Chapter II: Gravity

Completed chapters of the serial storyline are stored here after completion.
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TennyoCeres84
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Re: Chapter II: Gravity

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"Thank you, Tom," Meris responded quietly, smiling at his words. At Sam's explanation of the well-known tunnel into Darlarath, she grimaced and sighed sadly. "Slaves seldom have it easy in Daralarth, and even more so after the centuries that passed since the failed rebellion. Nereus, Lucian, and I tried to change things for the better, but we made the mistake of pushing too much too soon. Some made it out with Lucian, but many of the residents of Respite Point died, regrettably. I only made it out because of my understanding of the Black Speech," she explained. "That and some highly improvised singing."

Aislinn blinked at the woman. "How did you learn Black Speech?" she asked.

"From Nereus and Lucian. Whereas Azardad implanted it directly into your minds," she noted, looking to AIdan and Charles, "I learned it phonetically. It's enough to scramble the minds of Prelates and some Arbiters or gain entrance to locked places. The singing permitted me to stay warm and deal with the pressure. Odd thing about seraphic magic is that it works on a similar level as the Black Speech. I remember Nereus pointing out that my magic makes certain qualities happen on a certain vibration, while Black Speech unmakes them on a different frequency."

She pursed her lips pensively and then continued, "Sadly ironic given that the Void Weavers weren't created by Amaxi to spread evil, as they so fervently relish and believe. They were made by the Architect after He made a pact with God, since the elder deity mentored the other. Originally, Void Weavers were meant to protect us from the Others, but one Squid making contact with Amaxi ended that purpose."
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Re: Chapter II: Gravity

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Three shook his head. "It's crazy - all the could-have-beens, wrong turns and stupid decisions that make up History... We spend the first decades of our lives learning the sanitized version of it all, we think it's all just master strategists and ace politicians - and then there's an idiot, somewhere, that looked at Amaxi and thought Yeah, I'm down with working for a primordial being of pure fucking evil, sounds like a worthwhile life goal. Are people going to think we predicted everything, a few decades down the line, or will they see we're just regular folks, saddled up against something that's bigger than ourselves?"

Naberius smiled encouragingly. "You know, Solomon hated fish. Our cooks grilled everything from salmon to cod, and he never found a fragrance he tolerated. He harboured a fair bit of guilt for not being as present a father as he could have - and primarily leaned on us, in the Court, to keep track of his agenda and dictated courses. History only remembers the wise demon-wrangler, one of the pillars of the ancient world. I remember a sympathetic and, oh, slightly forgetful man who was flustered whenever anyone acted like he was some supernatural being; more than an arcane dabbler with some vague form of political acumen."

His smile turned into a smirk. "Despite what mister Quigley might believe, I've never thought of fame as a suitable form of personal defence. Otherwise, I wouldn't have left Pride's side, all those years ago - or the Court's blessing would have transfigured Meris before your very eyes; a modern-day revision of Cinderella's tale. Confidence and pride aren't radiating effects that quell dissent - they are deep-seated notions that come alive in our most intimate and vulnerable of moments."

The soldier smiled as well. "Sounds like you've given it some thought.
- More than the Prince has, assuredly," explained Naberius. "I appear as I am in order to adhere to immediate standards and establish the Court's purpose and hierarchy, but that is merely a reflection of what I usually keep inward."

He shrugged. "Ask Lord Holden."

The Clank looked like he understood. "I assume I've become more than the sum of my waistcoats and cravats to you, Aidan?
- Well, yeah," replied Drake, scoffing. "You're my boss and my friend. Sis asks about my routine here and wonders if stuff feels like a Downton Abbey rerun crossed with a Marvel movie. Honestly, I forgot the whole peerage-related and-slash-or aristocratic angle after only two or three days here. I'm doing my job here, period."

Archie smirked. "So you've seen past the automaton's gears and the spy's countenance, and have glimpsed at the man.
- I think so. Or else I wouldn't be here anymore. I wouldn't stand to be paid to be just another cape - just another superhero. I don't need a costume or a moniker - I need a mission, and people need protection.

"Solomon," explained Naberius, "was just like you, mister Drake. What History has to say does not matter, all that does matter is what you all have to contribute. Leave the dramatic descriptors of my function to the Lesser Key; I've only ever been a worthy individual's batman, his or her standard-bearer."
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Re: Chapter II: Gravity

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Meris nodded in agreement. "Myths and legends build people up to be some paragon of virtue or something to be enviable of. We're just people with hopes, concerns, dreams, and fears trying to make it through this life in whatever form that takes. It's the little details in our lives that make us who we are, not the grand achievements. They're nice, but their worth is finite," she acknowledged.
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Re: Chapter II: Gravity

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"The lil' things, aye," agreed Sam, as if this brought back fond memories. "Speakin' of..."

