15[20:26] As Lookshyan guns thunder uselessly against Theion's dead will, and as the circle struggles to survive the devastation of the Eye of Balor, no one on either side of the barrier has any idea of the carnage beyond. 15[20:36] The ground beneath the circle's feet is running molten. Keldar is badly burned. Xu Sim is nowhere to be seen. [20:37] "GET THAT OUT OF HIS HANDS!" 14Stranger roars. Where's Xu Sim? Where's-- [20:37] 10Jai strikes a glancing blow. Is it enough? No, but he has momentum now— [20:41] 10The edge of the blade seems to catch alight as he brings it around again, but the Mask is still just a little too quick. The orb—the Eye? glares balefully. 15[20:42] Xia Lan and Tsuka have been stopped by the Lookshyans, and led to Dragonlord Ballare, who crackles with electricity as she stands on the deck of the Final Word. "What's the situation?" [20:49] 10Jai brings the sword down in a savage, wholly artless, chop. For a heartbeat everything stops.  [20:50] 10Then the orb is knocked free of the Mask's grip, crazy-bouncing like a billiard ball flicked by the finger of a god. [20:51] "GRAB IT!" 15[20:51] "IMBECILE! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU'VE DONE?!" [20:51] <@Ferrinus> 12Keldar, meanwhile, is struggling through the heart of the crimson beam, shield up, sword back, and cobblestones melting into lava beneath his feet. It's only thanks to Entreaty that his body still exists as a physical object, and despite the silver shield's shadow the warrior's body is burned red-and-black all around its periphery. As Jai strikes true, it's all Keldar can do to roll [20:51] <@Ferrinus> 12sideways out of the lava he finds himself standing in before his feet and legs have realized they should be igniting. [20:51] "I DON'T GIVE A SHIT!" [20:52] <@Ferrinus> 12Er, wait, it's Keldar's gold and silver sword's shadow -- he's got a grand daiklave at the moment. 15[20:52] The eye, though it appears to be a solid ruby-like crystal beneath its lurid glow, hits the solid ground behind the Mask with a damp plop. [20:53] 13She looks exhausted, and there's probably blood all over Xia Lan's clothes from letting Tsuka lean on her as they made their way back into Nexus. To Ballare: "Balor and the Mask of Winters were fighting over the Eye. Stranger, Keldar, Xu Sim, and Jai were all fighting there, but Stranger's got them in stasis now - nobody gets in or out until... whatever's going on in there is done. One way or the other." 15[20:55] Ballare raises her arm. "Hold fire!" The essence cannons stop, ozone-smelling smoke rising from the jade barrels. With the raised arm she snaps her fingers. "Get him to a medic. Can you fight?" she asks Xia Lan. [20:55] 14As the Mask turns, Stranger sees an opening-- [20:56] 14And as the death beyond death screams at Jai, a parasol smacks him upside the head. A supernally dangerous parasol. [20:58] 14Then it snaps out of the air and the ribbon guiding it briefly wraps around the Mask's...throat? [20:58] 14Stranger: "BALOR! GET YOUR EYE NOW!" [21:01] 13Xia Lan: "I'm not hurt," 13she hedges. Then: "...but not against any kind of serious foe. That curse has me practically useless." 15[21:02] "Go with him," says Ballare. [21:04] 10It's a good thing the stone here is hot enough to melt, because otherwise Jai's blood would be freezing right now. 10I said WHAT? To WHO? [21:04] 13She offers a quick 'thank you,' then hurries after Tsuka. They really need to stop meeting in the medical tents, though it's not her that's hurt this time. In a way, that actually feels worse. 15[21:11] "That is not my name," says the Emissary in his cold, flat voice, that seems to ignore all acoustics. He glides smoothly through the Masks' clutching hands and stoops down to grasp the Eye. In front of everyone, he tears off his own mask, revealing the virid and black-veined face of a man only Xu Sim might recognize. At the center of his brow is an open wound, pulsing and contracting 15[21:11] against the sudden rush of air and light. 15[21:12] With one hand he seats the eye, and with the other he dons the mask. "I am the Emissary of Nexus, and I see wanton violence." [21:12] 14Stranger pulls the parasol back. Whatever's going to happen is going to happen. [21:12] 10Gross. Cool, but gross. 15[21:13] The Emissary's entire body contracts, and the inside of the dome is awash with red light. [21:15] <@Ferrinus> 12Keldar's just pulling himself to his feet, using his daiklave as an extremely extravagant walking stick. One of his eye's gummed shut and the other's squinting through a haze of pain, but with his free hand he manages to ball a fist. 15[21:23] The light fades and nothing happens for a moment. Then the Mask begins to float in the air, joints snapping as the sheer force of the Emissary's will snaps his body back and forth. He starts to fray at the edges, the tips of his fingers and the hems of his robes dissolving into dust. Black ichor leaks from the holes in his gauntlets, and from behind both sides of his wicked masks. 