The Longest Thread (Misadventures)

[Thaidakar the Ghostblood he/him]

17 hours ago, Immortal Platypus said:

Hacob materialized in a plane of existence unknown to all save a few select people. "Alright Nowhere, where is he? I know you're harboring a Shadow somewhere. Where is he?" He strode forward aggressively, only to be blocked by Impossible.

"Calm down Hacob," he rumbled, before indicating past Nowhere. "If a Shadow came to us, don't you think we'd have told you?"

Time to finally do this again.

Thaidakar Von- no, that wasn't right. This was not Thaidakar Von Kelsier, but it was a Thaidakar. Watching from the peephole in the wall, Thaidakar saw Nowhere, back towards him, say calmly to Hacob, "A Shadow was here once, asking me for a favor. I did not give him a favor, besides a bomb that blew him up a mile from my house."

Thaidakar was confused, to say the least. One day he'd been doing his duty as a lawyer in his own world, the Court, when suddenly Shadow had arrived and taken him here in a whirl of what could only be described in his words as magic. Magic! It was a wonder he wasn't imagining it all. 

Ever since they had arrived, Shadow and Nowhere and been poking and prodding him, asking him questions. Every time he answered, however, they exchanged worried glances. From what he could glean from their questions, they needed him for something, or, at least, they thought they did. Even now, things could be going sour with the case he was supposed to take up back in the real world of the Court. 

Beside him, Shadow was carving a small piece of metal with a sliver of Narrativium Nowhere had given to him. "Quiet now," Shadow muttered to Thaidakar, "We mustn't give away our presence to them."

"I know..." Thaidakar replied in the same hushed tones. The truth was, he really didn't know. It felt as if he'd been stuffed into a horror movie that, without the context, was a comedy. 

Then again, as in his work as a lawyer, the greatest comedy could double as the greatest horror.

8 hours ago, Immortal Platypus said:

"The next balance, eh? Darkness, you are preventing the balance. Fine."

Platypus ignored the voice, blocking it out. He couldn't be distracted if he wanted to kill Darkness.

Platypus looked around, eyes finally open. "Never more so. Unfortunately, I have things to do." He feinted a charge at Darkness and then pursued, not fighting as hard as he could yet.

During the feint, this Darkness slammed one bo staff into Platypus' side, launching him into a forming rough wall. Darkness charged forward at him, anticipating a quick move. Red and black smoke swirled around Platypus, forming ethereal weapons, which attempted to hit Platypus.

"What is Balance?" the red eyed Darkness asked as he advanced on Platypus. "Is it the absence of evil or the presence of light? It is neither, for to have only one over the other is not balance, it is disharmony. It's a discordant tone that teaches of a great hypocrisy. To only push and never to pull is a path of no balance, it's the path of choosing one side over another. But what is true harmony? True harmony is evil and good together in a symphonic masterpiece of together-ness."

The voice... was not Darkness. It seemed... different. It was similar, very similar, but the way words were phrased, the way sentences were framed... this was not Darkness. 

It wasn't.

Because Darkness was somewhere else entirely.

 

 

Darkness felt a hand on his shoulder. Small, petite. A hand he'd wanted to feel for a long time. "Stay and be happy, Brighton," her cursed voice said.

Pain wracked his every nerve as tears dripped to the ground. "I can't."

"Why not? You could be happy!" she turned him to face her. Behind her was Mythos holding the crown, ready to give it to him. "You could rule! You could control Fate!"

"I won't," Darkness whispered, "I can't. If I do... then they won't be saved."

"They won't ever appreciate you! You can stay and be appreciated by the ones you love!" The woman of his dreams said.

Mythos grinned at him, "You'd be worshipped as the king, you would be loved, adored, truly!"

Darkness turned away from them, "Take me from this cursed place! I will get what I want in the end if I die trying... If I have to kill them all, if I have to destroy their lives, if I have to rip them limb from limb, I will accomplish their salvation. I will save them from the hands of TLT as we know it."

They all looked at him, disappointed, disdainful, angry. The scene froze. A tall, hooded figure formed infront of him, "It's time to move on."

"I know," Darkness said, wiping his eyes, forming back into his pure shadow form, purple energy swimming around him. "What is the next trial?"

Thaidakar smiled from under the hood, "You'll see." He snapped his fingers and Darkness reformed in a long hallway. Giant stained glass windows depicting events he knew well stood in the walls, dim light flickering through them.

"What is this?" Darkness asked, striding forward. "What am I supposed to do here?"

"Remember the knife," a voice whispered in his ears.

"Darkness!" a voice yelled from behind him. Darkness turned. A man in his late twenties stood behind him wearing a green and silver battered uniform. His gritty blond beard outlined his sharp features. "I will kill you for what you have done to my family, to my friends and to the world I love! Ready to die, curse bringer?" Micheal pulled out two glowing green pistols. And yet... his eyes were glowing green. That was not normal.

Darkness shrugged it off, pulling out the knife and falling into a ready position, "I should be asking you that question." 

Not waiting for Micheal, Darkness rushed forward, faster than an ordinary man. Micheal shot one of his pistols. Darkness did a quick calculation, throwing the dagger at the gun, hitting the bullet into the roof. The knife hit the roof, falling right into Darkness's outstretched hand. 

Micheal grinned, spinning his guns and firing a few more shots as darkness dodged them, getting closer and closer, "Let's dance, you light blinded fool!"

 

It was funny, really, the way Mythos asked questions about the rebellion and what had been happening the past few months. Micheal filled him in on the raids, skirmishes, the locating and relocating of Shadows. So far they'd found and hidden 90 of them. Apparently, most of the Shadows had been pulled into TLT again once Darkness had gotten powerful enough. However, a few remained out in the multiverse. As far as Micheal knew, Darkness' agents were finding them and killing them, sending the energy to Darkness. 

The vehicle bumped, going over a familiar rock. "Micheal, Spook is on Darkness' side."

"Yes, I know," Micheal said, regret tinging his voice. "He killed some of my men the day he joined with Darkness. He's been a pain for the past few months." And I've grown in that same amount of time.

Mythos nodded, "How long has Rond been on our side?" He grimaced as a bruise fluctuated on his face. The stone mask had been rough on him.

"He contacted us shortly after Spook joined Darkness," Spook said shortly. "We've been working together ever since."

They sat in silence as the armored vehicle lumbered on through the trees, stumbling over rocks as rain plinked a tune upon the leaves. There was a crack of thunder, accompanied by a bright flash, lighting up the dim room in the vehicle which they inhabited. The rain grew from the drizzle to a downpour. 

"Micheal... you seem different than the last time we met. You've grown your beard out," Mythos said, looking fatigued the way he moved his limbs, yet his eyes were excited. "Is everything alright?"

Micheal hesitated, affirmed, "Yes, everything is fine. I'm just a bit tired from planning almost all of last night." and the night before, and the night before that. "How about you, Mythos, prison treating you well? Rond gave me a report on some things last week, but I want to hear it from you."

"Unfortunately, no," Mythos said, slightly uncomfortable. "The accommodations were far from appreciable. Getting a whipping every day with a stone mask strapped to my head after glop was forced down my throat was farther than far from appreciable."

"I'm sorry that we couldn't get you out sooner," Micheal said, wincing. Thunder and lightning crackled outside. "We've had a lot of things to do. It isn't hard to fight against a being who can generate infinite metal who has an army of fanatical priests and civilian body shields."

"I can imagine... Brighton is a force to be reckoned with." Valerian bit his lip and closed his eyes, breathing in deeply. He opened them. Mythos said, "Darkness will have to be defeated. what's the plan for that?"

"Well... the current plan is that we follow the prophesy which we found the papers you wrote on it," Micheal patted Mythos' shoulder, face contorting in a smile, "thanks for those by the way."

"Anytime."

"Well, we figured that we can slowly take resources from Darkness and make his soldiers to protect them so that his heart is open to be stabbed," Micheal explained. "As for Darkness himself, we need to find as many Narrators and people with Plotblades to attack Darkness at once with all they've got. That is the only guaranteed way we can beat him."

"How many do you have?" Mythos questioned. "Is platypus around?"

"He's missing."

"Hacob?"

"Unsure."

Mythos gripped the side of his seat as they went over a large bump in the road. "Sequence?"

"Prepping the team to ask them."

"That's good..." Mythos said. "Are any of the others being questioned or have joined?"

"We've only recently added this part of the plan to our overall goals," Micheal said, feeling embarrassed. 

"What about Moni?" Mythos asked. "Has she been asked?"

"You know what the answer is already, we don't need to ask," Micheal replied. "It would be a waste of time. She won't use it to destroy."

"Hmm.." Mythos didn't argue the point. "Can I help in any way?" He grunted as they rounded a turn, grabbing his stiff arms in each other's grips. "Maybe after I get some rest..."

