll have forgotten why he sent me out here."
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Luke
-----------------------------------------------------------
"Very amusing, Chance, and all too true. And yet, at the same time," Luke noted, "how
can we not? Metatron's words. Now this. We should
certainly be much, much more careful. But I do not think it would
be a good idea to simply leave this be and strike out along another
path." He Heard Shade's reluctance to reveal information
regarding...who? Someone with the Broken Pattern, no doubt.
Possibly Dorian. Which begged the question of why.
"Thank you, Shade. Good luck keeping away from Jack." His grin was very toothy. "I can understand."
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Shade (NPC)
-----------------------------------------------------------
"Jack has a lot of power these days, but can't get organised enough to actually use it." a sorrowful smile, "Which is lucky for me, since it means I can avoid him, so long as he doesn't remember me."
Meredith enjoys her bath, lulled by the faintly carrying voices of her
companions. Too distant to carry clearly to her ears, but close
enough that she can recognise each speaker, if not their words.
Shade stands and stretches. "I'd best be on my
way. If Jack looks for mre now, he might find you as well.
You don't want that. Don't worry though... I'm not going to tell
him about Cyan, and I don't plan on taking word to her either. I
think I'll look for somewhere as far from either of them as I can get,
and try to keep a low profile for as long as I can."
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Meredith
-----------------------------------------------------------
Finally feeling clean and refreshed in both body and spirit, Meredith
exits the bath. She notes subtle changes to her clothing and smiles
softly.
The young woman returns to the main group and seats herself a little a
part from the others. She is clean, the signs of injury and pain gone
from her face and movements. She fishes a small wooden comb from within
her cloak (under which she is now wearing a warm and comfortable
looking coat) and begins to comb out her wet hair.
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by James
-----------------------------------------------------------
James wanders back to the group. He has acquired a wicker picnic
basket from somewhere, so it seems his efforts were successful.
He speaks to Shade. "That seems like the
most sensible plan I've heard in a long time. Good luck with
that. Since you asked, you might as well eat before you go."
James spreads out a large grey blanket, kneels beside the basket and
begins to fish around for the food and utensils he has collected.
Once finished he beckons for those who are hungry to eat. It's
just as well Jonnee isn't with them because there isn't the quantity of
Berd's summoned feasts, but there should be enough to go around.
James looks to where Meredith sits combing her hair and smiles, "Feel like some breakfast?"
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Meredith
-----------------------------------------------------------
Not quite part of the group, but not quite not part of the group is
where Meredith sits, comb busy taming her tangled hair. Her mind
wanders as she works and she is about halfway through when James asks
her about breakfast. She pauses, comb in hair, while taking a moment to
a) realize he was talking to her and b) reply.
She looks up at James and smiles, a small timid expression that
nonetheless lights up her face with the genuine feeling behind it. "I would love something for breakfast, thank you very much for asking" she answers before the smile falters and begins to fade and her eyes skip to the ground "If it is not any trouble and there is something left over after the others have eaten, of course" she finishes quietly witha slight nod before the comb begins to wend its way through her hair once more.
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Shade (NPC)
-----------------------------------------------------------
"My thanks to you, James." says Shade, with a small bow of his head in the other man's direction. "Though
I do have the means to get food for myself, it's usually raw, or stale,
or rotten... or just plain poisonous. It's better for my
digestion to just steal, when I can. I only try to create
something to eat, when I really have no choice."
"Drawbacks of a flawed Pattern, I suppose, compared to a perfect one." He sighs and shakes his head, "Take
these clothes for instance. My last suit wasn't suitable for
travelling, so I... found... these in a suitcase fallen off some
carriage on the road. They look fine, they're weatherproof, and
in good condition. They also itch like Hell, and the previous
owner seems to have had an extensive collection of fleas, though the
dip in the ocean I took on the way here dealt with them, for the
moment."
His attention turns to Meredith, wondering who she is exactly, and how
she had the misfortune to qualify for the sort of trouble this group
usually finds itself in.
