first verse Augury: Ten of the Void

[Archer he/him]

Tion grunted, briefly acknowledging Gati as he lasered in on Sagitta. “Luck ain’t my domain, soldier. But since the gods appear to messing with me today, perhaps Probability’s in on this too.”

He made a rude gesture at the rooftops that lined the alley, as if he expected to see the goddess watching them from some hidden vantage point. “There weren’t even any fausterloicks, but somebody can’t take a hint,” he muttered angrily.

“Fortunately, Negation isn’t the only one here who can alter memories. Turns out you can also make a human forgetful if you punch them hard enough in the face.” He took a menacing step forward, raising his fists like a boxer. “When I did basic training, they did teach us how to fight with our hands, girl. Consider this your first lesson.”

He advanced aggressively, only stopping briefly as he registered the presence of Zura and her knife. “Nice blade, kid. Hope you know how to use it.”

Now unsure who to charge, he stood equidistant between the two of them, his eyes flipping back and forth between the two potential threats.

[AonEne he/him]

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...he made it up? Oof. I didn’t realize that. What was his reasoning there? 

 

[Archer he/him]

12 hours ago, AonEne said:

 

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It's all good. Tion was hoping to scare the humans into submission and to stop them from asking too many questions. OOC, I just wanted to provide an excuse to move, and that ended up happening, so it worked out pretty well. 

I should note that he's still confused why they aren't all memory wiped (he missed that part of the conversation) so some of his actions are going to seem erratic. 

 

[Lunamor she/her]

On 10/17/2019 at 11:38 AM, Archer said:

Tion grunted, briefly acknowledging Gati as he lasered in on Sagitta. “Luck ain’t my domain, soldier. But since the gods appear to messing with me today, perhaps Probability’s in on this too.”

He made a rude gesture at the rooftops that lined the alley, as if he expected to see the goddess watching them from some hidden vantage point. “There weren’t even any fausterloicks, but somebody can’t take a hint,” he muttered angrily.

“Fortunately, Negation isn’t the only one here who can alter memories. Turns out you can also make a human forgetful if you punch them hard enough in the face.” He took a menacing step forward, raising his fists like a boxer. “When I did basic training, they did teach us how to fight with our hands, girl. Consider this your first lesson.”

He advanced aggressively, only stopping briefly as he registered the presence of Zura and her knife. “Nice blade, kid. Hope you know how to use it.”

Now unsure who to charge, he stood equidistant between the two of them, his eyes flipping back and forth between the two potential threats.

He said something about her instinct, and Zura’s attention shifted slightly from the Tühine to his direction. He was saying things about Probability, but like it was a person. Odd. Her attention shifted completely over to him when he started speaking to her.

He called her a kid. Like she couldn’t handle herself, do anything of significance. Like she didn’t matter. She glared daggers at him. She thought that she finally had gotten past that, finally gotten old enough that people no longer considered her to be a child. Apparently that wasn’t the case, at least with this luckless guy. 

She pulled out two of her knives. She would show this man that she was not a child. He would no longer believe such a thing after she gouged out his eyes. She growled and took a step towards him, lowering into a fighting stance. She certainly knew how to use a blade, but it seemed that he needed a little... demonstration. 

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Welp it seems that Zura has reverted back to her angsty teenager with superpowers stage 

 

[AonEne he/him]

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Just to make sure you saw... 

@I think I am here. @Lord Furret 

[+Sorana she/her]

Sagitta turned towards Tion as well, when she noticed Zura's move. Now that the woman wasn't holding her blade in her direction anymore she relaxed a bit and concentrated on Tion.

"I don't care what you were taught." She replied, although she did. That he believed he could take both of them without a weapon at the same time was impressive.

"Why don't you explain what's going on?" She pressed took a slight step towards him, readied herself to escalate the situation. She wasn't one to say no to a good fight. "Your words, combined with Gati's and what happened to us - it doesn't fit. And you can start talking now, or we'll see about that once I'm done with you." Slowly, obviously she shifted her weight in a way he had to see, made it easy to lunge for him,or to react should the need arise.

[I think I am here. he/him]

One instant, the forest was, there, and the next it wasn’t. The group was in an alley. Price could tell by the language of the worn down posters over the alley walls that they were Tühinine. But where in Tühinine? It didn’t matter, he realised as a soft smile crept up his face. He looked at the interaction between Sagitta, Sensation and Zura, all of them facing each other.

