Atomos: The Cerobi Steppe Part 5

Return to The Artifact of Atomos RP Logs

Return to The Artifact of Atomos

The Party has just reached the Akashic Library. Bookshelves reach as far as the eye can see from the entrance. Mephisto was standing on a upper balcony and offered a smile to Ainsley before stepping backwards and disappearing from sight. Rydia and Snuggles are currently no longer with the part having stayed behind back in the real world. Talen is also currently missing from the party having been split and not reuinated.

Zhgir, for his part, seemed to be rather upbeat about the whole tag business. Even though one of his arms were sticking out oddly, one of the others were bandaged heavily and he had and obvious bruise discoloring his ashen grey skin by the side of his temple. "Zhgir thinks we should do that again!" He comments to the rest of the party cheerfully, with only one arm raised up above his head.

"...Hn," is Alba's reply to Zhgir's exuberance. "Then I wish you joy of it." Peering at Zhgir's disjointed arm, then at Ainsley, the Viera looses a quiet huff. "...When my Shaman returns, Zhgir, he will need to see to your wounds." Though for all her bluster and standoffishness, the shelf upon shelf upon shelf of books seems to catch her eye, more than occasionally.

Ainsley is, in contrast with Zhgir, winded by the game of tag and pretty much done with the whole idea of traps. She had gone through the whole thing and gotten a few bruises and cuts along the way, but found that she had avoided getting slimed /too/ much by the disgusting stink monster. Once they reached the library she let out a soft sigh... and looked up at Mephisto. A little wave is given in his direction before he disappeared from sight. Alba's comment gets a lazy, "If you insist he should do it," Ains being apparently not as concerned about everyone's injuries since none of them require immediate attention from her viewpoint. Even Zhgir's wounds were a low priority thanks to his cheerful attitude. Instead, she wandered into the library proper and began examining the spines of the books stocked on all of the shelves, distracted by the sheer volume of literature.

Talen steps into the library itself, from an entirely different direction than the others, yawning loudly and at length as he stretches. He pauses to shut the door hidden behind a swinging bookshelf, and then steps back to marvel at the vast store of knowledge. "Hnn. So where's the librarian then?" The Viera rubs at the back of his head, his ears turning towards the others, and he glances to them and waves. "Hey, you made it!" Talen bounds to Alba, and then skitters to a stop before her, wrapping his arms about her in a hug.

The books Ainsley is looking over start with childrens tales ranging from the One Bomb Two Bomb Red Bomb Blue Bomb to the Little Airship That Could. The Library soon appears and sits down at the reception desk. Looking over the group the creature nods and motions for them to come over, "How can I help you?"

Zhgir waves his broken hand assuringly towards Alba. "It is fine, Zhgir thinks he only snapped his exoskeleton." He assures the female viera. Then, after a moment. "But Zhgir will do as queen commands either way!" He adds with a hurried rush and then quickly bounds away, soon instead hovering by Ainsley and staring at the books she is studying with blank-er looking eyes.

Alba stiffens slightly as Talen throws his arms around her, but it is by now reflex, not opinion. Cupping the Summoner's head, she returns the hug briefly. "All is well, my shaman?" she murmurs, then nods to Zhgir. "That one, injured. Our companion's.... pet... is altogether over-free with his... affections." As the Librarian appears, her eyes flick to Talen, then Ainsley, then back to the counter, nodding in curt, silent greeting.

Ainsley sticks her tongue out, briefly, as she notes that none of the GOOD books are readily available for locating. She returns to the group as the Librarian shows up, and offers a friendly wave in that direction. She notices that Zhgir is following her around, though, and turns to look at him quizzically. She doesn't say anything to him. To the Librarian, she says, "We're looking for oooold old maps of islands in the ocean. We're looking for a chain called the Cardia Islands." She flashes a big toothy smile, "Do we need a card or token or is our only responsibility staying quiet and not disturbing the other visitors?"

