Chapter 226: 226
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Uncomfortably up close, Orison could see that the wingless dragon wasn't so much serpentine as millipede-like. He knew exactly why the mind flayer had called it and what would have happened if the young mage hadn't decided on transparency about his plan. It wasn't full transparency but it was easy to keep other potential rewards a secret when there wasn't any kind of idea what they may be or even if there were any.
Being that he didn't have much time and seeing, after sharing a few words, that the gentle giant was childlike and rather innocent acting, he asked the same question to the dragon blooded millipede looking creature. "If you could, would you rather be as you are now on another world or would you want to be a different creature altogether to stay here?"
"I could be something else if I stayed? I don't like being so big and hungry all the time. I have to sleep so much because there isn't enough food for me." the creature said sadly.
"What would you want to be?" Orison asked, trying not to laugh when the situation was so serious.
The creature had a lightning strike scar running down the side of its fearsome segmented and hook jawed face that very well could indicate it had been brain damaged by an attack of some kind.
"Something small... but-not-weak... that didn't need a whole lot of food!" the draconic millipede said.
Cray looked like he really wanted to say something but could feel Hazel's slightly weaker signature attempting to monitor them. The archer sighed and put his trust into whatever it was that Orison was doing. There was a slight warning in his eyes that promised retribution if it would bring more pain, however. It was an understandable fear.
With a reassuring pat on the archer's back, Orison drew on the Entanglement Key and allowed himself to be drawn to the place that kept weakly trying to pull him every time he used the transporter. Not knowing if it would do any good or not, Orison left a summoned dog behind with his mental and spiritual signature radiating off of it as he slipped through the connection. Upon arrival, he was glad his helmet was up.
There was next to no room to move around as 'living stone' had slowly breached and enclosed all but the centralized areas of the 'core room' of the ancient floating city. The pressure was nearly unbearable and without the suit, he would have been in dire straits from that alone. He was almost certain that trying to breath whatever gas was within would have been deadly as well.
No other action could be taken beyond that because that required a First Family approval but that was the 'advantage' that had been left for Orison to take 'advantage' of. Ezra's interest and invitation to the young mage and his entourage was likely half due to the sudden request by the system for its custodian to do so. He had no desire to dissect the further actions and reasoning of an insane dryad beyond that.
Getting busy making the most out of his opportunity, he found that it wasn't much. Material wise, there was little of practical nature left but there were a few replacement parts and emergency spark reserves that had him feeling that the trip had been worth it. In a spitfire session that was less negotiation and more rewards combing, he made his difficult decisions within the few seconds of time he had allowed himself. Having set the course, he initiated.
In a period of less than thirty seconds that felt like a nerve wracking lifetime, a series of events unfolded rapidly. The emergency reserve fired up and pushed an inter-dimensional communication through to Osomo. Verification received and rewards exchanged, the rest of the programmed actions took place.
Unable to fly any longer, the floating city used a 'test' jump to the pit at the center of the undead empire and laid waste to it while 'testing' remaining defensive systems. Many other 'tests' were performed as well, resulting in several 'acquisitions'. Most of that was completely out of Orison's hands but would be of benefit to others later.
Complete chaos erupted 'topside'. Ezra was threatening to kill Dustin only to be warned by Osmos Nine that any hostile action outside of self defense would result in the stripping of custodian privileges and probable 'termination'. Savage 'people' and terrified rusalki were reeling as they took in their new surprise environment. A stone storehouse above ruptured and spilled forth a variety of relatively minor magical items worth grabbing but not worth storing in the limited space of the rewards vault.
Orison merely focused on the undead murder and infernal device destruction karma gains as the wailing men rained cleansing beams of oblivion around them. Almost offhandedly, Orison stuffed the few 'rewards' he was allowed into his space. Subconsciously, he was aware that his key soaked in some of the mysterious essence it craved as stress to local dimensional space and a slew of broken devil summoning spots released trace amounts in a collective moderate abundance.
Having finished its tests and amassing a hill of assets, the remaining power worked through the ancient and barely functioning system to lock onto Osomo's signal. In an implosion of displaced air followed by an moderately explosive expulsion of additional compressed air, the heart of the undead empire resembled little more than a wasteland of dirt and scrap. Those few souls not making a trip with the floating city to their new low-dimensional home couldn't appreciate the scene as they appeared at the hidden transport pad within the stony, forest bordered plane to the north.
While Dustin shared an emotional moment with his restored sister and cousin, Orison put up a hand requesting a hold on others' desire to have confusion settled. Finding the person he was looking for, he walked over to the woman looking blankly at the portable trainer device in her hand. The young mage gave her a moment as he reached out with a specialized, one-time use communication device. It took using the key as a booster to reach his target but he managed to connect long enough to give a 'we are here' signal.
As softly and sympathetically as he could, Orison approached the woman. "I know that you are probably very confused right now and the memories you have are granted more than made by yourself but they WERE made by the life that you lived. I'm certain that the device responsible doesn't hold all of those life's memories but I've summoned a person capable of helping you recover them."
