NameIess

The Priest frowned. "Soon? You're already more than friends. You should admit that so your relationship can progress in a healthy manner."

The Priest snorted. "You know how you feel? Very well then, what is Bat to you?" Nameless raised an eyebrow. And why would you think Narrators don't use Prismite just as anyone else would? Unintelligible shrugged. "I suppose so." Yeah, he's fine.

The Priest followed, expression still grim. goodnight!

"How do you feel about Bat?" Asked the Priest sharply.

"Neither, actually. I am guided by the winds of romance. And the Authors too, occasionally. Which is how I found myself here." "Thank you." The Priest followed Mrs. Whitlock and Tam inside. He turned to face Tam. "I see that Bat is unconscious. Very well, I shall speak with the two of you together at a later time. For now, we need to talk."

He can still glare at someone who's unconscious. He gets weird looks all the time. He carries a giant book everywhere. The Priest approached rapidly, gaze flickering to Bat's mother briefly before settling on Tam. "Young woman. I urgently need to speak to you and Bat."

Subversion hurried to the door. "Are the students through here?" "Not even into the World of Dreams? There's not exactly anyone living in there." The Dreamsmith said quizzically. Gail did not seem to notice. It was possible that she was not even there anymore. @Halcyon The Only did Gail leave the trial? Tear through itself? Queried Nameless. You mean using its own essence? A man in priestly robes walked down the street towards Tam. He bore a massive book gilded with gold upon his back, and he was looking at Tam and Bat with a most serious and disapproving expression. @Halcyon The Only

“Lucifer? You don’t say.” The Preist looks at Lucifer and Pyk. “Do you think he needs help?”

“Well then, shall we try?” Subversion stood up. “Finally! That took way too many posts. Lead on. I’m ready for the students.” — The Dreamsmith nodded. “You can still visit me, although Omen may make you do a trial. That… should be safe.” — … gave Selppaenip a thumbs-up. “Call Gail up, or Nogard.” He whispered. “Their testimony will show he wasn’t in charge.” — The Priest looked rather surprised at his surroundings. “Asher,” he whispered. “I do believe we have been dragged down to hell by some demonic force.” @SpiritOfWrath @Thee insane

The rulers live within the center of the city. Corrupt them, and it will fall. "Withergeists are made from dispersed Chaotic Evil. If your theories are correct, then there should be a Chaotic Light equivalent." "Hm. Do not push yourself too far. Neither I nor Pyk are defenseless."

"Very good." The Priest offers a hand to help Asher to her feet. "Excellent job saving us." I am not strong enough yet to corrupt the city from here. The Blade's voice was bemused. You will have to work to corrupt its people. "All right." Balitan flipped open his notebook. "You know of withergeists, yes?"

The alleyway was utterly empty of life, and the distant glow from the streetlights seemed far too dim. "About the Plotblades? Or about the fundamental substances? Because I've only got a theory about the latter." I also am stumped about the Plotblades. Their workings seem totally alien. The Priest hurries over to her. "Oh dear, oh dear. Are you all right?"

I didn't think it would, but he does have experience with all kinds of relationships. "Well, now that that's taken care of, where did you say we had to go?"

Inappropriate of course. And he's running too. "Very well." The image shifted, transforming to a view of an alley in the city. As long as you're aware of the danger. Golden light swirled around the Priest, insulating him from the blast without any need for Pyk's help. He looked at the bodies with a slight grimace. "Distasteful, but effective." -- "I need power." Malevolence said carefully. "If I have more power, I will be able to help you better. Do you know of a way for me to acquire more power?" The herd of rabbits stared back at him silently, with dark eyes. I think thought Malevolence. That I had better choose my next words very carefully.

