Board 8 > The Notes of Cain, Postgame and Epilogues

(+) Yeah! (+)

A

Name: Gunther
Trait: Lost
Weapon: Irrelevant

First Maria project that I've been involved in was a success and fun to follow along with! Interesting stuff all around. Think Leone's epilogue was my favorite but the Zephyr stuff has been great too. And we're not quite done yet!

thank you for the kind words, stan. I think Aion is the most interesting submission for what I want to do, but I already used NFUN's submission last time so I'll go with the next one down on my list. which is uhh...

Gabriela. You are the WINNER. You have earned the right to EXIST.

Mostly because I wanted to use a male character so forcing myself to use a female character will be interesting, since it might change the context of some scenes. also I noticed that for these types of chapters I tend to use male characters, so this will be a huge departure from what I've done in the past (those who've participated in a lot of my past games might recognize what I'm talking about after I complete writing this entry)

I may try to work the other submissions into the final postgame entry, but this will largely depend on how naturally I can make it flow and if we really have time for it. I don't want to write something that is 35k characters long, because nobody really wants to read that.

for my own reference, I've made a list

Gabriela (Hopeful) [trdl]

.

Chris (Resilience/Double-Bladed Spear) [oracle]
Aion (Forgotten/Harp) [nfun]
Jackson (Precise/Any Item) [FB]
Kayla (Artificial/Any Item) [decider]
Gunther (Lost/Irrelevant Item) [stan]
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MariaTaylor posted...

. I don't want to write something that is 35k characters long, because nobody really wants to read that.

>_>

I wouldn't mind
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And finally Beastkin Zephyr

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NVV_NVTXlQ" data-time="

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Damn that's awesome PK!
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Here's Zeph's actual design if any of you were interested!




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I want to pet all of those Zephyrs :3
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Great pictures PK!

Zephyr is fluffy boi

Much wow
Very amaze
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Ah went based on what I thought I saw in some entries saying he was brown or something.
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[....]

Far to the west of Hendrake, it has been four years since the restoration of Pelengreer began. It was a country that bordered the lands of the infamous Blight King. Due to their proximity to the Blight King, Pelengreer had suffered nearly fifty years of tension and outright war. Relationship between the Blight King's father, Torrid, had been unfavorable as well. All told, there was no human alive in Pelengreer who could ever remember a time when the land had felt truly safe.

But, after nearly one hundred years of turmoil and misery, it had all ended one fateful day four years ago with the Blight King was killed. This story is a long story, and it involves two heroes; Pellin Landts, and his daughter, Corella Landts. Pellin was known as a 'Hero of Pellengreer,' and the fact that the boy had even been named in a very nationalistic display of pride toward his great country almost seemed to show that he had been intended for greatness ever since his birth. Or maybe people just liked that his name sounded similar to the name of their country, and this iconic trait magnified his reputation even further.

It was a great loss when Pellin Landts was slain in battle. It was seen as a betrayal of all human decency when the Blight King revived him as a Demi Lich and forced him to fight for the corrupted army of rot. No longer a hero of Pellengreer, he became a champion of the Blight King's forces; The Hero of Betrayal was his name.

Corella's part in the story begin's here. With her father dead and proclaimed missing at the age of twelve she began to study and train herself in the soldier's arts. It wasn't uncommon for children during that time, of boys or girls, to prepare for war. Corella, however, had a singular motivation and a drive unlike that seen in many others.

Or perhaps people only liked the romantic notion of her avenging her fallen father, and so the story that was later told would play up this aspect of her character. Two years later the Hero of Betrayal first appeared on the field, and Corella learned of her father's true fate. At seventeen she set out to join the war effort for the first time.

At the age of nineteen she began the first campaign to invade the country of rot to the west, and slay the Blight King. Pelengreer had been locked in a furious defensive battle, and the theatre of war had grown more and more grim over the last seven years. Now, however, she was able to end everything with one crucial blow.

In the absence of the Blight King, the war ended swiftly and things returned to happily ever after.

Oh, come on now, you know this isn't that kind of story. You already know it.

So, four years ago, the restoration of Pelengreer begins. The death of Blight King marks the 'end' of the war, but it's not exactly as simple as that. A power vacuum is created and new lords of war arise, eager to take the place of the Blight King.

Among these factions the two most prominent are The Western Nations Alliance and a group referred to only as Emeralds. The Alliance was actually made up of smaller vassal countries that had been subjugated by the nation of rot since long ago. As they each struggled with their newfound psuedo-independence, and battled against the remaining occupying forces of the deceased Blight King, they tried to find their place in this new world.

Many of them, unfortunately, had truly forgotten what a life without war was like. Many of them had forgotten how to be peaceful nations, and couldn't go back. They knew how to manufacture weapons, but knew very little about infrastructure that kept things working smoothly in peace times.

The sad reality was that the same could be said of Pelengreer, although to a lesser extent. These countries in the Alliance were a dark reminder of what Pelengreer might have become if it had fallen. And, worst of all, most of them had decided to try and gain power in the absence of the Blight King.
---

They did that the only way they knew how. Through violence.

The west continued to be in a state of turmoil as a result.

The remaining forces of the Blight King's army, situated on his lands, in his keep, and in the areas most directly under his control, were reborn as the faction known as the Emeralds. The Blight King had never fathered any children, a source of many rumors, and a direct cause for the absence of succession which was seen during those last four years.

No one was entirely clear who was in charge, but most of the men and monsters under his command had grown a taste for power. They loved the feel of control, they loved the fine things and the treasures they had retrieved as trophies of war, and they knew little of how to live a normal life that didn't consistent of subjugating and exploiting others -- whether it be those from the Allied nations of repeated raids on Pelengreer.

From the warlocks to the horrors that had been born out of the primordial rot, the strongest of those rose to join the Emeralds. The wisest moved into positions of leadership. And through manipulation, subterfuge, and social strategy, the Emeralds tried to take the role as new leaders in this new world absent of the Blight King.

Pelengreer itself was trying to rebuild their infrastructure, but these efforts were blocked by ambivalent social direction. During this time where the war had only recently ended, where the wars could start again at any time, there were some truly important questions to ask. Refilling ditches, pulling back the spiked barricade, and knocking down guard towers would give more room for planting new crops... but could you really do that when the Emeralds clearly still had an eye for expansion?

