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 Posted: Sat Sep 11, 2021 12:11 pm
Homeworld Visit: 14th August 2021 "You will have to excuse the mess," Athalia spoke plainly now that they had landed on his Homeworld. The lush green jungle that had sprang up in place of the once desolate landscape was in striking contrast to how it had once been, and yet there were hints that the desolation would be returning if he didn't figure out why it had suddenly begun to take a turn for the worse. That was a challenge for another day though as this particular visitor he had brought with him was a Page and he knew from his encounters with a number of them that they had not yet discovered their powers.
Nevertheless the Page in question seemed to be one that might prove useful for other reasons. While he might not be able to cast magic on the looming monoliths that soared beyond the clouds, he might be able to help him resolve one of the riddles beneath the surface. From flashbacks the senshi knew that the crystals that lined the walls were meant to glow and yet he hadn't quite worked out how to make them do so yet.
...What better what to try and resolve this mystery than to invite an individual who thrived on mystery and adventure?
Thus he had invited Voyager to his world with the intention of locating the odd room in his distant memories, one that seemed to have several devices in the middle that all seemed to make music at the touch. They seemed linked to the walls some how, but he hadn't really worked out how yet.
"Fortunately nothing can kill you here with the exception of rubble so if you mind your step we should be fine," he smiled wryly as he stepped into the depths of the Pyramid and began to descend. It wasn't long before he had switched on his torch to continue down the long and winding corridors and towards the room he had a vague recollection of.
"I'm not expecting miracles though so don't worry if this doesn't work, all right?" he chuckled softly. "But if you are the one to figure it out I'll be ecstatic, it'll save me bringing endless supplies of batteries with me..."
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Posted: Sat Sep 11, 2021 1:10 pm
Voyager was practically bursting with excitement, though he tried not to giggle in joy at everything that he was seeing. He wasn't sure how, but the Senshi had managed to contact him. Perhaps Voyager's name was making it through the network of Knights and Senshi? If so that would be great! That meant more trips to other worlds and Wonders and possibly more artifacts for his Wonder! It was all too exciting! Even if there was danger invovled! He was no archeologist, and even most of them weren't like Indiana Jones, but he was a Page which meant that he had more strength and needed that practice fighting and whatever else he could take. So when Athalia had contacted him about a Homeworld visit to the Senshi of Hercules Beetles he had to make sure he didn't come off as a screeching schoolgirl going to see one of her idols. From what he had heard about Homeworlds and Wonders, he wasn't expecting much, but the pyramid in front of him had him standing in awe of it for a few moments before he followed the Senshi. "I'll make sure to then." He replied about watching himself, trying not to make his voice squeak from excitement. If he could solve such an important puzzle for the Senshi, that would be amazing! But he had to be realistic. "Of course. But we'll try our best and write down some notes, especially with what didn't work, and then you can remember that for next time.Sometimes it just takes a while to see something that may have been staring at you the entire time." He had found a few fake pieces of art that way. Something had seemed off about them and sometimes he had to go back to them several times before his brain connected the dots. Luckily he didn't approve anything until he was 100% sure of it.
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Posted: Sat Sep 11, 2021 1:47 pm
"I have confidence in you, Shaowei seemed enthused by the prospect that you might be able to help," he pointed out and then shook his head. "I'd say you keep strange company but on this occasion I'm guilty of the same crime," he remarked. He had a particularly odd relationship with that one, neither enemy nor absolute ally, but every now and then they met in the middle to work towards something of benefit.
Fortunately it wasn't long before he reached where he needed and he moved the heavy fabric out of the way. It appeared that the warrens didn't have doors, large and heavy fabrics serving as privacy instead. Untouched by the elements they were in almost pristine condition and could safely be tied back to enter each of the rooms. Inside this one there were a huge number of relics, a trinket here and there, but in the centre the thing he had seen in his 'dreams' was there.
It looked like an odd little chess board filled with crystals, carefully set on a pedestal. These particular crystals did glow, and opposite them there seemed to be several grooves both in the floor and the walls that swept up and out of the room. If he squinted he could see something in the grooves, but it didn't seem to of any particular interest.
