"Melvin Wood will be cared for, no harm shall come to his physical being during his stay," the judge responded. "You will be welcome in the reception area, but not into the city beyond should you come back to the Fallen City during his stay." The light of its eyes began to dim and fade, and soon the judge was a statue once more.
As the others left, there was one again a light to guide them, the red gradually turning to green. The voice that sent them off was friendlier than the one before, assuring them that Melvin would be returned to them eventually. That they could leave messages and gifts here for him if they came back.
Eventually it was just Melvin alone and then Sophie appeared, her light s a little dimmer than before. Babel floated beside her as she separated from a series decorations near the court's grounds. One moment a piece of the structure and then suddenly just as seamlessly, free and independent.
"Thank you, Melvin. The Knights of Neptune would have continued the attacks, there was enough reserve energy for another...year. And it would have continued, until it ate away at the city itself. It's an old system, as all ours are. It would have been an empty war of empty gestures until it destroyed all that was left for the sake of no one still living."
A pause.
"That was outside of my protocol, I apologize. Allow me to show you to your quarters."
A suit of rooms awaited Melvin, all appropriate for a human, decorated with finely sculpted relief that nonetheless merged with the clean lines and elegantly minimalism of the furniture and structures. It was, in many ways, like the sea itself, vast and graceful emptiness holding a brilliant and beautiful tapestry of life within. The suit was clean and the blankets upon the bed were soft and smelled slightly salty but not at all musty or dirty.
A pitcher of clean water sat beside an age-flecked mirror, and it would stay full of clean water, no matter how often he emptied it. There was a small pantry, holding dried foods like fish and coastal fruits waited inside. Along with some curiosities, like canned spam in containers that spanned decades of logo changes. Canned sardines and baked beans. There was a cup full of odd pieces of plastic that he might recognize as Legos of all things.
All the cans were sturdy though, and Sophie would assure him that they had been checked over and that no poisoning would occur.
Atlantis was a dimmer place still, and the mermaid guide would deactivate that night, melding into the decoration once more and not appearing again during his stay. But Melvin himself would not appear very often after that night, either.
In his dreams, a tall woman sat across from him. They were at the dining table in his suite, fresh water in each of their brass cups. "The first thing I need you to know is that I am not a ghost. Not really. You know what real ghosts are, you've met them. Those sorts left here long ago. You can consider me an AI of sorts, that's the correct term your age uses, yes? I was programmed as a copy of The Dragon, born Il'l Temple Vi Sorca, but most people called her The Dragon. Even Atlantis, before it fell, was prone to such things. Please just think of me as Sorca, it goes well with Sophie, but without the gall of being named by a trespassing stranger who knows nothing about me."
She smiled, all teeth. She looks organic, fully human. She acts that way too. "You will only be seeing me in your mind, of course. The only body I will manifest within being yours. I'll give you a few hours, every day, to have it back. Until we finish enough for you to get started."
And that would be his days. All but a few of his waking hours, a passenger to this other as she uses his hands to carve and construct, his voice to intone quiet chants, his feet to walk the span of the city dozens of times over. He learned the layout of the city and a few of its secrets. He learned they were making something, and if much of it was so foreign as to be lost, there were certain things familiar too. The runestones, in particular, would fix in his head and give him food for thought and dangerous toys to play with if he was ever able to leave.
Sometimes, despite assurance, it seemed like that may be years away. There was no way to gauge progress beyond the fact that some form of progress was made each day. What was the end point, what was the purpose? Sorca, rarely answering questions even without a window to escape through, would only say they were building a power source. Building a future for the Fallen City. Worse, if he didn't focus on staying present within his own body, he'd find himself drifting dreamily into the Atlantis of another age.
There was light and music, the smells of exotic food and incense, conversation in a strange language. There was no control here for him either, just a pleasant immersion in something ancient, something forgotten until now.
And then, it was finished.
moonkitsune
A summary of the majority of Melvin's time! Feel free to solo him for some of it it prp him visiting with people in the reception chamber outside the city. When you're ready for him to return to Deus, I'll give you the prompt for what he needs to do.
steal
When you're done with Ghost Kim and ready for her to wake up and be alive again, tag me into w/e thread and I will prompt you for what she needs to do. The lurking shadow will follow her for the duration of ghostself.
Every one who faced the Judge
Thank you guys! Your efforts helped clear the status effect! The saved the island from months worth of reconstruction and many trainees from long infirmary stays! They will each receive $5,000 of bonus pay, and extra two days of leave on the month of their choice. If they did not yet have leave and pay, they do now, good job! This mission may be used as a promo mission.
The hunters who participated with all have a free dive to and from Atlantis (if they're just rune diving this does not count, intention matters in this perk!) And the doors to the reception area will always open for them, even if they don't have a charged item to power it. Should Atlantis become fully powered, they will each have a nice suite of rooms set aside for them personally in the Avalonian Embassy building.
