Tricks & Giblets imaginarium: Butcher Shop and Alchemy

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Teide

Re: Tricks & Giblets imaginarium: Butcher Shop and Alchemy

Post by Teide »

Teide frowned because sometimes she simply in her hind sight could see the connections so much more clearly. To her she had thought she had been entirely too generous laying out the clues as clearly as she did. She would think which of the Fallen was so obvious....but her view of the whole situation was greatly distorted. She kept that in mind as she patiently answered, twirling the goblin's hand.

"The Good Mages have one by one gone silent and faded back into their fabric. The five remaining Fallen have been sealed into the Void by Zachrin for this world's protection. Etain and Damonica were killed by the others..so was Ashila but a part of the Great Witch is in the world and a part within the Void. The Fallen are immortal though and if enough of their essence is regathered from their followers they can...be reborn within an avatar. Etain and Damonica remain without bodies and their essence scattered but their consciousness has returned. Novajen was Etain's strongest creation...she was supposed to infect others and spread the disease. The more she has the more powerful she'd be...and then Etain would be reborn with her full power. Novajen was merely the tool to her reconstruction but the tool grew a mind of it's own and rebelled...waiting to be more powerful than...her mother."


Teide was warning him. Her eyes opened and she became very serious as she stared into his eyes.

"Listen to me very closely. This is the most important...Novajen is growing and changing but she is not the only threat. Ashila, the one who survived, has gathered enough of her essence within this world to move her own followers and tainted. The only sure way to be immune to Novajen's or Ashila's taint is to carry certain artifacts of power. I carry in my possession an artifact of just that sort. This item I am willing to give to you. They cannot taint you then."
Silence

Re: Tricks & Giblets imaginarium: Butcher Shop and Alchemy

Post by Silence »

Alder's first reaction was one of disbelief. This had to be some kind of twisted joke, or else a weird trick. Nobody had given him anything before in his life, and now, here was Teide, just handing him a relic that was probably one of the most valuable things she possessed, if it was real... this thing could protect you from mages for goodness sake, or at least, it could stop their 'taint' from getting at you. No, nobody in their right mind would give him something like that.

"You're kidding, right? I mean, why just..." he looked closer at Teide "No... you're bloody well serious."

Alder wasn't certain how to react to this. What Teide had said had made sense now he thought about it... Novajen was created to spread Elain's taint, but grew powerful enough that she might have been able to soon challenger her creater, so Elain burnt her, leaving just this... thing behind. The thing that called itself Jenova. Although, the real problem was not that... the real problem was an honest to the elders dark mage that would soon be roaming the world, or at least would soon be sending her followers down on Secfenia... well, now he was definitely involved. Whether he liked it or not, he couldn't just stand by and let that sort of thing happen if there was any chance of him avoiding it. After all, did he really expect that Alder would be preserved when a dark mage came sweeping down on the land. No, Alder wouldn't be able to live unless Youken did something about it. He didn't bother to ask the stupid question of 'why me?' since Teide had already answered it. The better question was.

"You're honestly serious... Mages, why the hell did you give this teh me then? Don't you need it? What are you planning Teide?" (strange, he had remembered her name somewhere along the line) "... well, doesn't matter does it. All that matters is... well, yeh wouldn't give this artefact teh me if yeh didn't want me teh do something with it... only thing I can really do with it that I couldn't before is do something against Jenova and Ali... whatever it is... the one about Curses and that other thing... wanting stuff or something right? What do yeh want me teh do? Whatever it is, I'll see what I can do if yeh answer me one question."

There was just one nagging suspicion in the back of his mind... Teide probably knew what she was doing, but...

"Do you want teh watch the world burn Teide? Are you trying teh prevent this or what? What are you trying teh accomplish? Are yeh trying teh stop this or help it teh happen? I'll help yeh with whatever it is yeh want, but I need teh know that yeh ain't about teh help the world burn."

