un: a civil serpent | video.

[inferus]

( The device opens on the quarters of the Chained God - the quake of the stones, the gulp of the magma through the cracks. The shot lingers on the rivulets of dark water that come through, but it also takes in the thin rivers of magma. The cracks in the floor appear to contain both of these, but the dark water appears to be taking over, sliding over the room.

Wrath then turns the device toward him instead - wings of silver fire at his back, unleashed by the energy of chaos and destruction within this temple. In one hand, Wrath carries a jar with the lid iced over after the dark water inside of it attempted to explode out of it - likely to join the rest in the cracks. It remains within the jar. He has spent some time studying the two very different energies within this room, but also how the two have comingled, how they've blended imperfectly together. The energy it manages to absorb is that of a god - an impossibility, or it certainly should be. In many ways, Wrath is a god himself, has the power of one, and he had assumed the dark water would not be able to assimilate his own ability in full, but this has begun to fill him with doubt. )

The dark water is absorbing the Chained God's energy.

The two energies do not combine seamlessly. Given one energy exudes fire and destruction and the other exudes cold and construction, it is unlikely they would ever be able to merge perfectly. However, the dark water is devouring the god's energy nonetheless.

It is difficult to tell how much of it has already been absorbed. However, given this particular god was known at one point to be associated with the ending of the world, I do not believe I need to go into detail about what this dark water may soon be able to become. ( Destruction is impending on a catastrophic level, which should not be surprising given all they know so far, and their options continue to be limited. )

Comments

un: absterge

[downswing]

...agreed. One energy must be removed.

[inferus]

That may be easier spoken than completed. We would need to find the source of the dark water and cut it off before it can absorb any further.

[downswing]

Unless... we migrate the god.

[inferus]

...moving a god of chaos and destruction - one that is supposed to start the apocalypse if unleashed from its chains? You are ambitious.

( Wrath is not denying the necessity, but thinking through logistics is another matter. It is made of fire - theoretically he could attempt to ice it over in its entirety while remaining chained (the dark water may have taken enough of it to weaken it somewhat), but that would take all of his own power within this world and there would still be a god to move within a limited time. Abd where? )

[downswing]

You are as gods, yet move freely.

[inferus]

I do now. ( but he was not created to be free - no, he had to fall for that to happen, he had to find himself in Hell itself for that. ) And I have chained and captured powerful creatures that have required imprisonment before, but we are not in Hell so I cannot assume it will work in this world.

If we are to move the chained god away from the dark water, we need a where and a means of transport, and we need to do it quickly.

[downswing]

How are gods transported?

[inferus]

It would depend on the god and the required transportation, I imagine. It may be more efficient to kill it though killing a god would be near impossible in my own world, but regardless, I do not know if that would entirely stop the dark water from continuing to absorb it given how it reacts to the corpses of mortals.

[downswing]

To destroy a god would be blasphemy.

[inferus]

And what exactly is wrong with a little blasphemy? Do you truly feel you owe loyalty to this chained god - harbinger of apocalypses and destruction, or do you simply enjoy being righteous for the sake of it?

[downswing]

As ever prickly, you confuse acknowledgement for objection.

[inferus]

Not prickly so much as curious as to why you felt the need to make an observation that has no effect on either of us. Unless you were attempting to refer to the reaction of the city itself when their feared and worshipped god is destroyed?

[downswing]

I acknowledge the necessity. The greater good.

It does not make... the process without personal obstacle.

un: ut malum pluvia | audio

[somebadnews]

[ Serves him right for dismissing it as an apocalypse cult. Next he'll find out they have ten days before the rate of absorption triggers it, and he really doesn't want to do that math. ]

Alright, so maybe it's not a scam. [ There. He admits he was wrong, and he's staying absolutely calm about this. ] If it's cut off, would they separate again?

[inferus]

I believe the absorption that has already occurred may be permanent in its effect. I would still like to cut it off if possible, but that is difficult to ensure that without knowing the source or who has been feeding the dark water into the temple to begin with.

