ꙮ An anonymous admirer of your Clan and its endeavours provided Saranzaya with some information as to where glass land-sharks might be found - the very same sharks that Lauritz told Archie would be the secret ingredient for winning the Three Grand Soups (of which there are four)! And so, you’re on the train, again - you left fairly early in the Beast’s morning on a train bound for the near-Reach. It’s not too far out from Queenstown, and the train is one of the Scorpion Queen’s line, and it’s nice and comfy - it’s no Liminal Express, but you’ve certainly been able to enjoy the scenery, and you have a car to yourselves, and at some point someone came by with a tray full of lunch - finger foods, slices of sausages, toasted breads, things of that sort. Gotta keep your energy up when you’re going hunting! The Beast rolls by through the train’s windows– heading into more and more mountainous terrain, as the trip continues, but the ride stays nice and smooth.
Up next: 0 songs
1 listening
- Yazhn Ravhi, the Hierophant
Scene Archives
← Active ScenesMirage
looks out the window at the mountains, clearly a bit lost in thought–thinking of other mountains, both healing and hollowed.
keeps looking between a massive, bound tome and the foods, trying to identify each, thoughtfully tasting all of them, doing his best to develop a palate for what suits local preferences.
skewers a sausage, sliced pepper, and grilled onion onto a toothpick, which is swiftly transferred to his mouth. The spiced, savory mixture awakens the senses, infuses the blood with energy, giving rise to a contented snort from the Prince. He pulls from a bota of water- ale is for the victory party, water is for the hunt.
is curled up in a booth, absorbed in a novel—Jon Bond: No Time To Cry by Owen Fleming. She absently picks at a plate of food as she reads. The cover displays a handsome man in a suit, with a redheaded woman draped over his arm. She occasionally frowns, but mostly seems engrossed.
is sporting a very different look now. Gone is the scale armored shirt, replaced with black silks and red leathers, and matching bits of red metal trimmed in gold on his shoulders and arms (an HQ scorpion harness if ever you seen one), a black leather pant and boots. Most of his beard is gone now too, having taken the time to shave, though the sideburns have been left in place. And he’s now wearing a custom pair of orange tinted sunglasses. He looks more relaxed than he has since they’ve arrived on the Beast now, and casually chows down on a sausage with toasted buns.
is very, very focused on the book because she is not going to stare, gap-mouthed, at Aurelius any more than she already has. Which is. A lot.
ꙮ Honestly, valid.
glances up at Aurelius, looks back at the view–then back at Aurelius, with somewhat more focus. “Well then.” He chuckles softly. “Good look.” And goes back to looking out the window.
: “Thanks.”
is glad that you, at least, understand what it’s like, silmät.
: “It’s really striking!” He nods along, skewering another set of meats and sauteed veggies, giving Aurelius a goodnatured nudge.
is staring, actually. Over the cover of the book. But she’s not saying anything. Maybe she’ll have words once they get off the train? Yeah. Once they get off the train.
returns the nudge.
ꙮ After a while, you feel the way the train’s going uphill - it’s not struggling, precisely, but if you’re paying attention, you can tell that there’s a pretty intense grade happening, and the tracks swerve, a little, where the terrain’s too much to just cut through. Sometimes, even on the Beast, you go around rather than straight through. And then, eventually, with a piercing whistle, the train begins to slow; you can tell that there’s a small Hunter outpost nestled in the foothills, not much more than a station, a general store, a travelers’ inn, and a few structures clustered around the aforementioned, but the hills are still a good hunting spot.
: “This our stop?”
ꙮ It’s the last stop on this line, so it’d better be.
glances out the window. “Sign says- The Uphill Battle.” It may or may not say that.
ꙮ Naw, it totally says that.
looks up at the sign. “Huh. How about that. Well, hopefully that doesn’t describe the helpfulness of the locals.”
hoists their shield up. “It seems our hunt starts here.” Their gears turn faster, anticipating the hunt.
rolls to his feet and disembarks. Once he’s out of the train and onto the platform, he produces a fine leather sheath that seems to house some kind of one handed blade with a massive curve of it, and a belt to attach to one’s waist, then hands it over to Salme.
chuckles, getting up, grabbing his naginata–he’s barely been without it since he got it–and stretching lightly. “Probably just means we’ll be climbing some hills.”
takes another swig from the bota before refilling it and disembarking, affixing his Matamata pauldron once outside. (It would have gotten in the way on the train.)
ꙮ The conductor makes his way through the train - it’s hard to wear the Regulation Conductor Hat when you have enormous, floofy ears, but he’s making the best of it - informing everyone that, yes, this is the last stop - not that there’s TOO many people on the train out here. A pair of hunters from Clan Too Many Boots, who give you a good-natured salute as you’re all disembarking, and a couple people with packs loaded with trade goods and then a bunch more that they unload out of storage, coming up from Queenstown and then heading back with this train as soon as it leaves.
is one of the last people to disembark, and has to take a breath before she looks into Aurelius’ eyes and takes the weapon. “Thank you,” she says.
: “You’re welcome.”
holds out a Perfectly Serviceable Sword. “Would you stick this in the pocket dimension? I grabbed in case of another Scorpion Queen duel. I wouldn’t want to lose anything you made me.”
slips off the train and takes a big stretch, deeply inhaling the air of this new place.
grabs it and it vanishes. “You are a silly person.”
ꙮ There’s a trailhead leading from the station you arrove at, leading up into red mountains. Looming within the mountains and visible from afar is an absolutely enormous shard of metal, sticking out of - or piercing - the ground, shiny and bright, reflecting the six moons’ light - big enough that it’s not dwarfed at all by the mountainous terrain it’s set within.
: “I am,” she agrees simply. “You look amazing, by the way,” she says, fastening the sheath around her waist before she sets out on the trailhead.
cranes his neck up at that gigantic shard. “Where does all that metal come from? It doesn’t look raw, it looks forged. But how could you ever forge that much?”
: “Thank you. And. Hmm, never really thought about the massive chunks of metal just sticking out of the environment before, honestly. Remanent of long gone towers maybe?”
looks rather bemused at the idea that one could not wonder where the giant chunks of metal dominating the landscape came from. “Towers? On that scale?”