People looked to the heroes of the war for guidance on these matters, but those were exactly the people who had grown up knowing nothing but battle. Most of them didn't feel qualified to lead a peaceful society, and many of them began to feel useless in this new world. Some of them secretly yearned that the days of battle might return, and a few even had the shame to feel guilty about wishing for that. Others fled the country to places like Hendrake to start a new life... only to learn that everywhere, all over the world, humans were miserable creatures.

Then, among this all, the worst possible thing happened. Members of Emeralds set up a plot by which Alliance forces and the members of the Pelengreer elite forces would both mistakenly believe themselves to be engaging the Emeralds forces. In the chaos of battle they enacted an assassination plot against Corella Landts.

The young woman who represented the end of the Blight King, who had ushered in an age of peace, was attacked by an unknown assassin. Those deeply involved in intelligence gathering highly suspected a green man named Terris, a high ranking Emeralds officer, but there was no concrete proof. Worse, because of the battle which had unfolded as a result of the Emeralds' trap, it became difficult to view the situation as anything other than provocation between the Alliance and Pelengreer.

There were many who knew this was all a misunderstanding, but it was hard to sway public opinion. No one knew if Corella was still alive or not, her body had been removed from the battlefield in secret, and everything had been kept well under wraps. Meanwhile, the common folk seemed to think that the Alliance forces had attacked Pelengreer unprovoked and murdered one of their greatest heroes.

There were calls for war.

And some, some in Pelengreer... had been waiting for another war to start.

Even for those politicians with good intentions, who wanted to avoid the war, public opinion was against them. Furthermore, people in Pelengreer didn't have much experience governing a nation that wasn't involved in war. They didn't exactly know how to get the people on their side, to explain things, or how to stop the situation from escalating.
---

Terris and the members of Emerald were probably laughing to themselves somewhere. Knowing that when the Alliance forces and Pelengreer weakened each other, Emeralds would have an easier time taking advantage of the bloodied factions and securing their foothold in the west.

Everything had gone just according to plan.

Corella Landts was now living in a private villa out in the countryside. It was more like a hospital, but only one patient was living there. Everything had been done fully in secret. The attack on her life had been unexpected and, in that situation, most probably wouldn't have made it out alive. The fact that she was alive was a miracle. She knew that.

She knew that... and yet...

It was hard not to feel disappointed, demoralized, and fully unsatisfied with her current life. Her body wouldn't move the way she wanted it to, she was no longer a strong hero who could fill the hearts of the people with courage and hope. She had fallen so far and her image of herself had been utterly destroyed by her injuries she sustained during the attack.

Her opponent had opened with an enhanced metamagical ability, a simple Flash spell that had been enhanced greatly and overcharged to the point of causing severe and permanent damage. Rather than a stinging pain in her eyes that dazed her, or left her squinting for the duration of the battle, her eyes burned with pain and... her sight... had still not returned. She lay in bed months after the attack wondering if her vision would ever come back, but everyone said it was too late now.

Corella was definitely permanently blind.

As a skilled fighter with quick reflexes and incredible combat instincts she had moved to save her own life in those frantic moments. The assassin had a short weapon, she remembered seeing a knife and not a sword coming at her, before she had been blinded. She couldn't form a picture of the man's face but she knew it was a man.

Her best attempt to deflect an incoming attack assumed that the opponent would go for the easiest killing strike possible. Fortunately she was right. Unfortunately, she only managed to redirect the attack rather than stopping it completely. She remembered the feeling like a viper biting her hand, and then the blade slipping past her guard and into her shoulder.

According to the physician, some kind of tendon or nerve had been severed. No longer could Corella move her right arm very much at all. Her fingers would twitch slightly if she struggled to the point of feeling pain, but her arm hung limp at her side. Her sword arm was done for. There wasn't much place in this world for a hero who couldn't see or couldn't swing a sword.

Corella's fingers must have been twitching at that moment, as she imagined herself using her arm naturally and living a normal life again. But in reality all she saw was darkness and she was laying in this bed still. A place from which she had no desire to return from.

Her caregiver was a young woman named Gabriela Washington. Corella knew Gabriela's name, and a bit of her personality, but would never know her face. That was the kind of life that Corella lived now. It wasn't the same as it was before. It would never be the same again.

Gabriela noticed her fingers moving as she began to sort the dirty laundry that had been thrown haphazardly around the room. "What's wrong?" she asks, as she picks up a discarded night shift and puts it away into the satchel she'll use to transport all of this laundry to a place where it can be washed all at once. "Do you feel pain again?"

'I always feel pain,' Corella was thinking. 'But it's not in my arm.'
---

That pain was in her heart.

Instead, Corella shakes her head. "Sorry, I just was thinking about the past."

"You don't have to apologize to me," Gabriela tells her. "You're the Hero who saved our country. It's my honor to look after you like this." Sometimes it was hard to say if Gabriela's sincere and almost too innocent personality was a flaw or a positive trait. Anyone could see that Corella was no longer a Hero and yet... Gabriela, the one person who still saw her as one... had to be her caretaker.

That almost felt too cruel. It didn't make her feel good at all.

"Have you heard about the Divine Intervention," Corella inquires. She turns away and frowns, or, at least, she turns away from the direction where she thinks Gabriela is probably standing right now.

"Do you mean when the Gods spoke to you?" Gabriela responds.

What else would she mean? Of course that was it.

Corella sighs. "It wasn't Gods, it was just one God."

"Most people don't really believe that it's true, but everyone knows that I was contacted by a divine presence when I was young," Corella tells her, as if Gabriela wouldn't already know that story. "Well, what do you think about that story? Do you think it's true?"

"Hm... Well..." Gabriela isn't sure how to respond at first. "Wouldn't it be nice if it was true?"

"How so?" Corella asks.

"That means the Gods are looking after us," Gabriela replies. She is probably smiling an all too sweet smile right now. That's the kind of person Gabriela was. Or, at least, that's how Corella imagined she probably was. "They must have known that you had the ability to make a great impact on this war."

"Looking after us? Hah..." Corella thinks about it for a bit. It hadn't seemed that way at the time.

