The World Engine Redux

The quills knocked the guards back, some already dead before they hit the ground. For a few, their armor saved them from a lethal hit, but were still staggered or left flattened on the ground. The soldiers being in armor could easily be outrun by the trio. That said, they'd continue the chase for as long as they could. That man's death would save their world, and they had nothing to lose by pursing.
 
As soon as the doors sprang open Gabby made a dash for the exit through the pouring rain. She checked behind her to make sure Cain had made it through the door before making a full out run towards the portal. This body had no heart, but it moved like it should and she pushed it hard until she burst through the portal and into the Observatory

Nazren sat a few feet from where the rain stopped near the portal. He needed to find out why this rain was accused. He lifted his arm for the owl to land, stroking its wings with the other

Hallay jumped into the air as soon as she passed by the doorway, her powerful wings carrying her much faster to the portal than either of the humans could go. She broke through to the observatory, claws skidding on the floor as she slammed into the far shelves, A loud crash sounded from across the room from Hallay's impact. She regained her balance, shaking off one feathered wing at a time. "I'm fine."

"That could have gone better..." she mumbled as she looked back at the still open portal, "Cain was behind me but he hasn't come through."

"serves him. Gergh. The idiot could have got us all killed."

"The situation could have been handled better," she agreed, "Panicked people never bode well. "She glanced at the still open portal again, and a tightness hit her stomach. What was this? She gripped Cain's scabbard in her hand and stepped toward the portal, hesitating just before it.

"Passer my friend, I need you to go out there and figure out what is around." His eyes closed and re-opened as gold, just as the owls did the same. It flew into the storm with surprising steadiness. It flew left of the church, looking below it for anything else.

Gabby peered into the portal and spied the slightly blurry figure of Cain kneeling on the ground with his eyes wide and unblinking. Gripping the blade tighter in hands she looked at the man and then back at the Observatory. It was stupid. A terrible, non-nonsensical idea. "Something is wrong," she commented to Hallay, "I-I- I'm going back." Gritting her teeth she put her foot through the portal and stepped through. Rain poured around her as the angry people seemed frozen against the barrier as she stepped over to Cain and knelt in front of him. "Cain?"

Nazren turned his head to face gabby, slightly tilting it in the process, his pupils so large it did not look like he was looking at anything.

She peered into his unseeing eyes and her skin prickled from their empty eerieness. "Cain...can you hear me, Cain?"

The head turned straight and nodded, before turning sideways once more.

She frowned and kept her eyes locked on his. What was happening? She'd seen soldiers having flash backs...moments of panic and shutting down completely after facing something difficult. Judging from what she had seen of his behavior and his body, it was obvious he had many difficult times. "Are you alright?" She wanted to shake him out of it so the world would close and they could restart, but she hesitated to touch him. He may react violently or it might cause him pain as it did before. Instead, she knelt beside him and waited.

Again the soldier nodded, staying mute for a while before suddenly snapping its head to look at the owl flying above.

Gabby shifted and looked up in the direction his eyes went. A bird with a massive wingspan circled above them, its head swiveling back and forth as if it were looking for something.

Nazren lifted his arm and pointed to the owl flying above, and then to himself slowly. He hooted and returned to looking forward with his hands in his lap.

Gabby tilted her head curiously at the cooing sound. Maybe he was the bird. If he was similar to her...a ghost sort of existence...maybe he could possess others. She had done so once and only once when she first died, in a desperate attempt to talk to her sister. The experience had been....chaotic and sickening....and she vowed never to do it again. Cain seemed to have more control but the possession did leave him vulnerable. While the world seemed frozen on the other side of the rain a few feet away, she didn't trust them or the Warden. Unwilling to leave Cain unprotected, she shifted to sit beside him crossed legged and placed the blade over her lap. She would wait.
 
Last edited:
The Warden was in hysterics, practically keeling over with laughter, "I can't believe... you... really? Are you all that stupid!? People are being hanged by that ribbon, and you think, 'Oh, I know what to do! Let's show them we have one too!' What were you thinking? This is rich... It'd only be funnier if you all died. How much pride does that imbecile contain to not keep the ribbon hidden and keep his trap shut!? It's a simple solution. Very simple, and yet he still had to almost kill himself and all of you! I've seen people die in very stupid ways, but this? This? Ohoho, I haven't been this entertained in a while. I'm almost glad you made it out alive just to see what other stupid mistakes you'll make next."

It wandered to the portal, briefly looking in, "I normally give hints when people return to reset, but I'm fairly certain this one bit is obvious, although you'll have to tell this Nazren himself since he doesn't seem to want to leave yet. Tell him to suck up whatever pride he has, and keep the ribbon hidden. It's not hard."

