[Quest] Lost Singularity - Fimbulwinter

[Rafflesiac]

Are humans???

- - - Updated - - -

I mean sure for Liria but the Maid?

[Bird of Hermes]

Servants and Questionable beings will come later.

[SpoonyViking]

Oh, d'oh! Sorry, Hermes, didn't notice the "Part 1: Humans" up there.

[Rafflesiac]

Teeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeechnically you forgot Marco Ahrens, who tried to kill Maria a year and a day ago for her millennial mall-frequenting sins.

[Rafflesiac]

Gonna change my mind and go with 1; hope it's not too late.

[SpoonyViking]

Nooo! Remember that we're not walking the path of pure divinity, we're trying to balance divinity and magecraft! Don't let Javier lose himself!

[Rafflesiac]

Yeah but like how much humanity is he gonna lose in one go here

I don't think it's all of it

Hmm, maybe I'll switch back to 2 after all. Nevermind, I'll switch back.

[Daneel Rush]

Eduranki
Day 03
Afternoon Phase – 08
Severe Cold (-17 °C/1.5 °F; external temperature)



A figure inert lies seated on a wheelchair at the corner of the unfinished temple chamber. Its presence, jarring almost anywhere outside of an asylum or a hospital bedroom, is particularly so in this anachronistic hall. The old man wrapped in blankets is completely still, its unhealthy pallor and absence of movement rendering it indistinguishable from a corpse.

Calling the room unfinished is an understatement. “Barely started” is a lot more accurate. There are no walls yet, only four admittedly ornate columns indicate the corners of the large ritual chamber, as if indicating that, yes, eventually the space between them is to be filled with tall walls. The only part of the room that is properly constructed in the main, central altar. It was clearly sculpted from a single, massive block of marble shaped into a dais with a single step. Two huge leonine heads grow out of the sides of the altar, the surface of their stone skin covered in engraved cuneiform. A throne of the same material stands in front of the altar. Floating in the space between the backs of the lions’ heads, a small object is completely concealed within the pulsing aura of cerulean light it constantly emits.

The Holy Grail. Well, a Holy Grail.

However, the Maid cares not for almighty wish-granters right now. Her watchful service of properly adjusting the blankets protecting the old man’s frail body from the cold has been interrupted. She looks up at the open sky exposed by the absence of a ceiling yet to be built. She looks at the vast landscape of the frozen city of hills, but not with her eyes. After a moment of pondering on whatever it is that caught her attention, she exacts judgement with a single world.

“…fool.”

And the Maid thus returns to her care for the elderly, the matter completely dispelled from her mind.

*** ***

Javier Lucero listens to the wishes hidden in the not-voices, and opens the doors of his soul so that they can feed the flame in his stead. The world resounds with their cries, shrill like the song of birds, rumbling like the shakings of the earth. They are jubilant and celebratory cries of triumph, as if the entire Planet cheered the kindling of the flame.

It takes the young man but a moment—a single, horrifying moment—to realize the flame is not his anymore. Why should it, after all?

The following moment, he is engulfed and undone, as the flame grows mightily, the way a well-fed flame is wont to do. Unimpeded, it greedily devours him whole; body, mind and soul.

In the frozen city, Sakura and the Drake couple are the first to be consumed, the flame unleashed completely flooding the chamber. The ice that steadily ate at the life of Alicia Drake delays her incineration only for a few moments past her husband’s.

It is sheer luck that saves one Fiore Forvedge, the (self-proclaimed) retired mage who had chosen to brave the cold to check on Sakura and the Drakes. Had her steps been an iota faster, she would have been consumed along with the rest of the house’s inhabitants. As it is, she is merely steps from the building’s entrance when the flames erupt in utmost violence. Instead of being devoured and made into ashes, she is blown away across the street and into the building in front.

At the shore of the frozen sea, the clash of two mighty Servants is interrupted as the Age of Gods is made manifest once more in the lands of the Mapuche. Avenger, the one who loathes and is loathed by the gods, growls like a cornered beast. Saver, the one born to castigate gods, merely clicks her tongue in irritation. She understands what has happened far better than Avenger does.

“Too bad, human girl. Seems like your man has…what’s that word you keep using? ‘Fucked up’, yes.”

And then, just as abruptly as the unbidden divine manifestation, a terrible howl fills the streets of Valparaiso. Even Saver who knows no fear feels muscles become taut and hairs stand on end in answer to the howl of the beast that heralds the end of an era—the Nifl hound rejecting the Muspel flame in her turf.

“Oh…” murmurs the swordswoman, wariness rapidly changing into the excitement of a hunter who has caught a whiff of new, better prey.

