Tarane & Faerzen discuss recent events

[17:57] <frozenFire> Hi.
[17:57] <frozenFire> I'd like some answers please
[17:57] <@visceralVanguard> Yes, Tarane, I dare say it is time for some answers.
[17:57] <@visceralVanguard> I wish I could say that the whole debacle Lyra and I were embroiled in was over, but that seems like it is unlikely to ever be the case.
[17:57] <@visceralVanguard> However, I am no longer frantically running myself ragged trying to save everyone's souls so I would love to talk to you, and I think it is high time I did just that.
[17:58] <@visceralVanguard> You've been waiting long enough, and I believe I have dealt with the threat enough that there is no harm in filling you in now. Would you prefer I simply start at the beginning?
[18:23] <frozenFire> That would be great
[18:23] <@visceralVanguard> Okay. I caution you that it may take a while, but it is probably something that would be good to know, otherwise the recent events will be nearly nonsense without context.
[18:23] <@visceralVanguard> Not that the recent events weren't nonsense, even with context.
[18:24] <frozenFire> Un huh
[18:24] <frozenFire> I have time.
[18:25] <@visceralVanguard> It all goes back to nearly the first or second day we were in this game, far before you were even connected to me in the game. Back then, we had a different group of 10 players.
[18:25] <@visceralVanguard> Nick was exploring his land, and he found a dungeon with the promise of loot.
[18:26] <@visceralVanguard> Through some quite........ unpleasant and scarring trials, he managed to make it to the end, but not without quite a bit of bloodshed.
[18:27] <@visceralVanguard> I would rather not get into the specifics of what he found there without his permission unless he has already told you himself.
[18:27] <@visceralVanguard> Needless to say, it was excessively violent and rather traumatic.
[18:27] <frozenFire> Was this the one where he killed an alternate version of you?
[18:28] <@visceralVanguard> Ah.
[18:28] <@visceralVanguard> I see he has told you about this then.
[18:28] <frozenFire> That's all I know
[18:29] <frozenFire> And even then that was a guess
[18:29] <@visceralVanguard> I am still unclear on the mechanics of how they work, but it appears as though depending on what events take place and what decisions are made, alternate timelines are possible.
[18:29] <@visceralVanguard> Somehow, something diverged from the sequence of events that we know, and that let to a very different outcome of the game.
[18:30] <@visceralVanguard> At the start of our game session, Nick was already very depressive, angry, and quite mentally unstable.
[18:30] <frozenFire> It's a major theory in my time. SABATH just proved it I guess
[18:30] <@visceralVanguard> In this particular alternate timeline, the different sequence of events only worsened that.
[18:30] <@visceralVanguard> Some similar things occurred to this timeline, and eventually you and Lyra and Alex arrived to replace some of our players, but Nick had gone quite far off the deep end mentally.
[18:31] <@visceralVanguard> Eventually things deteriorated so much that little was left of him other than a raving maniac with a insatiable desire for blood and a powerful mask to help him achieve that.
[18:32] <@visceralVanguard> He ended up killing nearly everyone.
[18:33] <frozenFire> That.
[18:33] <frozenFire> Sounds terrible
[18:33] <@visceralVanguard> Yes, it quite does.
[18:33] <@visceralVanguard> It appears as though he also somehow acquired a method of traveling in time, as well as between timelines.
[18:33] <frozenFire> It's only an alternate timeline rright? What does that have to do with ours?
[18:33] <frozenFire> Oh
[18:34] <frozenFire> Should I be fearing for my life right now?
[18:34] <@visceralVanguard> Somehow the Byron and me from that timeline were transported into that dungeon.
[18:34] <@visceralVanguard> I will get there.
[18:34] <frozenFire> Sorry. Continue.
[18:34] <@visceralVanguard> The short answer to that is I do not know, but I have a way of finding out.
[18:35] <@visceralVanguard> Nick had tortured Byron into an emotional mess.
[18:35] <@visceralVanguard> The alternate Nick, I mean.
[18:36] <@visceralVanguard> The me from that timeline was the female one, and well..... Nick also put her through quite the ordeal.
[18:36] <@visceralVanguard> In order to reach the end of the dungeon, both of them had to die. So they did.
[18:37] <@visceralVanguard> Nick, who was already mentally unstable and depressed, now was responsible for the deaths of alternate versions of the only two people left alive that he knew, and he knew that he could eventually become the monster that caused all of that pain and destruction.
[18:37] <@visceralVanguard> I do not wish to delve into the details again without Nick's permission as the next portion is quite personal.
[18:38] <@visceralVanguard> Long story short, Nick acquired power--including his wings--from the mask, and the two of us worked to make him a more stable person.
[18:39] <@visceralVanguard> Nick always suspected that something was peculiar about the mask, and I was terrified of it because of what it had allowed Nick to do in the alternate timeline.
[18:39] <@visceralVanguard> As it turns out, the mask is inhabited by a powerful entity known as Abyss.
[18:39] <frozenFire> And so you manipulated him so he wasn't as dangerous
[18:39] <@visceralVanguard> <no response>
[18:41] <@visceralVanguard> He..... talked with you about that then?
[18:41] <frozenFire> If By Talked you mean Emotionally Exploded, yes
[18:42] <@visceralVanguard> Oh god.
[18:42] <@visceralVanguard> I'm so so sorry.
[18:42] <@visceralVanguard> This is all my fault.
[18:42] <@visceralVanguard> You know what? I was going to tell you why I did what I did, but that would only come across as more fucking excuses.
[18:43] <frozenFire> No
[18:43] <frozenFire> I want to know your side
[18:43] <@visceralVanguard> What?
[18:43] <@visceralVanguard> I think you heard everything there is to hear from Nick.
[18:43] <frozenFire> Even if I'm angry I want to Know why else and what Else you did
[18:43] <@visceralVanguard> <no response>
[18:43] <frozenFire> I've only gotten snippets from him
[18:43] <@visceralVanguard> .....okay.
[18:44] <@visceralVanguard> This is really quite personal between me and Nick, but if he opened up to you about it already, then I have no issue with providing more details.
[18:44] <@visceralVanguard> It all started as I said.
[18:45] <@visceralVanguard> Nick had found the mask, and experienced firsthand both what he and his alternate self were capable of.
