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Post by Zane on Sept 7, 2021 2:22:36 GMT -8
There was no need for rest on his end. Rest was on the horizon when all was done rather than obtaining a break due to bowing out. He was resigned to what he had already, so now would be seeing things through until the end. And so he would meet Vanguard's fist with his own, willing to face his trepidation as a result.
"Going to rest wouldn't change anything now. I'm still willing to do what I can."
Vanguard would notice he when he cast his kind glance to her as she was otherwise occupied. Her gaze was elsewhere at the time. It wasn't as if she was spacing out, no. She was pointedly looking at something that was here, but it wasn't something that was in plain sight. She remained silent about it, deciding then on her take on the matter. If that one came around with accusations thrown at them, she would do the same later.
"...."
She kept maintaining this gaze for a time before she let it go and directed her attention back to the conversation at hand. This was good enough all said. They were looking for a way to have him along the battle or not, and if Var was willing to remain despite his feelings on the matter, then she would do her best to see it done then. So she held her hand out to interject into the conversation, an idea to spare for them with what they wanted to proceed with next. And what she would bring to the table would no doubt be a surprising topic just the same.
"If you both agree, then why don't we turn him into something else? If you want to release him later, it's better to use him in a manner that won't see him destroyed immediately by anyone else who's well versed in seeing it done."
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Post by Gaia on Sept 7, 2021 13:37:36 GMT -8
#s://cdn~discordapp~com/attachments/182286591325110283/414432031947227148/Van~png
Vanguard.EXE
Var's fist tapped to his, a power surging between them. A connection that had been present since the first time those words were burned into his very mind, only just now fully cultivated and matured. To think, someone with his strength, admitting that his aide would ultimately only be short-lived. Their adversary was truly that formidable?
He noticed Mistair staring off, and noted that it wasn't he first time he had observed her do this. It was concerning each time it happened, but she seemed more aware of their environment than even he did, as if she were privy to something he and the others were not. He had yet to find time to ask her about that, but, it seemed time to bring his attention to her again, as she proffered something that he would never have considered on his own.
His first instinct was to look back at Var, raising an eyebrow at him, and paid attention to his immediate reaction to see if he could tell anything about his body language. Turned into something new, so that those capable of destroying him wouldn't be as able to? He knew Mistair to be capable of many wonders, and even assisted her in designing the Cybeast Tracker, but he didn't know she had the strength to completely remake something of Var's caliber.
Vanguard looked back to his perpetual companion, eyes unsure but curious, nonetheless. He had learned some time ago to not question her capabilities; if she said she could do it, then it could be done. Whether or not he should question the intention, however . . . what was she designed for, to be a secretary within the NIA, if she was capable of the things she had displayed thus far? There was still much Vanguard didn't know about her, as well. Personality and morals, he knew; true purpose, however? They were hidden behind a wall he couldn't analyze.
He shook his head to clear it, but made sure his meaning was clear. "What did you have in mind, Mistair? And what do you have to say about that option?" He turned to look at Var. "There is no telling how long this will last . . . and there is no way to promise you that this will be the last time we are in need of such a thing. What do you say? I will defer to your decision."
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Post by Zane on Sept 8, 2021 8:03:56 GMT -8
Vanguard would notice that Var was looking at Mistair's eyes then. From the battle earlier he was reminded of something, but nothing he saw of it matched. But if nothing else he was reminded of something else in her gaze, deep within. It wasn't on the surface level, but it was something once more familiar to him. Before he gave his interjection on the matter, Mistair would go about explaining further what she had in mind as she was asked for. She held her hand out, code beginning to dance around her fingertips.
"As you yourself are well aware of with your sight and analysis, many things in the world are undone through knowledge. Understanding how it works and being able to undo them by comprehending and building around that base factor. What I have in mind is changing the very basis of Var himself. Turning him into an object would be easier, but that presents various other problems."
To demonstrate, Vanguard had been able to see into it with his eye same as always. And moments later, it was a string of some foreign language not otherwise found within the Net at large. Even further, the base code that she had begun with had no traces left behind to even trace back its origin point. And then, back to the original code that she was stringing along before she let it fade away. As for problems... for starters, should Genesis ever discover that it was done she imagined he would have some choice words on the matter. He stayed his hand with Centurion and Armiger perhaps because they were willingly compliant with their roles and likewise started off that way. But she didn't need intimate knowledge to understand that he shared a rather unique view on turning others into tools, even if he didn't regard Var as anything more than that anyway.
