31
Rec Room / Re: CDDA: Adventures in Cataclysm
« on: May 04, 2018, 09:59:35 am »
Roxanne smiled at Hector’s response. She felt the same, to stand there no matter what happens but it wasn't him getting into so many shenanigans. Something inside her was nagging at her; it told her something needed to changed. A visible frown formed on her face; Hector noticed asked what was wrong.
“To be frank, I haven’t been fully honest with you. I am being a hypocrite, telling you we should talk thing through yet hiding stuff… I justify it myself by saying you don’t understand the arcane but if it actually affects me...then in a way it affects you too and it wouldn’t be fair to make those decision on my own…”
She stayed quiet for a bit looking around her room. After a bit of this she shrugged and looked at Hector. “You know what? Fuck it… I could use your advice on something… as my partner that is… care to take a look at something I am working at?”
The sword of the void rattled a bit but Roxanne ignored it. Her attention was elsewhere for now. For the first time in a while she neglected her “duties” in favor of time for herself and what she wanted.
“I see. Alright, I will wait for her in her quarters. And if you would be so kind to prepare something to eat that would be grand. You are Helen’s apprentice? Maybe you too might want to take a look at this things…” Victor said this over the radio in response to Solomon. He only recalled the name and the fact he was under the instruction of Helen from a memory of a conversation he and Roxanne had.
The journey to the hall went smoothly, now with no rain to slow him down. Once he got there he noted things were quiet in here. He guessed people were busy with their own affairs and he soon would be with his. Eventually he made it to Helen’s quarters and opened the door. He didn’t expect to find a woman looking at herself in the mirror. Her little reaction to him walking in was expressed by him as well.
“Uhhhm, who are you and what are you doing here?” He wasn’t aware that she was wearing Helen’s clothing and as such didn’t comment on them. “Are you from here at the Hall? It isn’t very nice to enter people’s room’s unannounced…”
It was then he looked at the piles of clothing on the bed an in other choice places. He put two and two together and came to the conclusion the woman was stealing. “...So you are stealing from her are you? I don’t know who you are but that was a mistake…”
Melody awaits Cardin’s answer and boy does she get one. She ends up blushing a bit from what he says. “Oh...you think so? I m-mean it’s fine….” She stayed quiet unaware he too didn’t know what to do. Then he spoke again. “Alright, follow me.”
The two started walking in with Melody as the guide. She knew what she wanted; she needed a drink. The farm kept the main liquor looked up except for personal stashes. She didn’t have one so as such she would need to break in to get a bottle. “I need a drink...want one?”
She found the stash inside an intact section of the cooking section and via sheer memory found the lock to the door with the stash. A single flick of her sword was all it took to get it open and with that she went in and picked two bottles. Not knowing what she had gotten she handed one to Cardin. The label was crude and it read “Barbee Q Sauce”.
“Here. One for you… Might was well drink here… There is shade, no one is bothering us and I don’t have a room anymore... “ Melody opened her bottle and took a swig. Before it took effect she sat down and raised the bottle up towards Cardin. “Cheers!”
Getting past the two undead guards was easy enough; Plague's control over XE037 and Coalence’s aura made it unmistakable who was approaching. The two guards stood at attention before giving a salute to which Plague acknowledge with a nod. Clara shook her head while Rey and Christina looked at each other with amusement. Soon they entered the former office tower and followed the bio-weapon turned arcanist; he seemed to know exactly where he was headed.
The inside of the tower was just as impressive as outside. Lush and luxurious furniture was placed everywhere, doors to various rooms were labeled with appropriate indicators, the emergency maps reworked to reflect this changes; however, the most surprising thing of all, the lights were on. Christina, Clara and Rey looked at all the little things along the way. They passed a kitchen area, a big living room, what appeared to be an armory and a closed door labeled “Recreational Downtime”. Plague didn’t pay any mind to this as if he had seen it a thousand times. He ignored their questions for now and lead them to the stairs to the floor above. Once there he stopped and addressed them for the first time since entering the tower.
“Wait downstairs for now. Go look at all room and get yourself familiarized with everything. I will meet up with Lucy alone. Once our meeting is over she will no doubt wish to talk to you as well. For now excuse me.” Without waiting for a response, Plague made his way upstairs. The three were left a bit perplexed. Clara specifically gave a wary look as if she knew something the others two didn’t; indeed she did but it was nothing to worry about is this Lucy was as reasonable as Plague made her to be.
“Hey, Clara!”, Christina exclaimed before clinging to one of Clara’s arms. “Come on, let’s check this place out. Why don’t we hit the recreation room first? Maybe there is something fun to do.” Instead of her usual expression of disdain or sarcastic response, Clara simply closed her eyes and smiled. She nodded in agreement before looking at Rey.
“How about you? Want to come with?”, Clara asked.
“Nah, I think I will look at the armory and supply rooms first. See what we are working with.”, Rey answered.