Talen enjoys the return hug, however brief, "I can safely say that I have been better, though, I have been a lot worse. The journey here has not be entirely kind." His ears stand straight up as he looks over at Zhgir and notes his condition. "Give me a few minutes then, and I shall see to his hurts. Are you well, my Hunter?" The male Viera begins eyeing Alba more closely, searching for injuries and not finding any. He steps away presently to begin fussing over Zhgir, though his ears remain focused on the female Viera. A white glow envelopes one of his hands, while the other tugs carefully at bandages. "Which of your wounds hurt the most, Zhgir, I'll start with those to ease the pain." As the feathered lizzy wizzy steps forward to talk with the Librarian, he watches carefully, eyeing the Librarian with great curiosity.

The Librarian pauses at that, "A name I have not heard in a very long time, in oh say... 8 ages I think. Before the moon fell, before even the time of Mako. A intereting request you ask of me, though permission to see those maps I cannot give you. You will have to obtain permission from one of the spirits who hold power over this realm. Either Mephisto, or Ramah. You are in luck though, both are in the library at this time, and both seem to be waiting for you. Pick your path" Motioning first to the stairs up to the second platform, and another down a aisle of books.

Zhgir seemed to momentarily attempt to walk over Talen as he appears in front of him, so focused he was on his goal - but then he snaps back to the reality. Twitching his palps, he then reaches out with one of his uninjured hands and then begins to guide Talen's healing, mostly towards areas that didn't seem to require healing. Free glowing things! "Zhgir thinks Libraries are quite strange."

Alba remains silent as the choice is offered, once again looking from Talen to Ainsley, ears cocking in such a way as to suggest the two most inclined to deal with the Spirits, make the decision. For herself, the Viera is clearly torn between her fascination with the printed word, and her disdain of all things beyond the mortal realm.

Ainsley looks at the Librarian only for a second. She blinks once. And then she turns and starts wandering down the aisle of books. Seems like it took only a moment for her to decide where to go. She hums a soft song to herself as she walks. "Ramuh must be this way. Mephisto is on the upper floor, I saw him a minute ago," she says to the others, almost as if she only just remembered she was along with a party of people. "I've never actually gotten to speak with him..." she muses aloud, almost at a whisper, "This should be nice."

Talen blinks at Zhgir, and gives the arachnid a swat on the shoulder. "None of that." He thrusts his hand into Zhgir's chest, and one white flash later, most of Zhgir's hurts are on the mend. His eyes stray to Alba a moment, watching her fascination with the row upon row of bookshelves. The male Viera's ears perk up though, and he turns to look at the Librarian at the mention of Ramuh. He goes to say something, and then watches Ainsley wander off. Talen gestures to the lizard woman, "Quickly, we should follow her." He gives Zhgir a nudge side and then trots off after Ainsley. "Thank you for deciding upon Ramuh.", he says to her as he falls in step behind her.

The maze of books and book shelves goes on for a while. From books of history, of magic, of monsters and fiends, and even of into books of cities. As another corner is rounded you all walk upon a old man with a very long beard sitting at a table. He is leafing through a book titled, "Talen." Several other books rest on the table before him titled, "Zhgir", "Ainsley", and "Alba". The old man glances up and smiles to the group then goes back to his reading, "Welcome to the Akashic Library. Let me see, we have the One Who Despises the Spirits, the Unrestratined Curiosity, the Inconsitant Mind, and the one Chasing the Mist." Ramuh glancing back up, "Sound about right?"

Zhgir raises up his hands in wild gesture to toss away his binds, before following after the other. He didn't seem to have much more to add to the discussion, before suddenly he notices the books on the table. And he grows very distinctly pale, about instantly disappearing from the immediate sight behind the party. A more observant figure might notice a set of peering eyes hovering from atop a nearby bookshef.

"Hn," Alba says, a noncommittal noise that could be assent, or illustration. Apparently somewhere along the line she managed to pick up the value of silence over uncivility. Talen's hand gets squeezed once, briefly; this job, she leaves to him.

