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[Kenoma] Discussion

( 🟣 - Emet, 🔵 - Ciel )

Good Evening.

There are some within our ranks who we have not had the pleasure of meeting. I am Emet-Selch. Ciel and I serve as tacticians and teachers to the Kenoma.

I function as acting counsel for devising strategies. Additionally, some of you may find yourself in possession of new magical abilities that you did not have before. I am available to assist you with honing your newfound magical skills. To those of you who find yourself injured, I can provide my magic to heal your wounds so that you may be hale and whole once more.

[ He sighs. My, is this a mouthful. ]

My name is Ciel. I am versed in martial arts and am proficient with most types of weaponry. There are various means of developing melee combat prowess across Achamoth, but if you would like personalized instructions at any level, please contact me and we’ll arrange for a schedule. I can also perform magical healing along with Father Paul.

Unfortunately, We do not have much time for pleasantries. The Pleroma will soon be at our doorstep. Their goal is to retrieve their allies who remain captive inside our walls, and our goal is to lure them deep within the Citadel where we may enact our own plans. You will be provided assignments once it is closer to the promised hour. Prepare in your own way meanwhile; The Citadel is host to all manners of weaponry and the army's training grounds.

[ It’s kept a little vague and unspecific. Though they do intend to give adequate information, there is also no question that they have had traitors in their midst as of late. Everything will be doled out with due caution. Although, there will be a silent message sent to each person asking them to respond with some information of their abilities. ]

We are at war, bloodshed is inevitable. We will be attacked soon, and we must defend our keep. Consider this communion address a formal hub for discussion and organization of the battle to come. We will begin with information sharing of the Pleroma: knowing their names, appearances, and capabilities will better prepare us in dealing with them in combat. Aions may develop new abilities at any time, however; intel from the mission in Venera and Godsblood may very well be outdated by now, so do not assume anything we go over in this address as the extent of what they can do. Anything you may have witnessed at the shrines can be helpful, including other newcomers you may have met that did not return to Achamoth..

To the third wave of newly awoken Aions, it is regrettable that we cannot welcome you better, you’ve unfortunately arrived at a tumultuous time on Horos. If this is all too much for any reason, that’s fine. Contact me privately, and we can at least arrange for you to be somewhere safe during this. To those used to wielding great power, please get some practice in and verify your new limits. Becoming an Aion may have weakened you, do not let that catch you off-guard on the battlefield.

To those who are new, introduce yourselves and ask any questions you have. We will answer your questions as best we can, and I encourage our fellow Kenoma to chime in where they may. Do try to keep your questions interesting enough to be worth reading.

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Given that the Pleroma are not likely to show you Clemency, you will undoubtedly have to utilize your skills.

[ Pause. ]

With that said, it is an inopperotune introduction, but I bid you welcome to the Kenoma.

Ah… I’m sorry, maybe it sounded like I meant I didn’t want to be cooperative…

I do.

It’s just… I don’t want to hurt any of you or the people who live in this city by accident. If you’re the strategist… maybe you could make sure that doesn’t happen… ?

[ "Any in this city?" That causes a quirk of his eyebrow at least. ]

Consider my interest piqued.

I will do what I can to help control them once they are explained to me. A public fora may not an ideal place to do that, but we may meet in person if you prefer.

I would prefer that, yes…

Thank you, sir. Any time or place is fine with me… as long as I can find it. I haven’t got the layout of this place down just yet…

Emet-Selch's retainer is sent to her location of the New Arrival. They would lead her to the Training Grounds, given it's the easiest way to show her given the unfamiliarity with the Citadel's layout.

In the meanwhile, he would sit on one of the very hard, very uncomfortable benches while he waits. Could they not provide more suitable seating?

[These retainers had the potential to be useful. She would have to see about assuring that she received one that could be made proper use of, while also being trustworthy enough to keep physically near her. A matter for later.

First... She had to ascertain what the other Kenoma had to offer.

So she follows Emet-Selch's retainer to the training grounds. He'll see a petite, unassuming slip of a woman, noticably underweight and malnourished, with sallow skin, dull hair, and somewhat deadened eyes above deep bags under her eyes. But when she is pointed to the man she's come to meet by his servant... a slight, somewhat awkward smile appears on her face, and she raises a hand (with two splinted fingers) to offer in a handshake.]

You must be Emet-Selch... Sir?

[Until she understood better... manners were the safest route.]

[ He turns to look in response to his name. There's nothing specific he is expecting with this meeting, but perhaps a withered-looking woman is not it. At least some of the resources of the Citadel may greatly improve her disposition as time goes on.

Ah well...suppose appearances could often be deceiving. ]

Indeed.

[ Emet-Selch quirks a curious eyebrow at the offering of a handshake; It's not often someone offered him such a gesture, as normal as it may seem to many. But he shakes her hand regardless in the same way that a haughty royal might do. ]

Allow me to welcome you to Achamoth. I see my retainer has seen to your safe arrival.