Filled with the ultimate form of displaced and disoriented confusion a soul could possibly possess, the woman looked at Orison and said, "Why?"
The question was so loaded with meaning, the young mage had no way of addressing it all in the short time he assumed it would take to get an answering presence to his summons.
Unable to satisfy her concerns, he addressed the biggest 'why' that pertained to him. "A long time ago, I and the other I was a part of gained a seemingly small but incredibly important inheritance from you. So much time had passed since you had departed from the world of the living, your only request was to have some of your remains scattered under a sky that wasn't Osomo's.
"It's a sad fact that we failed to honor that request due to complications that were beyond our control. Being that your simple request couldn't be honored, I elected to take it a step further when I was presented this opportunity. I freed your soul from Osomo to live again under another sky. Since that was your previous life's dearest wish, I hope that you can forgive us for failing your simple one."
In a small puff of displaced air, Daniel arrived. His sudden presence put several up into arms until Orison waved them down.
The ancient young man said, "I don't know what you want but know that I am not free to help you with much beyond what I'm personally capable of. My path of comprehensions isn't overly centered on great power in the material world either. I-"
The man's words cut off as he took in the sight of the woman that stood near Orison, looking back at him with a fuzzy kind of confused recognition. To say that the man's feelings were complex about her would have been an understatement but one thing was undeniable. He loved her in every way it was conceivable for one soul to care about another."
Daniel released the woman when she complained in a soft but terrified voice that he was hurting her. The ancient young man looked at Orison for answers as he tried to repress his own emotional pain from her protest.
The young mage said, "Her memories are only the fabricated ones that Osomo retained of her life. AS you well know, that infernal device rips souls of every scrap it can before it recycles them. She's not a climber anymore either. So, if your special water can help her with recalling her memories, it might change her climbing course. But it shouldn't damage any potential because there is none to speak of, at the moment."
Seeing that they were gearing up for an emotional discussion that had nothing to do with him, the young mage turned to other concerns. "Here you go, Dustin. This is a triangular masterpiece of spacial holding magical tech and your other share of goodies is stored inside it. I'll let you sift through that and return to you in a moment once you figure out what some of what's inside there means."
He cut off questions from the Rogers 'man' and his family to check in with his two 'peeps'. "Hey, Heath. That hazelnut sapling you're staring at is, uh, E Shama... I guess is what you call her."
The boy looked at the small tree with a strong vital force hiding inside of it.
Pointing at the sapling with a confused gaze, he looked back up at Orison dubiously and said, "E Shama?"
Making widening gestures with his hands the boy said insistently, "Elu... Elu E Shama!"
Sensing an upcoming pestering of epic proportions, Orison drew a snow flake, a drop of water, a sun with rays shining down and shifted over a semi frozen leaf with some oranges and reds still visible within onto the dirt.
As he drew circles around them, he said, "Time... Time will heal your E Shama. She's not hurt, she's just little. She needs to grow."
Seeing that the young mage was having a hard time explaining, Cray whipped out a notepad that had been resting on a counter in the cabin. It was the one Cray had been using to try to teach the boy some word concepts with the aid of pictures on. He flipped to a page with a decent drawing of a person in different stages of life.
From the last group of 'people', a fight looked like it was about to break out. So, with a sigh, the young mage walked over to address them. "Hey where's the rest of the guys that should be over here?"
The woman dressed in a leaf patterned cloak, holding an oak staff in her hand said, "This field of force that we reside in was too stifling to them. They have fled to reconnect with our mother properly, leaving me to represent their voice."
Stefen said, "That is for the best if they are as rude and ungracious as yourself."
The woman said, "It may be a difficult thing to accept but you ARE an abomination and an affront to nature. I feel no need to personally take action to correct the mistake of your existence. That is a journey I would expect you to gain the wisdom to desire taking on your own."
Orison quickly intervened and said, "Do you think you or one of the others that I have released from captivity within those dead trees could lead us to the 'shining wall' pass once spring comes?"
The woman turned to look at him and said, "Though you have no business walking this earth, outsider, yes. Perhaps the balance of this world has grown so disastrously unstable that the presence of one such as yourself will do more restoration than harm."
Frowning, Orison said, "That would be appreciated... Perhaps you may wish to take this solemn season to reconsider what you know of nature and balance. Your viewpoint is myopic and hinders your ability to see greater reality's reflection of the small, insignificant corner piece this world has revealed to you of it."
Neutral face breaking into a slight smile, as if the acidic words spoken were little more than a pleasant discussion she was warming up to enjoy, she said, "Based off of an outsider's view or your own myopic understanding?"
The young mage resisted the urge to massage his head. "Both and more besides... As much as I'm certain we could benefit from a stress testing of our personal understandings, I have quite a few things left to accomplish. Could I trust the two of you to give each other space if pleasant conversation proves impossible? Since a 'live and let live' policy has been established, lets establish a 'get along or get away from each other' one as well."
