Log:A Vagabond's Life

Arbiter of Balance 2021/09/21 Radical Grimm Vagabond 6

Radical manages to get them to the pocket dimension with relative ease. This place is a small parcel of land contained within a giant bubble and feels like another planet. The light is artificial and magically maintained. It's quiet. There's no wind. The ground is barren and rocky where they end up, but several meters away is a three story home, with a white picket fence, where strangely colored plants grow. It has a garden around its perimeters. There's also a section with grave markers.

Gabrielle looks around. "Oh...man. I do not like this at all."

Radical nods slowly. "I suspect...she retreated when her friends died. I might have to look into her past to be sure."

Grimm lets out a heavy breath. She looks down at the gun she took. "That....frickin' sucks," she understates, her voice uneven. A little shook. Since the bullets are removed, she does an experimental twirl with a sentimental look on her face. It's a sloppy twirl. She wonders how Jack does it so well. She makes a holstering motion as dark mist swirls at her right hip, manifesting a thigh holster of black leather in time for her to slip the gun within. "This place...it's...weird," she's tries to explain something she can't fully understand.

Radical looks around with his magic sight to try to analyze what he's seeing. "I suspect we have a lot of Chaos magic here. It only makes sense." He wanders over toward the grave markers to look at them as well.

"That's probably what's messing with my head. This place...she's not from here. Or I guess it's not from where she's from. It doesn't feel like it's from here either. Like...it just doesn't belong?" Gabrielle tries to make sense of it as she follows Radical. "Aside from that ring, the other items on her all feel like they resonate with her dimension."

Radical nods slowly. "That makes sense. This reminds me of my sanctum, honestly. Perhaps it was influenced by her version of Connor?"

There are a handful of grave markers made of stone, kept clean even in the overgrowing garden. There are a few individual ones, and then a tall marker that feels more like a memorial, with several names etched into it magically. There's a few names that Radical doesn't recognize probably. Adam Lamont, Malcolm Gibbs, Cormac Bourne...but of the individual tombstones, he can recognize her parent's names and her sister's grave. There's a Jack Carpenter that is quite prominent. And one for Connor as well, marked also with Marianne on the same tombstone. There are a few other individual ones that Radical doesn't recognize.

Grimm's eyes stop at the one for Carpenter. Her lips purse to keep appearing strong. She sniffs once and looks around, trying to play it off. "Most of...um...these graves don't have bodies in them."

Radical reads off the names for Grimm, figuring that she likely knows more of the names than he does. He pauses when he comes across the mention of Marianne. "Mari, maybe?" He thinks about it a little bit, and then turns to Grimm, "Which ones actually have bodies in them?"

Grimm hesitates, then reaches out and places a hand on the one for Jack. "This one does," she says as her eyes half close. She wishes sometimes she couldn't sense...FEEL...everything around her. Like the bones. "I recognize some of those other names. Non-hero friends. Adam was a roommate. But, ah. Cormac passed away already." And is secretly Slinger in their world, under another alias. She swallows at Radical's question at the Mari. "Sounds like it. Hard to tell, but...they're...they're buried together. Just bones now. Not in great shape," she says of Connor and possibly Mari's grave. She looks about. "Gwen...Gwen's bones are there. What's left of them. The others are empty."

Radical nods slowly. "I guess...we find a place inside to settle down. Perhaps we can learn more inside, too. You don't sense anyone else around, right?"

"No one and nothing," Gabrielle says somberly. "This whole place feels like a tomb." She turns away from the graves and takes a breath. She looks a bit pale, like someone just walked over HER grave. "I suspect the place isn't locked," she manages to crack some sort of wry comment. It's how she copes with stuff like this.

Radical nods, though he looks for magical defenses. "Let's be a litlte cautious, though. See any defenses?"

Radical says, "I wouldn't be surprised if there aren't any. I mean...who would randomly come HERE."

"I...don't think so?" Grimm says, but she's out of sorts and is having trouble focusing. It may be because of the isolation and that she's just here with Radical that she's not able to bring up her own emotional defenses up to get her head into the game.

As he checks, Radical doesn't sense any defenses. There's magical enchantments aplenty, but they are more for quality of life. Cleaning charms, water elementals to supply the house because of a lack of utilities, some magically bound electricity sprites to power the house, a spell to keep this bubble temperate in temperature.

"I guess that's true. Then again, we didn't come here randomly," Gabrielle supposes.

He notices that beyond the house, around the bubble of this pocket world, is an anti-scrying ward and cloaking ward. But that wasn't able to stop him from seeing through the gate past the bubble, because it wasn't quite scrying.

Radical nods. "I just see an anti-scrying ward and a cloak. So...hiding, rather than creating a fortress.

Grimm nods. "I guess you don't need all those defenses if you can hide away. And are in a difficult to get to location." She motions to Radical. "Case in point with Equity." The mansion looks normal on the outside, and even has a front door. It shouldn't be a surprise to find it unlocked.

Radical leads the way, opening the door, and looking around inside.

The inside is quite different from Grimm's place. It's not bright, but it's not dark either. The tones are neutral. The aesthetic is more homey. A bit modern farmhouse in a series of cool colors with wood floors, and rustic elements. There's quite a few books about and a book shelf, on all manner of topics. Some magical, some just mythology or world history, some scientific. Collections of old classic movies. There's some vinyl records, too. It's pretty open, with a stairway leading up, and rooms leading out further to the back where the living area and kitchen are. Even though she's alone, it's built on the memory of how houses should be. What do you need a foyer for or a dining room when you're alone? There are some digital and holo framed photos on the wall that can be activated to project short videos if you press on them, powered by the same magical source that powers the lights that remain on. No electricity bill to worry about.

Radical tilts his head and looks around slowly. "Less madcap than I was expecting. I was picturing a playhouse kind of thing."

