Tom is going to leave his path to random chance. He simply enters a random room on his right. What does he find? He has the turtle in hand. The little things keep moving its legs, but cannot seem to remove itself from its captor.
"Yeah, Ephebe was with us, but she was acting weird. I don't know what's going on, but something was not right with that girl. She didn't appear hurt, but it wouldn't be a bad idea to check up on her once we get Jiminy to the Infirmary. I mean, you don't have to or anything."
"I can do so," he replies with a nod as they enter the Infirmary, and gently deposits Jiminy on an available table, motioning for one of the nurses to come over. "I may need to start keeping notes on what occurs with your friends, however. It is becoming very....challenging....to keep track of," he adds with a thoughtful look on his face. (^.^)
"Where is she now? And who is currently watching her?"
"Yeah, Ephebe was with us, but she was acting weird. I don't know what's going on, but something was not right with that girl. She didn't appear hurt, but it wouldn't be a bad idea to check up on her once we get Jiminy to the Infirmary. I mean, you don't have to or anything.""I can do so," he replies with a nod as they enter the Infirmary, and gently deposits Jiminy on an available table, motioning for one of the nurses to come over. "I may need to start keeping notes on what occurs with your friends, however. It is becoming very....challenging....to keep track of," he adds with a thoughtful look on his face. (^.^)
"Where is she now? And who is currently watching her?"
Fieri looks a bit guilty.
"I...uh, don't know. Krays was with her when I left so he's probably with her," she added hopefully. "Last I saw her was in the garden."
Fieri looks a bit guilty.
"I...uh, don't know. Krays was with her when I left so he's probably with her," she added hopefully. "Last I saw her was in the garden."
"I will start there then, thank you. I will bring her back here if she requires healing."
"And Jiminy should be fine, given time to rest," he says, bowing to the nurse as she comes over to verify that prognosis.
Fei bows to Fieri and excuses himself. He then heads for the gardens....the ones on the back lot of the school grounds . And much confusion ensues.
"Hmmm....." (o.O)
Fieri looks a bit guilty.
"I...uh, don't know. Krays was with her when I left so he's probably with her," she added hopefully. "Last I saw her was in the garden."
"I will start there then, thank you. I will bring her back here if she requires healing."
"And Jiminy should be fine, given time to rest," he says, bowing to the nurse as she comes over to verify that prognosis.
Fei bows to Fieri and excuses himself. He then heads for the gardens....the ones on the back lot of the school grounds . And much confusion ensues.
"Hmmm....." (o.O)
Krays will let her "cry it out" and prevent anyone from disturbing her. He will even go so far as to drop a silence spell at the end of the hallway for privacy.
Tom finds a very small fuzzy black bug ramming its head into the wall under one of the shelves. He shows the bug to the turtle and mumbles something. he than spends a few seconds seemingly chatting with the bug.
After the chat Tom lets out a short giggly laugh. hahahahah
Tom leaves the room without much time spent looking at all the dead stuff.
The orbs return with their information, they were encountered by none save their primitive brothers. The orbs shatter and reform into the dark cloud leaving an almost nonexistent amount of silver that was the self destroying bot.
"They have no respect it seems, then again we have no respect for them."
A part of the cloud moves up like a tentacle to whats left of the bot, it loses its silver sheen turning dark then gets absorbed into the rest. The dark cloud bank quickly seems to dissolve into only a small cloud large enough for him to stay on. He uses it to go towards the headmasters office opening the wards once more with a wave of his hand.
Aananda waits inside the office, casually leaning against the desk, door open, waiting for the new arrival.
Aananda waits inside the office, casually leaning against the desk, door open, waiting for the new arrival.
An orb makes its way in thru the door, hovering in place for a moment. Dispite its lack of discernible sensory you feel it studying everything, then suddenly it dissolves into a large black cloud that fills everything stopping short of the desk. Just as suddenly things clear up and you spot Solivala with six orbiting spheres standing before you.
Aananda waits inside the office, casually leaning against the desk, door open, waiting for the new arrival.