Surprising them both, the woman laughed heartily and kissed them both on the cheek. "Merry meet and merry part, then. The joy of life is welling within me too fiercely at the moment. Perhaps I will do as you say. There is never a lateness in season so deep that a search for more wisdom is wasteful. Our eyes and ears are everywhere. Call on us, if there is need outsider."
Both of them stood a bit stunned and watched her walk behind one of the stones failing to re-emerge from the other side. A powerfully built man that had been frolicking and gamboling about like a crazy person, free of any meaningful clothing, rushed over to see that the woman had disappeared.
Turning to the young mage and dhampir, guileless purple eyes asked, "Where did the leaf lady go?"
Clearing his throat as he noticed the curious and, in Dustin's sister's case, interested looks, Orison hurriedly handed the man a set of clothes and simple, quilted armor.
While he helped the man figure out how to put them on, he said, "You're a human now for the most part. Wearing clothes and stuff is a thing you need to get used to. Your trace of spiritual bloodline from your draconic heritage was preserved and that probably helps you to not be overly concerned with the cold but there are women present. People only tend to be naked around the opposite gender after successfully courting and sometimes for other reasons that are fairly limited."
The man looked at Orison and snorted. "I wasn't hatched yesterday. I figured somebody would give me something to wear when they were ready."
The young mage resisted the urge to gawk and said, "Oh... sorry for that, then."
The dark haired, purple eyed man laughed and slammed a strong hand onto Orison's shoulder with lightly bruising force. "No worries. There are a lot of things I don't know or have forgotten. Better to be told too much than not enough."
Running a touch of innate, world unassisted healing into the offended shoulder in question the young mage said, "Let's start with holding back a little strength when being friendly with others. If I was Heath or... well, I guess it's just Heath... You could have broken something with that hand strike."
After receiving a self conscious chuckle of an apology, Orison returned to Dustin.
"So this will take me and whoever's hand I'm holding to somewhere else as long as I have a living family member there?" the Rogers man said.
The young mage answered, "Yup. And with the help of my conduit, you should be able to reach any of them. That's assuming a close enough blood relationship with them, though. Maybe even a few that you have strong spiritual connections with... It's a specialty item of the First Family. They're still a bit of a mystery to me and so is their stuff but what they are good at, they are really friggin good at."
"What do you think, sis? Feel like checking out how my boys or grand kids are? I don't particularly have a good opinion of the current place," Dustin said.
The woman who bore the closest family resemblance said, "I'm still resisting the urge to strip and streak to the nearest body of water. Do you, bro. I'm down for the ride until I can get my own sh*t sorted."
Just shy of outright terrified, the other woman said in a small voice that was barely over a whisper, "I'm willing to go. Just... please don't leave me. I can barely breath right now. I... don't know what would happen if I was left with complete strangers."
While Dustin shot the woman a look of pure, masculine instinct driven protectiveness, his sister rolled her eyes dismissively. Stefan came over to join them and the group bantered for awhile before Orison subtly shifted the conversation back to using the device. Unfortunately, it seemed that Stefen had the idea to go with them but the device's safe limit was three people total and it became pretty clear, pretty quickly that Dustin wasn't willing to leave his cousin for a 'new friend'. Dustin wasn't open to the idea of his sister staying either, even though she offered.
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Uncomfortably up close, Orison could see that the wingless dragon wasn't so much serpentine as millipede-like. He knew exactly why the mind flayer had called it and what would have happened if the young mage hadn't decided on transparency about his plan. It wasn't full transparency but it was easy to keep other potential rewards a secret when there wasn't any kind of idea what they may be or even if there were any.
Being that he didn't have much time and seeing, after sharing a few words, that the gentle giant was childlike and rather innocent acting, he asked the same question to the dragon blooded millipede looking creature. "If you could, would you rather be as you are now on another world or would you want to be a different creature altogether to stay here?"
"I could be something else if I stayed? I don't like being so big and hungry all the time. I have to sleep so much because there isn't enough food for me." the creature said sadly.
"What would you want to be?" Orison asked, trying not to laugh when the situation was so serious.
The creature had a lightning strike scar running down the side of its fearsome segmented and hook jawed face that very well could indicate it had been brain damaged by an attack of some kind.
"Something small... but-not-weak... that didn't need a whole lot of food!" the draconic millipede said.
Cray looked like he really wanted to say something but could feel Hazel's slightly weaker signature attempting to monitor them. The archer sighed and put his trust into whatever it was that Orison was doing. There was a slight warning in his eyes that promised retribution if it would bring more pain, however. It was an understandable fear.
With a reassuring pat on the archer's back, Orison drew on the Entanglement Key and allowed himself to be drawn to the place that kept weakly trying to pull him every time he used the transporter. Not knowing if it would do any good or not, Orison left a summoned dog behind with his mental and spiritual signature radiating off of it as he slipped through the connection. Upon arrival, he was glad his helmet was up.
