The Knights Next Prequel

[+Sorana]

"Soon." she replied calmly and knelt down next to him. The man didn't seem to be running away anytime. Nor did Lewis. She looked at his wounds, noted the blood flowing from them, the way the fabric had been torn. Lifintg her glance she looked up into his face, relieved to see the determination there, to see the life brimming there. Life and not death. Still she nearly hastily got up and walked over to one of those lying around them. The man had lost his conciousness, but was obviously breathing and so she didn't stop to take a closer look at his wounds, somehow doubting that they had the time.

Instead she took his dark cloak and picked up a sharp piece of glass from the ground carrying both back to Lewis. Cutting the fabric in longer stripes she wrapped them around his wounds in an attempt to stop his bleeding. "I doubt that will help for long." she said while tying a knot and then got up, offered him a hand and her shoulder to lean on. "But maybe long enough to ask a few questions and find out what is going on."

@Eluvianii

[Eluvianii]

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Sorry about the delay. I tried to write something a few times but somehow couldn't focus.

Lewis watched Wita tend to his wounds. Of course only he would disregard something like that, and just after deciding to be happy. The irony almost made him laugh.

"Thanks." he said when Wita finished, gratefully accepting her help. The fact that he had been able to get those wounds without even flinching was amazing. Using the ring still terrified him, but one couldn't deny its uesfulness.

He turned toward the man who had been at the center of the circle. He wasn't the only one awake, but it was as good as asking any of the others. Maybe he even knew more. You didn't agree to be hurt like that without being completely sure about what you were doing. 

"Alright. Why don't you start by telling us what this is all about?" Foolish question. If they didn't know what they were trying to stop then why had they gone to such lenghts to stop it? Regardless the truth was they didn't know, and he was sure they wouldn't like the answer. But, it doesn't matter, does it? The only thing that mattered was making sure it didn't succeed.

@Sorana

[+Sorana]

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Don't worry about it. I'm not replying immediatly as well. Let's just keep a slow, but steady pace.

So - I started to improvise wildly here, we only roughly talked about their goal, so I hope it works for you.

Wita sat back on her feet and turned her head towards the man. He had looked up, one hand pressed against his side, dark blood visible between his fingers. He was hurt as well. At Lewis question he stared at them in disbelief, then tilted his head back and laughed. "You come here, you kill my men and you threaten me and you don't even know why?" he asked once he had calmed down and she grit her teeth. It was the truth, but looking at it like made her feel very, very foolish.

The man tried to get to his feet, but failed, instead he crawled over to a pillar and leaned against it. "We are trying travel to another world." He looked at them proudly. "We want to use the perpendicularity to access the cognitive realm and travel to another world."

Wita blinked and then leaned over to Lewis. "They are crazy." she whispered, never quite moving her eyes away from the man. "They are absolutely insane."

@Eluvianii

[Eluvianii]

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So, using the Perpendicularity splits it? In which case, does magic still work for allomancers in London if that happens?

Insane. Yes, that was the word for it. What were they even trying to stop? A bunch of lunatics trying to go on a magic trip? They were crazy, a group of freaks who read one too many books. They probably weren't even a problem to begin with.

No, they are, lunatics or not.

"So that's it? You just want to go on a vacation to Wonderland?" Lewis was growing more angry with every word. "Then why the secrecy? Why the murders? Why the-" The fires. He left that unvoiced, casting a glance towards Wita. "Why did people have to die for your little game?!" Why was there people like him? Lewis had nearly gone crazy over a single murder. Why were there people like this guy, killing like it was nothing just to feed their delusions?

@Sorana

[+Sorana]

4 hours ago, Eluvianii said:

So, using the Perpendicularity splits it? In which case, does magic still work for allomancers in London if that happens?

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Well, if I remember correctly we're supposed to leave the world in the state TKND started. And if I remember that state correctly, the perpendicularities weren't connected, so that certain types of investiture were kind of restricted to certain parts of the world. Like Radiancy to America and the metallic arts to Europe (and so on, we had a whole list for nearly everything). We still had some 'odd cases' because of the possibility of genetically spread some investiture (allomantic arts).

So my idea was, that they do something wrong (and thankfully we can have some kind of veil over what exactly, as neither Wita nor Lewis do have a clue), and afterwards the connections between the perpendicularities is weakened and Sha'Theoxis spreads, robbing those without Investiture of the knowledge that it exists. So we could just describe that vaguely, as some kind of feeling, maybe a dimming of colours, as people glancing at them weirdly when they use their powers openly afterwards.

If I'm completely wrong, please tell me, or if you have another idea, whatever. We never really discussed that part so....

==========

"Because they were in our way." the man frowned and looked at them as if not comprehending Lewis' point. "You see, we can't take anybody, and we hardly could walk up to the queen and ask to be allowed to use Big Ben for a ritual?"

He gave a short laugh at the thought alone. "You're crazy if you think that would have worked. No, we had to do it this way. This is our plan, our journey, our risk. And you-" he lifted his arms towards the ceiling, a wide smile spreading on his face when he took in the tiny, dark ball that had formed up there. "You won't stop us. It's done. The portal's opening and I will leave, I will go away, I will step into the power and then I will crush you midges, I will smash you to pieces and I will be the one people look up to. I will guard the gate, the portal, the rainbow bridge if you want to call it like that."

He started to laugh again, watched as the dark ball slowly started to grow, pure excitement on his face.

[Eluvianii]

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Gosh darn it, I did it again. I promise it's not on purpose.

