REVOLUTION - Story - Chapter 22: Energies of Madness

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Date: 6:51:18 PM, September 24th, 2017.
Metal Man (GM): Recap
The Questers went back in time to try to figure out why Mad Molly went mad.
They discovered:
1. Alsan Eggman wielded the power that Illian and Dyne had cursed Alsa with, then stripped the evil so that he would have solely the power.
2. He used the power to see the future, hence why he doomed the men trying to attack Marble Zone.
3. Jack Kingsley was most likely not the Jack being referenced by the likes of Mad Molly, or if so, in a different sense than her directly knowing him, based on his reaction to Nonna's questioning.
4. The group was now only a small distance of time before observing what actually happened in the disastrous Marble Zone raid.
Continuation
We continue where we left off, with Nonna talking to a confused Jack Kingsley. I'll repost the last couple bits for everyone to see:
Nonna: *T* 'Very well.'
*She coughs and walks around the corner casually toward Jack.*
Jack Kingsley: "Uh. Hello."
*He continues working, in no rush to say much.*
Nonna: *She sighs and looks down* "I'm about to lose hope about all of this... What keeps you going when things get tough?"
Jack Kingsley: "Well... these inane operations they keep putting us on do get on my nerves too." *He coughs, casually threading a fuse.* "But when I think about it, I just think about all the people back home. We're doing this for them. Those mobians ignored us and let our family and friends be taken by crazed madmen, but not anymore. We'll make a difference by stopping the wars before anyone else can be hurt. Ultimately, I think of my family. This is all for them."
Nonna: "Family and friends, huh... I guess everyone has at least someone like that."
Jack Kingsley: "It can all seem like it's for nothing. But we all have somebody we care for, hopefully."
Nonna: "Who do you care about? I mean... I have folks back home, but there's also people around here I want to protect. It's hard, you know?"
Jack Kingsley: "Well, my mother, and my wife... bit personal of you to ask, huh." *He puts a hand to his chin.* "You feelin' lonely out here? Wish we were back in my hometown... there's plenty of great places to go there, although I hate what the mines have done to the place. Ryndell didn't deserve what happened to it. Yeah... I try not to get to know anyone around here too well. Too many good people vanish in these battles. Although if what I'm hearing is correct, this battle may be over before it's started. Diplomacy, supposedly."
Nonna: "Oh, you're married? Haha. I suppose it must feel strange to hear a kid like me talk about that stuff when you have a lot more to worry about."
Jack Kingsley: "Yeah... I don't want to leave my wife a widow. These explosives can be awful dangerous, in the heat of battle. But, it's what I do best, so."
Nonna: "What's her name, if you don't mind my asking? I might know her."
Jack Kingsley: "Oh, it's Leya. An unusual name, sure, but her family is one of the older Ryndell families."
Nonna: "Hmm. Leya... she was in that... oh, what was it again?"
Jack Kingsley: "Not certain what you mean, heh. The old Ryndell families were, well, the first families to colonize the region, long ago."
Nonna: "Maybe I'm thinking of the wrong Leya. Could have sworn I heard the name somewhere before while on the job... does your Leya just handle properties and politics?"
Jack Kingsley: "Well, this certainly is very specific..." *He chuckles idly.* "If it'll satisfy your twenty questions and help you be less uncertain, she runs a school back home. You could say it was political, but I don't know how many high schoolers you'd be having run countries."
Nonna: "Well, at least you can take solace in the fact that your closest ones aren't here with you in this warzone."
Jack Kingsley: "Indeed... sad pity as it is to be alone out here, I prefer not to know others here too much. Had friends before. Most of 'em died during the last major Eggman battle... oh the politicians told us back then how Sonic had it under control, but then Station Square was destroyed by a giant water monster and barely anybody survived."
Metal Man (GM): Jack Kingsley continues working on his work, as he gets more coded instructions from the radio.
It is near the dawn of the day, the darkest part of the Alsan day. The moon can be seen out there in the sky, slowly disappearing beneath the horizon.
Nonna: "Let's hope things go as they should, then. So further tragedy need not be repeated. I will be on my way now, thank you."
Metal Man (GM): The battleship itself is like a 1950's sort, a bit shorter than a historical Earth battleship, and armed with laser batteries instead of normal ones, the people on it beginning to mill about and prepare for an upcoming operation.
Jack Kingsley: "Right. Be careful out there." *Continues working.*
Metal Man (GM): Back around the corner from Nonna, the New Questers are there, having been waiting for her to eventually finish talking (so as to not step out and suddenly shock with their numbers, even though they are all disguised)
Nonna: *Returns to the others lying in wait, shaking her head.* "Unless 'Jack' is a keyword for something or she's gone out of her way to leave as little trace about what happened here as possible, we're out of luck on that front. All that's left is to witness the event that changed her forever."
Xavier Ridgecrest: "The radio chatter is getting louder. It's probably best we go back to the Wing Fortress lest we influence history too much."
Nonna: "Agreed. Let's seek shelter and get a good viewing distance."
Valron: "Sounds like the best course of action, yes."
Louisoix: "Good idea. Though who knows, maybe it was a sort of sick love instead of something mutual."
Nonna: *Whisper* "Keep an eye on Molly herself throughout the duration."
*She heads back to the WF.*
Xavier Ridgecrest walks into the warp as well.
Louisoix: *Ker-warp.*
Metal Man (GM): The Wing Fortress, Alsan Orbit, Prior To Anomalous Event
Screens are up, showing in their old fashioned nature what's going on.
The GUN soldiers, ordered on by Anthon, have been given the go orders to take out Eggman.
Nova: "Mad Molly is moving closer to the caves, as is Jack. I see their ships deploying the landing vehicles. Nothing yet from Eggman. Anomalous energy has actually gone down. With the moon beneath the horizon, unless he's deploying an unknown energy source, he only has the Emeralds--but the Alsan Emeralds are strongest at night, not now."
Nonna: "Now, just what was it that happened to you here, Molly...?"
Metal Man (GM): The troops reach land. Still no real resistance from Eggman.
Valron: "Well, whatever it is... I'm sure we're about to see."
Metal Man (GM): As they near the cave, a wide-band broadcast plays, with the Eggman anthem (think SA2) playing in the background.
Dr. Robotnik: "Mwoohoohoohooo hooo! You foools, trying to defeat me as if I am some sort of country? Turn back! As I have said before, my battles are between me and that mischievous hedgehog! I did you a favor by forcing all the mobians into hiding--and you repay me by attacking me? So what if one city burns? It was where they were hiding, you fools! I do not like turning my weapons against my kin, but if you want to do to me what you did to my grandfather, you have... approximately ninety thousand things coming to stop you!"
Metal Man (GM): The chatter lights up and the troops hesitate for a moment.
They then continue in, but more slowly.
Dr. Robotnik: "Hmph! You should have turned around! But if you insist..."
Metal Man (GM): The screens light up with hordes of lasers.
Eggrobos pour out of everywhere.
It becomes rather loud, as the troops fire back with their own guns.
The Eggrobos, however, seem to be rather bad at this task. They burn some people, but it's much like sunburn.
Dr. Robotnik: "I'm giving you a warning! Now turn around already!"
Metal Man (GM): They're also not terribly well suited for fighting people with guns.
They charge up as slowly as the ones in Sonic & Knuckles, meaning they might hit and stun one person before they get shot to bits.
The casualties pile up on Eggman's side. Having totally destroyed all the Eggrobos without any deaths, the GUN soldiers enter the cave.
Dr. Robotnik: "Alright, if you actually want to die, that's your problem!"
Louisoix: "Some sort of trap...?"
Kumiko: "...well this is... odd."
Nonna: "Send easily defeatable troops to the front lines, make the enemy overconfident in their victory."
Valron: "So, who wants to bet they'll be sent straight towards the dummy that has all the evil energy in it?"
Louisoix: "Seems like it, yes."
Nonna: "That way, they're less likely to see what's in store for them."
Metal Man (GM): They walk into the cave... Nova stares.
Nova: "These are where the crushers are. They're not turned on."
Nonna: "Like moths to a flame."
Metal Man (GM): The troops walk over what older Questers might recall as being a death trap so deadly even seasoned Questers like Gibby died to it.
Since the death traps are all turned off!
Dr. Robotnik: "Look... I... actually haven't killed a lot of people like you before... could you please turn around now? I... ...it's a lot easier to kill beings that don't look like you, you know?"
Metal Man (GM): The troops continue. Kingsley's group can be seen going deep inside the base, getting near where the Eggrobo dummy is.
Mad Molly is actually a ways behind, as they're there for support, staying in the 'safe' areas.
They're stymied by the 'outside' door which remains locked, blocking them from the inner sanctum.
So Jack begins wiring up the explosives, with Molly being able to see what's going on from a safe distance, in case anyone gets hurt.
Dr. Robotnik: "Is that... ...I can't guarantee you will survive if you detonate my door. It's a load bearing door! Seriously, do you want to kill yourselves that badly?"
Nova: "The Eggrobo Dummy is moving closer to the door."