15[21:24] There's an explosion of black motes, thousands of them, as the Mask discorporates. Every mote that comes in contact with one of the Circle passes straight through them as if they weren't there, leaving behind a deep, piercing cold that fades after moments. 15[21:28] Tsuka drifts in and out of consciousness. He grips Xia Lan's hand weakly. "Father was right," he mutters weakly. 15[21:28] He's weak, I'm saying. [21:29] 10Maybe it's just Jai's imagination, but there was a distinct feeling of hate, absolute 10loathing,10 washing over him to accompany the chill. Either way, he's made a hell of an enemy today. [21:30] <@Ferrinus> 12Keldar staggers sideways, coughing, as the sphere of whatever the hell this is around the tiny battlefield removes itself. "Fuck, fuck, fuck, completely botched-" 12something occurs to him and he's suddenly looking around, eyes literally flashing. 15[21:31] With a wave of his hand, the Emissary banishes the lava, leaving the ground cooled instantly. 15[21:32] Keldar alone sees a plume of black and gold smoke rising high from what was the peak of the dome and drifting away. [21:32] 14Stranger snaps his fingers again, and the Sol Ring's bubble vanishes. [21:33] <@Ferrinus> 12The Dawn Sergeant grunts with the pain of pointing upward. "There 'e... there he goes, I think. Shit. Hooooo that smarts." 15[21:33] "Thank you for your service," says the Emissary. [21:34] 14Stranger plops down on the now-cooled ground to take a moment. [21:34] 14Not often you stare down the Mask of Winters, almost get disintegrated, and-- "Where's Xu Sim?" [21:34] 14This is an open question, not really just for the Emissary. [21:35] <@Ferrinus> "Nothing less than what I, what I owe." 12Keldar tries to pull himself into a slightly less ragged stance for the purpose of giving the Emissary a nod. Then: "Jai! Throwing you a fuckin' parade or something. Goddamn." [21:35] "Heh. Aha. Honestly? I didn't think that'd work." [21:36] "Yes, excellent work Jai." [21:36] <@Ferrinus> 12Keldar: "...where's Xu sim." 15[21:37] The Solars are met with the onrushing Lookshyan army, who know nothing of their valor. "What in the hell happened?" comes the voice from one of Ballare's Blooded lieutenants. 15[21:37] Some of them have weapons drawn. [21:37] 14Stranger pushes himself back up to his feet. "The Mask of Winters has been driven off by the Emissaries of Nexus and the Dawn Sergeant. And another." [21:37] 14He looks around. "Who doesn't seem entirely present." [21:38] <@Ferrinus> 12Keldar: "Stand back! Injured here. Fuck, is he stuck in the rock?" [21:38] "Although I kind of boned it up in the first place. I would've grabbed it from Miss Xia Lan and led him on a chase, but he saw me coming from behind. Then again…"10 He looks to the Emissary. "Glad to have aided you in recovering your property. Uh. Sir." 15[21:38] "Driven where? Our cannons couldn't pierce that shell. Direct hit after direct hit--" [21:38] 14When he looks down at his feet: "Also, if someone could be so bold as to get a pickaxe..." [21:39] "Wait--wait--" [21:39] "Waaaa!" 14He pulls one foot free, sans sandal. [21:39] "Oh my." [21:39] 13Xia Lan squeezes Tsuka's hand. She's never asked about Tsuka's family, but if he's thinking of them at a time like this, his time with them was probably rough. Gently: "You're safe and we're both alive." 13She hesitates. "...right about...?" [21:40] <@Ferrinus> 12Keldar's stalking around now, trying to find, at the very least, a body. But that kind of magic wouldn't leave one, would it... 15[21:40] Tsuka: "Couldn't-- couldn't make it on my own..." 15[21:40] "...failed..." [21:40] 14After a few more minutes: "Waaaaa!" 14There's the second one. "I suppose I'm walking back barefoot." 15[21:40] The Emissary's face is unreadable behind the mask. "What is your name?" he asks Jai. [21:41] 10Jai banishes Burning Tizona once more. "My professional name is Black Wind Howling. But my mother named me Jai." [21:42] 10It's actually not a lie.  15[21:42] The Emissary: "Black Wind Howling, then. In Nexus you are who you say you are, and let anyone dare try to stop you." [21:42] 13Xia Lan: "Oh, Tsuka. No." [21:44] 14To the Lookshyan soldiers: "What news from the other fronts?" 15[21:45] "The fae have withdrawn, sir. They appear to be massing for another assault." 