"But to be honest with you both, seeing as they've dealt with Var's maximum output plenty of times now, the issue we're truly presented with isn't a matter of making the power work on them at all. I can alter his basis as much as I desire, but unless I change how his abilities work altogether then there's no point. Let me draw up a scenario for you using something you're familiar with."
She would again string along code... but this time manifest one of Vanguard's other formidable opponents: the Shadow Devil. He was able to analyze it then, and it looked no different than the last time he had faced it. She began to alter it so that the points he used to his advantage before were gone, which he should expect in full when he next faced it given Gate's approach to begin with, but she'd digress on the matter.
"His old weaknesses are removed, but his offensive paradigm remains the same. All you would do then is adjust to the new change and then eliminate the target the same as last time with even less risk to yourself, correct?"
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Post by Gaia on Sept 8, 2021 15:12:01 GMT -8
#s://cdn~discordapp~com/attachments/182286591325110283/414432031947227148/Van~png
Vanguard.EXE
He hadn't seen this look on Mistair since their days working on the Cybeast Tracker. For all her capabilities and strengths, it seemed putting her mind to making something new was simple and almost natural to her.
With a wave of her hand, the Shadow Devil crumbled back down into data, and she continued to work with it as she considered her options. He took a closer look at Var, his new eye able to discern information about him that he couldn't, before. There was more to Var than the usual 1s and 0s - he'd always known that Var was different from other Navis, but Mistair's comment confirmed his assumption in a way that he wouldn't have first considered.
Var wasn't a Navi at all. He was something else. All the Reaverkings were. That didn't necessarily make him something more, but . . . Var's body had a frequency that made up its form. If he were just a Navi, coding information to match his normal data flow would be easy. As a being with . . . waves . . . Var would need other things with a frequency at least close to his to be compatible.
Although, it does beg another question . . . he looked to Mistair, glad of Var to put his foot down on protecting his brethren, but a new question on his mind. "You said that so nonchalantly, Mistair. I know you're more than a simple secretary and Navi, yourself, but how did you know Var wasn't a navi? How long have you known about these . . . wave beings?"
It was only through the eye's evolution that he could now see the frequencies in the air, the movement of the waves through Var's body. If anything, the way those waves flowed exposed more of Var's weaknesses to him, able to not only see where some digital compensations were placed in but also where his core media was structured and most vulnerable. Yet, the sheer mass of wave data was overwhelming; his power was almost more noticeable with the eye than without it.
He dismissed the thoughts, turning to Var, then. He looked about the space, curious of it in its entirety. The expanse of space beyond; the realization that they were in the real world . . . waves traveled through the air around them, now within Vanguard's visible spectrum. So, wave beings would, theoretically, be able to traverse the real world, too, so long as the waves around them were dense enough to permit them access? What a strange new world this opened up . . . all the dangers it posed.
How could you protect a world from within the Net if things could threaten it beyond your own boundaries?
Vanguard turned his keen eyes back to Var, still with many thoughts on his mind, but wanting little more than something he hadn't had in a while. ". . . You said that Vestil was still here, yes? Just busy, I presume? Could we walk, you and I, and you can lead me to him? He's the only of the four I haven't met with since . . . since Juno fell.
"While we walk, would you tell me more about your mother, the civilization your from, and this world that my new eye has shown to me?"
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Post by Zane on Sept 8, 2021 17:10:45 GMT -8
She waved her hand to dismiss her new work as abruptly as she had made it now that the message was made, though kept the foundations intact for a soon to be revealed reason. Vanguard's assessment was correct, but she couldn't help but cup her chin with thumb and index finger all the same at his words, as if she were thinking about it. It wasn't anything important honestly, but she felt the need to bring it up all the same, as if it just rolled off of her tongue.
"Of course there is a way where you could completely secure the data, but Var doesn't have enough to work with to do something like that... It doesn't change what's said, but is noteworthy at least."
