apocryphalPrognosticator
We're all gonna die.
You arrive at a section of the forest not yet explored, even by Soreim. Underlings are seeming to roam far more frequently. It's a bit daunting, considering your previous encounters, but it doesn't seem as bad with a teammate. After a quick rundown of strategy, you decide to put your skillsets together to take down these enemies. You're better suited for fast movement and incapacitation, and Soreim seems to be specialized to create big damage, with a little AoE thrown in as well. As soon as you take down the first couple imps, you realize how much better things go as a team. To this point you've been trying to shoulder the burden of everything yourself, but with another troll or two, things get vastly easier, you decide.
After downing quite a few imps, you notice a few ogres arriving. Should be able to get in a nice little bit of revenge for earlier. As you start taking them down though, you realize how much more progress Soreim is making than you. It seems you're a little underpowered. Damn! You thought you fixed this already, but it seems the sliding scale of power doesn't end with “barely besting an ogre, even with the element of surprise”. You make a point to emphasize your Attack as well as your Speed.
You seem to daze off thinking about new weapon combinations and how best to min-max the shit out of your equipment. Soreim doesn't really seem to notice as they keep cutting down ogres like they're nationally protected trees. That is to say, pretty easily, but with no reverance for them. Just before your eyes totally glaze, a large figure comes into focus. Oh shit! No way even Soreim's firepower can take that down! You issue the order to retreat to a nearby cave.
You two manage to make it to cover before that...thing...could see you. Soreim gives you a goofy grin you can't seem to parse. Just as you're about to say something snarky, a rumble comes from outside the mouth of the cave. You hit the deck, but Soreim goes and peers outside. No point in hiding now, you jump up and run forward, NORTH STAR brandished.
Oh crap! There's like five ogres out here! Soreim readies his pens as you prepare to jump into action. You whip NORTH STAR to the right of the leftmost one, wrapping it around its legs and toppling it. Soreim downs it execution-style as you wrap around to the next one. You ready NORTH STAR for the same maneuver, but it steps on your shot, sending the chain to the ground. Soreim manages to standard-whip its leg out, but only just before it brings its large fist down. Just as that happens, you draw STARPOWER and shoot it at an ogre behind Soreim. You manage to hit it in its eye, stunning it!
The last two ogres start to charge, but Soreim manages to slow them a bit with some deft penshots. You reel STARPOWER in, but just before you try to help, The Antlerknight grabs his tower-shield from his back and sidearms it right at the charging ogres. They poof from existence just as the other two ogres stand. One is right behind Soreim! As they're aiming at on e of the downed ones, you whip out your AIRGLIDER and shoot toward the menacing one. You club it with POCKETFUL OF DREAMS, look back, and see Soreim standing over some smoking grist.
As the last ogre falls, you exhale a huge sigh of relief. "wow ->that's uh => I think that should be enough grist /right\" Wiping the sweat from your brow, you bend over and retrieve your twin pens from the ogre's eyes, poofing it in the process. "that last one was pretty fast considering he only had the one leg hehe"
"Oh my gosh who knows! There's a good cha~ce we're well short, A~tlerk~ight!" you retort knowing full well the spoils are plenty. In fact, you probably reached the necessary grist quota for your Mechanized Biosuit quite a while ago, but you were quite interested in Soreim's new equipment and fighting skills. You decide you like him more and more as you go. He seems to have a plan as he fights, but not as he talks. It's interesting.
"alright <if you say so>" You're pretty sure you counted just about every bit of grist that fell to the ground by your hand, but you were never all that good with numbers, so you're going to trust Demoma on this one. As you are pulling your massive shield from the ground in which it was embedded almost vertically (how did that happen? you vaguely recall launching it like a throwing disc at some point), you realize you're having trouble seeing out of your left eye. You reach up to your glasses and take them off, squinting at them. "uh -> I can't see all that well right now <= /do you see anything wrong with my glasses demoma\ + everything's sort of blurry on my left side"
You glance over at Soreim even though you are having SO MUCH FUN. Seriously, after all of the shit that's happened to you recently, this is like a dream. Just mauling and eviscerating and macing. You only wish Katrin were here. But hey, Soreim is actually a good time. You didn't know what much to think of him at first, given his total disregard for your notes and plans. But after seeing him launch that tower-shield like a goddamn frisbee...I mean holy shit that was amazing. Wait. Oh. He's having problems. now. It's just an imp, I mean...you used to have problems with these but....to be quite honest they're a fucking joke.
