Wrong. XD

Merry Christmas, btw.

Hello. XD

Merry Christmas to you too!

So, what's on today's agenda?

Depending on whether King can make it today, we'll probably either skip forward to the next morning or just continue with the characters that are still awake.

And if King can't make it?

As I said, then we'll probably continue with the characters we still have. Armin, Magnus, and whoever else is still about.

Lol k. Maybe we could even have Crowley wake up and have a meaningful conversation with Vitis.

Yeah, we could do that. I was considering having him wake up soon.

I think it's my turn? I'll write something.

(Okie Dokie)

'It should be easy,' said Armin. 'I hope it will be. I guess we'll find out tomorrow morning.'

----

Crowley awoke to find himself shrouded in darkness. Blinking confusedly, he lifted his head and tried to look around. //What the heII...?// There was something metallic wrapped around his legs, and when he looked down, he realised they were chains. He let out a sudden laugh that echoed down the corridor. //Ha! Those idiots think they can hold me with chains?!//

"Yes." {Magnus says calmly.}
"No use in worrying about it now."
{He seems to trail off after this, playing a soft tune on his guitar.}

...........

{Out of the darkness came a voice, dripping with contempt.}"Well, well, look who finally came to. I see you got thrashed so bad, you lost consciousness. I thought you never lost?"
{He said with mockery.It was Vitis, clearly unhappy about this whole situation.}
"I should have known you were just another backstabbing, gutless chump."

Crowley turned his head from side to side, trying to pinpoint where Vitis's voice was coming from. 'Hey!' he said, sounding aggravated. 'I was looking out for myself. That means I'm STRONG. Caring about other peoples' stupid lives makes you weak.' He sniffed at his chains. 'Besides, it's not like I'm stuck here. As soon as I'm healed enough, I can teleport out.'

{Vitis starts to get aggravated too.}"Ohohoho? Really, BirdBrain? Go ahead and try to teleport out, I dare you! And no, that doesn't mean you're strong, it means you're a selfish a-hole who think the world revolves around himself! Well, I've got news for you, buddy, it doesn't, and by the way, no one now, or ever will, show you respect or think you're strong!"

Crowley rolled his eyes. 'Get over it, Vitis. You sound like a salty little kid.' He turned his voice into a high-pitched whine. ''Oh, but Crowley, I thought we were best fwiends and you'd always defend me! Boo hoo!' It's not my job to save you from nasty people, buddy.'

"This isn't about you defending me, you jackass." {He growled}
"You can't even defend yourself. And it isn't because you were my friend. This is about mutual respect and honor among thieves during a heist. You don't just abandon your peers in the middle of a job!"

'Yeah, well, I do!' Crowley snapped. 'If my life's in danger, I ain't gonna stick around and get killed! I actually /care/ about staying alive, unlike some weaklings! Besides, are you saying I lost just because I got imprisoned in here? You're wrong. I might be trapped /for now,/ but I'm not /dead./ That's the important thing.'

"You idiot! Do I look dead to you? You didn't have to abandon me to save your life! Well, whatever. When the time comes, I'm getting out of here, but I'm leaving you to rot. I hope the Sovereigns rip you a new one."

At that, Crowley burst out laughing. 'Seriously?! I can /teleport,/ but /you/ think you're gonna escape from here and I'm not? What are you gonna escape with, your whiny voice? You're living in a fantasy.'

{Vitis just smirks.}
"I'm going to escape using the one thing you don't have. A brain. Just you wait, bird brain, wait and see. We'll see who gets out."

Crowley snorted. 'Yeah, right. 'Cuz you can definitely get out of a locked cell using the power of your thoughts. Look, buddy, your brain won't pick a lock or kill the guards for you, so you should probably give up if that's all you've got.'

After Armin and Magnus had been walking for a while, Armin sighed and came to a halt. 'You know, I think I might go back to the castle and get some sleep. I wasn't planning to, but maybe it's for the best, considering how much is going to be happening tomorrow.'

{Befor Vitis could reply, a centaur walks up to the bars and interjects.}
"Shut up, both of you. No one's getting out. Especially not you, Chicken Dinner."

Crowley stuck out his tongue at the centaur. 'Whaddya mean, 'especially' not me? What have I done that he hasn't?'

