Forgotten Freedom:55
Last Plot -- Plot Line Home -- Next Plot
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]
Tifa: I fold
Lisa: Fold
Terra: Fold
Aerith: Gin! I win!
Carlot: How do you always know to fold when every time I have a good hand! And I still think we should be strip…
Every one else: NO!
Terra: You have a bad tell.
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…
All of the sudden, Tifa Grabs her head, moans a bit and falls out of her chair
Aerith and Lisa look sternly at Terra
Terra: Do not look at me I did not do … this time.
Carlot: You know this would be a good time to figure out how she has pixie children…
Aerith: No!
Tifa starts to get back up…
- in side Tifa’s head *
Tifa: what is going here?
Bob: Nothing you need to worry about… in fact you’ll never have to worry about anything ever again.
Tifa: Bob! What are you doing out of the gauntlets?
Bob: The Gauntlets don’t matter now… I mean soon I will have a completely new body…
Tifa: What! You are supposed to help Kill Aerith and help me win back Jarlot!
Bob: For the love of… He does not Love you!
Tifa: Ye…
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…
Bob: Look remember back, when Jarlot and the shadow guy took over the ship. You Fell in lust with the dark charismatic guy with the big sword… He had his way with you and took the ship… you fallowed him and then Jarlot killed him. Aerith was his sister…
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: Don’t worry I’m here to help. I need a body and a fresh soul to move up in demonic rank.
Tifa: So you’re just going to eat 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?
Tifa: You’re asking me?
Bob: …Yes, I don’t have enough will to take you by force.
Tifa: What about Yuna, Paine and Rikku?
Bob: Already taken care of.
Tifa: Okay, I’ll Do it.
- After ‘Tifa’ is getting up.*
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
Every once else is not in shock. As she walks out.
Aerith: Did she just say what I thought she said.
Lisa: Yes… I think when she fell off the chair she hit her head.
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?
Tifa/Bob: Yes.
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.
Terra: Remember Beryl, many of us on this ship, myself included, can do things worse than kill you. I quote Chalky: "Immortality isn't an advantage when all you know is pain."
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.
The Dark: and through others you have come to know your own desires, your own thoughts, your own fears and your own... lusts.
- 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.
Sa'vor: maybe, but that darker side is in everyone. even Aerith has one, mine is just greater.
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
Shadow: Now is our chance take capture the demon.
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?
Volrath: 250 souls.
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?
Shadow: So?
Volrath: Wouldn't that be hypocritical of us?
Shadow: I don't care!
Volrath: Well I do! You're begining to sound a lot like father.
Volrath absorbs the shadow.
Volrath: You were no longer of me. We had been apart for too long. Well what to do now? I no longer have a reason to serve her, and if I try to make a move Tifa would kill me.
Bar
Jarlot: Gentlemen and Ladies... plus... Terra...
Terra: Hey!
Jarlot: You're not a lady.
Terra: Grumble.
Jarlot: I've decided to unilaterally declare this bar Jarlot's Kickass Bar
- crickets chirp*
Jarlot: By which... only I can use it. All in favor say aye.
Jarlots: AYE!
Jarlot: Motion carried.
Terra - I'm thinking Satnak has the right Idea.
Satnak - Does this mean I can smush 'em?
Erk - axes a Jarlot
Satnak - nice, how about a race your axe vs one of my lesser constructs, *astral construct: Grye* 3 -2 -1 go
There is much slaughter.
I, Codename G, have survived!
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.
I thanked the Deicide and begged for my life. So she only took my leg instead of killing me. Frankly, I think that's a pretty damn good trade.
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".
It seems they need an exterminator.
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!
And now an exclusive interview with a hot up and comer, Ishmael Jr.!
I: Thanks for interviewing me
G: The pleasure is mine; are you sure this is a safe area?
I: Dear sir, My father built this, surely you do not impugn my father?
G: I don't know anything about your father, so tell me more.
I: Well, We were moving to Fairhaven, and Father had gone to "scout it out". When we arrived he had gone, leaving us a note that he'd joined onto the Forgotten Freedom as a Redshirt.
