Kamii stood on the pinnacle outcrop of rock over the sunken fortress he had made his base and considered his current situation. Bisojo stood at his right while Devlin stood at his left, the trio staring down as Kaz and Wendonai reordered their swarm of demonic minions with threats and impromptu executions.
"We will retrieve the final Foci first, then return for the Key later." He decided as he considered the distant, dark floating city.
"Ironic that the retrieval of the Key, what should have been the easiest part, is turning out to be the hardest." Bisojo commented.
Though the beautiful young sorceress didn't have a critical bone in her body Kamii never the less flinched at the perceived criticism.
"I did everything right." Kamii snapped at her. "Wasn't my fault that group of key stealing a&@$&*~s got involved!"
Bisojo looked startled at his response. "I didn't think it was." She said in confusion.
Devlin smiled in amusement, Bisojo was a savant with magic but she ill understood the petty needs of ego.
"I feel something ancient and cold in that city..." Bisojo commented as she felt another flare of magical aura in the distance.
"...cold and...dead."
Ignoring her Kamii smiled as his Demons got the swarm in order.
"Now to open the portal, and when we return, it'll be time to get that Key...the endgame approaches, and with it, Godhood!"
Safely hidden away in his lair Kamii sits on a cushion of pillows in a dark, cellar-like room and lights the candles around him, tall red things scented to smell of some hot musty spice.
Strictly speaking, the dark and candles were unnecessary, but Kamii preferred a gentle, meditative environment when contacting his big sister, it tended to lessen the headache of dealing with her.
+Sister.+ He sent along the telepathic link they shared.
After a moment he felt a restless presence, like a sleeper just awakened when they'd rather snooze, uncoil within his skull, glimmers of holy light illuminating the dark psychic spaces of his demonic spirit.
He shuddered at her holy touch, but such was his curse, being her jailer.
+Yes, what is it Kamii? Do you need yet more help like when I devised the plot to get Kanzen? Why should I help? You messed up that one bad by not finishing her, you think she can be used as a tool? Really? I'll be highly amused when she catches you and shreds your face off, idiot.+
A soft feminine voice said, echoing throughout his skull.
Kamii sighed, a thing he had found himself doing a lot lately.
+Please, let's stop the bickering.+ He requested. +Important things are happening.+
+No bickering? But that's all I get to do in this prison for fun...well that and dream of the outside world.+ She said with both a tone of humor and a bit of glumness.
Taking that as consent Kamii relayed all that had happened since his sister was last awake.
Her laughter filled his entire being, ringing like wedding bells.
+Yes, that's part of our problem...OUR problem.+ Kamii emphasized.
The laughter finally trails away. +So under the influence of my sleeping soul you were completely honest with the beings who got attached to our Key, they rejected you, and then sought truth from Ariel?+
Once again she is laughing.
+Well the good news is that once they leave that liar's nest they will be so discombobulated by whatever prank she pulls that they should be easy marks to get the Key from.+ She acknowledges eventually, her laughter finally spent.
+No, something very strange is going on here and I sense strength in these beings, great strength.+ Kamii informs her.
+Forget it, I'm not wasting one of my Greater Alter Reality abilities just on fixing your stupid mistake. Good bye, I'm going to sleep again.+
+Cammella wait!+ Kamii projected, in the mental equivalent of a shout.
+No Kamii.+ Was her reply, her voice growing softer. +Either you succeed and we both will stand as Gods, or you fail, they destroy you...and set me free.+
+Cammella!+ Kamii shouted again as she faded away.
+Now wouldn't that be interesting?+ She whispers as she vanishes.
The flames from Bage's attack alone are enough to burn Kamii to a crisp, however his flesh does not react the way you would expect. Instead as Kamii lights up you see he is made not of mortal flesh and blood but of...paper?
As he is consumed and his paper form burns he releases some form of terrible toxin, black and thick, which billows out to fifty feet around him.
So that's why he smelled like scented paper, he must have been drenched in poison and some type of perfume to cover the smell!
As distance is somewhat of an abstraction in this game and effects like these don't specifically target anyone you can decide whether your character is within the radius, though Joseph and Zaidel likely are unless something weird is going on.
Kamii's Deadly Vapors:
Type:Contact (magical, cursed)
Fort: DC 30
Onset: 1 Round.
Frequency:1/rd. for 6 rds.
Effect: 1d6 Con and permanent confusion(greater restoration, heal, or higher spell effect to remove)
Cure: 3 saves
On another note, sorry Joseph, I thought you had popped the Orange with Zaidel right there just to be funny =p
Alyssa thinks this over, carefully chewing on it before continuing.