[18:48] <@visceralVanguard> He went into a depressive spiral, turning inwards more and becoming more and more dark.
[22:30] <frozenFire> And then you Intervened?
[22:33] <@visceralVanguard> I know that I told myself that it was for his own benefit, that I was protecting everyone, but looking back I think I was more motivated by fear. I met a different alternate me and we talked before she died from blood loss to her grievous injuries. She told me everything that had happened to her in her different alternate timeline and how much Nick
[22:33] <@visceralVanguard>  needed to be stopped.
[22:34] <@visceralVanguard> The mass murder, the pure rage, the manic destruction, I could see the beginnings of it all in our Nick.
[22:35] <@visceralVanguard> In the alternate timeline that Nick met myself and Byron from, he singlehandedly brought down the entire session in an enormous blood bath. He tortured many people, horrifically murdered others, and he raped me, leaving the entire session to rot in bloody ruins.
[22:35] <@visceralVanguard> I was terrified.
[22:35] <@visceralVanguard> Our Nick was terrified.
[22:35] <@visceralVanguard> Byron was terrified.
[22:36] <@visceralVanguard> At this point, Byron, Nick, and I were the only people each other had met, and well, you know how Byron is.
[22:36] <@visceralVanguard> He repeatedly antagonized Nick, insulted him, ridiculed his depression, and belittled his emotions.
[22:36] <@visceralVanguard> The two of them almost killed each other at one point.
[22:37] <@visceralVanguard> Nick was starting to become a loose cannon, equally likely to become enraged and furious or to instead descend into a moody depressive swing
[22:38] <@visceralVanguard> I wanted to avoid everything I knew could or would happen, and I was the only person who could be a stabilizing force in Nick's life.
[22:38] <@visceralVanguard> Byron and I were the only two people Nick knew were still alive, and he knew that he had killed both of us in a parallel world. Byron was clearly only helping contribute to making that alternative a reality, so I intervened.
[22:39] <@visceralVanguard> I had no intention of becoming romantically involved with Nick, I simply wanted to be a person in his life that could anchor him to reality and help him work through the emotional obstacles he had been buried in so that we all didn't die.
[22:40] <@visceralVanguard> However, it wasn't long that I could tell quite obviously that Nick was developing feelings for me.
[22:40] <frozenFire> Isn't That... Setting Yourself Up for it? You Were really Just asking for it
[22:41] <@visceralVanguard> What else was I supposed to do? Let Byron continue to destroy the last shreds of sanity Nick had? I tried talking to Byron to get him to back down, but I only got a load of laughter and expletives in my face.
[22:41] <@visceralVanguard> I'm not even homosexual!
[22:42] <frozenFire> Your relationship Says otherwise...
[22:43] <@visceralVanguard> I tried to make it clear to Nick that I wasn't interested by playing down our interactions and not reciprocating his romantic solicitations. However, upon hearing that I didn't return his romantic feelings, he spiraled down a cycle of self-deprecation, embarrassment, and anger.
[22:44] <@visceralVanguard> All of the progress we had made, immediately out the window. So I acquiesced.
[22:44] <@visceralVanguard> I never told him I was romantically interested in him. I never told him "I love you" or anything similar.
[22:45] <@visceralVanguard> I never lied, but I let him believe that a relationship with him was something that I wanted.
[22:46] <@visceralVanguard> I didn't expect it to end up amounting to much, but obviously I was horribly wrong with that prediction.
[22:46] <@visceralVanguard> After spending so much time with Nick, I began to see the young man hidden behind the mask of depression, anger, and instability.
[22:46] <@visceralVanguard> He gradually became a much more stable, much happier, and much more well-rounded person.
[22:47] <@visceralVanguard> I began to see much more plainly that once he got past the issues he was having, he is incredibly passionate, caring, creative, and kind.
[22:49] <@visceralVanguard> Particularly as I found out my dream self has the opposite gender as my normal self (I still have no idea why), the social constructs of sexual orientation from a world long gone because particularly fuzzy. I eventually decided I didn't care about "homosexuality", particularly because my own gender is so ill-defined now.
[22:50] <@visceralVanguard> As I spent more and more time with Nick, I began to develop genuine feelings for him, and that made me feel even worse than I already did for essentially manipulating him into growing into a more stable and developed individual.
[22:51] <@visceralVanguard> I know there is no excuse for what I did, and I don't want to keep living with our relationship constantly in this sort of awkward state, with my inner machinations hidden from Nick.
[22:52] <@visceralVanguard> This doesn't make what I did morally right, but I did what I felt I had to do.
[22:52] <@visceralVanguard> And now I feel terrible.
[22:53] <@visceralVanguard> I do not think there is anything I could ever to do truly repair the damage I've done.
[22:55] <@visceralVanguard> Even then though, some twisted part of me thinks that this romantically burned Nick is still better off than a psychotic enraged Nick on a murder spree.
[22:57] <@visceralVanguard> I absolutely love spending time with Nick, but isn't wanting to stay together despite this simply even more selfish? If I really have such a poisonous effect on people I am close to, is staying with Nick only going to cause more damage? Give me more opportunities to hurt him?
[22:58] <@visceralVanguard> I made all of these decisions in the name of "the greater good", but look what those decisions entailed me doing and where it has led me. Can I really say that they were for the so-called greater good and not just me disguising my own selfish desires to kid myself?
[22:59] <@visceralVanguard> How can I trust any of my own judgments if this was one of them and it was one I thought would be beneficial and worth it?
[23:00] <@visceralVanguard> It is a very complicated problem in an already very complicated relationship that I intend to talk with Nick about at great length as soon as he wakes up from his nap.
[23:00] <@visceralVanguard> I'm.... sorry.
[23:01] <@visceralVanguard> I just realized I basically dumped a great deal of my personal baggage on you there that you have no responsibility to bother with.
[23:01] <@visceralVanguard> However, you asked what the problem was, so I told you everything.
[23:02] <@visceralVanguard> After all of this, I think you deserve to know. To know the kind of person you are dealing with when you deal with me, and how that person isn't very pretty inside despite how much he attempts to keep up appearances.
