#apparently its from botania! nice to know | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

rpchive · 8 years ago

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Sixtieth Encounter-- Staring Contest

Collin walks into the console room holding an unfolded letter in his hands. "Hey folks, guess who just got mail, courtesy of a magical hand mirror?" Zomrabitt: I...almost forgot we had that. What's up? Collin: I know, right? I kinda feel bad honestly. I really should keep in touch with him more often. Anyway, Barbell sent me a letter asking how we're doing, what we've been up to, that sort of thing. He says we should stop by again sometime soon. Relana misses having more people in the house, apparently. Nydins: Well, "people" is kind of relative. But it's possible! If you want to go, anyway. Is he even expecting us? Collin: I could send him something back saying we'll be by soon. I get the feeling he doesn't really live on any kind of solid schedule, though... Nydins: That's fair. Just as long as we aren't stopping by uninvited or something. Wouldn't want to intrude! Collin: Heh, wouldn't be the first time we dropped in on him. His golems practically dumped us on his doorstep the first time we met, remember? To be fair, they also thought the IT was an actual vending machine.

I mean, there’s been several cases of that already

Collin: I don't think those guys were made to do critical thinking. Anywho, I'll go write him back real quick so he knows to expect a spaceship on his front lawn soon. Collin steps out of the console room and heads back to his own. Nydins: Do you think we're gonna interrupt any more holidays? I think it'd be interesting to see more, especially since they seem to have different holidays from your human Earth ones! Zomrabitt: Dude, you're asking the wrong guy about human holidays. I hardly even remember celebrating any after everything I've been through. Not like it matters much now. Nydins: Oh, don't be so down! You don't have to be human to celebrate a human holiday! Never stopped me, anyway. Though I will admit, it was a little hard wearing hats...I usually just wound up hanging ornaments on my horns, but I guess you'll just have to settle for hats like everyone else!

Collin reenters the console room. "Alright, message sent. Should I go round up whoever's interested in going while y'all park this thing?" Zomrabitt: Umm, sure. Collin strides out once more, walking slightly faster than he normally does to round up anyone interested in going. Firefly; Rio; and Karumet all come into the console room with Collin Karumet: So we're meeting an old friend of yours? Collin: Pretty much. He's the guy who made my leg, actually. I still need to figure out a way to repay him for that... Karumet: Well, I guess he can't be all that bad if he helped you like that. I'll trust him for now, then. Zomrabitt: For now? He's not a bad guy; please don't fight anybody. Karumet: I won't fight anyone who doesn't attack us first. Besides, I'm not really in a state to do much damage; so don't worry about me actually hurting anybody just because I'm not very quick to trust them. Collin: I think you'll warm up to him pretty quick. So, are we almost there? Nydins: Yep, should be landing soon! Let us know if anything cool happens, okay? Collin: Will do. After the IT finishes landing, Collin opens the door of the IT and steps out into the field in front of Barbell's hill. "It's not much from the outside, but the inside's a lot nicer than you might think, I promise." Rio: It...looks like a hill. Is he a mole?

The Unholy Moley Underworld bully I will crush those who oppose me Just like mummy told me

Collin: No, he's quite human. At least, he looks that way. You never know, maybe he's using magic to hide his true form... Firefly: Hopefully not; then you'd know even /fewer/ humans... Collin: No kidding. I think he and Relana are the only two on my list, come to think of it.

I mean, you met Y and everyone in Area 51. Hussie was also human when you first met. Rai was human; just magical. same with uhh...whoever was the Lumiere captain...can’t remember her name rn

