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Unread postPosted: Mon Sep 10, 2007 11:44 pm
by Endesu
Small gaped a bit, "What the... the hell? You can't be serious. You're some kinda alien Greg?! What ya got must be worse than brain damage an' amnesia! You're delusional!"

"No, Small," Carroll interjected, coming to Greg's defense, "He told me the same, and I don't think he has any reason to lie about coming from another world. You wouldn't just make an outlandish claim that without considering the circumstances, and I'm certain he's probably thought them through. Please give him the benefit of the doubt in this case."

Small paused a bit before speaking again, this time apparently selecting her words slowly... and carefully. "All right, then... presuming you actually are from some world in which a double of the Greg that I know exists, and presuming that there is some group on your world that's behind this thing that somehow chased you all the way here... well, what the hell do you presume to do about it? You aren't just gonna leave something like that on this world, are you? If you were tryin' to find a way to stop the people behind it, surely y'know how to find a way to stop that goddamned thing!"

The woods looked somewhat foreboding from this distance... they were thick, and little could be seen outside a veritable throng of flora. Travel through the woods would most likely not be an easy proposition...

Unread postPosted: Mon Sep 10, 2007 11:56 pm
by Idran1701
"...I don't know, Small. I've never even...this is the first time I've seen it outside my dreams. I've seen it, and what it can do, but that's it. Maybe this forest tribe can help, but I just...we were hoping to stop them before they even called it out. Actually facing it without a speck of magic? I don't think we'd have a chance."

He stands, keeping himself from thinking of those dreams too much as he continues. "If this is my fault, though...I'll do what I can while I'm here. Not fair leaving you all even more troubles than you've already got because I got a little too anxious for m'own good. Hell, if it did follow me, maybe just leaving'd be enough to get it out of here."

Unread postPosted: Tue Sep 11, 2007 12:17 am
by Kelne
The depressing thing was that Kelne wasn't even remotely surprised by this turn of events. Suspicious, yes. Surprised, no. He honestly didn't want to know what it would take to surprise him at this point. It would probably involve an Ikei made of cotton candy or something similarly horrific and nonsensical.

The 'Are You the Real End' line was both pointless and liable to lead to trouble. This End at least appeared to recognise him, unlike the Enlil lookalike upstairs. Kelne was inclined to leave the clone or whatever to his own devices. So he continued on his way down. If that led him along in End's wake, so be it.

----------------

"Nifty," was 32's response, "Is this what the train of thought's like, or is that something else?" 32, it seemed, was about as difficult to surprise as Kelne, if for vastly different reasons.

Unread postPosted: Tue Sep 11, 2007 12:44 am
by Endesu
The area that Greg and co had evacuated from had been completely destroyed. Bridges and platforms alike had been torn to pieces, and the remains littered the crevasse miles below. The monstrous being itself, the apparent Heart of Evil, took a moment to insure that no one was around...

... before sinking down to the ground below, and reverting to an entirely different form... a Moogle of some note. One equipped with Dragoon armor and a cloak which appeared to cover only half of its form. It jerked its head left, then right, then shook once.

It took a moment to speak to itself, seemingly; "Damn. You're still too weak... those assassins still have yet to accomplish their end of the deal. We were unable to take hold of him... no matter. We have seen him, and we are unlikely to lose track of him again.

As long as Kelne remains remains within the Nerve Tower, and as long as those assassins follow their proper instructions, then your proper rebirth should come soon. I'm certain all involved will be... quite surprised..."

This done, it slowly began to head in the direction Greg and the rest had gone.

***

Small sighed, but relented slightly in her questioning.

Carroll took her place, looking at Greg closely. "What about this group of people you're talking about? Can you tell us about them? If this... being... is going to be a threat, then we should know about those responsible for its release. Perhaps we can tell the 'forest tribe' about them, as well?"

***

42 looked to Kelne uncertainly, but when he found that the former tyrant did not act out any outward attempts at confronting or threatening the new figure, he decided not to bother.

Kelne's descent did indeed involve him following End downward. The journey was made slightly more awkward by mumbling which appeared to originate from the Moogle; the words were uncertain, but they appeared to be filled with hostility, and they were most definitely directed towards one or more persons. The words were followed with a somewhat bizarre motion the Moogle made; his head jerked left, then right, then shook. With this done, it continued on its way, no longer mumbling.

42 was slightly perturbed by these bizarre motions, and whispered to Kelne as they went down, "So... you know this little runt? How many more of your friends do you expect to show up?"