15[21:45] "We can take you to the Dragonlord...?" [21:46] 10He offers the Emissary a fist-in-hand salute and a deep bow. "I swore the oath, and I will serve." [21:46] 14Stranger nods. "Please do. There is much to discuss." [21:46] <@Ferrinus> 12Keldar smashes the point of his daiklave into the ground. "WHERE'S XU SIM?!" 12He looks around, increasingly frustrated at how increasingly easy he's become to ignore. "Can ANYONE find ANYTHING?" [21:49] 14To Keldar: "He's either dead...or he's elsewhere. A man of his skill, I wouldn't put it past him. The Mask of Winters escaped the pocket world of the Sol Ring; perhaps Xu Sim did as well." 15[21:49] There's no sign of Xu Sim. Not even ashes. [21:50] "But there's no slag of a body. Nothing to investigate or look into." [21:50] "If he returns, well...what we know about him is that he will return on his own terms." [21:50] <@Ferrinus> 12Keldar: "There wouldn't be, would there? Shit." [21:50] 14He sighs. "It's not a good answer. But with our responsibilities and commitments, it's the one we'll have to accept for now." [21:51] "With your pardon… I have matters I should attend to." 10Jai excuses himself from the Emissary's presence. [21:51] <@Ferrinus> 12The Sergeant's shaking his head to himself. "Old man should've stayed clear. God dammit." 15[21:52] Elsewhere, far from the heart of Nexus, far even from the front, past the lines of defense of Nexus and past the vanguard of Cethleann's horde stands a copse of elm trees that wasn't there before. Their branches gnarl and intertwine, forming a creche in which a great violet light pulses. 15[21:53] The air thrums with potential, and the violet light flickers briefly gold and black, before disgorging the Mask of Winters, still bleeding black, and Xu Sim illuminated orange by the flames crawling up his sleeves. 15[21:54] The Emissary vanishes in a shimmer. [21:55] 14Stranger nods sadly to Keldar. "Let's press on, then. There's more work to be done." 14To the Lookshyans: "To Ballare." 15[21:55] The trip aboard the Final Word is brief and uneventful, and Ballare takes the circle into her ready-room. "First of all, what the fuck was that?" [21:56] 14Stranger: "The bubble, the Emissary, the Mask, the death ray...?" [21:56] "It was a lot of compromising, is what it was." [21:57] <@Ferrinus> 12Keldar's moving slowly, and takes a very ginger seat on whatever's available. "Elegba. Elegba said he wanted to parley but robbed us instead, and we figured it out... uh, in some confusion." [21:57] "Yeah, what exactly was that thing?" 10Jai's managed to shuck his armor and feels lighter than a feather. "All I saw was the Mask of Winters trying to rob someone who couldn't put up any resistance." [21:57] <@Ferrinus> 12Keldar: "Ended up in a fight over an important piece of civic property." [21:58] "But clearly that wasn't just some bauble or even a hearthstone." [21:59] 14To Ballare: "I know you don't particularly like or trust me -- us -- but you should trust this: the Emissary of Nexus has returned, at or near the fullness of his power, and in my opinion Lookshy should adjust its strategic expectations of this campaign accordingly. Forget about long-term leverage over this city; view a victory here more as an exercise that has prevented a middlemarch [21:59] or a shadowland of grotesque size and power from springing up in Lookshy's backyard." [21:59] "The Mask being forced to quit the field without the Eye of Balor is, itself, a resounding victory for Creation." [21:59] "I say that as one of those he attempted to use it on." [21:59] 13Xia Lan: "Listen to me. If you ever say that again I will track your father down and punch him in the face." 13She sighs. "Today was rough. But you're alive. You'll get back up from this. And I love you." 13What else can she say? Especially with Tsuka in this state. When he's more clearheaded... [22:00] <@Ferrinus> 12Keldar: "Yeah." 12He'd have preferred not to drop the name, but, well. 15[22:00] "Did we win?" asks Tsuka. [22:00] 10Jai whistles. "That's a name to conjure with." [22:01] "Not all that he used it on were so lucky." 15[22:01] Ballare: "The Emissary has the Eye of Balor back?" [22:01] 13Xia Lan: "I don't hear screaming, so we must have." [22:01] "He does." [22:02] 5Xu Sim slaps frantically at the rising flames, padding at them with his hands until they go out. Singed twice, dragged through the mud, pelted with the Thistledown - this robe is on its last legs. [22:03] 5He glances up at the Mask, warily. 15[22:04] The Mask, who has fallen to hands and knees, looks up at Xu Sim. 15[22:05] On the ridge behind them, a tiny voice shouts "Oi!" 15[22:05] A hobgoblin riding a mastiff trots toward them. [22:05] "You're not here to-" 5Xu Sim glances back at the hobgoblin. [22:07] 10Jai shifts uneasily. He's got a couple questions to ask Stranger later about the nature of the Emissary, but airing them in this meeting feels unwise. [22:09] 5Xu Sim dusts off the tattered, filthy, formerly-white robe. To be fair, if anyone but a master of the Crane Style had worn this robe it would long ago have been torn to shreds, burnt to a crisp, or soaked through with blood and faerie ichor. 