>Current objectives:
-Stay alive.
-Keep the skeleton-key safe
-Liberate Earth
-Put an end to the war.
-Put an end to the Corruption

>Current inventory
-1 KV-09 Combination assault blade/energy pistol. Modified with the Void Knight Shield
-1 Screwdriver
-1 Adjustable wrench
-Various spare parts
-A pouch of gold coins
-Another pouch with 17 "Calling Crystals"
-5/10 light travel rations
-5/10 full oil can
-5/10 bandages
-A skeleton-key

>Current energy stored
-2 Aether tank
-3 Void tanks
-4 Apotropeia tanks
-0 empty tanks
-Support tank-Void (12/12 full)
-Weapon-Empty
-12 EP per tank

>Calling Crystal contacts
-Jodo, chief of Yujun village (Palia)
-Rose, interplanetary drifter (Currently on Braghendire)
-Jax, Hecatun Way Knight (Currently on The Crossroads)
-Parin, Hecatun Way Knight Trainee (Currently on The Crossroads)
-Winnow, Veeka Spirit Singer (Bray)

>Current known techniques
-Blade Wave (cost:5 EP)
-Charge Shot (cost:3 EP)
-Scatter Shot (cost:3 EP)
-Close Lesser wound (cost:1 EP)
-Close Moderate wound (cost:3 EP)
-Repulse (cost:2 EP)
-Repulsor Blast (cost:3 EP
-Reflection Field (cost: 7 EP)
-Jets (cost: 1 EP/5s)

You continue talking to Oz for a while, about various things. The two of you keep your volume down, as to not disturb Savvi in the next room.

It isn’t long before Rose and Thorn crash unceremoniously through the front door. Well, Thorn crashes. You aren’t sure Rose is capable of that level of noise.

“We’re Baaaaaaaaaaaaack!” Thorn shouts, prompting a pointed glare from Oz.

Thorn looks confused for a moment before covering her mouth, embarrassed. “Sorry, I forgot…” She says in her ‘inside voice’. “Woah, someone’s all decked out. Where’d you find all that?” Thorn asks.

“The Crossroads.” You say. “I’ve been busy.”

“I-it looks cool.” Rose mumbles from one of the couches. Odd, you never noticed her moving…

“Thanks. ‘Cool’ is kind of what I was hoping for.” You say, giving her a smile. “Barring that, I would’ve gone for ‘knightly’ or even ‘heroic’. But cool is… well, cool.”

“So, what’ve you guys been up to?” Thorn asks, plopping down on the couch next to Rose.

>[ ] Discussing Skeleton keys.

>[ ] Planning to reclaim Earth.

>[ ] Other.

Rolled 6

>>32268487
>>[ ] Discussing Skeleton keys.

Nice! I was waiting for this for the longest time. Finally caught up from the archives

>>32268487
> reclaim earth.

Viva la resistance!

>>32268487

>[x] Discussing skeleton keys

This thing needs a wiki or a copypasta. I love the universe.

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>>32268996

...or multiverse, as it were.

>>32268487
Skeleton keys

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OP, if I understand correctly there are worlds that are saturated with, or aligned with Aether - most fantasy worlds we've been in - then there are ones made out of the other stuff, what'sitcalled, like Crossroads, and space is made of Void. Are there worlds made out of Void?

I wondered if perhaps Earth is not a Void world, but then wouldn't exposure to Aether made us susceptible to corruption?

>>32269238
Aw, that is such a cute picture.

>writing

>>32269238

>As far as everyone knows, there are no worlds (save for the Crossroads) that aren't Aetherian worlds.

>Earth and the Crossroads are both unique, in their own ways.

>As for the rest, all shall be revealed in due time.

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>>32269371

This is both amusing and frustrating at the same time. Perhaps we could ask how does that 'apotropo something' works next time we talk with someone from crossroads. How old is that knight order anyway? Is its history well documented?

Also how does Vicky feel about shutting down the big one on Earth? She's been nothing but helpful so far, but I'm kind of curious.

“We’ve been going over this.” You say, holding out the glowing femur bone you picked up off the Runeseekers.

The girls go quiet for a second, and you think that maybe whipping out the key wasn’t the best idea.

“W-w… what happened to its bearer?” Rose asks.

You sigh. “Not sure. By the time I caught up with this a bunch of ‘runeseekers’ were using it to travel around opening rifts into the void. From what they said, I doubt the bearer will be wanting this back…” You say.

“What happened to the… Runeseekers?” Thorn asks.

“Dead. I got 3 of them before the last one pulled a kamikaze-“ You look around at the blank stares that term is getting. “-that is to say, he blew himself up.” You add.