: “You saw how big the castle was.”
nods his head side to side. “The Academy towers did get pretty tall on much less land.”
nods. “And I’ll be the first to admit that the building materials used in the construction of these buildings seem a little more sturdy, despite our best gnosis-work on Samudra. I wouldn’t be surprised if such a thing were possible.”
snorts from where she’s walked out in front of them (and then promptly slowed, because she doesn’t know where she’s going). “I’ve been wondering if it was remnants of the skin of some great creature, or a shell.”
ꙮ There are some pretty big tower-ruins in and around Queenstown, but they’re mostly a reinforced black stone that the Beast’s relatively recently figured out the trick to reproducing at scale, but… this shard would tower above all of them, tower above the Academy, even.
ꙮ Salme - From the very informal leve Zaya wrote for you all, you know there’s a valley nestled somewhere in the mountains - accessible via that trailway - wherein the landsharks you’re looking for can, supposedly, be found.
ꙮ Although it probably would be traditional for Aurelius and Luĉja to take point, here, to be fair.
maybe does have a concept of where she’s going, but isn’t—yeah. Not really vanguard material here.
: “Luĉja, would you be willing to take the lead?” she gestures to the trail in front of them.
: “Of course! I remember this area fairly well.” They unsling their shield and lead the party forward, keeping their unblinking eyes peeled for sharks they can barely see.
: “So, remind me what we’re looking for here? Other than a shark–some kind of fish, one supposes?–that’s made of glass? Or looks like glass?”
: “That’s pretty much it, honestly. Their fins will be an important component of creating a winning dish for Iron Chef.”
ꙮ The problem with glass sharks being, of course, that one could be following you RIGHT NOW, and it would be GLASS, and so you couldn’t tell! But, so far, so good - the trail heads up, fairly steeply, and then winds for some time through a narrow pass.
glances around himself rather bemusedly. “This seems like an invitation to paranoia…”
remembers what Caion said about being able to invoke liminal gnosis at will and tries, gingerly, to extend beyond his senses and become aware of the uncanny, neck-fur-tufting feeling of being watched, if indeed they are.
- Archie invoked their 🌌liminal gnosis [d6] -> 4.
: “Well, it’s not like it could initiate the Rite without you knowing about it at least.”
: “Do not fear, Friend-Wolf. We are all more than a match for glass-sharks.”
ꙮ Well, of course you’re being observed. But, so far, only by myself.
: “That’s… actually kind of reassuring. Thanks.”
: “Wouldn’t it still disrupt the space around it? The sand and the ground? Couldn’t you tell where it was by the absence? Sort of like the Empty Space?”
: “Knowing where it is by where it isn’t?”
: “True, it’s clear but not immaterial or weightless. We might be able to track them by footprint.”
: “Yes, watching the light change around the edges of it is usually the easiest way to spot one.”
paces himself, which is easy due to the armor’s weight distribution. “Respect the monster- eyes up and down for glass sharks on the ground, and signs of carrion birds in the sky. It’s like any other animal except more delicious, right? It’s got to leave similar tracks.”
has the thought that perhaps glass-sharks also have transparent poop, and glues his eyes to the floor, paranoid about stepping in invisible dung piles.
ꙮ Eventually, after some time in the winding pass, it opens out, and descends rather rapidly, and you arrive in an odd little valley nestled in between more, taller mountains on one side, and the enormous metal hulk you saw on the way in, jutting brokenly out of the ground on the other. It’s pleasantly moist in the valley - there’s a warm wind that rolls in from the mountains, hits the metal slab, mists it over, and there’s even a little river running through the middle of the valley, fed by mountain streams, nourishing the most sprawling array of plant life you’ve seen so far on the Beast - nothing, at all, compared to the forests of Almachadta, but there’re some actual trees worth a damn, and shade, and weird little cactuses and scraggly-looking but flourishing plantlife throughout the valley, scampering lizards and tiny little rodents and things that eat them both.
: “I have admittedly hunted my fair share of beasts–the role of a yeresh can also be to take care of imbalances and threats–but usually that meant big things, not invisible ones…”
: “Why in the heck are there - oh, someone’s got a home grown Fun Cactus garden out this way.”
: “Fun Cactus Garden?”
: “These plants are non-standard for this area. Someone must be out here semi-regularly.”
: “What’s fun about ‘em?”
: “Some cacti are for eating and drinking, others are for getting high.”
approaches the plants, preparing to take samples, but stops at hearing this may be someone’s garden.
: “When prepared properly, the cacti are a potent hallucinogen.”
nods. “Are they used for ritual purposes or purely recreational?”
ꙮ Definitely both, inasmuch as the Beast is wont to draw a distinction.
looks amused. “One was about to say, one man’s Rite is another man’s recreation…”
nods thoughtfully as she looks around the area. She wonders if flourishing gnosis might be stronger here, if there are places it might pool, and if it has anything to do with the giant metal shard in the sky.
nods appreciatively, thinking back to the studies of certain sea urchins of Samudra.
: “Huuuuuuh…”
: “It’s beautiful,” she offers helpfully. She’s really killing it with the words today.
looks over to Salme, thinking what she’s thinking, and pulls out his pair of gnosis-lens glasses to see if the gnosis is any different in this area.
: “Similar to the distinction, at times, between fighting and fucking…” Wolf says, with a bit of a thoughtful air. He notices the glasses coming out, and perks his ears, stemming his own flow of words to listen to the Song here better.
raises an eyebrow in Wolf’s direction but says nothing.
ꙮ There’s definitely food plants, too, and a number of flowering shrubs that don’t look like much, but smell absolutely lovely (and oddly familiar, but you’re struggling to place why), too, once you look around a little bit. And with the gnosis-lens, something is shaping the flow of gnosis here, you’re fairly certain of it - there’s something in the mountains, if anywhere.
spares Aurelius a glance that clearly says ‘what?’
turns to Wolf, and you can see the gears in his head turning, connecting concepts between the cacti and the four Fs of evolution.
is avoiding staring at Aurelius, but has absolutely no compunctions about staring at Wolf and turns to stare at him too.
rolls a shrug.
glances over to Wolf. “You’re sure you’re not from Beast?,” he says with a chuckle.
