Ruins of Khazan - Part 1: All Things Among Fallen Leaves

[Postmania]

"Merely exercising caution," Jane voiced as she saw Krys' hand push at her pistol, but then noted the remainder of her response.

What had happened to these many remnants? Jane pondered this as she scanned them with a keen eye. Could it all really have been all as a result of violent transport? She looked at them more critically for a moment, trying to see if there were any common factors she could find in terms of cause of death, or perhaps a greater concentration of bodies. As she does so, her pistol lowers, although never leaves her grasp.

OOC: Jane is indeed doing a Notice check for this moment.

After she conducts this search, she turns back to the newcomer and Krys.

The first thing Jane had truly noticed, before the new human (herself, she estimated, with more confidence this time) was the blade.

Exotic coloring and an ornate hilt as well.

It was, Jane estimated with confidence again, a beautiful weapon. A shame, swords were not for her.

It is only then that her eyes drift away from the weapon itself and to the wielder.

Jane's databases weren't able to come up with an exact determination, but she believed what she saw mapped onto an earlier time period. One of the universes in which technology was not yet developed up to the point of widespread rapid-fire firearm use. She could not tell at a glance of course, but the sword, something about its form spoke to the wielder possessing talents beyond the mere mundane sort...Jane realized she was expecting, through experience, a handler to suddenly speak in her mind, relaying additional information on background, weakpoints, and applicable methods to achieve maximum effectiveness, as if she was staring at a target.

But that experience no longer applied. It would not apply again for any time in the near future. Or perhaps, Jane mused, ever. She made an effort and mentally shut down several lines of thought processes relating to this idea.

At least for the moment, she wasn't looking at a target.

[Sharpandpointies]

While Jane does not lower her weapon, she still shows no signs of using it. Krys removes their own hand from Jane's wrist, trusting in the woman's forbearance and not wishing to appear overbearing. At the moment, Jane appears concerned about both their surroundings and the new woman, herself. Completely understandable, feels Krys, turning her own attention back on the newcomer.

Who, apparently, isn't as badly injured as first apparent, and has a name.

"Ván, then," Krys replies. "I go by Krys. Perhaps short names are the key to surviving transit, here." That said with a brief slightly sad smile, and a small gesture to the rolling plain of the dead. The pain still ricochets about within them like a razor-edged stone, tearing Krys with every bounce, but their mask is firmly in place. "I take it you did not come here by choice? There is some discussion as to whether or not we were brought here...or merely stumbled. Somehow."

Even the three of them carry gross differences in clothing, and Jane is nothing like Ván or Krys.

"I am certain you will be fine," Krys continues carefully. "But if you require to be...fine more quickly, I can assist with that. It costs nothing to me, it seems, so the favor is a small one." Some cultures take such things very seriously, and Krys would prefer to avoid any such debts...or offense taken at the offer. Then their tone drops into a more casual manner as they relax further, the pain slowly losing its jagged edge - dulled by the fading of clarity, but not forgotten, never forgotten. "We all seem pretty lost here; maybe a good thing to put our heads together, figure out what's going on?"

[Siriel]

"If you want to help, I won't object."

She replied readily, without any hesitation. It would have been a very strange trap that required only an agreement to be spring, and allowing it would leave her with more information about her latest acquaintance. She had always been prideful about certain topics, but objecting to treatment after a difficult journey was something that she could only consider foolishness, and she didn't see any point in participating in it.

The other question warranted more thoughts. Her eyes flicker toward Jane for a moment, pausing over her form with only a slight widening conveying the surprise of seeing something unexpected. Surprise, but not confusion. She had seen golems and other forms of automatons in previous ages, even if they hadn't seemed to exist during her current lifetime. The fact that such things would exist in a place that was as elsewhere as this one was something that she was entirely willing to accept.

Her mind returned to the question and to Krys.

"I didn't intend to come here in particular." Although, that answer might not be quite accurate. From what Krys had said, she seemed to think that she had been forced here in some manner, and she hadn't felt any pressure or other interference that gave her that feeling. There was no great secret there, so she decided to continued on with a smile that showed her helplessness on that topic. "But I did intend to leave my home and reach another place. Whether I ended up here by coincidence or by someone's design, I couldn't tell you, but I can at least say with confidence that I wasn't taken from my point of origin against my will. I left home and raced across the dimensions for what felt like quite some time, but since I don't feel like I'm starving it can't have been more than a couple hours as far as my body is concerned."

That last part was important. Mystical events tended to make a large difference between body and spirit, and something like that could have been at play. She'd initiated her own movement through the worlds, but she didn't exactly understand how it worked.

[Postmania]

"An exchange of information," Jane considered thoughtfully. "That does seem to be an optimal next step."

She listened as Ván tells her tale.