There was next to no room to move around as 'living stone' had slowly breached and enclosed all but the centralized areas of the 'core room' of the ancient floating city. The pressure was nearly unbearable and without the suit, he would have been in dire straits from that alone. He was almost certain that trying to breath whatever gas was within would have been deadly as well.
No other action could be taken beyond that because that required a First Family approval but that was the 'advantage' that had been left for Orison to take 'advantage' of. Ezra's interest and invitation to the young mage and his entourage was likely half due to the sudden request by the system for its custodian to do so. He had no desire to dissect the further actions and reasoning of an insane dryad beyond that.
Getting busy making the most out of his opportunity, he found that it wasn't much. Material wise, there was little of practical nature left but there were a few replacement parts and emergency spark reserves that had him feeling that the trip had been worth it. In a spitfire session that was less negotiation and more rewards combing, he made his difficult decisions within the few seconds of time he had allowed himself. Having set the course, he initiated.
In a period of less than thirty seconds that felt like a nerve wracking lifetime, a series of events unfolded rapidly. The emergency reserve fired up and pushed an inter-dimensional communication through to Osomo. Verification received and rewards exchanged, the rest of the programmed actions took place.
Unable to fly any longer, the floating city used a 'test' jump to the pit at the center of the undead empire and laid waste to it while 'testing' remaining defensive systems. Many other 'tests' were performed as well, resulting in several 'acquisitions'. Most of that was completely out of Orison's hands but would be of benefit to others later.
Complete chaos erupted 'topside'. Ezra was threatening to kill Dustin only to be warned by Osmos Nine that any hostile action outside of self defense would result in the stripping of custodian privileges and probable 'termination'. Savage 'people' and terrified rusalki were reeling as they took in their new surprise environment. A stone storehouse above ruptured and spilled forth a variety of relatively minor magical items worth grabbing but not worth storing in the limited space of the rewards vault.
Orison merely focused on the undead murder and infernal device destruction karma gains as the wailing men rained cleansing beams of oblivion around them. Almost offhandedly, Orison stuffed the few 'rewards' he was allowed into his space. Subconsciously, he was aware that his key soaked in some of the mysterious essence it craved as stress to local dimensional space and a slew of broken devil summoning spots released trace amounts in a collective moderate abundance.
Having finished its tests and amassing a hill of assets, the remaining power worked through the ancient and barely functioning system to lock onto Osomo's signal. In an implosion of displaced air followed by an moderately explosive expulsion of additional compressed air, the heart of the undead empire resembled little more than a wasteland of dirt and scrap. Those few souls not making a trip with the floating city to their new low-dimensional home couldn't appreciate the scene as they appeared at the hidden transport pad within the stony, forest bordered plane to the north.
While Dustin shared an emotional moment with his restored sister and cousin, Orison put up a hand requesting a hold on others' desire to have confusion settled. Finding the person he was looking for, he walked over to the woman looking blankly at the portable trainer device in her hand. The young mage gave her a moment as he reached out with a specialized, one-time use communication device. It took using the key as a booster to reach his target but he managed to connect long enough to give a 'we are here' signal.
As softly and sympathetically as he could, Orison approached the woman. "I know that you are probably very confused right now and the memories you have are granted more than made by yourself but they WERE made by the life that you lived. I'm certain that the device responsible doesn't hold all of those life's memories but I've summoned a person capable of helping you recover them."
Filled with the ultimate form of displaced and disoriented confusion a soul could possibly possess, the woman looked at Orison and said, "Why?"
The question was so loaded with meaning, the young mage had no way of addressing it all in the short time he assumed it would take to get an answering presence to his summons.
Unable to satisfy her concerns, he addressed the biggest 'why' that pertained to him. "A long time ago, I and the other I was a part of gained a seemingly small but incredibly important inheritance from you. So much time had passed since you had departed from the world of the living, your only request was to have some of your remains scattered under a sky that wasn't Osomo's.
"It's a sad fact that we failed to honor that request due to complications that were beyond our control. Being that your simple request couldn't be honored, I elected to take it a step further when I was presented this opportunity. I freed your soul from Osomo to live again under another sky. Since that was your previous life's dearest wish, I hope that you can forgive us for failing your simple one."
In a small puff of displaced air, Daniel arrived. His sudden presence put several up into arms until Orison waved them down.
The ancient young man said, "I don't know what you want but know that I am not free to help you with much beyond what I'm personally capable of. My path of comprehensions isn't overly centered on great power in the material world either. I-"
The man's words cut off as he took in the sight of the woman that stood near Orison, looking back at him with a fuzzy kind of confused recognition. To say that the man's feelings were complex about her would have been an understatement but one thing was undeniable. He loved her in every way it was conceivable for one soul to care about another."
Daniel released the woman when she complained in a soft but terrified voice that he was hurting her. The ancient young man looked at Orison for answers as he tried to repress his own emotional pain from her protest.