"Are you kidding? This place is insane. Who would want to live in a place like this? It feels like...oh. Ohhh." Gabrielle falls quiet.

Radical heads over to one of the pictures to play whatever video that it will provide, to check it.

The picture he looks at is still for the moment, and features that Gabrielle and himself smiling at the camera for whoever is filming. It looks like an interior library that is similar to Connor's home. It lacks the mirror he once used to commune with Antherion. When he hits play, the video plays with audio.

"No, but you almost got it," Gabrielle giggles. She sounds so much more joyful and friendly than Grimm. "You got to do the inflection upwards."

That alternate Connor looks more laid back than Radical is. At least not anxious. He never had Order affecting his mind. "Okay, okay. And the gestures. Got it. 'Lepus apparent!"

Poof! A rabbit appears, only atop Connor's head. "You did it! Your first spell!" Gabrielle laughs, as does the person holding the camera. Mari's voice is heard, "I don't know. Magic is a good look on you."

Connor chuckles and takes the white rabbit off his head and hugs it carefully. "It's a start," he smiles. The video ends and the photo frame now displays the new pose of Connor, the Vagabond Grimm, and a new pet rabbit.

Radical blinks. "This is so weird. Like seeing memories that I don't have." He tries another one. "So...her Connor wasn't a spell caster, and she taught him."

"Yeah, it's always a bit weird, seeing yourself in ...different scenarios. It...looks like a nice memory," Gabrielle says, a bit saddened. "Weird, but...I guess if that you was never the Cartesian, he had to learn magic elsewhere. I wonder who was filming that."

Radical says, "Probably Mari. Her voice was on the recording."

"Mari? That person you mentioned?" Grimm asks.

Another frame is a birthday party for Gabrielle. There's a bunch of people milling out in the background. It's a house that looks just like this one. Except Grimm said this place wasn't from the dimension of the Vagabond. Hitting play, someone starts to move around the party to get into a better position as a cake is brought out by an older man, with some candles. There's a 2 and a 3 candle lit on the cake for her age. The audio plays with everyone singing Happy Birthday as the cake is placed before her. Connor is there with an arm around Mari as they sing along, too. There's a few other people Radical doesn't recognize. Gabrielle blows out the cake. The man who was carrying the cake--Jack Carpenter--leans down and kisses her on the cheek. "So what'd you wish for?"

Gabrielle scoops a little bit of icing with a finger and dabs it on Jack's nose. "If I tell you, it won't come true." The picture frame freezes again as the video ends.

Radical nods. "That's her there. Just...well, not as Goth as I remember."

"Is she still a vampire, you think? She's kinda pale," Grimm comments. Mari does look different, but he's seen Mari with two completely different looks. This could just be another disguise. "I guess it looks like your alter's more into her since she's not a goth."

Grimm notices a blonde in the back. "My...sister. I wonder how she's there if there was no Cartesian to save her..."

Radical looks to Grimm, "Maybe the attack didn't happen yet. Or...maybe there is no Price equivalent, and there won't be an attack."

Radical taps his temple. "We need to know how her friends died. I think she's blaming herself. She...wasn't strong enough. That's why she was pushing other people with trauma. To try to strengthen them. She's projecting some kind of self-loathing on others."

"Could be...but she has qliphothic powers. I...guess she could've gotten them some other way?" Grimm shrugs. There are other photos on the wall. Some of them are pure stills. More happy younger life photos. Many with that man who gave her a kiss. Some of them look like they're in this house, only without the purple hued exterior world. The older ones, based on how the Vagabond Gabrielle looks, start to look more serious. They're like old war buddy photos. A gathering of people geared up for a fight at various locales. Some look devastated in the background, or like ruins. At some point in the photos, the Vagabond has lost her arm.

Looking at further photos, Radical can sort of see a timeline pattern. The group photos of harder times has them all in heroic gear, and that world's Connor is wearing a black trenchcoat and has a tome in a shoulder holster. Mari is armed with traditional weapons. Guns mostly, and some grenades. The first person to disappear is the man made of metal. Or sheathed in it. Frankie Ghostfist, who has a sword in the 'war time' photos, disappears next. In photos without her in the frame of this group of heroes, the Vagabond carries a sword. Then a young man who's dressed in spandex with a spider-theme is no longer seen in the photos after a while. There's a few photos that seem to be in safe houses, underground bunkers, the survivors playing card games and trying to have hope. Then Connor and Mari both disappear from the photos. There's no photos of them separated. That Grimm now wears the leather jacket she's wearing to this day. Her hand is a shadow, her arm having been lost at that point. It's her, a few others, and Night Marshal. Eventually, even Night Marshal is gone, and the Vagabond is alone with a few normal soldiers, with the six-shooter on her hip, looking very tired and...well, grim. Far from the cheerful, chipper version seen in the videos. And much different from the more manic and flippant one they met while wielding the ring from a Lord of Chaos. That seems to be the last of the photos.

Radical lets out a long whistle as he pieces together the parts. "Should we introduce her to Apostate? Would that be a good idea?"

Grimm blinks at that idea. "Uh. I...I don't know. I guess it wouldn't be terrible, but what will that do?"

Radical chuckles. "I'm thinking of a support group for people who lost everything else." He then takes a look at the books they grabbed from the Vagabond, to see if they're diaries or spellbooks, or...something else.

Radical thinks about it more. "Then again, perhaps they'd just feed on each other a bit. It's hard to say what the result would be."

Grimm rubs the back of her head and chuckles darkly. "I guess he'd be someone who could relate if anyone could. I mean...I hope there isn't a need for a whole group of that. Feed on each other? Like how?"

Radical thinks about it. "There's a saying. 'Misery loves company'. So while they are both...probably unhappy people, it might lift them both knowing that another is going through something equally bad, but different. But...it's also possible that it would create a feedback loop, and just cause them to both feel worse."