It sounded as though she were speaking from experience on the subject and even the look in her eyes denoted that it wasn't something impossible. It sounded more like to her it was something that should be the standard, but wasn't quite the case here. She supposed that only made sense given Var's basis. It was the limitations of his creator and as far as he managed to come by breaking those limits she supposed. She would need more time for this than she would have otherwise wanted to use then.
"What I have in mind will have to be shelved for a while. I'll take a few things remotely close to his origin and use them to bulk up his base before I change it around. Were he just a Navi, we wouldn't have these problems."
"Leave the others out of this."
She supposed that was the logical conclusion as the likelihood of her defaulting to the other Kings for those materials was far from unlikely. She had another thing in mind, but it was true that the Kings would be the easiest ones to get a hold of. Well, she did say with permission. If they weren't for defeating them and then putting them together truly, she would abide and let it go.
"The short of it is that we'll need to make it work with some digital replacements to do the whole process instead. You can explore this place while I get to work on that."
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Post by Gaia on Sept 9, 2021 1:47:42 GMT -8
#s://cdn~discordapp~com/attachments/182286591325110283/414432031947227148/Van~png
Vanguard.EXE
He hadn't seen this look on Mistair since their days working on the Cybeast Tracker. For all her capabilities and strengths, it seemed putting her mind to making something new was simple and almost natural to her.
With a wave of her hand, the Shadow Devil crumbled back down into data, and she continued to work with it as she considered her options. He took a closer look at Var, his new eye able to discern information about him that he couldn't, before. There was more to Var than the usual 1s and 0s - he'd always known that Var was different from other Navis, but Mistair's comment confirmed his assumption in a way that he wouldn't have first considered.
Var wasn't a Navi at all. He was something else. All the Reaverkings were. That didn't necessarily make him something more, but . . . Var's body had a frequency that made up its form. If he were just a Navi, coding information to match his normal data flow would be easy. As a being with . . . waves . . . Var would need other things with a frequency at least close to his to be compatible.
Although, it does beg another question . . . he looked to Mistair, glad of Var to put his foot down on protecting his brethren, but a new question on his mind. "You said that so nonchalantly, Mistair. I know you're more than a simple secretary and Navi, yourself, but how did you know Var wasn't a navi? How long have you known about these . . . wave beings?"
It was only through the eye's evolution that he could now see the frequencies in the air, the movement of the waves through Var's body. If anything, the way those waves flowed exposed more of Var's weaknesses to him, able to not only see where some digital compensations were placed in but also where his core media was structured and most vulnerable. Yet, the sheer mass of wave data was overwhelming; his power was almost more noticeable with the eye than without it.
He dismissed the thoughts, turning to Var, then. He looked about the space, curious of it in its entirety. The expanse of space beyond; the realization that they were in the real world . . . waves traveled through the air around them, now within Vanguard's visible spectrum. So, wave beings would, theoretically, be able to traverse the real world, too, so long as the waves around them were dense enough to permit them access? What a strange new world this opened up . . . all the dangers it posed.
How could you protect a world from within the Net if things could threaten it beyond your own boundaries?
Vanguard turned his keen eyes back to Var, still with many thoughts on his mind, but wanting little more than something he hadn't had in a while. ". . . You said that Vestil was still here, yes? Just busy, I presume? Could we walk, you and I, and you can lead me to him? He's the only of the four I haven't met with since . . . since Juno fell.
"While we walk, would you tell me more about your mother, the civilization your from, and this world that my new eye has shown to me?"
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Post by Zane on Sept 10, 2021 4:58:28 GMT -8
Given Var's current output, she should start with a similarly sized one. She was making vague visages based off of what she figured would fit best. They were figures that Vanguard wouldn't recognize, as he wasn't active during the ONB shift of the Revolution's time. These should be fine, but she had a feeling she should just use her other references instead, the visage she was starting to pull up as Vanguard could tell was wave-related and something related to fire, though she stopped abruptly. It was at Vanguard's question for why she had stopped for a moment to think back on how she ended up on her wave-induced expedition.
