boxfullofzeroes | voicetest the voiceless

voicetest the voiceless

They're not dead.

Less dead than they'd felt, at least. Their shell doesn't normally take so long to reform.

Then again. Their shell doesn't usually break of their own violation as they ascended in a boiling rage, ate at least one realm, a god, and all the Godseekers.

(That last point is debatable, actually. There's some odd sense, deep under their...shell? Void? Wherever they once stored things like Isma's Tear, much deeper now...that the sea-mind is still there, sluggish and held in a stasis. They're already adjusting enough, and they don't seem to be dying or trying to kill them, so that problem is neatly sorted as 'for later'.)

They push their body to stand. Their horn clangs uncomfortably loudly against the grate they've apparently woken up beneath. They're somewhere in the Royal Waterways. A quick check of the map--or, not so quick, as it takes time to locate where it had been--shows they've risen about halfway through, closer to the City of Tears than the White Palace. They'll go to the Stag Station in the City Storerooms next.

So they think. Complications arise on the way.

The Infection is gone, leaving dead Flukes, Pilflips, and Hwurmps in piles enough it takes time to force their way past. Their body seems too small. No, their body is fine--there's something wrong with perception itself. That will take time to adjust to.

Then, they discover the Monarch Wings now stretch and warp when used, twisting around the nearest pipes after landing before the Knight forcibly calls them back. Shade Wings, they decide to call these.

Once they're high enough to hear the rain above, they realize a noise they'd ascribed to water running in the distance is, in fact, something swirling behind their mask. Many somethings. All the fragments of Siblings with enough self left, staring out from their eyes. It's disconcerting.

By the time they actually get out of the Waterways, they're using their Shade Wings to grip ledges and drag themselves up, with those holding onto things better than their own arms are with the Mantis Claw.

The Knight faceplants awkwardly onto the floor of the building Lemm's shop is in. If the City is the same as below, there's little left to try killing them in the area.

They'll just take a moment here, thanks.

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The Knight meets his gaze. What is that look for. Nothing happened. They got off the counter, as they wanted to do at some point. Forget the noise. That wasn't anything. They're just going to turn around and stare out at the rain now.

They're a little dusty, clearly because his counter needs more use and not because they stirred up plenty of the floor.

Alright, alright. Lemm relents, peeling away from the scene to sit back in his chair and just... enjoy the silence, for a bit, with his chin resting on both hands. (He will replay this in his head later. Probably many times. The Knight doesn't need to know.)

Eventually he slides out of his seat.

"I don't know what I can get you," he says, "but I think I need water after that."

He hovers a bit before entering the back room, just in case they come up with something they actually do want. Not that he has much.

They flick their arm, as if waving him to the other room. No, they don't need anything. (They need a moment to work out why he might need water in the first place.)

Though they'll use the time alone to wave their wings and brush the worst of the clinging stuff off. There's still a smear of ink on the crown of their head, too, as they only somewhat see in their reflection. They can wash that off in the rain, or a hot spring if that won't suffice.

They glare at the counter for a moment or two before hopping back onto it, looking the gamepieces over one more time.

He is gone a little while. As familiar as he is with his own clutter there's still so much of it that there's a little faint clunking and rustling as he steps over some things and leans around the rest.

When he eventually emerges, there's a once-rather-ornate pillow tucked under the arm not holding his cup of water. This is wordlessly placed near the end of his desk, slightly nudged into some suggestion of neat alignment, and then dismissed as something he will not bring up again.

"You can keep one if you like." As he slides back into his own seat, Lemm gestures to the game board. "Might be a good reference if you look for spares... Or have them made." He takes a sip. "None of my concern how you finish the set." It is absolutely a task he's assigning them, though.

He kind of wants them to have the board game. Nothing doing without a challenge clause, though.

The Knight absolutely turns to peer at the pillow, but what Lemm says next absolutely knocks them from doing so much as point at it.

The comfortable warmth is back, all along them. They pick the Stag bell, naturally, though that one hadn't been cleaned as well as the rest. It's not the first gift they've gotten from him, but this one is more to their tastes--perhaps that's why it shakes them to their core. They just hold it delicately in their claws, staring at it for a time as they think.

