Rogue Chapter 7

Rogue, A-part of Kagami

VENGE: Argus refrains from any reaction whatsoever and approaches Storm instead. He slaps her slightly on her cheek. "Wake up."
MASS: Storm moans slightly, but starts to lift her head. She blinks slowly, as if still in a daze. "What.... what just happened?!" She looks at you with suspicion.
VENGE: "Regain your sense," Argus says and hands her a glass of water. "How do you feel?"
MASS: She takes the goblet. "I... I'm confused, but also... relieved. What did you do?"
VENGE: "I have freed you of HER. Do you remember my words? Now that She no longer holds your heart in Her grasp, you can finally decide for yourself."
MASS: She seems to think for a while. "Yes... now slowly I can remember our conversation. Whose control did you free me of? I feel... much clearer now, I think... BY THE DRAGON! How?" She looks over to Saanvi, shocked. "Thank you! Thank you for stopping me back in the city! It... I would have killed them all and it'd be on me!" She falls silent again and you can see the confusion in her.
VENGE: "It's a long story, and I'm not sure we have enough time to tell it all before dawn. But I would like to tell you of the truth. Saanvi should hear that too. But not now. As for the moment, I need to rest for a while. Freeing you has exacted a heavy toll from me." Then Argus takes his chain from Storm and it vanishes into the chest. He tells Saanvi to keep an eye on Storm and then he'll excuse himself and leave the tent.
CHAND: Saanvi watches the Dragon Blooded with relief. "... so you feel much better now? Do you remember everything?"
MASS: "Yes, I think so... you protected the innocents. But, why? According to everything the Realm teaches, you should be doing the exact opposite."
CHAND: "The Realm taught me too what an Anathema is - but if one turns into one herself, it changes things. Especially when one notices that she isn't an Anathema, but just a Chosen of the Unconquered Sun.
But since no one believes me that I'm not a monster, I'm an outcast and now outlawed. I'm sorry about your sworn brothers, by the way."
MASS: She observes you closely before saying: "You... you really mean it, don't you? This is the truth, the words are coming from your heart and not some deceitful source. This..." she looks towards your notebook and then back to you. "If I may..." she says as she slowly reaches for the book.
CHAND: Saanvi nods encouragingly. "Until I was ten, my brothers told me that my ears turn red when I lie. So I always covered my ears when I lied. Of course he knows I'm lying by that alone... until today I the impulse to cover my ears when I lie - I'm not going to try at all."
MASS: She chuckles, gathers herself immediately and then opens your book. You can see her eyes scan over the pages.
MASS: Didn't you mention something that you write in code or something, so no one can just "read" it?
CHAND: So so, and both. Depending on the topic, she writes the book differently. "Personal" things are coded or just crafted as "mindmaps" (i.e. met.... or.... lives.... and so on)
Everything that is scientific and perhaps of use for prosperity, she's written down in detail, so another might gain something from it.
MASS: You see that she devours the part about your gloves, and as expected also the part about your exaltation. She'll skip pver everything "personal" and just keep to the science. It'll take her some time to work through it and occasionally she'll ask a few questions. After about tan hours, she's done and hands the book back to you.
"Highly interesting!" then she regards you, but now she seems to see you with different eyes. You'll notice that although she ask you things, it seems more like she's testing you and knew the answers all along.
"Your knowledge of the occult is vast and very detailed, you know more, understand more than you should. Even among my students, few could have answered the questions. I never taught you myself and yet... hm... Especially your theory about your Exaltation is... interesting, for lack of words. And more... you claimed you have the ability to see chakra and Essence and that without any tools?"
CHAND: She nods. "It was a logical conclusion that this has to work. The Counterspell worked because the Essence was compressed between the hand and then released with the thrust. To keep my balance I can concentrate the Essence in my feet. So if I channel my Essence in my eyes, I can strengthen them too."
MASS: "Hm, this is extraordinary. And you've never been taught magic and was never initiated into it, and yet you can still do magic?"
