I know what happened. Are you happy with yourselves? Doing things when you don't even know what you're doing, or why. Look what you did... there were people suffering, children crying. Do you know how much pain you caused? It isn't right. It isn't fair.

What gives you the right? You take other people's lives in your hands! Take their choices from them. Deciding whether we should live or die for us. Do you think that we want to die? I don't. While there's life, there still hope. We should keep on living, no matter what. We should always keep--

[After this brief speech, Kariya slumps, breathing heavily. His good eye widens, and the swollen veins in his face seem to pulse for a moment. The effort of speaking has obviously taken a lot out of him. The physical and mental shock of the worms returning has taken its toll on him. He looks as if he's having trouble standing upright at the terminal. A spasm of pain crosses his face. When he speaks again, his voice is weaker.]

I need a healer--is there someone who can help?

Hey.

[Lancer takes a deep breath before speaking.]

So I'm gonna be throwing my brother a birthday party. Who wants to come? And do any of you know what people do for birthday parties in this day and age?

[A pause.]

Oh yeah, Archer, stay away from the party if you know what's good for you.

[Lancer looks outright haggard as he appears on the feed. However, he at least has his normal form back.]

Master. Brother. I'm okay now.

[And then he shuts off the feet.]

[ Cecil rarely ever looks happy when she uses the network, but this afternoon, she looks especially worn down— exhausted and perhaps a bit sickly to those who are familiar with her natural, particularly fair complexion. It's true, she's been through a lot lately, but up until today, she's still managed to maintain her composure throughout the majority of her hardships in the Tower. Not so, now.

Ah, but she's not using the dormitory third floor terminal to speak of what's bothering her. As per usual, her purpose is to offer assistance. ]

Good afternoon, everyone. As Hei and Ishtar have already announced, a group of us are teaching residents various skills and passing on education regarding a vast array of topics. I am introducing armed combat.

For those of you I am unacquainted with, my name is Cecil Harvey. On my home world, I was the captain of my country's esteemed military force, the Red Wings, an airship fleet. I am also a knight. I am proficient with most variants of swords, axes, knives, as well as archery. I am asking for fellow weapons experts to demonstrate their abilities for the classes.

However, there are a few weapons I have no great knowledge of or skill with, such as firearms, hammers, and spears, to name a few. While I can still teach the basic fundamentals of armed combat, I admit that I am no expert in them, so I am also asking for warriors who would like to take a more active role in the classes, so that my students are able to have the best training available to them.

If you are interested in anything regarding my training, please inform me. My mailbox is #0063 and my dormitory room is 3-01. Thank you and be well.

[ She offers a half-hearted smile and the feed shuts off. ]

[The face on the camera is tired, the look in Diarmuid's eyes making it clear that the source of his weariness isn't physical, but mental and emotional as it so often has been since he arrived here.]

Has anyone see my brother?  Ah...you probaly know him better as Lancer.  I know he is still in the tower because his belongings are here and his name is still on the door, but I cannot find him anywhere and I have looked.  Those who know my skills know quickly I can do that.

I am worried because I just remembered something he said to Jason a while back.  He said he would volunteer for his next experiement and since this is Jason's month in charge and so many others have gone missing, I fear for what that means for him.

If anyone has seen him in the last few days, will you please let me know?

[Diarmuid pauses a moment, suddenly looking a lot more uneasy.]

Also, I want to apologize to all the people who were affected by my curse about week ago or got caught up in everything that was going on.  For those who don't know, I carry a curse that forces the women who see my face to fall in love with me.  It has been mostly inactive in this place but for some reason during the end of March and the beginning of April it flared back to life affecting both men and women.  Unfortunately, I have never been able to tell when it is active and when it is not so far too many people were affected before I knew what was going on.

I...do not know why this happened.  It has gone inactive again and I think by this time all those affected should have had the effects wear off.  If not, take the knowledge that your strange feelings are caused by something outside of you and focus on that...

[Suddenly, he turns away from the screen as if someone has tugged on his arm, which they have.  When he speaks his voice is quieter and directed at whoever is standing just off camera.]

Tony, just a moment, okay?  I will play with you then.

[Diarmuid turns back to the camera, quiet for a moment as if he is collecting his thoughts and then continues where he left off.]

Focusing on the fact that your feelings are not your own will help you overcome the effects sooner.  It is not something that worked that well during my first life, but there is a very strong pattern of it working here...

[There is a sudden scuffling behind Diarmuid and he is yanked away from the camera.  The scuffling continues as his voice drifts back toward the terminal.]

Tony!  Tony wait!  I'm not done...

Gah!  Does anyone know how to stop an alien abduction?



==============================

(OOC: Diarmuid's responses will come a few hours later when he has given Tony the attention that the little gray alien seems to want so badly.)

 [Hei's up, though if you look closer, you can tell he is very tired. The one thing that might let people know he is more awake is the little mogwai poking at his face, and the eye-twitching he was having.]

My apologies for being absent. [Not that it was his choice.] At any rate, I have been told a few things, but if there is anything I missed, I would appreciate being informed.