"uh -> I can't see all that well right now <= /do you see anything wrong with my glasses demoma\ + everything's sort of blurry on my left side"
Aw. Soreim got a little owie. Or, actually, on second thought, you remember his history with head injuries. It might be about that time to get him back.
"A~tlerk~ight, our work is do~e ~ow. Forget what I said before. We should get back. Gotta lear~ stuff from your sprite, remember?"
"<oh> + right => i think i dozed off half-way through their explanations hehe <= i think they wanted me to prototype them <again> /for some reason\" With another series of pulls and twists, you finally manage to dislodge the shield, which you strap back on to your back. You put your glasses back on then turn to Demoma, flashing your brightest smile. "<alright> <=> <let's go> + i think my hive is uh that way <- no this way <- no no that => hmm" You spin around several times, trying to remember from where you came, but give up when you become dizzy. You look to Demoma. "ah -> haha I'm already lost -> /you wouldn't happen to remember where we came from\"
"Ah, haha." Nope, you don't. "It's this way!" You charge forward through the beautiful jungle. By some miracle through a clearing you manage to see Soreim's....hive. Looks more like a ruin from this far away. You beckon carefully towards the hive, deliberately making sure their vision is ok by prodding them now and again. You end up reaching the clearing where you came from.
"Phew! That was a bit of a workout, huh? Good to thi~k we wo~'t ~eed to go through this much trouble agai~, huh Soreim? We're go~~a stylize you some ~ew gear! Maybe eve~ spice up that sta~dard of yours!"
You saunter on into the hive, without looking if anyone is following you, as is per usual.
As you're about to follow Demoma into your hive (your vision isn't that bad - you would recognize that shape anywhere!), you pause, hesitating for once, and glance up towards the very top of your hive, but fail to see anything. In and of itself, this isn't unusual, because your lusus likes to fly far away during the day. The question is, did it fly off after you came to this strange place, or is it--
Wait, new gear? Hell yeah. You quickly catch up with Demoma. "oh yes absolutely -> i think that's actually a priority + /what kind of a knight would i be without\ hehehe" You look around your hive for drawing implements and are once more reminded of your vision problems. You prod your glasses a bit. "oh -> and i guess we should fix these glasses too <=> I've tried drawing without before => <not good> haha"
As you start wandering down into the depths which house Soreim's computer, you hear a faint plea about glasses. Always about them, huh? You JUST want to alchemize this biosuit and help EVERYBODY ALIVE IN EXISTENCE, but this guy is whining about their glasses. It's ok. You're on a bit of a kill-high right now and to be fair, the whole point of this excursion was to create new, cool items.
You throw them the encyclopedia. "Flip through this a~d see what you like!"
You grab the encyclopedia as it is flying towards you and are thrown on to your back by its momentum. Moving into a sitting position, you open up the massive book lovingly, caressing its spine, and start leafing through it. You feel little pangs of pain and guilt when you see the remains of the torn pages, but you press on. It's all part of the game after all.
Bah, this book is too big anyway. You won't be able to find anything if you don't know what you're looking for. Hmm... Oh, that could work! You remember a beautiful page that detailed all sorts of exotic ancient troll masks. If you alchemized one of them with a pair of glasses, you would look pretty awesome. Let's see... yep, the page on glasses is right there. Some of those look like they'd fit really well with a mask too. And as for the masks, they're on page... oh. It's been torn out. That's... you guess Demoma must have already used them for alchemizing something? Better ask for the code then.
"hey <demoma>" you shout down your stairway, as you start making your way down, "/did you ever alchemize something with masks from this book\ <- i'd like to make something with them => so i need their codes"
You're barely listening at this point. After all your trials and tribulations with your glider, you are ready to have something that makes you much more ambulatory. Soreim yells down to you though, interrupting your thought process. Something about masks? You guess it's about their glasses but is that really an issue right now? You mean seriously, you're trying to better the chances of your entire group in their efforts to survive, and they're whinging on about their reading glasses. "I thi~k I ripped it out. ~ot a lot of ~eed for masks whe~ you look this good!"
You shoot Soreim a knowing glance as he downs the stairs. You're really warming up to him, despite his selfishness.
