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Post by Pepa on Nov 12, 2018 16:07:01 GMT -5
Pleez sat in the window seat of the transport freighter, just one more piece of space scum drifting into the orbit of Hollow. It was funny, in a way. When she’d begun this journey, years ago now, she’d drifted into Earth wondrous at what it would be like to be on a planet where there were others of her kind, where the average power level was startlingly low, and where the harsh realities of the Frieza Force hadn’t yet crushed the spirit out of the people. It was an innocent world, pure and sparkling in the cold of night. It seemed fitting that she was now on board a ship docking at a ‘planet’ which looked as though it had never known anything but violence and struggle. The severed head of a monstrous creature, no doubt torn from a gargantuan neck in some bloody conflict. She’d become stronger than she’d ever have believed possible when she first won her freedom from the Frieza Force. She’d learned that her people were, by and large, vapid morons she could not relate to. She’d killed hundreds, perhaps thousands, in her bloody quest across the galaxy to learn where she had come from. The Frieza Force had fallen, the Galactic Empire had risen, and for all that? She was stuck in the same cycle as she ever was. But others she had ventured forth with? They had risen far indeed. She shouldered her way through the rank and file mercenaries, her blood red cloak stained and scorched with the multitude of battles she had seen, her armour so pitted and cracked it could scarcely be accused of doing her any good. Still, though, anyone wearing clothing like that, in a place like this? That was someone strong enough that they shouldn’t be messed with. Wisely, new Empire arrivals and Demons alike chose to keep their mouths firmly shut. Pleez’s dour expression and firm refusal to speak even a single word to the toadies and flunkies that tried to get in her way seemed to draw little attention. This stoic grunting act was, apparently, all something that they were quite used to dealing with in demonic circles. It wasn’t until she stood before the enormous doors of the throne room that anyone even tried to stop her; a pair of enormous, black-skinned brutes armed with archaic pikes. The weapons scissored together with a sharp snckt of metal on metal. She narrowed her eyes. The barrier parted, and the doors opened with a terrible grinding. Pleez stepped into the room, a dark expanse, one narrow beam of light illuminating the throne, and the figure who sat upon it. Her shadow stretched almost to the base of the chair itself. Would the figure within even remember her? It seemed doubtful. He had changed so much. And she? She was the same mercenary scum she had always been. Still on the same quest. She was just stronger, and more battle-weary. He was so far above her now, it was like staring at the stars. But she had to ask, didn’t she? “You.” She said, her voice quiet, and yet filling that empty space as though she were shouting. “Are a surprisingly difficult man to find.”(Wordcount: 548 Lute) |
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Post by Lute on Nov 13, 2018 10:00:11 GMT -5
Hostile takeovers were never simple. But, Polaris ( Legume ) had helped--the Empire had lent its hand to a loyal state. Lute was glad for the Imperials support in this long and boring hearing. He had real bureaucrats in here now, an entire gaggle of them. They were appraising things and advising the councilors. Things like tax rates, like economic stimulus. There was some huge debate about tariffs. Lute followed along, but he wasn't fully engaged. Hollow had been a planet long trapped by its own isolation. It wasn't built for intergalactic commerce and for all the visitors that had been arriving from every sector and quadrant. But, it would get there in time. The more he forced his hand, the more tyrannical he looked. No, he was easing back a bit--letting them sort out as much as they could by themselves. In the end, they would be the ones running things. To those speaking in the forum, the Demon King looked brooding and displeased. But, in reality his thoughts were elsewhere. To what his next move would be. Hollow was his. He had given Polaris the Demon Mark, which meant that the entire Empire was his. Not that he had true power over it In fact, he cared little for the mundane day to day hassle of running it. Leave that to the Emperor. No, he needed its force, its resources. They Empire had an army that could he could rally behind him to face the gods, to inevitably cast them down. He would never defeat them alone, but with powerful allies at his side--with loyal minions--he had a chance. That was a sobering thought for someone as selfishly obsessed with power as Lute had been his entire life. If not for his time in the Demon Realm--chained to that pillar of stone--rotting away--he would have never have learned to lean on others. Kuueru ( Queen Kuueru ) had rescued him, had helped him recover the infamous Book of Bibidi. Lute owed her big time for that, still. He had helped her along her path and she had helped him along his. In fact, she had been there when he had taken Hollow. Doing it alone may have led to his death. "You look bored," the wizard Hachi said as he approached, cane tapping on the glossy polished stone floor. Lute's Atherguard, all of of which were posted at different areas in the room for security suddenly flickered to the realization that there was an intruder. When the realized who it was, they relaxed a bit--but still the frustration and concern was carved into their expressions. Hachi had materialized out