[Z-Palace-GM] Station says, "Anythin' I can do, Lita?"
[Z-Palace-GM] Lady A says, "If you can convince the heroes not to sabotage themselves, that might be a start. But I need to train you. And Kevin."
[Z-Palace-GM] Lady A says, "Either of you choose to volunteer?"
[Z-Palace-GM] Princess Lana says, "Don't worry Lita. You taught me. I guess I'm going to have to try and teach them."
[Z-Palace-GM] Lady A laughs slightly, it seems. "I didn't have to teach you."
[Z-Palace-GM] Station says, "Ah? ...Yes'm. If...y'want to start that now..."
[Z-Palace-GM] Princess Lana says, "Maybe. But someone's going to have to teach them. And the first two lessons are going to be communications, and more importantly, repercussions for ones actions."
[Z-Palace-GM] Station says, "As for the heroes, I'll...I'll...do somethin'. I've got some ideas in mind."
[Z-Palace-GM] Lady A says, "You can share them with me."
[Z-Palace-GM] Princess Lana says, "I'd ask you to share those ideas Corey, but..."
[Z-Palace-GM] Lady A says, "Report to the warp room. Don't bring a lot of gear."
[Z-Palace-GM] Station says, "...Ahh, nothin' big. Just some security exercises I wanted to run. Teachin' 'em how to defend against things like this kidnappin' spree that's been goin' on...yes'm."
[Z-Palace-GM] Princess Lana says, "Understood Corey. And good luck."
Station has arrived.
Lady A is standing by an open warp. She looks...over all, rather demure and quiet, standing with her hands folded in front of her body. She faces outward like a sentinel, and the warp twists around, glowing in colors of yellow and pink.
As he's called, Station comes obediently, stepping into the warp zone room--and in an oddly quiet mood himself. He's carrying none of his usual gear, the photon sabers, GunCon, and Dual Shock Controller all left safely in his room. There's no question in his mind that if Lita asks him to do it, it's for the right reasons.
Lady A is not wearing her paddle, either, assuming that she will not need it where they are going. Other than that, she looks the same at always, and, she does seem to still have her gun. She nods to Station, and turns to the warp. "Trust me?"
Station returns the nod, slipping his hands into the pockets of his coat--as an antidote to reflexively checking his weapons. At her question, he swallows...and nods once more. "Yes'm," he says, quietly, stepping over to the warp. He leans to one side, abortively trying to peer in and see where the warp might lead...
You head for Eagleland - Onett.
Eagleland - Onett
A small town nestled into the mountains, nothing much ever happens in Onett. They have a dedicated police force, happy citizens, and only a slight problem with a rowdy gang that hangs around the downtown arcade. In fact, there is little that stands out here at all, except for the large library at the north end of town, and the meteor crater on the highest mountain. Things are generally safe here, and the road to Twoson, the next town, is generally safe for travelers, though the overeager police of Onett occasionally put up roadblocks to show how effective they are at it.
Contents:
Viki's Home
Ness' House [NH]
Happy Happy Village
Obvious exits:
[H]ighway leads to Eagleland - Fourside.
[O]ut leads to Terra Zone - Little States (Out West).
Station arrives from Terra Zone - Little States (Out West).
Station has arrived.
The world behind the warp is empty and blue, at first, as the sun filters down on the travelers. Then, when the light settles, it reconciles to a narrow mountain cliff. There is barely any land to stand on here, other than a small ridge, upon which rests a beaten dirt path, marked with footsteps, but no sign of vehicles or carts. The mountain is so high above the world that the ground is invisible: all that rests below is a large formation of swirling clouds, tinged pink with moving light. The colors seem brighter here: the air so uncomfortably thin that the mere movement of the head makes spots flash through vision.
Lita steps calmly onto that beaten path, and, stares straight up the mountain, far up, to a temple, shining and gold.
Station steps through the warp nearly on Lita's heels, disoriented for a moment by the world of pure sky blue he finds himself in. He glances around, blinking to clear the spots from his eyes, and takes a careful breath of the rarified air. The temple has yet to catch his attention; the rest of the world is sufficiently fascinating and outside his experience that he's distracted by it. "...where are we?" he finally asks, voice subdued.
"This is a place called Dalaam." Lady A turns and begins to walk up the narrow path, heading toward the towering apex. "Zen martial artists, and pshychic warriors, both, are trained here. I want you to experience a bit of what they experience." She, almost as an afterthough, reaches into her pocket, and pulls out a small dried leaf. It appears to be caked in sugar. "An item I had prepared before we came here. Put it under your toungue, and swallow the coating. It will help you to breathe." ... This is not the truth.