"Odd. My journey here was less predicted. A defense mechanism within my form that is intended to relocate me several hundred meters on the battlefield instead transported me..."

The pause was fractions of a second, but noticeable as Jane attempted to calculate, by habit, the appropriate distance, then promptly surrendered that battle.

"Distances which my onboard systems were unable to account for. After some time, I arrived here, finding Krys."

Jane obligingly turned her head to Krys (she had been told that conversations between nonmechanical entities went easier if she moved every now and then, something she at times forgot) before continuing as a thought struck her.

"During transit, I experienced a sensation which appeared unrelated to physical space-time travel. It was as if," another fractional pause for calculation, "As if I were connected to other sentient beings' consciousness as I moved through the universe, or perhaps, multiverse. Their thoughts seemed to replace mine."

Something in her voice seemed to glitch with the last few words, as if it experienced feedback.

"Even more disconcertingly, every one of these beings, while I was connected to them, soon after perished, in many different ways, with their death also being experienced by me as I was connected to them."

Jane looked at each of them in turn, seeming to search their faces, and seemed to find what she expected.

"Judging from what I know of both of your descriptions, I hypothesize that this experience was also anomalous to yours."

[Sharpandpointies]

Relief on two counts; the first, that Vàn takes no offense at the offer and, indeed, accepts it; relief that both Jane and Vàn seem open to further sharing. There's a brief moment when the newcomer seems a touch impacted by Jane's appearance - unsurprising, if she comes from a predominantly human-form world - but even more surprisingly, Vàn takes the other woman in stride. Good signs, Krys feels, moving forward. "It only takes a simple touch," they state. "I will find a less-damaged moment in the information hidden in the recent states of your being." Or perhaps the future ones, if we speak of entropic time, but no sense in muddying the waters; it could be paradoxically confusing to realize that the state for which Krys reaches is the one post-'healing'. But no, it's more efficient to simply choose one from 'before' the injuries, or during their creation should Krys' perception not be strong enough. "Then I'll...encourage your body -" the fundamental vibrations and intersections that make up Vàn "- to adopt that pattern." A shrug follows, and a rueful smile. "It worked with Jane."

Inside, though, Krys cringes at what is to come.

With a touch on the arm, Krys connects to Vàn, and affects some effort; her perceptions expand into that fourth dimensional axis. And there stands Vàn, her being extending in both directions toward some terminus either way; Krys cannot 'see' that far, and it's not necessary. Focusing further, they seek a less-damaged slice of Vàn. "This requires effort," they whisper. "Even so, all things are but foam upon the waves. The foam mingles, intermingles, and energy may be transferred within it." Her eyes brighten as the change sweeps over Vàn, injuries simply gone or lessened in an instant as her own form shifts to an earlier pattern. "The restoration of intrinsic energies is a perceptual interpretation of what truly occurs." Krys appears almost peaceful as they speak. Inside, they are howling, drowning in a tidal bore of grief and bereavement, their loss blindingly sharp. WhydidI-wheredidyou-whereAREyouhowhowhow-tofarcan'tgetback-ashendeathIlost-alonealonealone -

- and you alone as well -

They blink, stepping back to survey their work.

Their pale eyebrows rise at Vàn's description of their travels. "So you know of 'dimensions'," Krys murmurs thoughtfully, their guts hollowed out, their emotions still whirling within even as the acute understand blurs. Jane had also known of such things, on some level. Advanced civilizations - philosophically or technically, whatever form that technical advancement takes - often do, she suspects. It indicates something either about Vàn or from where Vàn hails. And Vàn...seems unsurprised that her decision to 'leave her home' carried her elsewhere in a very grand sense. Very interesting, indeed, if not giving them any idea as to why the woman ended up here.

As for Jane? A defensive system's use had unexpected results...and her energy sources are considered to be linked to another dimension in her own universe. Small wonder she began her experience here by thinking this was a trick of her enslaving god. There comes a brief moment of amusement for Krys, nodding back at Jane's glance, despite her despair; they have once-again taken so easily to the concepts of 'here' and 'there'. Linked to my body, and memories of before, I suppose...ah, there's 'before' as well. But Jane continues, and all amusement fades. The woman's journey sounds utterly hellish. "I'm sorry, Jane," they quietly state. "Vàn appears to have gotten what she wanted, in a way." Nod to that woman. "Your trip here was agonizing."

