bishop-percival

[bishop-percival]

@evilmadscientistwizard

(prev) At first Professor Trismegistus assumed that their glass was slipping off and reached to correct them. But then they dodged their hands in an improbable jerky motion. “Cheers!” They yelled while pumping their fists in the air. “The ghost is real!” They laughed in delight as the spirit wiggled their glass. Yet it didn’t take long until their boundless enthusiasm started to run dry. Their giggling was replaced by an exponentially growing set of frustrated groans and curses. Finally, Professor Trismegistus clenched their fists and yelled, with a stomp for emphasis, “ENOUGH!” They wrestled for control of their glass while squeezing their eye shut in exertion. “Is that the best you can do!? Look at these sprinklers!” Tris made a sweeping gesture towards the ceiling. Then they flung their hands towards the walls. “Look at these candles! Look at these creepy paintings!” Then they pulled their sleeve back. “And what’s the use of wearing an analog watch when it doesn’t go wild in the midst of supernatural phenomenon!? There’s all these options and you just-! You just make it so my eye can’t focus on anything cool!” Once Professor Trismegistus got it all out they let out a deep, long-suffering sigh and grabbed their glass in a vice grip. “Such a boring ghost...”

Cas drifted out of the glass when the professor started ranting, still invisible. Tch… What a  rude-ass! Though… They were a bit right. But still, being called boring wounded Cas’ pride. If they wanted something exciting, then he’d deliver. He took a few moments to brainstorm something.

Then, Cas appeared before them. His head was pitifully sunken, and he was sheepishly tapping his pointer fingers together. “Oh. Forgive me. I was reborn as a ghost into the mortal realm only a couple of hours ago. I’m still getting used to things and practicing my scares. Sprinklers..,” he cracked a wicked grin, “What a fantastic idea.”

Cas flew up into one sprinkler. It wasn’t even the one above Tris; it was one that was a bit closer to the stairwell. It briefly rattled before bursting alive with water. 

And it just so happened that a certain exhausted priestess had given a quick goodbye to Reverend Mike and was eagerly getting back to her room to sleep. In the main floor’s hallway, she was just within earshot to hear the telltale sound of a sprinkler below, just as Cas had hoped. Miriam came rushing down the stairs, praying she was just hearing things. But she saw that she wasn’t. And past the cascade of slightly stinky water, she also saw the professor, automatically making them a suspect. 

“TRISMEGISTUS!” she roared. Though she didn’t dare get any closer to the water to go after them.

[bishop-percival]

[text] Keep me updated on any noteworthy happenings. Try not to be the subject of those noteworthy happenings.

[text] A few weeks from now, be prepared to meet me in the hangar when I get back. I'll give the scepter to you. Hide it in the observatory so Albert can retrieve it and keep it in his lab. I don't want to risk being caught directly interacting with him. I'll let you know the exact date when I can.

Teddy received a text from Reverend Mike a few minutes after seven.

[text] Hey. Heads up that Miriam and Percival summoned a ghost last night and that he’s here to stay. His name is Cas and he used to be a deacon. I’m leaving for my mission right now but I’ll get you an anti-possession talisman when I get back. So until then try to get along with him. He can be a pretty decent guy, shouldn’t be too hard. 

[text] If you feel the need to leave tailoring duties early, please do so if it means avoiding Sam.

[text] 👍

[text] Is there anything else I should do?

[bishop-percival]

@evilmadscientistwizard

(prev) When Reverend Mike said there were plumbing issues Tris interjected with, “Crikey…” No wonder the Glornch smelled so rank. Thank Glorn they didn’t live here. News of a returning deacon seemed trivial at first. Too mundane for them to give a damn about. That was until they remembered that there was only one way to leave the Glornch. Anyone who found another way to escape certainly wouldn’t be welcomed back. There was only one possibility left. One which happened to explain why the doors opened to an open floor. “Much appreciated Mike!” Tris stopped the door with their foot before running out. “Ta-ta!” They turned to wave as the doors shut for the final time. Then they cupped their hand around their mouth and slowly walked the floor as they called out, “Yoo hoo! Any ghosts here?”

Mike was glad yet unsurprised that Tris was keen enough to pick up on what he was hinting at. He gave a low effort wave and a “see ya” as the doors closed. He continued his way up and to the Glornch’s main entrance to say his farewells to his sister and Bishop Percival, who were waiting for him there. 

