Chaotic Light: A CBST-Verse Adventure

[The Ward's Guard]

On 5/26/2021 at 1:03 PM, Shard of Thought said:

NO.

Star’s mind broke a barrier. She sought to control the thing like she could a character, only instead of letting it dangle on puppet strings, she skewered it and wrapped it in irons.

MINE.

The thing fought her grip, but she matched its intensity with her own, her desire to stay alive fighting against its desire to kill her.

We want the same thing, you fool. Death to the Narrators. If you’ll work with me. 

Outwardly, it almost seemed that the creature didn't notice save for its aim being thrown off from Star. The blade made a direct impact on the wall off to Star's side, but is was withdrawn faster than it had landed. The brick wall that it had cut through decayed at the touch of the blade, forming a crater in the wall that grew slowly. 
Star's chains were formidable, but the creature didn't seem to care. It's mind was impossibly focused on one thing, killing the Narrator that stood before it. Its mind seemed to shift and slide, all of its willpower focused into a single thought, empowering a single action that managed to force its way past the chains. It gained just enough leeway in a moment to lash out at Star, trying to physically pin Star before trying to strike at her core again.

When the creature escaped Star's chains enough to strike, it considered what little it knew of Star's character and compared it to her claim. Even though the line of thought had come quickly, it was dismissed with barely any hesitation as the creature didn't bother to stop itself from trying to land the killing blow.

[Zephrun’s Imperium]

Star glared, asserting her will. Sweat coalesced on her brow and she stood her ground, pointing to the ground like she was ordering a dog. 

Stop, she boomed. Her voice was astoundingly calm, though her knuckles were white. Its mind was almost hers, she could feel it. 

My will is stronger than yours and you know it; that is the advantage of having humanity. Stand down, or I will crush your mind. 

[xinoehp512]

16 hours ago, AmazingGoob said:

"I was minding my own business and I will continue to do so."

"You've been bound," said Grace. It wasn't a question. "By..." Her eyes widened. "That's impossible! What- how?"

On 5/26/2021 at 8:38 PM, xinoehp512 said:

"The Great War?" said Xinoehp. "Of course I know of it! I fought in it, after all..."

Michael listened with interest to Xinoehp's retelling of events, tapping his foot with slight agitation.

"Say," he interjected. "You didn't happen to see someone who looked kind of like me, but older?"

[Goob]

On 5/28/2021 at 7:46 AM, xinoehp512 said:

"You've been bound," said Grace. It wasn't a question. "By..." Her eyes widened. "That's impossible! What- how?"

Michael listened with interest to Xinoehp's retelling of events, tapping his foot with slight agitation.

"Say," he interjected. "You didn't happen to see someone who looked kind of like me, but older?"

His frown deepens. "What's impossible, girl?"

[xinoehp512]

6 hours ago, AmazingGoob said:

His frown deepens. "What's impossible, girl?"

"Your bindings are of light and order," replied Grace. "The hallmarks of a race of being no longer in existence."

On 5/28/2021 at 10:46 AM, xinoehp512 said:

Michael listened with interest to Xinoehp's retelling of events, tapping his foot with slight agitation.

"Say," he interjected. "You didn't happen to see someone who looked kind of like me, but older?"

Xinoehp frowned. "No, I can't say I did."

[Goob]

57 minutes ago, xinoehp512 said:

"Your bindings are of light and order," replied Grace. "The hallmarks of a race of being no longer in existence."

Xinoehp frowned. "No, I can't say I did."

"What are you talking about? I was bound by the Narrators of the Hall, nothing more and nothing less."

[xinoehp512]

10 hours ago, AmazingGoob said:

"What are you talking about? I was bound by the Narrators of the Hall, nothing more and nothing less."

"False," replied Grace. "The nature of light is something Narrators could produce... but not the nature of order. No matter how many of them there were."

[Goob]

5 hours ago, xinoehp512 said:

"False," replied Grace. "The nature of light is something Narrators could produce... but not the nature of order. No matter how many of them there were."

"Hmmm... So you are saying someone else was involved in my binding? Interesting..."

[The Ward's Guard]

On 5/27/2021 at 6:31 PM, Shard of Thought said:

Star glared, asserting her will. Sweat coalesced on her brow and she stood her ground, pointing to the ground like she was ordering a dog. 

Stop, she boomed. Her voice was astoundingly calm, though her knuckles were white. Its mind was almost hers, she could feel it. 