After a moment's hesitation, Station starts up the path after Lita. He can't quell the reflex to look around them as they walk, despite how dizzying the combination of scenery and anoxia proves. Even despite the disorientation, his feet are sure on the path--and his eyes slide back to Lita as she offers him the leaf. He takes it with obvious trepidation, looking down at it...then up at her. "...all right." He shrugs, doing as instructed without question. He did say he trusted her, after all.
Any training situation in Dalaam works best when enhanced with sweetener-based hallucinogens.
Lita walks up the path to a face of sheer rock, and, putting one hand atop another, she finds the handholds on the surface, and starts to climb, as it seems many others have done in the past. When she is only a few steps upward, she gestures with her eyes upward, up to the highest cliff, where the temple glitters under distant light. "That is the monistary. But take one look. It will be out of view soon, on our journey, and you may not see it again. It isn't our destination."
By the miracle of psychosomal processes, Station's breathing steadies slightly once the leaf--and its surprisingly innocuous constituents--has dissolved. Once more he follows obediently after Lita, gray eyes roving as he struggles to drink in the scenery entire. When they reach the rock wall, his attention once again snaps to the fore, and he looks obediently up at the monastery as she points it out. His brow furrows, but he doesn't say anything--instead waiting for her to get high enough up the rock wall that he can follow. Once she is, follow he does, feet and fingers finding easy purchase on the rock.
Lady A climbs quietly at this point, up the sheer face, about fifteen feet. Upon reaching another landing, she strikes out on a path that leads away from the monistary, walks only a few paces, and then starts to climb the wall again. She does this in silence, only every once in a while checking back to make sure that Station is following. About twenty feet into the second, and much higher freeclimb, she's already blinking sweat out of her eyes. "Top of this cliff. Don't fall." There is what seems like several stories left to this climb.
Station eels up the rock after her, accustomed to the hard exercise. But not the thin air--psychosomal reaction or no, he's struggling to get enough oxygen up here, a fact that shows as he quickly begins panting for breath. "'Kay," he manages, in between breaths--then falls silent again as he focuses on climbing. And not falling. Which should be a whole lot more interesting whenever the hallucinogens kick in.
Lady A reaches a very narrow ledge, just thick enough for her to put her back to, and, pauses there, flat against the rock wall. She points upward. "The top of this, is a training grounds. I want you to climb first. Do not fall." The cliff at the top is a small mound of dirt, flattened out into what might pass for a seat.
Station achieves the ledge shortly after Lita does, flattening against the rock wall, his chest heaving as he listens to Lita speak. Then he swallows against the dryness in his mouth and throat, and gives her a nod. After a moment to catch his breath, he turns and begins the last leg of the ascent, doing his best to follow the instructions not to fall.
Lady A watches Station climb, her eyes narrowing into the sun. It would be no use for him to get too dizzy before he found solid ground...and her hand moves to her controller, ready to pause him, if he should tumble out of control. However, she does this covertly, well out of Station's view.
It's customary to make this climb alone, but, Lita follows, giving a two-person length behind the other Gamemaster, following to the top.
Fortunately, Station is a little more sure-handed and sure-footed than to fall from a little thing like dizziness. Even where conditioning and cleverness fail him, reflex saves him. He's nearly at the top when a little bit of stone dust gives under his grip, his hand slips--and he grabs instinctually for the wall, flattening himself against it. He doesn't fall, nor does he look down...but his eyes go wide a moment with terror. It might almost look as if he's frozen up--but he forces himself to continue the climb, blood pounding in his ears from the adrenaline rush the near-fall engendered.
"You're almost there." The words from the Lady echo into the sky, over the sound of whipping wind far below. She sounds tired herself, already, but, she's made the climb before. Station has not. "Almost there."
If the words reassure Station, there's no telling. He stalls once more, squeezing his eyes shut and swallowing hard--before scrambling up the last few feet in an adrenaline-fueled rush. Once he reaches the top, he sprawls out, apparently just glad to be back on something approximating solid ground.
Lady A hangs by her hands on the edge of the cliff, for a second, then, with one more burst of effort, pulls herself up, onto the flat top of the tiny 'training grounds.' Here, there is barely enough space for one person to stand comfortably: two is already a stretch. Lita stands immediately, if perhaps just to give Corey enough room to sprawl. She pulls off her dusty overshirt, leaving her green tank underneath, and she actually drops the pink shirt over the edge of the cliff, letting it catch onto a breeze, tumble, pick up into the air like a spooked bird, and fly away until it blends into the clouds. There is an oversized knife strapped to a holster in her back, something that was hidden before.
