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All-Seeing Eye      Just over a thousand miles south of Denandsor, deep in the jungles of the Southeast, there is a place the savagery of the flora and fauna fails to penetrate. Those brave, foolish, or unfortunate enough to be travelers in the dense vegetation find this place a welcome respite from ravenous plantlife, obtrusive clusters of gnarled roots, and nafarious, Gigeresque insects.

     Thick vines and large, swollen trees surround a lake several miles wide, but they cannot claim the first hundred feet of shore--vegetation simply halts past a certain point, as if some invisible wall were holding it at bay. A curtain of fog hangs over the lake, giving it a slightly eerie appearance when viewed through the thick layer of vines which obscures the shore.

     The buzzing of certain insects, the plaintive mating cries of birds in the canopy, and the myriad howls of the jungle's many other animals--both predator and prey--create a disjointed chorus that hangs in the air just as persistently as the curtain of fog over the lake. This song of the jungle reminds all who traverse it that they are not and will likely never be entirely alone within its green expanse.

     On top of the predators (likely and unlikely), there is an oppressive humidity, which persists even in this clearing, making one's clothes tend to cling to them. There is also an unsettling tendency the treetops have of shaking and wobbling, as if bearing weight from above. All of these things allow one ti quickly see why the jungle, much less the clearing, gets as few visitors as it does.

     And yet... Lin finds herself here. Why?
Lin     The answer's quite simple really! She was looking for a warp gate that would lead to this Creation's Southeast region paralleling her own... perhaps curious about what her home might be like in a different Creation.

    And since no Warp Gates exist to where she wants to go, she's decided to take a path the hard way.

    Easier for her than most, given she's one of the Chosen!

    So Lin's traveling amidst the tree tops, springing from limb to limb no matter how impossibly thin the branches she lands on are. No doubt she upsets more than a few birds, but at least never manages to step in any nests. Periodically she has to rest for a bit, dropping to the forest floor to glance around for some of these... and for others, just finding a seat on lower branches to meditate and enjoy being surrounded by so much life.

    And the only reason it's enjoyable is that the stinging insects just can't penetrate her skin, no matter how hard they try.

    The journey takes her all the way to the lake. Upon reaching the shores, she starts fidgeting with her clothes... "uuuuuugh, too humid! TOOOO humid... wish I'd brought something leaner!"

    She gazes at the fog-covered lake... "Ehhh.... risk taking a dip, maybe? Might be river dragons in there..." Can she handle a River Dragon? Probably. But it'd be a mighty bother!
All-Seeing Eye      Because of Lin's choice to travel across the treetops, her journey to the clearing is much more uneventful than the average traveler's. There are times, even when she arrives, when it feels as though she's being watched, but nothing ever comes of it. What's likely of more interest to her is the decidedly unnatural snapping sound which rings out every few seconds, beginning once she arrives at the lake.

     Whatever's making the noise isn't making any attempt to hide itself, and as a result, she can investigate it with ease. What she discovers will probably sour her enjoyment of the journey thus far. Between clusters thick trees, the irritating Chosen of Autochthon from a week or so prior appears to be practicing some sort of martial art. He's come prepared for the humid weather--a white tank top keeps him cool while revealing his toned physique. Save for a pair of camoflage fatigues tucked into black leather boots with interwoven laces, this appears to be his only apparel.

     His equipment is equally minimalist--a simple length of white cloth with a knot at the end. He twirls it overhead, stretching it taut, then lifts one leg and shoots the knotted end out like a whip. Yanking it back towards him, he nimbly stops the awkward weapon from striking him by manipulating its momentum. It ends up resting over his back. Taking several steps in between the trees, he traverses the uneven undergrowth and twirls the cloth on either side of himself, alternating with each step.

     A zipping sound, like that of a flying arrow, interjects itself into the even whooshing sounds of his swinging cloth. With a turn of his upper body, Eye snatches the cloth back and whirls it overhead, swatting aside a colorful dart and sending it into a tree. Pulling it backwards to shoot the knotted end behind him, he then lifts his knee and snaps the cloth upwards with a cracking sound. There is a sound of splintering wood, and a guttural grunt. The cloth remains taut, pointed at an upwards angle.

