Editing Forgotten Freedom:55

Up in Lisa’s room because its only place every one else trusts. The female ubers [with the exception of Satnak, Andréa and the cat girl]

Carlot: How do you always know to fold when every time I have a good hand! And I still think we should be strip…

Lisa: Whenever you have good hand, your body… starts to glow.

Tifa: Does anyone else have an odd feeling of impending doom? More than normal, I mean.

Lisa, Terra and Caralot  : no

Aerith: A lot of Redshirts just died but it's most likely another game of chess…

 

Aerith and Lisa look sternly at Terra

Bob: NO, HE DOES NOT. Look you were never in love with Jarlot… you were in love with the other guy, That Shadow guy… you know, the one that tried to kill you.

Tifa: But I… You're right, my life is a lie, All I ever wanted what someone to pay attention to me. Even back in the house, all the other girls got more attention and when HE … he paid attention to me even if it was only for that… I just want someone to notice me…

Bob: No. We are going to become one being; you see. After being trapped for thousand of years only my power and a small sliver of my will are left… With both of us combined we should have enough power to rise to the level of Demon lord… and then people will pay attention to us, maybe even worship us. So what do you say?

Bob: Already taken care of.

Tifa: Okay, I’ll Do it.  

Aerith: Tifa… are you okay?

Tifa: Yes, I am better than okay; oh Aerith… You can have Jarlot… he was never really the one I wanted. Now I am going to the changing room, I’ll be back in a bit  

Aerith: Did she just say what I thought she said.  

After a few minutes ‘Tifa/Bob’ Walks into the room, she now looks a bit taller and more sure of herself, she also now a black foxlike tail and pair of pixie-like wings… and strategic parts of her body are cover in the same black fur, she is now wearing a low cut dress, instead of her tight leather armor.  

Lisa: Um… Tifa?

Aerith: So Bob, you final got control of her.

Tifa/Bob: Not really, we are more like a new person… I really need to think up a new name… How about Beryl?  

Terra: Only if you want thousand of magical girls in sailor outfits trying to overthrow you with the power of love every couple of seconds.  

Beryl: Really, that's better then I thought then… I have thousand of uses for captured magical girls.  

Beryl: Eh, you don't have to worry about me getting into any of you plots for bit. I still need to get used to my new body; plus I promised P/Y/R I'd spend time with her if she be came corrupted. She Really did a number on some of those redshirts. I Call.

Sa'vor walks through the passages of the Forgotten Freedom, having just recently placed the dagger he created for Slip on her pillow. The Raven Void keeps an eye on the various events that are happening at the moment, while Naz'roth and Tara spend some quality time together

(in Sa'vor's thoughts)

Sa'vor: the information Aerith told me was not new, blood in itself is magical. that's why I drink it to sustain my "life". trapped between Life and unlife. the dull throbbing pain is somthing I've come to revel in. to be alive is to feel pain.  

Aerith had obviously forgotten that I was a blood magus. I know blood is magical, inherently magical. after my first death i felt it pulse in my veins with, I listened for its song for years. I learned to shape it like I shape magic and time. I wonder how she'll view my gift? will she like it? will she hate it? no, I need to be calm. my mind needs to be clear.  

The Dark: you are quite right as always. but you forget the true purpose for your existence on this plane. to kill. you were let free to kill for the dreaming dark. you are a pawn in their schemes. you are above such petty emotions as love.  

Sa'vor: I'm not superior. in fact I'm below Lisa, she has the ability to hope, she can see good in people. all I see is bad.  

The Dark: you look into people's souls and you see what consumes them from within, you see their sins. their desire, what motivates every action behind the scenes. you see what truly enters people's minds, their surface thoughts, their thoughts below. their subconcious thoughts. what they fear and what they truly think of people.  

Sa'vor: the greatest Burden is the truth. and I bear it heavily.  

* in the real world, Lisa and Terra walk past. hand in hand*  

The Dark: don't you just envy them? they truly love one another. they are together. they don't have to protect the one they love from what's in them. like you do, that's why you didn't approach Slip earlier, isn't it. you're afraid of what she might find in your mind, you're afraid of ME or perhaps one of the other parts of you harming her.  

Sa'vor: yes I'm afraid for her. but I've learnt that you're not in power. I am. and I'm the one whom controls this mind. this is my realm. you're just here for me to have something to talk to

The Dark: and I'm here to show you what you're like, without your own jaded view. I'm here to show you the Real you. the you that delights in slaughter, that feels the ecstasy of magic, the you that enjoys the power of fire. the you that feels hatred, envy, and all those other emotions you lock away. I'm the dark side of you. and I'm the side whom sees the truth. you want to destroy. it's in your blood. you can't fight it.  

