Session 14: Dust: To Dust

General Summary

Session nr.14 23/03/2022
Wednesday, 23 March 2022 19:06

Zula the Grey is wandering through the woods disguised as one of the critters. She was heading towards where Argento claimed Silvio's group would be. Having passed Frederic's crew already, she should be getting close by now. It is then, that she hears a loud scream up ahead, followed by more noises of commotion. As she transforms back and emerges from the woods, she sees quite a scene.
Ruyi had ran all the way up a tree, Haarin standing down below, to avoid a massive monster that had jumped her. The monster however was immediately intercepted by none other than Subject 23, aka Crill. Along with her are two guards wearing a familiar armour to the party. It is the same armour Hasnar's men wore, though Red in colour. One of the guards recognises the group, however talk is cut short as Ruyi's screams had attracted a pack of Anrar along with a large spider creature, that tries to strike at the dumbfounded Zula. Despite her age, her reflexes are fast and after a quick scolding of Silvio for his odd choice of comradery, she assist to take out the enemies. In an attempt to fight off the Anrars, the casters utilize their flames, only for the forest to be catch alight. Despite all the fuzz, Dust (now freed from Guy's grasp) focusses all his attention on attacking the black smoke the book left behind, followed by him climbing the now aflame tree that Ruyi sits in. He helps fight off a persistent Anrar, showing that he does prioritise his allies.
Once all the threats were dealt with and the fires snuffed out, Lucién demands Ruyi and Dust to explain what happened. Dust tells them about the book and the deal it attempted to make with Ruyi. Ruyi and Lucién walk off to the side to talk, however Dust warns Lucién he won't be able to convince her as he tried for quite a while. Zula then asks Silvio to explain what is going on, and so he does, as he introduces her to the party. She takes out a few goodberries from... Somewhere, and hands them out to everyone. Finn approaches the group alongside one of the Hasnar guards. The guard introduces himself as Micheal, and has been wishing to meet with a few of the group for a good while. Zula asks him to remove his helmet, revealing himself to be a pale man with claw marks on his face. Zula hands him a goodberry, as well as one to Finn. Finn asks what she wishes in return. "Just a smile!" Zula replies, which leads to Finn and Dust attempting to smile... But it ends up looking more like a horror clown act.
Meanwhile Lucién and Ruyi have a talk about how they've been lately. Lucién shows how his magic has been deteriorating, and the colours of his flames have begun to darken. The Velisk family has had a long running record of people they call "Phoenixborn", whom were always the pride of the family name. The embodiment of flame and the purity it stood for. However, such grandeur did not come without it's cost. Their brilliance is tied to their mental state which is a big risk, the darker the flame the worse their mental state is, until eventually they don't feel emotion at all. Lucién asks her to trust him with the book, so she can make a more thought out decision. Realising the similarities between them, Ruyi trusts Lucién and hands it over.
Back with the group, Micheal and Silvio have apparently seen one another before, back whenever Silvio would come by the lab to pick up parts. He claims he's heard of all their feats and has been wanting to meet them for a long time now. After introductions are made, Finn asks who the other guard standing out back with Subject 23 is. She had looked at him for a moment before, but didn't say anything. Micheal explains that the other guard is his sister, Holly. Dust cuts to the chase, and asks if Micheal knows about all the biomechanical experiments Hasnar has performed on people, and he says he is well aware. In fact, he directly tells Finn that Finn's brother was one of them. Finn, a bit perplexed, asks where he is now, and Micheal explains his brother alongside another roboticized experiment, managed to defeat him and his sister along with all of Hasnar's other men, escaped the laboratory, and are now with a person named Kelthar. Recognizing the name, Dust and Finn discuss they will need to visit the lab sooner or later to stop Hasnar from continueing his research, something that doesn't seem to bother Micheal at all. Further down Lucién and Ruyi approach Holly and Subject 23. After a quick hello and hearing Crill can mow speak common a little, Lucién asks the two if they're here for Ruyi. While Holly claims the doctor is still interested, he now has a new person of interest. Who this is she won't tell though.