: “Yeah there’s no way I’m leaving The Beast without some.”
nods to the Prince. Clearly, they’re on the same page.
notices that more than just Aurelius are staring at him. “…what did I say?”
: “Something primally alluring!”
: “I believe it was your comment on…fucking, Friend-Wolf.”
laughs a little more. “Oh, nothing, nothing. Just, for someone who was as flustered and clueless as you were for a minute there when my aunt first turned her wiles on you, you seem to have a thing or two of your own. It’s endearing. And correct.”
: “I was not really expecting you to opine on the thin line between fighting and fucking, considering your stated disinterest in the latter and your great interest in the former.” She looks like she’s rapidly reorganizing several presumptions in her mind.
: “Turned her…wiles?” Wolf looks honestly bewildered for a moment, and then the penny starts to drop, and he gratefully turns his attention with lightning speed onto Salme. “I am hardly ignorant of…” He mostly just devolves into genteel spluttering.
ꙮ And then it’s lucky that at least some of you are observing your environment rather than being distracted by Wolf, as challenging as that may be, because if you weren’t, you wouldn’t have noticed the almost totally invisible, hulking forms of a trio of ferocious land-sharks, lurking in the shadow of the metal hulk. They’ve each got a row of red eyes that give them away - and then they pounce, one two and three, letting out a horrid roar! They’re huge - each of them towering over even Luĉja - and as they approach they become much more discernible, translucent skin, the faint suggestion of lightly-glowing organs visible inside their bodies, swimming menacingly through the air over the ground, jaws with too many teeth snapping hungrily in your direction! You’re here to hunt them, and here they are, and they’re hunting you right back!
: “Ah, focus up everyone! They’re here!”
drops into a defensive stance and lunges forward!
Archie readies for a Rite!
spins his naginata smartly into a battle-grip. “What the f…!”
Wolf is ready!
: “Excellent usage of your natural attraction, Wolf!” He wheels about, dodging a snap or three!
Awoken is down to clown!
: “Our prey has saved us the trouble!” Lucxja runs at the closest one, intent on having a great time.
’s hand goes to the hilt of her sword, but she steps back and pulls the gun first.
ꙮ A Rite of the Dragon is begun! The stakes: SOMEONE is going to be someone else’s dinner! The Glass Sharks all possess the grace [Glass Shark Gonna Get You], and can target across lanes provided they target the person with the most remaining Tolerance.
- You hear — and your Star hears — a song, echoing from the stillness: The Rite ~ Steel Meets Fang
spins to face the sharks, producing a heavy looking dagger held in a reverse grip in his off hand, and then a strange looking longsword in his main hand - dark black steel, with the back of the blade flat and the first curved downward near the tip. Near the hilt there’s a revolver built between it and the blade, as well.
grins seeing the weapon. “You did build your own, huh, Aury?”
: “Of course.”
ꙮ Any available snipes happen first!
narrows her eyes at the shark in front of them. “Cute.” She takes careful aim with both hands, just as she was taught, and fires a single bullet straight through the shark in front her.
Snipe [Shed Scales!]
’s right arm is a blur, and there’s a red streak of gnosis that flies past the center Glass Shark’s face- a gleaming throwing dagger makes an unnerving cut!
[Snipe] center Glass Shark - discard [Chain Lightning]
ꙮ In retaliation, the leftmost shark [Smother]s Salme with a billowing cloud of smoke conjured up from its toothy maw. Strike 2, and defense limited! Wolf and Salme?
swirls his naginata around himself in a figure-8 arc, the shining blade blurring…and obscuring his footwork, which is revealed when he makes a feint to the left, then a lunge to the right, slashing across the glass shark’s nose.
[Shifting Strike], 3+1 damage for 4. Discarding [Rushdown], drawing 1.
ꙮ It takes 4, with a shattering sound as the blade impacts its scaly skin! Salme?
holsters her gun and puts her hand on the sword, before drawing it from its sheath in one fluid stroke. For a moment, burning gnosis coats the blade before it sparks and crackles into the cool color of lightning. She dances forward, driving the sword dead center into its head and then letting the lighting take of herself as it strikes each glass shark in front of them.
[Chain Lightning!] 5 + 1 to each for [6], 4 stress to me.
ꙮ Lightning flickers across the battlefield, and the blade is a true masterwork - [6] to every shark!
ꙮ Shark B wiggles menacingly in midair, and ripples of gnosis cover Shark C in protective light! [Fortress] Awoken and Luĉja!
: “To excel in the hunt, must one be bigger? Faster? Stronger? Or the most cunning?” He chuckles darkly. “Only three out of four is more than enough for you!” He weaves pellucid gnosis through the air, materializing one… two… three motes of tenebrous gnosis, and gathers them in his hand!
[Omen Forgery!] - targetting [Void Flare]
ꙮ Oh No
Salme’s scimitar has had a lot more detailed work done on it, compared to Aurelius’ fairly barebones gunblade. White-blueish steel, with the top and bottom (above the blade) having a thin line of rakaznar running through it to give a purple accent and light glow. A third line of it runs down the center of the blade as well, before it opens up into a circle around the middle, filled with a set of three runes etched inside of it. The hilt’s wrapped in bleached leather, with a small ruby orb embedded to the bottom of the pommel.
steps back beside Wolf, exhilarated, lightning still crackling around her. She does look at the blade in her hand then, in wonder—drawing it had felt so natural, so much like it was a part of her, she hadn’t taken a moment to appreciate what it looks like. She does now.
Kurat jumps ahead of Lucxja, ready to take a bite out of the next shark that moves toward the charging robot.
[Who Dares], Awo +1 Def
ꙮ Arf!!
ꙮ Shark C doubles down on its defensive gnosis, and looks ready to leap to its brethren’s defense at a moment’s notice! [Big Damn Hero] Aurelius and Archie!
considers the shark for a moment, then shakes his head as the tosses the dagger into the air. Green gnosis trails behind it, before burst out around him like fireworks and raining down on the party.
[Shared Growth] All Six Of Us Draw 2
catches the dagger as it falls back into his hand. “Hmm… yeah, that’s better.”
