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Through the Living Heir

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  1. Through the Living Heir
    Rebus slowly stood up from a crouch, grinning. “You’re outmatched, Kyler.” Then he seemingly vanished, the sonic boom registering at around the same time Rebus returned to perceivable speeds behind Kyler, beginning a still-superhuman punch. Writing fight scenes is hard, so I’m cheating the same way anime does - show individual moments that seem cool and justifying it with flash steps.
  2. Through the Living Heir
    Rebus whistled, though there was nobody around to hear. That was a blade both beautiful and deadly, and writing both immersive and clever. “A pact is excessive - what I desire is closer to a transaction. I’m building a collection of sorts… Antagonist is powerful. Extremely powerful. But for all that power it lacks powers - magic weapons are commonplace, and the other effects are slow and subtle.” Rebus smiled. “To this end, I wish to assemble a symbolic item from each Author - Malice is the gem I have already set within the crown, and a come to you for another. You see, Desolation, when you made the whole of the Thread tremble, it was because you were uniquely suited to it. Narrators often scoff at those who seek to fight them, but an Inkling counters their powers - protagonists are often entwined with their foes, one the fatal weakness of the other. That aspect is one you are well-suited to represent.” “Wits is perhaps the closest of your guesses.” Meat reached sideways and summoned Nonsense. The ocean drank - gone, itself, collapsed. Eyes - grease and jealousy, flame dancing to a shrieking tune. Bababadalgharaghtakamminarronnkonnbronntonnerronntuonnthunntrovarrhounawnskawntoohoohoordenenthurnuk! The fall of An - the whole of a town and its well. @ChipsAHoid, did you ever see this? Eh. The most I would do is start stabbing Inkwell and wait for you to return. Mark - for that is what is was - scribbled its way out from the sketchbook’s bindings and hid within Futility’s title. It would appear to be an erroneous stroke - a t crossed twice after the first was deemed insufficient - and even if noticed it hoped Inkwell would think twice before tearing out that particular page. Jack stepped in front of Lyric. “We would like to buy a journal and something to write with - oh, and a container of oil, for hinges and such.” - Omen is almost correct, but he certainly is now. Time passed - quite a lot of it. Cricket did not steal the Lost Pages, for in fact Cricket was nowhere to be found. And then he finally returned, bringing with him the first time since Bat tortured Symbol that Rebus was truly angry. - The nanomachines perished in droves, some finding their target only to be incinerated before the message even entered the network. The ones within the rest of his body continued to spread, but it barely mattered - their goal seemed out of reach. Rebus allowed the grapple, then anchored himself with nanomachines as Kyler attempted to throw him. Instead of crashing into the floor, Rebus pivoted in mid air, throwing Kyler over his shoulder and (presumably) into the ground.
  3. Through the Living Heir
    Cricket went cold. Don't. came a voice in his head, the same one that had urged him to fight Rebus. This could be disaster for us all. Remember the mission on hand. Sacrafices are necessary. But Rose . . . he hadn't seen her in months, since her Author had retreated, but he held her in his heart dearly. She was everything to him, the reason he was continuing to fight back. "Rebus." he replied, his voice shockingly firm despite his indecision. "I .. . I'll do it." Rebus smiled, watching from far away. I’ll disable the self destruct once you succeed. You have my word. Twinstorm is of course responsible for Cricket’s part - when we get to the part on the actual Thread I shall do far more paraphrasing. - The nanomachines were numerous and clever - while many died out at first, restoring true feeling to Asharak’s leg, those that remained were unharmed and began to multiply once again. To clarify, the nanomachines are trying to mess with the physical portion of Asharak’s brain relating to the Mindscape. Additionally, I think Rebus is the only one of the three trying to be funny. I haven’t seen much of Aroryi’s writing (other than Desolation, Moment, and what exists now, all of which I would qualify as serious), but NameIess has had a number of quite amusing characters.