Dr. Robotnik: "I'll... I'll even open the door for you if you just remove the explosives. There's nothing in here!"
Louisoix: "Yeah, seems like you had the right idea..."
Metal Man (GM): The explosives are set, the team of builders moving back to a safe distance.
Dr. Robotnik: "This is your last warning. It won't even be me that kills you if you detonate that hatch!"
Metal Man (GM): The timer is set on the explosives. It begins to count down.
It counts down, one at a time.
10...
9...
8...
7...
The Dummy Eggrobo opens the door.
6...
5...
They begin firing at it.
The bullets... sink into it as if it's made out of clay.
4...
3...
The builder team is too busy preparing to detonate to notice the Eggrobo grabbing the explosives.
2...
1...
The explosives are thrown back and the Eggrobo slams the door shut.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM
All sensors go dark from the explosion.
When they come back up... the explosion has buried the builder team in blocks, and the door isn't any further opened. In fact the door's now completely buried by dirt.
Nonna: "...Bloody idiots."
Dr. Robotnik: "Serves you right! You think you can stop me with explosives? I have enough robots to defuse and defeat anything you send at me!"
Metal Man (GM): The effect of it being in a tunnel has deafened and stunned most of the soldiers there.
Those in the front who weren't buried alive or crushed are themselves heavily bloodied.
Molly was far enough back to not be effected. She's seen rushing to the aid of the wounded.
Dr. Robotnik: "You have no clue what you're up against, fools! The mobians were PROTECTING you! You lost your edge hundreds of years ago, when your kind dropped their weapons in exchange for the protection of their kind. GUN... it was all a pageant to ensure you didn't feel weak, but you only used it against yourselves!
That was why the Robotnik clan has ALWAYS been your SOLE military force. When you changed your mind because of a crazy old man... you were idiots!
It is true. By killing as many of my relatives as you did, there will probably be no more after me. But I will take you down with me... and even then, I might figure out how to cheat death."
Metal Man (GM): Strangely upon hearing that, Mad Molly steps aside from the wounded, letting her companions deal with it.
In the mess that's left behind, it's not noticed that a crack formed in one of the walls, through which some light can be seen leaking through.
Molly goes to pick at it, only to fall into the 'sealed' area of Robotnik's base.
She can be seen walking further into Eggman's base on her own.
Nova: "I caught something interesting."
Louisoix: "Hm?"
Metal Man (GM): Nova plays back some decoded internal chatter from the GUN military.
Sergeant: *R* "Casualties reported: Jack Kingsley, Shaun Torrance, Deed Whitley... others in serious condition."
Metal Man (GM): Molly walks further in, now reaching the statues.
She looks up to the angel statues.
Molly: "Cheat death... are you what he plans to use to cheat death?"
Metal Man (GM): The statues ignore her, initially.
Molly: "Just statues, huh."
Metal Man (GM): She taps them.
The Eggrobo returns, however. Eggman's voice crackles through its radio, as it points its gun at Molly, who isn't even armed.
Dr. Robotnik: *R* "Hah! What do we have here... a spy! Executing you will make it clear I mean business!"
Molly: "Wait! I'm only here to figure out how to cheat death. I don't... ...I would have brought explosives if I meant to defeat you this way."
Dr. Robotnik: *R* "Oh? You want to JOIN me? Well... that isn't entirely unexpected. Those idiots killed their own men!"
Molly: "No. It's just... in the medical profession, we see people die every day. You're a man of science, but you seem to have found something that goes beyond anything... what are these statues? What is any of this? Can you truly cheat death? Couldn't we all cheat death?"
Dr. Robotnik: *R* "Wha... what do you mean? I was just saying that. These statues don't really do anything. They were just here to begin with. Now... shoo. Maybe you can join me when they're not invading my base. Right now they probably are looking for you. Look, if you go back and tell me what they're planning, maybe I'll trust you more... ...but otherwise, this place is of no use to you!"
Molly: "You can't be serious, you proved your point earlier with the explosion, so why would you lie about living forever?"
Dr. Robotnik: *R* "Hmmm... if I confirm I'm lying, you can give them reason to attack me again. But if I tell you the truth... oh that would be very complicated..."
*R* "This is why killing people always makes more sense than letting them go."
Metal Man (GM): The Eggrobo goes to fire the beam at Molly. It hits her in the side of the head, and she bounces off one of the statues, but she's not dead.
Dr. Robotnik: *R* "Bah! What did I make this thing out of? Oh, right, bullet-absorbing alloy. No wonder it can't aim!"
*R* "Get closer and finish her off, you stupid robot!"
Metal Man (GM): The Eggrobo, still glowing evilly, gets out of the Egg-o-matic.
It walks towards her, going to finish her off. Molly, bleeding, however, rolls to the side and grabs it by the hand it has the gun with.
Molly: "You shouldn't have revealed how weak this thing is! What did you even make it out of... it looks like flesh but feels like clay?"
Dr. Robotnik: *R* "Let go of that! It's... untested! You... ...BAH! JUST KILL HER ALREA--"
Metal Man (GM): The radio drops and breaks.
The Eggrobo struggles with her, but she breaks its flesh-like wrist. She takes the gun away from it as well, and points the gun at the Eggrobo.
Other Eggrobos file in, while Eggman's voice echoes in the room. Molly is surrounded on all sides.
Dr. Robotnik: *R* "You... you think you can defeat ME, in my inner sanctum! LOOK! All of your allies have left you for dead! And now you WILL be dead! No matter what you do!"
Metal Man (GM): However, the strange energy from the Eggrobo has begun to follow to the gun in Molly's hand.
Dr. Robotnik: *R* "What is this... ...hmmm... probably nothing."
Metal Man (GM): Molly holds her head and leans behind one of the statues for cover, as the Eggrobos begin firing at her.
The weird energy ratings begin to go up.
The Eggrobos get closer, hitting her more and more. Her wounds pile up as the energy seems to get thicker around her.
At one point, despite being heavily wounded, she stands up and holds up the pistol, her fist shaking with rage.
Molly: "I don't care how hard you try to kill me with these... these tinker toys... I only came here to ask a simple question and you try to kill me? If there truly is any force in here that can actually answer my question, here's your last chance to not be controlled by whatever freak has taken over your cave! This strange mist is whispering things to me... well? Do more than whisper if you want my cooperation!"
Dr. Robotnik: *R* "What? Are you insane? There are no voices in that mist... ...actually I never tested it..."
Metal Man (GM): Molly holds out the pistol and aims at the dummy Eggrobo, pulling the trigger.
The gun stops behaving normally, as the strange mist is sucked into the gun and fires a massive Phase Pistol beam out of it, completely skeletonizing the Eggrobo.
Louisoix: "Explains that part of the story..."
Metal Man (GM): It flies backwards, on fire, slamming through several machines and causing a giant explosion that causes a minor EMP, staggering the other Eggrobos.
Molly, completely furious, begins shooting every Eggrobo in the entire place to bits with the accidentally created Phase Pistol, while Eggman yells in the background.
Louisoix: "So Molly got cursed in Eggman's place."
Dr. Robotnik: "No... no! Stop it! NO! WHAT IS THIS? SYSTEMS! TELL ME WHAT THIS IS? WHAT IS THIS ENERGY! WHY IS IT HELPING HER AND NOT ME? THE EMERALDS ARE MINE! CHAOS EMERALDS, MASTER EMERALD! STOP HER!"
Metal Man (GM): Then a strange figure appears on the radio... one of the statues?
It smiles again like it did earlier.
Statue: "We only worked with you to find the true successor to Dyne and the Mages who once ruled this world, Eggman. Your technology was our undoing. Now it will be your undoing, too. We have finally learned how to control your machines."
Metal Man (GM): The anomaly increases even further, as the Eggrobos that are destroyed are now possessed by the same energy that caused the zombie apocalypse back in SSQ^2, and remaining Eggman facilities are destroyed.
Molly is healed by the energy as the entire room is insanely corrupted by the dark energy.
Dr. Robotnik: "No... NO! You will stop this this insta--" *Click.*
Metal Man (GM): Molly now casually walks up to the statues again.
Molly: "Now, what was it? That's right. I wanted to cheat death."
Statue: "There exists a staff and a chosen wielder who you must curse to become said wielder, Jacob."
Molly: "Jacob? What a stupid name. Can we call him Jack instead?"
Statue: "Once you have corrupted his mind, you can call him whatever you choose."
Molly: "I have to deal with Anthon as well. He probably will get more good men killed. Once this solution is in place, no one will have to die anymore. The revival system I build with Jack's spear will be the means to make it impossible for anyone to ever die again... at least without our say-so."
Statue: "Excellent. There are multiple other figures that must be brought back. The ancestors of Anthon killed most of them."
Molly: "And all they ever did was try to prevent death and other afflictions?"
Statue: "Yes. It was the Mobians and the Robotnik clan who killed us, the latter at the direction of the Tark family. All we ever wanted was an eternal golden age. We were killed and imprisoned in these statues as punishment. We will never be whole again. But through you... the Truth can return."