While in the elevator, Mike made it a point to text Teddy to warn him that the Glornch had a ghost and that when he got back he’d give him an anti-possession talisman. Mike was glad to have Cas back, but… not so much as a ghost. Ghosts presented some unique security risks. And the fact that Miriam and Percival were able to do such a thing was a little worrying for a number of reasons. But Mike shook his head, not wanting these worries to weigh on his mind right now. He wanted to focus on his mission.

The hallway that Professor Trismegistus was in was quiet, but it wasn’t empty. Indeed, the ghost deacon Cas was lurking about, following and examining this stranger as they searched for him. He was excited to introduce himself to them, but of course being the trickster he was, he wasn’t just going to reveal himself and say hi. He had to do something silly. He would���ve liked to possess one of the deacons who were sleeping in, but unfortunately it seemed that someone maintained a pretty good salt barrier around the quarters to keep miscellaneous spirits out, which also barred Cas.

Next, he wondered if he could possess this new person. But they seemed healthy and alert enough, so probably not. Then, Cas thought of an interesting idea: what would happen if he possessed their glass? And so he attempted it, successfully. Tris’ glass suddenly felt cold to the touch. Unfortunately, all Cas could really do as this particular object was jiggle, so he jiggled with all his might.

[bishop-percival]

@evilmadscientistwizard

(prev) Why Reverend Mike would mess with a sleeping bear when there was a perfectly good set of hands next to him was beyond them. And all they wanted was a chance to chat with him on the way out. “Are you sure-” Professor Trismegistus flinched and skittered out of the way the instant Reverend Mike yelled, not wanting to be in harm’s way when his sister barged out. This time their hunch was correct. “Ah. Sorry. I just thought he’d appre-” Their attempt at negotiating was quickly aborted when they realized that she was getting dangerously close to them. They zipped the rest of the way to the elevator and frantically pushed the button over and over as they yelled (at a lower volume than the reverends), “Have a gooden Mike! Hopeyoufindlotsofartifacts!” …The elevator was taking so long that Reverend Miriam was already out of sight by the time they heard the cart stop on the previous floor. When Mike addressed them they awkwardly rubbed their head. “No worries.” After a long pause Professor Trismegistus perked up at the realization that Mike was waiting for the elevator too. There was no reason they couldn’t chat a little before they reached the top floor. “I’ll be out of your hair soon! But, real quick: Has anything cool happened around the Glornch lately?”

The elevator dinged and the doors slid open. Mike stepped in and pushed the button for the main floor as he said, “We’re having plumbing issues. That’s real cool.” He then smirked. “Good thing I’m getting the fuck outta here.”

“And then, uh…” He rubbed his head as he felt he was forgetting something. Something important…

The elevator came to a stop at sublevel one, where the library and deacon quarters were. However, when the doors opened, seemingly no one was there. It was then that Mike remembered who he encountered earlier this morning when he woke up and went to get coffee. He brightened as he said,

"Oh, a new deacon has joined our ranks. Or rather, an old one has rejoined."

[bishop-percival]

Reverend Mike’s eye widened when he heard Professor Trismegistus’ voice, then looked at his watch. Their presence meant it was already 7 am, and he would’ve liked to have already left the Skullship by then. 

“Hey Tris,” Mike said with a tired voice. “No need. Excuse me.” He stepped over to his sister’s door and pounded his fist on it. “HURRY UP, WILL YOU?”

7 am was essentially the middle of the night relative to Reverend Miriam’s sleeping schedule. Yet she was awake to help her brother with his luggage and to see him off before he embarked on his month-long mission to spread the chaotic will of Glorn to the good people of the planet Avinodia. And she was just about to leave her room when she heard Professor Trismegistus call out to Mike and hesitated. She didn’t like them. For a number of reasons. But having her door pounded right in front of her pissed her off, so she flung it open and glowered at Mike as he shrunk back. “CAN NEVER WAIT ONE GLORNDAMNED SECOND, CAN YOU?”

Her furrowed eye shifted to the professor. “No acolytes on this floor, Tris,” she said in a quieter, yet ever-cold tone. Then she stacked Mike’s suitcases on top of each other and hefted them up into her arms. She quickly scuttled past the two toward the stairs, avoiding the nice, new, yet small and stuffy elevator. 

“Y-you're going to drop something carrying them like that!” Mike called out after her. Miriam glared back at him and shook the stack so the smallest suitcase on top fell off and down a few steps. She fled up the rest of the stairs. 

“...Sorry, Tris, I’m in a bit of a rush,” he said with a sigh as he went to pick up his suitcase.

The Glornch’s congregation had swelled after Bishop Percival beat Commander Peepers. Yet the vast majority of them were only curious onlookers. As the year went by interest dwindled until only a small fraction of watchdogs remained, who were genuinely interested in the Glornch. (Although with how small it was it still experienced significant growth.)

