The Nexus

[Somewhere in the desert] The swordsman could flee. Indeed, it would be easy. But, it does not feel necessary to him. He is confident he is just as able to cut this creature from within as from without. So, he lets the massive beast swallow himself. Then, inside its gullet, where no-one else is the...

Here, in this artificial environment, Lucia Sophia is the source of light, while the Encyclopedes are mere shadows. She has her ways of keeping track of who is who, as the they quickly find out. Each suddenly finds themselves wearing a distinctly colored party hat - purple for the Secondary Research...

[Hoshiki's home] "Oh, okay" , the girl says and relaxes a bit. "No clue what private matter he could have with someone like you. I'll tell hin you passed by. But are you sure you don't want to write in the guestbook?" She beckons at the book once more. She's clearly hoping Micha...

[Somewhere in the Desert] "Why aren't you helping me? I'm hurt, and lost, and scared. Please help me." The figure begins to cry, sobbing disconsolately. There's not much movement beneath the sands. A faint shift as something vast breathes, but hard to notice. It notices Hoshiki's movement...

The digital camera is still present. It takes a photograph of the ground without issue, or at least seems to. If the Encyclopede can check the camera's memory right now, the picture taken shows a rug and wooden floorboards of the imaginary cafeteria. "You're welcome" , the elderly lady ans...

[Hoshiki's Home] Seaside visitors? Is this berk doing sight-seeing tours now? Never mind. Michalson makes his way as directed, then encounters an unfamiliar person. "Uh... hello. I've got business with the owner of this place," he says. [Hoshiki's home] The girl freezes, mouth wide open, ...

[Hoshiki's home] The girl freezes, mouth wide open, spoon halfway there, spooked by another person barging in. She takes a moment to relax and recover herself. "You're out of luck" , she says, continuing her meal between words. *crunch* *crunch* *gulp* "Ah. The man comes and goes. So...

[Somewhere in the Desert] A bear trap, in these conditions, would also cause a debilitating or even lethal wound, yet previously the swordsman sensed no immediate threat to this creature's life. A very big life, hidden in the sand. It's quite apparent to him now that he is dealing with some kind of...

[Hoshiki's Home] Michalson is back here, against his better judgement, with the photo of Bunny's old body in his pocket. Will he walk away from here with his brain-box still attached to his neck? Perhaps. Michalson can see the Arkham Street mansion has seen some repairs since his last visit. Not ve...

[Somewhere in the Desert] "Sure, go for it. Good luck. Hey, Arkibald. Our visitor's gonna go check it out. Slow down so he can get off, yeah?" The bondvagn does slow down after that, coming to a stop a good distance away from the figure. As Hoshiki approaches, something will slowly try to...

"Well, if you think you should talk to them, there is no point in dawdling, is there?" , Lucia asks. What happens next may be less confusing to Nemo than it is to the Encyclopedes. The table Nemo is sitting at expands, more chairs appearing to accommodate more guests. A second later, the ...

[Somewhere in the Desert] The 'contact' is the driver of the bandvagn, sitting in the cab with larger windows and keeping an eye out for threats and dangers. "Said they're callin' for it. But it could be a trap. What's your thinkin'?" Harry's grabbed his rifle and is staring down the barr...

The staircase is descending into what can best be described as a maintenance space - it's definitely not meant to be traversed while it is down. Due to this, the drone gets trapped under the archive floor. But from there, it has a reasonably good view of the mechanisms that create and move around th...

[Somewhere on the desert] Hoshiki furrows his brow as he listens to the radio. He doesn't have full context, but something about it doesn't add up. When Harry, or Harald, moves to peek outside, the swordsman moves to see what's going on. Hoshiki can, indeed, sense life - that is, after all, how he ...

Lucia gives Nemo an sympathetic tap on the shoulder. "I understand." She watches him turn the crank of the mill. "No need to be so nervous" , she comments as the sugar cube is slowly ground to powder, "you're doing just fine. Leave your worries for a moment and focus on the ...

Lucia falls silent for a moment, considering Nemo's request. "I... that kind of thing is not what I was made to do, but I can do it. I have to warn you: I cannot foretell when they will next try to make you forget, or why. If, for whatever reason, you come to change your mind, the work cannot b...

[Somewhere in the Desert]

"I hope I'll remember all that if I come across one", Hoshiki notes with a smile, "I apologize for not having anything useful to tell in exchange. These parts are still alien to me."

[Inside Khafir's Lab] The entity does as requested, vanishing into some dark corner of the doctor's brain. It still sees what she sees, though. Silently, it wonders if these new intruders are more of a threat or an opportunity. Did they happen on the structure by chance, or are they perhaps some ol...

It is indeed possible the coffee doesn't taste right, but if Nemo can't tell the difference, it's just as well. It is not real coffee, after all, just the idea of it build around references Nemo can understand. "Well then, Nemo. You may call me Lucia Sophia" , the woman continues, "my...

[Somewhere in the Desert] Don't be ashamed, Harry. Being a little scared is perfectly normal when you stumble upon a Grim Reaper in a desert. Even if you aren't fully aware that is what you did. "Well, I suppose I'll take the flight back to the city and come back some other time" , the sw...

[Inside Khafir's Lab]

The doctor spots the millipedes before the entity does. It would be startling, if the entity could truly be startled. "What are those things?", it signals.

[Somewhere in the desert] "I've fought a dragon" , Hoshiki notes like it's the most normal thing to do. "it spat lightning rather than acid, though. Wait, no, that's not really descriptive of what it did. And it was more of a moth, while this krayt thing sounds more like a centipede&...

The woman smiles sadly at the clone. "Well, what if I call you Nemo for now. Nemo. How does it sound to you?"

[Inside Khafir's Lab] There is no follow up. Just the usual abandoned gloom of that bone-filled room, illuminated only by watchful eyes of its guardians. "You must be wondering why", the entity signals, "sadly, that part is not something I can convey with images. But the object they ...

"Hello dear" , a voice calls to the clone. To the clone, it seems they are sitting at a cafeteria table. Scent of freshly baked bread fills the air. "It seems you have been under for quite some time. Maybe your whole life, such as it is" , the voice continues. It belongs to a pl...

[Inside Khafir's Lab] Once the doctor is comfortable, the entity progresses the vision. Festivities seem to continue until nightfall, when they are disrupted by an explosion. The vision does not include sound, but it is conveyed through shaking of ground. The vision pans to show the bridge to the m...

[Inside Khafir's lab] The possibility of Khafir recording her visions had eluded the entity. It takes a moment to answer because it is busy figuring out how to exploit this opportunity. Sadly, it can't come up with anything at this short of a notice. Most of its capacity is spent on keeping the ima...

[Somewhere in the desert] Hoshiki does his best to fit in with the junk. "I have seen a lot of things - there a pawn shop near my residence that has quite a collection for sale - but I admit I haven't paid much attention to who produced them" , he notes. Maybe next time he gets his hands ...

As the puppet-man is tied to the chair and the syringe put in place, blue ectoplasm-like fluid begins flowing through their body. The machinery around becomes more animate, the strips of film around nearbt cylinder cores rotating rapidly. The machine is trying to stimulate a state similar to lucid d...

The structure remains inert up to the point where the puppeted human is made to sit on the control chair. That is enough of a change to inform the structure that something is going on, even if it cannot detect any consciousness from this human. A slate of black, glass-like material lights up with a ...