He looked her dead in the eye, gauging her every twitch, a slight look to the left... anything that might indicate the presence of a lie.
Teide

Re: Tricks & Giblets imaginarium: Butcher Shop and Alchemy

Post by Teide »

Without him realizing it she had coaxed him out of his posturing and frontal defenses. His reactions were no longer gauged or protected. The spell in her shoppe she had networked through the woodwork had broken through. That alone was worth it. His mind had protected him though he didn't know it. The inability to recall her name had served in his favor, a reaction to her magic as a natural defense. Now the slow process at work in him could start, to his benefit and her purposes. She leaned into his stare as he tried to measure her words for deceit confidently for she had nothing to lie about. Indeed, Teide was certain everything she said, was true to her, justifiable and perfectly reasoned. He seemed always on edge with her psionic abilities despite her reassurances she had no intention of reading his mind. The barriers in the inner most surrounding Alder's mind were strongly felt the first encounter. Yet he seemed very unaware of it. No, Teide had no intention on trespassing on his thoughts. Her own had been abused, confused and invaded enough yet there was no way Teide could ever convince anyone...so she never tried more than once. Her mind had become a nest of thousands of tangible snakes. Some harmless and some poisonous and she could call on the snake she needed now. Alder would glimpse the face he desired. It was not evil merely a precaution.

Teide smiled but the look was hard and intense as pain, anger and determination swirled in her slow, glowing eyes. Her jaw set stoutly and her shoulders tensed. The skeletal hand in her grasp. cracked and splintered as her hands clenched. In this slender small hands there was a surprising and murderous strength. "Burn?" she said the word venomously as if spitting out a bad piece of meat. "My world has already burned...several times over. Do I intend to watch the world burn?" the question was dripping with mirth mixed with cold hatred, "The world does not deserve mercy. Their sin of ignorance, cruelty, selfishness, greed and gluttony is enough to condemn every soul for their disgusting thoughts and unkindness. No one is exempt. We are all flawed and horrible within. All the sentient need is a single seed of the forbidden fruit to blossom into the fullness of their decadence." the words were spoken coldly as simple fact. The anger disappeared from her countenance replaced with almost an admiration at the fact. Then she softened and her intensity faded to a calm and almost calculating amusement. A keen sharpness in her eyes was not muddled with insanity though. The swing had been purposeful to show the seriousness in her resolve. "Burning the world is limiting and blind. Watching it burn would be to just let Doumar have his way. He wants to corrupt and unravel Zachrin's work for only in true destruction can his Father truly be released. Yet Ashila thinks she can create an avatar for that terrible entity..." she makes a tsk tsk sound with a click of her tongue, "That's the trouble with evil chaotic beings. Their goals aim for destruction, dominance and power. There is always a higher power and if everything is gone nothing remains to destroy. If everything is controlled nothing remains to surprise. Stagnation and perpetual boredom."

She shifted and regarded him without blinking. Reclining back in her chair she stated simply, "I do not aim to save the world nor let those Mages have their way with it. I am not a hero or a savior. I am Teide. I will aid you as your threads of fate have already been entangled. I tried to keep you ignorant but safe paths are now behind you. Chaos does not flow on a single path or plan and neither do I. Be prepared for everything and indulge nothing worth keeping for it diminishes the possible chances. Yet too tight-lipped how can paths be opened. You might say my clearest goal is to make the world doesn't end otherwise I'd have nothing to do." Her left leg crossed over her right and she threw the hand aside carelessly, "Alder I'm not going to tell you what I want you to do. Rather I am going to ask 'Now you know what you know, what do you want to do and will you take the gift I offer?"
Silence

Re: Tricks & Giblets imaginarium: Butcher Shop and Alchemy

Post by Silence »

Alder almost smiled as he listened to Teide. Yes, it was unnerving how she was talking about the destruction of the world as if she had considered it, but her reasons actually made sense... no, she wasn't lying. In fact, her expression looked to him a lot like somebody trying to explain something to somebody else, somebody who was genuinely trying to get the other person to understand... a bit like the witcher's was when he was telling the boy that his footwork was completely off. Something within him told him that he was being perhaps too trusting, but that was just force of habit. Teide already knew what he usually tried to hide, and he had validated for himself that she wasn't trying to deceive him... manipulate him, yes, but so far, she hadn't lied, which actually surprised the boy. It made him want to be honest with her in turn.