Louisoix: "...considering the whole 'Chaos' thing, one has to wonder how true that even is."
Molly: "Now, let's get things rolling..."
*R* "Commander Tark. I have some new intelligence on Eggman."
Anthon Tark: *R* "You're alive? We thought you were dead. Report in and we'll see about what you've found."
Molly: *R* "As you command." *Click.*
Statue: "You're still going to work for him after what we've said?"
Molly: "We have to make sure he has no clue what is happening. I will subjugate Eggman's bases and he can be the one who appears to be doing the final blow. You can re-animate the robots so it looks real. I must get his trust. That way, GUN and the Tarks will accidentally be the reason why we take control."
Statue: "We must admit. Even with seeing the future, we could not navigate complex modern social structures."
Molly: "That's why you're a dumb statue and I'm... ...well... ... just Molly isn't the best name."
Statue: "Don't you have a last name?"
Molly: "I know it sounds crazy, but my future self sent me some sort of message to not say it."
Statue: "Well, if you're crazy, you may as well call yourself Mad."
Molly: "Oh?" *She giggles* "I guess I am Mad Molly, then."
Louisoix: "...seems she was one step ahead on that. Though... I don't see how her last name is useful..." *He'd ponder that sort of comment.*
Statue: "Go forth, Mad Molly, and avenge Dyne and those who wished to create a Golden Age. Without you, we will forever be subject to Eggman."
Molly: "Oh don't worry about him. I'll make sure he DIES! You told him a lot. Just tell me what you told him... ...also I can tell we're being watched."
Statue: "Really?"
Molly: "I can't tell you why. That'd let them know. Here, let me fix that."
Metal Man (GM): The scrying machinery all suddenly shuts down.
Nova: "...It appears at this point she has full connection to her future self and can, therefore, block us."
Valron: "...Well, then."
Louisoix: "That's... convenient. Though... what does setting up the Time Cops and exploding everything have to do with Dyne fellow? A lot of questions."
Metal Man (GM): FYI, KitRedgrave: The previous wall o' text was the origin of Mad Molly, and thus, how she herself was, before you, the one who held Alsa's fate in her hands.
And, the group is still on the Wing Fortress, so, that would mean that you and Demon can join in and comment on it, and think on what to do next.
Nova: "I cannot guess everything. Connections are difficult to make about all of this."
King Demon: *Wanders in, rubbing his eyes* "Hey... did I miss the show?"
Xavier Ridgecrest: "Well, if Mad Molly originally made the Time Cops, then presumably it was an outgrowth from what was going on here with her helping mastermind the Mad Men. I don't know how it follows from here, but, unless we want to try to defeat her in the past, I don't think we'll be able to see anything further.
She hooked the connections in such a way that fighting her might also wake Psycho Illian."
Nonna: "Hmm..."
King Demon: "And we probably don't want to deal with him again..."
Xavier Ridgecrest: "We'd probably just have to leave. Destroying him in the past would wreck the timeline."
Nonna: "Fair enough. At least we know more now."
Xavier Ridgecrest: "The only other thing is if there's any other business with the past of Alsa. If any of you have anything you'd want to look at that isn't sensitive to Mad Molly, anyway."
Nova: "Her blocking is only blocking things relevant to her. I have made a simple map."
Louisoix: "Don't think so. And if we wanted to kill Molly now we could just... I dunno, go back right before this event and kill her before the link is made."
Metal Man (GM): The map shows all the Eggman and GUN areas blocked off.
With an exception to where Anthon of the past is, in Capital City.
Valron: "...Hrm. Think Sinova might be of any use?"
Nova: "Mad Molly specifically connected to him. The statues seem to be linked to him and Psycho Illian. Her connection is blocking us. And it's even protecting Psycho Illian.
As far as we are concerned they're one wall of antagonistic force against us.
Presumably to avoid messing with time, she's kept everyone else in the dark about why they're being watched or who we are.
But also means she's in the way.
Sinova can't hear us as long as she's blocking."
King Demon: "Stupid question, if Psycho Illian is connected to her, doesn't that mean that OUR Illian is as well?"
Xavier Ridgecrest: "No. Our Illian is more... well... connected to The Book and thus Kit Redgrave."
King Demon: "Ah..." *Shrugs* "Ok, then."
Metal Man (GM): Illian would walk in and casually point out in space.
Illian MacGregor: "I could connect to all of them. But to be honest. It would drive me insane. They're all nuts.
I bet Mad Molly was part of the reason I lost my mind, in fact.
Patient Zero."
Kumiko: "Ah..."
King Demon: "As if you're not already?"
Illian MacGregor: "One part's my personality, the other part's external. External part of me is no longer insane. That one out there though... he's being influenced by all of it."
Nonna: "Don't worry about it, Illian."
King Demon: *Sighs* "Yeah, it'd be nice to JUST ONCE be able to do something that the enemy ISN'T expecting and prepared for..."
Xavier Ridgecrest: "We technically got one over them. We now know why Molly is insane. There's a direct connection of Madness Energy that was being generated by Alsa.
It's why Mad Men were able to fight Questers. They have their own energy."
King Demon: "And I suppose trying to cut off that energy would mess the timeline up too much."
Xavier Ridgecrest: "Trying to do it now, yes. This part of history is written as is to our present. But present knowledge is power. We can use this against Mad Molly in the present. The note she gave intending to send to her past self."
Nonna: "Is it possible to study this energy safely?"
Xavier Ridgecrest: "Valron has it in his body, presumably, as does Borne."
Nonna: "If so, we could try to create an anti-existence to it."
Louisoix: "...you know, something comes to mind."
King Demon: "What good would disconnecting the energy in the present do, though?"
Nonna: "Or some way to remove it from her, leaving only the person behind."
Xavier Ridgecrest: "The energy in excess quantities drives the possessor insane."
Louisoix: "Why did she hand us that paper, anyway. She wasn't really imprisoned, and seemingly she was able to make a connection to her past self already."
King Demon: "I mean, she already has the power, the knowledge... the insanity. Would disconnecting her from it NOW make any difference?"
Louisoix: "Something's missing here..."
Illian MacGregor: "Well, Demon. What's the difference between me and Psycho Illian?"
King Demon: "You're helping us and he's not."
Illian MacGregor: "So what would happen if we repeated what was done to me to Molly? It's just that the method has to be different since... she's actually a living being."
Louisoix: "If she wanted to send such a letter, she should be able to do it herself. Yet she didn't. How come... to keep low on the radar? Is that really an issue? Hmmm..."
Illian MacGregor: "...Also because unlike me, you want to keep her soul. Some of my powers will never return. My soul went away with that destruction of me.
The Infinity Blade, which could probably end this current war in a heartbeat, is gone."
Xavier Ridgecrest: "Well, the Infinity Blade would probably destroy the universe anyway."
King Demon: "Louis, it's possible that she needed... or still DOES need... us to do something to make the connection possible. Therein lies the problem with time travel."
Xavier Ridgecrest: "We traveled way further back than she expected."
Louisoix: "Yes, but she was able to send previous letters without us."
Valron: "Yeah, it's best that the Infinity Blade stays gone."
Louisoix: "So, how did she do it, and how is it now a non-option?"
Kumiko: "An infinite... blade...? Sounds dangerous."
Valron: "...Mind, I wouldn't mind being able to recreate that ludicrous electrical storm you pulled out of nowhere, but... that's not the point. anyways, yeah."
King Demon: *Nods* "This is why time travel gives me a headache. It's entirely possible that what we do from OUR future, regardless of timeline, makes it possible for the events we've seen to happen. Rather, something that we haven't actually done yet, from our own perspective, will affect this time as well as the future; possibly even further into the past."
Louisoix: "Well, my comment is more that... suppose Molly still had the ability to link with her past self, as we saw here. Then why give us the letter? In fact, if she had such a perfect link, it would be impossible to stop her, because for every flaw she made, she could change time to correct the mistake. Obviously, that isn't the case. We're here.
That means it isn't perfect. But she was able to send messages before. I wonder why she would need another party... maybe because of the whole chaos thing? It seemed to be a polar opposite of order, which the Time Cops use.
But I'm speculating there. Something just doesn't add up at all."
Nonna: "She's also nuts. People who are nuts sometimes don't understand how to accomplish certain things. Maybe deep down, she wanted us to see this... even if parts were redacted."
Louisoix: "I... guess, but that feels like a copout. She seems to have enough sense and sanity left to try to make us do things. ...maybe."
Nonna: "I do wonder why she went out of her way to hide her last name from us, though. How many people do we know that even have one to begin with?"
Editor's Note: Ouch, hit me right in the 'Oops I forgot to give the character a last name' part of my GMing. XD
Xavier Ridgecrest: "That is a pretty good question."
Louisoix: "Could be the reasoning you said. Though I don't like that either. Which one?"
Xavier Ridgecrest: "The last name one, really. I'm not certain why it matters."
Kumiko: "Admittedly... none of interest."
Valron: "Yeah, that's... certainly a bit odd."
Nonna: "Certainly not any that we would be shocked or surprised about."