of thin air, bypassing all their wards. As he had done dozens of time. Each time, they improved the magical defenses. Each time he cracked them. An silly cycle, that was slightly amusing to watch. The wizard was made them look like novices. Lute guessed that eight hundred plus years of wielding magic made the difference there. "I am," Lute responded. "Hey, you're the one that wanted to be king.""Don't rub it in. What did you need wizard?""You used to bother me all the time about my end of our bargain. Y'know, about translating the Book of Bibidi. So, I've come to ask you about when we're taking the next step, going after the Makaioshin that owns my soul. You know. Kinda sick of being his slave."Lute fully intended on helping Hachi. He just wasn't ready yet. There was great risk in invading a Demon Realm, especially about attacking a powerful demon lord. More preparations would be needed. Plus, the Makaioshin was attached to Hachi in a deep way. Meaning, he could see, hear, and feel all the wizard did. He knew the wizard's innermost thoughts, and knew that Lute was coming for him. That meant, Lute would need to prepare things without Hachi's help. It was more of a hostage rescue than it was a war. "In time. I am working out the details. I can't share them with you, as you know."Hachi shrugged, as though he hadn't cared in the first place. "There's food in the banquet hall right? I'm starved.""Yes," Lute growled. "Someone is looking for you by the way, an old friend of yours. In fact, I can tell you she's on her way up here right now."That said, Hachi walked through, passing in front of the bickering representatives--stopping them mid conversation. They felt silent. His cane tap-tap-tapped and he simply phased through the wall. Theatrics, of course, and the onlookers were left bewildered by it. The Aetherguardsmen just looked grumpy, he saw them gathering to discuss what had gone wrong. Lute scowled at them for their lack of preparation, for their weakness. Even Hachi shouldn't be able to waltz into his throne room unannounced. "You're all dismissed. You can finish your discussion elsewhere. I'm expecting a visitor."One by one, the bureaucrats trickled out the door. Lute waited a good while, almost an hour, before he felt the familiar ki signature approaching. The big doors opened and Pleez entered. She had been dead. So how had some come back? That was a good question. Lute remembered their battle against the Saiyan Berserker woman. It felt like an entire lifetime ago. In fact, in some ways it was. "And I thought you were dead," he said in response to her comment.
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Post by Pepa on Nov 14, 2018 3:31:32 GMT -5
“I’m not sure I can die.”
It sounded like a strange thing to admit out loud, but it was true. The Majin had taken a severe beating – they both had – and she didn’t really remember a great deal about the time she’d spent recovering, but recover she did. It had hurt. The memory of that pain still lingered at times, but she’d spent years since fighting and scrapping and growing stronger. She’d met every test she could think of, and there wasn’t a single part of her which hadn’t – at some point in her long career of violence – been burned, blasted, cut or smashed into pulp. She’d still recovered. Sometimes it took longer, sometimes it was almost instantaneous, but she’d never needed medical attention to do it and she wasn’t sure any doctor would really know where to begin with physiology like hers, either. “You’ve done well for yourself, though. You’ve definitely used your time since death a lot more productively than me.”
She smiled, gesturing loosely to take in the expansive room, the palace… heck, the whole planet. Compared to her futile quest of the past few years, there was no denying which of them had made greater gains. She could feel his power, too; whilst they were both significantly stronger than they had been when they’d fought the berserker, the gulf between her power and his was staggering. Heck. Some tiny part of her wondered if he might actually be able to prove her wrong on her first statement; but they’d been comrades-in-arms. Hopefully he wouldn’t feel inclined to put it to the test. “But, this isn’t a social call.”
That probably didn’t come as much surprise. He was a powerful man; by now, he’d no doubt come to the realisation that most people who saw him didn’t care about him at all, just what he could do for them. Pleez wasn’t quite as mercenary as that (ironic, given her profession), but she was here because she’d heard the rumours about the powers he had at his disposal, and she wanted something from him.
“I don’t think I ever told you about why I was on Earth.” She said, as she approached the throne. “I used to work for the Frieza Force. I didn’t have any memory of where I came from before they found me, I just thought I didn’t have a choice. None of them had ever seen anyone like me. Then I heard that Earth had others of my kind. Majins, they call us.” She gave a second loose wave, gesturing up and down her own body. “So, I went to Earth to try and figure out if that was where I was from. Doesn’t seem that way, though. I spent ages hunting for others of my kind, and when I found them… they didn’t know me, and I couldn’t relate to them.”
She smiled thinly at the memory. Those naïve, good-natured idiots living lives of idyllic stupor. It wasn’t something she could enjoy. She’d tried. The farming life was not for her. “But I hear you’ve got all kinds of magic at your disposal these days. I want to know where I came from. I want to know who I am. If you can help me figure that out, I’d be … grateful. Very grateful.”