***

"No, no," Justin replied calmly, as if expecting a response along those lines. "Infinity, some time ago, either engineered... or somehow managed to tap into a so-called 'stream of consciousness'... one that connected all potential worlds within all potential existences by way of emanated mental thought, or consciousness. The sheer force and power of combined consciousness creates 'lenses' of mental force and thought, and it is through these that one is able to both enter and exit... it is by way of these that the Infinity were able to bypass simple space travel and more swiftly and effectively invade worlds. There's more to be said about the Stream and the Lenses, obviously, but those are the basics...

By some random, mystical chance, do you follow, 32?," Justin was hopeful in his saying this, but he wasn't expecting much.

Unread postPosted: Tue Sep 11, 2007 12:57 am
by Idran1701
"...Hardly anything. They works for some kind of big company, apparantly. Or used to, at least. They're assassins, and they were...back home, they were killing mentalists, stealing their brains. For the ritual, I guess.

"I've only run into a couple, myself...usually a specific one, Shamash. she was tough, though. She's a ninja...you have those here? More than that, though, she can do things with light; blind you, even take your shadow and bring it to life to fight you. The other one, Ninurta, he's a gunman, and...honestly, he didn't seem that bad a guy. Besides the whole evil plan thing, at least. But other than that, can't tell you much about them. Got lucky enough not t' run into most of them directly, I guess."

Unread postPosted: Tue Sep 11, 2007 1:33 am
by Endesu
"... well. All right, then. Well, if we see anyone... stealing brains... to revive a horrible tentacled monster, we'll be sure to stay on our guard," Small sarcastically quipped. "That's some story, Greg, but by this point, I guess I can't say I'm terribly surprised. It doesn't sound like you were able to do much good at all against these guys, anyhow. That is, presuming all of this is real."

"Well," Carroll said, once more interjecting over the ruder Small, "I don't know how much this information may help us, but it may be important in the long-run. Once I reach my intended destination, I will inform those whom I can trust about this. Even if you are no longer present with us, we may still be able to help you in some manner."

A moment passed, and Lucian, who had been sitting and resting a bit, looked up. "That guy Zappa is taking a while," he noted. "Think he's all right?"

Unread postPosted: Tue Sep 11, 2007 1:47 am
by Idran1701
Obviously growing more irritated with Small's constant smarm and commentary, he gives Carroll a slight look of surprise as she adds her own offer to the conversation.

"...Well, we could use it. Thanks, Carroll."

And as those speaking out loud are forced to confront the dreaded awkward pause, Greg makes a decision, hoping to cut out Small's pokes at him before they get even worse.

T: If you still think this is all some delusion, I don't know what else to say to you. But from the look of this world, I doubt your Greg could do this. Proof enough for you now?

Soon after he sends his message, Lucian speaks up. Greg turns to him, giving him his attention as Lucian offers his worry, and Greg frowns as he responds.

"...No clue. For his sake, I hope so. I don't think Small's the sort to put faith in someone for no reason, though, so I'm sure he can hold his own."

Unread postPosted: Tue Sep 11, 2007 9:30 pm
by Kelne
"I know someone who looks a great deal like him," Kelne said, "However, that ridiculous outfit gives me doubts. Not to mention, of course, the fact that Infinity have a predilection for cloning or otherwise duplicating everybody and his cousin. Hell, for all I know, I'm not the real me." Not that he'd seen any other contestants for the title lately. And not that he'd believe anybody who tried to claim it in any case.

"At any rate, he's not foaming at the mouth and trying to skewer me with a lance. So I'm inclined to leave him be for the moment. I can always lop off his head later." It probably would come to that, unfortunately. The lookalike's strange behaviour wasn't exactly helping his case.


---------------------------

"I think so," 32 said, "It sounds kind of like the plane of dreams." Further consideration ensued, "Which the Boss has never had anything good to say about."

Unread postPosted: Wed Sep 12, 2007 9:53 pm
by Endesu
Carroll nodded, attempting to keep a somewhat pleasant look on her face despite the sarcastic commentary being offered by Small.

Small gaped again in response, but settled back with arms crossed, giving him a fairly suspicious look at this point. To her credit, she wasn't saying anything else, but she may have very well been thinking some fairly antisocial thoughts.

Lucian stood, looking back towards the tunnel uncertainly. "... do you think we should go ahead and leave? We did get where we're intended to go, and he didn't say we'd need to stay and meet him once we'd cleared out of the area."

Small shrugged, still keeping an eye on Greg. "Your call, I suppose," she said, keeping her tone low, "but if you're in that much of a hurry to leave, he won't have any hard feelings towards you."

***

"It is something of an odd attire to wear... but, then, I've never much trusted those who would rely on a cloak for outer attire. Most of them tend to be overly dramatic weaklings or followers overly zealous to get in good graces with the 'dark' beings out there," 42 responded, looking at 'End' with something of a smarmy look.