The book is a preservation of magic. There's spells Radical recognizes as being Sasha's, and some written in his own hand. That world's Connor must've surpassed Gabrielle in theories after she taught him his first spells in that video. There's even some playful notes back and forth. There's other photos, more intimate of her partner. Nothing risque, just candid and sweet and not on display. Mementos to keep close. It's like a scrapbook tome. There are some diary entries from the war and scribbled notes that detail lore findings and theories on binding or banishment. There's mention of plagues, famine, war. The very last page says, "Only the Pale Rider remains. It stands between me and". The entry is unfinished.

Grimm shrugs and sighs, thinking on that. "Apostate seems....I dunno, relatively happy all things considered. Or at least adjusted. But...I imagine he's more open with you then, y'know, the person who frickin' made him relive his worst memories."

Radical raises a brow, "Take a look at this last bit. Is that what I think it is? A mention of the Four Horsemen? There was a mention of plagues, famine, and war. Those are three of the horsemen. The last is Death."

Grimm leans in and looks at the entry. "Sounds like it. The Pale Rider's one of those nicknames, isn't it? Do you think they're the ones that was destroying her world?"

Radical lets out a long breath. "Umm...maybe. I wouldn't know for sure unless I look into her past. I don't know if this is literal, or figurative."

Grimm shrugs. "I mean...look at what we're potentially facing. I guess I wouldn't be surprised if it was literal..."

Radical nods, "I think...I'm going to look into her past. I want to make sure I know enough about her before we wake her up. Are you okay with that?"

Grimm thinks about it. There's a risk Radical may find out Carpenter is Night Marshal, but since this is another earth, she could play dumb. "I'm okay with it. Why wouldn't I be? She's not me, right?"

Radical nods. "Okay...so, keep an eye out while I look into her past." He walks over to their...well, prisoner...and he puts a hand on the woman's shoulder before he looks into her past.

Grimm nods. "I'll keep her asleep and keep an eye out. I'll shake you if there's a problem." She falls quiet as Radical begins to cast his spell and follow along her thread. She's right there, and it's easy enough for him to almost reach out and touch the thread and follow where it leads. It's up to him to decide where to start.

Tracing back along the thread, things are in reverse order. He skips past the recent present and starts where their threads first cross. There are a number of crossing threads at points along the Vagabond's thread, and as he skims past them, he sees glimpses of other worlds where she served as a catalyst, using vast powers of transformation and summoning to craft a disaster or villain for a number of Earths, things of world-devastating consequence that would force them to unite and put aside their differences. While there is suffering, there's also hope and heroism for those that succeed or struggle to. As far as he can tell, no worlds have reached the conclusion of the things set in motion by the Vagabond. And then...there's a bold string that crosses the Vagabond's path. Radical witnesses the Vagabond, hopeless looking in her garden of graves, being approached by a chaos demon whose form is ever shifting.

Slowing to see the interaction in detail in the correct order, Radical watches. The edges of his view are blurred, but he can focus on the Vagabond and the chaos demon as it tempts her after she tried to make it leave. She's drawing her sword before it makes her stop.

"Allll your attemptsss have failed. Wordssss will always fail," The chaos demon says as it sprouts fur over scales, grows a tail which then withers and retracts, has a face that shifts its features to cause its speech to be distorted. It's very vocal chords change from moment to moment. "I have a giiiift. With thissss, you can change everything," it holds out the ring between two talons.

The Vagabond sniffs and rubs her nose with the back of her hand. "What does it do? What's the price?"

"No priiice," the chaos demon of Arkikar sprouts feathers and a beak. "Yourrrr noble goalssss align with my master's. Thissss will enhance your power. You can make them ssssseeeeee."

The Vagabond is hesitant as she eyes the ring. She eventually reaches out for it and nervously plucks it from the chaos demon. "A deal with the devil to save them?"

"Noooo deviiiilll," the Chaos Demon says. "Only Change." It fades away, recalled by Arkikar to another plane. The Vagabond looks at the ring uncertainly for a long while before carefully slipping it onto a finger.

Radical nods to himself...and searches backward...perhaps a bit slower. There are 'attempts' after all. He wants to get a gist of that. Trying to return her friends from the dead, maybe?

Going back slowly, the Vagabond is seen visiting other worlds. Doomed ones. She tries to convince them to unite and prepare for dangers ahead. She's a harbinger of sorts, using magic to find dimensions where Earth is facing or about to face an apocalypse. No matter how much she pleads, or warns them, she can't convince them to put aside their differences. There's a number of glimpses of the Vagabond watching the doomed world reaching the end, and turning her back and returning back to her pocket dimension. She looks too afraid to stay and fight for another world.

As he gets past the first attempt she ever did to help a world avoid the fate hers suffered, there's a long period of no other threads crossing hers. What glimpses he receives is of her alone in mourning and grief within the home she built for herself. It skims by quickly as he goes past that long period of time in isolation, broken by trips back to her world, every time having to be careful and hidden, to search for survivors with no success. Scavenge items from the ruins of the home she shared with her boyfriend? Fiance? Collecting the video and image frames Radical reviewed in the house. Recovering books, music, culture, and knowledge to preserve. Recovering the remains of the few friends she could so she could put them to rest properly. It goes all the way back to the house deconstructing itself before a tear-streaked Vagabond who lowers her arms and walks backwards through a portal gate to her world.

Radical pauses, just to see her face in this moment. And then he forces himself to scroll back further, to see what happened in her own world.

Utter grief and loss, mixed with fear, failure, and hopelessness. That's the only way to describe her tear-streaked countenance. It's the face of a person who has lost everything.

Something he notices, as only he can with his spell, is that he can see all the threads crosses her at any point prior have all come to an end prior to her coming to this pocket dimension in this moment. Every single one of those threads have been cut before this moment.

