[[A reminder, there were eighteen liters of chili in this pot. There are currently 13. -Red Queen]]
“Look, things are pretty bad out there. If I’m going to die it’s not going to be on an empty stomach.” E4 replied, adding in the latest batch of 200 charge tomatoes, finely diced, into the pot. “And see, it’s fourteen liters, 13’s bad luck. The Myst has been really generous with ingredients.” She gestured towards her fourth cup of coffee. She looked over towards the coffin, noticing the strange distortions flowing from it in tune with the loud humming. “Should I be seeing sounds?”
[[You have turned back six attacks, alone. You have suffered three broken limbs, five broken ribs, and one concussion not to mention having lost 5 liters of blood. I feel its rewards have been well earned. Also no, you probably should not be, yet it may be an effect of the coffee. -Red Queen]]
There was a low Clunk, and the buzzing stopped. E4 was at the side of the coffin with enough speed she left after images. As the coffin opened she looked down to see Wallace Donovan pushing his way out. Now that he was no longer injured she noted he now sported short messy brown hair with a short beard, and slightly darker skin than before, which was now wrapped over 120 kilograms of lean muscle and bone that was far denser than what he had before. He was over 2 meters, and looked like he could lift a truck. Immediately Amhyrst eyes locked onto hers.
“E4, did you get in a fight?” The concern was obvious in his voice. “You’re bleeding.”
“What?” E4 put her hand to her nose, finding a bit of blood dripping out. “Must be the coffee, I am on my fourth cup, and it is charged with Aether.” She pointedly did not look at him, though even with the control over her biology her isopod provided she still turned red as a beet. “I’ll get your clothes.”
“Right, that’s probably for the best.” Donovan replied, getting out of the coffin and looking at a nearby mirror. “Woah,” E4 looked back just in time to see him flex, and a bit more blood flowed from her nose. “I don’t think I looked this good in college.” He put a hand to his chin. “Is this device supposed to change bone structures, I’m pretty sure I didn’t have this square of a chin.”
“I would not know, you would have to ask Guild Master Arnold once we reach Los London.” E4 brought Donovan his clothes, which had been simple enough to clean with a bit of telekinesis and Aether. She made a point to avert her eyes as she did so. She paused for a moment. “Let me guess, they don’t fit.”
“Nope, bit too small.”
“Seems to be the theme. I had the same problem, made worse by my Mistress’s tastes and sense of humor. Follow me, we’ll find you something.” She paused, passing him a fluffy white towel, “And please wear this until we do.”
When he finally returned to the kitchen Donovan wore a simple black shirt and pants, as well as a set of bronze arm guards and a chain shirt he had found. Within five seconds flat E4 had the food dished up and coffee ready for both of them. “How are you moving like that?”
“Four cups of coffee?” E4 replied, taking a sip of her fifth cup.
“Maybe take it easy on that stuff… wait, is this,”
“100 charge black coffee for speed and energy, 50 charge oat milk because it seemed appropriate and I think oats promote either energy regeneration or physical protection.” She moved onto the main dish. “Chili made with 100 charge garlic, which boosts resistance to conditions such as diseases and curses, and 100 charge chili peppers which are supposed to push the aspect of other abilities towards fire. Given the creatures I’ve been dealing with resemble vampire spawn and like to bite, that should protect us from any diseases they’re carrying. There’s also 200 charge tomatoes, and from what I read tomatoes tend to provide a boost to offensive abilities. Served over a bowl of mashed 100 charge potatoes which are supposed to promote healing and occasionally give healing powers. I can attest to that as I got the healing hands skill from a dish containing charged potatoes.”
“Woah woah woah, first of all you said that in under 3 seconds which means I think you’ve had enough coffee. Second, are you saying foods give super powers? I thought that came from armor.”
E4 shrugged. “You can get,” She took a moment to slow her speech, “From what I’ve read and experienced, it comes from food easily, but it is then shaped by what you experience and how you use it. You can also get skills from doing things, but it is rarer. There is a machine that helps quantify it, but we’ll get to that later” She sat down at her own meal. “Dig in.”
Donovan dug in with the enthusiasm of a starving dog, which was still half the enthusiasm E4 had. “So vampire spawn, are those common in The Realm Between Eternity?”
“I’ve encountered goblins, ghouls, shadowy hat men, lizard style kobolds, wild dogs, and an undead creature that fills the same ecological niche as an elephant from a different version of Earth, and that’s this month. Yet These spawn are the first thing that have adapted to counteract me. They’re getting faster, and they’re growing armor.” E4 asked. “What is this Realm Between Eternity?”
“Here.” Donovan gestured around them. “I think. At first I thought it was a rumor, some kind of device that opened a door to another dimension. Seems to work.”
“Why?” E4 asked. “Purifiers are built around security and medicine, why do you care about another dimension?”