“Always the practical one. Let loose a little!”, Christina exclaimed. “Come on, it should be fun!”
Rey turned down the offer with a hand gesture this time. “Maybe some other time. Have some things to take care of. See you gals in a bit.” With that being said, Rey adjusted his grip on his overly exaggerated and decorated Scythe before heading for the door labeled “Armory and Supply”. Christina shrugged and eagerly dragged Clara over to the recreational room.
Plague made it up the stairs and looked at the hall in front of him. What looked to be converted office rooms now were labeled as barracks with numbered coding. He was currently starting in what looked to be a small waiting area with a corner sofa overlooking a large television set. Down the hall to the other side of the place was a single door that lead to the main office; his headquarters. Knowing Lucy, she would’ve taken his chair by now. It didn’t matter, he needed her help and no doubt this wound in the veil ordeal had her a bit worried too.
With deliberate steps he walked to the main office. He stood in front of the door and hesitated for a moment. A sense of dread overtook him; he resisted a strong urge to unsheathed his sword. Yes, the being behind the door was quite powerful and could not be fully trusted due to her nature but still, just barging in with sword in hand would seem rude and she hated that. He gave a deep breath and opened the door to find Lucy was indeed in his chair with her elbows resting on the large desk and her hand on her chin as if waiting for him.
“United States Army Bio-Weapon XE037-A12 B, Codename: Plague. It’s been a long time Sargent; still persuing shadows I assume?” The words that came from the woman behind the desk were firm but soft spoken. They had an air of authority and experience but also dignity and grace. She was a slender woman with auburn hair and scarlet eyes; she had a figure of a secretary hired for looks rather than skill and her business casual outfit matched that as well. Still, Plague, himself clad in a military uniform and wearing a custom gas mask was more than afraid of her. He step forward and took a seat on the chair made available for him.”
“It’s good to see you as well Lucy, you still go by that? And yes, I still seek the same goal since last we met; a better world…” He took off his mask to show her his face; signs of decay on what might’ve been a handsome face some time in the past. His eyes were sunken, tired and empty; his grey eye color quite the contrast to the rest of his face.
The woman chuckled a bit. “Yes, you can go ahead and call me Lucy. I still go with that motif. Lucifer, the fallen one… cast aside from paradise for daring to give humanity the gift of knowledge. It is as close to the truth of who I am than any other story; although I personally prefer the story of Prometheus. It was simple and it worked… Oh well, so you called me here today; how may I help you? Come to make a deal with the devil?”
Plague scoffed at her word. “You and I both know there is no devil and no hell Lucy. Already trying to pull rank on me huh? Please spare me that. Let’s go on with the meeting; you know exactly why I called you here today.”
“The wound in the veil. I know, why else would you call me? It’s odd to see you so desperate…”
“It’s not desperation, it’s precaution. You know what happened the last time this event took place. Beings from other dimensions took over and almost rendered the human race extinct, they took over your precious realm and fused two worlds… You more than anyone should know how serious this is.”
Lucy did not respond. She opted to stay quiet for a moment before answering. “I am not worried about humanity. They always find a way; they were made in my father’s image. At least the story goes…”
“That is not very reassuring… Are you really just going to sit here and do nothing?”
“Why and what can I do? I don’t like to interfere. Free will Plague, why go tamper with that?”
“Do you call those eldritch abominations hunting us down free will?”
“Yes, they are trying to survive in this new world just like everyone else. They were not asked to be brought here you know? Humanity once again messed with powers greater than itself and look where it got them. Besides, two other beings of great power are already at play: one who the veil itself was broken to wound and another the embodiment of acausality itself… I doubt me getting involved would be appreciated…”
Plague sat there and now he was the one without any words. Was she really this complacent? Why did she even come here then? “So what you are saying is you are unwilling to help us?”
“I did not say that. What I am saying is that if you are hoping for me to bear the mantle of warrior or craftsman and take an active role in any of this then you are wishing upon an empty well. Besides, why don’t you go out there and fight? You rely on your army of undead a bit too much and now you are partnering with others. It is so unlike you… The proud bio-weapon that could take down armies is now hiding in an office tower… But I suppose that is to be expected isn’t it? For I am not talking to Plague am I?”
Plague raised his eyebrow at her words, particularly the last one; he clung to that one ignoring the rest. “What do you mean? I am standing right infront of you…”
“Are you now? Is your goal still the same? A better world? Such a vague goal, never understood what he meant by that. A better world… Too bad he didn’t live to see his goal come to fruition. I am not speaking to Plague, I am speaking to his hollow shell being puppeteered by the very thing that promised it the world. Coalescence, you truly are a nasty one aren’t you?”
This words, Plague held back. The urge to take out the sword stronger than ever. But it would do no good. He had been found out; he had been unmasked as a fraud. Besides, what could he do against the devil? His blade was dull in comparison. Were he to die here, it would take some time to be reborn into another blade and perhaps reuniting with his brethren even more difficult.