As soon as Radical scries back further, all he sees is Death.

The figure of the Pale Rider is there on a pale horse. Looming. Everpresent. All consuming. He's all there is at the end, in a world of the dead and dying that the Vagabond has abandoned at last.

Radical sighs...and returns his senses to the present. He takes off his mask briefly to wipe his eyes, which are starting to tear up. "Umm...the ring was part of a bargain. So...her world died, killed by this Pale Rider. And she went to try to warn other worlds...and they wouldn't listen. So, a Chaos Demon showed up and offered her the power to make people listen. Or so she could force them to cooperate against a foe. None of those experiments have come to fruition yet, from what I could tell, but I was skimming."

Radical sighs, "So...we can't have her messing with worlds, but it sounds like this threat is still out there. Maybe we can try to help with the threat...and make it so she doesn't NEED to try to mess with folks."

Grimm looks surprised to see Radical crying. That's...not a good sign. "Shick...that's...I don't even know." She takes a breath and sighs it out. "You think we can manage that? Neither of us could pull off the level of stuff she did to the Archmage's world."

Radical nods. "Not...without the ring, at least." He thinks about that for a long moment, knowing it's a very bad idea to try to use it. "Now that I think about it...it wasn't the Pale Rider in each. There were other...dooms. Apocalypses. Krul. Alien Invasions. I think Overlord in one."

"So...just trying to save any world in trouble?" Gabrielle sounds confused and looks to her double.

Radical nods, "To try to keep them from suffering a similar fate as her own world. Does it make sense? Not exactly. But...grief will do that to a person."

Grimm sighs. "And add some chaos magic to the mix when you're already not thinking clearly? And have little experience with what chaos does to someone?"

Radical nods. "I'm sure she was blindsided by that. Detoxing her of the Chaos magic is paramount. We won't get her to change her mind while she's still affected." He takes a look to see if the Vagabond is still likely affected by it.

"How do we even detox? You seem to get over it fairly well after a bit, or by casting an Order spell to counteract it," Gabrielle asks. While the Vagabond is still affected by it, tainted by it, it's waned some now that the ring is gone. But as seems fitting with Chaos, it's not waning in a linear fashion.

Radical rubs his chin. "Maybe...maybe I can use Order magic to counter it? I think the reason it fades for me quickly is...that I'm not infused in it constantly. When I was the Cartesian, I was affected by it all the time. The ring would be like that. Only perhaps even worse. The Cartesian doesn't use magic all the time. Nor does the Anarch. You've noticed that Lazare is worse after he uses magic, right? This ring...I think it was a constant conduit of magic."

Grimm takes a breath and nods. "Right. Lazare gets really hyper after using big magic. And even he isn't using that stuff all the time. How long...after your were dethroned as the Cartesian...did it take for you to feel, y'know. Normal? Ish?"

Radical thinks about it. "A couple of days, maybe?" He considers the Vagabond, "My healing spell is from Order, but that likely won't be enough to counter the Chaos before she wakes.

Radical rubs his chin. "I could try using the same spell I used to heal the land. Restoring her pattern. Even if it doesn't work to directly purge the Chaos, it would flood her system with Order magic, which might help."

Grimm raises a brow at that. "Okay. So...I don't know how powerful she is or if she'll be crazed when she first wakes up. Last she saw, you blasted the heck out of her. I'll do what I can to hold her back while you work whatever you think to try, but...just be careful?"

Radical nods. "Let me try to purge the Chaos without waking her up. Or at least...water it down a bit." He goes to the Vagabond, and casts another spell of Order...trying to restore her pattern. Undo any undue transformations. Perhaps it will do nothing...but it's worth a shot.

The spell clashes with its opposite and begins to unravel the distortion to the Vagabond's pattern. The affects of Chaos on her mind abate and any lingering effects cast out by the time Radical's work is done. It's not instant, but it doesn't take too long. This would've been very difficult to achieve, if not impossible, if she was still wearing the ring.

Radical nods as he finishes up. "I...think it worked. Think you can hold her when I wake her up?"

Grimm nods, her tendril winding further around the Vagabond. Her arm is pinned to her side, but so is the empty sleeve of her jacket. "I'm not sure what's going to happen with her arm when she wakes up, but I think I've got her. How do you want her?" she asks as her tendril hoists Vagabond up.

Radical nods. "Seated on the couch, maybe? Or lying down on it?"

Grimm thinks on it and the tendril stretches out, laying the Vagabond out on the couch. "I figured it's...relatively comfy even with being restrained."

Radical nods. "My hope is that I wake her up mostly...and let her wake up naturally after that." He again places a hand on the Vagabond's shoulder...and starts to heal the injuries. Slowly. He wants to stop when she starts to make noise, so he can step back.

Grimm stands at the ready, trying to think of any defensive magic she can dream up of in case things go south. She hasn't seen what Radical has seen, and she doesn't always trust her alters. Ironic, since compared to the optimistic photos in this house, Grimm would seem like the bad alter in this situation given her personal history.

The spell works slowly as Radical carefully does his work. And it takes a while. That surprise attack, and whatever Grimm did to ensure she didn't wake up, put her deep under. The spell doesn't do anything to the missing arm. It's an old injury by this point. But eventually, with eyes still closed, Vagabond makes a soft little sound. Her head turns a little, like still wanting to sleep.

Radical steps back, closer to where Grimm is. He then says to the Vagabond, "Miss Grimm, my name is Connor Duran. We need to talk." Yes, he's trying to implement that shock immediately.

Vagabond's brows knit as she hears a familiar voice she hasn't heard for a while. She blinks her eyes open slowly, coming out of whatever dream she was having. "C...Connor?" she looks up on shock, mouth agape.

Radical nods. "Not...your Connor, I'm afraid. But...well, another Connor from another dimension."

