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gerdy-sertorius · 1 month

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The Definitive Damsel Analysis (if I do say so myself)

(Disclaimer: I know it’s absurdly long, and for that I apologize. I apparently am more unwilling to make cuts than I am to present subpar work. I’m working on it. Only editing I do for my autistic ramblings is copyediting, baby! Whoo! I will be updating this for the Pristine Cut once it comes out and we get even *more* Damsel. Obviously, as I’m sure you can tell from the length, I really like Damsel. There will be all of the bias. It will be great.)

(Author’s Note: For the love of the most high God, it took me like twenty read throughs for me to standardize what I wanted to call the Scorched Grey. Here is a brief list of all the terms I used to refer to her: Scorched Grey, Burned Grey, Burning Grey, Fire Grey, Damsel Chapter 3. Sometimes but not always preceded by “the” or “The”.)

Alright, ladies and gentlemen. I have oft made the statement on here that Damsel is the best route in the game, and this began as me trying to definitively prove that, by microscopically going through the route, I could establish exactly why, it would seem, that Damsel has objective superiority. It sorta… evolved, though, so instead I will be going relatively chronologically throughout, and trying to point out a couple things that all of you know about and maybe a couple things you don’t about the best character in the game. With that preamble out of the way, let’s begin with the goofy stuff, the grab bag if you will.

This will certainly be more personal taste than anything else, but I do think there’s a lot of miscellaneous stuff that Damsel does better than the other chapters. For example, I am convinced that it has the third best music, behind Tower and her routes and then Thorn. I am genuinely obsessed with “It Was Always That Easy”. The basement has some *fantastic* art, and I think that really carries a chapter that is otherwise generally bland when it comes to actual visual activity. It’s really carried by its genuinely perfect dialogue.

Overall, and most importantly, this chapter is the undisputed master of the idea of positive ambience. You know elevator music? How it’s there to artificially increase the cheeriness of an otherwise dreary moment, like a hotel hallway or, yanno, an elevator? Well, this is the chapter that does it perfectly. Everything is designed to make it “nicer” than it actually is. The Narrator even takes that into account when describing the basement. The sound design is fresh and relaxing, the music is uplifting, the Princess’s voice is obviously fantastically done, but also the Voice of the Smitten plays a large role in making it feel “good”. It’s something that exists in order to communicate exactly the feelings it wants the player to feel, which is all warm and fuzzy inside. But let’s move on to the actual content, shall we?

Damsel has *the* best Chapter One and it isn’t even close. Certainly not in the horror department, where I think Beast and Nightmare shine, or even in the whole characterization bit, where the award can only go to Spectre and the masterclass that is her Chapter One. But Damsel has something else to it. Damsel has tragedy, almost Shakespearean in nature. Nobody else has it (except Witch, to some extent, but nowhere close to the same level), nobody manages to reach that connection, there and then broken, to honestly feel for both Princess and Slayer. Allow me to paint a picture of a playthrough.

You are on a path in the woods. At the end of that path is a cabin. In the basement of that cabin is a princess. You are here to slay her. But you don’t do that. That voice itching in the back of your skull, the one you quite literally call Hero, your moral compass even, raises some objections. You don’t want to kill *anybody*. That isn’t something you want to mark yourself with, especially not solely on the word of an individual you just met. For now, violence is a nonstarter.

You enter the cabin. And you hear her voice. And you see her. You even talk with her for a while. The moment is… hypnotizing. Despite the Narrator’s warning of manipulation, well, you cannot help but be manipulated. This is a genuinely nice, sweet, scared Princess who simply wants to be free. You have to save her. It is the right thing to do, it is the… only thing to do. Anything else marks you with the dirtiness of simply being unwilling to help someone in need when you had the full ability to.

You go to get a key. Unsuccessful. The door locks. Even worse. The Narrator is moving from irritating to downright malicious, clearly enjoying recounting the lock of the door. Disgust for Him has been present since you entered the cabin, but it shifts to anger very quickly. That shift continues with full force as you attempt with what little ability you have to save the Princess, even if you don’t quite know how you will get out. The question does not last long. For the shift to anger shifts once more, to a sort of incomprehensible fury.

For the Narrator has crossed a line. Not only has he taken away any semblance of choice, not only has he raised your own knife against an innocent, someone who has been nothing but kind to you, but you are the one who must bear the shame for it. You are the only one who is doing the foul deed in any eyes but your own. Speaking of, the Princess’s eyes are filled with genuine happiness at the moment, as you are finally giving her the freedom she has yearned for such a long time. Yet through no fault of your own, you raise the pristine blade, the one you refused to bring down to the basement in the first place. You scramble through the list of options, attempting to find anything that could provide a sliver of hope in the situation, anything without the grim finality of “Slay the Princess”.

At last, you find one, and are able to bark out a warning to the Princess. That happiness in her eyes is shifted to a look of fear, one directed at you alone, one condemning you with such a sorrowful betrayal that it almost hurts to see. She begs for you to stop, and then she says something that almost calms the internal storm of the player: “Please, I know this isn’t you.” She recognizes that it isn’t us that betrayed her, she understands that we aren’t trying to do this, that we are flat-out trying to stop it. But the eye of that storm is passing, and soon.

And as she takes the blade, as she prepares to do what she must to live, that same look of tragic betrayal crosses her eyes, this time not directed at us, but at herself. She hates that this is her only option, the only way that she can live is to kill another, one with every intention of freeing her and no intention of harming her. And in the end, she simultaneously underscores the tragedy of the moment while confirming our perception that she could never be a threat to the world. As she plunges the blade into our chest, she has failed to even do the bare minimum of making our death painless, something that fills her with even more guilt, tears streaming down her cheeks as she tries and fails to end our own agony. The last thing we see of her are her endless cascade of both tears and apologies, as everything goes dark.

This… is beautiful. A glorious tragedy, one with limited theming, simply two characters with emotions that feel natural. And, quite strangely, the first chapter has almost nothing to do with the second chapter. But it is still important. I’ll get to that later. Better things await now! For with the end of the tale of the Hero and the Princess, we have a new individual, everyone’s favorite buddy, the Voice of the Smitten.

I am certain I do not need to underscore just how popular Smitten is. Easily the most fan favorite of the fan favorites, especially solidifying his place within that roster with the Kiss from a Thorn. He is jovial, passionate, he is Don Quixote, complete with the unlimited self-delusion that comes with the territory. There’s a reason people love him. Romantic in a game entitled a love story, the largest of personalities in a game stuffed with them, he is the storybook hero come to life in a game that has just as much reverence for storybook heroes as the deconstructions of them. In short, he is the visage of likability itself, with all the bombast that comes with that. Yet that is only from a wholly external perspective.

For what I am certain I do need to underscore is just how sinister Smitten is. For all of his likability, the Smitten is also probably the single slimiest voice out of all of them with the possible exception of the Opportunist. This is not a new revelation – people have understood that since the beginning with his frankly disturbing behavior regarding the Princess. What is perhaps more interesting is his relationship with the player. For he is one of the two options that reflect the player at this point within the story. Either the player is trying to do the right thing and free an innocent, or they have somewhat… different motivations.

The former reflects the Hero. Somewhat naive, in many routes somewhat bumbling even, but first and foremost focused on the external. That is, “how can I make a positive impact on the world around me?” As contradictory as it may seem to how the Hero is presented, it’s something of an intellectualist approach. The Hero is trying to find the best possible world and working towards that with all of his might. It is, one could say, devoid of emotion except that determination to change the world, to make it a better place. While the goal remains the same, the path to get there is fundamentally continuously being calculated. The Hero is your conscience, and as such he must *always* work overtime for that.

The Smitten is not that. No, he has made no secret that he is the path of passion. Even when he is generally considered to be a better person, he declares that, “Whatever world would condemn two star-crossed lovers to a cycle of violence and despair isn’t a world worth saving.” His focus is internal, it is on ourself and our romance. There is no extensive study into what is the correct option, there is only what would assist in our relationship, which is somehow ordained by the universe. To put it into understandable terms, Hero is a modern hero while Smitten is a Romantic-era hero.

There’s an important line when going down the stairs that I think speaks volumes about the type of player and playthrough currently occurring. That is “We can still do right by her without all this over-the-top fawning.” *That* is the line of demarcation between the route of the Hero and the route of the Smitten. If you decide to embrace or repudiate the Smitten at that point, I think the route is sealed. I am convinced that the game will continue on in a fixed way based on that philosophy. The point where you must, internally that is, decide if you are doing this out of a desire for what is right, or an infatuation with the Princess.

Now, of course there isn’t anything wrong with taking the path of the Smitten, and it’s personally one of my top points in the game, but whether you admit it or not, you are long past morality being what decides your actions. That has come and gone. Now, the goal is to express the passion of the moment and delve into your romantic relationship with the Princess. I’ll be evaluating each of the routes differently, loosely organized with a focus on how it reacts to the player. After that, I’ll go on into theming of each route one by one and all that jazz.

The path of the Smitten first. The player embraces that he has been sent to save the Princess from her unjust and foul imprisonment above all else. So that is what he does. He marches downstairs, the blade being nothing but a passing afterthought as it is immediately dismissed out of hand. When it comes to the crucial point of “doing right by her”, the justification is made that two things can be done at once, that you can do this for her and do a little bit of fawning on the way. Doesn’t harm anyone.

And with that the basement arrives, and you see the Princess on the floor. She is perfect in all ways. There is nothing wrong with her. And that’s before you start talking to her. When you do begin talking to her, all of the kindness and innocence from Chapter 1 are magnified to the greatest degree possible. She can do no wrong. And, from a meta standpoint, there’s another thing that stands out – it is really, *really* funny. From everything the Smitten says to the “Then I didn’t end the world!” to the Narrator’s (a villain at this point) growing exasperation at your trust for the Princess, it endears you to the moment even more.

Because it’s not only that it’s funny. It’s not only that the Princess is genuinely nice to you. It’s something more than that. Something that I am loath to talk about but will anyway. The Princess is incredibly – *sigh* – **cute** within this chapter. This is objective, with science to back me up, I’m sure. But she is specifically designed to be as heartwarming as possible, and every line makes her more and more into someone who should be saved by you, into, well, a Damsel. While it isn’t explicitly stated, throughout the progression of dialogue, the need to protect her becomes more pronounced. You were already primed to like the Princess, you already internally committed to a romantic future. But after stepping into the bear trap willingly, you cannot escape.

And if you’re anything like me, you are perfectly fine with that. So you take in the moment, you rescue her from her chains and laugh at the way her hands slipped out of the chains and the Narrator’s comical anger at it. It’s all very feel-good, all cleanly written dialogue, and both the Princess and the Smitten are likable, they’re fun, and the Narrator is a fun enough villain for the Smitten and you to unite against. The Hero, if we’re being honest, barely registers, and if he does it’s usually as an extension to the Narrator, as a foil to yourself. And with her finally free, she embraces you, sealing the deal on her perfection.

And after that, something else happens. The deconstruction begins. You want to see if her dialogue has any more of that saccharine present throughout the rest of the chapter, and are immediately rewarded with the “The princess closes her eyes in deep reflection” and the follow up joke. Hungry for more, you click through some more of the dialogue, but something begins to happen. She begins to… unwind. The Smitten seems to reciprocate in turn, to a lesser extent. In fact, she really starts to return to the horror that this chapter was a nice respite from. So you cut your losses, decide to leave with her, and everything returns to normal. Bathed in the glow of your future, you immediately forget about the deconstruction.

After that, you finally get out of the basement, get a genuinely great moment opening the door alongside the Princess, never think twice about clicking “You’re not doing that.” as fast as humanly possible, and finally await the door at the end of the cabin. You finally get your fairytale ending. The princess goes out into the world together with you. You brought her out. And then she is taken by the Shifting Mound in a way reminiscent of her dying. Even if this wasn’t your first playthrough, it still comes as a shock. For the most part, you were being that Romantic hero, living in the moment with your passion. The thought of this happening was gone entirely. This wasn’t supposed to happen. And it *hurts*. And the chapter is over.

The route of the Hero has a different point of view on the whole situation. That’s not to say it’s not easy to get drawn in by the hilarious dialogue and sheer cuteness of the Princess – far from it. It is, after all, what drives the conflict within this. For the Hero, and the player that goes along his path, has one bit of information stand out. That the world ended after the Princess killed you. Now, you can naturally be skeptical of the information, but the Princess isn’t helping her case here. Entirely vague, entirely unwilling to mention anything about it. The only thing she seems to care about is getting on your good side.

Now, you still want to save her. That much is clear. You still don’t take the knife in the beginning, and you saw her Chapter 1 incarnation. She is still a good person, kind and loving. But there are questions raised, important questions. Which is why not all Hero routers get the same ending. There is a conflict between how far you’re able to go before the risk of the world ending eclipses your distrust of the Narrator and your trust of the Princess. If the whole world really does end if she’s free, is it worth it? And as such you get to the major points of the Hero ending.

The first is the Deconstructed ending. As you question the Princess, you desperately try to figure out what the best way to go forward is for you. And that starts with getting a straight answer from the Princess on what exactly she plans on doing. The operation… does not go well. As you try and push for anything, any sign that she isn’t going to end the world, the same rejoinder comes in, alongside a distorted track. “I just want to make you happy.” The Princess is not an individual anymore, and begins to change shape. But you are locked in with a horrified inability to look away, like one who sees a car accident. And with that, the Princess is a Princess no longer, and the Shifting Mound takes her away.

There’s also the option of taking the Hero’s advice when confronted with the scenario: to leave. You don’t like what’s going on and you try to do whatever you can to undo the doing. Perhaps surprisingly, it works. And then you’re forced to deal with the cognitive dissonance of the Princess and *that* being the same individual. But you, not without a healthy dose of skepticism, still head upstairs alongside the Princess. In the end, you can’t bring yourself to kill her. Throughout it all, she still has been the beautifully endearing picture of innocence, if a questionable one, and especially with regards to the knife on the table, there is no way you can take it to her chest with no warning, especially after everything you did in the first Chapter. So you leave with her, and the “end of the world” really does come in one fell swoop with the call of the Shifting Mound. You can’t help but wonder if the decision you made was the right one, not really. Like, you still believe she didn’t deserve to die, but maybe, just maybe, it would have been a better ending.

So what if you did kill her? What happens when love *truly* melts away into skepticism. After the continuous question dodging and whatever the… other thing was, this is clearly not an ordinary Princess, it is not the same Princess that you tried to save at the beginning. There is only a sliver of her, a shadow of her former self. Slaying her, well, slaying her is probably doing her a favor. It might be doing the world a favor, too. Maybe she is an individual with malicious intent. And as you take the blade and plunge it into her chest, you instantly know you made the wrong decision. She does not oppose it. She simply lets you kill her with a single tear hanging in her eye, saying “I think this is what you want.” It’s meant to feel dirty and it does, even heartbreaking in the moment, although it is immediately counterbalanced by the effect of the Smitten killing you over it.

I won’t exactly go over Scorched Grey the same way, I think there’s generally only two frames of mind going into it, and that’s either the standard “Hero-Skeptic” framework that I’ll expand on later, or simply a completionist mindset. Plus, it’s technically not The Damsel. Plus I’m lazy. But this is the point where I will try to expand on the theming of each and every route and mindset to go through within the Chapter, and that *will* include the Scorched Grey theming.

It’s made quite clear from the chapter that one of the primary themes is objectification, the making of the Princess into nothing more than a vehicle to live one’s fantasy into. The taking of an individual and making them into an it. The destruction of humanity by your own desire, and what that says about your desires in the first place. Ironically, this is merely one fourth wall away from the rest of the Princesses, each of them being a piece of fiction that many simply engage with *because* they are an object, but with the Damsel it is directly nodded to within the narrative. One meta-layer is peeled back, if you will.

Nothing hammers this more home than the entirely jarring line that escapes the Shifting Mound’s lips when you ask about the vessel she holds. Unlike the rest of the fragments, which are all given an indication that they have been fulfilled after the Shifting Mound takes them, the only note she has to say is that the Damsel has “served her purpose”. There is nothing that she wished for, as anyone who has obtained the deconstructed ending can attest to. But even in the more standard runs, she is simply a tool to be used and discarded. And there are three general reactions to this line.

The first is the hardcore Smitten route’s preferred choice, denial. “The Princess was far more than an object, she had character, she had kindness, she had motivations from the beginning! The narrative is what is wrong, there’s nothing wrong with the Princess. She. Is. Perfect. Not just from a narrative standpoint but a metanarrative one as well. She has depth, she *is* a character.” All in the hopes that if they insist on it enough, it will become true. The Damsel was not designed to be viewed in a vacuum. There are themes that run through her character, and including negative ones, and the denial of them is a far truer denial of the character than any sort of objectification could ever be.

Then the more moderate Smitten routers get a different response. A slap in the face. They did all of this, they had fun, they laughed with her, they cried when she was taken. They were connected to her, they had a real connection to what she was. One could even accuse them of… loving her. They honest to goodness cared about this Princess, they were invested in her story. Yet, in the end, they also formed her around themselves. They “molded her to love you”. As much as they loved the Princess, that was only because they cut out a piece of the Shifting Mound that they *could* love, a caricature of her true nature. They still took an individual, and despite truly loving her, made her into something that she was not so they could do that very thing. She is not a person. She is a plot device, an individual made to love and be loved with nothing beyond that. She is an object.

Lastly, those who went on the route of the Hero get that same slap in the face, that selfsame bucket of water poured over their heads, but in a different way. They didn’t try to objectify her. They didn’t want anything of the sort. All they wanted to do was the right thing. Right? Yet even in that desire to do the right thing, they still get that same chilling text from the Shifting Mound. They have built an individual just like those who went on the route of the Smitten. Just a different one. Not one who was built around your “glorious romance”, but rather one built around something of a glorious Romance. The need to be a Hero. The desire to do what was right, to save an unjustly imprisoned Princess. The Princess became a plot device in the end anyway, just one that needed to be saved rather than one who needed to be loved.

I want to continue off of that. The player is trying to do nothing more than the right thing, he is simply doing what a Hero should. And that determination to do what is right leads to him getting impacted the most by that line in the ending, the line that implies that whatever right he was doing, he was still being driven by selfishness, by that need to be a Hero. That hits the player right within where it hurts, it almost could be said to strike at the one emotional vulnerability of them. To have your hard work, your pain, your desire for what is right to be considered nothing more than the delusions of a Don Quixote tilting at windmills in order to fight giants, just as lost as Smitten, that doesn’t feel too great. It almost minimizes your struggle, and it is genius. You play as a Hero because you want to feel like a Hero, not because the morality of this world means anything to you. It is stripping that meta-layer down one by one.

But objectification is not the only theme present. While it may seem like something of a potpourri topic to throw in, earlier on the server we were talking about the Damsel in particular’s perceptiveness with regards to perception. When the door shuts and locks, it is the first and only time the Princess gets visibly **negative** in any way during the entirety of the Chapter. Even when you kill her, she still does so with nary a frown on her face. Even as a tear rolls down her cheek, she still smiles. But not at the door. The narration points out quite clearly that she frowns. This is, I reiterate, the only thing that happens. And her response is not “we’re stuck down here”, it is not “I’m unable to leave now”.

What it is happens to be “that’s not supposed to happen”. She recognizes the construct in a way very few allude to within the game. Adding onto that note, within the Scorched Grey chapter, she (correctly) determines the very nature of the construct and that inherent “cycle of violence and despair” inherent to it, even (correctly) determining that the only way to leave was to annihilate that very construct. This is shown even clearer at the other major event at the door. When you ask if the Princess can open the door, the sole question she throws back at you is “Do you think I can?”, and after a response in the affirmative, “Then I can”. In the end, it is quite clear that she is, *heavily* ironically, one of the more aware characters in the game with regards to your circumstance.

While speaking of the Scorched Grey, I think this route also exemplifies another major theme – the nature of the Princess as a being of perception. All routes exemplify one facet of the Shifting Mound: Spectre represents the gravity of her, Tower her divinity, Prisoner the very incarnation in and of itself of her within the construct, and so on. Damsel has something different, though, and that is that she’s just a slippery little fella. Far more than anybody else, Damsel changes throughout her chapters, in ways more pronounced than anybody else. The Shifting Mound declares that we “molded her to love you”, as I quoted previously. That molding takes stage front and center throughout all of our interactions with her.

The most obvious example is her deconstruction, which when her sole true motivation (to leave) is discarded, she begins to break down, unable to offer to the player anything beyond the only desire every other Princess has. With the compulsive need to love the player, etched into her core, there is nothing she can do other than try to add to that love, losing herself within the process. But that is not the only time she changes. Because she is willing to give up that freedom in, well, a heartbeat. Attempting to kill her does not lead to any sort of resistance from her. The one goal she had, staying alive and winning her freedom, is out the window despite being (questionably) willing to kill for it in the last chapter. Now, throughout the Scorched Grey, it’s made clear that she did not, in fact, want to die, that she just wanted to be free together, but the complete unwillingness to save her own life is a stark contrast to the first chapter.

In fact, that perpetually changing nature alongside her being so objectified means that it’s really, *really* hard to figure out her true character. There is very little in her that does not change and very little remaining that isn’t specifically put there by you. She is an eel, wriggling out of your grasp and impossible to pin down, in a large way like the Shifting Mound herself. But… for the most part, there are two facets to her character beyond the already listed themes. And a sharp divide between them.

Chapter One Damsel and Chapter Two Damsel are not the same person. That’s usually true for most of them, but they also usually have some semblance of similarity between their counterparts. The only exceptions I can think off the top of my head are Spectre and *maaybe* Stranger if you want to count that. The rest of them act as exaggerated versions of the existing individuals shown. Chapter One Adversary likes fights. Chapter Two Adversary likes fights. Chapter One Witch is built on the back of distrust. Chapter Two Witch is built on the back of distrust. Everything lines up nicely.

That is not the case for the Damsel. The only thing that you can say with both of them is that they are nice and do not want to hurt you. The Chapter One incarnation (henceforth Princess) is a tragedy of a character that doesn’t want to kill you but still must to secure her own life and freedom against a renegade puppeting you. The Chapter Two incarnation (henceforth Damsel) is a Horror-”Feel-Good”-Comedic-Tragic character that shows nothing about the emotional anguish she went through in chapter one. I love both of them, but they have an unmatched disconnect. And I think that sort of adds to the character. Now, there is absolutely a benefit from an emotional through-line (there’s a reason Thorn is my second-favorite chapter), but in this case, only brief touches to the beginning enhance the story.

The most striking thing is the sense of comedic horror that comes when Damsel just completely ignores any expected trauma from the Princess’s emotional destruction. It, depending on the route you take, either makes you love her character more and more as the humor begins to entrap you, or it begins the process of getting the player unnerved, exactly like the developers wanted. It is a key dividing point in the mindset of the player and the route that they have chosen. The Damsel says nothing about what happened, heck, she barely acknowledges it except to indicate that “You died!”

Secondly, it sets up Damsel as a sympathetic figure while still allowing her to begin establishing herself. Without the setup from the Princess, the player has no idea how to view Damsel, potentially even seeing her as a less on-the-nose Razor, with her comedically hiding her sinister intentions. The Princess allows the player to begin on a note that the Princess is *actually* friendly rather than simply pretending to be so. At the same time, it’s divorced enough that apart from that frame of reference at the beginning, Damsel is still allowed to shine within her own character.

Lastly, and most importantly, it sets her up for the Scorched Grey. The guilt at causing the death of an innocent and the belief that you would be unable to cause the death of an innocent yourself leads her to blame the construct and attempt to bring it down, which seals your fate in the third Damsel chapter, the only time where the two chapters meet in a beautiful climax of Passion going too far and causing pain, in attempt of running away from that very thing, morphing into something that not even the Smitten is able to remain devoted to in an awful tragedy of love being not enough in the end.

Wait, wait, wait. Did I hear “the end” being spoken? At this time of year? Localized entirely within this essay? Well then, it’s time to talk about what puts this saga at pure perfection, shall we? I probably could just use the awesome power of Ctrl + V to get the desired effect, but I still do want to offer my narration, so I’ll compromise and do a bit of both. “Your lover drives a stake into your body. And another. And another. And another. And another. Do I miss your heart because I cannot stand to see it go? But the stakes meant nothing to you. You had a desire, and you set that desire free, you lifting me and me lifting you, forever and ever and ever, consumed by true belief, there was nothing that could hold us back.”

