eastbound | video | un: slothbaby - after hell is sealed/on their way to safety

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video | un: slothbaby - after hell is sealed/on their way to safety

[A very tired teenager waves at the camera. As usual, she's got a smile on her face. Apparently a lack of sleep, murders, and run in with another crazy person isn't enough to ruin her mood. Kamala Khan everyone.] Hi, guys! Stuff has been super crazy, huh? I'm 90% sure we saved the day so yay! Another win for the team! Great job, guys!

[Those who know her or maybe just have a good ability to read people may pick up on the fact she seems nervous. She keeps chatting away like nothing is the matter.] Irenia is back too! Isn't that awesome? And I got food for us! Look... [She moves her pendant around to show a collection of dead wildlife, berries, etc.] I've been asking around for help preparing this stuff because yeahhhh city girl. No clue how you do this! If you want to help out, please and thank you? There's a lot of it and I know we've all been super hungry for what feels like forever. As far as I'm concerned everyone should eat as much as they can once we get it all cooked and stuff.

[Her eyes dart from side to side. Kamala clears her throat.] You might be wondering how I pulled this off and if you're not? I guess click off? But, yeah.... so I may have been carrying around a doll that belonged to someone else's daughter from a couple of places back? He told me his name is Matthias. I returned it to him because hey I'm not a jerk. It belonged to his daughter so it should go back to him.

He gave me this food in return or I guess his undead friends did. Not going to lie, pretty scary stuff. But, that's how I got the food. We talked about some other stuff too. His home world, Ellethia, and what he used to do for a living when his daughter was alive. His hot take on the whole undead thing. It really got me thinking about their deal. He seemed to know a lot about it.

And you know just out of curiosity, what do we know about the undead? Share if you want since I know we have bigger problems right now. I'm mostly worried about this food going bad.

private to Five and Allison

So, don't panic, but I may or may not be in danger here. Can we talk? About everything? This is pretty much the safe version of what happened. I don't want to freak out the the others, but if I were a questionable guy who didn't get their way just now? I'd totally go after you guys first since spoilers you're my favorite people! And Emilia, but seriously I've seen Emilia in action. I feel sorry for anyone who tries to hurt her to get to me. So yeah. We should talk.

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I'm curious about how he presented the story. Did he tell you he was the one who most like created the undead and precipitated the ruin of his own country?

[ Well that sounds. Worrying. ]

Oh, Titan... c'mon, I'll help you cook all that. Can't have Ammi freaking out, now can we?

[ Wrathion switches over, since she seems to prefer talking and texting someone who talks back is... probably rude? Anyway, his voice is probably at least familiar to her from the spa if nothing else! He speaks carefully, thoughtful. ]

Our details are, at least, one side of a story since we've never spoken to him. My personal impression has always been that he may well believe he is helping, but be... misguided. Of course, it could well be the reverse.

Matthias was q scientist working at the Ellethia Institute of Technology, that much we know for certain. Scientists chased the secret of immortality there, and that investigation involved... mirrors. These mirrors are dangerous, powerful, some grant wishes but... not always in a way you might expect. They give power at a cost.

We learned that the previous... leader of the project left citing ethical concerns. Matthias took over. Then Ellethia... Well, many people there died. Whatever they unleashed is still happening, and I suspect Matthias is touched by that power. Many of the undead lords we have met have interacted with him. My suspicion has been he is granting them their powers, powers that are useful and yet terrible in kind -- much like the gifts the mirrors give.

Sethica, for example. The child there. Matthias.... helped him, but kept things from him too. Brought him to Serthica, where he spread his sickness until everyone began dying, and trapped those there as puppets to keep the child from being lonely. He never told the child his father searched for him. We cannot know if he thought this all a kindness, but you see why we find him difficult to trust?

How many is all? Who exactly are we dealing with here?

Okay, I have to say this because otherwise I'll get distracted: your username is so awesome. I can't even stand it.

But, back on topic... so! He did not mention any of that stuff at all. Matthias talked about his daughter and how maybe the undead need to exist the way they do to avoid endless torment. Now did he seriously ruin his own country? How? I don't know what precipitated means FYI.

Yay! Thank you! Between you and the first responder, we'll get this done! [She does a little fist pump into the air.]

But, I'm not too worried. I usually eat a lot so it'll all come back before she can find out about it.

Start slow, okay? Don't want you throwing it all up again and waste all that good food!

[She recognized his username, but the sound of his voice clearly pleases her. Kamala does appreciate how he helped rescue and then repair her sloth back then.] This is actually really helpful information. I guess I shouldn't be surprised since you usually are.

[Kamala compliments sincerely. She pulls out her notebook and gets to work starting to draw what he describes so she'll remember it later. Kamala actually seems more focused as she responds, not skipping a beat in the conversation.] And yeah I see what you're saying. Everything in Serthica was pretty awful. Even if he thought what he was doing was good, the people there still suffered a lot because of it.

[ Oh yes, tell him he's helpful again. And clever. And handsome?

Anyway: ]

I would agree. I also have other... suspicions about our friend, Matthias -- The White Wanderer as they call him. He knew the child's father, who we called The Beastmaster. The Beastmaster was, too, an undead lord -- powers you may guess from the name. Control over inhuman creatures. He was searching for his child, and... spoke with Matthias, shortly before becoming The Beastmaster. Matthias knew his father was searching, did not tell the child or help reunite them. Instead, brought the child to Serthica. I'm certain he had some... reason, but it does seem like an elaborate game. Each person he has helped is suffering, in some way, yet his help feels as if it causes yet more damage to the living around them.