An orb makes its way in thru the door, hovering in place for a moment. Dispite its lack of discernible sensory you feel it studying everything, then suddenly it dissolves into a large black cloud that fills everything stopping short of the desk. Just as suddenly things clear up and you spot Solivala with six orbiting spheres standing before you.
"Very dramatic. And as much as I admire your handiwork, if you contaminate mine I will be less than pleased."
Her violet eyes shifted slightly, the color filling in the whites and the pupils elongating into catlike slits."Fascinating," she said, examining the cloud. "Elegant design, creative use of materials....but you still haven't solved the containment and reprogramming problems," she added, sounding disappointed. "Honestly, that was one of the first things I did. Well, after I made a rather spectacular mistake due to not fixing those problems first."
"But none of that is pertinent to the immediate point, is it? I'm being rude. I apologize. My name is Aananda Sunwake. I teach phys ed and mechanics here at Avalon Academy. And you are? I'll need your name for the enrollment form."
"Very dramatic. And as much as I admire your handiwork, if you contaminate mine I will be less than pleased."
Her violet eyes shifted slightly, the color filling in the whites and the pupils elongating into catlike slits.
"Fascinating," she said, examining the cloud. "Elegant design, creative use of materials....but you still haven't solved the containment and reprogramming problems," she added, sounding disappointed. "Honestly, that was one of the first things I did. Well, after I made a rather spectacular mistake due to not fixing those problems first.""But none of that is pertinent to the immediate point, is it? I'm being rude. I apologize. My name is Aananda Sunwake. I teach phys ed and mechanics here at Avalon Academy. And you are? I'll need your name for the enrollment form."
"You are mistaken on many accounts. It is not a matter of dramatics as misdirection, there is no threat of contamination, containment suggest a lack of control and there is no program. My swarm as I call them are self aware and thinking creations with the ability to adapt, learn, and reproduce independently. They follow my commands but otherwise do as they wish. Your knowledge of my swarm is incomplete, yet it seems you have stolen my prototypes and modified them to some extent."
He speaks with no sign of emotion but rather as if everything he says is fact.
"The name I have been known by the longest is Solivala. I lack understanding what you mean by enrollment, my data is greater then any other on a number of subjects. What could I acquire here that is needed?"
"Your prototypes?" she said with a raised eyebrow. "I based my work on some tech I found in a junkyard that had been sitting there for over a century. I've made more than a few modifications since then, some of which might not be initially obvious."
"And all of the rest of that? I'm very interested to learn more, but I mean it. If your 'swarm' infects any of my work, I will be very put out. And my children can tell you I am most formidable when I am angry," she added an amused twinkle in her eye.
"Enrollment. Signing up for school. In your case, I might suggest...social skills? You sounds like you've been talking to machines too much dear."
After looking around the garden area for a few minutes and not finding Ephebe, Fei proceeds to canvas the school corridors and ask the few students in the halls if she has been seen.
Eventually, someone answers in the affirmative, and he is able to make his way to the dead-end corridor where Ephebe is slumped on the floor.
Looking for any sign of a physical injury, he crouches down where he stopped.
"Ephebe...have you been hurt? Are you alright?"
Looking for any sign of a physical injury, he crouches down where he stopped.
"Ephebe...have you been hurt? Are you alright?"
"N-no, I'm not injured if that's what you mean," she sniffled, hastily wiping her eyes. "And no, I'm not alright. I'm not myself. H-how am I supposed to explain that to my family?" she wailed, the tears starting up again.
Lets out a low hiss as Fei zooms past....then materializes nearby
"No one has hurt her, Fei, I've been watching over her. It just seems as though she needs to work some things out." He turns to Ephebe "Why do you not feel yourself?" he says quietly.
Shows up suddenly, taking up position at th end of the hallway, arms folded.
Stands guard with H'Tor, letting it be known that it's a bad i dea to get inquisitive about the crying student...
