RP:Deal or No Deal
Part of the The Unbalanced Island Arc
Chapter Seven: Deal Or No Deal
Kasyr carries a mildly disturbed expression, though the sudden change of locale has very little to do with it. The hybrid does, after all, have a fairly good inkling of what Riss is currently feeling. Nonetheless, the hybrid doesn't quite have the time to muse on this, as a trio of voices echoed across the misty expanse they occupied. For a moment, the hybrid draws Satoshi closer- before that brief flicker of protectiveness gives way to the more pressing matter of waking her. Carefully, the hybrid falls into a crouch, if only so he can take out his arms from beneath the felines legs- essentially laying her against the ground, if only so he could gently move to wake her, "Cherie- It's time. Wake up, so we can make our..erm, wishes, et proceed to depart. You wanted to leave as much as moi, n'est ce pas?" Cyran & Delphine, having no such matters to attend to, are simply left to talk amongst themselves- though Cyran takes a moment to step forward and inquire, "Just what exactly are these deals compromised of?" Delphine looks curious for but a moment, before realisation slowly dawns across her face.
Satoshi's the very definition of disoriented as she comes to, feeling as if she's been asleep mere moments, hasn't eaten in years, and has traveled countless miles. And straight into a dense.. "Fog?" Blinking owlishly at the odd surroundings, the mage stumbles to her feet with the aid of Kasyr to keep her balance. "..Is this the place, then? We can go home soon..?" She can't help drawing closer to the tiefling as she continues glancing about, trying to find the source of that chill coursing down her spine and making the fur of her tails stand on end--it's certainly not cold weather making the cryomancer shudder so.
Riss was left, body inclined forward with hands placed firmly upon his thighs, blood spilling from the corner of his lips, a gentle sanguine stream that produced droplets from his chin. There was only so much his body, stripped from all magic, could take; rituals no longer drew from an unexplainable source, but rather from his own life force, and transporting such a large group had left him practically handicapped for the time being. To those greater beings that addressed them in unison, he offered a twiddle of fingers-- all he could manage. It was uncertain where those beings hid, within that dense mist, voice assaulting ears from all directions. "Kasyr, Tiefling-- Demi-Incubus. Incarnation of desire, with forged companion, bound to soul. We've planned your arrival ever since we called upon Christian. Satoshi, Feline. Holder of Wrath, but typically peaceful, or seemingly so. Unless the 'gift' your husband bestowed upon you takes control. We are always watching. Your deals have long since been written."
Kasyr slowly rises back to a standing position, an almost ...amused expression painting his face. It's only the lofting of one brow that hints at the other emotions he's feeling. "So...does that mean we can forego the part where we actually have to say what we want? Or, ...do we get to make these arrangements after we've been informed of the full price of things~? Riss mentioned there was a surprise." With his left hand falling to his hip, the hybrid can't help but learn over towards Riss, "Unless you want to say it. Since we're here et all~" Sweeping his right hand through his hair, the tiefling than simply gestures off towards the mists, "Or, everything in due time et process? I just want to know if I need to re-iterate, or wait to say my piece."
Satoshi's the only one present that hasn't dealt with any sort of deity before and it shows with her cringing and anxiously shifting nearer the tiefling as the voices sound, eyes warily--and futilely--searching the fog for the source. The feline simply doesn't like this feeling of being watched from every angle and very obviously at the mercy of these unseen beings, leaving her plucking childishly at Kasyr's sleeve in an altogether helpless gesture. Those anxieties take a backseat, however, when she catches the last part of their statement; curiosity always wins out over prudent fear or caution with her. "Wait, 'deals'? Who said I was making any deals with a pack of gods..? What deal am I making, then?"
