Through the Living Heir

Do you have an estimate for when we’ll be starting? Do we (our characters) know we’re going to be climbing a mountain and plan accordingly?

Veer doesn’t see Aventine. Veer sees more sand, some scorches, and a pool of golden liquid. Then, he continues on his way to go find management, with one more thing to tell them. @TheRavenHasLanded is Jar Man still there?

@Ancient Elantrian Veer gets up from the floor and leaves, waving in the general direction of Gemini. “I’m going to go tell management about the broken floor, then find one of these magic councilors. You can stay here if you want.” If Gemini doesn’t follow, the items in the hole in the ceiling stop levitating and fall after around five minutes. @Spark of Hope Veer wanders around, looking for management, and finds sand on the floor. Intrigued, he follows the trail, incidentally hovering it into the air he walks. Around the time it takes to stall for Elan later, plus a flight of stairs, Veer comes upon Aventine. He’s surrounded by a cloud of floating sand, and looking at the ground. “What happened here?” he asks, his vision of the scene obscured by the fact that a portion of the sand cloud follows his gaze.

Nick's suit catches fire, the layers burning off. Nick reaches for the crystal, hoping it can help him. SIMON notes the fire and goes into overdrive, shutting down his personality to run dozens of parallel searches. Nick says the exorcism incantation as the heat gets through the insulation to his skin. Emergency status inventory. Temperature: 1,736 F - lethal to humans. Water: extremely low. Air: semi-breathable, useful compounds. Anti tear layer: destroyed. Force distribution: actively burning. Insulation: overloaded. Main computer chip: overheating. Secondary computer chip: not responding. External speakers: destroyed. AR projector: no further damage. Xenosuit culture: overheating. Secondary biotech cultures: overheating. Air circulation: overheating. Nutrient circulation: leaking. Charge: adrenaline rush, severe burns, various heat related maladies. Heat drains from the suit, but Nick barely notices. The unfaithful will be burned by the sun along with the earth. Emergency status inventory - repeat. Temperature: 1,737 F - lethal to hu- sudden drop in temperature. Causes? Environment: no significant change. Primary memory search? Ongoing xenotech examinations: "moon crystal", "lightsaber". Expand files. "Moon crystal": important religious artifact of moon lord, materiel unknown, given willingly by teleportation subject "Kaleb", reduces or transfers thermal energy (violates laws of thermodynamics), mounted in wing locking port, used as hand activated entropy reversion - likely cause of temperature drop. We occasionally give sacrifices, things we love dearly, to the moon lord, if we are in need. "I don't have anything right now." Nick mumbles. 'Lightsaber": plasma bladed melee weapon, various unknown materials, traded by teleportation subject "Sleeper" (obtained through "demons": investigate further), cylindrical hilt produces contained blade of high energy plasma if activated (power source unknown, seemingly inexhaustible), tethered to belt, wrapped in energy harvesting layer, biopathway reformatting layer, product- Energy harvesting layer (Reentry microbe) - expand file. High tolerance constructive heat shielding microbes with ability to survive dormant in comparatively low temperatures. Minimum active temperature: ~1000 F. Maximum survivable temperature: ~3000 F. Original habitat: volcanic pl- Temperature? Temperature: 1,724 - lethal to humans, within tolerance of reentry microbe culture. Repair suit with reentry microbe culture - prioritize charge's brain and required xenosuit systems. "Nick! I need you to put the lightsaber to your face!" "Ok Kaleb," Nick mumbles deliriously, but does as he was told. The reentry microbes, finally placed in their natural habitat, grow fast. Pulling heat and atmosphere from around them, they split and multiply. Within seconds, they spread across Nick's face and down his torso, permeating and rebuilding the suit. The other layers from the project follow suit, consuming reentry microbes and building different structures, different pathways. The remains of the suit's original configuration are fed converted biomolecules and kept insulated by the new outer shell. Nick, on the other hand, is not so lucky. His own cells divide a measly human speeds, and depend on each other. Biotech floods through the channels meant for nutrients, sent by SIMON. Burned skin, overheated muscle, boiled blood, and even neurons are consumed and replaced. His heart continues to pump blood, but it isn't hemoglobin any longer. His muscles still work, but they're made completely differently. His brain keeps working the way it did - indeed, it's faster - but it's no longer a human brain. Like a fossil, what Nick had been is replaced by something different - still the same shape, but not the same. Nick, brought back from the brink at the expense of being 'human' opens his new eyes, and speaks with his new voice box. "SIMON? I'm alive?" He giggles, mostly from sheer shock. "Hah! I won your bet, Darcus! Why I wanted to earn money for a man who just dropped me into a volcano, I'm not sure, but I'm alive!" @The Stormfather, can Nick see beyond the volcano?