"Personally it feels like I've known about them for far too long. I only looked into them at Grom's request when he happened upon a peculiar rock in some obscure spot of Netopia a few months ago. I established a theory for him from there and made a number of references based on how great I imagined their total output could be if they were a natural phenomenon. Grom dismissed my ideas as ridiculous though, as at the end of the day their limit should still be 300 gi--... I'm getting off topic."
She realized she was going to end up straying off of the point of the question if she ended up regaling them about why Grom said she had to be wrong. Of course she found it quite hilarious when he asked her to begin work on something anyway in the event she was right. It wasn't exactly a simple thing to create, but it would be quite effective against their hypothetical target of choice that he didn't believe in. It wasn't a tool that could be used in all situations, so ultimately it was incredibly niche but made more effective as a result of that concentrated focus.
"The long made short story is they won't be too much of a threat so long as the NIA remains standing. It's their job to minimize these kinds of threats after all, so they have their measures in place. No doubt it influenced Grom's decisions moving forward since it meant he could eliminate the other threats while having the wave-beings under hand. That just left getting a grasp on their digital problems, which the number of them has steadily diminished as we're aware."
In short order at that. The only ones remaining were the more primordial and troublesome ones. It was only a matter of time before those made their move and as a result, were caught up in the proceedings as well. Ultimately if both sides massacred each other, Grom would see this as an absolute win. Var could tell that while she would be fine multi-tasking away at this, she would probably at least be swifter still if her focus was on her work instead. So he would move to walk, looking back to Vanguard as he did.
"If Vestil hasn't gone back to make his report on the proceedings here, he should still be around. I can lead you to where he should be as we talk and I tell you what I can."
Eden was vast after all. It was designed not only as a weapon, but a haven for the lives that were supposed to be shielded from its onslaught. A culling device utilized for population control, in this event having done exactly that while primed primarily for the digital side of things. It however was more than able to become a weapon to threaten the other side as well, and greatly at that. It was at the behest of their controllers to focus it on one side rather than the more vulnerable side to claim even more lives for the Nameless Navi to be furious about.
"Our Mother is Le Mu, the Great Being. Among the civilization I'm from, the Murians, she's coveted as a God who can create Wave Beings at her leisure. They would use her language to obtain many great feats that the otherwise Human Beings would be unable to accomplish and allowed that to bloat their ego. Due to their ambitions and her desires, that civilization found itself defunct and ruined with a single survivor to carry on their legacy, making them an extinct people. That single survivor has been a plaything for quite a long time now, no better than the rest of us. For the moment at least, he's dead until they decide to piece him back together again. The Murians hold their abilities and the Wave World in high esteem, deeming their advances and technology to be more advanced than the world's now. I am one of the few who disagree with that now after my eye opening experiences."
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Post by Gaia on Sept 10, 2021 13:56:14 GMT -8
#s://cdn~discordapp~com/attachments/182286591325110283/414432031947227148/Van~png
Vanguard.EXE
The fire-based Wave Being that Mistair began to play with crumbled away at Vanguard's intrusion, and he realized that so long as he was here to question her, she would happily indulge him. He was always inquisitive, willing to listen if others were willing to speak.
He could make assumptions of their theoretical power output based on where she cut herself off, which would be astounding, to say the least. Of course, her answer confirmed for him yet again that the NIA was always prepared, sometimes too well for their own good. They knew about the potential threat of the wave beings, but kept that under wraps; much in the same way they kept the presence of the cybeasts in their capture under wraps. When will they learn that the protection of information may suffice to prevent others from abusing it, but risks other things should it be released in other ways?
In his opinion, just as they did from the very beginning, the NIA and other governmental powers put their hands into far too many pots, and many they had no business grabbing at, at that. His tolerance for behaviors that he didn't agree with has certainly improved in his time with them, however; he'd like to think he had evolved to be better than the individual that tore down the border simply because he didn't agree with it, however short that time may have been from now.
So much seems to have changed. As Var walked ahead, he kept his thoughts to himself, simply nodding at Mistair to tell her that he heard her, but was intent on leaving her to her work.
Either way, Var had something else he could listen to. As he explained, Vanguard paid close attention, and walked closely with his master. It was much like walking through the vast garden, all that time ago.
