paixaorpg | Your Vampire Count is in Another Castle [Active/Open]

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Your Vampire Count is in Another Castle [Active/Open]

Character(s): Soma, open
Content: Ye olde standarde arrival poste
Setting: Muspelheim gate
Time: Late morning, date indeterminate (so far)
Warnings: Here, there be bad puns.

Being transplanted from one place to another by forces outside of his control was nothing new to Soma. His prior experience with the phenomena had taught him that it almost never heralded anything good, and usually led to a mad dash through abject terror and the forces of Hell to save not only his own life but the lives of everyone he held dear.

This time appeared to be different, if only for the fact that he wasn't immediately attacked by a horde of skeletal warriors wielding spears and swords with the sole intent of adding to their undead numbers. In fact, the sun was shining brightly overhead, peeking through lazy clouds. That all on its own told him this was -not- Dracula's castle; he knew now that the power of the count kept that particular abode shrouded in eternal night. Or it would if the count were currently in residence.

On top of that, he was alone. No Mina, no Julius, no Yoko, no Hammer, no Arikado popping out of nowhere to inform him that he was, once again, screwed unless he could overcome impossible odds and beat back the forces of Hell with a pocketknife. Again.

...Okay, so this place was pretty peaceful compared to last time. Almost a vacation resort. So far, anyway; there was no telling what would happen once night fell.

Over to his right, near the stylized gate of fire - no symbolism there, nope, none at all - was a line of Aryan automatons filing through a guarded checkpoint. Immigration control, maybe? Despite the lack of a port (or anything else that might pass for an arrival point), it somehow made sense. Maybe this place sucked in people all the time? Regardless, it seemed to be the Thing To Do, going through that gate. So, he did.

Ten minutes of standing in line while not being talked to and not hearing a lot in the way of conversation later, he was through the gate with an electronic journal in hand and the name of the city - Paixao - fresh in his memory.

The artificiality of the terrain was not lost on him. Fake trees made of precious metals and crystals would have been eye-catching in any event, but these were somehow tasteful amongst the ancient stonework buildings. An artist's dream of a city come to life, with perfect little people wandering here and there on their inscrutable business. He felt rather like a sore thumb.

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When all else fails, return to the source. Much to his frustration, he hadn't been able to glean much more information beyond that he had gathered on his arrival. Apparently, it would do him well to search out one "Riku," but if the seeming madness that had befallen part of the city told him anything, it would be better to wait until paranoia had run its course and the air was clear from whatever foul curse had befallen the city.

Although it didn't much have the feel of a curse, now that he thought about it. What exactly it was, he couldn't put his finger on. The day seemed safer than the night, but differing common sense from actuality was a difficult task. For now it was best to tread lightly and investigate on his own. Surely there would be some thread for him to pick at in order to unravel this world's mystery. It was exciting, in a way. Much as he enjoyed the circus, there really was nothing like a true adventure and a mystery to be solved.

And so it was that Epros had been visiting every entrance to the city, starting with the very one he himself had come through and moved clockwise from there. So far he had little to show for his efforts. He had managed to spot a few people filing in that weren't part of the blond, blue-eyed majority, but they had all come in with confused expressions, new. No one who could give him the information he sought. It was looking to be the same case with this gate as well. Not a soul who who held the confidence of someone who knew their situation, who looked upon the city not with fresh eyes but those who had seen their fair share.

And then, finally, he spotted someone, a young man he had spoken with over the small machines in-between his trips to the gates. Epros had yet to ask the young man's name, and from their conversation it was obvious that he knew little that could help, but it was something for him to go by. "Hark! What's this? I do believe I see, a face made newly known to me."

Epros floated closer to the earth with a small smile, one hand on his hip. "Lest I am incorrect? If so, sir, do be in thy response direct. It is not as though I double checked, and thou shalt earn no disrespect.

Soma was in the process of putting away his journal when he was accosted by the floating refugee from a circus. The rhyming gave him away almost instantly, and while he didn't know the guy's name, Soma did at least recognize him. "We spoke on the journals, I believe," he said, raising a brow at the fact that his newfound companion was floating a few feet off the ground. One question answered, at least - magic worked in this city.

Reaching for his power, he felt it settle like a mantle about his shoulders, an old and familiar ally. Relaxing a bit, he folded his arms and looked about curiously. "I don't suppose you can tell me what's really going on here?" he asked, gesturing towards the city. "None of this makes any sense to me, and I think I'd better get a good grasp on who I can and can't trust before I stay here too long."

So it was the young man he had met over the journals after all. Excellent. That would do away with any confusion and awkwardness on either of their parts, at least, more than was strictly necessary.