  4. Through the Living Heir
    What exactly that meant was unclear, though it all seemed true enough. Crusade hummed, and as always, a tiny piece of metal was not quite the same color as the rest. The vision continued, the Rebus of the present simultaneously reenacting and watching, as though in a dream. He chuckled telepathically - and menacingly - then continued. That's actually what I'd like to say. I've had the ability to kill Rose for a long time - if you remember the antimatter explosion I set off just before I killed Bat, you'll know I'm not making idle threats. I'll disable the explosive and promise to never use it if you can give me the Lost Page before it gets placed in the vault. Deal? - Nope. They’re pure technology, albeit enabled by a typical sci-fi cop-out particle Rebus created with Narration. (This was his solution to things like Nullite - and a way to conserve magical energy for the various shenanigans he is enacting) Rebus leaned backwards, still smiling politely. He would have caught the hand instead, but the solidity of an Inkling - and even whether hand was the term for one’s extremities - was in question. “Desolation, I do not lie when I say you loomed large over the Thread. Perhaps - with your absorption of Narration - you could even beat me in single combat, though that is a quite unreliable metric for success.” He grinned, circling around the Inkling. “But there are fewer Narrators about than there once were, and a frankly alarming amount of Mordite. Once someone realized you still exist, you’d by stuffed with Chaotic Darkness and left to Wither, then torn apart with beams of light teleported straight out of a star.” Yeah… This has been happening for a while, actually - there were villain lessons a while ago, and just before that Malevolence was trying to find someone to intern with. This is also already happening, more or less. And you’re the win condition. Glad to hear Rebus is the wittiest of the three, though.
  5. Through the Living Heir
    Sorry for the wait, everyone! In retrospect, if he had been you’d have described a gun. Rebus smiled. “I think I will bet on the super-soldier.” Then he stood there, seeming completely taken by surprise until Kyler was almost close enough to touch. Moving perhaps a dozen times faster than his opponent, Rebus stepped sideways and stuck out his arm to clothesline the other supersoldier. It was a very long time ago. Before the duel. Before even the party when it was declared. Rebus spoke in Cricket’s mind. Now, before you try to report this, I’d like to inform you I can kill Rose at any time. That had been the beginning. The very moment, perhaps, that Cricket made it his very purpose to kill Rebus. - The nanomachines immediately began trying to fully hotwire Asharak’s brain and isolate the Mindscape. Yeah, that could work. Jack was glad things had gone as well as they did, though perhaps that was a sign of further troubles to come. Troubles like having thrown his money at an insane mall-dweller… He quickly checked his pockets, and was relieved to discover everything but the oil-can still present. Pretty much nothing changed, but the bargain had pretty clearly been made - or rather renewed. “Desolation, that is exactly why I believed you would help me. Surely you know at least some of what is coming.” - Rebus was intrigued by the demands of the Guardian. He waited, for his actions rested upon whether they wanted plot or Plot. Meat had been listening, in fact. Since danger was great, and kelp and sea slugs clearly belonged in the ocean, they were. Omen would probably be fine - Meat had no money, after all, and couldn’t pay his - but Mischief might be just like the music. The smear of ink within the sketchbook uncoiled, slithering its way into the bindings to hide. Nothing else happened - Inkwell had a tendency to remain synchronous and escape, which demanded an even slower burn than usual.
  6. Through the Living Heir
    Rebus found himself in the past - not at the time of the duel, but instead some time before it. I'm going to go to bed now, but tomorrow y'all shall learn what exactly Rebus was thinking when he started this mess. Bloodstream, eyes, brain, and maybe muscles and bone if he was physically enhanced. Trusting gifts from Rebus is unwise. Rebus smiled. "Good. I was beginning to worry I'd made truces with everyone important. Of course, breaking those agreements can't be free of consequences, can it?" In a typical act of ironic mimicry, Rebus overwrote all Asharak's senses - not with a completely different scene, but rather with the exact situation as was truly occurring. Meat hadn't lost the argument at all - he'd found it quite handily. Of course, using it to dig for treasure was not quite the intention. Jack appreciated Lyric's help, and continued to follow along. Ah. That would explain why I did not know of them - perhaps I shall check out this band. "As allusions go, it's even less creative than Harry Potter, but I'll quote a proverb for you." Rebus strode forward, and his hand burst alight with black-and-white-flames, surrounded by wisps of color. "A picture is worth a thousand words." His reached out and touched the drawing - it began to disintegrate. Strange. Frantic. Pen. Air. New. The words lingered for a moment before being pulled towards Rebus. One two-hundredth of the way gone. Rebus's nanomachines almost immediately began to eat through the sand. Rebus himself didn't seem to care - he was more-or-less hovering in the air already. "You could stop the mysterious ground arms Egis just caused." - Rebus smiled, calmly leaning to the side. He cracked his knuckles - one at a time - giving Kyler enough time to take another shot.