The God she met had seemed flighty, immature, impulsive, and not particularly concerned about the lives of mortals. There were bad things happening all over the world, right, so why did Pelengreer matter any more or less than any other place? Actually, it didn't. Sometimes the Gods just show up somewhere by coincidence, with no particular deciding factor aside from luck.

Or maybe it's for reasons that are above the comprehension of mortals like Corella. But she knew, for sure, that thing hadn't seemed to care that much about the lives of humans. It hadn't come here because it heard her prayers, that her father might be spared. That meeting didn't inspire Corella with faith; Rather the opposite. It had dashed her faith in the Gods and inspired her to start a new campaign where she relied on her own strength and the strength of humanity to push forward.

It was only because the Gods were so fickle, only because Corella learned that she couldn't trust the Gods, that she finally realized the ability to do things on her own without waiting on the Gods to solve all of her problems. That was the only way in which it could say the Divine Intervention had benefited humanity. If that had been done on purpose it was a confusing, convoluted plan, but maybe it did suggest that the Gods were looking out for them.

People like Gabriela, at least, might find comfort in such thoughts.

"Gabriela, you know where the Shrine of Storms is, yes?" Corella asks. She looks back and gives what she thinks is a hopeful look. It was something that she had to put her trust in. Again, relying on herself only, and the strength of humanity. Corella couldn't see what kind of face Gabriela was making, but she had to trust that it was the right kind of face. "Have you been there before?"

"I know where it is," Gabriela says. "But I haven't been there. Why...-"
---

"My body has already become useless," Corella says, sadly. That's not true but she believes that it is true. And in her darkness, in this bed that she won't let herself escape from, having given up, that makes her about as useless as she believes that she is. "Now is the time for someone to return to the Shrine of Storms. I can feel it. Maybe I'm wrong, but, lately, I've felt very nostalgic."

"I think it might be time for something to happen," Corella says with a sad smile. She's lying, of course. The reality is that having Gabriela around makes her sad, because Gabriela's hopefulness is wasted on a person like her. But all that matters is that she can make Gabriela believe what she is saying.

"Will you go in my stead?" Corella asks.

History is a confusing and complicated mess. Sometimes an event like this can create a hero out of nothing, with no good intentions involved at all. The story will remember the fact that Corella predicted another Divine Intervention, and that Gabriela was her chosen champion.

But the reality, in that hospital bed, was a sad and pathetic tale. A lie told by a discarded hero who had given up on life and couldn't stand to be around a person who was happy. That was the side of the story, the part that made it real, the part that wouldn't be repeated and which people wouldn't understand even though it was so much easier to identify with; even though this raw human weakness was more believable than a girl with prophetic dreams.

And so another quest begins this way, based on a lie, lacking all good intentions, with a hero selected seemingly at random, and no particular expectation that the goal would truly be met. The Shrine of Storms was not a place that the Gods regularly visited. Yet, still, Gabriela couldn't refuse such a request.

At the foot of the hills was a small hamlet where the administrator of these lands lived. Gabriela made sure that another caretaker would be sent to look after Corella in her stead. The new woman was experienced and serious, someone that could help take care of Corella, who had spent forty years already looking after weak and sickly patients and was still too tough to even think about retiring.

Gabriela drops off the satchel of laundry and replaces it with a traveling bag.

In the next town over she buys a cloak and some survival supplies, things to help with camping. Items that she wouldn't have thought to bring on her journey at first, because she was so inexperienced. Luckily the travel from the hamlet to the first town was short, and so she only had to deal with one miserable and cold night. That one miserable night was enough to teach her a lot of things about the supplies she would need for the next leg of her journey.

"What do you suggest for someone who knows little of combat?" Gabriela asks. She's given a simple wooden club in return. All it takes for this to be effective is to bash the enemy with it. That's something anyone can do. You don't need to practice in the training yard to understand such a simple concept.

If you smash something hard enough, it will break.

Even Gabriela knew that.

She had broken things before, by accident. Her mother had been so mad about it. But mom might forgive her if she broken some monster's face in order to save her own life. Yeah, her mother would probably be happier that Gabriela could return home alive rather than dying at the hands of some fiend.

From there it was a two day's journey to Nengaurd. Thankfully, along the way, she didn't see anything worse than a few giant rats. Those were actually scared off by her mere presence and the fact that she shouted when she saw them. She gripped the club tightly but ended up not even needing it.
---

The night was quiet and lonely. Three days had passed but it was the first time that she realized she had gotten used to being around Corella. The former Hero wasn't very chatty but it was still nice to have a living person in the next room over, someone you could speak to if you were lonely. Even if it meant just to go into the room and look at her, just seeing Corella was enough to make her happy sometimes.

Here, out in the wild, where she was alone, it felt very different. If Gabriela wanted to see another person or talk to them right now there was nothing she could do. Then nearest person was probably miles away, and that was assuming anyone else would even bother to be out hunting during this time of year. Otherwise she was going to remain alone until she got to Nengaurd.

Pelengreer became more thin as you traveled further to the north, and so even though Gabriela had gone in a straight line, she was actually getting closer to the western border. Nen was surprisingly close to a few battlefields of note and that much was obvious just from looking at the atmosphere and the people.

Even four years after the war ended, you could still see lost and forgotten soldiers lurking around. There were smiths who were preparing new bins of weapons and talking somberly about how the next war would be starting soon. Young romantics tried to entice their objects of affection away from a life of violence and strife -- they could always flee to the east and live peaceful lives there. But the ones who had been born to live the life of a soldier, who had trained since youth, couldn't abandon their country so easily.

"You can love me if you want to, but I can't promise that I'll return from the battlefield alive.

And if you don't want to wait for someone like me... I understand.

I already gave up the right to live a normal life. It's one of the sacrifices I'm willing to make, to keep this world safe from the primordial rot."

It was a sad way of life, but Gabriela liked to imagine that the young soldier might actually return home. Maybe those lovers would be reunited one day after all, and the romantic will have waited fondly and patiently, showing loyalty that was admirable even for those out of a storybook kind of love. Or maybe, if things went well, they could avoid going to war entirely.

Those two could start a life in Nenguard and raise a family together without ever worrying about monsters or invaders from the Alliance... without worrying about the dark plots of the Emeralds... and never suffering at the hands of the cruel wizards and fiends from the west. Gabriela hoped they could see that sort of ending instead.

