EVENT #18: EMERGENCE - IC EVENT LOG

[abraxasmods]

Event #18 - Emergence

OOC Plotting Post ⦁ Pre-Event Info ⦁ Setting Descriptions

Whether voluntary or by force, you find yourself transported to the Singularity's crater. There probably aren't many resistors - officials have taken great pains to convince you to come voluntarily, reserving force as a last resort - but it's clear that everyone is required for this to work. It takes multiple mages to stabilize the portal, but you make it there in one piece. If you cooperate, you'll be asked to walk towards the ancient relic. If you resisted, you might be forced to do so while restrained. Regardless, a heavy fog soon descends around the area, obscuring you and your vision.

If you have thoughts of turning back, it's too late: for some of you, the second you step across the threshold, a force pulls at your chest and absorbs your psyche at once. For others, a mystical call beckons you to walk a little further before the same effect takes hold. And for a rare few, the call brings you to the Singularity itself, where you're compelled to touch it - and are subsequently swallowed up like the others.

The Horizon doesn't greet you like you might expect. Instead, something far stranger awaits.

Please communicate with your fellow players as needed! We also recommend discussing with us if you plan on a major environmental upheaval. As a rule of thumb, you should avoid changes to the landscape that will significantly alter the established map.

We've also posted comment sections for WORLDBUILDING and HANDWAVED submissions. Instructions can be found at the respective links.

Year 20,879

When you open your eyes, it feels like you've only blinked. If your body has transformed or you're someplace that shouldn't exist, it doesn't strike you as odd. You were always here. Everything around you was always here, and your physical alterations and new abilities - while perhaps not originally there - have been a part of you for a long, long time.

The world of Abraxas isn't completely foreign. Familiar territories remain, as well as the familiar faces of those with long lifespans. But a lot has changed in 800 years, too, especially where the Gods are concerned. Alongside the Old Gods of the Ancient Pantheon and the Cardinal Gods of the New Order, a third class of deities formed from you and your fellow Summoned: the Ecesis Gods of the Iterum Pantheon.

Politics, People, & Gods

Abraxas's political landscape remains complex, with continued tensions over land, worship, resources, and power. Nonetheless, since the Free Cities is no longer intent on destroying the Singularity, conflict over the ancient relic has lessened. All territories agree that the Godlands - and the Singularity - belong to the Gods themselves.

Beliefs and Gods

The active presence of the Summoned confirms the existence of the Gods. As a result, most Abraxans turn to the Summoned and other Gods for aid or protection. Extreme reverence exists in certain areas, especially on the Isle of the Lost and in parts of Solvunn. In other places, though, the Gods are merely acknowledged as a facet of life - a force that helps or hinders depending on temperament and should be respected, much like the sea. The Gods play a crucial role, sure, but so do the rain and stars. This is particularly true in the Feywilds, the Nether, and the Free Cities.

Small pockets of non-believers actively denounce the Gods. They claim the Summoned should be wiped from the world and the Singularity destroyed to prevent future invasions. Labeled dangerous heretics by Thorne and Solvunn, and "regressives" by the Free Cities - whose scientists and philosophers liken such thinking to be as foolish as declaring the sun unworthy or the earth to be flat - these people are shunned from society. In Solvunn, the consequences are more severe: heretics are exiled to the Barren, where they are subsumed by the desert, the Maw, or whichever Gods may punish them.

At the other end, some sects revere the Godlands so much that they believe feeding themselves to the relic will enhance Abraxas' good fortune for generations to come. Such cults are quite rare, but there are reports of mortals throwing themselves into the Singularity's crater and disintegrating as a gesture of their devotion to the divine.

International Relations

Due to the combined change in their priorities, Thorne and the Free Cities are less at odds. The Free Cities believes in protecting the Singularity; Thorne no longer seeks to control it. Nonetheless, mistrust flares on occasion.

While things are peaceful during these three months and have been for a few decades, Abraxas hasn't found a cure for war in the Gods. Conflict has broken out in the past and will again. Eyes are on the Nether as it grows in power, and who knows how long Thorne will be content with its losses? Will they convince the Velan Republic to reunite and turn against the Free Cities? For now, though, the territories have found their stride and appear more interested in progress than fighting.