"Pfft," Ainsley replies to Ramuh's comment, flippant to his words, "Read the part near the end of the Whisper arc there. There's some restraint now. Some." She points at the book that has her name on it in particular. Though she seems to be taking the whole judgmental eyeballing pretty well. "I'm a scholar, sir, if I didn't have wild curiosity, I wouldn't be very good at discovering new or forgotten knowledge, would I?" A beat. "We're looking for an old map, from a previous age. The Cardia Islands. They probably aren't called that anymore, if they even exist in the same form."

Talen slows to a stop just short of being in polite speaking range, eyeing the book in the Spirit's hand. The male Viera looks rather disconcerted for a few moments, but shortly steps forward to stand beside Ainsley. Ramuh is given a rather deep bow. "We are honored, Lord Ramuh, by your presence. And we would ask of you the knowledge that Boundless Curiosity here speaks of." He quickly hides a hint of a cheeky smile. "And you are correct, you name us well. There is much I would ask of you, at any other time, and supplicate myself on a pilgrimage. But if you know our stories, then you know we've a more pressing deed to attempt."

Ramuh offers a smile, "A two edge sword, one that you learn from but also one that cuts you. The wording was descriptive, not insulting." Ramuhs' voice soft and gentle as he smiles towards Ainsley. Reaching over and tapping the book titled "Ainsley" then saying, "It also says you are quick to anger." A glance then to Talen as he stands up and offers a bow back, "Emissary of Ifrit, a pleasure to have you here. Please take a seat." Putting the book titled "Talen" down. "Of your desire to find the Cardia Islands, a interesting task. Though you know not the path you walk, even the stars shake in what paths they show. All lead to one, the summoning of Atomos in this world. No path can lead from it once the events were set in motion. If you desire to continue to walk this path." Ramuh look to each in turn, including the spider hiding up on the bookshelf. "Know this." Eyes looking back to the group as a whole, "The great spirit Atomos grows restless in his prison and the mask serves his will. He will awaken into the world through the Aritfact. If you walk this path it may even be by your hand, but at least you will have a hold of it and perhaps the ability to do something with it after to prevent it again. Do you accept this?"

Zhgir simply hangs above the bookshelves, slowly crawling around the mysterious figure down below in an attempt to find a blind spot. The talkin gis left largely to the rest of the group for the moment, as the sneaky arachnid continues to be sneaky!

From behind the mask, comes a slow, slightly impatient breath. "If it is a thing that must be, then let it be, and let it be done with as soon as it is needful."

Ainsley sticks her tongue out at Ramuh, which is a bit rude, but... "Nyeh~" She seems unaffected, beyond her mild negative reaction to his second comment toward her past. "All of my anger is well-contained now. What could I be angry about now, anyways? You read the book, after all, you should know." She crosses her arms, becoming more serious, though not grim in the slightest. "I'm willing to do this. If it's going to happen anyways, it may as well be by the hands of people who are going to clean up any messes it's going to cause. Right?" She glances over at Talen. She thumbjerks at him. "And I can help him out with some trials, if you allow me to." Her eyes sparkle with mirth and curiosity, hoping for a positive reaction.

"It seems an unfair task set before us, and I have often wondered, in the darker moments of this journey, if it might be better that the Spirits reach out and pluck the Mask from its place and hide it away again. Being this close to the precipice colours one's judgement though." Talen rubs at his chin, his ears laying almost flat to his head. "But I started this journey, and I am determined to finish it, despite doubts and worries, and wishing that I could run and hide, and keep my mate safe." He glances at Ainsley, raising an eyebrow at her suggestion, not to mention her cheekiness towards Ramuh. "I suppose I could suffer through her assistance.", he says, again hiding a smile before it becomes too broad. "We will do what we must do, and prevent the ending of everything. Will there be Mists to Seek, once this is done? I... I do dare to seek Exodus, but then, you would know that, yes?"