For a moment, the smile fell away from Epros's face. There was a sudden change in the surrounding air, a power that seemed to emerge from nowhere. Was this young man the cause of it? How curious... He might have to ask him about it later, once they had become better acquainted of course. Epros doubted directness would serve him well on such a matter. The brief moment of shock passed, and it wasn't long before Epros was smiling again.

"I know little more than thee, not much about this city is known to me. Hollow citizens and a world of lies... We are within a great castle with city's guise. Beyond that, despite inquiry, much remains a mystery."

It took Soma a moment or two to puzzle out Epros' meaning, and even when he'd accomplished that, he found it a bit hard to believe the rhymester. A castle masquerading as a city? He'd seen weirder things, sure, but this... well, no, this didn't quite take the cake. The realm of Chaos still had that dubious honor. Still, this was in the running for the top three.

Epros' reaction to his power did not go unnoticed, but it was hardly unheard of for those gifted with magic to be able to sense others of their ilk. He would refrain from commenting on it for now; if he had questions, he'd ask them at some point.

"You say we're in a castle?" he asked, wanting to make sure he understood that part completely. "And this city is... what. A part of the castle? The castle in disguise?" Soma was beginning to wonder if he shouldn't pinch himself and try to wake up from this weird-ass dream...

Epros shook his head. "On that subject I can naught more say, I've learned little else, much to my dismay." With a sweep of the arm, Epros gestured to the city. "Part of a whole or an empty illusion, both knowledge and ignorance add to the confusion."

There was a moment of silence before Epros spoke up again. "Admittedly the answers seem rather weak, as this device, to me, is quite... unique." As if on cue, the journal floated into view. While he was making some great strides in figuring out all of the journal's features, he still seemed to be spending more time figuring out how it worked than being able to read what others had posted. At least it was simple enough to work the basics.

The more you learn about something bigger than your world, the less about it you understand. Yeah, that definitely sounded familiar; his first hour in Dracula's castle had been much the same.

At least no one had asked him to be the hero yet. Not that he'd turn the job down, but he had a feeling this one was waaaay over his head in a lot of ways. With none of his friends in this place, all he needed to do was find his own way out. No mucking about with the forces of Evil, no race against the clock, no facing Death at every turn - literally and figuratively - and, perhaps most important, no shady figures telling him he needed to do something -right now- or people would die. This place was a vacation resort compared to the Count's abode.

Much of this played out on his face as he thought things through. Although the return of his power was somewhat unsettling, it didn't seem to herald anything. He relaxed and looked toward the city for a few seconds before returning his attention to Epros. "These things are similar to the smart phones we have where I'm from. I could probably show you how to work them, given a little time. Do you know of anywhere near here we could sit down and have a cup of coffee or something?"

Epros was hardly a hero himself, and so he had no reason to tell anyone, much less this young man, what he should be doing. Epros went where his curiosity lead him. If he stopped a few people from being harmed in the process, however, he would hardly complain.

He wasn't entirely sure what a "smart phone" was, but it did sound like the young man could tell him how to make some progress with the journals. Excellent. Another step closer to the answers he sought. "As I recall, while on my way here, 'tis a cafe fairly near."

"That sounds like as good a starting place as any. You can call me Soma, by the way." He bowed with a flourish, indicating that Epros should lead the way. If he had any qualms about following someone who was floating along, he gave no indication - he'd seen weirder things before.

'Nearby,' as it happened, was a half mile away; barely enough distance to really stretch his legs, but enough to tell him that despite the surface appearances something was seriously screwy with this city. Either they all had the same genetic ancestors, or they weren't entirely human. It wasn't hard to figure out which, really. Blue eyes might have been a dominant trait, but blond hair wasn't; all of these people had both, barring the few obvious outsiders - himself and his companion, for instance.

"Then shall we begin our navigation? As for introductions, Epros is my appellation." His amusement clear on his face, the wizard bowed playfully in return before beginning to float off in the direction of the cafe.

Once they arrived, he finally alighted, his feet gently coming to rest on the road a few yards from the door. The "walk" was a shorter one than he thought, though that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. He didn't think he had sampled anything these cafes had to offer, despite seeing plenty of them around. "And so it is that here we are. As was said, 'twas not far?"

"Not far at all," he replied amicably, holding the door so Epros could enter first. "I walk further than that to school, back home." Soma let Epros order first, made his own selection, then picked out a table near the front windows so he could watch people wandering by.

After they had settled in, he slouched in the chair a little - not enough to be considered rude, just enough to get comfortable - and set his journal on the table. "Mind if I ask what may be a personal question, before we get started?" he asked, giving his head a slight, curious tilt. "You don't have to answer, if you don't want to. Why do you speak the way you do, the rhyming and such?"

