Through the Living Heir

Rebus frowned, thinking. He would have to speak to Cep more, in the future - to learn more about him, to twist him to his own ends, and do dissuade him from assimilating his employee. In the case of confusion (and even if nobody is confused), the “him”s refer to Cep, whereas the “his”s refer to Rebus. “Indeed,” said Rebus. “The Authors are ordinary people within the real world, writing out the actions of particular people in this world - and the world you came from, though the group there is not the same as the group of Authors within TLT. That’s one of the reasons I haven’t been able to get to your world -tBftS - my Author would have to figure out what was going on and keep up with another story, which is difficult even with knowledge of obscure quantum shenanigans.” “Ah, but I don’t want to counter it. I did disable all the teleporters in this planet, of course keeping some in orbit for aforementioned bioweapon purposes, but having it is more useful than you’d think.” Rebus smiled, suppressing his cough reflex. “I’m not certain we’ve formally met - a partnership between the two of us could be… impactful, shall I say.”

Rebus cocked his head. “Rebel is dead. I killed him a long time ago. But I know you care about her - if you accept my modification of our stakes, I shall disable the remote detonator.” Rebus nodded, striding towards with the expectation that Erryin would follow. - He’s been wearing futuristic armor with similar aesthetics to his previous clothing - white, black, and grey armor plates; glowing lines, purple rather than orange, outlining things; and a cape, more elaborate than usual for the party, which parallels the coat in his old outfits. Antagonist, taking the form of a crown (or a halberd if he needs it to fight), is the other development - it has pretty much the appearance its vibes would suggest, with sharp points and a dark glow. - The pineapple did not do anything more, merely sliding off the sword and falling to the ground. Pretty much what I expected - I’ll pass off further torment to Wrath. “Haly - Bird Furious, more recently - has been mostly absent as of late, so it shall be some time before she could be found.” Individual nanomachines within the green air sickened, the contagion adapting and spreading outwards. They began to fry, at first, erupting with antimatter that would kill even a sickness this strange. Perhaps even that would be adapted to, in time, but as it was, the sickness began to stop short, interfering with the nanomachines but not killing them completely. And Rebus laughed as though something hilarious had been said, laughing and coughing - something he was supposed to not need to do - and laughing again. “You don’t understand, do you? You’ve given me a nearly perfect bioweapon with the buy-in to back it up, then added in an excuse to not kill people instantly and two different plot hooks to boot.” Here, yes, there was no danger. Physical danger, at least - speaking too long with Rebus had effects reaching beyond mere injury. Rebus grinned, and Antagonist’s dark glow intensified, seemingly in approval of the idea Rebus had just come up with. “That is not necessarily a good thing,” Jack muttered, but he followed Lyric into the mall. I only just made the name connection. Rebus was willing to bet that the battery would never make it to the vault, or at least be embezzled from beforehand. He considered actually doing so, but decided against it - there was nobody he particularly wanted to propose the wager to. “Ah - I’ve heard of that place, though I have never been. As for me, I shall start from the beginning - I am Dr. Rebus Honesty Clarke, and I am a Narrator. In addition to granting me a variety of powers, this means I know the truth - as far as I can tell - about reality: we’re all made up by a group of people called Authors.” Rebus waited for that to sink it - for the belief or lack thereof in that statement would drastically alter the subsequent direction of the conversation.

Rebus looked at the drawing, contemplative. “It does fit. I have changed since the time your references are from, but it represents me then - I may very well go back.” - — Rebus nodded approvingly to them both. - “Perhaps I, or we, shall become involved when an opportunity presents itself.” - Suddenly pineapples! Just one, actually, appearing right next to her. “Of course,” Rebus said smoothly. “That’s what makes this such an effective parlay.” Rebus did not misunderstand, he suspected, and he welcomed the development for reasons that would soon become relevant. “I did kill him, yes. He was my friend, but I killed him.” “I suppose we wait - you could tell me of yourself, so as to find a role for you. Or you could ask questions of me, if you wished.” Rebus turned and looked directly into his eyes for a second, then returned to his bargaining and manipulating. “Even with my memory and knowledge of people, I do not think I could say. You may need to as Lady Bug, should you want to know.” “Perhaps it has fallen to ruin since then - this place looks deserted.” “Of course. There are various complications involved with making the death of a powerless version of me having any real consequences.” Rebus shrugged. “Since I can’t be killed easily and I don’t actually want you to die, I propose a change of stakes. If you win, I give you control over my empire and my Plotblade, and I come under your service for the time needed to complete a task of your choice, fulfilling any other contracts I have made but otherwise ceasing my villainy. If I win, I want two things. Firstly, I want the Lost Page, or knowledge of its full contents. And secondly, I want you to remember that you couldn’t best me in an even match - that I, even without Narration or technology, allies or Antagonist, am better than you.” "My hat?" said Bacon. "How strange." He removed it and squinted at it. "How could that have happened?" he asked it. Within Bacon’s hat was a device, about the shape and size of an egg. Rebus’s motifs - seams with glowing light, black and white color schemes, futuristic shapes - were evident in its design, for in fact Bacon had accepted it willingly from Rebus many pages prior. It was a teleportation beacon, given so Bacon could get help from Rebus if his Narration was impaired - and hence kept in the background via Narration until such an effect afflicted him.