"Perhaps something like that cloaked friend of yours who came through here earlier? One way or another, I'll back you if you need assistance fighting the little runt... the last thing we'd need is another sinister figure lurking in this Tower. We have enough trouble with the Ikei below and the cult above..."

"So, Kelne," 'End' interjected, giving a slight look back over his shoulder, "I see you still haven't left. Is there a reason you're risking your life here? Surely you'd rather risk your life on your home turf, instead?"

***

"Hm... an interesting comparison. This is somewhat similar to the Plane of Dreams, though a bit more stable to travel through. And Kelne is well in the right to say nothing good about anything of this sort... we wouldn't be traveling through this Stream without prior reason. And said reason, if you need a reminder, is to meet up with Kelne," Justin responded, nodding slightly.

He worked at the controls, now, and seemed to be doing his best to set the ship back on its proper path... until the rather loud noise of feet stamping over the top of the ship could be heard.

"Oh, don't tell me there's something on top of the ship again," Justin sighed, struggling to stay at the controls. "I suppose it would be too far out of Infinity's range to think of something more original than a repeated attempted hijack..."

Stephen, who did not have much to say (given that much of this fell out of his range of knowledge) interjected at this point. "Well, then, Justin...," he began, looking upward. "Shall I check?"

"Yes... there should be no adverse issues with gravity or anything of the like. 32," Justin began, looking to the Minion, "We may have another fight on our hands. If you would gather the Minions who have already fallen out of that miniature tournament you have brewing over there, it'd be appreciated."

Unread postPosted: Wed Sep 12, 2007 10:56 pm
by Idran1701
Glancing back towards the city, Greg frowns, looking a bit concerned over the situation.

"...We can wait a bit longer, but I don't want the guards to catch up with us. You have any way of leaving a note if we do have t' leave, Small? Some sort of...symbol code you can scratch int' the ground or mark on the tunnel or somethin'?"

Unread postPosted: Wed Sep 12, 2007 11:11 pm
by Endesu
"Well, y'seem to have mistaken the situation... I won't be leavin' with you guys. I have to stay behind with Zappa and the rest... through thick and thin, whether or not Zappa and the rest are still 'around'. So I guess I could tell 'im, should he come around. I guess since y'aren't the real Greg, y'don't have to worry about any sort of obligations like that...," Small responded, turning away for a moment.

She eventually turned back, though, a slight betrayal of sadness showing through her eyes. "If y'know how to get the Greg I know back, though, please try'n'manage it... he was a partner'a'mine. The Blow Monkeys just wouldn't be the same without 'im."

Unread postPosted: Wed Sep 12, 2007 11:35 pm
by Idran1701
His expression softening a bit, Greg nods. He feels a sudden pang of sympathy for her, and he replies, sounding a bit sad himself as he does.

"...Eh, wish I hadn't pulled him off like this. I'll do my best to put him back, Small. Not good t' have two partners like this pulled apart, eh?

"...If Zappa does show up, you going to explain all this to him, or just tell him I went off like he'd planned?"

Unread postPosted: Wed Sep 12, 2007 11:42 pm
by Endesu
Perhaps realizing that she allowed a bit too much to show, Small did her best to show some upper lip. She did her best to put on a cocky grin, folding her arms and leaning back. "Yeah, yeah. He also owes me some money, too, and I'm not gonna let that sot catch a lucky break by havin' someone who looks like him take th' fall."

She paused and shook her head in response to his question. "Nah... not that Zappa'd have any problems with it, really, just that it'd complicate things a helluva lot more. Bad enough the entire underground tunnel here was trashed... last thing he needs is to hear is that it had t'do with some sorta alien double of one of our own gang members. I'll just let him keep thinkin' he knows alla what's goin' on. Wouldn't be th' first time."

Carroll, somewhat relieved that the situation was now on more peaceful terms, smiled a bit more genuinely. "I'm glad to hear there won't be any trouble. You won't forget me, will you, Small?"

"Nah, 'a course not. I won't be forgettin' you or your violent buddy there... 'specially not after that jewelry you gave me," the thief responded, her grin widening.

Unread postPosted: Wed Sep 12, 2007 11:55 pm
by Idran1701
Chuckling a bit, not wanting to push Small any about her previous show, he gives her a small smirk himself.

"Well, doubt I'll see you again unless things go weird, so...goodbye, I s'pose. An' good luck in the city...doesn't really seem like the best of places, but keep doing the best you can there, the lot of you, eh?"

Sighing, he glances off into the distance before looking back to Carroll and Lucian.

"Well, you know where we're going...guess we should get started?"

