She remembered everything excruciatingly clearly, regardless of how hard she tried to forget.
Eventually, her body began to stir as she woke, but something was different.
She felt heavier.
Opening her eyes revealed that she was on an old bed in a small, dimly lit room that was plastered with blueprints and littered with mechanical components.
As for her body, she set the blanket that covered her bare self to the side and softly gasped upon seeing that her once-organic legs and arms had been replaced with silver, metallic ones that were lined with intricate etchings.
They somehow felt lighter and heavier.
- Name: Mumu
- Title: None
- Race: Kuva?ai
- Age: 20
- Gender: Female
- Class: Heavy
- Affiliation: None
- Actuality Level: 1
Attributes
- Health Points (HP): 150/150
- Realstone Shards: 0
- Damage Reduction (DR): 10%
- Affinity: (PHY)
- Weaknesses: (FRO), (DIV), (MAL)
Combat Statistics
- Physical Damage (PHY): 16
- Fire Damage (FIR): 0
- Frost Damage (FRO): 0
- Divine Damage (DIV): 0
- Malignant Damage (MAL): 16
Skills:
Equipment:
AS Mumu looked herself over, her ears perked up as she heard voices from outside the room.
One of them seemed to be getting closer, and the door in front of her opened, revealing a now fully conscious 115.
He was now in some clean clothes, and it looked like he had also gotten a new arm.
- Name: 115
- Damage Reduction (DR): 10%
His eyes widened upon meeting Mumu’s weary gaze, and the boy immediately rushed to hug her.
“You’re awake!” He cheered as Mumu gently wrapped her arms around him and, in doing so, realized that all of the pain from before was gone, remaining only as echoes in her mind.
“And you have a new arm. What happened?” Mumu asked while gently rubbing the boy’s cheek with her thumb.
“Well… I am not too sure myself, but come! There is someone who wants to speak to you!” 115 chirped excitedly before seemingly realizing that Mumu was naked.
His pale face rapidly reddened, and he slowly let go before standing up and bashfully inching back to the door.
“So… please come see him when you are ready.” He muttered before slipping out of the room.
Mumu looked down at herself and scoffed before standing up and changing into the dark grey jumpsuit that sat nearby.
She then exited the room, walked through a short corridor and frowned deeply upon entering a cylindrical space that was lined with the headless bodies of countless KVL that hung from strings as if they were puppets.
This dark space was lit only by a beam of sunlight that came from a small hole above, and it fell onto a wizened old man who sat by a pile of KVL limbs. Hanging from his thin limbs were pure white garbs that matched his thinning hair although his eyes were hidden behind a blindfold of white silk.
Standing by his side was a woman that Mumu immediately recognized.
She, like Ellyn and even K’lum, was three of the four rarest KVL in GOG and, as if they weren’t statistically incredible enough, according to the lore of the game, these three women once fought alongside the gods in a primordial war.
- Name: Stician
- Title: The Bolt that Pierced the Heart of Malice [Ranged attacks deal 2x DMG]
- Race: Kuva?ai
- Age: ??
- Gender: Female
- Class: Scout
- Affiliation: ??
- Actuality Level: 1
Attributes
- Health Points (HP): 1050/1050
- Realstone Shards: 20
- Damage Reduction (DR): 50%
- Affinity: (PHY), (DIV)
Combat Statistics
- Physical Damage (PHY): 100
- Fire Damage (FIR): 0
- Frost Damage (FRO): 0
- Divine Damage (DIV): 100
- Malignant Damage (MAL): 0
Skills:
Equipment:
Stician, like Mumu, looked like a dark elf, and her bow never left her left hand. It also felt as though she was tracking every movement in the space around her, even though her eyes were still.
“Don’t you think you’re too lucky?” The old man thundered.
Mumu was surprised by how deep and loud his voice was.
And it felt the slightest bit familiar.
He finally turned to face her, as if he could see through his blindfold.
“How many times has your end been postponed so far?”
Mumu frowned a little at his words.
“Don’t make that face. I wasn’t scolding you. Come, sit.”
Mumu did as the old man asked, sitting by his side and looking at the arm that he was working on.
It was made from a smooth, pearlescent material and had a warm glow to it.
“I’m sure you’re confused. That you yearn for the comfort of a distant, long-lost place, but was that place always so warm?”
Mumu couldn’t escape the depth of his voice or his words.
They rang clearly in her mind, making her think back to the place she knew he was talking about.
Her life on earth.
“It was hard fought, no? Then aren’t all good things the same?” The old man warmly smiled.
Mumu’s gaze fell.
“I’m sure you have many questions, and while I may not have all the answers, I will answer what I can.”
“Who are you, and why did you save us?” Mumu asked, after a moment’s pause, as 115 entered the chamber, sitting by her side shortly after with reddened ears.
“You may call me Dollman, and I saved you because, tired of rotting away in this place, I thought to try a little harder, and I have been getting a little closer to what, I hope, will be my… greatest work.”
Mumu nodded while glancing at the arm in his hand.
“You seem to know your way around KVL bodies. Are you close to our creator? The… God in Waiting?”
For some reason, Stician snorted expressionlessly, making Dollman sigh.
“Calling us close would be an understatement, but yes. I know all there is to know about the KVL. I also know that, in the time to come, you will seek strength, and while I have no strength to offer, I know the path you will have to take to get it.”