Wow. That’s a really good drawing - could I make it my profile picture? - “Cade asked me what planet to target, and I winked and tapped my foot on the ground.” - “I’ve noticed,” Rebus said to Erryin’s comment on . No tab key on mobile, so I must improvise. “You should not be sorry.” Rebus said, grinning. Sain had appeared in a mostly dark room, one wall composed entirely of a window. It was the only light in the room, and it backlit Rebus as he looked out over the futuristic city beyond. Rebus turned smoothly around. “You are within my city.” “Lady Bug was responsible for this particular deal - she created Symbol.” I’m rather tempted to spawn someone specifically to test this claim. I won’t, however, as of yet. Over the course of the journey, Jack repeatedly considered joining in on the singing, then deciding against it. Upon seeing the state of the mall, he shivered. It wasn’t quite Bacon, it seemed. His hat, specifically, was flagged once the machine was recalibrated. “In retrospect, I’m unsure why I believed Bacon would make this any faster,” mused Rebus. “Of course not, Sequence. Physical combat is mainly a competition of stubbornness, after all.” See above for what Malevolence has noticed. Rebus smiled - Named had a welcome desire for efficiency. @Ancient Elantrian @ChipsAHoid “Your terms are impossible. If I were to lack my powers, my nanites, and my Plotblade, I would cease to be me. Would you intend to excise the Ennuller powers from your soul? And a duel to the death is likewise unreasonable, due to my hive mind. But-” Rebus looked Cricket in the eyes, vibrant orange to fading black. “-if you wish to fight me, we can create terms and stakes to the spirit of your challenge.”

Rebus was quiet, watching from across the Thread the various reactions to his recent actions. Cade was especially relevant - Rebus feared his subtle instructions had been too subtle. If you want to, feel free! Let me know if there’re any details you want specified.

“I antagonized him,” Rebus said, chuckling. “Cricket was always the most aggressive of that group, and killing Bat pushed him close to the edge.”

“It also means I have to be very clever if I want to trick people.” Rebus chuckled. “Cricket has hit a breaking point, it seems.” Hey, you stole my plan! Or, one of Rebus’s plans, rather. Jack nodded - though he did get tired, he could certainly walk for longer than an ordinary human. The sensors continued going berserk, flagging Bacon as outside interference over and over. There were other alarms going off as well, but they were mostly lost in the cacophony - Rebus even being on the planet, for instance. It was pretty good tea, presumably - though how one makes tea taste like bacon was unclear.

“There is a difference between those wrongnesses, I feel - the thing I truly dislike is making plans based on information that turns out to be wrong. That’s one of the reasons I never actually lie - any assumptions that you make about my actions might be wrong, but nothing I say is actually false.” “I can’t tell Symbol about the Thread - it was one of the terms of the deal. She understood me, but now she can’t…” Rebus frowned. “Yes…” Rebus motioned towards Cricket, who was stalking towards Rebus, surrounded by dark lightning. “Where exactly would you draw the line at violence?” “I have no preference,” Jack said. Wait a minute… Alarms started to go off in the vault, though nothing seemed to be happening.