Do I even need to explain why that’s so good? Definitively the best poem in the end, it isn’t even close, especially when coupled with Ms. Goodnight’s awe-inspiring delivery. Did I say that the Scorched Grey was the perfect synthesis of the Princess and the Damsel? I was lying. This is. Every word so lovingly placed, the language sounds like it comes from the pen of God Himself. It is emotionally resonant, the art is beautiful, I have not run into such a short piece of dialogue that outdoes it. Gonna be honest, mostly just wrote up this essay to gush about it. Even now, it is considered by most everyone to be one of the best lines of dialogue in a game filled with magnificent ones.

And the other one, that of the Scorched Grey. It’s simpler, ironically. “I kill you. You kill me. Back and forth we go, faster and faster and faster. I kill you. You kill me. Hollow eyes watch from the dry corners of a memory. A home built on all of the futures that were supposed to be, preserved until the moment of reunion. The fire of the heart sets it all ablaze. I kill you and me.”

This, this right here is one of the most slept on ending poems and it’s not even funny. So fantastic at expressing the heartbreak inherent to the Scorched Grey’s character. I don’t know how you can see the line “A home built on all the futures that were supposed to be”, especially with the Scorched Grey dead and charring in a wedding gown, and not feel *something*. It’s not as good as the standard Damsel stuff, but then again, nothing is. It’s still deserving of more praise than it currently receives, and one of my top three ending poems of all time, only edged out by Prisoner. Gosh, this game belongs in a museum.

Seems I need to debunk some stuff that happens to get a lot of traction regarding those who speculate on Damsel, too. First of all, her character motivation is not guilt nor gratitude. That sort of thing works incredibly well in fanworks, and I’m happy to see it ~~because that means I get to see Damsel in a fanwork~~. It has little to no backing within canon. Damsel is a chapter about the only motivations for the Princess being those put in place by the objectification of the player. There is nothing regarding anything beyond that, and it detracts from the existing, well-elucidated themes that are actually within the chapter. The only sort of substance to them is both Chapter 1 Princess and Scorched Grey indicating guilt for killing you, but that is almost entirely repudiated within the actual Chapter 2.

Speaking of the Scorched Grey, another thing I saw somewhat extensively is that you somehow “taught her” that killing is the way to love one another, and that’s why she kills you in Chapter 3, and I honestly do not know how that gained any traction at all. It’s pretty clear that she views all the death as a pretty terrible and messed up thing and only kills the two of you to escape the cycle of death. It’s spoken of as a means to an end, not an end in and of itself. I am genuinely confused on how this got started, because it really just… opposes the main *in-narrative* themes of the Chapter??? Like, you don’t even have to analyze it, it’s just within the text, plain and simple.

Anyway, I deeply apologize for the length of this once again, look forward to an appendix when Pristine Cut comes out. I’ve already played it because my uncle works at Black Tabby, but I don’t want to spoil it for you gents. If my opinions change massively after playing through the new update from today, I will change that too. Anyway, Damsel is the best character, literally does not do a single thing wrong within any of her chapters, has definitively the best Shifty stuff, and you should invest in her. As more people vocally become willing to throw money at anything related to Damsel, the likelier it is that we get Damsel merch. I need it so badly. Please. Anyway, if anything stands out to you or you disagree, I am begging you to tell me to get my act together and explain what I said wrong, so do that. Also please.

#slay the princess #the damsel #the princess #black tabby games #I spent an ungodly amount of time writing this up #But I honestly think this could be the be all end all work for this tiny character in a tiny game #Also #Seriously #Play Slay the Princess

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mikhailwrites · 2 months

Text

Soaring Ever Higher 1 - Ghoap/Ace Combat 7 crossover

Remember when I said it's gonna be a one shot? Yeah, me neither...

Ghost looks up, into the vast expanse of clear blue sky. To be honest, he never paid too much attention to it. His fight is and has always been on the ground. Now, he can’t help but wonder: how does being up there feel? There is no ground to support you, no cover to help you, no nothing, just you, the mission, and almost endless space. Is it freeing or terrifying? Maybe both? Maybe he will ask MacTavish, if they cross paths again...

This chapter on AO3 | Next chapter

„This is Bravo 0-7. I’m in position and ready,“ Ghost says into the com, crouching in the vegetation, trying his best to ignore a bead of sweat tracing his spine. Of all the places, the jungle is probably his least favourite. Everything around him slithers and crawls, the humid heat making him sweat gallons.

“Copy that, Bravo; ETA on Strider is T-minus seven minutes; be ready to paint the target,” Laswell informs him in her signature matter-of-fact manner.

Ghost takes the laser designator out of the backpack and mounts it on a tripod. The conditions are less than ideal; the sky is uniformly grey and overcast. It’ll be hard, if not impossible, for the laser to penetrate the clouds, and even then, there’s still a dense jungle that could thwart the attack. It’ll take a damn skilled pilot to make this work.

“Bravo 0-7, this is Strider 1 en route; how copy?” a new voice on the coms. Ghost’s eyebrow twitch in surprise as an unmistakable Scottish brogue greets him.

“Solid copy,” Ghost answers out of habit more than anything.

“Some taps-aff weather today, eh? I reckon I’ll be entering the OA in about three minutes.”

Sure enough, a few minutes later, a behemoth of a jet emerges from the clouds like a bloody reaper surfacing from the Styx. Ghost has never seen a plane like that before, all sharp angles and planes of dark grey stealth coating. It looks like something from a sci-fi movie. And right behind it comes the thundering sound, unable to quite catch up to the plane.

“Strider 1 entering OA. I’m getting a solid reading on the laser, moving up to drop the package. You might want to turn around, LT,” the pilot warns as the jet closes in on the target. The drop is flawless, and Ghost doesn’t turn away despite the advice. The jet thunders by, and a few seconds later, the whole enemy base goes up in an eruption of fire, debris and smoke. The explosion shatters the building and shakes the ground. Ghost is grateful for his protective headset because it most probably just saved his hearing.

“Bloody hell!” Ghost shields his eyes as the shock wave reaches him and, with it, the gust of dust and dirt. The worst of the dust settles in, the jet gone, up above the clouds once more, as if it was never here in the first place, a spectre of destruction. “Bravo 0-7, confirming a direct hit.”

“Happy to hear that. Strider, Bravo, you’re RTB. Get out of there before the enemy regroups,” Laswell instructs, just as Ghost is packing the designator and prepares to trek back through the jungle to the RV, where the helo will be waiting to pick him up.

No sooner than he starts to think the mission’s been a breeze, the bullets start flying. The base is destroyed, but apparently, what’s left of the enemy managed to regroup rather quickly. Ghost curses and immediately lifts his rifle as he scurries through the dense vegetation, hoping to lose the tail. There’s no telling how many are onto him, but it doesn’t matter; he’s alone, and that’s some crappy odds he doesn’t want to test.

“This is Bravo 0-7. I’m in a hotspot, multiple tangos on me,” he hurriedly explains his situation just as a bullet chips away at the tree not even a few feet from him. He has no choice but to throw himself on the ground to make himself the smallest target possible. “Fuck!”

“Break the contact and proceed to the RV!” Laswell urges him.

As much as he’d love to heed her words, he’s pinned down. “Negative, Watcher 1, I’m stuck!”

“I can turn around and make a sweep; he’s got the IR tag; I’ll see him and can provide support,” Strider cuts into the conversation.

“You’re RTB, Strider 1; do not stray from the course!” yet another voice, male, older. Perhaps Strider’s CO.

“I’m not leaving him there if I can help!” Strider 1 argues, sounding more irritated than agitated.

“That was a direct order, Strider. Return to base immediately! You are not armed for close air support!”

“I still have the 20mm; that’s more than enough! Re-entering OA in two minutes!”

Ghost doesn’t say anything, but he’s bloody grateful for Strider’s help, insubordination or not. Carefully, he turns and dusts one tango he has in his sights. There’s plenty more as another salvo of bullets flies over his head.

“ETA thirty seconds, Ghost; hang in there, soldier!” Strider says, sounding breathless.

“I’m going to have your ass for this, Trigger!” the man on comms shouts.

Ghost is almost tempted to say something at that point. Luckily, the grey war beast makes a hell of an entrance right then. Ghost’s only warning is a shout of “incoming!” as the fighter swoops in from the left and spreads some 20mm cheer across the jungle—the vegetation yields. The enemies do, too. The jet is gone, leaving an ungodly amount of devastation in its wake. Only to make a second pass from the right moments later. Strider had to pull off some serious high-G turn to be that fast.

It paid off, though. There’s not a single living thing near Ghost.

“I’m in the clear, heading to RV now; thanks for the air support, Strider 1. Much appreciated, mate,” Ghost says as he’s finally on his way from this hellhole.

Ghost can’t leave it alone. He wants to thank the man properly, so after a lengthy mission report, during which he hasn’t forgotten to stress that Strider saved his life, he heads to the hangar. Sure enough, the aircraft is there. Up close, it looks even stranger. Like it shouldn’t even be able to fly, let alone be capable of stuff Ghost had witnessed earlier that day. The jet is huge and imposing; short, diamond-shaped wings and vertical stabilizers placed on the outer edges of the craft only enhance the overall alien look. Ghost also notices distinct white decals on its vertical stabilisers: three scratches and a clawed paw. It feels familiar, yet he can’t honestly remember why. Maybe he overheard someone talking about it, or maybe his mind is playing tricks on him.

“Bonnie lass, ain’t she?” someone asks from behind his back. The voice is a little familiar now. Simon turns around to put a face to it. And is surprised. Pleasantly so. The man is a bit shorter and well-built, obviously fit, but that goes without saying. You can’t sustain high-G manoeuvres without some proper muscles and strength. His face is pleasant, too, thin lips curling in a smile. He looks like a father proudly displaying his offspring. Only the “kid”, in this case, is a multimillion-pound war machine. Ghost pauses his inspection on the mohawk. How cliché is that? Yet, it suits the man.

“What is it even?” slowly, he turns back to the plane.

“An old prototype made for the Americans. They went with a different plane in the end, the F-22. The two of these were meant for some sort of museum or whatever. Got a chance to rescue one, so I did,” Strider shrugs, looking at the plane almost lovingly.

Ghost hums in contemplation. The plane looks like a prototype, alright. But whatever does the Strider even mean by rescuing it? How do you rescue a jet? And why? “What’s your name?”

That seems to get the pilot’s attention. For a split second, he looks confused, then bursts into laughter. “Aye, that’s fair, boasting about my plane, and I haven’t even introduced myself.” He walks closer, extending his right arm. Ghost shakes it, noting the firm grip. “John MacTavish, call-sign Trigger.”

“Ghost,” Ghost replies, not bothering with his name and surname as he suspects Trigger already knows. “Thanks for… earlier.” The Lieutenant nods to show his appreciation further. Trigger truly saved his ass back there. What an apt call-sign, too.

“Don’t mention it. You needed a backup, and I was close by,” Trigger waves his hand to dismiss the gratitude, looking almost sheepish as if anyone would do the same. Ghost knows only too well it’s not true.

“You disobeyed a direct order,” Ghost reminds him, having a very clear idea about the reprimand and possible disciplinary actions that awaited John.

“I value life over the orders, anytime, and from what I’ve heard about you, I think you understand,” suddenly, Trigger’s face became unreadable, blue eyes searching Ghost’s own for… something.

The Scot is not wrong, but how exactly does he know? He has no idea. Ghost’s notoriety comes mostly from the mystery behind his mask and his combat skill. Sticking up for his teammates is usually not part of the legend.

At first, Ghost thought MacTavish to be yet another flamboyant hothead. Fighter pilots are an odd bunch, all of them. Yet MacTavish seems different, somehow. As if he wants to fit the stereotype; wants the people to see him for someone he’s clearly not. Why? Ghost has no idea. There seems to be a growing number of ‘whys’ around the man, and Ghost would be lying if he said he’s not intrigued. “I do, which also means that I can appreciate the sentiment all the more.”

“Tell you what, if you really want to thank me, how about you buy me a drink? I’m parched!” Trigger proposes, and the smile is back on his handsome face.

Ghost has a pretty good idea about where this is heading, but there are not many reasons not to pursue it. The bloke is interesting, entertaining, and easy on the eyes. If he’s game, then Ghost is, too. And if he’s misreading the situation? Well, he deserves a drink anyway.

“Give me a few minutes. I’ll finish up here and meet you by the gate,” John says as he takes a rag and cleans an oil stain on the nose of his plane.

Ghost nods and heads out. The night has fallen while he was in the hangar, but the base and especially the tarmac are always well-lit.

Ghost waits by the gate, just like Trigger asked him to. However, it’s already been over thirty minutes, and there’s still no sign of John. Ghost gives it another ten before he comes to an inevitable conclusion that he’s been stood up. Ghost shakes his head in disbelief. In his thirty-odd years, this has to be the first.

The Lieutenant chuckles as he starts to the barracks.

#Soap is Trigger #And flies YF-23 #call of duty #john soap mactavish #simon ghost riley #ghostsoap #soapghost #ghost x soap #ghoap #ghost mw2 #soap mw2 #ace combat #ace combat 7

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trillian-anders · 4 years

Text

beguiled

pairing: geralt of rivia x reader

warnings: violence, angst, smut, jealousy

word count: 3.1k

description: part 2 of 3. it’s been decades since you’ve last employed the witcher to help you dispatch of a spectre. you seek him out for him to help you with one more task and jealousy rears its ugly head.

The room smelled of mead. Sweet and sticky. Viciously spread through the bodies until they were dripping with it. Words cooed into ears in dark corners, a hand drifting up a skirt, picking at the laces of a dress. A brawl in the middle of the room over something trivial. A misplaced footstep. A bump of a shoulder, who knows. It was not a party unless someone had a broken bone by the end. It was not a party unless at the end someone was in critical condition.

The Queen sat proudly, poised and sure, nary a hair out of place. Sipping merrily but keeping her wits. Her eyes tracing the shapes of the walls, banisters, chiseled marble. Drifting out among her subjects, her warriors, to keep herself aware of what was going on below her pedestal. Looking down at the merry drunken fighters and the pretty little maids they set their eyes on.

As much as every kingdom felt like they were different, superior, they were all the same. Cheating Kings, spoiled wedding beds, hushed trysts in the night. Drinking yourself blind after an economic win, drinking yourself half to death after barely surviving battle. If the blade were not your end, surely it would be your poisoned liver.

Geralt had seen hundreds of these parties and surely, Geralt would see a hundred more. His cup never empty, a pleasant strum in his belly and his pocket full of coin. He was satisfied with his hunt, the unpleasant beasty falling to his sword, and the Queen paid him handsomely. The gift of a free meal and a warm bed to pass the night. Now he just needed a warm body to fill it.

A scent, familiar, stirred his loins. Lilac and gooseberries. The drift of it curling around him and tugging him away from viewing the brawl from his table. He could almost taste her, Yennefer, his nose picking up her scent. It tore him from the throne room, bathing himself in it as the crisp night air met his nostrils. Cup discarded he followed the trail, far into the hedge maze before him. The twisting and turning leading him towards her. Bringing him closer and closer to the center of the maze. To the small pond and bench, a large tree cloaked in the darkness of the night. The source of the scent directly below, but it was not Yennefer.

It was you.

A cheeky grin on your face as he tried to not show his surprise. Jaw set tight. Fists clenched in a subdued anger.

“Witcher.” You grin.

“What are you doing here?” You tug your bottom lip between your teeth, gazing around at the night lilies, the pond still and silent.

“The question dear butcher,” You muse, “Is what do I want?”

“You tricked me.” A statement.

“Your affection for Yenn tricked you,” You scoff, standing, “It just helped me bring you out here,” The castle behind him still standing, lights from the throne room casting shadows on the grass. “If I knew you had such an affection for her previously,” The last time you’d met, when he ripped the Hym’s claws from your back, “I might not have gone so easily on you.” His mind flipping back decades to the feeling of his back digging into the stone floor. He would be lying if it did not cause his dick to twitch in his trousers.

“What is it that you want Mage?” He was annoyed, you could tell that very well, but he could have just left so it is something.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you last…” Stepping towards him, hands on your hips, you peer up into his face almost flush with his chest, “How would you like to make a bit of coin? I have a proposition for you.” A heated glare, it stirs in your loins and sets your belly on fire. The scent of lilacs and gooseberries evaporating from the air.

“What do you want?” It was a bite and you place your hand on his chest, letting it drift up to hold the side his neck, pressing your breasts against him. Close.

“I need you to kill a little beasty for me,” A doe eyed look, your thumb coming to brush his bottom lip, “How skilled are you at alchemy?”

Very skilled it seems. Those little black vials of swallow sat in a satchel on his hip. Something tied to Roach’s saddle quite tightly as he rode. You lead on your own horse, taking him far away from the city and deep into the dark wood surrounding it. The mare’s steady hoof beats sync, and that is the sound between you. You could feel those amber eyes boring into the back of your head, you had not half a mind to wonder what went on in his. Good fortune brought him back to you, good fortune or that shiny gold coin you had kept for decades now.

His grace and mercy.

You turn to look at him, meeting his eye, “What’s going on in that pretty little head of yours?” You ask, “Daydreaming about someone else?” You did not expect an answer, and he did not give one. “You know, she told me about the wish.” The steady beat of hooves. “The wish you’d always find your way back to one another.” It felt bitter on your tongue. “And you made that decision after one meeting?” Bitter and sour, a bubbling in your belly. “I should be bereft that you hadn’t the same fondness of me, but then again she’s a bit more attainable. Powerful. It is attractive really. I could understand… if I wanted to.”

“All mages are powerful.” His low timbre, it sends a shiver down your spine.

“I’m sure her Elven blood helps her none.” You muse. A day’s journey it had been. A small village looms in the distance. “We should make camp.” As the sun begins to set. “I’m getting hungry.” By the river you set a fire, Geralt hunting game.

“So why do you need me to kill a drowner?” He asked, dropping a bundle of rabbits by the fire. “What do you need it for?” You furrow your brow, standing from your crouched position digging through your bag,

“I’m not paying you to ask questions Witcher.” He rolls his eyes, sitting heavily on an overturned tree, pulling the game into his lap to skin and prepare to cook. You shrug your coat back on, sitting across from him. The sound of wood crackling, he set the rabbit up on a makeshift spit.

“What happened with the King?” Of course, he would ask. The King whose son was now on the throne, the curse from the Hym gone from the town, but not forgotten. You were sure he heard tales of his own bravery there. Geralt of Rivia, whether it was fame or infamy was anyone’s guess, but if he did their dirty work for them, he could stay.

“He died thankfully,” You sigh, “His stupid little heart gave out… his son is on the throne now.” Geralt looks across at you, a strange look on his face. “You know, for a Witcher who is supposed to be above emotion you certainly show a lot of it on your face… What?”

He shakes his head, looking back onto the roasting rabbits before saying, “For a moment I wondered how you felt about it, if you felt anything for it anymore.” The guilt. To tell the truth it comes and goes, but you say to him,

“It’s long forgotten.” Which you are sure he does not buy it, but he drops it none the less. “When was the last time you’ve seen her? Yenn?” He shifts in his seat,

“Eight years now.” You hum.

“She’s ever the flighty bird.” An unimpressed stare.

“As if you’re any different.” He jests. You shake your head, sighing contently,

“I never said I wasn’t.” He looks at you for a moment more, debating something in his head before deciding against it. The dinner eaten in silence, you lay under the stars swathed in your coat, the fire burning into embers beside you.

“You were going to leave anyway.” A whisper. “What difference did it make that I told you to leave instead?” Silence. You could hear the crickets in the distance, singing for their night.

“Go to sleep.”

…

You dipped your toes into the river, the day was warm, you had been sweating in your dress. The outer heavy layers discarded as Geralt walked the length of the river you watched him from the corner of your eye as his amber orbs searched its depths. The Drowner was nearby, that you knew. A ghoulish figure that preyed on pretty milkmaids that were bathing in the river or pulled merchants from a low hanging bridge.

They are necrophages. They drown you and then devour your corpse. And you had brought your lovely Witcher to a nest. The pesky things were severely damaging your trading routes. A little business you had cultivated for yourself, your home being not too far from here, you sold the thing that people wanted the most, a mage’s services.

Your toes in the cold water would hopefully bring them to the surface, pull one out of hiding. You dared to venture deeper, shifting your skirt higher on your hips.

“Stay. There.” He says, eyes moving over the deep depths of the lake. “You always seem to have a death wish.” He murmurs.

“None more so than you,” You muse, kicking your foot in the water. “I’m sure if I were to be swept under, you’d valiantly save me… another song for your little bard to come up with. A tale of a poor maiden and the grizzled Witcher who saved her from a watery grave.” You watched your toes wiggle against the dirt of the lake floor. “Saving her from being eaten by a drowner, so thankful that she rode your cock until morning.” You laugh. But he paused. Settled on one part of the lake’s edge.

“Get out of the water.” Spoken in a panic. You had been in the water to your knees, amusement lost as his eyes met yours, fear. For you. You quickly tread to the edge, feet meeting the harsh rock bed of the lake as you tripped out into the mud, his arm pulling you away fully.

A head bobbed to the surface. It was an ugly thing, scaly and green. A sharp fin sprouted from its back with three spikes and devilishly long talons stretching from its long fingers. You had never seen one alive before, it took your breath away. As one head bobbed, two more sprouted behind him. Three.

“It seems as though the whole nest is hungry.” You tug your bottom lip between your teeth, walking backwards to grab your own sword. Geralt was brave and mighty but a nest of drowners at once was not going to be an easy feat.

“Stay behind me.” The foul creatures trekking through the muck towards the two of you, spreading area attempting to circle. You grip the handle of your sword, the creatures coming close. A swipe of their claws at Geralt’s belly. One moving to the side to encapsulate you. You press your back to his, hand thrusting forward and sending the two beasts on your side back before swinging with your sword and severing its arm from its shoulder. A gooey black blood pouring out. Thick and viscous.

You could hear the smooth movement from behind you, Geralt’s silver sword cutting through the air with speed and precision. Two bodies lay at his feet, one at yours. There is four more. Your hand moves out again, pushing the four back as Geralt lifts his sword and buries it into another, he pushes you out of the way of one’s claws and buries his sword in its belly, grunting and swinging again.

You huff as the last body falls, gazing over at Geralt. “You’ve got a cut.” You pant, wiping sweat from your brow.

“Very astute of you.” He glares, rinsing his sword off in the lake.

“It’s about to get cold.” You walk over to your horse, grabbing your boots off the ground, “Take their heads and let’s go.” You mount. He looks at you incredulously.

“Go where?”

“To my home.”

…

It was simple, mostly brick, one story home. It was not what Geralt was expecting. A garden overflowing with herbs, and a cat out front, lapping water from a dish. He dropped the heads in the front garden, he’d scrape their brain matter out later to make his swallow, something he’s sure you’d be able to help him with seeing as you had all the other ingredients already growing beside your house.

“Take your boots off when you come in.” You peer at him over your shoulder. “I’ll make a bath.”

The tub was steaming as he submerged himself into it. Scalding on his skin and burning on his healing cut as he watched you from across the room, stripped down to your shift. Comfortable enough in front of him for that, or maybe you just did not care.

“Have you always wanted to live alone?” He asked, “Is that why you’re all the way out here?” Truthfully, you did live in the middle of nowhere, but living alone, that was just,

“A side effect from not being able to trust anyone.” You shrug, pulling at the laces of your shift, he gazed at the side of your breast revealed, “A mage’s life is funny, being needed by everyone yet being important to no one.” He watched as you dropped the shift entirely, stepping towards the large basin to sink yourself in across from him. “But it seems like Yenn will escape that life too,” A green monster behind your eyes, “She’s important to you.”

“The djin.” He begins, “I don’t know why that was my last wish… I just…”

“You felt like she was your destiny.” A sad smile on your lips as you leaned over and grabbed the bar of soap beside the basin. “In an instant.” It was almost cruel. But he had to wonder,

“Why are you so jealous of her?” He watched you soap up one leg. “You’re just as beautiful, just as intelligent…”

“But alone.” He watches you dip your leg back under the water, switching to the other, “It wasn’t my choice to become a mage, but it was hers. She wanted this power. She wanted to ascend.”

“And you didn’t?” He watches your head loll to the side, resting your cheek on the side of the basin.

“I thought I did once,” His leg brushes against yours, your feet going into his lap, his hands caressing your calves. “But I thought once I ascended people would have to listen to me, that men would have to listen to me, but I just became… a toy. A pretty toy for men to play with.” You rub your foot on his thigh. “I don’t hate Yenn.” You admit, “She’s a good friend.”

“But you want what she has?” You give him a soft glare.