“So, you have me all figured out huh?”, Plague said with a sinister smirk on his face. “Please do tell. What do you mean by all this?”
Lucy nodded; she crossed her legs and placed her hands on her lap to get more comfortable. “Let’s go on a history lesson together. The broken god and his pieces.”
“The year was 1286. Six small kingdoms in what is now germany had gathered their best mages to stop a unified threat. Six mages from each kingdom and a mysterious seventh were in the woods of Nelphemtar after having defeated a being of great power. It had taken decades of preparation and execution but mere humans brought down the deity known as Anomon. He was captured and brought to a unified council of the six kingdoms. The details of this event and battle are irrelevant...its consequences though…”
“Times were turbulent and while the seven mages did their work two of the six kingdoms had fallen. The need for a greater power was recognized. That is how the pieces came to be. Each kingdom wanted the power of Anomon for itself and as such it was decided to instill a fragment of it into four swords, one for each kingdom, and that it’s chosen mage would wield such a terrible weapon. It was up to the mages to figure this out and to come back to their home as heros. The two mages with lost homes and the seventh one were not granted swords but instead the means to defeat them: the shields of divinity. The seventh mage declined and as such only two shields were made. Where they are no one knows. Well...not no one but that is not the point… The mages got together and for two years worked on this project.”
“Each weapon was crafted in the image of the mage who was going to wielded; not in blade design as that had changed but in function. Anomon’s name was forbidden from being spoken and he became the broken god in reference for his existence being bounded in for separate instance. The weapons and shields were finished eventually. Void, Convergence, Assimilation and Despair as weapons while Trinity and Fantasia as the shields. Their job was done...but of course the mages were just human, they got cocky and mistakes were made.”
“A little proposal was made. They knew they would not keep this power to themselves forever; other will claim this tools so why not make a process for that too? A little game...a little puzzle… You know what happens from there. The swords eventually make their way around the world over the centuries and eventually here.”
“But, what are this pierced anyways? Why don’t we recap that too? Yeah, lets...we will save the best for last…”
“Void: A sword shrouded with an aura of harvest. This sword, like all four, has a will of its own. However, it feels empty, it requires a familiar spirit to inhabit it for it to channel its power; but everytime it does this the spirit becomes more corrupted, unhinged. It will learn to crave that power and if freed… But what is that power? Entropy. The sword harvests everything it touches and converts it in life essence to which it feeds to its wielder, spirit and itself. Like the other swords, it chooses someone worthy to wield its power and entrusts it with its goal of unification. In exchange for great power the wielder is task to feed the sword.”
“Despair: The pain and anger of the broken god manifesting into raw power. It’s will is that of war; truly a weapon to smite your foes. This one grants its wielder an insatiable bloodlust and rage to aid them in battle greatly enhancing their skills. But it comes with a price; their regrets, fears, insecurities and failures are exposed to them and the sword feeds of them. It doesn’t go away unless the sword chooses a different wielder. Its other effect is for the enemy; a single strike is lethal. Something akin to poison takes hold and it cannot be stopped. It is as simple as making a small cut in exposed flesh.”
“Convergence: The ever evolving sword. It has a motif of the color of the rainbow; each color represents a setting. This sword uses the power granted to it in order to adapt its power to whatever situation it is facing. It then stores that setting in a chosen color for it to be used at a later time. It’s wielder is granter the choice to adapt or use stored powers. Only those who can see and plan ahead are deemed worthy of it. Drawbacks? There is only one, a minor one at that, no matter who you are your ego will go through the roof. You will think yourself as invisible and eventually not even the sword will adapt to whatever it is you gotten yourself into.
“Assimilation: The sword to unite all under its banner. The power of this one is pretty nasty if I say so myself. Take the soul of anything that has one and make it your own. A person’s memories, skills, abilities and anything else of the sort is distilled into its most basic facets and become part of the sword. It then leaves behind a husk that it can manipulate as its own; a flesh puppet to exert its will into. Whatever it stole is now part of the sword and available to its wielder with no restrains; it simply asks to harvest some more. Now, how does it chose its wielder? Now that is truly the worst part… It calls someone over, tempts them with incredible power; power to change the world, promises everything to them and if they accept...well… Why don’t you tell me. Tell me what happened with plague…”
Lucy stayed quite now. She waited for an answer from the man in front of her. He who was referred as Plague smiled. He had been found out. “The sword assimilates the wielder the same way as any other victim. It’s power becoming one with the weapon. The husk left behind a perfect conduit; the person avatar. The use of hands and legs are useful. Yes, Plague is no more… when he accepted the power of Assimilation the sword took over. All this time it has spoken through him.”