Riss straightened himself. It would seem that, in the presence of the only deities he'd ever consider following, his power was-- well-- enhanced. Considerably. In fact, there wasn't a scratch on him, and the blood that spilled from his lips had dried, leaving naught but a crimson stain upon pallid flesh. "Well. Let me do a bit of explaining. You see, in order to make a deal with these beings, you're going to have to become one of their agents. Eheh. Surprise. And, put it this way: who wants to be bound to chaos? Or order, for that matter. Why not go with a nice little in-between? Considering that my little summoning dragged you two--" he shifted emerald gaze upon Delphine and the priest "--I'd say they've got plans for you all, too." Then, the Neutralities interrupted, a stern, "Enough," directed at Christian. It'd seem that they didn't want the show being stolen from them. "We already know of your situation, Kasyr. For you, in exchange for your loyalty, your-- demonic-- nature, and the souls you've consumed, we can make you into something better suited for life, a life free of persecution. You would become revered as an Elder among the vampiric race, to make up for the strength that Imp's blood has bestowed upon you. And-- while losing the powers you've gained from the souls you've consumed, you will become much like Christian. A swordsman-- much more than that, actually. A saint of the sword. After this decision is made, it cannot be taken back. No matter what you offer. What is taken, can never be returned. Do you accept?" Satoshi, for the most part, is disregarded for the time being. It wasn't her time yet.
Kasyr glances over towards Satoshi, before tilting his head just slightly, "Oh..that's right. You were, distracted when that explanation happened. You're like moi, et Riss. Or like how he was, rather. So, you, like myself et the orders over there, can deal with them if we so choose. As for what you should make- well, that's entirely up to vous et them, isn't it? As for moi- Well, overall, I quite like the sound of that- Mostly. I was wondering however, if I might not be able to hold onto a select few souls...or at least, the knowledge et skills obtained through the souls...in exchange for a certain facet of moi. Which es to say, that thing of mine that was much more prevalent when I was..alive. The ability to erm, absorb et redirect magic, to a point? It's mostly the knowledge I crave, as well as the ability to perceive peoples emotions. Even to a rudimentary degree that ability would still be cherished." Cyran and Delphine, by this point, have gone right back to discussing amongst each other.
Satoshi falls silent, words lost as she digests the various chunks of information she's been given--ones that pertain directly to her and her nature, as well as the odd deal being struck up between dragons and husband. It's all rather overwhelming for the feline, leaving her feeling dizzy and vaguely faint. Or... that could be the hunger that's been gnawing at her self-control since she was woken up. She really can't be blamed for staring at Riss then like a four-course meal--blood dried up on his lips or not, he's still a living, breathing source of sustenance. Her hold on Kasyr's sleeve tightens, trying to steady herself and her resolve even while her mind whirls with too many demanding thoughts. This is all too much for Satoshi.
Riss remained silent, as ordered. The dragons, however, peaked in interest at the suggestion of something else offered. Rarely -- rarely few had the pure boldness to barter with them. "What is it that you'd like to offer in exchange for this? Of course, keep in mind, something as intangible as knowledge cannot be taken away; the abilities you've gained through this tedious collection can, however. Your empathy, despite being enhanced by the chaotic power of the Obsidian Pool, will be diminished, for example."
Kasyr is growing rather chipper by this point, though, Satoshis' state is cause enough for the hybrid to sidle a bit closer to her and put an arm about her waist. Really, with the amount of godlings the hybrids dealt with, this is pretty much business as usual, "There is a part of me, that I'd like to offer up. Like Riss ability to simply revert to a former state, Ekaitzs ability to bend electricity- an ability tied to my nature as a figment. It allowed moi to er, consume portions of magic that I was hit with. It would eventually be released, either in part through mediums such as magic...or, more forcibly if I absorbed too much energy at once. It's been mostly inert since I became a vampire- but, it's still there. Given my nature es shifting again, it seems possible that it would become active again- but, well, I do value those souls I've acquired, quite a bit. Really, it's not even the souls, so much as the energy and knowledge accrued. So long as I was able to retain them, even a weakened variant in the case of the empathy, I don't overly care. And were I to re-acquire some means of robbing the knowledge of the dead? ...So much the better. The more efficient I am as an agent of Balance, n'est ce pas?"
Satoshi closes her eyes, devoting her shaky focus to merely listening, tuning out other senses and their distracting offers solely for absorbing those words. The feline's putting all her effort into not obeying instinct and mauling her brother-in-law in the lair of his godly employers--because, let's face it, even Satoshi knows she'd be powerless to get herself out of that mess. So listen, process, and learn she does, trying to play the studious scholar over the fledgeling vampire--or the observant fox over the impulsive cat, take your pick.