The young mage said, "Her memories are only the fabricated ones that Osomo retained of her life. AS you well know, that infernal device rips souls of every scrap it can before it recycles them. She's not a climber anymore either. So, if your special water can help her with recalling her memories, it might change her climbing course. But it shouldn't damage any potential because there is none to speak of, at the moment."
Seeing that they were gearing up for an emotional discussion that had nothing to do with him, the young mage turned to other concerns. "Here you go, Dustin. This is a triangular masterpiece of spacial holding magical tech and your other share of goodies is stored inside it. I'll let you sift through that and return to you in a moment once you figure out what some of what's inside there means."
He cut off questions from the Rogers 'man' and his family to check in with his two 'peeps'. "Hey, Heath. That hazelnut sapling you're staring at is, uh, E Shama... I guess is what you call her."
The boy looked at the small tree with a strong vital force hiding inside of it.
Pointing at the sapling with a confused gaze, he looked back up at Orison dubiously and said, "E Shama?"
Making widening gestures with his hands the boy said insistently, "Elu... Elu E Shama!"
Sensing an upcoming pestering of epic proportions, Orison drew a snow flake, a drop of water, a sun with rays shining down and shifted over a semi frozen leaf with some oranges and reds still visible within onto the dirt.
As he drew circles around them, he said, "Time... Time will heal your E Shama. She's not hurt, she's just little. She needs to grow."
Seeing that the young mage was having a hard time explaining, Cray whipped out a notepad that had been resting on a counter in the cabin. It was the one Cray had been using to try to teach the boy some word concepts with the aid of pictures on. He flipped to a page with a decent drawing of a person in different stages of life.
From the last group of 'people', a fight looked like it was about to break out. So, with a sigh, the young mage walked over to address them. "Hey where's the rest of the guys that should be over here?"
The woman dressed in a leaf patterned cloak, holding an oak staff in her hand said, "This field of force that we reside in was too stifling to them. They have fled to reconnect with our mother properly, leaving me to represent their voice."
Stefen said, "That is for the best if they are as rude and ungracious as yourself."
The woman said, "It may be a difficult thing to accept but you ARE an abomination and an affront to nature. I feel no need to personally take action to correct the mistake of your existence. That is a journey I would expect you to gain the wisdom to desire taking on your own."
Orison quickly intervened and said, "Do you think you or one of the others that I have released from captivity within those dead trees could lead us to the 'shining wall' pass once spring comes?"
The woman turned to look at him and said, "Though you have no business walking this earth, outsider, yes. Perhaps the balance of this world has grown so disastrously unstable that the presence of one such as yourself will do more restoration than harm."
Frowning, Orison said, "That would be appreciated... Perhaps you may wish to take this solemn season to reconsider what you know of nature and balance. Your viewpoint is myopic and hinders your ability to see greater reality's reflection of the small, insignificant corner piece this world has revealed to you of it."
Neutral face breaking into a slight smile, as if the acidic words spoken were little more than a pleasant discussion she was warming up to enjoy, she said, "Based off of an outsider's view or your own myopic understanding?"
The young mage resisted the urge to massage his head. "Both and more besides... As much as I'm certain we could benefit from a stress testing of our personal understandings, I have quite a few things left to accomplish. Could I trust the two of you to give each other space if pleasant conversation proves impossible? Since a 'live and let live' policy has been established, lets establish a 'get along or get away from each other' one as well."
Surprising them both, the woman laughed heartily and kissed them both on the cheek. "Merry meet and merry part, then. The joy of life is welling within me too fiercely at the moment. Perhaps I will do as you say. There is never a lateness in season so deep that a search for more wisdom is wasteful. Our eyes and ears are everywhere. Call on us, if there is need outsider."
Both of them stood a bit stunned and watched her walk behind one of the stones failing to re-emerge from the other side. A powerfully built man that had been frolicking and gamboling about like a crazy person, free of any meaningful clothing, rushed over to see that the woman had disappeared.
Turning to the young mage and dhampir, guileless purple eyes asked, "Where did the leaf lady go?"
Clearing his throat as he noticed the curious and, in Dustin's sister's case, interested looks, Orison hurriedly handed the man a set of clothes and simple, quilted armor.
While he helped the man figure out how to put them on, he said, "You're a human now for the most part. Wearing clothes and stuff is a thing you need to get used to. Your trace of spiritual bloodline from your draconic heritage was preserved and that probably helps you to not be overly concerned with the cold but there are women present. People only tend to be naked around the opposite gender after successfully courting and sometimes for other reasons that are fairly limited."
The man looked at Orison and snorted. "I wasn't hatched yesterday. I figured somebody would give me something to wear when they were ready."
The young mage resisted the urge to gawk and said, "Oh... sorry for that, then."
The dark haired, purple eyed man laughed and slammed a strong hand onto Orison's shoulder with lightly bruising force. "No worries. There are a lot of things I don't know or have forgotten. Better to be told too much than not enough."
