001 - [CONSOLE | VIDEO]

[badly_behaved_priest]

[Sanzo did not look... pleased to say the least. Hair in disarray, dark bruise blooming on one cheekbone, and dirt on his robes suggesting he might of fallen on the way to whatever console he sat at. The heavy breathing and sweat gave anyone viewing a decent guess as to how. More striking was how...on edge he was. Scared even? He was doing his best to hide it if he was, but there was a clear nervousness about him. He glanced back before he said anything, shoulders jumping like someone just out of view had said something.]

That earthquake- whatever you call it- a few minutes ago. Half an hour ago, I don't know. Not long ago.

[It was late evening at the earliest, what light there was outside fading fast. Despite his appearance and heavy breathing, Sanzo's voice was fairly even. Not that he sounded happy.]

I found that child, that something with the wide eyes and the thing with fucking up the power wherever it's at. Several times. It didn't do shit for some eight or nine times.

[He's either avoiding looking at the console or keeping an eye out for something. He looks to either side often.]

I managed to bind the thing. Screamed like hell and- pulled me somewhere, I think it had a hold on me more than the other way around. It was dark, I couldn't move or breathe. It was so fucking dark.

[Another look over his shoulder, gaze sharp, what could be seen of him, tense. His breathing was only barely easing, maybe it wasn't the run alone making it so ragged...]

There were lights still, small and distant. They were all people, I don't know how many. I could see the shapes of people in the lights and I was lit up too. You think you find the weirdest shit here and then- It made some sort of sound, or looked like it was, I haven't heard anything like it and- fuck- I don't know how to explain how that felt. Like it was trying to tear at me, but not physical or mental.

[Alarm flashed across his expression all of the sudden and he glanced down at a string of red beads around his left wrist, the soul gem it held hidden from view of the camera. He wiped a streak of sweat and dirt above the red dot on his forehead, seemingly relieved. Momentarily.]

With these soul gems in mind... Is there anything here that could attack someone's soul directly? Anyone have any idea what that creature was? It held me for seconds at most, it felt like a lot longer. A lot longer.

[Sanzo looked for a moment like he might cut the feed and leave but he suddenly stopped and glanced to the side with a barely audible "He's going to kill me."]

Comments

[badly_behaved_priest]

[Sometimes ignorance is bliss. Or at least it lease to less fighting.]

Fantastic.

[There was a chunk of unintelligible text, like he'd leaned on the keys or something.]

Do you have any idea what to do about that? I've met beings that could resist or even outright stop my binding spell.

[Oh fuck it, it wasn't worth hiding what the sutra was.]

I've face another priest of my rank who could stop my sutra's attack, the binding. I know nothing that could outright turn it against me, if that is what happened. If this being was weak, it would not have survived at all. Were it to have malicious intent.

[How could it not?]

[redlightgreenlight]

There are many powers here that very few understand.

[That's what happened when you had so many different people from different worlds colliding]

You mean if it were malicious it wouldn't have survived?

[badly_behaved_priest]

I gathered that. As for if it would have survived or not, yes, it should not have survived if it were both weak or malicious. It's clear enough it's powerful. If it's malicious if what is harder to determine.

[redlightgreenlight]

Have you considered fear?

[Those who experienced fear had a tendency to lash out, even if they wouldn't normally]

I wasn't able to sense emotions from him, but it is possible that the child's essence is too vast for my senses to accurately comprehend.

[badly_behaved_priest]

[Sanzo was very aware of that, even if he was in denial...]

I wasn't able to get a read of its emotions either or otherwise affect it outside binding it. It clearly has strong magical powers. If it is fearful, I don't understand why it can't communicate in any way but how it did with me.

[redlightgreenlight]

You tried to bind it?

[She is not amused]

No wonder it fled from you, whatever happened was likely an accident on its part.

[badly_behaved_priest]

Why not? If it's a potential risk, I needed to find out. Why are you suddenly on that thing's side?

[redlightgreenlight]

You don't find out if something is a threat by trying to capture or bind it.

[You've hit a sore spot, buddy.]

[badly_behaved_priest]

[Sanzo is more confused than anything. He really doesn't get what she's so annoyed by... this time.]

