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I haven't vanished, just so you know. I've just been waiting. GrandDM suggested that Thanar would find Zachary at the Wall, but so far nothing.
Grand, if you're listening, if you want to go ahead with this just make a post. It doesn't even have to be a long one. Just 'Thanar was walking around and saw a guy standing by the Wall. He was about to hide/kill him, but then he realised that he looked familiar. It was that PhD student he had talked to just before the apocalypse, about an engine. Zachary was his name. "Hello there," Thanar called out, "Zachary isn't it?"' would do. It's not much, but it's much better than silence.
If you don't mention anything by tomorrow I'm moving on.
Everyone else, I'm liking reading your posts.
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Reason Reified, Lord Logiker, Sciencomancer Superbus
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I am a Roleplayer with an interest in science fiction and fantasy, with a preference for Casual. I have been roleplaying for several years, and have even taken a stab at running a few RPs.
Outside the Guild, I am an Australian science student, gamer, musician and roleplayer (that's right, IRL too).
Outside the Guild, I am an Australian science student, gamer, musician and roleplayer (that's right, IRL too).
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GrandDM2 said
Sorry. Broken arm means slow typing, and I'm also working on my Attack on Titan AU story, so I ran out of time. I should have a post up by this time tomorrow at the latest.
Don't worry too much about it. I haven't really got much for Zachary to do without finding somebody else.
I'm awaiting GrandDM, who suggested that Thanar could probably meet Zachary by the Wall while he was there.
Zachary picked his way through the rubble-strewn streets, taking extra care to watch for anyone waiting to ambush him. He remembered that in the first few days it hadn't been so dangerous, as most people were yet to get into the mindset of anarchy. After that, once people realised that they were stuck there and supplies were short, and Conduits got to grips with their powers, the streets became much more dangerous. However, over time as people died off the chance of encountering someone who wants to kill you dropped too. However, that doesn't mean it has vanished, and the Conduits who remain are more powerful, so it always paid to be cautious.
On this trip the caution was fortunately not needed, and Zachary made it to the Wall without event. He stared up at the massive structure. From where he stood he could tell that it was made from Warshiran steel. Although nowadays (or at the very least a year ago) enough is known about metallurgy to make steel of the same quality anywhere, it was still only done in Warshire because they had the best foundries and it wasn't worth building them elsewhere. It was also MASSIVE. No, really, it dwarfed literally everything. It was built higher than Sovereign's highest skyscrapers. And it had risen from under the ground? What could have possibly done that? He was so awestruck that the murder performed earlier that day was pushed out of his mind.
Zachary checked both ways to ensure that he was alone, as bandits were known to roam the Wall and there was also the occasional military patrol. But this time the coast was clear, so he approached the Wall, took a deep breath, and tentatively laid a hand on it. Suddenly his senses went dull, although not entirely, as his mind was filled with an image of the Wall. Slowly it rendered itself, piece by piece, and after a few seconds Zachary could see the inner workings of the Wall in all its glory, and what a glorious sight it was. The first thing he noticed was cores the size of buildings. Zachary was staggered at the sheer scale of them. The Wall was merely coated in steel, the inside held massive kinetic cores that stood multiple stories tall, and Zachary could feel that they resonated well with each other. He had never seen any cores of that size! The military must have been stockpiling them from mines for decades. Zachary reasoned that anything powerful enough to get through a kinetic shield that big would first tear apart all that was left of Sovereign. He tried moving some of the power distribution piping using his powers, but the kinetic shield prevented anything from moving, even inside the wall.
But Zachary was an engineer, he cared for more than just the sheer scale of it. He noticed that triggering the kinetic cores were large lightning cores, which appeared accessible from the outside. Of course, the kinetic cores themselves would have technically finite power, but as they were so huge they would last for a very long time, especially if it wasn't under constant barrage. Zachary would do the maths later to calculate their expected lifespan, which would be helped by the fact that he could identify their current capacity, which was still near full.
He also noticed another system in place, a long row of smaller cores under the base of the Wall. At first glance he couldn't quite recognise them, until- Oh my, are those steel fibre cores? There are so many of them! And they're meant to be rare! How could they get so many? They must really want to keep everyone inside. Zachary continued looking, but he noticed no other systems and no faults in the Wall, and his view was too restricted in distance to see the aerial shield, or deep underground where the Wall had risen from, although he could see that the Wall went pretty deep. He was amazed at the engineering and expense that must have gone into creating such a structure. He also noticed no mechanism which could allow military to pass through the Wall in that area. Zachary concluded that the way out must be at a single location, and was probably a physical gate. As such, it would also be insanely heavily guarded, but to idea of heavy military guard was not enough to fully suppress his curiosity.