“Don’t get cocksure. I want someone to think I’m important to them,” You admit, “Doesn’t have to be you.” But you want it to be. A strange affection you had borne for him. It was too much, too open. Too raw. He tugged on your legs, pulling you through the water and to his lap, pressing his lips against yours. The meeting electric, hardening your nipples against his chest, his wet fingers burying themselves in your hair while his mouth consumed you. A soft moan like a prayer on his lips.

Your hand drifts down between you, stroking his growing length, hardening him under your gentle assault. His hand groping your ass, grinding your clit against his pubic bone. The rhythm simple, yet effective, his tongue parting your lips as you cum against him, his hand holding your mouth to his while you squirm. His cock found your entrance and bracing his feet against the bottom of the tub he presses himself into you. That burning stretch you remember making your eyes roll.

The water sloshes over the side of the basin as your hips meet, Geralt grunts as you roll your hips to meet his, your moans swallowed by his tongue. You’re brought over once more, his hand steadying your hips to grind your clit on his pubic bone, he lets you throw your head back, letting a loud moan rip from your throat as your legs begin to shake. He picks up a brutal pace, tugging on your hair and bringing your mouth back to his as you feel him release inside of you.

“Don’t tell me to leave,” He says, “Just don’t tell me to leave.” It is spoken into the column of your throat as he works his way through the aftershocks. It was too intimate. You back away. He is lost you. You step from the tub, leaving him in the grey water.

He watches you dry yourself and refuse to meet his eye. He sighs heavily, leaning his head back against the basin.

“You wouldn’t be so alone if you didn’t push everyone away.” It spills from his mouth before he could stop it. You glare at him; he could see your eyes grow wet. Fuck.

“It wouldn’t matter either way.” You wrap the dressing gown around your body, turning your back to him. He sees you look at a coin on your vanity and watches as you run your fingers across the surface. You sigh, “You know when I was a girl,” A harsh swallow, “You saved my village from a beast I hadn’t known existed.” You picked up the coin and turned to him, walking over to the basin where he stood from the water, your eyes locked with his. “Before you left, I placed myself beside your horse, trying to get a glimpse of an actual real-life Witcher.” He watched you move the coin between your fingers. “You gave me this, I was filthy and starving, and you gave me this coin.” You held it between your thumb and pointer finger, “And I’ve used it to call upon you twice now, but you can take it with the rest of your coin and those drowner heads as payment for relieving me of another problem and you can leave right now.”

“Y/N…” You drop the coin into the tub, it sinks down to his feet and he watches you crawl into your bed, facing away from him.

“Leave.”

tagged // @bookish-shristi @saturnki @jennmurawski13 @geeksareunique @the-soulofdevil @tinmunky @gifsbysimplysonia @alwaysbenhardysgirl @beck-alicious @msgeorgiarae

#geralt of rivia x reader #geralt x reader #geralt of rivia #the witcher #henry cavill

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kestrelmando · 3 years

Text

Open Water - Prologue

Shakarian (Garrus Vakarian x femShepard)

Warnings: Canon typical violence, language, canonical major character death

Summary: No Geth activity, no sign of the Reapers…She was frustrated that the Council and the Alliance weren't doing everything they could to prepare. They'd look into it, they'd send out a team to confirm what kind of tech it was that attacked the Citadel…Of course, it didn't matter that she and her entire team told them—repeatedly—that it was the Reapers. It had only been a week since the team was cleared from Huerta Memorial Hospital and already the higher-ups were already circling and denying.

Notes: Revamped and reposted. Basic background; Adrian Shepard, Earthborn, Sole Survivor, Paragade, Vanguard. I do call my Shepard by her first name frequently. Some mentions and short descriptions of previous Shepard/Kaidan but mostly Shepard/Garrus. Will cover ME2 pretty faithfully and some of ME3 before taking a left turn.

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Commander Adrian Shepard's foot was asleep. She inwardly cursed her habit of sitting on her foot and gingerly set it back on the floor, trying to ignore the odd sensation of pins and needles dancing across her skin. Her eyes felt bleary and dry; she was finishing her fifth report of the morning. No Geth activity, no sign of the Reapers…not a single nonorganic piece of shit she could let out her frustrations on. This was not a good day. She was frustrated that the Council and the Alliance weren't doing everything they could to prepare. They'd look into it, they'd send out a team to confirm what kind of tech it was that attacked the Citadel…Of course, it didn't matter that she and her entire team told them—repeatedly—that it was the Reapers. It had only been a week since the team was cleared from Huerta Memorial Hospital and already the higher-ups were circling and denying.

She glanced sideways at the clock sitting on her desk; Kaidan would be done with his rounds by now. Things had been…different. They had flirted all through the time they chased Saren across the galaxy and it had culminated in one night of stress-relieving sex. She cared about him, it was true, but she suspected that night meant more to him than it did to her. To her, he was a by-the-book pristine soldier and man. She was, well, not. It had been fun and she was open to seeing where it went but Shepard couldn’t shake the thought that she would always be Commander Shepard to him.

The LT had taken up some of Ashley’s duties, helping to maintain the armory and keep their gear in good working condition. After their night together en route to Ilos, Kaidan had seemed to let his guard down a bit. They enjoyed meals together in the mess and talking about their plans. He was always wary of spending too much time in her cabin, always aware this was an Alliance ship and there were regulations to be followed. She was glad that most of her crew had decided to stay aboard the Normandy, if only for a little while longer. Wrex had gone to Tuchanka to try to merge the clans and Tali was being dropped off at the Flotilla within the next couple of days. Garrus was headed to the Citadel to apply to be a Spectre within the week and Liara was going to publish her research about the Protheans when she returned to Illium. Most of the team had decided to go on one last mission, one last Geth killing spree. Except there are no Geth to be found.

A sudden scream jerked Shepard into an upright position, the datapad she was holding clattered to the floor. She started to stand when an explosion rocked the Normandy. Shepard was thrown onto the floor of her cabin; all the air in her lungs pushed out with a hard grunt. Adrian lay still for a moment, straining to hear. The sudden quiet was shattered by the shrill blare of the Normandy's alarms; they were under attack. She scrambled to her feet and ripped her armor off the table it had been resting on. She hastily snapped it into place, grabbed her helmet, raced out of the cabin, and rounded the corner to the rest of the crew deck. Possible scenarios were flying through her head but when she saw the damage all the probable answers disappeared. Flames that had already consumed the sleeping pods were rapidly spreading towards the mess—no ship had the technology to do this much damage to the ship from one hit. Shit. The console to activate the distress beacon was down the gangway to the sleeper pods. Adrian tried to remember where she could find a fire extinguisher. Another blast hit the Normandy and Shepard sprinted towards the elevator to avoid the sudden flash of fire.

“Mayday, mayday, mayday—this is SSV Normandy, we're under attack from an unknown vessel!" Joker called from above.

Shepard threw her back against the elevator doors, flattening herself as much as possible as flames licked around the mess tables. A sudden thump from the other side of the elevator doors made Shepard jump. Her comm crackled, "—pard….elevator—"

Dread filled her stomach and she slammed her palm against the emergency override button by the doors. She heard the locks groaning but not giving. Part of her crew was stuck in the elevator. Shepard's fingers flew across her omni-tool, trying to hack through the elevator's locks. Damn, she needed an engineer.

"Shepard!" Adrian whipped around to see Tali coming out of the infirmary, followed closely by Doctor Chakwas, whose arm had a long burn from shoulder to elbow. Tali's helmet was smeared with ash, her many veils charred and blackened.

Adrian felt her heart quiver; Tali and Chakwas were safe. Shepard closed the distance between them quickly and grasped Tali's elbow, "Tali—I need you to get this elevator unlocked, there are people stuck in it. After that, you and Chakwas get everyone to the escape shuttles."

Tali nodded and began working on the lock. Shepard then remembered; there were fire extinguishers in the medbay and the elevator. She began to head towards the medbay when Chakwas grabbed her arm, "There is too much fire back there!"

"Here, catch!"

Shepard turned to Tali's call and caught the small extinguisher. The engineering crew poured out the elevator followed by Garrus, who was pulling his helmet onto his head.

"Tali, Garrus—get them to the escape shuttles."

"We won't leave you." Garrus replied shortly.

"That wasn't a request."

Adrian turned and began to fight her way through the fiery hall that led to the emergency console. She peered over her shoulder to see Garrus and Tali looking after her before they both turned and began to usher people to the exit. The sleeper pods were twisted and blackened. She reached the console and, thankfully, it was still intact. Her hands flew over the holographic keyboard; Omega Nebula…Amada System…Unknown Enemy. She could hear footsteps behind her as she reached for her helmet and jammed it on her head.

“Shepard!"

She cursed. Everyone on the Normandy knew the procedure for emergencies like this. No one should be seeking her out. Kaidan watched her hit the final keys to send their distress call, "Will the Alliance get here in time?"

The console blinked out, "I'm not doing this just so that can find frozen corpses. We just need to give them time. Get everyone onto the escape shuttles."

The Normandy rocked again, sending Kaidan sprawling into the wall. Shepard dug her fingers into the console.

“Joker is still in the cockpit, he won't abandon ship. I'm not leaving either."

God damnit. "Get to the damn shuttles! I'll haul Joker's ass out of here!" Shepard snarled.

Kaidan paused, "Shepard…”

She shoved him away, hard, "Get the hell out of here!"

The set of his shoulders was tense but he complied, turning on his heel and heading towards the escape pods.

Shepard turned and ran back down the short hall and around the mess to the stairs leading to the bridge. A fire raged on one of the stairs and Shepard turned her face away from the flames. She raced up the curved steps to the bridge and stopped short when the door slide open. The Normandy's hull was nearly in half and the ceiling was gone. Shepard looked up. She was briefly thankful that her boots were magnetically sealed and proceeded to make her way to the cockpit. Joker's hands were flying furiously over the holographic keyboard and various screens.

She leaned in, "Come on Joker, we have to get out of here."

"No, I can still save her!"

Shepard bit her cheek to keep her voice calm, "The Normandy is lost, going down with the ship won't change that. Don't throw your life away."

Joker paused, then turned to look at her, "Yeah…ok. Help me up." Adrian had gently grasped his shoulder when he stiffened, "Shit, they're coming around for another attack!"

She braced herself against Joker's seat and ground her teeth together as the energy beam tore through the bridge. They had to get off the Normandy. Now. Not waiting, Shepard snatched Joker's forearm, not even wincing when she heard a loud crack, and hauled him to his feet. He hissed, face contorting in pain, but said nothing. Shepard tried to lower him as gently as she could into the cockpit's emergency shuttle when another explosion caused her to lose her footing. Shitshitshit. Her boots lost contact with the floor and she suddenly found herself floating.

"Commander!"

Her hands frantically slid along the smooth siding of the Normandy, looking for some kind of purchase—something she could grab onto when she managed to grab the corner next to the secondary emergency shuttle controls. She weighed her options and threw a glance over her shoulder. The ship was coming back and there was no way she could make it back to the shuttle before it destroyed her and Joker.

She looked at him. He squinted before realizing where she was, what she was going to do. He shook his head hysterically, "No! Shepard!"

Adrian hit the override and sealed his shuttle, sending it hurtling away from the Normandy. She tried to ignore his screams, his voice begging her to let him die with her. When the enemy ship fired on the Normandy again, Shepard closed her eyes and waited, she'd seen Sovereign shred enough ships. She didn't want to see the Normandy go down. The explosion knocked her away from the ship and she was rained with debris. She cried out when something heavy slammed into the base of her spine and sucked in a breath, trying to control the pain, even as her legs feebly jerked in protest. Shepard was floating away from the wreck and realized that she was heading towards a planet. I'm going to die, she thought numbly.

The Normandy exploded and she tried to ignore the constant spikes of pain as more debris hit her – until something punctured the tube to her oxygen supply. Shepard froze. Please, I don't want to suffocate. She would rather be consumed in the planet's atmosphere. Oxygen was hissing out of her supply and she frantically pressed her hands against it to try to stem the flow, body contorting. It was no good. Pain bloomed in her chest, as though her lungs were tearing themselves apart, and her heart raced ahead frantically seeking oxygen. Shepard stopped, realizing it futile, and turned her gaze towards what was left of the Normandy. Then suddenly everything slowed; her heart, her blood, her brain. Through her darkening vision, the escape shuttles looked like tiny shooting stars. The icy planet loomed ahead and Shepard knew no more.

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Drifting, falling

Floating, weightless

Coming home.

#kestrelmando #shakarian #shakarian fanfiction #shakarian fanfic #garrus vakarian #commander shepard #femshep #mass effect #there is no shepard without vakarian

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theoriginalladya · 3 years

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🖊+Caleb!

Oh, I’ve been thinking about this all day! Thank you so much for asking!!!

Okay, so, little known fact: Caleb, if he hadn’t been a Sole Survivor, would have gone the Ruthless route. However, deep down, he really is more ruthless than most people see. He’s lost so many people close to him over the years, starting with the Reds and then up and including Akuze, he sort of shuts himself down, in a sense; separating himself from that which can hurt him. It isn’t the best lifestyle, to be sure, but what else can he do? He closes himself off from the rest of the world in order to be able to do this ... except for a handful of people. Athair, but he’s stuck back in Ireland, so they don’t talk to one another often, let alone see each other. Anderson, well, Anderson gets the sort of ‘mentor’ tag from the get go, thanks to Athair’s connection. Coats, he and Coats become best friends, the closest thing to a brother Caleb ever has, because of a mutual connection [spoiler alert: next story explains this, so I’m not elaborating here]. Abby Williams, he doesn’t realize he’s let her past those walls until it’s far too late to backtrack. And Kaidan.

As for the other side of things: Caleb isn’t afraid to take on this role at all. He’ll make the tough calls. He’ll do the N7 training (this is more complicated for him than it sounds) and take on the N7 missions without hesitation. He’ll become the Council’s tool as a Spectre, but with one caveat: don’t get in his way when he goes and makes those decisions (he’s looking specifically at the Alliance and Council here). They put him in that position, they knew what they were getting, they have to deal with it whether they like his choices or not. (In other words the Council shouldn’t be surprised when he doesn’t call them after missions. at least that way he doesn’t have to hang up on them! lol)

#ladya's OCs #Caleb Shepard #character asks #OC asks #thanks to much for asking about him!#shadoedseptmbr

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eroticcannibal · 4 years

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Sorry to slam into your inbox about it like 7h late, and like,, a couple thousand more characters than I intended big oops there, but there’s never a good opportunity have an actual dialogue, so hello hi I am a Trans Person of De/Retrans Experience™ and I cannot express like the incredible internal tension being trans AND detrans at the same fucking time! And how horrible it is to know that bc from the outside my transition path looks like a tale of “teen transitions then returns to ‘actual gender’ in early adulthood” my family/acquaintances think I have regrets that I DON’T and that trans-ness is a phase and nothing I have done, to their eyes, contradicts that, no matter what I *say* about my experiences and reasons it doesn’t matter bc of what I look like! None of them take my word seriously! Like, I’ve been trying to change the narrative n talk w the ppl around me about this for a few years now, but I can’t tell you how hard it is, esp when like *admitting* to ppl you have first hand experience is seen as like inherently shameful/a reason to ignore you. Like, how hard it is to try and divorce the de/retrans narrative from regret? The fact is, most ppl I know in situations close to mine are nonbinary and “swinging back” from binary transitions/IDs or otherwise had to make a choice to retrans for like many different personal reasons, and don’t actually **regret** transition or their choices. Even ppl who profess to want nuance are unwilling or unable to engage w the mechanics of radfem recruitment of detrans ppl and discussions of how to effectively counter it (esp w/o having like any kind of community of non radfem ppl of de/retrans experience), or get angry when you point out the similarities it has w their targeting of young disconnected lesbians (seeking out the isolated, the feeding of “you’re the Most Oppressed”, giving [bad] reasoning and grounding to ppl experiencing pain and confusion). Anyway, I’m not saying all de/retrans ppl are prefect, and ppl who like identify as “detransitioned” have a real tendency to be huge gender (bio)essentialists and it’s Actively Awful, but like sometimes it feels like I’m actively begging for ppl to engage in meaningful discussion and tangible community building actions between the other flavors of gender failures around them and it falls on deaf ears, and it’s incredibly frustrating! Op Ed time, but there’s really something to be said for how society instills the Fear of Transition Regret™ into us and holds up the image of a detrans person up as emblematic of it, and I think we try to distance ourselves and the community from the entire concept, minimizing using studies of how uncommon regret is, and narrowing the de/retrans definition “it’s not detrans unless you ID as../if you don’t..”, and being confronted w the living form of the Spectre of Detransition, whatever their story, we recoil from it, creating a space that is inherently unwelcoming for de/retrans ppl. And there’s a limbo out there atm, for ppl who cant or don’t see themselves as trans (anymore?), but who’s experiences (and bodies?) are decidedly Not Cis(anymore??). It certainly doesn’t help that like, the three routes ppl seem to take are like 1)detrans terf/otherwise gross gender essentialist bigot 2)I ID as trans still, do not use these words to describe my experience, and don’t talk about it 3) disappears into the ether to never speak of my experience again, so its again v hard to like build some semblance of autonomous community n connection that doesn’t get coopted by radfems. Anyway, sorry for the mini-festo, but I’ve been sitting on some thoughts for a while it seems and the like 3 posts I saw just smashed open the floodgates oof

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Thank you so much for taking the time to write this, this is incredibly important and I’m so sorry that you are stuck in that position, it genuinely sounds awful.

I am absolutely on board with supporting de/retrans folk, but I’ll be honest, with not having those experiences and with how they aren’t talked about outside of “if u trans u will REGRET IT”, i’m kind of at a loss as to *how* to do that other than “ur valid” which... just isn’t enough. I do firmly believe that given how complex those identities are, because they aren’t going to fit neatly into a cis/trans binary, that it is vital for the trans community to have space for those people (lets be honest, cis people ain’t gonna) even if the person in question doesn’t ID as trans any more, but I would love to know more about how to foster a welcoming and supportive environment for de/retrans folk.

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darkzorua100 · 5 years

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Well now that the initial shock has settled in and everyone is basically in agreement that our new antagonists for season 3 are more then likely going to be Human!Ai and Human!Roboppy (probably more in a henchman-like role for her though (I can already tell the dialogue between these two is going to be hilarious), I wanted to go more in depth on this because there is just so much to dissect on what Ai is planning on doing and just how far he is willing to go to complete his goal of what we can all assume just from the ending of episode 103 is to bring back the other Ignis (Flame, Aqua, Windy, Earth, and even Lightning (who is the main reason the other four are dead in the first place).

The key thing to note in this whole thing from just the simple scenes of Ai at the beginning and end of episode 103 is that he seems to be driven by guilt. The guilt of not being able to save his kin. The guilt of being the last Ignis. Maybe some guilt of not being there when the Cyberse World was destroyed by Lightning and Bohman. Maybe if he was there, he could have been able to stop Lightning before any of these tragedies were set into motion. Maybe at that time he could have been able to talk Lightning out of his plan and try and help him not seem so inferior. After all, Lightning did say that Ai was the wisest of the Ignis and the one to truly show them what it meant to have free will.

Now we have already seen first hand what guilt can drive a person to do in this series. I mean look at Ryoken for example. He has a giant guilt complex. The guilt that lead him to freeing the Lost Children because of him leading to Yusaku kidnapping and what his father was doing to him and the rest of the children. The guilt that made him feel responsible for what happened to his father because of that one simple choice. The guilt that lead him to almost nuking the whole world wide web to make up, in his eyes, his previous mistake that got his father killed. Guilt is just terrifying on what it can lead someone to do to try and set things right. The purest of people can make the worst decisions when they aren’t thinking straight if they truly believe that it will make amends to their crimes, even if it means committing another crime to do so. And that’s exactly how I see season 3 playing out in terms of what they are going to do with Ai’s character.

I don’t see Ai as the villain in the typical sense. He isn’t going to be the bad guy just to be the bad guy and turn on humanity just because he feels like it or blames humanity for what happened to the others (since again that was all Lightning’s fault (but I guess you can make a case for Earth’s death but again that wouldn’t have happened if Lightning didn’t destroy the Cyberse World in the first placing, forcing everyone to flee for their lives). Again like Ryoken in season 1, he probably thinks he’s doing the right thing even if the way he’s going to go about it will be completely wrong. Now there’s the whole debate if he has gone a little crazy (as the new opening has shown with his psycho expressions that we are all familiar with when it comes to Yu-Gi-Oh villains) but it is still up in the air at the moment if when Ai took in Lightning’s remaining power, he also took in some of his madness (in a Yubel/Light of Destruction kind of situation from GX) or when he reformed himself from the backup he left in Roboppy, he didn’t come back completely the same and became corrupted over time. Still I don’t think Ai will turn pure evil because of either of these reasons. His views might just get a little warped and mix in the already existing guilt of not being able to save his kin and that just doesn’t sound like a good combination to be left unchecked. It also doesn’t help that Ai was based on Yusaku and we all know how Yusaku handled his trauma during season 1. If the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree with these two, revenge might just be Ai’s best medicine (btw amazing parenting right there, Yusaku).

Which leads me into what Ai is planning on doing from within SOL Technologies. Safe to say, there is a LOT Ai can gain if he’s able to take out Queen (which is what more then likely is going to happen). If he can take control of SOL, he has access to the main controls of Link Vrains and can start screwing with the system for whatever else he has planned. He will have their new androids, the SOLtiS, under his control (which he can use to give the other Ignises human bodies such as himself and Roboppy have (since I think they already stole two of them to give himself and her human forms) when he is able to bring them back or if he does go mad with power during all of this (since absolute power corrupts the mind absolutely is a thing), he will have an android army in the making). They still have some of Earth’s data (which I’m pretty sure Ai hasn’t forgotten that little detail and is probably going to enjoy murdering Queen for dissecting his friend (after all he said his famous “I’m starting to hate humans too” line after he found out what happened to Earth (again revenge is the best medicine) which he can use to find a way to bring back Earth or to use as a starting block on how to. And if all of Earth’s remaining data is still inside of Go, pretty sure SOL will still have Go’s file on hand, meaning that Ai can easily find him and take him out to get his buddy’s data back. And most importantly, Ai will have access to all the Lost Incident files. SOL Technologists was the one to cover the whole thing up so they should have records of everyone who was involved. If Ai really wants to bring everyone back, the best route, if he has no other options, might just be to recreate them from their source, aka their Origins.

I talked about this little theory of mine the other day so I’ll just quickly sum it up. Takeru, Miyu, Spectre, Jin, and WO aren’t in good positions right now and might have to go through the Lost Incident again just to bring back Flame, Aqua, Earth, Lightning, and Windy if Ai is really willing to go that far. Heck he might even guilt trip Takeru into willingly participating if he himself is missing Flame that much (since I think Soulburner is going to lose to Revolver because he doesn’t have Flame with him to help him and that’s what’s going to cause Takeru to really try and find a way to being his partner back). However they aren’t the only ones in danger. If Ai wants to recreate the Hanoi Project to a T, he might also go after the Knights of Hanoi since they were the ones to create the Ignis in the first place. Obviously since Dr. Kogami is dead, I don’t think they are going to be exactly perfect (more on that in a bit) so he’s going to go for the next best thing in Ryoken since he obviously knows the Ignis algorithm because his father taught him. He could also go after Blood Shepherd, Kusanagi, and/or Yusaku since they all also know their algorithm but Ryoken makes the most sense in this situation. Back to Ryoken, I think it might be some nice character development for him (since last episode kinda had him regress in it a bit in some people’s eyes) if he’s the one to try and get Ai to stop what he’s trying to do, not because of his whole anti-Ignis thing but because he knows what it is like to be completely driven by guilt and he also knows what it is like to lose someone dear (aka his father) and trying to being back the dead isn’t a good idea (if anyone here has seen Pet Sematary, you know what I’m talking about).

Which leads me into the fact that if the other Ignis do come back through this way, I don’t think they are going to be the exact same. They might not be fully operational, they might not have free will anymore or their memories, or they might all just come back as super anti-human and turn on their human friends (on that note I will cry if Flame comes back and tries to kill Takeru like Windy did with his partner). We saw what happened in ARC-V when Leo tried to play god and bring back Ray. Things go horribly wrong fast. This season could very well end up like that, where all the Ignis do stay dead, with Ai joining them, with the show ending on the note that we shouldn’t let technology get this advanced or bad things happen or on a more happy note with all the Ignis do coming back and showing us humans and artificial intelligence can live together just like how Yusaku and Ai dreamed of.