The Priest watched the pair of them with a fond smile. I think they'll turn out all right. As long as I'm here to make certain nothing untoward happens. "Very well." The mirror's surface ripples, revealing a city surrounded by a sea of darkness. "Where in the city would you like to go?" Subversion watched 656 go, feeling a pang of guilt. Not like I could have done anything without my Narration anyways. She told herself, sitting down and doing some more work on her book. "I think that..." Something buzzed at the Dreamsmith's side, and he pulled a small hourglass from within his cloak. The top bulb was about three-quarters full. "Ah. My other news. I'm afraid that visiting you is not going to be as easy as I thought it would be." He held the hourglass contemptuously, eyes flaring as he looked at it. "Omen keeps me close to the surface of the World of Dreams, allowing him to bring visitors in safely. But when I returned to the World of Dreams after my last visit, there was... recoil." He grimaced. "Omen says that the longer I stay outside the afterlife, the more powerful the force pulling me back will become. If it becomes too strong... He will lose his connection to me, and I shall be lost deep in the World of Dreams, unable to find my way back to the surface, unable to practice my craft." He pulled the hourglass back into his cloak. "I'm sorry, but this may be the last time I can visit you. For some time, at least." -- "According to article B section thirty-seven, if the witness is unable or unwilling to give testimony despite giving a trustworthy written report, that written report shall be substituted for their spoken testimony." The Wise Judge looked up. "That's cleared up. I will now read the report from Platypus regarding his visit to the Dreamsmith." He did so, reading Platypus's account of the battle with the wizard impersonating Omen and his subsequent meeting with the Dreamsmith. Notable in the testimony was the mention of a mysterious figure using some kind of sword to draw seekers of the Dreamsmith to the wizard instead of the real Omen, and the Dreamsmith's admission that the Great Wizard did not want to claim the Blades for himself. "Apprentice, this evidence guts their accusation that the Wizard conspired to claim the Blades for his own gain." ... whispered. "Now all we have to do is prove that the Great Wizard did not command the adventurers that you were travelling with, and we should get our reduced sentence." @xinoehp512 -- Rebus, I think there may be something you are not considering. In uniting the forces of the Thread against Malevolence, you strengthen his claim on Antagonist. Nameless said. @Dragonheir

A face appeared in the mirror, and a voice spoke. "What would you have me do?" Nameless frowned. I do not believe there is a Plotblade of 'Evil'. I believe Malevolence saw the Plotblade Antagonist. But his perception of The Antagonist is so wrapped up with his ideas of Evil that the evil aspects of Antagonist were all he was able to see. Either that, or the Blade itself chose to present only its purely evil side to him, in order to tempt him further. Balitan said nothing, merely paling. Sorry, should have been more specific in the earlier post.

The Priest smiles reassuringly. "It is perfectly fine to be uncertain. Even those who have not died, returned, and had two supernatural beings stuck in their head often struggle with romance. So do not be worried overmuch. There is no 'right' way to court someone, although there are many wrong ways. You can figure it out." His eyes narrow. "As for you Cade and... Seraphina? Don't push them. There are few stressors that can ruin a budding romance so easily as clumsy outside intervention. Considering that you two are inside Asher's head, you have the potential to be far more damaging than any matchmaking friend or family member ever could be. Do not try to force them into a relationship. You can encourage, certainly. But allow them to figure things out by themselves."

Wedding Finish college Acquire job Have family Have house At least see Silksong release before I die

“Fine. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” The Priest pointed a finger at Asher. “You,” he moved the finger over to Pyk. “And you are obviously developing feelings for one another. And I suspect, Asher, that your passengers are not being very good at helping you process this in a healthy way.” @SpiritOfWrath

"Thank you." Malevolence vanished.

Thanks!