Unread postPosted: Thu Sep 13, 2007 12:33 am
by Endesu
"Well... actually...," Carroll began to respond in a most definitely uncertain tone.

She was interrupted, however, by a distant voice. "Hold on a second!"

From some uncertain point in the distance, Zappa, the man in the orange cloak, and a few other folk (presumably members of the Blow Monkeys) came towards them, bearing no injuries and apparently in perfectly good shape. "I'm uncertain as to what the hell occurred under there," Zappa began, looking back towards the tunnel, "or why the executioner squad decided to avoid attacking us, but apparently the lot of you managed to do pretty well."

Small smiled at Zappa, giving a brief but knowing glance to Greg as she did so. "I had to reevaluate their abilities - they all managed to do pretty well, considering."

"That's a rare compliment from you, Small, but I'm glad to hear it," Zappa replied, smiling. "Now, then, Carroll and Lucian," he began, turning to the two, "I want you to listen closely. Take the wide path around the forest. There will be back roads leading into it from there. Follow the back roads to reach the Monaruka River, along which you should eventually find Foggy City."

Carroll wore a somewhat relieved grin, and nodded. "Thank you very much for the information!," she replied earnestly, already looking down towards the forest, perhaps trying to best map out a visual route.

With the moment for reunion, Lucian decided to go to the orange-cloaked man and speak to him. "This sledge is awesome... it really helped me under there. Thanks for letting me use it and all, but I don't even know your name."

The orange-cloaked man smiled. "Heh! You can call me Orange, or Orange Deluxe. If you like the sledge so much, keep it."

"Really? Is that okay?," Lucian replied, a bit wide-eyed.

"Sure. A skillful person should wield it."

"Thanks, I will keep it! Someday I'll do something in return for you."

"Ah, never mind about that..."

At this point, Zappa turned to Greg. "I'm glad you hadn't left yet, Greg... I needed to speak with you before you left. After you informed me about the 'little accident' you had with the mirror at that man's shop earlier, I arranged to have one of our agents pick up the pieces, so to speak, and gather them together."

This said, he presented a bag of some sort... a peek inside revealed several broken mirror shards. "I want you to hold onto this. It should help remind you, in the future, to be careful with all things that you take hold of. We may be a gang, but we try not to be sloppy in the way we handle things. Hold onto this, and get yourself back in line. All right?"

Unread postPosted: Thu Sep 13, 2007 12:46 am
by Idran1701
"...Er...ri'. I'll r'membe' tha'." Nodding, he ties the bag to his waist. "I'll do m' bes'. Feelin' like I should be back t' normal by th' time I ge' back, wi' any luck. Guess I'll see y' whe' this's all taken care 'f, the'."

Heading over to the two travelers, he looks over the group, giving Small another smirk before they head off for the city.

Unread postPosted: Thu Sep 13, 2007 1:05 am
by Endesu
Small gave a small, imperceptible nod to Greg, waving to Carroll as the trio went off. "See you later, Carroll!"

"Yes, thank you!," Carroll called as she waved back, and the three headed off from the Violent City.

Once they had covered a reasonable amount of grassland and were drawing considerably closer to the forest, Carroll let out a sigh of relief. "What a ridiculous amount of trouble to go through," she sighed, "to find a bodyguard and reach Foggy City. I never thought we'd have to evade death as often as we've had to."

Lucian shook his head in response, looking at the forest ahead. "If you lived in Violent City on a daily basis, you'd know that while that... creature... we encountered was certainly out of the ordinary, the executioner squads are fairly common. We're lucky to have escaped from them at all. Most who try to escape end up being caught anyhow, and those squads live up to their name quite unpleasantly."

Carroll chose not to respond, giving Greg a resigned expression. She turned her attention, instead, to the bag he had received from Zappa. "So... what did he give you, exactly?"

Unread postPosted: Thu Sep 13, 2007 1:11 am
by Idran1701
Opening it up and examining the contents more closely, Greg holds up one of the shards for Carroll's appraisal.

"Nice bit of luck, actually. These're the pieces of the mirror I came here through. Might be easier to figure out a way back with these t' go from."

He frowns as he continues, giving the shard he's holding an astral scan.

"...Just hope the local Greg's not having too much trouble back on my world. I didn't want to say it to Small, but if he did switch places with me, he's...not exactly in th' best of situations right now."

Unread postPosted: Thu Sep 13, 2007 1:22 am
by Endesu
Carroll nodded as she looked over the shard. "The Marebito may be able to help you with that... but, then, I'm sure you were already thinking of them," Carroll responded, looking critically towards Greg. "Let's hope that they're able to help you... I don't mean to be rude, but Lucian and myself will have enough trouble getting to Foggy City as it is. An extra person at our side for too long will likely only slow us down."