( Likely Caius given the way he has been wielding the Chained God and what they've learned about the grains with dark water along with the tie to Mattias )

[somebadnews]

[ He suspects Matthias and those tied to him. Maybe it's all a part of a deal made to enhance their army, which only seems to support Messalina's paranoia. ]

Is it all contained to the room? If we did manage to cut it off, can we isolate it?

[inferus]

It isn't contained to the room at all.

It's pouring up from the ground itself, and even if we cut it off for now, that path may be opened again. The more efficient move would be to kill the god, but in my experience that tends to be complicated.

[somebadnews]

Complicated, but you’ve seen it done?

un: KINGOFTHEPIRATES

[bigsmile]

wait, the dark water is going to become something?

( Every time Luffy thinks they've got this stuff nailed down, something else pops up. )

[inferus]

The dark water has always desired a form of its own. It may be absorbing the Chained God to learn how to gain its own form. I am uncertain of its motivation though as it appears the Chained God was then able to be... chained, because of it.

audio

[weifinder]

Think there's any feasible way to push the incompatibilities of the powers, to cut off the absorption?

[inferus]

It's a good idea, but difficult to know exactly how. The energies are unique even when they have similarities. It's also unclear how much has already been absorbed, but this was clearly planned. The dark water wants a form of its own, but I am not clear as to why given how that worked out for the Chained God - not that I imagine it is particularly sentient.

[weifinder]

The dark water chases after Matthias as well from the seeming of it these days, and more power of its own might make that easier as well. No one said logic had anything to do with anything, in the end.

[inferus]

Does gaining a form give it more power? It seems it's now free to move as it wishes without being chained down, but I suppose I should take a look at these chains for the inevitable time when the Dark Water needs to be captured instead.

audio; un: a tentacute observation

[companionsgrasp]

Why would something that creates want anything to do with something of destruction?

[Was this a case of light being attracted to darkness? Benedict muttered the question more to himself than to the device before he realized he'd already started recording. Right. What was he going to say?]

Should we get rid of one of them, or separate them?

[inferus]

I am uncertain of how much sentience the dark water truly has. Perhaps it is someone else that wants it to create from this destructive energy, create a weapon of an apocalyptic nature that can possibly be controlled by someone who knows how to control the dark water itself.

( But that is only theorizing. He imagines Mattias has some ability to control the dark water given what he's made of the Brotherhood, but it's unclear how much. )

I do not know that separation is possible for what has already been absorbed, but I will do what I can to cut off the dark water from continuing to enter the chamber.

[companionsgrasp]

That wouldn't be good.

[He could see something like that being possible. It would be a little like some of the rituals and occult things back in his world to an extent.]

That's a start. I meant though should we concentrate on separating them with some permanence, or destroy one entirely? Should we be seeking out one or the other as a solution?

[inferus]

It may be more efficient at this point to kill the Chained God given so much of it has already been absorbed. In my experience within my own realm, gods are not so easily killed, however.

( This realm operates quite differently though so it is possible this one might be easier to kill. )

...even then the dark water has been known to control corpses. Why wouldn't it still be able to absorb the chained god after it has been killed? I suppose at least then the source of the energy might generating more energy to be eaten. Do you have experience with killing gods? ( Wrath at least knows Benedict has an ancient, powerful entity attached to him with a certain level of experience. )

audio; un: keystone

[daughterheir]

The dark water defies any attempts I've made to filter or purify it. If it's absorbed this other energy, I'm not sure that can be undone.

[She sort of hates to ask this but...] Can the Chained God be killed? Would that cut off the energy that the black water is drawing on?

[inferus]

I do not believe it can be purified even in its base state. It would be like attempting to purify any other type of energy, power - so you are correct. The absorption cannot be undone.

That is a good question. In my own world, gods are nearly impossible to kill, but this one behaves with its own rules. As it is, you're correct to wonder if it would even work to stop the dark water. We know it can still affect the corpses of mortals after all. Why should the chained gods corpse be any different?