Magic & The Singularity

Magic is relatively unchanged and is a vital part of Abraxan life. The small kingdom of Thorne continues to practice Academic Magic. Meanwhile, Wild Magic plays the same important role in the Velan Republic (formally Nott). Meanwhile, the Free Cities has developed New Magic further. The goal of decoupling magic from technology is less of a focus. Instead, researchers are eager to find new ways to fuse magic and innovation, including aspects of the Gods. Portable shrines, for example, are popular with traveling merchants.

High Magic no longer exists as a specific school of magic now that offerings, pacts, and requests to the Gods are a part of everyday life across Abraxas. Solvunn has returned to its roots, using the ancient Academic Magic practiced by the Lunae for standard tasks while turning to the Gods for greater blessings.

The Singularity has been relatively stable for the past two or three centuries. While occasional disturbances rumble, for the most part, the presence of the Summoned has strengthened it, alleviating its displeasure and ensuring that Abraxas - and possibly the universe itself - continues to exist. Indeed, academic writings from Thorne and the Free Cities across time suggest that the Singularity's devouring of the world has considerably slowed. It is now as much of a threat as the eventual collapse of the sun, something that is bound to occur but not for eons.

Of course, this could quickly change if the Summoned or any other Gods provoke the Singularity by rejecting its connection or denying its magic...so all should take care not to upset the nature of things.

Old World, New World

The map of Abraxas has undergone some notable shifts, although many names and places are the same.

Setting descriptions are HERE for your reference.

Mechapolis, the Witchwood, and the Barren/the Maw contain prompts related to the event itself. Information about those areas can be found under "Exploring the Land" in the section The World as the Divine (Month 1-2).

Month 1-2: Submersion

What do you last remember? Well, that depends. You might recall most things perfectly clearly. You might have new memories that don't feel new at all. Or, you might only remember the most recent year or two. Regardless, there is something missing: an important face, a handful of key events...maybe you don't remember having ever lived anywhere except Abraxas. You might find this unsettling, or you might accept it as just the way things are.

You've transcended those old memories, anyhow. You feel a little distant from the person you were centuries ago, and you most likely look different, too. Perhaps you've sprouted giant wings, become a formless void, or you're now a shapeshifter with no permanent appearance. You've gained a substantial amount of power and influence, the type that people of this world attribute to the Gods.

The first half is a more sandbox-like environment designed for scenarios that emphasize CR and personal character moments. Active conflict between the emergent reality and the world will not arise until the second half.

The World as the Divine

The mortals have bestowed you with a title and possibly a new alias. Do you know your mortal name anymore? Some of you might've taken on a new identity, or you might have held very tightly onto who you were. Regardless, your abilities have grown. Your new powers and appearance are as unique as your dominion, influenced by your interests, subconscious desires, or personal relationships.

While in your full God form, you'll move through the world unperceived. Only when you're sought by a mortal - followers, believers, cultists - can you consciously make your complete divine presence known. To be seen freely by all, you'll have to take on a less overwhelming shape to the mortal gaze. Those who have met the Old Gods or Cardinal Gods in the past finally understand why they seldom reveal their true selves, often arriving in hazy visions or speaking through animals.

Exploring the Land

◎ The Witchwood

As the Summoned continued to ascend, their power began to coalesce, creating a new ecosystem never seen before. The dense woods, originally a temperate climate, warmed and grew into a thriving jungle. The air is humid and heavy with magic, the sky locked into an eternal sunset. Reds and oranges filter through the thick canopy. Birdcall and animal cries echo throughout the jungle. Trees and rocks seemingly move at night, meaning the Witchwood is impossible to map. Foolhardy souls who venture too deep are rarely seen again - unless divine intervention prevents a tragic fate from befalling them. Perhaps one of those intervening Gods is you?

The most dangerous beasts in the Witchwood are the demigod spawns. Creatures born from the Summoned, demigods are powerful enough to affect the world around them should they ever leave the magic-encased forest. See Impact & Consequences for more details on the demigods and how, as the Summoned, you can help maintain Abraxas' ecosystem.

◎ Mechapolis

Heartwood Syndrome persisted in Fomalhaut long after the quarantined population died out. The port city stood as a monument to loss for nearly a century until about 200 years in when the Summoned gained notable influence as Gods. This resulted in a slow but steady acceptance of the Singularity's power as a positive force for potential advancement. New Magic boomed, leading to increased sophistication in technology and the refinement of automatons.

