Return of the Emblem Chapter Eleven: Unleash

[-Cynthia-]

Veronika

"So if Raquel runs out of this emblem energy, does something bad happen to her?" Veronika asked. I don't think we're going to get that piece back anytime soon...

[Phoenix]

Campfire of Ominousness

"I suppose becoming an ordinary person again could be thought of as bad, especially considering the kinds of enemies Discovery has earned for herself. Either way, once the power is exhausted, she won't be able to oppose other emblem wielders, and I'll be gone."

[Script]

A Man Called Gar

Safe for now? Hmph, maybe. Gar mused in his thoughts. "How'd the extenuating circumstances of your current condition come to pass? And by that I mean how'd you get wrapped up in the Emblem business so deep to become a literal part of it?" He asked.

[Phoenix]

Campfire of Pain

"How did I end up like this? Rather violently," Hypnos replied, maintaining his smile but quickly reaching a depressing tone. "It was eventually decided that my power would serve better as part of a unified whole than as something separate. My body was destroyed and my power absorbed to bring this all about. As a ghostly remnant of a child desperately clinging to life through an emblem piece, I was hardly a threat to anything. I was left alone after that. I suppose my initial choice to stay in that dreadful place proved to be my undoing. I was only a child, of no real use to him in the short term ... and probably an ugly reminder of the past. With that in mind, it isn't surprising the way things turned out."

"Well that's completely messed up," Shadrak chimed in angrily, uncrossing his arms and putting them down by his sides as he came closer. "Why the hell would this guy kill a child just for more power?!"

"That's terrible," Raquel mumbled as her head sank between her shoulders. She didn't think Hypnos' physical life had come to such an awful end and for such self centered reasons.

"It was a logical choice, though not a kind one; my destruction was of little consequence. Well, that is how it happened. I'm only a part of this because the emblem allows me to be."

[Ether]

'Note... be wary of that one.' Kit reminded herself, with a slight scowl.

"Why would I bother telling you now if I had already wiped it from your head once? Either way, I'm not teaching anyone that particular school of magic... too risky." Kit answered dismissively.

[Script]

A Man Called Gar

"Who did that and when?" Gar asked.

[Snowy_One]

"Awwww... Phooey!" said Tia, clearly put-out by the lack of learning. "Well... I suppose I better get back to helping Connor then. He's probably mad that I stopped to try and learn like this."

---

"We should get going regardless. Like, now. I am sure people are hungry and, regardless of if it is Zach's bolt or my arrow or the wyverns claw, we should bring back food."

[Mercakete]

Gytha was shocked. So far, she'd just been taking in the information. She hadn't been expecting this, however.

"You used to be human?" Gytha looked over to find that Norbert had entered the conversation. His pegasus was clean now and seemed to be staying near him, though she didn't have her usual tack and armor on. He must've just been washing her off.

"And you had an emblem piece?" he continued before glancing over to Raquel, returning his gaze to the phantom and finishing with a frown, "Does this mean she'll become like you?"

The pegasus rider had, indeed, been cleaning Rizen up. As he'd begun to give Rizen's tack and armor a quick cleaning, he'd noticed some people gathered around Raquel and what looked almost like a ghost. So, he'd gone over and Rizen had followed, having come in a little before Hypnos' explanation of how he came to be a part of the emblem. First and foremost he was surprised this guy was even alive after the dream battle, though he also didn't know if he was an ally. He wasn't being aggressive like he had towards the end of the dream, but he didn't know who he was, having not been there for the introductions. Still, that revelation trumped any other questioning Norbert had been about to start and he'd settled on what he asked. Gar asked two of the questions he had so he'd moved onto these.

[Phoenix]

Campfire of Betrayal

"It happened shortly after Wrath brought his judgment on this world and wiped the societal slate clean ... just a few short years following the Legendary Rebellion. His name was Erebus ... in the beginning at least ... but everyone here would know him better as Obelisk, the 'greatest evil' that humanity has ever known. That always sounded strange to me, but he never seemed to mind it much," Hypnos replied, beginning to ponder to himself toward the end. Smiling at Norbert, he said, "No, I was never human, although I was such a frail little thing, I'm sure I fooled some people, heheheh."

"Did Obelisk ... did he really hate you that much, Hypnos?" Raquel asked quietly.

"Hate had nothing to do with it. He simply realized that he had more to gain by consuming my power than leaving it tucked away inside a young boy with no affinity for strategy or combat. He consumed my power and my body was obliterated in the process. He was kind enough to let me decide my own fate, however, so my resentment toward him has mostly left me. At least part of me. It's hard to truly let go after being betrayed by someone you respect so highly."