{Magnus nods.}
"Yeah, you probably should. You'll need your strength, should Sargon of Akkad over there try to escape."

Armin shot Magnus a puzzled look, obviously not getting the reference. 'Yeah, I think I will. What about you? You probably don't sleep, do you?'

Centaur: "You have been a random nuisance for too long. The other guy just barely started to cause us trouble. Besides, you're too much of a d!ck to let roam free. You steal things, kill innocent people, just for the fun of it, and you smell like pidgeon droppings."

'No, I don't! I smell great! Besides, you can't talk, zombie boy. You smell like a piece of raw meat that's been left out in the sun too long.'

"Nope."
{Magnus grinned}
"Draugrs don't sleep. I haven't slept a wink in over 1500 years, and I feel great!"
{After he said this, his eyes flickered like candles, and what was left of his face twitched, all while sporting a goofy grin.}
"Aren't I just the spitting image of health?"

'Yeaaah, sure you are,' said Armin, a little doubtfully. 'Isn't it strange to never sleep? I can't imagine being constantly awake for over a thousand years.'

Vitis: "Actually, dude, you do smell pretty ripe. When was the last time you took a bath? Or brushed your teeth? Or pruned yourself?"
Centaur: "I'm dead. I'm supposed to smell like embalming fluid and decay. You're alive. You're supposed to smell nice to aid in attracting a mate."

Magnus: "Actually, it's hell. The first century or so, you feel like you might go mad. After that, you kind if get used to it. But, you will get restless, looking for something to occupy your mind, just to distract yourself from the endless passing of time, waiting for a day when you can finally rest. Not that you get physically tired it's just...weird, being awake for all eternity."

Crowley wrinkled his nose. 'I smell fine. And I groom myself /regularly./ OK, maybe I haven't washed in a while, but that's because I've been busy doing other stuff!

'Hmm...' said Armin thoughtfully. 'I guess that must make you wish for death even more, so you can finally rest. It /does/ sound like heII. If I die, I really hope no-one ever tries to bring /me/ back as a draugr.'

{The centaur just snorts and crosses its arms.}
"Yeah, busy attacking everything that moves. No matter. You can't hurt anyone anymore."

{Magnus gives a thoughtful face.}"Yeah...Honestly, because of that, I think Wendigo should get out while he can. I don't think he'll like being undead. But, it's almost over for me. I can almost rest."

'I'll get out,' said Crowley rebelliously. 'You just wait.'

Armin nodded. 'I don't know Wendigo very well, but he doesn't seem the type to like being a draugr very much. I habe a feeling he'll decide to 'move on' after Sargon's dead, like you. I don't know what Fred will think, though.'

*have

Centaur: "Try it, I dare you."

Magnus: "Yeah, those two better discuss this fairly soon. Not much time left..."

Armin started to head back towards the castle, looking back to see if Magnus would follow. 'Fred seems sensible enough. I'm sure he'd talk about it with his friend if he thought it was important - woah! Speak of the devil...'

He had just nearly walked into Frederick, who was hurrying up the street in the opposite direction. He gave a start of surprise when he saw them. 'Hello, Armin, Magnus,' he said. 'You're out late.'

'I will!' said Crowley. 'Just give me a little bit of time to finish healing and get all my energy back, and I'll be out of here before you can say 'chicken dinner'.'

{Magnus was following along when Frederick appeared}
"Fred. Yup, draugrs don't sleep. What brings you out here so late?"

'I couldn't sleep,' replied Frederick. 'So I thought I'd come out here, walk, and think about what's going to happen tomorrow... Also, has anyone seen Wendigo recently?'

{In response, the centaur sits down, right in front of Crowley's cell.}
"Fine. I'll be right here waiting when you do."

Crowley eyed the centaur suspiciously. 'Why do you want to watch me so badly? I mean, I know I'm cool, powerful, and super attractive, but that's no reason to just sit over there and stare at me.'

Magnus: "I have not. Are you going to go talk to him?"

Centaur: "Oh, please. You suck, you're weak, and utterly repulsive. I just want to see the look on your face before and after."

'Talk to him? About what?' said Frederick.

'About the fact that Wendigo is probably going to move on to the afterlife once Sargon's dead, and that's going to happen tomorrow,' said Armin. 'So if you and him need to discuss anything, you need to do it now.'