Lucy shook her head as if disappointed. “And that leaves you Coalescence. A consciousness born from Assimilation and Convergence… You still take over the mind of your wielder and harvest them all the same but now you have the power to adapt as well. You can make your husks all that more powerful. Currently you posses the body of a onced feared biological weapon; your ability no doubt numerous from so many you have assimilated and situations you have adapted to… So I ask again, why don’t you go out there and fight?”
“You know full well why… This is the closest I have been to achieving my goal...my real goal… I am one half of Anomon and I will acquire the other half. I will assimilate the other two swords and be reborn… Then I will Assimilate the power of the broken god as my own and then I will be unstoppable!”
Lucy smirked. She got from Plague what she wanted to hear. Well, not really Plague, he was gone, but the sword masquerading as him. “Tell me, and then what? I assume you will eventually seek to assimilate everything. And that leaves one inevitable thing: you will want to assimilate me…”
“... Eventually yes… You would be a lovely addition to my army but I have not nearly enough power now to even face you… Once I am reborn though...“
“Hahaha! You honestly think Anomon could take me on? For all it’s mighty power it was taken down by mere humans. Seriously… Don’t delude yourself kid, I a waaaaay out of your league.”
“Is this what you came here? To have me admit my goal and then mock me? No...you came here to save your skin from your inevitable fate...you come to destroy me… You should know that will not work! Th-”
Lucy interrupted him before he could finish. “I know, you will only be reborn again in some different part of the world, bla bla bla, only delaying the inevitable bla bla. Sound about right? Relax, I am not here for that. I have nothing to fear from you. I have here to make an announcement.”
Plague did not appreciate the way she was no openly mocking him but there was nothing to be done. He could only answer her question and try to at least get her to help in something. “And what is that?”
“Listen. The wound in the veil is concerning but not for the reasons you think. There is a lot behind the scenes you don’t understand… this is only a symptom of something greater. This world is in a crossroads. If something happens to it a chain reaction will affect many others. I don’t necessarily care what happens to them but I do care about this one. This is my home and I will protect it. A long lost deity from far away has been called forth… It is getting bad and honestly the last thing I need is for you to make things worse with your little game.”
“Game?! How dare you in-”
“Shut up and listen! Don’t test my patience…”, Lucy exclaimed finally raising her own voice. Had any person heard that they would surely have lost their mind but to a piece it simply instilled terror. Plague calmed down and listened. “Void and Despair are to be left alone, at least for now. Once the wound in the veil is fixed and this world no longer hold the balance of many others then can you resume your endeavours. I am not asking this, it is an order. If you dare defy me, Lucifer Morningstar, then I will have no hesitation to end you…”
“...End me? I already told you it’s not possible. Besides, what do I get from this? You are just telling me to put my own ambitions on hold for something I don’t care about… How long do I even have to do so anyways.”
“For as long as it takes. A few years or thirty generations; it doesn’t matter. As for compensations I will give you one along with a task.” Lucy reached for the inside of her blazer and took out three small glowing disks. “One is for you and the other two for void and despair. They will make sure you survive the wound. I will make sure you and your brethren make it through this. That is what you get in exchange, survival.”
Plague picked up one of the disks and looked at it. It felt warm to the touch and a rather powerful aura could be felt. “And how do I get this to my brethren?”
“Two of your subordinate, Rey and Clara, have called the spirit of the void Roxanne Luna. When she arrives here in due time you will give her the disks, instruct her on what to do and then let her go. Leave the sword of the void alone you hear me? Also, you are to release her from your spell.”
“Pardon? My spell?”
“Don’t play dumb. You are trying to influence her the same way Randael did before you. Leave her alone, that poor girl is suffering as it is. You put her in that damned sword and is now feeling it’s effects. Not even can take her out but the disk should at least stabilize her.”
Plague pocked the disks and looked at Lucy who was currently serving herself a cup of coffee from a brewer that didn’t existed a second ago. “Is that all?”
“Yeah, that should be it. Halt unifying the pieces until further notice, give Roxanne the two disks and free her from your spell. Do that and we will get along just fine... “
“And if I don’t?”
Lucy’s expression turned serious. She took a sip of her coffee and then set it on the table before leaning in. “Let me tell you a secret… Humanity have the power enslave Anomon but they are not alone… Many others will happily lend a hand to help them. I am one of them… You should know something… I was the seventh mage…”
Silence permeated the room for a long time. She not speaking due to having said everything she needed to say and him being at a loss for words. Finally he found what to say. “I see… The seventh mage lives… I will do as you ask then. I think this meeting is over then.”
Lucy nodded one last time before finishing the rest of her coffee and poofing the cup out of existence. “I would say so. Its good to see we could come to terms. I will leave you know since I know you are a busy man and have things to do now. Just don’t forget what I told you here today. See you around!” With that being said, Lucy got from her chair and walked past Plague to exit the room. She wanted to talk to the other three; it had been a while she had spoken to another person.