     Eye yanks the cloth back with a wet tearing sound, and the knotted end comes back stained red. Roughly a second later, there is a dull thud as the body of a Southeastern man in a palm-frond tunic falls lifelessly to the jungle floor.

     "Hello, Lin!"
Lin     An odd snappy-whip sound is DEFINITELY capable of both unsettling Lin and ruining her thoughts about going for a dip. She turns to looking around, and it doesn't take her too long to encounter...

    Well. The sight of Eye's human form in heavy practice is enough to leave Lin staring, slack-jawed... with increasingly blushy cheeks. He's a looker, after all! But she realizes she's staring the moment she detects something decisively WRONG in the nearby forests and begins to open her mouth to scream a warning--

    NOT that Eye needs it. Even as she ducks down ready for another ATTACKER as if it's the most natural thing in the world to be doing, she doesn't take her eyes off the way he handles that cloth and handily deals with his attacker!

    The entire debacle's over so quicly and anticlimactically that the redhead purses her lips irritably before she manages to steady her breath again.

    "Do... do you have eyes in the back of your head or something?!" Just plain gobsmacked at being identified like this. "H-... hello!" Vaguely suspicious, a bit uncertain, and clearly confused at Eye's presence, for the moment she just stands there trying to make up her mind of how to proceed.
All-Seeing Eye      Eyes in the back of his head? Why... yes! He giggles, turning around to face her. "As well as enhanced hearing," replies the Alchemical with a coy smile. He traverses the short distance between them to stand before her, wringing the cloth out as he approaches. Once he's done with that he simply stuffs it into his back pocket, wiping his hands on his fatigues.

     "I didn't think I'd have an audience today--or an opponent." The excitement earlier saw his long, black hair resting in front of him, and he flips it back behind him with a smirk. "Frankly," he says, in a low, conspiratorial voice, "I find you to be much better company. So!" He clasps his hands together and shrugs his shoulders merrily.

     "What brings you into my neck of the... jungle, darling?" He wrinkles his nose at the joke.
Lin     Oh geeze, he DOES! How embarassing. Lin does her absolute best to steady her expression, but she's pretty terrible at not wearing her feelings on her sleeve.

    With her shoulders bunched up - and simultaneously trying to un-bunch them in favor of a standoff-ish armfold, Lin attempts her response, "Eheh.. it's complicated. Turns out there's more than one Creation out there, and this one isn't mine... I wanted to see what my home looks like in a different place! But I couldn't find any warp gates, so was heading there the hard way..." She reaches a hand up behind her neck and scratches nervously...

    "Boy do you look really different out of the armor!" She blurts a moment later.

    Perhaps the whole 'Chosen of Autochthon' thing didn't sink in, or she just doesn't know anything about Alchemicals...
All-Seeing Eye      Eye blinks innocently. "Armor?" After a moment's thought, he smiles, waving a hand dismissively. "Oh, you mean my Charms." He extends an arm towards her, holding it out so that she can watch. His warm brown skin promptly ejects a network of soulsteel plates, with thick woven cables occasionally crossing from hardpoint to hardpoint. Though clearly artificial, the design philosophy seems to favor sleekness and efficiency, with the plates formed into simple but solid geometric shapes. If it hadn't simply sprouted from his waiting arm, she might mistake it for articulated plate!

     "For us, Charms are physical things, with the exception of martial arts and what you'd consider sorcery." He allows her a moment to peek and gawk and observe, with the slightest hint of an indulgent smile, before he once more conceals the cybernetics. "What you saw before was my true form, and this," he says with a hand flourish, gesturing to himself, "Well. Isn't. But it's nice to change one's appearance from time to time, hm?" He chuckles lightly, lowering his arm.

     His eyes take the measure of the Solar standing before him--it looks as though she's had a long journey to get to this place, if the sweat matting her clothes to her skin are any indication. "As far as warpgates are concerned, well... there /is/ one near here. If you want to skip the journey next time, and you don't mind a little paperwork, you could make use of it!" He gestures with a sweep of his hand. Towards the lake. The lake that doesn't appear to have any warpgate at all.

     "Plus, it'd give you an excuse to come see me. We hardly /ever/ have interesting visitors like you." Who's we?
Lin     Now that she has a much closer look at Eye... Lin's eyes boggle out of her sockets, nearly! "So-.... Soulsteel?!" She takes a single, almost wary step back, but the hints of horror that metal evokes don't seem to have fully obviated her curiosity! Or the fact that Eye's too charming to easily fear.