G: So basically, he ran out on you.
I: Yeah, pretty much. So I set out to find him and have concluded that he died during the conflict with the C'tan. This was confirmed by several redshirts, while no longer living, were alive at the time I had joined up.
G: So what are your goals now?
I: Surviving. Drinking, Screwing and Surviving. But especially surviving.
Volrath : Ketler! What are you doing?!
Ketler: Wheeee... Thunder is fun...
Volrath: Are you drunk or something?
Ketler *looks affronted*: 'M not drun'; I'm stoned! Get it straight.
Volrath : Indeed. Now, what did you do to my experiments in MY LAB?
Ketler : See that tinfoil, the magnet and the shoelace thats tacked up to the cieling? That connects to your lightning rod?
Volrath : Yep.
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!
Ishmael Jr. walks accross the deck, hands in his pockets grumblng to himself. It was a cold, cold night, and Ishmael Jr. had a long list of things he had to do. Many of them involving various cleaning equipment.
Ishmael Jr : [SIZE=1]grumble[/SIZE] Razzer-frazzen mops, stupid arsehole Klaz... Jaela's ***, what IS THAT SMELL?
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.
Ishmael Jr.: Uh... What?
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.
Ishmael Jr.: What do you want? I'm trying to swab the bloody deck here, and you're a bally walking mess! So **** off!
The abberation makes a slurping noise, throws the book at Ishmael Jr. and promptly collapses. The tentacle flops around like a dying fish, writing "you were always good for..."
Crow: D*mn, I didn't get my nomination in on time.
Silver: Oh, and what was that going to be?
Crow: Death Gods' Do-It-Yourself.
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 ninja-esque you can't see me!
Satnak - Yeah but your buddy in the blue spandex kinda ruined it. You revealed yourself just then.
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.
Remnants of the legue - OH ITS ON *****!!!
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.
Super/Bat/Spider -J - Damn our courage.
Satnak - Smush, ewww, scrape.
It’s a typical day at the bar. A variety of Alt-Jarlots are passing through, races and classes from different games and campaign settings are mingling, and various people are adding to the Rules of the Bar.
Silence comes in to start her part-time shift. But she’s surprised to see Silver and Crow mixing the drinks.
Silence: Hey, what happened to Erk?
Crow: Oh, he’s off somewhere doing something.
Silver: With Mr. T, Lucky, Long Wang, and NJ 26.
The Random Entity from Non-existence emerges from the back room, throwing an Alt-Satnak.
Silver: We decided that there wasn’t anything interesting to comment on—
Crow: —so we came back to run this bar.
Silver: It’s perfect for us.
Crow: It doesn’t so anything useful.
Silver: We get to work in a place that connects to everywhere.
Crow: We get to meet new people almost every second.
Random Entity from Non-existence: And I get first crack at Alts before Satnak can show up.
Silence: Well I sure hope Erk is okay…
Dun-dun-dunDAH-dun-dun-dundah…
Erk held the wire cutters in one hand and used the other to trace the various connections among the bomb’s components. NJ 26 is beside him, also trying to figure out the tangle of wires.
NJ 26: Can you hurry up? We’ve only got 49 seconds!
Lucky is crouched beside a door with lots of holes in it, across from Mr. T. They are both holding projectile guns.
Lucky: Hey, horn-head, they’re moving down the corridor!
Several more chunks of the door are blown off.
Erk: *grunt, snort*
NJ 26: I thought you said you were some kind of savant at this?
Erk (thoughts): *It used to be about all about infiltration and espionage. Who added the bombs?*
Reman Weascal is standing up at the stern of the Forgotten Freedom. Shortly a magebred eagle lands on the railing, allowing Reman to take the tube from its leg before departing. Reman opens the message tube, takes out the letter inside, and reads it. His face goes from puzzlement to confusion as he reads.
He intones words of lawyerspeak. What he sees confirms the letter.
He goes below deck to find Lisa.
