More lucid

[Mallos]

Wake up and take control of our fate, we must not be beholden to these ideas of what is or should be! ????
___

Mallos sat in the Way of Cleansing, wondering why the boots are battery powered when there isn't so much as a single outlet in all of Necrovion. "At least there is warmth here" he thought, contemplating his eventual escape. He could feel a dark presence within Necrovion but couldn't tell if it was some part of him or some amalgamation much worse than he was...

Meanwhile, Fang Archbane continued to question the shade of eternal souls for what it will do in time. Without hints the situation stagnated with no response.

___

Meanwhile, a young one awoke for a second time upon Gateway island.

-I've been here before, but not like this. Death will do me no part this time-

Edited May 21, 2020 by Mallos

[Mallos]

Patiently Mallos awaits his rescue, pickles or a warm smile would do fine. He observes a dark figure silently collecting bones around the area. Mallos thinks to himself:

"I wonder what he does with all those bones. Maybe I'll ask him. Actually, better I don't, maybe he causes them to appear. I mean, that's probably not right. Lashtal always seemed innocent enough... I'm sure these priests just need to learn how to plow and they wouldn't starve so frequently."

___

Arriving on the mainlands without incident, the youngling proceeds to head north. The gates of MDA prove no obstacle to it anymore. Within the gardens it deliberates.

-The scent is here, all over, must have been recent-

Minglers gather to watch a ceremony while a large storm is on the horizon to the south...

[Mallos]

“The shades will poison you, you must help me, save me from this”
___

A primal urge surged in the young being, survival or fury, some mix of the two. It fled before it could be seen but attempted to regain hold of itself. Faintly the scent trail could be picked up, leading into Marind Bell and so it followed.

-I will find you and you will be mine again-

It stopped at Wind's Crossing, suddenly no tracks could be found. Confused the beast wandered further south.

___

Lashtal sauntered over and opened a hand to beckon to Mallos.

"Ah I forgot" Mallos mused aloud. He had yet to pay his offering to lashtal for requesting entrance to Necrovion. He produced a vial of blood in response.

"This? This is not what I requested."

"Yes, I know. It's not my blood, but I have an aversion to such offerings. It is of someone elses, I hope that will suffice."

"I think we can make that work."

Mallos hands the vial of Maebius' blood to lashtal.

 

Edited December 8, 2019 by Mallos

[Mallos]

Mallos walks into the graveyard and shouts "Fang! Where are you?" Slowly a puppy appears into view and floats upside-down above Mallos' head. Fang Archbane takes a moment to observe Mallos. He sees a cloaked figure below him with only an empty skull and long black, feathery wings. Mallos begins to speak:

"I need to tell you that there's a change of plans. I can't perform the ritual anymore, there is no essence left over. Maybe we can find another way to revive you."

___

Meanwhile Fang sits next to the Stone of Twisted Souls as Mallos walks up to him. "How's it hanging old friend?"

"Oh, from a noose, took care of that problem before it began" Mallos replies with a smirk on his face, as he lights a cigarette.

"Wh... What?"

"Don't worry about it. Hey, what are you talking to this stone for anyways?"

Fang proceeds to gesture towards the shades "I'm not talking to a stone, I'm talking to them."

"I don't see anything but a gravestone..."

Edited December 8, 2019 by Mallos

[Mallos]

Mallos returned to the way of cleansing, questioning his sanity, or more accurately questioning Fang's sanity.

"What does he mean, shades? I've never heard of such things, the sun doesn't allow it, does it? They reflect us? No, I'm not very reflective. He's gone mad, too much time sitting in a graveyard I expect."

As he relaxes by the fire he notices movement within it. One of the books used for kindling is turning pages as if being blown by the wind. Oddly he notices that it isn't burning like it should be. He gets up to inspect it closer. Upon further examination the book is completely unharmed by the flames and is cycling back and forth between chapters. In a moment the flame is disturbed and erupts towards him, nearly catching him on fire if not for the fact the flame did not seem to be there. The fire neither burned nor emitted heat. Mallos decided to reach into it, confirming his suspicion. He took a moment to catch the pages of the book, which suddenly stopped turning as he touched it.

The writing was there but the words were ineligible. Nonetheless Mallos began to flip through the pages to look for anything of interest. One such page emerged as it had diagrams of a simple trapezoid, but nothing too complicated. It had marks on each side which seemed to refer to the angles of the shape, but the same marks were listed again at the bottom of the page alongside what looked like a compass pointing to the four cardinal directions. Mallos concluded that this was all of value he could find in the book.

Somewhere in the East a river begins flowing with fresh water from the rain clouds that have been gathering slowly...

___

-A time for consolidation at last-

The young beast eyes Mallos from afar but as it approaches him things are not what they appeared to be. The flame Mallos is sitting by erupts with vigor engulfing everything in sight. Startled, the beast retreats but it is powerless to do anything as it is lifted into the air and feels its life drained from it. Suddenly from within the flames a great pyramid appears, floating atop a mountain and the beast is set gently beneath it, far from where it came.

[Mallos]

Morlecid sat at the Undermined Foundations next to Steno, questioning his loyalty.

"We must act soon..."

___

Meanwhile the shades remain inside Necrovion coalescing around the stone of twisted souls as normal, though now protected by the death patrol once again.

No word was heard from the little old man for quite some time, or so it seemed.