[Quest] Lost Singularity - Fimbulwinter

[zikari8]

1

[Bird of Hermes]

Y
Also, why is Raff hyperventilating? What is Seigi Nomikata?

You will witness The Progenitor soon.

[DRFan]

1

[Rafflesiac]

smh people won't give a tired grumpy girl the space she needs

[Daneel Rush]

I think that by this point you have clearly established Javier as a self-centered asshole. Releasing Alicia Drake was rather OOC.

[SleepMode]

I kinda see it as fulfiling a debt; in a case that partly due to pride, Javier doesn't really want to owe something to someone, and will sufficiently settle it as quickly as possible.

[SpoonyViking]

I think that by this point you have clearly established Javier as a self-centered asshole.

I want him to grow out of it.

[Draconic]

I think that by this point you have clearly established Javier as a self-centered asshole. Releasing Alicia Drake was rather OOC.

I blame Raff’s desire to be edgy for its own sake, his uncanny ability ability to post first on a ton of choices and an apparent desire to just follow the leader by too many people for far too long. There were several occasions when we were all going for a specific goal, only to turn around right at the cusp of victory because someone else posted first and everyone somehow lost sight of what we were doing.

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I want him to grow out of it.

Same. Besides, Liria and Maria both want a guy who’s, well, nice, or at least sensitive to their needs.

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I figure that Maria’s route would have been the one where Javier truly becomes a good person, while in this one, he sort of toes the line, and is at all times, unsure of who he is and wants to be, as is demonstrated by him losing himself to a divine power.

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I’m really curious to know what his powers would have been for Maria’s Route…

[Daneel Rush]

Warning!

This is a Save Point.

If your quest reaches a Dead End, you may choose to resume it from this point.


*** ***

????

She sinks.

Where she sinks into, how she came to sink, none of these things cross her mind. She was too tired, both physically and mentally, to resist the pull.

She no longer remembers settling down on the roof of the house in front of the Drakes’, seeking solitude and distance the way she is used to. She was never one of the popular girls, surrounded by dozens of “friends”; after all, most of her free time she spent it looking after her ailing grandmother and studying magecraft in secret from even her parents. She is well accustomed to retreating into herself, secluding herself to simmer in her troubles.

Fatigue, self-deprecation, melancholy, fright…all those things that were swirling in her mind and constricting her from within, are not there anymore.

There is nothing here, in this endless dark ocean.

No, that is not true. There is no way that could be true. But the less said about the things dwelling in the abyss primordial, the better.

What exists not in here is thought. Maria Westinghouse is not something that can exist in this abyss, so her very sense of self dilutes, slowly, gently, smothered by the almighty pulling her into the sunless depths. All other things of the primordial waters scatter as the almighty reaches for its prey, ashen tendrils reaching upwards from the world without light.

*** ***

Outside of the Drake Family Residence
Day 03
Afternoon Phase – 10-B
Severe Cold (-17 °C/1.4 °F)

Character Status

Health: Stable
Sustenance: Good
Warmth: Good
Stamina: Stable
Regression Level 2

(BGM)

It is as cold as ever. I cannot sustain Sthūla-Śarīra forever, and considering recent events I am not certain of how prudent that would be anyway. I have left Fiore to look after the convalescent women—we know Sakura will be fine, if somewhat anemic. I should not think of relying on her in the short term. It is Mrs. Drake who remains uncertain; we do not exactly know what was happening to her inside that ice block, and in any case hypothermia remains an issue. Oliver Drake has covered her in all the blankets and surrounded her with his jade lanterns; I can only hope that will be enough.

Right now I’m looking for Maria. We need to talk…about what, precisely? I’m not sure myself; I don’t need to justify myself to that girl. But we need to talk. About something. What comes next, or whatever. I mean, Sakura kind of helped us, and I wanted to see if I could melt the ice blocks anyway, so we ended up helping the Drakes. But now that is done and over with, and right now we are placing the Drakes in danger more than anything. Hell, it might be better for them to move out and find some other place to hide. I’d guess Mr. Drake will be more willing to leave his house behind now.

Anyway, Maria. We should talk about our next move. About those ugly monsters—were those Servants, too?

I won’t even think about why she is sitting on the snow-covered floor of the house right in front. She looks up, but there is nothing to see there but the cloudy, grey sky.