[23:18] <@visceralVanguard> I know not if you wanted or expected me to spill all of this out at such great lengths, but regardless, I suppose there is my side of this story.
[23:41] <frozenFire> Ah
[23:41] <frozenFire> Sorry for taking so long to respond, Just needed to sort everything out
[23:43] <frozenFire> So let me see if I have this right
[23:46] <frozenFire> Nick became depressed over what he saw in an alternate timeline, which was not helped By Byron. You were there for him to stabilise himself, albiet out of fear, but wasn't expecting any romantic interest. When the romance did become Mutual, you revealed To Nick that You had no romantic interest at first but do now. And that leads To the current situation
[23:46] <frozenFire> Am I getting This right?
[23:47] <@visceralVanguard> That sounds correct to me.
[23:48] <frozenFire> So you and Nick Just need to get together and Talk about it properly
[23:49] <@visceralVanguard> Yes. I do not know what the outcome of the conversation will be, but the two of us talking is something that needs to happen as soon as possible.
[23:49] <@visceralVanguard> I would have done it sooner, were it not for this whole debacle with Lyra that I had no way of getting out of.
[23:49] <frozenFire> Right. Glad That's out of the way.
[23:49] <frozenFire> What's the deal with Lyra and The Mask?
[23:50] <@visceralVanguard> However, now that that is resolved for the time being, I do not wish to hold off any longer. If Nick exploded all of this on you, then he clearly is not doing well, despite the fact that he tole me he was okay.
[23:50] <@visceralVanguard> Oh yes, we were talking about the mask.
[23:50] <frozenFire> Wait for him to Wake up first. He needs it.
[23:52] <@visceralVanguard> Yes, I will not wake him up. As much as dreaming on Prospit is nowhere near as restful as normal sleep, it is still better than nothing and I do not wish to intrude on that.
[23:52] <@visceralVanguard> So this mask.
[23:52] <@visceralVanguard> It turns out that this mask is inhabited by a powerful entity known as Abyss.
[23:53] <@visceralVanguard> Nick and I were unaware of this until recently, though I always suspected it was inhabited by something due to how it interacted with Nick.
[23:54] <@visceralVanguard> As Nick wore the mask, this entity lent Nick some of its power, which manifested itself in a variety of ways, including the wings that he now has.
[23:54] <@visceralVanguard> As I am sure you are aware, Lyra has been imprisoned on Derse.
[23:55] <frozenFire> Yes
[23:55] <@visceralVanguard> She heard from Nick that this mask can give you powers, albeit often horrific or violent, and she desperately wanted these powers to carry out her "plans" on Derse.
[23:56] <@visceralVanguard> She foolishly thought that this would be easy to obtain and cared not about the consequences, and Nick foolishly lent his powerful mask to a near complete stranger.
[23:57] <@visceralVanguard> Abyss reached out to Lyra, and the two of them made a contractual agreement with incredibly ambiguous terms.
[23:57] <@visceralVanguard> Lyra essentially said "help me on Derse and in exchange I owe you some undefined debt in return"
[23:58] <@visceralVanguard> I still know not why she ever thought that would be a good idea, leaving your debt so open-ended like that, particularly when dealing with such a powerful entity.
[23:58] <frozenFire> I Thought You're not supposed to Offer Mysterious Entities a Debt...
[23:59] <@visceralVanguard> Indeed.
[23:59] <frozenFire> What Was ShE ThinkinG?!
[23:59] <@visceralVanguard> I would not pin the blame for most of the ensuing events on Nick. Instead, Lyra is almost entirely to blame for this.
[00:00] <@visceralVanguard> I admire her drive, but she really acts quite rashly sometimes.
[00:01] <@visceralVanguard> Obviously, this did not end up working out the way she had envisioned.
[00:01] <@visceralVanguard> In frustration after being unsuccessful in escaping Derse, she hunted down Nick and stole the mask from him while he was sleeping.
[00:01] <frozenFire> If it did there wouldn't be A story to tell would there
[00:01] <frozenFire> Urgh typing with one hand Sucks
[00:02] <@visceralVanguard> Are you injured that badly?
[00:02] <@visceralVanguard> That is quite unfortunate, I am sorry.
[00:03] <frozenFire> I'll live. Probably
[00:03] <frozenFire> Anyway continue
[00:05] <@visceralVanguard> Abyss essentially laughed at Lyra's distress and the fact that she thought she could so easily weasel her way out of a contractual agreement.
[00:06] <@visceralVanguard> Lyra was furious, and spouted random legal terms and threatened to sue Abyss
[00:07] <@visceralVanguard> Abyss then produced a formal legal contract that Lyra had apparently signed using magical measures, in addition to her own blood.
[00:08] <frozenFire> ...
[00:08] <@visceralVanguard> The document essentially dictated the terms of an agreement where Lyra would receive power from Abyss in exchange for Abyss consuming her soul when she died (or at the completion of our game) and the souls of everyone she killed in a 30 minute time period each day where Abyss was given full control of Lyra's body.
[00:10] <@visceralVanguard> This seemed to be precisely the "yet-to-be-determined debt" from earlier.
[00:11] <@visceralVanguard> Obviously the consumption of her soul by a powerful entity was not what Lyra had in mind for repayment.
[00:11] <frozenFire> I'd be worried if it was
[00:12] <@visceralVanguard> Regardless of what she had in mind, this is what Abyss had decided.
[00:14] <@visceralVanguard> Lyra was outraged and she continued to threaten legal action.
[00:14] <@visceralVanguard> She wanted to dispute the contract and the agreement she had made with Abyss until a very dubiously founded collection of arguments that she whipped up out of anger in hardly any time at all.
[00:15] <@visceralVanguard> As such, they were very poorly constructed, and Abyss promptly ignored them.
[00:16] <@visceralVanguard> The two of them proceeded to acquire a sentient book in my possession while I was sleeping to use as a sort of judge in their dispute, and Lyra simply spouted a sizeable list of complaints.
[00:17] <@visceralVanguard> Simply yelling and complaining was clearly getting her nowhere, and she almost got her entire case thrown out, leaving us with almost no hope of disputing this contract.