(Wordcount: 582 / 1130 Lute)
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Post by Lute on Nov 14, 2018 10:43:09 GMT -5
Lute never remembered Pleez mentioning anything about a hunt for her origins. Then again, they had a relationship in the past that more closely resembled a business partnership than an actual buddy-buddy share your feelings kind of friendship. That was fine. Lute seldom made real friends. He however, had learned the value of allies. Pleez was someone he had depended upon in the past. So, it was is his best interest to help her wade through the waters of uncertainty. Because, once she got through--she would owe him one. And he was beginning to see how valuable that could be. He stood from this throne, all seven feet of mean and green. His long crimson cape swayed behind him as he strode forward, his soft bottom shoes slapping on the glossy marble. Reaching her he paused. "Follow me."They made their way down the central corridor of the Scorched Palace. It had once been a passage of splendor, the former leaders of Hollow--the Triumvirate--flashed their wealth and power. At least, that's how Lute saw it. Having grown up on Namek, he had little desire for personal belongings. Materialism had never been something he could sympathize with. After he had conquered Hollow, he had all of their works of art and relics sold, or simply given away to the people of the city. That earned him favor from the poor and downtrodden, but much of the nobility had been aghast at such actions. Rare relics, ancient magical artifacts--all sold to the highest bidder. Some were heirlooms or presents to the former Three Princes. It was an affront, but Lute wasn't there to be their friends. In fact, the whole ideal of nobility bothered him. He cared more about a person's capabilities and strength than their piles of money and belongings. Now the walls were bare, the halls emptied of decadence. The palace was now a place of pure utility and eloquent purpose. He kept a few guest bedrooms with their plush surroundings--as it was only to be polite. To a leader from another planet, or even someone more familiar with royal dwellings--it looked like the place was emptied out for renovations or getting prepared to be sold in a real-estate deal. The double reinforced katchin doors that served as the entrance to the palace had been repaired--after Lute had hammered them open like a walking siege engine. They were ajar now, a gentle breeze flowing into the antechamber. Hollow's vast metropolis filled the field of view, passed the blackened and barren yard that had once been the palace's gardens. Lute had burned them to a crisp during his assault, and had left them in such a state of disarray as a message to those who wished to defy him. Hollow was unlike other space colonies. It had been built in the skull cavity of a giant demonic monstrosity. The being's origins and death were still a mystery, but one truth lingered--the dark energy of the demon realm permeated the entire place. Lute had drawn upon it, and through it he had grown even stronger--and far more corrupt. A small sacrifice, for his ultimate end goal. The city itself was built along the walls of the skull cavity, clinging to them like barnacles. There were fields of artificial gravity that kept it all neat and tidy. One could walk around the skull-city, without ever dropping towards the middle, where the Scorched Palace floated on a slab of bone and rock. One could only get their through shuttle, transport, or flight. It was the perfect spot, suspended amidst it all--with all the districts in plain view. The city was a abuzz, like it never had been before. Hundreds of ships and speeders glided through the air, moving to and from their destinations. Pleez would have seen during her entrance that most of the citizens were xenos, from all across the galaxy. Hollow had been a sort of safe haven during the reign of Lord Frieza--a place to escape from the wrath and genocide of the Frieza Force. In the center of the yard for the Scorched Palace, Lute had construction crews digging a pit into the hunk of soil that served as its platform. He watched them work for a long minute, silent. He was excited for his own personal arena. It had been awhile since he let loose and got to do a little skull bashing. Now he could invite those brave enough to try to come to his backyard, instead of travelling around trying to find blood sport in the seediest of places. "Do you think your origins are that important?" Lute finally said. "What is it you wish to gain from them? Are you looking for peace, are you looking for power?"He was curious to see her motivation, to understand her ultimate desire. "What do you know so far? Surely, you didn't learn nothing on Earth. Do you have not a single lead? I know little about your kind myself."