Subconsciously he stood up a little straighter, taking a gentle step backwards from the group, to the exit of the alley. It didn’t matter what city they were in. They were in a city. The buildings that lined the roads were like trees in a forest only Price could see, the bustling people and distant steps of police the natural sounds of the urban ecosystem. In this place, he wasn’t a weak boy, defenceless. He was the Forestlynx. And although he did not have power in the same way as Sagitta or Zura, and certainly not in the same way as the gods, he still had power.

Watching the three warriors all focused on each other, obviously waiting any sort of attack from the other too, he took a step until he was looking out of the alley exit, onto the Main Street. The distant sounds of patrolling police became clearer as they walked down the streets in their nightly patrols.

“Guards!” He called out, watching the heads quickly snap towards him, spears raised as they ran towards the backalley.

[AonEne he/him]

On 10/17/2019 at 0:38 PM, Archer said:

“There weren’t even any fausterloicks, but somebody can’t take a hint,” he muttered angrily.

Gati blinked at that comment, wondering why he’d said...oh. Well. Negation couldn’t be blamed for not realizing that, could he? Tion had been pretty convincing. He reached for his Power tentatively, and was immensely relieved to find a small amount there. Not enough to do much of anything with, though. 

“Guards,” Price suddenly yelled, and a storm of footsteps came toward them. Gati folded his arms before him. He knew people in Fel - he knew people everywhere - but it would still be annoying to get out of a prison with no Negating involved. 

[Archer he/him]

Tion smiled when Zura brandished not one, but two knives. You wouldn’t mind if I borrow one of those, would you? He began visualizing his attack, mentally mapping out a flurry of blows that would disarm his opponent quickly, allowing him to focus-

Price’s cry interrupted his thoughts. Tion chanced a glance towards the mouth of the alley, taking in the arrival of four burly city guards, three male servicemen carrying spears and their commander, a woman with an expensive-looking rapier in hand.  

“Alright then, what seems ta be the problem here?” the captain demanded, waving her hand to order the other officers to fan out alongside her, blocking the exit to the alleyway. They advanced slowly, spears pulled back, ready to throw.

Tion pointed his thumb at Zura, then Sagitta. “I’m trying to maim her, she’s trying to kill her. Normally I’d ask you to wait until we’re done before butting in, but since you’re here, can I borrow your weapon for a minute?”

He lunged toward the closest soldier, his hand grasping for their forearm. However, the man was still ten meters away, so the god simply fell on his face. Surprised, the officer paused, then threw his spear in a shallow arc to impale the prone Tion through the back, just to be safe.

It passed through the God of Sensation’s torso like a hand passing grabbing at smoke; it was as if the deity was a hologram. The wooden shaft clattered to the cobblestones beneath where Tion appeared to be, having done no damage.

The god stood to his feet, brushing imaginary specks of dust from his sleeves. His assailant, having approached to reclaim his weapon, narrowed his eyes at him. For a moment, both of them were too confused to do anything.

The guardsman was the first to recover. Hesitantly, he raised his fist and bopped Tion in the nose. It connected solidly.

“Ow,” said Tion, momentarily blinking back tears as he returned the punch, but harder, so his attacker was knocked back a few steps. “That wasn’t very nice.”

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I don't know how long it will take the other characters present to realize what's going on with Tion, but the short OOC explanation is that since leaving the General's Camp, he's lacked corporeal form. Loose objects will pass right through him. However, he's using his Powers to make people believe that he's solid. When people touch him, they get the same signals sent to their brain that they would if they'd sensed a physical body was there. Same goes for if they touch him using a tool, he'll make their muscles think they've struck something they can't push past more than they normally could, so they won't push right through him. The main drawback of his current state is that he can't interact with anything he can't manipulate with his powers. For example, even if he wanted to, he'd be unable to pick up that spear. That said, he's using his Powers on himself to a limited extent too, ensuring that he doesn't pass through the ground or go flying away by making his body systems think that he's operating as normal eg as if he had the same gravity etc. All this is being run by his (currently warped, but more on that later) subconscious, so he's not fully aware of it.  

 

Edited October 20, 2019 by Archer
De-gender swapped Zura. (Oops. Thanks, Ene)

[+Sorana she/her]

Sagitta moved back, until she had a wall behind her back, looked from Tion, to Zura, to Price who had run away. The situation felt wrong, like a bad dream. Weapons passing through people, but connecting again.

"I'm with Price." She gestured towards the direction he had run and eyed the guards nervously. One turned towards her and still lifted his spear threateningly. "Anybody can claim that." He stared at her coldly, his eyes on her weapon. Sagitta paused then lifted the Tomahawk. "Don't you recognize this?" She asked. "It's tühine."