Lets out a low hiss as Fei zooms past....then materializes nearby
"No one has hurt her, Fei, I've been watching over her. It just seems as though she needs to work some things out." He turns to Ephebe "Why do you not feel yourself?" he says quietly.
"It's not about how I feel. I'm not myself."
She leaned against the wall dejectedly.
"I suppose I might as well tell you," she said dully. "It'll come out soon enough anyways."
"N-no, I'm not injured if that's what you mean," she sniffled, hastily wiping her eyes. "And no, I'm not alright. I'm not myself. H-how am I supposed to explain that to my family?" she wailed, the tears starting up again.
He blinks, clearly unsure of how to proceed with her in this (apparently) fragile emotional state.
"I...do not understand. Perhaps..."
Lets out a low hiss as Fei zooms past....then materializes nearby
"No one has hurt her, Fei, I've been watching over her. It just seems as though she needs to work some things out." He turns to Ephebe "Why do you not feel yourself?" he says quietly.
He looks back as Krays appears and interrupts him, and sees H'Tor and the spectre of the dead teacher block the hallway further down.
"My...apologies, Krays. Fieri was concerned about her well-being when I found her and Jiminy on the way to the Infirmary. I will not intrude any further, since you do not seem to wish it."
He carefully rises from his crouch, bows respectfully, and excuses himself from the corridor.
"No, no Fei, you just took me by suprise. You are a friend, please remain. They are there to prevent anyone else from exploiting a vulnerable moment, not to dissuade friends or family. Stay, and listen. Your training and mental discipline may prove insightful if not helpful."
Turns back to Ephebe
"Tell me, it is safe. I will not judge you."
"My mom had five siblings. Four of them she never met, but her brother, Chan, was raised at the same monastery she was. Be patient. This is pertinent. Chan didn't start out bad, but at some point he was possessed by a demon. He killed most of his siblings, but he spared my mom because he wanted her to be his mate. He was a sick, sick puppy. Anyways, fast forward a bit, my parents had to fight him and kill him. And destroy the demon. Unfortunately, the demon had a friend...or something. I've never been clear on the relationship. This friend or ally or whatever was also a demon, but this one was special. It was a time demon. And it had a super-fun revenge plan. It stole little embryo Jimmy right out of my mom before my parents even knew he existed. And repeated that through lots and lots of different realities. It's complicated, don't ask me to explain time paradoxes and alternate realities to you now. In a very few realities it also stole me. I thought there were only six, but it turns out there were seven. It realized pretty quick that evil-me was more of a rival than a servant I guess. I may have helped that a little. So now the demon had an army of Jiminys, and she made them into twisted evil things, helped out a bit by her love of genetic enhancement and manipulation. If you can't figure out why this was bad or just how bad it is...you should spend more time with my brother. And then imagine those powers being used for evil. Naturally, someone had to fix it. Kronos has policies for those who willfully frack up the timelines. And I got drafted."
She stopped her narrative for a moment to blow her nose.
"That's just the background. I...it takes a long time to defeat a time demon. Three years in this case. Three years of repeating the same short period of time over and over and over and over. I failed a lot. I also died a lot. The first couple of times I thought that Kronos was just resurrecting me so I could try again. Extra chances as it were. And then I realized the truth. My memories, thoughts, all of that were just being placed in one of my counterparts as it were. Me from another timeline/reality. The me whose body it was would mostly just observe and offer helpful suggestions from time to time. It was...weird. And I kept trying. And I kept failing. Even when I succeeded I failed because the time demon would just flee to the next reality and I'd have to start over again. And I had to kill so many of the evil-Jimmies. After a while I couldn't even cry. It hurt just the same, but there weren't any more tears."
"And then it got worse. The last body I jumped into...it was one of the evil-Ephebes. And she didn't want to let me have her body. We fought. I...I had to kill her. So I could have her body." She put her hands over her face, unable to go on for a moment.