"Good question... I guess, I'll search out Novajen, or Jenova, or whatever it is now, and find out what she's doing. I'll try not to be too obvious about it... gosh, been a while since I really did anything like this... ah well, I already showed myself that I hadn't forgotten much a while ago."

"If yeh really think it's a good idea, and if yer sure yeh don't need it, I'll take that thing, although... last time I met this thing... It almost got me teh be one of its controlled... but it didn't... Don't really know for sure what happened, but I kinda removed the infected part from myself... not sure how.... just saying. Don't know if it's important like, but... ah well."

Alder glanced at his coin, something that he often did to simplify a problem. He would remember that everything had to obey a few laws, gravity for a start. It reminded him that if he applied small amounts of force in the correct way, he could manipulate a situation to how he wanted... it also reminded him how quickly that approach could turn out badly. It was all too easy to drop the coin if something very small upset its balance... that, and it kept his mind on hiw firm more easily than if he wasn't fiddling with it. It was sort of like, so long as he was manipulating something, it reminded him of how long his fingers were supposed to be, what shape his wrist was to get just that particular flick in that particular way, how long his legs were to get the right distance from the ground to catch the coin after flipping it... if something went wrong with his coin, something had gone wrong with his form. Now, the problem.

"I'll find out what Jenova is doing now. I'll figure out how and why... I'll figure out how tehdisrupt the how part... or I'll figure out a way teh change things... Unless yeh want teh tell me what I can do about Alisha and Doumar, I'm just gonna work on what I know... that is, I know where Novajen is, she's in Widu, I've seen her now and then... I know roughly how she works... she puts something inteh people which either takes them over or kills them for her food, right? That last one's a guess by the way. I guess, that sounds kinda stupid right now, but I like teh keep the problem simple... I'll make my answer more complicated when the problem gets complicated."
Teide

Re: Tricks & Giblets imaginarium: Butcher Shop and Alchemy

Post by Teide »

Teide considered him and his analysis. It produced the first real smile she had the entire encounter. One of relief and easiness. The intensity dropped from her eyes giving Teide a softness in her dainty child-like features. Why was she smiling? Teide had met many beings of great power or great boasting. She had met some that had no sense of self outside a goal or a certain purpose. She had met strong minds with good convictions but so many lacked a tint of common sense that said to take things a step at a time, consider realistically, and act as it hits with creative spontaneity. She hoped this promising specimen would not disappoint her. He had sense though his ignorance for certain things and to put hints in place was unsettling. Still, he could learn...and there was that intriguing untouchable core she could not see that might still...surprise her. Teide resolved to watch him and see what he does...

"Just remember she cannot infect you with this but she can still kill you."

Teide stood up and turned looking at the potion shelves where she had shattered the glass earlier. Teide stepped up onto the table and reached up grabbing a shelf. She pulled herself up and climbed the shelves like a ladder until she was level with the top shelf. Pushing aside a couple large bottles of glowing yellow poisons, she reached to the back of the shelf and pressed a button. There was a click and a stuffed Wheep behind Alder flipped under the floorboards revealing a pedestal with a glass case. Held within the case was a simple necklace with a small unpolished chain of iron. Linked to the middle was a small fang similar to a vampire's canine. Embedded in the roots of the fang was a small circular stone similar to jade with seemed be be a part of the tooth itself. Teide hopped off the shelves landing deftly on her feet. She strode to the pedestal and touched the glass. Invisible wards broke and she opened the case.