Plague got up from his chair and made his way to the main chair where Lucy was sitting in. He finally unsheathed the sword and laid it on the desk. After staring it for a few minutes he took a seat and opened a drawer on the desk. He smirked, Lucy had left it there: in the drawer the trinity codex was laying alone. If Plague could not fulfill his goal this century, might as well form new ones…
“To be frank, I haven’t been fully honest with you. I am being a hypocrite, telling you we should talk thing through yet hiding stuff… I justify it myself by saying you don’t understand the arcane but if it actually affects me...then in a way it affects you too and it wouldn’t be fair to make those decision on my own…”
She stayed quiet for a bit looking around her room. After a bit of this she shrugged and looked at Hector. “You know what? Fuck it… I could use your advice on something… as my partner that is… care to take a look at something I am working at?”
The sword of the void rattled a bit but Roxanne ignored it. Her attention was elsewhere for now. For the first time in a while she neglected her “duties” in favor of time for herself and what she wanted.
“I see. Alright, I will wait for her in her quarters. And if you would be so kind to prepare something to eat that would be grand. You are Helen’s apprentice? Maybe you too might want to take a look at this things…” Victor said this over the radio in response to Solomon. He only recalled the name and the fact he was under the instruction of Helen from a memory of a conversation he and Roxanne had.
The journey to the hall went smoothly, now with no rain to slow him down. Once he got there he noted things were quiet in here. He guessed people were busy with their own affairs and he soon would be with his. Eventually he made it to Helen’s quarters and opened the door. He didn’t expect to find a woman looking at herself in the mirror. Her little reaction to him walking in was expressed by him as well.
“Uhhhm, who are you and what are you doing here?” He wasn’t aware that she was wearing Helen’s clothing and as such didn’t comment on them. “Are you from here at the Hall? It isn’t very nice to enter people’s room’s unannounced…”
It was then he looked at the piles of clothing on the bed an in other choice places. He put two and two together and came to the conclusion the woman was stealing. “...So you are stealing from her are you? I don’t know who you are but that was a mistake…”
Melody awaits Cardin’s answer and boy does she get one. She ends up blushing a bit from what he says. “Oh...you think so? I m-mean it’s fine….” She stayed quiet unaware he too didn’t know what to do. Then he spoke again. “Alright, follow me.”
The two started walking in with Melody as the guide. She knew what she wanted; she needed a drink. The farm kept the main liquor looked up except for personal stashes. She didn’t have one so as such she would need to break in to get a bottle. “I need a drink...want one?”
She found the stash inside an intact section of the cooking section and via sheer memory found the lock to the door with the stash. A single flick of her sword was all it took to get it open and with that she went in and picked two bottles. Not knowing what she had gotten she handed one to Cardin. The label was crude and it read “Barbee Q Sauce”.
“Here. One for you… Might was well drink here… There is shade, no one is bothering us and I don’t have a room anymore... “ Melody opened her bottle and took a swig. Before it took effect she sat down and raised the bottle up towards Cardin. “Cheers!”
Getting past the two undead guards was easy enough; Plague's control over XE037 and Coalence’s aura made it unmistakable who was approaching. The two guards stood at attention before giving a salute to which Plague acknowledge with a nod. Clara shook her head while Rey and Christina looked at each other with amusement. Soon they entered the former office tower and followed the bio-weapon turned arcanist; he seemed to know exactly where he was headed.
The inside of the tower was just as impressive as outside. Lush and luxurious furniture was placed everywhere, doors to various rooms were labeled with appropriate indicators, the emergency maps reworked to reflect this changes; however, the most surprising thing of all, the lights were on. Christina, Clara and Rey looked at all the little things along the way. They passed a kitchen area, a big living room, what appeared to be an armory and a closed door labeled “Recreational Downtime”. Plague didn’t pay any mind to this as if he had seen it a thousand times. He ignored their questions for now and lead them to the stairs to the floor above. Once there he stopped and addressed them for the first time since entering the tower.
“Wait downstairs for now. Go look at all room and get yourself familiarized with everything. I will meet up with Lucy alone. Once our meeting is over she will no doubt wish to talk to you as well. For now excuse me.” Without waiting for a response, Plague made his way upstairs. The three were left a bit perplexed. Clara specifically gave a wary look as if she knew something the others two didn’t; indeed she did but it was nothing to worry about is this Lucy was as reasonable as Plague made her to be.
“Hey, Clara!”, Christina exclaimed before clinging to one of Clara’s arms. “Come on, let’s check this place out. Why don’t we hit the recreation room first? Maybe there is something fun to do.” Instead of her usual expression of disdain or sarcastic response, Clara simply closed her eyes and smiled. She nodded in agreement before looking at Rey.
“How about you? Want to come with?”, Clara asked.
“Nah, I think I will look at the armory and supply rooms first. See what we are working with.”, Rey answered.
“Always the practical one. Let loose a little!”, Christina exclaimed. “Come on, it should be fun!”