Now I want to talk about Yusaku and Ai and what the actual hell is going to happen between these two. Just from the new opening alone, these two are going to clash at some point but the question is over what? Where is the line going to be drawn between what is right and what’s wrong? I don’t anyone on Team Playmaker will object to trying to bring back the other Ignis (besides maybe Lightning) since Takeru clearly misses Flame and Aoi with Aqua. I’m willing to bet that Spectre would also want Earth to return and be able to meet his Ignis. So it has to be the method of what Ai is willing to do in order to accomplish his goal that is going to drive the wedge between these former partners. Like I stated before, if Ai is willing to try and recreate the Hanoi Project and put Takeru, Miyu, Spectre, Jin, and WO through that hell again just to recreate his family, obviously Yusaku is going to have a GIANT issue with that, even if he wouldn’t be about of it again. Yusaku has finally been able to move on from that event. Takeru finally has been able to move on. Everyone is finally looking to be able to move on (well we don’t know much about Miyu, Jin, and WO at the current moment but you get the idea). To thrust these teenagers back into this event is nothing short of just pure wrong. And Ai knows this. He knows VERY well what the Hanoi Project did to Yusaku. What it means to him to finally be able to move on from it. And yet if it means being able to bring back his kin, to fix everything that he blames himself for, a necessary evil is justified, right?

No, it isn’t. Not even in the slightest. Even if it doesn’t get to that point, going after SOL to begin with (from the looks of things) was a step in the wrong direction if Queen gets murdered next week (which again I can very well see happening if Ai is still pissed at her for murdering Earth). That’s why I see Playmaker being the one to confront Ai first, not the only way around because Ai has obviously no reason to go after Yusaku at all. He has risked his life time and time again to save his partner and might not want to bother him for something he purely blames himself for and trying to make immense to everyone he has made sad because of him not being able to save the others from within Bohman. Unless Ai goes freaking yandere crazy for some reason (which I’m not objecting to since since I’m ALL for the yanderes in this franchise (Yubel is my favorite Yu-Gi-Oh character for a reason) and is willing to hurt Yusaku in order to protect him (for some reason I keep thinking of a scenario where Ai tries to use his and Yusaku’s Link Sense to try and rip Yusaku’s consciousness out of his human flesh and try and throw it into an android or make him into an A.I just so he can live forever and not pass away over time (because after this guilt trip, I think Ai will lose the last bit of his sanity if something does happen to Yusaku), I don’t think he will fight Playmaker until that line is drawn and Ai comes to the realization that since Playmaker isn’t with him, he has go to against him, even if that means it will destroyed both of them emotionally, especially in terms of the dream they share together.

So that’s pretty much my initial theories to what we could be expecting from Ai going forward into season 3. This season very well has the potential to be the best season yet for Vrains and I very much hope it doesn’t disappoint in regards to how they are going to write Ai in this role.

On one final random note, I am curious to know though if we are just going to be seeing him in his human form 24/7 now or if he will occasionally be back in his Ignis form once in a while. I mean from what I’ve been seeing, I don’t think anyone wants to see Ignis!Ai again because damn boy, you definitely took after Ryoken in the looks department after apparently digitally puberty hit you like a truck. On that note, Yusaku and Ryoken, do something about your teenager child before he actually does murder someone!

#vrains #vrains spoilers #Thoughts #theories

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borderlandscast · 5 years

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his dark materials au part two, including discworld au

whoop whoop, have some more worldbuilding bits. i’m not sure when the third part of this is coming out since i’m done with it for the time being, and want to concentrate on pulling a story together from this hot mess.

it’ll probably be discworld au next, so look foward to that!

nilesy:

scottish. fluent in multiple languages thanks to the many witches that pass through his seaside consul.

works as a witch’s consul, who serves as an intermediary between witches and humans. he fell into the role when tensions increased between the two parties when humans began to expand their towns and roads into witch sanctuaries and territories. as the only son of a married witch and human, nilesy has a near perfect understanding of both sides’ customs and psychology.

nilesy’s daemon is a grey and brown scottish wildcat named ‘lyndon’, goes by ‘she/her’. she has a scrap of treated selkie skin tied around her neck which enables her to glide through water (catfish, get it). she can move like a witch’s daemon, which creeps out a lot of people.

lyndon is a free spirit. she wanders freely at her leisure through the town or around home. reserved like nilesy is, lyndon takes a while to warm up to others. she rarely speaks, but shares a close bond with nilesy. the two are inseperable, and she also acts as the consul in nilesy’s place if he’s not present.

one of ravs’ best friends since they were kids. ravs is his favourite courier since ravs isn’t nosy, never loses a package or letter, is on time and never misses an urgent appointment. he also maintains ravs’ horde of specially trained carrier pigeons as a side hobby.

lives beside the ocean in a small beach cottage just on the outskirts of a port town. nilesy and lyndon keep to themselves. they fish and maintain their own garden, with the help of some witch magic. nilesy always wins the largest vegetable challenge within the town, and is the reigning champion for three years running.

nilesy enjoys a good book, but he’ll also happily pounce on any juicy gossip that goes his way. that’s in part to his job and because he’s a busybody. he’s also quite well connected, since nothing passes through the port without his knowledge.

a little bit shy and a recluse, given his mixed heritage. he has many acquaintences and collaborators, but few close friends. a few townspeople prefer to keep him at arm’s length but a lot like to stay on his good side.

will strife:

an otherworlder who passes into lyra’s world through an opening. will strife is here to win a bet to successfully open a railroad that spans multiple worlds, and is in search of suitable hub worlds.

will strife is from a minecraftesque world that has sky factory elements to it; his world suffered through multiple apocolyptic events, and always pulled back from extinction by the efforts of the survivors. he’s from one of the more civilized steadings that focuses on self sufficiency, technology and research.

will carries around a top tier bag of holding, a collapsible crafting table, atomic disassembler and a cow in a jar, plus a whole suite of tools and weapons. he can craft anything, so long as he has the materials and the requisite recipe. all his crafting recipes are held in a manual that updates itself.

he also has the dimensional book technology, which enables him to ‘bookmark’ certain worlds by crafting a page for it and adding it to the library. he could also technically craft his own world like an overpowered god, but that requires finding specific pages, the majority of which were scattered throughout time and space by one of the aforementioned apocolyptic events. will is interested in these indestructible pages, and collecting information about them is a side hobby for him.

he lacks a daemon and doesn’t feel the need to meditate to see one (no matter how many times the ‘angel’ insists). he denies the existence of magic and more mythical events, largely since he refuses to believe that any benevolent god would willingly inflict such disasterous cycles on a world, and stand by and do nothing about it.

his ‘dust seeing’ goggles were an accidental invention when he dropped his weather ones into a special emulsion that was deemed a failure by a fellow artisan. after drying the wet goggles, will became aware that the whole world and people were saturated with the golden, swirling particles. it seemed especially drawn to the openings that were blocked off, having been dubbed too dangerous to go near. he decided to poke around the opening and search for any information surrounding it.

after that, will had an awful hunch that the universe kept trying to kill him.

parvis:

a low ranking angel serving as a sentry on the lookout for those on the watch list. angels keep a watch list for individuals most likely to cause harm to the authority and the doctrine keeping sentient life under their thrall.

will’s world is one of the luckier ones that escaped said regime since angels aren’t particularly interested in recruiting a world that goes through that many destructive and restorative cycles every century or so.

parvis’ main hobby is people watching (will calls it ‘stalking’, which deeply offends parvis). which is how he discovers will’s laboratory and his erratic and eccentric activities as a young artisan determined to make a name for himself.

will earns a place on the watch list when he invents the ‘dust seeing goggles’ and searching for info. parvis lets it slide, but another sentry reports it.

parvis saves will, and convinces will to follow his dreams of exploring the unknown worlds. this leads to the ultimate bet, and parvis insists on accompanying will.

parvis is composed of dust particles loosely arranged into a human figure; he has the wings but only two. he also clothes himself to emulate humans. he’s utterly enchanted by humans and their workings.

angels are genderless or agender by default, but parvis uses male pronouns for simplicity since humans can be weird about gender and all that.

he doesn’t remember how he became an angel, and is somewhat of a loose cannon by angel standards owing to his attention span and wavering devotion to the authority. he doesn’t care about finding out how he became an angel.

he lacks a proper flesh body, and thus, is generally unable to interact with physical objects to the same degree physical beings can. on the other hand, his vision overlaps multiple dimensions and he can spot openings from a mile away. he has a few other angelic abilities such as shapeshifting and universal translation.

parvis is surprisingly smarter and well read than he acts. he’s been around for long time (longer than what normal humans ever hope to achieve, anyway), and lived through multiple cycles himself. he claims he’s never caused one, but will is skeptical.

most of the time, people ignore his presence; he’s used to being brushed off as a spectre or coincidence. when will strife acknowledges his presence, this makes parvis very happy. it’s annoying when will refuses to believe that angels exist, and keeps passing parvis off as some sort of alien.

honeydew

an otherworlder from ??? (spoiler redacted), who’s been wandering lyra’s world for a decade. this is a secret. many debate his craggy accent and size, plus his vivid orange hair and beard. honeydew is a bit of a cryptid.

a gruff miner and geologist with a famous speciality in precious metals and minerals. honeydew locates veins in mountains and valleys as a means of making money, and is well travelled with his trusty daemon.

his daemon is an african warthog named ‘george’ who goes by ‘she/her’ as pronouns. she is tusked, and can carry as many items three times honeydew’s weight. she’s an excellent digger, excavator, transporter, bloodhound and businesshog. george exhibits a reserved and controlled demeanour in contrast to honeydew.

many think she’s as uncivilized in appearance, like honeydew. she uses this to her advantage to conceal her hidden strength and keen mind.

honeydew is fond of truffles. yes, those ones. he has a very keen sense of smell, which has come in handy more than once. he also boasts a range of survival skills; he’s also an avid herbologist and mycologist.

he is not fond of trolls, which he maintains are real, and avoids places with specific types of rocks and terrain; it’s almost superstitious of him to do so. he waves it off as being a custom from his home country.

he travels with a pickaxe. it has curious properties to it since it gives off an unusual sheen. it never leaves his sight or side. honeydew and george guard it zealously. he says it was a precious gift from a very dear friend of his, whom he’ll never see again.

despite his gruff attitude towards others, honeydew’s presence in towns along trade routes is a positive one; many enjoy his company, stories and down to earth (pun not intended) outlook. he is welcome in many places, including scotland’s premier witch consul’s seaside cottage.

honeydew doesn’t mind tasting dirt. this skill is more useful than you think. i’ll leave this post at that.

#borderlandscast: his dark materials

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darkmindsthinktwistedthoughts · 5 years

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Devil’s Temptation pt11

Warnings: Mob Styling warlords, Strong language

Masterlist

---

Chapter 11 – Spiral

“I don’t care about any of that just find her!” Takahiro’s voice roared in the loft space. He had been on his phone non-stop since discovering her disappearance. He snapped his cell phone shut and threw it on the coffee table as he took a crouched seat on the edge of the couch and ran his hands through his black hair in frustration.

It had not been easy to get out of that tunnel after the authorities had started to show up. Whoever had created such a disruption was clearly a very capable fixer. Who did this? Seriously the more I think of it the more it points to a professional. Once the official flashing lights and sirens turned up it was only thanks to the lingering smoke in the air that Takahiro and his men had managed to slip past them and returned to their vehicles. When the police knocked on the doors to check on the occupants it was easy enough to blag their way through the questions and be sent home pending further enquires.

There was no coverage in the local papers. The police had at least locked down that possibility. It was deemed an attack by an activist group and it was widely accepted that publicising such a thing would only generate the result that was desired for them by giving them publicity so the whole incident was covered with a gag order. It was one less thing to arrange. That worked just fine for him.

At first, he had thought that she had just been spooked and had left the limo even though he had told her not to because of the gunfire. She was always running. He remembered her as a child when the families got together for talks all the children were thrown together and told to socialise. We were the futures of our families. Each one of us had an insane level of pressure and responsibility on our shoulders. There was no denying that it was a different and easier time though. Although even back then he was aware of the shadows. How they shifted in favour of one child above the others. As different as those times were, they were still riddled with dangers. Grr… where is she?

“Here’s your coffee.” The soft chink of the mug being placed on the table dragged Takahiro out of his thoughts. “You might want to charge that soon that battery must be almost dead.”

“Probably right. At this point, it's less a cell phone and more a space heater.” Takahiro sighed as he picked up the freshly brewed coffee and took a sip. The bitter taste did nothing to remove the already bitter feelings that had been surging in him. Where in the seven hells is that girl? Not one of the people out searching for her can find any trace of her. The CCTV feed doesn’t show her leaving the tunnel from either direction. So, she either didn’t leave the tunnel or she was taken out some other way.

No doubt his men that were out searching will report back soon. If there was a different route out, he would soon know. But if someone took her… His mind wandered to the agreement.

“Is there a chance she ran away again?” Shin asked the concern he felt beginning to show more as he watched how unravelled his partner had become in his increasingly frantic search. It would not be long before news of the runaway fiancé got back to the supposed to be father in law, and that was going to start a whole new issue. Shin knew it as much as Takahiro did. When agreements go bad its terrible. When official agreements go bad, you might as well as never been born.

“There is always a chance but I don’t think so.” Takahiro muttered staring into his mug.

“Because it seemed like it was planned?” Shin pushed a little. If there was any way he could help he wanted too. It was his duty as the right-hand man but also his privilege as a lover to relieve the stresses of a situation if it was within his ability to do so.

“That and the circumstances are different. This time she agreed. No, this has to be something to do with someone else. It has to be.”

---

Whatever colour the food had been it was now a swirling indistinguishable mess. The more the spoon dredged through the mixture the greyer it became. Mitsuhide did not have an appetite, and it was similar for the other men in the room too.

Breakfast was as lavish as ever. Masa had not exactly been eating more than usual himself but one thing the guy did when upset was cook. There was always a lot of food but right now it looked like he could have fed every member of staff in the building.

“[Name]’s hardly touched this tray either. I can understand her being upset but I wish she’d eat more.” Hideyoshi announced as he re-entered the room after collecting yet another tray. “She hasn’t opened the door to say anything since then either. I hope she’s ok.” Mitsuhide kept his eyes trained on the swirling mess in his bowl. Of course, she isn’t eating much, She’s feeling terrible again and it's all our… no, it’s all my fault.

“The Lass is in shock she’ll come around eventually.” Masa looked concerned as well.

Glancing over at Mitsuhide who had been sitting in the same position for what felt like forever. Masa grimaced at the sight of the breakfast he had prepared being reduced to… well, whatever that was. It certainly wasn’t food anymore. It took talent to turn something edible into something that just looked like lumpy grey paste. He didn’t have it in him to call the other man out on it and instead averted his eyes over to the food at the side wondering what meals he could make with the leftovers.

“I hope she feels better soon. Did you see her face when she left? It looked like she was crying.” Mitsunari sounded as if he was a lamenting prince that had stepped right out of a romance novel. Always the reliable good guy. I wonder if you have ever broken a girl’s heart into a million pieces. Or perhaps you have and just never noticed. How many girls had been broken by little oblivious Nari?

“How is it you can pick up on that and you are incapable of seeing how annoyed you make me?” Ieyasu sighed in frustrated wonder.

One thing you could count on when surrounded by this group was that at some point something like this was only ever one comment away from travelling down the path of family squabbling.

“Thank you for pointing out my failures Ieyasu I shall try harder so you can be prouder of me.” Mitsunari beamed with all his optimism at the fluffy haired blonde sitting next to him.

“At no point have I ever said I was proud of you.” Yasu instantly went on the defensive. How cute, the fluffy hedgehog is playing with the puppy again.

“Is that so? Well, I shall try to live up to your expectations in order to change that.” Mitsunari gazed down at his plate as he mulled over what he had just been told.

In all their years working together, he was the one out of the group who always strived for improvement. He was diligent to a fault. The fault usually being that he would be so totally lost in study that he failed to survive without interference from Hideyoshi. He really is like a pet.

“What might help is if you hang around each other more.” Masa chuckled as he added to Yasu’s torment.

“Kill me now.” Yasu sulked looking a little like someone had just poured a whole basket of lemons on his head and told him to suck one.

It was a strange atmosphere. no one was what you could call happy, so there was no lively light-hearted feeling to the room. But at the same time, everyone seemed to be attempting to make an effort to remain as normal as possible. The phrase “damned if you do and damned if you don’t” crossed Mitsuhide’s mind as he sat there poking his blended meal around its bowl.

“Mitsuhide.”

“Mm?” Mitsuhide looked up at Hideyoshi who had moved next to him at some point during the morning’s entertainment.

“How are you holding up?” Hideyoshi’s worried gaze was too much. There he is in all his mothering glory. Oh no, you don’t its unsettling when you look at me like that. I neither want nor deserve your pity.

“Oh? Do I qualify for mother’s attention? I’m touched… truly.” Mitsuhide smirked. There is a limit to how much of this… treatment you can take. It is not so much a question of how, but when do you blow up? Are you aware that this is one of my most favourite games?

“You might be able to pull everyone else’s strings but it doesn’t work on me.” Yoshi stood tall in an attempt to be intimidating. Do you really think such tricks work on me? In all these years have such tactics ever worked on me?

“Really? And there was me about to compliment you on being a rather good marionette.” The spark in his yellow eyes flashed as he delivered his retort.

“If you can tease, you’re probably fine.” Hideyoshi visibly tensed. “Honestly I just wish she was…” It was clear he was too tired and full of concern over all the events that were still playing out like a badly orchestrated soap opera to really wish to retaliate. And that was just fine with Mitsuhide. All the joy I derive from such digressions I find has curiously left me bereft of a desire to pursue them today.

“You wish she was the little girl you remembered? All smiles and gumdrops and rainbows? You cannot turn back time Yoshi dear… as much as we may wish too.” Mitsuhide finally let go of the spoon in his hand and picked up his now stone-cold coffee, drinking it as he looked out the window at the storm clouds closing in. You aren’t the only one to wish things were different Yoshi. I would give anything for things to be different right now.

---

Food was flavourless. It hadn’t been like that since, well since she thought she had processed everything from back then. Any semblance of normalcy she had regained evaporated the minute she saw that spectre in the tunnel. I tried telling myself what happened wasn’t my fault. Every time I woke up for that brief moment when I was happy, caught between sleep and consciousness I thought I could feel him next to me. How many times did I pray to just be left in that state?

It was raining pretty hard outside now. The heavy droplets pelted the glass and trickled down.

“Tears from the sky.” She traced a finger on the glass following the traces of moisture as they fell. “I no longer have any left in me to shed.”

Trays of food were brought and left at her door it was the same as before and yet different. This time they weren’t strangers. She knew them. She also thought that they were her friends to a degree. But what kind of friend sees the pain you are going through, knows something that could make it better and doesn’t speak a word? Was it as they said and they didn’t know until after the funeral? Even if it’s the case they could have still said something when they sent over her things. Anything would have been better than nothing at all. wouldn’t it? Would it?

Her thoughts were all messed up. Nothing seemed to be following a single path of logical thought for long before it was derailed and sent off in a spiralling tangent. Appetite was gone, her mind likewise. Seriously what next? I feel like I managed to escape the frying pan only to jump head first into a towering inferno. [Name] picked up her cup of forgotten tea and realised all the heat of it had gone. How symbolic.

She sighed as she moved to the kitchen and poured the contents down the sink. I could make another but I think I’d rather take a bath and see if that helps. Just as she was moving to the bedroom to undress a firm knock at the door interrupted her plans. If I ignore it, they will go away.

– Knock, Knock –

Or not…

“[Name]”

Huh? What can he want?...

“[Name] I am not in the habit of repeating myself. Open the door.”

---

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iakatsukiray-blog · 5 years

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English Homework))

Hello. Today I will talk about my favorite pro-team in DoTA 2 - OG. OG was created as the new team of former (monkey) Business players. The team's breakthrough occurred at the Frankfurt Major in late November, 2015. They fought through the lower bracket, defeating TI5 champions and runner-ups, Evil Geniuses and CDEC Gaming. By winning the 2017 Kiev Major, OG became the first team in Dota 2 to win four Dota Major Championships. In August 2018, OG became the first team to win The International from an open qualifier. The final of the event was the subject of a 2018 episode of "True Sight", making OG the only team to be featured in the series more than once. In August 2019, OG became the first team to win more than one TI by winning TI9.

The International 2018: A Dota 2 Cinderella Story

TI8 was looming, but OG still had a tough road ahead: the brutal Bo1 gauntlet of the Open Qualifiers followed by the Regional Qualifiers. Due to the instability of the European scene in the past season, the Open Qualifiers were unusually stacked, yet OG managed to easily secure a Regional Qualifier spot through the first Open Qualifier. The team showed even more promise during throughout the Regional Qualifiers, ending the Group Stage without dropping a single game and taking the direct route to the finals in the playoff bracket. There they would meet another new team in Wind and Rain, whom they defeated 3-1 on the backs of Topson's Pugna and ana's Phantom Lancer, to become the only European Qualifier team at TI8. Placed into Group A, alongside DPC giants Team Liquid, PSG.LGD, and Mineski, OG's task at TI was looking daunting. It would not get any easier after disappointing results in the first day of the Group Stage: despite taking a game off of favorites PSG.LGD, they were later swept by Team Liquid. As a result, after two days of the group stage, OG found themselves in the lower half of Group A. But a fantastic third day in the group, going 5-1 in total, dropping only a single game to Fnatic, would prove to be enough to just secure OG a top 4 finish in their group and thus a spot in the Upper Bracket of The International 2018 Main Event. Group B winners VGJ.Storm naturally chose OG as their opponent in the first round of the Upper Bracket, as OG was still looking like an underdog. However, OG shocked their opponents, beating them in two straight games. Still, OG was considered the underdog for the next round against Evil Geniuses, where they would meet up against former teammates Fly and s4. Not unwarranted, however, as EG had been showing a fantastic performance up until this point. But it would not be enough against OG, who beat them 2-1 in an intense series for a spot in the Upper Bracket Final against heavy favorites PSG.LGD. And again, against all odds, OG would prevail and secure their spot in the Grand Final in another intense, nail-biting series against PSG.LGD: Game 3 had OG with their backs against the wall and LGD looked prime to take their Ancient. With ana's Spectre down without buyback, it would be Topson's Arc Warden that almost single-handidly defended against three LGD members and led the chase after the remaining two LGD members attempted to back off. With few heroes left, LGD was unable to stop OG's assault on their own Ancient. The Grand Finals would see a rematch with PSG.LGD, that would only be the second time a TI Grand Final would go to the full five games. OG took game one on the backs of Topson's signature Monkey King and ana's Spectre. But LGD would hit back hard, taking back-to-back games and putting OG's backs against the wall once again in Game 4: after a relatively even early and mid-game, LGD took a lead after consecutive kills on ana's Phantom Lancer and Topson's Invoker and were able to secure two lanes of Barracks. But mistakes on LGD's part and OG's fantastic teamfight execution in LGD's safelane resulted in Ame's Morphling being dead for two minutes without buyback and OG able to take their own lane of Barracks. From that moment onwards OG was firmly in the lead, but a clutch Blink-Call by Ceb would secure OG's comeback with three members of LGD dead without buybacks. LGD did not let themselves be shaken from that game, though, as they came out swinging in the final game of the Grand Finals: on the back of fy's fantastic rotations on Earthshaker, LGD was able to take a sizable lead after the early game. But once again it would be OG's superior teamfight execution, this time around Roshan's pit, allowed OG to take a commanding position and finally the game. With that OG were crowned as the champions of The International 2018. They took the long way from the Open Qualifier and were considered underdogs throughout the entire event until the final game, but ultimately they showed the necessary resilience to come out on top. It would be the first time that the West was able to take two TI championships in a row, as the familiar East-West cycle of TI champions was finally broken.

Active players roster: Anathan <<ana>> Pham (carry) Topias <<Topson>> Taavitsainen (mid) Johan <<N0tail>> Sundstein (support) Sebastien <<Ceb>> Debs (offlaner) Jesse <<JerAx>> Vainikka (support) Titouan <<Sockshka>> Merloz (coach)

I'm rooting for this team two years. My dream is get on Epicenter Major in Moscow and meet my idols there. This tournament usually is taking place at June. Unfortunately I can't get there due to exams. But I hope that in year I can visit Epicenter.

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wackomcgoose · 5 years

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"The Not-So-Haunted Factory" - Written for Arachnida (@blood-brainbarrier) for HWD Secret Spectres @hwdevents

Human AU, Highschool AU, platonic RusAme

Major shout-out to @littlekroshkakartoshka for beta-reading and for letting me use her Yugoslavian headcanons!

[Mood music: Code Lyoko - Kadic Mornings]

It is a blustery fall day. Alfred walks out of the school as the final bell of the day rings. Once out of the way, he pulls out his phone and begins texting someone...