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Post by Pepa on Nov 15, 2018 3:33:05 GMT -5
Pleez followed Lute, of course. She didn’t know the history of the place she was walking through, though she’d taken in the strange nature of the colony on her journey. It was pretty clear that Lute hadn’t taken the place peacefully, but that wasn’t surprising. From what she’d remembered of him, he was an assassin first; a killer. Apparently, he’d decided at some point along the way that with strength like his, he should be in charge of something. That was only natural, in her experience. The Frieza Force had taught her that those who had strength were those who ruled. She’d never had much interest in rulership herself, but that was more a factor of her apathy than anything else. It was hard to want to tell other people what to do when you had difficulty convincing yourself to do anything at all. The mercenary was silent for a few moments after Lute asked his questions. They were good questions, there was no denying that, and she’d wondered about them herself for quite some time. Even after the years she’d spent dedicating herself to the mission, it was hard for her to convince herself that she knew the real reasons. “Because I think I might have been part of something greater.” She said, folding her arms across her chest as though suddenly self-conscious of the words she was saying. “I was a long way from Earth when I was found by the Frieza Force, and as far as I’ve been able to tell, Earth is the only place that my kind come from. I don’t know how I lost my memories, but I’d dearly love to know what I was doing out there. Maybe I had friends. Family. People who are worried about me. That’d be, nice. I also just want to know because nobody I spoke to seemed to have any idea and that’s crazy to me. I don’t get how it isn’t driving the other Majins nuts!”Ever since her forcible induction into the Frieza Force, she’d lived a cold, hard life. She had no illusions about the work she did. It was not romantic, it was not gentle, and it was not fun. She inflicted pain for a living. Sometimes, she killed. Other times, she intimidated. The galaxy was a cruel, hard place, and she had been sculpted by her experiences into a cruel, hard person. That was why she found it so difficult to relate to her fellows on Earth, who lived – generally – soft, happy lives. As for the questions on what she’d learned, rather than why she wanted to know it, she shrugged her shoulders. “Less than you’d think.” She admitted. “I’m sure we’re not natural. Even the weakest Majin is tougher than a Frieza Clansman to kill, even if we don’t have their innate strength. We’re vastly stronger than most other species in the galaxy, too. And we don’t’ reproduce naturally. If I wanted to have a child, I could – but they’d come out basically fully formed from a part of me, similar to the Namekian method but… without the child stage or the egg.”She held up a finger then. “So, I’m thinking there’s two explanations. The first is that we’re some sort of weird science experiment that got loose and is doing its own thing. Humans are good at science, after all, but I don’t get why we’re just living in happy little villages on Earth if we were made for something by humans.”
She held up a second finger. “Or, two, we’re magic. I don’t know anything about how magic works, but it’d explain a lot.”
(Wordcount: 639 / 1769 Lute) |
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Post by Lute on Nov 16, 2018 14:39:42 GMT -5
Lute knew less science than an Earthling high school graduate. It wasn't apart of the lessons he learned during his training to be a Dragon Clansmen on Namek. Sure, he had picked up notions of it over the decades since. Traveling around the universe taught you a lot about its nature. He had come to appreciate things like evolution and survival of the fittest. One could say he was a casual observer of nature. Lute adored it. He reveled in the kill or be killed aspects of of the food chain. It appealed to his sense of frustration and validated his ideas of a perfect world. In all his travels, he had never seen another being like a majin. He had faced others majins in in battle, none as powerful or as adept a fighter as Pleez though. None of them stood a chance against him in the long run, but even with their lower power levels they had been hard to kill. Every time he thought then down or out, they'd get right back up. It was that notion, the hard to kill resilience, that made think about the origins of her people. He imagined having an entire division of majin warriors under his command. They would be nearly unstoppable. Even against more powerful warriors. They were the perfect sort of weapon, if wielded carefully. "Hollow has a vast arcane library underneath the palace. Rows upon rows of books, volumes of lore and mystical research. You are welcome to study those volumes, if you wish."Lute didn't mean to sound dismissive, he just wasn't sure where to take this. Magic or science. Despite his limited skill in magic, he was no wizard. He didn't really care to study its nature or to delve into its secrets, unless they helped him accomplish a goal. He was ever the pragmatist, probably the most notorious of his personality traits, sometimes to a fault. "Unless..."He cupped his chin with his index finer and thumb. "You had something else in mind."
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Post by Pepa on Nov 18, 2018 7:43:43 GMT -5
Pleez shook her head quickly at the notion that she should go and study in the library. She turned her full attention towards the Demon King, no longer interested in his grounds, his land, or indeed anything other than himself. “I doubt I’ll find what I want there.” She said, bluntly. “You’re misunderstanding. Where my species comes from is one thing, but that’s secondary.”She raised one hand to tap the side of her own head. “I don’t know where I come from. Something happened to me, and it made me lose my memories. Even the idiots who live on Earth know who made them and how they’ve lived their lives. I just woke up in the tender care of the Frieza Force.”
She scowled deeply, and folded her arms across her chest. Clearly uncomfortable to be delving so deep into her personal troubles with anyone – she’s not someone who is prone to sharing her trials, but it seemed it was going to be necessary. “I’ve tried meditation, I’ve tried drugs, I’ve tried therapy and so-called magic springs and all manner of snake oil that people said would help bring back lost memories. Nothing has so much as stirred a single thing. I know I was called Pleez. I know my name. That’s it. I…”
And finally, her eyes drifted downwards. Unable to look at the terrifyingly strong figure before her, the man who she had fought side by side with. It was, awful, to expose herself like this. She knew how the universe worked. The strong ruled over the weak, and her inability to let go of her past was a tormenting weakness that had plagued her for years. “… I’m incomplete. I’m nothing. I feel like I’ve had my whole life stolen from me. Imagine it. Tomorrow. You wake up a thousand light years from here, no memory of anything but your name. You’re strong. You’d survive. But you got that strength to do something, right? And meanwhile, unknown to you, this whole place.”
She gestured, her arm sweeping to take in the planet. “It’d be falling to pieces, and you’d never even know. It’s been years, Lute. Years. What if I had people who needed me? What if I was supposed to be doing something important?”