Rey turned down the offer with a hand gesture this time. “Maybe some other time. Have some things to take care of. See you gals in a bit.” With that being said, Rey adjusted his grip on his overly exaggerated and decorated Scythe before heading for the door labeled “Armory and Supply”. Christina shrugged and eagerly dragged Clara over to the recreational room.
Plague made it up the stairs and looked at the hall in front of him. What looked to be converted office rooms now were labeled as barracks with numbered coding. He was currently starting in what looked to be a small waiting area with a corner sofa overlooking a large television set. Down the hall to the other side of the place was a single door that lead to the main office; his headquarters. Knowing Lucy, she would’ve taken his chair by now. It didn’t matter, he needed her help and no doubt this wound in the veil ordeal had her a bit worried too.
With deliberate steps he walked to the main office. He stood in front of the door and hesitated for a moment. A sense of dread overtook him; he resisted a strong urge to unsheathed his sword. Yes, the being behind the door was quite powerful and could not be fully trusted due to her nature but still, just barging in with sword in hand would seem rude and she hated that. He gave a deep breath and opened the door to find Lucy was indeed in his chair with her elbows resting on the large desk and her hand on her chin as if waiting for him.
“United States Army Bio-Weapon XE037-A12 B, Codename: Plague. It’s been a long time Sargent; still persuing shadows I assume?” The words that came from the woman behind the desk were firm but soft spoken. They had an air of authority and experience but also dignity and grace. She was a slender woman with auburn hair and scarlet eyes; she had a figure of a secretary hired for looks rather than skill and her business casual outfit matched that as well. Still, Plague, himself clad in a military uniform and wearing a custom gas mask was more than afraid of her. He step forward and took a seat on the chair made available for him.”
“It’s good to see you as well Lucy, you still go by that? And yes, I still seek the same goal since last we met; a better world…” He took off his mask to show her his face; signs of decay on what might’ve been a handsome face some time in the past. His eyes were sunken, tired and empty; his grey eye color quite the contrast to the rest of his face.
The woman chuckled a bit. “Yes, you can go ahead and call me Lucy. I still go with that motif. Lucifer, the fallen one… cast aside from paradise for daring to give humanity the gift of knowledge. It is as close to the truth of who I am than any other story; although I personally prefer the story of Prometheus. It was simple and it worked… Oh well, so you called me here today; how may I help you? Come to make a deal with the devil?”
Plague scoffed at her word. “You and I both know there is no devil and no hell Lucy. Already trying to pull rank on me huh? Please spare me that. Let’s go on with the meeting; you know exactly why I called you here today.”
“The wound in the veil. I know, why else would you call me? It’s odd to see you so desperate…”
“It’s not desperation, it’s precaution. You know what happened the last time this event took place. Beings from other dimensions took over and almost rendered the human race extinct, they took over your precious realm and fused two worlds… You more than anyone should know how serious this is.”
Lucy did not respond. She opted to stay quiet for a moment before answering. “I am not worried about humanity. They always find a way; they were made in my father’s image. At least the story goes…”
“That is not very reassuring… Are you really just going to sit here and do nothing?”
“Why and what can I do? I don’t like to interfere. Free will Plague, why go tamper with that?”
“Do you call those eldritch abominations hunting us down free will?”
“Yes, they are trying to survive in this new world just like everyone else. They were not asked to be brought here you know? Humanity once again messed with powers greater than itself and look where it got them. Besides, two other beings of great power are already at play: one who the veil itself was broken to wound and another the embodiment of acausality itself… I doubt me getting involved would be appreciated…”
Plague sat there and now he was the one without any words. Was she really this complacent? Why did she even come here then? “So what you are saying is you are unwilling to help us?”
“I did not say that. What I am saying is that if you are hoping for me to bear the mantle of warrior or craftsman and take an active role in any of this then you are wishing upon an empty well. Besides, why don’t you go out there and fight? You rely on your army of undead a bit too much and now you are partnering with others. It is so unlike you… The proud bio-weapon that could take down armies is now hiding in an office tower… But I suppose that is to be expected isn’t it? For I am not talking to Plague am I?”
Plague raised his eyebrow at her words, particularly the last one; he clung to that one ignoring the rest. “What do you mean? I am standing right infront of you…”
“Are you now? Is your goal still the same? A better world? Such a vague goal, never understood what he meant by that. A better world… Too bad he didn’t live to see his goal come to fruition. I am not speaking to Plague, I am speaking to his hollow shell being puppeteered by the very thing that promised it the world. Coalescence, you truly are a nasty one aren’t you?”
This words, Plague held back. The urge to take out the sword stronger than ever. But it would do no good. He had been found out; he had been unmasked as a fraud. Besides, what could he do against the devil? His blade was dull in comparison. Were he to die here, it would take some time to be reborn into another blade and perhaps reuniting with his brethren even more difficult.
“So, you have me all figured out huh?”, Plague said with a sinister smirk on his face. “Please do tell. What do you mean by all this?”