"haha -> yeah you do look p--" you start to say, but then trail off as you think about what she said. What she's been saying for some time now, actually. Didn't she mention ripping out some other pages before? Before the game? You open up the book again, glancing back and forth at Demoma as you skim through it. A lot of pages are missing - a lot more than should have been necessary to alchemize all the gear she's currently wearing. You feel a sickening lurch in your stomach at the thought, but you hold back. You've come to appreciate Demoma as a great planner (well, at least a better planner than you); surely she had a good reason?
"/what did you do with all the other pages demoma\" you ask her quietly. "/the ones you didn't use for alchemy\"
"Oh, it was actually a great gift, Soreim. I did~'t thi~k so at first, but oh my gosh some of the stuff i~ there was amazi~g! A lot of it I just threw out, but some of it I put o~ my wall! Before it got destroyed of course..." You really did get a lot of use out of it. Between the glider and what you're about to make, that pays for itself! Hahaha. You feel yourself starting to laugh. It really is funny, isn't it? Just think about what Japhy would say, if you tore one of his books. Oh, hahaha, you love Japhy...Hahaha, he's a card, haha...
You didn't even realize the pun there! A card!! Like the starcards you found in his library! Full of books! HAHAHA! It's fucking hilarious!!!!
You agree. It is funny. You start to chuckle. You look back at the encyclopedia, which you now realise is now only about 4/5ths of its original size, at most. An incomplete encyclopedia. That's pretty funny too. Your chuckle turns to a laugh. What a great gift. Ancient knowledge, desecrated, thrown away, turned into wallpaper. That's not very funny, but it's all part of the joke.
You walk up to Demoma. She's laughing too. She gets the joke. You get the joke. Those two imps got it too. Everyone here's getting the joke. That's great. You take a look at your standard, still being held aloft in your right hand.
"hey demoma -> i got an idea for the standard + /how about adding a little red\" You bring the standard down, then swing it quickly at Demoma's side, knocking her to the left.
You turn around, excited for a new idea about a weapon. Especially involving color! You pretty miserably failed to make a solid weapon the last time you alchemized stuff so Soreim's creativity might help here. That is if he can get past his fucking glasses. It just feels like a repetitive drone to you by this point, just on and on and--
"AAAIIIIGGGHHH"
Ah. Oh. You. What? You are. Ok. No. This isn't. Yes. Ok. Ahhhhhggghh. Oh no. Are we? AGGGHH. WHAT!!! No. NO! WHAT??!?!
You're totally helpless.
You walk up to Demoma lying prone on the floor, seemingly dazed. There is an unusual gleam to your eyes as you pick her up by the throat. You're not that strong, so you don't lift her up very high. "<no> -> you're supposed to <laugh> <=> i was just joking /see\" With your rage-fueled might, you throw her to the other side of the room, onto the stairway, and walk towards her again. "it's all a matter of perspective" You pick up the encyclopedia as you approach Demoma, swinging it slightly with your left hand. "take this for example -> for you <=> just a tool or some wallpaper + but not for me <=> it's so much more than that" You start to lift the book higher.
You feel yourself thrown across the room like a balled up piece of paper. You get flashes in your mind of when Soreim tossed that tower-shield like a goddamn frisbee. You're realizing your mistakes. You're realizing everything could be a mistake. Everything is your fault. The whole game, the whole apocaly--wait NO! No, wait a second. What the fuck is Soreim talking about? Perspective??? You'll show him some FUCKING PERSPECTIVE!!! Hahaha!! You draw STARPOWER and wield it like a fucking cross, haha. "So much more tha~ that, haha, huh??? That was, hahaHAHAHA, part of my hive!!! I'LL FUCKI~G KILL YOU A~TLERK~IGHT!!!" You entirely do NOT find this funny anymore.
You're not sure you find this funny anymore either, but you laugh anyway as you pull out your shield in front of you. You throw your standard into Demoma's face and quickly take out one of your pens. You aim it at her feet and click it twice, instantly blasting the ground beneath Demoma away as you continue to approach her, shield held high.
They're...they're still laughing! You're FREAKING OUT!! WHAT IS GOING ON?? Not a CHANCE you could have planned for this! HAHAHA!!!
BOOM!!
First, you feel a smack to your face. Next, you feel an incredible shockwave blast your feet and lower legs. It's likely they're broken. This isn't what you wanted! You're going to have to pull out all the stops! Ah...haha...you don't feel good about this...