Even now, she held back from her deepest fear. That she’d succeed, and learn that she was still nothing. That she was just space-trash scum that had washed up after a head injury and forgotten that she was space-trash scum before resuming a worthless life. Actual tears shimmered in her eyes, though she tried to hold them back. “They say you’re the devil.” She said, the effort of keeping her voice steady clear in her strained tone. “They say you’ve got hundreds of demons under your command; that you’ve got all the magic in the universe bound up in this place. There has to be something you could do to find my memories. Cast a spell. Look at my soul. Something.”The desperation was real. She wasn’t quite begging, too proud to do that, even now, but she was on the edge. (Wordcount 543 / 2312 Lute) |
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Post by Lute on Nov 18, 2018 9:47:34 GMT -5
Empathy. Or lack thereof. That should have been the first sign to the Elders on Namek that Lute wasn't cut out to be a Dragon Clansmen, let alone anything other than a farmer. Any good healer, guide, and leader required empathy. They had to be able to put themselves in the shoes of those they served, to better appreciate them and to aid them. Lute had been a talented magician. He had picked up the basics and had a hunger for learning more. But, he always struggled caring for others. They should have cast him out then, denied his hunger. That was their biggest mistake. They fed his talents--accelerated his learning. Ultimately, they were responsible for the monster that was born out of hubris. As he listened to Pleez, he realized in that moment that he didn't care. About any of it. At least, not at first. It sounded like a sob story. It irritated him that she was so willing to show weakness, to expose her neck in front of him. But, despite his predatory instincts he simply listened. Until a single thing she said caught him. It enabled him to feel some sort of empathy, although it was a bit of a deranged aspect of it. Imagine it. Tomorrow. You wake up a thousand light years from here, no memory of anything but your name. You’re strong. You’d survive. But you got that strength to do something, right? And meanwhile, unknown to you, this whole place.He sure did acquire his strength to do something. Lute couldn't imagine being alive without his purpose, without his single goal driving him forward. Everything he did was towards that end. He didn't cease, not for a moment. He didn't give himself time to take a respite. There were no breaks when you intended on waging war on the gods. Ever minute he had to get stronger, he had to be forging the armies he would use to batter down their gates. Just how hollow would his existence be, would all his power be--without purpose? Now he understood Pleez. He would help her find her meaning again, because he wouldn't be able to live without his. "The type of magic I possess," Lute said and rubbed his chin. "Isn't focused on those sorts of things. But, that doesn't mean I don't have resources. I do know someone, a master wizard--who may be able to lend better insight than I am able to."Lute turned, his cape sweeping behind him and strode back up to the palace, motioning for Pleez to follow. Inside, he led her down a few corridors into a large chamber with a long stone table floating in the center. It had no legs, it was suspended much like a hover vehicle would on its repulsors engines--but there was no such machinery. Purge magic kept it suspended. Splayed out on the table was a spread that would feed a small army. Various exotic meats, salads, and dishes from all across the galaxy. Sitting at the end of the table, sucking the greasy meat off of what looked like a chicken leg was Hachi. The wizard, at first glance, looked like a lazy slouch--someone who had just crawled out of bed. He had disheveled sandy blonde hair, a dark set of robes, a pair of loose slacks and wooden clog sandals. As they entered, he discarded the bone and took a long swig out of a glass of beer. And belched. "Ah, this is your friend Lute. Told you she was coming. What's your name darling?"Lute didn't look amused with Hachi's non-nonchalant antics. But, he never was. Still he respected the wizard and knew that berating him or trying to control his actions was pointless. "This is Pleez. She has come seeking knowledge of her past. She lost all memory of it."Hachi perked an eyebrow. "The majin without her memories, lost and alone in the galaxy. That sounds like the plot thread for a romance movie."
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Post by Pepa on Nov 21, 2018 2:54:12 GMT -5
Pleez felt the disdain radiating from the Demon King, and she couldn’t blame him. It went against her nature to ask for help. Help was never freely given in this galaxy, it always came at a price, and it was an admission of weakness that tasted bitter in her mouth. Nevertheless, she had struggled for years to find the truth on her own. The very fact that she was having to resort to magic and mysticism was itself a kind of failure. She would never have considered this if there had been any alternative. When he said that he knew someone, she nodded her head, and allowed herself to be led in quiet, mute stoicism through the Demon King’s domain. The Majin was no more impressed by Hachi’s actions than Lute himself was. She’d always thought there was something distasteful about excess, especially in food. That was another point of contention between herself and the others of her kind she had met, who seemed to have an almost innate desire to devour sweet things by the bucketful – literally, if the opportunity arose. She’d never had much time for Saiyans either, for that matter. The galaxy was full of people whose gluttonous appetites disturbed her on a level she couldn’t quite articulate. When the wizard accused her of being the protagonist in a romantic novel, Pleez let out a bark of short laughter. “If you knew the whole tale, it is more like a horror story.” She said, her tone just lightly bitter. “There’s nothing romantic about it. But who knows. Perhaps I’ll be proven wrong and I’ll have had a fiancé waiting with baited breath for my return all this time.”She stepped closer to the man, emerging from behind Lute’s shadow, and holding herself as tall and proud as she could. “I was found by the Frieza Force a few years ago, out on the distant rim of the galaxy, no idea how I got there. That’s all I’ve ever been able to determine. If you can help me find out the secret to my past, I’ll be in your debt.” She smiled thinly. “Of course, if either of you are in the business of taking money, I have saved quite a lot of that. I could probably throw a few hundred thousand zeni at you. But, I suspect you’d both have more interest in a favour from a grateful Majin than mere money, right?”