“I don’t know, High Administer Mundo took that to his grave,” he chuckled, “or maybe he didn’t. From what I’ve heard, and this is just the rumors, he was throwing our best scientists into a project. There were a lot of rumors, but the biggest ones said he was working on nuclear weapons, a way to finally scour the world clean. Yet, in a single night, the entire facility vanished, with him in it. All that remained were seven crystal vials filled with a strange misty substance, and a document on how to use them. It explained that the vials held a fuel that, if we added it to our flamethrowers, we could burn our foes out of reality itself. The plan called for the best of our men to seek out the worst of our foes, and rid the world of them. A final solution to the epidemic.” R4 shivered at the phrase and Donovan chuckled. “I didn’t like that phrase either. When I joined the Purifiers I swore I’d never follow an order that took me down that path. I like to think I followed that oath.”
“You would be in the minority.” E4 added. Donovan began to object. “The Detroit Autoworks Hospital fire. The media did a pretty good job editing the flames, but I was there and I saw the violet color.
“The place was a hotspot for O. Candidiasis fungi. I saw the photos, the mold growing out of the victim’s eyes and fingernails
“We were making progress before the grenades started flying. They didn’t even bother trying to evacuate. I had to amputate my own hand because in our haste my suit ripped.” R4 replied. “Though that is one thing I like about this place, I’ve already lost an arm and it grew back ” She went back to her food, before noticing the question on Donovan’s lips. “Yes, it did itch as much as they say, and we had to restrain several patients so they wouldn’t scratch their own eyes out or rip out their fingernails to get at the tissues. Now, what were in these vials? Burning holes in reality is a pretty bold claim.”
“I thought the same, until we tried it. Grant Kindred, the Golden Spider himself, managed to trick one of our high priority targets into an ambush. The head of the Iron lungs, or whichever head there was this week since they kept dying, and burned them all down. Within 24 hours every case of iron lung pneumonia cleared up. A multi-spectrum antibiotic resistant bacteria, gone as if it never were. You can bet there were arguments over who should get to use the stuff and who to use it on, but Mundo had made a plan. His final legacy would be a world without bioterror. My target was Corric Leechwort the Witch of Wu-cog.”
“Wasn’t the Wu-cog plague zone in southern Africa? I didn’t think the purifiers could reach that far.”
“Normally we can’t. Yet a lot changes when you accept you’re not coming back. I had been infected in the line of duty, so it was decided I would be the one to give him a visit. I loaded up on as much Panacea as I could without falling over and parachuted in right on his compound. Leechwort didn’t expect anyone to be dumb enough to attack him so I dropped right on his roof. I must have fought through dozens of his minions, and I got bit up right good too, but it was worth it to see the look on his face when I blasted him with the serum imbued flames. Still better than what he deserved for the Fungal Bloom Massacre. Next thing I know, I’m here.”
“So is he the person you are looking for over here?” E4 asked.
“No. See, there was a woman, her name was Erin. She and I were close when we worked for the WHO, before I joined the Purifiers and she joined the Bleeding Heart Society. She was lost when the society was destroyed by a disease, I think it was some sort of parasite that could control the host. Yet, while examining the records of the High Administrator’s project I noticed her on camera. I believe she managed to survive, infected but alive. If coming here cured me of the rotting pox1 surely she must have been cured of whatever parasite destroyed the Bleeding Hearts. I only hope she has found a safe place to hide until then. She is too soft for a place this dangerous.
E4 considered telling him, or smacking him over the head, before standing. “Ok, I think I feel a new skill coming on, and we need to get you checked too. After that, we’re about due for another wave of spawn. Feel up to some exercise?”
E4 showed Donovan the card reader, receiving two new cards and an updated stat card. “Hey, I got an achievement for setting myself on fire.
Fire starter (Acquired): Fire leaps to your will and hesitates to burn you. You can always create fire, even with green or wet wood. Expend Aether to imbue existing fire with Aether, making it burn hotter and do increased damage to creatures of The Myst without using additional fuel. Fire based weapons are less likely to explode. In addition the wielder is resistant to fire their rank or lower. Uses the higher of intellect or speed
→ Friendly fire (achievement): In defiance of all sense you have lit yourself ablaze to defy your foes. Your fire does not burn you. You may designate a number of allies who are immune, and whom you take reduce damage from. Increases tenacity by 1
Metabolic fire*: Generate lambent green flames that can feed off resonance rather than air or fuel. Rapidly breaks down unwanted matter into components, especially potent against prions. This fire will go out without resonance. Grants host immunity to fire of their tier or lower
(So remember when I said we can’t be a mage, well we can still throw fire. That’s something rogues do right? Just go easy, it’s ATP intensive- Red Queen)2
→ ??? flames (achievement): I think I can exploit this, feeding resonance into the flames. Maybe we can boost healing or energy regeneration? More study is needed. Increases tenacity by 2
Perfect Position (Acquired): A proper maid is exactly where her mistress needs her just as a nurse is always at her doctor’s side. Doubles speed when out of position or when called for. Exert Aether to do so silently. Increases speed by 1.