Originally designed to clear and guard Fomalhaut, they were eventually used to rebuild it. Fomalhaut became known as the City of Machines and was renamed Mechapolis. Although humans are barred from entering for safety, the automatons gather soil and air samples for study and perform fishing duties. The clockworks require routine maintenance and must return to a hub city or outpost for recalibration. Clockwork birds are used to communicate with Mechapolis. They can broadcast through the Free Cities's primitive "radio" towers.

You can enhance clockwork performance, boosting the towers or providing additional energy to the automatons. Scientists often have "rituals" when performing maintenance or experiments to earn the Gods' favor, hoping this will prevent their inventions from breaking down.

◎ The Barren/The Badlands

Once contested territory between Thorne and the Free Cities, the Badlands was split into two by a large ravine shortly after Thorne retreated to Hayle. With neither side able to breach the gap, Solvunn naturally laid claim to the western half while the Free Cities retained its eastern half. On the eastern side, the chasm swallowed several well-known bandit camps and the presence of a new entity further drove them away. Bandits now occupy the mountains northeast of Aquila. Due to the entity's threat, the Free Cities increased its military presence in the Badlands to keep careless or foolish travelers from straying too far.

Meanwhile, Solvunn has named its portion of the wasteland the Barren and sought the Gods' assistance to form an enchanted forest. Those who enter are lost forever. Meant for more than just protection, the forest and the Barren serve as a place of exile. Heretics are taken into the woods and left to wander towards the Barren's harsh desert. There, they will face the elements, be devoured by the waiting Maw...or encounter a God.

As a God, you can lead the exiles to their salvation or doom, but choose carefully: the Maw is hungry and must be fed. These exiles want you dead. They don't care for you, and should their lack of faith spread, they might revive attempts to destroy the Singularity - and with it, your home. Is it so wrong to leave them to their fate? On the other hand, saving them might convert them by demonstrating your kindness.

◎ The Maw

The Maw lurks beneath the chasm dividing the Badlands. Named for its gaping jaws, the Maw waits at the widest part of a jagged canyon, mouth open and salivating in the desert heat. Rows and rows of teeth as tall as a man spiral downward into a bloodshot throat. When sated, it retreats deep into the gully, barely visible aside from the shine of a tooth. When hungry, it draws closer to the surface. Hot and heavy winds often carry the putrid scent of its half-digested meals.

Solvunn is not the only territory that uses the Maw. The Free Cities will occasionally march criminals and bandits in that direction, as well, tossing them into the gaping mouth, although this method of execution is much rarer. Desperate exiles from Solvunn will try to cross the chasm despite the danger. None ever make it - at least, not without divine intervention.

Horizon, "Death," and Dormancy

Your domain in the Horizon is no longer constrained by size. How it's changed depends on you. The more detached from your mortality, the more likely it'll have surrealist elements: bizarre statues, physics-defying architecture, odd visual or psychological effects. The Horizon feels like home to all Gods, although you ought to take care not to heed its call beyond reason. Shutting yourself off from the physical world can result in unintended consequences...but completely refusing to enter the Horizon will do the same.

Additionally, Gods are beyond true death, but that doesn't mean you can act with impunity. Engaging in an exhaustive battle with other Gods can weaken you into dormancy. In this state, you will enter an ethereal void inside the Singularity. As you heal, you'll slowly be able to return to your Horizon domain and then the physical world once more. Depending on the extent of the damage, this process could take anywhere from months to decades. For instance, losing your head could take a few months, total dismemberment might take a year, and being vaporized into atoms can take a few decades.

Mortals cannot achieve this level of damage, even if they seemingly "succeed" in striking true. Only a God can weaken another God into dormancy. If a mortal removes your head, you can merely pick it up and put it back on.

Impact & Consequences

In the early years of your ascension, you might've wondered why the existing Gods seemingly intervened so little. Why did they not demonstrate their powers more blatantly over the thousands of years? Is it apathy? A desire to watch rather than act? As you come into your abilities, you realize that the Singularity and the universe are significantly more delicate than you thought. You begin to understand why the Gods have behaved the way they do.

Of course, whether you care to keep the world (and yourself) in balance is another story, but to be sure, some of the other Gods and the Summoned do - and you may have to defend your choices.

The equilibrium mechanic is described in OOC terms HERE. The Singularity and a character's ascension will not inherently sway them one way or the other. Any temptations will result from individual personality and development.