An ancient civilization that stumbled upon a deity and used her teachings to bloat their egos, then? It was a simple enough summary of what Vanguard presumed was a much more complicated history, but it of course depended on just how much of that history Var was active for. Just as Vanguard was created sometime after some of his maker's other designs, he could only imagine where Var fell in his assembly. Their technology was probably grand at the time, and for a long time thereafter, but the technology of the Net has advanced so very far in just the past century, not to speak of the last five since the Net's legendary hero's last debut. He always expected, and respected, Var has one to be much farther sighted than one may give him credit for, given his abilities and focus.
"You specifically said 'her desires.' I remember you saying that you are still striving towards your purpose, a purpose given to you by Her - if I was mistaken, just correct me. I presume She didn't communicate in . . . normal ways? Is it possible She was misunderstood, or do you truly believe that She had ruinous intentions?
"What of her other creations? You talked of Tribes, Ancient Beings, and even Divines . . . she made the reaverkings, but where exactly do you fall in the hierarchy, before your advancements? I guess I just want to understand more of what she was capable of creating, and what, and how, you exceeded them.
"Do you resent your Maker?"
His first string of questions came out on curious and explorative terms. He was an inquisitive and highly thoughtful Navi, and liked to fully explore the scenarios. He wanted to see more into Var's insight on the matter of his creator, and to learn more about the power from which Var rose from, and the power that he managed to surpass and rise into.
His final question was a bit out of sync with the rest of his questions - clarity, interest, and philosophical questions regarding an extinct people's worship of a god, followed by a question directly asking one of her more direct creations if he resented her. In many ways, Vanguard understood sentiments regarding malcontent towards a master. His creator . . . Vanguard's code was maintained and repaired by human technology and minds when he returned to his facility, but it was originally created by a navi with similar abilities as Var explained, although to a much less powerful extent. What was Var's relation to his mother?
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Post by Zane on Sept 10, 2021 15:38:24 GMT -8
She would nod back, going on with her proceedings from there. He would be able to catch a glimpse of her making something akin to a wing that looked very out of place with the creature she would have otherwise been making, but that was for another time. In this given what Vanguard possessed now he could write in his manner and be understood without an issue, and so he would. With his hand as he walked he would form the word, and from that word would spring up scenery to liven up the place not unlike the garden before. He could make out the stone deity and the people who worshiped her, their rise from the language. Their various forms and conquests, and ultimately the precursor that struck them from this world as they did others before them. It was a cycle of karma all the same, but he didn't skip on the details. It was seeing ancient history unfold from beginning to end before Vanguard's very eyes all in a brief time, something that his eye allowed him to understand without any issues as well.
"Her desires were what many would expect from a God I suppose. Deities can either do their deeds and ask for nothing in return or ask for worship as she did. Her ruinous desires sprang from that lack of what she considered due reverence. She taught her words to others, but words can be interpreted in any number of ways. She didn't disagree with the Murians deciding to pursue conquest, merely that they remember to offer everything to her in turn. When they would turn on one another despite her blessings, she would spiral down a series of wrong decisions."
"There were four... well, I suppose five Tribes who were strong in their unity but splintered in their ambitions, causing the fifth. They tamed the land and seas and even sought out the stars and defeated death by age. The Saurian, Shinobi, Berzerker, Leviathan, and Rogue Tribes. They were by all rights impressive, but no more so than you yourself were. Her ancient heralds were to serve as defenders and soldiers alike. And in her desire to rectify a deemed broken world, the Divines like Apollo Flame who were capable of global genocide and eliminating all dissenters. Following them would be the four Reaver Kings, the Horsemen. Stereotypically speaking we would fall behind the gods, but where they are many, we are but four along with one chaperone. Juno's duty was to foster the paradise to follow, and we were to maintain it with our calamities as it seemed to be the language that was best understood when spoken to them."
"I can't say that I hate her, as I hardly even know her besides her self-absorbed love. But I don't love her completely either. She had no right to make beings of such great destruction simply because of her own vanity. Because of her inability to realize that she has no sway over creations that have free will. With the ability to create within that Wave World, she failed to understand how to create beings with love and emotions. And instead of simply removing what was granted and reprimand them for what she considered to be their folly, she sought their extinction instead. And while as a creator she did what was to be expected and never create beyond herself, she even lost control of that in the end. But she at least realized when faced with that overbearing monster that she had to do something more than she always done. There was nothing she could ever create that could ever do anything to even one of them, and she was allowed to continue so that he could obtain proof of either her continued merit or her discontinued service."