That is why it was a last resort. I tried multiple other methods that weren't so drastic before resorting to that. I don't use that technique lightly. [For the most part.]

It has to have some kind of motivation, this was a way to find out what that was. It didn't work, that's why I'm asking if this bullshit means anything to anyone else.

[redlightgreenlight]

Did you try asking it?

[It seemed that people often tried to control or destroy what they didn't understand instead of taking the time to learn about it, but she couldn't dwell on that]

Did you recognize any of the figures you saw?

[badly_behaved_priest]

Yes. Multiple times. Politely even. [Come on! He wasn't stupid or cruel. Not that she would know that.]

Every time, it ended up disappearing. I must have run into the thing some eight or nine times before it came to that. As for the figures, aside from myself, no. I wasn't in a great state of mind to be looking for familiar faces.

[redlightgreenlight]

I see.

[She is still somewhat skeptical, but he didn't seem like the kind of person who would deliberately hurt others. Just abrasive.]

How does your 'binding' work?

[Because if it used his soul, that might explain why it felt like the child was tearing at him on the spiritual plane.]

[badly_behaved_priest]

[Okay, so how to explain this without giving away he had an artifact of incredible power and worth draped over his shoulders? He didn't need a resurgence of people trying to kill him for it.]

I have an item that will restrict the movement of whoever I choose to use it on. It isn't to be used lightly, as I said. To those that are not malicious, it should cause nothing more than minor physical discomfort. [Well, okay, he'd never had his own sutra used on him but his definition of "minor physical discomfort" was pretty skewed. As for how the sutra truly functioned, he couldn't say.]

[redlightgreenlight]

Who decides if they are malicious?

[Her blade keyed off of her to decide who was a friend and who was a foe, was this item any different?]

[badly_behaved_priest]

Not me. [Not always the malicious being in question either but what choice did he have when it came to surviving or not? It wasn't his fault, the whole minus wave mind control business.]

The item itself, if I had to guess.

[Who the fuck knew with sutras anyways? Especially one that banished evil.]

[redlightgreenlight]

This item is intelligent then?

[as far she was concerned, inanimate objects did not have the capability of making such decisions.]

[badly_behaved_priest]

The item, no, the forces behind it, potentially.

[He had no idea. The sutra was extremely powerful and was "aware" of what Sanzo priest it belonged to but he was pretty sure the sutra itself lacked any degree of sentience.]

[redlightgreenlight]

The forces behind it?

[This was sounding worse and worse with each question she asked, perhaps she should change the subject.]

Do you think the child is evil?

[badly_behaved_priest]

I can't explain it properly if you don't have an understanding of the world I come from.

[A world created by the five sutras combined! It was very difficult to explain without giving himself away. In the wrong hands, even his sutra alone could do massive damage.]

I don't know. That's why I'm asking about it. If it's evil or not is not my concern. What it might do is my concern.

[redlightgreenlight]

I suspect that it will do nothing unless you try to bind it again. So far, the worst it has done is imitate the Cheshire cat.

[This guy really didn't have much sympathy for others, at least she didn't have to feel that lack of sympathy because they were not in the same room.]

[badly_behaved_priest]

For now. I don't intend to bind it again, it's not worth it. It's still worth investigating.

[It was for the best they couldn't feel anything from each other, not that he was unused to others thinking him unsympathetic, even cruel. Few were willing to do half of what he would do to save lives.]

[redlightgreenlight]

[Valdis thinks for a minute before typing out her reply.]

There are many things worth investigating. The whereabouts of the cultists, the state of the turtle, the Palace dungeons and ritual chamber, the Chihuahuas... and now this child.

[badly_behaved_priest]

[The fuck was a chihuahua? He wasn't going to ask.]

So what's the chance that group of bullshit is connected?

[redlightgreenlight]

Well, I know for certain that the Cultists, Tu Vishan's coma and the mess in the Palace dungeons are all connected.

The Chihuelans are separate and I don't know where this child fits in.

[badly_behaved_priest]

Somewhere I'm sure, considering what it can do. [That was no small amount of power it had displayed. The only thing he'd seen effect a sutra at all that the child had was another sutra.]

What's this with the Cultists? As much as I don't want to go near them it's another lead if the kid is connected.