“Well, at least we have it now.” Oz says, grabbing the skeleton key from you and examining it. “Though we still have no idea why they wanted them. Our initial guess may have been wrong if they’re using them as glorified transports…”

“They may need all of them to complete whatever they’re doing. No use in centralizing them until they’re ready to use them. The Runeseekers talked too much about ‘perfection’ and ‘the perfect being’ to not be planning something for these.” You say.

“Speaking of seekers…” Thorn says.

Oz flinches. “No I have yet to contact the runecasters…” He says.

You raise an eyebrow at the two of them.

“Originally, they were all in on my… little plan. I fear their opinions may have changed since… Well… My little… mess up.” He says, clearly uncomfortable with this subject.

>[ ] “Continue.”

>[ ] Change the subject.

>[ ] Other.

>>32269863
>Continue
No use in dancing around the problem, we need to address the elephant in the room.

>>32269863
>[ ] “Continue.”

Whad'ya do mon?

>>32269863
Continue
If he zapped EVERYONE off Aklabra... we might be looking at a few separated families... children ending up alone, on foreign worlds... waiting to get chewed on by husks.

>writing

“Continue.” You say, looking at Oz expectantly.

Oz leans back and sighs. “They still haven’t found everyone. At this point I doubt that they ever will.” He says, looking at the ceiling, his eyes unfocused. “They’re still looking, everyone able to use the gates has been searching non-stop for the last 2 days. Some of the less able wound up on more hospitable worlds, the rest… infants, elderly, the sick, the injured. I fear many will not return.”

“So why aren’t you out looking?” You ask.

Oz snorts. “What will I find that another cannot? Moreover, what would I say to them? ‘sorry I plopped you out into the middle of fucking nowhere, it was for your own good I swear!’?” He looks at you. “Oh yes, they’d just be so very forgiving.”

“You give yourself too little credit. Remember what was at stake. As it is there are Aklabrans left, and an Aklabra for them to go home to. Kalki wasn’t bent on spreading happiness and rainbows, he wanted to DESTROY Aklabra and everyone on it.” You say.

The room is silent, it appears as though that side of things hadn’t occurred to them…

“That said you…-“

>[ ] “-… did the right thing.”

>[ ] “-… should’ve found another way.”

>>32270428
Can we write in? If so:

>[ ] "-... did what you could."

>>32270428
Has he even asked the white-haired girl why Kalki went kill crazy? She barged in after hearing opposing arguments, and kills the dudes' brother. This is on her.

>>32270587
this is... a point
Kalki was yelling at us about how the casters betrayed his trust, and murdered someone close to him. it sounds like this suffering is self inflicted

>>32270587
I think she was justified in killing kalki's bro. Replace the magic rock in the bit where she fights him with something like a nuke, and you'd do the same.

I think kalki flew right off the handle. "They killed my brother, so I'm going to BLOW UP THEIR ENTIRE PLANET."

>>32270771

Well yeah, ex post Savvi's actions have been justified.

I'm kinda worried she might have killed Kalki's conscience though.

I'd go with >>32270509

>>32270771
still, they talk about how he betrayed them, but they don't seem to know that it was the other way around. maybe they're relationship was special? point is, logan might want clarification.

>>32270825
i thought that as well, didn't that wind guy say kalki would never do that?

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>>32270873

Bottom line is, both Kalki and Monthei are mass murdering assholes with appetite for global-scale destructions. One with magical gimmicks, the other with a mercury demon.

And neither seems to know or care about the corrupter(s).

>>32270913
That seemes to be more his opinion and less actual fact.

>Kalki would not stoop so low as to destroy an entire world for revenge.

>The first thing he does is try to destroy an entire world for revenge

>so...

>>32270509

>this?
>mention what kalki said as well?

>>32271075
I believe the point was that he wouldn't have done it under normal circumstance.

>>32271182
Seems to be the general idea.

>>32271241
>cool, writing

“-did what you could. If one good thing comes of this, it’s that both the Kalkarri and the Proclamation were on Aklabra as well. I know for a fact that they’re having a hell of a time regrouping, so the war’s been put on hold for a while.” You say.

“Yes, but for how long. The Mausam was still on Aklabra last time I checked, and I don’t look forward to the day when the Kalkarri come to claim it back…” Oz says.

“Well, a temporary lull is better than the continued full-blown war. Leaves us with some room to maneuver before the fanatics can get their pants back up.” You say, again noticing the blank stares, but choosing to ignore them this time. “Speaking of the fanatics, why was Kalki trying to destroy Aklabra anyway?” You ask. You heard Kalki’s side, but he was also pretty mad. You also heard Rose’s end, but she was rather… sparse on the details.