Sa'vor: I've learnt many things from this ship. what you are doesn't matter. what you do does.

The Dark: you hide from the truth of life. people will always see you as a Vampiric Half-dragon, Half Fiend Elven abomination. and that's all you ever will be, because beneath your skin, you want to destroy. and you always shall.  

The Dark: you speak the truth. None of them see the true you, they see darkness, yes, but not the Darkest deepest darkness. not what the Daelkyr did to you, not what the Quori did to you, Not what everything in the planar realms did to change you. you'll never fit in anywhere and you know it. not even here

 

Volrath: To what end, of ours?

 

Shadow: In its weakened state, we can capture it. Don't we know how much a bond demon is worth?

 

 

Shadow: Exactly, we wouldn't need to soul hunt for at least a month.

 

Volrath: Wouldn't that kill their mother as well, and damn her to an eternity of anguish?

 

 

Volrath absorbs the shadow.

 

Jarlot: Gentlemen and Ladies... plus... Terra...

Jarlot: I've decided to unilaterally declare this bar Jarlot's Kickass Bar

Jarlot: By which... only I can use it. All in favor say aye.

Jarlots: AYE!

Satnak - Does this mean I can smush 'em?

Many things have happened since I managed to smuggle my last letter out (no, I can't tell you how), and most of them truly horrible. For instance, I was polishing the floor in hallway near the galley, and dozens of beings that closely resemble our most beneficient captain poured out of the woodworks!. They tried to string me up for my "EXP" and my "GP", on threat of my "HP". I was confused and told them to make sense. Luckily, as they prepared a branding iron, Satnak, the Deicide walking and destroyed many of them. Some got away, but they could be counted on one hand. I nearly got sucked into a pocket of unexistence. I've lost part of my leg (from the knee down) and it is extremely resistant to all heal spells.

Apparently this sort of supernatural infestation isn't entirely uncommon on the ship. They've had several types of outsiders attempt to make it their home, most recently a insane thrallherd basically turned many of the redshirts into copies of her own deluded self and attempted to win Kanatash the Corrupter's non-existent heart. In the past there were the C'tan, the Darkness Family, Kanatash copies, squirrels, and the everpresent threat of "Random Entities of Non-Existence".  

On the upside, the bar will finally be officially named! Now, you must understand, there is nothing but misery and woe on this ship, except in the bar. It's stocked with every kind of intoxicating liquid ever discovered in the known universe and a few that are entirely new. It's the place to soak your sorrows after a day of barely surviving and watching those who didn't make it die horrible deaths. Redshirt deaths are up 230% since I last could get my message out. There have been three "meldings" of the crewmembers in the last several days. First Terra, the notorious drug smuggler and crime lord, had some sort of shady dealing with an elder god, though it may not have been quite like the other two, which had a complete meshing of personality. Aparently three fey who infested the ship united and became a slightly more annoying thing than before. Their mother had sold her soul to a demon for power and is now fully combined with him.  

This also has a history, Aerith, the astral deva who protects Jarlot's soul, is actually Bianca, Keeper Daran's elder sister, and Aerith, Jarlot's childhood love combined. Apparently, Aerith has mothered Jarlot's love child! Romantic novels await both of them!

G: The pleasure is mine; are you sure this is a safe area?

I: Surviving. Drinking, Screwing and Surviving. But especially surviving.

Ketler *looks affronted*: 'M not drun'; I'm stoned! Get it straight.

Ketler : See that tinfoil, the magnet and the shoelace thats tacked up to the cieling? That connects to your lightning rod?

Ketler : That used to be attached to that aberration's corpse you had on that table. You know, the one that was half rotted? Hee hee... Whooo!

 

He turns around, only to face the strangest sight he has ever seen, bare none. A decaying pseudopod, with maggots of various types seething in the remains of its intestines, is crawling toward him, dragging a book behind it in its one remaining tentacle. It leaves a slimy, bug-ridden trail behind it. Part of what could be its brain is visible through the hole in its skull. It was apparently burned by some horrid dissolvent as well. The stench it gives off is rather quite impressive.

The abberation waves the book and makes a vague groaning noise. The book is pockmarked, as though it had a slight bath in acid. The title is illegible.

Silver: Too long.  It should be something short, because the braindead people will still need to remember it.

Satnak - I was wondering when you losers were gonna retaliate.