Louisoix: "Even if it was something surprising, I mean... so what? Does it hold any value?"
Xavier Ridgecrest: "The weird part is that Time Cops and name amnesia is common. I forgot my own name repeatedly after exposure to the anomaly on Erastia."
Nonna: "Molly Ridgecrest? Okay, so she's somehow related to Xavier. And that changes... what... exactly?"
Louisoix: "That's what I mean."
Valron: "And I have no idea what my own last name is, so..." *Shrug.*
Xavier Ridgecrest: "Well, she's also human. Erastians have different ear lobes and knee joints. It's subtle, but, you know. Differences."
Louisoix: "Well I was stuck in that ball thing for a long time, so any issue forgetting my last name isn't there. Also this is an android body, would be silly to forget that."
Nonna: "It's just an example."
KitRedgrave: "So... um. Literally some time-travelling malevolent curse that may or may not still be out there."
Nonna: "She could be Molly Redgrave, or Molly Macgregor, but it wouldn't change anything. So perhaps that is our next clue, or a red herring in itself."
Louisoix: "Would be funny if it was Fils-Aime. But I never had children."
KitRedgrave: "Molly the Puppet Of Whatever Horrible Curse Thingamajig This Is Now."
Nonna: "You never know. Stranger things have happened, Lou."
Louisoix: "I guess, you people prove that every day."
Xavier Ridgecrest: "Well, if she was Molly Redgrave, that would turn this into a weird cross-species sibling rivalry. ...But given how anti-Mobian GUN was, even a symbolic name is unlikely."
Nonna: "Unless..."
Louisoix: "Well, there's that and... well, I can't tell yet for sure but the time difference is too long between whatever happened to me and now. So eh. But that's neither here nor there. I think that's about all of the answers we can figure out here."
Metal Man (GM): Nova casually hands The Book to KitRedgrave.
Nova: "Thanks for letting us use the Book to Scry the planet."
Kumiko: "Theeeeeere can only be one Livvakt. Thankfully, I don't see myself getting involved..."
Nova: "It was useful. Then Mad Molly blocked us from peeking. But still, very useful."
Louisoix: "Yeah."
KitRedgrave: "...You should be thanking it for letting us."
*She accepts The Book and holds onto it.*
Metal Man (GM): The Book gives its own two cents by casually writing 'The Story of Alsa must be known... in order for the next chapters to exist.'
Louisoix: "Seemed to create more questions than answers, but that's life I suppose."
Xavier Ridgecrest: "The question is, I guess, what do we do next. We know there's Madness energy that is used to create Mad Men and presumably fuels their powers."
Louisoix: "Trying to probe more will severely damage the timeline. Not my thing currently. More of a watcher than a breaker."
Nonna: "If it can exist now, it can exist elsewhere."
King Demon: "Ah, Kumiko, sorry to say, but if you're with us, you're already involved."
Xavier Ridgecrest: "Garrick would be soooo mad... he was certain he could just erase Smash Energy. He'd probably start punching things if he discovered that Mad Men had their own powers. Especially after the pathway to that dumb realm his dumb clone came from was blocked."
Kumiko: "...great, does this mean there will be more of me?"
Illian MacGregor: "One thing sticks out to me. Cheating death. Clearly the Mad Men can't actually be killed, if this energy is like Smash Energy."
KitRedgrave: "Who *Doesn't* have their own bespoke type of power at this point...?"
Editor's Note: Sloan's people, Space Pirates, Onta'vis, Celians... so basically most of the less magical sorts.
King Demon: "Would you like there to be?"
Illian MacGregor: "Well... the beings of Chark. Although Thanatos tossing Black Holes gives me more questions than answers."
KitRedgrave: "...I didn't expect there to be a real answer to that. But that's curious."
Nonna: "He was tossed out of Chark, wasn't he?"
Illian MacGregor: "Yes."
Kumiko: "I... prefer not."
Illian MacGregor: "So maybe he's a mutant. Or did something they don't like."
King Demon: "Eh... maybe for the best; I don't think the multiverse could handle another one of... well, ANY of us..."
Illian MacGregor: "Both are probable, given he casually held his own against us, and also plotted our doom. Probably what he did to everyone. There's two Nonnas, Demon. There's probably alternate reality Kumiko out there as we speak."
King Demon: "We never did investigate that, did we, Illian?"
Illian MacGregor: "We never did."
King Demon: *Nods* "True; and look at all the problems that has caused."
Illian MacGregor: "Chark's still under the weird blackout caused by Autumnus."
Nonna: "We were going to, but this matter came up."
Kumiko: "...great. This bracelet tells me I've already had clones of myself made before..."
Illian MacGregor: "Yes. This matter was more important, if only because of the danger it poses to us if Mad Molly messes with time."
Kumiko: "I prefer... to not think of alternate mes."
King Demon: "Not a shock, I'm reasonably sure there's another me out there somewhere... I've just never had the opportunity to meet him.:"
Illian MacGregor: "The alternate version of me destroyed planets, so, we can avoid thinking about him or others unless needed. On the main goal, it's mostly what we do. We can use this information to screw with Mad Molly, for example. She wanted us to deliver that note."
Louisoix: "Maybe there's another me. Don't know what would make him evil me though."
Illian MacGregor: "What if the note destroyed her Madness? Granted, we'd need to give it to present her. The past wouldn't be as useful. She might be re-infected by her future self."
Louisoix: "Hmm... something akin to how Eggman used that robot to seal up the madness energy?"
Illian MacGregor: "Yes. It's clear it can be contained."
Louisoix: "Certainly true. How much data do we have on that robot, Nova?"
Nova: "Robot was repeatedly encountered by Questers. The Book contains a full schema of it."
Louisoix: "It might be possible to make something similar. Maybe we can improve the design and throw it into the X-Zone or whatever."
Nova: "It acted as a realistic body double that had an anti-magic field."
Louisoix: "Apparently that place is this world's dumpster."
Nova: "The ritual for summoning the Emeralds curses whoever summons it. The body double was cursed instead. No such luck for Garrick or Psycho Illian."
Louisoix: "Hmm... but that doesn't answer how to siphon that energy away from someone else."
Nova: "It doesn't, unfortunately."
Louisoix: "Only when the emeralds make the attempt to curse someone."
Xavier Ridgecrest: "It is true, we've known of Alsan energy, but... It was never thought to be something you could innately extinguish."
Nonna: "We also have to consider what was said."
Louisoix: "The worst part is that, without any useful samples, we can't design anything. If we make the attempt to siphon her energy, it needs to be done in a way that will work the first time."
Nonna: "About the statues waiting for a specific chosen person, and that they were just using Robotnik."
Xavier Ridgecrest: "But... Valron and Borne."
Illian MacGregor: "If Madness Energy is Alsan Energy, Kit Redgrave has it too."
Louisoix: "Right, but is there anyone that would be more qualified than her?"
Nonna: "So it's possible the limitations and restrictions of the energy vary based on its own will."
Illian MacGregor: "Just that... it doesn't appear to be making her insane..."
Valron: "How odd."
KitRedgrave: "At least, not the kind of insane that goes and does those things."
Xavier Ridgecrest: "Gelato also used Alsan Energy at least once... hmmm... it's all rather weird."
KitRedgrave: "I'm pretty nutty."
Louisoix: "The 'curse' might not be a curse in the strictest sense, just something that causes a detriment to those unworthy."
Nonna: "That means it's something else entirely, or it chooses who becomes insane."
Louisoix: "Something like that, Nonna, yes."
Illian MacGregor: "My knowledge of Alsa suggests that there had to have been times when the energy was used for Good, and didn't drive everyone insane, before the fall of Dyne. Otherwise the ancient infrastructure they built wouldn't exist. Similarly, I doubt Kit would have been able to create me if she was completely insane.
Or the various things Valron did without going insane."
Editor's Note: I dunno, somebody has to be at least a little bit nutty to attempt to create a non-evil Illian... but it's more benign 'Nutty Professor' and less evil, as you might guess.
Xavier Ridgecrest: "Might be why draining it isn't the be-all, end-all. You can't exactly remove knowledge without brainwashing somebody."
Louisoix: "True enough. She did mention she was even able to see the beginning of the universe. Somehow... hmm."
Nonna: "Creating some kind of opening in her armour of insanity will help, though."
Louisoix: "It would."
Xavier Ridgecrest: "But we could... we could use it to try to force her to see straight. There are Alsan spells to try to heal people, I would presume."
Louisoix: "Would be hard. Her desires seem to largely stem from her own fears of death and the deaths of others. Certainly, its a fear we all have."
Xavier Ridgecrest: "Yes. That system is why she kept coming back to life. She's been killed countless times. Much like Psycho Illian was."
Nonna: "And yet Autumnus remains a thorn so painful that she would rather destroy the universe with Omnus than try to do anything else about him."
Louisoix: "Kind of ironic. And strange, too."
Nonna: "If her goal was only to prolong her own life and the lives of those she wants to preserve, Autumnus being in charge shouldn't matter much."
Louisoix: "She even mentioned in that note about... that." *He looked around for a moment.* "It seems to contradict her own motives."