"That would be wise," Micheal said. "You could help us convince Rym or one of the others. Perhaps you could help get Onyx to consider a meeting, if he's still around."

Micheal watched as Mythos agreed, thinking of the events that would begin to unfold. Things would start to get exciting now that he had a figurehead to lift up. Now that peoples' memories were restored of the events from before the first page, they would follow him. It would be key to get more soldiers and people in Micheal's organization.

The vehicle slowed to a stop and the rain lightened up. Thunder still boomed above as Micheal opened the door, drenched soldiers leaping off the vehicle and leading the way through the trees to a wide cavernous opening into a cave with multiple paths open. Micheal led the way through each twist and turn, going in circles once or twice to make sure Mythos didn't see the exact way. 

Finally, they arrived.

 

Mythos had his mouth open wide as they stepped onto a wooden dock with legions of boats ready with torches hovering above each one, as if ready to fall down at a moment's notice. But it wasn't the dock that made his eyes widen, it was what was beyond the dock. His eyes trailed across an enormous lake of water, pink-ish red rock adorning the bottom. He followed the wide opening of strata into a vast expanse that could house at least two cities. in fact, it housed one. In the middle of the lake was an island of the same pink rock as the walls were formed from; and on the island sat a city with towers, houses, shops, docks, fish, and the most glorious light. On the walls around it there were glowing rectangular rocks cemented in them, glowing brightly a few feet away from eachother. The light gave an affect making it seem as a glowing city.

Micheal turned to Mythos, the stress lines on his face seeming to melt away, "Mythos, my friend, welcome to The City of Floating Lights. And," he added, "My home."

[Immortal Platypus]

Quote

It was funny, really, the way Mythos asked questions about the rebellion and what had been happening the past few months. Micheal filled him in on the raids, skirmishes, the locating and relocating of Shadows. So far they'd found and hidden 90 of them. Apparently, most of the Shadows had been pulled into TLT again once Darkness had gotten powerful enough. However, a few remained out in the multiverse. As far as Micheal knew, Darkness' agents were finding them and killing them, sending the energy to Darkness. 

The vehicle bumped, going over a familiar rock. "Micheal, Spook is on Darkness' side."

"Yes, I know," Micheal said, regret tinging his voice. "He killed some of my men the day he joined with Darkness. He's been a pain for the past few months." And I've grown in that same amount of time.

Mythos nodded, "How long has Rond been on our side?" He grimaced as a bruise fluctuated on his face. The stone mask had been rough on him.

"He contacted us shortly after Spook joined Darkness," Spook said shortly. "We've been working together ever since."

They sat in silence as the armored vehicle lumbered on through the trees, stumbling over rocks as rain plinked a tune upon the leaves. There was a crack of thunder, accompanied by a bright flash, lighting up the dim room in the vehicle which they inhabited. The rain grew from the drizzle to a downpour. 

"Micheal... you seem different than the last time we met. You've grown your beard out," Mythos said, looking fatigued the way he moved his limbs, yet his eyes were excited. "Is everything alright?"

Micheal hesitated, affirmed, "Yes, everything is fine. I'm just a bit tired from planning almost all of last night." and the night before, and the night before that. "How about you, Mythos, prison treating you well? Rond gave me a report on some things last week, but I want to hear it from you."

"Unfortunately, no," Mythos said, slightly uncomfortable. "The accommodations were far from appreciable. Getting a whipping every day with a stone mask strapped to my head after glop was forced down my throat was farther than far from appreciable."

"I'm sorry that we couldn't get you out sooner," Micheal said, wincing. Thunder and lightning crackled outside. "We've had a lot of things to do. It isn't hard to fight against a being who can generate infinite metal who has an army of fanatical priests and civilian body shields."

"I can imagine... Brighton is a force to be reckoned with." Valerian bit his lip and closed his eyes, breathing in deeply. He opened them. Mythos said, "Darkness will have to be defeated. what's the plan for that?"

"Well... the current plan is that we follow the prophesy which we found the papers you wrote on it," Micheal patted Mythos' shoulder, face contorting in a smile, "thanks for those by the way."

"Anytime."

"Well, we figured that we can slowly take resources from Darkness and make his soldiers to protect them so that his heart is open to be stabbed," Micheal explained. "As for Darkness himself, we need to find as many Narrators and people with Plotblades to attack Darkness at once with all they've got. That is the only guaranteed way we can beat him."

"How many do you have?" Mythos questioned. "Is platypus around?"

"He's missing."

"Hacob?"

"Unsure."

Mythos gripped the side of his seat as they went over a large bump in the road. "Sequence?"

"Prepping the team to ask them."

"That's good..." Mythos said. "Are any of the others being questioned or have joined?"

"We've only recently added this part of the plan to our overall goals," Micheal said, feeling embarrassed. 

"What about Moni?" Mythos asked. "Has she been asked?"

"You know what the answer is already, we don't need to ask," Micheal replied. "It would be a waste of time. She won't use it to destroy."

"Hmm.." Mythos didn't argue the point. "Can I help in any way?" He grunted as they rounded a turn, grabbing his stiff arms in each other's grips. "Maybe after I get some rest..."

"That would be wise," Micheal said. "You could help us convince Rym or one of the others. Perhaps you could help get Onyx to consider a meeting, if he's still around."

Micheal watched as Mythos agreed, thinking of the events that would begin to unfold. Things would start to get exciting now that he had a figurehead to lift up. Now that peoples' memories were restored of the events from before the first page, they would follow him. It would be key to get more soldiers and people in Micheal's organization.

The vehicle slowed to a stop and the rain lightened up. Thunder still boomed above as Micheal opened the door, drenched soldiers leaping off the vehicle and leading the way through the trees to a wide cavernous opening into a cave with multiple paths open. Micheal led the way through each twist and turn, going in circles once or twice to make sure Mythos didn't see the exact way. 

Finally, they arrived.

I'm so happy that Platypus and Hacob were the first two asked about  

26 minutes ago, Thaidakar the Ghostblood said:

Time to finally do this again.

Thaidakar Von- no, that wasn't right. This was not Thaidakar Von Kelsier, but it was a Thaidakar. Watching from the peephole in the wall, Thaidakar saw Nowhere, back towards him, say calmly to Hacob, "A Shadow was here once, asking me for a favor. I did not give him a favor, besides a bomb that blew him up a mile from my house."

Thaidakar was confused, to say the least. One day he'd been doing his duty as a lawyer in his own world, the Court, when suddenly Shadow had arrived and taken him here in a whirl of what could only be described in his words as magic. Magic! It was a wonder he wasn't imagining it all. 

Ever since they had arrived, Shadow and Nowhere and been poking and prodding him, asking him questions. Every time he answered, however, they exchanged worried glances. From what he could glean from their questions, they needed him for something, or, at least, they thought they did. Even now, things could be going sour with the case he was supposed to take up back in the real world of the Court. 

Beside him, Shadow was carving a small piece of metal with a sliver of Narrativium Nowhere had given to him. "Quiet now," Shadow muttered to Thaidakar, "We mustn't give away our presence to them."

"I know..." Thaidakar replied in the same hushed tones. The truth was, he really didn't know. It felt as if he'd been stuffed into a horror movie that, without the context, was a comedy. 

Then again, as in his work as a lawyer, the greatest comedy could double as the greatest horror.

"Liar." The word shot off his tongue before he could stop it. "Nowhere, there is no point in lying to me. I know that you have a plan, and I know that you didn't blow up a Shadow recently. There have been many that died, but none too close to here. Where is he? I need to talk to him. He has a plan, and I need to know what it is. The Shadows always have a plan." He cocked his head seeming to be listening to something. "My Author is telling me that I need to work with them. That is part of my role here. The other part, I don't know yet. Now where is he?" Hacob moved towards him, only to pause, listening again.

"SHADOW!" he bellowed suddenly. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE! THIS COULD UPSET THE BALANCE OF TLT! YOU OF ALL PEOPLE SHOULD KNOW THAT ONLY THE ENNULERS BRING PEOPLE HERE!" He changed course, no longer trying to move to Nowhere, instead trying to pass him, seemingly knowing where Shadow was. "COME OUT HERE! STOP HIDING!" He took a deep breath, visibly restraining himself. "I still need to work with you, and it's becoming clearer what the rest of my role here is. If you want that man to become as Thaidakar Von Kelsier was, he'll need training. Training few besides a Narrator could provide. Platypus knew him well, fought him, and fought beside him. Much of that knowledge is mine. As Platypus is... let's say, occupied, it is I who must teach him, unless you plan to summon Nameless to do that," he finished scornfully. "Now get your behind out here before I make you."