Micheal wishes he could talk with them more, but realises he has caught the group at a bad time. The party ask a few more questions about Hasnar's practices, and Micheal claims Hasnar only experiments on strong, willing adults. This is unlike the old Doctor Hasnar, the current one's father, who used to kidnap children for his ordeals. Micheal makes his excuses and together with his sister and Subject 23, leaves, not having that drink that he wished he could have with Lucién. Zula notices Ruyi who was about to go rest up, and forces an introduction, giving her a goodberry as well. Guy approaches Lucién and pulls him to the side. He tells him that ever since they've started this journey, he's noticed a change in behaviour. A bit more distant, less smiley, less him. Lucien shows his corruption, and Guy asks if they can fix him at home. Lucien says the chance is small. Despite that, Guy does not wish to give up hope and proudly claims they will try. They return to the camp where the fire has begun to die out. In the darkness, Dust hears a crunching sound coming from the bushes. After inspecting it, he finds Guy's Anrar eating away at two corpses; another Anrar and a Ho'ruushi spy. Ruyi reminds the group the Ho'Ruushi can communicate telepathically with one another, so their location must be known by them. The party decides to stay put and rest nevertheless instead of travelling further, as they are far too tired to move on.
The night is spent within the Tiny Hut Ruyi has created, and many drinks later, the party tells Zula of their adventures so far. Zula is very impressed, claiming even after all these years she has had nowhere near as a chaotic life as they have led within a few months. Zula gives some insight in her past as well. Similar to Finn, she too hails from the area up north around Suuth'Kallos. There she was part of the Kidaldi tribe, where she used to live with her husband and her son. However one day The Glorious Hand showed up, and with their overwhelming strength they bested the orcs, killing her husband in the process. Now she herself is with The Glaciers, as her son Liam has gone missing. She also shares that the Glaciers will all be moving away from Klum soon. They spend the rest of the evening drinking and lightening the mood. Finn asks Silvio if Sigil can keep watch while they all rest. Guy asks if it can be made drunk, and pours some alcohol on it. Zula also gets a bit tipsy, but Silvio helps her get back to herself, and she is suddenly reminded she had something for him. She pulls out a stuffed bear and hands it to Silvio, apparently it was his, named Steve. This garners Ruyi's attention, and so she and Zula chat about stuffed animals. After being told to watch out for some Guy, the moment everyone is asleep, Sigil shoots up and sets off the alarm because it saw "Guy" on the ground. Silvio turns him off, and they go to sleep again. Drunk Ruyi huddles up against Guy.
Dust meditates again. Demise speaks up again, and says the book Ruyi had and is now in Lucién's possesion, was his "uncle". He wasn't blood-related, but more of an uncle figure. They used to call him Mev. Dust asks how he has become a book, but Demise doesn't know. They discuss once again wether or not they should get rid of the book, but now knowing who it is, Demise votes against it. He gets nostalgic with the book around. As he dozes off, Dust no longer has nightmares.
Ruyi on the other hand, is being pulled into another dream. She is now in the school with The Teacher. Ruyi admits to the Teacher that she's used the book, who actually is with her in the dream somehow. The book speaks to her and the Teacher, claiming he didn't expect to hear from him again. He offers the Teacher something, saying he can "still make it happen". As smoke emerges from the pages and swirl around the old man, he begins to morph a bit. The teacher's skin is slowly restored, turning him into a very handsome young man. He then quickly slams his fist onto the desk, causing the smoke to recoil and return to the book in an instant. The teacher's original look returns. "If you do that again, I'll kill you" he says in a very serious tone. Ukhbran does not reply. The Teacher apologises to Ruyi, and asks her to continue. She says she has drank the entire bottle of liquid that he gave her, claiming they have been through some horrid situations. They talk about doctor Hasnar and her talks with Holly, as well as how the Teacher has found a cure against Helley's aphrodisiac effects. In addition, The Teacher says he can attempt to help her get rid of the nightmares she told him about. Specifically the one where she sees the silhouette of a man who calls her his "perfect daughter".
The next morning the group awakes. Guy throws Ruyi off his back, who awakes in shock and embarrassment. Lucién, who had gotten up earlier, didn't say anything about it. Ruyi shares how she's had a talk with The Teacher in her dream, and shares he May have a cure for Finn's false love for Helley. Silvio, who hasn't heard about this yet, asks Ruyi to explain. She does so, and despite informing him it is in no way anyone's fault, Silvio is still quite bitter about it. Nevertheless Ruyi will make a sending to Helley and tell her about the cure. Zula meanwhile notices Lucién sitting away from the group on his own. She offers him some tea, and tells him he should open up about how he feels if anything is bothering him.