He stood up and drew his cutlass. "I CAME HERE TO LAUGH IN THE FACE O' DEATH AN' DESPAIR! FECK ALL THAT PHILOSOPHY, I WANT THE BLACK GOAT T'HEAR US FROM THE PIT'S PUCKERED SPHINCTER! I WANTS 'IM TA KNOW HE'S LOST 'FORE WE'S EVEN STARTED!"

In the front yard, people cheered. "KEEP US UP 'TIL THE WEE HOURS, BOSUN! BURN THROUGH YER STRINGS AN' YER BOW! WE GOT OURSELVES A QUEEN, AND I'LL BE THRICE DAMNED BEFORE SOMEONE SAYS I CANNA' DANCE WITH-"

A curt cough sounded from the entrance hall. Sam's crowing voice turned to a "Huh?" of light surprise, as he was faced with a haggard-looking, if amused lawyer.

"Can I safely assume all this noise is another tactic to prevent my mind from being taken over?" he joked, rubbing one hand against the back of his head. "Because I can't sleep. Rhadamantus doesn't have that problem - he's powered through one semester and a half's worth of theory and then went to sleep like an overstuffed baby. He was, um, mumbling parts of Corporate Moral Personhood theory in-between snores when I left."

"Jaysis," lightly swore the demon, "do ye folks got a Throne stuffed somewheres an' ye haven't told us?"

Three chuckled awkwardly. "Um - mister Ephesian, meet one of your tormenting asshole's rivals, the Marquis Samigina. Captain Sam, this is the source of our current concerns, mister Leonard Ephesian."

The demon and goat shook hands. "Am I awake?" asked the goat, "because this is beyond surreal..."
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Re: Chapter II: Gravity

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Aislinn scoffed in amusement and walked up to the goat. "Yes, you're awake, Mr. Ephesian," she told him, hiding her nervousness. Her mind had wandered back to the Black Goat's appearance in the video, so she really hoped the Prince wouldn't suddenly make his presence known here. "We're just having a party; sorry for keeping you up," she said, then adding, "Did you sleep well?"

While it was good to see Sam in upbeat spirits, Meris remained quiet and merely observed. The marquis seemed confident now that she had been declared Heiress, but she found that one should never assume victory over their foe until that was certain. She had already learned that lesson, and she wasn't about to lower her guard anytime soon.
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Re: Chapter II: Gravity

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Leonard smirked. "Mostly, yes. I can't say I've slept enough, but it's more of a case of me feeling safe for the first time in months."

He looked at the TV set that had been set in the dining room and didn't have too much of a leap of logic to make to understand what they'd looked at. "I don't know what it is about you or what you're doing, but the sense of oppression I was stuck with is almost gone. It's back to what it used to be in the early weeks - just the odd sense that I'm pissing someone off somewhere. That feeling you get when you're walking out of a room where you've just had a heated argument with someone? It feels like my tormentor's pacing somewhere behind me, charging the air with energy that'll go nowhere..."

That made Tom smirk. "It means Aidan's little jape is working - the being that's trying to ride your coattails is attempting to figure out what we've got in store for him.
- What do you have in store?" asked the goat.

Three started counting on his fingers as he enumerated the aspects he'd like to develop. "Step one: we reinforce your sense of ownership of your body, of your own person. We're driving you to mister Romanov's tomorrow for a first crack at that, and then leaving you in Shen Long's care, so you can figure out the finer points of meditation.

Step two: we reinforce your hold over the current situation. We track the roots of your possession and figure out how why a Prince would want to set his advance front here. We plan for as many unwanted outcomes as possible over the month.

Step three: we lay a grid over the courthouse, make sure we can monitor every inch of it or sense every brick on the arcane level."

He sighed. "Step four: we plan in case of our defeat. That's all I'll say in front of you, sir. There's two aspects to this part of our plans; and neither of them are safe to divulge to you. One of them involves you, but we'll only tell you at the last minute."

Three looked back to Meris. "The Pit doesn't need the Prince to start pushing, we've already had to contend with one case of active possession here. There's going to be more, of that much I'm sure. The Court and your other allies need to set the proverbial ball rolling, Meris. If you have any contacts Upstairs, pre-emptive assaults against whatever qualifies as a training facility in the Pit would buy us time."

Sam blinked. "Ye's suggestin' we bring the fight to 'em, laddie?
- Absolutely," replied Three. "If we can divert the Prince's attention, we can buy time for Leonard - maybe even force the Black Goat to abandon his current scheme entirely. That meant hitting his forces hard - and hitting now."