Running a touch of innate, world unassisted healing into the offended shoulder in question the young mage said, "Let's start with holding back a little strength when being friendly with others. If I was Heath or... well, I guess it's just Heath... You could have broken something with that hand strike."
After receiving a self conscious chuckle of an apology, Orison returned to Dustin.
"So this will take me and whoever's hand I'm holding to somewhere else as long as I have a living family member there?" the Rogers man said.
The young mage answered, "Yup. And with the help of my conduit, you should be able to reach any of them. That's assuming a close enough blood relationship with them, though. Maybe even a few that you have strong spiritual connections with... It's a specialty item of the First Family. They're still a bit of a mystery to me and so is their stuff but what they are good at, they are really friggin good at."
"What do you think, sis? Feel like checking out how my boys or grand kids are? I don't particularly have a good opinion of the current place," Dustin said.
The woman who bore the closest family resemblance said, "I'm still resisting the urge to strip and streak to the nearest body of water. Do you, bro. I'm down for the ride until I can get my own sh*t sorted."
Just shy of outright terrified, the other woman said in a small voice that was barely over a whisper, "I'm willing to go. Just... please don't leave me. I can barely breath right now. I... don't know what would happen if I was left with complete strangers."
While Dustin shot the woman a look of pure, masculine instinct driven protectiveness, his sister rolled her eyes dismissively. Stefan came over to join them and the group bantered for awhile before Orison subtly shifted the conversation back to using the device. Unfortunately, it seemed that Stefen had the idea to go with them but the device's safe limit was three people total and it became pretty clear, pretty quickly that Dustin wasn't willing to leave his cousin for a 'new friend'. Dustin wasn't open to the idea of his sister staying either, even though she offered.
Uncomfortably up close, Orison could see that the wingless dragon wasn't so much serpentine as millipede-like. He knew exactly why the mind flayer had called it and what would have happened if the young mage hadn't decided on transparency about his plan. It wasn't full transparency but it was easy to keep other potential rewards a secret when there wasn't any kind of idea what they may be or even if there were any. Being that he didn't have much time and seeing, after sharing a few words, that the gentle giant was childlike and rather innocent acting, he asked the same question to the dragon blooded millipede looking creature. "If you could, would you rather be as you are now on another world or would you want to be a different creature altogether to stay here?" "I could be something else if I stayed? I don't like being so big and hungry all the time. I have to sleep so much because there isn't enough food for me." the creature said sadly. "What would you want to be?" Orison asked, trying not to laugh when the situation was so serious. The creature had a lightning strike scar running down the side of its fearsome segmented and hook jawed face that very well could indicate it had been brain damaged by an attack of some kind. "Something small... but-not-weak... that didn't need a whole lot of food!" the draconic millipede said. Cray looked like he really wanted to say something but could feel Hazel's slightly weaker signature attempting to monitor them. The archer sighed and put his trust into whatever it was that Orison was doing. There was a slight warning in his eyes that promised retribution if it would bring more pain, however. It was an understandable fear. With a reassuring pat on the archer's back, Orison drew on the Entanglement Key and allowed himself to be drawn to the place that kept weakly trying to pull him every time he used the transporter. Not knowing if it would do any good or not, Orison left a summoned dog behind with his mental and spiritual signature radiating off of it as he slipped through the connection. Upon arrival, he was glad his helmet was up. There was next to no room to move around as 'living stone' had slowly breached and enclosed all but the centralized areas of the 'core room' of the ancient floating city. The pressure was nearly unbearable and without the suit, he would have been in dire straits from that alone. He was almost certain that trying to breath whatever gas was within would have been deadly as well. No other action could be taken beyond that because that required a First Family approval but that was the 'advantage' that had been left for Orison to take 'advantage' of. Ezra's interest and invitation to the young mage and his entourage was likely half due to the sudden request by the system for its custodian to do so. He had no desire to dissect the further actions and reasoning of an insane dryad beyond that. Getting busy making the most out of his opportunity, he found that it wasn't much. Material wise, there was little of practical nature left but there were a few replacement parts and emergency spark reserves that had him feeling that the trip had been worth it. In a spitfire session that was less negotiation and more rewards combing, he made his difficult decisions within the few seconds of time he had allowed himself. Having set the course, he initiated. In a period of less than thirty seconds that felt like a nerve wracking lifetime, a series of events unfolded rapidly. The emergency reserve fired up and pushed an inter-dimensional communication through to Osomo. Verification received and rewards exchanged, the rest of the programmed actions took place. Unable to fly any longer, the floating city used a 'test' jump to the pit at the center of the undead empire and laid waste to it while 'testing' remaining defensive systems. Many other 'tests' were performed as well, resulting in several 'acquisitions'. Most of that was completely out of Orison's hands but would be of benefit to others later. Complete chaos erupted 'topside'. Ezra was threatening to kill Dustin only to be warned by Osmos Nine that any hostile action outside of self