Bat-J - Dammit!! I'm supposed to be the freaking genius here.

Satnak - Nah, you're just a cheap knock-off. Just like the rest of you Alt-J's.

Satnak - Hahahahahahaha hoooooo that's funny.

Super-J - What are you laughing at?

Satnak - You guys couldn't beat me when I was holding back so you attacked the cooky instead. In response I recaptured the cooky and destroyed the demiplane you were hiding him in. I never touched any of you, and I even left a warning to get the Khyber out. Anyone who got sucked into oblivion was either too slow, stupid, or weak to get out in time. Not my fault the others didn't help them out instead of trampling each other. Finally here you are making threats against me with reduced numbers, me using my full strength, and no trump cards.

Spider-J - What about in the bar?

Satnak - It's my job to keep the ship from being overrun. Especially when you consider Kithle would do much worse to you if you tried to come between him and his Alchemic Iced raspberry lemonade with a shot of liquid Keelhaul. You actually owe me for that.

Remnants of the League - Screw this, she's using logic again, run while you still exist.

The Random Entity from Non-existence emerges from the back room, throwing an Alt-Satnak.

 

Lisa, Terra, and Reman are standing in Kithle’s lab.  Sa’vor is busy making things for Slip.  Kanatash is in with Caralot.  So that leaves either Terra or Kithle, and Terra found that her network believed the same thing as Reman’s colleague did, and she even sent some people to take a closer look at the remains.  Meanwhile they hoped that Kithle could take a look into the past.

Kithle (jumping up): Incredible!  The most marvelous form of mind control I’ve ever felt!  It wasn’t magic, psionic…… it just wasn’t ANYTHING but pure elemental emotion!  I’ve been missing out on just eating brains.

Kithle: Igor is exactly the way to put it.  It’s like reading his mind, only more violent.  There’s something existing beyond his consciousness that you can’t look at without thinking in terms that no one…… well, maybe Jarlot could understand.  It didn’t control so much as drowned me.  It bypassed all my defenses by hijacking my immense and rapid multitasking thought stream and forcing me to confront it head on.  It made me use my own power against myself.  Oh, I know what to do next time—

Kithle: Some……… god-like?…… creature killing people in the “cleansing” arena under the church.  It had some way of killing people that involved terror…… I think.

Kithle: Since trying to read its mind brought about that attack of emotion.  It’s not like Kanatash: it’s not insane.  It’s……something else.  Something worse.

"Bianca insists on showing visitors around, that's all."

Aerith laughs, joyfully, gently. "The Newly Blessed take a while to acclimate to the harmonies of Heaven. Bianca is getting a head start as a result of my association with her. Dealing with her involves tolerance and patience when serious matters must be attended to."

Their travel slowed.  The crimson flame was before them, within a couatl and a rakshasa—-oddly teenage-looking, with silver hair and silvery clothes “cool” clothes—-locked in a deadly fight.  As Volrath settled to the ground the rakshasa greatly wounded the couatl, which wrapped itself around the tiger-demon and bit down hard.  Near to them stood an armored woman, someone tied to Dol Arrah by the look of it, readying her sword.  Volrath knew that this had to be the moment when Tira Miron would leap in and bind them all with her sword.

13: [COLOR=DarkRed]But it won’t be because of hate.  That… I can live with.[/COLOR]

A couple years in the past of the present, Jarlot is sneaking up a House Lyrandar tower to steal an airship (the going-to-be Forgotten Freedom).  He is at the trickiest part of the infiltration, sneaking past the guards in the break room, when something appears out of the air in front of him.

Lisa - Satnak's scared, not a good sign.

Lisa: So it's more of a hypocrisy issue?

Terra: Why not? Evil can be noble in its own way. I run an underground empire based on the trafficking of drugs, yet I refuse to force anyone to buy what I sell. If they want it, they have to come to me. I have rather strict penalties in place for anyone who tries to push, or who tries to sell to someone underage.

Terra: It's better if you don't know. Suffice it to say, I do what I must to keep my people in line. I have increased the severity only when the actions of the perpetrators show my current one is not enough. I do not, however, dole out punishments indescriminately. Anyone who works for me knows what I want and what will happen if they break the rules. If they choose to ignore my orders, that is their own fault.

Lisa: I see your point, it's just... hard to accept. Doing the right thing leads to horrific evil, while doing the wrong thing leads to some measure of good...

Terra: I wish there were easier answers myself. Better ways of doing things. I don't believe it is impossible to live the way you do without being a hypocrite, you have shown me this. I just can't be so idealistic. In a way, I envy you for that.