[There is a moment that he seems to hesitate when she almost pulls her hand back. She isn't afraid to have offended or confused him, but for now it was the more sensible choice keep up a more unassuming and polite act- at least until she had a better feel for how this place operated, and just who she needed to impress. For now... this man, who had helped head up a post organizing many of the others...

He had a position of some power and respect at least. So when he shakes her hand as if it was a bit beneath him... She adjusts, a bit quicker than she'd planned to take it back and keep the gesture short.]

Thank you... I really appreciate it. Especially with as busy as you must be...

[As a "Strategist", perhaps, or someone organizing communication between so many members of the sect... She leaves a space in the air for him to fill, if he were the type, but even if he weren't-]

They were very helpful, yes. Once I receive my own, I suppose I'll need to bother the other aions here less about questions I have, but until then...

Edited 2022-08-13 20:20 (UTC)

We will be available to answer your questions when you have them.

[ Emet-Selch waves a palm to the retainer to dismiss them. Based on the impression he has, it may be too dangerous. ]

Now. Describe to me the ability that is of concern to you?

[He says that... and she wonders how true it will prove to be. But for now, she affects a certain degree of trust, a certain amount of wide-eyed newcomer trying to learn from those who had experience. Of course. They'll be here for questions.

And she... he is here to provide a certain amount of carefully calculated answers.]

Ah... Describing it is also sort of a problem...

[She looks around the space as if she's trying to ascertain if it's large enough, or safe enough...]

In my world... people are just born with abilities. It's not like... I don't know, like learning a spell from a book or... seeking out a certain power...

[This Emet-Selch had already been described to her as someone who could do magic, so perhaps that analogy would work. "Being born with" abilities was a stretch, but it was the easier explanation, and it worked well enough for the fake point she was trying to make.]

So I don't know... what it is, in scientific terms. I just know what it can do.

[She turns to look down at her hand, and then at a training dummy across the grounds, which she points to.]

... Is anyone going to be upset if I damage that?

[She had to test how this world affected her powers sooner rather than later. As long as she kept it to only a small amount, enough to delay paying for them until after she left this man's company...]

[ Terminology could certainly differ across worlds. This is not something unheard of, but it does make the mystery somewhat more intriguing.

Intriguing enough that he silently casts a shield of protective magic around him... just in case. It would take careful observation to see the momentary circular glint that reflects in the sunlight. One never could tell what they're dealing with until it's seen.

He nods to the training dummy on the opposite end of the field. ]

'Damage' it all you like. The more I see, the more I may understand what I must do.

[Havoc notices... though she does not really show signs of it. Like any Contractor, her mind is constantly focused on one single priority... and to achieve that, she needs to be aware of her surroundings, the movement of anyone near her, the possibility of any risks that need mitigating. The strange glint of the air around him...

Well. Perhaps he would understand what it was she about to do. She's willing to share a certain amount about her abilities, in the interest of mutual cooperation. ... But that didn't mean she was ready to show everything.]

... Alright. I'll try to keep it contained.

[She continues the act that her powers might be a bit volatile, a bit beyond herself. She lifts her hand in the direction of the dummy, to present the idea that the gesture might be required to help visualize the manifestation, even though all it required was her eyesight.

Eyes that begin to glow an eerie red behind the pupils, an electric blue thrumming to life around her silhouette as the Lancelnopt Synchrotron radiation begins to show in the air around her. The smell of ozone begins to permeate the air... and then she is the one summoning a subtle, barely noticeable shift in the air in a sphere around the practice dummy.

The practice dummy that begins to... shudder, under the pressure of an increasing vacuum. At first the damage is not as noticable, because it is not a living thing that can thrash and fight against the sudden loss of air, but as the defenses begin to weaken, once the shell is cracked... the entire thing suddenly crumples in on itself...

Without a single sound.]

[ He squints as he observes the ability at work. There's a subtle shift in the air, and the movement from the object of her focus can only be described as "wrong". It shudders and caves in all while completely silent.

Emet-Selch's head nods back as if to silently say "oh, well then" at the sight of it. This isn't very common magic where he's from, but it exists. ]

Gravity magic, is it.

[ He looks at her. ]

Or do you refer to it differently?

[Once the dummy has crumpled into a completely savaged lump of compressed material that is less than half the size it used to be... Havoc releases it, and finally a sound is released as all the air rushes back in to the space with a sudden clap. The glow around her figure and in her eyes slowly dies away... and she puts her arm down, flexing her fingers "absently" and making sure to look just a little bit tired despite how effortless that short of a vacuum was for her.

Only then does she turn her dull gaze back towards Emet-Selch.]

In my world, they just referred to them "abilities", not "magic"... But I don't mind whatever you want to call it.

[She won't be correcting him, either, on the nature of the destructive force she was able to exert. "Gravity" worked fine enough for strategy purposes.]

If it's an enemy and not a practice dummy it just... gets a little messy. If it's a building... I can take it down, if given enough time.

