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Post by Cody D'Avalon on Oct 17, 2022 0:56:07 GMT
Cody dived off the pier in a smooth arch. He angled away from his usual search area.
Was it away he wondered? Or was it broadening the search area?
How do you describe the indescribable?
His dive was deep: He plummeted like a stone and drifted like a feather at the same time.
The only thing he could use to reliability judge his progress was by counting his heartbeat.
One-thousand
Two-thousand
Three-....
Four-
With his newly developed ShapeShifting skills he's fashioned himself into something resembling a killer whale: If a killer whale had arms and legs in place of flippers and fins.
Or, well...
Use your imagination.
Mouth wide open, jaw thrust forward to help alleviate the rapid ear-popping pressure changes.
Down. Down.. Down...
Light. Dark. Darker. Burst of colours. Roaring sounds. Silences. Everything and nothing at all.
One white duck to the power of ten equals nothing at all....
Mind drifts. Looses focus.
That was a moment ago.
The next moment: Interstellar Space. Stars beyond forever. Free Fall. Hard Vacuum.
Cody's Jump Ship had been booted out of the Flux. Hard.
Looking around he saw that the Jump Ship had been shredded to pieces around him. Along with the other two crewmates.
His only stitch of clothing; a coverall; is shredded too.
The cybernetic port on his left wrist has been torn from his flesh. Blood bubbled and floated free from there. A wiring harness dangled from his right wrist, still attached to a section of his command berth.
He closed his mouth and clamped his jaw tightly to stop his last breath from escaping.
Rationally, he should be screaming but the shock of it somehow left his mind numb.
Depending on his proximity to the nearest star, he'll be cooked or frozen solid. Possibly before his lungs, half-full of air, expire.
His skin is screaming. Burn/Freeze. Either way is painful.
The sound....
What's that sound?
The silence of space: Isn't.
Humming/Buzzing/Ringing/Resolving into....
Music?
The faint distant memory of....
ShapeShifting?
Cody thickens his skin. Envelopes his head in a clear bubble. Blows out his breath and takes one in...
The scene around him shifts. Wavers. Solidifies.
Liqiufies?
He's suddenly floating/drifting on a rough sea. He's clinging to shattered lumber. Pieces of an anachronistic sea sailing ship.
The roar of a storm fills his ears.
Is that an ancient sea shanty that he hears?
He drifts.. . .
"Mommy?"
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Post by Lorelei on Oct 17, 2022 2:10:22 GMT
The sea is rough... more than rough. it rages. The wind howls until he thinks his ears will bleed.
The waves become whitecaps everywhere he can see, except... except for an island, back-lit by a flash of lightning, how far away.
Something fundamental shifts and it feels like the bottom has fallen out of his guts... out of the universe...
Everything seems to lose its buoyancy, sinking, spinning so slowly.
There it is again... Music... not a shanty, more... more a wordless melody so strange and inhumanly beautiful... and close.
A piece of ship's mast, the tattered sail still attached at the top end, the ship's bell still attached near its splintered end drifts aside.
The pressure at this depth, which had been threatening to crack his lungs, eases and he sees her silhouette in a shaft of light piercing the water. She was the source of the song. Behind her is a disc darker than the deepest starless void, several dozen yards across.
The singing stops as she turns her head to look over her shoulder, her skin smooth and pale in this light, her long black hair flowing freely about her nude figure, her jade colored eyes so cat-like... or were they more like back-lit emeralds? He would have to get closer to be certain. She speaks in the strangest accented Thari that he has ever heard, "You should not be here." .
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Post by Cody D'Avalon on Oct 17, 2022 3:29:09 GMT
His last breath had been used up and the euphoria of hypoxia was about to overcome him. With his last bit of rational thought he ShapeShifted gills.
Now he was back to his killer whale form... Er, um... With gills, he was more of a shark.
Or was he back to being himself again?
He didn't know or care anymore.
Willing himself forward, he drifts closer to the enigmatic beauty at the bottom of the sea.
Sea?
Like a poetic wordsmith, he stitches together his most eloquent greeting, "Oh, hello. What brings you here? Uh, fair lady. Lovely voice."
Clearly, he's dumbfounded. Remembering some manners, he flourishes a bow.