“I asked Savvi to go up to the Mausam and learn as much as she could about the Tattvanae and the Kema. We were supposed to be negotiating with these people, yet no one seemed to know a damn thing about them. While she was up there, she did a little more sneaking than she probably should have, and she overheard a conversation about something dangerous. When she tried to investigate, she was attacked. When she killed her attacker, Kalki took it personally. The rest you know.” Oz says.

“Kalki seemed to think that he’d been betrayed.” You say.

“Of course he’d think that. I’ll admit that Savvi may have acted a bit rash. But the Kalkarri had no business bringing that weapon to our negotiations. If anyone’s trust was betrayed-“ Oz says.

You hold out a hand to silence him. “I get it, it seems like this whole thing was handled pretty badly on all ends…”

The room seems to collectively sigh, a clear sign that everyone is done with this topic…

>[ ] Tell the others about Earth

>[ ] Tell the others about the attack on the Crossroads.

>[ ] Other.

>>32271812
>Crossroads
followed by
>Earth

>>32271989
This

>>32271989
This.

>writing

“Aside from that, whoever is leading the Corruption has been getting bolder. Just yesterday they launched an attack on the Milestone in the Crossroads, and another on me shortly after I found the key.” You say.

“Well, you seem to have come out of it alright. What the hell is the milestone?” Thorn asks, leaning forward and resting her elbows on her knees.

“HQ for the Wayknights.” You say.

“Ohhh. I thought I’d heard the name before. I’m familiar with the Wayknights, though when one comes to Braghendire it’s usually with a report about a feral dragon. I’m sure they could handle those themselves, but the Matron gets moody when outsiders deal with these things.” She says.

“So what are the actual dragons like?” You ask. The only one you’ve seen so far was corrupted and feral. It seems strange to you that tales about dragons exist on your world, and you come out here and find magic space dragons.

“Well, you could probably find out for yourself. Somebody’s got to pitch your little plan to the Matron.” Oz says.

Thorn perks up. “What little plan? You aren’t scheming something, are you?” She asks.

“Scheming? No. I’m hoping to build up a force with which to take back Earth, and hopefully get my own people’s support in this battle.” You say.

“And you want the Dragons for that” Thorn asks.

“There are legends on my world about Dragons. I was hoping that having a few show up would create enough of a scare factor that I could slip in and bust open the AI’s core.” You say, motioning the actions with elaborate hand gestures.

“It’s certainly an interesting plan… But whether or not we go through with it is up to the Matron…” Thorn says.

>[ ] Well, I’d best talk to her then.

>[ ] I don’t suppose you could talk to her…

>[ ] Other.

>>32272700
>Well, I'd best talk to her then.
I wanna SEE this

>>32272700
Lets go talk to a dragon.

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>>32272700
We get to meet the leader of SPACE DRAGONS
>WELP, BETTER TALK TO HER

>writing

Those dragons better be strong as fuck. Our outdated energy pistol was pretty badass and only got more badass with the void knight upgrade.

But they've got warmachines man. Bleeding edge. They've totally got to take out a dragon.

“Well, I guess I should go talk to her then.” You say, hopping up off the couch.

“That’s the spirit.” Oz says.

“What? You can’t just go and see the Matron, it took Oz weeks of asking and petitioning to have an audience with the Matron.” Thorn says.

“Yes, but this is urgent. And I’m the Voidknight, that makes me important enough to warrant an audience, right?” You ask.

Thorn struggles with her words for a moment, before groaning in defeat and putting a hand to her face. “Alright, I’ll see what I can’t do to help you out. But don’t be disappointed if she doesn’t take you in right away.” Thorn says.

Braghendire bound, then. You prompt Vicky for the coordinates, figuring that they would’ve been in Oz’s book. When your sword glows gold, you hold out an arm to Thorn. When she takes it, you look back at the other two.

“You go on ahead, someone needs to stay and keep an eye on Savvi.” Oz says.

“I’ll stay here…“ Rose says.

Odd, you’d thought Rose and Thorn were inseperable…

As you hop off into the Void, your mind races with just what you’ll find on Braghendire. The possibilities of a planet populated by dragons, out of all the things you’ve experienced, just feels… surreal.

You decide to plan your outward reactions while you speed on through the Void. You think it’ll go over well if you…

>[ ] Play it cool.

>[ ] Act humble.

>[ ] Other.

>>32273285
>[ ] Play it cool.
Mister Smooooooooooooooooooth

>>32273285
Play it cool.

And ask why rose didn't come along when we get the chance

>>32273285
Can we try for military courtesy or something?