The one thing he did take care to check for was the odd 'gas' that had knocked him out once before. However, finding none of the vents that had been in that room he deemed it safe and motioned Voyager through.
"I'm nearly sure this is the one," he said. "At least this is the one that I saw in my visions," he admitted.
"Sadly it didn't show me what anything was supposed to do so while intriguing it was largely unhelpful," he finished.
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Posted: Sat Sep 11, 2021 5:46 pm
"Shaowei? Interesting. You've had her here before?" That was the name of the Dark Mirror Senshi who had wanted a look at his Wonder. He hadn't been able to fill the request yet, but he would do so as soon as he could. Dark Mirror couldn't go to space from what he had learned, so he had no reason to believe that his Wonder was in any danger. Perhaps he should make sure that any booby-traps that were in place still worked... Voyager did an almost squeal-dance when he saw the inside of the room! So many things to look at! He wanted to spend so much time looking at everything in here! However Athalia appeared to go to a chessboard type-thing on a pedestal and Voyager only barely managed to tear his eyes away from everything else to move himself over to it. Voyager took a look at the crystals and the grooves and then the crystals again. "Have you tried touching them yet? You didn't see any visions of being squished or something when you did right?" He asked, almost with a nervous chuckles. He was joking but if the Senshi really did see something such as that, Voyager wanted to be as careful as he could with such a thing. He held out a finger close to one of them, before lightly touching a crystal.
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Posted: Sun Sep 12, 2021 4:35 am
"Once," he replied smoothly. "Desperate times call for desperate measures on occasions," he added. It wouldn't have been his preference to bring anyone chaotic to his home but when his own magic had failed he had wondered if perhaps an alternative might succeed. To her credit the woman had tried but in much the same fashion as his, her abilities had fizzled out.
He did afford a moment to laugh though as Voyager regarded the room with a little uncertainty. If Athalia hadn't explored this region so much he probably would have been suspicious as well, but no flashback or other room had given him any indication of deliberate traps. He didn't count the peculiar 'gas' as one of those, that room seemed to have been purpose built to release it, everywhere else had been...
"The room is harmless," he reassured him and reached out to briefly tap at one of the walls. The dull thump was about the most 'interesting' thing that came in reply, while Voyager's decision to touch with the crystal was met with a soft and melodic hum of a single note.
Not seemed to happen, but Athalia had to admit that the sound was relaxing...
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Posted: Sun Sep 12, 2021 6:40 pm
Voyager let out a large sigh that he had been holding. "Good. Because I don't know if I would be able to do anything against dangerous traps. At least without magic." He said, partly to himself. As excited as he was just to be a Page, he couldn't help but feel that not having his magic was some sort of secret being kept behind some arbitrary goal that he didn't know how to unlock. It made things frustrating and while he knew in the end he would be happy about having gotten it, he felt a part of him was missing. Voyager decided to touch a few more of the crystals at the same time, making a face at the noise they made. Apparently they didn't go well in that order. Perhaps he could find the right order to play them... if his ears didn't go deaf from the random noises first. Of course that meant touching them quite a bit and multiple times. It might take a while, but he mentally had to figure out what the order was that was pleasant to the ears. "Any idea why they might be using some sort of sound thing such as this in one of these rooms? Are they themed in some way?" He was quite curious and would have to ask the Senshi about taking him back more often, if not just to write down notes on the pyramid.
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Posted: Mon Sep 13, 2021 1:37 am
"I would assume it had something to do with what they were," Athalia replied. He'd taken to leaving against the wall, his head half tilted towards the crystals as they 'sang' in response to Voyager's touch. They were discordant at the moment and certain not the most pleasant thing to look at, but then again when it came to most things music related the general rule of thumb was that it sounded dismal when anyone who had no idea how to play the thing touched it.
"Everything used to 'sing' here," he shook his head. "At least that's the only way I can describe it, the world seemed to resonate in a manner that they understood and reacted to," he pursed his lips. He hadn't understand most of it, the flashbacks were too fleeting for him to get a firm grip on everything they could or couldn't do, or even their connection to the planet itself. All he knew was that they had reacted in specific ways and seemed to know when something like those horrific storms were about to arrive.
