main plot The Taste of Death

[+Ark1002]

Darkness shrouded the city. The mist had filled it, the demons had invaded it, and the citizens had destroyed it. Buildings burned, and so did people. Blood flowed through the streets, the sewers. The most mild mannered people had become raging murderers. Taverns, businesses, houses, destroyed by flaming skulls and mistwraiths. Dragons flew throughout the city, torching it. But there was hope.

PlasmaCore was falling. The guilds were fighting them, sending in troopers.

And dawn was rising.

The mist faded as the sun rose, retreating from the city. And they had a clear view of the carnage, the destruction. Those not wrapped in the purple-red haze were disgusted, horrified. Bodies everywhere, man, woman, child. Building after building destroyed, the work the Traders Union had put so much effort into destroyed.

And it kept going. The monsters were still there, animal and human.

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Welcome! This Phase we would like to warn you that there is a very high chance of PC injury or death.

Play at your own risk!

Rules of the other two still apply.

 

[xinoehp512]

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I am still devoid not only of a grasp of the situation, but also of any involvement whatsoever.

I would like to be part of this 'infiltration team' or whatever, but am unable to do so alone.

Perhaps TUBA sends Daa? I don't know.

And Edahs- I would like to factor him in somehow...

@Ax's Boyfriend @AonEne

[Sherlock Holmes]

Tena was probably still in her house. 

***

Seom was with her team. 

[MacThorstenson]

Mac watched as Lita considered his question, tried to figure out the best way to respond, then said "You want the people of this city to see the Dark Alley as more than a den of horrors and villains? You don't just want to rule these people, do you sir? You want to lead them."

"Not quite," He replied smoothly "the first part is certainly true, bad PR is never a good thing, but it's not my primary purpose behind doing this. And before you guess again, it's also not related to my philosophy about the Eternal Nature of the Soul from earlier. It ties into what makes me different from the other leaders of the Dark Alleys." He frowned as he thought of the other leaders. They had changed themselves and each other so much that none of them could be considered human anymore, not only in terms of DNA or Spiritwebs, but in terms of motivation. They took their focus on pushing the bounds of science and blew it up till it consumed them. What had started as a healthy desire to learn more grew and grew until there was nothing left but science and the push for progress.

To their credit they had done amazing things, and the knowledge that they had gained is invaluable, but sometimes the price was too high to make it worth it.

@ZincAboutIt

[+ZincAboutIt]

9 minutes ago, MacThorstenson said:

"Not quite," He replied smoothly "the first part is certainly true, bad PR is never a good thing, but it's not my primary purpose behind doing this. And before you guess again, it's also not related to my philosophy about the Eternal Nature of the Soul from earlier. It ties into what makes me different from the other leaders of the Dark Alleys."

More human indeed, Lita thought, feeling the corner of her mouth quirk upwards at his confirmation of her earlier theory. 

"Limits, sir?" She asked, recalling his disappointment back in the tavern when she'd spoken of her willingness to edit her own boundaries. Lita took in Mac's immaculate suit and hat, remembering the plate full of cookies that had sat on his desk in his richly appointed office. Not gentle, she thought, looking at him. But he is genteel. It wasn't an act, not really. He had seen what could happen to a person without any limits, when you took down all the gates and simply let yourself... go.

"Anything is attainable..." she murmured softly, then stopped herself when she realized she'd spoken aloud, hoping Mac didn't notice. Lita cleared her throat and peered up and down the street again. Night had finally ceded to dawn, the new sun a bloody gash spilling its red light through the eastern streets of the city.

[MacThorstenson]

1 minute ago, ZincAboutIt said:

More human indeed, Lita thought, feeling the corner of her mouth quirk upwards at his confirmation of her earlier theory. 

"Limits, sir?" She asked, recalling his disappointment back in the tavern when she'd spoken of her willingness to edit her own boundaries. Lita took in Mac's immaculate suit and hat, remembering the plate full of cookies that had sat on his desk in his richly appointed office. Not gentle, she thought, looking at him. But he is genteel. It wasn't an act, not really. He had seen what could happen to a person without any limits, when you took down all the gates and simply let yourself... go.