Zachary released his connection to the Wall, stood back, and looked up again. For an engineer, it was a marvellous sight. However, the marvel was tainted by the fact that the Wall turned this ruined city into a prison. You've got to find a way out of here some how, to get home, Kaa'is said. What Kaa'is said was true, he did want to go home. He just wanted to return to a normal life, tell his family he was okay, write a thesis, do engineering and not be stuck living in ruins for the rest of his life stealing to survive. We'll have to find the gate. What Wall doesn't have a Gate? They were in agreement, and Zachary turned to leave with a new spark in his eyes.
On this trip the caution was fortunately not needed, and Zachary made it to the Wall without event. He stared up at the massive structure. From where he stood he could tell that it was made from Warshiran steel. Although nowadays (or at the very least a year ago) enough is known about metallurgy to make steel of the same quality anywhere, it was still only done in Warshire because they had the best foundries and it wasn't worth building them elsewhere. It was also MASSIVE. No, really, it dwarfed literally everything. It was built higher than Sovereign's highest skyscrapers. And it had risen from under the ground? What could have possibly done that? He was so awestruck that the murder performed earlier that day was pushed out of his mind.
Zachary checked both ways to ensure that he was alone, as bandits were known to roam the Wall and there was also the occasional military patrol. But this time the coast was clear, so he approached the Wall, took a deep breath, and tentatively laid a hand on it. Suddenly his senses went dull, although not entirely, as his mind was filled with an image of the Wall. Slowly it rendered itself, piece by piece, and after a few seconds Zachary could see the inner workings of the Wall in all its glory, and what a glorious sight it was. The first thing he noticed was cores the size of buildings. Zachary was staggered at the sheer scale of them. The Wall was merely coated in steel, the inside held massive kinetic cores that stood multiple stories tall, and Zachary could feel that they resonated well with each other. He had never seen any cores of that size! The military must have been stockpiling them from mines for decades. Zachary reasoned that anything powerful enough to get through a kinetic shield that big would first tear apart all that was left of Sovereign. He tried moving some of the power distribution piping using his powers, but the kinetic shield prevented anything from moving, even inside the wall.
But Zachary was an engineer, he cared for more than just the sheer scale of it. He noticed that triggering the kinetic cores were large lightning cores, which appeared accessible from the outside. Of course, the kinetic cores themselves would have technically finite power, but as they were so huge they would last for a very long time, especially if it wasn't under constant barrage. Zachary would do the maths later to calculate their expected lifespan, which would be helped by the fact that he could identify their current capacity, which was still near full.
He also noticed another system in place, a long row of smaller cores under the base of the Wall. At first glance he couldn't quite recognise them, until- Oh my, are those steel fibre cores? There are so many of them! And they're meant to be rare! How could they get so many? They must really want to keep everyone inside. Zachary continued looking, but he noticed no other systems and no faults in the Wall, and his view was too restricted in distance to see the aerial shield, or deep underground where the Wall had risen from, although he could see that the Wall went pretty deep. He was amazed at the engineering and expense that must have gone into creating such a structure. He also noticed no mechanism which could allow military to pass through the Wall in that area. Zachary concluded that the way out must be at a single location, and was probably a physical gate. As such, it would also be insanely heavily guarded, but to idea of heavy military guard was not enough to fully suppress his curiosity.
Zachary released his connection to the Wall, stood back, and looked up again. For an engineer, it was a marvellous sight. However, the marvel was tainted by the fact that the Wall turned this ruined city into a prison. You've got to find a way out of here some how, to get home, Kaa'is said. What Kaa'is said was true, he did want to go home. He just wanted to return to a normal life, tell his family he was okay, write a thesis, do engineering and not be stuck living in ruins for the rest of his life stealing to survive. We'll have to find the gate. What Wall doesn't have a Gate? They were in agreement, and Zachary turned to leave with a new spark in his eyes.
I'll have time to make a post tomorrow.
OK, it's good to have some mechanical background for Cores, especially considering cores are used in a mechanistic manner here.
"Generally accepted for all powers" is a broad claim, especially considering that powers are typically works of fiction and thus can be made to work in any way the writer desires. Of course, I suppose the categories given are also broad meaning most powers can be made to fit into them, whether intentionally following them or not.
