*sighs*
"My actions, from the moment I stepped foot here, my actions have been watched by seemingly everyone, but the moment I ask for a straight answer, no one is to be found or they don't know. So I am going to ask point blank, "What is the purpose to this place, and why am I the only verser other than Val that I feel?" I have no desire to be All-Ruler, but if it's part of the puzzle to get free of this place so be it. Why are those kids cursed to never rule and not age past a certain point? It's just so frustrating being thrown into a puzzle with half the pieces missing and expected to put 2 and 2 together."
bump
bump
"The purpose?" Blade asks in confusion. "My Purpose is to see to it that Law is upheld and Time does not break down." Fizgig says to you, "I'm not really sure what you mean, either; your purpose here? Maybe it's ..." His hesitation makes you think he was going to say 'to meet me', he begins again, "maybe it was something you've already done. Or, maybe you're right, maybe there is more..." He changes back to his feminine form, Sefyr having been dealt with, and continues. "You want to help Jewel and Eria, right? And if you're the All-Ruler, you won't have to worry about Claude looking for them, and maybe you'll be able to find out more then..." She hesitates, then says, "Maybe WE'LL be able to find out more then."
*smiles*
"My biggest pet peeve is having to do something, without clear understanding of why I am doing it, just frustrated. I'm not as into law as you think Blade, but some law is needed or else this happens. I do value personal freedom more than the law, but this is too far. Someone needs to do the right thing, if that has to be me, so be it."
*to Fizgig*
"I'm glad to have met you, and we will find out more. I have love for two women, now just need to get them both to accept that."
*to Blade*
"I was under the impression you were going to be pissed all this was happening and that we would have to fight. Obviously I was mistaken. I still don't like not understand much, but I will continue with the plan."
*takes the zippers from Chase, all but 2*
"We will need these"
J
Blade responds, "If it were Zero in power, I would be upset. Claude means very little to me; he's been practically worthless as an All-Ruler." Fizgig says to you, "That makes this a lot easier. Let's go." Blade disappears, and Chase gurgles slightly before his body falls and disappears. Time has resumed, and Fizgig jumps through the window with her zipper.
*Follows the girl with the nice butt on a zipper*
J
(Oh, so you know...) You arrive at a castle in the clouds. It is pristine white, and towers higher than a hundred stories in the sky, easily. Fizgig stops before the main gate, and says to the guards there, "This man in challenging for the right to be All-Ruler." The guards part and the portcullis rises.
*looks around*
"Someone could have mentioned the castle in the clouds part, how did those kids leave here?"
*goes inside*
J
Fizgig shrugs helplessly, and says to you, "Jewel found some way, the real question is how Eria did." The castle looks to be made of some kind of deep blue luminescent crystal blocks. There's an elevator immediately in front of you, as well as a stair access; the hall ends at the elevator and door for the stair access in a T, so you could also go left or right.
*grins*
"If I would have know the castle was in the clouds I would have known to ask."
*heads up the stairs, never take the elevator in a battle situation*
J.
Fizgig is going up the stairs with you, and asks, "Which floor are we going to?" She's all business.
*smiles*
"Top first, all megalomaniacs like to be as far from the ground as possible."
J
Fizgig looks up, then responds, "Top, huh? I don't know which floor it is, but then, I always go through the Between to get there." She smacks herself in the forehead for not thinking of that sooner.
*grins*
"I was wondering when you were going to remember that, I was enjoying the journey. So it's probably time for me to do it for the first time"
*Takes his Katana and cuts a whole into the Between*
J
The air slices open easily, and you and Fizgig go through. She looks around for a moment, then says, "Umm, this way." The two of you go in the direction she indicates, it's about a fifteen minute walk, and she says, "Right here," and slices open a hole and jumps through. Following her, you find the throne room; there is a regal red carpet on the floor and a stressed-out looking guy with messy yellow hair. When you come through, he says, "Whoa! Hi! My name is CLAUDE. Haha. Are you gonna kill me? I wanna die, darn it." The crystal throne is about ten feet from you.
*considers*
"Why do you want to die? Just curious."