Telekinetic Step*: Proper maid my eye. You decide where you need to be. Exert ATP to double your speed whenever you want. While active throw yourself to avoid hazards and never overshoot even if the target location moves. Increases speed by 2
Reagent:
Mountain marrow (Tenacity +1)
Charged Coffee with oat milk (Speed+1)
E4 Age 20: Innate/Infusion attributes
M: 1/3
I: 1/3
S: 1/3
T: 1/3
E4 (Erin Johnson) Age 20 (actual age 32): actual attributes (innate+infusion+skill+reagents+subversion= total)
M: 1+2+1+0+3= 7
I: 1+2+4+0+7= 14
S: 1+2+2+1+5= 11
T: 1+2+2+1+8= 14
“Sweet, I got an achievement for setting myself on fire.”
“Wow, I’m not sure if you’re dedicated or just crazy. Erin would have liked you.” Donovan took his place, E4 inserted the required coin, and the mannequin began to move. Within a few moments he had his cards.
Aetheric weapon (innate): channel Aether into a weapon. Increases damage against creatures of the myst and converts some dense myst into Aether. Allows for the use of Aether based weapons. Uses Might
→ Plasma weapon (advanced): The lightning of Aether and the heat of plasma are intertwined. Exert Aether to add fire damage to any weapon. If the weapon is already a fire weapon increases fire damage. Uses intellect
Armor borne (innate): You were either born in armor or have worn armor so much that you feel naked without at least 20 kilograms of steel protecting your fleshy self. You do not take a speed penalty to armor nor does it penalize your movement regardless of what kind of armor it is. Uses tenacity. Increases might and tenacity by 1
→ Human reactor (incomplete/achievement): Your skill with powered armor combined with your loss at being crippled by a damaged reactor or missing power supply have awoken a new resolve. Never again shall you be without your greatest asset. Reduces power armor fuel consumption by 10%. Skill is incomplete.
→ Unknown
Company man (pact/cursed): You have sworn an oath to a force greater than yourself, not a patron, but a group of like minded individuals. Whenever you cleanse a standing stone gear acquired will be branded with your company symbol and be of higher quality if applicable. Some of this gear will be usable only by you. Bargains may be 1 tier higher than normal.
→ Company Script (pact): when defeating foes or carrying out orders from your company you may acquire tokens from your company.
→ Unknown skill: Skill detected details elusive
Curse: You are expected to tow the company line. Actions deemed counter to company standards will result in black marks, suspensions, or possibly expulsion.
Fire starter (Acquired): Fire leaps to your will and hesitates to burn you. You can always create fire, even with green or wet wood. Expend Aether to imbue existing fire with Aether, making it burn hotter and do increased damage to creatures of The Myst without using additional fuel. Fire based weapons are less likely to explode if damaged. In addition the wielder is resistant to fire their rank or lower. Uses intellect or speed.
→ ISC-9 (pact/cursed): What have you done? Through reckless disregard for chemistry and obsession you have created a fire that burns through unknown chemical mechanisms beyond human comprehension. Exert immense amounts of Aether to convert regular flames into violet flames. This fire is treated as one tier higher than you. Increases intellect by 1
→ Curse: Your hubris shall damn you.
Healing hands (Acquired): Expend Aether to accelerate healing. Bruises and minor wounds heal with just a touch. Larger wounds still require stitches or bandages. Aether cost scales with damage. Doubles the effect of all Aetheric medical devices. Reduces the risk of infection. Uses intellect.
→ Iron kin(Achievement/incomplete): healing poultices and potions such as the Aether elixir also repair armor for 10% of the amount they heal the body. Skill is incomplete
Sacrifical resolve (innate): Your entry to The Distant shores was marked by sacrifice. You chose to come here in order to drag someone else with you. Increase your tenacity by 1. Even when out of usable Aether you may burn the myst that makes up your body for more power. Whenever facing the individual you dragged into The Distant Shores double your tenacity against them.
Purifier resolve (pact/advanced): Your conviction burns as hot as your weapons. When afflicted by a curse, disease, or poison expend Aether to burst into flames and burn off the effect. You remain on fire for a number of minutes equal your tenacity. Tenacity while in this state increases by double your tier. Increases tenacity by 1
Reagents:
Charged Coffee with oat milk (Speed+1)
Wallace Donovan: Age 38
M: 5
I: 4
S: 4
T: 6(8)
“That MIST score is pretty respectable, and you’ve got a lot more advanced skills than I did when I was charged.” E4 spoke up, peering at the card. “I’m told 5 is human maximum, so even without skills you were pretty close. I’m guessing the coffee counted as a reagent to bring your speed up one.”
“What about yours?” E4 showed Donovan her card, and the Hymn listener card. “You got the short end of the stick. Those skills alone are supposed to get you way above that.”
“I manage, now let’s get going.”
By the time they got out the townsfolk were already working hard to keep the withered women out. Each woman was covered with thick scabs that resisted the stabs and their withered limbs seemed to always be just out of reach of the spears. Long fingers seemed to grab the spears at the worst possible moment, and several were already lost beyond the fence.
“Tap the stones and get some gear, I’m going ahead.” E4 exclaimed. She jumped, kicking off a building, and soaring over the fence into the thick of it. Immediately she lashed out with her claws, drawing the ire of the spawn. She quickly noticed that their now nearly skeletal limbs did a good job isolating the poison, thick swelling nodes sucking up the ravager toxin even as they leaked Aether into the air. “That’s not ideal.” Five of the spawn lunged for her at the same time, and only a telekinetic leap back kept her from their claws. “You may be fast, but I’m faster than ever. Come on, come get me!” She called out. The spawn assaulting the fence turned towards her, and that was their mistake.