"Generally accepted for all powers" is a broad claim, especially considering that powers are typically works of fiction and thus can be made to work in any way the writer desires. Of course, I suppose the categories given are also broad meaning most powers can be made to fit into them, whether intentionally following them or not.
Zachary sat at his workbench and tried to get into making something. That normally consumed his thoughts, but now that his mind was troubled he just couldn't get into it. When he saw his hands he still saw the blood of the man, even though he had washed them clean. And he realised that any project he worked on would be purposeless. All devices which would be of use to him he had already made.
He looked through his gadgets and machines. Using a lightning core he had made an arc welder. To create a plasma cutter he had used a fire core in conjunction with a wind core to stoke it. More for fun than function he had used polarity cores harvested from the skyways to create a coil-gun. He had created flares which could be launched by said coil-gun (or by any other suitable means) which used light cores, although it could be adapted to use lightning cores. He had assembled many tools which were mechanical in nature, not based on cores, to help him make more complex machines. And of course he had his wind cannon and kinetic shield.
In the making of these machines he had taught himself new skills, and salvaged books from the ruins of the university library. One of those skills was core cutting. To change the function (not the element) of a core, one generally has to change its shape. Cutting a larger core into smaller cores is also a useful application. Of course, it is tricky, but with a bit of research he had been able to get it right most of the time. Another skill, one which he had been interested in since his conversation with Thanar Zey just before the cataclysm, was identifying resonance. He knew there was very little literature on the subject, otherwise he would have come across it earlier, and he had lost all he had had on hand when the Void gate opened including the plans for the resonance detector Thanar had given him, so he had to figure it out by trial and error. This was where Kaa'is' machine reading ability proved invaluable. Zachary had made random arrangements of cores, applied a very low voltage so they would be running minimally so they would resonate, and then adjusted them until he found a peak in output. Eventually he learned enough about resonance that he could tell how well cores are resonating by reading the machine. He had been very happy about that.
But now Zachary was unhappy and confused, and Kaa'is was getting restless because of it. His joke had passed, and now he just felt that they were wasting time. He needed to get Zachary out and about before he got stuck in a depressive rut. He thought about what he could make Zachary do that would be mutually beneficial. Eventually an idea struck him. OK, Zachary, you've spent long enough moping. Time to get out and about, Kaa'is said.
Zachary, however, was reluctant. "What, so you can... murder another person?"
Nothing of the sort, Kaa'is quickly responded, Actually, I had come up with another project. We're going to take a look at the Wall. This perked Zachary's interest. The Wall was an incredible feat of engineering, and its functioning was a mystery. Not only that, but it was the Wall that was keeping everyone in and giving the military suppressive control. Zachary didn't need more convincing, for now he wanted to see it himself. Equipping himself with food, water, his kinetic shield and his wind cannon, Zachary exited his shelter and set off towards the Wall.
He looked through his gadgets and machines. Using a lightning core he had made an arc welder. To create a plasma cutter he had used a fire core in conjunction with a wind core to stoke it. More for fun than function he had used polarity cores harvested from the skyways to create a coil-gun. He had created flares which could be launched by said coil-gun (or by any other suitable means) which used light cores, although it could be adapted to use lightning cores. He had assembled many tools which were mechanical in nature, not based on cores, to help him make more complex machines. And of course he had his wind cannon and kinetic shield.
In the making of these machines he had taught himself new skills, and salvaged books from the ruins of the university library. One of those skills was core cutting. To change the function (not the element) of a core, one generally has to change its shape. Cutting a larger core into smaller cores is also a useful application. Of course, it is tricky, but with a bit of research he had been able to get it right most of the time. Another skill, one which he had been interested in since his conversation with Thanar Zey just before the cataclysm, was identifying resonance. He knew there was very little literature on the subject, otherwise he would have come across it earlier, and he had lost all he had had on hand when the Void gate opened including the plans for the resonance detector Thanar had given him, so he had to figure it out by trial and error. This was where Kaa'is' machine reading ability proved invaluable. Zachary had made random arrangements of cores, applied a very low voltage so they would be running minimally so they would resonate, and then adjusted them until he found a peak in output. Eventually he learned enough about resonance that he could tell how well cores are resonating by reading the machine. He had been very happy about that.