Quote

During the feint, this Darkness slammed one bo staff into Platypus' side, launching him into a forming rough wall. Darkness charged forward at him, anticipating a quick move. Red and black smoke swirled around Platypus, forming ethereal weapons, which attempted to hit Platypus.

"What is Balance?" the red eyed Darkness asked as he advanced on Platypus. "Is it the absence of evil or the presence of light? It is neither, for to have only one over the other is not balance, it is disharmony. It's a discordant tone that teaches of a great hypocrisy. To only push and never to pull is a path of no balance, it's the path of choosing one side over another. But what is true harmony? True harmony is evil and good together in a symphonic masterpiece of together-ness."

The voice... was not Darkness. It seemed... different. It was similar, very similar, but the way words were phrased, the way sentences were framed... this was not Darkness. 

It wasn't.

Because Darkness was somewhere else entirely.

Letting the bo staff hit him to remind himself of the consequences that rode on this, Platypus advanced.

"Both light and dark must be present for Balance. On that, we can agree. But there is plenty of Dark in this world, and the light is leaving. That is why the Witherlord lies dormant. He cannot stir while such little light remains in TLT. You are upsetting the balance. Your Darkness must be Illuminated." Platypus changed. It was a change very few could recognize. Balance itself could, along with Onyx, and possibly the Narrators of old like Nameless. He'd been a Narrator for a while, as that was what he was most comfortable with. Now he shifted back to what he had become. Glowing with a fierce light, he evaporated the smoke-made ethereal weapons.

"You are not Darkness, but I must defeat you in order to defeat him. Surrender or prepare to be humiliated." Glowing walls sprung up, changing the broad area into a circular fighting arena. Platypus was a singular area of light at the edge of the circle, but he cut through it, lighting up the area. The light solidified into armor around him, but as he tried to make a sword of it, he realized that wasn't what he could use. Silver dagger in hand, glowing armor gleaming as though it were liquid gold, swirling with his movements, he began to push forward, fighting harder and harder. One mantra echoed in his head. I must preserve the balance.

[The Bookwyrm he/him]

16 hours ago, NameIess said:

Nin's master laughed hoarsely. "A great teacher, eh?" His laughter died, and his expression filled with sorrow. "I have never been a great teacher. Though I have taught dozens of students, I have never managed to lead any of them to mastery of my techniques. None of them have ever surpassed my peak, save for Nin, and he only did so after he abandoned my path to forge his own."

Nin's master took a step towards Avatar, legs trembling at the effort, and spoke in a low whisper. "Do you know what it is to grow old as I have? To feel your strength drain away, replaced by a pathetic weakness? Do you know what it is to feel your instincts abandon you, to watch as your mind and soul decay away until thinking is more tiring than the greatest battles of your youth?"

Avatar put a hand on Nin's master's shoulder.

"You are in pain," he said softly. "You suffer."

He rammed the Plotblade into Nin's master's gut.

"Let me take that away from you."

Tendrils of energy ran from Nin's master along the blade to Avatar's hand. He smiled as years of experience and knowledge poured into him.

"You say you aren't great. And maybe you aren't, in the grand scheme of the Thread. But I? I am nothing. Far less than you ever were. My Narrator left me with nothing of my own. He spared no attention on me. I just happened.

"But now," Avatar sneered, driving the blade deeper, "you will be the start of what makes me into everything. You should be grateful for that."

Edited February 9, 2024 by The Bookwyrm

[Ookla de los Cuervos he/him]

1 minute ago, The Bookwyrm said:

Avatar put a hand on Nin's master's shoulder.

"You are in pain," he said softly. "You suffer."

He rammed the Plotblade into Nin's master's gut.

"Let me take that away from you."

Tendrils of energy ran from Nin's master along the blade to Avatar's hand. He smiled as years of experience and knowledge poured into him.

"You may not be great on your own. But I? I am nothing. Less than you. My Narrator left me with nothing of my own.

"But you-" Avatar sneered, driving the blade deeper, "Will be the start of what makes me into everything. You should be grateful for that."

Abalador screams in shock. "IM ALL FOR KILLING OLD PEOPLE BUT ONLY IN AN HONORABLE FIGHT!"

[NameIess]

36 minutes ago, The Bookwyrm said:

Avatar put a hand on Nin's master's shoulder.

"You are in pain," he said softly. "You suffer."

He rammed the Plotblade into Nin's master's gut.

"Let me take that away from you."

Tendrils of energy ran from Nin's master along the blade to Avatar's hand. He smiled as years of experience and knowledge poured into him.

"You say you aren't great. And maybe you aren't, in the grand scheme of the Thread. But I? I am nothing. Far less than you ever were. My Narrator left me with nothing of my own. He spared no attention on me. I just happened.

"But now," Avatar sneered, driving the blade deeper, "you will be the start of what makes me into everything. You should be grateful for that."

Nin's master coughed up blood, weakly punching Avatar with his left hand. "Long have I wondered how my life would end. This... is not so bad an ending." A smile formed on his aged face.

Then his right hand moved with impossible (for a man with his physique) speed, palm slamming into Avatar's chest and shoving the two of them apart. Nin's master stumbled, putting pressure on his wound with his left hand, but remained standing. "You know, I suppose this is to be expected, but... I doubt you've heard of my technique, have you?"

Nin's master pressed his right palm against his own chest, smile turning into a wicked grin. "This next bit has always been my favorite."

Unity vibrated in Avatar's hands, and for a moment he could see a line of light connecting him to Nin's master. Then that light vanished, the room grew dim, and his strength drained away. Pain filled him, every joint, muscle, bone, and organ in his body screaming with agony. A fog grew over his mind, making it difficult to even think. Unity became dull in his hands, and the power that had poured into him vanished like a thin mist before the sun.

Nin's master chuckled. "Do you like my technique? Any powers that you have and I do not have been sealed away. Your body, mind, and soul have been weakened to match my own. I may be old, dying man, but for the moment, you are too."

[Ookla de los Cuervos he/him]

2 minutes ago, NameIess said:

Nin's master coughed up blood, weakly punching Avatar with his left hand. "Long have I wondered how my life would end. This... is not so bad an ending." A smile formed on his aged face.

Then his right hand moved with impossible (for a man with his physique) speed, palm slamming into Avatar's chest and shoving the two of them apart. Nin's master stumbled, putting pressure on his wound with his left hand, but remained standing. "You know, I suppose this is to be expected, but... I doubt you've heard of my technique, have you?"

Nin's master pressed his right palm against his own chest, smile turning into a wicked grin. "This next bit has always been my favorite."

Unity vibrated in Avatar's hands, and for a moment he could see a line of light connecting him to Nin's master. Then that light vanished, the room grew dim, and his strength drained away. Pain filled him, every joint, muscle, bone, and organ in his body screaming with agony. A fog grew over his mind, making it difficult to even think. Unity became dull in his hands, and the power that had poured into him vanished like a thin mist before the sun.

Nin's master chuckled. "Do you like my technique? Any powers that you have and I do not have been sealed away. Your body, mind, and soul have been weakened to match my own. I may be old, dying man, but for the moment, you are too."

Abalador grins. "I like that"

[The Bookwyrm he/him]

27 minutes ago, NameIess said:

Nin's master coughed up blood, weakly punching Avatar with his left hand. "Long have I wondered how my life would end. This... is not so bad an ending." A smile formed on his aged face.

Then his right hand moved with impossible (for a man with his physique) speed, palm slamming into Avatar's chest and shoving the two of them apart. Nin's master stumbled, putting pressure on his wound with his left hand, but remained standing. "You know, I suppose this is to be expected, but... I doubt you've heard of my technique, have you?"

Nin's master pressed his right palm against his own chest, smile turning into a wicked grin. "This next bit has always been my favorite."

Unity vibrated in Avatar's hands, and for a moment he could see a line of light connecting him to Nin's master. Then that light vanished, the room grew dim, and his strength drained away. Pain filled him, every joint, muscle, bone, and organ in his body screaming with agony. A fog grew over his mind, making it difficult to even think. Unity became dull in his hands, and the power that had poured into him vanished like a thin mist before the sun.

Nin's master chuckled. "Do you like my technique? Any powers that you have and I do not have been sealed away. Your body, mind, and soul have been weakened to match my own. I may be old, dying man, but for the moment, you are too."

Avatar grimaced as he fell to his hands and knees, gritting his teeth to avoid crying out in pain. He coughed, and a fine mist of blood coated the ground in front of him.

He stayed there for a moment, trying to catch his breath and gather his thoughts. It was...so hard.

He coughed again, then smiled. "I won't have to wait long, though, won't I?"

He slowly reached out and took Unity by it's hilt. Then he reached into his own being, a being that now reflected that of Nin's master.

There.

Avatar found the technique that had let Nin's master move with such speed and strength, hidden in the recesses of a now unfamiliar mind.

He burst forward suddenly, striking Nin's master in the chest with Unity's pommel, hard enough to knock him over.