"Anything is attainable..." she murmured softly, then stopped herself when she realized she'd spoken aloud, hoping Mac didn't notice. Lita cleared her throat and peered up and down the street again. Night had finally ceded to dawn, the new sun a bloody gash spilling its red light through the eastern streets of the city.

"Very close Lita, very close," Mac paused again to gather his thoughts.

Usually he despised this method of learning, the teacher teasing the student along with tidbits until they said exactly what the teacher wanted them to, but in this case it was very important that she arrive at this conclusion herself without Mac stating it right out. Something about that method of discovery made people more accepting.

"The limits are a large part of it. But it's not so much the limits themselves, but what the limits help us be. Or depending on one's perspective, it's what the limits force us to be." Mac paused again, hoping this was enough, then heard Lita whisper the Strangers Favorite catchphrase.

"Anything is attainable..."

"Just because you can do it, doesn't mean that you should." He smiled sadly at the thought of the Stranger. He had given up everything for science. Even things that weren't possible to lose he had taken from himself to gain more power.

[+ZincAboutIt]

"Just because you can do it, doesn't mean that you should," Mac said, his face taking on a melancholy smile. 

Fool girl, Lita cursed her own loose tongue. A beginner's mistake, one that she should never have made. She almost nodded, ceding the point, playing the contrite acolyte. The trouble was, she wasn't quite sure of the conclusion Mac wanted her to reach - not yet. If she blithely agreed to the wrong point, it would be worse than arguing. She wrinkled her nose a little, though if she were being honest with herself, she did enjoy this challenge. It had always been pitifully easy to read what Forian had wanted from her, even without tin. This, at least, required some of her best effort.

"If I may be so bold, sir," Lita said, careful to keep her tone light, respectful, slightly confused, "it seems easy to tout the merits of limits after attaining incredible power, when you can place your limits exactly where you please." She nodded toward him. "I know all-to-well the feeling of limits, of places one may not cross, people you may not see, things you may not learn. Of being forced one way or another, walking a path not because you wish it, but because it is the only one set before your feet."

She felt the Coin pressed against the skin of her ankle, and her fingers itched to flip it. Instead, she forced them to keep still. "Is it so terrible, to wish for the ability to reach out for a thing and make it your own? To move beyond the ideas of possible and impossible, of what is wrong or right, and simply to find what is out there, waiting?"

@MacThorstenson

[Darth Woodrack]

The Tattered One, bored, jumped out of the station and plummeted towards the Plasma core building.Right before he would have hit the shield, a small, man sized hole opened up and he fell through. He hit the ground and looked around the giant crater, then ran towards the infiltration team.

 @The Infiltration Team 

[xinoehp512]

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Hold it, I need to check with TUBA to see if my character is in there.

@AonEne

[AonEne]

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...why are you asking me?

 

[xinoehp512]

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Daa needs Deteca to tell him where to go.

 

[AonEne]

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We left off with her trying to find competent fighters, right? Because he asked?

Deteca rattled off several names for Daa.

[old man moomba]

Cakuin grinned wickedly at her captor before aiming a kick at her head.

[MacThorstenson]

Aww, she thinks she's being bold. Clearly she's never visited the DA Budgeting meetings. 

"Before we continue," He started "I would like to say that you aren't being bold. You are just asking a question, those are always good to ask. It's also a good idea, as you have done, to occasionally present your own ideas. It makes the conversation infinitely more useful for the both of us, as well as interesting." He took a breath then continued.

"Now onto your point. It certainly is easier to say this after the fact, when I have forgotten the things that held me back. When the memory of powerlessness is far of in the distance. But what never leaves you are the regrets. The choices that you wish you didn't make. The things you wish you never changed. The prices you wish you never paid.

You say you know the feeling of limits, but you only see them as the things that have been placed on you. The limitations of others. Those storming suck, they are terrible. No one should have to listen to the limits placed on them by others." Mac breathed for a moment refocusing himself. "What I am referring to is the limitations you give yourself. The prices you aren't willing to pay. Those give you more power and control than anything else in the Universe.

To answer your question, it's not terrible to wish to push the boundaries. To wish for control. But it is terrible to wish for those things without realizing the costs you pay. To give up what you loved most, without even realizing it's gone.