“Purity in Death!” A pair of shots rang out, one taking a spawn’s head clean off while another shredded a spawn’s arm and chest before both burst into flames. E4 cast a glance over to see Donovan, now dressed in a green and bronze riot suit with a matching mask and holding a shotgun that made him look like a child with his father’s weapon. He pulled back on the fore-stock, kicking out two spent shells the size of her fist from the double barreled abomination.
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“What is that?” E4 called out, taking advantage of the spawn’s confusion at the cannon fire.
“Call it a sign on bonus.” Donovan shouted back, this time aiming at a cluster of spawn. With a single pull of the trigger four spawn were struck, and immediately went up in white Aetheric flames. “The brass was working on this beast called the Chirion. Fires ten red hot flechettes the size of your pinky with every pull of the trigger. Holds two dozen of them in the twin magazine.”
“That is most definitely a warcrime.” E4 replied, ducking under a blow before stabbing the spawn with her blade and zapping it with bio-lightning. “But it sure seems to work.” She reached out, blasting two more spawn with more bio-lightning.
“Woah, is that magic?”
“Technically, no.”
The remaining spawn split between the two of them lasted less than a minute and E4 quickly collected the fangs.
“Didn’t even get to try out this beauty.” Donovan pulled a large silvery ax from his back. It was the large and heavy kind the Purifiers preferred, good for intimidation, chopping through barricades, and cutting through disease scarred flesh. As he held it the blade seemed to glow and flickers of white Aetheric fire appeared.
“Do all your weapons burst into fire?”
“Actually yes, the Chirion is supposed to fire burning rounds,” Donovan replaced his axe and reloaded his gun, taking a moment to show E4 the shell before loading it into the double tube magazine. She quickly counted as the gun swallowed a dozen of the shells. “But now that I look at them these aren’t incendiary rounds. Every round I shoot is on fire!”
“You sound way too happy about that.” E4 replied.
“Doth thou not have a ranged weapon of thine own fair maiden. Might I pluck a quote from an ancient paragraph that might guide thine progress?” E4 nodded expectantly. “Git Gud.”
“What, you… I walked into that didn’t I?”
“Yes, yes you did. Do you need to rest or are we raiding the castle?” Donovan made a gesture towards The Myst. Almost as if on cue lightning fell, illuminating a large structure in the distance. Yet it was not some quick flash, so much as a continuous stream of bolts. E4 saw The Myst begin to grow thin, before it was suddenly scattered by a peal of thunder that threw down the fence and sent several of the houses tumbling. The standing stones shattered, reduced to gravel.
“That’s not good.”
“What the… The Hymn is gone.” E4 muttered. “Look at the Myst Folk.” She pointed, and every man and woman just stood stock still. Then, as one, each one drew a knife, raised it to their throat, and E4 averted her eyes before she saw what they did. In the back of her mind she heard The Hymn shift. She felt her own hand reach for her blade, draw it from her sheath, and held it while the hymn told her to harm herself. A moment later a new order came to her. “We have to go to the castle.”
“Lead the way.”
Despite the instinct that had just been running through her mind, E4 found they were not alone in their walk. Several women, all between 18 and 24, walked alongside them. Each wore decent clothes, mostly dresses save for one who wore long pants and a buttoned up shirt, and each carried a long dagger. E4 approached one, noting they bore a blank expression though she couldn’t be completely sure due to the shadows over their eyes.
“Creepy, isn’t it.” Donovan said, grabbing a blonde woman by the arm. She stopped, her brown dress swaying in the wind. “Reminds me of the orange grove in Old Florida, a bunch of workers came down with, Hey!” The woman turned and stabbed Donovan with her dagger, the Blade growing black with darkened Myst as she did and cutting into his riot gear. It didn’t hit skin, but it surprised him enough he lashed out with a backhand. Immediately the woman was sent sprawling, and she didn’t get up. Her body flickered with Aetheric flames, and in moments there was nothing left but a few bones and the mysterious dagger. “Woah, that, did I just,”
“Either your plasma weapon skill is a lot more dangerous than I thought, or whatever has them in its grip is draining their tenacity.”
“Are you crying?” E4 put a hand up to her eyes, blood was dripping down them. Immediately her tongue snaked out of her mouth and licked it. “Um...”
Immediately E4 was struck with a sense of dread, of sand slipping through her fingers. Small smooth lumps were present, but she couldn’t tell what they were, they felt round and flat though. She felt one shoved into her mouth, swallowed with a gulp of something salty that bubbled against her tongue. “It’s not my blood, my blood has Aether in it, this is dense myst. I’d say Myst Cursed blood, though I’ve never drank Myst folk blood. I’m picking up some kind of sensation with my psychic skill, but I can’t tell what it means.” E4 noticed they had continued walking, as had she and Donovan. Within a few minutes they made it to the low spot where she had met Donovan, and the group began the walk up towards the castle.