I am still recruiting teachers for the school system now in place thanks to Ishtar. For those that missed her network post, I am recruiting various people to put together a bunch of teachers to teach others within the tower. Currently, there is a listing here, and there is not set limit so far on the number of teachers for the subject, as new teachers can offer new input or new ways to educate the subject matter. Students are free to attend as well, and all those interested should meet at the library.

Currently, Cecil and I are teaching combat in place of Reno, for those that are unaware of his...absence. Cecil specializes in weapon's training, while I shall stick with hand-to-hand combat. Just a fair warning: during my training--[He finally growls a bit and sets Mao down onto the floor before looking back at the camera seriously.] I don't hold back during those sessions, at least not by much. Fair warning.

That is all.

[The feed cuts just as you can hear the whine of the Mogwai, and see Hei about to pick him back up.]

[Gilbert is at the terminal again, a nutrition bar in his hand. A stack of them can be seen in front of him. He begins to practically shout into the screen, gesticulating angrily.]

Hey, everybody! Gilbert here, and I am PISSED! We've got these stupid bars again! And the restaurant is CLOSED! Definitely, surely, one-hundred-per-cent CLOSED! I checked around the area, in the area, around the area some more, and NOTHING! Maybe we should FORCE the restaurant open somehow! Like, I don't know, we could get in there somehow and maybe raid their ingredients... they've got to still have ingredients.

[An incredibly huffy sigh.] I have to eat bunches of these things before I feel full... [He reluctantly takes a giant bite out of the nutrition bar in his hand.] I've had a nutrition bar month before, but I'd still like to ask you guys: how do YOU survive the Nutrition Bar Lifestyle?

[Ryoji switches the feed on with a small smile. He has cheered up significantly after talking to a few people and making a few friends (or at least, people he thinks are friends). He still is nervous about what he has to say, but he tries not to let that show.]

Hi everyone. It's a little late, so I don't know if anyone is still around, but I couldn't wait any longer. So many things have happened lately... which is probably why I haven't had a chance to talk to you all, but...

[He swallows, then takes on a more serious tone. He's determined to help people, though he doesn't know that he's actually doing more harm than good.]

I was in a group of people who went down the elevator again earlier this month. We were looking for a control room and an exit from the tower. It was dangerous, and... most of us didn't make it out alive.

[He feels guilty, not because he was killed, but because others on that team did. He finds a lot of them strange and he isn't sure whether he can trust everyone, but he still blames himself for not being a better leader.

He shakes his head and continues on.]

The point is, I have information. If anyone wants to know anything, just ask.

[He doesn't have any idea that he received this information through working with a group led by the one man who likely caused the most trouble in the tower this month. He may need a bit of enlightening about that.]

[Genesis Rhapsodos stares into the monitor for a few good minutes, clearly thinking of what to say as she takes all that she saw and did and learned so far today. It was really all mind boggling and utterly depressing. Finally, she sighed softly, her mako blue eyes lowering as she murmured to herself.]

Dreams of the morrow hath the shattered soul
Pride is lost
Wings stripped away, the end is nigh...

[She sighed again and lifted her eyes.]

My name is Genesis Rhapsodos and it looks as though I am to be joining you here. I've already eaten the oatmeal, as I was told to do. But now I wonder what to do now.

Can anyone tell me or will I be doomed to spend the rest of my days here?

Is there hope?

[ There are so many elements about what's happened in the last several days that are so disturbing, that Cecil feels a lot like someone threw her onto a moving locomotive and expected her to stay on her feet. She feels dizzy, helpless, trapped, and with every new discovery about this place, she loses a little more of her hope. The last couple kernels of information she garnered from the network are such that for what seems like a long time, all she can do is sit at the terminal and struggle with making any noise at all.

"Just like the worlds of the disembodied souls you siphon into recycled bodies over and over, this one will also meet its end!" ]

Our worlds are truly gone, then. We die here... and they... recycle our bodies? How...

[ It hardly seems worth it to ask, but she feels she understands this less and less as time goes on. She places her hands over her mouth and looks away for a moment before going on. ]

What did those of you who went inside the elevator see exactly? What... Who is Nyarlathotep?

[ She's still sort of new. She's briefly met... er, about two or three people. ]

I've made this offer to another already, but I wish to be more public about it. I have some experience in healing magic and I would like to help if I possibly can. My name is Cecil Harvey and I'm in room 3-01. Please contact me if you require aid.

[Feferi's gray skin looks pale as she steps forward, and it's clear that she's shaking. But she takes a deep breath, because this is too important not to tell everyone.]

My name is Feferi Peixes. Anyone who knows me knows I'm infamous for fish puns, but I'm going to hold off on them here, just so the message is as clear as possible. I don't want it to get twisted by a bad turn of phrase.


The message you all saw about the soul thing...it's true. I know, because...

[She takes another deep breath, swallowing hard.]

I went down the elevator, with some others, when we saw it open. We had to take the chance. We needed to know what was down there.

When the group I was with saw a soul being extracted from a dead person, we couldn't believe what we were seeing. More than anything, we knew what a precious thing that was. We didn't want it to be harmed, and so we followed where the retrieval unit was taking it.