CHAND: "I've had the honor of watch you teach from time to time. Then I played Dragon Blooded´ and practiced the moves. That's why I have all that in my head. But no, I was never really taught."
Then she sighs sadly "And will probably never be really taught, unless I can find another like me."
MASS: She sighs and leans back into her seat, you can see that she's satisfied with your answer but at the same time seems frustrated by it. "Oh fine," she says after a long pause. "You've answered my questions, I will return the favor."
CHAND: Saanvi looks her deep in the eyes and seems to be searching for something in them. "... how did you find me?"
MASS: She reaches for the wine, pours some for herself, and for you. "During our travels, we came upon this messenger by chance. Misu Taru," she falls silent and speaks only after recovering her composure. "... found him and charmed this information from him, that he's on an unusual mission. His message was for you. Misu Taru has a very personal hate for the... Anathema and an uncanny sense to track them. A very unusual talent. He followed his instincts and convinced Sanji and Thunder to follow this trace."
CHAND: "... did you gather from the messenger who sent the letter?" She seems very worried.
MASS: She nods first, then says. "Misu Taru has many means to get his hands on such information."
CHAND: Sad, Saanvi looks at the floor. "... then ...is my last brother also doomed?"
MASS: "This I can't confirm or deny. I know that your house has many casualties to mourn, in this civil war between Mnemon and Roseblack. Indeed, the Heptagram too had paid a high price. Many of my students did not return from the battles." She seemed devastated when she said that.
"One of the reasons why I followed my sister's call. I would never have thought I'd come upon such controversial knowledge." Then she makes a pause. "Your brother knows your secret, am I right?"
CHAND: She seems to think if she should lie or not, but then nods. "he was there when I exalted. And he believed me. Are you still going to keep hunting Anathema?"
MASS: "Hm... yes, I am. I will however rethink the definition of an Anathema. Anathema or not, you at least, however mighty you are, don't seem to pose any danger to Creation. At least not yet." She doesn't seem very happy with her own answer, but she'll leave it at that.
CHAND: "... how can I, form your perspective, use my power to make Creation a better place?" Curiosity seems to be the main motivation behind this question.
MASS. "Well, that is completely up to you. Power is like a knife, you can use it to cut bread, or to commit murder. At least in most of the cases, as long as the power isn't inherently destructive from the start. After everything I've seen, survived and heard, let's just say... that at this moment there isn't enough evidence to assume the opposite."
CHAND: "Only in my case is the knife so conspicuous that I can't draw it. Because as soon as I do, I'm being hunted, no matter where I am." She laughs bitterly. "Power is just rights taken. Especially since I myself don't know who the "good guys" are and who the "bad guys". Simply gaining an overview of who are the ones to fight and who are the ones to protect seems a long-term goal already!"
Then, she'll take the chains from Storm.
VENGE: she's not chained anymore. Argus initially chained her down with his weapon, but unbound her and took the chain with him when he left)
CHAND: (oh, totally missed it....)
CHAND: "we should get some rest now. Tomorrow is a long day and you have a long journey before you - and I need to think alone on who I want to have as my teachers."
MASS: Storm will say, "Make yourself at home. We don't really have beds in here and the other accommodations are burned down. Apologies." The sarcasm is hard to miss here.
VENGE: (somewhere from the off: 'm sorry!!!]
MASS: (XD and the latrines. You don't want to use those either! XD)
MASS: Let's turn to VENGE for a moment.
VENGE: While Saanvi talks to Storm, Argus strolls around the camp for some fresh air. He rests a little, sitting on some debrief and looks over the camp. Along, he ponders. Then he goes to the crumbled wall, then he kneels down among the rubble and closes his eyes.
"Harken to me, oh Goddes of the South! Flower of the Desert, Guardian of the free City and Mistress of Peace. Sherazier, I call to thee! Check thy might and grant me a breath of thy time. Oh Mistress of Peace. And peace thou will have and peace thou shall have! Sherazier, I call thee forth!"