ꙮ Also Kurat takes a chunk out of Shark C’s reinforced defenses, yes!
turns to Aurelius with a smile, his eyes glowing. “Let me return the favor.”
Glorified [Forbidden Pact] to scry 1, Glorified [Living Shadow] on myself, then [Shared Growth] - everyone else draws 2 and I draw 7
ꙮ Possibilities flood your thoughts!
ꙮ The sharks have a… strategy? And they’re sticking to it? Shark A reinforces C’s defenses! [Fortress] Salme and Wolf!
steps back into the fray, jabbing the glass shark in front of him quickly, then…well, he tries to trip it, maybe more just…hooks the naginata’s shaft under its tail and flip-slams it to the ground.
[Quick Hit] for 2+1, [Trip] for 3+1 for a total of 7.
ꙮ You cannot trip what does not have legs! However, comma, meaningful pause, you CAN flip it like a stack of pancakes and send it crashing into the ground–
ꙮ As the glass shark falls, the bulk of its body (but not the delicious, delicious fins!) shattering into fragments with the blow, there’s another menacing growl, and three more glass sharks are slithering out of what very much appeared to have been thin air, mere moments ago, and take up positions alongside their monstrous compatriots! It’s going to be quite a glass shark harvest after all!
snarls something that sounds at least like a blistering curse.
ꙮ Salme?
glances over at the Awoken and laughs to himself. “Appears in round two…!”
laughs heartily and thumps his breastplate with a fist! “Good! We need many fins for a true banquet!”
: “Hmm. Well then.” She steps back calling up a quick sheet of radiant gnosis around herself, and then flourishes her sword, falling back in a defensive stance, drawing attention to her.
[Instant Barrier] + [Big Damn Hero] for 6 def. Wolf gets +2 def.
ꙮ Middle Shark C slides forward and tailthwacks the Awoken and in the same motion gives a protective aura to its wounded compatriot! [Vigilance]
guards himself with a raised bracer, and slides a clawed finger against its hide!
It Stresses 1 for targeting me!
ꙮ Middle Shark D, meanwhile, knows what Endjinn are and what they’re capable of and goes absolutely apeshit hogwild on Luĉja! [Beatdown] for 6, unless they discard to reduce damage!
’s eyes glow purple. Briefly, pinpoint lights twinkle in the shape of a pair of scales. “Help me save everything. Tell me the truth.”
[Libra] targeting new shark in lane. Discards 2 cards to reduce damage, Shark takes one for targeting me. Also +1 Def Awoken again
Glass Shark, the pinnacle of the ferocious - and delicious - Land Sharks, an apex predator of the Near Reach, and the secret ingredient in Lauritz’ Iron Chef-winning shark fin soup. They’re not usually found in the mountains - but these glass sharks seem remarkably healthy, happy, and numerous, so perhaps the migration patterns of fiends have done very well for them? Or perhaps someone, somewhere, is looking out for the land-shark population and the ecosystem of the Beast. Stress 0/15, Defence 0/10.
ꙮ Awoken!
shimmers with tenebrous gnosis, ebbing and flowing with his accelerated breaths. “I promise to not damage the fins. But the glass is gonna go everywhere!” A deep, bassy, abyssal sound resonates when your heart fully contracts on a beat, enough to feel like it stops, for a fraction of a second.
[Dark Prophecy!] - targetting [Rage] [Void Flare] [Void Flare]
ꙮ Oh No
ꙮ ALL of the right-lane Glass Shark’s eyes suddenly go wide and bright and viciously happy.
ꙮ All of the defensive gnosis it’s got shimmering on its body all concentrates, all at once, in the tips of its teeth, and it LUNGES at Aurelius. [Real Ultimate Power] for 10+6!
ꙮ (10 from [Shed Scales], losing all defense in the process.)
: “No. That doesn’t happen.” She calls in the favor from [Big Damn Hero] and takes that hit instead.
raises both of his blades up in front of himself as the shark explodes into motion and -
ꙮ Suddenly, Salme is THERE -
looks slightly confused. “I was - hm.”
ꙮ Salme was THERE and now she is HERE and the Glass Shark practically bounces off of her accumulated defense and looks Absolutely And Utterly Stunned By This Shocking Turn Of Events!
looks at him and is also slightly confused. “It seemed like the right moment?”
ꙮ Aurelius, Archie!
: “Stalwart sparrow! Such bravery!”
: “I mean - oh whatever. Shark’s going to regret shedding those scales though.” And he kicks off from the ground, dashes straight at it before jumping into the air, spinning once, then slamming down into it blade first. As it connects, he flicks a trigger built into the hilt, and a massive explosion of tenebrous energy rips through it.
[Void Flare] 2+2+1 x3 = 15 total damage.
ꙮ That is not a land shark any more, it is a smoking crater with a neatly-severed Delicious Land Shark Fin in your loot list. [KO] and lane collapse - feel free to redistribute!
blinks out of sight for a moment, and is then standing beside Salme.
grins at him. “I like your new weapon.”
ꙮ You know what they say about smelling blood in the water? Well, they can smell it in the air, too - Shark A [Beatdown]s Salme for 6 unless she discards for defense!
ꙮ WAIT
ꙮ Nevermind
ꙮ Archie gets a turn first
: “Yeah, seems pretty good. Wasn’t expecting you to jump in front of me like that though.”
: “I had the defense and you had the Void Flare. Sorry if I ruined your moment though.”
: “More like I don’t want you getting hurt on my account but - you did tank it so credit where it’s due.”
gives him a quick smile and a salute with her (beautiful) sword.
blinks his glowing eyes a few times at the sheer force of the tenebrous gnosis. He’d trained himself to see through a massive flare of flourishing gnosis, but this feels like something different entirely. Motivated, he picks up the pace, eyes narrowing, focusing, the gnosis filling the air around him feeling razor-sharp.
[Feint] to draw 3, [Brilliance] to draw 1 and gain a Divinity Stack, then [Lurk] to draw 2 and set up for next turn - The Big One!