The shard responded in turn to Greg; rather than give off a magical reaction of some sort, a brief reflection of the world of Gaera briefly played within his mind. He could see that the city was under control, and that all of the fires were out... he briefly saw a flash of Shamash slaughtering a Doman guard within an unknown building of some sort... and a brief flash of some sort of dark being. Each image lasted only for a moment or two, yet altogether managed to partially eat away at Greg's energy... the impact of receiving them all at once was almost... tiring.

Carroll, not aware of these things and perhaps wanting to put away the potentially negative meaning of her earlier response, tried to give Greg a reassuring smile. "Even if he is over there, I'm sure he'll be fine... it's not as if he hasn't been forced to hold up his keep over here."

Unread postPosted: Thu Sep 13, 2007 1:30 am
by Idran1701
Blinking, he tries to shake off the effect.

"...No, it's...I know what you mean. Still planning t' help you out as long as I can, but...yeah."

Shaking off the exhaustion as best he can, he puts the shard back in the bag, giving a slight (if somewhat forced) smile.

"...Good news is, these're still good for something, far as I can tell. They've still got the right enchantment over'em even broken like this, looks like. Might just be a matter of sticking them back together correctly, or at least gettin' the magic out, usin' it in something else.

"And I suppose your right about him, but it's not quite..." Trailing off, he looks off, his expression growing a bit less cheerful. "You have ghosts here?"

Unread postPosted: Thu Sep 13, 2007 1:38 am
by Endesu
Both Carroll and Lucian looked to Greg now, as he was acting a bit out of the ordinary. "... is it the shard? Did it 'react' to you somehow?," Carroll queried, looking at the mirror shard closer than before. I'm... not sure what to say about 'enchantment' or anything of the like, but if it showed you that much, then surely the Marebito will know what to do with it."

She scoffed in response to his question. "Ghosts? They're a popular subject of urban legend and lore... but the idea isn't taken terribly seriously. The Marebito likely have some ideas involving them, but then they're essentially the people to approach concerning such things."

"... you could say there are ghosts," Lucian interjected suddenly, his eyes still on the forest and away from the other two. "I'm still haunted by one, even now. What sort of ghost are you talking about...?"

Unread postPosted: Thu Sep 13, 2007 1:43 am
by Idran1701
Sighing, he puts the bag back at his waist, giving them both eye contact.

"The literal kind. Spirit of the dead flying around and all. Back home, I sort of...that ninja I mentioned, Shamash? She...well, she killed me. Just a few hours before I came over here. But I sort of...stuck around, so I could find a way to help stop them still. I found a giant mirror-like...thing buried in the ground. The portal leading here, but at the time I just figured it was something tied into that group's plans.

"...So...yeah. Haven't really thought much about what to do if I do get back, but I can't stay here."

Unread postPosted: Thu Sep 13, 2007 1:50 am
by Endesu
Lucian's glance was brief and evasive, while Carroll's was considerate if somewhat void of complete understanding.

"So... you were killed... and came through a lens that connected to that mirror... and managed to enter the body of your double in the process?," Carroll queried, with a bit of mystification in her tone. "That's... unusual, to say the least. Your death is unfortunate, yes, but the rest of it... hmmmm."

She gave it a bit of thought before speaking again, this time slower in tone and a bit more selective with her choice of words. "I'm fairly certain that this has already been brought up on some level, but if that... thing managed to chase you here, even with that mirror broken, does that mean these other people... particularly this so-called 'ninja' could come through as well? Could they already be running around, hunting you down, or working to bring terror down upon our world instead?" She shuddered a bit as she thought about it. "Not that we wouldn't be equipped to handle it... but with that sort of destructive capability unleashed upon this world..."

Unread postPosted: Thu Sep 13, 2007 3:50 pm
by Idran1701
Greg considers her question, giving Carroll something of a strange look as he does.

"...Theymight, yeah. But I dunno why they would...I mean, they're doin' things special on my world, it seems like. Like there's some reason why they're doin' them there.

"...Not a very flappable sort, are you? Y' seem t' be taking all this in stride pretty well."

Unread postPosted: Fri Sep 14, 2007 9:52 pm
by Endesu
At this point, the trio were coming across the previously mentioned 'backroads' - a series of trails semi-carved into the grass, originating from points unknown and criss-crossing here and there but not quite everywhere. One particularly long road seemed to curve around before leading directly into the woods, so Carroll led them on that path.

"I see.... well, that's certainly a relief to hear, though I am hoping you'll still have a world to go home to, once all is said and done," Carroll responded, meeting his look with something of a calm smile.