Collin heads for the front door and knocks. After a few moments, the sound of quick, metal feet scurrying towards the door can be heard from the other side and the door clicks and swings open. Sparks, the iron golem with an arm-mounted dart launcher, waves to the group and speaks. "Hey everyone! You guys got here really fast. Got some more new people, I see?" Zomrabitt: Just a few, yeah. How've you been? Sparks gestures for everyone to come in as he answers. "Pretty good, not much to say on my end. Our patrols have been the same-old for months now. Relana's apprenticeship is really starting to take off now. Barbell's been holding lessons all over the house depending on the day's subject. I think they're in the library right now, actually. Oh right! Name's Sparks. I'm part of Barbell's iron golem team. We keep the area monster free and make sure all's right in the neighborhood.” He extends a small iron hand up to Karumet first, clearly intent on shaking new hands in turn. Karumet looks at him like she's not entirely sure what to do, then waves in return. "Um...I'm Karumet. Nice to meet you." Sparks seems to take the gesture as a sign of not wanting to be touched and casually turns to Rio, also waggling his upraised arm at her. "And you...?" Rio: Ah! Um, m-my name is R-Rio! It's nice to meet you too! Rio shakes Sparks' hand so gently it almost comes off like she's scared of making prolonged physical contact. Sparks: There's no need to be worried, I don't bite. I actually don't have a mouth, so at worst I would have to... rub my face against you? That just sounds awkward more than anything. Uhh, moving on, I'll lead you guys to the library. I think they're almost done with lessons for the day. Even if they're not, I'm sure Master wouldn't mind a bigger audience. He seems to really like teaching. Sparks turns and heads up the stairs, eventually taking the group to the door of the library. Barbell's voice can be faintly heard from behind the heavy wooden door. Sparks raps against the door and the words "Come in" answer in kind. Collin goes ahead and opens the door, and inside a large chalkboard covered in sketches of what look like strange humanoids is set up amidst the bookshelves with Barbell standing at its side. Relana is seated in one of the two chairs in front of the chalkboard, while Bug sits in the other. The trio turn to face the group as they enter, and Barbell holds his arms out to greet them. Barbell: Aha, there you are! If I had known my letter would get such a quick response, I would have written ages ago! Good to see you all, come in, come in! We were just getting to the good part of our little history lesson here. Zomrabitt: History lesson? About what? Barbell: Oh nothing, just a little something on the history of magic and the deities that bestowed it upon our world. He smirks as he speaks, clearly trying to reign in his excitement. Firefly: Finally, something actually interesting! If I had to hear XL talk about her blacksmith dads one more time I was gonna seal her room. Barbell: Now now, family is important. He holds up a finger and spins it in a circle a few times, and several chairs slide over to form a second row behind Relana and Bug. Firefly: I mean, I guess? But when you have over 5000 siblings, you kind of stop caring about that. Shrugging, Firefly takes a seat. Relana quietly says something about how Firefly's bathroom must've been really crowded at home while Barbell clears his throat and begins his lecture again.

I mean, the rest were...all bugs; so in all likelihood that wasn’t really a problem. but I guess she doesn’t know that so

"Now, it's a well known fact that our world has a number of drastically different magical systems. Ars Magica, Botania, Blood Magic, and Thaumcraft, just to name a few. Heck, even Thaumcraft has many different schools of magic within itself. So that raises the question, 'Why does our world have so many different kinds of magic?' Well, ancient texts recovered over the years tell of a sort of magical pantheon, or group of godlike figures." Barbell taps the chalkboard with his finger, and the somewhat crudely drawn figures seem to come alive on the board, making idle movements and gestures as he continues to speak. "The names of these gods is still a highly contested topic, and honestly I leave it up to personal choice. The important thing is that each god bestowed upon the realm their own unique magical power. However, magic back in those times was supposedly much simpler and... 'pure', for lack of a better word. There are no records of anything resembling Flux, for instance." Relana quickly raises her hand and Barbell smiles and nods, to which she asks... "So what caused things like Flux? Was it one of the gods?" Barbell: Well, not one of these that you see here. A different deity, one that did not wish to give away its power to the world, grew jealous of how loved the other deities were. In an act of jealousy, the god lashed out and poisoned the magic of the world. After that, a war broke out between the rest of the pantheon and the rouge deity. Eventually the rogue was sealed between the dimensions of reality, but the pantheon had used too much of their power to do so and were forced to ascend from this plane. In its wake, we have our modern day magic systems. It's worth noting that the rogue deity actually does have a verifiable name. The translations differ, but the most common one is "Israphel". Do I have any questions? How about from our guests?

please don’t bring Sand Voldemort into this

Karumet: Are there any dead forms of magic, or are all of those still being used? Is it widely practiced? Barbell: It's hard to tell. We still aren't entirely sure how many members of the pantheon there actually were. Certain forms may have been destroyed in the war, or otherwise faded into obscurity over the years. Ars Magica is actually much weaker in terms of size than it has been in the past. Personally, I only know of one proficient practitioner of the art. Witchery also isn't very commonly used, although I blame that on social stigma. Firefly: That's kind of sad. It would've been nice to see a little variety. Botania's pretty big in the Twilight Forest, though I guess that kind of goes without saying...