“Maria—”

(BGM STOP)

I stop on the spot, both feet and mouth forced to a halt. This is instinct older than humanity. The simple awareness of an immediate, visceral threat to one’s life.

Spoiler:

(BGM)

“I cannot see the stars. I hate it,” she says, of all things.

My mouth is dry. My heart threatens to leap out of my throat, all the while I wonder why I am not dead yet.

“So, you have sought the divine to make up for what you lack. I guess humans remain weak and pathetic, no matter the era.”

I can tell she is smiling beneath that mask, and my mind creates an image of way too many teeth.

“Now, I am in no way belittling you. It only makes sense for the weak to seek out power recklessly and desperately.”

That is the textbook definition of belittlement.

“You fear me,” she says, stating the obvious. “Good.”

I feel breath return to my lungs, thought to my mind and life to my soul the moment she looks away, towards the frozen sea.

“Everything is wrong,” she then says. “The leylines are all wrong, but I guess you already know that.”

I do? Is that why I suddenly feel unnatural warmth in my chest?

“My summoning was improper, and my vessel is disappointing. It saps my thirst for battle if I am not the one doing the battling. Do you understand at least that much?”

It is still hard to assemble thoughts and carry them to my dry mouth. It’s like trying to chat up the mythological Medusa.

“Sa…Saver.”

“Warlock.” The masked Servant replied in a bored tone.

Yes, that’s the right word, isn’t it?

This apex predator is extraordinarily bored.

“I am not thrilled for a fight in these circumstances, so I might as well pass the time doing something I have never done before. So, human, do you wish to speak with me, or would you rather I call out my vessel? I don’t really care right now.”

??? Choice

Well, the lady (?) asked. What do you want, Javier Lucero?
1. Talk with Saver.
2. Ask Saver to bring back Maria.

In case of selecting “1” above

Talk with Saver about…? (Warning! You may select up to and no more than TWO of the choices below.)

1. The singularity.
2. The circumstances of her summoning.
3. The vessel, Maria.
4. Her mission.
5. The enemies encountered thus far.
6. Her true identity.
7. Write-in.

In case of selecting “2” above

Talk with Maria about…? (Warning! You may select up to and no more than TWO of the choices below.)

1. The Nazi soldier’s attack.
2. The hairy monster and the scorpion man.
3. The

Cherufe

rock monster

.
4.

Assassin

Liria Colhuán

.
5. Servant Saver.
6. The divine seed and its flame.
7. Write-in.

[Rafflesiac]

2.4, 2.6, Don't Save

[zikari8]

1.1, 1.4, Don't Save

[SleepMode]

1.4
Hermes' 1.7

Reasoning for this set is if Saver were to complete her mission, then she needs to become stronger to fight against the threats in the Singularity.

[DRFan]

1.4, 1.6 . I just want to know if my guess is right.

[SpoonyViking]

1.4, 1.6
Save

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I don't think Saver will just come out and tell us who they are, but hopefully we'll get a good hint.

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Reasoning for this set is if Saver were to complete her mission, then she needs to become stronger to fight against the threats in the Singularity.

Wouldn't learning Saver's identity be a step in that direction?

[Daneel Rush]

1.4, 1.6 . I just want to know if my guess is right.

Ah, the good old "I totes have a guess. I won't say it, but it'll be totes be the right one" scheme.

[SleepMode]

Wouldn't learning Saver's identity be a step in that direction?

I sincerely doubt Saver’s gonna disclose her identity to us. And unlocking those Skills requires ascension materials too, by the way. In doing so, Maria/Saver’s not gonna barely win by the skin of her teeth.

[Bird of Hermes]

Save

1.2 - So we can find out how to improve compatability
1.7 'Why do you hate gods' - Saver won't just tell us their identity but this will give us a clue

[Draconic]

1.4 and Hermes’ 1.7. Also, what her sword is and if it has a name, since that feels like the kind of thing that’s not really something that will result in any discussion.

I've gotta say though, it feels like a waste to not be able to talk to Maria after her Servant recedes back into her. I mean, we really need to talk to Maria.

[DRFan]

Ah, the good old "I totes have a guess. I won't say it, but it'll be totes be the right one" scheme.

But I did, though? I'm still not satisfied with my guess since there are a lot of holes in it.

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?

[Daneel Rush]

There is currently a tie between 1.6. Her True Identity, and Hermes' 1.7. Write-in.