The translucent figure of a ghost sits in silence tied quite securely to a chair. The hooded robed clothing trapped on his form suggesting someone who may have had a less then clean background. His hair showing as tousled and a hit of stubble is reflected on his face. He tries at the knots of the rope in quite a trained fashion with little luck, only to have his efforts interrupted at the entrance of a lean red-headed woman.
Artemis! Finally you are back old friend! It has been so long… so long. Try not to be confused you are just a ghost! If only you knew more about this world perhaps you could of helped us during the final days.
He looks up at this person who was once his friend, offering only a frown in response. Sure... he was confused, where he came from, the dead did not return like this... and he could still remember so clearly how he died. He swallows and closes his eyes trying to push back the entire situation.
Alex smiles her hand rests on her Rapier, “We did it old friend, we defeated the villains, we ended Xaphan, we saved the world.”
Her smile turned to a frown quickly, “Not with out costs though... “ she walks forward, “Expensive costs…” a hand moves to her stomach, flat and muscular from dozens of fights. “Many costs my friend… but that was long in the past.
“Of course you did not know what to do when you manifested, Your world has no such things.. I know Artemis. I have been there. By accident at first. Nobody knew but moments before the end Wyst, or perhaps their god of travel.. A Desna I believe… snatched me out of time and out of my place. I aided some of their heroes. Interesting place that. No ghosts though… at least not like here. But I learned very interesting things threre. Rumors…”
“Of Course I was back in time to finish things here… no one even noticed, but since then I have spent a lot of time traveling the planes, traveling other worlds. I can call them you see.. with simple song. Well perhaps not so simple.”
"Is that how I am here? Did you bring me here too?" Artemis answered, he always had trouble putting two and two together but even a smarter person may be confused finding themselves in the situation he was in.
She smiled and walked around him, “We did it old friend! We are nearly at peace… but its not enough. there are many threats left.”
"Threats?... you just said we won that fight."
Alexandrina moved around him with the grace of an angelic being. She smiled a smile that could melt heats. Her hands reached up towards the top of her garmets. She lowed them exposing her shoulder. Exposing the scars from Xaphan. “Remember when I gained these?”
She put her garmets back and pulled her shiney armor up, in her stomach were several stab wounds, “These I got after Xaphan, during the Yuan-ti war. You missed that one. Be thankful for it. We lost a lot of good men and elves and many of our most gifted nobles. But..”
Artemis only had a fraction of a moment to consider that one of those nobles could be little Nicca... the girl he tried so hard to save.
She put her armor back, she wasn’t walking, she was flying, floating just above the surface.
“It was the cost we paid to make sure the world was safe for our children. For my children… I have three now Artemis. You would like my oldest. He thinks hes sneaky just like you. And my oldest daughter… now theres a firebrand. The rage of dragons is in her blood. And the youngest. Well let us just say one day I may no longer be the greatest swordsman on the planet. Not if she keeps advancing the way she has.”
“Do you remember when we dreamed of bringing down the council? Sexist and Classist council… they are out of power now, mere advisors Artemis! I rule now, through merit alone. You should of seen Violet’s face! I know most think we didnt get along.. and truthfully at first we did not, but before we parted. Do you remember? I was mind controlled by one of the vampiric twins and I came after her… almost immediately after we pulled her out of the coil. Afterwords I almost broke down.. she understood, we came to an understanding. Even if we werent the best of friends we came to an understanding. Either-way her and Rowan, I sent them far to the west ambassador to the uncharted lands. I like Violet, and I respect Rowan, but they repersent the old guard. and I do not need the old guard as I build a new world.”
"I've always been a fan of positive change...." He says wryly as his wrists turn in the bindings. He had a bad feeling about this, particularly her need to keep him bound.
“That is right Artemis a new world!”
“On your world I learned the idea… one day, years ago I passed one of my allies from there on a far off plane. A female monk if you can believe it! She had.. changed, ascended into something new! I knew it was possible then, I knew what we had to do!”
“The power of the gods was out there for the taking.. and I Have found it! Some of it anyways… I am beyond what I once was, beyond morality, beyond black and white. Yet… its not enough… Do you remember who Yeren worshiped? Phaant. Phaant, the gilted wife of the god of the elves. Our greatest enemey aside form Orcus is a jealous woman. Our gods are petty Artemis, not like your world.”
She smiles and sits next to him, “On your world I learned of multiple gods who where once mortal! they rose to godhood through a test… I need you to tell me of this test. I need it. Once empowered I can finally fix this world.”
"...I don't think this is the best idea...." He mumbles softly.
“Even Chanuid… Artemis you do not understand, the powers he gave me back then, the cost. I lost my first child to those powers… i sacrificed my own child to save this rotten world. What kind of fucking god is that Artemis? IT ISNT ONE. Pety CHildren with the power to shape worlds. Those are our gods…”
She clinches her fist, arcane power begins to surround her, the wind picks up, tiny rocks begin to float around them, “The gods are done, they are pety they are filthy, they are mean spirited and I am sick of them toying with us. Sick of them blocking me. Sick of all of it. My child is gone. The only man I ever loved was taken over by one of them. And they will not even let me bring him back. They pulled you from your life and led you to your death for a fucking BET. Did you know that Artemis? I do,. I know many things now.”
Artemis frowns, shaking his head. "Making more gods isn't the answer Alex."
“This world needs new gods, worthy gods like your world. I will step forward and be the first. Tell me Artemis, TELL ME OF THE STARSTONE. I will be THE GOD of this world, and I Will FINALLY set RIGHT what once went wrong.”
"...couldn't we do this some other way?" He pleads, Surely Alex could see where the changes should be made.
“Hesitant? Artemis you know in your heart this is right you know what needs to be done! You left me alone with monsters once, you owe me this Artemis, I beleived in you Artemis, We can do this Artemis! We can fix this, we can do this!… and if you refuse me?”
Artemis sighs, he did feel some guilt on that. He was careless, and he saw himself some of the damage this world suffered after his departure.
“Why would you refuse me? I want only the power to fix this, to set this right. People who stand in my way are to small minded to realize what I am doing. They are pety and they will be ended if they try to stop me.. Even my own son does not understand, but it does not matter because with you Artemis I will finally do it!...”
“You won’t help? We are family Artemis, do you forget? before you died I adopted you into my family line… You could be a price, a duke… you have no interest in this?”
"You know I was never interested in titles... the same as you." He pauses before finishing, "...use to be."
“Artemis We are friends… so if you disappoint me here I will let you off easy, all I will do is travel to your world again I will find that petty guild of thieves and would be assassins you call a family, I will hang their freshly removed skin up in the townsquare you once played in as a child and the people will consider me a hero for it, Every farmer, or baker they stole from to survive will cheer me as they spit on the corpses of the only people you considered family. And that night, I will sleep well knowing I have smited an evil in this world.”
“Now… tell me what you know of the starstone before I take it by force!”
The ghostly rogue finally lets out a defeated sigh as he begins to speak.