15[22:11] Tsuka: "...are you okay?" 15[22:11] "Did you get hurt?" he coughs. 15[22:11] Ballare draws in a sharp breath through her nose. "Do you trust him?" [22:12] 14Stranger: "I trust his nature. But I made him swear a sanctified oath before helping him anyhow." [22:12] "You haven't followed to kill me. You're nearly more dead than usual," 5Xu Sim observes, ignoring the hobgoblin and its dog for a moment. "And you've lost the Eye as well." [22:13] 14Keldar isn't going to like this presentation of the Emissary as somehow subordinate to the Solars, or even equals, but it's what Ballare needs to hear. 15[22:13] The Mask: "They have no idea what they've done." 15[22:13] "To give such power to a man--" 15[22:14] The hobgoblin rides forward, spear at the ready. The Mask waves his hand and the hobgoblin and dog both fall over, stone dead. A moment later they rise unsteadily, and the hobgoblin clambers back onto the dog's back, its eyes vacant. [22:15] 13Xia Lan squeezes Tsuka's hand again: "I'm fine. Not a scratch on me. First fight in a while that's been true," 13she smiles weakly. [22:15] <@Ferrinus> 12Keldar: "It's the Emissary. Does what he always does. Should be more reliable against the rest of the fae than he has been up to now." 12He pauses. "Speaking of, what're they up to? How much time before they hit again?" [22:16] "What, as opposed to the ghost of one?" 5Xu Sim asks, pointedly. 15[22:18] Ballare: "We don't know. We know that whatever you did in the first wave forced them into retreat. We took back territory up to the river and they haven't poked their heads over their embankments since. Sorcerer's best guess is they're waiting for their general to reform. Who knows how long that will take." 15[22:18] "Our position's too precarious for a counterattack." 15[22:18] The Mask: "I was no more man than you are." [22:18] <@Ferrinus> 12Keldar: "Between you and me, it'll probably not take as long as it'll take me to walk this off." [22:18] "Hopefully the Emissary will bolster our first response." 14Stranger looks over at Keldar: "We need to fix what's wrong with you and the girl." [22:19] "Nexus needs its Dawn Sergeant. All of him." 15[22:19] Ballare: "She was fine. I sent her back to the infirmary tents with her boy, who is incredibly not." [22:19] 5Xu Sim: "So much I have surmised. Did you mean to give the Eye to another, then?" [22:19] <@Ferrinus> 12Keldar: "That too. It'll fall off... but I dunno when or how." [22:20] 14Stranger purses his lips and nods. "Cathak Tsuka has given a lot for this city. Perhaps a lethal amount, by the time we're done." 15[22:20] "Someone knocked it from my hand. I didn't recognize him." 15[22:20] "...who were you?" [22:20] 10Jai: "I called off my scouting expedition when I saw and heard the first signs of trouble back in the city. So I don't have as much information on the raksha host as I would've liked to have by now." [22:21] "In the circumstances, though, it turned out to be warranted." 15[22:21] The Mask makes a sharp gesture, and the hobgoblin and mastiff shuffle around to walk back up the hill. [22:21] "I could strike out again in the morning, though." [22:21] 14To Jai: "As soon as you're ready." 15[22:21] Tsuka: "...that's good... where's Stranger?" [22:23] "I'm bone tired. After the last few days, I feel like I could sleep for a week. But one night should be enough." [22:26] 5Xu Sim eyes the creature with suspicion. "I have ever been Xu Sim. But before, he who I am was called Uzra." 15[22:28] The Mask: "Ha!" 15[22:28] "Power at any price. Of course. Nobody really changes." [22:28] 13Xia Lan: "Not sure. Let me --" 13She grabs her codex page.  [22:29] 14Stranger: [22:29] 14He frowns. The Codex. He's been so out of it that-- [22:32] 13Xia Lan:  13She nods to Tsuka. "He's back in town. And alive, um, obviously." [22:32] 14Stranger: *> [22:35] 13She repeats it for Tsuka's benefit, with special emphasis to not push himself.  [22:37] 5Xu Sim grunts in annoyance before his brow furrows at the rather disturbing implication. [22:39] 5Xu Sim, on both the Codex and to the Mask: "Then why bother?" [22:40] 14To Xia Lan: [22:41] 14To Keldar: "I just called Xu Sim on the Codex. He answered. He sounds like he's in the middle of something." [22:41] 10Jai busies himself with updating one of Ballare's maps with the raksha positions and patrols he did encounter before turning back. A light brush against his awareness indicates that Shiki's made it back to his makeshift quarters and that there's been good hunting in the undercity tonight.  [22:42] <@Ferrinus> 12Keldar, who'd fallen into a reverie, snaps into full wakefulness. "What? How the fuck?" [22:42] 13Xia Lan:  13To Tsuka: "Everyone's fine. Or, I guess they are now? Xu Sim was disintegrated but he's on the Codex, so... I guess he wasn't after all?" 15[22:42] The Mask: "You shouldn't." [22:42] 14Stranger: "I don't know. I didn't even think to call him until checking in with Xia Lan. But unless he took the page with him to the afterlife, he's hanging around." [22:42] "Whew. I would've felt really bad if he'd died." 15[22:43] Ballare: "Is he injured?" 