[ Emet-Selch puts a hand to his chin in thought. It could be a destructive force if given time and space. Simple enough.

Though that brings him to the reason she called him here to begin with. ]

You asked me here to ensure these powers hurt no one in the city. Can you not control it?

[At his question, she looks down once again at her hand, fingers forming a spherical shape and gently rotating her wrist as if imagining her powers in a smaller form.]

I can... if no one interrupts me.

[And in a warzone, well... that wasn't the easiest thing, was it?]

If I'm attacked or lose focus when the sphere is forming... it could collapse prematurely, or I could accidentally make it too big and catch allies as well as enemies...

[When she'd first joined the Americans they'd put her through her paces in their labs, figuring out just what she could do... they didn't have any problem supplying her with the blood of children she'd required to pay the price for those tests. So she knows her limits... and when she'd defected, she'd made sure that the documents detailing those limits were destroyed and the scientists involved had an unfortunate accident.]

And also just... I don't know this city well enough yet. I don't know... which buildings are occupied, who might get hurt in what districts... where the best vantage points are, that are defensible...

[Her gaze flicks back up to the unnaturally tall man, as if asking... Did he know, then? Could she be taught? Protected in the case of a battle?]

[ This is a delicate balance for them to take. On one hand, handing over every single point of interest and vulnerability in the city would give vital information that could be necessary. On the other, with traitors in their midst at every turn, it would provide weaknesses. There's no way to tell which side of the line she falls on with so little to go on.

Yet, withholding this on purpose would only harbor distrust and eventually resentment. That could be a detriment in and of itself. ]

There is not enough time to teach you the city and its layout with what little time we have. In the absence of information, assume the worst-case scenario. Assume every building is populated and each district is volatile. Only damage what is absolutely necessary to accomplish what you must.

[ He thinks for a moment. ]

If you are in need of concentration, I would suggest working with another. Even when hidden, your place may not be secure for long.

[In all honesty... and Havoc was honest to herself always, rendered unable to see the sense in doing otherwise as long as her mind was attuned to the rationality o a Contractor... It is not a very helpful answer in and of itself. She could guess for herself that it might be best to assume the worst, make the decision to choose caution over risk, work with another to be safe.

But in another way... in what he doesn't say... the answer is somewhat interesting. In the instance between replies, her mind races through the other conversations she's had in this communion, in the citadel... and she is missing something.

Something has to have happened, before she arrived, that made so many people who theoretically would be motivated to share as much as possible with her, to be cagey and vague with certain details, certain proprietary information. But all she does for now...

Is nod.]

Mmm... I do stand out when I use them...

[The radiated glow, she means. So of course, she will take his advice about working with others.]

If we don't have time now... I'll try to find time after. To familiarize myself.

[Perhaps there was some unspoken test, some need to show loyalty before people would be more forthcoming. And if so-]

But if that attack people are talking about does happen... and you do think of somewhere I should be...

[She attempts to strike the balance between "eager to be of service" and "reasonably reluctant to commit mass murder". It's a bit difficult... but her more recent emotion-laden experiences as a Regressor add a certain amount of believability.]

Please let me know.

[ A pause. ]

There is a spire near the entrance to Achamoth. It has bright stained glass windows and open-air corridors which overlook the square below. It is not an ideal vantage point, but it is one of the few in the area with a plethora of exits.

[ Hopefully, she could understand the need for a route to escape that could not be surrounded so easily. And why that could outweigh the benefit of having a perch that is more ideal in nature. ]

Take a look at it and see if it is to your liking. Moreover, explore the city at large as best you can to familiarize yourself with your new surroundings.

[A spire near the entrance to Achamoth, with bright stained glass windows and open-air corridors with a vantage point of the square. The sound was good. She'd see for herself, when she scouted out the area as much as one could in a potentially limited amount of time.

But it was a start. And she did like exits.

So she nods her head, ready to excuse herself now that she has done what she ostensibly came to do- let the team's professed "strategist" know what she was capable of in case she needed to rely on his guidance in the future.]

I'll keep that in mind. Thank you, sir.

[She hadn't bothered with manners much, before Regression. But then again, she'd been freelance, then.

This was a team. She could play along.]

[ Emet-Selch gives the smallest nod of his head in acknowledgment. At least he could commend such manners. ]

Be sure to see the retainer who brought you here as you leave. Have them... get you something to eat.

[ He says by way of dismissal. She looks like she could use it. ]

[... That does seem to earn a little laugh out of her. It's a bit awkward, kind of rusty and strange as a sound, but it... probably surely is supposed to be a laugh.]

That's not a bad idea... I will.

[She planned to put effort into regaining her physical capabilities from five years ago already, but until then... She'd gladly take advantage of the weak appearance (and truth) about this wasted Regressor's body.

Dismissed, she gives a little nod herself before seeking out the retainer.]

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[Kenoma] Discussion

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> To the Training Grounds

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