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Chance
-----------------------------------------------------------
"Nonesense, Meredith," Chance chirps. "Of course there is
enough, we could turn this whole world into a hunk of cheese, if we
wanted-- well, maybe Luke could-- but there is enough, and I wouldn't
be comfortable if you waited until we were done, anyway. Here..." He grabs the first thing he can find from the basket and hands it towards her.
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Meredith
-----------------------------------------------------------
Meredith starts for a moment when Chance answers her. She had not
expected any one to reply to her. She pauses in her combing and looks
up at him with big, somber grey eyes as if searching out his
intentions. Then she accepts the food, some sort of pastry, with a
slight, tentative smile. "Thank you for your kindness Chance" she said with a slight bob of her head.
She sits the pastry delicately on her lap and begins to pull the comb
through her hair once more. She could wait to eat until her hair was
properly combed.
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Re: 50d - Betrayals by Shade (NPC)
-----------------------------------------------------------
Shade stands, stretching, "I'll
be on my way, I think. Thanks again for the food, and the chance
to just sit and talk for a while. As I said, I've no intention of
looking for Cyan to deliver that message, and no plans to go back to
Jack, just now. Not sure which of the two would be worse for my
health anyway."
He tilts his head back, squinting at the sky, "So you don't need to worry that either of them will get any word about you from me."
He starts to walk, taking a sharp right, then a left, before he gets to
the edge of the cliff and lowers himself over. Just before he
disappears entirely, he calls out, "See you around, maybe."
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Dworkin (GM)
-----------------------------------------------------------
Only with Shade's absence, and their sudden return, does it become
apparant that the gulls had deserted the immediate area while he was
present. Now they are back, calling out to each other as they
wheel overhead.
Maybe Shade is to blame, connected, as he is, to the Broken Pattern, or
maybe it is a more natural phenomena... either way, there is a change
coming in the weather.
The temperature drops, and there is a shift in the breeze, going from a
mild easterly, to a stronger north wind. There are dark clouds
along that northern horizon, piling high, ominous, carrying the threat
of a storm.
The clouds sweep down out of the north, and lightning rides with them,
the thunder inaudible, as yet, over the sound of the surf. The
gulls circle lower, some dropping down to the cliff faces in search of
shelter, and some fleeing southwards.
There is little danger of this tiny island being swamped, elevated
above the ocean, but a storm would not be pleasant here, with so little
shelter. And a storm will strike here, within the hour.
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Chance
-----------------------------------------------------------
Chance looked a little defeated. He lowered the food he'd been munching
on and looked at the sky. With a playful shrug, he says, "I'm sorry, that's my fault. No good thing shall ever last in my presense, it seems." It often seemed that way, in fact. It was one reason why Chance had developed his happy-go-lucky manner.
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by James
-----------------------------------------------------------
"More likely it is the influence of our visitor if
he travels as Jack used to. Still, it seems that breakfast may be
cut short." James pulls a serviette from the picnic hamper and wipes his mouth.
"I'd ask where we're headed, but I don't see much alternative to Charyk, whatever awaits us there."
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Re: 50d - Betrayals by Berd
-----------------------------------------------------------
(NPC'd)
The storm will not be a problem, Chance.
Berd glances at the gathering clouds, and his eyes sparkle momentarily,
before he turns his attention back to his companions. I
believe that as many of us as possible should travel to Charyk.
We have no idea what we will encounter there, and a wide range of
abilities would help us better cope with... he studies the clouds, and flames seem to spring up in his eyes, ... a variety of circumstances.
This is most odd. I am unable to influence the coming
storm. It is possible that Shade's recent visit has caused it, as
an accidental effect, or that somebody is deliberately interfering with
it, in which case we may have been discovered. Either way, there
is nothing I can do.
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Chance
-----------------------------------------------------------
So much for some quiet. Again, he had the feeling that this would be
the norm in this campaign. They would be chased and chasing with no
breaks. He sighed and slumped a little at the thought. At least they
had been offorded some rest and food.
Chance nodded, looking out over the sea noting the storm's progress. "So what do we do, Berd? Leave?"