-- heroicBurgers began pestering vodkaMagician --

[heroicBurgers] hey

[heroicBurgers] hey dude

[heroicBurgers] got any plans for this weekend?

[vodkaMagician] Нет, Фредка.

[heroicBurgers] ...dude, i told you i can't read vodka runes

[vodkaMagician] I said nyet. I do not have plan, Fredka.

[heroicBurgers] well then now you've got one

[heroicBurgers] i heard a group of kids talking about exploring that old factory this weekend

[heroicBurgers] you know, the car factory they say is haunted?

[vodkaMagician] Da... Your point is?

[heroicBurgers] my point is, let's go prank some freshman, dude!

[heroicBurgers] we'll make them think it really is haunted!

[vodkaMagician] ...

[vodkaMagician] Fine.

[vodkaMagician] Why you are like to prank freshman, I do not understand, but I will come with you.

[heroicBurgers] it's gonna be fun, ivan, get in the spirit already!

[heroicBurgers] see you there!

-- heroicBurgers ceased pestering vodkaMagician --

With that sorted, Alfred walks off to gather supplies and intel for the prank. This is gonna be great!

[Mood music: Code Lyoko - Sneaking Around]

That Saturday, Ivan makes his way to the supposedly-haunted factory, once again questioning the reasoning of his American-born friend. He arrives, carrying the few requested items: a gallon of glow-in-the-dark slime, an old construction worker's outfit, a spool of twine, and a crowbar.

"Dude, finally! I've been here for hours working on this already!" Alfred's voice can be heard from behind a pillar. Ivan walks over, discovering a rather elaborate device already being built. "Did you get the slime and outfit?"

"Da, I did, though I do not know why. Nor why you did not buy slime yourself, since you are living closer to craft store than me..." Ivan mutters as he hands the stuff over. "What is device?"

"You know those 'audio animatronic' things Disneyland's got? Same concept, but mobile. We're gonna have a 'ghost' ride up to the group, dripping ectoplasm, and scare the pants off them!" Alfred grins, beginning to put the clothes on the dummy. It appears to be one of those poseable store mannequins, attached to a large RC car, with pulleys on various joints.

Ivan mutters to himself in Russian, making Alfred pause. "Fredka, that is not how you scare person. This is how you scare person." He pulls out of his jacket, a piece of rusty-looking lead pipe, with what appears to be a hell of a lot of blood on it. Alfred turns white as a ghost. "...Relax, is fake blood! I scare you muchly, da?"

"N-Not f-funny, dude, we're supposed to be on the same side here." Alfred finishes 'clothing' the device, and picks up an RC controller. "Besides, we can't let them see us, or they'll recognize us immediately and the prank is ruined. What else you got?"

"Hmm... Maybe if they are see us, is problem. But... what if they are only hear us?" The Russian exchange student unpockets a pair of walkie talkies and a few small speakers. "Is from electronics store. Voice changer and different channel select, can hide speaker in different place and make spooky sound."

Alfred's face lights up. "Now you're thinking what I'm thinking! I was gonna buy something like that, but the store was out. High five!" He holds up his hand. Ivan slaps it hard enough to make Alfred wince in pain. "G... good arm you got there... let's try and find places for these... then I got some other stuff..."

The dynamic duo proceed to spend the next few hours setting up various spooks, traps, and jumpscares throughout the facility. The whole time, there is a bit of an evil look in Ivan's eyes, as though it's more than a prank to him. Alfred tries to look away, but he swears he saw Ivan's eyes flicker with a purple aura once or twice...

[Mood music: Wallace and Gromit in Project Zoo - Warehouse (Exploration)]

"This is gonna be great, guys! We're totally gonna debunk a legend, bre!" The Serbian girl walks into the factory, leading her three companions inside.

"...Eh? Is this why you dragged us out here at midnight, Brenka?" Looking around, the Croatian boy rolls his eyes, while the young Bosnian hides behind the Montenegrin. "Calm down, Izet, there's nothing to be afraid of here 'cept Brenka's imagination. And stop hiding behind Jevrem."

"D-Do you m-mean the f-factory o-owner who d-d-died here?" Izet says from his hiding place.

Jevrem yawns. "Can we go back yet? I got sleep to catch up on and a paper to not do."

Brenka stops in the middle of the entry hall. "That 'paper' is why we're here, actually! We have to write about local legends, and I thought why not debunk one of the most popular, the Lithuanian car factory owner that got--" She pauses, staring at the trembling Izet. "Why did you come along, anyway?"

"I-I was d-dragged here..."

"Oh no you weren't, get over it already," retorts the Croat.

"Yeah Izet, get over it and help me look for clues!" Brenka rolls her eyes.

"W-who put y-you in c-charge?" Izet still won't come out from behind Jevrem.

"That's very easy, bre! You see..."

Meanwhile, Alfred listens to all of this over a hidden microphone. "Heh heh... They're so distracted, it's the perfect time to scare them! Ready, dude?"

Ivan grumbles, wearing a ratty factory-worker outfit. "I still do not like idea, Fredka."

"The worker-bot can't go up stairs, I need a real man out there to chase them! Now hurry up and get into position down there..." Alfred looks to the factory intercom system, wired into the voice-changer Ivan brought.

[Mood music: Code Lyoko - Emergency]

"And that is why Srbija is best nation. Any questions?" Brenka beams, having just finished a fifteen-minute 'lecture' on why her home country is the best.

"WHO DISTURBS MY SLUMBER?!" A voice booms out, filling the room.

Izet practically jumps out of his skin, Jevrem's eyes snap open from their half-closed state, Andrej rolls his eyes, and Brenka grins. "Hah! I knew someone was gonna set us up, bre! Show yourself!"

"IT HAS BEEN YEARS SINCE NEW WORKERS HAVE SHOWN UP..." The creepy voice echoes throughout the facility. "YOU FOUR SHALL DO NICELY."

"You wanna fight this?" Andrej puts up his fists. "I'll knock you into the post-afterlife, chump!"

A pair of 'factory workers' shamble into the room, one wielding a rusty pipe. Izet runs off before anyone else can stop him, Jevrem in pursuit shortly after.

"It's fake, guys! Come on, stop being chickens, bre!" Brenka calls after the others, before turning and noticing the one worker walking up to her, pipe raised over his head.

"...Escape first, debunk later, Srbija!"

"I told you not to call me th--" Brenka objects before Andrej grabs her hand and starts running.

Alfred taps the mute button on the intercom, doubled over with laughter. "This is going better than I thought!" Watching the two pairs of kids run away on the monitors, he pulls out his walkie-talkie and radios Ivan.

"Dude, keep following the talkative Serbian and the other guy. I got the sleepwalker and the scaredy-cat." He picks up the RC controller as he resumes piloting the robot. "Best. Halloween. Ever."

[Mood music: Wallace and Gromit in Project Zoo - Diamond-O-Matic (Fight)]

Izet runs through the halls of the factory, Jevrem in pursuit. Shortly behind the two, the robo-worker swings a shovel.

"N-not d-dying t-today, n-not d-dying t-today..." Izet mutters to himself as he continues to flee.

"C-come on, Izet, I can't keep up with you like this!" Jevrem wheezes as he struggles to keep up with the fleet-footed Bosnian...

"In here!" Andrej drags Brenka into a side room, slamming the door behind her.

"What the hell, Andrej! It's just a guy in a costume, it's gotta be!" She manages to wheeze out, trying to catch her breath.

"Fake or not, whatever it is wants to kill us..."

The man shambles up, pipe in hand... but is stopped as Andrej slams the door in his face, sending him reeling!

"..." Brenka is stunned at what she just witnessed, before Andrej continues pulling her along.

"We have to keep moving... Where's the others?"

Jevrem finally manages to catch up to Izet, as the two reach a stairwell. Shortly behind, the robo-worker approaches.

"C-come on... T-there has to b-be a w-way out!" Izet stutters.

"Yeah... upstairs." Jevrem grabs Izet's arm, and begins to pull him upward.

"W-why? W-we'll be t-trapped!" The robo-worker approaches... and bonks right into the bottom stair! It stares up at them neutrally.

"...Very interesting..." Jevrem notices this, staring suspiciously at the stuck pursuer.

"M-maybe z-zombies c-cannot c-climb s-stairs?" Izet offers.

"Ne... I think there is something else going on here." Contemplatively, the two kids run up the stairs.

Alfred groans, staring at the camera feed from the robo-worker's 'eyes'. "Drat. They figured out its weakness already. Well, maybe Ivan's onto something with the two loudmouths..."

He flips through the camera feeds in the control room, noticing Brenka and Andrej approaching a blast door, Ivan in pursuit. "Heh... perfect." Planning to trap them, he hits the button to close the door.

Up ahead of Brenka and Andrej, klaxons begin to blare as the door lowers in front of their escape route.

"Not good, bre! Who is doing this?!" The angry Serb looks around the room.

"Figure it out later!" Andrej runs under the door. Brenka slides under, but her šajkača is knocked off her head in the process!

"Oh ne!" She looks back, seeing the special hat under the closing door. With impressive reflexes, she reaches back, grabbing the hat right as the door slams shut! A thump can be heard as their pursuer faceplants into it.

"You... went back for a hat." Andrej raises an eyebrow, watching Brenka put the hat back on.

"...Do not disrespect my šajkača, Croatian." She gives him an angry glare that could weld a door shut. "Now come, bre. I see stairs ahead."

Andrej giggles at her, as he gets up and follows her toward the stairwell. "Heh heh, you said 'come'."

"Darn it..." Alfred mutters as he realizes his 'trap', actually trapped his partner in crime instead. He looks at the cameras, not realizing which stairwell the kids are walking up...

"And just what do you think you are doing, bre!"

"W-Who are y-you?"

"Guys, I think we found the mastermind..."

"What was your first clue, eh Jevrem?"

Alfred's face goes white as he turns around, seeing all four of the kids standing in the doorway, staring at him. "Well, shit."

"So. What was the meaning of all this?" Brenka says, pacing back and forth in front of Alfred and Ivan. The two pranksters are sitting in the middle of the control room, surrounded by the other kids.

"Do not blame me, was all Fredka's idea." Ivan points out.

"Duude..." Alfred whines, "I didn't /force/ you to come, you /wanted/ to be here!"

"W-what should w-we do?" Izet stutters out.

"You think we should dress them in something embarassing? Heh heh heh..." Andrej imagines what kind of stuff they could make the duo wear.

"...Actually, I think I have a plan." Brenka pulls out her phone, showing off a picture. "They are called opanci. Very weird shoes from my homeland. We will make you wear them to school for a month, bre!"

Ivan flinches at the sight of the ridiculous shoes, while Alfred laughs. "Hah, do your worst! I lost my dignity years ago when my older brother made me wear a tea bag costume!"

Andrej laughs, while Ivan mutters, "...phrasing."

"Not scared, huh? I can think of far worse..." The Serbian woman begins to think... her face plastered with an evil grin. "I might have some /women's clothing/ that may fit you two."

"Serby, that's dirty..." Jevrem whines.

"How many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me that! I am not Srbija, bre!"

Meanwhile, Ivan's face freezes, looking over the shoulders of the Yugoslavian kids...

"You... do not belong here..."

"Whoa, dude!" Alfred laughs. "Nice work on the second ghost!"

"...Is not me, Fredka..."

Brenka and the others turn around, looking at the mysterious voice. It's coming from a man, dressed in construction gear, with a distinct translucency to him.

"Hah! This one's fake too, bre! Watch!" Brenka walks up, intending to slap the 'fake' ghost... and watches in horror as her hand passes right through, turning frosty in the process.

"Leave... now..."

"...Ohhhh ne." Brenka manages to gasp out, before the kids run away. In the process, Alfred knocks over a CD player he had set up for an earlier part of the prank. It begins to play a song, having landed on the factory intercom button...

[Essential mood music: Mystery Skulls - Ghost (MysteryBen27 Animated Version)]

"Dudes, where do we go?!" Alfred looks around.

"L-let's s-split u-up..." Izet stutters out. "I-it c-can't c-chase us a-all..."

Hearing the ghost behind them, they all bolt in different directions.

'Cause the world might do me in

Izet runs down a paper-strewn hallway, Jevrem following him.

It's alright 'cause I'm with friends

Alfred runs down the stairwell.

Guess I'm giving up again

Ivan heads down a different hallway, the ghost in hot pursuit.

It doesn't matter (Ooh ooh ooh)

Brenka and Andrej carefully make their way across a catwalk.

Had me feeling like a ghost

Alfred kicks down a door... revealing a broom closet.

And that's what I hate the most

Jevrem trips over a cardboard box, Izet helping him up as they continue.

Guess I'm giving up again

Seeing no ghost behind them, Brenka and Andrej take their time with the second catwalk, picking up speed once they're on solid flooring again.

This time, this time, this time...

Ivan finds a rusty pipe, the same one he had earlier...

This time I might just disappear

"Давай, дебил!" Ivan taunts the ghost as it approaches.

Ah yeah (Woah ooh oh oh)

The ghost leaps at Ivan, who swings the pipe. It ducks, and Ivan feels a chill through him as the ghost passes through his torso.

This time I might just dis--

Coughing, Ivan stumbles to his feet and resumes running. The ghost continues, in pursuit of someone else.

(Mo mo mo mo moah~, mo mo mo mo moah~) AH YEAH

Brenka and Andrej round a corner... right into the ghost's path! It roars at them, and they run the other way.

(Mo mo mo mo moah, oooh~) This time I might just disappear

Izet grabs onto a rope and slides down to the ground floor. Jevrem continues to run, unaware of his companion's separation.

(Woah ooh oh oh)

Alfred tries to kick another door, only for it to recoil and knock him over.

This time I might just dis--

Brenka trips over the fallen American, sliding down the hall. Andrej holds out his hand for Alfred to get up, and they follow the sliding Serb.

(Mo mo mo mo moah~, mo mo mo mo moah~) AH YEAH

Jevrem finds a hallway with portraits of the workers of the old factory. He is vaguely unsettled by this.

(Mo mo mo mo moah, oooh~)

Ivan manages to run into Izet. "Come, friend, we must continue!" He picks up the scared Bosnian, and carries him toward the central hall.

Alfred, Brenka, and Andrej reach Ivan and Izet.

"Dudes, there's no exit!"

"I am not getting killed by a ghost that doesn't exist, bre!"

"W-we m-must e-escape..."

"We WILL find way out. Come, da?"

"Hehe..." Andrej snickers.

"Not the time, dude."

A yell echoes from one hallway, while the ghost approaches from the other. The group resumes running.

Try and hear me, then I'm done

Jevrem is caught in a tangle of cables he ran into.

'Cause I might just say this once

Andrej finds him first, and pulls him out. "Did you find something, eh?"

Seen this play out in my dream

"The ghost... it doesn't match any of the pictures on the wall..."

It doesn't matter (Mmm mmm mmm mmm mmm)

Their train of thought is interrupted as the ghost shows up.

Tired of giving up the ghost

The other four enter the hallway, grabbing Jevrem and Andrej and running.

Fuck, it's YOU I hate the most

The ghost points a spectral finger at the group, yelling something in an odd language as it resumes pursuit.

Maybe there's no guarantee

"...Литовский?" Ivan mutters, before Alfred gets his attention again to keep running.

It doesn't matter

The group rounds a turn, running into a hallway filled with doors.

"Dudes, no..." Alfred groans. "I hate the bit with the doors..."

A very close-by roar makes him reconsider.

(Uuh) This time I might just disappear

All six of them run into one door, closing it behind them. The ghost opens the door and follows.

Ah yeah (Woah ooh oh oh)

Ivan and Brenka run out of the opposite door, Izet and Jevrem out of another, Alfred and Andrej out of a fourth, and the ghost comes out of the first door.

This time I might just dis--

The pairs swap room sides, the ghost phasing through Andrej to chase Izet.

(Mo mo mo mo moah~, mo mo mo mo moah~) AH YEAH

More door-shuffling occurs. A comment from Ivan about "dumb amerikanski cartoon reference" is lost in the chaos.

(Mo mo mo mo moah, oooh~) This time I might just disappear

The ghost exits a door, being chased by the four Yugoslavians. Alfred and Ivan are somehow chasing copies of themselves.

(Woah ooh oh oh)

A penguin wearing a red rubber glove on its head waddles out of a door, tripping the ghost in the process. The six kids regroup in the middle of the hall.

"...This chicken looks familiar..." Alfred mutters, only to be interrupted by the ghost standing up. The kids run back the way they came, Jevrem pointing out a 'fire exit' sign on the wall.

This time I might just dis--

"We're almost out, dudes!"

"Now are you believe in haunted factory, Serbian?"

"Okay, bre, I guess it was real!"

"T-the e-exit! C-come o-on!"

"Hehe..."

"NOT THE TIME, ANDREJ!" comes a yell from all five of the others.

(Mo mo mo mo moah~, mo mo mo mo moah~) AH YEAH

Jevrem leads them through a stairwell, going right through the control room.

(Mo mo mo mo moah, oooh~)

"Are you KIDDING ME, bre?!"

"Dude, there's my CD player!" Alfred runs over and turns it off, the music promtly halting.

"Fredka, leave it and run!" Ivan points out the ghost behind him.

"Well, crud."

All six kids roll out the fire exit, and run into the woods back into town. The ghost stops at the threshold, watching them escape, before floating back inside.

"Next year, we are go trick or treat instead, da?"

"Da."

"D-da."

"Da, yeah."

"Da, bre."

"Sure, dude."

The ghost floats back to the central hall of the factory... before reaching up, and taking its mask off. Underneath, an elderly Lithuanian man can be seen.

"Heh heh heh... Every year, it just gets more fun to do that." He begins to walk out... before stopping at a certain hallway. Curiously, he opens a door, and sticks a hand through... before staring, confused, at that same hand sticking out of a door at the other end of the hall. "What in the...?"

Deciding not to question it, he goes back and heads out the factory exit door, chuckling to himself. "Keep this up, Toris, and you'll have a haunting legacy for life..."

#secretspectres #hwdevents #blood-brainbarrier #rusame #mystery skulls

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nellygwyn · 6 years

Text

I wanted to share some of the novel I am working on. This particular extract isn't perfect, neither is the rest of it that I've written, since it is a first draft and I'm still getting through it. But I'm very pleased with the general gist of it and I know some of my followers will appreciate it, for its content, historical flare and plot.

For context, so you understand this snippet better: My story is set in the mid 1780s (I really feel confident trying to relay the political background in this era over any other 18th century decade, which would be helpful for my story's context) and my protag is a fairly elite (more bourgeois than high class) prostitute called Kezia Spooner. She's been living in a fancy brothel in Soho, under the employ of a madam known as Abbess Weston, and since the brothel is frequented by the aristocracy, foreign diplomats and other men of influence and wealth, Kezia and the other girls have been somewhat educated in typical female accomplishments and imbued with feminine intellect. Kezia wasn't always in the fortunate position she was, however: she and her elder sister, Sarah, after being abandoned near St . Giles-in-the-Fields as children, lived and worked on the streets, in filthy squats and slums etc. for a few years before they came to Abbess Weston's attention. Sarah left the brothel two years prior to my story beginning, having never been as content with the harlot's life as Kezia was and defiantly declaring that she was going to carve a real legacy out for herself, and hasn't been seen or heard from since.

Kezia has recently found herself under a new keeper, Peregrine Cox, Lord Cox, who isn't particularly handsome but has a certain magnetic quality to him, as well as a fortune. He moves her into a glorious London townhouse in St. James' but he is secretive and edgy from the off, making it clear to Kezia that there are certain parts of the house she is strictly forbidden from going anywhere near. Immediately prior to the following scene, Kezia and Lord Cox have had sex and now, Lord Cox insists on reading from a book of Alexander Pope's poetry to her. Kezia is tired, though, and finds herself, as she begins to drift off, unnerved by the day's events, unexplained sounds & movement in the house, and the general atmosphere of her surroundings.

Lord Cox began to read Pope, aloud, as Kezia, curled up amongst the disshevelled sheets beside him, began to slip into that strange realm between waking and dreaming. The whole room, which had seemed so grand before, began to fade under her tired eyes, eyes that longed for sleep. The false gold that gilded every surface blurred into streams of the stuff and the flickering shadow of the candle on the ceiling moved like the spectre of a dancing bear. The sound of Cox's plummy, theatrical reading voice muffled in the dreamy haze, joining the distant racket of the street. A cat yowled. Drunkards jeered. A link-boy bellowed in an adolescent squeak about his prices and his routes.

Cox was a grand and good keeper, of that she was sure. Kezia had made a wise, a sensible choice, in accepting him. His tastes in bed were not perverse or unusual. He had wit, charm, and the good sense to utilise them. He certainly wasn't affable but she had never really had occasion to call him cruel or impolite. He seemed to be very much like other swells that had bedded her; he simply had the fortune and resources to act more thoroughly on his impulses. He was on the up, too, with his burgeoning political career and expanding circle of influential friends. And he did profess to like Kezia, adore her even, in his own fashion. The arrangement she was in was not one any whore in her right mind would turn her nose up at. Kezia had no right to complain. There was no sense in it. Truthfully, observant readers, would you complain if you were her?

And yet, even as Kezia lay poised to fall deep into a dream, there was a startlingly lucid sense that something was not quite right. Perhaps it was the ghostly shadows brought to form by the candlelight that had unhinged her but...no, there was a sense of absolute reality in this worry. Something had seemed off from the moment she had seen Lord Cox whispering to his manservant. No, before that even: she'd had the feeling of uneasiness when, in the carriage here, he had so purposefully told her that there were several rooms of the house that she was forbidden to enter. In any other situation, Kezia would've respected a Lord's right to command as he wished in his own home but there was something in his voice, and in the absent-minded but furious picking of his nails, that told her this was more than just a man guarding his space. This was more important, much deeper, than that. There was a lie in all this somewhere. She was reminded of a folktale, probably relayed to her and Sarah by one of the many beggar women they had bedded down with in the old days, about a young girl, seduced and duped by a monstrous fiend, who kept her captive in his sinister castle. The fiend called himself a King but he was far from it, for he ate the hearts of girls for sport and fed their bones to his hounds.

"Aren't you listening?" Lord Cox brought her firmly back from fancy and superstition and it jolted her wide awake.

"Not particularly" (Here, for the reader's particular reference, she affected a voice of elegant disinterest, that voice which teased all men with the prospect that a woman had other things on her mind). "Methink Pope rather dull, my Lord"

Cox pulled a contorted face of disbelief, like a schoolboy caught frigging by his fellows, and huffed like a brat too.

"I wouldn't expect a woman such as you are to have much true liking for literature, to be sure." He slammed the little volume shut. The sound echoed, but Kezia could still later swear she heard a girlish sneeze in the rooms above them, which at any other time, would've turned her skin to gooseflesh, since she knew she was the only woman in the house and the male servants were floors below, but for now, Kezia was piqued. Tom-cat behaviour in Cox wasn't rare but censuring her person....now, this was new. And, more importantly, it was unwelcome.

"Lud, my Lord, a woman such as I? Whatever does that mean? In your own words, I am a girl of extraordinary intelligence. A schooled mistress for a schooled master, were not those your words? And yet, suddenly, now I exhibit a dislike for something you enjoy, I am a dim-witted gutter strumpet! You say you despise the Ton and their ways and yet you take on their irritating insincerity to the life!"

During her retort, Kezia had watched Cox flare and bulge a little, like a bull to a red rag, but she decided to, so as to avoid a spar, end her rant with a small smile and a sweet giggle, as if to say 'I'm only playing at bad behaviour,' and he softened.

"I apologise, dearest lovey. Profusely so. I suppose I am quite tired. You know, Sheridan's speech in the Commons was far, far too long. I'll see him hanged if he puts me through such a bore again." He glanced at the glittering clock on the fireplace, seemingly checking to make sure it was late enough to justify going to bed, though Kezia was sure her own droopy-lidded exhaustion was proof enough of that.

"Oh, don't talk politics after we've fucked. It distresses me so. You know it does!" Kezia teased.

It was funny Cox had mentioned Richard Sheridan, for now Kezia was playing out her own play, throwing aside her uneasiness about Cox's earlier whisperings and commands, and her vexation at his belittlement of her, in order to do what she did best: give pleasure. She leaned into his boney, bare shoulders, blanketing them with her curls. She drew up so close to him that she could smell the snuff in his atmosphere. It was the gesture of a lover, and she must've played it out well, for Cox, in turn, balanced his sharp chin on her head and began to softly caress her. No doubt this is where our readers tutors or salonierre will pause to reflect on how life often imitates art.