“So, what do we do?” Donovan asked. “I’m starting to think I should have grabbed that stake.”
“You’re a Purifier, just act like you’re escorting a bunch of G. Rigimendis patients into the furnace. I’ll play one of the helpless victims. The moment we see the countess I’ll hit her with my claws and you spray her down with fire. Remember, we’re both fire resistant, but these folks aren’t. Try not to hit them.”
“I’ll try.”
“Will that be a WHO enforcer try or a Purifier try?”
“35% casualties.”
“Let’s try for 15%”
“25%.”
“Deal.”
Finally the myst thinned enough that E4 and Donovan could see the mansion. Immediately E4 was struck with the size of it. The structure was at least 300 meters wide and 40 meters tall. The top 10 meters were dominated by high pointed spires and even as she looked up lightning descended to strike the building. The entire structure was made from a strange black stone that resembled marble streaked through with obsidian. Glassy eyes stared out at them from countless stained glass windows stylized to look like humans, though E4 had no idea who. Most carried butchery tools, and several had wicked grins.
“Donovan, you were here before, what are we getting into?”
“A gunner’s nightmare. Lots of long hallways that lead to larger cluttered room with enough clutter to hide a threat but nothing solid enough to provide cover., secret passages, and it’s dark. Really dark. There should be some gas lamps but sometimes they work sometimes they don’t.”
The procession continued until the first woman stood before the doorway. Before her stood a monster of a double door, at least 10 meters in tall and just as wide, made from a single piece of wood. She raised her hand, and the doors opened with a low squeal. Beyond a single gas lamp provided scant illumination to a single figure. E4 could not see her face, yet she seemed to hover ominously a meter above the floor. Below her a dozen women dressed in maid outfits lay dead, their blood pooled around her feet.
Immediately each of the women bowed, E4 quickly did the same while Donovan just stood resolute. The first woman approached and was immediately desiccated as every drop of blood seemed to jump from her neck and join the pool.
“MORE” A female voice called forth. The voice carried a deep gurgling sound, as if the speaker was choking on something. E4 felt her throat constrict, as if something was caught in it even as it was being crushed from without. The next woman approached, her arms and legs trembling at the sight, yet still she was compelled forwards. She stopped just shy of the threshold. “MORE!”
Within E4’s head several hymns played. One commanded her to be still, to wait her turn. Another demanded she run, to flee from the monster before her. A third cautioned her to wait her turn, and lash out at the threat when it least expected it.
“Get back!” She called, reaching out. Immediately the woman was pulled from the doorway, the figure within letting out a shriek so loud it shook the stained-glass windows. For a moment, just one moment, the spell was broken and The Hymn silent. The women turned and ran, and that was all the opportunity Donovan needed.
“Purity in death!” He called out, pointing with one wrist. Immediately a spray of flames burst forth, dousing the house with napalm. A horrific shriek echoed from within and the doors slammed shut. Immediately flames began licking at the windows from the inside. “Quickly, we must seal this place, lest the countess escape. You go left, I’ll go right, we shall burn this place to the ground.”
“What about anyone inside? What about A7, Corvus, and Richard?” E4 asked.
“The folks who betrayed you and tried to kill me? They made their choice. Now their fate is in the hands of the flames.”
“Just, give me a few minutes.” E4 replied. “Go, start your fires, but I’m going to see if I can get them out. Just don’t shoot us when we escape.”
“No promises on the crow wizard. He’s my 25%.”
“Fine.” E4 turned and ran, expending ATP to move faster. She felt her feet grab the ground with telekinetic force and throw her with speed she had never managed previously. It felt natural to do, as simple as sprinting. As she zipped across the landscape she kept a close eye on the mansion, looking for an entrance. Each window she saw was either stained glass or had been replaced with black bricks and some sort of red mortar that looked like old blood. Within moments she arrived at the edge of the house, throwing a wave of telekineitic force that immediately brought her to a dead stop. Of course, it did so by allowing her to crash face first into it. “Woah, definitely going to have to practice with that.” E4 muttered, straightening her nose. Between her tenacity and regeneration protocol she was back on her feet in moments. “Can’t wait to see how that works in the water. For now though,” She threw open a smaller window, the first one that was neither boarded over or stained glass. It had been filled with stained glass at one time, but something or some one had been thrown through. E4 quickly helped herself through, and noticed a shred of leather caught on the broken iron that had once held stained glass. “A7? I hope she’s alright.” She turned and noticed a thick wooden door that stood next to a thin wooden wall that now sported a human sized hole in it. E4 quickly confirmed the next wall over bore the same damage. In the distance she heard a loud clang of metal striking something hard and the shriek of a raven. “That doesn’t bode well.”
E4 quickly stepped into the first room, which appeared to be a bedroom, and then peered into the next room which she quickly identified as a sitting room. Both rooms were plushly carpeted, both had very well padded chairs, and both had numerous gold ornaments. R4 quickly produced a small isopod and set it on a candle stand sitting on a bedside table. “Ok, consume this and anything else made from the same material then meet me outside.” The little isopod wiggled its antenna and got to work. R4 quickly stepped through the hole and found herself in a hallway.
