[Jogging sound]
Dissident: Bro! Bro! they are like… heading back toward the herd…
Ravi: What? Really?
Dissident: Must be like easier prey or whatever.
Ravi: Hmmm…well…look at that…you know…I’m actually…I’m actually a little disappointed…
Dissident: For real, bro?
Ravi: it’s not all that bad…is it?
Dissident: What isn’t, my man?
Ravi: This ummm…being dead thing…it’s got it’s benefits…I…ummm…I feel relaxed…I’m not afraid…or anxious… I feel…almost free…
Dissident: What do you like mean?
Ravi: I mean like you…I’d have found you completely insufferable in life but also I’d have been terrified you would hate me…I’d have either been completely hostile or just hid from you in the temple…in fact…I hid from most everything…and found most everything insufferable…except for Adrastea…
Dissident: That sucks man…I am wicked sorry to hear that…
Ravi: But now I am not afraid of anything…I faced down a berserker….berserkers even! and I barely panicked at all…plus… you know…I made a new friend…we are friends, right?
Dissident: Absolutely, my man!
Ravi: I finally got a cool new nickname and watch this…see that crevasse over there? I am going to jump it!
[runs and jumps over huge crevasse]
Dissident: WOAH DUDE! You got some air!
Ravi: I’d have walked for miles around that in life! And see it was actually fun to jump over it!
Dissident: Way to look on the Brightside brother! But like look before you leap or whatever because that was like mondo dangerous…look…
Ravi: What…oh….ummm.
[sound of lightening flashes]
Ravi: What is down there?
Dissident: No idea dude…it’s like a great big fissure in like the seabed of infinity…but like no one like comes back from it…sometimes like the lost wander into it and I saw a couple of douchbags trick like some berserkers into falling down there…they didn’t come back…but also…it’s like also a huge hole dude…like can you imagine being stuck at the bottom of a huge hole here?…like…no one could get you out… it’d suck.
Ravi: Ah…oh…well…
Dissident: I like totally get it though. I was like this super wound tight dude back when I was alive and when I kicked it…well…I just like…you know started kicking it. found my chill y’know?
Ravi: You were anxious? Really?
Dissident: Yeah man…I had a super stressful job, so much pressure and worry…all ways pretending to be someone I’m not…it was just like…so much you know. Now I can just be me and like…no one can stop me. It’s pretty dope.
Ravi: What did you do when you were alive?
Dissident: I was like a uh…pfffft…how do you describe it?...I like worked for the government, like visiting other countries and like finding out what they were doing and stuff…you know making friends with people over there or whatever.
Ravi: Like a diplomat?
Dissident: Uhhh…yeah bro…like a diplomat…what about you? You like figured out planar travel or whatever…that’s killer man…like we had whole like departments working on that and never like cracked it. So, like what’s the secret dude?
Ravi: I am a researcher at a place called the Nymphaeum. I am charged with unravelling the mysteries of the universe…as well as collecting and collating the histories and sciences lost after the fall… I was able to locate a number of Huntu Kivi stones scattered around the darklands and, through a bit of creativity and esoteric manipulation, I got them to work…well…almost work…I was trying to get to the celestial plane…but I just ended up here…
Dissident: That’s wild man…I mean…it also totally shouldn’t have worked…like…that was almost like…the first thing we like tried…but it’s awesome that you got it work so like…congratulations man! But…why are you going to the celestial plane?
Ravi: To find the gods…our world is moribund…dying…we need their help, but they have been silent for so long…
Dissident: Yeah…so…like…why the celestial plane?
Ravi: Ummmm….to find the gods….because our world is moribund?-
Dissident: Did they like move back or something?
Ravi: Move back?
Dissident: Yeah…they like stopped living there like before I was even born…when we all came to Civari Asa…they like brought us there and they like stayed or whatever.
Ravi: When…you…came…to Civari Asa?
Dissident: Yeah bro…like when everyone arrived…
Ravi: Civari Asa?…the world?…you came from somewhere else?
Dissident: Yeah bro…like obviously?
***
Pekko: Right. Here is the puddle. Come on… wish your boyfriend a body or whatever.
[long silence]
Pekko: Come on….we haven’t got all day…the sooner you get him a body the sooner you can get lost.
[long silence]
Pekko: [sigh] What?!
Adrastea: You….you….you…
Pekko: Yes…Yes, I am.
Adrastea: I….I….I…I
Pekko: Crap…did it mess you up that bad?...
Adrastea: We….we…..we….we…
Pekko: ah…crap…I thought you were just shocked…can you same your name my love?
Adrastea: Ad…ad….ad…Adras….
Pekko: Okay…so you can understand me at least… right…lie down…I’ll try and unmuddle you….
Adrastea: Lie….lie…
Pekko: Yeah…just lie down….