"And I've had to take things in stride... I've... been in positions that required such. These are unusual circumstances, but I have been in equally dangerous or eccentric situations before. Do I seem like I shouldn't be able to take these things fairly well?," She queried him, her eyes glimmering with a hint of curiosity... and suspicion. Something was a bit odd about the way she was asking the question... not overtly, mind, but odd enough for Greg to be able to detect it.

It was at that time, as well, that something within the bag of mirror shards began to quake ever-so-slightly.

Unread postPosted: Fri Sep 14, 2007 10:02 pm
by Idran1701
Giving her a bit of a look as he sums her up, he rests a hand on the bag, assuming they're just shaking from the walk some.

"...Not really. Just surprised how well you're handlin' all this. Especially without knowin' much about magic." He continues as he chuckles, "Reminds me of back home a bit. Well, got any good travellin' stories, then? Wouldn't mind hearing a bit about the weird corners of this world."

Unread postPosted: Fri Sep 14, 2007 11:18 pm
by Endesu
Greg would find that the shaking was not, in fact, a result of his own walking; indeed, the shaking was originating from something within the bag.

Carroll appeared to think for a moment before she began to speak in response. "Well... I don't know how amusing this may seem, but then, there has not been much of amusement to focus on these past years... the Marebito people..."

"You do know the Marebito are nothing to take lightly, correct?," Lucian interjected, giving Carroll a glance. "We can say we're going to take this guy to meet them, but if we intrude too deeply upon their territory, we're going to be hunted."

"Excuse me? The Marebito are not savages, and they are not going to 'hunt' us! Besides, that has nothing to do with what I was going to say...," Carroll broke off from Lucian and looked towards Greg again. "Not everyone... understands the Marebito people. Some of them have drifted away from the woodlands and into the cities, and there are those who would hate them for that... including some of the so-called figures in power. I've heard rumors that those who have drifted to the cities have been executed in front of large crowds, simply because of who they happen to be... and if further rumors I've heard prove to be true, those in authority may seek to take hold of the Marebito remaining within the woodlands and do the same to them... so, I suppose, if you were to see them, it would be better to do it now, before it is too late..."

Unread postPosted: Fri Sep 14, 2007 11:30 pm
by Idran1701
Looking curiously down at the bag while they talk, he looks up as Carroll finishes with Lucian, listening to her description and fairly well appalled.

"...That's...I'm not even sure what to say. It's horrible...and no one's doin' anything to help them? Why not? Just because of what they know and what they can do?"

Unread postPosted: Fri Sep 14, 2007 11:40 pm
by Endesu
The bag continued to shake as they moved on. Something was going on in there, all right. Carroll and Lucian, however, did not seem to notice.

"It's... the up and coming Sword Emperor Aide of Foggy City. His name is Helder. He managed to gain his position by way of his silver tongue and his debonair manner, but he seems to conceal an exceedingly violent heart... he appeals to the people and gains popularity by executing criminals and the Marebito in bloody public spectacles. The people of Foggy City are entertained by it, and people from other Cities come to witness the spectacle from time to time, as well. They're simply another thing to be watched, to be entertained by...," Carroll sighed as she spoke. She wasn't exactly moved to tears by this speech, but she did seem a bit well-worn in its retelling. The weight of what transpired on a regular basis seemed to press upon her in some unseen and unspoken manner...

This was apparently the first of it that Lucian had heard, as well. "... I still don't feel entirely safe walking around on the Marebito grounds, regardless of what you say, girl... but I do object to that. The kind of man who would do that... a man no better than Sword Emperor Duran....," Lucian angrily growled, a bit taken by what Carroll had said.

Carroll looked to Greg. "You mean to say you don't have an equivalent on your own world?"

Unread postPosted: Fri Sep 14, 2007 11:58 pm
by Idran1701
He holds a tighter grip on the sack for now, coming just short of slicing it (and himself) open as he listens to Carroll's story, a disapproving frown on his face.

"...Maybe in one of the other countries, but not back at home, no. Why doesn't anyone do anything? There's more of you then there is of them, right? Or these Marebitos, why don't they fight back? Or even moving, what about going to some other country where things are better? They can't be horrible everywhere in the whole world, can they?"

Unread postPosted: Sat Sep 15, 2007 12:07 am
by Endesu
The sack continued to shake, and as it did, there was another flash within Greg's mind. There were no images to accompany said flash; it simply came and went, eating away at a bit more of Greg's mental reserve as it did.

Only a moment later, it occurred a second time. However, as it did, Greg could hear someone calling his name... faint, at first, but louder after. And the louder it became, the clearer the identity of the caller seemed to be... it was Jikuro. He could not be sure of when, where, how, or why she was calling for him, but it was her. Perhaps this was a result of the mirror shard bag?