Like the previous rooms the hall was elaborate. Gold and bronze decorations were everywhere, but not a hint of silver. R4 walked quickly but carefully, eyes always on the many doors she passed. A low creak caught her attention, and her dagger was already in the air. It struck the inside of a door and burst into metabolic fire, immediately reducing a chunk of the door to myst. Below lay the body of A7, barely alive and reaching out for her with an arm that lacked its hand.
“A7, hold on,” Even as she moved something pulled A7 back into the room and locked the door. Perhaps E4 could have picked the lock, but instead she slashed the door in an X pattern with her claws and thrusting both hands forwards sent the top three chunks flying into the room, leaving the lower one be as not to strike A7. The left and right chunk flew off into the walls, while the top section smacked right into something large and hairy.
As the chunk of door fell R4 saw the creature, and for a moment she was stunned. The woman, for it was clearly female, was horrific in its beauty. Pale and delicate skin merged seemlessly with soft brown fur on its forearms arms, and below its knees. The monstrosity wore a short yet heavily layered dress the color of blood, with a plunging neck line. Its face looked human, save for the gleaming yellow cat eyes and the pair of bat ears poking from its black hair. For just a moment E4 could see the woman not as a bat monstrosity, but a woman in knee high boots and wearing long gloves. Even the claws on both the hands and feet could be overlooked, for E4 had them though they were less noticeable. As she opened her mouth E4 saw long fangs ready to bite down into A7.
“Hey, back off!” E4 lunged, shoving the woman off A7 and flying back into a 4 posted bed. Immediately the canopy fell and a plume of dust engulfed the room.” Hey, A7, you awake?” E4 quickly pulled A7 into the hallway and noticed the small bleeding holes on her neck. “Dang.” With a low thud the canopy was pushed aside and the bat woman took flight, immediately sinking her claws into the ceiling. “You know, if you weren’t such a monster, you could probably feed off almost anyone you wanted to.” The bat woman looked down at her and a bout of curiosity overcame E4. “How does your dress not fall down?”
“No, I’m married.” A7 murmured, catching E4 off guard. As she was distracted the bat woman lunged, wrapping her first in her arms and then in the large black wings on her back. Immediately E4 was caught off guard. She expected the creature to dig its claws into her arms, but the creature’s hold was surprisingly warm. For a moment her muscles relaxed, until she notice the subtle scent of mood altering pheromones coming from the creature.
“Kill. Me.” E4 was caught off guard by the creature speaking, right until it took a bite out of her shoulder. Immediately E4 lashed out, her own claws cutting into the creature, her tail lashing out and slicing deep into the creature’s bat wing. The woman screamed, but did not let go.
“What? You want to, Back!” E4 slashed out and felt something go limp. She grabbed onto the woman and threw her off, and what she saw made her heart drop.
As the bat creature fell she saw the ruin that had been her head. It looked almost as if someone had taken a hacksaw to the back of her head, scooped out her brain, and replaced it with copper wires and shadowy fog. The back of her dress had been crudely ripped to reveal even cruder surgical work. Silver wires and bloody pins had been forced into her exposed spine and crackles of electricity danced across as the clearly cobbled together device malfunctioned and sent the creature into convulsions. E4 immediately put her hand to her own spine, her isopod wincing in sympathy.
“It... hurts.” The bat woman spoke. As she rose E4 saw her begin to wither. The woman, just moments ago early 20’s, was already aging. Wrinkles formed, her skin already graying. Only her eyes remained ageless in their intensity. “The silver, it hurts.”
“Can, can you talk?” E4 asked.
“So hungry, your blood, it’s different. The pain, fades a bit” She spoke, stepping forwards. E4 saw her mouth open inhumanly wide, two large fangs already stretching out. She cried out. “The Mistress, she hurts. The dark magic, a pact. She burns, but cannot die.”
“What do I do?” E4 asked.
“Cut the threads.” The bat creature let out another shriek. “Tear out the pins!” As she spoke her skin became more and more gray, with black cracks forming around her eyes. With a wild shriek she lunged for E4, claws outstretched.
E4 ducked under, lashing out with her tail at the passing monster and slicing her from neck to groin. The red dress, pretty and noble a moment ago, fell from the flying corpse. Yet even as black ichor dripped the woman hit the wall and kicked off, flying for E4 once again.
“Poor monster.” E4 replied, jumping up at the last moment, a thrust of telekinesis throwing her just above the bat creature’s claws, and letting her own claws find the woman’s. “Never bet against a ravager in a battle of claws.” In an instant the woman’s wings were clipped. R4 reached out with telekinesis and pulled the pins from her spine, immediately she went limp as a dead fish. Only the sound of her jaw still gnashing its teeth let E4 know she was still alive. She reached out, sensing her own blood within the woman. Just like with the withered maid before, it was already wreaking havoc on the foreign body. “Peace in Death, for another I could not save.” With a gesture the blood within ignited in metabolic fire. Within moments nothing was left but ashes and wires. Quickly E4 turned to A7, taking out her medical kit. “A7, are you still alive.”