But now Zachary was unhappy and confused, and Kaa'is was getting restless because of it. His joke had passed, and now he just felt that they were wasting time. He needed to get Zachary out and about before he got stuck in a depressive rut. He thought about what he could make Zachary do that would be mutually beneficial. Eventually an idea struck him. OK, Zachary, you've spent long enough moping. Time to get out and about, Kaa'is said.
Zachary, however, was reluctant. "What, so you can... murder another person?"
Nothing of the sort, Kaa'is quickly responded, Actually, I had come up with another project. We're going to take a look at the Wall. This perked Zachary's interest. The Wall was an incredible feat of engineering, and its functioning was a mystery. Not only that, but it was the Wall that was keeping everyone in and giving the military suppressive control. Zachary didn't need more convincing, for now he wanted to see it himself. Equipping himself with food, water, his kinetic shield and his wind cannon, Zachary exited his shelter and set off towards the Wall.
Sage said
Yeah GrandDM we just finished the finale. Great RP guys! Hate how we all died at the end, though.
I go to the latest post, see this and think 'What? Why'd it die that quickly?'
I have a question about Cores. Do they obey the Conservation of Matter? For instance, does a water core manipulate pre-existing water, create water out of nothing, or convert other matter (like air) into water?
Zachary slumped down on the most functional chair in his hidden lair and put his heads in his hands. He left the bag full of food on the ground, which was unlike him as he was normally very tidy. Still moping about the man we killed? teased Kaa'is. Zachary responded with a glare, an act which was very difficult considering that he was communicating to a disembodied presence in his head, but he managed it all the same. Giving me the silent treatment, huh? That's fine. It's not as if I'm going anywhere.
Zachary wished Kaa'is would go somewhere. He hated the demon who spoke inside his head, moved his hands and tried to make him do terrible things. Zachary glowered for a couple minutes longer, allowing himself to collect his thoughts. "You killed someone for just your own amusement," Zachary said, anger edging his words like a blade.
Oh, I killed him for more than just to mess with you, Kaa'is said, callously off-hand. This perked Zachary's curiosity. What was this other reason? Oh, you're interested now? Well, I suppose I could tell you. I wanted his spirit. When he died you felt some energy or strength or something like that enter you. That was his spirit, which I absorbed. Kages grow in power by consuming the spirits of those they kill. That's why many Conduits go on rampages and murder everything in sight, because they just go mad over power. Me, I'm not so mad for power, I just like messing you up, but even I need a power boost now and again. Then was as good a time as any.
Zachary, although he still hated Kaa'is for murdering him, was slightly more at ease for having a logical reason behind the action. Which made Zachary think 'Damn, this Onikage knows me too well.' A drink of water helped calm his nerves before he tried finding some activity that would take his mind off what had taken place that morning.
Zachary wished Kaa'is would go somewhere. He hated the demon who spoke inside his head, moved his hands and tried to make him do terrible things. Zachary glowered for a couple minutes longer, allowing himself to collect his thoughts. "You killed someone for just your own amusement," Zachary said, anger edging his words like a blade.
Oh, I killed him for more than just to mess with you, Kaa'is said, callously off-hand. This perked Zachary's curiosity. What was this other reason? Oh, you're interested now? Well, I suppose I could tell you. I wanted his spirit. When he died you felt some energy or strength or something like that enter you. That was his spirit, which I absorbed. Kages grow in power by consuming the spirits of those they kill. That's why many Conduits go on rampages and murder everything in sight, because they just go mad over power. Me, I'm not so mad for power, I just like messing you up, but even I need a power boost now and again. Then was as good a time as any.
Zachary, although he still hated Kaa'is for murdering him, was slightly more at ease for having a logical reason behind the action. Which made Zachary think 'Damn, this Onikage knows me too well.' A drink of water helped calm his nerves before he tried finding some activity that would take his mind off what had taken place that morning.
Walking down the streets, Zachary wasn't exactly the most intimidating of people. Sure, he had a reasonable build, but he didn't exert an air of confidence in his strength when he walked. Combined with the large bag stuffed with food, these factors made him a target to opportunistic muggers. As such today one such person stalked him down the streets as Zachary departed from the military-occupied plaza, taking cover behind rubble and in shadows. As Zachary did not possess elite skills in perception, while the mugger did posses skill in stealth, it was not long before he had come up behind Zachary and attempted to lodge a dagger between his shoulder-blades.