“Let’s start with the shopping mall,” suggested Jack. “I should probably buy some traveling supplies, after all.” Rebus watched Jim the Ennuller stand-in vanish and reappear approximately ten feet away, given that Asher was also at the party. As he thought about it, that was probably an issue - a robot had already managed to somehow get sick, and though this party had fewer guests than the regular ones did, there were still plenty of people who could be infected. “You people are frustratingly difficult to scare - though if I set the Witherlord free instead of taking the Mantle onto myself, I have made a grievous error. Though this was initially the terms of a bargain with Fate, I probably would have resorted to summoning the Witherlord eventually. Somehow, the most devious Narrator since Nameless acquiring one of the most powerful Plotblades in existence and attempting to conquer the Thread wasn’t alarming enough.” Rebus chuckled. “And I would say that it is no more a lie than the rest of our existences. Before Lady Bug tampered with her memories, Symbol would have known exactly what was happening.” “Well that’s convenient for both of us, then.” - Rebus sneezed. This was a rather unusual thing for him to do, since he had complete control over what would normally be unconscious processes, and a magically and technologically augmented immune system. Rebus laughed back, seeming genuinely amused. Not because Cricket’s actions were funny in a vacuum, but because of the sheer irony that went into them - for in some ways, in that moment Rebus had defeated Cricket. “Very well, then. Try, and be prepared for the consequences that follow.”

“That’s a smaller list than those who could find me here, and it notably excludes things such as an unchecked Witherlord. As for my clone, it is an archive of sorts - the version of me that Symbol actually knows, and the one that would actually deserve saving.” “I suppose it would be. Of course, since I’m obliged to remind you that I’m still evil, I don’t think I shall assist with a search party at this time.” - “To my perspective, only just now was I truly able to see her. And unfortunately, in addition to being aware of being written, I’m also aware of not being written. My Author imagining the things I could do feels like a twisted dream, where you have no control over your actions and nothing has any permanence. And being forgotten altogether, or even put out of mind temporarily, feels closer to death than I would be even if I actually died.”

“Another reality is an excellent place to escape to and regain one’s strength, and on the off chance I create Problems instead of merely problems, my clone and Symbol will be out of reach from the consequences.”

“Because my empire isn’t actually that helpful - preferably, only my transient goals will be stopped, perhaps ending with me vowing revenge and escaping to regain my strength.”

After a moment, Rebus nodded sharply, seeming to have made up his mind. “The generic ones shouldn’t matter too much whether you immobilize or kill them, but of the other two generals, the one with the dagger is fairly important to leave alive.” “Of course,” Rebus said, grinning. “But my downfall doesn’t need to cause my downfall, and in the meantime, the attempts of the Protagonist to fight me further my goals.”

Rebus turned around, not looking especially surprised. “Are you, now?” He asked, grinning. “I’ve just gotten started.” “Indeed - in fact, I can make the display annotate what you see.” Rebus demonstrated this by cause a sheet of rainbow to appear between them - though his colors were messed up, Rebus was perfectly visible through it. “Most of the abilities I used during our battle are likewise technology-based and hence transferable - though you won’t be able to power them as I do.” “Mostly was a failsafe - I do not know of any direct involvement I had. As for Protagonist, I want someone to claim it.” “I am, yes. Is he of importance to you?” - Rebus smiled. “Wow indeed. That is always my perception of reality - I can feel myself ceasing to exist, as, say Seraphina is at the moment. She’s fine, and presumably over there somewhere, but she’s not really present in the Thread.” Jack nodded, the explanation seeming quite satisfactory. “But you have pieced together an explanation from what they could communicate?” Rebus read the form over, frowning slightly. “I believe you would need to have my clone sign this. Unfortunately, he has fled to a planet containing high concentrations of destabilized Chaotic Light, otherwise known as dynessence, which actively disrupts any magical targeting - by anything I do, at least.” Good to see you, Xino! Is Bacon’s plan to stay in the vault so both he and it can do the guarding? Honestly, I can’t decide if that’s ridiculous or genius.