The soldier then looked back to Tom. "As much as you'd like to keep your headspace sessions with Aislinn, Tom; I'm requesting one. You've shown her Hell, I want to know what I'm up against. I want numbers and figures - something like an estimation of our enemy's forces."

The warthog nodded. "I can set time aside for that later in the week - I'm exhausted as it is. It's been a back-breaking day and there's been a lot of work involved."
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Re: Chapter II: Gravity

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At the mention of a military tour of Hell, Charles perked up fast. "Aw yeah, yer takin' me along fer sure!" he declared, slightly overenthusiastic. "Er, if- if ya can, anyways..."

"I just saw Shen tonight, in fact," Mary noted. "He and Shou are both doing well. They volunteered to moderate that meeting you weren't invited to, Tom." She made a face. "Not like I need their help, of course."
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Re: Chapter II: Gravity

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The archmage nodded. "Of course, lad. I'll give them a ring, so to speak," she answered, making a note to contact Matriel ASAP. Meris figured he get let Gabriel in on their plans and send some troops into Hell to give the Black Goat's reinforcements a run for their money.

"Before Tom gets ready to take you there, I'll work with him to strengthen his focus and keep any troublemakers from interfering," she commented, glancing at the incubus. "If you think it's safe enough, I'll come as well."

Having been quiet for most of the time, Neasa raised a brow and asked, "What would you like Ciaran and me to do?"
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Re: Chapter II: Gravity

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"Well, seeing as you'll see Long again," said Aidan to Mary, "drop him a line about someone who needs protection over mindfulness. I doubt we'll be able to turn his mind into an impregnable fortress in less than four weeks," he explained, looking briefly in Leonard's direction, "but we can lay some groundwork."

The warthog, in the meantime, nodded in the affirmative to Jenkins. "I think I can manage it, but Aislinn's right. I'll need her by my side, as well. We've already got a decent cover going, adding you and Drake to it shouldn't be too hard."

Three's interest was piqued. "What cover?
- Nobody in the Pit's caught on to Quint's demise yet," explained the Infernalist. "Belial's consumed the man's soul and isn't the type to brag about every other catch he makes. I'll have you pass for people he's enthralled, the early seeds of some sort of cult. Most less-than-scrupulous Infernalists tend to look for buyers Downstairs and more or less act like slavers, keeping a selection of victims on hand in case they can exchange someone else's soul for extra power."

The soldier seemed amused. "So the Goat bought the idea of you being the local arcane embarrassment?
- I'd say he thought I was harmless enough," corrected Magnus with obvious amusement. "Laughable levels of incompetence do have their perks, after all - they're almost as effective as a basic Veiling job."

Sam seemed to think of this as a reason to include himself. "Me mates an I're yer extraction team, then," he said. "We pack a divin' bell, so bringing' ye back ashore won't be too hard. Pluck ye's outta the Pit with a coupla lifelines, reel ye's in like big fish - voilà. I can have blankets an' a lifeboat ready, too, seein' as the waters're cold, this time o' year. Goat's men're gonna have a harder time searchin' for ye if ye get made an' exfiltrate outside o' city limits."

Magnus blinked. "Sam - we can't depend on you for our return back to our corporeal forms, we have to emerge within a reasonable distance of our bodies. Bring our souls back here beyond a hundred square feet of where I'll have started our astral voyage, and you're dooming Aislinn, Aidan and Charles to a ghostly existence as well as killing their bodies! They're not like you, you know - they can't go in and out as they please!"

The pirate's jaw hung. "Oh. Right. Well, yer solution's ta start yer voyage aboard me ship, a coupla miles off-shore. Once yer aboard, ye can go astral an' slip into Hell. We'll just dip the Dutchman inter' the upper layers o' Hell t'pluck ye's out, pull on yer lifelines all proper-like. It'd be like one o' them SWAT teams slippin' out via helicopter."

Three also seemed slightly confused. "Then why not just use the Dutchman to drop us off in Hell while entirely corporeal?
- Eh, I wouldn't want t'leave yer martal coil in th' hands o' Fiends, laddie," reminded the captain, wincing for effect. "If ye get caught like this, there's no way out an' no goin' nowhere once they do kill ye. System ain't made fer martals t'die in Hell - that'd be one bloody major bug, aye!"

Archie, hearing Neasa and Ciaran, offered them a reassuring look. "I'll need you both on call - we're about to stir the proverbial hornet's nest, my friends; and someone is bound to take umbrage to our rising tally of small victories! I'll also need assistance in tackling other matters - I'll need to brief you both in greater detail, tomorrow morning."
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Re: Chapter II: Gravity

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"I'll be around too," Preston reminded them. He wondered if Archie had noticed the note he had written earlier, and when he could read it. Listening to Three and Tom make plans, he had to refrain from making a Saints' Row reference, and succeeded grandly in such.
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