fujimaru | Palace Game 6/3

Palace Game 6/3

The Dreamer In The Grand Temple
Humanity Foundation Value: ????

What has been will be again,
what has been done will be done again;
there is nothing new under the sun.

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When he returns, the man in red is still hard at work cooking. It appears he has moved on from curry to something that is being deep-fried. He's made up some salads, too; the board games have been cleared away for what looks like a Lot Of Food.

[approaching cautiously]

I, err, I found what I was looking for. What do I do with it?

It takes him a moment to notice, but when he looks up, he blinks, looking vaguely surprised.

"Well--what was it, first?"

It's this ring.

[showing it]

I can barely stand to hold it. I have no idea what it's capable of.

The ring gets an instant reaction--the man in red actually jerks up to attention, wide-eyed, looking kind of like he wants to snatch it and throw it away, and also like he doesn't want to be anywhere near it.

"That thing? That's what he used? Seriously?"

All right, can you please tell me what exactly it is and what I'm meant to do with it and "what he used" means?

"It's... part of a specific legend," he says at last. "From where we come from. How familiar are you with Christian mythology?"

With what?

"--All right, never mind that," he says, waving a hand. "There's legends about an ancient king who was greatly favored by his god, to the point where he was given ten rings, as a sign of their covenant. Supposedly at the end of his life, he returned them to the heavens, but..."

He gestures to the ring in Des's hand.

"These things sometimes have a way of winding up in places where they don't necessarily belong."

A god.

[cool. cool. cool]

Well, then. What does it mean for Ritsuka? Will it . . . harm me to handle?

"No," he says, "though it probably isn't the best to just... use, if you're the sort." He rubs at his chin, thoughtful. "The newbie is also directly tied to that ring, so if he brought that in, it probably won't hurt her. Most of the Servants here won't actually harm her, no matter how they talk."

Who is the newbie? You understand I have no context for almost anything you say.

"If you're here, you've probably already met him," the man says. "Though maybe not in his own body... kind of a jerk, might call himself a king of some sort?"

The King of Mages is the "newbie?" Or is this a different king.

"Well," the man says, with a bit more humor, "he's the last one who arrived in this place. --Minus you, that is. Most of the people you'll run into here are contracted to Ritsuka. And he isn't, but given the circumstances... close enough."

Can you tell me where to find him?

"...If I had to guess, he'd be in his Temple," the man says. "And that ring is probably the key to it. It was his, once, so probably he'll want it returned, somehow."

All right. I'll try to find a temple, then. There are still doors to try.

"There's always more doors," the man says, with some sympathy. "Good luck."

[all the way back to the beginning, then, to try the fourth door there?]

Edited 2022-09-11 23:29 (UTC)

There is, though he might notice, as he's standing in front of the four doors, the ring itself seems to be tugging him back towards the door that leads to Ritsuka's room. He can feel a faint pulling sensation, like someone has taken his hand and is trying to tug him along.

[OKAY

back on through that one then. concentrating so hard on the tug]

In the room, faintly visible--made of glowing, firefly sparking motes--is the outline of a door on the far wall. It would have been easy to miss, but the closer he gets with the ring, the more clear it becomes.

[putting a hand against the wall . . . feeling for a handle, trying to push through]

It appears to just be an outline for now, though it flares brighter when he brings the ring closer.

Palace Game 6/3

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