Instability Effects

To maintain the universe's equilibrium, you need to be cautious of when and how you interfere when using your status to alter the state of the world. Conversely, you'll also need to take care not to withdraw entirely. Several Gods have undergone periods of instability, though others haven't. Which category you fall under is up to you. It depends on who you are, your experiences, and your desires.

◎ Should you refuse to ACKNOWLEDGE your Godhood or enter the Horizon, you'll find yourself losing time. You may forget how you got from one place to another, or names you knew yesterday slip your mind. Lapses in memory or time can be temporary or permanent, but one thing they are is certainly confusing. With magic building inside you and nowhere for it to go, your power will begin to spill over, causing the Singularity to exhibit bursts of power that spawn demigods in the Witchwood.

◎ Should you give into the temptation to OVERINDULGE your Godhood or retreat to the Horizon for excessive periods, you'll lose more of yourself and your history. You may make decisions that feel unlike you, forget larger chunks of old memories, or struggle to distinguish what's real. Unrestrained use of magic will cause you to absorb yet more power, causing the Singularity to lose power in brief spurts, which can spawn demigods in the Witchwood.

These effects can be halted or even reversed in some cases. You might need someone's help to bring you back or convince you there's another way, or maybe you're the one seeking others out to assist. What you do soon understand is that your ability to manage your powers and stabilize your connection to the Horizon directly affects the Singularity and Abraxas...something that may have been true the moment you were summoned.

Demigod Spawns

Under the red haze of the Witchwood, monstrous creatures known as demigods or spawns emerge from crimson waterfalls and claw their out through the mossy soil. Born out of instabilities caused by careless actions from all Gods, they're usually contained to the Witchwood. For the most part, the older Gods - and the Summoned, if they choose - keep the demigods from leaving. However, now and again, one or two might escape, damaging towns, destroying villages, or causing ecological destruction in ways that are similar to natural disasters.

Demigods are not sentient. How they look can vary, but their appearances are often corrupted and disturbing: twisted animals, amorphous blobs, or alien-like parasites. They may resemble a monster you recognize from home.

Defeating one is possible but a challenge even for the Gods. Most crucially, you cannot kill your own spawn. Another God must deliver the killing blow, so working together is imperative. Should too many demigod spawns be allowed to invade the Witchwood, they will overwhelm and disrupt the Singularity further. Culling them is the only way to maintain stability.

You can submit demigod spawns you create to the WORLDBUILDING section if you want. Similar to using character powers, just keep the scale of destruction at a reasonable level.

Hearing Echoes

Echoes are a form of prayer that resonates through your connection with the Singularity. Solvunn has dedicated a monument to where the "First Echo" was heard, though the accuracy of this is debatable. Like the Network, you can hear an Echo regardless of where you are and can shut them out with concentration. However, your ties to Godhood may compel you to listen every so often. Mortals can entreat you through more formal methods (rituals, offerings, seasonal ceremonies) or in a moment of duress or desperation. They may seek you specifically or call to any God who will listen.

You can answer or ignore these cries for help as you like, but your choices carry consequences. Answer too many too eagerly, and your increased interference in mortal lives can upset the world's equilibrium - and the Singularity. Ignore your impact on the world, and your refusal to accept your ascension will equally destabilize the land as prayers go unheard.

Interacting with Other Gods

The Old Gods and the Cardinal Gods are an equal part of this world. For the most part, you coexist peacefully, though personal pacts and tensions can play a role. Each of you is aware of the impact of your actions on the Singularity: extreme displays of power are reserved for substantial transgressions, considering the price it carries.

Further, the older Gods have also walked the earth for centuries before you came. To them, you're still young, and rising against one of them won't end well for you. Nonetheless, many older Gods are more interested in giving advice or guiding you, ensuring the health of the Singularity and the universe so as not to doom all of you - Gods and mortals alike - to the void.

You can REQUEST AN INTERACTION with a God. Interactions will be brief but informative.

You will not be able to request a specific God. For logistical reasons, we have curated the list of Gods available ahead of time. However, we'll do our best to pick one from the pool that suits the purpose of your request.

Month 3: Awakening

Over the past 2 months, you've existed in the emergent reality without question. As you enter the third month, however, everything you've known over the past many centuries begins to shift. You might decide to investigate further, wondering if there's more out there that you aren't seeing. Alternatively, you might choose to ignore it, believing that your awakening is damaging the world and your life.

Catalysts

A catalyst can occur at any time through any circumstance. Do you see a familiar face you've forgotten in the eyes of a stranger? Do you recall a moment in your past while watching the mortals? Has a friend approached you specifically to try and remind you of the things you've forgotten?