Riss | The Neutralities hadn't had a good laugh in a long while, and at Kasyr's plea, they did just that. "Why in the world would we allow you to remain at such great power, when we plan on enhancing your blood to such an extent that what you lose won't matter? We will let you remain the knowledge associated with these skills, and the power to use them, but on one condition: they must be skills in relation to one of those weapons of yours, more importantly, Gospel. You see, we have to dull you down, just a little bit. After all, what while we're gaining an agent, you're gaining the gift of life. No longer will you be persecuted by the deities of your land. Also, we need to put you on the same level of young Christian over there. You can't have balance otherwise, with what we're planning. That plan being, you, Kasyr, will be the embodiment of darkness. No longer will you desire good deeds, though you will undoubtedly use them from time to time to support your needs for evil. Christian-- well-- he brought you all here, and his efforts enough are an offering to us, and we will need to balance him to your new form. He trusts us, however, and what he will become: that's a surprise. So, what do you say to our deal? We already know the answer, but confirmation, as well as your pledge of loyalty is necessary."
Kasyr just blinks, before simply shaking his head. Wordlessly, the hybrid takes his free hand and begins to shuffle through his coat for a cigarette, before one is finally procured and placed at his lips. Only then does he snap his fingers, coaxing a small flame to life at his fingertips, which he uses to light the thing, "..It's going to be such a pain to re-learn that. Which es to say...Yeah, you have moi over a barrel. I either get to choose divine obliteration, or- being an evil little puppet. ...Real classy." Here the hybrid focuses his attention over towards Riss, "...Thanks, Eh. Quelle Jolie surprise, et all that." Turning his attention back to the Neutralities- the hybrid simply shrugs, "Agreed. ..Et, hey, I can deal with having all that -stolen- power for the sake of using my blades. Et what power comes to me naturally for whatever little ..passtimes I acquire."
Satoshi's eyes remain closed, but there's still an air of watchfulness about her while she listens. The reason for all this is approaching swiftly, she can sense as much by more than just the exchange of words. She's not particularly -worried- as to what these negotiated changes will be, but curious, as much as the scholar as the cat. She's used to changes and admittedly... these ones sound downright intriguing. Enough so to distract her from that persistent hunger for the time being.
Riss grinned at the offer. It was an opportunity for him to finally be at war with his brother for a valid reason; hell, he may even be able to kill-- "No," reverberated through the air, a response to Christian's thoughts, followed by clarification. "The one condition is that, no matter the situation, you must not kill the other. It would disrupt the balance; also, keep in mind that good and evil must sometimes work together. But, the deals already done. Call this the fine print of the contract, that you forgot to read. Now. Satoshi. We know of your fear, fear that you'll fall victim to bloodlust due to both vampiric, and feline nature. What we have to offer-- well-- it's something special. We'd like to take away your cattish side, and allow you to change as you see fit~. Also, to help-- keep these two in check-- you'll be given an ability, one which will force your spells through song. A bard of sorts, if you will. However, this is, of course, under the circumstances we provided Kasyr. Loyalty."
Kasyr looks thoroughly disgusted at the whole of it. It doesn't particularily help that Christian doesn't seem overly surprised at any of the goings on- and is currently wearing a grin on his face. Family is such a -wonderful- thing sometimes, especially when by all appearances he was essentially sold out to be play the proverbial villain to Riss' delusional hero. "...Fantastic. I'll keep this in mind. All of it. ...I don't overly care about killing him or not. It never really -was- in my interest. ..Nor is really killing since I don't get anything out of it anymore, mm?" With that, the hybrid simply goes back to puffing on his cigarette, and looking thoroughly disgusted.
Satoshi finally opens her eyes when she's addressed, not that sight does her any good in the case of the unseen speakers. The mage stays silent a long moment, mulling over the offer and its oddly... open-endedness. 'As you see fit'? Well, there's an obvious answer to that, and Satoshi speaks it without hesitation in her voice, "My bloodlust, I want it quelled. And," here the feline--soon not to be such--falters, sounding almost meek as she adds in barely a whisper, "I want to heal..." A private wish she's always kept in silence, and a point of envy on other's that wield the elements; where her power has lied solely in destruction, she's always quietly harbored the desire to show that ice and water is capable of building too. Now's her chance to obtain it, if she can. And for it they want what? "So... I'd be the gray area? Dawn, Dusk, between their Light and Dark? Those are the times when Lullabies and Nocturnes are at their strongest, you know. Heh." It's as close to a spoken agreeance of loyalty Satoshi will likely ever get, but it's either this, or play slave to her bloodlust from hence forth.