"So sorry. My manners...
Greetings. I am Cody D'Avalon, at your service. Certainly, I'm not exactly sure where 'here' is but I'll leave if you think I must.
But, before I go. I need to know if there are anymore like you down here? I am searching for my M-unit. Very black hair. Very blue eyes. Ivory skin. A stunning beauty. Almost like you.
You won't mind if I take that bell with me, will you?
Lovely to make your acquaintance. Even in passing.
So I'll know. If our paths ever cross again down here. Your name, please. How may I address you?"
Even in the relatively short time that Cody has been plying the Abyss he's learned to always expect the unexpected.
Although the cybernetic port had been torn from his left wrist, he was otherwise mostly unharmed and didn't feel particularly threatened in his current predicament.
Overall the blood loss was minimal and he hadn't even noticed that the wiring harness was no longer attached to his right.
Or, had any of that even happened?
Was any of this even happening?
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Post by Lorelei on Oct 17, 2022 5:34:13 GMT
This female was young. His best guess would place her between mid-puberty and young adult. She seems uneasy, but not from any sense of modesty.
She remains silent until he has his say before responding with, "Thank you for the compliment."
"I am Lorelei of House Lir in Rebma." While information about the far end of existence would be sketchy here, two pieces of information are (eventually?) revealed by her revelation... House Lir is the Royal House of that Realm and it was founded by Lir, King of the Tritons - a race even demons are leary of...
"If the bell is the bounty you seek, it is yours. You may have this as well..." With a flicking motion a silver coin bearing her likeness slices through the water like a discus through air... Where had she been keeping it?
"I made my way here, alone, to sing to the ancestors."
"When I spoke earlier, it was out of concern for your safety. You do not seem to be of Triton blood and that makes the old ones unpredictable, not that there is any surety with the ancient ones..." That seems to be an important distinction to her - old vs ancient... It is at that moment the several dozen yard black disk behind her... blinks. The realization hits him that he has been staring into just the pupil of something beyond immense.
Twisting enough to gesture to the creature, she says, "Cody D'Avalon, this is THE Kraken... a Triton of immeasurable age... Those on the ship offended him, I think...." .
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Post by Cody D'Avalon on Oct 17, 2022 15:21:50 GMT
"This is a very exciting honour. To meet both of you, Lorelei of House Lir in Rebma and THE immeasurably ancient Triton Kraken.He realizes that the atmosphere is breathable once more and shifts away his gills. He continues to shift away any whale/shark attributes to present himself in his natural form and bows once more. "This is as I truly am. Cody D'Avalon. Formerly of Station Three. Currently residing in the Courts of Chaos. I have taken up the profession of Pit-Diver. I seek my M-Unit, uh Mother, down here in the Abyss. While I am seeking her, I collect other treasures to pay my way in the world outside of the Abyss."
"The price I can get for this salvaged bell may feed my friends and I for a week. Some other parts of this wreck will fetch a price as well."Feeling the buoyancy of water and the pleasant 'liquid breeze' is refreshing. Cody deftly catches the tossed coin and admires it. Obverse and Reverse. <OOC> I assume the the other side of the coin depicts The Kraken? Where had she been keeping it? A gentleman wouldn't ask. </OOC> "It bears your lovely image. Fantastic!"
"I will keep this as your token keepsake."<OOC> The nudity isn't the least bit unsettling. It's common on Station, although not so much in The Courts. </OOC> By this time he had assessed that if The Kraken had wanted him dead, he would already be dead. So he felt himself safe, for the moment. He had known Cephalopods back at Station. Well respected. Excellent Flux Pilots. Although none as large or ancient as the one before him now. "Singing to the ancestors seems right and righteous. I would be honoured to join you if I knew the tune or had an instrument to accompany you with."
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Post by Lorelei on Oct 17, 2022 18:20:18 GMT
[OOC: In Amber the Unicorn is venerated, but in Rebma it is the Seahorse. Based on this I'm assuming the back of Rebma's coins depict the Seahorse.]
[OOC: Tritons grow in size and power with great age, becoming more alien in their way of thinking as they do. With that increase in size and power, they also metamorphose from large humanoids to some immense form of sea-life, type determined individually. Some Tritons are also shape-shifters, as are some Rebmans...]