This sounds fun! A chance to use my scout skills without having to actually perform said scout skills. And it’s not like I was supposed to start a different RP last Monday and am not done yet… I really should get to doing that. I do think I can join this, though. I’ll get to making my puzzle.

You got it, so you come up with the next word.

Indeed. But also that's a big spoiler.

"What?! You're just fighting some snakes, right?" Nick runs off through the tunnel. Nick turns on his heels, running back. "I think I made them mad. They're sending just me. Kaleb, Aki, Larry. Thank you for being here. And thank Sleeper too." He gives a salute. "See you guys on the other side. I'll win Darcus his 450, and then I'll be back." His suit helmet seals itself up.

“That’s what you don’t understand. Being superior and holding power are not the same thing. You’re a sapient just like all of us. I’m no more of a puppet than you are.” “Is it time for our ‘acci-‘ now?” If this is still the father’s voice: “You cheated, anyway. Darcus, whoever that is, doesn’t owe you anything, because you rigged it by talking to us. Maybe that statement warrants an ‘acci-‘ too.”

“I’ve just had access to some good teachers. With dedication, you could probably surpass me.”

Generally, it’s considered bad forum etiquette to post on threads that haven’t been active for a while, especially without contributing any new information. Three weeks is borderline, but it seems you’ve previously ‘necro’ed multiple year old threads. Additionally, it’s recommended that you post an introduction in the introduce yourself subforum, stating what Sanderson books you’ve read, perhaps your interests, and things like that. Regardless, welcome to the shard.

Nick continues grinning back. "You should probably say something." "If I got to go back home occasionally, I'd honestly stay here. I could bring you and the others with me, and go see everyone else's homeworlds."

Oh …thanks. Rithmatist

Sleepless?

“Yeah. Meryyn seems like he’s both the smarter and nicer of the pair. It’d be interesting to meet him, preferably without his dad.” Nick considers winking, but decides that’s overselling it. @The Stormfather Nick smiles at him. “Thank you. I’m glad you’re here. I’m glad all of us are here. Maybe not that people have to be here at all, although this has pretty much been the most interesting two days of my life, but if other people have to be with me, I’m glad it’s people like you. Interesting people, capable people, friendly people.” I think this is the first time someone has touched Nick’s suit. Thus: the fabric of the suit is waffled with stiff lines forming triangles about a quarter inch on each side. It is cool to the touch, and feels not quite smooth, but not rough either, like leaves, skin, and fabric (not any fabric Kaleb has access to. Although maybe? Not wool or leather. Closer to cotton). You can press it inward a bit, but it gets stronger the harder you press. It’s also less black now, and much closer to the colors it’s becoming; a blueish white, a yellow, and a greenish blue, which is the dominant color.

Silver.

*randomly appears, will probably disappear again after I finish my turn* Aluminum?

“Yeah. I think I just made the odds spike. Meryyn and his dad, whoever they are, look even pettier if we get sent to one now, though.”

Nick listens to Aki talk, glad that he’s convinced at least one of his new friends. He nods along, then near the end says, “You’re right, it might not be random. Kami? What are-“ Suddenly: Nick pushes away his shock and confusion and tries to approach the situation logically. “SIMON, is the sound coming from any particular direction? We can check for speakers.” @The Stormfather, what’s the result of that? Getting up from the floor, he continues. “You’ve got a recording, right?” “Of course.” The audio repeats itself quietly through Nick’s glasses. “Ok, let’s see. High tech guy - that’s me if they’re talking about us. No idea? Not sure what that could mean. Odds of safe planets, soul selling, or what’s going on in general, I guess.” Pacing now, he keeps thinking out loud. “Throwing implies that I’m here on purpose, presumably everyone else is too. And it’s for money.” Sleeper runs off. “OK!” Nick yells after him. @TheRavenHasLanded “Meryyn, dad, son. That’s probably the two voices, who are related, although maybe not. There’s bets, and watching. Is this some sort of gladiator area?” Aki yells at the sky, and receives an answer: “And they can hear us, that’s interesting.” Copying what Aki did, Nick also speaks to the ceiling. “What do you even want? I heard the thing about accidents! I don’t know if you’ll randomly kill me, or the people who start to know how you rigged your betting, but I bet it won’t look very good if you smite me now. You’ll have to fake it, but they’ll know.” “Are you really superior? Even if you can move us around, you still make mistakes, you have family members, you need money. You’re a sapient, just like any other! You simply have more tools than us, and you don’t even share them. You aren’t willing to make other people’s lives better. And I don’t know what that thump was, but I doubt it’s good. You’re simply a person, not even an especially nice person, from how you treat me, my friends, your son, and your betting customers.” Nick’s hands are balled into fists. “I know you’re just a person, and I won’t let you play with me. You can send me places, you can even film me, but I will not let you manipulate me!”