Vagabond is still disoriented and groggy, not quite remembering what just happened to lead up to this. Part of it is also the affects of the Chaos magic being gone on top of everything else. For a moment there, there was some hope in her eyes...and then she remembered. More clearly than she's remembered things in some time. "Of...of course you're not. You can't be," she says in a broken voice.

Radical nods, "I'm...sorry. About...everything you had to deal with on your world." He relaxes a little bit, since she seems pretty calm. Then again, she could get angry again at any moment when the memory comes back.

Vagabond tries to shift to sit up, but is held tight by the tendrils. Her shadow arm hasn't returned yet, and she's still very groggy. Her head turns to Radical as he shocks her again. Her eyes water a little. "You know about my world?" she asks in a pained voice. She blinks rapidly to stop from crying. "Thank you. But...what are you doing here? Why am I tied up? I..." she starts to look confused and tries to remember through clouded thoughts.

Radical takes a deep breath. "I'm afraid I shot you. I had to stop you. You were terrorizing a world by cursing it, trying to get them to...band together against a singular foe. You. We've brought you back to your home to talk. And I do know about your world. At least...the last few days you were there."

Radical is already using contractions again, so the Order magic didn't impact him overly, it seems.

"I...I remember," Vagabond says as she tries to recall her actions. "I was trying to help them." That's when she begins to look confused and concerned, like someone trying to call a night of blackout drinking and then some of the horrible details returning slowly.

Radical nods, "I know you were. But...you did far more harm than good. Far more harm." He pauses, "Your ring was impacting your thought processes. That's why you're not wearing it now. And it's why your mind is clearer now."

Vagabond takes a breath at being told of the harm. "No, I...I didn't want that. I thought I was helping," her eyes begin to tear up. She looks down as she tries to sort out her thoughts with the jumbled memories. "Why would I do that...?" She looks up at Radical's explanation. "The ring? It was just supposed to make me stronger. I was never strong enough..."

Radical nods again, understandingly. "I know. I saw. I...have some ability with magic. I was able to look into your past to see what happened. To your world. What you did after that. The bargain you made." He pauses again, "It did make you stronger. But...Chaos magic messes with your personality. When I use small doses of it, it can impact my thoughts, making me scattered or crazed. And you...you've been infused with it for quite some time. It must have been overwhelming."

Vagabond says softly, "The Connor I knew was my friend. He learned some magic. Became one of the best." There's a sad fondness in remembering, and then her expression becomes pained. Not physically, but emotionally, as she starts to remember herself under the influence of chaos. "Oh...god. How," she says as her throat constricts. "How could I forget them?" She blinks, and a tear starts to roll down her cheek. "How could I torment those people? I didn't want anyone to suffer. I just wanted to help. So their deaths wouldn't be for nothing." She sniffs, and more tears fall.

"I was so sure I was doing the right thing, but it makes no sense." Even though he just explained it to her. "Was it really the ring?" Vagabond asks, hoping. She sounds like a completely different person. Not the flippant, self assured person playing the overblown evil queen. She's much more quiet and introverted, and grieving all over again.

Radical nods slowly. "The ring is a large part. But inside you...you wanted to save people. You wanted to be strong enough. And the ring provided that. Effectively, that Chaos Demon who made the bargain with you...preyed on you, and used you, while you were grieving."

Vagabond tries to get control of her emotions. She shifts, trying to wipe at her tears, but she can't. She doesn't try to fight against her bonds and sniffs to clear her sinuses. "I didn't sense any evil in the ring. I thought it was safe. I wanted to help so badly," she closes her eyes tight. "I was still weak. I didn't want to fail -again-."

Radical nods slowly, and looks to Gabrielle before turning back to Vagabond, "If you promise to not attack us, I think we can probably release you."

Radical finds himself wondering if his compassion is going to come back to bite him sooner or later, but...he can't help it.

Grimm looks to Radical wordlessly. She doesn't need to be connected to his thoughts to follow his lead. She looks back to the Vagabond.

The Vagabond's head droops back on the couch. "I don't want to fight," she say miserably. She looks at the ceiling and blinks a few times, trying to remember what he had said to her. "I remember now. You said the peaceful solution was off the table." Her brows knit. "Are you going to kill me?" she asks in a wavering voice. She looks over to him. "Please. I just want to be with my friends now."

Radical shakes his head, "I...thought about it. I won't lie. But I didn't know at the time that you were...not yourself. I just knew you had to be stopped. I'm sorry. It felt like it was the only way to do so." He swallows slowly. "I'm not going to kill you. I think a peaceful solution is possible. Now, at least. And I really...really...want this to be peaceful. I want to help you. I want to help you make this right. And I want to help you find a measure of peace. But...I can't kill you. I just can't." His voice wavers at the end.

Grimm sideglances at Radical, surprised he really was thinking about it. It makes her wonder if he would've done it to her when she was under N'zrathol's influence, back when she was at her worst. She regains some comfort when his voice wavers.

Vagabond doesn't have any fight left in her. She looks exhausted and world weary. Even disappointed that Radical won't grant her some final peace. "I should've died with my world instead of running away. I don't think I can be helped, but...the least I can do is try to undo the harm I caused to others." Radical nods to Grimm, "Go ahead and release her." He doesn't expect the Vagabond to attack them at this point, but he's ready...just in case.

Grimm nods solemnly. She braces herself, and the tendril slithers away from the Vagabond, freeing her.

The Vagabond sits up slowly, bracing herself with her remaining arm for balance to help. She doesn't conjure her shadow limb yet.

Radical takes a deep breath. "Can I...get you anything? Do you have working water here for a drink?"

Vagabond checks herself for injuries where Radical shot her, then her head shoots up in surprise at his offer of mercy. "Um. I'm fine. There's magic that keeps the water flowing like a normal house. The taps work, if you need anything yourself."