Limits keep you from doing that. They keep you from giving up what you never want to lose. You need to stop yourself before you pay the price because oftentimes you never want to go back after you paid it. You regret your choices and want to go back to the way things are, but either you can't or won't. Because the price to return can be higher than the price you paid to get there." Mac paused, considering if he wanted to share his story.

"When I died the second time, I tried to figure out how I ended up there. I was the strongest being in the multiverse, I had the power of over 9000 adonalsiums, yet I ended up killing myself. I realized it was because I gave up what I loved most. My control. I started plots and plans that I couldn't free myself from. Before that I literally gave up my sanity, destroying a large portion of the city in a fit of rage. I took a break for 20 years, and when I returned I swore that I would never lose my control again." Mac reached up to wipe the corner of his eye. Regret was a strong emotion, one that he never fully mastered.

"But when living amongst gods, you can forget what your limits are, or why you set them in the first place. They become distant memories, so you need to remember them. Remember what you were before you were a god, so that you can remember your limit, and thus retain that which you hold most dear." Mac refocused his attention on Lita. "So I ask you again, why did I help that lady? It wasn't to retain control. She never had a chance of making me do that. Nor was it to keep myself from going beyond my limits."

@ZincAboutIt

Edited June 11, 2019 by MacThorstenson

[+ZincAboutIt]

15 minutes ago, MacThorstenson said:

"But when living amongst gods, you can forget what your limits are, or why you set them in the first place. They become distant memories, so you need to remember them. Remember what you were before you were a god, so that you can remember your limit, and thus retain that which you hold most dear." Mac refocused his attention on Lita. "So I ask you again, why did I help that lady? It wasn't to retain control. She never had a chance of making me do that. Nor was it to keep myself from going beyond my limits."

Lita stretched her neck from one side to the next to try and roll out the sudden wave of irritation that passed through her. What did it matter why Mac did any rusting thing at all? He could tear down the city and build it again in all likelihood - who was Lita to guess at his whims? She was a spy, not some Pathian asking questions of a mute god. 

Am I to play dog-catcher to every stray child in Alleycity, now? She narrowed her eyes at the mother, who was now pressing her daughter against her chest and weeping through her own laughter. Somewhere very deep, a piece of her self-control snapped like a frayed bowstring.

"Atonement, perhaps, sir?" Lita said, biting off the end of the honorific. "For all the bits and pieces of 'Eternal Nature of the Soul' you've been ripping out of these poor bastards and stapling into yourself?"

What are you doing? The voice in her head screamed, horrified. But Lita kept talking, eyes never leaving the woman and her child, tin letting her catch every tear, every whispered tender word. She could hear her own heartbeat in her ears, hard and fast, straining against the cage of her ribs.

"Maybe it pleases you to trot amongst the wretches when you're not using them, bestowing reminders of your watchful care, lending a hand every once in a while to fool them into thinking you're a benevolent god. Maybe if they sing it back to you for long enough, even you will believe it." A tiny, hysterical laugh bubbled out between her lips and she looked down at her forearms, and the rows of tiny spikes there.

"Am I just another Faceless Immortal, then, here to be the eyes and ears of a god who ties his own hands and calls it 'right'?" 

[+Sorana]

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This is a bit detached as a part would have been better in the RoB thread, but doesn't matter.

Zokora nodded.

"Get inside and find out what they are doing. I'm Zokora, by the way."

She gestured towards the barrier, watched it flicker again and again. A few seconds, then it was back up, only to vanish again.

"Any help is appreciated. Let's meet inside and see what we can find?"

Inhaling some stormlight she waited for the barrier to vanish again and then elsecalled inside.

@Darth Woodrack

===============================================

Mike finally saw some of their tropps and after a quick talk to an officer there, he turned towards the barrier. Get close, try to cross when it vanishes again. The troops had managed to clear a path and they were able to go there, the mist slowly vanishing. The barrier faltered and he started to run as fast as he could, crossed it and turned around to see if the others had been able to follow.

@Turtle373

@Ark's Boyfriend

@I think I am here.

@Vargo Seldon

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Xino, you can always have a character cross the barrier and meet with those heading inside there. That's how Zokora teamed up earlier. Just approach her and tag me and you're in.

