DELETED jdl3932

World of Light

Yeah that's about the same for me. Looked in Raw and nothing shows up there either.

World of Light

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Level: 1 (2/10)
Word Count: 220
Location: Dead Zone - Library Root
EXP: +1

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Sephiroth fell to a single knee, the point of his sword grinding against the cracked stone below as he struggled to keep hold of the hilt, his gloved fingers wrapping around it tightly. It was truly the most angry he'd been since his first defeat at the hands of Cloud, as even then the bastard had the element of surprise on his side, whereas this was a face-to-face confrontation. He hadn't been a victim of distraction or stealth like the last time, no, he'd been the one to charge in! He'd been the one to engage this ragtag group with the full extent of his speed and might! So how then, had they been able to overpower him? Sephiroth knew he should have been able to kill the shelled beast given how quickly he'd lashed out at him, yet even that effort had failed.

Is... is it truly possible that these pathetic beings are capable of more than groveling in the dirt from whence they came?

Sephiroth grimaced as he fought for his next breath, the slightest of movements setting his insides aflame.

No, no that can't be why. Something must... something must be wrong with me. But what? And how?

Although he did not show it, these questions pained Sephiroth more than any bullet, blade, or spell ever could.

The Black Prophecy (Dead now; requiescat in pace!)

~Ernald Joyce~

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_{Early Spring of the Year 315 P.F.
~The Maw~}

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Joyce ran his fingers through his hair as he walked, hoping to work out a few of the tangles it had acquired the night before, to little success. Thus he abandoned the task and opted to focus on the road unwinding beneath his feet instead. A good thing too, for the grass surrounding the path slowly began to peter out, shifting from a luscious green to a dusty brown, and ending on a color that was reminiscent coal speckled pitch. Soil, hell land in general wasn't supposed to look like that and he knew it, yet here it sat against all the odds. Just the thought of it was enough to plant a seed of unease deep within his soul, but he did his best to suppress that feeling, scribbling detailed notes on its texture in the pages of his journal to distract himself. Ernald knew he couldn't keep his nose buried in his notes the whole way there, however, and after a while he found himself focusing on the surrounding landscape in all its bleakness once more. There were no trees to be seen, nor songs to be heard, and even the light from the sun seemed muted and dulled.

It was as though life in its entirety had utterly forsaken the lands to the west.

Clutching his journal to his chest ever so slightly, Ernald continued on his way, arriving at the entrance to the Maw just as he'd promised. He was about a minute late by his own reckoning, give or take a few seconds from the walk down, but that was of little concern. As it turned out Theodgar wasn't exactly a stickler for remaining on schedule when it came to this kind of thing, not only because of the risks it posed to his reputation, but the reputation and morale of the town as well. If Ernald had him figured right, the lord of Oldcross would have happily abandoned this venture in its entirety had it not been for his persistence on the matter. Twas a shame the poor man had to be pushed so, truly, but Joyce needed this information to finish his work. If a little bit of discomfort churning within the mind of another was the price that must be paid for such a thing, then pay it he would, and gladly too.

"Hail milord!"

A gruff yet friendly voice called out from just within the entryway, shaking Ernald from his reprieve.

"I trust you were able to rest well?"

Ernald nodded, watching as the lord of Oldcross stepped out of the shadows and into the light.

"I was indeed. I also happened to find breakfast quite enjoyable as well."

The lightest hint of a smile graced the edges of the scholar's lips.

"I was surprised to tell you the truth. I hadn't thought a small town like this capable of producing such exceptional things."

"Hah! We may be meager at first glance milord, but don't let appearances fool you. What we lack in finery we more than make up for in spirit!"

Theodgar chuckled, planting his hands on his hips with a sigh.

"Now, shall we begin the tour?"

"Yes," Ernald replied, giving the larger man the briefest of nods. "I am very interested in seeing what the Maw looks like from the inside."

"Aye, that's it lad!"

Theodgar extended his hand, resting it on Joyce's shoulder as he shepherded him along once again.

"Though I have to warn you, it's not as interesting as you might think. Nothing more than a bunch of rock and iron really. Well, when we can find iron that is. A lot of the surface veins have dried up completely, and exploring the tunnels that run deeper into the Maw takes a considerable amount of time."

"I see."