  7. Through the Living Heir
    "My Author needs to sleep, so I think I shall accept that deal. In exchange for you fighting for me, I don't take away your Plotblade and kingdom - or, if you insist, I'll take them away and then give them back." I have noticed. And I've gotten most of them, too (though not this song, nor the Inn). Rebus smiled. "Good - you can stand up against more of my capabilities." He swept out a hand, and a spear of utility fog - visible only as a slight difference in the air's refraction - launched itself at the pen.
  8. Through the Living Heir
    "It could have belonged to you once - whether it will in the future depends upon a number of things." Rebus gestured to the crown, within which a black gem was set. "If you believe that, perhaps you will aid me in enhancing it." "Indeed we shall." When Rebus killed Bat things got very close to going wrong, and he had to make some regrettable decisions to save Symbol. And when Rebus killed Cricket, his Morton's Fork failed and he didn't really get what he wanted, but still had to slay his former friend. And losing the fighting itself - even though he wanted to lose the duel - is causing problems now. "It's rather difficult to check, what with my empire being effectively trapped off-screen." If I recall, Asharak had been mentally interfaced with Rebus's nanotech... "You already have." Rebus noted. "And you come dangerously close to revoking it." Jack did his best. "We're going to a store, a store, so Lyric can remember more - please let this trip be quite a bore. So help us, for-est find our way, so we're not stuck walking all day. Um... after April is the month May?" - If danger was great, he might as well get started! Good luck. - "There are people fighting me in two different places. If you show up they'll probably fight you." - Rebus watched this, his smile getting wider and wider. Evaiya could be brought back to life - and maybe Dramatic Irony would finally show itself.
  9. Through the Living Heir
    "I am harder to get rid of than you seem to think. Without that mercy, I would kneel, much as you had." Are you calling me cringe? "Yes, Desolation. I am well aware of my magic, accomplishments, and name." "I suspect I shall." Rebus said. "It broke last time, after all." Endless loop of nothingness where I'm not writing him, but that would be hard to delude him into believing. Watching himself fail, maybe - but failing all the way does not happen to him often. "Declaring war against your employer oftentimes demonstrates of conflict of interest." Jack nodded. - Taln, actually. The spit halted in the air. The fire, on the other hand, did not. Rebus grinned back, the flames shining black reflections on his teeth, turning them almost the mirror image of Inkwell's. "Garjzla," he quipped, drawing a cylindrical device so fast that it seemed to appear in his hand. It appeared to be an ordinary flashlight - until it turned on, unleashing a beam of radiance so bright the air ionized and exploded out of the way. The would be a mere instant between the first glimpse of light and when Inkwell stopped being biology and started being physics. Take your time - I'll focus on the battle - Rebus nodded - though it did mean the various heroes of the Thread might attack Atlas, it also meant that the battle could continue once his Author slept. - Rebus raised his eyebrow higher. "Frankly, I care little of which way this goes. That being said, should you kill Evaiya it would be most practical for me to kill you in turn and take over your little organization."
  10. Through the Living Heir
    "I am worse at fencing in the rain than a dead man. That is indeed true, though rotting in a ditch is rather inaccurate." Rebus smiled, his crown - the Plotblade Antagonist - disappearing off his head to be resummoned as a glittering black halberd. "Welcome, Inkwell. Shall we begin?" Rebus examined them. "I suspect you're smarter than you give yourself credit for." - Rebus, wishing to see how Evaiya would explain (and his Author having to juggle six plots), didn't say anything. - "Most of the things I did before. Bother people, scheme, and work myself further into the plot." Rebus allowed that, a new copy of him forming from utility fog nearby. Doesn't Dark Cep have an extra thing, with the painful memories? Rebus, as expected, appeared with a thunderclap. "I take it you've resigned?" Rebus smiled. "Ah, so you are paying attention. It is good to 'see' you once more."
  11. Through the Living Heir
    Rebus raised an eyebrow. "All my employees seem to be defecting." Dark Cep and Asharak are both split off versions of Cep, who I believe is indeed a Narrator, Dark Cep is rather nefarious and has some sort of mind magic, while Asharak can teleport and was at least supposed to be running Rebus's transportation network.