"I...I...I'm..."
You lean down, looking directly at her face. Looks like her nose is bleeding - maybe you broke it. "heh -> now you're the one who could use a mask" You get up, and look at her legs. More blood. Something at the back of your mind is screaming at you, but you're ignoring it for now. Not everyone appreciates a fine joke, you accept that.
You put away your pen and hold the shield with both arms, swinging it a bit in the air to test it. Then, with one last chuckle, you slam its broad side against Demoma's forehead.
PHWOOM
You...aren't...you can't....you're seeing stars. Stars just like the Land you're in. Crazy, perfect, almost cartoon stars. The last thing you see is a grinning face looking down at you. Just before your vision succumbs to darkness, you manage one last phrase.
"I'm....sorry......"
You blink. Once. Twice. You try to laugh, but nothing comes out. You start to breathe heavily as you keep looking at Demoma. You don't like this joke anymore. There's more blood coming out of her forehead now. You look at your hands, flecked with tiny crimson dots, and you start shaking.
You reach out to her forehead and examine the wound. It's not as bad as you thought; the blunt edge could only do so much damage. You're more concerned about her feet - they're not a pretty sight. Your breathing is ragged as you gently pick Demoma up in your two arms, leaving the shield behind. You try to avoid touching her legs or head. You look up at the stairs in front of you, and you start to climb.
It is slow going. You're not used to being careful, but you're not the only one you have to worry about this time. You begin the long trek upwards, one step at a time. Demoma is quiet in her sleep. Occasionally, you pause and check her pulse; it's a bit slower than you would have liked, but it seems stable. You hope that's a good thing; you vaguely remember a book mentioning... no, best not to think about books right now. Only a few more steps.
Finally, you reach your very own respiteblock. You kick at the piles of objects strewn about the floor as you make your way to the recuperacoon by the window. You hesitate - is it really a good idea to place her in the slime in this state? You've gone in with cuts and bruises and before and emerged fine, but maybe some injuries are different. But then, you can't think of anything better right now, so you slide her in slowly, ready to pull her out if anything goes wrong.
Once she is entirely submerged, you stay a while to ensure she is still sleeping without issue, before exiting the room and heading straight to your bathroom for medical supplies. Maybe you should alchemize some more too, like you suggested to Japhos. You don't know how serious it is, but you had better not take any chances.
You wipe away some tears. You have a new quest. And a knight must not fail his quest.
After downing quite a few imps, you notice a few ogres arriving. Should be able to get in a nice little bit of revenge for earlier. As you start taking them down though, you realize how much more progress Soreim is making than you. It seems you're a little underpowered. Damn! You thought you fixed this already, but it seems the sliding scale of power doesn't end with “barely besting an ogre, even with the element of surprise”. You make a point to emphasize your Attack as well as your Speed.
You seem to daze off thinking about new weapon combinations and how best to min-max the shit out of your equipment. Soreim doesn't really seem to notice as they keep cutting down ogres like they're nationally protected trees. That is to say, pretty easily, but with no reverance for them. Just before your eyes totally glaze, a large figure comes into focus. Oh shit! No way even Soreim's firepower can take that down! You issue the order to retreat to a nearby cave.
You two manage to make it to cover before that...thing...could see you. Soreim gives you a goofy grin you can't seem to parse. Just as you're about to say something snarky, a rumble comes from outside the mouth of the cave. You hit the deck, but Soreim goes and peers outside. No point in hiding now, you jump up and run forward, NORTH STAR brandished.
Oh crap! There's like five ogres out here! Soreim readies his pens as you prepare to jump into action. You whip NORTH STAR to the right of the leftmost one, wrapping it around its legs and toppling it. Soreim downs it execution-style as you wrap around to the next one. You ready NORTH STAR for the same maneuver, but it steps on your shot, sending the chain to the ground. Soreim manages to standard-whip its leg out, but only just before it brings its large fist down. Just as that happens, you draw STARPOWER and shoot it at an ogre behind Soreim. You manage to hit it in its eye, stunning it!