The man made no move, continued to try to keep her in check. That was what counted she supposed and her eyes darted to Tion again, wondered what she was missing here. It was like one piece of a puzzle, one piece she had lost and until she found it again, she had no chance to make sense of the situation. She felt lost, wished that she knew who to fight, that she saw a path to take. But instead there was only confusion.

[AonEne he/him]

3 hours ago, Archer said:

Tion pointed his thumb at Zura, then Sagitta. “I’m trying to maim him, he’s trying to kill her. 

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Zura is a girl. 

 

[I think I am here. he/him]

The four guards entered the small alley and took position. Turning to the commander Price showed his ledger to her, the offical Tühinine military seal emblazoned on the front.

“I’m from the Renaji base,” He said, stepping behind the three large guards so he’d be protected if Zura or the gods tried to attack him.

Now he had the power.

“The Ta’e’iloan is with me,” he said, gesturing to Sagitta. “I want the Cahayan and the two others escorted to the city’s military base.”

“The Cahayan is ours,” the commander said brusquely. “She is a prisoner of war, and she will be imprisoned as such.”

“Research and development already claimed her first,” Price lied. “She escaped, is all.”

While they worked together well on most occasions, the research branches and the rest of the military often clashed on the topic of captured Cahayans. Were they imprisoned and executed, or tested on? Tühinine law said t was whoever claimed them first.

“Fine,” the commander hissed and nodded to the guard talking to Sagitta, who slowly stepped back and made way for her. The rest of them moved forwards, attempting to capture the three others.

[Lunamor she/her]

Zura eyed the guards, wondering how many she could take, if she could make a successful escape. The chances of that were very low, even for her. Even if she did manage to get away, she would be right smack in the middle of a Tühine city crawling with enemy soldiers. It wasn’t like this was a village on the outskirts of the country, where soft speaking and a good hood could hide her Cahayan accent and features. These guards were likely trained to notice suspicious people and absolutely everything foreign seeming. 

She slowly put her knives back in her boots, making no sudden movements so they wouldn’t have an excuse to kill her. She didn’t make any attempts to set her weapons on to ground or hand them over. If they wanted them, they could take them.

It was a bit odd to her that the man who had summoned the guards wanted her for testing. She had showed no abnormalities in her Instinct- she hadn’t even used it! For all he knew, she could have Creativity or something like that. She made sure to note the name of the base. The name Renaji sounded somewhat familiar to her, although she was unsure why. Perhaps she would know where it was once they got there.

Internally she told herself that she wasn’t surrendering. She was allowing herself to be captured so she could strike from within an important Tühine base. That was the reason. She was no coward. She was a Cahayan.

[AonEne he/him]

Gati held his hands where the guards could see them and said to the one approaching him, “So how’s life going?” 

@I think I am here. 

[+Sorana she/her]

"Price won't hurt you." Sagitta told Zura quietly, when the guard in front of her moved backwards. "Despite his flaws, he's a good man." And she would stop him from hurting Zura, she had to. Whatever had happened with Zura had changed her, but she knew that the woman she'd talked to was still there. And that woman was hope. The future. They had gotten along for this short moment, had stayed together. And that was what counted. They had to try to get to know each other, had to stop the violence. Those like her needed to step out of the way, to make room for those profiting from peace. The wars were ripping their world apart, and she saw no chance to change that. If they stopped fighting, the nomads would kill them all. So maybe that was it. Find out why the nomads attack vehemently in the first place. And then maybe they could do something against that reason.

Slowly she stepped over to Price side, who was standing behind the guards, who gave orders easily and clearly. he would make a fine officer, if he learned to wield a weapon good enough to look his men into the eye.  "Can you make sure, that nobody hurts her?" She asked him intensely. "Claim her as your personal prisoner or something like that?"

 

[Archer he/him]

Tion continued to square off against the soldier that had targeted him. His assailant was on the defensive, forced to catch or sidestep a constant barrage of punches from the god. Fortunately for him, whenever Tion aimed at blow at his face or neck, the shots seemed poorly executed, almost amateurish.

The guard’s back pushed up against the brick wall of the alleyway. He spit some of the blood from his mouth and grunted tauntingly. “Is that all you got, mate? I fight best when my-”

The God of Sensation kicked him in leg, cracking his kneecap. The soldier unceremoniously collapsed to the side, giving Tion a clear path to run past his body towards the exit while everyone else was distracted.  