Station lies right where he is for a few seconds, simply struggling for breath--before rolling over on his side, and easing carefully to his feet. He watches her throw the shirt away with a weary curiosity, tracking its indistinct shape...and for a moment, it almost /does/ look like a bird, a surreal image that causes him to blink briefly. Then he gives a slight shake of his head, shifting his gray eyes to her. "So..." he begins, once he has enough breath in him to speak.
Lady A turns around, and faces Station, instructing him sternly. "Sit on your knees, and look at me. Then, look around you, and tell me what you see."
Obediently--STILL obediently; and it probably says something that he's followed Lita this far afield without complaint--Station sinks to his knees, sitting back on his heels and looking up at her. He only blinks at the rest of her instructions, shifting his gaze from her to his surroundings as bid. And, after a moment of 'seeing', ticks off: "You...clouds..." He pauses, brow wrinkling. "...the ground..." His expression becomes increasingly puzzled, his eyes straying back to her. "...A lot of light," he concludes, tone supremely uncertain.
Lady A reaches around her back, and pulls out the knife, an oversized bowie that seems to be taken from a different zone entirely. It throws off a blast of sunlight before she lowers it to her side. "The warriors from this country are trained here by the spirits of their anscestors. Your anscestors can't reach you here. So I have to instruct you, instead. I am almost sorry that I have to be the one to do it. But when you're ready, shut your eyes."
Dazzled briefly by the light reflecting off the knife blade, Station gives her a mute nod. He doesn't know what she intends; his gut instincts are telling him this might be a bad idea, to be trapped this far up in the air with her...and a knife. At last, he takes one last deep breath, closing his eyes and resting his hands on his thighs, fingers splayed. His breath catches in his throat, once, then falls into an easier, if quick, rhythm.
Hard part over.
Now Lita has to do the part, the way it was explained to her, and though she has her wits about her still, she holds back for just a moment, before kneeling in front of Station. "In order to be seperated from what confuses your heart, you need to be seperated ...from everything." As she kneels, her voice is so flat, and still, as to almost blend into the air. Her hand rests on Station's shoulder. "Here, I will teach you about nothingness. In nothingness, you will come closer to finding yourself. Do you accept this?"
For a single instant, at Lita's words, fear--pure and cold--flashes through Station's heart. His breathing stops for that same instant, but he doesn't move, nor does he open his eyes. With her hand on his shoulder, she might be able to feel the knot of anticipatory tension he's become, all of his energy wound up tight in the beginnings of a fight or flight response. But he neither fights nor flees--just clamps his jaw tight, and manages to take another breath. "...I do."
Lita nods, but at this point, it can't be seen, or even felt, in the movement of her body. She knows that the tension she feels in Corey's shoulders is normal. "When you are nothing, you will not be able to move. This is best for you. So, I will cut off your legs. Do you accept this?"
Once more, Station's jaw clenches, his breathing becoming strangled, though it doesn't cease entirely. Once more, he has to think this over--but like starting down a hill, the first response of 'yes' makes all the rest easier. Forcing himself to relax--as much as possible--he gives a fractional nod, and confirms it vocally: "Yes. I do." His hands, still flat on his thighs, clench fractionally.
Lady A moves Station's hands aside, so that she has an easier strike.
The stab is swift. It is real. It pulls, and twists... and, then, she moves to the other, and does the same.
Does she truly sever? Who can say. She is... a insane guru, sometimes.
Station has endured pain before. He has been tortured, suffered wounds that would kill a lesser human, dragged up to the brink of death by violent force time and again. He has walked /through/ worse when the call has come, and once or twice brushed off the agony as if it were nothing more than the biting of flies.
That doesn't mean he's innured to the pain. Not by a long shot. As Lita stabs him--her words, 'do you trust me?' run through his mind a moment; did she intend to kill him, maybe? It would be her right if she did--a cry of pain escapes him. A gasp, a sob for breath--and the rest of dies strangled in his throat, even as his blood begins to flow.
Lady A knows that Station's felt pain. Pain isn't the point of the excercise. Nor is fear, though fear is a large part of what makes it work. The purpose is release. The release of everything.... especially the self.
"Well done." A pause, and the silence of thin air. "When you are nothing, you will also not be able to act. So... I take your arms. Can you accept this, too?"