The last two ogres start to charge, but Soreim manages to slow them a bit with some deft penshots. You reel STARPOWER in, but just before you try to help, The Antlerknight grabs his tower-shield from his back and sidearms it right at the charging ogres. They poof from existence just as the other two ogres stand. One is right behind Soreim! As they're aiming at on e of the downed ones, you whip out your AIRGLIDER and shoot toward the menacing one. You club it with POCKETFUL OF DREAMS, look back, and see Soreim standing over some smoking grist.
As the last ogre falls, you exhale a huge sigh of relief. "wow ->that's uh => I think that should be enough grist /right\" Wiping the sweat from your brow, you bend over and retrieve your twin pens from the ogre's eyes, poofing it in the process. "that last one was pretty fast considering he only had the one leg hehe"
"Oh my gosh who knows! There's a good cha~ce we're well short, A~tlerk~ight!" you retort knowing full well the spoils are plenty. In fact, you probably reached the necessary grist quota for your Mechanized Biosuit quite a while ago, but you were quite interested in Soreim's new equipment and fighting skills. You decide you like him more and more as you go. He seems to have a plan as he fights, but not as he talks. It's interesting.
"alright <if you say so>" You're pretty sure you counted just about every bit of grist that fell to the ground by your hand, but you were never all that good with numbers, so you're going to trust Demoma on this one. As you are pulling your massive shield from the ground in which it was embedded almost vertically (how did that happen? you vaguely recall launching it like a throwing disc at some point), you realize you're having trouble seeing out of your left eye. You reach up to your glasses and take them off, squinting at them. "uh -> I can't see all that well right now <= /do you see anything wrong with my glasses demoma\ + everything's sort of blurry on my left side"
You glance over at Soreim even though you are having SO MUCH FUN. Seriously, after all of the shit that's happened to you recently, this is like a dream. Just mauling and eviscerating and macing. You only wish Katrin were here. But hey, Soreim is actually a good time. You didn't know what much to think of him at first, given his total disregard for your notes and plans. But after seeing him launch that tower-shield like a goddamn frisbee...I mean holy shit that was amazing. Wait. Oh. He's having problems. now. It's just an imp, I mean...you used to have problems with these but....to be quite honest they're a fucking joke.
"uh -> I can't see all that well right now <= /do you see anything wrong with my glasses demoma\ + everything's sort of blurry on my left side"
Aw. Soreim got a little owie. Or, actually, on second thought, you remember his history with head injuries. It might be about that time to get him back.
"A~tlerk~ight, our work is do~e ~ow. Forget what I said before. We should get back. Gotta lear~ stuff from your sprite, remember?"
"<oh> + right => i think i dozed off half-way through their explanations hehe <= i think they wanted me to prototype them <again> /for some reason\" With another series of pulls and twists, you finally manage to dislodge the shield, which you strap back on to your back. You put your glasses back on then turn to Demoma, flashing your brightest smile. "<alright> <=> <let's go> + i think my hive is uh that way <- no this way <- no no that => hmm" You spin around several times, trying to remember from where you came, but give up when you become dizzy. You look to Demoma. "ah -> haha I'm already lost -> /you wouldn't happen to remember where we came from\"
"Ah, haha." Nope, you don't. "It's this way!" You charge forward through the beautiful jungle. By some miracle through a clearing you manage to see Soreim's....hive. Looks more like a ruin from this far away. You beckon carefully towards the hive, deliberately making sure their vision is ok by prodding them now and again. You end up reaching the clearing where you came from.
"Phew! That was a bit of a workout, huh? Good to thi~k we wo~'t ~eed to go through this much trouble agai~, huh Soreim? We're go~~a stylize you some ~ew gear! Maybe eve~ spice up that sta~dard of yours!"
You saunter on into the hive, without looking if anyone is following you, as is per usual.
As you're about to follow Demoma into your hive (your vision isn't that bad - you would recognize that shape anywhere!), you pause, hesitating for once, and glance up towards the very top of your hive, but fail to see anything. In and of itself, this isn't unusual, because your lusus likes to fly far away during the day. The question is, did it fly off after you came to this strange place, or is it--
Wait, new gear? Hell yeah. You quickly catch up with Demoma. "oh yes absolutely -> i think that's actually a priority + /what kind of a knight would i be without\ hehehe" You look around your hive for drawing implements and are once more reminded of your vision problems. You prod your glasses a bit. "oh -> and i guess we should fix these glasses too <=> I've tried drawing without before => <not good> haha"
As you start wandering down into the depths which house Soreim's computer, you hear a faint plea about glasses. Always about them, huh? You JUST want to alchemize this biosuit and help EVERYBODY ALIVE IN EXISTENCE, but this guy is whining about their glasses. It's ok. You're on a bit of a kill-high right now and to be fair, the whole point of this excursion was to create new, cool items.