ꙮ NOW Shark A [Beatdown]s Salme for 6 unless she discards!
for a moment considers not, wonders—but no. It’s easy enough to dance out of the way, pellucid and radiant gnosis falling away as she grows lighter, moves easier, despite the damage she’s taken.
discard [Martyr], [Mirage], and [Blast] to take 0 damage.
ꙮ Shark B Refreshes, gaining 2 Defense in the process, and then does the same trick - [Shed Scales] on that 2 Defense with the [Rally Blow] it drew, targeting Salme!
: “Fuck.”
ꙮ In the Beast, when a fellow-combatant’s given it all in the rite, and exhausted themself for the time, in order that their compatriots claim victory – there is ALWAYS a feast in their honor, when the Hunt returns successful! The Land Shark’s jaws close around her - and then they release, and the Glass Shark draws itself back, in IMMENSE frustration - wanting to BITE, to CHOMP, to PERFORM ACTS OF MORSITATION upon this delicious and soft hunter– but she’s got friends who aren’t going to let it walk away in one piece, doesn’t she? Aurelius and Wolf, respond!
: “Yeah. Get fucked you giant bag of soup,” she manages to grind out even as it rips into her. And then she’s still.
kicks the shark away, before positioning himself in between it and Salme.
ꙮ Salme - you are forced to withdraw from the Rite until its conclusion in either victory for your side, or defeat; you cannot lift a hand against the Glass Sharks, for the time being, any more than you could do so without invoking a Rite in the first place. (And you feel a bit like you’ve been chewed up by a glass-shark, but– you’ll be fine. Unless they manage to get through the other five. Or more show up.)
spins the revolver as it begins to glow red briefly, before sliding forward and slashing at the shark’s eyes before returning to a defensive position.
[Heavy Strikes] 3+1 = 4 damage and a Wound.
curls in on herself. They’ll win. I’m not worried about that. I was never that excited about shark-fin soup really, but now I’m really fucking excited.
ꙮ 4 Stress and a wound! Wolf?
: “Salme!” Wolf’s expression twists, one hand reaching out towards her–and then he turns towards the other shark, bloody murder in his eyes…though his face is otherwise stonily serene, as he pulls on radiant gnosis, using it to pull something far more burning into his grasp.
[Serenity], scrying [Wild Pure and Forever Free] into his hand. He returns [Serenity] instead of discarding it.
ꙮ Awoken, Archie, Luĉja!
screams. Not their battle cry, no longer excited for the hunt. Primal, burning, gnosis-sounds. Steam and fire pour out of them and in their [Rage!] they grab the closest shark and pull its jaws apart, dislocating it and ripping out a handful of teeth along the way. Burn marks mar its face where Lucxja’s hands have been.
[Superannihilate] + 2 + 1 = 6
ꙮ Holy Shit
flicks his eyes towards Lucja for a moment, before returning them to the sharks in front of him. “She’ll be fine. Everything’s still under control, friend.”
ꙮ It’s barely hanging on, as is its ENTIRE FUCKING MANDIBLE
crouches down, and the deep sound cracks- Awoken suddenly surges with a burst of burning gnosis, his boots scorches the ground as he circles a foot behind himself, and he thrusts a palm forward- the ground below the wounded middle Glass Shark distorts and rips open for a sudden, violent burst of tenebrous gnosis to surge skyward through it!
Quick [Rage] into Quick [Void Flare] - (2 +1 Burning Bonus +2 Rage Bonus) + (2 +1 Burning Bonus +2 Rage Bonus) = 10
sharply yells as he reaches out with his other hand, and both hands clutch into fists that singe the air around them, pulling at the fabric of the universe. Behind the other middle Glass shark, the world involuntarily bends in on itself, until it breaks- and it does so, loudly, fiercefully, with a crashing wave of tenebrous gnosis sending the shark flying forward… ⁂
Quick [Void Flare] - (2 +1 Burning Bonus +2 Rage Bonus) + (2 +1 Burning Bonus +2 Rage Bonus) = 10
twists his upper body, a balled fist into a surging arm, every muscle pulled into a spring under vibrating tension, until the flying shark is closer, closer, closer– there’s a black blur of tenebrous gnosis as he spins about, and a dark explosion, and… well, just the Awoken completely crouched over forward, in full extention of a haymaker, after that.
Quick [Tracer!] [Void Flare] - (2 +1 Burning Bonus +2 Rage Bonus + 4 Tracer) + (2 +1 Burning Bonus +2 Rage Bonus + 4 Tracer) = 18
ꙮ They are both obliterated as tenebrous and burning gnosis cross-cut the battlefield. [KO] [KO]
ꙮ The lane collapses!
laughs a little from her place on the ground.
: “You’re all amazing.”
gives Luĉja a thumbs up to show she’s fine, just a little gnawed.
gives Salme a red hot thumbs up, dropping another shark tooth. The flames continue.
ꙮ Archie, Aurelius, and Wolf! There’s two left! Fuck ‘em up!
glances around, noticed the gnosis swirling around Archie… then nods at Wolf. “Lets finish off the wounded one.”
nods, tersely, his eyes never leaving the wounded shark–the muscles in his jaw tight.
rolls his head around his neck then takes a step before - blinks out - and is then behind shark. He then tosses his knife into the air while loading a small red bullet into the revolver, before he hefts the sword up and slams it into the shark. He then pulls the trigger and the ground around shark cracks with the force of the burning energy surging through it, before it then gets flung into the air after a thud.
[Real Ultimate Power]
ꙮ Brutal!
pulls the burning gnosis out of himself that he had summoned–and he pours it down into his weapon, eyes a ferocious wolf-gold, nearly molten…his naginata seems to soak up the gnosis like a sponge, glowing hotter and hotter, until the edge of it is searing white. He stalks towards the shark that bit Salme, starting to slowly spin his naginata around him, faster and faster, trailing flame and white light–and for just a moment, in the swirl of light and fire, there is a flicker and glimpse of flaming wings, and incandescent feathers. He pulls back the naginata, and says a single word, his voice gravel and death: “Burn.” And he stabs the shark and lets all the fire loose.
[Wild Pure and Forever Free], discarding everything but [Adrenaline Surge], then [Adrenaline Surge] for 9. He draws 2.