"That's my pretty miss. Do you love me very well?" Lord Cox breathed out, between his gentle twisting of Kezia's strands of hair.

"I love you beyond all expression" she lied.

"Do you worship me?"

"As you worship me, sir"

Kezia felt him smile. They lay for a little while in silence, he toying with her and she willing sleep to take her and stop her stomach lurching with unidentified dread. How uncomfortable she was.

"Tomorrow, circumstances dictate you spend the afternoon out of the house" Cox said suddenly. His voice, jarringly unfeeling, almost rehearsed, was the same as it had been in the carriage. Kezia dared not argue, even though she desperately wanted to ask why.

"Yes, sir" she echoed.

"I'll have Mccarthy bring the carriage around for you at 12 and you are at liberty to go wherever you please. Put anything you like on my credit, I shan't mind. Only the best for my Kez."

"And what time am I expected back, sir?"

"6 o'clock will do, though not a moment before, you understand?"

"I understand." But she did not. Not one bit.

After a short while, Cox snuffed out the candle and he fell asleep in quick time: Kezia felt his breathing steady. She, however, lay in the pitch black, tired beyond belief but unable to rest. Even the realm between waking and dreaming would be preferable. Her ears pricked at every outside noise. The walls, which she could no longer see properly, bore down on her. Most disturbing of all, there was creaking on the ceiling above, the sure signs of someone, or something, inhabiting upstairs. It was unnerving and inexplicable. In her uncontrollable state of fear, she leaned her face into Lord Cox's body, finding safety in the warmth. This vexed her greatly as she was unable to fathom why she, who had once lived unprotected on the streets of the Great Metropolis and encountered real scoundrels on a daily and nightly basis, was suddenly so fearful of the dark and of nonsense noises. Despairing at herself for her cowardice and her reliance on a man who sent ice up her spine, Kezia somehow managed to lull herself into an uninterrupted sleep.

#bbbbbbbb #i can probably write much more vivid than this but #i like what i'm building on thus far #my writing

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orokinarchives · 6 years

Text

The War Within

(Update 19 splash)

A disturbance in the Somatic Link prompts the Lotus to send operatives back to the Tenno Reservoir.

Previous story quest: The Second Dream

Starting the quest

This quest becomes available after completing the Sedna Junction. Upon completing the Junction, the Tenno will receive an inbox message from the Lotus.

Inbox message: Urgent Situation on Lua

Tenno,

Something has happened on Lua and my sentries have become unresponsive. I need you to investigate immediately.

—The Lotus

The quest can then be activated in the Codex. Starting the quest will trigger the cinematic cutscene. Names in brackets indicate that the speaker is not identified in the scene, but their identity is revealed or inferred later.

Intro cutscene

[A dark hallway with dim lighting is shown. At the end of the hallway is a round room. Two figures sit in the middle of the room, silhouetted by the light shining behind them and their features obscured. As they converse, the viewpoint slowly advances through the hallway, zooming in on the figures.]

[Worm Queen]: "I'm… afraid, sister. Your Continuity grows near."

[The larger figure reaches out to the smaller, who flinches away. Perhaps the gesture is a slap or a threat.]

[Elder Queen]: "Hush, worm. Let the beasts do their work."

[Worm Queen]: "But the Dreamers have awakened. They will come for us."

[The larger figure touches the other's shoulder, and this time she does not flinch.]

[Elder Queen]: "Yes, they will… like the answer to a prayer."

[As the viewpoint is about to enter the chamber, two large, corpulent Grineer step in, one from each side of the doorway, and bar the entrance, slamming their polearms on the ground.]

[on board Orbiter]

Lotus: "Tenno? Are you alright? Your Somatics output seems high."

Operator: "I… just… nodded off. It's nothing."

Lotus: "Good. Deploy a warframe to Lua. My sentries have gone silent. We may have an intrusion."

Operator: "On it."

First Mission: Investigate the Reservoir on Lua (Zeipel, Lua)

(U18.5.0 hype art)

This mission takes place on the Orokin moon tileset, populated by Corrupted enemies. There is no objective listed, but a yellow waypoint appears on the minimap.

Lotus: "It was here Margulis put you into the dream, tried to heal you… tried to give you the strength to tame the Void within you. In a way, this is where you, where all Tenno, were born."

Operator: "But we weren't born here, were we?"

Lotus: "No. When the Zariman was found adrift, the Orokin did everything they could to erase their mistakes. Transit recordings, personnel logs… everything was wiped out. The only thing they kept was… you."

Lotus: "I'm detecting an unknown signature farther ahead. Find out who it is and what they're doing."

As the player runs through the map towards the waypoint, they will encounter a dark figure, who will quickly teleport away upon being spotted.

Operator: "I just saw the intruder… moving fast. I think it's Teshin."

Lotus: "Teshin? What is he doing here? It looks like he's heading to a Reservoir. Follow him."

Teshin: "Leave now. This doesn't concern you, child."

Operator: "Don't call me that. What are you doing here?"

The waypoint leads to the Reservoir. It has suffered damage since the events of The Second Dream – the waterfall has stopped and the pool is drained. The white branches dangle from the ceiling, detached from the pods, which are scattered askew across the floor. Upon entering the room, a cutscene begins.

[Teshin is kneeled before an open Transference pod. The Tenno's warframe approaches him cautiously from behind. Teshin runs his hand along the inside of the pod and stands up, rubbing his fingers together in front of him. His chest and face light up with a red glow as an elderly female voice is heard.]

[Elder Queen]: "Bring them to me."

[The Tenno aggressively descends the stairs towards the Reservoir and voices themself.]

Operator: "What was that?"

[Upon hearing the Tenno, Teshin adopts an annoyed expression and addresses them without turning around.]

Teshin: "The Queens."

Operator: "Queens?! The Grineer Queens? Tell me what—"

[Teshin suddenly dashes towards the Tenno, turning and unsheathing the longer of his two nikanas in a single fluid movement, holding the blade, outstretched, to the warframe's neck. The Tenno is clearly taken aback.]

Teshin: "I am warning you. You think you're safe behind this metal, but you're not. Not in the ways that matter here. Behind this—" [Teshin taps the warframe on the chest with his nikana] "—you're still just a child—"

[The Tenno interrupts Teshin by knocking the nikana away with the warframe's hand. The blade spins away and embeds itself upright in the ground some distance away. The warframe steps away from Teshin and points angrily towards him.]

Operator: "Stop saying that."

[Teshin turns and walks away from the Tenno.]

Teshin: "Follow me again, Tenno, and you will answer to my sword."

[As he leaves, Teshin holds out his hand. The nikana is pulled from the ground by an unseen force and flies through the air, landing firmly in Teshin's grip.]

After the cutscene, Teshin deploys a spectre and cloaks himself. The spectre begins to flee as the Reservoir fills with Corrupted.

Lotus: "I thought the Queens were just an invention of Grineer command. No one has ever seen them in the flesh."

Operator: "I have a feeling Teshin has. Can you track him?"

Lotus: "Not with spectres masking him. But, Tenno, we don't know anything about the Queens. Maybe Teshin alone should—"

Operator: "No. Teshin's not going to tell me what I can and cannot do. I'll take out his spectres so you can track him."

The spectre is deep purple in colour and otherwise resembles Teshin. It will sprint away from the Tenno, dropping small ice crystals at frequent intervals which inflict Cold status on the Tenno if touched. Like most capture missions, the Tenno must pursue the spectre, bring its health down, and interact with it to capture it.

(upon capturing the spectre) Lotus: "I have a lock on his route. Exfiltrate when you're ready."

[on board Orbiter]

Lotus: "Teshin is trying to mask his location from us, but I have pinpointed a suspicious signal for you to investigate. Find him; we need answers."

Second Mission: Track Teshin (Carpo, Jupiter)

(Corpus Gas City concept art – Zeljko Duvnjak)

The mission takes place on the Corpus Gas City tileset and is populated by Corpus enemies. There is no listed objective, but a waypoint on the minimap.

Lotus: "All my scans for Teshin have converged on this location. Find him."

Operator: "Why hasn't he reached out to us? If he is pursuing the Queens, we can help him."

Lotus: "Pride, or shame. He does seem to have some connection to them. Stay on the trail. Finding the Queens could give us a tactical advantage against the Grineer."

Operator: "Understood."

(upon spotting the spectre) Operator: "I've picked up the trail again."

Lotus: "That's not Teshin; it's another one of his spectres. He's trying to shake us off the trail. Capture that spectre; we can use it to find the real Teshin."

(upon capturing the spectre) Lotus: "Well done. Return to your ship, I will alert you when I've decrypted this spectre's control signature."

[on board Orbiter]

Lotus: "Teshin's spectre points to what should be an unpopulated asteroid field, but deep scans show the presence of a security matrix. Someone is trying to hide something. I need you to find out what. Prepare your Archwing."

Third Mission: Pursue Teshin into the Asteroid Field (Naga, Sedna)

(U19 hype art)

The mission starts off in Archwing mode, in a densely-clustered asteroid field. In the distance, a large Grineer structure built onto an asteroid can be seen, and the Tenno is waypointed toward it.

Lotus: "Something is hiding in this asteroid field, but before you can investigate you need to disable the security matrix. Ordis, are you certain this is the best angle of approach?"

Ordis: "Well, outside this corridor lie burst scanners, severe radiation, proximity mines, GRINEER DEATH BEAMS so yes, Ordis recommends staying within the shipping corridor."

The Grineer structure is built on top of the asteroid and also mined within it. A pair of long cannon barrels can be seen sticking out at an angle, firing on something in the distance. As the player approaches, they are directed to a tunnel bored into the side of the asteroid. Inside is a small hangar space where a Grineer transport vessel is waiting. Upon the player's approach, it moves forward through the tunnel, which cuts straight through the asteroid.

Ordis: "Operator, watch that transport ahead. The scanner is only able to scan one side at a time. You can use that to your advantage."

Beyond the asteroid, the ship slowly flies through a tight chasm formed by surrounding asteroids. Other asteroid bases are visible through the gaps in the walls. Grineer devices are embedded into the asteroids. As the ship flies through the chasm, sensors activate to scan the ship. These scanners consist of a fan of red laser beams that wash over the ship as it passes. The scanners are positioned all around the ship, but are stationary, so each scanner has a large blind spot on the side of the ship opposite from the scanner. The player must keep pace with the ship, moving above, below, or to the side of it as it passes through each scanner.

Lotus: "You heard Ordis. Keep the transport between yourself and the beams. Do not let them touch you."

If the player is not successful at avoiding the scanner beams, they will immediately respawn back at the first tunnel behind the ship, automatically using up a revive, and the mission will resume from there.

(if the player runs into a scanner) Lotus: "You've been detected. They know you are here."

(as the player approaches the fourth scanner) Ordis: "Another scanner, to the right of the ship."

(as the player approaches the fifth scanner) Ordis: "They're going to scan the top of the transport; get below it."

(after passing through the fifth scanner) Lotus: "Nicely done. They still haven't seen you."

(after passing through the sixth scanner) Ordis: "You're clear."

After the sixth scanner, the chasm ends with another large asteroid with another tunnel cut through it. However, this tunnel is covered by an ethereal red shield that only the transport vessel can pass through, and the player is waypointed to a different tunnel to the side. This tunnel is more natural than the shipping tunnel, but reunites with the transport on the other side of the asteroid, leading into another chasm with four more scanners.

(as the player approaches the last scanner) Ordis: [sigh of relief] "This is the last scanner."

(after passing through the last scanner) Ordis: "Yes. Might I say that was smooth, Operator."

Lotus: "You're through. Land at the checkpoint."

The chasm ends with yet another large asteroid with a tunnel. As the player approaches the tunnel, they will transition abruptly from Archwing mode into normal gameplay, and land on the tunnel floor. The ship will land on a landing pad shortly inside the asteroid. The interior is a warren of caves and Grineer fortifications.

Lotus: "This checkpoint is the central hub of the security matrix. Shut it down so Ordis can fly you in undetected."

The player is waypointed to a console guarded by (initially) unalerted Kuva Grineer. The player must shut down the security matrix by interacting with the console, which will start a mobile-defence-esque stage in which Kuva Grineer will try to destroy the console, while the player must defend it. In contrast to mobile defence, the HUD does not display a timer counting down, but a "Overriding Security" process counting up from 0% to 100%. The process takes 1:30 minutes.

(upon starting the defence) Lotus: "They're coming for you. Don't let them abort the shutdown."

(upon completing the defence) Ordis: "Ordis no longer detects any security."

Lotus: "Good, but we can't take any chances. Silence the remaining Grineer."

The player must kill all remaining Grineer units on the tile. Due to the convoluted nature of the asteroid interior, they can be hard to find.

(upon killing all Grineer) Lotus: "You are in the clear. Keep moving."

The player is directed through the asteroid to an large opening on the other side, whereupon they will automatically transition into Archwing mode again. The asteroid leads into another chasm which quickly opens up as the surrounding asteroids become more sparse. In the distance, a massive Grineer base can be seen – larger than any of the asteroid bases seen yet. Giant structures are built on top of the rock. Satellite asteroids are attached to the larger central node by scaffolding and long, thick cables. Large excavations expose the inner core of the asteroid, and it glows red.

Operator: "Are you seeing this?!"

Lotus: (moderate static interference) "It must be the Queens' fortress."

Operator: "Are those Fomorian engines mounted on an asteroid? No wonder we've never been able to find it. It's always moving."

Lotus: (moderate static interference) "Excellent, Tenno. Now get out of there. We'll need to analyse the intel you've gathered before our next move."

Operator: "Negative. I'm heading in for a closer look."

Lotus: (moderate static interference) "There is a lot of Transference distortion in this area. I recommend we abort this mission and wait for Teshin to reach out."

At this point the player will be confronted with a dialogue box: "Boarding the Kuva Fortress will restrict mission access. Commit?"

Selecting "Yes" will immediately transition the player into the next mission, without the opportunity to go back to the Orbiter to change loadout. The player must complete the entire quest in order to return to their ship.

(Yes) Operator: "If the base moves again, we'll lose this opportunity. I'm going in."

(No) Operator: "Fine. I'll head back to the Orbiter, but the base won't be here for long."

[on board Orbiter, if the player chose to go back]

Ordis: "Operator, if you must enter the Queens' fortress, you'll need to hurry; it could disappear at any moment."

Fourth Mission: Infiltrate the Grineer Asteroid Fortress (Dakata, Kuva Fortress)

(Kuva Fortress concept art – Sean Bigham)

Once this mission is started, the player will not be able to return to their Orbiter to change loadout until they complete the quest.

The mission takes place on the Kuva Fortress tileset, with Kuva Grineer enemies. The player is not given an objective, but a waypoint leads them deep into the Fortress.

Operator: "Massively fortified. The Queens have to be here. I'm going to infiltrate the base."

Lotus: [heavy static]

Operator: "Lotus, are you receiving me?"

Lotus: [heavy static]

The player eventually emerges into a large open space, ringed with Grineer bunkers. In the middle is an elevator control console which needs three keys. The keys are dispensed from computer consoles in the area: one near the elevator control, and two in the bunkers nearby. Once the keys are taken from their consoles and installed in the elevator control console, a grille at the far end of the tile rises to reveal a large elevator, seemingly for moving freight or large groups of soldiers. As the player enters the elevator and descends, an elderly female voice can be heard.

[Elder Queen]: "We're so glad you came."

Operator: "Lotus? If you can hear me, something's tampering with the Transference stream. I'm going to locate the source."

Lotus: [heavy static]

After the elevator has finished descending, the player is waypointed deeper within the fortress.

[Elder Queen]: "We have a gift for you."

The waypoint will lead the player to a round, moderately-sized chamber with a high ceiling. A platform is in the centre of the room, shaped like a shallow dome, linked around the rim to thick, woven braids that chain to the ceiling. Gaps in the platform show a pool of slowly-swirling water beneath, emitting traces of steam or fog, and there is a larger opening in the centre, clearly shaped to receive something. The walls of the chamber are punctuated by doorways a couple metres off the ground, opening out to short, square platforms that ring the room like teeth. Swirling patterns of bulbous shapes are painted on the walls. The whole room is dimly lit with red light from an indiscernible source and gives off an air of being tightly claustrophobic despite its size. As the player enters the room, a cutscene triggers.

[The warframe walks cautiously into the room and looks around, examining the walls and the braids in the centre. The Operator, back in the Transference chamber, gazes intently through the warframe's sensors before their own eyes grow wide with surprise.]

Operator: "I know this place."

[The player continues to look around the room until they sense a presence behind them. Quickly turning around, they are greeted with the sight of Teshin, head bowed and hand on his nikana. The player reacts with shock.]

Operator: "Teshin?!"

[Teshin raises his head to look at the player and shakes it sadly as he speaks.]

Teshin: "You shouldn't have come here. You have ruined us both."

[In a swift motion, Teshin draws his nikana, but only makes it halfway out of the scabbard before he is interrupted by a droning chant that sounds for a couple of notes. Staring up at the ceiling, his face grows grim and he sheathes his nikana again. Around the room, large, corpulent Grineer – the Kuva Guardians – step out of the doorways onto the platforms and plant their polearms on the ground. In the centre of the room, a round, hovering dais descends slowly from the ceiling. Short braids dangle from its rim. On the dais' right side sits the Elder Queen, a vaguely Grineer head and torso leading into a thick, ophidian lower body partially embedded in the dais. On the left side of the dais is simply an empty hole. Behind the player, Teshin kneels on one knee and bows his head as the dais lowers into the central hole of the platform. The Elder Queen leans heavily on a sceptre as she addresses him.]

Elder Queen: "Well done, Teshin Dax."

[The warframe looks back at Teshin as the Operator frowns in confusion and anger.]

Operator: "Teshin Dax… you're with them?"

[The player turns to face the Elder Queen again as Teshin rises from his kneeling position.]

Teshin: "I have come, as you commanded, my Queens."

[As Teshin speaks, the Worm Queen – smaller, lighter in colour, and composed mostly of Grineer cybernetic replacements – emerges from the hole in the dais up to her torso, supporting herself with her arms.]

Worm Queen: "And this is your offering? My sister needs the orphan child, not its Infested puppet."

Teshin (confused): "The child? For what purpose?"

Worm Queen: [laughs] "To eat it, of course!"

[The Elder Queen interrupts, pointing to the others sharply as she reprimands each in turn.]

Elder Queen: "Hush, worm! Do not question your lords, Teshin Dax. Bring me the orphan. Bring me my Yuvan."

[The Elder Queen rises to tower regally over the others in the room as she finishes speaking. The warframe looks from Teshin to the Queens before clenching its fists and channelling energy to emphasise itself.]

Operator: "ENOUGH!"

Worm Queen: [gasps and clutches chest] "How rude!"

[The Elder Queen lowers herself and speaks with mocking, false tenderness.]

Elder Queen: "Oh, it's not their fault, Worm. Mommy and Daddy weren't around long enough to teach them any manners. [laughs] We will have to."

[Teshin takes the chakram-like Orvius on his back and throws it at the player. It hovers over the warframe's head, paralysing it and suspending it in an energy field. After a few seconds, the warframe collapses to a kneeling position on the ground, unresponsive. The Operator leans forward, concerned, as static interference begins to occlude the screen and Ordis' transmissions.]

Operator: "Ordis! What is this?!"

Ordis: "A Transference surge, Operator! You're losing your warframe connection!"

[The Elder Queen raises her left hand, and the warframe is lifted into the air, limp and dangling, still suspended by the Orvius. The Queen makes a pulling motion, and the warframe floats over to hover near her.]

Elder Queen: "You have some idea that you're invincible, don't you? Nestled away in that mad cephalon's crib… but you belong to me now. For you see, child, we conceived of these ugly, metal cysts."

[The Queen holds her sceptre horizontally, with the red fluid-filled vessel at its head directly in front of the warframe. The vessel begins to release the red fluid in snaking, tendril-like streams, which flow towards the warframe's head.]

Ordis: "Operator! Cut the link!"

[The Operator closes their eyes in concentration for a couple seconds before shaking their head in distress.]

Operator: "I… I can't!"

Elder Queen: "We gave you your precious gifts. And now, just as easily, we take them all away!"

[The Queen moves the sceptre closer, and the red fluid appears to be burrowing into the warframe. Back in the Somatic Link, the Queen's assault manifests as a red spectral energy burrowing into the Operator's forehead, clearly causing great pain. The static interference on the screen worsens.]

Ordis: "CUT THE LINK! Transference overload in 5… 4… 3…."

[Ordis' voice fades away as the screen fades to white.]

On board Orbiter

[The Operator slowly regains consciousness, sprawled on the floor in the Transference room. The Somatic Link is nonfunctional, throwing off sparks and clouds of smoke. The player's sentinel floats around the room aimlessly. Snowflakes gently fall from the ceiling and there is an eerie chiming music playing faintly. As the Operator sits up, the snow dissipates – evidently an illusion or hallucination.]

Ordis (sadly): "Great job, Ordis. Ship cephalon? More like ship fail-bot. When the Operator needed you, most you—"

Operator: "Ordis, enough."

[The Operator begins to stand up, clutching their head and still somewhat disoriented.]

Ordis: "Operator?! By stars! Don't do that to me. I am sorry. I do not know what happened. Please, command me to self-destruct [red lights strobe on walls and alarm tone sounds]. Let me start it for you: commencing self-destruct in 5… 4… 3… 2—"

Operator: "Stop. [strobe lights and alarms stop] Uh… what's… what's with the music?"

[With an audible screech, the music gets louder.]

Ordis: "Isn't it great? I can lead you through some breathing exercises…."

Operator: "Just turn it off! [music stops] Get the Transference power back on, okay? I lost my warframe."

Ordis: "I've been trying. You may need to do your… uh… Tenno thing again. Re-energise it, you know, with your Void… stuff!"

The cutscene ends and the player is given control of their Operator. Aside from their health bar, there are no HUD elements. The player must reactivate the Somatic Link by firing at it with Void Beam, as they did at the end of The Second Dream, but they will be unable to. Any attempt to activate Void Beam will backfire, stunning the Operator briefly and cancelling the attack.

(upon failing to activate Void Beam) Operator: "I— I can't. It's… gone."

Ordis: "What? Gone? Are you sure? How will you command the warframes if your—"

Suddenly all the lights on the Orbiter will turn red and an alarm will sound in the background. Ordis' voice will change, mid-sentence, into a deeper, darker, toneless version.

Ordis (hostile voice): "Conditions satisfied. Engaging purge precept."

The player's sentinel, still hovering about, will begin to attack the Operator with the default sentinel weapon.

Operator: "Purge? Purge what?! Ordis?! What the hell?!"

Ordis (hostile voice): "You no longer possess Transference. You no longer command the warframes. You no longer are the Operator. You must be purged from this vessel."

Ordis (normal voice): "Non-Operator, I'm sorry to inconvenience you, but I'm going to decompress the ship now."

Vents in the corridors will suddenly begin depleting air, causing intermittent suction currents which can block the Operator's path, stunning them. The player is waypointed to the Navigation Console at the front of the ship and must reach it before they run out of oxygen (shown in the HUD as a 1-minute countdown) or the sentinel kills them.

Ordis (normal voice): "Former Operator, Ordis cannot keep missing like this! Get out of here before I (hostile voice)purge you."

(if the player lingers) Ordis (normal voice): "Ex-Operator, if you get to the Navigation Console, I may be able to detach the Landing Craft before I… before I kill you."

Ordis (hostile voice): "You are not the Operator. You will be purged."

Ordis (hostile voice): "Exterminate! Exterminate the Non-Operator."

Ordis (normal voice, echoing): "Operator! Cut the link… cut the link!"

Arriving at the Navigation Console will cause the screen to fade to white and automatically load into the next mission.

Fifth Mission: The Mountain Pass (Earth)

(render of volumetric lighting in the Golden Maw cave, DevStream 83)

The mission begins with a cutscene.

[The player's Landing Craft drops off the Operator on a rocky mountain pass and flies away. Snow comes up to the Operator's knees and continues to fall heavily from the sky, blown by powerful winds. The Operator wraps one arm around themself for warmth as they use the other to shield their face from the driving snow, and they slowly walk forward up the mountain pass.]

