[God Quest] The canvas' colors can't hold like they once could

REMI

the alchemist

I wear this crown of thorns
Upon my liar's chair

(Set during the SWE)

It wasn't the first time Remi had pondered the nature of his relationship with Isla. He'd done it often, though selfishly his considerations of her had greatly faded. Only now, on this night of spirits and ghosts and remembering, did he realize that his attention to her had faded precisely with the fading of her spirit.

A spirit he'd begged to have brought back. A spirit cast into the body of a unicorn.

At the time Remi thought it cruel. Ludo had the power to bring her back, and yet she was placed into the skin of a creature far less beautiful and capable than she'd been in life. But he'd accepted it because it had been the only way, because he had no ties to or over Ludo, and because he'd been weak and wanted his friend.

So he'd let her soul diminish down to something unrecognizable and then forgotten her.

Staring now into pebble-blue eyes that were Isla's only in colour, the alchemist stroked the unicorn's charcoal coat. "There is no hiding my thoughts from you, I suppose." He whispered softly. "Would that I could take this away from you, like I did with the sailors...know that I would." Isla, no longer capable of articulate speech the way she'd once been when her soul was still fresh, merely blinked in acknowledgement. "For all that you aren't anymore, I think she is somewhere in there...and I'd not keep her caged like this any longer." The Alchemist's voice broke at that, his fingers tangling into the midnight mane.

"I never grieved you because I thought you were never gone." The words were a whisper, carried away by the rush of the sea next to which they stood. From the base of Remi's spine a scorpion-tail grew, rising over his shoulder. "But I will remember you always, for the woman you were...not the shadow of yourself I made you into." The unicorn sensed the oncoming danger, but Remi's will was ever the stronger. "I should have let you die saving lives, not here on a beach with me. I'll carry that regret forever." And oh, how he would.

Swiftly, the poisonous barb of the Alchemist's tail rushed towards the thick veins in the unicorn's neck. At the same time, claws dragged across her throat spilling blood that looked black in the moonlight across the sands. Both Alchemist and companion collapsed in a silent wummpfff; a piece of Remi's own soul shattered as Isla's heart beat its last. But he never let her go, nor did he dare cry out in the pain the ricocheted through him as their bond was severed.

---

Remi has killed Isla

Full of broken thoughts
I cannot repair

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.

"You finally understand." Isla's voice was soft, and whilst Remi would know by now that it couldn't be her, there was always a reason Ludo chose its forms. The medic stood over Alchemist and unicorn, even as blood soaked the sand and the darkness screamed its silence all around them. "Do you remember that night? The deal you made with me?" Isla's visage held out a hand for Remi, an offer to help him to his feet, perhaps. Beside them a bright and shining orb rose from the body of the unicorn, circling Remi, bobbing and weaving with an energy that was all his friend. "You promised me anything. That does not end because she is dead. Understand?" LUDO she's still here if you believe it hard enough

REMI

the alchemist

I wear this crown of thorns
Upon my liar's chair

Isla's voice triggered a near reflex-like response within the alchemist: his throat closed, his heart leaped, his eyes stung with tears. Looking up into a face framed by golden hair, all the Alchemist could see were those pebble-blue eyes, bright with an intelligence he hadn't seen in years.

"I do." The words were just whispers over shaped lips, but it hardly mattered. The question might as well have been rhetorical, so obvious was the answer. The unicorn was already growing cold beneath his fingers, and though the Isla before him looked so real, he wondered how much colder her fingers might be. But it was as Ludo had said. Remi had indeed learned his lesson and though he did still want to cling to the lifeless body on the sands, he'd not make old mistakes again so quickly. Taking the offered hand in one covered with blood, the Alchemist stood, eyes drawn to the spark of soul rising from the unicorn.

Breathing catching properly in his chest, Remi let out a sorrowful laugh that threatened to become a sob as he felt the vivacity of Isla. Without taking his eyes off of the light, tears trickling down cheeks now flecked with blood, Remi simply nodded.

He understood.

Full of broken thoughts
I cannot repair

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

The hand closed around Remi's drawing him to his feet with a strength that Isla would never have possessed. She held it, still, as the little soul bobbed around them, before whirling up into the skies and winking away forever. Gone at last to Mort, Isla's soul was as vivacious as it had always been. "She is grateful," the not-Isla assured him, turning to face the waves. It would be the last time Ludo would speak of her in the present. "Once upon a time, you had me take her soul," she said softly, kicking up sand with her feet. "And now, after years of neglect, of leaving that soul to stagnate... Remi Taliesin, I would have your soul as payment." Pebble blue eyes glanced sidelong at him. "Rest assured, I do not intend to kill you sweetling. But I would have you. I once offered you purpose - now I demand it in payment." LUDO she's still here if you believe it hard enough

REMI

the alchemist

I wear this crown of thorns
Upon my liar's chair

Remi watched the sparklight rise. In another lifetime where his soul was soft and golden, he might have raced after it, if only to keep her company. Or so he might have told himself. Remi's selfishness had been varnished in altruism such that only a few were privy to just how deep the waters of his own hurts and wants ran.

