Cool Night Blues (MK, Open)

Mar 23, 2021
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#1

Over in the distance of space there was a large blast of light, an explosion. Then there was another, and then another, until the same pattern of light could be seen from miles away. It was a battle, one to see the survival of the human race. The chaotic comms chatter served as naught but white noise to the already deafening sounds of gunfire, the clashing of blades and metal, as well as the occasional death scream followed by another explosion. Again, and again, and again.

While their images were not immediately recognizable, it was clear that these Mobile Weapons fighting came from a diverse group of factions. All gathered under one banner for one purpose. All different people, all with a different appearance, a different ethnicity, a different ideology, but most importantly all were human beings. As humans they all carried the desire to achieve a goal, to protect, to serve, to love, and even more. Dimidas truly could not comprehend how much there was on the line, not just for all humanity but for these people as individuals as well.

He remembered that day, it was the day he found his answer, and subsequently lost it as well.

“Hold this position, we cannot lose ground!”

Dimidas was shouting hoarsely into the comms, whatever this threat was, it wasn’t letting up and neither could they. After all, now he could finally fulfill his purpose, to lead others against a common threat as one singular humanity.


“T̴̲̾ͅͅĥ̵̛̖͖̣̀͆i̷̪̊́̀̾͑s̸̜̤̓̓̄͂̓ͅ ̸͎̬̺̖͔̍̊̀̓i̶͒͜ş̸̧̬̈̍̿̔ ̸̘͎̰͖͋͠ṫ̴͈̞̫͇̬̔̅ḙ̷̥̻̬͆͜ḁ̸̞̰̎̌͊͛m̸̭͍͑ ̵̧̪̮̘̓͊̇̕͘E̴̢͇̤͊͊͛͋̚c̸̨͙͙̗͊͛h̵̢̘̟̼̘̍̋̋̏ơ̸͈̭͔̳̖,̴̻͕͗ ̵͕̈̏w̸̨̢̨̹͉͊͂̒͗͝e̴̙͊͐̃̚͝’̴̮̪̟̠̂̓͘ŗ̸̬͖͋e̷̛͍͔̲͉̓̈͂ ̷̧̘͖͖͇͊̅̈͠ṫ̸̼̤͕͑̂̀ͅa̶̜͋͆͌͊ḱ̵̥̌̈̚i̷͎̯͠͝n̶̠̗̣̺̑g̸͇̈́ ̸̖͕̭̦́̉̕ĥ̸̛̲̜̙̇ȩ̵̛̟̹̓͑͠a̷̬̬̦͉̻̋̽̈́v̵̗̪͆y̷̢̤͉͍̣͆̏ ̷̣̹̙̖̾́̀͂f̸͖̭̝̀i̵̲̞̅͆̅ŕ̷̺̀̐̇̋é̷̳̕ͅ ̷̱̼͐a̸͚̘̪͛̀́̽͛n̷̞͔̽̓̏͑d̷̰͈̳̻̙̾̓̾̀ ̴̦͉̮̪̏̄̀c̸̱͐̎̍̔ả̸̳̟͋n̷̡̻͗̃̈̚͝’̸̨̻̝̣̜̓͘t̸̫͖̦͕̞͆̓̋̆̌ ̵̧̩̭̼̘̐̒k̶̜͕͜͝e̶͍̊̐͌͑e̵̥͔̖͑p̷͖͐͜ ̴͈̤̲̈́͜u̷̫̪̱̾͋͜p̵̧͈̣͑ͅ ̴̝̇͛̓ț̸̤͑̄̏͒ͅh̵̤̗̙͙̤́̎e̸̳̫̳͊̀̌͗͜ ̵̞̙̹́̿͛̓̑a̶̠̣̐̅r̶͓̘̩̐̓̀̚t̶̜̼͔͓̻̆̈ị̴̢̫̳̓̎l̴̩̼̇̂l̸͇͈̻̊̔ͅe̸̮̠͚̞͕̍̓́̑̇r̶͎͂̍́̚͠y̴̝̐͛̂̌!̸̘̫̫̞͕̈́ ̸͇̬͘͠W̶̨͉̟͊̿̆̀ę̷̲͎̝̅͊̏͊̾ ̴̹̿̓͛n̴͉̆ȅ̴̳͍̠̒̊̃͝e̵̡͙̜̾d̸̛̥̯̾ ̸̨̢̧̦̄̐r̷̰̘̦̽̽͐͒͗ē̶̳͇̘̘̮̕͝͝ȉ̴̧̡̯͎̲́n̶̯͕̽f̴̘̳̞̠̙̿̃́̐o̴̤̝̱͒̀́͜͝r̷̛̭̘̭̹̈́̔̅̅c̵̣̄͘e̷͙̅̅m̶̨͈̟̲̲̿̋͆e̴̡͕̳͑̉͂̇n̶̩͓̫̱̆̓̚t̸̙̺̓̃̀͝s̶͙͕̻͠ͅ!̶̛̯̯̲͖̇̊ͅ”