Just as Lisa is preparing for prayer there is a knock at her door.
Lisa: Who is it? You better not be that Black Mage character.
Reman: It is I, Reman Weascal, ship’s lawyer.
Lisa: Am I being sued by the family of another demon?
Reman: It concerns St. Glazier’s in Silverfort. It’s very urgent. Of world-shattering importance.
Lisa gets up and opens the door.
Lisa: Can you be quick? I’m in the middle of something.
Reman: I have been corresponding with a colleague of mine in Flamekeep about the Keepers of the Silver Torch—
Lisa (knowing what sorts of stuff lawyers get up to): Look, they were a group of insane heretics—
Reman: —who made it their mission to search out lycanthropes among the worshippers of the Silver Flame, yes, I know. I also know that somehow they stole a piece of the Silver Flame and used it to burn their victims hoping it would only affect their lycanthropic natures. I wanted to see if any legal action had been taken against them, just in case we get into any lycanthrope-Thrannish conflicts. But all I got was this…
He hands her the letter. She scans it quickly, then rolls her eyes.
Lisa: Someone is obviously playing a joke on you. I was just there 10 days ago visiting a nun friend of mine.
Reman: I believe you. But immediately after I read this letter I said the words of vise mei (lit. “show me”), and got both a brief vision of its destruction and of the still lifeless crater the town is today. And you can’t lie to the fundamental nature of the universe.
Lisa is stunned silent for a moment, her face etched with horror and disbelief. But it soon turns into righteous anger. She picks up her hammer, swinging it menacingly.
Lisa: Whatever did this is going to pay. Come on! Let’s go see an über.
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 is silent for a while, his eyes registering a deep immersion in the stream of time.
Then his eyes begin to tear up. He starts a low whimpering. But soon it grows into a screaming wail.
Kithle: Why?! What is it about illithids?! Why can’t people accept us?! Why can’t they see that we that eating the brains of intelligent beings isn’t any different from eating meat?!
The wail lesser into sobs, and then into a depressed silence, before Kithle shakes his head and regains control.
Terra: Ah….
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.
Terra: It controlled you? If I were a lesser person who’d never met Igor I’d immediately dismiss that as impossible.
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—
Lisa: That’s all very interesting, but what did you see?
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.
Terra: You think? *raises an eyebrow*
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.
(Right now, Lisa, Terra, and Kithle are in his lab. Everyone else is elsewhere.)
"Something worse, yes," Aerith says, crossly.
"Aerith? How'd you get here so quickly?" Lisa asks.
"And since when do you involve yourself in anything real, b***h?" Terra demands.
"Since it involves the corruption of a Church set up by my side. And I'm aware of pretty much everything that goes on here, Lisa."
"On the Forgotten Freedom?"
"No. On Eberron." She looks at their faces, and sighs. "I am tens of billions of years old, children. Mortals tend to rocket past those of us who were made instead of born, but I have been learning and growing for a very long time, even by immortal standards. I have access to more spatial dimensions than this reality acknowledges, and my awareness is vast."
Kithle scratches a face-tenticle. "You're stronger than a normal Solar Deva, aren't you? That's why you're so sure your 'Veil' will hold against almost everyone on board."
Aerith nods. "That and my powers are bolstered by divine will. I must admit I was surprised that he did not have adequate mental screens up to keep you out."
Kithle snorts. "What are you talking about? I scanned your mind, not his."
Aerith lifts an eyebrow and smiles, slightly.
"I'm serious. Your mind is completely open, divine b***h!"
Her voice is gently amused. "You are welcome back any time you wish to enter, Kithle."
He flinches ever so slightly.
Lisa, wide-eyed, utterly fascinated: "Aerith? What happens when someone tries to scan your mind?"
"Bianca insists on showing visitors around, that's all."
"What's so bad about that?"
Kithle snarls. "You shouldn't have to ask! Syrupy, sugary, insipid little beast!"
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."
Lisa, slightly appalled: "So when I die, I'm going to act like Bri for a few - what? Years? Decades? Centuries?"