'Oh...' Fred sighed. 'Yes, you're probably right. I'm not sure whether I agree with him or not. If he wants to move on, then I won't stop him. But I don't understand why he'd want to, when he has the opportunity to stay in this world.'

Crowley grinned. 'Oh, yeah? Well, you won't get to see the look on my face AFTER, 'cuz I'll be ten miles away, laughing about Vitis being still stuck in jail.'

(I gotta get going, wifi going off. See you!)

(Bye!)

{Magnus' expression shifts to one of concern.}
"Frederick...Take it from me, being undead isn't a pleasant experience. You don't eat, you don't sleep, you're bound to the will of your master, even if you are a strong soul. Even if he decides to stay, Dianne will likely take him with her when she leaves, given how paranoid she is. I honestly think it's for the best...if Wendigo moves on..."

{The centaur smirks.} "Ten miles, eh? Is that the upper limit of your range?"

Frederick shifted uncomfortably. 'It's hard to understand what that's like for someone who's never died. But I can imagine.'

Armin cut in: 'You know, Wendigo was dead from the moment he got into a fight with Ana. That was days ago. He's probably come to terms with his own death by now. He only wanted to stay behind a little longer to help see Sargon defeated.'

'Ehhh... pretty much,' said Crowley. He'd never actually bothered to find out exactly how far he could teleport. 'I bet I could go further if I had to.'

(GUESS WHAT I DIED BUT HEY I'M HERE NOW :'))))))))

(HELLOH)

(KING)

{Magnus caught Frederick's uncomfortable shift.}
"Frederick. I know you two are close, and you don't want to see him go, but we need to consider what is best for him. You two should talk this out, come to a decision, and perhaps find some closure."

{The centaur chuckles.} "Good to know. For a scrawny fella, you sure can pack the magic. It's a shame you can't do anything with it other than your disappearing act."

Frederick nodded. 'You're right. I'm going to go and talk to him now... if I can find him...' He looked around, not seeing any sign of Wendigo's huge form over the tops of the buildings.

'He probably got bored and went out flying again,' commented Armin. 'The few times I've seen him lately, he seemed pretty impatient.'

'Hey, my teleportation magic is awesome,' said Crowley. 'I don't need anything else 'cuz it's so awesome! Want to know why it's awesome?' He sneered at the centaur. 'Because /nobody else/ in Vallis can do it!'

Centaur: "And a fat load of good it did ya!
{It exclaims sarcastically.}
"You've failed to beat a single person with it the whole time you've been here. All you've used it for is running away like a little chicky, squawking for mama."

{Magnus gives a worried look.} "Believe me, impatience is a bad character trait to have in this line of work, considering most of your time is spent feeling the time pass you by."

'Oh yeah?' said Crowley. 'Well, guess what. When I first came to this city, I murdered the guard at the main gates, and nobody ever knew it was me! And a little while ago, I killed a patrol of soldiers, and I /nearly/ beat Dianne! Still think I can't beat anyone?'

'That's the kind of person Wendigo is,' said Frederick dryly.

'And that's why it's probably better if he DOESN'T stay as a draugr,' added Armin. 'He'd die of sheer boredom. Well, if he wasn't already dead. Either way, I'm sure he wouldn't cope with it as well as you did.' He inclined his head towards Magnus to make it clear who he was talking about.

{The centaur laughs.}
"You killed a bunch of helpless innocents and got your ass kicked by Dianne. Nearly beat still isn't beat. Besides, I doubt you were anywhere close to beating her. That's just what she wanted you to think. Greater beings than you have tried to kill her and failed."

{Magnus chuckles and nods.}
"Yeah, and it took me a while to get used to it too. Let me come with you when you go to talk to him. I think I can help him understand why this isn't as great as he might think."

'The only reason I didn't ACTUALLY beat her was because I'd used up nearly all my energy carrying Vitis's fat butt halfway across the city,' Crowley growled. 'If I'd been in perfect condition, then that stupid necromancer would be DEAD by now.'

Frederick hesitated, then nodded. 'Alright, you can come and talk to him. But I want a chance to talk to him privately afterwards, too.'