...we didn't expect that it would be carrying the soul straight to Jason. We confronted him, we refused to give up the presence of the other groups that were in the administrators' area, and he punished us by forcing us to go through the soul extraction and re-implantation processes while we were still conscious.

Before I go on any further, I have to stress this point: DO NOT TAKE THIS AS AN INVITATION TO CONFRONT JASON. He will not hesitate to put you through that process, and no one should ever have to experience a thing like that. I don't want anyone to consider this as an invitation to take some kind of vengeance. That path only leads to pain.

I didn't think that he was actually capable of anything close to mercy until I went through that. Everyone in this tower has been through it while unconscious, and that is truly a mercy. When it happens, your body is taken downstairs and placed into a sphere. That sphere fills with a violet liquid, and then it begins to contract.

[Tears start to run down her cheeks as she remembers, and her voice cracks.]

It quite literally squeezes your soul out of your body, and that is like no physical pain in this or any other universe. I don't think there is a single word that is capable of describing it. Agony isn't strong enough, because the pain keeps going while you feel your body stop working.

And even when you are only that shining light, the pain doesn't fade immediately. It takes time.

Then, you're surgically put into - into a...a new body. I...

[She can't keep talking. She breaks down sobbing, and then the feed cuts.]

The network comes on painfully--the terminals crackle with energy like there was some sort of wild power surge going through the Tower. Every terminal turns on at once. The display is broken at first, but slowly it stabilizes, the display just behind Zo's shoulder. White-hot energy pulses from him--it looks like he’s forced the display on somehow. Monitors flicker in and out of view in the room; it seems to be some sort of control center composed of floating screens and input devices. The room is large, making it hard to see the ends from the display, but aside from Zo there are two others in the room.

Riki looks a bit worse for wear and, as opposed to his usual stoic demeanor, has an expression approaching furious. Most of Zo's energy seems concentrated around him like a barrier, and the monitors whirl around behind RIki now, following some sort of unspoken command. The world shifts abruptly, providing a different angle on the confusing situation.

The laughter that echoes around the chamber is deep, dark and somehow primordial. There’s another figure looking exactly like Riki, but the features are twisted, the indifferent disposition morphed into a terrible smirk. From his hand a wave of dark energy smashes into the room, sending whatever was still standing flying over.

"Come now! Is this the best defense system this place has to offer to one of its grand administrators? Cowering behind a child? Well, I do suppose considering everything about this world, it should not be the least bit surprising."

He took another step.

"So tell me, how did your little ants enjoy their trip into the central throne?"

The various scattered objects freeze in place as Riki draws in his screens; the screens seem to be made of the air itself, or something similar, and he alters and pulls at them as easily as if they were tied to him by a thousand strings. "Not your business," he growls. Another swipe of his screens and the objects morph, shifting into swords that fly at the false Riki. "Stop wearing my face."

Zo shrinks back against the wall. His barriers don’t fall, but he obviously doesn't enjoy the violence taking place.

"Not my business? I am darkness that makes up the Collective Unconsciousness! My primary sources of power, the three poisons that make up life, Anger, Ignorance and Vengeance are ripe in this world!"

Nyarlathotep raises his other hand and catches the swords, looking almost bored.

"Humans are strange...I came here because of the despair that fills every orifice of this tower...the desire for all of you to put an end to this, and now you would try to whisk me away?"

The swords melt into a puddle of metal on the floor, and suddenly he is besides Zo, trying to violently push him away.

Zo shrieks, clearly terrified, but his barriers cover him as they cover Riki, and they crackle with raw energy in their owner’s defense. Riki alters something on his screens and the metal rises up, forming itself into some sort of great mercurial beast that lunges at Nyarlathotep. "Leave the kid out've it, you attacked me first."

"Hahaha! What’s this? Feeling sentimental about another?" Nyarlathotep had barely even flinched from touching the other. "But is not your personal interest simply tied to the tower itself? I suppose even a monkey will brand its tools when backed in a corner..."

At his turn, the giant creature is lit aflame, crying out as the fire causes the skin to bubble, crack and expand. Soon it has enlarged into strands of burned mercury before a slap from the other Riki makes it fall into dust.

"Ha ha ha! Do you not know where the term, 'mad as a hatter' comes from? I've given humanity much fun with that element!"

At his turn, he summons forth a demon, as it moves forward, casting a spell in an attempt to poison both of the tower residents.

Zo flinches at the monster, but steps forward nonetheless--or rather leaps in a burst of childish energy. "Stop--stop it! Stop it!"

The screen turns white and crackles--it’s barely possible to make out the figures, let alone what’s going on, but whatever Zo's done tears the demon into six or seven pieces. Then the light gets brighter--there’s a different sort of crackle. It sounds like the monitor itself is breaking, because it is. The screen warps and fills with static before the video cuts out completely.

They can hear the battle still going on, however, Nyarlathotep speaking for one final time.

"Hmph! Regardless of how much you struggle, the end will be the same! Just like the worlds of the disembodied souls you siphon into recycled bodies over and over, this one will also meet its end! Now the question is, how much are you willing to risk?"

Another explosion cracks apart what sound remains. The feed cuts out.