"You're a Paladin, dear one. Circumstances are a bit different. Why don't we talk about that later? I have a pep talk and a sermon to deliver."
Kithle: "Don't want to hear it."
Aerith: "You are welcome to leave if you insist. But the sermon's for Lisa, not you. And this won't take long."
Kithle: "Fine, just get it over with."
Aerith: "As you wish. Lisa, the Silver Flame is tainted with corruption. This corruption results in hatred, which only spreads the evil within the Silver Flame."
Lisa: "I know the relevant scriptures."
Aerith: "Good. Because of that, virtually every priest and paladin of the Silver Flame has become tainted with evil. Unacceptably so."
Kithle: "Oh, this is amusing. Hey, Sa'vor? Are you paying any attention to this?"
Sa'vor: (Off elsewhere, communicating telepathically) *Yes, a bit. Get her to say how many paladins and priests have been stripped of their vocation for this 'taint'.*
Aerith: "Few. Most act in good faith, and so Heaven does not break faith with them."
Lisa, horrified: "You're talking about the weres and so forth. They were innocent all along?"
Aerith: "Innocent is a deceptive term. You yourself lost your innocence on your third birthday, when you hit your cousin for the fun of seeing him cry. They are dangeous - driven by urges that have been muted in humanity. But they are not damned. They are capable of self-control."
Lisa gulps: "Then why do we kill them?"
Aerith grimaces. "A caution was given - humans should be careful in dealing with them - but it was changed by a later leader of the Church. "
Kithle: "Excuse me. We have a wildly dangerous, worse-than-insane force running around, and you want to talk about how your Church sucks?"
Aerith: "I'm not here to help with the Being. The Cosmic Horror I guard against is Dark Jarlot. I'm not supposed to run this world for you."
Kithle: "Why not?"
Aerith: "I'm sorry?"
Kithle: "Why aren't you going to run the world? I'm grateful, because I wouldn't want to live under your rules, but why not?"
Aerith shrugs: "That's what freedom is about."
Sa'vor (still telepathically): *Freedom. Bah! That's just a word you use so you don't have to get involved when people are miserable.*
Aerith: "Sa'vor, I know where to place a filament of wire in someone's brain so that as long as there's a tiny trickle of lightning going down that wire, the person in question is literally as happy as they can be. I also know the right alchemy to make a small box that will store and steadily release the right amount of lightning to make this work. Would you like me to do that for you?"
Sa'vor: *No. It wouldn't be real.*
Aerith: "Heaven is very nearly omnipotent. If happiness were the fundamental point of Good, every living creature would have something like that filament in their heads. We are about freedom, which is far more dangerous.
"In any event. Lisa."
Lisa: "Yes?"
Aerith: "This rot has extended to everyone of the Silver Flame. Even you."
Lisa: *face turns white* "I - we're going to fall, aren't we? The Silver Flame, I mean."
Aerith, gently: "No. Not yet. Even if things continue as they are, it will be generations before you do more bad than good. But you have purged yourself, Lisa."
Lisa: "I what?"
Aerith: "You have spent most of a decade here, in this depraved society. You have learned to tolerate. Equally importantly, you have not abandoned your calling. It is a delicate and difficult balance. To know that someone will do wrong, and respect their freedom to do so. To respect another's freedom to make her own way, without fooling yourself into thinking that wrong and false actions are true and right."
Lisa: "Um. I think you see more than is there."
Aerith: "No. I see truly, great-heart. You are the only follower of the Silver Flame who is not under condemnation." She giggles for a moment, reverting to Brianna. "It's good that Jaela looks up to you!"
Lisa: "Wait a moment - what's going to happen to Jaela? What's going to happen to me?"
Brianna: "We get to teach her! Won't that be wonderful."
Lisa: "You brought her here, didn't you?"
Aerith nods: "In one of the unused extra-spatial loci. It is sealed as well as she will allow. She won't be able to stay all the time, of course. She has a Church to lead. But we - and I mean mostly you and Brianna - must see to it that she learns the same balance you have, Lisa."