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Post by Gaia on Sept 10, 2021 17:52:33 GMT -8
#s://cdn~discordapp~com/attachments/182286591325110283/414432031947227148/Van~png
Vanguard.EXE
Var had yet to mention her language before he put it to use, writing a word into the air that augmented the very waves of the environment, changing the space into something wholly new, even if only visible by those attuned to the wave world. Through that progression, Vanguard was exposed to the history of a proud people, pushed to the end of the world in fear by those surrounding them, and then they found power. Like any other people subjugated, once entrusted with power, rather than spread the good to the world, they rose up to conquer those that had wronged them.
What happened next . . . the ruinous downfall of their actions, a terrible civil war, and horrific casualties. A sole survivor, picking up the mess, and working to seal it all away, that no one would be tempted by her, again . . . Vanguard shook his head, amazed at what he was seeing, but horrified all the same. Amazed by the simple power of the words that Var strung into the air, but horrified by the implications - whoever Immortalis was, that monster as Var called him, he had exceeded even this being.
Var explained the hierarchy - the people themselves, the heralds, the divines, and the reavers with their chaperone. Realizing that Juno was one of them, and not an interloper, confused Vanguard's first interpretation of Var's explanation, earlier. Juno had first appeared as someone that took control of the horsemen, rather than was originally designed to do so. Did that mean that he had been the first to diverge from his task, as Var mentioned he did not agree with the paradise he was creating, or was there more to that?
What Vanguard heard of the being, though, was much of what he expected. She sought after something and could not get it, so sought about getting it in a new way. With what Juno was planning . . . there was no way to tell if she would get her desired results, but the ultimate matter of it all was that Juno had failed, at least. With his failure, were the divines to come, next? With these new forces being present, just what kind of catastrophe was averted?
It put things into new context. It still didn't validate the actions of their new adversaries, and the terrible atrocities that they have committed unto others. Experimenting and destroying the Reavers time and again, apparently torturing even godlike beings, as well as humans, or at least human-like beings. Not to mention what was unleashed upon the world. To what end? For what purpose?
"So, then, did Juno first rebel against your maker? Is that why you disagreed with his paradise? Or was it flawed in his interpretation of it?
"Did he start his attempt at paradise too early? I am unsure if he was to come before or after the gods were supposed to descend, but no such calamity befell us. Your purpose was to return the world after genocide, correct? Or was genocide to come after he failed?" With Juno ruling over a population and the Reaverkings present, their calamities brought upon mankind time and again would surely serve to keep them rising up again . . . sort of like a check to their pride, to ensure that they never rise too great to realize they didn't need the great being, after all.
"When was it that you started to search for power to surpass them? To what end, and how? If you do not love your mother fully, and you even now have more freedom, why work towards the purpose she gave you at all, even to go so far as to defy Juno, and now your current oppressors? Why imbue me with this eye? What exactly is it that you saw in me to be able to obtain this?"
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Post by Zane on Sept 10, 2021 18:49:49 GMT -8
It all wrote itself together pretty well. But it would be difficult to say whether or not that would obtain the desired results in the end. All they could speak of now were the results, and Juno's failure had occurred not only from them not taking part, but because the world was able to resist. They resisted the idea of paradise that Juno and by extension, their Mother planned to enforce upon them.
"Juno was spurred to action prematurely, of that there is no doubt as the genocide is to take place first. Faith wasn't supposed to be there that day, she simply was. And she aligned with his directive for awakening to pursue his intended purpose, which stirred us as well to serve the purpose of the cleansing since the others were missing. Missing wasn't all that accurate, as I'm sure you're aware. I disagreed from the onset, as there can be no paradise to be found from selective culling. That's just a world of choosing who lives and who dies."
"I do still believe in paradise, but not through their methods. To obtain a peaceful world should not be after a calamity has forced no other alternative. In that regard Vestil and I aren't too different."
