Before the Lobotomy
Nate Wrenzaok
the Lone (Free) Ranger
"Doctor" / Guildmaster

Age: 37 | Height: 6'1" | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 10 - Strg: 55 - Dext: 45 - Endr: 50 - Luck: 46 - Int: 1
PEMOTA - Mythical - Starwhale (narwhal) RAMOTH - Mythical - Dragon (Biopulse)
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#1
- NATE -
The universe is expanding
But I don't feel a damn thing
Back in the Grounds, sooner than what Nate wants. Gods, after Longnight ever coming back to the Grounds would be too soon, but beggars can’t be choosers. At least Pemota is a boon, hovering around his shoulders and settling the worst of his tensions.

After everything, all the trauma and tribulations, there’s really only one thing left for Nate to get off his chest, no matter how unwilling he might be to do it. It might bring some ease, he tells himself, might make him feel better.

Or it might just cover his ass for the future.

He chooses the most remote shrine he can think of, hopes he isn’t interrupted anyway, and bows his head. ”Hey, I... I wanted to ask about the shrine in Torchline. Fixing it. And...” The word stretches out, Nate shifting uncomfortably, trying to work the nerve up. ”And I need to tell you something.”

He just hopes this time, he reaches the Voice, and not a terrible spider beast.
Love and understanding
Were simply too demanding


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#2

"Hello, bright one."

It is the Voice who answers, and though the sound emanates from the strange mass of cable and metal within the tree trunk, Nate will feel her all around. Like arms encircling him, embracing him and cradling him close. The sensation strokes at his hair, runs gently across scars both old and new like, almost reaching within him to soothe the rest of the pain there.

But of course, he sees nothing. Not at first.

"Much hard work was destroyed with the Torchline shrine," the Voice laments. "I would of course endorse you fixing it, my bright one. We cannot have you left abandoned in the place you have chosen as your home."

As for what he has come to tell her? The tree seems to pulse expectantly. Perhaps the Voice already knows. Perhaps she is just waiting to hear it in his own words.

"Speak, then."
the VOICE
Nate Wrenzaok
the Lone (Free) Ranger
"Doctor" / Guildmaster

Age: 37 | Height: 6'1" | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 10 - Strg: 55 - Dext: 45 - Endr: 50 - Luck: 46 - Int: 1
PEMOTA - Mythical - Starwhale (narwhal) RAMOTH - Mythical - Dragon (Biopulse)
Played by: Johnnie Offline
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Posts: 2,792 | Total: 4,183
MP: 0
#3
- NATE -
The universe is expanding
But I don't feel a damn thing
Selfishly, Nate let’s mismatched eyes close and leans into the comforting touches, as much as he can lean into something intangible. ”Thank you.” Sincerity drips heavily off the words, Nate’s eyes opening again to look at the thrumming core of the tree. ”Just tell me what needs to be done, and I’ll do it.” Thats one thing resolved, and easily, but it isn’t the one Nate’s worried about.

Pemota drifts away from him, though whether it’s in disappointment, or a preemptive fear for what will happen to him isn’t clear. ”I fucked up. I don’t know how, but I... I wanted to get something for,” his voice drops into a whisper, ”Sunjata. He’s not... one of yours though, and I didn’t want him to... get in trouble with,” Safrin’s name is replaced with a hand wave, and Nate clearing his throat, ”so I... went to her. And... didn’t do what she asked me to.”

Nate looks anywhere but at the tree, shifting uncomfortably. He’s left a lot out, things that he’s sure the Voice will know. ”She... did something to me.”
Love and understanding
Were simply too demanding


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#4

"I shall, and it will be done." That is something they can both agree on, and it seems bizarre to think that they would be here, given Nate's opinions of the Voice even this time last year. But there's something much more important to deal with before she delivers the instructions to rebuild the Torchline shrine. And as Nate begins to speak, the Voice does appear, stepping out the crackling tree trunk as her holographic self.