“Cricket’s absence was mostly unrelated to me. Bacon, likewise - I try not to eliminate characters entirely, especially when they lack a replacement.” Everything Rebus said was true, as always. Of course, one can fit many lies in a truth. “I do. My Author typically reads everything posted here, and I met Cade in person at the last party.” - “It is perfectly safe - though certainly disorienting.” A wisp of iridescent dust floated from Rebus’s hand, swirling with light. “When you touch this and tap into it, you will experience the fullness of the Thread for a moment. Then the Prismite will run out, and you’ll go back to normal.” - Rebus smiled, tapping his foot to the music on the floor. That sentence is incomprehensible and I really don’t know how to fix it - the music is for the party, his foot is tapping the floor to its beat. The music’s beat - the floor has no beat, because it is a floor. I’m tired, ok? His name is Jim, if I recall. “If you knew the meaning of life, why would you keep it secret?” asked Jack, intrigued. “You tracked the other travelers - the Corruption Beacon goes to the same place they did. Further insurance, though, might very well be circumvented - my clone lacks the connection to Abstract, and hence does not have to hold to my promises. Of course, having a conscience means he’s more likely to do it anyway.” “It can - should you provide feedback, I should be able to get the exact colors, and could actually place the lights within your eyes should you not be averse to further bodily incorporation of your magic.” Clusters of lights, three or four variations to each Draftable color, appeared in the air as nanomachines lit up. “In fact, this here-“ Rebus held out a small cylinder, which would appear to a modern observer as a particularly futuristic flashlight “-can produce enough light to duplicate the execution method from quite a significant distance. Up close, the sheer amount of light can easily vaporize steel. It is a window into a star, after all.” Rebus was there, all right. His armor was more elaborate than usual, with a longer cape edged in embroidered hexagons. Antagonist was the same, though the outfit seemed to point towards the dark ground, and the mix of friendly smile and triumphant smirk on Rebus’s face. Rebus had noticed Cricket, though he didn’t show it - he decided to let Sequence welcome him, and to let Cricket begin whatever dramatic confrontation he had in mind. Maybe a little violence. “I would accept, should you wish to give it,” Rebus said, following Sequence’s gaze, though he could not truly see the stars. “And your unwillingness to fight me is perhaps to my benefit - you have one of the half dozen weapons I believe could pose a threat to me.” Xinoooo! @xinoehp512! Bacon the Bard Bacon the BardBacontheBard! Um, yeah, hi. My plots will begin to implode if Bacon doesn’t actually put the Lost Page in the vault - though as I consider it we could just say he did that and move on. I’ll give you a couple days, though.

That reminds me - is Cep short of Separation/Separated? Is it pronounced Kep and I’m just crazy? Rebus smiled at Cep, seeming legitimately glad to see him - for the man was interesting, and could very well be of use. “Hello, Cep.” I’d say above average, but not by an incredible amount - in the realm of 5’11”. Of course, Rebus’s appearance is at least partially a Narrative construct - he would remain a similar comparative height to whomever he’s around, and in some ways the way people imagine him is canon. And yes, Antagonist is very good for looming. There’s a reason why Rebus made it a crown, and a reason why I point out its existence when I do.

Yes I am! And I’m legitimately excited to meet you and other Sharders - I’m doubt there will actually be any annoying of me. - Rebus nodded. “Cade is a good comparison - though I don’t have a foil character anymore, we’re similar in a lot of ways.” - “Few people do - the method involves Prismite, the metal that facilitates Narrator powers. Access to it can give you all the abilities of a Narrator temporarily, so I can use it to let you see the Thread as a Narrator would.” - Rebus’s voice hummed thoughtfully in Cade’s ear. “I can only think of one place at the moment…” The copy of Rebus that was talking to the Wall bureaucrat looked directly at Cade and winked. - It’s for two reasons - firstly, he does kinda have a point. His point are slightly mind-bending, but they’re solid, if contentious - Rebus is not a straw man, even if others wouldn’t come to the same conclusion he would. Secondly, though, is the more important reason - he has as much time as he needs. Multiple days of me thinking and you considering what I have to say can add up - and you only have to agree once to make something the new status quo. “Exactly,” Rebus said, grinning. “But of course, my goal being that you try to stop me makes it very hard to stop me.” Jack nodded slowly. “How do I do that? The last time I tried, I became lost in these woods.” Rebus nodded, though he had been referring to something that was true for all his contracts - if one party broke it, the other could do so as well. Otherwise, it’d be impossible for Rebus to retaliate without breaking all his contracts. “I am not the version of myself planning to leave - and I’m certainly not attempting to bring Antagonist. That would be unwise - to become a villain in another thread would be to invite a crossover to destroy me.” Sounds like Rebus’s kind of person. (You know the “they’re the same picture” meme?) Rebus was there, at the party. His armor was fancier than usual, but it was certainly him - Antagonist atop his head and a wide smile on his face. Actually, there were two of him, but that was beside the point - Sequence was there a half dozen times, after all. @TwinStorm

