FINAL TRIAL

[strangerpeople]

FINAL TRIAL
(1 of Hekatombaion)


[When the time comes, Charon arrives on a boat, hrrhrrhrring a little tune as he rows. No need to worry about space, even with all of the shades coming with. Fluffles, unsurprisingly, doesn't go; he does see everyone off, at least, before he falls asleep.

With a final hnnnngrrrgh, they're off. Charon is the master of the Styx, in his own way, deftly avoiding roots and branches from the Qliphoth as he guides his charges up through the layers of the underworld. From the dark and gloomy green of Tartarus, to the lava-flooded Asphodel and it's giant many-headed bone snake, sadly snarled in demonic roots (without thinking, Zack waves to it), on through the lazy rivers of Elysium, and lastly through the pitch stink of the corridors of a temple separating the underworld from the living world.

Throughout, there is eerie quiet. No shades appear to watch their procession-indeed the few wisps around seem to be fleeing, hiding. No rats try to bite Zack's face off. Aside from Lernie, there's truly nothing but tree, tree, and more tree.

Finally, though, the surface air hits, and it is...not cold, but not warm, either. Though, as everyone disembarks, that's probably not what catches everyone's attention. No-it is the barren fields of ancient Greece, just outside the entrance to the underworld-and there is only one thing alive in the area.

It is late afternoon, and the silhouette of the new moon is the only thing that emits real light now in the grey. Indeed, if there is a sun, it is blocked out by the massive, massive roots in the sky, swirling into the stratosphere. The roots in the underworld were in fact more akin to greedy branches; the roots in the sky of the world of life, however, are far more massive, and it's clear the tree is fully grown. And-if the dead grass and trees and barren lands around the Temple of Styx are any indication-it isn't simply feeding on human blood-it's affecting the life of the earth itself, greedily lapping up what it can as it further embeds itself, further spreads, further grows. Further destroys.

It won't stop. There is obsession and power, and Delta is right-it will never stop unless someone intervenes.

Wordlessly Delta points to a Spire of blood in front of them. Yup-they need to enter it to get to where they need to go. Lovely.]

Through here is the core of the tree where the fruit of the Qliphoth is being cultivated. Come.

[Well, no turning back. With luck, the Catillac has some extra towels.



So, immediately after squishing into the...blood elevator?...everyone is schllllorped on a ride akin to w water slide, going up and down, left and right, up, up, up, then down, down, down....down.......


d


o


w


n



into the depths.

And when they emerge...]





[Bright flowers grow on the vines. There is distant birdsong, and the sun shines among fat, lazy clouds. But you can see the shine of glass in the corner of your eye; the air is too perfect to breath, too cold to touch. You don't feel the grass or dirt underfoot that you can clearly see The smell of blood is everywhere.

An illusion? A dream? A delusion? Something else? Who knows. There is a patio table laid out with tea, and four seats. It's almost as if the owner simply got up and left for a moment. It's all strange, all...wrong.

Still. You're finally here. You're in the core. You freed a possible god from the grip of forced ignorance. And you have-you hope-everything you need to end this. But there is still one question:



Who is the true Mastermind, and what is their goal in doing all of this?



It is time, Strangers. By the seas, the heavens and the earth, by blood and darkness, it's up to you.




Good luck.]

Comments

[pegasinister]

I will start with what I found today. Having entered the same room where Akane also found Delta, I spent some time exploring while she questioned him. I was able to find this book of illustrations, apparently for a poem called Dante's Inferno. Inside that book I found an image of what is clearly Zack and his family if we need any more confirmation of him and Zagreus' connection. The woman in this image's portrait was also found on the bedside table- suggesting this is her and her spouse's room.

Also in the book one of the images was torn free, though there seems to still be some left behind that I have yet to examine in full. I can also confirm anything Akane found, as I was i the room with her.

As for contracts, there is something I feel comfortable finally confessing. Though I suspect it will not be a surprise to you all. Delta and I have been allies since the start of this loop, and not simply as Fabricator and employer. He is in fact the one that caused my SHIFT into this timeline, and gave me my mission.

...though do not think we are friends in any particular way. I DID try to stab him when I first woke up. Sadly I no longer had my weapons. Oh well.

[exequte]

Something that's worth mentioning, I guess, is that Delta implied a witch, who he could not name for fear of attracting her notice, was the one responsible for all of this.

[pegasinister]

Indeed. Though what a 'witch' entails could mean many things. Unless we find reason to suspect otherwise though, we can likely assume the witch is of the Umbral variety- meaning a woman who has contracted with a demon, as Alastor told me. That may in fact be the purpose of this tree- to empower her demon.

[superstylishsquid]

Unless you give me a good reason not to, I'm stabbing Delta when this is all over.

Anyway, there's plenty of evidence pointing directly to an Umbra Witch. Not just the book, but the runes on the enspelled corpses are Infernal Enochian writing.

[pegasinister]

Right- Keep it Simple. Unless we have reason to say otherwise we should go with what makes sense.

[superstylishsquid]

On the upside, Umbra Witches are at their weakest during the new moon.

Even if I'm not too fond of it, myself.

[valkavian]

Not sure if I know anything about the Umbra shit, but mages? Usually get up to all sorts of shit that kinda break the rules of existence.

[ STFG, these bitches should've been noped out by Paradox ages ago. ]

[autonomousthought]

...When you were brought to this timeline...did you wake up in some kind of pod-shaped machine?

[pegasinister]

I did.

[autonomousthought]

I think I found that machine, then. The attached console said it had output one object into this timeline six weeks ago - that must have been you.

[She's...glad it did, she thinks. Hubert is cool.]

It also said it has to recharge, and that will take eight and a half more months.

[pegasinister]

So Delta only had one shot for an extended period of time before he could try again.

[autonomousthought]

That follows logically. And in that time there would likely be more 'rounds' of the Nonary Game. With a total of ten months between charges, it seems like no surprise he chose you.

[Though thinking too much about that other timeline....scares her, and she wobbles a little where she stands. It's fine. They don't need to get into the details.]

[pegasinister]

I can see his logic, yes. My skill set is practically tailored for such a thing.

[15unknowns]

Indeed. And given how that round ended, I highly doubt the Delta that sent you here would be able to do anything further to stop her.

[pegasinister]

He had to pick who he had left and hope for the best.

[15unknowns]

Indeed.

[onychomance]

He must have sent that creature to my room then.

What are they here for?

[ Kira is addressing whichever of the two will answer this out of Delta and Hubert]

[pegasinister]

I can not even begin to guess who else it could have been. Those creatures only seemed interested in women otherwise...

[onychomance]

[Well same, but. Hmm.]

... There is our ostensibly female witch.

[pegasinister]

I CERTAINLY can't see why she would want me alive- unless she simply liked my blood enough for a second sip.

[onychomance]

That's true. He must have enough ability to send them after you. What I wonder is what role they play in any of this. Why are they present in the first place?

[pegasinister]

Akane says they mentioned contracts to her- perhaps they are also demons? Or a demon.

[They do seem to be a hivemind from what he's been told]

[15unknowns]

I...was able to read their minds. It appears they have a contractual system which specifically targets ladies with karmic potential.



The lady...does not like them.

[pegasinister]

So they are not a demon but they do work with a similar modus operandi.

Akane doesn't like them either- I will admit neither do I. Their round face taunts me.

[Yes he still has the plush]

Do you know why she dislikes them?

[somuchshipping]

Karmic potential? What does that mean?