Sleeping in a bed for the first time in a while was nice. The inn at Nenguard was overpriced and the service was below average. Life on the road made her appreciate such flawed comforts more than she would have otherwise. An Gabriela had an odd feeling of comfort as she slept that night; if she wanted to see someone else, if she wanted to talk to someone else, she could go downstairs and join the other travelers in the common hall around the fire.

She didn't choose to do that, but that ability to be around others at will gave her security.

The Shrine of Storms had no particular military value, and during the current climate (where everyone was expecting war with the Alliance to break out), it had been temporarily abandoned. If there was still a young cleric tending to the shrine they must have stepped out to get some water or supplies. Going down the great hill to the closest village was a journey that, including the return trip, likely took the better part of a day.

Gabriela, having left from that village in the morning, was able to make it here at a decent time.
---

It was the middle of the day, the sun was burning a deep red, and the whole world seemed quiet. She felt her breath catch in her chest as she realized the severity of what was about to happen. The monumental importance of the task that had been given to her by Corella Landts, the Hero of Pelengreer.

This was going to be the next Divine Intervention, where Gabriela would be sent to commune with the Gods. And this meeting could change the fate of her country, perhaps of all of humanity. The crushing weight of that level of importance, and the pressure that she felt, was not something that could be dismissed lightly.

"Well, perhaps, for now... I'll..." Gabriela chose to forego entering the shrine.

Instead, she went around to the side to find the water basin. Gabriela went to her knees and lowered her face to the water. She put her hands into the liquid and splashed it onto her face, washing herself and causing herself to feel more awake and alert.

If she WAS going to meet the Gods she didn't want to do it with a dirty face, looking half exhausted and tired from her journey. This also gave her an excuse to put off entering the shrine for a few more minutes. Perhaps it was wrong to keep the Gods waiting. But, as a mere mortal, it took time for her to build the courage to enter.

"How is that?" A man spoke, from somewhere nearby. "Does the water feel good?"

"Oh-.. Ah, ahem... Um..." Gabriela, flustered, blinked frantically as she rose to her feet. Wobbling unsteadily, she had to place her hand on the water basin to hold herself in position and avoid falling over while trying to stand. Having somehow splashed water in her eyes, she had trouble seeing the man. "Sorry, I was just-..."

"Well, that's what it's there for," the man said. "Don't get so flustered over such a thing."

"Yes. Of course." Gabriela opened her eyes and saw no one standing there.

Turning, she looked around, and realized the man was sitting at the edge of the water basin. To the side and above where she had entered. Now... wasn't that bizarre? Certainly she didn't hear him enter the area, but for him to get past her and take a seat over there without her noticing felt very unusual!

Still, since that's what she saw, she had no other recourse than to accept the evidence in front of her eyes. "And it does feel good. I'm very refreshed. Thank you, sir."

Gabriela's mother had been very traditional, and she had learned a lot about being polite to strangers. Especially Clerics, which she assumed this man was. Aside from that, as a Cleric or not, Gabriela had been raised not to get too casual with men that she didn't know very well.

For that reason, this politeness worked as a shield to hold him at arm's length. It would have been very unsightly for her to let a man that she barely knew engage her in a manner that was too improper. Her mother would be very disappointed and, besides that, Gabriela herself didn't feel too comfortable around men until she took time to get to know them in a more safe environment.

"No need to thank me, it's not my water." The man sneered, then turned away. "So, what are you doing here?"

Gabriela raised and eyebrow. She had thought he was the Cleric, but he said the water at the shrine wasn't his. That was another bizarre mystery. Looking him over, he had deep midnight on his head with traces of bloody crimson mixed into his thick hair. His eyes were partially closed in a very casual and impertinent way, and that made it tough to inspect them too closely. However, at a glance, Gabriela could tell he must have been an Abnormal.

"Forgive me, Sir, I thought you were the Cleric," Gabriela said, stiffly. She took a step back unconsciously and her body language became more rigid. "Let me start over, then. My name is Gabriela. And you are...?"
---

"... Hrm..." He seemed to be thinking about something, as if perhaps he didn't know what his name was. "Kyne is what you'll call me," the man said at last. "By the way, I'm not impressed by you using politeness as a way to avoid answering my question. That, itself, is very rude."

"Then let me politely say that your remarks come across as very entitled," Gabriela tells him with a sweet smile. "I owe you nothing, and yet gave you my name and a smile regardless. Least of all am I obligated to answer your question."

"Of course that's true," Kyne says. "Perhaps it was my idle curiosity which caused us to get off on the wrong foot."

Gabriela relaxes, although Kyne doesn't really seem like he had changed his attitude at all. He still seemed like a very impertinent and arrogant guy. Rather, Gabriela started to feel like it wasn't worth the trouble of arguing with him. "If you'll believe it, I came here on a mission."

Kyne looks around. "I don't see any mission objectives here." He blinks. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must enter the shrine," Gabriela tells him. She didn't want to keep the Gods waiting any longer. As she departs the scene she notes that Kyne follows her. Well, whatever, that was probably fine.

Gabriela enters the shrine of storms, but finds that the place is just as empty as the outside. Aside from herself and Kyne, no one is here. She looks over her shoulder at Kyne, examining him seriously. Could it be that the Gods won't appear if this guy is here...?

"Could you wait outside?" Gabriela asks him.

Kyne crosses his arms and sighs. He leaves the shrine.

Nothing happens.

Gabriela starts to feel a sense of disappointment. Maybe she had expected too much out of this quest. She wanted to believe in what Corella told her, and wanted to live up to Corella's faith... the faith that had been put in her to carry out this mission. However, as things stood, it seemed she wasn't going to make contact so easily.

The gods, for whatever reason, had chosen not to show themselves.

"Are you looking for something?" Kyne asks, as Gabriela steps back outside. "Or someone?"

"Yes," Gabriela admits. It's almost embarrassing to say it, but she thinks very little of this guy. As a result she feels like she can tell him anything without worrying what he might think in return. "I was supposed to be on a divine mission here, to make contact with the Gods."

"Wow..." Kyne just stares at her. "Fascinating."