Made...? That seems odd, for one who wants to collect relics, the original things. They can do something like that, though. Fill in what seems to make sense, and then find the pieces and compare, if they're particularly lucky.

The Knight bows.

They can bow with all the quiet appreciation they like - Lemm will not be responding to it with the dignity it deserves this time. He's not in the habit of giving things away and this is the first time it's felt right and he knows the rest will be going to them, too, eventually. He knows this, even if they don't.

One little piece borrowed against the rest is hardly a bother.

Barely considering it, Lemm pats them on the head while they're bowing and takes another sip of his water.

Theirs now. Whether or not he requests it back eventually, theirs now. Living in the moment is hardly foreign to the Knight, whether it be surviving a battle or enjoying a bauble.

They're patted and pleased about it, though they're not to ignore the pillow forever, no matter how many distractions reach them. They crouch, switching the bell to the hand they write less with.

Thank you. I appreciate this. And 'this' encompasses more than only the little gift.

-If you'd like to sleep now, you have an entire pile of pillows better than the counter.

He is a little floaty, after everything. It'd be easy to get sidetracked, but he has nothing to get sidetracked with right now. His headache is gone, he has navigated one of the most important conversations in his recent memory, and he is content to just... exist, and not work, and not fuss.

He peers down at the page and swirls his cup idly.

"No. I'm sick of seeing you sitting on that hard surface. Heretic." He takes another sip and closes his eyes, comfortably zoning out. The pillow, he has already decided, will be there whenever they are.

Ah.

They eye the pillow. Alright, then. Telling him they don't need it would be rude. This is another gift, small and freely offered.

...Important. Important, in a physical symbol that indicates their having a place here.

The Knight pats it once and settles in.

They'll need a few moments to adjust, admittedly. They're, as ever, rather small. Even a slightly raised soft surface is enough to put them at a strange angle they need to wriggle a bit to keep from being more inconvenient than not.

At the soft rustling of someone fidgeting in their seat he blinks a little more alert and watches them a moment.

Lemm kind of wants to see how long they'd fidget just to be polite.

"Not very comfortable, are you?" He can't help being a bit amused. "I'll admit I'm not sure what else to offer you."

Now, that's just a challenge.

They scoot to be better-centered (if feeling significantly worse-balanced) and start messing about with their Charms. See, that's functional enough, letting the Knight casually look at Joni's Blessing.

Fine, then. If they'd rather save face, Lemm will oblige. He's mildly touched that they'd bother, anyway, because he certainly wouldn't stand for it.

He eyes the charm with obvious curiosity.

"What's that one about, then? S'got a nice shine to it."

I don't suppose you'd- this is snapped off before it starts, again. Despite the open door, as far as he's concerned right now his shop is closed - they just happen to be sitting in it.

Heretic, he'd said. The Knight's mind went to this one, no matter how jokingly his words were aimed. They don't need to have it on, but perhaps they should for the sake of another hidden spirit's honor.

Joni's Blessing. Transfigures vital fluids into lifeblood. Helps in more difficult trials that will cause consistently-calculable damage but impedes actual healing.

Edited 2022-12-06 11:03 (UTC)

He gives an interested hum.

"I believe that stuff was prohibited here back in the day, at least in the City. You've no qualms with it, I see."

...What vital fluids. Void? Is Void a - he is getting sidetracked.

"Anyway what d'you need something like that for, now?" Lemm looks mildly disapproving. "You're not visiting that arena I've heard about, are you? Everyone who passed through seemed so fixated on it."

It is at least somewhat above. There's someone in the Crossroads who sells charms (not this one) who informed me as much. I'm not certain why.

Another Higher Being's domain? They tack this on after a moment's thought. Joni's Blessing had assisted them in reaching something's Dream at the edge of the Abyss until they were removed with all the grace of the White Palace. Another thing they should check on, though when they think to reach (and the air grows heavy for a few long seconds) across Hallownest for a hint, the only thing they catch a flicker of is their distant Sibling, startled enough to take moments to hide it.

Not quite realizing they'd done something palpable, the Knight continues with some smugness.