Vestil was far from fond of confrontation. So when they arrived and he did not find the last king, he wasn't surprised in all honesty, Vanguard even able to get the sense that Var would be smiling were he able to express it in any way. What Vestil did from there was for him to know, but as Var had mentioned before, he had his own expectations of how this could go. Or rather, how it would go. The reason he pursued this goal and his strength was so that he could instead force upon his own kin to stop their own pointless aggression and to instead focus that into another point instead.
"I won't support any goal accomplished through genocide. But if we must defend ourselves from genocide, then that is a different story. And for all of you, who have walked a different path and have moved beyond us without tearing yourselves apart despite your vast differences, I imbue with hopes that you can reach the destination that we couldn't. From one who spurns his maker to another who does the same."
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Post by Gaia on Sept 10, 2021 19:18:00 GMT -8
#s://cdn~discordapp~com/attachments/182286591325110283/414432031947227148/Van~png
Vanguard.EXE
So, Faith just so happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, and spurred Juno into action. With his rising, those that he chaperoned would have to rise, as well. Var has known a sense of free will from the start, and has sought after the power to make his own will paramount to his designs.
They moved ahead and found where Vestil would have been, Vanguard noticing a shift in emotion from Var that told him he was happy that Vestil was not here. Vestil did what he was to do and went on, to continue to avoid conflict and to continue his own path.
Vanguard turned to look back at his master, looking him over in his current form once again. So much more than the engine of war he was made to be, Var sought out not the way of his purpose, but the ultimate goal. He kept the end goal, but had chosen to change the means to achieve it. Paradise was a good goal to strive towards, but his designated means was to proceed genocide and bring calamity to necessitate paradise. That was simply unacceptable.
Vanguard's purpose . . . he was designed to, originally, assist his maker in the escape of his prison, and in the subjugation and search of revenge against those that captured him. He was then reforged by the humans into a leader, a tactician, in a war against darkness . . . but was that his goal, or his means towards a goal? . . . the goal of his being was to protect those that do not have the means to protect themselves. He uses the power of the darkloids so that those that do not can still be protected from those that do. It is not his core function, then, to fight against darkloids . . . but to protect, and to lead, those that otherwise cannot for themselves.
Was that the kind of insight that Var utilized to determine his own purpose? To see the goal, but to change the means? Was it truly that simple change of thought to go beyond the base function, something superficial, and to find meaning deeper within? Vanguard considered his thoughts, silently contemplating his old master's teachings thus far for a long while, and then glanced back the way that they came.
"It seems she is done. You had told me that you would tell me more about our adversaries in this time, but I have used it instead to learn of your history. You once told me that we cannot live in the past, for our path is to move forward . . . but that we should allow our history to inform our path ahead.
"Thank you for your insight, as always. I believe in your views, as well - you imbue us with the hope that we can attain our own path forward, different from yours. Different from ruin, disunity, and isolation. Different from pride, or vanity.
"Before we turn to walk back towards her, is there anything you feel you need to say, before she completes her work and you are made a tool again?"
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Post by Zane on Sept 10, 2021 21:44:19 GMT -8
It was nice to simply be able to speak of these things instead. History pushed them forward and they grew because of it. He would have preferred this over having to dance around topics as well. So he did have a final comment to add as well, no doubt along the lines that Vanguard expected when he asked him to speak his mind before they returned. And so he would do exactly that.
"It's fine to have spoken about this. Our adversaries have their ways to maintain silence until they deem otherwise. If there's anything to say, it would have to be about that Mistair of yours. I'm unable to gauge the depths of her capabilities, and she shows her feats with such ease to denote that they are effortless. I won't say that you can't trust her, as she is thus far the only one you've been able to truly trust as you've made your path forward. But if you choose to trust her, you must be prepared for those who will never do the same."
It wouldn't do to divide their forces, but that was part of the path as well. Her capabilities themselves served to create further lack of trust for those who saw them. He wanted to make sure that Vanguard was prepared in the event he had to stand up to those who decided that course was correct. On their way back they would be able to see a number of things that she had gone through in their absence. A large hand with spirals around it, a crimson vernier, a stone-like but familiar hand and other parts meshed together and morphed into her desired form with a multi-colored light. She imagined it would have been quite the spectacle for anyone observing her handiwork, but she wasn't doing this to be praised for how she did her job as she was staring off again. But she had looked to them the moment they got back, moving the work aside as she would lay the options out for them.