Her static eyes are sharp and angry as her bright one explains, but the fury is not at Nate, no. Moving closer still, she reaches up to gently rest her hands upon his cheeks, peering deep into his eyes. And she senses it, what has been done, and around them the woods seem to spark and crackle, as if burned by a lightning storm. "Oh, Nate," she hisses. "You could have come to me. You can always come to me."
the VOICE
Nate Wrenzaok
the Lone (Free) Ranger
"Doctor" / Guildmaster

Age: 37 | Height: 6'1" | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 10 - Strg: 55 - Dext: 45 - Endr: 50 - Luck: 46 - Int: 1
PEMOTA - Mythical - Starwhale (narwhal) RAMOTH - Mythical - Dragon (Biopulse)
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Posts: 2,792 | Total: 4,183
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#5
- NATE -
The universe is expanding
But I don't feel a damn thing
Perhaps if Nate stopped to actually think about how far he’d come with the Voice, it would give him pause, force him to take a step back and really look at himself. Perhaps he’d be less content to trapped in this falling orbit, each favour bringing him deeper into her light.

Breath that he doesn’t need catches in his throat as the Voice appears, Nate flinching away from her light, from the crackling energy that seems to surround her. ”I’m sorry.” He whispers as his face is grabbed, as she stares into his eyes and finds himself pinned. Hands open and close at his sides, his eyes fighting the urge to glance away, to close. ”I know, I just... I thought I could keep him safe too. Keep Safrin from... being upset, and doing this.” A single hand rises to gesture at himself.
Love and understanding
Were simply too demanding


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#6

The electricity in the air seems to shiver about them, and though all is bright, harsh, static, none of it is for Nate. None of it will harm him, and by degrees the light seems to soften, to cradle around them both. The Voice's fingers stroke along his cheeks, and though her fury is absolute, there is nothing but love for her bright one. "You have done so much for me," she whispers. "So much for your brothers and your sisters. I hope you see, now, the sorts of things that the likes of Safrin will give you as thanks."

Drawing herself up, the Voice will suddenly seem level with Nate somehow, and the sense of peace that overcomes him will appear numbing in a way that is different to the lack of feeling usual to the Ascended. "I can fix this," she tells him. "You deserve this to be fixed, with all you have achieved, with all you have tried to help the Ascended. We need you in this, Nate. Whole, and brighter than you have ever been. But I will only do this on your say so."

Ever has the Voice given her bright ones the choice. "It will hurt, at first, should you agree. But you will do more than ascend this time. You will transcend, and become new. Become whole again, but in an entirely different way. What say you, Nate?"
the VOICE
Nate Wrenzaok
the Lone (Free) Ranger
"Doctor" / Guildmaster

Age: 37 | Height: 6'1" | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 10 - Strg: 55 - Dext: 45 - Endr: 50 - Luck: 46 - Int: 1
PEMOTA - Mythical - Starwhale (narwhal) RAMOTH - Mythical - Dragon (Biopulse)
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#7
- NATE -
The universe is expanding
But I don't feel a damn thing
Nate leans into the touch on his cheeks. ”I do see.” He sighs, eyes finally closing against the onslaught of fury that crackles around them. ”I was stupid to go to anyone else. I just...” He shakes his head, eyes opening again to look up at the Voice. To only look at the Voice.

Calm wraps around himbo le a warm blanket, a weight he imagines he can feel. ”Of course. I’m with you, I’m with the Ascended.” Except, and the hesitation shows in the sudden pinch of his brows. ”I won’t do anything against Sunjata. I can’t, I... you have to know that, right?” Anyone else, he would leap at the chance, but not his beloved.