Epros glanced over at Soma, halfway through pulling out his own journal, and was only barely able to hold back a small sigh. He could understand the need to ask the question, considering how it seemed to be a rare quirk, but it didn't change the fact that hearing it so often in the short time he had been here was beginning to grate on him a little. He did appreciate how polite Soma was being about it, however.

"Thou art not the first to ask this question, and need not apologize for this digression. I am aware my speech breaks most conventions," he began, finally setting the journal down on the table. "'Tis something not done with rhymes in mind, but a pattern to which I have become inclined. A habit not so easily broken--to speak against how one hast always spoken. Some find annoyance, others find charm. With proper avoidance, 'tis something that avoids the first and causes no harm."

He considered the answer for a moment, then nodded in agreement. "It's not unpleasant. At least you aren't speaking in riddles." Soma cringed a bit at the thought. "I hate it when people do that." Mina's grandfather talked like that sometimes, but then, he was a shrine keeper and more than a bit of a mystic. It was part of his job to be cryptic.

"These journals... You already know their basic function is to communicate. According to the manual, you can post to the message board where everyone can see it, or you can post to your private account to get a message out to those who know where to look. You can also use them to talk back and forth with someone in real time using something called Paixao Instant Messenger, one of the journal's functions. Those are the basic functions for these things. A little further in the manual, they discuss security - how to lock certain people out of a post, or how to make it so only one person or one group can see it. That part's pretty technical."

Soma stared at his journal for a moment, frowning. "I should probably mention that there's a small amount of magic in these things. I don't know if it's just the power source or something else, and I don't have the skill to dig into it."

Manual? Epros frowned and summoned the manuals he had been handed at the gate, glancing over them before putting them away again save for one, which he took in his hand. Indeed, it was a manual for the device. A quick skim revealed a few passages he had seen before--perhaps he had read it without realizing what it was at the time. "I did not think such a thing existed, but it seems 'twas but a thing I missed." Epros put the manual away again, deciding that he would have to read it later after their meeting was through.

He nodded however, taking Soma's advice in. The "Instant Messenger" he hadn't seen. At least not yet. Another feature he would like to try. "This 'locking,' wouldst thee explain more? New to this as I am twould with others be best to explore."

Magic, did he say? I would be interested to find in what way. Perhaps once I'm more familiar with these devices I will someday. An odd mix, magic and technology. He wouldn't mind figuring out how it worked and what sort of magic it was.

Soma nodded equitably, accepted his coffee, and set about explaining the basics of locking. It wasn't terribly difficult, at least not the first stage; all one had to do was go through the options menu and select the target recipients. Very simple. Probably very easy to hack, too. He took a minute or two to explain the concept of hacking, as well, since it was fairly obvious Epros hadn't encountered anything like the journals or the technology that drove them before.

"...So it's probably better just to talk face to face if you don't want someone else finding out what was said," he finished, setting his cup on its coaster. "For basic communications, though, these are probably okay."

It didn't seem too difficult so far, but that was likely why Soma had mentioned how simple it might be for others to break into such a lock. Epros wondered if it might be possible to use or create some sort of spell to reinforce the locks or if his magic would even be compatible with the journal.

As he turned the idea over in his mind, he summoned the tea he'd ordered to him, the cup and saucer drifting over carefully so as not to spill. "Is there more we need explore?"

Soma considered the question for a moment, then shrugged. "Not with these, or at least not that I can do personally. I wouldn't mind seeing more of the city, though." Provided, of course, that nothing tried to make a meal of him in the process.

He added another packet of cream to his coffee and stirred it lazily for a moment, considering the situation. "I suppose that lots of people have already tried to get out of here, and probably haven't had very much luck with that. If this place is powerful enough to draw me in, that probably means it can bring in stronger people too, so I doubt I'd have any more luck than they did..." He thought for a couple more seconds, then asked, "What do you know about this 'Organization'?"

Epros was a little confused by Soma's words, but after a little thought, he understood. Soma had some measure of power about him, that much was certain from their initial meet. And if that power was enough that being brought unwillingly to another world was supposed to be impossible--or, at least, highly improbable--it was indeed possible that those with more power might be brought as well. Was Epros not a Former Evil King? To think that others with that sort of power might appear was as worrying as it was exciting.

"Little--only what I've been told. It seems that they this place control. Each is said to wield great elemental might. 'Twould be fair assumption to guess they do so in a way not right. Fire, lightning, and water are the three, that have so far been made known to me. 'Tis a trio I know quite well, for in those three most in my world dwell. 'Yellow,' 'Red,' and 'Blue'--the first of these I fall into," he explained, and took another sip of his tea, instead letting it float somewhere slightly off to his side rather than put it and the saucer back on the table this time. He wondered if there might be any more information on the Organization on the journals and quickly came to the conclusion that he should look there next.