"The Amulet of A Mother's Love or it's formal name, the atrifact of Munay. I prefer to just call it Munay for short. She prefers it as well. The energy within Munay is alive similar to a true golem but unmoving. She will protect her master actively from the taint of all others and imbue him or her with heightened natural ability. If your talent is magic like mine...she will heighten your magical abilities or if it is more physical your senses as an example. Munay evolves and adapts to her master. She cannot be stolen or removed. She must be given or allow herself to be touched. She is poison to all others for her fang carries an ancient venom. Now I give her to you."

Teide holds out the necklace which was not ornate. The iron was plain and simple but enchanted to adjust it's size. There was nothing feminine about it or masculine. To any unknowing eye it simple like a simple trinket anyone could wear for accessory. It's small size did not make it gaudy or cumbersome and the fang seemed to knowingly rest just right not to prick Teide's hands no matter how she held it.

"Just hold out your hand to Munay. Prick your finger on her tip and she will take a single drop of your blood. Then she will know you and serve only you until you would give her up. Her defense against the taint will be innate and natural and you won't feel a thing. Should you face Jenova and ALL hope fails...simply say her name. "
Silence

Re: Tricks & Giblets imaginarium: Butcher Shop and Alchemy

Post by Silence »

Alder started to hold out his hand to prick his finger. If Teide was honestly giving this to him, he wasn't going to deny it or give her time to reconsider- wait a minute... that was a little vague wasn't it?

"Wait, what happens if I say her name? Weren't you just saying it a whole load of times without anything happening?"

Alder pricked his finger anyway before Teide could answer. For a moment, he didn't bleed. He looked in confusion at his finger and then smirked at his own stupidity. A moment later, he had rearranged his form so that blood flowed like a normal human... that is to say that his avatars near the surface, which usually did not need blood due to their being able to breath for themselves, now had a blood supply. His wounded avatar moved away from the surface of his finger, creating a much bigger opening than the prick would have usually created. Blood came from there for a few seconds, before he closed the hole again.

"You know, I could get used to being able teh do this sort of thing... the old guy could do it much better than I could though... ah well. Hey, necklace thing, is that it? Sorry, but I don't think I'm supposed teh use yer name, so... I dunno, how does Guld sound? Yeh know... Money with a u, gold, guld? Actually, that's stupid... umm, am I really talking teh a necklace? Sorry, I should probably be a bit more respectful, right? What with her bein some kinda ancient relic or artifact or something... Err, sorry."

Alder looked expectantly at the necklace, not quite sure what he expected to happen... hell, it could probably grab a hat from nowhere and start doing some kind of strange dance to music that didn't seem to be coming from anywhere and he probably wouldn't have been all that surprised.

"Anything else then, or do I just... yen know, turn inteh the street urchin tryin teh combat the ancient evil like? And yeh still ain't told me what yeh mean teh do... Don't think yer goin to either are yeh?"
Teide

Re: Tricks & Giblets imaginarium: Butcher Shop and Alchemy

Post by Teide »

Teide did feel a flicker of images from Alder's mind as the necklace established itself to his being. The connection temporarily overrode her mental barriers and she caught glimpses of the necklace wearing a top hat and spontaneously breaking out into song and dance. She blinked as that image faded and she wondered where that came from in wry amusement. The only thing the necklace seemed to do was draw the changeling's blood into the fang and the little jade ball now glowed a subtle somewhat luminescent green. The glow dimmed to a nice flicker of light at it's center which never went out. Teide could not sense the necklace now.

The necklace did not communicate with words. Instead, it sent a warm glow and flickers of images and emotions to Alder alone to convey itself. It felt as if the necklace was sending a tingle of a warm hug throughout his body and pulsated with a pleasant hum. It liked the name Guld if he did and nothing he could say would displease it. It did not seem to recognize it's age or whatever past it may have. It was an item only aware of him and communicated to him now. Her energy changed to match his and flowed to connect with the changeling under the avatar. The bond completed. Teide gave the necklace to him.