Roots would also be very big (probably literally; its functions would be greater than the actual mod); Witchery is probably practiced in some places; basically anything very earthy and not machine-based would be used

Barbell: I feel that diversity in magic can be found within each individual system. Golemancy is a far different experience than artificing in Thaumaturgy, for instance. And don't even get me started on Witchery. That is one deep rabbit hole, hoo boy. Excellent questions, by the way! Anyone else? Rio: Are, uh...are you sure that all the god thingies all died? That sounds kinda sad... Barbell: Well, I'm not sure I would consider them "dead". Like I said, the gods ascended from our plane of existence, but I think in some way they're still connected to us. The only one that I would consider dead would be Israphel, who was sealed inside the Void. Rio: But they're not here, right? They're just...gone? Barbell: Correct, unless I've just been missing the giant people sitting in the clouds. Relana giggles slightly at the joke, and Barbell almost seems to brighten up the room at that. "Any other questions?" Firefly: Mm, doesn't look like it. Barbell claps his hand and an eraser jumps to life to wipe the board clean. "Then I believe class is dismissed for the day! Now I can properly introduce myself. My name is Barbell, Thaumaturge, Golemancer, and slightly above average cook, at your service." He strides toward Karumet and Rio, bows slightly, and extends his hand toward them. Rio: Um, I'm Rio, and this is Karumet! She clumsily shakes Barbell's hand while Karumet continues to avoid handshakes. Relana immediately swoops in beside Barbell and extends her hand to Rio, clearly taking herself very seriously. "And I'm Relana, apprentice Thaumaturge and Tinkerer." Rio: It's really nice to meet the two of you! I haven't met many uh...nice humans before! Barbell: Well, I've got a few more where we came from, but they don't live here unfortunately- Barbell is interrupted by Bug tugging on the hem of his robe. "Oh right, I'm sorry! This is Bug, one of my iron golems. You can introduce yourself, buddy, you've done it before!" Bug nervously offers his hand toward Rio and seems to be having trouble looking her in the eyes. "H-hello..."