"At that point I knew I was out of chances. I couldn't do that again. So I just went all out, screw the rules, and did everything I wasn't really allowed to do. Told people I was from the future, changed events by telling people about what was going to happen, brought others from the future back in time. And it worked. The time demon is dead. Jimmy, well, he's the only one of him left, but he's not evil. Taron...well, he's also the only one of him because of the changes to the timeline. And I walled all of it away and pretended like I was still me."
"But I'm not. I'm some other Ephebe. Not me at all. And I don't even know what kind of freakish changes the demon made to this body."
[BLINK] (o.O)
"So....your soul has been 'reincarnated' across multiple versions of...yourself, in this quest to vanquish the demons?"
"So....your soul has been 'reincarnated' across multiple versions of...yourself, in this quest to vanquish the demons?"
"Yeah, that's about right. Quest over. Demon defeated. And now I'm stuck with the consequences."
"I see. So you're afraid of what your family will think if they knew the truth." Collects his thoughts for a sec
"First, I should make it clear that your body is just a shell. Everyone's is. It's a mortal shackle for what we really are. The stuff that makes us what we are is not defined by the shell we occupy. I know this, as I can see the spirits of the deceased, and I understand how they can possess others. So, the idea that 'you' are not yourself, simply because you're in a different body is a wee bit false. Can your spirit change bodys and kill like that with out it changing somewhat? No, it can't. But it is still you, just as any other living, learning person changes as they age.
Second, I would suggest you embrace what you have done as a champion of your god. Preventing evil Jim's from running rampant and foiling the plans of time-spanning demons is no small feat. You did what you had to do, and won. Release your guilt on it, and dwell on it no more."
Gets quiet
"I understand the pain you feel. When I said before my clan was lost to me, it was becasue I killed all of them. The circumstances of my birth and other factors lead my superstitious clan mates to believe I did not deserve to live. One night, they...pushed the issue, and I fought for my very survival. H'Tor, was my only friend, and I watched him die becasue of ignorance. Death himself heard my plea and I struck down those that sought to kill me." A look of pain crosses his features "They were my family, and I loved them, we all depended on each other for survival...but their actions left me no choice...just as your corrupted brothers left you no choice."
"I'm sorry, Krays. That you had to go through that."
"You...you really don't think I'm a monster?"
"I'm sorry, Krays. That you had to go through that."
"You...you really don't think I'm a monster?"
"I'm ok Ephebe. I am not proud of what I have done, but I do not think I am a monster, any more than I think you are a monster. More importantly, I do not think your family will think you are a monster either." He gives Ephebe a hug, and helps her up
"You should go tell them, and trust in their love for you."
"Taron always says that the other Jimmies were clones, not real. No matter how many times that I tried to tell him otherwise. What if he think that I'm not real either? That I'm just a copy and not me?"
He chuckles
"Well I suppose he'd be kind of right, as your body may be a cloned one, but it's you in it. He should recognize that. I can go with you, if you'd like."
Fei, as usual, has been quiet during the rest of the conversation. He finally makes his own quiet observation.
"Krays is correct. Regardless of the physical body (or world) it resides in, the soul is constant. It is the experiences and knowledge gained in one's life that defines the soul and makes it unique. Just because yours has been in many mortal shells does not invalidate the fact that it is still your essence at the center of each one. It just means you have an old soul in a young body."
"And you are not a 'copy' - you...are you. Nothing more, nothing less."
He chuckles
"Well I suppose he'd be kind of right, as your body may be a cloned one, but it's you in it. He should recognize that. I can go with you, if you'd like."
"It's not cloned. Just altered. And if you wouldn't mind...I think I could use the moral support."
Fei, as usual, has been quiet during the rest of the conversation. He finally makes his own quiet observation.
"Krays is correct. Regardless of the physical body (or world) it resides in, the soul is constant. It is the experiences and knowledge gained in one's life that defines the soul and makes it unique. Just because yours has been in many mortal shells does not invalidate the fact that it is still your essence at the center of each one. It just means you have an old soul in a young body."
"And you are not a 'copy' - you...are you. Nothing more, nothing less."
For a second her lip quivered like she was going to start crying again. And then she smiled.