Lucy nodded; she crossed her legs and placed her hands on her lap to get more comfortable. “Let’s go on a history lesson together. The broken god and his pieces.”
“The year was 1286. Six small kingdoms in what is now germany had gathered their best mages to stop a unified threat. Six mages from each kingdom and a mysterious seventh were in the woods of Nelphemtar after having defeated a being of great power. It had taken decades of preparation and execution but mere humans brought down the deity known as Anomon. He was captured and brought to a unified council of the six kingdoms. The details of this event and battle are irrelevant...its consequences though…”
“Times were turbulent and while the seven mages did their work two of the six kingdoms had fallen. The need for a greater power was recognized. That is how the pieces came to be. Each kingdom wanted the power of Anomon for itself and as such it was decided to instill a fragment of it into four swords, one for each kingdom, and that it’s chosen mage would wield such a terrible weapon. It was up to the mages to figure this out and to come back to their home as heros. The two mages with lost homes and the seventh one were not granted swords but instead the means to defeat them: the shields of divinity. The seventh mage declined and as such only two shields were made. Where they are no one knows. Well...not no one but that is not the point… The mages got together and for two years worked on this project.”
“Each weapon was crafted in the image of the mage who was going to wielded; not in blade design as that had changed but in function. Anomon’s name was forbidden from being spoken and he became the broken god in reference for his existence being bounded in for separate instance. The weapons and shields were finished eventually. Void, Convergence, Assimilation and Despair as weapons while Trinity and Fantasia as the shields. Their job was done...but of course the mages were just human, they got cocky and mistakes were made.”
“A little proposal was made. They knew they would not keep this power to themselves forever; other will claim this tools so why not make a process for that too? A little game...a little puzzle… You know what happens from there. The swords eventually make their way around the world over the centuries and eventually here.”
“But, what are this pierced anyways? Why don’t we recap that too? Yeah, lets...we will save the best for last…”
“Void: A sword shrouded with an aura of harvest. This sword, like all four, has a will of its own. However, it feels empty, it requires a familiar spirit to inhabit it for it to channel its power; but everytime it does this the spirit becomes more corrupted, unhinged. It will learn to crave that power and if freed… But what is that power? Entropy. The sword harvests everything it touches and converts it in life essence to which it feeds to its wielder, spirit and itself. Like the other swords, it chooses someone worthy to wield its power and entrusts it with its goal of unification. In exchange for great power the wielder is task to feed the sword.”
“Despair: The pain and anger of the broken god manifesting into raw power. It’s will is that of war; truly a weapon to smite your foes. This one grants its wielder an insatiable bloodlust and rage to aid them in battle greatly enhancing their skills. But it comes with a price; their regrets, fears, insecurities and failures are exposed to them and the sword feeds of them. It doesn’t go away unless the sword chooses a different wielder. Its other effect is for the enemy; a single strike is lethal. Something akin to poison takes hold and it cannot be stopped. It is as simple as making a small cut in exposed flesh.”
“Convergence: The ever evolving sword. It has a motif of the color of the rainbow; each color represents a setting. This sword uses the power granted to it in order to adapt its power to whatever situation it is facing. It then stores that setting in a chosen color for it to be used at a later time. It’s wielder is granter the choice to adapt or use stored powers. Only those who can see and plan ahead are deemed worthy of it. Drawbacks? There is only one, a minor one at that, no matter who you are your ego will go through the roof. You will think yourself as invisible and eventually not even the sword will adapt to whatever it is you gotten yourself into.
“Assimilation: The sword to unite all under its banner. The power of this one is pretty nasty if I say so myself. Take the soul of anything that has one and make it your own. A person’s memories, skills, abilities and anything else of the sort is distilled into its most basic facets and become part of the sword. It then leaves behind a husk that it can manipulate as its own; a flesh puppet to exert its will into. Whatever it stole is now part of the sword and available to its wielder with no restrains; it simply asks to harvest some more. Now, how does it chose its wielder? Now that is truly the worst part… It calls someone over, tempts them with incredible power; power to change the world, promises everything to them and if they accept...well… Why don’t you tell me. Tell me what happened with plague…”
Lucy stayed quite now. She waited for an answer from the man in front of her. He who was referred as Plague smiled. He had been found out. “The sword assimilates the wielder the same way as any other victim. It’s power becoming one with the weapon. The husk left behind a perfect conduit; the person avatar. The use of hands and legs are useful. Yes, Plague is no more… when he accepted the power of Assimilation the sword took over. All this time it has spoken through him.”
Lucy shook her head as if disappointed. “And that leaves you Coalescence. A consciousness born from Assimilation and Convergence… You still take over the mind of your wielder and harvest them all the same but now you have the power to adapt as well. You can make your husks all that more powerful. Currently you posses the body of a onced feared biological weapon; your ability no doubt numerous from so many you have assimilated and situations you have adapted to… So I ask again, why don’t you go out there and fight?”