  12. Through the Living Heir
    The wave certainly lost structure as it touched the Mordite, breaking around the sword as it nonetheless hit with fairly significant force. Whether or not Dark Cep wants to take it (and probably get sent flying backwards with what would be several broken bones if he was a normal person) is up to him. Up to you where you want to be. Rebus might attack Asharak in a second (considering that he's suppose to work for Rebus).
  13. Through the Living Heir
    Rebus - the new one - turned around, smiling politely. The ground around him was a metallic liquid, reminiscent of mercury - though it was of course nanomachines. "Hello, Dark Cep." Then Asharak broadcast his message, and Rebus grinned. "I thought as much," he said, a wave of utility fog slamming into Dark Cep. Is Desolation even still around? Rebus resolved to find out. The simplest method would be an Essence Compass - Prismite, or perhaps Mordite, suspended on a pivot. If Desolation residually repelled or attracted the Essences, Rebus could slowly control for other sources and get it to point the way.
  14. Through the Living Heir
    Rebus nodded. "It has been. I await the opposition." All over the place. The majority of copies are either managing his empire or expanding it, but he's also interfering in around half the plots. I have no particular opinion as to which I desire pursued - cutting him off from seeding more planets with nanotech would be strategically useful if anyone cared. "I can try." Jack said, looking a little doubtful. Rebus nodded thoughtfully. "If you had built a universe-crossing portal, then if we can replicate it from memory all that's left is to find your actual universe, and if possible your me." - Rebus raised an eyebrow. "Manipulation lesson three-" he said quietly. "Don't start by asking for what you want. Especially with someone like this, starting with what you will offer - for a price, of course - can appeal to their greed and avoid outright rejections. If you recall, the longer you can get someone to listen to you, the more likely they are to eventually give in." - "That, in this case, may be right. Too many characters from the same Author, and one ends up an extra. Extras can be killed to raise stakes, or may simply fade into the background." Fish armor made no sense at all - they didn't have either, and limbs were typically organic. Meat, as such, had found plants - kelp, actually, which for some reason wasn't one. Rebus nodded. Hopefully there was something else for him to do until then - find Desolation, perhaps. "That is true - I myself am certainly not the paragon of originality." - Meat signed a piece of paper - laminated and shiny, it was a picture of a man with an awesome yellow sword. Then he tore it in half.
  15. Through the Living Heir
    Since presumably Elinor was leaving to look for Ryna, Rebus disappeared. - Rebus's brow furrowed. "Were you opening portals between dimensions? A third world might be involved - and if so, that is almost surely where I ended up." - Rebus allowed Evaiya (that is who it was, correct?) to lead the way. - "Being 'wonky' makes perfect sense, Atlas. What that results in, though, can vary quite a bit." Rebus nodded, and his words reverberated slightly, infused as they were with magic. "We do have a deal." A Mordite blade teleported between them, held in the air by utility fog - which died on contact with it, causing the metal to slowly shed silver dust.
  16. Through the Living Heir
    The slide whistle happened to stop at this point, corresponding with the second piano falling from the sky. Rebus paused, thinking - or, rather, appearing to think for the purposes of the interaction. "Yes. That could work - though once whoever it is stops opposing me I shall likewise repossess your sword." This worked surprisingly well, considering Rebus's capabilities - in other words, rather than never exploding at all, Rebus face burst into nanomachines and frankly unpleasant face-chunks, then reformed over his skull.
  17. Through the Living Heir
    "Frankly," Rebus said, "I'm beginning to run out of favors I need. I could throw more people at the Lost Page, but it is getting to be redundant. My empire keeps getting ignored, so adding to it is likewise of little use. Your magic is intriguing, but I can already replicate the parts of it that would be useful." "Pretty much," Rebus said from across the way. Which of course proceeded to fry. This made very much sense, for he was indeed himself. This was a problem, of course - making sense was not nonsense, which would prevent him from buying particular types of bread. This would, in turn, interfere with the music.
  18. Through the Living Heir
    Rebus was fine with that - while his Author would soon sleep, until then brawling would be a worthwhile activity. "That is wise of you - what, perhaps, would you offer?" Meat approved of this development. Rebus nodded. "Evil as I may be, I do try to avoid causing physical pain." - Rebus frowned - that was perhaps ominous. "It would help, yes. We'll have to replicate it, after all." - Rebus followed. - That made sense, though it did not bode well for the revelation she'd had. Incidentally, Rebus had just physically appeared near the brawl.