"Thank you. That was exactly the right thing to say. I...it helps."
Nods in agreement with Fei, then looks to Ephebe
"Yes of course I will. I wouldn't offer otherwise."
"Alright, then. To the infirmary I guess. That's where Taron and Jiminy are."
Nods, and follows Ephebe, mentally commanding H'Tor to lead them to the infirmary.
In the infirmary, Ephebe is relieved to see that they've placed Jiminy and Taron close together, and a bit nonplussed to discover Taron was still unconscious.
"Okay, there's something I need to tell you guys, and I need to say it now before I lose my nerve. I'm just going to have to put the memory of it in Taron's mind so he'll remember it when he wakes up. I hope." She took a deep breath. "He said it was time for that mental wall of mine to come down. He may wish he'd left it alone."
She quickly explains things like she did to Fei and Krays including the background info for the benefit of Fieri since she was the only one present who didn't know about the time demon.
"Your prototypes?" she said with a raised eyebrow. "I based my work on some tech I found in a junkyard that had been sitting there for over a century. I've made more than a few modifications since then, some of which might not be initially obvious."
"And all of the rest of that? I'm very interested to learn more, but I mean it. If your 'swarm' infects any of my work, I will be very put out. And my children can tell you I am most formidable when I am angry," she added an amused twinkle in her eye."Enrollment. Signing up for school. In your case, I might suggest...social skills? You sounds like you've been talking to machines too much dear."
The spheres stop orbiting standing still in the air. Aananda senses something off him for the first time, a twinge of bloodlust. The spheres return to their movements and its gone.
"I am far older then a century, I admit my sense of time is.......lost. As for infection that is incorrect, if you are implying that you would not like me to control them that is a moot point."
He raises a hand palm up, soon a group of silver insects appear above it, Aananda's bots.
"They may be less advanced and modified but they are still creations, my control is absolute. I have no need to infect any creation in order to control it. That is an ability I have had sense before I gave up my body."
He lowers his hands and the bots disperse.
"Social skills could be interesting, yet I find I have met few who did not wish me ill in some manner. My data on technology is complete, yet dispite my vast data on wizardry it is still not complete. I am interested in those. No one should threaten me even in passing, my swarm is under my control but they will attempt to destroy all threats to me."
He slowly turns his head to look directly at you.
"You are a mother, you may understand the lack of logic involved. My swarm has no sense of restrainment on this subject. With good reason based on past events, so now you are aware."
The infirmary door opens, to reveal an angry, slimy kobold. "AHA! I was right! Playing hooky, eh? Well--"
Vakkler pauses. "Hang on, why're you hiding here, anyways?"
"We're not hiding. Taron and Jiminy just had some magic backfire on them." Kam explains. "Why are you covered in slime?"
For a second her lip quivered like she was going to start crying again. And then she smiled.
"Thank you. That was exactly the right thing to say. I...it helps."
Fei nods and attempts a faint smile as he follows the others back to the Infirmary.
"THAT IS ENOUGH OUT OF YOU!" Head Healer Belna bellowed, descending like a vengeful god on the errant professor who had tried her patience beyond its breaking point.
"You will stay out of the Infirmary and stop harassing my patients! Shoo! You're not welcome here," she said, using her considerable bulk to shove him out of the door.
Casts prestidigitation on the slimy kobold as he's pushed out of the room, removing the slime...and whatever else was causing that smell
"We're not hiding. Taron and Jiminy just had some magic backfire on them." Kam explains. "Why are you covered in slime?"
"Oh. Well, actually, it's an interesting story. It all started when I was checking the slurk dens--
"THAT IS ENOUGH OUT OF YOU!" Head Healer Belna bellowed, descending like a vengeful god on the errant professor who had tried her patience beyond its breaking point.
"GAH!"
"You will stay out of the Infirmary and stop harassing my patients! Shoo! You're not welcome here," she said, using her considerable bulk to shove him out of the door.
"Arg! Get back, you madwoman!" Vakkler struggles, but is no match for the mighty healer. He turns and scampers off.