With each memory returned you'll gain another piece of yourself. Depending on how much you've lost and how hard you'll cling to this reality, the effect may be clarifying or it might cause you distress and confusion. You might begin to encounter temporal cracks: buildings or areas that normally don't exist will flicker in and out of existence, or your reflection will briefly show an image of you from before your transformations took hold.

If you allow yourself to doubt your abilities or divinity, you might have trouble controlling your powers. If you've made alterations to your Horizon domain, it might start to revert to its original design.

These cracks are difficult to ignore, but if you bury your head, you can make them disappear - briefly, at least.

Shattered Skies

The effects go beyond the individual. As more of you and your fellow Gods reawaken, the sky also begins to form cracks that spread like broken glass. Through the fractures, you glimpse flashes of lightning and a swirling fog. The fissures only grow larger.

Soon, you realize you can see the Singularity itself, reflected upside-down in the crater. Disconcerting though it is, it may serve as proof that something is very wrong. Of course, you can also refuse to acknowledge this disturbance, closing your eyes to the crumbling sky. Doing so will let you remain unaware to the very end, but your friends who are seeking the truth might find your denial distressing.

The sky won't hold, though. Eventually, it does shatter completely - and you awaken abruptly, your body and others scattered several feet away from the Singularity's crater as if you were physically thrown out. The fog begins to dissipate. The lightning has stopped, the unrelenting storms fading across Abraxas. Whatever you went through, it seems to have done exactly what the territories hoped: stabilize the Singularity.

Characters will be returned home afterward. They will be thanked for their assistance regardless of if they cooperated.

Resistors will not face any consequences, as long as they don't cause excessive trouble upon their return. Officials will issue an apology for the heavy-handed action, stating that they saw no other way to keep the world safe. With the portals and weather returning to normal, it does seem to have worked...even if characters may not find the method agreeable.

---

Comments

[cryptsleeper]

[That finality is unacceptable.

And in that burst of strength, Alucard considers something.

His blood heals. He and Viktor confirmed that centuries ago, back before any of this godhood nonsense was a known thing. In experimenting with bones, Alucard and Geralt discovered that there's restorative memory power in them.

So perhaps blood will help here too.

It is the easiest thing to extend his fingernails into claws and then use them to dig into his own skin. To keep them there, so the wound doesn't heal. Drops, then a steady stream of red pour into the ground, and here Alucard knows he is gambling on his old friend's sense of smell.]

You're certain?

[aquaveiled]

[ It stops her almost immediately.

There are screams in the distance and the sound of her lumbering form slamming against the ground, the blight she emanates staining more of that would be a comely road and vegetation that lines it.

Her head slowly drags back along the ground, swiveling at her diminutive shoulders. She opens her mouth slowly at first. No sound comes out. But suddenly her lips stretch beyond their means, mouth widening painfully as she lunges forward towards the visceral scent of blood.

Whether she hits Alucard or the mess he's made, it doesn't matter--she needs it. ]

[cryptsleeper]

[Is there a word for a solution working a little too well? If not, Alucard strongly thinks there should be, because that is exactly what is happening in this moment. The blood works as if Himeka is a shark, not a god of feast and famine.

It's Alucard she hits with this disgustingly distended lips. His own fingers are still dug into his flesh to keep the wound from healing, and as he feels something start to drink from him, there is the sudden, thundering realization that he did not plan ahead. He's going to need to wrench Himeka off of his arm at some point, and that will come with blood loss.

She gets twenty seconds. Cold gold eyes stare down at her form, hoping that some part of it will shift away from the grotesque. If it doesn't work, the village beyond is still fucked.]

[aquaveiled]

[ It's all instinct, the need to feed and satiate an immense pain inside of her. Her teeth sink into him, serrated and uneven, as she drinks like a wanderer in a desert who just found an oasis. The rush of blood drowns out all other sounds--it's stronger, sweeter, different than anything she's had before. It tickles the back of her throat and sends a tingle down her hunched spine.

Himeka begins to sink, her body heavy.

What are you doing!?

Her eyes, having become solid white pearls, suddenly regain their usual pink hue. She freezes, her vision still blurry, but the taste in her mouth is one she knows ought not be there.

This close, Alucard's form is unmistakable.