Lisa: "What about Ketler?"
Aerith: "Has anyone ever managed to hurt me? Jaela will be at least as 'lucky'." *pause* "Of course, all this assumes you will survive unscathed. That's not a given. Good luck on that."
And she turns, steps, and disappears.
Volrath is currently pining away over all the women he’s lost while having a drink at the bar. But his head shoots up when he hears his named screamed in the back of his mind. It sounds like the screams of his mother and sister.
[COLOR=DarkRed]“Volrath…”[/COLOR]
Saberiel is the one currently working the bar as a favor to Erk.
Saberiel: You okay there, Volrath? Want me to call Cabin Boy over?
Volrath: What? Oh, n-n-no. I think I’ve had too much to drink.
Saberiel: But don’t you have some sort of—
Volrath makes tracks. He feels a small part of his mind slowly fill with all the terrible memories of people he’s hurt or seen hurt because of fear and hate. He knows he needs to find a place where the others can’t read his mind.
[COLOR=DarkRed]”Volrath, come with me!”[/COLOR]
Volrath stops. He remembers that voice, the one that asked him what he’d do to get back his mother and sister, even his father.
Volrath: I remember. I remember. I want them back! Why were they taken from me?! I want them back. For them I’d do anything.
A black orb appears before him.
13: [COLOR=DarkRed]All I need is your misery, your desire to see them unhurt. With that I can destroy those that hurt them and set things back the way they were before.[/COLOR]
The world around Volrath begins to shift, moving quickly backwards. The Forgotten Freedom disappears, and now they are moving over the land, which is changing below them. Volrath catches a brief flicker of a shrine up ahead before it is transformed into a column of crimson flame. In the area surrounding armored humanoids wage a fierce battle against demonic entities.
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.
Quicker than thought a black creature, a fox with a long tail, appeared in front of her face. The stood there, silent, for a heartbeat, yet it was as if 700 years had passed. Tira lowered her blade.
Couatl: Strike now, before he can free himself!
Tira’s face was a mask of utter defat.
Tira: I can’t hurt all those people.
Couatl: Many more will die if he is not stopped!
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.
13: [COLOR=DarkRed]WHAT IS IT? WHAT DO YOU HAVE THAT I DO NOT FEEL PAIN ON YOUR SHIP? I MUST KNOW NOW, BEFORE IT HAS A CHANCE TO HIDE ITSELF![/COLO]
Jarlot: WTF? Man, you’re ruining my Move Silently—aw, Khyber.
Gaurds: Hey, you!
13 disappears as the guards rush over to seize Jarlot.
Satnak - AWWWWWWWWW BLOODY **** ****ING MOL!!! THe time stream dammit soemone fracked the time stream this bad very bad. I'm calling for help, this is bad, bad bad bad badbadbadbadbadbadbadbadbadbadbadbadbad...etc.
Lisa - Satnak's scared, not a good sign.
Terra - We're in deep.
Kithle - If I was a lesser mortal I would need new pants. As it is I hope the traps on the commodes don't take too long to disarm.
Jarlot, Muradin, Marish, and Ketler are sitting around a table in the mess hall. Even for this ship, the sight is odd. Muradin floats, crosslegged, about two feet off the floor without the aid of magic with a serene look on his face. Ketler is hanging from the ceiling by his bare feet. Jarlot has a wrench in his hand and is staring at it intently. Marish, though seemingly the most normal, is acting jittery.
Jarlot: (to the wrench) C'mon...bend. [SIZE=1]Rubber spoon, rubber spoon, rubber spoon...[/SIZE]
Muradin: Captain, it is not he spoon you wish to bend, but the will of the spoon.
Marish: Ketler, how are you staying up there?
Ketler: (matter of factly) I dug my toes into the ceiling. (begins doing crunches)
Jarlot: (still staring at the wrench) That's nothing! Watch my tele-ka-whatsit powers!
He continues staring at the the wrench, chanting his 'rubber spoon' mantra, until the vessels in his head start to bulge. He grunts from effort and frustration.