small golem; big crush. chase ur dreams kid~*

Rio: Oh, hello! She shakes Bug's hand as well, equally as gently as she did with everyone else. Bug quickly scurries off as soon as Rio finishes shaking his hand, and Barbell practically has to hide his smile behind his hand. "Now now, what's gotten into the lil' guy?" Karumet: Maybe he's shy... Barbell: Ah well, he'll be fine. Would anyone like refreshments? I'm actually quite thirsty after all that talking... Zomrabitt: Eh, I'm good. Rio can't even eat, so she's probably out of the picture too. Barbell: Ah, my apologies. Still, you should walk with me. It seems we have a bit of catching up to do. Barbell immediately begins walking toward the kitchen, still speaking to Tori. "So, how are XL and Silky doing? I notice they're not here with you this time." Tori follows Barbell out of the room. "Silky wound up leaving the IT temporarily to help another Novakid with...something. I wanna say she had to be his bodyguard since things are still a little hot in his sector after we wound up fighting one of the big bads. XL's still on the ship; she seems kind of bored, but I feel like all of us were kind of reaching that point anyway." Barbell: Ahh, I see. Well, it's good to hear everyone's doing alright. Things have been relatively tame here as well. Relana's been doing surprisingly well with her lessons, although she still needs patience, as do pretty much all kids her age. I've barely had time to keep up with my Flux watch with how busy I've been recently. How about you? Zomrabitt: We haven't done much ourselves. After we resolved the whole Greenfinger mess, the IT just sort of decided to...not land? We met Karumet; that was...something. I don't know; mostly it was just a lot of talking. Getting to know each other; where we all came from...some of it was interesting, but eventually everyone got tired of telling stories. Barbell: Ah, but that's the fun thing about being young; you'll have plenty of time to find new ones, and make some of your own. Zomrabitt: Please; we can't even sneeze without having an adventure of some sort. It was nice for things to slow down for a little while, but you don't really know what you've got til it's gone and all that. I'm sure Rio appreciated not being involved in a combative environment, but fighting things and saving people, that's...kind of what I do; what I'm meant to do. Not doing it just felt like a waste of time. Barbell: Time spent with friends and family is never wasted time, but I do understand what you mean. It feels strange to not be focused on making things for town projects or going out on expeditions- Oh, speaking of that, I have a favor to ask you and the others when they catch up, if you don't mind. Zomrabitt: A favor? Is something wrong? Barbell: Potentially, although I'm not sure how severe it is. I don't think it's anything too big, but an old man and a squad of golems could probably use a little more backup on this one. The group eventually meets up with the pair in the kitchen. Barbell finishes pouring himself a glass of a strange colored tea as the others enter the room. "Ahh, there you are! Perfect timing!" He takes a sip of his tea and then sets it on the table before reaching into his robe and pulling out a scroll. He unfurls it on the table to reveal a map of the area around his home, which rises up from the scroll's surface to form a slightly three-dimensional map. Certain areas are marked with yellow circles, while one spot with grass that appears almost black in color is circled in red ink. Barbell: I apologize for not mentioning this in my letter, but I've been trying to be casual about this around the kid. For the newcomers, a brief crash course; Thaumaturgy comes with a serious byproduct in the form of Flux. It can taint the land, affect the weather, and even cause health problems for biological beings. Normally I can keep the amount of Flux in the atmosphere to a negligible level, but almost overnight this area in red appeared. I'm not sure what's going on, but I think it's being caused by the intentional actions of someone. Firefly: Ooh, that looks...nasty, honestly. So you need our help with this? Well, the person; unless you expect these guys to be punching the Flux away... Barbell: Precisely. The best case scenario is that it's an aura node that's gone off the rails. That can quite literally be solved by punches. But if it is because of a person, I need help subduing them so that I can focus on cleaning up the area. I'm not frail, but I'm not exactly a boxer either... Zomrabitt: Yeah; that makes sense. So do you think it's just some random guy, or have you ticked somebody off that would want to get back at you? Barbell: Haha! Do I come off as the kind of guy that picks fights with fellow mages in the local tavern? I might have to revise my look if that's the case, hehe. But seriously, I don't think I have any enemies like that. I'm not sure what would cause someone to do something like this, but it can't be good. Zomrabitt: Yeah, if it's coming out of nowhere then they're probably just a jerk. Didn't peg you as the type to pick fights, but some people out there can get real petty over little stuff for no reason, so you never know. Better safe than sorry and all that. Barbell: Yes, well, when you get to be my age, petty grudges become more of a rarity. So, would you all be willing to help me? Zomrabitt: Of course! We wouldn't be very good friends to turn you down. Barbell: Excellent! We can head out in an hour, if you're ready to go. I need to gather some things before we head out. Zomrabitt: Take your time; we'll be here when you're ready. Barbell eventually reunites with the group in the foyer with a large backpack hoisted over his back. He mentions that he's having Bug stay behind with Relana at the house to keep her company while they're gone, and then sets out the door with the other three iron golems in tow, along with the group. As they leave, Fawkes steps out of the IT, ducking to make sure his head clears the doorframe. Fawkes: Ah, it appears I'm just in time. Are we going somewhere? Zomrabitt: Yep! Something about some dangerous clouds, I think? Some guy's causing bad stuff; the usual. Barbell: That's close enough, I suppose. Ah, one moment, I almost forgot. He reaches into his robe and pulls out a small, brass whistle. He blows two sharp notes out of it, and after a moment the faint sound of something akin to a train can be heard from the other side of the hill. Suddenly, what appears to be a personal sized train engine turns around the corner. Small mechanical arms on the sides of the train appear to be placing tracks in front of the engine and lifting them back off the ground behind it as it moves. It slows to a stop as it reaches the group, and a series of small platforms large enough for a person to stand on extend out from the train, enough for the entire group minus one. "If we're going to reach the place before nightfall, we'll need to take the Aurum Express."