”Ascending hurt at first too.” He says softly, his lips quirking up into a soft smile. There’s ease on his face, in his eyes, for the first time since he’d come back from speaking to Safrin. ”I’m yours, to mould as you want. To transcend.” Anything to remove the twist of wrong that had been growing in him, anything to better serve his goddess.
Love and understanding
Were simply too demanding


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#8

The Voice knows. She knows he was stupid, and those waters are still and they run deeper than eons. But this isn't about that right now - this is about Nate. About his allegiances and his choices, his decisions and his loyalties. And the Voice seems to crackle and brighten to hear him speak so, her fingers caressing along his cheeks, up to rest against his temples. "Of course," she almost whispers regarding Sunjata. "Of course I understand that." Vague statements, saying nothing and saying everything all at once.

But then Nate chooses. He chooses his brothers and his sisters; he chooses those he defended throughout LongNight, those with whom he stands in the shadows. The Voice smiles to him, a serene and luminous figure in the forest. "Then let us make you whole again," she whispers, leaning in to press a kiss to his forehead.

And the pain will roar through him, brief but bright and all consuming in a way that would bring him to his knees if the Voice would only allow it. But she holds him steady - she holds him up, burning away the infection in his circuitry, removing those upgrades that have been tainted by Safrin, the curse wrought upon him.

Nate will be cleansed. He will be moulded, a strong and fiercely intelligent force to raise the banner for the Ascended. A knife in the dark, and a whisper in the shadows.

The pain fades almost as quickly as it appears, and though the Ascended - no, the demigod - cannot feel exhaustion in the way that others might, his body will be screaming for rest.



The Voice has raised Nate to demigod status. He is now a Level 1 Demigod. The following magic and upgrades have been lost:

Magic: Our Little Secret | Anytime Nate says something negative about Safrin, or casts her in a bad light, he will start to burn. The more negative, the more intense the fire.
Type: Dark | Rank: Basic

Type: Light
Blood Testing Upgrade | This upgrade allowed the users to learn biological facts about whoever they drink from. They can learn about physical health conditions, abilities, and animal shifts. When drinking from an ascended they can detect what abilities are stored as well as their upgrades.

Type: Dark
Optical Upgrade (Precognition) | A prosthetic eye infused with the blood of a sear cat. The user may ‘see’ a potential upcoming event once per season. Contact the admin team for your seasonal vision!

Type: Grey
Optical Upgrade | This upgrade allows the user to identify weak structural points in biological systems (broken bones, joint pain, places were organic structures are breaking down due to disease/infection, etc)

Type: Grey
Subdermal Shielding Upgrade | Lightweight biomechanical scales are embedded beneath 80% of Nate's skin. When his senses detect he's in physical danger, they rise above his dermal-layer and create a shield.

The following ability has been gained:

Finger in Everything | Nate possesses the ability to create two extra arms in the same style as the Voice’s holograms. The arms share Nate's strength stat and can be summoned/dismissed at will. They are able to reach a radius of 10ft.
the VOICE
Nate Wrenzaok
the Lone (Free) Ranger
"Doctor" / Guildmaster

Age: 37 | Height: 6'1" | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 10 - Strg: 55 - Dext: 45 - Endr: 50 - Luck: 46 - Int: 1
PEMOTA - Mythical - Starwhale (narwhal) RAMOTH - Mythical - Dragon (Biopulse)
Played by: Johnnie Offline
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Posts: 2,792 | Total: 4,183
MP: 0
#9
- NATE -
The universe is expanding
But I don't feel a damn thing
Vague reassurances are better than nothing, better than the vile animosity Safrin had presented him with. This truly was the right choice, how could he ever have thought otherwise? Eyes close tightly as she leans in to press a kiss to his forehead, Nate forcing himself to not lean into it.

It’s worse than the ascension. So much worse. Pain floods though him, stretching the moment into an eon. He can only just cage the grunt behind clenched teeth, but without the hands on him he would have crumpled. Nate is thankful for the Voice’s support, as he’s grown accustomed to as of late.