...

The intensity of the rain was increasing. The flowers were now seemingly in full bloom. Suddenly they lit themselves on fire, and began protruding jets of flame into the air. Their heads started spinning as they channeled flame. The air, although not in the protected zone, began to heat up rapidly. The heat alone was enough to kill someone on its own with time, but things began to get a whole lot worse. Farm plots on the outskirts of town began to rumble. Several more flowers that were in bloom uprooted themselves, revealing tiny flaming bodies. They slowly marched towards the church, now with weakened defenses as a good chunk of the defenders are dead or incapacitated, either impaled with needles or burned to death outside.

If only the defense hadn't suffered so many casualties, they could hold off the hordes for hours, but with the current losses, they might not even get past the first.
 
Hallay glared at the warden, not happy about the situation and looking for someone to fume at. "I figured that out already, genius."

****

Gabby sat silently next to Cain watching the fiery scene unfold through the rain before them. The soldiers that had chased after them were screaming as the flames grew from everywhere and engulfed them. Deaths like these were not shocking to her. She had seen many people die on Kaereal and these were no different. If they were real, they'd die and pass on to somewhere else or be completely fine when they restarted the world.

Whether the people were real or not, the flames felt real enough as even the safe zone began to grow hot at a rapid pace. The air inside became stuffy as waves of heat rolled off of the rain in a deadly, but beautiful kaleidoscope effect. She stared into the world as screams of the dying echoed in her head and the heat blistered over her skin.

It was familiar...this dreadful heat...a red spark and loud pop as fire exploded from her left...the tired whine of a broken engine..... sweat trickling down her temple.....flames are hotter...nearer...licking at her hands peppering her suit....and screams....

She opened her eyes in panic. When had she closed them? Her hands were gripping the sword in her lap to the point of pain and the flames had grown so intense that even the safe zone was becoming too much to bear. She didn't need to breathe, but Cain might need to and she wasn't sure of his awareness. Swallowing down the sudden flicker of memory and a bit of nausea, she turned to Cain and clamped a hand around his forearm, careful not to touch his skin.

"We need to go...now..."she told him quickly as her grey eyes scanned him over.
 
Last edited:
The owl returned to the safe zone, resting on his arm and closing its eyes, making both of theirs switch back. He rose up and headed back through the portal with gabby. He began to pace as the owl did circles above. "Okay. Plan. The plants catch fire and sprout flaming monsters. Water won't work because they are born of rain. We need the soldier's help, which means this needs to vanish, despite looking NOTHING LIKE THE RIBBON YOU EVIL ENGINE." He hid the shred of blue under layers of armor. "It's okay. I like a challenge. Get the soldiers. You." He pointed at hallay. "Be their god, like before. They seem gullible enough. We need a story for the rain though. Keeping them cautious was a good idea, would have never thought of that normally. What if.... No that would demote your power. What if we said the fire was a test of faith and all had to believe you for the rain, and then have them bake in that and... No that would turn them against each other, we need them unified for the fight." He stopped in the middle of the room, facing them. "Any ideas?"
 
Gabby swallowed hard and stepped up. "Yes, I have an idea." It was still hard for her to believe that they could see her and now both of their eyes were on her. It was...unsettling. Her face turned a bit pink but still she made herself talk.

"Now that we know something about what's going to happen and how the people will react, we can use that to our advantage," she said, her voice wavering a bit, "First, we need to stop the execution from happening. They will kill those people thinking it will bring an end to the rain and we know that wont happen. Instead of a failed appeasement, they need to see their goddess. That's where you come in Hallay. We stop the execution and tell the people that you have come with your servants and their forgiveness is imminent. Rather than sacrifice, they must prove themselves with one final test...show their love and loyalty by fighting against the incoming creatures by your side. We will need to make this as....dramatic as possible."

As she spoke, her voice began to grow more steady. Stronger. She turned to Cain and looked him over, "That includes a bit of acting from you as well, Cain."

" Convincing the people is only part of the puzzle and I feel like the fires are meant to distract us from the real solution to the world. If we can convince the people that we are there to save them, we should split them up. Guards can be lead by one of us to defend the place while the other two keep the civilians inside and search the building for the real answer to the problem."

Her eyes flickered between her two teammates as she stuck her hands in her jumpsuit pockets, "Unless, anyone has a different idea?'

"Sounds good to me. I shall help the defense," Cain replied.