@xinoehp512

[Silva]

Eiran carefully looked out of the peephole. "None of the creatures are in immediate sight," he said. "We're good to surface."

The trapdoor opened to an empty street. The sound of screams carried to them. 

"Remember," he told the group. "Our goal to get these people to safety. Not fight the frying pan monsters."

He got some nods. They just wanted to get moving already. Eiran clambered up the ladder and out, followed by others.

They were near an intersection. He checked the signs. Neither was for the street he'd seen in his vision, but it was nearby. He hurried left, slowing as he heard voices.

"Atonement, perhaps, sir? For all the bits and pieces of 'Eternal Nature of the Soul' you've been ripping out of these poor bastards and stapling into yourself? Maybe it pleases you to trot amongst the wretches when you're not using them, bestowing reminders of your watchful care, lending a hand every once in a while to fool them into thinking you're a benevolent god. Maybe if they sing it back to you for long enough, even you will believe it. Am I just another Faceless Immortal, then, here to be the eyes and ears of a god who ties his own hands and calls it 'right'?" a woman said.

Dark Alley, judging from what she was saying. He peaked his head around the corner. The spikes reflecting the little light confirmed his guess.

What were they doing here? 

Eiran edged around the corner, then realized hiding probably wouldn't help. For one thing, he'd never been trained in it, and for another, the DA members probably had A-tin spiked into them. 

So he did what he knew to do. He stepped out of the shadows, a decent distance away in case he needed to run, and talked.

"Hi," he said as casually as he dared. "If you wouldn't mind terribly, would you be willing to let those two through so they can get to safety?" he gestured to the woman holding her child. 

He hoped those wouldn't be his last words, because as last words go, those were pretty weak.

@ZincAboutIt

@MacThorstenson

[Truthless of Shinovar]

Tels walked back from his pillaging and looting, weighed down by spheres, coins, clips, and other kinds of currency. He let out a whistle as he approached the giant building, where the force field had seemed to splitter out and die, like an old man taking his last breaths. This was the home of PlasmaCore, the guys everybody wanted to stop. So, without further ado, he stepped inside, and went looking for PlasmaCore members to take out.

@anybody/group that wants another guy on the team to help take down PlasmaCore 

[xinoehp512]

11 hours ago, AonEne said:

Deteca rattled off several names for Daa.

Quote

Do you have any idea who those would be?

Daa nodded and shot off, leaving Neil blinking and confused.

"So, uh..." A long pause. "Are you going to, uh..." An even longer pause. "..you know, be there?" His hands trembled slightly. His head felt very light, yet thick, like he was thinking through molasses. Except molasses were heavy. Maple syrup, then, perhaps? The Lite kind, made with who-knows-what in strange laboratories who-knows-where?

Focus, he thought, as though it would do him any good.

9 hours ago, Sorana said:

Zokora nodded.

"Get inside and find out what they are doing. I'm Zokora, by the way."

She gestured towards the barrier, watched it flicker again and again. A few seconds, then it was back up, only to vanish again.

"Any help is appreciated. Let's meet inside and see what we can find?"

Inhaling some stormlight she waited for the barrier to vanish again and then elsecalled inside.

@Darth Woodrack

===============================================

Mike finally saw some of their tropps and after a quick talk to an officer there, he turned towards the barrier. Get close, try to cross when it vanishes again. The troops had managed to clear a path and they were able to go there, the mist slowly vanishing. The barrier faltered and he started to run as fast as he could, crossed it and turned around to see if the others had been able to follow.

@Turtle373

@Ark's Boyfriend

@I think I am here.

@Vargo Seldon

================================================

@xinoehp512

Edahs hissed once more, then turned away. The mist hadn't responded, so he could assume no help was coming from that quarter.

I don't know if I can trust it, either. Nekorb might not have been in that helicopter, after all. Which meant it was probably best to stick to his original plan- wander around the Plasmacore building and try to find someone with information. It might not have worked the first time, but who knew? Things had changed.

With a start, he noticed a few people beginning to approach the building. He approached them, curious. Could they, perhaps, provide the answer?

@Sorana

[Voidus]

Laurelai stumbled into the alleyway at last, her hair hung, clinging to the sides of her head and water dripped both from it and from the Alethi dress that she'd been wearing. She bent over briefly in pain before coughing up a large volume of water.