"You shouldn't have shaped my soul to match yours if you didn't want me to use your techniques."

He stumbled, weak. So tired... But, harnessing as much strength as he could, he once again stabbed Unity toward's Nin's master's torso.

Edited February 9, 2024 by The Bookwyrm

[NameIess]

5 hours ago, The Bookwyrm said:

Avatar grimaced as he fell to his hands and knees, gritting his teeth to avoid crying out in pain. He coughed, and a fine mist of blood coated the ground in front of him.

He stayed there for a moment, trying to catch his breath and gather his thoughts. It was...so hard.

He coughed again, then smiled. "I won't have to wait long, though, won't I?"

He slowly reached out and took Unity by it's hilt. Then he reached into his own being, a being that now reflected that of Nin's master.

There.

Avatar found the technique that had let Nin's master move with such speed and strength, hidden in the recesses of a now unfamiliar mind.

He burst forward suddenly, striking Nin's master in the chest with Unity's pommel, hard enough to knock him over.

"You shouldn't have shaped my soul to match yours if you didn't want me to use your techniques."

He stumbled, weak. So tired... But, harnessing as much strength as he could, he once again stabbed Unity toward's Nin's master's torso.

Nin's master dodged the Plotblade, moving with slightly more grace than Avatar could manage.

"I'd be careful using that technique. It shortens your lifespan, and I only had a few months left before you stabbed me."

He circled around the room, grabbing a staff from beside his cot.

"You're lucky you have that sword. Most of the time, using my equalization ends a fight immediately." He frowned, gaze flickering over to Unity. "Strangely, that power seems... familiar."

[Thaidakar the Ghostblood he/him]

17 hours ago, Immortal Platypus said:

I'm so happy that Platypus and Hacob were the first two asked about  

XD. I checked the doc with TLT stuff on it and basically just picked someone besides Platypus who I knew was still being played and Micheal and Mythos probably would have heard of.

17 hours ago, Immortal Platypus said:

"Liar." The word shot off his tongue before he could stop it. "Nowhere, there is no point in lying to me. I know that you have a plan, and I know that you didn't blow up a Shadow recently. There have been many that died, but none too close to here. Where is he? I need to talk to him. He has a plan, and I need to know what it is. The Shadows always have a plan." He cocked his head seeming to be listening to something. "My Author is telling me that I need to work with them. That is part of my role here. The other part, I don't know yet. Now where is he?" Hacob moved towards him, only to pause, listening again.

"SHADOW!" he bellowed suddenly. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE! THIS COULD UPSET THE BALANCE OF TLT! YOU OF ALL PEOPLE SHOULD KNOW THAT ONLY THE ENNULERS BRING PEOPLE HERE!" He changed course, no longer trying to move to Nowhere, instead trying to pass him, seemingly knowing where Shadow was. "COME OUT HERE! STOP HIDING!" He took a deep breath, visibly restraining himself. "I still need to work with you, and it's becoming clearer what the rest of my role here is. If you want that man to become as Thaidakar Von Kelsier was, he'll need training. Training few besides a Narrator could provide. Platypus knew him well, fought him, and fought beside him. Much of that knowledge is mine. As Platypus is... let's say, occupied, it is I who must teach him, unless you plan to summon Nameless to do that," he finished scornfully. "Now get your behind out here before I make you."

Shadow's lips turned up into a grin, hearing Hacob's voice echoing through the facility. Beside him, the child of Thaidakar's multiversial format stood, looking terrified. Poor young one, but things could not be altered. Specific things needed to happen.

He leaned over and muttered a few things in the Thaidakar who was not a Thaidakar's ear. No, this one was not Thaidakar from TLT, nor was he Thaidakar from other things. he was himself to the greatest extent he could be. However, there were a few traits dominant from his spiritual ancestry that Shadow could awaken. All Thaidakars were arrogant in some way, whether it be conscious or not. This was the Thaidakar who was most like Thaidakar the Narrator, and that was what was important. 

Shadow touched the grate, converting to energy and forming beside Nowhere in his pale, suited form, "You claim to know what I want to do with this Thaidakar? You presume to know much, but know very little. With Darkness' return, I have had an awakening to what could be. I am Darkness, in a way. I can begin to guess some of what he is doing to end TLT, and I can guess what some of the prophesies have meant. Will you interfere with my plan or assist me with what I want to do?"

Nowhere said nothing, watching all of this, hand slipping into his pocket and touching a small metal disk. Just in case... he thought.

20 hours ago, Immortal Platypus said:

Letting the bo staff hit him to remind himself of the consequences that rode on this, Platypus advanced.

"Both light and dark must be present for Balance. On that, we can agree. But there is plenty of Dark in this world, and the light is leaving. That is why the Witherlord lies dormant. He cannot stir while such little light remains in TLT. You are upsetting the balance. Your Darkness must be Illuminated." Platypus changed. It was a change very few could recognize. Balance itself could, along with Onyx, and possibly the Narrators of old like Nameless. He'd been a Narrator for a while, as that was what he was most comfortable with. Now he shifted back to what he had become. Glowing with a fierce light, he evaporated the smoke-made ethereal weapons.

"You are not Darkness, but I must defeat you in order to defeat him. Surrender or prepare to be humiliated." Glowing walls sprung up, changing the broad area into a circular fighting arena. Platypus was a singular area of light at the edge of the circle, but he cut through it, lighting up the area. The light solidified into armor around him, but as he tried to make a sword of it, he realized that wasn't what he could use. Silver dagger in hand, glowing armor gleaming as though it were liquid gold, swirling with his movements, he began to push forward, fighting harder and harder. One mantra echoed in his head. I must preserve the balance.

Darkness pushed back, energy flowing from him. Three of the walls turned into a marbling mass of red and black. "Behold the representation of yourself."

And, with that, that same lightning fast energy which had come before slammed into Platypus' chest, throwing him back.

He was in the dark room, Darkness forming in front of him. The voice whispered once more: "Remember the knife."

Darkness had six arms now, each one had an end of three blades, "Ready to die?"

[The Bookwyrm he/him]

On 2/9/2024 at 5:23 PM, NameIess said:

Nin's master dodged the Plotblade, moving with slightly more grace than Avatar could manage.

"I'd be careful using that technique. It shortens your lifespan, and I only had a few months left before you stabbed me."

He circled around the room, grabbing a staff from beside his cot.

"You're lucky you have that sword. Most of the time, using my equalization ends a fight immediately." He frowned, gaze flickering over to Unity. "Strangely, that power seems... familiar."

Avatar lost his balance due to the strike and fell to the ground.

He grimaced and struggled to stand again, using the sword to prop himself up. Once standing, he fell into a sturdy stance, waiting for Nin's master to strike.

"I wouldn't know why. Seeing as you're so insistent on holding onto your experience, your life, despite it being a torture." Avatar sneered at Nin's master. "You like feeling in control, don't you? You like to see me struggle, inflicted by your own torments. You enjoy watching me cough and stumble and fall. It's a miracle you trained any students at all. You're a sad old man who despite knowing his horrible weaknesses desperately clings to any particle of dominance he can find."

He held the stance, standing perfectly still. "Did it hurt? Did it hurt when Nin surpassed you?"

[NameIess]

I heard you guys liked long posts? I was planning to make this one longer, but the last sentence on Moni's story seemed like the perfect spot to have a cliffhanger at.

(Also, it might be like 1:30 AM where I am so I should really be asleep right now)

Moni tumbled through a doorway and fell flat onto her face, breathing  heavily and resisting the urge to claw her eyeballs from their sockets.

She stood warily, shaking sand from her cloak as she examined her new surroundings. She appeared to be in a room of a style that was vaguely recognizable, but there was a certain dreamlike, uncertain quality to everything that she'd grown quite familiar with during her recent travels.

There were two shapes in the room. One could only be described as darkness, a shadow of purest evil. The darkness dominated the room and threatened to destroy the other shape, a swirling mass of chaos wielding a blade made of hatred. Moni got the feeling that the battle here was important, and that the second shape didn't have much of a chance on its own. As she watched, a door that hadn't been there a moment ago slammed open, and something entered with dramatic flair.

Well, "something" was perhaps an improper descriptor. It appeared that multiple somethings came through the door, each layered on top of one another, none completely real. As Moni squinted, vague impressions entered her mind from some of the more distinct shadows. Out of them all, two shapes stood out: The shape that seemed most solid was that of a reluctant heroine, and the least solid but for some reason most distinct to Moni's eyes implied a triumphant return transformed to horror.

Moni smiled in satisfaction as the second shape faded entirely. Glad to see I've done some good at least. She started walking to the door that the shapes had entered through, renewed purpose coursing through her veins.

Moni, you're not going to get anywhere like this. 