The Priest sighed. "Truly, it is for the best that I keep my peace. You would not like it if I where to speak." Yeah, that was quite some time ago. -- Malevolence drifted just beneath consciousness. Dimly he heard the low hum of his life support machine, the whir of electronics from his automated medical drones, and the slow beeping of his heartrate monitor. He sighed mentally. So, I lost. To be expected, but still disappointing. At least I avoided capture. That might have spelled the end for my days of evil. Abruptly, the thought came to him that it was rather odd that he was conscious enough to think. Is this a dream? He thought back to the battle with Rebus. I shouldn't be having a dream. I'm unconscious, not asleep. I miscalculated my landing. Or, actually I suppose it was calculated well enough, my body simply could not hold up to those calculations. Darkness began to creep in on the edges of his... well, not his vision, since he couldn't see. His consciousness, perhaps. Is this... death? Malevolence wondered. Despite himself, he shivered mentally. A sorry way for my story to end. Dying on a sickbed hours after a climactic battle. The darkness continued to creep in, and a chill entered into Malevolence's soul. No! I will not end here. Not now. My plans are not yet complete! With force of will he strove to force the darkness back, to no avail. His soul became ice, the darkness filling him completely. He growled, struggling to throw the darkness back, to- Then he saw it. The source of the darkness, the source of the cold. Then he saw Evil. And he realized that never before had he understood true evil. All of his most vile acts had been the actions of a mere child, playacting as a villain on the playground. Before him was Evil. It was darkness, it was hate. It was vengeance, insanity, cowardice murder in the dark death incarnate intimidation grand designs selfishness nihilism cowardice greatness arrogance betrayal and a thousand traits more. Malevolence's mind could not take it in. He could merely stare, realizing only now how far he had to go before he was truly evil. Dimly, the part of him that was too cynical to be awed even by this display recognized the form Evil had taken. A Blade that distorted reality around it. A Blade filled with power unending. A Blade that would You have survived. The voice of Evil spoke, and the ice that was Malevolence's soul shattered into a thousand daggers, pain shooting through his every iota. Malevolence screamed, his voice echoing out into the endless dark that surrounded Evil. You have outlived those who competed against you. Malan is dead, killed by your plan. Ruia has fallen though Corruption remains, as does its hold on you. The Machination has no true evil goals of their own, at least not yet. Rebus lives, but he rejects my influence, holding back from true evil. Other villains remain, but none are so present as you. Do you think this makes you worthy of me? Malevolence reeled, fighting through the pain, forcing himself to answer, only to find that his mouth, or whatever passed for it in this realm of the mind. Evil laughed, splintering the shards of Malevolence's soul even further. Survival does not make you worthy. You must be elevated above all others. You, Malevolence, have great intelligence. You have arrogance, and a desire to know true Evil that few share. But there is one thing you lack if you wish to claim me. Do you know what it is? Malevolence gasped, voice returned to him. "I..." There was only one answer. "Power." Yes. You lack power. And in your striving for it, you reach too far. You have ambition, but your ambition is too great for your capabilities. Still, you must gain greater ambition still if you are to claim me. I leave you with a promise: gain the power of darkness, and I will be yours. Malevolence awoke gasping for breath, covered in frozen sweat. He shivered, feeling as cold as death as he struggled to rise, aided by several medical drones. A quick glance at his medical devices showed that he'd had a major concussion and broken just about every bone in his body. His heart had stopped three times, and his core temperature had dipped below fifty degrees Fahrenheit. He made a mental note to do more research into anti-hypothermic medical devices, although his drones had improvised well enough to keep him alive. Supported by his drones, he stumbled over to his main computer and checked the reports from the battlefield. His Mordite blade was still in good condition, although it had taken slight damage that would need to be repaired. As he'd feared, Rebus hadn't been in the armor, and no Prismite had been recovered from the scene. Although that button was... interesting. Not as bad as it could have been... but still bad. His surveillance drones also indicated that Evil had been correct about Ruia. He sighed. Achieve power. You are too ambitious; be more ambitious. Only those who can deny reality will ever achieve true evil. Only now do I realize the truth in that statement. He stood weakly, several drones approaching with a medical exosuit. With this, he was able-barely-to walk on his own. He stumbled to his teleporter room, entered some coordinates, and vanished. -- Malevolence appeared in front of Symbol, looking more dead than alive. He held no weapon, and looked beyond exhausted. "I heard you are cleansed of the Corruption that plagued you. Would you be willing to purify me as well?" @Halcyon The Only @Dragonheir, I don't think I answered your question about the Mordite earlier. There would have been a few very small chips of it. Not enough to make a weapon out of, but enough to study.

Very well. The magic mirror was against a wall with a cloth over it. We shall see. Balitan nodded slowly. "I guess so." How long ago was what? The Priest blinked. "What? Oh, nothing. I just... have my work cut out for me." He adjusted his glasses, then continued hurriedly. "With the ethereal creatures, I mean."

Yes, a city. Preferably one in danger from some threat. Always easier to offer power in the face of a threat. Don't worry. I like you too, and have no intention of leaving. Nameless' blurry form smiled. Of all the new generation of Narrators I've seen, you come closest to the heights of the old. "I... guess that's alright."

"Oh dear," the Priest murmured. "That's not good at all." He can't hear their thoughts, but he can feel the romance in the air. He's got a sixth sense.