"I have been thinking about your earlier question," Lorelei begins. "I am often told I greatly resemble my mother's mother, Moins. She and my father's mother, Faiella, were said to look so much alike they could have been twins. Like myself, my father's eyes are green, but his full-brother and full-sister had eyes of blue, and all three have hair of black. The sister was said to have been lost alive to the Abyss at the end of the Great War... There is enough coincidence to entertain the possibility that my father's Abyss-lost sister and your mother might be the same person. Is there anything else you can tell me about her?"
"I would be happy to have you join in the singing. I can lead you through the tones with hand-signs. You may first, however, want to collect your salvage before it drifts too far away." .
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Post by Cody D'Avalon on Oct 18, 2022 2:13:27 GMT
The young girl below the sea was suggesting that she and he may be related.
This may be the most bizarre thing that he had ever encountered deep within the Abyss.
Or anywhere else...
"I certainly have a tale to tell on that subject."
"I am certain of nothing in my genealogy. I was raised to believe that there was only just M-unit and myself. That is until a chasm opened through the Flux. She called it a ~Black Road~."
"Shortly afterwards she brought me through ~Shadow~ to a place called Amber and told me that I am part of an ancient extended family of Barimen. There's an estrangement of sorts. M-unit explained that she wanted to raise me outside of the Royal Family to keep me from suffering what she called ~overblown entitlement~ and to be beyond the influence and manipulation of my Grandfather."
"Lies and omissions to keep me safe, she said."
"She would have it that I was older and more set in my ways before introducing me to the ~Pattern~ and those others of her family."
"The appearance of ~The Black Road~ forced her to rush my introduction. When I arrived in ~Amber~ there was raging war and the ~Pattern~ was damaged. I was kept hidden in M-unit's accommodation."
"No sooner had I arrived, I was collected and added to my Grandfather's funeral procession and departed ~Amber~. I was but one of the thousand-fold mourners funneled along."
"We followed the ~Black Road~ to the Courts of Chaos."
"It was along the ~Black Road~ that I heard fantastical tales of my Grandfather's life and death. Of all his offspring. My M-unit among them. The final battle where my M-unit was dragged into the Abyss."
"There, at the edge of the Abyss I heard of how it happened that the ancient ~Unicorn~ delved into there to retrieve some jewelry but neglected to rescue M-unit."
The anger and sadness emanating from Cody is almost overwhelming as he gets to this part of his story.
"I went to the edge of the Abyss where she was dragged over by her demented half-brother. Cursing the damned ~Unicorn~ for forsaking M-unit, I jumped after her. There, I was beset upon by the denizens and nearly torn to pieces."
"I was revived sometime later in the Sheltering Coils Temple."
Panting for breath between sobs...
"I pledged service to the Temple in exchange for room and board and the opportunity to continue searching..."
"I can't believe that M-unit would have succumbed in the Abyss as easily as I was. She was battle hardened, armed and armoured. She certainly wouldn't be driven to madness as some are by the strangeness of the Abyss. Not as a proficient Flux Pilot."
"I Have to believe that she is here somewhere..."
The singing... The singing... Yes, begging a moment to collect himself. As strange as it might seen, he really did want to sing for the Kraken. And his newfound kin.
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Post by Lorelei on Oct 18, 2022 8:12:08 GMT
Lorelei listens to the tale, nodding. "The details match everything I have learned of the history. Your mother's name is Dierdre of House Barimen in Amber. My father is Corwin, the younger of her two full-brothers. He has a son in the Courts, Merlin of House Sawall..."
Using a bit a magic she creates three large hand-sized reflective planes, each bearing an image of one of those she has named. Lacking true solidity, the reflective planes almost immediately begin slowly dissolving... It is all the comforting she can give him here and now.
She glances back at the Kraken, noting that it has not moved. It is uncertain how much longer that will remain true. .
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Post by Cody D'Avalon on Oct 18, 2022 17:06:19 GMT
"Deirdre... Deirdre... Yes, I've heard her called that here. She is Brighid D'Avalon on Station."
Seeing her face after so long...
And his Uncle? And Cousin?
And the young girl herself.
All with similar features. Familial features.