Xavier Ridgecrest: "Well, given all the information, it seems to make for a couple of options, so we aren't stuck just wondering... we could go to Chark, since that's still something we have yet to address. We could go to the point back in time Mad Molly told Louisoix to take the letter and confront her. Or we could... hmmm... trying to access her in the present is complicated by her being Autumnus' 'Prisoner.' Sometimes I wonder if we could talk with Autumnus about it. Then again, he would probably refuse to be of any help."
Louisoix: "Though he would likely wonder what is going on considering she is her 'prisoner', and yet has free reign to do whatever and is playing a part."
Xavier Ridgecrest: "There also remains Omnus, who Kit could summon to cause a distraction while we steal Molly from his 'prison', or otherwise... she was able to send messages to herself from the future. We could try to send messages at her Autumnus couldn't see."
Louisoix: "Well, confronting Mad Molly now... hm."
Nonna: "Whether or not she'll want to read and answer them is another story."
Louisoix: "Certainly. Well, what would we say to her? That she's misguided?
Chark was... well, we're stuck there because we did all of this in an attempt to secure some peace deal, and we wanted to know what was inside those areas the Time Cops wanted so badly.
Giving them that in exchange would be bad, considering what we know now."
Nonna: "First we need to open up a path through the fog that is her psychosis and hope that, even if for a moment, we can talk to the real Molly underneath it all."
Xavier Ridgecrest: "That we want to deal with Autumnus and wish to know what exactly it was she was going to do against him before the Omnus madness became off the rails."
Louisoix: "Not sure how to do that currently."
Xavier Ridgecrest: "Since that was the original idea, really."
Valron: "That'd certainly help. But the real question would be, well... how to do that."
Louisoix: "Hm."
Xavier Ridgecrest: "To contact her and get that information."
Louisoix: "Right. She had a part in that system's creation. Was why we did all of that."
Illian MacGregor: "Hmmm, maybe Borne knows more."
Metal Man (GM): Borne walks in.
Louisoix: "What timing."
Commander Borne: "I haven't said much because from my perspective, she's always been warped. Do you think I killed her out of convenience? Even though I'm not technically human, she still created me.
The best solution is just that. Destroy her. With this information we can use The Book to erase all that remains of her from reality.
Then we don't have to think about it anymore.
She's refused over and over again to actually do anything that wasn't HER way, HER idea... and HER idea always resulted in millions of deaths.
If you must get information out of her, then have this to hold over her head."
Nonna: "And yet, it's only now that we're armed with the knowledge of what created her craziness to begin with."
Commander Borne: "She can either give us information, or be obliterated."
Louisoix: "Well, considering her position, attacking her is bad. Its probably why she's there."
Commander Borne: "The counter to Mad Man energy has always been known to me. It's how I killed Jack and Mad Molly. But it's not a counter, per se.
It's just a fact of reality. Not much survives being destroyed by Antimatter.
...Of course Mad Molly built the revival stations, so."
Nonna: "And yet, her existence persists."
Commander Borne: "It reconstructed her."
Louisoix: "Right, we should snuff out that potentiality."
Commander Borne: "Those are gone now, though. She's only still alive now because Autumnus decided to tolerate her existence.
If you wish to get to Mad Molly, then use her fear against her.
She's down to nearly nothing. That means, of course, if cornered too much, she will fight back.
But if you can apply the right force she'll be forced to contemplate something other than kicking the can away and pretending ignorance.
Otherwise... she'll just laugh. That's what crazy people do."
Nonna: "Fear can also lead to false information. An innocent can and will confess to being a murderer if enough pressure is applied."
Louisoix: "That might be more accurate than her being mad. Cognitive dissonance, and acting the way she does helps obscure it."
Commander Borne: "Well. If you want her to cooperate, I saw what you saw there. Offer her a new way to survive and cheat death. The old way requires her to keep using the Madness energy.
It's inefficient."
Louisoix: "I mean, I could offer my solution. But I don't know if she would want it. And considering how nutty she is, I don't think everyone would like it."
Commander Borne: "It would be quite a dangerous trade. We're on the edge of her possible eternal death. But offering her a replacement might change her mind about being our enemy. At least, if she can verify it works and can be used against us.
Them's the breaks with her."
Louisoix: "One would wonder why she wouldn't consider it, though..."
Nonna: "So, either way, we need to actually reach her first to talk."
Louisoix: "Relying on this method is rather silly, too. Its a deal, not her own abilities. It can be easily taken away.
If she doesn't fulfill this revenge plot this entity wants, it'll just leave her."
Nonna: "Perhaps we can find out why she wants to keep living, and who else she wants to keep alive. If those things can be handled without relying on dark, dangerous energies or questionable tech, perhaps she'll be more open."
Louisoix: "Oh. Maybe my idea is out of the question then? Heh. But I dunno, I don't think its that 'dark'. But..." *He'd shrug.* "I'd like to find some other solution she might like, that we don't just come up with the one, you know? If she says she hates it then what? Kind of a waste of a trip."
Nonna: "Anything she touches becomes questionable and dangerous."
Commander Borne: "Why? Well, I'd think it to be obvious. She's surrounded by death, especially on Alsa. She most likely wishes to stay alive out of fear of death."
Louisoix: "So you want a method where she can become immortal, as well as her friends, but she can't break it."
Commander Borne: "The timeline where she founded the Time Cops... it meant she could basically never die. Always able to bail herself out with time travel."
Louisoix: "Yeah, I figured that was her motive with this cyclical past/future ploy she has."
Commander Borne: "She was 'publicly' dead on Alsa for a long time after I killed her. But it became clear she was still effecting the timeline with time travel. She had only allowed it because it was good cover. After all, a dead person doing things is impossible, at least to the laymen."
Nonna: "I'm thinking of what goes even beyond that. As we saw back in that cave, she had that desire already, before her maddening."
Louisoix: "She likely has a kill switch that loops through time to ensure her survival. And people won't be so quick to alter history just to cut the loop, so... Since you cut it by killing her past self. Would completely alter all of history, considering all the things she's had her hands on. We'd be dealing with Eggman instead in that timeline.
Or be dead. I dunno."
Nonna: "As a normal human, as a medic, she wished to save lives in general. Why now is that extended only to herself and her favoured ones in the present? She kills to accomplish this."
Louisoix: "Cynicism, maybe. Idealism dies in the face of reality. How people cope depends on them.
Some people will take that boat and sink with it, others will swear to never be an idealist ever again."
Nova: "Unusual coded message received from unknown source: 'You there in space, might want to leave this time now. There are beings from another dimension who seem to be coming for you. - <3 MM'"
Xavier Ridgecrest: "I'm not certain who sent that, it wasn't me anyway."
Louisoix: "Time cops, I imagine. I suppose we should just continue this after we travel back. If its Autumnus, might be a good opportunity."
Illian MacGregor: "Nobody even calls you Metal Man anymore."
Nonna: "We've overstayed our welcome."
Xavier Ridgecrest: "But I am the real man of steel! ...What time should we return to?"
Kumiko: "It appears our situation no longer presents an advantage..."
Xavier Ridgecrest: "The one where Mad Molly wanted to meet Louisoix, or..."
Valron: "...Huh. Nice of her to tell us that."
Nonna: "I guess that one."
Xavier Ridgecrest: "I'll start the transition anyways, so we don't get caught up in it... okay."
Metal Man (GM): Xavier flips the switch and the Wing Fortress moves forwards through time.
In the background, a lot can be seen. Red Text's satellite gets into battles; Eggman defeats a giant island with Dark Force on it; 'Jacob' appears and fights on a giant crystal temple in outer space and is defeated...
Judge Dredd's own fleet appears for a moment, and in Half-Life 2 esque fashion, gets a moment to see the Wing Fortress from his own ship, as the time warp brings the two ships really close, close enough to see his lips mouth 'What?' through the window before carrying on...
Xavier Ridgecrest: "...It's so trippy... the engine we're using is also simultaneously in one of those ships in that fleet..."
Louisoix: "Ha."
Valron: "Just from a different point in the engine's time."
Nova: "Playing back intercepted message."
Valron: "I'm sure that's gonna leave him scratching his head for a few minutes out of the next... however many days or weeks or so he's got left."
Judge Dredd: *R* "What are you doing in two places at once, Doom of Cheshire? You're not supposed to be able to do that! Did you somehow duplicate yourself? Paradoxes are forbidden? Wait... wait... what the hell? That ship comes from a time in which I'm dead? ...Nonsense, I can't die. I'm the LAW!" *Click.*
Xavier Ridgecrest: "So glad he's dead."
Metal Man (GM): It keeps going. The ship shakes violently at one point.
Xavier Ridgecrest: "What the?"
Nova: "That was Nintendus being re-created by Borne and the stolen World Creation Device."
Xavier Ridgecrest: "Oh."
Louisoix: "An attack? Oh."
Metal Man (GM): Then another flash goes by.
Valron: "Okay, so nothing to worry about there. Gotcha."
Metal Man (GM): Anthon Tark is seen in a helicopter that warps through time and space. He waves to the ship as you pass by.