Their lips thin, and another nod follows, this time to Jane's guess. "For myself, while I was once a being of..." A grimace, a shift in tone. "I used to be someone living in a world like this. Thanks to some help, I found a way to step outside of this kind of existence. I was...there," said with a small smile, "you might say. Then something happened." Their eyes squint, concentrating; with the shift in perceptions, the shattered echoes of memory and impressions are closer. "I...fell? stumbled? rose? from that state, passing through the myriad worlds in a painful fashion - not as painful as yours, Jane, though I don't really remember a lot about the journey. I was too busy becoming what you see before you, now. Remembering myself, I suppose, though my memory appears to be a bit faulty." They snort in dry, shallow amusement, shadows of pain lurking in their eyes before fading. "I don't think any specific intelligence dragged me here, and if it did..." Their thoughts trail off.

If it did, it has one righteously pissed-off being hunting it now, when she's not hunting me.

A shake of the head, some stray locks of pale hair dancing in the whispering breeze. "So our pool of information, while interesting, doesn't exactly have a lot of depth when it comes to this place." Turning, they look across the field of the dead. "Other than...it seems to be a pretty common destination, I would say." Their eyes narrow. "Maybe we've stumbled into some kind of nexus of a lot of different realities." Maybe all of them. "And for myself, I don't have any way out at the moment." While they still hold Durga's gift, the key to Svātantrya, Krys knows she's lacking the specific mindset, the perspective to use it. Perhaps they'll never achieve it again, perhaps the broken part of them prevents it. "What about you two?"

OOC - Krys employs Form Is A Brief Phenomena That Nonetheless Exists on Vàn - with PRE stack - and All Things Are But Foam Upon The Waves on Themselves.

[Nik Hasta]

OOC - Krys' 'Deception' is pretty high - it's not something she'll be using much, but in terms of hiding her feelings, it's solid.

GM Note: Neither Jane nor Van have high enough Insight to numerically have any reason to doubt that Krys is anything other than she appears in this moment.

What had happened to these many remnants? Jane pondered this as she scanned them with a keen eye. Could it all really have been all as a result of violent transport? She looked at them more critically for a moment, trying to see if there were any common factors she could find in terms of cause of death, or perhaps a greater concentration of bodies. As she does so, her pistol lowers, although never leaves her grasp.

OOC: Jane is indeed doing a Notice check for this moment.

After she conducts this search, she turns back to the newcomer and Krys.

Jane looks at a few of the bodies of the fallen nearby. A few things are immediately obvious, for a start; none of them seemed to come from the same culture, race or even species in some cases. Just as she, Krys and the newcomer were clearly from different worlds, so to were the others that had arrived here dead. There also no common wounds, some had drowned, some had been electrocuted, some riddled bullets, some suffocated, some burnt, frozen and on and on it went. After picking through the blood spattered bones that comprised the remains of one particularly unlucky traveller, Jane gets the point.

The road to this place was clearly extremely dangerous and precious few people were making it through unscatched.

OOC - Krys employs Form Is A Brief Phenomena That Nonetheless Exists on Vàn - with PRE stack - and All Things Are But Foam Upon The Waves on Themselves.

GM Note

Krys: Still at 100% ENR.

Van: Damage to her core health is restored and she is now at 60/80 Mastered ENR (75%)

As Van feels her strength being restored there is a shimmer in the air for an instant another figure stumbles out of nowhere. It is a young man, possibly more accurately a boy, and he immediately fell to the ground. The three women can hear his breathing shallow and quick, coming through with a wet rasp that causes him to cough and splutter. Very softly, as his strength is clearly fading they hear him whisper.

"Tildy... I'm... so sorry... oh god..." He succumbs to another wracking cough.

Before any action can be taken on this newcomer, a second traveller arrives. This one is large, far bigger than any of those lingering by the gate. A 9 foot tall hulking figure of stygian iron, limbs moving with machine-like precision, a domed and opaque helmet of blackened glass obscuring the features of whoever they might be. The armour is adorned with stylistic engravings of skulls at various points, a couple of small cannons mounted onto the shoulders, twist and snap between pointing at each member of the nearby trio.

A gobbet of molten rock, cooling rapidly in the breeze, slides off the shoulder of the figure as it straightens up. It holds out a hand and blue field sweeps across the gate ahead of it, apparently scanning it. It does not seem to have really noticed the trio of onlookers at this time as best as they can tell.

[Postmania]

Jane nodded silently, acknowledging Krys' comment on her journey's pain. She wondered what it would be like to step outside of existence, if it resembled the realm of death she entered with her Death Denial system.

"When the defensive system that erroneously transported me to his location is active, I also step out of this existence in a sense. In that realm, I see only the spirits of the dead, and the world of the dead, which mirrors the living world in some ways. In others it bares no resemblance at all. I see these recent and older dead as I pass to a location nearby, which by some unknown barometer, my internal software determines is safest. They rarely seem content, especially if I have recently terminated them."

Jane pictured the ghostly presences in the oilfield, half submerged in the ectoplasmic representation of the oil, burning still.

"What you experience seems to be a different plane, however."