Cursed underwater Alleys. Why did they ever think those would be a good idea?

She scanned her surroundings briefly, managing to pick out Lita quickly enough. But her partner in conversation was a little more of a surprise. The familiar bowler hat and suit, Mac had joined them in the alley.

Why is Mac here? Checking up on us? Did we mess anything up? Miss something?

She gave a small deferential nod towards Mac, frowning a little as the motion sent another stream of water down her face.

"Sorry, hit Alley U-347 on the way." She explained, gesturing towards her soaked form. "I'll just be a moment."

She closed her eyes, concentrating for a moment. Recent history like that was relatively easy to change, especially something like the path she'd taken to get here, she didn't even need different motivations, just a different chance.

Her hair returned to its previous well-groomed appearance, her clothes dried and smoothed out, and the droplets of water vanished from her skin.

[Clyde Froggins]

9 hours ago, Sorana said:

Mike finally saw some of their tropps and after a quick talk to an officer there, he turned towards the barrier. Get close, try to cross when it vanishes again. The troops had managed to clear a path and they were able to go there, the mist slowly vanishing. The barrier faltered and he started to run as fast as he could, crossed it and turned around to see if the others had been able to follow.

@Turtle373

@Ark's Boyfriend

@I think I am here.

@Vargo Seldon

 

Maxwell followed behind Mike, slowly making his way through the rubble and when he made it to the shield, he made it through by the skin of his teeth. 

[Sherlock Holmes]

Seom followed. 

@Sorana

[+Sorana]

2 hours ago, xinoehp512 said:

Edahs hissed once more, then turned away. The mist hadn't responded, so he could assume no help was coming from that quarter.

I don't know if I can trust it, either. Nekorb might not have been in that helicopter, after all. Which meant it was probably best to stick to his original plan- wander around the Plasmacore building and try to find someone with information. It might not have worked the first time, but who knew? Things had changed.

With a start, he noticed a few people beginning to approach the building. He approached them, curious. Could they, perhaps, provide the answer?

@Sorana

Zokora saw a dark, spren like being watch her, observe her. Her approached her, but stayed silent. Probably he couldn't talk.
"Do you want to return to Shadesmar?"
She asked it, tilting her head to the side.

==============================

Mike waved at the squad and then continued towards the building. The door was locked, an Aon drawn over it. All the windows were covered by Aons as well. Strange. You really needed to be paranoid to fortify your building like that. He pushed against the door, it was locked. Then he knelt down and took a closer look at the lock. Maybe they could break the door open. While the door was strengthed by the Aon, the lock itself had been replaced a few days ago, he could still see the marks. A smile spread over his face. With some luck, this could work.

"Can any of you break a door open? If we're lucky the bolt isn't part of it yet. So maybe the Aon only influences the door, and not the bolt."

@I think I am here.

@Ark's Boyfriend

@Clyde Froggins

@Vargo Seldon

[Sherlock Holmes]

"I can't."

[xinoehp512]

45 minutes ago, Sorana said:

Zokora saw a dark, spren like being watch her, observe her. Her approached her, but stayed silent. Probably he couldn't talk.
"Do you want to return to Shadesmar?"
She asked it, tilting her head to the side.

==============================

Mike waved at the squad and then continued towards the building. The door was locked, an Aon drawn over it. All the windows were covered by Aons as well. Strange. You really needed to be paranoid to fortify your building like that. He pushed against the door, it was locked. Then he knelt down and took a closer look at the lock. Maybe they could break the door open. While the door was strengthed by the Aon, the lock itself had been replaced a few days ago, he could still see the marks. A smile spread over his face. With some luck, this could work.

"Can any of you break a door open? If we're lucky the bolt isn't part of it yet. So maybe the Aon only influences the door, and not the bolt."

@I think I am here.

@Ark's Boyfriend

@Clyde Froggins

@Vargo Seldon

Edahs mimicked Zokora's head-tilt. Shadesmar? he thought, confused.

Absentmindedly, he let a drop of shadow-acid drop from his fingers and splash to the ground, leaving a small pockmark where it hit.

@Sorana

Edited June 11, 2019 by xinoehp512