“Well, you win some, you lose some.”

*** ***

Javier Lucero is DEAD.

Make your choice:

1. Continue the story as it is.
2. Visit a glade of bizarre fairies.

[Rafflesiac]

whoops

- - - Updated - - -

2

[Faux]

Well, we've gone and done it.
Let's go with 2

[SleepMode]

eh shit

​2

[DRFan]

well it was worth a try
2

[King Prussia]

I think it was a great success and we should treat it as such. 1.

I mean, it did an explosion. An explosion can't be a failure.

[SpoonyViking]

Yikes.
2

[Bird of Hermes]

Could have been worse, we didn’t kill everybody

2

[DRFan]

Now, its obvious that the scorpion man was not Pazuzu as I thought, but maybe Saver is Pazuzu?In fact, a genderbent Pazuzu.

In Mesopotamian mythology, Pazuzu was an apotropaic demon whose archrival was the demon Lamashtu (Dimme). Pazuzu was prayed to for protection against Lamashtu who caused miscarriages and other problems during childbirth.

Consider the evidence:
- Saver has the Nemesis skill. If we assume Saver to be Pazuzu, then her nemesis must be Lamashtu.
- Saver is not a Mesopotamian deity, as pointed out by Lancer. This rules out many candidates.
- Saver declares herself as "the strongest demon" to Lancer.
- According to the untrustworthy website mythology.net, Pazuzu apparently wields a magical greatsword.
- In Daneel's Dimme Servant sheet, he points out that Dimme's enemy is the demon Pazuzu, and then goes on to say "she opposes all the gods" which is evidence for a genderbent Pazuzu. The "opposing the gods" part is also mentioned several times in the text.
- Now this is perhaps a bit of speculation, but perhaps Maria does not suffer any abnormalities because Pazuzu is known for possession in the movie The Exorcist?


EDIT: I may have misread the "she" part. It could refer to Dimme and not Pazuzu. Any English masters that can help with this?

[34]

2 heh

[Draconic]

2

- - - Updated - - -

When we go back, I'm pushing for Arts.

- - - Updated - - -

And I really want to test out my plan.

[Daneel Rush]

Nature at its most lush and pristine. Clean air, the rustling of leaves, and the cool breeze of the Andes Mountains caressing all things. That wonder of nature, Villarrica Volcano, much beloved by skiers during winter time, offers its looming presence, its shadow the shadow of gods. Beauty mostly unmarred by the touch of civilization spreads before your eyes.

“Salutations, hapless soul who has set foot in this sanctuary.”

A small figure steps out of the sea of trees. Her human appearance in no way contrasts with the world around her, as if she truly belongs to this remote wilderness.

A Fairy

No, this young maiden in the flower of puberty is the embodiment of worldly achievement. There is not a place in this world where she would not belong. Rather, the world and all those born in it bow before her. Her regal, ruby-colored eyes regard you warmly, but it is hard not to feel insignificant before them. If she is a princess, her kingdom must be the whole of the World.

“This one is the Wandering Fairy, Fairy L.”

Silence ensues; an awkward thing, which clearly should have been filled in some manner, yet failed to do so. The so-called “fairy” glances towards the trees behind her.

“Come out already.”

“Dun’ wanna!”

“You are aware this will never move forward if you do not show yourself.”

The following silence is even more awkward, exacerbated by the waves of shame and reluctance pouring out of the depths of the forest.

“Uuuu, fine!”

Unlike Fairy L’s graceful, sedate appearance, the second girl emerges abruptly, leaping acrobatically to land with her hands on her hips, standing smugly and proudly in an obvious attempt to ignore the fact she clearly does not belong to any sort of civilized society.

You know it, Fairy L knows it, and most importantly, she knows it as well.

“Uwaaaah! Do-don’t look at me!” Defeated by common sense, the twin-tailed girl hurries to hide herself behind the nearest tree trunk, comical torrents of tears in her wake.

A Fairy? (NSFW)

“You look deplorable.” Fairy L is quite merciless.

“Uwaaaah! I didn’t ask to look like this! It’s not my fault my Servant is a deviant! This is why I have to wear that filthy cloak all the time!”

“Your engagement in prostitution is canon, though.”

“Shut uuup!”

“More importantly, introduce yourself so we can progress to the next part of the skit.”

“Don’t just dismiss my grievances—you went and called it a skit!”

The girl whose outfit transcends the word “scanty”, already looking fairly exhausted, rests her forehead on the nearby tree and makes a dismissing gesture with her monstrous hand.

“Right, right. I’m the False Fairy, Fairy A.”