As he dashed, he passed alongside the commander, who was speaking with Price. She glanced at him briefly, then, without missing a beat of their conversation or even looking fully at the god, she flicked her rapier into his path and landed three quick slashes on his chest. Tion stopped dead in his tracks, stunned. Blood started pouring from the shallow cuts in his torso, but he ignored it. Awed, his eyes locked on her sword, which she was in the process of casually wiping off with a pristine white cloth.

“I surrender,” he announced abruptly, kneeling to the ground, surprising the soldier he had injured, who had hobbled up behind him. Roughly, the man kicked him in the back, then grabbed hold of his wrists to secure them. Tion didn’t resist; he barely seemed to notice. “I’m, um, a prisoner too. Oh dear, my clever plan to escape has failed.”

His eyes never wavered from the rapier, and the woman wielding it.

[I think I am here. he/him]

On 21/10/2019 at 6:06 PM, Sorana said:

Slowly she stepped over to Price side, who was standing behind the guards, who gave orders easily and clearly. he would make a fine officer, if he learned to wield a weapon good enough to look his men into the eye.  "Can you make sure, that nobody hurts her?" She asked him intensely. "Claim her as your personal prisoner or something like that?"

Price turned towards Sagitta, and stepped aside as Sensation’s escape attempt was brought to a halt. Sensation and Negation both, two gods who had been captured by simple guards? It almost made Price think they couldn’t be gods, for how could gods be controlled so easily? But no, they had given proof, resurrected that boy. That boy who had been left behind for the Forestlynxes when they had all teleported. So, it must have been those power fluctuations they had been talking about.

“When she had the power, the only thing keeping her from taking my head was you,” he said. “She would have shown me no mercy. Why should I?”

His mind drifted to the old bedtime story, the Good Tühinine. The story went that one day a Cahayan was travelling through an old abandoned desert, and a pack of thieves beat him up, robbed him, left him in the middle of the desert for dead. He almost starved to death, but one day a Tühinine was said to find the man, and had helped the Cahayan. He had tended to his wounds, had put him on top of his horse with him and took him to some tavern.

The story went that the Tühinine paid for the Cahayan’s full recovery. But when the Cahayan said he wanted to repay the Tühinine man, he stabbed him to death as well as all of the other Tühinines in the bar, running off to rob and kill some others. The moral went that a Cahayan’s nature, to kill and backstab, could never be changed.

[AonEne he/him]

1 hour ago, I think I am here. said:

That boy who had been left behind for the Forestlynxes when they had all teleported. 

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Oof, was he? 

Also, I tagged you above. Unless the guard is just going to ignore him. Which is fair  

 

[xinoehp512 he/him]

1 minute ago, AonEne said:

1 hour ago, I think I am here. said:

That boy who had been left behind for the Forestlynxes when they had all teleported. 

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Oof, was he? 

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I mean, Thomas hasn't exactly been paying close attention.  Gati didn't specifically ask for the other people to be transported, so...

 

[+Sorana she/her]

1 hour ago, I think I am here. said:

“When she had the power, the only thing keeping her from taking my head was you,” he said. “She would have shown me no mercy. Why should I?”

Sagitta turned back, looked at Zura and then at him again. "Because this war will go on forever if nobody takes a first step."

She saw the strangers held in check by Price guards, the threat of violence gone for now. She saw him consider her words and focused on him completely. "When we sat by the carriage, there was peace. I don't know why it changed, what happened or how we ended up here." She took a deep breath. "But I know, that this moment was the future. A possibility."

Intensely she looked at him, poured everything she had into these words. "Something has to change. The war can't last forever. It will destroy us all."

"You ask why you should protect her." Her eyes darted back to Zura. "Because you are a good man. Strong enough to take that first step."

Falling silent she watched him, hoped he would allow himself to be convinced. She had on last ace in her sleeve, a backup should he decline again. But it was desperate and as desperate ideas went, not really good.

[Archer he/him]

Tion waited until his companions had refocussed their attention onto each other before he called out to the woman who had caught his attention. “Hey, Captain! I know how these situations go. I’m your prisoner, protocol states it’s interrogation time.”

The commander looked down at the god, arching a single eyebrow. She tilted her head slightly, considering the proposition, then took a step in his direction. “Alright, if you insist. Let’s start with where you’re from, mister…?”

“How did you get that sword?”

“I thought you knew how these things work, civilian. I will be asking the questions of you, not the other way around.”

“Cute. But seriously, where’d you get the sword?” He pumped some Power into giving those words an extra emphasis.

She took another step forward, her hand hovering over the hilt of her rapier. “If you must know, it was a gift.”

“She wouldn’t have given it away. You must have killed her for it.”

“Pardon? Are you insinuating that you somehow knew-”

“Don’t say her name.”