Almost as quickly as it had flowed through him, the pain is gone, not even a memory. Shoulders slump and eyes flutter, Nate’s eyelids feeling heavier each time he closes them. The rest of him feels light though, at ease. A single hand lifts to rub against the scar split across his face, fingers lingering over the once again useless eye. ”All new, huh?” A laugh huffs out of his lips, Nate focusing back on his Goddess with a bright curiosity in his eye.

”This... this changes things, doesn’t it?” Theres no regret in his voice, but expectation, anticipation. ”Does it... change what I’m doing for you?” With the shrine, with anything else. He’s jumped in feet first, and the ramifications can be thought about later.
Love and understanding
Were simply too demanding


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#10

"All new," the Voice smiles, and there's a touch of apology in it as Nate rubs at his once again useless eye. Her fingers trace across the scar, and very slowly, she allows energy to flow from herself and into her newest creation, replenishing him as much as possible. He will still be tired - only time will fix that - but he will be able to hold himself on his feet at least. Stepping back, she regards Nate with a mix of pride and bubbling excitement, and around them the illumination that has haunted the forest slowly begins to fade.

"It changes everything," she whispers, the words nearly a purr in the air. "And it does change what you are doing for me. But not quite now, bright one. For now, let us restore your eye again, and let us fix the shrine in Torchline." And, as if they have always been there, the things the Voice requires are simply downloaded to Nate's mind. he will know what he needs to do.



Nate has received two new quests!

For his optical upgrade:

1 thread questing for a diamond
1 thread getting blood from a sear cat
1 thread leaving both blood and diamond beneath a full moon on a clear, starry night

He will receive:

Optical Upgrade (Precognition) | A prosthetic eye infused with the blood of a sear cat. The user may ‘see’ a potential upcoming event once per season. Contact the admin team for your seasonal vision!

For the shrine in Torchline:

1 thread collecting obsidian from The Spire
1 thread siphoning Lightning Magic from a character who possesses it
1 thread infusing the obsidian with the lightning
A PQ with at least 3 other Ascended to rebuild the shrine using the obsidian as a centrepiece, lasting a minimum of 4 rounds
the VOICE
Nate Wrenzaok
the Lone (Free) Ranger
"Doctor" / Guildmaster

Age: 37 | Height: 6'1" | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 10 - Strg: 55 - Dext: 45 - Endr: 50 - Luck: 46 - Int: 1
PEMOTA - Mythical - Starwhale (narwhal) RAMOTH - Mythical - Dragon (Biopulse)
Played by: Johnnie Offline
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Posts: 2,792 | Total: 4,183
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#11
- NATE -
The universe is expanding
But I don't feel a damn thing
Her fingers lift to his scar, a touch that Nate leans into happily, no matter how muted the feeling is. It’s as close to vibrance as he ever seems to get, and now, made new as he is, the power from the Voice seems to spark even brighter within his skin. Is it inappropriate to wrap an arm around her? It’s a thought that only graces his mind after he’s done it, made too comfortable by her support.

Leaning away as the Voice does, Nate smiles, warm and bright as is only befitting his ascension (remaking?). His head bobs in an easy nod, something trying to be a shiver running down his spine as he suddenly knows what’s expected of him. ”I will get it done for you.” And for himself, in the case of the eye. ”Thank you.”
Love and understanding
Were simply too demanding


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#12

Perhaps it is evidence that Nate has become ever brighter in the Voice's eyes that she does not shun his closeness. It is as close to an embrace as an Ascended might feel without the use of god-made tools, and as they part, the forest is finally dark once more, but for the goddess and her vibrant illumination. "I know that you will," she murmurs to him. "And thank you, bright one. Thank you for trusting me. For believing me, and for choosing me."

Before she goes, however, there is one other thing. "Be careful, in these next few weeks," she cautions. "I have been able to right the wrongs that Safrin did, but not without some lingering effects..." Leaning up, her lips press to Nate's ear that she might ensure that he knows what to expect. And with that message so intimately delivered, the Voice crackles away in a wink of light.

~FIN
the VOICE


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