“Ow, everything is sore, everything is cold.” E4 quickly took A7’s pulse, finding it racing. The woman was far paler than she should have been.
“Hold on, it looks like you’re lost a lot of blood.” R4 extended a single claw and poked A7, injecting just a tiny bit of ravager toxin. Immediately her shivering reduced in intensity. E4 quickly drew a canteen from her medical bag, the object just seeming to be on top even as E4 felt a bit of ATP leave her body. She took a small sip of the canteen, a taste of herbs blooming across her tongue. “Drink this, it will help replace the blood, or what we have instead of blood.”
A7 drank greedily, E4 having to stop her a few times. “Poor Ca’mil’a. She didn’t deserve that.”
“Come on, I’m getting you out of here.” E4 said, lifting A7 and trying not to hurt her worse. As she carried the woman, she noticed her arm was bent in a way it definitely should not have been. “Stay with me, keep talking.”
“But,”
“Who was that?” E4 asked. “Ca’mil’a? Did you know her?”
“The countess’s adopted daughter. The townsfolk said she was kicked out of Hell, and the countess took her in. It’s all bunk, She was a bully, but she wasn’t all bad. When Richard and I shared our first night she doused our door with pig’s blood, but when Richard and I got in over our heads fighting a creature of The Myst a week later she flew in and clawed out its eyes.”
“She always looked like that?” E4 asked.
“She actually preferred white, not that anything she wore stayed white. First time I saw her she was wearing a wedding dress, and announcing she was marrying Richard. They were 12 at the time.” E4 saw the hole in the wall, just before the room collapsed and buried it behind burning rubble. “One time Richard got her a dye that he told her would turn her fur white. It actually turned it yellow, and she looked like a canary. We got scolded for that, and she pranked us back. Those were the good days, when Richard’s father was still alive, Lady Von Veil still loved him.” She closed her eyes. “Hard to believe it’s ending, I thought we might make it out this time.”
“It’s not over, just hold on.” E4 set down A7 and winced. Extending her claws she gripped the burning rubble and lifted. She felt the heat on her hands, felt the flames trying to burn her even as she resisted the heat, yet the more she pulled it seemed the heavier the weight and the hotter the flames. “What the Blood?”
“The house is cursed. Its walls reinforced with shaped myst.” A7 whispered. “Corvus crafted it for Countess von Veil and tied it to her. So long as it is around, she cannot die, and so long as she is around it cannot be broken.”
“Every disease has a cure, even if it kills the patient in the process.” E4 replied. She paused, “harvest-man, come back.”
E4 winced at the size of the isopod, now the size of a terrier, as it skittered over. Its frame was made from gold now, at least 30 kilograms of the stuff and enough muscle to bear it all. “Red, has Mara managed to research how to create a telekinetic barrier?”
[[On Earth, distributed among the servers and wise minds sure. Here, no. The laws of physics are different here, and we can’t use computers in the same way we did on Earth. We need to use something else, the most important building material.]]
“Human flesh, the most important of building materials. Of course we do, bleeding havoc. Harvest-man, dig deep, take her with you, make sure she has enough air.”
“Don’t worry about me, for we Myst Folk are on borrowed time and our death is not that bad. When I joined Richard I knew this is how our love would end.” A7 murmured. Inside the ravager toxin eased the pain, but being Aetheric it didn’t exactly play nice with a Myst folk body. E4 tried not to think about that fact. “Stay out of the shadows, I’ll tell you that for free. Cost me an arm and a leg.” At her final words A7’s arm and her right leg, which E4 now saw was half missing, both began leaking Myst by the gallon. “Maybe we’ll meet again, don’t hold it against Richard if you’re not on the same side. For six lifetimes he has been cursed, perhaps in the eighth he shall be free.”
“Bleeding Havoc.” E4 muttered getting up and leaving the rapidly vanishing body of A7 behind. Returning to the hallway she immediately became aware of just how many shadows there were. In the distance she heard a loud CLANG followed by the cawing of crows. “Maybe Donovan was right, should have let this place burn.”
Moving down the hall E4 listened for an ambush, for the grinding of gears that might indicate a trap, for anything that might indicate danger. Yet aside from the occasional calling of ravens or the clang of metal, the only sound she heard was a strange vibration. She closed her eyes to listen, but she couldn’t tell exactly where it was coming from. Finally she reached an ornate wooden door stylized with a resplendent raven perched on a carving knife. E4 reached out for the handle, but froze as she felt something cut into her hand. Gently, gingerly, she pulled back and watched as a trickle of her blood rolled down a long length of wire, cleverly hidden in a thin yet long shadow cast by a nearly impossible to notice decoration on the nearest light. She quickly bandaged her hand and clipped the wire with her claws. Given her regeneration her wound was healed before the wire fully receded, but there was no need to give that detail away. Immediately she heard the snap resound behind her, and numerous gears and pullies begin to move. “Bleeding Havoc!”
E4’s horns buzzed as long shadows were cast across her, and razor sharp wires followed. She threw herself to the ground as the blades whipped past, almost losing her tail to one. She winced as she lost the first joint of one of her fingers. She slowly turned, and bore witness to the shredded remains of the door, and the figure beyond.