"She is yours now and no one else's to claim. I wonder how she will evolve to you. She was made for beings like changelings, slaugh and vampires. If a human pricked her even as a gift she'd kill them. You can say her name as often as you like. It is in the emotion, desperation and need for help within your voice and thoughts when you say it she will respond. I don't know what will happen for it is different for every carrier and what I mean to do is for now....best left unsaid."
Silence

Re: Tricks & Giblets imaginarium: Butcher Shop and Alchemy

Post by Silence »

Alder looked down at the necklace. All things considered, he hadn't quite expected it to be so... nice to him. The thing had only just met him, and now it seemed to think that he could do no wrong as far as it was concerned.

"Alright... well ah... I'll call yeh Munay then for now... that's yer name after all, right? And there isn't much of a reason for me not teh use it apparently... why am I relaying everything? Yer a friendly little thing ain't yeh?"

Alder put the necklace on and then pushed it down so that it was hidden by the hood of his cloak and by his shirt. He didn't need people questioning where he had got such a thing. Teide's unwillingness to divulge what she meant to do was a little troubling, but for now, he would have to just roll with it. One problem at a time, and there was no way that he was going to get Teide to divulge anything... plus, he kinda needed her on his side for now... even if that meant that he was more on her side than her being on his side.

"Well, thanks I guess Teide. I'll ah... see what I can't get done then..."

Alder suppressed a grin at the whole situation. If anybody had told the boy of a year ago what he would be doing now, that boy would have raised an eyebrow and wondered if the message was some kind of strange joke. He wasn't sure if he had been dismissed or not, but he rose anyway and walked towards the door. If Teide wanted to say anything more, she would probably stop him. If not... Alder walked out of the door, mumbling about beetles and necklaces named after wealth and yet seeming to have more to do with power... now, somehow, he needed to find Jenova.
Teide

Re: Tricks & Giblets imaginarium: Butcher Shop and Alchemy

Post by Teide »

Teide released the lock on the door as he headed towards it. The wards that bound the room faded and the aura within the air lightened as spells no longer laced the atmosphere. Spellsthat were designed to seal him in with her. She was amused by his references to money given the necklace's name. It was simple and looked like any cheap trinket you could buy at the local stalls save the very small circular jade which was smaller than Teide's finger tip. The name Munay had actually been the abyssal term for desire. She watched after with a smile more to herself and some happy private thought.

"Check the Tavern in Widu...there may or may not be a trace of outside a certain window looking in."

She winked at him quite pleased for this had gone quite well....perfectly well. Another piece in place and she was preparing the third. Teide deserved to feel pleased with herself. In time...she reminded herself, watch and wait. Everythig would become apparent in time. Teide turned to the exposed shelf of potions and summoned the grains of sand back from between the floor boards. It melded and melted back together into a perfect pane of glass over the potions. Stepping back up on her step ladder, the little elf started to whistle and wash the glass over again.
Teide

Re: Tricks & Giblets imaginarium: Butcher Shop and Alchemy

Post by Teide »

September 1654

It was another lovely day at the Alchemy and Magic Shoppe Teide was reading the inventory and making lists of the items she needed to gather and items she needed to order. It was raining horrendously today and the storm guards were up. The bell had not rung in a while. Teide considered reviewing her prices as she went over lists. Having Bill here for this sort of tedious work always made her life easier. She wondered how her old friend was in Zunia. She rested her head on her elbow being quite bored with paperwork...but it had to be done. Teide glimpsed at the door and the bell....nope no customers. She grumbled and returned to checking list after list in the large hardcovered green volume. As she was checking Teide frowned. Certain key items were missing. Getting up she went to check the shelves herself. They were gone....a good number of items were gone....she stepped back down the rolling ladder and turned a page in her book and found a note from Bill. She rose both brows....so he needed inventory for his little trip to Zunia....what was he doing there? Teide decided now would be a good time to test and install some more security features....for good measure. She could hear if a customer came easily from the backroom. Maria was out at the house and the children were at school. There were always things to do.

A new customer is always welcome to come in for a roleplay at this point.
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