The Legend of Hieda: Daughter Zero - Completed

[GuyYouMetOnline]

I say go for it. It's not like Are's backed down from potentially self-and-future-altering events before *cough*Orrery*cough*.

[Hanzo K.]

I dunno man, if even someone as jovial and seemingly-unflappable as Fragrance is scared of the thing, that should be a pretty big warning sign.

[Darkoda]

>Did we find out how Byakuren managed to read the book without getting her mind broken?

[Fightest]

>Did we find out how Byakuren managed to read the book without getting her mind broken?

> White-Lotus seemed to suffer no ill effects from reading the book. She described that reading it, though, was very taxing - everything leading up to and soon after the description of the chaos wave attack was deeply steeped in metaphor and allegory, referencing and alluding to hundreds of individuals and events, many of which she admitted to be ignorant to. The chapter on the chaos wave attack grasped her attention simply due to how clear and unambiguous it was.

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>"I know someone who read this book, and she reported no ill effects."

[Fightest]

>"I know someone who read this book, and she reported no ill effects."

> You hear Gathering Fragrance's half-terrified, half-menacing whisper at your ear.
> "I know someone who leapt from Heaven and survived the landing. She was a god of miraculous safe landings. There will be no miraculous safe landing for you, She-Who-Devours-Fate."

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>"Then perhaps you can elaborate on what would happen were I to read it."

[Darkoda]

>On this note, what do we know of White-Lotus's abilities? The demon might well have a point about her having an ability that let her avoid the horror.

I mean, we're already getting screwed by fate, do we really need another dose of mind-rape from something that an Eldritch abomination considers an abomination?

[Fightest]

>"Then perhaps you can elaborate on what would happen were I to read it."

> "I do not know, but you have read those passages, just as I have! Do you really think that a tome made from dead things that do not exist, a tome with a chapter that intimately details your actions as you perform them is going to be sunshine and rainbows?"

>On this note, what do we know of White-Lotus's abilities? The demon might well have a point about her having an ability that let her avoid the horror.

> White-Lotus has achieved an absolute purity of body and mind such that Heaven itself is often jealous of her. A purity like hers begets itself - her nature, physical and mental, is impossible to alter in any way without her desiring it.

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>Do we know what she means by us having read 'those passages'? If not, ask.
>"Perhaps, then, the best course of action is for me to take this with me to give to the one who has proven able to read it, and have her do so for me."

[Mr_Bob]

> White-Lotus has achieved an absolute purity of body and mind such that Heaven itself is often jealous of her. A purity like hers begets itself - her nature, physical and mental, is impossible to alter in any way without her desiring it.

Being that Are is force of change and actualization by virture of this game-crafting, she is surely susceptible to such influences. Makes me wax about how we are a force of (localized) chaos.

If we read the book, it seems like we'll be railroaded to what the tome tells us to do, whether we as a collective desire it or not.

[GuyYouMetOnline]

Which is why I just gave the suggestion of taking it to Byakuren. She's read it before; she can do it again.

[Darkoda]

I'm think that there was a reason why we had to come here and couldn't just take the book.
That said, we made a stubborn old man fire elemental knock it off and stop being such an ass, we can get a librarian to let us take a book in the fiction section. Go for it.

[Mr_Bob]

But isn't it the contents of the book that's the dangerous part? I wouldn't think having someone else read it would diminsh the power of words. There's also the technical difficulty of finding White-Lotus.

[Fightest]

There's also the technical difficulty of finding White-Lotus.

Are can find White-Lotus no problem, if she wants to.

[GuyYouMetOnline]

We can have her read it and tell us what it says. I don't think it's the words that are the problem (I'm pretty sure it's the book itself), but if they are, well, Byakuren doesn't have to read it aloud. She can just tell us what it says without actually reciting it word-for-word.

[Mr_Bob]

But I think that's the problem, because the content tells the story of what's happening, as it's happening. It's something akin to: "As Bob was typing away at the keyboard, he casually looked over to the unopened bottle of Lester's Fixins Bacon Soda he received as a Christmas present. Dismissing this questionable item he returns to responding to some guy he met online".  Now imagine reading that excerpt as you were performing those very actions.  That's something of the level of mindscrew we're dealing with.

Not that I'm actually opposed to reading the book, because I'm always interested in what Fighty cooks up, and it seems like the point of this arc is to read the tome.  Gathering's warning does of course put me on edge a little.