“The A clearly stands for Ass.”

“Assassin! It stands for Assassin!” A brief moment of hesitation. “Assassin!”

She repeats it because it is important.

“Yes,” Fairy L apparently agrees, before turning her attention back to you.

“Welcome to the Fairy Dojo.”

“What part of this looks remotely like a dojo!?”

Fairy L seems to ponder the other’s words, if only for a moment.

“…welcome to the Fairy Dojo.”

“We’re fucking outdoors!”

“Hmm, laying out your intentions towards this child so blatantly. As expected of an experienced prostitute.”

“AAAAAAAaaarrrgh!”

Leaving the Ass Fairy—that is, Fairy A, to bash her head repeatedly on the tree, the more elegant of the two turns to regard you with a placid smile.

“This is the liminal space where you may take a breather and think back on the decisions and actions that brought you here.”

“Wait, wait, wait; you, fairy. How long are you going to ask like everyone’s supposed to know who you are? You haven’t been introduced in the story.”

“That is incorrect. This one has been mentioned a number of times. ‘Fairy L’ is the only appellative this one needs in this moment.”

Fairy A does not look convinced.

“Ya know, for someone who claims to hate the Maid, you act a whole lot like her.”

“Hate is a strong word. We disagree in almost every way that matters, but I cannot truly hate her.”

“Actually, what are you up to?” Fairy A insists, crossing her arms in front of her somewhat lacking bust. “Are you even in the Valparaíso singularity?”

The other fairy shakes her head.

“The child and his partner have not followed that plotline. Desist from trying to get spoilers out of this one.”

“Yup, you sure are one and the same as that Maid. Pair of shameless bitches, both of you,” retorts the smirking A. “You are the reason Javier’s such a mess, but you don’t give a shit ‘bout that, do ya?”

“You are acting like a maggot trying to get a rise out of a lion, girl. Now, let us focus on the matter at hand. Our cherished boy actually died.”

“Oh, like the problem isn’t obvious?” Fairy A rolls her eyes most despondently. At this, the younger girl’s mostly unchanging expression broadens along with the widening of her eyes.

“Oh? So this one may assume you can manage the discussion, then?”

“Yeah, sure, whatever,” agrees the Fairy Assassin, rolling her eyes one more time. “Someone has to say shit the way it is in here.”

Apparently no longer caring about her attire—rather, the lack thereof—, the twin-tailed exhibitionist boldly steps forward to properly face you, taking a deep breath in the process.

And then, she “discusses”.

“ARE YOU FUCKING STUPID!? WHAT THE FUCK WERE YOU THINKING, YOU PIECES OF SHIT!?”

Birds hurriedly fly off the canopy of trees. Assassin takes another deep breath.

“What was the big idea, going at it so half-heartedly!? You think you can earn that power without paying the cost, huh!? Iiiiidiot! Think you can reap all the rewards while others bear the burden? The fuck you think you are, some fucking CEO!? Get real!”

She shakes her head with the despondence of a mother catching her young child eating the dog’s chow.

“Did you even put some thinking into that choice? Why the fuck would the spirits of Villarrica even need you, if you’re not willing to bear with the flame yourself? THEY WANT THAT FLAME TO BURN, YOU DUMBASSES! THEY DON’T GIVE A SHIT ABOUT JAVIER LUCERO!”

“If this one may interject,” then speaks Fairy L. “Considering you went through the effort of convincing the Maid to educate you in both magecraft and the Path of Regression, it might have been a bit reckless to tap further into the Divine Core before even receiving your first lesson.”

“A ‘bit reckless’? They’re fucking stupid, that’s what they are. Of course, getting even remotely close to the Maid was plenty stupid already, so this is nothing new.”

Stomping the stone-littered shore of the stream with an impatient foot, Fairy A plants her hands on her hips and looks down on you with her heated tsundere stare.

“It’s like that bird said: Go big or go home, idiots!”

“Bird…” mutters the more childlike fairy, seemingly amused by the whole rant.

“And by the way, bird! So I’m not good enough for your little Valentine thing? Well fuck you too!”

“This one is fairly confident he would enjoy that. Especially if you bring out all your advanced prostitute tech—”

“You be quiet!” Fairy A lashes at her companion before turning her haughty attention back to you. “Anyway, show’s over. Go out there and get me my happy ending!”

“Oh? Taking advantage that Miss Maria is not a member of the Fairy Dojo?”

“I deserve my happy ending, goddammit!”

“Few do not,” idly replies Fairy L. “In any case, this one believes we are to provide a hint before this session can be declared over.”

“Eh? Haven’t they had enough? Huh.”