Moni froze momentarily, hand going to the sword that hung sheathed at her side. Then she forced herself to relax and kept walking. "You think I don't know that? I've been wandering around in here for... weeks? Months? And I still can't find where I'm going."

Time matters even less here than it does in TLT proper. You know that. You could wander around here for centuries and not find the place you seek.

Moni snorted. "You're bluffing. You'll want me to do something sooner or later, and if I refuse to do anything else until you give me what I want, you'll eventually have no choice but to just that."

I could force you to give up this quest

"Really? You would do that?" Moni reached the doorway she'd been walking towards, only for it to slam shut in her face. "I guess you could, but if you where going to do that, you wouldn't bother talking to me. You'd just have made me give up quietly."

I suppose you're right. So what do you want exactly?

"I want you to get rid of that monster you created." Moni tried the doorknob, only for it to fall off in her hands. "How could you make something so outwardly similar to Nameless, and yet so utterly wrong?"

For the good of the story.

"It will ruin his legacy! What he didn't manage to ruin himself, anyways." Moni shoved fruitlessly at the now-doorknobless door, trying to force it open. "I saw the worst of Nameless. But other people saw a better side of him. And at the end... after he gave up his powers... well, I guess I realize now that what you did to him was about as bad as what he did to me. He was more of a hero than he'd ever been, at the end."

Yes, I quite liked his development at the end.

Moni punched the door with enough force to send cracks through the sturdy wood. "And how did you repay that positive character growth? you killed Nameless, left him helpless against an enemy far more powerful than he is. And after he's dead, you made a face that looked like him, only you took every ounce of goodness out of it, removed every trace of heroism, wiped away every redeeming factor that he had, and you replaced it with nothing but pure arrogance, insecurity, hatred, and evil." She punched the door again, then again, ignoring the blood dripping from her knuckles. "You killed him, then spat on his legacy. No one else seems to care, or maybe they just haven't noticed yet, but either way I'm not going to just sit still and watch you destroy what little good name Nameless has left."

So you break into my mind to "kill" the memory? Remove the idea for that sphere in your pocket? You know that's impossible.

Moni glared at the door. "I don't care what's possible, I care what's right. You're the one who wanted me to care about stuff like this. So either tell me how to get into your memories or open this door and leave me in peace."

I'm impressed that you manage to enter so deeply into my imagination, but leaving it to enter my memories is simply not possible. You are stuck in my imagination, as you always have been. I'll leave you to your wandering now. Goodbye.

"I..." Moni cocked her head. "I've always been in your imagination?"

True to her Author's word, no voice answered.

Moni considered. "But that doesn't help. My past self is in your memory, but my past self can't do anything about that fact, because I wasn't in your memory when I decided what I'd do." Moni's thoughts were interrupted as an indistinct something passed through her on its way to slam into the door it had entered through. Moni blinked, realizing that the room she hadn't yet left was filled with a hundred theoretical battles, barely cognizant ideas of which only the themes were even slightly comprehensible.

"This... hasn't happened yet, has it? You imagine things that are in the future? So in the past you imagined me, wandering your imagination just like I am, meaning that I am in your imagination and in yo-"

There was a sound like a ripping cloth, and the room around Moni shattered. She was now standing in a hallway lined with doorways. Some doors were open, other closed, some covered in dust from disuse, while others were chained shut yet still straining to force themselves open.

Hesitantly, Moni began walking down the hallway. As she did, flickers of memory burst out from some of the doors, painting a picture of a life she'd never thought she'd know. A mostly uneventful life with a loving family. not an exciting life perhaps, but not a bad one either. Moni would have preferred her own life to be similarly boring, but she doubted her Author would ever allow it.

She kept going, drawn by a sense of Plot and a faint desire to avoid making her Author share too much personal information on the internet. Eventually, she reached what she felt she'd been looking for. A door that glowed with the light of imagination, a door that Moni knew on sight.

Moni opened the door and revealed the truth.

12 hours ago, The Bookwyrm said:

Avatar lost his balance due to the strike and fell to the ground.

He grimaced and struggled to stand again, using the sword to prop himself up. Once standing, he fell into a sturdy stance, waiting for Nin's master to strike.

"I wouldn't know why. Seeing as you're so insistent on holding onto your experience, your life, despite it being a torture." Avatar sneered at Nin's master. "You like feeling in control, don't you? You like to see me struggle, inflicted by your own torments. You enjoy watching me cough and stumble and fall. It's a miracle you trained any students at all. You're a sad old man who despite knowing his horrible weaknesses desperately clings to any particle of dominance he can find."

He held the stance, standing perfectly still. "Did it hurt? Did it hurt when Nin surpassed you?"

Nin's master leaned heavily against his staff with one arm, wrapping a bandage around the wound in his stomach with the other. "Did it... hurt? Yes, it did. It hurt terribly when I realized just how terrible of a teacher I am. Not a single one of my students has ever managed to master my ultimate technique as I have. Even the best of them fall short of accomplishing full Reversal. Knowing that Nin surpassed me almost as soon as he decided to forsake my teachings, that hurt."

Nin's master frowned. "And yes, it did hurt to see my apprentice grow stronger than me. Perhaps you are right, and that is why I have failed as a teacher. Perhaps, deep down, I never wanted any of my apprentices to grow stronger than me."

He pushed himself into an upright stance, picking the staff up off the ground and spinning it with blurring* speed. "Regardless, I shall spend every ounce of strength I have left to defeat you, young man. I still have a few tricks up my sleeve."

*Of course, to Avatar's current eyes most things looked blurry, even if they were completely stationary.

[Ookla de los Cuervos he/him]

6 hours ago, NameIess said:

I heard you guys liked long posts? I was planning to make this one longer, but the last sentence on Moni's story seemed like the perfect spot to have a cliffhanger at.

(Also, it might be like 1:30 AM where I am so I should really be asleep right now)

Moni tumbled through a doorway and fell flat onto her face, breathing  heavily and resisting the urge to claw her eyeballs from their sockets.

She stood warily, shaking sand from her cloak as she examined her new surroundings. She appeared to be in a room of a style that was vaguely recognizable, but there was a certain dreamlike, uncertain quality to everything that she'd grown quite familiar with during her recent travels.

There were two shapes in the room. One could only be described as darkness, a shadow of purest evil. The darkness dominated the room and threatened to destroy the other shape, a swirling mass of chaos wielding a blade made of hatred. Moni got the feeling that the battle here was important, and that the second shape didn't have much of a chance on its own. As she watched, a door that hadn't been there a moment ago slammed open, and something entered with dramatic flair.

Well, "something" was perhaps an improper descriptor. It appeared that multiple somethings came through the door, each layered on top of one another, none completely real. As Moni squinted, vague impressions entered her mind from some of the more distinct shadows. Out of them all, two shapes stood out: The shape that seemed most solid was that of a reluctant heroine, and the least solid but for some reason most distinct to Moni's eyes implied a triumphant return transformed to horror.

Moni smiled in satisfaction as the second shape faded entirely. Glad to see I've done some good at least. She started walking to the door that the shapes had entered through, renewed purpose coursing through her veins.

Moni, you're not going to get anywhere like this. 

Moni froze momentarily, hand going to the sword that hung sheathed at her side. Then she forced herself to relax and kept walking. "You think I don't know that? I've been wandering around in here for... weeks? Months? And I still can't find where I'm going."

Time matters even less here than it does in TLT proper. You know that. You could wander around here for centuries and not find the place you seek.

Moni snorted. "You're bluffing. You'll want me to do something sooner or later, and if I refuse to do anything else until you give me what I want, you'll eventually have no choice but to just that."

I could force you to give up this quest

"Really? You would do that?" Moni reached the doorway she'd been walking towards, only for it to slam shut in her face. "I guess you could, but if you where going to do that, you wouldn't bother talking to me. You'd just have made me give up quietly."

I suppose you're right. So what do you want exactly?

"I want you to get rid of that monster you created." Moni tried the doorknob, only for it to fall off in her hands. "How could you make something so outwardly similar to Nameless, and yet so utterly wrong?"

For the good of the story.

"It will ruin his legacy! What he didn't manage to ruin himself, anyways." Moni shoved fruitlessly at the now-doorknobless door, trying to force it open. "I saw the worst of Nameless. But other people saw a better side of him. And at the end... after he gave up his powers... well, I guess I realize now that what you did to him was about as bad as what he did to me. He was more of a hero than he'd ever been, at the end."

Yes, I quite liked his development at the end.

Moni punched the door with enough force to send cracks through the sturdy wood. "And how did you repay that positive character growth? you killed Nameless, left him helpless against an enemy far more powerful than he is. And after he's dead, you made a face that looked like him, only you took every ounce of goodness out of it, removed every trace of heroism, wiped away every redeeming factor that he had, and you replaced it with nothing but pure arrogance, insecurity, hatred, and evil." She punched the door again, then again, ignoring the blood dripping from her knuckles. "You killed him, then spat on his legacy. No one else seems to care, or maybe they just haven't noticed yet, but either way I'm not going to just sit still and watch you destroy what little good name Nameless has left."