I know you probably didn’t mean literal human-esque arms, but I’m imagining a train hurriedly dragging itself across the ground with massive, metallic arms, and that picture’s too funny to pass up

Zomrabitt: ...Wh-...? How did you just--?? No, it's magic; questions don't always have answers. Train it is. Barbell: I mean, I made the thing if that's what you're wondering. Fawkes, I apologize, but the platforms the Express makes don't really get up to your size. You have to be standing on one with both feet in order for it to keep you aboard. Do you think you can keep up alongside us? Fawkes: Do not worry, I can keep up just fine. The rest of you climb aboard, I could use the exercise anyway. The group boards the train platforms. Barbell hops on the platform directly behind the engine and pulls a lever, causing the train to jump forward into motion. In seconds, the Aurum Express is cruising over hills and between the trees at a surprising speed. Fawkes is able to keep up on foot at first, but eventually he decides to use his jetpack and flies above the trees over the train in order to keep up more easily. Barbell laughs and leans out to one side, his arm extended outwards. "Haha, it's been a while since I got to take a ride on the old girl! Remember, keep both feet on the platforms at all times! I don't want anyone flying off into the bushes!" Nydins: Oh, don't worry about us! Half of us can fly anyway; we'll probably be alright! Rio: I...don't think you've ever tried opening your wings while going this fast... Collin has latched onto Tori's shoulders with both hands and is trying desperately to keep as steady as possible. "Suddenly I'm really grateful that the IT doesn't really have windows..."

I debated adding them once, but since the IT isn’t very slow, I figured it’d just like...give people motion sickness or something

After about twenty minutes or so, the train reaches a less wooded area, and the group notices the sky begin to dark slightly as the grass begins to become more green than gray. Eventually the ground turns a color just a few shades off from black, and a small, decrepit house comes into view. Barbell slows the Express to a stop a few hundred feet away from the building and steps off of his platform. "This looks worse than I thought..." Firefly: What even happened here...? Barbell: I'm not entirely sure. I've seen Flux do strange things to an area before, but never something quite so... ominous. We should tread carefully. Who knows what could be in that house. Is everyone ready? Zomrabitt: I mean, we're already here. So, is it actually dangerous to walk around there, or...? Barbell: I meant that more as a turn of phrase, but it never hurts to be cautious. Let's move. As Barbell starts toward the house, the three golems set up a defensive perimeter around him, keeping their eyes close to the ground. As the group nears the building, they notice what appear to be small purple vines growing up from the base of the house and climbing up a few inches up the walls. Suddenly, an armored person emerges from inside the house, swinging the door out forcefully. Their armor is made of a dark gray metal, and a red banner hangs from their chest and back, emblazoned with a gold sigil. Its faceplate is marked with a golden cross shape running across the eye holes and up the middle of the helmet, and the figure calls out in a deep voice. "Halt! Leave this place immediately, or suffer swift judgement!" Barbell: Are you the person responsible for this? ?: I do not answer to you! I tell you again, leave this place at once! Barbell: I will not! This land has been corrupted, and I am here to fix it! You can either stand down or be put down, the choice is yours! You are clearly outmatched, and I do not wish to use such unneeded violence! ?: That is where you are wrong, old man... The figure shouts something in a strange tongue, and suddenly dark clouds of mist rise up from the ground and shift into more individuals armored similarly to the first. Barbell takes a step back and glances around the area at the sudden fighting force. "This is very bad..." At once, the figures unsheathe iron swords and rush toward the group, shouting various warcries that mix in the air. Looking at the oncoming crowd, Tori strokes their chin reflectively for a moment. "Hmm, I'm gonna need more spears..." Karumet: Sp-spears?! Your weapon's a spear?! Zomrabitt: What? Don't be ridiculous, our weapon's whatever we want it to be. So my weapon's going to be spears. Lots of them. Tori spreads out their arms, and roughly 50 rods of yellow light burst into existence behind them, all of them taking the shape of spears mere moments after creation. "So, who should I aim for? One of 'em? All of 'em? Do you think they'd back down if I made an example?"