You throw them the encyclopedia. "Flip through this a~d see what you like!"
You grab the encyclopedia as it is flying towards you and are thrown on to your back by its momentum. Moving into a sitting position, you open up the massive book lovingly, caressing its spine, and start leafing through it. You feel little pangs of pain and guilt when you see the remains of the torn pages, but you press on. It's all part of the game after all.
Bah, this book is too big anyway. You won't be able to find anything if you don't know what you're looking for. Hmm... Oh, that could work! You remember a beautiful page that detailed all sorts of exotic ancient troll masks. If you alchemized one of them with a pair of glasses, you would look pretty awesome. Let's see... yep, the page on glasses is right there. Some of those look like they'd fit really well with a mask too. And as for the masks, they're on page... oh. It's been torn out. That's... you guess Demoma must have already used them for alchemizing something? Better ask for the code then.
"hey <demoma>" you shout down your stairway, as you start making your way down, "/did you ever alchemize something with masks from this book\ <- i'd like to make something with them => so i need their codes"
You're barely listening at this point. After all your trials and tribulations with your glider, you are ready to have something that makes you much more ambulatory. Soreim yells down to you though, interrupting your thought process. Something about masks? You guess it's about their glasses but is that really an issue right now? You mean seriously, you're trying to better the chances of your entire group in their efforts to survive, and they're whinging on about their reading glasses. "I thi~k I ripped it out. ~ot a lot of ~eed for masks whe~ you look this good!"
You shoot Soreim a knowing glance as he downs the stairs. You're really warming up to him, despite his selfishness.
"haha -> yeah you do look p--" you start to say, but then trail off as you think about what she said. What she's been saying for some time now, actually. Didn't she mention ripping out some other pages before? Before the game? You open up the book again, glancing back and forth at Demoma as you skim through it. A lot of pages are missing - a lot more than should have been necessary to alchemize all the gear she's currently wearing. You feel a sickening lurch in your stomach at the thought, but you hold back. You've come to appreciate Demoma as a great planner (well, at least a better planner than you); surely she had a good reason?
"/what did you do with all the other pages demoma\" you ask her quietly. "/the ones you didn't use for alchemy\"
"Oh, it was actually a great gift, Soreim. I did~'t thi~k so at first, but oh my gosh some of the stuff i~ there was amazi~g! A lot of it I just threw out, but some of it I put o~ my wall! Before it got destroyed of course..." You really did get a lot of use out of it. Between the glider and what you're about to make, that pays for itself! Hahaha. You feel yourself starting to laugh. It really is funny, isn't it? Just think about what Japhy would say, if you tore one of his books. Oh, hahaha, you love Japhy...Hahaha, he's a card, haha...
You didn't even realize the pun there! A card!! Like the starcards you found in his library! Full of books! HAHAHA! It's fucking hilarious!!!!
You agree. It is funny. You start to chuckle. You look back at the encyclopedia, which you now realise is now only about 4/5ths of its original size, at most. An incomplete encyclopedia. That's pretty funny too. Your chuckle turns to a laugh. What a great gift. Ancient knowledge, desecrated, thrown away, turned into wallpaper. That's not very funny, but it's all part of the joke.
You walk up to Demoma. She's laughing too. She gets the joke. You get the joke. Those two imps got it too. Everyone here's getting the joke. That's great. You take a look at your standard, still being held aloft in your right hand.
"hey demoma -> i got an idea for the standard + /how about adding a little red\" You bring the standard down, then swing it quickly at Demoma's side, knocking her to the left.
You turn around, excited for a new idea about a weapon. Especially involving color! You pretty miserably failed to make a solid weapon the last time you alchemized stuff so Soreim's creativity might help here. That is if he can get past his fucking glasses. It just feels like a repetitive drone to you by this point, just on and on and--
"AAAIIIIGGGHHH"
Ah. Oh. You. What? You are. Ok. No. This isn't. Yes. Ok. Ahhhhhggghh. Oh no. Are we? AGGGHH. WHAT!!! No. NO! WHAT??!?!
You're totally helpless.
