Complete Comms Main Story (S4 Finale) DRAGON.end - Phase 3

[Luthien]

There was something going on within that mind of his, she could tell as much from the way the pupils within his eyes kept dilating and contracting and the way his voice strained as the man jerked his hand away from her soft grip.

"The dead want their vote. Her victims will not stay quiet."

"The dead...?" Furrowed brows rose high as the final piece of the puzzle finally slotted into place. "Oh!"

She could've kicked herself for missing what should've been obvious, still reeling from the after effects of having time rewound while also keeping the stronger emotions of others at bay from her mind. The corpses!!! While the fallen bodies of Starcalled would simply despawn, restored to the fullest in the nearest temple, the NPCs of this world weren't granted the same blessing... and their spirits lingered, something she'd learned upon witnessing a seance led by this very same caenis what now felt like a lifetime ago back in Camp Hope.

"Don't let them take over Ash, that's your mind not theirs."

Easier said than done, of course, but what else could she do aside from guide him? Unless...? A thought crossed her mind then before the elf hesitated, not entirely sure if it was a good idea. A glance was given to the hovering claws, still restrained in their movement though it was impossible to know for how much longer, before a soft "Tch!" escaped as the blonde threw caution into the wind... literally.

"Snap out of it!"

The magic gathered into her fingertips with practiced ease, rubbing them together to build up the charge, before Lúthien reached towards @Vargold's face... and then continued past it. Instead they sought the base of his ears, a light crackling sound no doubt echoing within them at such close proximity, before a soft shock was released as Lúthien finally grasped them between her thumb, index, and middle finger.

 

[Ash Vargold]

Zzot!​

"OW-"

Ash recoils, fur on end as he shakes off the fading headache. Sound and memory bleed back into awareness as he retracts his scattered claws with a growl.

"...I have a vote too, fuckers."

"Thanks for that, Luthien."

That had been... him, but not him. Something drawn out by the chorus. It'd come from him, in the end, and the dead had made their point. And now he's watching the same argument play out again and again across the field...

"...there won't be any happy endings after this one."

@Luthien @Ueno Mizuki

 

[Luthien]

An audible sigh of relief escapes upon seeing the change in @Ash's face, glad to have her papa friend back and unshackled by the spirits that still linger in this land as she lets go of his ears.

"Any time, glad to have ya back~"

A smile is given back to the caenis, though it's not one that reaches all the way to her eyes... not with everything still going on around them. She gazes at the others around them, deciding to leave the talking to experts like @Hanno and @Rael—as things stand Lúthien is aware her sharp tongue might do more harm than good towards their cause.

"...there won't be any happy endings after this one."

"It's impossible to make everyone happy, just gotta believe in our choice and carry it out the best we can..." Easier said than done of course, especially when both sides believe themselves to be on the right. "... and brave whatever consequence come out of 'em."

She gives a glance at the golden egg, her mind quietly attempting to reach for the being within its shell. { You'd want to help her too, right Emm?} She doesn't expect a reply back however, crimson eyes moving away to search for the familiar faces of @Yugam and Unmei among those currently present.

 

[Aerial]

That elf? Aerial followed @MAI's gaze to the pink-haired elf slumped over the Seamstress' shoulder (@Rael). That was the one @Zelrius liked, wasn't it? Speaking of, where was the fiery man?

"Well, that bitch is trying to kill me. And who knows how many others. Playing the hero that no one fucking asked for. The life of one over the lives of many. And, please, don't give me that bullshit about the future. We're talking about the present threat."

She smiled, face contorting into something sinister.

"One more death and I'm trapped here. Instead of accepting the win, though, she had to rewind time because of.. a fucking possibility? An unknown variable? Oh, right. As @Jin stated before, our lives are disposable."

The usually carefree woman was at the age of her rope: both mentally and physically. Her body barely listened to her commands while her mind pulled her consciousness into deep, murky waters.

"Answer me this. Has anyone successfully recovered from the effects of dissonance? Is there a way to reverse the process? If not, then she is forever lost and will be of no help to us."