turns out that in all that time of practice 2ri found out they didn’t have to use the cord every time

I tried to make it not gate of babylon-y, since they don’y come from anywhere specifically. the yellow light could’ve been any color with any other Kleivenn; 2ri’s color is yellow due to their driving wish. consequentially, their light-based form will also be yellow as a result

(unsurprisingly, Collin’s influence is blue and yellow...)

Rio: I-I think doing just about anything would work right now! There's kind of a lot of them! Zomrabitt: Well, there are right now... Firefly: Less talky; more fighty!! Right, right. Swinging their arm out towards the oncoming crowd, the onslaught of spears shoot towards them like arrows. The knights attempt to dodge or deflect the spears, but many fail to do so and are pierced straight through. Those that are hit almost immediately seem to dissolve away into the air, and the survivors fall back for a moment as more of the dark mist rises up from the ground, soon turning into replacement troops. Several knights charge in again, but the remaining begin to charge crimson balls of energy in their hands. Barbell: No! Whatever you do, don't let those attacks hit you! His wand appears to fly into his hand from his pocket, and he immediately begins to quietly chant something and wave his wand in response. Sparks begins firing darts at the approaching knights while Daps and Rumble stand at the ready to fight off the others. Tori takes breaks between conjuring and launching spears to respond: "Well! Whatever you're doing; you better! Do it fast! If all these things are just-! Ghosts or whatever! We probably need to worry more-! About whatever's bringing them out! Firefly! You've got magic! Help him out! Or whatever!" Shooting nervous glances between the red energy and Tori currently being a static target, Firefly carefully attempts to make her way over to Barbell. "Just don't get hit! I can't save you if there's nothing left to bring back!" Instead of responding, Barbell completes his spell and forcefully swings his wand toward the ground. A giant arcane circle formed of blue light expands outward from where his wand points, and the knights crumble away as its border reaches them. However, the spellcasting knights fire their spells just before the sigil reaches them and the projectiles hurtle toward both Barbell and Firefly. Barbell quickly throws himself in front of her, but then Fawkes drops down from above the pair with a groundshaking thud and deploys a massive hard light shield from his arm. The spells collide with the shield and burst into large crackles of crimson energy and then vanish. Fawkes turns his head to the pair once the dust settles. "Are you two alright?"

Firefly can make forcefield shields; I think she’s done it before. she’s about the only one who used Space powers like that though

Zomrabitt: Ohhhhh!! Who needs to be careful now!? Firefly: Ugh! Blushing green with embarrassment, she turns her gaze to Fawkes instead. "I'm fine... Thank you..." Fawkes: I am glad to hear this. He disengages the shield and gets back up onto both feet. Barbell stands up from his guarded position and dusts off his robe. "Well, that should keep the welcoming committee off of us for a time, at least. Lucky for us, it looks like they were using a similar means of getting here as the monsters of the world do, which means my sealing sigil should keep them from showing back up, at least for a time. Is everyone else alright?" Rio: Y-yeah! We're okay! Barbell: Very good, now let's keep it that way. This is clearly the work of more than just one rogue Thaumaturge. The group approaches the building proper and Fawkes takes point at the door, throwing it open and immediately redeploying his shield. However, the house appears to be completely empty, aside from layers of dust now kicked up by the sudden activity and small piles of old, broken furniture. Karumet: ...Seems you're chasing actual ghosts, sir... Firefly: You don't think it's bait or a trap, do you...? But he already said he didn't pick a fight with anybody. Who'd set a trap without knowing they'd have victims? Nydins: Who makes an army without expecting a fight? Barbell stands in silence amidst the conversation, and anyone that listens closely can hear a faint but rapid clicking noise as he looks around the house, until finally he snaps his gaze over to a ruined fireplace. "I fear we've stumbled upon something much larger than I could have ever imagined..." He strides over to the fireplace and presses a stone just off the center of the structure, and a section of the floor drops slightly and slides away to reveal a staircase descending down into the dark. Zomrabitt: ...Is...is this a cult? Lornicai: Barbell: I don't have enough evidence to say yes, but I'm thinking you may be right. Walk quietly. We may still have some element of surprise on our side. Taking a deep breath, Tori nods quietly.