Dimi barely made out the voice, almost as if parts of what was said were removed without any form of cut off. He quickly rushed over towards an asteroid almost on instinct. Positioned there was an artillery battery, anchored to the floating mass. He barely recognized the silhouettes of anything there, only able to make out darkened figures, almost like they were covered in black pitch.

He fired off shot after shot from a photon rifle into some of the darkened figures. A large number of them would return fire, he barely managed to dodge most of them, some grazing his armor. It would very easily spell a quick end for him, had it not been for the fire support that came up behind him. A large distinctive beam he could recall from almost any distance.


“Looks like you could use a hand over here!”

Dimidas looked over to his side as a black Gespenst Type RV flew to his side. Underneath his helmet, Dimi would smile slightly. “Well, you certainly took your time. I was beginning to think you forgot about our formation.”

There seemed to be a slight giggle from the other side of the comm line before a reassuring voice came through along with the appearance of a woman on a screen to Dimidas’s side.

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“Well, says the man who charged forward. I get that you’re anxious with all this, but like you said, we have to keep ourselves together by helping one another.”

Dimidas let out a satisfied sigh. “I suppose you do always have a way of understanding how others feel, Ashley. Now then…” The light of the sun far away would soon shine upon the blue Huckebein MkIII. “Let us deal with them together.” It quickly swapped out the photon weapon for a more suitably destructive weapon, the Mk III’s signature Graviton Rifle.

“Mega Buster Cannon!” The Gespenst readied it’s large weapon, pointing it at a large wave of enemies. The Huckebein did the same, aiming its rifle towards the enemies who sought to harm them. Both weapons began to charge with a low hum before the continuous sound was cut through by a command. “Fire!”


Two large beams streamed forth from the weapons of both mechs, one of darkness and the other one a shimmering blue. They both came rushing forward like a river stream, destroying any that fell to the flow. And following that, a giant fireball manifested itself as all the enemies blew up in a single explosion. “Well, looks like that took care of them. Alright, where to next? With this artillery, we could try hitting one of the big ones.” Ashley spoke, sounding slightly exhausted from all this flying around. “We should regroup as soon as possible. As much as I would like to quickly eliminate such factors, it will not do to expend all our energy in order to-“


Dimidas was soon cut off by the sudden crash and clashing of metal as a large laser tore a warship to shreds, large chunks of the ship crashing into others of its kind which caused a chain reaction of ship after ship taking critical damage in the formation. “What just-“ Soon another large laser cracked through space as it moved to sever the asteroid upon which Dimidas and Ashley stood on. “Damn it, move!” Ashley’s Gespenst moved to get the Huckebein and itself out of the laser’s path, only for both of them to be smashed into a smaller asteroid as an explosion occurred where the laser fired.
 
Mar 23, 2021
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#2
Dimidas felt the force of the impact as his cockpit shook intensely. He struggled to readjust himself as he looked at the Gespenst’s visor in front of him. “We are getting torn apart. At this rate most of the main force will not make it.” As Dimidas sat in his cockpit, there was almost a deafening silence in his mind as it tried to control the rush of adrenaline now moving through his body. “I… I don’t know what to do.” He said in a defeated tone, it was perhaps the first time he had ever talked in such a manner, his head now looking down, crestfallen. But soon it would not matter as the army around them was being decimated, one by one. Then, she spoke…

“Dimi, listen to me…”


Dimidas would snap to attention at Ashley’s words. “I know how much this might all be for you, someone who’s rarely ever felt defeat…” The Gespenst held the Huckebein by the shoulders as Ashley continued to speak solemnly. “But you have to keep going, even if we lose today. Even if we lose everyone else, as long as we survive, we can honor their memory. We can end this, Dimi.” Her tone soon changed to a hopeful one, he could almost feel the warmth of her words through the screen.