J
"Ha ha ha ha ha, yeah, kill me!" (Apparently he took the question as, "Why, do you want to die?") Fizgig says to you quietly, "He's completely nuts; has been since before he was the All-Ruler. His friends all betrayed him and tried to kill him, and he killed them all.. he wants to be dead like them."
*to Fizgig*
"It's a mercy kill then, that means you have to die first, correct? How soon will you come back when I sit on the throne? You said before you would kill yourself, no warrior should ever have to do that, so I will do it."
J
Fizgig smiles to you and shakes her head. "I appreciate the courtesy, but I've never let a person kill me and I'm not about to start now. You sit on the throne and I'll take care of my end." Claude says, "Darn it, I thought you were gonna kill me. Looks like I'll have to annoy you with my doorstop!" and he pulls a sword.
*I nods and wink to Fizgig*
"I am a ladykiller you know."
*To Claude*
"I'm glad you put up your weapon, I don't feel bad now."
*short telepathic hop M12@1 skill 2@5, +10 for seeing destination to his rear flank, attacking him to get into style*
J
Which style, which weapon?
((Katana, Black Ninja Style))
(OK) He's dead. Oh, I can roll for it. But he doesn't stand a snowball's chance on the surface of the sun. He vanishes. (diff wilp check: 25) Fizgig nods, kneels down, takes one of her uchi-ne, pulls down her ninja garb to expose her chest (hot), and shoves the blade into her heart. If it hurts, there's no change in her serious expression to show you or grunt of noise from her. She takes her other uchi-ne and slides the blade about halfway through her neck, still noiselessly, before finally collapsing on the ground. Blood is everywhere, but that too disappears with her./// You are alone in the room with the Crystal Throne.
*I sit on the throne*
The world around you bleeds to blue, then to purple, then to red, then orange, yellow, green, blue again, like the swirling colors of an artists' brush, then, finally, to black. All that are here are you and the glowing crystal throne on which you sit. A skeleton walks out of the blackness; it somehow makes an approving noise. Blade approaches immediately afterwards, and tells you, "There has never been an All-Ruler in Skelly's name before, so he is pleased. I'm here to translate for the two of you. He wants to know what your desires are for how the world will be shaped. As All-Ruler, Nicolas, Jewel, and Eria will be your children, and it is one of your charges to see to it they are kept safe from death. Who else lives in the palace of the All-Ruler with you, and what is their relationship to you? It's best if you tell us, and then we tell you whether it's within our power or not."
*Thinks*
"My dreams and desires, I wish for peace, I wish for everyone to be fed, happy to pursue whatever path in life they want. I wish for people to forget about their differences and come together and not care about race, mixed or otherwise. I want this place to be a center of learning and enlightenment. I want the army to be just, honorable and there to protect the people, not hurt them. Those would sum up my dreams and desires.
"The only one I am sure of is Valera, she is my lover. For the rest, I need to know how the Power Guardians work, do I get to choose them and if they can stay at the castle or not. I would also need to know about how this place came to be, and why these children are stuck here like this and why people are called her and stuck."
J
(as usual my long post full of information did not post.) Blade tells you in response to the first statements that free will is not something they can take away from people, and that essentially people will suffer because they bring it upon themselves and others. He explains that Power Guardians can be anyone existent in the world except Nicolas, Jewel, or Eria. He explains that Blade, Pain, Skelly, and Vize did not create this world; they were dragged here like so many others, and they decided to take it for its own good, to initiate a cycle of rebirth. He expresses that he feels bad for Nicolas, Jewel, and Eria, and he expresses that he hopes you will do better by them than previous All-Rulers.
*Nods*
"I understand, but I also know how those in power can contribute to the things men do. So it is still my wish.
"I want Val here as my lover, I want Fizgig here, as my teacher, friend and probable lover, I would like her, David and Shane to be my Power Guardians. I would like Alex to lead the army. So I will have to figure out the mystery behind Nicolas, Jewel and Eria myself, that's my mission then. Oh I would also like Sefyr's library up here so I can do research. I think that's it, are people free to come and go from the castle if so deemed? If so I think I have made my decisions.