Radical shakes his head, "No...thank you." He pauses, letting her wipe her nose and relax a bit, before he says, "Do you think..that it's possible to undo what you did? Without the use of the ring?"

Vagabond dabs at her face to wipe away the tears. A shadow limb slowly starts to stretch out from her left shoulder and form a shadow arm. "I...I don't know. I was never all that powerful before the ring..."

Radical nods. "We can try, at least. I don't think that having you use the ring again is a good idea, if we can avoid it." He thinks about it a bit, and then adds, "We might be able to get away with it for short periods. Maybe. If it was removed...and then the Chaos effect on your mind countered. But..that seems like a last resort to even try."

Vagabond rubs her real hand with her shadow hand. "I...I don't know. It...made me forget about what my friends stood for," she says anxiously.

Radical nods. "Tell us about them. I mean...I know what I saw in your past...and in the photos, and your journals. But tell us what they were like."

Grimm remains quiet and listens. She's being cautious.

Vagabond's brow knits painfully. "They were heroes. They didn't start that way, but when the world was threatened, they all gave...everything...to try and save it."

Radical nods as he listens. "You fought too, right? Were you looking for a way to bring them back at some point?"

Vagabond nods and takes a breath. "Yeah. C...Connor and I were using a ritual he discovered to try and seal the Horseman away again. But it was dangerous and time consuming each time," she rubs at the bridge of her nose. Her eyebrows lift up and she looks up at him in surprise. "Bring them back? Is...is that possible??" she asks eagerly.

Radical takes a deep breath. "I...have no idea. There have always been stories about such, but I've never done it." He looks to Gabrielle, "What do you think, in your experience?"

Grimm chews on her lower lip. "Not with any good magic after it's been that long. They don't come back right. At least as far as I know. There's...ways, possibly. But I never delved too deep into it."

Radical nods slowly, and looks back to the Vagabond, "I'm sorry if I gave you too much hope there. I was just thinking you might have been looking for something along those lines based on what I saw. I apologize if I got the wrong idea."

The Vagabond seems to be thinking silently on that. She's been given an idea.

Radical tries to get her back on track. "We should probably focus initially on reversing the damage done in the various dimensions you've been...working on trying to help."

Vagabond nods. "Yes. We have to help those people first. I....if you can make sure I don't get lost again, I'll...try the ring."

Grimm frowns at that. "I don't know if I like that idea." It's up to Radical to decide.

Radical raises a brow. "You don't think you can undo it without the ring?"

Vagabond sighs. "I could never do magic like that before. If I could...maybe my world would've survived," she says as she looks at her feet.

Radical looks to Grimm, "I don't think I like the idea either. But it might be the only way to undo the magic on the scale necessarily to REALLY undo it."

"I don't suppose it'd empower your spell more?" Grimm asks.

Vagabond asks, "Why did you think I was trying to bring them back?"

Radical says to Grimm, "If I was to use it? I'm...not sure that would work. I could try...but...would Chaos magic empower a spell of Order? I'm not sure." He then looks back to the Vagabond, "I think it had something to do with bringing their remains here. And some of the writing in your journal."

"Probably not," Grimm agrees. "Also, if it ends up really messing with your head, there wouldn't be anyone to bring you back," she adds her real concern.

Vagabond looks wounded. "I brought them here to put them to rest properly. The ones I could retrieve," she says with a pained voice. "What about my journal?"

Radical nods. "I think I remember what made me think of it. The last page. 'Only the Pale Rider remains. It stands between me and'. And the sentence was unfinished. I think I read a little into that. Death was standing between you and...something."

Vagabond leans forward, resting her elbows on her knees and resting her face in her hands. She takes a breath. "That...that was when I gave up. I just lost my fiance to Death in our last attempt to stop it. We were the only ones left at that point, beyond what was left of the military." She sniffs deeply and rubs her face, then looks up with a ragged expression. "And victory. Saving the world. But...as I wrote that, I broke down. I realized there was no winning. We failed so many times in between our few successes, and...and everyone else who was strong was gone," her voice breaks. Based on the photos Radical saw in the house, the Vagabond Grimm's life seemed idyllic. Care free. Before the Horsemen came.

Grimm's trying to mask her expression by pacing somewhere so the Vagabond can't see her face directly. She frowns faintly, but doesn't say anything.

Radical nods slowly. "I think you're selling yourself short. You clearly fought hard. Perhaps you weren't strong enough to win. But that doesn't make you less of a hero."

Vagabond looks crushed. "I ran. I made their sacrifice mean -nothing-," she says, ashamed at herself. She looks down at her hand where the ring was. "Worse than nothing..." she says quietly.

Radical shakes his head, "That's not true. You're feeling survivor guilt. Sometimes...a fight can't be won. The fact that you ran means you're alive. You might not be alive if you kept trying to fight."

Vagabond is torn by that. "Maybe. I wish I never found a way off my world." Which confirms Radical's assessment is accurate. She takes a deep breath and grips her knees tight as she finally finds some resolve. "I just need to fix what I've unleashed, and then face the consequences. Or...return to my world one last time to face what I've been running from." Which would pretty much be a death sentence, so it may appease the parties she's harmed.

Grimm chimes in, "Yeah, definitely survivor's guilt." She's taken psychology classes and knows enough to recognize it. At least, when it's in other people. She's terrible at self-diagnosing sometimes.

Radical takes a deep breath. "I have...another option. We try to fix what you started. But then...I put you in touch with someone else who went through his world being destroyed. And then...restored. Only there's not a place for him in his former world. It's another version of me from another dimension. I'm thinking...the two of you would have a lot to talk about. And could...probably help each other a lot."