My will is stronger than yours and you know it; that is the advantage of having humanity. Stand down, or I will crush your mind. 

The creature continued to struggle at first, but it quickly recognized the futility of what its actions. Its strikes against Star slowed consistently as she gained a more powerful grip on the creatures mind. It still remained elusive, specific thoughts and plans appearing and disappearing faster than should be possible as it quickly tried to think of a way out of the current bind. A single thought became clear in its mind for a brief moment, despite its impenetrable facial expression. It was willing to listen to whatever Star had to say to it.

[Zephrun’s Imperium]

Star's mind broke through a second barrier, this one allowing her to claim the creature as her own. She gripped its mind harder in her mental claw, sweating profusely, and commanded it to kneel before her to assert her dominance. "Who sent you?" Star asked, panting. She summoned a sword to her hand and held the tip to the thing's throat.

Edited June 1, 2021 by Shard of Thought

[The Ward's Guard]

The creature held its peace, or whatever it was that clouded its mind. It kneeled, but the action wasn't hated or resented, simply done as an action to further its goal. It did not speak, but a single thought pierced its mind with a painful intensity, it was to kill Narrators. No one commanded it to do so, it was simply a duty that must be done, and the creature would see it through to its end.

[Zephrun’s Imperium]

Annoyed by its silence, Star poked the thing's neck with her sword, forgetting how solid it had been when she'd kicked it. She sighed. She could sense its intent perfectly well and could hardly condemn it for feeling what it did. "I, too, would like to kill Narrators," she said. "They killed my beloved. I'm not going to let you go - you'd kill me - but perhaps we could work together to achieve a shared goal. Whaddya say?"

Edited June 1, 2021 by Shard of Thought

[The Ward's Guard]

The creature's thoughts moved rapidly, considering and disregarding many ideas faster than one could blink. All of a sudden, its mind stopped as if it had come to a conclusion, but none was apparent in its head. Very slowly, the creature spoke. The words that escaped its mouth sounded and felt so foreign to the speaker, that it might as well as be just another series of sounds, pointless in origin and meaning. The voice itself seemed to grind, as if it were being created in part by the screech of metal on metal. "Service? No . . . function as one . . . How?"

Edited June 1, 2021 by The Ward's Guard

[Zephrun’s Imperium]

“I will command you,” Star said. “You’re obviously unstable. But I have consciousness. I can guide you. Do you accept?”

[xinoehp512]

On 5/31/2021 at 2:34 PM, AmazingGoob said:

"Hmmm... So you are saying someone else was involved in my binding? Interesting..."

Grace pondered for a moment. "I presume you would prefer the binding removed?"

[Goob]

On 6/1/2021 at 1:39 PM, xinoehp512 said:

Grace pondered for a moment. "I presume you would prefer the binding removed?"

"Well of course I would! Would you like to have to wriggle around with your hands and feet tied for months?"

[Random Bystander]

Valve tried to slip away with her machine without being noticed. I JUST WANT TO BE LEFT ALONE!!! IS THAT TO MUCH TO ASK?

[xinoehp512]

13 hours ago, AmazingGoob said:

"Well of course I would! Would you like to have to wriggle around with your hands and feet tied for months?"

"I should be able to remove the binding," replied Grace. "In exchange for some assistance from you, of course."

[Goob]

5 hours ago, xinoehp512 said:

"I should be able to remove the binding," replied Grace. "In exchange for some assistance from you, of course."

He raises an eyebrow before he smiles. "Of course. What do you wish me to do?"

Quote

Can she actually...? Because if she does, Spade is going to leave. He's just going to disappear back to his kingdom and cause more torment.

 

[The Ward's Guard]

On 5/31/2021 at 7:18 PM, Shard of Thought said:

“I will command you,” Star said. “You’re obviously unstable. But I have consciousness. I can guide you. Do you accept?”

The creature's mind blazed through countless thoughts and ideas on how to kill Star, or even just escape from its current entrapped position. Over and over again it reviewed scenarios and ideas, with actually accepting the Narrator's offer not even being considered. It would rather end itself than give its abilities over to one of those Narrators and help her achieve whatever harm she wished to do to the people of this world. 

[Zephrun’s Imperium]

Star hissed and jumped on the thing, pinning it to the ground with her knees on its stomach. "You have two choices," she spat. "Either you join me voluntarily or you will spend the rest of your existence as my slave. One is significantly more comfortable than the other. Now. Which do you choose?"

