I know I already did this chap...so where'd it go?? @_@
Fleeting Glory
Part IV:
The Whole Story (Maybe)
Lina sipped her drink, leaning back in her seat.
"It began not long before Xelloss met up with you-- maybe a fortnight ago," Mikechi began. "Not many people knew about it at first. But word spread quickly.
"It began in small villages, at the edge of our plane. At first, only a few people saw it, and as a whole it was decided that there was an outbreak of insanity. It's happened before, and while it was unfortunate, it wasn't too terrifying. But then…Then whole villages were taken, and it wasn't just that they were seeing things. Travelers and relatives saw the places and fled. For something wrong was there, something so alien that humanity would have been a comfort...
"Something...something had grown overtop the corners of our dimension, not extinguishing it, but replacing it. Changing it, in some seemingly irreparable way. About a week ago, someone stopped, tried to drag villager out of the changed place. They both died."
"How do you know all this if there's been no one left to tell?" Mikechi looked bereaved.
"We have a timeslide, that lets us find the beginnings of things. That's why so few mazoku even try to go against the higher-ups. Bad things happen to them." He got a far-off look, and Lina waited for him to continue, rather curious.
"Anyway...they sent others, just to scout firsthand. Only a few of those made it back, although they had been warned not to go too close. What they reported was strange, almost surreal if we had nightmares."
"Don't you?" asked Lina.
"Not...usually. As I was saying. Whatever grew onto our world is another dimension. Not a close one, like your realm and ours, but something else altogether. There are colors there that we don't understand. Things aren't straightforward. It's not too hard to tell what's good and evil in our worlds, is it?"
"A little bit, but no, not too hard. I mean, we've all got perspectives, but we're certain about them, right?"
"Exactly. The point is, it isn't like that there. Good and evil mix together, and no one is always entirely sure of everything they feel."
"How do you know that?"
"You don't want to know everything we do to get our way. You're on the soft side." Lina was skeptical.
"We've been threatened, manipulated, captured, brainwashed, killed, and beaten, and we're on the soft side?" Mikechi quirked a smile.
"That's it? Well, believe me or don't, but you've gotten off easy. Where was I before you so kindly interupted?"
"They feel inbetween-like."
"That's it exactly."
"So why can't you take their pain the same way you do everyone else's?"
"Because while they have fear and hatred and pain, it's not pure. There are positive emotions in every one of their terrors. It's remarkable, and it chokes us. That's why the scouts died. These creatures' emotions have an exotic tang, apparently, not being local. The scouts tried to feed off of it before they realized, and they went too far, took too much. Knocked 'em off like flies, as you would say."
"But as long as you avoid the area..."
"It's creeping, Lina Inverse. It's taking over the whole realm, and when it finds somewhere to push through to your world, it will." She shrugged.
"What will it matter to you?"
"Humans have fragile psyches. If a constant range of emotions and a never-ending grey is all you see, what is there to stop you from going into a deep depression? What will stay you from dying at your own hand because there isn't anything better to live for? Because your world is gone." Lina was silent then, as the full meaning of his words sank in.
"So we'd basically be an entire world of suicidals?"
"And that would be fine, except that the Mazoku will already be dead by the time your negative emotions are realm-wide." Lina threw a look at Zel. He looked horrified.
"But how are they doing this?" she asked, still looking at Zel.
"We don't know. If we knew, we could probably figure out how to get rid of them. " Mikechi sighed. "And that's why we brought you."
"What? You think Lina can fix what your whole world couldn't?" Zel asked. "Not that she hasn't been more successful than you in the past, but shouldn't you at least have some idea by now?"
"Look," said Mikechi. "We failed. We admit it. We're only going to say it so many times. Help or don't , but this is just as much on you as on us." For a moment they sat still, letting all of the boisterous bar noises go on without them. Then Lina spoke.
"I'll try. I'll try, but I'm not promising anything. And I'll need your race's help."
"Fine," the mazoku answered quickly. "You'll get it." He hoped Xellas wouldn't kill him for making such a promise. "Thank you." Lina sighed.
"I guess it's my job, isn't it?" she said resignedly.
Amelia Wil Tesla Seiruun stood before her father's throne.
"And whose company do we have the honor of sharing?" Prince Philionel asked formally. Firia stepped forward with a curtsey.
"I am Firia of the Golden Dragons," she replied. She decided to leave off her former affiliation as a priestess.
"It is our pleasure to meet you, madam. We have heard much of your valor from our royal princess Amelia." Phil bowed. Then he smiled. "Please, accompany my daughter and myself to tea."
Firia sipped, and Amelia sipped, and Phil…slurped.
"That's quite amazing. But…how did you manage to get along with that mazoku?" Phil asked. Firia cracked the cup in half. Phil stared.
"Get ALONG? With XELLOSS??" she cried. "NO one can get along with Xelloss! He's the slimiest, most horrible, disgusting, idiotic, evil-" The door burst open, cutting off her rant. A disheveled steward stood in its wake, breathing hard and looking terrified.
"Lord! Lady! A messenger has come. He says…He says the world is falling away."
A/N: I'M SOOOOO SOOOOORRRRRRYYYYYYY!!!!!! I took forever…it was wrong…and this was short! Waugh! Okay, I know Phil seems OOC, but he really really really really annoys me, so I decided to change him somewhat. I hope no one minds. /sarcasm/
Stupid modern Windows! Won't let me put asterisks around a word without it going bold! Dumb autocorrect! EVIL! YAK! ---I'm okay…I promise, promise, promise, to work on this! I was just trying to finish Changing Wyrds. I'm sorry! /sob/ STUPID WORD! …kye hates computers today…
Fleeting Glory
Part IV:
The Whole Story (Maybe)
Lina sipped her drink, leaning back in her seat.