[GuyYouMetOnline]

I'm not really sure where you're getting the 'tells what's happeneing as it's happening' thing. Besides, Byakuren's read it before, so she can do it again and just tell us only what it says about the chaos.

Besides, I don't think Are would be thrown off by something describing her actions as she does them. She can see fate (to an extent), after all, so she's gotten fairly used to something that's quite similar.

[Fightest]

Fightest's notes: I'll admit right now that I've handled this particular bit very unfairly. I have very much given you a red button that says "DO NOT PRESS" with no obviously interesting alternative to pressing it. In other words, I'm following a Fighting Fantasy tradition of the classic "investigate the interesting thing?" path split.

Edit: stand by for recovery

[Hanzo K.]

I'm not really sure where you're getting the 'tells what's happeneing as it's happening' thing.

Gathering-Fragrance herself pretty much said it. "a tome with a chapter that intimately details your actions as you perform them"

[GuyYouMetOnline]

Yeah, but we don't care about that part, do we? We're only interested in the stuff about the chaos.

[Mr_Bob]

Voting for:
>PUSH THE SHINY RED CANDY-LIKE BUTTON.

[Fightest]

Commencing recovery:

> Alice mutters, almost to herself.
> "If you should not read it, I can maybe help figure out what it says? Then you won't be in danger. I'll have to call in some favours, get Patchouli-and-Lavender in, she's good at this sort of thing."
> "I say we destroy the wretched thing before it has any chance to do damage," says Gathering Fragrance.

> Will you:
> Read the book, despite all warnings?
> Assemble a team to research its contents, trusting that White-Lotus might be able to mitigate any damage?
> Destroy the book, hoping that whatever curse it may hold will be destroyed along with it?

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>Research team, headed by White-Lotus.

[Darkoda]

>Research team. If it really is too troublesome to handle we can just destroy it later.
>That and we don't know if torching the book will just release whatever it is that screws with you to raise hell.

[Mr_Bob]

>Changing vote to research, as studying the contents would probably give the most complete counter-measures against the forces of chaos.

[Fightest]

> You and Alice call in a few favours. Soon, Alice's magic brings back responses: Scent-of-Patchouli-and-Lavender, Kanako and White-Lotus have agreed to help you in the matter.
> Additionally, White-Lotus has requested that you secure airspace permission for her over Empyrian in one hour.

> It will take some time for them to get here, with White-Lotus probably arriving first with her paticular way of travel, Kanako coming soon after - Heavenly Gates are immensely fast, but will require a lot of paperwork to reserve, and Patchouli will arrive when she pleases.
> In the meantime, you and Alice manage to secure a temporary research permission from the library that will last up to two weeks, and gather the necessary stationery for a comfortable literary research session.
> Afterwards, you head out to the large, well-maintained grassy field behind the library and mark an X-shape into the ground by scattering white pebbles.

> You are now White-Lotus Hijiri.
> The nature of man is equally the one she cultivates within herself and the one that grows in the eyes of others.
> You therefore make sure to hide the dumb grin on your face, lest your image be ruined forever.
> This is definitely your favourite method of travel.
> You visualise in your mind's eye the city-state of Empyrian, and the grand golden library within.
> You list in your mind the resistance of the ground, the weather patterns across the entirety of Creation, any border conflicts between minor and major gods, the flow of dragon lines and your own - perfect as expected - chakra balance.
> You then dig in your right foot, make a hop
> a skip
> and, shattering earth and stone with the unimaginable force beneath your feet,
> a LEAP
> And you are already past the clouds, soundlessly trailing fire behind you.
> This is definitely your favourite method of travel.

> You are now Are.
> There is a meteor heading towards you.
> A golden mandala pattern forms at its base and, gently, the fire disperses to reveal a human shape hurtling downwards.
> She slows her descent over the last few dozen feet and, without so much as disturbing the rest of the X-shape, she gently touches down on her right toe onto the exact central pebble of the formation.
> She then holds the pose for five seconds, a hastily-constructed serene expression on her face as she realizes that you are watching.

[Hanzo K.]

>She certainly did always enjoy making a grand entrance, didn't she?

[Fightest]

>She certainly did always enjoy making a grand entrance, didn't she?

> Many attribute White-Lotus' often-overwhelming presence to her inimitable perfection.
> They have not seen her off-duty, in a close circle of friends, with two or three drinks knocked back. When her hair is down and with no image to worry about, she is a huge showoff.
> Deservedly so, however - her party tricks are unparalleled across Creation.

[Mr_Bob]

>Will we be waiting for the others, or should be start cracking open some books?