"So, you're just trying to be free of your sister? If that's the case, well, I think that's worth merit. No one should have to live bound to another.
"However, I don't think I like the idea of giving up a God's power to someone who is willing to send her own brother to Hell. I'm not aware of much here, in this Dream, but can you honestly say that if we allow your sister free reign over the God's power, she'll use it for good?"
She gestures to the Vulture King. "This one here, he claims to be a God. And I personally have seen him do amazing feats I would never have thought possible. Perhaps he can help you?"
She sighs, sucks in a large breath of air, and says the words that sit heavy in her chest. "I truly wish to help you be free of your sister. But, I don't think we can just hand her the key without knowing more about her. Perhaps we can go together, with the key, and recover the power and grant you your freedom."
She turns to face the group. "Do I speak for everyone, in this case?"
Kamii begins a low chuckle, which after a moment turns into a genuine belly laugh. "More bull s%~~." He declares. "Very well, I've tried every reasonable route. You have stolen from me and declared war with your actions. I accept. If it goes badly for you however, don't blame me, blame your own foolish choices."
John frowns "When have I lied to you? Remember, I was never a part of any initial agreement to hand over the key. Now, I'm curious, you do not smell like the same person who was here before. So, who are you? Are you one of his 'minions' that you threatened us with?"
Turning to John Kamii says: "If the woman doesn't speak for you than perhaps you should muzzle her." He dismisses John's questions with a wave of his hand. "I am Kamii, simply his avatar."
"In ages past the Key was mine, before it was lost to the hands of my murderers." He says, addressing the group at large. "At great cost I was retrieving it, when some power piggybacked onto my spell and disrupted everything. I don't know how or why you got mixed up in it, but return my Key and there will be no problems...last chance, are you good people, or are you villains?"
"I don't know. I haven't met her. In fact. There's only been a grand total of five people I've met since I've gotten here." He runs his fingers through his hair. "I don't see why you can't come with us, and see if she has any answers. Is it not better than trying to fight us?"
Kamii gives a low, ironic chuckle. "The Lady of the Wood has her own agendas and, unlike me, she won't be honest with you about it. I'll not willing walk into her lair." Kamii replies. "Besides, you've lied to me before, there is no reason to trust you now that you'll really give me the Key, unless you do so now."
Kamii smells faintly of scented paper, like the pages of an old musty tome.
We don't want to mess with you, but you have to give us something else to go on! If we're wrong, tell us why- what's so important that you need this key for? Please, let us know, and we'll help- otherwise, we won't help you."
"My desire for honesty is a holdover from my mortal life, and one that does not serve me well, but I'll give it one last shot." Kamii replies. "I am trying to open the Demiplane known as God's Rest, to retrieve the divine power of the slain deity Apollo. My sister desires more divine power before she arises and will give me a portion if I retrieve it for her, as well as finally granting me my freedom. The Key is part of the process of retrieving that power." Kamii continues.
"She sent me to hell when we were mortals and her hold over me is strong still, I would do much to escape it and become empowered. That is the truth, now, may I have my Key?"
"You know back where I'm from(And possibly the rest of us are from), we have saying. Possession is nine tenths of the law. Do you have any proof this key belongs to you? As far as we know, the key was bound to us, thus, it's was our from the moment we got here. Technically, that makes you the thief, does it not?"
Kamii sighs once again. "I suppose so, and I don't have any proof. So is there no chance of getting my Key then? Can I buy it from you?"
John sighs at the man who as threatened them. "Look. You told us if we give you the key, you could find us answers. Then you said you were gonna leave, and try to learn something to help us, in what I assume was a gesture of good faith. You weren't even gone an hour, how hard did you look for something useful? Between that, telling us outright your a villain and that you have minions who will try to fight us for the key, and finally threatening to unleash hell on us, you're not exactly filling us with confidence that turning over the key to you is the right idea. You said you could find us at any time, provided we don't try to hide from you. Why don't you go and spend at least a half a day looking for some answers, and come back to us? Maybe at that point, you'll have actually found something helpful."
Kamii rolls his eyes. "I've already looked to the best of my ability, there is nothing more for me to do. Look, call me a villain all you like but I have been honest with you from the beginning, you are the ones in the wrong, thieves that you are."
He is telling the truth about his information gathering, but if you try another track that may work as the diplomacy is otherwise successful.
"Wait, so you truly intend not to help us? At all? This was our agreement; you help, we give you the key. Please, there's no need for violence. Stole from you? How? Explain, please, and tell us your intentions, and there needs not be any violence."
"I simply cannot help you, I thought I could but information about you is beyond my ability to retrieve." Kamii reveals.