"I imagine this is just another one of those things, if it makes that noise then I guess it was part of the chorus of noise," he murmured. Not that he could here the 'song' that his kind had been reacting to in the flashbacks, he could only 'sense' it through memory. He knew it was 'there' even if he as an entity couldn't hear it and if that resonance still existed then he definitely couldn't detect it now.
"Maybe this is just a really loud variant of it," he finished and lifted a brow. "Like an organ in a church?"
Now would have been a good time for a flashback but they never bothered to show up when he needed them most; it was a source of frustration for him.
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Posted: Wed Sep 15, 2021 12:55 pm
Voyager was not a music expert by any stretch of the imagination, but he had worked with those who were, especially when it came to ancient or older instruments. When Athalia mentioned that it made Voyager wonder... he had touched most of them and had gotten what they mostly sounded like, but perhaps he had to get them in harmony somehow? As though they were all "singing" together? He continued to touch them, slowly but surely getting an order in mind while he listened to Athalia. "That makes sense. It makes me a bit jealous. While I have my Wonder and think that is plenty to work with, I feel like a whole Homeworld has a lot more to offer." especially considering how big the ship was, it was hard to see the front and the front and the back if one was close to the side of it, he still felt that having a whole Homeworld would be amazing. And totally impossible to explore in one lifetime depending on how large it was. "Have you explored anywhere else besides this pyramid? I can't imagine even being able to explore all of it without a drone or something."
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Posted: Fri Sep 17, 2021 5:49 pm
"It could be that the grass is greener and your Homeworld might well be as extravagant or impressive as an entire world," he pointed out after a moment of thought. He hadn't really been to a Wonder, he'd only been to a few Homeworlds. Given that he had nothing to compare his Homeworld to beyond that he had no doubt there was a possibility that a wonder could rival something here... at least in some capacity.
"But no I haven't managed to explore the surface world yet," he admitted. "I've covered a fair distance but certainly not all of it. Between storms and heat, it's not as hospitable to me as it is to the plants," he conceded and nodded back towards the corridor they had wandered through on the way to this particular room though.
"The Pyramid and what lies under it though? That would be a slightly different story," he smiled. "I am almost positive this is where my 'kind' lived, rather than above the surface," he peered at the strange device and how they continued to respond to Voyager's touch. "But if I'm right then that means this city is sleeping and there must be a way to wake it up."
"It looked very different in my memory," he admitted and closed his eyes.
Voyager really didn't need to know of the challenges that existed above their heads, the peculiar state that the jungle existed in now and the fractured monoliths a considerable distance away that were currently laying waste to the planet he had worked so hard to restore. That was a challenge solely for him, but if he could find those who could help him with other mysteries in the mean time then maybe there was still hope...
"So, what are your thoughts on uh...my odd instrument?" he motioned.
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Posted: Fri Sep 17, 2021 7:49 pm
Voyager chuckled. "I guess you haven't been to Pluto yet. You wouldn't be able to tell what it looks like from a distance, or even 5 feet in front of you." Voyager didn't hate the darkness, he understood why it was there. And it kept them a secret as well. If the Negaverse were to attack them, it would be much harder to do so on a dark and unfamiliar planet versus the Knights who called it home. He hoped. It made him remember that he had met exactly how many Pluto Knights? Less than 5 at least, but he hoped that there were more. "You should come to my Wonder sometime. It's not too cleaned up and there aren't many artifacts there yet, but I hope to be able to have more visitors." What did he want out of it though? A safe haven to keep some record of other civilizations that were out there, even if they were long past? He wondered if he would ever be able to get it at least halfway decent during his lifetime. And he hoped that whomever came after him would follow in his footsteps. "It gets a bit lonely when you think about it doesn't it? I truly wish we were in an age where our Homeworlds and Wonders were alive and thriving." He took a breath and let it out. He couldn't let such negative thoughts take over. He had a goal in mind for his Wonder and he would do his best to achieve it! "Under? Of course, your sphere! If you find anything underneath you are going to have to tell me." He said with a spark of curiosity in his eyes. It made sense for Athalia's sphere. Oh just what was the core of this planet hiding? Was it different from Earth's? He would have loved to know! He took a look at the instrument when Athalia motioned to it and Voyager grinned. "Interesting. I like it. Even if it doesn't lead to anything the ability to use crystals to make such noise just by touching them... I almost wish I could take one back with me if I knew it would be able to continue making the noise just by being touched. But it appears to be a part of this mechanism so it will have to stay! But it fits with your sphere quite well. I hope you find more of these in your searches." He said, getting about half of the crystals together in harmony. He only had half of it to go now and he was pretty sure he was close to it.