Himeka pulls back, all but shoving Alucard away from her as she reels in horror. The hunger abated for a moment, though for how long is hard to tell. Her white face stained red with his blood, she brings her hands up to cover it. ]

I'm--I'm sorry!

[cryptsleeper]

[Twenty.

Himeka's teeth are unpleasant and not unlike a bread knife with their edges. They dig and cut in the same way, and Alucard really supposes he should stop turning his body into food. First the soup, now this.

Fifteen.

It is impressive, how much blood she's been able to consume in such a short amount of time. Alucard can feel the threat of lighte headedness kicking in, but he can keep counting.

Ten.

Ten?

Relieved he doesn't have to try and pry his friend off of his arm, Alucard takes the moment to remove his own too sharp nails from his flesh. The wound that Himeka latched onto is gone, as are all the teeth marks left. He shakes the arm out once, then looks to her.]

Truthfully, I'm shocked that was as effective as it appears to have been. [His tone is casual, like this happens every day.]

Do you think it took?

[aquaveiled]

[ She slowly pars her bony fingers, peeking at Alucard from between them. Her eyes dart back and forth between man and landscape, noting the stark redness of his blood that was spilled against the blighted ground she paled so wholly. ]

Eff...effective...

[ Yes, she feels a bit more like herself, no matter how she looks. Himeka lowers her shaky hands slowly and allows her form to collapse like a whale no longer held up by water. The desire to feed no longer providing her enough energy to move. ]

I feel...empty.

[ She lays her head on the ground, still watching him, and licks the stray blood off of her lips despite herself. ]

But it doesn't hurt...not right now. But--...it's not enough. I can feel it.

[ A hunger held back behind a wall, but still testing the mortar. As her desire to share in food and bounty must be mirrored by an equally powerful insatiability. ]

I can't swallow you whole to save a village--

[cryptsleeper]

I wouldn't let you. Believe me.

[Alucard squats down. Sitting might put him in danger, he wants the luxury of not needing to stand should his blood prove to be an extremely temporary balm.]

What happened that lead to this? A brief version is fine, and then I'll move us to somewhere that will have fewer villages for you to wreck.

[aquaveiled]

[ It certainly does--having him closer does make her stomach lurch, but she swallows and fights it down. As long as she has the energy to do so--the wherewithal--she will.

Himeka lets out a ragged breath and licks her lips as she forces her eyes closed. ]

Someone had a request...a trade of a boon...for a loss of their neighbor...

[ She sighs again. ]

I don't like doing those...but...

[ Who is she to refuse? ]

[cryptsleeper]

You did so regardless. Then what happened?

[Alucard doesn't like summoning things out of the air, but for now, he gestures. A wide mouthed bowl appears, and he appraises it for a moment. He can't let too much blood go for now, but he needs to keep his friend talking.

It feels like the height of some shitty vampire comedy to dig into his arm again with too-sharp nails and bleed into the bowl. But that's what he is doing while trying to keep Himeka grounded.]

And do you know how many days you have been like this?

[aquaveiled]

[ That smell, that smell. It calls to her in ways she doesn't want to admit to but it's more than enough to keep her attention on Alucard if the hunger starts to rise above her ability to control it once again.

Himeka licks her lips, trying not to shudder at the feeling of her sharp and disjointed teeth. ]

I took their offering--a gourd, but...it wasn't enough...not enough for the amount they asked for...

[ So the spell went unsupported, lopsided and the affliction could not be fulfilled without further input. It spiraled. ]

I don't know...

[ She strains as she turns her head again, looking back towards the houses that have already fallen to her work. It's more than one--an entire little street appears to be drained of life and she feels a lump form in her throat. Himeka lets her head fall back down to the ground. ]

Too long. I don't know how many...--

[ How many she's killed. ]

[cryptsleeper]

Okay.

[Alucard does not make a show of removing his too sharp fingernails from his own arm. They retract easily, and once they have, the dhampir offers Himeka the bowl. His head is threatening to swim, but for now, all remains upright. In a minute or two, all will pass.]

Take this. Let's see what else it does.

[He doesn't need to watch Himeka actually drink. That part is weird. Instead Alucard focuses his attention on creating a portal for them both. Being away from people feels like a good priority to have, and as she consumes, he rotates through locations. Mountains in the far north. Desolate patches of wasteland. Remote islands, but with too much flora and fauna.

Finally, the desert. Sand, sand, and sand, nothing else present.]

Whatever's left to deal with, we can straighten it out away from others. Do you have enough energy to move?