Swallowing, not daring to feel greatful that Isla was at peace now—not after what he'd done—Remi turned his gaze upon the not-Isla that seemed all the less real now.

As Ludo kicked the sand, its movements elegant and casual, Remi's heart froze. Back at the festival, Ronin would feel it lurch and then stop all together on his finger. There was no room for argument, the Alchemist knew that. But he was human, and his terror and confusion was bright on his tongue.

Adrenaline rushed through him as he decided, and though it might not seem like much of a decision given how weak the Alchemist was in comparison with Ludo, it was precisely that just the same. "You told me once long ago, that we always have a decision. That death is always an option." Remi replied in a voice that made no attempts to try and sound brave or strong. "My heart is forever Ronin and Aoife's...but my soul? If that is your price, then you have it."

Full of broken thoughts
I cannot repair

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

"Human? Quite." Ludo sounded dryly amused; a pleasant enough tone in Isla's voice. "I thought as much, that this would be your response. You are not the man who came to my shrine a few months ago. I think now you are ready for what I need. Governor of Torchline, too." She laughed. "Do you know what makes up a soul?" They were walking now, and Isla's voice grew low and soft as they made tracks in the sand, hand in hand. "It is all your past hurts and experiences, your dreams and your successes. And yours, sweetling, is far too heavy. It is time you remembered who you were. In here." With her free hand, Isla reached out and tapped the Alchemist directly in the chest - and with that one, small movement, the world around them melted out of focus. They stood, ankle deep in mud. Shards of ice littered the ground. Screams echoed through the fields around them, but there wasn't a soul in sight. Except one. One tiny, broken body, motionless in the mud some distance away. "Go on, Remi," Isla said softly. "Look at her. Be a big brave lion." Remi has lost his lion shift. LUDO she's still here if you believe it hard enough

REMI

the alchemist

I wear this crown of thorns
Upon my liar's chair

Apprehension curled Remi's hair into feathers as he followed Ludo, his bare feet leaving far heavier tracks in the sand. The Alchemist shook his head, though his ignorance should have been obvious. Clever as Remi was, the metaphysics of magic and souls were far above any knowledge he ever hoped to aspire to.

As Isla's fingers moved towards him the Alchemist paused, a sliver of naive optimism filling him for just a moment, before the world fell away.

The mud was cold and the screams were like gnats around his ears; bothersome but small in the big scheme of things. He tried to move but couldn't, though perhaps that was because he wasn't really trying. Remi's breath was empty of air, his heart clenched tightly in his chest as a wave of frosty dizziness swept over him. Shakily he reached forward a hand, only just catching Ludo's command. Struggling forward but falling to his knees instead with eyes only for the motionless heap he saw often in his dreams, vaguely the Alchemist tried to do as he was told...

..and found he couldn't.

"She...she is with Mort." He gasped breathlessly and with great difficulty, as the hand that bore his wedding ring trembled over the small shape.

Full of broken thoughts
I cannot repair

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

ludo

"Yes. She is." As Remi glanced away from Isla, she disappeared into the ether. Her voice - now Ludo's - spoke of quiet acceptance, of the weight of centuries. "She is with Mort. So you must not carry such anger any longer. It does not serve her and it does not serve me. It is selfish."

A strange breeze blew over the proceedings, and all around them the mud seemed to turn to dust. To... ashes? The sky darkened, plunging deep into the shadows of Longnight, and Aoife's broken little body blew into nothing, replaced by a brightly burning guildhall. "Your memories are sacred," Ludo said softly. "But they have filled you to the brim. They have poisoned you."

---

Remi has lost:

Water Manipulation
Type: Light
Rank: Mastered
Can create and control water. Must be within a 30ft radius.

REMI

the alchemist

I wear this crown of thorns
Upon my liar's chair

Ronin was right on the beach and Ludo was right now. Remi carried with him so much. So much anger, resentment, hurt, love. It was weighty and heavy, but he'd grown strong enough to carry it all around in a way that, while not permissible, wasn't killing him.

So he thought.

Gulping down a raw sob as Aoife's form breezed away, Remi's fingers clutching at nothing, the Alchemist started at the sight of fire and flame consuming his former home. Reaching for the well of water formerly within his soul, he found it utterly lacking. Gasping into the vacancy, Remi turned a confused stare towards Ludo. All that I have, I use to serve. Wasn't that the truth?

Wasn't it?

Full of broken thoughts
I cannot repair

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

ludo

"All that you have, you resent," Ludo corrected, somehow all around Remi, its mask winking down from the starless sky as the guildhall burned before them. "Do you not remember? Those who came to you to ask for your help, the bitterness of it all?"

Of course he did remember - that was the very point. The sky dropped down upon the Alchemist, and it wore Ludo's face. The fire was swallowed up and Remi fell... fell down and deep and into darkness, landing with a soft whump on a forest floor.