J
"All are free to come and go; though Nicolas, Jewel, and Eria are to be kept on a shorter leash than the rest; we have concern for them, as they are children of this world and should be kept safe from harm. As you have said, so it shall be." A flood of memory washes over you... marrying Valera and Ru Tan Ya in a beautiful dual ceremony, (the dual consumation of that ceremony... eh? eh?) Valera giving birth to your firstborn son, Nicolas, and your two beautiful daughters, Jewel and Eria, spending your days mostly by signing papers in your office that cross your desk, reading books in the library, and training yourself with Fizgig. You are sitting in the throne room on the fifty eigth floor (of one hundred fifty -- the living quarters are on the top two floors, floors one through fifty seven are for agriculture development, sixty through one hundred forty seven are empty other than what you've put there, one hundred forty eight is devoted to your personal library. The room looks much the same as it did before, except now you know your way around your castle. Of your three children, it should be said: Nicolas is the eldest at 10. His greatest aspiration is to join the guard of your castle when he is old enough to do so. Jewel, your middle child, is 8, and a real handful; she seems to often do exactly what you tell her not to do as if out of spite. Eria, 6, is the most attentive to others' feelings, and very rough-and-tumble. She seems to be a tomboy to the core -- when she was young, you couldn't even get her to sit still long enough to color a picture.
*Nods*
"Let's see if we can make the kids happy, learn about them, and get to the bottom of all of this."
*First thing is round everyone here up and find out what memories they have, and if they remember the before, and then go from there.*
J.
Bump
Bump
(I edited the previous post to tell you some about your children.) Valera, Jewel, Eria, Nic, servants in the castle, no one remembers anything. Your other wife, Tani (that's pronounced tahn, not like the color that rhymes with "can", so it sounds almost like Tawny, without such a strong W before the N), gives you a long, deep, passionate kiss (your fabricated memories hadn't nearly prepared you for the ride she takes you on), then whispers sensually in your ear, "I remember *everything*."
*smiles and kisses her deeply back and holds her*
"Good, I would have hated to be the only one who did. I got the library here to research, and Blade kinda tipped me off. He called Nic, Jewel and Eric, children of this world. With their elemental based powers, just struck a cord in me. I think we stick with doing the research, being good parents to these kids, training Val. It might be as simple as treating these kids right, which no one before has done."
*grins*
"Good things do come to those who are loyal and respect others. We did the right thing, now we just need to continue to do it."
J
She smiles coyly and runs a finger along your neck, "If I'm the right thing, you can do it as much as you want." She feels good in your arms; everything about it, her size, her shape, her scent, her face, seems very right. Are you heading to the library? You know that your office always has a mountain of papers that need your signature, and your three children have no school here which to attend, nor are there any servants whose task it is to watch over them, so you'll be leaving the three in Valera's charge in that case.
*smiles at her attentions*
"I like the sound of that for tonight, right now we need to get a handle on the work. I will spend several hours a day on the paperwork, You use that time, to do research in the library about what this world was like before, and how it changed. I will come and get you, and we will all train, you me val and the kids. We might as well teach them how to defend themselves and it is spending time with them. After that we relax, have the kids study and spend time with them, and when it's bedtime, well I will have to think of ways to thank you and Val."
*to Val*
"Do you remember spending time as a Ninja?" *I will have her show me if she still has her ninja abilities by asking her to do things that would require them*
J
(Is this in front of Jewel? If not, where is she at the time?) Valera does not initially remember the time she spent as a ninja, but as she does things, the memories begin coming back to her. (She doesn't seem to have yet recalled her stance on monogamy, but as far as I know, you two never discussed that to begin with unless you did during the initial 250 years you spent together.)
((Will wait for bedtime for that, and monogamy never came up before, I figure I love them both, and show it equally, if she asks she gets the truth that Tan and I trained together for many years, and we both respected her and I's relationship and we didn't cheat. As for Jewel, I will ask her the same types of questions, to get her to remember, I need her knowledge.))
J
If you've never spoken to Valera about monogamy and being with only one person in that sense there is no reason she would be upset. She is more confused about where Tan came from than the nature of your relationship; Tan does not look enough like Fizgig for someone to tell they are the same person; related, perhaps. /// Jewel's memory comes back much more easily than Val's did; it's like breaking open a dam with her, the knowledge comes in a flood.