What could this be leading up to?, Station wonders briefly, wildly, as she asks her next question. Analytically, he's had worse happen to him...but 'analytically' has very little place up here. Maybe it's the thin air. Maybe it's the hallucinogens in his system...but the question in Lita's calm voice sounds a /great/ deal more threatening than anything he's ever heard. "...I can."
"Good." There is no emotion in this, really, but it seems very affirmative. The next cuts happen right at the shoulders, Lita moving her hand to make them. They are much swifter, slicing jacket, and spilling blood, in two fluid motions. "No legs. No arms. Now breathe."
Ever obedient--/still/ obedient, despite the fact Lita's trying to dismember him; blood staining his pale clothing from the deep wounds--Station breathes. One breath, then another, quavering and pained and weak at first, growing steady for a moment as he tries to forge past the pain, then quickening. It /hurts/...but if she commands him to breathe, he will breathe.
"My voice is distracting you." Station will probably feel the woman lean forward, since she finally moves her shoulders, just slightly enough to rest the tip of the blade on the edge of one ear. "You will be closer to nothing, if I remove your ears. Can you accept this?"
A moment passes. Station is pressed to wonder how long he can sit here bleeding before he actually begins to bleed to death; the hallucinogens provide him with a momentary vision of an ocean of blood, and he strangles a hysterical laugh. "I...can."
Lady A cups her left hand over Station's right ear, as she positions the knife by his head. She doesn't cut off the outside, but positions the tip just inside the cup of his left ear, as if to drive it in tip-first, right toward his brain. She pauses. "No legs. No arms. No sound. If I take your life...." The inevitable question. "....can you accept that?"
Silence. Station remains perfectly still, his breathing the only sign he's still alive and hasn't just slipped away from the bloodloss. His breathing has steadied, but he's begun to tremble--fear, perhaps, or pain, or anoxia, or a hundred hundred other causes. Tears spring to his eyes, but the thin gleam of water doesn't overspill his closed lids.
At long last, he gives her an answer:
"Yes. I can."
Lady A twists the knife...outward, with a flick of the wrist. It makes the first sound it has in a long time, that being the metallic 'shing' of it striking against wind, then clattering down on a rocky cliff, far below, and bouncing out of existance.
Lita reaches into her pocket, and quickly pulls out a small powerup, a power pellet, pushing it into Station's mouth immediately, provided he doesn't try to spit it out.
"Wake up."
Station very nearly /does/ spit the power pellet back out, so strung out on adrenaline and fear is he. But he pauses a moment, long enough for reason to take over, and chokes the power pellet down without question. His eyes flicker open, gray and pained and confused, still wet with the shimmer of unshed tears as he stares at her. He doesn't question--verbally, though the confusion and unasked questions linger in those eyes.
Lady A can't help just...leaning over and hugging Corey. She throws her arms around the other Gamemaster, just relieved that he got through something so stressful and difficult. It wasn't easy for her, either...cutting him... and as he looks around, he can see that she did in fact break skin--that much evident from the healing wounds, from the cuts in his clothing, and from the blood--but that nothing was really removed. She takes a few deep breaths; the air just as thin for her, too, as much as she's hidden the fact. "Good job. ... Good job."
Station seems surprised as she leans in to hug him, raising his arms almost as if to fend her off--before hesitating, and embracing her back. His eyes squeeze shut a moment, and he resists the impulse to cling pathetically to her. It wouldn't help. "Thank you," he stammers, uncertainly...not sure if he's thanking her for the praise, or for the test itself.
Lady A lets go, and pulls away. She seems relieved, and there are the tracks of tears coming out of her own eyes, mingling with sweat. "I'm glad you trusted me enough to let me bring you here. But in the end...that was not even about trust, or loyalty. It was a question of how much you were really willing to sacrifice." Lita looks into Station's eyes, and says, quietly... "Next time you feel you might lose track of who you are, you can remember this. No legs, no arms, and no sound. What is left, is within you."
Unconsciously, Station sits back on his heels once more, hands dropping to rest on his thighs. He watches her eyes, listening to her words and soaking them up attentively. When she finishes speaking, he gives her a nod...then looks down at his hands, raising one to swipe the back across his eyes, dashing away the last of the unshed tears. "I'll..." He sucks in a breath, and looks up at her. "I'll remember."
Station moves without actually getting up to sit by her side, looking down at the warp zone. It would be a relief to get off the mountain and back somewhere with breathable air...But he lingers a moment, looking around at the depthless blue vault of the sky, the clouds passing beneath them, for just a moment.
Then he gives a firm, quick nod of his head and looks over at Lita. "Sounds like a good idea to me." The most words he's managed to string together in a long time.