Leaving this topic aside, Jane continues.

"If this place truly is a convergence point of some kind, there are multiple interesting interpretations regarding the fact that most here," Jane indicates the bodies around her, "seem to be unfit for arrival. I examined several of them previously after Van spoke with you, and could find little of specificity regarding them. They are as different from each other, based on my initial survey, as we are different amongst ourselves. I was unable to determine common causes of death either."

"Regardless of which interpretation is correct, while the victims on this plane seem to have gone through a process of interdimensional natural selection, there appear to be statistically significant numbers who are able to survive the journey. The three of us arrived in succession, in relatively quick succession. The question that my curiosity subroutine has been processing is this: Where are the ones who came before us? Upon arrival we are in weakened conditions. In particular, we arrive without allies, at least," Jane glanced over to Krys in a quicker motion than her previous physical indications for some reason, almost imperceptibly quick, "initially. There should be hunting groups to initiate some form of predation. But we are alone."

"Which speaks to more layers of natural selection in the near future. Or, " Jane Krys-shrugs, this time with one shoulder. "Perhaps we are simply exceedingly lucky. One in quadrillion chances. As for leaving-"

Jane cuts herself off as another traveler appears and falls to the ground.

Then she immediately vaults into a nearby ditch for cover, rifle out and pistols away, with the appearance and initial visual scan of the second figure.

[Sharpandpointies]

Jane speaks of her own travels and shifts into what she names the world of the dead. Krys has no reason to doubt her; the possibility exists within the infinite, of course, and she herself is acquainted with the concept of 'gods'. It sounds, to them, like another dimension of Jane's own reality, another slice of her own universe into which some aspect of the living - a consciousness, a soul, call it what you will - pass into after their physical body loses what most would consider 'life'. They cannot help but give a pained smile when Jane notes the discontent of those she has killed. Can't imagine why.

It sounds simply awful.

"It's a bit different," Krys agrees. "I was - if I can say that, entropic time held no meaning - outside of everything. Not sure if outside is the right word, but close enough in our language. 'Outside' the...ah, multiverse, you named it." Perfect freedom, breaking of all rules, and they existed outside of All Things, everywhere, everywhen, in Time out of Time. Infinity seems endless when one lives within it, but outside of the multiverse, of all of the universes and all of their discreet dimensions of reality and timelines and and and...

Well, it's all surprisingly small, in an odd fashion.

At least, that's the impression Krys remembers; they're a very different being now, back in their clothing of flesh with their limited mind.

Jane continues with her own observations and analyses of their situation and the curious world in which they find themselves, and Krys has to be impressed. Their own brain seems slow to grasp this, as if sludging through thick mud. A matter of perception, of comparison to how it was 'before' her fall? "Valid points," they note, not missing the quick glance - out of place in Jane - in their own direction. Apparently Krys has been judged as an ally, now; they're not going to complain about that, not at all. A poor place to be alone, and I'd rather make friends than enemies. If Jane at least considers Krys somewhat dependable, that's worth something. "And maybe it is coincidence," Krys begins in agreement. A coincidence they came through so well, and so many others did not, based on the evidence Jane presents.

A shimmer. A young man steps into view, and Krys' first thought is So that's how it looks. Their second thought, they speak aloud. "And maybe not," they admit as a fourth living traveller joins them. Statistically speaking, as Jane says, given the veritable carpet of corpses and lack of people waiting for travellers to arrive, it does seem unlikely.

But the boy goes down hard, and looks far the worse for wear. Looks to be ready to join the other dead, in fact. Leaving aside his spoken words, Krys immediately moves to where he has collapsed, even as the fifth traveller steps out of nothingness. But this one fairly exudes menace, driving Jane to armed cover immediately: huge, imposing, and well-armed, it seems inured to the heat of magma. Krys winces as the weapons on its shoulders train on her for an instant before jumping to another. Well, that's not good at all. But maybe that one is the benevolent one, and the boy is more than they seem.

One really never can tell.

Regardless, they drop to their knees next to the collapsed traveller - the Fourth, in Krys' mind. Shockwaves of pain run up their thighs from the hard ground, but they ignore it as inconsequential. "Do you wish assistance?" Krys hastily asks of the Fourth, keeping their eyes on the more menacing figure with only brief glances to the injured youth. Should he assent, or fall unconscious, Krys is ready.

OOC - IF the Fourth traveller gives assent to aid or passes out, Krys will employ Form Is A Brief Phenomena That Nonetheless Exists on the Fourth - with PRE stack - and All Things Are But Foam Upon The Waves on Themselves.