Hallay nodded, pruning her wet wings straight briefly before turning to her tail, checking how many tail quills were used in the first attempt. She used her agile paws to remove two older quills that were untidy, flicking them across the room under a shelf.

Gabby nodded and turned to the Warden whose purple eye was alight with amusement. "Will you please reset the world, Warden?"
 
Last edited:
The Warden chuckled, "Oh stop putting so much value on that ribbon. You're only deceiving yourself by claiming the ribbons look nothing alike. A ribbon was placed on the scale, and thus, your ribbon is in the world. It was all of you who chose the ribbon to be in there in the first place. Besides, let's face it, any tailor worth their salt could replicate that ribbon. The only thing that's special about it is your own obsession."

It slithered over to the scale, making sure the figurines were firmly attached before turning to the group, "Oh, I should mention, since the world is being reset, you may notice a few things are different. Different names, different faces, and perhaps even different favorite colors or dishes. Don't make the mistake of assuming you know the name of anyone important, or what they look like. Despite being a replica, the copy is not exact."

"Hm... it makes me wonder what happened to the previous people? Are they even people? They have names, histories, memories, but does that make them real or not?" The Warden threw a tentacle onto the gate, dispersing it of any energy before lighting it up once again, "How many lives must be thrown away in search of a few selfish cures? Perhaps it is better if we deceive ourselves that these people do not exist then, hm? Or perhaps, you should. It doesn't bother me either way."

"The portal is open. Step through when you are ready. Oh, and a little advice. I do happen to know there is a way to stop the fire for just enough time to escape to the portal if you need to. You'll have to figure out the method however. I can't give away everything."
 
Nazren ignored the rude warden, knowing now he was not a god. He turned to the other two and then to his owl, seeming to mutely attempt at conversation.

Gabby looked to Cain who looked like he was talking to the owl and then to Hallay. "Let's go shall we?" Then she stepped into the portal.

Hallay grumbled to herself as she waited for the humans to step in first. The plan sounded crazy, but so were most humans so maybe it would work.

Nazren bowed in front of the portal, motioning with his hands for hallay to go first. "Ladies and non-humans first."
 
Last edited:
They would have been greeted with an absolutely massive church, comparable to that of a skyscraper, laid not too far off. At the very top of the church laid a sculpture of a dragon that with angel wings, staring down at the masses below with a judgmental stare. In front of the church and underneath the bleak rainy skies laid several gallows. A human dressed in clothes akin to that of a priest was yelling to the masses gathered as two masked individuals brought another person.

"This man has committed crimes against the Church!" the priest bellowed, "As you know, such heretics are branded and hanged by the ribbon around their neck!" he lifted part of the ribbon around the man's neck, one that looked eerily familiar to the one Nazren carried. The priest motioned towards the two executioners, who brought more branded individuals, "With the coming rain! We offer these heathens as sacrifices to atone for our sins! Oh great Goddess, please forgive us! Banish this terrible rain before the flowers bloom and the colors blur!"

The executions tied the end of the ribbon to the top of the bar, "Forgive us!" the priest screamed, as the lever was pulled. All of the individuals were hanged in brutal fashion.

But the rain kept coming.

The masses looked confused, whispering to each other before the Priest looked upon over the group, "No... we failed... heathens still lurk here within our lands! We're all doomed! Quick! Inside the Church! Everyone! Please oh great one, forgive us!"

"They're coming!"

"The flowers are blooming!"

"Run!"
Click to expand...

Time is an endless loop! Ia! Ia!
 
Gabby watched just as the people were about to be hanged and mustered her courage...if she had a heart....it would be pounding. "STOP!"

Hallay followed suit, pushing out her chest and puffing out her wings slightly, red and purple zigzags fierce against her black fur. "Your goddess' messenger has arrived, there is no need to kill another. Your final challenge approaches!"

'Cain' Made sure his shread of dress was out of sight before folding his cloak and looking like a convincing monk.
 
(OOC: Sorry for the late and short reply. Finals were this week, and this was kinda shoved to the bottom of the priority list.)

The executioners hands were on the lever, but he did not push it forward. The crowd turned, initially confused, but some were overcome in awe. A messenger? From their goddess? A final challenge? Was this their salvation?

The priest stepped forward, "Praise be! A messenger has arrived!" he motioned to the executioner, who stepped away from the lever, "We are all willing to face this challenge that you speak of. Please, tell us what we must do to appease the holy one!"
 
"Fight the fire flowers and the beings of flame with me, his champion." Nazren pulled his cloak about him to reveal his blade but did not touch it as to threaten them.
 