Professor Trismegistus was the first new member. They rushed over immediately after the fight, only to be turned away and given visiting hours. But they were back on Monday!. …Only to fruitlessly camp out at the entrance until visiting hours ended. Then they fruitlessly spent a few more hours trying to break in before deciding to come back on Tuesday.

Why were they so desperate? It was because they were fully prepared to spend the rest of their life chasing after the faint remains of the supernatural, all in hopes of gaining magical power. But who would do all that when they could get close to a wizard and learn his secrets? Or a witch? Or a scholar? Or another scientist who proved that even an otherwise powerless watchdog could summon demons with the right knowledge?

Professor Trismegistus quickly became a dedicated member of the Glornch despite their questionable faith in Glorn. Once they were initiated— and given access to the library— they passionately threw themselves into studying magic. And when they weren’t doing that they were rushing towards any supernatural occurrences they could find.

That is why they had to speak to Mike before he left: Because he was both the most knowledgable about the Glornch’s going ons and the most powerful member who was unlikely to brush them off. Fortunately, they happened to spot him right as he was pulling suitcases out of his room.

“Ah! Reverend Mike! It's so good to see you!” Professor Trismegistus yelled and waved as they trotted up to him. “Would you like help with your luggage?”

They made no attempt to conceal their ulterior motives. Yet they had a hunch that he won’t mind.

@bishop-percival

[bishop-percival]

does anyone else kinda lowkey fuck with the cursed amulet

[bishop-percival]

Yawn. I can do this kind of stuff already. Though for those who can't use illusion magic I suppose this convoluted project has the potential to be a decent technological imitation.

Well well well if it isn't Professor Trismus, plaguing Tumblr with your presence! Invent any cool torture devices lately?

Oi! Your Excellency! First I must say that I’m honored that you decided to follow my humble little blog. But please, call me Professor Trismegistus. If you have any further difficulties you can look at my blog title for reference...

Have you ever had a troublesome pest who has yet to outlive their usefulness, yet you desperately long to murder them with your own two hands? A hostage who needs to remain in one piece? An interrogation that has dragged on so long that both you and your smug prisoner lock eyes with each other, knowing that you ran out of parts to dismember?

Well it’s time to lock them in The Matrix! It’s named after an ancient tale from the Astrum Empire where an entire world is built within an ethereal plane. Some scholars claim that it is a digital world. Others deny this purely because they can’t accept the fact that they had computers so long ago! How absurd! Anyways...

...No, you don’t appreciate the historical details, do you? I’ll save that for Reverend Mike and cut to the chase:

The Matrix is a full-body neurostimulation device. Everything the subject feels, from the slight breeze in the air to the agonizing pain of getting their head slowly being lopped off, is indistinguishable from reality.

This is accomplished with two main subassemblies: A brain implant and a network of electrodes attached to key parts of the body. You may already be familiar with the electrode network. (If not, I can give you an overview upon request.) But they are only a complements to the true genius behind this invention.

That, my Excellency, is the thalamus-spinal implant. It enters through the ear and precisely worms its way into the depths of the brain. Then it enters the thalamus and sends a tubular offshoot into the central canel of the spinal cord. From there it hijacks the dorsal horns to directly send and receive signals from nerve endings.

There’s no way to remove it without severe collateral damage. Yet as long as it remains deactivated and undistributed it will have no adverse effects. That opens some interesting doors down the line, no? Surely the mere idea of using it again will have even the strongest-willed adversaries quaking in their boots!

The current goals of the testing phase are to:

Increase realism.

Fine-tune the VR integration to cover the other four senses. (Unfortunately, there’s no way to test senses beyond what we have.)

Increase haptic feedback to the torturer.

Increase the survival rate.

[bishop-percival]

I think it's one of those normal non-corrupted amulets and I'm glowing green for unrelated reasons

[bishop-percival]

[text] I’ll help provide an alibi and help with any damage control. The rest is up to you.

@bishop-percival

(Previous) [text] …If you don’t think he’ll be a liability, sure. [text] In other totally unrelated news, I will be sending Amy off on her month-long study abroad as part of her ordination soon.

[text] Ideally he’d stay at a distance while I keep their attention on me.

[text] Would you like to help?

[text] I’m sure Amy’s excited.

[bishop-percival]

[text] …If you don’t think he’ll be a liability, sure.

[text] In other totally unrelated news, I will be sending Amy off on her month-long study abroad as part of her ordination soon.