Nope - I’m a high schooler. While I’m glad to seem wise beyond my years, your estimate puts me older than #1TalnFan, which is crazy. While, in an effort to not make it even easier to dox me than it is already, I shall not be posting my actual age, I’m going to Dragonsteel Nexus and could disprove your estimate there, should we encounter one another. (In retrospect, that did kinda make it easier to dox me - but I was going to get around to saying I was going eventually. We should organize a Shard meetup - or even just a TLT one, depending upon who shall be there.) - “Why-ever not? Do you really expect me to actually destroy the Thread?” Rebus spread his arms wide is a hard-to-describe gesture, as though basking in applause. “I am not stupid, or even typically reckless - in fact, I know exactly what I am doing. The Witherlord is a threat we need - without conflict, without problems, the Thread splutters out and dies.” - A flash of annoyance crossed Rebus’s face - he didn’t like being wrong. He was smiling again in an instant, though, having quickly shifted his plans. “I’d forgotten you traveled with the Scribe - or, rather, that Drin was the Scribe. You’ve likely been told of the Thread and the Authors, then, but had it been actually shown to you?” I considered doing a Matrix reference, there, but there isn’t really a good direct quote. - “By now, I’ve expanded to the point that most locations would be redundant anyway. But there are places I might still find useful - important places, ones that matter.” “Those times are likely the ones you are most primed to understand. Look at my actions and goals from the perspective of a Narrator or of an Author, and the things I say may make more sense.”

Yeah - it certainly works better on a computer, but my school blocks the Shard, and even if it didn’t it would still be bothersome to have it out during the times I’m most likely to write things (when I’m waiting for something, in the car, or, though I need to stop doing this, when I should really be going to sleep). - “Ah, but because they’re also the ones guarding the paper, they’ll almost assuredly be back online by the point an actual summoning would occur.” Do you think I should ping them? Perhaps I should do something related to the Vault and ping them then. - Rebus grinned, amused by the reasoning behind Asher’s decision. “Narrators Narrate things - that much you seem to know. But that specific name, and the Plotblades, if you’ve heard of them, are clues that something bigger is going on. The world is a narrative, you see, and it has a plot - that’s why Narration and Plotblades work in the first place.” - Rebus liked suspicious evilness - it made things interesting, and disliking it would be rather hypocritical of him. “You had self-replicating nanotechnology you were supposed to be seeding the planets you visited with.” Reading a little further, it seems like one of Rebus’s terms for the favor was that it not harm the people he cared about - basically just himself and Symbol.

The more people are involved in something, especially in what’s basically a fetch quest, the more likely one of them is to be gone for weeks. Of course, that doesn’t mean the whole plot is dead - for instance, Rebus is now at that party, which has managed to remain active precisely because it has turned into a bunch of individual conversations.

Yeah, let’s just reorder these. I’ll quote both sides of the conversation until things got messed up (which is where I would think canon should stop). For Erryin: For Asher: For Cade: On mobile, having lots of partial quotes is tedious, but I’ll use dashes to separate things in the future.

So you’re waiting on Coder who’s waiting on me(for I play Rebus), and then I’m waiting on TwinStorm, Xino, and Haly (and I’m pretty sure TwinStorm is waiting for Xino). Unrelatedly, I should probably join this RP if I can get the time.

“And that is my goal - at least the one that matters to you. Rebus blinked. “My Author’s spacing was likely confusing - that was addressed to Asher, about the Authors and the Thread.” “My priorities are beyond what an ordinary concept of reality would involve - knowledge of such things can break people. And we have met before - you made a bargain with me.” For reference: “They’re people who attempted to do what I am doing now, and died before this point, killed by a Horror. Other than for metaphysical reasons, I am unsure why you and those other two are special.”

Hmm? Do you need me to do something? Oh, and in the future, pinging me is a lot more consistent than me happening to spot something.

“Being worrying is part of what I need to do, Sequence. Being worried for me, on the other hand, is appreciated but unnecessary - I am set on my path, though I am sure you would like to dissuade me from it.” Rebus looked towards the various guests, having heard through the Thread part of a plan to do just that. Who it had been, though, he had removed from his memory. Rebus smiled, and Named felt something change - a bit like the sensation of tapping Connection. “Help me subdue the rest of the skeletons - we can finalize details afterwards. Alternatively, I can manufacture bendalloy and we can talk first.” “I’m not certain I have a solution of that front. But TwinStorm has been active, just not here.” Rebus nodded. “Very little of this will make sense unless you know why Narrators are called Narrators - and that information can cause distress for some. It is your choice - do you want to know what it is I know?” Rebus’s voice laughed in Cade’s ear. “I’m not certain you understand. Asher has friends. And other things, though I’ll refrain from giving you an identity crisis. But if you’re not certain, I do owe you a favor.” Jack looked off into space, seeming a bit wistful. “I… do not know. I do not know.” “Ah. I’ve promised that as long as the Wall leaves me alone, I will not threaten the integrity of the Thread itself. Certainly such a promise is enough - especially because under its terms it is voided if either party violates it.” Rebus smiled, his voice dripping with ironic sweetness.