Sounds whispered about him. Was it Ronin, blight-fevered and hunting him down? Was it Ianto, sweetly searching for him in his blindness? Samuel? Loren, even? Who was it?

"You did not used to be a bitter man. Get up. Dust yourself off. Walk."

---

Remi has lost:

Magic: Earth Giver: When combined with mastered earth magic, can temporarily let earthen structures move on their own (limited to endurance stat) with rudimentary sentience. Can animate 1 large animal, 3 medium, or 5 small plants at a time. Example: Can make trees walk, can make flowers that chase each other, etc.
Type: Light | Rank: Basic

Magic: Blind Sight | Can see in shades of grey. Objects/persons that Remi has a close emotional relationship with appear vibrant and in colour. Requires magical stamina to focus intently.
Type: Grey | Rank: Basic

REMI

the alchemist

I wear this crown of thorns
Upon my liar's chair

He did. He did remember. The hypocrisy was clear when laid before him such as it was. A guildhall set to burn, all because Remi had angered the herald and had saught its favour again. Dressed up in that way, it was easy to risk the lives of everyone in the guildhall. He had warned them after all, as if that assuaged the blame. As if it had stopped the flames. He gained power that hadn't saved Aoife. Power he didn't want to be known for. So then why have it?

Yet he'd coveted it.

Mulch and earthy decay filled his nose, the forest floor beneath him feeling a hostile thing rather than a place where the Alchemist once felt most at home. Clutching at the bark of a nearby tree to help him stand, Remi wiped ashy tears from his eyes with the back of his hand. He indeed thought of Ianto, wondering if the visions he saw in the Memory Puddle had actually been foreshadowing this moment. Was the fox another whom Remi had turned his back upon?

Swallowing and taking one step and then another, Remi tried to lose himself in the forest around him that he might finally leave behind the graveyard of his past.

Full of broken thoughts
I cannot repair

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

Leave behind? Hardly. No, Remi would push forward into the forest, and around him the greens and browns grew twilit and foreign. The air was cold and crisp, and he had walked this route before, once upon a time. Just like before, as the forest darkened the light of a lantern flickered up ahead, opening into a clearing. A clearing in which his mother stood, a lantern at her feet, her eyes warm and welcoming, her arms open. "You have come so far," she said, her voice a sweet, sad whisper. "Come home, now." Remi has lost: His raccoon shift. His octopus shift. Earth Manipulation: Can create and control the earth. Must be within a 30ft radius. Type: Grey | Rank: Mastered LUDO Braved the forests, braved the stone Braved the icy winds and fire Braved and beat them on my own

REMI

the alchemist

I wear this crown of thorns
Upon my liar's chair

Truly, this was one hurt he thought he had left behind. One he thought couldn't follow him anymore, so long had it been since lantern-light in the distance haunted him.

But he saw it now, and the fresh hell it had once burned into him sprang to fire again in his veins. The mud. The cruel stare of his father, hands twined around his mother's drowning face. Remi, helpless as he had been a child, helpless again as he watched them go.

But he wasn't helpless now: though it wasn't magic that made him strong, but Ludo's words. I do not intend to kill you sweetling.

And so the Alchemist ran.

He ran into the arms of the woman, light-footed and trusting in Ludo that its word had been true. While Remi felt lighter indeed for all he had lost, that was only because these holes inside of himself weighed little now that he god had hollowed them out. Perhaps now at least he'd be light enough not to sink into the mud as he'd once nearly done.

Full of broken thoughts
I cannot repair

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

She folded her arms around him, as warm and solid and real as his memories could imagine, all spice scented and rich curls, holding him close. "I've got you," she whispered, even as the forest began to splinter and crack around them. Chunks of it fell away into void, and Remi's mother turned his head that she might hide his face away from the worst of it. Eventually they stood upon nothing, surrounded again by the purest black. And then snow began to fall. In a scene that had played once before for one man and one alone within the Hollowed Grounds, Remi would see a child, cold and frightened and hurrying through freezing streets. In this longest of nights, the child knocked at doors, trying for entry, only to be refused at every turn. "Go." The Alchemist's mother kissed his cheek and turned to smoke within his grasp. Remi has lost: Base Creation: When combined with Mastered Air, Mastered Earth, Mastered Water, and Mastered fire, can create 2 magical items per season (with admin approval). Without mastering the four elements, can create well-made complex machines, and an unlimited number of regular items per thread limited by endurance stat. Small items last their natural lifespan. Medium and large items degrade after a season. Complex machines (a telescope, music box, etc) must be created with the knowledge of the character (i.e., cannot create a machine you don't understand/wouldn't be able to build with relevant tools) Type: Light | Rank: Mastered Magic: Creation add-on | Can create 4 additional magical items per season Type: Light | Rank: Upgraded Magic: Creation add-on | Can create 6 additional magical items per season Type: Light | Rank: Mastered LUDO Braved the forests, braved the stone Braved the icy winds and fire Braved and beat them on my own