“You’ve shown me already, shown me we can make the future we seek. Everyone wouldn’t be here if you never helped push them forward.” Soon, another beam moved to seek them out, dangerously close, the Gespenst activated it’s thrusters for a split second in order to boost the asteroid away along with the Huckebein. Dimidas reached out as he felt himself floating away from his lover. “Ashley!”

Almost like a phantom fading away, Ashley spoke as the image of her smiling face flashed in Dimidas’ eyes. “You have to get back to the fleet, Dimi. You’re the only one who can lead them out of this…” As a blinding red light began to consume her, she would utter one last sentence.

“I love you, Dimi.”

Soon, the blinding light almost seemed to take up Dimidas’ entire screen as he felt a shockwave that launched him out of his Huckebein. Now he was floating out in space, tumbling endlessly into the yawning abyss. He felt the air around him starting to leave, the vacuum of space sucking out the pressurized air from a tear in the suit. He tried helplessly to cover up the tear, but to no avail. His eyes would begin to shudder as he gasped for air, his hands placed around his neck trying to have himself hold his breath. He tumbled through the debris of what remained of his friends, a knight of wind, a creature of myth, a team of unbreakable bonds, warriors who fought for their homes, all gone. He stared off into the distance as the vision of twin worlds were set ablaze, embers dancing among them, flickering and snuffing out in an instance. All that raced through his mind was denial.

This wasn’t happening, it was never supposed to be like this, they were prepared for this, he was prepared for his whole brief existence in the eyes of whatever higher beings existed. It never was meant to be, his entire life of hardships alongside those who he shared his soul with, all gone. His last breath escaping him, he weakly reached out a hand as he floated away from all of it, the visage of her broken shell floating amongst them. As his consciousness began to slip, all he could feel was the biting cold, and the pain as darkness enveloped his entire body.

—————————————————————————————————

Next, he heard the sound of bubbles rising. Calmly popping once they reached the surface. More bubbles would form as Dimidas breathed out before surfacing from this bath, letting out a loud gasp followed by a few coughs. He would look down at himself, making sure he had not lost a single sensation, all seemed right. He held his head as he attempted to assess the situation. “That dream again… and while I was… bathing?” He looked around, that was right, they were taking some time to recuperate before the next deployment. It seemed like he would face death earlier than the others as he nearly drowned himself in the bath in order to properly clean his scaly body. “Emptiness again… nothing but an empty dark feeling…” He sighed as he sank back into the water, wondering what he should do next.
 
Mar 23, 2021
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#3
September 7, OE 102
Bern, Switzerland
Jericho Forward Camp
11:29 p.m

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The midnight hour soon began to approach, it had been a blinding flash since the Ruina and their deity came to wreak havoc upon the people here. It was a good thing indeed that XN-L had merged with the Bianceve, for not even their most powerful machine could defy Ruin.

After things had calmed down, Dimi decided to take a short break. A break that nearly ended in his embarrassing death. Regardless, he decided to summon that new peculiar man Jericho had found. He was able to find very little on the man, nothing but the mention of a Psychodriver heritage, another absorbed Directory project, as well as his place of birth in Italy. He decided to call for him in order to see what he was made of in a sense, and if he was able to glean anything about Jericho himself.

So he waited atop one of the few rooftop gardens of a building given to soldiers as temporary accommodations. A pilot jacket was slung over his shoulders, with a dark t-shirt and jogging pants adorning the rest of his figure. He waited patiently, with two canned drinks in hand.
 

MKR

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Aug 19, 2018
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#4
Someone wanted to talk to him, at least this one had the courtesy to do so while only robbing him of one night or rest. With the parasite departed to who knows where and the Werkbau once more quiet he had nothing better to do than sleep and heed this request. He presumed it wasn't someone he met before, the name hadn't appeared anywhere on the records about him he had seen, nor did it strike even the faintest familiarity like that tiny, pocket filling, ghost had.

As such the man went to the place where he was to meet this Dimidas, who also had the courtesy of finding a much more pleasing locale to meet. Both to the eyes and the other senses. There was a momentary pondering, whether he would need to ascertain whether this man had also gauged his eyes out. He would have to be sure but the dark puppets of despair were much more likely to stab him in his sleep than to call him to a remote location. Such was how the last one had tried to at least. On his approach he noted the man with two cans in his hands, but standing out more were the scales on his neck.

Truly bizarre.

"You're the one who wanted to speak with me I take it." He called out to get the man's attention.
 