They pack up and begin their travel towards Klum, following the same path Frederic's group has. On the way they meet a rather strange older man holding an upside down map. Lucién approaches and asks if he can help the man, who simply claims he is lost. Lucién takes his map and turns it right-side up. While doing so, he looks at the map and its in a language he doesn't understand, nor does it resemble any country or landmass he has seen before. Lucién calls over Dust, however he too has no clue what the map depicts. It doesn't even seem to be a map of any place on Joran. The old man asks if the adventurers are from Niche. The group says they've never even heard of that place and when asked his name, the old man introduces himself as Danther. He claims he needs to go to Avenus. Silvio somehow tells him where to go. As thanks, the man reaches into his pocket, rolls around for a minute, and gives him an odd looking key. Silvio pauses for a moment, then asks if the man won't need it himself. Silvio tries to give the key back to the man but he acts quite stubborn, followed by him saying his goodbyes. He walks right off the path again, before a large portal appears out of nowhere. He passes through, then dissapears, leaving the party in complete confusion.
On the fourth day, Dust receives a sending from Till. "Red wishes to speak with you, meet us at the ruins of Coil. We know who you are. Don't be late."
Later on the road, Lucién compliments Ruyi on beign able to stay away from the book so long. She thanks him and admits she has been thinking about it, however no longer feels the uncontrollable urge she had before. The book Uhkbran then begins to speak to both of them, and claims he used to be the ruler of the world. Lucién mocks him a little, but the book may be telling the truth. Ukhbran vents a bit about how all of Joran was once his, how we was someone the off-worlders feared." These fuckers came from a big white light, and took over" he says. Who these were exactly he couldn't say, however they were certainly powerful enough to, quote "Kick the shit" out of him. He awakened to a mortal life, only to be followed by awakening *inside* Suuth'Kallos, imprisoned. Lucién, reminded of Iberian's words, asks if he's familiar with Telarus. Ukhbran says he is, and that Telarus was actually one of many who had fought him all those years ago.
Another few days pass, and the party begins to notice they are being followed. Turning aorund, they are met with a young man in his twenties wearing Ho'Ruushi armour. Zula demands him to state who he is. He says he is here to meet those who have been causing the "uncivilised issues". He claims he has heard rumours about the party, however as he begins to list them, they are revealed to be completely idiotic statements. He asks if they decapitate and drink the insides of all their enemies, if they walk around with scorpion tails in their shoes, etc. When told none of these are true and that they are just a simple group of travellers, the man seems dissapointed. Zula once again asks for a name, and he introduces himself as Kurro, a Ho'Ruushi soldier. He then is shooed off by Dust, telling him to no longer walk up to strangers like this or he may get in trouble. A bit sad, he walks away. Once out of earshot, Dust and the group discus wether or not they should rough him up so he doesnt speak to random people like this, nor tries to mess with them again. Dust chooses to go and tries to drop-kick him, but misses and gets a hug from Kurro instead. Dust whispers into his ear "I'm really sorry about this kid" and he suplexes Kurro into the snowy floor. Misinterpreting it as a sparring match, Kurro begins to fight back. Dust quickly snarls at him that this is no friendly match, but a fight to the death. After about 10 seconds, Dust overpowers the kid, throwing him bruised and bloodied into the snow. He warns him not to return, and Kurro struggles himself off the ground and runs away. Dust returns, and all including himself, feel bad about what he's done.
As they continue on, Dust comes closer and closer to the meeting point Till told him about. The group makes a camp, and Dust sets some coffee for Zula. She drinks an entire fucking pot of it. May comes over and Dust hands her his thermos filled with coffee, which she happily takes. He then grabs his items and goes out on his usual hunting, alone this time. However he doesn't stay in the woods for long, and instead gets back onto the road, a few miles ahead from where the group will go the next morning. He digs a hole in the ground, and places all his belongings, weapons and whatnot inside, covering them up so one without a perceptive eye would not notice them. He takes out the seeds he was given by C, and noticed they have grown. The red belt, along with demise, are slid into the hollow. Demise speaks to him, asking what he is doing. Dust doesn't reply. On top of the pile, he leaves the leather book. In case he can't return to claim it, he hopes the rest see it. He goes into the woods, off to meet with Red.
Lucién senses a voice in his head. It is Demise. He explains Dust had made a hole, and placed his items in it. He has run off somewhere, and hasn't shown any sign of returning. He asks Lucién to chase him down to stop him from doing what he fears. Guy hears it too. Lucien asks Guy to go, but Guy claims they should bring everyone, no just them. Lucién gather's everyone's attention and shares Demise's story. The party drops what they were doing and head out to track Dust's trail with the help of Demise's mind link. They find the pile of his items and pick up what he dropped, then follow the direction Demise said he went, Finn and Zula using their knowledge of the wild to track his movements. Dust meanwhile is already miles away, and as he walks, the same hooded man from before walks beside him. Dust apologises he couldn't do it. The man claims they forgive him. Dust quickens his pace, and walks off. "Good job, Tendrin" the man says, outside of his earshot.