[00:17] <frozenFire> I'm not sure if I'm Supposed to be scared, laugh, or facepalm at this
[00:18] <frozenFire> Especially since I Know Lyra doesn't know much about Law... If Anything
[00:18] <@visceralVanguard> Because I knew of this vague preliminary agreement Lyra and Abyss, and because of my skills in working with logic and facts, I was teleported against my will directly from Prospit to the site of their dispute to serve as Lyra's lawyer.
[00:19] <@visceralVanguard> According to Abyss and my sentient book, I was "the most qualified candidate" to legally represent Lyra, and was thus promptly summoned since Lyra was easily digging herself into a whole she had no hope of getting out of herself.
[00:20] <@visceralVanguard> This is why I refrained from telling you and anyone else any details about the case until now. The more you knew, even if you hardly knew anything, the more likely you were to get roped into this whole mess.
[00:20] <frozenFire> What
[00:20] <frozenFire> I'm just
[00:20] <frozenFire> What.
[00:21] <@visceralVanguard> Abyss was incredibly manipulative and sly, and it took a great deal of effort on my part to ensure that I did not suddenly end up finding myself engaged in another one of these "contracts"
[00:21] <frozenFire> I can understand your last point. The rest is just... what.
[00:21] <@visceralVanguard> Even if someone had no desire to engage in one, I couldn't be sure that if anyone else got dragged into this debacle that Abyss wouldn't find a way of ensnaring them too.
[00:22] <@visceralVanguard> I wanted to keep everyone as clear of this as possible to avoid the matter becoming even more complicated and difficult to resolve.
[00:22] <frozenFire> That's fine, I can understand that
[00:23] <@visceralVanguard> Thank you. I'm sorry. I didn't want to keep everyone in the dark, but I felt it was necessary for everyone's safety.
[00:24] <frozenFire> It's just... this just seems so...
[00:24] <frozenFire> Stupid
[00:24] <@visceralVanguard> After establishing some order in the proceedings and getting Lyra to shut up on her stupid argument which had basically simply become a tantrum at this point, I laid down some ground rules with the judge and arranged a recess to have time to construct an actual case.
[00:24] <frozenFire> Because a sentient powerful crow mask sued my friend, with a sentient book and a boy from the future acting as her lawyer
[00:24] <@visceralVanguard> Yes, "stupid" is quite an accurate word to describe all of this.
[00:25] <frozenFire> Please hold as I attach my remaining functional arm to my face
[00:26] <@visceralVanguard> Lyra wanted to sue Abyss for not upholding his end of the deal that they had made, but she had little to no legally sound evidence to support this claim given the ambiguity of their initial agreement. Because Lyra spent so much time freaking out about this, Abyss claimed that she had instead broken her side of the contract instead.
[00:27] <@visceralVanguard> After thinking for a while, I decided to throw Lyra's rather shaky "plan" for the court case out the window and I approached it from a different direction.
[00:27] <@visceralVanguard> I wanted to prove Lyra was insane.
[00:27] <@visceralVanguard> I did it.
[00:28] <@visceralVanguard> It worked.
[00:28] <frozenFire> ...
[00:28] <frozenFire> I'm not delusional am I
[00:28] <frozenFire> This is actually happening
[00:28] <@visceralVanguard> Legally insane parties cannot be expected to engage in legally binding agreements for their own benefit.
[00:29] <@visceralVanguard> They cannot be bound to contracts they signed without appropriate legal representation to verify that this is a decision made in their best interest since they do not have clear enough mental faculties to decide that for themselves.
[00:29] <@visceralVanguard> And so I nullified the contracts Lyra was bound by.
[00:30] <@visceralVanguard> Yes, I am afraid that all of this, however ridiculous it may sound, is an entirely accurate account of the last couple days.
[00:31] <@visceralVanguard> I captured the entirety of the court proceedings on 3D video.
[00:31] <frozenFire> ow
[00:31] <frozenFire> Ok moving my arm confirms that I'm not in a dream
[00:31] <@visceralVanguard> Ouch.
[00:32] <frozenFire> If you don't mind, don't bother sending me the video
[00:32] <frozenFire> I'll take your word for it
[00:32] <@visceralVanguard> I am not sure you would like to view the video anyways.
[00:32] <@visceralVanguard> I used a great deal of emotionally, visually, and psychologically disturbing evidence in my arguments.
[00:33] <@visceralVanguard> I am not sure you would be able to look at Lyra the same way if you watched it. Instead, I think it would be better to talk to her or Alex yourself.
[00:33] <frozenFire> So you successfully proved that Lyra was insane through evidence, breaking all contracts and making sure she wasn't in danger.
[00:33] <frozenFire> I'm not sure how to feel about this
[00:33] <@visceralVanguard> That is correct.
[00:34] <@visceralVanguard> Lyra is now thankfully no longer bound by any of the contracts.
[00:34] <frozenFire> I think I might contact Lyra later. Alex still hasn't responded to any of my messages
[00:34] <@visceralVanguard> And she is incapable of creating more as well.
[00:34] <frozenFire> Wait what does Alex have to do with anything?
[00:34] <@visceralVanguard> As much as I tried to keep everyone else out of this, Alex personally came and visited Lyra when the court proceedings were about to start.
[00:35] <@visceralVanguard> I set up some further ground rules in the court proceedings to protect him from any involvement, and he observed the trial from the side.
[00:36] <@visceralVanguard> When he arrived, Lyra told him what was happening, and at that point it was too late to keep him completely isolated from the events.
[00:37] <frozenFire> What land was this on?
[00:38] <frozenFire> I'm guessing Alex's?
[00:38] <@visceralVanguard> Lyra's.
[00:38] <frozenFire> Lyra's?
[00:38] <@visceralVanguard> Not too far from her gas station.
[00:38] <frozenFire> How did he get there?
[00:39] <@visceralVanguard> I believe he used the gates connecting our lands. Those glowing shapes above our houses?
[00:39] <@visceralVanguard> I am not certain, I didn't ask.
[00:41] <frozenFire> But those are pretty high
[00:41] <frozenFire> And he didn't have wings last time I checked
[00:41] <frozenFire> Or a way to fly
[00:41] <frozenFire> I'll ask him later
[00:41] <@visceralVanguard> That.....
[00:41] <@visceralVanguard> Hmm.
[00:42] <@visceralVanguard> Lyra and Alex had an incident involving those gates and them being very high up.