"Welcome back. So we have two ways to go about this. If we go based off of the rock from before, we can just make you a nice artifact that brings something new with it. Or I go at this from the ground up and have you function as an independent member with us and make you into something completely unrelated to Var. The latter choice means you have to deal with your own traumas and concerns and risk them taking you again, while the former half still shares that risks, but Vanguard is capable of holding his own better for it."
She knew the second choice held more appeal to them given it meant he wouldn't become just an actual tool here, so honestly she was prepared to do it despite asking. The question was a formality just to make certain that was the choice that they wanted to go with without her being wrong on her assumption.
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Post by Gaia on Sept 12, 2021 14:42:50 GMT -8
#s://cdn~discordapp~com/attachments/182286591325110283/414432031947227148/Van~png
Vanguard.EXE
Vanguard listened to his master, and resisted the urge to cast his gaze back towards Mistair. He had his own concerns about her, of course, but he had the same understanding of it that Var did - she was the most consistent piece of their path forward thus far. What she was capable of was truly impressive, and truly worrisome, but Vanguard knew beyond any shadow of any doubt that he could trust her. She had given him no reason to doubt that, even with the concern of something lurking inside of her that he could not analyze. She had been plain enough with him that she was her own self, and that she was not at risk of being controlled, at the very least.
Still, he nodded, recognizing the reality that others may not agree to trust her on merits of what she did to help them alone. They would fear her, and never trust her for it. It was easy to be leary towards something you didn't understand. Had Vanguard not learned about her in advance, this would probably have been a tipping point for him, as well.
Others wouldn't give her the luxury of proving her intentions or of learning about her before casting judgment. Would he be able to defuse that fight? Would he be strong enough to stand alongside her in the event it was necessary against some of the forces that they have fought against so far?
He hoped it would never get to that.
They returned to Mistair silently, Vanguard contemplating all that he had learned. He looked at the strange creation Mistair was playing with, the amalgamation of parts that he only barely recognized in pieces, but he couldn't quite get a guess at the intended whole. Mistair laid their options out before them, Vanguard trying to get a feel for Var's opinion of both as they were said. Thinking over the options, Vanguard had insight to provide on the matter.
". . . From a point of personalization, I think that the process of turning Var into an artifact would be less invasive and depersonalizing than rebuilding him entirely. What Var is, what he stands for, what he represents . . . that is still important. Even if left with his memories and wisdom, morphing him from the ground up seems to me as the most extreme of the two options.
". . . purely from a tactical perspective, while maintaining Var as an additional member to our forces would serve to have another ally alongside us, it still risks the complications of his previous trauma, and his capture is resting solely on our ability to keep his new form away from the others. The fear shown in the face of Zane, just as one example . . . that would be a terrible fault on the field of battle that he may not be able to overcome, even given his transformation with new capabilities.
"If Var's power could be added to mine in the former method, the output would be exponential in comparison to Var's personal capabilities when paired with mine. In the end, he would still be Var . . . just in a different shape. That's my take."
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Post by Zane on Sept 12, 2021 16:14:38 GMT -8
Var recognized that mess she had there. Largely incompatible things that she clearly had found the point of fixing that very issue with. And seeing as far as he knew that she hadn't come into contact with them, either she had done exactly that or through pure analysis she was able to discern those conclusions just through her thoughts alone. Either one showed that she quite something else. And Mistair had given a nod to Vanguard's take on the subject at hand. It was quite the calculating point of view indeed, so she was glad that she asked. Rather than keep the influence of personal views involved, it was better to consider that Var was in fact a liability against their adversaries.
"It's better for me to become the artifact from my perspective as well. Take care of this for me."
"Then sit tight. This will hardly take a moment."
Rather than a figure out speech, it was a truth in statement. She moved her hand as Var was unmade, moving the collective parts together. The pieces she had set aside began to change to something else as she added his components and handed it over to Vanguard after. What he had was a small marble, no bigger than the tip of his index finger. And why she had handed that to him was a simple answer really.
"Now you take what's there and weave it into the shape of your desire. That will be the form your artifact takes."
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