    "'Us' and 'we' you say... uh." She just stares expectantly, as if irritated that Eye hasn't explained already. The mental gears are qucikly churning..

    "OH, yeah, you're the guy who loudly proclaimed himself better than everyone else because he's Chosen of Autochthon... dunno what god that is or isn't, but you're not gonna make many friends boasting like that!" This minor 'beratement' is delivered in a fairly friendly tone. Apparently Lin already put that comment behind her... more or less.

    "... I can't complain though. Y'came to help, and my home needs it." She heaves a sigh out though. "Not that said home really wants ME around... Reaching Spire only called out to me 'cuz he's in a bind..."

    She finally regains some composure and waggles a finger at Eye's arm! "So, uh... more formally, what ARE you exactly? I've never heard of machine-chosen...?"
All-Seeing Eye      Eye smiles coyly at her reaction to the Soulsteel, and laughs musically at her advice. It's true, he won't make many friends /just/ by proclaiming himself to be better than everyone else. But there are other ways which are quite effective! "Do you remember that lovely little mural in Stormbreaker's containment facility? Think back to the veeery~ beginning, when the gods overthrew the Primordials. They had help from two sympathetic Primordials."

     He steps past her to pat his hand upon the moss-covered trunk of a nearby tree, looking over his shoulder with a smile. "One of these was Gaia, whose dragons helped create the Dragon-Blooded. But the other was Autochthon, the Machine God, who provided Gaia and your gods with the very blueprints necessary to create Exalted in the first place." He holds out his hand before him, idly checking his nails for flaws before wiping his palms against one another. "And," he says, turning to face her, "He arrived at this idea through experimentation with the Magical Materials--including Soulsteel." Wink. "Though we were never fielded in the Primordial War, we Alchemical Exalted were actually the first of the Exalted to have ever been created."

     He gently takes her hand in both of his. "I can tell by your curious expression you have /many/ questions," he says sweetly. "Why don't you join me by the lake, and I'll answer what I can." He brushes a flying insect away with some mild annoyance before leading her to the shore, a place free both from insects and dense undergrowth, whereupon he releases her hand, sits down, and leans backwards, supporting his weight with his palms.

     "Peaceful, isn't it?"
Lin     Lin does turn out to be fairly attentive listener! She follows Eye as he relocates. "Gotta admit the name Gaia doesn't come up very much, even though everyone knows about the Dragons. The Dragon-Blooded never stop spouting off about 'em..." She mutters a bit exasperatedly. Not every Terrestrial is as awesome as her dad was, apparently?

    Her gaze screws up at this news though. Brow furrows, curiosity flickers wildly in her gaze as she cants her head.... "Alchemical Exalted...." She's a bit mesmerized by this explanation, and almost doesn't realize he's closed in until--

    HANDS, CLASPED! Lin suddenly sprouts a big blush-- "U-uh--"

    Nevertheless, she's too charmed to say NO, and ends up following along...

    Only to seat herself in the sand.

    Only then does she regain her wits and will!

    "Almost too peaceful. Out here... 'cept for that crazy barbarian a moment ago... you're gonna have to give him some rites or it'll be a problem y'know--... heh. Out here, it's easy to forget about how screwy everything is in this world of ours. So.... Magical Materials. Even Soulsteel... it's nice to run into someone who seems to know a thing or two about what they are and what they're supposed to do. Because I've had to figure it all out as I went along."
All-Seeing Eye      "I know," he softly replies, on the matter of the barbarian, without offering much else.

     "As for my purpose, that's easy for us. Unlike you, we're built, not born. It's almost always for a reason, and usually a specific one! And, of course, we're given missions along the way. But, all of that comes from infrastructure--which is something I'm noticing most Creations severly lack, thanks to your friends the Dragon-Blooded." He sighs, skipping a stone across the lake. It skips easily a dozen times before sinking.

     "Your predecessors may have been tyrants, but at least they understood how to create and maintain a functioning support system." He pauses, turning his head to look at her. Many people are distrustful of Solars because of past abuses centuries ago. He wonders... "Is that why Reaching Spire normally wouldn't ask for your help?"
Lin     "B-... built? How's a person built..?" Lin blinks a few times, both weirded out AND curious at the same time - in the way that only an Artificer might be able to manage!

    nevertheless, she purses her lips while watching the skipping stone, and idly searching for one of her own with a hand.