Riss rolled his eyes at Kasyr's sudden change in demeanor. "Come on~ You know it was a joke, and I wasn't planning this. I didn't know that they'd want us to be opposing sides of the spectrum, though it is amazingly awesome. Eheh. And I'd never actually go through with killing you. Maybe. On some days, I really question that, but you know I could never put Kitten -- err -- whatever she'll become through that." The Neutralities had no intention of listening to this family quarrel, and for that reason, Christian and Kasyr would both find a sudden inability to speak. Oh, the power of gods. It was wonderful. "Deal. And, just to better your deal even more, we'll offer you a balance to Asorial's wrath. Your familiar, the singing sword Ko'tar. It will become, much like the weapon that Christian wields, a weapon of virtue. Charity. And through it, and its soothing song, you can show the world that your magic can not only destroy, but heal, as well. It seems only fitting, in the eyes of true balance." To Delphine and Cyran, the Neutralities then turned their attention. "We know what you two want. It's the reason you came along with these three. You both knew that their intentions weren't for Chaos, but rather-- betterment, in general. We don't want to change you, in anyway, truthfully. Both of you-- you're both very powerful as is, but we'd like to free you from the chains or Order, to do as you both please to bring peace back to this once wonderful land. What say you both?" To that, the Orders both offered a swift nod. It was, to them, a dream come true. "Very well then. Shall we begin?"
Kasyr is quite content without speech. He has his cigarette still, after all.
Satoshi veritably squeaks, "Begin..?" She's hoping this doesn't hurt...
Satoshi's katana at least seems happy, finally having a name and all.
Riss nodded. Of course, wordlessly. Damnit. -- The area was no longer enveloped in mist, and through it, and through it, was revealed an area that was so disgusting, yet at the same time, so beautiful. It was a world of its own, architecture from different worlds, different existences, some of which likely wouldn't even seem like such to the party, with how different it truly was. Blood streamed into wading pools, intertwined, crossed with the loveliest of rivers, Coy swimming through their calming waters. This place-- it was enough to cause a complete loss of what was, and what wasn't reality. Was this reality? Or just a representation of the good, and the evil that existed within the world. Regardless of what it was, knowledge, of all things good, evil-- of Shesryn-- flowed into the minds of the party, aside from Christian. He had already been through this stage, and likely wouldn't go through nearly as much hell as them. What it was-- oh, the agony of what it was-- it felt like needles coursing through every nerve ending of the mind, ripping it apart and reconstructing it in a better, more understanding fashion. But, for all but Christian, it wasn't just the mind that was being deconstructed, and reconstructed. The first to change was Kasyr, and his-- well-- his was likely the most painful. The souls that he had consumed poured from his body, ripped from him by an invisible hand, causing not only blood to spill, but the entirety of his existence to fade from reality, a pain unlike any other, mind preserved within an abyssal darkness, where time held no ground. For him, it could have seemed like days-- months-- even years before the light would return. The souls that were ripped from him: they, they lost all personality, no longer even being souls, but rather converted into the rawest of matter: energy, knowledge separated from them, and joining Kasyr within that darkness, his mind a cage. The deconstruction of his physical body was used for obvious reasons, and that was truly the easiest stage of the process: creating an entirely new vessel for Kasyr to occupy. What it was? Oh, that was rich. It, honestly, looked entirely the same, aside from one new addition: a calico tail with a mind of its own, swaying to its heart's content. There was some humor in this, and likely, the dragons made it the one absolutely indestructible part of his body. Ergo, Kasyr wouldn't be able to get rid of it, no matter how much he desired. Satoshi-- well-- her prison was much more delightful, mainly due to her fragile state of mind, alongside an unexplainable favor with these beings. It was likely due to her request to heal. In this realm, she would feel no hunger, no longer a slave to that which plagued her so, and for her exhaustion, she'd get to laze around, or even play in the snow that blanketed the many grey hilltops. Catered to her, she could only help but feel purely content. Her body, influenced by Asorial's wrath, was reconstructed not in the fashion