Mar 23, 2021
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#5
Dimi’s ears perked up slightly as he heard the voice from behind. With pivot of his waist and a turn on his heel, he was now facing the blue haired mystery. “Yes I am, you must be Shevirat Hakelim. A peculiar name, but I am not one to judge.” Dimi slowly began to walk over to Shevirat with both drinks in hand, he extended one out to his blue haired comrade as he approached. The drink seemed to be just a simple can of sugary sparkling water, nothing alcoholic that could loosen his tongue.

”My name is Dimidietas Corbyn, but you may just call me Dimi or Dimidas. Whichever you prefer.” His tone was quite friendly, as he soon came face to face with Shevirat. “Drink?” He asked as he awkwardly raised the arm handing out the sparkling water to him.

Looking at Shevirat’s eyes however, he could tell he was a bit curious about the scales crawling up his neck. That was to be expected, after all his kind does not truly exist in this world. So he decided to ask if he wished to be humored regarding his pedigree and appearance. “I see you are interested slightly in my scaled appearance, is that right? Are you interested in learning about it?”
 

MKR

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Aug 19, 2018
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#6
The arrival looked like an ill fit to any regimental military, disheveled with unkept hair and almost borderline civilian clothing. However, no scales. He held his hand in refusal of the drink, the gesture was appreciated but the lack of sleep would only be worse if he drank that. A lack of sleep visible on the features of the man with the odd name. The comment about lack of judgement about said name itself had been preceded by a weighted judgement, already deemed irregular but waved away as if to say that sentence had never happened.

"No thanks." He said to the first, still approaching and looking over the edge of the garden into the horizon beyond, when the man talked about his scales he took a glance back at them, this time from the front. "If you feel obligated to speak of your parentage or whatever mad lunatic turned you from a man to a peculiar individual, go ahead. I will not stop you from doing so." He leaned on the railing, mountains obscured by trees. Unseen by the naked eye, but ever present. It was not until a veritable atrocity happened that they would vanish from more than sight. Beneath, much easier to erase from existence comparitively, were machines. Some damaged, some not.

He would give Dimidietas a moment to see whether or not a tale regarding the origins of his scales was to come, if so he would let him say his piece before continuing and otherwise he would simply continue.
"Now, why did you wish to speak to me?" His machine he guessed, the Werkbrau, at least such was the name that came to mind if he thought about it even if it felt ill suited for it in a strange sense, and at the same time that assumption was why this conversation currently interested him little, for what he knew was not learned. Not something you could regale another with like text read from an ancient tome to relay knowledge.

No, it was more innate than that.
 
Mar 23, 2021
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#7
Dimi lowered the hand holding the can of soft drink, which he would place down on a nearby table. “Understandable.” He soon cracked open his own can, and moved to face Shevirat as he went to admire the view. Dilapidated, yes. But still a peaceful sight in some respects. “As for my heritage, it’s genetic modification given to me at birth. All in order to make the perfect soldier.“

Dimidas took a sip from his can as he walked to the railing as well, leaning over it in a similar fashion before continuing his tale. “But that did not work of course, and now I am but one of many displaced to L’Isola from another dimension.” He slowly placed the can down next to him before turning his head to Shevirat. He had a cold demeanor, it reminded him of what he used to be like. Although not exactly in this manner, it was similar in the tone of voice.

But now was not the time to reminisce, it was the future he was concerned with.

”As for why I asked you here, I simply wished to learn more about you. We are working together for the foreseeable future, so I would like to know who you are, and why Jericho so happened to select you.”
 

MKR

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Aug 19, 2018
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#8
Perfect soldier, an utterly incomprehensible goal to Shevirat a singular perfect soldier makes no difference. A single man can only change things higher in the chain, a general or admiral. To make that same difference beneath you would need a perfect army. It was in this same sense he could not understand why adding scales to someone would accomplish such a goal, but the mad lunatics he mentioned prior often had little of that thing called sense regardless. All in all, there was little surprise things did not work out over in where this man came from. As it was revealed why he wished to talk however, Dimidas received a side eye and a sigh.


"When they are looking to win a war, generals do not tend to be picky about their soldiers. Though, to call myself a soldier would be a lie." He responded "The answer to both of your questions is the same, I kill things for him. 'Trample his enemies' as he put it himself." It was said with such a callous disregard for the trampled, a distinct nonchalance for the lives of those on the receiving end of himself. The calm night wind flowed through, gently waving both hair and clothing as such terrible statements were made back to back as if the world itself seemed at peace with such things.