defense would result in the stripping of custodian privileges and probable 'termination'. Savage 'people' and terrified rusalki were reeling as they took in their new surprise environment. A stone storehouse above ruptured and spilled forth a variety of relatively minor magical items worth grabbing but not worth storing in the limited space of the rewards vault. Orison merely focused on the undead murder and infernal device destruction karma gains as the wailing men rained cleansing beams of oblivion around them. Almost offhandedly, Orison stuffed the few 'rewards' he was allowed into his space. Subconsciously, he was aware that his key soaked in some of the mysterious essence it craved as stress to local dimensional space and a slew of broken devil summoning spots released trace amounts in a collective moderate abundance. Having finished its tests and amassing a hill of assets, the remaining power worked through the ancient and barely functioning system to lock onto Osomo's signal. In an implosion of displaced air followed by an moderately explosive expulsion of additional compressed air, the heart of the undead empire resembled little more than a wasteland of dirt and scrap. Those few souls not making a trip with the floating city to their new low-dimensional home couldn't appreciate the scene as they appeared at the hidden transport pad within the stony, forest bordered plane to the north. While Dustin shared an emotional moment with his restored sister and cousin, Orison put up a hand requesting a hold on others' desire to have confusion settled. Finding the person he was looking for, he walked over to the woman looking blankly at the portable trainer device in her hand. The young mage gave her a moment as he reached out with a specialized, one-time use communication device. It took using the key as a booster to reach his target but he managed to connect long enough to give a 'we are here' signal. As softly and sympathetically as he could, Orison approached the woman. "I know that you are probably very confused right now and the memories you have are granted more than made by yourself but they WERE made by the life that you lived. I'm certain that the device responsible doesn't hold all of those life's memories but I've summoned a person capable of helping you recover them." Filled with the ultimate form of displaced and disoriented confusion a soul could possibly possess, the woman looked at Orison and said, "Why?" The question was so loaded with meaning, the young mage had no way of addressing it all in the short time he assumed it would take to get an answering presence to his summons. Unable to satisfy her concerns, he addressed the biggest 'why' that pertained to him. "A long time ago, I and the other I was a part of gained a seemingly small but incredibly important inheritance from you. So much time had passed since you had departed from the world of the living, your only request was to have some of your remains scattered under a sky that wasn't Osomo's. "It's a sad fact that we failed to honor that request due to complications that were beyond our control. Being that your simple request couldn't be honored, I elected to take it a step further when I was presented this opportunity. I freed your soul from Osomo to live again under another sky. Since that was your previous life's dearest wish, I hope that you can forgive us for failing your simple one." In a small puff of displaced air, Daniel arrived. His sudden presence put several up into arms until Orison waved them down. The ancient young man said, "I don't know what you want but know that I am not free to help you with much beyond what I'm personally capable of. My path of comprehensions isn't overly centered on great power in the material world either. I-" The man's words cut off as he took in the sight of the woman that stood near Orison, looking back at him with a fuzzy kind of confused recognition. To say that the man's feelings were complex about her would have been an understatement but one thing was undeniable. He loved her in every way it was conceivable for one soul to care about another." Daniel released the woman when she complained in a soft but terrified voice that he was hurting her. The ancient young man looked at Orison for answers as he tried to repress his own emotional pain from her protest. The young mage said, "Her memories are only the fabricated ones that Osomo retained of her life. AS you well know, that infernal device rips souls of every scrap it can before it recycles them. She's not a climber anymore either. So, if your special water can help her with recalling her memories, it might change her climbing course. But it shouldn't damage any potential because there is none to speak of, at the moment." Seeing that they were gearing up for an emotional discussion that had nothing to do with him, the young mage turned to other concerns. "Here you go, Dustin. This is a triangular masterpiece of spacial holding magical tech and your other share of goodies is stored inside it. I'll let you sift through that and return to you in a moment once you figure out what some of what's inside there means." He cut off questions from the Rogers 'man' and his family to check in with his two 'peeps'. "Hey, Heath. That hazelnut sapling you're staring at is, uh, E Shama... I guess is what you call her." The boy looked at the small tree with a strong vital force hiding inside of it. Pointing at the sapling with a confused gaze, he looked back up at Orison dubiously and said, "E Shama?" Making widening gestures with his hands the boy said insistently, "Elu... Elu E Shama!" Sensing an upcoming pestering of epic proportions, Orison drew a snow flake, a drop of water, a sun with rays shining down and shifted over a semi frozen leaf with some oranges and reds still visible within onto the dirt. As he drew circles around them, he said, "Time... Time will heal your E Shama. She's not hurt, she's just little. She needs to grow." Seeing that the young mage was having a hard time explaining, Cray whipped out a notepad that had been resting on a counter in the cabin. It was the one Cray had been using to try to teach the boy some word concepts with the aid of pictures on. He flipped to a page with a decent drawing of