    "So. The way I'm hearing it told, there's some truth to some of the Dragon-Blooded tales. Some Sun-and-Moon Chosen did awful things. Some're still doing it."

    With an inhale, she hurls what she's found-- but it takes off like a BUZZSAW, cutting across the water and sending up a marvelous spray from sheer spin! Away it goes, eventually sinking. Definitely not subtle.

    After blinking a few times at this outcome, she again folds her arms under her chest.

    "It's... complicated. I was born in that village. Grew up in it. But my dad, he's not from there. He comes from a place much closer to the Blessed Isle. Lookshy, it's called. He... deserted 'em or something, I guess. Not sure why, never told me. But he settled down in Grantine, married into the Rei family... everyone liked having him around 'cuz he was great at working the forge and didn't argue much about anything, but... still kinda treated as an outsider. So, naturally, people were skittish about me too. Family always kept us at arm's length, you could say."

    She bunches her shoulders up and continues. "Not that life was bad. I learned plenty from him. People liked my work. And I learned the village profession... Grantine, y'see, the village is known for the martial arts schools. Whenever there's trouble, they come to us and someone goes and deals with the problem. Usually barbarian raiders. Sometimes bandits... oh, I learned that pretty well!"

    Realizing she's starting to sound pumped up, Lin exhales and leans backwards, resting on her palms.

    "So, dad was really old for a Dragon-Blooded. Old enough that he passed away when I was about... twelve. 'round then, these Guild people sprung news on me 'bout some debt he owed, started making threats about seizing things to make up for it... kinda strongarmed me into doing some comissions for them. Because they wanted dad's weapons and armor, but I wasn't having any of that! He wants 'em returned to Lookshy. So I was doing the work instead. ... But... they just kept piling it up on me. How big could the debt be?"

    She angrily slams a hand into the sand now...

    "Hah. I was an idiot. There was never any debt. I found that out when they finally called me out to make a private delivery... and got ambushed. Scariest thing to ever happen to me. It's all kinda a blur then. Lots of screaming, blades swinging every which way... and this weird HEAT. It felt like I was going to burn up in that fight! But I pulled through without really realizing what happened... scared the Guildsfolk who were watching shitless, I guess, heh. They fessed up and begged for forgiveness. ... So I let 'em go. And went home."

    Here she grunts a bit. "... of course, Reaching Spire knew what happened. And he starts yammering at me about how I can't stay there. Wyld Hunt might come and strongarm their way through the village looking for me. And the Guild might start putting pressure on them. All kinds of maybes and what-ifs. ... so, I just decided to shove off. Took dad's stuff with me. Figured I could learn more about... everything, 'n why I was blessed, way better out and about than sticking around at Grantine with the god jumpy about me."
All-Seeing Eye      Eye watches the Solar's stone-skipping with an amused grin, his eyebrows raising when it simply tears across the placid lake like a motorboat. "Impressive," he says, before realizing based on her expression it's probably not what she meant to do.

     He otherwise listens politely, keeping his eyes trained on her despite the lack of any need to do so. The mention of Lookshy momentarily darkens his expression, but only just for that moment. As she further explains, he nods with each pause, goading her to continue on for as long as she's comfortable.

     "The heat you felt was your Exaltation," he says after a bit of silence. He sits up straight, resting his chin upon one hand and pondering. Extreme stress? Anger? Fate? Or some mixture of the three? "Interesting," he says. "I've never actually heard a story about it before..." Well. Technically he has. "Not first-hand, anyway. Hm!" His golden eyes gently move to regard her once more, which is probably just a courtesy to let her know he's watching for her reaction.

     "So, without any sort of oversight to provide you with guidance... I have to ask. What do /you/ think you were blessed for?" His expression is one of polite interest. Behind his pleasant smile is a series of mental calculations. Does she have the same tyrannical streak as her predecessors? Or, for that matter, anything Stormbreaker might be able to corrupt? Perhaps there is some altruism in her--she did ask for help regarding Grantine, after all, and she seemed none too eager to take the sword. But one can never be too cautious.
Lin     "Ehmmm.... good question, really. Reaching Spire did TELL me a few things. Things like the Sun's Chosen being the proper rulers of Creation and stuff like that. That we're to keep things like the Fair Folk and Demons in check. Make life better for people. ... me, I kinda imagine that the Sun just figured jerks like those Guildsfolk needed to be taught a lesson in not preying on people who don't know any better!" Is... is she serious about that? Probably not.