“You’ve got to be kidding.” E4 approached, kneeling to avoid a tense wire in case it decided to shot towards her. “Countess Von Veil?” She slid forwards, before pushing herself back before a wire lashed through her space.
Before her Countess Von Veil neither floated nor levitated. While her black boots did not touch the ground it was no display of arcane or occult power, but merely the fact the rope around her neck would not stretch any further. Though she had seen her only once, and only played the part of a spoiled noble, The Hymn sang a tragedy of nobility lost, of desperation and longing hidden behind red regalia and makeup.
“It’s like I came in at the final chapter of a story, I think I need more context.” A loud CLANG caught E4’s attention and drew her eyes, only for a stray thread to lash out and cleave a chunk from her skirt. Had her reflexes not been inhumanly fast E4 would have been sporting a single leg rather than a split skirt. “Ok, go slow, go quiet.”
With a gesture E4 conjured a small flame, which dispelled the shadows around her. She mentally kicked herself for not thinking of it earlier, as the threads immediately became more visible. Making her way past the body of Countess Von Veil she ascended the staircase behind her. “What is with mansions that have large staircases in the main entryway? Does the owner sit up here waiting for guests?” As she made it to the top of the first set of stairs she did find a well adorned chair complete with a small book case on its left side. Two additional stairways, one to the left and one to the right, offered themselves. The one on the left was on fire, and the one on the right was making such an attractive cawing sound.
E4 charged up the stairs, only for Richard to be thrown out and knock her right down the stairs with enough force to bend one of her horns and send her vision reeling.
“Don’t you get it Von Veil.” Corvus spoke, approaching the stairs. His eyes were now hidden behind glowing purple light, his black hair long and filled with black feathers.
“Ugh, did I miss a power up sequence?” E4 asked as she tried to resolve which way was up. “Also when did you guys have a falling out?”
“Lo, the low warlock limps back into the flames.” Corvus made a rude gesture, which immediately resolved into a spectral crow that soared from his hand towards E4. Quick as a wink she had her blade in the air and the crow was pinned to the ceiling. “Welcome to the final act of The Butcher of Von Veil.”
“What? What’s that have to do with anything?” E4 exclaimed. “Time out, I think I missed something.” She quickly switched to resonant. “Red, help me out.”
[[Current data is insufficient]]
“And Lo did not the butcher shed his mantle that he might take the form of a man, to free himself from his curse that he might begin anew.” Corvus gestured, dark myst lifting Richard into the air. “Yet not once did you think of the damage it would cause to your little hovel. For without a cursed no village nor town may endure, for they are fleeting as morning mist, a signpost set in sand rather than stone.” With a gesture he threw Richard towards his step mother. Immediately a shadowy thread lashed out at him, only a lightning fast slash with a butcher’s knife sparing him. “Yet your sins find you still, a butcher’s knife shall find thee always.” He turned to E4. “And you, the failure of a maid, are these flames your doing? Did thou steal the weapon of the failed knight?”
“Harm me not fell wizard, for my knight shall avenge my death. Lo, for the flames of his wrath even now lick the foundation of this fell cathedral.” E4 replied, noticing The Hymn influencing her words as she spoke.
“Hark, for thou art a knave. For the destruction of this mansion shall be the death knell of this province. Was it not by my guile that the lady was deceived into separating her domain from the rails? For truth, every action was for the feast of my patron. The Circle of Decay shall not be denied this bounty.”
“Decay, I thought your patron was a bird.” E4 asked.
“Fool, the raven is both an agent of decay and a bird, a patron might hold domain in multiple courts.” He pointed to her. “Yet your soul shall be claimed, a prize for the circle of decay. Your life forever devoted to your new master’s feathers, to feeding the eternal,” At that moment there was a low crunch as the floor behind him collapsed. He turned, and before his eyes a large golden shelled isopod waved at him. “cycle?”
That was all the distraction E4 needed. She threw herself up the stairs, taking advantage of her subversion to bypass the need to use the stairs and her claws were already at Corvus’s throat. “Devil’s handkerchief, what magic is this?”
“Your patron has their tricks,” E4 replied, lashing out with her claws, before spinning around to let her tail sweep low and knock Corvus off his feet. While her claws he deflected with his staff her tail caught him in the back of the knee and sent him to the ground, ignorant of the cut or the toxin within. “Mine has hers. Now tell me, what did you do to the village?”
“Quite a mess, a little lie to the countess, told her how to become a real Myst cursed. All she had to do was accept the mantle of the Raven who Circles, didn’t even see it was a noose. One quick push off the balcony,” He nodded and E4 noticed a spot where the handrails were damaged, “And that was all it took. Of course Richard didn’t agree, spineless welp couldn’t turn on his dear old step mum even as she drained him dry. How The Butcher could fall so far I do not know. Yet now he is food for my master. It matters not if you slay me or not, for I have already won. Yet personally,”
E4 turned back just as an enormous raven slammed into her, throwing her right through where the guardrail was already damaged, right into the range of the hanged woman.