ꙮ The flame flows down the blade - the resonance between Aurelius’ fire and Wolf’s causing a firestorm that consumes anything that would have been left of that shark (except, of course, for the fins!)
turns to the glass-sharks. “You will never hurt me or any of my friends ever again. Die.” The glow from his eyes expands, radiating out, engulfing his entire body, then more and more of the scenery, until the purple glow turns so bright it goes white. The world seems to sink away for a moment as the only thing you can still see is Archie and the barely-perceptible shadows of the glass-sharks. In an instant, all of the light collapses back in towards his body, seeming to warp your vision with it. The outline of Archie’s profile sears itself into your eyes as he lunges forward and delivers a massive, telling, final blow. When your eyes finally readjust, Archie stands tall in an armor that shines with the same inconceivable brilliance.
[Defuse] gifts away over 15 cards! Archie draws Glorified [Forbidden Pact], which finds [Feint], which draws [Brilliance], which draws [Feint], which draws Brilliance, which draws Feint, over and over until he's accumulated... let's make it ten million Divinity Stacks, just to send a message, which then converts into ten million damage and defense with Glorified [The Natural Course]!
shields his eyes from the glare and barks a harsh, appreciative laugh.
ꙮ Somewhere, a voice on the wind laughs in utter, profound joy.
ꙮ Here, the Glass Shark is soundly defeated - [KO].
lets out a roaring battle cry as Archie atomizes the last shark.
feels like he’s always having the sunglasses justified as he catches his dagger on its way back down, after the flames and light die down. Then disappears it and his sword, before walking back over to help Salme to her feet.
ꙮ As the last Glass Shark falls, there is a ripple, like a heat-mirage, coming down the valley - except you realise with a sudden and dawning horror, as the Rite fails to immediately conclude on its defeat, that it is not a heat-mirage, but instead, it is an entire migratory horde of glass land-sharks, descending on the valley - and on the six of you! - as one.
: “Hmm…”
: “I thought there were barely any glass sharks left….how can there be this many so far from their normal hunting grounds?”
reaches for Aurelius’ hand, but then realizes they’re still in the Rite. “Seriously?”
takes a deep breath, bares his teeth, raises his chin, and lifts his blade in defiance.
: “Who missed all these sharks just hanging around!!”
: “Few left, or no one knew where they moved to.”
: “Is there a glass shepherd for all these fucking sharks?”
: “I can always take out one a turn, but only one a turn. Being outnumbered like this is a problem.”
ꙮ As you prepare yourselves to stand stalwart, strong, and stour against the sudden onslaught, you hear an immensely loud horn-blast from… somewhere, it’s unclear where; it echoes in the valley, echoes between the metal hulk and the mountains’ bulk, builds and builds on itself until it’s utterly unbearable - and the entire horde of glass sharks, minus the several you took down, turn tail and flee, with astonishing alacrity, darting and slithering and swimming away, becoming next-to-fully-invisible again as they slip out of sight and flee the valley! The Rite concludes in victory!
covers an ear with his free hand and winces, nearly bending over as the horn sounds, and then…blinks at the sudden silence and the fleeing sharks. “…ah.”
ꙮ It is, then, the work of a few moments, to get the fins cleaned up, and taken care of– and then you are alone, in the valley, between the mountain and the metal.
: “That was… timely. Whatever it was.”
: “Hunting horn. Not sure whos, though.”
waits until the ringing stops in his ears… okay it’s not stopping, so instead he just tries to speak very quietly. “ …yeah! you better run! “
: “Glass shepherds, calling their glass shark horde home is still my guess,” she says, poking at one nasty bite low on her hip. There’s … two, no, three, glass shark teeth embedded there, though the gnosis-worked silk ropes seem to have taken no damage whatsoever.
stalks over to Salme and shoos her hands away from her wounds, starting to summon threads of flourishing gnosis around his hands to help clean and close the bites. “Blessed goddess bright, girl, you gave me a heart attack.”
ꙮ I thought it was badass.
looks to the sky and nods in agreement.
: “Get the teeth out first. I want to keep them,” but she lets Wolf fuss. “And I’m sorry for worrying everyone, but I was fine. I knew we’d win.”
: “ it was! daring and calculated, and amazing! “
makes sure to pocket enough shark teeth to make trophies for several of their friends’ first Hunt.
ꙮ There’s hella teeth, yeah. Good call.
: “I am not denying her heroism, blast it, but I do not have to enjoy watching one of my companions go down,” he growls, flickering his gaze up to the sky. “Blasted fortunate you didn’t have more teeth in you than that…and less flesh left…”
keeps one for himself, preserving it in a jar for later. “Yeah. That was close for comfort for all of us, and you most of all. I’m very glad you’ll be alright.”
is very much, if it isn’t clear, far more worried than angry.
: “ small blessings for the Rite’s construction. “
nudges Wolf’s shoulder. “I get it. I’ve fussed over Awa similarly, but I didn’t do it thoughtlessly. In the Rite, all of you will do more damage than me. My job is to keep you guys on your feet.”
is briefly horrified at Salme doing the least damage of everyone after the beating they endured during their duel.
gives a little exasperated sigh, then turns to Awoken questioningly, before miming plugging his nose and blowing out.
holds his nose and blows–
ꙮ Hey, that feels better!
staggers as certain tiny hairs whip about, but he recovers quickly. “Ah–! Oh! Thank you.”
glances up at Salme, his eyes briefly sparking. “Your job, Salme, is to live, like the rest of us. Your job is not…goddess bless, girl.” He takes some scraps of cloth from one of his belt pouches, binding the wounds that he can’t quite get to close with a quick dose of flourishing gnosis, then takes his naginata and stalks off a distance, staring off into the distance as he tries to regain his composure.
flashes a thumbs up before glancing back to Salme… then decides Wolf has the nagging on lock down and pulls out his tomestone to send Zaya a message instead.
ꙮ She responds - she must have been paying attention. Or wishing she could have come along on the hunt. Probably both.
ambles over to Salme, and says “Fuss, fuss, fuss!” And gives her a kiss on her forehead. “All better!”
gives him a slight smile and her own small thumbs up.
glances back to Lucxja suddenly. “Luc. What’s in those mountains, over there?” He points.
glances around after looking up from his device and then - focuses on the mountains.