"He claims to have built me from nothing once, I cannot say I remember that but whatever work he put in me then is long gone now. We will see if he comes to regret trying." The threat was less veiled and more hidden under only a slight layer of pretense it was otherwise, of course from Shevirat's perspective Jericho knew that their 'agreement' had been laden with actual direct threats against Jericho's life should he ever decide to act upon them.

"In that regard 'so happened' to select me would seem to me to be the wrong question. As it was more akin to an inevitability, the illusion of choice. In that regard I feel it wouldn't be much different for either of us."
 
Mar 23, 2021
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#9
So… nothing much on Jericho’s goals, but it was peculiar that he said he had a hand in Shevirat’s creation. That was quite an interesting statement. One that requires further discussion. “So you say he ‘made’ you in a sense? Have you ever tried investigating it yourself? Followed any leads to find out what else you have done and what has been done to you?” Well, it seems that now they were both searching for answers of some kind, that is if Shevirat is even willing to find the answers himself.

”And you also plan to take action against him should you find him unsatisfactory? That is quite the extreme measure.” There was certainly a hint of a bloodthirsty killer within this man, he too would have to tread lightly it seems. There’s no telling when Shevirat will lose interest in him. But the next answer from Shevirat only served to raise more questions in Dimi’s head. Did Jericho plan for his arrival? Was it purely by chance?

“But I would also know, if you are interested in finding answers about yourself, I would be more than happy to help. Info gathering is one of my specialties after all.” Dimi took another sip from his drink, pondering what else he could possibly find about this world.
 

MKR

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Aug 19, 2018
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#10
The man turned to look at Dimidas as he spoke, the offer got him to chuckle for a bit. Seemingly more amused than interested.
"I plan to take action if it suits me, and Jericho knows that. Also, I say he said he made me. His claim, not mine." He rested his arm on the elevation, turning to face inwards towards the garden as he continued to speak beholding the contents within, in a sense a fitting metaphor though in what way he wasn't quite sure. Was it because of the garden representing here, with the unknown beyond or was it because of them ending up in a garden surrounded by natural beauty the mimicry of outside but curated by human hands directly. The source of prior amusement coming to light as he continued.

"If info gathering is one of your specialties why were you unaware of those things. Why would we have to talk if you could find those things about me?" The answer was in a sense clear, either he was lying and just trying to get favor from him in return for absolutely nothing, or if he was speaking the truth then this talk was about someone or something else. Of course the third option was that both were correct, a false assessment of one's own capabilities while trying to obtain information about something else. That, would be comedic.

"Far as I care the man I used to be was not worthy of interest, I found all I wanted about him but if you want to try knock yourself out. Maybe it'll be more interesting for you than me. Digging into a Directory black box project should be a good test of specialty I'd say." The smile that came with indicated he was not inclined to help there, even if he had the answers already.
 
Mar 23, 2021
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#11
“Because intel gathering takes time, and I have other things to prioritize. This is merely to gauge if I will be focusing on it. But if I find anything, I will let you know whether you find it interesting or not in the moment. Even the things we have no interest in can spark enlightenment of a sort.” He watched as he smirked to himself, clearly he was amused.

”Mocking me, are we?” He said in a slightly sarcastic tone. “That’s quite alright, but I have another question. It mainly had to do with tonight, did you experience anything peculiar? From what I can tell, our new ‘friend’ on the Bianceve seems to have it out for these… Ruina. I would like to know more from personal experience with them if you don’t mind me asking.”

While XN-L was not exactly cooperative at first, once the Ruina came into the picture, it was more than willing to hurl a couple of denouncements and declarations of obliteration. And from what he had gathered, the Ruina ran on the despair of people. Humans, or Nen as that angel would call them.
 

MKR

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#12
Ah the Ruina, that filth.

"When you say peculiar, you mean anything besides the attack by the parasite that infests the darkness in hearts? Or how one of its puppets that it had hollowed out had come with a knife to take my life?" The tired gaze of the man was pointed at the one asking questions as he sighed, of course the night had been filled with peculiar things that had been the point of it.
"Or would you wish to learn about how they came here for the sole purpose of killing me?"

He let that one linger in the air for a moment, very very curious if the man would even believe that. It certainly wasn't easy to tell if the man himself was being serious about the statement with how he delivered it. But, he very much was.
"Aside from that, lets see. An old friend came to visit before his demise, and that about summarizes it." There was also the fact the Werkbrau had come for him of its own volition, but that seemed normal for it to do so it didn't meet the criteria Dimidas had asked for. At least, not in Shevirat's opinion.