“-my mother?”

She leaned down, bringing her face within inches of Tion’s. He could hear her heavy breathing as he stared into her eyes, searching for signs of falsehood. There were none. “How did she die?” he whispered.

The woman’s fist clenched around her weapon’s handle. She pulled it from her belt in one, swift motion, pressing the blade into Tion’s neck.

“Honourably,” she hissed. “Unlike you.”

She slashed the rapier across Tion’s neck, then raised it in the air and slammed its point into his throat. Amazingly, it failed to penetrate, just stuck into his flesh about an inch. The god showed no signs of having been wounded.

Shocked, the commander let go of the sword, and it immediately fell through Tion’s body, like the spear had.

“Tell me, soldier, did you ever meet your grandmother?” The commander’s eyes were wide. She started to scramble backwards, but Tion grabbed her wrist. “Hold, child, there is no need to be alarmed.”

He magically pushed on her emotions, strengthening her consciousness of the aspects of the situation that gave her confidence: reminding her of her rank, her subordinates, and her training. After a moment, she shook her head.

“Shame,” Tion said. “She was an admirable woman. You look less like her than your daughter does, though.”

He took one last look at the girl in front of him, then released her wrist, dismissing her with a nod at the others. She shied away from him, in a mild daze, but as soon as she saw the soldier behind Tion looking at her, she regained her composure.

“Straighten up, Bo! You’re on duty,” she barked with a scowl. Tion, for his part, simply looked down at the ground and smiled. I wonder if she believes me? Or maybe she thinks I’m just a crazy old man. Come to think of it, both would be accurate.

[I think I am here. he/him]

On 25/10/2019 at 11:11 PM, Sorana said:

“You ask why you should protect her." Her eyes darted back to Zura. "Because you are a good man. Strong enough to take that first step."

Price followed her look to Zura, and to Sensation, who seemed to have rattled the captain. Fitting for a god. Maybe he had predicted her future or some other parlour trick. It didn’t matter. What mattered was that they were in his grasp, to control and use as he saw fit. Even the Zura, as much as the captain might have not liked it.

He sighed, and his frown deepened. “I will make sure I tend personally to each of her tests,” he said finally, though he didn’t like the arrangement, to put so much effort caring about a simple Cahayan. He paused. “And I’ll make sure she doesn’t get too hurt. But she’ll definitely get a few bruises and scrapes, like you did.” Though, with Zura, there was no guarantee the medic would agree to heal her. The oath to ‘save all who can be saved’ didn’t exactly apply to the enemy.

“Have them be escorted to the base,” he instructed to the Captain, then looked to the group.

“You all are in luck! You get an all-expenses-paid-for tour around the city, with a stop at the base, of course.“

@Sorana

—-

Bo laughed and leaned in behind Tion. “Have fun. Should’ve just chosen execution. Not like it’d work on you... you... ghost. Spirit. Whatever.”

@Archer

—-

“Not bad, not bad at all,” Dusa said, the man guarding Gati.

“We had a slow shift. Cap’n gettin’ angsty. Bo gettin’ bored. This certainly livened the show up a bit.”

@AonEne

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Let’s timeskip to arriving at the base?

 

Edited October 29, 2019 by I think I am here.

[+Sorana she/her]

25 minutes ago, I think I am here. said:

“Have them be escorted to the base,” he instructed to the Captain, then looked to the group.

“You all are in luck! You get an all-expenses-paid-for tour around the city, with a stop at the base, of course.“

"Thank you." Sagitta exhaled in relief and closed her eyes for a moment. He had agreed. Thankfully he had agreed. So she was right. He was different. She made sure to stay by his side, didn't intend to end up a prisoner by accident and besides he seemed powerfull. Completely in his element here, with the guards.

She found herself looking forward to their way to the base, she'd never been to a Tühine city before and she was sure, that she would see so many new, interesting things. Maybe she could even ask Price about a real, good weapon. Something she could use. After everything that happened, maybe he would trust her with it.

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

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I'm perfectly fine with a timeskip to the base.

 

[AonEne he/him]

14 hours ago, I think I am here. said:

“Not bad, not bad at all,” Dusa said, the man guarding Gati. “We had a slow shift. Cap’n gettin’ angsty. Bo gettin’ bored. This certainly livened the show up a bit.” 

“Good, good,” Gati said warmly. 

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I’m fine with timeskipping. 

 

Edited October 30, 2019 by AonEne

[Lunar Blessing she/her]

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Is it too late to get back into this? Cause I kinda want to. And I’m still following so...