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Posted: Sun Sep 19, 2021 5:58 am
"I'll be honest I think I've only been to one planet," he replied. If memory served him, he'd had the pleasure of exploring something akin to an abandoned medical facility, but when it had come to other Worlds and Wonders, he had never had the opportunity to explore them. To be fair he had never asked either, but in general invites were rarely extended to him. He was either unwelcome, his circle were less interested, or the group were more secretive about what lay there. To be fair it was entirely the Knight or Senshi's decision to share what was theirs He was simply more determined to uncover the secrets of his that most might have been and that occasionally required help.
"I would love to have the opportunity to see what other worlds are out there though," he added with a small smile. "Even in a broken state the one I did see was fascinating and I'm sure all the others possess that feel as well," he sighed softly. Then in time those knights and senshi would find a means of coaxing them back to life, restoring some of the many wonders that existed, and what had once lay in ruins would become worthy of adoration.
At least that was how he saw it, it was just that something was causing havoc on his world to prevent that great reveal. He needed to check in with Namielle to see if she had made any progress; he really shouldn't have been here (he'd promised), but this might have been his only opportunity to work this mystery out. This Page seemed to be making more progress than he had ever had and maybe if this little mystery was solved then he might find something else down there that could help.
...He'd probably still get told off though.
"You are welcome to take anything you would like by the way," he motioned to the room around him. "I think there's some of these crystals in the other rooms in some of the glassware?" he offered. It wasn't as if the pieces would be missed, those who had once used them were long gone and if he understood his former culture, such things were meant to be shared anyway. There had always been joy in community and in this way, Athalia could at least channel some of their generosity. No good deed went unrewarded and Voyager's attempts to help him constituted as much.
"I'm not sure if they sing quite like these but you could always give them a bit of TLC and see?" he hazarded. Unknown to him the glassware did resonate softly when it was brushed (much like any glass did), but that could be a pleasant discovery for Voyager when he selected his prizes and had time to find a place for them in his own Wonder.
"And should I discover any other bizarre puzzles I will be sure to ask for your help. If this is your thing then I might as well bring you along for some of the fun, right?" he chuckled.
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Posted: Thu Sep 30, 2021 8:18 pm
He was very close to getting them all singing in harmony. A moment or two more and they would be done. "I wish I had been there, but alas, I've only been a Page for a small amount of time. I can't tell if I'm so excited to see other Wonders and Worlds due to my current interests or if I feel like I need to make up for lost time. There are so many, including you, who have been here longer than I. I only wish that I had become a Page earlier." His voice wasn't full of regret, just excitement at the new and the strange and the unknown. As long as it didn't kill him then he wanted to look at everything! He turned back to Athalia when the other mentioned taking anything. "Really? You mean it? I would love one of these. At least there's some history and explanation behind them! Even if it's just this little puzzle for now. But at least I can write a record of some sort for it!" Much preferable to taking any random little thing and having no idea what it was for. He turned back to the puzzle, even more determined. "Yes, please. I would love to discover more of your Homeworld with you! I may not be an archeologist, but I would still love to go on adventures and explore Homeworlds and Wonders as much as I can." Finally he appeared to get the last piece in order and touched the crystals in harmony.
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Posted: Tue Oct 05, 2021 2:42 pm
"Why can't it be both?" Athalia asked with a soft chuckle. "It's possible to feel both things and I would probably find it very normal," he continued. He didn't seem to agree with the regret in Voyager's voice and gave a small shake of his head. In the grand scheme of things everything happened for a 'reason' and ultimately he had been found at the right time even if he didn't immediately understand why.