"That is my Key, you are keeping it from me, thus you stole it from me." Kamii explains. "I tried to be nice, but if someone breaks into your house and steals your most valuable possession do you really owe them something to get it back? I'm being polite not simply killing the thieves on the spot!"
Josephs expression sours. "Your first mistake was telling us you where a bad guy, the deathblow was telling us that you have no answers and you'll sick someone on us if we don't comply." Joseph gestures to the rest of the group and then at the dead hydra. "one of these guys, one on them! Killed that thing in a second! A LITERAL SECOND!" Joseph steps forward and yells at Kamii. "So you can just bugger right off you c!@+! We got superhumans!"
Kamii pinches the bridge of his nose in annoyance. "Well I try to be honest with people first off, then if that doesn't work, I unleash hell." He informs Joseph.
"Does this man speak for all of you?" He inquires of the group at large.
"Really, all I want is my property back." He sighs.
Kamii blows out an exasperated breath as the discussion spirals on.
"Tell you what, I'll go search out what answers I can for you and will seek you out when I know more." He tells the group.
He gets up off the log and turns, walking back into the heavy shade of the forest.
"Feel free to travel as you like, I have the feel of your auras now. As long as you don't deliberately hide I'll be able to find you."
He walks off into the dim woods and his form seems to meld with the shadows, vanishing bit by bit.
"May our next meeting be more to both our liking." His voice calls out, then he is gone.
You are left in the near silence of the meadow, the only sound the buzzing of insect wings as tiny bugs move from colorful flower to flower, doing their eternal work of pollination.
Diplomacy check successful, attitude shifts to friendly. He will answer honestly with further Diplomacy checks as per the skill.
Arcane sight reveals that Kamii has arcane spell casting ability and his strongest spell is 7th level. The artifact has a strong transmutation aura but arcane sight cannot reveal its abilities.
Kamii leans back and pinches the bridge of his nose as if he is developing a headache. "Ok, look, I'm a reasonable guy, but you must first decide among yourselves how you want to handle this. Figure out what's up and sort yourselves out. I'll wait."
Kamii crosses his arms and falls silent, ignoring most of what is said to him until the group of the lost decide how to handle things.
"Look, I'm not looking for much, simply that you honor the deal already struck and return my Key to me." The boy says plainly. "And I will use my not inconsiderable resources to discover the answers to your questions. Why be foes when we can be allies?"
"Tell us, how did we get here? Is there a way back and how? And what do you plan to unlock with this? Will you answer these?"
"For the first two questions the answer is I don't know yet." The boy replies with a sour look on his face. "As to what I want to unlock, I'm simply looking to retrieve a present for my elder sister."
and sudden Kei was standing a few feet away, cupping the ball of light and the key within.
"Like I said, why should we give you a key that opens all locks if it doesn't belong to you, and you are the bad guy, other than 'because I asked for it'?"
The white light fades and the key comes to gently rest in Kei's palm.
Kamii's features twist momentarily into a hateful glare before his expression comes to rest.
"Because I am perhaps uniquely situated to find out the answers to your questions. A simple trade for the Key, yes?"
Though a mere twenty minutes have past Kamii seems to reach the crescendo of his spell and, as lightning crackles and red mists whirl, he shouts a final, magical word and in a flash of light a platinum key blinks into existence, hovering within a white ball of light about a foot over Joseph's head.
"Perfect!" Kamii cries and reaches forward with his right hand to seize it...
"So, I know I don't know everything that's going on, like why you are all speaking Japanese" says Kei as he flashes Alyssa a sorry! look before continuing with "but I do know that it's usually considered a bad idea to give the bad guy what he wants. I don't think any of us know the rules here, but shouldn't we find them out before allowing a stranger to do whatever he wants to one of us?"
The Boy shoots Kei a sharp glance.
"Let's not get ugly here, we already have a deal; I get my Key and I use my resources to discover the reality of your own plight. Fair's fair, and we need no longer be strangers, call me...Kamii."
"Excuse me", spoke the big warrior to Bage.
With deftness, Zaidel arms himself with the light shiny shield and walks over to The Boy preforming his ritual.
"I have a pretty good idea you can hear, besides your concentrating on other things. I just wanted to say: If you hurt him", the big warrior pointed with his now drawn sword to Joseph, "I hurt you."
"Believe me, the sorcery is harmless to your friend." The boy replied, as the red mist spread and the cackling lightning increased.
"This is just a type of Planar bleed, the things you are seeing; discharge as I reel in the artifact." He turned his head to look at Zaidel directly. "My only interest is in the Key, not harming your friends, I assure you."