[00:42] <@visceralVanguard> It was actually a piece of evidence I used in my case.
[00:43] <@visceralVanguard> I would ask Alex. He seems to be okay with it now.
[00:43] <@visceralVanguard> The end result was him getting significantly injured.
[00:45] <@visceralVanguard> I suppose now that I have informed you on the history of the past several days, I should detail its implications on the future.
[00:45] <frozenFire> You would know more than me; go ahead
[00:45] <@visceralVanguard> Unfortunately, things are not as simple as I had hoped, and there are still lingering consequences.
[00:46] <@visceralVanguard> At the end of the court proceedings after my victory, Abyss proceeded to tell his side of the story.
[00:46] <@visceralVanguard> Lyra would hear absolutely NONE of it, and obstinately refused to hear anything from him.
[00:46] <@visceralVanguard> She continued blaming him for everything, screaming nearly continuously at him and insulting him quite a great deal
[00:47] <@visceralVanguard> Alex and I attempted to calm her down, but she is very difficult to contain, particularly when she is being so obstinate.
[00:47] <frozenFire> Mmhm
[00:48] <@visceralVanguard> During the court proceedings, it had become clear that the document Abyss had detailing Lyra and his contractual agreement was from an alternate timeline, the same alternate timeline that Nick went on a murderous rampage.
[00:49] <@visceralVanguard> Abyss claimed that he was originally from that timeline, and that alternate Nick had taken him to this timeline and swapped him with the mask that our Nick had.
[00:49] <@visceralVanguard> Thus, when Lyra stole the mask from our Nick, she stole the one from the alternate timeline. Abyss claimed to not have realized that this was a different timeline, but after me presenting my argument, he said it became clear.
[00:50] <@visceralVanguard> Lyra was absolutely furious at this point, and demanded nothing less than locking Abyss in a large metal box and exiling him off into space for eternity.
[00:51] <@visceralVanguard> If what Abyss says is true, then Abyss was simply acting on the contract he made with alternate Lyra thinking that our Lyra was the same Lyra. Many of his actions would be much more reasonable in this context.
[00:51] <frozenFire> Why would alt!Nick swap the Abyss's around? It doesn't make much sense
[00:52] <@visceralVanguard> Furthermore, the fact that this alternate Abyss was here to begin with be the fault of alternate Nick and Abyss should not be held to blame for a contract he legally made with alternate Lyra.
[00:52] <@visceralVanguard> However, it is difficult to tell at this point whether or not Abyss is telling the truth.
[00:53] <@visceralVanguard> I do not wish to exile a pseudo-innocent entity to eternity in solitary confinement, but at the same time I do not wish to be snared in what could be another manipulative web that is Abyss's attempt at escaping the consequences of me defeating him.
[00:54] <@visceralVanguard> As for why alternate Nick would swap the masks, unfortunately I think I may have an answer to this.
[00:54] <frozenFire> Since Abyss is bound to the contracts that it makes, couldn't you make a contract that causes him to always tell the truth in return for something small that you can sacrifice?
[00:54] <@visceralVanguard> I doubt Abyss would agree to engage in such a contract, but it is worth an attempt.
[00:55] <@visceralVanguard> Furthermore, we would have no way of knowing whether or not Abyss upheld his end of that agreement.
[00:56] <@visceralVanguard> As for why alternate Nick would have swapped the masks, I have a rather unfortunate piece of news.
[00:57] <@visceralVanguard> It is nearly impossible to kill Abyss. However, should one manage to find a way through some sort of duel, the victor would gain all of Abyss's power.
[00:57] <@visceralVanguard> According to alternate Abyss, alternate Nick attempted this multiple times in an attempt to steal Abyss's power to fuel his crazed rampage of pain and death.
[00:57] <frozenFire> Ow
[00:58] <frozenFire> Isn't Abyss trapped in the mask though? Can't you just smash it?
[00:58] <@visceralVanguard> However, alternate Abyss ensured that this was unsuccessful.
[00:58] <@visceralVanguard> Apparently not.
[00:58] <@visceralVanguard> The sentient book I have informed me that that would not be successful.
[00:59] <frozenFire> We seem to be getting quite the collection of sentient objects
[00:59] <@visceralVanguard> Indeed.
[00:59] <@visceralVanguard> As I will soon explain, I have a great many of them here with me at the moment.
[01:00] <@visceralVanguard> If it is really true that alternate Nick switched the masks, then he has the Abyss from our timeline.
[01:00] <@visceralVanguard> This Abyss would have no experience resisting alternate Nick's advances, and could be more susceptible to being overpowered by alternate Nick.
[01:00] <@visceralVanguard> According to the book, as of now, both alternate Nick and the Abyss that was in his possession have now merged into one entity.
[01:01] <@visceralVanguard> This worries me as it would imply that alternate Nick was successful.
[01:01] <frozenFire> Awesome.
[01:01] <frozenFire> Just Great.
[01:02] <@visceralVanguard> This is why I wish to know where he went.
[01:02] <@visceralVanguard> Unfortunately he dropped by the court proceedings and caused quite a ruckus.
[01:03] <@visceralVanguard> In addition, he visited Lyra in some caves and gave her quite a verbal and physical beating. That was another piece of evidence in my case that I would rather not get into as its implication are rather unpleasant.
[01:03] <frozenFire> I think I'm getting a headache
[01:03] <frozenFire> One moment
[01:04] <@visceralVanguard> Do you have any painkillers with you? I would imagine that your injuries are causing you quite a great deal of pain, not to mention your headache.
[01:05] <frozenFire> healingconstantvitas
[01:05] <frozenFire> Whoops, sorry
[01:05] <frozenFire> Yeah I have painkillers. They've been pretty useful, especially in alchemising
[01:05] <@visceralVanguard> What was that for?
[01:06] <@visceralVanguard> "healingconstantvitas"?
[01:06] <frozenFire> Hand idly typing as I use my sylladex
[01:08] <frozenFire> Ignore that. Anyways
[01:08] <@visceralVanguard> Oh that was for retrieving something from your sylladex? Interesting. You said you have been alchemizing?
[01:08] <@visceralVanguard> What have you been able to make recently?