[MrSandman]

Ella was surprised, not that one could tell at a glance. Human-Insect Relations from what she had gathered were rather poor on her world, what with the large assortment of legally obtainable anti-insect weapons and nerve toxins...One of this size would have sent Otto into a terrified panic. It is...was clearly intelligent to some extent, as was the case for species that unlocked the modesty concealing power of clothes...unless of course this was the insect equivalent to a dog in a sweater. The presence of salt water with no obvious source nearby, in addition to the clear lack of tracks or a definitive trail leans towards a similar entry to the outside world to her.....perhaps from a different location entirely, with a pit stop in the ocean...

There was however the presence of bite marks to be considered...something that did not necessary had to have happened on the journey. Ella glanced around, or the equivalent one of her nature would...alert to any would be "tourists" with a taste for bug meat....or worse yet, rat meat.

Johann could be in danger, and with that thought in mind she set about exploring the local for any more signs of her small friend and anything else of interest. Surely someone besides her had made it outside.

[Nik Hasta]

Jane cuts herself off as another traveler appears and falls to the ground.

Then she immediately vaults into a nearby ditch for cover, rifle out and pistols away, with the appearance and initial visual scan of the second figure.

The land outside of the gates was dusty and rocky, covered with dead leaves as it was, and mostly sloped down to the stardust ocean leaving little room for meaningful cover. Despite this, Jane sought any kind of topographical feature that would grant her some semblance of cover from the armoured figure.

As she flattened herself against the ground, the iron giant made no real indication that it had noticed her nor perceived her as a threat. The shoulder cannons however, did continue their metronomic twitch between all nearby beings including her.

Regardless, they drop to their knees next to the collapsed traveller - the Fourth, in Krys' mind. Shockwaves of pain run up their thighs from the hard ground, but they ignore it as inconsequential. "Do you wish assistance?" Krys hastily asks of the Fourth, keeping their eyes on the more menacing figure with only brief glances to the injured youth. Should he assent, or fall unconscious, Krys is ready.

OOC - IF the Fourth traveller gives assent to aid or passes out, Krys will employ Form Is A Brief Phenomena That Nonetheless Exists on the Fourth - with PRE stack - and All Things Are But Foam Upon The Waves on Themselves.

The boy, for he couldn't have been more than fourteen years of age and just starting to grow into the body of a man, shudders and coughs. Now closer, Krys can see a large fist-sized hole driven through the lower part of his chest, deep enough that they can almost make out the ground beneath him where blood is pooling rapidly on the leaf-strewn stone.

He slurs unintelligibly, a crimson hand vaguely grasping up at Krys, his eyes unfocused and glazed. He is dying, clearly on the precipice of being lost forever.

Krys, once again, reaches back through causality and finds a time when this boy was unharmed and manifests it in the present moment. Their own energies surge in response, the loop of eternity continuing and their own internal reserves are refreshed once again.

The boy lurches upright, lungs that were no longer perforated hungry for air, his hand whips to a small dagger at his waist and he awkwardly rolls to one side away from his rescuer - clearly very distressed.

"What... wha-what - what happened?" he gabbles. It is at this point that Krys realises that he and they are speaking quite different languages. They hear words that they know they do not understand, vaguely Germanic in phonics but not quite like any language they have known on their world. And yet, by some magic or force of this place, by the time the sound has been heard and processed by their brain, they understand it perfectly.

Their actions in healing the boy have not gone unnoticed. The huge metallic figure turns slightly toward them and a small angular drone, dodecahedron in shape, floats out of a compartment on the back of it. This small orb floats with a low hum and begins to slowly orbit Krys, small flashes of scanning lasers passing over their body and the body of the boy.

"Where am I?" the boy cries out again, a pubescent voice in the awkward process of breaking. He blinks back tears and the point of his dagger shivers in the air with his nervousness and agitation.

[Nik Hasta]

Ella was surprised, not that one could tell at a glance. Human-Insect Relations from what she had gathered were rather poor on her world, what with the large assortment of legally obtainable anti-insect weapons and nerve toxins...One of this size would have sent Otto into a terrified panic. It is...was clearly intelligent to some extent, as was the case for species that unlocked the modesty concealing power of clothes...unless of course this was the insect equivalent to a dog in a sweater. The presence of salt water with no obvious source nearby, in addition to the clear lack of tracks or a definitive trail leans towards a similar entry to the outside world to her.....perhaps from a different location entirely, with a pit stop in the ocean...

There was however the presence of bite marks to be considered...something that did not necessary had to have happened on the journey. Ella glanced around, or the equivalent one of her nature would...alert to any would be "tourists" with a taste for bug meat....or worse yet, rat meat.

Johann could be in danger, and with that thought in mind she set about exploring the local for any more signs of her small friend and anything else of interest. Surely someone besides her had made it outside.

Ella heads further down the main road, noticing that the number of bodies strewn about seem to thin out the deeper into the city she goes. The leaves however remain constant, the great tree that dominates the skyline depositing them across the breadth of the near infinite city.