...A bit like how Athalia had been discovered in a moment where his life should have ended.
"I'll be honest with you I wasn't sold on the idea of what I was at the start but I eventually came round," he gave a wave of his hand towards what lay outside. "Especially when I stumbled upon this place and had the opportunity to see it come to life," he mused. "It wasn't something I was expecting and it's safe to say up until then I was very much too old to believe in magic," he finished with a smirk.
Nevertheless as the crystals fell in to place and sang, the oddly carved lines that led from the pedestal began to ripple with magic and come to life. A soft light began to seep through the grooves and sweep up the wall, leading back out into the hallway.
"And yes I mean it..." he murmured gently as he pushed the curtain away from the doorway and peered outside. Sure enough the once dark hall was now lit with a very soft light, an occasional faint 'thrum' or 'hum' heard as the magic swept through the grooves and crystals that were pressed into the walls.
"Especially when it seems like you have the brains I lack to make these things play nice," he uttered with a warm smile. "And I think that perhaps there is a beauty in sharing these moment with other, and the honour of allowing others to aid in restoring what was once here," he glanced at Voyager and gave a nod for him to inspect his own handiwork.
"After all if there is one thing I have learned about my former kind, they believed in sharing everything they had, including glory," he smiled.
"Perhaps in the grand scheme of things I was never meant to solve everything on my own, so why not let those I trust give it their best shot, eh?"
He paused.
"Thank you - I've been trying to figure that thing out for months," he admitted.
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Posted: Sun Oct 10, 2021 6:45 pm
Voyager chuckled. "From what I've heard, Senshi get a bit more of an introduction to all of this than Knights. I was awakened when the museum was being attacked by a Youma." He had his pocketwatch to thank for that, otherwise he most likely wouldn't have survived the attack. "I would assume most Senshi get to ease a bit more into all of this than some Knights. But I can't say that for sure." He certainly wished there had been some sort of manual or something though. The most he had gotten for an explanation was from his ancestor at his Wonder. "Thanks though. It probably is normal. I suppose I just need to figure out how I want to go about all of this. Besides filling up my Wonder with artifacts that is." He said with a smile, though Athalia probably couldn't see it. The crystals appear to have worked and lights started to wind themselves through the grooves in the chamber. He hopped off of where the pedestal had been and moved over to the Senshi. "Happy to help. I'm glad that I could be a part of figuring it out and further helping you towards understanding your Homeworld." He wondered if he could do the same for Pluto. He had only seen his Wonder. How did the main part of it look? What about the other Wonders? Were they all dark as well? He looked around to see one of the crystals that had been offered to him and gently picked it up. For now he wouldn't mess with it. Who knew if he could scratch it with just his jacket or shirt as he tried to wipe any dust off. That would have to come later when he could thoroughly inspect it. He turned back to Athalia. "If you ever need any help again or could just use the company, I'd be glad to come back."
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Posted: Wed Oct 13, 2021 7:09 am
"I imagine some do, while others are thrown to the wolves to figure it out," Athalia was neutral, speaking truth without rendering a judgment at that point in time. While he certainly wasn't impressed by some of the senshi that existed, it was clear that many had been thrown in to it with very little guidance and had figured it out as they went. Until he could present a viable way to fix that issue through better and safer training locations, he couldn't press upon them too hard.
...It sounded like the Knights experienced similar challenges.
"Did you find the one you wanted?" he smiled and nodded to the crystal. "You can take more of them, I don't know if they're supposed to be used as a collection or if they can work on their own," he shrugged. It wasn't as if he had too much of a use for them and if it turned out they were needed then he could quietly ask to borrow them for a short period of time to address whatever issue he might face that needed them.
"And you will be more than welcome to assist in any future endeavours," he chuckled softly, peering down into the abyss below.
He wouldn't admit that his planet was dying, no one needed to deal with that particular drama except for him... But if by some miracle he manages to halt and reverse the process, then he would very much like to find out what other hidden gems lurked in this world.
"Shall we take you home? I've borrowed enough of your time."
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