  19. Through the Living Heir
    Ah. I wouldn't put it past them to pull him into the brawl regardless. "I can. Mordite is not easy to acquire, though - it would be a favor, to be reciprocated."
  20. Through the Living Heir
    Rebus appeared next to him, though it was possible someone in the brawl might take this opportunity to attack. "I could do you a favor. Whether I expect something in return depends upon what it is." That is a Morton's Fork - a choice engineered so both decisions have pretty much the same outcome.
  21. Through the Living Heir
    Rebus nodded. "Atlas isn't mad, though she might be swinging back too far. Ryna I have not seen in some time." - "Knowing me, I would have immediately tried to replicate it - to get you back, reunite with Symbol from a timeline I died instead, then find other mes and other resources. From my absence, and what you just said, I conclude that-" Rebus pointed at the timeline- "refers to me. If it doesn't, replicating what happened from where it actually occurred is incredibly difficult or time consuming - even with magic this will not be easy." - "That is quite understandable." - Rebus did the same. - "Of course not - the capacity to simulate the emotions of others in a requirement for empathy. When imagining a close friend, many people can extrapolate their feelings and reactions in various situations. And many actors do the same with the roles, getting fully into the character of a fictional person." There are several that could be called that. The master copy of me holds Antagonist, and is akin to me - that is likely not what you want. My unaltered personality is abrasive and dysfunctional - I do not know why you would want that. The copy with Sequence - Cipher - is me with a conscience, akin to what I am in the other world. I looked a little bit and couldn't find it, but there's time for scheming now.
  22. Through the Living Heir
    Rebus blinked. "The recursive one? I was, frankly, quite an annoyance."
  23. Through the Living Heir
    I'd thought they'd started scheming afterwards, but perhaps not. Jack shrugged. "I do not know very much about forests. Or stores, actually." - That was fine with Rebus. Rebus smiled. "I will do that, should you do something for me in return. What sort of person do you align with?"
  24. Through the Living Heir
    Were Dark Cep and Rebus talking? I feel like there was a plotline a little while ago, after the Atlas thing. I did not, technically speaking. His Author did that, with a lightning bolt. Whatever was being drained - time perhaps, or agency - felt strange, almost coming more easily that it should have been. This was, of course, the moment Rebus came back. Not physically, of course - adding more participants to the five-way battle was not a good idea - but an impression of him materialized next to Inkwell. I, incidentally, reached Inkwell even before you had. It was not a long conversation, however. - Jack nodded, still not particularly knowing how to sing. Or why it would help, for that matter. - Rebus was pretty sure Malevolence was copying him.
  25. Through the Living Heir
    Rebus swept a hand out, utility fog dropping the Blade into his hand. - "Of course," Rebus said, though it was possible Ribbon had gone. "I would die, more or less, without plot relevance. And half the Thread might break with me." It did not, but Jack did not question it. "If you do not need to rest, I suppose we should get going." - I approve, Rebus broadcast. Is that a plot device? Allusion could work, actually... Rebus began to speak, only for Inkwell to flee. It did? Where'd the pieces go? Asking for a friend. Meat is literally the product of a fever dream, and since I seem to be coming down with a cold, I'll be in top shape to write him. The shrieking echoed around the cave, harmonizing with itself. Meat played the beginning of Eye of the Tiger on the bread, and a slowly descending slide whistle could be heard. Rebus was abruptly covered in ink, the plot progressing too fast for him to escape before it was gone again and he had his armor back. Except... there was one line left in the notebook, a tiny piece of the drawing that refused to fade. Nothing more, of course - Rebus had too many things to do to be interrupting an active battle. Rebus nodded, and Elinore could feel him recall a similar emotion. "I have magical senses too - not for feelings, but events. I might be able to help you, though it's not quite the same thing and you should never trust me all the way." - Rebus sighed, smiling at the pictures. He waited, fairly certain that Rebyl would tell him what she needed. - Rebus smiled. "I can take it. 'May I have your name' and all that lets me make bargains paid with abstract concepts." - "I'll be here." Rebus smiled. "Relatable, escapist, interesting - and evil, of course." - "We can." Rebus smiled, glad to have a chance to explain this once more. His Author really needed to get on that metafictional philosophy essay. "It's thanks to empathy and method acting. Fully written characters have personalities - the Authors, or at least mine, imagine simulations of us; think our thoughts and feel our feelings."
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