Grimm looks puzzled before she suddenly realizes who Radical is talking about. "Huh. I guess...he'd be one of the only people I can think of who could relate." She tries to reach out to Radical mentally if he'll allow it. It might be confusing at first since there's two Grimm's, but this brush of psychic contact is familiar.

Vagabond thinks on it for a while. "Maybe," she finally says, sounding potentially willing. "At least...his world was restored. I'm not sure if we could help each other, but...I suppose it's something, right?"

Radical thinks about Apostate's solution. Time travel. Would it work on the Vagabond's world? Is there a single crux point that would allow it to be repaired?

Radical rubs his chin, "Can you describe the moment things started to go badly on your world? What was the catalyst? What caused the start of the war?"

Vagabond answers, "It wasn't an immediate start. First there was a sickness that spread across the world. Sometime after, crops started dying off. Scientists couldn't figure it out. Then the wars. It was a long time before we discovered the real cause of it. That there were forces driving us apart. It was actually Connor who discovered it. We convinced some heroes, but we couldn't convince enough to help us. They thought he was crazy." She shakes her head sadly. "He was brilliant. He gave us hope and a chance."

Radical nods. "So...you'll learn this if you speak with my friend...my alternate. His world was saved...by using time travel. He had destroyed his own world. All of it. And heroes were able to go back in time to change one thing...and make his world survive. But...there's another version of him in that world now, and he...has no place in it. I was wondering if there was a crux point. Something we could go back to...with help from a friend who can travel through time...to keep your world from dying. But we would need to find that crux point. Something that would...block the horsemen from destroying the world."

Radical says, "My understanding is...that you effectively get one shot at a change like that. You can't just...keep retrying."

Vagabond's eyes widen at the explanation. "So...there might be a slim chance to restore my world? If I can discover this crux point. Only...I'd never be able to go back?"

Radical takes a deep breath. "If we can discover the crux point...I think there's a chance. And whether or not you go back...would be up to you. You...would be unchanged. You'd be as you are, with all of your scars and experiences. But there might be another 'you' in the world, unaffected by everything that you experienced."

Radical says, "This is all assuming that I can get my friend to help. I can't travel through time as of yet."

Some of Vagabond's hopes are dashed. "So I'd still be...this. And alone," she says quietly, looking at her arm. She's quiet before she finds her resolve. "But they'd be back. They'd be alive, and...and happy," she tries to hold onto that hope.

Radical says, "Not necessarily alone. You'd be as alone as you wish. You could be with your friends, though you'd have to explain...well, a lot. And...that's why I wanted to introduce you to Apostate...the other version of me. I thought he might be a kindred spirit. Someone to give you a bit of a support network. Or the start of one."

Vagabond is worried it's too good to be true. There's got to be something that won't pan out. "I suppose it might be good to talk to someone else from a...similar situation."

Radical nods. "That's a start, while we look into the possibilities. I'll introduce you after we've repaired what we can. How does that sound?"

Vagabond swallows and nods. "That...that sounds like some of the best news I've heard in a very, very long time."

Radical nods. "So...here's my plan. We use the ring to do this. You wear it to undo the spells you've cast on a world. Then you remove it...and I work to purge the Chaos magic from your system."

She looks nervous, but Vagabond nods. "Alright. Just promise me you won't let it control me like it did before."

Radical nods. "That's the idea. That's why I want to use it in small doses. Length of use is important." He looks to Grimm, "Are you okay with this?"

Grimm nods. "Yeah. I trust your judgement," she says in support. "I think the pair of us can keep her under control."

Radical nods, "I'll go recover the ring from where I left it." He gets up, "I'll be back." He transports himself to Equity to recover the ring from the vault. He closes it up again before he heads out and returns.

Nothing's changed during his short trip, but the two Grimms seemed to have been chatting a little. Gabrielle pulls out the gun she took from the Vagabond and holds it out to her. "I suppose you should keep this. But I took the bullets out. Just to be safe."

Vagabond takes the gun gently. It's a precious reminder to her. "Thank you," she says with feeling, looking down at it for a few moments before sliding it into her thigh holster.

Radical nods as he sees the gun returned. He pulls his mask off again, since he had to wear it to really see where he was going. "I have the ring. I suggest we start with the world that we saw you in, but perhaps pick someplace where there are no people around in the immediate area."

Vagabond nods and stands up. "Alright. That may be a good idea. If they were trying to kill me before." I can try and open a rift somewhere else there.

Grimm is studying Vagabond carefully. She's still suspicious.

Radical nods. "I'm hoping that we show up..you cast your spell to restore things...and they never realize we were there."

Vagabond nods and leads the way outside of the house as the others follow. She takes a moment to concentrate, then clenches her hands like she's gripping the air and spreads them apart forcefully with some strain. A shadowy rift opens up, but it's not as clean or practiced as Grimm's, and it takes the Vagabond much more effort to create. On the other side of the mishapen rift is a blackened hillside, barren with no sign of people. Just a dead, twisted oak tree.

Radical steps through the portal and looks around, to confirm the area is clear.

Radical pulls his mask back on as well, just because he might need the special lenses.

The area is clear. Grimm follows next, and Vagabond travels last. When the rift closes, Vagabond takes a breather and looks around. Far in the distance is the town and tower that Radical met the Archmage in. And further to the north is the green farmlands Radical restored.

Radical nods. "Okay...just a reminder: I give you the ring to use...to undo the curse here, and then you take it off, and I cleanse the Chaos effect on you. You agree to that?'

Vagabond nods. "Yes, I do. I just hope I can undo this."

Grimm is prepared to use her powers defensively if this is a double cross.

Radical nods, and offers the ring to the Vagabond."

Vagabond is hesitant to take it. She finally does, grasping it with her shadow limb. The fingers brush against Radical's glove and it feels cool to the touch even through the material. She holds the ring over her right ring finger and hesitates, lips pursing to brace herself before she slips it on.