Edited June 7, 2021 by Shard of Thought

[The Ward's Guard]

The creature would have preferred death, and it prepared to end its own life. However, a second voice in its head spoke, although it was nearly indistinguishable from the first. It spoke in remembrance of the power of Narrators, and the creature's attitude shifted. The voices melded to thinking in unison in such a way that it felt as if they were, and always had been one mind. Its doubts were clear over Star's devotion to her cause, but it really saw no other choice.

[Zephrun’s Imperium]

Star checked its mind thoroughly for deceit before getting off of it. "Good," she said. "Good. Although we'll have to work on your silence. I know you can form sentences, even mental ones."

Edited June 7, 2021 by Shard of Thought

[xinoehp512]

On 6/4/2021 at 7:01 PM, AmazingGoob said:

Can she actually...? Because if she does, Spade is going to leave. He's just going to disappear back to his kingdom and cause more torment.

Quote

She's not going to do it up-front.

On 6/4/2021 at 7:01 PM, AmazingGoob said:

He raises an eyebrow before he smiles. "Of course. What do you wish me to do?"

 

"We are tracking down an... anomaly. Something that should not exist, and threatens reality by doing so."

On 5/30/2021 at 10:22 PM, xinoehp512 said:

Xinoehp frowned. "No, I can't say I did."

Michael sighed as Xinoehp launched back into his story. He supposed he shouldn't be too surprised- even without using Silence, warring Narrators would be too preoccupied to notice "lesser" beings. There were still plenty of leads that hadn't dead-

Suddenly, something Xinoehp said yanked Michael's attention firmly onto the Narrator's words. "I'm sorry- what did you say?" he asked, unsure if he had heard correctly.

"There was a strange figure," repeated Xinoehp. "More of an... anti-figure, if that makes sense? As if he was defined by emptiness, nonexistence..."

Or Silence, thought Michael to himself. Antonio, perhaps?

"He looked directly at me - I could feel his gaze - and then he was at my feet." continued Xinoehp. "The next thing I knew, everything went dark, and I was falling. I woke on an empty battlefield littered with the corpses of the shadow beasts- but the castle stood! We had won. But then that I noticed that my Narration was blocked. I've concluded that the strange figure is responsible somehow. So now I must track him down and confront him!"

Michael's eyes narrowed imperceptibly. Block a Narrator's powers? That was beyond the abilities of Antonio. That was beyond the abilities of every mime alive. And yet... the description of the strange figure sounded exactly like a mime. 

Something was going on here. And this Narrator was somehow involved in it all.

"I think I might have an idea who the strange figure is," Michael offered.

[Goob]

On 6/14/2021 at 10:34 PM, xinoehp512 said:

"We are tracking down an... anomaly. Something that should not exist, and threatens reality by doing so."

Michael sighed as Xinoehp launched back into his story. He supposed he shouldn't be too surprised- even without using Silence, warring Narrators would be too preoccupied to notice "lesser" beings. There were still plenty of leads that hadn't dead-

Suddenly, something Xinoehp said yanked Michael's attention firmly onto the Narrator's words. "I'm sorry- what did you say?" he asked, unsure if he had heard correctly.

"There was a strange figure," repeated Xinoehp. "More of an... anti-figure, if that makes sense? As if he was defined by emptiness, nonexistence..."

Or Silence, thought Michael to himself. Antonio, perhaps?

"He looked directly at me - I could feel his gaze - and then he was at my feet." continued Xinoehp. "The next thing I knew, everything went dark, and I was falling. I woke on an empty battlefield littered with the corpses of the shadow beasts- but the castle stood! We had won. But then that I noticed that my Narration was blocked. I've concluded that the strange figure is responsible somehow. So now I must track him down and confront him!"

Michael's eyes narrowed imperceptibly. Block a Narrator's powers? That was beyond the abilities of Antonio. That was beyond the abilities of every mime alive. And yet... the description of the strange figure sounded exactly like a mime. 

Something was going on here. And this Narrator was somehow involved in it all.

"I think I might have an idea who the strange figure is," Michael offered.

"Hmmm... I will help you, of course. I am simply wondering how in my weakened state I can be of aid to you, especially with an entity of this type who can supposedly block the powers of Narrators."