Instead of plunging into his back as the thief had expected, it bounced off a rippling layer of solidified air. The thief cursed at his misfortune, and Zachary spun around in reaction to the push he had received. Quickly he used his powers to yank the dagger out of his assailant's hand and caught it in his own. Kaa'is' voice resounded in his head. You have him at your mercy. Kill him now! Zachary to a step back in bewilderment, as the thief saw he was outmatched and turned to flee. "What? No!" Zachary replied out loud. If you shan't then I'll do it for you.
Zachary found that he was pulled forwards by the dagger he held, and he stumbled towards his running assailant and the blade plunged itself into the thief's right shoulder. While Zachary stood there in shock, the dagger pulled itself out of the wound it had made, twisting the thief around as it did so, and stabbed the thief in the chest. Only then did Zachary regain himself enough to let go of the dagger's hilt. He stared at his hand, splattered with blood, in disgust and then at the dying man before him. The thief was no more than 20 years of age, looked undernourished and much like an average person trying to etch out a living in this urban wasteland, save for the two wounds and copious amounts of blood.
"I... I killed him," Zachary stammered, unable to quite come to grips with himself. A wave of anger came over him as he realised, "You killed him!"
No, we killed him, Kaa'is corrected, Although he's not quite dead yet. Zachary watched, unable to peel his eyes from the scene, as the man grew pale. Suddenly he found himself inhaling deeply and felt a strange strength rush into him. This was the man's spirit, although Zachary did not know that. Now he's dead. As I was saying, with my power and your body we killed him together.
Had Zachary's thoughts not been clouded by the emotions of the situation he would have seen that Kaa'is was intentionally trying to get a response out of him. "I had no part in this! It was you who did it! You who moved the knife!" Zachary cried.
But we are intertwined, Zachary, ever since our binding a year ago. We are not as distinct as you think. Onikages corrupt those who they possess. Who are you to say that you did not wish to kill him too, subconsciously? Besides, the blood is on your hands. There is no turning away from it now. Zachary just stood there, shell-shocked, while Kaa'is laughed at the misery he had given his host and victim. We had best get going. You wouldn't want to encounter another thief, now, would you? Speechless, Zachary finally turned from the bloodied corpse in front of him and continued his walk home.
Instead of plunging into his back as the thief had expected, it bounced off a rippling layer of solidified air. The thief cursed at his misfortune, and Zachary spun around in reaction to the push he had received. Quickly he used his powers to yank the dagger out of his assailant's hand and caught it in his own. Kaa'is' voice resounded in his head. You have him at your mercy. Kill him now! Zachary to a step back in bewilderment, as the thief saw he was outmatched and turned to flee. "What? No!" Zachary replied out loud. If you shan't then I'll do it for you.
Zachary found that he was pulled forwards by the dagger he held, and he stumbled towards his running assailant and the blade plunged itself into the thief's right shoulder. While Zachary stood there in shock, the dagger pulled itself out of the wound it had made, twisting the thief around as it did so, and stabbed the thief in the chest. Only then did Zachary regain himself enough to let go of the dagger's hilt. He stared at his hand, splattered with blood, in disgust and then at the dying man before him. The thief was no more than 20 years of age, looked undernourished and much like an average person trying to etch out a living in this urban wasteland, save for the two wounds and copious amounts of blood.
"I... I killed him," Zachary stammered, unable to quite come to grips with himself. A wave of anger came over him as he realised, "You killed him!"
No, we killed him, Kaa'is corrected, Although he's not quite dead yet. Zachary watched, unable to peel his eyes from the scene, as the man grew pale. Suddenly he found himself inhaling deeply and felt a strange strength rush into him. This was the man's spirit, although Zachary did not know that. Now he's dead. As I was saying, with my power and your body we killed him together.
Had Zachary's thoughts not been clouded by the emotions of the situation he would have seen that Kaa'is was intentionally trying to get a response out of him. "I had no part in this! It was you who did it! You who moved the knife!" Zachary cried.
But we are intertwined, Zachary, ever since our binding a year ago. We are not as distinct as you think. Onikages corrupt those who they possess. Who are you to say that you did not wish to kill him too, subconsciously? Besides, the blood is on your hands. There is no turning away from it now. Zachary just stood there, shell-shocked, while Kaa'is laughed at the misery he had given his host and victim. We had best get going. You wouldn't want to encounter another thief, now, would you? Speechless, Zachary finally turned from the bloodied corpse in front of him and continued his walk home.
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