[01:09] <@visceralVanguard> I have practically no grist left with which to make anything since there have been such a dearth of grist-dropping monsters in the area, but obtaining more experimental data would be helpful regardless.
[01:09] <frozenFire> I've made some sort of numbing pad and "blood+ pills" from both combinations of bandages/painkillers
[01:09] <frozenFire> The pills don't seem to do anything according to Byron, but I haven't tried the pad yet
[01:10] <@visceralVanguard> Would you mind sending me the codes for them? I can continue to experiment with them and I can send you anything interesting I am able to make.
[01:11] <@visceralVanguard> I have some more advanced medical supplies from my time I could attempt to alchemize.
[01:11] <frozenFire> That... would probably be better than our "inferior 21st century medicine"
[01:12] <frozenFire> One moment while I seperate the items...
[01:13] <frozenFire> [insert numbing pad code here]
[01:14] <frozenFire> Darn the other pills are still with Byron.
[01:14] <@visceralVanguard> How much grist did it cost to make the items?
[01:15] <@visceralVanguard> If you have the codes for the bandages and painkillers you used to make the pills, I can use bitwise logical operations to construct the code for the "blood+ pills"
[01:17] <frozenFire> I... can't remember. Sorry
[01:17] <frozenFire> I have the other codes though
[01:17] <frozenFire> [insert bandage code here] [insert painkiller codes here]
[01:18] <@visceralVanguard> Excellent!
[01:18] <@visceralVanguard> Let me think here.........
[01:18] <frozenFire> Don't you have better medical care in the future though? I would've thought that it's better than the 2000's
[01:19] <@visceralVanguard> Okay, then since that was the code for the patches, the code for the blood+ pills must be <insert code from other binary operation>
[01:19] <@visceralVanguard> Oh yes, I would venture to say we had quite a bit better medical care.
[01:20] <@visceralVanguard> In fact, if you would like, I do have one medical tool on my person at the present and I can give you the code for if you would like it.
[01:20] <@visceralVanguard> I wanted to offer it to you and Byron as soon as I heard from him that you two were hurt, but I did not have the code on me at the moment.
[01:20] <frozenFire> What is it?
[01:21] <frozenFire> Anything'd be better than the stuff I have, to be honest. I hardly have anything
[01:23] <@visceralVanguard> It is for a medical pack. The primary ingredient is this quite versatile gel. The pack contains some bandages and some antiseptic, but the medigel is the primary ingredient. It is a mixture of ointment, antibacterial and antiviral compounds, clotting agents to prevent blood loss, pain killers, cell division stimulators to accelerate would healing,
[01:23] <@visceralVanguard> and some compounds that minimize the presence of scar tissue.
[01:24] <@visceralVanguard> Apply the gel first and let it dry so the outer surface of the gel does not get absorbed or caught in any bandages. Then use a bandage or two to cover the outside and prevent the gel from being scraped off.
[01:24] <@visceralVanguard> <insert code here>
[01:24] <@visceralVanguard> It cost me 50 build grist to make a duplicate of it.
[01:24] <frozenFire> Only 50?
[01:25] <frozenFire> I'd expect more
[01:25] <frozenFire> I wonder what'd happen if I combine it with a bandage... actually no point. It'd probably cost more.
[01:25] <@visceralVanguard> Me too, but I cannot say I am complaining.
[01:26] <@visceralVanguard> I would not bother combining it with a bandage as you already apply it just fine without a bandage.
[01:26] <@visceralVanguard> The bandage only serves as an external covering for the gel surface, and I am not sure that combining the gel with a bandage would actually increase its effectiveness.
[01:27] <@visceralVanguard> <in game, the item drastically speeds up wound repair and prevents infections and pain. It immediately heals 6HP on use>
[01:31] <frozenFire> <Noice>
[01:31] <frozenFire> Maybe I should combine it with an arrow? Of course, blunted
[01:32] <frozenFire> So when my arm heals I could heal someone from relatively far away
[01:32] <@visceralVanguard> I do not know? You would have to try.
[01:32] <frozenFire> Hmm
[01:32] <frozenFire> Well, thanks
[01:32] <frozenFire> So to recap what's happened so far:
[01:33] <@visceralVanguard> I would say that the gel isn't designed to be injected directly into the blood--in fact the clotting agent is probably best not applied directly into the blood--but alchemization has a way of escaping all concrete engineering mechanisms.
[01:33] <@visceralVanguard> Perhaps it would work just fine.
[01:34] <frozenFire> You, Lyra and Alex had a court case -and won- with an entity from an alternate timeline and are wondering what to do with it. Nick and you had a bit of a fight, me and Byron got injured, and we do not know where alternate Nick is
[01:35] <frozenFire> To do: for me, contact Alex and Lyra to see what happens, and try to look after both Byron and I. For you, talk with Nick and somehow take care of the mask. For both of us, fiddle with alchemisation and try to find a way to keep an eye on alternate Nick
[01:35] <frozenFire> Does that cover everything?
[01:35] <@visceralVanguard> Almost.
[01:35] <@visceralVanguard> I feel it is relevant to add one more thing.
[01:35] <@visceralVanguard> Another implication of this court case.
[01:36] <@visceralVanguard> I never said what happened with Abyss.
[01:36] <frozenFire> No?
[01:37] <@visceralVanguard> I mentioned a dilemma of what to do with Abyss, and how I did not want to be so hasty in indefinitely exiling Abyss to space like Lyra so obstinately insisted but I did not also want to let Abyss walk free.
[01:38] <@visceralVanguard> As a compromise and temporary settlement, I have Abyss in my possession. I am monitoring him and keeping an eye on him, as well as using this time to further assess the validity of his claims on the alternate timeline.
[01:39] <@visceralVanguard> To protect myself, I have a sentient crown that I have become friends with, and he has agreed to shield my mind from any mental influences from Abyss.
[01:40] <@visceralVanguard> I have also refused to use any of the masks power so as not to get entangled in anything undesirable.
[01:40] <@visceralVanguard> Any possible actions I could have taken at the conclusion of the trial carry a significant amount of risk, but I believe this course of action to at least minimize that.
[01:41] <@visceralVanguard> Lyra was FURIOUS with me, and proceeded to spew personal insults at Abyss and rant for some time on how our entire group is now irrevocably doomed to a terrible end.
