un: drenched kitten of heated purrs, audio

[jeoha]

[ There's a pause, as he remembers how to use the magic, and then his voice comes through - crisp, low, commanding. He has his Prince voice on and he doesn't even notice. ]

You must go for the head. Decapitation is best, if you can manage it. Caving in the skull second best. Slice open the throat, third. No fancy footwork, no finesse. Your first priority is to keep yourself from harm, so only go for the kill that you know you can take. If you can't take it, escape.

[ He pauses, breathes. ]

We have been told to kill them, if we can. If you cannot, come to me. I will teach you how to fight.

We do not have the luxury of being ignorant.

Comments

[somebadnews]

[ He's been trying to tie this place to a year where it all went wrong, but really, he gives himself a headache with the mental backflips he's doing to try to piece together what happened. Reversing that seems paramount to defeating an army of the undead, but so far he's at a loss. -- And that's all it is. It's not like this is deeply disturbing on any personal level. He's totally calm. ]

An infection. How did it start to spread?

[jeoha]

[ There is a heavy sigh on the other end of the line. ]

It was controllable, at first. A recently deceased corpse could be raised from the dead, turned into a monster.

But a group of starving people... they ate a corpse of one who was attacked. Consumed the flesh. They also turned into these monsters, but when they attacked, when they bit others, it no longer merely killed them. It spread.

[somebadnews]

[ There's a stretch of silence. It shouldn't be surprising, but it is, and he can't help but think about his close proximity to those husks. ]

So we have to assume it could happen here. Or it has. [ That first message he received after escaping the jailhouse stuck with him. Now he's all but forced to take it seriously. ] To what end? World domination?

[jeoha]

For power, yes. A throne.

Just as I understand the infected are used here. Men who think they can control such a scourge, and use it to secure their own power.

[somebadnews]

[ Lording over the dead. And he thought he was morbid. -- This might be one of the only times he's really curious to know what his brother would have to say about all this. Probably nothing as insightful as he'd hope for. ]

Control... How do they do it? [ He's being patient enough with his questions, might as well get them all out. ]

[jeoha]

Like how one controls rabid dogs. With chains, and timed release.

[somebadnews]

Simple enough. [ And he's maybe a tiny bit relieved that they don't control the dead by other means.

He's not sure what else to say, but his other questions just die on his lips. Too much to think about, and it earns him some honest empathy. ]

I'm sorry to hear you couldn't get away from them.

[jeoha]

I survived. Some of my men survived. We overcame. That's all that matters. [ It was far from all that mattered, but he could not - would not - try to explain how he felt about the throne that should have been his, and the country he left behind. ]

And all that will matter, here.

How can we acquire you your-- [ It takes him a bit to remember the word, because he has no idea what it is -- ] -- chainsaw? Can you describe how it is made?

[somebadnews]

[ That's more relatable than he knows. He's not expecting him to elaborate, any more than Five would about the things he's done to survive, but he can understand the sentiment. It's encouraging to have someone who thinks that way out there.

After a quiet moment, he makes a small noise of amusement. He appreciates the effort to sufficiently arm him. Really. ]

I'm afraid the technology here isn't quite ready for it. [ He doesn't have the heart to tell him he was joking. Besides, he's a resourceful sort. ] It's alright. I can make do.

[jeoha]

[ A pause. The mention of technology... ]

Are you also from the Kingdom of Canada?

[ It's a stupid question, but. Well. He's seen some of Mingyu's things. And all this talk of spray bottles. ]

[somebadnews]

[ There are no stupid questions when it tells him something he hasn't heard before. Real world locations are always notable. ]

Can't say that I am. [ Though he has been there. He's been everywhere. (Well, almost.) ] Someone you know from the future?