[aquaveiled]

[ Himeka doesn't hesitate to take the bowl. She may not be ravenous to the point of insanity like before, but the scent of the blood is too tempting to ignore. Her oversized hand practically dwarfs it and its contents are gone in a manner of seconds.

The effects are almost immediate--the pure white of her face begins to fade to regain some of her pinkish undertones, the scales more of her usual iridescence. Her breathing feels less labored and it gives her enough energy to prop herself up on her elbows. ]

Yes...yes, I can move.

[ She looks towards the portal and immediately follows his train of thought--a desert, a place where there is much less life to consume.

Himeka doesn't wait for instructions. She pulls herself forward, reaching out into the portal to drag her body over the threshold. While she is more energized, her lower half is not made for land. The trail of mucus she leaves behind follows into the desert, but all it does is bleach the sand. ]

[cryptsleeper]

[Alucard does not move through the portal until Himeka herself is through. It is a painful thing, watching how her body drags as it does. He's all set to scoop up her lower half and help get it through into the desert if need be, but somehow, she manages. That feels like a success story in and of itself, but the more important part are the visible changes he can already see. There's color on Himeka's skin. Her scales don't look sad and grey and wilting.

With a gesture, the portal behind them both closes, stranding the two in the desert. He exhales slowly, eyes locked on the bleached sand.]

I can't bleed myself dry for you, even if it seems to be working. Do you have any other thoughts on what might speed things along?

[aquaveiled]

[ The desert is anything but comfortable--it's try, too dry on her scales that need moisture, but the warmth is appreciated at least. Himeka collapses a little bit, allowing her weight to rest into it for now.

She bows her head, letting the hood of flesh hide some of her face. She lets out a long, low breath. ]

No, please...don't. I don't want to hurt--

[ --you. Anyone else. Not anymore.

It goes unsaid, but she thinks that Alucard knows. He's done so much already. ]

I don't know why...I'm like this.

[ She turns one of her claw-like hands over to inspect her own palm. ]

This has never happened before. What am I?

[cryptsleeper]

That I cannot answer.

[Himeka is herself, wholly and completely. All of them have a dual aspect, the same as the suit of cards they were assigned upon arriving in Abraxas. Himeka is simply inverted upon herself, and the struggle is to put it all right side up.

There's a short cut, of course, but it is needlessly blood and unkind. Alucard does not want to approach that unless it is an absolute life-or-death situation for himself.

Still. He knows what happened and he knows that the natural healing properties of his blood have worked to some small degree. The problem is volume on his end and the fear that even that might be enough.

This is a bad space to be in, and it leaves him feeling as if he should have more of a solution in mind beyond shove the both of us in the desert, see what happens.]

Don't focus on transformation right now. You have your wits about you back. I want you to be quiet and see if your physical form is able to provide any other useful information about what it needs to heal. If it's just More Life, ignore that. There should be some underlying thought here.

[aquaveiled]

...

[ It's hard to ignore--she looks so unlike herself. Though despite her usual stature, Himeka has regarded herself as quite tall (for her people), but not like this. Never before has she felt like such a fish out of water, a blight on the land and wholly unsuited for it.

Which...brings her a thought. Her hair is no longer hair, instead it hangs like the tentacles of a large jellyfish. Her legs have given way to a long, heavy fish-like tail. The more they stand out in the desert, the harsher the air feels. She's like a beached whale, slowly drying out. ]

...Water.

[ Himeka whispers, sounding almost parched as she forces her head to turn toward Alucard with widening eyes.

He's been to her domain, that bubble of life blossoming beneath the sea. But that was where sunlight could reach her village. Not far from there were depths untold, unexplored because no Auri could survive. ]

I'm...it's like I belong to the deep, where food is so scarce...Alucard--I need water.

[cryptsleeper]

--Okay.

[Alucard doesn't know if this will work. Himeka knows herself best, but the state of her mind is still a question mark. If water may even remotely be right, then that's what they need to do.

Still, his mind reels. Water is essential to life, it could do even more harm. Suck up life from that and....

...and she said deep. Where food is scarce. That's the safe guard, isn't it? The darkest depths and then moving up to the surface. Behind him, another portal begins to come into focus. Alucard's eyes are locked on Himeka.]

I'm opening this up in the deep. Go through, and I will watch you from the other side here since I am not meant for water pressure that intense. If this works, start to head up to the surface. Then I'll join you.