I did. I didn't use this Charm for them, but I passed all three Trials. The last one wasn't worth it.

Lemm shrugs - he doesn't have a reliably consistent reason to offer them. There would be different answers depending on who you asked, he thinks, which is usually a good indicator that the real reason has been forgotten. (...Hmm. That's for thinking about later - he's already got two major projects on his hands.)

"Another? Just how many Higher Beings are in this wreck of a kingdom?" He sounds a little exasperated - but that curious spark that drew him here is thrilled that there still seems to be so much he doesn't know. It's starting to feel like he may never run out of things to learn, here.

Wait. All three-?

His disdain for the Coliseum is momentarily replaced by morbid curiosity. "...What was it like?"

...That's a good question, in truth.

Formerly Pale King, Radiance
White Lady
Unn
Lifeblood being that hid in dark dreams(saw from a distance) possibly?
Nightmare's Heart (visiting)
Myself?/Lord of Shades

That is a fairly significant number. They hadn't quite sat down to count it. No wonder Hallownest had rend itself to pieces under Higher Beings' struggles. If it wasn't the Radiance and her seething disease of hated dreams, it would have been something else, most likely.

--This is a poor angle to write from. The Knight shuffles a little before standing up, moving back and falling forward, lying across the cushion on their stomach.

It's known as the 'Coliseum of Fools'. This is a fitting name.

They can't quite remember most of what happened in which trial. They write down a good amount, about the armored creatures down to armoring Squits, and encountering the strange beings they hadn't been braced for--the ones from the Soul Sanctum, some of the Mantis Traitors from clear across the kingdom. A taste of their irritation while adding information about the shifting platforms and spikes bleeds through.

Edited 2022-12-06 14:42 (UTC)

Lemm isn't sure what he was expecting. Did he think they wouldn't provide him with a notarised list? Honestly.

He stares down at all of those with profound, burning curiosity. This does give him somewhere to start if the mood strikes to research these things. (And it will. He can already feel that familiar obsession rising, and forces himself to keep a lid on it for now. One can only pursue so many topics at once!)

"That is altogether too many higher powers," he declares simply, but there's no hiding the quiet excitement in his voice. "I might ask you about the less familiar ones some other time, if you don't mind. That's fascinating."

The rest of the information on the Coliseum is read with a great deal of input from himself - they get some solid reactions out of him regarding some of the more formidable-sounding opponents, and he interjects with questions here and there as well as a hefty allowance of scorn for the whole concept of the Coliseum as it is. But it becomes clear on some level that Lemm is quietly impressed with their achievements there; he's not a warrior, but he can appreciate the struggle.

"...I wonder what that place looks like without the Radiance's particular madness clouding it?" he finishes, after a hefty line of questioning about the dungeon. "Quieter I'd imagine, but who knows? With its reputation I wouldn't be surprised if it kept attracting warrior types long into the future." He shakes his head. "Unpleasant business, that. I don't much like having it so near."

They nod. They'll discuss the Higher Beings--other Higher Beings, technically, and that continues to be discomfiting--but they aren't sure how much knowledge they hold. Lemm's shown he can ask the questions to stir their memory well enough.

Perhaps less mindless. Its reputation seemed a call for glory when it scarcely appeared as such, no matter the rewards.

They paper is given a heavy stare. Inside, they gently push their Siblings away. This isn't for them.

There were enough challengers to dump a large amount of bodies down into the acid below. There was a warrior, Tiso, who travelled through Hallownest searching for that glory. He seemingly made it to the final trial, was killed by what I suspect was an unfair trick. He didn't fall enough to reach the acid.

I defeated their Champion and destroyed the Infection not long after, I believe. It would be better if it were to fade from that.

"The few bugs who passed through the City looking for it seemed senseless to me, but you're right - not all of them were addled by the air down here." He dismisses his own contempt with a vague wave, first. The Knight seems to enjoy combat. Best not say everything that comes to mind. "I wouldn't be here if I wasn't an example of the same, I guess. Everyone finds a calling. Many find mine strange, as well."