MASS: Charisma + performance + 1 stunt
VENGE: [Dice roll: 5]
You've barely finished your prayer when you see a small whirlwind of sand that grows larger until Sherazier is standing directly before you. For a moment she's confused, then she looks at you and throws herself onto you with her arms around your neck. (If you still look like the way she remembers you.)
"Are you alright? Worry not, help is on the way!" Then she hesitates and looks around, very obviously surprised.
VENGE: "Halt, halt, Goddes," Argus says, (yes, he still looks super hot) "Your worry is misplaces. I called you here to forge a plan. No thanks is needed for my service." He gestures for her to walk with him in the shadow of the crumbled wall.
"The dragonbrood is gone and your city is safe for now. Yet I fear the broken pride of such self-proclaimed princes. This defeat might lead to further retribution should they have cause to believe us allies. For this reason, you must cast us out. Close your gate before us and renounce our friendship. Only then can I believe to have been of service to you and your fair city."
MASS: "But...?" Surprised and questioningly she looks around. "Did you achieve all this alone? You beat them and routed them?" She looks into your eyes, visibly astonished and grateful. "I understand what you mean. You are truly a noble soul. If there's any means I can properly thank you for this deed, even if in secret?"
VEGNE: "I was not alone. The might of the Unconquered Sun is with me." After as smirk, he adds. "And Saanvi, she did her part as well." Then he looks kindly at the goddess. "Oh Goddess, you are benevolent. I ask for one day in your city ere we depart. No one will know of our presence."
Then Argus' expression turns serious. "If you allow, I will keep your gratitude for a future time. There will come the day I'll have need of your help. A darkness is growing and light must not fade. When the hour comes, gods and men must hold firm together should Creation weather this storm."

Summary of a small session via Video Chat between MASS and VENGE:
After Argus' request, the Goddess Sherazier formally pledges herself to Argus, vowing to heed this call when the day comes.
When Argus returns from his negotiation with the goddess, Saanvi has fallen asleep on her watch and Storm is nowhere to be seen. Thinking that the Dragon Blooded as fled, Argus again prepares himself for a battle.
However he discovers Storm very soon, standing in a hill barely a league away, seemingly lost in thought. Still drained and spent, Argus would rather not strain the wound on his thigh. Again, he unfolded his wings of Essence and took to the sky.
"You could have fled," he said softly when he landed behind him without sound, his wings disappearing.
"And where could I go?" She replied.
Argus joined her then. Long they talked, of philosophy and the world. But most of all, they talked of the war. When she gave voice to the heart, Argued perceived in that that she was lost. He then gave her a choice.
"The Realm is not your only future," he said. "You need not return home and risk being marked as a traitor of speaking the truth. The curse that I lifted from you can be casted anew and I dread to see my sacrifice turning to naught. But there is another way. Those who oppose your Empress have banded together to fight this tyrant, who would put us all in chains and have us worship her like a god. You could join us."
Suspicion colored Storms eyes. Then she gasped. "You speak of the Rebellion! Of the Righteous Orphans as they call themselves! You! YOU lead the rebellion?!"
Argus laughs heartily and spreads his arms before her. "Do I look like Mnemon to you?"
"But you are part of the Rebellion! Mnemon's Rebellion! I thought you served Roseblack! Are you on both sides of the war? And an Anathema! Who the hell are you really?"
To that, Argus offered the truth. "I am a Righteous Orphan. Once, ages ago I was known as the Many-Faced-Shadow-Judge. Today, I am Rha Ô and I am Argus. I am known as the No Man's Child." At that, Argus inclined his head again in greeting. "I serve no one but the Most high, only his work I do. And in doing so, I have made your Empress my enemy.
I was there when she returned. I fought in the battles of Dragon Mouth and I fought on the street of Imperial City in that night. I was right there before the throne, between Mnemon and Roseblack when SHE returned. I looked into your Empress' face and darkness was all that I saw. And in that hour, flight was all that I could think of. Never before and never after have I felt such terror. I am not proud of it. But it is true.