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Berd
-----------------------------------------------------------
)NPC'd)
Since I am unable to guarantee that we are safe here, moving on would seem to be the prudent choice. We should... " the drake pauses as something that might almost be a large insect darts
towards him and halts in front of his snout. Dark it is, and yet
seeming to glow with a strange purple light of its own, and now that it
has stopped its rapid movement, it can be seen to be a tiny woman, with
black hair and wings of a black-purple.
Berd studies the creature for a long moment, not using the link in its presence, until, "A message from Dorian. Dorian has been dealt with. Unfortunately there is no indication what that might actually mean."
He ponders the situation for a little while.
I will return a message to Dorian, using one of
my own sprites, informing him that we are moving again, and asking him
to join us.
As he speaks, a second sprite appears, and the two fly off together.
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Chance
-----------------------------------------------------------
Chance stood, prepared to gather his things and move on. His life had
always been about moving on, but this time he had hoped to linger a
little longer. The events with the Warrior in Jet and Gold had bothered
him deeper than he let on.
"Dorian has been dealt with? That sure doesn't tell us much. I'm
guessing he didn't want to say more, for some reason. He's letting us
know something has happened, but saying it's not any of our business
exactly what. Of course, we don't know just which Dorian sent the
message or has been dealt with. If he returns, let's be careful."
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by James
-----------------------------------------------------------
"Those were his words then? Dorian has been
dealt with? Dorian never spoke of himself in the third person, so
my guess is that the two Dorian's have met and one is no longer.
Probably the clone Dorian. I agree with Chance, we must be
carfeul with him."
James packs away the remains of the breakfast. They have little
use, now, for the breakfast hamper so he tucks it away in the lee of
one of the rocks. An inconguity there, in such an isolated
place. James wonders briefly whether the find will confound the
next visitor, then wonders whether it will even survive the coming
storm.
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Berd
-----------------------------------------------------------
Berd ponders for a long moment. Both
of you are correct, I think. We have no knowledge of the
situation, save for one thing. I doubt that the 'original' Dorian
would refer to his clone as 'Dorian'. He would not see it as an
equal in any way.
But yes, we cannot make assumptions based on that alone. The
situation is far too complicated for that, especially since the second
Dorian has become less positive in nature since our encounter with
Drusilla. Here, Berd pauses to consider.
Which begs the question - shall I inform
Drusilla of our situation and plans? I believe we should - I
still maintain that she would be a potent ally. We-
Berd abruptly winces, and glances up into the sky. Dorian has dismissed my messenger somewhat abruptly. Handle With Care, indeed.
He glances toward James. With a deep sigh, he then turns toward Meredith.
Meredith. I am prepared to send you, now. We know the location of the Army of the End of Time.
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Chance
-----------------------------------------------------------
Chance frowns. "As much as I love they irony," he begins. "Do you think the clone might have actually won if they met each other? It seems a little…. unexpected."
He kicks absently at a rock. He didn't know either Dorian very well,
and it came down to anything being possible. Perhaps Dorian's biggest
downfall had been his implicit trust in himself. Perhaps he thought
that the clone was the last being that would attack him. And who would
know Dorian's defenses better than his own clone? It sounded more like
a story he'd hear about some demigod in an epic poem than something
that should happen to one he knew personally.
His head comes up sharply as the dragon finishes speaking. Had he missed something. "Wait, what is this? We're sending her back to the general's army? No fair making plans without the rest of us, you two."
===========================================================
Re: 50d - Betrayals by Meredith
-----------------------------------------------------------
While the others spoke, Meredith quietly finished combing her hair and
eating her pastry. She then braided her hair back into a single braid.
It was a different look for her, her face and neck were exposed, she
could no longer hide behind her hair. She remained kneeling, eyes on
the ground, mind wandering until Berd said he was ready to send her.
She rose in a single fluid motion and dipped her head in a nod. Chance
spoke out and Meredith raised her luminous grey eyes to him.
"I think it is best this way Sir Chance" she
says quietly, a small smile tugs at her lips when she addresses him as
'Sir.' This smile, and the sudden sparkle of laughter in her eyes
indicate her cautious attempt at a joke.
===========================================================
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