So you break into my mind to "kill" the memory? Remove the idea for that sphere in your pocket? You know that's impossible.

Moni glared at the door. "I don't care what's possible, I care what's right. You're the one who wanted me to care about stuff like this. So either tell me how to get into your memories or open this door and leave me in peace."

I'm impressed that you manage to enter so deeply into my imagination, but leaving it to enter my memories is simply not possible. You are stuck in my imagination, as you always have been. I'll leave you to your wandering now. Goodbye.

"I..." Moni cocked her head. "I've always been in your imagination?"

True to her Author's word, no voice answered.

Moni considered. "But that doesn't help. My past self is in your memory, but my past self can't do anything about that fact, because I wasn't in your memory when I decided what I'd do." Moni's thoughts were interrupted as an indistinct something passed through her on its way to slam into the door it had entered through. Moni blinked, realizing that the room she hadn't yet left was filled with a hundred theoretical battles, barely cognizant ideas of which only the themes were even slightly comprehensible.

"This... hasn't happened yet, has it? You imagine things that are in the future? So in the past you imagined me, wandering your imagination just like I am, meaning that I am in your imagination and in yo-"

There was a sound like a ripping cloth, and the room around Moni shattered. She was now standing in a hallway lined with doorways. Some doors were open, other closed, some covered in dust from disuse, while others were chained shut yet still straining to force themselves open.

Hesitantly, Moni began walking down the hallway. As she did, flickers of memory burst out from some of the doors, painting a picture of a life she'd never thought she'd know. A mostly uneventful life with a loving family. not an exciting life perhaps, but not a bad one either. Moni would have preferred her own life to be similarly boring, but she doubted her Author would ever allow it.

She kept going, drawn by a sense of Plot and a faint desire to avoid making her Author share too much personal information on the internet. Eventually, she reached what she felt she'd been looking for. A door that glowed with the light of imagination, a door that Moni knew on sight.

Moni opened the door and revealed the truth.

Nin's master leaned heavily against his staff with one arm, wrapping a bandage around the wound in his stomach with the other. "Did it... hurt? Yes, it did. It hurt terribly when I realized just how terrible of a teacher I am. Not a single one of my students has ever managed to master my ultimate technique as I have. Even the best of them fall short of accomplishing full Reversal. Knowing that Nin surpassed me almost as soon as he decided to forsake my teachings, that hurt."

Nin's master frowned. "And yes, it did hurt to see my apprentice grow stronger than me. Perhaps you are right, and that is why I have failed as a teacher. Perhaps, deep down, I never wanted any of my apprentices to grow stronger than me."

He pushed himself into an upright stance, picking the staff up off the ground and spinning it with blurring* speed. "Regardless, I shall spend every ounce of strength I have left to defeat you, young man. I still have a few tricks up my sleeve."

*Of course, to Avatar's current eyes most things looked blurry, even if they were completely stationary.

Abalador raises his staff.

[Immortal Platypus]

8 hours ago, NameIess said:

I heard you guys liked long posts? I was planning to make this one longer, but the last sentence on Moni's story seemed like the perfect spot to have a cliffhanger at.

(Also, it might be like 1:30 AM where I am so I should really be asleep right now)

Moni tumbled through a doorway and fell flat onto her face, breathing  heavily and resisting the urge to claw her eyeballs from their sockets.

She stood warily, shaking sand from her cloak as she examined her new surroundings. She appeared to be in a room of a style that was vaguely recognizable, but there was a certain dreamlike, uncertain quality to everything that she'd grown quite familiar with during her recent travels.

There were two shapes in the room. One could only be described as darkness, a shadow of purest evil. The darkness dominated the room and threatened to destroy the other shape, a swirling mass of chaos wielding a blade made of hatred. Moni got the feeling that the battle here was important, and that the second shape didn't have much of a chance on its own. As she watched, a door that hadn't been there a moment ago slammed open, and something entered with dramatic flair.

Well, "something" was perhaps an improper descriptor. It appeared that multiple somethings came through the door, each layered on top of one another, none completely real. As Moni squinted, vague impressions entered her mind from some of the more distinct shadows. Out of them all, two shapes stood out: The shape that seemed most solid was that of a reluctant heroine, and the least solid but for some reason most distinct to Moni's eyes implied a triumphant return transformed to horror.

Moni smiled in satisfaction as the second shape faded entirely. Glad to see I've done some good at least. She started walking to the door that the shapes had entered through, renewed purpose coursing through her veins.

Moni, you're not going to get anywhere like this. 

Moni froze momentarily, hand going to the sword that hung sheathed at her side. Then she forced herself to relax and kept walking. "You think I don't know that? I've been wandering around in here for... weeks? Months? And I still can't find where I'm going."

Time matters even less here than it does in TLT proper. You know that. You could wander around here for centuries and not find the place you seek.

Moni snorted. "You're bluffing. You'll want me to do something sooner or later, and if I refuse to do anything else until you give me what I want, you'll eventually have no choice but to just that."

I could force you to give up this quest

"Really? You would do that?" Moni reached the doorway she'd been walking towards, only for it to slam shut in her face. "I guess you could, but if you where going to do that, you wouldn't bother talking to me. You'd just have made me give up quietly."

I suppose you're right. So what do you want exactly?

"I want you to get rid of that monster you created." Moni tried the doorknob, only for it to fall off in her hands. "How could you make something so outwardly similar to Nameless, and yet so utterly wrong?"

For the good of the story.

"It will ruin his legacy! What he didn't manage to ruin himself, anyways." Moni shoved fruitlessly at the now-doorknobless door, trying to force it open. "I saw the worst of Nameless. But other people saw a better side of him. And at the end... after he gave up his powers... well, I guess I realize now that what you did to him was about as bad as what he did to me. He was more of a hero than he'd ever been, at the end."

Yes, I quite liked his development at the end.

Moni punched the door with enough force to send cracks through the sturdy wood. "And how did you repay that positive character growth? you killed Nameless, left him helpless against an enemy far more powerful than he is. And after he's dead, you made a face that looked like him, only you took every ounce of goodness out of it, removed every trace of heroism, wiped away every redeeming factor that he had, and you replaced it with nothing but pure arrogance, insecurity, hatred, and evil." She punched the door again, then again, ignoring the blood dripping from her knuckles. "You killed him, then spat on his legacy. No one else seems to care, or maybe they just haven't noticed yet, but either way I'm not going to just sit still and watch you destroy what little good name Nameless has left."

So you break into my mind to "kill" the memory? Remove the idea for that sphere in your pocket? You know that's impossible.

Moni glared at the door. "I don't care what's possible, I care what's right. You're the one who wanted me to care about stuff like this. So either tell me how to get into your memories or open this door and leave me in peace."

I'm impressed that you manage to enter so deeply into my imagination, but leaving it to enter my memories is simply not possible. You are stuck in my imagination, as you always have been. I'll leave you to your wandering now. Goodbye.

"I..." Moni cocked her head. "I've always been in your imagination?"

True to her Author's word, no voice answered.

Moni considered. "But that doesn't help. My past self is in your memory, but my past self can't do anything about that fact, because I wasn't in your memory when I decided what I'd do." Moni's thoughts were interrupted as an indistinct something passed through her on its way to slam into the door it had entered through. Moni blinked, realizing that the room she hadn't yet left was filled with a hundred theoretical battles, barely cognizant ideas of which only the themes were even slightly comprehensible.

"This... hasn't happened yet, has it? You imagine things that are in the future? So in the past you imagined me, wandering your imagination just like I am, meaning that I am in your imagination and in yo-"

There was a sound like a ripping cloth, and the room around Moni shattered. She was now standing in a hallway lined with doorways. Some doors were open, other closed, some covered in dust from disuse, while others were chained shut yet still straining to force themselves open.

Hesitantly, Moni began walking down the hallway. As she did, flickers of memory burst out from some of the doors, painting a picture of a life she'd never thought she'd know. A mostly uneventful life with a loving family. not an exciting life perhaps, but not a bad one either. Moni would have preferred her own life to be similarly boring, but she doubted her Author would ever allow it.

She kept going, drawn by a sense of Plot and a faint desire to avoid making her Author share too much personal information on the internet. Eventually, she reached what she felt she'd been looking for. A door that glowed with the light of imagination, a door that Moni knew on sight.

Moni opened the door and revealed the truth.