15[22:43] "Where is he? What's his status?" [22:43] <@Ferrinus> 12Keldar: "...can we rule that out? It was the Mask that got 'im." [22:43] <@Ferrinus> 12Keldar: "At least that's what it looked like." 15[22:43] The Mask touches a finger to his temple. "There is an army between us and our people." [22:43] 14Stranger: "It sounds like he's talking with someone and doesn't want to reveal that he's in communication with us. He sounds raspy but generally fine. I can't tell who he's speaking with." [22:44] 14Stranger: "There's only two people who magicked their way out of that bubble, though." [22:44] "But you should?" 5Xu Sim is incredulous. "People can -" 5He pauses right before he puts his own hand to his head in a gesture just a little too similar to what the Mask just did, himself.  [22:45] 10Jai: "Maybe he hitched a ride. Sorcerers can do that kind of thing, right?" [22:45] 14Stranger: "He's talking to the Mask of Winters." [22:45] 14Stranger: [22:45] "And… everything's okay?" [22:45] "Uh." [22:45] "He was trying to kill us pretty hard not that long ago." [22:46] "I think everything's precarious. But he's making a play." [22:46] "If it comes to it and he needs to get pulled out, I want you and the Ambassador on it," 14he says to Jai. [22:46] 5Xu Sim glances sidelong at the Mask. Tough to be discrete around someone with eyes (and nose, and mouth, and...) in the back of their head. 15[22:46] The Mask: "You should fight, of course. You should win! Conquest is our birthright. But you shouldn't fight your nature." 15[22:47] "Is that Stranger? Give him my regards." [22:47] "Assuming they're...anywhere near here." [22:47] "O-okay. I think I can do that. I might wear a different face any time I get near the Mask from now on, though. Keep him guessing." [22:47] <@Ferrinus> 12Keldar half-stands out of his seat, grits his teeth, then stands the rest of the way. "If he's -- hrrgh. We can't just leave him out there." 15[22:48] Tsuka: "I don't understand. What happened?" [22:48] 5Xu Sim follows alongside the Mask. "Your nature is different now, though. Despite superficial similarities." [22:49] 10Jai rubs his eyes. "If I need to go after him now I'm gonna need some of that Fulang tea. Double-strength. With sugar." [22:49] 14Stranger: [22:49] 14This is not a lie. 15[22:51] The Mask pushes himself to a sitting position. "I would contend that it is only the superficial that has changed. Flesh is nothing against the mind, the will. Those persist, even unto death. Even into further turns of the wheel." [22:55] 5Xu Sim: "When the stomach grumbles, it goads the will to action. Deprived of the flesh, what has the ghostly mind to drive it?" [22:55] 13Xia Lan: "The Mask had the Eye of Balor and used it on Xu Sim. But he's... elsewhere, now, instead of dead." 13She finds some place to sit and just rubs her forehead. "I don't get it either. I'm just glad he's all right. Or, as all right as one could be after that." 15[22:55] The Mask: "For some, memory. For some, desire. For some, principle. For some, spite." 15[22:56] "Anything that might make a man linger past the point of sense will do the same to the dead." 15[22:57] Tsuka: "Is the war over?" [22:58] 5Xu Sim: "Which was it for you?" 15[22:59] The Mask: "Knowledge. The only sacred pursuit." [23:00] 5Xu Sim sneers "And what lesson did Thorns have for a studied soul like yours?" 15[23:01] "With an attitude like that," says the Mask archly, "I'm not sure I should tell you." [23:02] 13Xia Lan: "No, but we're in better shape than we were this morning. For the first time in a while, I actually feel pretty good about our chances." 13Kind of. [23:06] "Now, I've told you one of mine," 5reminds Xu Sim - "fair play demands you tell me one of yours." 15[23:08] The Mask: "Fair enough. A question, then: what happens when you kill that which cannot die?" [23:11] 14Once the meeting with Ballare is over, Stranger goes to get some noodles. The homeless soup kitchens he and Selin set up have pulled exceptional double-duty in this time of crisis. [23:11] 5This koan is a puzzler. [23:12] 14He'll invite Jai to come with him, if the man doesn't invite himself. 