>>32273285
Play it cool
Though, now that we're alone with Thorn, maybe we can ask her about the Slayer/Dragon relationship. Can't dragons fight other dragons? Were they actually born on the same planet?

>>32273467
Indeed. We really don't know much about our buddies' (Oz, Saavi, Thorn, Rose) cultures, do we?

>writing

When you and Thorn emerge from the rift, you’re met by a scene of endless gray mountains spanning off in all directions.

“Welcome to Braghendire, Logan. Come on, the Matron’s roost is this way.” She says, walking off and motioning for you to follow.

You figure that now would be a good time to learn a bit about this place.

“So… what’s the deal with these dragons? Why do they need you guys?” You ask.

“Oh, I guess you wouldn’t know about that. When a dragon kills another dragon, it goes feral. That includes killing a feral dragon, which meant that there was no way for dragons to properly police their own kind. A ways away from here there’s a huge pit where they used to imprison feral dragons hundreds of years ago.” She says.

“So, did you guys live here?” You ask.

“No one’s really sure where we came from, it’s assumed that we’re a branch of Aklabran since we look so similar. But one day the dragons showed up and recruited a bunch of my people to the force. They gave us the power to kill dragons, and we all swear an oath to only use said power on feral ones.” Thorn says in a matter-of-fact sort of way that seems strangely unsuited to her.

“What can you tell me about the Matron?” You ask.

“Well, aside from being one of the oldest beings in the universe, she’s big. If you do talk to her any time soon, remember to be patient. Dragons are pretty much immortal, so they like to… take their time. If you let her know that your plan will help stop the Corruption, she should be willing to join in. The Corruption’s hit the dragons pretty hard, every day we lose more and more. Not to mention that the Patron’s been missing for a while…” She trails off.

>[1/2]

“Bad news?” You say.

“Only if you count one of the 2 most powerful dragons in the entire universe possibly becoming corrupted as bad news.” She says, sarcasm dripping off of her words.

“Rose seemed reluctant to come along, I always figured you two were inseparable.” You say.

“Not inseparable, just close. She’s had her fair share of run-ins and close-calls with just about everything, so she’s wary about the dragons themselves. Hell, when I first met her she was being chased by a dragon, somewhere around here. Poor girl came here accidentally and was mistaken for an intruder by one of the younger ones. After I warned it off, I put a hand on her shoulder to ask if she was alright. Scared the poor girl so bad that she popped off to another world and took me along for the ride. That was my first time going off to another world, and I decided to stick with her after that.” Thorn says with a loud, almost exaggerated laugh.

You smile slyly and glance sideways at Thorn. “Love at first sight, huh?” You say.

Thorn chokes on her laughter and looks at you with a shocked expression, her calm demeanour returns when you start laughing yourself. “Jeez, don’t joke like that man.” She says.

“So what about you? How was your first encounter with the outside.

>[ ] Make something up.

>[ ] Tell the truth.

>[ ] Other.

>>32274136
>[ ] Tell the truth.

>>32274178
This

>>32274136
>truth

>writing

“Well, for starters the first ‘alien’ I ever met was the Voidknight. Who died pretty much right after. Then when I arrived on the Crossroads, I vomited right in the middle of a crowded town square…”

You regale Thorn with the tale of your terrible ‘first contact’, your brief stay in the Crossroads and finish the story off with your meeting with the Kinno. You figure that one went well, at the very least.

Thorn laughs. “Well, it would be different for you. Most people know about the rest of the universe, it’s hard to believe that there’s a world out there that’s isolated from it all. It’s even stranger the way that fate’s brought you out here.” She says.

“I didn’t think of you as the superstitious type.” You say.

Thorn chuckles. “I’m not a big follower of those ideas. But you have to admit, it was more than just dumb luck that brought you out here.” She says.

With that note the conversation turns to more mundane matters, as the two of you try to out-boast each other about who’s had the better adventures and fights. Thorn’s been in this business longer, but you’re an important person in the grand scheme of things, so the playing fields are fairly level.

You’re telling her about the other day, when you (and Parin) fought off a (small) horde of Corrupted beasts when you round a corner on the beaten pathway through the mountains.

Ahead of you, there is a dragon. It’s pretty big, but it seems to be guarding a gateway behind it…

>[ ] Is that the Matron?

>[ ] Is the Matron through there?

>[ ] OHFUCKDRAGONS

>>32274737
>[ ] Is the Matron through there?

Seems most reasonable.

>>32274737
>OHFUCK (internally)
>Is the Matron through there?

>writing

“So, the Matron is through there right?” You ask, pointing to the gate behind the dragon.