"It began not long before Xelloss met up with you-- maybe a fortnight ago," Mikechi began. "Not many people knew about it at first. But word spread quickly.
"It began in small villages, at the edge of our plane. At first, only a few people saw it, and as a whole it was decided that there was an outbreak of insanity. It's happened before, and while it was unfortunate, it wasn't too terrifying. But then…Then whole villages were taken, and it wasn't just that they were seeing things. Travelers and relatives saw the places and fled. For something wrong was there, something so alien that humanity would have been a comfort...
"Something...something had grown overtop the corners of our dimension, not extinguishing it, but replacing it. Changing it, in some seemingly irreparable way. About a week ago, someone stopped, tried to drag villager out of the changed place. They both died."
"How do you know all this if there's been no one left to tell?" Mikechi looked bereaved.
"We have a timeslide, that lets us find the beginnings of things. That's why so few mazoku even try to go against the higher-ups. Bad things happen to them." He got a far-off look, and Lina waited for him to continue, rather curious.
"Anyway...they sent others, just to scout firsthand. Only a few of those made it back, although they had been warned not to go too close. What they reported was strange, almost surreal if we had nightmares."
"Don't you?" asked Lina.
"Not...usually. As I was saying. Whatever grew onto our world is another dimension. Not a close one, like your realm and ours, but something else altogether. There are colors there that we don't understand. Things aren't straightforward. It's not too hard to tell what's good and evil in our worlds, is it?"
"A little bit, but no, not too hard. I mean, we've all got perspectives, but we're certain about them, right?"
"Exactly. The point is, it isn't like that there. Good and evil mix together, and no one is always entirely sure of everything they feel."
"How do you know that?"
"You don't want to know everything we do to get our way. You're on the soft side." Lina was skeptical.
"We've been threatened, manipulated, captured, brainwashed, killed, and beaten, and we're on the soft side?" Mikechi quirked a smile.
"That's it? Well, believe me or don't, but you've gotten off easy. Where was I before you so kindly interupted?"
"They feel inbetween-like."
"That's it exactly."
"So why can't you take their pain the same way you do everyone else's?"
"Because while they have fear and hatred and pain, it's not pure. There are positive emotions in every one of their terrors. It's remarkable, and it chokes us. That's why the scouts died. These creatures' emotions have an exotic tang, apparently, not being local. The scouts tried to feed off of it before they realized, and they went too far, took too much. Knocked 'em off like flies, as you would say."
"But as long as you avoid the area..."
"It's creeping, Lina Inverse. It's taking over the whole realm, and when it finds somewhere to push through to your world, it will." She shrugged.
"What will it matter to you?"
"Humans have fragile psyches. If a constant range of emotions and a never-ending grey is all you see, what is there to stop you from going into a deep depression? What will stay you from dying at your own hand because there isn't anything better to live for? Because your world is gone." Lina was silent then, as the full meaning of his words sank in.
"So we'd basically be an entire world of suicidals?"
"And that would be fine, except that the Mazoku will already be dead by the time your negative emotions are realm-wide." Lina threw a look at Zel. He looked horrified.
"But how are they doing this?" she asked, still looking at Zel.
"We don't know. If we knew, we could probably figure out how to get rid of them. " Mikechi sighed. "And that's why we brought you."
"What? You think Lina can fix what your whole world couldn't?" Zel asked. "Not that she hasn't been more successful than you in the past, but shouldn't you at least have some idea by now?"
"Look," said Mikechi. "We failed. We admit it. We're only going to say it so many times. Help or don't , but this is just as much on you as on us." For a moment they sat still, letting all of the boisterous bar noises go on without them. Then Lina spoke.
"I'll try. I'll try, but I'm not promising anything. And I'll need your race's help."
"Fine," the mazoku answered quickly. "You'll get it." He hoped Xellas wouldn't kill him for making such a promise. "Thank you." Lina sighed.
"I guess it's my job, isn't it?" she said resignedly.
Amelia Wil Tesla Seiruun stood before her father's throne.
"And whose company do we have the honor of sharing?" Prince Philionel asked formally. Firia stepped forward with a curtsey.
"I am Firia of the Golden Dragons," she replied. She decided to leave off her former affiliation as a priestess.
"It is our pleasure to meet you, madam. We have heard much of your valor from our royal princess Amelia." Phil bowed. Then he smiled. "Please, accompany my daughter and myself to tea."
Firia sipped, and Amelia sipped, and Phil…slurped.
"That's quite amazing. But…how did you manage to get along with that mazoku?" Phil asked. Firia cracked the cup in half. Phil stared.
"Get ALONG? With XELLOSS??" she cried. "NO one can get along with Xelloss! He's the slimiest, most horrible, disgusting, idiotic, evil-" The door burst open, cutting off her rant. A disheveled steward stood in its wake, breathing hard and looking terrified.
"Lord! Lady! A messenger has come. He says…He says the world is falling away."
A/N: I'M SOOOOO SOOOOORRRRRRYYYYYYY!!!!!! I took forever…it was wrong…and this was short! Waugh! Okay, I know Phil seems OOC, but he really really really really annoys me, so I decided to change him somewhat. I hope no one minds. /sarcasm/
Stupid modern Windows! Won't let me put asterisks around a word without it going bold! Dumb autocorrect! EVIL! YAK! ---I'm okay…I promise, promise, promise, to work on this! I was just trying to finish Changing Wyrds. I'm sorry! /sob/ STUPID WORD! …kye hates computers today…