[01:41] <frozenFire> Ah
[01:41] <@visceralVanguard> But at this point, I am having a hard time taking any of Lyra's complaints seriously when so many of them are so extreme or unfounded.
[01:42] <@visceralVanguard> I spent quite some time pondering what to do with this situation, and I still believe this to be the most prudent course of action.
[01:42] <frozenFire> I think that yes, it's a good thing to do. I can't think of what else I would do there, apart from find a way to make him tell the truth or make it trust you enough to tell the truth
[01:42] <frozenFire> Lyra was bad in the past, but this is ridiculous
[01:42] <frozenFire> Though at this rate I can see where she's going
[01:42] <@visceralVanguard> That is the end goal here, yes: to elucidate what it is that actually happened.
[01:44] <@visceralVanguard> So at the present moment, I have Abyss with me. Nick does not yet know about this, but considering everything Lyra has told him and done to him with stealing the mask in the first place, I believe he has an inaccurate perception of what is going on, and I would like the chance to explain to him what has happened--like I just have to you--before I s
[01:44] <@visceralVanguard> pring on him that I have his mask.
[01:45] <frozenFire> I'm not sure how much good that would do, since I'm more confused afterwards than before
[01:45] <frozenFire> But you know him best. You could try
[01:46] <frozenFire> Question. What happens when you fall asleep? Won't Abyss be unattended for a while?
[01:47] <@visceralVanguard> Ah yes.
[01:47] <@visceralVanguard> Well as it turns out, since I was teleported here while I was awake as my dream self, I am addressed this problem already.
[01:48] <@visceralVanguard> I did not want to suddenly collapse and fall asleep in the middle of the trial, so I returned to my house and fell asleep to return to my normal body. I then placed the house under lockdown to keep out unwanted visitors and monsters.
[01:49] <frozenFire> Makes sense
[01:49] <frozenFire> Is that why Nick was outside the house for a while?
[01:49] <@visceralVanguard> I have no desire to leave my female body anywhere where alternate Nick has easy access to it...... especially after what he did to my female self in his timeline. Anyways, the result of that is that I am currently sitting on my bed right next to my asleep dream self.
[01:50] <@visceralVanguard> I cannot even begin to describe how strange it is sitting here next to a female version of myself, but I suppose that is simply what happens when you are playing this game. Strange.
[01:50] <@visceralVanguard> Yes, that is why Nick was outside.
[01:50] <frozenFire> Can't imagine
[01:50] <@visceralVanguard> He said he saw a shadow and was very paranoid.
[01:50] <frozenFire> Yes, I remember that.
[01:51] <@visceralVanguard> I didn't want to open the door and potentially let alternate Nick inside if he happened to be in the area, so Nick waited until he was sure the coast was clear and then I let him in.
[01:51] <@visceralVanguard> He was asleep on the couch when I returned home.
[01:53] <@visceralVanguard> I do believe those are the most significant implications and consequences of the court proceedings that I am aware of at the moment.
[01:53] <@visceralVanguard> Do you have any other questions?
[01:53] <frozenFire> Hmm
[01:53] <frozenFire> No, not that I can think of
[01:54] <frozenFire> Actually, there is one
[01:54] <frozenFire> How do you put up with Byron?
[01:57] <@visceralVanguard> <no response>
[01:58] <@visceralVanguard> Honestly? I do not know.
[01:58] <@visceralVanguard> I try so hard to be patient and reasonable with him, but I cannot always do it.
[01:58] <@visceralVanguard> Usually I am able to calm him down enough to have a reasonable conversation with him, but he is so determined to be absurd sometimes that that isn't possible.
[01:59] <@visceralVanguard> As I am sure you have already found out first hand, once he gets in one of his worked up modes, he sort of just keeps going and going and going without really thinking about much of anything.
[01:59] <@visceralVanguard> In interacting with him, I have already snapped more than once.
[02:00] <frozenFire> I still haven't snapped yet, but it looks like it's only a matter of time
[02:00] <frozenFire> Oh, and you do know that he has a crush on me right?
[02:00] <@visceralVanguard> With everything that has happened recently, I have honestly not thought too much about him as I have been quite preoccupied.
[02:01] <@visceralVanguard> Yes, I quite do know he has a crush on you.
[02:01] <@visceralVanguard> He has told me and Nick about it using a great deal of capital letters and expletives.
[02:01] <frozenFire> As one does
[02:01] <@visceralVanguard> He seems to believe he keeps "screwing up", which from what you and he have said, may not be completely inaccurate.
[02:02] <frozenFire> He can't shut His Mouth!
[02:02] <frozenFire> And He Knows virtually Nothing! For goodness sakes he Asked me what Pills and Toothbrushes are and what to do when having Bullets Stuck in you!
[02:03] <@visceralVanguard> When we entered the game, he was incredibly prideful and believed he could do anything he wanted and be awesome at it. As terrible as it sounds, I think it is good that he is finding something he cannot have handed to him so easily and that he is finding himself not quite the "hot shot" he thinks he is.
[02:03] <@visceralVanguard> Yes, he was incredibly isolated from quite literally everything, even by the standards of my time.
[02:04] <@visceralVanguard> Sometimes I wonder how he even survived to be this old with the incredible ignorance he seems to hold on how the world functions.
[02:04] <@visceralVanguard> I believe he has good intentions most of the time, but the way he goes about executing those is often very ineffective or offensive. Often both.
[02:04] <frozenFire> YeaH.
[02:05] <frozenFire> First reaction To me using my sylladex as a weapon? Talks To Me for about a minute mid-strife
[02:05] <frozenFire> Completely Ignoring the Thing that we're Strifing
[02:06] <@visceralVanguard> When I requested he not interfere with the whole trial matter--just as I asked you, and to which you graciously accepted my vague request--he rather freaked out and thought I was telling him to get out of the way forever and that he was pointless.
[02:06] <@visceralVanguard> While I didn't deny it, that certainly wasn't what I was telling him.
[02:06] <@visceralVanguard> Imagine Byron being involved in that court case proceedings!
[02:07] <@visceralVanguard> I would not have been able to construct any sort of coherent argument without all semblance of order being completely disturbed!