Having seemingly made her case, Fairy A has deflated a little, her irate attitude replaced with somewhat bored relaxation. Her body language exclaims that she wants to be done with this farce.

“If anything, you have reason to be grateful to them. You are no longer arrested by the Nazis.”

Seemingly unaware of that fact until that very moment, Fairy A allows herself to look at little sheepish, a healthy blush now adorning her pale skin.

“Ah! Um, right, that would’ve sucked.”

“That this one would call an understatement.”

“Alright, fine, fine! A hint it is!” Assassin stops herself before running her monstrous hand along her hair in a rather masculine gesture.

“We-well, if you don’t want me to hint at how Javier may find you, then…ah, right.”

Again, the fairy that in no way can be described as “dressed” centers her attention on you.

“Alright, here it is: the fuckin’ Lutheran Church. I didn’t meet Maria there because I’m into sacred architecture.”

“Hmm...” There is a knowing smile on the smaller fairy who acts like the elder one. “That one might count as several hints in one.”

“You expect too much from those lunatics.”

“Perhaps. In any case, that will be all from today’s Fairy Dojo,” Fairy L concludes, looking at straight at you with a changed smile that no longer looks appropriate on a pubescent girl.

“This one knows you must feel most grateful for the precious advice received. It is most understandable. Should we ever cross paths in life, this one will allow you to express your undying gratitude by kissing my feet.”

“There it is!” Assassin promptly points at the other fairy. “Damn it, you waited till the very end to show your true colors, you prissy princess bitch! How did Javier ever—God!”

“If you can also spare a coin or two for my exuberant friend here, it would be appreciated.”

“I’m gonna fuckin’ kill you.”

“This one wishes you good tidings on your way onwards. May you lead our cherished child towards fruitful success.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever, just don’t get me killed! Or at least get me killed in an appropriately epic sacrifice—no, fuck that, don’t get me killed!”

*** ***

Turning back the clock…

*** ***

Hotel Manoir Atkinson, Atkinson Promenade 165, Valparaíso
Day 03
Afternoon Phase – 01-B
Severe Cold (-21 °C/-7.5 °F)

Character Status

Health: Good
Sustenance: Good
Warmth: Good
Stamina: Good
Regression Level 1

“Are you sure you’re—”

“I’m alright now, Maria. Really. Come on, we agreed to do this.”

Maria’s report on her meeting with Liria Colhuán—Servant Assassin—is over. Our next move is the matter we have left unresolved for almost 24 hours. There is something in the back of my mind that’s worrying me—well, let’s be honest: there’s a whole bunch of things worrying me right now—, but we cannot let that stop us. If we have a chance to save a person, we have to take it, right? It’s just the right thing to do.

Of course, I’m in the middle of verifying that my body is properly covered by the winter clothes when we—well, Maria first—catch the sounds. Somewhat familiar, somewhat unfamiliar, completely at odds in this frozen world.

“Those are…”

Naturally, Maria’s already on the move, and I wince when her abrupt opening of the (admittedly broken) window doors allows even more of the cold breeze to rush in.

“Those are armored vehicle tracks…there! The same SdKfz as yesterday, and I can hear at least a second one at the bottom of the hill! Fuck!”

I would say that’s not very subtle, but I guess it’s impossible to be stealthy with something like an armored truck.

“Javier, the one I can’t see from here probably has rocket launchers,” Maria reveals as she moves away from the window.

And they don’t know I’m here, so they’ll have zero qualms about razing this entire building. Fuck.

“We gotta—”

Wait. No. They gotta be better than this.

“Fuck, they probably already have people at the exits. They have to be there to get you the moment you try to leave here.”

Maria winces as she too comes to awareness of this fact. Of course these Nazis would know by now that a superhuman warrior can get away from rockets without problem.

“The truck I can see from here’s probably waiting for me to leap off one of the windows.”

I glance at the slanted ceiling over our heads. Maria picked the biggest suite, which is in fact the refurnished attic of this two-story building. Which could mean that, for all we know, the two floors are already swarming with Nazi soldiers. And they’re not real people, so whoever’s in charge (Rider) might have no qualms about losing them to artillery barrage.

Fuck.

“Javier…” Maria’s voice comes out kind of like a puppy’s whine.

That’s right. Rockets any second now.

What the hell do we do?

Choice Time

Maria’s Next Action:

1. Write-in.

Javier’s Next Action:

1. Write-in.

[Rafflesiac]

“Alright, here it is: the fuckin’ Lutheran Church. I didn’t meet Maria there because I’m into sacred architecture.”

Hah, I knew it.

Now to think of a more immediate course of action.