: “I haven’t been this way since before most of you were born. There was….nothing here last I was.”
ꙮ It seems, as you scan the mountains, like they’re utterly impassable from here - no way in or out of the valley except the end you took to get in, and the direction the shark horde took, which wasn’t towards the mountains in the slightest.
: “Hm.” He frowns quietly. “I hear music from those mountains.”
ꙮ Just the mountains on one side, and the metal on the other, and this odd, comfortable little valley in between.
: “Is it the song I hear?”
: “Perhaps another entrance to the Deepforge lies in the mountains.”
closes his eyes, frowns more, shakes his head. “Too distant. Can’t tell.”
: “One way to find out.”
: “You good to walk?” To Salme.
nods.
blinks at the rest. “We’re…going? Just like that?”
: “One day, one day, the princess carry.”
looks left and right, and then back at Wolf. “I mean… we’re already out here?”
: “Why not? I and Zaya are curious about who blew the horn, you’re curious about the song, and we got what we came for. No reason to not indulge our curiosity now.”
nods in agreement. “You’ve always been the most attuned out of any of us to music. I’m more than willing to follow your ears on this one.”
blinks again, then shrugs. “Very well.”
: “Wait.”
: “Hm?”
: “Yes?”
directly looks at Salme.
: “What about … not the mountains, but that metal?” Can she just walk up to it? How near is that?
ꙮ Directly nearby, piercing the earth at ground level.
walks towards it and examines it. What can she see?
ꙮ A massive wall of metal, mist-frosted with the heavy air - you hadn’t even realised how dry the air here was compared to what you’re used to back home and on Samudra.
ꙮ But this, this is nice, and the metal’s cool to the touch, and condensation beads on it, blurring anything to obscurity.
: “What… about it?”
would like to … see, more clearly. “I think it might be a trick.” She tries to call up just enough heat to burn the mist and condensation off.
ꙮ [Take Half] - you summon heat and wind with a brief exertion of your will upon the world, and the mist frosting the mirror clears away. You could see your reflection in it quite clearly, now, if you wanted.
looks over to her. “Do you think it works like that one store?”
looks at her reflection, and then looks at what else is reflected. Is it different from the valley they stand in?
nods to Archie. “Yeah.”
ꙮ In the reflection you can see, quite clearly, a passageway, cut into a cleft in the mountains, that is not present if you turn around and look with your eyes.
: “Ah. Yes. It’s the same trick. Who wants to walk backwards into a mysterious passageway?”
gasps excitedly, eyes shimmering with anticipation.
: “Do I?!”
physically jumps at the thought of it. “I do! I do!”
: “How strange. I will walk backwards…first?” Lucxja straps their shield to their…back? And carefully begins to back through the passageway.
laughs quietly. “Clever girl. What an excellent intuition.”
: “Keep your eyes on the reflection though.”
looks back and forth a few times, then lets some liminal gnosis flare out from himself as he walks forward. “Not unless I really have to.”
ꙮ It’s tricky, keeping yourself in balance when walking backwards in a mirror - but once one of you manage it you can reach out with a hand and help guide the others in. Once you’re in the pass, though, you can turn around, and it keeps existing for you, conveniently enough.
ꙮ There’s even stairs, cut into the rock, and hand-holds.
spins about, sliding his feet along the ground behind himself, his legs looking like they’re pushing forward, but his toes and heels keep him sliding back.
does as instructed and backs slowly through–probably with a little help–and then turns to look down the passageway. “What an excellent defense.”
: “Most curious. Friend-Salme, you have encountered this before?”
ꙮ Aurelius - you walk into a rock wall, until Salme reaches out and grabs your hand, and then you can step through.
easily follows Luĉja’s lead. She’s done this before, she she doesn’t hesitate. She almost laughs a little, at the trick of it. “Yeah. In the Queenstown Bazaar. Zaya showed me how.”
follows backwards at first, then turns around to start inspecting the walls of the passage - were they chiseled? Carved? Welded? Melted? What kind of hands might have done this work, presuming it wasn’t purely a magical use of gnosis?
- Archie invoked their 🔵pellucid gnosis [d12] -> 8.
wasn’t walking fast, but does raise an eyebrow as Salme pulls him through. “Wonder how that works.”
: “Security like this makes sense in Queenstown. Out here? The distance is enough secrecy, I would think.”
: “This valley sure hides many secrets. Wonder what we’ll find now!”
ꙮ Definitely carved, and it’s remarkably smooth work - whoever did it almost certainly was using gnosis to help them do it, and they were VERY good at it.
: “I’m sure Duškomira will be happy to explain,” she says wryly. “Not very Undine of you though, Aurelius.”
: “Probably V’s enclave. So. The excessiveness tracks.”
: “Wanted to know if it was, in fact, necessary. And it was!”
: “That would track with the unexpected plant life.”
: “This definitely is preferrable to climbing mountains.”
ꙮ And now you all hear music, being played in the near distance. A flute, a zither, drums, a spike fiddle.
ꙮ The hidden, secret path through the mountains opens up onto another, smaller valley - more of a little clearing, nestled in between mountains, that looks like it’s been lived-in for quite a while, and built up over the years. There’s a handful of caverns that are clearly inhabited, there’s elaborately decorative if rather roughly-made rugs at every cavern entrance, for starters, and lanterns hung inside. And in the middle of the clearing, there’s a fire in a careful-kept hearth, with a huge stewpot of something or other that smells utterly DELICIOUS. ⁂
- You hear — and your Star hears — a song, echoing from the stillness: Old Friends
ꙮ Around the bonfire are three figures, all of whom you feel like you already know, whose visages, one way or another, you know you have seen. A Naiad woman with deep blue skin and white hair, in a flowing white robe, playing an elegantly-carved zither shimmering with gnosis-work; a stout, tall, white-bearded, vaguely reptilian metahuman(?) the likes of which you’ve never– no, most of you have never seen before in your life, playing an enormous morin khuur and wearing old, beat-up-looking hunting gear, and the proprietress of the jewelry-shop in all of her finery, slightly blue-dyed hair around her head in a halo, in black silks and a surfeit of necklaces and wearing too many rings to count, and playing a silver flute. Tabla drums float around her in midair, held by gnosis and being bopped by little metal spoons, also held by gnosis. Their song’s nearly finished, when you crest the ridge, and they put down their instruments, and the Naiad looks up, and smiles amiably.
glances back at Archie, in particular.