Xavier Ridgecrest: "What the?"
Valron: "...Was that a helicopter?"
Nova: "Anthon was also warping time and space at this time. He used it to help create Rendar."
Nonna waves awkwardly back.
Valron: "No, I get that, but... a helicopter? Odd choice for a vehicle."
Nova: "I believe it was to confuse his enemies. And also based off of the hover-helicopters made by the Questers that he later confiscated."
Valron: "Well, it's doing a good job."
Nova: "We should ask him if he still has those. They're probably better than the CACs."
Xavier Ridgecrest clears his throat loudly.
Nova: "Never mind. Ancient Crown Victoria cars from the 1990s with rockets awkwardly strapped to them are clearly superior."
Xavier Ridgecrest: "I should upgrade to the ones from the 1980's..."
Valron: "...Honestly, didn't the CACs also have some tech in them that was still good? Not the Arwing stuff, but more like... compressors or something that allowed them to pull out things that a limo had no good reason to be carrying?"
Xavier Ridgecrest: "Yes."
Nova: "They were implemented after Xavier created a secret program named 'Screw Garrick and his Smash Dex Replacement Pills' that were made to outdo anything Garrick built, including those MTAs."
Valron: "I need to get around to examining those particular systems at some point. Could come in handy."
Metal Man (GM): The warp continues going forwards. Not a lot happens but at one point a weird purple energy flares up.
Nova: "Evil Wolfman's evil cursed Nintendus at this time."
Xavier Ridgecrest: "How... evil."
Nova: *Facepalms.*
Valron: "Oh, yeah. I sorta recall that..."
Xavier Ridgecrest: "It'd be so tempting to stop right here and punch Solid Snake for trying to steal the Questers."
Nova: "Don't bother. He wasn't happy with it either. He left a really long letter explaining to the Hands about how it was a waste of time."
Xavier Ridgecrest: "I guess he's much classier than Garrick."
Nova: "He also left a cigar behind for when you need to dramatically die while holding on a tomb stone."
Xavier Ridgecrest: "...Possibly also better at antagonizing me as well..."
Metal Man (GM): Another explosion goes by: It's Psycho Illian and Angel Island being defeated.
Xavier Ridgecrest: "Ah, here we are... something more like the time..."
Metal Man (GM): It finally stops at... Angel Island in that timeline... during REVELATION but before Omnus was defeated, but for some reason Omnus doesn't seem to have gone rogue yet, because he's not showing up or anything. There's just Alsa, being really quiet and post-Kit fixing it up-ness ...And Mad Molly, waiting on the desolate Angel Island, floating in space.
Nova: "There's no one watching us here except for Mad Molly. It appears to be after most of the convoluted crazy evil things. Barring Omnus, who thanks to our interventions... was never made to be successfully able to mind control people. Presumably she's waiting here for that letter, if the timing is right, the letter is meant to alter what she does with Omnus."
Louisoix: "Huh."
Nonna: "How about we pay her a visit of another kind?"
Louisoix: "What are you thinking?"
Nonna: "See if we can't open her up some."
Valron: "...Not gonna lie, I was kind of pondering that myself, as much of a comically bad idea that'd be."
Xavier Ridgecrest: "Well, she's on the island and despite noticing us hasn't fled or summoned demons at us. We could technically see her without any interference here."
Nonna: "Knowing what we do now, is there some way to analyze the madness energy she uses and create a temporary counter to it?"
Commander Borne: "You're right, we could actually use the Mad Man ability to do that, right, Valron? I never thought of it, but that is literally the power of the Mad Men. Here I was just erasing people with antimatter.
I mean, it's so much easier my way, but if you wish to prevent her from randomly exploding us all, it would be good to use the Mad Man ability to jam it altogether."
Valron: "Certainly wouldn't hurt, at the very least."
Commander Borne: "...Also Kit has the Book... it might help you anyways. She could... combo-cast or something."
Nonna: "Now, we have to use that moment to get through to her. But what exactly, do we want?"
Xavier Ridgecrest: "We need a way to defeat Autumnus. She clearly had a plan on what to do if Omnus took over and had him cornered. I doubt it was going to be straight forward because he's a living planet.
Our own plan wouldn't be to kill him as I bet she would, but...
If he has a weakness, we need it so we can potentially defeat him and end this ridiculous stalemate. Make it so he has to surrender and lift his hold on Erastia.
Failing that, we need a way to deal with whatever was done to Erastia, to move the forbidden places off of it.
So that we can simply uphold the status quo without Erastia being in this weird gray area."
KitRedgrave: "Um... combo-cast. Right. Um." *She would flip through the Book figuring out how the hell to even do that.*
Nonna: "Anything else you'd like to ask her?"
Commander Borne: "I'd want to ask her why she couldn't just stop at protecting Alsa and herself, and why she needed to found Time Cops at all. Why was she so obsessed when she had already guaranteed immortality by her pre-existing powers."
Louisoix: "Good question."
Nonna: "Right. I suppose I should be the one to talk to her, then."
Metal Man (GM): The book's pages flip about, Kit looking for the spell.
The Book says simply, 'To combo-cast, simply prepare with another to cast a spell, allowing both of you or whoever else is casting to know what the intent of the spell is first so you can combine your power.'
KitRedgrave: "...I mean. Wouldn't I have to know how the thing works first? Is it another one of these weird things?"
Xavier Ridgecrest: "Weird things? It's basically an energy that is... well... The way the Alsan Questers were driven insane by energies they could not control.
It's like Psycho Illian.
We want to temporarily remove the insanity.
Valron can help begin the spell by countering her Mad Man nature. But you could presumably use your magic to help do a more strong effect to decrease her insanity."
KitRedgrave: "Ah... I think I might have the thing, actually. Well, half of a thing."
Valron: "Sounds like we've certainly got somethin', in any case."
KitRedgrave: "Maybe some sort of awful Ward-Disjunction combination would be the thing. Would we have enough power?"
Xavier Ridgecrest: "Hmmm... now if you just cast it into thin air, it'll vanish. We should cast it on the note before we hand it to her, and rewrite the note in the process... Power, hmmm..."
Illian MacGregor: "I wish I had the Chaos Emeralds. We could create something so powerful she would be but a candle."
Louisoix: "I could come with if needed. I imagine it might come down to that offer. Though it might not be good to make it now, as we're still in the past. Up to you."
KitRedgrave: "I mean, I have access to Charge, too. Er, Energia. That's what I meant.
Getting things in my head mixed up."
Illian MacGregor: "...That's more than enough power."
Valron: "Yeah, I'd say we're good."
Illian MacGregor: "Just use that. Her power is nothing besides that. Sloan was able to run amok with Energia alone. Only the Chaos Emeralds... barely... were able to defeat it."
Valron: "So, Energia plus whatever I need to do, then?"
Illian MacGregor: "Energia, what you need to do, and Ward and Disjunction."
KitRedgrave would go get some paper and write down this kind of ridiculous super-negation spell, to help Valron do the thing.
Valron: "...Makes me curious as to how the Crystal Stars would match up in comparison, but that's neither here nor there."
Illian MacGregor: "Crystal Stars are able to block that energy, but it'd be evil to use them in offense. Too much energy and the ancient demon within them would awaken, if it were used on offense.
Blocking, however, it can do forever."
Valron: "Good to know."
Metal Man (GM): Kit writes the spell down. It makes a lot of glowy symbols.
KitRedgrave: "...Oh. Reconstruction is also a thing. Is this really a 'frayed tapestry of reality' kinda thing?"
Nonna: "Let's do this."
Xavier Ridgecrest: "Frayed tapestry of her mind, really. I think Valron had that spell, but I might be mistaken."
Valron: "I certainly do, yes. Snatched it from Autumnus when he and The Void had that one pissing contest a little while back."
Xavier Ridgecrest: "It is a spell Autumnus used, so I'm not certain she'd like it, but... we're not really doing this because she'd like it. It's more to help her."
KitRedgrave: "Niiiice."
Xavier Ridgecrest: "Maybe that's why she's so evasive of Autumnus and would rather he die."
Valron: *He opens up his spellbook and shows Kit the page where Reconstruction is on, in case she wants to learn the spell for herself.*
Metal Man (GM): You can definitely learn the spell, if you wish, Kit.
Valron: "Probably a good idea for more than one of us to be able to use it."
Metal Man (GM): It's a fancy-pants Time Cop spell... which, in retrospect, definitely seems Alsan-like in nature.
KitRedgrave definitely does, and would copy it into The Book even if due to Knowledge mechanics she can't actually use use it except for these things.
Valron: "It also seems to be especially effective on Time Cop tech."
Metal Man (GM): Yes, most likely it'd be only usable as a component in these magical item creation thingies until you have Knowledge to build it.
KitRedgrave: "Awesome, thank you... it's really handy to be able to actually copy these things around, now. I still feel bad for not being able to help you this one time."
Valron: "No problem."
Metal Man (GM): The object now has all the spells needed on it.
Valron: *Laid out.*
KitRedgrave would then concentrate and fire up the normality-returning supercleaner spell, to help Valron do the thing.