"But that 'new friend', they have a history with them? What exactly do they want then?" It didn't exactly sound like they were part of the army here, on top of that he had felt that presence within the ship when it arrived. He pondered if he would be trying to kill them sometime soon. Long as they tried to kill the Ruina first he might not even have to for them to die.
 
Mar 23, 2021
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#13
“So you mean to say it took control of a human being? That is quite dangerous, I’ll have to double check and ensure everyone is of right mind before we clash with Endymion.“ Dimi pondered as he rested his head on his right arm’s knuckle, which itself was supported by his other arm crossed below it. But what was even more curious was the knowledge that they came to kill him specifically. Not this whole settlement of people, not Jericho, but him? Is that how important he is?

“I would like to know actually. What exactly requires the notice of the leader of the Ruina? It would help me understand your dilemma a bit more, and possibly what exactly it is Jericho wants from you. If he claimed to have made you, then where were you this whole time? Perhaps he is simply bluffing on your creation.” Despite wanting to trust Jericho, he knows how leaders tend to use honeyed words or straight lies in order to gain the resources that they requires, especially for people of great significance or number. What did Jericho require from such a peculiar man?

”And an old friend? But you reportedly have amnesia and said you could barely even remember what Jericho supposedly had done to you. How exactly do you know him as an old friend?” And then came XN-L, honestly he knew less and less the more he attempted conversation with the being. Coming to an understanding with it was next to impossible unless one agreed to the destruction of humanity for the sake of saving it from a greater threat. But he was able to understand the source of its conquest at the very least.

”From what I understand, this being XN-L seeks to eradicate despair or Nen as they call it. Thereby nullifying the power source of the Ruina. I’m not sure what other ulterior motives it has, but it seemed quite willing to accept as many people as it could under its wing. We only brokered a temporary truce in order to reach this place before Terra Sentinel could. But thankfully she proved adequately in making the Ruina retreat.”
 
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MKR

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Aug 19, 2018
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#14
"Human, perhaps. Regardless if you want to go through the ranks here look for those who guaged their eyes out. That was what set apart my assailant." It sounded like mockery in a sense, but there was still a genuine piece of advice there though whether it was fortunately there was left up for debate. "As for the parasite, I do not understand it. Nor do I wish to, sadly it has rationale to its motion rather than pure instinct."

Shevirat shrugged at the notion of Perfectio, thinking about it made him want to lash out at it in a strange mixture of revenge and duty he couldn't place. Though simultaneously a dash of pity was thrown into the mix there, it was a curious feeling all in all and not one he tended to linger on for long in combat but here in the calm air of the night sky he had a moment to contemplate the implications of the entire smoothie of feelings washed down his being when it came to the monster under the bed.

"A pest like that only moves himself to see something completed. Perhaps he thinks me a threat, or there remains a grudge with it. Or perhaps, it was lying about that." Those were the three options that arose to him, no further did Shevirat want to delve into the mindset of something pure black, its reasoning mattered little in hindsight. As it showed its intentions which required less effort.

"But yes, I encountered what I can only describe as an old friend, perhaps he would disagree but it is difficult to ask the dusk and smoke that remain." Still, that was why reason three seemed unlikely. The warning, 'its wearing his skin'. There was a prior connection there, something to recognize and react to. When the strange little man crossed his mind again Shevirat swore he could hear motion some distance away. The grinding of infinite gears somewhere.

"A beacon of hope is it?" Finally the topic of XN-L, the thing he felt inside the ship. A problem for later, "One that gathers followers, perhaps one of Gizos Gragios' puppets if any of those yet remain." The man mused. "In a similar vein, as for what Jericho wants from me. Perhaps a question you aught to ask instead is 'does it matter whether Jericho is lying about having made me who I was?' Given that were the parasite speaking plainly he could have given me up to placate it or sent me to scurry off elsewhere as he ran and hid yet instead he fought it, the endless pit of black and bile and shouted at me to survive."

A smirk came upon the blue haired man's features.

"I believe that if he could not have me, he would not let another. Whether his story about my past is truth or fiction matters not, he needs me. Willing to court death not just by my hand but also by contesting the parasite. Not out of a lack of hope, if that was the case he would have been swarmed and feasted on by the locusts." An answer to the world, was such the vision that was held? What sort of world would that bring.
 
Mar 23, 2021
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#15
“I see… I’ll alert for every soldier to be checked for such a thing in the morning. But I see you know just about as much as me when it comes to what exactly the Ruina wanted from you. But… now I’m starting to wonder, do you believe you have some form of amnesia or inherited the memories of someone else? A past life so to speak?” While he never did believe in reincarnation, science always has the ability to do what one thinks impossible. Shevirat very well might have implanted memories or had said memories taken away. Either way, that also warranted further investigation.