[ A pause, then: ]

We may be missing things, but I do wonder if whatever has been done to him has... twisted his mind.

[Kamala immediately pouts.] Oh come on! I haven't done that since I was like eight!

[Wow only one compliment unless you're Emilia or Captain Marvel!!!] That's really disturbing. I don't know how he could keep a son and father apart while he's mourning his daughter.

[Kamala is clearly confused by it. She gives credit even to people who behave like monsters evidently.] I got the impression he wasn't completely there. I thought it was grief. If my dad were in his shoes, he'd be a mess. They don't really recover from that stuff.

[ Another pause, thoughtful. ]

... I'm not certain if I know when his daughter died, in the order of events, but if it was before the fallout of Ellethia it may have... coloured his view of things. Of death. It may have given him... a drive.

Love, I think he's one of the ones we should definitely punch in the face.

With an exit plan.

I'm hearing from what you've said here that he claims the undead were natural. They're not. They're very rarely even the same spirit they were when alive. Ellethia broke through the mirrors into a realm of the dead — we can speak with Zenobius, you and I, if you like.

Matthias lost his daughter to natural causes while they conducted their research. The doll was originally a gift from his fellows, who was... possessed after, much as I could tell.

He's orchestrated lies for his own ends before. Including the undead lords like those we've faced already, and one killed.

I can send spirits beyond the living world. I have, more than once. There's nothing natural in what these dead are.

["Don't panic but I may be in danger." Yes, this is a surefire recipe for Allison not panicking. But she takes a breath before she responds, closing her eyes and trying to focus on the rest.]

We can talk. Where are you?

A drive to do horrible things to bring his daughter back to life? [Kamala is just throwing it out there. She can sympathize, but not excuse it. The Avengers didn't commit atrocities to bring back half the galaxy.]

Yeah, I'm starting to sense some bad blood here between our group and this guy I literally just heard about. We really need like a guidebook or something for newbies. I seriously had no clue we apparently have an archnemesis.

Yeah, I'm not exactly making what he said to me a secret. I think that actually might have been the point of talking to me to be honest. [Kamala wonders why now. Clearly, everyone hates this man she literally is just learning about. No one would have believed her if she presented what he said to them as thoughtfully as she planned to.]

But, okay. Back on topic... that's incredibly helpful to know. At least now I know that even if people get stuck somehow, you can help them, right? They'll be okay.

[She's visibly relieved. It had scared her to think these people were suffering endlessly.] Do you know why he wanted us to think it could be natural? It sounds like our group has a long history with him. People like you would know it isn't true and tell everyone else so... yeah. I'm confused.

[Kamala is drawing at this point like her life depends on it. She's gathering as much information as she can for the others to piece together this weird narrative she's found herself caught in. Fun times. :)] I'm with Five. I can give you the coordinates if that helps. That's how Five always finds me.

He hasn't spoken to any of us directly before. It would be one way to test how we're feeling.

( he says, neutrally but consideringly. )

It's only natural in his eyes because he's a large part of what started it, he's tied to it. That's what I'd have to guess from what we ran into in Ellethia.

And... I can send most on, but it helps not fighting against an undead lord at the time. Most the dead we face aren't remnants of what they were. That's already left. The body remains. It's fewer the number who recollect themselves, and often are leading figures, or predate the brotherhood at all.

The only scent I've had of him was mentions by others in Serthica, then the young dead boy when he spoke with Clara. The one who was the son of the double deceased Beastmaster, who I never met or arrived while he still walked the world.

Really, a summary would be nice even just to know who to run from in what order.

[ Eda grins, and there is definitely a teasing tone in her voice. ] Just making sure.

[ Five listens intently as she recounts what Matthias wanted, and his eye twitches when she brings up the Merchant immediately contacting her. That they picked now, the minute that Hell was sealed, to swoop in on their most vulnerable is... something he should have anticipated.

If he weren't in the state he is — the visit to Hell was almost too much, with the mirror in him still buzzing and threatening his composure if he slips — he might have started pacing as his mind turns around this new information. When she shows him what she's drawn he stares at it for a long while before shifting his eyes back to her.

No, he doesn't think that he would have said the same thing to him. Five has killed far more than the undead, so he'd have used a different tactic. The Merchant always seemed to know that about him from the first time they spoke, and now Matthias is overly familiar with Kamala. Of course, it could just have been what he thought would work on a girl separated from her family, but he won't discredit her suspicions. ]

I've seen him before, in a mirror. [ And a dream, he thinks, but that was too confusing and only left him with an impression. ] He's probably been watching us for as long as we've been following in his footsteps.

This... is good. He's never spoken to one of us before. Now we know that he sees us as a threat, and we're closer to understanding what his motives are. I wanted to track him down, and he came to you willingly. We have an opening.

What else did the Merchant say?

... Perhaps. Or a drive to sympathise with the undead, to believe their presence is... natural. I cannot say it has been so in my world, I cannot prove it isn't natural here, but... if someone struggled to let go, they may well want to believe it is so.

[ If his... daughter was trapped here, and he didn't want to let her go, he may come to believe she simply couldn't.

He has no evidence to say it's true, but it's... not impossible. ]

[It's a lot to absorb. Kamala nods as she tries to make sense of it by drawing it out.] It sounds like a pretty good guess. We can always cover for you when that happens. You know the undead lord thing. The important thing is for people to be able to return to where they came from.

[Doubling back though:] Should we be worried he started now?

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