There were whispers in the crowd. The priest was silent for a moment before he raised his hand and pointed behind himself, "Quick, fetch the banner. A champion needs a flag to rally our soldiers around him!" A single individual ran into the church, taking a few moments before returning. The banner was adorned with the symbol of their goddess. The priest took the banner with both hands, kneeling before Cain.

"Please, take this. As long as you hold this, hope still reigns, and our soldiers cannot fall under your leadership."

There was a mysterious power in the banner. One could almost feel the energy that emanated from within it. A few soldiers stepped forth, saluting, "We follow you sir."
 
He headed inside strapping the banner to his back so it hung above him. "FORM RANKS! Who is the commanding officer of this force!?"
 
Gabby looked to Hallay who maintained her regal posture and gave her a bow in keeping with the show. "As you wish, my Goddess..."
She turned to the citizens of this strange world and looked them over as the rain poured down. They still looked terrified, but now was not the time for panic. There was work to be done.

"Your Goddess commands that the civilians move to the sanctuary out of the rain while her champion works!" she announced, "Please move inside quickly and calmly!"
 
The soldiers looked at one another, before looking back at Cain as one stepped forth, giving a salute, "Officer Bezwick, at your command sir." He didn't wear armor as the rest of the soldiers, but rather wore a prestigious uniform. He still kept a weapon in tow, a shortsword. The men behind him quickly formed up, "We wait further orders."

The citizens meanwhile, took head to Gabby's words, and quickly, but calmly, proceeded into the church in an orderly manner. There were still whispers, children tugging on their parent's legs, but otherwise the crowd kept moving.

The rain was beginning to pick up. The air slowly began to become humid and thick, almost unnoticeable at first, but soon becoming apparent.
 
The rain began to pour down even harder soaking through her jumpsuit again. The air was growing more humid, almost unbearably so, as the people did as they were bid by their goddess and filed into the cathedral. Heat with moisture....they were coming.

She bit her bottom lip, trying to stave of the growing bundle of nerves buzzing in her stomach. Everything was going more or less according to plan, but things could change in an instant....just like...no. She had to keep looking confident or the people would lose 'faith.' Squaring her shoulders, she glanced to Hallay as the last of the people went into the church. "Let's go, my Goddess. I don't think we have much time before things get chaotic."
With that, Gabby pushed her sopping hair from her face and followed the others into the church, headed for the basement.
 
Hallay entered the foyer of the chapel, shaking off little drops of water from her fur and wings. Despite her best efforts to keep it somewhat contained, Gabby was caught in the miniature storm of water off her body. The dragoness crept up to Cain, motioning subtly for him to follow by walking past and brushing his leg with her tail, giving him a look briefly before walking to the basement doors.

Nazren gestured with both hands at the men standing attention, mutely motioning that he was busy before going back to talking to the men. "And what is our inventory? I need the count of front and back line soldiers. Does anyone know in detail what we are up against? I have been busy fighting our lords rivals." He brought his graves together and summoned his owl from the engine to the cathedral. "And what of the farms outside this sanctuary?"
 
Last edited:
Like before, the entrance to the basement was locked. A few civilians tried the doors before announcing that they were as such. Most others then began to proceed up the two stairs towards the upper levels of the church. Meanwhile, a few looked at Nazren a bit oddly at his mention of rivals.

"Rivals? Our goddess has rivals!?" A few soldiers looked at one another, before returning their attention back to Nazren.

Bezwick meanwhile had his hands behind his back, and answers Nazren, "All soldiers are equipped with swords. About a quarter of us are trained with the bow, and are equipped as such. In total, we have about 50 soldiers," Bezwick paused, his eyes looking up for a moment as he thought to himself, "We don't know the incoming threat. We've never failed to appease the goddess for centuries. Any knowledge of the beforetimes are lost to us. Hm... but..." Bezwick paused again, "the church is massive. Many rooms have never been touched for decades. It's impossible to maintain the entire building. Maybe something can be found in those rooms?"

"As for the farms," Bezwick continued, "they'll be flooded out by the rain. We'll lose all the crops, and we will starve before the next harvest. Your orders sir?"
 
She listened to the Bezwick man speak to Cain as water dripped from the ends of her hair. He seemed to know more about what was going on than most of the frightened flock of people milling around inside. They needed into the basement, surely the rooms he mentioned were down there? Or perhaps what they needed was on the second level? Either way they needed full access to the building to solve the puzzle and blasting the door like before would probably produce more fear in an already terrified crowd on edge.
"Sir, my I ask why the basement remains locked?" she piped from behind Cain.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top