The cutscene transitions into gameplay, with the player controlling the Operator. All movement options are restricted except walking. The Operator walks past a few tattered, nondescript flags flapping in the wind – the only signs of civilisation here, apart from stone steps carved into the ground, visible where the snow has blown away. As the player continues walking, the Queens' voices can be heard in the background, speaking indistinctly. Eventually, the player comes to the top of the peak. A snow-covered bridge of rock or ice connects the peak to the mountain adjacent, spanning a deep chasm. As the player crosses the bridge, large pieces of it will crumble and fall into the abyss in a thunderous avalanche, but the player will still be able to cross. On the other side, the path follows the edge of a cliff into an opening into the mountain framed by giant icicle-like ice formations. Once the Operator is inside, they stop huddling, and sprinting is re-enabled. Deeper in the cave, the icy corridor transitions into a large cavern of rock. The path leads up to an alcove with a campfire burning, and as the player approaches, a old, desiccated corpse can be seen kneeling before the fire. Past the corpse is a rectangular doorway cut into the rock, leading to another cavern. Upon nearing the corpse, another cutscene begins.

[The Operator kneels in front of the corpse, examining it with a hint of disgust.]

Operator: "Ugh… what happened to you?"

Teshin: "They gave up."

[The Operator stands and turns around to see Teshin behind them. The Operator angrily walks towards Teshin and leaps into the air to attack him.]

Operator: "You… you betrayed me, you Infested piece of—"

[Teshin knocks the Operator several metres back with a single effortless blow. On the ground, the Operator whirls around and threateningly extends their hand, glowing with Void energy.]

Teshin: "Yes, do it."

[The Operator slowly gets up, hand still outstretched, then charges their Void Beam to strike Teshin. It backfires again, and the Operator clutches their head as they stumble backwards to the ground. Teshin watches impassively, having not taken a step the entire while.]

Teshin: "As I thought. The hard way, then."

[The Operator stands up again and addresses Teshin with thick contempt.]

Operator: "So, the great Teshin is just a dog, fetching the Queen's stick wherever she throws it."

[Teshin holds out his hand, and his Orvius zips into his grasp. He slowly walks forward, and the Operator, maintaining a defiant expression, nevertheless takes a couple steps back. This takes them over the threshold of the doorway at the rear of the cave.]

Teshin: "I warned you. Now you're trapped inside this place with the Queens burrowing in. Now I am forced to undo what Margulis did, to open the gates… and make you suffer."

[Teshin tosses his Orvius into the air to adjust his grip on it, then flicks it at the small stone post set into the ground, next to the door. The post is illuminated by Orokin symbols that still glow with blue energy, and upon impact from the Orvius, the doors slam shut, sealing the Operator within the mountain. The Operator, annoyed, turns away from the door and faces the cavern interior as the cutscene ends.]

The player must walk through the cave deeper into the mountain. Stalactites and stalagmites border the corridor, and periodic lights of presumably Orokin construction provide warm, yellow illumination. As the player walks, passing through additional doorways and the occasional skeleton, Teshin speaks to the player with a disembodied voice.

Teshin: "Margulis lied to you, a lie of omission. She did not cure the Zariman children – she erased them. My only hope is that truth still lingers inside you, buried within your mind. The power and the misery… of the Void."

The Operator comes to a large cavern with no floor, dropping off into an abyss. The path forms a ledge that rings the chamber, and the walls are covered in the golden architecture characteristic of the Orokin. In the centre of the cavern, hanging in space, is a giant Ayatan sculpture, frozen and unmoving. Giant icicles hang from the ceiling, encasing the sculpture.

Teshin: "The Ayatan sculptures are perpetually in motion, monuments of Orokin Continuity… immortality. But this one is halted and aging, needing you, as the Queens do. Will you give in to them? Or will you face the coil?"

The Operator must use their Void Beam on the ice that constrains the sculpture, but Void Beam cannot be channelled for more than a fraction of a second before the Operator is staggered. The sculpture must be hit multiple times, and the Operator may need to reposition themself around the room to hit it properly. When all the ice has been shattered and the Ayatan sculpture hangs freely (but still unmoving), the Operator must hit it once again with Void Beam. Doing so will trigger a cutscene.

[The Operator channels Void Beam for a couple seconds, much longer than the previous attempts, until they are overwhelmed. They stumble to their knees, clutching their head, and topple off the ledge into the abyss. A short loading screen interrupts the cinematic, which resumes with the Operator, lying unconscious on a patch of ice, surrounded by rocks and skeletons. A fragment of a long bone is buried in the Operator's thigh. The Operator stirs, regaining consciousness without opening their eyes. A red light, centred on their forehead, illuminates the Operator as vague shapes, reminiscent of a ship's viewports and a fire, begin to appear in their mind.]

Operator: "I… remember…."

Elder Queen: "Mother takes your hand and says there's been an accident. 'But don't worry, angel, you're safe with me.' Her eyes are distant, unfocused…."

Operator: "She's lying."

[The shapes and the red light fade away, and the Operator opens their eyes with a start. They slowly stand up, favouring their injured leg, as their voice—"She's lying"—echoes in the background. Noticing their wound, the Operator takes hold of the bone fragment, braces themself, and rips it out of their leg with a grunt. Before the player is a wide cavern with a low ceiling, and the player throws the bone into the cave dismissively. This provokes a mechanical, grating roar, and Teshin warns the player of what they have disturbed as the cutscene ends.]

Teshin: "Beware, the ravenous Golden Maw."

Operator: "Why does it have to be ravenous?"

The floor of the cave is made of countless scattered bones, and a creature burrows beneath them, its winding path throughout the cavern betrayed by the bones it disturbs. There are columns of rock throughout the cave, decorated with an image of some Orokin construct carved into the stone. If the player steps onto the bones of the cavern, the Golden Maw will sense them and quickly change direction to intercept the player. The Maw travels much faster than the player and is impossible to outrun. If it catches the player, it will burst from the ground, seizing the Operator in its jaws – and it can be seen that the image on the columns is that of the Maw itself – and dragging it back beneath the ground. This respawns the Operator back at the beginning of the cave, after a quick loading screen that depicts the Operator floating unconscious in the Void. The only places safe from the Golden Maw are the patches of stone on the ground, usually surrounding the base of the columns. When the Operator is standing on the rock, the Golden Maw does not sense them and cannot reach them, and the Operator can quickly sprint from one to the other to traverse the cave. Alternatively, there is a tunnel off to the left side that bypasses about half the cave.

Teshin: "The Queen burrows into your mind just as the creature worms beneath your feet. With each step, you will discover what Margulis took from you. With each step, pain awaits you."

After the player crosses the cavern, they see a static, glowing, hologram-like vision of a mother standing next to a teenage child – the Operator.

Operator: "I can't even remember her face."

Approaching the image will cause it to dissolve and rush into the Operator's head, lifting them a little off the ground as they absorb the memory before dropping them back to the ground. The Operator opens their eyes with new understanding – they have unlocked Void Blast.

Teshin: "Your past has weathered Margulis' manipulation. It lurks here, your only hope of surviving the Queens."

Further into the cave, the way is blocked by a pile of boulders that have settled in the passageway.

Teshin: "Destroy this barrier and go deeper into your past."

Operator: "Sounds great, Teshin."

The player must use Void Blast on the rocks, which will cause them to crumble away. This triggers another cinematic as the Operator continues to recover their memories.

[The Operator stands still, their eyes closed. Red light again illuminates them and the cave around them fades away.]

Operator: "The air was acrid and still."

Elder Queen: "The biomes had been sabotaged. The food stocks dwindled. Paranoia gripped your father's mind. What was it he said, as he stared out into the starless black?"

Operator: "Something's out there, kiddo… watching us."

[The red light fades and the Operator opens their eyes, waving their hands in front of them as if fending off a flying insect. The process of recovering memories is clearly somewhat disorienting.]

As the player walks further, their words echo again in the distance. They come to another memory-image: several figures, some fighting one another, others fleeing or clutching their heads.

Operator: "The whole ship went insane."

This memory gets absorbed like the previous one, and unlocks Void Dash for the Operator.

Teshin: "You exist on the fold between two worlds. The world we know, of blood and steel; and the world that watches and dreams, the Void. Charge across the fold as you once did."

The player stands at the edge of a chasm in the cave – small, but too large for the Operator to jump over. They must Void Dash across it to continue. On the other side is another bone cave with two Golden Maws patrolling, but it is much easier to cross by chaining Void Dashes.

Operator: "Incredible. And I was kicking myself for not bringing a rope."

After the cave is a short passageway which ends in a pit of bones. At the bottom of the pit is a single Golden Maw, which does not move, but emerges periodically to snap at the air and announce its presence. There is no ledge or path on the other side of the pit, just a wall of loose boulders. The player must Void Dash across the pit, into the rocks, to proceed. This starts another cutscene.

[The player bursts through the rocks, scattering them. As they get up on one knee, red light surrounds them and their eyes close.]

Operator: "I smell… smoke."

Elder Queen: "Fires rage on the lower decks. Blood shimmers in the fitful light. Hunting parties roam the ship. But there is singing and laughter and play… for all the children have come together. Their minds, somehow unbent. You wipe away your tears, thinking—"

Operator: "This is my family now."

[The Operator stands up as the red light dissipates. "My family now" echoes in the distance.]

A short distance away is a third memory-image: three people menacing a fourth person on the ground.

Operator: "They tore her apart."

This memory grants the Operator the ability to enter Void Mode.

Teshin: "The Queen is nearly through. She knows what you did, giving her resolve. Now, you must master the fold. Walk upon its edge, concealing your movement within the shadows you create."

Operator: "'Shadows I create'. Another Teshin metaphor, right?"

Beyond is another bone cave with several Golden Maws. The cave is convoluted and twisting, and it is not easy to see the next rock island from the last, which limits the usefulness of Void Dash, but the Operator can walk safely on the bones while in Void Mode, and the Golden Maws will not sense them. However, if the Operator runs out of energy while in the middle of the bones, they will be unlikely to make it to safety before a Golden Maw devours them. The player must use a combination of Void Dash and Void Mode to navigate the cavern.

On the other side is another barrier of rocks. Destroying it with Void Blast will start another cutscene.

[The Operator is stunned upon breaking through the rocks, and they will flinch before being surrounded by red light, keeping their eyes closed.]

Operator: "I can hear them…."

[A ghostly hand rises up and grips the Operator's throat as the Queen speaks, but the Operator does not react.]

Elder Queen: "The grownups are howling at the door… drowning mad in the Void ocean but you… you are at ease, swimming within the depths! You remember then how the howling stopped – they had broken through."

[The ghostly hand falls away. The Operator has three dialogue choices to be selected by the player. A decorative wheel in the corner of the screen assigns an alignment to each option as it is selected.]

(Sun: "I held out hope") Operator: "I held out hope we'd be rescued. So I avoided the bloodshed."

(Neutral: "They had lost their minds") Operator: "They had lost their minds. I didn't blame them. We built a makeshift prison."

(Moon: "They were nothing but animals") Operator: "They were nothing but animals by then. So I hunted."

[The Operator opens their eyes, raising their hand to their throat to mimic the apparition, and massaging their skin. Their dialogue choice echoes in the background as the cutscene ends.]

A fourth memory-image lies further on: a Tenno using Void powers against other attacking figures. This memory gives the Tenno the power of Transference.

As the tunnel continues, the floor turns to bones and a Golden Maw can be seen. At the end of the tunnel the way is barred by icicles, and the Tenno cannot bypass it.

Teshin: "Your repressed power has returned, fused with your Tenno abilities, amplifying them. You've outgrown the cradle. Now your Transference is innate. Control these Orokin beasts and escape this prison."

Operator: "Control them? Like a warframe?"

This Maw will rear up from the floor to attack the Operator, and when it does, the player can stun it with Void Blast. When stunned, it will lay on the floor, twitching, and the player can take hold of it with Transference. When controlling the Maw, the player can move throughout the tunnel, and can burrow underneath the icicles that were blocking the path. In the next cave are two other Golden Maws, which can be attacked and killed by the Tenno's Maw, or ignored. At the end of the cave is a golden gate. Attacking the gate will shatter it and transition the player back into Operator mode, on the other side, safe from the Golden Maws. In front of the player is an opening to the outside, back out to the mountain. Approaching the exit will trigger a brief loading screen.

Outside, the player must follow a snowy path along the side of the mountain as Teshin speaks of his kind. Occasionally the player must use Void Dash to cross chasms or Void Blast to shatter icy obstacles.

Teshin: "Know this Tenno, that I am a Dax. A soldier of a lost era, the last of my kind. By Orokin hands we Dax were given great power, great strength… but an even greater weakness. To obey their command. To never defy the kuva, the sceptre, the symbols of their dominion. No Dax can ever raise steel against an Orokin. Only you can do that."

At the peak, a golden structure is built into the mountain. As the player approaches, the door opens.

Teshin: "A Yuvan theatre, long abandoned. In ages past, I would have stood guard as the young and exotic were paraded through the mountain pass and marched by the viewing pane. They'd barter here, the Orokin. Withering and coughing, as they prepared for their Continuity."

Operator: "She doesn't want me dead."

Teshin: "No. The Queen doesn't want to kill you. She wants to become you. To burrow through your mind, corrupting it with despair, until only she remains."

Inside the theatre, broken vials of red liquid litter the floor. At the end of the hallway is a viewing chamber, with seats on the side. The wall opposite the player is a single pane of frosted glass, and as the player approaches the glass, a cutscene triggers.

[The Operator slowly turns around, looking around the room. Vague shimmers of light hint at the memory of Orokin past, sitting on the couches, looking down at the Tenno. As the Operator turns back to the glass, their reflection is suddenly overwritten by the image of the Elder Queen, startling the Tenno. The Tenno steps forward, face only centimetres from the glass, and the image of the Queen is absorbed into the Operator, causing them to flinch as red light, centred on their forehead, begins to surround them, and the Operator's eyes close. Before them, instead of the Operator's reflection, sits the Queen, narrating another memory.]

Elder Queen: "No crew aboard, only the children… only the parricidal monsters they had become. The endless Void, the gazing abyss, the bottomless ocean of horror… it coiled itself around your tender heart."

[As the Queen finishes her sentence, she raises her hand and places it on the glass, and the Operator mirrors her motion, placing their hand against hers. The player is given three dialogue choices, each with its own alignment.]

(Sun) Operator: "I hated it."

(Neutral) Operator: "I controlled it."

(Moon) Operator: "I embraced it."

[The Operator opens their eyes with a determined look as they speak. They raise their hand and fire a Void Beam into the glass viewing pane, causing radial cracks to form. As the player concentrates, the red dot of light on their forehead begins glowing again, and Ordis' voice can be heard faintly in the background.]

Ordis: "CUT THE LINK!"

[The scene abruptly cuts to the Operator, sitting in the Somatic Link, with the red energy of the Queen's sceptre burrowing into their forehead. As the Tenno grits their teeth in concentration, the energy retreats. The scene goes back to the Queens' throne room, with the warframe still suspended in front of the Queen. The kuva flowing from the sceptre begins to cloud and back away from the warframe, to the astonishment of the Queen.]

Ordis: "CUT THE LINK! Transference overload in 5… 4… 3… 2… 1…."

[The Continuity process abruptly stops, causing both Queens to recoil. The warframe, no longer being controlled by the Operator, the Queen, or the Orvius, drops down onto the platform and limply slides into the pool of water underneath.]

On board Orbiter

[The Operator emerges from the Somatic Link, out of breath. They walk out into the Transference room, catching their breath with their hands on their knees.]

Ordis: "Operator? Is that… is that 'you'? Your brain activity flat-lined for a moment there… can you speak? By stars, the Operator's mind is destroyed!"

[The Operator examines their hands and arms, rubbing their head, still somewhat dazed.]

Operator: "I… I'm fine. Just… just don't play any music. I need to think."

Ordis: "Music? …Operator you are not making sense! The Transference surge must have affected you as well. Try to rest while I begin repairs."

[The Operator looks at the Somatic Link, then down to their hands.]

Ordis: "Hmm… this is odd. The circuits are dead, but I'm detecting Transference energy… coming from… coming from you?"

[The Operator clenches their fists, Void energy swirling around their hands as the cinematic ends.]

The player is given control of their Operator and prompted to exercise their powers, in sequence.

(upon Void Blast) Ordis: "Careful Operator, you'll damage the ship… damage me!"

(upon Void Dash) Ordis: "Amazing. How are you doing this? It is slightly terrifying if I'm honest."

(upon entering Void Mode) Ordis: "Operator, my sensors have gone dark. Where are you?"

(upon exiting Void Mode) Ordis: "Oh. There you are! Impressive. Very useful. Ordis is a little afraid right now."

(upon Void Beam) Ordis: "Operator, you'll breach the hull! Please restrain yourself."

After the player has exercised their new Void powers, another cutscene happens.

[The Operator stands in front of the Somatic Link.]

Ordis: "Have you lost your mind?"

Operator: "No. But I've lost my warframe… and Teshin… what if the Queens know that he helped me escape? I have to go back."

Ordis: "Impossible! Just as you thought, the base has moved again. We don't know where it is. There's no way back."

[The Operator shakes their head expressively.]

Operator: "My warframe. It's still there."

Ordis: "Haven't you been listening? The Transference system is fried!"

[The Operator looks briefly at the Somatic Link and shakes their head.]

Operator: "I don't need it anymore."

[The Operator looks outward and the player is prompted to activate Transference. Upon doing so, the screen slowly fades into white as the Tenno's consciousness is projected thousands of kilometres away, and Ordis' voice tapers off.]

Ordis: "Operator, where are you going? Don't leave meeeeee…."

The Queens' Throne Room

[The Elder Queen angrily berates Teshin. She points her sceptre at him, and a beam of red energy shoots out of it and strikes him, forcing him to his knees.]

Elder Queen: "What did you do, Dax? What did you do?! How did a child reject the Continuity?"

[Teshin tries to stand up, weakened by the sceptre. The red beam has stopped but the Queen still points the sceptre menacingly at the Dax.]

Teshin: "Forgive me, my Queens."

Elder Queen: "We hold the sceptre! We command you. We are—"

[A deep rumbling interrupts the Queen. She plants the sceptre in the ground and leans on it as the entire chamber trembles, and the Worm Queen hunkers down in her hole. Both Queens look around the room anxiously, trying to find the source of the disturbance. The sound of rushing water rises sharply, and the player's warframe bursts out of the pool beneath the throne, rising up into the air menacingly and channelling energy before landing on the ground, standing firmly before the Queens. The warframe ripples with energy as the Operator manifests physically and steps out of the warframe onto the ground. Seeing this, the Worm Queen raises her hands in terror and looks to the Elder Queen.]

Worm Queen: "Sister! The dreamer's come for us!"

[The Worm Queen retracts herself into her hole in the throne, disappearing from view. Behind the Tenno, Teshin slowly stands up, dismayed.]

Teshin: "Tenno, no! After everything you've endured to escape, why did you come back?"

[The Operator looks back at Teshin with determination.]

Operator: "I came back… for you."

Elder Queen: "Stupid child. You don't give up, do you? But coming here in the flesh? [choking laugh] That was a big mistake [coughs]. Guards! Kill this warframe and bring me my new skin!"

[The Operator phases back into the warframe and a red energy shield covers the throne as the cinematic ends.]

Teshin: "The Guardians protect the braids; the braids protect the Queen."

One of the Kuva Guardians standing around the edge of the throne room will jump down to the floor and begin to attack the player. Warframe abilities are disabled inside the chamber, and the player cannot use their primary or secondary weapons, or any gear items. The Kuva Guardian is completely immune to all attacks from the player's weapons. Only the Operator is capable of harming them. The player must activate Transference to enter Operator mode and stun the Guardian with a Void Blast, causing them to kneel briefly on the ground. Once the Guardian is stunned, the Operator must Void Dash through them, and the Kuva Guardian will drop their Kesheg polearm and become vulnerable. The Guardian can then be killed either with the Operator's Void Beam or by transferring back to the warframe and attacking with melee weapons. After some time, the Guardian will pick their Kesheg back up if not killed, and will become invulnerable again.

Despite their ponderous size, the Guardians are capable of leaping and dashing great distances. If they deplete the Operator's health – a somewhat easy task – the Tenno will be returned to the warframe, but they can activate Transference again immediately. The warframe itself is immune to damage while the player is in Operator mode, but each time the Tenno is returned to the warframe, the warframe's maximum health is reduced, making it increasingly difficult to survive when not in Operator mode.

(if the player does not activate Transference) Teshin: "It's time to show the Queens what they have awoken within you."

(if the player does not activate Transference)Teshin: "Tenno, this is one fight your warframe cannot win."

(if the player does not activate Transference)Teshin: "Remember the mountain. Remember your new strength."

(after activating Transference but before stunning the Kuva Guardian with Void Blast) Teshin: "Their weapons contain kuva. It protects them from your warframe but not from your Tenno powers."

(after activating Transference but before stunning the Kuva Guardian with Void Blast)Teshin: "They are protected by the kuva in their weapons. Find a way to disarm them."

(after activating Transference but before stunning the Kuva Guardian with Void Blast)Teshin: "Tenno, remember the Golden Maw and how you brought it to heel." (repeats periodically until the player uses Void Blast)

(after stunning the Kuva Guardian but before disarming them with Void Dash) Teshin: "You stunned the Guardian. Dash to strike from within the Void."(repeats periodically until the player uses Void Dash)

(after disarming the Kuva Guardian with Void Dash) Teshin: "They're vulnerable. Attack."

After the Kuva Guardian is killed, the six thick braids that connect the throne platform to the ceiling will glow red, and can be destroyed with the Operator's Void Beam.

Teshin: "The red braids shield her. Destroy them!" (repeats periodically until the player destroys a braid)

Elder Queen: "Shut up, you insolent Dax!"

(upon destroying two braids)Elder Queen: "Guards! Kill this Tenno!"

After destroying two braids, the others will become invulnerable again, and two more Kuva Guardians will attack. The player must stun, disarm, and kill both as they did before. Once the Guardians are dead, the player can destroy three additional braids before they become invulnerable again.

(upon destroying three more braids) Queen: "Long enough have I lived in these ugly Grineer bodies. I need new flesh… I deserve new flesh! Yours! Guards! Kill this warframe and bring me my new skin!"

Three Guardians will now attack the player, and must be killed, which will make the last three braids vulnerable.

(upon destroying the final three braids)Elder Queen: "By my Orokin blood, I command you, Teshin Dax, to kill this Tenno."

Teshin: "No, I cannot."

Elder Queen: "You must. By your oath eternal."

Teshin: "That child I met on the mountain will surely die here."

Operator: "That child is gone."

Teshin will begin to attack the player. He can attack with his nikanas and throw his Orvius, which will suspend the Operator in the air helplessly, allowing Teshin to easily dispatch them. However, unlike the Kuva Guardians, Teshin is not invulnerable to normal attacks, and thus the fight is more straightforward – although still not easy, as the player is still restricted to melee weapons, and Teshin can parry strikes with his nikana.

Teshin: "I can show you no mercy; show me none in return."

(when his health is about 67%) Teshin: "Yes! From the moment I began training you, I have anticipated this moment."

(when his health is about 33%) Teshin: "You must not stop. Defeat me."

(when his health is at 0%) Teshin: "I cannot go on!"

When Teshin is defeated, he will kneel on the floor and continue to speak his dialogue lines.

Elder Queen: "We are Orokin! We created you! We are your golden lords!"

Elder Queen: "Come out, come out, little demon."

The Elder Queen will now attack the player directly with the red beam from her sceptre. Every time she fires, she must lower the shield protecting her, and in that gap of vulnerability, the player must Void Dash through her.

(periodically) Teshin: "Without her sceptre, she is powerless. Break her shields and use your Dash to steal it."

Elder Queen: "You'll pay for that."

(periodically) Elder Queen: "Show yourself, you little coward."

(periodically) Elder Queen: "I see now, how you cast me out. Simple, really. There's no room for me in that wicked, swarming head of yours."

(periodically) Elder Queen: "Is this how you hunted the Zariman crew? Is this how you murdered your parents?"

Successfully Void Dashing through the Queen will trigger a cutscene.

[The Operator emerges from the Queen's chest, phasing through her to seize her sceptre. The Queen is stunned, and falls forward, her headpiece toppling off as she collapses flat on the dais. The Operator's momentum carries them through the air and they land roughly on the ground, rolling a few times before lying prone. Teshin, now standing, looks at the Operator with satisfaction. The Queen lifts up her head, sees Teshin, and angrily commands him.]

Queen: "What are you waiting for, Dax?"

[As she speaks, she looks over at the Operator, and a look of shock appears on her face as she sees the sceptre. The Operator deliberately rises to one knee, and plants the sceptre on the ground. The Queen recoils, and looks worriedly at Teshin, who slowly turns to the Queen, and grasps his nikana.]

Teshin: "A chance to kill you… and now, I finally have it [draws blade]. Shall I, Tenno?"

The Operator is given a choice, to decide on the Elder Queen's fate. The choice determines the remainder of the cutscene.