Gabriela frowns but, studying his expression, she can't make heads or tails of what he's trying to imply with that remark. His face seems so blank, so odd, and so impossible to read. She still thinks he's a very arrogant guy but can't assign much motive to him beyond that.

Plus, she was pretty sure that he was shorter than she was!

Gabriela tilts her head back, thinking deeply, her brows furrow for a few moments.

"You know," Kyne says, interrupting her thoughts, "If you're interested in the Gods perhaps you might want to know something. I heard a story of my own, recently, and I was on my way to investigate it."

Gabriela gives him a strange look. That seemed like quite a coincidence. It almost sounded too insane to be true. Then, at the same time, she began to wonder... if this was all part of the divine plan in the end. It was hard to know for sure. Maybe she wasn't supposed to meet the Gods here, but she was supposed to meet Kyne. And Kyne would help her find the Gods.
---

Was that possible? She wanted to believe that it was true. And, without any other direction to go in, with this sign almost seeming too good to be true, she had to accept that this kind of crazy coincidence could only happen if it was all part of the plan. Gabriela put her faith in Corella and in the Gods, even if she couldn't put her faith in Kyne.

"Have you heard of the Notes of Cain?" Kyne asks her.

As they begin their journey east, he tells his story. About the journals that had been recovered from Cain's land, about the expedition from Hendrake to recover it. They talk about the adventurers who had been sent there, but most of the stories only talk about the ones who had made it back alive. There were official reports on what had happened but it was difficult to access those reports.

Kyne seemed to know a lot about what had happened but it was unclear how much had come from official reports or whether some of that had just been from rumors. Still, it was a good story, and Gabriela didn't hate listening to it. It was a good way to pass the time over a long journey to the east. There... in the east... would she find the Gods at last...?

Had the heroes of Cain's story found the Gods, too? Perhaps she could learn something from following in their footsteps.

Gabriela began to have strange dreams after they left the shrine. She saw Champions, but they were unlike any she knew from the war or those she had heard of in legends. They didn't fight for humans, nor for the forces of the primordial rot, either, but Gabriela saw that they brought lots of death with them. The world was burning and it almost felt like the age of heroes had come to an end... no... it was more like the age of humans was coming to an end.

All she could do was wonder how this situation was going to be turned around, and how humans would defeat those Champions, but she never got to see in her dreams exactly how it all ended. She kept waking up before receiving any answers. When she told Kyne about it, he had some strange things to say.

"You're dreaming of the future, not the past," Kyne tells her. "But don't worry. You'll see the past and the present as well. That's just how these things go."

"That's the future?" Gabriela was mildly alarmed. "How could you know that?"

Perhaps, though, this was why she needed to find the Gods. In order to battle these Champions, new Heroes were going to be needed. The importance of another Divine Intervention was obvious to her now.

Kyne smiles. "You're on a religious quest, aren't you?" He says. "I suppose visions of the future are just part of that." The way he says that almost seems cruel and sarcastic but once again it's hard to read too much into it from his facial expressions alone. And since he always comes across as dismissive and pretentious it can be difficult to tell if he's acting that way toward her dreams of if that's his natural tone of voice coloring his words which otherwise have no meaning.

It wasn't long before they spoke of Zephyr's meeting with the God of Magic. Gabriela, at that time, was too disturbed to even think about how Kyne could have heard of such a thing. It must not have been in any report about the events on Cain's lands, and yet because it was a natural conclusion to the story she accepted that it made sense as a way for the story to end.

Or, rather, the story wasn't over yet. And THAT story was still happening... right now...

Gabriela shuddered. "What happened in the end?"
---

"What do you think the God of Magic did?" Kyne said. He looks like he's thinking carefully about something now. His mouth is half of a frown and yet it almost seems as if he isn't here, right now, participating in the same conversation as Gabriela. Kyne, right now, is probably in a mental space that is very distant from where they are and what they are talking about.

Or, at the least, he looks like someone who is far above her level of thinking.

"Could you even understand the choices that had been laid out before him?" Kyne muses.

"His friend would have wanted him to spare Zephyr and leave his memories intact, right?" Gabriela says. "The girl that he fancies, that-..." Kyne gives her a strange look, and so she changes her phrasing, "that other God would have wanted the Record to be preserved, right?"

"That's correct." Kyne nods. "At least you can understand that much."

Gabriela knew she wasn't the smartest person in the world but she wasn't an idiot either. He didn't have to be so rude all the time. She frowns, ignores it, and keeps going. "Then the God of Magic had to make a choice. If he left Zephyr's memories intact then he'd be betraying himself, because he never wanted anyone to know that he existed."

"But if he erased Zephyr's memory he would be betraying his friend." Gabriela purses her lips, cocks her head, and thinks about what might have happened in that moment. Trying to understand a God was difficult, though. "If it was me I think I would have stayed loyal to my friend."

Gabriela clutches her hands together and feigns the art of swooning. "Especially if it really was some kind of romantic story. That would be a nice gesture, don't you think? Love between the Gods, ah..."

Kyne just looks off into the distance. "Well, I imagine he probably did something like that. But maybe as a result he was changed..." Kyne looks down at his feet. "Maybe he started to feel like... Now I understand why people participate in the affairs of mortals. Because things like this happen, unexpected things, and it's interesting and sort of fun to see how things act and react... beyond all of my expectations..."

"Wow, that's very insightful," Gabriela notes. "You might be a bit mean, but you definitely have some very clever ideas." She wasn't being sarcastic but her words almost sounded too sincere, to the point where Kyne glared at her.

That night she had a dream about the hero Leone.

"The world is changing, and it's not for the better," Zephyr implored to his friend. It had taken him some time to get back to Hendrake but the journey had been worth it. There was no choice but to leave it all behind, and there was no course forward expect to gather the allies that he knew he could trust.

"I know things are hard for you right now," Zephyr said. "Sometimes I felt like I was going to give up, too. I felt like I couldn't go on anymore." There were actual, legitimate tears in his eyes as he thought about the hard times he had faced. "But Leone we fought together before, and right now I am telling you I have seen unbelievable things. Our very world is in danger. Isn't that worth fighting for...?"

Leone smiles sadly, examining the palm of his hand. He slowly turns a blade over between his fingers. "Nothing is worth it," he replies, with a frightening sincerity. "Nothing is worth anything, anymore."