Carroll, still unknowing, continued on. "The Marebito feel that they are bound to the land that they remain on. They have a deeper connection to this world than a lot of us seem to... as such, they feel no obligation to move and apparently feel no real desire to evade death. It may seem odd, but that is how they live their lives, day to day. And while there are those who object to this squalid practice, we still remain within the solid minority... you would have to see the teeming throngs to understand just how popular this unsavory practice is. Once it has begun, there is no stopping it, particularly with the wave of popularity it's generated..."

She paused, and looked at him a bit more closely as they continued on. At this point, they had rounded the 'curve' of the woodland, and were following the back road to the 'side entrance' of sorts. "... don't tell me you plan to try to do something about it? Aren't you intending to leave as soon as you can? Getting yourself dragged into this situation, however unjust it may be, will only backfire on you... and keep you here longer."

Unread postPosted: Sat Sep 15, 2007 1:26 am
by Idran1701
Pausing for a bit, shaking off the reaction to hearing Jikuro's voice, Greg absently reaches into the bag, taking a hold of one of the shards but leaving it within the sack for now.

"...I dunno what I could do. But someone should do something here. I mean...that sort of carnage, all the misery here...I've never even heard of a city so strict you can't even leave it. I can't just...it wouldn't be right if I just ran off and pretended you all didn't exist."

Unread postPosted: Sat Sep 15, 2007 1:45 am
by Endesu
Perhaps it was because he had only just recently heard her voice calling out to him from parts unknown, but the accompanying flash of images that came with the seemingly random mirror shard Greg touched upon seemed to focus on Jikuro.

He could see both Jikuro and the bandaged fellow he had seen her with some time back fighting what appeared to be a losing battle against a rather imposing figure with a ridiculously big axe. She was making use of what appeared to be a random weapon seemingly pulled from nowhere, but it seemed to come to nothing - every shot she landed seemed to have no real impact upon the attacker. The bandaged figure, who appeared to be fairly fast and skilled with a blade, also assaulted the imposing fellow, landing a number of seemingly fatal blows, with no real results.

This all passed within the passage of a moment. The next moment brought on what appeared to be a montage of blows - both Jikuro and the bandaged fellow being soundly defeated by the seemingly immortal man with an axe. They were not killed, no, but they were brutalized and brought, very painfully, to a bloody point nearing death.

The bandaged fellow seemed to be struggling to stand, but was forced back down to the ground by the brutish attacker. Jikuro, no stranger to this treatment after the day she had had, simply remained on the ground, finding no way to escape and/or change the situation. It was with this that she seemed to mouth a single word... his name, once again.

All of this in a moment... in the following moment, the scene 'zoomed' out to show that the axe-wielding figure was not alone. Someone else was there with him. It was the man Greg had seen some time earlier, in the dream sequence... the darker-skinned man with mustache and goatee. Even within this flash of images as seen by way of a broken shard of a mirror, the man somehow seemed to be smiling at him.

It was then that the flashes broke off, eating away further at that precious mental reserve and thus, essentially, draining away at Greg's own storehouse of energy.

"Well, it is not as if I intend to do nothing. You should know that I've already been planning to make a trip for some time, with Lucian here as my personal bodyguard. While I cannot promise anything absolute, given the position of power Helder is in, we intend to do something about all of the problems we have," Carroll responded, speaking as if she had gone over this message a thousand times in her head. "Besides... if what you've said about these people and that creature being on your world is true, you cannot afford to spend too much time here."

Unread postPosted: Sat Sep 15, 2007 1:53 am
by Idran1701
He doesn't seem to be paying much attention to Carroll right now, staring off into space, stopped, with a look of horror on his face, his free hand starting to shake as the image plays in his head. It eventually stops, and he blinks, focusing on the woods around him again, the hand still clenched to the flat sides of the shard.

"...I...what?"

Unread postPosted: Sat Sep 15, 2007 2:05 am
by Endesu
Apparently Greg's grip on the shard was tighter than he may have first thought; it cracked slightly as he held it. And, as he did so, another vision flashed into his head...

... in some dim sense, he knew what he saw was not quite what had transpired as of yet, but what could potentially come if events were allowed to continue their course. It was as if some detached viewer had subtly fed him hints so as to prevent unnecessary distress.

Not that it might have much difference... what he saw appeared to be a tattered version of the portrait he had first seen some time ago. The portrait itself had been set to rest amidst what appeared to be a set of smoking ruins deep within Doma City.

