video; un: steelsamayarai

[feytality]

[ this time maya is on video!!! she looks Super Serious for once. weird. ]

The dead here have had their souls severed from their bodies. Some of them... I can't sense their spirits at all, and with the undead, the souls are outside their bodies, and tethered to them. That's why.... it's all so messed up.

I've talked to several spirits, and they say a tall, lanky man with brown-ish hair did this to them. We need to find this person and stop them.

Does anyone have any information?

[ ooc: she's talking about scylla! ]

Comments

>action!

[untsundered]

[Oh but he DOES. He is such an ass...]

You need not concern yourself with me.

[But that's all that really needs to be said before the network connection is pointless and they are within each other's vicinity. Emet-Selch is an imposing sort, not only in manner but in size as well, though he has adjusted himself to better fit within the buildings and surrounding area, he is still 6'7". His robes and mask making him similarly distinct, and as he cranes over the soulless corpses which plague his interest, he barely looks to Maya as she approaches.]

Tell me: have you always been possessed of such ability, or was this one you later acquired? Any inciting incident, perhaps?

[feytality]

[ yeah, she almost regrets being sassy with him earlier, given that he is intimidating as all hell. but still. she waves with her good arm. her bad arm's bandaged up, and she generally looks pretty battered. she has obviously been Through It. ]

[ but that's not stopping her! very plucky. she makes her way to the corpse pile, hesitantly closing the eyes of one of the dead ]

I've always had it.... it runs through my blood.... um, the women, anyway. Though not all of them have it either.

[ she thinks of morgan, not able to channel. but only very briefly ]

Is it really that abnormal here? I figure most people have powers that are more impressive.

[ like him, probably. ]

[untsundered]

Linked to your gender? How intriguing.

[And odd, when something so meaningless should dictate power and who possesses it. He looks to her now, taking in her state, poor as it is, but he does not speak of it. Merely there is a lingering of his eyes over her arm, the faint glow behind the mask making it a little more obvious than he cares for.]

I have not had the pleasure of speaking with many that hold sway over souls here, while there is power aplenty between the inhabitants of Etraya, not many seem quite so inclined as we are. Even among my own kind, being possessed of the Sight, while common enough, it alone is not enough to truly be considered a denizen of the Underworld. The soul, and consequently the Underworld, is a powerful thing, even when the former is worryingly...

[He looks her over again, his gaze focusing as he peers at her soul.]

Thin.

[feytality]

Were you born with your powers? [ she asks curiously. he's obviously something much more powerful than a mere spirit medium, but she's intrigued by him, too. ]

I guess it's true that powers to do with the dead are rare... I've only met you and Mr. Vax, whereas super strength and flight tend to be a dime a dozen here...

[ it does make her feel useful, to have such specific skills. assuming she can pull off whatever she's trying to do. ]

[ oh man now what? ]

My soul's thin?

[ somehow she's never thought about the state of her own spirit, since she's alive and all.... ]

[untsundered]

I was, but that is to be expected of my people. Still, being born with an ability means little if one does not learn how to utilize it effectively.

[Inborn power means nothing if you have the grace of a blind bull when trying to utilize it, after all.]

But do not despair about your soul, it is no worse than the others of a similar stature to you... Well, I suppose it does have its differences, perhaps a consequence of some sort. Regardless, you are not in any immediate danger by my estimation.

[He shrugs his shoulders as he waves a dismissive hand.]

I have come to accept that this is rather normal for your kind, even if such would be of grave concern for one such as I. We are simply different beings, thus different souls.

[feytality]

That's true! I'd be a pretty poor spirit medium if I didn't know how to use my powers.

[ this guy is a real character. well, maybe it's from dealing so much with death...? if she wants to give a gracious read on it ]

Good to know. [ she... supposes..... ] I figure if I'm going to kick it anywhere, it's going to be on this mission.

[ joking, probably ]

Well, everyone gets pulled in from different worlds and stuff too, right? So it makes sense.

[ more or less ]

[untsundered]

If you continue to accumulate injuries as you have, that is a distinct possibility.

[Finally he acknowledges her wounds, but he makes no move to heal them, though that is technically within his power. Can't go spoiling her or the others when, by his estimation, they are meant to be learning from these trials.]

Now, the matter of your power. I should like to know how it works, observe it in action. Though I suppose with these empty husks, you will find yourself wanting for usable material.

[He looks at the pile once more, his mouth pulled tight into a line as he regards their unsettling nature. Dead bodies are one thing, but it is clear to him these souls did not merely leave.

No, they were destroyed.]

[feytality]

Are you worried about me, Emet-selch? [ ok now she's being cheeky. ] Don't worry! I'm not planning on getting kidnapped again anytime soon.

[ one can surmise she got said injuries from the tower, probably. ]

I can't do anything for these corpses here, except... maybe bury them.

[ not that she needs to tell him that ]

If we run into any of the undead, on the other hand... Or dead with intact souls...

[untsundered]

Nay, were you to expire here then like as not you would reappear within Etraya once more. Just as many others have before on these missions. However... Perhaps if what brought your end was the same as that which brought theirs, it may be the last we'd see of you.

[So concerning, that. Ordinarily a soul would return to the Underworld, go through the typical process of being cleansed and then, eventually, reborn. The soul's new life would be just that: new! Yet, one with a keen eye would know who this new life's inclincations were used as a foundation. Who, in essence, they truly once were.

But a soul destroyed, utterly erased, as if they never existed at all... which these signs he beholds in his golden gaze suggests, is worrying. It defies the natural order, it is... an aberration.]

I can dispose of these empty husks later, it is of no moment. But, if you wish to seek out these undead, then I shall accompany you. No harm will befall you in my presence, I would not suffer your craft to be interrupted ere I've the chance to observe you.

[He gestures in a way that implies lead the way, even though he could likely transport them both to a hotbed of undead if he wished.]

[feytality]

I was just kidding. [ trying to see his reaction, but she sobers up more as they talk about the spirits. she certainly has no intention to die here, or anywhere else for that matter. ] But seriously, this can't be allowed to continue.

[ they're 100% on the same page there. ]

[ it is kind of nice (?) that he says he'll keep her safe, even if she wishes he would stop looking at her like an ant under a microscope ]

Well...

[ she does want to help, but channeling makes her nervous ] I appreciate it. Just don't let me hurt anyone either.

[ hyperfocused on this concern even though it makes no sense in context. that being said, she bravados. ]

Let's go find some zombies, then.