Lemm scans the rest and just seems to accept it. It's as he's said before: bugs die, or disappear, and usually without one's say in the matter. (As it turns out, one example has recently un-exampled himself. This has somewhat shaken Lemm's foundations a bit, though unfortunately they've had too much time to grow sturdy.)

"One can only hope the word dies out! I don't think I'll be giving any more directions, myself. If anyone asks, I've never heard of the place. It sounds like you've cleaned them out of incentives, anyway."

He's learned a bit of empathy, though.

"Was he a friend of yours? You have his name."

Combat is enjoyable. They found a rush to the Coliseum itself at the time, but it was soured by the discovery of the secret way out of the dungeon, where they could watch the battles and be sprayed with the infected blood of the combatants, and the finding of the Dream Nail leading to understanding at least many of the simpler creatures hadn't chosen to be there. By the end, they were driven to find what was there more than a sense of fun, and perhaps mercy.

Good idea. It doesn't deserve its fame.

Tiso wasn't a friend, exactly. We were travellers that met more than once, which was uncommon. I wished to see his skills, but never got the chance, and his death was undignified.

They look at their own writing, unsatisfied. Tiso is one of those who won't be remembered if they don't, short and disagreeable as their meetings were. No death is, but his was the particularly unfair. I believe a Mawlek was dropped to crush him without prior warning, and his last thoughts were simply wondering why. Finding his body after that was unpleasant if only for the sake of knowing him earlier.

The graphic mental image does not seem to faze him, and Lemm seems to understand the sentiment as a whole.

"I see." A light shake of the head. "That's humiliating for a warrior type, isn't it? I've read enough to see that much."

He does not know this Tiso person, but he knows the Knight. It occurs to him, rather jarringly, that it just as well might have happened to them, if fate had happened to tip it that way. Then where would he be.

"Yes. Vile business, this Coliseum. May it fall to disrepair and collapse into the acid."

There are all the practicalities of that to consider, which they nearly stop and do, but shake off in time to gravely nod.

In the meantime, though, their thoughts strayed to a certain other at Kingdom's Edge.

There's another Nailmaster there, Oro, as far from the Coliseum as one can be in the area. I don't expect you to visit him, though perhaps you'd enjoy trading barbs and geo. He's not cheap. Unsure if he knows much of the Great Knights in the first place.

There's one more Nailmaster, Mato, at King's Pass on the other side of the kingdom. They vaguely gesture westward. See, they're remembering to give more facts than he's specifically asked already! Not easy to get to with all the winds and climbing, but quite friendly. Still not sure of his knowledge. They're brothers, and all look extremely similar.

"...Brothers, eh?" That does imply the other two might know something. Lemm files this away as future research material. Maybe near future, if one lives so close. He'll feel that out as he goes. "I'll remind you you're an exception as far as conversation goes. But I'll consider a visit." Or two. Maybe.

Lemm has noticed the sudden freedom of information, too, and it'd be a shame not to take the opportunity to encourage that.

"These're good connections you're making for me. I've a fair few trips to make, it seems. Though I'll prioritise our - joint project, first." This does highlight the other thing he's been treading carefully around for a little while. Lemm takes a sip of his water and casually tries: "If I do find the whim strikes, shall I wait to take you along?"

He has never really bent to anyone else's restrictions before, but as far as he knows their entire precarious relationship hinges on it - and he's committed already. The image of the Knight's ink dragged away from their note still sits uncomfortably heavy in his mind's eye. His excitement over the Great Knights still does not take precedence over that private guilt.

Somewhat estranged, I should add. I'm not sure why as of yet.

Likewise, I'll remind you I don't expect you to follow up with every name I give. They're simply options to take or leave.
Also, if there are any I believe you should avoid, I'll be sure to specify. (Ex, Divine of the Grimm Troupe.)

The Knight is focused on their current subject, and so they assume he's referring to the Nailmasters in particular. They take a few moments to think them over.

Likely, yes. Oro lives past acid and Great Hoppers I doubt have all died out, as much a blessing as it'd be. Sheo and the Nailsmith are past a very irritating tunnel of thorny vines^{(unknown how they met)}. You may be able to make it to Mato with your rope but the cliffs are rather sheer.

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