And it was so that each being he had seen in that portrait... whether child, adult, moogle, or otherwise... had been set to rest amidst the ruins, slaughtered perhaps by the assassins or their pet monster. Whatever the case, many of them appeared to have died either in defense of the city or were blindsided and swiftly laid to rest. They were not alone - several of the inhabitants of Doma City, whether guard or simple civilian - had also been dispatched by whatever had been tearing the city apart.

A swift 'outward zoom' revealed that the destruction was not limited to Doma City alone - it spread outward through Doma, and had already breached the likes of Riva. It seemed that whatever was working at the world at large was still going, full-speed ahead.

Carroll and Lucian had stopped, by now, and Carroll looked at Greg with concern in her face. "Greg? ... are you all right? You seem a bit... off."

Lucian took a more direct approach, seizing him by the shoulders and shaking him a bit. "What is it? You look like you've seen something horrific..."

Unread postPosted: Sat Sep 15, 2007 2:12 am
by Idran1701
Greg starts to pale as the imagery flashes before his eyes, his hand starting to clench around the shard now. The shaking seems to do little more than dislodge the bag, dropping it to the ground, but Greg's hand remains tight, blood slowly beginning to leak out.

"...Gods, it's...everywhere, the...it's all..."

Unread postPosted: Sat Sep 15, 2007 2:23 am
by Endesu
The bag fell, opened, and spilled some of its contents on the ground.

Within Greg's grasp, the shard crunches slightly before finally shattering into several smaller pieces. Apparently, the glass was made of somewhat fragile stuff. However, there was one last vision to flood his mind, one created by the shattered shard.

This time, the vision was looking down upon the world of Gaera itself. The entire surface of the planet appeared to be covered with raging fires and destruction, even from this distance.

However...

He soon saw another world, similarly covered with fire and destruction. It seemed to differ in general continental setup and appearance, yet in some ways, it seemed similar...

A flash later, he now seemed to be looking at Lucian, Carroll, Small, and a group of others he had not seen yet standing before what appeared to be a small Moogle, equipped in Dragoon armor and half-covered with a cloak of some sort. Their weapons were drawn, and they appeared to be ready for combat...

But the 'Moogle' seemed to open, revealing the horrendous monster he had already seen far too many times. Horrible, horrible violence went by in a rapid series of flashes. All that needs to be said is that all were forcefully set to waste.

Another 'outward zoom' seemed to reveal that the Violent City, the woodlands, the Foggy City, cities and regions he had not even seen as of yet... were already being consumed by this wave of destruction.

Another world was beginning to come into vision as he broke out of these forcefully induced images, presumably interrupted due to the shard having been broken.

By this time, blood was flowing rather freely out of Greg's hand, due not only to the slices but also the smaller shards already embedded in his flesh. Carroll and Lucian, seeing that Greg was apparently having some sort of episode, set him to rest against a tree within the nearby woodlands, and were already attempting to bring him about.

"Greg! Greg! Say something, please!," Carroll seemed to be shouting. Lucian appeared to be checking Greg's pulse and keeping his body stable.

Unread postPosted: Sat Sep 15, 2007 2:29 am
by Idran1701
Slowly realizing where he is, he's just able to focus on the two. He coughs, his throat dry, as he looks down to his hand, seeing the blood slowly flowing out.

"I...oh, gods, it was...I saw it all. That...the monster, it...it killed everyone, destroyed our worlds..."

Trying to stand, his hands shake almost uncontrollably, weakly trying to push past the two of them.

"I have to...I need to go back now...she's...they're all in danger, that...that thing..."

Unread postPosted: Sat Sep 15, 2007 2:33 am
by Endesu
Lucian and Carroll both pushed him down and kept him down, despite his efforts.

"Now, Greg, I don't know what you've seen, but in that state, you're certainly not ready to go anywhere or do anything. You need to recuperate and get your head on straight," Carroll firmly commanded him.

Lucian nodded, keeping him down and looking at his hand. "Not exactly sure why you thought squeezing a shard of glass would be a good idea. If we don't take care of that, it could become infected..."

"That's right. Greg, you'll need to sit as Lucian and I attempt to fix your wound. Please... even if you did try to move past us, you'd have no idea where to go, exactly, or what to say to the Marebito if you manage to find them," Carroll firmly noted.

Unread postPosted: Sat Sep 15, 2007 2:40 am
by Idran1701
"...No, you didn't...it's warning me, it showed me what the creature will do. I..."

He continues to push for a bit before realizing he's not going to be able to get past them for now. He slumps back against the tree, staring at his hand, shaking some of the glass out. Before long, he closes his eyes, still pale, but the color's slowly coming back to him.

"...That's what he...it's my fault. I need to stop it."