The two made their way deeper into the mine, the sounds of picks hammering against stone, torches sputtering, and the effort filled grunts of unseen men toiling away in the dark the only constants in their long descent. Joyce took notes on the overall structure and layout of the mine along the way, making sure to stick as close to his guide as humanly possible. Well, for a time anyway. Eventually, despite his promise not to wander off, Ernald quickly found himself exploring a narrow passageway that branched off from the one he'd just been on. Well, exploring wasn't really the right word for it. It was more like blindly shimmying along, using the wall as his guide and support, until he found something of interest. Which, surprisingly enough, he did.

Upon reaching the passageway's end, Joyce found himself stepping out into a massive cavern, the roof and walls of which he wouldn't have even noticed had it not been for the softly glowing fungus that covered them. Even then he still couldn't make out exact details since they were so far away. What he could see however was downright fascinating. Ahead of him by about ten feet or so lay a large cricular slab, though of what he couldn't say. Not from this distance anyway. Drawing closer to the mysterious formation, he found it to be a slab of solid obsidian, one that had become fused with the surrounding rock. And as if that weren't strange enough, there were symbols strewn upon it, painted with some kind of reddish-brown substance.

Exalted above I hope that isn't blood...

Confused and afraid, yet curious, Ernald pulled out his journal and wrote the symbols down. It took him a bit longer than he'd anticipated however-for they were very intricate as it turned out, and doing this by the dim light of fungus certainly didn't help-and by the time he was packed up and ready to return to the tunnel from which he'd come, a cacophony of voices came echoing into the cavern instead. Immediately Ernald recognized his mistake. Theodgar must have taken note of his absence and thus torn the mine apart in an effort to find him, hence the chorus of shouts and yells that was rapidly approaching. Cursing, the scholar made his way back to the narrow passageway, emerging on the other side just in time to come face to face with his irate guide.

Before he could do so much as speak, Ernald found himself being drug back to the surface by Theodgar. The lord of Oldcross didn't even break his stride as he barked out orders to some of the men nearby, tasking them with ensuring the cavern was secure so that no one would be able to just wander in as Joyce had.

"I told you not to wander off you daft bastard!"

Rage rippled across Theodgar's face like a wave.

"God only knows what could've happened to you down there! Hell, you could have ended up just like Withric or worse!"

"My apologies, but I needed to see-"

"Save it," Theodgar spat. Inhaling sharply he took a moment to compose himself, continuing only after he had attained a tenuous state of calm. "I had two very simple conditions for you to follow while we were in the Maw, for good reason mind you, and you broke them."

He shook his head in frustration.

"Do you know the kind of reputation this town would get if a young lord such as yourself was injured or, God forbid, killed while under my watch? It sure as hell wouldn't be a good one!"

"If you would allow me a moment to explain, I-"

Ernald felt himself being shoved foward. Landing in a heap just outside the entrance to the Maw, he turned to stare at Theodgar incredulously.

"Go back to your hut scholar. Get what information you need from the town, but do not return here."

Turning away in anger and disgust, Theodgar shuffled back into the lightless depths of the mine, leaving Ernald to complete the walk back to Oldcross alone.

World of Light

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Level: 1 (1/10)
Word Count: 240
Location: Dead Zone - Library Root
EXP: +1

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Sephiroth watched the dragon's tirade bemusedly, the slightest hint of a smirk gracing his lips the entire time. It was quite an interesting devolution to be sure, as alongside the litany of curses and empty threats there was a single assertion that shone most brightly. Something about a Galeem, although he couldn't for the life of him place the name nor recognize it, how he was in his world and thus a 'two bit dime a dozen failure' as the beast had so ineloquently put it. In truth Sephiroth couldn't really bring himself to care much about the turtle's brutish remarks, for those who had a habit of resorting to such methods were usually the very thing they'd come to hate. He couldn't even muster up enough energy to care about the finger it had so casually jabbed into his chest, but the moment he threw a punch, dared to raise his fist in anger against someone such as him and managed to land more than a glancing blow...

That was when the game came to an end. Flying backwards from the force of the strike, Sephiroth quickly managed to right himself in midair. Planting his feet against the crumbling wall of a nearby building, he launched himself off of it, pulling his Masamune from its scabbard as he rocketed towards Bowser. Holding his sword off to the side, the former SOLDIER moved to strike directly at the creature's throat...

@Archmage MC, @Dawnrider, and @DracoLunaris

The Guild Inn & Tavern (Adventurers Always Welcome/Re-Open For Business)

Ah, okay.

The Black Prophecy (Dead now; requiescat in pace!)