I mean, I kind of expect someone who was nearly ritualistically sacrificed to not like cults

even if I do think the cultists are cool, truth be told, I just want their robes

The group descends the stairs in darkness until glowing balls of cool, orange fire begin to light the stairwell. As they near the bottom, the low chanting of many voices becomes audible to the group, and eventually they reach a simple wooden door, emblazoned with a singular eye using gold lines for the outer shape and an emerald ring dotted by a pitch black pearl to finish the iris. Barbell casts a silent spell at the door's hinges, and then slowly pulls it open without a sound. On the other side is a short hallway that leads out to a large chamber. A large circle of ten figures in red and black robes kneel on the ground around a tall obelisk of obsidian that hovers in the center of the chamber. Standing outside of the circle at a pulpit is another figure, whose robes are slightly more elaborate than the others. Eyes similar to the one on the door adorn each sleeve, and a black four-pointed star is printed onto its chest. /In a hushed whisper, Barbell speaks to the group. "This... This is insanity. I'm not even sure where to begin..." Half scared to speak at all, Tori responds in a shaky whisper: "Well you better think of somethin' quick; sneaking into these creeps' basement's gonna be the least of our problems if this escalates..." ??: I'm afraid things have already escalated beyond your comprehension, interlopers. The figure at the pulpit speaks without turning to the group. Its voice is low and sultry, and distinctively feminine.

sultry...

I will not seduce a cult leader

"However, you are granted the privilege of witnessing the first step toward a new world order. After that, I'm afraid your privileges are over, however..." Barbell, knowing their cover is blown, strides into the room, his wand pointed directly at the figure. "You will stop this madness at once, or I will stop it myself!" ??: Is that so, little Thaumaturge? They finally turn away from the ritual toward Barbell, but their face is still obscured by the hood of their robe. "Do you really think you and your little ragtag bunch of mutants can stop the wheels we have set in motion?" Nydins mumbles "Well someone's never heard of aliens..." Zomrabitt: Sooo, are you gonna just keep this back-and-forth thing going, or do you wanna have a monologue too? 'Cause I've got about...a dimension's worth of spears with all your names on 'em if you're done here, miss. The figure giggles in an oddly cheery tone. "Oh yes, we are quite done indeed." A moment later, what appears to be a dark hole in the air tears open just below the obelisk with a noise like a thunderclap, and the air seems to rush into the newly made opening. A second later, another deafening thunderclap bursts forth and a shockwave seems to ripple outward through the air and beyond the confines of the chamber. Several things happen at once; the hole in the air vanishes in an instant, the iron golems turn purple and collapse to the ground, and the shards inside Collin's prosthetic leg are swallowed up in a bright light contained inside the glass of the leg. Cracks begin to appear on the glass as the leg begins to vibrate, and Collin, realizing what's about to happen, pulls the prosthetic off of his leg and hurls it with all his strength toward the circle as he loses his balance. The leg explodes a moment later, knocking several of the cultists clear and dissolving one of them. Barbell immediately drops down to the golems and scoops them up into his arms as the head figure begins to laugh.

Quickly catching Collin before he reaches the floor, Tori struggles to keep himself from going into his natural form. "You...you..." Karumet: Keep a lid on it...if you fly off the handle, things will only get worse for all of us. Don't let this get to you... Zomrabitt: Don't tell me what to do!! Karumet: Don't get yourself killed! Nydins: Save the fighting for the cultists!! Collin pulls himself up onto his one leg and holds onto Tori for support with his right arm, and points his left hand toward the leader. "You know, I was using that leg you son of a bitch!" A massive blast of lightning erupts from his hand and smashes into them, but the energy seems to bounce off of a field of glowing runes around them and scatter off the ceiling above. After a moment, the figure speaks again. ??: Hmm... How did someone like you... How interesting, heehee. Well, that's something to ponder later. It appears our work here is done. On to the next task, then! There's still much to do. Maybe we'll see each other again soon?

keep your hands off of my boyfriend or so help meeeee

so help me! so help me.

and cut!