[He steps aside, the portal now letting out a distinct briny smell into the air. The dhampir is terrified of this not working, but he needs to get over it. If all goes to hell, Himeka can come back after spending some time with the Singularity. He's done worse to those closer to him.]

[aquaveiled]

[ It is a bit like grasping at straws. She's pulling from a past experience that's slowly failing her, but it feels right. This body isn't made for land. It's too heavy, without defined shape and form. The water has to be the key to some degree.

But she has the same fears as he does: will she be able to control this? Will she only make it worse when she has more ease of movement? There's only one way to find out.

Himeka can't deny the sense of relief that floods through her at the familiar scent. The spines along her torso and the gills at her ribs all flare open in excitement at that particular salty aroma. It's gloomy with only bits of light finally filtering down. But it feels...it feels-- ]

--Thank you.

[ With hope in her heart, she pulls herself eagerly forward through the portal. The change in pressure is immense and shocking at first, but the weightless immediately changes her body from a heap of scales and flesh to a much more graceful creature. The thin membranes along her neck and arms wave gently in the minimal current and her muscles feel less tired.

Himeka sighs and stretches out for the first time.

Then it's like she knows what to do. She opens her mouth, her jaw unhinging and stretching so that she can ingest a large amount of water at once. She swallows slowly and feels... ]

Calm...this feels calm.

[cryptsleeper]

[How do you react in watching your friend's body completely transform due to the pressure from the depths of the ocean? If you're Alucard, you watch from the other side of the portal enthralled and horrified and ready to leap into the seas if need be if only to preserve life.

Except there is no need be. Himeka's jaw doing what it does is, in a word, upsetting. How one reached equilibrium, however, is not something he should judge. Alucard accepts it and focuses on keeping the portal open.]

That's a relief. Do you think the surface is an option for now, or should you stay here for a while longer to recalibrate?

[aquaveiled]

[ It is rightfully disturbing and something that Himeka, herself, is glad that she did not have to be the one to witness. But the relief she feels at being fully supported, and feeling a little full, bit by bit is enormous. She's not perfect, but--she isn't' ravenous. Not right now.

She turns, suspended in the water to look at Alucard with a little more energy than she has this entire time--or rather, not the rabid energy she'd had before. ]

I think...I need more time. But...an hour. Can I have an hour? I'll meet you there.

[cryptsleeper]

An hour I can do. I'll keep the portal open and go behind it. Yell if you need me.

[Which is precisely what Alucard does. He shuffles off to the side and then behind, away from Himeka's field of vision but always close by. It seems a good emergency brake sort of situation. Exactly what they need.

Time passes. Alucard curls up as a wolf, eyes closed but still very much awake, waiting for Himeka to signal him.]

[aquaveiled]

[ She feels truly calm for the first time in--gods, how long has it? Surely not more than a few hours but it felt like ages. (Or maybe it was days? It's hard to tell when all she could think about was hunger and pain.)

But slowly, gradually, she feels more and more like herself. The color fully returns to her skin and scales, the aches in her limbs lessen to nothing, and the world Himeka sees before her is not that in terms of the brightest, most filling bit of life...but the dark hues and blues of the deep. When she turns her head towards the portal, she sees the desert.

Alucard.

Himeka, still shrinking to something closer to her normal size, swims over to it. ]

Alucard?

[cryptsleeper]

[The wolf trots over to the portal, causually changing back into Alucard. God or not, he seems to have a little bit of a sunburn from loafing out in direct light.

When he sees Himeka it is clear that this worked. There's audible relief in his voice.]

I'm here. You look leagues better.

[aquaveiled]

[ The wolf is marginally familiar, but his presence is one that she couldn't forget. Still, when he returns to his normal form, there's a sense of relief in that as well, even though it was Himeka that had undergone the most...starling transformation. ]

I feel leagues better.

[ She smiles and rests her hands on the edge of the portal like a window sill. ]

And that is entirely thanks to you. If you hadn't been there, I might have--

[ Well... ]

...it could have been even worse. I owe you so much.

aim to wrap in another tag or two?

[cryptsleeper]

[It looks right, seeing Himeka just leaning on the portal so comfortably. Alucard smiles, his friend the right shape and everything.]

It could have. And the resolution would have been much messier. But that isn't what came to pass, and I'm happy enough with that.

[He exhales softly, offering a hand through the portal.]

Please let me know if something still feels wrong, yes?