She questioned the magia before turning to @Asher,

"Wouldn't the death of Szofrit help this world more, then? All of the lives they lost.. and for what? Their killer to be spared? How does this system affect the landers? If you want to protect them then why lead them like lambs to slaughter?"

Aerial turned to the Caenis (@Ash Vargold) who spoke of the dead,

"Why ignore their right to vote? After all, they are landers. Will they be able to rest in peace otherwise?"

​

 

[Ueno Mizuki]

She glared at @Jin, who from the start had been advocating in favour of the lethal solution. It wasn't like she couldn't understand why people would prefer to put Szofrit down rather than risk her causing trouble in the future, but this man irked her.

I'm not trying to convince you, I'm telling you what'll happen if you get in my way. Your choice whether to listen, bloodchild.

Since she didn't know Levi she didn't bother to get involved in the argument around the leader of the Lions, instead focusing on @Ash Vargold. Her suspicions were confirmed when @Luthien did something to make him recover from whatever it was that was messing with his head.

This isn't about happy endings, it's about having more foresight than a lemming.

The other conversation that caught her attention was @MAI trying to convince @Aerial, only for the human to dig in her heels even further. The caenis growled, worried that the longer they argued the more time Szofrit had to recover from her chronoshock.

Anyone who's afraid of death can leave right now. The veil has been shattered, all our enemies are stunned. You won't find a better opportunity to get to safety than this, but if you keep yapping that window will close.

 

[Jin]

"I welcome the attempt, pup."

Jin shrugged, smiling.

"I'm not above being convinced, but the refusal to accept an oppositional opinion does nothing to assuage the fears or concerns people who want to put her down have. Tyranny will not win you the hearts of the people."

 

[MAI]

MAI shook her head.

"We all returned to a safe spot where Szofrit could not attack us, even if she was not paralyzed, no? What is a possibility if not a reality that we have not grasped yet?"

It was clear that unlike @Jin, who seemed to simply be hellbent on antagonizing others while wearing a mask of a sensible person, @Aerial was mentally struggling.

"Dissonance... we have yet to find a way to reverse it, that is true. However, there are those that charged into this battle alongside us that have been afflicted by it as well. We might not be able to remove it fully, but it can be suppressed. We just have to give her that chance."

Suddenly taking a step forward, the magia tried to gently grasp one of Aerial's hands.

"Present and future... one cannot exist without the other. The Landers... they will not forgive magia regardless of the outcome. Now they want Szofrit's head. Tomorrow... they will want mine. After all, I was taken control of and did unforgivable things in Astorea. But she is the same, is she not? Puppeted by that godless disease. To kill is to go down the road of endless slaughter unless all magia, players, and landers alike are purged of this world. But if we can reach a place of redemption, then there might yet be a path to peace and forgiveness... that choice is clear to me. But you are not me, so..."

Letting go of the girl, MAI gave her a nod before turning around and running off. There were more things to be done.

 

[Harper]

After recovering from her time-stop induced nausea and bloodlust, Harper would be met with another discussion about Szofrit's fate. Yet this time, she couldn't deny that the arguments from the ones gunning for slaying Szofrit were starting to resonate much more with her.

As such, she figured it would do her well to hear the argument from her own side too, but this time not second-hand from a friend. From the source.

Approaching @Rael , she would try her best to help her alongside Zelrius, before the tigress turned to look at her.

"Soo... You are the one spearheading the whole save Szofrit operation, right? In that case... Answer me this, pinkie. After all that you've seen, done, heard, and even rewound, do you still think we can... No, let me rephrase that." The tigress coughed, before continuing. "Do you think she should be saved?"

 

[Raid Boss]

Despite the heated exchange between those under his charge, Levi's expression remained neutral, yet, there was a battle raging on within him. This was a crucial decision and the longer he remain undecided, the more disastrous it will be.

He looked to the other Lions and addressed them directly.

"@Hanno Futaba, @Asher, capturing her alive may give us new insights on a future threat, that much I understand. But, as the @Madison Freebird, @Jin and others have mentioned, the decision to end Szofrit is one done out of precaution.