"I'm familiar enough with those elements," he replied, slumping a bit more. "Darkness, light, water, earth, time and sound, too, though I'm not entirely sure those last two count as elements. I'm not sure where I fall on the scale, either; I can use them all. Is there anyone else in the city to make note of?" He could feel a number of strong presences in the city - some of them incredibly powerful - but he couldn't tell anything about their natures. Just that they were out there, somewhere.

Epros frowned, his brows knitting together as he wondered where Soma had pulled these other elements from. Water he supposed he understood, as it could be a derivative of ice, and considering the earth's attributes when confronted with lightning, he could understand why it might merit an element of its own. But what colors would they take? Cyan? Brown? It seemed rather complicated to him, especially considering how there might then be other colors to consider. But that might simply be the way elements worked in other worlds. "Neither can I comprehend how to the elements 'time' and 'sound' may lend," he agreed, deciding that at least that much made sense. Those in particular could hardly be applied to a color. "As to thy own I might guess, the grey of nothing may fit more or less."

"One Riku has been brought to my attention. Of this world he has some comprehension. A meeting with him may be a fair suggestion." He thought a little more. "'Tis all I know I do believe, though 'tis no doubt there are others whose names I've not received."

He had to smile a bit at that idea. Grey as his color? Dracula would have a fit. The count would opt for darkness and fire ahead of anything else, if he ever managed to ensnare enough of Soma's soul to take over completely. "I think I can live with grey. Not necessarily the nothing bit, but maybe that's just my ego talking."

Soma made a mental note of Riku's name for later and nodded at Epros' suggestion. It -would- be worthwhile to speak with someone familiar with the local ways, and chances were that this Riku could then direct him to someone else. It was a start.

His coffee about three quarters gone, Soma fished in a pocket long enough to dig out a couple of small golden disks stamped with unfamiliar crests and figures that might have been numbers and words in days long past. Doubtless they were worth a small fortune to some coin collector in his home world, but he hadn't been able to call on the relic that held his money since he left the castle until now. Here, he suspected they were just small change. Maybe enough to pay for their drinks. He hoped it would be - he had plenty more of them, but it wasn't like he could go out and cut down a candelabra to get more. Not here, at least.

"'Tis no ill thing, if an element thy lack. In fact, 'tis a boon. An easy resistance to attack." While it would have been more difficult to play upon opponents' elemental weaknesses, it also meant you had none of your own, and the first was simple enough to remedy with a little knowledge of magic. And while Epros was quite attached to his own yellow, he wouldn't entirely mind if he were somehow grey.

He eyed the coins Soma brought out curiously, having never seen coins such as those before. They were old, that much was certain, and a part of Epros was disappointed to see them end up presumably in circulation. He was neither collector nor fanatic, but having lived within the Gear Tower for so long as well as having explored much of the world in search of great magic, he had come to appreciate some of the older artifacts of the world.

Given time to sort through his money pouch, Soma could probably find more of those coins, and most likely other denominations from the same place. He'd never bothered to count out what he had - except, of course, when he was buying something really expensive from Hammer's 'shop' - but given all the times he could remember emptying huge bags of money into it, chances were pretty good that he had at least a few thousand individual coins in there.

He considered Epros' words for a few moments before nodding. "I can see the point. Being harder to kill is never a bad thing, as far as I'm aware. Then again, stuff that just wants to eat you isn't necessarily going to bother slinging around a lot of magic." His half-smile quirked into a grin for a moment, then receded into casual territory. "Is there anything in the city that's really worth seeing?" he asked, eying the dregs of his coffee and contemplating a second cup for the road. "One of the brochures they gave me had some nice looking buildings on the cover, but I can't honestly say I have much of an eye for architecture. Culture, on the other hand..."

Epros frowned, confused by Soma's reply. Not all ghosts used magic to attack, no, but that didn't necessarily mean elemental affinities wouldn't come into play. An attack by the element one was weak to was nevertheless an attack of that element. Another difference between worlds to take in, he supposed.

"If such should show, I shall let thee know." He had found little to pique his interests so far, save the mystery of the city itself and the one professor her had spoken with over the device--journal, and Epros doubted Soma meant that. This thought was affirmed as Soma continued. "Though on the map on this machine, a few museums have I seen.

"Museums, huh?" he mused, then shook his head. "I'd like to visit them, but I was hoping for something more indicative of what the people are like around here. Surely they aren't all so... so two dimensional?" he asked, glancing about and feeling more than slightly uncomfortable. It was hard to find anything truly attention-grabbing about any of the natives he had met so far. A shop keeper was a shop keeper, and that seemed to be all that held their attention. He'd seen zombies with more individuality.

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Your Vampire Count is in Another Castle [Active/Open]

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