Vitis: "I'm not fat! I'm just big boned! >:( "
Centaur: "Excuses, excuses. If you were at full power, she would have just dragged it out further, till you tired. Besides, if you used up most of your energy hauling around a shifter as scrawny as you, than you probably don't have much energy to begin with."

{Magnus nods.}
"Sure thing, kiddo. Lead the way."

Looking a little annoyed at being addressed as 'kiddo', Frederick turned and set off up the street, looking for any sign of Wendigo. 'He should be back soon, if he went out,' he said.

Armin also followed, despite his earlier claim that he wanted to go sleep. 'Hey, look over there,' he said, pointing at the western horizon. The shape of something massive, with three heads, was gliding towards the city.

Frederick squinted. 'Is that Wendigo? Or Titan?'

Crowley just snorted. 'Yeah, yeah, whatever you say. You're probably just jealous that I have a life, and I can do whatever I want, while you're just a revolting lump of rotting flesh stuck working for Dianne.'

{Magnus squinted as well.} "I can't tell at this distance. Probably. Titan tends to stay grounded when not in combat."

{The centaur just snorts and doesn't respond. It stays in front of his cell and watches through the darkness with glowing eyes.}

The hydra flew overhead, seeming to aim for the large square out the front of the royal palace. Frederick nodded decisively and followed it.

As they reached the edge of the square, it became clear that the hydra was Wendigo. He grinned in welcome as he spotted the group approaching. 'I was just hunting! I killed three deer! /Three!/ OK, I don't need to eat anymore, but it sure is fun!' His grin slowly dropped as he realised how serious everyone else was looking. 'Something the matter?'

{Magnus steps up first.} "Well Wendigo, with Sargon's end a mere few hours off, we were curious about...What your plans for after would be. Do you want to pass on? Do you want to stay with Dianne? Now's the time to decide."

'Oh, THAT'S what you wanted to talk about? I thought it was gonna be something awful, by the looks of your faces.' Wendigo shook his head. 'Well... I'm not sure yet. I thought it might be kind of fun to stay with Dianne, and go wherever she goes, and see some new places. But at the same time... I'm supposed to be dead. I shouldn't really be here at all. It feels... wrong, somehow.'

'Well, you need to make your mind up pretty soon,' said Armin. 'You don't have much time left. I think Dianne plans to leave Vallis once Sargon's dead and gone.'

(I'M BACK I'M ALIVE WHAT EXACTLY'S HAPPENED CUS I'LL NEED TO TIMESKIP A LITTLE BIT FOR MY GUYS TO COME BACK IN OOF)

(Ummmm
Well it's currently the middle of the night, and tomorrow morning Sargon is going to go on trial and be executed (except he won't, because nobody knows he's gonna use Brink's power to teleport out).
Nothing is really going on except that Crowley and Vitis are in jail, and Armin/Frederick/Magnus are talking to Wendigo about death)

Magnus: "Think carefully about your choice, Wendigo. If you stay with Dianne, you'll likely spend most of your time as a disembodied spirit. Sure, she'll be looking for a new place to live, and you might get to see some new places, but once she settles down, it might be centuries before you see any kind of action."

'Not an easy decision, is it?' said Wendigo, grinning, though there was a hint of something almost like sadness in his grin. 'I can either die permanently, never getting to live in this world again, or live a probably boring existence. How can I decide which is better - or worse?'

{Magnus' expression slightly saddens.} "It's not. The best you can do is weigh the pros and cons, and decide for yourself. We can't make that decision for you. On one hand, you can stay here with Dianne, maybe occasionally help save the world, but exist without rest, watching time pass you by, mostly unable to interact with the world. Or, you could pass on, maybe find peace, finally being laid to rest."

'You're going to 'move on' to be with your family, aren't you?' said Wendigo, gazing down at Magnus from his massive height. 'Do you think I'd see my grandparents if I moved on? They died years ago, and I was really close to them. But I never really believed in an afterlife.'

{Magnus chuckles.}
"I have no doubt that they're waiting for you, counting the seconds until they can see you again. The afterlife is real. Dianne is kind of living proof of that. After all, where do you think she pulled you from when she summoned you?"