At this point, I don't think I have to reiterate the damage Szofrit is capable of. And to contain such a monster in our homeland, while most of us are elsewhere in the world, looking for a way back, expecting her to remain contained is Starcalled hubris.

This isn't even the matter of public perception. I think we are past that point. But. as the Lord Commander of the Lions, I am charged with the safety of the people, which include both Starcalled and Landers. It may be shortsighted, but I am pressed to see the benefits to house such a monster where we sleep. We can always go out into the world and find ways to deal with the incoming danger, but if we miss so much as a single step in handling Szofrit, all of us are dead. The risk is not worth it."

He sighed.

"Each and everyone of you Lions follow your own sense of justice, so I don't expect everyone to agree with my judgement of the situation. Only you can decide what to do from here. You won't be reprimanded for pursuing your personal conviction, since it still falls inline with protecting people, but I will intervene."

 

[Jin]

Ah yes. The road to hell paved in good intentions, and the fear of reciprocity. At least the human element still existed behind the mask of a Magia. For how long, though? Jin eyed @MAI as she gave her heartfelt speech, and then began to deviate into baseless fear mongering.

He looked to @Aerial and said,

"Do as you will, not based on the hopes, dreams, fears, aspirations, or sentiments of others, but based on what your gut tells you. Instinct is never wrong. It's what keeps us alive."

When Levi spoke, Jin's voice quieted a bit. His eyes closed, and he bowed his head, deferential. The Lord of Lions had decreed, at last.

 

[Hanno Futaba]

"I don't see how having no insight of what danger is coming didn't help Finweald to be in the chaos it is right now. In the end, not having the insight is just as risky, and expecting us to always find ways to deal with incoming danger blindly is just as much hubris as thinking we can cage a crazy robot for too long."

Hanno explained.

"But I don't think that 'housing' her permanently is the right choice either, Commander. I just think we could buy us time to think a bit more and take information from her before reaching for a more definitive conclusion."

Hanno said, crossing his arms and breathing a sigh.

"But at the end of the day, nor thoughts or words are going to solve anything. So let's get done with it, and hope that we can bring the best out of whatever outcome we may have after this."

And with this, Hanno turned away to face the true enemy that should be dealt with: Szofrit.

@Raid Boss

 

[Ash Vargold]

People were still talking. People were still talking at him. What roll did he fail to have so much attention today?

He glances at @Aerial. She's been angry this whole time. He doesn't blame her.

"We vote against the dead all the time. We just call their vote 'tradition', and we spend years trying to shake the worst of it."

He thinks he read something like that in a book, once. He glances sidelong at @Jin, who... he's not sure he likes him. Jin probably won't like him either, now that he's got his head back.

"...the thing about your gut is that it turns everything to shit."

Back to Aerial. And maybe some of the others, as he raises his voice.

"You're the one who's gonna have live with the stink, so mind what party lines you swallow."

...entirely unhelpful as far as convincing people goes. But at this rate, they'll spend more time yelling at each other than doing anything about Szofrit.

 

[Jin]

Jin said nothing, just smiled at @Ash Vargold when he looked his way

 

[Rael]

@Zelrius's help was met with the Summoner's disbelief, her name having left his lips in a barely audible shout moments before he was next to her, helping her stay on her feet. Weak as she was, even should she have tried to pose any semblance of resistance, it probably would've been futile.

Thank you...

A second figure comes to replace the Seamstress' careful hands that keep her upright, the Tigress @Harper whom she was barely acquainted with, but knew to trust from her close relationship with others she also knew. The Seamstress stood a respectable distance apart, with hands linked in front of herself, and her lips parted as the thought crossed Rael's mind.

"I—"

Rael moved her hand and the Seamstress quieted then, the chance for the Summoner to speak now wholly her own. She looked to each of her helpers, head raised for the first time, as the hands of the accursed clock still moved within her eyes, the spell's hold not yet faded. Instead of ticking backwards, however, it ticked forward.