She would have liked to pay off her debt the old fashioned way, but Demon Kings and Wizards – these were the kinds of people who didn’t generally have much use for currency. Then again, Hachi didn’t seem like your average wizard. Perhaps he would surprise her. (Wordcount: 468 / 2780 Lute) |
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Post by Lute on Nov 23, 2018 18:21:14 GMT -5
Money really wasn't an issue for either one of them. Lute had a vast trove of riches from his days of being an assassin for hire. It also didn't help that he lacked any sort of care for material objects. He spent money on practical things. He had recently invested a large amount of his personal wealth in purchasing military upgrades for Hollow's outdated battle fleet. But, he would easily make that money back with the bustling trade in the colony. The citizens owed him a portion of the taxes. Sure, he had cut the sum owed to him by a great margin since his taking of the throne, and once his investment was returned he would no longer take any taxes--at least towards his personal wealth. Instead, he planned to re-invest any earnings he made into infrastructure and bonuses to his loyal servants. Hachi was poor compared the Lute, as far as Lute could tell. But, the wizard also had countless magical relics and artifacts. Any one of them could be sold at a moment's notice for obscene amounts of money, he imagined. It was all a bit subjective at times. "You're right," the wizard said. He downed the rest of of his beer. "I don't care about money. But, I suppose having someone owe me a favor is never a bad thing. Lute owes me one, and his friend may as well too."He stood and twirled his cane as he rounded the big floating stone table. Approaching Pleez, he stood only about a half a head taller than her. He poked and prodded her, but was a gentleman about it--avoiding any spots on her rubbery frame that would illicit a negative response. "Sure as gravy, you're a majin. Your kind are a bit different--hard to deal with in a magical sense. I know a few rituals to help recover memories, but they wouldn't work on you.""Why?" Lute asked and folded his muscular green arms. Hachi tapped his chin, deep in thought. "I mean, she doesn't have a brain--"Realizing that could have been taken as an insult, he waved his hands at her. "I mean, like literally--you don't have a physical brain in your head. I imagine your memories and cognition are apart of your whole being. I'm not a scientist, but I bet you're one big huge brain-type thing. That's probably how you're able to recover after getting blown apart and so forth.""So what can be done?" the Demon King asked. "We'll have to make our own spell. It's kind of exciting. You see, most wizards gallivant about--finding old lost hidden lore. Few of them understand the fundamentals of arcane lore in a way that they can construct their own spells. Most memory spells are probing in nature. They have a telepathic component where they search the mind for triggers, for repositories of memory and yank them out. That's kind of how people's memories work anyways, they're triggered by something happening in their environment."
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Post by Pepa on Nov 27, 2018 3:40:42 GMT -5
Pleez narrowed her eyes dangerously when Hachi said that she didn’t have a brain, but the clarification earned a huff from her and she shrugged her shoulders. It was true enough. She’d lost her head more than once over the years; she knew that there wasn’t anything in there that she actually needed. How her own physiology worked was completely beyond her, nearly as much as the magic discussion which – well, she was definitely no magician. Pleez was a stolid, generally unimaginative sort who didn’t really know or understand anything about the more technical aspects of life. Magic, science, she didn’t have the wit for it. Fighting and battle were where she excelled – and even there, her strategy was generally to just take advantage of her body’s near-indestructible nature and outlast whoever she was fighting. The poking was annoying, but it didn’t draw much reaction from the stoic Majin. She wasn’t entirely convinced he’d seen one of her kind before, as he seemed almost to be confirming it to himself as much as anything else, but poking and prodding elicited the usual rubbery response from her form – there was a lot more give in there than there would have been for a warrior of her power who wasn’t made of goo. “I’ve tried hypnosis and therapy before.” Pleez said, doubtfully, at the idea that she could have the memories drawn back out of her. If it worked, that’d be fantastic – exactly what she wanted – but with similar things having had no luck at all, she wasn’t sure that the way her mind encoded memories was the same as most other species. Maybe her whole body was one big brain, she hadn’t thought of it before, but if that was the case, hers definitely worked in a different way to most. “I was thinking more like a uh, whatsit. A thing where you look into the past of a thing? Can you look back in time to find the origin of something? If you can do that, you could just tell me what it is, unless you can show me at the same time.”