“As for XN-L’s association with this… Gragios, I haven’t found anything suggesting such. She seems to be the one running her own operation as far as I can tell. She doesn’t seem to have anything related any incidents related to that cult.” He lowered his arms down to his sides when he mentioned being needed by Jericho. Was he part of this master plan of his that required humanity’s cooperation? Were they all just pieces of a puzzle?

“Let me ask you something then, Shevirat. If you find it so amusing that one would fight for your life, how exactly do you view it? How do you view your own life as a person?” A rather profound question, but it was one that had been at the back of his mind ever since the beginning of this conversation. It was rather strange to ask something like that out of the blue, but given his current position, understanding that can help him understand the type of person Shevirat is.
 

MKR

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#16
The smirk faded as the topic shifted, the question of implanted or inherited memories caused the blue haired man to ever so slightly roll his eyes at the notion.
"Is there a meaningful difference?" He asked in return, "I know I wasn't born yesterday, so before I became me there was something else. How much overlap there remains between those two points in time is unknown as thoughts can only be known by oneself. What does it change if it was this body or another that held those thoughts?"

"Some see sleeping as inheriting memories of those that came before, the one who woke up before. For all I know I could have been 'sleeping' this entire time only to awake to this." Philosophical waxing, but it was seemingly not thrown in there to be coy or rude this time. Instead it represented a belief perhaps held by this man, perhaps that was the only way he could justify his existence after all. With the kind of callous confidence exuded by him, a philosophy like that would go a long way to explaining that.

"My life?" He asked in return, the tone of mockery seemingly returning. "I think you misunderstand where my amusement comes from. What happened hours ago was the equivalent of a general jumping in front of a bullet aimed for a grunt. Like a prince taking a sword to the kidneys intended for a pauper. That is why I cannot do anything but smile at this fate he assigned himself." The point sufficiently elaborated upon Shevirat took a verbal step back "As for life as a person. So far I can't say I am particularly impressed by life itself, it is the various methods of death that I've seen so far that tend to be more memorable."
 
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#17
“It can change many things, knowing what you were, or in my case knowing what I was born to do. I would have become a very different person had that purpose not been solidly drilled into me. To have yet to find that purpose, I believe, shouldn’t be how humans should live. It only leads to suffering and heavy misjudgment.” He sighed thinking on his own purpose once again, what exactly did it entail in this strange world. As far as he’s concerned, he was naught but a Rook, and Shevirat here was Queen. Both the backbone and the prized possession of Jericho, the King. Helping others to find their own purpose was a much easier task given he knew their position within the hierarchy.

”So you were simply entertained… and a morbid curiosity as well.” He viewed himself the Grim Reaper in a sense it seems. To deliver mortality’s gift unto those he deems worthy to receive it. Certainly not a hair trigger you want lying around, but at the very least Jericho has the trigger discipline for it.

”Why death if I may ask? Is it knowing you survive and they don’t? Is it that you put people to sleep for eternity? Or is it simply for the thrill of the kill? What makes taking away a life so… interesting?” He hadn’t had much opportunity to learn of such a thing back then, what drove certain men to kill for the sake of killing. What was it then that the denizens of this world, or at least a prominent one thought on such a heavy yet fragile topic?
 

MKR

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#18
"Ah, but that too is Nurture and not Nature is it? Getting it drilled into you meant it was not normal for you to embrace that purpose. Unlike something like breathing or eating, things all living beings are motivated to do should they wish to prolong their existence or how birds migrate to seek warmer climates. In that sense the 'perfect soldier' you were made to be already failed before it started." Shevirat countered, to say one was born to do something and then support that statement with one of a brand of indoctrination seemed to this man like stating the trees were tall only because the leaves were high.

"An absolute purpose you see, is for machines and tools." A statement that seemed to cause himself pause for a moment, it felt important to the man but not something he could inherently place "Even more so if you were given one at 'birth', what differentiates you from an AI at that point?" He sighed as Dimidas continued. This man read far, far too much into simple statements and took the road to falsehood following it to the end of its path unless stopped.

"Something for you to consider, given the only one's I've seen are those willing to die for a cause and some succeeding at that, can I claim to know life? I do not believe so." He shook his head, laying out what was between the lines "It is true, I take enjoyment in what I do but that was not the answer to your question. I am more fit as an arbiter of death rather than life. As in the hours I know, I have seen enough of the former and only pieces of the latter. Only people whose lives revolve around death."