Ashamed, she looked down and swallowed through the strain of her exhaustion.

"I do."

"I think the reward far outweighs the risk, we've seen what she is capable of, and her... Oh, none of this was supposed to happen, why didn't they listen, why didn't they..."

"S-Sorry... But yes, I do. Think of it - why would I have been told she can be restored? That she can help? Why would I have been given the magics necessary to make that future a possibility? There is so much for us to gain here. So, so much."

---

@Zelrius @Harper​

 

[Ash Vargold]

"...hm."

...yeah, Ash definitely doesn't like that guy.

 

[Raid Boss]

Levi turned to @Fina Drago, surprised by the mentioning of such memory.

"And here I thought I was completely set in my decision."

Levi sighed. He is tired.

"Thanks for the information, Fina. I'll keep it in mind."

The Commander headed toward Szofrit.

 

[Vina Skysong]

After recovering from the chronoshift Vina listened to the people arguing about what to do with Szofrit. There didn't seem to be an opportunity for her to offer her opinion, and truthfully she didn't know enough about the situation to convince anyone else. Looking around her gaze settled on @MAI, the vixen approaching the magia.

Hey there~! I've got a question if you can lend me a second!

They didn't have the luxury to socialise, after all. Time was of the essence.

I heard what you were singing before, and am I correct in guessing that it has some special meaning? Because if so I can use my magic to enhance the effect and maybe have it calm down our troops as well~

 

[MAI]

Having no more to share with Aerial, or anyone else, for that matter, MAI was ready to head back to the front and... well, try to figure something out. That was until she got stopped, turning toward the newcomer with ivory hair in silence until the song was brought up.

"Handler's Lullaby. Szofrit used to take control of me and other magia... and handed it down to me to convert even more magia during that time. I've modified it to invoke calm in magia instead."

She paused for a brief moment, thinking the offer through.

"Her will is too strong to succumb to it... but if boosted... maybe more effective."

Perhaps it was worth a shot.

@Vina Skysong

 

[Zelrius]

He helped stabilize @Rael with the assistance of one who he hadn't quite seen in sometime; the tiger, @Harper .

The Elf's confirmation tugged at Zelrius. She had conviction, she was deadset, even in the face of danger. He needed to be the same. To show some real resolve, and decide whether or not he was going to help her.

He could hear @Hanno Futaba talking nearby, having this exact conversation with one of the Lion officers he had seen before. In their brief interactions, Zelrius had began to deem the man a true Knight. Someone he'd feel comfortable being on the side of.

For Levi, and anyone else who needed perhaps a bit of extra convincing, the Pyromancer tried to string a thought together.

"We had already won, right? Like, before the timeskip. - We can win this. Even with how powerful she is. But, if we do end her here, there is no bringing back if we later find out there is merit to her affliction and plan."

He stopped for a brief moment, before realizing the thought was kind of incoherent and incomplete. Quickly adding to it.

"Her death can't be undone. But, if we spare her now, we can always decide to go through with it later. Especially since she won't have all of this set up."

He gestured to the area at large. Her God Searing Light, her Ley Spears and Lances, her minions in the form of Nu, Hard Plume and Baby Magnum. They could take her away from this Veritable boss arena at least. Give Szofrit a chance to be saved, right?

 

[Aerial]

Narrowed eyes cast a razor sharp look at @Ueno Mizuki. Clench fists trembled. Blood boiled as rage filled adrenaline pumped through her veins.

Her attention softened as it turned toward @MAI.

"I'm sorry. Without knowing that she can be tamed, I can't take the risk."

A tired smile failed to reach her weary eyes. The woman looked worn. However, the battle wasn't over.

The words of the caenis spurred her on. She glared at @Ueno Mizuki as the pot called the kettle black. Aerial wasn't going to run away - she'd run straight at Szofrit and end this.

"Fuck you, bitch. You're an aggressive Chihuahu, aren't you? The only yapping is coming from your self-righteous mouth."

Aerial held up a middle finger to the wolf before a snap of lightning transported her across the battlefield.

​