Nothing noticeable happens. No burst of energy or surge of chaos. It's very innocent. "I don't feel any different," Vagabond says in surprise.

Radical nods. "It will start to affect you when you use Chaos magic. And its influence on your mind is subtle...at least initially."

Vagabond nods. "Okay. Let me try." She takes out the tome and flips through it. She eventually finds a page and reads it carefully before snapping the book shut and closing it. Spreading her arms out, she incants in a language, but known to Radical; Old Atlantean. As her voice rises, she calls upon the elements and the spirits of Earth, Water, and Air to obey her call and restore the land. Radical observes that even though she's not using chaos magic, she is invoking a spell to change and alter something, and that seems to be enough for the ring to empower the spell. There's a pulse of power from the Vagabond that radiates out several meters before dissipating.

Nothing changes at first. But then the ground at their feet and the skies above them begin to return to normal. And the effect radiates out, growing bigger and bigger, covering more ground. It's not instant for sure, but the spell keeps affecting everything in touches, working almost like a virus as it spreads out from the point of origin. In a few minutes, the town and its lands will be restored.

Radical keeps a close eye on her the entire time, evaluating her current state. He doesn't want her to turn on them, after all.

Now the ring begins to affect her. The only reason the spell is spreading so far is because of the ring. And Radical can see its magic begin to infuse in her. Vagabond takes a deep breath and grins, that maudlin mood gone. "Hahah, look at that!"

Radical nods. "The ring is starting to affect you. I can see it. Keep your breath even, and concentrate."

Vagabond's mood changes a little, some of that manic glee subduing itself. "The ring...yes..." she says absently and tries to calm herself. The spell itself is almost finished casting, but the affects will continue to spread after she's done, if she succeeds. It may take a few days for the spell to move fully across the land if this affects a continent.

Radical nods. "I'll try to add some Order magic to your system to counter it a little bit. I think it'll take you a few more seconds to finish at this rate?" He remains off to her side, and he reaches out to place a hand on her shoulder, intending to apply his transformation healing spell again. It may do nothign other than apply Order magic to her system, but that should help in and of itself.

Vagabond nods, still channeling the spell. The mixture of Radical's spell and the chaos ring fight over dominance, but Radical manages to achieve some counterbalance. An artifact of a Lord of Chaos is no joke. But it also works to its full effect over time, so Radical is able to impede the process. Finally, the spell is down and Vagabond lowers her arms, breathing a little faster and trying to control it. She looks antsy, her hands opening and closing as she watches the spell continue to live on without her pouring her energy into it.

Radical takes a deep breath. "Please...take off the ring and hand it to me, so I can try to balance out your mind again."

Vagabond is still looking out over the landscape as it reverts back to what it was before she changed it. The oak tree near them has all its leaves again and sways lightly in the wind as daylight returns to the land. She's distracted. It takes some effort before she looks at Radical, then looks at the ring. She hesitates, and with force of will, removes the ring and holds it out to him.

Radical nods and takes the ring, "Thank you. I will continue to apply Order magic now." He continues to use his spell to try to counter the impact of the Chaos magic that she's feeling.

It takes a little while and some mana from Radical, but finally Vagabond calms down and looks saddened again. "Thank you."

Grimm nods. "Her mind's stable again. Well. It's back to the way it was without the ring's influence," she corrects herself.

Radical nods. "How many worlds are there like this? That need repairs?"

Vagabond swallows. "A few, but they were all different. Five others in total."

Radical nods. "One at a time, then. It looks like your spell worked, as far as I can tell. This is good work that you have done here. Thank you." He already sounds more formal than he did previously.

Grimm wonders of Radical will start getting OCD if he continues with this for five other worlds. "So...how long do we wait to see if this spell worked before we go to the next?" The spell is already creeping to the outskirts of the small township below.

Radical says to the Vagabond, "My mood is changing too, just as yours was. I am using Order magic...so I am becoming...more formal. More...rigid. But it is not as much of an impact as what you have experienced. And it is not as powerful as what this ring does."

Vagabond nods at the explanation. "I don't think the Connor I knew ever knew Order magic. Or Chaos magic. Will you be okay?"

Radical nods. "I will. I am...used to it. Though this is certainly more Order magic than I have used in quite some time. I can cast Chaos magic as well, but those spells are...not appropriate at this time." He takes a deep breath. "Perhaps we deal with two or three worlds total, and then take a break. I can introduce you to Apostate...and then we can deal with the other worlds after some rest."

Vagabond nods. "Alright. A rest after a few sounds good." She tears open another rift. It's even more obvious now that dimensional travel is still something she's not practiced with. She takes them to another world. It's a high tech Earth, in a city atop a skyscraper, only there's no power at all in the city. It's completely dark. Without the light noise, the stars are beautiful in the sky. In this world, she used magic to destroy technology in the hopes of making people from this technology-disconnected world to form real connections and unity. Without technology, or the internet, or power, some communities have grown closer and gone back to old ways. And some places have just plunged into chaos, where people resorted to looting and violence to survive. With the help of the ring, the world's technology is restored as it was, but the people have been forever changed by the experience.

The next Earth, the world is overrun by alien overlords, subjugating mankind. Earth has mostly unified to resist the invasion, but there's still factions that argue amongst each other. Another massive spell, and the conjured aliens and their motherships in the sky gradually disintegrate, having been magical constructs all along.

Both times, Vagabond was effected. The ring would affect her slower if she was casting smaller spells, but it entices the user to draw on its power to create massive spells and effect her faster. It's more difficult this time for her to give up the ring, and takes even more magic from Radical to restore order. It's a lot of order magic channeled.

Grimm suggests, "Maybe we should take a break now. You both have gone through a lot."

Radical nods. "I agree. It is becoming harder to counteract the effects. That means...we definitely need to keep this to small doses."