“You know full well why… This is the closest I have been to achieving my goal...my real goal… I am one half of Anomon and I will acquire the other half. I will assimilate the other two swords and be reborn… Then I will Assimilate the power of the broken god as my own and then I will be unstoppable!”
Lucy smirked. She got from Plague what she wanted to hear. Well, not really Plague, he was gone, but the sword masquerading as him. “Tell me, and then what? I assume you will eventually seek to assimilate everything. And that leaves one inevitable thing: you will want to assimilate me…”
“... Eventually yes… You would be a lovely addition to my army but I have not nearly enough power now to even face you… Once I am reborn though...“
“Hahaha! You honestly think Anomon could take me on? For all it’s mighty power it was taken down by mere humans. Seriously… Don’t delude yourself kid, I a waaaaay out of your league.”
“Is this what you came here? To have me admit my goal and then mock me? No...you came here to save your skin from your inevitable fate...you come to destroy me… You should know that will not work! Th-”
Lucy interrupted him before he could finish. “I know, you will only be reborn again in some different part of the world, bla bla bla, only delaying the inevitable bla bla. Sound about right? Relax, I am not here for that. I have nothing to fear from you. I have here to make an announcement.”
Plague did not appreciate the way she was no openly mocking him but there was nothing to be done. He could only answer her question and try to at least get her to help in something. “And what is that?”
“Listen. The wound in the veil is concerning but not for the reasons you think. There is a lot behind the scenes you don’t understand… this is only a symptom of something greater. This world is in a crossroads. If something happens to it a chain reaction will affect many others. I don’t necessarily care what happens to them but I do care about this one. This is my home and I will protect it. A long lost deity from far away has been called forth… It is getting bad and honestly the last thing I need is for you to make things worse with your little game.”
“Game?! How dare you in-”
“Shut up and listen! Don’t test my patience…”, Lucy exclaimed finally raising her own voice. Had any person heard that they would surely have lost their mind but to a piece it simply instilled terror. Plague calmed down and listened. “Void and Despair are to be left alone, at least for now. Once the wound in the veil is fixed and this world no longer hold the balance of many others then can you resume your endeavours. I am not asking this, it is an order. If you dare defy me, Lucifer Morningstar, then I will have no hesitation to end you…”
“...End me? I already told you it’s not possible. Besides, what do I get from this? You are just telling me to put my own ambitions on hold for something I don’t care about… How long do I even have to do so anyways.”
“For as long as it takes. A few years or thirty generations; it doesn’t matter. As for compensations I will give you one along with a task.” Lucy reached for the inside of her blazer and took out three small glowing disks. “One is for you and the other two for void and despair. They will make sure you survive the wound. I will make sure you and your brethren make it through this. That is what you get in exchange, survival.”
Plague picked up one of the disks and looked at it. It felt warm to the touch and a rather powerful aura could be felt. “And how do I get this to my brethren?”
“Two of your subordinate, Rey and Clara, have called the spirit of the void Roxanne Luna. When she arrives here in due time you will give her the disks, instruct her on what to do and then let her go. Leave the sword of the void alone you hear me? Also, you are to release her from your spell.”
“Pardon? My spell?”
“Don’t play dumb. You are trying to influence her the same way Randael did before you. Leave her alone, that poor girl is suffering as it is. You put her in that damned sword and is now feeling it’s effects. Not even can take her out but the disk should at least stabilize her.”
Plague pocked the disks and looked at Lucy who was currently serving herself a cup of coffee from a brewer that didn’t existed a second ago. “Is that all?”
“Yeah, that should be it. Halt unifying the pieces until further notice, give Roxanne the two disks and free her from your spell. Do that and we will get along just fine... “
“And if I don’t?”
Lucy’s expression turned serious. She took a sip of her coffee and then set it on the table before leaning in. “Let me tell you a secret… Humanity have the power enslave Anomon but they are not alone… Many others will happily lend a hand to help them. I am one of them… You should know something… I was the seventh mage…”
Silence permeated the room for a long time. She not speaking due to having said everything she needed to say and him being at a loss for words. Finally he found what to say. “I see… The seventh mage lives… I will do as you ask then. I think this meeting is over then.”
Lucy nodded one last time before finishing the rest of her coffee and poofing the cup out of existence. “I would say so. Its good to see we could come to terms. I will leave you know since I know you are a busy man and have things to do now. Just don’t forget what I told you here today. See you around!” With that being said, Lucy got from her chair and walked past Plague to exit the room. She wanted to talk to the other three; it had been a while she had spoken to another person.
Plague got up from his chair and made his way to the main chair where Lucy was sitting in. He finally unsheathed the sword and laid it on the desk. After staring it for a few minutes he took a seat and opened a drawer on the desk. He smirked, Lucy had left it there: in the drawer the trinity codex was laying alone. If Plague could not fulfill his goal this century, might as well form new ones…