Nin's master leaned heavily against his staff with one arm, wrapping a bandage around the wound in his stomach with the other. "Did it... hurt? Yes, it did. It hurt terribly when I realized just how terrible of a teacher I am. Not a single one of my students has ever managed to master my ultimate technique as I have. Even the best of them fall short of accomplishing full Reversal. Knowing that Nin surpassed me almost as soon as he decided to forsake my teachings, that hurt."

Nin's master frowned. "And yes, it did hurt to see my apprentice grow stronger than me. Perhaps you are right, and that is why I have failed as a teacher. Perhaps, deep down, I never wanted any of my apprentices to grow stronger than me."

He pushed himself into an upright stance, picking the staff up off the ground and spinning it with blurring* speed. "Regardless, I shall spend every ounce of strength I have left to defeat you, young man. I still have a few tricks up my sleeve."

*Of course, to Avatar's current eyes most things looked blurry, even if they were completely stationary.

Nameless! long posts take so long to read!

[NameIess]

5 hours ago, TheRavenHasLanded said:

Abalador raises his staff.

Nin's master glances over at him. "You'll have your chance if I lose, although I'd suggest running if that happens. Stay out of this for now."

4 hours ago, Immortal Platypus said:

Nameless! long posts take so long to read!

You can always just skim it. Like I did with all the posts that happened while I was gone. Probably didn't miss anything important, right?

Edited February 13, 2024 by NameIess

[Immortal Platypus]

1 hour ago, NameIess said:

Nin's master glances over at him. "You'll have your chance if I lose, although I'd suggest running if that happens. Stay out of this for now."

You can always just skim it. Like I did with all the posts that happened while I was gone. Probably didn't miss anything important, right?

I just skipped all the posts over the summer I would never skim a post!

[Thaidakar the Ghostblood he/him]

14 hours ago, NameIess said:

I heard you guys liked long posts? I was planning to make this one longer, but the last sentence on Moni's story seemed like the perfect spot to have a cliffhanger at.

(Also, it might be like 1:30 AM where I am so I should really be asleep right now)

Moni tumbled through a doorway and fell flat onto her face, breathing  heavily and resisting the urge to claw her eyeballs from their sockets.

She stood warily, shaking sand from her cloak as she examined her new surroundings. She appeared to be in a room of a style that was vaguely recognizable, but there was a certain dreamlike, uncertain quality to everything that she'd grown quite familiar with during her recent travels.

There were two shapes in the room. One could only be described as darkness, a shadow of purest evil. The darkness dominated the room and threatened to destroy the other shape, a swirling mass of chaos wielding a blade made of hatred. Moni got the feeling that the battle here was important, and that the second shape didn't have much of a chance on its own. As she watched, a door that hadn't been there a moment ago slammed open, and something entered with dramatic flair.

Well, "something" was perhaps an improper descriptor. It appeared that multiple somethings came through the door, each layered on top of one another, none completely real. As Moni squinted, vague impressions entered her mind from some of the more distinct shadows. Out of them all, two shapes stood out: The shape that seemed most solid was that of a reluctant heroine, and the least solid but for some reason most distinct to Moni's eyes implied a triumphant return transformed to horror.

Moni smiled in satisfaction as the second shape faded entirely. Glad to see I've done some good at least. She started walking to the door that the shapes had entered through, renewed purpose coursing through her veins.

Moni, you're not going to get anywhere like this. 

Moni froze momentarily, hand going to the sword that hung sheathed at her side. Then she forced herself to relax and kept walking. "You think I don't know that? I've been wandering around in here for... weeks? Months? And I still can't find where I'm going."

Time matters even less here than it does in TLT proper. You know that. You could wander around here for centuries and not find the place you seek.

Moni snorted. "You're bluffing. You'll want me to do something sooner or later, and if I refuse to do anything else until you give me what I want, you'll eventually have no choice but to just that."

I could force you to give up this quest

"Really? You would do that?" Moni reached the doorway she'd been walking towards, only for it to slam shut in her face. "I guess you could, but if you where going to do that, you wouldn't bother talking to me. You'd just have made me give up quietly."

I suppose you're right. So what do you want exactly?

"I want you to get rid of that monster you created." Moni tried the doorknob, only for it to fall off in her hands. "How could you make something so outwardly similar to Nameless, and yet so utterly wrong?"

For the good of the story.

"It will ruin his legacy! What he didn't manage to ruin himself, anyways." Moni shoved fruitlessly at the now-doorknobless door, trying to force it open. "I saw the worst of Nameless. But other people saw a better side of him. And at the end... after he gave up his powers... well, I guess I realize now that what you did to him was about as bad as what he did to me. He was more of a hero than he'd ever been, at the end."

Yes, I quite liked his development at the end.

Moni punched the door with enough force to send cracks through the sturdy wood. "And how did you repay that positive character growth? you killed Nameless, left him helpless against an enemy far more powerful than he is. And after he's dead, you made a face that looked like him, only you took every ounce of goodness out of it, removed every trace of heroism, wiped away every redeeming factor that he had, and you replaced it with nothing but pure arrogance, insecurity, hatred, and evil." She punched the door again, then again, ignoring the blood dripping from her knuckles. "You killed him, then spat on his legacy. No one else seems to care, or maybe they just haven't noticed yet, but either way I'm not going to just sit still and watch you destroy what little good name Nameless has left."

So you break into my mind to "kill" the memory? Remove the idea for that sphere in your pocket? You know that's impossible.

Moni glared at the door. "I don't care what's possible, I care what's right. You're the one who wanted me to care about stuff like this. So either tell me how to get into your memories or open this door and leave me in peace."

I'm impressed that you manage to enter so deeply into my imagination, but leaving it to enter my memories is simply not possible. You are stuck in my imagination, as you always have been. I'll leave you to your wandering now. Goodbye.

"I..." Moni cocked her head. "I've always been in your imagination?"

True to her Author's word, no voice answered.

Moni considered. "But that doesn't help. My past self is in your memory, but my past self can't do anything about that fact, because I wasn't in your memory when I decided what I'd do." Moni's thoughts were interrupted as an indistinct something passed through her on its way to slam into the door it had entered through. Moni blinked, realizing that the room she hadn't yet left was filled with a hundred theoretical battles, barely cognizant ideas of which only the themes were even slightly comprehensible.

"This... hasn't happened yet, has it? You imagine things that are in the future? So in the past you imagined me, wandering your imagination just like I am, meaning that I am in your imagination and in yo-"

There was a sound like a ripping cloth, and the room around Moni shattered. She was now standing in a hallway lined with doorways. Some doors were open, other closed, some covered in dust from disuse, while others were chained shut yet still straining to force themselves open.

Hesitantly, Moni began walking down the hallway. As she did, flickers of memory burst out from some of the doors, painting a picture of a life she'd never thought she'd know. A mostly uneventful life with a loving family. not an exciting life perhaps, but not a bad one either. Moni would have preferred her own life to be similarly boring, but she doubted her Author would ever allow it.

She kept going, drawn by a sense of Plot and a faint desire to avoid making her Author share too much personal information on the internet. Eventually, she reached what she felt she'd been looking for. A door that glowed with the light of imagination, a door that Moni knew on sight.

Moni opened the door and revealed the truth.

That was awesome

[ʟɪɢʜʈ]

2 hours ago, Thaidakar the Ghostblood said:

That was awesome

Yes

[Thaidakar the Ghostblood he/him]

Darkness felt the power tingling at his fingertips, ready to be channeled, yet every time he reached for it, it was stopped by some unseen force. Balance. If he survived, he would kill that creature if he survived it all. He swore it in his head. 

Micheal extended a new weapon towards Darkness, a glaive, "Ready to die, Brighton?"

Darkness stood from his knees, wiping the dribbling purple blood from his pale chin, "Never." He flicked the dagger out from his sleeve, falling into a battle position, "I will kill you and free myself of this infernal place!" He charged at Micheal, dancing from side to side. Micheal swung at him with the glaive masterfully, yet merely because someone had masterful movements did not make them a master. Good thing Darkness was not merely masterful.

He gripped the glaive's staff right under the blade, keeping it from hitting his ear. He attempted to rip it from Micheal's grasp, but a flash of lightning hit him in the chest. He blacked out, reforming where he'd started yet again.

"Ready to die, Darkness?" Micheal asked, holding two javelins.

"When you kill me, I will be ready," Darkness said, saluting with the dagger. "But that day is not today."

Lightning struck him again and it started once more.

"Ready to-"

"FIGHT ME!" Darkness' words ripped out of his lungs as he rushed at Micheal, barely letting him finish the sentence before he slammed his knife into Micheal's throat. The blood gurgled out of his mouth just as the lightning hit Darkness once more.

"Darkness, are you ready to-"

The dagger hit Micheal in the eye.

Zap

Darkness held his dagger forward at Micheal, "I SAID FIGHT ME, YOU COWARD!"

Micheal walked forward, "Ready to die?" 