Nonna: "I'll go in when she's vulnerable."
Metal Man (GM): I'd do dice rolls, buuut in this case since you're sorta taking her by surprise, it hits. Especially with Energia. The effect is... rather interesting.
A giant frickin' beam shoots out at Mad Molly, faster than she can react. He grimaces as if you're about to kill her... then seems confused.
Since it hits her, but doesn't damage her.
She's now standing there, glowing a shade of purple and looking doubly confused.
Xavier Ridgecrest: "The beam hit her. You can warp down now, Nonna. She appears to not be hostile."
Nonna warps down to Molly, on guard of course.
Louisoix: "Good luck. Contact me if you need me."
Valron: "Aye. I'll be here as well, in case any further Mad Shenanigans are needed."
Metal Man (GM): Molly is there. She looks at Nonna, confused.
Nonna: "Hello, Molly."
Mad Molly: "You had me dead to rights, and you... cast a weird spell on me."
Nonna: "I wanted to talk to you about a few things while your mind was clear."
Mad Molly: "Remind me again... what you are here for? For some reason I don't feel the need to immediately kill you."
Nonna: "I have no intention of harming you."
Mad Molly: "Oh. Well, I'm Mad Molly! You can't... hmmm..." *She pauses.* "Now that you mention it, it's easier than ever for me to think of new plans. Is this some sort of weird plan of yours?
I was expecting a message from my future self that was too sensitive to send back here.
This is... obviously not that, unless the message is about those voices in my head. To be honest, they get in the way sometimes."
Nonna: "It was contaminated by insanity. Anyway, the first thing I'd like to ask you about is the man you hate the most."
Mad Molly: "A man I hate the most... hmmm... I have to choose?"
*He chuckles a bit to herself.*
Nonna: "Autumnus."
Mad Molly: "That's not a man, it's a planet, honey. I want it exploded, though.
It's in the way.
If you want it exploded... ...well I have to admit, I wanted to blow it up first."
Nonna: "And what did you come up with to have him exploded?"
Mad Molly: "Well, until a certain fox stole my rightful place as God Empress Time Travel Extraordinaire, I was simply going to declare him a Time Felon and let Judge Dredd blow him to bits with his Magna Cannon. However, he got wise to that and caused Judge Dredd, his Magna Cannon, and the rest to all be blown to bits. By my disowned son. That planet man thing really pisses me off. After that it was going to be The Arbiter."
Nonna: "The Magna Cannon can destroy Autumnus?"
Mad Molly: "Who then fell for... Panzer. ...A cat-robot-lady who ALSO stole my role as chief manipulator of reality. I'm afraid to tell you. Some other woman who is part animal will steal it.
...Yes, it could."
Nonna: "Absolutely, for sure?"
Mad Molly: "The problem is, only Judge Dredd knew absolutely. He was killed before I could be certain.
He himself said it was partially untested. I wanted to try.
He said he'd do it, then the great thing where he got distracted by Alsa and died happened before he could.
Panzer stole the Arbiter and also used his power to half-destroy Autumnus.
Then the other half regenerated because nobody did anything in the intervening time. Conveniently, Psycho Illian and Evil Wolfman distracted everyone while he recovered."
Nonna: "And presumably, you knowing about this was enough to have Autumnus lock you up."
Mad Molly: "Oh, he's going to lock me up? ...That's right, he did it before, he'd do it again. Yes, he knows I want to blow him to kingdom come. He's made no secret of his enmity of me. But Omnus should be able to kill hi... wait... That must have been you who told me to believe in myself so long ago.
And... ...my future self telling me to avoid you after I gained my powers... and now you fire a weird beam to remove them... ...you're really weird, you know that?"
Nonna: "Speaking of which, there's something else I'd like to ask you. And I know it's going to be hard to answer."
Mad Molly: "Weird Woman. It rhymes. Well, ask away... if only because I specifically set up this time to try to figure out what to do.
I figure Omnus can kill Autumnus, but if you also want to kill him... ...just let me see him die when you do it."
Nonna: "I'm more then aware of your past, or at least the parts that weren't redacted."
Mad Molly: "If you knew all of it, it would be very bad, indeed."
Nonna: "So I have to ask you what your underlying goal is."
Mad Molly: "Well! You could have asked me that at any time, but sure!"
Nonna: "You could protect your Alsa. Protect your own life. The lives of those important to you."
Metal Man (GM): She uses her powers--the ones that aren't madness-induced--to show an image.
Nonna: "But you went above and beyond. Guaranteed your own effective immortality."
Metal Man (GM): It's of the Alsan Questers.
Mad Molly: "Y'see, originally I accomplished most of my goals. It was all fine. Then these bastards came in.
I realized that bastards could come from anywhere and wreck everything, at any time.
They had these alien powers and were bent on ruining my control of things with their own alien space idiot powers.
So in order to prevent that, I need the Time Cops to be existent and to be mine. So I can destroy all of the bastards before they even come over."
Nonna: "That doesn't quite explain everything, Molly. What I saw of you in the past was a kindly medic who wanted to save lives in general. That was well before any Alsan Questers existed."
Mad Molly: "Oh, you don't know, do you? My ultimate goal is to find every one of those bastards and kill them before they're born. Ah..."
Nonna: "Before you even knew they could exist."
Mad Molly: "You really do know too much. Eggman so happened to be another entity that didn't really belong here.
He was just one of the first of the reality-warping monsters.
As were the very statues that gave me my knowledge. It was my wish to use their own power to undo them from existence.
And I succeeded."
Nonna: "And furthermore, your future self went out of her way to ensure that we never learned your last name."
Mad Molly: "I stole them from Eggman and destroyed them all. Illian made some fakes that failed to replicate their vehement evil. Well, I'm afraid that remains secret. You heard what I said after all.
You might kill me before I'm born if you knew.
Anthon has time traveling abilities. He might do it instead.
And that's not counting Autumnus, or for that matter, any other crazy with a time device."
Nonna: "And knowing a name or not is the sole factor in determining your fate?"
Mad Molly: "The only reason the likes of you still exists despite having a well known name is the likes of Anthon and Psycho Illian controlling spots of time. But neither of them cares if I live or die."
Nonna: "Listen, Molly. I'm not Autumnus. I'm not Eggman. I'm not my grandfather Anthon. I have a vested interest in ensuring everyone in this galaxy can leave in peace and happiness.
And that includes you, if you'll let me."
Mad Molly: "You really are an optimist. I've only seen people die horribly. Had to avoid getting too attached, as anybody I see seems to ultimately die before my eyes if I can't change time itself first. If you really want to help me, then, yes, you will bring a final end to Autumnus. It has been his express wish to see me suffer and eventually die.
I alone have prevented him from rewriting all of reality in his favor."
Nonna: "An optimist hopes and dreams. A realist puts plans into action."
Mad Molly: "Whatever Panzer or Kit did, I used the statues' power to figure out who was causing Alsa to crack up and blinded them."
Nonna: "But I do have a lingering curiousity."
Mad Molly: "It was him who I blinded, and probably others, but he was the one who took it most personally. It wasn't too long after I did that that my son eventually brought peace to Alsa, after all. Even if I wasn't a part of it.
And it was only when he recovered his sight that Alsa once again burnt."
Nonna: "The statues talked about you as though you were some chosen one. You even expressed an interest in eternal life before you ever knew about their power, or even about the Alsan Questers, or of other reality-warping monsters."
Mad Molly: "Oh. Well, I... just had heard silly bedtime stories about how the ancient Alsans could cheat death, using 'rings' and also 'magic.' I thought I could find them through science, but I didn't.
Rings only work properly on Mobians and... 'magical beings.'"
Nonna: "And for what purpose did you seek them out at such a young and innocent age?"
Mad Molly: "I figured it out, by the way. You created some sort of combi-spell to remove the influence of the blight on my brain. Good work, that. I'll be using it from now on to help me plan better. But in return, I will try to answer your question. You most likely think that I just wanted to save one person from death.
A family member. A loved one. Or even a friend.
It's different than that, that would be silly and probably foolish. All the stories of those end in tragedy."
Nonna: "You do have an obsession with calling random people you obsess over by the name of 'Jack'. It's natural to assume that you have a lingering attachment to that name from... somewhere. But I suppose you aren't so simple huh."
Mad Molly: "Yes. The name is my go-to to name anything. I hate thinking too much about it.
No, what I want to do is more general. Mobians could always cheat death. So I wanted humans to do the same.
Y'never asked a Mobian why somehow their 'legendary heroes' rarely age, and when they do die, it seems to be way more ceremonial and perhaps even intentional.
Parity, you know. Mobians had timeless civilizations that dwarfed ours until that great magic plague wiped most of them out.
We were barely getting on our feet when Robotnik decided to try and 'accidentally' wipe us out, 'unintentionally' destroying any place we had that was too large in his 'battle against Sonic.'
With the power of everlasting life, we could defeat him and choose our own destiny. And I could choose mine.
Instead of worrying about dying from some random explosion."