Marish: Give me that!
She pulls the wrench from his hands and bends it in half.
Jarlot: Hey!
Muradin: When will you learn that violence is not the answer?
Marish: Shut up!
Jarlot: Muradin. Float your a** over here and magic me up another wrench.
Ketler: I have the energy of a bear, that has the energy of two bears!
Across the room, Terra, Volrath, and Nalfein watch the bizzare display while eating popcorn.
Volrath: Whatever you did, it's funny as hell.
Terra: Why, thank you.
Nalfein: See, this is why I don't trust anything you give me.
Terra: Probably a wise choice.
Terra: I must say I'm impressed with the Deva.
Lisa: Why? I thought you hated her.
Terra: Oh, I do. But after that little speech, I guess it's more just annoyance. I always pegged her as the goody-goody who refuses to see anything but the good in people.
Lisa: Isn't that kind of a positive thing?
Terra: You only get part of the story by seeing things that way. To really understand someone, you must be willing to see both the good and the bad. Many people consider themselves good because they destroy evil. What they don't realize, and many times choose not to see, is that they are often perpetrating the very same evil in the process. You would be hard pressed to find something that p*sses me off more than using self-righteousness to justify undeserved cruelty and hate.
Lisa: How is that any different from evil?
Terra: Evil doesn't delude itself into thinking it's good. I do many things which are evil, but I never claim such actions are good. People who consider themselves good tend to be able to justify any evil act as long as they feel the end result is good. Evil people often fool others into this fallacy, but fooling themselves into it is unique to good.
Lisa: So it's more of a hypocrisy issue?
Terra: In a way. Would you like to know why I chose evil?
Lisa: Sure.
Terra: My adoptive mother was murdered by roving mercenaries about 150 years ago. I could do nothing but watch as they slaughtered her before my eyes. I shudder to think of what they would have done had they discovered me. I chose then and there to do anything it took to prevent such a thing from ever happening to anyone I cared for again.
Lisa: But, that would seem to lead you to good...
Terra: Remember, I said anything. My mother was good, truly good, and I couldn't bear to do anything bad while comparing myself to her. I couldn't, no, wouldn't sully her name. So I chose the path such things are expected on.
Lisa: That sounds strangely noble...
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.
Lisa: Like what?
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: How is this preventing suffering, or bringing you closer to your goal?
Terra: If you go back and check out records on the black market, you'll find that it has calmed down quite a lot since I came to power. It was a world of petty turf wars, pointless slaughter, and full of thugs who'd do anything for profit. It spilled out onto the streets constantly, forcing innocent families to face great danger. I have curtailed it, making it as close to a world of its own that is possible. I channel the energy of the outcasts I hire, using it in more constructive ways.
Lisa: So, by doing something obviously evil, you're helping to prevent further evil? Again, how is this different than those you hate?
Terra: I don't pretend what I do is good. I don't claim the moral high ground because of my alignment. I fight for it, show that my actions are truly better than the alternatives. Whether others see it is up to them. For example, what I'm doing with the underground is less evil than destroying it. Any attempt to do so would result in a power vacuum. Think of the slaughter, the urban warfare would lead from house to house. It would destroy each nation in a bloodbath unrivaled since the Last War, and possibly surpass it.
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.
Marish: You know, Terra, I overheard your little speech about good and evil, and something was bothering me.
Terra: Yeah?
Marish: You said you never forced anyone to take what you make, but you spike the food here regularly.
Terra: I think you forgot about the contract. It spells it out pretty clearly.
Marish: What contract?
Terra: You know, the one Captain Jarlot had everyone sign after I came on board...
Marish: :confused:
Terra: The one he said you had to sign or you couldn't eat...
Marish: :thinks:
Terra: It was pink...
Marish: :lightbulb Oh, the pretty pink one! I didn't read it.
Terra: You're kidding me.
Marish: No. The Captain said I should sign it, so I did!
Terra: *sigh* I can see why Andrea has so much trouble with you...
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