Mumu’s eyes narrowed.
“What do I need to do?”
“Before that, I must know what it is you are fighting for. Because I would look like quite the fool if I led you down a path of great power only for you to burn everything to the ground.” Dollman chuckled, making Mumu smile weakly.
She then thought about how best to answer.
The first thing that came to mind was 115.
She wanted to for his sake but, in this moment, she remembered Clive’s words from all that time ago.
They alone filled her with warmth and determination, making her sit upright and look directly at Dollman.
“I am fighting for myself and those I care for.”
Dollman turned to Stician, who shrugged.
“Fair enough. I truly hope that your resolve will be enough. And as for where you will find the strength I spoke of; it is held by three of my failures. They, like you, set out to change their fates only to either fall into the hands of the cultists or lose their will to carry on. Cruel as it may be, you will have to locate, defeat and return each of the gifts I gave them so that I may give them to you. Does that sound like the path you want to walk?”
Mumu nodded, making Dollman let out a heavy sigh.
“Alright. Get some more rest, and when you are ready, I will send you off.”
Mumu nodded again before standing and returning to the room she awoke in with 115 in tow.
The two sat side by side for a silent moment, and Mumu leaned on 115 a little as if searching for his presence.
He replied by leaning on her as well, allowing the two to sit in equilibrium.
“It never gets easier.” Mumu eventually said.
“The fighting will probably only intensify and we are likely to keep getting hurt. I cannot ask you to follow me and would rather you didn’t but I know that my side is exactly where you want to be.” Mumu was in big sister mode, speaking to the boy as if he were on of her little brothers.
115 didn’t speak, and she could feel as his heartbeat quickened.
“It's alright. Although brief, you and I are all we’ve had in this… painful world. But, at least for now, I’ll need you to stay here where it’s safe.” Mumu turned to face 115, whose brows furrowed a little.
“But… what if you don’t come back?” Fear shook the boy’s voice and its here that Mumu told her first lie.
“I will always come back.”
115 made a determined face, and to distract him from all that burdened his mind, Mumu changed the subject.
“Oh- I just realized that we haven’t gotten a chance to properly introduce ourselves. My name is Mumu. Nice to meet ya!”
The boy’s ears reddened initially at Mumu’s smile, but his eyes fell shortly after.
“I… I don’t have a name. at least, I don’t think I do.”
It was here that Mumu remembered that, in GOG, players named themselves, but the character they played as was a nameless clone, which made her feel even more sorry for the boy.
“A-Alright. Then why don’t you give yourself one?”
“I can do that?”
“Definitely! Come on. Think of something that you like.” Mumu nodded encouragingly.
The boy took a moment to think and glanced at Mumu a few times before finally taking a breath and giving his answer.
“Lavender.”
Mumu’s eyes widened a little.
“That’s a beautiful name, but why Lavender?” She curiously tilted her head, and, for some reason, the boy reddened further.
“It’s… It’s a pretty colour. That’s all.”
Mumu knew that.
She also knew that her skin was the same shade but didn’t see any significance beyond that.
She shook aside her confusion and gently patted his head, running her fingers through his white hair.
“Alright, then can I call you Lav?”
“Yes, you can!”
“Alright, Lav. Let’s gets some rest.” Mumu yawned while lying down to rest.
Lav squirmed a little before laying down next to her and while he wanted to keep a fair distance from Mumu, she grabbed him and pulled him closer, falling asleep soon after, much to Lav’s dismay.
.
..
Meanwhile, in the belly of the Lair of the Caprine Lord, Ellyn had been stripped of her clothes, face obscuring helmet and weapons as she laid on a bloodstained wooden table in the centre of a dark chamber that smelt of burnt flesh and ash.
Her long white hair messily draped over the table, her pointed ears drooped as a stream of tears fell from her eyes.
She wasn’t tied down or bound, willingly keeping herself still as she took panicked breaths.
She was scared because, stand above her was a being whose mere gaze alone, burnt all that it touched.
He had the appearance of a refined older man, dressed in a fine charcoal black tuxedo and with white hair that was trimmed neatly.
His blood red shirt matched his burning red irises that oozed Malignant energy and quite literally ate away at all they beheld.
Hanging from his shoulders was a coat of fur that was charred back and it seemingly clung to him in an eery way.
He walked with a cane, the handle of which depicted a goat and it helped him with his slight limp.
[What is your sin?] He spoke in a voice that came from everywhere, including the innermost part of Ellyn’s mind.
“I l-let one of your prized subjects escape, failed to capture an unaffiliated KVL and lost to the Jack of the Deck, Lord Acolyte Adsecula!” She chattered as the man’s gaze burnt her skin.
[How would you like to be punished?]
“As t-this is my first failure, please mark my skin with the words of failure, Lord Acolyte!”
[Very well.]
Adsecula’s eyes widened a little, and his gaze began to etch markings onto Ellyn’s skin, burning through several layers of tissue as he covered almost her entire body, filling the chamber with agonized, gut-wrenching screams, but through all this, Ellyn didn’t move or run away.
She accepted her punishment and hoped that, when the day came, the greatest of lords wouldn’t find her distasteful.
The Bolt that Pierced the Heart of Malice