Why the hell would you respect a person like that? Unless ... oh of course, I should have seen that coming! He was probably on Obelisk's side back then. Terrific ... Shadrak angrily concluded. "It's bad enough you respected someone who would make such a cold decision like that in the first place, but this is Obelisk we're talking about here. I don't see why you would even be around someone like that in the first place," Shadrak spouted, crossing his arms again as he did.

Hypnos' subtle smile faded completely and he replied, "Of course you don't."

He was just a kid, Shadrak, relax. It doesn't surprise me one bit. He was probably raised by Obelisk or something like that. It happens all the time. Children are brought up by mad despots and grow to love them despite their dealings, Raquel reasoned.

[Mercakete]

"You dodged my question," Norbert replied, narrowing his eyes at the phantom. More pointedly, he repeated, "Will Raquel get locked in the emblem like you did?"

Before he got an answer, though, Gytha chimed in with her own curiosity-born question. "Ye weren't human? Were ye a dragon, then?" Norbert shot Gytha a glare. He didn't need this guy to have any more reasons to dodge his question again, though the question she posed was interesting and he had to wonder what this guy was if not human. He sure looked human now...well, kind of.

[-Cynthia-]

Veronika

"So is this 'Obelisk' someone we should be concerned about?" Veronika asked, cutting to the heart of the matter. The enemy of our friend is...probably our enemy too. Then again, if it's some long dead vasilus we don't need to worry.

[Script]

A Man Called Gar

"So Obelisk survived the end of the Rebellion? Well, not that written works were ever really trustworthy..." Gar trailed off at this possible revelation. Old Wrath from Below--or was it Above?--probably had an Emblem Piece at one points anyway which led to other things. "Though, heh, what he did certainly sounds like me." Gar wistfully amused himself with a faint smile. "Since we're on a vasili note, do you know what happened to Obelisk? And does Lilith know about you?"

[Rothene]

After placing the last tome on the pile, Mireille stood up to stretch her arms, "Finally, that took a while."

"I will take my leave now. A knight must always maintain her training and keep fit," the Ursian knight declared as she left the Dauntless with spear in hand.

[Phoenix]

Campfire of Stuff

"I was never 'locked' within the emblem," Hypnos clarified. "I desired to live above all else ... and the emblem sustained me. That's all there is to it. In theory, if Raquel's body were destroyed as well, she could do the same now that the emblem's energy responds so readily to her, but of course ... she would have to see it coming."

"I don't really want to think about becoming a ghost; let's change the subject," Raquel quickly chimed in uncomfortably.

"Heheh, I suppose I still have other questions to answer anyway." Looking to Veronika(though never opening his eyes like usual), he said, "He isn't someone you need to fret over right now. I don't know what his plans are, however, so I can't say anything beyond that with any certainty." Continuing from there but turning his head toward Gar, he added, "After the fighting ended, or rather his part in it, he began to look after the Fallen Ones like some kind of god. I followed and eventually ended up like this. Lilith doesn't know about me yet ... or perhaps she does and is merely being cautious. I would prefer it if my existence remained a secret from her, at least until Discovery reclaims her emblem piece or finds another."

"The dragon head said she was scary. Are you afraid of her?" Raquel asked.

"I suppose it would only be natural, given what I know of her, but being little more than a voice in your mind for the time being, I am merely concerned for your sake. She is not the villain history has humorously made her out to be, but I have other suspicions about her, such as her motives for fighting Wrath in the first place. I remember what she told all of you the first time, but I simply don't believe it, or rather, I don't believe she gave you her true answer and simply deflected the question with a general statement. From what I heard, she was fanatically loyal to Wrath. For things to play out the way they did .... Well ... I'm in no position to investigate, so my suspicions remain just that ..."

Edited June 3, 2013 by Phoenix

[Script]

A Man Called Gar

"So, Obelisk is still palling around with the Fallen?" Gar burst out laughing at that piece of information. "Oh that's too rich, the Wrathites path of carnage leads them away from the one who inspired it all." He kept laughing, unable to even form a coherent word. But eventually that died down and coherent words returned. "So the Maiden of Consolidation was really the harbinger of Wrath or something? Well, if you only heard it then there's no absolute truth there." Gar shook his head. "Do you think Obelisk has an Emblem Piece?"

[Phoenix]

Campfire of Something or Other

"What's so funny about that?" Raquel asked Gar, looking a little confused and trying not to laugh, herself. Insane laughter was a little contagious after all.

"Unless he decided to give them away for charity, he should still have at least one," Hypnos replied, pausing for a moment before adding, "That ... isn't the one you should set your sights on, however. Getting him to hand it over would be a hard sell to say the least."