She was placing a lot of faith in the wizard’s willingness to cooperate with her truthfully, but she didn’t have any reason to believe that he wouldn’t – and the important thing for her, at this point, was just getting the truth and ceasing in this endless quest. It was driving her mad. Reaching behind her head, the Majin grasped the end of her head-tail, and pulled hard. The bulbous tip wiggled in her grip, and then came free with an audible POP! The fist-sized lump of pink goo wiggled in her hand, before she held it out to him, a perfect sphere. “If the whole of me is the same, though, you might as well test whatever you’re going to do on a little part, just in case.”
(Wordcount: 499 / 3279 Lute) |
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Post by Lute on Nov 27, 2018 18:45:06 GMT -5
Hachi reached into his robe and pulled out a handkerchief. Lute doubted the wizard had any sort of inner pockets on the thing, he had probably just materialized the item out of thin air. Regardless, Hachi wrapped the chunk of Pleez in the cloth and took hold of it, holding it tentatively. "Yes, this should do."The wizard then started to walk past the duo towards the threshold into the dining hall. "Lute, we'll need somewhere safe and private for this experiment."Hachi didn't have to say anything else. Lute felt a bit useless in this scenario, but he could at least lead them to a private sanctum for the ritual to be conducted, or whatever Hachi intended on doing to Pleez. As the Demon King exited the dining hall he was ambushed by a cluster of adviser's and servants, all of which looked eager for his attention. They seldom bothered him, if only for the most dire of circumstances and news. Lute was helping a friend at this moment, so he really didn't have time to listen to their debriefings. It could wait. Hollow wouldn't dissolve immediately. Or so he hoped. He held out a hand before any of them could speak. "Wait for me in the main lobby. I will find you when I'm done."Their disappointment was palpable, but Lute simply ignored it--pressing on down the corridor and to a spiral staircase consisting of floating stones. Like the dining table, they were held up by invisible means--aloft on some arcane current. Lute ascended them two steps at a time, his long gait more than enough to put him ahead of Hachi and Pleez. The upper tier of the Scorched Palace had been reserved for the personal apartments of the former Triumvirate. Now the rooms were empty ghosts of their former selves. Lute had seen to that. He claimed one of the wings for himself, the massive chambers filled with the few belongings he did possess. Compared to most kings, he lived like an utter peasant. He kept his space spartan, dim, and quiet. Anytime he came up here, no one was allowed to bother him. Most of the time he spent in deep meditation, ruminating on his dark powers. Eventually they stumbled upon a set of double reinforced doors warded by sickle-like demonic runes. Each one pulsated a deep crimson and crackled with raw destructive potential. Lute muttered dark words and flicked a sharp nailed finger, releasing the magical. Turning the crystalline knob in the center, the double doors yawned open to reveal another empty chamber. Yet, despite its vacant nature--the room thrummed with demonic power, raw and unrestrained. The dark energy itself was suffocating to those not acclimated to such blatant corruption and chaos. Currents of red crackled and popped as Lute passed in and pushed the dome of pressure back with his own malignant aura. On the vaulted ceiling, even more runes had been drawn. These ones performed the very specific task of drawing the dark energy into the chamber. This was the very spot Lute percolated in, where he had obtained his recent vast power ups. To be fair, it took a great deal of time and effort to gather it all. Lute imagined he could sit still here for centuries and still not have absorbed but half. "Oh, perfect. A room filled with a demonic power. This will do nicely for our experiment," Hachi said. Lute wasn't sure if the wizard was sarcastic or truthful. The blank expression on his face told the Namekian little. The wizard proceeded to place the ball of Pleez on the ground in the center of the floor, resting on the handkerchief. He materialized some arcane implements, one of which was a piece of chalk. With the chalk he got on his hands and knees and started to draw sigils and circles around the ball in intricate patterns. Occasionally he would mutter a word of power and the room with buzz with energy. If either Lute or Pleez had hair, it would have stood on end with the sensation. Lute instead felt a tingle down his spine. The same sort of tingle he always got when someone used magic. He folded his arms and watched intently. Some of the iconography he understood, but Hachi often used combinations of strange and foreign magical languages, each of which had different strengths and purposes. Lute mostly knew demonic spells and Dragon Clan arts. They were the exact opposites as far as how they worked and what they hoped to accomplish. Demonic magic was chaotic and risky, often ending with huge effect or maiming the caster--if they didn't provide adequate sacrifice or pay a blood price. Namekian magic was narrow-minded and dogmatic. It could do amazing things but more often than not it did little due to the heavy constraints placed on it. Hachi produced what looked like a jeweler's loupe and gazed at the ball for a long minute through its ruby-quartz lens. He loosed a low whistle. "Pleez. There's something weird here. I'm sensing... a lot more to your memories than just you. It's kind of hard to explain, but if I reach in and try to pull these memories out--I fear something else may come with it. Of course, I'll do what I can to mitigate such circumstances. But, is it a risk you're wiling to take?"Hachi lowered the loupe and frowned, his dismay clear as day. Lute didn't doubt for a minute that she wouldn't say yes.