a person in different stages of life. From the last group of 'people', a fight looked like it was about to break out. So, with a sigh, the young mage walked over to address them. "Hey where's the rest of the guys that should be over here?" The woman dressed in a leaf patterned cloak, holding an oak staff in her hand said, "This field of force that we reside in was too stifling to them. They have fled to reconnect with our mother properly, leaving me to represent their voice." Stefen said, "That is for the best if they are as rude and ungracious as yourself." The woman said, "It may be a difficult thing to accept but you ARE an abomination and an affront to nature. I feel no need to personally take action to correct the mistake of your existence. That is a journey I would expect you to gain the wisdom to desire taking on your own." Orison quickly intervened and said, "Do you think you or one of the others that I have released from captivity within those dead trees could lead us to the 'shining wall' pass once spring comes?" The woman turned to look at him and said, "Though you have no business walking this earth, outsider, yes. Perhaps the balance of this world has grown so disastrously unstable that the presence of one such as yourself will do more restoration than harm." Frowning, Orison said, "That would be appreciated... Perhaps you may wish to take this solemn season to reconsider what you know of nature and balance. Your viewpoint is myopic and hinders your ability to see greater reality's reflection of the small, insignificant corner piece this world has revealed to you of it." Neutral face breaking into a slight smile, as if the acidic words spoken were little more than a pleasant discussion she was warming up to enjoy, she said, "Based off of an outsider's view or your own myopic understanding?" The young mage resisted the urge to massage his head. "Both and more besides... As much as I'm certain we could benefit from a stress testing of our personal understandings, I have quite a few things left to accomplish. Could I trust the two of you to give each other space if pleasant conversation proves impossible? Since a 'live and let live' policy has been established, lets establish a 'get along or get away from each other' one as well." Surprising them both, the woman laughed heartily and kissed them both on the cheek. "Merry meet and merry part, then. The joy of life is welling within me too fiercely at the moment. Perhaps I will do as you say. There is never a lateness in season so deep that a search for more wisdom is wasteful. Our eyes and ears are everywhere. Call on us, if there is need outsider." Both of them stood a bit stunned and watched her walk behind one of the stones failing to re-emerge from the other side. A powerfully built man that had been frolicking and gamboling about like a crazy person, free of any meaningful clothing, rushed over to see that the woman had disappeared. Turning to the young mage and dhampir, guileless purple eyes asked, "Where did the leaf lady go?" Clearing his throat as he noticed the curious and, in Dustin's sister's case, interested looks, Orison hurriedly handed the man a set of clothes and simple, quilted armor. While he helped the man figure out how to put them on, he said, "You're a human now for the most part. Wearing clothes and stuff is a thing you need to get used to. Your trace of spiritual bloodline from your draconic heritage was preserved and that probably helps you to not be overly concerned with the cold but there are women present. People only tend to be naked around the opposite gender after successfully courting and sometimes for other reasons that are fairly limited." The man looked at Orison and snorted. "I wasn't hatched yesterday. I figured somebody would give me something to wear when they were ready." The young mage resisted the urge to gawk and said, "Oh... sorry for that, then." The dark haired, purple eyed man laughed and slammed a strong hand onto Orison's shoulder with lightly bruising force. "No worries. There are a lot of things I don't know or have forgotten. Better to be told too much than not enough." Running a touch of innate, world unassisted healing into the offended shoulder in question the young mage said, "Let's start with holding back a little strength when being friendly with others. If I was Heath or... well, I guess it's just Heath... You could have broken something with that hand strike." After receiving a self conscious chuckle of an apology, Orison returned to Dustin. "So this will take me and whoever's hand I'm holding to somewhere else as long as I have a living family member there?" the Rogers man said. The young mage answered, "Yup. And with the help of my conduit, you should be able to reach any of them. That's assuming a close enough blood relationship with them, though. Maybe even a few that you have strong spiritual connections with... It's a specialty item of the First Family. They're still a bit of a mystery to me and so is their stuff but what they are good at, they are really friggin good at." "What do you think, sis? Feel like checking out how my boys or grand kids are? I don't particularly have a good opinion of the current place," Dustin said. The woman who bore the closest family resemblance said, "I'm still resisting the urge to strip and streak to the nearest body of water. Do you, bro. I'm down for the ride until I can get my own sh*t sorted." Just shy of outright terrified, the other woman said in a small voice that was barely over a whisper, "I'm willing to go. Just... please don't leave me. I can barely breath right now. I... don't know what would happen if I was left with complete strangers." While Dustin shot the woman a look of pure, masculine instinct driven protectiveness, his sister rolled her eyes dismissively. Stefan came over to join them and the group bantered for awhile before Orison subtly shifted the conversation back to using the device. Unfortunately, it seemed that Stefen had the idea to go with them but the device's safe limit was three people total and it became pretty clear, pretty quickly that Dustin wasn't willing to leave his cousin for a 'new friend'. Dustin wasn't open to the idea of his sister staying either, even though she offered.