The morning bell chimes, waking Gabriela up. She wanted to see how that dream would end, and see how Zephyr would convince his friend to rejoin the battle. The world was going to need great Heroes again, and so the conclusion of that dream was very important to her!
---

Gabriela was the type of person who couldn't even imagine a story that ended with Leone simply giving up, and so her waking mind began to imagine all sorts of complicated scenario for how Zephyr convinced him to rejoin the battle. Those who knew the previous story loved Leone, and they wanted to see him rise to the occasion and become a Hero in this new world. So, of course, Gabriela was trying to invent ways that would allow such a story to happen... even if it didn't make much sense based on where Leone was now.

They're in a city on the border of Hendrake kingdom now, a smaller city that is part of the larger network of cities that lead up to and make up the lands of the great kingdom of Hendrake's lord. The church here is giving away free food, which Gabriela is grateful for. Kyne doesn't seem particularly interested in eating, and sneers at the idea of accepting charity.

Gabriela tries to continue the discussion from the previous day, about the meeting between Zephyr and the God of Magic. She tells him about the dream that she had, and how Zephyr was gathering his old friends so that they could challenge whatever new threats appeared in this new world. With guys like that, they might not even need any Gods. They could take down those Champions with the power of mortals!

"So then, if the God of Magic is finally going to get involved, what do you think he'll do?" Gabriela asks.

"Well everyone thought the Notes of Cain were so interesting, right? Maybe after he read that story he became infected with the same themes and the same ideas from that story," Kyne suggests. "You could almost say that Mona's particular brand of insanity has infected him."

"Mona's... insanity...?" Gabriela hadn't paid much attention to the villains, or their motives. She was the type who liked to root for the heroes instead.

"Mona had a thought that was born from nothing but pure madness. An idea that if she did something a certain way, that she could 'Make Contact' with the Gods. That, at least, is something you can identify with, yes?" Kyne tells her.

Gabriela nods. "Of course. It's my mission to 'Make Contact' as well."

"Well, Mona didn't care about the Gods all that much. She's a lot like me, since I hate most of the Gods. But I think Mona probably wanted to make someone else happy, and so she created a nice big mess because she thought... after that... she could go home and see the smile that she had been yearning to see," Kyne explains.

"You know something, that reminds me of Kidd," Gabriela notes. "Didn't Kidd just want to go back home and see Susal's smile? I didn't know a villain could be a foil to the protagonist, but you're making it sound like they both wanted the same thing."

"And now... that same madness has infected the God of Magic," Kyne tells her. "He's probably thinking... I'll write a story that she definitely wants to read. If she can read that story, and thinks it's exciting, and interesting, maybe one day she'll open that locked door and I'll get to see her smile."

"What kind of story does she like?" Gabriela asks. "Do you think...?"

It was fun to speculate on the motives of the Gods. But Kyne, however, didn't seem to know as much about the Goddess of Records as he did about the God of Magic. "I'll have to think about that some more," he admits.

That night, perhaps because of their discussion, she dreams about Gunslinger Kidd.

"And what about your child," Zephyr asks. "Do you want that kid to be born into a world that is destroyed by vengeful and petty Gods?!" He was getting emotional, even though he knew that he shouldn't. Ever since Zephyr's mind had been warped he could no longer control his emotions as well.
---

"Kidd, I don't think I'm asking too much of you here. I want you to help me so we can leave a better world for the future."

"I know what you're saying sounds right but... deep down... I'm very selfish..." Kidd admits.

"Really, all I want, is to make sure that I'm still here when that child is born," Kidd says, fully admitting how weak and selfish he is as a human. "Fuck the rest of the world. My happiness is right here."

Gabriela can't remember the rest of the dream, and so she is left to fill in the blanks for herself. She has to imagine how Zephyr might have been able to convince Kidd to come out of retirement and help save the world. After all, there was no way Kidd would be short sighted enough to abandon the future of his son or daughter... even if it meant risking his own life... Kidd was that kind of guy.

He was a Hero, so of course he'd find the courage to stand up and do what was right.

Canlan Village was a seemingly new place under construction. Gabriela didn't have much of a meaningful conversation with Kyne by the time they reached Canlan, but maybe that was because the journey was hard and exhausting. By the time she got there, she was ready to pass out.

It was amazing how one dream almost seemed to fade right into the next.

"Jamison, please. You're all that I have left... you can't say that you've given up just like that..." Zephyr was pleading now.

"I've done all that I could do up until now. I've gone even further," Jamison told him. "I saw things through to the end when no one else would. Now I feel so busy all the time, and I'm so tired. I have barely anything to show for it."

"Look at this village that you created," Zephyr tells him. "Do you want this place to get destroyed too?"

But for Jamison it was hard to imagine that anything which could destroy the village so easily would appear. It seemed like someone would know about it already. The threat was too esoteric, too hard to conceptualize, and so subconsciously he wasn't able to take it as seriously as he should have. "Listen Zephyr, I know things took a toll on all of us. Maybe you only need to find a place to retire and look for peace? That might put your mind at ease."

"My peace was destroyed," Zephyr says, snapping. "That bastard wiped out half of the forest with his Red Moon and he didn't even MEAN to do it. He just cleaved the trees and the homes that had been built there in half. It's a miracle that no one was killed or seriously injured," Zephyr goes on, "but that's only because he didn't lower it all the way to the ground."

"He, who is this He you're talking about?" Jamison tells him. "You keep rambling but your speech is very confusing to me now... I'm sorry Zeph but... You're becoming a person I can't understand."

Zephyr knew it was true. He had seen things that no other living being had ever seen. He had 'Made Contact' with the Gods and it had forever changed him. Convincing his friends of what he had seen and how to do the right thing was a difficult task, but it was made even more impossible by the fact that he had been transformed into a maniac that had a hard time getting his point across.

Somehow, with the mental resolve of a Hero, Zephyr found a way to crush the psychological trauma he had faced up until now. He couldn't remove it permanently, he knew, but he was able to smash that into one small part of his brain and box it in. At least, for now, long enough to say the important things that needed to be said.