15[23:12] The noodles, despite being made of shredded mushrooms, are well-seasoned in a rich broth. [23:12] 14Excellent. [23:12] 10Jai goes with, since it feels like weeks since the last time he had a decent meal. [23:13] 14Well, 'decent' is a moving target. [23:13] 14But it is flavorful and filling. [23:13] "Huh. Mushrooms? Really?" [23:13] 14Stranger: "The city's underworks are a fantastic source." [23:13] <@Ferrinus> 12Once Keldar's satisfied that Jai, the Ambassador, and whoever else Stranger can rustle up are going to have Xu Sim's rescue in hand, he retires to his own office. There's not a lot for him to do there - delegates, especially Tsuka, have already had to take over the more difficult administrative functions, but the Dawn Sergeant's still able to make broad decisions and also send runners [23:13] <@Ferrinus> 12and other guardsmen out for specific tasks. So, here's the order: find the Emissary and ask him to come in for a chat, because the Sergeant needs help with a few questions. [23:14] 13After a few moments of quiet, Xia Lan asks Tsuka: "...so how are you feeling? You really scared me." [23:14] "And they have a certain charm of their own. A bit spongey, but still hearty." [23:14] "I take it you have questions." [23:14] "Green stuff. Cave moss or somethin'?" 10Slurp. Sluuurp. [23:15] "Oh yeah. Real questions. Not about soup." [23:15] "When you kill what cannot die, even the memory cannot persist - nothing can remain," 5Xu Sim speculates. [23:15] "Soup questions remain excellent questions, but I understand your meaning." [23:16] "Haaa." 10Jai leans back, sated for the moment. "So just who is the Emissary, anyway? You called him Balor, but he can't be the Balor. And then he said not to call him by that name." [23:17] "I read a half-dozen reports on Nexus, but they all had contradicting theories." 15[23:17] Tsuka looks up at her. "I got cholera once. On a trip with cadets. The well was fouled. It's not the same, but..." He shakes his head slowly. "Wrung out." [23:19] 14Stranger: "Well, that depends. The former Emissary was Balor. That much is not in doubt. But we all saw him die. Well. Saw the corpse. This guy has the right hole in his head, has the right powers, the moves and the looks -- but we were actually looking into a different inheritor of the mantle of 'Emissary of Nexus.' A cabbage dealer." 15[23:19] The Mask: "Suppose that such a being created the means of its own demise. Suppose it became its own death. A vessel for, a conduit to, pure Oblivion." 15[23:19] "Imagine the song it would sing." [23:19] "Then this guy showed up. And he had the touch." [23:20] 14Stranger gulps down some more noodles. "I have an agent still looking into the cabbage dealer, but he seems to be wholly out of play. So this is either Balor resurrected, or something else." [23:21] "Either way I've sworn him to defend the city, with a supernal oath binding, so if there is some betrayal waiting to happen in there we might have a bit of help from the Sun." [23:21] 10Jai blinks. "The Balor. The one who was supposed to have been scythed away by the Empress all those years ago. Man, I knew raksha were slippery, but this is something else." 15[23:21] Keldar feels his eardrums pop, and then the Emissary is there, arms folded. [23:22] "He doesn't like the name now. I'm unsure what to make of that." [23:22] "It's probably… a good sign? I didn't think raksha could reincarnate anyway, so maybe he's just… a regular spirit or something, now." [23:23] "They either go all rocky or they just puff out of existence, is what I was taught." [23:23] 14Stranger: "Yes, I remain unconvinced he's actually Balor. But there's still a hole in his head." [23:23] "And from a practical standpoint, as long as he's willing to commit to the role? I don't really care." [23:24] <@Ferrinus> 12Keldar swallows a few times. "Ah. Great. Thanks for - coming by. I'd have come found you but I can't be wandering around at the moment." 12This is evidenced by the way all his visible tissue shades from his normal skin tone to red to actual charred black as one moves from the center line of his body to the edges, and the way that the fresh clothes he's put on are already stained [23:24] <@Ferrinus> 12purplish-red. There's a lot of towels laid down over his seat. "I need to know two things, and I'll put the practical first: can you uncurse me?" [23:24] 10Jai: "Yeah. And that thing went right in there like it was made for it." [23:24] <@Ferrinus> 12He waves a hand vaguely over his own face. "Felt this shroud fall on me when I took Cethleann down. It's her, right? Faerie magic?" 