As she passes through quiet streets, she gets the sense that this was once a place of business and commerce. Shopfronts and eateries, worn and dilapidated now, remind her of the small cafe that she once knew as her entire world. Otto and Johann might have felt at home here, if swamped with competition. It's hard to tell how long these places have been abandoned though now, they are down at heel and in need of maintenance but also she cannot shake the strange feeling that people might have been here up until a few hours ago.

Additionally, she feels like the dimensions of the buildings are shifting around her. Her holographic eye passes over a small alleyway or side street, unconsciously noting the landmark, only to find that when she looked to the same spot once more, she could no longer find it - as if the buildings had closed over it in some silent shift.

She cannot help but contemplate about the challenges she might find encountering should she try to find her way out of this place once more.

Before long, she reaches a loose fork in the road, and hears two sets of sounds coming from either direction.

On her left, distant shouting and the occasional burst of some kind of firearm.

On her right, the nearer and more immediate sounds of guttural snarling and screams of distress.

Alternatively, there were some of those quiet side streets, apparently present and accessible but who knew for how long.

[Postmania]

Jane studied the hulking figure through her rifle scope. Multiple emotions flickered through her systems. Most were judged unproductive and Jane made an effort to shunt their effects away from her core thought processes. The truth was, she told herself, in the existence of an infinite multiverse, symbols and forms were expected to repeat. Still, what similarities this figure had with her, and other aspects of Nekro, were not lost on her.

Still, this did not leave her with an apparent path forward. A subsection of Jane's vision noted Krys' repair of the wounded younger figure beside her, and his apparent confused ad defensive response. They were too far for Jane to make out much of what was being said, but the boy did not seem very threatening compared to the colossus nearby. Something about the behemoth's scanning behavior intrigued her however. It had seemed to respond to Krys' abilities.

Ordinarily, Jane would have simply continued observation. There was no reason to make a move if such a move could be countered, her internal logic repeated to her. But she no longer had any element of surprise here anyway. And an idea she had in mind could at least potentially let her observe more precisely.

Jane, in a practiced mental exercise, began opening up certain ports in her internal system. In doing so, she felt certain ambient spirit energy began to enter her, then full spirits. They spoke incessantly, but her system automatically filtered out useless information, as she felt her processing capabilities expand as she began taking in additional information. She wanted to see how this figure responded. And if it didn't, she'd at least get a better look at it. Her eyes transform from simple orbs to skulls, with skulls in their eye sockets, with skulls in those eye sockets. She sensed the curiosity subroutine urging her to let it off its leash, and she indulged it reluctantly, focusing her scan on topics relating to her concerns about any connection to Nekro

OOC: Jane is using Nekromantia while also allocating a Stack to BRA and then trying to glean any additional information she can on this figure while observing it. In particular, if she can spot any clue as to the nature of what it is, if it is mechanical or organic, if it is sentient or just automated, etc

[Sharpandpointies]

Jane moves with shocking speed, shifting away to find cover and concealment in the rough, debris-strewn terrain. Krys feels she won't desert her newfound compatriots, and trusts the woman do what she feels is correct. She's a professional, after all, and 'threat' doesn't automatically compute as 'target'. As for the boy...the issue of comprehension is an interesting realization; Krys already knew something must be translating, as it’s nigh-impossible for themselves, Jane, and Ván to be speaking the same language. But the current situation is dire, with a potential threat in front of herself and the young boy, and Krys needs to do this correctly; thoughts about the why's and wherefores of interpretation need to be placed on the backburner for the moment. It’s possible the Fifth sensed what Krys has done; it’s also possible they reacted to the actual change in the boy. Either way, Krys needs to get through to her patient. They’re both already being scanned by some technological marvel, so the most current critical needis to prevent the boy, the Fourth, from panicking or becoming obstinate.

And perhaps they can do this in a way beyond their watcher’s senses, or in a manner the Fifth finds inoffensive - a simple change of perspective?

As the boy begins to panic, his babbling growing more stressful, Krys struggles to align her perceptions once again with that state they rediscovered moments before. It’s not easy, but no worse than when they observed what most would consider the past temporal selves of both Jane and Van. Now, though, Krys concentrates on the positive arc of the temporal axis of existence, pushing her perceptions into the infinite possibilities of what some consider ‘future’…but they know are simply potential paths through the fifth dimension of the nigh-infinite possible timelines of congruent universes.

For when one understands the road, it is simple to choose the proper branch, and align oneself with those other, parallel universes...arguably shifting the entire situation into one of them. Or creating a new branch. Who would notice?