[jeoha]

[ The future. It's a concept he hasn't really considered - thinking them displaced only by space, rather than also by time, but it makes a lead feeling spread in his gut. Mingyu had been cagey, about where he was from, and had indeed asked Lee Chang 'what year' it had been, but he had thought they were just trying to figure out relative calendars. However, "First Blush" made a good point. Surely, if a land had the kind of technology that Mingyu had, he would have at least heard stories of it? Like the Portugese, or the Dutch. Just because they weren't welcome on their shores didn't mean that they didn't know the existed, didn't have a sense of where their might of arms lay.

But the Kingdom of Canada was a place utterly foreign to him. He pierced his lips. ]

... Bai Mingyu. I cannot speak as to whether he comes from the future, but his land certainly has instruments I've never seen.

[somebadnews]

[ Five doesn't have to guess to be able to pick out who comes from an earlier era. For him it's regarded as unusual but, out of everything else he can't quite figure out (he's trying), it's at least in the realm of possibility. Being lost in time is something you never get used to.

He knows that name though, and he almost regrets asking. ]

Of course it's all relative. And then you have to consider that not all timelines run parallel. [ He has memories of full days that didn't happen, and now he's starting to wonder if any effort to maintain it is a lost cause. Or if he's personally responsible for the mess he made of it.

Then, abruptly, since he actually hadn't actually concluded that Mingyu was part of the same group -- ] Doesn't he work at the brothel?

[jeoha]

Not all timelines--

[ He's about to ask, about to confuse himself further, but the abrupt question derails that train of thought right onto another. Still complicated and confusing, but less metaphysical. Maybe. ]

... Yes. He does. [ He is trying to sound like he doesn't care. ]

He was in the cell next to mine, before we escaped.

[somebadnews]

[ This rabbit hole of quantum physics and space-time is probably best left to Five to puzzle out. He finds most people aren't equipped to even grasp the concept.

So he doesn't bother elaborating.

Instead he considers that new knowledge with what he's already gathered. It's... interesting. ]

I should have given him more credit for adapting so quickly.

[jeoha]

Mm. [ Carefully not approving or disapproving. ]

He is a survivor. [ This is said a little quieter. Definitely leaning on the approval side, but there is a note of resigned recognition in his voice somehow. ]

I am learning quickly that there are kingdoms far, far different than mine. He belongs to one of them.

[somebadnews]

[ He mulls it over for a while, completely ignoring the flow of conversation as he decides where the pieces line up. (It's a mess, if you're wondering. And beyond frustrating that he can't find enough wall space to draw this out somewhere he can see all at once.) ]

Yeah, well. [ He comes back abruptly, with a vague memory of the last thing he said. ] Most people are happier with what they don't know.

[jeoha]

I am not one of them.

[ Ignorance just got you killed. ]

I cannot help with tech, but I can teach you to make use of what is available here, if you need it.

[somebadnews]

[ Hm. Even if Five is alone in grasping the big picture, at least he's got the right attitude. ]

I can honestly say I don't have a lot of experience in dealing with the undead. [ Admitting he doesn't know something... he must have made some impression. ] I'll remember who to come to.

[jeoha]

It is not an experience I would wish on anyone, but I am willing to share mine.

[somebadnews]

[ Just another complication. ]

It seems like we'll all have it soon enough. [ In so far as he's seeing this out with them. Right now they just happen to be going in the same direction. ]

Have you killed any of them lately?

[jeoha]

[ Unfortunately the undead seem to be in every direction, these days. ]

Mm. In the jailhouse, during our escape. The guards were very similar to those I had come to know, if slightly more passive.

... The red-tattooed ones, on the other hand... They may be far more difficult.

[somebadnews]

[ Not that he's going to run out to test that, but while they're talking about the jail -- ]

What about... spirits. Possession. Is that something you've seen?

[jeoha]

No.

[ There's another pause, and he huffs out a breath. ]

Even the intervention of gods seemed like a distant concept, back home. A plea seldom answered. But there are others here that have spoken of possession. Do you know Master Lan?

[somebadnews]

[ That response gets a considering pause. Hm. ]

Was he familiar with it before coming here?

[ He doesn't confirm or deny who he knows, since apparently this isn't a give and take conversation to him. ]