: “Oh, hello. I’m glad you could find us.”
: “It was a trek and a trick, for sure!”
: “Well met, V. I am Lucxja. I believe one of my comrades requires no introduction for you.”
: “Tasna, I assume?”
hasn’t fully lost the glow of his gleaming armor from the Rite, yet, and its gradual dimming pauses for a brief moment as it flares up brighter. He looks at her closely, with intention, torn between savoring the moment and being unable to believe its truth. But as his eyes meet hers, all doubt vanishes, and he rushes forwards to her. “Yes. Tasna. It’s her, it’s - it’s you. It’s really you. After so long.”
nods as Aurelius mentions Tasna’s name.
〃And Duškomira, seller of jewelry from worlds long lost. And Xilai, right?” gesturing to each of the three. “*Was the trick just for fun or was it a test?”
stands, as Archie rushes towards her, and gives him a hug, and pats his head, gently, and her voice is very very soft, the kind of soft you lower your own voice to listen to. “Indeed I am. You are… the present Scholar-Archivist, yes? Here they call me ‘V’, but… we can dispense with pretenses, I think. It’s so good to meet you finally. Which of you sent the message on the farcaster?”
points to Aurelius.
chuckles, softly, and her voice is even darker and more syrupy, now- still husky, gravelly, but with a valence to it that’d been missing, before. “A trick can always be both, my dear. I knew you’d see right through it.”
: “Is yours also subject to the interference from the Deepforge?”
: “Ah, yeah that was me. I didn’t realize that was supposed to be a secret code at the time.”
rests the spike fiddle on the ground. “Bet you could have taken down the entire horde of sharks.”
: “We had ‘em! But we’d have to carry back all those fins, so troublesome…”
gives Xilai a bit of an arch look. “Thank you for not making us have to.”
: “You can get about a single bit of information through the interference. Less a secret code, more something I wasn’t expecting someone from off Samudra to be able to understand, let alone two people.”
: “Tried it anyways, of course. You have to try everything.”
turns to Tasna. “That’s right, about my title. Much has happened since you left Samudra, and I don’t know how much of it you know. But I am Scholar-Archivist, and my boyfriend Caion is Scholar-Emissary and Acting Academician - I believe you know each other, though it’s been some time. We would be glad to restore a connection between you and the Academy, such as it is. To be clear, I’m not asking you to come back. I’m sure you’ve had your reasons for coming here, as we have ours. Consider it a… purely advisory role. But please, do consider it.”
: “Oh, Tsem decoded it himself too? That makes sense.”
: “You have actual communication devices that -work-?”
: “Tsem and Ciet,” she says.
: “I can’t claim to have a hand in it, but yes, we keep some very talented company. And we had help from a certain Pearl who misses you very, very much.”
: “…Speaking of, I… have a message from them.”
: “…yes?” Something about Archie’s tone, and Aurelius’, gives her pause, tells her very much of what she needs to know, already, but she waits, and listens.
tilts his head back slightly, remembering the exact words, the exact tone of the message, before pushing the sunglasses up to his forehead and standing straight with his hands behind his back as he makes eye contact with Tasna. “I spoke to Thesis, briefly. It’s hard to explain the hows and whys, but. They wanted you to know: Tell Tasna that she’s a damn fool, and that I love her very much, and I’m glad she’s still swimming. And that I can, truly, say that I have no regrets. Alright?.”
: “And… you should know neither they nor Synthesis is still with us.”
drops their head a little.
: “Presently,” Archie rushes to add. “Synthesis may yet be saved. Thesis… probably less so.”
smiles, at the corners of her mouth, and lets out a breath that– it’s a sob, she doesn’t try to hide that. Maybe one day, before she spent decades on the Beast, maybe she would have, but she does not. “Oh, Thesis. My dear friend. Thank you for relaying the message. I…” She looks like she’s immediately going to launch into some kind of Do The Thing mode–
gently places a hand on her shoulder.
gets the other shoulder.
nods slightly.
pulls her back into a hug, sharing her grief.
turns politely away, giving them space, as is his custom.
should, probably, give them privacy, but she watches instead. Her hand twitches toward the Mask, but she does not pull it out or wear it.
laughs, very very softly, and accepts the hug from this stranger who, because of the Academy and its continuity, she feels like she knows– and after a moment, she catches her breath, holds it for a moment. “Well.”
: “I’m. Going to pour myself a glass of wine, I think. Please tell me the all of you aren’t in any hurry?”
: “We’ve got a while before we need to be back in Queenstown. And I’m sure we have many question for you all, as well.”
: “We would be honored to stay. I am sure we have quite a few questions, if you would indulge some conversation.” They pull out a large bottle of alcohol. “We would be happy to share what we have as well.”
: “Hurry is relative, but for now, we can take our time being here. I can think of few places I’d rather be.”
glances at the assembled group, and slides his jaw this way and that before responding. “If nothing else, whatever you’ve got cooking smells amazing. We must share a bite, and possibly some of the spices as well!”
gives the bottle of whatever Luĉja brought an appraising and laudatory glance.
: “We have many questions, yes,” she says, and she smiles, though it is perhaps sharper than it ought to be.
nods quietly in assent to what all the rest have said.
: “Hah! Won someone else over already.” He grins at the Awoken, and then gestures at all of them. “Please, sit down, share dinner with us. We’re certainly not going anywhere, and we’ve more than enough room for company.”
places a hand on Salme’s shoulder, before moving to get some food.
shrugs Aurelius’ hand away but tamps down her impatience nevertheless.
sits and pours out enough booze for everyone and one extra glass to sit by the fire. For old friends.
ꙮ And there really is quite a lot of the stew, and it’s fall-apart tender and utterly delicious, and Tasna (actually, it’s Duškomira’s, as she’ll tell you immediately) has an impressive wine-cellar in one of the caverns.