You walk up to Demoma lying prone on the floor, seemingly dazed. There is an unusual gleam to your eyes as you pick her up by the throat. You're not that strong, so you don't lift her up very high. "<no> -> you're supposed to <laugh> <=> i was just joking /see\" With your rage-fueled might, you throw her to the other side of the room, onto the stairway, and walk towards her again. "it's all a matter of perspective" You pick up the encyclopedia as you approach Demoma, swinging it slightly with your left hand. "take this for example -> for you <=> just a tool or some wallpaper + but not for me <=> it's so much more than that" You start to lift the book higher.
You feel yourself thrown across the room like a balled up piece of paper. You get flashes in your mind of when Soreim tossed that tower-shield like a goddamn frisbee. You're realizing your mistakes. You're realizing everything could be a mistake. Everything is your fault. The whole game, the whole apocaly--wait NO! No, wait a second. What the fuck is Soreim talking about? Perspective??? You'll show him some FUCKING PERSPECTIVE!!! Hahaha!! You draw STARPOWER and wield it like a fucking cross, haha. "So much more tha~ that, haha, huh??? That was, hahaHAHAHA, part of my hive!!! I'LL FUCKI~G KILL YOU A~TLERK~IGHT!!!" You entirely do NOT find this funny anymore.
You're not sure you find this funny anymore either, but you laugh anyway as you pull out your shield in front of you. You throw your standard into Demoma's face and quickly take out one of your pens. You aim it at her feet and click it twice, instantly blasting the ground beneath Demoma away as you continue to approach her, shield held high.
They're...they're still laughing! You're FREAKING OUT!! WHAT IS GOING ON?? Not a CHANCE you could have planned for this! HAHAHA!!!
BOOM!!
First, you feel a smack to your face. Next, you feel an incredible shockwave blast your feet and lower legs. It's likely they're broken. This isn't what you wanted! You're going to have to pull out all the stops! Ah...haha...you don't feel good about this...
"I...I...I'm..."
You lean down, looking directly at her face. Looks like her nose is bleeding - maybe you broke it. "heh -> now you're the one who could use a mask" You get up, and look at her legs. More blood. Something at the back of your mind is screaming at you, but you're ignoring it for now. Not everyone appreciates a fine joke, you accept that.
You put away your pen and hold the shield with both arms, swinging it a bit in the air to test it. Then, with one last chuckle, you slam its broad side against Demoma's forehead.
PHWOOM
You...aren't...you can't....you're seeing stars. Stars just like the Land you're in. Crazy, perfect, almost cartoon stars. The last thing you see is a grinning face looking down at you. Just before your vision succumbs to darkness, you manage one last phrase.
"I'm....sorry......"
You blink. Once. Twice. You try to laugh, but nothing comes out. You start to breathe heavily as you keep looking at Demoma. You don't like this joke anymore. There's more blood coming out of her forehead now. You look at your hands, flecked with tiny crimson dots, and you start shaking.
You reach out to her forehead and examine the wound. It's not as bad as you thought; the blunt edge could only do so much damage. You're more concerned about her feet - they're not a pretty sight. Your breathing is ragged as you gently pick Demoma up in your two arms, leaving the shield behind. You try to avoid touching her legs or head. You look up at the stairs in front of you, and you start to climb.
It is slow going. You're not used to being careful, but you're not the only one you have to worry about this time. You begin the long trek upwards, one step at a time. Demoma is quiet in her sleep. Occasionally, you pause and check her pulse; it's a bit slower than you would have liked, but it seems stable. You hope that's a good thing; you vaguely remember a book mentioning... no, best not to think about books right now. Only a few more steps.
Finally, you reach your very own respiteblock. You kick at the piles of objects strewn about the floor as you make your way to the recuperacoon by the window. You hesitate - is it really a good idea to place her in the slime in this state? You've gone in with cuts and bruises and before and emerged fine, but maybe some injuries are different. But then, you can't think of anything better right now, so you slide her in slowly, ready to pull her out if anything goes wrong.
Once she is entirely submerged, you stay a while to ensure she is still sleeping without issue, before exiting the room and heading straight to your bathroom for medical supplies. Maybe you should alchemize some more too, like you suggested to Japhos. You don't know how serious it is, but you had better not take any chances.
You wipe away some tears. You have a new quest. And a knight must not fail his quest.
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