'I dunno, dude. It was all kind of hazy. I don't remember much between me dying and Dianne bringing me back.' Wendigo shrugged. 'This isn't really a decision I can make on the spot,' he added. However, unknown to the others, he wasn't being entirely honest. He had already decided what he wanted to do.

Frederick looked up at him, then glanced at the others. 'Could we have a few minutes alone to talk?' he asked.

{Magnus nods.} Of course, pal. Take all the time you need. Let's go, Armin."
{With that, Magnus turns and begins to walk back for the palace.}

Armin followed Magnus, albeit a little reluctantly.

Frederick sat down on Wendigo's tail. 'They're right, you know.'

'Yeah, yeah, I know...' The hydra let out a long sigh, with all three heads at once. 'To be honest, I'd been putting it off. Trying not to think about it. I didn't want to have to decide. But now that Count Leech is in our grasp, things are gonna be over pretty soon. Sooner than I expected.'

'And Dianne probably isn't going to stay long afterwards, so you have to decide now.'

'Well, what do /you/ think?'

Fred looked up at Wendigo. 'I can't make your choices for you. We're friends, so for selfish reasons, I want you to stay behind. But I don't want you to do something that would make you unhappy.'

(So, this is like a cutscene, right? I don't need to reply for this part, do I?)

(Nope, you don't need to write anything until I'm done with Fred and Wendigo. I might be a little slow with them, though.)

(Ok, cool. Take all the time you need.)

'You know,' said Wendigo after a long pause, 'when Ana slashed my neck in that fight, I was ready to accept my death. And then Dianne brought me back, to give me the chance to fulfil the vow we made - to see Sargon dead. But I still died. Doesn't matter whether I stick around as a walking corpse or move on; nothing's gonna change that.'

Fred was quiet for a moment. Then he said, 'It sounds like you've made up your mind.'

Wendigo chuckled. 'Aye. In fact, I made it up a few hours ago, right when we caught Count Leech.' His expression turned serious. 'I'm going to accept what happened to me, and... move on. Who knows, maybe I really will get to see my grandparents again...' He swung his main head downwards, putting his eyes almost level with Frederick's. 'But we had fun, right? And we didn't break our promises.'

They looked at each other for a moment, then Fred reached up to touch the hydra's scaly muzzle. 'We had fun,' he repeated softly. 'And you deserve to be able to rest in peace.'

(Continuing...)

Wendigo grinned. 'Just promise me one thing.'

'What?'

'Find something to do, once all of this is over. Don't waste your life moping around. Get a nice job, or find a girlfriend, or... anything! Just make sure you have a great life. The best life ever, OK?'

Fred stood up from Wendigo's tail. 'I'll try,' he said, managing a small smile of his own. 'But I can't promise.' He looked around, and sighed. 'Well, what are you going to do while you're still here?'

'Let's go for a fly over the city. I'm still bored, and we won't have the chance to do it again after today.'

Wendigo crouched down, letting the vampire climb onto his back. As Fred did do, he sent a telepathic message to Armin.

Armin, walking alongside Magnus as they approached the palace, made a noise of surprise. 'Fred just told me that Wendigo made his decision. He's going to move on, like you.'

(I'm done.)

*did so

{Magnus smiles.} "Well alright. Honestly, with Dianne's reclusive tendencies and Wendigo's impatient, adventurous self, the two would get sick of each other real quick. He'll be better off and happier in the afterlife."

'Yeah, probably,' said Armin. 'I don't imagine those two getting along very well.' He looked up at the castle. 'Well, I'm going in for the night. Are you going to stay out here?'

"Yep." {Magnus stretches a bit.}
"I don't sleep, so I'll be keeping guard. Goodnight, Armin. Sleep well."

'See you tomorrow.' Armin lifted a hand in farewell before departing inside the palace. //Hope everything goes well...// he thought, trying not to worry too much. There was no reason why things wouldn't go well. No reason at all...

(We should probably stop now, since there's nothing more we can do. Hopefully we can timeskip soon.)

(Yeah. Let's time skip as soon as King's onboard.)

(BTW, Merry Christmas everyone!)

(Merry Christmas! :D)

(Just a heads-up, I haven't decided yet whether I'll post a new room tomorrow. I've asked King if he'll be able to make it, and I'm waiting for his response. If there's no Shacklestone, then I might post a random RP instead.)

Roger that.