(Sun) Operator: "No. Let her rot. That will be her sentence." [The dais begins to rise up towards the ceiling. Teshin and the Operator look on impassively as the Queen almost slides off the dais onto the ground, her thick, slug-like lower body dangling. Coughing and gasping, she climbs her way into her hole in the dais and slides in, snake-like, desperate to get away from the Tenno. The dais disappears into the ceiling.]

(Neutral) Operator: "No. I will do it." [The dais begins to rise up towards the ceiling. The Queen re-seats herself in her hole, sitting up as she floats away from the Tenno. The Operator raises their hand and channels Void energy. The Queen screams as the Operator fires a Void Beam directly through her chest, then falls silent. Her corpse slides out of the hole and into the pool below as the dais continues to rise, disappearing into the ceiling.]

(Moon) Operator: "Kill her." [The dais begins to rise up towards the ceiling. The Queen is still hunched forward, trying to climb back into her hole. Teshin runs forward and leaps several metres in the air to meet the floating dais, slicing the Queen's head off with a single stroke as she screams. He touches down on the dais, then leaps backwards to land next to the Operator. They both watch as the Queen's headless body slides forward, out of the hole and into the pool below.]

The cutscene ends and the player is free to leave the throne room by the same door they used to enter. Teshin leaves the throne room and disappears to fight the Grineer.

Teshin: "The Worm has rallied the troops. Get to your ship. I'll divert them. Go!"

Lotus: "Tenno? Tenno? I've been trying to get through. Are you… alright? Your Transference stream seems different, stronger."

Operator: "We have neutralised the Queens. Teshin… Teshin helped me. I'm heading to extraction now." [extraction marker appears on map]

Lotus: "The Queens… they cut me off… I should have been there for you. I'll signal Ordis to pick you up right away."

Ordis: "Thank the stars you're safe, Operator! I forbid you to leave the Orbiter like that again, it's just too much for an old cephalon like me."

The alarms will go off shortly, alerting all Grineer on the base. The extraction waypoint leads to a launch tube, which will eject a shipping container of some kind. Exiting the launch tube will transition the player into Archwing mode, and they must follow the container as it flies throughout the base, passing through tunnels and between asteroids, until the player comes to the edge of the asteroid field, and the Landing Craft will pick them up.

[On board Orbiter]

Ordis: "You rescued your warframe! What a relief. But… Ordis wonders, are you still able to walk the ship as… yourself?"

The player is prompted to use Transference to enter Operator mode.

(upon activating Transference) Ordis: "Impressive! Just think of the possibilities! You can help me clean up that Infested door!"

Lotus: "A mother wants to shield her child from the evils of the world. Margulis didn't lie to you. She protected you."

Operator: "But isn't it better I know the truth? Wouldn't you want to know? Teshin said—"

Lotus: "Teshin thinks he knows better. Maybe he does. Maybe you needed to know to survive the Queens. But you are changed now."

Operator: "That's what you have to say? That I'm 'changed'?"

Lotus: "What you did… you didn't have a choice. Tenno, you were only just a—"

Operator: "Don't. Don't do that. Don't make excuses for me."

Ordis: "What's this? An Old War beacon? How exciting, Operator. You will want to investigate this… oh. I'm sorry… did I interrupt?"

Selecting the Navigation Console will immediately load the player into the next mission.

Sixth Mission: Return to the Mountain Pass (Earth)

(The Mountaintop Choice)

The Landing Craft drops the player off at the same mountain pass from earlier. As soon as the warframe lands in the snow, the Operator manifests out of it, with the Queen's sceptre holstered on their back. The Operator can now sprint and has access to all their Void abilities, and must walk the same path they did in the Continuity sequence to enter the mountain. The Orokin stone doors can be opened by activating the stone posts with Void Beam, and the giant Ayatan statue is activated in the same way. Upon activation, the sculpture begins to move freely, and stone ledges slide out from the walls to provide a path across the abyss. The player must Void Dash to each ledge, taking them to another door that eventually leads out of the mountain, to a snowy peak. Upon leaving the mountain, sprinting is disabled, although the player can still Void Dash. At the summit stands Teshin, looking out at the world below. Approaching him starts a cutscene.

[The Operator walks up to stand next to Teshin, holding the Queen's sceptre in their hand. Teshin looks sideways at the sceptre, at the kuva.]

Teshin: "You don't know what to do with it."

Operator: "Tell me."

[As Teshin narrates, the Operator holds the sceptre up and examines the flask of kuva intently.]

Teshin: "Hmm… some believe the kuva within is the blood of the Orokin ancestors. An elixir of power… of immortality. Others believe it to be a poison, a corrupting oil that brings madness and evil."

[The Operator looks at Teshin.]

Operator: "What do you believe?"

Teshin: "I believe them both. But for you, Tenno, perhaps this kuva is just a symbol. That what you choose to do will define you more than anything."

[Teshin turns and walks a couple steps back, and the Operator holds the sceptre up again. The player must decide what to do with the kuva.]

(Sun: Destroy) – [The Operator pulls the kuva flask from the sceptre, and holds it up, examining it for a couple seconds, before tilting the flask and pouring the kuva out, off the edge of the mountain, into the abyss. Suddenly, the Operator's eyes turn black, with a pinprick of white in the centre. Their surroundings fall away into a void of shimmering stars as they speak unbidden, their voice eerily distorted.] [Man in the Wall]: "You mad at me, kiddo? Did you forget? You owe me."

(Neutral: Control) – [The Operator pulls the kuva flask from the sceptre, and holds it up, examining it for a couple seconds, before turning back and handing the flask to Teshin. Suddenly, the Operator's eyes turn black, with a smattering of white flecks in the centre. Their surroundings fall away into a void of shimmering stars as they speak unbidden, their voice eerily distorted.] [Man in the Wall]: "Don't forget, kiddo… you're nothing without me."

(Moon: Consume) – [The Operator pulls the kuva flask from the sceptre, and holds it up, examining it for a couple seconds, before tilting the flask to their lips and drinking it all. Suddenly, the Operator's eyes change into a flurry of white spots against a black sclera, and their surroundings fall away into a void of shimmering stars as they speak unbidden, their voice eerily distorted.] [Man in the Wall]: "Hey, kiddo, what took you so long?"

[Teshin grabs the Operator by the arm, and they are shaken out of their strange trance. The stars fall away and their eyes return to normal. The Operator turns to face Teshin.]

Teshin: "The world weighs more heavily on you now. Try not to lose yourself, Tenno."

[The Operator stands with the kuva-less sceptre, looking at the mountain with Teshin by their side as the cutscene ends.]

After the quest is complete, the player will be shown their alignment wheel, the sum total of their three choices during the quest, and will receive an inbox message from Teshin containing the Broken Sceptre staff, a blueprint for the Orvius, a glyph of the Twin Queens, the Mountain Pass captura scene, and a Riven mod.

Inbox message: A Child No Longer

On an icy mountaintop a child, cold and scared, met an old man, the prisoner of a poison oath. For the child, a frozen death would have been a peaceful end. Instead, they fought on and found a fire within themselves, a way to light the path ahead.

The old man was a traitor. He deserved death, but the child was wise and merciful, and freed him from his burden. With that, the child left the cradle behind and they became more than a Tenno, they became themselves.

Tenno, if you can find a way to forgive this old man's deception, to trust him again, then he will forever be in your service.

—Teshin Dax

The player will also receive an inbox message from Ordis, containing the blueprint for the Personal Quarters module for the Orbiter.

Inbox message: A Space to Make Your Own

It's time we made some changes around here.

(video message) Ordis: Operator, Ordis has been thinking. Now that you are here in the flesh, we should make the Orbiter more comfortable. Ordis has identified an old storage space you could use. Stand by while I—TORCH THIS JUNK—dispose of my old belongings. Out with the old and in with the new, right, Operator? Construct this Domestic Habitation Segment to extend life support to your new room.

After the quest, the player will retain the ability to interact with others as the Operator, giving access to the Quills of Cetus and Vox Solaris in Fortuna. The player also has access to Sortie missions.

Next story quest: Chains of Harrow

[Navigation: Hub → Quests → The War Within]

#warframe #quests #lore #war within #teshin #twin queens #lotus #ordis #orokin #grineer #tenno #orokin archives

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homesteadchronicles · 6 years

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Title: What a Fine Wish (Beyond the Gates of Glory) Series: Radiata Stories/Valkyrie Profile Characters: Mikey & Lenneth Valkyrie Chapter: 2/3 Word Count: 1,932

Summary: Mikey’s unexpected encounter with the evidently divine could both change his opinion of the supernatural and present him with a proposal he cannot refuse.

Author’s Notes: As of late, I have drowned myself in the fanmade support conversations in @unassumingvenusaur’s project for Fire Emblem: Fates/Awakening. Throughout my most recent readings, I realized how well that series would work with my favorite game of all time, Radiata Stories. Having support conversations between the countless characters in this game could add an additional layer of depth to each person and their relationship with their fellow teammates. That being said, I devised a handful of potential supports between my favorite characters in Radiata Stories and decided to turn this one into a full-fledged story!

Click “Keep Reading” to read the piece in full! If you would like to read the original piece on AO3, click here!

Two weeks lost following that fateful encounter, and still Mikey spent every waking moment dwelling on wishes, on ways out of this world, on green eyes before golden gates.

Fan decried him as crazed. The Distortion Corridor could dement any mind. Mikey’s, she claimed, had already succumbed to the allure of fairytales - why not indulge in one more fantasy? One with a beautiful woman, no less.

Galvados believed him. Or at least, he led Mikey to assume so. “I saw something, too,” Galvados said, dragging Mikey in too close to bloodied fangs that reeked of a rancid flesh and bloodied meat. Mikey disregarded his odor for the sake of a fellow seer. “I see little man make conversation with big wall, cackle like crazy person! Me scared for sure!” Mikey squirmed out of Galvados’ grasp, seeking to escape the false comfort of his so-called friend. The sound of raucous laughter drowned out his muttered obscenities.

At least Jack humored him. Honest as ever, Jack denied any possibility of belief in Mikey’s incessant claims. Still, in his compassion - or was it pity? - he had agreed to accompany Mikey on one last trip to the Distortion Corridor. Should they find no sign of this spectre, then Mikey would speak no more of her.

“And if we do find some sign of her,” Mikey had asked, “what then?”

Jack had not even bothered entertaining the notion. “Then pigs will fly.”

Mikey stood there agape as Jack sauntered past without a second glance. “But...but Journey Pigs do fly!”

With the power of the Journey Pig, Jack and Mikey departed on a private adventure through the depths of the Dragon Lair Cave and into the incoherent halls of the Distortion Corridor. Or rather, they would have, had Mikey remembered what path he had taken to meet his mysterious friend. Ten thousand stairwells spanned the interior of the Distortion Corridor. Mikey needed one. He could recall none.

Six hours of forgotten trails, attempted escape routes and inquiries of “are we there yet?” from his partner-in-crime led Mikey to the base of his destination at long last. He had never felt so relieved to climb a set of stairs in his life. Jack, however, lacked the same enthusiasm.

Their ascension up the staircase proved less difficult than they recalled. In mere minutes, they had approached the apex. As their end neared, however, Jack’s outcries only increased in quantity.

Mikey, however, had enough of his whining. “I’m telling you, Jack, she was real!”

“Yeah, yeah.” Jack heaved a sigh of relief as he reached the top step. To Mikey’s chagrin, the room bore no magnificent gateway, nor did it conceal a woman within. Still, Jack scanned the room with mild interest all the same. “Hurry up and show me your ghosty girlfriend so we can get out of here.”

“She’s not a ghost!”

“So she is your girlfriend!”

“No, she’s--”

“--right behind you.”

Both boys shrieked as an unforeseen presence made itself known behind them. Jack lurched backwards as MIkey flipped forwards. The head-on collision sent them both struggling to catch themselves. Mikey and Jack stumbled, fumbling about to reclaim their footing, only to fall on the floor atop of one another in a heap of flailing limbs.

At the foot of this mortal heap stood the objective of their investigation, her innocent smile hidden beneath an impish grin. “Boo?”

“What the hell!?” Jack attempted to cower away from her form. Mikey’s overturned torso, however, prevented any escape. Jack squirmed out from underneath his friend’s confinement. “Where did she come from?”

Face still planted firmly in the floor, Mikey grunted. “I told you she was real.”

The stranger arched an eyebrow. “I have always been here. In my eyes, you two are the intruders.” Her hand wavered dangerously close to the hilt of her sword.

“Have not!” Jack’s childish claim came with an accusatory finger pointed in her direction. “Where were you yesterday, huh?”

“Here, only…” The word evaded her. She tapped a calloused fingertip to her lips in thought. “...obscured, I suppose you could say.” She knelt down beside Mikey, who now clambered to his knees. “You see, I am always here - but not all know it.”

“...I don’t get it.”

The stranger sighed. “I suppose it is better to show you.”

With one arm around his waist, the woman hoisted a startled Mikey off of the ground and propped him back up into a standing position. Mikey could scarcely comprehend her strength. Not so much as a bead of sweat marred her unblemished skin. He knew then - they were in the presence of no ordinary swordswoman.

“Think of it like this: someone stands before you.” She yanked Mikey’s arm until he stood face-to-face with Jack. Mikey wondered whether this woman understood the concept of personal space, for he could feel the heat of Jack’s breath from this distance. She paid no heed to their discomfort. “With glasses, you could make out every detail of their figure.”

The proximity between he and Mikey stirred Jack to squirming, but he made no motion to run. Every detail indeed, Mikey thought. If only I were Ridley.

“Now, take the glasses off.”

Jack glanced at the stranger. She beckoned him with a wave of her hand, as if he were an actor who had forgotten his cue. With great reluctance, Jack raised his hands to his head and removed a pair of imaginary glasses. Mikey stifled a laugh.

“Perfect,” the woman assured him. Neither of the men seemed so certain. “Now you might see a shadow, a mirage of truth, but you cannot see the person before you as they truly are. And yet, are they still there?”

“Well, yeah.” Jack shrugged. “You just need to put the glasses back on.”

“Exactly.” She pressed her hands together, apparently pleased with an obvious answer. “Without the proper tool, one cannot see what exists right before their very eyes! It is no different with the two of you.”

With the lesson supposedly complete, Jack leaned back on his heels. One foot tapped impatiently against the ground as he processed the information - a habit Jack had never been able to kick. Unfortunately, now it kicked Mikey - quite literally. By the crease in Jack’s brow, Mikey could tell his fearless leader might need some private tutoring to understand this lesson. “So, what? I can see you because I remembered my contacts this morning.”

Mikey groaned. If the woman shared his disgust, she showed no hint of it. “Nothing so literal, I’m afraid.”

“Oh, come on!” Jack lurched forward, arms outstretched. “Then what kinda tool are you talking about - Mikey?”

Emerald eyes fell on Mikey for but a moment. “No, although he possesses it the same as you. This time, you two came alone - and with a wish.”

“A wish, huh?” Jack’s sudden outburst surrendered to his immediate amusement. “I wish I could get the hell out of here.”

Triumph shone from every pore of the woman’s visage. Non-humans knew that look from when a predator believed it had cornered its prey after a chase. But humans? They knew a tamer form - that wicked grin when one’s enemy in chess makes one wrong move. In moments, checkmate would come. “That is one wish I can grant.”

“At least someone’s useful around here!” Mikey did not miss the glare Jack sent in his direction. “So, what - you’re some sort of genie?”

Mikey rolled his eyes. Either great minds think alike, or this lady really ought to learn her urban legends.

The woman hummed, amused by their mundane understanding. “Not quite. Allow me to introduce myself.” She swept past the both of them, stationed before the back wall of the chamber. With one fluid motion, she removed the feathered helm from atop her head, letting her platinum locks spill out like liquified silver against her armor. One open palm pressed against the heart of her breastplate. “I am named Lenneth, selector of souls and guardian to the gates of Valhalla.”

Lenneth gestured towards the wall behind her with a broad swing of her arm. The insignia emblazoned deep within the stone burned with a fiery radiance. The flames expanded outwards until they had consumed the wall whole. When the wall crumbled beneath the magic’s might, two golden gates manifested to take the place of its fallen concealer.

Jack’s jaw could have unhinged itself, had it hung any lower. “Far out!” His arms spun in tight circles, an inexplicable but expected product of his excitement. Mikey had seen the same reaction many a time - when stagediving at Donkey’s first live concert, when hunting for Blood Orcs in their homeland, and when standing at the foundation of the Gold Dragon Castle. “So what’s Valhalla, anyways?”

“Heaven...” The word was but a whisper on Mikey’s lips.

Jack recoiled, all revelry lost to this revelation. “Woat, what!?” He flipped his head back and forth between his friend and their heavenly host. “You’re an angel?”

MIkey grasped at Jack’s arm. “No - a valkyrie.”

The glow of the golden gates did little to outshine the radiance of Lenneth’s smile. “So, you have heard the stories.”

“Heard them? I’ve memorized them! I even some of wrote my own!” Mikey tugged Jack closer, his grip on the other’s arm secure. “According to legend, the valkyries select souls they deem worthy of glory and crown them as heroes of the afterlife!”

“Oh, I get it now…” Jack nodded, but his face showed no sign of comprehension. As usual, MIkey doubted he understood. “She thinks we’re heroes!” Doubts confirmed. “That means you’re gonna give us all those fancy robes and thrones and stuff, right?”

“Is that your wish?” The chill of Lenneth’s question pierced through the warmth of Valhalla’s light.

Ever oblivious, Jack paid no mind to her derision. “I mean, that sounds pretty sweet to me. Besides the dying and all.”

“I have heard death is not as unpleasant as it sounds.”

Jack scoffed. “Oh, yeah? From who?”

“From your friends, of course.” Lenneth spoke with such assurance that Mikey wondered whether Fan and Galvados had visited her on their own time. What other friends of theirs would she know? “Your family. Your loved ones.” For a moment, her confidence faltered. Lenneth cast a wary glance towards the gates. “Or should I say ‘your lost ones’?”

Mikey took a step towards the gates, unable to retract his gaze from their grandeur. “Yesterday, you said I had friends waiting for me. I thought you meant Jack or Fan or...well, I guess Galvados counts. Kinda.” He could already hear Galvados getting a kick out of that one. At last, he pried his eyes from Valhalla to study Lenneth instead. “Who were you talking about?”

Lenneth did not retreat from his stare. Mikey had assumed he would find answers somewhere in her irises. Instead, she seemed to dig deeper into his identity than he had allowed her to. He had always been an avid reader, but it was she who read him like a book. “Someone waits for you in Valhalla.” Her eyelids sagged with the weight of compassion and sorrow. “Someone more precious to you than all the other souls combined…”

Mikey need not ask for clarification. “Lord Nogueira…”

Lenneth nodded.

“But...that’s impossible!” Mikey sputtered. “The Algandars--”

“--let him come home with me, once and for all,” Lenneth interrupted. She held a hand up to halt further questioning. Mikey obeyed, intent on understanding. “Light Elves always elude Valhalla, transferring their spirits from one vessel to another. Honestly, they’re no better than the dragons. Each of them grow more and more troubled as time progresses.” She huffed - a childish sight, ill-fitting for her regal demeanor. “But Algandars allows any soul to achieve the rest it deserves at long last.”

“He’s…” Mikey struggled to speak the truth. Dead. He swallowed the lump in his throat. “...at peace, then?”

“He is.”

Mikey could have broken down, if he had not seen that same peace evident in the valkyrie herself. Deep down, he had always hoped that Nogueira had gone only for a time. One day, he would return and they would all feast together, share their fondest memories, and when the rest of the forest slept, Nogueira would recount his favorite stories one by one to make up for lost time.

Lenneth’s confession came as a bitter truth that Mikey could not swallow. Deep down, he understood that his dreams were but infantile imaginations. Even still, they let him hope. They allowed him to dream. Without his fantasies, what had he left to cling to?

Lenneth reared him back to reality, away from his momentary nightmares. “Fear not, little one. Your Nogueira is at peace - more than he ever had been in your metropolis.” She extended her hand towards him. “Would you like to see him? He misses you.”

That same gravitational tug gripped Mikey’s hand, leading it towards Lenneth without instruction. His digits brushed against Lenneth’s fingertips.

Jack smacked his hand away. “Mikey! You can’t seriously be considering this chick’s offer?”

“Why not?”

“She’s crazy!”

“So are you, and I followed you halfway around the world.”

“That’s different!” Jack gripped Mikey’s shoulder. The intensity of his grasp sent shockwaves shooting through Mikey’s vein. He did not intend to surrender his friend. “She’s trying to kill you!”

Mikey glanced back at the angel then. The spell broken, the pieces of the puzzle connected in his mind.

Lenneth appeared unperturbed. “I do not deny his claims. Is it not obvious? To reunite with Nogueira in heaven, you must sacrifice your soul.” Her expression lightened then, an unsettling enthusiasm creeping onto her face despite the morbidity of her words. “But you needn’t worry - I’ve done this countless times! It is painless, really. Well, for but a moment. Only a pinch, really.”

Jack grimaced. “Yeesh, lady. You must really have it out for us. You don’t know a thing about us, and you already want us dead!”

“That’s where you’re wrong, Jack Russell.” Lenneth advanced. One step forward, one more chess piece in place. “I know all about you. You and Mikey.” She gestured towards the two of them with a low sweep of her hand.

Jack chuckled, but it quivered as it came out. “Heh, guess my name gets around even in other worlds, huh?” Even his quips lacked their punch. Mikey recognized that tone - she had unhinged him.

“It has.” Lenneth folded her hands across her chest. “Your mother has told me much of your accomplishments.”

“...Mom?” The word concealed a stifled sob. One sentence stole the breath from inside him. Jack’s eyes widened, his body slackening, lifeless in an instant. ““Wait, I don’t get it. Mom wasn’t a war hero!”

“Does she need to be? We welcome all the heroic in Valhalla.” Lenneth saluted, one hand pressed to her head, the other resting on her sword. “You need not slay dragons to be a hero, Jack Russell. Your mother braved death and disease with unparalleled resolve and grace. That dignity gave rise to a strength no sword could rival. She rest nows, at peace in glory - without infirmity.”

Mikey had known Jack for many moons now. He had discovered countless secrets, seen unpredictable sides to him. If there was one thing Mikey had yet to see Jack be, it was speechless.

Until now.

For a moment, Mikey believed Jack might break. He braced for the impact of the fall, to shoulder the weight of his broken commander. Instead, only his lips broke - into a grin. “I’m happy for her. She deserves it.”

“She would be even happier if she could see her son now.” Lenneth outstretched her hand towards Jack.

“Thanks…” Jack said, wiping an unshed tear from his eyes.

For a moment, Mikey feared he might agree to go with her. The world could afford to lose the protector of the Forest Metropolis. But the defender of the Golden Dragon? Not a chance.

“...but no. You must not know my Mom at all.”

Lenneth recoiled, hand struck by his accusation. Even an angel could not disguise her surprise.

“I don’t know much about Mom, but if she’s anything like Adele, then she’d give me the scolding of a lifetime if I bailed out early just to see her. I still have promises to keep here! I’d let her down if I left them all unfinished.” Jack raised his eyes to the sky, searching for someone who would not be staring back. “Besides, she’s got Dad to keep her company for now.”

Lenneth settled back into position. Her composure restored, she cleared her throat with renewed vigor. “An honest answer.” Instead, she turned towards Mikey. “And you, little one? What is it you wish?”

Mikey considered his answer. On one hand, he knew what he wanted to do. On the other hand, he knew what he needed to do. What was his wish? I just wish that what I want and what I need were one and the same...

“I wish…” Mikey hesitated. Sweat clung to his shaking hands. Fire licked the inside of his throat. He could not back down. Not now. “...to see Lord Nogueira.”

Jack slumped backwards in defeat. His eyes pleaded in silent protest, but his body made no motion to stop him.

“Excellent.” Lenneth reached for his arm. “Then just take my hand and--”

“--when I’m finished keeping my promise to him here. On Tottaus.” Before Lenneth could make contact, Mikey snatched his hand from her grasp. “Jack made a promise to Ridley, and I made one to Lord Nogueira. A long time ago, I told him I would always defend the forest from outsiders. If I went to him now, I would leave all of my friends, my family, without anyone to protect them. I don’t want to disappoint Lord Nogueira. So I’m staying - until I’m a hero he can be proud of! When that time comes, you can come claim me and bring me back to him.” Mikey’s lips split with unbridled determination. “That is my wish.”

Lenneth assessed his answer. She considered the stipulations, chewing on its possibilities before finding she liked what she had tasted. At last, she retreated from his side, but her pleasure knew no ebb.

“What a fine wish it is.”

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