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Post by Pepa on Dec 9, 2018 16:55:43 GMT -5
Pleez was more than happy to follow, wait patiently, and do whatever needed to be done to obtain the answers she sought. Ever since she had awoken in the tender care of the Frieza Force, there had been nothing for her but misery, pain, and suffering. When she was not killing, she was struggling to survive. When she had finally won her freedom, the galaxy had proven to be no more tender a place at large – she was an outcast; an alien to her people and little more than an extraordinarily powerful thug to the rest of civilised space at large. When Hachi made his proclamation, the Majin actually smiled. It was not a warm expression. It was a bittersweet thing; a fragile, melancholy twist of her lips. She read between the lines of what he was saying. He said only that he sensed there was something more, but his expression, his tone, told her that it was a dark thing. An evil thing. It wasn’t what she wanted to hear. She had dreamed that she might discover she was some great hero; that she had a shining life with a family and friends and a history full of bright and noble deeds. Such a life would have somehow made all the anguish which came after it more bearable. If she had a storied and worthwhile history, maybe she could convince herself that she was worth more than the sum of violence she had inflicted in the years hence. Maybe she could find some greater meaning or purpose to her – as near as she could tell – endless existence. But she was not a fool. In many ways, that was her curse. Her fellows didn’t seem to bother themselves with great questions or insight into the workings of the world, but Pleez was more insightful than most people gave her credit for. She knew what kind of person she was. Her story was never likely to be a happy one. “Do what you need to do.” Pleez said, easily. “I have to know. No matter how painful the truth is.”And that was what it was all about, really, wasn’t it? A life lived with no history was a life built on a lie. She had woven herself a story of who she was out of supposition, instinct and the behaviour of the people around her. She had guessed, and shrugged, and carried on – she’d built herself a personality based on the examples she had to work with when she regained her senses, none of which had been particularly pleasant souls. That wasn’t a true reflection of who she was. That was a funhouse mirror held up to the worst excesses in the galaxy. It was a mask; a fake; a lie. No matter how bitter the truth might turn out to be, she had to face it. She had to tear off the mask she had made. If she didn’t, she’d just carry on as this hollow thing; a falsehood writ in flesh. Compared to the horror of that, how bad could the truth revealed by Hachi’s magic truly be? Lute (Wordcount - 528 / 3807) |
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Post by Lute on Dec 11, 2018 9:09:16 GMT -5
"All right Pleez. I'll get to work then."Hachi's jubilant nature darkened and his expression as as serious as they got. Even Lute, the brooding Demon King himself looked a little concern when Hachi's features changed like that. The spell would be an intricate thing, an elaborate improvisation. It was a good thing, for everyone present, that Hachi was one of the most skilled spellcasters in the entire universe. He walked the edge of the circle he drew around the droplet of Pleez's being. As he did, he whispered ancient words. They exited his lips with a resonance behind them, a latent static power that crackled through the atmosphere of the dark room. The chalk lines blazed to life with ghostly azure flame. The flames danced and flickered. If one looked close enough, they could see faces within the blaze, haunted and twisted. A single bolt of emerald lightning struck Pleez's droplet and scattered itself across the room like wicked fingers. Hachi's voice boomed with sudden power and ferocity as he reached the closing of the incantation. It was like pulling a thread on a densely woven tapestry. He could feel it in his gut, the strangeness of Pleez'z being--of her history. She wasn't alone. She never had been. There were others in there--previous incarnations of herself. She was a part of a whole, a piece of a much large entity. This creature was ancient. Time immemorial flashed through his mind's eye. He saw swirling chaos, raw and unrestrained energy. The very beginning of creation--visible as it sprawled out from a massive nebula. In the center of this churning mass was a seed of shadow, a tiny ball that wriggled and writhed against the forces around it. They wracked the ball, pushed against it, coursed through it and hurt it. The ball expanded and swelled in response. And it lashed out at all creation around it. Destruction.Pure and unshackled. Hachi felt his breath catch in his throat. He was hurled back with violent force, only to be caught by Lute who appeared in a blur. Lute set Hachi down and the wizard took a knee, gasping for breath. "Shit," was the only thing Hachi managed to mutter. The droplet of Pleez was stirring now, much like that blob he saw in his vision of the primordial past. This ancient power, this fundamental force of destruction would spread to the rest of her before long. Hachi knew that much was true, he just hoped she was ready. "That doesn't sound good," Lute remarked. The Demon King postured, just in case things got hairy, his demonic aura flaring outward in purple brilliance.
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