~Ernald Joyce~

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_{Early Spring of the Year 315 P.F.
~Oldcross~}

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Ernald woke early the next day, brushing the grime from his eyes with a low groan. His slumber hadn't been as restful as he'd expected, even after he'd taken into account just how uncomfortable the bedding would be, but it was something at least. Better than some of the places he'd slept in over the years anyway. Sitting upright, he swung his feet over the side of the frame, rising only after they had come to rest against the damp planks that made up the hut's floor. Stretching, he quickly got dressed, slipping on his mud caked shoes and heading out the door, but not before grabbing his notebook and quill. Wouldn't do for him to go about a full day of questioning only to forget the most important details at the end of it all. Tucking both items into the pockets of his coat Ernald strode out the door and into the streets beyond, the soil of which was a tad harder and thus easier to traverse than it had been yesterday, but not by much.

Thus the long walk began. He started off small, keeping his inquiries limited solely to those who seemed open to them before gradually broadening his search to eclipse a good chunk of the surrounding town and its more crotchety inhabitants. With that broadening came a whole host of different stories and tales, all of which would provide excellent anecdotes for his work. There was one tale, for instance, of a woman four years back who was rumored to be a witch on account of her tendency to collect soil from around the Maw, the act of which was considered quite strange due to its tarry and mostly unappealing appearance. He had been unable to learn of her ultimate fate however, as everyone he'd questioned had brushed the matter off with claims of bad luck and misfortune, but he could put the pieces together well enough. An accusation like that didn't go unnoticed for very long after all, not by the devout anyway. The stories he'd heard after that had gotten progressively less interesting as the day wore on, to the point where he simply fell back to observing the goings-on within Oldcross instead, getting a great deal of sketches in the process.

After a while though the sun slowly began to set, signaling an end to the day. Not wanting to be caught outside in the cold and dark, Ernald made his way down the winding streets until at last he was home. Stowing away his journal and pen, he was just about to turn in when a knock at the door gave him pause.

"Just a minute!"

He buttoned up his shirt as he moved towards the door. Opening it, Ernald was surprised to see Theodgar standing on the other side.

"Apologies for bothering you so late milord," Theodgar said, executing a short bow. "I hope I didn't interrupt your writings, but I've come to speak with you about the matter we discussed yesterday."

"I see. Well there's no need for apologies, I was just getting ready for bed."

Ernald propped himself up against the door's waterlogged frame.

"Now, I presume this is about my request to visit the Maw?"

Theodgar nodded.

"Indeed it is. You will be pleased to know that your tour of the mines has been arranged, albeit under a few conditions."

"Alright, let's hear them."

"First, you don't wander off no matter how interesting something may seem. Withric's passing should give you more than enough reason as to why. Second, don't interfere with the men working within. Last thing we need is you getting a pick through the eye by accident."

"Sounds reasonable. Anything else?"

"Yes, you will be personally escorted by me," Theodgar beamed, trunk-like arms crossed over his chest. "Merely as a precaution of course."

"Of course. So when do we leave?"

"Noon tomorrow," Theodgar said. "I figure that should give you more than enough time to prepare."

"Indeed it should," Ernald replied, flicking a bit of dirt from the back of his hand. "I'll see you then. In the meantime rest well."

Theodgar nodded, "You as well milord, you as well."

And with that, he was gone. Swinging the door shut Ernald returned to his bed, plopping down with a dull and dusty thud, his mind falling once more into a deep and dreamless sleep...

Myriad Reality

Let me just put it out there right now, I'll say it again if I have to. I am super sorry I kind of just got caught up in the idea...erm I could make this an easy fight? God I feel so stupid right now and I had no intentions to ruin this RP for all of you.

@Blackmist16

I mean it isn't ruined since I just undid it. Though like I said if you want to go the dark god angle, I'd be down for forming a council of them to wage war against Existence.

So long as I can just wrap up any arcs I might have in it at the very least.

Myriad Reality

I will say, if you want to make a council of dark gods, I'm all for that. Just plan the arc out first so participants know what they're doing.

Myriad Reality

Also, before anyone complains let me remind you my plan was always to get that universal core, but I had expected Legend to throw in some interdimensional being. I entertained this unfolding of events to a point, then just used psycho warping to put things back on track.

Myriad Reality

Which is fair. As for my motivation it's to tell a story and then end it, hopefully satisfactorily but I'll settle for darker ones as well.

If I had to imagine an ending for θ, he'd be like a Daedric Prince just sitting in his plane and fucking with Existence every now and then in the background.