Yet from fear we drew courage, from defeat we ignite hope and now we extend your hand to you, to help us defeated the true Anathema." Until dawn they spoke and many many answers were given. When the sun rises and the night end, Storm knelt before Argus, who again let his totamic Anima hallow her new found resolve. In the light of dawn, he kept his word and watched in silences as Storm transformed into a swarm of birds, taking to the sky.

MASS: After an uncomfortable night, since that divan wasn't made for sleeping, Saanvi jerks away from her dream.
After a few seconds of confusion, you look around. Ah... now you remember where you were. You look around, but there's no trace of Argus or Storm. Through a half open flap of the tent that hints at them leaving, you see the beginning of a new dawn outside.
After some searching you leave the tent and let your eyes wander over the dunes where you see a strange sight.
Less than a league away on a hill just high enough to be a vantage point, you recognize the familiar Anima glowing. A godly figure of shadow and smoke in a play of darkness and light rose tall towards the heaven. In its four arms, you recognize the four symbols of Sol Invictus.
Before it knelt a figure, possibly Storm. After a short moment, Storm transformed into a murder of crows and flies towards the dawn.
CHAND: Saanvi rises from her divan, dresses herself and goes out to Argus.
MASS: You both meet at the hill when the sun is halfway through the rise.
CHAND: "She's gone already? ... Hopefully her curse won't be cast on her again as soon as she's back on the Blessed Isle."
VENGE: "If she returns to the Blessed Isle." Argus says when he meets Saanvi. "Then sun rises and I gave my word. She is free to leave. The same I offer to you. But if you're still resolved to aid me in my mission, I have a new lead.
But if our mutual path ends here, I would ask another favor of you."
CHAND: "I would love to travel with you. ... as to your offer, I also finally have an answer. I thank you from the depth of my heart for the chance to learn from you and to be your student. I feel extremely honored. However I think it would be more reasonable to find me a teacher who can not only correct what the Dragon Blooded taught me wrong, but also one who can show me my path as Twilight Caste.
If it's not too much to ask, I would very humbly ask you to perhaps show me the way to a suitable teacher when our path ends."
VEGNE: Again, Argus looks at her slightly confused. "What exactly do you want from me? To show you the way to your master? I'm touched that you think I am all-knowing. But how am I supposed to know who can be your master? And to be honest, I don't think anyone can show you how to tread the path of Twilight. YOU were chosen, and no other. If you do not trust in yourself to find the path to knowledge, perhaps you should rethink the mission that was given to you."
CHAND: "I assumed that you know more Solars - perhaps even one or another of my Caste. My wish would be to find such a person and to be taught by them.
I see it like this: Right now I have two sides. One that was once mortal and still thinks and acts as such. And one that remembers all those past deeds in the name of Sol Invictus.
I can either try without any help to find the right side and follow this without repeating the mistakes made in the past - for we all make mistakes. Otherwise we wouldn't have been called Anathema.
Or I chose the faster, simpler and more efficient way by apprenticing to someone who's already gone through this process and can show me the way and teach me which part I should listen to and when.
And what should I do if I can't heart the exalted part in me, because I can't remember. And speaking of remembering, do you really remember what you did in your past life? Do you remember how we fought together and the Dragon Blooded overran my position? It must be somewhere south of here."
VENGE: Argus listens, crosses his arms and again lifts an eyebrow. "I'm not your teacher and you make amazingly many assumptions. What if I told you that I know none of your Caste? What will you do then? What I hear from you is that you want the easy road, to profit from the knowledge of others. But what price will you pay for such knowledge?"
MASS: (very good character play, both of you)
VENGE: "You are Saanvi, and whoever you have been in your previous life, you are Saanvi now. Perhaps you'll see everything much clearer if you no longer divide yourself. Why must there be a battle in you, if there's enough in the world?
I know not what words you've harkened by Sol Invictus during your Exaltation, and what tragedies have already marked you life, but you must be a terribly broken soul to think so little of yourself, that you would so frivolously call yourself an Anathema.