He pushed his hair aside "Still, taking a life is boring. It is the process leading there that interests me. How people react to witnessing their own shortcomings and inferiority. Who values creed over life and who is willing to put aside their own rules to try and survive. Its a microcosm of humanity, its virtues and flaws. People forget they are people when they surround themselves with walls of metal with eyes of glass."

"Now then if you wished to have this conversation about the mortality of men and the nature of life, you led with the wrong topic. I intend to catch some sleep now that I can. Before I go, I am curious to know if you have an answer to one of my questions."
As he began to step away he paused, looking back at Dimidas.
"If you exist for a purpose which has already failed, one which had to be hammered into you not by your own instincts but military men. Made to fight in a war that is an infinite distance away from here."

"Why fight?" He asked, turning himself around to look at the supersoldier project "This war, this conflict. Its not the one you were made to win, not the one related to what you claim you were born for. In that sense you are like Jericho, willing to sacrifice himself for me. Whether you are willing to jump in front of a bullet for him does not matter as you are already doing so by taking up arms under his banner."

He gave the man a moment to answer, and if he did not do so Shevirat intended to continue walking away without further words.
 
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#19

Having given his complete statement, he saw that Shevirat was certainly deriving some form of entertainment from this, watching people crack into a thousand shards like China in a furniture store.

“A machine? I am nothing like a machine!” Dimi raised his voice in protest. Seems that Shevirat manages to find the crack in the beast’s scales, clearly touching a nerve is some kind. “And what difference does it make? I was never given a choice. And unlike a machine I can still change...” Dimi slowly began to grow a bit silent after his outburst, having slowly processed what it was Shevirat had told him.

He was right… even when he had grown a soul so to speak, his mind was still focused on the greater threat. Even now, his mind drifts to a hundred strategies one might utilize in the coming fight, all were flashes of successes from another time, another place. A world he wished to see with his own eyes again if he could, even if for but a brief moment of reality. He fought to keep those smiles, those hopes and dreams of the people beside him. But those too were gone, sent tumbling into the deep black abyss.

”Do you think I haven’t asked myself that question?” He balled both his hands into fists as he turned to face the departing reaper, continuing to speak in a distressed tone. “I lose sleep every night just thinking about it. Failure, I failed. I failed everything and everyone. But here I stand, battered, broken, and spat out here in this… place. This… abhorrent reflection.“

“If I knew any better, I would have said to myself that it was pure luck. I would have lived out my days being an idle corpse sitting on a porch. But no, you yourself said it. Humans long for survival, and to me, in order to survive I must find my purpose. To be selfish is to be human, and that is my selfish reason. Even if I must serve the unknown machinations of Jericho for now, it is the only thing I can hold onto. The only thing that can prevent killing what’s inside of me, and making me a monster.”

He let out a deep sigh as he finished emptying his lungs, his eyes clearly watery with tears filled with emotion. What kind however was hard to tell, for a maelstrom of such feelings was difficult for the dragonkin to decipher. “Does that satisfy you?”
 

MKR

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#20
Shevirat paused not when the outburst began, but instead when it petered down. When realization sunk in, that was when he turned to face the man once more. The outburst, the admission he beheld it all unmoved one way or another. It was when he concluded with that question that Shevirat merely shrugged.
"Is it me that should satisfy?" He asked in return, rhetorically.

"What you should ask yourself is, which shall it be? If you intend to continue as you have you may as well accept what you have been and will be, pick some uniform that allows you to hide all traces of humanity you hold, cast of all those tears, that weight of the past and accept a blissful existence only as a machine of war. The greatest model of combat AI ever devised." He paused for a moment, making no grand gestures nor raising his voice in dramatic tones. Speaking merely matter of factly about this option.

"It would allow yourself to be rid of that failure, to stop having to ask yourself questions aside from 'who owns me'. This claimed 'selfishness' I see will lead you down this path, the selfishness of pushing off all reason to act for yourself, to merely follow and obey. Is that the selfishness you profess? Since that is the purpose you found here, the purpose you continue to follow as you breathe." He shook his head at that notion. Neither hiding the joy such freedom from existence would bring nor the cold existence of life without living.

"The alternative, is being more like me." This was left as much as a threat as it was an escape "That choice however is yours. Should you select to be me however, you may as well choose to be a machine instead." And that, was a warning.