Nonna: "And yet... you've killed far more than you've 'saved' from their own mortality."
Mad Molly: "They didn't want to go along with it. They saw it as unnatural. It's the same story. Have you ever asked the Questers about Panzer?
They didn't go along with her back in the day either.
Those of us who see clearer than the others are always pushed out of society."
Nonna: "It is not a doctor's job to kill patients who don't want to take their medicine. For that is the destiny they chose. Who are you to deny it to them?"
Mad Molly: "Yes... you have something in the fact that the energy I have compels me to kill. It is connected to a Death God's energy. The one that rules a place called Hel. I presume you may be familiar.
I'd show you, but it seems you've capped the well, temporarily. Wise woman, you are."
Nonna: "I may have been there once or twice."
Mad Molly: "We all make our choices, and I chose to use death against itself. One day, I will kill death itself. Then those I killed who deserve a second chance will be alive again."
Nonna: "Death is what allows new things to be born."
Mad Molly: "We'll never agree. But we can come to a truce, if you rid me of Autumnus. Surely whatever you would do to me after defeating me would be more humane than whatever death he has planned for me.
And if I beat you, I can be so certain as to not do anything horrible to you either."
Nonna: "We will be defeating him. And all we ask is that you rid yourself of the influence from the Death God, and participate in building a peaceful and free world for everyone."
Mad Molly: "By the way, I know you have an alternate reality doppelganger chasing you. I can probably rid you of her. She is inexperienced and rash."
Nonna: "Work on your immortality elixir if you want. Just make sure it's not forced on anyone, nor contains any loyalty adjustments. Nor turns people into vampires or zombies."
Mad Molly: "I ruled out the zombies because that would just be disgusting. Vampires are less disgusting but still gross."
Nonna: "And... no killing. As for my other self, that's something I'll take care of."
Mad Molly: "Now you know I can't honestly say I'm not going to kill somebody or something. All I can say is if you destroy Autumnus then I'll stop killing. In the meantime, he'll send people after me no matter what time I'm in.
And they'll all not stop until they die. I presume you're familiar with that problem."
Nonna: "All too much."
Mad Molly: "My goal now is to stop him, so if you stop the source, then I will be able to renounce the dark powers after I have figured out a way to finally give Death the defeat it deserves... without destroying reality. I've seen those other idiots try the wrong thing."
Nonna: "Perhaps once this is all said and done, you'll be willing to open up about yourself."
Mad Molly: "Maybe. Or maybe I'll go live a peaceful life the way I always imagined--doing what I want without randomly dying from a cliff's edge or an assailant who I don't even know. Either way, if you get rid of Autumnus I won't have to trouble you anymore.
...Your doppelganger is coming here, by the way. That's really what I meant to hint at.
I'm so tempted to just blow her to bits for interrupting.
I think that'd make twice in a row in fact... she must want to prevent this. Too late, don't you think?"
Nonna: "Once I leave, she'll follow me instead of going to you. Anyway, we have a deal then?"
Mad Molly: "I'll restrict my killing to Autumnus goons actually out to kill me. Once Autumnus is dead, I can renounce the evil powers of death. I may hold on to them a bit longer to figure out how to finish my anti-death spell. Then yes, I can hang it up. Because... while I am still mad that fox woman stole my Time Cop scam... ...I realize in retrospect, now she has to do all the paperwork instead!
I'll just be able to go lounge on the seashore while she's busy figuring out why the Time Bandit had to screw up fifty timelines procuring stupid sports cars driven by idiots.
I just wanted to be able to prevent the bastards from warping in from out of time to wreck Alsa. Autumnus being dead and that other Alsan running it should be enough for me."
Nonna: "We'll speak again soon."
*She warps back.*
Mad Molly: "It seems we're stuck in this together, anyway." *She warps to... god knows where.*
Metal Man (GM): Nonna returns to the ship, as Nova predictably notes...
Nova: "...Yes, the Alternate Nonna is trying to catch up to us in this timeline."
Nonna: "Let's go."
Xavier Ridgecrest: "Full speed back to our timeline, then."
Louisoix: "About time I guess."
Valron: "Yeah, let's do that."
Metal Man (GM): Xavier warps full throttle to the present. As the effects of mild chronomentia set in.
Louisoix: "Well, hopefully you guys will feel alright."
Xavier Ridgecrest: "...We should probably relax a while on the warping after this... my head feels like an empty watermelon crashed into a bus."
Nonna: *Zzzzz.*
Illian MacGregor: "I don't feel much. However, I feel the need to punch escalators."
Valron: "...Yeah, just a bit. As interesting as all of that was, well... Oof."
Illian MacGregor: "And if I let my mind continue, I might once again go shopping."
Commander Borne: "Personally I just get flashbacks of Alsan Questers drinking my booze."
KitRedgrave just makes a demented, Sparkish giggle and goes for coffee. Ponders a variety of impractical and ridiculous things for a moment. Maybe shuffles inventory around.
Commander Borne: "I'm only mad because one of them did it without pouring it into a cup. Getting their filthy Alsan Quester lips all over the lip of my admin booze.
I should have put them in a force fielded cabinet."
Valron: "Can't say I'm getting any particularly aggravating flashbacks. Then again, I actively try to tune that shit out, so..."
KitRedgrave: "Force fielded? Maybe... maybe... nah. You should have 'em, like, outside of the timeline until you unlock it and get the booze."
Commander Borne: "...It's so simple! I even built an entire city outside the timeline once, why didn't I do it with my booze?"
KitRedgrave: "And I think I know how to do it too..." *She gets some more paper and scrawls something out.*
"Heck, why don't we do more of that?
That's GENIUS!"
Commander Borne: "... ... ...You know, I forgot about the city I built outside of time itself."
Valron: "Probably because you kinda lose track of the smaller details."
Commander Borne: "Evacuated it because of Garrick and Sloan. But both of them are kinda gone."
Valron: "...Hell, yeah. That's an odd thing to forget."
Commander Borne: "I bet there's like... nothing wrong with it now that those people are gone. Except for the fact it's the X-Zone.'"
Valron: "...There a functioning base there as well, or...?"
Commander Borne: "Well it got blown up a bit but if we wanted to use it as a base it'd work."
Xavier Ridgecrest: "I'm not certain the world is ready for mission briefings taking place with Dans and the Master Egg and Jokercube warping in and out mid-briefing. Especially given every time I went out there I kept returning with different hair styles than I went in with."
Valron: "I was thinking more in terms of scrounging for parts to fix up the mech, but... having a base in such a wild place like that couldn't hurt too badly. ...If only to make people really hesitant to strike."
Commander Borne: "True, we only have all of Alsa to potentially use as a base without any threat of doomsday monsters attacking us. There's even some nice tropical beaches we could build a base on.
We could rebuild the X-zone base and... let Ivan's men go live there just in case.
They can all... ...uh... ...well they're from Nintendus, they're probably already nutty."
Valron: "Just as long as they don't start screaming about tapioca pudding."
Nova: "They also should not talk about Vladimir Va'ruushka. Though don't worry. I still have the power of Nintendus. I will scream 'NOT GARRICK' and kill Vladimir Va'ruushka and whoever talks about him if that occurs."
Valron: "That sort of wackiness is before my time, so..." *Shrugs.*
Nonna falls over.
Nova: "Oh no! It is a critical sleep emergency!"
Valron: "...Oh. Oh dear."
Nova warps in a holo-pillow so Nonna doesn't have to sleep on the floor.
Valron: "...That works."
Commander Borne: "He never does anything like that when Xavier falls asleep."
Xavier Ridgecrest: "I don't actually sleep."
Commander Borne: "...Why is it that nobody noticed?"
Xavier Ridgecrest: "They were asleep."
Commander Borne: *Facepalms.*
Xavier Ridgecrest: "Sometimes I do it solely to reminisce being human. I mean Erastian. I mean my backstory makes no sense due to me warping back in time too many times."
KitRedgrave: "My backstory is already getting wonky, just because of how often the rules of reality tend to change..."
Valron: "...Do I even really have one of those?"
Xavier Ridgecrest: "You are Dragoshi. The Dragon-Yoshi hybrid. Who appeared one day, obtained a piece of bread, everyone stopped believing you were part-Yoshi, and then you became half-Madman. So... ...no. Now if only we could get Mad Man's Robot Master weapon, so you could be Half-Mad-Man wielding Mad-Man's weapon."
Valron: "...Don't you mean Man Man? To be honest, I wouldn't mind using his head as a weapon again, if only because I want to see how people would react to that.
Also, Xavier, you're forgetting the part that I also have some Solarian stuff going on as well given that period of time where I worked with Illian and went through the 'Path of Daggers' and all that rubbish."
Xavier Ridgecrest: "We could have a team attack where I hit the head with my golf club."
Valron: "...I'm a real piece of work, is the idea."
Xavier Ridgecrest: "Then basically whoever we are fighting runs away because we're completely insane."
Valron: "If they aren't just as mental, anyways."
Metal Man (GM): Yup, gonna wrap up here.
Session Complete
Xavier Ridgecrest: "True."

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