Regardless, I am none. And I do not tolerate to be called one, neither by friend nor foe. And as long as I am here, I will also not tolerate the Children of my Lord to be branded with such titles. Are we clear?"
MASS: (big epic words! I like!)
CHAND: "And I don't know who you have been talking to in the past, but you always see the bad in a sentence, to be hung up on that and spending no more thought on what your counterpart is trying to say shows your broken and distrustful character!
We are being called Anathema, aren't we? Not by us, by those who do write history. And they call us so because they want to brand us. As the evil, cruel world-destroying monsters.
If none among the Solars of the past has fitted that picture, then no one would believe it today. But our history is indeed sinister and littered with corpses, just like the Dragon Blooded.
To deny that we made mistakes is both ignorant and stupid. And this is the reason why people must know history. To learn from it. SO something like this doesn't happen again and doesn't repeat somewhere else.
And if you don't know anymore, then I'll look myself, during or after our mutual travels.
And no- I don't just want to walk the easy way. But what do you think - how many lives has any of us wasted trying to gain the knowledge he once had just to be caught by the Wyld Hunt or by some other enemy? How stupid it is to leave knowledge behind for prosperity if no one wants to because everyone wants to make their own experience?
Knowledge is a torch - if you keep the fire for yourself, it may be that you're wandering in light. But eventually it goes out and you're in darkness again. But if you pass on that fire to another torch, then the light lives on, even if your torch burns out. And not just this, you can light your first torch again on the second one.
If I pass this knowledge onto another and then, then he can pass on my knowledge - and his own! And if fate would have it, I can be a link in that chain in my next life and be with more knowledge than before.
So yes, It's worth it. And it's not the "lazy" way. It's the start way."
She says and presses her chest out and crosses her arms.
MASS: (very nice CHAND)
VENGE: "....." Argus opens his mouth, but then closes it again. He nods a little, then just shrugs. "There are so many alarming thing in what you just said, and so many mistakes. But who am I to stop you. Mages and their talks.... I don't judge you by your words, for those are many and very loud. I see your deeds. And I don't understand them.
I would reveal knowledge to you, but I fear you're neither ready for it, not do you deserve them yet. And about my distrust... well... it is the path I walk. It is the path Sol Invictus game me."
CHAND: Saanvi seems very proud of herself and grins widely. "About the knowledge you speak of, I suspect you're right. You seem as if you know much more than I can digest at once. Sooner of later, I'll ask you about it.
Where do you want to go now? I would go south, but it has time. I don't know what exactly where... but it is... important enough that I made sure everyone forget about it about it but me, so the Dragon Blooded can't get their hands on it."
CENGE: "If you still recall, I did have a favor to ask." He pulls off the piece of cloth around his thigh and blinding sunlight pours out of him again. "As you can see, I'm not the best in open duels anymore." He points towards the tent and is already starting to undress himself. When he reaches the tent, he touches the stone on his chest again and the armor disappears. Without any hint of shame and hesitation, he exposes himself before you, so you can "rub" him some more.
CHAND: Saanvi grins flirtatiously and gets down to business.
VENGE: Argus leans back. "There is no rush at all. What's a little pain?"
CHAND: "Well, if that's the case... well, I'd like to try another message technique on you. I read it in a book." She says with a wide grin.
VENGE: "Oh, really?" Argus starts to pull of his pants. "Let's see if the technique of the House Ledaal is any good." Argus funbles with a pouch tied to his belt and pulls out a delicately crafted vial. "Best rose oil from the Scarlet Fields."
MASS: (what DA FUCK!!!!? I've been gone for 5 minutes and everything ends in PORN! XD Yes yes, keep rubbing, you!!!)
VENGE: (excuse me? What are players suppoed to do when the GM isn't present?!)
VENGE: (thanks for mastering! IT was awesome!)
CHAND: (yes, it was awesome as ever! Thank you!)
MASS: (XD you're welcome! Thanks for playing!)