[02:07] <frozenFire> I can definitely see that Happening
[02:08] <@visceralVanguard> As you now know, there is a reason that I did not want *anyone* else involved in the debacle, but Byron in particular I wanted to keep out of the way.
[02:09] <@visceralVanguard> I know that this is easy for me to say here on my bed locked away in my house on a different planet, but perhaps you can try and stick with him for a little while at least? I know he can be unimaginably annoying sometimes, but especially with you, he means well.
[02:09] <frozenFire> Sigh
[02:09] <frozenFire> I guess
[02:09] <@visceralVanguard> He essentially did not have any form of social interactions whatsoever for his whole life, so this whole idea of friendship and interacting is quite foreign to him.
[02:10] <@visceralVanguard> He was quite literally locked in a basement most of his life and hardly ever left.
[02:10] <frozenFire> What?
[02:10] <frozenFire> That's new
[02:11] <@visceralVanguard> He played electronic and virtual reality games, and pretty much only that for his whole life.
[02:11] <@visceralVanguard> It was mostly forced upon him by his father.
[02:11] <frozenFire> Jeez
[02:12] <frozenFire> All of us are weird in one way or another now, aren't we
[02:13] <frozenFire> Lyra's legally insane and has 3 bodies, you have a female self and wings, Nick has wings, Byron was... abused? by his father and I'm an alien
[02:14] <frozenFire> And then there's Alex, who I somehow cannot reach, ever.
[02:14] <@visceralVanguard> Honestly, Alex seems to be the most normal person here. Simply a relatively average guy who cares about his friends and wants to help.
[02:15] <frozenFire> That's true
[02:16] <frozenFire> I would too, but y'know, alien
[02:19] <@visceralVanguard> Yes, I have to say that you are quite a reasonable girl, and I am so thankful for you. You have put up with a huge amount of shit from nearly everyone in this group and you have remained reasonably level-headed about all of this, however miserable or absurd it is. I am very glad to know that there is a reasonable, logical, thoughtful, and cooperati
[02:19] <@visceralVanguard> ve person on our team. I know I have hardly talked with you, but I figure you should know that.
[02:19] <@visceralVanguard> So thank you. :)
[02:20] <@visceralVanguard> You have been an excellent listening ear and it is clear you care about resolving conflicts and finding out what is really going on so you can help move the team foward.
[02:21] <frozenFire> I do what I can :)
[02:21] <frozenFire> Well, I won't take up any more of your time. You probably have other stuff to do
[02:21] <@visceralVanguard> I am sorry that I (and some others and this game) are making things so complicated, difficult, and frustrating.
[02:21] <@visceralVanguard> Thank you for contacting me. I think it was very good that we discussed all of this.
[02:22] <@visceralVanguard> I will be sure to get in touch when I learn anything more on the fronts that we talked about.
[02:22] <frozenFire> Great
[02:22] <frozenFire> Also, Faerzen? I think you're a bit too stressed. Just remember that you have others that are willing to help
[02:26] <@visceralVanguard> <no response>
[02:27] <frozenFire> I'll talk to you later then
[02:27] <@visceralVanguard> I know, Tarane.
[02:27] <@visceralVanguard> I think you are correct.
[02:27] <@visceralVanguard> In fact, I know you are correct.
[02:28] <@visceralVanguard> It seems that all of these problems seem to have a way of finding their way into my lap to solve with no apparent way of being able to gain assistance.
[02:28] <@visceralVanguard> I cannot tell if it is this game of if it is some part of me that subconsciously wants to fix everything.
[02:29] <frozenFire> Maybe it's both
[02:29] <@visceralVanguard> That seems likely, now that I think about it.
[02:29] <@visceralVanguard> :/
[02:30] <frozenFire> Mmm
[02:30] <frozenFire> Not many coincidences in Sabath, are there
[02:30] <@visceralVanguard> It is so easy for me to tell myself that I do not have anyone who can help when I see Lyra flying off on another rant and making rash decisions, or I talk to Byron and remember just how ridiculous he can be sometimes, or Nick swings back into one of his moody swings.
[02:31] <frozenFire> No mention of Alex?
[02:31] <@visceralVanguard> But that doesn't mean they are working against us, that they cannot help, or that there are not others who can help instead.
[02:31] <@visceralVanguard> Alex has actually been an excellent help.
[02:31] <@visceralVanguard> He has been talking with Lyra quite a great deal recently and I believe he is trying to talk some sense into her.
[02:32] <frozenFire> Hmm
[02:32] <frozenFire> You think they're in a relationship of some sort?
[02:34] <@visceralVanguard> Hahaha
[02:34] <@visceralVanguard> I think.......
[02:34] <frozenFire> Lyra only sometimes listens to me, and we've known each other for a long while, but if he's doing so well then there must be /something/ there
[02:34] <@visceralVanguard> Well.
[02:34] <@visceralVanguard> I think that Alex has some feelings for her of some sort, but I cannot say Lyra reciprocates.
[02:35] <@visceralVanguard> I said a couple of things when the three of us were together in an attempt to coax out some more information, and that seems to be the case. The fact that Lyra has continued to interact amicably with him must mean something though, like you siad.
[02:38] <frozenFire> Heh
[02:38] <frozenFire> Good on her, I guess
[02:38] <@visceralVanguard> Indeed.
[02:39] <@visceralVanguard> Well, enough gossip for now. Is there anything else I can do for you while I am here?
[02:39] <frozenFire> I think that's it really
[02:39] <frozenFire> Unless something is going to pop up. Which it probably will.
[02:40] <@visceralVanguard> As things tend to do in this game.
[02:40] <frozenFire> Lyra /does/ have a point there
[02:41] <frozenFire> But anyway, nothing I can do about it now really
[02:41] <@visceralVanguard> I shall be sure to keep you posted on any new developments. Thank you so much for contacting me, Tarane. I was about to contact you, but I am glad that you found me first and that we aired out a lot of this.
[02:42] <frozenFire> Meh
[02:42] <frozenFire> I guess I'll talk to you later
[02:43] <@visceralVanguard> Indeed. Talk with you later, Tarane. :)
[02:43] <frozenFire> Safe travels
[02:43]  * frozenFire has ceased messaging visceralVanguard