“Good eye. For a second there I thought you were gonna ask if that was the Matron. And yes, kind of. You’ll see. Just give me a second, wait here.” She says, walking over to the Dragon guarding the gate.

Thorn speaks in hushed tones to the Dragon, and you can’t quite hear what the dragon says. In fact, you’re not really sure if it’s talking at all. It doesn’t appear to be moving its mouth, though you do feel a slight buzzing in your ear when it looks like the dragon is ‘talking’.

After a few minutes, Thorn comes back. Her disappointed look tells you everything before she even speaks.

“Doesn’t look like she’s receiving at the moment…” Thorn says.

I got that, but still I-

>[ ] Accept it, ask when she will be.

>[ ] Protest.

>>32275137
>accept
don't wanna insult them. they're kinda big.

>>32275137
Protest.

I'd accept, but we don't really have time to wait for this.

Mention the fact that the longer we have to wait, the further the corruption spreads.

>>32275137
>[ ] Accept it, ask when she will be.
Make it clear time is of the essence though

>writing

Your right eye twitches, and you sigh. “Well, nothing to be done about that. If she doesn’t want to see me, she doesn’t want to see me. But…” You look over at the dragon guarding the gates. “Let her know that time is of the essence if we’re going to beat the Corruption, and that there isn’t a whole lot to spare.”

You then turn and walk back the way you came.

“Huh, you aren’t even gonna-“ Thorn starts, but she’s silence by a low grumble. The ground shakes with what feels like an earthquake, and you feel that strange ringing in your ears.

>What do you know of the Corruption?

“The fuck?” You say. Is it… is it speaking into your head? The grumbling and shaking returns, and the ringing repeats itself.

>What do you know of the Corruption?

>[ ] More than most.

>[ ] The Matron, I presume?

>>32275642
>More than most
I know that my species can rip it a new one

>>32275716
>This
Help put a dent in it, at least.
>HUMANITY, FUCK YEAH

>writing

>got one, maybe 2 more posts left in me tonight.

“More than most.” You say to the strange voice. “I’ve sunk my blade into enough of them to know that they can be beat.”

>What are you?

“I am Logan Drey, the Void Knight.” You say.

>Not who, what.

“What? I’m Human.” You say.

>Where do you come from?

“Earth, but you’ve-“

>Not heard of that world. I was unaware that life could exist without Aether, and yet here you are.

The rumbling gets louder, and the ground shakes violently. It’s starting to get hard to keep your footing. “If it makes you feel any better, the ‘non-aetherian life’ was unaware of you too.” You shout over the rumbling.

>Well met, Logan Drey. You are the seventh Void Knight that I have borne witness to in all these aeons, though the other six were all Hecatun. And I have never known a Void Knight to die before their duty has been completed. The times have become dire indeed.

You look around frantically, the voice, the rumbling, where is it all coming from?

>Look above.

The words appear in your eye as a shadow covers you. You were looking around, you hadn’t thought to look above.

Towering over the mountains, you see a titanic dragon peering down at you.

>You seek my aid. To liberate your home world that has been lost to you.

“How did y-“

>Your mind is an enigma. I cannot sense it, like it isn’t there at all. But your purpose shines through. I believe there are many things which we might aid each other with. The Dragons have never turned away a Void Knight before, and we will not now.

“But you were just about to-“

>I mistook you. Never has the shield chosen one such as you.

The titanic dragon settles upon the mountain, its head coming to rest just behind the gate.

>Sit, we have much to discuss. I wish to know how you came to be Void Knight, as well as what is happening at the Origin.

“The Origin?” You ask.

>My mistake, I believe the young ones call it ‘the Milestone’ now.


>End of Chapter 26

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>That will be all for tonight.

>Sorry about the little hiatus, things have been hectic at work and I haven't had the energy to run for a while. Hopefully things will slow down soon and I can get back into a regular running schedule.

>As always, CWK and I will be sticking around to answer questions for those who've got 'em.

>>32276346
How good are the Terran warmachines? Will they give the dragons a fight to remember?

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>>32276540
>One has to wonder what the AI will think of space dragons...

>You aren't entirely sure what the dragons are capable of. The slash wave you fired off at the corrupted one seemed to damage it, but you don't know how the KV's power now compares to its power pre-shield.

>That said, the Earth's military forces had a hell of a lot of firepower the last time you saw them. But you don't know whether the AI has started to scrap military stuff or escalate it.

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>>32276307

[exposition intensifies]

Gud thred, OPs. Keep them coming!

>>32277791
>Much obliged, always happy to deliver! In any case, sleep calls to both of us. See you all next time!