15[23:25] The Emissary: "To be ishvara is to have power over the natures of things. To tell a tale that cannot be refuted. That power is not mine. It's hers now." [23:25] 14Stranger: "Politically speaking, the Emissary returning is the best possible outcome here. It doesn't change the balance of power like the Mask with the Eye or even Lookshy taking control of the city would have, and the costs of the war will have reminded both Thorns and Lookshy what a slog trying to achieve dominance over Nexus is." [23:25] "And you that's where heard this song?" 5Xu Sim asks. [23:26] 13Xia Lan to Tsuka: "Can I get you anything? I know when I went down, you were a huge comfort, but I don't know if you just need rest, or..." 13She rubs her arm, looking nervous. [23:26] 14Stranger: "Of course, it means I and all the reforms I've made over the past few months will have to completely eat shit." [23:26] "But." [23:26] <@Ferrinus> 12Keldar: "Hmmph. So she can fix this? Can anyone or anything else?" [23:26] "I'm creative and persistent. I think I can salvage it." 15[23:26] Tsuka's face reddems. "Could you... could you sing me a song?" 15[23:27] The Emissary: "Another ishvara, perhaps. But only perhaps. It is by her will or her destruction that the tale ends." [23:27] 10Jai: "So a return to the status quo. Sort of. It's gonna be a good few years before the city's back to anything close to what it used to be. Hey, at least you have another pair of eyes, ears, and hands." [23:27] 14How badly are they rationing noodles? Stranger hasn't eaten in some 20 hours and could use a second portion. [23:27] 14Stranger: "Until your handlers come calling again." [23:28] "Yes, I've spoken to the Ambassador." [23:28] "She praises you highly." [23:28] "She helped me out a lot. Set me straight on some things early on." 15[23:28] There's plenty of fungus among them. Stranger can go back for more if he waits a bit. [23:29] <@Ferrinus> 12Keldar: "Another... does Elegba count? Where'd he go, anyway?" [23:29] 14Then he shall. [23:30] 14Stranger: "I've got my own liaison with the Chosen of Heaven. Man named Bubo. I understand, to some degree, the ebb and flow of that relationship. But you can't let it define you." [23:30] 10Jai heads over for another serving too. "But, yeah, OK, I guess there's no point trying to dance around it. I just got sick of the way the Bureau was using me. Like I was some kind of a tool they could keep in a box when they didn't need to tear something down." [23:30] "The Sun chose you for greater things." [23:30] 14Stranger nods in approval. [23:30] 13Xia Lan smiles. "Of course. Any requests?" 15[23:31] The Emissary: "He fled the city like a worm. I felt him gone when we returned." [23:31] <@Ferrinus> 12Keldar shuffles some papers. Are his forces still massing out there, according to Lookshy's reports? 15[23:31] Tsuka: "What was that song you sang to me at the CIO? Do you remember it?" 15[23:32] There's been no sign of Elegba's advance or retreat. [23:33] 10Jai: "They had me knock over a king's council for a 'field exam'. After two years every one of them was out of power or exiled because of things I'd dug up or fabricated. Some of them were genuinely bad men and women." [23:33] "Some of them weren't." [23:34] <@Ferrinus> 12Keldar: "But his guys are still out there... and he was sworn to 'claim' your eye. Did he, technically? Can you tell?" 15[23:35] The Mask tilts his head back his head and wheeze-laughs. "I sought it out." [23:35] 14Stranger: "Mmmm. One thing I can promise you about this gig? You'll have clear direction. A thing about us is we're pretty clear about what we want to do. Another thing about us is that it's usually taking power." [23:36] "And what did it teach you?" 5Xu Sim asks. [23:36] 10Jai: "Oyabun… well, that's what I call him, anyway, said it was all in service of a greater purpose and that I couldn't yet see it. But you get a glimpse at what's going on behind the scenes at the Bureau? The only greater purpose is getting a promotion." [23:36] "So, if he comes looking for me, and I'm sure he will, we're gonna negotiate a different deal." 15[23:37] The Emissary: "I don't know." [23:37] 14Stranger: "He will. He'd come looking even if you didn't have an arrangement, I bet. Because while they're terrified of sowing the wind the way we have in this city the last couple months, they do love reaping the whirlwind." [23:38] <@Ferrinus> 12Keldar: "Ah. But backing up - 'her destruction', yeah? Does it have to be me who does it?" [23:38] 14Stranger: "When there is peace, their shadow war will begin again." [23:38] 10Jai: "I'm not gonna be his bonsai tree to shape and prune." 10He sighs. "Feels really good to get that off my chest." [23:39] 14Stranger: "I'm glad." 14More noodles arrive. [23:40] "That said, there are good men and women among them, and they're not the enemy, whatever else they are. We will have to work with some of them at least." 15[23:40] The Mask: "That there is something beyond death. A darkness beyond the dark. It is the universe's only certainty. And it's growing." 15[23:40] "It is night in the Labyrinth already. Soon it will be dark here." 15[23:43] "You will never see the dawn." [23:44] 10Jai: "Yeah, I can see that." 10Lots of slurping ensues. "I don't think Oyabun's a bad man. Just… trying to get ahead. He's been practically everywhere over the years, and sometimes it's hard to get him to stop once he starts talking." [23:45] 14Stranger: "Victory for creation might not only involve killing bad men. But, I can hope." [23:45] 5Xu Sim shivers, but then steels himself. "Your darkness was delayed today. But I have no doubt-" 5 here, a flourish " - that your darkness will fall." [23:45] 5Xu Sim shivers, but then steels himself. "Your darkness was delayed today. But I have no doubt-" 5 here, a flourish " - that your darkness will fall." [23:46] "You really feel like you've been to Whitewall or Juche or the Western islands after you hear one of his stories." 