- “No!” and the boy rises to run, the weapons training on -

- a twitch of Krys' hand to the left and the weapons -

- their lips part a beat too early and the weapons -

- they start to speak an instant late, but the boy is already -

- well THAT choice of words was clearly wrong, and the boy throws the knife –

The options flicker about them in Time out of Time, parsed and discarded. And lost in that indefinite place outside of entropic existence, Krys finally chooses one. An exchange of ideas is as real - or not - as any other interaction, they consider, and can be equally manipulated through choices. I suppose. They allow their expanded perceptions to shift – jarringly – back into that illusion of linear time, and their head turns minutely toward the boy. “Be still,” she states, her tone low, first sharp to gain attention, then softening. “No harm to you from me, but there is danger here if you provoke it. Be. Still. And do not speak.” Calm words in a calming tone, but with sufficient pressure to impress need.

Memory wails in the back of her mind, the perceptive echoes of Time out of Time a hollow, unfilled wound at her core. And a more ‘distant’ memory laughs, bubbling up from their old life.

~ “Do whatever Kris tells you to do.” ~

They can’t help but snort despite the severity of the situation and their hidden grief; as if anyone listened to Kris ‘before’.

OOC - Krys changes stacks to PRE, CHA, DUR, and RES, then employs "When One Understands The Road, It Is Simple To Choose The Proper Branch" on themselves, increasing their Persuade from 16 to a whopping 31 (based on my calculations and Nik's decision that RES does not count toward Social Buffs on oneself) for the duration of this social encounter. They also continue to use All Things Are But Foam Upon The Waves on Themselves. If it's not obvious, this is to Persuade the boy to basically keep quiet and motionless.

Will note that should the GM decide to drop any hints at this point due to "All Things Are Finite When Viewed From Without, Even The Infinite.", I'm 100% open for that. ^_^

[Siriel]

Ván closed and opened her fist thoughtfully as her body seemed to... heal itself? No, that wasn't quite right. Not from Krys' explanation, and not from the feeling that she had either. She'd been healed before, and this feeling lacked the same warmth and feeling of her body repairing itself, or being repaired by an outside force. It felt more like her strength 'returned'. That was probably the right way to think of it, from how Krys had explained it. Temporal manipulation of some kind? She had met people who could accelerate themselves before, and time travel was something that was a constant topic of hypotheticals in every era she could even vaguely remember. It was a scary thought, but it was probably very limited in application . In that case, it was just a fancier way to accomplish the same result as far as she was concerned.

"Thank you."

Then space pops open in a strange display, and a boy falls out, taking Krys' attention with his arrival. The sight of the same technique miraculously causing his wounds to fade makes her raise an eyebrow in amazement, but she stays away. It wouldn't be good to crowd a confusing person too much, especially when they were already worried enough to grasp weapons in hand. Besides, something else has her attention; the large figure made of metal that looms not far away from them. She feels her muscles tensing at the sight. Unlike the other three, this one makes her heart beat faster, spurs on her instincts. It was obvious either some great armor, or an automaton made for battle. Either made it tempting for her to strike out, but her self-control that she'd been trying to work on for most of her life lets her hold back for now. There was always the chance that this was some kind of lost individual, even if they didn't show much sign of it. If that was the case then attacking it simply because it 'looked strong' would be quite inconsiderate. Besides, there would be no glory gained in defeating someone that was unprepared and didn't intend to do battle.

So she allowed the small sphere to approached Krys and the boy with wary eyes, watching its harmless light wash over them. Nothing seemed to be happening so she had to assume that it wasn't anything too dangerous, but the lack of warning or other acknowledgment of them before it approached made her already tense nerves tense further, her hand moving to settle on the grip of her sword. She wasn't arrogant enough to attack to 'protect' people that hadn't asked for it, but she would definitely strike out if the sphere tried to do the same thing to her.

[Nik Hasta]

Jane studied the hulking figure through her rifle scope. Multiple emotions flickered through her systems. Most were judged unproductive and Jane made an effort to shunt their effects away from her core thought processes. The truth was, she told herself, in the existence of an infinite multiverse, symbols and forms were expected to repeat. Still, what similarities this figure had with her, and other aspects of Nekro, were not lost on her.

Still, this did not leave her with an apparent path forward. A subsection of Jane's vision noted Krys' repair of the wounded younger figure beside her, and his apparent confused ad defensive response. They were too far for Jane to make out much of what was being said, but the boy did not seem very threatening compared to the colossus nearby. Something about the behemoth's scanning behavior intrigued her however. It had seemed to respond to Krys' abilities.

Ordinarily, Jane would have simply continued observation. There was no reason to make a move if such a move could be countered, her internal logic repeated to her. But she no longer had any element of surprise here anyway. And an idea she had in mind could at least potentially let her observe more precisely.