Oh, so the metallic arts were on Europe. Sounds good then. Perpendicularities glow, right? So maybe have the beam of light split right there and in the end only one remains? The one that got stuck on Europe? I'm guessing, theoryzing, tentatively worldbuilding? I don't know at this point, but it could be that Sha-thoexis was trapped behind all the Perpendicularities, and then these people come and inadvertedly separate them while trying to worldhop, effectively breaking the lock, allowing her to escape. Thoughts on that?

Lewis looked up. There was something there. Anger led to confusion and then back to anger. What was going on? Was the man not crazy then? What was that thing? Did it really lead to another world? And most important of all, what would happen when it was done?

"Listen, I don't really care what your hopes and dreams are, or if you move to another planet but I won't let you go away just like that, so you tell me how to stop this or I'll make sure you can't even move to the door."

He was growing anxious. Were they really too late? He just had seen a group of men singing and dancing. Was that really all there was to this? Had they won? All those lives so this, thing, could appear?

@Sorana

[+Sorana]

22 minutes ago, Eluvianii said:

Oh, so the metallic arts were on Europe. Sounds good then. Perpendicularities glow, right? So maybe have the beam of light split right there and in the end only one remains? The one that got stuck on Europe? I'm guessing, theoryzing, tentatively worldbuilding? I don't know at this point, but it could be that Sha-thoexis was trapped behind all the Perpendicularities, and then these people come and inadvertedly separate them while trying to worldhop, effectively breaking the lock, allowing her to escape. Thoughts on that?

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It's a good idea.

So we have a beam of light that's splitting up, leaving a smaller one behind. Then maybe a shadow escaping = the unmade? We could have her still being tied a little to one of the larger beams (=the one heading to america = Radiants), as she was mostly active over there I think?

 

[Eluvianii]

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Oh right, that happened. So she clouds people's minds everywhere but only acts directly on Radiant territory? I don't really remember if she had influence in Europe. Elantrians had to keep their illusions up, didn't they? 

@Sorana

[+Sorana]

On 30.8.2020 at 8:35 PM, Eluvianii said:

Oh right, that happened. So she clouds people's minds everywhere but only acts directly on Radiant territory? I don't really remember if she had influence in Europe. Elantrians had to keep their illusions up, didn't they? 

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Yes, they did. Sha'Theoxis was mostly active in the states = Radiant Territory.

And sorry, kind of forgot about posting here. Let's finish this, we're nearly done.

=======

The dark ball changed a little, started to split up into different beams, growing lighter and lighter. Wita stared, watched in fear as whatever happened continued and she whirled around, stared at Lewis.

"There is nothing you can do, to stop me." the man laughed again, stepped forward into the ball, his shape changing, as if defusing. With a scream Wita ran forward, unable to come up with an alternative or any kind of plan at all. She only knew that she had to do something, that she had to act. Whatever they were trying to do, it was -

She rushed forward, her body hitting the man, but he was heavy, a lot heavier than she was and while he staggered a few steps forward, she mostly didn't move him at all. Instead he grabber her shirt and flung her to the side as if she were nothing but a toy.

And above him the grey beam grew brighter and brighter, splitting up even more. Pain shot through her back when she hit a wall and fell to the ground, her eyes drawn to the light above him. There was something, a shadow hiding behind the light, something coming closer. Terror filled her limbs at the sight, a terror she couldn't explain, she couldn't name. A terror she couldn't even grasp. The sight of the shadow alone was enough to make her skin go cold and her heart nearly stop beating.

"Watch out!" she yelled at Lewis, pointed at the thing, wished for her bracelet, wished to be able to escape the fear, to flee into the slow sluggish thoughts that were her home. But her bracelet wasn't here, it was with Lewis. His ring for her bracelet. No changes, no storing. Nothing but the plain truth of the terror making her limbs go limp and stiff at the same time, of the sight of the thing inside the light.

[Eluvianii]

On 8/10/2020 at 0:46 AM, Sorana said:

And sorry, kind of forgot about posting here. Let's finish this, we're nearly done.

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Same here. Gosh, I just got a taste of another part of being an adult (namely working and studying at the same time) and Storms, is it distracting. I've missed writing more than two words on the Shard.

"Wita!" Lewis yelled as he saw her hitting the wall. He started running to her but fell at the second step, his leg still badly wounded. His body was flowing with adrenaline but it still wasn't enough to even take a walk, let alone sprint. It was frustrating. He wanted to run and grab that guy by the collar. Maybe then they could-

"Watch out!" he heard. He turned to Wita and then to what she was looking at. It was difficult to describe. The light. That was one of the most beautiful things he had ever seen, and yet he was terrified to look at it. Because there was something hiding inside. Something dark. It scared him and the fact that it was inside the light only made it worse. It wanted to take over and once it did, everything would be lost.

Lewis had no evidence to support that thought but still he believed it with all he had. Suddenly he wasn't able to move from where he was and this time his leg had nothing to do with it. Without thinking, Lewis flared steel and Pushed every bit of metal he could find toward the thing. He spent everything in his pouch and some bits he found lying aroung. Bullets, shells, coins, everything he could find was a projectile. Soon his steel ran out, quickly exhausted in his panic, and nothing had changed save for some holes he had made into the wall.

The man was gone now, leaving them alone with that. The light was starting to fade and in response the shadow was starting to grow. The entire place had now an overwhelming aura about it. The building was still as water but he felt a pressure so strong, he could swear the place was about to fall apart. They had failed, but now he was more worried about their immediate safety. Lewis made an effort and limped towards Wita. "We should get out of here. I-I don't know what is happening but-" he tried to finish the sentence but drifted off. His thoughts were a mess. He didn't know what to do. He wanted to chase the man but he was gone. He wanted to finish the job, do what was needed for once, but it was impossible now. Above all he wanted to run but, would it make any difference?

Edited November 7, 2020 by Eluvianii