Dust finds the meeting point, it is a typical temple, though in ruin. Outside he sees two Frostbite guards. Almost regally, they stand to attention as Dust approaches. The guards do not stop him, and simply let him by. Inside, Red stands at the end of the hall in front of a throne, a flaming fury behind her eyes. Till is sat to the side, looking up as the monk enters. Dust walks up to the altar, but stops halfway. Red looks at him. "Butcher..." she says in a tone of disgust. Red pulls out her weapons, and gives him a chance to explain himself. Dust claims there was no reason for what he had done, it was simply to make himself feel useful. "It was easy" he says. Red's parents were murdered that day, along with everyone else. She walks down the altar, weapons in hand. "Are you not going to fight back?" she asks. "unless you ask me to" Dust replies.
"Maybe this can be easy too" Red says as she approaches one step at a time. Her axes twirling in her hand. She takes a deep breath, one final step, and raises her weapons. "Your parents send their love" Dust says. Red pauses for a moment out of confusion, but is then immediatly overtaken by anger. "Are you ready?" She states. "I've been ready for a while" he replies.
She strikes down upon him. Over, and over. His chest gaping open, blood spilling over the ruined floors of the scared temple. Dust looks behind him to see one last glimpse of the hooded man, then falls to the floor, dead.
The party runs in, having taken out the Frostbite guards in front with ease, only to see what has happened. Red kneels to the floor, tears running down her face. Till gets up and stops Silvio from attacking, then explains what took place. Dust was the Butcher of Red Heath, and was responsible for murdering Red's parents and home. Furthermore he has destroyed and pillages many more towns, too many to count. The group is stunned. Zula walks up to look at Dust's body, now without him hiding his face under his circular headpiece, she recognises him. He was the one who killed her husband.
Ruyi breaks down crying, Lucién tries to look to Guy for guidance, but Guy's facial expression hollow. "The scales have caught up to him" he says. Finn, sharing the mentality, picks up May who had fallen completely silent. No tear, no crying, no nothing. He nods to Till, then exits the temple with the child. Silvio, the most upset he's ever been, tells the party off for accepting this rather than avenging their fallen ally. He asks Zula what she'll do, and she walks up to Red. Then, she kneels down next to her and comforts her, telling her forgiveness is difficult, sometimes impossible. However living with grudges will hurt the holder more than the guilty. "Forgiveness is hard, it always will be. But we will continue trying, won't we?" she says, as she holds Red's hand tight. Zula then feels a hand on her shoulder, and looking behind she sees an old ordinary looking man. The hooded man. He smiles at her, and nods. Dust is indeed forgiven. He then walks out the door, and dissapears.
Lucién, conflicted, walks up to the body. He asks Red if he can take the body with him. Till pulls out a shovel from under his seat, bot Lucién declines, claiming he has his own ways of respecting the dead. Silvio seeing Lucién accepting Dust's death, gets more upset as he struggles to accept this loss so suddenly. Silvio gets a bit twitchy as Lucién picks up the body, and storms out after them. Haarin has brought Ruyi outside as she can barely hold herself together. As they prepare a pyre and place Dust inside, Lucién stands in front, when Demise speaks to him. Demise wishes to be placed into Dust. Lucién does so, and after a strange flame engulfs the blade, Lucién removes him. Demise claims he can rest in peace, for at least a short while. Each give a speech to Dust, to wish him the best in the world beyond, and that his sins may be burnt away. With that, Lucién sets the pyre aflame.
Lucien tells Guy hes wishes to return home by now, being done with all the loss and sorrow. Guy agrees, and they decide to set their focus on finding a way back. He asks Ruyi what her plan is, and if she wants to come with them back to Gold. He also suggests May comes with them, to keep her safe. He asks Demise what he wishes to do, and Demise says he needs to stay here in Kinnorath. Lucien understands, then throws the blade to Finn, who catches it. They begin to make their way back to camp. May takes out a silver coin, and throws it onto Dust's pyre. Zula exits the temple, Red leaning on her shoulder. As she passes by the charred remains of Dust, she waves her hand and flowers begin to sprout. Till passes by Finn and sees Demise on his belt. He smirks to him. "I'll be seeing you soon", then he dissapears.

Report Date

29 Mar 2022