"Not today, you coward," Darkness dodged as Micheal attacked. Micheal fought bravely this time, making it far. Darkness fought back, grinning. However, as Darkness' confidence grew, he blacked out.

zap

"Ready to die?"

Slash

Zap

"Ready to die, you light blinded fool?" Micheal asked once more, wielding a long glowing sword. "I will kill you."

"Not today," Darkness said, his eyes glowing with a fierce fire of determination, "You will never defeat me!"

"Never is a long time, Brighton," the voice whispered to Darkness. Darkness gritted his teeth, "Get me out of this infernal place, voice!" This time, however, the voice seemed to shut up. 

Zap

Zap

Zap

Each time Darkness' determination grew greater and greater. He killed Micheal almost every time now before he even began to move his weapons. Over and over again he battled and slaughtered. Each and every time he was back at the beginning. "FREE ME FROM THIS DESTRUCTION!"

"When will you learn?"

Darkness slashed Micheal in the chest, kicking him to the side.

Zap

"When will you learn?"

Darkness ripped Micheal's sword out of his grasp, bloodying his fingers, and stabbed Micheal with the dagger and the sword. 

Zap

"When will you learn?"

Micheal fell to the ground, dagger in his eye.

Zap

"When will you decide it is enough?"

"When I free them."

Darkness stood, watching as Micheal said the words again. "Ready to die?"

"What is freedom, Darkness? Is it the ability to chose? certainly. But what else is it?"

Darkness punched Micheal in the face, throwing him at the wall, his back snapping instantly.

Zap

"Balance, Darkness, balance. You, one who would give them freedom, do you have balance? True balance?"

"Balance," Darkness spat as Micheal said the words again, "I will bring balance. There is no balance in TLT."

"And thus your failings are revealed, old friend."

"My only failings are not acting sooner," Darkness replied, killing Micheal.

Zap.

"Your failings are many, friend. Each and every one centered around your methods."

"My methods are the only ways that work."

"I know."

"You would rather TLT stagnated, perished, died while I sat by, not doing a thing?" Darkness slayed Micheal once more.

Zap.

"I do not. Good things often come from bad sources."

"Hypocrite," Darkness scoffed, tackling Micheal to the wall.

"Good does not excuse the evil, only highlights it."

Zap.

"Then I am tainted for the betterment of the universe," Darkness said with a smile despite his mind starting to grow fatigued. His immortal body could not be fatigued, yet his mind remembered a time when it was not immortal. "Fighting is the only way to fix it. Thus says the prophesy she made."

"Is it? Is it truly?"

"From your voice, I can tell you know the answer," Darkness said meekly, grabbing Micheal's hand and putting it in front of Micheal's own eye just in time for the gun to fire.

Zap.

"Perhaps I do."

"I know you are Balance, but who are you truly?" Darkness asked, halfway into the rhetorical.

"I am one who wants to see you achieve your true balance."

"There can be no balance in this world, not until I fix that sin that started it all," Darkness said. "I will avenge my daughter."

"Good luck."

Zap.

[Immortal Platypus]

On 2/9/2024 at 5:03 PM, Thaidakar the Ghostblood said:

XD. I checked the doc with TLT stuff on it and basically just picked someone besides Platypus who I knew was still being played and Micheal and Mythos probably would have heard of.

Shadow's lips turned up into a grin, hearing Hacob's voice echoing through the facility. Beside him, the child of Thaidakar's multiversial format stood, looking terrified. Poor young one, but things could not be altered. Specific things needed to happen.

He leaned over and muttered a few things in the Thaidakar who was not a Thaidakar's ear. No, this one was not Thaidakar from TLT, nor was he Thaidakar from other things. he was himself to the greatest extent he could be. However, there were a few traits dominant from his spiritual ancestry that Shadow could awaken. All Thaidakars were arrogant in some way, whether it be conscious or not. This was the Thaidakar who was most like Thaidakar the Narrator, and that was what was important. 

Shadow touched the grate, converting to energy and forming beside Nowhere in his pale, suited form, "You claim to know what I want to do with this Thaidakar? You presume to know much, but know very little. With Darkness' return, I have had an awakening to what could be. I am Darkness, in a way. I can begin to guess some of what he is doing to end TLT, and I can guess what some of the prophesies have meant. Will you interfere with my plan or assist me with what I want to do?"

Nowhere said nothing, watching all of this, hand slipping into his pocket and touching a small metal disk. Just in case... he thought.

"I do not claim to know your plans, but I know that if they are what I suspect they are, you will need me. I cannot say if I will interfere, it depends on what your plan is. Likely, I will assist."

Quote

Darkness pushed back, energy flowing from him. Three of the walls turned into a marbling mass of red and black. "Behold the representation of yourself."

And, with that, that same lightning fast energy which had come before slammed into Platypus' chest, throwing him back.

He was in the dark room, Darkness forming in front of him. The voice whispered once more: "Remember the knife."

Darkness had six arms now, each one had an end of three blades, "Ready to die?"

Platypus looked at him, wondering if he was to do what he thought he must do. "I've always been ready. I know my mission. I will die, and balance will be achieved. It is time."

Platypus dropped the dagger.

[Thaidakar the Ghostblood he/him]

5 hours ago, Immortal Platypus said:

Platypus looked at him, wondering if he was to do what he thought he must do. "I've always been ready. I know my mission. I will die, and balance will be achieved. It is time."

Platypus dropped the dagger.

Darkness strode forward. He raised a flaming sword and pointed it at Platypus. "Do you surrender your feelings of hatred? Retreat! for balance is the key to salvation."

5 hours ago, Immortal Platypus said:

"I do not claim to know your plans, but I know that if they are what I suspect they are, you will need me. I cannot say if I will interfere, it depends on what your plan is. Likely, I will assist."

"Good," Shadow said, "My plan is to save TLT from Darkness. What Darkness is doing will destroy many. I know what he is trying to do and I know what could happen if he does it... He will destroy reality."

 

Zap

Darkness moved sluggishly, feeling the repeat motions growing on him. Days before, he had noticed time moving slower and slower for him. Each hour in here, he reckoned, was a few seconds out there. A few seconds. It ate at him, but it was the price he needed to pay. He had to stay here, and to fight his way out.

Who would never let his cause die.

And if it did, he would fall with it. 

"I will avenge her..."

Zap

[Immortal Platypus]

4 hours ago, Thaidakar the Ghostblood said:

Darkness strode forward. He raised a flaming sword and pointed it at Platypus. "Do you surrender your feelings of hatred? Retreat! for balance is the key to salvation."

"I never hated you. I hated myself for what I'd done, but I have learned since then. It needed to be done. I cannot retreat farther." He tried to step back and hit the wall.

Quote

"Good," Shadow said, "My plan is to save TLT from Darkness. What Darkness is doing will destroy many. I know what he is trying to do and I know what could happen if he does it... He will destroy reality."

"I can help with that. I've been afraid of that for a long time."

[The Bookwyrm he/him]

On 2/13/2024 at 12:32 AM, NameIess said:

Nin's master leaned heavily against his staff with one arm, wrapping a bandage around the wound in his stomach with the other. "Did it... hurt? Yes, it did. It hurt terribly when I realized just how terrible of a teacher I am. Not a single one of my students has ever managed to master my ultimate technique as I have. Even the best of them fall short of accomplishing full Reversal. Knowing that Nin surpassed me almost as soon as he decided to forsake my teachings, that hurt."

Nin's master frowned. "And yes, it did hurt to see my apprentice grow stronger than me. Perhaps you are right, and that is why I have failed as a teacher. Perhaps, deep down, I never wanted any of my apprentices to grow stronger than me."

He pushed himself into an upright stance, picking the staff up off the ground and spinning it with blurring* speed. "Regardless, I shall spend every ounce of strength I have left to defeat you, young man. I still have a few tricks up my sleeve."

*Of course, to Avatar's current eyes most things looked blurry, even if they were completely stationary.

Avatar stood, unmoving.

"I don't even need to do anything, do I?" he said. "I just wait for time to kill you. Then that wound takes over, and I get my soul back. And yours along with it. Your real soul, not that decrepit husk you tote around."

[Through the Living Elan He/Him]

The Once-Author existed.

For once in a long, long time.

He stretched, his back popping. Then he yawned. "What the heck?" He asked nobody. 

[TheFrugalWizard he/him]

I'd join in, but I don't exactly have the time to read through 2,659 pages of posts. Can someone fill me in?

 

[NameIess]

4 minutes ago, TheFrugalWizard said:

I'd join in, but I don't exactly have the time to read through 2,659 pages of posts. Can someone fill me in?

 

lots of chaos, a little bit of plot. Recently there’s been a guy called Darkness who’s evil and trying to take over TLT or something like that.

Edited February 21, 2024 by NameIess