[Adrastea lies down]
Adrastea: Go…go…..go…gods....go-
[Pekko clicks his fingers and Adrastea goes silent]
Pekko: [sighs]
[Sound of Gnilfiet apparating into the scene]
Gnilfeit: Hello Hullus…surprised to see you here.
Pekko: [angry] you!
Pekko: Here to taunt me, Gnilfeit?
Gnil: Heavens no, Hullus. As much as I enjoy your suffering, it is entirely a coincidence that we bumped into each other here. I thought you’d be in Calineb, slowly losing your mind…again.
Pekko: Don’t call me Hullus. That’s not my name.
Gnil: So sensitive. Mother always said you were delicate. Don’t blame me that couldn’t hold it together Hullus. You made yourself the mad god…not me…
Pekko: Be very careful what you say next. I am more powerful than you could ever dream of becoming…
Gnil: Oh pish…more empty threats Hullus? If you were going to do something you’d have done it by now. You’re either too drained from keeping this place….as it is…or you’re just as spineless as mother described….Oh! and you brought me a gift! How kind of you Hullus…and sleeping so soundly…basically gift wrapped….wait…is she?...she’s alive?
Pekko: She’s not yours. I’m sending her back. I don’t know how she got here.
Gnil: You are slipping Hullus. First, I get in…now others…aren’t you supposed to be guarding this place or something…it just seems more and more cracks are appearing… you never know what might come through next.
Pekko: I can make you leave any time I like.
Gnil: I’ll just come-
[Pekko clicks his fingers and Gnilfeit disappears…sound of pouring water again]
Pekko: [sigh] come on! Seriously? It was just a little banishment! Why are you leaking again?! Fine back to you Adventurer…time…to unfuck your head, I guess….
[Adrastea wakes up with a gasp]
Adrastea: [Gasps] Ravi! No!
Pekko: Rise and shine!
Adrastea: what? wait? Where?
Pekko: We are here…at the puddle…you took a long rest…looks like you needed it.
Adrastea: Puddle? Pekko…where is Ravi? He…
Pekko: Crap…I may have gone too far…ummm….okay…bad news…Ravi is dead
Adrastea: What?!
Pekko: Good news! You are about to bring him back!
Adrastea: Ravi is dead?! God! No! how…[starts weeping] he was my charge…my student…I….I..lo
Pekko: Alright! Alright! That’s why we are here. The infinite waters…blady blady blah…concentrate really hard and his body will come back….etc. etc.etc…then he can jump in take it for a ride and you guys can go home….
Adrastea: So…he’s not dead? He’s not gone?
Pekko: Eugh! We’ve done this bit already! He got squashed by a colossal penis…his soul is coming back…just needs a body…look…see that puddle over there…
Adrastea: The lake?
Pekko: Everyone is a critic! Look it’s hard to….[sigh] The endless sea is infinite…by that measure, this is a puddle…less than…a damp spot….a dew drop…[sigh] You can use the waters to create your boyfriend a new body…then we’ll lug it back to Calineb and you can give it to him as a gift.
Adrastea: What do I do?...
Pekko: Okay…so…just concentrate really hard on what he looks like…place one hand into the water…and visualise your thought becoming tangible…taking physical form…
Adrastea: Does it…does it have to be exactly what he looks like?
Pekko: Those are some…interesting changes you’ve made there…
Adrastea: I don’t know…they are functional changes…I think he’ll like it.
Pekko: I mean…I don’t doubt that…I just think-
Gnil: Hullus!
Pekko: Fuck! For real? I banished you…how are you back so quick?
Gnil: You are not as powerful as you think you are…and I am not as weak as you want to believe!
Adrastea: Ummmm…Pekko…who…is this lovely angry spawn lady with the purple eyes and why is she shouting the mad god’s name?
Gnil: [laugh to self] Please, introduce us….
Pekko: This is an uninvited guest. She’ll be leaving.
Gnil: [sneer] I am Ilkea. Primordial Goddess of-
Pekko: [Shouted] NO YOU ARE NOT! YOU ARE NOT HER! TAKE HER NAME OUT OF YOUR MOUTH!
Adrastea: ooooooookay….I am clearly in the middle of something…I’ll just
[pulse of energy sound of tautening rope as Adrastea is paralysed]
Adrastea: Ngggggggggg….What….is….hap…en…ing….I….can’t…move…
Pekko: Release her Gnilfeit. Release her now!
Gnil: Or what? I think I might take her with me…she’s clearly talented if she got here…
Adrastea: I….really….don’t….need….to….be….part….of…this…
Pekko: She will see straight through you…even I couldn’t….
Gnil: Ah…so she has worked something out….let’s see how much…
[Long painful scream as Adrastea’s mind is invaded]
Adrastea: Aghhhhhhh!