    "Maybe when I'm older I'll know what to make of the rest of what he said. Right now I'm just trying to stand by the principles of the Righteous Warrior dad taught me about! ... It's working. So far."

    She does sound pretty lost though.
All-Seeing Eye      "The proper rulers, hm? And how did that end for Creation?" Eye shakes his head. "Celestine propaganda," he says with an air of disappointment. "I believed it, too, until I did some digging, and spoke to some veterans of Creation." He raises a single index finger to punctuate the first word of his next point.

     "Now! I'm sure that's what the gods /told/ the Solars when the war was won, but only so that they could foist responsibility onto someone else while they played the Games of Divinity in Heaven." The Alchemical clicks his tongue. "And that's not just me looking down from my ivory tower, darling. Exalted ruled my world for two thousand years, and nearly destroyed it. If you ask me, we--Exalted, that is--aren't meant to rule, but to uplift and advise. To create conditions which allow mortals to achieve greatness of their own. After all, without them, there can /be/ no Exalted."
Lin     "....." Lin listens to this alternate theory... and offers a sheepish, kind of embarassed grin in return after about twelve seconds to mull over it. "... wouldn't be too surprised if that were th'truth. Wouldn't be surprised a bit. About the gods being lazy, I mean. Can't say anything for sure about what I haven't seen though! I do know this though. The Realm's a bunch of greedy bullies. So's Prasad. Both ruled by Dragon-Blooded. Though the way dad tells me things, Lookshy's better about not stepping on people all the time. Haven't seen the place yet..."

    "... If you say your world's had problems too, well... I see where you're coming from. But that doesn't tell me much about what I'm supposed to be DOING either."
All-Seeing Eye      "I know what you're supposed to be doing," says the Alchemical. "It's very unlikely that someone is going to ride down to Creation from Heaven in a golden chariot and say, 'Lin, here are your orders.' And, with Stormbreaker in the picture, you're going to have a voice whispering evil in your ear at all times. So... the solution is simple."

     He places a hand on her shoulder. "Do what's just. Think about the good you want to see in the world, and be it. Does Lookshy's example speak to you? Did it upset you, when the Guild thought to steal your father's arms and armor?" He gives her shoulder a light, encouraging squeeze. "Do what you can, when you can, to ensure good people can live their lives without greedy criminals and despots stealing the fruits of their labor. In so doing, you keep a dangerous weapon from wreaking havoc on your world."

     He shrugs, and skips another pebble. "Precision," he advises softly. "Not brute force--however impressive the latter might be." He could be talking about the approach to skipping a pebble, or to deciding what to do with one's life.
Lin     "R-r... so you figured we're not gonna have much else choice but have me try 'n tame the sword too." Lin's sheepish expression only deepens, but it does betray a few hints of worry. Probably for the reasons that Eye just explained.

    But the squeeze does get her looking up at him, and shining an uneasy smile. "Well... yeah. That's about all I've figured out so far. The one thing I can't do is just sit around and waste this power when some good can be done. No matter how many people scream Anathema. Really can't put it any better than you just did..."
All-Seeing Eye      "Well, let's be logical about it. A weapon like that needs the Essence necessary for its attunement, a strong moral fiber, an iron will, and, let's not forget, training in its proper use. Every one of us who came to help you is lacking in one or more of those. Myself and Sparkle don't have the training, Dog probably doesn't have the Essence," he says the second point as if it's a matter of fact and not an arrogant supposition. "Staren is too swayed by pretty arguments--once the demon learned that, the sword would be wielding him. And so on, and so on, and /so/ on," he says, rotating his hand a few times to illustrate the point.

     "You're the only one with all four of those--and if you think you lack the willpower, then you and I clearly weren't in the same cave when Dog called you Anathema. Rest assured, Lin! I believe you can do it. And if you can't, well... there will be plenty of people around to stop you if the demon wins out."

     He smiles brightly, as if the thought were comforting.