a feline, kitten no more, but rather a vixen, once snow-white hair carrying the slightest tint of blue, darkening heavily around the tips. For Christian, well-- his room was likely the worse of them all, in the sense that the amount of light was nearly blinding, but to it, he could close his eyes and relax. After all, that place was where he spent most of his time. In meditation, he could always come to this place, but he never really understood the meaning until now. In Kasyr's prison, he could see no light, only the darkness that consumed him. In Satoshi's playland, she couldn't help but be content. Sure, the time in there was tiring, but there-- was just so perfect. And Christian, in his dwelling, his mind, there was no darkness, not even a shadow cast on the ground by his own frame. Luckily for the light-bound lad, his body didn't have to undergo any transformation, but something was planted deep within him, and it would undoubtedly show itself in good time. In these realms, no one could say for sure how much time had passed-- how much time the trio had been gone from their homeland, but with gentle drops of rain that fell from Vailkrin's ever-lasting night sky, they could be found upon cobblestone road, outside of the Corpse. Kasyr, souls turned into pure energy, and an entirely new rank of Vampire, Satoshi's bloodlust quelled, and bardic talent gained, and Christian-- who knew? It could have been anything, but he trusted those dragons, and that was good enough. For Delphine and her husband, they likely remained the same, didn't have to go through torment, other than the knowledge that was bestowed upon them. Christian would be the first to open his eyes, emerald, golden flecks now residing near the pupil. "Never-- get used to that," he groaned, coughing relentlessly.
Kasyr , after having spent the time of his reconstruction within a void, can't help but cringe upon his re-initation into a populated world. Even the pale luminescence of a moonlit sky caused his eyes pain, coaxing the hybrid into slipping his goggles over his eyes. This adjustment simply leaves the vampire with the more pressing of problems- as though his empathy has been severely numbed- the time away has made it far too unpleasent. It was not that it was maddening- that Kasyr suddenly can't cope with the mingling of myriad emotions in the area about him... It was that the emotions are simply present, and there was so much of it. After such a long period of nothing, the overflow of -feeling-, of those intangible sensations that were once sustenance- It was enough to make his head swim. Shoving up to his feet, the vampire simply looks about the area to get his bearings, before staggering forward- nearly tripping over his newfound tail in the process. "..Satoshi. We're..going."
Satoshi's semi-conscious dwelling on that inexplicable span of time lingers up until she hears her name called, coaxing her from that dreamy state and into a full wakefulness. And the first sight to greet her when she reluctantly opens her eyes is the flicking end of a calico tail. Perhaps it's the enticingly quick motion, or that particular coat pattern, or even just a need to -react- after that strange event, but whatever it is... Satoshi's fangs find themselves sinking into it without a second thought. A moment later, blinking owlishly at the tail she's latched onto and whom it's attached to, the newly-made bard sits up and responds with a querying--and fairly musical, "Mmff~?"
Riss just laid there, laughing. What else was he supposed to do after something like that?
Kasyr goes from his somewhat disoriented, pained & altogether disjointed state of mind- to one almost akin to panic. There's just something about the shocks of pain caused by his newly developed affliction/tail being bitten that causes the tiefling to go rigid, just moments before he pivots on his heel and moves to punch the offender as hard as he can. Mostly, anyways, seeing as he does his best to pull back on some of the momentum at the last second, when he realises -who- is the source of this particularily unpleasent surprise, "...Erk.."
Satoshi is rudely introduced to a sudden lack of feline reflexes, followed by her back being promptly introduced to Vailkrin's road. Funny, there seems to be a lot more stars in the sky tonight than usual. "Nnn..." At least she's let go of the tail.
Kasyr looks from his hand, to Riss, than over to Satoshi. And certainly, whilst the compulsion to punch his brother in the face is strong, the vampires desire to help his wife is still stronger. And so, he simply wanders over to her, if only to nonchalantly sweep her off her feet, and thus her back, and proceed to depart once more. Whilst it might not be graceful, and the pair might bump into a few walls on the way out- at least they'll be gone.