"Even if you don't understand, we're friends, aren't we? All I want is to know that I can still rely on you," Zephyr says.
---

Jamison nods. "Yeah... Of course." He was feeling a bit guilty at snapping back earlier and, really, when he thought about it, he wasn't acting like himself anyway. Of course he'd do anything to help out Zeph. That much was obvious. "What do you need me to do?"

Gabriela wondered where Kidd and Leone were, but maybe they were waiting outside.

"Just go there," Zephyr said. "Tell me if you see anything. Any sign of the Gods. I don't know why, but it's just a feeling... if you go there you might meet something, and then maybe you'll be able to see things the way I do." His way of viewing the world had changed completely, but maybe it was possible to open Jamison's eyes and bring that guy back as his ally.

Having even one person he could rely on would mean the world to Zephyr right now.

"The Altar of the Gods..." Jamison muttered.

"I don't know if Mona was insane or maybe she was really onto something," Zephyr tells him. "But didn't you feel a strange energy in that place? It wasn't just because our lives were in danger. I feel it now. My fur tingles... I sense something..."

The next day Gabriela and Kyne explore Canlan village some more. She recognizes this place from her dreams but it takes her a while to realize it. She looks around for Jamison or Zephyr but doesn't see any signs of them. Was that a dream of the past... or the present...? Kyne told her she would see those kinds of dreams, but she didn't know which was which.

They travel east together to an abandoned keep at the edge of a murky swamp. The village here has been destroyed and then folks nearby must have come through and finished tearing all of the buildings down. Perhaps Canlan was rebuilt from this village, which had been abandoned after the keep fell into disrepair.

The place looked surprisingly well tended, but there was no one who was looking after the place either.

"Don't worry," Kyne tells her. "I have permission to enter this place."

"Permission...?" Gabriela inquires.

"Of course... What I mean is that I'm free to go wherever I want." Kyne says something that sounds like a joke but he doesn't laugh or smile. He truly is a strange guy, but maybe she is just starting to get used to him. She noticed that she stopped acting polite and holding him at a distance long ago.

Though they don't feel intimate, or even romantic, there's a chance that maybe he feels a bit like her friend.

The lower chambers have mostly been cleaned out, and those open up to a series of well lit tunnels. Aside from the excavated walkways there are also side chambers with large pits built into them. It's hard to say what belonged in those pits because the area has already been cleared out of everything but rocks.

There are some stairs cut into the stone and other times they go down slopes.

Eventually, the two arrive in the lowest chamber at the place beneath the keep.

This is where Gabriela sees Jamison. She had expected him to be in Canlan Village, but he was here instead. But if her dream was right he should be in-... No, wait. That wasn't correct. Yes, in her dream, he had been in Canlan Village.

But in her dream he had told Zephyr he would go to the Altar of the Gods.

That meant, this place now, must be the Altar of the Gods.

That meant that Jamison, like her, had been told by a Hero to go somewhere to meet the Gods. The two of them were very much alike! She thought about that for a moment, but then, her mind started to wander somewhere else.

She began to look at the guy who was standing next to her.

Kyne.

What was he...?
---

It can't be a coincidence, can it, that both of them were sent to meet with the Gods. And, in both cases, Kyne showed up at that place at the same time as the person who made the pilgrimage. Maybe it was another case of coincidence, or part of the grand plan. Maybe Kyne was going to recruit her and Jamison and, together, they would travel to go and meet with the Gods.

Somehow, though, even Gabriela couldn't be that optimistic.

This didn't feel like a journey that could continue. This didn't feel like a story that could go on for much longer. This felt more like the end of the story.

Jamison turns, opening his mouth. He doesn't know these people who have come here, and he's not sure how to greet them. His eyes flicker nervously to Gabriela. She is very pretty, and not too young for someone like him to be properly attracted to. If someone were to ask him he might just admit that he actually was very attracted to her in that moment. It wasn't just his normal shyness.

But, before he could even speak those words of greeting, Kyne's open palm smashed into his face.

Jamison's glasses shattered and he was knocked back off of his feet. He had the build of someone who had been a bit of a shrimp, a desk worker before, and had slowly gained hands on skills and a bit of muscle over the last half of a year. But, despite all that, he was easily overpowered by the seemingly small guy known as Kyne.

Kyne struck him so hard that he stumbled backward, fell, and slid across the ground.

"Ugh!" Jamison ended up at the edge of the bottomless pit. Yet, somehow, he found the strength to hold onto something. He didn't fall. He held himself up, as any mortal should do when faced with death! He looked very strong and courageous in that moment.

"Kyne, what are you doing?" Gabriela says, walking up behind him as he approaches the Altar of the Gods.

"I think she probably wants to hear a story with unexpected and exciting twists, don't you?" Kyne replies, answering her question from yesterday. "I think she wants a story of heroes facing impossible odds and the raw human emotion that is created from those kinds of circumstances. It's a tone you can only create if you're not afraid to senselessly kill off heroes, destroy the world, and create a real sense of danger in the text."

"Because, in that kind of story you can find it; Brief moments of true, pure, really... it's just really... she'd say... Really interesting stuff! Weak and cowardly folk who are forced into situations where they must be brave or perish. Guys who are brought down by their own vital character flaws. Senseless and stupid cruelty -- because you will always have those with amazing courage and will standing up against it."

"What are you doing, Kyne?!" Gabriela shouts at him.

"I'm creating my Champions, of course," Kyne tells her. "You're the first one."

"Did you think those prophetic dreams were a natural power? We already concluded it was a divine intervention. You came to that shrine for exactly that purpose, didn't you...?"

"No," Gabriela retorts. "I came to the Shrine of Storms because I needed to find a way to save our world."

"Relax, don't worry. We're only beginning to tell the story," Kyne responds. "Things need to become really terrible first, otherwise there's nothing to save. You can understand that much... can't you?"

Gabriela knew what he said was true but it sounded completely absurd. They were going to try and destroy the world just so that it could be saved? All for the sake of telling a story? What kind of madness, what kind of disregard for the sanctity of life was needed for such a plot...?
---

It was something only a callous and careless God could come up with.

Something that had no regard for mortals whatsoever.

It seemed Gabriela's experience, her impression of the Gods, wasn't going to be much different from Corella's after all. History was repeating itself now. The only difference was that Gabriela felt her eyes fading, her personal light grew dim, and it almost felt like she was losing control of her own body.