@stuckinuniformdevelopmemt

[text] How do you destroy a soul?

[text] Become a necromancer. Or a demon. Otherwise, there are a couple rituals out there. Most of them are pretty advanced and risky, though.

[bishop-percival]

[text] Captain Tim acid is a great resource to utilize. Just as long as you make sure everything dissolves.

[text] Trying to handle it all in the vents would be difficult. However, you probably know about navigating the vents much more than they do. I'm sure that gives you some sort of advantage. And there are no cameras in the vents!

@stuckinuniformdevelopmemt

[text] How do you destroy a soul?

[text] Become a necromancer. Or a demon. Otherwise, there are a couple rituals out there. Most of them are pretty advanced and risky, though.

[bishop-percival]

[text] I pray not. At least it's easier to get rid of a ghost. Just throw salt at them.

[text] I'm glad to see you're considering all of your bases, though.

@stuckinuniformdevelopmemt

[text] How do you destroy a soul?

[text] Become a necromancer. Or a demon. Otherwise, there are a couple rituals out there. Most of them are pretty advanced and risky, though.

[bishop-percival]

@clay-the-watchdog

(prev) Cyrus thought about the idea of being possessed and squirmed a little immediately, as it never occurred to them that possession would be involved. Hell, they've never even been possessed before! So who knows what kind of horrible things Cas would do while in their body? However, he did say it was only for research purposes.. So how bad could it really be? "..As long it aids us in our research and you do not do anything stupid in the process." They sighed with their arms crossed.

Cas smiled wide. “Wonderful. And don’t you worry.” Then he shrugged. “Alternatively, if you can find me someone else who’d be willing to be possessed, bring ‘em to me!”

With that, Cas backed further out of the door so only his face was still poking through. “Well, it was an absolute misery to meet you, Cyrus.” Of course, he was speaking in over-the-top negative Glornist speak. “Glorn curse your adversaries!” he concluded with a smile and wave before completely disappearing, continuing his search of the Glornch.

[bishop-percival]

@clay-the-watchdog

(prev) Cyrus thought about the idea of being possessed and squirmed a little immediately, as it never occurred to them that possession would be involved. Hell, they've never even been possessed before! So who knows what kind of horrible things Cas would do while in their body? However, he did say it was only for research purposes.. So how bad could it really be? "..As long it aids us in our research and you do not do anything stupid in the process." They sighed with their arms crossed.

Cas smiled wide. “Wonderful. And don’t you worry.” Then he shrugged. “Alternatively, if you can find me someone else who’d be willing to be possessed, bring ‘em to me!”

With that, Cas backed further out of the door so only his face was still poking through. “Well, it was an absolute misery to meet you, Cyrus.” Of course, he was speaking in over-the-top negative Glornist speak. “Glorn curse your adversaries!” he concluded with a smile and wave before completely disappearing, continuing his search of the Glornch.

[bishop-percival]

@clay-the-watchdog

(prev) Cyrus smirked and got up from the floor. "I would be more than glad to help you out." Anything to bring back Thomas from the dead.. "So, when would be a good time or day to meet up in the library?" "I unfortunately cannot help you this instant because my little fit of terror ended up giving me a migraine." They frowned as they rubbed their eye.

Cas perked up when Cyrus said they had a migraine. They’d be really easy to possess right now, and Cas has yet to try possessing another living being. But… Now wasn’t the time to be immediately destroying the fragile trust of someone who offered to be his assistant. 

“It’s agreed, then. I imagine I’ll be busy these next few days acquainting and reacquainting myself with everyone and everything. I’ll be sure to come and bug you when things have calmed down!”

Cas started backing away until he was halfway clipping through the closet door. “Oh, and one more question, Cyrus… How open are you to, uh, possession? Because k’know, as my assistant and whatnot, I may need to do a little possessing. For research!”

[bishop-percival]

@stuckinuniformdevelopmemt

[text] How do you destroy a soul?

[text] Become a necromancer. Or a demon. Otherwise, there are a couple rituals out there. Most of them are pretty advanced and risky, though.

[bishop-percival]

@clay-the-watchdog

(prev) "Splendid." Cyrus wearily smiled when Cas agreed to help out. "..Uh. Are you certain you are able to do all of that by yourself, though?" They scratched their head. "Since you are a ghost and whatnot."

Cas looked offended for one second before quickly coming to terms that Cyrus was 100% correct.

“I… Yeah, I would need help handling the physical media. I can only do so much when possessing inanimate objects…”

He slyly grinned. “If this is your offer to be my assistant, I suppose I’ll accept!”