[Rothene]

Lively out here, thought the Ursian knight as she surveyed the camp. Picking an isolated corner of the camp near enough to access trees to use as targets, Mireille inhaled carefully before exhaling slowly. When she calmed her breathing, Mireille attempted to channel some of her magic into her left arm and punched a nearby tree with a mailed fist at full force.

The enchanted fist successfully inched into the bark, far deeper than the Ursian knight was capable off with her natural strength. The arm stung at the impact but the protective wear absorbed most of the shock. Alright, this might work.

[-Cynthia-]

Veronika

"So what's your goal in all of this anyway? Not that I don't appreciate having you around, but if you're tied to the emblem one would think you'd be with the...other Raquel," she said, unsure of how to describe the double.

[Script]

A Man Called Gar

"Ursium goes after Nevoskotia because of Obelisk's actions in the Rebellion, because he's perceived as a dragon and Nevoskotia allies with them. Meanwhile the Fallen, who actually worship Obelisk as a God threaten to wipe out humanity and--as we've just learned--still probably have the scion of all of Ursium's hate watching over them, are completely ignored by Ursium." Gar bitterly laughed. "I don't think even I could come up with a joke that dark." He shook his head at the ridiculousness of it all before continuing on. "Well, I didn't ask because I expected to go hunting for him. It was just a lead on to something else, probably a no at this point." Gar grunted. "Well, might as well twist it. Is it only the specific piece Raquel had that contained you, or were/are you omnipresent in all of them?"

[Phoenix]

Campfire of More Stuff

"I think I get it, though in all honesty, even if they knew about Obelisk, I don't think they would do anything about it. Even if they were at peace with Neviskotia, I doubt they would try to march into the fallens' home and destroy him," Raquel commented after Gar explained the humor to her. She left out the kigenese if only because that was more political, military, and even geographic assessment than she felt she should attempt over a simple comment.

"You know, Ursium also assumes the entire north belongs to them, so ... even without the shadow dragon thing, they've got plenty of reason to waste time with them, even though you'd think a fifteen hundred year stalemate would be a bad sign," Shadrak added, offhandedly. Once again, Raquel wasn't sure which side the shaman was even on regarding that conflict and was left wondering for a few seconds.

Seemingly ignoring the comments about Ursium and Neviskotia, Hypnos continued. "Well, as I said, my relationship with the emblem piece is voluntary. I'm not trapped or constrained beyond not having anywhere else to go or anything else to rely on. Imagine yourself stranded at sea, clinging to a raft. There's nothing to stop you from leaping into the ocean and swimming as far as you can, but that's almost certain death. In the same way, the emblem piece, or more specifically, the emblem's energy, gives me a raft to rely on in lieu of a physical body. No other magic can sustain me directly," Hypnos clarified. "And no, I was only present with that one piece. Today is the first time I've ever been separated from myself, and just saying that makes this all sound rather silly, heheh. A mind divided, and then spread apart. It is not what I was expecting."

"So I guess us meeting was just a fluke, then ..." Raquel mused aloud, sounding almost disappointed.

"It's better to meet purely by coincidence than to be destined never to meet at all, don't you think?" Hypnos countered, smiling for her. Then his smile faded again as he looked over at Veronika. "As for my goal, I have many. Some have nothing to do with any of you. Would you be more specific?"

[Mercakete]

Question ignored, Gytha decided to not ask it again for the time being. This guy was being assaulted with questions enough as it was anyway. If they both had a moment later, she figured she might bring it up again then. For the time being, his example of being marooned made perfect sense to her, though that was usually a punishment.

Norbert, meanwhile, didn't know how to respond to all this. The Fallen's ambition to enslave or destroy humanity -- and, more importantly, that they apparently had the numbers and resources to do so -- was the root of his hatred towards them. And now here was someone who apparently had respect for the very dragon they worshiped who no doubt encouraged such behavior. He, quite frankly, was beside himself. He was so flabbergasted that he was incapable of becoming angry and instead simply turned around and returned to the task he'd been about to perform of cleaning Rizen's tack and armor. The pegasus followed while her rider decided he'd give all this more thought later.