Regardless of what she wanted to do or not, all that mattered was that she would probably be turned into one of his Champions. And, as Gabriela's light faded, Kyne's light began to shine a bit more brightly. He smiled for real, for the first time since she had met him, and his eyes opened from that narrow glare they had always shown.

Now, open fully at last, she could see them shining like bright red autumn moons. But it was really that smile which scared her. Because she saw, in that moment, the madness which had infected him. Mona's purely evil and warped conception of Love had infected a God. It had brought him here... by coincidence or whatever you want to call it....

Everything that Mona had done had actually summoned a God to this exact place after all.

Now, thinking the same way that Mona thought, Kyne was imagining returning back to see a special and warm smile, a smile that he had always yearned to see. And in his own warped and purely evil mind, he thought this was the way to achieve it.

That mortal worm had somehow crawled back out of the tunnel and escaped, but that was fine. Jamison would serve as a nice pawn; a piece who could set up the forces on the other side and make sure that there was a story to tell at all. It would be better than having the Champions run over this world and effortlessly destroy it.

Kyne knew how fun it was going to be to burn this world down. He finally understood the joy of playing games with mortals. They could always do things you might not expect, and you'd be forced to react to the 'free will' that had been imparted upon them. That was such a novel idea to a God of Magic who had ignored the Mortals for so long!

Now, at last, he understood.

"... I'm starting to get into it..."

[...]

Well, to whoever said they would actually like a very long chapter, be careful what you wish for. I couldn't figure out any other way to complete this except to post it exactly as it ended up. There's nothing I felt I could safely edit and keep the spirit of this epilogue intact. Hopefully this ending doesn't leave anyone feeling too unsatisfied.

It actually ended up being well above 35k

I believe the longest chapter I've ever written/posted for one of these projects...

For those who didn't want a galactic sized update: I am so sorry. I have no idea how this happened lol
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Oh goodie. We infected the coolest guy with mortal emotions.
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Kyne has joined the server.
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Huh

We are in deep trouble

I liked it, it sets up any potential sequel to this story nicely. I mean, what bigger threat could this world face than a delusional God in love who is bent on destroying the place to prove his love?

Reminding me of comic Thanos really
---

haha yeah that's one of my favorite traits of Thanos and I think a lot of people feel similar. interesting that they chose to remove this from the movie version, although they did also still do a really good job with him.

anyway this was my typical final epilogue where a character from a foreign country goes on a quest that brings them to a location which sets up the new plot for a potential sequel. I couldn't really make her a Knight (and didn't want to), but I kept the theme of giving her a US President based name (Washington)

also I think "I'm starting to get into it" as the final line really demonstrates just how fucked this world is right now. hearing that alone makes me feel like I do want to come back to this setting at some point and write a sequel. think about all of the stuff that Kyne has done already... and he's just STARTING to get into it now. hahah....
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Oh no D:
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oh yeah and for those keeping track, Pelengreer is the country that Aaron was from. he is one of the soldiers who fought in the war against the Blight King which ended four years ago, and his backstory talks about how he was one of the soldiers who left the country because he didn't know what to do after the battles ended.

lastly the text was already very dense and I couldn't fit any of the other submissions in directly, but the "lost and forgotten" soldiers mentioned along Gabriela's journey was a reference to the ajdectives that were used for some of the character descriptions that you guys submitted!

Zigzagoon posted...

Oh no D:

zeph got a deceptively happy ending here. he literally states that if one person is able to see things the way he does it would mean the world to him. he gets Jamison to help him out, and the chapter ends with Jamison "Making Contact" and then escaping. this means you can reasonably expect that at least he has Jamison on his side for now!
---

Yeah, but overall... yikes
---

oh and a purely special interest poll

How many people knew that Kyne was the God of Magic?
A. I knew literally right away.
B. I knew once he started describing the God's thoughts in first person.
C. I didn't realize it until basically the scene where he reveals himself.

this is another one of those situations where since I wrote it and already knew, the answer A feels really obvious to me. should be interesting to see if it was as 'obvious' as it felt in my head. I don't think it needed to be a twist to be shocking or anything, though.
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A yeah
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A
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A

Poor Gabriela... shes based on a D&D character of mine I hope that one doesnt meet a similar fate!
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A.
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Describing the color of his hair gave it away for me, which was basically right when he was introduced haha
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This is world is truly screwed now, holy crap. I can definitely see the similarities between Thanos.

A.
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A

Eh they'll probably be fine. We've seen around worse!

MariaTaylor posted...

But, before he could even speak those words of greeting, Kyne's open palm smashed into his face.

Jamison's glasses shattered and he was knocked back off of his feet.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYVO5bUFww0" data-time="

trdl23 posted...

Poor Gabriela... shes based on a D&D character of mine I hope that one doesnt meet a similar fate!

On the bright side, she probably gets to become a boss / elite / power npc or whatever.
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haha yeah I had to get one last, good, glasses SMASH in there

jamison bullied
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MariaTaylor posted...

haha yeah I had to get one last, good, glasses SMASH in there

jamison bullied

Jamison always being the punching bag and chick repellent.

In hindsight I am kind of bummed I didn't use my other female character I had...especially given a few of the other players' characters. Would have been interesting seeing how she could have been played with if she ended up in Jamison's group at some point.
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man I know I wasn't updating every day or anything but the current feeling I have is still veryyyy weird. like it's been 16 hours since my last update and I haven't needed to think at all about the next update or when I'm gonna start writing another chapter.
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corella ~
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I forgot to track this topic and then forgot about it. Oops.

Caught up on the rest of the main epilogues and enjoyed it immensely now for this new one.
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Maniac64 posted...

now for this new one.

see you in about 12 years when you finish reading it...
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Yeah it seems long. Probably will have to wait a little while
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MariaTaylor posted...

I am so sorry. I have no idea how this happened lol

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That's generally how it happens with creative folk I've found. :p Mean to write something short and then all of the words forever. ^_^'

....And the vice-versa of intending to write something long and mind completely blanking at the worst possible time ._.'
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bumpo for now.

didn't even bother to archive this yet since I do want to get any last minute discussion and posts.
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well discussion seems to be over. let's at least try to bump until maniac finishes reading.
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