10Jai grins. "So what's your dream? You want to rebuild the Old Realm? Do them one better? Storm the gates of Heaven?" 15[23:46] The Emissary: "It shouldn't, but it's got to be you, doesn't it? You're the city's hero." 15[23:47] The Mask: "Hh. You must act-as-if, anyway. Whatever doubt may grow in your heart." [23:47] 13Xia Lan: "Of course!" 13Now it's her turn to blush. "...give me a moment." 13She starts off humming, then once she's found the proper pitch, she moves into the song proper. It's quieter than the version she sang at the CIO, and slower, but the words seem so much more pointed, now that they're alone. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJb8X9inhOM [23:47] 14Stranger: "I have no desire to see Heaven again. The Shogunate was shit. The old Solar Deliberative was worse than both. I just want to destroy Creation's foes, even out my balance line, love well, and die well." [23:48] 13When she finishes the last line, she opens up her eyes to see Tsuka's reaction. [23:49] <@Ferrinus> 12Keldar: "I'm mostly a charcoal briquette. Maybe Cethleann will take longer to regenerate than I will, but I ain't hopeful." 12He drums on his desk with his hand, frowns at the flakes of soggy ash left there, and looks up. "Can you tell me anything else about her? Should I expect her back in the same form I ran through?" 15[23:49] Tsuka has drifted peacefully off to sleep. [23:49] 10Jai nods. It feels like a deep truth's been conferred to him. [23:50] 13She'll stay with Tsuka for a while. If anyone needs her, they have the Codex. 15[23:51] The Emissary shakes his head. "The past is a foreign country. There is no backward. She is indestructible, but ever-changing." [23:51] <@Ferrinus> 12Keldar: "Indestructible except by...?" [23:51] 14Stranger: "It would be nice to find the Empress, though." [23:51] "While we're talking about dreams." [23:52] "Even if she's just on some beach somewhere. The Realm needs her, and so does Creation." 15[23:52] The Emissary: "You can't destroy a story. You can only end it." [23:52] 14He chuckles. "But let's just eat up and see tomorrow." 14Then he slurps the rest of the broth. [23:53] <@Ferrinus> 12Keldar's trying to remain in relatively good humors here. "Got advice on that front, then?" [23:53] 10Jai snort-laughs. "Now I'm imagining you dragging her away from a beach by the ears, or something." [23:53] 14Stranger: "I would." [23:53] 5A sorcerous wind begins picking up around Xu Sim's feet. "It would be advantageous to you, Mask of Winters, to change your course. I'll see you some other sunset." [23:53] "That makes you double-Anathema, I think. So it is written." [23:55] Jai polishes off his soup as well. 15[23:55] "Good luck, Urza Planeswalker." [23:55] 14Stranger stands. "Enough about dreams. Let's find some. Get some sleep, however brief. We'll need it." 15[23:56] The Emissary: "Just this: remember that the only way out is through. You've got to be careful." [23:57] 10Jai: 'G'night. And thanks again for everything." [23:58] 14Stranger smiles sadly. "Don't think me yet. Wait for the win." 14Then he wanders off into the refugee crowd. [23:58] <@Ferrinus> 12Keldar leans forward over his desk. "Are you bullshitting me?" 15[23:58] The Emissary: "I can only speak the truth." [23:59] 10When Jai makes it back to his quarters, he's asleep almost before he hits the futon. [23:59] <@Ferrinus> 12Keldar: "Yeah, that's when I get vague, too. Listen, what actually happened with you? What's the, uh, the line from you to that cart to that merchant to now?" [00:00] 5Roused by the wind, a great greasy black globule of the Mask's ectoplasm flutters through the air. Xu Sim snatches it from the air with the speed of a striking heron, before securing it in one of his sundry jars. "It's Xu Sim." 5With that, the sorcerer takes off into the sky, dodging between brambles and elm branches. 15[00:01] The Emissary: "I remember... I remember the trumpet. I remember the bells. I remember a long darkness, and waking to see Brueghel's face. I was terribly ill, hidden. I regained my strength slowly. I was to be his pawn." 15[00:01] "I am no one's pawn." [00:03] <@Ferrinus> 12Keldar nods to himself slowly, then sits back. "That bastard. Well, glad you're still here, whatever it cost us in, uh, institutional memory." 15[00:04] "Same to you." There's a ripple, and the Emissary is gone. 15[00:04] NEXT TIME: Oyabun