Jane, in a practiced mental exercise, began opening up certain ports in her internal system. In doing so, she felt certain ambient spirit energy began to enter her, then full spirits. They spoke incessantly, but her system automatically filtered out useless information, as she felt her processing capabilities expand as she began taking in additional information. She wanted to see how this figure responded. And if it didn't, she'd at least get a better look at it. Her eyes transform from simple orbs to skulls, with skulls in their eye sockets, with skulls in those eye sockets. She sensed the curiosity subroutine urging her to let it off its leash, and she indulged it reluctantly, focusing her scan on topics relating to her concerns about any connection to Nekro

OOC: Jane is using Nekromantia while also allocating a Stack to BRA and then trying to glean any additional information she can on this figure while observing it. In particular, if she can spot any clue as to the nature of what it is, if it is mechanical or organic, if it is sentient or just automated, etc

The circuits of her mind amplified by her necromantic power, Jane analyses the metallic figure.

She can detect an organic figure within the metallic shell, what data she can acquire suggest a largely standard human, considerably smaller than enormous frame itself. She also is able to discern that the attention of the primary scanners of the mech suit are currently focused on the curious shifting composition of the gate and walls before it, flashes of laser light occasionally moving up the impossibly tall ramparts. Her scans also indicate that the skull-covered armour is very thick, to the point where she would have a hard time breaching it should it come to combat and, further to that, she detects the presence of an ablative force field system that is not currently online.

As a hunter, her assessment is that she is looking at quite a durable target but none of its immediate weapon systems seem to be online outside of a normal holding pattern of target acquisition and threat assessment. Whatever their metrics for a credible threat, none of them had been registered as such so far.

The options flicker about them in Time out of Time, parsed and discarded. And lost in that indefinite place outside of entropic existence, Krys finally chooses one. An exchange of ideas is as real - or not - as any other interaction, they consider, and can be equally manipulated through choices. I suppose. They allow their expanded perceptions to shift – jarringly – back into that illusion of linear time, and their head turns minutely toward the boy. “Be still,” she states, her tone low, first sharp to gain attention, then softening. “No harm to you from me, but there is danger here if you provoke it. Be. Still. And do not speak.” Calm words in a calming tone, but with sufficient pressure to impress need.

OOC - Krys changes stacks to PRE, CHA, DUR, and RES, then employs "When One Understands The Road, It Is Simple To Choose The Proper Branch" on themselves, increasing their Persuade from 16 to a whopping 31 (based on my calculations and Nik's decision that RES does not count toward Social Buffs on oneself) for the duration of this social encounter. They also continue to use All Things Are But Foam Upon The Waves on Themselves. If it's not obvious, this is to Persuade the boy to basically keep quiet and motionless.

Will note that should the GM decide to drop any hints at this point due to "All Things Are Finite When Viewed From Without, Even The Infinite.", I'm 100% open for that. ^_^

GM Note: As noted, don't worry too much about the raw stats for the social matrix. Also, CHR Stack +40 CHR boost makes 26 for Persuasion for Krys as it happens.

The boy complies immediately, struck dumb. He lowers the knife slightly and watches the sphere nervously as it circles Krys a few more times, making the occasional beep and click as various scanners seem to run through a sequence. Krys can see that his legs are shaking, the initial burst of adrenaline from being pulled back from the edge of death flushing through his system, but he is keen to follow their direction without issue.

Well, almost without issue.

"What do - " the boy began in a hushed whisper but then stopped himself, remembering the instruction to be silent. He's very young, perhaps impetuous and clearly confused about what is going on. Beyond the slightly ornate silver knife in his hand, he is dressed shabbily in ragged clothes that speak of some kind of farming background. Around his neck is a small golden locket and at his hip, on the other side to the sheath for his knife, is a small satchel.

Despite his humble presentation and obvious distress, there is something about him that Krys feels on a quantum level. It's very slight and fading fast but, for an instant, Krys has a feeling of a confluence of temporal elements surrounding this boy in some way.

The drone abruptly halts in its orbit and retreats back to the metallic figure and nestles back into a port on its back. Whatever data it had been looking for had been presumably gathered and the pair no longer directly observed.

So she allowed the small sphere to approached Krys and the boy with wary eyes, watching its harmless light wash over them. Nothing seemed to be happening so she had to assume that it wasn't anything too dangerous, but the lack of warning or other acknowledgment of them before it approached made her already tense nerves tense further, her hand moving to settle on the grip of her sword. She wasn't arrogant enough to attack to 'protect' people that hadn't asked for it, but she would definitely strike out if the sphere tried to do the same thing to her.

With the drone returned to its base, another is launched and tries to ascend skyward up the walls of the city, the mech suit leaning back just slightly to watch its ascension. Having scanned Krys, the machine does not seem immediately interested any of the other members of the group.