[Script]

A Man Called Gar

"Just makes their hypocrisy so thick you could touch it," Gar commented back at Raquel. "Well, whatever. If the rivers of blood hadn't changed their minds by now, nothing will. Not even when Wrath descends or the Fallen sweep out or whatever doomsday scenario Lilith's plotting against or for." Gar thought a bit on the back half of the conversation before replying though. It was a good bit more... disturbed. "Coincidence may be better but so is a real answer," Gar wistfully noted before moving on. "The piece containing you, that Obelisk had, wound up in Raquel's possession somehow, there's now a double of Raquel out there, who's part of a group that contains a series of increasing arrogant jerks who do increasing arrogant things. Lilith comes along at some point--with Griffon and that egg that I barely see--dropping the neat little package of Wrath coming down to destroy us all. That doesn't scream either of your options to me, too many things forming an overarching whole here. Once is happenstance," Gar flexed out a finger for emphasis, "twice is coincidence. Three times?" A second and a third. "Now that's someone's action there." He dropped his fingers back and shook his head. "Well, who knows really. Anyway, since Raquel was spiffy enough to get a double for whatever nefarious purposes fort-people have, is their any particular advantages she has over other folks for Emblem purposes?" Something twinged inside Gar's mind, causing him to ask something else as well. "Oh yeah, did Obelisk look like a black dragon? Or did we only paint him that way later?"

[-Cynthia-]

Veronika

"If your goals don't have anything to do with us and you're stuck with us that seems like quite a predicament," Veronika said simply. Gar seemed apt to chatter on and on and she was finding the evasive answers of this...being rather tiresome.

[Phoenix]

Campfire of Revelation

Gar began talking about how unlikely or likely all of these overarching events were, or at least that's what Raquel gathered, before more or less dismissing the whole thing in order to move back toward questions. Raquel was surprised Hypnos was managing to keep up with the questions at all and continued to listen.

"Do you remember what I said earlier, about greatly respecting Obelisk?" Hypnos slowly opened his eyes, revealing that same red gaze from the dreams. His eyes were exactly like the dragon head's, lacking irises and having faint barely visible dark streaks all converging on the pupils. "Well ... I am no dragon."

"The dragon head?! That's what he looks like?" Raquel quickly asked, being numb to the eerie gaze at first due to the initial shock of her realization. Hypnos didn't give her a chance to be startled and closed his eyes again the moment she guessed the answer.

"The tip of the iceberg ... and my version, at the very least. I never once saw Obelisk smile, but I wanted to," he added for clarification, throwing in his usual smile along with it. To Veronika he then replied, "Some of my goals involve your group; some don't. Even if all of my 'goals' were elsewhere, I would not be opposed to accompanying you. When you've lived as long as I have, you will learn patience, become completely insane ... or both~"

The Legendary Rebellion was around five thousand years ago ... and he spent most of that time in an emblem piece if what he said is true ... Raquel thought to herself pityingly.

"You looked up to Obelisk for some crazy reason so it seems to me like you went insane long before then ... no offense," Shadrak chimed in again.

"Shadrak, stop," Raquel quickly interjected.

"No offense taken. Anyway ... your question about Discovery ..." he paused to let the reminder fulfill its purpose and then continued. "Discovery's body has been absorbing emblem energy since the very beginning. This was the dragon's doing. He was preparing her for something important. She was highly accustomed to this energy before today; so accustomed in fact, that having this flow of energy cut off in the past would cause an adverse reaction throughout her entire body. Now she is capable of housing more of it than any normal mortal could ... and more importantly, she can use it at will. Admittedly, what they might have found special about her in the beginning were things the dragon was doing behind the scenes, but the fact remains, his actions have made her an ideal guardian for emblem pieces. I can't help but wonder if Lilith will acknowledge this once she finally catches wind of what's happened."

[Snike]

A pair of newcomers had stumbled upon the camp and were immediately intercepted by Veronika. While that was interesting and all, there was work to be done. The lancer continued to set up the remnants of camp, ignoring the growing scene by the fire.

***

Blake carved numbers into the pole parts right before they were staked in, and then began to help with staking down the tents once that was done. After Shadrak left, it took a few minutes, but the first tent was set up, at which point Nadya asked if they were done for the night. As much as the scene with the ghostly figure would be interesting, the swordsman doubted he'd be of much useful input.

"I'll keep going," Blake said, picking up Shadrak's dropped hammer. "You do as you will."

***

Grant finished freezing the bodies, turned to look at the campfire, saw the ghostly form of that black-haired fellow from the dream, and promptly decided to go reread his tome. He did not want to remember getting torched.

***

Pete noticed the ghostly figure as well, but he was tired, and figured he was seeing things. So the man went right on and ignored it, instead electing to wander around the camp and see how prepared the group was for any potential battle at the moment.

***

"I would not get my hopes up. Lilith certainly doesn't think highly of the group, and we both know how she prefers to take things into her own hands. But let's get back to the discussion about goals," the man in white said, as he appeared out of nowhere. "How about we start with this afternoon's goal? Namely, why you tried to kill Sardis in the fortress. That single act sent well over thirty people through the Gate today, and with countless more at risk. Had Raquel died there, what would you have done? Speaking of whom," he said, as he turned towards the merchant. "Your mother and sister have guards now, and your cousin's friend, Fira, has been made aware of the situation. They should be fine."