After digesting this information, "Merlin, of a high house here in Chaos... Is my cousin?"
"How big is our family?"
<OOC> Not sure of the timing, but I'll assume Merlin hasn't become King yet in this scene. </OOC>
It's heart wrenching to watch the images dissolve. Wishing he could take and keep the image of his M-Unit.
Cody senses that Lorelei is anxious about The Kraken. "Please, let's sing for the majestic Kraken."
The other treasures can wait.
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Post by Lorelei on Oct 18, 2022 19:30:34 GMT
Lorelei nods in answer to his first question. To answer the second she says, "Oberon was a very lustful man. He had several wives and an unknown number of lovers during his millennia plus as King of Amber. There were roughly a dozen of the resulting children he recognized and raised in the castle. They are the Elders. No one knows how many went unrecognized or died when attempting to initiate into the Pattern... For the most part, any children the Elders had were keep hidden, at least until the Great War, and perhaps a few remain hidden even now."
She appears to relax as they return to the subject of singing. She sings a musical scale a few times while demonstrating the hand signs. When Cody can accurately repeat the scale in response to the hand signs, they are ready to sing to The Kraken. .
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Post by Cody D'Avalon on Oct 18, 2022 20:44:35 GMT
Cody really enjoys the duet. If you can call this odd sing-song a duet. But it also makes him feel a little homesick for Station and his creche-mates and the music they used to play together.
It never occurred to him that he would be singing and enjoying music so deep in the Abyss.
He made a mental note to search the market for an instrument to play. Something small that he could carry with him.
... So deep in the Abyss ...
?
"From my reckoning, I am deep in the Abyss. Perhaps deeper than I have ever ventured before. By a very strange and tumultuous path. It's so strange that I have found you here Lorelei."
"How is this possible?"
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Post by Lorelei on Oct 19, 2022 7:08:33 GMT
"While I do not recognize these waters, I know the Abyss to be at the far end of Shadow," Lorelei answers. "I know that I am actually in my bed in Castle Rebma, somewhere above the cavern housing our Pattern. Amber itself is only a few hours away by foot..."
Her expression shifts to one of introspection. "Sometimes I feel the stirring of my blood, and strange dreams come... I ~am~ one of the few beings in all existence to have both Blood of the Unicorn and Triton blood flowing strong in my veins. Perhaps that means the dreams can sometimes be more than dreams..."
They ~feel~ The Kraken move away from them, its massive body creating powerful short-lived currents as it displaces water around it. .
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Post by Cody D'Avalon on Oct 19, 2022 13:42:28 GMT
Cody ponders his situation.
"So, if I were to speculate: I had heard that the void of the Abyss actually touches everything. So, I have somehow reached the precincts of your Rebma through it... However, not all the way to your bedchamber... Where you say you were slumbering... Or maybe still asleep and dreaming?"
"I'm not sure what that reveals about my mental state of consciousness. If we share a dream, it is a pleasant one."
Cody cringes a bit with the thought of sharing the Unicorn's blood. That cruel Matron.
Seeing the Titan begin to stir, "Perhaps our Nobel Patron has arranged our meeting. A dream that has somehow become our shared reality. Chaperoned by The Kraken."
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Post by Lorelei on Oct 23, 2022 6:52:45 GMT
Lorelei nods thoughtfully, and finally asking, "If I am dreaming and you are physically in a place that touches upon dreams, are you able to exert your will here? Could you touch upon your mother's dreams if she is dreaming now?" .
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Post by Cody D'Avalon on Oct 23, 2022 15:06:30 GMT
"You are brilliant! All of my searching has been done with my five senses. It nevered occurred to me to try to employ a sixth." Cody thinks on the way he can transmit his thoughts when he ~talked~ with Tch-Tch; or through the cybernetic communication links.
"I have no idea if I am capable of projecting my thoughts, or if I do, what effect it may have on the people around me. Plug your ~ears~ and I'll try to call out."
Cody concentrates on an image of his M-unit within his mind. A template to overlay on anything he can sense around him.
With all his Psyche energy he telepathically ~shouts~ into the void calling ~M-unit! Mother! Brighid! Deirdre!?~
With his mind wide open he ~listens~ to echoes... Praying for a response...
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