Ramuh offers a smile towards Ainsley, "If he wishes for my pact, he must be tested alone. Which." Glancing to Talen, "Has the option to do if he so wishes. In his journy further though he will need help from many friends, including yourself if you wish to give it. Your determination Ainsley has proven strong in the task you have already faced." He taps the book titled "Aisnely and it vanishes. Then Ramuh offers a sad smile towards Talen, "We have done such, we have even destroyed it a dozen times over. Each time it returns, and each time it proves to be impossible for us spirits to find by ourselves. We can only find where it has been used for obvious reasons, but not where it is going or who has it. The task is unfair, there is truth in that." Ramuh returns to sitting and smiles again to the group, "The task it set. I will grant you permission to enter into the 3rd Era Archives. Touch nothing but the maps, and take nothing from the archives." A glance to Zhgir, "There is a special key in it for you if you follow those rules." Then looking back to Talen, "To seek Exodus you have many trials before you, one of which stands next to you. Exodus will only consider those who walk together seeking the spirits, not one who disdains and one who seeks."

Zhgir slowly withdraws his hand from towards the book laying on the table; "unwittingly" the one with his title. "Zhgir has no concept what is being referred to, but he will agree to this barter." He says nonchalantly as he straightens and crosses his arms across his chest - though one of his eyes visibly shift towards the spirit, as if to see how well his facade was holding up.

Ainsley glances over to Alba uncertainly, thinking on the woman's reaction and Ramuh's words. Being someone who wasn't a huge fan of the Spirits at one point, Ainsley is put into a fairly thoughtful mood by the idea of helping someone cope with just... accepting the Spirits and their oddities. She shakes her head slowly. To Talen, she says, "While it feels as if the Spirits are neglectful, I believe that they try different approaches each Age, like an evolving government." She gestures at Ramuh, "It's just the way the world works, and how the laws were set up. To change that, there would need to be an upheaval so grand that we would be unlikely to remember, if we even survived, what we were even so fussy about. The Spirits have their hands tied, I'm afraid, keeping the natural order intact. As long as Atomos has any tie to the mortal realm, I gather the Mask will continue to exist, just to act as one of the few tokens to show he still exists. He doesn't have the temples or minor shrines the other Spirits do." She blinks a couple times, realizing she was rambling... then shrugs her shoulders and browses the shelves again, at least until everyone is done talking to Ramuh.

Talen's ears flatten against his head also, almost at the same moment as Alba's, and while SHE might be wearing a look of anger or annoyance behind her mask, Talen's is one of sadness. "It is something I have hoped that would never come to be. I cannot fault her reasons for disdaining spirits. And I do not know if I could even dare ask her to find it in herself to forgive what has happened, or to change what a lifetime of pain has taught her. I had hoped I had enough in me to be worth two." He takes a breath, his ears slowly standing tall once more. "But that is not here or now. To the third era archives we go." The male Viera looks to Ainsley then, and nods slowly at her words. "I don't think they are neglectful, not really. It has just been a long journey, and there have been moments of darkness." He pauses as she blinks, and then he peers to Ramuh. "Would a shrine or Temple to Atomos change things any?"

Ramuh looks sad as well, "There is some truth in what you said Ainsley, we do have our rules. The reasons and complications are a long discussion and a painful one. Both for us and for you." Ramuh's smile stays sad as he stands up moving over to a bookshelf. "We do not interfer with the affairs of the world, but we would never abandon it. We have our ways of helping the world indrectly. The Priest follow our ways and our teachings, while the summoners earn our favors to call upon our powers. Yet, they can use their gives from us as they wish in the world. Think of it this way, Ifrit gave Talen a gift, a pact, because he believes in Talen and what he stands for. As such I will offer Talen a chance to earn my pact, because I believe he has the value needed to wield some of my power. Should you choose to accept the test." Ramuh looks to Talen smiling a bit. "As for a shrine to Atomos, a bad idea. Atomos is the spirit of gluttony, apathy, and consuming hunger. The less the world knows of him the better. A temple or shrine will only make him appear more. The Artfact makes it way back into the world every time, this is the longest it has been absent and we do not know what or why we got this long break. If you could figure that out and use it that would be best." Then the spirit pulls a book and a click is heard, a hidden set of stairs appearing in the floor leading down."

Return to The Artifact of Atomos RP Logs

Return to The Artifact of Atomos