As one, the leader and the remaining cultists draw forth a pendant in the shape of an eye from beneath their robes and kiss the symbol. The cultists seem to be sucked into the pendants head first, and then the pendants seem to consume themselves, leaving nothing behind but the obelisk. Zomrabitt: Ugh, that's just...!! Ugh! Rio: S-so what do we do now? Can we stop this? Barbell, seemingly oblivious to the others, continues to shake and speak to the unmoving golems. "Come on, wake up dammit! You can't do this to me! Get up!" Nydins: I...don't think we can do anything but leave for now. We have a few more problems that need attention first... Zomrabitt: We can't just leave; they're just gonna get worse!! Nydins: And what are we supposed to do?! We can't just find them; we don't even know if this showed up over time or instantly!

I don’t know when I started writing Nydins in but she’s suddenly here now, oops?

somehow I...never noticed

Zomrabitt: But what if it progresses faster now that they did this?! We can't just ignore them!! Karumet: Then we split up, obviously. Nydins and Rio should go back with Barbell and Collin. The rest of us can find the cultists and try to stop this from spreading. Surely if Firefly's from here she can find them, right? Firefly: It's a different kind of magic, I don't know if I could-- Karumet: If nobody can help us; nobody can help them. If nobody can help them, the cultists will continue their work, and more people will get hurt or killed. We either get help, or we abandon these people. There are no other options; you're adequate or you're a hindrance. That's all this boils down to. So, can we sort this out somehow or not? Should we split up, or leave entirely?

Karumet is kind of A Dick sometimes

Barbell stands up and whirls around to the group. "ENOUGH!" He coughs a couple of times from his outburst, and then takes a few breaths before continuing to speak. "I... I apologize, I.... I know who might be able to help us find them." Karumet: Then let's get them. We're wasting time just standing around fussing, right? She looks to Tori, but Tori refuses to meet her gaze. There is a collective groaning from the floor, and Barbell quickly spins around to find the three newly recolored golems slowly getting back to their feet. Before the golems have time to process their surroundings, they find themselves immediately swept up in the arms of an incredibly relieved Thaumaturge and begin shouting out confused protests. Collin: Well, at least we didn't lose anyone, it seems. Zomrabitt: Fortunately...I just wish they hadn't dragged you into that too. Barbell finally release the golems and twists one of the lens rings on his goggles slightly, and what appear to be wiper blades start scrubbing the inside of his lenses, then clears his throat. "I uh, don't think that was intentional. I'm not sure what that ritual did, but from what I can tell, it seems to have altered something about the very nature of our world. I would guess that the shards in Collin's leg became destabilized in the event and converted themselves into raw, elemental energy. Our first order of business is to get back home, make sure Relana and Bug are alright, and fix Collin's prosthetic. Once we've done that, we can more closely examine what exactly that ritual did, and I can contact a friend of mine about the matter. Sound good?" He steps out to the former ritual site and collects the thaumium foot from the wreckage of the prosthetic as he waits for an answer. Zomrabitt: ...Yeah. Not much else we can do about it. Barbell: Excellent. We have our game plan, then. The group returns to the Aurum Express, which thankfully still seems to be in working order. After that, they make the journey back to Barbell's home where they find a panicked Relana and a similarly transmuted, but otherwise fine Bug. Barbell tells the others to rest for the moment and grab any food or drink they might need, and then takes Collin back to his workshop to begin work on a new prosthetic.

you know; I was both totally relieved that this didn’t have anything to do with Collin and then absolutely irate because I spent months just being mortified because what the fuck could all those lyrics mean what’s going to happen to him but nope the cultists are only semi-interested

but then again how would Collin be way better off after all this if it didn’t have anything to do with him

you

you’re the type of guy that takes his bandaids off real slow, huh?

#[S2]

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